Dexios’s head jerked up, and he stared at Nick with incredulity. “You would allow him to lie with me?”
Nick’s lips twisted in the approximation of a smile. “I have no claim on him. Galen does what he wants, when he wants, and with whom he wants. We aren’t together in the way you seem to think we are.”
Dexios looked alarmed for a moment, then desperation etched lines around his eyes and mouth. Galen stirred and reached for Nick with a sigh of his name, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to waken.
“I think your claim on him is stronger than you believe,” Dexios replied. “I know the torment you go through. Be patient. I was not, and I regretted it for a long time.”
“What do you mean?” Nick grabbed Dexios’s arm, and Galen sat up with a soft gasp.
“What…? Where…?” Nick started to reach for him until he realized with a chill that it wasn’t Galen, not anymore. His cheeks had several days’ worth of thick stubble, his body seemed bulkier, and his features had shifted in a subtle way and become a little more roughhewn.
“Lykon!” Before Nick could react, Dexios had swept the man into his arms, and they were kissing as if they expected to be torn apart again at any moment.
Nick shifted away and averted his eyes. Whoa… way to be the sudden unnecessary cog in this wheel, intruding on a private moment. To his surprise he wasn’t jealous in the least because he knew that wasn’t Galen. It was more than unsettling. What if Galen couldn’t come back? What if he was trapped in his own body while Lykon dominated it?
He glanced toward the second statue, hoping to see the moonlight gathering around it as it had the night the first statue changed, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The kiss between the parted lovers didn’t seem to have any effect on it at all.
Lykon moaned, and Nick’s gaze jerked back toward them. Christ. He even sounded different from Galen. Nick’s heart twisted, and his fears sharpened, souring his stomach. Lykon had waited thousands of years to be with Dexios again. He’d come close and lost him again so many times. Dexios said that Lykon and Galen were bound tight. The thought of losing Galen again when they were on the cusp of having a new chance jolted Nick into action.
Without thought, Nick lunged toward the intertwined couple and sank his hand into Galen’s hair the way that he liked, fisting it. “Come back to me, Galen,” he urged and pressed closer. “Remember who you are.”
Nick found the sweet spot on the nape of Galen’s neck and gave it a rough nip. In the past when they’d engaged in threesomes it didn’t matter how hot the third person was or how much Galen was into the moment, whenever Nick did that he never failed to capture Galen’s attention. It would be no different now.
Galen broke the kiss with a rough groan and twisted toward Nick as his features shifted back to normalcy. Nick couldn’t resist those proffered lips even as Dexios released Galen. The same instinct from their past seized him. He had to mark and claim Galen so that if he left again, he’d always come back for more.
“Nick,” Galen murmured just before their lips met. His arms wrapped around Nick, pulling him close and holding on. The heat of their kiss stole Nick’s breath as Galen kissed him back with a hunger that made his body ache. All the pent-up heat and frustration fed that kiss as lips bruised and tongues demanded more.
Galen lay back on the floor, stretching out underneath Nick, tugging him down. Nick felt the pressure of Galen’s cock against his thigh, the unmistakable throb of his arousal. “Kiss me again,” Galen rasped and lifted his head, taking the kiss before Nick had a chance to respond.
Nick heard Dexios get up, and a part of him wanted to stop him, to get answers, but he couldn’t seem to control or stop himself. He slid his hand up Galen’s thigh and squeezed the lean muscle. Galen groaned against his lips and rocked up against him. Nick shifted and settled between Galen’s thighs, and a hot electric current zinged between them as their groins met. Even through his jeans and Galen’s pants the contact of his cock against Galen’s flooded Nick’s mind with potent memories.
Nick’s fingers fumbled with the buttons on Galen’s vest before he stripped it from him. Urgency gripped even harder when Nick pulled Galen’s shirt free from his dress pants. Buttons pinged off the polished hardwood floor as he tore open Galen’s shirt, anxious to touch his warm skin again, to smell him. The warning voice inside of him shouted even louder. Nick ignored it with a growl and bent his head toward Galen’s throat.
