Prickly By Nature (19 page)

Avery’s only answer was to glance away with his bottom lip sucked between his teeth. Dylan knew he was worried about his case and whatever would happen with Ribeiro, but he also knew there was no way in hell Avery would ever quit searching for Lacey until she was found. He had to get Avery’s mind off of everything that worried him.

“Listen,” he said and waited for Avery to meet his gaze, “we’ll deal with whatever Ribeiro throws at us as it comes, okay? In the meantime, what can I do for you? Are you okay? I know yesterday was difficult. How can I make it better?”

Surprised, Avery blinked, a slow smile curving his lips. “I love you,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t what Dylan expected to hear, though he couldn’t say he didn’t like it. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Avery’s lips, an answer to Avery’s proclamation. When Avery slid a hand around the back of his neck, pulling Dylan to lie on top of him, and opened his mouth in invitation, the kiss deepened into more, a promise of heat and power.

“I love you too,” Dylan whispered against his lips, dipping his tongue in to taste his mate’s sweetness. “Everything about you. Even your neuroses.”

Avery pushed at his chest, laughing. “I am not neurotic.”

“No, you’re not,” Dylan replied with a straight face and a wink.

Sliding his hands beneath Avery’s shirt, he rucked it up to tease his nipples. When Avery arched his back off the sofa, Dylan leaned down and rumbled in his ear, “I love the sounds you make for me, Av,” causing Avery to whimper. “Tell me what you want, babe.”

Sliding down Avery’s body, he took a dusky pink nipple in his mouth. He reveled in the strangled groan that fell from his mate’s mouth. It made Dylan feel he could take on the world. Something he would do only for Avery.

“Suck me,” Avery hissed. “Dylan, please. Suck me.”

Grinning against the warm skin in his mouth, he made quick work of undoing Avery’s pants and shoving them below his hips. He met Avery’s eyes as he moved farther down his body. At his navel, Dylan ran his tongue around the rim of the dimple, drawing out a gasp when he closed his mouth over it and dipped the tip inside. He lifted his eyes to watch Avery writhe beneath him, wanton and beautiful.

When he grasped the base of Avery’s long, slender shaft, his mate’s eyes blazed with desire. His lips parted, and he inhaled sharply when Dylan closed his mouth around the spongy, smooth crown. Dylan savored him, craved him, wanted more, wanted everything. Avery groaned and pressed up, which only spurred Dylan on. Holding his hips down, Dylan delighted in dragging his lips and tongue slowly up and down Avery’s hard, pulsing shaft, intent on driving him out of his mind.

Trailing his hand lower, Dylan rolled Avery’s balls at the same time he swallowed his length, his nose buried in the short, wiry hairs adorning the base, making Avery cry out.

“Please, Dylan. I need… I… I want….” His words were a stuttered mess and Dylan took mercy on him. Giving him what he needed with each pass of his wet mouth, Dylan pulled his tongue along the throbbing ridge of his cock, increasing the suction without letting up. Avery’s hoarse yell filled the room, and Dylan barely held back his own release as Avery’s cock swelled, then spilled down the back of his throat.

With his mate wrung out and boneless, Dylan couldn’t help the cocky grin tilting his lips as he tugged up Avery’s jeans and buttoned them.

“Proud of yourself?” Avery slurred.

“You bet.” Dylan leaned down, planting a kiss on his beautifully parted lips. “I love you, Av.”

“Right back at you.”

The sudden chime of the doorbell sent Dylan into reluctant motion. He crawled off the sofa and headed to the front of the house. When Dylan turned to check on Avery, he frowned. The tension Dylan had begun to drain from his mate showed itself in Avery’s rigid posture. There was nothing he could do about it now. They’d have to work it out afterward.

WELL, THE
blow job had helped for all of five seconds. The moment Detective Ribeiro rang the doorbell every ounce of anxiety came rushing back into Avery’s body. When they’d spoken on the phone the day before, Ribeiro had agreed to his terms—Avery would get immunity, no matter what their conversation entailed. Avery knew Ribeiro didn’t like it, but he’d agreed. What if he changed his mind? Should Avery demand something in writing?

The detective stepped into the living room behind Dylan. The scent of arousal was still thick in the air. If Ribeiro noticed, he gave no indication. He only tipped his head in greeting. “Mr. Babineaux.”

