by Sydney Lain
They were lying. He wasn’t a hunter, but a part of him felt the truth. He was too different and no matter how much he tried to hide it, Jessie knew it. But a hunter? No, that couldn’t be true.
“Turn around, Jessie,” the doctor ordered.
Parts of the cabin collapsed and he whimpered.
“You can try to hide, but something’s changed. I can feel you and find you.”
Ever since he mated with Michael and Damon, he felt the change too. The power feed by Damon and Michael burned so bright in him. He had to slam doors to keep the other men from seeing it, but if he let those doors open, he’d be exposed to the world.
“Leave me alone.” It was pointless to order something that this man would never do, but he needed some control.
“I’ll make a deal with you.”
Jessie shivered, not sure he wanted to know the conditions of the deal.
“I’ll let the other two live. Nonhumans deserve to die, but I’ll let them go.”
Michael and Damon wouldn’t be hunted. They’d still be free. What did his mates say? When hunters targeted a nonhuman they never stopped. He’d lived a life of running. He wanted more for them. “What do I have to do?”
“Come to me. We only want you.” The man’s smile turned evil. His eyes raked down Jessie’s body like he was a prize to win.
He bowed his head. Michael and Damon didn’t need the danger he bought. A hunter was something they both despised. He shivered. If he left, they’d never know what he might be, but that meant leaving and being alone. It didn’t matter what these men did to him as long as it didn’t touch Michael and Damon. If they didn’t know about his alleged hunter background then they’d never hate him. The house wouldn’t burn. They’d forget him and go on together.
Nothing else mattered but his mates’ safety. Jessie breathed out. The bond needed to be blocked forever. They’d come for him if he left. Maybe not to love him, but to kill him. His betrayal was unforgivable and the anger would be intense. He stared at the evil doctor. Nothing mattered but their safety.
“How do I know I can trust you?” Jessie asked.
“You don’t.” The doctor took pleasure having power over him. “But I could care less if nonhumans live. Your existence is a marvel of science, one of our greatest creations. I don’t care if I let those things go. Besides, as long as they live you’ll be mine.”
He closed his eyes. “Tomorrow, we’re coming down the mountain to go to clothing stores and a bakery.” He remembered the birthday the other men planned for him. “Hide close by and I’ll slip away and come to you. Don’t come to me.”
“You don’t make the rules.”
He nodded, expecting that type of answer. “True. But I want us to work together.” He almost cringed at the lie. “That needs to be built on mutual trust. You know where I live, so it’s not a big deal to wait for me.”
The man’s face lit up. There was no going back. “We’ll wait for you.”
He whimpered and nodded. He just betrayed everything that he loved. Hands gently pressed into him. He looked away and the dream faded. He opened his eyes and gasped.
Damon and Michael’s concerned eyes bore into him. The blocks were in place and he smiled. He was in charge and needed to make sure these two didn’t suspect anything. He wrapped an arm around each of them and leaned closer.
“Hold me,” he said. The desperation in his voice left him cringing, but he needed to distract the other two so he didn’t have to spend the rest of their time together lying.
Both of them looked torn between finding out the truth and helping him find release. Just one more push.
“I want to feel you inside of me. I need to make sure this is real. Please let me feel your heat.” That did it. Both men started to pull the sheet down. No one bothered to dress for bed and they’d only been at it a few hours ago. He was still stretched when Damon’s lubricated cock slid into him.
Chapter Ten
Jessie closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. His hands fidgeted in his lap. He needed to do this for them. The darkness would arrive and smother him, but it didn’t need to touch Michael and Damon. They’d try to help. Then the truth would come out. Over and over again, he pictured their backs turned away from him. He steeled his resolve and made sure the shield that kept the other two from his darkest fears couldn’t be penetrated. It was better this way. The hunters were close. If he knew that, then they knew he was nearby.
“Are you all right?” Michael asked.
