Chapter 13

 

AJ stretched out in the big bed, tucked Tala against his chest and hugged her close. He stretched his arm across her waist and rested his hand on Mik’s hip. It felt right, the way it was supposed to when they went to bed at night. He needed this sense of unity, of the three of them together, more than ever. He’d begun to wonder if they’d ever get home, but after what felt like hours of questioning, the feds had finally turned them loose to return to the renovated old mansion where all of them lived in the Sunset District.

This late in Tala’s pregnancy, there was no talk of sex, though he and Mik often made love before falling asleep. Not tonight. Tonight all he and Mik wanted to do was hold Tala close and revel in the fact she was safe.

Igmutaka, glorious in his puma form, slept on the floor at the foot of their bed. He’d insisted on remaining close to Tala’s daughter, but not as a man. He chose to guard her in the form in which he felt strongest, and the big cat had remained an unobtrusive shadow once they’d gotten home.

Tinker and Lisa were just down the hall. Poor Tink had been a wreck until he finally held Lisa in his arms. AJ knew exactly how the big guy felt. Even after Mik had assured him that Tala was safe, he’d needed to see for himself. Then he’d insisted Logan check her to make sure she was really okay. Even Mik had teased him about that, but Mik had been with Tala for hours before AJ finally got to see for himself that she hadn’t been harmed.

He never, ever wanted to go through anything like tonight again. Not as long as they lived. He honestly didn’t think his heart could take it. He still wasn’t sure how well his mind had come through everything. His head still ached and he sensed weird echoes of the thoughts of others. Not enough to really disturb him, but something was different, and had been since he’d linked with Anton.

He wondered how Anton was doing. He still hadn’t had a chance to talk with him. Logan and Jazzy had stayed at Tia and Luc’s, where Logan could keep an eye on the wizard. He’d been unconscious when Tinker picked him up out of the SUV and carried him like a child into the guest room. Keisha had been so calm that AJ worried about her, but she said she knew Anton would be fine, and then she sent them all on their way.

Keisha would know, wouldn’t she? He took a deep breath, pulling in the scents of Tala and Mik. They were both so damned precious to him. If anything had gone wrong . . .

Tala pressed her face against his chest and practically burrowed into him, clinging as tightly as her huge belly would allow. Mik was curled around her back, his forehead touching AJ’s.

“Guys?” There was a definite quiver to her voice.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? Are we crowding you?” One of the babies kicked hard enough that AJ felt the pressure against his belly. An unexpected surge of emotion closed his throat and his eyes burned. They’d come so close today. So damned close. He ran his fingertips along the firm swell of her hip, then rested his fingers on Mik’s waist. Damn, he’d been so afraid for her today.

She laughed, but it sounded like the beginning of a sob. “Never. But today, when I thought about the chance I might never get to do this again, I realized how much I love you both.”

Mik’s arm went over Tala and he grabbed AJ close, squeezing them tightly together. “Don’t even go there, baby. You’re safe, the president is safe and they caught the ones who planned this. You and Lisa were so damned brave today. I don’t know any other women who would have taken risks like you girls did.”

Tala sniffed.

AJ kissed the top of her head. “And if you ever scare either of us again like you did today, I swear we’ll both paddle your butt.”

She giggled, hiccupped, and sniffed. Then she yawned. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I’m really sleepy.”

AJ chuckled. “Works for me.”

Mik merely grunted. It was the last sound AJ heard as he drifted slowly off to sleep.

 

• • •

 

Anton felt as if he might be floating, but his head wouldn’t stop pounding and there was a strange sense in the back of his battered mind that maybe things hadn’t quite gone as planned. He needed sleep to heal, but he couldn’t relax. Not until he knew for sure that Keisha was all right.

What did AJ say? She’d been shot? No. That couldn’t be. He would have known it. Their link was so powerful, so complete, he would have sensed her pain. Would have known if she was injured.

Wouldn’t he? Then why couldn’t he sense her now? He’d tried searching, but there was nothing. No sense of Keisha. No background noise of the other packmates who so often inhabited his mind. No, all was quiet. Calm, and very, very quiet.

“Anton? Ah, my love. What have you done this time?”

He blinked. The room was dark, but he wasn’t in the auditorium anymore. Strange. He didn’t remember coming home, but . . . He wasn’t home. He was in the guest room at Luc and Tia’s house. “Keisha?” He tried to lift his hand, to touch her face, but it wouldn’t move. It was much too heavy to lift.

