Smoke & Mirrors Read online

  this week. He wasn’t exactly the most patient guy when he was waiting on answers, especially if it concerned Dex or Cael. His dad seemed to be kind of preoccupied lately. Then again his dad was always buried in his work. Maybe he’d mention it to Cael tonight, see what he thought. “Besides, I need to get outside the house for a while. Get my groove on.”

  Sloane chuckled. “Okay. Sounds good. You text Cael. I’ll call Ash.”

  “They’re probably at Ash’s sucking face anyway,” Dex said with a grimace. He did not need that image in his head. With a spring in his step, Dex grabbed his phone on the way to the bathroom. It was time to resume his regularly scheduled program of bugging his little brother, tormenting Ash, and loving up Sloane. Bring it.

  Chapter 5

  MAYBE THIS hadn’t been such a good idea.

  Dex was his cheerful, playful, energetic self, or that’s what he wanted everyone to believe. Sloane knew better. It was obvious to him that Dex was far from all right. It showed in his subtle reactions. The barely there flinches when a door slammed or glass shattered. The stiff shoulders when someone other than Sloane touched him. When they’d arrived at the bar, Dex hesitated in the doorway, snapping himself out of it when Cael asked if he was okay. Dex’s smile had been wide, but it didn’t reach his bright blue eyes. After Dex walked in, Cael glanced at Sloane, his concern evident. Sloane wasn’t the only one who’d noticed something was wrong.

  There was also the glaring fact that Dex had yet to bring up anything about what happened with Wolf. Not just what happened to him physically but what Wolf had revealed. When Sloane had been hurt by Hogan, Dex had run himself ragged, risked his life, his career, everything, all in the name of justice. Now he’d discovered his parents had been killed, murdered, and the reason behind it was in the wind. Sloane had expected Dex to launch a one-man military operation to get to the truth, to find this file and seek justice for his parents. He’d expected Dex to be chomping at the bit, pacing a hole in the floor as he waited to hear back from Sparks about speaking to Shultzon. Nothing. Dex hadn’t even brought it up.

  They followed Dex through the busy Saturday-evening crowd, finding a table across the bar, not far from the dance floor. Dex had suggested somewhere other than Dekatria, and after what happened at the last bar they’d gone to where Sloane had almost gone feral after some Therians tried to mess with Dex, Sloane didn’t question the decision.

  They took a seat, and Ash picked up the first round. For all of Sloane’s concerns, once he was sitting beside Dex, his arm around his shoulders, he relaxed. It felt good to be out. Sloane hated being cooped up. He couldn’t blame Dex for getting a little stir-crazy after a week indoors. Sloane wouldn’t have lasted that long. Though these days it was easier with Dex at his side. He didn’t feel as restless, and if he felt the urge to leave the house, he asked Dex to come with him. He never wanted time away from Dex. He just needed fresh air, even if it meant going for a jog or a walk around the block.

  Ash returned with their drinks, and Sloane thanked him. It was nice to hang out with his family. Family. Sloane was caught off guard by his thoughts. Destructive Delta was also his family, but Dex, Cael, Ash, even Maddock, they were his family.

  “What are you all smiley about?” Dex asked, leaning in to give his jaw a kiss.

  Sloane shrugged, the smile not leaving his face. He gave Dex a squeeze. “Nothing. Just happy to be here.”

  Ash shook his head sadly at him. “What’s happening to you, man? Now you’re smiling for no reason?” He narrowed his eyes at Dex. “I blame you.”

  “Me?” Dex folded his arms over his chest and lounged against Sloane. “How do you figure?”

  “You’re turning him into a sap.” Ash turned his attention back to Sloane. “That’s sad, bro. Really. Next thing you know you’re picking out color swatches and redoing the kitchen.”

  Sloane chuckled. He didn’t have to reply, because he saw the mischievous look Dex got in his pale blue eyes. Sloane braced himself. Dex was moving in for the kill. He looked like a cat waiting to pounce. Dex leaned his elbow on the table and smiled sweetly at Ash.

