For the sixth day, Eric sat beside the bed and ignored what he should have been doing to watch over Murtagh. As Daven’s day warden, Eric had a duty to perform for his charge, but right now he was incapable of doing anything that meant he had to leave the infirmary. At the moment Tagh held the position of the most important thing in Eric’s life. Tagh also still hadn’t regained consciousness. In fact, the man hadn’t twitched an inch and it worried Eric more than he’d like to admit.

His daily observations gave Eric nothing but time to think. He mainly wondered how Tagh had been able to disguise his warrior markings. Right now, they were so prominent, and in a weird way kind of beautiful. The intricate red pattern covering over half of Tagh’s face stood as a testimony to his family heritage and all the brave deeds they had done, in a way, proving Tagh’s history would never be lost. Eric understood the reasons behind Tagh hiding his markings from the world. No one wanted to be listed among the most feared and hated species known, yet that was exactly how Tagh’s kind were perceived. How strong were the man’s Draconian powers? Powerful indeed. The rumors floating about said that Draconian Warriors were killing machines. Once bred to maintain discipline and order over everyone, the power had gone to their heads and they had started killing innocent people. Hence the reason they had been hunted into extinction—or so the world had thought.

“How is he?” Eric jumped when Mitch spoke so closely beside him. He hadn’t even heard his best friend enter the room but now took in the worried look on Mitch’s face. Being mated obviously agreed with Mitch. He seemed much happier than he’d ever been with his douche of an ex-partner, Lewis. Eric was glad things were looking up for the man since he’d found his three mates and children. A touch of jealousy lingered in the back of Eric’s mind. Really, he hoped one day that he’d find his own happily ever after.

“Vance said we’ll have to wait and see. It’s as though Tagh’s body has shut down. Nothing anyone does helps. Why do you think he never told us about his secret identity?” Eric asked, gesturing toward Murtagh. “Why would he need to hide it from us? Did he think we’d turn our backs on him?”

Mitch shrugged. “You know as much as I do. Draconian Warriors are very rare and not well-liked. If people found out, they’d probably call a hunt out on him or some such shit. I spoke with Remi this morning, and he said the only way to help Tagh at this stage is for his mate to be constantly on hand. The more contact they have, the quicker it will call Tagh back to the land of the living.”

“How are we supposed to find his mate? Has Tagh ever mentioned said mate?” It hurt just to think of being someone out there waiting for Tagh to claim them. Eric wasn’t sure why the whole idea of an unknown mate didn’t sit well with him, but it didn’t. “Does anyone know who this mate is?” For some reason, Eric thought Mitch was holding something back, which in itself stood out as strange. Mitch could never keep a secret. Everyone knew he was gossip central. Eric reached out and ghosted his fingertips over Tagh’s dark-auburn locks. At the merest of touches, Eric shivered in what—desire? Whatever Eric felt, he didn’t know whether he wanted it. At all.

Vance walked back into the room and checked Tagh’s vitals, Eric and Mitch watching in silence as he worked. Honestly, Eric hoped that Vance had some good news—god, how they needed it. So much had been going on that remembering what they were all supposed to be doing took too much energy. He knew he should be out there, trying to help come up with what they were going to do next. Tagh being beaten to shit—not because of being a Draconian Warrior, but because a lesser demon clan thought they had a God-given right to take over the world and to be as brutal as they wanted. They didn’t even care who they trampled in the process. Luckily for everyone concerned, the right side had won the confrontation. Not that Eric believed for one minute that the battle would end the fight. Somewhere out there, right now, was someone else waiting to step up and take Jordon St. James’ place as the biggest badass in town.

When Mitch thumped him on the arm, Eric realized Vance had been talking to them and he, in all his daydreaming, had missed most of the conversation. Before he could ask Vance to repeat himself, the words finally sank in. “Mate? By the way he’s been responding since being brought home, I’d bet my left leg that you’re his mate, Eric.”

Eric stopped.

Stopped breathing.

Stopped thinking.

Stopped being able to function at all.

