WolvesofDesire14

BreathingEasier

Afterhelpinghisbrotheroutofadiresituation,SarioRamseywantsnothingelsetodowiththe
preternaturalworld.Hedoesn’tevenwantanythingtodowithAldrich,awolfshifterSario
suspectsishismate.Unfortunately,Sario’sstepfatherhasputabountyonhishead.Leoishell-
bentonmakingSario,andhisbrotherSylvester,payforhissons’death,andSariomuststay
onestepaheadofLeoifheistosurvive.

Aldrich’slifehasneverbeeneasy.HisparentswerekilledwhenAldrichwasonlyten,andhe
wasthrownintotheworstcityinthedemonrealm,forcedtofendforhimself.Hemighthave
calmeddownovertheyears,butheholdsnoloveinhisheart.

Thatis,untilhemeetsSario,ahumanwhoturnsouttobehismate.It’sjustironicthatSariois
thestepsonofthemanwhoslaughteredAldrich’sparents.

Genre:Alternative(M/M,Gay),Paranormal,Shape-shifter,Vampires/Werewolves

Length:28,009words

BREATHINGEASIER

WolvesofDesire14

LynnHagen

SirenPublishing,Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

ASIRENPUBLISHINGBOOK

BREATHINGEASIER

ISBN:978-1-64010-483-9

FirstPublication:October2017

CoverdesignbyEmmaNicole

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ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

LynnHagenloveswritingaboutthesomewhatflawed,butlovable.Shealsolovesa

herowhocanseepastalltheroughedgestofindtheshiningdiamondofabeautifulheart.

Youcanfindheronanygivendaycurledupwithherlaptopandacupofhotjava,

lettingthenextsetofcharacterstelltheirstory.

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TableofContents

10.

11.

12.

13.

BREATHINGEASIER

WolvesofDesire14

LYNNHAGEN

ChapterOne

SarioRamseylookedattheseaofshinyvehiclessittingunderthelightofthemoon,

and spotted his Camaro tucked toward the back like the sad little piece of crap it was.
XanderhadgonetogetitfromBracVillageandcomplainedwhenhe’dgottenbackabout
howSario’scarwasadeathtrap.

Thisfromaguywhodroveabrand-newMustang.

Sariowasdone.Hewasjustdone.He’dhadenoughparanormalbullshittolasthim

therestofhislife.Hellhounds,shapeshifters,demons,andhumanswhohuntedthewhole
lot.

NottomentionthedeadguywithaholeinhischestleftinamotelroomsoSario’s

brothercouldbeblamedforthemurder.

Helookedatthehouse,hischesthurtingatthethoughtofleavingSylvester.Buthis

brotherwasmatedtooneofthewolves,safeandhappy.Hedidn’tneedSarioanymore—
thoughwalkingawayfeltweirdbecauseSariohadlookedoutforSylvesterhisentirelife.

Fed up with his life and desperate to put as much space between him and the

dangerously freaky, Sario slipped into his car and started it up. He winced when it
backfiredandstartedrattling.

Ignoringthefoulsmellcomingfromthevents,hepulledfromthecirculardriveway

andheadedontothemainroad.Sariohadnocluewherehewouldgo.Hecouldn’texactly
returnhome.

Hisfreakingstepfatherandstepbrothershadbeenhellhounds.WithDukeandRiley

dead,SarioknewforcertainLeowouldbeoutforrevenge.Leohadlovedthosetwisted
sonsofbitches.

Hemadeitasfarastownbeforehiscarstartedjerkingandshuddering.Sariobarely

hadenoughtimetopullintoanangledparkingslotbeforetheCamarodied.

“Damnit!”Hebeathishandagainstthesteeringwheelandgroanedathisshittyluck.

“IknewIshould’veneverchangedtheoil.”Theoldoilprobablyhadbeentheonlything
holdingtheenginetogether.

ButSariocouldn’tbesuresinceheknewdiddly-squataboutcars—otherthanputting

gasinthemandusingthatlittlesqueegeethingtowipethewindowswhentheyweredirty.

Nowwhatwashegonnado?Goingbacktothepackhousewasn’tanoption.He’d

seenthewayAldrichkepteyeballinghimandthatheatedlookhadunnervedSario.

Idon’tknowwhyI’mrunningfromhim.He’sbeennothingbutkindandpatientwith

me. But Sario was scared, and running just seemed like the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, that was all he knew how to do when things became too complicated or
frightening.Theonlytimehe’deverhadabackbonewaswhenSylvesterneededhim.He
stillcouldn’tunderstandwhy,though.Maybebecausehewastheolderbrotherandsome

built-inmechanisminhisbrainmadehimbravewheneverSylvesterwasintrouble.

Sariogotout,slammedthedoor,andkickedthelowerframeofhiscar.“Youhunkof

junk.”

“Cartroubles?”

Sariosnappedhisheadaroundandspottedaguyleaningagainsthiscarinthenext

parkingspotover.HisarmswerecrossedoverhismuscledchestashestudiedSariowith
dark,intenseeyes.Evenleaningagainsthiscar,helookedtallerandbroaderthanSario.
He wore his dark hair in a buzz cut, and the scruff around his jaw made him look like
someoneSariowouldn’twanttomeetinadarkalley.

WiththewaySario’slifewasgoing,thestrangerwasprobablyaserialkillerwaiting

tolurehimintohiscarwiththepromiseofcandyoralostpuppy.Sariolikedpuppies,but
hewasn’tacompleteidiot.

“I got this.” Sario still had the childish belief that if you didn’t give someone

attention,theywouldmagicallydisappear.Sofarthathadn’tworkedoutsowellforhim,
buthewashopingitwouldthistime.Theguygavehimafunkyfeelinginthepitofhis
gut.

Placinghishandsonhiships,Sarioscannedthedesertedstreets,lookingforsomeone

to help him who didn’t have the creep vibe. He wanted to kick his own ass for waiting
untilmidnighttosneakaway.Nowhewasstuckwithnowayoutoftown.

“Youlooklikeyouhaveit,”thestrangersaidwithhumor.“Sureyoudon’twantme

totakealookunderthehood?”

“Unlessyouhaveanautoshopinyourtrunk,Idoubtyoucanfixwhat’swrongwith

it.” Sario looked over the roof of his car. He wasn’t sure if he was nervous because he
knewthatnonhumansexisted,orbecauseheandthemanweretheonlyonesonthedark
street, but all the red flags he possessed were waving, telling him to get away from this
strangerasfastashecould.

Thesideoftheman’smouthcurledintoasmile.Itwasn’tasexysmileorafriendly

one.Itwasmorelikethesmileapredatorwouldgivehispreywhenheknewhe’dtrapped
it.

Music briefly filled the air before disappearing. Sario glanced across the street and

spotted a tavern. Some guy had just exited and was heading down the street. Maybe he
couldfindsomeoneinthebarwhowouldhelp,someonewhodidn’tlookasthoughthey
wantedtoshovehimintotheirtrunk.

Whenheturnedhisattentionbacktothestranger,theguypushedawayfromhiscar.

He took a few steps toward Sario. “Maybe I can give you a ride to wherever you’re
going.”

Rope, duct tape, and a shovel popped into Sario’s mind. He imagined the stranger

gruntingashemadeaholesomewhereinthewoodstoburySario’sbody.

“I’m-I’mgood.”Sariowincedwhenhiswordscameoutinasqueak.Hespun,ready

tohightailit,butahandlandedonhisshoulder,stoppinghim.

Sariojerkedawayfromthetouch,backingupintothestreet,hisheartbeatingsofast,

thatitactuallyhurt.“IsaidI’mgood,”hesnapped,tryingtosoundbrave,thoughhewas
shakingapartontheinside.

Thestranger’seyesglowedandthetipsofhiscaninesslidfromunderhisupperlip.

Sario felt as if all the happiness in the world had been zapped away. Loneliness and
despairswampedhim,grippinghimtightandshakinghimtohiscore.

Sariorememberedfeelinglikethiswheneverhewasathome—wheneverhe’dbeen

around Leo and his sons. The realization of what this guy was sent icicles down Sario’s
spine.

“You’reahellhound,”Sariowhisperedasshocksangthroughhim.

Theman’schucklewasominous,darkandjustthissideofflat-outcrazy.“Leo’sbeen

lookingforyou.HewantstohavealittlechataboutDukeandRiley.”

Sariocriedoutinpainwhenthestrangergrabbedhiswristinabruisinghold.“Letme

go!”

“LeopaidaheftypricetogetyouandSylvesterback.ButsinceIonlyhaveyou,I’m

surehecanuseyoutolureyourbrothertohim.”

Sario pulled his leg back, then slammed his knee into the guy’s nuts. The stranger

released him, howling as he cupped himself. A deep growl rumbled through his chest.
“You’llpayforthat!”

Unwillingtoseewhattheguyhadinstoreforhim,Sariospunandracedacrossthe

street,duckingbetweentwocarsasheheadedforthetaverndoor.

As his foot hit the sidewalk, he was shoved into the brick building. Pain exploded

acrossthesideofhisheadbeforehebouncedbackandfelltotheground.

Thetaverndoorswungopen.ToSario’sshock,Aldrichsteppedoutside.Hefurrowed

hisbrowsashestaredatSario.“What’reyoudoingdownthere?”

Sario refused to admit how glad he was to see Aldrich. He refused to acknowledge

the surge of need that swelled inside him. That was another reason he had to get out of
town.Ifhissuspicionswereright—andheprayedtheyweren’t—Aldrichwashismate.

SariohadheardhismothertalkoftheoverpoweringaffectLeohadhadonher,and

SylvesterhadtoldhimthesamethingaboutXander.He’dsaiditwaslikefallingintoan
oceanandbeingconsumedbyitsdepths.

Though Sario would give his left nut to have someone love him that deeply, he’d

preferthatsomeonebehuman.Theparanormalworldscaredhimdowntohistoes.He’d
been perfectly fine going through life unaware that those things existed and thinking
humansweretheonlypeopleontheplanet.

FindingoutthethingsthatgobumpinthenightwererealmadeSariowanttofinda

holetohidein.Hehadn’twantedhiseyesopentohoundsfromhell,ormenwhocould

changeintoanimals,ortoknowthatmonstersreallydidlurkinthedark.

He’dbeenokaywithhiseyesfirmlyshut.Sometimesignorancewasbliss,andSario

wishedhewasthemostignorantpersonontheplanet.

Shoving to his feet, Sario looked around, but the hellhound was gone. It was as if

he’dvanishedintothinair.

“Sario?”

Sariowasshakingandbreathingheavilyassweatgatheredonhisbody.Hisstepfather

hadputabountyonhisandSylvester’sheads.

TherewouldbenowherehecouldruntoescapeLeo.

“Areyouokay?”Aldrichaskedwithconcerninhisgreeneyes,asifhereallycared.

SarioforcedhimselfnottofallintoAldrich’sarms,nottouseAldrich’sstrengthtomake
himfeelsafe.

“Staythehellawayfromme,”Sariosnappedbeforeheheadeddownthesidewalk.If

hehadalickofcommonsense,he’daskAldrichforaridebacktothepackhouse.That
wasprobablythesmartthingtodo.Buthewasrattledtohisbones.Commonsensewasn’t
with him right now, and Aldrich was one of the reasons Sario was running in the first
place.

Aldrich caught up to him and grabbed his upper arm, pulling him to a stop. Sario

snatchedhisarmaway,glaringatAldrich.

“Tellmewhat’sgoingon.”

“Yourfreaky-deakyworld,”Sariosaid.“That’swhat’sgoingon.Ineveraskedtobea

partofit.IneveraskedmymomtomarryLeo.Ineveraskedforanyofthis,yetitkeeps
beingshoveddownmythroat.”

AndIneveraskedtobeattractedtoyou.AldrichwassodamnsexythatSario’steeth

ached.Hewastallandleanlymuscled,withblondish-brownhairanddreamygreeneyes.
Ifhewasn’tawolfshifter,he’dberightupSario’salley.

ButAldrichwasawolfshifter,andahellhoundhadjusttriedtokidnapSario.

Sariobent,pressinghishandsagainsthisknees.Hecouldn’tseemtosuckenoughair

into his lungs. Worse, Aldrich’s hand on Sario’s back was soothing, helping to calm his
shakynerves.Hedidn’twantAldrich’scomfort,didn’twantAldrichmakinghimfeelall
gooeyinside.

“Whydon’twegoforawalk?”WhenAldrichspoke,hisvoicewasgentle,andSario

hadtofightnottogivein.Healsohadtofighttostophiscockfromhardening.Aldrich’s
touchwaswreakinghavoconhisbody.

Ignoringhisflourishingerection,Sariolookedthestreetover,envisioninghellhounds

waitingineveryshadow,readytograbhimandtakehimtoLeo.Heshookhishead,acold
sweatbreakingoutoverhisskin.“Waytoorisky.”

“Whatdoesthatmean?”Aldrich’shandsliddownhisspine,thenghostedbackupto

hisnape.

Sariostraightenedandtookastepback,severingthetouch.Hiscarwasuseless,and

walking made him an easy target. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched
someonespillfromthetavern,crossthestreet,andgetintothecarparkednexttohis.

Thathadn’tevenbeenthehellhound’sride.LookingupatAldrich,Sariodecidedto

tellhimthetruthaboutwhatjusthappened.

WhenhewasfinishedAldrich’sfeaturesdarkenedashescannedthestreets.“We’re

goinghome.”

Sario side-stepped the man’s hand when Aldrich reached for him. “That’s not my

home.”

He didn’t have one. Not anymore. And that thought just sucked balls. Sario was

homeless. He didn’t even have his car anymore. Not unless a miracle happened and his
Camaroinstantlyrepaireditself.

“Youcan’tstayouthere.”Aldrichpulledhisphonefromhisbackpocket.

“Who’reyoucalling?”

“Sebastian.Heneedstoknowwhat’sgoingon.Xanderneedstoknow,too.”

Sylvester.Sarioneededtoprotecthisbrother.Hedidn’tcareifSylvesterwasmated

tosomeonewhocouldkeephimsafe.Sariohadtobethereforhim.

One minute they were standing on the street, and the next, Sario felt like he was

falling backward. He screamed, but the sound was muted as the town faded and he was
surroundedbydarkness.

Whatintheblueblazeswasgoingon?

Sario hit something hard as nausea rolled through him. He pushed to all fours and

vomitedonthegrassbeneathhim.Itfeltlikeanightofbingedrinking,butwithoutthefun
ofalcohol.He’dhadafewnightslikethatinthepast,andthiswasexactlyhowhefeltthe
nextmorning—likeadogturdthathadbeenrunover.

Hespitrepeatedly,tryingtogetthattasteoffhistongue.Whathewouldn’tgivefor

somemouthwashrightaboutnow…orascouringpad.

Whenhewasabletostandwithoutthethreatoffallingonhisass,Sariopushedtohis

unsteadyfeet,thenlookedaroundandgasped.“Idon’tthinkwe’reinKansasanymore,”
hewhisperedtohimself.

They seemed to be on some large, grassy mound with a black lake nestled in the

middle. Across the street were a java shop, a fancy restaurant, and to his right, a tall
apartmentbuilding.

“We’reinthedemonrealm.”SariolookeddownatthegrasstoseeAldrichlyingon

hisback,holdinghishead.“Ihatetravelingthatway.”

“Comeagain?”HadAldrichsaid“demonrealm”?No,no,no.Sariowasn’tgoingto

believe such a place existed. He refused to believe it. Hadn’t he already experienced
enoughoftheweirdanddangerous?PleasetellmeIheardhimwrong.

Aldrichshovedtohisfeetandlookedupanddownthestreet.Theunsettledlookin

his eyes made Sario’s insides twist. Aldrich grabbed Sario’s hand and started forward.
“Weneedtogetoutofhere.Idon’tknowwhatjusthappened,butthisisthelastplaceI
needtobe.”

“Wait!” Sario tugged at his hand, but Aldrich refused to let him go. He took a

calmingbreath,forcinghimselfnottofreakoutasAldrichstoppedpullinghimforward.
“Okay,nowexplaintomewhatjusthappened.Wewerestandingbythebaronesecond,
andnow,poof,we’rehere.”

“Mybestguessisthatweweresuckedintoaportal.”

TheskinunderSario’srighteyebegantotwitch.“Yousaidthatwithastraightface,

likethathappensallthetime.”

“NotthatIknowof.”

“Thenhowdowegetoutofhere?”

“Idon’tknow.I’veonlybeenheretwice,and…we’llfigurethisout.”Aldrichlooked

deepinthoughtbeforehespokeagain.“I’llhavetoseeifIcanfindademonwarrior.”

Thenauseousfeelingreturned.“Whatthehellisademonwarrior?”

“Demonssworntoprotectthedemonrealm.”

Sario was just going to roll with this. He’d ignore the panic and seek out these

warriorsifthatmeantgettingbacktoDesire.“Doyouknowhowtofindthemsowecan
getoutofhere?”

Aldrichnoddedtowardtheapartmentbuilding.“Theyliverightthere.”

Maybesomethingwouldactuallygorighttonight.“Great.Let’sgo.”

“I still need to call Sebastian and let him know what’s going on.” Aldrich released

Sario’shandandpattedhispockets.Helookedatthegrassandcursed.

Sario didn’t have to ask what was wrong. The screen on Aldrich’s phone was

shattered.Worse,Sariohadlefthisphoneinhiscar.

Aldrichsnatchedthedevicefromthegrassandturneditoverinhishand.“Ijustgot

thisdamnthing.”

“Hope you had insurance.” Sario laughed nervously. He had to laugh, because he

reallyfeltlikecrying,andhedidn’twanttoturnintoababyinfrontofAldrich.

Withagrowl,Aldrichshovedthephoneintohispocket.“Comeon.Ijusthopeoneof

thewarriorshearsme.”

Withnootherchoice,Sariofollowed.

****

Leo slammed Jakol into the wall, baring his canines. “What do you mean he got

away?YouhadSariorightthereinthepalmofyourhand!”

JakolsquirmedasLeowrappedhishandaroundthebastard’sthroatandsqueezedas

thehellhoundgaspedforbreath.“Awolfshifterexitedthebar.”

“And?”LeowaitedforJakoltotellhimthewolfshifterhadtriedtotakehislife,had

nearlykilledhim,butJakolshrugged,hisgazedartingaway.

Leo hated the fact he couldn’t leave Hell. He had once been a revered lieutenant,

fearedbythousandsofhellhounds,buthe’ddiscoveredhismate,andhislifehadturned
upsidedownfromthere.He’dnotonlylosthismate,buthissons.

And his commander had captured him, returned him to Hell, and as punishment,

strippedhimofhisrank.ButLeowasn’tanyonetotakelightly.Hemaynotholdahigh-
rankingpositionanylonger,buthestillhadunderlingstodohisbidding.

Toobadtheywerecompleteanduttermorons.

“Let me get this straight,” Leo said. “A shifter shows up and you just take off like

somepissy-asscoward?”

“ItwasAldrichKilgore!”

Leosnarled.Hehadn’theardthatnameinforever.Thefacthe’dsurfacedafterallthis

timewasinteresting.

“C-canIgo?”

“Toyourdeath.”LeostabbedJakolintheblackmarkbehindhisear,scowlingasthe

hounderuptedintoacloudofash.Hewascoveredinthedamnstuffnow.

Leo exited the room and stormed down the hallways of Hell, looking for someone,

anyone, who wouldn’t cower at being sent after his wayward stepsons, knowing that
Aldrichwasprotectingoneofthem.

Just thinking his name made Leo growl. Aldrich fucking Kilgore. He knew they

would meet again one day. Now that he knew where the wolf shifter was, Leo would
finallygethisrevenge.

****

ThedemonrealmwasthelastplaceAldrichwantedtobe.Hehadn’tbeenlyingwhen

he’dsaidhe’dbeenheretwice,butthathadbeenoverahundredyearsago,andthedemon
warriorshadn’tbeenhisfriend.Infact,they’dbeenchasingAldrichdowntoimprisonhim

intheunderworld.

He’donlyescapedbecauseSebastianhadfoundhimhidingoutinanalley,readyto

kill anything that came his way. He’d attacked Sebastian, with every intention of killing
thealpha,butthecrazysonofabitchhadbestedhiminvitedAldrichtobeapartofhis
pack.

ThatwaswhySebastianwouldalwayshaveAldrich’sloyalty.Nooneelsehadever

takentimetogettoknowwhyAldrichhaddoneterriblethings.Noonecared.Aldrichhad
donewrong,andthatwasallanyonecaredtoknow.

Shovingdownthebitterness,AldrichglancedtowardthegatesofHell.Hisstomach

rolled as memories tried to break the surface. He pushed those memories away as his
attentionshottoSariobeforeAldrichlookedaway.

