Page 7

NIRO

A ll night I tossed and turned, unable to get any real sleep.

The next day, I drove up my brother Thorne’s long, dirt driveway and parked next to his pickup. He and his husband Kris had agreed to meet me.

I thought I’d be able to forget what had happened with Cambry.

I told myself it was a fluke. An odd moment of barriers falling away, exposing us to each other in a way I’d never experienced before.

It was no big deal. I shut it down fast, slamming my psychic energy against the conduit between us after coming harder than ever in my life, after moving away and still feeling his essence in my mind.

That moment of ecstasy—his sweet Omega scent.

Fuck me. That scent lingered in my nose and throat. On my mouth where our lips had joined in abject desire. Fresh blooms. Sugar coated flame. I kept licking my lips for more. Breathing deep to catch that whiff once more.

I was unable to shake the sense of my mind opening so fully, so completely to another. The urge to go back to Zilly’s and find him wasn’t going away.

I got out of my car and approached the porch. I rarely went to my older brother for help. We weren’t that close. We saw each other on some holidays, but it wasn’t like we talked every day or every week.

Thorne had had a hard life. He’d lost his mate young. Ian had a weak heart, but Thorne blamed himself for his death because he died during one of Thorne’s Burns. Thorne labeled himself a Dangerous Alpha and chained himself up during his Burns. Until he met Kris.

They were an unusual couple. Kris had been raised Alpha but discovered he was actually intersex at age eighteen. He was instantly labeled Omega and treated as a disgrace by his wealthy father who kept him prisoner in their own home before Kris escaped.

I liked Kris a lot. I liked him for my brother. He was strong and tall, a match for Thorne who Burned hot and fast. Kris had a powerful heart both physically and emotionally. He wasn’t going anywhere. He wasn’t going to pass out and die during a Burn.

When they met, they had an instant attraction, but it took them some time to figure it out. If anyone could help me figure out what had happened with Cambry and me, they could.

Thorne opened the door before I could raise my hand to knock.

“Niro!” He stepped forward and warmly embraced me. “So good to see you. I’m glad you called.”

I hugged him back, the sensation of belonging and home overwhelming me as he led me inside. Thorne was settled. Happy. His house embraced me, a welcoming, well lived-in haven. Why didn’t I visit more often?

I told myself it was because I was content with my life.

I didn’t need to see the comforts of Thorne and Kris.

I didn’t want to settle. Yet. My work and my privacy obsessed me.

I wasn’t ready to share. My routines comforted me.

Made me secure as an Alpha so I could pursue corporate promotions.

For companionship I had great drinking buddies.

Deviations from my routines annoyed me. I liked when things moved smoothly, no surprises.

Thorne directed me to his comfortable couch. Kris approached from the open kitchen area, a tray of drinks in hand. Iced tea.

“Hi, Niro. Great to see you again,” Kris said.

“Hi.” I gulped.

Kris looked great. Really great. His waist-length golden hair hung loose about his slim hips.

His muscles flexed against his short-sleeved T-shirt.

He was definitely Alpha in appearance, over six feet, wicked cheekbones and a strong jaw.

A trusting love light shone in his eyes.

I never would have guessed he had both Omega and Alpha attributes.

I would have thought Thorne and Kris were an Alpha/Alpha pairing.

It never mattered to them, though. They were in love and legally bonded.

I sat. Kris handed me a tea. Thorne sat beside me. Kris set down the tray, making sure we each had a glass, then perched on the arm of an easy chair.

Thorne asked me how work was going. He made small talk for about ten minutes before he finally got to the point of my visit.

“You said you needed to talk. What’s going on?”

I glanced from him to Kris, then back.

Kris jumped up. “If you two want to talk alone, I’ve got stuff to do in the back room.”

I held up my hand. “No, Kris. You can stay.”

He sat back down on the arm of the chair.

“I didn’t know who else to talk to about this,” I began.

Thorne’s voice turned gentle. “What is it?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk about the Burn. With both of you.”

Kris’s eyes widened. Thorne’s eyebrows went way up.

Before they could utter one word, I went on. “I know, I know, the subject is personal.”

“It used to be a difficult subject for me,” Thorne said. “Before Kris. Now? Not so much. But you never talk about it, bro. I know you go to Zilly’s but that’s all I know. It’s your business what you do, or like and don’t like.”

