by Macy Blake
“Nick!”
The voice was somewhat familiar but still a threat. He burned and the underlying scent reminded him that he faced a dragon. Yet he remained vulnerable in his human form. Foolish dragon. Nick’s muscles clenched and he prepared to launch himself at the dangerous creature before him.
“Nick!”
Another voice, this one more intriguing. Jedrek. He didn’t take his eyes from the dragon. He would take care of this threat first and prove himself to Jedrek once and for all. The dragon was also distracted by Jedrek, which gave Nick the opening he needed. He leapt, and was surprised when he was slammed into from the side, a familiar scent swirling around him. He roared his displeasure, but the black beast tangling with him simply roared back, his flame-filled eyes demanding something. Nick snarled and was met with one in return. Jedrek was displeased with him. Nick huffed and Jedrek lowered his weight, his heavy, overheated body pressing Nick into the grass. He didn’t like it and snarled once more, but Jedrek ignored him. He’d very much displeased him. It wouldn’t do.
Nick tried to squirm away, howled and chuffed his protest, but Jedrek refused to budge. He wouldn’t even meet Nick’s gaze. Nick howled.
“Do you have him?” A feminine voice, but another scent of heat and burning.
Nick roared and tried to writhe free, but he couldn’t move.
“He’s got him.” Another voice, this one filled with power. The big man with flaming eyes. The alpha of alphas. Then the other. The alpha of the hellhounds. Nick roared, demanding their assistance.
The woman closed her eyes and held her hands above them. Nick was embraced by more heat. He tried to burrow beneath Jedrek’s form, searching for another way to escape, but none came. And then quiet. Silence in his mind. Calm in his heart. He leaned back, searching the circle of others who now surrounded him. He looked to Jedrek, who finally met his gaze as Jedrek shifted back into his human form.
Nick huffed.
“He’s back,” Jedrek said. “Nick, talk to me.”
Nick growled and pushed his head into Jedrek’s chest. Jedrek held his mane, tight the way Nick liked it.
“Okay, maybe not fully back,” Jedrek said.
“Nick!”
The dragon groaned, but Nick knew that voice. He lifted his head and roared. Sawyer skidded to a stop.
“Whoa.”
Nick chuffed and moved his head toward the door. Sawyer should be resting.
“Did you just tell me to go back to bed?”
Nick huffed.
“Oh my goddess, you totally did. Nick! I’m fine. I swear, you’re worse than my mates.”
Nick grumbled.
“You can let him go,” Sawyer said. “He won’t hurt me.”
“Sawyer—” the dragon said.
“He’s my brother,” Sawyer said. He skirted around Draco and came over to Nick. “He’s a pretty kitty. Yes, he is.”
Nick fluffed out his mane and butted his head into Sawyer’s chest. He was not a kitty.
“Oh, come on, Nick. You’re so pretty. Look at you. I mean, you’re totally fierce, don’t get me wrong, and totally majestic. King of the jungle, and all that.”
Nick chuffed. That’s exactly what he was. And Sawyer shouldn’t forget it.
Sawyer leaned in and wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck. “I’m so glad you’re able to shift again. This big guy deserves to be let out to play, you know? He’s probably more than a little cranky about being locked away for so long. I think we should ask Zaire to look at the remnants of yours and Mikey’s pendants from Mama Thea. Is that okay with you? I mean, now that I know… it’s different. I… don’t know. I want someone who understands magic more than I do to take a look at them.”
“Actually,” Zaire said, “I spoke to the hellhounds. They are sending Jedrek to guard my son and his coven, and I asked for Nick to come as well. I want to find out who dared to take the cubs and hurt them, and that includes your foster brother.”
“My brother,” Sawyer corrected. “They’re my brothers.”
Zaire smiled, and Nick chuffed, rubbing his head against Sawyer’s chest again.
“I know, buddy. People never get it until we tell them, but that’s why we just say it. Mama Thea always said that blood was thicker than water, but what we have is made of stronger stuff that that. Who needs blood when you have an unbreakable bond like ours?”
Forged in bad times, Nick’s mind provided.
