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Kieran’s long fingers surrounded his shaft and squeezed. “Are you sure about that, sugar?”

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  “Yes, sir.” Lynk bobbed his head quickly even as he struggled to remain still and not thrust into Kieran’s tight grasp.

  “What if I don’t want that?”

  Well, shit. “Whatever would please you, sir. Whatever you want.” He felt more than heard Kieran’s sigh, but he didn’t understand it.

  He didn’t have long to contemplate what it meant, either. Those talented fingers squeezed him harder, jerking his cock from base to tip with skilled movements.

  “I want you to come for me, Lynk.” Kieran twisted his wrist, rubbing the side of his forefinger along the bundle of nerves just under the crown. “Now.”

  Like a bomb just waiting for detonation, Lynk groaned quietly as his orgasm plowed into him, sending reams of seed spurting from his slit. When his mate’s mouth closed over the head of his cock and sucked hard, demanding Lynk give him everything, he thought he’d die from the intense pleasure.

  His climax seemed to go on forever, and when he drifted down from his euphoric high, he found himself cradled in Kieran’s lap.

  He’d given the man exactly what he’d asked for, so why did he feel like he’d failed in some way? “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want to hear those words again. Are we clear?” Feeling more confused and wrung out than he could ever remember, Lynk bobbed his head in acquiescence. “Yes, sir.”

  “Get clean and dressed.” Kieran lifted him out of his lap and stood with his hand on the glass door. “I need to pack before I take you to the dorms.”

  “Pack?” Kieran was going somewhere?

  “You didn’t think I was going to let you go off to Snake River alone, did you?”

  “Demos and Varik will be with me,” Lynk responded automatically.

  Kieran just smirked at him before stepping out of the shower.

  “Yes, but they aren’t me.”

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  No, they definitely weren’t. As far as Lynk was concerned, there wasn’t another person on earth like Kieran. “Can I ask why you’re coming with us?”

  “You can.” Lynk heard the bathroom door open as he reached for the shampoo, and he paused to wait for Kieran’s response. “Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.” Then the door closed with a quiet snick, effectively ending the conversation.

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  Chapter Four

  After raiding the dorm’s supplies for clothes and shoes for Lynk, Kieran led his mate through the moonlight to the main house to meet with the vampire Enforcers. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Demos and Varik to keep Lynk safe, but neither of them had a personal interest in the witch’s well-being—not like Kieran did.

  Besides, he didn’t like the idea of Lynk going into a possibly volatile situation where his two main protectors were hindered by the sunlight. Just because they were going to a vampire coven didn’t mean there wouldn’t be other threats to Lynk in the light of day.

  Stepping in through the front door, they were immediately greeted by Demos, Varik, and the two alphas of the new packs that had settled into Haven. Kieran wasn’t sure how he felt about a bunch of Moonlighters hanging around the place. He’d grown up hearing the legends surrounding the white-pelted breed, been told repeatedly how they could drive anyone to insanity within minutes just by shifting in front of them.

  Since being in Haven, he’d also been told how it was all a bunch of horse hockey. It wasn’t easy to wipe away a lifetime of teachings, though. Now that he had Lynk to worry about, he wasn’t going to follow blindly without someone offering him some proof. According to Stavion, the breed only posed a threat when they were shifted and only to the person at which their rage was directed. Maybe so, but he was still reserving judgment.

  The men made no move to approach them, which was already winning them points in Kieran’s book. “I’m Kieran Delaney, and this is my mate, Lynk Braddock. Welcome to Haven.” He dropped his Flawless 39

  backpack to the floor and held his hand out to the man closest to him, further impressed when the shifter shook it firmly, but made no move to try to intimidate him with his larger size.

  “Xander Brighton,” he announced himself. “Stavion asked me to come along as a little added muscle in case things go downhill. Unlike these assholes, I won’t fry in the sun.” He laughed when Varik gave him a hard shove against his shoulder, obviously comfortable with the Enforcer.

