Learning To Live (Eternal Flames Book 11)

by Cree Storm

  Snake nodded. “I told you I’m willing to give our mating a chance. Are you willing to do the same, Rory?”

  Rory looked at both man’s hands and then to Donny. His friend stood there not giving him any indication as to what he should do, but Rory knew that Donny couldn’t make this choice for him anyway. Becoming mates to Snake and Ozcog was one only he could make.

  Words whispered into Rory’s mind—words he had spoken earlier to Donny. Success is the best way to get your revenge. “I’m willing to try, so yes, I will agree to have you both as my mates.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Ozcog couldn’t believe his ears. His mates wanted him. Turning to Donny, Ozcog gave a low growl, “Leave.”

  Tilting his chin up, Donny hissed, “Well, a man knows when he’s not wanted.”

  “No! Donny, don’t go,” Rory shouted.

  Ozcog couldn’t help but show his disappointment. His gaze dropped to the floor, then was surprised when he felt the touch of Rory’s hand on his cheek. Looking back up, Ozcog could see regret and sadness, but thankfully no fear.

  Rory whispered, “I am not saying I don’t want to experience whatever it was you were going to do, even if I’m a bit terrified of the unknown, but Donny and I just discovered the man raping men in both Maddox and Crystal. Now we have to go through the videos and see if we can find when he went into these locations. He might not have shifted and we may be able to get his true identity. As important as claiming your mates is to you, finding this son of a bitch is just as important to me.”

  “And me. And I’m sure all of the rest of his victims would agree. This man is not going to stop until we stop him. Vik and Baldwin are working with Pauly, but they have no clues whatsoever. I am thinking about going and talking to the other victims. Pauly said the two men gave him little to go on. Both said they didn’t want to talk about it, and neither man has returned his calls, and Vik hasn’t had much more luck with the one here in Crystal. They may be more willing to speak to someone that’s been through the same as they have,” Donny replied.

  “Donny, that’s a great idea. I can come with you,” Rory quickly replied.

  “No!” Snake and Ozcog shouted at the same time.

  Rory turned to his mates angrily snapping, “Just because we are mates does not mean you can tell me what to do. I am my own man and I make my own choices.”

  Donny sighed, “Rory, I think it might be best if I go on my own. No offense, but you’re tight with the cops and the mayor of Crystal. I think I’ll get more out of them on my own.”

  “But you work with the police,” Rory tried to argue.

  Nodding, Donny replied, “Yes, but I am also one of his victims. Just let me see what the guys can tell me. Talking to one person about what happened is hard enough. Talking to two is even harder, especially if they’re strangers.”

  “You’re right. How soon can you get to them?” Rory asked.

  “I have to find out who these other victims are first and I’m sure it won’t be easy to get Vik and Pauly to give up their names. I figure I can take some time tomorrow and do it. It’s Saturday, so I’m off and I doubt if those guys made plans,” Donny replied.

  Smiling, Rory said, “You don’t have to go to Vik or Pauly. I have the other guys' names. They were tagged on the videos.”

  “We may want to go to the war room and relook at these videos. The screens are larger, and the equipment is kick ass,” Snake said.

  Shaking his head, Rory replied, “I don’t think Wade would appreciate us using that equipment for personal use, Snake, you know him. And bringing Donny in, a civilian, goes against all of Wade’s rules. Unless he’s the one bringing someone in, that is.”

  “This is not personal use, Rory. This man is attacking our residents. Wade wouldn’t give a shit if it meant we were working to finding this fucker, so he couldn’t harm anyone else,” Ozcog argued.

  “Oz is right. Wade would be fine with it. Then again, you know that, so what’s the real reason you don’t want to go there?” Snake asked.

  Rory turned away and looked at the computer. Ozcog was confused for a minute and then it dawned on him. “You’re worried Wade will figure out what happened to you with Trey Mathus.”

