Page 9 of Hansen (Mutants #7)

EVAN WAS GOING NUTS. He should be out there, helping his mate. He should be able to feel what Hansen was going through. At the very least, he should be trying to find a way to get to Hansen.

He stopped pacing for a moment to glare at Rikar, who seemed amused but didn’t move from his spot where he was leaning against the railing of the porch steps. He already knew what Evan wanted, but he wasn’t going to give it to him. Evan had tried to convince him, had even begged, yet here they were.

“I need to get to Hansen,”

Evan tried again. “What if it was your mate?”

“It was, once. Now that we have a daughter, Hayes doesn’t go on raids anymore, but he used to.”

“So you understand why I have to go.”

“I understand why this is difficult for you, but I would never have dreamed of going on a raid with Hayes.”

“Then you’re a bad mate,”

Evan snapped. He sucked in a breath and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

It wouldn’t do him any good to make an enemy out of the leader of the tribe he lived with.

Rikar pushed away from the stairs to grab Evan’s shoulder. “It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me kicking you out just because you disagree with me.”

Evan sucked in a breath, then another. He glanced at Orion, who was sitting on the porch steps and bouncing his knee. He stared straight ahead as if Davey were about to appear in the middle of the yard.

Maybe he was. That was what they were waiting for, even though so far, nothing had happened.

Evan turned to Matthew, who was still on his phone. “Any news?”

“No. I haven’t heard anything else from Olga. At this point, I don’t think they’re picking me up.”

“Which means they don’t need you.”

Matthew slowly nodded. “In theory.”

“What do you mean, in theory?”

“Well, they might have managed to win the fight without my help, which is what I hope happened, but maybe all of them are incapacitated and can’t come.”

Evan heard Orion mutter, “Was that really necessary?”

That was it. It was all Evan could take.

Something in him snapped. For a moment, he didn’t understand what it was. He was angry and terrified, and he needed Hansen. Someone made a strangled noise, and Evan saw that roots had shot out of the earth and grabbed Rikar’s legs.

Rikar didn’t seem to be worried. He poked at one of the roots that was inching toward his upper body as if it were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. The root wiggled, almost like a happy dog.

“You’re the one doing this?”

Rikar asked, looking at Evan.

“He is, and he needs to stop,”

Matthew said. “Breathe, Evan.”

“I don’t know what’s happening,”

Evan complained. “I’m not doing it on purpose. It’s never happened before, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“It’s the same thing that you did at the bakery. Your ability is coming out.”

Evan understood that, but between everything, he wasn’t sure he could get it under control. The problem was that he had to find a way because the roots were crawling up Rikar’s body. Several had twined around his arms, and if Evan wasn’t mistaken, they were trying to immobilize him. When one touched Rikar’s throat, Evan squeezed his eyes shut. “No,”

he told himself. “I’m not going to hurt anyone with this ability. I don’t care what it is or how it works.”

He tried to keep himself under control, but it felt like going down a slippery road. It was like water in his hands. No matter how hard he tried to keep it—whatever it was—there, he couldn’t. It was necessary, but he was unable to stop.

Orion grabbed Evan’s shoulders, causing him to open his eyes. “Breathe,”

he ordered.

Evan nodded and tried to do just that. He sucked in a breath, then another. It became easier to breathe, but as soon as he turned toward Rikar, he started panicking again. The roots were extending. Rikar still didn’t look alarmed, which Evan didn’t understand, but it was good that at least one person wasn’t panicking.

“This is why we told you it would be a bad idea for you to go find Hansen,”

Matthew said. “You don’t have control over yourself or your ability.”

“You’re not helping,”

Orion told him.

“I don’t think anything is going to help. This is something that Evan has to do by himself.”

“And he’s not going to be able to do it if you berate him.”

“I’m not berating him. I’m just pointing out the obvious.”

Evan was going to yell at them as soon as this mess was over. Was now really the time to bicker?

“You’re doing a good job, Evan,”

Rikar said in a calm voice. “I don’t know what it’s like to have your ability, but if it’s anything like Hayes’s ability to fly, freaking out is the last thing you want to do.”

“Hayes can fly?”

“It’s how we met. He crashed through my roof.”

