That’s why he’s Mama Bear. And I say that with love.”
Retreating up to their room sounded like the only way to leave some of the horror behind Dellan. Because he was certain he would never be free of the memories for as long as he lived.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I DON’T have to ask if you slept, do I?
Dellan gave Horvan a weary glance. It shows, huh? So much for a nap. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but being in his mates’ arms had provided some brief respite from the morning’s gruesome incident.
Not enough respite, however. Anson’s screams still echoed inside his head.
Rael curled around Dellan’s back, his arm draped over him. “I don’t know about you two,” he murmured, “but every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was his evil smile while Anson was clearly being torn apart.” He shivered.
“When do you want to go back there?” Horvan’s expression was grave.
Dellan answered without hesitation. “As soon as possible. I told the police I’d be at the office to answer any questions.”
Horvan nodded. “Then that’s what we’ll do. How about we go downstairs and see how far the boys have got?” He grimaced. “I should have been helping.”
“You were helping—up here,” Rael said firmly. “We needed you.”
Dellan attempted a smile. “What he said.”
“Guys? There’s coffee if you want it. Crank has made sandwiches, too, if you’re hungry,” Roadkill called up to them.
“Then we can bring you up to date,” Hashtag added.
Dellan sighed. “Back to reality.” He shuddered. Reality was the last place he wanted to visit.
Horvan kissed him. “Any time you want a break, let me know. There’s always time to hold one another, okay?”
Rael leaned over to make it a three-way kiss. There’s always time for love, he affirmed.
“You know what I like best about this whole ‘mates’ deal?” Dellan informed them. “You can kiss and talk at the same time.”
If only their kisses could take away the horror. The screams.
“I won’t say you’ll forget all of this,” Horvan said softly, “because you won’t. But I do promise it will fade with time. And if I could kiss away all the heartache and pain, I’d do it.”
Dellan knew that with every fiber of his being. He leaned over until his forehead touched Horvan’s. “Thank you.” He was conscious of Rael’s hands on his back, gentle and soothing. “Both of you.”
“ARE WE okay to leave before the rental is over?” Roadkill asked Rael. The sandwiches were all gone, and they were on their second pot of coffee.
“I told the owner originally that we’d want the place for a couple of weeks, with an option to renew, seeing as we’re out of season,” Rael replied. He peered at Dellan. “We had no idea how long it would take for you to shift back.” He got out his phone. “I’ll give him a call.” Rael put on his jacket, then walked to the other end of the cabin and stepped onto the back porch.
Hashtag got up from the table and walked over to where Dellan stood by the window. “This is yours, I believe.” He held out a small plastic card.
Dellan took the ID and turned it over. “You are amazing. It looks like the real thing.”
Hashtag huffed. “It’ll get you on a plane. That’s the main thing. If anyone decides to take a really close look, we’re screwed.” He went back to his laptop. “And now we have that, I’m organizing the flights. I couldn’t get us on any today, but how does first thing tomorrow morning sound?”
“Like you’re a miracle worker,” Horvan said as he placed another mug of coffee in front of Hashtag.
“That does leave us with a couple of loose ends to tidy up,” Hashtag informed him.
“Like what?”
Hashtag pointed to the window. “Those two loose ends out there, the car and the RV. As in, what do we do with them? I can sell them, but not that fast. We’re gonna need to store them someplace for the moment and come back at a later date for them.”
Rael came back into the room. “Okay, we’re going to have a visitor.” He seemed pissed.
“The owner?” Dellan inquired.
Rael nodded. “Because we want to leave after less than a week, he seems convinced we’re pulling out early because we’ve trashed the place. He wants to check on it before we go.”
“Okay, boys. Operation Cleanup,” Horvan announced. “Let’s not give him anything to complain about. We’re just six guys enjoying a vacation together. Six very tidy guys.”
“I’m on it. I’ll break