Healing Aiden (Lords of Discord 5)

“No! Not if they mean you could die!” Winter snapped.

“Winter—”

“No, you listen to me! Barely a year has passed since we lost Mother, and you were more of a parent to us than she could ever be. We just got you back. I’m not about to let him or anyone steal you away from us!” Tears streaked down Winter’s flushed face as he shouted, and Aiden’s heart broke for his son, his anger almost completely evaporating.

Without another word, Aiden stepped around the table and pulled Winter into his arms, tightly holding his softly crying son.

“Shhh, love,” Aiden whispered in his hair, rubbing his hand across Winter’s shaking shoulders. Winter’s arms wrapped around him tight enough to bruise, as if he were terrified Aiden would disappear that very second. “No one is going to steal me away. I won’t allow it. My sons always come first.”

There was a soft sniffle, and Aiden held out one arm. A second later, Bel was pressed to the other side, holding him and Winter tightly in his arms. His throat tightened, and his eyes burned with unshed tears as he held these strong, powerful men in his arms. They’d accomplished so much, but it was all done in the name of keeping those they loved safe.

“Bel?” Rafe’s voice wobbled over the speaker. Aiden wasn’t sure if it was Rafe’s emotions coming out or if he was feeling his twin’s pain.

“I have them both. Everything is fine,” Aiden said calmly. “Is this why you’re acting so impulsively and overprotectively? You’re afraid of losing me like your mother?”

To his surprise, it was Marcus who answered first. “I’ve been concerned. You’ve been distant and distracted since you saw Ronan. If you were simply worried about a Ministry attack, you’d talk to us. But you won’t even discuss Ronan. When it comes to him, it’s as if you’re not even considering an attack possible. We don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“If he wasn’t with the Ministry, we might have only threatened him a little bit for flirting with you,” Rafe said.

Bel’s head popped up from where it had been resting on his shoulder. “He flirted with you?”

Aiden groaned and brushed a kiss to Bel’s temple, trying not to think about the decadent kisses he’d shared with Ronan earlier.

“Of course he has. That man can flirt with just his eyes,” Rafe muttered and then yelped suddenly, his muffled voice lost to whatever he was likely saying to a not-happy Philippe in regard to Ronan’s flirting eyes.

Aiden looked over to where Ronan had been standing only to find him gone. He quickly glanced around and couldn’t see him in the living room.

“Wyatt took him up to a guest bedroom to shower and sleep,” River informed him quietly.

Aiden nodded and released Bel so he could turn his full attention to Winter. His son wiped his face, turning sad blue eyes up to him. “I’m sorry,” Winter whispered a little brokenly.

“So am I. I should have taken into consideration that you were still hurting over the loss of your mother.”

“No, we should have talked to you first. We’re sorry.” Bel sighed and dropped onto the couch. River immediately crossed the room and sat beside him, practically wrapping his slender body around Bel. Aiden wasn’t sure if he was comforting Bel or if he needed Bel’s comfort. Possibly both. They each had such tender hearts.

“I would appreciate it if we could discuss it before you feel the need to run around during the day in the rescue van,” Aiden said.

Marcus growled, “The rescue what? Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not, dear brother,” Rafe snickered.

Winter squeezed Aiden’s arm, drawing his gaze to him. “Last night, what I said, I was telling the truth. We want you dating and falling in love again.”

“Not that we were expecting you to be interested in men,” Rafe muttered.

“Oh yes, because you’ve got a monopoly on bisexuality,” Bel tossed at his twin.

Winter growled beside him. “The point is that we want you to be happy.”

“But are you sure you want to be involved with Ronan? I’ll give you that he’s handsome—” Bel started but was cut off by an objection from River. His son quickly nuzzled his mate, murmuring something along the lines of Ronan being nowhere near as handsome as Wyatt and River.

“But he’s with the Ministry,” Winter finished.

Aiden sighed. “Yes, I’m well aware of that and the fact that the Ministry likely has an agenda against me. Right now, Ronan and I are simply talking. We haven’t seen each other in a very long time. We each thought the other had been killed the night we were turned. I would like to have the chance to learn about him while we try to uncover the Ministry’s plan.”

“Do you trust him?” Marcus asked.

Aiden hesitated, but only because he was surprised that he had an answer so quickly. “Yes, I do. I know Ronan. I know I can trust him. I only hesitated before because I was afraid. However, I don’t trust his traveling companions. So while I am talking to Ronan, I’m not opposed to my sons looking into the other two envoy members.”