Learning to Love [Half-Demon Mates 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Sydney Lain

  Rather than letting morbid thoughts about drowning ruin the first bath he had in years, Shea sat back and relaxed. After a minute, he reached for the sponge and started to scrub off the dirt and sweat. The water darkened and he opened the drain and continued to let the water run. It filled the tub faster than it drained out. He washed his hair and stuck his head under the running water to rinse out the shampoo. He closed the drain and let the water run for a few more minutes before shutting it off.

  He wanted to complain about being in here alone. If Viktor and Gunner joined him, he could die a happy man. He groaned when his cock stirred to life. He squeezed his legs together and pushed those thoughts away. It helped a little bit. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling trying to think of something cock-softening. Dr. Fox’s face forced its way in. Despite the warmth, Shea shuddered. That did it.

  His two heroes never asked for payment. They were content just saving him. Viktor might be arrogant, but there was warmth that Shea wanted to snuggle into. Gunner balanced them out. While Viktor tried to charge through the situation, Shea stood at the opposite end trying to stop his movement. Gunner watched from the side and brought them to the middle. He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. His hand snaked through the water like it had a mind of its own. His fingers wrapped around his swelling cock. He closed his eyes and imagined his two mates touching him. In his dream, he rode Viktor while sucking Gunner’s cock. Then Gunner took him from behind, hard and fast while he kissed Viktor. He moved his hand faster as his mind gave life to his fantasies.

  * * * *

  Viktor missed Shea’s warmth. Only five minutes had passed, but it felt like hours. If they hadn’t met, Shea might be dead right now. Of course the shifter didn’t see it that way. He was too busy charging at problems like an out of control train. He thought about that. The bathroom might not be safe for a man with reckless tendencies. Viktor started to mentally list all the dangers. Slipping on wet tile. Drowning in the bathtub. Then there was the window and skylight. An intruder could slip in and abduct Shea. It already happened once. He placed a hand on the doorknob and started to turn the handle when Gunner grabbed his shoulder.

  “Give him some time. He doesn’t want to be hovered over,” Gunner said.

  “What do you know about needing time?” Viktor asked. The harsh tone often sent men into a run, but Gunner never moved. “Do you know what someone needs?”

  It was a low blow. Hunters were like half-demons, cold and unfeeling, but while Viktor had killed many people in the last three hundred years, Gunner didn’t kill quickly. He helped capture and stood by while men tortured nonhumans.

  Gunner dropped his arm as if Viktor’s skin burned like lava.

  “Maybe I don’t understand,” the hunter confessed. “I follow orders.”

  Sadness and loathing mixed in with the words. Viktor reached out and touched Gunner in an attempt to comfort him. This was all new and he didn’t know if it was helping or hurting.

  “If you only followed orders, why save Shea? If I wasn’t there, you were going to die for him.”

  “I won’t let Shea get hurt. Hunters caught him before. That time I let him go.” Gunner moved away. “That’s when I started to question my life. We’re taught that evil roams the earth. Our only purpose is to destroy that evil.”

  Viktor had seen brainwashing before. Not as extreme as hunters, but those lost were easy to influence.

  “That changed. You don’t see nonhumans as evil.”

  Gunner thought about that.

  Viktor stepped closer, letting his warmth comfort the hunter.

  “They didn’t just kill nonhumans,” Gunner said. “Experiments destroyed their bodies. It didn’t matter what they were. Shifter, vampire, elf, fairy. We classified them as nonhuman. They didn’t deserve the horrible things done to them. Dr. Fox threatened Shea with something he’d probably done numerous times before. I’ve seen far worse. When I saw Shea curled in the corner of that cage, I knew what needed to be done. His life meant more than mine.”

  “What did you feel when you saw Shea for the first time?”

  Gunner snorted. “I wasn’t created to feel. Sometimes it’s hard to put it into words. ”

  Viktor knew what that meant. As a half-demon, he didn’t crave things. There was no passion in his life. The similarities were eerie, but Gunner felt more than him. He’d been taught to deny those feelings. Viktor thought back to the moment he first saw the wolf shifter. The anger in those dark blue eyes fed a part of him starving for more. With Gunner, he felt the thrill of an upcoming battle. But he didn’t want to hurt the hunter, just pin him to the wall.

