by Joyee Flynn
“I’d love to, baby,” a man purred as he moved up to me side. I stepped back in surprise. He was tall and tan and I could see sweat dripping off his bulging muscles. He was hot…so hot, and he was saying something else now. I shook me head and tried to focus. “But I have a feeling you’re here to see someone already.”
“Zane, we need Zane,” Banning whimpered. Good to know he was just as affected by this as I was. Fuck, I was instantly horny.
The guy glanced around and pointed to a one of the large weight machines in the center of the gym. There were a bunch of huge, bulky contraptions and weights distributed throughout the space along with a few gray mats strewn here and there. It looked like the machines were organized based on what they exercised.
Our mate appeared to be in the area focused on getting an upper-body workout. The man who had come over to talk to us was nothing compared to Zane, who looked absolutely mouthwatering as he sat there shirtless, his muscles working.
We nodded our thanks and practically ran to our mate, skidding to a halt when we saw he was focused on what he was doing. Lifting tons of weight was not the time to distract him.
“Holy hell! He be lifting over six hundred pounds,” Banning groaned. I felt like Rory in heat. Zane was pulling down a bar attached to dozens of black weights. He’d pull it down behind his head until it was level with his shoulders and then extend his arms again.
The result? Every firm, sweaty muscle in his chest, arms, sides, and stomach was on display, showing how well worked they were.
“He’s put back on weight,” I said happily. It looked like a good twenty pounds of pure muscle. Damn, he looked hot! I didn’t realize warriors could bulk up that quickly, but I planned on launching me own investigation. Starting with licking every inch of his body.
Zane released the bar, his chest heaving with exertion. He still didn’t even see us as we launched ourselves at him, each straddling one of his thighs.
“Whoa, you need to cut that out.” He chuckled, catching us before we all fell off the bench. “I have two hot, jealous mates at home, and they won’t take kindly to men attacking me.”
“Fuck them,” I purred as I licked a bead of sweat off his collarbone. “We be here now, and now we’re horny. Fuck me, Zane.”
“Me, too,” Banning whimpered again, mirroring me movements. “We need ya cock, our big, strong, sweaty, hot man.” Our knees kept bumping, and I realized it was because both of us were grinding our cocks into Zane’s thighs. Yeah, we were like a couple of cats in heat or something.
“Aye, throw us to the floor and have ya way with us,” I begged shamelessly.
“You want me to fuck you in front of a room full of half-naked men?” I didn’t know if he sounded pissed or just surprised. I was too overcome with lust to focus on the minor details of his tone.
“Aye!” we said together. Banning grabbed Zane’s face and shut him up with a deep, passionate kiss as I groped our mate between the legs. We were lost in the moment, all of us forgetting there were others around.
“Zane, are you sharing?” someone called out, breaking through our fog. “Can I get them next?”
“Fuck off, Travis!” Zane snarled, ripping his mouth away from Banning. “These are my mates.”
“Oh, sorry man, I was just playing,” Travis said. I saw him back away slowly from the corner of me eye. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.” He, Travis, apparently, was a big guy. He looked like he was possibly a little taller than Zane and his shoulders were slightly broader. Certainly he was attractive with his amber eyes and light brown hair, but I wasn’t attracted to him.
The only person I wanted was me mate.
“He’s going all caveman on us,” Banning purred, moving his hips faster. “Fuck, I’m gonna come.”
“Not in front of everyone, you’re not,” Zane snapped and stood. He threw one of us over each shoulder and took off. I felt Banning’s lust shoot through the roof as did me own. We were each two hundred pounds, and he was lifting us like a ten-pound sack of potatoes. Holy fuck, that be hot!
When he stopped moving and lowered us down, we slithered down his body. I glanced around, realizing he’d brought us into the locker room. Oh sweet ma of mercy, this was getting better and better. I heard Banning groan and nodded me agreement. Zane laughed as he shook his head at our antics, pushing us back into an empty shower stall.