Something warm, wet, touched his cheek. He frowned. Tears? “Why are you crying?” He reached for her mind. Nothing. “Why are you blocking me?”

She shook her head, sobbing openly now. The tears fell faster. “I’m not. I’m not blocking you. I’m wide open. I’ve been calling to you since I got back to the hotel with the president, but you weren’t there. You weren’t in my thoughts where you belong. I thought you were dead. I still can’t feel you.” Her palm swept along the side of his face. He turned and kissed her, nuzzling into her warmth, reveling in the fact she was here and alive and apparently unharmed.

“AJ said you were hurt?”

She nodded. “Just a graze across my shoulder.” She laughed, but once again the sound ended on a sob.

“Keisha?”

Smiling, sniffing, she wiped her streaming eyes and then she kissed him. “I ruined the First Lady’s dress. Hard for her to explain a bullet hole in the shoulder, and the bloodstains probably won’t come out. She was very understanding.”

“I certainly hope so.” Incensed, he tried to sit up. Nothing. “What’s wrong with me? I have nothing. No energy, nothing. My mind feels . . .” He blinked, trying to remember something terribly important. “AJ? He’s okay?”

“He is. He caught the guy before he could get off a clear shot. The one that grazed my shoulder was meant for the president. AJ saved both our lives.”

Anton blinked, remembering. “He saved mine, as well.”

“How?”

“I called the energy to me. Too much.” He tried to smile, but it was half-hearted at best. “Once again I let my ego get in the way of common sense.”

“You?” Keisha pressed her hand to her heart in a melodramatic gesture. “Never!”

“Cut it out.” This time he knew his smile worked just fine, because his beloved mate returned it. “Our Chanku have no concept of their own strength. They not only created their own sexual energy, they somehow made it work through my link with them. All of them feeding off each other, making the energy grow exponentially. When I called it, I got more than I expected.”

“So that’s how you managed to shut down the entire city of San Francisco? I wondered about that.”

The whole city? Now that was something he’d need to think about. He had no idea he’d drawn that much power, no idea he could wield that kind of strength.

Because normally, he couldn’t. It should have killed him. Might have, but AJ . . .

Keisha was nodding. “Yep. Streetlights, cell phones, landlines. Everything went dead for at least a couple of minutes. The nightly news is still trying to come up with a reason for the massive power failure. It’s unprecedented to have everything fail. Even generators. Luckily, within about a minute, emergency procedures were able to override the failures around the city and no deaths have been attributed to the loss of power, but no one can explain it. It’s making people crazy.”

“I guess we’ll just have to let them wonder. Is AJ here? I need to thank him. To ask him how he knew to save me.”

“I don’t understand. You told him to stop the shooter. How else would he know the guy had a gun?”

In spite of the tremendous pain, Anton shook his head. “No. Not that. When I called the power, AJ linked with me. How did he know I needed him? If he hadn’t linked, hadn’t been there to buffer the energy, I think it would have killed me.”

Keisha sat back. Shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s in the other room, with Tala and Mik.”

Anton squeezed her hand. “Call him, please? I would, but I can’t seem to send or receive.”

“I know.” Her eyes sparkled, amber glowing through unshed tears. “I can’t feel you at all, my love. It’s as if you’re lost to me.” She leaned close and kissed him. “I want you back.”

Then she left the room. Anton lay back against the pillows and once again tried to reconstruct the night he’d almost lost.

 

• • •

 

AJ kissed Tala and left her snuggling with Mik on the couch. It was hard to walk away and leave her, even though he knew everything was fine and she was in great shape this morning, but he couldn’t help looking back as he followed Keisha to Anton’s room. There was so damned much to do, when all he really wanted was to go back to their apartment, crawl back into bed with Mik and Tala and hold both of them close.

Instead, he needed to spend a little time with Anton, and then he had to head over to the Fairmont. There was a meeting planned with the president and his regular security forces, as well as members of the local law enforcement agencies that had been involved in last night’s attempted assassination.

The media was all over the story, but so far everything they reported was mere speculation. No one was saying anything specific, not until they cleared details with AJ and Luc. Thank goodness Luc was planning to go as the head of Pack Dynamics—though he couldn’t offer any information. The fact he’d been there as a wolf was known only to the president and his wife.

