This wandering spider will pursue his mate,
knowing he’s walking into the very heart of
danger.

Boone has kept it no secret that he wants Julius for
his own. Hell, he’s pursued the guy relentlessly
from the moment he saw an assassin lying in wait
to harm Julius. Now, Boone has one mission, to go
with his friend, TL, and unite the fire ants to their
cause of getting loved ones and Mission Territory
back. However, there’s no way Boone will leave
his mate, knowing that even at the hive, Julius
could be taken from him. So, now, he will have no
choice but to bring the man he loves into the heart
of danger.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement, including infringement without
monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

ISBN: 978-1-4874-0038-5

Cover art by Latrisha Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or
in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, is
forbidden without the written permission of the
publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

Look for us online at:

www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Venomous Mates, Book Three

Jackie Nacht

Chapter One

ulius woke to an all-too-familiar feeling—eyes
on him, and not just any eyes, but the creepy

fucker that continually broke into his room every
damn night.

Julius growled and rolled over, pulling the

pillow over his head. “Go away, Boone.”

A soft chuckle grated on Julius’s damn nerves.

He hated that it also caused his cock to grow thick
with desire. Julius had tried in the past to deny it
and claim it as morning wood, but it was Boone.

Shit!
It’s not that Boone wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous.

The wandering spider wore sexy, dusty, ripped
blue jeans and boots. The venom refused to wear a
shirt over that muscular, tanned upper body.
Boone even completed the look with a cowboy hat
that showed only the tips of shaggy light brown
hair. Julius had fantasized many nights about
Boone and that cowboy hat. Not like he could do
anything about it, though, like take matters into
his own hand. Boone usually broke in, leaving
Julius without a moment’s privacy.

Jackie Nacht

Bastard!
Sexually frustrated, Julius flipped over and

threw his pillow as hard as he could at the
wandering spider. Boone laughed and easily
dodged it.

“You’ve never been a morning person. That’s

okay. Whenever you get your head out of your
ass, I’ll be fucking you all night long. Then, we’ll
both sleep the day away,” Boone finished with a
cocky smile.

Julius gave him a droll stare. “We’ve been over

this. It’s never going to happen.”

“It is. You just need to give in.” Boone adjusted

his hat with a confidence that seemed to say that
was the end of the discussion. It wasn’t.

“I’m surprised you haven’t just created a web in

that damn corner.” Julius grumbled.

Boone laughed, “Wandering spiders don’t

maintain webs. We just like to wander around and
hunt our prey.” Boone waggled his brows
teasingly at him. Jackass! I’m not your prey!

“Well, you can go and just wander along

somewhere else.” Julius made a shooing motion
with his hand, making Boone crack up. Ugh.

Julius threw the covers off and stood up. It

wasn’t like he slept unclothed. Every night, he had
to go to bed with his clothes on because of this
psycho. “Look, I’m grateful that you saved me and
my friends. Hell, I’m glad you guided us to the
hive. It’s the first time I’ve actually been able to

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

sleep through the night without worrying if my
damn life was on the line. But if you think there is
something more between us, you have another
thing coming.”

Who was Julius trying to fool? Himself? Yeah,

because he understood what he was feeling, but
timing was everything.

Boone winked at him. It took everything Julius

had to keep from rolling his eyes. “You’re my
mate,” Boone stated.

“That doesn’t mean shit to me. I want a friend

before a lover, and you’re neither of those. You’re
just some cocky asshole that doesn’t know what
the hell a locked door means.” Julius was not
going to be pushed over by Boone. The man might
be a foot taller than his five feet seven inches, but
Julius had a spine. Well, he did when it came to
Boone anyway. Usually, he was pretty nervous
when it came to everyone else and a complete
pushover.

Boone followed as Julius left his room to go to

the restroom. Julius knew he would have at least a
two-minute reprieve from Boone. At least the man
hadn’t ever followed him in there…yet.

Julius washed his face and stared at himself in

the mirror. So much had changed. His blue eyes
were no longer sunken, and he no longer looked
on the verge of starvation. The venoms Wilder,
Cash and Kalder had saved him and his friends

Jackie Nacht

from that fate. Plus, there was Durango, Tucker
and Memphis. Those were his heroes.

Kalder, the king cobra, had been the leader of

Mission Territory in Venom City until the people
had turned on him and his friends Cash and
Wilder. Wilder, the deathstalker scorpion, was
mated to his friend, Leif. And Cash…well, Cash
was Cash. As a blue-ringed octopus, he was the
most mistrustful of the three, but when the time
came, Cash had protected Julius with his life.

Julius would never be able to repay the six for

keeping him and his friends safe. And when all
hell broke loose in Venom City, they’d fled with
them, making sure to protect each and every one
of them. Julius had no ties to these men, unlike his
friends Reece and Leif. They were mated to
venom; he and Prescott weren’t. It would be easy
to leave them behind. They hadn’t, and Julius
looked upon each of these men as his new-formed
family.

Julius finished up and walked out, face first

into a bare, muscular chest. Dear lord, did he ever
want to lick the collarbone that was right at eye
level. Clearing his throat, Julius stepped back.
“Seriously, Boone. Did you think I would get lost
or attacked?”

Julius walked around Boone, and he heard

Boone say from behind him, “Just didn’t want you
running from me. We have some things we need
to discuss.”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius held up a hand and turned. “Boone, I

need breakfast. It can wait.”

Boone began to talk, and Julius pointed at

Boone. “I mean it, Boone. I’m tired, since you
know I don’t sleep worth a damn with you
stalking me.”

Boone pointed to his bare chest, as if the man

needed to bring any more attention to that
delectable area. “I’m protecting you.”

“We’re in a damn sanctuary,” Julius argued.
“I don’t trust anyone except TL where you’re

concerned,” Boone growled.

Julius pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a

headache coming on. All his life he had scavenged
for food, lived by the second, not by the minute,
and feared that at any moment it would be his
last. However, he’d survived this long with Leif,
Prescott and Reece. Now was the time to take a
deep breath. What Julius didn’t need was Boone
all over him along with Boone’s best friend and
spider wasp venom, TL.

Sure, TL was hilarious, and he did have this

ability to make even a dire situation seem like a
good time. However, Julius had friends before
these two crashed into his life. Julius was the type
of person that needed to analyze and think things
through before letting someone in. He wasn’t
going to be pushed into something, even if Boone
was delusional enough to think they were mates.

Jackie Nacht

Julius didn’t feel it, so Boone needed to back off

a little and respect his wishes. “Boone, cut me
some slack this morning.”

Boone rushed to him. “Are you okay?”
Julius shook his head. “I want to go talk to my

friends this morning and see how they’re doing.
This is all a big adjustment for us. Please.” Julius
gazed up at Boone, hoping the wandering spider
backed off just this one time.

Boone stepped back. “Sure. Sure. I’ll go eat with

TL.” Boone swiftly walked ahead of him and left
Julius behind.