It was fucking ironic that his mate was the stepson of the hellhound who had

murderedAldrich’sparentsandsworntopeelAldrich’sskinfromhisbones.Sariowasn’t
toblameforthat.ButLeowas,andifAldrichcameacrossthehellhound,hewouldbethe
oneskinningthebastard.

“Whydon’tIseeadoor?”Sarioaskedastheyapproachedthebuilding.“Howarewe

supposedtogetin?”

AsSariowanderedupanddownthesidewalkinfrontofthebuilding,Aldrichstared

atthelittletwink.Damnifhewasn’tgood-looking,withrich,thickblackhairandpiercing
blueeyes.HisblueT-shirtshowedoffhisrail-thinbody,andhisjeanshuggedtheslight
flareofhisass.

WhenSarioheadedbackhisway,Aldrichlookedaway.Hismatehadmadethefact

he didn’t want to be part of Aldrich’s world perfectly clear. Hell, he’d made it perfectly
clearthathedidn’twantAldrich,period.

“We’re not supposed to just waltz inside.” Aldrich scanned the streets, feeling as if

eyes were on him. Even if his mate didn’t want him, Aldrich would keep him safe. He
wouldgetSariooutofthisrealm,thenafterthat…Aldrichwasn’tsure.Hedidn’twantto
thinkthatfarahead,didn’twanttothinkaboutSarioleavinghim.

“Hondo!” Aldrich called the one demon warrior who was still willing to speak to

him. The others were still pissed that Sebastian had worked a deal with Panahasi—the
demonwarriors’leader—togetAldrichoffthehook.

“Thereshouldatleastbeadoorbellorsomething,”Sariocomplained.“Howdothey

gettheirmaildelivered?Howdotheygetoutofthebuilding?”

AldrichpulledSariobehindhimwhenastrangerapproachedfromacrossthestreet.

Theguywastall,slim,withahookednoseandagapbetweenhisfrontteeth.Hishair

wascurlyandunruly,andhishandslookedtoobigforhisbody.Heworeatracksuit,as
thoughhe’djustbeenoutjogging—orhewasathrowbackfromtheearlyeighties.Thered
coloroutfitmadehispaleskinlookpink.

“Hondo’snotthere,”theguysaidwithaslightwhistle.“FromwhatIheard,heand

Chriswentonvacation.”Heusedairquotesforthewordvacation. “I don’t know when
he’ll be back, but from what I heard”—he used the air quotes again for the word heard
—“hewon’tbebackforanothertwoweeks.”

“What’swiththequotingfingers?”SarioaskedAldrich.“Helookslikehe’sgotatic

orsomething.”

As dire as their situation was, Aldrich fought a grin at both Sario’s words and the

stranger’sbehavior.“Thanksforyourhelp.”

The man waved off his gratitude. “By the way, I saw hellhounds heading this way.

Youmightwanttorun.”

ChapterTwo

“IthinknowwouldbeaverybadtimetomentionIhavetopee.”Sariowasbarely

keepingupwithAldrich’slongstrides.Hislegshadtobeamilelong,becauseSariowas
huffingasAldrichdraggedhimdownthestreet.Hisbladderwastwitchinglikecrazy,but
Sariowantedtogetasfarfromthosehellhoundsaspossiblebeforehestoppedtorelieve
himself.

Justhowmanyofthehoundswerecomingafterthem,andhowinthehellhadthat

geeky-lookingguyknownwhotheywerehuntingfor?Sariowould’veaskedAldrich,but
hewassavinghisbreathforactuallybreathing,whichwashardtodoattheirfastpace.

They cut around a corner, and Sario noticed they were on a residential street. It

looked like any other tree-lined street a person would drive down. If he didn’t already
knowwheretheywere,Sariowould’vesworntheywerebackinDesire.

But he was all too aware of where they were, and his skin crawled as he looked

around, waiting for some monster to jump out from behind a tree and try to snatch him
awayfromAldrich.HisfearsofAldrich’sworldwerejustified,buttruthfully,thehuman
worldwasjustasscary.BeforeSario’smomhadmarriedLeo,they’dlivedintheslums.
Ramshackle houses, trash-filled streets, broken-down cars littering the curbs, and thugs
hangingoutonthecornerswerejustsomeofthesceneshe’dlivedwith.Nottomention
the drive-by shootings, corner-store robberies, domestic violence, and women getting
snatchedrightoffthestreets.

He’d thought moving in with Leo after the wedding would’ve fixed all their

problems, but he’d never been so wrong in his life. They’d just jumped from one bad
situationintoanother,thoughSariohadn’tknownitatthetime.

Sohowisthisworldanydifferent?Maybebecausenonhumanswereanewbreedof

monsters.AlthoughLeohadshownthemabetterlife,thebastardhadstillkepthisdark
secret from Sario and Sylvester. And now he wanted their heads on a platter. He didn’t
carewhatLeohaddoneforhisfamily,Sariowouldalwayshatehim.

“Thisway.”Aldrichpulledhimupadrivewayandintoabackyard,whereSariowas

finallyabletorelievehimself.Hefeltoddpissinginsomestranger’sbushes,butwhenyou
gottago,yougottago.Whenheturnedaround,hefeltasthoughhecouldfinallycatchhis
breath. They’d been running hard, and Sario’s muscles screamed with tension. If the
backyardhadanoldmattressinit,hejustmight’vecrashedonit.

Sariowasdownrightexhausted.“Howdoweknowthehellhoundswerereallyafter

us?”Sariousedthehemofhisshirttowipeawaythesweatrunningdownhisfacefrom
hisscalp.

“Weweren’tgoingtostickaroundtofindout.”Aldrichtookafewstepstohisright,

doingaquickhead-checkaroundthesideofthehouse.“Ineedadamnphone.”

“Maybewecanknockonthisperson’sdoor.”Sariowavedtothebackofthehouse

they were hiding behind. A light was on in one of the windows, which made him hope
someonewasstillawake.

OneofAldrich’sblondish-brownbrowsrose.“Notabadidea.”

Sario beamed at his approval, then scowled, remembering he didn’t want to stick

around and be a part of Aldrich’s world. Being in the demon realm and running from
hellhoundswasareminderofjusthowscarythingscouldgetinAldrich’sworld.

Still, when Aldrich went to the back door and knocked, Sario checked out his ass,

bitinghisbottomlipathowroundandtightitappeared.Hewantedtosinkhisteethinto
Aldrich’s butt cheek, and—Sario slapped a hand over his eyes. He really needed to stop
thinkingabouthavingsexwithAldrich.Nowwasn’tthetime,anditwasn’tevergoingto
happen,either.

Butdamnit,hewasattractedtoAldrichinwaysheneverthoughtpossible.Sylvester

had told him about something called the pull, and Sario had thought he’d been joking.
Sylvesterhadsaiditfeltlikeloveatfirstsight,anddamnifhehadn’tbeenright.Every
fiber of Sario’s being wanted Aldrich. He just didn’t want the craziness that came with
him.

Aldrich ducked down, and Sario instinctively did, too. He crept over to where

Aldrichwasstandingandwhispered,“What’swrong?”

Aldrichpressedafingertohislips.Curiousmorethancautious,Sariopushedtothe

ballsofhisfeetandglancedintothewindow.Aguysatinakitchenchair,hisarmstied
behindhisbackasthreeothermenworkedhimover.

Sario ducked down. Those were some really big bastards. He didn’t want to stick

around and have them do the same thing to him or Aldrich. “Maybe knocking on their
doorisn’tsuchagoodidea,”hewhispered.

AldrichslidhishandintoSario’sandledhimthreeyardsdownbeforetheyducked

downthedrivewayofthethirdhouse.

“What the hell was going on in there?” Sario had managed to get his racing heart

undercontrolbackthere,butafterseeingthatcrap,itwasrightbacktobeatingwildly.

“Something I’m not willing to get involved in,” Aldrich said. “Gabriel lives

somewhereinthiscity.Ijustdon’tknowwhere.”

SariohadnoideawhoGabrielwasanddidn’task.Hedidn’tcare.AllSariowantedto

dowasgetoutofthiscity,notgovisitoneofAldrich’sfriends.“Itshouldn’tbethishard
tofindonestinkingphonetouse.”

“Youwouldthink.”

As soon as Aldrich released his hand, Sario wanted to grab it again. He didn’t like

thisrealm,andholdingontoAldrichmadehimfeelatabbitsafer.Instead,hecrossedhis
armsoverhischest,wishinghecouldclicktheheelsofhistennisshoesthreetimesandbe
backatthepackhouse.

Aldrichrubbedathisbeardedjaw.“We’llheadovertoDiablo’sandseeifwecanuse

thephone.”

“Isheafriendofyours?”Sarioaskedastheywalkedunderastreetlamp.

“It’s a place, not a person, though Diablo did own the joint for as long as I can

rememberbeforehesoldittoDiesel.Anyway,Diablo’sisastripclubontheothersideof
town.”Aldrichstopped,thenheldupahandashecockedhisheadtotheside.

Before Sario could ask what was wrong, Aldrich shoved him behind a clump of

bushesliningsomeone’slawn.HestartedtoaskifAldrichhadlosthismind,butAldrich
duckedbackthere,aswell,pushingSariototheground.Hehadnocluewhathadgotten
intothemanuntilhehearddeepvoicesapproaching.

“IknowIsawthemaroundheresomewhere,”onesaid.

“Justkeeplooking.Leo’llhaveourballsifwecomebackempty-handed.I’venever

seenhimthisenragedbefore.”

When the voices trailed off, they waited a few moments before Aldrich got to his

feet,thengrabbedSario’sarmandhelpedhimup.“Weneedtokeepmoving.”

Thistime,whenAldrichtriedtopullhishandaway,Sarioclungtoit.

“Ican’tdothisanymore.”Sariohatedthefacthewasonthevergeofcrying,buthis

nerveswerewoundsotight,hefelthe’dfallapartatanysecond.Hislifehadneverbeen
easy,buttheconstantthreatoverhisheadwassodamnoverwhelming.Withtheheelsof
hishands,hewipedthetearsfromhiseyes,readytoscreamhisheadoff.

Hewasn’texpectingAldrichtobrushhishandsoverSario’sface,tocuphisjawand

runhisthumbsoverthetearsthathadspilled.“We’llgetoutofhere.Ipromise.”

He tilted Sario’s head back, making him look up into those dreamy eyes that were

filledwithkindnessandatouchofsadness.SariowasshockedathowvulnerableAldrich
looked,asifhetrulyfeltSario’spain.

ButSariohadtogoandopenhismouthandruinthemoment.“Saysaguywhohas

nocluehowtogetoutofthisplace.”

The tenderness evaporated as Aldrich narrowed his eyes. “We’re in a whole other

realm.It’snotlikegettinginacaranddrivinghome.”Hewavedahandtowardthestreet.
“Doyouseeanycars?”

NowthatAldrichmentionedit,Sarionoticedhowbarethestreetswere.“Theydon’t

drivehere?”

“No,sowe’llhavetokeepgoingonfoot.”

Sario felt so flip-floppy. He didn’t want to be with Aldrich because of his scary

world, yet he wanted Aldrich so badly that he needed to bang his head into a wall. He
couldn’t understand the contradicting emotions inside of him, and that, more than
anything,drovehiminsane.

Sario started forward, then stopped, yanking his foot from the grass. “I think I just

steppedindogpoo.”Hescrubbedhisfootbackandforthonacleanpatchofgrass,then
walked over the lawn, trying his best to clean his shoe. All the while Aldrich broke up
laughing.

“It’snotfunny,”Sariosnapped.“Thisisjustnasty.Don’tpeoplepickuptheirpets’

poointhisrealm?”

“Obviously not.” Aldrich held his side, his smile disarming and handsome, making

him seem more approachable. In truth, Sario was surprised by Aldrich’s lighthearted
mood.“Youaboutdonemoonwalkingacrossthegrass?”

Sarioflippedhimoff.

Withaslightgrowl,Aldrichstartedupthesidewalk,andSariorantocatchup.

Getting to Diablo’s took almost an hour because they had to keep ducking and

dodging the hellhounds hot on their trail. By the time they reached the strip club, Sario
wassooverthisplace.

Buthecouldn’thelpbutnoticehowAldrich’shandslidtothesmallofSario’sback

astheyenteredtheclub.Sariowascompletelyfinewiththepossessivemovesincehehad
nocluewhatkindofsituationtheyweresteppinginto.

The place was a little too lively for Sario’s taste. Men hooted and hollered at the

persononstageovertheblastingmusic,andtheplacewassopackedthathecouldbarely
movetwofeetinfrontofhim.Hisattentionwasdrawntothestage,andittookasecond
forhimtorealizethestripperwasaguy.

Andahotoneatthat.

“Closeyourmouth,”AldrichsaidasheslidanarmaroundSario’swaist,keepinghim

close as they moved through the crowd. Sario hadn’t known his jaw was hanging until
Aldrichhadsaidsomethingaboutit.Itwasn’thisfaultthestripperwasaknockout.

OnceSariotorehisgazefromthestage,henoticedthelustfullooksthemenaround

him were throwing his way. If this had been a human club, being openly drooled over
wouldn’thavebeensobad,buthesawaguywithglowingredeyes,anotherwithscales
overhisarms,andanotherwithrowsofsharp-lookingteeth,asifhewereasharkshifter.

“Youhangouthereoften?”heaskedasAldrichmovedhimtothesideofthebar.

“Itoldyou,I’veonlybeentothisrealmtwice.”

Someone was in a foul mood. Sario started to tell him to go screw himself, but

decideditwasn’tagoodideasinceAldrichwastheonekeepinghimsafe.

Aldrichsighed.“I’msorry,Sario.Ididn’tmeantosnapatyou.I’mjustonedgeright

now.”

“LikeI’mnot?”SariobithislipashisgazedroppedfromAldrich’sfacetohischest.

“I’msorry,too.Iguesswe’rebothwoundtight.”

Aldrich pulled him close so their chests touched and ran his hand up and down

Sario’sback.Sarioknewthetouchwasmeanttobecomforting,buthisdickdidn’tknow
that. It hardened as he breathed Aldrich in, and felt the guy’s hard muscles under his
hands.

“You’vegotsomenerveshowingyourfacearoundhere.”

Sariolookedoverhisshoulderandswallowedroughly.Hehadtotilthisheadbackto

seetheguy’sface.Thestrangerhadtobeclosetosevenfeettallandwasbuiltlikeabull.
SweetbabyJesus.Sariohopedlikehellthestrangerhadn’tbeentalkingtohim.

Aldrich’s body stiffened. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who bailed on

me.”

Sario’sgazebouncedbetweenthetwomen.Ifafightbrokeout,hewasprettysure

Aldrich would get his ass handed to him. Sario eyeballed a beer bottle sitting on the
counter,wonderingifhecouldbreakitlikehe’dseenpeopledointhemoviesanduseitas
aweapon.Evenifhecould,hewasn’tsurethisbeastwouldgodown.

HeinchedhishandclosertothebottleasAldrichreleasedhimandsteppeduptothe

guy, glaring menacingly. A fight started in the back of the club, pulling the stranger’s
attentionaway,andAldrichgrabbedSario’shandandboltedfromtheplace.

“Who the hell was that?” Sario still couldn’t believe they’d made it out of the club

alive.

“SomeoneIrathernotgotoetotoewith.”Aldrichduckeddownanalley,takingSario

withhim.Whenhestopped,hepulledSariointohisarms.“I’msorryyou’recaughtinthis
mess. It seems I still have a plethora of enemies who want me dead, and they wouldn’t
haveanyproblemskillingyouwhiletryingtogettome.”

Sario started to tug from Aldrich’s arms, but admittedly, being so close to him felt

good.Hefeltassafeashecouldfeelinthisrealm,buttheyneededtofindadangphone.

“Isthereanyotherbusinessopenthislateatnight?”

Aldrichslowlyshookhishead.“Idon’tknow.Thisplacehaschangedalotsincethe

lasttimeIwashere.”

Sario’s chest tightened at the haunted look in Aldrich’s eyes. He wasn’t sure why

Aldrich had so many enemies, but for some crazy reason, he wanted to protect the wolf
shifter,andwasn’tthatakickinthepants?SariohadbeentryingtoescapeAldrichandhis
crazyworld,andnowhewantedtoprotecttheguy.

“Whydoyouhavesomanyenemies?”

With a sigh, Aldrich said, “I’ll explain everything once we get back to the pack

house.”

Sarioshovedasidehischaoticfeelingsashelookedaround.Hedidn’tneedtopanic.

He needed to come up with a plan—though panicking sounded damn good right about
now.“Okay.Let’stakeadeepbreath,thenmakearunforit.Isawabunchofbusinesses,

thoughIdon’tknowifthey’reopen.”

Aldrichsmiledathim.“Ididn’tknowyouweresobrave.”

“Me?”Sariopressedahandtohisownchest.“I’mnotbraveatall.WhenIsawthat

deadbodyinSylvester’smotelroom,Iwantedtorunscreamingfromtheplace.I’mjust
realgoodatshovingmyfearsasideandgettingthejobdone.”

WhenitcametoSylvester.NowSariorealizedhewouldgotobattleforAldrich,too.

He’d been ready to stab that Goliath with a broken beer bottle for fuck’s sake. If that
wasn’tcaring,Sariodidn’tknowwhatwas.

SomethingclosetoadmirationshinedinAldrich’sgreeneyes.“Thenlet’sgetthisjob

done.”

“ButifIdie,mycarcangotoSylvester.”

Aldrichgrimaced.“Morelikethejunkyard.I’msurprisedthatthingstillruns.”

Sariodidn’tneedthereminderthathiscarwasapieceofcrap,andhewasn’taboutto

havethatconversationwithAldrich.“Ready?”

“AlthoughIlikeseeinghowbraveyoucanbe,wedon’thavetorun.”Heheldupa

phone.“Isnatchedthisfromtheguy’swaistbandbeforewetookoff.”

“Yousneakydevil,”Sariochuckled.“Thengetusoutofhere.”

AldrichdialedasSariokeptaneyeonthemouthofthealley.Hedidn’tneedGoliath

tocomelookingforhisphonebeforeAldrichcouldcallforhelp.

“Hey,Sebastian,”Aldrichsaid.“I’minaworldoftrouble.”

Thatwasanunderstatement.SariolistenedasAldrichexplainedwhatwasgoingon.

NosoonerhadAldrichhungupthenadarkshadowfelloverthealley.

“AldrichKilgore.”

A tall, hulking man with ox-blood-red eyes and dark hair that fell to his shoulders

cametowardthem.Sariowasn’tsurewhothisnewcomerwas,buttheguyscaredthehell
outofhim.

Aldrichslowlyturned,glaringupattheguy.“Hondo.”

ThiswasHondo?Sariowasn’tsureifheshouldberelievedorrunforhislife.

“Aldrich,”Hondosaid.“Gotacallthatyouneededmyhelp.”

Judging by the tone of their voices and the looks they exchanged, the two weren’t

buddies.

“Ineedyoutogetusoutofhere,”Aldrichsaid,thoughitsoundedasifhe’drather

chew nails than ask Hondo for anything. His nostrils were flaring and his lips were
thinned,butAldrichdidn’tsayanythingelse.

“Thisway.”Hondoheadedfartherdownthealley.

SariolookedatAldrich.“Canwetrusthim?”

“No.”Aldrichgrabbedhishandandledhimalong.Hondostopped,grippedAldrich’s

upperarm,thenthethreeofthemmovedtowardadarkshadow.

Sario found himself praying again—though he wasn’t a religious man—that they

endedupbackinDesireandnotsomeothergodforsakenplace.Withthewayhisluckwas
goingtonight,Sariowouldn’tdoubtthatoutcome.

Dizzinesshadhisheadspinningastheymovedforward.WhenSarioglancedaround,

he saw they were still in an alley, but their surroundings had changed. This had been a
helluvalotbetterthanfallingandhittingahardground.Ifhehadtotravelthiswayagain
—whichheprayedheneverhadto—hewasusingDemonExpress.

HondodroppedhishandfromAldrich’sarm,asiftheguycouldn’tletAldrichgofast

enough.“Idon’tknowhowyouendedupinmyrealm,butfairwarning,Iwouldn’treturn
ifIwereyou.”

HondowasgonebeforeSariohadachancetoblink.HelookedupatAldrich.“Please

tellmewe’rebackinDesireandnotsomeothercrazyrealm.”

StillholdingSario’shand,Aldrichledhimtothestreet.Sureenough,Sariospotted

hiscar—thoughhisCamarowouldn’tdohimanygood.Hehurriedtoitandgrabbedhis
cellphonefromtheconsole.

“Let’sgetyouhome.”

Sarioneverthoughthewouldbegladtohearthosewords.Hedidn’thesitatetoclimb

intoAldrich’struckthistime.Hejustwasn’tsurehowsafehewouldbeatthepackhouse.

Leowasafterhim,andSariohadnocluehowtostopthehellhound.

