Page 22

Chapter 22

Aiden

M y brother was planning to kill me.

The guys finished cleaning up breakfast, and Atlas just sat on the chair and held me as I tried to absorb it all. At some point, Q looked over at me, huffed, and announced that we were going home.

Atlas picked me up, and I halfheartedly declared I could walk, but he carried me anyway. I snuggled into him, pressing my face against his chest.

My brother wanted to kill me.

I thought about one Christmas when I was a teenager. Caleb had gotten me a cookbook from a famous pastry chef, and he’d gotten it signed for me. I’d been so thrilled. I had cherished that book. When I’d been so excited after opening it, he had smiled at me and said he knew I liked to bake.

I remembered a family party where he had come over and snuck me a champagne, and we had joked about how horribly boring it all was. We laughed about all the stuck-up people who were there, making up little stories about them.

I couldn’t think of a time when he’d been mean to me. He hadn’t teased or made fun of me. He hadn’t been around much, that was true, and most of the time we sort of ignored each other. Our ages were so far apart. But we still had a few moments, times when we connected.

He was my brother.

We had both grown up with my parents, and even though he was older than me, we could give each other looks across the room when they were doing something particularly annoying. When my father started talking about politics, we always gave each other a look, because he could be on the topic for hours. When my mother started on about influencers (she hated the idea of them), we would just smirk at each other.

We hadn’t shared much, but we shared a past. A family. Growing up with wealth and privilege and the rules that went along with that.

No one else in the world knew what it was like to grow up in my family. He was the only one.

He was my brother, and he wanted to kill me.

I rubbed my face against Atlas’s chest, wiping away the tears that had come to my eyes. We were sitting on the couch at home, although I wasn’t even sure when we’d gotten there. Atlas was just quietly holding me and rumbling gently against me.

Eventually I picked my head up. I could hear Liam and Q talking quietly and the clack of computer keys, so they were obviously doing research.

Atlas took one hand and cupped my face, leaning in to give me a soft kiss. He moved back and raised his eyebrows then. Did I want to talk about it? Was I ok? I knew Atlas well enough to know exactly what he was asking,

It was just that I didn’t know the answer. I shrugged, and he hugged me tightly again.

“We weren’t close, but I still have a few good memories, you know?” I said quietly.

Atlas nodded against me.

“If I kill him, aren’t I just as bad as Cain?” I asked.

“You wouldn’t kill him, my mate,” Atlas answered.

“I know. You guys would do it, but you’d do it for me. So in some ways I would be responsible. I’d feel that way, anyway, even if it doesn’t make sense,” I answered.

Q came over and sat by us. “Listen, I know you don’t want to feel responsible for your brother’s death, but if he’s a hellbound soul, then a hellhound would kill him no matter what.”

“But they wouldn’t know about him if it weren’t for me,” I answered.

Q took my hand, squeezing it. “I can’t lose you, Aiden. I know your mate certainly can’t lose you either. We’re kind of invincible after we’re mated to hellhounds, but this whole Cain thing is another level of fucked up, and Liam doesn’t know if we’re protected from that or not.”

“Could they be in danger?” I asked, feeling panicked at the very thought.

“No,” Atlas answered. “Your brother is still just a mortal. Not until he kills you and takes the mark could we be hurt.”

“But,” added Liam from over at the table, “if there’s some ritual that allows him to get the mark, I’m not sure afterlifers would be protected from that. Of course, it wouldn’t work on hellhounds, because none of us are descendants of Cain. But it could possibly work on you, and even Wilder isn’t sure if you’d be protected. This is an old curse, and Wilder said something about the universe being ‘unbalanced.’ I’m not sure what that means, but we shouldn’t take chances.”

“I don’t even think my brother is evil,” I announced.

Q snorted. “Honey, he’s trying to kill you. That makes him evil.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. But we’re making a lot of assumptions. I can’t see my brother get killed over assumptions.”

“Oh, no,” Q said, shaking his head. “Whatever idea you’re cooking up is not happening.”

I turned to look at Atlas. I knew he was the one I needed to convince. “He’s my brother, and we don’t know anything about him. Liam can’t even find out much. We don’t even know if he’s hellbound. I have to talk to him. I have to find out for sure. People have free will. Maybe we can change his mind. Maybe that isn’t even why he’s looking for me. Maybe it has to do with grandfather and protecting me. We just don’t know, and we should find out.”

