Midnight Matings 08 Stormy Glenn White Paws and a Dream

Midnight Matings

White Paws and a Dream

The Gathering is called. The spell is cast. There is no escaping the
Midnight Matings.

When Ifan Vashnikov is summoned to the Great Gathering and
learns of the plan set up by UPAC, he decides he'd rather go feral
than be forced to take a mate. Before he can voice his decision to

the elders, he finds himself mated.

But his mating is not the usual mating. For one, he didn't drink the

spiked champagne like everyone else, so he isn't in heat. Two, his
mate is being protected for his own safety. Misha is a

dreamwalker, the most powerful dreamwalker in over a thousand
years. Because of that, he is being hunted. People want to use his

powers for evil.

Misha just wants to settle down somewhere quiet with his dream
mate. When he's rescued and taken to the UPAC headquarters, he

finally meets the man he has been sharing dreams with for over a
year—the man he fell in love with—but Ifan doesn't seem to know

him. When danger comes, Misha doesn't know whether to turn to
Ifan or run for his life.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 36,322 words

WHITE PAWS AND A DREAM

Midnight Matings

Stormy Glenn

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

WHITE PAWS AND A DREAM
Copyright © 2011 by Stormy Glenn
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-710-2

First E-book Publication: August 2011

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
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Letter to Readers

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WHITE PAWS AND A DREAM

Midnight Matings

STORMY GLENN

Chapter 1

“Welcome. I am Elder Burke.” The elder paused as if waiting for

something. “I want to thank you all for being here tonight. This is a
momentous occasion for us. It’s been twenty-five years since the
Great War between the paranormals ended, taking a large portion of
our population from us.”

The silence was deafening in the large room, which was strange

considering how many people stood there listening. Still, when the
elder paused in his speech, not a sound could be heard.

“I would like you all to drink a toast with me in memory of those

we lost.” The elder held up his champagne glass and waited until
everyone in the crowd held their own glass. “May we never forget
them.”

Ifan Vashnikov watched the elder swallow everything in his glass

then looked out over the crowd. He seemed to be watching each
member of the paranormal community finish theirs off. After a
moment, he set his glass down on a nearby table and turned back to
the crowd, clasping his hands behind him.

“As I have said, this is a momentous occasion for us all. In the

twenty-five years since the Great War ended, the United Paranormal

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Alliance of Cooperation has watched and waited. We will wait no
more.”

“The fighting between species must stop,” another elder in a long

white robe said as he stepped forward. Ifan recognized him as Elder
Lucas. “We are known to the humans, and they have learned to accept
us in their midst. However, their tolerance will only last so long. The
constant fighting among the paranormal communities has come under
scrutiny. We no longer have the luxury of watching you solve your
own disagreements.”

“Elder Lucas is correct,” Elder Burke said as he gestured to the

other elder. “We no longer have the indulgence of waiting for you to
end your petty squabbles. As such, we have taken measures to insure
that you take your place amongst our society.”

Ifan arched an eyebrow and glanced around when the crowd

started to grow restless. Everyone was looking around as the silence
hung over the room. Elder Burke gestured to the glass he had set
down on the table. “You’ve all taken a toast with me. As such, you
are now bound by the covenants we put before you.”

“Each of you has twenty-four hours to find and claim your mate,”

Elder Lucas said. “If you fail to claim a mate in twenty-four hours and
bring him or her before this council to be recognized, you will not
have a mate. You will go feral inside of a week.”

The gasps and grumbling almost overshadowed the elders’ words

as they continued to speak. Both elders stepped back from the edge of
the dais that stood on. The crowd was angry and Ifan couldn’t blame
them. The elders were out of their minds.

“Because of your continued squabbling between races, you may

not claim a mate of the same race,” Elder Burke said. “You must
claim a mate outside of your own species.

“If you fail to bring a mate before this council by the stroke of

midnight tomorrow night, you will be hunted down and executed as a
rogue paranormal.

White Paws and a Dream

“To insure that you will find a mate, something special has been

added to the potion that each of you drank. It will insure that the need
to mate outweighs your need to fight. It is a particular additive that
induces the mating heat in each of you. You will not be able to deny
the need to mate.

“And just in case you think to try and break this spell,” Elder

Burke said, “we have added a special clause. Anyone who attempts to
negate the covenants of this spell will instantly be cursed as befitting
their race. Vampires will no longer be able to drink blood. Shifters
will no longer be able to shift. Magic users will have no magic, and so
on. I’m sure you get my point.”

The two elders went to stand back with their fellow elders and

turned back to face the crowd. “Now, children, good luck. We expect
to see each of you in twenty-four hours. May your hunt be
successful.”

“Not even in your dreams, dog boy.” Ifan Vashnikov crossed his

arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at the first shifter that
stepped in his direction as the grand ballroom erupted into chaos.

The shifter looked him up and down. Ifan knew the wolf shifter

was sizing him up, seeing if he could be beaten in a fight. Ifan stood
six foot seven in his stocking feet. He was currently wearing boots.

“Is finding out really worth the ass beating you’d get?” The corner

of the wolf’s lips curled up. Ifan rolled his eyes. He hated wolf
shifters. They were some of kinkiest damn people he’d ever met. “Not
that kind of ass beating, you moron.”

“Can’t fault a guy for trying,” the wolf said.
“Look, there’s a cute little twink right over there.” Ifan pointed

across the room. “Go play with him.”

The wolf turned and stared. Ifan could tell the little sandy blond

twink had caught the wolf’s interest when he suddenly bounded away
and tackled the smaller man to the floor. This place was quickly
becoming a war zone.

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People were tackling people left and right. They were running

everywhere. Tables and chairs were overturned. Glasses lay smashed
on the floor. If the United Paranormal Alliance of Cooperation wanted
some action out of the paranormal world, they had it in spades.

Ifan jumped out of the way as a rather large man jumped past him,

landing on the stage. His eyes widened as he watched the man take
one of the elders down to the floor and bite him. Guess not everyone
was thrilled with the council’s mandate.

He knew he certainly wasn’t. Siberian tigers were solitary

creatures, white Siberian tigers even more so. The council should
have known that. He no more wanted a mate than he wanted a hole in
the head.

Ifan stepped to the left of the stage, narrowly missing an elder

speaking angrily to another man. The rest of the elders were quickly
filing out of the room. Ifan suspected it was for their own safety.

“What the fuck is this shit? Why include me? I don’t fight with

anyone!” the man shouted.

“You also don’t ever talk to anyone either,” the elder growled.

“Are you challenging me?”

Ifan shook his head. He didn’t want any of that fight. He

recognized Elder Ashby. He didn’t like the man. He was somewhat
self-serving. Ifan had no idea who the other man was, and he didn’t
really care. His main concern was getting the hell out of there before
someone took him down like a wounded deer.

He headed for the front doors. Only his quick reflexes kept him

from being part of the chaos going on around him. He was getting
more fed up with each passing moment. When a sudden, blaring pain
shot through his back, Ifan breathed deeply and turned to stare at a
man holding the remains of a chair in his hand.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he shouted as he wrenched

the chair away from the man and tossed it across the room. He
distantly heard it crash into the wall. “I am not going to mate you.”

White Paws and a Dream

He didn’t want a mate. He didn’t want anyone messing with his

life. He liked living alone. He didn’t want someone coming in and
messing with the quiet existence he had created for himself.

“The elders gave us twenty-four hours to find a mate or go feral.”

The man snickered. “It doesn’t look to me like you have a choice.”

“There are always choices.”
The man’s mouth dropped open. “You’d rather die than find a

mate?”

“I don’t want a mate,” Ifan growled.
“Who does?” The man laughed. “I was having way too much fun

playing without one, but going feral doesn’t sound like much of a
choice.”

Ifan shrugged. If he went feral, he went feral. He wasn’t going to

be forced into mating anyone, no matter what the elders wanted. “It’s
not going to happen, so go find someone else to play with.”

The man smirked. “Your loss, big boy. I could rock your world.”
“And I could end yours.”
The man shrugged until someone else caught his interest and then

he was running across the room. Ifan clenched his jaw. Some days it
just didn’t pay to get out of bed. Ifan turned and headed for the doors
again. The quicker he got out of here, the quicker he could go feral
and hopefully be put out of his misery.

Maybe he had lived on his own too long but he didn’t like people

as a general rule. Humans were too bent on destroying paranormals,
and paranormals were too bent on destroying each other. It was a
vicious circle Ifan wanted no part of.

He just wanted to go back to his little cottage in the woods and be

left alone, and he didn’t want to bring anyone with him. At this point,
going feral was looking pretty damn good. At least it might put him
out of his long misery.

Ifan stepped out ballroom doors and headed down the long stone

hallway toward the exit. He rounded a corner just in time to see a ball
of fire shooting out from some man’s fingers and hit a guard in the

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chest, crumpling him to the floor. The other guard advanced, and a
blond haired man swung out, connecting solidly with his jaw and
sending the man to the ground next to the first guard.

Ifan quickly decided this was not the place to be. He avoided

fights whenever he could help it. Fighting just seemed to be a
worthless pursuit. Someone always got hurt, and sometimes, someone
got killed. Ifan didn’t want to be responsible for that.

It was yet another reason he didn’t want a mate. Siberian tigers

were very territorial, especially white Siberian tigers. That was one of
the reasons he chose to live alone. That, and the fact that most of his
breed were extinct. Apparently, his white fur coat was highly prized
by hunters.

Ifan’s eyes widened when one of the men suddenly ran for the

door. The next thing he knew, the little man was flung backward,
rolling ass over end until he sprawled on the ground at the blond
man’s feet.

Nope, he didn’t want any part of this. Ifan turned and went back

down the hallway. There had to be another way out of this damn
castle. Ifan glanced into the ballroom as he passed it. The chaos
seemed to have calmed to a dull roar, and the elders were returning,
walking up onto the stage.

Ifan paused. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way.

Dying wasn’t that scary to Ifan. Going feral and being put down
wasn’t even that scary. Having a mate terrified him. Maybe he could
just skip through to the ending without all of the hassle?

Ifan drew in a deep breath, contemplating his next move. He could

feel his tiger right under his skin, pacing, agitated. He felt the need to
extend his claws, to shift and chase something down.

Ifan was an old shifter, nearing two thousand years. He’d been

alone for the last two hundred of those years. Not since he was a
young cub had he not been able to control his tiger, but the hot,
burning itch that was starting to crawl across his skin was clawing at
his control.

White Paws and a Dream

Suddenly decided, Ifan crossed the ballroom floor and headed

right for the elder dais. They could end him now and forgo all of the
rest of this crazy scheme of theirs. He wasn’t going to take a mate.

Ifan reached the dais and clasped his hands together, giving the

elders a respectful bow. No matter how fucked up he thought their
plan was, he refused to give on his personal values, one of which was
being respectful to the United Paranormal Alliance of Cooperation, or
UPAC, as most paranormals called the council of elders.

“Elders, please forgive my intrusion.”
“Ifan Vashnikov,” one elder said. Ifan recognized him as Elder

Lucas, the elder of the Felid Clan. “I did not expect to see you at this
year’s gathering. My understanding was that you never leave your
forest.”

“I was sent an invitation.”
“Good, good.” Elder Lucas smiled. The elder glanced at the space

around Ifan, an eyebrow raised. “Have you come to have your mating
recorded?”

“I am sorry to say I have been unable to find a suitable mate.” Ifan

wished he could roll his eyes at the council of elders and let them
really know what he thought of their grand plan. Again, his sense of
honor raised its ugly head. “As such, I am requesting that—”

“No mate?” Elder Lucas said. “A man of your stature? I’m

surprised, Ifan.”

Ifan frowned. There were times in his life when something

significant occurred. Each of those times was preluded by a cold
shiver down his spine. Ifan was feeling such a shiver right that instant.
The elders had something up their sleeves, and it involved him.

Ifan started to get an itchy feel at the back of his neck as he

watched Elder Lucas lean over and whisper into the ear of the elder
sitting next to him. He had missed enough great gatherings to not
know all of the elders. Many had come and gone over the years.

Stormy Glenn

Elder Lucas was smiling as he sat forward. The elder next to him

began to write in some large book. Ifan clenched his jaw. He wasn’t
going to like this. He just knew it. Ifan braced himself.

“Ifan Vashnikov, your mating has been recorded.”
“What? No, I—Fuck!” Ifan shouted as his body stiffened. A

searing pain burned itself across his forearm. He quickly raised his
sleeve. His eyes widened when he spotted the mating seal burned into
his skin. The letters IV and MS were entwined together, woven around
each other in an intricate knot.

“What have you done?” Ifan whispered as he looked up at the

elders in complete horror.

Elder Lucas smiled and held out an envelope with the UPAC seal

on it. “These are your mating instructions. It is of the upmost
importance that you read them, Ifan.”

“You’ve mated me without my permission?” Ifan dropped his

shirt sleeve as his claws started to extend. He had a strict policy about
not attacking any member of the council, but he might waive it under
the circumstances.

Elder Lucas suddenly seemed very concerned. His face became

serious, his eyebrows drawing together in a deep frown. “I apologize
for the circumstances of this mating, Ifan, but I cannot think of a
better man to take on the task we’ve set before you.”

“What task?” Ifan asked through clenched teeth. He was seething

mad. He was surprised smoke wasn’t billowing out of his ears.

“The man you are now mated to, he is a special case.”
“I don’t care,” Ifan snapped. “I don’t want to be mated.”
“I’m afraid that is no longer an option. Mikhail needs someone of

your obvious strength. He needs a safe place to hide where no one
will harm him.”

Ifan blinked when a sudden surge of protectiveness rippled

through him. He tiger began to pace again, growing agitated with
every passing second. He hadn’t even met the man yet. Where in the

White Paws and a Dream

hell was this need to protect and care for some unknown man coming
from?

“So, you mated him to me? How is that going to help this guy?

It’s not like our mating will end now that it’s been recorded in your
great book.” Ifan pointed to the large book sitting in front of the
elders. “I know what that is. I know what it means.”

“Yes,” Elder Lucas said, “I’m sure you do. However, this council

still feels you are the best choice for Mikhail.”

“Why?”
“Mikhail is human.”
“Human!” Ifan snarled. He hated humans more than he hated

shifters. Humans had hunted his kind almost to extinction. Only by
hiding away deep inside of his forest had he been able to keep his
hide. Most of his kind had not been so lucky. “You mated me to a
human?”

“Mikhail is not just some human, Ifan. He is a mindwalker.”
“That’s even worse.”
Ifan could just imagine what it would be like living with a

mindwalker. Not only wouldn’t he be alone inside of his home, he
wouldn’t be alone inside of his own mind. He hated humans.

“No.” Ifan clenched his hands, shaking his head rapidly. “I won’t

do this.”

He’d rather die!
“It is not a choice, Ifan. It is done.”
“I don’t care if I go feral. Kill me now, and get it over with.”
“I’m afraid that is not possible. Your life thread has been

entwined with Mikhail’s. If you die, he dies. You are now bonded
with your mate, Ifan, mind, body, and spirit. It cannot be undone.”

Ifan roared. His eyes blazed. When his claws extended, he sank

them into the hard wood of the stage floor. He wanted to sink them
into the elders, each and every one of them. Reason took over, but just
barely.

“Fine,” he snarled. “Where is this human?”

Stormy Glenn

Elder Lucas’s forehead furrowed. “Be forewarned, Ifan, Mikhail

is to be treated with care. He is in a very fragile state. If you attempt
to harm him in retaliation, this council will have no recourse but to
bring sanctions against you.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you mated him to

me.”

Despite what he said, Ifan knew he wouldn’t harm the man. He

didn’t have any grief with him other than the fact that they were
mated. But that didn’t mean he would simply lie down and take what
the council was doing to him either.

Ifan was curious as to why this Mikhail needed a safe place to

hide and why the elders insisted that he was so fragile. If the man was
a mindwalker, he was one of the strongest of their kind, able to speak
to people in their minds. Why would he be so weak?

“There is one more thing, Ifan,” the elder said.
“Of course there is.”
Elder Lucas held up the envelope he had previously tried to hand

to Ifan. “These instructions must be followed. If they are not, you will
lose your ability to shift and Mikhail will lose his ability to
mindwalk.”

Ifan shuddered. There was nothing on earth that brought more fear

to his heart than losing the ability to shift into his tiger form. Shifters
were born. They were not turned. Ifan had been a tiger shifter all of
his life. He wouldn’t know what to do without his tiger.

Ifan grabbed the envelope from Elder Lucas and ripped it open.

His jaw dropped open as complete shock rolled through him. He
glanced up at the elders. Each one of them looked grim. It did not
reassure Ifan.

“We have to consummate our mating at least once every twenty-

four hours until the next gathering? That’s not for another four years,”
he said. “If Mikhail is so fragile, how can you ask this of me? I don’t
even know the man.”

“You will.”

White Paws and a Dream

“Elders, please, this isn’t—”
“It is done, Ifan.”
The elders went back to speaking to each other in low voices.

Ifan’s shoulders slumped. He could see by the stern looks aimed his
way that the elders weren’t going to change their minds. He was
mated, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“So, where is my mate then?”
Elder Lucas glanced up, surprise showing across his face like he

had forgotten that Ifan stood there. The elder stood up and walked
across the dais. As he stepped down, he waved a council guard over.

“Come with me.”
Ifan sighed deeply and followed after the elder. The guard

followed behind him. He was a little surprised when they bypassed
the usual paranormal wings and walked to a part of the castle that
non-residents were not usually allowed. It was restricted to the elders
alone.

“Why is he not housed with the other humans?”
“For his own safety.”
Ifan waited for the elder say more. He didn’t. “And?”
“And for everyone else’s safety.”
Ifan frowned. “Is this guy dangerous?”
“Mikhail has his issues, but I do not believe he would ever

willingly hurt someone.”

Ifan didn’t like most of what any of the elders said, but that

particular statement really unnerved him. “What about unwillingly?”

“That is why Mikhail is here.” Elder Lucas paused, turning

slightly. There was anger and sadness in his eyes when he looked up
at Ifan. “Mikhail is in a very fragile state. His mind is broken. I’m
sorry you were brought into this, Ifan, but I needed someone to care
for Mikhail that could keep him safe.”

“And you chose me?”
“You have a reputation for not liking people, Ifan.”
“I don’t,” Ifan growled.

Stormy Glenn

“You also have a reputation for protecting what belongs to you.”
Ifan gaped. “So you decided to mate him to me so I’d protect

him? Are you mad? Couldn’t you have chosen someone else for
this?”

“You were the best choice, Ifan.”
Elder Lucas turned and started walking again. Ifan rolled his eyes

and followed after him. They stopped at a large door, two guards
standing on either side. Elder Lucas nodded to them and opened the
door.

Ifan’s curiosity was growing as he followed the elder into the

room. A woman sat in a chair next to a large bed. She glanced up and
smiled when they walked in. “Elder Lucas,” the woman said as she
stood.

“How is he?” the elder asked.
“He had a shower earlier and a little to eat but he’s sleeping now.

He was fitful earlier but finally settled down about fifteen minutes
ago.”

Fifteen minutes ago? Ifan frowned. That was about the time the

mating seal was burned into his forearm.

“Has he said anything?”
“No, elder, not a word.”
Ifan frowned again. Where was this mate? Ifan scanned the room,

looking for his new mate. Except for the nurse, there wasn’t another
person in the room. “Is this some sort of joke?”

“Excuse me?” Elder Lucas asked as he turned around.
“Where is—”
Ifan’s head snapped around when he heard a soft ruffling noise

came from the blankets on the bed. It wasn’t possible for there to be
anyone on the bed. There was barely even a ripple in the blankets.

Elder Lucas pulled the nurse out of the way as Ifan stepped closer

to the bed. Ifan spotted a tuft of dark brown hair sticking out of the
top of the blankets. He moved closer and grabbed the edge of the
blanket, pulling it down a bit.

White Paws and a Dream

Anger infused Ifan as he swung around to glare at Elder Lucas.

“You mated me to a child?”

“I assure you, Ifan, Mikhail is of legal age. He celebrated his

twenty-fifth birthday this year.”

“But he looks like a child,” Ifan whispered as he turned back to

look at the young man sleeping in the bed. “Hell, he looks like a girl.”

Ifan heard Elder Lucas chuckle behind him. He frowned and sat

down on the side of the bed then tugged the blankets down until the
man’s entire face was exposed. Mikhail had such delicate features that
he did look like a girl.

High, exotic cheekbones graced his delicately curved face. Long,

dark eyelashes lay against porcelain cheeks. He had generously
curved lips. His nose was straight, short, and charming. A wealth of
dark, rich, brown hair curled around his face.

He was an ethereal beauty. The only things that marred Mikhail’s

delicate features were the dark circles under his eyes and one large
bruise on his forehead. He looked so fragile that Ifan wondered if a
stiff wind might blow him over.

“What happened to him?” Ifan asked softly as to not wake the

sleeping man. Mikhail looked like he needed his rest.

“We do not know all of the particulars,” Elder Lucas said from

behind him. “Mikhail was barely conscious when he was brought to
us. He was found by a pack of wolves in an abandoned warehouse.
They brought him here.”

“Has he said anything?”
Elder Lucas shook his head. “There were signs that something

horrific had happened in that warehouse, but Mikhail refuses to talk
about it. He won’t speak to anyone. He hasn’t said a word since he
arrived.”

Ifan didn’t know what to say to that. He still didn’t want to be

mated, but every protective instinct he had in his body was screaming
at him to gather Mikhail in his arms and never let him go. His tiger
was so agitated that Ifan’s teeth were threatening to drop down.

Stormy Glenn

He reached down and grazed Mikhail’s pale cheek with the back

of his knuckles. “What happened to you, little one?” he whispered
softly. “Who hurt you?”

Ifan almost jumped when Mikhail’s eyes suddenly popped open

and stared up at him. The man didn’t move or say a word, but then he
didn’t have to. His pale blue eyes spoke volumes.

He wanted to know who Ifan was.

White Paws and a Dream

Chapter 2

Ifan reached for Mikhail’s hand. He frowned when he noticed

how slight it was. Mikhail needed to be fattened up. He was all skin
and bone, practically malnourished.

“I am Ifan Vashnikov.”
Mikhail just stared at him. It was actually a little unnerving the

way Mikhail watched him so intently. It was like no one else existed
in the room except the two of them. Mikhail never looked away from
his face.

“Mikhail is a pretty big name for such a small guy,” Ifan said as

he tried to make conversation. Not liking to be around people, he
wasn’t much of a conversationalist. “I think I will call you Misha.”

Again, Misha made no response other than to stare at him. Ifan

frowned. This wasn’t exactly how he pictured meeting his mate, not
that he had really pictured meeting his mate anytime in the last few
hundred years. He gave up on that dream a long time ago.

“Do you know what this is?” Ifan asked as he raised the sleeve of

his shirt and exposed his mating seal.

