Chapter Two

Perseus couldn’t say he and Orion weren’t comfortable. They’d slept in worse places, including the cabin where Perseus had left Orion when he’d gone to kidnap Leon. He hadn’t known what to expect when Teddy had shimmered them to his leader, but considering what the hunters did to shifters and other paranormal people, he’d expected to be stuck in a hole or tortured. He’d known they wouldn’t be killed because these people wanted answers, but they could have made their lives hell. Instead, the cells they were in were comfortable as far as cells went, and the building was air-conditioned. They’d been given food, and while they were in two separate cells, there was only a hallway between the cells, so they could see each other.

That was all that mattered to Perseus. As long as he knew that his brother was safe and healthy, he couldn’t regret what he’d done. He’d apologize if he had the opportunity, but he’d do it again if it meant saving Orion.

From the way Leon had been with his boyfriend, Perseus thought he would understand. He’d probably be ready to do anything to save his man, just like Perseus was ready to do anything to save his brother.

The sound of a door opening and closing made Perseus jump from his bed. Orion just sat up, but he stayed on the bed and appeared relaxed. Perseus didn’t understand how he could be. He didn’t think he’d be able to relax until all of this was over.

The problem was that he didn’t know what would happen to them once it was.

Another door opened, this one leading to the hallway where their cells were located. The leader stepped in, quickly followed by another man. Perseus didn’t recognize him and was slightly disappointed. He’d been waiting to see Teddy again, but so far, the Nix had stayed away. It was probably for the best, but for some reason, Perseus couldn’t stop thinking about him.

The leader stopped in the hallway between the two cells. There were no walls, just bars, so he could see both Perseus and Orion. He watched them for a moment, and Perseus wondered what he was waiting for.

“My name is Moore,” the leader eventually said.

“I’m Orion,” Perseus’s brother said. “And that’s Perseus.”

Perseus narrowed his eyes at Orion and shook his head. Orion had always been too trusting. One day it would kill him, and Perseus would blame himself when it happened.

Orion snapped his mouth shut. It was clear he wanted to talk, but they didn’t know if they could trust these people. Moore would probably use them, then either torture or kill them. Perseus wouldn’t care if that was what they did to him, but if he could ensure his brother didn’t go through that, he would. Maybe he could bargain—Orion’s life for information on the hunters.

“What do you want?” Perseus asked, moving closer to the bars.

The second guy seemed a bit jumpy and stepped forward, but Moore raised a hand, stopping him.

Perseus examined the unknown man. He was taller than Perseus, but that wasn’t hard since Perseus was only five foot eight. But even though he was taller, he looked almost fragile. He was slim, and while he was fully dressed, Perseus couldn’t imagine there were many muscles under his clothes. It made his presence here strange. Surely the leader would have wanted someone who could watch his back and protect him if needed. This guy, with his messy brown curls and green eyes, looked like he couldn’t hurt a fly even if he tried.

“Answers,” Moore said. “Are you willing to give them to me?”

Perseus crossed his arms over his chest. “You already know why I kidnapped Leon. I needed him to heal my brother, and he did. I’m sorry I took him, but I didn’t hurt him.”

Moore’s expression was set, almost as if he didn’t feel anything. Perseus was pretty sure he was frustrated, though. Everyone but Orion was when they had to deal with him.

“How did you know about him and what he could do? How did you know about the village?”

Perseus pressed his lips together. He had nothing against Moore. In fact, he liked that the man stood up to the hunters and helped people. He doubted anything he could say would make Moore like him, though. To his eyes, he was a hunter, and he wasn’t wrong. Perseus was a hunter. He’d been one his entire life.

“Perseus,” Orion said.

Perseus shook his head. “I want to talk to Leon.”

Moore narrowed his eyes. “Why? Haven’t you hurt him enough already?”

“I didn’t hurt him. I only borrowed him, and nothing bad happened to him.”

Perseus wanted to apologize to Leon, but he doubted Moore would believe him if he explained that. Besides, he trusted Leon more than he trusted Moore. That didn’t make sense because he didn’t know either of them, but if he had to tell anyone how he knew about this village, he wanted it to be Leon. If anything, it would give him the opportunity to apologize and confirm that Orion was healthy.

