Half an hour later:

Far off in the distance, Brogan heard the faint sound of a transport leaving. He rose to his feet and scanned the area. This was the third spot he had found where someone had been. He turned and looked in the direction the man had obviously been observing. Once again, he saw Delilah’s home.

Have you found anything? Barrack asked.

Someone was watching Delilah’s home. I have found the spot where I believe he was when I first sensed him, Brogan replied.

Do you know who it is? Could it be Jaguin or Adalard? Barrack asked. I half expect them to come once the weather is clear.

No, this is human. I will see if I can track him, Brogan replied, turning to follow the tracks he had seen heading to the bottom of the mountain.

Be warned: Delilah has company, Barrack told him dryly.

What do you mean? Brogan demanded, his eyes searching the house.

He cursed when he saw the two transports in the front yard. A growl of frustration tore through him. If there were humans there, that meant they knew about him and Barrack – or at least, they knew about Barrack. His gaze moved from the tracks in the snow to the house and back again.

See if you can find anything. I am here, Barrack said.

Who are they? Brogan demanded. Barrack didn’t immediately answer him, and his gaze moved back to the house.

Men who wish to court our mate, Barrack finally admitted. She is going to serve them hot chocolate and sweets.

And you let her?! Brogan demanded.

It is called Pearl’s Rule Number 1. I am using my brain. Go find the danger to us, Brogan, and leave our mate to me, Barrack muttered.

You know, I have really tried to forget that woman and her rules, Brogan stated with a slight shudder at the memory of Pearl and her small torture device. Keep those males away from our mate or I will.

Brogan pulled away from his connection with his brother. He needed to focus on the tracks. Motioning for his symbiot, he mounted the hovering gold skimmer, and they wove through the trees, following the narrow double lines in the snow. The tracks led down to the road and Brogan could see where a transport had been. A wide path leading down the road showed that the vehicle was equipped with a deflector to clear the snow from its path.

Wary of traveling along the road, he tried to follow the tracks of the transport from the edge of the forest. He had to cross the road several times to keep sight of where the vehicle had gone. A wave of frustration ran through him when he reached the main road. It appeared the vehicle had traveled both ways and he couldn’t tell which was newer with the falling snow covering up the tracks.

He scanned the sky. Dark, heavy clouds were filling in the brief patch of blue. He could feel the temperature dropping again.

Tired of snow. Go to mate. She make chocolate, his dragon said.

Brogan’s lips twitched when his symbiot sent him the same visual image of a huge cup of steaming chocolate. He knew they both wanted to return to the house because of the men. Neither creature was bothered by the cold.

On the other hand, he could feel it seeping into his bones and he wouldn’t mind something sweet and delicious to warm him up. He chuckled when both his dragon and his symbiot pulled up a very vivid image of Delilah last night spread out on the bed with bands of gold wrapped around her wrists and ankles – before switching to an image of a strange man smiling down at her. He shook his head and scowled.

You both did that on purpose! Brogan muttered, shifting uncomfortably on the symbiot skimmer.

The sound of his dragon snickering in his head had him wishing at times that they were two separate entities. At least that way he could tell his irritating other half to shut up and go away. Of course, he would probably be as successful with that as he was with his symbiot.

You miss me if I go away, his dragon retorted with a low rumble.

For maybe a nanosecond, Brogan replied.

A wave of warmth and pleasure coursed through him at the easy banter. He hadn’t felt this relaxed – since forever. The tension and anger that had continuously consumed him since he was a youngling wasn’t completely gone, but the need to rip someone’s head off had disappeared.

It didn’t take him long to return to Delilah’s house. They silently slid to a stop on the backside of the large shed. His symbiot shifted into a Werecat. He debated what he should do before he sent his symbiot an order to search the woods for any other traces of the human they had been tracking.

“This is the one time when having Jaguin here would have been helpful,” he mused to his symbiot.

