Drums of War - 10. Home and Gone

Driving into Homestead was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I felt like the weight of the universe was on my shoulders and in my heart. It gripped, strangled, and it would be a long time before I could deal with this one. This pain was too deep to just deal. It wasn't only my grief. The guys felt it, too, and we kept trading the pain back and forth.

Gene's nephew Allen met us at the camp. I'd known him for years but hadn't seen him since the members of Homestead split from the ECP. His eyes trailed up my frame, and he shook his head. “Damn, you got big.”

I gave him a bitter smile. “Yeah. I'm glad you could get here so quickly. I wish I could stay, but Dad needs me with him at the Council meeting.”

Allen nodded, gave my should a squeeze, and turned to look at his great uncle. I hated to leave, but I had a duty to do. The chopper would leave in two hours after refueling and picking me up. I had two hours to cry and get my game face on.

Heather just pulled me into our cabin and held me. She didn't ask questions, didn't say a word about me leaving again so soon, didn't even smell angry. She was worried about me, grief-stricken over Gene's passing as she had known him longer than me. Hell, if it weren't for Gene, Heather and I couldn't have gotten engaged. He found the loopholes for us in ancient laws dating back to Egypt.

Somewhere around the hour mark, I realized our bed was filled. The boys had come in and formed a cuddle puddle around us. It didn't register in my mind that anything had even come into the room let alone the bed. Part agony, it was mostly how much they belonged here. In the part of my mind that was mine and mine alone, I had a small thought that poor Heather's nose must be in agony. We hadn't showered in days.

She must have been able to read my mind, however, because she wrinkled her nose. “You four stink. Dylan, go shower so you can get ready. Colt, could you help me cook for our men?” I groaned and rolled over Quint, squishing him and grabbing his butt. Heather got up and went to the small kitchen, Colton following calmly.

“What are we supposed to do?” asked Quintin. He shot me a smirk with thoughts of what he would do to me.

“Well, from what I hear, Zeke's had some groping action. He has to be a good boy and sit right on the couch. Quint, you can help Dyl in the shower.” Her face was neutral, her eyes glowing with mischief, and her scent was pure sunshine.

“God, you're evil,” Quint and I said together, but that didn't stop him from stripping right there and following me into the bathroom. Not to be outdone, I pulled off my clothes and tossed my dirty shirt right in my love's face. She let it hang there, chortling, and Zeke took it from her and gave it a sniff. “Freak,” Quint and I said in unison. Our bear just grinned and gathered up the clothes for washing.

I set the water to just below scalding hot, which Quint and I both loved, and stepped under the spray. When I turned around, Quintin was right there with a washcloth and looking up into my eyes. This wasn't the first time we'd showered together, not even the twentieth, but it was the first time after my big announcement. It was far more erotic now, although I'm not sure why. Nothing had changed, not in our minds, except I had said it out loud and in front of witnesses.

“Is this as hot for you as it is for me?” he asked. I looked down at his full erection, again nothing I hadn't seen often.

“Pretty much,” I said, not even hiding my own boner. “You know, part of me really hates that I want you and the guys so much.” He reached past me and snagged the bar of soap. He began to sensually scrub the back of my neck, me leaning over to make it easier since I was over a foot taller. Our eyes were locked, and I knew it was going to happen. He pulled me the last few inches and pressed his lips to mine.

We kissed lazily as he ran the washcloth all over my body. He massaged my shoulders, my back, spent a lot of time on my butt cheeks which actually had me groaning in pleasure, and even made a very utilitarian washing of my balls. I liked that. No, I fucking loved to have my balls played with. He didn't keep it up long enough for me to get off, but I knew one thing I was going to have Heather do our first night together.

“Creep?” Quint asked as he rinsed the rag.

My brain kicked back on, and I took the rag from him as I responded, “Huh?” I soaped up the rag and returned the washing. I was actually enjoying the feel of his solid shoulders and chest. And, yup, his muscle butt. He did have a very nice butt. I wondered how mine compared.

