Robin glanced from Tim to the curled-up wolf-fox. “I’m not sure what to think anymore.”
“Lying is such an unbecoming habit, my angel,” Peter murmured into his ear.
Robin flushed at the words but shoved his elbow into Peter’s ribs, eliciting a surprised grunt from him. Stating the obvious is such an unbecoming habit, dear.
Peter burst into laughter, startling everyone except Jay, who barely twitched. Tim looked at Robin questioningly. Robin shrugged. “He’s a really unique guy.”
“We will go upstairs now. I believe I saw a room at the far south end that would be suitable for the four of us.”
“For what? An orgy?” Robin asked without thinking.
Jay squeaked because Tim pulled him into his arms and squeezed just the tiniest bit too vehemently. Peter whirled Robin around so fast Robin’s head swum. Dazed, he stared into Peter’s dark eyes.
“I wish your mouth and your brain wouldn’t act so independently quite so often,” Peter told him.
“You put that very nicely. You could have just said he has no manners whatsoever,” Tim chimed in.
“Saying my mate has no manners could be seen as offensive.”
“I’m offended by your statement too,” Robin said.
“Well, I guess neither of us is all too pleased with your comment either. We will go upstairs and get some sleep. Will is going to oversee the work here, and someone else will be posted as a guard outside our room. We all need time to recuperate.”
“I’m not here to please anyone,” Robin snapped.
He slapped his hands down on Peter’s wrists, which were fastened on his hips, and pushed out of Peter’s grip. Stepping backward he dared Peter to take action of any kind. Their energy web rotated with dizzying speed, to the point where looking at it reawakened Robin’s nausea.
“I see,” Peter replied.
Jay jumped off Tim’s lap and shifted. He immediately wrapped his arms around his body, shivering in the cool air. Robin stalked over to the sofa, retrieved a blanket, and threw it to Jay.
“Please come over to help me guide your brother upstairs,” Peter asked.
“Jay can do that.”
“Robin?” Jay asked.
“What?”
“Thank you for getting me before I destroyed our bond. And thank you for showing me I’m not a freak.”
Robin gave a curt nod, flustered about his earlier outburst and uncertain how to maneuver himself out of this uncomfortable situation.
Jay went over to Tim, clasped the corners of the blanket in one hand, and wrapped his other arm around Tim’s waist. He and Peter hauled Tim to his feet and slowly walked up the stairs with Tim held securely between them.
Robin stared after them, his own legs uncooperative. He wanted to run after them, make sure they were safe and alive even though he already knew they were. His breathing sped up as he fought with his muscles until a sob escaped his mouth.
“Robin?” Peter called from the top of the stairs.
His fast breathing brought with it a sort of light-headedness and also the inability to answer Peter. Robin was trapped, as if invisible bonds were restraining him.
“Angel,” Peter suddenly whispered in his ear. “Come here.”
“C-can’t,” Robin stuttered.
Peter descended the stairs, then laid a finger under his chin before he gazed into Robin’s eyes, obviously searching for something. Robin gasped when Peter pressed a kiss into each of his dimples, which loosened the clamps around his body. He stumbled against Peter’s chest, relishing the strength Peter put into the embrace.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what just happened.”
“Shock,” Peter stated. “Can you walk? Or would you like me to carry you upstairs?”
Warmth rushed from Robin’s head through his toes as he pondered Peter’s question. There was no doubt as to what he wanted, but admitting it aloud seemed childish.
“I believe we’ll go with the carrying,” Peter said as he swung Robin in his arms.
“I—”
“No, you can’t walk. It was stupid of me to ask. You are trembling, and I will not have you risk hurting yourself.”
“Just… just don’t stumble on the stairs,” Robin said. He laid his head on Peter’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
“I’m inclined to be offended by your mistrust.”
Robin couldn’t help it—he burst into helpless giggles. “Don’t be.”
