on him wouldn’t fade any time soon. He remembered their names, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the
words out loud, like speaking would summon them up again.
“Who?” Dane’s voice made Lindsay jump and clutch the covers tighter. He hadn’t been afraid of
Dane since he’d woken up in this house, but he was now, just for a moment.
“Two men.” The names wouldn’t come out; Lindsay’s tongue refused to work. He had to focus on
Dane to keep talking. “She said I could have them, instead of you.” His throat got tight at the memory and
his vision blurred. “Because she was taking you away.”
Dane crossed the room so quickly that he was already there when Lindsay blinked away his tears. He
sat on the bed and let Lindsay burrow into his arms. “It’s okay,” Dane said gently, stroking his hair. “I’m here now. You did that.”
The petting worked, it always had. Lindsay took a breath and tried to shake off the flood of misery
that was trying to drown his memories. “They were twins,” he managed to say, taking comfort in the fact
that his voice didn’t shake that much. “Tall and thin. Like polished wood.”
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“Dark skin and hair and eyes? Older than you?” Vivian asked. Lindsay could only nod. “I’ll have to
tell Cyrus they’re here. That explains much.”
“It does?” Lindsay pushed away from Dane enough to look at her. He didn’t want to lose Dane’s
comforting presence, but he wasn’t going to cower and cry when Vivian knew something he didn’t.
“Null mages.” Vivian’s face was tight and pale. “And they have other tricks. But they are at their
best—their worst—when they’re together. I wonder what the girl did to draw them in.”
“You know them?” It still felt that Lindsay needed a map to his own country.
“Of them.” Vivian looked at Dane, then back at Lindsay. “We are not all so interesting that those
among us with extraordinary powers don’t go unnoticed by the rest. And she may not be able to keep
them.” She picked up the paper that was on the tray and unfolded it, offering it to him.
Dane let Lindsay go and Lindsay took the paper to read it. The front page documented a terrible
accident at a National Guard base miles away. Another failure for Moore. “Is she in trouble?”
“In disgrace, I’d call it,” Vivian said quietly. “Once more. I’ll be leaving for Washington in a few
hours. I may not be back for some time. I’m leaving Kristan here to help out, for now. She knows what I
need her to do.”
“Are you…?” Lindsay pulled his eyes away from the paper—he could hardly make sense of it all
right now anyway—to look at her. Are you in trouble? As soon as he knew what he was thinking, he
couldn’t say it. “It wasn’t all your fault. You can’t know everything.”
Vivian gave him a warm smile. “I can try. I should go prepare. I need to ensure that Moore and her
people lose as much power as possible. The lobbyists are making my job harder than ever in DC. But I’m
glad you’re home safe.” She came over and leaned in to kiss the top of Lindsay’s head. Once, it would have
made him cringe, but now it felt comforting. “Take care of each other, and Cyrus.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Dane rumbled, concern on his face. It looked more like irritation, but
Lindsay knew better.
“Well, I won’t worry about you.” Vivian gave him a stern look as she stepped away. “You shouldn’t
have bothered escaping. They’d’ve put you out on the curb in a day or two.”
Dane laughed at her and shook his head. “They just don’t appreciate me like you do.”
“Me, yes. Cyrus, not so much,” Vivian said dryly.
“Not my fault he can hear everything.” Dane got up to walk her to the door and Lindsay resisted the
urge to hide under the covers, cuddling up in the pillows instead.
“You make it impossible for him not to,” Vivian chided. At the door she stood and tilted her chin up,
obviously demanding a kiss, which Dane gave to her on her cheek. “Do try not to get yourself thrown out
before I get home.”
“I’ll behave,” Dane promised solemnly. “I’m a new man.”
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“You are.” Vivian reached up and patted his cheek. “Welcome home, Dane.” With that, she was gone.
Dane closed the door on the sound of her heels on the stairs.
Lindsay looked at Dane carefully, but Dane seemed well enough. “What?” Dane asked, giving him a
grin.
“You didn’t tell me Cyrus could hear everything.” Lindsay wanted to hide all over again. They hadn’t
been quiet last night. Everyone had probably heard them, now that he stopped to think about it. At least Vivian and Cyrus had.