  “How was your trip to Bed Bath and Beyond last week?”

  Sloane let out a bark of laughter. “Oh shit. What?”

  The more Sloane thought about it, the harder he laughed. Ash had never set foot in one of those places. In fact, Sloane could recall Ash saying something about how he’d rather shave his mane off than be caught shopping anywhere that sold scented candles and potpourri. Ash’s face turned crimson, and he gaped at Cael, who was having trouble meeting his gaze. He innocently sipped his beer, his cheeks pink.

  “You told him?”

  Cael’s eyes went wide. Sloane knew this trick. He’d seen the brothers pull it off plenty of times. His bottom lip jutted out a fraction, and his voice softened.

  “We were talking about bathroom rugs, and it slipped out.”

  Ash’s expression softened before he seemed to realize what Cael had said. “Bathroom rugs?” He looked from Cael to Dex and back. “Who the hell talks about bathroom rugs?”

  Dex let out a snort. “Normal people.”

  Ash jabbed a finger at Dex. “You have no place talking about normal people. You are as not-normal as they come.”

  Dex laughed, and Sloane couldn’t help but join him. If Sloane was a sap, Ash wasn’t far behind. Of course, Sloane couldn’t care less about shopping for curtains or bathroom rugs. It was kind of nice. For Ash, it used to be the equivalent of being neutered. His best friend had certainly changed his tune on that front.

  “Whatever,” Ash grumbled, throwing an arm around the back of Cael’s chair, all very macho. “I don’t have to justify shit.”

  Dex nodded sternly. “Of course not. I’m sure you ended up with something very manly. Like bacon-scented air freshener or gunpowder-scented aftershave, for that ‘just survived an explosion’ fresh feeling.”

  The table burst into laughter, and Ash flipped them all off. Dex wiped the tears from his eyes, and Sloane was glad they’d come out. This was just what Dex needed. Ash finished his beer and nominated Dex for the next round. With a salute, Dex jumped to his feet. He motioned for Cael to come with him.

  “I need to ask you something about Dad.”

  “Sure.”

  The two walked off, and Sloane admired Dex’s body as he walked away. When he’d stepped out of the bathroom dressed the way he was, Sloane had almost changed his mind about going out. Dex’s choice in outfit had a very rockabilly vibe to it, from the cuffed dark blue jeans and brown belt to the pale blue button-down short-sleeved dress shirt. He’d let his beard grow out over the last few days, and he was keeping his hair trimmed on the sides and long enough on top that he could style it to one side. He was muscular but lean. The way he moved was almost… predatory.

  “Hey, lover boy, snap out of it.”

  Sloane blinked and turned to Ash, a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry.”

  “Jesus, it’s not like you don’t live with the guy.”

  “So? What difference does that make?” Sloane settled back, curious at his friend’s somber expression. “What’s up, Ash?”

  Ash rubbed his hand over his stubbly jaw before he leaned his elbows on the table, his voice quiet. Sloane sat forward.

  “Did you worry about moving in? That maybe it would change things between you?”

  Sloane was taken aback by Ash’s question. Was he thinking about moving in with Cael? It had been a big step for Sloane, but saying it would be a big step for Ash was an understatement.

  “Of course I was worried. It’s natural to be. It was a big change for both of us, but not as big as we thought. Before I moved in I was spending more time at his place than I was at mine. When I was with him, at his, I never thought about going home. I wanted to stay. I think that was the first indicator that I was ready. It’s scary. I won’t lie about that.”

  “What’s it like?”

  “Living together?” Sloane shrugged, yet he couldn’t hel
p the dopey smile that came onto his face. “It’s great, actually. We found a morning routine that works for us, and we divide up the chores. Dex likes cleaning but hates taking out the trash. I like cooking but hate washing dishes. He doesn’t mind doing laundry. I’d rather vacuum.”

  Ash arched an eyebrow at him. “I want to shoot myself already.”

  “Right, because you don’t do any of those things?”