Jessie blinked. From the backseat, he looked into the rearview mirror. Damon’s ice-blue eyes pierced his soul, demanding the truth. Jessie swallowed and looked at Michael’s gaze. It burned with fire, stripping him down to his core.
He wouldn’t give in. “I’m fine.” Jessie forced a smile. “Let’s get to it. I’m anxious for new pants.” Even the words sounded fake, but he tried to keep his expression neutral.
“I’m surprised you agreed. What happened to not taking money?” Damon asked, arching an eyebrow up.
Jessie hadn’t relaxed his ethics. The clothes he wore showed the distance between them and the little he had to offer. Other than trouble, what could he bring to the relationship? Michael and Damon were successful, rich and powerful. No, those thoughts would lead the other two men to the truth. If this was going to work, they couldn’t doubt him. The lie needed to be believable. “I want comfortable clothes. We’re together. A couple of pants won’t cost that much.” He shrugged, hiding the cringe at the obvious overacting. If he ever considered a career on stage, the last few minutes cured him of that. He trudged along, forcing a fake gasp. “Unless you mind. I’m not overstepping.” Did he just gasp?
“Of course not.” Damon was the first to interject.
“You’re never a burden,” Michael chimed in as he studied Jessie.
He looked at his mates. The word burden rang in his ears. That’s the way he felt. Why did he feel like a burden? No, he reprimanded. Now wasn’t the time to reflect. He needed to convince these two men. Doubt fluttered into his heart. It was for them. He needed to believe that to be able to walk away. He tightened a fist in front of his chest. Why did his heart ache? Jessie wanted their touches. He wanted to wake up curled in their arms. His eyes widened. He loved them, Damon’s cold exterior that covered a warm heart and Michael’s intensity that threatened to overwhelm him.
They pulled into the small shopping plaza. The long strip was filled with different types of stores, a few clothing shops, a shoe store, a vitamin shop, a candy store, and a bakery. All the stores faced the parking lot and Damon managed to get a good parking spot in front, but it wasn’t that difficult with the lack of people shopping. He looked from car to car. No black SUV or darkly dressed men. Still, he needed to get away. They were close by, watching and waiting. If he slipped away, they’d come to him.
“Second thoughts?” Michael asked.
He looked into warm brown eyes and then blinked. Did Michael know?
“About letting us buy you some clothes?”
Of course he didn’t know. Jessie gave a nervous smile. No backing down. Don’t show doubt. “I was picturing a large indoor mall, not a small shopping center.”
“The closest indoor shopping mall is a six-hour drive. We can head home for today and leave early tomorrow.” Damon rubbed a hand through his hair. “I want you to like the clothes, and if that means more stores to shop from, then that’s fine.”
Another wave of guilt washed over him. His resolve slipped away. They were always looking after him, taking care of his needs. But that was the problem. He was too needy, a burden to the two men that he loved. He needed to leave today before he destroyed them.
“No, it’s fine. This place is small, but the stores look like they carry a wide variety of styles. I imagined a larger place. This isn’t bad,” he rushed to reassure. “It’s different.”
“Do you hate it?” Michael asked, rubbing Jessie’s back. “You can tell us if you do.”
; He shook his head. “No, I love it here. It’s just the three of us.” The words held no doubt or uncertainty. This place felt like home. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They were coming. He couldn’t stay. He couldn’t hide. He wouldn’t trouble Damon and Michael.
“Let’s go in and find some clothes,” Jessie hummed as he walked into the largest store in the mall.
The men’s clothes hung against the wall. The racks had different styles of pants. He headed toward the jeans. As he looked at the pants, his eyes wandered to the perimeter. Once he’d worked in a store like this. Somewhere in the back should be a door leading outside. If he was wrong, then Michael and Damon would figure it out. He might be able to fool the two for now, but it wouldn’t last long. They watched him, not just for lies but to make sure he was okay. That part warmed his heart, but he needed to turn off those feelings and remember that if he didn’t slip away his mates would demand answers and he’d have to tell the truth. If they were looking for a problem, he couldn’t hide it. Jessie shook his head, not willing to even entertain the possibility that he might get caught.
