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Slade was out the front of the house when we pulled up, a slight frown on his face that transformed into a smile when we got out.

"Hey, Buddy boy," he said, giving my dog a scratch on the belly. He came to me when he straightened. "How are you, love?"

"You've heard," I said.

"Small place, princess. Word gets around." He looked up at Hawk. "Thanks for looking after her. Will have to shout Mick a beer next time we're at the bar."

"He'll appreciate that," Hawk replied.

"What do you need, love?" Slade asked me. "This has to be rough."

"Yeah, in a way." I glanced at the nicely appointed yard for a moment, though I didn't really see it. I just blinked until my vision cleared, then squared my shoulders and turned back to my mate. "Who's here?"

"Aaron, me, Jack. Brandon and Finn are at work, but Doc will be here at lunchtime. He's worrying."

I nodded. I felt a pang at that, but tried to counsel myself. We cared about each other, of course we were going to be worried from time to time. "Everyone who's in..." I paused, figuring they could work out what that meant. "Come into the bedroom. We need to talk."

"The four words that turn a man's guts to water," Slade said with a groan. "Here I was, hoping that seeing a bunch of hunky, sweating men would get you all worked up and ready for another round when you got home."

"Talk first," I said, walking towards the house, tugging my sleeves down over my hands. "I'm not taking off a stitch until we talk."

"I need a fucking beer."

I sat on the big family bed, Buddy by my side.

I scratched his furry belly, watching his head loll back in pure ecstasy.

He just took his pleasures where he found them, Bud, something I kinda envied right now.

Aaron came in first, smiling as he laid down beside me.

He curled his body around mine, acting like a huge harbour I could hide in, which was comforting.

His arm went around me loosely when I leant against him.

"My parents are wondering if you could come by for dinner tonight?" he asked. His tone was deceptively light, and I could almost hear what he was holding back.

"Tell me the whole story," I said as my fingers played with the blond hair on his thick forearms.

"What...?" I felt his sigh. "I usually stay at home on my days off, so the parentals are kinda chomping at the bit to see me. They're insisting they meet you. They're...worried."

"Worried? Why?"

"You're an outsider and?—"

He didn't get time to finish, as Slade, Jack, and Hawk came strolling in. Slade cracked a beer as he sat down on the bed, crossing his legs with a disgruntled frown.

"You realise you're the one in the most secure position here, Slade," I said.

"Yeah, but women always want to overthink things, then talk about it.

Like now. You come in smelling all hot and creamy, the car fairly reeks of pheromones, and you want to sit there, dressed up like a nun, and 'talk'.

" He glanced back at me. He tried to hold on to his grumpy expression, but it softened when he saw me against Aaron.

"The big man's gonna have to whisk you off to appease the crazy over thinkers at his parent’s place tonight, so I thought we'd have a nice little round of me getting Jules all warm and relaxed so she can take Aaron without hurting, maybe with Hawkie as an appetiser to broaden her horizons a bit, but no.

" He took a long swig from the beer bottle.

"So, let me get this straight. While I've been out getting my head chewed off, you've been planning out the sexual pecking order?"

"Figured Hawk would look after you, smooth over any ruffled feathers. You did, didn't you?"

He looked over his shoulder where Hawk sat with Jack's head in his lap, smoothing the other man's hair, much to his cat-like delight.

"He was very supportive," I said, snapping his attention back to me.

"If you're finished, Slade, this should be short.

Talking to Hawk and Shaun, the whole thing has made me aware of something I didn't handle all that well this morning.

We're going to have to communicate—yes, talk to get through this.

We've got an existing couple," I gestured to Jack and Hawk, "Slade's my mate, and then there's the three of you as petitioners, maybe others, if we decide to add people. "

"Liked Mickey, did ya, love?" Slade said with a sly grin. "He's a good bloke, I wouldn't say no to?—"

"Right now, I'm avoiding adding anyone new to the mix unless forced to." The black wolf's sure hand sliding over me immediately sprung to mind, sensually repellent.

"If you're thinking of the bastard in lock up," Aaron said, "don't. I spoke to my CO. He's completely neutralised. I'd say it's just some residual trauma from when you were bitten."

