by Deja Black
“And I didn’t say it. I know. But I promise not to shut you out—shut Father out, shut the pack out—again.”
Conner’s grunt was almost accepting, but not quite. Yeah, he wasn’t ready, which Dan knew would take some convincing on his part.
“But here, right now, I feel it down to my bones, Conner. This is the right decision. It’s a lot, but I ask you to trust me just a little. Just a little, okay?” His voice drifted off at the last word as he waited for a response.
“What does it matter, Danny? The decision has been taken out of my hands.” Conner stared ahead, not looking at Dan, refusing to look at him. If his eyes burned any hotter, they would melt the windshield. He took the hand not gripping the wheel and raked his fingers through his hair.
“It matters because you are my brother, not just the Enforcer and not just the heir. It matters because I love you, Conner.”
And as if that was just what he was waiting to hear, the lines that had creased Conner’s beautiful face eased, and the tension slowly vanished from his huge frame. “And I, you. And I, you.” He sighed. He cleared his throat as if attempting to dislodge the knot that had gathered there. “Well, then. Let’s get you to Kavanagh’s baile, hmm?” A quick nod, and Conner drove on.
Dan settled in to enjoy the ride.
Not more than twenty minutes had passed before they were in the East End of Louisville. Conner pulled into the drive, and Dan watched as the door of a large two-story home opened to reveal a rather harried Dr. Aiden Kavanagh. This time Aiden was wearing a pair of soft brown workout pants, paired with a cocoa-colored tank. The skin that teased Dan’s eyes was just as golden as he remembered and appeared to be a little damp from a recent shower. The closer Aiden walked to Dan, the calmer he became.
At the bottom of the stairs, the two met. Now Dan’s own tension eased as he was swallowed in Aiden’s blue-green eyes, those citrine-layered orbs that were warm and watchful, taking in his face, gazing at him longingly. He was safe. He was where he needed to be, and yes, he was going to question it.
CHAPTER 15
CONNER HAD left, returning to Shelly. While he wasn’t happy about the situation, he had hugged Dan warmly but not without giving Aiden a warning look. Per Jeremiah’s orders, there were four wolves stationed at Aiden’s baile, two outside and two inside. Jack and Luc manned two of the doors that opened out onto Aiden’s property, while Tomas and Sasha circled the perimeter.
Leaving the wolves to their patrol, Aiden walked into his kitchen, aiming for the steel refrigerator that had to be the largest Dan had ever seen. The layout was spacious, the appliances sleek. Aiden—or someone—enjoyed cooking, as cookbooks lay about and the scent of something fresh and wonderful permeated the air.
“Water. Beer. Wine. Is there something you would like, Dan?” Aiden questioned.
“I’d actually just like to have a seat, maybe.” He was a little shaken, but it felt good to be with Aiden, even if the man in question was looking everywhere but at him.
“Certainly.” Two glasses in hand, Aiden led Dan out past Luc onto the deck. Luc nodded from the shadows as the men walked by, offering respect. It was very early, the light of dawn not yet gathered to kiss the sky. Aiden and Dan sat quietly in two large wicker chairs, waiting for the other to begin.
Dan took a sip of the liquid Aiden had given him. Root beer. With a small laugh, he took another drink. Sure, Dan could do wine, maybe even beer, but his absolute favorite was root beer. Shelly had often teased him about it, saying it was the kid in him. She had a point.
“How did you know?” Dan’s smile was hesitant as he turned to face Aiden, who looked toward a copse of dense trees.
Aiden was quiet, not acknowledging the double-edged question, but then with a sigh of resolution, he turned to face him. Dan knew that Aiden wasn’t comfortable with him, that he’d been hiding. Somehow Dan had been able to breach his walls, and while he looked at him with such longing, he was tense, afraid.
“I saw it in your dreams,” he said, watching Dan, taking in his response. He inhaled, breathed in deeply, filling himself with Dan’s scent.
Well, that was… different. It wasn’t the answer Dan was looking for, but from the look of complete seriousness on Aiden’s face, he could tell Aiden wasn’t joking, wasn’t just being a sarcastic ass. This wasn’t an attempt at flirtation, especially after the night Aiden must know Dan had had. So if this were a Sherlock mystery, he would be ready with a quirky response, something to grab the audience, right? Well, too bad all he could do was look at the man with whom he shared a tenuous bond and listen.
