Dominic pressed his lips together, but Nicky saw them twitch. “Trumpet?”
“Yes. Right in my ear, and let me tell you, he’s not a gifted musician.”
“I’m not sure he’s gifted in anything, to be honest. Baking wasn’t his thing either, although I’ve heard he was getting better. Just make sure you don’t lose the key, okay? I don’t have another one, not for this collar.”
“I won’t.”
“When are you thinking of doing this?”
Nicky tapped his finger on the collar. “Well, me and André are leaving on Saturday. André was going to ask Nysys to shimmer us to New York, but I asked him to ask Aeron instead.”
Dominic’s eyebrows rose on his forehead. “You’re not thinking of doing this right before leaving, are you?”
“I am.”
“When are you coming back?”
“André has an appointment on Monday morning, and I have to work on Tuesday, so we’re thinking Tuesday morning.”
“And you’d leave Nysys with the collar from Saturday to Tuesday.”
“Yes. Do you think it’ll be a problem?”
“Nysys is going to raise hell, but I guess I can use the excuse of council duty to hide in my office. You do know he could ask another Nix to shimmer him around, right?”
“Aeron won’t do it. I already asked. Noem could, and he probably will, but I’ll make sure to hide the key.”
Dominic shook his head. “I’m still not sure this is a good idea, but hey, almost everyone in the pride has tried to give Nysys boundaries. He’s never respected them, but maybe you’re onto something.”
“I hope so.” Nicky got up. “Thanks for the help.”
“If anyone asks, you found the collar on my desk and decided to take it. I really don’t want Nysys to get revenge on me.”
Nicky smiled. “That’s what I’ll say.”
He left Dominic’s office, still stunned over the fact that an alpha was allowing something like this to happen. His father wouldn’t have, but then he’d had a different way of leading their pride. It had been a different time, different people and traditions. Nicky wasn’t so blind that he couldn’t see his father hadn’t been perfect.
Nicky wanted to think otherwise, but he didn’t think his father would have accepted him mating with André, who was a man, and a human to boot. Brian would have, but not their father, and certainly not the rest of the pride.
Thinking about it made Nicky glad he wasn’t his old pride’s alpha, and that he’d been away from it since the challenge. He knew how difficult things would have been if he’d met André as the alpha, if he’d even had the opportunity to meet him. His beta wouldn’t have allowed him to even talk to André, let alone mate with him.
Nicky had kept his distance from the Whitedell pride for so long, and he’d never realized just how happy he could be living with them. It was mostly thanks to André that Nicky was happy, but he couldn’t deny that having friends warmed his heart.
He’d been so lonely since his father and Brian had died. Even with Robert, his beta, and the other pride members, he’d been lonely. They hadn’t been friends by any means, and after the challenge, it had been even worse. He almost couldn’t believe how different his life was now.
Nicky pushed open the door to his and André’s room. André looked up from where he was folding laundry and putting it into a small bag they’d take with them the following day. He looked at Nicky’s hand and his eyes widened.
“IS that what you were doing with Dominic?” he asked, putting the sweater he was holding on the bed.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure about this? Nysys will be terrible if you do it.”
“I don’t think it’s possible for him to get even worse than he’s been for the past few days.”
André smiled. “You shouldn’t have ordered him to stay out of our room.”
Nicky put the collar on his nightstand, unlocked it, and slipped the key into his pocket. “Why not? It’s our room, and we’d tell anyone else to stay out of it unless they knocked. Why is Nysys different?”
André shrugged. “I guess everyone’s been treating him like he is.”
“But he’s not. He’s probably the most obnoxious man I’ve ever met, and I’m still stunned at the idea that he has a seat on the council. He has the focus of a two-year-old. How can he be useful on the council?”
“You’ve only seen him around the house. He’s very different when he’s on council duty.”
Nicky arched a brow. “Really?” he had a hard time believing that.
“Really. He’s still a bit over the top, but he can be serious when he needs to, and not only when he’s on council duty. I’ve seen him comfort people, make them feel better. I’ve seen him help whoever needs it without asking for anything in return. Did you know he was the one to convince the other Nix to come to Whitedell? They were all badly treated by their tribes, and their only comfort was each other. Then Nysys heard about the council, and since none of the tribes wanted to send someone to be a member, he decided he’d take the Nix seat because he knew exactly how the tribes behaved with people who are different and he wanted to change that, and for his friends to be safe.”
Nicky shrugged. “All right. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s fucking annoying, though.”
André laughed. “I didn’t say it did, just that his annoying side isn’t his only side.” Nicky sat next to the bag on the bed and André went back to packing it. “When are you going to do it?” he asked.
“Tomorrow morning. You know he’ll come wake me up at some ungodly hour of the morning. I’ll make sure I’m already awake and ready for him.”
“So, what—you’re going to sleep with the collar under your pillow or something?”
Nicky grinned. “Exactly.”
André shook his head. “I’ll make sure to say I told you so when he becomes even worse than he already is.”
