Chapter Two

Sam strolled down the street and then stopped. He turned around and gazed at Henry standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants that hung deliciously off his hips just right. For a librarian, he had a six pack that made Samuel jealous. He wasn’t sure where Henry hid the gym equipment among all those books. Whatever he did, it worked. Maybe Samuel should start something like it.

Sam stared at him for a long, hard minute until a car horn shook him from his stupor. He chuckled to himself as he jogged back to his lover. Taking the steps of the porch two at a time, he planted a kiss on Henry’s lips.

“Your brothers texted twenty minutes ago,” Henry chided with a sweet smile.

“So?”

“They’ll leave you behind.”

“If they do, we could go back to bed, and I’ll wake you up the same way I did earlier.”

Henry moaned at the playful threat. His voice was breathless. “Sam, I have to go to work.”

“Fuck work. Stay with me.”

“Wish I could. When will you be back?”

“Soon. I promise. I love you, Henry. You’re my best friend. I can tell you everything.”

Henry met his gaze. “Not everything. You’re holding back from me.”

Samuel stretched his frame to kiss his forehead. “Someday. Someday you’ll know everything.”

They shared one last, deep kiss before Henry nudged him away. “Go, get to your brothers.”

Samuel stepped back. “Love you.”

“Love you more.”

Samuel backpedaled so he could watch Henry. Henry waved and then closed the door. Samuel spun on his toe and dug his cell from his pocket. “Shit,” he muttered as he scanned the new texts on the screen. His stride turned into a jog. He had no idea how he was going to get back to his brothers in time. He hoped Josiah was exaggerating. He couldn’t remember the last time the oldest Hallow brother wasn’t dead serious about what he wanted or what he expected from his younger siblings.

His breath chugged out in pained gasps as he circled around the club to where Josiah parked the night before. The car was still there for a second. A moment later it roared to life as Josiah shifted into gear and pulled from the curb. Samuel sprinted and managed to slam his fists on the trunk before he floored it.

Josiah hit the brakes and then stepped out, leaning on the open door. “Happy to see you made time to join us.”

“I got tied up,” Sam replied.

“If that’s what you’re into. Get in. We need to get back.” Josiah slid in behind the wheel. Samuel hurried to the passenger side and climbed in. The block flew by as Josiah slammed on the gas.

“So, Sam, was she hot?” Ezekiel queried as he bounced up and down like a Chihuahua on crack.

“Why are we interrogating me?” Samuel countered.

“We already discussed our night. That’s what happens when you show up so fucking late.”

“She was smoking hot. Rocked my world. Happy?”

“You have no idea how happy I am.”

Samuel sighed as he turned his gaze to the passing scenery. His brothers chattered away. He couldn’t stop missing Henry. Maybe it was time to grow a pair and tell his brothers about him. He huffed as the misery filled his soul. It would go over like a lead balloon. Besides, it would complicate things if the day ever came along that he discovered his mate.

He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window and closed his eyes. His thoughts wandered to that morning, of the warm sunlight bathing the flesh of his lover. His gaze traveled along the hard planes of Henry’s body, the soft tufts of hair that trailed across his chest and down his belly. His moans echoed in Samuel’s ears as Samuel licked up the length of Henry’s cock. Henry’s smoky eyes as he gazed down at Sam almost made him lose his load. He couldn’t help but stroke himself as he sucked Henry to orgasm. Samuel followed right behind. The sexy librarian went to such lengths to relax him the night before. Samuel thought it was only right to return the favor.

He felt a blow to the ribs. His eyes flew open. It felt like a thousand volts of electricity buzzed through him. His instincts rose into a flight or fight response.

His brother’s snicker greeted him. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re home,” Josiah greeted.

Samuel growled. “Don’t fucking hit me like that, Joe.”

“I shook you. You didn’t wake up. By the way, who the fuck is Henry? You kept moaning the name in your sleep.”

