As though he’d heard Devan’s thoughts, Zio glanced up. Devan was hidden by the sweeping leaves of the willow tree, and the frown creasing Zio’s forehead bothered him.Does he need me?
The possibility that he did, and Devan was nowhere in sight, was enough to drive Devan out of his treetop sanctuary.
He dropped to the ground, startling Danielo.
“Fuckin’ A. Stop doing that shit.”
Devan grinned back. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
Devan turned. Zio was behind him, an unfathomable glint in his dark gaze. “How can you tell?”
“Just can. Where do you want to sleep?”
“Huh?”
“Sleep, Devan. That thing we do when we’re tired, unless you were planning on staying awake for however long we’re stuck in this crap hole.”
“I don’t need much sleep.”
“That’s not the same as no sleep. Answer the question.”
Danielo whistled. “Damn, you’re like an old married couple. Maybe you should share a tent while the rest of us bunk in together.”
Zio glowered at him. “Don’t be thinking what you’re thinking already. We’ve only been here ten minutes, and we haven’t got time for that.”
Devan sampled Zio’s emotions. Irritation was his baseline, impatience, frustration, but there was heat there too, a different kind to the inferno Devan felt when they were together, but still. “Am I missing something?”
“No,” Zio snapped in synchro with Danielo’s deepening smirk. “Just this clown can never be dissuaded from getting his dick wet. Doesn’t seem to matter where we are or what’s at stake.”
He turned on his heel and stormed away. Devan shifted his curiosity to Danielo.
The young wolf shrugged. “Zio needs to chill out. Before Emma died, he had no issue cutting loose when we had the chance. Needed it as much as the rest of us. We’ve been fighting a long time.”
Comprehension clicked in Devan’s brain. “You’re lonely and jacked up by war, so you find comfort in each other.”
It wasn’t a question, but Danielo nodded. “Something like that. I’m not saying we have non-stop orgies when we should be working, but there isn’t exactly much to do around here.”
“And being together is safe, yes?”
“Yes.”
It made sense. Devan had heard of such things in shifter packs before and always envied the sexual freedom—the ability to take pleasure without consequence. He imagined what it would be like with Zio, if Devan was as Danielo seemed to be to him—a pack mate who’d always be there, no matter what. A friend he could explore and enjoy without complication or fear. Devan pictured them in Zio’s bed, no stress or hard limits. Zio open and relaxed, uplifted by his desire for Devan, not rigid with ingrained distrust.He pushed Zio onto his back and spread his legs, trailing fingertips through the sweat beaded on Zio’s heated skin as he brought his length to where Zio wanted him most. Zio—
Danielo chuckled, drawing Devan from his fantasies. “You should definitely try it while we’re here, if you find yourself in need of a distraction.”
“A distraction from what?”
“From whatever’s putting that look on your face.”
* * *
Another day, another treetop hideout. But this time for strategic importance rather than Devan’s natural instinct to sit back and watch.
He tracked the team of northern soldiers as Zio led them through the undergrowth towards the enemy group approaching from the east.
The attack had been expected and was predictable in its nature. Devan had learned that about the southern packs—that what they gained by their greater numbers, they lacked in imagination. It was one of many reasons Varian’s pack had resisted them for so long. Another was undeniably the superior abilities of the elite combat squad.