a promise to speak tomorrow and plan their next date. When Hyatt went back inside the apartment, Khory was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of tea, alone. No Asher in the living room, either, and Khory’s eyes were red.
Hyatt slid into the chair next to Khory and squeezed his wrist. “Are you okay?”
“I will be. Aeron needed some time alone for Asher cuddles.”
“Has he talked to you?”
Khory released a long, sad breath. “Yeah. He’s not supposed to talk about active cases, but damn it.” His dark eyes swam with misery so strong Hyatt almost felt it himself. “This was his first really bad call. He was first on-scene to a…a pretty brutal rape. A young beta in his home. Found by his roommate.”
“Oh goddess, no.” Hot tears burned behind his eyes, and Hyatt knelt next to Khory. Pulled his friend into a tight hug. “I can’t imagine it.” And yet, he almost could. Symon had walked into a similar scene three years ago. Even though Aeron was trained as a patrolman and aspired to be a constable, seeing someone violated like that…no.
“You can’t tell anyone,” Khory said on a soft sob. “I shouldn’t even know, but he needed to get it off his chest.”
“I get it, and it’s our secret, I promise.”
“I just can’t imagine something like that ever happening to Asher.”
“It won’t.” Hyatt hugged his friend tighter. “Only the best, happiest future for him. Believe that, okay?” Asher was beta, like the victim, and Hyatt imagined that was one of the reasons Aeron needed some private snuggles with the adorable little boy.
“I’ll do my best.” Khory’s phone pinged, and it took him a long moment to pull back from Hyatt and check it. He smiled. “Aeron wants me to join them for family snuggles.”
“Go. Enjoy them.”
Khory kissed his cheek, then went to his family in the other room. Hyatt rubbed at his stinging eyes a moment before standing and cleaning up the remnants of dinner. They’d eaten most of the food—Aeron loved to tease that they rarely had leftovers since Hyatt moved in—so there wasn’t a lot to put away. Mostly, it was to keep himself busy and not dwell on the young beta whose intimate pain Aeron had witnessed today.
When there was nothing left to clean up, Hyatt made sure the apartment door was locked, turned off all the lights except the one table lamp by the couch, and retreated to his bedroom. Part of him wanted to call Dorian simply for the comfort of his voice, but then Dorian would want to know why Hyatt was upset. And Hyatt had promised to keep Khory’s secret.
There was one person he could call who wouldn’t question why.
“Hey, dude, how was the big date?” Symon asked, picking up after only three rings.
Thank goddess for his less nosy brother. “It was a fantastic day. It really was.” Everything with Dorian had been beyond perfect, so he settled against his pillow and told Symon all about it, grateful for this familiar slice of normal.
“So how was the big date?”
Dorian laughed. He’d waited until he was home to call Samuel and gush about how amazing his entire day had been. As he collapsed on his couch, Dorian said, “It was the best day of my life, hands down. Hyatt is so sweet and amazing and understanding. Accepting.”
Samuel made a soft, surprised noise. “Wait, you told him?”
“I did, and he was surprised but not disgusted. He asked questions and listened. He agreed to be my mate.”
“Yeah?” He whooped. “Wait, what about kids?”
Dorian let out a frustrated breath. “We didn’t specifically address that today. Now that I know I can sire them, I’m a little less reluctant. But I still don’t know what kind of sire I’d be.”
“You will be a loving, protective, nurturing sire. Know how I know that? Because you were that kind of brother to me. You kept me safe. You’ll keep your mate and children safe, I know it.”
“Your faith in me means everything.” He didn’t want to think about the two brothers he hadn’t been able to protect, but whose deaths he also couldn’t have prevented. “I know I can love him, Sam. I’m already falling for him.”
“Then do everything you can to keep him, you hear me? You are worthy of a loving mate and a happy future. Of a family of your own. Hyatt obviously recognizes that, and I can’t wait to be an uncle.”
Dorian closed his eyes, as close to tears as he’d been