Page 68 of Always Eros

“Have you remembered anything else?” Syn asks.

Hale nods. “I’ve been having very lucid dreams, but none of it makes sense yet. It’s a jumble, but I believe it’s my mind trying to sort it all.” He grimaces as if he tasted something sour. “This is difficult to admit, but the dreams about Nathan have been terrible. Nightmares really. I fear what I might discover.”

“Maybe it’s just the sadness because of what happened to him,” Bowie offers with a kind smile.

“Yes, maybe,” Hale says. “He always appears to be the beautiful, sweet man he was. We are making love and then…” Hale squeezes his eyes, shaking his head. “He turns grotesque. Like a monster. He puts his claw-like hands around my throat and squeezes. Just as I’m losing my life, I wake.”

“But you can’t be killed that way,” Raphael notes. “It’s just a dream. You’ve been traumatized.”

He nods, but I can see he’s unconvinced. I hope for his sake it is just a dream.

I feel Syn’s intense gaze on me and shift my gaze to him. “Yes?”

“Raph is right, Eros. You need to get in touch with your mortal.”

“I can’t. He asked me to leave him alone.”

“And?” Thorn says. “Who gives a fuck?”

“I do. I respect his wishes.”

“Really? Is that why you sat by his room all night watching him?”

I narrow my eyes at my brother. “Were you following me, Thorn?”

He scoffs. “You’re not exactly being discreet. Your emotions pour off you like waves. I felt you as I passed. Lie to yourself, but do not lie to us.”

I stand up, tossing my notebook to the floor and getting in his face. In seconds, our chests are pressed together, teeth bared, until Midnight puts his hand between us.

“Stop this. We are brothers.”

I back off slightly, still glaring. “I don’t want to push him away,” I admit. “He’s already frightened of me.”

Thorn nods, his eyes softening. “Would you rather he be afraid of you or dead?”

“Thorn,” Bowie chides. “So harsh.”

“He needs the truth,” Thorn says. “His emotions are clouded by love.” Thorn cups my cheek. “He’ll understand, Eros. You have to believe that and keep him safe.”

Thorn’s words do their job. I nod, stepping back. “I could not live if something happened to him.”

“So don’t let it,” Thorn says. “Go get him.”

I gaze around the room at my brothers and Hale, their supportive energy surrounding me like a strong embrace.

“You’re right. I’ll go now.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

JUSTICE

I haven’t moved from my bed for hours. I can’t. It’s like I’m boneless, frozen with indecision. I want to see Eros so badly, but then what?

A cacophony of voices grabs my attention, finally luring me to sit up straight and pay attention. I don’t know how, but I’m positive it’s Eros.

I climb out of bed and hurry downstairs to find him standing in the foyer with Carina. Jackson and Mark are holding his arms, which is cute. He could obviously break free if he wanted to. When he sees me, his shoulders drop and all the panic in his face falls away.

“Justice.”

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