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  Either way, whatever happened, at least he’d finally be free.

  “He’s not here. Stop. We have to go back.”

  Thane recognized the voice of his brother, Lynk. His magic had abandoned him, disappearing along with his waning strength, but he could still feel the weak current of energy flowing from his twin.

  A grin stretched his lips, and his shoulders relaxed. He’d known Lynk would come for him. That was what family did, and he’d never doubted his brother’s determination to find him.

  There was something else in the air, though. It was a charge, stronger than Lynk’s, and very different from anything else he’d ever experienced. He could almost see it, reach out and touch it, and the closer it came, the faster Thane’s pulse raced.

  “We’re already here,” another man argued.

  Thane didn’t recognize the voice, but he found it alluring. It comforted him in a way he hadn’t known for several years, and for the first time since he’d been dumped into the well, hope blossomed.

  “My Infinity,” Thane mouthed.

  Lynk had explained during the magical dream he’d pulled Thane into that his mate’s name was Zasha, he was a vampire, and he had a fairly important position in a large coven. His brother had also informed him that due to some miscommunication, Zasha believed Lynk to be his mate instead of Thane.

  The confusion had caused a lot of problems for his brother, but Thane wasn’t overly concerned. He just needed five minutes with the vampire to set things straight.

  He wanted to call out to the approaching men, but when he opened his mouth, all that escaped him was a hissing breath. With no magic, and no strength to use it even if he still had it, he couldn’t reach out to Lynk through their twin bond, either. He could only sit there and hope they wouldn’t give up and turn away before they found him.

  “We have to know for sure.” That was Raith. He’d recognize his older brother’s gruff tone anywhere, even if he hadn’t spoken to the man in years. “We need to at least see if there’s any evidence that Thane was here at one time.”

  Yes, check for evidence. Look into the well and find me, brother. I’m here. Find me.

  A face appeared at the mouth of the well, silhouetted by the moonlight so that he was nothing more than a shadowy head with shoulders. “Hello?” his mate called down to him, though it was obvious he couldn’t see Thane in the darkness of the pit.

  Still, Thane couldn’t call back, couldn’t make any sound. Hell, he couldn’t even lift his arm to splash the water. Gods, he wished he could see Zasha’s face. Despite the urgency of the situation, he couldn’t help but wonder if the vampire still looked the same as he remembered.

  It had been so long since they’d been separated, but Thane could still picture the cute dimple in Zasha’s left cheek when he smiled. Tragedy had torn his Infinity from him centuries ago, but fate had just handed him an opportunity for a new beginning. Considering the guy had a perpetual hard-on for his brother, Thane doubted Zasha recalled their previous life together, but again, he wasn’t concerned. On the contrary, he looked forward to helping Zasha regain his memories, to showing the vampire just why they were so perfectly matched.

  A second figure appeared beside the first, peering down into the well for only a moment before backing away. Sticking his tongue between his teeth, Thane bit down as hard as he could, drawing a ragged groan from his chest when the pain radiated throughout his entire mouth. It wasn’t a loud noise, but it was something, and if he was lucky, someone would hear him.

  “Thane!” Lynk reappeared at the opening of the well, leaning over the side until he was bent almost in half. “Thane! Are you okay? Can you talk to me?”

  His mouth wouldn’t cooperate to form words, but Thane groaned again in response, forcing the sound up through his raw, burning esophagus.

  “We’re going to get you out,” Lynk promised, resolve lacing his tone. “Just be still.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to be a problem. It wasn’t like him to sit back and wait to be rescued, but in this instance, he had no choice. He’d lost so much weight and blood that the simple act of holding his head up was a chore.

  A loud grunt echoed throughout the clearing and down into the well, followed by the muffled thud of something—or someone—hitting the ground. Thane couldn’t be sure if it was his mate or Raith who had been attacked, but a sudden interruption in the energy flowing from the vampire led him to believe it had indeed been his Infinity.