Fuck!
He wasn’t trying to hurt Boone. Hell, until then,

Julius didn’t even think he was capable of it. He
just wanted a couple of days for everything to
slow down. Hell, he wanted to know why it was
so damn important to Boone to watch him every
damn night. That was the problem with the
situation. Everything was moving and changing
around so fast, they didn’t get the opportunity to
really get to know each other.

Julius gripped his hair and pulled it as he

walked to the common area in the hive where
everyone sat down to eat. The common area was a
beautiful mixture of venom and anti-venom that
resided here. The room was at least a couple
stories tall. The sides were a variety of mud and
clay, while the entire ceiling was honeycomb. The
hexagonal shapes were a work of art, and Julius

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

still couldn’t tear his eyes away from them every
time he came in there. With the morning sun
coming through, it left the entire hive in a light
that didn’t even seem possible.

The tables were wooden with long benches

where everyone sat. The legs rough and bark-like
while the surface was smooth to the touch. The
place was crowded with wasp, hornet and bee
venom. There was a small section of anti-venom
that had been residing there long before Julius and
his friends came. Someone nudged by him, and
Julius realized that he had been standing at the
threshold, not moving, for far longer than he
meant to.

He made his way to the line where he picked

up a plate and put homemade biscuits and honey
on it. There was a jerky of sorts, and he picked a
couple of the chewy pieces, stuffing one in his
mouth before placing the rest on his plate.

At the end, he searched for his friends and

found them on the outskirts at a table with their
mates Wilder and Kalder. Cash stood and paced
behind Kalder. For the past couple days, Kalder
had been tense, finding out his brother was alive.
While they all knew it would take time to infiltrate
back into Venom City, Kalder was worried and
impatient, with good reason. Killian had been
captured and was now in the hands of the enemy.

The youngest, Leif, had just been recently

mated to Wilder, the scorpion. The two were

Jackie Nacht

sitting next to each other, talking with their heads
close together. Wilder’s scorpion tail was poised
behind them in a protective nature, but that tail
still scared the hell out of Julius and he considered
Wilder his friend. Kalder was breaking off a piece
of bread from on his plate and feeding a small
piece to Reese. Reese was the first one to discover
this group of venom when he actually attempted
to steal from them. What could have cost Reese’s
life, ended up with him finding the love of his life.

Tucker, Memphis and Durango were the only

other venom that left Mission Territory when the
territory turned on their leader, Kalder. Tucker
was a poison dart frog who covered his entire
body head to toe. Julius had heard that he had a
tragic past, poisoning his younger sister with his
touch when they were younger. Memphis was a
black mamba that ran from La Jolla when he was
just a child. He was so damn shy, quiet, and kept
to himself. Julius hadn’t even heard the man say
two words. Durango was a viper, and from what
Julius had heard, was already on his way to
bedding half the hornets here.

Julius made his way over and sat next to

Prescott. Prescott’s brown hair was wet, as if he
had just gotten through bathing. He had a serious
expression on his face while the others stared at
Julius.

“What?” Julius asked, curious.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Reese stared at him with sad gray eyes. “You

need to be careful out there.”

Leif, his best friend, got up and came to sit next

to him, rubbing him on the back. “Boone, TL and
Cash will watch over you. You have nothing to
worry about.”

Julius was lost. “What the hell are you all

talking about?”

Kalder, the king cobra, tilted his head while

staring at him with his snake eyes. “What do you
mean? You’re leaving after breakfast.”

Getting pissed, the volume of Julius’s voice

raised. “I have no fucking clue what you are all
talking about, so someone better tell me what the
hell is going on. Am I being kicked out of here?
Did I do something wrong?”

Panic began to bubble inside him. The

insecurity and weakness that usually resided
inside of him took hold.

Prescott gripped his hand. His friend knew him

so well. They had lived in the wild for years, and
Prescott was the oldest one, taking care of them
all. He would know Julius needed the strength.
The only time Julius had ever stood up and fought
was when it came to Boone. Why the wandering
spider did that to him baffled him.

“You’re going with Cash, Boone and TL to the

fire ant colony. Boone insisted. You leave after
breakfast. Boone was supposed to tell you.”
Prescott said calmly.

Jackie Nacht

Julius closed his eyes. “Why am I going?” So

that’s what Boone had to tell him this morning.

Cash growled. “Boone insisted. He said he

wouldn’t leave his mate behind. Stupid fucking
spider.”

Cash had a hate-hate relationship with anyone

that wasn’t part of his inner circle, and apparently,
Boone wasn’t one of them. Julius noticed that Cash
had been on edge since they came there, long
necking the anti-venom leader, Tristan. Julius
wasn’t a fool. Those two were mates, but he could
tell, as they were across the room from each other,
that neither one of them had acted on it.

“I don’t think Julius is ready for the hike you all

are going to take,” Reese said worriedly across the
table.

So when the hell was someone going to ask him

if he was up to it? Or if he wanted to go?

Julius stood, grabbing his untouched plate. “I’m

going to go pack.”

“But…” Prescott began.
Julius shook his head. “I know I’m only twenty,

which is damn young. However, I’ve lived a hard
life. I know I have fears and nightmares, but don’t
we all? What I’m trying to say is that I may come
off as young and weak, but I still have the right to
be asked. The decision was made for me.”

Kalder stood up. “I’ll go talk to Abby. I’ll tell

her it’s a no-go. Boone said…”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius stopped Kalder. “No, I’ll go. It’s just… if

I’m involved, I want to be asked. Not told. Boone
needs to learn that, like right now.”

Julius emptied his tray. Spotting Boone talking

with TL, Julius thought packing could wait. He
had a spider to talk to.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Two

don’t get it. Julius should know we’re mates,
but every time I get near him, he pulls away.”

Boone stabbed at a piece of meat on his breakfast
plate.

All his life, Boone had hunted, killed, fought

and searched for others. Finally, he wanted
something for his own, and the man continually
denied him.

TL laughed. “Well, you are coming on strong.”
“Julius has no clue how close he came to being

taken away,” Boone grumbled.

Weeks ago, Boone had been on his way back to

report where Abby’s brother had been taken when
he’d stumbled upon one of the kidnappers lurking
in Mission Territory. They had taken one of their
king cobra leaders, Killian, but there was
something that was keeping the bastards lurking
around. He went to question the funnel web that
was climbing the building when he spotted Julius
in the window to the right of the spider. All
thoughts flew out the window as his protective

“I

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

instincts went into overdrive. Boone swiftly killed
the spider and spent the rest of the night watching
over Julius to make sure no other spiders came to
hurt his mate. Boone had ended up doing that for
days instead of coming back here to report.

It took a couple days of watching the guy for

the thought of mate to kick in, but boy, when it
did, Boone decided he was never going to leave
his mate to a chance of being harmed in Venom
City. He fucking hated the city. It was corrupt,
evil, and there was a constant game at
manipulation that affected this wrecked side of the
country. Boone had never been so happy to walk
away from the hellhole as a child and meet up
with TL in the wild.

He had been ten at the time. Boone had

watched as his parents were murdered right
before his eyes. At the time, he had been living in
La Jolla Territory. Veronica was the leader there
now, but a waste of space had once been leader
there before she killed the brown recluse.