Galen shoved him away and sat up, breathing hard. In a flash Dexios knelt next to him again and reached for him. “Lykon?”
Galen batted his hands away and scooted back. “I’m not your and Nick’s ping-pong, dammit.” He lifted his head, his eyes wild, and Nick was both relieved to see that he was still Galen and ashamed of how rattled he looked. It cut right through the lust that still gripped him.
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Nick asked, sitting up himself as he eyed Galen and the strange man who hovered next to him. He couldn’t tell if Galen was a little paler than normal, or if it was the moonlight that leeched the color from him.
“What is this ping-pong?” Dexios asked with a perplexed expression.
“A ball, never mind.” Galen pulled himself to his feet and waved them both off when he swayed. “Leave me alone, just give me a second. I’ll be okay.” He moved to the wall and leaned against it, taking several deep breaths. He stiffened, and then, as before, a figure seemed to rise from his body and become solid next to him. Nick gasped, and Dexios let out a low moan that went beyond mere longing. The sound was enough to make Nick’s eyes sting.
“Lykon, you cannot keep doing this,” Dexios said in an unsteady voice. “It is not our time yet.”
“I will make the time when I can. She never proscribed this.”
Nick watched Lykon move over to Dexios, and the two embraced. He found himself stepping backward toward Galen until he reached the wall, and Galen caught his hand, linking their fingers. Oblivious, the two lovers continued to hold onto each other, Dexios’s face pressed against Lykon’s neck, and a moment later they vanished.
Nick let out an explosive breath. “I’m not sure I know what happened or if we accomplished anything.”
“You and me both. I think the only thing that I got out of this is a new fetish for the scent of leather and aching balls.” Galen gave his hand a quick squeeze before letting go. Already Nick could sense him putting distance between them even though he hadn’t actually moved one inch. He looked away; his hair fell across his face, obscuring his expression.
“How are you feeling? You scared me when you collapsed like that. You scared the both of us. And then you changed, and I didn’t know if you’d come back.” Even now that it was over, that unease lingered.
“Much steadier now that Lykon isn’t fighting for control.” Galen turned toward Nick, leaning his shoulder against the wall and shoving his hand in his pocket. “I think we should both call it a night and talk again tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with you being alone right now. You were laid out on the floor not too long ago. Let me at least see you home.” He was tempted to ask if he could stay, but he didn’t want to obliterate the line that he’d drawn. He’d already stomped on it a few times this night. Once Galen was away from the statues, he should be safe.
“No, I’m good. Lykon’s doing whatever he’s doing.” Galen turned away and fisted his hand in his hair at the nape of his neck. “God, this is weird. I need some time to process this. You don’t know what it’s like, having someone else in you, trying to push you aside. A part of me really wants to freak out, but I think it’s a little late for that. Besides, what I sense from Lykon has absolutely no malice in it, and that makes me feel a lot better.”
Nick couldn’t imagine not being in control like that, and the thought made him want to bolt. It had to be an even stronger instinct for Galen, who’d left the last time things got complicated. Nick felt like he was doomed to care for people who left. Not this time; this
time he wouldn’t allow it to happen with meek acceptance.
He turned to face Galen and laid his hands on either side of the wall next to him. Galen’s breath caught as he leaned in toward him. “You’re not thinking of running on me again, are you?”
Galen shook his head, and some of the tension eased from his body as he slid an arm around Nick’s waist. “I’m not going anywhere. I have to see this through, with the Collection, with you. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression when I slammed the brakes earlier. When we do hop into bed again, I want it to be because I’m thinking clearly and not because I’m clouded with hormones not entirely my own. I want it to be just you and me. Nobody else, especially not some legend come alive.”
Those words were sweeter than Nick could have imagined. He could handle an unsatisfied ache if it meant that Galen was all his when the time came. “I like the idea of you being all mine.”