“They’re not that bad.” Michael leaned closer.
“What?” Jessie asked.
“The painful grimace or the frantic shaking of your head. The jeans aren’t that bad.”
He looked at the dark blue jeans in his hands. Normally, he’d pick something like this. They were clean cut and loose fitting. He turned to Michael. “I like holes in my jeans.”
Michael’s eyes widened. “Holes?” he questioned.
Jessie nodded. “They’re fashionable.” He looked around. This type of store didn’t sell jeans with holes. “Can you look on the racks over there? I don’t mind if the jeans are a few sizes too big. I used to wear them hanging off my ass with my boxers exposed.”
Michael’s gaze turned dangerous. “Not anymore.”
Damon walked over, nodding his head in agreement.
“Damon, can you help me find shirts? I like T-shirts, but not plain. I like black lettering, but nothing that stands out too much. Can you help me look?”
Damon nodded and walked over to the shirts. Michael looked disgusted as he went through racks of pants, looking for ones with holes. At that, Jessie worked his way to the back of the store. He took one last look at his mates and slipped into the back work area.
A clerk came over. She opened her mouth to reprimand him.
“The back door.” He placed his hands together and silently pleaded with her. She rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the exit.
“Go on,” she said. “You’re leaving either out the front or back.”
Jessie smiled.
“Are you in trouble? Do you need help?” she asked.
He read her nametag. “No, I’m fine, Amy. I just need to get some fresh air.”
Over the last few days, he’d learned to put up a strong barrier to keep his feelings from Damon and Michael. He strengthened the barrier and blocked out the sadness and pain. If strong emotions slipped through, they’d feel it.
The road behind the stores wasn’t small, but large enough to accommodate delivery trucks. He spotted the black SUV with tinted windows off to the side. Jessie swallowed, pushed away the pain and headed to the vehicle. Two men dressed in black walked toward him. One shoved him into the SUV. What the hell? He was here of his own free will. The man climbed in after him, while the other sat in the passenger seat. Four men were in the back with him and two upfront. Strange since Michael had said that hunter groups consisted of four men not six. Out of the men one stood out, the man that tormented his dreams wore a clean crisp blue suit and was looking right at him.
The vehicle moved down the back of the stores. He watched the shopping mall until it disappeared from sight. It was over. He’d chosen his fate. If he was so sure of the choice, why did it feel so wrong?
“I’m here. What do you want?” Jessie asked. “If you want to kill me, then get it over with.”
“Kill you,” the man in the suit said. “We’ve been searching for you.” He leaned closer like he was sharing a secret. “I want to know more about you.”
What was there to know? “I don’t understand. I’m not…” He almost said like Michael or Damon, but stopped in time. “I’m human,” he finally said. In the dream, the other man said he was a hunter, but he needed to hear it again to believe it.
The man shook his head. “I’m Dr. Stevens. Jessie, you’re a lot of things, but not human. You’re a hunter.”
The dreams told him the truth. That’s one of the reasons he left. He was the thing that both Damon and Michael hated. Around him were five perfect warriors, strong, menacing and nothing like him. He felt. He cried. He loved. They didn’t.
“I’m not like them.” He pointed around the vehicle, challenging the man’s words.
“No, you were created to lead them. We enhanced the parts of your brain that’s responsible for psychic ability. The power is dormant, but when you sleep, the truth seeps into your dreams, and you’re so much more. I can’t wait to awaken those abilities.”
“So much more?” Jessie questioned, not liking those words.
“We gave you other skills that you’ll learn in time.”
He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear the next part, but knew he had to ask the question. “Was I created in a lab? My mother and father, who were they?” Images of the woman that looked like him with ash-brown hair and green eyes stared back at him, and a man with the same body frame held him and rocked him to sleep after a bad dream. The family resemblance was too close to be a coincidence.