ChapterThree

“Areyouokay?”Aldrichleanedagainstthewallbythedoorinhisbedroomthatled

to the balcony, his hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans as Sario paced. It
botheredhimthathehadn’ttoldSariotheyweremates,butinAldrich’sdefense,Sariohad
beenperfectlyclearthathedidn’twantanythingtodowithhim.

ThatwaswhyAldrichhadbeeninBadHabits.Hislifehadalreadybeenchock-full

offuckingtragedies,butAldrichhaddonehisbesttoshovehispastdownandneverthink
aboutit.ButSario’srejectionbroughtallthoseinsecure,negativeemotionstothesurface.

“I want to know why we caught hell in the demon realm, and why we were just

suddenlytransportedthere.”Sarioclosedhiseyesandshookhishead.“Ican’tbelievea
placelikethatevenexists.ButIshouldn’tbesurprised,consideringmyflippingstepdadis
ahellhound.”

“LeoRamsey,”Aldrichsaid.

Thehellhound’snamealonemadeAldrich’sangerboilclosetothesurface.

“Yeah, him.” Sario paced in front of the dresser, his arms tucked around his body.

“I’m trying to come to grips with everything that’s going on, but I feel like I’m getting
slammed on all sides.” He stopped and gazed at Aldrich with those big blue eyes, and
Aldrich’sguttwistedintoknots.

He’dpromisedtoexplaineverythingtoSariowhentheywerehome,butnowthathe

stoodstaringathismate,Aldrichfearedopeningthatlong-agowound,fearedtheinsane
hatredthatcamewiththosememories.

Why should he tell Sario anything when his mate didn’t even want him? Why put

himselfthroughthat?ToobadSariowasn’tmorelikehisbrother.Sylvesterhadn’tdived
intohisrelationshipwithXander,buthe’dkeptanopenmindandhadn’trejectedhismate.

As if reading his mind, Sario said, “I know what I am to you. I feel that deep

connection,butyourworldscaresthehelloutofme.”

Aldrichstartedtocrosstheroom,butSarioheldupahand.“Letmefinish.Iknow

I’vebeengivingmixedsignals.OneminuteI’mpushingyouaway,thenextI’mtryingto
getclose.Idon’tmeantodothat,butifyouwantthetruth,I’musedtorunningawayfrom
myproblems.”

“You’re not the only one,” Aldrich admitted. Although his life had gone to shit a

hundredyearsago,Aldrichhadbeentryingtoforgethispasteversince.

“What’re you running from?” Sario looked desperate to know, but could Aldrich

openhimselfup?Thememoriesfeltasifthey’dhappenedinanotherlifetime.Hewasno
longerthatperson,butstill,he’ddonetoomanythingshewasn’tproudofinthenameof
revenge.

He moved to the balcony doors, opened them, then stepped outside. Aldrich curled

hisfingersaroundthemetalrailingashegazedupatthemoon,inhalingthefragranceof
thenightairandlettingitcalmhistroubledsoul.

“Isitthatbad?”SarioaskedwhenhejoinedAldrichoutside.

“Iguessit’samatterofopinion.”

Sarioleanedagainsttherailing,staringoffintothewoods.Theybothfellintosilence,

lost in their own thoughts. Aldrich’s mind jumped from one thing to the next, tumbling
sideways,neversettlingononeparticularthought.Hisparents’death,hislifeinHell,his
escape,hisvengeance,themenhe’dkilledtogettoLeo,thedemonwarriors’pursuitof
him,andSebastiansavinghim.Histhoughtsspunlikeawitch’sbrewinacauldron,dark,
regretful,evenpainful.

He’d mostly acted out of revenge then, but sometimes he’d done terrible things

becauseoftheagonyandhatethathadgrowndeepinsideofhim.He’dbeenadifferent
manthanhewasnow,butdidthaterasehiscrimes?Didthatexcusethecarnagehe’dleft
behind?

“Itdoesn’tmatter,”Sariosaid,asifhe’dreadAldrich’sthoughts.Heturned,leaning

hisarmsontherailingandclaspinghishands.

“Whatdoesn’tmatter?”

“Whateveryoudid.”SarioglancedupatAldrich.“Thepastisthepast,right?Imean,

it’snotlikeI’masaint.BeforemymommarriedLeo,IdidalotofthingsI’mnotproud
of. I became a thief, a liar, a beggar, and scammed a few people in order to keep a roof
overourheadsandfoodonthetable.”

“That’s different.” If only that had been Aldrich’s reason for what he had done. It

wouldmakelivingwithhisguiltmorepalatable.“Youhustledtosurvive.”

“Andyou?”

Aldrich pushed away from the railing and brushed his hand over his chin. “My

reasonsarealittlemorecomplicated.”

“Soundslikeanexcusetome,”Sariosaid.“Besides,youpromisedtotellmewhen

wegotbackhere.Areyougoingbackonyourword?”

TheonethingAldrichpridedhimselfonwasstickingtohiswordwhenhegaveit.He

justhatedthatSariohadcalledhimonit.“Whydoyouwanttoknowaboutmypastso
badly?”

“Whyareyouhidingit?”

“Becauseit’snotpretty,”Aldrichsnapped.“You’realreadyafraidofmyworld.Why

wouldIgiveyoumorereasontorunaway?”

“That’salowblow.”Sarionarrowedhiseyes.“ItoldyouwhyIran.”

“Soundslikeanexcusetome.”Aldrichdidn’tlikethrowingSario’swordsbackinhis

face. He also felt like a low-down prick for getting pissed, but like he’d said, his past

wasn’t pretty. Sario’s rejection hurt like a bitch already, and Aldrich was lashing out,
angrythathismatedidn’twanthim.

“I’mstartingtoseewhatarealassholeyouare,”Sariosnapped.“Idon’tevenknow

whyIbotheredcomingouthere.”

Aldrich started to grab Sario when his mate stormed back into the room, but he

loweredhishands.Goddamnit!He’dbeenhopingtocleartheairwithSarioandconvince
his mate that his world wasn’t always this crazy—although that would’ve been a lie.
Aldrich’slifehadneverbeennormal,andhappinessseemedtobesomethinghe’dnever
have.

With a low growl, Aldrich stepped back into the bedroom. He didn’t want Sario

pissedathim.Hismatedeservedbetter.Butwhenhelookedaround,hesawthebedroom
doorwasopen.

Sariowasgone.

****

“Whoa!”SylvesterstoppedSarioatthefrontdoorandSariowantedtopunchhimfor

getting in his way. He was spitting mad, and didn’t want to stick around for another
second.“Wheredoyouthinkyou’regoing?”

ThatwasadamngoodquestionthatSariodidn’thaveananswerfor.Hehadnowhere

togo,buttheneedtorunhadhimglancingtowardthesteps,hopingAldrichdidn’tfollow
him.No,thatwasadamnlie.Hisflip-floppyfeelingswereallovertheplace,makinghim
soconfused,hewantedtoscream.He’dbeentryinghishardesttoconnectwithAldrichon
the balcony, trying to give this strange new world half a chance, but that plan had
backfired.

It was all well and good when he’d shared his past, but Aldrich had clammed up

whenitwashisturntogivealittle—asifSariowasn’tworththeeffort.

“There’snothinghereforme.”Sariohadnoideawherehewouldgo.Hiscarwasstill

parkedintownandhehadhellhoundsonhisass.Leavingwouldbethedumbestthinghe
coulddo,buthisangerhadhimvibrating.

“Gee,thanks,”Sylvestersaid.

Sariosighed.“Ididn’tmeanyou.”

SylvesterslammedhishandagainstthedoorwhenSariotriedtoopenit.“Nowayam

Ilettingyougoanywhere.IheardaboutthehitLeoputonus.You’dbeinsanetoleave.”

Hewouldbeinsanetostay.Whywouldhestickaround?“Moveyourhand.”

“Makeme.”

“What’reyou,five?”Sariosnapped.

“Are you two gonna fight?” Shiloh asked from the couch where he was seated,

Shayleeonhislap.“Ifyouare,letmeknowsoIcangetthebabyoutofhere.”

“We’renotgonnafight,”SylvestersaidbeforeturningbacktoSario.“Arewe?”

Sariowantedtotakeawalksobadlythathisbodyached.“No,we’renotgonnafight

becauseyou’regonnamoveoutofmyway.”

He didn’t understand the smirk on his brother’s face. Not until he saw Aldrich

comingdownthesteps.Sariogavealittlegrowlbeforehemovedawayfromthedoorand
headeddownthehallwayonhisleft.Therehadtobeanotherexitaroundheresomewhere.
Hedidn’twanttobearoundAldrichwhenhewantedthemanwithaneedthatbordered
onmadness.NotwhenAldrichrefusedtogivejustalittleofhimself.

He glanced into the kitchen, but too many people were in there. His chances of

walkingoutthedoorinthekitchenwhereslim,sohekeptgoing.WhenSarioroundedthe
corner,hecametoahardstopashestaredataswirlingvortexsuspendedinthemiddleof
thehallway.Hisheartseizedasalarge,thicklegsteppedthrough,followedbytwoarms.

“Shit!”Sariospunandranrightintoafleshwall.

AldrichgrabbedSariotosteadyhim,thengrowled,“Run!”

Sario didn’t have to be told twice. As he took off, Aldrich howled. The men in the

kitchenspilledintothehallway,racingtowardthesound,andSariopressedhisbackinto
thewallinordernottogetrunover.

“What’sgoingon?”SylvesteraskedashehurriedtowardSario.

Sario opened his mouth to answer, then closed it when snarls and howls erupted

around him. He looked down the hallway as a hulking man—was it a man?—stomped
aroundthecorner.Hehadtobeclosetosevenfeettall,andwassowidethathisbodyate
upmostofthespacearoundhim.Long,curlinghornsjuttedfromhishead,andhehada
largeringinhisnose.ThecreatureremindedSarioofalife-sizedbull.

“WhoareSarioandSylvester?”Althoughthethingwasagoodthirtyfeetaway,his

voicevibratedthroughSario’schest.

Sylvester looked at Sario for a brief second before they took off in the opposite

directionofthatcreature.

“Whatthehellisthat?”Sylvestershouted.

“LikeIshouldknow!”Sarioshoutedback.

TheyrushedupthestairsandSariotookasecondtomakesureShilohwasnolonger

inthelivingroom.

“Troll!”Sylvesterscreamedashehurrieddownthehallway.

“Idon’tthinkit’sadamntroll,”Sariosaid.

“Ijusthadanurgetoscreamthat,”Sylvestersaid.“He’sbigenoughtobeone.”

“Buthehashorns,”Sarioremindedhim.“I’dsayitwasademon.”

SylvesterrushedintothebedroomhesharedwithXander,andSariohurriedinbehind

himbeforeslammingthedoorandleaningagainstit.“YouthinkLeosentthatthingafter
us?”

“Whoelsewould?”Sylvesterjoinedhimatthedoor.“Itaskedforusbyname,Sario.

Leo’sstillupsethissonswerekilled.”

“Yathink?”Sariopressedtheballsofhisfeetintothecarpet,althoughkeepingthat

beast out would take more than two humans holding a door closed. He braced himself,
waitingforthelargedemontobreakthedoordown.

Whenaknockcame,Sariowasn’tsurewhattothink.

“Isthatthedemon?”Sylvesterasked.“Wouldheknock?”

“Idon’tknow,”Sariosaid.“Maybetothrowusoff?”

“It’sme,”someonesaidontheothersideofthedoor.

“Who’sme?”Sarioasked.

“Aldrich.”

“Don’t open it.” Sylvester grabbed his hand when Sario reached for the knob. “It

couldbeatrick.”

“Idon’tthinkitknowshowtomimicAldrich’svoice.”Sariotriedtowrestlehishand

away,butSylvesterrefusedtoletitgo.“Willyoustop?”

“Ask him a question only Aldrich would know,” Sylvester insisted. “We have to

makesure.”

“Evenifit’sthedemon,youknowwecan’tkeepitout,”Sarioargued.“Yousawhow

big that damn thing was. I doubt he’d play this kind of game. He’s more likely to just
smashthedooropen.”

Sylvesterstillwouldn’treleasehiswrist.

Sariosighed.“Fine.”Heturnedtowardthedoor.“Whobroughtusbacktothehuman

realm?”heshoutedthroughit.

“Hondo.”

“See,it’sAldrich.”Sariosnatchedhishandaway.“Nowgetoutofmyway.”

Sylvesterlookedskepticalbutmovedaside.“Ifit’sthedemontrickingus,I’mgonna

besomadatyou.”

Witharollofhiseyes,Sarioopenedthedoor.

****

“Wehavetofigureouthowhemadethatportal,”Sebastiansaidasheglancedaround

at the pack members in the hallway. “Only a few nonhumans have the capability, and I
knowfordamnsurethatdemonshouldn’tbeabletouseone.”

Hewincedashetouchedthelongcutoverhisshoulder.He’dhavetoshiftintohis

wolf in order to heal, but at the moment, he wanted answers. He staggered to his office
andmovedbehindhisdeskashegrabbedthephoneanddialedPanahasi.

Dean,Zeke,andMalloycameintohisoffice,too,allthreebloodyfromthefight.The

restofthemenwhohadfoughthadgonetocheckontheirmates.Sebastianwantedtosee
Shilohtoassurehimselfthathismatewassafe,buthehadtogettothebottomofthis.

“Panahasi,”thedemonleadersaidwhenheanswered.

“It’sSebastian.”Heexplainedwhathadjustgonedownathishome,includinghow

thedemonusedaportaltogetinside.

“Areyousure?”Panahasiasked.“Heusedaportal?”

“Sawitwithmyowneyes.”Sebastiandroppedintohisleatherchair,rubbingahand

over his forehead. He growled when he pulled his hand away and saw blood on his
fingers.Hedidn’tremembergettingstruckinthehead.“ThedemonwasasbigasCrypt.”

That was another thing. They still hadn’t located Crypt, and that thought had never

strayedtoofarfromSebastian’smind.Hewasonedgeandwouldbeuntiltheyfoundthe
Crypt.Hestillcouldn’tunderstandhowanyonethatsizecouldstaysowellhidden.

“Hello?”Sebastianlookedatthebaseofhisofficephone.Itshowedthatthecallwas

stillconnected,yetallheheardwasdeadair.

“Damn it!” Dean growled as he moved away from the corner in Sebastian’s office.

Panahasiemerged,tuckinghisphoneintohispocket.

“Isthedemonstillhere?”

Sebastianhungup.“Youcould’vetoldmeyouwerecoming.”

“I’mhere.”PanahasilookedatSebastian’smenbeforedirectinghisattentionbackto

him.“Whereisthisdemon?”

“He vanished.” Sebastian was pissed that the demon had used another portal to get

away. There had been at least half a dozen wolves attacking the large demon, yet they
hadn’tbeenabletotakethethingdown.

Without another word, Panahasi exited Sebastian’s office. Sebastian and his men

followed.Thedemonleadermovedalongthehallway,scanningthewalls,theceiling,and
thefloorasifhecouldseethefightthathadalreadytakenplace.Hestopped,brushedhis
fingersoverthewall,thencontinuedon.

“What’shedoing?”Deanasked.

Sebastianshookhishead.Hehadnoclue.Panahasihadsomewicked-asspowers,but

thatdidn’texplainwhyhewasmovingdownthehallwaywhileseeminglostinhisown
littleworld.

Panahasi rounded the corner and stopped, looking at the spot where the demon had

emerged.Hecockedhisheadtotheside,inhalingadeeplungfulofair.“Morog.”

“Who?”Sebastianfurrowedhisbrows.

“Howthehelldidheescape?”Panahasimutteredtohimselfasheturnedandheaded

backtowardSebastian’soffice.

“Holdon.”Sebastianblockedhimfromtakinganotherstep.

“Getoutofmyway,wolf.”Panahasinarrowedhiswhiskey-coloredeyes.“Youhave

noideawhatjustvisitedyourhome.”

“Firstofall,”Sebastiansaidashecurledhisupperlip,“hedidn’tvisit.Heinvaded.

Second,mindtellingmewhatyou’retalkingabout?”

“Ihavetogettotheunderworld,”Panahasisaid.“Ihavetomakesureitisn’twhoI

thinkitis.”

“Andwhodoyouthinkitis?”ZekeaskedashemovedtostandnexttoSebastian.

Sebastian snarled when Panahasi simply vanished. When he got his hands on

Panahasi,hewouldwringthebastard’sneck.

****

Panahasi moved swiftly through the halls of the underworld until he came to the

Keeper’schambers.Hestillcouldn’tbelievethedecrepitoldmanhe’ddealtwithsincethe
beginningoftimewasreallythePrimalSource.

AndPanahasiwasstillpissedattheguy,butheneededanswers.HefoundtheKeeper

seatedinahigh-backchair,lookingoveranancientbook.Hewasn’tdisguisedastheold
man,buttheyoungonehe’drevealedtoPanahasiandJaden.

“TellmeMoroghasn’tescaped.”

The Keeper looked up at him with those pale blue eyes. He set his book aside and

entwinedhisfingersbeforerestingthemoverhisstomach.“Hellotoyou,too.”

PanahasiwasgladtheKeeperwasn’ttalkinginriddles.Hedidn’thavepatiencefor

thatnow.“Answerme.”

TheKeeperpushedfromhischairinagracefulmovementandcrossedtheroomto

his table filled with dusty books and mounds of scrolls. He waved his hand and the
candlesonitinstantlylit.

“Whatareyoutalkingabout?Morogisstilllockedaway.”

“He was just at Sebastian’s home,” Panahasi said. “He’s after the Ramsey brothers,

whichmeanssomeonehasleashedhim.”

“Impossible,”theKeeperargued.“NoonehasthepowertocontrolMorog.Heonly

answerstome.”

“Morog asked for them by name,” Panahasi ground out. Panahasi and his brother

Jadenweren’tthePrimalSource’sfirstcreation.Beforethem,thefirstcreaturetohavelife
breathedintohimwasMorog,thePrimalSource’spet.Itjustshowedthateventhemost
powerfulbeingintheuniversecouldbecomelonely.PanahasiunderstoodwhytheKeeper
had created Morog, but that didn’t mean it had been a wise thing to do. Morog had
become uncontrollable, killing the first humans ever created, and the Keeper had had to
lockhimaway.Andthatwaswhereheremained.

Untilnow.

TheroomshookasitgrewdimandtheKeeper’sfeaturesdarkened.Heslammedthe

sideofhisfistagainstthewoodtable,topplingafewcandles.Buttheflamesextinguished
beforetheycouldsetanythingablaze.

“I’ll find out who leashed my pet, then I’ll slowly peel them apart, molecule by

molecule.”

Panahasicouldn’tunderstandhowtheall-knowingPrimalSourcehadbeenclueless

thathispethadbeenfreed.“First,”heargued,“youneedtofindMorog.”Hedidn’twant
tothinkaboutthecarnageanddestructionMorogwouldcauseiflefttohisowndevices.

“I’llworkonit,”theKeepersaid.“Untilthen,keepthebrotherssafe.”

“YoumeanusethemasbaittogetMorogbackintohiscage.”

“Canyouthinkofanyotherway?”theKeeperasked.“Withyouwatchingoverthem,

I’msurenoharmwithcometothehumans.AlltheyhavetodoislureMorogtome.”

Panahasigrowled.“You’reashady-assbastard.I’mnotusingmatesatbait.”

The Keeper shrugged. “You don’t have a choice. They don’t have a choice. Morog

won’t stop until his task is complete. Whether you choose to guard them or not, he will
comeafterthem.”

PanahasicursedashejabbedafingerattheKeeper.“OnefuckingdayI’llfigureout

howtodestroyyou.”

The Keeper flourished his arms outward, wearing a smirk Panahasi would love to

knockoffhisface.“Destroymeandtheuniversewillnolongerexist.”

“Maybeit’llcometothat.”Panahasispunandstormedoutofthechamber.

ChapterFour

“Pleasedon’ttellmethatwasoneofyourenemies,”Sariosaidwhenhesteppedaside

andletAldrichintothebedroom.

Aldrich didn’t answer. Instead, he moved around the room, checking under the bed

andinthebathroomandthetwolargeclosets.Thelongerhesearched,themoreSario’s
stomachsank.HehadafeelingheknewwhatAldrichwaslookingfor,andhedidn’twant
tothinkthatcreaturehadgottenaway.

“Ishecheckingforthedemon?”Sylvesterwhispered.

“Ithinkso,”Sariowhisperedback.

Aldrichevencheckedtomakesurethebalconydoorswerelockedbeforehecrossed

theroomandhauledSariointohisarms.ThemovetookSariobysurprise.Hestareddeep
intoAldrich’sgreeneyes,pressinghispalmsagainstAldrich’schest.

“Let’sgotoourroom.”

“Idon’twanttoleaveSylvesteralone,”SarioarguedashewiggledinAldrich’sarms.