AJ checked the time and hoped Anton wouldn’t want him for long. He had to get moving. Beth and Nick were already at the Fairmont, but they’d stayed the night in the presidential suite.

No one was getting near the First Couple. Not with the two of them on watch.

Keisha stopped him at the doorway. “He’s fallen asleep. My gut feeling is to let him rest for now. Why don’t you come back after your meeting, when you’re not as rushed?”

He leaned close and kissed her. “Perfect. I really do need to get over there.”

Keisha stopped him with a light touch to his hand. “Thank you, AJ.”

He frowned. “For what?”

“Anton says you saved his life. That if you hadn’t linked with him at the moment he called the power, it would have killed him. He wasn’t expecting such a huge burst of energy. He said you buffered it and that gave him the chance to work it.”

Amazing. Shaking his head, he tried to recall exactly what had happened. He still had no idea. “I don’t know why I did it. I just had a really strong feeling I should link with him. I didn’t last more than a couple of seconds. The blast of power blew me right out of his mind.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve still got a headache. I can’t even imagine how much pain Anton’s in.”

Keisha’s mysterious smile caught him by surprise. “What?” he demanded. “You look like you know what’s going on.”

“I wonder if Eve had her hand in this? Why else would you have linked?”

He’d have to think about that. He hadn’t actually sensed anyone else, but that would explain the sudden urge to do something he’d never done in his life.

Keisha glanced inside the room and then quietly shut the door behind her. “When you meet with the feds this morning, what are you going to say?”

He shrugged and followed Keisha down the hall. “The truth, or at least as much of it as we can. Obviously we plan to avoid any mention of shapeshifting. The president appeared to agree with us on that, but that was last night. Luc’s going with me and I’m hoping he’ll do the talking. He’s better at that sort of thing than I am. I’m not sure if Tinker’s coming or not. He stayed in wolf form the whole evening, so there’s no reason for him to make a statement. Besides, he really doesn’t want to be away from Lisa right now.”

“I don’t blame him. Are you okay leaving Tala?”

Chuckling, he raised his eyebrows. “What do you think?” He shook his head. “No. Not really, but she’s got Mik, so it’s not like I’m leaving her alone. And don’t forget Igmutaka. He hasn’t left her side either, though he’s more interested in Mik’s daughter. So long as the baby’s inside Tala, she’s got her own personal watch-cat. Lisa’s only got Tinker, and he knows she’s dealing with the aftermath of all that happened yesterday. Plus, she had some spotting this morning. I think she’s concerned shifting might have done some harm.”

“What’s Logan think?”

“That she’s fine, but he wants to keep an eye on her, and if that’s the case, I imagine Tink’s going to want to keep an eye on Logan.” He laughed. He and Mik were just as bad about Tala.

No, big guy. We’re worse. Mik’s voice resonated with laughter. I have to admit, I sort of like having Igmutaka on our side. He’s sticking to Tala like glue.

Keisha’d obviously caught Mik’s comment. She was grinning. “If you want my opinion, I think Mik just likes having another hot guy hanging around.”

 

• • •

 

AJ was still thinking of Keisha’s teasing comment as he and Luc left their car with the valet in front of the Fairmont. It was true that both he and Mik thought Igmutaka was a beautiful man, but neither of them had thought of him sexually, which was sort of odd, considering. They knew he was Adam and Liana’s lover, but he was their unborn daughter’s spirit guide.

For some reason, he couldn’t look at the man as anything else. He wondered how Tala saw him, if she thought of him sexually. They’d accepted him as the baby’s guide without question. Now he wondered if Igmutaka expected more of them. Of course, he was a shapeshifter, but not Chanku. Maybe Ig’s libido didn’t run his life the way Mik and AJ’s did.

He was still wondering about the spirit guide when they got into the elevator that took them straight to the penthouse suite. Luc paused for a moment as they stepped out into the long hallway and studied AJ for a moment. “You okay? You seem really distracted for some reason.”

Then he laughed. “Shit. That sounds like the sort of question Tia would ask me.”

AJ grinned and nodded. “Yeah. Still have a headache after last night, but I’m fine. Maybe a little spacier than usual.”

