by Nikki McCoy
When Dhani nodded, Tailor went to the living room with Cy. “What is it?”
Cy sat on the arm of a recliner and took on a grave expression. “Rowan called me an hour ago. He said his men have reported some activity at Roh Se Kahn’s castle.”
Tailor narrowed his eyes. Roh Se Kahn’s castle in Ireland had been abandoned ever since the Ba’Kal and Vam’kir had teamed up there to defeat his minions, and Keenan had cast the dark God out of this realm. Rowan and Manning had assigned two small teams to watch over the place in case Roh Se Kahn’s son, Vane, decided to pick up where his father had failed. “What kind of activity?”
“Nothing concrete. They said they’ve seen shadows and heard sounds, but they weren’t able to find anything.”
“With Vane’s ability to teleport, he could be in and out of there before the guards could catch him.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Cy agreed.
“Does Rowan think Vane might be looking for something there? I know Keenan took everything he could find that could be of use to his brother, but there’s a possibility he might’ve missed something.”
“He’s not sure. He and Manning have decided to triple the number of guards there just in case.”
“Maybe I should investigate it.”
“No!” Cy exclaimed. “Rowan didn’t even want me to tell you. He didn’t want you to worry when you have more important matters to take care of.” He pointed his bottle in the direction of the kitchen. “Only reason I did tell you is because I thought you deserved to know. I don’t believe in coincidence, and activity at the castle so soon after Dhani’s sudden appearance feels pretty off to me.”
Tailor nodded. “I don’t believe in coincidence either. Thanks for letting me know. I owe you one.”
“Just take care of that mate you’ve got,” Cy said. “He’s a good man. Managed to keep your ass from killing anyone for a whole week.”
Tailor scoffed.
“No, seriously,” Cy went on in a sarcastic tone. “That’s got to be some kinda record for you.”
“I will kick. Your. Ass,” Tailor growled, punctuating his words.
“I don’t think it’s my ass you want,” Cy said with a wide grin.
Tailor restrained the urge to deck the man and went back to the kitchen.
“Everything all right?” Dhani asked.
“Fine.” He wasn’t going to let the news spoil his reunion with his mate. As they sat down to eat, he marveled at the breakfast Dhani had made. His mate had added spices to the eggs and the pancake batter had been mixed with a can of blueberries he didn’t even know he had. Dhani really was a great cook.
After they cleaned the mess, Tailor suggested they run into the human town nearby to pick up more supplies for the library. While there were plenty of shops in the community, he had a feeling exposure to the outside world would benefit his mate more. Each community was extremely tight-knit and Dhani’s presence could stir up questions from the locals neither one of them were ready to answer. Like who Dhani was and where he’d come from.
Dhani hesitantly agreed and rode with Tailor in a beat-up old pickup Tailor hadn’t been able to bring himself to replace. In town, Dhani was quiet at first and stayed close to Tailor’s side. Then, as the day progressed, he gradually loosened up in the relaxed ambiance of the town. Tailor was familiar with many of the shop owners, having visited them regularly whenever he needed supplies for his cabin. They greeted him warmly, and Dhani as well.
Tailor also took him to the furniture stores, wanting to browse them for possible pieces to put in the library. He asked Dhani’s opinion on everything and was surprised to find his mate familiar with many of the antiquated styles. When he inquired about his mate’s knowledge, Dhani smiled in embarrassment and replied, “I used to spend hours reading Victorian magazines. I always thought the furniture from that era held more character than the modern styles.”
Happiness filled Tailor’s chest and without thought, he pulled his mate in for a passionate kiss. To his relief, Dhani didn’t shy away.
An elderly woman passing by in one of the store aisles cleared her throat and stopped to stare at them blatantly. Tailor met her gaze, expecting disgust, but she merely smiled. To Dhani, she said, “You’re a lucky one, you are.” Then her eyes shifted to Tailor, glinting with delight. “A man like that can kiss me anytime.”