He couldn’t understand why Aldrich was suddenly all touchy-feely. Hadn’t they argued
nottoolongago?

“Xanderisonhiswayup,”Aldrichsaid.Nosoonerhadthewordslefthismouththan

Xanderstrodein.

Sario was confused as Aldrich took them to their room. When Aldrich closed the

door,Sarioasked,“Whatgives?”

AldrichcuppedthebackofSario’sheadandgavehimakissthatlefthimbreathless.

WhenAldrichpulledaway,Sariowaspanting,lickinghislipsandwishingformore.

“We’vebothrunfromourproblemslongenough,”Aldrichsaidwithoutreleasinghis

hold on Sario. “That might’ve worked in the past for us, but we can’t run from what’s
betweenus.Thisisforeverforus,and…”Aldrichtightenedhishold.“Anddamnit,we’re
gonnacleartheairevenifittakesallnight.”

Sariolookedskepticallyathim.“Whatmadeyouchangeyourmind?Ifmymemory

serves me correctly, you were the one who closed himself off when I asked about your
past.”

HesawthehesitationinAldrich’seyesandrecognizedthesignsofwantingtoshut

downandrun.Sariohaddoneittoomanytimesnottonoticethetelltalesigns.

Aldrichreleasedhimandpacedtowardthebed.Sariowaitedtoseeifhismatewould

tell him everything or once again give the excuse that his life was complicated. Then it
struckhim.He’djustthoughtofAldrichashismate.Aldrichwasgettingunderhisskin,
whetherSariowantedhimtoornot.HewasstartingtofeelsomethingforAldrich,andnot
justbecauseofthepull.ThemanhadshownSariovulnerability,hadhadhisbackwhen
theywererunningfortheirlives,andSarioevenlikedthatAldrichhadcrackedupwhen

Sariohadgottendogpooonhisshoe.HewasstartingtoseethatAldrichhadmanylayers,
and if he were being honest with himself, Sario wanted to know more about the wolf
shifter.

“That wasn’t my enemy who came after you in the hallway,” Aldrich said. “I don’t

knowwhoorwhathewas,butthatwasthefirsttimeI’dlaideyesonhim.”

Aldrichwasstalling,andSariolethim.However,Aldrichwantedtotellthestory—

eveniftheytookthelongroadtogetthere—Sariowouldbepatient.“YouthinkLeosent
him?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it since that thing…demon…whatever asked for you and

Sylvester.”

Sariohadthoughtthesamething.Hejustdidn’twanttoadmitit.Hedidn’twantto

thinkthat a hellhoundhad put aprice on his head,didn’t want tothink that someone so
whollyevilhadoncebeenmarriedtohissweetandgentlemother.

“Didyouguyskillhim?”

Aldrichshookhishead,confirmingSario’ssuspicions.“Hevanishedintothinair.”

That was why Aldrich had checked Sylvester’s bedroom. Sario glanced around,

wonderingifavortexwouldopenupinhere.Hisearlierassumptionthatnowherewould
besafeforhimhadjustbeensolidified.EvenifSariorantotheotherendoftheearth,the
demoncouldgettohim.

Hewantedtovomitatthethought.

“I think Leo pulled out the big guns because of me,” Aldrich said. He glanced at

Sario,thenlookedaway,andSario’sguttoldhimthishadsomethingtodowithAldrich’s
past.Theywerefinallygettingtothat,andagain,Sariowouldn’tpush,buthewouldmake
sureAldrichgavehimapieceofhimself.

Sariofurrowedhisbrows.“Idon’tunderstand.”

Aldrich’seyesheldamixtureofhateandsorrowwhenhelookedatSario.“Hekilled

myparents.”

Sariosuckedinadeepbreath,feelingasifsomeonehadsuckerpunchedhiminthe

gut.“Leo?”

“Andhisthreesons.”

“Butheonlyhadtwo.”Sarioslowlyloweredhimselfontotheedgeofthebed,balling

hishandsintofists.

“He had three,” Aldrich said. “Belzaar. He was the eldest. After they killed my

parents,theytookmetothedemonrealmandtossedmeintoRemtin.”

“What’sRemtin?”

“Imaginewhereyougrewupandmultiplythatbyathousand.”Aldrichwalkedtothe

balconydoorsandcrossedhisarmsoverhischestashestaredouttheglassdoors.“Idid

whatyou’ddonetosurvive,andmuchworse.Ievenkilledafewmenwhentheytriedto
takepaymentintheformofsexforhelpingmesurvive.”

Aldrich’svoicesoundeddistant,asifheweretrulybackinthathorrificplace.Sario

remainedsilent,unsurewhattosayorifheshouldgotohismate,buthisbodyachedto
holdAldrichinhisarms.

“WhenIwasoldenough,IbreachedSerenityCity’sbordersandhuntedLeoandhis

sons down. I’d heard they were in the city causing havoc.” He looked at Sario. “I was
raisedonhateandrevenge,Sario.Itwasspoon-fedtomebythestreets.Ihadabsolutely
noloveinmyheart.

“WhenIcaughtuptoLeoandhissons,IcutBelzaar’sblackheartout.Thedemon

warriorswerealreadyonthehuntforLeoandhissons,butbeforetheycaughtuptothem,
a huge fight broke out, and…” Aldrich swallowed, wiping away the sweat that had
gathered over his brows. “I killed an innocent man who got in the way. The demon
warriorstriedtotakemedown,butI’dgonesavageandwoundedoneoftheirmen.”

Sario tried to image Aldrich in his youth, alone, desperate, and filled with hate. He

didn’twanttothinkaboutthelifeAldrichhadbeenforcedtolive.

“After that, I fled to back to Remtin. I lived there for years, knowing the demon

warriorswereafterme,knowingLeowouldwantrevengeforhisson.”

Sario knew how that felt, considering that Leo’s remaining sons had been killed

becauseofSarioandSylvester.Thenagain,Leoshouldn’thavesentDukeandRileyafter
them.HeshouldhavejustleftSarioandSylvesteralone.

ButLeowouldn’tseeitthatway.

“I grew up with no love in my heart,” Aldrich went on. He waved his hand at the

bedroom door. “Although I have a pack now”—he tapped his fist over his heart—“I’m
stillemptyinhere.”

AndSariohadn’tmademattersanybetterbyrunningfromhim.“Howoldwereyou

whenyouweredumpedinthatplace?”

Aldrichglancedaway.“Ten.”

Sario’sheartclenchedforthelittleboywhohadtohavebeenscaredoutofhismind,

forthelittleboywhohadtofendforhimselfinaplacethatsoundedworsethanhell.Sario
hadhaditrough,buthe’dalsohadhismotherandbrother.

Aldrichhadhadnoone.

HepushedfromthebedandapproachedAldrich,thenstoppedafootaway.“Youcan

understandwhyI’mafraidofyourworld,right?”

Aldrichlookedwaryashenodded.

Sariosteeledhisspineashetwistedhishandstogether.“There’snogoingback.I’m

in your world now, and I can’t promise you I won’t run, because I have chicken blood
pumpinginmyveins,butI’lltrynottotakeoffwhenIgetscared.”

Aldrich rubbed his knuckles under Sario’s chin and the touch sent shivers through

Sario.“You’rebraverthanyouthink.”

Sariosnorted.“Thenyoudon’tknowmeverywell.”

“I saw you eyeing that bottle in the bar. You were ready to break it over his head,

weren’tyou?”

“That was temporary insanity.” He shrugged. He’d actually been ready to stab the

strangerwithit,buthegotAldrich’spoint.“IdogrowballswhenthepeopleIcareabout
areintrouble.”

SomethingsparkedinAldrich’sgreeneyes.“Youcareaboutme?”

Withawidegrin,Sariosaid,“Idon’ttakeonhumungousguysforjustanyone.”

ThatgotachuckleoutofAldrich,andthesoundmeltedSario’sheart.“I’mhonored

tobecountedamongyourheroicacts.”

“Don’t look for too many of them,” Sario said as he leaned into Aldrich’s hand. “I

onlyhavealimitedsupply.”

“Idon’tmindpickinguptheslack.”ThetipsofAldrich’sfingersghostedoverSario’s

chin,jawline,cheek,andear.ThelighttouchhadSario’sbodypulsingwithneed.

HeknewwhatwouldhappenifhehadsexwithAldrich.Sylvesterhadalreadyfilled

Sario in on the whole mating thing—and given him a little too much detail, in Sario’s
opinion.

If he had sex with Aldrich, their souls would be soldered for all eternity. Was he

readyforthat?Couldhehandle…everything?

Once again steeling his spine, Sario grabbed Aldrich at his nape and pulled him in,

capturinghissoftlipsinablazingkiss.AldrichgrowledintoSario’smouth,liftingSario
offhisfeetandtakinghimtothebed.

After putting him on the mattress, Aldrich pulled back, staring down at him with

wild,lust-filledeyes.“Areyousureaboutthis?”

“Hellno,”Sarioansweredhonestly.“Butforonceinmylife,Idon’twanttorunfrom

somethingthatscaresme.”

AldrichbrushedhishanddownSario’schest.“NeitherdoI.”

Theydidn’tsayanotherwordastheyundressedeachother.Sariokissedandlickedat

every delicious inch of Aldrich’s skin he revealed. His hands and mouth worshipped
Aldrich as Aldrich did the same to him. By the time they were completely naked, Sario
wasalreadyclosetotheedge.

“Givemeaminute,”SariobeggedasAldrichkissedhisinnerthighs.“I’maboutto

explodeandIdon’twanttocomesosoon.”

Aldrich gave him a wicked grin that set Sario’s body on fire. “You think I’m only

capableofgivingyouoneorgasm?”

Oh hell. Those words had Sario’s pre-cum leaking a river. He licked his dry lips,

tryinghisbesttoreturntheseductivesmile.“Iacceptyourchallenge.”

Aldrichthrewhisheadbackandgaveadeep,smokylaugh.“Donotchallengemeif

you’renotupforthetask.”

Sario pushed to his elbows, narrowing his eyes. “Are you calling me a five-minute

man?”

OneofAldrich’sbrowsarched.“Provemewrong.”

Dropping back down on the mattress, Sario slung his arms out. “Then use me until

I’madried,shriveledprune.”

Aldrich’scaninesdescendedandtherewasaslightglowtohiseyes.Itwasaneerie

look,butitwasalsoseductiveinawaythathadSario’sheartthundering.

His gaze stayed locked on Aldrich’s as Aldrich lowered to his knees before Sario’s

lowerhalf,whichdangledoffthebed.Hespreadhislegs,thenpushedbacktohiselbows
to watch Aldrich lick his way up Sario’s thighs. The tip of his tongue teased at Sario’s
balls,tracingthewrinkledlinesasSariohissed.

Aldrichlookedupathim,hiseyesdarkandmysteriousashemouthedSario’sballs,

lashing the sensitive skin with his tongue as he placed his hands on Sario’s thighs,
spreadinghislegsfartherapart.

Sario’sarmsshook,butherefusedtoliedownandmisswhatAldrichwasdoingto

him. He wanted to see every lick, suck, nibble, and kiss. Watching only heightened his
arousaltolevelsheneverknewexisted.

WhenAldrichscrapedthetipsofhiscaninesalongSario’scock,henearlycame.The

entiretime,Aldrichneverlookedaway,andneitherdidSario.Theirgazesstayedlocked
asSario’sbreathingbecameshallow.

He squeaked when Aldrich grabbed him behind his knees and lifted his legs,

spreadinghimwidebeforehebathedSario’sholewithhistongue.Sariolostthefightto
stayupright.Hefellontohisback,hissingandmoaningasAldrichshovedhistonguedeep
intoSario’sass.

“Fuck!”Withoutasingletouchtohiscock,Sariocame,jetsofcumspurtingontohis

chestandchin.Hisbodyshookwildlyashewrithedonthebed,clawingatthesheetsas
Aldrichdinedonhim.

Sarioblinkedafewtimesashegazedupattheceiling.Hesuckedairintohislungs

assmallaftershocksmadehimjerkslightly.

Aldrich rose to his feet, smirking as he headed to the bathroom. “Don’t you dare

fuckingmove.”

Sariodidn’tplanonit.Hislimbsweretoounsteadyforhimtoeventurnovertosee

whatAldrichwasdoing.Heheardthesinkturnon,thenagurglingsound.

Aldrichwasbrushinghisteethandrinsing.

Hell.IfAldrichwasjustgettingstarted,Sariowasintrouble.Intruth,hewasafive-

minute man. But in his defense, his past lovers hadn’t been this mind-blowing. He’d
alwaysgottenhisrocksoffandleft.ButAldrichwasn’tasimplelover,either.

He’dissuedachallenge,anditlookedasthoughheplannedonmakingSariocomeas

manytimesaspossiblebeforethenightwasover.Thethoughtmadehimsmile.

Aldrich returned, walking toward him with a sexy gait, his hard, thick cock jutting

frombetweenhislegs.“Readyforroundtwoordoyouneedsomerecoverytime?”

Sario’scockwasonlyhalf-hard,buthewasprettysurehewouldbeerectagaininno

time.“Bringiton,mister.”

Aldrichchuckled.“Ilikeyourspirit.Let’sseeifyou’restillsayingthatinanhour.”

HewinkedatSario.“Iknowhowtocomeandstillstayhard.”

Themanwasouttokillhim.Sarioturnedoverandcrawledupthebed,butbeforehe

couldsettleonhisback,Aldrichwasbehindhim,grabbingSario’ships.Hedrovetwowet
fingersintoSario’sass,makingSario’seyescross.

“Goddamn!”Hedroppedtohisshoulders,rubbinghisforeheadintothepillowashe

spreadhislegs,whimpering.

“I’ll have you in every position, and on every flat surface in this room before I’m

done with you.” Aldrich dropped the bottle of lube next to Sario. He hadn’t even seen
Aldrichgrabitfromwhereverithadbeenstashed.

SariopunchedhishipsbackwardasheimpaledhimselfonAldrich’sfingers,crying

outinpleasureasAldrichstretchedhim.

“Sayyouwantme,”Aldrichgrowled.

“Iwantyou,”Sariowhimpered.

“Sayyouneedme.”

“Ineedyou.”Sariodughisfingersintothebeddingashisbodycaughtfire.Hiscock

hadbecomerock-hardandhispre-cumdampenedthesheetsunderneathhim.

Aldrichblanketedhisback,hislipsatSario’sear.“Sayyou’remine.”

Sario bit his lower lip, unable to focus, the ability to form words quickly slipping

away.“I’myours.”

Aldrich’sfingersdisappeared,replacedbythebluntheadofhiscock.Sariosuckedin

abreathsecondsbeforeAldrichenteredhim,workinghiscockdeepinsideSario’sbody.

With his chest still pressed into Sario’s back—and Sario still on all fours—Aldrich

shackledSario’swristwithhishand,holdinghimdownashepoundedintoSario’sass.

His balls slapped against Sario’s, his knees keeping Sario’s legs spread apart.

Aldrich’sthrustswerelong,hard,anddeepashelickedalongSario’sshoulder.

“Doyouacceptmeasyourmate?”

SarioheardthehesitationinAldrich’svoice,thedoubt,andtheworry.Hedidn’task

thequestionwiththeconfidenceheshowedwithhisstrokes.Infact,he’dsloweddown,
simplyrockinginsideSarioashewaitedforSariotoanswerhim.

HethoughtofthepainAldrichhadtohavesufferedhisentirelife,howhe’dfoughtto

survive,andinSario’sheart,heknewAldrichjustwantedsomeonetolove,andsomeone
tolovehimback.

Inthatmoment,Sariofeltasthoughtheywerekindredsouls.He’dhadhisbrotherhis

entire life and his mother for most of it, but in truth, Sario had been just as lonely as
Aldrich.Hewantedthesamething—forsomeonetolovehimtothedeepestdepth.

“Yes,Iacceptyouasmymate.”

AldrichgaveabeastlysnarlbeforehesankhisteethintoSario’sskinwhereshoulder

metneck.Sariocriedout,hisorgasmrippinghimapart.ItfeltasifAldrichwereinsideof
him,andhenowunderstoodwhatSylvesterhadtriedsohardtodescribe,butuntilhe’d
feltit,Sariocouldn’thavepossiblyimaginedwhatitwouldbelike.

Sario gasped as he looked up. Colorful ribbons—as transparent as smoke—swirled

abovehim.Blueandgreen,thicklikeanebula,andalmostsparklingastheyswirledand
collided.Thebluetrailsofmistracedtowardhim,thenslammedintohischest.

Hecouldn’tevenbegintodescribethefeeling,buthefeltAldrich’sheartbeatinside

him,envelopinghisownastheybegantobeatasone.

And the connection he’d felt with Aldrich? Wow. Sario had never felt closer to

anyonein his life.It was asif he’d known theman forever andunderstood his pain, his
fears,andhisdesperateneedtobeloved.

Aldrichpulledhiscaninesfree,thenthrewhisheadback,howling—actuallyhowling

—as he came inside Sario. The sound was triumphant and held a note of peacefulness.
Sario wasn’t sure if that was even the right word. All he knew was that he belonged to
Aldrich.

Andhedidn’thaveanounceofregretinhisheartforwhathe’djustdone.

ChapterFive

Aldrich woke to a lump tucked under him. It took a second for him to focus and

rememberwhysomeonewasinbedwithhim.HelookeddownathismatetofindSario
stillfastasleep.

Afeelingoffierceprotectivenesscameoverhim,andheknewhewoulddietokeep

Sariosafe.ThethingthatamazedhimmostwasthatSariowasstillafraidofhisworld,yet
he’dacceptedAldrichashismate,evenafterwhatAldrichhadconfessed.

HebrushedhisknucklesoverSario’scheek,smilingtohimselfashismatefrowned,

thenhisfeaturesrelaxed.ThefactSariowashis,trulyhis,stillhadn’tfullyhithim.

Thethoughtalsoscaredhim.Aldrichhadmanyenemies,andhedidn’twantanyof

themcomingafterhislittlehuman.Hethoughtofthatdemonandhisstomachclenched.
HehadtofindawaytoendLeobeforeLeoendedeitherhimorSario,orboth.

Asthemorningrayschasedawaytheshadows,AldrichtappedSario’snosewiththe

tip of his finger. He wanted to see those amazing blue eyes staring at him, hear Sario’s
voice,andseehissmile.

“Goaway,Sylvester,”Sariocomplainedashetriedtoturnover,butAldrichheldhim

tighter,smilingatthewhineinSario’svoice.

“It’snotSylvester.”

Sario’seyespoppedopen.HegazedatAldrichforaheartbeat.“Whyareyouawake

soearly?”

Theyhadstayedupallnight,bothrefusingtobethefirsttowavethewhiteflag.But

Aldrichcouldn’thavecaredlessabouthissorebodyorhisachingcock.He’ddoitallover
again right now, but knew his mate wasn’t up for a day of staying in bed and fucking.
He’dbarelyhungintherelastnight.

“Don’tknow.”AldrichkissedSario’snose.“ItcouldbethefactI’mstarving.”

AldrichgrinnedwhenSario’scheeksflamed.Apparently,Aldrichwasn’ttheonlyone

whorememberedwhatthey’ddone.Sariocuddledcloserandyawned.“I’mgoingbackto
sleep.I’llhavemyenergybackinaboutaweek.”

Yep. Aldrich’s ego was sufficiently stroked. He gave Sario a quick kiss before

extractinghimself.“I’llbringyoubreakfast.”

“Soundsgood,”Sariomumbledsecondsbeforehebegantolightlysnore.

After showering and getting dressed, Aldrich went downstairs. He’d started for the

kitchenwhenhenoticedPanahasiheadingintoSebastian’soffice.

Wanting answers, Aldrich bypassed the kitchen and slowed when he heard the

incredulityinSebastian’svoice.“ThePrimalSource’sfuckingpet?Areyoukiddingme?”

Instead of going into the office, Aldrich hung back. He knew he shouldn’t be

eavesdropping,buthedidn’twanttobeshutoutoftheconversation.Hehadnoideaifhis
alphawouldlethimstay,orevenifPanahasiwouldtalkinfrontofhim.

Hewasn’texactlyingoodstandingwiththedemonwarriors.

“HowdowestopMorog?”Sebastianasked.“Andpleasedon’ttellmethere’snoway

tostophim.”

“If the Primal Source can locate him, he can unwork the spell that’s been cast on

Morog. Someone leashed him, and we’re still trying to figure out how that was even
done.”

Aldrich’sstomachdroppedashisheartsqueezedtight.Howthehellwashesupposed

to battle against something so ancient? He’d nearly lost his life a hundred years ago
fightingLeoandhissons.

Hepressedhisbackagainstthewall,staringupattheceilingashetriedtocomeup

withasolution.Nothingcametomind,notwhenMoroghadtheabilitytouseportalsand
wasasoldastheheavensAldrichwasprayingto.He’dneedamiracletokeepSariosafe,
andmiraclesseemedtobeallergictoAldrich.