“Detective.” Avery stood from the couch and rubbed suddenly sweaty palms on the front of his jeans. “Would you like some tea? I was about to brew a pot.”

“That’d be great, thank you.”

Avery went into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. He turned to find Detective Ribeiro and Dylan on the other side of the breakfast bar. “Do you have any preference? I have a nice apricot-honey rooibos. I also have Earl Grey and a few different green teas.”

“Whatever you’re having is fine.”

“Okay.” Avery grabbed a couple of mugs from the drying rack next to the sink. He threw a tea bag into each one and set the honey on the counter in case Ribeiro wanted the extra sweetness.

“What is it you have to tell me?” Ribeiro asked as they waited for the kettle to whistle.

Dylan cleared his throat. “Just a sec. Before he starts talking, I need to know something.”

Ribeiro turned to him, his expression wary. “Yes?”

“Did you speak to the betas about this meeting? Did they know you’d be coming here today?”

Avery jerked his gaze to his mate. Dylan had mentioned his suspicions about the timing of Lawrence and Russell’s visit, but Avery hadn’t expected him to outright ask the detective.

Ribeiro’s face showed only mild surprise. “No. Why?”

Dylan lifted a shoulder, feigning casualness, though Avery could feel his unease through their bond. “They showed up at the shop today asking questions. It seemed like too much of a coincidence.”

“I haven’t spoken to them,” Ribeiro said.

Avery’s sense of smell wasn’t as keen as a wolf’s, but he didn’t detect any change in Ribeiro’s body odor—no sudden increase in perspiration that might indicate a lie.

Dylan nodded, seeming to accept Ribeiro at his word. He gave Avery an encouraging look.

Avery stopped fiddling with his mug and straightened his back. He couldn’t help his nerves, though. He was taking a giant leap of faith by confiding in Ribeiro. Yet he needed to trust someone. Reid might have a few connections in the Police Bureau, but none of them possessed the same level of authority Ribeiro did. Reid’s contacts could only get Avery so far. He needed someone with power enough to push for an investigation into Joel’s death if the police had already ruled it a suicide.

He didn’t want to be dismissed as an interfering nobody again, but all signs pointed to Ribeiro being his best bet. Avery felt the push of comfort through the mate bond and shot Dylan a grateful look, gathering his confidence.

“You might want to sit down for this,” he told the detective. “It’s a really long story.”

TO HIS
credit, Ribeiro listened with only the occasional interruption to ask for clarification. Avery told him all the details he’d left out when they talked at the Central Precinct—about Victor, Snowflake, Troy, the auction, and of course, Joel.

Avery ended the story with Joel’s death and what the hostess from Capri had told him the day before. When he finished, Avery expected to see disbelief or maybe the same type of condescension the other detectives had shown. Instead Ribeiro looked thoughtful. His inky dark eyebrows were drawn into a frown as he rubbed at the heavy scruff on his chin.

“I’ll have to speak to this Victor,” he said after a few long seconds. “It’s possible he knows more than what he told you.”

Avery shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t really think he’s involved in the trafficking side of things, but yeah, he might know more than he let on. I wouldn’t put it past him. You should know, though, we did imply that we wouldn’t tell Alpha Odell about his activities in exchange for the information he gave us.”

Ribeiro gave him a steady look. “I won’t pass his name on to the alpha unless it’s necessary.”

Avery nodded. Not like he and Dylan owed Victor anything. That smarmy snake would turn on them in a heartbeat if the situation presented itself.

Ribeiro tucked away the small notebook he’d been writing in while Avery told his story. “I’ll see what I can find out about Joel Overkamp. If homicide doesn’t have an autopsy planned, I might be able to push for one by telling them he was connected to one of my cases.”

Avery stiffened. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone about my involvement in this.”

Ribeiro waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll say it was an anonymous tip. Don’t worry.”

Avery lifted his chin. “I want something in writing.”

Ribeiro’s shoulders went rigid. “I give my word as a wolf.”

“Sorry, but that means nothing to me. I’m not a wolf, and I haven’t had much reason to trust wolves until recently.” He flashed Dylan an apologetic look. Dylan just shook his head.

“I’ll give you a blood oath, then,” Ribeiro said. “My life is forfeit if I break it.”

Dylan’s shock reverberated through their bond. A quick glance at him confirmed the gravity of Ribeiro’s words. Avery had heard of blood oaths and challenges before, but he’d never taken part in one. He had no idea how to proceed.