Peter kissed his head, then carried him upstairs. At the top of the staircase he turned left, shifted Robin’s weight slightly, and walked on, his feet barely making a sound on the thickly carpeted floor.
After opening the door to a room with a nudge of his hip, Peter set Robin on his feet but kept his hands on his hips to steady him. Robin appreciated Peter’s foresight because the room spun around him. It took him several minutes of deep breathing and coughing to get rid of the churning sensation in his stomach and the ever-persistent urge to fall sideways.
When he could breathe freely again, Peter walked him to the large four-poster bed with the frilly curtains where Tim and Jay were curled up together. At some point Jay must have dressed, Robin noted.
“This was my mother and father’s room before my mom died,” Jay said when Robin sat down on the edge of the bed. “It hasn’t been used since her death.”
Tim slung his free arm around Robin’s waist and asked, “Better?”
“Nauseous,” Robin replied.
Peter pushed Robin’s blond locks from his forehead before he said, “I’ll get us another mattress.”
Robin’s lower lip quivered as soon as Peter left the room. Even though Peter would only be gone for a few minutes, this short moment seemed unbearable.
“Breathe, kiddo, he’ll be back soon.”
“I know, it’s just….”
Jay ended his sentence, “You just feel unsafe without him. We understand, Robin.”
Robin’s chest relaxed when Peter came back, pulling a mattress behind him. Peter arranged the mattress to his liking, then fluffed up the bedding. Robin got up and walked toward the mattress, then sat down.
He expected Peter to engulf him in his arms but someone rapped at the door.
“I have to get this,” Peter said.
After opening the door, he talked briefly to someone Robin couldn’t see, then shut the door behind him.
Robin held out his arms for Peter as he walked toward him. As soon as Peter was in arm’s reach, he grabbed for Robin and crushed him to his chest, imprinting himself on Robin. They lay down with Peter spooned behind him, and then Peter covered them with a blanket.
The sensation of feeling safe and protected pulled up a rush of emotions Robin didn’t know how to cope with. He held himself rigid, but soon the trembles set in, and he sobbed. He slapped a hand over his mouth to keep the sound inside him, but it was as if the plug had been pulled.
Peter rubbed firm circles on his belly, humming low in his throat, soothing Robin, but at the same time coaxing the tears out of him. Robin turned in Peter’s embrace, nudged his face against Peter’s chest, and cried for a long time, mourning for his lost friend and for the terror he’d experienced that day, until he finally drifted into a fitful sleep.
ROBIN WOKE up several times during the night, vivid nightmares disturbing him as much as they did Jay and Tim. Only Peter seemed immune, remaining awake, murmuring soothing words whenever Robin awoke gasping and drenched in sweat.
After another nightmare he turned over on his back, his gaze darting up to the window. The first birds trilled their morning songs, welcoming the sun and a new day. Everything was so normal, so mundane, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened the night before.
Robin’s shudder alerted Peter.
Robin looked to the side and found Peter staring at him, no hint of tiredness visible. In a low whisper, so to not wake up Tim and Jay, he asked Peter, “Did you sleep at all?”
“I dozed.”
On impulse Robin ro
lled them so he lay atop of Peter. “I faintly remember being pretty stupid last night.”
“Upset, not stupid,” Peter corrected.
Robin grimaced before tucking a curl behind his left ear. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No one is angry with you.”
“I am.”
“Why? Condemning yourself doesn’t alter the past.”
“I just feel so stupid for throwing such a tantrum.”
“You were understandably upset, and you are very young. You convinced Jayden to come back to your brother. You did well.”
Peter’s praise sent a rush of warmth through Robin. Tired, he pillowed his head on Peter’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat underneath the bulk of muscles.
“Go back to sleep, my angel.”
WHEN ROBIN woke up the next time, it was to a knock at the door. Peter kissed him, then lifted Robin off his chest. Peter slipped out the door without saying a word.
Robin frowned, then gasped and sat up. Where had Peter gone? How could he leave him without saying anything?