Galen grinned and hooked his finger through Nick’s belt loop, tugging him closer. “I thought you might.”
Nick succumbed to temptation and closed the space between them, trapping Galen against the wall. The kiss started out gentle, and Nick pulled back with a smile when it heated again. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
They gathered their belongings from Galen’s office and walked to Nick’s car. His worries about Galen being alone tonight eased once they left the museum and it was apparent that Galen wasn’t lightheaded in the least. Nick resisted the urge to pull him close for another kiss good-night. He had the impression that Galen wanted some space tonight, without any demands from him, and he was used to that. Despite the fact that he agreed to a date, he wasn’t going to let himself get drawn into Galen’s appeal again. “Be careful getting home.”
“Hey, wait a sec.”
Nick paused in the act of sitting in the front seat and glanced over at Galen, who stood on the sidewalk, his hands deep in his pockets. “Yeah?”
Galen walked over and crossed his arms over the car’s doorframe. “I’m glad I finally worked up the nerve to call you, and that has nothing to do with the statues.” The unexpected statement darted under his defenses and touched him right in the spot that Nick had been striving the hardest to protect. Galen dropped a kiss on his lips and walked away, leaving Nick staring after him.
“Galen!”
He turned around and Nick grinned. “I’m glad I called you back too.”
GALEN returned to the museum just as dawn broke over the city. Something had happened last night, not only with the statues, but with Nick too. Maybe enough happened that the second statue would be whole now, and he couldn’t wait to see it. He’d tossed and turned all night, first agonizing over what they could do to break the curse, then caught up all over again with thoughts of Nick, memories of before, and half-formed dreams of what might be. Dreams that he knew he wanted with more certainty now. No more second-guessing himself. He wanted the way Nick made him feel.
He’d fought those emotions for so long, thought he’d gotten a handle on them, and this time around Nick had snuck up on him even faster than before. All of his fight had gone. He did want to be in an exclusive relationship again, and not just with anybody either. Now he’d have to convince Nick he meant it.
The taxi pulled up in front of the museum, and Galen paid the driver. This was getting to be too much of a habit. He used to be good about taking public transportation until the Dexios Collection showed up in his storeroom, and the habit had started to slide. He was too impatient to wait on the slower commute. He really needed to suck it up and get back to his old routine, maybe start biking too, when summer came. No, what he really needed to do was grow some balls and start driving again.
Galen’s stomach twisted, and he shoved his hands in his pockets as he crossed the street. No, no, not yet. He didn’t need another round of nightmares, haunted by the sound of exploding glass, of Bryan’s scream. That’s what happened the last time he’d tried to get behind a wheel. What if he lost Nick too? It was bad enough worrying over Suzane. He couldn’t handle losing one loved one after another.
The brightening sunrise deepened the rainbow colors that arched across the giant bay doors of the old firehouse, and the sight never failed to make him smile. The hanging baskets of greenery spilled more color across the brick façade. When it warmed up a bit he would add flowers to those baskets. This was his place, built from the inside out, and he wasn’t going to spend the day thinking dark thoughts. Besides, he had too much to do, starting with making sure he erased the security footage of Nick and him rolling around on the ground tearing at each other’s clothes.
Galen’s cheeks heated as he recalled that. The buttons! He had to find them before Ella came in to work on the mural. He hurried down the hall toward the exhibits, and when he walked into the new room his stomach plummeted. The second statue still stood there incomplete, and the searing loneliness of it made Galen ache in return.
It was too early to call Nick, so he sent him a text and a picture of the statue before getting on his hands and knees to search for the scattered buttons. “I don’t understand why it didn’t work,” he muttered under his breath toward the statue. Telling himself that he was talking to Dexios and not the air didn’t ease his self-consciousness one bit. “We kissed, Lykon appeared, and the two of you went off together, so what the hell are we missing?”