HemissedwhatPanahasisaidnext,butheardwhenSebastianexploded.“Haveyou

lostyourgoddamnmind?I’mnotusingmatesasbait!”

“I didn’t say that.” Panahasi’s voice was just as thunderous. “I said the Keeper

suggestedit,sowatchoverthematesinyourhouse!”

The office fell silent as Aldrich’s anger grew. If anyone tried to use Sario as bait,

Aldrichwouldriptheirgoddamnspineout.

“What’rewelisteningto?”Xanderaskedashepressedhisbackintothewall.Aldrich

hadn’tevenseenhimapproach.

HewhisperedtoXanderaboutwhathe’dheard.Bythetimehewasdonetalking,not

onlywereXander’sfeaturesdark,butSebastianhadsteppedintothehallway.

Busted.

“Eavesdropping?”Sebastianarchedabrow.Hedidn’tlookpissed,whichwasagood

thing.Aldrichwasn’tinthemoodtohavehisasshandedtohim.

Xanderthrewhishandsup,palmsout.“Ijustgothere.”

Aldrichnarrowedhiseyes.“Somefriendyouare.”

“Youtwoneedtohearthisanyway.”Sebastianheadedbackintohisoffice.Aldrich

wasn’t sure he wanted to go in there and face Panahasi, who he hadn’t seen since
SebastianhadbargainedforAldrich’sfreedom.

Buthecouldn’tsimplywalkaway,notwhenSario’slifewasatstake.Witharesigned

sigh,Aldrichheadedintotheoffice.Somuchforhisgoodmood.

****

Sariostretchedandyawnedasheblinkedhiseyesopen.He’dexpectedtoseeAldrich

andhopedthemanhadfoodwithhim.Buttheroomwasempty.

Hisstomachgrowledashegotupandshowered.Dressed,Sarioglancedatthedoor,

then at the bed. Who was he kidding? With a smile, Sario face-planted onto the bed,
sighingasheclosedhiseyes.

He wasn’t really sleepy, but his body was still sore and he wouldn’t mind lazing

aroundinbedfortherestoftheday.Maybeanice,longsoakinthetubwouldn’thurt.His
backsidestillached.

Sario cracked his eyes open when he heard something that sounded like swishing

waterbehindhim.“Ohshit!”Hejumpedfromthebedandfelltothefloor.Hescrambled
to his feet when he saw the demon standing by the bathroom door, the portal swirling
besidehim.

AndhehadSylvesterclutchedinonebeefyfist.

“Run, Sario!” Sylvester fought to get free, but his punches and kicks didn’t even

make the demon flinch. If anything, they pissed him off. He shook Sylvester until Sario
sworehisbrother’sheadwouldrattlerightoffhisshoulders.

“Leave him alone!” Sario shot around the bed, his fists swinging as he tried to

pummelthedemonintolettingSylvestergo.Thedemonswattedhimawayasifhewerea
peskyfly.

Then he barreled over to Sario and gripped his upper arm in a bruising hold. The

demon didn’t say a word, but the look in his fathomless eyes scared Sario down to his
soul.He’dneverseenanyonewithsuchuncaring,flateyesbefore.

“Getoffme!”Sariotriedtoyankhisarmfreeasthedemonpulledhimclosertothe

portal.IfheandSylvesterwentthroughit,Sariohadafeelingtheywouldneverbeseen
again.

ThebedroomdoorcrashedopenandAldrichandXanderracedinjustasthedemon

pulledSariointothevortex.“Aldrich!”

Aldrich paled as he raced across the room. Sario heard his mate shouting for him

beforeallwentquietanddark.

****

Aldrich jumped at the portal, but he was too late. It closed before he could reach

Sario.Hethrewhisheadbackandletoutanagonizedhowlashedroppedtohisknees.

“Where the fuck did he take them?” Xander’s canines extended as his claws burst

fromhisfingertips.“Wherethefuckismymate!”

Aldrich pushed to his feet, his chest rising and falling with his fast breaths as he

slowlyspun,unbelievingthatthishadhappened.LastnightSariohadgivenhimselfover,
hadputsomuchtrustinAldrichandallowedAldrichtobondthemtogether.He’dnever
feltthiswayaboutanyone,andAldrichwasdamnclosetolosinghismind.

SebastianandZekerushedthroughthedoor,buttheyweretoolatetobeofanyhelp.

Sebastian’s snarl resonated around the walls as he scented the air. He looked downright
livid,buthisangerwouldn’tbringSarioandSylvesterback.

“Morog took Sylvester!” Xander stormed across the bedroom, curling his lip as he

glaredupatSebastian.“TellmewherehewouldgosoIcangetmymateback.”

Sebastian’sgrowlrumbleddeepinhischest.“Hell.”

Aldrich’seyeswidenedashisstomachdropped.Itwastheoneplacehedidn’twant

togo,theoneplacehe’dbeenwherehe’dnearlylosthislife,theoneplacethatstillgave
himhorrifyingnightmares.NotevenRemtinscaredhimasbadlyasHelldid.

ButAldrichwouldwalkthroughthebowelsofHelltogetSarioback.

“I’llhavePanahasigoafterthem,”SebastiansaidbeforeheandZekeleft.

“Fuckthat,”Aldrichsnapped.“I’mnotwaitingaroundforsomeoneelsetorescuemy

mate.”

“Me either,” Xander said. “Just…how do we get to the demon realm without a

warriortotakeus?”

“Gabriel,”Aldrichsaid.“Helivestherewithhismate.”

“HowthehelldidIforgetthat?”Xanderpulledhisphonefromhispocketanddialed

as Aldrich paced the length of his room. Disobeying Sebastian would come with
consequences,buthe’dpayanypricetosaveSario.

Hewasstillamazedathowdeeplyhecaredforhismate.Aldrichhadgonehisentire

life looking out and caring for only himself. Even after he’d joined Sebastian’s pack,
Aldrichhadprettymuchkepttohimself.Yeah,hecaredabouthispackmembers,butnot
like he cared about Sario. Aldrich was ready to tear the demon realm apart to find him,
unconcernedthatthedemonwarriorswouldcomeafterhimwithavengeance.

He didn’t blame Sario for being afraid of this world. His mate had been snatched

awaytwicenow,soAldrichfullyunderstoodwhyhewantedtokeeprunning.Whenhegot
Sarioback,hewasattachinghismatetohisfuckinghip.HehatedthatSariowasn’teven
safeinhisownhome.SomethingneededtobedoneaboutMorog.Butfornow,Aldrich
neededtoconcentrateongettingthelittlehumanback.

Hisclosetdoorwasopened,pullinghimfromhisthoughts.Roxypokedhisheadout,

waving for Aldrich and Xander to come to him. “Hurry up. I’m not sure how long this
doorwaywillstayopen.”

BeforehefollowedRoxyintothedemonrealm,Aldrichwantedeveryadvantagehe

could have. He went to his dresser and pulled his sock drawer open. After emptying

everythingontothefloor,hepulledoutthefalsebottomandgrabbedhisMAC-10andan
extraclip.Havingbackupdidn’thurt.Demonswerepowerful,buttheydidbleed.

OneofXander’sbrowsrose.“Haven’tseenyoupullthatoutinalongwhile.”

Aldrich remembered the last time. It was before they came to this area and built

Desire, before Sebastian even knew he had a half-brother. “I don’t plan on leaving the
demonrealmempty-handed.”

They entered the closet, closed the door, and moved forward. Aldrich hadn’t been

lyingwhenhe’dsaidhehatedtravelingthisway.Whetheritwasbyshadoworportal,he
alwaysbecamenauseous.

Heblinkedafewtimesastheyemergedinthealley—thesamegoddamnalleyheand

Sariohadbeenhidinginjustyesterday.ThethoughtmadeAldrichgrindhismolars.

“This is where I leave you guys,” Roxy said. “Just call when you need a way back

andI’llmeetyouinthisexactspot.”

Xander gave Roxy a quick hug. Aldrich wasn’t the hugging type, though he

appreciatedRoxyhavingtheirbacks.“Thanks,”hesaidbeforeheadingdownthealley.

He and Xander made it through Serenity City easily. They stayed close to the

shadowsandduckedanddodgedaroundeveryone.Onlyastheyapproachedthegatesof
HelldidtheimpactofwhatAldrichwasabouttodohithim.

“Thisshouldbeapieceofcake.”Xanderwasjoking,butAldrichsawthehesitation

andfearinhiseyes.Anyonewithhalfabrainshouldbeafraidofthisplace.

Aldrichshookhishead.“Gettinginwillbetheeasypart.Theproblemisgettingout,

andnotgettingkilledwhileyou’reinthere.”

“Trustme,Iknow.Youdon’tforgetbeinginHell.”Xanderblewoutalongbreath.

“Let’sdothis.”

He liked Xander’s steel spine. Aldrich moved along the wall and found the hidden

door so few knew about. Even Xander appeared surprised when Aldrich slid his arm
betweenthecracks,pulledalever,andadoorpoppedopen.

“Wish I’d known about that door the first time I came here.” He grimaced. “On

secondthought,wishInevercamehereinthefirstplace.”

Aldrich had never asked Xander about his past. He’d never asked any of his pack

members about their lives before they’d joined Sebastian’s pack. No one really talked
aboutit,andnoonepried.

But he was glad to know Xander wasn’t going into this blind. He knew what to

expect,knewwhatwasbehindthiswall,andthatknowledgewouldmakemovingthrough
theplace…noteasier,perse,butnotascomplicated,either.

As soon as they stepped through the door, a pair of two-headed demonic pit bulls

greetedthem.

“Shit!”XandershoutedasheandAldrichranfortheirlivesacrosstheopenterrain.

Thegroundwasuneven,theairthickwithfog,andeverythingwaspitch-black.Ifnotfor
theirabilitytoseeinthedark,theywouldbefucked.

Aldrichheadedforthelarge,loomingcastleadornedwithstonegargoylesandaniron

gate.HehadbeentoHellbefore,butitwasever-changing,meanttoconfuseandtrickthe
mind.ThelasttimeAldrichhadbeenhere,he’drunthroughthewindingstreetsofaghost
town.

Butthattownwasnowhereinsight.Thiscastlewasanewthing,andhehopedthey

couldfigureawaypasttheirongatebeforethepitbullscaughtuptothem.

When Xander veered left, Aldrich followed. They reached a part of the gate where

theycouldclimbover.AldrichthrewthestrapofhisMAC-10overhisshoulder,jumped
ontothegate,andclimbedsofasthenearlylosthisfooting.

Xandermadeittothetopfirst,thenturnedtograbAldrich’shandandhoisthimover.

Theylandedontheirassesasthepitbullsbarkedandsnarledontheotherside.

Xanderpressedahandtohischest.“I’mgettingtoooldforthisshit.”

Aldrichpushedtohisfeet.“Andthefunhasjustbegun.”

“Don’tremindme.”Xandergotupandtheystaredattheentrancetothecastle.“That

wayseemstoodamneasy.”

“I agree.” Aldrich started left, moving toward the side of the west tower. “Maybe

there’sanotherwayin.”

“This is all about stealth,” Xander said. “The longer we remain undetected, the

better.”

“Thisisn’tmyfirstrodeo.”Aldrichcreptthroughthedarkandeeriebog.Hetapped

eachpatchofgrasswithhisfoottomakesureitwasfirmbeforehemovedon.

“Idon’tgetwhyLeobroughtthemtoHell.”XanderfollowedinAldrich’sfootsteps.

“Mosthellhoundswhoescapeneverreturn.”

“Maybe he had no choice.” Aldrich was relieved when they were back on solid

ground, but he was careful, not trusting anything he saw. Hell was all about deceit and
misdirection,andAldrichrefusedtofallvictimtoitstricks.

He couldn’t afford to, not when Sario was trapped somewhere inside the castle.

Aldrichfelthismateinside,felthimdrawingAldrichtohim.Hejustdidn’ttrusttheease
in which they were navigating through this. Hell was never this easy. It was also damn
convenient that he felt Sario in the first structure of this humungous castle. Someone or
somethingwasfuckingwiththem,butAldrichhadnochoicebuttofollowbecausehe’d
bedamnedifheleftSariointhisplace.

Hespottedawayin.AldrichnudgedXanderandjuttedhischintowardthealmost-

hiddendoor.ThesideofthecastlewascoveredinvinessothickthatAldrichwassurehe
couldusethemforaladderifhehadtoclimbthewalls.

“LikeIsaid,”Xandersaidastheymovedclosertothecastlewall,“Let’sdothis.”

ChapterSix

“See,thisiswhyIshould’veruninsteadofstickingaround.”Sariocurledhisfingers

aroundtheironbarsashetriedtoseeasfardownthehallwayaspossible.Hehadnoclue
whereMoroghadtakenthem.He’ssimplyshovedthemintothiscell,slammedthedoor
closed, and stomped off. But wherever they were, it couldn’t be good. Sario heard the
distantscreamsandhowls,andwhatinthefuckwasthatraunchyodor?Itsmelledlikea
mixtureofsulfurandopensewer.Ifhehadtostayheremuchlonger,hejustmighttosshis
cookies.

Nottomentionthehallwaylightsflickeredliketheywereinafreakinghorrormovie.

Theymadeaweirdelectricalnoise,likeabugzapperthatkeptcatchingbugs.

“Running wouldn’t have done you any good,” Sylvester argued. “The demon still

would’ve found you.” He moved closer, jabbing his finger at Sario. “You need to stop
running,period.Aldrichisthebestthingtohappentoyou.”

Atleastthreerottweilerspacedthehallway,theirnailsclickingalongthefloor.Even

if Sario could find a way to escape the cell, there was no way they’d get past those
hounds.Butherefusedtogiveuphopethattheywouldn’tbeabletogetfree.“Canwenot
dothisrightnow?Ithinkweneedtofocusonescaping,notarguing.”

Sario looked around at their windowless room. The walls were cinderblock, and a

singlelightbulbdangledfromtheceiling.Theydidn’tevenhaveabedortoilet.Theonly
wayoutwasthroughthedoor,whichSariohadalreadytriedtoopentonoavail.Theonly
hopetheyhadwasforAldrichandXandertorescuethem.Butwithsomanyhellhounds
surroundingthem,theywereprettymuchscrewed.

Even knowing their fate had been sealed, Sario wouldn’t die without a fight. He

might be a chicken, but that didn’t mean he would roll over and just take whatever the
hellhoundswantedtodotothem.WhatifheneversawAldrichagain?Whatifhismate
had no clue where to look for them? Hopelessness and despair swamped Sario, making
himfeelasiftheywouldn’tsurvivethis.

“Wehavetogetoutofhere.”Sariorubbedhischest.“Thissucksballs.”

“Iknow.”Sylvesterlookedonthevergeofcrying.“It’slikewe’reathomeallover

again,onlyworse.ThisiswhyIneverstuckaroundthehouse.”

Sariowipedathiseyes.“Ifeellikecrying.”

“Iwanttobawlmyeyesout,”Sylvestersaid.“OhmyGod,whatamIdoingwithmy

life?I’mjusthangingwithabunchofwolfshifters,pretendingI’mthehappiestmanon
theplanet.”

Sylvester burst out crying, and Sario wasn’t in any better shape. He’d come to the

conclusion that it was the hellhounds who made them feel this way, that sucked all the
happinessoutoftheirworld.“Wehavetofightthis.Wehavetofindawaytogetoutof
here.”Hegrippedthebarstightly.“Letusgo!”

“It’snouse,”Sylvestercried.“We’redoomed!”

Sario slumped against the bars, his chest heavy with grief. “All I wanted was to be

happy. I really, really cared about Aldrich, and now I’m gonna die, probably after being
tortured,andtheonlythingIcanthinkaboutisneverseeingmymateagain.”

This was flipping insane. Sario knew his mating was special, knew Aldrich cared

abouthim,knewthehoundsweretheonescausingthesedark,depressingemotions,buthe
couldn’tpullhisshittogetherlongenoughtothinkstraight.

HefocusedonAldrich’ssmile,thewayhehadtouchedSario,andhowSariohadfelt

wakingupinhismate’sarms.AshethoughtaboutAldrich,Sarionolongerfelttheurgeto
runaway or theneed to hidefrom his problems. Hewas enveloped bya sense of peace
and happiness, and a desire to spend the rest of his life getting to know his mate and
makingAldrichjustashappy.

He moved away from the bars and hugged his Sylvester. “Think about Xander. I

mean,reallythinkaboutallthegoodthings.”

Sylvesterwipedathiseyes,brushingawaythefattearsrollingdownhischeeks.He

noddedasSarioheldontohisthoughtsofAldrich.Hedidn’thavemanytogoon,buthe
plannedonmakingmany,manymorememorieswithhismate.

Sariohurriedtothecelldoorwhenheheardaruckus.Hetriedtoseewhatwasgoing

on,butthebarslimitedhisvision.“Doyouhearthat?”

Sylvestermovednexttohim.“Whatisit?Itsoundslikeafight.”

Sarioheardgrowlingandwhatsoundedlikesomeonebeingthrownintoacelldoor,

then all went quiet. The dark, depressing feelings lifted, and Sario no longer felt like
crying.

HisheartsoaredasAldrichandXanderranintothehallwayandhurriedtowardthem.

Sario had never been so glad to see anyone in his life. He reached through the bars and
grabbedAldrich’shands.“Ineverwanttoleaveyoursideagain.”

WarmthandhappinessglintedinAldrich’sgreeneyesashelookedatSario.“Iwas

afraidImightbetoolate.”

“Get us out of here!” Sylvester slid his arms through the bars and hugged Xander

close.“Iwanttogohome.”

SarioglancedatSylvester,thenwhispered,“Whathappenedinthiscellstaysinthis

cell.”

Sylvesternodded.“Don’tyoutellanyoneIbawledlikeababy.”

“Wecanhearyou.”XanderbrushedhishandoverSylvester’sdarkhair.“AndIwon’t

tellanyoneyoucried.”

“It’sthehellhounds,”Aldrichsaidasheworkedatthelockwiththetipofhisknife.

“Noonecanfaultyouforthat.”

SariogrippedAldrich’swrist,makinghismatelookathim.“Ijustfocusedonyou,on

us,andheldontothosethoughts.”

Asoft,sweetsmilecrossedAldrich’sface.“Letmegetyououtofhere,hon.”

SarioreleasedAldrich,bitinghisbottomlipashewaitedforthedamndoortoopen.

Onceitdid,SariofellintoAldrich’sarms.HismatehuggedhimsotightlythatSariocould
barely breathe, but he didn’t care. He’d take being smashed to death by Aldrich’s hugs
overbeinginthisgodforsakenplaceanydayoftheweek.

“Weneedtogetmoving.”Aldrichpulledaway.

SylvesterwasstillhuggingXander.Infact,hewastryingtoclimbupXanderwhile

kissingalloverhisneckandface.

With a chuckle, Xander set him aside. “You can kiss me all you want later,

sweetheart.”

Everyone sobered as they started down the hallway. Sario gripped Aldrich’s hand

tightly,refusingtogetseparatedfromhimastheyhurrieddownthewindingcorridors.

Whentheyreachedawoodendoorandspilledoutside,Sariosuckedinalungfulof

air,relievedtheyhadn’tbeencaught.

“Thatwastoofuckingeasy,”Xandersaid.

“Yeah,” Aldrich agreed. “Keep your eyes peeled. I don’t think it was a coincidence

thatwedidn’trunintoanyoneonourwayout.”

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Sario’s stomach. He gripped Aldrich’s hand

tighter,followinghisfootstepsastheyworkedtheirwaythroughthebog.

When Sario looked at the murky water surrounding the patches of grass, he saw a

fadedimage—asifanoldblack-and-whitemoviewerebeingplayedoverthesurface—of
hismothersmilingandholdingherarmsoutasayoungSariorantoherandhuggedher
legs.

Heblinkedafewtimes,tellinghimselfthiswasn’treal,buthecouldn’ttearhiseyes

awayfromthefadedimages.Hesawherbehindthewheelofthecar,tearsstreakingdown
her face as she ran the red light and plowed into a city sanitation truck as another car
smashedintoherbumper.

Sariosuckedinabreath,unsureiftheimagewasreal.No,no,no.Hismotherhadn’t

killedherself.Shewouldn’thavedeliberatelylefthertwosonsbehind.

“Sario?”Aldrichsqueezedhishand.“Don’tlookdownthere.Nothinggoodcancome

fromstaringintothewater.Thisplace’llfuckwithyourmind.”

Sariotorehisgazeaway,thehauntingimagesstillgrippinghim.Heconcentratedon

Aldrich’sbackastheyrushedtowardablackgate.Itwasatleasttenfeettall,withspikes
runningthelengthatthetop.“Howarewegoingtogetpastthat?”

