Evans, Gabrielle - Shades of Black [Fatefully Yours 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on the bed. He undressed quickly, leaving his boxers on—this was definitely not about sex—and slid in under the covers.
    Pulling Echo to his chest, he cradled his mate’s smaller body to him, peppering kisses over the top of his head and smoothing his hands down Echo’s spine. “You know I love you, right?”
    Echo shrugged noncommittally.
    Pushing the man back gently, Syx cupped the side of his face and glared. “I love you, Echo. So does everyone else in this house, even if they can’t pull their heads out of their asses to say so. Don’t you ever question that.”
    Echo shrugged again. “I’m your mate.” The way he said it made it sound like a dirty word. “Isn’t that what Fiero said? You can’t get rid of me because I’m your mate.”
    Syx growled before he could stop himself. Echo had never questioned their devotion or loyalty before. Never had he had the slightest inkling that he wouldn’t always be adored and cherished. His unwavering faith in them was one of the things Syx loved most about his mate.
    “Where is all this coming from? Craze was a long time ago—our past, not our future.” Syx sighed and rested his forehead against Echo’s. “If you must know, we kicked him out. He didn’t just get tired of us and leave.”
    “Why?” Echo spoke as if the answer didn’t much matter, but Syx could hear the desire to know inside his lover’s brain.
    He hesitated to continue, though. Would it be better or worse for Echo to know the truth?
    “Please tell me.”
    “He liked to play,” Syx said cautiously. “Since escaping Tartarus, we’ve been monogamous. We never discussed it, never declared feelings, or talked about not taking others to our bed. It was just understood. Besides, it’s hard enough keeping up with seven lovers, why would we need more?” Syx chuckled softly.
    “Seven?” Echo moved a little closer to Syx, his muscles relaxing marginally.
    “Yes, Craze found us not long after we began to establish a life here on the Top World. He was with us for a little over four hundred years, until we finally forced him to leave.”
    “He wasn’t faithful?”
    “No.” Surprisingly, the memories of the whole ordeal barely left a twinge. They’d known from the start that Craze never fit with them. Why they hadn’t turned him away to begin with, Syx didn’t know. “He would bring men and women home, sometimes several at a time. Then he began disappearing for days, sometimes weeks at a time.”
    “You’ve always loved each other. I think that’s sweet, though sad that you never felt you could say it.” Echo relaxed further, nuzzling against Syx’s chest. “I’m sorry that he hurt you.”
    Syx rubbed his cheek against the top of his mate’s head. “That’s just it. I don’t think it hurt any of us when Hex kicked him out. I don’t know why we ever let him in to begin with.”
    “Why is Hex so angry then? And why did everyone keep this from me?”
    “As to why Hex is upset, that’s something you’re going to have to talk to him about. I have a feeling Hex is keeping secrets from all of us, not just you, baby. And we didn’t keep this from you intentionally. I haven’t thought about Craze in decades. I think the Oracle was giving me a little nudge. Apparently, she believes that Craze can be of help to us in the war. Plus, with his ability, he’d be able to feed Syn and Jinx without them draining him.”
    “Is he a demon like you?”
    “No, Craze is an Addonexus.”
    “I’ve never heard of that before.”
    “There’s a lot of myth and legend around the Addonexus, but most of it is bullshit. Some say an Addonexus is born human, but gains certain magical properties if they’re born during the solar eclipse when Haley’s Comet passes. They also say that the Addonexus will only live seventy-five years, dying during the next passing of Haley’s Comet, when a new one will be born. It’s all a bunch of crap.”
    “So, what is an Adda-whatsit?” Echo leaned back so