“Vibranium,” Sawyer said. “If it’s strong enough for Captain America’s shield, it’s strong enough for us.”
Nick chuffed again. They’d let him watch way too many Marvel movies as a kid. They used to say titanium until Sawyer got into his superhero phase. And now look at him. He was probably trying to think of a code name for Nick as they stood there.
“Dude, you’re totally Lionheart! I need to look him up!”
Nick huffed and bumped his head into Sawyer hard enough that he made a sound and stepped back.
“Fine. Sheesh. But what do you say? Can Zaire take the pendants? Do you want to go to her place and see if you can finally solve the mystery?”
Nick rolled his shoulders back and shifted into his human form. He knelt on the grass, gasping for breath, his chest aching and sore. “Shit, that hurts.”
“What? What’s wrong? Vaughn!”
“I’m fine, Sawyer.”
“No, you’re not fine. I’ve met you. If you say it hurts, it really fucking hurts.”
“Nick, why don’t you come inside and let me check things out? It’ll make Sawyer feel better.”
Nick looked up at the doctor, then at his brother’s concerned expression. “Fine.”
“I’m coming with you,” Sawyer said. “And don’t try to argue.”
“You do realize I’m the big brother, right?” Nick’s voice ached like he’d been screaming.
“And I’m the annoying little brother so shut up and come on.”
Nick looked over his shoulder and found Jedrek watching. He nodded toward the clinic and bent down to pick up Nick’s discarded clothes. Nick let Sawyer drag him into the building and toward one of the exam rooms. Both Jedrek and Draco followed, and Nick realized he felt relieved. He was afraid of the lion side of him, what it would do. He’d lost control twice. What if he hurt his brothers?
“Okay, boys, you’re all waiting outside,” Vaughn said. “Don’t argue with me, Sawyer. Don’t make me call my grandmother.”
Sawyer gasped. “You’d tell Nana on me?”
“In a hot minute. Now go.”
“Fine, but I want to know what’s going on. And you better tell me.”
“I’ll tell you,” Nick said. “I promise.”
“Even if you think I can’t handle it.”
“I’ll tell you. Doc, you have my permission to tell my brother whatever you find out.”
Sawyer leaned against Draco. “Don’t tell him something else when I go.”
“I won’t.”
Sawyer left and the door closed softly behind him. Jedrek remained in the room, a big, hulking presence. Nick caught his gaze and couldn’t look away. “Did I hurt you?”
Jedrek scoffed. “I’m more worried that I hurt you. I hit you hard. Maybe broke a rib.”
Vaughn pointed to the exam table and Nick hopped up onto it. He was poked and prodded for a number of minutes before the doctor scribbled a few final notes on his clipboard and looked up with a smile. “Nothing broken. Your shifts seem to take a lot out of you. Your body is adjusting, and after so long not shifting, these are honestly slighter reactions than I would have anticipated.”
“So what? Try not to shift? ‘Cause I can’t exactly control it.”
“On the contrary, I think you should continue to shift, but try to work on changing when you want to versus when your lion demands. Daily shifting, perhaps twice daily depending on your needs. Let your lion roam free a little, but expect some general soreness when you return to your human form. I’ll send along some tiger balm salve. It’s great f
or sore muscles and should soothe the aches a bit.”
“Tiger balm. Funny, Doc.”
Vaughn grinned. “Have Zaire contact me if you have any worse symptoms, but I believe you’ll be fine.”
Taking his clipboard with him, Vaughn walked out of the exam room and closed the door softly behind him. Jedrek handed Nick his clothes, which he began to pull on.
Jedrek leaned back against the wall and drew Nick’s attention as he pulled up his pants.
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Nick huffed.
“Going nonverbal on me again, huh?”
It was strange, this ability for Jedrek to read him so well. With Sawyer and Mikey, they demanded that he talk. He hated trying to put everything he felt into words. Nick just looked at him.
“I’m normally the quiet one, so this is weird for me.”
Jedrek had done nothing but talk since the moment they met. Nick liked hearing him talk, actually.
