by Joyee Flynn
The doctor was good to his word about taking Dante home, and an hour later Gabriel was helping a very drugged Dante into his truck. Garreck followed with the meds, instructions, and what was left of Dante’s clothes after jumping from a moving truck. Needless to say, they were rags. Thankfully, someone had given Dante a pair of scrubs to wear, otherwise his ass would have been hanging out of one of those hospital gowns.
They drove as Dante rattled on about all kinds of whacky stuff. He tried to grope Garreck a few times, saying he was horny. But Garreck put a stop to that since Dante was in no condition to play. Dante sat there and pouted, but still kept his arms around Garreck.
“I’m just glad you are safe and we found Gabriel,” Dante whispered in his ear, nuzzling Garreck’s neck. “I hope you know I’d do anything for you, baby.”
“I know, Dante,” he replied, his eyes burning with unshed tears. Considering what Dante had had to do to get them here, Garreck didn’t doubt the man’s statement in the slightest. They were silent as Gabriel pulled off a rural road and into a long dirt driveway. Glancing around, he could see why Ryan and Neil were happy here. It was breathtaking.
There were horses trotting around in a gated paddock, some tilled fields, a huge barn, and a gorgeous house. It wasn’t like Austin’s mansion, but it was just a nice. Even better since it had that homey look to it. Garreck could imagine them all sitting on the porch swing having a beer before bed, discussing their day like a loving family.
“Garreck!” Ryan called out as he came over towards the truck after it stopped with the cutest baby ever in his hands. He got out of the truck, careful to help Dante. It didn’t work very well since he seemed to have gone back from happy, horny drunk to about to pass out. Gabriel got there in time before both of them fell and swooped Dante up into his arms.
“Thanks,” Garreck sighed as he closed the doors of the truck before trailing after them. He smiled widely at Ryan, giving him a half hug so he didn’t smash the baby. “Is he yours?”
“Yes, this is our son, Daniel,” Ryan answered, his face full of such love and pride as he smiled at the tyke that Garreck’s heart swelled. “And Neil’s pregnant.”
“We might be, too,” he whispered, his heart instantly sinking as everything rushed back to him.
“Come inside,” Ryan said as he took Garreck’s hand. “We’ll get Dante settled, and you can tell us everything, okay? You look like you could use an early supper and a stiff drink.”
“Several.” He giggled as they walked into the large ranch house. Maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as they seemed after all. If nothing else, they were safe with Ryan, Neil, and their mate. They could come up with what came next in their lives after Dante was better.
Chapter 6
Austin was officially losing his mind. It had been hours since his mates had run away with no money and no place to go. God only knew what horrible things were happening to them as he paced around the kitchen.
“That’s it, no more coffee for you,” Kelley said as she took the mug out of his hand. “Tiny and Wolf just called. They’re on their way back.”
“Anything?” he asked, having a glimmer of hope until she shook her head. “Fuck!”
“What about your friends that helped rescue them? Would Garreck and Dante go to one of them?”
“Gabriel,” he gasped as he dove for his phone on the counter. It took him a few tries of fumbling to get it open and eventually dial the man’s number.
“You have some nerve calling here,” Gabriel growled as a greeting. Austin was taken aback by the venom in Gabriel’s voice.
“Wait—what? What did I do?” Austin asked, completely shocked, as he plopped down on the floor. “Garreck and Dante ran away because they saw something, but it wasn’t what they thought it was.”
“Oh, so you weren’t kissing your lover? You’ve always been a player, Austin, but I never thought you would cheat on your mates. I thought I knew you better than that, but I guess not. Don’t call here again. You don’t deserve them.”
Austin cringed as he heard the click of Gabriel hanging up on him. Guess that meant his mates were with Gabriel, and Dante had seen Peter kissing him.
“Are they okay?” Kelley asked softly, kneeling down next to Austin.
“I don’t know, but I’d say they’re with Gabriel,” he sighed, leaning into her. “Guess I’m heading to Mitchell.”
