Hypnotic Ch. 10

I lifted up my head when the phone that kept ringing went off yet again. "Dav, your phone is going off."

My mate rolled over and sighed as he reached for his pants on the floor. Dragging the phone out, he answered it. "Yeah?"

I couldn't quite hear the other person, and Dav said all of four words before he hung up.

"That call wasn't very long." I rested my cheek on my hand and looked at Dav's serious face. "Where are we going to be? Our little break from the insanity coming to an end already?"

"Velaku called a meeting. Hopefully this will be the last of them for a while." He rolled into me, pulling me toward him as he gave me a morning kiss; I ignored our morning breath and enjoyed the caress.

"Mmm, do we have time to shower?" I asked, my hips thrusting a little to rub our bodies together.

"Not together."

I flopped onto my back, and pushed the sheet down to expose my erection. "You go first then; I'm just going to take care of this." My hand slid up and down as my other hand tweaked my nipples, then slid up to my neck to finger his bite from the night before. My eyes closed at the blissful feeling.

"Oh, you're an evil little man, aren't you?"

I let one eye open in a thin slit. "Me? I'm not doing anything. You said one of us would have to wait for the shower. I'm just making sure I don't go back to sleep. You go shower; I'm happy to wait my turn."

Dav hissed a little. "I'm sure you would be, but I think I changed my mind."

Dav hauled me out of the bed and I laughed as we hit the shower together. I turned the knob to warm and then grabbed the body wash. "You going to help me out here?" I asked as I let a thin line drizzle on my aching flesh. I began to stroke my cock with the slippery fluid as I bit my lip and watched his pupils widen.

Dav turned me around out of the spray, taking the bottle from me. "Put your hands on the wall and don't move." His sibilant hiss sent a shudder down my spine, and I felt goose flesh break out on my arms.

His slick fingers wasted no time rubbing in my crack as he searched for what he wanted; I gasped as he thrust two inside at once. "Hmm, you're still stretched from last night," he said.

I heard the snap of the bottle closing and then Dav's chest pressed against my back. I pushed back against him, widening my legs. His cock slid between my ass cheeks and he hissed.

"Lift your leg." His hand tapped my left leg, and I picked it up and let it settle on the edge of the tub. "Perfect."

His first thrust inside was fast, pushing a cry from me. Dav grunted as he bottomed out, then froze. "Okay?"

I panted, and my head hung low as I struggled to accept his cock. I might have been stretched some from last night, but he was still a good size. His hands were hard on my hips as he squeezed and stroked my sides to help me loosen up. It didn't take long, though, before I relaxed into his warmth and began to enjoy the full feeling.

"I'm okay," I said as I cocked my hips back and wiggled to let him know he could start moving.

Dav's hands held my hips, pulling me against him each time he thrust in. I gave into the rhythm, letting the sensations push me closer and closer to my orgasm. I was panting and trying to push back.

"More, Dav, please. Touch me." I moaned as I begged; my chest was tight and it was hard to breathe poised on the brink. All it took was Dav's reaching around and gripping my cock in his hand; he stroked once up the length and then squeezed the head and I feel headlong into another amazing orgasm. I grunted and felt my balls lift as I painted the wall with my cum.

Dav thrust hard a few more times, moving through the pulsing spasms of my body. The last fierce push was so forceful my arms slipped and my chest slapped against the cold tile. My eyes closed as I felt his cock jerk inside me.

He leaned against me, his forehead against the wall of the shower by mine.

"Gods Ellis, that just gets better every time."

I nodded weakly. "I love you."

His kiss on my neck made me shiver. "I love you too."

***

"So do you think we can have a meeting with Velaku that doesn't contain mayhem?" I asked Dav on the drive over to the eyrie. We'd left after I called into Dr. Bakier's office and made an early afternoon appointment.

"I hope so. We've caught or killed everyone we knew was involved in the takeover attempt; what could happen?"

I laughed. "I don't think you should say that, seems like it's just inviting trouble."

Dav squeezed my thigh. "I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"Mmhmm," Ellis murmured. "Sure you can."

We parked outside the eyrie and walked along the cliff path to Velaku's door. I wasn't exactly surprised to see a new guard had taken the place of the one that had tried to kill me. This time Natham answered the door instead of my twin.

