Page 23 of Angels of the Night

CHAPTER 18

His emerald-green eyes shining with adoration, Alasdair moved inside Ardan, becoming one with the man of his dreams, possessing and cherishing him like he deserved. Legs spread, surrendering his body to the one who captured his heart, the older man wrapped his legs around his husband's slim waist, desperate for more, hungrily taking what Alasdair gave him.

From the first time he laid his eyes on the skinny, short-tempered, red-haired teen, Ardan had loved him with every shard of his broken soul, with every fiber of his damaged body and every beat of his crushed heart. The young man kept telling himself it was wrong, that the boy didn't belong in the dark, twisted world he lived in, but when he heard about Alasdair being beaten by his asshole boyfriend, nothing and no one could stop him.

And here they were, almost a decade later, equal partners in everything, husbands, fathers, lovers, each other's everything. His turquoise eyes filled with love, Ardan extended a hand, tentatively touching Alasdair's perked nipples, making him shiver with pleasure. Rubbing his palms against his lover's thighs, the redhead thrusted harder, deeper, faster, bringing the other man to the edge of no return.

Heart filled with happiness, Ardan and Alasdair welcomed the whirlwind of passion that sucked them both in. Although the two men's bodies were on the king size bed in their bedroom, their souls travelled to another dimension, intertwining, mirroring each other, becoming one.

A quick shower later and happy, content smiles on their faces, the two husbands lay in each other's arms. It had been a few good months since Ardan last submitted to his husband, and Alasdair patiently waited for his man to start talking.

From the experience of their life together, almost every time Ardan bottomed, he had a weight on his soul. However, the redhead also knew his husband wouldn’t take the first step, so he decided it was about time to open the subject.

“It was quite an eventful night, and I'm not talking about Starlight's reopening.” His husband's soft, whispered voice took Alasdair by surprise. “Fabian Bloom is still full of surprises, even after all this time.”

“To be honest, I didn't expect him to come here and warn us about his former ally. And that boy, Rowan, felt completely at ease in his presence.” The redhead shook his head, an incredulous look in his emerald-green eyes. “He's changed a lot, if you ask me.”

“And that is not all. When we were alone, Fabian asked me to protect that Greenwood's bastard's husband, claiming he is an innocent man, who suffered a lot at that fucker's hands. The look in his eyes when he spoke about that man reminded me of your uncles Thaddeus and Sebastian. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see him as a beast.” Ardan's voice was melancholic with a tinge of sadness.

“There is something I don't understand.” Alasdair frowned, looking into his husband's eyes. “Why did Fabian ask you, of all people, to protect that man, when he could hire a security company?”

“Because the one who's after him is none other than Connelly, my father's right hand. Most likely, the man's good for nothing husband, that Greenwood reptile, messed with the Scottish branch of the Defenders, and now they are after him and his family. I know you are used to the part of Italian and Russian Mafia who live by a strict moral code, but the Scots are very different.”

“Are you going to talk to Godfrey? And even if you are, how can you be sure he'll do what you ask him?” Alasdair spoke in a heated voice, the grudge he was still holding against his father-in-law for working Ardan to exhaustion noticeable.

“He will. My father is not a man who forgets to pay his dues. He owes me big time, and he knows it.” Ardan's voice was firm, a little harsh even.

After spending some more time peppering sweet kisses and brushing feather-light touches on one another's bodies, the two husbands fell asleep, peacefully smiling. When he woke up, Ardan felt completely relaxed and refreshed, all the weight on his mind and heart gone, like every time he talked about his problems with Alasdair.

The man smiled, tentatively touching his husband's fiery-red curls with the tips of his fingers, blessing the day their paths crossed. Images of the previous night, with his Spitfire possessing him invaded Ardan's mind, the turquoise eyes brightening even more. Giving himself to Alasdair was liberating and kept him grounded, inducing a state of safety and belonging he craved without even knowing it.

After spending a few more minutes in bed, Ardan left it with a small, barely audible sigh and stepped into the bathroom, taking a quick shower. Once he was dressed, the man planted a sweet, chaste kiss on his husband's forehead, leaving the bedroom and the house. The fresh, crisp morning air filled his lungs, making him decide to walk the distance to The Base instead of taking the car.

Meanwhile, Saint was pacing up and down the narrow alley heading to the administrative building, trying to get his emotions under control. He remembered how, a little over a year earlier, he had been waiting for the boss in the same spot, a few inches more or less. Just like then, the subject he was going to approach was extremely important. Just like then, Caleb's happiness was going to be brought into discussion.

“A penny for your thoughts.” Ardan's voice sounded carefree, and the smile on his face reached his eyes. However, after a few seconds, his expression changed. “Judging by the look in your eyes, those thoughts are not very happy.”