“Do you really want Zeke to top you?” His voice was low and a bit strained. I knew he was enjoying the feeling of being pressed against me while I washed his chest.

“I want all of you to top, and I want to top all of you. Hell, I want you down my throat, Zeke in my ass, and Colton on my cock while Heather records it all before joining. Can you imagine that?” I asked, rumbling in his ear. He gasped and shuddered. “Feeling your cock taking my throat, feeling all of the stimulation through the bonds?” He was nodding silently, and my mind exploded as his orgasm did. It slammed through his mind and mine. He shot off and I had to pull back and turn to spray my own load all over the wall. We held each other up as the waves surged through us.

“Holy fuck,” Quint swore, a rare thing. He hardly ever used profanity.

“You said it. Did we just break the rule?” I had to ask because we just had simultaneous orgasms while touching. Did that count even without any penetration?

A knock came on the door, and we both knew it was Heather. I grunted, which she correctly interpreted as come in, and I am so glad she is awesome. She just looked at us, sniffed, shook her head, and grinned. “Well, now I know why Zeke and Colton pretty much made a mess in their pants. You have five minutes until the food's ready.” She went to close the door.

“Hon?” I said tentatively.

“Yeah?” She looked back, and I could tell she wasn't worried or even slightly annoyed. She truly wasn't stressing over what happened in here.

“You're amazing,” was all I could say, and she blew us both kisses.

As she was closing the door, I heard Colton whining. “When do I get sexy times with Dylan?”

Heather laughed and said, “Might have to wait until after the war.” And damn if she wasn't right. She knew what was on the horizon. Once hard evidence came back about our attack, it would be open war between Homestead and ECP. There was no avoiding it.

While we were doing our last rinse, I looked at Quint. “Unless you get orders from Alpha Davenport directly, your duty, until you are relieved, is to guard Heather.” Quint nodded as he tossed me a towel, and I could feel Zeke's and Colton's acknowledgment.

* * *

I landed outside the Council building, an attache meeting me to take me in and to Dad. “This way, Enforcer Davenport, and please watch your head. I've only lost three people this week who forgot to duck.”

I grinned and ducked. I liked the tone and smell of this guy. Honest, respectful, and totally not taking himself seriously. Whoever had appointed him to come to get me had made the best choice. I needed a little levity before getting inside. “Maybe just a trim off the top?” I joked back, and he grinned.

“While there is no one around to hear us, I'll say working with your uncle has been awesome.” I quirked a brow. He stuck out his hand. “Xander Travers, Cali Sands Beta Designate, and hopefully future mate to Victoria.”

“Oh shit,” I said and shook his hand. “You better not fuck that up, Travers, or Uncle Dean will have your balls. How did you get stuck as attache?”

“When Alpha Kirkland says hop, you run because she had to tell you what you should have already been doing.” I laughed, now getting why he was here. Uncle Dean had told me a bit about Travers. From what I heard, he seemed pretty cool. If Victoria approved, he would be amazing. She wouldn't settle for anyone lesser than Uncle Dean.

Travers led me to a set of doors and whispered to the guard. When the door was held open, I nodded to my escort and walked through. I could already hear shouting, accusations flying around the room. The stench was worse than the noise. A gathering of alphas, their combined scents were daunting. I grew up around them, so I would be better off than most, but it smelled like a rancid pissing contest right now.

Almost as soon as I saw the assembly, comprised of the eighteen Councilmen, the Head Councilman, and the alphas in attendance, I was ordered to halt. “And who the hell are you?” someone barked at me.

I raised a brow as all eyes turned. “Prime Enforcer Dylan Davenport, Homestead Pack.” I didn't even wait for them to tell me I could join my dads, I just marched in. A quick flick of my eyes to Papa Travis, and his barely concealed grin said what I was doing was perfectly in line with Homestead's reputation.