The words Vance had just uttered pushed all other coherent thoughts from his mind. They were like a neon sign flashing bright for the whole world to see. Seriously? No fricken way can this be even possible. Shit like this didn’t happen to people like him. Wouldn’t he know if he and Tagh were mates? In all honesty, Eric thought the guy hated him. Well, not hated him, more that Tagh thought he was a waste of space. Sure, Tagh had flirted with him in the beginning, but that had been more to make Eric feel uncomfortable, hadn’t it?

When he finally found his voice, he asked, “Are you sure?”

“I’m only going by Tagh’s vitals. Every time you leave, they start going haywire and when you come back, he settles right back down. He never reacts that way with anyone else—only you,” Vance stated.

“I think he’s right, sweetie. I’ve thought for a while now there’s a connection between the two of you, but for some reason, you both seemed oblivious to it. I wasn’t going to say anything, because Remi said you needed to figure it out on your own, but Orion told us that Draconian Warriors need their mates to tether them to the here and now. If the mates stay apart for too long, we could lose Tagh to the darker nature of his species.”

That sounded ominous. Eric wondered where Mitch was going with this. “And that would be?” he asked, hoping to prompt Mitch into revealing more.

“Stuffed if I know. I’m not even sure everyone else knows the full extent of what Tagh is. When his species identity came to light, only a few people weren’t surprised. The rest of us are clueless and those in the know aren’t revealing shit.” Mitch sounded frustrated.

Eric ran his hand down Tagh’s arm and gasped at the slight tremor of response. Could what Vance and Mitch have told him be true? A little niggling voice in the back of his head kept insisting he wouldn’t have stayed by Tagh’s bedside for this long if there hadn’t been a grain of truth in what he’d been told.

Eric wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Gabriel has taken over duties of being Dav’s day warden until Tagh is back on his feet. I’m not sure Dav trusts Gabriel at all, but so far he hasn’t done anything hinky. I’m sure everything will be fine, so there’s no need to worry on that front,” Mitch said.

Even knowing Daven didn’t really need him at the moment did nothing to assuage the guilt Eric felt over shirking his duties. For over five hundred years, it had been his duty to watch over Daven and take care of his every need. Daven could sometimes be very particular about how things should be done. Eric actually pitied Gabe for having to put up with all Daven’s little idiosyncrasies. Maybe Eric had spoiled Daven a little in that regard, but in the beginning, he’d done everything Daven’s way for no other reason than to stop the man from complaining so much.

Through the centuries his way of looking after Daven had become habit. He hoped for all their sakes that Daven gave Gabriel a chance before he chucked his first hissy fit. Gabriel, on the other hand, had the temperament of a viper. Eric knew without a doubt that Gabriel wouldn’t put up with Daven’s demands. Heaven help them all if Gabriel took his death feud away from Claudius and Isiah, only to place it on Daven. Thankfully there were more people on the scene now to help keep an eye on the situation.

“Thanks, Mitch.” At least now Eric didn’t have to worry about that. “What else have I missed out on? How long have I been gone?” Lately, the days had all been blending together. Eric didn’t even know what day of the week they were on. Not that he’d admit that any time soon. He thanked Vance as the healer left the room without dropping any more bombshells.

Mitch pulled up another chair beside him and sat. “Orion has become a clan leader. He killed Jordon, and now the Simmel Clan are insisting Orion step up. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Yael seems to be on the side of the Simmel Clan. He thinks Orion will make a great leader. So far no fights have broken out between the two clans since they’ve joined their dens together.” Mitch shook his head. “The fight at the guild headquarters took a lot out of everyone. No one’s sure where they stand any more. There are more questions than answers. I’m still waiting for someone to lose it big time. The fucked-up thing is, I kinda believe the prophecy surrounding me and my guys is true. Our mating is changing everything. There is going to be so much crap coming to light we’ll need an umbrella every time we walk out the front door.”

“What about the conspiracy? Are there really people out there who still want you and the boys dead?” Eric didn’t want to stir up bad memories, but he wanted to know how everything was going since he’d shut himself away in the infirmary with Tagh. If he focused his mind on the outside world for a time, then he wouldn’t have to deal with the reality of being Tagh’s fated mate.

