“Seriously? This is a war between them and us, and in a war, hard decisions have to be made. Unpleasant ones too. We can’t risk him getting away and spilling our secrets.”
“Euan, we left that behind.” Vir watched their prisoner. “We aren’t those people anymore. We don’t have to kill.”
“I think Euan has a point,” Deac said. “We can’t risk him getting away. Who knows what he could do on his way out of here.”
“We can’t do this. We’re not murderers, Deac.” Indy pointed at the man who watched them dispassionately.
“I have a mate and daughters to think about. I won’t risk their safety, Vir. Ish, you have a son. Are you willing to risk his safety? We can’t let him go, and we can’t hold him indefinitely.”
“So, what? We just kill him in cold blood?” Indy put his hands on his hips and glared at Deac. “Should we discuss how we’ll kill him too?”
“Fuck it.” Deac heard Euan and turned in time to see him grab the prisoner’s head and snap his neck. “Job done.” He wiped his hands on his jeans then checked the man’s pulse. “Dead. Where are the shovels? We need to bury him.”
“I can’t believe you just did that!” Vir roared.
“I have a mate! I’ll do anything to protect him.” Euan pointed at Vir. “This is war! We are under attack, and we have to make these types of decisions, but I will always put my mate, and those I care about, above people like him who will kidnap and torture us.” Euan paced behind the body, glaring at Vir and Indy. “You think they see you as people? As sentient with feelings and wants and needs? No, they fucking don’t. They kidnap, torture, abuse, and experiment on you, before they decide to kill you because you’ve become useless. We need to accept that we might face these situations. This isn’t the same as hitting some lab where we have to kill. This is deliberate, and we will have to do it again. I’ll sleep fine tonight knowing he isn’t a risk to Logan.” Euan stopped moving and asked, “Where is the shovel?”
“I’ll get it, and I, for one, agree.” Deac looked at Indy and Deac. “We are at war. I know we’ve done what has to be done, but we are under attack. Our people are being hunted and killed. We have to make these difficult choices, and we have to perform tasks we don’t want to. Euan is right. We couldn’t leave him alive. As much as I hate to take a life, in this case, it was necessary.”
Vir flattened his lips and looked at Ish, who had a pained look on his face. “I hate to say it—“
“Then don’t,” Indy snapped. He stared at the body and shook his head. “I hate this. What they’re making us become. We aren’t people who kill unless it’s necessary.”
“No, we’re not, but sometimes, we need to do what shouldn’t be done.” Ish sighed. “I hoped that when I left the military, I would never have to witness this, but Euan is right. We need to protect our own, and if that means taking a life, then I will.” He glanced up at Vir. “Let’s get him buried.”
“We need to clean this place too.” Euan undid the ropes, letting the body slump forward and fall on the ground. “I’ll come back later with Logan and do it.”
Deac lifted the body up over his shoulder and Euan opened the door. He pointed to farther in the trees. “In there, so he won’t be found easily.”
He heard footsteps behind him and, when Euan found a spot, dropped the body. Vir handed him a shovel and stared at the ground. “Let’s get this over with.”
The knock on the front door surprised Costas, and he looked out of the window, furrowing his brow. Opening the door, he said, “Deacon, what’s wrong?”
Deac shut the door and pulled him close, hugging him hard. Costas held on, feeling the shaking wrack Deac’s body. “Costas.”
“Tell me, Deac. What’s happened? Did you find something about those names? What is it?”
Deac pulled back, and Costas was shocked at the look on his face, the pain clearly evident. “He’s dead.”
Costas gasped. “Who?” he asked in a trembling voice. “Who’s dead? Oh god. Not someone—“
Deac put his hand over Costas’ mouth. “The man we were holding. Euan killed him. We couldn’t keep him alive, and I agreed, but now it’s hitting me. We’re at war, Costas, and I have to do what’s necessary to protect you and our girls.” Deac took a shaky breath in then added, “I helped bury him.”
