Blue Moon III: Call of the Alpha (25 page)

“I need you to be the man you are tomorrow,” Alpha whispered, his mouth close to the corner of Call’s parted lips. When Alpha spoke, his voice alone had an effect on Call, and Call most definitely had that same effect on him.

“I know how to keep my head in the fight.” Call’s voice wasn’t as sensual as Alpha’s, it was simply strong, mixed with a lot of gruff sexiness.

“You’re going into a different world. In my Order, the men still fight with swords, knives. Rarely firearms. What your Navy terms long-range eliminators, like Hawk, who wields a caliber rifle almost as tall as him. Our long-range eliminators use poisonous darts, even arrows. You can’t shoot your gun if there’s a ninja’s star embedded in your hand.

“You can’t worry about me, Daskshaun. I will fight beside you, fight for you, because your Order is your home, whether retired or not. You’ll always have an obligation to defend them. No one understands that more than I do. It’s the same way I feel for my country. So stay sharp and show all those traitorous bastards what happens when Alpha is forced to leave his peaceful home and put back on his hood.”

They pleasured each other in the shower. After they were sated, Alpha knelt and washed Call’s feet to show his humility and respect for his love before they descended into hate, mayhem, and strife. Call smoothed Alpha’s dark, wet locks off his face. “I’m ready for this. I know it’ll be different. Faster, more intense… but you know I won’t give up. I’ll fight until my last breath.”

Alpha gasped. Gods, even the thought was too much. They were in bed, holding each other tight. Like it might be the last time. If something happened to his partner, his cherished, Alpha would fall on his own sword. He would have failed. And that just wasn’t a word in his vocabulary. His master taught him well. That they were assassins didn’t mean they didn’t have hearts, didn’t mean they didn’t crave companionship, and surely didn’t mean they didn’t crave love. So that topic was also something taught and learned in the Order. Love.

How to be a killer and a lover at the same time. Even now, to him it sounded like a ridiculous humanities course at an unaccredited college.

Alpha and Omega never had that type of relationship. They were more like actual blood brothers, so he’d never faced a dilemma like this. He didn’t know his cherished would be as fierce a fighter and leader as him. So he never thought he’d see the day where he have to fight alongside his beloved, possibly endangering him. But his tough commander was not a man to be scared off or turned into a coward. He couldn’t emasculate him. The private contingency plan in place between Lion and his brother was already borderline deceitful.

Alpha would have to do what his Grandmaster taught him and “hibernate thine heart.” If the situation took a turn for the worse, situations like captivity, torture. The only way to prevail would be for the fighter to hibernate his heart and not allow it to awake until his love was back safe in his arms. Reacting without thinking, reacting with the heart would only cause danger to his love, but also himself as well.

He would have to do just that.

He relaxed and let Call make love to him, let him reassure him that they were going to make it through this. Long, penetrating strokes that reached him everywhere. Call had never held him so tight, or pushed so deep inside him. Alpha wasn’t going to let anything take this – what they were having at that moment – away from him. They had so many years left, so many more nights like this left. Nights of unwavering desire and contentment. He slowed his breathing to the same pace as when he meditated and it soothed him along with the comforting circles Call was rubbing along his torso.

His head was ready. His brother had his new partner. Alpha had Call. Everything was going to fall right into place.

“Rest now.” Call was still breathing deeply. While their loving hadn’t been a raw, fast ass-pounding session, they were still winded and overwhelmed by the love that consumed them. “Lion will need you sharp tomorrow, and so will I. Trust that you taught me well. I won’t be so easy to take down. Never have been.”

Call was right. He was not only a warrior, but also a survivor, and he had millions of scars to prove it. He’d been blown up and told he’d never return to active duty, would never fight again. Call had been to the depths of hell and flicked off the devil before coming back to the living and proving everyone else wrong, too.

He settled back into the warmth of Call’s chest, his back pressed as close as he could get without pushing them off the bed. He closed his eyes, feeling better. Realizing he didn’t need a contingency plan if Call got into trouble. All Call would need was him, and he wouldn’t fail his cherished.

He’d release his beast. It’d been years, but it was already moving inside him, sensing his need for it. Stirring from a too-long slumber. Gods help the men who met his fighting style.

Lion

Finally, it was go time. He had his plan, he had his army. But to his surprise and delight there was something more important he needed right at the moment. As soon as he closed the door to Omega’s room, the sexy man was on him, pulling him closer, needing his strength. Lion let Omega take what he needed. He let him pull open his cotton jacket and run his talented hands up his chest, erasing where another had touched what was now his. When he was satisfied that all traces of Viper’s touch had been replaced by his own, Omega wound his hands up and around Lion’s neck. He dipped his head back and let Omega pull the rest of his hair from the haphazard bun and run his fingers through the soft locks.

“Are you pleased?”

