Flawless Evans, Gabrielle (ebook smartphone .txt) 📖

covens in the country,” Torren replied calmly. “We don’t have enough Enforcers to fight them, and we have no evidence to arrest anyone.”

“We know Thane is there.”

“Prove it,” Torren returned with an arched eyebrow.

“Why do we have to prove anything?” Kieran demanded. They’d rescued plenty of captives on little more than a hunch or a tipoff. Why was this any different? He was willing to bet everything he owned that Thane Braddock wasn’t the only person being held against his will in Snake River.

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Torren looked exhausted right down to his bones as he stared at Kieran. It was understandable considering how quickly things were snowballing downhill for the paranormal world. The witches who had tried to attack them during their Halloween gathering were only the beginning. More would come, and the next time, they’d come prepared.

They were still trying to find the remaining Braddock brothers.

More captives were being reported all around the country. There were still missing children and more turning up drained of their powers courtesy of different power-hungry witch covens. It was a lot of responsibility to shoulder.

“I’m not sure it would matter if we had proof,” Torren said quietly. “Snake River has more Enforcers than the whole of The Council. That’s not even counting the number of coven guards who aren’t registered Enforcers. That place is locked down tighter than Alcatraz.”

Varik and Demos sat with their heads down and their hands clenched on the table in almost identical poses. “We didn’t know,” Varik mumbled. “I swear we didn’t know.”

“No one is blaming you,” Torren assured them.

Kieran didn’t blame them, either, but Varik’s comment did spark another thought. “If you guys didn’t know, then it’s possible that no one else does. What if it’s only a small faction like Tuesday’s inner circle?”

“That’s a good point.” Torren’s brow creased even as he rubbed at it with his fingertips as though trying to iron out the wrinkles. “I’ll get in touch with the other elders and call a special meeting for later tonight.”

“Daddy,” a quiet, sleepy voice called from the doorway. Wren stood there, clutching the ugliest stuffed pig Kieran had ever seen. “I had a bad dream.”

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“Everyone is welcome to stay,” Torren said as he moved around the table and lifted his son into his arms. “You want to tell me about your dream, buddy?”

Wren shook his head, wrapped his arms around Torren’s neck, and buried his little face in Torren’s throat. “Will you tell me a story?”

Aslan wandered into the kitchen, yawning hugely as he waved his hello to everyone. “You want me to take him so you can finish up here?” he asked his mate.

Torren bent and kissed him on the forehead. “We’re done.” His fingers looped around the back of Aslan’s neck and squeezed lightly.

“C’mon, sleepyheads. Let’s get you two back in bed.” The trio disappeared, but Kieran continued to stare at the spot where they’d been, unable to swallow around the lump in his throat.

He wanted that. While he had his siblings, and now his sister’s twins, he wanted a family of his own.

Taking Lynk’s hand, he brought it to his lips and whispered a kiss over the knuckles. They’d get there one day. It had been barely three days since they’d met, and there were still a multitude of issues to work out in their relationship before they got to that point.

“We’re going to head back to Haven,” Demos announced.

“Someone needs to fill Stavion in on what happened.”

“And we need to prepare for any backlash against Haven,” Ridley added, rising to his feet with the vampires. “Do you need anything from your place, Kieran?”

“That would be great. I’ll call Parker and have him get it together if you don’t mind grabbing it before the meeting tomorrow.”

“No problem. We’ll see you guys later.” Then they were gone as well, leaving Kieran alone with his mate for the first time since the sun had set.

“Do you want me to stay?” He probably should have thought to ask his mate that before everyone left. Still, there were plenty of spare rooms and even a few couches if it came down to it.

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“Of course I want you to stay.” Lynk looked at him in shock.

“Why would you think differently?”

Because I’m insecure and you confuse the hell out of me. “I just wanted to be certain that we were on the same page. So, which room is yours?”

Lynk rose to his feet, took Kieran’s hand, and tugged him gently.

“I’ll show you.”

* * * *

Snuggled in bed, his head resting on his mate’s chest, Lynk voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind since the fiasco at Snake River. “How would you prove that we’re mates? Why did you get so angry about it?”

Kieran sighed and hugged him closer. “They’d have to separate us on the full moon. I don’t trust those idiots. There was no way I was letting them take you away from me.”

“What would happen on the full moon?” Lynk curled closer and smiled, warmed that Kieran wanted to keep him close.

“I’d shift, find you, and claim you. It can be very intense, and a werewolf will do whatever it takes to get to his mate on a full moon.

It can be physically painful for me if I don’t find and claim you.”

“So, I need to stick close on the full moon.”

“That would be appreciated.” Kieran rolled to his side and tilted Lynk’s head up with gentle pressure under his chin. “It can be scary.

I’ll claim you in my shifted form, and I’ll probably be pretty growly.

It’s still me, though, and I would never do anything to hurt you, okay?”

“When you claim me…that includes sex, right?” Kieran dipped his head once, never taking his eyes from Lynk’s. Lynk had seen his mate in shifted form, and he had serious doubts that the monster cock between his powerful thighs would fit, but he was more than up