  “That book you showed me last night—A Courage to Heal, said that to start healing you need to tell someone. You start with a friend if you like, but then you should tell one person in your family. Rory, if you really want to heal, you need to tell Wade,” Donny said.

  Ozcog watched as tears filled his mate’s eyes. He hated the sadness and shame he could see. Rory had nothing to be ashamed of. “If it will make it easier, Snake and I can be with you when you talk to him.”

  “And if he says one negative thing, I’ll knock the shit out of him,” Snake replied.

  Rory gave a watery laugh, wiping the tears that were falling. “Wade would knock the shit out of you if you tried.”

  Snorting, Snake replied, “He’d have to get past my best weapon first.”

  “What weapon is that?” Rory asked.

  “Ozzie. Our gargoyle mate is bad ass in a battle. It may have been from a distance, but I saw him kick some serious fairy butt when we met up with those shits at Suneth’s place.”

  Ozcog felt pride fill his very soul from his mate’s words. A gargoyle was a protector of the people. For Snake to think of him as his protector showed Ozcog that his mate was willing to be an equal in their relationship and not fight for “alpha” status. It was a relief to Oz. Ozcog was used to being strong, but he also knew how to compromise. It was good to know Snake was willing to do that as well.

  Donny laughed. “Yeah, Oz is great at kicking most paranormal's asses, but just don’t bring a puppy into the mix. He about pisses himself.”

  “What?” Rory asked with a smile.

  “From what I hear, Timmy’s dog, Charlie, and Oz don’t exactly get along and Oz jumps and screams like a girl when Charlie comes near him,” Donny replied with a smirk.

  Ozcog felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. “I don’t know how you know that, but that is really not cool.”

  Rory’s eyes danced with mirth. “Are you afraid of dogs, Ozcog?”

  “Charlie isn’t a dog, he’s a dinosaur that loves my bed. I was sound asleep when the damn thing attacked me,” Ozcog grumbled.

  Donny burst out laughing. “Timmy said Charlie was trying to snuggle with you. The second you realized who it was, you screamed like a girl and rolled off the bed.”

  Rory’s laugh was one of the most beautiful sounds Ozcog had ever heard. He promised himself that he would make sure he heard that sound as often as possible, even if it was at his expense.

  Rory bumped shoulders with him, saying, “Well, you keep our Snake safe and I promise to protect you from Charlie.”

  “You have a deal,” Oz replied with a grin he knew made him look stupid but could care less. His mate was talking a future with him, and even if it was about a dog, Oz was more than willing to accept the baby step for a real future he could have.

  “Okay, we need to head to the “war room”. I really want to look at these videos on a larger screen,” Rory announced as he stood and headed for the door.

  Ozcog followed Rory out the door along with Snake and Donny. Seeing Qavex on guard detail outside the door, Ozcog ordered, “You stay and make sure no one gets in while we’re gone. Have Juddan meet us at the auto shop. He is to maintain his patrol from there.”

  “You got it, Oz,” Qavex replied taking off into the sky after Juddan.

  Feeling someone watching him, Ozcog turned to see Snake looking at him with lust in his eyes. Ozcog raised a brow. “See something you like?”

  “Oh, I see a great deal that I like. I’ve never been drawn to small and dainty men. I like them more my size. However, I never knew that one built like a brick shit house and so in control could be such a turn on. You are one of the sexiest men I’ve ever laid eyes on, Ozzie. Not just in looks, but in the way you hold yourself. I can’t wait to sink my cock i
nto you,” Snake replied with longing.

  Ozcog smirked. “Funny, I was thinking the very same thing as you, but I would be the one sinking my cock into you.”

  Snake shrugged. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

  “You’ve never bottomed before?” Oz asked in surprise.

  Shaking his head, Snake replied, “I’m kind of a control freak. The only ones I have ever taken orders from are Wade and Savage, and even then, I’m not real good at it.”

  “We shall see,” Ozcog said with a growl.

