Black Dagger Brotherhood 11 - Lover at Last

flaring. Yeah, okay, that was Saxton’s fancy cologne…but there was another smell mingling with it. Another cologne was all over the male.
    It was not Blay’s. Or anything the fighter would wear.
    And then there was also the unmistakable scent of sex….
    There was no conscious thought going on as Qhuinn marched out into the open and barked, “Where you been.”
    His cousin halted. Looked over his shoulder. “I beg your pardon?”
    “You heard me.” On closer goddamn inspection, it was really frickin’ obvious what the guy had been up to. His lips were red and there was a flush on his cheeks that Qhuinn was willing to bet had jack shit to do with the cold weather. “Where the
fuck
you been.”
    “I don’t believe that’s any of your business, cousin.”
    Qhuinn stalked over the mosaic floor, not stopping until his shitkickers were steel-toed to the guy’s pretty loafers. “You fucking s
lut
.”
    Saxton had the nerve to look bored. “No offense, dearest relation of mine, but I don’t have time for this.”
    The guy pivoted around—
    Qhuinn snapped a hand out and grabbed an arm. With a yank, he brought them nose-to-nose again. And shit, the stank on the guy made him sick to his fucking stomach.
    “Blay is out risking his life in the war—and you’re fucking some random behind his back? Real classy, cocksucker—”
    “Qhuinn, this is not your concern—”
    Saxton tried to shove him off. Not a good idea. Before Qhuinn knew what he was doing, he locked his palms around the male’s throat.
    “How fucking
dare
you,” he said with his fangs fully bared.
    Saxton slapped both his hands on Qhuinn’s wrists and tried to get free, jerking, pulling, getting absolutely nowhere. “You’re…choking…me….”
    “I should kill you right here, right now,” Qhuinn growled. “How the
fuck
could you do that to him? He’s in love with you—”
    “Qhuinn…” The strangled voice grew thinner and thinner. “Qh—”
    The thought of everything his cousin had, and everything the guy wasn’t taking care of, gave him super-strength, and he channeled it right into his hands. “What the hell else you need, asshole? You think some strange is gonna be better than what you’ve got in your bed?”
    The force of his onslaught started to push Saxton backward, the guy’s shoes squeaking on the smooth floor as Qhuinn’s shitkickers drove both of them on. Things halted when Saxton’s shoulders slammed into the staircase’s huge bannister.
    “You fucking slut—”
    Someone shouted. So did someone else.
    And then there was a shitload of fast footfalls coming from different directions, followed by a bunch of people pulling at his arms.
    Whatever. He just kept his eyes and his hands locked, the fury in his gut turning him into a bulldog that would…
    Not…
    Let…
    Go…

TWENTY-SIX
    “S o do you think you guys will ever come back to Caldwell?” Blay asked his mother.
    “I don’t know. Your father goes in and out for work so easily every night, and we both like the quiet and the privacy here in the country. Do you think it’s any safer in town now—”
    From out of nowhere, shouts penetrated the closed door of his room. A lot of them.
    Blay glanced across and frowned. “Hey,
Mahmen
, I’m sorry to cut you off, but there’s something going on in the house—”
    Her voice dropped, fear lacing her words. “You’re not being raided, are you?”
    For a moment, that night at their Caldwell home a year and a half ago came back to him in a fast series of stomach churners: his own mother fleeing in terror, his father taking up arms against the enemy, the house ruined.
    Even though the shouting seemed to be getting worse, he couldn’t get off without reassuring her. “No, no, no,
Mahmen
—this place is tight as a tick. Nobody can find us, and even if they could, they can’tget inside. It’s just sometimes the Brothers get into arguments—honestly, it’s fine.”
    At least, he hoped it was. Things really appeared to be ramping up.
    “Oh, that’s such a relief. I can’t have anything happening to you. Go take care of things, and call me when you know you’re coming for a visit. I’ll get your room all set, and I’ll make you that lasagna.”
    On command, his mouth started watering. And so did his eyes, a little. “I love you,
Mahmen
—and thank you. You know, for…”
    “Thank
you
for trusting me. Now go find out what’s happening, and be safe. I love you.”
    Hanging up, he shifted off the