Moore stayed for a while longer, asking questions that Perseus refused to answer. Eventually, he left, taking the other guy with him. Perseus only relaxed when he heard the sound of the outside door opening and closing again. He knew there had to be a guard there, but as long as there was no one in the hallway where the cells were, he could breathe easier.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Orion asked.

Perseus went to sit on his bed again. “Because we don’t know if we can trust him.”

Orion snorted. “Just like they don’t know if they can trust us.”

“They have all the power. We’re locked up. We can’t escape or do anything to them, but they could hurt us, and I won’t allow them to.”

Orion rubbed a hand on his face. “I know you’re worried about me, but I’m fine, and I don’t think any of these people want to hurt us. They want answers, but it would have been easy for them to torture us to get them, and they didn’t. I think that speaks volumes about them and who they are.”

“We can’t give them any information on the hunters. We need to keep that to ourselves so that if we go back, we won’t take them along with us.”

Orion stared at Perseus for so long that Perseus almost asked him what he was thinking. He knew, though. He could see the disappointment in his brother’s eyes, so he wasn’t surprised when Orion shook his head and looked away.

“We’re never going back, Perseus. We’re free. Why would you want to go back to the hunters when we finally managed to get away?”

“We might have managed to get away from them, but we’re not free. I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re locked up.”

“Because these people don’t know us. Maybe if we give them what they want, they’ll realize we’re not a danger.”

Perseus understood what his brother was saying, and he wanted to agree with him, but Orion had always been a dreamer. Perseus had to deal with reality, and it was bad.

They might be away from the hunters, but they had nothing.

“What do you think will happen when we tell them what they want to know?” he asked. “If we can’t go back to the hunters, where will we go? We don’t have any money. We have a van, and that’s it. We can’t find jobs because we never finished high school, and the only thing we can do is hunt. Who would hire us? I know you want to be free from the hunters, but I don’t know if we can ever be. If I have to choose between watching you starve and going back, I know what I’ll do.”

“I think that sometimes you forget that I’m an adult. I’m not incapable of making decisions, and I’m not an idiot. I know we don’t have much to offer, but even if it means I’m homeless, I’m not going back to the hunters. I’m done hurting people, and I know you are, too. I’m worried, but there’s no way I’m ever going back, so the only thing I can do is look forward. You need to accept that and do the same.”

Perseus swallowed. Orion was right. Perseus might want to keep the hunters as a backup plan, but there was no way they could go back. Even if the hunters took them back—which wasn’t a certainty—Perseus didn’t know if he could continue hurting people, and he was sure Orion couldn’t. He’d always had a soft heart. It was a miracle that he’d survived as long as he had with the hunters.

Now, they were out of there. They might not be free yet, but they were one step closer. Did it really matter that Perseus had no idea what they’d do once they were free? They didn’t have to go back to their father and the hunters, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

Orion would never have to hurt anyone again. He could finally be happy, which was all Perseus had ever wanted. Perseus just had to get them out of the cells, and it seemed like the only way to do so was to give Moore and his people what they wanted.

Information.

* * * *

Teddy needed to talk to someone before he lost his mind. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Perseus since he’d met him, but he still didn’t know what to do. Should he talk to him? Would being Teddy’s mate even matter to Perseus?

The man was a hunter. Teddy was sure of that, even though he’d barely talked to him.

He frowned. He didn’t think he’d actually talked to Perseus, come to think of it. He’d been in the same room as him and had heard him talk to others, but he didn’t think he’d even looked him in the eyes.

He sat up. He was tired of staring at the ceiling above his bed, but the problem was that every time he got up, he was tempted to go to Perseus. He hadn’t been sent on a raid lately because Moore had suspended raiding. He wanted to deal with Orion and Perseus, and he hoped to get information out of them so that the next raids would be more successful. Teddy agreed, but at the same time, not having anything to do was driving him nuts. He hadn’t liked it before, and he liked it even less now that every time he stopped moving, he obsessed over his mate.