It was Tailor’s turn to feel embarrassed and his face flamed ever so slightly. Dhani simply erupted into laughter and thanked her. As soon as she was gone, Tailor smacked his mate on the ass. Dhani spun around with a wide grin. “What? It’s not my fault. You are sexy.”
As Dhani continued down the aisle, Tailor took a moment to breathe in those words and the sight of his mate’s joy. He couldn’t believe he’d ever wanted to keep Dhani out of his life. The man had been made for him. He was so different from Dominic, yet so similar. Both seemed to be just what he needed at the right times in his life.
They packed the truck with several supplies and arranged delivery for what they couldn’t take with them. Tailor took his mate to a café for lunch and afterwards, walked with him down the main street of town where the shops catered mostly to tourists. When Dhani paused at a store selling hats with an eager look on his face, Tailor insisted on buying him a few.
He suspected Dhani only wanted them to cover the increasing strands of white in his hair, and though he didn’t comment, he knew it had something to do with Roh Se Kahn. Keenan, the God’s son, had a full head of white hair and, from Rowan’s description, the human body Roh Se Kahn had inhabited during his time on earth had also had white hair. It could be that Dhani’s red hair would eventually bleed out as a result of his imprisonment in the alternate realm with Roh Se Kahn.
For now, though, Tailor would let him hide the change if that was what would help him adjust.
They made one last stop at the grocery store then left town. When they arrived back at the cabin, Tailor began taking the supplies from the bed of his truck while Dhani gathered the bags up front and headed inside. Cy came out to meet them with a grim expression. He pulled Tailor aside and said in a low voice, “Laya’s here. I would’ve called you, but she showed up about three minutes ago. Have you told Dhani yet?”
Tailor cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten that Dhani’s mother had promised she would return on this day. “No. Keep her busy while I—” He looked over at the cabin and saw Dhani already walking through the front door. “Dhani, wait!”
He ran inside and caught sight of Dhani in the living room. Laya was there as well, standing next to a window. Now that they were both together, the resemblance was striking. Laya’s burgundy hair was swept back in a braid, displaying the elegant angles of her face, so much like Dhani’s. She wore cargo pants and a loose-fitting brown top, making her small frame appear larger. Her hazel eyes mirrored the color of Dhani’s and held a mixture of apprehension and excitement.
“Who are you?” Dhani asked warily.
Laya took a step forward. “You look so good, my precious son. I’ve waited so long to see you again.”
Dhani sent Tailor an alarmed glance then looked back to Laya. “What’s going on?”
“Dhani, I—” Tailor began.
“I’m your mother, Layzani. Or Laya,” Laya interrupted, taking another step. “Don’t you recognize me?”
Dhani dropped the bags he was holding and shook his head. “You can’t be my mother.”
“Of course I am! I sang to you every night since the day you were born. The same lullaby my mother used to sing to me. I kept you close and protected you. You always loved to smell my hair. It’s the same color as yours. See?” She tugged her hair loose and held up a lock. “Yours is brighter, of course. There’s some of your father’s blond in you, but we have the same traits. Your eyes are hazel like mine. You even have my nose.” Her lashes glittered with tears. “You’re more handsome than I ever dreamed you might be.”
Dhani’s body was rigid and his tone deadpan as he said, “My mother is dead.”
Dhani lurched away from her. “Hard for me?” he rasped in anger. “No. I was too busy trying to survive to care about your death. You gave me up to strangers who made my life a living hell. Did you think of me at all after you abandoned me? When my foster father was beating the shit out of me and raping me? My foster mother did everything she could to make sure I paid the price for his attention. She was mad with jealously, because he preferred my bed instead of hers.”
The rage and pain in Dhani’s energy permeated the air and his body trembled with intensity. “I cried every night, trying to figure out why you hated me so much that you would give me to those monsters before you died. And now you expect me to be happy you’re alive? To forgive you for giving me up while you went on with your life without me?” He turned an accusatory look on Tailor. “And you! What, did you find her thinking I would be grateful to see her again? How could you do this?”