He sat back on his heels and glared at the statue, which seemed oblivious to his irritation. Dexios implied that it wasn’t about the sex or Galen being with him, but dammit, what else could it be? There had to be something in the myth that would give them a clue. He’d grill Nick about it when he got the chance or else the frustration would drive him crazy. He also needed to find a copy of the myth himself. Maybe he could find one at the library or online. He’d ask Suzane where she found her reference.
Galen rose, stuffing the handful of buttons in his pocket. He went to the second statue and stared at Dexios’s face. The half-lidded eyes seemed to hold more pain than pleasure right now, though he was sure that only he and Nick would be able to see it. Everybody else would see the heat, the sexual tension. “I saw you two together. Why didn’t it work?”
“Please, help us.” The bare whisper seemed to shiver in the morning air.
“Tell me what I have to do.” Galen growled in frustration as he grasped Dexios’s shoulders. The metal was cool under his grip, lacking the odd warmth it sometimes had. The statue remained silent, and Galen almost shook him before he recovered his composure. It wouldn’t solve anything, and how would he explain it to Nick if the statue got knocked over and damaged?
As he headed up to his office, his cell phone rang, and he smiled when he saw Nick’s name. “What are you doing up at this time?”
“Cursing the lack of coffee and you for sounding so damned awake. What’s your excuse for this god-awful hour?”
“I got here early to check it out and to remove last night’s evidence. We left buttons scattered everywhere.” Galen’s voice echoed as he headed up the stairs in the tower.
“Oops.” Nick didn’t sound at all repentant. “How are you feeling? No more dizziness or fighting off Greek warriors last night?”
“Nope, made it home without a problem.” And crashed hard.
“I got your picture. So last night was a bust, and nothing’s changed.”
“You said it.” Galen stuck the buttons in his desk drawer and tossed his keys on the desk. “I’m not sure what else we can do. I did hear the statue whisper again, asking for help, but there were no new miraculous appearances.”
“That’s odd,” Nick said, his voice thoughtful. “I don’t remember any mention of whispers in my uncle’s journal. I’ll look again. Maybe it didn’t register when I read them.”
“Or maybe he didn’t write it down because he didn’t want his family thinking he’d lost his mind,” Galen said.
“There is that. Look, we need to talk about last night,” Nick replied, and Galen’s heart sank. Nick didn’t say it, he didn’t
need to. Galen was pretty sure that what he wanted to talk about had less to do with the statues and more to do with them. “And not at the museum either.”
“How about lunch?” Galen checked his calendar. With Suzane gone and Heather off for the afternoon, he needed to be there most of the day. Maybe Knox would be interested in manning the front for an hour or two if he was free.
“No, I don’t want either of us having to rush off to be someplace else. Are you free tonight?”
Galen held his breath as anticipation grabbed him. This was an opportunity, to get Nick alone without the statues getting in the way of the two of them. “We could have dinner at my place. I’m not a bad cook.” There, it was out. He’d never invited Nick over to his apartment before, even though the other man had hinted about it on more than one occasion. He waited, stomach clenching for Nick’s reply.
“I’d like that,” Nick said in a softer voice. “Does six work for you? Can I bring anything?”
Galen sat back, the knots in his stomach easing. Nick hadn’t dismissed the idea even though they hadn’t had their date yet. If he ran to the market at lunch and stashed the groceries in the fridge here, he would have enough time to get dinner started before Nick arrived. “That works for me, and if you want to, you can grab a bottle of wine. You know what I like.”
The long pause on the other end heightened his nerves, and when Nick spoke again there was a slight strain in his voice. “I know I keep asking this, and this is the last time. Are you sure? I’m not trying to be difficult, but I can’t start something that isn’t going to go anywhere. Not again. I want you to be as honest with me now as you were then.”
The panicked clenching returned tenfold, and Galen shut his eyes, which turned out to be a mistake because the moment he did, he saw the tilting whirl of lights as the car spun out of control again and the flashing strobe of emergency lights cutting through the rain-streaked, spider-webbed glass. This was it; either he drowned or headed toward the shore, time to put the past behind him.
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