He groaned and flopped back onto the mattress, grabbing his pillow and pressing it against his face. There he was again. Perseus kept sneaking into Teddy’s thoughts, and Teddy didn’t know how to deal with it. Part of him wanted it to stop, because he didn’t want a hunter as his mate, but another part of him couldn’t help but point out the good things he’d seen in Perseus.

He hadn’t seemed cruel or evil. He’d kidnapped Leon, but only because he’d needed help with his brother. The way he cared about Orion was obvious, and Teddy didn’t think he could hate someone who loved their brother so much.

At the same time, how could he not hate Perseus when Perseus was a hunter?

Teddy had siblings, both biological and not. He would kidnap someone to save them without thinking twice. He’d also done things that kept him from sleeping easy at night when he’d been in the lab and even more so after he’d left it. He’d wanted revenge, and the easiest way to obtain it had been to go after the people who’d hurt him.

That wasn’t the same as being a hunter. Teddy would have never hurt innocent people, and he didn’t plan to start anytime soon. That was what hunters did, though. They took people who had families, jobs, and full lives, dragged them to the labs, and abandoned them there. They knew what would happen to them, but they didn’t care because they viewed paranormal creatures as animals.

Teddy snorted. He didn’t know how they justified capturing Nix and even other humans, but they couldn’t use the excuse that they were animals. Teddy thought that was what it was—an excuse. Some hunters might truly believe that humans were the superior race or whatever, but most of them did it for the money, not because of their conviction that they were helping the world.

Teddy would never find a way out of this on his own. His mind and heart were torn between coming up with excuses to explain what Perseus had done as a hunter and never wanting anything to do with him. He had to make a decision, but he couldn’t, no matter how much he obsessed over it.

He needed another point of view.

He threw his legs to the side and sat up. He thought about going to Leon, but he was probably with Callum, and they needed time together. Even though Leon hadn’t been hurt, they’d both been terrified when he’d been kidnapped, and Teddy didn’t want to bother them.

He had more than one friend, so he didn’t have to think hard. He put on his shoes, grabbed his phone, and headed out.

He wasn’t sure where to find Hayes, but he was probably at home. If he wasn’t, Teddy would call him.

He heard the screeches as he reached the house, but he wasn’t worried, because Samara was also giggling. He watched her as she popped out from behind a bush, saw him, waved, and disappeared back into the bush. Hayes ran around the corner of the house, laughing. “Where are you?” he called out.

The bush giggled, and Teddy watched as Hayes slowly stalked closer.

It was odd to see Hayes like this. Teddy had never imagined his friend would become a father, but he and Rikar had adopted Samara and had never looked back. They were the best fathers the little girl could have, and she was slowly getting over the trauma of what had happened to her in the lab.

Hayes launched himself into the bush. Samara screeched and tried to run away, but Hayes hauled her into his arms and tickled her. She wiggled as she laughed, and Hayes almost dropped her. That was when he looked up and noticed Teddy. “Hey. I didn’t see you there. Has something happened?”

Teddy shook his head. “I’m fine. I just need to talk, and I don’t want to bother Leon.”

Hayes put down Samara. “Come in.”

Teddy was stunned when Samara darted forward to hug him. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was the first time she’d felt comfortable enough to do that. He watched as she ran inside the house, blinking as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that she trusted him.

“She’s been doing a lot better lately,” Hayes said. “I think she finally believes that she’s not going to lose all of this.”

“That’s good,” Teddy croaked.

“It is. Let’s go inside.”

Teddy could hear Samara deeper in the house, talking to someone. He didn’t know if Rikar was home, but it was either him or she was talking with her toys, which was also possible. She’d been alone in a cage for a long time, and Teddy had noticed she tended to talk to inanimate objects often. He didn’t blame her. He remembered the loneliness of being locked up entirely alone except for scientists for weeks at a time.

Hayes guided Teddy into the kitchen and waved to the table. “What’s going on?”

Teddy sat, but Hayes didn’t. Instead, he started making tea. Teddy hoped it would help calm him, but he doubted anything could at this point.

