“I thought you were his mate?” Silla asked.
Eric nodded. “I am, but so is Tagh. The guy who you talked to at the zoo.”
“This is too confusing,” she sighed and let Vance lead her from the room.
“Come, little one, you need food.”
Eric smiled as Vance and Silla exited. He liked that the demon healer had obviously listened to his words about going slow and being nice.
Chapter Nineteen
Whoever owned this zoo definitely weren’t the two idiots sitting half-naked before Tagh. Max and Ernie Bond might have called themselves ‘master’, but somebody else must have been pulling their strings. For starters, if these two had been selling their captives for an hour or two of sex, then where the hell had all the money gone? Why wasn’t the house in better shape? Why did they not dress that much better than their prisoners? And why the hell had they found them in bed together, going at it like bunnies? There was no mistaking these men for anything other than full brothers, but, he supposed, to each his own.
“Who gives you your orders?” He didn’t understand why they remained silent. Why they weren’t helping themselves by spilling their guts?
This was frustrating as shit. He wanted to be gone from this hovel and back home with his mates where he belonged. Exhaling loudly, Tagh placed his hands on the desk, leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at the two men. “You will tell me what I want to know.”
Heat lashed through him and more than one person in the room gasped. Ernie had a damp spot blossoming across the front of his trousers. He tried to scramble away from Tagh, but didn’t get too far. Only then did Tagh realize his skin had turned a deep red and the markings that usually only covered a portion of his body were now all over him.
What the fuck is happening? Tagh took a moment and concentrated on his breathing. In and out, in and out. Think of Eric. Calm…calm. Don’t think of how hurt Jory is. Don’t rip these stupid, insignificant fuckers limb from limb.
“Warrior, you need to calm down. Here, talk to Eric.” Remi shoved a phone across the desk at him.
“Tagh, are you there? Are you okay?”
Just the sound of his mate’s voice was enough to calm him, and he started to relax. His skin tone returned to normal and the prominent markings faded somewhat. Instead of standing out stark against his flesh, they were now more of a silver reminder of what had been there.
“I’m okay,” Tagh said. He lifted the phone to his ear and spoke. “Tell Jory and Silla that although all the guards fled, we have the so-called masters in custody. They will be dealt their justice as soon as they give us the information we need.”
Eric snorted in his ear. “Maybe you should hand them over to Gabe and let his vicious and vindictive mind deal with them. I’m sure he has some really interesting and painful ways of getting them to talk.”
“Gabe!” Tagh barked over his shoulder. When the day warden walked into the room, he pointed at the two human males. “I’m done. Get those two to talk.”
The sadistic smile that slowly formed on Gabe’s face looked terrifying. Instead of dwelling on it, Tagh returned to his conversation with Eric and said, “Thank you. You have all the best ideas. How are the people we rescued?”
“Washed and fed. Jory still isn’t awake yet, but I think that has more to do with whatever sedative Vance gave him. Did you know he was our mate?”
Tagh closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “Yes, I knew he would be our mate. No, I didn’t know that I had two mates. Lara only mentioned the fact when my senses started going wild. I guessed he’d be your mate when you both had the shared dreams. Are you mad?”
“Not mad, maybe more shocked. I just got used to there being you and me, and now there’s you, me and Jory. I don’t want this to change what you and I have. Promise me it won’t.”
Tagh smiled. “Nothing is going to change. According to Lara, Jory will be the glue that holds us together.”
“You make him sound like craft supplies. He’s pretty, that’s for sure. A little underfed…but he’s ours, and we’ll make sure he’s all right.”
“Yes, we will. You take care of him until I get home. I love you,” Tagh ended on almost a whisper. As they said their goodbyes, he couldn’t help but grin when Eric made kissy noises over the phone.
He returned the phone to Remi. “Thank you.”
“That is some scary-looking shit you’ve got going on, my friend. I think we may need to look into your heritage a bit more,” Remi said as he pocketed his phone.