“I’ll call for the chopper.”
“I can drive,” he replied, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, because I trust you to drive four hours in the condition you are in.” She snickered and picked up the phone. “You’re upset and will be going a hundred and twenty to get to them. Plus, you are confused and scared, which means you’ll be too distracted to drive.”
“Fair enough,” Austin sighed, thumping his head against the kitchen island as Kelley made the call. Next thing he knew she was dragging him upstairs to pack a bag since it was after dinner time and it would probably take him a while to talk his mates into coming back with him. Once that was done and the helicopter had landed, she led him out there as he stumbled along in a daze.
“Bring your men home,” she yelled over the noise, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He nodded as his eyes started to burn before closing the door and putting on his headphones. Austin gave her a slight wave as they took off and held on for the ride.
“You guys know where we’re going?” he asked after trying to shake himself out of his shock and focus on what needed to be done.
“Like Kelley wouldn’t have sent us that along with a drawn map.” The pilot chuckled. Austin had to do the same. It was true after all. Kelley was known and somewhat feared by most everyone who was higher up or came into contact with Austin in his companies. Another reason he adored her—Kelley didn’t fuck around. There was a job to be done, and she did what was necessary, even if it meant stepping on a few toes.
On the short ride, Austin tried to think of how to explain everything. That was assuming Gabriel even let him through the door. If he could get the man to just listen to him for two minutes, everything would make a lot more sense.
As they landed, the pilot reminded Austin to just give them a call when he was ready to be picked up. He nodded and hopped out, hoping they didn’t disturb Gabriel’s animals too much with the chopper.
Once they lifted back off, Austin slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the front door. He cringed as it flew open and a very pissed off Gabriel stood there. Austin wasn’t scared of the man, since they’d be equally matched in a fight. He just didn’t want it to get to that point.
“I say don’t call again and you fucking show up at my home!”
“Would you just listen to me for two seconds?” Austin shouted back, throwing his hands up in the air. “I don’t have a lover. Hell, I’ve not had sex in almost three years before my mates. Peter showed up at my doorstep and kissed me. I was in shock, okay? I didn’t kiss him back, and when I snapped out of it I shoved him away and tried to push him out the door!”
“Peter,” he replied, looking confused and still pissed off. Then suddenly, Austin saw the recognition in Gabriel’s eyes as they went wide. “As in Peter Peter? Like Peter the human who screwed you up for any other man ever?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s accurate,” Austin replied, flinching at the way Gabriel worded it. He hated to admit, but yeah, Peter had done a real number on Austin. “He’s alive.”
“How?”
“That’s another long story that I will more than willingly tell you if you will please just let me know if my mates are here and safe.” Austin just about begged, willing to do anything to see his mates again.
“Yes, they’re here. And while they’re safe, they’re definitely not fine,” Gabriel replied, stepping back so Austin could come in.
“How did they get here? They ran off while I was trying not to kill Peter and getting pieces of his story filled in. I’m pretty sure they didn’t have any money or anythin
g.”
“Dante traded a hand job from a slimy truck driver to get us a ride,” Garreck said as they entered the living room. His voice was so cold, Austin shivered from it and the stare full of hate directed at him. “And then the guy didn’t want to give us up, thought no one would notice if he just kidnapped us. So we jumped from a moving semi and Dante was hurt since he took the brunt of the fall. Does that answer your questions enough so you’ll leave?”
“My mate did what?” Austin snarled, unable to control his reaction. Dragons were known for being incredibly possessive and territorial, especially about their mates. “That man will die for touching you.”
Suddenly, he wasn’t seeing like a human anymore. Fuck! In all of his years, he’d never gotten so upset he lost control of his shift. He vaguely heard Gabriel shouting as he shoved Austin back out the door. He did the best he could to get it under wraps, but it was too late. He was too far gone. But at least he didn’t shift in Gabriel’s living room. Though Austin was pretty sure there were some damages to the man’s porch he’d be paying for.
