His beast snarled at him to wake up and find her. “I need to find her.”
“Easy, Jules.” Hayashi helped him stand.
To Jules's bewilderment, he wore cotton pants that fit, as well as a white T-shirt. But no shoes. On his ring finger sat an unfamiliar ring. It looked old and expensive. And it wasn't his.
“You feel okay, hoss? How many fingers?” Morgan held up three fingers.
“Three, and don't call me hoss.”
“Yeah, he's back.” Morgan turned away to make a few phone calls on his cell.
Hayashi waved Jules to a change of clothes. “I brought your stuff, and we have a plane on standby.”
Jules studied his friend. “You saw this” Hayashi nodded. “I had a vision of the three of us in this very room, then on a plane back home. Nothing else. I had no idea when you'd arrive. As soon as I had the vision, I left with Morgan. We've been here for almost three weeks, scouring the nearby towns along the coast and inland. No one's seen anything of you, Jules. Then yesterday, the emergency number gets a call. Some guy says to come here to this seedy hotel. And bingo, here you are.”
“No woman?” Where was she? Who was she? Was she even real? A mysterious beauty who'd healed him while in… Where the hell had he been? An image of Montaña rose to mind, but was it because he needed to find the man or because Jules had been held in the enemy's stronghold? More questions than answers, and his head began to pound.
It would make sense if Montaña had been behind his kidnapping. But that some nymphet, who just happened to screw his brains out, had helped Jules escape?
Yeah, right. A fantasy if he'd ever had one.
He rubbed his chest and felt something hard brush him. The ring. Damned if he could place it.
Hayashi shook his head. “I'm sorry, buddy. No woman. It's just you, me, and Morgan.”
Morgan joined them. “The team can't wait to have you back. Even Mrs.
Sharpe's ready to throw a party.”
Jules frowned and tried to focus on the here and now, but his mind was still muzzy from whatever he'd been drugged with. “What was it you said about Tersch?” Hayashi sighed. “He's been having a really hard time without you, Jules.
Going berserker on us. Nearly hit Ava—a total accident, mind you—and ever since, he's been like a ghost. He won't talk, barely eats. Like he's wasting away.” Jules swore under his breath. While he'd been gone, his team had been hurting, maybe as much as he had. The mystery of where he'd been and who had taken him would have to wait. “Let's go.”
“Good. I'll make sure the way is clear. Don't move till I tell you,” Morgan ordered. He kissed his lover, then darted out the door.
Jules raised a brow, relieved to see that at least Hayashi seemed okay.
He flushed when he saw Jules watching him. “What?”
“He's a little bossy, hmm? Since I've been away, seems someone's forgotten his place in our hierarchy.”
Hayashi grinned, and Jules never tired of seeing it. His once somber teammate now looked content. The same violet aura, the color of love, still surrounded him and Morgan. And it made Jules happy to see it.
“Tell you what, team leader. Soon as we're back on State soil, remind Morgan who belongs to whom. I look forward to watching you ream him. Hard.” Jules smiled. When Hayashi turned away, his smile faded. Inside, his beast roared at him to find her—a woman who might or might not exist.
Chapter Four
Two months later, North Carolina
Two changed Circs battled for control in a messy bedroom cluttered with wrinkled clothes, skin magazines, and Tastykake wrappers. After a particularly hard hit, Jules fisted his hands in Tersch's hair and dragged the stubborn bastard to his knees. “I don't need you mothering me, you dumb shit.” Tersch growled and tried to jerk away, but since the idiot refused to call on his enhanced strength anymore, Jules took advantage. He shoved Tersch down onto his hands and knees and quickly got into position on his own knees between the male's legs. Then he shoved his cock home. Tersch groaned but didn't protest as Jules fucked the fight right out of him.
The slick glide of Jules's cock through Tersch's tight ass felt good, but not as good as it had felt…before. Damn. He still couldn't stop having hazy dreams of the perfect woman two months later. A sexy nightmare that drove him crazy with frustrated desire. And he really didn't need the added aggravation.
Jules focused instead on the Circ in front of him, the wounded creature who was now living a half life, his only purpose, apparently, to martyr himself for the team and Jules in particular.
Tersch panted as Jules gripped his hips, Jules's claws digging into flesh to find purchase as he continued to slam into the blond troublemaker.
“How's that, Viking? You like that, hmm? Like to be taken, owned?” Jules panted.
Tersch grunted, shaking as his big body neared climax.
Jules could scent his readiness, could feel the taut desire building to a crescendo in the powerful male that responded to Jules's own need. While the others on their team saw to the mating heat in private, Jules and Tersch were now the odd men out. Not mated, they turned to each other to ease the buildup of Circ lust.
Though the others always welcomed them, joining them felt like an intrusion to Jules.
Tersch tensed and shifted his hips to prevent his own impending orgasm. The bastard had been in a masochistic frame of mind lately. As if they needed Tersch in a worse mood. Adding sexual frustration to the mix was like adding gasoline to an inferno.
Jules slowed down.
“No, more. Harder,” Tersch demanded.
“Why? So I can come and you can suffer? No way. You're going to blow, you big bastard.” Knowing what his friend liked, Jules leaned closer over Tersch's back.
“You think I don't know how you like it? How a bit of pain doesn't make it good for you?”
He breathed over the curve of Tersch's vulnerable neck, pleased when the berserker shivered. “That's right. Some pain makes everything better, doesn't it?” He bit down on Tersch's neck and grabbed the man's cock, jerking him off while he remained inside his ass.
“Oh fuck. Jules,” Tersch moaned.
Jules understood Tersch well enough to know that the Circ was getting off on the pain and, surprisingly, the submission.
Though Jules knew Tersch to be a dominant personality, by submitting to Jules, Tersch belonged. He fit into the team, into a family that wouldn't turn on him, the way so many others had in the past. Jules knew exactly what was wrong with Tersch, but with so much other shit going on, he hadn't paid the big guy the attention he should have.
He eased off the big man's neck and licked the blood flow that soon stopped.
“That's it. Come for me. You need it.” Jules gripped Tersch's cock harder, squeezing, and tunneled deeper into Tersch's ass.
With a low groan, Tersch came over his fingers, his thick cream a rich scent that layered over Jules's arousal.
“Oh yeah, that's it. Now put your hand there and work out the rest.” Tersch slid his hand over Jules's, replacing him, and continued to jerk himself off while Jules finished. Jules pumped a few more times and came, no longer having to hold back. The sheer relief, letting go of the tension, was a balm to the rage still smoldering in his beast. The stupid creature hadn't been the same since his time in Brazil, but damned if Jules could sate him.
Tired of the nagging urge to find his—what, mate?—he'd actually looked for the woman who haunted his dreams. No one had seen a glimpse of anyone resembling her description, not in Trindade or anywhere near where he'd been found. But reports had surfaced about Montaña. Jules had that much intel, at least.