A flurry of clothing had them naked again, rubbing against each other, instinct prevailing over all else. Urgency coursed through him, the knowledge that they would soon be separated ever-present. He wanted to stick to Val’s side forever, but at the same time, he knew Drew needed him.
But here and now, things were simple, beautiful, and pure, like only raw passion could be. Somehow, Val ended up in the middle again, but this time, with Drew behind him and Trent in front of him.
Val looked up at him, dark eyes dazed and full of passion, lips swollen and wet. Trent wanted to fuck that sinful mouth, to imprint his scent on Val and make sure his mate didn’t ever forget who he belonged to.
Trent looked up and straight into Drew’s lovely blue eyes.
Thankfully, they’d left the lubricant within reach. Trent tossed the tube to his human mate, waiting impatiently as Drew uncapped it and squirted liquid on his fingers.
A low groan signaled the moment when Drew’s digits penetrated Val’s ass. Impossibly, Trent grew even harder. The sounds Val made aroused him beyond belief. He wished he could see Val’s body swallow Drew up, but looking into Val’s eyes more than compensated for his inability to fulfill his first desire.
“Come on,” Val growled. “Fuck me. I can take it.”
Drew abandoned the lube bottle on the bed and slowly pushed inside their mate. The expression of bliss on Drew’s face as he did so was the very epitome of beauty. Trent could no longer contain himself. He positioned his shaft against Val’s lips. Val’s lips parted, greedily taking him.
The wet heat that surrounded him felt like pure heaven. Val took him with no problem whatsoever. A thrust from Drew had Val moaning in pleasure, and the vibrations spiraled straight through Trent’s cock. “Ah, fuck, Drew…Whatever you did, do it again.”
Drew smirked at him, his eyes full of a weird sort of passionate gentleness. “Slowly,” he mouthed at Trent.
Yes, slowly, to draw this moment out, to make it last, to keep it inside of them forever. Together, they started a rhythm that was poetry in motion. In and out, thrust after thrust, taking Val from two directions. For his part, Val seemed completely lost in his pleasure, his handsome, aristocratic features having turned into the very picture of sexual perfection as he sucked Trent deep.
Trent felt overwhelmed by the extent of the ecstasy he experienced through their connection. To a certain extent, he sensed Drew as well, but not as powerfully as he did Val. His fangs ached to claim them both, but he couldn’t do it, not now. It was the only thing he regretted, the only thing keeping this moment from being perfect.
Trent forced the dark thought aside, instead focusing on the here and now, on the scent of his two mates engulfing him, on Val’s talented mouth taking him and Drew’s fevered blue gaze. They’d get by somehow. He just knew it.
As much as they meant to take it slow, the beast inside Trent soon broke loose. Snarling, Trent held Val’s head down and began to fuck his mate’s face in earnest. Val would probably have a sore jaw, but Trent could feel Val’s excitement grow, regardless.
In fact, Trent’s loss of control triggered a similar reaction in Val.
Like a domino effect, they all began to move faster, the thrusts faster, deeper, more powerful and erratic. They turned into one single entity, one being of pure eroticism. The scent of sex and sweat mixed with the distinctive aroma of Trent’s mates.
With so much heat between them, Trent thought he would surely self-combust. The fire of orgasm exploded over him like a supernova, and he buried his cock deep into Val’s mouth, sending his seed down his mate’s throat. A second later, Trent’s senses were assaulted by the smell of Val’s essence as the other wolf came. At last, Drew arched his back and with a beautiful cry, found his peak as well.
They all collapsed on the bed in a sweaty heap. This time, Drew somehow landed in the middle, and both Trent and Val squeezed the human close. “It will be fine,” Val whispered. “You’ll see.”
“I know,” Drew answered. “I’ll never give up.”
Trent would never give up either. He’d always protect his two mates, come what may.
* * * *
Half an hour later, Valerius supervised the final preparations for his mates’ departure. The bags had all been settled in the chopper, and the three humans now waited next to Trent and Valerius on the helipad.
Drew hugged Valerius tight. “I wish we had more time together,”
he whispered.
“It will come,” Valerius replied. “I promise you it will come.”