Misha glanced over at the mark. His hand came up and traced

over the seal then fell back to the bed as Misha looked at him again.
Ifan was beginning to wonder if Misha was all there in his head. Elder
Lucas said that Misha was mentally broken, but Ifan didn’t know
exactly what that meant.

“These are our initials, Misha, yours and mine.”
Misha just stared up at Ifan.

Stormy Glenn

“This is a mating seal, Misha. You have one just like it

somewhere on your body.” The corner of Ifan’s mouth tilted up. “I’m
not sure exactly where.”

Misha grabbed Ifan’s hand and pressed it against the mating seal

on left side of his chest. The seal was just below his collarbone and
just above his heart.

“May I?” Ifan gestured to Misha’s shirt.
Misha dropped his hand away. Ifan pushed the edge of Misha’s

shirt aside until the mating seal was revealed. His nostrils flared as his
fingers traced the seal. Something primal flickered to life inside of
Ifan at the sight of his initials burned into Misha’s porcelain skin.

“Did it hurt?”
Misha blinked again.
“I take that as a yes?” Ifan smirked.
Misha reached up and traced Ifan’s mating seal with his fingers

again.

“Yes, mine hurt.” Ifan wasn’t sure how much of what he was

saying Misha understood. Still, he had to try and explain things to the
man. He didn’t want to frighten him. “We’re mated, Misha.”

Ifan’s words seemed to catch Misha’s attention. He glanced away

from the mating seal to look up into Ifan’s eyes. There was a curiosity
in them that Ifan couldn’t deny.

“It means you belong to me now.”
Ifan knew he would have to examine how those words made him

feel at a later time. His tiger was ready to come out and claim Misha
as mate, despite the man’s fragile state. The human side of him still
didn’t want a mate.

Misha just blinked.
Ifan wished the man would say something, anything, even if it

was to deny him. The silent treatment was wearing on his nerves. Ifan
glanced over his shoulder to Elder Lucas.

“Does he understand me?”

White Paws and a Dream

“We believe so. He hasn’t spoken, but there is intelligence in his

eyes.”

Ifan glanced back at Misha only to find him still staring. He had to

agree with Elder Lucas. There was a spark of intelligence in the pale
blue eyes staring at him. He could only hope that meant that Misha
understood him.

“I’m going to arrange for our return to my home,” Ifan said as he

started to stand up. He stopped when Misha’s hands reached for him.
“I won’t be gone long.”

Misha’s eyes started to water. He closed them and turned away

almost as if he had dismissed Ifan from his mind altogether. Ifan’s
tiger let out a deep roar inside of him. His skin started to itch from
restraining his tiger.

Ifan knelt beside the bed and reached for Misha’s face. “Hey, little

one, look at me.”

Misha’s eyelashes glittered with tears as he turned his head. Ifan

tried to give Misha a smile, but it had been so long since he smiled, he
wasn’t sure if he was doing it right. Misha didn’t seem to care,
though. He smiled back. It was just a small lifting of the corner of his
lips, but it was enough to appease Ifan’s tiger and make him settle
down.

“I promise I won’t be gone long, Misha. I’m just going to arrange

for our transport and then I’ll come right back. I won’t be gone more
than a few minutes at the most.” Ifan grimaced when a single tear fell
down Misha’s pale cheek. He gently wiped it away with the pad of his
thumb. “Would you like to go with me, Misha?”

Ifan was surprised when Misha reached out for him. He chuckled

though. “I take that as a yes?”

Misha just blinked. Ifan shook his head and stood up. He started

to lift the blankets off of Misha, but the man grabbed for them,
holding them against his chest as he looked beyond Ifan to the others
in the room.

Stormy Glenn

“Are you naked under there?” Ifan pulled the blankets away from

Misha and peeked under the covers. He quickly put them back,
swallowing hard. “Yep, you’re naked.”

Damn, Misha might be pale and lanky, but he had all the right

equipment in all of the right places, and it was perfect-looking
equipment. Ifan’s body suddenly began to ache. His cock went from
flaccid to rock hard in a single glance.

Ifan swallowed hard again then glanced over his shoulder. “Is

there something Misha can put on until I can get him some clothes?”

“I’m sure we can find something for him to wear.”
Ifan waited. When neither the nurse nor the elder moved, he

waved a hand at them. “Well?”

“Now?” the elder asked.
“Yes, now.” What part of this didn’t the elder get? Ifan wanted to

get Misha bundled up and get the both of them out of there as fast as
he could. He’d been away from home long enough.

“Ifan, Misha can’t leave until you have claimed him.”
“Excuse me?”
“You have to claim Misha before you can leave with him.”
“I thought we were already mated.” Iran lifted his arm, indicating

the mating seal.

“You are mated, but Misha needs to be claimed by your tiger

before you can leave. We need to insure that your tiger accepts him.”

“He does.” Ifan snickered. He couldn’t begin to describe how

much his tiger accepted Misha. Even he was surprised. His tiger
already decided that Misha belonged to them. He was just waiting for
the man to catch up.

Elder Lucas didn’t look like he was budging though. Ifan rubbed

his hands over his face as he blew out a deep breath. “Okay, give me a
few minutes alone with Misha. I want to talk to him and make sure
that he understands what is happening here. I refuse to force him.”

The nurse headed for the door but Elder Lucas looked hesitant.

Ifan glared until the man nodded slightly and left the room, shutting

White Paws and a Dream

the door behind him. Ifan rested for a moment, his hands on his hips
as he tried to decide what he was going to say to Misha.

He had to convince the man to mate with him. An easy enough

prospect if the man was in his right mind. Ifan still wasn’t sure he
was. Ifan pressed his lips together and turned to explain things to
Misha.

He nearly swallowed his tongue.
“Misha, wha—” Ifan licked his lips as he took in the naked body

on the bed. Misha had thrown the covers back and lay there without a
stitch of clothing on. “What are you doing, little one?”

Ifan almost growled when Misha simply stared up at him. He was

getting really frustrated with the silent treatment he was getting. It
was hard to have a conversation when only one of them was talking,
well, talking out loud anyway.

Misha’s eyes sparkled as he tilted his head back, baring his neck.

Ifan clenched his hands into tight fists. Misha couldn’t have any idea
of the control it took to keep from jumping the man and claiming him.
Ifan was holding on by a thread.

Ifan’s teeth dropped down against his better judgment. He ached

to sink them into Misha’s soft flesh. Claws shot out of his fingertips.
His skin rippled as fur threatened to come out. The thread of control
was becoming thinner the more he looked at Misha’s naked body.

“Misha,” he groaned as he fought for control.
Misha’s eyes began to water again as he dropped them. He pulled

the covers back over his naked body and curled onto his side, facing
away from Ifan. The blankets shook as he trembled.

A stab of guilt took root in Ifan’s chest as he sat down on the side

of the bed and gently patted Misha’s shoulder. “Listen to me, little
one. I want to claim you, believe me, I do, but I’m concerned with
your health. Elder Lucas said that you are very fragile right now, and I
don’t want to do anything that might hurt you.”

Ifan was confused by everything he was saying. He didn’t

understand why he was saying it. Not only had he talked more in the

Stormy Glenn

last hour than he had in the last month, but he felt the need to explain
things to a complete stranger, one that might not even understand him.

“Will you look at me, Misha?” he asked when he received no

response from the man other than the soft lift and fall of Misha’s
shoulders as he sniffled. “Please, little one?”

Misha slowly turned over. Ifan’s heart broke at the tears streaming

down Misha’s face. He reached up and gently rubbed them away.
“Does it mean that much to you, little one?”

Misha stared for a moment then grabbed Ifan’s hand and pressed

it over the mating seal on his chest. He reached up with his other hand
and covered the matching seal on Ifan’s arm then tilted his head back
again, baring his throat.

Ifan couldn’t take it anymore. If Misha was so determined to be

claimed, Ifan would claim him. It was either that or lose his mind. He
quickly stood up and shed his clothes, tossing his shirt across the
room and kicking his shoes and pants off.

Once he was naked, he pulled the covers off of Misha and climbed

onto the bed, stretching out beside the man. He could feel Misha
watching him as he lifted his fingers and stroked them over Misha’s
silky skin.

“You have very soft skin, Misha,” he said. He wanted Misha to be

involved in this process, not just a body waiting to be claimed. They
needed to make a connection between the two of them other than sex.
“Do you use something to make it this soft?”

Misha pointed to the nightstand without turning his head. Ifan

followed Misha’s hand and saw a small, white bottle with purple
flowers on it. There was no writing on it, so Ifan didn’t think the
lotion was store-bought. He’d have to figure out where Misha got it
and get more. He loved the soft feel of the man’s skin.

“Have you ever done this, Misha?”
Misha just blinked up at him and pressed his hand over the mating

seal on Ifan’s arm. Ifan wanted to growl, but he didn’t want to

White Paws and a Dream

frighten Misha. The lack of communication between them was going
to drive him crazy.

“I know that we are mates, little one, but I need to know if you’ve

ever had sex before. I don’t want to frighten you.”

Ifan felt like he could have been talking to himself for all of the

response he got from Misha. The man just stared. That in itself was
getting a little unnerving. Misha didn’t just stare. He consumed Ifan
with his pale blue eyes.

Ifan wished there was another way to claim Misha other than sex.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to have sex with Misha, because he did.
His body ached to sink into the smaller man’s tight little ass.

But he also didn’t want to do anything that man didn’t want. In all

of his years, and there were a lot of them, Ifan had never forced
another person to have sex with him. He wouldn’t start with his mate.

Ifan leaned closer slowly, giving Misha a chance to back away if

he wanted. When he didn’t move, Ifan pressed his lips against
Misha’s. The kiss was slow at first, exploratory. They were just kind
of feeling each other out.

Misha started to respond, and Ifan’s control began to slip. Misha’s

lips were so soft and lush, Ifan just wanted to eat him up. He pushed
harder and swiped his tongue along the seam of Misha’s lips. When
Misha parted his lips, Ifan delved inside.

A long, deep groan was torn from Ifan when Misha’s tongue

brushed against his. Kissing Misha was like kissing a light socket.
Ifan felt it resonate in every cell in his body. If this was what a simple
kiss was like, he couldn’t imagine what sex would be like.

Ifan cupped one hand around the side of Misha’s face, holding his

mouth still so that he could explore as he really wanted. He stroked
the other hand down the side of Misha’s body. Ifan growled at the
shudder that rippled through Misha at his light touch.

He was shocked by Misha’s responses to his touch. The man

seemed to crave each soft caress, leaning his body into Ifan’s hand.

Stormy Glenn

When Ifan moved his hand down past his hip, Misha bent his knee
and pulled his leg up, pressing it along Ifan’s side.

Ifan cupped his hand over the rounded curve of Misha’s ass and

squeezed. Misha just blinked up at him. Ifan kept a close watch on
Misha’s expression as he stroked the man’s ass, moving down further
until his fingers grazed over the sweet hole waiting for him. Misha
inhaled deeply, but his eyes never wavered from Ifan’s.

“Are you doing okay, little one?” Ifan whispered.
Misha let his bent leg fall to the side, opening himself up to Ifan’s

exploration. Ifan could feel Misha’s puckered hole flutter against his
fingers. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Misha’s ass
was begging for him.

Misha started panting softly, but he still didn’t make a sound. His

eyes, however, glowed, and Ifan could see Misha’s need shining in
the pale blue depths. The more he touched and teased, the more blue
bled out of Misha’s eyes. It was fascinating to watch.

“Watch me, Misha.”
Ifan wanted Misha’s eyes on him. He wanted to continue to see

the desire burning in them as he pleasured the man. Keeping their
eyes locked together, Ifan moved down Misha’s body, planting a kiss
here and there, a lick of his tongue. By the time he reached Misha’s
cock, the man’s eyes had turned white.

Ifan grabbed Misha’s ass cheeks and spread them apart. He

suddenly found it difficult to swallow when he got a good look at the
sweet, pink hole waiting for him. Misha looked so tight that Ifan
began to wonder if the man had ever been breached before. Maybe he
would be the first to bring pleasure to the sweet little man.

Ifan let his tongue shift, going from human to the long,

sandpapery one of a Siberian tiger. Being as old as he was, Ifan was
able to change different parts of his body at will. He didn’t have to
fully shift.

Ifan dragged his tongue between Misha’s ass cheeks. A tangy

burst of earthy flavors blasted across his tongue. Ifan growled and did

White Paws and a Dream

it again, wanting more. As addictive as Misha tasted, Ifan saw a lot of
ass licking in his future.

He knew Misha liked it. The little man’s body arched into the air

and his hands grabbed large handfuls of Ifan’s hair. Ifan licked again
and again, pressing in with his tongue a little each time until Misha
began to loosen up.

Ifan paused for a moment and stroked his thumb over Misha’s

puckered entrance. He bit his lip to keep from growling when it was
sucked right in. Misha was going to be the death of him. He just knew
it. Misha’s body was made for sex.

Ifan began licking again, alternating between pressing his tongue

into Misha’s ass and pushing his thumb in. After a few minutes, he
moved to pressing his fingers into the tight circle of muscles.

Once he could safely get three fingers inside without hurting

Misha, Ifan scooted up just a bit. Misha’s cock looked almost painful
in its hardness. Drops of pre-cum glistened on the purple, mushroom-
shaped head.

Misha wasn’t huge, not by Ifan’s standards, but he was the perfect

size to be sucked, and that’s just what Ifan did. As he shoved three
fingers deep into Misha’s ass, he swallowed Misha’s cock down to
the root.

He winced when Misha almost ripped out a handful of his hair.

The man’s body started bucking against him, vibrating with need.
Misha may have been silent, but he had a spectacular way of
speaking. Ifan wanted to hear more.

He licked Misha’s cock like an ice cream cone, making sure he

swiped his tongue over the man’s ball sac. When Misha started
pulling more insistently on his hair, Ifan sucked the man’s entire cock
into his mouth.

Misha arched and stiffened. Ifan quickly backed up until just the

head of Misha’s cock remained in his mouth. He thrust his fingers
into the man’s ass and curved them until he felt the walnut-sized
gland in the man’s ass.

Stormy Glenn

Stroking that sweet spot was like setting off a stick of dynamite.

Ifan grunted as Misha’s legs came up and clamped around him.
Sweet, hot liquid filled his mouth. Misha bucked against Ifan several
times then went limp. His hands dropped down to the bed. Even his
legs fell to his sides.

Ifan glanced up, concern warring with his need to keep sucking

Misha’s cock. Despite Misha’s sated state, his eyes still watched Ifan
intently. Ifan groaned and pulled his fingers out of Misha’s ass. He
scooted up and knelt between the man’s legs and reached for the
bottle of lotion on the nightstand.

Ifan quickly spread the lotion on his aching cock then dribbled

some down between Misha’s ass cheeks. He dropped the bottle on the
bed and reached for Misha, grabbing the man by his hips and pulling
him up until the head of his cock pressed against Misha’s puckered
hole.

“You ready, Misha?” he asked as he looked up.
Misha simply stroked his fingers over the mating seal on Ifan’s

arm. Ifan took that as a yes and pushed forward. His eyes dropped
closed and his head fell back on his shoulders as he sank into the
tightest, hottest ass he had ever had.

“Fuck!” Ifan shouted as his balls brushed up against Misha’s

body.

Never, in his entire existence, had he felt such pleasure before.

The tight muscles surrounding his cock could make him come without
a single movement on his part. They seemed to grip him, massage
him, and keep him hostage inside Misha’s body.

Misha’s legs wrapped around Ifan’s waist, and he tugged on his

arms. Ifan grinned and took that as Misha’s silent demand to move.
Going slow just wasn’t possible, not as close as Ifan was to coming.

The pleasure was pure and explosive. Each thrust sent Ifan higher.

After a few moments, he didn’t know where he ended and Misha
began. It felt like they were made to be fit together, two molded
halves of the same whole.

White Paws and a Dream

Misha’s body cradled Ifan perfectly, giving him just enough room

to move. The man’s legs locked around Ifan’s waist, his hips moving
and lifting with each thrust. Ecstasy started throbbing through Ifan.
He could feel the head of his cock expanding, ready to explode inside
of Misha and claim the man as his.

Misha’s eyes glowed with an inner light as he tilted his head back

and exposed his throat. Ifan growled loudly and sank his teeth into
Misha’s neck just over the soft pulse beating rapidly in the soft curve.
Sweet, hot blood filled Ifan’s mouth, the sweetest thing he had ever
tasted. Ifan sucked more into his mouth.

A blinding white light enveloped Ifan, exploding in his head. He

felt a tether snap into place between him and Misha as their souls
entwined. Ifan was filled with an amazing sense of completeness,
something he had never really felt before.

“Yes!”
Ifan blinked as the deep cry resonated inside his head. He quickly

extracted his teeth and licked the bite mark closed before lifting his
head to look down at Misha.

“Harder!”
“Misha?” he whispered out loud.
Misha bucked against him. “Please, harder.”
Ifan hooked his arm under one of Misha’s legs and started

pounding into the man at a furious pace. He felt Misha’s hands sink
into his hair as the man’s body stiffened beneath him. Fiery spurts of
cum splattered against Ifan’s abdomen.

“Misha!” Ifan roared as Misha’s release pulled him over the edge

into abyss. The spines at the end of his cock extended and locked him
in place inside Misha’s ass. Ifan’s world exploded in a flaming burst
of sensations.

A moan of ecstasy slipped through Ifan’s lips as he sank down

onto the bed, Misha sandwiched between him and the mattress. His
heart pounded so frantically, Ifan thought he just might be suffering a
heart attack.

Stormy Glenn

“You’re crushing me.”
Ifan rolled to his side, taking Misha with him. He wasn’t going to

leave Misha’s body until he absolutely had to. Besides, he couldn’t.
The miniscule spines at the end of his cock were holding him in place.
They would only retract once every drop of seed had shot from Ifan’s
cock.

Ifan picked up a lock of Misha’s dark brown hair and twirled it

between his fingers. After so many years of living on his own,
conversation wasn’t something Ifan was good at. He had no idea what
to say. He had a lot of questions, though. He just didn’t know which
one to ask first.

One question seemed easy enough. “So, you can talk, huh?”

White Paws and a Dream

Chapter 3

“Yes,” Misha whispered through the bond that had formed with

Ifan.

“Why haven’t you spoken to me before then?”
“We didn’t have a bond before.”
Silly tiger. Ifan should have known that.
“And now that we’re mated, you can talk to me in my mind?”
“Yes.”
“Can you hear me when I speak in my mind?”
“Yes, we’re bonded now. I can always hear you.”
Ifan frowned. He was quiet for a few minutes. Misha just let him

process his thoughts. He could feel the unease coming off of Ifan in
waves. Misha couldn’t help what he was, though.

“Misha, can you speak to other people in their minds?”
“No, just you. You’re my mate.” Panic suddenly filled Misha. He

grabbed Ifan’s arm and stroked his fingers over the mating seal
burned into his skin. “We are mated, right? You said we were.”

“Yes, Misha, we’re mated. Nothing will ever change that.”
A heavy feeling took weight in Misha’s stomach. “Why does that

make you so sad? Do you not want to be mated to me?”

Ifan sighed deeply, and Misha knew no matter what the man said

that he was right. Ifan didn’t want to be mated to him. He felt an
instant, squeezing hurt deep in his chest that stole his breath.

“I’m very old, Misha,” Ifan finally said out loud. “I gave up trying

to find a mate many years ago. I’m just as surprised by this turn of
events as you are.”

Stormy Glenn

But Misha wasn’t surprised, and he didn’t understand why Ifan

was. They had shared dreams together. Misha knew he would meet
his mate here at the UPAC castle before he even arrived.

It was one of the reasons he demanded to be brought here when

the wolves had found him. It was also the reason they found him in a
deserted warehouse. Those that had taken him prisoner tried to
destroy him when he wouldn’t mate as they directed. Misha had been
holding out for his mate.

“What’s wrong, little one?”
Misha shook his head. He didn’t know how to tell Ifan what he

was feeling, let alone if he should. Ifan was restless. Misha could feel
it. It was all the man could do to lie there and hold him.

A tired sadness passed over Misha as he tried to pull away from

Ifan. He didn’t want to stay where he wasn’t wanted. He’d been
through that before. He’d rather be alone in his silent world.

“Misha, you can’t do that.” Ifan pulled him back until they were

chest to chest. “There are these spine things in the end of my cock.
They connect us together when we have sex. It takes a few minutes
for them to retract.”

It was even worse than Misha first thought. Ifan was still holding

him because he had to. He wasn’t holding him because he wanted to.
It was a physical response in his body. Misha closed his eyes and
turned his head away from Ifan’s.

He could feel tears prickling the corners of his eyes and fought to

keep them at bay. Misha needed to wait until they could separate and
then he’d leave. It would do him no good for Ifan to know how much
pain he was in at the moment. Ifan might not even care.

“I’m very tired, Ifan.”
Ifan patted his shoulder. “Just go to sleep, Misha. I’ll go arrange

transportation for us in a few minutes and wake you when it’s time to
go.”

Misha nodded like he understood, but he didn’t. He could care

less that transportation needed to be arranged. He could feel Ifan’s

White Paws and a Dream

aversion to taking him home. Misha swallowed past the lump that
lingered in his throat.

He climbed into his mind and wrapped a ball of light around

himself until he felt safe and warm in his little cocoon. He thought he
wouldn’t have to go there anymore after mating with Ifan. It was
where Misha went when he was sad or lonely. It was where he hid.

He distantly felt Ifan pull away from him and roll off the bed. He

heard Ifan getting dressed. And then he heard Ifan leave. Only when
he heard the door close behind Ifan did Misha climb from his cocoon
and open his eyes.

The room was empty just like he thought it was. Misha felt like an

old man as he rolled to the side of the bed. The tiredness that filled his
soul spread out through his entire body. All he wanted to do was
sleep. He just didn’t have that luxury.

Misha pushed himself to his feet and began searching the room for

something to wear. He couldn’t very well escape naked, and he was
pretty sure the guards wouldn’t let him through the gate wrapped in a
sheet.

He was lucky. He found a pair of old, faded jogging pants and a

cotton shirt that was several sizes too large hidden in the back of the
closet. They weren’t what he would have chosen, but they would do
until he could find something else.

Misha grabbed his bottle of lotion then a blanket off the bottom of

the bed and headed for the door. He had no idea where he was
headed, but he wasn’t going to stay here. Pulling the door open just a
bit, Misha peered out.

Shit! A guard stood outside his door. Misha pushed the door

closed and leaned against it. He had escaped from harder places than
this. He could do it again. He just needed a plan. Misha frowned as he
looked down at his hands, racking his brain for a plan.

The light blue blanket caught his attention. He stared at it for a

moment then laughed. Misha quickly shook the blanket out and
wrapped it around his shoulders. He had a plan.

Stormy Glenn

Taking a deep breath, Misha opened the door up and stepped out.