“Let us show ya that we think ya be a god of a man,” I begged, finding me tongue again.
“And for interrupting ya workout when we just meant to say hi and see if ya be wanting lunch with us,” Banning added, not looking the least bit remorseful.
“And how would you show me that?” Zane asked, his voice getting deep with lust. I would say it was husky even.
We didn’t need more of an invitation than that. I yanked down the front of his gym shorts and dropped to me knees, Banning following suit. I took the right side, he took the left, and we licked our mate’s cock like it was the best treat in the world. Then I sucked him down me throat as Banning did the same with his sac.
It was one of the most erotic but yet dirtiest moments of me life. We were hiding in the shower stall blowing our mate. Hell, I could hear people in the locker room. I glanced up at Zane, making sure he was enjoying it.
Oh, was he ever. He had his fist practically in his mouth to keep himself quiet. His head was tilted back, leaning against the tiles of the shower wall, his eyes wide from the pleasure we were giving him. Nice.
I quickly got me own jeans unzipped and started jacking off before I blew a gasket with need. Zane came first, shooting down me throat. It sent me right over the edge as well. I heard Banning grunt and knew I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hold out.
When we were all spent, Zane leaned against the wall as I sat back on me feet, Banning mirroring me action. We all glanced from one to the other, big smiles breaking out on our faces.
“Sooo, will you have this reaction anytime I work out in front of you?” Zane asked with a wicked twinkle in his eyes.
“Aye, probably,” I admitted with a shrug. “Ya look great, me mate. Ya put on more weight.”
“Warriors can bulk up faster than humans on steroids.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Remind me wherever we live that we need to get a home gym.”
“Or we could visit the one here after hours,” Banning purred, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as we got to our feet.
“There is always that, too,” Zane agreed with a wink. “Now you said something about lunch? I can’t today. I have a meeting with the coordinator.”
“Oh? That doesn’t sound good,” I said, fear racing through me body.
“Well, there were a few issues about me not really being in Greece when I waltzed back in. Desmond told everyone that he delayed the trip when I went to talk to him about the problems I’m having. The coordinator gave me a week to get my shit together and get back on the right path or he’s going to bench me.” He opened the curtain, and we stepped out into the locker room. “I’m not worried. I’m not the first warrior to get burnt and need some time.” His expression was calm and he didn’t seem nervous, so that eased some of me worries.
“Okay, well, good luck with the meeting,” Banning said, standing on his toes to give Zane a soft kiss. “We just wanted to see ya and tell ya we miss ya.”
“Yeah, we really do,” I admitted quietly, giving Zane a small smile, kissing him next. “We worked our shit out. Will ya be coming home soon? We have a lot to talk about.”
“I agree,” he replied, looking a little tired but happily sated. “This meeting will decide a lot, but I’ll be over for dinner tonight. Isaac wants to talk to me, and I plan on staying the night and hanging out with you guys. I just need to get some of my ducks in a row and we can go from there.”
It sounded a little ominous, but I figured he didn’t have time to explain it all right then. We said our good-byes, after giving him a few more good-luck kisses, and headed home. I knew I’d be a nervous wreck while he was
in the meeting despite Zane’s chilled-out demeanor.
He’d been a good warrior according to Isaac, never had any problems or started issues. The Mariuses were on his side along with Isaac. The coordinator, or whoever, had to take that into account. Right?
Fuck. When all else failed and me nerves be shot…it was time to kill zombies.
Chapter 7
Zane
A promotion. That was the only thought that ran through my head the entire way home. I got a promotion. Wow, I so hadn’t seen that one coming. And I had a feeling it had something to do with Isaac. Probably Desmond and Elena as well. But why? Why me?
It wasn’t until I pulled into the Dragos estate that another thought hit me. Fuck, my mates. What was I going to tell them? We hadn’t discussed anything yet. Would they be willing to stay here? What about Ireland?
