Chapter Three

Davey supposed that some people would consider him an idiot for doing the same thing again and again without getting a different result, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that did was that he was stuck in the village, unable to look for Evan. He had to find a way around that before something happened to Evan, and as far as he could tell, the only thing he could do was to convince Moore to let him go on future raids.

He hadn’t been allowed to go on the last one. He’d been on pins and needles the entire time the mutants were gone, then had rushed to them as soon as they returned home with the survivors. He’d looked at every single one of them, but Evan wasn’t there. He hadn’t been in that lab at all.

Davey hadn’t been allowed anywhere near the documents Moore had found at the facility, but there’d been enough gossip that he knew they’d already found the location of another lab. Apparently, these two facilities had worked together, and Moore wanted to step in before the people at the second lab could realize something had happened.

This was Davey’s chance.

This time, instead of waiting for Moore on the sidewalk and cornering him in front of the diner, Davey had decided to go to his house. It might be a bad idea, but at least if Moore wanted to yell at him, he could do so without everyone sticking their noses into it. It wouldn’t be as easy for Davey to leave, but he hoped that Moore’s mate would be around to keep him calm.

That hope burned to the ground when Moore opened the door after Davey knocked. Davey hated how resigned Moore appeared, even though he was right to be because Davey was here to bother him.

“Should I let you in?” Moore asked.

“I don’t know. Do you want to let me in?”

“I’m going to be pissed, aren’t I?”

“There’s nothing that says that you have to be pissed. You could just say yes and let me come on the next raid.”

Moore stared at Davey for a moment. Davey expected to be told to fuck off, so he was surprised when Moore nodded and stepped aside. “Come in.”

“Are you sure you want me to?”

“Not really, but I’m done with this.”

Davey sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?”

“Just come in. You’re here, aren’t you? Knowing you, you’re not going anywhere until I give you what you want, but I won’t consider it until you give me answers.”

Dammit. Davey wasn’t here to give Moore answers. He was here to convince Moore to let him go on the next raid. “There are no answers to give. I want revenge, and the only way to obtain it is to burn all of these facilities to the ground,” Davey said as he stepped into the house.

It was silent, which meant that Moore was alone, which in turn meant that he’d be able to focus on Davey. He wouldn’t be distracted by his mate hanging around.

That didn’t bode well.

“Kitchen,” Moore ordered.

He walked past Davey, and the only thing Davey could do was follow him.

He did. He walked into the kitchen right behind Moore and watched him make a beeline for the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup, then gestured at one of the cupboards, but Davey shook his head. The last thing he needed was more caffeine.

“Sit down,” Moore ordered quietly.

Sometimes, when Davey was angry, he wondered who had made Moore the boss of him and the other mutants.

It had been him and the other mutants. They’d decided together that Moore would be a good leader, and they’d been right. No matter how angry Davey got, he couldn’t deny that.

He just needed to find a compromise with Moore.

“You already know why I’m here,” he offered.

“I do,” Moore confirmed. “But I’d like to hear it from you. You know, just in case a miracle happened.”

Davey snorted softly. “No miracles. I want to be allowed on the next raid.”

Moore stared for a moment before pushing away from the counter. He pulled away the chair opposite Davey from the table and sat into it, still staring. He took a sip of coffee, then another, until Davey wanted to scream.

“Why are you so obsessed with this?” Moore asked. “I understand wanting revenge. We all do. I understand wanting to take down the scientists and nurses, to burn down the facilities, and to ensure that no one else gets hurt, but there’s something more for you in all of this. It’s like you’ve been looking for something.”

Davey glanced down. He didn’t want to lie to Moore’s face.

“So you have been looking for something,” Moore murmured. “Or someone?”

Davey knew he shouldn’t look up, but he couldn’t stop himself from doing just that. For a second, his gaze crossed with Moore.

“Who was it, Davey? Who did you lose in that lab?”

Davey buried his face in his hands. He’d never intended to talk about Evan with anyone, let alone Moore. What if Moore decided that what Davey had done was bad enough that he shouldn’t be on their team anymore? What if he got Rikar to kick him out of the village and the tribe? Davey had only ever wanted to get Evan back, but he’d settled into this life. He hadn’t changed his mind about Evan—of course he hadn’t—but he wanted them to have a home when he finally found him, and they wouldn’t if he got kicked out.

