Evans, Gabrielle - Reckoning [Fatefully Yours 9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (7 page)

“Oh, fuck!” Eyce howled, snapping his hips up and thrusting into Echo’s slick hole. Two pumps later, and he exploded again. His head began to swim, his legs felt like rubber, and every muscle in his body melted. “Nap,” he mumbled.

“Love you, big guy.” Echo pecked Eyce’s lips and lifted off of his lap.

He started to roll away, but a sudden thought penetrated Eyce’s post-coital happy bubble. Grabbing Echo’s wrist to keep him on the mattress, Eyce blinked open his eyes and stared seriously at his mate. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Kind of, I guess. It was more like memories of all the awful stuff that has happened lately. I’ll be fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Onyx asked.

Echo shook his head. “You were there. You know what happened. What’s the point of rehashing it?”

“I didn’t mean the dreams.” Onyx slid off the bed to kneel in front of their mate. “Do you want to talk about the stuff that’s happened? How you feel about it? You know we’re here anytime you need us.”

Echo scrambled across the bed, ripped open the drawer of the nightstand, and rummaged around inside.

“Uh, Echo, I have the lube right here.”

“Shut up.”

Eyce closed his mouth. Craning his neck to see what Echo was doing, he was surprised when his lover came back to sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed. His small fist was clutched to his chest and unshed tears shimmered in his brilliant blue eyes.

Echo breathed deeply a couple of times then unclenched his fist to reveal a tiny teardrop sapphire dangling from the end of a dark leather cord. He pulled it over his head and pressed his palm against his heart, holding the sapphire tightly to his chest as he closed his eyes.

“Echo?” Eyce rolled to his side and caressed Echo’s bare thigh. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing.” Echo shook his head fiercely. “Nothing is wrong. I just needed this. I’ve been missing it.” His eyelids fluttered open, and he smiled beautifully. “I know it’s silly, but it’s the first thing you guys ever gave me, and it means a lot. Thank you.”

Eyce didn’t know what to say. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, and decided for once that words weren’t necessary.

Chapter Six

Biting his lip to keep from laughing, Echo watched Syx pace about the kitchen. The demon’s lips were moving, but he made no sound. It was obvious that he was chomping at the bit to discuss his theories with the rest of them.

“I guess I’ve tortured you enough.” Echo eased into one of the chairs at the table, wiggling a bit at the wonderful ache in his ass that declared he’d been well and truly loved that morning. “Go ahead and spill what you know.”

Syx stopped pacing and fisted his hands on his hips. He stared down at the floor, shaking his head slowly as though he wasn’t sure where to begin. “Maybe we should take this to the office.”

“Syx, just tell me.”

“The light that you make?” He waited for Echo’s nod. “I think it’s sunlight.”

Echo nodded again. “That makes sense. It vaporizes vampires, but doesn’t hurt anyone else. So, I guess this has something to do with my father.”

Syx gaped at him. “You’re very intuitive.”

“I guess it might also explain why I’m so in tune with the daylight. I also feel better when it’s sunny, and I know when the sun is setting. I just don’t understand why I never felt it before I was changed.” Echo had learned to be very careful when discussing how he’d come to have fangs and crave blood. His men were still touchy about the subject of his death.

The warriors’ reactions were predictable. Some winced, some scowled, but every one of them looked very unhappy about the topic of conversation. Echo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was over and done with. There was nothing they could do to change it. He was a little different now, but basically the same as always. His men really needed to get over it.

“Your powers are stronger now. You also couldn’t produce the light before you became a daemon. I think that might have something to do with it, but I’ll need to think on it some more before I have a concrete answer for you.”

Echo acknowledged Syx with a dip of his head. Yes, answers would be nice, but Echo had decided they weren’t as important as he’d once believed. They’d rarely had any kind of answers before their challenges during the new moons, and they’d always come out on top.