Mitch kept silent for a moment before he started to speak. “I’m really not sure what the hell to think anymore. The whole world seems to be screwed up. I never realized how bad things were getting until now. You’re lucky you’re down here and not upstairs, where everyone is talking on top of everyone else. No one really has any clue what’s happening. What started out as a demon clan leader wanting to climb to the top of the pecking order has now turned into some major cluster-fuck. Every day, we have more and more people turning up wanting protection. It’s like the world’s gone nuts. There’s even talk that we’ll end up having an interspecies war. I pray every day that they’re wrong. Right now, we should be pulling together and not trying to tear one another apart.”

Eric agreed wholeheartedly with his friend. Stressful times seemed to always bring out the bad in people. He hoped for once things would be different, but at the moment it didn’t seem possible. He needed to take Mitch’s mind off his worries, if only for a moment or two. He took a deep breath and said, “Sounds like we have a full house. Is there any in-house fighting?”

“Actually, it’s been pretty good. Besides all the chaotic debates, I can’t believe how smoothly everything is running. The Simmel Clan have been keeping an eye on the guild, making sure Simon isn’t being pushed aside again after their part in the whole fiasco Jordon St. James created.”

Eric snorted. “Maybe it’s guilt.”

“It could be, but at least they’re trying. I think they’re trying to show Orion how good they can be with the right leader among their ranks. Even Adrian is on his best behavior. These days, he’s never far away from Simon. I’m not sure if that’s his doing or Simon’s. Mind you, Simon is determined not to let anyone oust him from his seat again. He says we have too much to sort through, so he’s being tougher than everyone else. He doesn’t want them to see him as weak. Also, there’s a new threat out there.”

Eric slumped. “What?”

“I think Jordon St. James’ and the Simmel Clan’s need for dominance is only the tip of a very unstable iceberg and, apparently, Simon wants to break up the whole damn thing.”

Pinpricks of heat came from Tagh and flowed right through Eric’s palm until his whole body acknowledged some sort of secret message. Weirdly, Tagh in his unconscious state was sending Eric his feelings about what Mitch was telling them. Which in itself is a sign that Mitch is right and I really am Tagh’s mate. But am I the right person to anchor a Draconian Warrior to the here and now? He tended to let his mouth do the talking, regardless of what other people thought—he never waited long enough for his brain to kick in and decide whether or not what he said was a good thing. In his opinion, he’d be the one to bring out the Draconian’s darker nature, or he’d be the person to calm Tagh afterward. Maybe he was both. What if I start the whole dark ball rolling then have to figure out how to lighten everything back up?

His thoughts must have been written across his face, going by what Mitch said next. “Between now and Tagh getting well, you’ll have to decide on what to do. With everything happening here and what the others suspect is heading our way, you and Tagh will be living here with everyone else. I know you were doing that already, but now it’s a given fact that Tagh will be here permanently, as well—we have to stick together. Remi says we need to extend the house or buy the surrounding ones, because he believes we’ll have more people come and join us before this whole thing runs its course. If we buy other buildings, we’ll have to connect them somehow.”

“What does Remi think is happening?” Eric asked. He wanted to get all the facts in place before he even contemplated deciding on the rest of his life.

Mitch sighed. “Everyone thinks the prophecy is true. That when I mated with Claude and Isiah, we set something in motion. What they didn’t expect is that I’d be human, or that Remi and I would come as a package deal.”

Eric bit his thumb. “How do they know all this?”

“Adrian. Apparently, now that he’s out from under his uncle’s thumb, he’s become a fount of information. I don’t think he’s as bad as we all assumed. At least he seems happier.”

“Does he know what happened to Tagh? Does anyone?” Eric asked while continuing to caress Tagh’s arm, offering comfort.

