Under Sean’s Protection by Lisa Oliver

Chapter Nineteen

By the time they pulled up to the mansion four hours later, Kyle was cold, hungry, exhausted, and horny. But there wouldn’t be time for anything, most likely, due to the situation at the Capitol. It was after midnight, and he’d spent most of the bike ride home starring at the stars, trying to take his mind off the events since he’d been taken.

He wearily climbed off the back of the bike, leaning on his mate. “I swear I’m so hungry I can smell pizza,” he said softly as they made their way inside.

“I can smell it too, and that shouldn’t be possible.” Sean’s hold on him tightened as he tugged Kyle along into the main living room stopping just inside the door.

Kyle couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw not only stacks of pizza boxes, some half full, littering the coffee table, but also Ranger, Levi, Marcus and Shadow sitting with their feet up inhaling slices. Cam was cracking a beer.

His mouth dropped open but before Kyle could say anything, like “what the fuck, or “did you save us any pizza”, he heard a familiar voice call his name. A voice he hadn’t heard for the longest time.

“Kyle!”

It was his brother, Michael, with his mom, on the other side of the room. Michael’s talking again and Mom’s…

“Mom…” he said, as he ran over hugging his younger brother. “You’re smiling.”

“What. The. Fuck?” he heard Sean say, as Ranger embraced him. “We were just about to mount a rescue mission for you guys.”

“How did you all get away from the council so fast?” Kyle gave Michael one more hug and then went back to stand at Sean’s side.

“We didn’t,” Marcus said as he tossed a beer to Kyle who just managed to catch it – he was really tired.

“Huh?”

“We didn’t get away,” Levi said with a grin covering half his face, “because we didn’t set foot in the Capitol.”

“But…” Kyle started to say, then didn’t know exactly how to continue.

“Kyle, my friend,” Marcus said as he reached for another slice of pizza, “you may be the catch of the century, but we weren’t about to give up our lives to help you out. That’s your mate’s job.”

“And we love you, Sean, like a brother,” Levi added, “but you’re not worth risking our mates for.”

Kyle looked up to see Sean tilt his head slightly, his eyebrows drawn together. Yeah, I’m feeling a bit like that too, Kyle thought. Fortunately, Ranger was happy to tell the story instead of talking in damn riddles and half sentences.

“We were all set to storm the palace, as it were,” Ranger said, “when Tron convinced us otherwise. He put the fear of the gods into us about what the council had up their sleeves to pull us all out of retirement, willing or no. When you called, Sean, and said you had a hunch as to Kyle’s whereabouts, it raised the possibility that if we went and were captured, it would all be for nothing if you saved Kyle in the meantime.”

Kyle pulled Sean to the couch and got to sit on his mate’s lap, listening intently to the story.

“Walking into their trap wasn’t an option,” Cam said.

“And risking your safety,” Ranger added, looking at Kyle, “wasn’t an option either. I thought of Aiden and said to myself no fucking way. If it were my mate who was at risk, I’d want you all to do everything you could to save him. So doing nothing wasn’t an option.”

“Speaking of Aiden,” Sean said, “where is he? And Tron? You guys are usually all joined at the hip.”

“They’re washing up,” Cam said as he took a bite of the slice of pizza Levi was holding.

“It was Aiden who came up with the Trojan Horse idea,” Ranger said.

“Trojan what?” Kyle asked.

“He thinks we’re talking about condoms,” Marcus sniggered to Shadow.

“Aiden suggested we send three decoys in, buy enough time to find out whether you were successful or not, Sean, and then…”

“… get back in time for pizza,” Tron said as he walked into the room wearing nothing but jeans with a towel around his neck.

“But we heard,” Kyle said, averting his eyes quickly. Tron was a massive man and had a lot of skin on display. “We heard you were caught. Janelle got the promised call from the council at sunset.”

“We were caught,” Aiden said, as he too came into the room, also with a towel around his neck although he was wearing a muscle shirt with his jeans. His face and hair glistened were still damp.

“But once they realized they had apprehended the Alpha of the neighboring territory,” Aiden continued as he helped himself to pizza, “they immediately apologized and let me go. Ranger was watching me from the shadows, so I was perfectly safe.”

“Yeah, they let me go pretty quickly too,” Tron said. “They knew better than to even fucking question me.”

“But we heard they had three of you,” Kyle said, “fitting the description, with tattoos under your eyes.”

“Your mom helped with that,” Ranger said, “She’s pretty handy with wigs and makeup.”

“Way to go mom,” Kyle heard Michael say as he high-fived their mother. It was great to hear his brother finding his voice again.

“Tron can pass for Levi at a distance,” Sean said, piecing it together, “they’re about the same size.”

“And Aiden stood in for Marcus, learning his walk and cracking stupid jokes all the while wearing four-inch heeled boots,” Tron said. “Again, with the right hair and makeup, and keeping our distance, we figured they’d buy it.”

“They weren’t expecting me at all,” Ranger said, “so I didn’t need a stunt double. I could just lurk in the shadows with these others making sure nothing went wrong.”

“And because you are simply unique, darling,” Aiden added, to which everyone laughed.

“So, who played me?” Sean demanded.

“Well, we needed someone older, for one thing,” Levi said.

“Ancient, really,” Marcus added.

“I’m not that old,” Sean protested.

“Who’d look convincing bald,” Tron continued, “but with sufficient bulk and strength while exuding a dangerous, quiet presence.”

“And, of course, someone who loved Kyle to the ends of the earth and back,” Aiden added.

Kyle blushed and squeezed Sean’s hand. Who could it be?

He looked back to his mom, who smiled again - Kyle was overjoyed to see that - and noticed his brother was no longer there.

“Wait. Where did Michael go?” he asked.

“To help his old man,” a voice said.

Kyle turned his attention back to the doorway. There, with a smudged mascara star still darkening the space beneath his left eye, a freshly shaved head and the remnants of a fake beard glued on with spirit gum, was Kyle’s father.

He sat tall and proud in his chair, which was being pushed by Michael.

“You did this for me, Dad?” Kyle’s voice cracked as his heart overflowed.

“Piece of cake, son,” his dad said, with a warmth in his voice Kyle hadn’t heard in far too long. “Conned those bastards big time and did it all sitting down, too.”