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T hey meet at an executive airport where Daniel’s family has sent their private jet. The Burrows are incredibly wealthy, all the money coming from the military industrial complex. The family would have vast resources to vet Dominants who wanted Daniel. The idea makes bile rise in Liam’s throat, but he’s determined to do what’s best for Daniel. Even if it means leaving him alone. Or worse, helping him find a Dominant worthy of him.

Daniel and his brother Logan are not identical twins, but they look enough alike that seeing Logan steals his breath. Liam can’t stop looking at him, reminding himself of what his boy looks like. They speak in a similar way but their voices sound different.

It’s overwhelming and he’s welling up with emotion from the moment they meet.

Robert is every inch the protective Dominant, holding on to Logan’s hand, standing a few inches in front of his submissive like he’s a bodyguard ready to give his life for Logan if that’s what’s needed.

Would Robert have run away with Logan to keep him safe? Probably.

The comparison stings.

Daniel is an incredibly wealthy young man and it’s just another obstacle between them. Liam’s never even flown business class and now he’s on a private plane.

As soon as they finish saying hello, Logan has questions. “Did you bond with my brother?”

“I did. We were only together for five days. It was when your father had his first stroke. Daniel’s doctor, Dr. Chang, took the opportunity to get Daniel what he needed—not drugs or surgeries but a Dominant. Your brother was not doing well when we met. The things your father did to him were cruel and futile. He was near death.”

A flush crawls up Logan’s neck. His gaze drops. “I know a little about that. I didn’t have it as bad as my brother, but it was still awful. Pretending to be nothing, trying to convince myself I was…. Anyway, my father is dead now, and that’s the past. The funeral, which we will not be attending, is tomorrow. And now we get to save my brother. We have a room for him. He’ll need time to settle in before making any decisions,” Logan says, and Liam understands it as a warning.

“What are your intentions?” Robert asks.

I want him. I’ll run away with him and keep him safe in a fucking shack if that’s what it takes , he thinks. He manages not to say it. But if he’s given another chance with Daniel then he won’t fuck it up.

“Daniel is very high needs. He is prey. There are not a lot of prey submissives, but I’ve learned from the ones I’ve spoken to, and met, that they always bond to the first Dominant that they’re intimate with. Bonding markers show up quite quickly in their blood. If the military attempts to pair them with other Dominants after they’re bonded, they often resort to self-harm and suicide. Prey are meant to belong to one very demanding Dominant and that is all.”

“And that’s you? Are you a high-level Dominant?” Logan asks.

The question is jarring. Everyone with a designation knows he is. They can feel it. That’s just how it is.

But Logan is serious in his question. The reality is that Liam doesn’t interact with submissives anymore. And his medications, that keep him from being so depressed that he can’t even function, do a lot to mask his designation.

Liam knows he isn’t the same, but he hadn’t realized a submissive might meet him and not know his designation.

“I am. I bonded to your brother. It wasn’t a full-fledged bond because we only had a few days together, but it would have been. It could be again,” he says, but wishes he’d said it with more conviction. “I’ve not been the same since. I’m heavily suppressed at the moment. I have been for years. Obviously, that will stop when we’re reunited, and if that’s… if he decides….” Liam can’t finish the sentence.

Logan’s gaze narrows. “You didn’t answer Robert’s question. What are your intentions towards my brother?”

“That’s up to him,” Liam says. “I want it to be his choice. He deserves that.”

Logan scowls, his distaste for that answer clear on his face.

“I want to do right by him,” Liam insists. “I never should have let him go the first time. I failed him. I can’t—it’s his decision.”

Logan crosses his arms. “He should come home with us. We have a big house with plenty of room. We need time to get to know each other again. I want him to know Robert, and even Aaron. We don’t know our older brother well, but he is family and Daniel deserves a chance to have that. I think that might be more important than a romantic connection you seem to barely remember.”