For a moment, Eric thought Mitch didn’t want to answer, but when he did, Eric wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what he had to say. “Jordon beat him up. From what Adrian understands, it started out because Tagh defended us all, and once his true heritage began to show, the beating got worse. Jordon wanted to wipe out another member of the Draconian Warriors. I know I’ve told you this before, Tagh’s people aren’t well-liked. Let me rephrase that—Tagh’s people are feared and hated. I don’t mean his family in particular. More his species. I have no clue why the facial markings scare so many people.”

“Think along the lines of a terminator. In centuries past, the warriors were sent out to take care of problem people and take over ferocious situations. The warriors were supposed to create peace by any means possible and too many people died at their hands. Then the hunters became the hunted, until those of warrior descent decided to hide what they were,” Eric explained. He frowned before adding, “Our ancestors used the warriors, then sat back and watched as the species was almost wiped off the face of the earth.”

“Shit! Some people are just fucked in the head, if you ask me.”

“Spoken like a true human.” Eric chuckled.

Mitch snorted. “Part-human—don’t you remember I’m also part-demon and part-vampire? I’m not sure what they think I’ve become.”

“At least you’re alive. If Gabriel had gotten his way, you would’ve died on that sidewalk. When he mistakenly doused you with what he thought to be demon poison, he didn’t know his actions would fuse you and Remi together.” Eric wasn’t as fast to forgive the boy’s former day warden. Claudius and Isiah deserved better than what—or should that be who?—they’d ended up with. Gabriel might be playing nice now, but how long would it last?

“Lucky for us Remi’s clan stepped in when they did,” Mitch answered.

Eric stared at Mitch as if the guy had gone mad. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the Larkos Clan want Remi to kill you so he could live again in your body?”

“Oh, that. It would never have happened. Remi loved me from the moment he became aware of his surroundings. There is no way he’d have hurt me.”

“Your capacity to forgive is far greater than mine,” Eric stated.

Mitch shrugged. “I’ve just learnt to let things go. Not everything is always what it seems. Adrian being under the thumb of Jordon. Gabriel believed his life had been destroyed by the boys turning into vampires. Gabe’s actually quite nice, once you get to know him. “

“And the Larkos Clan wanting you dead?” Eric asked.

“They were just trying to get Remi back. They’d lived a long time without their leader. I can’t fault them for that. At least in the end they helped separate us and now they, or should I say, Vance and his concoctions, are keeping Tagh alive until we can figure out how to wake him up again,” Mitch answered.

“I thought you said I am the one keeping him alive.”

Mitch shook his head. “No. You’re the one keeping him stable. And if either of you realize what being a mate means, you’ll help him stay grounded. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but you’re my best friend. I just want you to think about all the good that could come out of this. You always kept your sexual preferences close to your chest, so most people thought you’re straight, but you and I know the truth and I guess now so does everyone else.”

Eric closed his eyes and cringed at the thought of everyone knowing his business. He’d always hated that. He was usually a very private person—the face he showed the world was a far cry from the real Eric. Ever since he’d fallen into his role as a day warden, Eric had hidden part of himself from his closest friends.

After Mitch left Eric to his solitary watch over Tagh, Eric had all the time in the world to slowly sort through the troubling thoughts inside his head. First and foremost, he needed to figure out whether he could even do what they wanted. Could he be the person Tagh needed to hold him together? Most importantly, could he step out of his self-imposed closet and let the world really see him?

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he’d started dreaming about a blond-haired, green- eyed man who kept asking him for help. The only problem—Eric had no clue where to send anyone to rescue the guy. Hell, he didn’t even know the person’s name. The guy had stunning looks, so Eric thought he would have remembered meeting him before. Eric had only started dreaming of said guy since Tagh had come home hurt. Could there be a connection? Maybe. Eric always hated waking from the dreams, knowing he’d failed yet again to help the person. So many times, he’d wished he could turn his dreams into reality, if only to figure out where the hell to find his dream man. Because if the guy existed, he needed help and he needed it fast. Each time they met in their sleep, the man had another bruise on his emaciated body. Eric hated thinking about how much longer the guy could last in his current condition. If only he could free the young man and let him live some kind of normal life—but first he had to figure out if his dream would become a reality. God, he hoped not—nobody deserved to be treated like that.