“Dhani,” Tailor said, layering his tone with warning. He had to get his mate to calm down. Dhani appeared ready to shatter from the emotions riding him. “Just take a breath. I don’t think she intended for you to go through what you did.”
“I had no idea,” Laya said in earnest, her face ashen. “Oh, dear Mother, I’m so sorry. Please believe me. I told the Alpha to make sure you went to a good home. When I found out you’d been taken by Roh Se Kahn, I knew I had to find you again. I heard Tailor was looking for you and I sought him out. This isn’t his fault. I’m your mother, and I’ll always try to keep you safe.”
“Safe?” Dhani’s sudden laughter was laced with cynicism and a hint of hysteria. “Did you keep me safe when I ran away and prostituted myself to stay alive? Or how about when I was taken by the rogue Vam’kir during the war and held captive for two and a half years? Was I safe when Roh Se Kahn stole me from this earth and took everything from me?” His voice had risen to a shout by now and his cheeks were streaked with tears. Then, softly but with no less fury, he asked, “Why did you abandon me?”
Laya had taken a step back at Dhani’s vehemence. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes portrayed her horror. “I thought it was the only way to protect you from your father. He—”
Dhani cut her off with a sharp gesture. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. I don’t care why you’re here, just leave.”
“Daishen,” Tailor said as he slowly approached.
But Dhani wouldn’t listen. “Leave!” he screamed.
Chapter Seven
Before Tailor could react, Dhani shifted to his leopard form and bounded through the open front door of the cabin. Tailor looked to Laya, who was trying to hold in quiet sobs. He had no doubt at that moment she’d meant well for her son, but he couldn’t bring himself to take pity on her. It was her actions that had inadvertently brought Dhani pain throughout his entire life.
“Stay here,” he said forcefully, then shifted and flew out of the cabin in search of his mate. He rose high into the sky, following Dhani’s scent. The feline form was easy to spot on the ground, racing farther into the forest, away from the community. Dhani’s sleek form was beautiful even from Tailor’s height. Tailor remained above the trees for a time to give Dhani space.
Half an hour later, Dhani stumbled and rolled to a jarring halt on the outskirts of a small clearing. Tailor swooped down to perch on the branch of a nearby tree. Dhani had shifted back to his human form and was kneeling on his hands and knees with his head hanging low. His hair had come loose and fell like a frayed red and white curtain over his face. When he finally stood shakily, he clawed both hands into his hair and braced his head as though in pain.
Tailor jumped down and shifted by the time his feet hit the ground. “Dhani,” he started in a low tone.
Dhani jerked around to face him. For a brief moment, Tailor thought he saw bright silver eclipse the hazel in his mate’s eyes. In the next, Dhani clenched his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around his waist, doubling over in obvious pain.
Panic seized Tailor and he took several steps forward. Something was wrong. He scanned his mate’s body, looking for any signs that he’d been injured during his flight from the cabin, but there were none. Tailor’s gaze widened in disbelief when more of his mate’s hair turned white right there in front of him. Several strands of coppery red paled throughout Dhani’s hair until it was all interlaced with full lengths of ivory.
Tailor was positive now the transformation was a result of Dhani’s time spent with Roh Se Kahn, yet the change didn’t seem to be happening gradually. It came in leaps and bounds. His mind raced back to the instances when the white in Dhani’s hair had grown noticeably. The first had been outside the Alpha’s house after Dhani’s nervous breakdown. The second after Tula had shown up at the cabin, and now following Laya’s appearance. Perhaps the correlation was in the strong emotions Dhani felt during each instance.
He moved closer and reached out to sooth his mate. “It’s okay, baby.”
Dhani reared back, tripping over his own feet in his haste. “Don’t touch me!”
“I’m not going to hurt you.” Again, he could’ve sworn Dhani’s eyes flashed to silver when he looked up.
“You have that the other way around,” Dhani said through clenched teeth.
