Evans, Gabrielle - Shades of Black [Fatefully Yours 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove)

by Gabrielle Evans

  “You’ve always loved each other. I think that’s sweet, though sad that you never felt you could say it.” Echo relaxed further, nuzzling against Syx’s chest. “I’m sorry that he hurt you.”

  Syx rubbed his cheek against the top of his mate’s head. “That’s just it. I don’t think it hurt any of us when Hex kicked him out. I don’t know why we ever let him in to begin with.”

  “Why is Hex so angry then? And why did everyone keep this from me?”

  “As to why Hex is upset, that’s something you’re going to have to talk to him about. I have a feeling Hex is keeping secrets from all of us, not just you, baby. And we didn’t keep this from you intentionally. I haven’t thought about Craze in decades. I think the Oracle was giving me a little nudge. Apparently, she believes that Craze can be of help to us in the war. Plus, with his ability, he’d be able to feed Syn and Jinx without them draining him.”

  “Is he a demon like you?”

  “No, Craze is an Addonexus.”

  “I’ve never heard of that before.”

  “There’s a lot of myth and legend around the Addonexus, but most of it is bullshit. Some say an Addonexus is born human, but gains certain magical properties if they’re born during the solar eclipse when Haley’s Comet passes. They also say that the Addonexus will only live seventy-five years, dying during the next passing of Haley’s Comet, when a new one will be born. It’s all a bunch of crap.”

  “So, what is an Adda-whatsit?” Echo leaned back so he could look into Syx’s face as he spoke.

  “It means ‘bringer of death,’ but some of the legends are true. For instance, Craze can manipulate his bone structure, make the bones break through the skin to use as weapons. He can also heal others, and a slew of other things.”

  “Hex can heal us,” Echo offered. Though he didn’t speak, his brain produced, So why the fuck do we need him?

  Smothering his chuckle, Syx kissed the tip of his lover’s nose. “Craze can also heal himself, which Hex cannot do. He can also manipulate the elements, interpret people’s moods, listen in on their thoughts. He’s kind of like an upgraded version of all of us combined into one.”

  “I see how he could be useful,” Echo conceded. He didn’t sound very happy about it, though. “Do I have to like him?”

  Syx let his laughter bubble up through his lips this time. “Absolutely not. You can hate him all you want. Once this stupid war is over, you’ll never have to see him again.”

  “Do you think he’ll come?” Echo’s thoughts said he hoped not.

  “I don’t know, baby. I only want to keep you safe. If that means putting up with Craze and his bullshit for a few months, I’ll do it.” He pulled Echo back to his chest, and cradled his head in the crook of his neck. “You never have to worry about one of us straying, though. He means nothing to us, but you, you’re our everything.”

  “I’m trying to understand and not be worried or jealous,” Echo whispered. “Please be patient with me. It just feels like four hundred years is a long time to live with someone that you didn’t really like. So, I’m a little skeptical as to whether you’re telling the truth or just placating me with what I want to hear.”

  There was nothing Syx could say that would convince his mate. They would have to prove themselves, and he understood that. Though it hurt a little, he could accept it.

  “I love you, Echo. Just remember that.”

  Echo huffed, his breath tickling across Syx’s neck. “I love you, too.” He whispered a soft kiss over Syx’s collarbone. “Don’t make me regret it.”

  Chapter Four

  “Do it.”

  “Man, why do I have to do it?”

  “Because he likes you best and is less likely to punch you in the face.”

  “He doesn’t like me best. I don’t think he likes any of us right now.”

  Hex sat on the edge of his bed, propped his elbows on his knees, and dropped his face into his hands. Vapre and Mist had been outside his bedroom door arguing for the better part of ten minutes, and his head was beginning to throb again.

  He’d heard the soft knock and Syx’s mumbled pleas for Echo to open the door earlier. By now, Echo would know all the sordid details of their previous relationship with Craze. He didn’t know how he felt about that.