Luc nodded, but he didn’t pursue it. A sentry met them at the doorway to the president’s suite. Luc pulled out his wallet. AJ did the same, they showed their identification to the man, and were ushered inside.

Keisha had given her statement the night before and it was surprisingly simple for AJ and Luc to fill in what they knew. No one mentioned the power outage, and AJ suddenly realized that no one suspected any of them. It was an anomaly that would probably drive people nuts, but even the president hadn’t been aware of Anton’s plans to shut down power.

Maybe it was better that way. If the question ever came up, he would tell the truth, but until then, Anton’s part in the power outage was going to remain a secret.

Beth and Nick entered the room during the questioning. Luc glanced up and smiled. AJ noticed that Beth seemed quieter than usual, but Nick was more animated, practically buzzing with excitement. Luc was still discussing some of the night’s events with the officer. AJ watched the two kids for a moment.

Their voices suddenly slipped into his mind. Voices he shouldn’t have heard. They were mindtalking directly to each other, privately, and yet their conversation was as clear as if they spoke to him out loud.

Nick, I think it’s really going to be hard to convince Luc. He’s spent a lot of time training us.

This is such an amazing opportunity, Beth. Living in Washington, in the White House? Think of it. We would be part of the presidential family’s security team. We’d travel all over the world. They want us, Beth. You and me. Think of it.

That’s all I have thought of.

Beth glanced around, as if assuring herself their conversation was private. AJ focused on Luc as if he were involved in that conversation, but his mind was spinning. He’d never picked up private conversations before. The only one who could do that with ease was Anton.

Except Anton couldn’t pick up anything at all since he’d gotten zapped last night. And now AJ could.

What the fuck is going on?

He focused on Beth and Nick, eavesdropping without shame as the two kids discussed this absolutely amazing opportunity they’d been offered.

 

• • •

 

If he ignored the pain, it didn’t go away, but it didn’t control him either. That was good. He’d been struggling now for hours, hanging on to what little of himself there was that seemed to be functioning, but it was terrifying, this sense that he was no longer the man he’d always been.

Anton lay quietly with his eyes shut and wondered how he would go on from here. Wondered if he would ever feel whole again. He knew he was in the guest room at Luc and Tia’s house, though he’d much rather be home in Montana. He missed the smell of pines and the fresh, clean air. He missed the quiet.

He missed Lily’s laughter. Nothing quiet about Lily.

He really missed Stefan. Stefan would find something about this current mess that would make him laugh. Right now, Anton wondered if he’d ever laugh again.

At least his eyes still worked. He could speak, though it was exhausting, thinking about the words and forming them with a mouth that didn’t feel quite attached to his body. He could hear, but it was such limited hearing. He hadn’t realized how much a man missed when he heard only sound, not the thoughts of those around him.

He could no longer feel Keisha’s love, even though she sat in a chair beside the bed. So close, yet she might have been a million miles away. And the constant buzz in the back of his mind, the thoughts and conversations of the other Chanku across the country that had become such a welcome companion to his thoughts—that buzz was gone as well.

He might have cried out in frustration, but that wouldn’t do him any good at all. It would scare the hell out of Keisha, and probably make Lisa and Tala feel badly. They would blame themselves for his strange disability. He was, after all, rescuing them when he apparently fried a few neurons too many.

It hurt to think about it, but he guessed he should be thankful he was at least alive. He had AJ to thank for that. Where in the hell was AJ? Hadn’t Keisha gone to get him?

He thought of opening his eyes, asking Keisha where AJ was, but then he felt sleep overtaking him again. That seemed to be the one thing he was really good at. Sleeping.

If he was going to excel at something, sleep worked. With that thought in mind, Anton drifted away once again.

Then he blinked his eyes. Opened them wide and looked around. Apparently he’d drifted somewhere besides sleep. He sat alone in a grassy meadow. Naked, just the way he’d been in bed. Grass tickled his butt and a warm breeze caressed his shoulders. He gazed around, struck with the familiarity of the meadow. He’d been here before, but it wasn’t the same.

Or was it? His memories felt as if they shifted, one within the other, and he rubbed his eyes with both hands. At least his head didn’t hurt anymore. The relief was exquisite, and more than welcome.

“Hello, Anton.”

He jerked his chin up and caught Eve looking at him, only it wasn’t Eve as he remembered her.

The last time he’d seen her had been when she’d come to take Liana’s knowledge. Then she’d seemed every bit the powerful goddess.

