It seemed obvious that she hadn’t fully recovered from the blood loss. He and Hensen, and probably Kade as well, hated the necessity of this hike.
But Gavin could also sense the fear catching up with her. She’d managed to remain calm when they’d needed it the most. Hell, she’d even insisted that they delay for a few minutes while Hensen claimed Kade properly, but now that they seemed to be clear of immediate danger, reaction was setting in.
He’d seen it often enough on rescue missions. Their target would stay calm, follow instructions, and trust the SEAL team unquestioningly until they got to safety where they crumbled into an emotional heap. Supporting them after rescue had never been his job before. They’d handed the rescued citizens over to people more qualified and gone on to the next mission.
But this time it was Maggie. A woman he’d grown to love in only two days. He felt Hensen’s telepathic nudge as he followed the thought even further. The truth was he felt the same love and affection for Kade and Hensen, too. He knew what he and Kade had between them. It was the relationship developing with Hensen that scared him.
Maggie and Kade were the partners he’d dreamed of having since noticing his bisexual needs, but Hensen was something more. He was a connection that challenged everything Gavin thought he knew about himself. He just wasn’t sure if he wanted to know anymore.
* * * *
Kade couldn’t quite hear the conversation between Hensen and Gavin but he understood enough of it to know that they weren’t only discussing their route home. Occasionally he caught a glimpse of Hensen’s uncertainty and it made him love the man even more. True greatness wasn’t the absence of fear or self-doubt. It was the way a man handled both and still managed to get the job done that counted.
He knew that Gavin shared the same ideals, and it truly gave him hope. Even if they couldn’t stop whatever decisions others were making in regards to Maggie, he knew that the four of them were together in this. They’d do their best to find a solution, and disappear into the wilderness if they had to. And if all that failed, all of her mates would defend Maggie with their lives. He smiled as she reached for his hand, apparently sensing his emotions as clearly as he could read hers.
He smelled the humans long before they came across them.
“Oh wow,” a twentysomething male said as they met him and his companions in the middle of the walking track, “you must be totally dedicated to be hiking this early.”
“Not really,” Gavin said with a casual laugh. “It was a damn cold night. We decided to pack up camp and head for warm beds rather than freeze our balls off one more minute.”
The group of men laughed with Gavin, not seeming all that curious about his companions. Apparently even humans recognized an alpha male when they met one.
Gavin and the group swapped a little bit of information—mainly small talk about the conditions of the walking tracks after the recent rains—and then the young human men started to move away. The apparent leader of this little group turned back just before they stepped around a corner that would take them out of sight. “We’re renting number three. Drop over for drink later.”
“Thanks,” Gavin said with a friendly wave. “We’ll see you then.”
Kade must have had a strange look on his face because Gavin winked and whispered “human male bonding ritual.”
He laughed softly. “I’m not that old. I do remember what it was like.”
“Somehow I doubt it’s anything like you remember,” he said, sounding more relaxed than he had the whole trip here. “Cell phones, video games, and social media have reduced conversation to a few sentences in between interruptions.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
Gavin shrugged. “I’ve never really understood the appeal either.”
“It’s actually pretty lonely,” Maggie said softly. “When my mom was
But Gavin could also sense the fear catching up with her. She’d managed to remain calm when they’d needed it the most. Hell, she’d even insisted that they delay for a few minutes while Hensen claimed Kade properly, but now that they seemed to be clear of immediate danger, reaction was setting in.
He’d seen it often enough on rescue missions. Their target would stay calm, follow instructions, and trust the SEAL team unquestioningly until they got to safety where they crumbled into an emotional heap. Supporting them after rescue had never been his job before. They’d handed the rescued citizens over to people more qualified and gone on to the next mission.
But this time it was Maggie. A woman he’d grown to love in only two days. He felt Hensen’s telepathic nudge as he followed the thought even further. The truth was he felt the same love and affection for Kade and Hensen, too. He knew what he and Kade had between them. It was the relationship developing with Hensen that scared him.
Maggie and Kade were the partners he’d dreamed of having since noticing his bisexual needs, but Hensen was something more. He was a connection that challenged everything Gavin thought he knew about himself. He just wasn’t sure if he wanted to know anymore.
* * * *
Kade couldn’t quite hear the conversation between Hensen and Gavin but he understood enough of it to know that they weren’t only discussing their route home. Occasionally he caught a glimpse of Hensen’s uncertainty and it made him love the man even more. True greatness wasn’t the absence of fear or self-doubt. It was the way a man handled both and still managed to get the job done that counted.
He knew that Gavin shared the same ideals, and it truly gave him hope. Even if they couldn’t stop whatever decisions others were making in regards to Maggie, he knew that the four of them were together in this. They’d do their best to find a solution, and disappear into the wilderness if they had to. And if all that failed, all of her mates would defend Maggie with their lives. He smiled as she reached for his hand, apparently sensing his emotions as clearly as he could read hers.
He smelled the humans long before they came across them.
“Oh wow,” a twentysomething male said as they met him and his companions in the middle of the walking track, “you must be totally dedicated to be hiking this early.”
“Not really,” Gavin said with a casual laugh. “It was a damn cold night. We decided to pack up camp and head for warm beds rather than freeze our balls off one more minute.”
The group of men laughed with Gavin, not seeming all that curious about his companions. Apparently even humans recognized an alpha male when they met one.
Gavin and the group swapped a little bit of information—mainly small talk about the conditions of the walking tracks after the recent rains—and then the young human men started to move away. The apparent leader of this little group turned back just before they stepped around a corner that would take them out of sight. “We’re renting number three. Drop over for drink later.”
“Thanks,” Gavin said with a friendly wave. “We’ll see you then.”
Kade must have had a strange look on his face because Gavin winked and whispered “human male bonding ritual.”
He laughed softly. “I’m not that old. I do remember what it was like.”
“Somehow I doubt it’s anything like you remember,” he said, sounding more relaxed than he had the whole trip here. “Cell phones, video games, and social media have reduced conversation to a few sentences in between interruptions.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
Gavin shrugged. “I’ve never really understood the appeal either.”
“It’s actually pretty lonely,” Maggie said softly. “When my mom was
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