Evan laughed. He’d seen Hayes around, and he seemed like a nice guy. They hadn’t talked, but Evan knew that Hayes was close to a lot of the mutants. He’d thought Hayes had gone on the raid, but after what Rikar had said, he suspected that Hayes was at home with their daughter.

As he should be. If Rikar and Hayes had a daughter, it made sense that Hayes hadn’t gone on the raid. Evan wished the same could be said for Hansen. Instead, his mate was in danger, and Evan didn’t know what was happening to him.

“You’re losing focus again,”

Orion said, his voice snapping Evan out of his thoughts. “Come on, Evan. I know you can do it.”

“I don’t even know if I can do it,”

Evan said, glancing at Rikar only to find that he was encased in roots up to his neck. Branches from the closest tree were also reaching for him, almost as if they wanted to pull him into the woods. It reminded Evan of a fantasy movie. It was creepy.

He was creepy. When he’d heard about the mutants having abilities, he’d hoped he wouldn’t get one. He’d known there was a good chance that he would, though, and when he’d realized that it had to do with plants, he’d been relieved. He couldn’t hurt anyone with plants, right?

Wrong.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Evan snapped his face in the direction from which the voice had come. His eyes widened at the sight of Hansen standing there, wearing a doctor’s white coat that left his legs and feet bare. He was standing next to Teddy, whose brows had shot up his forehead, and a bunch of other people who’d seen better days.

They weren’t who Evan focused on. He should probably feel guilty about that since they were clearly hurt, while Hansen didn’t seem to be, but all of his thoughts were on his mate.

Hansen was home. He was there, in front of Evan, whole and seemingly healthy.

Their bond sang between them as Evan took a step forward. Orion quickly stepped aside to let him pass, and as soon as he was free of interference, Evan ran forward.

Hansen smiled and opened his arms. Evan wished he could say that it was like a scene in a movie in which he threw himself into his mate’s arms, and they kissed and promised each other they would never be apart again. Instead, he tripped and almost fell on his face.

Luckily for him, Hansen wasn’t far. He lunged forward and grabbed Evan’s arm, pulling him forward. He looked at Evan with a frown, but Evan didn’t give him time to ask if he was okay. He wrapped his arms around Hansen’s neck and squeezed tightly, making Hansen squeak.

“Evan?”

Hansen asked as he hugged Evan’s waist.

“You were in danger, and I didn’t know. You could’ve died, and I would’ve had no clue. I would have gone ahead with my life until someone came to find me and tell me something happened to you.”

“I’m fine,”

Hansen promised.

Evan tilted his head up to glare at him. “This time. What about the next time there are more hunters than you expected? What about when one of the people in the cages attacks you, or when the guards fight back?”

“I understand why you’re scared, but the only solution I can think of is for me to stop going on raids, and I’m not sure I’m ready to do that.”

“Or we could bond. If we did, I would feel you. I would know if you were okay.”

And Evan couldn’t think of a better reason to bond with his mate. He already knew he loved Hansen. He didn’t need a bond to be sure of that. No, he needed the bond to be sure that Hansen was okay.

HANSEN HAD NO IDEA what was happening beyond the fact that Evan was freaking out.

“You want us to bond?” he asked.

Evan clung more tightly to Hansen. “Yes. We can do it right now.”

Hansen cupped the back of Evan’s head with a hand. “There’s no need for that. I’m fine, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to bond with me?”

“I’m saying I don’t want to bond with you here in front of all these people.”

Evan stared for a moment longer before nodding. Hansen expected him to step away, but instead, he buried his face against Hansen’s chest.

Hansen hadn’t expected Evan to be here when he arrived. He shouldn’t have been. Evan wasn’t supposed to know that something had happened during the raid. He was supposed to be at the bakery, helping Orion and selling pastries.

Instead, both he and Orion were here. In fact, Orion had been standing in front of Evan when Hansen had arrived, his hands raised as if he was trying to control him. It didn’t make sense.

What made even less sense was whatever was happening with Rikar.

He was standing there, looking entirely at ease, even though his body was encased in what looked like roots. Hansen knew what he was seeing, but part of him wondered if he was dreaming. Maybe he’d been hit upside the head during the raid?