He reluctantly broke away from Drew and fell into Trent’s embrace. “Be careful,” the other man murmured.
“You, too,” Valerius said. “And don’t worry about me. At my age, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
Trent chuckled. “That’s right. I almost forgot.”
Valerius then turned to Paulie. “You listen to your dad, and ask Trent anything you don’t understand.”
“Yes, Sir,” Paulie answered. He looked a bit shy now, as if he’d just grasped some of what was happening, and the sight endeared the boy even more to Valerius.
Finally, Valerius focused on Dan. Valerius had the oddest sensation when he looked at the man. He felt as if he’d seen Dan somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite remember where. It had been growing ever since he’d first seen the human, and it irked him that Dan would go without Valerius figuring out the reason for his frustration.
When their gazes met, it almost seemed to him Dan shared this experience, but the moment broke before he could understand why.
“Take care of yourself,” Valerius said simply.
Dan nodded. “And you. We’ll be waiting.”
It must’ve been Dan’s way of saying he felt it, too. Valerius acknowledged it with a brief smile, then gestured them to the chopper.
Trent himself would pilot it, so that no one else would know of their location.
Everyone climbed inside, the three humans in the back and Trent in the pilot’s seat. With a final look toward his mates, Valerius closed the chopper door stepped back out of the range of the helicopter.
The blades began to move, the cold wind ruffling Valerius’s hair and clothes. He watched as the aircraft took off, skillfully piloted by Trent. He stood there until the helicopter disappeared into the distance, carrying his lovers to safety.
Once he could no longer see it, Valerius headed back inside. His father would expect a report from him within the following week. If all went well and the man bought their story, Valerius would be able to join his mates in Maine. If not, the situation would be a bit more complicated.
In his quality of the Head Judiciary, his father was the eternal upholder of tradition, and he’d insist for the Magistrate to give them full leave to hunt Drew down. As their main authority, the Magistrate was a fair man, and Valerius hoped he might see beyond the legislative restrictions. In a sense, the Magistrate represented the Alpha figure over all spirit wolves. But like all alphas, he trusted his betas, and the Head Judiciary represented just that. Still, Valerius trusted that, should Valerius’s plan fail, the Harts could hide the humans. He would not be able to join his mates, since he’d be under close supervision, but Drew and Trent would at least be safe.
His hopes lay in Drew now. If Drew managed to make a breakthrough in understanding the feral virus, Valerius’s actions would be justified. Until then, the mate bond—their most sacred law that not even the Magistrate could break—would prevent Drew and Trent from being captured.
For Valerius’s part, he would stall as much as he could. With his mind already on the task to come, Valerius retreated to his office, ready to falsify records and arrange for fake death certificates.
* * * *
The flight to the Hart domain didn’t take long, but to Trent, it seemed to last forever. He ached with the knowledge that he’d been forced to leave Valerius behind. But Trent already decided to come back for his wolf mate once he got Drew to safety.
Soon, his parents’ home was in sight. Trent had contacted them to let them know he’d be coming home and would bring along a surprise. His parents and his youngest siblings Amy and Clay were waiting for them on the helipad.
As hunters, Trent and his brothers traveled a lot, living in hotels and eating in diners. Trent hadn’t come home in quite a while, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Ash. They were always sent on different assignments, both of them working as lone wolves.
Trent missed his family’s warmth, but above all else, he’d always wanted to make them proud. Alas, his chosen job meant he also had a report pending. It wasn’t unusual for hunters to chase their prey for months on end, but because of what happened with Drew, his superiors would be waiting for news.
He landed the helicopter and shut the engine down. When it was safe, he took off his pilot equipment and opened the cabin door. On their side, Drew and the others echoed his motions and jumped outside, too.
His mother pounced on him, her slender arms cutting his breathing as they squeezed him tight. “My boys are ingrates. How long has it been since you’ve come home?”
“Three years,” Clay helpfully provided.
“Gee thanks,” Trent grumbled.
Behind him, Drew let out a gasp of surprise. “Three years, Trent?
Are you serious?”
“I’ve been busy,” Trent shot back. “You know that, Mom.”
His mother allowed him to break the embrace. “Yes, yes, I know.
Now, won’t you introduce us to your surprise?”