Samuel forced a smile on his face as his blood ran cold. “The woman I was with last night demanded I call her Henry. Some kind of fetish. There are some crazy bitches at that club.”

“You’re telling me. The blonde I was with wanted me to drip hot melted wax on her. She got off on it.”

“Did she do it to you?”

“Fuck, yeah. Hurt like a motherfucker. I got hard as a rock. We fucked for hours.” Josiah looked out the windshield. He nodded. “Mike is heading this way. He wants to talk to you.”

Samuel popped the door open as he watched Micah stride across the camp. Ezekiel and Joshua had already disappeared from the backseat. They were stumbling up the stairs of their cabins.

Samuel met his older brother with a grin. It was convenient that Micah was their manager also. “What’s up?”

“Got your contract. And Leroy wants a face-off,” Micah replied.

“When?”

“He scheduled it for the end of the week. You know Leroy. He’d do it tonight if he could.”

Henry popped in Sam’s mind. His cock twitched in response. “Whenever. I’m good. Are you going to tell me who I’m fighting?”

Micah sighed. “Bowser McNamara.”

“That guy is a fucking lunatic,” Samuel near shouted. “Are you trying to get me killed?”

“He’s a lunatic because he’s out of control. Train smart. You’ll knock him out.”

“I suppose.”

Micah waved him toward the long building that housed their gym, office, dining room, and kitchen. “Let’s go get it signed so I can get it back to Leroy.”

Samuel motioned toward Micah’s cabin. It was on the other side of his, opposite of Caleb and Meg. “What about your office? Isn’t Abraham working right now? The little shit can’t concentrate as it is.”

Micah shrugged as he started toward the structure. “Eve is on my computer. She’s obsessed with Momma’s amulet. I guess I would be too if my friends had been killed over it. Pretty much all she does is eat, sleep, and hack into websites looking for information. Oh, and fuck me senseless. Can’t forget that one. It’s the most important.”

Samuel jogged to catch up. “Has she found anything?”

“She got some sketchy footage of whoever lives in that house in Connecticut. It came off a neighbor’s security camera but was across a man-made lake. The distance is enough to distort it a bit. She stayed up during that last full moon while we were at the North Cabin. It’s grainy. She’s hoping to find some photo enhancing software so we can see who the fuck lives there.”

Samuel chuckled. “Dude, your wife is scary. Hacking into someone’s security system?”

Micah laughed. “Yeah. Tell me about it. I think I might have married me a psychopath.”

“Hot computer hacking biker chick who used to strip. Sounds pretty accurate.”

The two men hopped up the steps of the main building. Throwing open the door, Micah led Samuel into the office. Their youngest brother was focused hard on the computer screen in front of him. His head turned toward them just enough to catch them out of the corner of his eye. Then he sprung out of his chair and stumbled over it as he tried to find his footing.

“What the almighty fuck?” Abraham demanded as he clenched his hand to his chest.

“Chill, hombre,” Micah answered as he motioned to the desk chair now resting on two legs. “We have to sign a couple contracts.”

Abraham pouted. “I’m working.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“You have an office in your cabin. You haven’t turned it into a nursery like Cay and Meg did.”

Samuel noticed Micah bristle at the youngest Hallow’s words. “You want to kick Eve out? My mate will kick your ass.”

Abraham huffed. “I’m going to go get something to eat.” He stormed out of the office. His footsteps faded away.

Samuel laid a hand on Micah’s shoulder. “He’s young and stupid, Mike. He didn’t mean what he said.”

Micah sighed. “I know. It doesn’t make it easier. Eve and I have tried. I thought whatever the pull is that brings us together would get her pregnant. Nothing yet.”

“Are you going up to the North Cabin for the next full moon? Try and try again.”