  Part of him—the cowardly part—was just grateful that someone else had explained to Echo about Craze. Another part of him was royally pissed off that Syx had suggested calling the asshole in the first place. The biggest part of him, however, felt guilty for keeping things from his men. He knew he should tell them that he’d been in touch with their former lover, but he hadn’t wanted to upset them. There were still a lot of ill feelings about the time spent with the Addonexus.

  “Myst, you can just freeze him in place if he tries to kill you,” Vapre reasoned. “What the fuck am I going to do? Blow at him?”

  Myst started laughing. “You could definitely blow him. I bet that would improve his mood a lot.”

  There was a muffled thwack, followed swiftly by Myst’s indignant growl. “Fine, but you guys owe me big for this.” A short pause and then, “I will get the information or die trying,” he added valiantly.

  Hex snorted and rolled his eyes. He could picture the demon standing in the hall with his fist over his heart and his nose tilted up in the air.

  “We’ll write something nice on your headstone,” Vapre assured him with a chuckle.

  Hex laughed under his breath as well. “Myst, just get your ass in here!”

  “Ugh!” Myst yelped then apparently forgot how to operate the knob because there was a heavy thud against the door. Finally, he figured it out and waltzed into the room with a tight smile. “Hi, boss. How’s it going? Did you catch the game last night?”

  Hex lifted both eyebrows and smirked. “What game would that be, Myst?”

  “Uh, well…” Myst frowned down at the floor, puffed up his cheeks, then let the breath out on a long exhale. “The Oracle thinks Craze would be valuable in the war, and he could feed the vamps, so that would help. I don’t know how I feel about it, but I trust Syx and Eyce, and if they think we need that stupid fucker, then okay.”

  Myst spoke so quickly Hex could barely understand him. The demon was always so laid-back and mellow, so to see him this nervous and upset did strange things to Hex’s stomach that he didn’t want to think about.

  “I know you’ve talked to him.” Myst narrowed his eyes when Hex groaned. “Don’t lie to me, because I heard you. I don’t want to talk about it right now, but we just need you to get in touch with him and ask him to come.” He rubbed at his forehead with his fingertips as though trying to iron out the wrinkles. “Just please don’t start shit. I can’t deal with it right now.”

  “I don’t want him here,” Hex said quietly. “It’s just going to cause problems and hurt Echo.”

  “Yeah, well, no one wants him here, but this is fucking war, man. If it means keeping Echo safe and saving our asses from Tartarus, then I guess we’re just going to have to suck it up and get over it.”

  Sometimes being in charge sucked, and this was definitely one of those times. “How much does Echo know?”

  Myst settled his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I don’t know. Syx went to talk to him. You stomping out of the goddamn room sure as hell didn’t help anything.”

  Was Myst reprimanding him? It certainly sounded like it. “Now, wait a minute.”

  “No!” Myst shouted. It was so unlike him that Hex snapped his mouth closed and his eyes rounded. “This is bullshit! You’re so worried about ‘me, me, me’ that you can’t pull your head out of your ass for five fucking minutes to see what’s going on around you.”

  Myst breathed heavily, his eyes flashing with anger, his chest heaving, and his fisted hands shaking at his sides. Hex had never seen the warrior so pissed off before, and he hated that he’d been the one to cause it.

  “I know you think you have to make all the decisions and take care of us, but we’re not
fucking children. I can live without all the lovey-dovey crap, but don’t lie to me and don’t keep stuff from me.” He spun around abruptly and marched out of the still-opened door. “I’m going to check on Echo,” he called over his shoulder. “Maybe you should get your shit together while I’m gone.”

  * * * *

  Echo flew out of bed when he heard the shouting coming from down the hall. Dressing quickly in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, he left a grumpy-looking Syx on the bed and hurried out of the room. He didn’t make it more than two steps out the door before he collided with a solid wall of muscle, and strong arms wound around him to keep him from falling on his ass.

  “Whoa, easy there, Echo.” Myst steadied him and took a step back. “Where’s the fire?”