It didn’t matter; as soon as Boone lost his

parents, he had enough of Venom City. TL
befriended him in the wild, and they had a
tentative friendship at first before TL’s parents
caught them talking one night after knowing each
other a year. TL’s mother had hugged Boone and
brought him to the hive. He swore that he would
protect each one of the people that lived there ever
since, even as an eleven year old. That was

Jackie Nacht

fourteen years ago, and he’d never thought twice
about that decision.

A whack to the back of his head, hat falling on

the table in front of him, brought him out of his
musings. “What the fuck?”

“You haven’t been paying attention to me,” TL

snarked.

“Well hell, I’m all ears.” Boone rubbed the back

of his head and picked up his cowboy hat. He put
it back on his head, hiding his most hated
mutation. He didn’t mind his fangs or the soft
hairs that grew all over that weren’t quite human.
It was the two rows of six non-functioning eyes
that existed in his hair. Sure, no one could see
them with his long hair, but Boone loathed even
knowing they were there.

“You’re still not paying attention,” TL growled.
“What?” Boone barked out.
“That’s what in the hell I would like to know.

Where do you get off volunteering me?” Julius
said from behind Boone.

Boone inwardly cringed at the words. He was

aware he was going to pay for not talking to Julius
first, but he wasn’t going to leave without his
mate. No one would ever be good enough to
watch out for Julius except him. Abby’s brother
being taken was proof that the hive wasn’t
completely safe.

Whether Julius wanted to admit it or not, he

needed help in this world. Boone would never

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

view Julius as weak, not even close, but since the
toxins went airborne, the world was violent and
cruel. Julius proved he could survive, but for how
long? Boone wasn’t fucking going to take the
chance of losing him now that he found him.

Boone’s mouth quirked into a smile as he got

ready to go head to head with Julius. He loved
battling it out with his mate. Julius didn’t even
realize how different and confident he acted with
Boone. Boone had watched Julius for weeks. He
was the quiet, shy one of the group with only the
exception of when he was being around Boone.

Boone turned and gazed up at Julius. The guy

couldn’t be more than five feet seven inches. He
was still very slim, although the dangerous stages
of starvation were gone. His tan cheeks were
beginning to fill out, and freckles sprinkled along
a slightly crooked nose. Maybe he somehow broke
it while living in the wild with the other anti-
venom. It didn’t detract from his beauty in the
slightest. Julius’s dark blue eyes stared at Boone in
anger while a long-fingered hand brushed stray
blond locks out of his eyes. Hell, he was pissed.

“Well, I was going to tell you, but I think it was

you that told me to get the hell away from you.”
Boone waggled his brows, taunting Julius. He
really wasn’t trying to be a dick, but he loved the
fire in those blue eyes. Julius didn’t even realize
how strong he was.

Jackie Nacht

“That was still after the fact,” Julius gritted out,

pointing his finger at Boone. If it would have been
anyone but his mate, that finger would be meeting
the end of his blade. “Don’t fucking talk for me.”

“I wasn’t talking for you,” Boone growled. Heat

pooled, and his cock thickened as the fight
escalated. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to yell at
Julius or fuck him on the table. Unfortunately,
neither was an option.

“Then why am I going with you?” Julius leaned

down, getting in his face.

Boone grabbed Julius by the back of the head.

“Because I’m the only one that can go, and I’m a
stubborn son of a bitch. TL needs me to cover his
back. If you don’t go, I’m staying. I’m not leaving
you behind. So tell me, do you want to go and
help out your friends and the hive, or do you want
to prove a point to me and refuse to go, risking
lives?”

Julius leaned back with a frown on his face.

“Why is it so important that I go with you? I’ll
only slow you down. That’s not helping.”

“You’re my mate.” Boone lip curled. Why

couldn’t Julius understand this? For someone so
sweet and shy, he was being damn stubborn.

“So you’ve said. I’ve seen mates, Boone. They

work together and help each other out. They don’t
just take.” Julius puffed out a breath, and his
blonde bangs flew back out of his eyes.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Boone stepped back and scrubbed a hand over

his face. He was fucking this whole thing up. He
couldn’t help that he was aggressive and pushy.
He’d already lost so much, but Julius didn’t know
that. Julius didn’t know that if Boone lost Julius,
he would never recover. He barely knew Julius,
but he understood enough to know that he was in
love with the man, and it was making him act
crazy.

Boone was aware that the rest of the cafeteria

was witnessing this. He couldn’t care less as he
pulled Julius down to sit next to him on the bench.
He was shocked the anti-venom went willingly.
He leaned forward, pulling Julius to him, forehead
to forehead.

Closing his eyes, Boone whispered, “Please

come with me on this? If for no other reason than
to help your friends and for a chance for the two
of us to get know each other.”

Boone wanted so badly to brush his lips across

Julius’s, but held back, respecting the man’s space.
Pulling back, Boone opened his eyes to the curious
gaze of Julius. The man had his head tilted as if he
was trying to figure Boone out.

“Okay,” Julius said after a moment.
“Okay?” Boone was surprised Julius just

accepted. He expected a fight.

Julius stared down at Boone’s worn jeans with a

frown on his face. Boone really wished he knew
what the man was thinking.

Jackie Nacht

Julius shrugged. “You gave good reasons for

me to go. Just talk to me next time. I’m going to go
pack a small bag for the trek. I’ll be back in fifteen
minutes.”

Julius stood and left Boone completely

confused. He watched as the tight ass walked out
of his view until he felt an elbow to his rib.

“TL.” Boone had forgotten his friend was even

there.

“That went better than expected,” TL said as

Boone picked up and drained the rest of his juice.

Boone shifted his gaze to TL. “You think he’ll

be that easy from now on?”

TL barked out a laugh that drew eyes back to

their table. “Not even fucking close. That was a
warning, my dear friend, whether you were aware
of it or not.”

Boone chuckled. “You think so?”
“Yeah, you better start talking to the man, or he

might be handing you your balls on a platter next
time you cross him.” TL snorted as he bit into a
biscuit.

Boone shook his head. “I won’t do that again. I

learned my lesson. He’s taken care of himself long
before I came along.”

TL clapped him on the back. “It’s fucking

killing you saying that. Just wait until you get all
aggressive and protective when we make our way.
You know the venom we could run into.”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Boone stretched his neck. He hated it, but if he

didn’t give his mate a chance to stand on his own
two feet, he was going to lose him. Boone saw it in
Julius’s eyes. “I’ll protect him against the venom,
but I’ll quit um…hovering.”

TL snorted. “Is that what you’ve been calling it?

More like stalking.”

“Pursuing,” Boone corrected.
“Huh? Try again, my friend,” TL snorted.
Boone groaned, covering his face with his

hands. “I’ll work on it.”

TL clapped him on the back. “We’ll see. Maybe

once Julius gets to know you, he might not mind it
so much that you break into his room every
night.”

“You were there when it happened. You know

why I watch him.” Boone rubbed his palms over
his eyes. Damn, he had a headache coming on.