He held Evan close as he stared. Those were definitely roots. They came from the ground and wrapped around Rikar’s legs and body up to his neck. If Hansen wasn’t mistaken, though, the roots were slithering back into the ground. They were slow-moving, but they were moving, and soon enough, Rikar’s shoulders and upper chest were free.

“What the hell happened here?”

Hansen asked.

“Your mate happened,”

Matthew answered. “What about the raid? Olga called me, but no one came to pick me up. Unless that’s why you’re here?”

Hansen shook his head.

He tried stepping away from Evan, but Evan clung to him harder.

Hansen didn’t have it in him to make his mate cry or worry more than he already was, so he decided they could continue hugging as he explained.

“Things weren’t great for a while, but we managed. We’re starting to shimmer back the people who need medical attention.”

“Thank God,”

Matthew said, his shoulders relaxed. “I’ll call the healers.”

“Yeah, you probably should. These are the worst ones, but there will be more people coming. We also have a bunch of hunters to stick in jail.”

“I’ll call Olga or Moore and see what they want me to do.”

“Davey?”

Orion asked, looking like he might start crying if Hansen had bad news for him.

“The last time I saw him, he was poking at one of the doctors from the facility. He’s fine.”

Orion’s shoulders slumped. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything. He kept himself safe.”

“Thank you for telling me. I can feel he’s all right, but I’m not used to any of this.”

Orion could feel that Davey was fine because they’d bonded.

Evan, on the other hand, had no idea how Hansen was because the bond between them wasn’t complete yet.

That was why he’d mentioned bonding as soon as Hansen had arrived.

It was why he’d wanted to do it right away. He was afraid he’d lose Hansen and wouldn’t know that something had happened to him.

Hansen’s heart broke a bit.

He never wanted his mate to worry, but considering what he did for a living, it would happen.

Hell, Evan would probably worry about him even if he went to the grocery store.

He’d lost so much in his life, and while Hansen thought that he was strong enough to survive losing a lot more, he didn’t want his mate to have to go through anything else.

He wanted to give Evan everything he could want, including the bond between them.

“Davey was great, like always,”

Hansen reassured Orion. “I saw him drown at least one hunter.”

Orion blinked as if he didn’t know what to make of that. Hansen wasn’t sure what to make of it, either. It never got any less weird.

“So, is anyone going to tell me what’s up with Rikar?” he asked.

The roots had finally retreated back into the ground.

Rikar was stretching his arms and poking at the ground with his toes.

Maybe he was trying to get the roots to come out again.

Hansen didn’t understand why anyone would want that, but Rikar had always been a little strange.

“That would be me,”

Evan muttered before finally leaning away. He didn’t let go of Hansen, though. He clung to him like a barnacle, and Hansen was pretty sure that if he could get away with it, Evan would climb into his arms.

“You?”

Hansen asked because he didn’t understand.

“I figured out what my ability is.”

It took Hansen a moment to understand what Evan was saying. “Roots?”

Evan waved his hand. “Plants in general. Just ask the potted plant at the bakery. The place is going to become a jungle if I’m allowed to touch it.”

Evan’s voice was light, even though there was a hint of nervousness in his tone.

Hansen knew how afraid Evan had been that his ability would hurt people, so he was glad to find out that wouldn’t be the case.

Sure, Evan could still hurt someone while controlling plants, but it would be much easier to deal with than Teddy’s ability, for example.

Evan would’ve been crushed if he’d been able to make people explode.

Hansen kissed Evan’s cheek. “Plants, huh?”

“I guess. It could’ve been worse.”

“So you’re fine with it?”

Evan grimaced. “I wouldn’t say that. I can only accept it, right? There’s no way for me to turn off this ability. Trust me. I tried.”

Hansen never wanted Evan to feel like he was wrong or like he should do something different.

He’d had no say in this new ability or in the way it was forced into him.

None of them had.

The only thing all of the mutants could do was accept what had been done to them and that they were different now.

It was easier for some and harder for others, but in the end, whatever had been done to them in those labs had made them the people they were today.

Hansen couldn’t regret what had been done to him because if he didn’t have the ability to cloak himself, he wouldn’t be raiding labs and saving people.

