Evans, Gabrielle - The Hunger [Fatefully Yours 7] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (11 page)

Echo rested his head on Hex’s shoulder, rubbing his cheek against him like a cat seeking affection. Everyone who mattered had made it out safely.

His eyes snapped open, and he jerked his head up to look into Hex’s eyes. “Craze! He’s still inside!”

“I’m right here, Echo.”

Craze appeared in front of them, covered in bruises, cuts, and a substantial amount of blood.

Echo swallowed hard. “Is that yours?”

Craze looked down at himself and shook his head. “No.”

“Did you find the leader?” Echo figured it was a stupid question considering the amount of crimson covering the man, but he had to hear Craze say it.

Craze looked at him for a long time with hollow eyes that made Echo shiver. “My mates are free.”

Before Echo could form a response, the house groaned again and loud crashes could be heard from inside.

“Let’s go,” Hex called in guttural voice. No one questioned him, and though probably inappropriate, Echo’s chest swelled with pride that everyone had such respect for his mate.

“Are we safe now?” he asked quietly.

Hex held him tighter and nuzzled his cheek against the top of Echo’s head. “We’re safe for now, little one.”

Echo understood the words Hex hadn’t spoken. They had defeated one enemy, but many more would come.

Chapter Nine

“Did you see that?” Myst whispered to Hex as they sped back toward their house. The last thing they needed was to be caught in the vicinity when the vampires’ hideout came tumbling down upon itself. “Did you fucking
see
that?”

“Yes, now hush.” Hex took his eyes off the road for just a minute to glance toward the backseat where Echo slept in Eyce’s lap. “He saved our asses.”

“Well, try telling him that,” Syx mumbled from beside Eyce. “He feels guilty.”

“Why?” Myst spun around in his seat to look Syx in the eyes. His adrenaline was beginning to wane, and it left him feeling shaky. When was the last time any of them had allowed themselves to lose control like that? If Echo hadn’t been there, he could only imagine what might have happened.

“He’s thinking it’s his fault I got hurt.” Syx smoothed his palm over Echo’s leg. “I was losing that fight before Echo ever stepped foot inside the basement.”

“We all were,” Eyce agreed quietly. “I couldn’t fight them off fast enough. Every time I’d try to use my power, there’d be another flying at me, and I’d lose focus.”

“Same here,” Myst mumbled. Those damn leeches were fast. Once he’d dispatched one of them, two more would lunge for him. Just before Echo arrived, Myst had been having serious doubts about their ability to make it out of that basement alive. “I thought I was going to throw up my heart when I heard him scream.”

“Very eloquent,” Vapre said around a snort as he leaned forward from the third-row seat. “But I know what you mean. I completely lost it.”

“I hate that he got hurt,” Hex growled. “If he hadn’t, though, I think we’d probably all be dead.”

“Dude, he completely smoked those vampires. I have never seen anything like that.” Myst stared at Echo’s sleeping form in amazement. “What the hell was that?” Their little mate had practically exploded into a ball of light, and when Myst could see again, the vampires had been charred crispy.

No one spoke, and they all looked just as mystified as he felt. “Is Echo okay?” Hex asked instead.

“Yes,” Eyce murmured. “He’s sleeping, and the wounds have already closed.” He stared down at the man in his lap with such tenderness, Myst had to swallow down the lump in his throat. “How he will deal emotionally when he wakes up is another question.”

“He’s tough.” Myst nodded curtly. “He’ll be fine.”

Syx sighed and dropped his head back to the seat. “I don’t think he’ll be afraid of us if that’s what you’re worried about, Eyce. Before he fell asleep, the only thing he feared is that we’d blame him for what happened.”

“So, what do we do now?” Vapre asked.

“We get ready for the new moon.” Hex’s fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “We try to find some answers. So far, we’ve been lucky. I have a feeling that luck is about to run out.”

Though he didn’t say anything, Myst agreed. How long could they continue to outrun Ares? It seemed the god was always two steps ahead of them, and as soon as they overcame one problem, half a dozen more cropped up.

It didn’t help that their numbers had just been reduced either. “How ironic is it that Jet and Pax actually ended up being mated to Lorcan?”

“Are we sure it’s a good idea to leave them with the pack?”

Hex glanced over his shoulder at Syx. “I don’t think we have a choice. They’re grown men, and it just seems cruel to keep them from their mate.”

“Do you still think Lorcan will help in the war?” Myst didn’t know what a bunch of shifter pups were going to do against creatures of the Underworld, but they weren’t in any position to turn away willing allies.

“He says they will,” Hex answered slowly. “We need Jet and Pax. I don’t know why exactly, but if they were sent to us, there has to be a reason. Lorcan isn’t just going to let his men go off to battle alone.”

“Jet and Pax were pretty damn insistent that they are going to fight.” Eyce chuckled under his breath.

“I get why the shifters are staying, but why Craze and the little vamps?”

“Safety in numbers?” Syx shrugged. “Craze almost lost his mates once. What would you do to keep Echo safe?”

“Anything, even live with a bunch of mangy dogs.”