“You need to talk about this,” Moore continued. “Now that I know something’s wrong, I won’t let you get away with not talking. It’s weighing heavily on you, and it’s pushed you into making mistakes that resulted in you being shot. I don’t know what happened to you, but it’s still tearing you apart, and I’d do anything to protect you from that. Talk to me. I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you want.”

Davey sniffed. “Not even your mate?”

“Not even him. This is your secret, and I’ll keep it.”

Davey really didn’t have a choice. He could only pray that Moore would forgive him.

“Evan and I grew up together,” he said. It was the first time in decades that he talked about this, but the feelings were just as fresh as they had been back then. “We were neighbors. His family moved in when we were eight, and we went to the same school. We became fast friends, and that never ended. He’s more like a brother than any of my siblings, even though I haven’t seen him in so long.”

Moore slowly nodded. “I understand the feeling.”

“It was my fault we were taken. I was stupid, and I followed a guy at a club. I thought it would be just sex, you know? I didn’t think anything of it, but Evan knew. He followed us, and he walked in on the guy throwing me into the back of a van. I’ve never found out who the guy was, but I suspect he was a hunter. His friends, too. Anyway, he threw me in the back of the van, and since Evan tried to stop him, he did the same to him. We were in the same lab for a while, and there was nothing I could do to help him. I had to watch as he was tortured.”

Davey’s tongue felt too big for his mouth. He wanted to cry, but at the same time, he felt he owed it to Evan to be strong. If he wasn’t, who would rescue Evan? Who would find him and ensure he was safe?

“One day, one of the nurses forgot to lock my cage,” he continued, looking down at the table. He traced a scratch in the wood with his fingertip. “I snuck out, and I tried to open Evan’s cage, but I couldn’t. He told me to run, that I’d come back for him, and I promised him I would.”

Davey pressed his lips together. How was he supposed to explain the rest? How was he supposed to tell Moore that because of him, something had happened to his best friend?

“You didn’t go back?” Moore asked gently.

“I did, but it was too late. He wasn’t at the facility anymore. They’d transferred him, and I’ve been looking for him ever since. That’s why I have to go on every raid. That’s why I have to see every single survivor. One of them could be Evan.”

* * * *

Orion shook his hips to the rhythm of the music as he cleaned the counter. He was singing, too—badly because he couldn’t sing to save his life—but he didn’t care.

He was happy.

The bakery wasn’t open yet, but it would be soon. Orion had been baking up a storm, trying new recipes and consolidating old ones. The front of the store had been painted, and Rikar had ordered new furniture.

Everything was going well.

If Orion was more like Perseus, he’d be waiting for the other shoe to drop. In a way, he was. With the bakery still closed, there was a chance that things could still go wrong. Maybe no one would want to buy anything from a hunter. Maybe every single recipe he tried would be awful. Hell, the bakery could burn down. It almost had the other day, and it was only thanks to Davey that it was still in one piece.

That was a bit dramatic, but still. Things felt a bit too good to be true, no matter how many times Orion told himself he could relax.

“You’re going to make it rain with that caterwauling,” Perseus grumbled as he walked in.

Orion grinned at him. “That’s not possible.”

“Are you sure? Because it’s getting pretty cloudy out there.”

Orion threw his sponge at Perseus’s head and grinned back, and, for a moment, they stared at each other.

It did feel too good to be true, but Orion had to focus on the fact that he and Perseus were safe, and for the first time, they were free to do what they wanted with their lives.

Teddy came in behind Perseus, rolling his eyes as he walked around him. “Don’t listen to your brother. You have a lovely voice,” he told Orion, who snorted.

“I really don’t, and you don’t have to lie to me. I know my strengths, and singing isn’t one of them.”

“Baking is, though. Do you have any more of those pecan cookies?”

“Of course.”

He turned to grab one of the containers he’d ordered for the bakery. He quickly set it up, then took out the bin of cookies and filled the takeaway box.

“What’s new?” Perseus asked as he stole a cookie and stuffed it into his mouth.

Orion beamed. He hadn’t yet told anyone about Davey, but he couldn’t wait.

Perseus blinked, possibly because of how blinding Orion’s smile was. Orion had never been good at keeping secrets, and today wasn’t any different. The only reason he hadn’t yet spilled the beans was that he hadn’t seen his brother in a few days.

Perseus and Teddy were still very much in the honeymoon phase, so they spent a lot of time together. It felt odd not to be as close to Perseus as Orion had been once, but he didn’t mind. Teddy made his brother happy, and that was all he’d ever wanted for Perseus. Besides, he’d been busy, too.

