Smoke & Mirrors

by Charlie Cochet

“Yep.” Dex continued to run his fingers through Sloane’s hair before moving them down to rub his earlobe. The purring intensified, and Dex tried his hardest not to laugh at Sloane’s pout.

  “I can’t be the only one this happens to,” Sloane grumbled.

  “Well, hard for you to find out when you refuse to tell anyone about it.”

  “I can’t.” Sloane opened his eyes and gazed up at him. “I mean, I’m purring. In Human form. That’s like… puppies peeing when they get excited. They can’t help it. I should be able to control this.”

  “What is it with you and Ash and puppies peeing? I’m not an excitable puppy.”

  He supposed there were worse things Ash could compare him to than a puppy. Sloane arched an eyebrow at him, and Dex rolled his eyes.

  “Okay, so I can be excitable. Anyway, why would you want to control it? You can’t help it because your feral half feels as content as you do. Why fight it? I think it’s sweet, and to be honest, it kinda strokes my ego a bit.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I can make you purr in Human form. It must mean you really love me.”

  Dex wriggled his eyebrows, making Sloane chuckle. He turned onto his side and nuzzled his face against Dex’s stomach.

  “If my purring affirms that I really love you, then I guess I can live with it.”

  Dex let out a massive yawn and stretched under Sloane. “I think I’m ready to turn in.”

  “You’re not too full?”

  “Nope. It’s been taken care of.”

  Sloane groaned as he sat up. “TMI, babe. TMI.”

  “What?” Dex got up off the couch and turned everything off as they headed upstairs. “It’s just a bodily function.”

  “Which does not need to be discussed,” Sloane assured him. “Especially before we go upstairs to bed.”

  Dex couldn’t help but tease. “You saying we still haven’t reached that stage in our relationship?”

  “I’m not a poop-discussion kind of guy.”

  “Fair enough.” Dex paused to watch Sloane pull his T-shirt off over his head before draping it over the armchair to the right of the bed. “What shall we discuss?” Dex murmured, his tone husky as he stalked Sloane. He put his hands on Sloane’s shoulders and ran them down his back, over his soft skin and firm muscles, enjoying the way Sloane shivered under his touch. “Should we discuss this?” He followed the delicious curve of Sloane’s spine with the tip of his finger until he reached the waistband of Sloane’s jeans. Reaching around, he unfastened the button of Sloane’s jeans while planting kisses on his back, making Sloane moan.

  With a smile, Dex carefully pulled the zipper down. “What about this?” He slipped his hand inside Sloane’s jeans, massaging his hard cock through his boxer briefs. “I think I might like to discuss this, Mr. Brodie.”

  Sloane turned in Dex’s arms. He hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his underwear and jeans and pushed them down. His cock sprang free, jutting up toward his stomach, the tip leaking precome. Dex ran his tongue over his bottom lip, heat exploding through him at the sight of Sloane’s naked body. Damn, he was gorgeous. Powerful, strong, yet when he brought Dex into his arms, he was so gentle.

  “Mm, yes. I think I would very much like to discuss a few things, Mr. Daley.” He leaned into Dex, murmuring in his ear, “Such as, how long will it take for me to make you scream my name?”

  Sloane stepped out of his clothes, his lips meeting Dex’s for an ardent kiss before he took the hem of Dex’s T-shirt and pulled it up over his head. He tossed it to one side, and Dex helped him with the rest, getting rid of his pants, socks, and underwear. Sloane walked him back toward the bed while they kissed, and Dex was a goner. He could kiss Sloane all day. The taste of him, his scent, the feel of his skin, it was driving Dex crazy. When Sloane pulled back, his pupils were dilated, and Dex could see the fire burning in his molten amber eyes. He dropped his gaze to Dex’s lips before moving it back up, his lips curling into a wicked grin.

  As if Sloane had whispered the words into Dex’s ear, Dex lowered himself to his knees, his hands caressing Sloane’s thighs on the way down. Dex took Sloane’s cock in his hand and swallowed it down to the root, his lips pressed tight against the hard shaft. Dex moved slowly, his hands slipping around the back of Sloane’s thighs before moving up to his ass as he sucked, pulling almost all the way off before tonguing Sloane’s slit. Sloane bucked his hips forward, his cock pushing into Dex’s mouth. With a low moan, Dex dug his nails into Sloane’s asscheeks. It didn’t take long for Sloane to take control. He pumped himself inside Dex’s mouth, his fingers curling into Dex’s hair and his soft groans filling the otherwise silent room.