Costas led Deac over to the sofa while his mind reeled in shock. The prisoner was dead, murdered by Euan. “Why?” he whispered.
“We couldn’t risk him escaping and telling them anything about us. He wouldn’t give us more information, and we had to do something. Indy was all for moving him somewhere and keeping him a prisoner for fuck knows how long. Euan took matters into his own hands and did what had to be done.”
“He murdered someone.”
Deac looked into Costas’ eyes. “It had to be done and, in the future, it might be done again. He’s right. Euan. We can’t have them find out what we’re doing here. The protective measures we’re putting into place. I won’t risk you or the girls. I need to keep you safe.”
“Would you kill if you had to?” Costas had to know. He was a doctor. He’d taken an oath to save lives, not take them. But this was a situation he’d never expected to be in, and after his kidnapping and imprisonment, he’d wanted to get the hell away from it all, but here he was in the thick of it all.
He knew when it came down to it, he would kill to protect those he loved. He would have, too, if the opportunity had arisen while he was being held. His daughters were his life, and he would have done anything to keep them safe.
“He was right.”
Deac looked up at him, his brow furrowed. “What? You agree?”
“They had me and my girls, Deac. If I’d had to take a life to save theirs, then I would have. They will stop at nothing until they have what they want. They will capture, torture, and kill until they know everything about you and your kind. Euan made the right call, even though I hate to admit it.”
“You think they’ll ever stop?”
“I think it will take something quite significant to force them to stop. At the moment, they have everything they need. Money, power, people, hidden locations. If they can keep going and not get caught, they absolutely will.”
“I know it too. I wish they would leave us alone. We just want to live our lives like everyone else.”
“But you can change forms, and they want that too. Imagine having power over someone who can change on command and kill who you want with no questions asked. The ability to have armies of shifters who will decimate the enemy—whoever you decide is the enemy.”
Deac slumped back on the sofa, his arm over his face. “Why can’t life be simple? I want to come home to you and the girls and have dinner and talk about our day.” He dropped his arm and rolled his head so he could look at Costas. “I don’t want all of this other stuff.”
“I didn’t want it either, but then I wouldn’t have you, would I? Some good has come out of it. Mates, for one. It still scares me being your mate, but I want it. I want you in my life, and I want my girls to know you too. We’ll be family, and I would never have known this type of connection could exist if I had never been taken. I love you, Deac.” As soon as he said the words, he knew the truth. He did love Deac, had loved him for some time, but with everything that had happened and was still happening, he’d become confused over what he was feeling. “I love you.”
Deac hauled him close, squeezing his so tight, Costas could barely breathe. “I love you too. So much, Costas. I love you so much.” He pulled back, and Costas grinned, kissing him softly. “Can we go upstairs? We can be quiet, can’t we?” Deac’s eyes glowed, and Costas ran his hand over the obvious bulge in his jeans.
“We need to be very quiet.” He stood and held his hand out to Deac. “You’ll mate me.”
“Oh, yeah, I will.” He took a step forward then stopped. “Have you spoken to them?”
“They know, and they like you. They don’t have a problem with us.”
&nbs
p; Deac framed Costas’ face with his hands and kissed him deeply. When Costas finally came up for air, he smiled and whispered, “Let’s mate. Make me yours.”
“At last,” Deac whispered before kissing him again. Costas melted into the kiss, leaning his body against Deac and trusting his mate to hold him.
They kissed, tongues tangling, hands sliding over each other’s body until Costas murmured, “Let’s take this upstairs.”
“Show me the way.”
With a soft smile on his face, Costas took Deac’s hand and led him upstairs. In his bedroom, he shut the door, leaning back on it. His mate was in his bedroom, and they were about to bond their lives together, and he wasn’t afraid. No, he wanted this, wanted this shifter.
Pushing away from the door, he pulled his T-shirt off. “Make me yours.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
COSTAS KISSED HIM, and Deac was overwhelmed with sensation. He slowly stripped them both naked then moved Costas onto the bed, rolling him onto his front. He spread his legs, and Deac stared. Fuck, his mate was gorgeous, his balls and hole exposed to Deac’s hungry eyes. He wanted Costas, and he was going to have him.