The guard instantly turned. Misha smiled and made a gesture in front
of his mouth like he needed something to eat. The guard frowned and
reached for the communication mic attached to his uniform.

“Alpha one, this is alpha twelve.”
“Go ahead, alpha twelve,” a voice replied over the microphone.
“Subject thirty-four wishes to eat.”
Misha blinked. He was referred to as subject thirty-four?
“Then get him something to eat,” the voice replied. “I have

enough problems on my hands right now. The entire ballroom has
gone to shit. I’m surprised you can’t hear it. They’re tearing the damn
place apart.”

“Yeah, I hear it. We’ll avoid the ballroom if we can."
"Do that."
"Ten-four.” The guard grimaced and waved his hand. “Come on,

I’ll show you where the kitchen is.”

Misha wrapped the blanket around his shoulders a little tighter

and followed the guard down the hallway. The farther they walked,
the louder the noise became. Misha started to wonder if he might have
been safer back in his room.

Papers started to litter the floor, some of them blowing around

from wind coming in through broken windows. Broken furniture lay
scattered all over the place. Pictures hung crooked on the walls. The
place looked like a war zone.

Misha grunted when the guard suddenly stopped and slammed

him against the wall. His eyes rounded with shock when he peered
past the guard and saw two men wrestling on the floor in front of
them. They didn’t look like they were having fun.

Another very large man flew through a doorway several feet down

the hallway and crashed into the wall, falling to the floor. He was still
for a moment then his head suddenly snapped up. An angry growl fell
from his lips. Misha shrank back when he saw the sharp claws
growing out of his fingertips.

White Paws and a Dream

Wolf. The man was a wolf shifter. He was also an angry shifter.

He jumped to his feet and raced back through the doorway. Misha
heard a crash. He winced, hoping that whoever was on the other side
of those sharp claws was still alive.

As Misha watched the fighting continue, he suddenly decided he

was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time. He needed to get
the hell out of there and as fast as he could. He was a human. He
couldn’t shift and protect himself.

When the guard stepped forward and started demanding that the

two men on the floor stop fighting, Misha took that as his cue and
began backing down the hallway. The minute he was far enough
away, he turned and ran.

He heard the guard shout out behind him, but he just kept on

running. He turned one corner then another, twisting and turning
through the large stone castle until even he didn’t know where he was.

Misha finally stopped and leaned against the wall, panting

heavily. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was, but it was silent. He
couldn’t hear a thing. Misha pushed himself away from the wall and
walked slowly down the hallway until he came to a set of stairs going
up.

Misha started up the winding staircase. They looked as good as

any direction. He realized that going up instead of down might defeat
his purpose in getting out of the castle, but he had yet to see an exit.
These stairs might lead him to an exit.

The stairs just seemed to wind up and up and up. Misha felt like

he had climbed up several floors. He didn’t understand why he hadn’t
seen an exit. There should have been one. He was just thinking about
heading back down when he saw a shaft of light just above him.

Misha hurried up until he came to a landing that opened into a

long hallway. He took a cautious step into the hallway. He seemed to
be standing at a crossroads. The stairs were at his back. Hallways ran
on either side of him.

Stormy Glenn

It was the room directly across from him that held Misha’s

attention. There was so much light shining from it that it lit up the
entire area. Misha felt drawn to the room and walked slowly toward
it.

His jaw dropped open as he walked in and realized it was like an

atrium with glass windows on three sides. A large lounging couch sat
in the middle of the room. Cushions littered the window seat that went
all of the way around the room.

Misha rushed over to the window and looked out. He instantly

closed his eyes and backed away when he became dizzy. After taking
a couple of deep breaths, he walked back up to the window again.

He had to be at least ten floors up. The cars down in the courtyard

looked so small. The people running around looked like ants. How in
the hell had he ended up ten floors off the ground level? He just
walked up some stairs. It didn’t seem like he had climbed ten floors.

“Are you lost?”
Misha squeaked and spun around. An old man in white robes

stood in the doorway.

“Can you understand me?”
Misha nodded.
“Are you lost?”
Misha shrugged. He was, but he didn’t exactly see that as a bad

thing.

The old man suddenly smiled. “Are you hiding?”
Misha nodded.
“Ah, I see.” The man clasped his wrinkled old hands together.

“Well then, would you care to join me for tea?”

Misha blinked in surprise. The man was inviting him to tea? Why

the hell not? Misha nodded and followed after the man when he
gestured with his hand and walked out of the room.

For some reason, Misha wasn’t in the least bit surprised when

they walked out of the room and then down one of the hallways
instead of back down the stairs. The old man didn’t look like he

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belonged with those downstairs. He wasn’t an elder and he certainly
wasn’t one of the ones that had lost their minds and torn apart the
ballroom.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had guests, so you’ll have to excuse

the mess,” the man said as he opened a door at the end of the hallway.

Misha’s eyes widened as he stepped into the vast room. He wasn’t

surprised because of the dust he could see but rather the books. There
were thousands and thousands of them, all stacked on shelves that
went all of the way to the ceiling. It had to be a library of some sort.

“Yes, it is a library,” the man said.
Misha whipped around to look at the man, suddenly wondering if

he had made such a good decision in following some stranger.

“Please, don’t be frightened.” The man held up his hand. “I’m a

little older than most and have developed the ability to read minds. I
mean you no harm.”

“I thought only mates could read minds,” Misha replied mentally.
“Usually, that is true, but I’ve been around long enough to go

beyond what is normally expected of walkers in general.”

Misha frowned. “You know it’s not polite to read someone’s mind

without permission, don’t you?”

“Quite right, young man, but it’s been so long since I’ve had the

chance to chat with someone I could not stop myself.” The old man
clasped his hands together and gave a little bow of his head. “My
apologies.”

“Why haven’t you talked with someone in so long?”
“That, my boy, would take a very long conversation to explain.”

The man waved his hand around the huge room. “Why don’t you take
a look around while I make us some tea?”

Misha glanced around the room and was once again awed by the

place. The walls were at least two stories tall and lined with
bookshelves that went all the way up. A small balcony wrapped
around the room about halfway up.

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The place was dusty, but despite that and the multitudes of books

stacked on the floor around the room, Misha could see some
semblance of order. There seemed to be a harmony in the way the
room was arranged.

A large stone fireplace was against one wall, a large antique-

looking sofa directly in front of it. Just beyond the small kitchen
where the old man was making tea, Misha could see a small bedroom.
It didn’t look very used, but the couch did. Misha wondered how
often the man actually made it into the bedroom.

“So, what do you think of my little abode?” the old man asked as

he carried a tray back into the room. He set down on a small table by
the fireplace and poured tea into two small flowered cups. “Now, how
do you like your tea?”

Misha smiled and sat down across from the old man. “Do you

have a name or should I keep calling you old man?”

“Oh my, I have forgotten my manners, haven’t I?” Broken

laughter filled the room. “My name is Brodelyn.”

“I’m Mikhail, but Ifan seems to think I’m too small for such a big

name. He just calls me Misha.”

“Ifan?”
Misha frowned. “My mate.”
“I’m not sure if it’s my place to say so, young man, but you don’t

seem very happy about that prospect.”

Sadness started weighing Misha down again. “He doesn’t want

me.”

“Surely that isn’t so.” Brodelyn reached for the cups of tea,

handing one to Misha and taking the other for himself. He sat back in
his chair and blew lightly on his hot tea.

“You know what it’s like for walkers,” Misha said. “I could feel it

once we mated. I don’t think it was just me, though. Ifan doesn’t want
a mate at all.”

“Do you know why?”

White Paws and a Dream

Misha stared down at the cup of tea he held between his hands.

“Ifan doesn’t like people very much. I think he’s been alone for a long
time.”

“Then I can understand his reluctance, but it may not have

anything to do with you personally.”

“No, that’s true, but it still doesn’t make me feel wanted.”
“And we all want to be wanted by our mates.”
It was a statement and not a question. Misha knew that just from

the sad tone in Brodelyn’s voice. He tilted his head slightly, staring
across at the old man. Looking closely, Misha wondered just how old
the man really was. He didn’t seem that old, really.

“Do you have a mate?” Misha asked.
“Me?” Brodelyn’s head came up and he chuckled. “No, I don’t

have a mate, Misha. I’m too old to be mated, past my prime as they
would say.”

“You’re never too old, Brodelyn. Ifan is like, older than dirt, and

we still mated earlier.”

Brodelyn suddenly frowned. “Ifan Vashnikov?”
“Yes, why?”
Brodelyn suddenly sat his tea cup down and jumped up. He

hurried across the room to a stack of papyrus scrolls stacked along
one wall and began searching through them. He was mumbling to
himself as he tossed scroll after scroll out of the way.

He grabbed one faded scroll in his hand then glanced over his

shoulder. “Ifan Vashnikov, white Siberian tiger shifter, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Misha realized he wasn’t all that sure. He

remembered something about a tiger, but it was all kind of a blur.
Since he had never really seen Ifan shift, all he had were his vague
memories.

Brodelyn seemed excited as he carried the scroll over to a large,

dark, wooden table and spread it out. He set large green glass
pyramids on each corner to hold the scroll open then leaned down
over it and started tracing something with his finger.

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“Yes, I knew it!”
“Knew what?” Misha asked as he walked over to stare down at

the scroll. He could tell he was looking at some sort of writing, but he
couldn’t read a word of it. It looked like a bunch of scribbled lines to
him. “What is this?”

“I’m the UPAC historian, Misha. I keep track of everything that

occurs within the paranormal world. This scroll is the history of your
mate, Ifan Vashnikov, the last living white Siberian tiger.”

Misha sucked in a deep breath. “He’s the last of his kind?”
“I’m afraid so.” Brodelyn pointed to a straight line with words

written off of it. “His family and pride were systematically wiped out
by hunters over the years. The pelt of a white Siberian tiger is very
prized in the human world.”

“No wonder he hates me,” he whispered as tears of sadness

sprang up in his eyes. He knew any remaining hope he had of living a
happy life with his mate was gone. “I’m human.”

White Paws and a Dream

Chapter 4

“I don’t hate you, Misha.”
Ifan smirked when Misha jerked and swung around to look at him.

His rounded eyes dominated his pale face. His hand fluttered
nervously at his chest.

“Ifan.”
“Want to explain to me why I had to search the entire castle to

find my wayward mate?” Ifan asked as he pushed himself from the
doorframe and stalked his mate across the room.

Ifan had freaked when he returned to the room and found Misha

missing. His tiger had nearly gone feral. Only years of control enabled
Ifan to keep from shifting. It took more time than he would like to
think about to track Misha’s scent.

Now that he had found Misha, the only thing Ifan could think

about was renewing his claim on the man. He could already feel his
gumline aching with the need to let his canines drop down. Sheer
force of will kept them in place.

“Ifan Vashnikov,” the other person in the room said, “as I live and

breathe.”

Ifan’s attention snapped over to the old man. His eyes narrowed as

he took in the wrinkled old face and graying hair. He knew that face.
“Brodelyn?”

“It’s good to see you, my old friend,” Brodelyn said. “I did not

know Misha was your mate until a few minutes ago. Congratulations
on your mating.”

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“What are you doing up here?” Ifan asked, spreading his arms out

to indicate the large, dusty room. “Last I heard, you were somewhere
in South America.”

Brodelyn chuckled. “Things change, my friend.”
“You two know each other?”
The words, softly spoken, reminded Ifan that his mate was in the

room. He turned to look at him again. His lips curled slightly as he
tried to suppress a growl. Misha was standing way too close to
Brodelyn for his liking.

“Misha, come here.”
Misha blinked, just like he had before they could talk to each

other. Ifan growled a little louder, letting the other male in the room
know he was in danger.

“Misha, go to your mate,” Brodelyn said.
“What?” Misha whispered. “Why?”
“Because if you don’t, Ifan is liable to rip my throat out.”
Misha’s eyes widened even more. He slowly moved away from

Brodelyn and walked around the large wooden table, but he stopped
at the edge of it. His hands were trembling as he twisted them
together. He seemed frightened.

Ifan gestured with his hand and softened his voice. “Come,

Misha.”

Misha licked his lips as he cast a quick glance at Brodelyn then

looked back Ifan. His steps were slow and hesitant, but they did bring
Misha closer to Ifan. When the man was within arm distance, Ifan
reached out and grabbed Misha, pulling him closer.

He curled his hand around Misha’s face and tilted his head up.

“You are the safest person on the earth where I am concerned, Misha.
I am unable to hurt you.”

Misha’s lips parted and he exhaled deeply. His eyes were still

huge on his face but the panic seemed to be leaving them. He stopped
twisting his hands together and grabbed onto Ifan’s shirt.

“I didn’t do anything, I swear.”

White Paws and a Dream

Ifan smiled. “I know, little one, but we are newly mated. My

instincts to protect what is mine are very high right now. I am unable
to keep my tiger from eliminating any perceived threat.”

“Brodelyn wouldn’t—” Misha jumped around when Brodelyn

started laughing.

“You are a very pretty young thing, Misha,” Brodelyn said.

“Anyone who is breathing and unmated would attempt to take you
from your mate. Do not think because I am old that I am immune to
your charms. I’m just smart enough not to cross Ifan. I prefer my
throat right where it is.”

“But…”
Ifan was surprised when he felt Misha’s confusion. It was coming

off of the smaller man in waves. Ifan wrapped his arm around Misha’s
waist and pulled the man back against his body. He didn’t like the
nervousness and uncertainty his mate was feeling.

Misha’s head barely came up to Ifan’s chest. As much as his tiger

liked the smaller man, Ifan wanted him closer. Misha yelped as Ifan
picked him up, swinging him around so he could cradle the man in his
arms and nuzzle his neck.

Misha groaned into Ifan’s mind and his head dropped back,

exposing his neck. Ifan had no idea if Misha knew how satisfying the
submissive gesture was to both him and his tiger, but he wasn’t about
to deny his need to take what his mate offered.

Ifan swung them both around, facing away from Brodelyn, and

sank his teeth into the mating bite on Misha’s neck. Hot, sweet blood
filled his mouth. Ifan groaned as his cock filled at the very same time.
He knew the man’s exquisite flavor was directly connected with his
arousal. He imagined he’d be biting Misha a lot in the future.

Ifan pulled his teeth from Misha’s neck, licking the bite closed.

He ignored Brodelyn’s chuckle and carried Misha out of the room.
The pace of his steps increased as he hurried down the hallway to the
small, window-filled room he had seen when he came up the stairs.

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As soon as he reached it, he stepped inside and slammed the door

closed. A quick glance around told Ifan everything he needed to know
about the room. He walked right up to the couch sitting in the middle
of the room and draped Misha’s body over the back of it.

Misha’s hands flailed as Ifan yanked his jogging pants down to his

ankles then pushed them off his legs, kicking them away. Ifan
unzipped his pants and yanked Misha’s shirt up. He pushed Misha’s
legs apart and thrust two fingers into the man’s tight ass.

Yes! Misha was still stretched out from earlier. That made things

all that much easier for Ifan. He pushed his pants out of the way then
reached over and spread Misha’s ass cheeks. His cock was so hard
that he didn’t even need to guide it into Misha. It seemed to know the
way.

Ifan dropped his head back on his shoulders and roared as his

cock sank into Misha’s ass. He started pounding into Misha as fast as
his body would allow. The need he felt to stake his claim on Misha
overrode his control. He couldn’t stop himself from claiming Misha.

Ifan leaned over Misha and sank his teeth into the man’s throat

again. At the same time, he reached under Misha and grabbed his
cock, pumping the hard shaft as fast as he was thrusting into him.

“Ifan!” Misha screamed into Ifan’s mind. Hot seed shot out all

over Ifan’s hand.

The arousing scent of Misha’s release filled the air, overwhelming

Ifan. He extracted his teeth from Misha’s neck and shouted out
Misha’s name as the spines in his cock extended and took root. His
legs shook as his cock erupted inside the man’s tight ass.

Waves of exquisite pleasure swamped Ifan until he couldn’t stay

standing any longer. He grabbed Misha around the waist and pulled
him close to his body as he sank down to his knees and leaned against
the couch.

“That…that was interesting.” Misha panted silently.
Ifan chuckled and rubbed his face against the side of Misha’s

head. Part of being a cat was the need to spread his scent all over his

White Paws and a Dream

mate. It was a territorial thing meant to warn others away from what
belonged to him.

Misha was lucky. Usually Ifan just peed on things.
“Are you rubbing your scent on me?”
Ifan let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, I am.”
“And that’s not odd at all.”
“You’d better get used to it, little one. You mated a tiger.”
Ifan could feel uncertainty start to fill Misha again as the man

turned to look at him. It seemed to Ifan that Misha was fine as long as
they were having sex. The minute they stopped fooling around, all of
Misha’s insecurities came out. Ifan decided to put a stop to it before it
escalated.

He grabbed Misha’s jaw and forced the man to look at him. “You

are my mate. I may not have been looking for one, but I have one.
You. And I may not like people, but you do not fall into the category.
You’re in one all by yourself.”

“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Misha’s eyebrows puckered together. “I promise not to be a

problem. I can be very quiet, and I won’t make a mess. I don’t even
have anything to make a mess with. You’ll hardly even know I’m
there.”

“Misha, I seriously doubt I will ever forget that you are around.”
Misha’s eyes started to fill. “I’m sorry.”
“No, baby, you misunderstand me.” Ifan smiled to let Misha know

he wasn’t upset. “You, little one, are gorgeous. It will be impossible
for me to forget that you’re around when you look good enough to
eat.”

Misha swallowed as his eyes dropped down to Ifan’s mouth.

“Eat?”

Ifan started laughing. He couldn’t explain the joy that suddenly

filled him. He couldn’t remember feeling so light in the soul in years,
maybe centuries. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off his

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shoulders since mating Misha. He was enjoying life again for the first
time in years.

He reached down and squeezed Misha’s softening cock. “This is

the only thing I plan on eating, Misha.”

Misha’s face flushed. He swallowed again, hard. “Okay.”
Ifan groaned a moment later when he felt the spines recede and

his cock slipped out of Misha’s tight ass. He looked around for
something to clean them both up with. When he couldn’t find
anything, he whipped his shirt over his head and used that. When he
was done, he tossed it into the corner and helped Misha to his feet.

“Get dressed, Misha,” Ifan said as he tucked himself back into his

pants and zipped up. “I’d like to go say goodbye to Brodelyn before
we have to leave.”

“You two really know each other?”
“We do.”
Ifan stood back and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched

Misha get dressed. It was really a shame to cover up such a perfect
little body, but Ifan refused to let anyone else see his pretty man.

Once they reached home, however, Ifan intended to hide every

stitch of clothing that Misha owned. Ifan grinned just thinking about
Misha’s naked ass running around his house all day long. He
wouldn’t get a lot of work done, but he’d be a very happy man.

“Okay, I’m ready.”
Ifan frowned. “Misha, can you talk at all?”
“I am talking.”
“No, baby, can you talk with your mouth?”
Misha blinked. “Why would I want to?”
Ifan growled. “Because I don’t like the idea of someone hearing

you talking to him in his head.”

Misha’s eyes widened for a moment then he covered his mouth

with his hand. A twinkling of muffled laughter filled the room.
“You’re jealous.”

White Paws and a Dream

Ifan purposely frowned, drawing his eyebrows together low over

his face. “So, what if I am?”

Joy bubbled in Misha’s laugh and shone brightly in his pale blue

eyes. Misha walked forward, stopping directly in front of Ifan. He
leaned in close and crooked his finger until Ifan leaned down.

“You’re really, really hot,” Misha whispered out loud into Ifan’s

ear.

Ifan smiled. “So are you.”
Misha had an irresistibly devastating grin on his face as he twisted

back and forth in front of Ifan. It was like the man couldn’t contain
himself and had to move. Ifan chuckled and wrapped his arm around
Misha’s shoulders, turning him toward the door.

“Come on, little one, let’s go say goodbye to Brodelyn and then

we can head for home.”

“Do you really live in a forest?” Misha asked as they walked

down the hallway.

“I do,” Ifan replied. “I have a nice little cabin in the woods.”
“And no one except you lives there?”
“Well, you live there now, too.”
“Right.”
Ifan waited a moment for Misha to say something else. When he

didn’t, Ifan glanced down at him. Misha had his lower lip caught
between his teeth. He seemed to be thinking really hard.

“Misha, do you have a question?”
“Yes, but—”
“Misha, the only stupid question is the one that you don’t ask.”
Thirty seconds later, Ifan wished that he had phrased that just a

little differently. Misha started asking questions, and they just kept on
coming, sometimes before Ifan even had a chance to answer.

“What do you do there? Do you have a job? Will I have a job? Do

you have pets? Can I have a pet? How far are you from civilization? I
know you don’t like people, but do you ever have visitors? Do you
have a bathroom? I won’t have to pee outside, will I? Do you have hot

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and cold running water? Do you know how to cook? Can you teach
me? How do you get your food if you never go anywhere? Do you
grow your own food? And what about milk and stuff? Do you have a
cow?”

Ifan growled and slapped his hand over Misha’s mouth. Misha’s

eyes widened.

“Yes, I have a job. I make jewelry and leather crafts. You won’t

have a job, per say, but you can help me with mine if you are
interested. I do not have pets, not even a cow. I go into town once a
week and get my supplies. And yes, I do grow much of my own food.
My house is completely modernized with a bathroom, hot and cold
running water, and even electricity.” Ifan took a deep breath. “And
yes, I will teach you how to cook.”

He hesitantly took his hand away from Misha’s mouth, ready to

slap it back in place at the first question. Misha was a headache, but
he was a bubbly headache.

“Cool.” Misha grinned.
Ifan arched an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
Misha nodded.
“No more questions?” Ifan didn’t believe it. “Not a single one?”
“Do I get to sleep with you? How often can we have sex? We’re

allowed to have sex when we get to your house, aren’t we? Can we
have sex on the way home? Do you have toys? I’ve heard about toys,
and I’d really like to try them out. Is that okay? And maybe we should
get a couch like the one in the arboretum? That was a lot of fun.”

Ifan threw his head back and roared with laughter. Misha’s mere

presence gave Ifan a joy he hadn’t felt in so long, he had forgotten
what it felt like. His mood seemed suddenly buoyant, optimistic.

“I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.”
Ifan’s laughter dwindled away as he turned to see Brodelyn

standing in the doorway of his quarters, a quizzical expression on his
face.

“You were laughing.”

White Paws and a Dream

Ifan smirked. “Is that so surprising?”
“Yes! I haven’t heard you laugh in years.”
Ifan chuckled and drew Misha back into his arms. “That was

before I mated Misha.”

* * * *

Ifan leaned back against the wall and watched his mate charm

every member of the UPAC council. Misha did it with such ease that
Ifan was almost jealous—almost. It was just a simple smile here, a
softly spoken word there. Misha had the elders eating out of his
hands.