  Hurry, Lynk. Thane knew firsthand the vile things his captors were capable of inflicting, and he refused to let Zasha become just another victim of their wickedness. There wasn’t a whole lot he could do from his current position, however, and honestly, he didn’t know how much help he’d be once he was free. Still, he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

  A second groan—this time distinctly identifiable as coming from Raith—drifted down into his prison. Lynk disappeared from view momentarily, likely to investigate the noise, only to reappear with a loud cry as he tumbled backward with such violence that he lost his balance.

  The circumference of the well wasn’t big enough for the awkward angle in which he’d fallen, and Thane winced when he heard his brother’s head smack against wet, stone wall. A heartbeat later, Lynk hit the surface of the pool, splashing water into Thane’s face and soaking his hair.

  Adrenaline coursed through his veins, giving Thane a reserve of strength he didn’t know he still possessed. Unable to see in the inky blackness, he felt around in the frigid water until his hand landed on Lynk’s shoulder. Grunting and groaning, he clenched his teeth against the onslaught of pain as his muscles screamed in protest.

  The smallest exertion hurt like the ten shades of hell, but he couldn’t let his brother die. Thankfully, the buoyancy made his task easier, and he managed to get his arm around Lynk and pull him upright, holding the man protectively to his chest.

  Several minutes that felt like an eternity passed before Lynk finally began to stir. After a groan and some movement of his head, he went completely still, though. His shoulders tensed, his spine became rigid, and Thane could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

  “Easy,” he said, hoping to ease the man’s fears. His voice came out hoarse and raspy, barely human, and to whisper the single word felt like swallowing shards of glass.

  “Thane?” Lynk groaned again and pressed one hand to the side of his head.

  “I’m here.” Right then, he wasn’t so worried about himself. “Are you okay?”

  Lynk twisted and moved until Thane had no choice but to release him. “I’m fine.” His teeth clacked together and his voice vibrated when he spoke as the water surged up around him.

  “Help will come.” Zasha was still out there. Thane didn’t know what had happened to him, but he could still feel his mate. Even if Zasha couldn’t come for him, surely, someone would come for Zasha. Plus, Raith was prowling somewhere in the night. Even if someone had gotten the drop on him, they were going to be very sorry once he was awake.

  “You said they feed on you. How do they get in?”

  He understood the importance of the question, but Thane flinched at the mention of his captors. Fear wasn’t going to save them, though. Taking Lynk’s hand, he moved slowly, pulling his brother to the other side of the well with a great deal of effort. Resting his tired body against the wall, he pressed Lynk’s palm against the locked door.

  “What is this?”

  “Door,” Thane answered. He thought about adding something sarcastic after that, but he fell into a violent coughing fit that wracked his frame, causing pain to explode throughout every inch of his body.

  “Okay, shh.” Lynk’s hand landed on his back and rubbed gently. “Just rest. I’m going to get us out of here.”

  A loud, menacing howl echoed down into the well and bounced off the stones, making Thane’s ears ring. Four more distinct howls followed the first, and Thane tensed, unsure if the calls belonged to friend or foe.

  Lynk, however, was bouncing on his toes, causing the water to ripple in waves around them. “My mate is here, and he’s really unhappy.”

  Moments later, a huge shadowy figure appeared at the top of the well, growling, grumbling, and breathing heavily. There were no words spoken, but Thane got the impression that Lynk was communicating with the agitated werewolf.

  “Hold on,” Lynk whispered. He helped Thane farther away from the door and pressed him back against the wall. “Stay there.” A loud explosion rocked him sideways, but Lynk caught him before he could topple over. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”

  “Unlocking it would have been simpler,” Thane chastised, but honestly, he was just happy to be free.

  “Probably.” Lynk turned his face up toward the moonlight, and Thane could hear the cockiness in his voice when he called up to his mate. “Still got it.”

  The water receded rapidly, gushing into the room beyond the shattered door. At one time, Lynk had been so much smaller than him. Now, though Thane was still taller, Lynk had little trouble supporting his weight as he helped him up the stairs and through a trap door.