  The other alpha stepped forward and held his hand out as well.

  “Ridley Thatcher.” He shook hands, gave Lynk a nod, and drifted away to settle onto one of the sofas in the sitting room off to the side.

  The gesture might have been considered rude to some, but Kieran shrugged it off. If there was one thing he’d learned since joining the coven, it was that everyone there had a story.

  “Hello,” Lynk said quietly, offering a trembling hand.

  Xander took the hand gently, clasping it in both massive paws as he smiled reassuringly. “It’s nice to meet you, Lynk. My mate, Braxton, speaks very highly of you.” He spoke quietly and held Lynk’s hand for only a moment before releasing it and giving Kieran a nod, respecting the unwritten boundaries of a mated pair.

  “Braxton is your mate?” Lynk’s eyes lit up, and the corners of his lips turned up in a half smile. “I met him and Keeton before the meeting last night. They were trying to talk Stavion into building an indoor pool. They’re an interesting pair.” Xander chuckled and shook his head. “Separately, they’re a handful. Together, they’re trouble with a capital T. They’ve already corrupted Malakai, and I have a feeling they’ll get Jory and his friends before long. God help us all.”

  Happy looked good on Lynk, and Kieran loved the way his brown eyes sparkled. From what he’d witnessed, his mate mostly kept to himself, but maybe some new friends were just what he needed to draw him out of his shell. “Maybe Braxton could take Lynk into town 40 Gabrielle

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  when we get back. He needs some new clothes, a coat, and a decent pair of snow boots before winter sets in.” Lynk opened his mouth to argue, but Xander spoke before he could get a word out. “That’s more Keeton’s area, but I know Braxton wouldn’t miss an opportunity to go into town.” Lynk was starting to shake, obviously uncomfortable. Kieran didn’t want to sound like an asshole, nor did he want to embarrass his mate by pointing out his edginess, but he needed to do something before Lynk had a panic attack.

  Luckily, Xander came to the rescue, doing it with tact and subtly.

  “I think Aslan said something about Wren outgrowing most of the clothes they have for him. I think he’s a little nervous about going into town alone, and Torren can’t take time away from The Council right now.”

  Hearing not only a familiar name, but someone he apparently considered a friend, Lynk relaxed and the trembling subsided. Kieran had an idea a lot of it had to do with Wren as well. He didn’t know a single person who could resist the raven-haired pixie. The little boy could charm the birds right from the trees with only a smile.

  “Torren would want me to look after his mate,” Lynk said after a quiet moment. “If Braxton could drive, I’d be happy to help Aslan and Wren. If that’s okay,” he added, looking up at Kieran through his eyelashes.

  “I know Aslan would appreciate the help.” Kieran wound his arm around Lynk’s waist and dipped his head at Xander in gratitude for his intervention. “Is Torren here?”

  “In the kitchen watching Jory and Wren devour waffles.” Varik jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I never thought I’d meet anyone who loves waffles as much as Jory, but I think Wren has him beat.” Kieran laughed and gave Lynk a little push between his shoulder blades. “You haven’t eaten anything since last night. Go get some waffles before they’re gone. I’ll be there in a minute.” Flawless 41

  Lynk looked startled but bobbed his head and hurried off to find his brother, leaving Kieran alone with
the other men. “I thought you were an elder now,” he said to Xander. “How did you get roped into going on this little adventure?”

  “Nope.” Xander shook his head. “I turned them down. I have no desire to be in charge of anything. I was sworn in as an Enforcer about an hour ago.”

  “And you, Alpha Thatcher?” Kieran asked Ridley, who was still perched on the sofa, staring off into space. “I know Xander is more alpha by proxy, but you have an entire pack to govern.” Maybe it wasn’t his place to ask, but that wasn’t going to stop him. “Surely your whole pack didn’t consent to move to Haven, so why are you here?”