And Ifan would have been jealous if Misha hadn’t kept coming

back to him time and time again, cuddling into his side. If anyone
came too close or made a remark he was uncomfortable with, Misha
immediately crossed over to him.

Mostly, people left Misha alone other than to chat with him. No

one approached Ifan—well, no one with an ounce of intelligence,
anyway. Ifan cocked an eyebrow and turned to look at the man that
walked up and leaned against the wall next to him.

“Sebastian,” he said simply.
“Ifan.” The man nodded.
Ifan turned to look back out over the crowd. Everyone was

mingling as they got ready for the grand banquet. Ifan could think of a
hundred places he’d rather be, but Misha seemed so excited, he
couldn’t deny him.

“He yours?”
Ifan followed Sebastian’s eyes to settle on Misha. “He is.”
“See the little man over there with the neon green bunny purse?”

Sebastian pointed to a white-haired man standing across the room.

“Yours?”
“Yep.” Sebastian chuckled and shook his head. “He’s a freaking

bunny.”

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Ifan’s mouth dropped open. It wasn’t often that he was shocked,

but hearing that his old friend, Sebastian Drakus, was mated to a
bunny was astonishing. Sebastian was the prince of dragons.

“You’re mated to a bunny?”
Sebastian’s lips pressed together. He crossed his arms over his

chest and nodded. Ifan snickered and matched Sebastian’s posture. He
gestured toward Misha with his head.

“Misha? He’s a dreamwalker.”
“I thought you never left your forest,” Sebastian said as he turned

to look at Ifan. “How did you end up here and mated?”

“Council orders, how else?”
“Right, UPAC.” Sebastian grimaced. “I can’t wait for the day that

one of the elders goes down. They really need to see how the rest of
us mere mortals live.”

“Speak for yourself.” Ifan snorted. “I hope one of those damn

bastards finds himself mated against his will. Let’s see them get out of
that.”

“In your dreams. Elders do not get mated against their will.”
Ifan thought about the man that had jumped past him onto the

stage at the great gathering two days ago and attacked an elder. He
hadn’t seen that elder since. Maybe his little dream had a possibility
of occurring, maybe not.

“Well, we’ll see.”
“So, when are you heading back to your forest?”
“In the morning,” Ifan replied. “We planned to head back

yesterday morning, but Elder Lucas wanted Misha here for a little
longer. I guess he was in pretty bad shape when he arrived, something
about being found in an abandoned warehouse.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t know?”
“Misha will tell me when he’s ready.”
The moment the elders discovered that Misha could speak, they

had started asking him questions. Ifan had put up with it until he felt

White Paws and a Dream

the waves of distress coming off of his mate and then he had put his
foot down, whisking his mate away.

Elder Lucas had come by himself later in the day and talked

quietly with Misha. Ifan stood back and carefully monitored Misha.
Their talk seemed to go okay. Misha was more comfortable with
Elder Lucas. It was the entire council that sent him into panic.

Once the elder left, Ifan jumped Misha, ravishing him until the

man was exhausted and happy once again. Ifan much preferred his
mate happy. When Misha was sad, his tiger started to pace, growling
and hissing at anyone who came close to their mate. Happy was safer
for everyone.

“I think everyone is getting ready to sit down for dinner.”
Ifan took his eyes off his mate and glanced around the room.

Sebastian was right. People were moving toward their tables and
sitting down. Waiters were staring to bring food out. Ifan pushed
away from the wall.

“I suppose we’d better collect our mates and sit down.” Ifan

patted Sebastian on the shoulder. “Good luck to you, Sebastian. I wish
you and your bunny all the best.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Same to you.”
Ifan watched Sebastian walk off to collect his mate then went in

search of his own. He frowned when a quick scan of the room
produced no Misha.

“Misha, where are you?” he asked through their mental bond.
Panic took hold of Ifan when he didn’t even receive white noise.

There was nothing coming through their bond, not even emotions.
The only thing Ifan did know was that his mate was alive—but only
because he was alive. Their life threads were entwined. If Misha died,
he died. Not knowing where his mate was or what was happening to
him was almost debilitating.

Ifan began to search the room, going from one end to the other.

Once he was positive that Misha wasn’t in the room, Ifan ran for the
hallway. He spotted two guards just outside the large double doors.

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“Have you seen a short, dark-brown-haired man with pale blue

eyes?” Ifan asked.

The guards both shook their heads. Ifan felt like pulling his hair

out. There were so many smells in the castle that it was hard to
differentiate between them. Finding Misha might be impossible.

White Paws and a Dream

Chapter 5

Misha’s head was groggy, but he knew enough to know he was

being carried off somewhere he didn’t want to go. He was supposed
to be attending a fancy black-tie dinner with Ifan. He wasn’t supposed
to be carried off anywhere.

Ifan was going to be pissed when he caught up with them. Misha

giggled against the hand pressed over his mouth. If they thought he
was dangerous, wait until they met his big bad mate. Ifan would
destroy them.

“Markus, he’s laughing,” someone said.
“What in the hell do you want me to do about it?” another, deeper

voice asked.

“Make him stop!” the first voice exclaimed.
“You make him stop.”
“How?” Misha felt someone shake him. His head lolled back and

forth from the force. He giggled louder. “If we give him any more of
this serum, it could kill him. We were specifically told only to give
him a little.”

“Hit him over the head or something,” the deep voice said.
“Hugo said we couldn’t hurt him. You heard him as well as I did.

If we hurt a hair on Mikhail’s head, Hugo will have ours.”

Misha grunted as he was jostled when whoever carried him

suddenly came to a stop. He didn’t feel so well. His stomach was
starting to roll, and his head felt foggy.

“Damn it, Darren, what do you want me to do about it?”

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Ah, so Darren carried him. Markus must be the man with the

deeper voice. Misha blinked as he realized his head was starting to
clear. He was beginning to understand things and make sense of them.

The most important thing he knew was that he couldn’t let Markus

and Darren take him out of the council castle. He would be doomed if
they did. Once Hugo found out he had mated Ifan, Misha’s life
wouldn’t be worth spit.

Misha closed his eyes to concentrate then wished he hadn’t when

his head immediately began to spin. He quickly opened them back up
and picked a spot to stare at—Darren’s wristwatch.

Keeping his eyes glued to the fake gold watch so his stomach

wouldn’t rebel, Misha started mentally chanting Ifan’s name over and
over again. He had to reach Ifan. The bond between them was the
only way.

“I say,” a voice Misha recognized suddenly said, “is that young

Misha you have there?”

Maybe not.
“Brodelyn, run!” Misha screamed silently. “Get Ifan! Get help!”
Misha whined when Brodelyn didn’t respond.
“Who the hell are you?” Markus snapped.
“Me?” Brodelyn asked. “I’m the UPAC historian. I live here. Who

are you?”

“None of your damn business,” Markus snarled. “Now get out of

our way, old man.”

“That is very rude.”
Misha started giggling again. He couldn’t help it. The situation

was just too funny. He was fighting for his life, and he couldn’t lift a
finger to help himself. Whatever drug they had shot him up with
seemed to keep his body from doing what he wanted it to do. Worse
yet, it kept him from being able to contact Ifan.

His hero, if he could call Brodelyn that, was arguing with his

captors and accusing them of being rude. He was going to die before

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Hugo ever got a hold of him and all because his savior was worried
about someone’s etiquette.

Misha grunted again when he was suddenly dropped to the floor

like a sack of potatoes. He rolled onto his back and turned his head to
watch whatever was going to happen. It wasn’t like he could join in or
anything. He could barely get his fingers to move.

Misha blinked when a loud, furious roar filled the hallway. Ifan

was here. A blur of white flashed past Misha. He tried to track it with
his eyes but that just made his stomach start to roll again.

Misha heard screaming. He heard roaring. He heard something

crash against the wall. He even felt the floor shake. He saw nothing
until a large, furry muzzle appeared in front of his face. Misha smiled.

“Ifan,” he whispered through their bond. “I knew you would come

for me.”

“Always, little one.”
“They gave me a shot of some sort.” Misha wanted body-to-body

contact. “I can’t move.”

Ifan shifted in the blink of an eye. One moment there was a large

tiger hovering over him. The next moment, Ifan was there, gathering
Misha up in his arms. Misha had enough movement back in his body
to nuzzle his head under Ifan’s chin.

“Is that better, Misha?”
“Yes.” Misha sighed.
“Brodelyn,” Ifan said out loud, “you have my thanks.”
“If you really want to thank me, puts some damn clothes on.”
Misha blinked. “You’re naked?”
Ifan chuckled and rubbed his cheek against the top of his head.

“My clothes shredded when I shifted, Misha. They don’t magically
grow back.”

“Then you need to seriously put some damn clothes on.” Misha

growled as he leaned his head back and glared at his mate. “No one
gets to see you naked but me.”

“Misha, I’m a shifter. It’s not like this is something I can help.”

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“I get that.” Misha frowned. “But it doesn’t mean you have to

stand here and let it all hang out. Find something to cover up with,
damn it.”

Misha clenched his teeth as Ifan’s laughter filled the hallway. He

didn’t see what was so funny about the whole situation. Ifan might be
a shifter, but he really didn’t need to be standing there naked.

Misha felt something brush his cheek and realized that Brodelyn

was wrapping a cloak around Ifan’s shoulders. He still wanted to
punch Ifan in the shoulder but at least the man was covered.

“Now, little one,” Ifan said, “do you want to explain to me why

you were being carried out of the castle?”

Misha couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do less, but he

could feel the weight of Ifan’s glare. He wasn’t going to get away
with silence this time. He just wasn’t sure how much to tell Ifan. He
was on shaky ground with the man as it was. Knowledge of Hugo
could send him crashing.

Misha was saved from spilling his guts when guards ran around

the corner, followed closely by Elder Lucas. The elder was looking
around wildly, wringing his hands together. A blood vessel throbbed
in his forehead.

“Oh, this isn’t good,” the elder said as he looked at the two

mangled and bloody bodies on the floor. “This isn’t good at all.”

“Elder?” Ifan asked.
“I know these men.”
“And?”
Elder Lucas’s eyes moved up to Ifan’s. “And we’re in a lot of

trouble.”

* * * *

Misha sat on at the small cushioned seat by the window and

alternated between watching out the window and watching everyone

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in the room. The commotion in the room was sporadic, going from
nearly nothing to rants and raves.

Ifan was in a rage, Elder Lucas wringing his hands together,

again. Even Brodelyn was getting in on the tension. The man kept
coming in and out of the room, spreading scroll after scroll out on the
table for the elder.

And no one would tell Misha what was going on, although, he had

a suspicion. Hugo was somehow involved, and if Hugo was involved,
that meant Misha’s father was involved. Hugo and Misha’s father,
Felix Surkov, were glued together at the hip. They did everything
together, including terrorize Misha.

Misha shuddered just thinking about the two men and the chaos

they could create when they put their minds to it. Felix Surkov was a
strong mindwalker. Hugo had strength on his side. Together, they
could command almost anyone with a mere thought. They just
couldn’t command Misha, for which he would be forever grateful to
whoever made that bit of magic happen.

Misha’s ability to enter dreams was unparalleled according to his

father. There hadn’t been a dreamwalker born with his strength in
over a thousand years. Not only could Misha walk in people’s dreams,
he could speak mentally and change dreams as he wished. That made
him special, unique in the walker world.

It was a power Felix wanted to control and he was using Hugo to

do it. If Misha mated Hugo then Hugo could use their mating bond to
control Misha and use the powers he had to fit Hugo’s needs.

Misha wasn’t stupid. He had studied the laws. It went against

everything walkers believed in to invade someone’s mind or dreams
without permission or to try and change them. It was also against
UPAC laws. The punishments could be severe depending on the
offense—anything from a sanction to banishment to execution. It was
not something Misha wanted to contemplate.

He did his level best to adhere to the UPAC laws. He didn’t want

to be punished. He also felt it was rude to enter someone’s mind or

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dreams without their permission. It was a just wrong, like assaulting
someone mentally instead of physically. The mere thought made
Misha’s skin crawl with disgust.

Felix and Hugo didn’t seem to care about the rules. They entered

the mind or dreams of anyone they chose to. They wanted power and
had no issue using whoever they needed to use to gain it.

Enter Misha. Felix and Hugo couldn’t control him. They couldn’t

control his power. And they tried to use any means necessary to gain
his compliance. When that didn’t work, they took to torturing him,
trying to force him to mate with Hugo. Misha held out as long as he
could, hiding himself in the cotton-cushioned world he created in his
head and dreaming of his true mate—Ifan.

Ifan had been the only thing to keep Misha alive. He’d dreamed of

one day being held in Ifan’s strong, powerful arms, of being loved by
the man. Well, half of his dream had come true, anyway. Misha
wondered if the second half, the most important half, would ever be
realized. He wanted Ifan to love him.

“You’re awfully quiet, little one,” Ifan said as he walked over to

stand next to Misha. “Is there something on your mind?”

“When can we go home?”
Misha desperately wanted to go home and be away from this

place. The UPAC castle in Scotland was supposed to be secure. It
obviously wasn’t. Misha could only hope that Ifan’s cabin in the
woods was better protected, or he was in deep trouble. Hugo and
Felix would stop at nothing to get to him.

“We’ll be headed home soon, Misha.” Ifan waved his hand back

to the men huddled around a small table. “We need to figure out what
happened first. Someone tried to take you from me and—”

“Hugo.”
“Hugo?” Ifan’s eyebrow arched. “And just who is Hugo?”
“He wants to be my mate.”
Misha’s eyes widened when Ifan growled and his skin rippled as

if his tiger was trying to get out. He quickly held up his hands. “I

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don’t want to be his mate, I swear. I’ve told him this several times but
he doesn’t care. He won’t take no for an answer.”

“Who is he?”
“Hugo is a mindwalker like me and my father. He’s just not a very

strong mindwalker, which—”

“Which is why he wants you?” Ifan finished for him.
Misha nodded.
“He can’t have you.” Ifan’s hands clenched then wrapped around

his arms. Long, sharp claws extended from the tips of his fingers. A
dark scowl crossed his face. Strangely, Misha wasn’t afraid, not even
when Ifan reached for him with his clawed hands. “You belong to me
now and he can’t have you.”

“I’d really like that,” Misha whispered as he nuzzled his head

under Ifan’s chin. “He’s not a nice guy.”

Misha felt Ifan’s fingers tighten around his arms.
“Has he hurt you?”
Misha wasn’t sure how to answer that, so he just shrugged. Hugo

had hurt him, but he scared him more with the things he said he was
going to do. The threats of what would happen were the worst. Misha
knew if Hugo did them, he would wish he was dead.

“My father was worse,” Misha finally answered.
“Your father?”
“Hugo and my father work together. They want to control my

walker abilities.”

“Why?”
That was the big question. Misha shrugged again, not wanting to

answer. Ifan didn’t remember the dreams they had shared, a thought
that made Misha’s heart ache. They were the only thing that held him
together when his father had him in that warehouse.

“Hugo is not very strong mentally and is easily controlled by my

father. My father’s abilities have been muted with time. He wants the
power back.”

“And he wants to use you to get it?”

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Misha nodded again.
“How does Hugo come into this then?” Ifan asked. “Can’t your

father just get you to do what he wants?”

“No, I refused.”
“You refused?”
“It’s wrong to enter someone’s dreams without their permission.

It’s invasive and rude. It’s also against UPAC law. I could get into a
lot of trouble. My father just doesn’t seem to care.”

Ifan frowned. “I still don’t see where this Hugo guy comes into

this.”

Misha sighed deeply then pushed back from Ifan’s arms. He

turned and looked back out the window. His heart felt heavy.

“If I mated with Hugo, then he could use my powers through the

mate bond to invade people’s dreams and change them, get them to do
what he wants.” Misha licked his dry lips and glanced over his
shoulder. “My mate can use me to access the dream world.”

A deep frown came over Ifan’s face. “I don’t understand.”
Misha wasn’t surprised. People that didn’t dreamwalk usually

didn’t get it. Misha tried to explain it in terms Ifan would understand.
“In your tiger form, you can smell scents up to what, one, two miles?”

“Thereabouts, yes.”
“For the sake of argument, let’s say you can smell scents up to

five miles in every direction.”

“Okay.” Ifan crossed his arms over his chest, looking unconvinced

by Misha’s words.

“Now, hypothetically, what if you mated another tiger that could

scent smells for ten miles in every direction.”

“Okay.”
“Now, because you are mated to this other tiger, you have a bond,

and that bond allows you to use your mate’s abilities and add them to
your own. You’d be able to scent everything in fifteen miles in every
direction, instead of five.”

White Paws and a Dream

Misha watched the dawning truth drain the blood from Ifan’s face.

He didn’t know how much Ifan knew about dreamwalkers, but he was
mated to one now. He’d learn.

“I am a powerful dreamwalker, maybe one of the most powerful

born in centuries. If Hugo mated me and could tap into my powers, he
would be unstoppable.”

“Fuck!”
“Oh, it gets better.” Misha laughed harshly. “Hugo and my father

want me to mate Hugo so that they can tap into my powers.”

“You already said that.”
“Yes, but what you don’t know is that the second they discover I

am mated, I suspect that they will try and come after you. They can’t
kill you without killing me. Our souls have bonded. But they can use
you against me to get me to do what they want.”

Ifan’s face darkened as he growled. “Not going to happen.”
“It could,” Misha whispered sadly as he turned back to look out

the window, leaning his head against the cool glass. “I’d do anything
to keep you safe.”

Stormy Glenn

Chapter 6

Several days later, Ifan was still mulling over Misha’s words.

Misha had spoken so quietly that Ifan suspected he wasn’t supposed
to overhear the words, but he was a tiger. He had excellent hearing.
He just wasn’t sure what Misha meant by them.

Ifan knew the bond between them was strong, maybe even

stronger than the elders suspected. Tigers never did exactly as the
elders suspected anyway, and Ifan was living proof of that. He hadn’t
done anything the elders really wanted in hundreds of years— until
the night of the great gathering.

He didn’t like being dictated to, but even he knew he couldn’t

avoid the council forever. He figured if he gave in for one night, the
council would leave him alone for another five hundred years. He had
no idea how much his life would change in one single night...from
one single man.

Misha was a source of constant amazement to Ifan. He was no

bigger than a mite, yet he was the most resilient person Ifan had ever
met. He took whatever life handed out to him and just kept on going.
Ifan wasn’t even sure he could be so brave.

And yet, Ifan could feel that Misha was holding something back

from him. He just didn’t know what it was. There was a hesitancy in
Misha that hadn’t been there when they first met. It was almost as if
Misha had a secret he couldn’t share. It drove Ifan crazy.

Misha was caring enough, always staying close and being

affectionate in his own way. He even seemed eager when they had
sex, which seemed to be almost any time they were alone. Ifan knew
Misha was fully with him when they were in bed but there also felt

White Paws and a Dream

like something was missing. Ifan just couldn’t put his finger on what
exactly it was.

Misha had also seemed preoccupied since they left the UPAC

castle in Scotland. He spent much of his time staring out the window.
At first, Ifan assumed he was watching the scenery, but after several
days of traveling, he was starting to think Misha was avoiding him.

Ifan’s tiger began to growl and pace. His skin rippled as he tried

to keep from shifting. His tiger wanted out, wanted to claim their
mate and exert their dominance over Misha. Neither of them liked
being ignored.

“We should be home soon,” Ifan said to break the silence in the

truck. Neither he nor Misha had spoken in a couple of hours.

Misha glanced over his shoulder from where he was looking out

the passenger window. He just smiled, not saying a word. Ifan
tightened his hands around the steering wheel. The silent treatment
was getting pretty stale.

“Did I piss you off or something?”
“No.” Misha’s eyebrows shot up like he was surprised. “What

made you think that?”

“You haven’t said a word in hours.”
Misha shrugged, looking away. “I didn’t think you wanted me to

talk.”

“And what gave you that idea?” Ifan growled.
“You don’t like people.”
Ifan growled and tightened his grip on the steering wheel until it

crackled beneath his hands. “You’re not people, Misha. I told you
that.”

“I just didn’t want—” Misha pressed his lips together. His

eyebrows drew together.

Ifan could see that Misha was struggling to say something, and he

knew it was important. He scanned the road ahead until he spotted a
spot where he could pull off. It wasn’t exactly a road, but it would
hide them from passing traffic well enough.

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He slowed the truck and turned, following the narrow dirt turnoff

behind some brush and trees. He parked the truck and turned it off
then turned to Misha. Gesturing with his hand, he called Misha over.

“Come here, little one.” Misha hesitated for a moment then

unbuckled his seatbelt and slid across the seat to sit next to Ifan.
“Now, I’m going to say this one more time, and I want you to listen to
me this time, Mikhail. I don’t like people as a general rule, but I do
not consider you ‘people.’ You are my mate. That makes you
different.”

“But you didn’t want a mate,” Misha whispered.
“I wasn’t looking for a mate,” Ifan replied. “There’s a big

difference between wanting a mate and looking for a mate. I’m old,
Misha, way past the age I should have found a mate. I stopped
looking a long time ago. That does not mean I didn’t want a mate,
only that I thought I would never have one.”

“I’m sorry.”
Ifan sighed and dropped his head back against the headrest.

“Baby, you’re not listening to me. I stopped looking for a mate
because I never thought I would have one. But now I do, and I’m
keeping you.”

Misha frowned and stared down at his hands. When he started

twisting them together, Ifan reached over and grabbed them. “Just say
it, Misha.”

“Did you know that the elders didn’t give you the same potion

they gave everyone else? They were concerned that you would harm
me if you were in a mating heat.” Misha’s eyes glistened with tears
when he looked up. “So, see, you didn’t really have to keep me.”

“Misha, I knew I was going to keep you from the minute I laid

eyes on you. I don’t care about the elders’ fucked-up potions or the
midnight mating requirements. I care about you, but only you. The
rest of the world can slide into the ocean for all I care. You are the
only one who’s important to me.”

White Paws and a Dream

Misha sobbed quietly and dove at Ifan’s chest. Ifan wrapped his

arms around Misha and hugged the little man as close as he could
without crushing him. He buried his face in Misha’s dark brown hair
and just held on.

“I don’t care how it happened, Misha—elders, fate, potions, none

of that matters to me. What matters to me is that we are together now.
Somehow, we found each other, and someone saw fit to make us
mates. I’m not going to give up the chance we’ve been given.”

Misha sniffled and nodded his head against Ifan’s chest.
“And despite what you’ve said about the elders and the potion, I

still think we should follow their directions for the post-claiming
requirements.” Ifan chuckled. “Just to be on the safe side, mind you.”

Misha laughed then sniffled. “Okay.”
Ifan nudged Misha’s chin up with his finger. “Now, no more

worrying about me not wanting you around, okay? You were given to
me and I’m not giving you back. You’re stuck with me.”

