by Lynn Hagen
His tongue ran over his lips for just one taste. Knox gave him a half smile, and Trevor was panting, lost in that sexual smile. “Ready?”
“Hell yes.” Trevor lay back, spread his legs in invitation, and grabbed his cock as he stroked it for Knox. The shifter dropped down between his legs and lubed his fingers, inserting more than one. The pleasure-pain drove him close to the edge. “Just fuck me.”
Knox hesitated and then nodded, lubing his cock and then spreading Trevor’s legs further apart as he pushed his large cock inside of Trevor’s body. His shaft throbbed as Knox held still, waiting for Trevor’s okay. “Do it.”
Knox growled and pulled Trevor’s legs over his arms, pulling Trevor down and onto his lap. He clung to Knox as his mate moved sensually inside of him. It wasn’t a quick fuck, but a slow-paced love.
Trevor almost wished it was quick and hard. This tender side confused him. Too many raw nerves were being exposed, and he feared that Knox would go back to rejecting him. Trevor’s heart wouldn’t withstand that.
He was giving a side of himself that he had only given to Sammy. Knox had the power to break him down to nothing. Trevor moved with Knox, feeling his dick move in and out as Knox fucked him. He scraped his fangs over Knox’s skin, dying for another taste.
“Go ahead,” Knox breathed heavily.
Trevor sank his fangs into the skin right over Knox’s heart, drinking heavily as Knox thrust hard into him. “Fuck,” Knox cried as he came. He held Trevor tight to his chest, jetting into him.
Trevor sealed the wound and roared his release, his nails biting into Knox’s back as he came. Knox gently lowered him, kissing him around his neck and jaw, his hands combing through Trevor’s hair.
“Come on.” Knox picked him up and carried him to the bed, cuddling him to his chest as they fell asleep.
Sammy woke to a whimpering sound. He waited until his eyes adjusted and then scanned the room. His eyes locked onto Knox, who was crying and wrestling with the sheets in his sleep. Sammy crawled over Trevor and laid across Knox’s chest, holding onto his mate with silent comfort as Knox battled his demons.
Knox slowly began to settle, his arms coming up and wrapping around Sammy. He lay there listening to Knox’s heart, hearing it slow its pace. If only he could reach into Knox and dispel his demons. Sammy would do it in a heartbeat.
“Is he okay?” Trevor asked from beside Sammy.
“I don’t know. He’s settling down.” Sammy ran his hand over Knox’s chest, trying to soothe his mate even in his sleep. Trevor’s hand touched his, and Sammy closed his eyes at the contact. Connolly never wanted to cuddle or just hold him, and now he had two men willing to do it. Sometimes it became overwhelming.
He was waiting for one or both to say “Gotcha” and walk away. Sammy held Knox tighter, praying that day never came.
Trevor grinned when Sammy’s stomach growled and snarled. “Sounds like someone didn’t finish his chili.”
“Not with Knox running out of the kitchen like his ass was on fire.” Sammy slid off of Knox and pulled his jeans on. “I’m going to see if there’s any left.”
Trevor tossed the cover back. “I’ll go with you.” Once Trevor had his clothes on, they traveled the halls until they found the kitchen. Sammy dug through the fridge, disappointed that all the chili was gone, but he did find some meatloaf. He popped the container and took a whiff. It smelled all right.
He tossed the plastic bowl into the microwave and took a seat at the table. “So what do you think Knox dreams about?”
Trevor slumped in his chair, which Sammy didn’t think looked right for Trevor. The man was too regal, but not. Sammy was still trying to figure Trevor out. “I think he dreams about things best left in the dark. Don’t pry. It’ll only make him push away from us.”
“I just can’t help feeling like I need to help him, like I should be doing something.” The microwave beeped, and Sammy got up to get his food. He opened and closed drawers until he found a fork. Once he was seated back at the table, he picked the conversation back up. “Is there anything we can do?” he asked as he took a bite of the meatloaf.
“Just be there for him.” Trevor nudged Sammy’s bowl back and forth as he ate, staring at the meat.
“Can you eat food?” It was a valid question, and it made him realize how little he knew about Trevor.
