Hostage to Pleasure

“Sleep, baby,” Ashaya whispered. “We’ll keep you safe.” The promise was fierce.

“I know.” A childish smile, but the eyes remained those of an old man. “Dorian?”

“Yeah, kiddo?” He took the hand Keenan held out. It was warm, fragile, a precious indication of trust.

The boy fought the wings of sleep to say, “Don’t let her hurt my mommy.”

“I won’t.” His heart a knot in his throat, he held that tiny hand as Ashaya stroked Keenan back into an easy sleep. “So what aren’t you telling me?” he said when he was certain Keenan was well and truly out for the count. Her fear had been too piercing for this to have been a mere dream.

Ashaya’s face was stark with dread when she looked up. “He called her his mother, Dorian.”

“You’re identical twins and he’s not even five.”

“He shouldn’t know that she’s his mother.” Ashaya’s breath grew choppy. “I’ve raised him from the day, the hour, he was born. Me, always me.”

She might as well have slammed a brick into his chest. He couldn’t speak.

“That means she isn’t just poking at his mind, Dorian. It means she’s talking to him.” Her voice rose. “Who knows how long it’s been going on? She could’ve been telling him anything, influencing him-”

Having regained control, he pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh, don’t wake him.” He saw her struggle to master her panic as he dropped his hand. “I think you’ve been keeping more secrets.” He was furious, but attempting to come across as calm. “But we’ll talk about that later. Right now, you need to tell me if we should move Keenan.”

“I don’t want to be separated from him.” Her voice trembled. “But you’re right, we can’t be together, not until Amara’s been… contained. Even if she has a lock on him, she’ll come to me first-the farther away he is from me, the safer he’ll be.”

Dorian had figured as much. “I’ll have-”

“Don’t tell me where he’ll be.” A tight order. “I could still be compromised.”

“You can leave the Net.” She damn well was going to leave it, even if he had to drag her out kicking and screaming. “There’s a way.”

Her eyes locked into his. “No, there isn’t. I need to stay.” A resolute answer, but the need in her eyes was a wild, angry thing. “Amara will spin completely out of control if I don’t.”

His eyes narrowed, but her stubbornness wasn’t something they could deal with right then. He spent the next few minutes with Nate and Tammy, making arrangements for Keenan to be taken up to the SnowDancer den, the most logical hiding place. Not only was it almost impossible to find if you didn’t already know where it was, but Judd and his brother, Walker, would be able to keep a psychic eye on Keenan. “I’ll drive him up-” he began, knowing Ashaya would be safe under Nate’s watch. And since the other man was already mated, Dorian’s leopard didn’t snarl at the idea.

“No,” Tammy interrupted. “Sascha needs to go up with Keenan. I’ve already called her and Lucas-we need to monitor if the Web is elastic enough to cover him at that distance, despite the fact that he’s connected directly to you.”

“I promised him I’d take care of him.” And Dorian kept his promises.

Nate scowled. “He’s Pack now. You don’t think we have rights over him?”

Man and leopard both calmed at the mention of the solid strength of Pack. “Yeah, you do.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “Kid’s got a grip on my heart, Nate.”

“They have a way of doing that.” The other sentinel slapped him on the back. “You’ll get over it sometime in the next hundred years or so.”

Strangely, that made him feel better. Because there was no way he was letting his mate, and the boy he already considered his own, go.

Lucas and Sascha arrived less than an hour later, and Dorian ran upstairs to fetch Keenan-he’d reawakened on his own twenty minutes earlier, stomach rumbling. It had given Dorian the opportunity to make sure Ashaya ate as well before she headed up to prepare Keenan for the change in location.

“Keep your mind quiet,” she was saying now as she zipped up Keenan’s insulated jacket. “Don’t listen to her.”

“I won’t.” Keenan shifted from foot to foot. “It’s getting fuzzy anyway. Her voice.”

“That’s good. Don’t be scared, baby. This is only for a little while.”

Keenan threw his arms around Ashaya. “I’m not scared, Mommy. I can feel you inside my head. If I need you, I’ll call. I know you’ll come.”

Ashaya’s face was a study in wonder as she hugged her son. “Yes, I will.”

Walking over, Dorian picked up the little knapsack she’d packed for Keenan. “We’ll keep him safe, Shaya. I give you my word.”

She glanced up, a silent trust in her eyes that the leopard accepted as its due. Nodding, she kissed Keenan and rose. “Come on, little man. You’re going for a ride.”

Instead of following her, Keenan turned and pulled on Dorian’s pant leg with a confidence that clearly startled Ashaya. What appeared to startle her even more was that Dorian simply bent down and picked the boy up. “Go on, Shaya. I need to chat with Keenan.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “He’s-”