“There is no one trying to get into his room

here. You killed the enemy and protected him. Did
you ever even tell him that happened?”

Boone shook his head.
“Why not?” TL hollered.
“It just…never came up.” Boone dropped his

hands on the table and stared at his friend. “There
hasn’t been time.”

“Make time. This is your mate, and if he was

mine, I’d let him know why I’ve been freaked
about letting him out of my sight.” TL got up from
the table and grabbed his tray.

Jackie Nacht

Boone stood and followed. “I’ll meet you

outside of the hive as soon as I’m ready. I’m going
to go pack and get Julius.”

They dropped their trays off and began walking

to the exit. “It’s two days to the fire ants, use that
time to talk with your mate.”

“What about you?” Boone shouted as TL began

walking away from him.

“I’ll talk to the octopus. He loves my ass.” TL

laughed as he turned the corner.

Boone shook his head. His friend had lost his

mind. Cash hated TL with a passion.

Boone started to walk toward his room to pack.

This was definitely going to be an interesting trip.
TL was right. He needed to talk to Julius and get
to know his mate.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Chapter Three

ulius blew out a hot breath and wondered why
the hell he was on this trek again. The venoms

moved with a lithe grace while he huffed and
puffed his way down a long, deserted highway.
Tall weeds grew from the cracks in the asphalt,
and the sun was unmerciful. Julius had packed for
warm days and cool nights. That was how
California was this time of year.

His body still wasn’t prepared for the travel,

and he wondered again, as Boone lifted his hand
to stop the four of them, why he had come along.

Julius knelt down, exhausted after walking for

most of the day. A canteen was held in front of his
face, and Julius took it gratefully. He unscrewed
the cap and drank in heavy pulls, a little trickling
out of the side of his mouth.

While Julius was a hot mess, Boone looked

positively edible. The wandering spider’s jeans
were tight in the ass and loose at the bottom,
covering dusty brown boots. The man still refused
to wear a shirt, but had a belt that was sporting

Jackie Nacht

several knives. A strap traversed his ripped chest,
which held a quiver full of arrows and a crossbow.
Julius tried to distract himself from that bead of
sweat working into the tight, tattered denim and
took another drink, nearly choking.

“Try to slow down or you’ll make yourself

sick.” Boone squatted down in front of him.

Julius took one more drink before he handed

the canteen back, completely out of breath. “I’m
slowing you down.”

“You’re pushing yourself too hard. We’re

camping for the night.” Boone rubbed Julius’
sweaty blond hair back.

Julius wished they were closer to the ocean so

he could jump in.

“I need to. You have to get to the fire ants. The

hive is counting on us,” Julius huffed out.

“The hive is safe. They won’t make a move

until we get back. So we’ll rest for the night and
get some food in all of us.”

Boone moved closer to Julius, their faces a mere

six inches apart. Tired as Julius was, his guard was
down, and he took a moment to stare at the
beautiful, tan face. Boone had a day’s growth on
his face, and the stubble was coming in a sandy
brown. Boone licked full lips, and Julius felt an
urge to lean over and lick them for the venom.
Julius lifted his gaze to stare at the light brown
eyes that were penetrating him.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius could feel it. There was something

between them. He recognized that it wouldn’t take
much for the spark to ignite and for them to come
together. Boone had saved him, but Julius didn’t
know him and he pulled back.

“What?” Boone’s brows furrowed.
“Why me?” Julius asked.
Boone bit his lower lip. “I feel it. I just know

that if we get a chance to breathe and get to know
each other, it’ll be forever.”

“We’re at war, Boone. There is no breathing

when you are constantly on the run.” Julius
sighed.

“Then we do our best. That’s why we make

each moment count.” Boone brushed a stray, wet
strand of hair out of Julius’ eye.

“I wish I had that sense like you. It’s a

bit…well, you freaked me out in the beginning…”
Julius began.

“I saw an assassin looking in your room the

night I met you. I almost lost you.” Boone picked
up a rock and threw it to the side.

“You never told me that.” Julius was shocked to

hear it. He always thought it was Boone lurking in
the shadows.

“You were so scared when you saw me, and

then, I kept seeing assassins hovering. They were
always fucking sneaking around, trying to find a
weakness. I wasn’t about to fucking lose you.”

Jackie Nacht

Boone pulled back his lips, showing an impressive
set of fangs.

Julius shivered. “We were never safe in Mission

Territory, were we?”

“No. You could be if the hive moved in and the

fire ants united. Kalder and Abby could work
together to make a fortress of protection that those
assholes would never penetrate. I hate Venom
City, but I understand why Abby and Kalder are
trying to push in. The evil is spreading. If it isn’t
taken down soon, no one will be safe.” Boone
adjusted his cowboy hat.

“Is it Pacific Territory or the others?” Julius

didn’t know the inner workings of the territories.
He just knew that there were four and that his
anti-venom kind was hunted. They were either
enslaved or murdered for their precious blood.

Boone stared over Julius’s shoulder as he spoke.

“I’m from La Jolla. I know when I was young and
fled, it was corrupted. The leader killed my
parents in front of me. I think Veronica is a better
leader, but I’ve stayed away from the
manipulations of Venom City.”

He lost his parents? The pain in Boone’s eyes said

it all. He was scarred by the event, and it marked
him and shaped him. Julius couldn’t even imagine
seeing his parents die. He had been too young to
even remember them. A couple months ago, he
lost the only person he had viewed as a father
figure. The man went out to hunt for food and

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

never

returned.

Life

was

that

quickly

extinguished.

Julius knew that Boone viewed him as his mate.

Was that why he watched him so closely? Was he
afraid that history would repeat itself? Julius still
wasn’t happy about Boone stalking him, but at
least he saw a reason behind it now.

“I’m sorry you lost your parents. I wish we

could all just leave and never look back. Find
somewhere safe.” Julius watched as Cash and TL
began making a small camp by a cluster of trees.
The two were about twenty yards away, and as he
watched, their eyes veered to Boone and him from
time to time. Julius smiled; they were trying to
give them privacy, but eavesdropping at the same
time. TL was the worst at long necking the
conversation. The spider wasp was a handful.

“There may be some safe places out there in the

world, but there is a lot of corruption, too. We
have a long way to go to rebuild this world. It
doesn’t happen in a day.” Boone flopped down on
his ass and stretched his legs out in the dirt,
booted feet practically touching Julius’s hips.

“I can’t imagine the whole world is like this.”

Julius felt the boot tap his hip and smiled. The
little touches that used to drive him crazy
suddenly didn’t bother him so much.

“I’d like to think there are better places, but

where? I’ve found peace for years with the hive.
That was only disrupted when Venom City started

Jackie Nacht

getting out of control. All those families in there
and kids, they couldn’t travel to an unknown
location.” Boone stood and held out a hand.
“C’mon, let’s pull a pack out and get some food in
you.”

Julius reached up and grabbed Boone’s hand.

The venom lifted him up, and their bodies met.
Julius stared up at Boone and that feeling
happened again. Julius licked his lips, wanting
something, but too fucking terrified to take the
initiative.

