Page 70 of Damien’s Mate

Colt shimmered and turned human with a crack of bones. The only way he knew for sure it was Colt was because he’d been exchanging looks with Phantom Nick, and Colt was the only twin who could see the ghost.

Of course, he was fucking naked.

“Great,” Damien muttered, shuffling the axes in his hands. “More animal dick.”

Colt looked down at himself. “Well, I’m an animal, and I’m a dick, but this is not my animal dick.”

Remy transformed. “You don’t want to see his animal dick,” he said.

“I don’t want to see his dick at all ever,” Damien said. “I don’t want to see any of your dicks. And yet, everywhere I turn—” He gestured at them.

Brock turned human and walked into the shed, coming out with three pairs of sweatpants. He tossed one each to Colt and Remy, and kept one for himself. He also had found a jacket, which he threw to Damien.

He suddenly realized how cold it was out.

Remy asked, “So what happened?”

Jaeda elbowed him. “It’s not any of our business.”

Colt said, “When the fuck did that ever stop us from wanting to butt in?”

Kitty said, “Anyway, it’s obvious that it’s love problems.”

Damien rolled his eyes. “Hello? I’m standing right here. And I might not be able to bite you, but I can sure as fuck pull out my gun and shoot you.”

Ignoring his death threat, Jaeda came up and slipped both of her arms through one of his, hugging it to her. Kitty came up on his other side, hugged his other arm, and then took the axes and his gun away from him. “We heal fast, but it still hurts like fuck to get shot. So let’s not.” She handed the weapons off to one of the twins.

It felt kind of nice to have the girls giving him sisterly affection. They sat him down on a big rock. “Okay, now,” Kitty said. “Spill.”

He looked around at the crew, all gazing at him expectantly. “You really think I’m going to do some kind of group therapy session and tell you all my feelings?”

“Yes. Or we will bite you.” Kitty addressed the rest of them. “Somebody get the whiskey stash out of the shed, would you? It’s hidden under those boxes of nails.”

“Hey!” Colt protested halfheartedly as Titan got up and headed inside. “That’s my whiskey stash.”

Titan gave his faint smile as he went by. “Damien will buy you more. He’s rich.”

Damien gave a snort. Jaeda said, “No you won’t. Colt has plenty of money to buy whiskey. He’s just stingy about sharing.”

Colt looked offended. “I’m a twin. What’s share-ier that that?”

Kitty said to Damien, “Your turn to be share-y. What’s going on?”

The crew had ranged themselves around the rock holding him and the girls—Colt and Brandon leaning on the fence, Callie leaning on Colt, and Phantom Nick draped over a fallen log. Brock and Remy sat on the ground, on opposite sides of the rock. Brock sat close enough that his leg was barely touching Damien’s, and Jaeda and Kitty were still leaning against him.

It was like they’d done the other day after the fight, he realized. All that touching, that calmed them down, and showed how much they cared about each other.

Maybe it wasn’t just a shifter thing, because suddenly he started to feel better. To his surprise, he opened his mouth and started to talk.

“Lila’s leaving. She’s going to the Dragonlands—back to the Draken clan and the Lion Guard, where her family comes from.”

That got some raised eyebrows. “She has contacts in the Dragonlands?” Brandon asked. “Why did I not know this?”

Damien shrugged. “She hasn’t been there since she was a little girl. Her father left to hunt down some relics that her uncle stole and brought here, and he died doing it. Lila took over the hunt, and she got the final one from Vic Salzano’s vault. Now she’s taking them back. She thinks the Lion Guard are going to throw her a fucking parade or some shit.”

Remy frowned. “But… didn’t you tell her what my sources said?”

Damien shook his head. “They must have been wrong. She got a callback from a Lieutenant Commander of the Lion Guard. They’re bringing her in.”