Moonlight Menage by Stephanie Julian

sound. He didn’t want to wake Nic, who, thank the Blessed Mother Goddess, looked a little better than he had last night. Not much, but enough to make Duke nearly lightheaded with relief.
    Walking over to the bed, he fell into the chair pulled up to the side. Nic’s eyes remained closed though he did turn his head toward Duke, as if he knew he was there.
    Duke reached for his best friend, putting his hand on his shoulder. Closer than blood brothers, they’d known each other all their lives. Their parents had reared them together in the same house.
    Until they’d turned eighteen and their lives had collapsed in on them.
    Their fathers had been best friends who’d found two women strong enough to love them. Both of them. Yeah, it’d made for an unconventional upbringing, not knowing if he’d walk into his parents’ room to find one, two, three or four people in bed together. But when you grow up with something, you don’t think it’s odd or different.
    And Duke and Nic had never left the den lands growing up. Why should they?
    They’d had forests and fields to roam, school to attend, training. They’d known there were “others” beyond the boundaries of the lucani lands but they were eteri and therefore uninteresting.
    They’d spent eighteen blissful years unaware of anything other than their own people, their own lives. They’d made their change within a week of each other at thirteen. They’d run as wolves, planned their lives as soldiers.
    And met a girl who they’d both decided had been theirs. It’d been the weirdest thing, knowing that the skinny, fifteen-year-old strega with the moonlight hair was meant to be theirs, though they couldn’t have her until she grew up.
    And they’d both accepted it.
    But when Duke’s dad had died three years later, his mother had needed him. And when he’d gotten back, ready to reclaim his life and the woman, it’d all gone to shit. Again.
    “Stop thinking so hard. You’re making my head hurt.”
    Duke’s gaze locked onto Nic’s, open and still a little cloudy.
    “Hey, bro.” Duke’s hand squeezed a little harder before he forced himself to release Nic. “You had everyone scared for a while. How’re you feeling?”
    “Like a house fell on me.”
    “Yeah, well, not quite.”
    “Kaine?”
    “She’s fine.”
    “The eteri ?”
    “Him, too.”
    Nic’s eyes closed again, and Duke thought he might go back to sleep. Then Nic’s nose twitched.
    Without opening his eyes, Nic asked, “Tira still here?”
    Duke froze. “She’s in the shower. She’ll be in as soon as she’s finished. I’m gonna take her home and head back to the site. See if I can’t dig anything out of the rubble.”
    Nic nodded and Duke thought maybe the guy was still too tired or out of it to catch Tira’s scent on him.
    Idiot. He should’ve showered before coming in here. Nic would be able to smell her on his skin. He’d know—
    “You’re thinking way too hard again.” Nic opened his eyes and Duke saw Nic’s comprehension. He knew what had happened just hours ago.
    Duke expected to see betrayal or, at the very least, anger in his friend’s eyes. He froze, bracing for Nic’s condemnation. For his anguish.
    Nic just lay there, watching him.
    Was he supposed to confess? Spill his guts?
    Nic could smell her on him. He knew what they’d done.
    “Is she okay?” Nic finally asked.
    Blessed Goddess, he hoped so . “She’s worried about you.”
    Nic huffed, frustration beginning to show in the slit of his eyes. “But is she okay ?”
    How the hell did he answer that? He didn’t have a clue. Everything was fucked up now.
    “Duke, you s cazzacazzo , if you—”
    Nic’s mouth snapped shut as his gaze cut to the door. The knob turned a second later and Tira walked into the room, so quietly Duke barely heard her.
    She caught Duke’s eyes then quickly looked at Nic. Her chin lifted, as if she were going into battle and Duke wanted to hit something. If she thought she had to worry