Dad took the momentary silence to speak. “With tempers up, and my enforcer just arriving, I would like to take a recess until after lunch. To bring him up to speed and give us all a chance to cool off.”

“Seconded,” came another alpha's voice, and the motion passed with a simple majority.

I just stood there and shook my head. Guess I didn't need to sit down now. So many of the people who passed me smelled of annoyance or worse. This didn't bode well for what I knew Dad was going to have me tell the Council. I was going to end up pissing them off even more. Might be funny to watch.

Dad and Pat gave me hugs when they were able to get to me, as did Papa Travis. “You couldn't have come at a better time,” said Dad. He smelled exhausted.

“I see that. Thanks for having Travers keep an eye out for me.” Dad looked confused. “You didn't send him to meet me at the helipad?”

“No, but if him showing up helped out, I'll take the credit.” His grin was the same as it had been since I was thirteen. Travers weaved effortlessly through the assembly and joined us. “Xander, good to see you again.”

“Alpha Jon, Alpha Mate Pat, Councilman Andrews.” He nodded to each in turn, showing a level of familiarity I found humorous. While still using titles, he knew my dads personally and knew Papa Travis by reputation.

“Join us for lunch, and you can tell us why you're out here instead of back with Victoria. Speaking of, where are Dean and Kao?” Dad was looking around for our pack Betas.

“They have secured a small conference room, placed orders for lunch, asked me to meet Enforcer Dylan, and are probably snogging on Skype for Victoria while she recovers.”

While what he said made me grin, it fell off when he mentioned Victoria was recovering. “Explain that last part,” I said, worried. Victoria was a wonderful woman, and I didn't like the sound of what he said.

“Simply put, she killed a Lycan during an attack on our pack, getting hurt in the process.” I could smell the anger rolling off him, but his tone was neutrally conversational. “Dean and Kao came out to Cali Sands to check on her, and Alpha Goldie asked me to accompany them back here to be her eyes and ears while she deals with the pack that attacked us.” Travers led us to the conference room where I had to grin at my Uncle Dean and his mate Kao. Strange that he was my “Uncle Kao” and my age. “Oh, I was right.”

They broke off their kiss, and I could hear a soft chuckle coming from Dean's phone. “Uh oh, caught,” said Victoria through the phone from southern California. I snatched the phone from the table and held it up. “Oh! Hi Dylan.”

“How are you doing? Need me to come bash a few skulls?” I glanced over at the two literal lovebirds, Uncle Dean and Kao being werefalcons, and they were beet red.

“Goldie is doing just that, although she is having trouble finding the alpha of the pack that attacked us. I say us because I'm accepting the offer to join Cali Sands.” She smiled that gorgeous grin of hers, but I could tell she was a little loopy because of the pain meds she was on. “You've met Goldie, right?”

“I have. I would hate to be that alpha when she gets a hold of him.” Goldie Kirkland was akin to Mighty Mouse. Small but deadly. I was almost two feet taller and still called her ma'am when we spoke. “So, Travers, huh?” I grinned at her slight blush.

“What of it?” she shot back, but I liked the smile I saw on her face. She was sweet on him. Good.

“I'm happy for you, Aunt Vickie,” I said.

She quirked an eyebrow at me. “Are you wanting to die?” She hated people calling her Vickie, and I had to do it at least once a month just to keep my credit as the annoying nephew.

“Nope. Just checking if you're needing your pain meds increased.” She flipped me off. “Madame! So ladylike.” That brought her grin back. “I'll give you back to Uncle Dean.”

I handed the phone back and sat next to Dad. I wasted no time telling him everything he needed to know about the attack, and I could see him getting angrier. His scent went cold. It took me a bit longer than I wanted because I had to fight back the tears. Still too soon.

“Enough, Dyl,” said Pat softly. I knew he would be almost as upset as me. I nodded and wiped my eyes.

“Now, tell me what I need to know about this Council from hell.” I had to keep my mind off Gene. Dad just started talking. In fact, he went back and started before he was called to the Council.