  Ash seemed to consider this. “But it’s different. I do it because I gotta. When I’m with Cael, it’s about us.”

  “It’s all the fun stuff,” Sloane agreed. “You went shopping with him.”

  “Yeah, but it was on the way home from the movies. His showerhead broke.”

  Ash’s face flushed, and Sloane held back a laugh.

  “I might have broken it,” Ash confessed. “By accident. During sex.”

  “Sounds intense.”

  Ash’s grin made Sloane happy. “You have no fucking idea.”

  Sloane glanced over at the bar where Dex was putting in their order. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do.”

  “No, you really don’t.” Ash leaned closer, his voice hushed. “Cael looks all innocent, but he’s got one hell of a kinky streak. I mean, I didn’t know half the shit he’s shown me. Dude, he’s handcuffed me to the bed I don’t know how many times.”

  Sloane’s brows shot up. “Really?” He would have never expected that from Cael. Then again, it’s always the quiet ones.

  “There’s all these toys, and if it hadn’t been him, I would have been all ‘what the fuck,’ but I have never, and I mean never, had sex like this.”

  “Well, you’ve never had sex with a guy before this, so there’s that.”

  Ash gave him the finger, and Sloane chuckled.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I get it. So the sex is good, but what about the rest? How’s your relationship?”

  “It’s good. He’s teaching me to talk and shit. It was exhausting at first, but I got used to it. It’s different with him. I actually care what he has to say.”

  “As opposed to the rest of us?”

  “You don’t count. You know that. Dick.”

  Ash narrowed his eyes at someone in the distance, and Sloane followed his gaze to a large Therian chatting to Cael. He laughed at something Cael said and put his hand on Cael’s shoulder. Ash was already out of his seat.

  “Easy there, tough guy. Sit down. Cael’s not going anywhere.”

  “That asshole’s touching him,” Ash growled, but he resumed his seat, his eyes boring into the man as if he could set him on fire just by glaring at him.

  “It happens. Welcome to boyfriendhood. You need to get used to it.”

  Ash shook his head. “Fucking nerve. Since when can you just put your hands on whoever the fuck you want without their permission? Why doesn’t Cael ever tell them to fuck off?”

  “Cael and Dex are affectionate, touchy-feely guys, so they don’t realize that when someone does the same to them they might have less than wholesome intentions at heart.”

  “Because they’re fucking oblivious,” Ash huffed. “Jesus, what’s taking the bartender so long? He brewing that shit himself or something?”

  “I’m sure they’ll be back in a minute.”

  “So if some dude puts his hands all over Dex, you’re cool with that?”

  Sloane arched an eyebrow at him. “If some guy shakes Dex’s hand or puts a hand on his shoulder, I’m not going to kick the guy’s ass. Dex and Cael can look after themselves.”

  “Bullshit.” Ash let out a snort. “If some guy lays a hand on Dex in a way you don’t like, you’d be over there so quick it’d give the guy whiplash.”

  “That’s different.” Sloane shook his head, his feral half stirring inside him.

  Ash’s expression softened. “Sloane? What’s going on?”

  “He’s an easy target now,” Sloane said with a sigh. He soothed the Felid inside him, assuring him everything was all right. Dex was safe. There were no threats. “Guys want to fuck him just to show off. To say they fucked an Alpha’s mate.”

  Ash looked surprised by Sloane’s words. “I’ve never heard you call yourself that.”

  No one really used the term outside of the THIRDS, and generally it was used only to reference their unit. It was called Unit Alpha for a reason, but Therians didn’t like using terminology that reminded them of their less than Human halves.

  “Doesn’t stop it from being what it is. Me, you, Hobbs, Seb, we’re Alphas, apex predators. If you’ve marked your lover and made them your mate, other Therians are going to want to take what you have. The majority don’t really give a fuck about who they’re hurting. It’s about fulfilling a need. A baser instinct. I didn’t understand a lot of it until now, and it’s fucked-up that as a society we excuse the behavior. Hell, I still don’t understand a lot of it.” Sloane looked over at the bar where Dex and Cael were laughing with the barman, a bear Therian who was obviously flirting.