  “As of an hour ago, it’s Enforcer Thatcher.” He shifted around to look at Kieran. “It’s only me, my former beta, and two other Enforcers,” Ridley answered calmly, though even Kieran could admit that his questioning had been a bit hostile. “The Trinity Pack already has a new alpha, a man I’d trust with my life. They’ll be safe and well governed. My reasons for being here are my own, however. As for the other members of my former pack and why they’re here, you’ll have to ask them.”

  “Fair enough.” Kieran was still curious but understood he wouldn’t get more from the shifter just then, so he returned his attention to Xander. “I plan to accompany my mate to Snake River.”

  “And you’d prefer that I didn’t.” Xander didn’t appear angry. He actually sounded like he’d been expecting the announcement. “I get it, and I hope that you’ll eventually come to trust me. I have a mate who I would do anything for, though, so I know where you’re coming from. I’ll talk to Stavion.” Then he strode away, apparently in search of the coven leader.

  “He’s a good guy,” Varik chastised Kieran. “You don’t have to be such an insufferable prick.”

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  Kieran respected the friendship Varik had with Xander, but the vampire didn’t have a mate of his own, couldn’t understand the lengths Kieran would go to in order to protect Lynk. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  The kicker was that he actually liked Xander. It was just his status as a Moonlighter that was a little harder to reconcile. Since it was looking like the man was going to be a permanent fixture around Haven, Kieran supposed he’d have plenty of time to get to know him and more about his curse, though.

  “Kieran, can I have a word?” Torren marched toward him from the direction of the kitchen with a scowl on his face.

  He might have been concerned if it wasn’t for the fact that Torren always looked half pissed off about one thing or another. “Sure.” He moved away from the others and followed the elder halfway down one of the long corridors before the witch came to a stop and faced him. “What’s up?”

  “Have you had a chance to talk to Blaise?”

  “No, there really hasn’t been time. Why? Do you know something?” Discovering that Torren hadn’t fathered Raina’s adopted pups had been a shock. Realizing that there could be someone out there who could claim the twins and take them away from his sister didn’t sit well with him, either. They needed to find out one way or another, however, so they could be prepared if that day came.

  Torren shook his head slowly. “I’ve been a little preoccupied myself. Galen says the pups are hybrids, but he can only pick up shifter. That leads me to believe that their father is most likely human.

  It could be harder to find him if that’s the case.” While part of him was pleased by the news because that meant it would be harder for the man to find the twins as well, another part of him felt ashamed at his happiness. It was likely that this guy—

  whoever he was—didn’t even know his children existed. Or worse, he knew and was now somewhere mourning because he thought them Flawless 43

  dead. However he looked at it, there was a moral obligation on his shoulders that wouldn’t let him leave it alone.

  “I don’t want Raina and Teegan to lose the cubs, but I think we need to find the father. Not only is it the right thing to do, but I can’t take the anxiety of constantly waiting for this guy to just pop up.

  Whatever happens, I want to face it and get it over with.” In a surprise move, Torren clapped him on the shoulder and squeezed in comfort. “You’re wrong, you know. You would have made a great leader.”

  “No. I can take charge when I need to, but I’m not cut out to rule a whole species.” He understood his shortcomings and limitations and was fine with them.

  He had no regrets about turning down the offer to take the elder seat for the werewolves. Raina was much better suited to that position and would do great things with her new leadership role.

  There was something else they needed to discuss, though. “I’m going with Lynk.”

  Torren bobbed his head and smiled crookedly. “I had a feeling you would. Just…be careful with him.” Kieran remembered Lynk’s strange behavior in the shower. “He won’t tell me where he was before he was kidnapped. Hell, he practically jumped out of his skin when I asked. I don’t know if I can be what he needs.”

  “You are the other half of his soul—literally. There is no one in the universe better suited to his needs. Take it slow, and you’ll get where you need to go.”

