Heavyweight (Hallow Brothers Book 3) Read online

  Samuel pulled free from her and tumbled on the bed next to Henry. She slowly climbed off Henry. The dull ache that radiated through her was worth every second. Sam grabbed hold of her and tugged her down between them. He wrapped a protective arm around her and Henry. She couldn’t be sandwiched between two more majestic men. But something in their mood changed. She watched as Sam stretched across her to kiss Henry. Instead of a deep, passionate kiss to start round two, it was soft, tender, and full of love. Then Sam tilted her chin up and kissed her the same way. No man had ever kissed her that way before in her life. It sent her pulse racing and melted her heart. She bit back the words “I love you” before they tumbled out.

  Delilah glanced from Samuel to Henry. “Henry, why did you ask me about the Heka?”

  Henry cradled her head to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Because the guys I told you were chasing me called me that. Well, they did once I was here and surrounded by werewolves.”

  “So out of the blue, they called you ancient Egyptian magic?”

  “Henry had been struck by lightning,” Sam interjected. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He flickered from him to the Egyptian and back until it stayed on the Egyptian. Once they were gone, the Egyptian disappeared.”

  Delilah frowned. “Do you think it had anything to do with the magic?”

  “What magic?” Sam asked.

  “Henry could do tricks when we were kids,” she answered.

  Samuel glared at Henry. “And you never thought to tell me about this?”

  “I didn’t believe it was relevant,” Henry replied. “The story of a tennis trophy falling off the shelf and hitting the bully who was beating the shit out of me didn’t seem like great pillow talk to me. Even if it was all the way back on the shelf against the wall and there were four smaller, lighter trophies in front of it.”

  “It’s relevant now.”

  Delilah jumped at the sound of a fist pounding on the front door. The men she was sandwiched between startled also. A voice shouted from outside. “Get up, Sleeping Beauty! It’s time to train.”

  Sam groaned as he hugged Delilah and Henry tighter for a moment. He climbed out of bed and strode to his dresser. He tugged open the top drawer and rustled through the clothes inside.

  “Where are you going?” Henry asked.

  Samuel pulled out a pair of fight shorts. Stooping over, he stepped into each leg and pulled them on. “Practice. I have a fight, remember?”

  Henry sat up and rubbed his eyes. He reached out to the end table for his glasses. “I should get dressed and head into work.”

  “The fuck you are.”

  “I have a job, Samuel. I have people who depend on me.”

  “And you have two ruthless vampires who will stop at nothing to get their hands on you. Remember your assistant? She won’t be the only one they’ll kill.”

  Henry slipped his glasses on his face and looked away. “Yes, I do. If I disappear, they’ll peg her murder on me. I have to go in and figure this out.”

  “Then I’m going with you.”

  Henry scooted off the bed. He glared at Samuel. “Sorry. No offense, baby, but your bull-in-a-china-shop attitude will make things worse. I’m already dealing with enough adjusting to this new life I didn’t ask for. Besides, don’t you have to get ready to fight some guy?” He stormed off into a room Delilah assumed was the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

  “What the ever-loving holy fuck?” Samuel ran a large, powerful hand through his Mohawk. Then he turned to Delilah. “Could you talk some sense into him, please? Explain to him why you are both the safest here with me. He has no idea what the fuck he’s dealing with. These bastards destroyed a strip club. Murdered everyone inside. It was a literal bloodbath.”

  Delilah sat up on the mattress and hugged her knees to her chest. “That’s the thing, Sam. I have to go too. I fly out tomorrow for my dig in Egypt. I’ll be gone for at least three weeks.”

  Samuel shook his head as he clenched his hands to his hips. “I can’t fucking believe this. You can’t stay away, you know. The pull will bring you right back.”

  “I know. Neither of us wants to leave. But we have careers we have to take care of.”

  Samuel snorted. “Yeah. Careers more important than me. And I thought Micah got screwed over when he mated with a junkie stripper. Fine. Whatever. I guess I’ll go take care of my own business. See you around.” Samuel grabbed the nearest T-shirt and pulled it over his head before he stormed from the room.