“Wehavetogettothesectionthatisn’tthathigh,”Xandersaidfrombehindhim.

Sariohatedhowquietitwasandhowthickfoglayallaroundthem.Withnolightand

nopathtoguidethem,hehadtorelyonXanderandAldrichtogetthemtotherightspot.
Hefeltasthoughsomeonewaswatchinghimfromsomewheredeepinthefog.

“I’m not too proud to admit I’m scared,” Sylvester said. “I feel like zombies or

somethingjustascreepyaregonnacomeoutofthefogandattackus.”

Sario had the same feeling. If they made it back to the pack house, he was never

leaving there again. He may not have spent much time in this place, but Sario never
wantedtocomebackhereagain.Ever.

Butiftheydidgetaway,Leowouldstillcomeafterthem,stilltrytomakethempay

forDukeandRiley’sdeaths.

“Here’sthespot,”Xandersaid.“Wecangetoverthewallrighthere.”

Aldrich turned to Sario and cupped his jaw. “Once we’re on the other side of this

gate, we’re still not home free. You might have to flat-out run for your life. Are you
ready?”

“Notevenclose,”Sarioadmitted.“Butit’stheonlywayout,right?”

Aldrichnodded.

“ThenIguessIhavetobeready.”

Aldrichgavehimaquickpeckonthelips.“Itoldyouyou’rebraverthanyouthink.”

Sariowasn’tsosureaboutthat,buthehadnochoiceinthematter.Itwaseitherrun

likehellormorethanlikelydie.Hewasallforrunningatthispoint.

Hesnappedhisheadaroundwhenheheardaneruptionofgrowls.Theywereclose,

menacing,andmadeSario’sheartthumpevenmorewildly.

“Hellhounds,”Aldrichsnarled.HelookedtowardXander.“Getthemoverthegate.”

“No!”SariograbbedAldrich’swristsandtuggedwithallhismight.“You’recoming

withus.You’renotstayingbehindtofightthem.”

“I’m not.” Aldrich pulled the strap that had been hanging over his shoulder and

grabbedthegunitwasattachedto.“I’mbuyingtimetomakesureyouguysmakeitover
beforeIjoinyou.”

Sario didn’t want to leave his mate’s side. But Aldrich pushed him toward Xander.

“Getmoving,Sario.Ipromise.I’mrightbehindyou.”

Withasob,SarioletAldrich’sarmgoandhurriedtothegate.Heclamberedoverit

behindSylvester.Assoonashisfeethitsolidgroundontheotherside,asteadysprayof
bulletseruptedasXanderdroppeddownnexttoSarioandSylvester.

“Aldrich!”Sariostartedtoclimbbackoverthewall,butXandergrabbedhimaround

thewaistandpulledhimback.

“Wehavetogo.”

“I’m not leaving my mate!” Sario fought to get free, but Xander wouldn’t release

him.

“You’llonlygetintheway,”Xanderargued.“Aldrichisgood,Sario.He’llgetover

thewall.”

Thegunwentsilent.Sario’sheartwasinhisthroatashewaitedforAldrich,prayed

to see his mate climbing over the top. The seconds that ticked by seemed like hours as
Sarioheldhisbreath.

“Shit,”Xandershoutednexttohim.“Run!”

Sariohadafractionofamomenttoseeoversizedtwo-headedpitbullsbearingdown

onthembeforeinstincttookoverandheracedlikehellafterXander.

Hiskneesalmosthithischestasheran,hismusclesburning,hislimbsthreateningto

giveout,buthisadrenalinespurredhimforward.AllSariocouldthinkaboutwasAldrich.
He’d refused to leave his mate behind, but he couldn’t stop and go back. Not when the
dogswerehotontheirheels.

Thenheheardit—thesoundofbulletsagain.Oneofthedogsyelpedsecondsbefore

AldrichwasatSario’sside,hislongstrideshavingeatenupthedistance.

Sario’sheartleapedforjoyasheranalongsidehismate,headingforevenlargergates

thathadtostandatleasttwentyfeethigh.Hehadnocluehowtheyweregettingoverthat
wall,buthedidn’twonderforlong.

Xanderveeredleft,andSarioprayedheknewwhathewasdoing.Aldrichhurriedto

thewallandstuckhishandbetweenthelargestonebricks,thenadoorpoppedopen.

Sariodidn’thesitatetoracethroughit,hisbrotherandtheshiftersrightbehindhim.

Sario kept running. He couldn’t seem to make his legs stop. Fear had him racing

downthestreetuntilAldrichcaughthimbythearmandyankedhimtoahalt.

“Thisway.”

Sario’slungsandmusclesburnedashefollowedAldrich.Hebecameconfusedwhen

theyheadeddownthesamealleyheandAldrichhadhiddeninthedaybefore.“Whyare
wehere?”

Itwasnexttothestripclub.Sarioshiveredasherecalledthehumungousmanwho’d

wantedtofighthismate.Hewasreallystartingtoloathethisplace.Ifhenevercameback
tothedemonrealm,itwouldbetoosoon.

A gorgeous man with short mahogany hair, and dark purple eyes was waiting for

them.Sario’sgazewentrighttotheshorthornsthatjuttedfromhishair.Hestartedtoask
Aldrich if the man could be trusted, but Sario simply grabbed his mate’s hand as they
headed toward a shadow. Aldrich slid his arm around Sario, pulling him close as they
steppedfromAldrich’sbedroomcloset.

Sarionearlycollapsedwithreliefashelookedattheirbedandthebalconydoors,and

suckedintheuniquescentofhismatethatclungtotheair.

“Later,”thestrangersaidbeforeheclosedtheclosetdoor.WhenSarioopenedit,all

hesawwereAldrich’sclotheshangingthere.

“Ineedalong,hotshower,”Sylvestersaid.“Ihavetoscrubthatplaceoffme.”

Sylvester and Xander left the room. Sario turned to Aldrich and once again threw

himselfintohismate’sarms.

“You’resafe.”AldrichslidahanddownSario’sback.

“Youcameforme.”Sariocouldn’tthinkofanyone—besidesSylvester—whowould

havedonethatforhim.

AldrichtuckedhisknucklesunderSario’schinandliftedituntiltheyweregazingat

eachother.“I’llalwayscomeforyou.”

JudgingbythesincerityinAldrich’sgreeneyes,Sarioknewhismatewould.

****

Sario woke to the sound of booming laughter. He sat up in the bed and noticed the

bedroomdooropen.Curious,heslungthesheetasideandpaddedacrosstheroom.When
hestuckhisheadoutthedoor,AldrichandXanderwerestandinginthehallway,talking
quietlyasAldrichgrinnedfromeartoear.

WhenAldrichturnedandgazedathim,Sario’sheartmeltedandhispulseraced.No

onehadeverlookedathimwithsuchwarmthandneedbefore.“You’reup.”

MemoriesoftheirtripinHellfloodedback,andSariowassodamngladAldrichhad

chargedinlikeaknightinshiningarmorandrescuedhim.Ifhelivedtobeonehundred,
hewouldneverforgetthesightofhismatecomingforhim.

Sarioblushedashenodded.“Yeah,butnaturecalls.”

Heduckedbackintheroomandhurriedtothebathroom.Nosoonerhadheliftedthe

toiletlidthanAldrichcameinandcrossedhisarmsasheleanedagainstthedoorframe.

Sariowasn’tusedtopeoplebeinginthebathroomwithhim,butthatdidn’tstophim

fromdoingwhathehadtodo.

“How’reyoufeelingthismorning?”

Sario finished and flushed the toilet before moving to the sink to wash his hands.

“Truthfully?”

“Always.”

“LikeI’monthisnever-endingrollercoasterandIcan’tfindawaytogetoff.”Sario

grabbedahandtowelanddriedhishands.“Forthepasttwodays,it’sbeenonethingafter
another.I’mreadyforaveryboringlife,butIknowIwon’tgetthataslongasLeoisstill
afterme.”HelookedupatAldrich.“AndaslongasI’minyourcrazyworld.”

Aldrich’sgazeloweredandSariohadagutinstinctthathismatewasworriedhe’dtry

torunagain.Butthefeelinghe’dhadinthecellhadn’tgoneaway.Sariodidn’twantto
run.Hedidn’twanttoleaveAldrich’sside.Heknewhewasinforalifetimeofcraziness,
buthenolongerwantedtohidefromhisproblems.

BeingnexttoAldrichmadehimlessscared,andhelikedthatfeeling.Hetossedthe

towelasideandmovedtostandinfrontofAldrich.Sarioslidhisarmsaroundhismate’s
waistandgazedupathim.“WorriedI’mgonnatakeoffagain?”

“Thought crossed my mind.” Aldrich unfolded his arms and stretched them around

Sario.“It’skindawhatwebothdo.”

Sario shook his head. “When I was in that cell, and all the happiness inside me

drained away, I just kept thinking about you, thinking about how special you made me
feel,andIheldontothat.”

OneofAldrich’sbrowsrose.“Seriously?”

“Yep.”Sariokissedhischeek.“Andtheurgetorunkindadrainedaway,too.Idon’t

want to go anywhere, Aldrich. I don’t want to run away from you. I’m not gonna stand
hereandlieandsayyourworlddoesn’tscarethebejesusoutofme,but…”Heshrugged.
“Idon’tknow.Ifeellikesomethinginsidemehaschanged.”

Sario yelped when Aldrich gave him another one of those rib-crushing hugs. He

buriedhisfaceinSario’shair,hishandslidingoverSario’sback.“Youhavenoideawhat
Iwoulddoforyou,Sario.”

HepattedAldrichonhischest.“You’recrushingmyribs.”

Aldrichinstantlyreleasedhim.“Sorry.”

“I already know what you would do for me.” Sario kissed his cheek again. “You’d

bargeintoHellandrescuemefromafateworsethandeath.”

Aldrich’sbrowsfurrowedashebithislowerlip.“Butwestillhavetofigureouthow

tokeepyouandyourbrotherfrombeingtakenagain.Idon’tlikethatMorogcanpopinto
ourhomeundetected.”Heglancedtowardthebedroomdoor.“Ihavetotalktomyalpha.”

“AndI’mstarving.”Asifoncue,Sario’sstomachrumbled.Whenwasthelasttime

he’deaten?Hecouldn’tevenremember.

Aldrich took his hand and led him from the bedroom. “Let’s eat, then we’ll talk to

SebastianaboutLeoandMorog.There’sgottobeasolutionbesidesusingyouasbait.”

SariotuggedAldrichtoastop.“Comeagain?”

With a sigh, Aldrich explained what he’d heard outside Sebastian’s office, and the

discussionhe’dhadwithhisalphaandPanahasi.Hismindwassufficientlyblownwhen
AldrichtoldhimthatMorogbelongedtothePrimalSource.

ThePrimalSource,like,thebeingwhobroughteverythingintoexistence.

Sario swallowed tightly. “Honestly, it sounds like the smart thing to do, but I’m

nowherenearbraveenoughtobebaitforademonthesizeofatroll.”

Aldrich narrowed his eyes. “No one is using you as bait. That’s already been

decided.”

Shit. Morog was the Primal Source’s pet? How old did that make the creature and

howpowerfulwashe?Sariostoodintheupstairshallway,hisheadspinning.

Aldrichslidanarmaroundhim.“I’mnotleavingyourside.Soifanyoneelsetriesto

grabyou,they’llhavemetodealwith.”

Those words were comforting, but Sario had a feeling in the pit of his gut that this

wouldendbadlyunlessLeowasstopped.

Unfortunately,hehadnocluehowtoaccomplishthat.

ChapterSeven

Forthenextfewdays,everythingwasquiet.Aldrichdidn’ttrustthelull.Something

wasbrewing.Hefeltitinhisgut,buthedidn’tletSarioseehisworries.

Asidefromtheimpendingthreat,thepastthreedayshadbeenamazing.Aldrichhad

slowly let down his guard and had learned to enjoy Sario’s company. Aldrich hadn’t
thought about Remtin, the demon realm, Hell, or his jaded past. Just chilling with Sario
wasanewandrefreshingfeeling.

His mate was lying on his stomach on their bedroom floor, playing a game on his

phone. The balcony doors were partly open, and a slight breeze blew into the room.
Aldrichlayonthecouch,hislegsstretchedacrossthecushionsashestudiedSario.

He’d never thought he could find peace by simply watching someone. His wolf

howled for Aldrich to get closer, to touch Sario, to lick at his skin as he buried himself
deepinsidehismate.

The arousing images had Aldrich hardening. Then Sario turned and looked at him

throughthefallofhisdarkbangs.Hismatewasn’tonlyhot,butattimeshewasadorable.
Aldrichhadlearnedthatoverthepastthreedays.He’dlearnedalotmoreaboutSario,too.
Theguywasfunny,sweet,andhadafar-offlookinhiseyesattimesthatsaidhewasdeep
inthought,buthisexpressionwassoserenethatAldrichsimplybaskedinit.

His gaze traced along Sario’s body. His mate was wearing shorts, showing off his

pale,thinlegsthathadjustaspatteringofdarkhair.Theshortsencasedtheslightcurveof
Sario’sassthatgavewaytoaslenderback.LustovercameAldrich,buttherewasmoreto
itthanthat.

A warm, homey, strange thickness caught in his chest, the need to be loved, to be

cherishedbythisslipofaman.LustAldrichknewalltoowell.Buttheotherfeelingwas
foreigntohim,soforeignthathisinnerself—theselfthathadsurvivedonthestreetsof
Remtin, that had convinced his brain he needed no one—fought against being so
vulnerabletoanotherbeing.

But the lust won out and Aldrich found himself sliding from the couch and joining

Sarioonthefloor.Hismatedidn’tlookupfromhisphone.Hesimplybumpedshoulders
withAldrich,smiled,andkeptplayinghisgame.

“IfwesurviveLeo,itwouldbeniceifyoushowedmearoundtown.I’macityboy,

butafterspendingtimeinBracVillage,IthinkIlikesmalltowns.”

AldrichbrushedthefallofhairfromSario’seyes.“Thereisnoif.We’llsurvive.”He

wasdamnsureaboutthat,becauseSariohadwormedhiswayinsideAldrichandhewould
doanythingforthisman.

Absolutelyanything.

Evenifhehadtofighteveryhellhoundordemonthrownathim,Aldrichwouldbathe

in their blood to ensure Sario’s safety. The thought was gruesome, but that was who he
was—evenifhewantedadifferentkindoflifethanwhathe’dalwaysknown.

Sario made him want more, want to be a better man. He craved that knight-in-

shining-armor look Sario had given him from inside the cell. He wanted to be the man
Sariorantowhenhewasscared,theoneinwhomhecouldconfidehisdeepest,darkest
secrets.

Sariosmiledathim.“What’reyouthinkingabout?”

Aldrichrealizedhewasflat-outstaringatSario.“You.”

AfineblushstoleoverSario’scheeks.“And?”

“Stuff.”

Sariorolledhiseyesashewentbacktohisgame.Theyhadn’tfooledaroundsince

theirmating,andAldrichwantedSario,buthealsowantedtoenjoythispeacefulmoment.

“You’re a complex man.” Sario laid his head on Aldrich’s shoulder. It was such a

simplegesture,butitmadethepitofhisgutfillwithbutterflies.

“Notreally.”Aldrichwasassimpleastheycame.He’dhadaprettyfucked-uplife,

butasidefromcurrentevents,hewasaboringguy.

SariohandedAldrichhisphone.“Here,playthis.”

He’dneverplayedavideogameinhislife.Aldrichstaredatthescreen,completely

lost.

“Youjustrun,jumpoverobstacles,andtrynottogethitbyflyingobjects.”

Thegamedidn’treallyinteresthim,butSario’senthusedsmiledid.AsAldrichtried

to navigate the terrain, his mate pushed to his knees, pulled his shirt over his head, and
tosseditaside.

Aldrich’sguydiedafierydeathasthebeautifulsightpulledhisattentionaway.He

staredatSario’sreedychestandhisdarknipples,andhismouthbegantowater.

“Dude,youjustkilledmyguy.”Sariochuckled.“Payattentiontothegame.”

Aldrichtossedthephoneaside.“Fuckthatgame.I’mmoreinterestedinwhatyou’re

doing.”Heflippedtohisbackandtuckedhishandsbehindhishead,grinningatSario.

“Iwasjusttakingmyshirtoffbecauseit’shot,”Sariosaid.

ButAldrichnoticedthethickoutlineinSario’sshorts.Hismatewasturnedon,and

there was no denying that look of want in his blue eyes. Aldrich got up, undressed, and
openedthebalconydoorsalltheway,lettinginthesunandmoreofthewarmbreezethat
wasalreadyfilteringintotheirbedroom.

He dropped back down to the carpet, lay on his side, and propped his head on his

hand.“Gonnafinishundressing?”

Sario let his shorts drop. Aldrich grinned when he saw he wasn’t wearing any

underwear.

“Youhaveawolfishgrinonyourface.”SariolaynexttoAldrich,onhisside,aswell.

“I am a wolf,” Aldrich reminded him. Before he changed his mind, Aldrich shifted

andlickedatSario’scheekbeforeheshiftedback.

Sariolaytherewithhisjawhangingopen.“I…uh…thatwas…weird.”

“Iwould’veletmywolfstaylonger,butIdidn’twantyoutofreakout.”Aldrichslid

hishandoverSario’snakedhip.“Besides,sexinhumanformismuchmorepleasurable.”

Sariocrinkledhisnose.“AndI’mnotintofurrysex.”

Aldrichchuckled.“Evenifyouknewitwasme?”

“Noteventhen.”Sariostoleakiss,hischeeksflamingonceagain.

Aldrichwasonlyteasinghim.Althoughhiswolfwasthedominantpartofhim,he’d

never had the desire to fuck anyone in that form. Before meeting Sario, he might have
considered doing that with another wolf, but in all the years he’d been alive, he’d never
comeacrossthatscenario.

AldrichglidedhisfingersoverSario’shipanduphisback,thenstoppedathisnape.

HetuggedSariocloser.“Kissme.”

AwidegrinspreadacrossSario’sfacebeforehelappedatAldrich’smouth,teasing

the bottom lip with his teeth. Aldrich groaned and grabbed Sario by his waist before he
rolledtohisback,placinghismateontopofhim.

“Youtastelikebananas,”Sariosaid.

“Ijusthadonetenminutesago.Yousawmeeatit.”

“I tried not to watch.” Sario’s grin was broad. “I kept having dirty thoughts and

killingmyguyinmygame.”

“Really?”

SariochuckledandkissedAldrichonhisneck.HisteasinggrinwasdrivingAldrich

crazy.Hecouldn’tdenyit.WheneverhewaswithSario,theworldjustdidn’texist.“Yeah,
seriously.NowletmeseeifIcanimitatewhatyoudid.”

Sario shimmied down Aldrich’s body and settled between his legs. His cock jerked

whenSariopalmedthelength.“NowthisissomethingIcanworkwith.”

“Workaway.”Aldrichpushedtohiselbows,watchingasSariotookhimdowntothe

root.Fuck,fuck,fuck!Aldrichmust’vediedandgonetoheavenbecausethatwasexactly
howSario’slipsfelt.Heavenly.

Histonguewasjustasmagicalasitworkeditswayuptotheheadandlavishedthe

swollenfleshmercilessly.Aldrichcollapsed,grippedSario’shead,andstartedtofuckhis
mouth.

ThelongerSariousedhistongue,themoreAldrichtrembled.Hisballsdrewuptohis

body,thattinglyfeelingwrappingaroundhisgroinandshootinguphisspine.Hisfingers
curledintoSario’sdarkhairasheclenchedhisjaw.

Thenhisorgasmswepthimaway,makinghimbowhisbackasheshoutedhismate’s

name and his cum erupted in pulsing spurts down Sario’s throat. His mate swallowed
everylastdrop.

Aldrich lay against the floor, gasping for breath, blinking rapidly as he came back

downtoearth.Buthiscockwasstillhard,andhestillwantedSariointheworstway.

Hismatedidn’tdisappoint,either.Sariograbbedthelubefromthenightstanddrawer

andpaddedbacktoAldrich.“Youwanttodothehonors,ordoyouwanttowatch?”

Sariodidn’twaitforAldrichtoanswer.Hedroppedtoallfours,wethisfingers,then

plunged them deep inside his ass. Aldrich pushed to his knees, fascinated at what Sario
wasdoing.Hiscaninespunchedfreeashiswolfgrowledforatasteofhismate.

Aldrich shoved Sario’s hand away and began to lick him, driving his tongue deep,

feeling the muscle clamp around it. He fucking loved the taste of his mate. He used his
fingersandthelubealreadycoatingSario’sholetostretchSario,stilllickingandnipping
athishole.