Besides, the whys and hows of his gifts weren’t really important in the grand scheme of things. Knowing his lineage or why he produced bursts of lights from his fingertips wouldn’t help them win against Ares. He’d been so desperate to sort out the puzzle that he hadn’t taken time to look at the bigger picture. And in that great canvas of life…

“It doesn’t matter.”

All heads turned to him, and Echo shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t. Yeah, it’d be nice to know who my father is, why all this stuff is happening to me, but will knowing the answers make any difference to who I am or the things I can do?” He met each of their eyes and shook his head before answering his own question. “No. Knowing that my father is Helios, or Apollo, or whoever won’t change a damn thing.”

“Since Apollo is Athena’s half-brother, I’m going to hope it’s not him,” Myst mumbled under his breath. “It’s bad enough that there are girl parts involved. I can’t think about incest.”

Echo’s eyes went wide, and he slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle some of his laughter. Oh, the demon was too much. “Well, I hope not, either, but you never know with gods and goddess.”

“I’d guess Helios,” Syx said without a hint of amusement. “Because he’s a Titan, it just makes more sense—especially with the strength you have.”

Echo didn’t see how it made more sense, but he agreed with Syx. “You’d think I would feel a little more divine with immortal deities as parents. Not sure how I could die if I’m supposed to be a full-blown god.”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask your mother.” Syx started pacing again. “I think it’s possible that you had your immortality stripped before you were sent away. After you were dipped in the Lethe River, you’d have no recollection of life before the lab.”

Echo still wasn’t sure how he felt about that piece of information. Maybe it was better that way. How could he miss what he never knew existed? “So, I guess the main questions right now are what does One-seventeen have to do with all of this, and what exactly is Ares after?”

Syx’s gaze swung to Hex, and Echo mimicked him. Whatever was going on, Hex was at the center of it. Echo didn’t blame the demon, though. It wasn’t as though he asked for Ares’ attention. Somehow, Echo had an idea there was a much bigger reason behind the war that none of them had figured out yet, and they were all just pawns.

“I’ll help however I can,” Hex said after a pregnant pause. “I honestly don’t know what it is that I’m supposed to remember, though. Ares and I messed around a little when he was training us. He came once after we’d escaped Tartarus, but he left easily enough. I have no idea what he wants with me.”

Slipping out of his seat, Echo moved around the table to crawl up into Hex’s lap. The man was shaking, but trying damn hard not to let it show. The bags under his eyes attested to the lack of sleep he’d received during the night. “No one is blaming you, love. We’ll get through this together, and we’ll be stronger for it.” Echo cradled Hex’s face in his palms. “I love you, yeah?”

Hex kissed his lips and rubbed their noses together. “Yeah.” Something in his eyes scared Echo, though. They weren’t exactly vacant, but though he looked into Echo’s eyes, it was like he couldn’t really see him.

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing.” Hex shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “We’ll figure it out.” He didn’t sound convincing in the least.

“Syx, could you guys please give us a minute without making it obvious?”

“We need to take a look at the whiteboard and add some things,” Syx said aloud. “If you guys have any questions, they need to go up there.” He gave the demons a meaningful look and started out of the kitchen. Hex didn’t seem to notice them.

Everyone rose and followed Syx without question. Hex patted Echo’s hip to get him up, but Echo wasn’t moving. He waited for everyone to leave the room before grabbing Hex’s face and pushing up so that they were eye to eye. “Don’t hide from me, Hex. Tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours.”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

“If you try to leave again, I won’t let you back.” Of course, he didn’t mean that, but he had to get Hex’s attention somehow.

Hex’s eyes narrowed and his lips pressed together in a thin line. He looked angry for all of a minute, and then he sighed and slumped back in his seat. “It would be safer for everyone if I met Ares on my own and found out what he wants.”

“No it won’t. Everything we’ve faced, we’ve done it together. This isn’t going to be any different. If you love us, you have to trust us. You can’t beat him on your own.”

