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to come after you and Aiden, they’re going to try and separate us somehow.”
    “So we do everything together,” Dylan smiled at the slightly chirpy sound of Aira’s too-chipper voice. “At this point, you might as well stay in Dylan’s room; his bed is more comfortable than the couch.”
    “You just want them to bond fully,” Aiden said, freeing one hand from the steering wheel to tousle Aira’s hair in a proprietary, comfortable gesture that Dylan almost envied. He didn’t quite know Leigh well enough yet to know what she would enjoy, what she would appreciate; he gave her hand a squeeze. 
    “Well, it would solve a lot of problems, but I can’t make them bond any more than someone could have forced you and I to bond.”
    “Technically they did.”
    “Technically they made me bond with someone . I could have theoretically bonded with Dylan if we had any actual chemistry between us.” 
    Dylan rolled his eyes. “We have fabulous chemistry, and I don’t bother you nearly as much as Aiden does. You’re a very lucky woman, Leigh; I could have ended up as one half of the royal couple and all you would have been able to choose from would be Aiden.”
    “No thanks,” Leigh said, laughing. “I’m pretty sure we’d drive each other completely insane.” 
    Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Because Aira doesn’t drive me out of my mind on a regular basis.” 
    Aira reached over and prodded Aiden in the ribs; Dylan laughed as his brother narrowly avoided a swerve, correcting his steering at the last moment.
    “How in the world is it my fault that you are the most annoying man on the face of the planet?” 
    Dylan sat back in his seat, casting amused glances at Leigh as his brother and his sister-in-law descended into bickering that was heated and yet not quite acrimonious. He had watched them arguing like this ever since he and Aiden had come into Aira’s life; but Leigh was obviously much more confused by the fact that two people could persistently and stubbornly argue without coming to a resolution and yet be passionate lovers, caring for each other. 
    “If either of us took a side,” Dylan murmured in her ear, “There’s about a fifty-fifty chance that we’d be shouted down by both of them.”
    “How do they have the energy for anything when they’re arguing so much?” Leigh shook her head. “It looks exhausting.” 
     “They have a lot of excess energy,” Dylan said. They’ve been doing this since long before they ever even considered becoming mates. You should have seen them before they started having sex.”
    “You know we can hear you,” Aira broke the thread of her argument to inform Dylan and Leigh alike. “And the reason we bicker is because Aiden won’t admit that he is stupid. Cute, sexy, and pretty effective when it comes to certain physical things, but stupid.”
    “I am not stupid!” And the two of them were off once more, playfully and passionately arguing while Dylan basked in the restful energy flowing through him from Leigh.

 
     

    CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    “OKAY,” AIRA SAID, REACHING THE bottom of the staircase. “We have some leads.” Dylan watched as Aiden came down behind her, looking serious—the way he associated with his older brother preparing mentally for a coming challenge. 
    “What’s the story?” Dylan asked, reaching into the fridge and extracting a couple of beers. Leigh was seated at the kitchen bar, already nursing a beer; he handed one each off to his brother and sister-in-law as they settled themselves, looking grim.
    “So at the safe house back in Nevada, we captured Aelwyd, Bridget, Tenchi, and Jared, along with their underlings. The more recent attacks, at least from what we’ve been able to find out, were masterminded by Seraphina, Aidan, Annaliese, and Hestia. Someone else grabbed Dharithri.” Aiden took a sip of his beer. “We know where Aidan and Hestia are—it’s finding Seraphina and Annaliese that will be the issue.” 
    “From