Atlas was growling steadily beneath me, and I knew he didn’t like the idea.

“Please,” I whispered.

He leaned his head against mine. “I can’t see you get hurt, mate.”

“You’ll be there to protect me. I won’t go anywhere without you. But I need to talk to him,” I answered.

Finally Atlas nodded his head against mine, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It looked like we would be making plans to meet up with my brother.

* * *

The guys decided they’d have a meeting and strategize, and Q and I went into work, because we were both scheduled for a later shift. Q shot me dirty looks all afternoon, but I wasn’t changing my mind. I needed to talk to my brother. I couldn’t effectively condemn him to death without knowing for sure. It would haunt me if I did that.

Cass grabbed my arm at one point and announced that I would be ok, so I figured that was a good sign. Otherwise I lost myself in baking, trying not to think about it all. Ser, the woman from yoga class, came into the shop towards the end of our shift, and Q called me out to say hello.

We made some plans (despite Q’s general groaning) to meet up for yoga again. Ser said she was thinking of getting certified to teach yoga, and she said I should do it with her. It was tempting, and it was nice to think past all the shit with my brother. I told her I would think about it, and then I was back in the kitchen until the end of our shift.

Liam and Fluffy came to pick us up, and despite Cass’s general scowl (Fluffy usually waited in the car), he didn’t say anything. One of the customer’s commented, but Q just snapped, “Emotional support animal.”

We piled into the car, and I cuddled up to Fluffy in the back.

Liam sighed. “I love how he gets to be a dog so he doesn’t have to explain everything.”

Q said, “You better have a good fucking plan, because I do not want Aiden so much as getting a scratch.”

Liam reached over and grabbed Q’s hand. “Aiden is pack, and we’ll all protect him.”

I got a warm feeling at hearing that. My biological family may have been shit, and maybe my brother was trying to kill me, but I had these guys. I chuckled a little thinking of Liam telling me he’d hunt me down “in a nice way” and find me if I ever ran away.

Fluffy cocked his head at me, but I just smiled. I’d told him the story already, after all. “I want to hear the plan,” I announced.

“So, it was actually quite easy. Much simpler than we thought. We found the contract for Aiden on the dark web, and Jude took it. Apparently he has an assassin identity on there,” Liam explained.

“Jude is an assassin?” Q questioned.

“My little hellcat, we’re all assassins of a sort,” Liam answered.

“Yeah, but he’s, like, on the web? Like he’s fucking comcast or some shit, taking out ads and going door to door and asking if you might need someone killed?” Q asked. “What the hell?”

“He grew up with humans,” Liam answered, like that was somehow an explanation. “At any rate, his prior activity made the fact that he found the mark so quickly much easier to explain. He said he’d seen the photo, and he’d happened upon Alden in the course of his work. He refused to divulge the location, insisting on handing him over in order to be paid. Things aren’t really done that way anymore, but assassins don’t usually deal with live exchanges, either, so it must have seemed like an acceptable idea to your brother.”

“When?” Q asked.

“Tomorrow night,” Liam answered. “I asked Cass if you could both have off work for the next few days, and he said he had already planned for it.”

“I’m going,” Q announced.

“No, my little hellcat, you aren’t. And neither am I. I’ll conduct surveillance, and you’ll help me. We’ll keep Toby with us as well. Dexter, Corbin, and Wilder will be near the location in case they’re needed, but the exchange will only take place with Jude, Aiden, and Fluffy. Anything else would look too suspicious,” Liam answered.

I hugged Fluffy tighter to me. I was kind of dreading it, but I also kind of wished it was happening right away. I couldn’t imagine the wait until tomorrow night.

We pulled into the driveway, and Q announced, “You have to show me everything about the exchange point. I wanna know where all the cameras are. Can we put one on Aiden, too? Or Fluffy? Who checks a dog’s collar? And we’ll need to track their cell phones…”

“Who is the sexy stalker between us? Of course I already track their cell phones. I like the idea of a camera in a dog collar, though,” Liam said, opening his door and getting out of the car.

Fluffy growled, and I laughed thinking about him wearing a dog collar. Q and Liam were discussing surveillance, and they were obviously heading toward Liam’s place. As much as I wanted to cuddle with everyone tonight, I also wanted some time with Atlas.

I got out of the car, clearing my throat. “So… You guys are gonna be working for a while, right? Maybe we can call you to come back and sleep later? Or for a late dinner?”

