“Good, you’re up.” Richard said, standing near the door. He glanced down at the towel around Kevin’s hips. “If you’ll get dressed, I’ll take you down to breakfast.”

“Seriously? You mean you’re not going to handcuff me or blindfold me or anything?”

“I think I can handle you, Detective Bryson, just as you are. Are you interested, or should I bring you another tray?”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I may not have that many more chances…as I’m about to be assimilated and all. Who knows when I’ll have a chance to go downstairs again?”

“Assimilated? Who used that word with you? Did Tucker tell you that?”

“No, Gavin did. After you left me with him last night, he told me that he’d considered wiping out all my memories, but graciously decided instead to let me join your uh…pack. Oh, and find me a mate too.” Though he was proud of his flippant tone, he could feel his knees start to tremble. To cover, he sat down on the side of the bed and gripped them hard, looking up at Richard defiantly. “What…doesn’t he tell you everything?”

“I haven’t seen him or Tucker since last night.”

“Oh.” He meant to give a bitter little laugh, and was horrified that it came out almost a sob. He dropped his eyes to the floor, embarrassed to be showing emotion in front of any of his captors. A warm hand landed on his shoulder and Tucker tried to shrug him off. He didn’t want pity from any of them, especially Richard. The hand only tightened.

“I’m sorry about all this, Kevin. I wish you’d never come here.”

“Yeah, well, that makes two of us.”

Richard sat down beside him, his thigh brushing up against Kevin’s and lighting a fire in his groin. Damn, why couldn’t he control his reactions to this man? He put his hands in his lap to hide the way the towel was beginning to tent outward. “I’m okay. I’m not freaking out. Much.”

Richard sat quietly, not saying anything for a few minutes, just letting him get control of his emotions again. Richard cleared his throat. “Why don’t you get dressed in what you were wearing last night and I’ll take you down to breakfast? Things always seem better after coffee.”

Kevin snorted. “There’s not enough coffee in the world for any of this to seem better.” He got up and grabbed the clothes Tucker brought him from the dresser. “I guess this will have to do. No shoes, though.” He turned to head toward the bathroom to get dressed in private. Even though Richard had already seen him naked, he had some standards. Not many apparently, considering how easily he’d already given in to Richard, but some.

Before Richard could reply, a knock came on the door and Tucker entered, carrying an armful of clothes. He looked surprised to see Richard sitting on the side of the bed. “Oh, hi…um…Richard. I brought Bryson some more clothes.” He turned to him and held them out. “I found someone who was about your size, and he loaned me these jeans and this shirt. I could only find flip flops for your feet, though.”

“That works, thanks.” Taking them, he ducked into the bathroom and quickly dressed. The jeans were tight, but the right length. The shirt was a button up and he left it untucked. No underwear, but he wasn’t sure about wearing anybody else’s anyway. He could hear Tucker and Richard talking in soft tones through the door, but when he put his ear to it, the voices were still garbled. He recognized his name, but little else. He opened the door and stepped out and saw Richard’s eyes flicker over him briefly before he dropped his gaze.

“I’m coming to breakfast with you, if that’s okay,” Tucker said brightly. He came over and grabbed Kevin’s hand. “C’mon, Bryson, I’m starving, and the food is really good here.”

“Don’t call him by his last name. His name is Kevin.”

Both Kevin and Tucker looked at Richard in surprise, and he shrugged. “It’s the name his parents gave him. They probably wanted him to be known by that instead of his last name. Tucker.”

Tucker actually laughed and blushed a little as Kevin looked back and forth between them. What the hell was the relationship there, and why did he resent their closeness like he did?

He allowed himself to be tugged along with nothing more said, and the three of them left the room and headed down the stairs. Again, as soon as he came into view, people in the common area grew quieter, and a few of the big ones said something to their smaller companions, who then got up and left the room. Gavin was eating breakfast at one of the tables on the side of the room, and they headed there. He smiled up at them when they came closer.

“Sit down and have some breakfast. How are you this morning, Kevin?”

Kevin shrugged, unwilling to pretend. “How should I be? I’m ready for you to give me back my things and my car and let me get the hell out of here.”

Gavin kept chewing and only nodded. He looked up and caught the eye of a young girl standing nearby with a coffee pot. “Emily, can you bring our guest some breakfast please? You like bacon and eggs, don’t you, Kevin?”