Gabriel whistled to get everyone’s attention. “Dumb and dumber here have no clue who their higher-up is. The money they receive is deposited into an account at the Greater National Building Society. They receive their orders via email.” Turning to Lara, he said, “We’ll need to get someone looking into that. There has to be something traceable.”
“Why were the captives kept in such neglect?” Tagh demanded and suddenly Ernie and Max were falling all over themselves to be helpful.
“It’s the way the boss wanted them. The boss told us to keep them downtrodden, so we did,” Ernie offered.
Tagh glared at the man. “Now let’s talk about Jory.” Once more Tagh felt the heat enveloping his body. “Which of you found pleasure in defiling and beating my mate?”
“Not me,” they both said in unison as they pointed at each other. Even though they were siblings, they had no loyalty and only wanted to save their own skins.
They were lying. If Tagh had to hazard a guess, he’d say they were both guilty. “I’ll wait to see what Jory has to say, then I’ll know the truth.”
“Tagh, we’ve gone through everything and there’s little to no paperwork kept here. I’d say they keep everything off-site. If this place is linked to the other zoos, maybe there’s a central office location.” Lara touched his arm. “Let’s go home.”
He nodded. “Gabriel, burn this place to the ground. I don’t want anything left for anyone to salvage and think about doing something stupid, like opening back up for business.”
Gabriel nodded and quickly left the room. Some of Orion’s demon clan followed him out. There wouldn’t be a thing left by the time they were done.
“We’ll take this pair and their so-called guards back to guild headquarters and lock them up.” Lara pointed at Daven and a few others. “Get them out of here before I just off them and leave their carcasses here to burn.”
The trip home seemed to take a lifetime or more. Tagh itched like he’d been crawling through filth and needed the hottest shower to wash all the muck away. Mostly, he wanted to go home and be with his mates. Sitting in the SUV with four others felt stifling. He could only imagine how it’d be living twenty-four-seven with eight people in such a small cell. He hoped they all adjusted to being free.
“We’re here, and I, for one, need a shower and a stiff drink, and not necessarily in that order,” Lara said as she opened the door and climbed out of the vehicle.
“Tagh.” Eric stood just outside the doorway with his arms open and waiting. Tagh could do nothing but walk right into them to be held by his mate.
Eric’s fresh scent soothed him. Tagh pressed his face into his mate’s hair and inhaled deeply. He wanted to saturate himself in something good. Anything to get the taint of the last several hours off him. “I need you so much.”
“Come on.” Eric stepped back and tugged on his hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up and loved on for a bit, then we can go and sit with Jory until he wakes up.”
Eric held his hand while he led Tagh through the house to their private quarters. Tagh didn’t complain as Eric led them straight to the bathroom and began stripping him out of his clothes. Eric turned on the shower and regulated the water before he, too, disrobed.
“Get in, Tagh,” Eric prompted.
Stepping under the water felt like heaven. Tagh stood there as Eric took over the chore of washing him from top to bottom, then back up again. When he’d been rinsed clean, Eric dropped to his knees in front
of Tagh and sucked him into his mouth. Tagh sighed in contentment at the heat surrounding his cock. Tagh braced his back against the shower wall and locked his gaze onto Eric. His mate was perfect. Slowly, he spread his legs to give Eric access to his balls, and Eric didn’t disappoint. Tagh loved the way Eric handled his sac, tugging and squeezing until Tagh couldn’t stand the overwhelming need to come.
Not like this. He needed inside his lover. He needed to bury himself in his lover’s heat. “Stop! Come up here, sexy.”
He chuckled as Eric scrambled to his feet. The hiss that escaped Eric told Tagh so much. Pulling Eric closer, he then reached around and confirmed his mate had a plug shoved in his ass. It was as if Eric knew he needed this. With a flick of the handle, Tagh turned off the shower and stepped out. He didn’t even take the time to dry himself before he pulled Eric back into their bedroom.
“Get on your hands and knees. I can’t be gentle right now.”
Eric quickly did as he was told and smiled back over his shoulder. “I know.”