“Logan,” Robert murmurs, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

Liam looks away, can’t stand seeing the easy affection between the two of them. It makes him want to scream at his own loss. Logan’s dislike of him is obvious. It even makes sense. If he’d been a good Dominant, he wouldn’t have let Daniel leave. He’d have fled in the night with Daniel and treated him like the perfect boy he was.

Why should Logan like him when he hates himself?

Logan jerks to his feet and walks towards the back of the plane. Robert follows him. The argument is quiet but Liam’s hearing is excellent and he can hear every word.

“I won’t turn my brother over to some stranger! He needs to come home and be with us. You can take care of him?—”

“I very much doubt that I can. If he’s bonded to Liam then there isn’t anything I can do and neither can you. And if one of us tries then it won’t go well. I know he doesn’t feel like a Dominant, but he is. And Daniel isn’t going to be the brother you remember. We may have very little say in the decision.”

“But, you could?—”

“Logan, honey. Your brother is prey. The dynamic he needs is sexual. He’s not like other submissives and he can’t cope like you did. Even if he could, is self-harm and denial what you want for him? A few rules from a brother-in-law he doesn’t even know?”

Logan gets up and stalks to the bedroom, closing the door with a thud.

Robert comes back over and sits down beside Liam. “How long are your suppressants going to last?”

“They’re daily.”

Robert nods. His lips are pursed in a hard line. “You took them this morning?”

Liam can tell by the question that he’s not happy about Liam’s decision.

“I’m pretty close to suicidal without them. If this doesn’t go well… if Daniel isn’t there, if his chamber malfunctioned, if he’s—I don’t even know, if I don’t get my boy, then I will very likely kill myself. And Daniel… he should have a choice. I’m not the man I was when we first met. I’m not in the military anymore, I don’t… I’m not sure I even remember how to be the Dominant I used to be. I didn’t run away with him and I should have. I don’t know that he’ll forgive me for that. And without a bond….” He shrugs, trying to keep from falling apart. “He may want to make a different choice, and I love him enough to endure that.”

“Fucking hell. You said you were bonded. You said trying to bond him to someone else would probably kill him. What the fuck are you talking about?” Robert demands. “Whatever you’re on has you compromised and not thinking clearly. And I get it. I do. I’d die for Logan. But your approach to this is wrong.”

Liam leans forward and thinks he’s going to be sick. He presses his palms to his eyes, choking back the emotion. Is Robert right? What does it mean if he is?

“I don’t even know. I thought he was gone. I dream about him endlessly, and… this is all my fault. If I’d been a better man, I’d have run away with him. He tried to tell me and I didn’t—and now I’m—Daniel is beautiful and I look and feel like a dead man walking. Logan can’t even tell that I’m Dominant. Doesn’t Daniel deserve a choice? If I’m suppressed then he has that.”

“Get off the suppressants,” Robert growls before standing up. He goes to the back of the plane and knocks on the door to the separate room. Neither of them comes back out until the plane lands.

Getting through security at the Montana Stasis Facility, which is approximately one hundred miles outside of Boseman, is surprisingly fast. They’re all microchipped from their time in the military, and the base is expecting them, so they’re led straight through to the metal detectors. They take off belts, give over keys, phones, and wallets, and then a metal door clicks open loudly and they’re led inside.

Liam lets Robert and Logan go in first and then gives the forms he’s filled out to the guards. It’s his request to have the option of claiming Daniel for himself, to be the first to see him upon his release. He has no idea if it’ll be honored, but he has to try.

Then he follows them inside. It feels like prison—the overly recycled air conditioning, the lack of windows, fluorescent lighting, and walls an indeterminate shade of gray. They’re led into a room and told to wait.

There’s an old boxy TV on the wall but the screen is blue. There are chairs. Logan sits and makes a little sound of discomfort. If Liam had wondered what they’d been up to on the plane, he doesn’t now.

Though, to be fair, he knew. There’s one really good way to settle a submissive and it’s sex.

