FoM02 Trammel (35 page)

“If he doesn’t let me see it, I can’t convince it to turn off.” Zoey took a step back.

“It’s fine.” Noah slowly pushed Jonas’s hand down by his side. “It won’t hurt you if Zoey touches it.

See?” He reached out to touch the collar himself.

Even collared, Jonas was incredibly strong. A single swipe of his arm took Noah off his feet and sent him crashing into the utility shelves.

“She knows!” Jonas went bounding in the opposite direction and wedged himself between a broken chest freezer and the far wall. “She will know! No touching!”

As soon as he was sure Jonas wasn’t going to attack anyone else, Lindsay ran over to Noah. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Noah struggled to his feet, glaring at Jonas. “He’s probably right, in his own
fucking
batshit
way. She may be able to track things through those collars. I wrecked everything I could, but...we really need to get them off, or turned off.”

“So, can we all agree I get to go first?” Dane snorted with annoyance.

Lindsay didn’t like it, but there was no way they were going to take Jonas’s collar off right now, not while the man was huddled in the corner, muttering to himself.

“Be careful.” He stepped out of the way as Zoey turned toward Dane.

She seemed more nervous now than she’d been before, but Jonas’s tantrum might have had something to do with that. Dane had to bend so she could see his collar clearly, and she started whispering to it, sweet, soft words that Lindsay couldn’t quite make out.

In spite of his trip across the basement, as soon as Noah was back on his feet, he made his way over to Jonas and started to calm him down and coax him out. He had some kind of natural charm to him; maybe it was his looks, but Lindsay wasn’t sure those worked on Jonas. Whatever it was, it convinced Jonas to wriggle out from behind the freezer. That thought was so surreal, Lindsay felt like the entire universe had tilted in the last few days.

Zoey seemed to be getting somewhere with Dane’s collar. The LEDs that dotted the circumference of it were flickering to life, one at a time. Lindsay hoped that didn’t mean the thing was about to explode.

As the last few lights came on, Lindsay tensed, ready to...something. He didn’t know what.

Once the final light turned red, though, the whole thing simply went dark. It fell from Dane’s neck with a clatter. Gone. Just like that. Cyrus had been right about Zoey’s value. They were in this because of her, but Lindsay could almost convince himself that she had been worth it.

He rushed over, eager to make sure Dane was all right. He touched Dane’s throat where the collar had been and leaned up on his toes to brush a kiss over Dane’s lips. He hadn’t realized how much seeing that collar on Dane had hurt until now, for everything it was and for how helpless he had been to stop it.

“I’m fine.” Dane wrapped Lindsay up in his arms and held him so tight that Lindsay could barely breathe, nuzzling in his hair and the curve of his neck, the way he used to when he was making sure Lindsay was well—well and
his
. “Okay. Go on, help your boy with the dog.” He kissed Lindsay on the temple, and let him go.

Reluctantly, Lindsay stepped back. “We’ll be finished soon.”

If Zoey’s progress with Dane’s collar was any indication, the only real trouble with Jonas’s collar would be Jonas himself.

With one last look at Dane to make sure he was really and truly safe, Lindsay went to help Noah with Jonas. Jonas was still protesting the whole idea, but Noah had managed to capture both his hands and hang on to them. After his outburst, Jonas seemed significantly calmer.

“We won’t take it off,” Noah assured him. “Zoey is going to make sure no one can find us. You want to stay with us, yes?” Jonas nodded slowly. Lindsay could see the mental struggle going on behind his eyes.

“We’ll make sure no one can find you. If she finds you, she will take you away.”

“It stays on.” Jonas narrowed his eyes and glared at Lindsay, who was apparently to blame for any unhappiness. That was remarkably unfair, since Moore had only been able to collar Jonas because Noah had nearly destroyed him. Then again, fair had never been Jonas’s strong suit. “And I stay here.”

“That’s right.” Zoey seemed a little emboldened by Noah’s mastery of the situation. “You can keep it on. I can do that.”

“If she finds me,” Jonas said with painful lucidity, “she uses me. I told her not to use me. Now, I go in the cage. Make it be quiet so it doesn’t tell her where I am.” He sagged against the wall behind him, resigned to his fate.

“I will.” Zoey put her hands on the collar, watching Jonas warily. “I’ll ask nicely.” This time, it didn’t take long. A green light and a white light flashed, and went dark. The collar remained intact. “I got it,” she said, backing away slowly. “The tracking and data systems are all offline. I didn’t touch the rest. I think he would feel if I gave him back his magic. Maybe we should take care of the rest later?”