The doctor smiled, trying to look sad, but his eyes filled with glee. He wanted nothing more than to hurt Jessie. “Mostly. You were conceived by joining your parent’s sperm and egg inside a lab. Your cells were modified and reinserted into your mother. She had natural psychic abilities and hated those abilities. She profiled murderers and saw into their minds. She wanted to spare you, so she wanted to make sure you didn’t inherit her ability. Your father was a doctor, a part of our organization. He wanted the opposite. Weak men often want strong sons, so he set out to give you every possible gift.” Dr. Steven’s shook his head. “Unfortunately, your mother saw the future. She knew what we’d done. She managed to convince your father and the two of them disappeared before you were born. At first, we couldn’t be certain that you survived. After all, hunters are created in labs. We still needed to be sure, so we never stopped tracking them. They avoided us for years. Your mother’s abilities were hard to bypass. But I never gave up. Even after they died, I knew you still lived. After all, you are a hunter. Survival is ingrained into you. Then one day your mind reached out and we had you.” The doctor licked his upper lip. “I wanted to study everything. I planned to cut you open to see how your body heals. I want to use your cells to create an army of soldiers exactly like you.” The doctor’s eyes lit up like he’d just received a new toy.
“I’m not what you think. You might’ve created me to be this thing, but you’ve failed. I’m not psychic.”
“Really?” The doctor touched his cheek. Disgust filled him as he felt the man’s intentions, the lust and attraction mixed with the need to own him. Images of other men that suffered flashed into him. They were created like him, but considered failures. The doctor used and tortured him. Jessie cringed. Fear opened up parts of him that he’d never accessed. He felt everything. The other men in the car were incapable of feeling. They were programmed to be soldiers and nothing more. A spark of anger from the man sitting in the passenger seat, mixed with disgust and hatred, gave Jessie hope. Not all hunters were mindless killing machines. Maybe he could reach one.
The bond between his mates sizzled. He felt Michael and Damon with him. The strong repulsion forced his shield down. They were closing in. He tried to force the mental blocks back up, but the shield wouldn’t reassemble. He tried again, but it wouldn’t work. Nothing had changed. Then he knew. He shielded his thoughts because the other two men allowed it. He lowe
red his head and pushed his thoughts toward his mates.
This is my choice.
Anger and fear filled Michael and Damon. He shivered. The raw emotions were too much, but one thing was certain. They were on their way. The doctor touched the side of his cheek. He slapped the hand away.
Rage flashed on the doctor’s face. He lifted a hand up and slapped Jessie’s cheek. He tasted blood, but tried to stop the fear from going through the bond. It didn’t work.
He’s dead. Damon’s anger made Jessie shiver.
I’ll rip his head off. Michael said. He felt the snarl and the sand under his toes. Michael wasn’t in human form. They were both so close. He pulled his knees to his chest.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” the doctor asked.
He ignored Dr. Stevens and focused on his mates. Please stop. You don’t understand. They refused to listen. Both disregarded his words.
There’s nothing to understand. You belong to us. Damon’s strength wrapped around him.
Jessie closed his eyes. He couldn’t take the lies anymore. I’m like them, created in a lab to be a hunter. That’s why they’ve come for me. I’ll never be able to hide.
And? Michael asked through the bond.
Isn’t that enough? he demanded. You hate what I am.
Images filled him from both of his mates. They tied him to the bed and made him beg for release as they teased and tortured him for hours. Then they took days reminding him that they were one as they filled him with their seed. His butt burned as hands spanked each cheek.
That’s the reality that you’ll soon know, Damon warned. Prepare yourself.
They didn’t care. No, it was more than that. Did they know? The shields they let him have because they cared. What had he done? They were going to jump into danger for him. He couldn’t let them get hurt.
Stay still. Sit in that seat and wait for us. Don’t let them know we’re coming for you, Damon warned. Try anything and you won’t be able sit on your ass for weeks.
Jessie swallowed. He didn’t think it mattered. No matter what he did or didn’t do, his ass was going to be sore.