He relaxed when he saw the lube already lying on the bed. His love had planned this before Tagh had even gotten home. Eric knew him well. Tagh played with the plug in his mate’s ass then slicked up his own cock with his free hand. He pulled the plug out then slid three fingers in deep to make sure his lover was truly prepared to take him.
Tagh grabbed Eric by the hips, lined up his cock and thrust home. The way Eric tightened around him felt like an aphrodisiac to his need. The second Eric relaxed around him, Tagh started up the punishing pace he needed. His gaze was riveted to the point where their bodies met. He loved watching his cock sliding in and out of Eric as they fucked. Lovemaking would come later. Right now was fucking, pure and simple. Something they both seemed to need.
“So close, Tagh. I need you harder and deeper. Make me feel it.”
Tagh upped his speed. Words escaped him as he kept pounding into his lover. He knew Eric would have bruises on his hips by morning from being held so tight. Sweat pinpricked all over his skin when Eric let out a litany of dirty words. Power coursed through his entire core, bringing him closer to the edge. Right now, it felt like they were one, their essences so entwined he couldn’t tell where Eric finished and he started. Everything about them appeared in sync, the passion bouncing back and forth as the whole world shattered around them, until all that was left was a sweaty pile on the bed. His spent cock still buried inside his lover, Tagh ghosted his hand over as much of Eric as he could in a silent gesture of I love you. When he regained the ability to speak, he would say exactly that.
Tagh groaned when Eric wiggled. “Baby?”
“More, Tagh.” Tagh didn’t complain as Eric rolled him onto his back the second his cock slid free. “I’m going to ride you now.”
He nodded and grinned as Eric impaled himself over and over on Tagh’s cock. A flushed-looking Eric was a beautiful Eric. Tagh couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such a sexy man as his mate. He loved how Eric swiveled his hips each time he came to rest in Tagh’s lap. His lover was horny and Tagh was just the man to scratch his itch.
Every time Eric came down, Tagh thrust up to meet him. “Do you know how beautiful you are riding my cock?”
“Could do it all day long. It feels so fucking good,” Eric ended with a long, drawn-out lust-filled moan.
Tagh’s impending orgasm slowly made its way through his body. Tagh fought to hold it at bay. He wanted to watch Eric come apart in his arms before he filled his lover once more. The way Eric’s cock bounced in front of him mesmerized Tagh. He adored the way Eric’s balls rested on his pubic bone. But, most of all, he loved the way Eric seemed to vibrate around him.
“Fuuuucccckkkk! Tagh!” Eric bellowed to the room. His ass tightened and Tagh tried to catch Eric’s orgasm in his open mouth. He’d always enjoyed the taste of Eric’s cum.
Tagh held Eric slightly aloft as he thrust into his lover, his body screaming with the need to find its own release. Eric squealed when Tagh suddenly yanked him down onto his lap and sat up. He moved Eric until his mate’s arms and legs were wrapped around him. Sitting there like that, they kissed deeply and Tagh came. They stayed that way, neither in a hurry for their intimacy to end.
“I love fucking you,” Tagh whispered when the kiss finally ended. “Love the way your body wraps around me and holds me deep.”
Chapter Twenty
Eric held tight to Tagh. “I don’t want this to change. I don’t know how to share, Tagh. What if I screw it all up?”
Terror filled Eric at how Tagh would react to his words, so he shut his eyes tight, not wanting to see disappointment in his mate’s eyes. He trembled as Tagh moved him slightly back.
“Look at me, love.”
Eric hesitated for a minute before slowly opening his eyes, surprised by the tenderness he saw.
“There is no way you can screw this up. You only have to be yourself and Jory will love you every bit as much as I do.” Tagh cupped his face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
“Thank you. I guess I’m just freaking out a little,” Eric admitted. He hated feeling so unsure of himself.
Tagh kissed him again. “Let’s go and take another shower, then head down to see Jory. He’s had such a horrible life—he’d going to need all the love and support we can give him. I only know bits and pieces of his story. We’ll have to wait until he’s ready to tell us the rest.”