“Something happened,” Perseus said, pointing his finger at Orion before stealing another cookie.

Orion put the box in front of his brother so he could reach it more easily. “Something did happen,” he said, bouncing on his feet.

“Is it a good something?” Teddy asked.

“It’s the best something.”

“Just tell us,” Perseus said.

Orion and Davey hadn’t really talked about whether or not they would tell their friends about this, but Perseus wasn’t just a friend, and Orion wanted him to know.

Perseus was still worried about Orion. Orion was sure of that, even though his brother was now focused on Teddy. He wanted Perseus to know there was no reason for him to be worried and that he’d be all right.

It wasn’t like Orion needed a keeper, but for his entire life, he’d had one in Perseus. Perseus had kept their father away from Orion, had shielded him from as much violence as he could, and had protected him any time he needed to be protected. Even though he was only three years older, he’d taken his role as the big brother very seriously, and he still did. For most of their lives, it had just been the two of them, so it made sense that now that they could have more, they were having a hard time letting go of that. Having Teddy in his life helped Perseus, and now, Davey would do the same for Orion.

Hopefully, Perseus would feel better knowing that Orion wasn’t alone and that he had someone to watch his back. It was all he’d ever wanted for both of them, and they were about to get it. Perseus already had, and while Orion still needed to talk to Davey, he was sure he did, too.

“Well?” Teddy gently pushed.

“I burned some cookies the other day,” Orion explained. From the way they both frowned at him, he knew that wasn’t what they expected. His smile widened. “There was a lot of smoke, mostly because I also burned a towel.”

“Are you all right?” Perseus asked almost instantly.

Orion waved his worry away. “I’m perfectly fine. My white knight rode in and extinguished the fire.” When both Teddy and Perseus continued staring, Orion rolled his eyes. “Davey.”

Understanding dawned in Teddy’s expression. “He used his water manipulation ability.”

“He did. He saved the day, although not the cookies. And when the fire was gone, he realized I was his mate.” Orion dropped the bomb and pressed his lips together, waiting for the reactions that would come.

Teddy smiled instantly, but Perseus appeared to be in shock. He gaped at Orion, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe what Orion had said. To be fair, Orion couldn’t, either. He still hadn’t quite managed to wrap his mind around the fact that he had a mate.

Teddy stepped closer and wrapped Orion in a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” Orion said as he patted Teddy’s back.

“And of course, for Davey, too. I could never have imagined the two of you would end up together, but I’m glad you did. You both deserve a lot of happiness, and the fact that you’ll find it together is great.”

“You have a mate?” Perseus croaked.

“ You have a mate, so why can’t I have one?”

Perseus shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”

Orion pulled his brother into a hug. “I know you’re worried, but I don’t want you to be. I’ll be fine. I found my mate, and that’s a good thing.”

Thankfully, Perseus hugged him back. For a moment, Orion had thought he wouldn’t and that he’d demand an explanation. There wasn’t much Orion could tell him. He’d found his mate, and that was that.

Perseus turned to Teddy. “Who’s Davey? Have I met him?”

Orion laughed. “I’m sure you have, but if you haven’t, you’ll do so soon. But you don’t have to worry about me. You don’t have to keep protecting me.”

Perseus was frowning. “I’ve been protecting you my entire life.”

Orion hugged him again because how could he not? “I know that we had only each other for so long, and I’m grateful for everything you did for me, but it’s time for you to be happy and let go. Focus on Teddy and your relationship with him. Focus on building yourself a new life. I’ll do the same with Davey.”

Perseus was slightly more relaxed now, but Orion knew it would take him some time to truly accept all of this. That was fine with him. He understood why it was so complicated for Perseus, and he wouldn’t push him into something he wasn’t ready to do.

“Davey’s a good guy,” Teddy reassured Perseus. “He’s not going to hurt Orion.”

“He better not,” Perseus grumbled.

Orion looked at Teddy with a bit of desperation, but Teddy grinned at him and winked. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t step out of line,” he promised.

“Stop making promises you can’t keep,” Perseus snapped.

Teddy hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. “Who said I couldn’t keep it? I’m going to make sure you give Orion and Davey the time and space they need to get to know each other. You’ll be able to keep an eye on them from a distance, but that’s it.”