  Tears burned Delilah’s eyes as she listened for the front door to slam shut. She shuddered when it did. She crawled out of bed to find her clothes. What did it matter that Sam was angry with them? She wiped away a stray tear that escaped down her cheek. She only knew him for a short while. Most of the time they had sex. Had they ever had an honest conversation? It wasn’t a very long one if they did.

  She dressed quickly and then stared at the bathroom door. Henry was angry, and he rarely got angry. How the three of them went from sharing each other’s bodies to door slamming in a matter of moments was beyond her.

  Her heart wanted to comfort Henry. But what if what Sam said was true? Was he walking into whatever it was that brought him here? She couldn’t live without him. She stopped and thought hard. She couldn’t live without either man. Feeling alone and confused, she shook her head in defeat and wandered outside.

  She tried to ignore the activity going on around her as she made her way back to Samuel’s truck. She stopped short as she stared at it. She’d started to love the old piece of crap. It smelled like him. But it wasn’t hers. She couldn’t take off with it again.

  “How’s it going?”

  Delilah spun around to find Eve behind her dressed in a nearly midnight-purple tight T-shirt and short denim shorts. Her long, ebony hair was tied up in a ponytail.

  Delilah shrugged. Before she could speak, the front door of Samuel’s cabin flew open again. Henry stormed across the camp without looking at anyone. He was dressed for the office. He didn’t search for Delilah before he got in his car and tore down the trail out of the camp.

  “He looks sufficiently pissed off. Do you want to talk?” Eve asked.

  “Sam’s not happy we’re leaving,” Delilah answered softly.

  “He needs to get over it. You’ll be back. The pull demands it. Where’s he off to?” Eve pointed at the gap in the trees where the road was.

  “Duluth. He’s going back to work.”

  “And you?”

  “Egypt.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Delilah gave a little shrug. “I have a dig. I can’t cancel it. I’ve been working on it for nearly a year. I have a career to think about.”

  “You have mates to think about. This isn’t your normal relationship. Your survival is based on those two men.”

  “You gave up your career for your mate?”

  Eve laughed. “I was a stripper. It wasn’t a hard choice.”

  “And you live on his income.”

  “Yes. It’s more than enough to get us by. He works. I help out around the family. I fix things. I keep the cars running. All the Hallow brothers create and support game apps for cell phones and tablets. Some Japanese firm hires them to do it.”

  Delilah let a half-hearted laugh escape her lips. “Any teenage kid who’s bored can develop an app.”

  Eve held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”

  Delilah huffed as she dug her hand in her purse to produce her cell. She unlocked the home screen and gave it to Eve. Eve bit her bottom lip as she tapped on the screen a couple of times. She turned the phone back to Delilah. “See the top ten paid games listed? One through six and eight and ten were created and developed by a Hallow. There’s probably twenty or so more that have sold just as well.”

  Delilah frowned as she studied the screen. “I saw a commercial for the number one game.”

  “That’s Josiah. Number four is my Micah.”

&
nbsp; “And this combat one at number two. The promotion for that one was massive. I heard about it in Italy. I almost bought it to see what the hype was about. Who built that one?”

  “By my guess, you screamed his name a time or two this morning. And now he’s pissed you’re leaving him.”

  Delilah’s mouth gaped open. “They must be far wealthier than they let on. If they’re doing something like this, why live in an old abandoned summer camp?”

  Eve scowled. “For one, the Japanese demand their cut. And two, you don’t remember the wolf that stared you down? Up here they’re safe from the rest of the world. And I don’t know about you, but I need my mate to be safe. He’s my entire world.”

  Delilah sighed. “I barely know Sam. I don’t know how to feel about him yet. I know he makes my heart ache. I’ve known Henry since I was little. I introduced him to his first girlfriend and his first boyfriend. I’m terrified for him. I feel the same as Sam does. If the vampires try to hurt him again…”

  “What vampires?” Eve interrupted.