He remembers how it felt to get Daniel on the breeding bench that first time. They’d used it every day while Daniel had been with him. His boy had whimpered so sweetly when the buckles tightened across his limbs. They weren’t necessary but Daniel had loved being limited, restricted to the point where he couldn’t move an inch.

The TV screen abruptly cuts to a live feed. Daniel is sitting upright in a box that looks like a coffin.

“What is your name?” a woman in a white doctor’s coat asks.

“Private Daniel Burrows,” he says, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Rank and serial number?” she asks.

Logan gasps as Daniel answers.

Liam can’t take his eyes off Daniel. He looks exactly as he did three years ago, as if not a single moment has passed. He’s young and beautiful and perfect. What will he think when he sees Liam again? If his bond is gone, he might want to look elsewhere. Liam will have to accept that. He finds the trash can in the room, halfway to throwing up at the idea.

“It’s been three years and four days since you went into stasis, Private Burrows. I must inform you that your father has passed away, and your care has been transferred. Your family is waiting for you in the other room.”

“Who?” Daniel asks and starts to rise. His eyes are wide, and panic fills his voice. “Who is waiting for me?”

“What the fuck? Why don’t they just let us go in there?” Logan practically shouts.

“Your family is here,” the doctor says, her voice calm.

Daniel is led toan examination table and the doctor does an examination. He’s brought a cup of water and given two pills. He stares at them for a long moment.

“What are they?” he asks and looks up at the doctor. He’s blinking rapidly.

A pang of some emotion goes through Liam. Is it hard for his boy to ask? To resist even to this small degree? His hand is squeezing his thigh and he forces himself to let go. If he were there, he’d have his hand on Daniel’s neck to keep him calm.

“Suppressants and hormones to help you with the first few weeks of reentry into society. To help you not make an impulsive decision, it’s standard procedure to supply suppressants to soldiers coming out of cryo-stasis. It’s often quite difficult for soldiers who’ve been in stasis to reintegrate, even with their loved ones. Three years have passed,” she says, and attempts a half smile, but then she’s looking down at the information before her, eager to get through the evaluation.

“Does it say who is here for me?” Daniel asks, voice uneven. “Did you see who it was? Please?”

The doctor frowns. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. They just give us the assignments in the morning. Half the time there isn’t anyone here to meet a submissive coming out of stasis. You’re lucky.”

Daniel’s brows pull together, lips twisting downwards briefly. Then he swallows the pills, washing them down with a small plastic cup filled with water.

Liam has to look away. His poor boy. How many times has he had to rely upon the doctors and take drugs when he didn’t want them? How many times has he had to trust people who didn’t care about him or view him as anything more than another task to be completed?

“He’s coming home with us tonight,” Logan says.

Robert winces. “We need to talk to Daniel first. Liam, did you know suppressants were standard procedure?”

“Of course.”

Robert nods. It’s the first time he’s seen anything like approval on the Dominant’s face.

“He’s my brother. He’s the only real family I’ve ever had. I need time to talk to him, to explain and reconnect. And he’s suppressed. They both are. Surely, the designation decision can wait a day or two?”

“I want to do more with your brother than fuck him,” Liam says.

“Do you?” Logan blinks back tears.

Which is a disaster because Robert is going to take one look at his submissive being emotional and of course he’s going to do whatever Logan wants.

Liam turns his attention back to the TV and sees Daniel disappearing behind a screen.

“Where is he going? Is he coming here?” Liam asks. The guard in the corner looks up at them from his crossword puzzle.

“He’s gotta shower and piss. They have to test his urine and wait for a few blood tests to come back before you’ll see him. Probably another hour,” he says, and goes back to doing his crossword.

Time crawls by. Finally, the door opens and another doctor comes in. They all shake hands and the doctor explains that Daniel is doing great and will get dressed and then come and meet them.