Lindsay hated the idea of someone being stuck in one of those things, but... “It’s up to Noah.”

Jonas trusted Noah, for whatever reason, and Noah had taken responsibility for him. Lindsay wouldn’t interfere with that.

“It’s not hurting him, and he’s docile. I’m not sure he knows why he wants it on, but I’m not going to betray him.” Noah straightened up and patted Jonas on the head. “I’m starting to believe he’s really this damaged. I don’t want to do anything that would encourage him to leave.” He looked down to where Jonas had a grip on his jeans. “Trust me. I’d love to get his brain in one piece.”

Lindsay nodded. He could accept that. “You can talk to him about it later, if you feel like it won’t scare him, but for now, it stays.” He turned to Zoey and touched her arm. “Thank you. You should get some rest, I know none of this has been easy for you.”

She glanced at Noah and Jonas, then back to Lindsay. “Thanks, yeah. I’m pretty wiped out.”

“I’ll send Ylli to look in on you later. If you need anything, let him know.” As Zoey headed up the stairs, Lindsay realized that Dane was gone, and he sighed. “It hasn’t been easy for any of us,” he murmured, turning back to Noah.

“He needs some time.” Noah gently detached Jonas from his leg and leaned over to talk to him. “Are you coming upstairs?”

Jonas shook his head vigorously. “No, I like downstairs.” He was obviously starting to make a real effort to talk like a normal human. “No one is looking down here.”

“Okay.” Noah crouched down to be at eye level with Jonas. “We’re taking a big chance, letting you stay here, because of everything you did before. If you’re lying, if you try to hurt anyone here, I will kill you. Clear?” His voice was calm and gentle, but the words and the intent were effective.

“Dane doesn’t get to kill me now.” Jonas nodded at Noah. “You do. That is over.”

“Fair enough. I’ll bring you food later.” Noah straightened up with a sigh. “Let’s go upstairs,” he said to Lindsay. “I’ll make you some tea.”

Lindsay headed up, checking over his shoulder to make sure Noah was following. “Are you all right?”

he asked as they reached the top of the stairs and walked into the kitchen.

“I will be.”

Noah pulled aside the neck of his T-shirt to show the bloody bandage that covered where the IV port had been. Back in the parking lot of the store where they’d stocked up, Kristan had cut the thing out and done a decent job of patching him up. Lindsay’s appreciation for her was well-established now.

“Apparently, my skin attracts scars,” he said dryly. “As for the rest... What can I do? If there had been any choice, we’d have done it differently. I’d like a drink, or ten or twenty, but I need to keep an eye on Jonas. He won’t be like this forever; he’s going to come around. I’d rather have him on our side when he does.”

The bandage was a sickening reminder that Lindsay had put Noah through hell. “I’m sorry. I never wanted you to go through any of that. I know—” He swallowed hard, coming close so he could rest his hand on Noah’s chest, below the bandage. “I know what it’s like, and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Noah cupped Lindsay’s face in his hands and pressed his lips to Lindsay’s. “Now that it’s over... At least we understand each other a little better, right? It can make things easier for you, if I felt it too.”

“I would rather have had to talk about it.” And Lindsay hated talking about it. He understood what Noah was saying, though, and that Noah forgave him. “But thank you.”

Lindsay leaned up on his toes and kissed Noah back, trying to show Noah how he felt—sorry, thankful, relieved, and more emotions he could hardly name.

“I told you it would be okay.” Noah pulled Lindsay in and stroked his hair, nuzzling against his cheek the way Lindsay often did to him. “It will be. You didn’t do it to me, they did.”

“Never again,” Lindsay promised. He turned his head and caught Noah’s lips in another kiss, slower this time. Noah was his, and he wouldn’t let anyone hurt him, not if there was anything he could do to stop it.

“I’ll do it if I have to.” Noah wound his fingers in Lindsay’s hair to tilt his head back a little, trailing kisses down his throat, the touch of his lips like fire on Lindsay’s skin. “Especially if I get to come home to you.”

“You can have that for as long as you want it.” Lindsay found the edge of Noah’s shirt with one hand and dragged it up to touch bare skin, hot and alive under his fingers. “You don’t have to... Not for that.”