  “The two that came to the library last night. They killed his assistant. I’m afraid they’ll kill him too. But Henry is so fucking stubborn and responsible that he wouldn’t see reason.”

  “Did he say anything about what they looked like?”

  “No, but Sam saw them too.”

  “Huh. I’m going to talk to Sam. Please consider staying. The pull really won’t let you go far.”

  “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  Eve nodded toward the truck. “Then take it. I’ll cover for you with Sam. Be safe. And if anything happens, call me.”

  “I will.”

  Eve gave her a smile and spun on her toe. She strode across the camp with determination in her step. Delilah watched her disappear into the long building that housed the gym before she hopped into the truck. She took one last glance at the camp before she fired the truck up and disappeared down the lane.

  Chapter Eight

  The hot, arid air slapped Delilah in the face as she stepped out of her tent. She nudged her tank top up her shoulder. She never used to wear them. But since that mystical tattoo appeared, she went to great lengths to show it off. It bound her to the two people she cared the most for in the world.

  She stared out over the desert, taking extra time to study the massive pit of overturned dirt ahead of her. She had been part of this dig for months. They already found a mummy and the traces of an ancient city. If they uncovered what she believed to be there, the discovery would cement her place as one of the leading archaeologists in the world.

  Then she went home to visit her old friend, Henry. And she met his lover, Samuel Hallow. She seduced them, let them penetrate her alone and together. It was easily the best sex she ever had with two of the sexiest men she ever laid eyes on. It was supposed to be a fling, a quick release so she could focus on her work.

  Then the tattoo appeared and Sam’s bullshit story about being a werewolf. Which wasn’t bullshit. It was the truth. Her mind went from contemplating the wonders buried in the dirt that would make her a legend to memories of the two men who had been buried deep inside her. She couldn’t stop thinking about them. No guy had ever gotten to her. These two did.

  She messaged Henry whenever she had a chance. It didn’t matter the time of the day. He responded immediately. They talked for hours over the stupidest things. They reminisced about their childhoods and high school. They had emoji wars, so they kept talking. It didn’t replace being in his arms.

  And Sam? She had no way to reach him. She didn’t bother to get his number before she left Minnesota. She had been so adamant about her career. She put her job before him, or so she made him believe. What he didn’t know was that she broke down in tears at the airport three times before she forced herself on the plane. She had been virtually useless the three weeks she had been in Egypt. She, Delilah Cavanaugh, one of the leading archaeologists of her time, had been taken out by a werewolf’s curse. The pull inside her, the one that bound her to her boys, ruthlessly demanded her return. She was about to throw in the towel and go home.

  “Cavanaugh.”

  Delilah turned to find Walt, one of her colleagues, hurrying across the sand and rocks to her. The tall, slender man with salt and pepper hair was surprisingly agile in the rough terrain. They had worked together for years. He mentored her in her early career. He was the one she worried she would disappoint the most.

  She forced a smile on her face as she greeted him. “Anything new, Walt?”

  “Nothing to write home about. Potter thought he found something. Might have been an old vase.”

  “Well, I’m heading down to get to work. I got caught up in a conversation.”

  Walt smirked. “I’ve noticed you’ve been distracted since you’ve been home. Everything all right back in Duluth?”

  “Of course. Things are fine.”

  “Good. So it’s a new relationship.”

  Delilah felt her cheeks warm up. It wasn’t from the hot sun bearing down on her. “In a way, yes.”

  “In a way? So there’s a lucky fella in your life?”

  “It’s complicated, Walt.”

  “Complicated, huh? A lucky lady, then?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Dee, I’ve worked side by side with you for nearly a decade. I plucked you right out of college. Who hit the streets of Bangkok with you? Who visited the red light district of Amsterdam with you? If you need a hint, he’s tall and downright sexy for an old fart. So what’s so complicated?”

  Delilah sighed. “It’s not one fella. It’s two. Remember my friend, Henry?”