Perseus looked like he wanted to disagree, and Orion knew it would be an uphill battle, but it was a battle he was willing to fight because, at the end of it, he would be happy, and that was all he’d ever wanted.

* * * *

“I’m happy you told me about this,” Moore said.

Davey had expected Moore to berate him for abandoning his best friend, for not doing enough, and for not being the kind of person who should be on his team. He didn’t understand where these words were coming from, but he was glad for them. They gave him a bit of respite, and he sorely needed that.

“I wish I hadn’t been forced to,” he croaked.

“I’m sorry you felt like I was forcing you, but I’m even more sorry that you felt you couldn’t come to me or one of the others with this. We’ve all experienced loss, Davey. We all know what it was like to be in one of those labs. Why didn’t you tell us?”

Davey stared at his hands on the table. He wasn’t sure Moore could fully understand why he’d been freaking out so badly. He didn’t understand it himself.

“I’ve been blaming myself for what happened to Evan since I last saw him,” he explained. “I should have stayed with him. I should have found a way to get him out of that cage. I should’ve returned faster. I don’t even know if he’s dead or alive, and while part of me wants him to be alive somewhere so I can see him again, another part knows that if he is, he’s in pain and hurt and that he’s been tortured for years. I don’t want that for him, but I don’t want to lose him, either.”

One of Moore’s hands suddenly appeared in Davey’s field of vision. He placed it on top of one of Davey’s and squeezed it. Davey expected him to pull back, but he didn’t. He kept his hold on Davey as he continued talking.

“What do you think would’ve happened if you hadn’t left when you did?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I could have saved him.”

“Or maybe you would’ve been caught again and stuck back into your cage. Maybe you both would’ve been tortured for years. Do you think that’s what Evan would have wanted for you?”

“I know it isn’t, but how am I supposed to accept that? How am I supposed not to feel like I abandoned him?”

“I don’t know if you can. Those are very complicated feelings, and you’ve been bottling them up for a long time. You’ve been looking for him this entire time, right?”

“That’s why I always try to get into the cage room first. I need to know if he’s there.”

Moore didn’t say anything, but Davey was pretty sure he knew what he was thinking. It had been years, so what were the odds that Evan was alive? What were the odds that when Davey walked into the next cage room, he’d find his best friend waiting for him?

He couldn’t imagine what Evan’s life had been like. He’d experienced some of it, but they’d been together when he did. They’d always had each other’s back and supported each other as best as they could considering the circumstances, but that was before Davey left. After he had, Evan would have been completely alone. He wouldn’t have had any kind of support. He wouldn’t have had anyone who tried to check on his wounds and told him that everything would be okay, even though it was a lie.

He wouldn’t have had Davey.

“Now that I know about this, I’m going to do everything I can to help you find Evan,” Moore promised. “We can go over the documents again, and I’ll keep an eye open when we raid the facilities.”

“Does that mean I can continue working with you?”

Moore hesitated. Davey was sure he was going to say no, and he wouldn’t be wrong. Davey’s emotions were all over the place, and he’d been taking too many risks. Evan’s disappearance was a hard thing to get over, so hard that he wasn’t sure he ever would. He didn’t think he’d ever stop looking for Evan, either, not until he knew for sure what happened to him.

“Of course you can,” Moore said, surprising Davey. He let go of Davey’s hand and leaned back.

He’d been convinced that Moore was done with him. He was happy to see that wasn’t the case.

“But not right away,” Moore continued. “You’re emotional and not ready to return. I promise that I’ll look for Evan myself and go through all the documents I can find. I promise that I’ll leave no stone unturned to find him. But I can’t risk you, and I don’t think Evan would want me to. He told you to run because he loved you and he wanted you to be safe. Don’t take that from him. Don’t ruin your life and yourself because you feel guilty. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

Davey wasn’t sure he would ever be able to believe that, but he didn’t feel as heavy as he had before. Now that Moore knew, Davey found it was easier for him to breathe. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, and he didn’t think he would be until he knew what had happened to Evan, but it was a step forward.

They stayed silent for a while, and Davey basked in the feeling of not having to keep his secret anymore. He didn’t know what would come next, but he could accept staying back as long as Moore looked for Evan. There was no one he trusted more than Moore except for Orion, and the main reason he trusted Orion so much already was that they were mates.

“What’s got you smiling like that?” Moore asked, startling Davey.

He hadn’t been aware that he was smiling, but it made sense that he did. “I was thinking about Orion.”

