Evans, Gabrielle - Hypnotic Healing [Fatefully Yours 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (9 page)

As though he’d been waiting for the summons, the basement door creaked open, and Echo stepped into the kitchen with a bright smile.

Hex completely freaked. Though the sun had mostly set, the sky was still more of a dusky gray than black. He wouldn’t take any chances with his mate. Rushing over, he positioned himself between Echo and the kitchen, ushering his mate back into the basement. “It’s not fully dark yet. We don’t know what will happen. A few more minutes, please, baby.”

Echo rolled his eyes and dipped under Hex’s arm. He walked right across the kitchen, flung open the back door and turned around with his arms crossed over his chest. “See? I’m not going to shrivel up like greasy bacon. Now, will you please relax?”

Hex sighed in relief. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to redden Echo’s cute little ass later for scaring the shit out of him, though. He looked over his shoulder when Eyce and Fiero thundered up the stairs.

“Where is he?” Fiero snarled.

Hex grunted and waved a hand toward their mate. “I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on him.”

“He’s a lot fucking stronger now,” Eyce grumped. “You try holding the little punk still.”

“There’s two of you,” Hex argued.

“He’s faster, too.”

“Oh, everyone just shut up. I’m fine, and I’m tired of being locked up in the basement.” Echo sauntered over to the table and crawled up in Myst’s lap. “Hey, handsome. Missed you.”

Happiness swelled Hex’s chest as he watched Myst clutch Echo close and bury his face in the man’s neck. “Missed you, too, baby. You’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Echo laughed and kissed Myst’s temple. “I’m hungry, though.” His lips roamed down Myst’s face until he could claim the man’s mouth. “Feed me,” he murmured silkily.

Hex bit his tongue to keep from laughing, when Myst started bobbing his head eagerly. “What do you want? I’ll make you anything you want.”

“Anything?” Echo purred.

“Absolutely. Just tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”

“Then, sit still and look pretty.” Echo laved his tongue up the smooth column of Myst’s throat. His fangs dropped down, and he scraped them over the warrior’s neck. “Say yes,” he whispered.

Hex groaned, reaching down to readjust his hardening cock inside his jeans. Just the memory of those canines sinking into his neck made him hard enough to pound nails. He heard Eyce and Fiero make similar sounds beside him, and knew the demons understood exactly how he felt.

Myst gulped audibly. “Will it hurt?”

“No,” Hex, Eyce, and Fiero answered together.

“I’ll make you love it,” Echo answered seductively. His hand slithered down Myst’s chest, and he rose up slightly to push his hand between them and cup Myst’s groin. “I’d never hurt you, love. You mean too much to me.”

“Yes,” Myst breathed and tilted his head to the side to bare his neck. He closed his eyes, his body trembling. Hex watched silently, his breathing becoming unsteady and his cock pounding against his zipper.

Echo was so gentle, smoothing his free hand over Myst’s face as he bit into his neck. His other hand continued to massage Myst’s cock through his jeans, and Hex could almost feel that strong grip on his own dick.

“I feel…” Eyce panted.

“Me, too.” Fiero’s rubbed the heel of his hand over the bulge in his pants. “Oh, gods.” He moaned loudly, his eyes rolling back in his head.

A heartbeat later, Myst cried out, his hips jerked upward, and Hex almost fell to his knees as his orgasm ripped through him. Leaning heavily against the basement door, he struggled for breath, all the while wondering what the fuck had just happened.

Echo licked over the mark then trailed his lips up Myst’s neck, over his jaw, and finally captured his parted lips. He dipped his tongue inside, stroking Myst’s a few times before easing away and smiling. “Did that hurt?”

Myst shook his head dazedly.

“Good. Your turn,” Echo murmured. He palmed the back of Myst’s head and urged him toward his neck. “Claim me, big guy.”

Just as gently as Echo had, Myst pierced the supple flesh, growling and whimpering as he sucked at the wound. Echo gasped, his fingers dug into Myst’s shoulders, and his entire body gave a visible shudder.

Hex roared and slid to the floor when another mind-numbing orgasm ripped through him. It was one of the most intense things he’d ever felt, and no one had even touched him. Hell, he hadn’t even touched himself. “What the fuck is going on?”

“I don’t know, but I want more.” Eyce dropped to the floor and slumped against Hex. “Sweet hell, the runt is going to kill me.”

“I am totally sleeping in Echo’s room tonight,” Myst said loudly. “So, you can all just kiss my ass.”

Echo laughed breathlessly and kissed the side of Myst’s neck. “I’d love for you to sleep with me tonight.”

“Yeah, so there.” Myst actually stuck his tongue out, and Hex couldn’t stop his laughter if he’d wanted.

“Okay, okay. We’ll figure out sleeping arrangements later. Right now, we need to round everyone up and have a little talk about Echo’s…condition.”

“Man, I do not have cancer.” Echo snorted and climbed down from Myst’s lap. He moved gingerly, grimacing as he pulled his sodden sleep pants away from his groin. “I really hope that doesn’t happen every time I bite one of you.”

“I do.”

Echo glared at Fiero. “Fine, then you can do the laundry from now on.”

“Happily.” Fiero smirked as he gave Echo a quick wink.