Boone leaned down, brushing his lips against

Julius’s. The kiss was more of a whisper, then
Boone pulled back. Julius was so confused. He had
spent all this time pushing Boone away. Now, he
wanted to reach out and pull him in. Just a taste of
the man and Julius felt himself wanting more of
Boone.

Boone met him halfway, and when their lips

met, the kiss caught on fire. Julius gripped the
man’s shoulders with trembling hands as he
opened his mouth, feeling Boone’s tongue duel
with his. Julius moaned as Boone wrapped his
arms around him.

What the hell was he doing? Talk about a one-

eighty. Wasn’t he mad at the man just that
morning?

Right then, Julius was a mix of emotion as he

tried to get a grasp on how he felt about the man
that was damn near consuming him with this kiss.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

That morning, he had been so angry he would
have laughed at anyone who said that he would
be kissing Boone by dinnertime. Fucking laughed
in their face. Now, it just felt so damn right that he
couldn’t understand why he had been pushing
Boone away for so long. Damn spider pursued
him until he was slowly breaking down. Right
then, he couldn’t care less.

Julius deepened the kiss and pressed his body

against Boone’s muscular frame. The man was one
solid muscle. Julius’s cock thickened, and as much
as he wanted to take this a little further, he knew
that Cash and TL were right by them. Pulling
back, Julius panted as he stared at Boone who took
a step toward him.

“Cash and TL,” Julius panted. His body was

hot all over, and it had nothing to do with the
weather, but all to do with the wandering spider
in front of him.

Boone glanced over his shoulder at TL and

Cash. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Julius’s eyes widened as Boone adjusted an

impressive bulge behind his denim. Boone didn’t
have an ounce of modesty.

Grabbing his hand, Boone guided Julius over to

TL and Cash, who were starting a fire for the
night. Even though it was hot then, the night was
going to get cold.

Jackie Nacht

Cash pulled out a package and opened it up. A

small pile of dried meat lay inside, and Cash
began handing some out.

TL pulled out bread, and soon, the four of them

were sitting quietly while they ate the small
provisions they had for the trip.

Cash sat to Julius’s left while Boone sat to his

right. TL was sitting with his legs crisscross,
appearing younger than his years, or was he?

“How old are you, TL?” Julius asked, curious

for the first time.

The side of TL’s mouth kicked up in a smile

around his jerky. “Twenty-two. Don’t worry, I’ve
been running around these parts for years, and
Boone has a couple years on all of us.”

Wow! It surprised Julius to know that TL was

only two years older than himself. Then another
thought came to him. He had no knowledge of
politics but… “How come the hive didn’t send
Abby?”

TL’s brows furrowed. “She needs to protect the

hive. That’s what is most important. I’ll be talking
for the hive.”

“But you’re so young and…” Julius blurted out

then stopped himself. The truth was that TL
seemed too young and not necessarily equipped to
do the job. An entire hive was counting on them.
Abby’s and Kalder’s brothers were counting on
him. Julius had seen that TL was a great fighter,
but was he good at being a liaison?

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

TL barked out a laugh. “Trust me; I’m the only

one the fire ants won’t cut the balls off when we
get in range. Traveling through these parts, I made
a friend with the second in command to the queen
ant. Rio will listen because he knows if I’m coming
for help, I’m desperate.”

“How did you meet him?” Julius asked.
There was a fleeting look on TL’s face that

Julius couldn’t figure out before it disappeared.

Huh?

“About two years ago, I was searching for anti-

venom to give them sanctuary when I came upon
a nasty viper. The female had me pinned and got a
blade in my side. I thought for sure that was it,
when this fire ant came upon us and took her out.
Rio’s a bit of…a collector of those that violate his
territory and home.” TL pursed his lips as if in
thought, then shivered.

“What does Rio collect?” Cash asked quietly.

The blue-ringed octopus had been silent since they
left the hive. Julius noticed that Cash had fallen for
the anti-venom leader, Tristan, back at the hive,
but the man hadn’t come. Why?

TL rubbed his bare throat. “Fangs from

intruders. He has a nice-size necklace from all his
victims. The fire ants have a bit of a chip on their
shoulder. At the beginning, they lived in Pacific
Territory and were run out, deemed second class.”

Cash nodded. “Pacific Territory is all based on

your level of toxicity. Fire ants don’t have the

Jackie Nacht

venom to kill their victims. Sounds like something
Reef and his family would do.”

Julius asked, while reaching for Boone’s hand,

“Reef is the leader of the Pacific Territory?
Stonefish, right? He’s the one that has Abby’s
brother and Killian?”

Cash nodded. “He covets lethal beauty. He’s an

ugly son of a bitch. His face is human, but the skin
is entirely stonefish.”

Man, the more Julius learned about Reef, the

worse he became. The venom was pure evil right
down to his soul.

“How do you know that?” Boone rubbed his

jaw, gaze toward Cash. Julius wondered what
Boone’s problem was.

“Reef tried to claim me before I escaped.” Cash

stood up and walked off into the distance.

Julius stood, wanting to go after his friend, but

Boone tugged at his hand. “I want to go see if
Cash is okay.” Julius jerked his hand out of
Boone’s.

“Give Cash a minute. How come none of you

said that Cash was connected with Reef before?”
Boone said as he stared after Cash.

“Because it’s painful to him.” Julius frowned as

he heard a strange sound, a sad pathetic rattle that
was broken up. “What is that?”

TL shot to his feet and so did Boone.
“Stay close to me!” Boone ordered.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius jumped over to Boone’s side as Cash

shouted in the distance.

Boone and TL took off running, and Julius tried

to keep up.

There was a man approaching Cash, covered in

bruises and blood. He was completely naked as he
stumbled, each jerky movement making that
strange broken-up rattle sound. The guy looked
up and finally seemed to notice that the four of
them were staggered in front of him.

The man hissed, showcasing a set of wickedly

long fangs before he stumbled and fell to the
ground face first.

TL took off with a whimper as he ran up and

knelt next to the guy. “Boone! Go get some
bandages and stuff to clean his wounds.”

Julius ran up to help TL. Through all the blood,

Julius could make out beautiful, intricate,
diamond-shaped segments made up of tiny scales
adorning the wounded man’s back. The entire
length of the man’s spine was lined with rattlers,
several missing or fallen off. There was even some
that appeared to be dug out as Julius stared at
several deep cuts lining the spine.

“Do you know him?” Julius’s voice shook.
“No but…” TL’s alarmed gaze caught Julius’s

over the man. “Help,” TL choked out.

Julius got to work shedding his shirt, and Cash

ripped his off, trying to make a dirt-free patch to
roll the guy on. From the moment the guy

Jackie Nacht

approached, Julius noticed that there were several
injuries in his front, bleeding out. It looked like the
guy had been savagely whipped.