Sario’slittlemewlingnoisesfilledtheroom.Herockedonallfours,beggingAldrich

to fuck him already. He was all hunger and need and Aldrich was eating that shit up
becausehewastheonehismatewanted,theonehewaspleadingfor.

Araw,animalisticneedcameoverhimasheaddedlubetohiscock.Hetossedthe

bottleasideandmovedinbehindSario.ThewindcaressedtheirheatedbodiesasAldrich
inchedhiswayinsideSario’sass,hissingandmoaningatthetight,wetheatthatgripped
hiscocklikeanironfist.

Thesexwasphenomenal,buttheconnectionwithSariowaswhatmadebeingwith

himmind-blowing.HesmiledasSarioscratchedatthecarpet,beggingandcryingouthis
pleasure.HelovedthefactthathewastheonemakingSariofeelthisway.

Itwasanaddictingrush,oneAldrichwantedtoexperienceoverandoveragain,like

it had become a vital part of his life. But his wolf took over, blanketing Sario’s back,
bitinghisshoulder.

SariocriedoutAldrich’sname,hisholeclampingtightlyaroundAldrich’scock.The

scent of his mate’s release made Aldrich topple over the edge. He slid his canines free,
lickedthewound,theneasedoutofSariobeforehefelltothecarpet.

Theybothlaythere,grinningateachotherlikecompleteidiots,andAldrichlovedit.

HebrushedhisknucklesoverSario’srosycheek.Hecouldn’timaginehislifewithouthis
mate.Heneverwantedto,either.

Sarioscootedcloser,entwininghisfingersinAldrich’s.Thenheclosedhiseyes,let

outacontentsigh,andfellasleep.

Aldrichspentthenexthoursimplylyingthere,watchinghismate,andwonderingif

thispowerfulemotionthatgrippedhimandshookhimtohisfoundationwaslove.

ChapterEight

ThishadbeenthefirsttimeSariohadwokentofindAldrichstaringathim.Hismate

waslyingonhisstomach,hisarmsfoldedbeneathhisheadashestaredintoSario’seyes,
almostasthoughwatchingSariosleephadbecomehisobsession.

“Youreallyhavetostopwatchingme.”Sariostretchedandwonderedhowlonghe’d

beenout.Thesunwasstillshining,althoughhecouldtellithadsunklowerinthesky.

“You’reinterestingtowatch.”Aldrichdidn’tmove.Hesimplylaythere,asifwaiting

toseeifSariowouldgetup,asifhismoveswoulddictateAldrich’s.

Sariorolledtohisside,placinghalfhisbodyoverAldrich’snakedbackandass.He

cockedhisleg,restingitoverthebacksofhismate’sthighs.“HowlongwasIasleep?”

“Alittleoveranhour.”

“Andyouwerewatchingmethewholetime?”

Aldrichshrugged.“LikeIsaid,you’reinterestingtowatch.”

Sariohadneverhadanyonepayhimthismuchattention.Helikedit.No,helovedit.

HealsolovedtheshineofwarmthinAldrich’sgreeneyes.Hismateseemedsorelaxed,so
contenttojustsimplyliethereandstudySario.

Sariowasn’tsurewhatwasgoingtohappenwithLeoorMorogoranythingelse,and

hepushedthosethoughtsaside.Hedidn’twantthemtoruinthismoment,buttheydidn’t
completely disappear. The worries lingered in the back of his mind as he brushed his
knucklesdownAldrich’sback.

“What’rewegonnagetintofortherestoftheevening?”Sarioasked.

ThelookinAldrich’seyessaidhewantedtostayintheroomandfucktheirevening

away.Sariowasokaywiththat.Buthewasalsohungry.KeepingupwithAldrichtooka
lotofenergy,andheneededtorefuel.

“Ihavesomeverygoodideas,”Aldrichteased.

“And I might like those ideas, but how about we eat first?” Sario played with

Aldrich’s soft hair, running his fingers through the strands. Aldrich’s eyelids fluttered
closed,asifSario’stouchsettledsomethinginsidehim.“Doyouthinkitwouldbesafeto
gointotownforabitetoeat?”

Aldrich’seyessnappedopen.“It’llbeaboutassafeaseatinghere.”

WhichmeantifMorogcameafterhimagain,therewasnowhereSariocouldhide.If

hehadthecapability,SariowouldhuntLeodownandbeatthebrakesoffhimforputting
himandAldrichthroughthis.

As if Aldrich could read his worries, he slid an arm over Sario, pulling him closer.

Sariolikedbeinginhismate’sstrongembrace.Itwasthesafesthe’dfeltinaverylong
time.AldrichtuckedSariodamnnearupunderhimasherestedhisheadonSario’s.

“Thankyou.”

Aldrichlookedathim.“Forwhat?”

“Beingmyhero.”

Aldrich scowled and Sario could see just how little self-worth Aldrich had. After

learningabouthislife,Sariocouldunderstandwhy.“I’mnohero,Sario.”

Sariosmiled.“You’remyhero.”

When Aldrich opened his mouth, Sario knew it was to argue. He pressed a finger

againstAldrich’ssoftlips,stoppinghimfromsayinganotherword.“Notjustbecauseyou
keptmesafeinthedemonrealmandrescuedmefromHell.Yousavedmefrommyself.”

Aldrich’sbrowscrinkled.“How?”hesaidwithSario’sfingerstillagainsthislips.

“You know me in a way most people don’t. Aside from Sylvester, I didn’t have

anyoneinmycorner.Youprovedyouwouldalwaysbethereforme,evenifyouhadto
rushintoHell.”

“You’rethefirstpersonI’veletinthisdeep,”Aldrichconfessed.“It’sscary,trusting

someonelikethis,butIlikeit,andI’mgladyouwouldn’tletmepushyouaway.”

Theyspentthenexthourexploringeachother’sbodies,touching,kissing,tasting,and

forgetting the world existed. By the time they were showered and dressed, Sario was
starving.Hefeltasifhehadn’teateninaweek.

Aldrichtookhimtothelocaldiner,thentheystrolleddownthestreetsofDesire.It

wastheperfectendingtotheirevening—dusksettlingaroundthem,residentssmilingand
wavingatthemasthoughtheyknewwhoSarioandAldrichwere.Sarioreallydidlikethe
small-townfeelingcomparedtothecitywhereeveryoneignoredhimandjustbrushedon
bywithoutevenasidewaysglance.

They ended up at Beans and Buns, where the coffee was pure perfection and the

cupcakesweresimplyamazing.AsSariosatnexttoAldrichononeoftheloveseats,he
realizedhe’dfalleninlovewiththewolfshifter.Hisheartfeltasifithadexpanded,and
hecouldn’tstopstealingglancesathismateasAldrichstretchedoutonthecushions,his
armslungoverthebackoftheloveseat.

“Nowthatwasarelaxingevening,”hecommentedbeforetakingasipofhiscoffee.

“I’dhavetosayitwasdamnnearperfect.”

“That’sbecauseyouspentitwithme,”Sarioteased.

Aldrich turned those dreamy eyes on him, and his smile melted Sario’s heart. “You

gotmethere.”

Sariowonderedhowlongtheir“perfect”timetogetherwouldlast.Althoughhewas

enjoying himself, he couldn’t help but scan the shop, looking for a swirling portal or
wonderingifahellhoundwouldshowupatanysecond.Trepidationtingledthroughhim
ashesmiledupatAldrich,hopingthisordealwithLeowouldbeoversoonsotheycould
trulyrelax.

Thebelloverthedoorjingled.Sariolookedupandsawaguywithafloppyhaircut

enter, along with a man with long curly blond hair. When Sario looked out the large
window,hesawtwomenseatedonmotorcycles.Onehadlongblackhairandanuncanny
resemblancetoSebastian.

HeignoredthemashecurleddeeperintoAldrich’sside,prayingnooneruinedtheir

evening—althoughthetwoatthecounterwereloudandarguedwiththebarista.

Sario closed his eyes briefly and must’ve dozed, because when he opened his eyes,

theshopwasempty,andstandinginfrontoftheloveseatwasMorog.

“Holyshit!”Hemust’vejustappeared,becauseAldrichwasstillseatednexttohim,

looking just as stunned as Sario felt. Sario scrambled over the back of the love seat as
MorogswipedatthespacewhereSariohadjustbeensitting.

Plumes of smoke billowed from his nostrils as he narrowed his eerie eyes at Sario.

“Nouserunning,human.”

Aldrichshiftedintohiswolf,leapingtowardMorog’sneck.Thedemonsmackedhim

away and Aldrich hit the wall, whimpering, before he got up and charged after Morog
again. Sario looked around for anything he could use as a weapon, but they were in a
stinkingcoffeehouse.Theclosesttohimwashismugofcoffee.

Theyweresevenkindsofscrewed.

SariohurriedbehindAldrich,hopingthewolfwouldkeepMorogatbay.ButMorog

lookedjustasdeterminedtohisgethishandsonSarioasAldrichwastoprotecthim.

“There’s nowhere to run.” The glint in Morog’s eyes said he would enjoy torturing

SarioifSariokeptresistinghim.ButSariowouldresistuntilhislastbreath.Nowaywas
helettingthedemongetnearhim.

SariokepthiseyeslockedwithMorog’sasthebellabovethedoorjingled.Whoever

hadenteredwasinforabigsurprise.

“Morog!”

Themanwhohadenteredlookedhuman,buttheairabouthimmadeSariosecond-

guess his assumption. The newcomer wore an expensive-looking suit, which only
enhancedhisruggedfeatures.Helookedlikeamixofstreetbrawlerandsophistication.

Morog turned, the plumes of smoke billowing from his nostrils thickening. “I don’t

answertoyouanymore.”

The guy snapped his fingers but nothing happened. Sario threaded his fingers into

Aldrich’sfur,wonderingwhothisguywas.Astrangepoweremanatedfromhim,asifhe
couldsnapthosefingersagainandendeveryresidentinDesire.

“YouthinkI’llallowsomeoneelsetopullyourleash?”theguyasked.“YouthinkI’ll

letsomespelltakecontrolawayfromme?”

Morog’slaughwaswhollyevil.“Someonedid.”

Sario’sattentionbouncedbetweenthetwo.Whatthehellwasgoingon?Wasthisthe

Primal Source? Sario had imaged him to be a hell of a lot different than he looked. He
glaredatMoroginawaythatmadeSariowanttoobeyhiseverycommand.Thedefiant
expressionsaidhewouldn’tbetheonebackingdown.

The demon turned away from Sario and Aldrich and charged toward the Primal

Source—atleast,thatwaswhoSarioassumedtheguywas.

Aldrich shifted back into his human form. Sario had a hard time not staring at his

mate’s ass as Morog approached his master. But his gaze kept wandering to Aldrich’s
well-sculptedbackside,andSariowantedtobiteoneofthecheeks.

“We’renotstickingaroundtoseehowthisends.”AldrichgrabbedSario’shandand

boltedtowardthebathroom.Theymadetheirwaydownahallway,thenrushedthrougha
back door. The two hurried around the building to Aldrich’s truck, then took off, racing
backtowardthepackhouse.

Sario pressed a hand to his chest as he turned in his seat and looked out the back

window,halfexpectingtofindMorogchasingafterthem.“Thatwasclose!”

“Toodamnclose,”Aldrichsaid.“AndI’mgettingfuckingtiredofrunning.”

SowasSario.Heturnedandcollapsedinhisseat.“HopefullythePrimalSourcetakes

careofhim.”

“Iwouldn’tcountonit.”Aldrichslowedtothenormalspeedlimit,thenslowedeven

furtherbeforemakingtheturnintotheirdriveway.“Morogdidn’tseemtobeinclinedto
listentoanyone.”

Sariorecalledthedefianceinthedemon’seyes,asthoughhewasdaringthePrimal

Source to take him down. When they came to a stop, Sario hesitated, scanning his
surroundingstomakesurehedidn’tseethatdemonanywhere.

Itwouldbejusthislucktostepfromthetruckandfallrightintoaportal.

****

PanahasisteppedintothecoffeeshopjustasMorogslicedtheKeeperacrosshisface

withhissharpclaws.Heimmediatelysealedthedoorssonohumanscouldgetinside,then
mistedtheviewsoifanyonelookedthroughthewindow,theywouldseeonlyadarkened
shop.

FromtheKeeper’sbruisedandbatteredlook,hewaslosingthefight.Panahasididn’t

wastetimetryingtofigureoutwhytheKeeperdidn’thavethepowertosendMorogback
totheunderworld.HejoinedtheKeepertofaceMorogdown.

“NotsureIgotthisone,”theKeeperpanted.“Thingsarelookingabitgrimforour

hero.”

Panahasishookhishead.“Thisshitisn’toveryet.”

The Keeper swayed, his face a bloody mess as he nodded. “Then we defeat him

together.”

Panahasiwasn’tsosure.TheKeeperlookedasthoughhewasbarelystayingonhis

feet. He held an arm over his right side, and Panahasi noticed that the gouge it covered
wasbleedingprofusely.Theman’sinjuriesworriedPanahasi.

“DoeshehaveanAchilles’heel?”Panahasiasked.“Anyweaknessatall?”

TheKeeperblinkedafewtimes,asthoughfightingoffdizziness.“Withthespellcast

overhim,I’mnotsureanythingcanstophim.”

Just fucking great. Panahasi glared up at Morog, who stood there grinning evilly at

theKeeper.“Wholeashedyou?”

“Like I’d tell you,” the demon taunted. “I like being free. I’m not gonna be caged

again.”

“We’ll see about that.” With a snap of his fingers, Panahasi’s demon warriors

surrounded him. They looked around, confused, then turned toward Morog. “We bring
himdowntogether,”Panahasisaid.

Theshoperuptedintoabattle,destroyingthefurnitureandturningthecounterintoa

pileofkindling.MorogfoughtwithbrutestrengthashetriedtotakePanahasi’swarriors
down.

KanewasslungacrosstheroomandTakeowasthrownthroughthewindow.Hondo

eruptedintoflamessecondsbeforeMorog’shandscaughtfireashetriedtograbforthe
demonwarrior.

Ifthisfightdidn’tendsoon,they’dendupburningtheplacetotheground.

Panahasi grabbed the Keeper as the man crumpled. He hoisted the Keeper into his

armsandcarriedhimawayfromthebattle.

“Youhavetotakemetomychambers,”theKeepersaid,grippingPanahasi’sarm.

“I gotcha.” Regardless how Panahasi felt toward the Keeper, he wasn’t going to let

the man die. He was the Primal Source, after all, and he wasn’t sure if the Keeper was
tellingthetruthabouttheuniverseceasingtoexistifhedied.

“Gethimtotheunderworld,”PanahasishoutedatRainerio.“Hehasacagethere.”

Rainerio nodded as the demon warriors continued their fight. Panahasi stepped into

the bathroom, closed the door, and emerged in the hallway just outside the Keeper’s
chambers.

“Whyareyousoweak?”

The Keeper snarled as he shoved from Panahasi’s arms. He nearly fell over, but

grabbedtheedgeofthewoodentableandsteadiedhimself.“Iamnotweak!”

“You’rebloody-assbodysaysotherwise,”Panahasiargued.Theroomtrembledasthe

candles flickered. Panahasi rolled his eyes. “Don’t try those tricks with me. You can’t
scaremeoffthateasily.”

TheKeeperstumbledtoalumpycouchandfellontothecushions.Withalowgrowl,

Panahasiturnedhimover,thengrabbedtheblankethangingoverthebackanddrapedit
overtheKeeper.“I’llletyousleepfornow,butI’llbebackforanswers.”

Panahasi vanished and reappeared in the shop. Morog was on his knees, wearing a

pair of shackles with ancient inscriptions in the metal. Those shackles were meant to
restraintheworstoftheworst,butPanahasidoubtedtheywouldholdMorogforlong.

“Let’s get him where he belongs.” Panahasi touched Morog’s shoulder and they

disappearedfromtheshop,butnotbeforehechantedaspelltoputthecoffeehousebackin
order,makingitlookasifafighthadnevertakenplace.

ChapterNine

Aldrich pulled Sario through the front door, slammed it shut, then pressed his back

intothewood.Theystoodtherepanting.“Tellmethatdidn’tjusthappen.”

“I’mnotevensurewhatthatwas.”SarioturnedandlookedatAldrich.“Wejustmet

thePrimalSource,thedudewhocreated,like,everything.”Hepacedinfrontofthedoor.
“IfeellikeIwasjustinsomesortofalternatereality.Thingslikethatdon’tjusthappento
me.”HepausedandlookedatAldrich.“Thenagain,maybetheydo.”

Hismatewashavingahardtimeabsorbingwhathadjusthappened.SowasAldrich.

Itwasn’teverydayhewasinaroomwithsomereallyheavyplayers.Thetingleoftheir
powerstillracedalonghisskin.

“OhmyGod.”Sario’sgazedropped.“You’vegotafreakingboner!”

Aldrichwasnakedfromhisearliershift.Thepowerwasstillridinghim,whichmade

hiscockhard.“Givemeyourshirt.”

Sario pulled it off and handed it over. Aldrich covered his erection as he made his

wayupstairs.Sariofollowed,tryingtoblockAldrich’sass.Itwasaheartwarminggesture,
but Aldrich didn’t care about his ass being seen. He lived in a house of shifters. Nudity
wassecondnature.Havinganerectionwhilenudewasawholeotherstory.

“Youdon’tfeelthat?”Aldrichaskedafterthey’dreachedtheirroom.

“Feelwhat?”Sarioasked.

“Thepowerofthosemenstillclingingtoyou?”

“Idofeelalittlebuzzed,”Sarioadmitted.“Ijustthoughtitwasadrenalinefromwhat

we’djustgonethrough.”

AldrichexplainedthatPanahasiwasthefirstcreaturethePrimalSourcehadmade—

well, second now that he knew about Morog. “Both are as old as fucking dirt,” Aldrich
said. “The most ancient beings around.” He wiped his forehead with a shaky hand. So
manythingscould’vegonewrongbackinthatshop.AldrichcouldhavelostSario—aman
whohadbecomehisentireworld,hisveryreasonforbreathing.

Sarioshivered,shakingouthisarms.“NowIgottheirsuperchargedmojorunningall

overme.”HelookedatAldrich,hisblueeyesalittledarker,hischeeksrosy.“Isitweird
thattheirpowerismakingmehorny?”

Aldrich dropped the shirt and pointed at his boner. “I’m kinda in the same boat as

you.”

SariosaunteredovertoAldrichandranhishanddownAldrich’schest.“Sowhatare

wegonnadoaboutthisproblem?”Hetookastepbackandtoedhisshoesoff,thenshoved
his shorts and underwear down and kicked them aside. “I’m all for riding this power
charge.Howaboutyou?”

Aldrich’scaninespunchedthroughhisgumsashestaredatSarioprancingaroundthe

room,hiscockjuttingout,hisnakedassondisplay.Heranhistongueoverhisbottomlip
asSarioclimbedontothebedandspreadhislegs,wigglinghisassatAldrich.

“Gonnaleavemehanging?”

Aldrich stalked toward the bed, his wolf close to the surface. “Are you challenging

meagain?”

Sario’s cheeks turned bright red as he palmed his cock. Instead of answering, he

strokedhimself,moaningashelookedoverhisshoulderatAldrich.

“Youdon’tplayfair.”

“Playingfairisnofun.”Sarioloweredhisshoulderstothebed,makinghisassrise

higher.Hisholewasondisplay,makingAldrich’steethache.

Thiswashowlifeshouldbe.Notrunningfromdemons,notrunningfromhellhounds,

andnotrunningfromhispast.JustSarioonhisbed,temptingAldrichinwaysthatmade
hisbodycatchfire.

HemovedtothenightstandandextractedthelubebeforehecrawledinbehindSario

andlickedhishole.Sariomoanedevenlouder,rockingonhiskneesashekeptstroking
hiscock.

AldrichwettwofingersandsankthemdeepashesuckedatSario’shole,lappingat

thetightmusclesasheworkedtoloosenhismate.Sario’ssoundswerekillingAldrich.He
movedback,gottohisknees,andlubedhiscock.

“Readyforme?”

“I’vebeenready,”Sariomoaned.“Fuckmealready.”

Withadeepchuckle,AldrichpressedtheheadofhisprickagainstSario’sglistening

hole and thrust deep. He clenched his teeth, digging his fingers into Sario’s sides as
Aldrichfoughtnottocometooquickly.

ThepowerthathademanatedoffPanahasiandthePrimalSourcestillbuzzedalong

Aldrich’sskin,thoughithadbeguntofade.Hedidn’trememberthiskindofeffectthelast
time he’d been around the demon leader. Maybe it only happened when Panahasi was
aroundhismaker.

Whateverthereason,Aldrichwasenjoyingthecurrentsracingthroughhisblood.He

beganpoundingintoSario’sassatasteadypaceashismatecriedout.