“If I had to, for pretense purposes, although I would become really sick later as my body regurgitated it.”
“Ew, thanks for the image.” But it wasn’t enough to make Sammy stop eating. He was starving. He sat there and chewed as he thought about what Trevor said. “Are you sure we can’t help him?”
Trevor sighed and entwined his fingers, laying them on his stomach. “He’s the one that has to face his past.”
Sammy didn’t like it one bit, just like he couldn’t stand the idea of Trevor’s own people trying to kill him. He picked his glass of milk up and took a long swallow, his throat feeling dry and constricted. A lump was forming at the thought of either of them hurting or being hurt.
“Is the meatloaf that good?” Trevor teased, apparently sensing Sammy’s saddened mood.
He grinned and finished eating. The fact that Trevor had the ability to bring him out of his sour mood made him feel closer to him. “It was fantastic.” He got up and crossed the kitchen, setting his bowl in the sink and rinsing it out. Sammy placed the rinsed dishes in the dishwasher and walked back over to Trevor, bending at the waist and kissing him.
“Mmm, you taste delicious, just a hint of basil.”
Sammy chuckled and stood, heading for the door. “Come on, I want to check on Knox.” Trevor followed him out as they made their way back to their room.
Sammy saw one of the soldiers watching him from down the hall and wanted to shout for him to go away. Just because Trevor was a vampire, it didn’t make him a freak.
They both tossed their clothes to the floor and climbed back into bed, Sammy once again draping his body over Knox’s. He propped his chin on his hand, tracing the tattoo on Knox’s neck with his finger. “What do you think this is? I’ve seen it on the men Knox introduced as pack.”
“It’s a sign of slavery,” Knox answered although his eyes were still closed.
Sammy didn’t say anything, waiting for Knox to finish, and he did. “When pack saw it, they knew that we belonged to Jackson. It was a way the Alpha instilled fear into the pack that lived around here.”
Sammy laid his cheek on Knox’s chest, feeling the threat of tears in his eyes. “What were you two up to?” Knox asked as he rubbed his hand over Sammy’s back.
“I was hungry.” Sammy moved around like a cat trying to get comfortable before settling down and then felt himself dozing off with a full belly and a steady heartbeat under his ear.
Knox watched the construction crew hard at work. Zeus had asked a few of the soldiers to check on the construction site, just to make sure everything was running smoothly.
He’d left Sammy and Trevor in his bedroom, making sure the curtains were closed tight. Knox had stood there for a moment and watched the two sleep. The instinct to wrap the room in titanium steel to keep any and all out made it hard for him to leave this morning.
Knox noticed Greyson watching him, one of his fellow soldiers. The guy’s eyes were hateful, and a slight pull at his lip told Knox he wasn’t too happy with him. None of the soldiers trusted Greyson. The wolf always seemed to trail behind Jackson instead of resisting his commands.
Quinn caught Knox’s attention, waving and smiling as he jogged over to him. “So, what do you think?” He waved his hands dramatically at the structure.
“It’s a concrete slab with a frame built around it,” he teased, knowing Quinn was looking for approval.
“Duh, I know that. Are you guys housing an army? It’s huge.”
Knox laughed. “Something like that.”
“Oh crap.” Quinn took off just as Dino came around the corner, eyeing Quinn and watching him run back over to his wo
rk area. Dino waved at Knox and walked over to Quinn. He hoped the hyper man wasn’t going to get into trouble.
Knox wanted to go back to Sammy and Trevor, but he had to meet with Hunter to make sure things were going well at the hardware store and then meet Sully at Theo’s to go over their plans on how to rid their town of unwanted undead. It tightened Knox’s chest to think of Trevor that way. He’d come to mean more to him than just being a vampire.
Knox shook the thought from his head as he rode into town. Parking his truck in front of Hunter’s Hardware, Knox got out and slammed his truck door a little harder then he meant to. This whole vampire situation was getting to him.
The bell above the door tinkled as he walked into the cool store. Hunter was behind the counter going over receipts. “Hey, Hunter.”
The shifter looked up at Knox and smiled. “How’s it going, Knox?”