If Nicky had anything to say about it, he was going to tame Nysys. He didn’t care what the guy did to the other pride members, but he wasn’t about to give him free rein when it came to himself.
* * * *
André heard Nicky’s alarm go off and groaned. It was ass o’clock in the morning, and he wanted to go back to sleep. Nicky got up and went to the bathroom. By the time he was out, André was almost asleep again, but Nicky slipped back into bed, jerking him awake.
“I hate you,” he mumbled against his pillow.
Nicky stroked a hand up André’s naked back, making him shiver. “You don’t,” he whispered next to André’s ear.
“Maybe not.” He rolled on his side, thinking that since they were both awake, a bit of morning sex would be welcome, but when he reached for Nicky, his hand touched fabric instead of naked skin. “You’re dressed.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t very well let Nysys see me naked.”
“He saw you naked yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that.”
André knew Nicky was scowling even though it was too dark for him to see anything. “That’s because he shimmered in while we were sleeping.”
“What time is it?”
“Four.”
André groaned and pressed his face against his pillow. “I hate you.”
“It’s not my fault. I just want to be sure I’ll be awake when he gets here.”
Nysys had been shimmering in their room every morning, but never at the same time. The day before, it had been at five. The day before that, at six. There was no way to say when he was going to get there.
André burrowed deeper into the covers. “Yeah, well. I’m going back to sleep. You can stay awake if you want to.”
Nicky chuckled. “I will.”
André was almost asleep when he felt Nicky move again. He was about to scold him for waking him, but Nicky leaned closer and pressed a kiss on André’s temple. “Sleep well, love.”
That shut André up, because it was the
first time Nicky had called him love, or anything that wasn’t André. He fell asleep with a smile on his lips.
André woke up to loud squawks and something hitting the back of his head. He didn’t panic, because he knew he was safe, but he pushed the pillow away from his head and blinked at the light shining in the room. “The fuck?” he mumbled as he sat up.
“He’s an asshole! You’re mated with an asshole! Look what he did to me!”
André rolled his eyes at Nysys’ dramatic words and tone and looked at him. Nysys was wearing pajama pants—pink with black stars—and a black T-shirt that was too big for him and that had slid down one of his shoulders. His pink hair went every way and his nails were painted black. There was a bulky plastic collar on his neck now, and Nysys had wrapped both hands around it and was trying to pull it off, without succeeding.
Nicky was sitting cross-legged on the bed next to André, his arms crossed on his chest, a smug expression on his face. “I told you to stop,” he told Nysys.
Nysys threw his hands in the air. “Jeesh, you’re an asshole, and you’re boring at that. I’m just joking around.”
“I don’t care what you’re doing. I told you I didn’t find it funny and that I wanted you to stop. You should have listened to me.”
Nysys pouted, but André could still see the anger in his eyes. “I can’t believe you did something like this. Fine, I’ll stop. Now give me the key.”
“Nope.”
Nysys mouth dropped open. “What do you mean, no. I need the key! I won’t be able to shimmer anywhere without it!”
“That’s kind of the point of this whole thing.”
“But...”
“Me and André are leaving for New York today, and I’m taking the key with me. You can have it back when we come back on Tuesday morning.”
Nysys narrowed his eyes. “I was supposed to shimmer you there.”
“You were, but we asked Aeron to do it instead. He hasn’t been shimmering into our room at every hour of the day and night—I like him better.”
“Yeah, well, I like everyone better than you right now, so we’re even.”
“Whatever.”
Nysys and Nicky scowled at each other, and André buried his face into the pillow that had landed on his head. He used it to silence the laughter he couldn’t stop. Those two looked like stubborn kids. He’d expected it from Nysys, who almost always looked like that anyway, but not from Nicky.
“I’ll tell Dominic if you don’t free me,” Nysys said.
“Go ahead.”
Nysys squawked. “He’s the one who gave you the collar!”
“I found it on his desk.”
Nysys snorted. “Please. These things haven’t been around for months, and now it’s suddenly on Dominic’s desk for you to pick up? I’m not stupid. And I’m going to kill you both.”
“You’ll have to wait until I come back from New York. I have to meet André’s parents first.”
“I hate you.”
“You’re not the first one to say that today, and in your case, I don’t really mind. Maybe it’ll keep you away from me.”
André looked up as Nysys opened the door that led in the hallway. He pointed at Nicky. “I’m going to make your life a living hell.”
Nicky looked unconcerned. “You’re welcome to try, but remember, I still have the key.”
André groaned as the door slammed shut and Nysys stomped away. “Did you really have to say that last thing? Now he’s going to make it his life goal to bug you.”
“And I’ll be ready.”
André shook his head and got up. He understood why Nicky was doing it. André didn’t like having Nysys shimmer in whenever he wanted to. He wanted privacy, to know he could have sex with Nicky when he wanted to without having to fear Nysys would pop in and see them. He wanted to be able to cuddle with his mate, something Nicky was still uncomfortable doing in front of other people.
André wasn’t sure how everyone else in the pride dealt with Nysys when he was being a bratty kid like that, but he was pretty sure they were the only ones who got the pleasure of Nysys’ presence in the middle of the night.