Evan wouldn’t be the person he was now if he hadn’t gone through everything he’d gone through.

Hansen wished he hadn’t, but there was no changing the past.

He was happy to have Evan in any way he could get him.

He hoped that Evan would be able to accept his ability.

Whether or not he could, Hansen would be there, helping him to control it and maybe even use it.

He pressed his lips against Evan’s. “You’ll be fine. I’ll help.”

Matthew cleared his throat. “That’s great and all, but maybe you could help us get these people to the healers?”

Evan squeezed Hansen harder and glared over Hansen’s shoulder at Matthew. “Can’t you do that? Hansen needs to find some clothes. I’m not letting him run around half-naked.”

Matthew barked out a laugh. “What if he wants to run around half-naked?”

“I don’t want to, so Evan’s right. I need clothes before I can help you with anything.”

Hansen turned. “Have you called Olga or Moore?”

Matthew nodded as he helped one of the mutants to her feet. “They don’t need us back at the facility. They’ll take care of gathering everyone who needs to be brought here and of the facility once it’s empty.”

They would set it on fire. It was what they always did because that way, no one could use anything inside the building again. It wouldn’t stop the people setting up in the labs, but hopefully, it would slow them down.

“What can I do?”

Franklin asked.

Hansen turned to tell him that he had no idea because Moore hadn’t ordered him to do anything about Franklin, but before he could open his mouth, roots shot out of the ground and wrapped around the man.

When Rikar had been wrapped up in the roots, he’d looked amused and interested. Now that it was Franklin’s turn, the man appeared alarmed and scared. Hansen didn’t blame him. Even though he knew that Evan was doing this, he was a little scared, too.

EVAN COULDN’T brEATHE. What was this man doing here? How had he survived the raid? He wasn’t tied up. He wasn’t even wounded. He was walking around as if his presence here was normal, wearing a guard’s uniform.

“Evan?”

Hansen asked.

His tone made it obvious that he was afraid Evan would snap. Evan couldn’t blame him because it felt like he already had. He didn’t have any control over the roots that were winding their way around the guard’s body. He just wanted the man to disappear, and apparently, the roots were already working on it.

Things got even more alarming when the ground under the guard started splitting. Evan was pretty sure that if he didn’t stop, the ground would swallow the guard whole.

Wouldn’t that be a sight?

“Evan?”

Hansen tried again.

Evan blinked. “He’s a guard.”

“I know. He wouldn’t be here if we weren’t sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone. Moore agreed to his presence at the village. In fact, he demanded it.”

Evan still didn’t understand. “He’s a guard. He was at one of the facilities where I was kept at. I saw him.”

Hansen frowned and looked at the guard. “Is that true?”

The guard’s eyes were wide, and he was trying to push away the roots, but they weren’t leaving. They couldn’t because Evan was controlling them.

“I already told you that I was looking for my siblings. I worked at several facilities. I don’t know you, man. I’ve seen hundreds of people in cages.”

“And you did nothing to free any of them?”

Evan asked.

“I couldn’t. If I had, they would have known it was me, and I would’ve had to stop looking for my brother and my sister. Please. You know what happens in those labs. You were there, too. You know what they’re doing to my siblings and why I have to find them.”

Could Evan believe this man? He’d been a guard, but he hadn’t been one of the bad ones. He hadn’t helped Evan escape, but he also hadn’t hurt him.

Normally, Evan wouldn’t forgive the man. He was saying that he’d been looking for his siblings, though, and if they were in one of the facilities, Evan knew precisely what they were going through. He couldn’t blame this man for doing everything he could for his family.

He still wanted to hurt him.

A hand squeezed Evan’s shoulder hard. “Please,”

Hansen said. “Franklin saved my life. One of the hunters was going to take me as a hostage, but Franklin knocked him out.”

That was the only thing that could convince Evan to let go. The problem was that he didn’t know how to do it. “I can’t control it.”

“What do you mean, you can’t control it?”

Franklin asked as a root wrapped around his throat.

Evan squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. “This is what happens in those labs. They turn you into something you don’t recognize and don’t know how to control.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, but my brother and my sister need me. Please don’t kill me.”