Ifan didn’t immediately understand why the smile on Misha’s face

made him feel so good deep down in the pit of his soul. He just knew
it did. Everything about Misha made him feel good, something Ifan
had never felt from another person.

He still wasn’t sure how he felt about being forced to mate Misha,

but he was no longer questioning the fact that Misha was his. And
he’d destroy anyone that tried to take Misha from him. He didn’t care
if it was the elders, Misha’s father, or Hugo. They would die if they
touched a hair on his mate’s head.

“Are you ready to go home now, Misha?”
“No,” Misha said as he sat up.
Ifan’s eyebrows shot up. “No?”
“No.” Misha grinned. His eyes dropped to Ifan’s groin.
Ifan quickly looked around to make sure they were still hidden

from the road then reached down to push the seat back. Once there
was enough room, Ifan leaned back in his seat and waved his hand at
his pants.

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“Just what did you have in mind?”
Misha reached over and unbuttoned Ifan’s pants. Ifan’s hard cock

popped out before Misha got the zipper all the way down. Ifan wasn’t
in the least bit surprised he had gone from concerned to horny in the
blink of an eye. He was pretty sure he had been more aroused in the
last week than he had been in the last hundred years. Misha seemed to
have the effect on him.

“Oh fuck!” Ifan groaned when Misha leaned over and started

licking the tip of his cock. He spread his arms out along the back of
the bench seat and gripped the soft leather in his hands. “No one
sucks cock like you do, Misha.”

Misha’s moan vibrated down Ifan’s cock. Damn, that was

just…damn. Misha’s lips were soft and plush and wrapped around his
cock with just the right amount of pressure to give Ifan the most
pleasure possible. That Misha could swallow him down to the root
was just an added bonus—a huge, mind-numbing bonus.

When Misha crawled up to kneel on the bench seat, Ifan’s eyes

moved along the man’s lithe body until they landed on his tight,
rounded ass. Misha really had a fantastic ass. Ifan liked looking at it
even when he wasn’t balls deep inside of it. It was just the perfect ass.

It also begged to be caressed. Ifan leaned sideways and reached

out to run his hand over the softly rounded curves. Misha shuddered.
Ifan chuckled when Misha pushed his ass up into the air and spread
his legs. He knew an invitation when he saw one.

Ifan followed the seam in Misha’s pants down to the crack of his

ass. The harder he pressed against the seam, the harder Misha sucked
on his cock. When Ifan’s hand moved farther down and gently
squeezed the man’s balls through the soft fabric of his pants, Misha
started moaning.

Ifan felt Misha fumbling around for a moment and then suddenly,

the man’s pants loosened and slid down, bunching around his thighs.
Ifan chuckled and started stroking the naked flesh revealed to him.

White Paws and a Dream

“You have a very nice ass, Misha.” Ifan quickly licked his fingers

then stroked them down the crack of Misha’s ass again until he
reached a small, quivering circle of muscles. He just circled the small
hole with his fingers. “Do you like that, Misha?”

Misha started moaning and didn’t stop. The more Ifan touched

him, the louder Misha became. Ifan groaned and closed his eyes,
letting his head drop back against the seat again. Misha was going
wild on his cock—licking and sucking and swallowing.

Ifan felt like the top of his head was going to blow off, both of

them. He needed a minute to breathe, or the show was going to be
over in a matter of seconds. He gently patted Misha’s rounded ass
cheek.

“Baby, I need the lube out of the glove box.” Ifan almost passed

out when Misha shook his head, refusing to let go of the cock in his
mouth. The pleasure was exquisite, but he wanted Misha to feel the
same pleasure he was. “I can’t put my fingers in your ass without
lube.”

Misha’s moan of protest almost undid Ifan. Only by biting his lip

did he keep from groaning when Misha suddenly sat up and turned
toward the glove box. When Misha bent over to get the lube, Ifan got
as good look at the man’s sexy ass.

Yum.
Ifan grabbed Misha by the hips before he could turn around. He

held him in place and scooted over. When he couldn’t get any further
over, he pushed Misha’s pants down his legs until one was free. Then
he moved over until he was between the man’s legs, Misha kneeling
on the seat over the top of him.

“Lube,” Ifan said, holding his hand out. He chuckled when it was

quickly slapped into his hand. Ifan popped the top and slicked up his
fingers. He wiped a generous amount on his cock then dribbled more
down the crack of Misha’s ass.

“Should we be doing this?” Misha whispered.

Stormy Glenn

“Oh, hell yes!” Ifan pushed a lubed finger into Misha’s ass. He

dropped the lube on the seat and grabbed Misha’s hip with the other
hand when the man’s legs began to shake. “Stay on your knees, baby.
Lean against the dashboard if you have to.”

Misha leaned forward, giving Ifan a better view and more room to

work. He could actually see his finger move in and out of Misha’s
tight hole. He couldn’t wait to feel his cock slide into the same hole.

Ifan carefully inserted a second finger, watching with delight as

Misha’s ass just sucked him right in. He curved his fingers, searching.
His fingers grazed the small walnut-sized gland he was looking for,
and Misha’s hips shot forward as the man cried out.

Misha started rocking back and forth. Ifan waited several

moments until he felt the man’s tight circle of muscles start to loosen
and then he added a third finger. Misha’s cries grew louder, filling the
small cab of the truck. Ifan continued to push his fingers in and out of
Misha’s ass until he couldn’t take the wait any longer. He needed to
be inside of his mate.

Ifan pulled his fingers free and grabbed Misha’s hips. He pulled

his mate back and slowly lowered him down until the head of his cock
popped into Misha’s ass. Ifan squeezed his eyes closed and savored
every inch that slid into Misha. There just wasn’t anything in the
world that felt so damn good.

When Misha’s body rested fully down on him and his cock

wouldn’t slide in any more, Ifan opened his eyes. He pulled Misha
back until the man’s head rested on his shoulder. He reached around
and grabbed Misha’s cock in his hand and started stroking him.

“Let me know when you’re going to come, baby,” Ifan whispered

against Misha’s ear.

Misha just groaned.
Ifan rubbed his free hand up over Misha’s abdomen to his chest.

Now that his cock was deep inside his mate, he could indulge in a
little foreplay. He started by tweaking Misha’s nipples, and gently
tugging on them.

White Paws and a Dream

All the while, he moved his hand up and down Misha’s hard cock.

When he licked a line up the side of Misha’s neck, the man’s body
began to shudder. Ifan knew it wouldn’t be long.

“Are you going to come for me, Misha?” he asked, so close to

Misha’s ear that his lips brushed against them. “I won’t fuck you until
you come.”

Misha’s arm wrapped around Ifan’s neck and he tilted his head to

one side. “Please,” Misha begged.

Ifan closed his eyes as he fought for control. Misha’s words were

music to his ears, but he needed to make his mate come before he
could fuck him like he really wanted to. Ifan didn’t know if it was the
dominant tiger in him or the fact that he needed to know his mate was
enjoying himself. He just knew what had to happen.

“Come for me, Misha.”
Misha cried out at Ifan’s growled words. The splash of heat that

covered Ifan’s hand was all he needed. Ifan sank his teeth into
Misha’s neck at the same time as he grabbed the man’s hips and
began fucking him in earnest.

With Misha’s body quivering around him, the scent of the man’s

seed filling the air, and the sweet taste of Misha’s blood in his mouth,
it didn’t take Ifan more than a few moments to reach the peak of
ecstasy.

He pulled his mouth away from Misha’s neck and roared out his

release. Misha rested against him, just laying there as Ifan took
pleasure from his body, a pleasure that seemed to go on and on
forever. He never wanted to come down from the high he was on.

Unfortunately, reality crashed in around him when he heard

Misha’s moan of protest as the spines receded and his softening cock
slid from the man’s ass. Ifan chuckled and licked the side of Misha’s
neck, closing the bite marks and swiping away the last of the blood
there.

“See, I told you we should do this.”
“Okay,” Misha panted.

Stormy Glenn

Ifan laughed when he got his first good look at Misha’s face. The

man’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes rounded and dazed. Ifan leaned
past Misha and reached into the glove box for the wipes there.

“Come on, baby, let’s get cleaned up and back on the road. We

still have a few hours to go before we reach home.”

“Tired.” Misha yawned, holding his hand to his mouth.
“You can sleep once you get your pants back on, promise.”
Ifan helped Misha get cleaned up then did the same for himself.

By the time he had his pants back in place, Misha had his pulled up
and zipped. Ifan scooted back over to his side of the truck and put his
seatbelt back on.

He waited for Misha to get buckled in and settled. “Ready?”
Misha grinned and nodded. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I

nap?”

“No, Misha, that’s fine. I imagine you’ll want to have plenty of

energy to explore your new home when we get there.”

Misha nodded again and opened his mouth to say something. Ifan

frowned when Misha’s face paled. He turned, following Misha’s gaze
past his shoulder just in time to see a car driving past their hidden spot
on the side of the road. It was just a car, a nondescript, blue, four-door
sedan.

Ifan turned back to Misha in confusion. “Misha, what’s wrong?”
“I thought I saw my father in that car.”
Ifan stiffened and glanced out the window again. He didn’t see

anything through the trees, so he didn’t think they had been seen.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. He turned back to Misha and
patted his leg.

“It’s okay, Misha, they didn’t see us. And I seriously doubt that

they know where I live.” Ifan started the truck and slowly backed it
out of their hiding spot. “Besides, I know a few different routes back
home. Even if they are following us, we’ll lose them.”

“What if we don’t?” Misha asked. “What if they follow us

home?”

White Paws and a Dream

“Then we’ll deal with it, Misha.”
“But what if—”
Ifan stopped the truck at the entrance to the road and reached over

to squeeze Misha’s hand. He realized how scared Misha actually was
when he felt the trembling in Misha’s hand. He tried to not look
concerned, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t.

“I haven’t grown as old as I am without being careful, Misha.

Even if they do track us to the house, we have other places to hide.”

Misha sucked in his bottom lip and turned to look out the front

window. He looked nervous, and something else that Ifan couldn’t
define, so he just waited for Misha to say what he needed to say.

“I wish…” Misha licked his lips. “I wish I wasn’t the way I was.

If I couldn’t dreamwalk, Hugo and my father wouldn’t want me. And
you…you wouldn’t be in danger.”

“The hell I wouldn’t!” Ifan reached over and gripped Misha’s chin

with his hand, turning the man’s face toward his. “If it hadn’t been
dreamwalking, it would have been something else, and you know it.
Hugo and your father are the type of people to use anyone and
anything to get what they want.”

“I just hate this.” Misha pulled his chin away and looked down at

his hands. “I just want to live a quiet life somewhere where no one
will bother me. Is that too much to ask?”

Ifan smiled. “No, baby, it’s not too much to ask, and with any

luck, that’s exactly what we will have.” He drove the truck out onto
the road and started the trip for home once again. “We just have to
convince everyone else to leave us alone.”

Stormy Glenn

Chapter 7

Misha opened his eyes and looked around, instantly realizing that

the eerie silence had woken him. The engine on the truck was off, and
the cab was empty except for him. Ifan was nowhere in sight.

He couldn’t see a thing. There wasn’t even any moonlight to light

the surrounding area. It was pitch dark outside. It didn’t help that
Misha didn’t have a clue where he was. His heart started beating
faster as he sat up, gripping the jacket that covered him tightly in his
hands.

“Ifan?” he called out desperately through his bond with his mate

as fear began to fill him.

“I’m here, Misha,” Ifan responded right back almost immediately.

“Just stay in the truck. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Where are you?”
“I’m just scouting the area, making sure we don’t have any

unwanted visitors.”

Misha started breathing a little easier. He could still feel his heart

pounding rapidly as the darkness seemed to close in around him, but
he didn’t feel the all-consuming fear he had when he first woke up.

“Are we home?”
“We’re not too far from home, but I wanted to check things out

before taking you there just in case.”

“Have you found anything?”
“Nothing looks disturbed, and as you pointed out once, I can

scent things that are quite far away. I don’t smell anything that
shouldn’t be here. I think we’re good to go.”

White Paws and a Dream

“Okay,” Misha replied, although he didn’t feel okay. He doubted

he would feel okay until Ifan returned. Even sitting inside the truck,
he felt vulnerable. He wanted his big tiger to come keep him safe.
“Just hurry please.”

“On my way, baby.”
Misha continued to look around as he waited. His nervousness

grew by the second. It was quiet, but it seemed almost too quiet.
Misha didn’t know anything about the area where Ifan’s home was
located, though. Maybe it was supposed to be this quiet.

Misha pulled the jacket more closely around him as a deep chill

began to set in to his bones. He shivered, but he wasn’t sure if it was
because he was cold or because he was scared. And he was getting
damn tired of being scared.

He was getting damn tired of other people dictating the course of

his life. If it wasn’t his father or Hugo, it was the UPAC council. He
just wanted to live a quiet life somewhere with someone that cared for
him, like Ifan.

He didn’t want to be scared anymore. He didn’t want to be

constantly looking over his shoulder for someone to jump out and
grab him. And he certainly didn’t want to be sitting in a truck while
his mate checked to make sure that their home was safe.

Felling angry and resentful, Misha pulled the large jacket on and

climbed out of the truck. He closed the door and started pacing. The
faster Ifan came back, the faster they could get to their home and get
on with living their lives.

“Ifan?” Misha’s steps faltered when Ifan didn’t immediately

respond like he did last time. “Ifan, where are you? Ifan?”

Misha stopped pacing and glanced around. He twisted his hands

together, realizing that he really had no idea which direction Ifan was
coming from. He had no idea where he was, none. It felt like being in
the middle of a black hole.

“Ifan?” he whispered again. “Please answer me. I’m starting to

get worried.”

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An agonizing silence filled the bond between him and Ifan. Misha

suddenly wished that he was a tiger like Ifan so that he could smell
the man or maybe follow his trail. Being human, even if he could
dreamwalk, sucked. What good was the ability to walk into
someone’s dreams when he was so freaked, he couldn’t go to sleep?

A twig cracked off to one side of the truck. Misha stiffened and

froze, listening carefully. He swallowed hard as something rustled in
the bushes in the opposite direction. He didn’t think he was alone
anymore. He just didn’t know what had joined him.

Misha started slowly backing up toward the door of the truck. It

seemed like the better place to be rather than out in the open. He
pressed his hand over his collarbone when his heart started beating so
fast he thought it might jump right out of his chest.

“Ifan, please, I’m really scared,” Misha whispered once more,

desperately. “Where are you?”

Misha heard more rustling in the bushes. He pressed his back

against the side of the truck and tried to peer into the darkness. He
saw nothing, but he could feel something watching him. His skin
crawled, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. There
was definitely something watching him from the trees.

Misha reached behind him and grabbed the door handle. He bit his

lip when he opened the door and it made a squeaking sound. He felt
like the noise was so loud, it could have been heard ten miles away.
There was no way that whatever was out there watching him couldn’t
have heard the sound.

The low, guttural growl started the moment Misha started to climb

into the truck. He debated staying where he was for about half a
second then dove inside and slammed the door closed behind him. He
hit the lock then he searched the tree line.

“Oh shit,” Misha whispered when eyes suddenly appeared in the

darkness. What scared him more than anything wasn’t the fact that the
eyes seemed to glow but that they were so high up in the air.
Whoever, or whatever, those eyes belonged to had to be huge.

White Paws and a Dream

The branches around the eyes moved. Misha’s eyes widened as

the largest hawk he had ever seen flew down and landed on the
ground. They grew even rounder when the hawk suddenly shifted into
a very handsome man.

“Brodelyn?”
Misha flattened the palms of his hands against the passenger

window and stared out at the naked man. He wasn’t sure if he was
seeing things or not. The man looked like Brodelyn, only younger—
much younger.

Right before his eyes, the man’s dark auburn hair lightened and

became tinged with white. His face took on more wrinkles, and his
body hunched over as if he were old beyond his years. When he
stood, he looked like the man Misha knew as the UPAC historian.

Misha rolled the window down just a bit. He refused to open the

door until he was sure the man standing before him was the one he
met back at the castle. “Brodelyn, is that you?”

“Yes, young Misha, it is I,” the man’s voice whispered in Misha’s

head.

“Why do you look the way you do?” Misha asked out loud.

“You’re obviously not that old.”

The old man chuckled. “Looks are often deceiving, and they

frequently need to be.”

“Huh?”
Brodelyn clasped his hands together and bowed over them

slightly. “I am in disguise, my young friend.”

“Oh.” Misha frowned for a moment. “So, you’re a hawk, huh?”
“Yes, but I beg you to keep that to yourself. Not many know of

my shifter ability, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

“Kind of like your disguise?”
Brodelyn flushed. “That, too.”
Misha cautiously unlocked the door and pushed it open. He slid

off the seat and stood next to the truck, leaning back on the edge of

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the bench seat. He knew Brodelyn, but without Ifan there Misha felt
weird talking to the man. Ifan had been so upset last time.

“I can’t contact Ifan.”
Brodelyn’s eyebrows shot up. “Not even through your mate

bond?”

Misha shook his head.
Brodelyn wrung his hands together. “My, that is worrisome.”
Misha thought that was probably the biggest understatement that

Brodelyn had ever made in his presence. He didn’t know much until
Brodelyn continued talking and then nothing but pure fear filled
Misha.

“I was concerned about the two men that tried to kidnap you from

the council castle. After discovering that your father was involved, I
went to see him. I arrived just in time to follow him and Hugo
leaving.” Brodelyn frowned and shook his head. “Misha, I’m sorry to
tell you this, but I followed them here.”

“Here?” Misha croaked as he hastily looked around. He almost

expected Hugo or his father to jump out of the bushes at any moment.
“Where here?”

“Well.” Brodelyn waved his hand to the woods behind him. “I

followed them to Ifan’s house but then I spotted the truck and came to
check it out in case they had brought someone with them. I knew you
and Ifan were headed here and didn’t want you to walk into an
ambush.”

Misha shuddered. He just knew somehow that that was exactly

what happened to Ifan. He had been ambushed and was now in the
merciless hands of his father and Hugo. Misha hadn’t been this scared
when he had been hanging from a beam in that deserted warehouse
being tortured by Hugo. This was much, much worse. His mate’s life
was in jeopardy.

“I need you to take me to where you last saw my father and

Hugo.”

White Paws and a Dream

Brodelyn frowned again. “Why on earth would I do that? That’s

the last place you need to be.”

“It’s the only place I need to be.” Misha clenched his fists. He was

terrified of confronting his father, but he was even more scared of
what Hugo would do to Ifan. The man was evil incarnate. “I have to
find Ifan before they hurt him.”

“Surely it won’t come to that?”
“If you think my father won’t hurt Ifan to get his way then you

don’t know my father very well. He’ll do anything to get his way,
anything.” Misha knew it like he knew his own name.

“But what would he want with Ifan?”
“Leverage.”

* * * *

Misha could see Brodelyn flying over his head as they both

moved closer to the spot where Felix and Hugo had last been seen.
Misha was terrified. His hands shook as he moved branches out of his
way.

His worry over Ifan was making it even harder. Misha knew what

to expect from his father and Hugo. Ifan and Brodelyn didn’t have a
clue. Felix Surkov was very good at hiding his devious side. He’d
been doing it for years. It was almost a badge of pride with him.

Misha often wondered if that might be why his father hated him

so much. Misha knew his father was a cruel man. Felix was unable to
hide his true nature from him. And he seemed to resent Misha because
of it. He never passed up the opportunity to smack Misha around or
belittle him in some fashion.

Misha hated his father with every fiber of his being. The man was

mean and merciless. He had no code of ethics, bending or breaking
any rule he deemed needed. Misha didn’t understand how everyone
couldn’t see the ruthless streak running rampant in the man. It was
blatantly obvious to him. Felix reeked of cruelty.

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Hugo was just as bad if not worse. Felix did what he did to gain

power and prestige. Hugo did it to win favor with Felix. If Misha
didn’t know for a fact that his father hated gays, he would have
thought there was something going on between the two men. Hugo
hung on Felix’s every word, did anything the man said, and looked at
Felix like he was a walking god.

Knowing his father’s disgust of gay relationships, Misha couldn’t

for the life of him figure out why he wanted to mate him to Hugo,
another man. He knew Felix wanted to tap into his abilities as a
dreamwalker, but at what cost?

Misha paused and forced his morose thoughts from his head when

he suddenly reached the edge of a small clearing. He stayed in the
shadows of the trees as he scouted the area for movement.

Misha glanced up when he heard a chirp and a rustling in the

branches above him. Brodelyn was landing on a tree limb several feet
above his head. The beautifully feathered bird seemed to be scanning
the small clearing much like Misha had.

Misha’s eyebrows shot up when the hawk looked down at him. He

would swear the bird was nodding at him. Misha couldn’t shift.
Essentially, he was human. He didn’t know how sentient shifters were
in their animal form. He prayed they were intelligent as he moved out
of the shadow of the trees and started crossing the small clearing.

The further he went, the more he could see. A large wooden log

structure sat on the edge of the clearing. It was hidden back in the tall
trees almost as if someone didn’t want it spotted from the air.

Misha knew the minute he saw the building that it was Ifan’s

home. There was something about the place, some feeling of peace
that entered Misha when he looked at it. Every log, every inch of
wall, reminded him of his mate.

Misha hesitated when he saw a shadow pass in front of the

window. His heart hammered in his chest. He wiped his sweaty palms
on his pants then flexed his fingers to make them stop cramping. He
was so tense, but he had reason to be. He was terrified.

White Paws and a Dream

“Ifan, can you hear me?” Misha tried again to reach his mate

through their bond. He felt something, almost like a small wiggle, but
he heard nothing. It was enough to give him hope. Misha moved
closer to the building, walking quickly to the shadows provided by the
large structure.

He pressed his body against the wall and moved along it until he

reached a window. Misha took a moment to draw in a deep breath and
brace himself, then peeked around the edge of the window into the
house.

His eyes scanned the room, a dining room, he thought. A large

wooden table sat in the middle of the room, empty chairs all around it.
On the far side of the table sat a beautiful knotty pine china hutch
filled with dishes and vases and porcelain tea sets. Misha almost
laughed at what he was seeing. His mate was a very unusual man.

There seemed to be only two entrances into the dining room, one

on each side of the room. Misha could see countertops through the
one on the right. He assumed it led to the kitchen. The other one was
larger, about the size of two doorways, and seemed to lead into a
living room area.

The shadow was moving about in the living room. Misha could

tell from the height that the shadow was made by a man’s body, a
large man. He knew it wasn’t Ifan. His mate was taller and had wider
shoulders. That meant it had to be Felix or Hugo—and that meant
trouble.

Misha moved to the back of the house, searching for any way to

get inside the house. He saw several windows but none of them
seemed appropriate, mostly because they were locked from the inside.

That left the back door, which led right into the kitchen. Misha

cautiously looked through the window on the back door into the
kitchen. The room was empty, but that could change at any moment.
Misha needed to hurry.