“Commander Stone, I do see a request from you stating that you would like to claim Private Burrows. There’s one from a few years ago and another one from this morning. I assume since you are here, that is still accurate?”

“What the fuck?” Logan asks.

“Is he still bonded to me?”

“We didn’t see any trace of a bond in his bloodwork. Three years in stasis would weaken any bond. His bonding numbers were low when he went into stasis,” she says.

“Of course. But yes, I will discuss it with Daniel, and assuming he agrees, I want to claim him.”

“Wait. I’m his brother . He needs to come home with us first,” Logan says, stepping forward.

“Logan, honey,” Robert murmurs, and frowns. “It’s Daniel’s decision.” He throws a look Liam’s way. There’s a nod of approval, as if Liam’s finally done something right.

“We do give all submissives and Dominants coming out of stasis, if they do not have a legally binding contract in place, suppressants that last for approximately twenty-four hours. This is for their own protection. Because he was bonded when he went into stasis and lost the bond, we’d like him to stay suppressed for a week or two. Get him in with a doctor to see how he’s adjusting before he comes off of them. We will take the commander to a reunification room first, and then you can be reunited with your family member,” she says, and looks down at the form. “Uh, your brother.”

“My twin brother,” Logan argues. “I should see him first.”

“Unfortunately, soldiers with designations have different needs than normal people. A Dominant who wants to make a claim on a submissive has priority.”

It’s the best piece of news Liam has had all fucking day. Or year. Okay, it’s the best news he’s had since Daniel left their cabin three years ago.

“Let’s go,” Liam says, not bothering to look at either of the men as he’s led out of the room.

The reunification room he’s led to is like a shabby bedroom. A queen-sized bed in one corner, a couch in the other, a bathroom with toilet and shower, and a basket on a small table that has various sex toys and lubricants.

The room smells like chemicals and eucalyptus, an attempt to cover the scent of how much sex has been had in this room. It isn’t pleasant.

He looks at the training dildo in the basket and imagines opening up his boy. What if Daniel doesn’t want him? Even if they had sex right now, the suppressants would mean they shouldn’t bond.

The door opens. He looks up, expecting it to be another doctor or someone with forms he needs to sign, but it’s Daniel.

“You’re here,” he whispers, stepping into the room. He’s wearing a t-shirt, gray sweats, and flip-flops.

“I am. I had to see you,” Liam says, voice rough. He pulls Daniel close, hauling him against his body.

Daniel nuzzles into his shoulder and writhes closer, dragging a deep breath in. He starts to laugh. “My father is dead and you’re here.”

He lifts his face and takes a look at Liam, studying him closely. He frowns. “Do you still want me? Is there someone else?”

Daniel’s pupils are blown, his voice slower than it should be. A sign that the suppressants are kicking in.

“There isn’t anyone else, Daniel. Of course not. But it’s been three years and you’re finally free. Not just from your father but from the military and our bond. It’s a decision we’d have to make again,” he says, forcing himself to remain calm, keep his touch light. He is suppressed so Daniel has a choice.

“I don’t feel well,” Daniel says, and Liam guides him to the bed, helping him sit down. Daniel closes his eyes and breathes in and out slowly.

“I don’t like this room,” Daniel murmurs, and he sways closer.

“Your suppressants are probably making it worse.”

Daniel puts his hand to his throat. “I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“Let’s get out of here,” he says, putting a hand on Daniel’s elbow, helping him stand and go to the door. They step out into the hall.

Daniel’s eyes are shining with tears. “You feel different. You’re not mine anymore, are you?”

“I’m… no. The bond is gone. I’m suppressed. I think I’m even more suppressed than you are. Daniel, sweetheart. I failed you. You deserve the world and if… if the best thing for you?—”

“I had a nest,” Daniel whispers, cutting him off. A tear slides down his cheek.

“It’s still yours. I haven’t been in the room since you left. Hell, I can’t even go to the cabin.”

Daniel wipes at the tears on his cheeks. “Is that true? Because you miss me?”