The threat in his voice made Tailor’s blood run cold, but there was something more. While rage still suffused Dhani’s energy, torment lined his exquisite features. He was afraid, Tailor realized, and whatever had him scared had more to do with Roh Se Kahn than Laya. Tailor would bet his life on it. He forced his nerves to calm and stifled his emotions, hoping it would help Dhani regain control. “Tell me what I can do.”
A minute passed before Dhani exhaled on a sob and charged into Tailor’s arms, just as he had the night of Tula’s arrival. He pulled Tailor down for a kiss, his body stiff and lips pressed a little too tight, as though he couldn’t breathe in. There was none of the passion Tailor knew his mate was capable of. The kiss was mechanical, and at the same time, frantic.
Instead of pulling away, however, Tailor crushed Dhani close and took command, pushing his tongue into his mate’s mouth and delving into his sweet recesses. Despite the gravity of the situation, arousal surged into him at the feel of Dhani’s eagerness. He let it seep into his energy and felt an awakening response in his mate.
On the edge of his thoughts, he knew something wasn’t right about Dhani’s passion. Dhani was running away, trying to escape whatever held him in its grip, and was using Tailor for shelter. As before, his interest seemed to be born of desperation and need rather than desire. Tailor had felt it occasionally in the past with women who had lain with him only for a momentary chance to leave behind the stress of their lives. Even he had been guilty of using sex as an escape for several months before he’d come to terms with Dominic’s death.
What he couldn’t figure out, though, was what Dhani was running from. Instinct told him it was more than just memories and the nightmares that made him struggle in Tailor’s arms when they slept together. It was as if Roh Se Kahn still had a physical hold on him, and Dhani wasn’t strong enough to fight it.
Tailor firmed his resolve and tilted Dhani’s head back, pushing deeper into his mate’s mouth. The tension in Dhani’s body lessened as he opened fully with a moan. Still, there was urgency in his response. His eyes as he glanced up reflected his spirit, the color of pale green on stained glass. He grabbed the front of Tailor’s shirt and ripped it open, scoring Tailor’s chest with claws that had emerged from his nails.
Tailor ignored the pain, focusing only on giving his mate what he needed. When Dhani dropped to his knees
and raked his claws down Tailor’s abdomen, trying to tear open his jeans, blood began to pound through Tailor’s veins. The pain only added to his arousal and the sight of his mate so eager to take all of him pushed him past the boundaries of his concern.
Quickly, he unbuttoned his pants and lowered them, freeing his engorged cock. Dhani showed no hesitation. He grasped Tailor’s thighs and engulfed him, surrounding the whole of Tailor’s length with the searing heat of his mouth.
Tailor rocked back on his heels with a grunt. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced, not even with his first mate. He and Dominic had never had the chance to become truly intimate with each other. Not in the way lovers did when desire overcame reason. And no other woman or man had ever evoked the kind of attraction he felt for Dhani.
Dhani was like a storm. Timid at first, then staggering in his ferocity. He sealed his lips around the base of Tailor’s erection, creating intense suction as he raised his mouth to the tip then went back down, over and over again. His tongue rasped along Tailor’s sensitive skin, curling around his head and flicking across his tip.
Tailor could feel his cock pulsing with need, begging for more attention. He took hold of Dhani’s head and thrust with his hips, gasping at the feel of Dhani’s throat constricting around him. It took all of his restraint to keep from slamming into his mate’s willing mouth and seeking out his release. He wanted more, needed more.
A part of him became aware of Dhani’s influence over him. The potency of lust permeating Dhani’s energy was obscuring Tailor’s rationality. This wasn’t the way he wanted their relationship to progress. He wanted to make love to his mate. To prove to him through gentleness and acceptance that he would always be there for the right reasons. Not simply because of the pleasure Dhani gave him.
But as Dhani hummed his eagerness, causing vibrations to ripple along Tailor’s flesh, he lost all concentration and self-control. The drive to sink himself into his mate’s warm hole was overwhelming.