  Donny snorted, “At least I know my dick still works, cause damn if I’m not about to burst through my zipper.”

  Ozcog could have sworn that Rory muttered, “Tell me about it.”

  Everyone got into Rory’s SUV. When Snake went to the driver’s door, Rory asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Ozcog didn’t even try to help Snake out on this one.

  “Driving,” Snake replied.

  “Get your ass in the back. This is my car and I will drive it, thank you very much. No one drives Bell but me,” Rory snapped.

  Snake put his hands up and backed away looking confused. “Bell?”

  “Yes, as in silver bell. Now get in so we can do what we need to do,” Rory snapped yet again.

  Snake did as Rory directed and Ozcog laughed. “I thought you only took orders from Wade and Savage?”

  “Looks like that is changing rather quickly,” Snake said with a shrug.

  It didn’t take long to get to the war room. Ozcog entered the building with his mates and Donny and wasn’t surprised to see that Wade was still there along with Shadow, Bullseye, Savage, and Six.

  Wade turned, a look of relief came over him, as he said, “Thank the Gods. Rory, can you get on that thing and see how far Flyer is? I can’t get him on the radio and just wanted to check in. Also, I would like a satellite brought up over the location we talked about to see how many men might be there now.”

  Rory went to the massive computer they used for satellite shots. “In a minute, I need to pull up something first.”

  “Rory, whatever it is you’re doing can wait. I need to get in contact with Flyer and when I do, he’s going to need an update on what he’s flying into,” Wade stated in frustration.

  Rory didn’t stop what he was doing, as he replied, “He’s nowhere near the Mexican border, Wade. It can wait a few minutes.”

  “I gave you a direct order, Rory. You will follow that order. Now, pull up the fucking satellite,” Wade practically shouted.

  “No,” Rory said, bringing up the videos he had been wanting to look at.

  “What the hell is that?” Six asked walking closer to the screen.

  Donny walked next to him saying, “That’s the guy that tried to rape me and has raped three others, one here and two in Maddox.”

  “Rory, I agreed that you could work on this, but Vik and Baldwin are already doing what they can with Pauly. We need to focus on our mission,” Wade stated firmly.

  Rory moved the arrow here and there tapping on one button then another. The image began to become more focused.

  “Rory!” Wade shouted.

  Ozcog let out a low growl, and for not being a shifter, Snake made an impressive one of his own. It was apparent that his mates were no happier with Wade’s tone to Rory as he was. However, Rory surprised them both as he quickly turned his chair around and hissed, “Your mission does not happen to be my mission this time, Wade. It’s been taking us months to try to track down those asshats who are after us, a couple more minutes is not going to make a difference. We also have no less than a day before Flyer even gets close to the location. I only have a few hours before another man is attacked, raped, and possibly killed this time. Which do you think is my priority at this very moment?”

  “What the hell is wrong with you? You have been acting strange for a long time now, but even more so since yesterday after Donny was attacked. You have never defied me before and you will not start now.”

  “If it means stopping what I’m doing so you can see a blinking light showing you that Flyer is nowhere near his destination, then yes I am. I will find this man, Wade. I will find him, and I will catch him, and I damn well am going to do my best to do that before he can rape another man,” Rory shouted.

  “You will do as you are ordered, Rory!” Wade shouted back.

  “You will go fuck yourself, Wade. I am doing this and not you, Savage, or any other fucking person in this room is going to stop me! I have to find him! I have to,” Rory insisted, getting quieter and more teary-eyed by the second.

  Wade stopped yelling and Ozcog could finally see an understanding entering his mind.

  Wade whispered, “Why? Why do you have to do this?”

  Ozcog took Rory’s right hand and he saw Snake take his left. Wade was face to face with Rory and Oz could see the man’s eyes were watery with complete understanding, sadness, and disbelief. “Why?” Wade rasped.

  Rory slowly brought his head up stammering, “B-because I c-can’t let another man b-be raped l-like…like I was.”