There was a noise off to the side, and Julius

looked over to see two venom approaching,
coming fast with blades. One was covered in
scales while the other was completely cloaked.
Julius jumped when an arrow struck the scaled
one in the left side of his chest. Boone leaped over
the three of them with a knife in his hand and took
the cloaked figure down. The dust kicked up as
the two fought, and TL jumped up to aide Boone.
Whoever the cloaked man was, he was fucking
strong to be holding his own against Boone and
TL.

Boone pinned the guy and sank his fangs into

the neck of the cloak. The man immediately began
to spasm as the venom took hold. Julius watched
as Boone frowned down at the man before taking
his knife and slitting the man’s throat.

TL finished the scaled man, striking his blade

several times into the scaled chest before they
came back breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” Boone asked him.
“Me? I was going to ask you that.” Julius’s

voice broke. Seeing Boone in danger scared the
hell out of him.

“I’m fine. I’m going to go get the pack and I’ll

be right back.” Boone took off with a speed that

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius envied. The venom should be exhausted
from the fight.

Boone came back a few minutes later, dropping

to the ground with a pack, cloths and a canteen.
Boone stared down at the injured venom. “I hope
his cuts aren’t deep, because we have next to
nothing to help him except to clean the wounds.”

TL’s hand shook as he cleaned and dressed the

guy’s back, paying close attention to the spine
area. It had to be done, and Julius recognized the
pain would be great for the poor guy, but they
rolled him over. It took all three of them to get him
onto the shirts.

The man, crazed from being injured and in

severe agony, struck out and bit Julius’s hand
three quick times before pulling back and hissing
wildly.

“Were you bit?” Boone shouted as he wrestled

the guy.

“No,” Julius rasped out and hid his hand. They

had enough on their plate without losing Boone to
check Julius over. It was taking Cash, TL and
Boone just to settle the venom down.

Cash and Boone held the man while TL

murmured and stroked his hair.

Julius’s eyes widened as the snake settled and

TL got back to work. The rattler seemed to lose
consciousness while TL treated a particularly deep
gash.

Jackie Nacht

It seemed like forever before they were able to

patch up the rattler and move him back to camp. It
took TL and Boone to carry him. Julius felt sick to
his stomach, and a sweat built on his brow just
from the short walk. Glancing down at his hand,
he saw that his hand was severely swollen.
Hemotoxin venom. The tissue around the bites
was dying. He was anti-venom and would
eventually heal, but he knew he was also going to
be in a world of hurt for a couple of days.

The men settled the rattler down by the fire.

Then, Boone turned and frowned at Julius.

Julius stumbled and stopped, legs no longer

cooperating. He tried to work his mouth a couple
of time, but it wouldn’t cooperate. The last thing
he saw was Boone running toward him as he fell
into darkness.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Chapter Four

or two days, Boone had to watch as Julius
fought the toxins running through his system.

They carried Striker, the injured snake, and Julius
to the fire ants where, luckily, TL talked with Rio
and gained entry into the colony.

Boone was constantly on his guard as he

watched the skin on Julius’s hand worsen the first
night and then miraculously begin to heal at a
speed that shocked the hell out of Boone.

Boone paced the small room that was given to

him and Julius. It shouldn’t have, but it still
surprised Boone to find out the ants were living
underground. TL had been there before and had
explained their dwelling, but it was another thing
for Boone to see it.

He still didn’t know how they dealt with

earthquakes or cave-ins. They had to have trouble
with that, right? Boone felt like he was being
buried alive, and it was driving him insane.

Rio had come to see them several times,

checking on them and keeping Boone in the loop

Jackie Nacht

about the fire ants coming to help. Right now, Rio
had a good number from the colony and any help
they could get, Boone would be grateful for.

Rio had mostly been talking to TL, and Boone

was fine with that. From the beginning, he knew
TL was the one that was going to be doing most of
the talking while he was more here as a second in
command with Cash.

Cash had been quiet, lost in thought. The

octopus had done his job and continued to do it,
but it was clear to see that there was something
troubling him.

Julius moaned from the bed, and Boone hurried

over, sitting next to him.

Julius’s lashes fluttered before they opened up,

unfocused. He groaned, and Boone grabbed a hold
of his uninjured hand.

“Boone,” Julius rasped out and then closed his

eyes.

Boone’s heart sped up. Julius might not think

he knew it, but there was something inside the
anti-venom seeking Boone out, or he wouldn’t
have been calling out to him the last couple of
days.

A soft knock came to the door, and TL entered.

The spider wasp looked like shit. His dark hair
was all over the place, and there were bags under
his eyes. “How’s Julius?”

Boone nodded. “He’s starting to come around.

He’s stirring. How about Striker?”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Pain filled the eyes usually shining with joy. TL

put his hands on his hips while staring at the
ground and answered. “Striker is…well, it’s going
to take time. He’s good with me…that’s
something…right?”

TL stared at him with desperation. His best

friend wanted him to tell him good news, but the
fact of the matter was, Striker had been tortured. It
was amazing he was even talking to TL. With
anyone else, Striker huddled in the corner and
struck out.

“Where’s Cash?” Boone leaned down and

kissed Julius’s brow. It was slightly warm, still
fighting the venom, but it was cooler than it had
been the night before.

“Cash is watching Striker and Rio. He’s been

surprisingly patient with Striker.” TL closed the
door and leaned his back against it. He looked
exhausted in Boone’s eyes.

“I’m sorry you met your mate this way.” Boone

stared at TL as the man looked up. TL’s Adam’s
apple bopped as he swallowed with difficulty.

“It’s never easy. Venom City, those fucking

assholes, what they did to him. They tried to break
him, but he’s not broken. He’s got me now, and I’ll
be there to help put him back together.” Boone
watched as a tear tracked down TL’s cheek. Never
in all his years of knowing the spider wasp had he
known his friend to cry.

Jackie Nacht

Boone stood and gathered TL up in a hug.

“Striker will heal.”

“Will he? What the fuck did they do to him,

Boone? We know diamondback rattlers. They’re
assholes and territorial. Never back down. Striker
is terrified of me coming near him. His own mate.
Terrified of Rio too,” TL choked out.

Boone held his friend as he trembled like a leaf

in his arms. He had no words of comfort. Wait,
what about Rio?

TL moved to the side, out of his arms and

rubbed his face with his palms, trying to collect
himself. “Rio needs to speak to us. He said if we’re
okay, he’ll meet with us in between us taking care
of our mates.”

“Boone,” Julius rasped out from the bed.
Boone turned and stared at Julius’s pain-filled

blue eyes. Boone grabbed a hold of the uninjured
hand. “I’m right here, Jules.”

Julius opened his mouth to talk and then closed

it. With a trembling, bandaged hand, Julius
brought his injured hand to his throat.

“You need a drink?” Boone asked, grabbing the

glass off the table by the side of the bed.

Julius nodded, and Boone brought the glass to

Julius’s lips. He didn’t take much.

Julius pulled his head back. “Where are we?”
“At the fire ant colony.” Boone stroked the

blond bangs back. He couldn’t seem to stop

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

himself from touching Julius. To see those blue
eyes staring back at him was a relief.

TL clapped Boone on the back. “We’ll talk later.