  Dex relished the sounds Sloane made. The way he quickly lost his rhythm before he pulled out, grabbed Dex’s arm, and spun him, bending him over the side of the bed. Dex heard the drawer to the nightstand open, and he moaned, writhing against the bed with need. The snap of the lube being opened was unmistakable, and all at once Dex’s hole was breached. He hissed at the sharp pain but wriggled back, overcome by the desire to have Sloane inside him. Sloane draped himself over Dex’s back as he pounded into him. He laced their fingers together and moved Dex’s arms in front of him, his groin slapping against Dex’s ass.

  “Tell me you’re mine,” Sloane growled. “Please.”

  “I’m yours,” Dex promised. “Always.”

  Sloane reached down under Dex, lifting himself just enough. He pumped Dex’s cock, his fist keeping in time with his thrusts. He rotated his hips and changed his angle. Dex cried out Sloane’s name as he came into Sloane’s hand. His muscles ached, but it was so damned good. Sloane lifted off him, his palms pressing down against Dex’s lower back as he fucked him, his thrusts going deeper and harder. Dex looked back over his shoulder, riveted by Sloane’s flushed skin, the sweat on his brow, and the way his head was thrown back, his eyes closed, and his lips parted. God, he was beautiful, and when he came inside Dex, his muscles tightening and his expression one of ecstasy, Dex would have purred if he could. Somewhere in the back of his mind, in his sex-induced haze, he was doing just that. Or maybe it was Sloane, because it was right in his ear.

  Dex opened his eyes, the cool air against his skin. He must have dozed off and dreamed about the purring because Sloane wasn’t there. Dex was still draped over the side of the bed, his ass in the air. He was too tired or sleepy to move. Sloane came back and cleaned him up before disappearing for a moment and then returning to gently get him moving onto the bed under the covers. Dex lay down, snuggling up close to Sloane the moment he was at his side. Dex dozed for some time before waking up. He tried—unsuccessfully—to go back to sleep. Why wouldn’t his brain just shut up?

  “Why aren’t you asleep?” Sloane mumbled, giving Dex a squeeze.

  How could he sleep with everything going on? He snapped his fingers, and the room was filled with the soft sounds of classic rock. Sloane’s chuckle rumbled against Dex’s back.

  “You still haven’t told me how you got it to do that.”

  “I have a brother who’s a tech nerd, remember?”

  “Right.” Sloane snuggled closer, their legs intertwined. “So what’s with Guns N’ Roses in the middle of the night?”

  Dex turned in Sloane’s arms so they were face to face, his voice quiet. “So TIN doesn’t hear us.”

  Sloane was wide awake then. “What is it?”

  “I think it’s pretty obvious they weren’t accidents.”

  Sloane frowned, puzzled. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

  “I set up an algorithm on Themis to do a search. A list of Therians and Humans who are marked. The list of Therians who’d marked Therians in New York City wasn’t all that long, but I didn’t expect it to be, but the list of Humans marked by Therians was even shorter.”

  Sloane went pensive. “Makes sense. What did you find?”

  Dex took a deep, steady breath. “Everyone on the list of Humans marked by Therians is dead.”

  “
Wait, all of them?” Sloane stared at him.

  “They all died in either accidents or in prison after being arrested for the murder of their Human mates.”

  Sloane’s eyes widened. “Dylan. Something in my gut told me something wasn’t right with how he died.”

  “Yeah. Of course that’s just Humans who sought medical treatment after being marked. There’s no telling how many more Humans there are in the city who’ve been marked and didn’t go to the hospital.”

  “Like you,” Sloane replied softly.

  “Like me.”

  “It makes me wonder if any additional tests were run on those Humans, and if they also came back inconclusive.”

  Dex nodded somberly. “I’m willing to bet they did. Alicia Reynolds had been marked by her Therian husband. She suffered seizures, her tests were inconclusive, and then she was killed. Dylan was charged for her murder and ends up killing himself.”