  “Want to see it again?” he teased.

  Thane didn’t care. Each step was more torturous than the last, and what small measure of strength he had was fading. His head spun, his vision dimmed at the edges, and his empty stomach cramped viciously. “Just get us out of here.”

  There was another booming echo as the door exploded outward. The little shit just couldn’t resist showing off. Still holding him up, Lynk practically dragged Thane out into the chilly night where they were greeted by five towering werewolves. “Can I get some help?” Lynk called.

  One of the smaller werewolves appeared instantly at his side, carefully lifting Thane into his arms and cradling him lik
e a baby. The world was slipping away from him, and he could barely keep his eyes open, but they needed to know.

  “Zasha.” He had to pause and take a breath before he could continue. “Third windmill.” He couldn’t see his mate, but he could feel the vampire. As everything else faded, Zasha’s energy grew stronger, almost like a homing beacon, leading Thane right to him.

  The werewolf just rumbled and tilted his head to the side. Thane didn’t know what that meant, and he didn’t have time to clarify that the beast understood him before everything went dark.

  Chapter Two

  Waking up to find himself drugged and bound inside one of the windmills was a nice, juicy cherry on the top of an already shitty day. Zasha remembered hearing a sharp intake of breath from behind him, but he had no recollection of what happened after he’d gone to investigate the sound. Judging by the sizeable lump on the side of his head, he imagined he’d been struck with something heavy.

  His worry for Thane had distracted him, and he hadn’t even seen Axton coming. In fact, if not for the Enforcers who’d come to his aid, he might have never known it was his friend who had beat him senseless. It was still hard to accept that Axton had done such cruel, vile things. The man had been his friend for years, almost like family.

  He’d only seen the aftermath, but he knew Axton had paid dearly for his actions. After everything he’d done, all the lies he’d told, and all the pain he’d caused, Zasha couldn’t find the appropriate level of remorse. Had he been charged with doling out Axton’s punishment, however, he wasn’t sure he’d have reacted in the same way as Lynk’s werewolf mate.

  As far as he was concerned, death was too easy, too lenient for the crimes Axton had committed.

  By the time he’d been found and freed from his makeshift cell, Thane had already been moved to The Council house. Then Zasha had been detained while people tossed a thousand questions at him that he didn’t really know how to answer. Once they’d finished interrogating him, he’d driven at breakneck speeds back to Casper to see his mate. While the drive to The Council house had been uneventful, he’d encountered something of a roadblock upon his arrival, and he’d still yet to set eyes on his intended.

  “I want to see my mate,” he demanded. Sitting straight and squaring his shoulders, he tried to sound firm and unmovable, but he’d beg on his knees if he thought it would help.

  “No,” Torren countered. “I have some questions for you, plus Thane is in no condition to be getting worked up right now.”

  “I’ll answer your questions.” Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Zasha slumped back into the cushions of the sofa and sighed. “I’m not going to hurt him. I just need to see him.” He’d feel a lot better if he could confirm with his own eyes that Thane was alive and resting comfortably.

  That didn’t stop Thane’s oldest brother from grilling him, though. Torren Braddock asked a lot of questions, most of which Zasha had already answered for the Enforcers back in Snake River.

  “You’re welcome to spend the day here,” Torren offered when he was finished with his questioning, “but Thane needs to rest now.”

  A small part of him felt responsible for Thane’s condition, and guilt clawed at his gut. Had he realized what a psychotic bastard Axton really was, perhaps Thane’s suffering could have been avoided. When he remembered he’d actually befriended the vampire, had essentially led him right to his mate, bile rose up in his throat, along with the bitter taste of regret.

  “I just want to see him.” He fisted his hands at his sides and swallowed the lump in his throat. “I won’t disturb him, but I need to see that he’s okay. Please?”

  “Torren,” Lynk implored.