“There you are!” Logan says, and then he’s throwing himself at Daniel, holding him tightly in his arms. Daniel closes his eyes, hugging his brother hard. But when he opens his eyes, they’re fixed on Liam.

“I haven’t been back, Daniel. I won’t go there without you,” he says, putting as much dominance into his voice as he can.

Daniel swallows hard, swaying towards him but Logan is there, supporting him, and leads Daniel out of the base, Robert and Liam bringing up the rear.

Logan is doing all the talking, Daniel answering when questioned directly, but he frequently looks over his shoulder at Liam as if he needs to make sure he’s still there.

“You should stay with us for a few days. You’re suppressed, he’s suppressed, no one knows what the hell is going on. The two of you can reconnect and Logan will calm down when he sees you two together. He’s missed his brother. He feels guilty, too,” Robert says.

“I understand. And I would like to be with him,” Liam replies, sparing a quick glance of thanks for Robert. Then he’s back to looking at Daniel. At the swell of his ass. The perfection of his pale skin, his neck.

Liam isn’t hard because of the high dosage of suppressants he’s on, but he is interested in Daniel. He wants to touch him, speak to him, keep him close. There are a hell of a lot of things he wants to do with—and to—Daniel that don’t require his cock to be hard.

“Can you meet his needs?” Robert asks, as if he’s read Liam’s mind.

“Yes,” he says, though it feels like their time together was a lifetime ago. But he wants Daniel. That hasn’t changed. And once the suppressants wear off, it seems unlikely he’ll be able to stay away.

They board the plane, and Logan takes Daniel’s arm and guides him to sit down beside him. Liam takes a seat opposite him, needing to keep Daniel in his line of sight. Daniel can’t stop looking at Liam, either. Logan’s questions are frequently unanswered and have to be repeated, Daniel is so distracted.

By the time the plane lands, Daniel’s anxiety is palpable. It’s taking everything Liam has not to get up and drag Daniel onto his lap. But Logan is strategically placed to keep them apart and Robert is beside him radiating a warning to stay away.

They stand up to deplane. “What happens now?” Daniel asks, glancing longingly at Liam.

Logan is still separating them. He’s surprised Logan didn’t get him thrown out of the plane when they reached five thousand feet.

“We go home. You’ll stay with us for as long as you want. And Aaron is looking forward to seeing you again, too.”

“Liam?” Daniel asks, voice too loud.

“I’m staying with your family tonight. I’ll be there,” he reassures.

“Yes. Good,” Daniel says, and his shoulders slump in relief. He casts a worried glance back at him as they get off the plane.

I haven’t lost him yet , Liam thinks, and a wave of determination goes through him. It’s the strongest emotion he’s felt in a long time. Daniel is his for the taking and he wants him more than he’s ever wanted anything in his entire life. He’ll make it up to Daniel, won’t ever let anyone hurt him again.

They stand on the tarmac and start walking towards the small parking lot where their cars are.

“Daniel?” Liam asks.

Daniel turns towards him, taking two steps closer. “Yes, Da—Liam?” He’s eager, as if he’s a plant arching towards the sun.

“Would you like to come in my car?”

Daniel blushes so intensely that Liam has to rethink what he’s just said. Ah. Right. Though he isn’t sure the word “ride” would have gotten a less intense response.

“Yes. Please.”

Robert reaches out, takes Logan by the arm and moves him out of the way.

“We’ll meet you there,” Liam says, and finally he gets to close the distance between them. His hand settles on Daniel’s shoulder and Daniel shivers in response. Daniel’s breath hitches and he leans into Liam. Liam lets his thumb brush against the back of Daniel’s neck, feeling Daniel’s body tense.

“Oh god. Daddy,” Daniel whispers.

There’s an electric current of desire arcing between them. He presses a kiss to Daniel’s mouth and holds him in his arms for long moments.

