Chapter Twenty-Four
Linc
He finally understood the term “seeing red.” Linc had wanted nothing more than to murder both Jace and Jasper with his bare hands. Once Madden had left the kitchen, the two boys seemed to calm down a little and came to their senses. But Linc hadn’t. Baze had to keep him in a chokehold to stop him from hurting the twins for another five minutes. And Riley slept through the whole damn thing.
Now Linc, Keller, and Baze were sitting around the kitchen table while the rest of the house rested peacefully.
“I couldn’t control them. It was like Madden’s scent had them in a trance.” Baze shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it, man. Their eyes turned black—it was like they were completely consumed.”
Keller leaned back in his chair, exhaustion clear on his face. Linc didn’t blame him; it was nearly two o’clock in the morning. “But you didn’t feel anything?”
Linc looked at Baze, holding his breath to hear his answer. He didn’t know if he could take knowing that Baze had wanted her too, that he’d wanted inside her body as much as the rest of them. When he shook his head, Linc let out a relieved sigh. “No, man, not like they did. She smelled good, like sweet almost. But I was still clearheaded. I had no desire to claim her.”
Keller crossed his arms over his chest, turning his attention to Linc. “I don’t know, maybe it’s gone too far? Maybe you’ve been with her too many times without claiming her? Maybe it’s part of the process, you know? Like triggering your jealousy or making her even more appealing.”
Linc held his head in his hands. “But she isn’t in any pain. She said she woke up because she just felt really hot and she needed some water.” Linc scrubbed his face. “I’m not hurting either. I’m horny as hell, but not hurting. Shouldn’t that come first?”
Baze glanced at Keller, shrugging. “All I’ve ever, uh, heard about, is the pain. I’ve never heard about shifters going crazy because of someone’s scent. Maybe it is because you’ve been inside her already. Like you already started the process? Maybe she just smells…like sex?”
Linc wrinkled his nose. “Not trying to sound like a prude here, but can we please stop talking about how many times I’ve fucked Madden? It doesn’t seem right.” Not that he could really explain why, but it was making him uncomfortable as hell.
Keller chuckled. “It’s okay, man. I feel ya.”
Baze snorted. “Pussies.”
Keller and Linc exchanged a look that said they’d ignore Baze’s comment. Linc adjusted the icepack on his wrists. He’d all but broken them trying to get free. He’d gotten blood all over the kitchen floor. It was a good thing he healed fast; he’d have needed stitches for sure. He looked over his shoulder toward the living room, dropping his voice. “What about the other stuff? Franklin?”
Keller let his head fall to the table, banging it a couple of times. “Make the call. Get that asshole Brooks back up here.”
Linc’s eyebrows went to his hairline. He was surprised Keller conceded so quickly. “I know he’s not your favorite person, Kel. But I don’t really know what else to do here.”
Keller picked his head up, rubbing at his now red forehead. “There isn’t anything else we can do. Brooks needs to come here and deal with this. He promised that nothing would be traced back to the kids, and obviously it was.”
Baze narrowed his eyes. “Or Franklin’s reaching. Putting feelers out to see what he can come up with.”
Keller nodded. “Maybe. But the Feds still need to be made aware of what happened.”
Linc groaned. “And so does Corey.”
“I’ll head over and talk to Coop and Dom in the morning.” Keller sighed. “Fill them in before school.”
Linc let out a thankful laugh. “I pity you, man. Coop is going to hand you your ass on a platter when she finds out we kept this from her. Thanks for taking the fall.”
Keller got up, smirk in place. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make love to my mate. Baze, good night. Linc, enjoy your hand.”
***
When Linc finally made it back to his bedroom, he was surprised to see Madden lying awake. She was staring at the ceiling, a pensive look on her beautiful face. “Hey baby, what are you still doing up? It’s after two.”
She rolled her head to the right, meeting his eyes. “Couldn’t sleep.”
He couldn’t blame her. The past two days been nothing but tumultuous. One crazy revelation after another, getting dragged into a year-old feud she had nothing to do with. He was grateful she was still here, wrapped in his jersey and tangled in his sheets. “Madden, I…”
Her brow creased and she propped herself up on her elbow. “What’s wrong?”
He clenched his fists at his side, taking deep breaths through his mouth. “Did you shower? Have you showered since Jasper and Jace touched you?” He already knew the answer; their scent was all over the room. They were all over his mate. When she shook her head he started to tremor. “You’ve got to get them off of you. Your scent, combined with theirs, it’s making me crazy. I can’t, I can’t, I…”
“Okay. It’s okay, I’ll go shower.” She got up slowly, watching him as she made her way to his bathroom.
He tried to stay still, he really did. He locked his knees, he gritted his teeth. But it was no use. He wasn’t in control anymore, his shifter was. And his shifter? Was fucking pissed.
He crossed the room in two strides, wrapping his arm around Madden’s waist and hauling her off her feet. She let out a shocked squeal as he moved them both forward until her back hit the bathroom door, causing it to fly open. “I’m sorry baby. I’m so fucking sorry.” He reached down and turned on the water with one hand, keeping the other firmly around her. He buried his face in her hair, trying like hell to smell only her.
He picked her up and put her under the warm water, still wearing his clothes. He didn’t want to climb in after her; he wanted to give her the space she needed. But he was powerless. He pulled his shorts off and stepped into the stall, crowding her until her back was once again against a wall.
“Baby.”
He hung his head in shame.