  He didn’t say any more than that, but it must have done the trick because Torren pushed up from his chair and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Follow me, and I’ll show you where he’s sleeping.”

  After offering his thanks to Lynk and his apologies to the witch’s mate, Kieran, Zasha hurried after the eldest Braddock, growing more nervous with each step down the corridor. After all he’d been through only to find out that the man he’d been fighting for wasn’t really his mate, Zasha held little expectations of what would happen next.

  “He’s probably asleep, so try not to wake him.”

  It sounded more like a warning than a request, but Zasha nodded and slipped into the room before Torren could change his mind. The door closed quietly behind him, but he didn’t move any farther into the room. A queen-sized bed was set up against the far wall, directly between two windows, and the silvery beams of moonlight that filtered through the parted curtains illuminated the man lying in the center of the mattress.

  He looked pale and thin, and his cheekbones stood out in sharp relief. Even in the dim light, Zasha could make out the shadows that stretched under his sunken eyes, and the protruding collarbones broke his heart.

  This close, he could finally feel the difference. The energy that saturated the air was so much stronger, and his connection to Thane felt almost tangible, as though he could reach out and thrum the metaphysical threads that bonded them together.

  Thane’s face appeared freshly shaven, but his hair was still long and scraggly with a dullness that matched the rest of his depleted body. Bruises covered the tops of his shoulders, and the skin that peeked out from under the blankets was a map of claw and bite marks. Even in his malnourished and broken condition, he was the most gorgeous thing Zasha had ever seen.

  That should have been his first clue. Paranormals were predisposed to be attracted to their mates. While he’d always thought Lynk was nice to look at, he’d still had the underlying disappointment that the man was really much too small and delicate, really not his preferred type at all.

  There wasn’t anything delicate about Thane, though.

  It was hard to estimate Thane’s true height while he was horizontal, but Zasha guessed it to be somewhere just over six feet. It wasn’t hard to see beneath the cuts, bruises, and shrunken frame to the man he used to be, not for Zasha. A clear picture of what Thane would look like once healthy flittered through his mind, and it was a delectable portrait.

  “Hello.” Thane’s voice was small and wispy, barely carrying across the room, but the smile he offered transformed his entire face. “You must be Zasha.”

  “I must be.” Returning the smile, he crept closer to the bed, moving cautiously so as not to frighten the man. After the ordeal he’d been through, it would be natural for him to have trust issues. “You must be Thane.”

  “I must be,” Thane echoed. “Come here so I can see you.” Groaning in obvious pain, he braced his hands on the mattress and struggled to sit upright.

  “Here, stop that.” Rushing forward, Zasha pressed a palm to Thane’s shoulder, holding him in place with little effort. “Let me help you. What do you need?”

  “Just this.” Rolling his head to the side, he glanced at the squat bedside lamp. “Maybe some light?”

  Keeping one hand on Thane’s chest, he used to the other to pull the chain on the lamp, filling their part of the room with a soft glow. “Better?” Despite his thinness, Thane was even more handsome up close, and his scent was making Zasha’s head spin.

  “Tell me about yourself,” Thane insisted, though his eyelids were already drooping, and his words were slurred with exhaustion. “Where are you from?”

  “I’m from the Snake River Coven.” Zasha stared down at his hand where it rested against Thane’s warm skin, smiling like an idiot when the witch covered it with his own. “We can talk later. You need to be resting.”

  “You’re probably right,” Thane agreed. “Come here.” He rubbed his free hand back and forth against the mattress. A tattoo of an intricately detailed tribal dragon stretched down his bicep beneath the cuts and bruises, writhing with his movements as though alive and restless. “I’ve been missing you.”

  Considering this was their first meeting, Zasha was unsure what that last part meant. Maybe Thane was confused. Perhaps he thought someone else was with him in the room. “I can’t stay here,” he whispered, glancing toward the large window to the right of the headboard. He’d love nothing more than to curl up beside Thane and protect him until he was strong again. Unfortunately, his limitations prevented it. “The sun will be up soon.”