  “Your college crush? I remember.”

  “It’s him and his boyfriend, Sam.”

  “So, you had a ménage while you were gone. Very nice.”

  “Except I can’t stop thinking about them. I didn’t miss my parents this much.”

  “Well, missy, the quicker we unearth these ruins, the quicker you get back to them.”

  “True.” She paused as the thoughts in her head churned. “Walt, have you ever heard of the Heka?”

  “Ancient Egyptian magic? Of course I have. You wrote a paper on it.”

  “Yes. But do you know of any time it took on human form?”

  Walt stared at her as he pressed his lips into a thin line. “No. But there was a legend of a magician they referred to as the Heka. He was part of the Old Kingdom, maybe twenty-six, fourth-five BC, I believe. They called him the Heka because he was so powerful, those around him equated him with the god of magic. Some believed he was the god in human form. The Pharaoh at the time had him put to death.”

  “Why?” Delilah asked.

  “The Pharaoh had the Heka enchant an amulet for a young woman the Pharaoh had a thing for. It was supposed to give her love, peace, and prosperity. The Heka charmed the amulet as the Pharaoh commanded. However, he added an additional enchantment to it, one to conquer and rule the world. The Heka had planned to find the girl, kill her, and use the amulet for his own purpose. Someone learned of his plan and ratted him out. The Pharaoh had him executed.”

  “Why had I never heard of this?”

  “Because it’s a myth. Mothers told that story to their children to get them to sleep. It’s nothing academic. We need to get back to the dig before Potter finds a chicken bone someone threw out from lunch and calls National Geographic.”

  “Of course. Let’s go.”

  Delilah watched him turn and make his way back down the path. She frowned, confused. Did this tale have anything to do with Henry? It seemed so far-fetched. But was it as far-fetched as sharing a bed with a werewolf? She had no idea. All she knew was that a trip to Cairo was in order. With a sigh, she climbed down the path after Walt toward the dig.

  »»•««

  The soft white light of dawn gently lit the bedroom. Samuel tucked the sheet around himself as he sat at the foot of the bed. He silently watched Henry dress, studying his lover as he slid the slacks up his sculpted legs and fastened the z
ipper. Henry pulled the dress shirt up his arms and carefully pushed each button through its appropriate buttonhole. Ever since Jenny’s murder, the polos and khakis were gone. The whole debacle caused more ruckus than any of them had thought. Police detectives interviewed him. Reporters interviewed him. The whole incident left Henry cold and distant. There was nothing Sam could do to change it. But every night the mystic pull that bound them and Delilah together led Henry through the woods and back in his bed.

  Samuel sighed sadly. Delilah. The redhead never called, never sent a message. He hadn’t realized how much he could miss her. Both she and Henry plagued every one of Samuel’s thoughts. It made it nearly impossible for him to train. Fortunately, two of his training partners knew exactly how he felt.

  Samuel licked his lips to speak as Henry studied each cuff to secure it. “Full moon starts tonight.”

  “So?” Henry countered.

  “You’ll need to come during the day.”

  “I work during the day.”

  “Just don’t come at night, okay?”

  “I understand.”

  “Maybe you should wait until the sun is higher. Fuck knows what you’ll hit out there. Better yet, don’t go at all. I can’t protect you this week.”

  Henry frowned. “Protect me?”

  Sam scowled. “Your horror section at your library is lacking. Personal opinion. All the reading is fucking up my training schedule.”

  “You’ve been spying on me?”

  “I’ve watched over you. I’ve kept Rock and Cort at bay. Guess how many times they’ve been by. Seven in the last three weeks. You’re a hot commodity. So stay. Please.”

  “I want to go before your family wakes up. I don’t think they approve of me.”

  “It doesn’t matter what they think. It matters what I think. I love you.”

  Henry scooped up his car keys and cell phone from the dresser and slipped them in his pants pocket. He strode across the bedroom and pressed a quick kiss to Samuel’s lips. “I have to go.”