“Hey, kiddo, did you have a nightmare?” Tim asked in a sleep-hoarse voice.
Robin replied, “No, I just….”
“You just what?”
The door opened again, and Peter walked back inside, looking grim and large and very real. Peter’s eyes widened—why, Robin had no idea—and he rushed toward Robin. Breathing became an issue when Peter hugged him tight.
“I’m here,” Peter whispered.
“Is he okay?” Jay asked.
“Yes. We have to get up. My people will bring you to a safe place.”
“What?” Robin left the coziness of Peter’s arms with difficulty. “Why?”
“They went looking for the wolves that attacked us yesterday. They only found three bodies.”
Seventeen
“THREE?” JAY echoed. “There were six.”
“But you killed them!” Robin said.
“Obviously they had greater healing powers than I assumed,” Peter replied, a crease forming between his eyebrows. As an afterthought, he continued, “Or they had help.”
“We didn’t see anyone else. Nor did we smell anyone else, and there weren’t any energy lines indicating another human being,” Robin said.
“Someday you’ll have to explain about these energy lines. I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Tim cut in, sounding peeved.
Robin exchanged a quick glance with Jay, who nodded and said, “I’ll explain it to him. At least the stuff I know.”
Tim turned to Jay, surprise showing on his face. “You know what he’s talking about?”
“Not in depth, but I probably know enough to explain the basics to you.”
“Basics, right.” Tim shook his head, crawled out from under the covers, and set his feet on the floor.
Tim took a deep breath, obviously bracing himself, before he pushed himself to a standing position. Jay knelt behind him on the edge of the bed, his hands outstretched to support Tim if needed.
Tentatively, Tim took a few steps. After walking to the door and back to the bed, Tim’s expression brightened.
“I feel much better,” he said.
“Your energy lines have regained some of their strength,” Peter observed.
Jay followed Tim out of bed, wobbling a bit at first. Frowning, Peter said, “You are still very weak.”
“Why, thank you,” Jay retorted. “Now he’ll be even more possessive than usual. See, he’s already puffing himself up.”
Robin dissolved into giggles. Part of him felt horrible for giggling after all that had happened, but seeing Tim’s startled expression and Jay’s smug one left him no other option. Peter smiled at him and helped him to his feet while Tim and Jay bickered. Their bickering was much more subdued, somewhat strained, as if they were aiming for normalcy amongst total insanity, but Robin didn’t mind.
Peter ended Robin’s giggling and Tim and Jay’s banter with a declaration. “We will leave now. Lance, the man who stood guard last night, and a few more of my people will escort you to the safe place. Will and I will lead a group to try to track down the wolves.”
“What? You’re not going with us?” Robin asked.
“We can’t leave,” Jay interjected. “We have to take care of the horses and… and prepare my father’s funeral.” He choked on his last words. Tim wrapped one arm around Jay’s shoulder and pulled him close to his body, murmuring something Robin couldn’t understand.
“It will all be taken care of,” Peter assured Jay. “We have to bring you to a safe place. We can’t guarantee your safety otherwise.”
Jay argued with Peter for a while, but when he ran out of sensible arguments, he gave in.
Robin stayed quiet during the exchange, but when they descended the stairs, he brought up all the arguments again, hoping to sway Peter into letting him stay with him. He clung to Peter’s arm, fingers digging deeper and deeper into his forearm, wishing for Peter to show any reaction at all.
Although Peter listened with a polite attentiveness, he didn’t budge. No matter what argument Robin brought up, it always ended with Peter telling him to go with Tim and Jay anyway.
“No!” Robin shouted when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
Several men, one of them Will, waited for them in the living room downstairs. All of them were strong, heavily muscled men; most of them had beards, long dark coats, hats, and boots. Their appearance was topped by their grim, but not unkind, expressions. They all eyed Robin with open interest, some of them seemingly surprised by him. Robin’s defensive barriers rose under the scrutinizing stares.