WhenAldrichfinallycame,itwaslikeanexplosionofbrilliantcolorsinhishead,his

heartbeatingwildly,hisbodyhummingashiscockerupteddeepinsideSario’sass.

“Ohfuck!”Sariocried.“Thatwas…fuckingamazing.”

“IknowIam,”AldrichteasedashecollapsednexttoSarioandcurledontohisside,

pullinghismateclose.“Butasamazingasthatwas,let’ssteerclearofanymorepowerful
beings.”

“Youdon’thavetotellmetwice.”Sarioyawned.“Remember,Ihavechickenblood

inme.”HepattedAldrich’sthigh.“I’lljusthangaroundyouwolves.It’smuchsafer.”

Aldrichnuzzledhissweatyneck.“Much,muchsafer.”

Sario’sstatementsettledtheknotinAldrich’schest.Hismatetrulydidn’twanttorun

anymore,andhethoughtthewolvesunderSebastian’srooftame.Theyweren’t,notbya
longshot,butAldrichdidn’tbothertopointthatout.Hismatefeltsafeintheirhomeand
thatwasoneofthethingsAldrichhadbeenprayingfor.

Sario wiggled until he turned over and faced Aldrich, then tucked himself close.

Aldrich curled an arm around him, smiling to himself as he rested his chin on Sario’s
head,feelingcontentwiththeworld.

****

Aldrichrousedfromsleep,readytokillwhoeverwasknockingathisbedroomdoor.

He’dbarelygottenanysleeplastnightbecauseSariokeptwakinghimforanotherround
ofsex.Aldrichwasn’taversetosex,butifheneversawanotherpowerfulbeing,itwould
betoosoon.

MakingsureSariowascovered,Aldrichgrabbedapairofunderwearfromhisdresser

drawer and put them on. He swung the door open to find Sebastian standing in the
hallway.

“Just heard from Panahasi,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall

oppositeAldrich’sdoor.

Aldrichprayeditwasgoodnews.Hewasn’tsureifhecouldtakeanotherblow.He

andSariohadbeenthroughtoomuchalready.“Whatdidhehavetosay?”

“Morogisbackintheunderworldwhereheshouldbe.”

Aldrichnearlycollapsedwithrelief.Hewouldhave,buthestillhadtodealwithLeo.

Ifhedidn’tstopthehellhound,Leowouldonlysendmoreenemiestheirway.“Thanksfor
lettingmeknow.”

Sebastiangaveaquicknod.“How’sheholdingup?”

“Pretty good for someone who wanted no part of this world.” Sario had adapted

betterthanAldrichcouldeverhavehoped.Heknewhismatehadabackbone,regardless
ofSario’sclaimabouthavingchickenbloodrunningthroughhisveins.

Sebastian smiled. “I heard about him running. I had his car towed to Gizmo’s

Garage.”

Aldrichrolledhiseyes.“Itneededtobetowedtoajunkyard.”

Hedidn’tcarehowwellthemechanicpatcheduptheCamaro,Aldrichwasnotletting

hismatedrivethatthinganymore.Sariocouldthrowafitifhewantedto,butAldrichwas

buyinghimanewcar.

“Speakingofenemies,”Sebastiansaid.

Aldricharchedabrow.“Smoothsubjectchange.”

“It’searlyandI’mtired,”Sebastiansaid.“You’llgetsmoothafterI’vehadmyfirst

cupofcoffee.”

“ArewetalkingaboutLeo?”

“Weweretalkingaboutcoffee.”

Sebastianwasconfusingtheshitoutofhim.“No,weweretalkingaboutcars,ifyou

wanttobecorrect.”

Sebastianchuckled.“Ihavenofuckingcluewhatsubjectwe’reon.”Heranahand

overhishair.“LeowascapturedandputinHellforhiscrimes.Butitseemshestillhas
somepowerthere.That’swhyyoukeephavingpeoplesentafteryourmate.”

“What crimes?” Aldrich hadn’t been aware hellhounds were punished for their

heinousbehavior.Infact,he’dthoughttheywereencouragedtobeasnastyandcutthroat
astheycouldbe.

“Forfindinghismate.”

That should’ve shocked him, but if Aldrich really thought about it, that might have

beenacrimetocreatureswhowereformedinthebowelsofHell.“Noshit.”

“Seriously.”SebastianlookedjustaspuzzledasAldrichfelt.“Theonlywaytostop

LeoistogotoHellandendhim.”Heshrugged.“Ireallycan’tthinkofanalternative.”

“I’mnotgoingbacktoHell.”Aldrichwouldratherhavehisentrailshangingoutof

himthanreturntothatgodforsakenplace.Ontheotherhand,ifhedidn’t,Sariowouldbe
runningfortherestofhislife.SomeonelikeLeowouldn’tforgiveandforget.Hewould
holdagrudgefortherestofeternity.

“Unlessyoucancomeupwithabetterplan,”Sebastiansaid.“IseriouslydoubtSario

willwanttobecoopedupinthishouseforever.”

No,Sariowouldn’tgoforthat.He’dfalleninlovewiththesmalltown,andAldrich

knewhewantedtoexploreitmore,tofeellikearesident.AldrichwasproudofDesireand
whatithadbecome,thepotentialithadtogrowevenmore.HewantedSariotobeapart
ofthatgrowth.

“Let me think about it,” Aldrich said, although he had no clue whatsoever how to

stopLeofromsendinganyoneelseafterSarioandSylvester.

“I’llbeinmyofficeifyouwanttobrainstorm,”Sebastiansaidbeforeheadingdown

thehallway.Aldrichstaredathisretreatingback,wonderingjusthowmuchweightwason
the guy’s shoulders. Aldrich just had himself and Sario to look out for. Sebastian’s
responsibilitiesweretoonumeroustocontemplate.

AldrichclosedthebedroomdoorandturnedtoseeSarioawake.He’dsatupinbed,

rubbinghiseyes.Aldrich’schestfeltallknottedupjustlookingathismate,knowinghe
wouldlaydownhislifetokeepSariosafe.Aldrichhadneverfeltthatwayaboutanyone
else.Noone.HewouldevengivehisleftnuttokeepSariohappy.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Aldrich crawled back into bed, pulled Sario into his arms,

andkissedalonghisbareshoulder.

“WhyamIupsoearly?”Sarioyawnedandstretched.“Ishouldbeknockedoutfor

therestofthedayafterwhatwedidlastnight.”

Aldrich lay there and told Sario about Morog being captured and returned to the

underworld.Hewashopingtogetasmilefromhismate,andSariodidsmile,butitdidn’t
lastlong.Greatmindsthinkalike.AndjustasAldrichhaddone,Sarioturnedhisthoughts
toLeo.AldrichtoldhimwhatSebastianhadrelayedabouthisstepfather.

“Howarewegonnastophim?”

Okay, he hadn’t told Sario everything. He didn’t tell him the part about Leo being

punishedforlovingSario’smother.Aldrichdidn’twanttobringupthefactthatshewas
probablydoomedfromthemomentshe’dmetLeo.

Thatwastooheavyandtoodeepaconversationsoearlyinthemorning.

“I’m still working out the kinks.” Aldrich pulled Sario down and tucked him under

him.

“Whatkinks?”

“Tomyplan,”Aldrichconfessed.He’dalsoleftoutthepartabouthavingtogoback

toHelltoendLeo’slife.Sariowouldfighthimonit,andAldrichwasn’tinthemoodfor
an argument. He wanted a few more peaceful moments with his mate before reality
intrudedontheirlives.

“Yougotaplan?”

“Not yet.” He nuzzled Sario’s neck, hoping he’d drop the subject. Aldrich knew a

waytodistractSario,butinallhonesty,hiscockwastoodamnsoretohavesex.Hewas
still wiped out from last night, too. “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk about this after we’ve
sleptforfiftyhours.”

Sariochuckled.ThatwasthesoundAldrichhadbeengoingfor.Ittoldhimhe’dmade

Sario happy, and that was all Aldrich ever wanted to do—make Sario smile, hear his
laughter,andseethatsparkleofjoyinhisbeautifulblueeyes.

ChapterTen

Aldrichlearnedthreedayslaterthathedidn’thavetogotoHelltotrackLeodown.

WordreachedhimthatLeohadsomehowescaped.Aldrichwasn’tsurehowhe’dmanaged
thatfeat,buthekeptSarioathisside,watchingeverythingaroundhimforanysignofhis
mate’sstepfather.

LeohadalreadyprovenresourcefulbyleashingMorog,soAldrichwasn’ttakingany

chances.He’dgonetoetotoewithLeointhepast,andhewaswillingandreadytodoit
again.

HejusthopedlikehellLeodidn’thaveanymoretricksuphissleeve.Aldrichwasn’t

preparedtofightanotherMorog.

“Idon’tlikehiding,”Sariosaidashepacedtheirbedroom.“Weshouldgoin,guns

blazinglikeyoudidinHell.Ihatethatbastard.”

Aldrich couldn’t help his grin as he sat on the couch in their bedroom. “You went

fromchicken,tobrave,tototalbadass.I’mproudofyou.”

“I’dhardlycallitbadass.”Sariodroppedontothebed.“I’mjusttiredofbeingafraid.

I hate Leo more than you know. When we were escaping Hell, I saw…” Sario looked
downathishands,twistingtheminhislap.

“Isawyoustaringintothewater,hon.”Aldrichmovedfromthecouchtositnextto

Sario.“Thatplace’llplaytricksonyou.Don’tbelieveanythingyousawthere.”

“Isawmymotherpurposelygettingintoacarwreck,likeshewantedtotakeherown

life.” Sario wiped at his face, catching the falling tears. “If I was down and depressed
livingathome,Ican’timaginewhatitwaslikeforherbeingaroundahellhoundallthe
time,beingmatedtoone.Thathadtobehellonher,torturous.AtleastIcouldleavethe
houseandthatugly,depressingfeelingwentaway.ThatwaswhyIstayedgonemostof
thetime.”Sarioshudderedasthetearskeptfalling.“IfonlyI’dgottenherout,ifonlyI’d
—”

“Hey.”AldrichtiltedSario’sface,makinghismatelookathim.“Therewasnothing

you could have done. As you can see, leaving a mate isn’t that easy.” And in Aldrich’s
case,hewasthankful.Hecouldn’timaginehislifewithoutSarioinit.

“Whatifthatimageinthewaterwasforreal?”Sarioasked.“Whatifitwasshowing

mewhatshereallydid?”

“Itoldyou,”Aldrichsaid.“Hellwillplaytricksonyourmind.Theplaceisnothing

butdeceptionandlies.Itprobablyshowedyouthatsoyouwouldberackedwithguilt.”

“Itworked.”Sariodriedhiseyes.

“Oh,hon.”HepulledSariointohisarmsandheldhimclose.“Youmayneverknow

what really happened, but I promise you, Leo will pay. I’ll make damn sure he doesn’t
comeanywherenearyou.”

“I’mhungry.”Sariogotup,asifembarrassedforcrying.

He and Aldrich went to the kitchen, where they found a few of the mates making

breakfast.Aldrichgrabbedthemakingsforasandwich.

“You’regonnaruinyourappetite,”Pipsaidashemixedsomethinginabowl.

“Trustme,”Aldrichsaid,“I’lleat.”

HemadeSarioasandwich,thenguidedhimontothebackdeck.Thesunwasslowly

risinganditseemedasthoughitwouldbeabeautifulday,butAldrichcouldn’thelpbut
wonderwhereLeowasandwhathehadplanned.

“Ah, fresh air.” Sario smiled and took a seat on one of the cushioned chairs. He

acceptedtheplateAldrichhandedhimandbitintothesandwich,moaning.

ThesounddistractedAldrichfromkeepinganeyeonthebackyard.Helovedwhen

Sario made that sound. He sat opposite his mate and watched him eat, enthralled with
everythingabouttheguy.Sariowassoslim,suchasmallpackage,andAldrichcouldn’t
helpbutwanttoprotecthimfromtheworld.Hecouldn’tstopstaringatSario,watching
thewayheate,swallowed,andwipedathismouthwhenalittlemayowasonhislower
lip.

“You’redoingitagain,”Sariosaidwithasmile.“Watchingme.”

Aldrichchuckledasherestedhisforearmsonhisknees.“Idon’tmeantocreepyou

out.”

“Youdon’t.”SariogaveAldrichatentativesmileashetuckedafewstrandsofhair

behindhisear.“I’mjustnotusedtoanyonewatchingmesoclosely.”

Aldrich’sheartsqueezedtightatjusthowmuchhelovedSario.Ithadtobelove.He

couldn’tthinkofanyotherwordthatfitwhathefeltforhismate.Anditwasscary.Sario
had the power to destroy Aldrich if he wanted to. He could crush Aldrich’s world by
simplywalkingaway.

HewantedtotellSariohowhefelt,butAldrichhadneverbeengoodatexpressing

himself. Not with soft words and tender emotions. Life had taught him that love was
painful.Only,thisdidn’tfeelpainful.Itfelt…liberating.

“Youlooklikeyouhavesomethingonyourmind,”Sariosaidbeforetakinganother

biteofhissandwich.

AldrichwantedtotellSario,buthewasn’tsurehow.Shouldhejustblurtitoutorbuy

a dozen roses and give them to him before professing his love? Should he set up a
candlelightdinner?Maybebeinginlovewaspainfulbecauseaknotformedinhischest.
Aldrichwantedtodothistherightway,thewaySariodeserved,buthewassoafraidhe
wasgonnafuckitup.

Sariosethisplateaside.“Issomethingwrong?Youlookabitgreen.”

“It’sjustthat…I’mnotsurehowto…”Aldrichrubbedthebackofhisneck,telling

himselftojustspititout.Theywerethreesimplelittlewords.Yettheyweren’tsosimple.

He’dneversaidthemtoanyonebefore.Ever.Andtheymeantmoretohimthantomost.
Aldrichhadheardalotofpeopletossingthosewordsaround,buttheymeanttheworldto
him,andhewantedSariotoknowthat.HewantedSariotoknowhowmuchhemeantto
Aldrich, how Sario had saved his lonely soul, how he had made Aldrich want to be a
betterman.

“Whatisit?”Sario’sbrowsfurrowed,hiseyesfilledwithconcern.“Areyousickor

something?”

Aldrich got up and sat next to him, then pulled Sario into his arms. He held him

close,inhalinghisfragrance,thensmiled.“Iloveyou.”

Sario’sarmswoundaroundAldrich,hugginghimtightly.“Iloveyou,too.”

Just hearing those words made all the shit Aldrich had been carrying around for so

longeaseawayfromhim.Hedidn’tfeelallbottledup,orlikehehadagapingholeinside
of him. The feeling hadn’t completely vanished, but Aldrich felt as if he could breathe
easierknowinghehadSarioathisside.

Sariopulledback,smilingupathim.“Isthatwhatwaswrongwithyou?”

Not too much in life embarrassed Aldrich, but his cheeks heated as Sario stared at

him.“Iwantedtofigureoutaperfectwaytotellyou.”

“You did.” Sario snuggled close, his fingers tracing Aldrich’s spine. Aldrich rested

hischinonSario’shead,smilinglikeacompleteidiot,andhedidn’tcare.

Untilheheardalowandmenacinggrowl.Aldrichwouldknowthatsoundanywhere,

buthewasprettysureitwasahellhoundbecauseallthosesappyemotionsbrewinginside
himvanished.Hefeltthetragedyofhisyouthclawingitswayinsidehim.Thedesperation
and agony of his parents’ deaths and the hatred that had made him into the man he was
untilhe’dmetSario.

SariosqueezedhisarmsaroundAldrich,trembling.HeyankedatSario’sarmsuntil

hismatefinallyletgo.Aldrichturnedandsawthreehellhoundsrightbythebrokenwall.
Their front legs were spread apart, their ears were pinned flat, and all three were baring
theirsharpteeth.

AldrichpulledSariofromtheseatandshovedhimtowardthedoor.“Run!”

JustlikeinHell,Sariorefusedtoleave.“No,you’renotfacinghimalone.It’smeLeo

isafter.”

AldrichgrabbedSario’supperarmsandshookhim.Sario’sblueeyeswerefilledwith

terrorashegazedatthedogs,butAldrichneededhismatetolookathim.“Sario!”

Finally,Sario’sgazeslowlyrosetoAldrich’sface.

“Gogethelp,now.”WhenAldrichpushedhimtowardthedoorthistime,Sarioran

inside,screamingforhelp.

Aldrich turned and faced the hellhounds. The middle hound was Leo. He’d moved

closerthantheothertwo.ThehairsonAldrich’sbodystoodonend.Ifhehadtofightthe

threealone,they’dtearhimtopieces.

Hisheartwasbeatingsohardthatthebloodthrashedinhisears.Histhroathadgone

dry, his palms were sweaty, and Aldrich was slightly trembling. He wasn’t ashamed to
admitthathewasfuckingscaredoutofhismind.Evenifheshiftedintohiswolf,hewas
nomatchforthreehellhounds.

Menrushedoutsideandthetwootherhoundsattacked.ButLeohadn’tbudged.He

wasstillstaringAldrichdown,growling,withthepromiseofdeathinhiseyes.

AldrichcursedwhenSariocametostandathisside.“Getinside,now.”

“No.” Sario gripped Aldrich’s arm with both hands. “I’m not letting you do this

alone.”HisfingersdugintoAldrich’sskin.“Butjustsoyouknow,Imightpissmypants
bythetimethisisover.”

“You and me both,” Aldrich admitted. Because, damn, Leo was bigger than he

remembered.“Youneedtogetinside.”

“IknowIshould,”Sariosaidwithatremortohisvoice.“Anysmartpersonwould.I

guessI’mnotthatsmart.”

“Youmatedme,sothatmakesyouthesmartestmanontheplanet.”Aldrichhadno

cluewhyhewasjoking.Thiswasn’tajokingmatter.

WhenLeochargedthem,AldrichshovedSariotowardthedoorandshiftedintohis

wolfform.HespunandracedouttotheyardtogetthehoundawayfromSario.Thetrick
worked.Leohittheglasswall,shookhishead,thenturned,snarlingatAldrichbeforehe
leapedfromthebackdeckandchargedafterhim.

HisrottweilerwastwicethesizeofAldrich’swolf.Aldrichwasn’tgonnacomeoutof

thisbattleunscathed.Leostoppedinthemiddleoftheyard,andAldrichsworethehound
wassmilingashemovedslowlytowardhim.Aldrichheardthebattlewiththeothertwo
hounds winding down. From the corner of his eye, he could see the wolves had killed
them.Theyeruptedintopuffsofash.

Butthebiggestandbaddestonewasstillthere,slowlybearingdownonAldrich.

Aldrich had geared up, ready for the battle of a lifetime when another hellhound

appearedfromaroundthesideofthehouse.

The newcomer raced across the lawn, and Aldrich thought, That’s it. Lights-out for

me,justbeforethehellhoundbarreledintoLeo,takinghimdown.Thetwofought,claws
gouging,furflying,teethgnashing.Aldrichhadnocluewhatthefuckwasgoingon.

The newcomer shifted into his human form and wrapped his hand around Leo’s

throat.“ForescapingHell,youaresentencedtodeath.”

The two vanished. Simply vanished. Aldrich stood there for a moment, looking

around,waitingforanotherattack.Whennoattackcame,heshiftedintohishumanform
andlookedtowardhisfellowpackmembers.

Theylookedjustascluelessashefelt.

Sario raced across the lawn and threw himself into Aldrich’s arms. After planting a

hundredkissesonAldrich’sface,Sarioasked,“Whatthehelljusthappened?”

Sebastian’sphonebegantoring.HeanswereditasAldrichhuggedSariotohim.“I

havenoideawhathappened,andtobehonest,I’mstillfeelingabitfreakedoutaboutit.”

Sebastianhungupandwalkedovertothem.HeclappedAldrichonhisbareshoulder.

“ThatwasPanahasi.TheguywhodraggedLeoawaywastheonewhohadcapturedhim
andsenthimtoHell.Idon’tthinkyou’llhavetoworryaboutLeoanylonger.”

Aldrichwasn’tsurehowtofeel.Almosttheentiretimehe’dbeenwithSario,they’d

been running. Now there was no more Morog. No more Leo. Aldrich laughed as he
huggedSarioeventighter,thankfultheycouldfinallysettleinandworkontheirmating.

“You’renaked,”Sariowhispered.“Getsomedamnclotheson.”

AldrichcuppedSario’sface,smilingatthemanheloved.“Anythingyouwant,babe.

Anythingyouwant.”

WhenSario’scheeksturnedabrightred,Aldrichknewexactlywhathismatewanted.

Sario’sgazekeptloweringtoAldrich’sgroin.

“Anotherall-nighter?”Aldrichasked.

“Isthatachallenge?”Sariocounteredwithagoofygrin.

Curlinghisarmaroundhismate,AldrichledSarioupstairs,readytoshowhimwho

wouldwinthisround.

THEEND

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