  “I never realized how fucking terrifying it would be. Cael’s a Therian, so the rules are different. If he were marked, Therians would be more cautious about approaching him, because he could go feral. Dex is Human, and that puts him at a disadvantage from the start. The more aggressive the Therian, the less he’s going to put up a fight against his Therian half. Just thinking of Dex out there without me, with a bunch of wild animals, makes me sick to my stomach.”

  “Hey, whoa, buddy.” Ash reached across the table and put his hand on Sloane’s arm. “You gotta have faith in your boy. He might be a Human, but he is one tough son of a bitch, and with the training Sparks is putting us through, any asshole who tries to mess with him, you can bet Dex will teach him some manners. I had no idea you were worrying about this. Are you having second thoughts?”

  “What?” Sloane frowned deep and shook his head. “No. I might be unsure about a lot of things, but what we did….” A smile came onto Sloane’s face, his heart filled with love as he watched Dex. “I’ve never felt more sure about anything in my life.” He turned his attention back to Ash. “I think… I think this is it, Ash.”

  Ash sat back. “It, as in the one? You really believe in that?”

  “When I was with Gabe, I thought that was it for me. I thought I’d found the guy I’d be spending the rest of my life with. But whenever I pictured the future, I couldn’t. I couldn’t see us growing old together. Couldn’t see us doing the whole domestic thing. I figured it was just me getting used to the idea of us, worrying we’d get discovered at work.”

  “And you can see all that with Dex?”

  Sloane’s face felt hot. “I can see a lot with Dex. Some of it scares the shit out of me.”

  Ash went pale. “Don’t you fucking say it. Don’t even think it.”

  “What?” Sloane rolled his eyes. “I’m not saying it’ll happen. I’m just saying I don’t see it as being out of the question. I can see that. I can see him being a father.”

  Ash leaned in, whispering, as if the mere mention of a kid might conjure one up. “Dude, you realize what’ll happen once you have kids, right? No more THIRDS. I know you. What are you going to do, take a desk job?”

  “First of all, I’m not saying it’ll happen. I mean, Jesus, Ash. We just moved in together. I’m saying that it’s not outside the realm of possibility, because with Dex, I can see us having a family. Besides, you plan on being a THIRDS agent all your life?”

  “Fuck, man. You’re talking like we’re ready to retire. We’re not even forty yet.” He sat, narrowed his eyes at Sloane, his arms folded over his chest and a pout on his face. “I don’t like this grown-up talk.”

  Sloane chuckled. “Sorry.” They were both quiet for a second when Ash spoke up, his gaze on the table.

  “Guess it wouldn’t be so bad.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Having a family. You really think we can manage it without fucking it up? I mean, we never really got to be kids.”

  “Well, we learned ab
out what not to do, so that’s a start.”

  Cael and Dex showed up with a tray of drinks and snacks.

  “Fucking hell, took long enough.” Ash took his beer, thanking Cael, who gave him a kiss before taking a seat beside him.

  “We thought we’d get some snacks,” Dex said, taking a seat beside Sloane.

  He took a black olive and turned. Sloane opened his mouth, and Dex popped it in.

  “You two are disgusting,” Ash huffed.

  Sloane just laughed. As much as his friend protested all the lovey-dovey stuff, Sloane knew Ash was as head over heels in love with Cael. Sloane could just imagine how sickly romantic and cute the two were in private. After all, Ash was a lion Therian. He had an image to uphold. Luckily, Cael thought it was adorable, and Ash’s tough-guy exterior melted away if Cael needed something from him.

  The music got loud, and a synthesizer kicked in before drums and the tapping of cymbals soon followed. It was a disco tune Sloane had heard before. Most likely from Dex’s iPod.

  Dex jumped from his chair with a gasp. “Abba!” He ran to the dance floor, and Sloane shook his head in amusement before getting to his feet.