Now she was more like the Eve he remembered, except for those strange eyes that seemed to swirl and pulse with various shades of color. He smiled at her. “Eve.” He tried to stand, but his legs were still rubbery. He bowed his head, showing her the respect she deserved. She had, after all, come through for him.

Maybe even more than he’d needed. “The girls are safe,” he said, fully aware she already knew. “With your help, we stopped the assassination attempt. Thank you.”

She walked across the meadow and sat down in front of him. “You did. Lisa and Tala are safe, the perpetrators are in jail and it appears that you, my friend, are the only casualty.”

That didn’t sound at all promising. He sighed. “Is there any hope my abilities will return?”

Eve glanced away. Her chest rose and fell with her deep breath. “I don’t know. The Mother was very cryptic when I asked.”

“I see.” That really didn’t sound good. “What did she say?”

Eve reached for his right hand with both of hers and squeezed his fingers. “That to achieve great things, sacrifices must be made.”

He nodded. What could he say? Though he realized he had a new appreciation for Adam’s suicide attempt just a few months ago. Some sacrifices were more painful than others.

Eve was nodding and smiling. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. We’ve all made sacrifices to gain something else. Adam gave up his grief in order to find love again, and while it doesn’t sound like much to give up, for Adam it was a very difficult thing. I gave up life to fill the role I was destined for. Liana gave up her life as a goddess in order to find love.”

Anton gazed at her hands, so tightly wrapped about his big mitt. He was trying to imagine life without the mental abilities he’d taken for granted for so long.

It wasn’t easy.

“Would you have done anything differently, if you had known the sacrifice you would be making? Would you have tried to free Lisa and Tala another way? Risked the death of your president?”

He thought about that for just seconds, and realized that no, he wouldn’t have done anything differently. “It was the only way I could see to rescue the girls and find out who was behind the whole plot. The girls are safe, the men who orchestrated it are all behind bars.” He shook his head, hating that he’d been forced to make such a choice, but at the same time realizing that, even knowing the outcome, he would do it again.

Smiling, Eve squeezed his hand. “I thought so. Go home to Montana. Rest. Let your mind heal. AJ has what you need. You’ll know when you’re ready to take it back.”

“What I need? What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

“You will, my friend. Now rest.”

His world spun and left him feeling dizzy and disoriented. He blinked, tried to focus, and rubbed his hands over his eyes. Keisha lay beside him on the bed. At first he thought she was asleep, but she blinked, opened her eyes wide and smiled at him.

“You’re awake. I was getting worried. You’ve slept so soundly. It felt like you were a million miles away.”

“If you only knew.” Smiling, he rolled to his side and kissed her. “I love you. I was so afraid for you last night, I couldn’t even let myself think about the danger you were in.”

She brushed his face with her fingers. “I saw you lying on the floor and I couldn’t reach you. Your mind was shut down entirely and I wanted to go to you, but I’d promised to keep the president safe. I wanted to stay with you, but I couldn’t.”

“You did the right thing. Have they caught everyone? I should know more of what happened, but it’s all so vague.”

“It’s going to get very ugly. Milton Bosworth’s aide was the ringleader. It sounds like the guy’s insane, as if Bosworth rubbed off on him a bit too much. He had help from a member of the White House staff, and the director of the special service agency that Bosworth formed and Baylor once worked for. The whole agency appears infected with the same fanaticism that marked Bosworth—and they hate the president. Passionately.”

Anton thought about the things Bosworth had done that had impacted the pack—Ulrich’s kidnapping, Manda’s twenty-five-year nightmare, Daciana’s twisted upbringing. So many people hurt by his hatred and his twisted mind.

“Bay’s going to be called to testify,” Keisha said. “All about the meeting they observed at the restaurant as well as the death of Rolf Jurgens, the one who warned him of the plot.”

“All of them were involved? All those people in a plot to assassinate our president?”

Keisha nodded. “The staff member switched the security guard watching over the president. He’s the one who got our paperwork to get us into the venue. The man who shot me, who was trying to kill the president, is the longtime director of Bay’s old agency and very close to Bosworth’s aide. He has a terminal illness—only months to live—so he volunteered to be the shooter. The plan was, when the wolves attacked he’d shoot at them, only he was going to miss and hit the president. It would all be a terrible accident.”