Trent swallowed in nervousness. He wished now he’d given his parents the full details of his predicament, but he’d wanted to tell them in person. It was too late for regrets now.
“Mom, this is my mate, Andrew Blunt, his son Paul, and his friend, Daniel Lawson. Everyone, this is my mother, Marion.”
“A mate. A human mate.” Trent’s mother looked thoughtful.
“Well, you are all welcome here of course.”
His father and siblings approached, and Trent began to introduce them as well. “Drew, Dan, Paul, this is my father Grant, my sister Amy, and my brother Clay.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Drew said politely.
Grant gestured them inside. “And you.”
As they entered the house, Marion took Andrew’s arm and smiled pleasantly. “So, Andrew, tell me about yourself.”
Drew shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, really. I’m a doctor, and I love my son, and yours.”
A sense of possessive pleasure coursed through Trent at his mate’s words. Alas, Paulie chose this exact moment to pipe in on the conversation. “Don’t be so modest, Dad,” he said. “He’s a brilliant pathologist. In fact, he helped Trent get over a feral bite. He wants to find a cure for the virus.”
The air seemed to freeze, and Paulie shut his mouth, obviously realizing he may have said too much. Trent mentally groaned when his father’s gaze fixed on him. “You didn’t mention any injury on the phone.”
“I’m fine now,” Trent assured him. “And it wasn’t so bad.”
Clay arched a brow at him, seeing through the lie. Thankfully, Amy intervened, focusing on the latter part of Paulie’s explanation.
“You can find a cure?” she asked. “But that’s impossible.”
Drew shook his head. “In my opinion, nothing is impossible. A thousand years ago, people would have thought flying machines would never exist, but here we are, just stepping out of one. Perhaps there are many diseases that cannot be cured today, but with every discovery, we get closer to making what you’d call impossible a reality.”
Amy gaped at him, while Grant looked skeptical. “I don’t know.
We’ve been trying to cure the virus forever.”
“So I’m told,” Drew answered steadily. “But it can’t hurt for me to try as well.”
There were few people who could face Trent’s father in a conversation without wincing or being intimidated, but Drew held his own and didn’t even blink. Admiration coursed through Trent, mingling with something even more intense. He’d never have thought love could be born so easily, but mates were made for each other.
Oddly, his mother’s next words referred to Val as well. “And the Judiciary agreed to this?”
“Well, here’s the second surprise,” Trent replied. “Valerius D’Averam is our mate, too.”
Awkward silence fell once again, until at last, Grant spoke. “Son, can I have a word with you in private?”
Trent frowned at his father. “Drew can hear whatever you have to say to me.”
“It’s all right,” Drew said. “If you’ll direct us to a waiting room, we’ll stay there.”
“Now that would make us poor hosts,” Clay said. “We’ll show you around while they have their boring conversation.”
Clay and Amy pulled the humans out, and Trent immediately felt bereft. Val’s absence bothered him enough. To be separated from Drew as well, and so soon, irked him terribly.
As soon as the group was out of earshot, Grant began to speak,
“Two mates, son? And one who is human?”
“Look, Dad, I don’t understand it either, but I know what I feel.
And I trust Drew will figure out a way for us to be together. He just needs equipment, scientific stuff, that sort of thing.”
“Of course we’ll help in any way we can,” Marion answered.
“We’ll ask him to make a list of what he requires, and we already have a private hospital section here. It won’t be difficult. But son, we have to tell you something before you venture on this road.”
His mother looked away, her expression strikingly sad. Grant hugged her, and she buried her face in his shirt. Trent didn’t know what to do or say. His mother was a rock, the proverbial matriarch.
What could possibly hurt her so much that she would show vulnerability?
Grant looked into Trent’s eyes, and his gaze spoke of the same pain Marion seemed to experience. “Nobody knows about what we’re about to tell you. It is a secret we’ve kept for a long, long time, and the reason why we’ve retreated here and rarely go out into the world.”
Trent held his breath, almost reluctant to hear what his parents meant to tell him.
“We had another mate,” Grant continued. “We met her a long time ago, before you were even born. She was beautiful, delicate, and sweet, almost like a sprite. Only, she was not a sprite, but a human.”