“Oh, you guys are incorrigible.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, let’s get cleaned up because I do have questions. I’m still not sure how I feel about this whole vampire gig, yet.”

Syx and Vapre stepped into the kitchen at that moment, took in the scene around them with wide eyes, and burst into laughter. “No one called us for kitchen sex?”

Hex looked up at Syx and grinned goofily. “As you can see, everyone still has their clothes on.”

Syx looked like he would say something else, but Echo interrupted him. “Where’s Onyx?”

“He stormed out the back door a few minutes before you came in here,” Myst answered. “He looked pissed off.”

“He’s not back yet?” Echo worried his bottom lip between his teeth as his eyebrows drew together. “Did he say anything before he left?”

“No.” Myst sat up straighter in his chair. “He was pacing in front of the door. He said a few things about being worried about you and…” Myst trailed off, looking uncomfortable. “Uh, well, then he just left.”

“What are you hiding?” Hex pushed to his feet and took up a no-nonsense stance with his feet wide and his arms crossed over his chest.

“It’s nothing.” Myst stood as well and pushed a hand through his dark, shaggy hair. “I think he’s feeling a little left out, is all. He said some things about being pushed out of the way last night when he really needed to touch Echo and make sure he was okay.”

“Oh, you didn’t.” Echo looked around the room, meeting each of their eyes, disappointment etched into the lines of his face. “Why?”

“Baby, we didn’t mean it like that.” Hex closed the distance between them and cupped Echo’s cheek. “We were all worried about you. It’s not like we purposely tried to keep him away.”

His mate sighed and rubbed his cheek over Hex’s palm. “I know, but I really think you take Onyx for granted too much.” His eyes darted to Myst. “And not only him.”

With a twinge of pain, Hex realized Echo was right. Onyx was just so quiet, and Myst always acted as if nothing in the world could bother him. He couldn’t speak for the others, but he knew he had a lot of apologizing to do. At least he’d already begun trying to make things right with Myst. “We’ll find him.”

Echo nodded firmly. “Please. I’m worried about him.”

Hex looked at his mate in amazement. After everything Echo had been through, and his main concern was still for them. It was nothing short of a miracle, and one none of them deserved.

Chapter Seven

“Echo, we’re going to find him. Just re—”

Echo jabbed his finger in Vapre’s chest and glared. “If one more person tells me to relax, I’m going to drop-kick them in the face. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

Vapre chuckled and tried to gather him up like a small child. “Onyx can take care of himself. He just needs to work off some steam. You’re overreacting.”

Well, that did it. Echo pushed against Vapre’s chest and bared his fangs as he hissed. “You have not seen overreaction. One of the men I love is missing, and you’re acting like he went off to a fucking tea party.”

“I suggest you put those away,” Vapre cautioned, motioning toward Echo’s canines, “unless you plan to use them. Don’t try to play with the big boys, sweetheart. You’ll just get yourself hurt.”

Echo had Vapre on his back with a knee pressed into his groin and a hand around his throat before anyone could blink. “And,
I
suggest that you back the fuck off.” He pressed his knee more insistently into Vapre’s crotch. “Anything else,
sweetheart
?”

Onyx was missing. Echo was still dealing with the fact that someone had drained him. His throat ached, his mouth was parched, and he wasn’t feeling just real stable at the moment. He so didn’t need shit from Vapre on top of it.

Vapre glared up at him and snarled. “Get off me.”

Even when they’d been angry before, Echo had never heard that tone from his lovers directed at him. Whipping his head around, he found Syn and lifted both eyebrows. “Dude?”

Syn jerked as if coming out of a trance, surveyed the scene, and blushed. “Shit, sorry.” He took a deep breath, then another, and finally nodded. “Sorry,” he repeated.

Vapre immediately went limp beneath Echo, blinking several times as if he was confused about how they’d gotten into the position in the first place. “Are you coming on to me, love?”

Echo rolled his eyes and snorted. “I think you were getting a little backlash. Sorry, I kicked your ass.” He rose to his feet in one swift, graceful movement and held his hand out for Vapre.

Taking Echo’s hand, Vapre grimaced. “You didn’t kick my ass,” he mumbled.

“Whatever you say.” Echo glanced around the room and watched as the other men shook themselves. “Everyone okay now?”

“Yeah,” Hex answered slowly. “I really hate when that shit happens. I wanted to punch Vapre in the face for being such a douche, then I wanted to smack you upside the head for hurting him.” He shook his head and sighed. “Syn, what happened?”

“I was thinking, not paying attention, and I let my emotions get away from me. I truly apologize.”

“What happened?”

“We’re having some issues with our dear mate,” Jinx said with a slight growl to his voice. “We will handle it.”

Echo nodded. He knew exactly how insane Craze made him. He couldn’t imagine being mated to the man. Speaking of the asshole, where was he anyway?

“He’ll be along,” Jinx answered Echo’s unspoken question. “Let’s focus on your mate, shall we?”

“I guess that means you know something?” Echo eased past Vapre and plopped down on the sofa. “So, what do we have?”

Jinx extracted a folded piece of paper from his pocket and passed it to Hex. “This is a list of everyone invited to the party. At the bottom, there are four names of attendees without invitations. Next to those names are descriptions. I spoke with everyone that attended the festivities. If one of these people didn’t take Echo, they weren’t at the party.”