Page 38 of Drakken Star
He glanced over the destroyed area of the landing docks in time to watch several small pods of Volé and Drakken guards loyal to the crown and Drakken Triumvirate move in to capture Tore’s men, who had mistakenly fallen for the planned distraction. The flying drakken dove and spewed fire at Tore’s hiding spot, covering the sound of laser fire that erupted from two of the locations. If anyone had shouted for help or in pain, Brandt couldn’t hear it over the roar of the drakken.
Brandt avidedly watched as a dozen loyal Drakken stormed the ship Tore hid in as soon as the flames allowed. He didn’t wait for confirmation of Tore’s capture, though he did hear the cheers of success, before he gazed up at Kayluth. “Tore better be dead or joining his father in the dungeon when this is over,” he growled, palming Kayluth’s cheeks and dragging him down into a fiery kiss. Possessive much?Hel, yeh!This was his mate, and he’d vowed to protect them.
When they finally broke apart, he looked around. “Is that Tyr? Hey!” He spotted Hazer peeking out from between Tyr’s wings and jerked out of Kay’s arms. “You!” He stabbed a finger in Hazer’s direction, striding fast, cutting the distance between them to arrest the Fenrir. Brandt had almost reached the kidnapper when Kayluth stepped between them.
“Move,” he ordered, glaring at his mate. “I want him taken down. Nobody hurts what’s mine.”
Kayluth grabbed Brandt’s arms. “While I find your po-sssesss-ivenesss ssexy, my love, Hazer iz a friend.”
“Friends don’t kidnap their friends,” he spat, wriggling to escape his mate’s grasp, but Kayluth held firm.
“It wass nessassary.”
“It was necessary to kidnap you and Tyr? You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Brandt shook his head.
“Better uss than Moondrake and Bjorn,” Kay responded calmly.
“Hel, yeh, but…” Brandt lost his steam as Kayluth’s statement penetrated. Who knows how Manning would have reacted to being kidnapped again? He let his anger fade as he stared into his sobroke’s sky-blue eyes. “Fine. You’re right, but you better start explaining.”
“I’d like to hear the explanation, too,” Bjorn interjected, walking past them toward Tyr.
Brandt startled to see his brother-by-marriage—his king, complete with circlet—on the battlefield, such as it was. “When’d you get here?”
“At the same time as me,” Manning said behind him.
Brandt spun around just in time to watch Manning rush into Kayluth’s arms. Manning hugged Kayluth hard, then tugged on his braids, pulling him down into a kiss much like Brandt had just tarrans ago.
He didn’t let them get carried away for long, snagging Manning’s arm, pulling his husband from Kayluth’s hold to get a hug and kiss for himself. Hel, they’d only been separated for arns, the day barely half over, and yet he’d missed his mates. Of course, fear was partially to blame, but also he just needed to be in their presence. One was good, but having them both was always better.
Bjorn’s angry voice cut through their reunion. “I don’t understand. Everyone’s been telling me that I’m your sobroke, yet now you’re telling me that he is.”
Brandt might have laughed at the ridiculous scene Bjorn made, yelling at Tyr, still in drakken form, who couldn’t easily answer. He held tight to his mirth though as he heard Manning wince at the high, unpleasant shriek Bjorn attained by the end of his tirade.
“Vidar…” Hazer said, moving closer to Tyr and Nykos.
Bjorn pointed at Hazer, his gaze blazing with anger. “You stay where you are. I’ve a mind to have you arrested and dumped in the dungeon with my father. Your dealings with my traitorous brother have not been forgotten. You…” He focused on Tyr. “Shift so we can go home.”
Manning hummed as he leaned against Brandt. “Home sounds perfect.”
Kayluth’s arms encircled them both. “Ssu, but we sshould sstay to enssure no one getss hurt.”
Brandt squinted at his mate. “Hurt?”
Kay wobbled his head. “Emotionally, though maybe physsically if Hazer getss in the way.”
Manning snickered. “Bjorn always was a force to be reckoned with when he was mad, but he has forgotten one major thing.”
Brandt pulled Manning closer and nuzzled behind his husband’s ear. “What’s that?”
“Triads.”
Brandt chuckled. “True, my love.”
Kayluth’s arms tightened again and his rumble of laughter shook them. “Ssu, I agree.”
They laughed again, though quietly, at Bjorn’s gasp when Tyr shifted from drakken to a very naked young male. Bjorn whipped off his overtunic and shoved it at Tyr, insisting his mate put it on.
Tyr quickly donned the tunic and then he threaded his fingers through Nykos’. He stared at Bjorn with a light smile of joy on his lips. “Bjorn,my king,” he said, bowing low and pulling Nykos down at the same time, “jusst az Vidar Manning hass two ssobroke, az my mother doess, sso do I.” He straightened to resume eye contact. “You and Nykoss are mine.”
