Banded Brothers 03 - To Enchant An Eagle (2 page)

“He’s unusual for a human,” Gallen commented in a thoughtful tone.
“Yes. Carey’s a strong alpha. He’s mated to a jaguar shifter.” Eaton was almost certain Carey was the alpha in that relationship, too. Broden might be big bad kitty cat, but Carey didn’t have a submissive bone in his body.
Gallen laughed. “A human alpha? Why do the hawks even listen to him? Aren’t you their leader?”
“I won’t claim them. I keep hoping they’ll fly off and become someone else’s problem. Marty told them he wanted to leave life on the road. I don’t know why they’re hanging around, except maybe they hope he’ll change his mind. He won’t.” Eaton had hoped Marty planned to stay in one spot for him, but he didn’t know the real reason. Before Marty’s attack, the two of them never really got a chance to talk. For all Eaton knew, Marty just became tired of all the traveling and wanted to hang around and work at his bar. His decision might have nothing to do with Eaton at all.
“Can I see him?” Gallen said.
“Why?” Eaton’s attention snapped fully to Gallen. His protective instincts flared as he evaluated Gallen’s expression for danger.
“Because I might be able to help. I have some healing ability from my mother’s side of the family. She comes from Fae blood.”
“Oh,” Eaton perked up at hearing that news. Fae were known for their healing abilities and were also very hard to find. The Fae were dwindling in numbers and few were willing to step into the paranormal limelight due to the high incident of kidnapping. Both other paranormals and humans were easily enchanted by the Fae and often became obsessed, leading to a high level of abductions.
“Sure, you can come see him. It’s about time for me to go check on him anyway.”
Their project didn’t appear to be progressing very far. Marty filled all of Eaton’s thoughts. He needed to snap out of his obsession and get his work done.
A loud noise in the other room lifted his spirits and made Eaton’s heart skip a beat.
“Fuck!” Marty’s voice, hard and angry, had Eaton racing from the study.
“He’s awake!” Eaton shouted. Abandoning Gallen, he rushed down the hall into the bedroom where they’d placed Marty. Eaton skidded to a halt when Marty’s gold gaze pinned him to the spot.
The hawk shifter sat up in the bed, but hadn’t moved any more than that.
“Hey, you shouldn’t try to get up,” Eaton protested. “You’re still recovering.”
From Marty’s guilty expression, Eaton knew that was exactly what the hawk shifter had been attempting to do.

arty’s back burned like the fires of hell, but the scent of Eaton and hearing the soft timbre of his voice in another room had Marty instinctively trying to seek out his mate.

Finding he couldn’t move had the hawk inside him screaming its protest. He couldn’t be injured. His Eaton deserved a whole mate, someone who could keep him safe while still letting him spread his golden wings. Marty refused to let his mate be unprotected.

The sight of Eaton standing beside another man made the hawk try to come forward. Marty’s inner beast yearned to sink its claws into someone he saw as a threat.

“Come here,” Marty held out his hands. He groaned as the motion sent searing pain through him. His arms and legs ached. He’d had broken bones before. Not so many at a time, but he knew how that injury felt. Lance had done a thorough job at making sure Marty couldn’t shift to heal the damage he’d caused. When he got his hands on the other hawk shifter, he’d kill the fucker.

Eaton studied Marty for a long moment as if trying to determine the reasoning behind his request. After a slight pause, he walked forward until he stood beside the bed and within grabbing distance.

Marty placed his hands on Eaton’s hips, holding him still. The eagle shifter always fidgeted when nervous and Marty could almost feel the tension pouring off Eaton.

“I was coming to find you.” He hadn’t gotten any further than sitting up, but the thought had been there.

“Why?” Eaton asked. “You aren’t in any condition to be looking for anyone. You need to settle down and get some rest. I don’t know what you are thinking, trying to get out of bed. You’re injured.”

Marty scowled. “I needed to make sure you were all right. That bastard, Lance, said he’d go after you. How did I get here?”

“I shot Lance in the head; he’s never going to touch anyone else again.” Eaton’s grim smile of satisfaction had Marty’s cock rising. His baby had a vicious streak Marty found extremely attractive.

“How did you find me?”
“Denton discovered where you were, and Harris got you out. I killed Lance, and we walked away,” Eaton summarized.