“I should put the kettle on if you want some tea.” Noah stopped kissing Lindsay’s neck and pulled back to look at him. “Did you still want tea?” There was a little grin lurking around the corners of his mouth, but he did a decent job of feigning serious interest in the issue.

Lindsay couldn’t resist kissing that grin, letting the softness of Noah’s lips distract him from the urge to go find Dane that was burning in his gut. Dane deserved some time to himself, to cope with what had happened. He would come back when he was ready, and Lindsay would be here waiting for him.

He turned away and headed for the stairs, calling over his shoulder, “Tea, no. But I can think of some other things I might want...”

Noah laughed at him and followed, catching up on the stairs and giving him a swat on the backside. “I can’t wait to find out.” The next time, it wasn’t so much a swat as a grope.

“If I fall down the stairs, I’m making you carry me to bed,” Lindsay warned as he skipped ahead a few steps.

“That’d be embarrassing.” Noah managed to keep his hands to himself the rest of the way up the stairs, but not a moment longer. He caught Lindsay around the waist and pulled him back to kiss his neck.

“All that work getting in and out of military facilities and what trips you up is being too cute to resist.”

It wasn’t the compliments or the kisses that had Lindsay turning in Noah’s arms and kissing him fiercely, it was the reminder—again—of what Noah had done for him. He backed Noah up against the wall, hands on Noah’s hips skimming up under his shirt and in to find the fly of his jeans.

Noah yielded to him with a surprised little noise, then he was kissing Lindsay back just as fiercely.

The button yielded as easily as Noah had, and the zipper came down with a whine that seemed loud in the empty hallway. Lindsay slipped his hand inside and, fuck, Noah was hot. Hardening in his palm, and the way Noah sounded made Lindsay want to touch him more.

Noah’s head hit the wall behind him with a dull thud and he shifted to keep his balance. His first attempt at talking ended up in more kisses. The second time, he managed: “Tell me what you want.”

It took Lindsay a moment to realize Noah actually expected a response. Wasn’t it obvious what he wanted? Noah. He wanted
Noah
. The memory of how Noah had looked and felt when they’d had sex before washed Lindsay’s mind blank, and he had to start all over again with the realization that Noah expected him to answer.

“You.”

“Oh, okay.” Noah nodded, and grabbed the front of Lindsay’s shirt to pull him in for another kiss.

“You can have that,” he said between kisses.

Good. Very good. Lindsay remembered to start stroking again, bracing himself with his other palm flat against the wall behind Noah so he could lean up to keep kissing him.

“Oh, fuck.” Noah was quite clear about that. He tangled one hand in Lindsay’s hair and starting working Lindsay’s pants open with the other. Lindsay’s touch was a distraction from his task, the way his hips rocked into each stroke and the way he shivered every time.

Lindsay could help, though. He stopped kissing Noah and stood flat-footed, stripping open his jeans.

“Touch me.”

Noah said something, but Lindsay couldn’t make it out; it could have been
yes, please
. He pressed his hand flat against Lindsay’s belly and down. His palm sliding over the head of Lindsay’s cock was incredibly hot and Lindsay arched into it.

“Like that. Yes.” Lindsay couldn’t manage more than a word or two at a time. All he wanted was to keep touching, keep being touched, don’t stop.

“What the hell are you two doing?” The furious whisper came from down the hall, along with an angry rustle.

Ylli. Lindsay turned his head to see the muddy brown wings and angry glare. “What does it look like?”

“Well, I know...” Ylli began. “Other people live here too, who don’t want to see that. Like her.” He pointed back at the room he’d just left.

Noah didn’t seem perturbed; he was busy kissing and licking and nipping Lindsay’s neck.

“Her door’s closed,” Lindsay pointed out mildly. He nudged Noah away from the wall, though, and Noah backed up willingly. The door to the room they shared was only a few steps away. No more interruptions in there.

“Yes, but... Oh, forget it. You’d think the animals in the house would be the problem.” Ylli turned away with a flick of his wings and disappeared into the room he shared with Kristan.

Their room was as they had left it, clean and almost bare. The bed was made and the candles still lined the few flat surfaces available. As the door closed, some of the candles by the bed lit up, blowing little fire bubbles at first.

“Oops.” Noah kissed Lindsay and pulled him over to the bed at the same time. The candles settled down and behaved after that little hiccup, but it made Lindsay laugh, seeing how Noah felt coming through his magic.