When Hayes eventually sat, Teddy still didn’t know how to tell him what was happening. Thankfully, Hayes knew him, so he didn’t push.

“You have to promise you won’t tell anyone about this,” Teddy warned him.

“I do. You’re worrying me, Teddy. This sounds more serious than I thought it would be.”

“It is in a way, but no one’s in danger.”

Hayes looked only partially reassured. He waited for Teddy to speak, but now that he was here, Teddy was finding it hard to find the words.

He decided he just needed to come out with it. If he wanted Hayes to help him, he needed to know what was happening.

He screwed his eyes shut and sucked in a breath. “It’s Perseus. He’s my mate.”

Hayes stayed silent. Teddy felt ridiculous not looking at him, so he opened his eyes to find his best friend staring. He wasn’t sure if it was shock or if Hayes was already thinking about the implications.

“You punched your mate,” Hayes eventually said.

Teddy groaned. “I did it before I realized he was my mate. It was instinct. When he moved toward Callum, my only thought was that I needed to protect my friend’s mate. I punched Perseus, then took a good look at him.”

Hayes snickered. “It’s the worst meet-cute anyone could want.”

“It’s not funny,” Teddy grumbled, but it kind of was.

Hayes tapped his fingertips on the table. “I see why you’ve been worried. This is a complicated situation.”

“It is, and I don’t know what to do. Even if I ignore the fact that he’s a hunter, what’s going to happen after Moore gets what he needs from Perseus and Orion? They’ll have to leave, but I can’t. This is my home, and you guys are my family. I can’t leave.”

“I can’t make promises, but I think you should talk to Rikar and Moore. I haven’t talked to the brothers since you shimmered them away, but they didn’t strike me as bad people. I don’t know if they’re good people, but I feel they were stuck in a situation they didn’t know how to deal with. Depending on what they decide to do now, there might be a chance they’ll be allowed to stay.”

Teddy couldn’t imagine that. A lot of the people who lived in the village wouldn’t be happy at the thought of two hunters living with them, and he couldn’t blame them.

But part of him desperately wanted that to happen. He wanted his mate, and this felt like the only way for him to have Perseus.

* * * *

Perseus wasn’t surprised when Moore visited again the same day. He was surprised to see that he wasn’t alone. Leon and his boyfriend were there, both of them looking wary. It appeared that Moore had asked Leon to come, which Perseus hadn’t expected. He’d thought Moore would make him wait longer and that he’d try to get him to break without bringing in Leon, but the man was there, which meant that Perseus had a chance to apologize.

His mouth went dry. It was the right thing to do, and he truly was sorry, but part of him wondered if he should do it. These people could hurt him and Orion. They had them in cells and knew that Perseus and Orion had been hunters. What was stopping them from torturing Perseus to get the answers they wanted? That was what any hunter would do.

Perseus moved closer to the bars of his cell and watched as Leon’s boyfriend stepped forward.

“I’m Callum,” he said.

Orion sat up on his bed, clearly curious. Perseus was, too. He’d expected Leon to want to talk to him, not this guy. He probably hated Perseus, yet he was here, and he looked curious more than angry.

“I’m Orion,” Orion said.

Callum nodded at him, then turned back to Perseus. He stared at him as if he could read his every thought, which made Perseus uneasy. There was no way to know what had happened to these people in the labs, so as far as he knew, Callum might be able to read his mind.

“And I already know your name,” Callum said.

“Who are you?” Perseus asked, even though he already knew, at least in part. Callum was Leon’s boyfriend. He was probably here to yell at Perseus and tell him to fuck all the way off, which Perseus would be happy to do if he was allowed to.

Or maybe he wanted answers, like Moore. Maybe Moore had told him and Leon that they were the only people Perseus would talk to, and they were here to find out more about the hunters and the labs.

Perseus hadn’t been sure before, but Orion was right. They could tell these people everything they knew about the hunters and hope that eventually, all of them would be killed. That was the only way supernatural people would be safe, and Perseus wanted that for them. Even more so, he wanted his father out of his life permanently.

“Leon’s mate.”