I knew the European Council had asked Dillon to start up a small, very small, training facility and outpost for some warriors in Ireland. But I really didn’t think I could work day in and day out with him. Isaac was able to forgive him, but Dillon wasn’t my family, so I wasn’t so nice about the whole thing.
Yeah, mating got him to pull his head out of his ass, and he seemed truly sorry for being blind all those years. But that didn’t mean we were ever going to be bestest friends, holds hands while we skipped, and braid each other’s hair at night. It just meant I could be civil when we saw each other.
God, could I leave Isaac? He was really the only family I had. But then Brian and Banning would have to leave Ireland…And why the hell did the trees on the Dragos estate have leaves on them when it was snowing? I swear either those drugs didn’t like me or something was going on.
Silly thought? Yes, but much easier to focus on instead of everything else swirling in my head. That was one small question instead of the huge ones I had on my mind as well. I glanced at the dashboard and realized I really couldn’t stall anymore. It was quarter after six, and I guessed they’d be holding dinner for me.
With a resigned sigh that the discussions I needed to have tonight wouldn’t be easy, I got out of the car. I glanced at the grounds. Everything was green that was poking out under the snow. None of my other colors were screwed up. Something else had to be going on besides the happy pills Riley gave me screwing with me.
I jogged into the house, took off my jacket, hung it in the coat closet by the front door, and headed to the dining room. Sure enough, my mates were waiting for me, sitting together on one side of the long, wooden table that was covered with a dark green tablecloth. They were looking so nervous that tension crackled in the air.
“Did ya get fired?” Banning blurted out, his eyes wide. As if realizing how blunt he had been, Banning’s hand flew to his mouth. He started to apologize, but I shook my head to let him know that it wasn’t a big deal.
“No.” I chuckled, realizing they were nervous for me. I walked over and gave each of them a kiss before sitting down. Rory and Isaac were glancing at each other like the cats that ate the canary. “You knew.”
“Yeah, I found out yesterday. Since we’d be working together, I got the heads-up. It’s been fucking hard to keep it a secret,” Isaac said with a big smile.
“Wait, before we get into what happened, I have one question. Why is everything green in December on your estate? I’m not the only one seeing it, right?” Now it was more just my curiosity bugging me. Isaac gave me a wink and pointed to my mates.
“I asked them last week already.”
“It be our gift,” Brian said as one of the staff served us our garden salads. I poured some Italian dressing on mine before picking up my fork and taking a bite. I chewed my food for a few moments before speaking again.
“You can make leaves green in winter?” I asked, not sure I’d ever heard of that gift.
“No.” Banning chuckled, shaking his head as he dug into his food. “Plant life responds to us. It’s not like most gifts where ya have to focus to use it. It’s just something in us. Anywhere we are, the plant life around us responds and grows like crazy.”
“Then you can’t leave Ireland,” I whispered, my heart sinking at the realization. “Your family needs you for their farm, don’t they?”
“Aye, but we would only need to visit a few times a year for a week or so,” Brian said slowly, eyeing me over. “We already decided to stay in America if that’s what ya want.” He shifted his gaze back to his salad as if nervous about what I might say.
“Really?” I was shocked they would make such a big sacrifice for me.
“Aye, me mate,” Banning answered with a smile.
“Tell them,” Rory said excitedly, seeming to almost be bouncing up and down in his seat. “They’re going to be thrilled.” I had to smile at his enthusiasm.
“About?” Brian raised an eyebrow as he glanced between us.
“I got a promotion. I’m not in trouble at all. It seems the Council thought my coming forward and admitting what was going on with me, putting my safety and others’ before everything else, was admirable. There was an opening on the teaching staff, and I was asked to fill it.”
“Ya not be in danger anymore?” Banning looked like he was going to bust open with joy.
“Sometimes,” I hedged, trying to figure out how to get this all out. “When warriors go through training, there are many levels.”
“I handle more the tactical and fighting training,” Isaac explained, helping me out. “Sparring and getting the newly transitioned warriors into the way we do things.”