I’m going to go back to Striker.”

Boone glanced over his shoulder and nodded to

TL, before turning back to Julius. “Take care.”

The door clicked closed behind him as he

continued to stroke Julius’s hair. “Scared the hell
out of me.”

“I’ll live.” Julius moaned.
“Yeah, but it won’t be fun for the next week. I

thought for sure I was going to lose you.” Boone
leaned down and kissed Julius’s cheeks before
lying down next to him. What surprised Boone
was that Julius rolled over and draped half his
body over Boone’s.

“That’s why anti-venom are taken. I should

have died. Anyone would have, except anti-
venom. As far as I know, we can fight off pretty
much anything.”

“I get why the few left are captured, but why

are there so many of you killed?” Boone
murmured against the blond hair.

“Our blood is an advantage to healing us, but

it’s also a target. Many feel that having anti-venom
around just puts a giant bulls-eye on their back
because other venom are hunting us to keep our
blood as an anti-venom in case they are bitten by
the enemy. Most won’t pay the price of keeping an

Jackie Nacht

anti-venom captive when there are other ways to
kill.” Julius yawned.

“Venoms use their venom frequently against

their enemy, though.” Boone stroked Julius’ hair.

God, Julius is awake. He is going to be okay.

“Which is why my kind is forced into hiding.”

Julius stared up at him. “We heal fast from venom,
but as you can tell, we never genetically inherited
the strength and power that the venom have.
Sometimes, I wish I was venom. But then, I look at
what’s going on and realize that everyone has it
rough. There is no greener pasture, just a long
road to getting a foothold in the world.”

“I think, at times like these, what’s important is

to find someone or something to hold onto and
not look back. Cherish it, make each moment
count.” Boone entwined his uninjured hand with
Julius’s. Both their hands were callused and
rough, proof that no man had it easy.

“Do you think I’ve wasted time trying to figure

things out with you?” Julius asked.

Boone chuckled. “No. We haven’t known each

other long, and I have been pursuing you a bit
crazy.”

Julius chuckled and glanced up at him. “I

wouldn’t suggest your dating methods to anyone
else. I must have lost my damn mind, because it
worked on me.”

“The mating worked on you. The toxins, for all

the death and destruction they caused, they do

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

know how to instinctually bring two people
together.” Boone stroked the tips of his fingers up
Julius’s bare arm.

“I didn’t feel it like you did. I feel something,

but I think it’s a slower burn than yours. Not sure.
I’m a little out of my element on this.” Julius
moaned as Boone reached for Julius’s exposed
shoulder and massaged it.

“We have a heightened instinct anti-venom

don’t possess. That’s the animal DNA in us that
lets us know. Remember, we have that animal
instinct, too.” Boone pushed Julius facedown and
straddled him then began massaging his back. He
was still so damn thin, and the bite hadn’t helped.
Boone tenderly massaged the tight muscles, trying
to work the kinks out that were there from being
laid up for the last couple of days.

Julius moaned underneath him, and the

vibration went through his entire body. His cock
hardened. Hell, this wasn’t the time, and he
wasn’t going to do anything about it, but his mate
was right underneath him.

Boone leaned down and tenderly kissed along

Julius’s spine. It wasn’t meant to be for anything
more than comfort. Julius had just woken up.

A knock came to the door, and Boone bared his

fangs, hating the interruption. Getting up, he
stormed over to the door, jerking it open, to see
Rio standing on the other side.

Jackie Nacht

The fire ant didn’t even ask to come in, just

waltzed past Boone and approached Julius.
Boone’s protectiveness kicked into high gear, and
he lunged, knocking the ant out of the way before
he could touch Julius.

Rio’s dark eyes stared at him fiercely. “I’m

checking on my guest. Touch me again, spider,
and you’ll be out on your ass.”

The fire ant had a serious complex. The man

was beautiful and muscular, but was probably
only five feet ten to Boone’s six and half feet.
However, he was the biggest soldier ant in the
colony. Antennae stuck out from dark red hair,
and even Rio’s skin was a dark reddish hue. The
man was breathtaking, but had a chip on his
shoulder the likes of which Boone had never seen.
He was surprised that Rio allowed them
sanctuary.

“I wanted to see how our guest was doing.” Rio

walked around Boone again and approached
Julius, who was sitting up in bed. Julius’s eyes
widened as Rio approached. Fear. There was fear
in his mate’s eyes.

“Stop, Rio. You can talk to him from there,”

Boone gritted out. His fangs exposed.

Rio glanced over at Boone. “I would never

harm him,” Rio said in offense.

“Tell that to Julius who has been hunted all his

life.” Boone’s gaze bored into the other venom.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Rio turned to Julius, and Boone walked over to

the other side of the bed, reaching for Julius. Julius
grabbed onto his hand, trembling. “This is Rio.
The leader of the fire ants.”

“I…I…” Julius stuttered and then cleared his

throat. “I thought a queen was their leader,” Julius
whispered.

Rio frowned. “Venom City has spread it’s

toxicity to here. We lost her two weeks ago in a
battle against the Kraits. They took her and her
mate. There are no other queens in the colony,
only drones and soldiers.”

Boone finally saw Rio shed the mask and reveal

his true self. This venom mourned the loss,
greatly.

“What will you do?” Julius asked, reaching out

with a bandaged hand to Rio. Is my mate actually

trying to comfort a stranger?

Rio’s eyes widened in surprise then looked at

Boone, silently asking permission. Boone nodded,
and Rio grabbed a hold of Julius’s injured hand
gently.

“I’m working with other soldiers, trying to

figure that out right now,” Rio murmured, “How
are you feeling?”

Julius stared up at Rio before he answered, “I’m

doing better. Thank you for helping us out.”

Rio nodded. “TL…is a friend of mine. His

friend isn’t fairing as well as you are. Hopefully,
he’ll come around in a couple of days when he

Jackie Nacht

figures out he’s safe. Can I get you two anything
in the meantime?”

Boone answered, “I’d be pretty grateful if you

could bring him some food and water.”

Rio smirked at him. “I’ll make sure to bring

enough for the both of you. In the meantime, get
some rest. TL and I have a little more talking to
do, but try and heal up for the trip back to the
hive.”

“You’re helping us?” Boone asked, surprised

that the fire ants would give in so quickly. They’d
never been exactly quiet about their hatred for
Venom City and their fucked-up hierarchy.

Rio walked to the door then turned eyes filled

with sorrow toward them. “I’ve sacrificed what
was most dear to me to protect my queen and
failed. Who else are we going to lose before we
take action? We’re no longer safe here, and I don’t
want to stand by quietly while my family is
silently struck down by other venom in the night.”

Rio left, closing the door behind him quietly.
Boone crawled back into bed with Julius,

holding his mate tightly. Every second counts.
Every second.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Chapter Five

ulius felt a lot better, but walking through the
tunnels made him completely aware that his

body wasn’t quite up to par yet. Who was he
kidding? They would be leaving soon for the hive,
and he felt that he could make it back, but it was
going to be a treacherous journey for him.