“So you heard Zaire. She wants you to come to hers so she can help figure out what they did to you guys. I think it’s a good idea. My alpha is sending me, too, since she’s also pissed that we brought her son into our big fight earlier. I’ll tell you about it later. Keziah’s really powerful, though, and he’s in a really strong coven.”
“You think they can help me?”
“I do.”
Nick nodded. “I lost it a bit.”
“Sounded like it. But you brought it back fast.”
Only because Jedrek had tackled him. He’d wanted to take a chunk out of Draco’s hide. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“So we’ll work on your control. That’s what the doc said you needed.” Jedrek looked toward the door moments before someone knocked on it. “It’s Zaire.”
Nick inhaled and caught a hint of her scent. “Come in.”
She opened the door and looked him over. “You look better.”
Nick shrugged.
“I wanted to speak to you before, but now will do. I want to catch those fuckers who hurt you and the others. I want it more than the very air I breathe. But for the grace of the goddess, that could have been my son.”
“And you need my help to do it?”
“We haven’t had any leads in years. I can taste their magic now, more clearly than ever. This is the chance we needed.”
Nick glanced at Jedrek, who simply gave him a blank look in return. It was his call, his choice. He wanted to find them as much as Zaire did, wanted them to pay, but he had other concerns now. Mainly his brothers. He couldn’t leave them unprotected. If they were attacked again, Nick wanted to be there.
“I can get you back here through a portal,” Jedrek said. “Fast. The moment we get a call.”
“But those are the only circumstances in which you will be portaling in and out of my home,” Zaire warned. “I will not let you put me and mine in danger. The threat is too real to ignore.”
Both Sawyer and Mikey had their mates, and with the wards, Nick could at least get notice. The chance to find the magic users responsible had been his quest his entire life. He couldn’t mess up the chance to find them. “Okay, I’ll help you.”
“Excellent. I took the liberty of having Cecil gather some of your things. We need to go. I want to get to work.”
It took Nick a second to process. “What do you mean… gather some of my—”
“Clothes and stuff.” Zaire snapped her fingers at him, and then glared at Jedrek. “Let’s go.”
She turned and went down the hall.
“Did she just…”
“Yep,” Jedrek said.
“It’s best not to question her. Go talk to your brother. He’s worried. I’ll stall her for another couple minutes.”
Nick hopped off the exam table and stopped to breathe deeply. He choked on the heavy scent of antiseptic, but then he found Jedrek’s scent. Heat, warmth, flame. He wanted to curl up around it. The lion in him loved heat. Hot desert days. He was built for heat. He opened his eyes, not realizing he’d even closed them, and found Jedrek’s flame-filled gaze on him. He definitely fit the bill; hot was an understatement.
He moved closer, drawn to that scent. The closer he came, the more he felt. Heat, warmth, longing, desire, anticipation.
“Nick—”
Jedrek felt it, too. He could see it in his eyes now, smell it in the subtle changes of his scent. His lion crept forward, not taking charge this time, but simply informing him. There. That one. That means he wants you too. And that, that one. That means he’s yours.
Nick touched Jedrek’s side, just under his ribs. Close to his vulnerable belly, but not too close. No, he didn’t want to spook him. He moved closer, slid his hand around to Jedrek’s back. The man was a giant, even if his alphas stood taller. He had weight to him, solidity. He wasn’t going anywhere. Nick liked it. He couldn’t be broken. He leaned in, tucked his nose against Jedrek’s neck and breathed.
“Fuck,” Jedrek groaned. “This is not the time, Nick.”
“I know,” Nick replied. But he couldn’t resist one little taste. He nipped at Jedrek’s neck and flavor burst across his tongue.
Jedrek’s hands gripped his hips, and Nick all but purred at the touch.
“Go see your brother.”
“I will. But this isn’t over. Is it?”
Jedrek sucked in a breath and his hands tightened. “No. It isn’t.”
Nick leaned back and met Jedrek’s gaze, then leaned in again. “Good.”
He backed away, not because he wanted to, but because he knew someone would be in checking on them. He didn’t want them interrupted. He went down the hall to the room where his brothers were. Sawyer stood when he entered and sighed after looking at him. “You’re going.”