Marty caught the haunted look in Eaton’s eyes, and he knew it hadn’t been as easy as Eaton said.
Unable to resist the lure of his mate, he cupped Eaton’s face and pulled him gently down. Their lips brushed, and heat poured through Marty at the contact. His inner hawk screamed its agreement.
A spasm of pain jerked him out of his lustful haze. Marty gasped from the ache.
Eaton stepped back. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t think.” The guilt emblazoned across Eaton’s face had Marty quick to reassure.
“No, my mate, I needed you.” He wouldn’t let Eaton blame himself. Not after all he’d done for Marty.
“Mate?” Eaton’s gold-brown eyes widened.
“Crap.” He hadn’t meant to say that. Just because he’d finally admitted it to himself didn’t mean he wanted Eaton to know just yet. Unfortunately, from the light glowing in Eaton’s eyes, it was too late for take backs.
“We’re mates. That explains everything. Why didn’t I know that?” Eaton frowned. Marty could feel the bond between them thrum as if Eaton had just discovered their connection.
Eaton’s tension and anxiety over being unaware hummed along with it.
“Because you’re just a baby,” Marty soothed. “And a virgin.”
Marty didn’t even try to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. Not wanting anyone else to have a chance at the eagle shifter had led to his decision to settle down now. He didn’t plan on allowing Eaton to spread his wings with anyone else. Ever.
Eaton blushed at Marty’s words, but rallied quickly. “So if I’d had sex with someone else, I would’ve known we were mates.”
“You would’ve had something to base your experiences on. Whether you would’ve been able to tell we were mates, I don’t know.” Marty tried to be honest. He’d never lied to Eaton before, he wasn’t about to start now.
The sound of someone clearing their throat reluctantly pulled Marty’s attention away from his mate.
Marty turned his attention to the slim man with light blond hair and silvery green eyes who had entered with Eaton. Marty wished he had the sense of smell of Eaton’s croc friend. He would lay a bet that this newcomer reeked of jealousy like spicy hot peppers.
Eaton followed Marty’s gaze. “Oh sorry. This is Gallen. He’s in my advanced physics class. He’s helping me with some equations.”
Gallen shrugged before saying modestly, “I’m not in the same league as Eaton. I’m just pointing out flaws with no idea how to fix them.”
Marty didn’t like the fond smile Gallen gave Eaton. Now that he was awake, he’d definitely be making sure their friendship didn’t go any further. Anyone who touched Eaton would lose some fingers, even if he had to hire out a hit man to do it.
“No, you’re really helping,” Eaton corrected, turning back to face Marty. “I wouldn’t be half as far as I am if Gallen didn’t help find the errors in my equations.”
Marty wished he felt better so he could rip out Gallen’s heart. The smug look Gallen flashed Marty over Eaton’s shoulder sent a spark of annoyance through him.
“I’m always glad to help,” Gallen said.
The urge to growl at Gallen almost made him smile. Soon he’d be snarling like the cat shifters mated to Eaton’s friends. That sobering thought had Marty relaxing against the pillows.
Eaton pulled out his phone and dialed. “Hello, Dr. Frennem, Marty’s awake now. Yeah, thanks.”
“What does the good doctor have to say?” Marty asked.
“He’s on his way,” Eaton replied.
“Good, maybe he can tell me if it’s safe to shift again.” Marty wouldn’t heal if he couldn’t shift, and he couldn’t transform into a hawk without the all clear. Without proper guidance, he could completely shatter his wings and never fly again. No way would he trap Eaton with a flightless bird shifter as a mate. He’d rather rip off his own arms right now.
Eaton twisted his fingers together as anxiety poured off him. “There was a lot of damage.”
“What do you mean?” Marty frowned. “I don’t remember much. Lance attacked me from behind and all I can recall is him slamming a bat into my legs so I couldn’t get up.”
“Bastard.” Something dark shimmered through Eaton’s eyes, and his sweet shifter’s face held an expression that made Marty glad he hadn’t gotten on his mate’s bad side yet. He’d never thought of Eaton as an aggressive man before, but he might have to re-evaluate his opinion. After all, the fates only granted people their perfect match.
“Hey,” Marty caught Eaton’s hand in his. “Thanks for taking care of him.”
The idea of Eaton rushing to the rescue had Marty caught in admiration of his mate. He was kind of sorry he missed the chance to see Eaton in action.
“I’ve offered my services as a healer if the doctor says you aren’t healing properly,” Gallen interrupted. “I have some Fae blood and might be of some assistance.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Marty said. He barely kept his calm tone. Marty’s nails began to lengthen. He ruthlessly shoved his hawk back down beneath his skin. Transforming wasn’t an option. Not yet. That didn’t stop him from contemplating pecking out Gallen’s eyes.