  CHAPTER 10

  The room grew deathly quiet. Rory’s gut twisted and convulsed, and he feared he would throw up right there. He kept his gaze on Wade, but he could feel all eyes on him. Rory was afraid to look around and see the pity in everyone’s eyes. Well, maybe not everyone, because he knew that Donny, Snake, and Ozcog didn’t feel that way, but the other guys and Savage were a different story.

  Even though they had only worked together for the past few years, those years were full of stress and some harrowing times. Things that brought people together and formed a bond. A bond of brotherhood that Rory loved having in his life, and the thought that these men who he considered brothers would pity him in any way, made him want to run from his life and never come back.

  But his biggest fear was how his actual brother, Wade, would look at him now. He had never been big and tough like Wade. Even when they were kids growing up, Rory had been smaller than the other kids and Wade had always been the protective big brother. Something that made Rory proud when he was young, but if he were being honest, he kind of resented it as he got older.

  With Wade always fighting his battles for him and chasing away the bullies, Rory felt like everyone thought of him as a pathetic weakling. But worse than that, he thought Wade saw him that way too. When Wade left to join the military when he was eighteen, Rory had been heartbroken. His first fear was who would be there to protect him and help him now. That was quickly followed by beating himself up over being weak and needing his big brother to protect him in the first place. Then there was the fear that Wade would never make it home except in a box, draped with the flag.

  Rory had sucked it up and put on a brave face, telling Wade how proud he was of him, and he was, but he never let Wade see the fear that raged inside him. It was the last thing Wade needed right before he went off to become a soldier and put his life on the line for their right to live free. So Rory stuffed his feelings deep and put on a happy face, then made sure to always keep that positive front when dealing with Wade.

  In every letter or email they sent and the few times he and Wade Skyped while he was serving, and the even fewer times Wade had come home on leave, Rory made sure to always be brave for his brother, so Wade didn’t have anything to worry about back home. God knows his brother didn’t need that distraction in a war zone or out on a SEAL’s mission.

  So when he had been raped, he sure as hell didn’t say a damn word to Wade, or even give away that something was wrong. Through the years of always hiding things from Wade, Rory had gotten really good at it and it had become second nature. Even when Wade returned home and announced he had retired from the SEALs and would be home for good, Rory just kept things from his brother that would upset him or distract him from what he was doing. It was the only way he could repay his brother for keeping him safe all their lives. It was his way of protecting Wade to the best of his ability.

  But now
here they stood, staring at one another and the worst thing in the world that had happened to him stood like a bright light between them. Rory could see the pain and anger in Wade’s eyes and in the way he held himself, and he knew it was because of Rory’s declaration just moments ago, but a part of him worried if it was more.

  He knew Wade was pissed that someone had hurt him and maybe even mortified to find out that his brother had been raped, but Rory was afraid that deep anger he saw in Wade’s eyes was directed more at him than the situation and that thought had Rory ready to bolt.

  “Clear the room,” Wade said calmly and quietly through clenched teeth.

  Rory kept his gaze locked with Wade’s, but he could see from his peripheral that no one moved.

  “I said, clear the damn room. Except for you, little brother.”

  Ozcog stepped closer, but neither he or Wade broke their stares. “Everyone else can leave, but Snake and I are staying,” Ozcog said softly.

  “I want a few minutes alone with my brother,” Wade demanded.

  “I understand that, but he is our mate, Wade, and we will stand by him.”

  “What I have to say to Rory is between us. Now, I’m not going to say it again. Everybody clear the fucking room,” Wade replied, his voice still calm, but more forceful. His tone showing the leader that he was.

  Rory could see Snake move closer and place a hand on Ozcog’s arm. “It’s okay, Oz. Let’s give them a minute.”

  “He’s our mate and we are supposed to stand with him, no matter what. I realize none of you are shifters, but with Wade being mated to Suneth and being on the council, he should know better than to get involved in a mating. It is against our laws to interfere.”