  “Why are you fighting?” He had enough shit going on without his men squabbling like a bunch of toddlers.

  “We’re not,” Myst answered guardedly. “I was just very loudly stating my point of view.”

  “This isn’t Hex’s fault,” Echo said gently as he reached out to touch Myst’s forearm. “He’s worried for us. Lay off a little, okay?”

  “If he wasn’t so damn stubborn and would share a bit of the burden, he wouldn’t have those stupid headaches all the time.” Myst deflated and his shoulders sagged. “I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark. He’s been hiding things from us.”

  Echo’s own anger threatened to bubble to the surface, but he suppressed it quickly. Knowing Hex, the warrior had done what he thought was right to protect his men from unpleasantness. He agreed with Myst. They had a right to know what was going on, but he also felt he could cut their alpha a break. The man did take too much onto himself.

  “Maybe I should talk to him.”

  Myst started laughing and it took several seconds before he could finally get himself under control. “I wish you’d said that twenty minutes ago. I got shanghaied into it, and as you heard, it didn’t go well.”

  “Did he say if he’d call Craze?” Syx poked his head out of the bedroom to ask. He was still dressed in only his boxers, his hair tousled, and eyes sleepy.

  Myst eyed him with great interest and a crooked smirk. “Hello, gorgeous,” he purred.

  “One-track mind,” Echo mumbled under his breath before smacking Myst in the chest. “Snap out of it, Casanova. There will be time to play later. I’m going to talk to Hex. Myst, you grab the others and start packing up the supplies we’ll need to take. Syx, you go get Vapre and do a little research. Since you dreamed of the Oracle, I think that means you’re up to bat come the new moon. Figure out which of the remaining tasks fits your ability best, and I think we’ll be in business.”

  “Man, you’re a bossy little runt.” Myst huffed, but dipped his head and hurried off to find the others.

  Echo shrugged. Sometimes he felt that if he didn’t make the decisions and give them a swift kick in the ass to get them going, they’d never get anything accomplished. He looked up at Syx and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the demon to argue with him.

  Syx smiled and kissed Echo’s forehead. “I like bossy little runts.” He dodged the fist Echo aimed at his gut and sauntered to the top of the stairs, chuckling the entire way.

  Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, Echo waited until Syx disappeared before he turned and marched down the hall to Hex’s room. The door stood wide open, giving him a perfect view of Hex sitting on the foot of the bed. He looked so torn and distressed, not to mention exhausted. Echo’s chest tightened and his stomach cramped painfully.

  “Hey,” he said quietly.

  Hex looked up at him and nodded. “Hey.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  “You have another headache?”

  “It’s not too bad.”

  Echo swallowed back a frustrated growl and crossed the room to stand between Hex’s spread knees. The man was so massive that, even though he was sitting, Echo only rose a couple of inches taller. Reaching out, he pressed his palms to Hex’s temples and closed his eyes. He used part of his power to heal his lover, while the other part focused on detangling the snarled thoughts inside Hex’s head.

  He should probably feel bad for syphoning some of Syx’s power without telling him, but he didn’t. Hex was the most stubborn person he’d ever met, and if this was the only way to get answers from him, he couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty. He didn’t do it to pry or be an asshole. Hex was going to self-destruct if he didn’t learn to share some of his worries, though.

  Hex hated himself for lying to his lovers. He hated the idea of Craze coming to live with them, even for a temporary stay. He wished he’d never met the asshole. He questioned the Oracle’s motives, worried about the constant headaches, and hoped he hadn’t fucked things up with Echo beyond repair.

  “Oh, love,” Echo whispered, bending forward to ghost his lips across Hex’s brow. “You worry so much. Why won’t you let anyone help you?” His heart ached inside his chest and unbidden tears welled in his eyes. “Let me help you.”

  Hex cleared his throat roughly. “I’m fine.” His fingers wrapped around Echo’s waist and squeezed for just a moment before he gently pushed him away. “I’ll call Craze. I don’t know if he’ll come, but I guess we don’t have a choice but to try. Go ahead and start packing. Make sure you bring your big coat, gloves, and a hat. It’s going to be cold sleeping on the ground.”

