Craeg held Silas close as he guided him through an employee entrance and into the catacombs.
Hopefully, the dimly-lit corridors would help soothe his mate.
* * * *
AS SOON AS SILAS ENTEREDthe corridor, he felt the knot in his overly-full stomach begin to ease.His bat showed him a half dozen places to hide.He could easily shift and flee if he—
“Hey, my sweets.”Craeg’s rumbling brogue crooned into his ear.“Just relax.”His big hands rubbed up and down Silas’s back, sending soothing tingles across his skin.“I won’t let anythin’ happen to ya.You’re safe.”
After hearing Craeg offer a few more words of encouragement, Silas finally managed to take in a deep breath.The wonderful masculine scent of his big man immediately began to soothe him.His bat relaxed, no longer urging him to shift and flee.Silas sighed softly and cuddled deeper into Craeg’s embrace, which his amazing lover offered freely.
“That’s the way, Silas,” Craeg murmured softly into his ear.“Take solace and strength from me, your mate.I’ll always protect ya.”
After another couple of minutes, Silas felt his heartrate ease.Slowly, his brain began working again.He truly couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
Silas lifted his head a little and turned, a bit surprised to find a worried-looking Cuzco and a concerned-looking Grisham.The pair actually seemed to care about his response.Silas couldn’t recall that having ever happened before...others being concerned about him.
Huh.
Still, Silas couldn’t help but frown at Grisham.“Cameron Ricci is acop?”He could barely get the words past his throat.They were so distasteful to him.
Grisham’s black brows furrowed as he nodded slowly.“Yup,” the human detective responded slowly.“Can’t say I like the man, but Ricci’s a cop.”Cocking his head, Grisham added, “Ricci’s in his second year out of the academy.You know him?”
Silas hesitated.He tore his gaze away from Grisham’s penetrating, dark-eyed focus and looked at Cuzco.The smaller man was cuddled close to the wiry human, glancing between them.
When Silas peered at Craeg, he saw the man’s warm, green-eyed gaze.“Tell him, my sweets,” his big lover encouraged.After a glance at Grisham, Craeg refocused on Silas and smiled.“Ya can trust him.He’s one of us.”
One of us.
Meaning Grisham was part of Craeg’s group...his pod...and that he had their support.
What would that be like?
What a strange and novel idea.
While Silas wasn’t completely certain he trusted that, he decided he needed to take a leap of faith.He received another encouraging squeeze from Craeg’s hand, as well as a smile and nod from him.Then Silas turned his attention back to Grisham.
Silas cuddled against Craeg tighter, relief filling him when his big lover tucked him close.After a sharp swallow, he muttered, “There was a Cameron Ricci at my group home.He was a couple of years older than me.Sixteen.”Silas did a quick calculation in his head.“Guess he’d be about twenty-two or three now.”
Grisham nodded once, slowly.“Sounds about right.”A crease furrowed his brows, and his voice lowered.“Once I found out he was a bigoted douche, I never had much cause to interact with him, thank god, which is why I found it so odd he sought me out.”Scowling, Grisham commented, “Ricci was even polite when he asked about you.”
“Why was he askin’ about my mate?”Craeg asked gruffly.
Even as Silas wondered the same thing, he wasn’t certain he wanted to know that answer.
After a glance between them, Grisham settled his attention on Craeg, which Silas appreciated.He preferred to cuddle against his mate and just listen.Something told him that the big male would take care of everything.
Wait.Huh.Is that the first time I acknowledged him as my mate?
His bat chittered in his mind, sounding so very pleased.
My animal side sure likes that.
“Ricci said you were a buddy and ran away when you guys were in high school, so when he became a cop, he tried to follow up about you.”Grisham shoved one hand into his pants pocket while keeping his other arm tight around Cuzco.“His behavior was off, though.”Shaking his head, Grisham muttered, “I didn’t like his scowl as we talked or the way he rubbed this small white scar he has that bisects his right eyebrow.”
“Oh my god,” Silas whispered, snapping his focus back to Grisham.“I-I-I must have given him that scar when I fled.”
Craeg growled softly, squeezing him tight against him.“The bastard deserved it.”
