23. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

S eryn was up to something. Mitchell wasn't sure what, but whatever it was, he was keeping closed mouthed about it. He intended to leave the house. Mitchell knew that much because of the clothing he wore. He wore black pants that hugged his sweet little ass and a thin silky shirt, but it was the duster hanging over one of the kitchen chairs that clued Mitchell in.

Mitchell didn't question him. He didn't need to. All he had to do was wait Seryn out and stare at him as if he knew what was rolling round in Seryn's head even though he didn't. In truth, Mitchell was clueless. The only thing Seryn gave away was his emotion, and that was nervousness.

Seryn squirmed on the bar stool as if his ass hurt. It might have. After bending Seryn over the bike, they'd made love two more times before calling it a night. It was the best sex of Mitchell's life, hands down. But all that glorious sex wasn't what made Seryn antsy.

Mitchell whipped the eggs until they were frothy. He liked adding sour cream when he scrambled eggs. It made them creamier. The bacon was in the oven, crisping. All he had to do was pretend the eggs needed more whisking so he could continue their little game.

Any time now.

Seryn bit his bottom lip harder than he should have. It was as if he were trying to keep from spilling the beans on whatever he had planned. And then he took a sip of his coffee but drank just a little before he put the mug down. "I forgot. I don't like coffee that much."

"You forgot? Do you want tea or juice instead?" Mitchell would drink it. No problem.

"Juice."

Mitchell went to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice. Thankfully, it was fully stocked, but it wasn't stocked for four people. Mitchell would have to get to the store for more supplies in the next couple of days. He pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured some for Seryn before putting it back.

Seryn smiled. "Thanks."

"You've been drinking coffee the entire time we've been together. And you need at least two cups before you're pleasant in the morning."

"I'm never pleasant."

"Non-murderous. Whatever."

"Needing it and liking it aren't the same thing."

His stare unnerved Seryn. Their brief conversation didn't change that. "What?"

Mitchell almost smiled, but he told himself not to cut Seryn a break until after he confessed. "You know 'what'."

Seryn sighed. His shoulders slumped, and he glanced away. "Daruss is coming by."

"Are Jude and Raylee coming too?"

Seryn shrugged. "Probably."

"I'd like them too. Maybe we can all go swimming."

Seryn met his gaze again. "You, Jude, and Raylee can swim. Daruss and I are going hunting."

Mitchell raised his eyebrows. "Who are you hunting?"

"Whoever is left of the Chained Devils. One of them knows something about where the guns are."

If anyone knew anything about the mess Terrell made, it was Stan, because he always cleaned it up. "Stan—"

"Is dead. Few of the Chained Devils are alive."

"There's a guy named Archie. He's the type who blends into the background. He liked to be rough with women. I'm told he even raped a few. He sort of lurked around sometimes, hiding in closets and shit like that. He might have heard or seen something."

Seryn nodded. "I'll hunt him down first."

"And bring him to me, Seryn. Understood."

Seryn frowned. He didn't like that. "I can question him, Mitchell."

"I know you can, but it's my mess to clean up."

Seryn stiffened. "You don't trust me."

Mitchell leaned over the counter, trying to get closer to Seryn. If they were going to fight over this, then he wanted to make his point very clear. The only problem was the island was too wide to be effective.

So, Mitchell walked around it and bent down to get eye level with Seryn. "I trust you with my life. Trust isn't what this is about. It's about me fixing my own problems."

Seryn smiled. It was the empty one that meant he would do whatever he wanted, regardless of what Mitchell said. "You can't tell me no this time, Mitchell."

"That's Daddy to you, boy. And I'm not telling you no. You can go on your little hunting trip. All I want is to question Archie. And you will give me the opportunity, Seryn. You. Will. Or there will be consequences."

Seryn sucked in a breath. His eyes widened. He hopped off the stool and stepped away from Mitchell as if he were suddenly scared of him. "I don't want to be punished."

"I said consequences, not punishments." Mitchell didn't step closer. Seryn needed to come to him. "I'll never hurt you, sweetheart. You know that."

Seryn averted his gaze. "What consequences?"

"Me going with you, for one. And then never leaving my sight again." Mitchell sighed. Seryn obviously didn't trust him. It wasn't the other way around. "I'm not asking for that much. It's my problem. And I love you for wanting to protect me. God knows you're more capable than most. But it's still mine to fix."

Somewhere in what Mitchell said made Seryn take notice. His gaze snapped to Mitchell as if Mitchell had slapped him. Seryn just stood there, blinking at Mitchell as if he were seeing him for the first time.

"What? What's wrong?"

"You said you loved me."

Todd came into the kitchen through a door that led out to the backyard and the pool area. The guesthouse was just beyond the pool area. He took one look at them and turned the other way.

"I meant it."

"I can feel it." Seryn rubbed his chest as if it ached. "No one has ever said it before."

"Then you need to hear it all the time." People were cruel. Mitchell's new mission in life was to make sure Seryn never had to experience cruelty ever again. "I love you, Seryn."

Seryn closed the distance, hugging Mitchell. "I love you too. I think."

Mitchell kissed the top of his head. "It's okay if you don't recognize it. Maybe after you get back from your hunt, we'll talk some more."

"That would be helpful. And can we talk about what it feels like to be annoyed? Because I'm pretty sure I was annoyed with you just now."

Mitchell chuckled. "We'll talk about the difference between annoyance, frustration, and anger."

Seryn sucked in a breath. "Maybe I was frustrated."

"Not angry?"

Seryn shook his head. "I can't be angry with you."

People entered the room. Mitchell's back was to them, so he wasn't sure who it was. All he heard was shuffling feet until Jude said, "I don't know. Mitchell has a knack for pissing people off."

Mitchell held up his middle finger in Jude's general direction, making Jude snort.

Seryn lifted away and shook his head. "I'd never hurt you like that."

Mitchell cupped Seryn's cheek. "I know you wouldn't."

"Who said anything about hurting someone? I thought you were talking about being mad at Mitchell. And believe me, Mitchell is very capable of making someone mad, including you, Seryn."

Seryn turned that fake smile onto Jude. "When I get angry, I hurt people."

Mitchell drew Seryn over to his stool. "We'll work on not killing people when you're angry."

"Can it be after I kill everyone who has ever hurt you?"

"Sure, baby."

"Thank you, Daddy." Seryn kissed Mitchell before he sat on the stool again. He seemed satisfied with himself.

I love you.

Seryn's smile was genuine. I know. I think I might love you, too.

That was good enough for Mitchell.