Page 23 of Deadly Promise
“Oh, fuck,” Hayden groaned, the foil on the plate lifted. On top of the meat sat at least six deviled eggs.
“Aiden, you’re an asshole!” Liam called out.
“You’re welcome!” Aiden laughed, disappearing around the side of the house.
On the drive down the mountain, six eggs flew out the window. The wildlife would eat them. Maybe.
* * * *
The headlights washed over the darkened house as Liam pulled into the driveway. He was going to have a talk with his mates about keeping a few lights on so it looked as if they were home.
After parking his truck, he followed Hayden and Teagan inside, carrying both plates since his mates looked exhausted. Stepping through the doorway, something hit his nostrils that made his wolf surge forward.
Two distinct odors that didn’t belong.
Male.
Unfamiliar.
Recent.
Someone had been in this house.
“Wait in the living room,” Liam said, his words coming out as a demand.
Both men turned to stare at him, but Liam had set aside the plates and was already moving down the hallway, following the foreign smells, which clung to the walls like invisible smoke.
Bathroom. Bedroom. Kitchen. Everywhere he went, those same two odors lingered, strongest near drawers and surfaces someone would touch while searching. His wolf paced restlessly, hackles raised at the violation of what should’ve been safe territory for his mates.
“What’s going on?” Hayden’s voice carried from the living room, edged with suspicion.
Returning to find both men standing exactly where he’d left them—well, mostly—Liam tried to figure out how to explain enhanced senses to humans without sounding completely unhinged.
“Were you expecting company today?” he asked. “Anyone who might have a key?”
“No to both.” Hayden replied warily. “Why?”
“Nobody has a key except us,” Teagan added, though his voice carried a tremor. “Liam, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
Liam ran a hand through his hair, buying time while his mind raced through plausible explanations that wouldn’t involve outright lying. Unfortunately, every possibility sounded equally insane.
“Look, this is going to sound crazy, but—”
“But what?” Hayden stepped forward, green eyes flashing with irritation. “Stop being cryptic and tell us what’s wrong with our house.”
“Someone was here.” He tapped the side of his nose. “Two people, actually. They’ve been all through your place.”
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the tick of the kitchen wall clock. Hayden blinked once, twice. Teagan’s mouth fell slightly open.
Both men stared at him like he’d just announced he could speak to houseplants.
“You can... smell them?” Teagan’s voice pitched higher. “Like what, a dog?”
Fuck. This was going exactly as well as he’d feared. Liam watched understanding dawn on Hayden’s face. Not the good kind of understanding, but the slow horrifying realization that they’d brought a lunatic into their home.
Teagan’s face had gone pale, while Hayden’s expression shifted from irritation to something approaching alarm.
“You can smell them,” Hayden repeated, like he needed a turn to say it out loud as the skin under his left eye twitched.