He opened the door, thankful that it didn’t squeak like the truck

did, then walked into the kitchen. Misha closed the door carefully,

Stormy Glenn

making sure he didn’t make a sound. He turned around and scanned
the kitchen for a weapon.

He was so scared his hands were shaking as he reached for a small

paring knife. He stuck it into the back pocket of his pants, blade first,
then grabbed a larger knife. The larger one he held firmly in his hand
as he crept toward one of the doors leading out of the kitchen—not
the one leading into the dining room.

Misha slowly walked down a small hallway until he came to a

large archway. When he peeked around the corner, he saw that the
archway led into the living room. He also saw that his worst
nightmare had come to life.

Ifan lay on the floor with his hands tied behind his back. He

wasn’t moving. Misha wasn’t even sure he was breathing until he saw
the man’s chest move up and down. Misha would have breathed a
sigh of relief except Ifan wasn’t the only person in the room.

Felix sat on the couch. Hugo was pacing by the front window.

There was absolutely no way that Misha could get in to free Ifan with
the two men in the room. They’d see him the moment he turned the
corner. He needed a plan.

Misha leaned back against the wall and racked his brain for some

sort of plan that would allow him to rescue Ifan. He clenched his fists
when nothing came to mind. He was not a planner by any means. He
certainly wasn’t a strategist. He’d be lucky to fight his way out of a
paper bag.

“Hello, Mikhail.”
Misha’s eyes snapped up. Dread filled him. “Hello, Hugo.”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Misha sighed as his heart dropped. “I know.”
He had no idea how to get out of this situation now. Before, he

might have had a chance. Ifan might have had a chance. Now, they
were doomed. There was no way that Misha could get himself away
from his father and Hugo, let alone Ifan.

White Paws and a Dream

“Why don’t you join us?” Hugo asked, gesturing toward the living

room.

Misha pushed himself away from the wall and started toward the

living room, only stopping when Hugo grabbed his wrist and
squeezed until he winced. His eyes shot up to Hugo’s. He didn’t like
the malicious grin on the man’s face.

“I’ll take that.” Hugo nodded toward the large knife Misha held in

his hand.

Misha grimaced and dropped it. The corner of his mouth

threatened to creep up when Hugo swore and jumped out of the way.
He quickly hid it by pressing his lips together. Hugo would smack
him if he thought Misha was making fun of him.

Misha saw Hugo reach down to grab the knife. Something

rebelled inside of him. He kicked out at the knife before Hugo could
reach it. The knife shot across the hardwood floor, coming to rest
underneath the couch.

Hugo growled and raised his hand back into the air. Misha knew

he was going to be hit. He narrowed his eyes and looked Hugo
straight in the face, something he wouldn’t have done just moments
before.

“Go ahead,” Misha snapped, “and see what happens.”
Hugo’s eyebrows drew together in a confused frown. Misha had

never stood up to him before, not like this. The only time he refused
to do as Hugo ordered was when the man tried to mate him. Misha
knew Ifan was waiting for him, and he wouldn’t betray his mate for
anything, not even relief from the pain Hugo inflicted upon him.

Misha rolled his eyes when Hugo slowly lowered his hand. Hugo

was still looking confused as if he didn’t understand this new and
improved Misha. Misha hoped he never did. He wanted to keep Hugo
confused.

Misha turned toward the other enemy in the room. It was all he

could do not to rush across the room at Ifan. He wanted to make sure

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his mate was okay but knew he needed to keep his wits about him—
and his eyes on the enemy.

“Hello, Felix,” Misha said as he settled into a chair across from

his father.

“Felix?” The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Since when did you take

to calling me Felix? I’m your father.”

Misha smirked and folded his hands together in his lap. “I figure

you lost that honor when you allowed Hugo to hit me for the very first
time.” Misha waved his hand at the unconscious man on the floor
between him and his father. “Harming my mate just solidified it.”

“Your mate.”
Misha knew from the way Felix stated the words that it wasn’t a

question. Felix obviously knew that Ifan was his mate. “Yes, my
mate.”

“Hugo isn’t going to like that, Mikhail.”
“And I care what Hugo likes why?”
Felix’s eyes narrowed. “You are being very disrespectful,

Mikhail. I won’t have it.”

“Give me a reason to respect you, and that won’t be a problem.”
Misha knew he was digging himself a hole. He was just as

astonished at the words coming out of his mouth as Felix seemed to
be. Misha just couldn’t stop saying them. Every time he opened his
mouth to reply, something totally different came out.

Misha was a little shocked at what was coming out of his mouth,

but he also felt proud. He was finally standing up for himself. He just
wished that it didn’t come at Ifan’s expense.

“Is there a reason you’ve decided to visit us, Felix? You were not

invited here by me, and I’m positive that Ifan didn’t invite you.”

“You know why I’m here, Mikhail.”
“Actually, no I don’t.” Misha folded his arms over his chest.

“Why don’t you explain it to me?”

“It’s time for you to come home, Mikhail.”
“I am home.”

White Paws and a Dream

“This is not your home,” Felix snapped. He waved his hand

around the room. “This is a shack in the woods.”

Misha glanced around the room, seeing what he hadn’t seen when

he first walked in. Solid knotty pine bookshelves were built in and ran
all along one wall. They were filled with books and knickknacks.

A large, round stone fireplace sat central in the middle of another

wall. It was unlike any fireplace Misha had ever seen. Half of it was
built into the wall. The other half came out in a half circle with a flat
stone top, just big enough to set a drink on. It looked rather neat to
Misha. He could imagine curling up with Ifan in front of the fireplace
and enjoying a quiet evening.

But first, he needed to rescue them both.
“This place looks pretty good for a shack in the woods.” Misha

smiled. “I like it.”

Felix snorted. “You would.”
“My mate spent many years building this place. I think it’s

wonderful.”

“And you plan to spend the rest of your life living in this hovel?”
Misha grinned. “Sounds like a wonderful idea to me.” Misha

jumped when his father suddenly slammed his hands down on the
table. “Well, I guess the pleasantries are over.”

“Damn it, Mikhail, I’m getting really tired of this. It’s time to

come home.”

“No.” Misha blinked after those words fell out of his mouth. He

couldn’t ever remember saying no to his father.

Felix jumped to his feet and waved his hand at Misha. “Hugo, get

him on his feet. It’s time my son learned his place in my world.”

“Your world!” Misha yelled as he jumped over the back of the

couch. He wanted to keep it between him and Hugo. “I’ve decided I
don’t want to live in your world, father. I like this one way too
much.”

Stormy Glenn

Chapter 8

All of Ifan’s senses came back to him in a rush as he heard Misha

shout. He realized several things in one sniff of the air. Misha was
frightened, and they were not alone. At least two other people were in
the room. He just wasn’t quite sure who they were.

The last thing Ifan remembered was walking through the woods

on his way back to where Misha was sitting in the truck. He’d felt a
painful sting in his neck then everything went black. Everything else
after that was a complete blank until now.

Ifan kept his eyes closed and used the rest of his senses to try and

figure out what type of situation he was in. He knew instantly that
both he and Misha were in danger. He figured that out from the fear
coming off his mate in waves.

Misha seemed to be holding it together, though, if the anger in the

other man’s voice when he spoke was anything to go by.

“I’ve had about enough of this, Mikhail,” the man snapped. “I do

not have time for you to play your little games. You will be coming
home with me.”

Ifan was barely able to suppress his growl at the man’s words.

Misha would not be going anywhere if he could help it. Misha
belonged to him, and he wasn’t about to let anyone take the man away
from him.

Ifan opened his eyes just a crack and looked right at Misha. The

man wasn’t paying him any mind. His eyes were locked on someone
behind Ifan. But his hands gripped the couch so tightly, his fingers
were white.

White Paws and a Dream

Misha kept dodging left and right behind the couch as if he were

avoiding someone. Ifan could feel that someone standing right behind
him. Unfortunately, his hands were tied behind his back. If he shifted,
he was liable to dislocate something. If he didn’t, whoever was after
Misha might get to him. Ifan didn’t think he had a lot of options.

“I feel like a fucking broken record,” Misha said. “This is my

home now, Felix.”

“Hugo, can’t you grab him?” the other man shouted. “We need to

head home. I have things to do.”

“So sorry I’m messing with your schedule, father. Maybe you

should just leave.”

“Not without you, Misha.”
“I won’t do what you want.”
“Yes, you will.”
Ifan couldn’t prevent his small grunt when someone grabbed his

hair and yanked his head back. His eyes popped open. He winced
when he saw the fear making Misha’s face white. His pale blue eyes
looked huge.

“It’s okay, Misha,” Ifan whispered through their bond. “We’ll

find a way out of this.”

“How?” Misha asked back silently.
Ifan grunted again when Felix yanked on his hair.
“Are you two talking to each other?” Felix shouted. “I can feel it.

I know you two are talking to each other. Your bond must be very
strong. I just wonder how strong it is.”

Misha shuddered. Ifan growled.
“Let’s find out, shall we?”
Ifan saw Misha’s eyes widen but didn’t know why until he felt a

knife blade across his throat. It dug in just enough to give him a little
cut. Ifan swallowed nervously as blood trickled down his throat.

Ifan thought Misha was going to say something when he started to

open his mouth. Ifan gave the barest shake of his head. Unless they

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went after Misha, there was nothing Felix or his goon could do to
him.

And he didn’t think Felix would be stupid enough to harm Misha

physically. Torturing Misha mentally was much more Felix’s style.
He could see it happening right before him when the horror on
Misha’s face matched the fear rolling off of him.

“I’m fine, Misha.” Ifan growled when Felix yanked on his hair

again. He’d shred the man from end to end the first chance he got.

“No talking to each other,” Felix snapped. “I will know if you

do.”

“Fuck you!” Ifan said.
“You’re not my type.” Felix laughed harshly. “But, apparently,

you’re Misha’s type. And that’s really too bad because Mikhail is
Hugo’s type. I’ve been promising Mikhail to Hugo for a long time
now. I would so hate to disappoint him.”

“Touch a hair on Mikhail’s head, and I will enjoy killing you

slowly.”

“Let’s see what Hugo has to say about that, shall we?”
Ifan crashed back to the floor as Felix shoved away from him. He

rolled onto his back just in time to see Hugo coming at him. Ifan
knew he didn’t have much chance of fighting Hugo with his hands
tied behind his back. He’d have to shift.

Ifan gritted his teeth and readied himself for the pain he knew was

coming. With all of his strength, he tugged on the ropes. He was
suddenly yanked to his feet. Ifan growled when he got a good look at
the man holding him by the arms.

Hugo was an average-looking man except for the huge size of his

body and the demented look in his eyes. Ifan wasn’t even sure if the
man was sane. The maniacal laughter coming from Hugo suggested
otherwise.

The moment they were face-to-face, Ifan went into action. He

wasn’t about to let Hugo get a lead on him. Ifan brought his head back
then slammed his forehead into Hugo’s face as hard as he could.

White Paws and a Dream

His head throbbed with pain, but he had the satisfaction of hearing

a loud crunch. Hugo cried out, and the arms holding him fell away.
Ifan braced himself and shifted. He roared when pain lanced through
his shoulders.

The more he shifted, the more pressure he felt on his wrists until

he thought they were breaking in two. Ifan heard a loud pop and knew
one of his shoulders was dislocated. A moment later, the other
shoulder popped and he roared even louder.

His eyes darkened, and his canines dropped down. His skin

rippled as fur began to sprout up and he started to move into his tiger
form. Suddenly, the rope holding his wrists together snapped and
Ifan’s arms fell free. He cried out in pain as they fell forward and
dangled uselessly at his sides.

Ifan stopped his shift long enough to find the nearest doorframe.

He gritted his teeth and rammed his shoulder into the solid wood
frame. Stars exploded behind his eyelids as pain radiated out from his
shoulder and hit every nerve in his body.

He had to take several deep breaths before moving on to the other

shoulder, doing the same thing. This time, Ifan almost dropped to the
floor from the pain. He couldn’t remember feeling that much pain
before, and he had lived a lot of years.

When Ifan could finally breathe again without agony shooting

through his body, he turned to glare across the room at Hugo. The
man had a cloth held to his nose as he tipped his head back, trying to
stem the flow of blood from his broken nose.

Ifan quickly scanned the room but found it empty except for him

and Hugo. Misha and his father were nowhere in sight. Ifan didn’t
start to worry until he saw the front door standing wide open.

“Where’s my mate?” he asked as he looked back at Hugo.
Hugo lowered his head to look at Ifan. He looked ridiculous with

blood splattered down his white shirt and a handkerchief held to his
face. Ifan wasn’t interested in laughing, though. He was interested in
finding his mate.

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“Tell me where Misha is, and I won’t kill you.”
“Misha?”
“Mikhail, you dummy. Now tell me where he is.”
The snort that came from Hugo was muffled and painful

sounding.

“Does that mean I have to beat it out of you?” Ifan asked.
Ifan grinned.
Hugo paled.
“Do you actually know who I am?” Ifan had to know. Hugo was a

human. Granted, he was a large human, but he was still a human.

“Like I give a shit who the hell you are,” Hugo said. “You can’t

make me tell you anything.”

Ifan cracked his knuckles as he clenched them. “I’m going to

enjoy this.”

The second he took a step toward Hugo, the man backed up,

holding his hand in front of him as if to ward Ifan off. It was pretty
laughable considering Hugo liked to portray himself as such a bad
guy.

“Wait, wait,” Hugo said.
Ifan paused.
“Felix took Mikhail back to his house.”
“And I should believe you why?” This just seemed way too easy

to him.

“You broke my fucking nose, man.”
“And I’m going to break a lot more if I find out you’re lying to

me.”

“I’m not, I swear,” Hugo said quickly. “Felix took Mikhail back

to his house. He wants to use Mikhail to access the dreams of some of
the elders. He wants a seat on the council.”

“So, why doesn’t he just petition for one?”
“He has. No one will even consider him for a seat on the council.

He’s been blackballed because he’s been sanctioned in the past for
entering people’s dreams without their permission. If he does it one

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more time, the council threatened to have his dreamwalker abilities
restricted.”

Ifan blinked in surprise. “They can do that?”
Hugo nodded.
Ifan frowned at Hugo’s eagerness to hand over information. It

didn’t sit right with Ifan. “Why are you telling me this? And don’t
give me some crap about me breaking your nose or I’ll break your
neck.”

Hugo sighed deeply and stepped over to sit down on the couch. “I

don’t want to be mated to Mikhail. He’s a man, and I definitely do not
swing that way. I could give a shit about all this other stuff. I just
don’t want to be mated to a man.”

“You can’t be mated to Misha, so stop worrying about that. He’s

mated to me.”

Hugo snorted. “Do you really think that will stop Felix? The man

is insane.”

“Then why work with him?”
“Like I had a choice in the matter.” Hugo waved his hand at Ifan.

“Unlike you, I don’t have shields against Felix. All he has to do is
enter my dreams and I become his little puppet. I do anything he
wants me to do.”

Ifan sat down on the chair opposite Hugo. He wanted to run out

the door and track down his mate, but he knew he needed more
information before he did that. The more he knew, the better off he
would be in rescuing Misha.

“Why haven’t you gone to the council?” Ifan asked. “They would

have helped you.”

“No, they wouldn’t. They’d never believe me.”
“Why not?” Ifan grew uncomfortable when Hugo’s face flushed

and he quickly glanced away. “I can still kill you,” he reminded
Hugo.

“Then maybe you should!” Hugo snapped. “I’d be better off.”
“Hugo.”

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Hugo huffed and sat back further into the cushions on the couch.

“I was young when Felix first approached me, young and stupid.”

Ifan was beginning to wonder if the stupid ever wore off.
“It was exciting being so strong. I felt powerful, like a king. Felix

taught me how to use my abilities to get anything I wanted. If I wasn’t
strong enough, he boosted my abilities with his own. I thought I was
going to run the world.”

“And how long ago did that bubble burst?”
“About a year ago.” Hugo snickered. “Felix came to me and told

me that I was going to mate Mikhail. I argued with him about it, but,
as you can see, that didn’t work very well. I’m still under his thumb.”

“Why was Felix so insistent that you mate Misha?” Ifan had heard

Misha’s explanation. He just wondered if Hugo knew.

“Felix is a mid-level dreamwalker. Mikhail is stronger than any

dreamwalker born in a thousand years. He doesn’t even have to
meditate to enter someone’s dreams. He can do it just by thinking
about it.”

“And?” Ifan asked when Hugo stopped speaking.
“And Felix wants that power. He wants me to mate with Mikhail

so that I can control Mikhail.” Hugo shrugged. “Felix controls me, I
control Mikhail. Felix gets enough power to overthrow the council
members so he can get a seat on the council.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Ifan jumped up and swung around when he heard a voice from the

front door. He breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Brodelyn
standing in the doorway. “Damn, Brodelyn, give me a heart attack
why don’t you.”

“I do apologize,” Brodelyn said. “I suppose I should have

announced myself, but you were having such an interesting
conversation. I hated to interrupt.”

“Apparently not enough to keep from eavesdropping,” Ifan

smirked.

White Paws and a Dream

“Yes, well, I felt an overwhelming urge to add in my two cents.”

Brodelyn walked into the room and stopped before Hugo, frowning.
“Hugo.”

“Do I know you?” Hugo asked.
“No, but I know you.” Brodelyn clasped his hands behind his back

and walked over to stand in the doorway leading to the hallway. “I’ve
been recording your deeds, or misdeeds as the case may be, for
several years now. I’m sure I know more about you than you know
about yourself.”

“Who are you?”
“My name is Brodelyn.” Brodelyn grinned. “Brodelyn Cadhla.”
Ifan arched an eyebrow when Hugo inhaled sharply. He glanced

over at Brodelyn in surprise when the man started chuckling.

“I see you’ve heard of me,” Brodelyn said.
“You…you…” Hugo’s face drained of color. “You’re supposed to

be a myth.”

“A myth?” Ifan asked. “Brodelyn, have you been keeping things

from me?”

Brodelyn grinned and shrugged. “Maybe just one or two things.”
Ifan chuckled. He had known Brodelyn for more than half his

lifetime. As much as Brodelyn tried to stay behind the scenes as the
council historian, he had seen more action than even Ifan.

Brodelyn was one of the men that had set up the council of elders

a thousand years ago. He had also helped broker the peace deal with
the humans after the Great War between the Paranormals. The man
was a legend.

“Now, Hugo, I believe you were explaining to Ifan here how you

and Felix Surkov planned to take over the council of elders by way of
dreamwalking, and how you planned to use Misha to do it.”

“No, no, I swear,” Hugo said quickly, “it was all Felix’s idea. I

wanted none of it.”

“And yet, here you are,” Brodelyn said.

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“He made me come here.” Hugo’s face scrunched up. He

looked…constipated. “Don’t you guys get it? Felix can control people
with his mind. He might use dreams to do it, but he can get people to
do whatever he wants. That’s what he does.”

“I heard about what you did to Misha in that warehouse, Hugo,”

Brodelyn said. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that you did
that against your will? That Felix somehow forced you to beat Misha
within an inch of his life?”

Ifan growled as he stiffened. He never knew exactly what had

happened to Misha before he found the man. Misha never said and the
elders weren’t sure. But he was beginning to get an idea, and it made
his tiger start pacing, wanting out so it could exact revenge for the
harm brought to their mate.

“You beat my mate?”
Hugo suddenly jumped to his feet. His face turned red with anger.

“Yes, I beat him. I hung him from a ceiling beam, and I whipped him
until he passed out. And I hated myself every second of it, but I
couldn’t stop it.”

“Why would you hurt him like that?” Ifan asked, his fists

clenching with the need to strike out at the man. “Misha is a sweet
soul. He didn’t deserve to be beaten.”

“Because he wouldn’t agree to be my mate!”
“But I thought you said you didn’t want to be mated to a man?”
“I don’t. I want to be mated to Cindy, but Felix wouldn’t allow it.

He said he had greater plans for me. He only let me keep Cindy
around to keep me quiet. He said I could keep Cindy even after I
mated Mikhail, that I wouldn’t have to sleep with Mikhail. But I
really just want to be with Cindy.”

“Who’s Cindy?” Ifan asked.
“My girlfriend.”
Ifan blinked.
“You have a girlfriend?” He glanced over at Brodelyn. “Did you

know about this?”

White Paws and a Dream

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Cindy is a sprite, a very nice young

girl. You’d like her.”

Ifan’s eyes snapped back around when Hugo growled.
“She’s mine and you can’t have her.”
“I don’t want her,” Ifan said. “As you said before, I don’t swing

that way. I want my mate, Misha, but someone seems to have taken
him.”

Hugo dropped back down onto the couch and cradled his head in

his hands. “This is such a fucking mess.”

“Then fix it!” Brodelyn shouted. “Tell us how to get Misha back.”
“I told you, Felix took Misha back to his house.”
“Wouldn’t he know that would be the first place we would look?”
Hugo lifted his head back and rolled his eyes. “Well sure, but are

you going to look under his house?”

“Under his house?” Ifan asked.
Hugo nodded. “Felix has a secret set of rooms under his house.

It’s where he likes to torture whatever current sucker has his
attention.”

“Well, fuck a duck!”
Brodelyn howled with laughter at Ifan’s words. “I’m a hawk, not a

duck, so we need to find us another way to get your mate back.”

“Will you help me keep Cindy if I help you get Mikhail back?”
Ifan narrowed his eyes at Hugo. “I might let you live if you help

me get Misha back.”

“Please?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Hugo grinned. “Then I have a plan.”

Stormy Glenn

Chapter 9

Misha was a prisoner. Granted, he was in a very gilded cage, but it

was still a cage. He had everything he could have ever wanted except
for the one thing he really wanted—Ifan. After being knocked out, he
had woken up in his own bedroom at his father’s house. The door was
locked from the outside.

That wouldn’t have necessarily have stopped Misha from

escaping, but the two big goons guarding his door certainly did. They
were huge, mean, and answered only to Felix. Misha didn’t have a
chance in hell of escaping unless he could magically walk through
walls.

Misha closed his eyes and wished himself away. He sought the

dream he had been seeking every night for over a year, the one that
Ifan starred in. It was the only thing that gave him solace when his
father was pressuring him.

Misha pushed his way through the dark fog that separated him

from what he desired most until he saw the bright shining light that
was Ifan. He briefly remembered the first time he had come across
Ifan’s soul light. He had been astonished at how bright Ifan shined.

When he stumbled into the light, Misha had almost been blinded

by the aura surrounding Ifan. He glowed with a multitude of colors—
every one of them drawing Misha closer to the man he knew would be
his mate.

Misha just wished that Ifan remembered their shared dreams. It

nearly broke Misha’s heart when he saw Ifan in person for the first
time and the man didn’t even recognize him. Misha had grown to love
Ifan during those times.