He moved between Costas’ legs, and he kissed Costas’ wrinkled opening and then he sucked. His tongue pressed forward, tracing around Costas’ hole before giving it a long lick. Costas moaned, his thighs spreading wider, giving Deac more room.
Deac’s tongue licked Costas, lapping at his hole with abandon. Then he used his thumbs to hold Costas’ ass open and fucked him with his tongue. Soft jabs, sliding in, parting the muscles, making Costas relax. Once, he had, Deac’s tongue slid in more, swirling inside, eating him out as he held him open to the assault. Costas made a noise that sounded like a sob, rutting against the mattress.
“More,” Costas gasped, shifting his body until he was on his knees, legs spread and head hung low. Costas pushed his ass into Deac’s face, and Deac growled as he licked and sucked. He heard the whimpers, felt the shudders that wracked Costas’ body and felt powerful, knowing he was making his mate feel good.
Costas pushed back on his tongue, and Deac slid more and more of it in his ass. He loved the taste, the smell of Costas and wanted to roll in it, but first, he wanted to make him come.
Costas whimpered and moaned, his body moving. “More.” Deac slid his tongue free and massaged Costas’ hole with his slick fingers, rubbing the wrinkled opening, feeling it pulse beneath them. Deac pushed in a finger then pulled it out before pushing two in at once, scissoring them quickly before pulling them out again.
He did it again and again, stretching Costas’ ass so he could take his thick throbbing dick. He wanted in Costas’ ass so bad; he wanted to fuck and mate him, bind them together for life.
When he knew Costas could take him, he flipped him onto his back. Shoving a pillow under Costas’ hips, he lined himself up between his legs, and looked into Costas’ face. Lust and desire were written all over it: the blown pupils, the flushed skin. He took a deep breath, willing himself to slow down so he didn’t hurt Costas.
He pushed the thick head of his dick against Costas’ ring, seeing it open and stretch. He bit his lip, sweat rolling down his forehead, his eyes focused on where their bodies joined.
“Oh, Deac,” Costas whispered.
Costas gripped Deac’s forearms, and Deac could feel Costas’ body tremble as he pushed in, the small shivers running through him and somehow transmitting to Deac’s own body. Costas’ eyes fluttered close, his mouth falling open, and Deac watched it all, seeing the pleasure on Costas’ face. He waited for Costas to nod, and when he did, he pushed until his balls brushed Costas’ ass.
He panted heavily, squeezing his eyes shut as what they were about to do finally hit him. He was going to mate. He was going to bite his mate and bind them together. He wanted it, had waited patiently for Costas to make his decision, and now here he was, and it was almost overwhelming in its intensity.
“Move, Deac.”
Deac opened his eyes and stared into Costas’ lust-blown ones and pulled out then slammed back in. Costas’ mouth opened wide, his breath rushing out, and Deac did it again, watching the flush deepen on Costas’ skin. He leaned down and sucked on his bottom lip then took his mouth in a blistering kiss.
Costas leaned up into the kiss, tilting his head to deepen it, and Deac groaned, a shudder rushing through his body as he slowly moved his dick in Costas’ ass. He sucked Costas’ tongue into his mouth and pumped his hips, feeling Costas clench around his hot, hard length and did it again and again.
Costas whimpered and moaned, quiet sounds that Deac loved to hear. He moved over his mate, moved in his mate, keeping them connected in every way he could.
Costas urged him on, and all too soon, Deac was pounding his ass, grunting with every thrust into Costas’ ass. Costas tightened on his dick, and Deac sucked on Costas’ shoulder, marking him as he gave them both what they needed.
Costas keened and then turned his head to one side. “Close. Do it now, Deac.”
Deac’s breath stuttered in his chest, and he licked the area he would bite. He kissed and licked it until he felt Costas’ body grow taut, and then he bit, sinking his teeth into the flesh and tasting Costas’ blood on his tongue.
