Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Page 22

  Roth gave him that look again. Gareth continued to ignore it.

  Dewey merely nodded, still looking more than a bit stunned by everything that had happened. Fortunately, the pub was close by, and Roth got the door for the both of them. Gareth chuckled a bit as Dewey looked around. “It’s just a bar.”

  “Well, yes, this is just a bar. Come on.”

  They walked to the stairs and climbed up. Dewey kept looking around as if he were expecting something or someone to jump out at him, or else he was going to wake up and find it all was a dream. Gareth leaned over and pinched his arm.

  “Ow! What was that for?”

  “You ain’t dreaming,” said Gareth, as Roth knocked and opened a door.

  Kai was sitting behind his desk, scribbling on paper.

  “You know, you could always use that computer,” said Gareth, gesturing at a machine that looked like it hadn’t been turned on in years.

  “Bah,” Kai raised his head and took in Dewey. “Who is this?”

  “This is the foundling,” said Roth. “Turns out he was looking for us.”

  Dewey looked a bit scared of the gray-haired old warrior behind the desk. Gareth nudged him forward. “This is Dewey Hasgood. Tell Kai here what you told us.”

  Swallowing, Dewey repeated what he’d told them earlier.

  Kai nodded. “Let me see this box.”

  Dewey took his backpack off and opened it up. Carefully he drew out the box and set it on the desk.

  Kai’s eyebrows made a break for his forehead. “Oh, this can’t be,” he said softly, lifting the lid. “You said your Granny gave this to you?”

  “Yes,” said Dewey. “What is it?”

  “Something very old, and very powerful. I need to talk to the council. Roth, Gareth, get him settled in here.”

  “Is there room?” asked Roth, “I thought we were nearly full?”

  Kai was still looking at the open box. “He’s an omega, set him up with you.” He picked it up and went through a side door before any of them could argue.

  Gareth shrugged. “Well, come on Dewey, I guess you’re with us.”

  “What does an omega mean?” asked Dewey, worrying his lip.

  “When it comes to the clan, there are alphas and omegas. And a few betas, who are neither, but there’s not many. Traditionally, each alpha takes an omega.”

  “Takes.... like what, mates?” Dewey stepped back from them.

  Roth sighed. “Gareth and I are mated to each other,” he said. “Nobody is going to force you to do anything. Some clans do, which is probably why your father took you and left. When he realized you were Omega, he probably didn’t want you to fall into the same life he had. And it sounds like his old clan had him killed for it. But we’re not that way, and never had been.”

  Dewey looked between them and licked his lips.

  “Look, Dewey,” said Gareth. “We aren’t going to hurt you. If we wanted to, we would have done so already.”

  Roth stomped on Gareth’s foot.

  “Ow!” Gareth shoved him back.

  “Would you stop trying to scare him?”

  A laugh startled them both, and they looked at Dewey. “Fine,” said the Omega, “you’re married. I can see that. Where’s this room I’m staying in?”

  They soon had him settled in, and Gareth brought him some dinner. Roth went to take care of some other business, leaving them alone.

  “So you two have grown up here, together?” asked Dewey.

  “Yeah. Roth’s father is the head of the council, and his older brother is following in those footsteps. I was found as an orphaned kid and brought here, raised by the clan. So I was in your shoes once, just at a much younger age.”

  “So what does a werewolf look like?” asked Dewey. “Do you need a full moon, or something?”

  “No. Once you’re trained, you can transform at will. But it’s easier when the moon is full.” Gareth stepped back and pulled his ponytail free. He took a breath and kept Dewey’s gaze as he called on the shift within himself. His body spasmed, and he could feel the muscles and bones changing, but by now he was used to the feeling of the shift, and he was able to continue to hold Dewey’s eyes, even as everything else changed. Hairy arms turned to fur and a tail dropped behind him, a bit of a snout in the front.

  Dewey’s eyes went wide, but to his credit he didn’t run off, or even back up that much. When everything was done, Gareth took a few steps forward and knelt down so Dewey could touch and feel.