“Not this time. I guess Ruby chewed through her playpen last time. Cay and Meg need to let her roam as much as an infant can. It doesn’t matter. I love Eve with every breath I take. If I’m not meant to be a dad, I’ll learn to live with it. But she cries at night. She thinks I’m sleeping. I’m not.” Micah laid the pile of paper on the desk. “Let’s get these taken care of before moody shit gets back.”

Samuel picked up a pen and watched as Micah pointed out the places to sign. The pages went on forever. After about ten minutes, they reached the last sheet. Micah picked up the pile and tapped it against the desk to straighten any stray pieces of paper.

“I’ll drop this in the mail. Start training. And be ready for the face off.”

“Got it.” Sam turned for the door. He almost collided with Abraham.

“You guys done?” Abraham asked as he jammed a thick turkey sandwich in his mouth.

Sam smirked. “Sure, hotshot. Go back to work. Or jacking off. Whatever we interrupted.”

“Shut up, shithead.”

“Back atcha, baby bro.”

Sam laughed as he strode from the main building to his cabin. Once he made it to his bedroom, he threw open his dresser and dug through it for workout wear. He shed his clothes and tugged on a pair of fight shorts.

Then he slumped on his bed. He had never missed Henry like this before. The pull to his lover was hard to explain. He frowned. Could they be? He stood and shuffled to his bathroom. The crimson-colored paint and black towels complimented each other to give the room a badass Goth look. Samuel took a deep breath and held it as he turned around.

Nothing. His skin was marked with the colorful tattoos he had already gotten the long, painful way. In a tattoo artist’s chair.

With a huff, he returned to his bedroom and pulled on a T-shirt. Scooping up his cell, he fired off a quick text. He waited for a response. His gut churned as anxiety claimed him. It felt like eternity before his message was returned. He read it with a smile. It would kill him to wait that long, but he would end the night of his face off in the librarian’s arms. He tossed the cell on the bed and hurried out to train.

»»•««

Fingers skimmed across Samuel’s cock through the thin barrier of his jeans. He bit back a growl as he glared down at the drunk blonde grinding against him. Her other hand gripped the neck of a beer bottle, the contents sloshing dangerously against the glass. He was sure as fuck not wearing her beer.

“Let’s fuck. Right here on the dance floor,” she proposed.

“Not tonight, sweetheart.” Sam nudged her aside and dove deeper into the raucous mob. The club was always like this. Bodies melded together, loud music, and the smell of stale alcohol. The blonde’s suggestion wasn’t out of the question. He’d had sex several times here right on the dance floor with his cock jammed deep inside some unknown body in front of total strangers for the simple sake of release. The thrill of being watched was half the fun.

But not tonight. He didn’t understand what was happening, but it started three days earlier. Something possessed him, wound tight around his heart and soul. It stole his breath. It gave him an erection that the mental images of his spinster aunts couldn’t drive away. He missed Henry. That was it. But it wasn’t. His body, soul, mind ached for his boyfriend. But it ached for someone else. The blonde wasn’t it. There was someone in particular. Samuel didn’t know who.

He felt a hand grip his arm. He couldn’t turn around to see who had him before the voice met his ears. “Come on, big boy. Let’s get this over with.”

“Sure thing, Micah.”

The two brothers cut through the crowd toward the stage. Some patrons moved. Some stayed in the way so they could touch them. Samuel watched Micah wince every time he was caressed. The mating bond united him to Eve for eternity. If either was brushed against by someone else wanting to arouse them, it made them nauseated. The same went for Caleb and Meg. It seemed unusually cruel to be cursed like that. The mating bond didn’t fuck around.

“Can we hurry the fuck up before I hurl?” Caleb shouted over the noise.

Sam felt his body yank back. At the same time, he watched Caleb fly forward past him. “Barrier, Sam. Let’s protect them,” Josiah told him.

“Of course. Pansy-asses,” Samuel joked.

Caleb and Micah turned. “Just wait, big mouth,” Micah warned. “Your time is coming.”