Lips suddenly landed on Evans, shocking him. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know who was kissing him. He could feel it in the bond that vibrated between him and Hansen. The bond wanted more, as did Evan.

“Is this going to keep happening?”

Matthew asked.

Evan blinked and leaned away from Hansen. He wasn’t surprised to see that Franklin was free. He also wasn’t surprised when Franklin took a step away from him when he saw that Evan was watching him.

“I don’t know,”

he told Matthew. “I really didn’t mean any of this.”

“He’s going to have to learn control,”

Rikar said. “And maybe try not to get angry. It’s clear that this ability is reactive to your feelings. You were angry at me because I wouldn’t let you go after Hansen, and at Franklin because you thought he was here to hurt you and the people you care about.”

It was true. It seemed like Evan’s ability got out of control when Evan himself did. It wasn’t the same as it had been at the bakery when he’d touched the potted plant. That plant had grown out of his control, too, but not like this. He hadn’t been afraid that the plant would hurt someone.

He was afraid that the roots would, that he would since he was the one controlling them.

“I’m a shifter,”

Franklin explained.

He was keeping some distance between himself and Evan, but Evan didn’t think it mattered. If his ability wanted Franklin, it could reach him.

“Or so you say,”

Hansen said.

Franklin narrowed his eyes at him. “I am a shifter, and you’ll realize that as soon as the spray fades or you let me shower. I worked as a guard in the facilities to find my siblings. They were kidnapped, and my mother was killed. I’ve been looking for them since then.”

Evan wasn’t a hundred percent sure he believed Franklin, but if Franklin was telling the truth, Evan felt sorry for him. “What are their names?”

“Leah and Garrett. They’re twins.”

Evan chewed on his lower lip as he tried to remember if he’d ever talked to a Leah or a Garrett. Initially, he’d talked to as many people as he could in the cages, hoping to find solidarity and help. He’d realized soon enough that most of the people who were locked up had lost hope. It wasn’t that they didn’t care what was done to them. It was that they didn’t think they could ever escape the labs and had lost the will to try.

Evan never had. Evan had always known that Davey was out there, looking for him. Maybe that was what had made the difference. Davey knew what he was looking for. He knew about the labs and how dangerous they were. The other prisoners hadn’t had that. Their families might have been looking for them, but they wouldn’t know where to start. Davey had.

And clearly, so had Franklin. Evan had questions, and he wanted answers. “How did you know they were in a lab?” he asked.

Franklin eyed him. “Is this a test?”

“Consider it one. If you fail it, my roots might not take it well.”

Franklin looked scared, which wasn’t something Evan was used to. People weren’t scared of him. They found him cute and sometimes adorable, but not scary. Even when he’d threatened some of the doctors and the guards, no one had been scared of him.

Until Franklin.

Evan wiggled his fingers. Maybe he didn’t hate this new ability, after all. He’d have to learn to live with it. He might as well enjoy it, right?

“Maybe stop trying to scare him,”

Hansen murmured.

Evan was relieved that his mate hadn’t gone far. As soon as he was done getting answers out of Franklin, he’d dragged Hansen home and not to get clothes. No, he had every intention of getting Hansen out of the clothing he was wearing. Hansen looked good in a doctor’s white coat, but he’d look even better naked, especially if Evan was allowed to add a bonding mark to his neck.

“I’m not going to hurt you,”

he told Franklin, even though he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control it.

Franklin didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway. “It took me a long time. At first, I focused on my mother. She survived long enough to tell me that someone had taken my siblings, but she couldn’t give me any details. I went back to the scene where the car had crashed and got my hands on the incident report. It snowballed from there. I found out about the labs through the hunters.”

“The hunters caused the crash,”

Hansen said.

It wasn’t a question. They all knew that was how hunters operated.

“They did. I followed them and attempted to infiltrate their ranks, but it was impossible. I still wanted to find Leah and Garrett, though, so I did the next best thing and focused on the labs. I’ve been working in as many labs as I could find since I started this.”

And he still hadn’t found his siblings.

Evan’s heart bled for this man.

He wished he could do more, but at the same time, there was nothing anyone could do.

Leah and Garrett were lost in the labs. The only way for Franklin to find them was to be incredibly lucky, and so far, he hadn’t been.