Anton tried to make sense of it. “But the wolves didn’t attack. He fired anyway. He could have killed you.” Just saying the words left him cold inside.

Keisha gently touched his hand. “It was five minutes to nine. The minute he knew we weren’t going through with our part, he chose to act without us. He wanted the president dead. The aide had him convinced that if he succeeded, he’d die a hero.”

“What about Bay’s friend? They murdered him?”

Keisha nodded. “He was sent to Maine in search of the missing agents, as he’d told Bay, only he didn’t realize the director of the agency no longer trusted him. That hit had nothing to do with his telling Baylor about the plot against the girls. He was already marked for death. It was pure coincidence he happened to see Baylor just before it happened.”

Anton raised his eyebrows. Keisha frowned. Then she broke into a big grin when she realized what she’d said.

“Well, it could have been a coincidence!”

Anton chuckled. Right now, he missed Stef more than ever. Then he sobered. “It’s just so hard to believe.”

“But true.” She sat up on the bed beside him. “Do you feel strong enough to sit up? I can help you.”

“I need to get up.” He tried to sit, but Keisha had to help him. “Why don’t you call one of the guys to help me? I want a shower, and I don’t think you’re strong enough to carry me.”

Laughing at his dry comment, she kissed his cheek and slipped off the bed. Anton watched her go, and he wanted to curse, to rail against fate or the goddess or anyone he could think of, but he had only himself to blame.

He’d thought he was strong enough to handle it all, but once again he’d screwed up. Only this time, it had cost him more than merely his pride. He’d lost the intimate connection with his pack, with his friends, and with the woman who meant more to him than anyone else in the world.

He couldn’t connect with Keisha at all. It wasn’t the fact she was blocking. She wasn’t. He’d lost the ability to reach out with his own thoughts. He’d lost the single most important thing that connected him to his kind.

At least he managed to sit upright on the edge of the bed by the time Keisha returned to the room with AJ in tow.

“Good to see you looking so much better.” AJ sat down on the bedside chair and began removing his shoes. “I’ll just get in the shower with you. It’s easier that way.”

“How’s Tala? Is she okay?”

AJ raised his head and smiled, and once again Anton was reminded what a beautiful man he was. Inside and out.

“She’s great. She wasn’t harmed at all. She was, however, pissed enough to do some damage on her own if she’d had a chance. Thank you, Anton. Everything worked perfectly.” He shrugged. “Well, perfectly other than you doing your best to fry stuff you probably should be a little more careful with.”

Laughing softly, Anton shook his head. “I owe you, ya know. When you linked with me, you took a huge brunt of the backlash from so much power. You probably saved my life.”

AJ stood up, tugged his shirt off and slipped out of his jeans. “Actually, it wasn’t your life so much that I may have saved.” He put an arm around Anton’s waist and helped him stand.

Anton’s legs wobbled at first, but then he seemed to get his bearings and his balance. He straightened up, but he wasn’t about to turn loose of AJ. “What do you mean?” He thought of Eve’s cryptic words, that AJ had what he needed. Was that a dream? Had he really seen her, talked to her? Did he actually cross over onto the astral plane?

AJ helped him across the bedroom to the bathroom. “Anton, something weird happened when you pulled all that power. I have no idea why I felt I needed to link with you at that precise moment, but I did. Keisha and I are both wondering if it was a nudge from Eve, but I got zapped with some kind of an energy explosion.”

Anton leaned against the counter while AJ turned on the water. “I didn’t realize that. Are you okay?”

AJ glanced over his shoulder. “That remains to be seen. I’m hearing voices, the private conversations of my packmates. I think I picked up Baylor and Jake mindtalking this morning while they were driving back to Maine. You tell me. Am I okay?”

He helped Anton into the shower, one barely large enough for the two of them, but with a sturdy bar bolted to the wall. AJ grabbed a washcloth and soap. Anton hung on to the bar.

He hated feeling this weak, but his mind was spinning and he was afraid if he didn’t pay attention, he’d end up on his butt. The grab bar made a lot of sense. “Did Keisha tell you I can’t use any telepathy at all? That my senses are completely dead? I can’t read her, even when we’re touching.”

AJ nodded. “She did. Let’s try something. I’m going to put my arms around you. I want you to see if you can feel any mental connection to me at all when we’re physically connected.”