“Yes, Doc says I’m fine. Just need to practice shifting,” Nick said. “But if anything happens, Jedrek and I will come. He promised he’d bring me right away.”
“Find who did this to you,” Sawyer said. He glanced down at Mikey’s still form, then back to Nick. “Mikey would want you to find them, too.”
“I will.”
Sawyer wrapped him in a hug and squeezed tight. Nick returned it. Before Sawyer let him go, he looked up, clenching his fists in Nick’s shirt. “And Nick?”
“Yeah?”
“Get in a good hit for Henry.”
Nick grinned at the fierce anger and protectiveness in his brother’s eyes. There was the tough kid he knew. “They’ll regret the day they crossed us, little brother.”
Sawyer nodded and let him go. Nick touched Mikey’s leg, and sent a glance to his mates. They both nodded to him, seeming to approve of his departure as well. They understood, and they would explain it to Mikey should he wake and Nick not be there. “Let me know if there are any changes.”
“We will,” Asher said.
“Go,” Sawyer said. “And keep your damn phone with you. And answer my damn calls.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nick said. “Be safe and no fighting with gods. Or goddesses. Whatever. You hear me?”
Sawyer grinned. “I’ll do my best.”
Nick let him go and went for the door. Draco stood on the other side. “You better keep him safe.”
“I will. Find who hurt Henry,” Draco said softly. “And call me when you do. I wouldn’t mind helping.”
Nick grinned and clapped him on the shoulder before leaving the clinic. Jedrek stood outside holding two stuffed bags, an old, familiar, battered suitcase, and oddly, what appeared to be a donut box.
“Zaire got tired of waiting. She took Leandra and her cubs on and we’re to meet her there.”
“I have no idea who they are,” Nick said.
“Oh, right. Come on, I’ll tell you when we get there.” Jedrek opened a portal and stepped through. Nick took one last glance at the clinic and the shifters guarding his brothers standing near the door, then he followed Jedrek through. They emerged in a patch of woods, standing within a circle of stones.
“What the
hell?”
“Zaire’s paranoid. She doesn’t allow portals inside her wards. We have to wait here until she comes back for us.”
Nick reached out his hand and got a nice zap when he tried to reach across the stones. His lion did not approve.
“So, Leandra. Her kids were part of what happened to you as well. From what we could find out from her, someone used some sort of magic on her and she ended up pregnant.”
“She was raped.”
“That’s where it’s a little murky. We’re not sure sex was involved, but magic was absolutely used on her against her will so I have no issues using that word. The weird thing is, we aren’t sure there are fathers involved. We’re trying to figure out how it happened, though, and if someone is able to make like the Virgin Mary and get impregnated.”
Nick scowled and circled the stones. “So there’s a possibility that we were all ‘virgin’ births, as it were.”
“I don’t know. I doubt it. Leandra is the first mother we’ve found, and none of you guys seem to recall being around your mothers. If whoever is doing this doesn’t give a shit about the mothers, I don’t think they give a shit as to how they get them pregnant. The kids seem to be the goal.”
“They messed with our magic,” Nick said. “Messed with my magic, and the others.”
Jedrek nodded.
“And probably killed our mothers.”
Jedrek nodded.
“We need to kill these bastards.”
“We could do that,” Jedrek said. “Or we could take them to hell and let my goddess deal with it. She’s a lot more creative, and she definitely won’t end it for them fast.”
Nick’s lion itched beneath his skin, but he pushed him gently back. He didn’t want to change again so soon. He wanted to think it through, process with his human brain what he knew. The sooner they had answers, the better he’d feel.
Jedrek
Zaire hadn’t left them waiting long, but it was enough to put Nick on edge. She took one look at him pacing and freed them from the wards. She led them directly toward her home. Except it wasn’t the hippie fest commune Jedrek had been expecting. It looked like a subdivision. Well, one street of one, anyway. Like that Housewife show Calli’d been addicted to, even though she’d pretended like she wasn’t. A dozen or so houses, all with trimmed hedges and shiny windows.