  “He feels things so strongly,” Gunner said after a minute of silence. He pointed to the bathroom door to indicate that he was talking about the wolf shifter, but Viktor already knew that. Shea’s anger and stubbornness would make most men angry, but they envied that raw passion.

  Viktor stepped closer to Gunner. They were almost the same height. Maybe he was a fraction of an inch taller. Gunner licked his lips as Viktor ran a hand down the hunter’s hard chest. He stopped at the nub and traced a line around it before pushing the cotton material against it.

  “I can make you feel. Let me show you with my touch.”

  Lust burned within those dark eyes and Viktor knew he had him. No one resisted his charm. Shea called it arrogance, but Viktor called it the truth. Gunner arched forward and their lips met. He opened for Viktor and the half-demon moved right in.

  Gunner wasn’t a submissive guy. They fought for dominance and the battle was evenly matched. Their teeth clashed and tongues fought. Viktor pushed off Gunner’s jacket and instead of fighting, the hunter helped remove it. The sound of it landing on the floor turned the battle in his favor. He pushed Gunner against the wall.

  Viktor’s hands traveled down. He unbuttoned the hunter’s black cargo pants and pushed them off Gunner’s hips, while the hunter worked Viktor’s pants down. He pulled free from the kiss and turned Gunner. He pressed the hunter’s chest against the wall and then pressed their bodies close. His naked cock rested between Gunner’s ass cheeks. He reached for the dresser and opened the top drawer. With one hand he pulled out the lube and then popped open the top. He squeezed it over his cock and then threw it back on the dresser. He spread the slick substance over his hard shaft before sliding it between the crease of Gunner’s ass. The hunter hissed when Viktor started to move.

  He reached around and stroked Gunner’s hard length. He played with the head before sliding his slick hand down to the base. He leaned into the hunter and tugged on his ear with his teeth. Gunner threw his head back as Viktor moved down the hunter’s neck.

  “This feels so good,” Viktor said as he continued to slide between the slit in the hunter’s ass. It wasn’t enough, so he reached down and pushed his cock between the hunter’s thighs.

  Gunner hissed when Viktor’s hand moved faster. He brought the other hunter to the brink of insanity.

  “Next time, I’ll be inside of you. Sinking into your heat until my balls slap against your ass. Then I’ll rock back and forth, making you mine.”

  Gunner didn’t argue. Viktor picked up speed, sliding up and down, slamming his pelvis against the hunter’s hips. One hand tugged and played with Gunner’s cock, while his other hand slid up the dark shirt and tugged at the hard nubs. He relished the feel of this man’s body against his. Sex always came easy to him. Anyone that attracted him, Viktor had against the wall, across a table, or on the floor. It never took more than a half hour, but this was so much more. It was like he was coming home after a long journey. Gunner relished every touch. He was lost in the sensation and Viktor only wanted to give him more. He wanted to drive this man crazy.

  He licked down Gunner’s neck before nipping and kissing it. His hand moved faster as his hips picked up speed. Gunner cried out in pleasure as he rocked against him. Nothing had ever come close to this. The warmth was addicting.

  He wanted to stay like this for days, but neither
of them would last much longer. Already he felt the heat bubble up. His cock now painful and ready for release, Viktor started to slam against the hunter. His hand never stopped. Gunner’s seed spilled onto his hand and against the wall. Knowing that he’d given the other man pleasure was the tipping point. His cock stiffened and he exploded, covering Gunner’s thighs with his seed. The hunter threw back his head and shuddered. Viktor leaned against Gunner as their breathing evened out. After he pulled free, Viktor turned Gunner around.

  “Next time, I’ll look into your eyes when you come.” It was a promise that he’d keep.

  “Next time?” Gunner asked.

  “Mates have sex all the time.” Already the darkness in his heart lightened. He’d keep this man close and together they’d learn to open up and let the world in. With Gunner’s dark eyes focused on him, he licked the hunter’s cum off his hand. “Delicious.”