"Hey Davis, Ellis, come on in. Can I get you guys some coffee or anything?"

"Sure." Dav was always ready for coffee.

"Can I just have a glass of water?" I was used to avoiding caffeine with my headaches, so I'd never really acquired the taste for coffee.

"Of course. You guys head down to the office; everyone else is already here, and I'll bring the drinks."

Dav led the way down to Velaku's office. I had a flashback of the first time I'd been in there; many of the same people were there for this meeting as well. I could feel my body stiffen a little and then Dav's hand tightened on mine. He began to rub his thumb along my knuckles.

He pulled me close to him and kissed my temple, flicking his tongue against my skin. "Relax," he said quietly, "it's going to be okay."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I know." Things were different now; Dav's love flowed through the bond and I met it with an answering wave. I squeezed his hand and let go.

"Hey brother." Isiah stood up from his chair and wrapped me in his arms.

"That is so weird, seeing the two of them hugging," Ahsran said.

"It is strange to see such a perfect copy of my mate."

Isiah whispered in my ear, and I nodded. Isiah bared his fangs at Dav and I hissed at Ahsran. "Not such a perfect copies anymore, are we?"

Ahsran snorted. "Guess not."

Isiah let me go. "I hear you caught the last of the bad guys. Should we give you a superhero sticker?"

I slugged him in the shoulder. "Shut up. Besides, I didn't really catch them; they caught me." Ahsran rumbled a little, but I was pretty sure he knew I wouldn't hurt my twin. Isiah rolled his eyes and plopped down in his mate's lap so I could have his chair.

"They were supposed to," Dav said.

"Even if it didn't go exactly to plan." Velaku spoke up. I gave him a polite nod; he was sitting behind the desk. His white wings were folded behind him and he looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him.

Dav shrugged as he turned to face him. "Things rarely do. The second Ellis realized he was being ambushed in my apartment instead of the safe room he called me and we were able to reposition. The rogue Carthera were caught, and the humans in the club didn't have a clue anything even happened. I count that as a job well done."

Natham came in the room with a tray of drinks. He set it down on Velaku's desk and everyone quietly picked up their drinks. I wasn't thirsty, but I found myself twisting the cap on my water bottle off and then putting it back on over and over again.

Velaku sipped his coffee as Natham leaned against the desk with his own cup. "I didn't hear the whole conversation, but I heard what Davis said," he paused, "and I agree with him. Ellis made sure the team had the information they needed to ensure the mercenaries were taken down. With those two out of the picture, the threat from Mishtar's supremacy group is pretty much gone."

It seemed a little anticlimactic. Just two shots and they were dead. After the big battle, it seemed like almost a casual event. It had been planned over the phone on the spur of the moment. It took me a second to realize that I was thinking of the deaths of two Carthera who planned to hurt me in order to lure my mate in and kill him as anticlimactic.

My life had sure changed.

I looked over at my twin and Ahsran and then at Benny, Jerret and his mate, Calix. "If there is no longer a threat to the clans, why did you call this meeting?"

"Brad still presents a problem. How he could work in your club, Davis, and be friends with your bouncers, and yet still believe the bullshit that we're trying to take over the human world by mutating them? Did he hide his bias from you somehow? Did you know and ignore the danger he represented?"

Jerret growled and Calix put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from standing up.

Natham looked over at the tiger with a steady stare. Jerret pressed his lips together and looked away first. Natham's ears flicked once. "We know he's your friend, but he was working with these guys. Did you have any idea of what he was up to?"

Benny stiffened and pushed away from the corner he'd been standing in. His eyes were narrowed as his claws flexed in and out as his hands fisted."Of course not! We would never allow anyone to hurt humans, much less the clans."

Velaku raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Weren't you the one that attacked Ellis?"

"That was a big misunderstanding and you know it," Benny snarled. "I thought he was betraying Dav and was murdering people. Once we found out about Isiah I asked Ellis to forgive me."

He had, leaving me phone messages since I refused to see anyone after Dav tried to kill me. He'd asked for forgiveness in person once Dav and I made up.

"I hold no grudge against Ellis, and Dav is my friend. I'd never wish for him to lose his mate and go feral."

"And the human didn't say anything to you?" Natham asked Jerret.

