“Put some pants on,” Nori said, as a pair of sweatpants fell across Kylo’s face. “And get your damn dragon to shift back. People are going to talk, and he’s that damn heavy he’s leaving divots in the grass. Mom will have a fit.”
“You’d better have pants for him, too.” Kylo tried to wiggle in the hold Conrad had on him. “Er… I should put pants on,” he added to the dragon, “and for that, I need my feet on the ground.”
“Not until the weapons are put away.”
Great. My mate is a stubborn dragon.“Guys, put the guns down before I tear them from your hands myself. This magnificent creature is Conrad. He’s a hybrid shifter and the assassin I sent for.” Kylo swallowed and then added. “He’s also my fated mate, so this is your last warning. Put the damn guns away, or Mom will be the least of your problems.”
The yelling got louder as all four brothers chimed in on what they thought about that bit of news. The hold on Kylo changed from scales to skin. Conrad was shifting.
Guess they got rid of the guns.
~/~/~/~
It took an hour before the brothers were calm enough for Kylo to drag Conrad off to a quiet sitting room, one usually used by his mom. He could understand his brothers’ reservations, but a mate was a mate was a mate. Felix and the others would just have to deal with it.
At least he and Conrad had a chance to get clean and have some food, thanks to Felix’s cooking while he and Conrad showered separately—and that was more difficult than it should’ve been. All the time he was under the shower spray, Kylo kept wondering if Conrad would join him to scrub his back… and other places. But that didn’t happen.
Kylo had mixed feelings about what had happened to his attackers. On the one hand, it was hot that Conrad had tried to question one of the men concerned—and he only killed one man, not both of them. The magic angle was worrying Kylo, especially when it was being used to protect the men from sight. For all his shit, Devil never used magic—to Kylo’s knowledge—although now Kylo was wondering how many other times he’d been near potential killers and not known about it.
“You think this is to do with Selina, don’t you?” Kylo asked as soon as he and Conrad were alone. He didn’t trust himself just yet to talk in front of his brothers. He was still processing the secret that Devil was still alive. “You think she’s been staying at the death house?”
“That was my first assumption, but I could be wrong. Maybe you have a dozen female magic users who live in abandoned mansions scattered around the jungle, and I don’t know about them. Do you?”
“No, just the one, thank goodness. You’re sure it was a female voice you heard through the man’s voice box? Sorry, forget I asked that. Of course you’re sure, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.” Kylo inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “So Selina has gone from looking to this family for help and to support her finding her missing father, to shooting at us.”
“She didn’t shoot at you. She was aiming for me.” Conrad had sprawled across the chair Kylo’s father usually used. Visually he appeared relaxed, but when Kylo looked closer, he could see his mate was hanging onto his control by a thread. His shoulders were vibrating with tension. “She was trying to kill me.”
“She must know I called for another assassin.” Kylo frowned. “But it doesn’t make sense that she’d try to kill you.”
“Maybe she’s holding a grudge because Duron killed her brothers,” Conrad offered.
“I’m starting to think she’s got a screw loose,” Kylo muttered.
Conrad sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve only been in Paraguay a few times before, usually passing through. What’s the story here now? There’s a criminal leadership vacuum with Devil not coming back. Selina’s brothers are dead, too. Would she try to take over his operations?”
Kylo’s first instinct was to shake his head, but he stopped himself. “If you’d asked me that two days ago, I’d have laughed that idea out of the water. She has no voice. I believed she had limited means of being able to communicate with anyone, and as I’m sure you know from your training, effective communication—even if it’s fear-inducing communication—is still crucial to keeping control of the people beneath you. I struggle to believe Selina could do that.”
“Duron said, when he and Beaumont were making their way to the death house, that a group of ninja assassins attacked them.” Conrad’s voice gave nothing away. “Apparently, one of them said that the witch had sent them. I assume they meant Selina.”
Kylo didn’t know about that. “If Selina does want to take over what her father was doing, then why is she so insistent we find him?” Kylo leaned forward, too, mimicking Conrad’s pose. He ached to feel his mate’s capable hands on his body. Being responsible and searching for answers was getting more difficult by the minute when all he could scent now was his mate.
“Because her magic is letting her down in that regard. I really don’t know.” Conrad’s eyes met his. Kylo felt a shift in his soul, and the air between them felt electric. “I can see the need in your eyes, mate. I feel it, too. You have been through a lot today—more than a lesser man could stand. It was only a matter of hours before you accused me of stripping you of who you are. Are you ready for me to strip you physically now, or do you need more time? You have to use your words because I will not assume with you. Not for our first time.”
“I have no idea what I want.” Kylo wanted to look down at his hands, or at the wall, or anywhere else except Conrad’s intense stare. By the same token, he didn’t want to ever lose Conrad’s regard. “I’ve never been in this position before. I’ve always instigated, been in control, but this… this is more. Different. Intense.”
“Which is why you have to use your words.” Conrad’s tone deepened, and Kylo shivered, but it was with anticipation, not fear. “Tell me what you want.”
Kylo blinked slowly and then opened his mouth. “I want you to take me apart into a million pieces, and then I want you to take as long as you need to put all of those pieces back together, so I can live with myself, and you, and feel whole again. I can’t remember the last time I felt whole. That’s what I want. Can you deliver?”
The grin was slow and verging on feral. “Challenge accepted.”
Chapter Nine
Conrad
Kylo’s concerns were obvious to a trained observer such as Conrad. He considered the turmoil going on inside his mate, along with what Kylo saw as betrayal with him holding back where Wyatt was. He sensed that was there, too, tugging on Kylo’s mind.
He glanced at the room, getting up in a measured way so as not to spook the man opposite him. He held out his hand. “Take me to your bedroom.” He used a deep, commanding voice enjoying how Kylo’s hand trembled as it took his.