Everyone laughed quietly as Hex pulled to a stop in front of the house. Damn, it was good to be home. Though it couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours since they left, it felt like a lifetime. Myst wanted a shower, food, and a nap—preferably naked with his lovers. He probably wouldn’t get much sleep that way, but he was willing to risk it.

* * * *

The scalding water beat against his shoulders and neck, washing away the dirt, grime, and blood. Onyx stared into the drain as the filthy water whirled around it and disappeared. He didn’t want to see anyone. Didn’t want to talk to anyone. Hell, he didn’t even want to be there any longer.

He’d lost control. For the first time in centuries, he’d lost control and almost killed the men he loved more than his next breath. Gods, they deserved so much better than him. How the hell did he even apologize for something like that?

The shower glass slid open, and Onyx groaned at himself for forgetting to lock the bathroom door. He didn’t turn, didn’t care who was with him. If he just ignored them, maybe they would go away.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Syx replied quietly. The “we” caught Onyx’s attention, and he glanced over his shoulder but only found Syx there. Whatever. It didn’t matter.

Though he reminded himself that he didn’t care to see any of them, some part of his heart ached in disappointment that it wasn’t Echo who’d come to find him. He could only imagine what his little mate must think of him—and none of it was good.

“That’s enough,” Syx said gently as he reached around Onyx to turn off the shower. “Come with us.”

Onyx didn’t move. “I’m not very good company right now. Maybe we can talk later.”

“It wasn’t a request,” Hex said from outside the shower. His voice was deep and commanding, the tone he adopted when he was more their alpha than their lover.

With a silent sigh of resignation, Onyx pushed past Syx and stepped out of the shower. “What?” he growled.

“We need to talk.”

“Fine.” Onyx stomped over to the door and wrenched it open. They had every right in the world to tear into him about what happened back in that basement. Couldn’t they at least give him five fucking minutes to deal with it before they started, though?

Butt naked and dripping wet, he marched down the hall to his bedroom, threw the door open and did a face plant on his mattress. He was being a total dick, and he knew it, but damn it, he just couldn’t deal with all the shit anymore.

“Are you done?”

With a frustrated groan, Onyx rolled over to his back and stared up at his mate. “Maybe.”

Echo snorted. “You’re being a dick.”

Yeah, he knew he was. “I know. If everyone would just leave me alone—”

“You’d do what?” Echo lifted an eyebrow in question. “Sulk in your room?”

“Echo, I almost killed us all. How do you think that makes me feel?”

“Well, I just obliterated a couple dozen vampires, and I don’t even know how I did it. How do you think that makes
me
feel?”

Okay, so the man had a point. Still, Onyx wasn’t up Echo’s ass, badgering him to talk about his
feelings
and use his grown-up words. If his mate wanted to pout, then he should be allowed to pout. See, he could be completely reasonable.

Without a word, Echo began to strip, and pissed off or not, Onyx’s body couldn’t help but respond. His cock swelled to hard and throbbing in a matter of seconds with each inch of creamy skin Echo revealed.

When his mate had divested the last of his clothing, he stood just out of Onyx’s reach, his impressive cock jutting from its nest of closely cropped curls. Echo palmed his length, curled his fingers around the turgid flesh, and stroked slowly.

“You want some control back,” he said in a calm tone that didn’t match the scene currently playing out in the room. “I need to give over that control. Normally, I wouldn’t say that sex can solve our problems, but this might be the exception to the rule.”

Onyx nodded dazedly. He didn’t give a shit why Echo was standing naked and hard in the center of his bedroom. Sitting up slowly, he reached out for his mate, frowning when Echo took a step away from him. He was not in the mood to be teased.

“Get over here,” he whispered.

Echo shook his head, a mischievous light flashing in his eyes. “Make me.”

Onyx pointed at the floor between his feet. “On your knees, Echo.”

His mate moved fluidly, moving in front of Onyx and falling gracefully to his knees. His fingers linked behind his back, and he looked up with such an innocent expression, Onyx wanted to devour him.

Stroking his lover’s cheek, Onyx smiled crookedly. “Good, baby.” They were only playing. Neither of them desired a D/s relationship outside of the bedroom, but if Echo needed this, Onyx was more than happy to give it to him. “What do you want, Echo?”

“I want you to fuck me, sir.”

The crude words falling from the lips of such an angelic face made Onyx’s dick jerk as pre-cum dribbled from the slit and down the side of his engorged crown. “Then we have to get you ready.” A game or not, painful pleasure or pleasurable pain, Onyx would never risk hurting his mate for anything.

“I already did that.” The little imp actually winked at him.

Onyx reached down and swatted Echo’s ass. “You are not being very submissive, baby.”

Echo didn’t say anything, but the corners of his lips twitched, and Onyx wanted to groan. The man was going to be the death of him. On the other hand, he’d completely forgotten why he’d been in such a foul mood only minutes before. His entire world centered around the golden-haired beauty on his knees in front of him.

Onyx bent forward and claimed his mate’s lips, unconcerned with power play or the need to be in charge. He needed Echo. With that one thought, he laid siege to the man’s mouth, licking inside the moist depths and moaning. His hands roamed Echo’s pert ass, loving the feel of the soft skin beneath his palms. He squeezed and kneaded, gripping the rounded globes and pulling his lover closer as he devoured his sweet mouth.