“Yes,” Peter answered for the umpteenth time, still maintaining his patience. “You will go with your brother and Jayden. Do whatever Lance tells you.” He pointed at another large man with dark hair and beard.
“No! I want to stay with you!”
“I know, my angel.” Peter patted his left cheek, then pressed a light kiss to the dimple there. “Go along anyway.”
“What is it with you? Do you have selective hearing or what? I will not go anywhere with anyone!” Robin’s voice rose.
“He has to obey without questioning my authority,” the man called Lance said.
“You can go stuff yourself!” Robin snapped.
The gathered men let out a collective gasp. Peter grasped his right upper arm and pulled him up the stairs again.
“He will go with you. Make sure you are ready in fifteen minutes,” Peter called to Lance.
“Good luck,” Lance answered, chuckling.
The chuckle infuriated Robin. He drove his elbow into Peter’s abdomen, but Peter didn’t free Robin from his grip. Robin tried the same maneuver again, blinded by the urge to lash out at anything or anyone.
“Robin,” Peter said in his soft timbre.
“No!” Robin repeated.
Peter looked at him, then yanked him into his arms. “Please calm down, Robin. I promise nothing will happen to you while I’m away.”
“But I want to be with you!” Robin burst out. He pushed his head against Peter’s chest as he clutched at Peter and tried to get his breathing under control.
“You can’t come with me. No! Hear me out.” Peter clasped a hand around Robin’s neck and squeezed before he went on. “Those wolves were trying to kill you. They almost succeeded, and I will make sure they can’t hurt you ever again. I can’t concentrate fully on my task if you’re at my side. I beg you to trust me.”
“Trust you, huh? I’m beginning to loathe that word.”
“How long do you think this will take you, Peter?” Lance hollered from downstairs.
“We’re done,” Peter called back.
After running his fingers through Robin’s locks and eliciting a shiver from him, Peter cupped Robin’s face in his hands. Robin swallowed while he blinked away the wetness in his eyes. Together they descended the stairs.
On their way, Robin asked, “Did I just make an ass out of myself?”
“You didn’t.”
“Well, you seem to have gotten yourself a handful there. Too bad he isn’t a woman,” Lance shouted back, then laughed.
Peter stiffened as they reached the bottom of the stairs, sending a glare into Lance’s direction. Robin looked from one man to the other before he asked, “What does that mean?”
“It’s a long story, which I—”
“…will tell you. Just not now,” Robin ended Peter’s sentence. “Yeah, yeah. You know, I’m actually an adult and capable of dealing with reality?”
“I told you I would—”
“I know,” Robin said before he kissed Peter, putting as much tenderness into the kiss as he could. After the kiss, he spared a soft smile for Peter, who wiped away a few tears that had leaked out, and added loud enough for anyone to hear, “You know what else? That one guy? The one you call Lance who thinks he’s a comedian? He’s an ass.”
Peter coughed, and he turned his head while several men cleared their throats. Someone mumbled, “Good thing the boy isn’t a woman, I dread to think of the children they’d give life to.”
“Children?” Robin blanched. “Peter! I feel like I’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole!”
Peter looked around, a frown creasing his forehead. “A rabbit hole inside the house?”
“What?”
“I fear I can’t follow you.”
“Neither can I.”
“You talked about rabbit holes,” Peter supplied.
“It’s a figure of speech. Haven’t you ever heard of Alice in Wonderland?”
“The name Alice doesn’t sound familiar to me.”
“It doesn’t sound…. Oh, forget it! It’s a book.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“That’s quite obvious,” Robin sighed. Since Peter seemed to be out of his depth, Robin tried to press his luck. “I’m still not going anywhere. I’m staying with you even if you’re the oddest guy I’ve ever met.”
“Did you insult or compliment me?”
“Take your pick. Great, now that this is all taken care of, why don’t you let your men escort Tim and Jay to the safe place you’re so fond of?”
Secret Energy (Shifters Book 2) Page 12