“We’ll see you there,” Robert agrees, and Logan’s shoulders slump. He lets Robert guide him away.

Then Logan turns back. “Daniel, I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t help you when I should have. And I’m sorry I believed father. The things he said about you.”

Daniel shakes his head, taking a moment to think through what the words mean. He turns to look at his brother, body staying pressed against Liam. “I love you, too, Logan. There wasn’t anything you could do. We’ll talk about it,” he says, but he’s already turning back to Liam.

He presses his face into Liam’s shirt.

“Do you remember when we first met?” Daniel asks. It isn’t coy but shy, as if he’s worried the answer might be no.

“You were and still are the most beautiful submissive I’ve ever seen. I saw you and all I could think about was breeding you. How could I ever forget that?”

“You’re here, I can’t believe you’re here,” Daniel whispers.

“Of course I am. I haven’t been the same since you left. I have—I think I’ve aged twenty years, that’s how much I’ve missed you.”

Daniel turns, resting his hand on Liam’s cheek. “You look sad, Daddy. That’s all,” he says. He bites his lip, casting a quick glance up to meet Liam’s gaze. “Maybe you won’t be anymore?”

“No, I won’t be.”

Daniel whimpers. “The first moment I saw you, I couldn’t believe you were going to be mine. Even if it was just a few days. I don’t want you to be sad; I want to make you happy.”

He turns his head, kissing Daniel’s palm. “You’re the sweetest boy I’ve ever met, Daniel. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he says, and Daniel gasps, wiping away the tears he can feel against his hand.

“Daddy, no.”

Liam lets his teeth close on the rise of flesh below Daniel’s thumb. Daniel goes weak against him, his free hand sliding over the front of Liam’s jeans, trying to feel his erection.

“I’m suppressed, sweetheart.”

“Oh.” He doesn’t even try to hide how disappointed he is by the news. “How long?”

“Hours, honey. You are too.”

Daniel frowns. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I guess it’s easier for me, I just have to take it.”

“You want to?” Liam asks, but he thinks he knows the answer.

“Of course I do. I still… well, I think I’ll always feel like I’m yours. But it’s been so long, maybe you don’t feel the same? Maybe that’s why you’re not?—”

“No,” he cuts in, voice firm. “I was ready to build a life around you, and suddenly you were gone from me. I was told you were dead, baby. Gone from me forever, and I—” He can hardly say the words. “I had just gotten you. Losing you broke me. I don’t know who I am now. I’ve forgotten. So much so that I took my suppressants today, even though I was going to see you, because I thought I should—I thought I should give you a chance to say no. Find someone else if that was what you wanted.” It’s a horrible confession of his willingness to let him go when that is the last thing Daniel would have wanted.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve done so badly when you deserve everything.”

Daniel puts a hand on his arm. “You know that it’s like I saw you yesterday, right? I left you and went straight to the facility where they put me under and I was just asleep. Except that apparently three years have passed, and my father is dead. I don’t know who I’d be if I had to live for three years without you, to wake up every morning and try to live. I don’t think I would have made it.”

“It hasn’t been easy. I know you can see it.”

Daniel presses a kiss to the corner of Liam’s mouth. “I’ll feed you. I won’t let you out of bed, Daddy. We’ll be okay,” he says, and the sadness is there. “It was hard for you, Daddy.”

It feels like forgiveness, this recognition that Liam is only diminished because he loved Daniel too well. He did. He does.

“I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”

“I feel numb now. The suppressants have just made everything dull and unimportant. But I still want you. Not like I did before, an inferno of need where I just needed to be owned by you for as long and often as possible, but you’re still the most important thing in the room. You’re everything to me. My brother… I don’t… well. I do love my brother but you’re my life. You’re what I want. I need my nest, Daddy.”

And then Liam is kissing his mouth, licking into him, and Daniel surrenders with a little sigh, mouth opening, shyly kissing him back, his arms sliding around Liam’s neck.