Hex’s arms wound behind Echo and pulled him close. “You’re right. It makes me sick to think of anything happening to you guys. It’s worse when I know it’s my fault that it’s happening. I just don’t know
how
it’s my fault.”

Kissing along the hopping vein in Hex’s neck, Echo sighed. “It’s not your fault. Ares is bat-shit crazy. If you leave us, who’s to say he’ll leave us alone? Would you really leave us undefended?” Echo knew he was fighting dirty, but he didn’t feel guilty. He’d do whatever it took to keep Hex with them.

“You know I won’t. I’m sorry I even entertained the idea. We’re in this together.”

“See how much easier life is when you just agree with me?” He sat up and flicked his tongue over Hex’s lips. “Please get some rest. You look like death, sweetheart.”

“Come with me.”

“You know we’ll never sleep if I do that.” Not that he was complaining. The fact that his men couldn’t get enough of him was a powerful ego boost.

“Yes, we will,” Hex argued. “I’m wiped. My head is pounding. I just want to curl around you and sleep.”

Thinking it over for a second, Echo finally nodded and crawled out of Hex’s lap. “Let me help you with your headache, and it’s a deal.”

“Please,” Hex practically whimpered.

Standing behind his lover, Echo pressed his fingertips to Hex’s temples and closed his eyes. “I really wish you’d tell me before it gets this bad. It doesn’t make you weak to ask for help.”

He absorbed a little of Hex’s healing powers, recycled it, and pushed it back into his mate. Within seconds, Hex’s posture became more relaxed, and his head dropped back on his shoulders to look up at Echo. “Thank you, baby.”

Echo gave him a quick upside down kiss and stroked his hair. “Take a shower and get in bed. I’ll be up in just a minute.”

“Deal. Bring Myst.”

Echo winked over his shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen. “Where do you think I’m going?”

* * * *

Breathing a sigh of relief as Echo and Myst left the office, Eyce waited to make sure they were out of earshot before speaking. “It’s not that I don’t want them here, but they’re both kind of blabbermouths. I don’t think Hex needs to know everything just yet. That man has more stress on him than the rest of us combined.”

Murmurs of agreement went around the room. Syx hovered near his board, staring at it as though it held the secrets of life. In a way, Eyce supposed it did. There were far more questions on the white expanse than answers, but it was a starting point. He had to admit that having something physical to look at helped keep them focused during these little meetings. That’s why he was a bit surprised when Syx used his arm to erase everything written on the board.

“Uh, Syx?”

Syx didn’t even look at him. He picked up a black dry-erase marker from the desk before he turned to face them. “We’re starting over. We’ll list what we need to know now, what we need to find out soon, and what is only important in the peripheral.”

“So, we’re going to prioritize.” Eyce bobbed his head. “Where do you want to start?”

“The least important.”

“Echo’s parentage,” Vapre spoke up. “I don’t think that’s of dire importance to why Ares wants Hex.”

Syx wrote the question on the top right hand corner of the marker board. “What else?”

“Echo’s ex-lover,” Onyx added. “I’m sure he’s connected, but I don’t believe the how is important.”

After a half hour of back and forth, the board was once again filled with Syx’s neat handwriting. They still agreed that the most important thing was to find out what part Hex would play in the final showdown. If they learned a few answers along the way—score one for them.

Syx sighed and scrubbed at his face. “I’m going to have to help him remember. I really don’t want to do this.”

“The more we know, the better prepared we are,” Fiero reminded him. “Yeah, it sucks, and he’s probably not going to like it. What can we do, though? Just sit around and wait for Ares to gift wrap the solutions?” He snorted and shook his head. “Not fucking likely.”

“I’ll wait until tomorrow. Maybe Echo and Myst can butter him up a little before I broach the subject of dipping into his brain.”

“Hex wants this over with as much as the rest of us. I don’t think he’ll give you problems.”