Smoke & Mirrors by Charlie Cochet Read Free Book Online

glances before a cougar Therian operative turned and tapped her earpiece, speaking quietly. Seconds later she motioned for everyone to leave the room. As soon as they’d gone and the door closed, Sloane walked over to Dex’s bedside.
    When he’d found Dex in the woods up in Yonkers, Sloane had seen the cuts and bruises, but he hadn’t really seen . There had been so much blood. Sloane’s biggest concern at the time had been getting Dex medical attention. Now seeing what they’d done to him….
    Sloane’s inner Felid was enraged, hissing and spitting, eager to lash out with his razor-sharp claws and fangs at whomever put their hands on his beautiful mate. It was a growing struggle. Sloane had never been the jealous sort, but with Dex it was different. Like his feral side knew far before he did that Dex was something special, something to be cherished and guarded at all costs.
    So little had changed right after he’d marked Dex, Sloane had wondered what everyone was so damned scared about, but a few weeks later, he understood. Sloane was changing inside. Their bond was changing him, and it was terrifying because he didn’t know how or when those changes might show themselves. All he could do was hope for the best. During one particular date night out with Dex, Ash, and Cael, a couple of jaguar Therians had picked up on Dex’s scent and decided they wanted in on the action. If it hadn’t been for Ash intervening, taking Sloane down, and convincing those guys to get the hell out of the bar, who knew what Sloane would have done? At the time there had only been rage, a blazing fury at the audacity of someone trying to take what was his. The memory still haunted him.
    Sloane pulled a chair up to Dex’s bedside and sat. They’d cleaned him up, making the bruises, cuts, scrapes, and bandaged wounds more prominent against his tanned skin. There was a white bandage across the bridge of his nose, one on his brow, and one on his swollen cheek. His lip was split, and his mouth was faintly stained with blood.
    Sloane gently reached to take Dex’s hand when he noticed the bandages around Dex’s fingers. All his fingers on the left and two on the right. Jesus, what had they done to him? He could only be grateful Dex had escaped when he did. Who knew what else that son of a bitch Wolf would have done? Tenderly, Sloane took hold of Dex’s left wrist, softly stroking his skin, mindful of the angry bruises left by the zip tie. It would be some time before Dex woke up. Fatigue was creeping in on Sloane, but sleep was out of the question. Not until he was in their bed with Dex in his arms. To think he’d only moved in with Dex a few weeks ago. At first he thought it would take him time to settle in, to get used to the strange domesticity that was sure to follow. Sloane had never had that. He’d never had someone ask him to take the laundry basket upstairs or take the trash out.
    Sloane had been both excited and scared at the notion of living with Dex. Excited because every morning he woke up next to Dex, and every night he fell asleep with Dex in his arms. The time in between was spent getting to know more about the man who’d captured his heart. Every day he learned something new about his partner. The tiniest detail fascinated Sloane. Like how Dex enjoyed avocado in his food but not on its own. How he color coordinated his closet, with his clothes arranged by type. T-shirts together, dress clothes, casual wear, sweaters. Dex had several aprons, stating he could hardly cook with the same one he used to clean the bathroom, and he couldn’t use the bathroom one to clean the living room because that was just gross. Besides, wearing his Vader apron to clean made the task far more entertaining. Sloane would have to agree. Dex was also a neat freak. Sloane chuckled at the thought of Dex’s sock drawer. While Sloane’s consisted of subdued hues, Dex’s sock drawer looked like a rainbow exploded in it. There were socks in every color