Anton nodded, terrified it would fail, expecting failure. AJ stood behind him and wrapped his arms around Anton’s waist. He felt the broad expanse of AJ’s chest, the thick length of AJ’s erection pressed hard against his buttocks, and his own cock rose in response.

He almost laughed. He would have, if that hadn’t been the only thing that worked. There was no sense of AJ. No connection at all. He tried reaching for him. No luck, except his headache returned. He gave up and sighed. “Nothing. I had hoped . . .”

“Me, too. Maybe it’s just too soon. We’ll try again another time.”

When I’m ready? Didn’t Eve say I’d know when I’m ready?

AJ scrubbed Anton’s back and shoulders, ran the cloth over his belly and chest. Then he knelt behind him and washed his legs and buttocks. Turned him so that he could still hang on to the bar and washed his growing erection, ran the washcloth over his balls and inner thighs.

Groaning, Anton leaned against the tile and hung on to the bar with both hands behind his back. AJ rinsed him off with the handheld showerhead. Then, without any comment, he knelt once again and nuzzled Anton’s groin with his lips.

Steam filled the small bathroom. Any other time, Anton would have been begging AJ to finish what he’d started, but for some reason, with his thoughts trapped within his own hard skull, he hesitated.

Thank the goddess AJ didn’t. Anton bit back a groan as AJ ran his tongue over his sensitive glans. He gave up trying to stay quiet when AJ slowly wrapped his lips around the entire head. Using his tongue and his teeth, nibbling and sucking, slipping up and then down Anton’s swollen cock, AJ drew a little more inside his mouth each time.

Each fraction of an inch felt incredible. Anton clung to the bar, thankful for something to hang on to. The hot water beat down on the two of them, cocooning them both within a thick cloud of steam and the sound of water against tile, of lips over hot flesh.

Anton arched his back as AJ’s big hands grabbed hold of his buttocks, holding him in a powerful grasp he had no intention of fighting. His entire cock was engulfed in AJ’s mouth, sliding down his throat. The sensation of throat muscles rippling and clenching around his full length almost took him over the edge.

Almost. He locked his knees to keep from falling and hung on to the bar for dear life. AJ’s powerful shoulders flexed as he practically lifted Anton to his mouth, drawing him deep, sucking so hard it felt as if he drew the sperm right out of his balls. Anton trembled, fighting the desire to climax until AJ slipped one long, soapy finger through his tightly clenched ass and rubbed gently but firmly over his damned prostate gland.

Orgasm slammed into him. Anton doubled over, turning loose of the bar and grasping those strong, hard shoulders for support. His legs collapsed and only AJ’s mouth, the strength of his back and the grip of his powerful hands held Anton upright.

AJ kept sucking and licking, dragging the pleasure out for what felt like forever, swallowing every drop of ejaculate, squeezing and massaging the tense muscles of his buttocks until Anton felt as if he were floating, as if his body was nothing more than a single nerve pulsing with pleasure.

Finally AJ turned him loose. Anton’s cock was entirely flaccid when it slipped out of AJ’s mouth. AJ caught the broad crown between his lips and licked the tiny slit with the tip of his tongue. Anton jerked sharply in reaction. He laughed, an almost frantic bark of sound as AJ stood up, rinsed them both and then grabbed a towel.

He dried Anton first and helped him sit on the closed lid of the toilet seat while he dried himself. “I’m going to find something for you to wear. It’s cold tonight and you’re pretty weak right now. I don’t want you to get chilled.”

Still trembling from his climax, Anton laughed. “You’re treating me like a little kid, Mom. I’ll be okay.”

AJ leaned over and kissed him quickly on the mouth. Teasing, he said, “Maybe, but I’ll bet Mom never sucked you dry before.” Then he sighed. His smile slipped away. “I had hoped, if I could bring you to climax . . .” He looked away as he wrapped the towel around his waist. “I thought maybe, then you could link. That it might work.” He couldn’t seem to meet Anton’s eyes, and he left him sitting alone in the steamy bathroom.

Anton stared as the door shut behind AJ. His body still vibrated from the force of his climax. AJ’s blow job had been perfect, except for one thing. Anton had tried linking too, at the height of climax, when his ability should have been at its best.

AJ said he’d tried. So had Anton. It hadn’t worked.

Both of them had failed.

There’d been no connection at all.