“I wouldn’t have if he’d actually been trying to hurt me. Don’t you see? He was just fooling around—when he realized I was hurt, he put a stop to it fast. He’s bonded with me. He’s my mate, don’t you get it?”

Lucas leaned back on the sofa looking thoughtful but Nikolai persisted. “No, I don’t believe it. You couldn’t have left him if that had been the case, not once you’d claimed him. And the same goes for him! Nothing would have made me let Jagger go, unless maybe…”

He broke off with an astonished expression and Kyle nodded, his lips thinned out to a furious line. “Unless some maniacs were threatening to cut your brother up in little pieces and ship him home to you one piece at a time? And I haven’t claimed him—not exactly. He’s claimed me plenty, though, and I-I love him.”

Lucas’s face was a little red, and he was shaking his head. “We had no idea, Kyle.”

Kyle sagged, feeling worn out. “I know. He’s just as stubborn as all of you. He didn’t believe me when I told him you’d try something to rescue me. Arrogant fool.”

Larsson, standing behind Lucas, had been quiet throughout all of this. He spoke up quietly now. “So you never needed rescue at all. And all this was for nothing.” Everyone in the room gazed at him sharply, but he shook his head and gripped the back of the sofa, looking down. “I’m sorry, Kyle. It’s not that I regret anything, you know that.” He looked back up. “I’d do anything for you. But if I understand what you’re telling us, then letting Tarr go was…”

Kyle looked back and forth among his family. “What’s going on? What are you talking about, Lars?”

Lucas was the first to reply, and his tone was grim. “Larsson thinks he imprinted on Tarr Bonnet, of all people.”

Larsson turned abruptly and stormed into the adjoining kitchen, walking over to the counter and slamming his hand down on the counter. “I told you, damn it! I told you he’s my mate! I can’t help the way I feel about him. But I’ll get over it. I have to!”

Kyle’s mouth fell open as he stared at Larsson. Konnor, Larsson’s brother, was studiously ignoring him, his mouth tight and angry. Everyone else just looked uncomfortable.

“Are you telling me…? Have you mated with him?”

Larsson shook his head. “Of course not. I couldn’t have let him go, otherwise. But he’s my mate. He felt it too—I know he did, even though he tried to deny it.”

Kyle felt completely astounded. “So you wouldn’t have allowed them to really hurt Tarr, would you? It was all a bluff.”

Lucas nodded. “Apparently, this whole thing has been a fuck-up from the start.”

“It’s the godsdamned curse. It has to be. Nothing else had ever messed up our lives like this.” Kyle folded his arms across his chest and fell back against the sofa. Everyone was quiet for a long moment and then Jagger, who up to this point hadn’t said a word, leaned across Nikolai to touch Kyle’s hand, lying limp on his thigh.

“Kyle, you all call this thing a curse, but is it really? You’ve all found your perfect mate now—every one of you, from all over the galaxies. There had to be a little supernatural help in all that. Would you really wish it away? Are any of you sorry that you met your mate?”

He glared at Nikolai, who grinned up at him. “No, baby. You’re absolutely right. It’s never been a curse at all, has it? Old Ivan gave us a gift.” He stood up and rubbed his hands together. “Now let’s stop fighting about all this and get down to business. How are we going to get Kyle and Larsson’s big kitties back for them?”

Kyle smiled despite himself at the idea of the fierce Taz as a ‘big kitty.’ For the first time since he left Tygeria, he was feeling a little better about things. His family would help him, and Taz Bonnet didn’t stand a chance.

Taz put down the papers he’d been reading at his desk and leaned back in his chair. It had been almost a full quarter cycle since he’d last seen his nobyo. The heartbreak just didn’t seem to go away, and he remembered how his father was after his poor nobyo had passed away so unexpectedly. It was a different situation, of course. His father’s lover hadn’t wanted to leave him.

Kyle’s betrayal still filled him with rage. Oh, not at first. When he’d first come home and found him missing, Taz had been stunned and broken. He’d read the letter he’d left on the bed telling Taz he loved him over and over, looking for some kind of message or code to tell him it was all a joke—he was really hiding in another room and would come back in any minute, laughing at him, his pretty eyes sparkling.

He knew it wasn’t true, though, and his nobyo—Kyle—was really gone. No use in not saying his name now. The gods had found out Taz’s secret and had spirited Kyle away. When the ship’s captain had contacted him, saying Kyle wanted to speak to him from the transport, Taz couldn’t bring himself to talk to him. He was afraid he’d break down and beg him to come back home, and he couldn’t chance that. It was better to let his nobyo remember him as strong and confident. He’d keep his pride that way at least.

