Four-Letter Words by Evans, Gabrielle (top 10 books of all time .txt) 📗

“C’mon.” Thane motioned for Zasha to follow him through the crowd to where Torren stood waiting with his arm around the shoulders of one of the captives. Though the man had his back to them, Thane had a good idea who it was. “Nix.”

“Your brother?” Zasha hurried along behind him, jogging to keep up with Thane’s longer strides. “Mikko’s twin? The one who can see the future?”

“Right on all three counts.” Arriving at Torren’s side, Thane held his breath, waiting for Nix to turn and face him before pulling his brother into a crushing embrace. “Hey, runt.” The guy was no bigger than Mikko, but he did appear to be in much better health. A little pale, a little thin, but otherwise, he appeared unharmed.

“I knew you would come,” Nix answered in his quiet, musical voice. “What took you so long?” Then he pushed away from Thane and wound his arms around Zasha. “You two are going to be very happy together. It won’t end like last time, Zasha. You don’t have to fear the future.”

Thane couldn’t help but laugh at the stunned look on his lover’s face. “Don’t worry, lieveling. You’ll get used to it.” It could be unsettling when Nix just blurted out secrets he shouldn’t know, but after a while, most people just viewed it as part of his charm.

“Kieran?” Lynk’s soft whimper drew everyone’s attention. “Wake up, sweetheart. You need to wake up now.” He hadn’t moved from his mate’s side, still stroking Kieran’s hair while he rocked from side to side. “Wake up, Kieran. You can’t leave me. This isn’t supposed to happen.”

“Thane, do something,” Zasha begged him.

Thane would do anything for his family, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much assistance he could provide this time. He couldn’t feel any spark of life in the werewolf, and without that tether, Thane couldn’t even pull the guy back from Purgatory.

“Oh, Lynk.” Nix sighed and flounced over to their brother, settling gracefully to his knees and resting his head on Lynk’s shoulder. “Do you not believe in your bond?”

“Of course, I do,” Lynk argued. He kissed the top of Nix’s head and sniffed. “I’ve missed you, Nixy. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Missed you, too, Lynk. Now, dry your eyes and believe your love is enough. He’ll come back to you.”

“I do believe.” His swollen, red-rimmed eyes never left Kieran’s face, and the tears trickling down his cheeks didn’t cease. “I can’t feel him, though. I can’t feel anything.” He petted the werewolf’s hair in loving strokes, but his shoulders sagged in hopeless defeat. “I can’t feel him,” he repeated, and the agony in his tone was tangible.

“Believe,” Nix encouraged. “Would I lie to you?”

Sniffing audibly, Lynk shook his head slowly. “No, you wouldn’t.”

“Well, I don’t intend to start now.” Nix closed his eyes and began counting while Thane gripped Zasha tighter to his side and held his breath. “Just one more,” Nix mumbled before opening his eyes with a wide grin. “Ah, there he is.”

A loud groan, a few coughs, and a rumble that sounded suspiciously like a purr heralded Kieran’s return to the land of the living. Thane was ashamed to admit that he’d had a moment of doubt about the Enforcer’s fate, but he was happy to be proven wrong.

“Well, you are a big one, aren’t you.” Nix reached forward with one finger to tap the end of Kieran’s nose. “Now, just so we know, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t scare my brother like that again. It does terrible things to my mood.”

Kieran blinked stupidly as his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Before he could ask questions, however, Lynk was on him, tackling the werewolf back to the sodden ground as he rained kisses across his face and down the side of his neck. “What were you thinking? I can’t believe you did that. My heart stopped beating.”

“C’mere, sugar.” Rolling them in the mud, Kieran loomed above Lynk with a smile, but his eyes glistened in the lights as tears gathered in the corners. “Who takes care of you?”

The reunion was beautiful, but it was a bit embarrassing to witness, especially since Kieran was bare-ass naked. Snorting, Thane shook his head as he turned away to give the couple some privacy.

“I think everything is going to be just fine.” They’d saved the day, rescued the children, and no one had died. Thane was feeling high on life at the moment, and he could think of only one ending to their journey that would make everything perfect. Dipping his head, he placed a kiss against the soft skin just behind Zasha’s ear. “Let’s go home.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Encircling Thane’s neck in an unbreakable hold, Zasha jumped into his arms and nipped at his chin. “I’m done playing the hero, and I promise to let you take care of me, if that’s what you want.”

“No, Zash.” He was close, but there was one crucial piece missing to his proposal. “I want us to take care of each other.”

Chapter Fifteen

Zasha was happy to be home, but he was also exhausted. Collapsing onto his mattress still fully dressed, he was asleep before the sky had even begun to lighten in the east. His dreams were peaceful, filled with all of his favorite things, and it was well after sundown the following night before he finally pried his eyelids open.

His mate pressed snugly against his back, radiating heat like a living furnace. Thane hadn’t moved or said a word, but the swollen cock pressing against Zasha’s hip, as well as the quickened breathed warming his ear, told him his lover was awake. Fingertips danced over the top of his thigh, caressing his skin in delicate circles that inched closer to his growing erection with each pass.

“Good morning, my love.” Thane pinched Zasha’s earlobe between his teeth and tugged gently. “Feel better?”

“Mmm, definitely getting there.”

Thane’s hand disappeared from his leg but returned a moment later to