Q looked at me and winked.

“Yes, we’ll call before we come over, and then we can all have cuddles tonight,” Liam stated.

I tried not to laugh at Liam talking about having cuddles, because it was kind of ridiculous, but it was also what I wanted. Liam and Q headed toward the big house, which I guess was kind of their house. Although they still lived with us, too, but we all had private time if we needed it this way.

Fluffy huffed and grabbed my sleeve, and I laughed as he led me toward the house. We got inside, and I looked down to slip off my sneakers, and when I glanced up there was a very naked Atlas standing there.

“Hi,” I said, and I knew it was sort of dumb even as I said it. He was just so damn gorgeous.

“Liam said that sometimes when humans are stressed they may want cuddles. He also said they may want sex. He even said sometimes they liked a hot bath. What would you like, my mate?” Atlas asked.

I was staring at his dick, and yeah, that thing was growing as I was staring. I remembered the feel of him inside me, and I started stripping off my own clothes. Atlas growled in approval.

I took his hand and led him into the bedroom, pushing him onto the bed. He stared at my hardening dick, but he still asked, “Does this mean you would like sex? Because cuddles are excellent as well.”

God, I loved this man. He was so willing to give me everything I needed, and I really wanted to give him everything he might need.

I crawled my way onto the bed, stopping at his dick. It was a beautiful cock, so hard and jutting up so proudly. I wrapped my hand around the base, squeezing lightly and sliding it up, thrilled when a drop of precum appeared at the tip. I did that for him. I made him feel good.

He’d sucked me more than once, and I had never returned the favor. It was a beautiful dick, and it didn’t even look like the other one. It would probably taste different, too. It would probably be a whole different experience. I used to like sucking dick—a firm cock on my tongue and in my throat. I could do this. I could lean forward, and I could take him into my mouth. There was a roiling sensation in my stomach, but it was ok. This was Atlas.

Hands gripped my shoulders and hauled me up, and suddenly I was looking into Atlas’s eyes. There were flames burning in them, but it was like I could see the love there too. Then he leaned down and bit my shoulder.

“Ouch!” I grumbled, because it had not been a sexy bite. It hadn't really hurt, but it hadn’t felt nice either. I stared down at him grumpily, but he just smiled when he looked at me.

“Grumpy Aiden smells much nicer than sad or worried Aiden,” he declared, and I couldn’t help the little laugh that escaped me.

He pulled me down onto his chest, cuddling me close and growling softly, but in an almost pleasant way.

“I want to give you the same pleasure you’ve given me,” I mumbled against his chest.

He actually laughed, and I lifted my head to look at him.

“My mate, your presence gives me pleasure. Sucking you and tasting you gives me pleasure. Feeling your mouth on mine, feeling your body against me, feeling our hard cocks against each other, feeling inside of you and hearing your moans—it all gives me pleasure. Knowing that you’re enjoying yourself is pleasurable for me. Knowing that you’re sad—that does not give me pleasure. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do,” he said, then he leaned his forehead up against mine.

I sighed. “But I do want to suck you. I want the idea of it, at least. I want to reclaim it or whatever. I want to replace the bad memories with good ones.”

Atlas pulled me close again, so I was almost smothered in his chest. I kind of didn’t mind. He was an inferno against my skin, hard and hot and yet somehow still comfy.

“I want that for you, too. But there’s no rush, my mate. We have eternity. You don’t have to push yourself. Maybe you start with just staring at my dick. I don’t mind. Then one day maybe you give it a lick. Just a lick, like a lollipop. Then maybe one day you lick it a little more. Then maybe one day you’ll want a whole taste for just a moment,” Atlas said.

“Like exposure therapy to your dick?” I asked, laughing. The idea sounded kind of absurd, but also kind of… fun?

I slid down Atlas. We had both gotten softer when we first started talking, but I had hardened up again as Atlas had described all the things he enjoyed, and as I stared at his dick, it went from half mast to full hardness. I looked up at him, and he was smiling at me, flames dancing in his eyes.

“You really do have a pretty dick,” I murmured.

Atlas actually blushed, which made me giggle. Without too much thought, I leaned down and gave a long lick from the base of his dick up to the head, getting a taste of his precum. It was sweet, not sour like I expected, and I barely had time to process it, never mind worry about doing more, before Atlas was dragging me back up and rolling on top of me, kissing me frantically.

