Page 51 of Back in the Hunt

Bryn guided Everly’s hand around his hard-on. “Touch yourself for me, Ev. I want to watch you fly.”

“Fly!” Everly nodded as he stroked quickly, his hand a blur as he rode faster and faster. “Oh, Bryn! I’m—!” His head fell back, his chest heaving as cum spilled over his fist and Everly looked and sounded like an angel as he sang Bryn’s name.

He pulled Bryn into ecstasy, blinded by glorious light as golden heat rolled from his core and cum pumped from his shaft, deep in Everly’s ass. Bryn was delirious, kissing Everly and babbling his love and gratitude.

“Never, ever leave me, Ev. Say you’ll stay with me,” he whispered once they had caught their breath and their bodies had cooled. “I have a house not far from where I found you that first night. But we could get a place up here if you want to be closer to Nox and Merlin. It doesn’t matter to me and Arawn. He has Fletcher and I’ve been a third wheel for a while now,” he explained and gave Everly a moment to consider.

He nodded. “I’d like that. Nox and Merlin might need me in the future,” he added with a sly smile.

“Not as much as I’ll need you,” Bryn teased, then chased Everly from the bed and into the shower.

They flirted and got off again before dressing and heading down to tell everyone their good news. Arawn was the most pleased, but there were cheers all around and Merlin insisted on opening champagne.

Fletcher cleared his throat and reached for Arawn’s hand. “I’ve been thinking… It’s almost time for me to retire,” he noted with a lift of his brows at Arawn. He nodded, beaming at Fletcher, making him wince. “Can’t see myself taking up golf,though. If you think you might have room for an old man on the team,” he offered Merlin, Nox, and Nelson.

That got a hard snort out of Merlin. “You’re still a lad by my standards and you are in curiously good shape for your age. I don’t think that’s an accident either,” he said and Fletcher’s eyes narrowed.

“What are you getting at?”

Merlin tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Nelson and I aren’t immortal the way the twins are, we’ll begin to age if we stray too far from our heart and our purpose: Nox. I suspect the same might be true for you, Fletcher. You could live a very long, healthy, and happy life if you stay close to Arawn and Bryn.”

Bryn traded stunned glances with Arawn and Fletcher. “Looks like we’re stuck with him,” Bryn said despite his incredible joy. The thought of eventually losing him and seeing how lonely Arawn would be without Fletcher had stopped Bryn from finding his own soulmate.

But fate had a very special mate in mind for Bryn and their family had grown dramatically in just a few short weeks. He was glad to be so wrong about Nox and Merlin and grateful to them for helping Bryn findhispurpose.

“Everly and I were thinking we’d look for a place up here,” Bryn said and the way Everly lit up and giggled told him they’d made the right decision. There was nothing for Everly back in Roanoke and they were both ready for a fresh start.

“Would you be interested in a charming brick and stone Tudor in Silver Spring?” Nox asked, giving Bryn an excited nudge. “It’s on a gorgeous lot and almost hidden by trees, just around the corner from the Costas. I’d love to have someone I can trust there to keep an eye on Tony and his mom.”

“That’s just a few minutes from Bippity Boppity Books!” Merlin added.

Everly grabbed Bryn’s hand, tugging urgently. “Can we go see it!”

“As soon as we can get the keys,” Bryn replied, setting off cheers and whistles.

There was some shock at how quickly everything was happening, but Bryn didn’t have any doubts or reservations. His soul belonged with Everly’s as much as it belonged with Arawn’s.

And Bryn knew that he and Everly had found their home when Nox tossed him the keys in the driveway.

“Celia’s nephew and Tony’s favorite cousin is the listing agent so we were able to borrow those for a private tour.”

“It looks like a cottage from a fairy tale!” Everly whispered to Bryn as he unlocked the front door.

Bryn thought so too, with a garden in the front yard and plenty of trees for shade and privacy. Inside, the original floors, trim, and Deco bathrooms had been beautifully restored and in the back, there was a large deck and a shady yard with a hammock. The kitchen was perfect for cooking big meals with Arawn and Fletcher and there were plenty of parks and trails close by for running.

By far, Bryn’s favorite feature and selling point was the study. It was already very close, but with a little paint, a few more shelves, and the right desk and sofa, Everly could have a replica of Nox’s study. There, he could start a butterfly collection, learn more about witchcraft, and possibly write the air fryer guide he said he had dreamed of publishing.

He had too many offers to choose from as a veteran medic with a glowing resume, but Bryn was over the moon about a modest job at an occult bookstore. Under Howard’s gentle care, Everly could thrive and excel. Like Howard, Everly was kind and patient and cherished learning. Neither were all that concerned with making money and the shop and its inventory were insured against just about anything Everly could manage.

Like Nox, Bryn felt obliged to look out for Howard and the Costas and was honored to be entrusted with their care and friendship. Bryn understood how much they meant to Nox and suspected that they had been asked to look out for him and Everly in return.

That was how a good god worked, Bryn was learning. Not with grand displays of power or acts of divinity or by leading a Hunt. It was through opening minds, touching hearts, and caring for the less fortunate and vulnerable. He was healing the community around him one friend, family, small business at a time while creating a gentle, loving army of caring, selfless warriors to spread his message.

And his message was so simple and so subtle that it was easy to miss, yet so universally appealing and desperately needed in all parts of the globe: let love win. The size of a person’s bank account, where they lived, or how many followers they had—online or in the pews—didn’t determine where their soul ended up in the afterlife.

Love, shared from one generation to the next as memories and cherished mementos, was what made you truly immortal. Legacies were built from acts of kindness, rippling from one neighbor’s hand to another’s, fortifying communities and providing hope in times of darkness, not iron fists. For who truly remembered the cruel and mourned their passing?

Great men were often praised for their gentler acts. But when a gentle man stood up, he was even greater. It was far easier to succumb to cynicism and hopelessness and to harden and turn bitter. Kindness, generosity, loyalty… Survival and success often stripped men of those “softer” instincts, but it took true grit and strength to remain gentle and embrace optimism.

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