Finally Dylan recovered from his surprise. “I’ll get a knife.” He disappeared toward the bedrooms.

Avery jolted in his seat, his eyes going wide.
A knife? What the hell?

A few minutes later, Dylan returned to the kitchen with a short, sharp blade that smelled strongly of alcohol. He’d cleaned it, which made Avery curious. Shifters couldn’t spread diseases to each other any more than they could to humans and wounds usually healed too quickly for infections to set in, but perhaps Dylan was just being overly cautious.

Dylan handed the knife to Ribeiro. “I stand as witness to your oath.” He turned to Avery. “This seals his promise to you. There won’t be any repercussions for you if he breaks his word. He’s the one who’ll pay. I’d see to it myself.”

Ribeiro nodded, and without so much as a blink, he slashed a shallow line across the palm of his left hand. He held out the knife to Avery, who hesitated.

“Take it,” Dylan said. “Cut and shake. Same as humans do sometimes.”

Avery had never seen such a thing outside of movies. He hadn’t been allowed to play with humans as a child, and he could only imagine his parents’ distaste at the thought of him exchanging blood with a wolf. Not that he hadn’t shared a number of bodily fluids with Dylan in the last few months; he didn’t mind getting messy when the sex was good. This was another matter entirely. But Avery trusted his mate. Dylan wouldn’t let him do this if it meant any harm would come to him.

He took the knife, cringing at the trickle of scarlet on the blade. Without giving himself long to think about it, he sliced it across his own left palm, hissing at the burn. He accepted Ribeiro’s tight grip and returned his curt nod. Clearly Ribeiro hadn’t liked having his honor called into question. Avery didn’t care if he’d insulted the detective. From what he knew of wolves, he understood this oath wasn’t something made lightly, and that was exactly what he needed to feel secure.

Ribeiro excused himself to go to the bathroom. By the time he returned, Avery had washed his hand in the kitchen sink and wrapped it in a paper towel. The bleeding had already stopped. In a few more minutes, it would be scabbed over and on its way to healing.

“I should be going,” Ribeiro said, grabbing his suit jacket from the back of the chair he’d placed it on earlier. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know something. I expect you to do the same for me. This is a police matter. A civilian shouldn’t be so heavily involved, but at this point I know you won’t just stand back and allow us do our jobs.”

Avery shrugged. “Sorry, no. After all, look how well that turned out for me the last time.”

“Fair enough. But I hope you’re aware my blood oath only extends to the police and any other outsiders. My duty to my alpha supersedes all others. If Alpha Odell demands answers, I’ll be forced to tell him what happened here today.”

“He’s right,” Dylan said from where he leaned against the counter. “He’ll face a worse punishment for disobeying Odell than he would for breaking this oath.”

Avery’s forehead wrinkled. A betrayal of his oath meant death for Ribeiro. It didn’t get more final than that. Then again, there were worse things than dying, weren’t there? “I understand. Thank you.”

Ribeiro inclined his head and turned toward the door. Avery trailed behind him. They’d nearly reached the front hall when the doorbell rang. For a second, Avery was confused. They weren’t expecting anyone else. Then he remembered his conversation with Jaden earlier in the week. They’d made plans to hang out and have dinner. He and Ribeiro must’ve talked for longer than he realized.

Ribeiro stepped aside to let Avery open the door, a gesture of respect he hadn’t expected from the wolf. Jaden grinned at him from the front porch. “Hey. I brought beer. It’s so nice out. I was thinking maybe we could gr—”

He broke off as he stepped into the house and noticed Ribeiro standing there, frozen. Jaden inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. His eyes flew wide, and the bottles in the six-pack he carried clinked as he lost his grip on the handle. Avery only just rescued it. He took the case from Jaden and shot him a concerned look. Jaden stared at Ribeiro with an awestruck expression.

“You,” he said. The musky-sweetness of his arousal flooded the entryway.

Avery sucked in a breath, suspicion dawning.

Finally Ribeiro moved. He swallowed hard and tore his gaze away from Jaden’s face. “I’ll be in touch,” he said, his voice so harsh Avery would’ve suspected he had laryngitis if they hadn’t spent the last however many hours talking.

Ribeiro brushed past Avery and strode onto the porch, looking more like a man fleeing a demon than the cool, collected detective Avery had seen so far.