I nodded confirmation. Some Alphas bragged about their Burns. Flaunted them. Kept track of the Omegas they’d knotted. Thorne and I had been raised in a family where that was rude.

“It’s just that something’s happened. I need a fresh opinion if you don’t mind. From both of you.”

Kris slid into his chair as if knowing this was going to be more than a polite, cursory visit, his full attention on me.

Thorne nodded. “All right let’s start at the beginning. But first, I have to ask. Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. The Omega is fine. This is about, well, something more that happened.”

“I’m listening….” Thorne said.

“I’ve never told anyone this, but Zilly’s has a deal with me. Since my Burns are on the softer scale of heat, and I never become out of control, they like to pair me with the first-timers knowing I can make them feel comfortable and not, for lack of a better word, attacked.” I cleared my throat.

“That’s—uh—interesting,” Thorne said.

“I’m not bragging so get that out of your head.” My irritation was somewhat playful but bordering on real.

“I think that’s really nice,” Kris said.

“I didn’t know Zilly’s cared. Not like that.

My father—” He paused, mouth twisting. “He goes there, and he doesn’t give a shit about Omegas.

And my brothers both went there before they were married.

I always thought they went because it was close by and convenient. ”

“The farm has a new owner. It’s kept up better than ever with a focus more on Omega rights. Their safety and comfort come first. But I’m not here to talk about that.”

“Something happened?” Thorne asked.

I nodded. “Like I said, I’m able to control my Burns so they don’t take over my body. It’s how I am. I am careful while, uh, doing what needs to be done. I am vigilant to be sure they are consenting and never harmed. It’s all about body language, less about me.”

Thorne rolled his eyes. “Such a saint.”

“I’m not saying that. I’m just trying to tell you I like my control. I do all that while keeping myself apart mentally, caring but distant. No strings. If that makes sense. I’m not looking for a bondmate or a family.”

“I know. That’s your personality. You were always a good boy. Doing the right thing because it was expected. Or required.”

“Well, that’s not a bad quality, is it?” I asked.

Thorne shook his head no. Kris echoed the gesture, attention rapt. “Tell us more,” he said.

“This time I don’t know why, or what was different, but suddenly I was inside him, sensing what he sensed, and I saw things about where he lived, how he lived.

There was someone else, too. His mind said his name.

Angell. With two Ls. It threw me out of my control.

In my mind.” My face heated as I said the next sentence.

“My physical Burn vanished, and I didn’t even, uh, knot. ”

I gulped, glancing away from their intense gazes, and continued.

“I got up and walked away from the bed. Then I slammed down on the connection. Fast and maybe too hard. He was still on the bed, in ecstasy, and I did that. He didn’t cry out in pain or anything, just lay there for a couple minutes until I sent him away.”

“Niro, that’s a bit rude after something like that, don’t you think?” Thorne leaned forward and picked up his iced tea, sipping it through a cute red and white striped straw.

“I was done.” I added, “I was completely finished. No more Burn. Although I can’t seem to get rid of his scent after two showers. And I slept like shit.”

“But you weren’t done,” Kris whispered.

“Kris is right.”

I questioned them both with a scathing look. “But my Burn is completely gone. That’s never happened before. I mean—what the hell?”

“Of course it’s never happened to you before. Well, at least as far as I know. Because you’ve never created a bond with a mate before.”

My heart knocked against my chest. “Created a bond?”

“Exactly. You can’t know what it feels like until it happens.”

I knew it was true. But the truth got slotted away in my mind. I wasn’t looking for a mate. I didn’t want to face that that was what happened.

“But it didn’t last. I cut it off when I realized.”

Thorne sent me a tense smile. “Painful.”

“It was mostly a shock.”

“That’s it? And for the Omega?” he asked.

“He seemed confused. That’s all. There was another. I saw it briefly. I think he’s close to someone at Zilly’s.”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“Nothing, I guess.”

“You dropped by for a reason. Obviously this is bothering you,” Thorne said.

“I want to better understand. So it doesn’t happen again.”

“Spontaneous bonds are rare,” Kris said.

Thorne added. “You know that, Niro.”

“So, the chances of it happening again are almost zero,” I decided. “Good.”

Thorne nodded. “I would say so, but who knows? The bond can be detected in blood tests, but beyond that it’s a mystery why it’s there. Compatibility, yes. But it’s something far more than that.”