Perseus hadn’t expected that. He should have, since these people weren’t human. The village was full of people who’d been saved from the labs, so Callum was probably a shifter or something. He wasn’t a Nix, because he didn’t have pointed ears, but that didn’t make him human.

Perseus tried to relax. He knew he could be intimidating when he scowled, which was his usual expression. Who wouldn’t scowl when they had to deal with hunters day in and day out—and with Perseus’s father? Well, Orion always seemed happy, but not Perseus.

“I’m really sorry about what I did. I shouldn’t have kidnapped him,” he told Callum.

“Damn right, you shouldn’t have,” Leon snapped. “It was the stupidest thing you could have done.”

That was pretty much what Perseus had expected. He’d apologize again if he thought it would change anything. What he’d done was in the past, and he didn’t know how to atone for that mistake. The fact that he’d do it again if he had to probably didn’t help.

“I understand why you panicked, and I think Leon does, too,” Callum said. “You were frightened for your brother, and you did the only thing you could think of through the panic.”

He was right. When Perseus had realized just how horribly injured his brother was, he’d panicked. He and Orion had been together their entire life. They could only trust each other, and Orion was the only person Perseus had ever cared about. More than that, Orion was a good person. He’d been born in awful circumstances, but if he had a choice, he would never have hurt anyone. He deserved to have a full and happy life, but he’d been about to die, and Perseus hadn’t known what else to do.

“I might have done the same if it had been my brother in Orion’s condition,” Leon admitted. “It would have been better if you’d talked to me, but I do understand why you didn’t.”

Perseus’s shoulders slumped in relief. He didn’t know this guy beyond what he could do, but he didn’t want Leon to hold a grudge. The more people Perseus and Orion had on their side, the higher the probability that they’d make it out of this mess alive. Besides, Perseus wanted Leon to forgive him and to understand why he’d done what he’d done. It might not help with the being a hunter part, but it would be a step forward.

“Thank God,” he muttered. He and Orion glanced at each other. “My brother is all right now, right? You’re not here because he needs more healing.” Perseus needed to be sure of that.

“He’s as healthy as he was before he got injured. I’m here because you haven’t been answering Moore’s questions. We want to know more about you and what happened to you and find out how you know about Fairview.”

“I want to know if you’re hunters,” Callum said.

He was the first to ask. Everyone had clearly assumed they were, and they were right, but no one had asked yet. Perseus didn’t know what it meant, but he didn’t see a reason to lie. Now that he was sure that Orion was healthy and that he’d be all right, the fight leached out of him. He sighed and went to sit on the bed, suddenly exhausted. “I guess we are.”

“I thought that was a question you’d answer with a yes or a no.”

Perseus wasn’t sure how to explain or whether these people would believe him. Thankfully, Orion stepped in.

“We were never good hunters,” he explained. “Our father is a rabid hunter. He believes shifters and any kind of supernatural creature deserve to die, and if he can make any money out of that, he’s happy. He’s been raising us in that life since we were kids, but back then, the organization was much smaller. Then, a few years ago, they allied with the labs and the people who created them.”

“Orion…” Perseus started, unsure where he was going. He didn’t want to return to the hunters, but he was terrified—he didn’t have an alternative plan. He couldn’t allow his brother to be homeless, but what else did they have? No one and nothing.

But Orion had obviously made his decision. “I’m done with this. I’m done with him. I don’t care what he wants for us or from us. It’s not what I want to do with my life. I don’t want to hurt people.”

Perseus stared at him for a moment before nodding. Wherever Orion went, so did Perseus. “All right.” He turned to Leon. “Can you promise my brother won’t be hurt?”

“I can,” Leon confirmed. “Unless he attacks someone, no one here will hurt him or you.”

Orion would never attack anyone. He was the sweetest person Perseus had ever known, and he deserved a peaceful life away from their father.

“Orion was injured because he tried to stop another hunter,” Perseus explained. “We’ve been trying to do that for years. Once we realized what the hunters had started doing with the labs, we freed as many people as we could after they were kidnapped. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough, but we tried.”

“You could have left,” Leon pointed out.

