The Tin Men in expensive suits coming and going looked out of place, but not the armed guards patrolling the halls or the ones posted at doors. Sloane was led to a door guarded by two lion Therians holding machine guns.
Inside the small room were half a dozen Therians standing around, murmuring quietly to each other.
“Do you mind?” Sloane growled at them. He was growing tired of seeing all the suits.
They exchanged glances before a cougar Therian operative turned and tapped her earpiece, speaking quietly. Seconds later she motioned for everyone to leave the room. As soon as they’d gone and the door closed, Sloane walked over to Dex’s bedside.
When he’d found Dex in the woods up in Yonkers, Sloane had seen the cuts and bruises, but he hadn’t really seen. There had been so much blood. Sloane’s biggest concern at the time had been getting Dex medical attention. Now seeing what they’d done to him….
Sloane’s inner Felid was enraged, hissing and spitting, eager to lash out with his razor-sharp claws and fangs at whomever put their hands on his beautiful mate. It was a growing struggle. Sloane had never been the jealous sort, but with Dex it was different. Like his feral side knew far before he did that Dex was something special, something to be cherished and guarded at all costs.
So little had changed right after he’d marked Dex, Sloane had wondered what everyone was so damned scared about, but a few weeks later, he understood. Sloane was changing inside. Their bond was changing him, and it was terrifying because he didn’t know how or when those changes might show themselves. All he could do was hope for the best. During one particular date night out with Dex, Ash, and Cael, a couple of jaguar Therians had picked up on Dex’s scent and decided they wanted in on the action. If it hadn’t been for Ash intervening, taking Sloane down, and convincing those guys to get the hell out of the bar, who knew what Sloane would have done? At the time there had only been rage, a blazing fury at the audacity of someone trying to take what was his. The memory still haunted him.
Sloane pulled a chair up to Dex’s bedside and sat. They’d cleaned him up, making the bruises, cuts, scrapes, and bandaged wounds more prominent against his tanned skin. There was a white bandage across the bridge of his nose, one on his brow, and one on his swollen cheek. His lip was split, and his mouth was faintly stained with blood.
Sloane gently reached to take Dex’s hand when he noticed the bandages around Dex’s fingers. All his fingers on the left and two on the right. Jesus, what had they done to him? He could only be grateful Dex had escaped when he did. Who knew what else that son of a bitch Wolf would have done? Tenderly, Sloane took hold of Dex’s left wrist, softly stroking his skin, mindful of the angry bruises left by the zip tie. It would be some time before Dex woke up. Fatigue was creeping in on Sloane, but sleep was out of the question. Not until he was in their bed with Dex in his arms. To think he’d only moved in with Dex a few weeks ago. At first he thought it would take him time to settle in, to get used to the strange domesticity that was sure to follow. Sloane had never had that. He’d never had someone ask him to take the laundry basket upstairs or take the trash out.
Sloane had been both excited and scared at the notion of living with Dex. Excited because every morning he woke up next to Dex, and every night he fell asleep with Dex in his arms. The time in between was spent getting to know more about the man who’d captured his heart. Every day he learned something new about his partner. The tiniest detail fascinated Sloane. Like how Dex enjoyed avocado in his food but not on its own. How he color coordinated his closet, with his clothes arranged by type. T-shirts together, dress clothes, casual wear, sweaters. Dex had several aprons, stating he could hardly cook with the same one he used to clean the bathroom, and he couldn’t use the bathroom one to clean the living room because that was just gross. Besides, wearing his Vader apron to clean made the task far more entertaining. Sloane would have to agree. Dex was also a neat freak. Sloane chuckled at the thought of Dex’s sock drawer. While Sloane’s consisted of subdued hues, Dex’s sock drawer looked like a rainbow exploded in it. There were socks in every color imaginable, in various tones, with all kinds of crazy patterns and cartoons. Who else owned bacon-patterned socks? It was a trait he shared with Cael.
That was something else Sloane was growing accustomed to. Family.
With Dex came Cael and Tony Maddock. The three were always in each other’s hair. Cael would come over, which usually resulted in him borrowing something of Dex’s. The two were always “borrowing” from each other, conveniently forgetting to mention it. Normally Dex would find out when he was looking for something and couldn’t find it. Chances were his little brother had pilfered it.
Sloane was fascinated by the brothers’ relationship. They roughhoused like kids. One minute they were arguing, yelling like they were trying to bring down the house, and the next they were hugging and joking as if nothing had happened. The two never stayed mad at each other longer than a few minutes. It also seemed like their life mission was to drive their poor father crazy. Of course, Maddock always got his revenge. Always. The man was scary. One of these days, Sloane would have to ask for some tips, because whenever Cael and Dex were together, Sloane didn’t stand a chance. Between Dex’s charm and Cael’s big puppy eyes, there was no winning, and the two knew it, the little bastards.
Sloane was growing more comfortable around Cael. He was starting to see him as family and not just a friend or teammate. Maddock was another matter. Sloane was struggling to see the man as his boyfriend’s dad and not their sergeant. Maddock had asked Sloane to call him Tony off the clock, but Sloane was still having trouble with that one.
Family life was new, but thinking about it warmed Sloane’s heart. It wasn’t as scary as he’d thought, but that was down t
o Dex. Despite the uncertainty that came with marking his partner, there were also moments of pure bliss. They were in sync like never before, so much so that at times Sloane wondered if they were sharing the same thoughts. While on the job, there were times Sloane just had to look at Dex, and Dex sprang to action as if he knew what Sloane had been thinking. They argued less and sought each other out like never before. They’d always been physical, with Sloane needing to touch some part of Dex if he were standing close, but now he needed Dex at his side. If Dex couldn’t be with him, Sloane would make sure he could see him at all times. His feral half was aware of any touch that wasn’t Dex’s, and he was especially aware if someone else touched Dex. Sloane would have to make sure his scent was the last to be left on Dex. It was all so new.
Sloane sat with Dex, offering what comfort he could through his touch and his voice. He found himself quietly singing Journey’s “Faithfully.” It seemed like a lifetime ago that Dex stood on stage at Dekatria playfully dedicating the song to Sloane, his pale blue eyes landing on Sloane during certain parts. They’d been fooling around at the time, and Sloane would never have guessed how much Dex would come to mean to him.
Dex dazedly opened his eyes, one of them red from the popped blood vessels. The pale blue Sloane loved so much was frightful against all the red.
“Hey, beautiful.” Sloane reached over to brush Dex’s hair away from his brow.
Dex tried to smile, but it quickly turned into a moan. An involuntary tear rolled down his cheek, and Sloane tenderly brushed it away with his thumb.
“Hi,” Dex croaked. He coughed and sucked in a sharp breath.
“Easy there, sweetheart. Want some water?”
Receiving a nod from Dex, Sloane poured some water into a plastic cup, then held it to Dex’s lips. Dex sipped slowly. When he gave a nod, Sloane returned the cup to the tray. Bringing his chair closer, he leaned in and gently placed his hand to Dex’s head. He had to smile, because if he didn’t….
“You really need to stop getting yourself kidnapped. I got enough gray hairs.”
Dex’s smile made little creases at the corners of his eyes. “They look sexy.”
Sloane chuckled. “That may be, but I’d like to keep them at bay as long as I can.”
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Scared me? If that whole nine-lives thing were true, I’d have lost at least eight of them when I found you gone.”
“I’m sorry.”
Dex’s breath hitched as he struggled to keep himself together. Sloane soothed him as best he could.