  “I can do that?” he asked, breathless.

  “You can learn. It’s already in you, but it’s dangerous to change without training. You could hurt yourself, or lose control and hurt others. We’ll get you started with training probably tomorrow. I know it’s a lot to take in right now, but once you learn, you’ll be surprised what you can do.”

  Gareth took a deep breath and shifted back, stretching his neck as he returned to human form. He looked up at Dewey and found the slight, blond Omega to be oddly attractive. Perhaps there was something to this whole omega and alpha business after all. Well, he wouldn’t say or do anything about it until he’d talked to Roth, and they’d worked things out with Dewey. Nobody in this clan did anything they didn’t want to do.

  “I’ll get you a bed for the night,” said Gareth. “I’m assuming you don’t want to squeeze in with Roth and me.”

  Dewey blushed slightly, “No, I don’t think that would be good,” he said.

  “You’d be surprised,” said Gareth, squeezing his shoulders and going to see about a cot.

  Chapter 4

  Dewey watched him go, wondering if Gareth had been flirting with him. He ate while he waited for the slightly older man to get back, still trying to absorb everything he’d seen and heard today. Roth stepped in before Gareth got back and looked seriously at Dewey. “We need to get you trained as soon as possible.”

  “Okay,” said Dewey slowly. “You seem troubled.”

  “That dagger is attached to a prophecy. They council is looking into it.”

  “The council what?” asked Gareth, carrying in a cot and finding a place for it.

  “The dagger. They’re looking into it.”

  Dewey shook his head and moved to perch on the cot. “Thank you, though. For everything.”

  “Don’t thank us yet,” said Roth. “Things may not be as easy as we’d hoped.”

  Dewey slept fitfully, but his dreams were quieter than they’d been for a long time. Gareth nudged him awake and led him out to get some breakfast. Roth was apparently already gone. They went down to the pub, and he was surprised by the others. Some were families, some were obviously getting ready for a day of work. There were a few looks his way, but he found he was left alone.

  Gareth smiled at him. “Don’t worry, everyone here is friendly. Just getting ready for their days. I’m going to start training you after breakfast, see if I can get you up to speed on this whole werewolf thing.”

  Dewey swallowed. “Sure.”

  Gareth squeezed his shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

  Still, Dewey was wary as Gareth led him down into the basement. They passed alcohol stores and went down another hallway with a few doors. It all felt a little bit like a dungeon, and it didn’t help when Gareth opened one door, gestured Dewey inside, and locked it behind him.

  “Um....” he said.

  Gareth gave that easy grin. “It’s for safety. I’m going to teach you how to change, but if something goes sideways, we can’t have you going on a rampage or something.”

  “What if I hurt you?”

  Baring his teeth, Gareth shook his head. “You won’t.”

  To his surprise, Dewey found that Gareth’s instructions made sense, and weren’t so different from the meditation class he’d taken the previous summer. Mostly it was just a matter of putting his mind to it and accepting the change. It took most of the morning, but as they neared lunch, Dewey suddenly found his body shifting around him. He yelped and Gareth grabbed his hands, holding his e
yes through it.

  “There you go,” said Gareth. He was currently in his werewolf form himself.

  “Holy crap,” muttered Dewey.

  Gareth laughed. “Get a feel for it. This is your first time, but before long it’ll be natural as breathing.”

  Dewey focused and found himself shifting back. It was an oddly disappointing feeling.

  The next few days went much the same. Gareth started to teach him to fight, both as a werewolf and as a person. Which he found rather ridiculous. “Look at me, I’m short,” said Gareth. “Not much taller than you. If I can learn to fight, so can you.”

  Dewey rolled his eyes, but raised his fists again to practice.

  When Gareth wasn’t teaching him to fight and change, Roth was teaching him about the clan. “There are a number of clans out there. We came from Welsh and Irish that came over at the turn of the century, and can trace our lineage back more than a thousand years. Not everyone born in the clan has the Gift, but we all take care of each other no matter what.”