  “He was on suicide watch,” Sloane said thoughtfully, stroking Dex’s arm. “But I’m following you.”

  “So why am I still alive? Why are you still alive? I doubt it’s because TIN’s been keeping such a good watch on us. I think it’s because I never went to the hospital.”

  Sloane stilled. “You think someone’s been killing them off?”

  “And using the hospital records to do it. It would explain why they haven’t come after us.”

  “What about Wolf?”

  “That was about my mom and the file. He never mentioned anything about my being marked, and there’s no way he wouldn’t have known.”

  Sloane sat up. “You said Wolf told you he’d been instructed to kill you after retrieving the information.”

  Dex followed Sloane, sitting up. He planted a kiss on Sloane’s bare shoulder, needing to touch him. Always. “True. But if it was because I was marked, wouldn’t they have made another attempt to kill us? Maybe Wolf didn’t tell them.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Sparks said the guy was one of their best. That he was the job. You know how these spooks are. Maybe it wasn’t in his contract, so once the contract was void, he had no reason to tell his employer anything. Wolf didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who gave intel out for free, especially if they fucked with him. It would explain why no one’s tried to kill us.”

  “Yet,” Sloane said with a sigh. “So what’s our next move?”

  Dex thought about everything he’d learned so far. Too many connecting factors to ignore.

  “Maybe my mom’s file and these deaths are connected after all. If these couples were murdered, it could be because of whatever my mom was collecting evidence on. The deaths started around the same time.”

  Sloane rubbed his hands over his face. He kept his voice low. “Okay, let’s say you’re right. Why are they after the file now, after all this time? Not having it hasn’t stopped them from killing these couples.”

  “True. But remember these are just couples who went to the hospital. What if the file contains more names?” It suddenly struck him. “Shit. The list. The one Shultzon mentioned. It lists all the First Gens from the First Gen Research Facility, the ones with anomalies. I bet if we ran those names through Themis, not only will we get hits for Therians who marked their Human mates and are now dead, but we’ll get hits on other Therians with Human mates, ones who may have possibly bonded and not visited a hospital or doctor.”

  Sloane’s expression grew anxious. “What if we’re wrong about them being killed? What if these anomalies we carry in our blood makes us kill our mates? What if we somehow fuck up our mates and then go feral and kill them?”

  Dex cupped Sloane’s face. “Stop. That’s not what’s happening here, okay? There has to be more to it. Without that file, we got nothing but theories.” He released Sloane and ran a hand through his hair. Thinking. “My mom was smart. She knew the danger she was facing by collecting that information. She would have made sure the file and the list were secure. Who knows how many agencies were after that information, yet everyone came up empty, even my dad. You heard him. Before the funeral, my parents’ house and his were broken into and ransacked. I bet whoever was after the information then is after it now, and for some reason, they believe I have it.”

  “What about TIN?” Sloane ran his fingers through Dex’s hair, soothing. It felt so damned good.

  “You mean our absentee fairy god-Therians?” Dex let out an indelicate snort. “What about them?”

  “You know they’re hiding something from us.”

  Dex closed his eyes, giving himself over to Sloane’s sweet ministrations. “They’re not hiding something, Sloane. They’re hiding everything. Sparks knows a hell of a lot more than she’s letting on. I mean, I know they need to live up to that whole ‘we don’t exist’ image, but we know they exist. We’re the ones in the middle of this. The least they can do is answer our questions.”

  “So why are we still listening to her?”

  Dex opened his eyes and met Sloane’s. His partner’s amber eyes burned with anger. Sloane wasn’t afraid to let his feelings on TIN be known.

  “Because we need her. We need TIN. Let’s face it. They may be a bunch of assholes, but they have resources we don’t.”

  Sloane scoffed at that. “Yeah, because they’ve been so forthcoming and willing.” He ran a thumb over Dex’s cheek, his anger melting into heartache. “TIN let you get kidnapped, Dex. They let Wolf into our home. Why didn’t they use those resources then? Why didn’t they stop Wolf? Even if the guy was the best operative TIN ever had, are you telling me they couldn’t have stopped him if they wanted to?”