His tongue was in my mouth, his teeth were nibbling on my lips, his hips were pressing down into mine, and the surge of arousal that ran through me was intense. I pushed my hips up, my tongue frantically dueling with his. I felt out of control in my need, and I bit down on his lower lip so hard I think I tasted blood. Before I could even pull off, he moaned and clutched me tighter, letting me know he liked it.

I ran my hands along the muscles of his back, which were flexing as he moved. I moaned, feeling how hard and strong he was. Our dicks were rubbing against each other, sending tingles through my whole body. It felt amazing, but it wasn’t enough—it only made me more frantic. I wanted to be closer to Atlas. I would climb inside his skin if I could.

I wrapped my legs around him, and I gasped as I felt something slick rub lightly against my hole.

“Atlas?” I gasped out, pulling our mouths apart.

He smirked at me. “Just my tail.”

Holy fuck. Just his tail. He leaned back down, his lips pressing against mine, our breaths mingling together as “just his tail” slowly entered me. I groaned as it slipped in deeper, finding that spot that made sparks shoot through my body.

“Oh god, Atlas,” I groaned, then his tongue was sliding against mine and our lips were pressing together, and his tail was working in and out of me, hitting that spot on each thrust in.

“Do you want my knot?” Atlas asked as he broke our kiss, and he must have meant the overwhelming fullness I’d felt last time.

Suddenly that was all I wanted. I craved it. “Yes. Now, Atlas. Please,” I moaned.

His one hand reached down to pull my hips up. The other was supporting him, and I grabbed onto his arm with my hand, the strong, flexing muscle so sexy beneath my fingers. That fucking tail must have guided his dick in, and I didn’t even know where the hell the lube came from, but he was wet as he pressed in, slowly stretching me.

He was definitely bigger than his tail. I panted, closing my eyes, but his low growl had me opening them again, staring into the flames as he pressed in, and I got fuller with each second. It was slow, and it was so intense I almost couldn’t tell if it was pleasure or pain as he filled me up.

“Breathe, mate. Breathe me in,” he murmured.

I gasped, and all I smelled was Atlas—that strong, musky, fiery smell, and then his hips were against mine, and his mouth pressed to mine, gently licking at my lips as I gasped and grew used to the sensation of him inside me.

It wasn’t long before it wasn’t enough. I wiggled my hips, and he groaned in pleasure. I thrust again, wanting him to move, and he understood and did exactly what I wanted. He pulled almost all the way out, then slowly slid back in, rubbing my channel and gliding over my prostate.

He was slow and patient, even as I moaned and gasped underneath him. His tail came up to slide around my dick, squeezing and caressing just below the head. It was glorious, and then it was torturous, because I needed more . I pressed my legs and feet against him, urging him to go faster, but still he kept up that lazy, slow pace. I looked up to see fire dancing in his eyes, his forehead furrowed in concentration, like it was just as excruciatingly hard for him to go slow.

I wanted him out of control, and I reached my head up and bit into his shoulder, hard. Atlas growled, and his hips stuttered and then picked up speed. I cried out, even as I tasted the coppery tang of blood on my tongue. I had broken the skin, but I couldn’t even care as Atlas pounded into me.

His dick was growing bigger inside me, and his tail was jerking my cock, wrapped around it with the tip caressing the head. My orgasm slammed into me from nowhere, cum spurting out between our bodies.

I cried out, and although his tail loosened, it held onto my still hard dick, and he continued to thrust into me. My god, it was too much. I was mewling, the painful pleasure overwhelming every sense.

“Do you want me to stop?” he panted.

I barely had the words to cry out, “Don’t stop.”

He was still growing thicker, and every movement was caressing my prostate, rubbing against it. He was impossibly big, stretching me wide. His tail was wrapped lightly around my dick, but even that was almost too much.

He was barely thrusting now, his thickness making only small movements possible, but each one was a massage on my insides, intense and overstimulating. He bit into my neck, and the line between pain and pleasure disappeared, and it was all pleasure. I cried out again, a second orgasm pulled out of me as I felt Atlas growling against my skin, his own orgasm making his body twitch above me and his dick twitch inside me, emptying into me.

We came together for an eternity, and when the pleasure passed and we were just two sweaty bodies lying together, I felt exhaustion pulling me under.

“I love you,” I managed to murmur.

“I love you, my mate,” I heard Atlas whisper, and then I closed my eyes and surrendered to sleep.