  “It’s all fascinating,” said Dewey, looking over some very old books Roth had brought out. “And the council is chosen?”

  “Right. It’s quite often hereditary. But it’s also not a guarantee. There have been council members removed for their actions, and it will happen again, I am certain. We all have a place in the clan, whether it’s Council or Barkeep or Storykeeper.”

  Dewey smiled at him. “I like it. I...feel safe here.”

  “You are,” said Roth, smiling warmly at him. Roth felt his stomach do that same flip it did when Gareth looked at him.

  “So you and Gareth, you’ve just….always been together?” he asked.

  “More or less. Two alphas together isn’t all that common, but we’ve been given blessing by the council.” Roth watched him carefully. “Not that I think either of us would be opposed to you joining with us.”

  Dewey blushed. “I...I don’t want to get in the way.”

  “You wouldn’t. Surely you’ve felt the same pull towards as we have towards you.” Roth covered Dewey’s hand with his own. “We won’t force you into anything, but I know I speak for both of us when I say that you would be welcome.”

  Dewey looked up at him and licked his lips. It was certainly an attractive proposition. Over the last few weeks he’d gotten to know them both very well, and while Gareth was certainly quicker with a smile or laugh, Roth had a steady strength to him that was just as attractive. “I... think I would like that.”

  Roth took his hand and led him upstairs. Dewey was unsurprised when Gareth joined them a few moments later. They sat him on the bed between them. “You alright with this?” asked Gareth, resting a hand on his thigh. Roth leaned in on the other side to sniff at his throat.

  “I am. I trust you both.” Dewey had never given much thought towards men or women before this, but the attraction he felt for both Gareth and Roth was unmistakable.

  “We’ll take good care of you,” promised Gareth, tilting his chin towards him and kissing Dewey gently.

  Dewey hummed softly against his lips as Roth kissed his shoulder. “You’ve never done this, have you?” he asked.

  Dewey swallowed and shook his head.

  “We’ll be gentle,” said Gareth, reaching to tug his shirt over his head. On the other side, Roth started undressing himself, going to sit against the headboard, stroking his cock as he watched.

  Dewey’s heart raced. He took a deep breath, smelling both of them, remembering their promises and the way they both looked at him. Not like he was just something to be taken or claimed, but as if he were something that truly mattered and deserved affection. As if he were a missing piece that belonged between them.

  Gareth got Dewey’s pants off, and Roth tugged him back so he was against his chest. Dewey could feel his erection between them. Playfully growling, Gareth followed the movement and went down on Dewey all at once.

  Crying out, Dewey rocked against him. He had heard of this, and of course he’d touched himself, but it was all entirely different from Gareth’s mouth on him. Dewey was so focused on the warm, wet heat, that he didn’t even realize Roth had moved and grabbed a bottle until he felt slick fingers pressing up against him.

  “If it’s too much or you want us to stop, all you have to do is say so,” said Roth in his ear.

  Dewey shook his head. “No, don’t stop, please.”

  Roth chuckled and kissed his neck, holding him in place.

  Gareth pulled away just as he started to think Dewey was getting close. Gareth kissed the younger man, and then there was Roth, pressing up Dewey’s knees. “I’ll go slow,” he promised.

  Dewey cried out in pleasure. Roth held him in place, whispering comfort in his ear as Gareth moved inside of him. Dewey had never felt so helpless or so full or so good all at once.

  Gareth’s breaths turned ragged and his thrusts a little less steady. Roth took a hold of Dewey’s cock and brought him over the edge, crying out and spilling between them. Gareth came at the same time, making Dewey moan as he was filled.

  The three of them lay down together, a tangle of limbs and Dewey between them. “Roth? You didn’t...”

  “It’s fine. Later,” Roth kissed his throat and held him close. Dewey was soon fast asleep.

  Chapter 5

  Gareth woke first. He shifted and smiled down at Dewey between them. Leaning across the omega, he leaned in to kiss Roth.

  Roth blinked awake and kissed him back. “Love you.”

  “Love you too.” Gareth leaned back and ran his fingers through Dewey’s hair. “Have fun?” he asked Roth.