  Gunner’s cheeks became a shade darker, but nothing changed in his expression.

  “That was good,” Gunner admitted.

  The cool air left a chill on his heated flesh. He reached down and pulled up his pants. Gunner still didn’t move, so Viktor leaned back down and worked his dark cargo pants up. They needed to clean the dry cum, but right now Viktor left it staining Gunner’s body. It was proof that the other man belonged to him. He tucked Gunner’s soft cock inside before zipping him up.

  “What about Shea?” Gunner asked.

  Viktor smiled. “Next time he’ll be in bed demanding to be fucked. He won’t be satisfied with touching. He’ll want us deep inside.”

  “How do you know?” Gunner asked.

  “Because he’s fighting too hard against it.”

  Then Gunner laughed. It was a beautiful sound that probably hadn’t been heard that often.

  “We should go check on him. And clean up, too,” he said staring at Viktor’s hand.

  When he opened the bathroom door, the room had chilled. They walked deeper inside. He narrowed his eyes at Shea’s sleeping form.

  Gunner hissed. “That’s dangerous.”

  Viktor’s eyes turned murderous. “Most men know better than to sleep in a tub full of water. Grab the towels. We need to dry him and get him into a warm bed. The water has already cooled.”

  Working together, they took care of their wolf shifter. He stepped closer to Gunner and the hunter leaned into him. They watched Shea sleep under a pile of blankets. Both of them smiled. After three hundred years, the cold wrapped around his heart had started to thaw.

  Chapter Six

  Heat enveloped and pulled him into a cocoon of warmth. When he usually woke, he shivered under the blankets. Then he would climb out of bed shaking as he dressed. Even the wolf couldn’t keep him warm. Not like this.

  Shea opened both eyes. The sun hurt and he squinted. A dream, he thought. The room was so bright that it hurt his eyes, but he forced them to stay open. The pure white ceiling reminded him of fallen snow. Thick molding, with an intricate design of leaves and a lace pattern cut below the foliage, stretched along the wall and butted against the ceiling. His father once showed him how to carve wood. He’d cut with a saw, sanded off the rough edges and then stained it, but his amateur work didn’t belong in this room.

  As a child, he’d dreamed of making furniture and carving wood. He wasn’t a builder but a creator. On weekends, he’d helped his father build houses or fix-up old furniture.

  “I want to spend my life carving wood,” he had told his dad.

  The man had laughed. “Shea, you can do anything you want.”

  Sadness crept into his heart. What happened to that dream? It disappeared long ago. No, that wasn’t true. Anger stole it.

  His mother had gotten sick. Everything stopped. Days turned into weeks and then years. The disease destroyed her body as they stood by her bed and watched her die. The sound of the ventilator providing oxygen still haunted him. It had haunted all of them.

  After the funeral, Henry started to disappear, or maybe it was before that. No one noticed until the police began driving him home. Then the court summons and trials kept Shea’s dad too busy to notice him. As a juvenile, Henry received a lot of chances. Then cops stopped arresting his brother. Not because he’d reformed but learned to stay under the law enforcement radar.

  As their family fell apart, his father tightened his hold on him. Shea couldn’t breathe under his dad’s scrutiny. Instead of enjoying their time fixing up houses, it became a punishment. Job after job killed his love for carving wood. He started to hate it. It took him years to realize it wasn’t the wood he hated, but the way his father treated him. Shea was a project to keep from self-destructing like Henry had done. The man had lost so much and clung to the few things he still had. Then, those few things dwindled and soon it was just Shea.

  They’d been so lost. Now, he understood. Why couldn’t he have seen it then? Shea closed his eyes, picturing them working in the one car garage with the door open and the electric saws buzzing. The smell of fresh cut wood stuck to their hair and clothes.

  How many times had he told his father that he hated him? Too many, but he didn’t have a number. It was probably more than he had told him that he loved him. When his dad died before Shea had apologized, the anger exploded. This time it was directed at himself. Did the wolf feed off that anger? That part of him was always angry.