Something must’ve shown in his gaze because the sorcerer took a cautious step back from the bed. “Why don’t I see you later, Eaton? Call me if you need anything.”
“He won’t,” Marty said.
Eaton gave Marty a reproving look before telling his friend. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem, see you at school tomorrow.”
Gallen left with one last longing glance at Eaton.
Marty let him go without another comment, considering it a victory. After all, Eaton stayed by his side and didn’t even show his friend out.
“Does the doctor think I’ll fly again?” He tried not to let Eaton know how much his answer mattered to him.
Eaton’s sad smile sent shivers of dread down Marty’s spine. “We don’t know. Lance broke your arms and legs into little pieces. You need to heal a few more days before you can even try flying. I don’t want you to reinjure yourself if there’s any chance you can heal.”
Marty swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. He couldn’t imagine never flying again. His inner hawk screamed its dissatisfaction over that thought. Both of them wanted to feel the wind flowing through their feathers. For a bird shifter, soaring through the air was one of the reasons they existed.
Flying cleared his head and soothed his soul. If it turned out he wouldn’t be able to change or fly again, he’d have to make sure the flock knew they had to take care of Eaton. Since they hadn’t made love yet, they weren’t completely bonded. Between the flock and Eaton’s good friends, they could take care of the eagle shifter and make sure he had a good life. After all, if everyone had a mate and not everyone found one then it made sense some shifters lived and died without ever bonding with the supposed other half of their soul.
Eaton sat beside Marty on the bed. Marty gave in to his instinct to scoot closer. Pressing his face against Eaton’s neck, he inhaled his mate’s scent. Eaton smelled of peppermints and sunshine. The eagle shifter must’ve flown earlier to be so soaked with the fragrance of outside.
“Did you go flying?” he asked.
Eaton shook his head. “No, not yet.”
Interesting. His mate naturally smelled like all of Marty’s favorite things in the world. Curious, he tilted his head, exposing his neck to his mate.
“What do I smell like to you?” he asked.
Not giving Marty a chance to change his mind, Eaton slid his nose along Marty’s neck. Goose bumps popped across Marty’s skin as shivers of sensation danced through his body. He bit back a moan as Eaton rubbed his cheek across Marty’s flesh, marking Marty as his.
“I didn’t say mark me, I said smell me,“ Marty complained with little heat.
“You smell like mine and now everyone else will know that, too,” Eaton replied simply.
Marty lowered his head to meet Eaton’s gaze. His mate’s eyes had turned pure metallic gold as Eaton’s inner eagle peered back at him. Marty froze. He didn’t know if the eagle approved of a mere hawk shifter trying to bond with its human half.
“What’s wrong?” Eaton asked.
“I didn’t want to spook your eagle,” Marty explained, feeling foolish.
Eaton laughed. “Marty, I know you’re a badass biker, but I’ve got Aden as my guardian. I’m much harder to startle than you might think. You’re like a baby chick compared to him.”
Marty opened his mouth to object, but then snapped it shut. Memories of Aden’s frigid stare had him agreeing with Eaton’s assessment.
“Fair enough. Where are the hawks?”
Hawks didn’t have the same sense of smell as wolves, bears or even croc shifters. However, they could often sense when others from their flock were near. He could feel them close. Not necessarily in the house, but nearby.
“They’re around,” Eaton shrugged indifferently.
“What did you do to the hawks?” Marty asked. The lack of inflection in Eaton’s voice told him his eagle didn’t mesh well with Marty’s flock.
Eaton’s eyes flashed gold again. “Not as much as I should’ve. They are living on the third floor. Carey’s been giving them things to keep them occupied. They claimed I am their new leader, but I told them where they could put that idea. Unfortunately, they still stuck around.”
Marty nodded. “They won’t go until I appoint someone new or you do.”
Eaton jumped to his feet. “I can just pick an alpha? Why didn’t they tell me that? I thought it had to be a big fucking deal.”
“No one said anything?” Marty asked, surprised.
Eaton folded his arms across his chest and refused to meet Marty’s eyes. “We’re not exactly on talking terms.”
“Why not?” Marty didn’t understand why his flock wouldn’t talk to Eaton. He knew they didn’t have problems with him being gay, and they were perfectly free to go back to their bikes and continue their trek across the country. The entire fight between Marty and the rest of the flock derived from Marty not wanting to travel away from his mate anymore. Eaton was a nesting kind of bird and wouldn’t be happy on the road.