Lion knew what he was referring to. Did he approve of the way Omega had handled Viper? He couldn’t have been more pleased. “I am. You were swift and in control, just like I’d knew you’d be.”

All of Omega’s irrationality and indecision stemmed from one problem. He’d been warring against his natural instincts. The moment he yielded to Lion was the exact moment his mind and body aligned. They needed to connect fully for the mission to be a success.

Lion clamped a large hand on the back of Omega’s neck and leaned in just in time to inhale the contented sigh his cherished released. His touch could do that already. Bless the Elders. Lion had wondered many lonely nights when his own destiny would be revealed. He could hardly recall any childhood memories. His life began when his master took him from one of the most evil tyrants in their country and introduced him to a new way of life. At first, he hated being covered. Hooded, with no identity. He’d been too young to understand the reason behind the anonymity, but he thrived from the teachings. Every lesson his master bestowed upon him, he held dear. There was nothing his master taught him that he didn’t remember even till this day. Life in the Order was a dream come true, especially when he thought of where he could’ve been. Slaving in some man’s home or forced to fight in a rebellious army. Instead, he’d grown up surrounded by wisdom and learned the truest definition of brotherhood. They weren’t tortured and broken. The Order’s beliefs were honorable and decent. He ate properly and lived in what looked like a castle from the outside, but was actually a school and a highly advanced training facility. From the moment he stepped into the Order, he’d shed his former identity and left the past in the past. He’d still been a boy, but quickly learned to be a man. He was first taught to be honorable and then he was blessed with a new identity and name: the man of triumph. Learned to speak properly in more languages than he could count. Learned other cultures, learned how to blend in and adapt. Taught to be an invisible assassin. Bless the Elders.

Sure, he killed, but not maliciously and not for entertainment. He killed in all fairness. Most criminal organizations, drug lords, human trafficking businesses, crime families, religious fanatics, terrorist groups operated above the law, were either too powerful or out of its reach. He was a bringer of justice. Right after he put them six feet under, the Order emptied those bank accounts that were filled with blood money and put the funds to good use. Lion only did what was moral and righteous.

Now he was here and walking right into his glory with his beloved. Lion couldn’t have felt more confident about their mission than he did. He already celebrated their victory.

“I’m going back to my quarters,” Lion said, releasing Omega. The brief look of devastation almost brought Lion to his knees. Good gods, he wasn’t spending one single night alone or without Omega next to him… under him. He quickly reassured him. “Come to me at half past this hour. Bring your belongings. From here and now until forever, your nights are spent close to me.” Lion kissed Omega’s forehead and waited while he nuzzled into the depths of his golden hair. It pleased him that Omega was not turned off by his effeminate mane. Only models on Victoria’s Secret catwalks had hair like his. When Omega was satisfied, Lion stepped back.

He turned and headed back to the other side of the house to his assigned quarters. He’d shower and prepare himself to solidify their bond.

Omega wasted no time in the shower. He was as clean as he was going to get. He had on loose fitting, black parachute pants and a simple white tank top. He was so anxious he was shaking. Not with nerves but with excitement. It’d been years upon years since he’d enjoyed the company of a man, but even that was a one-time, you get yours, I’ll get mine, kind of deal. He’d never felt such an overwhelming need to be with anyone, especially another warrior. Omega didn’t like competition. That’s how he’d originally taken Lion’s presence and that’s how he’d set himself up to fail. Alpha tried to tell him to open himself up, open his mind, but all he could see was opposition, no matter how hard his heart fought to lead him into Lion’s comforting arms. Thank the gods the persistent man didn’t throw his hands up at Omega’s stubborn streak. Lion was too strong to fall for that. He’d known their fate and had waited patiently for Omega to realize it, too. Lion never left him. No, he’d cared for him. Bathed him and fed him food that originated in Omega’s homeland. Reminded him of who he was. In their culture, that was how you courted and earned your cherished.

Omega was losing himself here in the States. No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t understand their laws or traditions. Sure, there were national holidays but there was no unity. Even in the moments of gross injustice and tragedy, the country’s reaction would be to join in a moment of silence. Only a moment. That was all that was needed for reflection? Even now, Omega shook his head. He didn’t understand the Americans’ way of life. He was leaving this place. His brother was safe and happy. He had Call, he had his life partner.

It was time for Omega to go on and live his own life. Live up to his name. In this land, a man had no name. If you asked an American their name, they could recite it, but there was no meaning attached to it. Like their name was picked out of a hat and had little if nothing to do with their family line or descendants. He was Ericktor Amjad, man of glory, of Imuma Aga Kahn, he was devoted to and cherished of Firuz Nikahd, the man of triumph. Their names had meaning. Aga Kahn was where they hailed from.

With his duffle bag packed and zipped, he checked his watch. He had exactly eleven minutes. It would only take him fifty-two seconds to get from his room to Lion’s on the second floor. Don’t ask how he knew that. He closed his eyes and said a prayer of thanks.