“Doubt it,” Samuel answered with a smirk as he motioned down his body. A stray hand grabbed his ass. “Nobody wants this.”

“Nobody has a choice. They learn to deal with it.”

“Mike, drop it,” Josiah ordered. “Something is up.”

All four turned their attention to the stage. Leroy, the promoter, was huddled with two men in black designer suits. An expensive watch glimmered from underneath each linen cuff. The smaller of the two had close-cropped black hair. The taller one had slick-backed ash blond hair. Both of them gave Samuel the creeps. He didn’t know why. It was as mysterious as the force that controlled each and every one of his nerves and set them on fire.

The four brothers climbed the steps to the stage. Josiah and Caleb stayed back as Samuel and Micah approached the men.

“Hey, Leroy,” Micah greeted.

“Hey, Mike. Hey, Sam. Let me introduce you to my new business partners,” Leroy replied.

“Business partners?” Samuel countered.

The black haired suit stepped forward. He extended his hand to Samuel. “Yes. Samuel Hallow, correct? You’re fighting for us. Leroy has told us all about the Hallow brothers. Rock Van Helkom.”

Sam frowned as he shook Rock’s hand. The man’s accent was strange. It was a dialect he never heard before. “Where are you from, Rock?”

“The east coast. My associate and I have been looking for a promotion to invest in. We heard about you and your brothers. We realized this was it.” He motioned to the blond. “This is Cort Bramish.”

Cort shook Samuel’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Me too, sir.” Samuel motioned to Micah standing beside him. “This is my brother and manager, Micah.”

Each man shook Micah’s hand. “Middleweight champ, correct?” Rock asked.

“Yes, sir.” Micah waved to Josiah and Caleb. “These are two more of our brothers. The one on the right with shoulder-length hair is Josiah, the oldest. The one on the left with the crazy ass hair is Caleb.”

“The Welterweight champion.”

“Yes, sir.”

Leroy clapped Samuel on the shoulder. “Now that you gentlemen have met, should we get this show on the road?”

They all nodded in agreement. Samuel shot one last glare over his shoulder at Rock and Cort. They made him anxious. He didn’t know why. Whatever his suspicions were, they felt hard wired. Enduring. He closed his eyes to focus on the feeling.

It felt ancient. Like two warring factions that had fought for centuries.

He opened his eyes again as Josiah nudged him. “You ready?”

“Definitely.”

“Who were those guys?” Caleb queried

Micah shook his head as he looked back at the two men. They returned the icy stare. “Rock and Cort. They bought into Leroy’s promotion because of us, I guess.”

“I don’t like them. I don’t know why. There’s something about them that rubs me wrong.”

“Like they’re fucking loaded?” Josiah interjected. “Did you see the watch and the diamond cufflinks? I can see them from here.”

“I did. Maybe that’s it.”

Leroy took the microphone and faced the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s the night. We have a lot of great match-ups on this ticket, so let’s get started with the big one. Our main event is for the number one contender’s spot and a chance to face the champion, Felix Ross, for the belt. Introducing first to you, all the way from Saint Cloud, Minnesota, here is Bowser McNamara.”

Sam watched as Bowser and his team climbed the stairs to the stage. Bowser was plain scary. Samuel had no idea how he had never faced him up to this point. The guy’s bald head was covered in demon tattoos. So was almost every other inch of his skin. His septum ring made him look like a crazed bull. He wore a spiked collar and jeans. His shirt was long gone. He did everything but foam at the mouth. And rumor had it that his temper matched his appearance. Bowser grit his teeth at Samuel. He couldn’t hear it over the noise, but Sam guessed he probably growled.

“That guy is freaky looking,” Caleb remarked.

“Looks don’t scare me,” Samuel replied. “He may try to look like a junkyard dog. I’m a fucking Hallow.”

“And his opponent, one of the epic Hallow Brothers, Sam Hallow.”

Sam strode across the stage with his brothers on his heels, not stopping until he was nose to nose with Bowser.