“Makes sense. What would they have ya do?” Brian asked. I appreciated their interest, caring about something so important to me.
“When they reach a certain level, someone needs to teach them how to go out in the field—”
“No!” Banning shouted, slamming his hands down on the table as he stood. All of our plates and silverware rattled from the force of his contact. I was shocked at the coldness in his tone. “Ya not be the guinea pig sent out with pup warriors to see if they can hack it. Ya get killed if someone ill trained had ya back.”
“No, baby, not like that,” I said gently with a smile, understanding now why he blew up and interrupted me.
“Oh. Okay, sorry then.” He cleared his throat as his face flushed with embarrassment and sat back down, grabbing his napkin off the table and busying himself by adjusting it on his lap. “I just saw ya life flash before me eyes because someone didn’t know what they were doing and got ya hurt.”
“Nothing like that, I swear,” I replied quickly. “My job would be to help them blend in with humans when they need to. Sometimes demons don’t stay on the outskirts of society and we can’t just go charging in and drawing attention to ourselves.”
“What Zane means is he’d take a few pup warriors, as you called them, into the city on something like a field trip. Show them how to rent a car, or deal with the airport just like humans would. Which hotels to use to blend in. How to interact and learn to navigate the metropolitan areas, so when they do start going out on missions, they don’t have to try and figure that all out and fight demons.”
I wanted to kiss Isaac for putting it that way. I hadn’t been doing such a good job of explaining it. But that wasn’t all of it.
“How to transport weapons to other covens,” I said cautiously. “I would be taking them out on real missions but not going after demons. Maybe a few scouting jobs and how to run a convoy. The main goal would be to teach them how not to be seen by blending in with the real world.”
“And if there’s ever an attack close to home or all hands on deck, instructors or not, they will be called in,” Rory said sympathetically. He should know. He had to go through all of this several months ago. “They might mostly train, but they are warriors, so you need to deal with the danger.”
“We can handle that,” Brian replied, placing his hand on Banning’s arm as if to say I got this one. “We knew that when we came back. We can’t handle recklessness or him being surrounded by others’ imprudence that cou
ld get him killed. We spent time with Stefan when he visited. We know the risks, but we also know how well trained ya are and the improvements being made in weapons. We can handle ya being a warrior.”
“And we be ready to move here if that be what ya want, Zane,” Banning added hesitantly, not meeting anyone’s gaze. “But we have questions. Like where would we live? What are we to do now if we can’t farm? Can we visit and help our family with the crops given our gifts?”
“I can answer those,” Isaac said with a wide smile.
“What did you do?” I groaned, wanting to bang my head on the table.
“We got you a promotion and mating gift.” Rory giggled, giving my mates a wink. I shook my head as the main course was served, salmon on a bed of rice, and the salad plates were taken away. I was grateful that they brought a pitcher of blood as well. I’d been going through it like water, trying to get better and bulk back up. I poured some for Isaac, then myself, drinking it right down and refilling.
I waved Isaac on now that I had a little more fuel in my system. “Okay, hit me. What did you get us?” Wow. I swooned a bit when the blood hit me. What was in that stuff?
Isaac was grinning from ear to ear as he began to explain. “You know that vineyard that abuts the warrior compound?” he asked, and I had a sinking suspicion I knew what he got us.
“Yeah, the one that has all the greenhouses and went out of business,” I replied, shooting a look at my mates.
“Well, it went out of business because the old human couple died about a decade ago and had no heirs. And a few people tried to buy it and keep going with it, but I guess all the people who used to buy the wine did it because the couple was so good at it. They didn’t after it was sold.”
“Ya bought us a vineyard?” Brian gasped, filling in the pieces. Yeah, that’s what I’d guessed, too.
“Yup!” Rory exclaimed, giddy as all get-out. “You’ll be like twenty minutes away from us. The compound is right there. The Mariuses are less than an hour away. You’ll be surrounded by people who care about you!” His blue eyes were shining with delight as he beamed at the three of us.