  Ash stared up at him. “You’re actually going to dance to this?”

  Sloane turned, watching Dex on the dance floor as he moved his body to the sensual sounds of the song. His jeans hugged him in all the right places, his shirt clinging and stretching across the muscles of his chest as he danced. Several Therians had taken notice.

  “You bet your ass, Keeler.” As Sloane drew closer to the dance floor, his senses were assaulted. A shiver went through him, and it was like he was high on Dex’s scent. Dex crooked his finger at Sloane, his full lips quirked and a “come hither” look in his dazzling blue eyes. Fiery heat blazed through Sloane, and he crossed the floor in two strides. He stood there for a moment in front of Dex, watching him dance. Sloane loved to watch him, and Dex got off on it as much as Sloane did. Dex put his arms up, his swaying hips and perfectly rounded ass capturing Sloane’s attention. Unable to keep himself from touching his man, he grabbed hold of Dex’s belt and jerked him back so they could dance pressed together, Sloane up against Dex from behind.

  Sloane slipped his leg between Dex’s and wrapped an arm around his waist, the feel of Dex’s body causing a low growl to rise from his chest. Dex pressed his ass back on Sloane’s leg, his hands taking hold of Sloane’s hips as they moved together.

  Dex met his gaze, his eyes hooded with lust as he reached up and looped his arms around Sloane’s neck, lacing his fingers and holding on before he closed his eyes, his head resting back against Sloane’s shoulder and his neck exposed. Fuck, Sloane was hard. He bent his head and kissed Dex’s neck before running his tongue up to his jaw. The music was entrancing, and the taste of Dex was intoxicating. Sloane slid his hand from Dex’s hip, up over his chest, his other slipping down to Dex’s inner thigh. He gave it a squeeze as he covered Dex’s mouth with his. Dex’s whimper awakened the feral beast inside Sloane. His inner Felid wanted to claim his mate, to take him right here, bend him over, and pound into him. Everything about Dex was driving Sloane crazy. The softness of his lips, the blue of his eyes, the way he gave himself up to Sloane with complete abandonment.

  “Sloane.”

  Ash’s hiss cut through the sex-filled haze consuming Sloane, and he pulled back, a groan escaping him at the sight of Dex’s kiss-swollen lips and dilated pupils. He looked drugged and absolutely stunning.

  “Sloane,” Ash growled.

  “What?” Sloane snapped, surprised by Ash’s dilated pupils. “Ash?”

  “His scent. It’s changed.” Ash rubbed a hand over his face and shook himself out of it. “Fuck, it’s….” He cleared his throat. “It’s fucking suffocating.”

  “Is it affecting you?”

  “Hey, you know it’s not like that for me. It’s just, it doesn’t smell like Dex. It’s something else. It’s almost like a… pheromone.”

  “That’s not possible. Humans don’t give out pheromones.”

  Ash motioned past Dex to the half a dozen Therian guys standing there, their gazes on Dex as they all but fucked Dex with their eyes. Their pupils were so dilated their irises were almost black.

  “Tell that to them.”

  Sloane should have been worried, should have backed away. Instead he was pissed. He pulled Dex behind him and bared his now-elongated fangs at the six men.

  Ash grabbed Sloane’s arm. “We need to go. Now.”

  Dex looked as if he’d just woken up from a dream. “Sloane? What—”

  One minute everyone was dancing and having a good time, the next Sloane was planting a fist across some guy’s jaw. In Sloane’s defense, the asshole had tried to grab Dex. Chaos erupted on the dance floor as Therians flooded in from all parts of the bar. Ash let out a roar as he threw one guy into a nearby table. Dex stayed close to Sloane, with Cael at his side, both of them holding their own against Therians bigger than them, thanks to Ash and Sparks’s training.

  Sloane’s feral half was furious, and his gaze landed on one jaguar Therian in particular facing him. He was about Sloane’s height and build, and the way he licked his lips when he looked at Dex had Sloane hissing at him.