“Cyrus is an old stick,” Dane said loftily. He came back to the bed and bent to give Lindsay a long,
hot kiss, one hand tight in Lindsay’s hair. “Besides,” he murmured, sitting beside Lindsay. “It’s no one’s
business what I do with what’s mine.”
“You like everyone knowing I’m yours,” Lindsay countered. He liked it too. He liked the idea that
someone could hear his voice and know, could see the proof written out on his skin, that he belonged to
Dane. Lindsay liked that he could look at himself in the mirror and know it. He also liked being able to
show Dane with the sound of his voice how good Dane made him feel.
Dane purred and nuzzled Lindsay’s cheek. “You might have a point.” His hair was all over the place,
the scars were faded to almost nothing under the silky fur on his chest, and his jeans were sliding down his hips and barely containing his cock. “You don’t object.”
“I like it too.” The marks on Lindsay’s skin, scars and bite marks alike, wouldn’t fade nearly so
quickly as Dane’s had. He’d wash away the sweat and come, but he didn’t think Dane’s scent would be so
easy to shed, either. Especially not if Dane kept putting it right back on.
Dane gave him that feral grin and kissed him hard and fast. He still didn’t seem too interested in food
when he asked, “Hungry?”
“Depends what you want to feed me.”
“Better feed you something that’ll do you good.” Dane kissed him tenderly this time, and rolled off
the bed. He stretched as he walked back to get their breakfast tray. “Cyrus may have decided I haven’t
completely ruined you, but he’s not going to take me starving you.”
“I’m not going to starve if I skip breakfast,” Lindsay said, laughing.
“Fine, but I might.” Dane set the tray on the end of the bed, and shucked his jeans, tossing them over
the chair again. “Besides, you need your strength, little bunny.” He slid into bed next to Lindsay.
Lindsay looked Dane up and down, and laughed again. “If you wanted me to focus on food, that was
not the way to go about it.” He sat up a bit more and looked at the tray.
There was meat there, a sliced steak on a plate, barely cooked. Vivian apparently knew Dane’s
preferences well. There was toast for Lindsay and cheese and fruit along with the coffee and a dish of fried potatoes. Maybe he was hungry.
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Dane stroked Lindsay’s back when he leaned forward to get a slice of toast. Lindsay smiled,
wriggling into the touch as he sat back again and nibbled the edge of the toast.
Dane rumbled softly, letting Lindsay see how much Lindsay affected him. Lindsay was starting to
understand what worked best, if he were of a mind to get something out of Dane. Dane leaned forward to
tug the tray closer, until it bumped into one of his knees. “Think you can remember how that whole
vacation thing works?”
Lindsay tilted his head. “I think there was sunshine involved. And sex.”
“Very good.” Dane picked up a fork and stabbed a slice of steak, popping the meat into his mouth. He
looked thoughtful. “Won’t be sunny here for a while yet.”
Lindsay worked his way through the slice of toast, and reached out for the bowl of fruit. “It’s not like
I’m going to get a tan anyway,” he pointed out. “I can improvise.”
“I’m sure we can find something to do.” Dane offered Lindsay a piece of steak and gave him a stern
look.
When Lindsay saw Dane’s expression, he sighed and obediently opened his mouth to take the bite.
Dane fed him, and leaned in to kiss him with a satisfied grunt. “You’re going to need your strength for
your vacation,” he murmured.
“I’d better eat up, then.” Lindsay stole another kiss, and then stole Dane’s fork to get himself another
bite of the steak.
Dane laughed and slid his arms around Lindsay, getting Lindsay in his lap once Lindsay ate a little
more. “Good. I’d hate for anyone to say I’m not doing my job.”
Lindsay snuggled into Dane’s lap, getting comfortable, and tipped his head back so he could see
Dane’s face. “Oh, I think you’re doing excellent work,” he murmured, popping a bite of melon into his
mouth.
“So you’ll be keeping me, then?” Dane teased gently, holding Lindsay against him.
“I belong to you, not the other way around.” Finally, Lindsay felt perfectly comfortable with who and
what he was, and his place in the world. He rubbed his cheek against Dane’s bare chest. He knew Dane
wouldn’t willingly give him up, not now.
Dane was quiet a moment, and he pressed a kiss to Lindsay’s forehead. “Yes,” he said. “You have it
right. That’s how it is.” His arms tightened around Lindsay and he ducked his head so that his hair fell all around them and Lindsay was wrapped up in him, safe.
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