White Paws and a Dream

Misha moved closer to the light. The warmth that filled him with

every step told him that Ifan was dreaming, waiting for him. The fog
suddenly cleared and there lay Ifan on a bed of pure white silk. It
surrounded him, blending in with the light until it faded away into
nothing.

“Ifan,” Misha whispered.
He crawled onto the end of the bed and stopped between Ifan’s

legs. Misha reached down and slowly pulled the silk covers down off
of Ifan’s naked body. Each inch of tanned skin that was revealed was
like a feast for his hungry eyes.

“Ifan,” Misha whispered again. “I’m here, my love.”
Misha dropped the silky blanket onto the floor. He wished his

clothes away as he leaned down closer to Ifan’s glorious body. Misha
was always amazed at how real dreams seemed. Ifan’s skin was warm
to the touch, his skin as silky as the sheets he lay on.

Misha leaned down further and stroked his tongue across the tip of

Ifan’s erect cock. The sweet, fragrant taste unique to Ifan blasted
across his tongue. Ifan groaned and spread his legs wider.

Misha stifled his chuckle at the movement. Ifan obviously wasn’t

fully into the dream world yet. Misha would just have to help him
along. He licked his lips then swallowed Ifan’s cock down to the root.

Ifan’s hips snapped up into the air, and his hands curled into

Misha’s hair. With each lick, they tightened as Misha drew him in.
Misha sucked his cheeks in and tightened his lips as he pulled up to
the top of the hard organ.

He switched gears and licked his way down the length of Ifan’s

cock ending at his balls. Ifan’s hands tightened in Misha’s hair when
he started licking his ball sac. Misha could hear small groans coming
from Ifan, each one getting louder and louder until they filled the
space around them. They were music to Misha’s ears.

He licked his way back up Ifan’s cock and sucked the man back

into his mouth. Ifan thrust his hips up, driving his cock deeper into
Misha’s mouth. Misha gagged for a moment then quickly pulled his

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mouth back when he felt the head of Ifan’s cock swell against his
tongue.

Ifan cried out. Hot cum shot into Misha’s mouth. Misha

swallowed down as much as he could then licked the rest off the sides
of Ifan’s cock. The hands in his hair tugged gently. Misha glanced up
to find deep blue eyes staring down at him.

“Come, Misha.”
“I intend to.” Misha grinned and started to climb up Ifan’s body.

He settled himself over the top of Ifan, straddling his hips. Misha
groaned and bit his lip when Ifan’s semihard cock brushed up against
his. He took just a moment to savor the intensely pleasurable feeling
then glanced down at his mate. “Hi.”

“Hi.”
Misha leaned into the hand Ifan stroked down the side of his face.

He almost cried at how much he missed Ifan. It was like a deep ache
inside of his body, growing bigger with each passing moment.

“I miss you.”
“I’m right here, baby.”
Misha smiled sadly. “No, you’re not. This is just a dream, Ifan.”
“Only if you want it to be, Misha.” Ifan’s hand wrapped around

the nape of Misha’s neck and then he tugged him closer. “You’re here
and I’m here. That’s all we need.”

“You won’t remember it when you wake up.”
“Then you’ll just have to remind me,” Ifan said as he drew Misha

down.

Misha groaned as Ifan’s lips claimed his. Damn, he liked kissing

his mate. No one kissed like Ifan did. It was like being consumed in
fire. Misha pushed closer until he felt his chest press against Ifan’s.

Ifan’s hands stroked down Misha’s back, stopping at his ass.

Misha squeaked when Ifan squeezed his ass cheeks. He was in
heaven. He could feel every inch of Ifan’s body pressed against his.
The cock hardening between his legs was just a bonus—a huge bonus.

White Paws and a Dream

Misha tore his lips away from Ifan’s and looked deep into his

eyes. “Are you going to fuck me now, Ifan?”

“I’m going to do something with you.” Ifan grinned as he glanced

around, but it slowly slid into a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Misha asked.
“We need lube.”
Misha chuckled. “No, we don’t. This is the dream world, Ifan. We

can do anything we want to do.”

“I won’t do anything that might harm you,” Ifan insisted.
“You won’t.”
Misha reached under his body and grabbed Ifan’s cock. He

positioned it at the opening to his body then wished he was stretched
and lubed. As he slowly began to lower himself down, he could feel
his body stretching as Ifan’s lubed cock speared him.

“Damn, that is fucking fantastic,” Ifan groaned. His hands gripped

Misha’s hips.

Misha couldn’t agree more. There was nothing on earth like the

feeling of having Ifan’s cock deep inside of him. The man filled every
inch of his ass. When Ifan started moving Misha thought his eyes
were going to roll into the back of his head. The pleasure was so
intense, so strong, that he felt it throughout his entire body.

Misha didn’t care if this was just a dream. Being in Ifan’s arms

was the only thing he wanted. If he had to spend the rest of his life in
a dream state to be with Ifan, that’s exactly what he’d do.

“Need harder,” Misha pleaded.
He needed Ifan to take him, claim him. He wanted to feel the man

for the next week, month, year. He never wanted to forget what it felt
like to have Ifan’s hands caress his body or the feeling of the man’s
cock thrusting up into him or even the feel of Ifan’s lips against his.
He didn’t want to forget a moment of his time with Ifan.

Misha had a strong fear that it was all going to come to an end. If

Felix had his way, Misha might never see Ifan again. Misha didn’t

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know if he could live with that. He was positive that he would die
without Ifan.

Misha cried out as Ifan tightened his hands on Misha’s hips and

started thrusting harder. Every movement rubbed Ifan’s cock against
his prostate, sending jolts of exquisite pleasure shooting throughout
his body.

“Stroke yourself off for me, baby.”
Misha’s eyes crossed as he grabbed his cock and rapidly stroked

his hand up and down. He grinned when he heard a little hitch in
Ifan’s breathing and glanced down to see the man’s eyes glued on his
movements.

“Do you like that, Ifan?” Misha asked. “Do you like watching me

play with myself?”

“Yeah.” Ifan panted heavily. “It’s very sexy.”
“Then I’ll have to make sure I do it more often.”
Misha sped up his strokes. He could feel himself coming closer to

the edge of bliss. He knew from Ifan’s frantic movements that he
wasn’t far behind. Misha wanted them to come together.

“Soon, yeah?”
Ifan nodded rapidly.
The hungry look on Ifan’s face inflamed Misha. Ifan seemed to

eat up every soft caress, every bit of hard skin stroked. Misha reached
down with his other hand and grabbed his ball sac, massaging the
twin globes gently between his fingers.

“No, don’t come yet.”
Misha blinked. “What?”
“Don’t come yet.”
“Bu—”
Misha’s words were lost when Ifan suddenly rolled them over

until he was sandwiched between Ifan’s larger body and the bed. Ifan
grabbed Misha’s legs and pushed them up onto his shoulders then
bent down over him.

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101

Misha cried out and arched his head back into the pillow as Ifan

began pounding into him at a wild tempo. Misha gripped the sheets in
his hands for a moment then reached up to grab Ifan’s face and pull it
down to his neck.

“Claim me,” Misha whispered as he bared his neck to his mate.
Ifan struck hard and fast. Misha winced when Ifan’s teeth sank

into his neck. The instant pain was gone in the pulse of a heartbeat to
be replaced with a pleasure so intense that Misha cried out and filled
the space between them with his abrupt release.

“Ifan!”
Ifan suddenly reared back. His roar filled Misha’s ears. Ifan

tightened his grip on Misha’s hips. He thrust hard then stiffened.
Misha inhaled softly when the corded muscles on Ifan’s neck stood
out. Shots of hot cum filled his ass, Ifan shuddering with each spurt.

Ifan let go of Misha’s legs, and they fell back to the bed. Ifan’s

face was flushed as he looked back down at Misha, smiling. Misha
grabbed Ifan’s shoulder and pulled the man down to him until they
were nose to nose.

He could still feel Ifan pulsing inside of him. Every few seconds,

Ifan would shudder. Misha spread his legs further then wrapped them
around Ifan’s waist.

“Not letting you go,” Misha whispered. “Want to stay here

forever.”

Ifan smiled ruefully. He cupped the side of Misha’s face. “I wish

we could, my love, but the world awaits us.”

“No.”
“Misha, love, we can’t stay here forever, no matter how much we

wish we could.” Ifan leaned in and gave Misha a small kiss. He
smiled as he leaned back. “Besides, real life is even better, don’t you
think?”

“You don’t love me in real life.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don—”

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Ifan gripped Misha’s chin. “Misha, I do love you.”
Tears sprang to Misha’s eyes. “Then why haven’t you said so?

You only ever tell me you love me here, never in the real world.”

“You haven’t said anything either, Misha. Don’t you love me?”
Misha’s mouth dropped open. “I do love you. I’ve told you a

hundred times.”

“But only here, never in the real world.”
“But—” Misha frowned, realizing that Ifan was right. He had

never told Ifan that he loved him in the real world. Only here in the
dream world. How could he be angry with Ifan when he had done the
very same thing? “I’m sorry.”

Ifan smiled. “Don’t be. We’re both scared, Misha. It’s hard to put

your heart on the line when you don’t know if it will be accepted by
the one you love.”

“I’d do anything for you.”
“And I’d do anything for you, my love. Unfortunately, it is time to

go back to the real world. I’m coming for you.”

Misha’s eyes widened. His heart started pounding frantically in

his chest when he realized what sort of danger Ifan was walking into.
“Please, you have to be careful. Felix is expecting you to try and
rescue me.”

“There is no ‘try’ about it, Misha.” Ifan’s eyebrows scrunched

together as he frowned. “I will be rescuing you.”

“Just be careful. If…if anything happened to you, I don’t…”

Misha swallowed hard. His throat suddenly felt parched. “If anything
happened to you, Ifan, I don’t think I could live through it. I need
you.”

“Not as much as I need you, little one.”
Misha opened his mouth and closed his eyes when Ifan leaned in

to kiss him. The kiss was hungry, desperate, at least on Misha’s part.
He felt like he was going to lose Ifan once he went back to the real
world, and he didn’t want to go.

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103

Ifan suddenly shifted. Misha’s eyes opened. He cried out in

desolation when he saw that Ifan was starting to fade. He tried to
clutch at the man’s shoulders, to hold Ifan to him, but his hand just
went right through him as if Ifan were a ghost.

“No, please, stay with me,” Misha begged.
He could feel tears start trailing down his cheeks as Ifan’s ethereal

form smiled. “I’ll be with you soon, love.”

Misha sobbed as Ifan faded away into nothing. He closed his eyes

and curled into a fetal position on the bed. His heart felt like it was
being ripped out of his chest. Despite Ifan’s words, Misha didn’t
know if he would ever see his mate again.

Misha started to grow angry at his father for bringing this misery

down on him. If Felix had just left him alone, Misha would feel like
his life was ending. This was all his father’s fault. The man deserved
to pay for what he was doing. It was wrong.

Misha opened his eyes and wiped his hand across them to rid

himself of his tears. He didn’t need tears where he was going. He
scooted to the edge of the bed and thought of clothes. A moment later,
he was fully dressed.

Misha cast one last, longing look at the white silky bed then

turned and walked away from the light and into the dark fog. He
thought of his father, of the man’s dark heart and cruel personality.
The fog grew darker, more menacing. Misha expected nothing else
where his father was concerned.

The fog started to part, revealing a dark red light that was so

ominous that Misha almost hesitated to go any further. But he knew if
he didn’t end things with his father, he’d lose Ifan forever, and Misha
couldn’t allow that.

Misha tried to remember everything he had learned about the

dream world as he walked to the edge of the red light. He knew he
could control dreams and that he could make things happen in them
just by wishing it. He also knew that he was much stronger than his

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father. He just didn’t have Felix’s experience, and that was what
might bring him down.

Misha stepped into the light and almost dropped to his knees in

shock. Cushions in various shades of red littered the floor. Several
naked men lay about the cushions. All of them were engaged in
different sexual acts—touching, kissing, sucking, and even fucking.

And right in the middle of them all was Felix.
Dreams were strange. What someone refused to acknowledge in

the light of day could be lived out in their dreams. Apparently, the
man that professed to hate gay men was one himself.

“Hello, Felix.”
Felix yelped and sat up, pushing the men around him away. He

looked frantic, horrified to be caught in such a compromising
position. Misha chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Mikhail.”
“Right the first time.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Where else do I have to go?” Misha asked. “You won’t let me be

the one place I want to be. You certainly won’t let me go. I figured we
could visit.”

Misha chuckled again and waved his hands at the naked men

staring at Felix like he was next best thing since sliced bread. “I didn’t
know you were entertaining company.”

“This isn’t what it looks like.”
“Oh really? Cause it looks a lot like that guy has your dick in his

mouth.”

Felix growled and pushed the guy between his legs away. He

jumped to his feet. A moment later, Felix was dressed in a robe of
deep, rich reds and gold. He waved his hand through the air and the
men and pillows disappeared, leaving them in a room filled with
nothing—a blank space with dark red hues.

“You didn’t have to make them leave, Felix. I would have been so

interested in talking with them. It’s not often I see my father

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105

surrounded by naked men willing to do his bidding.” Misha tapped
his finger against his lips. “Oh wait, you have men surrounding you
all the time, men willing to do whatever you want. Are you fucking
them, too?”

“I’m not fucking them!”
Misha’s eyebrows shot up. “They’re fucking you? Why, Felix, I

never would have guessed. You’re a bottom.”

“No one is fucking me!”
“Gee, that’s too bad.” Misha smirked when Felix’s face turned

beet red. “I know I certainly enjoy it.”

“You’re disgusting.”
“Am I?” Misha started to pace around the room. “And why is that,

Felix? Because I acknowledge the fact that I like being fucked or
because I’ve discovered your little secret?”

“There is no secret,” Felix shouted. “This is the dream world.

None of this is real.”

“True, but our deepest fantasies come alive in the dream world. I

dream of being with Ifan. You apparently dream of being in the
middle of an all-male orgy. My, won’t everyone be surprised.”

Misha quickly ducked when a ball of fire shot toward him. When

he raised his head a moment later he could smell singed hair and
knew he hadn’t escaped all of the fire. He shook his finger at his
father.

“Bad daddy.”
Realistically, Misha knew nothing in the dream world could hurt

him. It was a dream world after all. But it was a very human reaction
to duck when a fireball was thrown at your head.

However, when it came to his abilities against Felix’s, Misha

could make things happen in the dream world. He curled his hand up
and imagined a fireball just like the one his father had thrown at him.
He pulled his arm back and threw it toward Felix with all of his
might.

“Two can play this game, Felix, but I’m going to win.”

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Just before the fireball hit Felix, the man ducked down. Misha was

expecting it and imagined that the fireball morphed into a wall of
brick flying at Felix. Misha realized that Felix didn’t fully understand
the rules of the dream world when the man went down under the hard
brick.

Almost all dreamwalkers could manipulate dreams. They had the

ability to influence people and get them to do what they wanted.
Misha was a little different. What he imagined actually came to life
inside the dream world.

When Felix sat up, he looked like a man that had a pile of bricks

dropped on him. A trickle of blood trailed down his chin from his
lower lip. His hair was in disarray, and his clothes looked dusty and
torn.

“How—” Felix seemed confused.
Misha didn’t have that same confusion. He’d been coming to the

dream world since he knew what it was. This special space was the
one place he could go to get away from his father. Misha walked over
to stand in front of his father.

“You always said that I was the strongest dreamwalker born in

over a thousand years.” Misha shrugged. “Guess it’s true.”

“Do you understand what this means, Mikhail?” Felix said as he

stood to his feet and brushed himself off. He sounded a little awed.
“With your power and my guidance, we can rule the paranormal
world. The council of elders won’t have a chance against us.”

Misha frowned and shook his head. “What makes you think I

would do anything for you? You’ve taken me away from the one
thing I want in this world.”

“What?” Felix asked. “Whatever it is, we’ll get it.”
Misha stared in astonishment. He couldn’t believe his father even

had to ask. “You took me away from Ifan.”

“Ifan?” Felix frowned. “What do you need him for?”
“He’s my mate.”

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Felix stared at Misha with a puzzled expression that said he had

no idea what Misha was talking about. Misha didn’t remember much
about his mother, but he suddenly didn’t think she was Felix’s mate.
Felix wouldn’t be so confused if he had experienced claiming his own
mate.

“I need Ifan. He is the only reason I continue to breathe in this

world. Without him, I am nothing.” Misha narrowed his eyes and
pointed his finger at his father as rage started to build inside of him.
“And you took him away from me.”

Felix started to back up, shaking his hands wildly in front of him.

“Now, Mikhail, don’t do anything rash.”

“Rash?” Misha shouted. “You took me away from my mate. You

haven’t seen rash yet, but you will. It’s time for you to pay for your
crimes, father.”

Misha cupped his hand again and imagined another fireball.

Felix’s face paled as he quickly backed away. Misha could see him
thinking. He could almost smell the smoke as the wheels in Felix’s
head turned. He was trying to figure out how to survive.

Misha threw the first fireball, purposely tossing it just to the side

of Felix. He quickly created another one and threw it to the other side
when Felix jumped in that direction. Misha wanted Felix to realize
that he had no means of escape.

And then the real fun would begin.
“You’ve been a very bad boy for a very long time.”
“I’m sorry!”
“Not good enough.”
Misha threw another fireball, this one aimed to land on the floor

right between Felix’s legs. Felix yelped and jumped back. He tripped
over a couple of the bricks Misha had thrown before and crashed to
the floor, landing on his back.

Misha stormed over and leaned down to grab Felix’s face between

his hands. He used every ounce of power in his body to get through to

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his father. The man needed to be stopped before he hurt anyone else.
He’d already done enough damage.

“You will not harm another living soul, Felix. Your days of using

people to get what you want are over.”

Misha could feel Felix fighting him. His head started to throb.

Misha pressed harder with his mental will, demanding Felix’s
submission. “You will not use your abilities to harm someone else,
ever. If you do, I will come for you, Felix, and I won’t stop until you
are dead.”

Misha dug into Felix’s mind until he found the one secret that he

didn’t want anyone to know. His eyes watered as he tore at the
memory, ripping it apart until he knew every last detail of his
mother’s death.

“You killed my mother?”
Rage drew a haze over Misha’s good sense and pulled away his

control. He didn’t remember much about his mother, but he did
remember that she was sweet and loving and protected Misha from
his father. Knowing that Felix had killed her was more than he could
take.

Misha roared as he pushed his mind into Felix’s, determined to

strip the man of every sense he had. By the time he was done with
Felix, he’d be a blithering idiot—well, at least more than he was
already.

Misha screamed in outrage when he suddenly felt himself being

pulled away and thrust back into the real world. He wasn’t done with
Felix yet. The man needed to pay for the things he did.

Misha slammed back into his body so hard that he couldn’t

breathe for a moment. By the time he could drag air into his lungs, he
knew that Ifan sat on the bed next to him. Misha opened his eyes,
ready to yell at Ifan for tearing him away too early. Instead, he found
himself crushed against Ifan’s chest.

“Damn, baby, don’t ever do that to me again.”

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109

Misha’s mind instantly went to their shared dream, and his heart

dropped. He knew entering someone’s dream without his permission
was against the rules. His only excuse was that he missed Ifan so
much even after just a few hours. He had to connect with him.

“I was so scared when you disappeared,” Ifan whispered against

the top of Misha’s head. “I don’t like being scared, Misha. I’ll lock
you in our bedroom if I have to to keep you safe.”

Misha laughed. “I wasn’t exactly planning on being kidnapped,

Ifan.”

Ifan leaned back to stare down at Misha. “How can you laugh

about this? It’s not a laughing matter. You were kidnapped, Misha.
Someone took you from me. Don’t you understand what type of
danger you were in?”

Misha reached up and stroked the side of Ifan’s face with his

fingers as he smiled. “I can laugh because I’m back where I’m
supposed to be, with you. Nothing else matters except that.”

Ifan opened his mouth then snapped it closed as he frowned.

“Good point,” he finally said. “But I still might lock you up in the
bedroom.”

Misha grinned. “Just as long as you lock the door from the

inside.”

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Chapter 10

Ifan couldn’t help but laugh at the delighted grin on Misha’s face.

He pulled his mate back to his chest and hugged Misha for all he was
worth. After his talk with Hugo and a hastily organized rescue plan,
he couldn’t believe he had found Misha sleeping in his bed,
unharmed.

He had totally expected to find Misha hanging from the rafters or

something equally as bad. Nightmare scenarios had played out over
and over again in his head while he traveled to Felix Surkov’s home.
Surprisingly, it had taken just a few short hours to reach the place.
They had arrived just before dawn broke.

Ifan had wasted no time in breaking into the large estate and

taking down anything that came between him and his mate. Following
Misha’s scent had been easy once he was inside. Getting past the two
muscle-bound guards outside Misha’s room had taken a little work.

Ifan had nothing personal against the men patrolling the Surkov

estate. Hugo had explained that most, if not all of them, were under
Felix’s influence in some manner. Ifan didn’t want to kill them in case
Hugo was right. But he did want them out of commission.

The fight had been short but fierce. Once Ifan had incapacitated

the two guards, he ran into Misha’s room to find his mate sleeping
peacefully on the bed. Stunned at the peaceful look on Misha’s face,
Ifan stood at the bottom of Misha’s bed and just looked at him.

Only when Misha started to thrash around had Ifan intervened. He

didn’t know what was going on, but he couldn’t allow Misha to be
harmed, not even by a nightmare. Ifan had jumped up onto the bed,

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111

grabbed Misha by his arms, then started shaking him until the man
opened his eyes.

And now he had Misha back in his arms where he was supposed

to be. Ifan’s relief was so great that he felt overwhelmed for a
moment. Tears sprang to his eyes. Who knew that such a small slip of
a man could come to mean so much to him? Ifan certainly hadn’t.

“I love you, Misha,” Ifan whispered quietly, almost against his

will. He had never said those words to another living soul and didn’t
like how vulnerable they made him feel. His entire existence rested in
the hands of a man whose head barely reached Ifan’s chest.

“I love you, too, Ifan.”
A cry of relief broke from Ifan’s lips at Misha’s words. His heart

sang with happiness. He didn’t know when it became so crucial to
him to hear those words, but he suddenly realized that they were the
most important words anyone ever spoke to him.

“I’m never letting you go, Misha,” Ifan said in between planting

kisses on Misha’s head. “I mean it. I’m locking you up and never
letting you go.”

Misha chuckled. “Can we work on getting out of here before we

start planning the future? My father is still out there somewhere, and
unfortunately, I think he now knows just how powerful I really am.
He’s not going to give me up without a fight.”

“I’ll kill him.”
“As much as that idea thrills me, I think we would be better

served to turn him over to the council of elders. UPAC doesn’t take
kindly to one of its members trying to overthrow them by means of
mental manipulation.”

Ifan frowned, his eyebrows drawing together as he leaned back to

look down into Misha’s face once again. “You know what your father
is doing?”