Once he was completely in dragon form, Austin took to the sky. He let out a roar of grief and pain as he flew. His mates had suffered again because of him. He’d promised that they’d be safe with him and looked what happened. And he knew it wasn’t like Dante had cheated on him and Garreck. It was so much worse than that. Before, Dante had been forced to service men… but this time he made the choice to do it.
Was that something his little mate could even come back from? Austin didn’t know but he’d do whatever he could to help him. And he needed to swallow back his jealousy at Dante’s touching another man, because that wasn’t what all of this was about. Plus, given the deep hole he was in with his mates, he had no room to bitch about anything.
It was dark by the time he landed, shifting back to human after his feet touched the ground. He stumbled back into the house, completely exhausted from not only the stress and an anger-driven, quick shift, but also from flying around for what had to be a good hour.
“Are you okay?” Garreck asked as everyone stood, eyeing him over suspiciously. It brought tears to his eyes that his little mate was concerned for him after everything Austin had done to them.
“Just tired,” he answered, slowly approaching his mate. Austin dropped to his knees in front of the gorgeous man, wrapping his arms around Garreck’s slip waist. “I didn’t cheat on you guys. Peter kissed me, and I thought he was dead. I was in shock. I swear it to you. I’d never cheat on my mates or dishonor them like that. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m so fucking sorry for everything.”
“Gabriel explained who Peter was and why you’d be so disoriented by his sudden appearance,” Garreck whispered. He ran his fingers through Austin’s hair tentatively. “But you can’t be mad at Dante. He did what he did out of love for me and what he thought he had to do to save us.”
“I know. I’m just so upset that he did it so you guys could get away from me. I was going to tell you about Peter. I told you there were things we needed to discuss later. But I kept fucking up and bringing up new issues. I never got the chance to tell you what he did to me and why I’ve never taken a mate because I was too scared of getting hurt again.”
“Tell us now,” Dante said from the doorway, his face pinched in pain.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” Garreck exclaimed as he broke away from Austin and went to him. “Are you horny and loopy again? Because I’m not sure how I can deal with that right now, and you are going to end up pulling out your stitches.”
“Stitches?” Austin gasped, eyeing over Dante as Garreck got him over to the couch to sit down. His beautiful mate had a cast on and a shoulder sling. Where were these stitches? Gabriel filled him in on Dante’s injuries after tossing Austin his bag and ordering he get dressed.
“So tell us about Peter,” Dante said after Austin was dressed and got caught up. Garreck had gone to the kitchen to get Dante a pill and a bottle of water while Austin said hi to Gabriel’s mates, whom he had met once before. He stared at his own mates, sitting there snuggled together as everything about them screamed for him to stay away from them. There was no way he was getting out of the request or putting this one off.
“It was over two hundred years ago when I first met him,” Austin said, sitting down in one of the chairs across from them. “I was fifteen, just finished puberty, and learned how to shift. My family was well-to-do in our smaller town, and you have to remember it was a different time. I remember seeing him at the market one morning and was just stunned by his beauty. And then he actually spoke to me, and I thought it was love at first sight.”
“But it wasn’t?” Garreck asked, looking hurt at Austin’s words.
“No, not even close.” Austin chuckled, rubbing his hands over his face. “It was puppy love, my first crush. I feel much more strongly about the two of you than I ever did Peter, and we barely know each other. But Peter was the man in our village. Everyone wanted him. His father was the mayor, very wealthy family and all of that. If my parents had had any daughters, our families would have pushed for a marriage to make a perfect union and all of that.
“Peter started flirting with me, and I came in my pants when he touched me. I was so embarrassed, but he said it was hot and dragged me off into the woods and took my virginity. Keep in mind, being fifteen then with someone older wasn’t a big deal. At fifteen I was basically an adult.” Austin was swept up in the memories for a few moments before he spoke again. “I thought he’d love me forever.
