Kane grabbed the front of Marino’s shirt, shifted his weight, and then dropped Marino to the ground. Snooke could see Kane was winning, but that would be a short-lived victory.
Marino jumped to his feet, wiping the blood from his lower lip from falling, and then grinned evilly at Kane. Snooke’s blood ran cold.
“Is that all you have, warrior?”
“No, I had your daddy in my bed last night. Want him back?”
Marino howled, charging Kane once again. Snooke cried out when his uncle tackled Kane, pinning his mate to the ground. Snooke looked around desperately. He grabbed a crate and smashed it over Marino’s head.
His uncle’s head snapped up, baring his teeth as he glared at Snooke. “I’m gonna kill your ass next.”
“No, you won’t,” Panahasi said as he entered the backroom. “Release my warrior.”
Marino wrapped his hands around Kane’s neck. Snooke picked up another crate and smashed it over Marino’s head once again.
“Enough!” Panahasi shouted as the ground began to tremble. Snooke stumbled back, staring wide-eyed at the leader of the Demon Warriors. “I said to release him now.”
Marino got to his feet, pulling the warrior up with him. Kane punched Marino in his windpipe, gaining an immediate release.
Panahasi shot his arm out. Snooke watched in wonder as his uncle was lifted from his feet and thrown across the room when the sneaky bastard tried to attack Kane once again.
“Get your mate out of here,” Panahasi calmly said to Kane.
Snooke jumped when Kane wrapped an arm around his waist and found a shadow to walk through. Why was Kane taking him along? He thought for sure he would be left behind as Kane walked away from him.
They emerged into Kane’s bedroom. Snooke stood there, unsure and nervous when Kane released him.
Snooke watched his mate closely. The warrior walked across the room and then turned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Snooke stood frozen in place. He wrung his hands in front of him as he swallowed a few times. He wasn’t sure what to say.
“If you keep those lips closed, I’m gonna paddle your ass,” Kane warned.
“I–I…” The nervousness was moving through Snooke. His mate had a wicked gleam in his eyes that Snooke wasn’t quite sure how to interpret. Snooke fought to find his voice, to find control as Kane prowled closer to him. The look on his mate’s face was seductive, sensual in every sense of the word. When his mate stopped right in front of Snooke, he blinked a few times before tilting his head back and staring up into those magical brown eyes.
“I want to know why you kept the truth from me.” Kane’s voice was a deep timbre that was commanding Snooke to obey, to tell Kane the truth behind the plot. To tell the warrior anything the strong man wanted to know.
“You knew?” Snooke surmised from what Kane had just said.
“I knew. Although I didn’t know what was being planned. I knew you weren’t with Chris out of coincidence. I may act like I don’t pay attention, but I do.” Kane’s large arms circled around Snooke, pulling him tight to a chest that was rippling with muscles.
Heat built beneath Snooke’s skin. A dizzying sensation washed over him at the closeness. Kane reached up and caressed his cheek. Snooke leaned into those fingers, desperately wanting his mate, but scared to voice his needs.
Kane’s corded muscles flexed, pinning Snooke to his chest. “Tell me, shorty.”
“I didn’t know you then. I wanted my uncle to be proud of me, to acknowledge just once that he approved of the man I had become.” Snooke lowered his eyes as shame filled him. “I told you before that I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”
“We all have, mate.”
Snooke swallowed tightly at Kane’s words. He was telling Snooke that he could forgive himself. If only it were that easy. “Marino is a well-connected demon. What humans refer to as a mob boss. He hired the waiter to steal the crystal, but instead of paying him for the job, he killed him.”
“So you remember?”
Snooke shook his head. “No, I heard Marino talking about it. He wanted me to befriend Chris to get to the warriors, to find out how to use the crystal. But once I got to know them, to know you, I couldn’t do it.” Snooke looked up at Kane, begging with his eyes for his mate to believe him. “He grew tired of waiting. That’s when he sent one of his goons after me.” Snooke’s lips twisted with hate. “He put a fucking hit out on me.”
“You mean the guy that chased you from King Wings?”
“Yes. He said he would call off the hit since we were family,” Snooke said with coldness he wasn’t even aware he possessed. “But then someone took those pictures. I’ve been on the run from him since.”