  Rising to his feet, Hex arched his neck one way and then the other, popping the vertebrae. “My head feels better. Thank you.”

  Echo sighed at the dismissal, but decided arguing would only make things worse. With a little tip of his head, he turned and shuffled out of the room. Maybe one day Hex would let him in, let him heal his heart instead of his head. That day wasn’t going to be this one, though.

  Turning the corner out of the doorway, Echo found Syx waiting for him, leaning against the wall with a sad smile on his face. Without a word, he opened his arms, and Echo rushed to him, clinging to Syx’s shirt and burying his face in his mate’s chest. Crap, he needed to get his emotions under control.

  “Shh, baby,” Syx cooed. “Everything is going to be fine.” He leaned closer and pressed his lips to Echo’s ear. “Give him time, sweetheart. You know he loves you. That’s why he’s being such a dick.”

  It sounded like a lame excuse to Echo, but he could kind of understand. Hex was a big, macho warrior with too much testosterone for his own good. He didn’t like feelings, and he didn’t like being confused. Echo imagined Hex’s feelings were making him pretty damn confused at the moment.

  “You’re supposed to be helping Vapre,” Echo chastised lightly. There was no real heat behind his words, and he was more thankful than he could say for Syx’s comforting presence.

  His mate kissed his temple and hugged him tighter. “I’ll go help him in a minute. The others are almost finished loading up the trucks. Onyx and Eyce packed your bags, so you might want to check those.”

  Rolling his forehead over Syx’s chest, Echo groaned. “Do I even want to know?”

  “Probably not. I think I saw them slip a G-string in there.”

  “You have got to be kidding me.” Echo pushed away from Syx and growled. “I’m going to kill them.”

  Syx chuckled and grabbed Echo around the wrist. “That’s not all they packed. Relax and have a little faith, baby.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Echo took Syx’s hand and tugged him along toward the stairs. “I’m going to make fresh coffee, some sandwiches, and a list of things that need to be taken care of while we’re gone.” Something else occurred to him, and he stopped so suddenly that Syx almost fell over him. “Will we be back before the new moon?”

  “I think so,” Syx said slowly. “It’s not for almost four weeks, and we can’t carry more than two weeks’ worth of supplies at one time.”

  “Okay, good. I think I’d feel better if we were all home together before then.” Tilting his head to the side, Echo arched an eyebrow and pur
sed his lips. “Now, why aren’t you helping Vapre again?”

  Syx skimmed the back of his knuckles along the column of Echo’s throat and their eyes locked. “You needed me more.”

  Chapter Five

  There was a lot of hugging, kissing, and whispered good-byes as they all climbed into the SUVs and began their journey into the unknown. Echo had to blink back a few tears as he watched Eyce and Onyx through the back windshield of his new car. He knew he’d see them again, but he hated being separated—even temporarily.

  “Everything is going to be fine,” Fiero whispered to him as his hand gripped Echo’s thigh and gave it a light squeeze. “Stop worrying so much.”

  Echo tried to give him a smile in return, but his heart just wasn’t in it. In fact, his heart seemed to be lodged somewhere in his throat, cutting off his airway and choking him. Logically, he knew Eyce and Onyx would be safer at home than he and the other warriors would be wherever they were going. He still worried about them, though.

  Syx’s hand landed on his other thigh and rubbed soothingly. “They can take care of themselves and Craze will be there soon.”

  Ah, and there was the problem. Some strange man who Echo had never met—but used to do the bump and grind with his mates—was going to be in their home with his lovers…alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his men, but the jealousy and distrust of this Craze person ate away at him.

  “How long are we going to be gone?” Gods, he wanted to turn around right then and go back, and they’d barely made it onto the main road. When Hex had finally found the courage to call Craze and explain the situation, their former lover had been all too eager to catch the first flight out in his haste to return to them.