HANSEN WAS RELIEVED when Evan’s roots let go of Franklin.

He didn’t know the guy, but from the little he’d seen of him, he didn’t deserve to get skewered by a root, especially by accident.

Hansen doubted that Evan had a good grasp of his ability yet—he hadn’t even known he had it when Hansen had left for the raid a few hours ago.

Hansen knew how nervous and anxious Evan had been about having an ability that could potentially hurt people, so he was glad that it wasn’t anything as dramatic as Teddy’s ability to explode things—and people.

Evan would have to work on his control and his emotions, but Hansen knew he could do it.

He wasn’t worried.

Much.

“Thank you, Evan,”

Rikar said.

Hansen blinked at him. He’d been so focused on making sure that Evan didn’t do something he shouldn’t that he hadn’t seen the leader coming closer. Rikar had taken control of the scene when Hansen and the others had arrived, and the wounded were already being taken to the healers, so Hansen wouldn’t have to worry about them. He only had to worry about Evan and finding some clothes to cover himself. He really needed to remember not to shift on raids.

Evan grimaced. “Yeah, sorry about this and what happened earlier.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I wrapped you up in roots.”

“You were emotional and had never used your ability before. I don’t hold it against you, and I don’t think you should hold it against yourself, either. Now, why don’t you take Hansen home? As much as I appreciate the sight of a nice pair of legs, he should probably get dressed. I don’t know how many people Moore is bringing back, but we might need his help.”

“When do you need us back?”

There was something in Evan’s expression that told Hansen that he was planning something.

Hansen wasn’t sure what it was, but he was slightly worried.

Evan was settling into his new life, and it showed.

He was more open with people and didn’t hesitate to do or say things as much as he had before, and Hansen felt humbled that he was allowed to see it and to be part of Evan’s life.

Still, the way Evan kept glancing at him was slightly worrying, especially when Evan took Hansen’s hand and dragged him away.

Hansen heard Matthew laugh, so he flipped him the bird without looking back.

Matthew laughed harder, but Hansen was focused on Evan, who clearly had something on his mind.

He didn’t let anything or anyone stop him as they made their way to Hansen’s house, and he didn’t hesitate to push open the door when they reached it.

Evan had been staying with Hansen more often than not these days.

It was good for their relationship and for the one between Davey and Orion, and Hansen hoped it would soon become a permanent move.

“Okay,”

Evan said as he stopped in the middle of the small entrance and turned to face Hansen. “I thought we’d have more time, but Rikar made it sound like Moore will expect you to be there when he comes back, so we’ll have to be quick.”

He whipped off his t-shirt, and Hansen stared.

It was far from the first time he saw Evan without his shirt on—or without anything on. As always, his cock reacted to the sight, even though he still had no idea what Evan was talking about. He stood there, half-naked, and Hansen’s brain had short-circuited.

“Hansen?”

Hansen cleared his throat to give himself a moment. “I’m not sure what you’re asking for.”

“We need to bond.”

That wasn’t what Hansen had expected, although, to be fair, he hadn’t actually known what he should expect. “What?”

he croaked.

“I’m not going through this again. I—I didn’t know what was happening to you. I realize that even if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it, but at least I would’ve known, and you would’ve been able to feel me, too. I need that, Hansen. I’m not letting you out of my sight again until we’re bonded. I can’t.”

Hansen understood where Evan was coming from. He also didn’t think they were rushing. They were pretty much living together, and fulfilling the bond between them would only solidify their relationship. He wanted it as much as Evan did, and he didn’t even care that Evan wanted to bond so he could be sure that Hansen would be okay.

He never seemed to be able to say no to his mate, and this request wasn’t any different. “Okay.”

Evan stared at him for a moment. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You want to bond, and I’m okay with that.”

“Are you okay with it, or do you want the same? Because I won’t force you into something you’re not ready for.”

Hansen smiled. He didn’t believe that Evan would force him into anything, even though it had sounded like he might earlier. Evan knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was to bond with Hansen.

“I’m sure, although I probably should shower first.”

Evan smiled slowly. “Or we could shower together, you know, to avoid wasting water.”

Hansen laughed and pulled Evan into his arms. “Wasting water?”