  Well, that was extremely unhelpful. Leave it to Torren to be all vague and mysterious. “Give me something, Torren. I don’t need to know his life story, but give me some kind of fucking direction. I’m drowning here.” It was obvious that Lynk responded to command rather than requests. Kieran just didn’t know if that was a good thing or a byproduct of something far more sinister.

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  “He hasn’t told me the full story, either.” Torren crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his back against the wall. “I can tell you this. We all have our crosses to bear, the skeletons in our closets if you will. Lynk is probably the most intelligent person I have ever met, but it comes at a price.”

  “What price?” And more importantly, what could Kieran do to ease his mate’s burden?

  “You’ve been stressed lately about finding the man who fathered your nephews, right?” He waited for Kieran’s nod. “Your mind is always busy, constantly churning, and you probably only get peace from those thoughts when you sleep.”

  That was exactly how he felt, but he was still having trouble seeing the point Torren was trying to make. “I don’t understand,” he finally relented.

  “Imagine living your entire life like that—even in sleep. Lynk’s mind is in a constant state of chaos, always working, never giving him any peace. It leaves him on edge, nervous, and opens the door for second-guessing and self-doubt.”

  “How do I help him?” Kieran would do whatever he had to do, be whatever Lynk needed him to be.

  “You have to help him shut down and decompress.”

  “How?”

  “I can’t tell you that.” Pushing away from the wall, Torren paused for just a moment, looking down at his feet before he lifted his head and met Kieran’s gaze. “Follow your instincts and do what feels right.

  Your soul bond will guide you.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Kieran watched the witch walk away and shook his head.

  What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

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  Chapter Five

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why is Torren sending you instead of Raith?”

  Lynk folded his hands in his lap and looked over at Kieran as they rode along in the backseat of Varik’s SUV. He wasn’t offended and could understand why Kieran would question Torren’s decision. Raith should have been the obvious choice since he was bigger, stronger, and less likely to get himself hurt if things went wrong.

  “I have a connection with Thane. If he’s anywhere inside the coven, I’ll be able to feel him.”

  Kieran’s brow wrinkled, and his head tilted to the side. “Because he’s your brother? Wouldn’t Torren or Raith be able to do the same?” Smiling at his mate’s confusion, Lynk shook his head minutely.

  “Thane is my twin. We can even speak telep
athically if we’re close enough.”

  Kieran didn’t look pleased about this bit of information, but he didn’t comment on it, and Lynk didn’t ask. “So, we’re trying to find a guy who looks like you?”

  “No.” Lynk chuckled under his breath at the absurdity that anyone would mistake him for Thane. “He looks more like Torren or Raith. I guess I’m kind of the runt of the family. Well, Sapphire and Silver are small as well, and they’re identical, but they have a different mother.”

  “Wait.” Kieran held his hand up as his frown deepened. “There is another set of twins in your family?”

  “Four actually. Two sets from our mother, then two sets from our stepmom.”

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  “Okay, so there are thirteen of you. Spell it out for me. I know Torren is the oldest. Then Raith, then you and Thane, but who comes next?” Kieran shook his head and scratched at the back of his neck.

  “This is going to sound horrible, but again, why you? If Thane is so much bigger, why didn’t Torren want us to find him first?”

  “Don’t worry, Kieran. You’re not going to offend me. I’m not sure how it works, but I guess since Thane got the size and strength, I got the magic. I’m quite a bit more powerful than him in that aspect.” Kieran took his hand and squeezed it as he leaned over and kissed Lynk’s forehead. “I never doubted your abilities. I’m just trying to understand.” He settled back in his seat, but didn’t release Lynk’s hand. “Okay, so tell me about your brothers. You said there were four sets of twins?”

  While he seriously doubted Kieran was that eager to hear about his family tree, Lynk warmed to the idea that his mate was taking an interest in his life. “Okay, so after me and Thane is Mikko.”

  “Torren said that only Thane could bring Mikko out of Purgatory.

  I don’t understand.”