Bowser snarled at Samuel. “I’m going to tear your heart out.”

Samuel chuckled. “I’d like to see you fucking try. Don’t waste your time. That number one contender spot is mine.”

“Fuck you.”

“Try me. I’m going to put you down, bitch.”

Bowser closed the inches that separated them. He used his large frame to shove Samuel back a couple steps. The crowd roared at the spectacle. Before Samuel could fight back, the two men were torn apart from each other.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the fireworks have started,” Leroy announced. “Get your photos and don’t forget to buy your tickets.”

Josiah and Micah let go of Samuel long enough for him to drop into stance for pictures. They had a grip on him again as Leroy’s security goons ushered them offstage. They didn’t let go until they were outside of the club.

“Fuck, guys,” Samuel protested as he shook them free. “I’m not five. I can handle myself.”

“You have a shorter fuse than Cay,” Josiah chided. “Had Bowser come at you one more time, you would have laid him out.”

“Would I have been wrong?”

“No. Save it for the cage. You’ve met your obligation tonight. Let’s go home.”

Samuel shook his head and then pointed at his beat-up red truck parked parallel to Micah’s Jeep. “I have plans. That’s why I drove myself.”

“Whatever we do,” Micah protested, “let’s do it. I have a wife to get home to.”

“And I need to get home to Meg and Ruby,” Caleb added.

“Pussy whipped,” Sam quipped.

“Watch your mouth,” Caleb warned him. “We’re your training partners. Where’s your belt?”

Josiah dug his keys out of his pocket. “Come on, gents. Let’s go before you throw down here. Sam, don’t do anything stupid. Got it?”

“Whatever,” Sam said.

He watched as his three brothers strode to the Jeep like animals on the prowl, sleek and predatory. Even though two were mated for life, it didn’t take the swagger from their step. All three ignored the calls from the women who lined the sidewalk outside the club waiting their turn to get in. Samuel noticed their attention turn to him. He hurried to his truck and got in before any of them could act. He had to weave around a couple of overambitious ones who tried to use their bodies as a barricade and stood in his way. They were beautiful, but he had other plans.

He sucked in a deep breath as the force that took him over yanked violently. It pulled him through the city streets miles away from the club. It led him down a familiar path—one that was already burned into his heart. He stared, baffled, as it forced him to park in front of Henry’s house. He flipped off the ignition and jammed his keys into his pocket. He moaned as he brushed his swollen cock. Was this what his brothers dealt with when they mated? The lust was too much. It consumed him. All he wanted to do was fuck. But he and Henry were lovers. Why did the mating bond choose now to take hold of them?

He took his time to climb out of his truck. Taking a deep breath to calm the fire raging through him, he walked to the porch. Knocking a couple times on the white wooden screen door, he forced air in and out of his lungs. The wait was killing him.

The door was yanked open. Samuel stood gaping. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t swallow. It wasn’t Henry. Instead, a curvy, petite redhead stood in the doorway dressed in a silk negligee and bathrobe a few shades off of her long auburn curls. Her full breasts pushed the limits of her bodice. She smiled, her emerald green eyes wide as she gazed at him. “You must be Sam. Henry told me you would be by.”

Sam struggled to find his voice. All he could think about was sex. With her. There on the porch for the entire neighborhood to see. On the couch. Across the dining room table. In Henry’s bed.

Henry. Shit. Samuel struggled to think about his boyfriend. He loved Henry. He needed to walk away. But his feet stayed cemented right there on the porch.

“Hey there, stud. Are you Sam?”

Sam snapped to attention as the memories of Henry disappeared from his mind. He struggled to find his voice. “Yeah. I am.”

She reached out and took his hand. “Then come inside.”

He could only nod. He caught a glimpse of her bare ass peeking out from under her nightgown as she led him into the house. She was stunning. As the door slammed closed, he knew only one thing. He was truly and royally fucked.