“So, you did it then?” Lucien nodded at the scar on Liam’s shoulder. “Finally claimed your mate.”
“Yep.” Liam felt his cheeks redden as he buried his head in the fridge. An aching ass and a full bladder forced him out of bed and now he was up he decided to get Beau breakfast. They needed to get out of the house before anyone else knew what they were doing but he should have known his brother would be lurking nearby.
Grabbing the bacon and a carton of eggs, he nudged the fridge closed with his hip, unwilling to meet his brother’s eyes. Lucien was dressed entirely in black, his blond hair tied back, nursing a mug of coffee.
“You’re going after Theo, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement of fact and Liam would never lie to his brother.
“There’s something wrong with him. Beau and I need to talk to him before things get out of hand and someone ends up killing him.” Finding a grill pan, Liam laid out an entire pack of bacon in strips and slapped it under the griller. There was already a fry pan on the stove that looked clean enough, so he lit the plate under it and started breaking eggs into it. A swipe on his arm had half the egg he was breaking leaking over the stove.
“He’s after Simon. He’s a danger to the kids in this house.” For the first time in their lives, Lucien was angry at him.
“I know that,” Liam snapped back, reaching for a cloth. “I know he’ll never be in mine or Beau’s life, but…fuck….” Tears filled his eyes and now his fingers were covered in egg slime. Lucien’s arms were around him instantly and Liam heard the click of the stove being turned off.
“Come on, sit down. I never meant to be angry with you. I’m just worried, that’s all.” Liam let himself be led to a chair and picked up the coffee mug Lucien put in front of him.
“I’m worried too,” Liam brushed at his wet cheeks and then immediately looked for a cloth. Fucking egg slime. Lucien handed him a dish cloth, his lips twitching slightly. “Yeah, I know, I’m a fucking mess. But look, I don’t know, maybe finding Theo is the only way Beau and I can get some closure on this.”
“Did Theo reject him too?” Lucien didn’t look surprised, but Liam realized his brother didn’t know what Theo did when Beau paid him a visit.
“Theo tried to rape him and when he knew how rich Beau’s family is, he tried to claim him without consent.”
Lucien sat down with a clunk. “Theo doesn’t feel the mating pull at all?” He looked horrified.
Liam shrugged. “I don’t know. I know he couldn’t have sex with Hal, so it is affecting him in some ways, but he’s still not admitting mates are even possible. How is Hal by the way?”
“He’s okay. Mad as fuck about what Theo did to him and pissed off no one in the pride seemed to notice or care that he was missing.”
“Not even the family?”
Shaking his head, Lucien took another sip of coffee. “Apparently things went to hell when dear old dad kicked us out. Mom moved into another house, taking our brothers with her. Dad’s apparently got a harem hoping for more kids who are ‘loyal to the lion way of life’. Hal was working as Dad’s enforcer, so he was flitting between Mom’s and Dad’s houses, but when he got Noah to phone and let Dad know he’s going to be absent for a while, Dad told him to pass on the message he’d been banished for his affiliation with Theo. Ra said he could stay here for as long as he wanted.”
“Good old dad,” Liam didn’t even want to think about the man who’d beaten him and Lucien so badly. “He won’t be nominated for any parenting awards anytime soon.”
The brothers sat in silence for a while, drinking coffee, lost in their thoughts. Finally, it was Lucien who put down his cup and stood up. “I’ll finish cooking your breakfast, but I’m going with you when you and Beau head out.”
Liam opened his mouth to protest but Lucien shook his head. “You can’t stop me, and I need to do this. Bro, this isn’t going to be easy. No matter what happens, you and Beau are too tied up with the mating pull to do what needs to be done, if it comes to that.”
“That’s why we’re going before the whole pack gets involved.” But Liam knew his protests were falling on deaf ears. Getting up from the table, he gave Lucien a quick hug and headed back upstairs. His bond let him know Beau was waking up and they needed to make a plan. With any luck, they could slip away before anyone else stuck their nose in.
/~/~/~/~/
The rush of the wind on his face when he was riding his bike always set Beau’s blood pumping, but today his heart rate was high for a totally different reason. His bond with Theo was easy to follow, indicating the man was close and as they’d barely left the Arrowtown borders that was a huge concern for the shifters they’d left back at Ra’s, not to mention the two men dogging his bike with their own. Liam to his left and Lucien to his right.
If the link with Theo hadn’t been so strong, Beau would’ve wondered where his brother was. When Liam woke him with the most delicious blowjob he’d ever had and then fed him breakfast, while explaining Lucien insisted on coming along, Beau understood. He had the same relationship with Noah and a part of him was glad they’d have support. While stronger than most shifters, if Theo was possessed or influenced by magic in any way, he could be highly unpredictable. Having understanding support would be hugely beneficial.
But Noah was gone. Disappeared through the night and when Beau tried to call him, his phone was turned off. On the surface, Beau wasn’t overly concerned. Noah could have left his phone charger at home or had other commitments. But with the threat of their father hanging over Beau’s head like a sword, he was surprised Noah didn’t at least let him know where he was going.
Suddenly Liam’s bike sped past him and Beau realized he wasn’t the only one feeling the mating pull. Of course, numbnuts, we’ve exchanged bites. Mentally cursing his fickle animal half, Beau opened up the throttle trying to keep pace with Liam; his mating bond screaming at him. His phoenix was trying to push for control; something he only ever did when danger was in the air. Too late, Beau realized he may have claimed him, but Liam didn’t have his magic. Liam’s bike disappeared into thin air.
“What the fuck?” Lucien’s curse could be heard clearly over the rapid change down of his gears. Braking hard, Beau almost went over the front of his handlebars as he slid to the side of the road and jumped off his bike.
“Magic,” he said quickly holding Lucien back. “Wards, by the feel of it, really strong ones.”
“I don’t give a shit. That bastard’s got Liam. I swear if he harms one hair on my brother’s head, I’ll gut him.”
“Not if I get him first.” Pulling on his own magic, Beau sent his senses flying. A dome big enough to cover the road. “They knew we were coming. Over there,” he pointed to what looked like a crop of trees. “They must have set up camp somewhere around there.”
“Can’t you sense him?” Lucien started pulling off his clothes and Beau realized he was going to shift. Throwing up some wards of his own – they were on a back road, but he didn’t want anyone interfering, Beau followed suit.
“Your lion might get jumpy; my bird won’t see you as a threat.” Beau initiated his shift which was over in a matter of seconds. Lucien was standing with his pants half off, his mouth hanging open.
“You call that a bird?”
Beau would have flipped him the bird, but he didn’t have fingers. Stretching out his wings, he took to the sky, his battle cry warning the heavens. A lion’s throaty roar echoed from the ground below.