“Good morning to you, too.” Saint tried to smile, without success. “No, I'm just...worried. I’ve been trying to talk to you since I came back from London, but with everything that happened in my complicated personal life...”

“No need to excuse yourself, not when I know firsthand how serious and complex those issues were. I hope everything is fine now.” The warm smile reappeared on Ardan's sensual lips as he gestured to the building's entrance. “Let's go inside. It seems this is going to be a very long talk.”

“I'm afraid that, after today, you'll no longer consider me your friend, but it's something I have to learn to live with. It can't be other way.” Inhaling sharply, Saint plopped down on the chair the other man indicated. “It all started almost seven years ago with that goddamn case of break up and murder. Then, the perpetrators didn't get their hands on what they wanted, but two months ago, they did it again and succeeded.”

“What was the thing they were after?” Suddenly, Ardan's throat went dry as a terrible suspicion started to creep inside his mind. “Was it, by any chance, a highly volatile substance, the result of some top secret research?” He fell silent, waiting for the other one's answer.

“How do you...did Zachary tell you? Because if it was him, it would be in vane to continue speaking, trying to convince you of the truth. The bastard who was behind everything managed to make poor Cedric and Zachary believe he was their friend, betraying them in the ugliest possible way.” Pain altered Saint's expression as he remembered the horrific details of Zachary’s story.

“Betraying the ones who trust him is Phillip Winters's second nature, so I'm not surprised in the least. To answer your question, I found out everything about the sick fuck's plans from a very surprising but extremely reliable source. The substance he stole was used for creating a highly unstable, contagious compound, that intervenes on teenage boys' organs, creating favorable conditions for pregnancy.” Ardan tried to sound neutral, but Saint could detect the shake in it.

“That's horrible. I don't even have words for this! I suspect the blackhearted bastard collaborates with whoever runs the goddamn child trafficking ring we investigated. The scariest part, however, is the lack of a solution for this problem.” Saint let out a heavy sigh, running his hand over his face.

“What problem? Sorry, I saw the door was cracked, and I thought...” Zachary stepped into the office, a radiant smile on his face, but the sight of his lover's expression dimmed the light in his eyes. “What's going on here? Ardan? Saint, baby?”

A pleading expression in his gentle, light-green eyes, the newcomer looked between the two men, the happiness filling his heart only seconds earlier vanishing in an instant, replaced by insecurity and fear. Zachary was afraid to lose the love, joy, peace, and all the other good things in his life at that moment, but he felt it was bound to happen.

Somehow, one of the other two men in the room, or maybe both, held his fate in their hands and were about to make or break him. Most likely, the last variant. Lady Luck didn't like him very much, Zachary thought, a melancholic smile playing on his lips. Well, better sooner than later, he continued the trail of his thought, taking a step to Saint's direction.

“Well, shoot, guys. I'm a big boy. I can deal with pretty nasty shit. Come on, guys, the suspense is killing me.” Zachary tried a joke, hoping to reduce the tension in the atmosphere, with little to no success.

“Saint was telling me what he discovered during the two months he spent in London, investigating a case similar to the one you worked together almost seven years ago. We corroborated what he had with the information I got last night and identified the one behind everything.”

“Whoa, that was fast!” Zachary let out a low whistle, his voice filled with admiration. “But then again, it shouldn't surprise me that much. You were one of the best back then and still are.” The man turned to Saint, his eyes shining with love and pride. “Who is the lousy bastard?”

“A bastard, indeed, but I wouldn't call him lousy, the specimen is a master of deceit. He managed to make two of the best, most promising young CIA agents believe that he was their friend. His name is Phillip Winters, but back then, he was known as Phillip North.” Saint stopped, the pained look in the light-green eyes he loved so much making his heart twist.

“No, please, don't do this. You’re hurting me! He wasn't like that, you didn't get to know him. Stop it! You’re tarnishing the name of a sweet, innocent man, who was left incapacitated for life. There is still time to unsay those words and clean the poison they poured in my soul.” Zachary's voice broke, his gaze filled with hope and innocence.

“The man you knew wasn't real. That soulless, twisted-minded bastard invented him, so he could trap you and Cedric. Phillip Winters collaborates with child traffickers, testing his barbaric invention on those who should be cherished and protected the most.” Saint stopped, shocked by the sudden change in Zachary's facial expression, that shifted from utter defeat to burning hatred.

The man undid his belt and pulled it out, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Why don't you take it and beat me till I'm nothing more than a mass of blood and raw flesh? It would hurt less than your words.” Zachary turned to Ardan, voice down to a whisper. “Tell Caleb I'm sorry. I love him more than anything, but I can't continue this relationship. It will destroy both of us in the end. I'm going back home, your brother will always have a place there...and in what's left of my heart.”

---