Jerret's nostrils flared. "I would have told Benny or Dav immediately if he had. Brad is not a bad guy; he just believed the wrong people. Is the story those Carthera were spinning that much of a stretch to really believe? I mean," he waved a hand at me, "look at him."

All eyes turned to me. I clenched my hands on the water bottle and it crunched a little; I hated being stared at.

Jerret continued, "Brad met Ellis when he was a human, then he mated with Dav and suddenly he's not so human."

I frowned a little. "But I still look human. I've never understood that; Brad never saw my fangs or anything, and he never met Isiah. So how did he know I was changing?"

Velaku sat back in his chair. "That one is probably easy enough to understand if he saw Dav take you to the safe room after the battle with Mishtar. You looked really bad; we all did. If the mercenaries told him how you killed Mishtar and he saw all the blood on your clothes and face; he'd believe it. Your fangs were exposed too."

"Why don't we just ask him?"

I didn't exactly like the idea of coming face to face with the guy who held me at gunpoint the day before, but I knew the guards would keep a hold of him and he wouldn't have any weapons. Dav's tongue flicked in the air and then he sent me a wave of reassurance through our bond. "If he lies, I'll be able to taste it."

Velaku nodded and one of the guards by the door left. I turned to Dav. "I didn't know you could taste lies."

"Emotions cause the body to emit different pheromones; I'm sensitive enough to pick up on most of them. When people lie they experience anxiety and their heart rate increases. I've learned to distinguish the scents that usually accompany lies. I don't know if you could do it; you're not really a Snake."

He put his cup down on the desk. "I should probably stop drinking this though, if you're bringing him in for questioning." He looked at Velaku. "I'm surprised you didn't already."

"Well, he was a little hysterical once we got him here. Dr. Pannar thought it best just to sedate him. He was your employee for a long time; I didn't want to interrogate him, but we do need answers."

I didn't want to hear about questioning anyone; I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I didn't think they'd use violence, but Brad had tried to kill me. Dav wasn't likely to feel very generous toward him. I turned to Isiah while we waited. My twin was snuggled up on Ahsran's lap and the big tiger was nuzzling his shoulder with his cheek. "So how much longer are you going to be in town?" I asked him.

"I'm not leaving."

My jaw dropped. "What? But aren't you still part of the military? Won't you get in trouble?"

He smirked at Ahsran. "I wasn't exactly military after the government pulled me for undercover work. Ahsran had more than a little bit of pull with my bosses and he refused to give me up after we called in that the assignment was complete." He grinned and flashed his thick fangs. "Besides, I'm not exactly inconspicuous anymore, and Ahsran wants to get to know his brother now. They didn't argue for too long."

I leaned forward, my hands once again twisting my water bottle lid. "So you're staying? Here? In town?" I couldn't believe it.

"Well, not in town; we like a bit more space than what we'd find in an apartment. Natham found us a nice place not too far from here; it's a two bedroom house that borders some clan land. We can play in the woods and still be close to both of you."

I sat back in my chair with a big smile. "That's great. But what are you going to do for work?"

"For now, neither of us needs to work; we got some wicked hazard pay bonuses. When we do go back, Ahsran works for a coalition of the clans investigating Carthera problems and they're willing to use me as well. We might have to travel from time to time, but in the meantime, we'll be here."

I knew I couldn't change Isiah any more than I could change Dav. They were not men made to sit on the sidelines when there was trouble brewing; they had to be there to stop it. I didn't like to think of Isiah in danger and I knew I would worry about him just as much as I would for Dav, but I also knew Ahsran would be there to watch his back.

"So does this mean that you're finally going to get your piano out of my apartment?"

Isiah laughed. "Sure, bro. The house has a nice big living room and I already have a space planned for it.

"Perfect. Just so you know, I'm making you take it out of there. Do you have any idea of how difficult it was to get the damn thing into my apartment in the first place? It weighs a ton!"

"Drama queen! It doesn't weigh a ton; maybe half that." He laughed again. "Don't worry, though," he smacked Ahsran on the chest, "I'll get my brawny mate and his brother to help me."

Natham's head swiveled from his own conversation with Velaku and Dav. "Did I just hear you say you're going to make me help move a piano that probably weighs a thousand pounds just because your mate is my brother?"

Ahsran's grin showed off his fangs. "Isn't it great to have family?"