Kevin only stared at him, but he kept talking as if he really were just a guest here. “Richard, I need to talk to you about tomorrow night’s ceremony later on, when you get a chance.”

Richard nodded, shifting to the side so the girl Gavin called Emily could pour him a cup of coffee. He handed her Kevin’s cup too, since she seemed afraid to come close to his side of the table, darting nervous glances over at him and back over at a large, dark haired man who sat at the table next to them. His mouth was turned down in a frown, and he scowled at Kevin when he caught his eye.

Tucker leaned over and whispered to him. “That’s Christian and he’s an ass. Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s part of Gavin’s personal guard, but he’s really hanging around here to make sure you don’t grab Emily up and take off with her.” Tucker laughed. “As if, right?” He shook out his napkin and gave Christian a dirty look. “Ignore him.”

“Everything okay, baby?” Gavin asked.

Tucker looked up with a smile. “Sure, except for Christian staring a hole in us. Surely you can find him something to do.”

Gavin looked over at Christian and gave him a stern nod, and Christian stood up quickly and left, casting a warning look over his shoulder at Kevin. It would have been funny anywhere else, but not here. Not when his circumstances were so uncertain. Kevin was embarrassed to see his hand tremble a little when he raised his coffee mug.

Richard must have noticed too, because he felt his warm hand grip his thigh under the table and give him a gentle squeeze. “Kevin doesn’t have to worry about Christian.” His hand moved up his thigh to rest against Kevin’s groin.

Kevin was so surprised he almost choked on a sip of coffee. Richard gave him an amused glance, but kept his hand where it was.

Gavin took a sip of his own coffee and shook his head. “Sorry, Kevin. That wasn’t anything personal. He’s newly married to Emily, and he’s a bit possessive.”

Tucker scoffed. “A bit? I’m surprised he lets her out of their room long enough to do her job.”

Kevin looked over at him wide-eyed, but Richard squeezed him again. If Richard kept this up, Kevin was going to embarrass himself. “Tucker’s joking,” he said. “We don’t see many strangers actually here inside the lodge, and it’s got folks nervous, that’s all.”

Emily came in, balancing three plates on her arms, and the next few minutes were taken up with sorting out breakfast. The food was good, and he ate it all, not even thinking about drugs any more. Gavin had been right. If they wanted to drug him, they’d just do it. It wasn’t like they needed to trick him.

As they were finishing their coffee, a man approached the table. He was one of the big men so common there, and he had the look of the Cherokee Indians so common in the Smoky Mountains. He nodded to both Gavin and Richard and looked directly across the table at Kevin. His gaze swept over him before he spoke to Gavin. “This the one you were telling me about?”

Tucker stiffened next to him, but Gavin nodded. “Yes, but we can talk about it later, Russell. Not now.”

“Sure,” he said, giving Kevin one last appreciative glance before moving away. Tucker’s mouth fell open.

“Russell? You can’t be serious.”

“I said we’d discuss it later, Tucker.”

“Well, I’d like to discuss it right now. Not Russell. I forbid it.”

“Oh you do, huh? Well, that’s not really your decision to make, Tucker. And what’s wrong with Russell anyway? He’s a nice guy, a good gamma. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him.”

Tucker’s voice had dropped down to a deeper timbre, mimicking Russell. “‘Is this the one you were talking about?’ Oh yeah, such finesse and charm. Nope, no fucking way.”

“We don’t exactly have an unlimited choice, Tucker, and please lower your voice. Russell’s mate was killed in a Hunter raid a few years ago.”

“Wait a minute…” Kevin said in a choked voice. “This is about me? Are you thinking that me and that guy…”

Richard scooted his chair back from the table and stood up abruptly, taking hold of Kevin’s arm. “Kevin and I are going for a walk,” he said, tugging Kevin from the chair. We’ll be back in a while, and I’ll come find you, Gavin.”

Kevin stumbled to his feet and allowed Richard to lead him from the room and out onto the grounds. It was a sunny morning, with only a slight chill in the air, so Kevin was glad of the long sleeves on his shirt. He was feeling distinctly chilled, and he didn’t think it came only from the air temperature.

“Tell me he’s not planning on having that guy fuck me.”

Richard looked at him with shock. “God, the way you talk.”

“Well, is he?”

“Gavin is looking for a suitable mate for you, yes. But no one will force you. We’ll find someone you can agree to.”