Then once he had Tarr back home safely—a strangely chastened, downcast Tarr, who refused to speak of his time with the Lycans—Tarr had told him of Kyle’s message to him. Tarr said he told him that he’d only done it to get Tarr released and that he wanted to come back home. So Taz had waited impatiently for his message, asking to return. He’d already decided to play a little hard to get—maybe deny him permission a few times to teach him a lesson, then when Kyle had begged him enough, he’d finally allow him to come home. When he got back, Taz would be cold and stern. He may even have to punish him a little. His nobyo had to learn to obey him and never question his judgment.

Except it never happened like that. No messages were received. Kyle never tried to contact him. Once he got back home with his family, he’d completely forgotten Taz even existed, just as Taz had told him he would. For once, being proved right didn’t make him feel better in the least.

His office door opened to admit Tarr, who strode over to the chair in front of his desk and threw himself down in it. Tarr had been staying with Taz since his return. He wouldn’t talk about what had happened to him on Lycanus 3, but it had Taz worried. Since he came back, he hardly went out any more, preferring to stay mostly in his room. He seemed distracted and angry too, and when Taz questioned him, he’d said he had something on his mind, but that he’d handle it. Apparently, he hadn’t been able to handle it very well so far. He was looking more morose and more like he’d been dragged behind a speeding land transport every day—wounded, beaten up and like he ached all over.

Taz waited patiently for him to indicate why he’d come in, but nothing seemed to be forthcoming. Tarr stared down at the desk in front of his chair as if the secret to something important was carved into it.

“What now? Is it something with the baby?”

Taz’s son had arrived two weeks before. The servants were caring for him and Taz tried to spend as much time with the beautiful child as possible, although all he could think of was how he and Kyle were supposed to be doing this together. Tarr had offered to help, since he was staying with him, though he hadn’t been much help yet. He was too distracted, his mind seeming to be miles and miles away.

“Huh? Oh no, no, the baby is fine. Wyn’s feeding him and putting him down for a nap.”

“Then what’s the matter? Got something on your mind?”

Tarr straightened in his chair. “As a matter of fact, I do. I’ve been thinking about those damned Lycans.”

Taz winced a little, but nodded. “What about them?”

“We need to make them pay, that’s what!”

“Pay how, exactly?” Taz asked quietly.

Tarr jumped to his feet and began to pace. “By going after them, that’s how! They humiliated me in front of my men, and the only way I got released was by an exchange for your nobyo. That’s unacceptable, damn it. If we don’t fix this and soon, we’ll be a laughing stock.”

Taz nodded, feeling a little excited by the idea of making Kyle pay. “What do you have in mind?”

“Getting your nobyo back for one thing. I know you’re miserable without him.” He held up a hand to stop Taz’s protests. “Don’t even bother to lie. I know you too well. You bonded with him, didn’t you?”

Taz nodded dejectedly. “For all the good it did me.”

“Then I say we go after him! And maybe, since we’re there anyway, we’ll grab another one of them and make him pay too.”

“Another one?” Taz looked blank. “Who?”

Tarr threw himself back down in the chair. “His cousin, damn it. Larsson.”

“Larsson? Why him in particular? Was he cruel? Did he hurt you in some way you haven’t told me about?” Taz jumped to his feet. “Gods, Tarr, did he…rape you?”

Tarr growled at him. “Hells, no. Give me a little credit. No, he did something even worse.”

Taz’s eyes opened even wider. “What? What did he do to you?”

“He kissed me, okay? And—did other things. He came in my cell while I was chained to the wall and he-he...the son-of-a-bitch made me like it. I need more of him, damn it.”

Taz was stunned for a moment before falling back in his chair laughing. Tarr glared at him until he finally had himself under control, wiping his eyes. “You’ve found your nobyo, haven’t you? And it’s Kyle’s cousin!”

“Laugh all you want. It is funny, I guess. I never thought I’d find a Lycan attractive, but the bastard’s gorgeous, okay? There’s just something about him.”

“But they were going to hurt you. Cut you up!”

“I think it was all a bluff. Though I wouldn’t have put it past that Blayde or Konnor. Larsson stood up to them, though. Told them they’d have to come through him first. They backed off after that.”