Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

KILLIAN

We sleep. I know I shouldn't. I'm putting Beau in danger just by being with him. What if they planted a trigger word in my mind? I mention this the next morning during my shower. Our shower. Beau struts right in, claiming it'll take less time if we take showers together. That doesn't prove to be true since I can't resist a wet, naked Beau in my arms. And honestly, I'm glad to get another chance. This time, I'm gentle as I wash the stickiness off him. Kiss him sweetly. Worship his body with my hands and my mouth until he's breathless.

"This…this is good too," he says, and then when I take him in my mouth, there are no more words. Only sexy sounds that drive me insane. I work my cock as I swallow his release, coming soon after.

Staying away from Beau is proving to be difficult. I almost left this morning, but his head against the pillow, one arm thrown over his eyes, his lips moving soundlessly… They drew me in. Does his brain ever shut off? I can't leave. He's right. They will come after him. He is only safe with me. At least, that's my hope.

And not that I'm following their plan to a tee.

"You mean, like you're a sleeper cell. Just needing the right word to set you off?"

Beau takes a bite of his breakfast sandwich. He found them in the freezer. The trailer has a microwave, and I wonder how much time he's spent here. How much time with Jassan.

"Beau, I'm serious."

"So am I. Let's test it. Katrina. The Saints. Coco Tremere. Tourists." He throws up his hands. "Well, those are all the things that get me riled up. Nothing."

I give him a pointed look. That he ignores completely. Having my memory back—partially back—has changed nothing. I still don't know my name. Or why I'm a dinosaur part of the time. Or why they want this sweet man dead.

The things I do remember, I wish I didn't. The torture. The smell of rotting flesh. A drain in the floor and bones scattered around. How many soldiers had there been? Are they coming after us? After Beau?

The men had been dressed as soldiers. But something about them doesn't ring true. I'm not sure why I think that when I can't remember anything before my time in their facility.

"What do they want? They must have a reason," I ask, but he doesn't respond. He sips his coffee quietly. Too quietly. It's scary how well I know him already. "Beau?"

He taps his fingers on the counter and I'm not sure he realizes he's doing it. I place my hand over his to stop the movement but also to calm him. I hate seeing him upset. His eyes dart to mine and away, and the visceral reaction to Beau being subdued in any way has me squeezing his hand harder. He laughs as he pulls away and shakes out his hand. "I'm fine.

"Tell me."

"Bossy." He bites his bottom lips suggestively, and I almost give in. Almost.

"Beau," I say sharply.

He rolls his eyes. "Fine. I told you I lost my job at the university. But that isn't exactly the truth. I…found something. Something impossible. Jassan tried to laugh it off, but I wouldn't—couldn't—let it go. He made a laughingstock out of me. Implied the stress was getting to me. Fueling my imagination." He bites his lip again, but this time, it seems unconscious. "He implied the only reason I got as far as I did was because of my…parental privilege."

"That's not true. You're smarter than anyone I know."

"But you don't know anyone but me, right?"

"You can't let them?—"

"I'm over it. I mean, the guy is dead, right? But the things I found. I couldn't believe…a raptor's jawbone—which should have been a great find, only it was fresh. A DNA sample that, if tested, would probably be closer to a dinosaur than an alligator. I couldn't believe my own work. Why would anyone else trust it? And yet, here we are." He waves a hand at me. "Exhibit 1a. A Llukalkan aliocranianus. A theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period was recently discovered in Argentina. You're a long way from home, cher."

"Do you still have the jaw?" I ask, ignoring his attempt at humor.

"No. They broke into my house. Bastards."

"The DNA?"

His hand touches his throat and then falls in his lap. He stares at me, his breathing sounding off. "Why?"

"I think it's what I'm supposed to find."

"Oh, well. I mean?—"

"If you have it, don't tell me."

"I trust you, Killian."

"You shouldn't. But that doesn't matter because I don't trust myself."

His smile looks real this time, and he kisses me softly. "You're not so scary."

As much as I want to kiss him again and find comfort in his arms, we can't. They won't stop looking for us. And time is running out. "We can't stay here, Beau."

He nods. "What's our plan?"

I hesitate because I'm fairly sure this will set him off. "Will your mother help us?"

I'm proved correct as tension fills the air. "Why would we want her help?" he asks as he starts pacing the small room. "She's one of the ones after us."

"The police are after us, not your mom."

"Same thing. All Mom cares about is her career. I promise, if she needs to sacrifice her son to claw her way to the top, she will."

"I don't believe that. And neither do you."

"Okay, I get it. You sleep with me, and you think you can read my mind. All right, go ahead, Killian. Read. My. Mind."

I pull him closer and wrap my arms around him. "You're pretty easy to read." I laugh when he tries to pull away. "Sorry. But I could hear your mom talking to the rookie. She was worried, Beau. Not about the job. About you."

"Maybe."

"I think you should turn on your phone. Send her a text."

"They'll be on us in an instant. Are you prepared for that?"

"Not yet. But maybe after a little practice, we might be ready."

His eyes widen and he claps his hands together. "Practice? Really? Can I help?"

And that's how I end up in the Louisiana swampland, shifting in and out of my dinosaur form over and over until I can do it without thinking.

Once we're back in the trailer, I nod at his phone. "Okay, Beau. Time to do this."

"Just one second."

What else do we need? But I don't have to wonder for long. Beau puts his arms around me and pulls me down for a sweet kiss. His words? Not as sweet. "This has to work. I will not die or let you die in this swamp without getting railed again by you. Do you understand me?"

As soon as Beau turns the phone on, the messages start coming in. One after another. His face drains of color as he reads them.

"Oh God."

"What?" I ask, but he shakes his head. "Beau?"

He thrusts the phone at me, chewing on his lip and looking like he's going to be sick.

Mama Dearest

Beau. Answer your phone right now.

Dammit. There's something going on. And it involves that boy.

I almost snicker at that. I'm not a boy, but Beau is back to pacing, so I read on.

Mama Dearest

You've turned off your phone. But I know where you always go. I need you to call me, Beau. Your professor is dead. Someone killed him. Stop thinking with your dick and call me back.

God-fucking-dammit, Beau. I'm trying to hold these assholes back, but the government is somehow involved, and I'm no longer in charge. Please call me back. Let me know you're safe.

That's the last text. Beau's eyes are wide as he blinks back tears. "This is all my fault, isn't it?"

I'm beside him in an instant, wrapping my arms around him. "No, sweetheart, it's not your fault."

Our kiss is brief, but I try to put as much as I can into it. The beep of the phone in my hand startles me. Another text. This time, it's just one word.

Mama Dearest

RUN.