"Maybe, but as I've been meandering through Sanctuary like some kind of over-sexed vacuum cleaner, sucking up dick left and right, with little thought to the consequences?—"

"Fuck, don't start talking about sucking dick," Slade groaned, pressing down on the lump in his jeans.

"I don't mind," came Aaron's low rumble. He moved behind me so that his hand swept my hair to one side, his lips on my neck. "Keep going," he prompted, pausing.

"Fuck..." I felt a whole body shiver at the feel of his mouth on me. "You guys said it was supposed to get better after the heat."

"Yeah," Slade prowled over on all fours, causing Buddy to jump to the floor. "There's a theory going around about that."

"Yeah?" I leaned back as he covered me with his body, his lips on mine. "What's that?"

"Too much human blood," he said between kisses. "Like Nerida. Humans are always sexually receptive. Don't have distinct mating times like other animals do."

"What?" Aaron's hands went to the hem of my long sleeve shirt, pushing it up to bare skin he could stroke, but I rolled away. "What does that mean? Is this what you were talking about last night, Jack?"

"Hmm...?" He had to pull his mouth from Hawk's to look at me, his eyes hooded and glassy with lust. "Fuck, I don't know, I'm just riding the fucking hormones in this room to what promises to be an explosive finish. My dick is aching."

"You said something about feeling me back at your place, it keeping you up," I said, holding hard to the thin sliver of fear amongst the swirl of sensation from the two bodies touching mine.

Hawk's eyes held mine as he unzipped Jack's pants, the other man fairly panting as he did so.

He jerked when Hawk slapped his length against his palm.

"God, don't do that. I feel like I'm gonna blow as it is," Jack growled. "Get your jeans off and fuck me."

For a moment, a cool, hard part of myself was able to watch the proceedings, as Hawk took his time getting naked—well aware he had Jack's, Aaron's, and my attention—and Slade did the same, though much quicker, then he lay on the bed with one arm across his eyes as he stroked his cock.

"Lube," Jack grunted. He'd torn his clothes off, revealing the long, lean lines of his body, and now he bent over the edge of the bed, arms on the mattress.

Aaron moved like lightning, opening one of the drawers and grabbing out a tube that he tossed to the two of them.

Hawk picked it up with a nod and then began to slather a blob on his partner's arse. "Oh fuuuuck...."

Jack's head hung down, his whole body flexing as Hawk prepared him, but Hawk didn’t move forward until Jack was working himself back on three of his fingers, thrusting and twisting his hips.

"What the fuck is this? It's like the air itself is stroking my body.

I'm on fucking fire. Put it in Hawk, stop fucking around. "

The darker man stepped between his legs, grabbing Jack's hair by the handful before grasping his dick at the root and rubbing it against his lover.

"Don't go easy. Just fuck me," came Jack's muffled growl.

"Don't blame me for this later," Hawk said, and then his hips surged forward. Jack's gasp was so loud, it sounded like he was choking. "Love?"

"I told you,” Jack croaked. “Give me all you've got."

My head jerked around when Aaron got to his knees, working his thick cock in his hand.

His eyes took in every movement of the two of them, no doubt seeing what I did: a savage poetry in motion.

They were so harshly beautiful, it hurt to look at them.

The casual brutality with which Hawk fucked Jack seemed completely at odds with the gentle man I'd seen today.

Jack's throat was exposed, his back pulled back in a tight bow, his guttural cries fighting their way out as Hawk ploughed on.

"Hawk..."

There was something mournful in the man's voice, something that slowed Hawk's thrusts.

He shuddered for a moment, breath coming in long draughts, then he pulled out of the man gently before turning him over.

It was much sweeter when they came back together.

Hawk's hands clasping Jack's, lips on his lover's throat as he moved inside him.

I jerked back off the bed and backed away, fighting to get free of the spell over the room. I heard the black wolf's laugh in my head as I edged towards the door, his voice in my ear as I slipped through the open doorway.

So sweet. Just the honeypot to lure those I need by your side. Come to me, little queen. Soon, or this will become a nightly ritual.