“Zeus sent me. He wanted to make sure all was going well with construction and all.” Knox looked around to the semi-depleted stock and figured it must be going pretty well.
“As you can see I need to order more. Tell the Alpha everything is fine.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything.” Knox walked to the door, anxious to get his errands done and back to his men.
“Will do. Thanks for stopping in.”
Knox waved as he let himself out, deciding to walk around to Theo’s since it was such a bright and sunny day. A day Trevor would never enjoy.
The thought stopped Knox in his tracks. How horrible it must be to never know the sun. A new respect filled him for his eternal-darkness mate. Shit must suck.
He chuckled to himself as he kept walking, no pun intended. Knox began to wonder why he had let Trevor drink from him. The thought should have repulsed him, yet it didn’t. It had actually turned him on. And then when Trevor did it, holy fuck, he had shot his load quicker than shit.
Admitting it only to himself, Knox wanted another try at that. He opened the door to loud chatter, televisions blaring sports, and low music in the background. He spotted Sully sitting at the bar and slid onto the stool next to him. Theo came over and took his order.
Grey wolves weren’t like the Timber wolves over in Brac Village. Grey wolves could get drunk off their asses. That wasn’t Knox’s goal, but he did order bourbon.
“So what’s the plan?” Sully asked as he finished off his drink and held his glass up.
“A little early to get shitfaced, don’t you think?”
“I’m cool.”
Knox accepted the drink from Theo and thanked him. He took a sip and turned to Sully. “Whatever the plan, Trevor stays out of it.”
Sully snorted and looked at Knox like he was crazy. “I don’t give a rat’s ass if Trevor is a vampire. He’s your mate. That’s all that matters to me.” He took a sip of his drink.
“Thanks.” No soldier openly opposed Trevor being there, but Knox was on the defensive, waiting for one of them to say something smart so he could slam them on their head.
Sully waved away his appreciation. “You found your mate, or should I say mates.” He chuckled. “That’s all that counts.”
Knox leaned his elbows on the bar and slowly turned the tumbler around, thinking just how right Sully was. Instead of bitching and moaning about what Trevor was, he should be grateful. Some shifters went their whole lives without finding theirs, and to find two? He was damn lucky.
Now if he could only stop the demons that haunted him even in his sleep.
“Hey, fellas.” Toby and Jasper wandered over and took a seat.
Knox rolled his eyes. All he needed right now were the Alpha’s mates here bugging him. “I see Zeus opened the cage door.”
“Yeah, that’s how you got out.” Jasper flipped him off and ordered two Coronas. He slid one to Toby and kissed his mate. “Do you guys want to shoot pool or are you just running up your tab?” Jasper looked over at them.
“I’ll play you, smart mouth.” Sully laughed. “It’s the only time I will be able to kick your ass without Zeus trying to relocate my organs.”
“Don’t encourage him, Sully,” Knox warned.
“Encourage him to do what?” Craig asked.
Great, now Avanti’s mates wanted to torture him as well. “To think.”
Craig chuckled as he ordered him and Jesse a Michelob. Knox wondered where the hell their mates were and why they were bugging him at Theo’s.
“Gonna kick Jasper’s ass at pool. Wanna watch him cry like a girl?” Sully teased as he grabbed his drink and headed over to the pool table.
“I’ll cry like a girl when you tell everyone you’re leaving,” Jasper shot back. “Now act like an adult and play nice or I’m going to stick you in that corner over there for time out. I’ve done it before to grown men, and I’ll do it again.”
“If I lose, I’ll stand in the corner for twenty minutes, queeny,” Sully challenged.
“The last person to call me queeny got…well, nothing, but don’t call me that, damn it.”
“Yeah, don’t call him that or I’ll…make you a bad sandwich the next time you come into Harold’s,” Toby threatened.
“Don’t hurt yourself, babe.” Jasper kissed Toby and set the table up.
“This oughta be good.” Jesse laughed.
Knox leaned against the wall. This should be good. Jasper ran around the house with Toby in tow acting queeny—to use Sully’s word—so this should knock him down a peg. Not that he had anything against the way Jasper acted. It would just be fun to see him get his ass kicked. Sully would own bragging rights.