His symbiot shook off the snow accumulating on its back before releasing an annoyed sigh when more snow took its place. Brogan patted the symbiot, sending a burst of warmth and affection to it before turning his attention toward the house. His eyes narrowed when he saw Delilah and a human male standing in the dining room.

His eyes flared with a savage emotion when he saw the man lean into her. From this angle, it looked like the man was going to drape his body over Delilah right there on the dining room table. He started forward across the yard.

What you going to do? his dragon demanded, fire building in his throat.

“I’m going to rip his head off,” Brogan savagely replied.

Striding through the deep troughs in the snow that he and Barrack had created for the dogs and Delilah, he sprang up the stairs to the porch. He pulled open the back screen door and pushed open the door to the mudroom. The door behind him had barely shut before he did the same to the kitchen door.

He saw Barrack look up as he came in. The look of warning on his brother’s face changed to resignation when he swept past him. He heard Barrack’s faint warning to not kill the man, but his eyes were glued on the face smiling down at Delilah.

The human looked up and saw him. Brogan didn’t bother hiding the flames in his eyes or deadly intent in them. The human’s face paled and a sheen of sweat appeared on the man’s forehead.

Delilah’s body stiffened and she straightened. When she turned her head to look at him, the message was clear – we have guests and your dragon is showing.

“Yay, you’re back just in time for some hot chocolate and cake… and as you can see, we have guests,” she greeted with a forced cheerfulness.

Brogan didn’t care that his dragon was showing. He did care that the man was too close to Delilah. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her against his body and stepped back, taking her with him.

“Brogan…,” she began, placing her hands over his.

“I thought you said his name was Barrack?” the man replied in confusion.

“I am Barrack. This is my twin, Brogan,” Barrack dryly replied.

The man swallowed again. “There are two of you? I mean, there are two of you. Which one…?” a confused expression crossed the man’s face as he stared back and forth between the two of them.

Brogan realized what the man was talking about when the human’s gaze settled on Delilah. He tightened his arm around her waist when she tried to push them away. He wanted the human to know that Delilah was off limits.

“She is ours,” Brogan said, his voice deep and rough from his dragon being so close to the surface.

“Yours? As in… both?” the man stuttered.

“Alright! I do believe the hot chocolate is ready. Brogan, why don’t you help me carry the drinks in? Bubba Joe, can you let the other guys know to come into the dining room?” Delilah asked in a sweet but firm tone.

Brogan winced when he felt her elbow him in the stomach. She twisted in his arms and grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him behind her. The moment they were in the kitchen, she looked to make sure that none of the others could hear her.

“Do not act like a Neanderthal in my home. Do not embarrass me in front of my friends. But most of all, DO NOT LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE AN ALIEN!” she hissed.

“He was practically draped over you on the table,” Brogan growled, pointing back at the dining room.

“I don’t care if he had an apple in my mouth and had me laid out on a silver platter. Barrack and you would be in danger if anyone knew you were aliens. My world….” She paused and took in a deep breath. “My world would freak out if they knew about you two. They would hunt you down and do mean, stupid, horrible things to you… and me,” she explained in a quiet voice. “I also happen to like the men in there – save one who I only tolerate because it is fun to watch him run from the dogs. I live here, Brogan. This is my home. I don’t want people… I don’t want Bubba Joe or Rudy or even DeWayne to think of me as some sort of slut.”

Brogan could feel the hurt in her through his symbiot. He looked over her shoulder as the other men shuffled in, warily looking into the kitchen at him. Barrack had remained at the entrance to the two rooms, making sure that the men didn’t come any farther, while still being able to hear what Delilah was saying.

“Forgive me, Delilah,” he murmured, realizing that he had let his jealousy endanger them all.

Delilah gave him a rueful smile. “I’m not ashamed of my feelings for you or Barrack. We just have to be careful. Come on, the sooner they eat and drink, the sooner I can kick all of them out,” she sighed.

“I like that,” Brogan admitted with a sly grin. “I will pour the drinks.”