Perseus wished it had been that easy. He knew enough to be sure that life in the labs had been hell, but that didn’t mean that what he and Orion had lived through had been any better. He doubted these people would understand and accept that, though. “With what money? We’ve worked for our father since we were teenagers, and he’s the only one who gets paid. He gets everything, and he feeds and houses us.”

Perseus snorted. It almost sounded like their father cared about them, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“If we can even call it that,” he continued. “We both wanted to leave for a long time, but we didn’t have a choice unless we wanted to be homeless. The few times we tried to run anyway, our father beat Orion so badly that he could barely walk, let alone survive without a roof over his head or food. I couldn’t go on my own and leave him there, so I stayed, too.”

“We both did,” Orion murmured. “But we should have done more. We should have chosen to be homeless. I just thought we were doing enough good.”

“Are you willing to give us names and places?” Callum asked. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to you, but if you give Moore and the others what they want, they might be able to help. We only want to protect our people. That’s why we need more details about the hunters.”

“And we need to know how you knew about Fairview,” Leon added.

“One of the people we helped escape told me about it,” Orion told him. “It sounded like it was too good to be true. She said that if we wanted to leave the hunters, the leader of this village would help us.”

Perseus prayed she’d been right.

* * * *

Teddy waited until he saw Moore, Callum, and Leon leave the building. He didn’t want them to know he’d been here. They’d probably find out anyway, since Davey stood guard by the front door, but Teddy would have a few moments with Perseus without anyone listening in.

Well, except Orion. The brothers were in open cells, so there was no way Teddy could talk to Perseus without Orion hearing.

He wasn’t sure what he’d tell Perseus. He wasn’t even sure why he was here. He just knew he needed to see his mate, and after talking to Hayes, he finally had hope. He couldn’t be sure the brothers would be allowed to stay, but there was a chance they might if they behaved the right way. They needed to tell Moore everything he wanted to know, and Teddy would make sure Perseus knew that was what he needed to do.

He walked straight up to the door. It took Davey a few seconds to realize he was there, and when he did, he cocked his head. “I didn’t know you were coming. I’m still on shift for a few more hours.”

“I’m not here to take over. I just want to see the prisoners.”

Davey frowned. “Why?”

“It’s important. I promise I’m not going to hurt them.”

“You better not, because I’m responsible for them until my shift ends. I should probably insist you tell me what you want from them, but I don’t think you’d tell me.”

“Does that mean you won’t let me in?”

“As long as you don’t beat them up, I won’t try to stop you. I’m curious, but I believe you’ll tell me whatever’s on your mind once you’re ready.”

Teddy was relieved. Davey was his friend, and he didn’t want to fight him. If he hadn’t been allowed in, he would have left, and he’d have had to find another way inside. He wasn’t sure there was one. The building was shielded from Nix shimmering in and out, and the windows were too small for him to wiggle through.

Davey stepped aside to let Teddy in. Teddy squeezed his shoulder as he walked past him, then opened the door.

The first room was small and only had a table and a few chairs, along with a tiny fridge. There was another door right in front of the front door, and Teddy hesitated for only a few seconds before pushing it open.

He swallowed before entering the area where the cells were. He didn’t know what he’d tell Perseus, but he hoped Perseus would behave the right way. His heart would break if he had to give up his mate.

“Hi,” a voice said.

Teddy walked deeper into the hallway and found Orion sitting on his bed and looking at him. He’d been the one who’d spoken, and while he wasn’t who Teddy wanted to talk to, the brothers were so close that Teddy knew Orion would be a part of his life as long as Perseus was.

He smiled at him. “Hi.”

“What do you want?” Perseus snapped from the cell in front of Orion’s. “To punch me again?”

Teddy gritted his teeth. “You were about to attack Callum. What was I supposed to do? Allow you to do it?”

“I wasn’t going to attack him.”

“Excuse me? Am I wrong, or did you rush forward with your hand up?”

Perseus glared. “I didn’t want anyone to interrupt my brother’s healing.”

This wasn’t going well. Why were they bickering? Teddy was here to talk to Perseus, not to yell at him.

“Please don’t fight,” Orion said.

