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Baer chuckled. “You know I totally support any idea that means taking action.”
“But?” Dane teased.
“This feels like it runs directly counter to the aunts’ order that we stay here and out of trouble until all the Circle has arrived.”
“They’re goddesses, right?” Clay held out his hands in front of him. “If they wanted to stop us, any one of them could pop out right now and tell us no.”
Dane looked around the patio area, taking a moment to stare out into the thick darkness that was crowding the house. None of them moved. It seemed like they even stopped breathing. But not one of the goddesses appeared with words of dire warnings or threats against Clay’s plan for action.
A rough bark of laughter from Grey broke the stillness, and Dane jumped in his seat. “I don’t think we can count silence as approval.”
“Maybe not, but they’ve made it clear that this is our fight. We’re the ones responsible for taking out the pestilents and saving the Earth. We need to start taking some action.”
Baer lifted his glass of tea in a wry toast. “Bring on the pestilents. We’ll take out Cor and protect our brothers as they make a run for the plantation.”
Dane reached over and placed his hand on Clay’s thigh, drawing his lover’s worried eyes to his face. “This time will be different.”
A slow smile pushed back some of the concern weighed on his face, and Clay nodded. “Yes, it will be.”
“Ugh! I’m going to bed!” Baer announced, shoving to his feet. “Some of us don’t have the luxury of having a soul mate to make goo-goo eyes at.”
“Thank God I have a deadline,” Grey muttered, pushing to his feet as well. “My editor is not going to accept more excuses as to why this book isn’t done on time yet again.”
Dane barely even heard them, let alone saw them return to the house. His eyes were locked on Clay and the growing heat he could seeing burning in his luscious brown eyes. “I don’t think we’ve fully explored the power of our bond yet. That could be something I help you with.”
Clay’s grin turned wicked. “That’s a good point. But I think we should try my bed this time. It’s bigger. More room for…exploring.”
Fire and need burned through Dane’s body. He could no longer tell which was his and which belong to Clay. It was a twisted ball of lust that had Dane grabbing Clay’s hand and pulling his lover into the house. Clay could worry about his powers tomorrow. Tonight, Dane wanted to spend some time exploring the man who owned his heart and was forever tied to his soul.Chapter 23Clay was sipping his second cup of coffee and staring out at the backyard when Grey found him the next morning. He and Dane had just finished breakfast together, and the handyman was now gathering his tools to start working on Grey’s bathroom again. A low hum of contentment swirled in his chest from Dane, and it was making his power purr. Yeah, Clay and his power were in accord for once. The world might be falling apart around them, but just feeling Dane happy made everything seem more manageable.
“I saw Dane checked on Baer again,” Grey murmured as a greeting.
Clay grunted. “He’s sure he can do better.”
Grey grabbed a mug from the cabinet and made a scoffing noise as he poured himself some coffee. “If he keeps trying to heal Baer, he’s going to reverse the aging process. Make Baer a teenager again.”
Clay paused in the act of lifting the coffee mug to his lips and smirked. “Could you imagine dealing with a teenage Baer?”
“Fuck, no.”
Baer was a laughing ball of energy at thirty. God help them when it came to a younger and more reckless version of Baer. But regardless of whether they had an older Baer or a teenage one, Clay was happy his friend was alive and on the mend.
“I guess we’re all still trying to figure out our powers,” Grey murmured. His words were accompanied by the soft clink of the spoon he used to stir the sugar into his coffee.
Clay smirked and took another sip of his brew. “I feel like this is a segue into something particular. Are the ones in your books better than this?”
A rare bark of laughter left Grey, and Clay twisted around to look at the man who always left him feeling ill at ease. Clay poked at the notion like a tongue worrying a sore tooth. The feeling had been there even before Grey got his powers, so he couldn’t blame the fear of Grey knowing his darkest secrets.
There was just something about the grim, sarcastic man that rubbed him the wrong way. Clay worried that it was linked to their shared past, but he couldn’t be sure.
