Page 51 of Designation Prey

“But, you could?—”

“Logan, honey. Your brother is prey. The dynamic he needs is sexual. He’s not like other submissives and he can’t cope like you did. Even if he could, is self-harm and denial what you want for him? A few rules from a brother-in-law he doesn’t even know?”

Logan gets up and stalks to the bedroom, closing the door with a thud.

Robert comes back over and sits down beside Liam. “How long are your suppressants going to last?”

“They’re daily.”

Robert nods. His lips are pursed in a hard line. “You took them this morning?”

Liam can tell by the question that he’s not happy about Liam’s decision.

“I’m pretty close to suicidal without them. If this doesn’t go well… if Daniel isn’t there, if his chamber malfunctioned, if he’s—I don’t even know, if I don’tget my boy,then I will very likely kill myself. And Daniel… he should have a choice. I’m not the man I was when we first met. I’m not in the military anymore, I don’t… I’m not sure I even remember how to be the Dominant I used to be. I didn’t run away with him and I should have. I don’t know that he’ll forgive me for that. And without a bond….” He shrugs, trying to keep from falling apart. “He may want to make a different choice, and I love him enough to endure that.”

“Fucking hell. You said you were bonded. You said trying to bond him to someone else would probably kill him. What thefuckare you talking about?” Robert demands. “Whatever you’re on has you compromised and not thinking clearly. And I get it. I do. I’d die for Logan. But your approach to this is wrong.”

Liam leans forward and thinks he’s going to be sick. He presses his palms to his eyes, choking back the emotion. Is Robert right? What does it mean if he is?

“I don’t even know. I thought he was gone. I dream about him endlessly, and… this is all my fault. If I’d been a better man, I’d have run away with him. He tried to tell me and I didn’t—and now I’m—Daniel is beautiful and I look and feel like a dead man walking. Logan can’t even tell that I’m Dominant. Doesn’t Daniel deserve a choice? If I’m suppressed then he has that.”

“Get off the suppressants,” Robert growls before standing up. He goes to the back of the plane and knocks on the door to the separate room. Neither of them comes back out until the plane lands.

Getting through security at the Montana Stasis Facility, which is approximately one hundred miles outside of Boseman, is surprisingly fast. They’re all microchipped from their time in the military, and the base is expecting them, so they’re led straight through to the metal detectors. They take off belts, give over keys, phones, and wallets, and then a metal door clicks open loudly and they’re led inside.

Liam lets Robert and Logan go in first and then gives the forms he’s filled out to the guards. It’s his request to have the option of claiming Daniel for himself, to be the first to see him upon his release. He has no idea if it’ll be honored, but he has to try.

Then he follows them inside. It feels like prison—the overly recycled air conditioning, the lack of windows, fluorescent lighting, and walls an indeterminate shade of gray. They’re led into a room and told to wait.

There’s an old boxy TV on the wall but the screen is blue. There are chairs. Logan sits and makes a little sound of discomfort. If Liam had wondered what they’d been up to on the plane, he doesn’t now.

Though, to be fair, he knew. There’s one really good way to settle a submissive and it’s sex.

He remembers how it felt to get Daniel on the breeding bench that first time. They’d used it every day while Daniel had been with him. His boy had whimpered so sweetly when the buckles tightened across his limbs. They weren’t necessary but Daniel had loved being limited, restricted to the point where he couldn’t move an inch.

The TV screen abruptly cuts to a live feed. Daniel is sitting upright in a box that looks like a coffin.

“What is your name?” a woman in a white doctor’s coat asks.

“Private Daniel Burrows,” he says, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Rank and serial number?” she asks.

Logan gasps as Daniel answers.

Liam can’t take his eyes off Daniel. He looks exactly as he did three years ago, as if not a single moment has passed. He’s young and beautiful and perfect. What will he think when he sees Liam again? If his bond is gone, he might want to look elsewhere. Liam will have to accept that. He finds the trash can in the room, halfway to throwing up at the idea.

“It’s been three years and four days since you went into stasis, Private Burrows. I must inform you that your father has passed away, and your care has been transferred. Your family is waiting for you in the other room.”

“Who?” Daniel asks and starts to rise. His eyes are wide, and panic fills his voice. “Who is waiting for me?”

“What the fuck? Why don’t they just let us go in there?” Logan practically shouts.

“Your family is here,” the doctor says, her voice calm.

Daniel is led toan examination table and the doctor does an examination. He’s brought a cup of water and given two pills. He stares at them for a long moment.

“What are they?” he asks and looks up at the doctor. He’s blinking rapidly.

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