“We used to meet in secret, and he make would love to me,” he said, and then laughed at his own stupidity as a youth. “It wasn’t making love. He fucked me or had me suck him off. He never kissed me, never touched me like you guys do. It was drop my pants or get on my knees while he got off, and if I did, that was okay, but he never made an effort to get me there.”
“What happened?” Garreck asked gently as he got off the couch and came over to Austin. He held his breath as his mate reached out and wiped wetness off of his cheek. Austin hadn’t even realized he’d shed any tears.
“He didn’t love me. I didn’t know it then, but he knew I was a dragon or at least that I could make him immortal. That’s what he wanted. I’d had a fight with my father over Peter and went to find him so we could talk. I wanted us to run away so we could be together,” he whispered, delving into the pain he’d tried to ignore for centuries. “We’d been seeing each other or whatever you want to call it for over a year, and I thought I was desperately in love with him.
“But I realized I just wanted the pathetic attention he gave me since it was more than my own family ever did. I found him at the pub, drunk as could be, bragging to his friends about how he was playing some queer boy who was fantastic at sucking cock to get what he wanted. I stood there and listened to him and his friends go on and on about me, because not only had Peter played me, he told them exactly who he was using. So they all knew it was me.”
“What did you do?” Garreck asked, laying his hands over Austin’s fists that he didn’t even realize he was clenching. He was so lost in his memories, it was almost like nobody else was there with him.
“I ran,” he answered, staring into his mate’s eyes. “I packed a few things I knew I could sell and left. I never went back. My family was cruel to others and to each other. And I knew when they caught wind of what Peter was saying, they would have shunned me anyways. So I ran before they could find out and possibly whip me before kicking me out anyways. I snuck on a ship to America and got the fuck out of there.”
“Where were you born?”
“Italy,” he answered Dante. “I come from long line of Italian dragons. And while dragons are all named for the type of dragon they are and clans, there are Lung dragons all over the world.” Then he glanced over to Gabriel while Garreck slid into his lap. “Who Peter says are building an army.”
“Okay, wait, start from Peter showing up at your door,” Gabriel said, his eyes going wide. Austin told
them everything from the moment Peter showed up until then. While his mates looked like they were thinking of forgiving him, Gabriel had a whole other emotion on his face. Anger. “We need to contact the King about this.”
“I agree. I don’t know what my eldest brother is doing, but it can’t be good. Why have all those mates just to produce heirs? Who needs that many sons without some type of sinister goal?”
“Yeah, let me call his office now.” Gabriel nodded and left the room. His mates Neil and Ryan just sat there taking it all in.
“We’ll give you some privacy,” Neil said after a few minutes of everyone just staring at each other. “But just know this. They can stay if they want to. So don’t assume one apology will make this all better.”
“I won’t,” Austin answered, glad the very pregnant man cared enough about his mates to be concerned. Ryan gave him a sharp nod, and they left while Austin glanced at Dante while hugging Garreck. “Can you ever forgive me? I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”
“I understand how what I saw with Peter wasn’t what it seemed,” Dante answered after a few moments. “But can you understand why, after I woke up alone and maybe pregnant after what happened with Garreck, my instincts were to run? Can you get past what I did to get us here?”
“Yes and yes,” Austin whispered as he stood with Garreck and went to their mate. “Are you okay with what you did? I know it was different than when you were forced, and I’m concerned about your emotional state.”
“No, no I’m not okay with it,” Dante whimpered when he tried to pull his knees to his chest. “Can we just go home and figure it all out tomorrow? No more issues popping up, dead lovers, possible pregnancies, or running away? I just want to feel safe for once in my life, not be in charge of everything, and feel like I have a home with people who care about me.”
“I’ll call the chopper,” Austin said as he exchanged a look with Garreck. His littlest mate looked scared, and he had a sinking feeling Dante might have finally cracked under all the pressure. A person can only handle so much before it happens, and Austin was pretty sure they’d reached Dante’s limit.