  “You think they’ve been working their own angle?”

  “You don’t?”

  Dex sighed. “You’re right.” They’d seen TIN’s operatives at work. Hell, they’d been trained by TIN. It was because of that training that Dex had been able to defend himself against Wolf.

  “So what then?”

  Dex lay back down, and Sloane followed him. They huddled close together. “I think we need to see this through.”

  Sloane grimaced. “That’s what Sparks said.”

  “I can only assume she said it for a reason. Neither of us trusts TIN, but there’s a reason they’re letting this play out. Despite showing up when it’s convenient for them, they’re there. They showed up when I had my seizure. Whatever’s going on is as important to them as it is to us, so I think for now, we should play along.”

  Sloane let out a heavy sigh. He stroked Dex’s arm, and nodded. “Okay. We’ll play their game. For now.”

  Despite his worries, Dex was happy. Right now at this moment, in Sloane’s arms, everything was perfect. “This weekend, I’m gonna get Dad, Ash, and Cael down here to help us go through the boxes in the basement.”

  Sloane’s eyebrows shot up. “The basement?”

  “I haven’t gone through that stuff since I moved it all out of Tony’s house when I started college. Some of it I haven’t seen since I was a kid. Who knows what’s in there. Anyway—” Dex kissed Sloane’s jaw and closed his eyes. “—it’s just a few boxes.”

  IT WASN’T just a few boxes.

  “I may have underestimated the number of boxes down here.” Dex cringed at the dozens upon dozens of cardboard boxes in various sizes stacked from the carpeted floor to the ceiling. They were in pristine condition, with all the stacks up on plinths in case a pipe burst. He kept the temperature controlled and the basement aired out to keep the boxes from growing mildew. He also came down every week and dusted. Inside these boxes was his childhood, both with his biological and adopted family.

  “Holy shit.” Ash gaped at the sea of boxes. “You’re a pack rat!”

  Dex wrinkled his nose. “Hey, this isn’t all mine. Some of it’s Sloane’s.”

  Sloane very smartly covered his laugh with a cough. Most likely because Dex was well aware that Sloane had a total of three boxes that were stacked neatly in one corner.

  “This is going to take days to go through,” Ash said as h
e walked through the maze of boxes. “Are they in any kind of order?”

  “Um, no,” Dex admitted.

  “What the hell? You’re always so freaking anal about organization. How does sorting this shit out not make sense? You—”

  Cael elbowed Ash in the ribs. Hard.

  “Ow, what?” Ash murmured, rubbing his side.

  Dex shrugged as he turned away. “Most of this stuff is from my childhood. Some stuff belonged to my parents. I haven’t opened these boxes since they were packed years ago.”

  “Oh.” Ash cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

  Dex took a deep breath as he turned back to the others. “Can you guys, um, be careful with this stuff?”

  They all nodded, and Dex thanked them. Sloane pulled him to one side, turning him away from the others. This was harder than he’d thought it would be, and they hadn’t even started.

  “You don’t have to,” Sloane said quietly, holding him close. “We can do this.”

  Dex took another deep, steady breath and let it out slowly through his mouth. “No, I need to. It’s time. Besides, it’s all my stuff, so I’m the most familiar with it.”

  “Okay, but if at any point you want to stop or it gets to be too much, you just tell me, yeah?”

  Dex nodded. “Thanks.”

  “So how do we want to do this?” Tony asked. He turned to Ash. “This is your department.”

  Ash walked around the room, assessing the boxes, their sizes, positions. He started moving some stuff around, arranging boxes by size, moving them closer to the stairs and to one side so the majority of the stuff was now at the front.

  “We can take boxes from this side here, check them in our own section, and when we’re done inspecting, seal them up again, label them, and move them to the far end of the basement.”

  Dex agreed. “Sounds like a plan.” He handed out the permanent markers he’d brought down, along with tape and box cutters. Taking a deep, steady breath, Dex grabbed the first box. It was big but barely weighed anything. Man, he wished he’d at least stuck a year on these things. Then again, he kept telling himself he’d get around to it and never did. Everyone else grabbed their boxes and snagged themselves a spot to get comfortable in.