Page 114 of Natural-Born Cullers

Gray’s reaction was instant, his kiss rough, all heat—him, home found and made purely in flesh and blood. In Jack’s. “I’d have goddamn well slept outside on this bench with you, collar around my throat and tethered to the wood until you saw you own every ounce of my goddamn soul, stunner. You always have. Always will.”

“But you… feel the same way for Martin too?”

Gray shook his head. “For all of you, Jack.” He rested his head against Jack’s, and hurt bled through his look. “Even if it took me a while to get there.”

Jack nodded and brushed along his jaw. “I don’t know how I feel about that, Gray, and that’s me being honest. But I do know I can’t stay here without him.”

Gray stilled, paled so bloody much, and Jack scrubbed another touch at his jaw. “So to dig deep and get him back, you’ve got to trust me.” He won a frown off Gray. “You’ve got to let me go—”

“Jack….” Gray pulled back, or tried to. “No. I—”

“Which,” Jack said through Gray’s words, “means you step away completely from my care plan with Halliday. Beyond being an emergency contact point, you can’t have any say in my care. That goes for my safety in and away from the manor.”

Gray frowned and went to say something, but Jack eased his head against Gray’s.

“Vince is gone,” Jack said quietly. “Give me my head space back, please. Because like I said, this is me, taking responsibility for my disorders, taking care of Martin, my way,” he said quietly. “He’s right. My head’s damn stronger than I think, but he needs to see that includes being so goddamn stronger than his too. He won’t beat me on this.”

“You’ll stay?”

Jack snorted a smile. “Would you ever really let me leave, mukka?”

Gray tugged him in. “No. Fucking psychopath here. Loving you enough to let you walk away belongs back in herd mentality. We don’t walk with them, Jack. We run with each other. I won’t tolerate it any other fucking way, but I know you won’t either.”

Jack eased away, his smile more a smirk. “Then you remember: Martin’s mine, and you trust me to handle him.” He brushed Gray’s cheek. “In your black-and white world, trust that I’m the best one to do that, not you. Because I was the one to create him long before you came along.”

Worry filtered through into Gray’s eyes on just what that meant, but after a moment, he came in, a gentle touch at Jack’s jaw as he kissed so tenderly at Jack’s lips.

“You lead, I damn well follow and lie at your feet, stunner.” He gave such a hard sigh, and Jack caught his tear. “Just so long as you know I’ll guard the front fucking door just as viciously when it comes to any threat of you leaving.”

Jack offered a smile. “Rightly so, mukka. Rightly fucking so.”

Where the hurt came from in Gray that moment, Jack couldn’t transcribe, and he went to move over to Jan.

Gray pulled him back a moment, his touch gentle as he rested his head back to Jack’s.

“He stopped breathing, stunner.”

Jack frowned as Gray’s brow creased.

“Do you remember? I….” A hand brushed Jack’s cheek. “Jan wasn’t breathing for a while.”

Jack nodded. “I know,” he said quietly, and a tear fell. “It’s the one thing I’ll never forgive Martin for.”

“He didn’t know about the full fallout, stunner.”

Jack shrugged. “He should have done. It’s what I made him for. To protect my world, not take it down.”

Saying nothing else, Jack went over to Jan, stopping just a breath away.

“Been through too much together, martial arts guy,” Jan said softly and gave this hopeless shrug with it. “I know I fucked up. I—”

Jack groaned and pulled him in, arms swamping his shoulders. “Breathing. You weren’t fucking breathing, Jan.” That was all that mattered in his world. “Fuck. You think I need to hear anything else off you right now, soft lad?” Jack screwed his eyes shut and kissed at his head. “I’m sorry, so fucking sorry you got caught in all of this. Again. That’s always on fucking replay here, getting caught in the shit.”

Jan eased back, his look serious. “Still here, Jack. Always will be. But I’m so bloody sorry over calling seclusion and getting Halliday in here. I needed him to look you over, nothing more. I swear. What Martin did….”

Jack gave a hard sigh. “Give me enough time to calm back down there, I’d have made the call myself.”

Jan shook his head. “Not at the cost of you. Not at the cost of….” Hurt creased his eyes.

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