“My dreams,” Dan echoed. For a while they just looked at each other. He was falling again, drowning in Aiden’s eyes. His breathing slowed, and the world surrounding them vanished. The sounds he had heard at first—the croak of frogs from a pond nearby, the rustling of the wind—Dan could hear none of those things now. The only sounds were breaths, his and Aiden’s.
“I am a sandman, Daniel, a dreamwalker.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Aiden’s lifted brow was almost funny. After all Dan had seen tonight, he was all out of the shock Aiden was probably looking for.
“Yeah, okay. That’s all I have for now. Keep talking.” From the little he could remember of the childhood fairy tale, sandmen put dust in the eyes of children to help them sleep. Was that what Aiden did?
“First, sit with me?” Aiden reached out to Dan. They weren’t that far apart to begin with, but the way he watched him, eyes showing his want, made Dan just as wanton in his desire to be with him. He had enough of stalling, of trying to hold back. Almost dying at the hands of a mob kind of did that for a guy. He moved onto Aiden’s lap.
This time, instead of Dan’s body wrapping around him when Aiden had had his moment of crazy nights ago, he was the one sheltered, protected. It was there again. Aiden’s scent. Earthy, cinnamon-spice, just a hint of chocolate, and he inhaled it, taking it in deeply. It was Aiden’s, one he enjoyed. The man’s hardness lay next to his ass, his smooth legs aligned with his own, and his back against his chest. Dan was cocooned, and nothing would harm him here.
“Do you know that when you dream, you are often walking along the beach? You’re not alone. There’s a woman, a dog. The sun is bright, but the breeze is cool. And you’re laughing. You’re happy.” Aiden nuzzled him gently while he spoke.
“I am?”
“You are, Daniel.” Aiden held Dan even tighter, his lips against his ear, his nose breathing him in, and Dan wondered what he smelled like to Aiden. Did his body also produce a delicious scent that made Aiden want to devour him? “You’re happy, and you are filled with joy. She touches you, holds your hand. Laughs. There are times when you are at a park or in a room at your father’s baile. The light that shines on you is warm, and you both enjoy that vile drink, and you’re bright, glowing. I like watching you as you dream, Daniel. I like seeing your happiness.” His soft words quieted as he rested his chin on Dan’s shoulder.
“How long, Aiden? How long have you watched me?” He could imagine what he described, a page out of his life with his mother, her eyes always smiling and holding such a deep and unfailing love. He missed her daily.
“Years, Daniel. I have been watching you for years, since the day my brother took you from me.” Aiden’s grip tightened further, anticipating Dan’s movement as he digested his words.
“Your brother?” Dan tried to rise, to get out of arms and of fingers tightened against his ribs, that restrained him now no matter how hard he struggled, how harshly he breathed. Fear. “Your brother.”
Luc shifted, at the ready. His arms wore the bracelets that gave off a gentle sound on the wind known only to those of the pack, a sign that he was the Enforcer’s man, able to remove a life easily and quickly.
“Prince?” Luc questioned, his voice low and deadly. It would take but a word from Dan, and Luc would kill the man holding him. In a blink, Jack was at his side, both wolves awaiting the command, ready to take action i
f necessary. If Dan didn’t say something soon, the choice would be out of his hands.
“Daniel,” Aiden commanded. “Listen to me. I didn’t want this, didn’t want you in the beginning, or maybe I wanted you too much. You asked to talk to me. You feel it, felt the hunger earlier. Let me talk to you.” His grip didn’t lessen as he took in the nearness of the wolves. All four stood above them. The tension was thick, the night taking on an iciness that crawled along Dan’s nerve endings. “True, your father’s wolves, Conner’s wolves”—and there was anger in those words—“are dangerous, but I am not without power in my own home. Either allow me the opportunity to explain what is happening to you, or watch a war of massive proportions begin with their loss. Trust, Dan. Just a little trust.”
Dan’s own words came to haunt him. He had asked Conner to trust him. Was he willing to do the same for Aiden?