“Nine ball, baby, and I’m not talking about what swings between your legs.” Jasper pulled his arm back and broke, the crackling of the balls sounding loud in the tavern.
Jasper and Sully played hard, each tearing the table up when it was their turn. Sully knocked his forehead into the wall when Jasper sunk the nine ball. “Fuck.”
“You might as well stay where you are for nineteen more minutes, bud.”
Jesse, Craig, and Toby laughed hysterically as Sully flipped Jasper off and turned to the corner.
“Thought I was a pussy, didn’t you?” Jasper snickered at Sully. “Not even close, never saw one, never will.”
Jasper, Toby, Craig, and Jesse all gave each other a high five and then took a seat at a booth, taunting Sully the whole time he stood there.
“You’re just mean.” Knox laughed as he ordered another drink. “You really gonna let him suffer like that?”
“He would if roles were reversed.” Jasper shrugged and drank his beer. “Fuck, I remember the house I used to live in was a dry zone from a mate being an alcoholic. Feels good to have a drink again. Not that I minded giving it up for him.”
“You miss them?” Toby asked.
“Sometimes, but I have you, baby, and my big, bad Alpha. I wouldn’t trade either of you for the world,” Jasper said.
Knox thought of his mates and wanted to get home. He missed them now that he saw the other mates laughing and talking, kissing and cuddling.
He bid his farewell and slapped Sully on his shoulder. “Guess you know now, don’t you.”
“Fuck off,” Sully grumbled as he shoved his hands in his front pockets.
Knox left Theo’s feeling a whole lot better. He was looking forward to crawling back into bed with his mates, if they were still sleeping. If not, he’d join in the fun. With a lighter feeling in his heart, Knox made his way back around to his truck.
Not even the thought of Jackson could rob him of the new feeling swirling around inside of him when he thought of those two men in his bed. He wasn’t sure what love felt like, having been so long since he even experienced it as a child, but Knox hoped what he was feeling right now was close to it.
He smiled to himself, and he even felt like humming. How corny was that? Knox held the grin all the way around the corner until he got to his truck.
His truck that had four slashed tires.
Chapter Seven
Sammy giggled as Tre
vor pulled him close, kissing him down his neck. The sound was music to his ears. He wiggled his fingers over Sammy’s midsection, wanting to hear that sound again.
Sammy rolled over with peals of laughter as Trevor tickled his sides. He chuckled when his mate began to snort. “Uncle,” Sammy cried.
Trevor relented and began to run his fingers over Sammy’s hardened shaft instead. His mate moaned, grinding his cock into Trevor’s hand.
“Hmm, someone sounds like they want something from me,” Trevor teased.
“Don’t play coy, fuck me.”
Trevor was shocked to hear such wanton words from Sammy, but they turned him on. He slid his hand under the pillow and grabbed the lube. Trevor turned his little mate over and squeezed slick down the crack of his ass. Damn if that little pink hole wasn’t smiling at him. Trevor caressed his fingers over Sammy’s puckered muscle, stretching him so he could fill him.
He lined his cock up and pressed in, shivering at the tight grip. Trevor reached his hand up and ran his fingers through Sammy’s hair, gripping it tightly as he inched in even further. Sweat dripped down the side of Trevor’s face as he pulled back and then plunged in.
Sammy pulled his legs further under him, his hands fisting the sheets as Trevor fucked his sweet hole. His gums itched to sink them into soft flesh. He knew Sammy would let him, so Trevor bent over his mate’s body, sinking them deep as he drank and fucked.
“Oh god,” Sammy cried out, pushing his ass into Trevor’s pelvis. “Fuck me, now.”
Trevor made an animalistic sound as he thrust deeper and harder into Sammy’s ass, chasing that high that only an orgasm could give. He reached under Sammy, palming his cock and jerking it with his strokes.
When he released Sammy’s shoulder, his mate cried out, seed hitting the sheets and his hand. The tight muscle clamped down on Trevor’s cock, sending him spiraling over the edge and achieving that adrenaline high.
“Hell,” Sammy panted under him as Trevor kissed him down his spine.