Nicky had probably made things worse, and André could already see the war that had just been declared between Nysys and Nicky getting worse as the time passed. Maybe he and Nicky could spend more time in New York. Not that it would stop Nysys from shimmering even there.
André showered, brushed his teeth, and got ready. He’d left his clothes in the bedroom, so he wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door. He froze when he saw Morin sitting on his bed while Nicky was pushing the last of their things into their bags.
They both looked up when they heard André, and André blushed. “I’m, uh, going to grab my clothes and go dress in the bathroom.”
He snatched his clothes from the dresser and scurried back into the bathroom. He dressed in record time, eager to hear what Morin had to say. He hadn’t looked angry, and he and Nicky weren’t yelling at each other, but Nysys was his mate, so he was bound to be at least a bit bugged by it.
André walked back into the bedroom. Morin was still there, and André went straight to the point. “What did Nysys tell you?”
“That Nicky put the collar on him and that he wouldn’t take it off until Tuesday,” Morin answered.
“What are you going to do?”
To André’s surprise, Morin smiled. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“It was about time someone stood up to him. I do it as much as I can, but he’s my mate. It’s not the same thing.”
“You know your life will be a walking hell until we’re back, right?”
Morin nodded. “I’ll deal. Like I said, it was time something like this happened. Nysys is lucky Nicky just put a collar on him.” Morin sighed. “I love him, but I’m not blind to his faults. He’s only been this way with pride members, mostly, but what will happen if he pranks the wrong person? I don’t want him to be hurt.”
“Right. Can you keep us updated? I’m sure Nicky can give the key back earlier if you need it.” André glared at Nicky when Nicky opened his mouth, and he shut it again.
Morin nodded. “I will.”
André wasn’t really reassured, but there wasn’t anything else he could do.
* * * *
Nicky looked at Aeron’s wiggling fingers as if they would bite him if he took them.
“Come, on, now. I won’t hurt you,” Aeron said, amusement obvious in his voice.
“I know that,” Nicky answered gruffly. He knew how shimmering worked, but it didn’t make it easier. He’d never done it, and he didn’t like not having control over it. Aeron could dump him and André anywhere, and no one would ever find them again.
André seemed to understand how anxious Nicky was. He took his hand and squeezed it. He was already holding Aeron’s other hand, so now Nicky was the one who was breaking the chain. “He’ll just take us to New York,” André said softly. “I trust him.”
Nicky thought André could be too trusting sometimes, but he didn’t point that out. The last thing he wanted or needed was to fight with André just before meeting his parents. He needed to make a good impression on them, not to make them hate him on sight.
Nicky sighed and reached for Aeron’s hand. Aeron beamed at him, winked, and whisked them away.
Shimmering took all of two seconds, and looking around and seeing he wasn’t in the mansion anymore was actually weirder than shimmering itself. Nicky let go of Aeron’s hand and looked around.
They were in a nice entrance. It screamed money, but in an understated kind of way. It was more comfortable and lived in than Nicky had expected. There was a pile of magazines on a table near the door, next to a bowl that held keys and coins. A few envelopes were stuck under the bowl, probably André’s mail. The chair in the corner looked comfortable, and there was an abandoned pair of trainers under it.
“I’m going to go
,” Aeron said.
“Oh. Are you sure you can’t stay for lunch?” André asked.
“No, sorry. I’m needed at work.”
“But it’s Saturday.”
Aeron shrugged. “What can I say? I’m still on the lower part of the power scale. I’ll see you on Tuesday, okay?”
“Sure. Call me if you manage to get free. We can have lunch, or dinner.”
Aeron nodded and disappeared, leaving André and Nicky alone in André’s entrance. Nicky looked around again. “So, where are your parents?”
“Probably in the kitchen. Dad loves to cook when I’m home.”
Nicky had been surprised to find out both of André’s parents were men. Not that it mattered, of course. He’d been around same-sex couples ever since he’d moved into the mansion. But sometimes it still felt unreal. He’d spent most of his life trying to push the feelings he had for guys as deep back in his mind as he could, so seeing people express them so freely was weird. He knew André didn’t mind that he kept his distance when other people were around, but Nicky was the one who didn’t like it. He couldn’t seem to help it, though, but he’d decided he would try, so when André let go of his hand, Nicky took André’s hand back and squeezed it. André arched a brow, but he looked happy, and Nicky smiled at him.
André nodded and pulled Nicky along the hallway. They left their bags in the entrance, and as they neared an open arch on their right, Nicky heard voices.
André paused and put a finger on his lips. Nicky didn’t like the idea of spying on André’s parents, but he wasn’t about to burst into the room, not without André, so he kept his mouth shut and stayed right where he was.
“What did Dominic say about him?” a man asked.
“That he’s a good guy,” another man answered.
The first one snorted. “That could mean anything.”
“You know Dom. He wouldn’t have told us that if it wasn’t true.”
“Right. I’m still not sure I like the guy.”
“You haven’t even met him yet.”
“But he’s our boy’s mate.”
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