To tell the truth, Marty had tired of that lifestyle a long time ago, but it wasn’t until he’d met Eaton he realized the urge to settle down had been an itch for a while.
“I didn’t know you had a problem with my flock.” For the first time, Marty wondered if he would be able to keep both flock and mate. He’d already proven he’d take Eaton over the hawks. He wondered if his behavior had caused the tension between them.
“I didn’t have a problem with them until they let you be tortured and didn’t lift a feather to help.” Eaton’s growl told Marty his mate held a big ass grudge.
Marty sighed. He knew his explanation wouldn’t go over well before the words left his mouth. “I told them not to.”
“What? Why?” Eaton glared at Marty. “That asshole Lance didn’t deserve to lead your people.”
“I wanted any challenger to be free to fight me without worrying about the rest of the flock attacking
following
them. I didn’t count on Lance not the rules. When I told them not to interfere, I didn’t think Lance would come after me with a bat.”
Honestly, he was glad Eaton had killed Lance, that way Marty didn’t have to deal with a renegade hawk. Everyone knew what the challenging rules were. To have someone blatantly ignore the guidelines infuriated Marty. He might permanently pay the price for Lance’s betrayal.
“He deserved to die,” Eaton snarled.
Marty wondered if he’d underestimated his pretty eagle this entire time. “Wow, I never knew you were so hard-hearted, my golden one,” Marty said.
“You don’t betray your friends. I’d kill all the hawks before I let that psycho get hold of you again,” Eaton said.
Marty slid a hand across Eaton’s head, petting him. “Not everyone has your loyal heart, my love. Some people think of themselves before their friends.”
He’d have to meet with the flock separately and determine what they wanted to do. He would be more than happy to cut them free to fly elsewhere. The meeting might go better if he didn’t bring his volatile mate. Eaton apparently wasn’t the forgiveand-forget type.
“No friend of mine would consider themselves first,” Eaton said with conviction.
Marty sighed. It wouldn’t be easy explaining the difference between Eaton’s friends and other peoples’ relationships. Eaton’s connection with the other three men was almost more of a mating without the sex. They were all intricately bonded through life and common experiences. He struggled to explain the difference to Eaton.
“But you are in an exceptional situation. It works for the four of you, but hawk hierarchy is different. I’m responsible to my flock. They aren’t responsible to me. If I can’t protect them, then I’m useless.”
“You aren’t useless.” Anger flared in Eaton’s eyes. “You’re a strong man who’s been tortured. I don’t know if we are truly mates or not, but I’ll be here until you get back on your feet and in the air.”
“I know you will.” Marty touched Eaton’s face with the back of his fingers in a gentle caress. Even that short motion had the air freezing in his lungs as pain surged up his back in a tsunami of agony. “You’re one of the good guys. Too bad I wasn’t there to see you come to the rescue, guns blazing.”
Eaton laughed. “If I’m one of the good guys, what are you?”
“One of the lucky ones because you belong to me.” He couldn’t stop the heartfelt words even though the soppiness of the statement should’ve made him ill. Somehow when it came to Eaton, his usual barriers vanished. His emotions overflowed until he had to spout romantic nonsense like an idiot poet. He’d have to turn in his badass card soon. Perhaps he should consider a new hobby, maybe Harris could teach him how to paint. Marty barely held back a snort at that thought. His artistic talents went more toward draining oil than dabbling in it.
Eaton apparently liked Marty sappy. The eagle shifter leant forward and gave Marty a wet, openmouthed kiss.
“Mmm,” Marty moaned. Gripping fistfuls of Eaton’s hair, he let Eaton take control, unable to pin his mate in place with his current limited mobility. By the time he lifted his lips, they were both panting and Eaton’s erection pressed against his leg.
Eaton licked his lips, pulling another groan from Marty. “I want you to get better so you can fuck me into that mattress.”
Marty kissed Eaton again, careful not to move too much. “You really do know how to motivate a man, don’t you?”
He liked the image Eaton painted in his mind. A vision of Eaton tied to Marty’s bedposts and fucked until he screamed with pleasure had Marty’s body waking up completely from its slumber. His muscles tensed as he spread his legs to make room for his growing erection.
A gasp burst from him before he could stop it as pain ricocheted through his body like a PingPong ball in a racket ball court.
“Shh.” Eaton slid careful fingers across Marty in soothing circles as if trying to absorb Marty’s pain. “I’ve got you, love.”