  Shea turned onto his side. He tried to pull his knees to his chest, but they bumped against a warm body. Shea froze. He reached out with a tentative hand. Warmth brushed under Shea’s fingertips. He shot up. The covers fell down his naked body, pooling at his waist and exposing part of his groin.

  Gunner wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re here with us.”

  Shea blinked. That was what freaked him out. They weren’t really with him, but he kept that to himself. Words had a way of hurting. He wouldn’t fight Gunner with cruel words.

  The warmth of Gunner’s embrace made him shiver. Shea reached out his hand and touched Viktor’s leg. His heart pounded like thunder.

  “Us?” he asked. “Not sure if there is an ‘us.’ What happened last night?”

  Shea flipped through the memories like he was paging through a book. There was a cage and an evil man that threatened to do horrible things. Viktor and Gunner saved him. Then the half-demon carried him here, slapping his ass at his fought against him. He glared at the white-blond haired man that watched him while lounging on the bed.

  “I took a bath. The warm water caressed my skin and I…” The rest he’d keep a secret. They didn’t need to know about his wandering hand rubbing against his hard cock, while he imagined being held down and then thoroughly claimed. The wolf pushed at his cage. It wanted so much more. His cock stirred back to life.

  Gunner rubbed his back in an attempt to provide comfort, but it was having a different effect. His cock rose higher and the skin under the hunter’s hand tingled.

  Viktor sat up. He laid a hand on his covered thigh. “You tried to kill yourself in the bathtub.”

  “Kill myself? I’ve never been suicidal,” Shea said. Even after he turned into an animal, he clung to life. He thought about ways to end it but he wasn’t serious.

  “The water was up to your neck,” Gunner said.

  “If you’d slipped down, you would’ve drowned,” Viktor added. The hand squeezed his thigh.

  He shrugged, trying to hide his alarm. Sleeping in the bathtub was stupid. He liked to think that he would’ve woken up if water started to suffocate him, but he couldn’t be sure. Two pairs of eyes glared at him. Shrugging off his near-death pissed them off.

  Viktor leaned closer. “Try something like that again and I’ll put you over my knee.”

  Last night that threat would’ve sent Shea charging at the other man, but right now, he wanted those hands on his ass. Not to spank his backside. He wanted them to spread him apart and fuck his ass hard. Either way, he wouldn’t sit for a while.

  Gunner wrapped an arm around his waist and
pulled Shea against his body. “Are you okay? Last night was scary.”

  The cage had terrified him. “I don’t like to be trapped.” He remembered Gunner standing in the room with the cruel doctor and the other hunters. “Once I saw you, I knew everything was going to be okay.”

  “I didn’t save you. Viktor saved us.”

  Shea closed his eyes. He’d known that. Just like he knew that Gunner would’ve died to keep him safe. He wanted to show his thanks by riding them. His heart beat faster as his body prepared for sex. This was too much. Being in bed with these two men woke the wolf inside. It wanted to claim and be claimed.

  Viktor continued to watch him. That scrutiny made him want to curl into a hole.

  “Oh, yeah. Thanks.” It was half-hearted and sounded like Viktor had matched his socks or poured Shea a glass of water and not saved him from being raped and tortured.

  “I can almost feel the gratitude.” Viktor pushed back his white-blond hair. “Almost. Maybe if you come up here and give me a kiss, or lean down and suck my cock, I’ll feel the appreciation.”

  Shea narrowed his eyes. “I almost meant it, too. Almost.” He emphasized the last word, trying to mimic Viktor’s casual tone, but sounded snotty. Gunner sighed and patted Shea’s shoulder.

  Viktor sat up. He grabbed Shea’s hips and pulled him onto the half-demon’s lap. He groaned when a hard cock pressed into his back. Something inside opened and all the need and desire flooded out. A fire burned in his belly as his cock twitched and hardened. He pressed his hands onto the blanket to keep from tenting. He tried to hold his cock down, but his hard on was becoming more noticeable.

  His skin burned as his cock whimpered. If they didn’t touch him soon, he’d explode. His wolf snarled against the cage, demanding to be let out. It wanted to be claimed in the most primitive, dirty way possible. Shea tried to control the animal’s urges, but the wolf wouldn’t be silenced.