“Well, I do now,” Misha said. “We had a little visit in the dream

world. Once he figured out how powerful I was in that state, he was

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all sorts of ready to team up with me and take over the world. He was
even willing to let me keep you if it made me happy and compliant.”

“He was, was he?”
“Yeah.” Misha smirked. “That was about the time the fireballs

started flying.”

“Fireballs?” Ifan snapped. “What fireballs?”
Misha sighed deeply. “The fireballs we were tossing at each

other.”

“You can do that?”
“I can do a lot of things.” Misha’s eyes suddenly dropped away.

“You’d know that if you remembered our dreams.”

“Our dreams?” Ifan felt like a parrot, repeating everything Misha

said. “What dreams?”

“It doesn’t matter.”
Ifan knew it did. He could see it in the sad little smile that came

over Misha’s lips. Whatever Misha was talking about was very
important to him. Therefore, it became important to Ifan.

“What dreams, Misha?” Ifan asked as he lifted Misha’s chin. “Tell

me.”

Misha seemed hesitant.
“Please?”
“I knew you when we first met in person. I thought you knew me

at first, too, but you didn’t even recognize me.” Misha glanced down
and started fiddling with the buttons on Ifan’s shirt. “We dreamed
together. We’ve been dreaming together for over a year.”

“Those were real?”
Misha’s eyes snapped up. His mouth made a little circle of awe.

“You remember our dreams?”

“I remember dreaming, but I thought that was all they were,

dreams.”

Misha shook his head quickly. “No, no, they were dreams, but

they were very real. I meant everything I said in those dreams,
everything I did. That’s where I fell in love with you.”

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113

“Everything, baby?” Ifan chuckled. “Cause I remember a few—”
Ifan roared with laughter as Misha slapped a hand over his mouth.

Apparently, Misha remembered a few of the kinkier things they had
done together in those dreams as well. His face was flushed and beet
red.

Ifan grinned and pulled Misha’s hand away from his face. “I fell

in love with you when you made me realize that I didn’t have to
spend my life alone.”

“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Misha smiled.
Ifan gave him a quick kiss on the lips then rolled to the side of the

bed. “Come on, love, let’s get out of here. I don’t know where your
father is, but I’d rather not wait around for him. The quicker we get
out of here, the better.”

Misha swung his legs over the side of the bed. Ifan stood and held

out his hand to the man. Misha shook his head.

“Ifan, we can’t leave until we take care of my father. He’ll never

leave us alone if we don’t do something to stop him. He’s crazy,
obsessed. He’ll follow us right back to your house the minute we
leave.”

“Then we go somewhere else.”
“I don’t fucking think so,” Misha snapped.
Ifan’s eyebrows shot up at the vehemence in Misha’s voice.
“I didn’t get to see much of your house, but what I did see of it I

liked. We’re not moving.”

Ifan blinked. Misha seemed so fierce, so determined that they stay

in their home. Ifan was entranced with this new facet of Misha’s
personality. “Uh, okay, then what would you suggest?”

“Let’s go find the bastard, hogtie him, and deliver him to the

council of elders. Let them deal with his crazy ass.”

Ifan grinned. “I like it.”

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Misha snorted. “I’d rather see him dead. It’s the only way I can be

sure he never comes after me again. I just refuse to let him drag me
down to his level of depravity. I’ll kill him first.”

“Um, baby?”
“What?”
Ifan tilted his head slightly, feeling incredibly confused. “Didn’t

you just say you wouldn’t kill your father because you didn’t want to
sink to his level?”

“Yes.”
Ifan rubbed his forehead. It was starting to ache. “You don’t want

to kill your father because it would drag you down to his level, and if
he drags you down to his level, you’ll kill him.”

“Yep.”
Ifan tossed his hands up in the air. “I’m lost.”
“I will not allow Felix to turn me into what he has become. He

uses people to get what he wants, no matter what the cost. I will not
kill him to get what I want, no matter how much I want it. It would
make me just as bad as him.”

“I’m with you so far.”
“I’ll kill him before I allow that to happen.”
“And that’s where you lost me.”
Misha chuckled. “I will do everything in my power to make sure

Felix pays for his crimes, but I do not want to be like him. But if it
comes right down to it and he forces my hand, I will kill him, and not
shed a tear over it.”

“Ah.”
“Understand now?”
“Not really but whatever makes you happy, baby.”
“Works for me.”
Ifan chuckled as he followed Misha out of the bedroom into the

hallway. The two guards he took out earlier still lay unconscious on
the floor. Misha stared at them for a moment then stepped over them
like he was stepping over a log.

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115

“Now I see why you live in the woods all by yourself,” Misha said

over his shoulder. “You have the social skills of a box of rocks.”

Ifan shrugged. “I don’t like people.”
Misha chuckled and shook his head, but he didn’t say anything.

Ifan knew that his statement no longer bothered Misha from the easy
way he walked.

“Any idea where your father is?”
“I think he is most likely in his bedroom. We were in the dream

world together when you pulled me out. I suspect he’s still sleeping as
the alarm hasn’t been sounded. If he had come to, the guards would
have been all over me.”

“Assuming there were any guards still conscious.”
“True.”
“Have you considered the rooms he has under the house?” Ifan

ran into Misha when he skidded to a stop and swung around. He
quickly grabbed Misha’s arms to keep the man from falling over.
“Whoa, baby, be careful.”

“What rooms under the house?” Misha asked.
Ifan’s eyebrows shot up as surprise filled him. “You don’t know?”
“What rooms?”
“Your father has rooms under the house. Hugo said that’s where

your father does whatever it is he does. It’s like his lair or something.”

“Hugo!”
Ifan could see where this line of questioning was going instantly.

Misha had reason to hate Hugo, but they needed to stay on task, not
argue the merits of taking Hugo out of the picture. He had to put a
stop to the argument he could see coming and get Misha back on
track. “Do you know someone named Cindy?”

Misha frowned. “Yeah, she works in the kitchen. What about

her?”

“That’s Hugo’s mate.”
“What?” Misha’s eyes were huge. “Hugo has a mate?”
Ifan nodded.

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“Then why in the hell did he try and mate me?”
“Because Hugo has no resistance to your father. He’s not strong

enough to fight him.”

Misha stood there for a moment, a strange expression on his face

that Ifan couldn’t decipher, and then he suddenly turned and started
walking away.

“It doesn’t matter,” Misha said. “He did what he did, and there’s a

price to pay for it. Being forced doesn’t excuse him.”

Misha had a right to be angry if his conclusions were correct. Still,

Ifan wouldn’t let what happened to him eat away at the sweet man.
He didn’t care if he had to love on Misha every day for the rest of
their lives. Misha wouldn’t turn into his father.

“I’m sure that Hugo would be willing to submit to whatever

punishment you deem appropriate, Misha, but for now, we need to
concentrate on your father. He’s the real threat to us, not Hugo. Hugo
just wants to be left alone to live peacefully with his mate. Sound
familiar?”

Misha growled. Ifan saw him clench his hands into fists. He knew

Misha had issues with Hugo, and he had a right to them. Still, while
Hugo wasn’t innocent in all of this, he did it against his will. That had
to stand for something.

Ifan didn’t think Misha and Hugo needed to be best friends or

anything, but it would help if Misha let go of his hate and anger. They
had better things to do with their lives, like love on each other every
day.

Ifan stopped when Misha did, in front of a door similar to the one

that led into Misha’s room. Misha was biting his lip when he turned to
look at Ifan. “This…this is it.”

“Your father’s room?”
Misha nodded but looked hesitant to go in.
“Do you want me to look?” Misha looked so relieved that Ifan

couldn’t help but laugh. He stepped over and grabbed the door handle.

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“Just stand back, love. If there’s anyone in here, I don’t want you in
the line of fire.”

Misha nodded and quickly flattened himself against the wall

beside the door. Ifan sent him a smile then opened the door. He
moved quickly, wanting to take anyone that might be inside by
surprise.

But the surprise was on Ifan. The bedroom was empty. It didn’t

even look like it had been used in ages. Ifan frowned and turned back
to look at Misha. “Are you sure this is your father’s bedroom?”

“Yeah.”
“Does he have an office or something? Another place that he

sleeps?”

“What about those rooms you said were under the house?”
Ifan snapped his fingers. “I should have thought of that.”
“That’s what you have me for.” Misha winked.
“Come on, Misha,” Ifan said as he grabbed Misha’s hand and

started dragging him down the hallway. “Hugo said there is an
entrance in the dining room.”

“The dining room?” Misha frowned. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Ifan shrugged. He understood Misha’s confusion. He

could think of a hundred better places to have a secret entrance than a
dining room. “Go figure, huh?”

Ifan grew concerned when they reached the dining room and a

section of the wall was pulled out, revealing a small stone passageway
with stairs leading down. He wrapped an arm around Misha to hold
him back then sniffed the air.

“Do you smell anything?” Misha whispered.
“It’s dank like the air is stale, but other than that I can’t smell

anyone else.”

“Well, someone obviously went through there,” Misha said as he

waved his hand at the secret entrance. “And I don’t think it was Felix.
If he’s been hiding this secret passage this long, he wouldn’t be so
careless to leave it open now.”

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“Which means someone else is down there.”
“Hugo?”
Ifan shrugged. “Who knows, love?”
“Well, we’re never going to find out unless we go down there.”
Ifan knew Misha was right, but he was more concerned with

Misha going into danger than he was with finding out who went into
the passage before them. He’d rather just take Misha home where
he’d be safe, but as Misha said previously, if Felix continued to run
free, no place would be safe.

“All right, come on,” Ifan said as he started for the entrance. “Stay

close behind me, though. I don’t want anything to happen to you. If
there’s trouble, you run.”

“Run, right.”
Ifan rolled his eyes. He didn’t know where this newfound courage

Misha had was coming from, but he wished it was accompanied by a
little caution. Misha seemed ready to run right into battle heedless of
the danger.

Misha was going to give him gray hair before his time.
“Just stay behind me, Misha.”
Ifan started down the stone steps, pausing every few steps to sniff

the air. The long stone hallway that led directly from the bottom of
the steps concerned Ifan. It seemed like there was only one way in
and one way out.

At the bottom of the stairs, the scent of something else started

filling Ifan’s senses. It still smelled dank, but there was something
else, something that set the hairs on Ifan’s arm to standing on end.

“Misha, stay here.”
“Hell no, you said to stay with you, and that’s exactly what I’m

doing. Have you ever seen those movies where the actors separate and
they both end up dying? I’m not that stupid.”

A low growl emanated from Ifan. His mate just had to pick this

particular moment to grow a set of balls? Couldn’t he have waited
twenty minutes?

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“Fine, but you better glue yourself to my ass, do you hear me?”

Ifan grunted when Misha did exactly what he said and the man’s
smaller body slammed into his backside. Misha’s fingers wrapped
through the loops on Ifan’s jeans. “Misha!”

“What?”
Ifan just shook his head then started down the hallway, Misha hot

on his heels. They walked several feet before they came to the first
door. Ifan gestured for Misha to stand against the wall then slowly
opened the door and looked inside.

It seemed to be nothing more than a storage room. Wooden crates

were stacked from floor to ceiling on both sides of the room, a small
walkway between them. Ifan sniffed the air but didn’t find anything
out of place, so he shut the door and moved further on down the
hallway.

The next door led to a room filled with large metal cages. The

hairs on Ifan’s arms stood up even further, and a cold chill went down
his spine. The cages were large enough to fit a full-grown man. Ifan
had a pretty good idea what Felix used this room for, and it gave him
the creeps. Ifan quickly shut the door before Misha could look in. He
didn’t want his mate any more traumatized than he already was.

“Let’s try the next room.”
Ifan started down the hallway again. He could hear Misha walking

behind him and feel the pull of Misha’s fingers where they were
wrapped around the loops in his jeans. For every door they came to,
Misha would let go and plaster himself against the wall. The second
they started walking again, Misha’s fingers were right back in place.

Ifan grew more concerned with each door they came to. He could

still smell something wrong in the air, but he couldn’t pinpoint where
it was coming from. They had already looked into several rooms, all
filled with varying degrees of items meant to torture people or keep
them imprisoned.

Ifan couldn’t help but wonder how long this had been going on.

Misha had stated that his father was a sadistic bastard, but Ifan didn’t

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think even Misha knew how right he was or to what degree. Felix
Surkov was inhuman.

The last door at the end of the hallway was painted red. Ifan

paused several feet from it and just stared. Something ominous filled
him as he looked at the door. He just knew deep down inside that
whatever they were hunting was behind that door.

“Misha, let me go in first and look around,” Ifan said through

their bond. He didn’t want anyone who might be listening to hear
them talking or know they were coming. He just prayed that Misha
didn’t argue with him this time.

“Okay.”
Ifan sent Misha a small smile over his shoulder then opened the

door and stepped in. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but
it wasn’t Brodelyn. The man stood at the end of a round bed, staring
down at something hidden in the multitude of pillows.

The room itself was eerie. The walls were painted a deep dark red.

The only item of furniture in the entire room was the bed in the
middle of it. It was just as round as the room.

Ifan groaned when he felt Misha brush against his side. Why

couldn’t Misha stay where he was supposed to stay?

“Brodelyn?”
Brodelyn turned to look at Misha. His eyebrow was cocked as if

he was confused. He waved his hand at the lump on the bed. “We
might have a small problem bringing Felix to justice.”

Ifan frowned and stepped closer to the bed. He could feel Misha

walk next to him. When he looked down at the bed, Ifan’s eyebrows
shot up. Curled up on the bed in a fetal position, his eyes glazed over
as he stared into nothing, was Felix Surkov.

“What happened to him?” Ifan asked.
“My guess?” Brodelyn replied. “He’s been mind wiped.”
“Mind what?”

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“Mind wiped. He’s dumber than my first boyfriend, who thought

lube was used as sunscreen.” Brodelyn snorted. “Man, you should
have seen him. He was—”

“Brodelyn!” Ifan snapped, trying to get the man’s mind back on

track. “Stay with me here. What exactly happened to Felix, and is it
permanent?”

“Felix’s mind has been wiped or attacked in such a manner that he

is no longer a sentient being,” Brodelyn said. “Basically, his brain is
sludge. And yes, I believe it’s permanent.”

“Damn!” Misha whispered. “I was hoping he would have to pay

for his crimes.”

“He will be this way for the rest of his life, Misha. Isn’t that

payment enough?”

Misha shook his head as he looked over at Brodelyn. “This will

never be enough for what he did. He got off easy.”

“Did you do this, Misha?” Ifan asked.
Misha shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, we did fight in the dream

world, and I did get upset when I found the memory of Felix killing
my mother, but you pulled me back before I could do any real
damage.” Misha glanced at the man huddled on the bed. “At least, I
think you did.”

“No, Misha, you didn’t do this,” Brodelyn said. “I found traces of

your aura in his brain pattern, but I think Felix did it to himself.
Dreamwalking, if used wrong, can eventually backfire on a walker. I
believe Felix overloaded and fried his own brain.”

Misha started to snicker then slapped his hand over his mouth

when the sound became hysterical. Ifan quickly stepped over and
wrapped his arms around his mate. He could feel the waves of relief
coming off of Misha and knew the man had been worried that he had
harmed his father. As much as Misha might have hated Felix, he
didn’t want to be responsible for destroying him. It wasn’t in Misha’s
nature to be cruel.

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“What’s going to happen to Felix now?” Ifan asked, knowing that

Misha would want to know.

“I’ll have him transferred to UPAC headquarters. Once I give a

full report to the council, Felix will most likely be placed somewhere
he can be cared for but not escape from.”

That sounded like a good idea to Ifan. “And Hugo?”
“Hugo has to pay for his crimes, but I believe once the council

learns of his plight, he will receive a light sentence.”

Ifan nodded.
“Make sure he can see Cindy wherever he is,” Misha whispered

against Ifan’s shirt. “She’s his mate.”

Ifan smiled. That was the man he had fallen in love with. “Are

you ready to go home now, love?”

“God, yes!”

White Paws and a Dream

123

Chapter 11

Misha knelt on the floor then leaned in to light the kindling in the

fireplace. He watched for a moment as small flames flickered to life
then started burning the stack of wood he had piled inside the stone
hearth.

He had everything set up for a quiet night in front of the fire with

his mate. The fire was now roaring to life. A bottle of wine was
chilling, dinner had been cooked and was even now warming in the
oven, and Misha was wearing nothing except a short silk robe—a
welcome home present from Ifan.

Ifan had done everything he could to make Misha feel welcome

when he came home. Between taking him to work and teaching him
how to work leather and letting Misha change anything in the house
he wanted, which wasn’t much, Ifan had made the log building feel
like home.

He loved everything about his new home, but the little spot in

front of the stone fireplace was his favorite. Ifan had given Misha a
fluffy blanket to lay on the floor when he wanted to cuddle. Normally,
the rug hung over a chair by the window. Misha thought it was
thoughtful that Ifan hadn’t given him a fur rug because that would
have been a little too weird.

In the weeks since being kidnapped by his father, Misha had come

to see his new home as a refuge from everything bad in the world. If
he had his way, he’d never leave. He loved it here.

Unfortunately, Brodelyn had asked them to come back to UPAC

headquarters. He hadn’t said why other than it was a surprise.
Brodelyn had been quick to assure Misha that it had nothing to do

124

Stormy Glenn

with his father or Hugo. Felix Surkov had been taken to the UPAC
detention center where he would live out the rest of his life under the
watchful eyes of UPAC guards.

Hugo was to serve a term of three years for his part in Felix’s

schemes. Due to Misha’s testimony, he was allowed to serve them
under house arrest with Cindy by his side. Misha had signed his
father’s estate over to Hugo. He didn’t want it. He never wanted to
see it again. He wanted to stay exactly where he was.

Home.
Misha smiled when the front door opened and Ifan walked in.

“Have a nice day at the office, dear?”

Ifan laughed. “You could say that.”
Misha jumped to his feet and raced over to Ifan. He lifted his face

for a kiss even as he plastered his body against Ifan’s. The kiss was
just what he needed, just what he wanted. It was hot and passionate
and curled Misha’s toes.

“Missed you,” Misha whispered once he could breathe again.
“I was only gone for a few hours, Misha.”
“Way too long.”
Ifan tapped the end of Misha’s nose with his finger. “Then maybe

you should go with me next time. I know you don’t like seeing Hugo,
but you need to at some point, even if it’s just to scream and yell at
him. Holding all of this inside of you won’t do you any good.”

Misha knew the time was coming when he would have to confront

Hugo. The man called on a weekly basis and asked to see him. Ifan
had started to go see Hugo once a week, even if it was on the pretext
of documenting everything that Felix was responsible for doing. Ifan
said there needed to be a record and Hugo refused to speak with
anyone else. Misha personally thought Ifan was coming to like the
guy, but he just wasn’t to that point yet.

“Maybe next time,” Misha said. “I’m just not quite ready yet.”
“And if you’re never ready, that’s okay. Hugo did some horrible

things, even he admits that. But I truly believe once you confront him

White Paws and a Dream

125

there won’t be so many demons riding your back. You will never get
that chance with Felix. His mind is too far gone. But you can settle
things with Hugo.”

“Maybe.”
“Just think about it, love, please?” Ifan stuck out his bottom lip as

if pouting. “For me?”

Misha laughed. His big bad mate didn’t have a chance in hell of

pulling off a good pout, but he was sure damn cute when he tried. “I’ll
think about it. How’s that?”

“Good enough.”
“Have you had a chance to figure out what Brodelyn wants yet?”

Misha asked as he led Ifan back over to stand in front of the fireplace.
He dropped the hand he had grabbed and turned, starting to take his
robe off.

Ifan licked his lips as he stared at Misha. “Who?”
“Brodelyn.”
“Oh, no, he said it was some sort of surprise but he won’t tell me

more than that.”

Misha waved his finger back and forth when Ifan reached for him.

“Uh-uh, you know the rule. No clothes on the blanket.”

Ifan grinned. “Love that fucking rule.”
Misha chuckled as he watched Ifan strip his clothes off. “It came

to me in a dream.”

THE END

WWW.STORMYGLENN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots

is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first
sight, soul Mates, true love, and happy endings.

Stormy lives in the great Northwest region of the USA, with her

gorgeous husband and soul Mate, six very active teenagers, two
boxer/collie puppies, one old biddy cat, and one fish.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand

and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man
for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You
can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com

Also by Stormy Glenn

Siren Classic ManLove: Blaecleah Brothers 1: Cowboy Easy

Siren Classic ManLove: Blaecleah Brothers 2: Cowboy Keeper

Siren Classic ManLove: Blaecleah Brothers 3: Cowboy Way

Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 1: Full Moon Mating

Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 2: Just a Taste of Me

Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 3:

Tasty Treats, Volume 3: Man to Man

Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 4: Blood Prince

Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 5: Love, Always, Promise

Ménage Amour ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 6:

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 7: Pretty Baby

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 1: Secret Desires

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 2: Forbidden Desires

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 3: Hidden Desires

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 4: Stolen Desires

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 5: Unspoken Desires

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 6: A Hunter’s Desires

Ménage Amour: Lovers of Alpha Squad 1: Mari’s Men

Siren Classic ManLove: Lovers of Alpha Squad 2:

The Doctor’s Patience

Siren Classic: Lovers of Alpha Squad 3: Julia’s Knight

Ménage Amour ManLove: Lovers of Alpha Squad 4: Three of a Kind

Siren Classic ManLove: Sweet Perfection 1: Sweet Treats

Siren Classic ManLove: Sweet Perfection 2: Mr. Wonderful

Siren Classic ManLove: True Blood Mate 1: Heart Song

Ménage Amour ManLove: True Blood Mate 2: Alpha Born

Siren Classic ManLove: True Blood Mate 3: Love Sexy

Siren Classic ManLove: True Blood Mate 4: Redemption

Siren Classic ManLove: Katzman 1: The Katzman’s Mate

Siren Classic ManLove: Katzman 2: Dream Mate

Siren Classic ManLove: Katzman 3: Pride Mate

Ménage Amour: Love’s Legacy 1: Cowboy Legacy

Siren Classic ManLove: Viking Lore 1: Honor Bound

Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Scales and a Tail

Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Fang and Fur

Ménage Amour ManLove: Tasty Treats 5: Cowboy Dreams

Siren Classic ManLove: My Lupine Lover
Siren Classic ManLove: The Master’s Pet

Siren Classic ManLove: Fire Demon

Siren Classic: Wolf Queen

Siren Classic ManLove: His Gentle Touch

Ménage Amour: Mating Heat

Siren Classic ManLove: Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Also by Stormy Glenn and Joyee Flynn

Ménage Amour ManLove: Delta Wolf 1: Chameleon Wolf

Ménage Amour ManLove: Delta Wolf 2: Mating Games

Ménage Amour ManLove: Delta Wolf 3: Blood Lust

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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