Page 24 of Only You, No One Else

“But your brother can do it?”

Mark nodded.

“That explains a lot.” Caster narrowed his eyes. “And you’re saying Zeke has somehow gained a similar ability?”

“Edie thinks Ethel enhanced him somehow.”

“Of course she would.” The tension in his muscles returned. “Can you feel him now?”

Mark shook his head too fast. “No. My wolf resisted him.”

“But?”

“He’s going to get better at it, Caster.” He took a breath. “Dean said it takes practice and…”

“You think that’s what Zeke is doing.”

Mark’s breath caught. “I am scared, Caster. My wolf is terrified…”

Caster pulled him even closer, his instinctual response to Mark’s fear so comforting it brought tears to his eyes. “I love you. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“Even if I don’t know how I feel about him being back?” Mark hated himself even for saying it, but it was the truth, and this wouldn’t work without complete honesty.

Caster’s comfort didn’t disappear as he’d feared. “I am not under any illusions, Mark. I know there is a lot to sort through here. I am sure of only two things: that I love you more than I ever thought possible and I would destroy the world to keep you safe.”

Mark’s tears slipped past his tight control, and he burrowed deeper into Caster’s embrace, allowing his pain to leave his body the only way it could. He recognized some of it as the inevitable crash that came after the impossible height of subspace, but it was also fear, confusion at the moment, and remnants of a pain he’d carried for a decade, pain that decreased the longer he remained in Caster’s protection.

***

Caster’s jaw tightened to the point of pain. He was losing control of his anger at a moment when comfort was the right response. But he doubted Mark’s pain would ever make him feel anything but out of control. He wanted to tear the world apart, his own battle with his emotions growing more pronounced the longer Mark’s pain filled the space. But he refused to let him go, gripping the live, raw moment with everything in him.

The implication of what Mark had just shared was not lost on him. An enhanced Alpha with the same abilities as the Prime Alpha was a disaster for both species. Unless they did something fast, the inevitable momentum of events led to an unavoidable war. But even the heavy responsibility of stopping it, a responsibility that was his to bear, wouldn’t overcome his need to comfort Mark.

Mark’s warm tears coalesced on his shoulder, his body racked by sobs he seemed unable to control, and Caster held tighter, whispering his intent to keep him safe. This was the crash after the high, and even having expected it, it still tore at Caster’s breaking heart. It was indecent of him to think of Mark’s feelings about Zeke, but he couldn’t avoid it. What if Mark loved Zeke just a bit more than he loved him? He shook his head at the juvenile thought and resolved to live up to the trust Mark had granted him.

Do you feel your wolf right now?

Mark’s nod was small, but present.

Let him make the pain go away.

Again, as he had earlier, Mark tried to resist, but the animal in him responded to Caster, and Mark’s gasps of pain morphed into sighs. Caster let his heightened senses take in the cabin and its surroundings, his need for vigilance magnified by the threat the resurrected Alpha posed. Vincent’s dependable heartbeat reached his senses first, no alarm. The familiar cadence of Kyle’s heart eased some of his worry.

Still, he reached into Kyle’s mind, needing further reassurance. Any problems?

None, Your Highness. Everything’s quiet.

He breathed a sigh, his hand drifting through Mark’s hair to draw a sigh from him that seemed to travel through both of them. He kissed Mark’s head, his mind running through all the scenarios their new threat posed. He’d wanted to stay here for days, giving in to their need for each other, but Zeke’s new ability was not something that could wait. If they allowed him to gain the experience he sought…

Mark’s body tightened with a tension that signaled danger, a low growl from his wolf filling the space, interrupting Caster’s strategizing.

“What is it?” Caster couldn’t help the uptick in his heartbeat, both fear and a desire to end a threat he hadn’t sensed yet increasing his tension.

Mark’s moan was one of pain. His heart rate increased to impossible proportions, and just as Caster was about to demand a response, his body jerked, the involuntary movement repeating in a rhythm that tore Caster’s breath from his lungs.

Fear like he had never known infected every cell as an invisible force rip through Mark’s body. The jerking movement overtook his entire form, his grip on Caster’s arm loosening, his body losing strength by the second.

Caster reached for his shoulders, his grip too tight, but not enough to overcome the force overtaking Mark’s body. “Mark!”