The bond snapped into place, and Dec was flooded with Costas’ emotions as he came. Deac growled and shuddered as Costas’ emotions spiraled with his own. He couldn’t hold back; it was all too much, and he gripped Costas tight as he came, filling Costas’ ass with his come. He lost all sense of time. He was sensation only, his body alive with his own feelings and those of Costas as he slowly came down from his orgasmic high.
When Deac finally returned to his senses, he licked the wound on Costas’ neck then kissed the spot. His mark on his mate’s skin for all to see.
Costas lay on the bed, his limbs left where they had fallen. Deac lifted his head and watched Costas. He lay with his eyes closed, his mouth slightly parted, his skin deeply flushed. Deac watched Costas’ eyes flutter open and kissed him softly.
Hi.
Costas blinked and furrowed his brow. Hi.
Strange, isn’t it?
“I like it. I’ll never be alone.”
“Whenever you need me, you only have to reach out, and I’ll be there.”
“What now?”
Deac’s smile widened. “We do this again.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
COSTAS RUBBED HIS dry, tired eyes. He’d been checking patient files for hours now and had a list of twenty to show for it. Twenty shifters or humans who’d had their files accessed by someone unknown. Roman yawned and stretched back in his seat then rubbed his face with his hands.
“Anything?” Costas asked.
“No. Whoever they are, they have mad skills. Even Hunter’s struggling, and he can get in any system.”
Euan grunted. “He’s not impressed.” He tapped the table with his pencil. “Why them? I can see where other files have been investigated, but these files have multiple remote entries. Something about these individuals intrigues them.”
Costas watched Euan, but he couldn’t see anything that would tell him Euan had killed a man days earlier. Not that he actually knew what to look for, but Euan was calm and collected and hadn’t mentioned it at all, even when Costas had asked how he was.
“Where the male was accessed first, the female is then checked out, but not the other way around. That leads me to think it’s the females they are interested in.” Roman swung from side to side on his chair.
“So, we narrow in on them and their background,” Hunter said over the phone. “They’ve covered their tracks. I’m checking their IP address, and it bounces all over the place then simply disappears. They not only have skills, they have top grade tech to help them.”
“Logan just said the cars are coming back clean on these individuals.”
“No tracking at all?” Costas furrowed brow. “So why access their accounts if you aren’t interested in them?”
He shuffled the sheet
s of papers with details of the families. He scanned the names, date of births, and shook his head. He didn’t understand why— No, wait. He saw something. He checked the papers again then double checked.
“Children.”
Euan looked up from the screen. “Kids? What about them?”
“They all have children one year and under. It’s the only thing they have in common.” He dropped the sheets of paper on the desk. “Narrow the search for families with children under a year old.”
Less than a minute later, Hunter muttered, “I’ll be damned. You’re right, Costas. Kids. Once they have the parents, they check the kids. Why not the kids first?”
“They are under another system with even tighter controls. Alvarez implemented it.” Costas shook his head. “He must have known or suspected. He tried to protect them.”
“Why?” Roman asked. “It can’t be—“
“Easier to control.” Costas swallowed, his breath stuttering in his chest. “That’s how they got me to do what they wanted. They threatened my girls, but a baby is more vulnerable.”
“And a baby grows. Easier to control what that child learns and believes as they grow older if you have complete control.” Roman rubbed his jaw, his eyes hard. “They wouldn’t be too bothered about the parents. Probably get rid of them as soon as they could. The kids are who they want.”
“Fuck. They wouldn’t...yeah, of course they would.”
Deac, it’s the kids they want. The adults are a way of finding them. Once they do, they access the child’s file.
Kids? Shit, Costas.
I know. I think Alvarez suspected something, so he created a separate database for children under the age of five.
Could that be why they killed him?
Deac, we need to keep an eye on those families. Who knows when they’ll hit? And they have to have figured out we know something. We’ve shut down all access and updated security.
I’ll tell Indy now.
Costas wiped a hand over his face. I’m worried.
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