His voice was steady and calm, and it helped.

Teddy sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry for punching you,” he told Perseus. “But I thought you were about to attack Callum, and I couldn’t let anything happen to him. Leon wouldn’t have forgiven me if I hadn’t stepped in.”

“Whatever,” Perseus grumbled before stretching out on his bed and turning away from Teddy.

Teddy watched him for a few seconds. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want Perseus to be angry, but he was angry, too.

“We’re sorry about what happened,” Orion said. “Perseus wouldn’t have hurt Leon. The only reason he kidnapped him was that I needed help.”

Teddy nodded curtly. “I know. I don’t blame him for that, although I’m sure there were better ways to go about it.”

Orion grinned. “That’s what Leon said when he came earlier.”

Teddy wasn’t sure Orion would answer, but he was eager to know what had happened. “What did he want? I would have thought he’d never want to see the two of you again after everything.”

“Perseus didn’t want to talk to your leader, which I don’t blame him for. The guy’s intimidating as hell.”

Teddy snorted. “That’s Moore, all right.”

“And we both wanted to apologize to Leon, so we asked to see him. It was great.”

“Orion,” Perseus snapped from his cell. He didn’t even roll over to look at his brother.

Orion seemed to be used to how annoying his brother was, because he just rolled his eyes. “Ignore him. He’s always grumpy, but I hope that’s going to change now that we’ve been allowed to stay.”

“You have been?” Either Hayes had been incredibly fast talking to Rikar, or something else had happened.

“Moore said he needed to talk to someone, just to be sure, but he said it was possible, as long as we told him everything we know about the hunters.”

“Will you?”

Orion’s gaze drifted to his brother for a second before coming back to Teddy. “We will. We’re tired of obeying our father’s orders. We don’t want to hurt anyone ever again.”

Teddy noticed that Orion was talking for both him and his brother, and he wondered if Perseus felt the same way. Had he agreed to it because he didn’t want to hurt people, or had he done so only because he wanted to stay with Orion?

Teddy couldn’t believe his mate was evil. If Perseus was a bad person, he wouldn’t be Teddy’s mate. Teddy had to keep that in mind and believe it.

He didn’t blame Perseus for being grumpy. It sounded like he and Orion had been forced by their father to become hunters, and while Teddy couldn’t help but wonder if there had been any way for them to get out of that before they were forced to hurt people, he couldn’t judge them without knowing the entire story. They were doing what they could to fix what they’d done. If they were willing to give up information about the labs and maybe even help the mutants’ mission to destroy them and the hunters, there was no way Perseus was a bad person.

“We never wanted to hurt anyone to begin with,” Orion continued. “We were forced into it.”

“Stop it,” Perseus said. “He doesn’t need to know the entire sob story. He’s not your friend.”

“But he could be if we’re going to stay.”

“Why would he want to be your friend? You’re a hunter, and he was taken to one of those labs. He probably hates you and is just trying to get answers.”

Perseus would be right if things were different, but he was Teddy’s mate. Teddy was willing to give him a lot of leeway because of that. That didn’t mean he wanted to be with Perseus if he was a bad person, but he was willing to give him a chance.

He clearly wouldn’t get through today. Perseus was angry and lashing out, and since Teddy didn’t want to fight with him, he decided it would be better if he left. Perseus wouldn’t care if he said goodbye, but Orion would, so Teddy turned back to him. “It’s probably better if I leave the two of you alone for a bit. You have a lot to think through.”

Orion smiled. For such a big guy, he shouldn’t look as sweet and gentle as he did, but the odd contrast worked. Teddy could tell that Orion was a hunter because he hadn’t had a choice, not because he’d wanted to hurt people or because he believed they didn’t have the same right to live as he did. Teddy could see them becoming friends once Perseus finally got his head out of his ass.

“I’ll come back,” he promised.

Orion’s smile widened. “I’d like you to.”

Teddy hoped Perseus would like him to, too, but from the scowl on his face, he wasn’t quite sure about that. He was going to have to work hard to get through his mate’s shield.

He couldn’t say he was looking forward to it, but he’d do what he needed to do.