  “Quite. I know you did. He is good for us, I think.” Roth cupped Dewey’s hip. The smaller man moaned softly.

  Gareth chuckled and kissed Roth again. “I know how you are first thing in the morning. Why not go ahead and wake him up, I’ll see about getting us breakfast. I don’t mind.”

  Roth studied his face a moment and nodded. “All right.”

  Gareth smiled and got up, getting dressed quickly while Roth kissed Dewey awake. He left as Dewey wrapped his arms around Roth’s neck.

  As he walked down the hallway, Gareth was almost surprised to find he wasn’t feeling jealous. He and Roth had always been more than close, but Dewey just seemed to fit perfectly with them. Maybe the stories about alphas and omegas were true. He and Roth had been happy before, but having Dewey around just made it better, deeper, somehow.

  Just as he got down the stairs, Kai nearly ran into him. “There you are. I need to speak to the three of you.”

  “Roth and Dewey are busy,” said Gareth.

  Kai made a face that said he didn’t want to hear anything further than that. “Fine, then, come with me, and you can explain to them when they’re done.”

  They went into Kai’s office, and the old warrior picked up the box and set it gently on the desk. “This writing prophesies the fall of a clan. Not ours--clan Bertolf. If the dagger leaves the clan, it will fall.”

  “Well, if Dewey has had it since he was small… Bertolf is still around, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, but there has been some ferocious infighting. And if they find out about Dewey, or that the dagger is here, they will come after it. I suspect, from what Dewey told me, that his father made off with the dagger when he escaped the clan. The witch that guarded him kept it hidden, but now that Dewey touched it, they can sense that it’s in the world again.”

  “Are they going to know it’s here?” asked Gareth, looking at the box.

  “Possibly. We may need to take the fight to them. Dewey is one of ours now, no matter who his parents were.” Kai’s voice was quiet.

  “What does the council say?” that was usually Roth’s question; Gareth never took much to be convinced to get into a fight.

  “They’re putting together a plan now. You and Roth will be in on it, don’t worry. Dewey will stay here with the guard.”

  “Okay. Thanks Kai. I promised them breakfast.” Gareth looked at the box another moment l
onger and turned to go.

  “Give this to Dewey,” said Kai, taking out the dagger. “It belongs to him by right.”

  “Okay.” Gareth slid it a little ways out of its sheath, admiring it for a long moment before sliding it back and taking it. “Thanks.”

  Kai waved him off and Gareth went down to fetch that promised breakfast. By the time he returned to the room, Dewey was curled up in Roth’s arms, looking utterly content. Gareth chuckled, and kissed one, then the other. “Eat up. We need to talk.”

  Roth raised an eyebrow, but helped Dewey get up and dressed while Gareth set the small table. Dewey winced a bit as he sat, but didn’t complain. As they ate, Gareth relayed what Kai had told him. He pulled out the dagger and handed it to Dewey. “I’ve taught you the basics on how to fight. You’re not staying here alone; the home guard will be here too, of course.”

  Dewey nodded, looking a little bit worried, but clearly understanding. “Long as you two come back I’ll be happy. You make me feel like I have a family.”

  “Well you do,” said Roth. “You’re ours, and I hope that’s okay.”

  “More than,” said Dewey. “I just don’t want to come between you.”

  “You won’t,” promised Gareth, “and you haven’t. “

  Dewey smiled and nodded, finishing his breakfast.

  Afterward, Roth gave Dewey some books to read, and he and Gareth went to see the Council. Plans were being drawn up to attack the other clan that very night. Bertolf had apparently been acting even more out of control then was their reputation. They’d always had a bit of a reputation for darkness, but the clan had tolerated their presence in the city for a long time. As long as they both stuck to their own territories, things were more or less fine. But lately they hadn’t been abiding by that. There were already reports that they’d been seen on streets that belonged to other clans.

  When the meeting was finished, Roth took Gareth outside and down to a coffee shop they both liked. “I’m worried about leaving Dewey at home tonight.”