It was my turn to laugh. It was good to have family. Things kept changing so fast but I had my twin back and his mate had found peace with his own brother. I had my mate, a man who loved me more than anything and who deserved the best that I could offer him. It seemed like everything was falling into place, but we still had my doctor appointment that afternoon. I couldn't erase that niggling fear that somehow the venom that seemed to make me better was no longer working and I'd face blindness and death again. Having been there once, that made up the bulk of my nightmares lately.

Plus I'd long since learned that when it seemed like things were turning out good to watch out for the other shoe that would inevitably drop kick my ass.

The door opening brought me out of my thoughts. Two guards walked in, half carrying, half guiding Brad as he stumbled into the room. His eyes went wide as he saw everyone staring at him. I saw his stare bounce from my twin to me a few times before he settled on looking at his best friend.

"Jerret--"

Jerret growled. "Save it man." He looked away, his arms crossed over his chest.

Brad's lips were trembling and he was taking shallow breaths as he was pulled to a stop by the desk where we could all see him. He was just about two feet from Dav and I could see how nervous that made him. My mate was eyeing him and his fangs were clearly exposed through his partly open mouth.

Velaku's wings rustled and Brad's eyes jerked to him.

"We have some questions for you, and I suggest that you answer them honestly."

He swallowed hard but he nodded. I took a breath in through my mouth and almost gagged. I could immediately understand what Dav meant about tasting the pheromones in the air from emotions; fear was a noxious one. I looked at Velaku, and I had to concede that Brad had plenty of reasons to be afraid. Natham had moved to stand directly behind Velaku's chair and his dark eyes glittered. The Falcon was small, as were all his kind, but he had wicked looking talons that he was using to tap on the desk and his large white wings took up a lot of space even folded behind him, making him look much bigger than he was. Natham wasn't much better; the lynx's ears were back and his fangs exposed as he stared.

"We know what you told Ellis when you held him at gunpoint." Brad flinched and his eyes shot to me and then away, "but we don't know why you believed it. Ellis is Dav's mate, but why would you believe that we were using him as an experiment. Why did you think we would want to change humans into Carthera?"

Brad couldn't talk fast enough. "My dad was anti-Carthera and he used to say that he wished the good old days would come back when no one cared when your kind were hunted down like animals. I grew up with that, and even though I didn't agree with him, I knew exactly how most humans thought about Carthera and treated you for so long.

Then I saw Ellis' fangs that night and it freaked me out. I didn't think it was possible that a human and a Carthera could be mates naturally. It doesn't make much sense since we couldn't change like your kind do, you know? But then I saw him and kinda freaked out; I was out behind the club trying to figure out what the hell was going on and calm down when those two Carthera found me. They said he had been going to these doctors and stuff. They showed me pictures of him going in the offices and then they told me about what he did to Mishtar. How he," he swallowed hard, "how he bit him and poisoned him because he found out. That's some freaky shit, and I didn't want to be next!"

Velaku's eyes narrowed. "Did they tell you that Mishtar had just killed my mother during an attack on one of Dav's safe houses? That he had my father tortured to death and had my mate and me taken and tortured with plans to have me killed in an attempt to take over my territory?"

Brad's mouth dropped open. "No!"

"He did. Ellis was protecting his mate and himself when he bit him. Mishtar took him as a hostage and would have killed him without a second thought."

Brad shook. "I-I . . . didn't know." Dav gave Velaku a slight nod. "It just . . . it seemed so believable, and I was so scared. They told me that you could have already started changing me since I was around so many Carthera, and that you'd let anyone claim me as a mate, but I'd be like a slave."

I couldn't believe how they'd twisted the truth. Hearing Brad's story made me understand how he could believe it though. "I work for Dr. Pannar in the clinic," I said, "and I've been seeing my doctor for years for migraines. They're not experimenting on me at all. Mating isn't like that either. Dav didn't pick me and I didn't pick him, but we love each other." His hand tightened and I squeezed him. "We're meant to be together, two parts to a whole. I didn't really know what it was until we bonded, but I knew that I wanted him more than any man I'd ever met. Once we bonded . . . well, I can't describe it. Besides, unless they had a true bond with you, no Carthera would mate you. If they did, they'd never get to change into their fully mated forms. They certainly wouldn't want to enslave you or any other human."