“What can you tell me?”
“His stepfather sold him into sexual slavery to pay off a goddamn gambling debt. I want to know why his mother didn’t save him. How could she let the man who vowed to love her sell her only child?”
Eric felt a deep pain in his heart at what poor Jory must have gone through. Every fear he’d had since Jory’s arrival fled in a rush, to be replaced by the need to show Jory how much he was loved and how much he belonged right here with him and Tagh.
“Come on, let’s shower and go see if Jory is awake yet. He’ll need us.” Eric climbed out of Tagh’s lap and stood at the side of the bed, holding his hand out to Tagh.
They took a brief shower. Eric had a purpose now. He needed to make Jory’s life better. He wanted to watch as Jory became the man he should have always been.
His breath hitched as he and Tagh entered the Larkos infirmary and saw Jory was awake and sitting up in bed. He had a plate of food on a table in front of him, but he didn’t seem very happy.
“Hi, Jory. Do you remember me?”
He nodded. “Eric.”
“That’s right, and this is Tagh. He’s my mate. I mean he’s our mate,” Eric corrected himself. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Jory nodded again. “That the two of you are stuck with my scrawny ass.”
Tagh’s laughter rumbled deep while he crossed the room and reached for one of Jory’s hands. “You look much better than the last time I saw you.”
A not-quite-there smile formed on Jory’s lips. “I feel a lot better. I don’t understand why I’m not in much more pain, like I have been every other time I’ve had the shit kicked out of me.”
“You’re with your mates now,” Eric started to explain. “Vance told me that since you’re fey, being in close proximity to your mate, or mates—as our case is—our bond speeds up the healing process.”
“Good to know. I hate being in pain all the time,” Jory grumbled as Eric took hold of his other hand for a moment.
When Jory whimpered at the loss of Eric’s hand, Eric explained, “You need to eat, or Vance will never let you out of here. We need you to get better so you can move into our private suite.”
“Why do you even want me? I’m used goods.” Tear’s filled Jory’s eyes.
“Hush. You had no control over what happened to you. You were an innocent and should have been protected. Your mother should have saved you from what your stepfather did,” Eric said without thinking and could have smacked his own head at the thoughtlessness when he saw the pain etched on Jory’s face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t
have said that.”
Jory shrugged. “She didn’t want me. Said I always made her sad because I looked too much like my father. She loved my father but couldn’t stand me.”
“Then she was a fool.” Tagh stroked along Jory’s arm.
Eric spooned up some of the beef stew and offered it to Jory. “Please eat.”
His heart felt lighter when Jory opened for him.
“How am I supposed to fit into your lives?” Jory asked after he’d finished eating the mouthful of food.
“You just will. You were made for us. How old are you?” Tagh asked.
“I’m twenty-one,” Jory whispered.
Holy shit! Eric was flabbergasted. “Jeez, I hope you like older men.”
“Why, how old are you?” Jory asked.
“I’m turning five-hundred-and-thirty on my next birthday,” Eric admitted.
Tagh grinned but never stopped stroking Jory’s arm. “And I’m a hell of a lot older than that.”
“How much older?”
With two fingers held up Tagh said, “Double it.”
“Fuck! Are you telling me you’re over a thousand years old?” Jory all but shouted.
“Yes, and I’ve been waiting a long time to find my mates. Luckily for me, I found you so close together.”
Eric jumped back into the conversation. “Tagh—his name’s Murtagh, but we all call him Tagh—well, he’s a Draconian Warrior. Hence, all the markings over his face and chest. He’s like some uber-badass who’s going to protect us all.”
“Are you one, as well? You have markings.”
Eric shook his head. “Once we’re all fully mated, you’ll gain some markings of your own. It comes with being mated to a warrior.”
“How come I didn’t see your markings when I spoke to you in my dreams?”
“To be honest, I’m not really sure. I’m still not even sure how we managed to merge dreams,” Eric rambled.
All That Shimmers Page 13