Page 71 of Bones

“The only thing I saw was your ass,” I told my brother honestly. I’d feel the same protectiveness if I put myself in his place.

With the way Aurora felt about me, I didn’t have to worry about them seeing her naked because I also wouldn’t be seeing her naked.

The rest of the tension left my brother’s body, and he closed the distance between us to pull me into a hug. “I worried we’d never find you, brother.”

At the thick emotion in his voice, my own words came out rough as I forced them through a throat clogged with relief, renewed anger, and happiness.

And guilt.

So much fucking guilt.

I’d given up finding them.

I’d given up.

Gripping my upper arms, he pushed me back to study me. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

His mate gasped suddenly, and Thanatos went alert, scanning for danger.

“Sorry, sorry,” she rushed out, pointing at the space between Thanatos and me. “Didn’t mean to ruin the moment. But look. Oh, she’swaycuter than Tom. Please don’t tell Juno I said that, but Tom… He’s not cute.” She tipped her head. “Or maybe he’s so ugly, he’s kind of cute. He has a lot of issues. And I’m not just talking about his piddle problems. He’s always panting like he’s one moment away from passing out, and his breath is hot and smelly. Plus, his tongue just hangs there and gets dried out. It’s weird. Not like this beauty.”

I looked at the yard to see Aurora’s curious gaze swing from me and Thanatos to the woman, her expression morphing from confusion to confusionandhorror.

She wasn’t the only one.

“Uh, is Tom Juno’s mate?” I asked, surprised she still went by Juno.

Has she been alive all this time, too? Were we constantly ships passing in the night? Why didn’t I feel her?

“Judas Priest, I’m really putting my best foot forward here,” the woman muttered, her cheeks flushing. “No wonder you’re both looking at me like I have two heads. Tom’s her dog.” She moved closer to Thanatos so she could clutch the sleeve of his hoodie and drop her forehead against his arm as she closed her blue eyes. After a long moment, she lifted back up and smiled. “Let’s start over. We can pretend you didn’t see us having… Yeah. And we can also pretend I’m not as awkward as a boner at prom and that I have some manners. Hi, I’m Denny.”

“Deke,” I said before amending, “or if anyone has mentioned me, it’s probably been as Dubhloach.”

“You really do know who you are,” Nate repeated.

“And trust me,” she cut in, “they’ve mentioned you. You’re a big topic of discussion. Deke, got it.” She gestured up. “I named him Nate when he was just a stalker voice. Lenuson is Lennon now. And Juno is Juno.”

Thanatos—or Nate, apparently—dragged his amused attention from his mate and raised a brow. “And she means that literally. Little has changed with our sister.”

Somehow, that didn’t surprise me.

The stalker voice part, however…

Denny’s gaze lowered just as I felt Aurora move from the lawn to climb the stairs. She stopped on the top one and positioned herself where she could be seen but was still partially blocked by my body.

Assuming her position was strategic, I didn’t shift out of her way.

I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.

But I can’t say I’m not relieved she’s dealing with it by seeking me out rather than booking it down the suburban street.

The familiar suburban street…

Before I could ask where we were or place why I recognized the area, her hand gripped the back of my flannel, and she gently pushed me. I took a wild guess at what she wanted. “This is Aurora. And the dog is Victoria.”

“Nice to meet you.” Denny leaned over to see around me and flashed a friendly smile. “Can I pet her?” Her words were a breathless run-on. “And before you get allmateyabout it, I was referring to the dog, not Aurora.”

“Did someone say matey?” A woman stepped out onto the porch as she spoke. “Naughty girl, have you been visiting thehelm room in Novel Idea? I didn’tpegyou for a tentacle pirate porn girly—pun very much so intended.”

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