Moore cocked his head. “Were you? I wouldn’t have thought that thinking about a hunter would bring a smile to your lips.”

“He does because he’s my mate.”

Moore blinked. “Is he?”

“I found out the other day. I don’t care that he was a hunter. He’s sweet and gentle, and I know he never would’ve hurt anyone if he hadn’t been forced to.”

“I agree, and I believe that we now know the reason why the brothers ended up here. If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have met you and Teddy.”

“I don’t know about that, but Fate put us together, and I want to honor that. I don’t care what he did in the past. I only want to focus on the future.”

“Which means you have to stop doing stupid things, because you won’t have a future if you don’t.”

“I promise I’ll be careful when you allow me to return.” Davey swallowed. “I feel guilty, you know? Here I am, living this great life, with a place to call home, friends, and now my mate, while Evan is in a cage somewhere, being hurt.” If not worse, but that wasn’t something Davey was willing or able to think about right now.

“He’s your best friend. He would want you to be happy, and whatever happened to him, I’m sure he knew you’re doing everything you can to get him back.”

“I know all of that, but it’s hard to believe sometimes.”

“Maybe you should talk to Orion about this. Was he happy when you told him he was your mate?”

“He was. He’s excited about the bakery, and I think he didn’t expect to meet his mate, too.”

Moore chuckled. “None of us do, but our mates find us when we most need them. Maybe that’s why you met Orion now.”

Or maybe Orion had needed Davey. Davey wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think it mattered. They’d met when they had, and they would be there for each other, whatever happened.

That felt good, too. Davey had Evan, then the other mutants, but he knew that with Orion in his life, no one would ever be able to hurt him. Orion wouldn’t let them. It was odd to feel so close to someone Davey barely knew, but he did, and he couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. In fact, maybe he should head over to the bakery and check in on Orion.

He got to his feet. “I think it’s better if I go.”

“You have a lot to think about,” Moore said as he followed Davey to the front door. “I’m glad you felt like you could tell me what happened with Evan, and I promise I’ll do my best to find him.”

“Your best might not be enough.” Davey’s best hadn’t been.

“But it also might be. I know it’s been years, but don’t lose hope.”

“Never.”

Moore squeezed his shoulder as he opened the front door. “But at the same time, allow yourself to live. Allow yourself to be happy.”

That was going to be the hard part of this.

* * * *

Teddy had finally managed to drag Perseus away from the bakery and Orion. He hadn’t had to try hard—it was still odd to see Perseus being so much in love with someone—but it had taken a while. Perseus was worried about Orion, no matter how many times Orion told him he didn’t need to be. He might only be twenty-three, but he was an adult, and considering the way he’d grown up, he considered himself more mature than a lot of adults. He’d been trained to fight since he was barely older than ten, and he’d seen death for the first time when he was sixteen. Over the years, he’d seen even more of it and had had to kill people. He would always regret that, and he still had nightmares, but he’d learned to accept the fact that there was nothing he could do to change the past.

Orion was aware that his brother had shielded him from a lot of things over the years. They’d both been hunters, but when their father had ordered Orion to do something, Perseus usually ended up doing it for him, especially when it was violent. Their father hadn’t known, because if he had, he would have taken it out on Orion and Perseus, but Orion knew how shielded he’d been, even though he was a hunter. He’d always be grateful to his brother for that, which was why he wanted Perseus to be happy and to stop worrying about him. He had a mate now, and that was who he should be focused on.

Trying to convince him of that was impossible. Perseus did what Perseus wanted, especially when it came to Orion. He was lucky that Teddy understood that and never got angry. Of course, Teddy was Perseus’s mate, which was probably why he’d accepted all of this so easily.

A knock on the back door made him look up. Teddy and Perseus had already come by, and even if they hadn’t, they didn’t knock. They just came in and started to help. It wasn’t them, but it might be Rikar, so Orion dried his hands and quickly went to open.

Davey stood just outside the door, looking nervous. It was kind of adorable, but Orion doubted that Davey wanted to hear that. Orion didn’t know him well yet, but he could tell that Davey didn’t think much of himself.

“Hey,” he said, stepping aside to let his mate in. “I didn’t expect you.”

“I can leave if you’re busy.”

Orion grabbed Davey’s wrist and pulled him inside. “I meant that I didn’t bake anything for you because I didn’t know you were coming.”

Davey relaxed. “I don’t need you to bake me anything.”

