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Kelly exhaled a huge sigh of relief. Ace and Zack were fine. Roane hugged Caitlyn, and Derrick and Hale peppered Doc with questions as he continued to study Ace.

“You okay, Kelly?” Zack asked quietly. She turned and stared into his light gray eyes, captivated by his nearness, his scent…

His scent? A headache suddenly throbbed at her temples. “I’m fine. Just tired.” Alarmed that her medication was wearing off so soon, she turned too quickly and knocked into Zack.

He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, and fire raced toward her womb. Okay, that was never a part of my symptoms.

“Shit. I’ve gotta go.” She ran from the room, half praying he wouldn’t follow. Half praying he would.

Chapter Two

Ace was having the most erotic dream. Soft hands stroked him, brought him to bliss through a dark haze of pleasure. Kelly was there, her scent both soothing and arousing, while Zack’s presence lingered in the background. His beast purred with satisfaction, surrounded by those he considered his.

He shifted on the bed and groaned. Opening his eyes, his enhanced vision easily pierced the darkness, and he saw that he was in his bedroom. Safe, at home. Then reality returned in a rush. He recalled the trip to New York. Remembered killing one rogue and battling another. Ace held up his injured hand. The bandage worried him. That freak had done something to him. Though Ace had suffered some fierce wounds, they weren’t enough to knock him out. One touch from that monster’s strange tongue and he’d blacked out.

He tried to remember what had happened next. Oh, shit. That fucking freak had been humping him. All that talk about rape he’d heard as he lay there half conscious wasn’t just talk. If Zack hadn’t gotten there when he did, who knew what might have happened?

Feeling ill, Ace forced himself to sit up, fighting the ache in his midsection.

“You okay?” a gravelly voice asked. Zack’s familiar scent eased his tension.

“I’ve been better.” He paused. “Thanks. You have excellent timing.”

Zack’s knowing gaze told him he caught the reference to what happened in the woods.

“So I’ve been told.” He grinned.

Ace swung his legs over the side of the bed, needing to feel his strength return. He didn’t like exposing his vulnerabilities and hated being hurt.

“Whoa, not so fast.” Zack appeared by his side in the blink of an eye. He wore a pair of boxer briefs and nothing else, except a large bandage on the left side of his torso.

“What happened to you?” Had the rogue hurt him too?

“The woods were booby-trapped. Took a wooden stake through the side.” Zack shrugged. “It was a clean cut, but it bled a lot.” He scowled. “Worried the mother hens around here.”

Ace couldn’t help grinning. “Forced you to take it easy, eh?”

“Hale’s acting like a woman. I swear, he checked on me three times yesterday, and that was in between Derrick, Roane, and Caitlyn stopping in to monitor me.”

“But not Kelly?”

Zack slowly sat next to Ace on the bed. Though the large man wouldn’t say it, Ace could see he was hurting. And the notion bothered the hell out of him.

Without thinking about it, Ace laid his palm over Zack’s bandage. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” Zack muttered, clearly nonplussed. Ace never touched him, at least, not voluntarily. Though they’d always been friends, having a raging beast inside him lusting after Zack had tempered Ace’s comfort around the man. He didn’t like it when he and Zack fucked like animals, caught in the mating heat. He liked it even less that he’d begun to care for Zack, to desire him even when not changed. Not that he’d ever admit it.

“Sure.” Ace cleared his throat and withdrew his hand. “I know Kelly hasn’t exactly chosen one of us, but she’s clearly attracted. She has a big heart. I can’t believe she wouldn’t even stop by to see if you were okay. Or didn’t she know?”

“She knew. Ace, something’s different now. About Kelly.”

Ace froze. “She’s okay, though, right?”

“She’s physically fine, I think. She’s the one who sat by your side when the others were bullying me. Doc ran some tests on you while Kelly held your hand.” Zack sounded matter-of-fact and not at all jealous.

Ace and Zack both had a thing for Kelly Malloy. In the three years they’d known her, they’d been drawn to her. Kelly worked for Doc, their boss. She tended to Doc’s bills, the house, and the logistics needed to care for five, and now, with the addition of Caitlyn, six Circs. She planned meals, kept the place straight, and ran herd on Doc when he’d forget to eat or return phone calls. Yet for all that, Kelly had nothing to do with their changed state.

Ace had been more than careful not to upset Kelly by showing her his other form, the beast that lived just below the surface of his skin. He had a hard enough time dealing with Zack and the conflicting feelings he had for his buddy. Even now, he wanted to move closer, to touch Zack again and reinforce their connection. Much as he’d like to blame it on his beast, he knew that wasn’t the case. God, am I turning gay? He shook his head. No, because I still want Kelly with my every breath. What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Ace, you okay?” Zack put a hand on his shoulder, and it burned.

Ace hunched over and put his head in his hands, in part to hide his sudden erection.

“Yeah. I’m just having a hard time adjusting to what happened.” Was he ever.

“It’s okay.” Zack blew out a breath, his scent falling over Ace’s darker skin. Zack had a paler coloring, one that set off the bright gray of his eyes. Short black hair framed a face sculpted with masculine strength. The others called Ace a pretty boy, but he figured if he was pretty, then Zack could only be classified as handsome. Hell, Zack had to beat women off with a stick. Most women. But not Kelly.

Instead of reassuring Ace that Kelly was still available, the notion that she didn’t want Zack disturbed him.

“Why didn’t Kelly come see you?”

“Like I said, I think something’s wrong with her. Yesterday, at the lab…”

“What?”

“Ace, what do you remember about the fight you had with the rogues?”

Ace shifted, his dick pressing against his thigh. Shit, Zack, you want me to think with you this close to me? He subtly moved away, but Zack noticed.

Frowning, Zack stood and began to pace. “The rogues?”

“When I found them, I realized it was a trap. I shot off enough rounds to take down the first asshole. But the other one hit me hard. He had more power than I could deal with. Like he was as strong as three of us put together.”

Zack nodded. “That damned Circe booster Elliot Pearl designed.”

“When is Doc going to let us take Elliot out?” Ace asked. “We all know Pearson Labs is as strong as ever because of that dickhead. We eliminate Pearl, we crush the labs and the new monster Circs with it.”

“I’m not sure. I agree with you, but Doc’s reluctance makes me think he knows more than he’s telling us.” Zack shrugged. “Get back to yesterday. What else do you remember?”

Ace flushed. “I know that asshole was getting ready to fuck me, okay? He threatened me with it before he bit my hand. I was hurting but awake, until he sucked on those punctures he made with that weirdo tongue. He injected me with something. A kind of venom, maybe? I mean, the guy was black, and he had a forked tongue. That’s way beyond being a Circ.”

“I know. I threw him off you as soon as I entered the clearing. You had all your clothes on, so I doubt he had the time to do anything, ah, weird to you.”