I shook my head. “Who is the boss of that relationship?” Looking at the two women’s retreating backs, Xan adjusted his own erection.
“Need I say more?”
“Fucking pussy whipped.” I ran my hand over my jaw, feeling the scrape of my beard. “That was some freaky-ass-shit out there earlier. How the hell do we combat what we can’t see?” The worry and fear I’d kept hidden from Laikyn poured out of my mouth.
Xan stared at me, then moved closer. “We do what we’ve always done. We protect the weaker ones, then we hunt the motherfucker down and kill him. Not necessarily in that order. Your mate showed great strength and knowledge that we all need by moving through whatever way the Fey do. We need to tap into that if we are going to defeat him.”
“It drained her to the point of collapse. The members of our pack who aren’t as strong could die if they used such power. I won’t lose anyone, no matter what their rank is, until we know more about this new skill set. Hell, I don’t even know if it’s oursto use. Laikyn is…special. She’s one of the smartest of our kind.” I stopped at the chuckle coming from my best friend.
“You are so pussy whipped.” Xan jumped back as I swiped my fist toward him.
Shaking my head, I began to pace. “You tell anybody, and I’ll beat your ass. But you know what I mean. She’s always learned things faster than others. What’s that memory called?” I turned back to face my second, seeing Breezy and Laikyn standing in the doorway.
“Eidetic memory,” Breezy answered.
Laikyn gasped. “How the heck do you know that?”
“Everyone knows. Do you know it’s very rare? I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant until I watched The Big Bang Theory. One of the main characters has the same thing, only you are nothing like him.”
“I love that show. Sheldon is hilarious, but I agree with you. I am nothing like him. Or at least I hope I’m not.” She walked up to me.
I looked down at her, wondering who they were talking about. “You clearly don’t watch much television, do you?” Laikyn snuggled into my arms, making me forget all about television.
“Not really, no. I’ll watch movies, but I don’t have time to watch shows on TV at home unless they’re commercial-free. When I’m home, I’d rather do something constructive. Now that I have a mate, I think there are lots of things I’d rather do with my spare time.” I gripped her ass, letting her feel exactly what I meant.
Breezy coughed. “No PDA. There are people in the room.”
“You and Xan don’t count. Besides, I am only hugging my mate.”
“No, your dick is saying hello. Put that thing away. We have company.” Xan tilted his head toward the door.
I sensed their presence long before Xan had mentioned it, but I didn’t want Laikyn to freeze up on me. Besides, I liked having her in my arms, smelling like me, and aroused. “I’m aware,” I answered without letting Laikyn go.
A hard knock on the door leading from the outside broke through the silence. “Come in, Coti.” The big Hawaiian led Damien and Lucas in. Both men looked at Laikyn, their eyes took in her injury, then stared at me.
“What happened?” Damien waved toward Laikyn.
Grinding my teeth, I looked at Laikyn. “Do you want to tell them or me?”
“I will. However, it might be easier if I showed them.” She glanced over her shoulder, asking me for permission.
Goddess, I was a lucky bastard. With a nod, I entered her mind. “I will do this with you so there is no fucked up shit going on. If you feel threatened, you back out, and I’ll kill them both.”
“Okay.” And just like that, my mate soothed me.
“We will allow that and understand if you will be piggybacking in with her, Mr. Styles.” Damien gave a regal nod.
“I’ll be with her every step of the way. You understand I will gut you both if you try anything stupid, right?”
“Pup, if we were going to try anything stupid, do you think we’d be standing in this…place, offering assistance?” Lucas spoke for the first time.
They weren’t identical twins, but close enough that it was hard for most to tell them apart. I could tell them apart by their scents. I focused on Damien, realizing he was the leader. Power flowed from Lucas.
“We are equal, pup. Never forget it.” I allowed my own energy to flow, forcing the other man to stagger back. I placed Laikyn behind me. “Don’t come at me with your shit, boy. You and your brother may know more about this thing we are facing, but I can and will wipe the floor with you.”
Lyric pushed her way into the room. “Alright, guys. Put your dicks away. No need to piss all over the place.”
“For the love of all, woman,” Rowan roared. “Will you stop running into rooms full of testosterone?”