“Hold,” he said to his brother’s men.
“Prince. Daniel,” Luc said.
“Hold, Luc. I ask you to stand down. As your prince, I ask you to stand down.”
“Sir.” Luc nodded sharply to the other men, who slipped back into the darkness. They would not go far now, but they would allow him a little space.
Dan was wary, apprehensive, but he would give Aiden his chance to explain. “A little trust was what you asked of me, Aiden Kavanagh. Let me go.” He made to move away.
“No.”
“If you don’t let me go, I will—”
“If I let you leave me, get up from my arms, it’s a promise that the testosterone-filled beasts that your father commands will not follow your word, but the word given by their Enforcer. As I don’t wish to cause harm to them, you will stay in my arms and listen to my words, and then we can both decide what will happen next.”
“I….” Dan tried to argue, but Aiden was right. His father’s men, Conner’s men, were sworn to protect him no matter what he said. They were waiting for a sign now, probably communicating with Conner as he struggled against Aiden. If he showed even a little distress, nothing would hold them back, not even him.
“Keith is my brother, yes. No blood is shared between us, and we are not even brothers as you and your Conner wish to be. But we are sandmen, and as such, we are all brothers.”
“Okay. Sandmen. Brothers. Keep talking.” This was what Dan wanted, what he needed to hear. All of it. So he would listen, and then he would decide what his next steps should be. It would be hard to ignore how deeply he felt for Aiden Kavanagh even then. Would Aiden’s truths destroy that?
“Relax.” At Dan’s hesitation, Aiden whispered, “Please.” Resigned, he lay back against Aiden, who nipped at his neck, pleased. As Dan sank deeper against him, Aiden continued. “We are old, ancient. We were here before time existed, sometimes in the company of angels, sometimes abiding in the bounds of demons. Dreamwalkers. Sandmen. These are names many have called us. A childhood tale used to both calm children and to frighten them. Each of us is here for a time, but there is a limit to that time, to our presence on Earth. Among the sandmen, there is always a watcher, one honored with the duty of keeping humans safe while our kind walk among them.
“We take jobs, we have families, we live among you, plant seeds among you, thrive among you. But we have powers, abilities that are greater than your own untapped capabilities, powers that reach within, claiming you in your subconscious. We choose careers, professions that fit us, enable us to express ourselves, but if we aren’t careful, we want more, seek more, claim more, even at the risk of manipulation. I chose to work in a hospital, to share a closeness with humans where I could do the greatest good. Or at least I thought it was where I needed to be.” The light brush of Aiden’s kiss against his warm skin was gentle. “Children dying from cancer, mothers in childbirth, fathers in pain—but I soon realized that there was more. There were drugs, poisons, toxins, evils that I could do nothing about. I always wonder why humans choose to suffer so in a world where life should be a gift. Still, I remained and kept a watchful eye on others of my kind from the protective walls of the hospital.
“No, I’m not perfect. I love this life. The feel of skin, the dynamic energy of humankind. I drink from it. It fills me. This home, my bikes, clothes. Who knew wearing clothes could feel so fucking good? That the taste of food is more addictive than the high cocaine and heroin addicts get. You’re human. You have always had the joy of flesh, of a heartbeat, but for me, I am ethereal or soon to be. I walk in dreams, living among the hopes and the nightmares of many as I gather dust from my fingers to make those moments of unconscious thought a place of heaven rather than torment. Yet, it is a time that is limited. But there is a way, a way to connect with the Earth, a way to connect and never have to leave.”
Aiden sighed. He moved one of his hands to the nearby table, wrapped it around a tumbler, and brought it to his lips. Dan felt Aiden take a swallow, and the flow of the liquid as it poured down his throat was loud in his ears. Setting the tumbler down, the hand returned to Dan’s body and slowly began opening the buttons of Dan’s shirt. Dan’s breathing quickened. Their target located, two of Aiden’s fingers tightened around his nipple, pulling. The touches were almost negligible except for the tiny sparks that went right to his groin as Aiden continued to flick. Those flicks were soon followed by nips along his nape, licks along the back of his neck as the man—if he could be called that—swept his tongue down Dan’s flesh, seeking more of his skin, tasting him.