“It’s not a need. It’s a want. I want to bake things for you. I want to make you smile.”

Sure enough, Davey was smiling. Orion beamed at him and gently pushed him onto the stool he’d used the last time he’d come.

He looked like he belonged there, and Orion thought maybe he did. At the very least, he belonged with Orion, and Orion definitely belonged in the bakery.

Orion didn’t know why Davey was here, but he decided to give him a little time. He looked slightly overwhelmed, and Orion wanted to be his rock in the storm.

He grinned at his thoughts. He was sappy, and he loved it.

He poured Davey a glass of milk, placed a brownie on a plate, and deposited everything in front of Davey on the counter. Davey gave him a smile that told Orion that whatever was on his mind, everything would be okay.

“I spoke to Moore,” Davey said.

“Again?”

Davey grimaced. “I know. I shouldn’t be pushing so hard, but I need to get back out there.”

Orion didn’t know how that felt. He’d never wanted to go out there and be a hunter, but that wasn’t what Davey did. He saved people. He got them out of their cages and took them to a safe place to recuperate and call their families. He was a good person.

“I finally told Moore why it’s so important to me,” Davey continued in a soft voice. “It’s about my best friend.”

Orion had been cleaning the kitchen, so it wasn’t a problem for him to lean against the counter and listen to what his mate had to say. Nothing would burn as he did so, and he liked that he could focus entirely on Davey.

“We were captured together,” Davey said, his fingers playing with the corner of the brownie and reducing it to crumbles. “It was my fault. I was young and stupid and followed a guy out of a club. I thought we were going to make out in the back alley, but instead, he dragged me into a van. Evan followed us, so he was pulled into it, too.”

Orion wanted to tell Davey that it hadn’t been his fault, but he felt it was better to listen to what Davey had to say for now. Orion should let him finish his story. He didn’t have all the information yet.

“We were in the same lab for a while, in cages next to each other,” Davey continued. “Then, one day, my cage was left unlocked, and I managed to get out. I wanted to take Evan, too, but he told me to run and that I would return once I was safe. I promised him I would.”

Davey pressed his lips together. Orion didn’t know what to do because he’d never really taken care of anyone. It was usually Perseus who took care of him, and that was it.

But he felt he needed to do something. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Davey’s forehead, smiling when Davey blinked at him. “You went back,” Orion said.

It wasn’t a question. He was sure Davey had.

“I did, but it was too late. His cage was empty. He wasn’t anywhere in the facility, and I found out that he’d been transferred. I went to that facility, too, but he wasn’t there, and I lost track of him. I have no idea what happened to him.”

Davey’s voice broke. Orion slid closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, gently pulling him closer. Davey slumped against Orion’s leg and buried his face against Orion’s stomach, wrapping his arms around him.

In this position, Orion couldn’t hug Davey back, so he raked his fingers through Davey’s curls, trying to give him what comfort he could. “You’ve been looking for him ever since,” he said.

“Yeah. I go into as many facilities as I can and look for him in the cages, but I haven’t found him.” Davey sucked in a breath and pressed closer. “I don’t even know if he’s still alive,” he said, his voice muffled against Orion’s stomach.

“You can’t know for sure. What does your heart tell you?”

“My heart wants my best friend to be alive so I can bring him here and introduce him to my mate. He’d be so fucking happy to know I’ve met you.”

“He’ll be happy when you tell him. I know I can’t promise that everything will be all right or that he’s alive, but I don’t see why you shouldn’t hope. You survived the labs. Countless people survived them, and while it hasn’t been easy, they’re still here.”

“What if he’s dead? What if he died blaming me for what happened to him?”

“I don’t know him, but I don’t think he would do that. He’s your best friend. He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for what the scientists did to him. I’m sure he knew that you would come back for him. It was just bad luck that he was gone when you did.”

Davey looked up. “I’ll find him,” he promised.

Orion nodded. “I know you will.” Orion prayed that when he did, Evan would still be alive. If something had happened to him, it would be near impossible for Davey to find out.

Orion had never worked in one of the facilities, but as a hunter, he’d seen quite a bit of them. He’d talked to people who worked there, and he knew what happened in the operating rooms.

It would be a miracle if Evan had survived all this time and even more so if he was still sane. That wouldn’t stop Davey, though. As long as he wasn’t a hundred percent sure what happened to his best friend, he wouldn’t stop fighting.

Orion would fight with him.