“I’m thinking of the environment.”

Hansen doubted that Evan was actually thinking of the environment with this suggestion, but it didn’t matter. He was fine showering with his mate. In fact, he’d be more than happy to do so. “Let’s go shower.”

He didn’t have to say it twice. Evan stepped away from him and grabbed his hand, then dragged him toward the stairs. Hansen laughed again. He was happy, so much so that sometimes, it was hard to believe. This was what he’d wanted when he’d been desperate to meet his mate. He hadn’t known it would be Evan, but he’d known they would make each other happy, and he hoped that he and Evan would have the opportunity to do so for years to come.

Evan almost fell on his face as he rushed up the stairs. He was excited, and Hansen was happy to see it. They weren’t only bonding because Evan needed reassurance when Hansen was working. They were doing it because Evan wanted it. They both did.

“Why a lab coat?”

Evan asked as they walked into the bathroom off the bedroom they shared.

“It was the easiest thing to take off one of the docs and put on. I wouldn’t have been comfortable leaving someone naked because I needed pants.”

Hansen stuck a leg forward. “Why? You don’t like it?”

“I love it, although I wish people would stop staring at your legs. Rikar wasn’t lying when he said they were nice.”

“And they’re all yours.”

Evan raised his chin. “Damn right, they are.”

He reached for the lab coat and started unbuttoning it. Hansen batted his hands away and took over since that was all he was wearing, while Evan still had to get rid of the rest of his clothes.

As soon as Hansen was naked, he turned on the water. He dragged Evan into the shower, but when Evan pressed against him, he pushed him away. “Let me clean up. I don’t want to bond with you while stinking of sweat.”

Evan groaned. “I don’t care what you smell like. I just want your fangs in my neck.”

A shiver ran up Hansen’s back. “I wish we had more time.”

“Do you think Moore’s going to look for you if you’re not there when he arrives?”

“Probably. With the number of hunters present at the lab, Moore’s going to need all-hands-on-deck.”

Evan reached for the soap. “Fine. Let’s get this party on the road.”

Maybe Hansen should care that this wasn’t a romantic moment filled with candles and roses. He didn’t. At the end of the day, the result would be the same—he and Evan would be bonded.

That was why he didn’t hesitate when Evan tilted his head sideways after washing him up as quickly as he could. He buried his face against Evan’s neck and inhaled his mate’s scent.

He’d always thought it was cliché, but it really felt like coming home. Something in him settled, and he knew that no matter what happened in the future, he would always have this. Evan would always be by his side, to support him and comfort him, to help him whenever he needed help, to hold him when he was sad, and he would do the same for Evan.

A jolt of pain pulled him out of his thoughts. Clearly, Evan was losing his patience because he’d just bitten Hansen. He wasn’t wrong. They didn’t have much time, which meant that Hansen needed to get to work, too.

He sank his fangs into Evan’s neck. Evan whimpered and pressed close, and Hansen wasn’t surprised to feel that he was hard. He cupped his hands around Evan’s ass and hauled him up. Evan never leaned back from Hansen’s neck. He continued sucking at the wound he’d created even as Hansen pressed him against the shower wall.

Evan’s blood slid smoothly down Hansen’s throat as they rutted against each other. Evan clung to Hansen as if he never wanted to let him go, and Hansen hoped he wouldn’t. He needed his mate to never let go.

Hansen heard a phone ringing in the distance, but he didn’t pay it much attention. He could feel the bond between him and Evan linking them fully together. He could feel Evan’s pleasure and the love he felt for Hansen.

They came at the same time when their bond snapped into place. The sensations were too much, and Hansen pressed Evan harder against the wall, shuddering against him as the warm water hit his shoulders. They were both panting, but Hansen was in heaven. The bond was there, telling him that Evan was tired but happy.

The phone started ringing again. Evan groaned and slumped against Hansen. “I think that means that Moore’s looking for you.”

“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.”

Hansen carefully let Evan back to his feet. “But it won’t be forever. We’ll be done in a few hours.”

Evan grinned. “I’ll be waiting for you here at home when you are.”

Home. That was what Evan had said, even though they hadn’t talked about this being his home. That was fine. They didn’t need to talk about it. Evan was home.