“We make a connection to a human. They claim us. Own us. Mate us.” Aiden’s voice rolled as his spoke, the vibration making Dan’s cock perk up and take notice. Aiden plucked his other nipple next.
“Claim you?” He was breathless, his body reveling in the sensory teasing. He was having a hard time concentrating on the words, and it wasn’t improving the more Aiden’s tongue and tantalizing lips traveled over him, strong hands making his dick weep. “Aiden. Please. I can’t. Uhmmm. Oh.” Both of Aiden’s hands were wandering everywhere now, making their way to his diamond-hard dick, Aiden’s throbbing shaft spreading heat against the cheeks of his ass. The fabric between their bodies was little protection. If anything, the added friction only made the touches worse.
“You know, Daniel, I am having a hard time not touching you. You smell delicious, so sweet I could eat you.”
Dan’s breath tripped.
“I don’t mean literally, Daniel. But, no, I won’t stop touching you. I’ve tried. I’m done with trying to stop.” He bit into Dan’s neck then, his teeth scraping, tenderizing his flesh. “Oh gods, I love the way you feel between my teeth, on my tongue. I remember, Daniel, do you… the way you cried for me? The sounds you made were so good. It’s so hard for me to resist you, resist making you sound that way again. It’s not enough. Never enough.”
Aiden’s lips left Dan’s skin, taking all of the heat with them. “I would say I’m sorry—should say it—but I won’t because I’m not. Let’s finish, shall we? I want this conversation over before we’re naked and fucking.” A long lick from the base of Dan’s neck to the curve of his ear punctuated Aiden’s words, the teeth marking him deeply.
Aiden reclined, pulling Dan back against him. His hands kept moving, caressing, as he talked, plucking again and again at both nipples intermittently. Dan’s skin was on high alert, but somehow he was able to listen. “For a period of time, we are allowed free rein upon the Earth, able to bounce between worlds, between dimensions. We visit humans in their dreams, making them happy or creating a prison in their minds, terrorizing them with their own fears. We command the subconscious level, able to direct, order, control. You witnessed this tonight, Daniel, I’m afraid. Alcohol, drugs—these things inhibit the mind, suppress the ability to have conscious thoughts, make wise decisions, when used in excess. When a human has lost that control, he or she might find themselves at the mercy of something more powerful, more evil, a being waiting and watching, searching for an opportunity to invite chaos, to wield its power.” He didn’t say the name, but they both knew who he meant.
“Keith,” Dan whispered.
“Yes, Daniel,” Aiden confirmed. “Keith is not gone. He is capitalizing on his ability to corner you through the humans with which you surround yourself.”
“I’m human. I don’t understand.”
“You are, but you are so much more. Let me explain.” Aiden’s fingertips stopped circling Dan’s nipples. Drifting those questing digits farther across Dan’s body, he simply surrounded him, sheltered him, the cinnamon aroma growing stronger, calming Dan’s mind. “Sandmen, as the human world knows us, are nothing more than an enigma, a being that uses a magic sand to bring dreams to children, but it is more than that. We bring both dreams and nightmares, and not just to children. We exist on the plane where you live and where you die. Think about it, Daniel. I have heard more than one human say that they would ‘sleep on it,’ ‘figure it out after a good night’s rest.’ And there we are, waiting.” Aiden’s pause was significant. “If we so choose, as we are a fickle being, we can help you to make that decision a good one or one that would destroy you. We can encourage you to go on, to take a leap and meet your challenge head-on, or we can help you feel that the world would be a better place without you, that it would be so much easier for you to die. We can give you life, and we can take it away.”
“Like a deity? Some type of god?”
“To some we are. But no, Daniel. I am saying that we are worse. At least your gods and goddesses care. We don’t. To some of us, you are toys. We enjoy you, play with you, and put you away when we’re done.” Aiden’s hands had begun their course again, slipping over Dan’s skin.
His words were chilling, his tone nonchalant and without feeling, but Dan had seen him work in the hospital, had watched him hold more than one hand, cheer on a little guy or girl with plush toys. He’d played the clown, and he had allowed his shirt to soak up unchecked tears from a grieving loved one.