They had been there a week, and while he was

doing pretty well, Striker was another story. The
rattler was coherent and aware of his
surroundings, but the man was fucking terrified.
TL was the only one that was able to be near the
venom to soothe him. Julius had no clue how they
were going to get Striker back to the hive with an
entire army of ants surrounding him. Striker
refused to leave the room and woke the entire
hallway at night with his screams from horrific
nightmares.

Boone had his arm wrapped around Julius as

they made their way to TL and Striker. The last
week was a slow process of healing. Every step of
the way, Boone had been there. As aggressive as

Jackie Nacht

Boone seemed in the beginning, Julius found it
fascinating that the spider had an extraordinary
gift for caring. Boone had been so patient with him
while he slowly recovered; a complete opposite to
the personality that Julius had seen before.

Julius was growing to care for Boone greatly.

There was a lot more to the wandering spider, and
he wanted to discover each and every trait of the
venom.

Julius approached TL and Striker’s door. Boone

knocked on the door and waited next to him. TL
opened the door a moment later, looking
completely wrung out. His dark hair was in
disarray, and he had circles under tired eyes.
Julius glanced over TL’s shoulder to see that
Striker’s back was pressed into the corner.

Boone brought TL in for a hug. “We need to get

Striker used to a couple of us. We’ll be leaving in
the morning.”

TL nodded before opening up the door for

them to come in. Julius’s heart ached as Striker
pressed himself against the wall. Julius began to
approach him, but Boone grabbed him by the arm.
“Let me go first. If he bites you again…” Boone
grimaced.

Julius nodded, not wanting to cause another

incident. He stood next to TL as Boone
approached, but Striker hissed, not at Boone, but
at Julius as he got closer to TL.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius froze, and Boone reached his arm back,

speaking softly, “Go by the door, Jules.”

Julius trembled as he went to the door, Striker

tracking each of his steps. This snake hated him
for some odd reason.

Julius held onto the knob and watched as

Striker began to calm down.

Boone started to speak to Striker. “You know

who I am? I’m a friend of TL’s.”

Striker swallowed harshly and nodded in a

jerky movement, eyes still terrified as they stared
at Julius.

TL came over to Striker and knelt next to him.

“Why are you afraid of Julius? He would never
hurt you. He’s a friend.”

Striker shook his head. “Anti-venom,” Striker

rasped out.

Boone turned and looked at Julius, brow

furrowed in confusion. “What’s wrong with him
being anti-venom?”

Striker trembled like a leaf, the rattlers on his

spine still sounding broken and distorted. “Anti-
venom did this.” Striker rasped out.

“What?” TL asked loudly.
“I was…I was there for months. They call

themselves the pack. They cage venoms, and I was
able to escape with two others, but they didn’t
make it. They have an alliance with venom.”
Striker was losing control, fear etched on his face.

Jackie Nacht

“I won’t hurt you,” Julius whispered, but it

didn’t do any good.

Striker broke down, and TL grabbed his mate,

holding him tightly.

“I’m sorry, TL,” Julius murmured.
“It’s okay. We didn’t know. Striker will need to

know that you’re a good man, Julius. One of the
best and my best friend’s mate. You’ll be good for
him to see that not all anti-venom are fuckers like
the ones…” TL shook his head and buried his face
into Striker’s shoulder, holding him tightly.

Boone came back to Julius and held him.

“Should we go?” Julius asked.

“Give them a minute and see what TL wants.

Striker will need to get comfortable with anti-
venom if he’s going back to the hive. There’s a
large group of them living there.” Boone leaned
down and kissed him on the lips. It was swift and
quick, but it still had the effect to comfort Julius.

Julius pulled back, brows furrowed. “What?”
“I didn’t mention it before, but the men we

fought coming here, one of them, I thought for
sure was anti-venom, but he was strong. Stronger
than most venom I encounter.” Boone pulled at
his lip with his hand. Julius had come to realize
Boone did this when he was trying to work
something out in his head.

TL looked at them over Striker’s shoulder.

“We’re good here. If you want to come back
later…”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

“We’ll be here when you need us,” Boone said

as he guided Julius out the door.

“I feel horrible.” Julius rubbed his brow as he

thought of what just seeing him did to Striker.

“Don’t. We didn’t know.” Boone held Julius’s

hand as they walked back to their guest dwelling.
They passed a distressed-looking Rio along the
way, and Julius glanced over his shoulder to see
him open the door to TL and Striker’s room.

“I should have known that cloaked guy I fought

was anti-venom. That poor guy, what the fuck? I’ll
have to inform Kalder and Abby that we have
another enemy on our hands.”

“I didn’t think anti-venom were strong enough

to take out venom,” Julius murmured as they
opened up the door to their room and walked in.
He seemed so inferior to the enemy.

“I didn’t either, but we all know that this world

is constantly evolving. Maybe there’s a whole new
strain of survivors that we never knew about.”
Boone sat on the bed before flopping on his back,
covering his eyes with the back of his hands. His
cowboy hat, which Julius never saw the man
without, fell off the spider’s head.

Julius followed and fell on the bed beside

Boone. He was still tired and worn out from
recovering. He definitely could use a nap right
about then. Moving over, Julius nestled up to
Boone. Every second seemed precious, now more
than ever. Julius didn’t want to lose Boone, and

Jackie Nacht

the next day, they would be leaving the colony
and, once again, be out in the open, unprotected.
He now understood why Boone had Julius come,
why he watched him. There was a good chance
that at any moment they would be killed.

Sure, Julius was used to living like this, but not

when he had someone who loved him and who he
was falling for. It was different. He didn’t want to
waste tonight knowing what dangers they were
facing tomorrow.

“Boone?”
“Hmm?”
Julius rolled over on top of Boone and took the

initiative, leaning down and kissing his mate. His
mate. No more wasting time. Julius was going to
claim Boone right at this moment.

Boone’s lips froze for a moment before a deep

guttural groan rumbled in the man’s chest. Boone
returned his kiss with enthusiasm, wrapping his
arms around Julius.

Julius deepened the kiss, tongues dueling, and

Julius grazed those wicked fangs.

Boone pulled back, lips swollen. “Careful. My

venom is no fun, although it does have this one
side effect.”

“What’s that?” Julius leaned down and began

sucking and licking Boone’s neck.

“Priapism.” Boone waggled his eyebrows.
Julius chuckled. “Sounds like a good time.”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

“Not if your erection never goes down, which

my venom is known for.” Boone laughed.

“Ouch.” Julius laughed. It seemed fun, until it

became permanent. They would have to be careful
with that.

“Not as much fun, but I think we should be

careful around my fangs.” Boone reached up and
pulled him back in for a kiss.

Julius wondered if the other anti-venom had

the same problem, like Reese with Kalder’s fangs,
or was Boone different.

That thought flew out of Julius’s head when

Boone used his other hand to grab his ass and
grind their cloth-covered erections together. Julius
huffed and thrust, his cock already leaking at the
tip. The stimulation was more than he’d ever had
with another man, and his control was
nonexistent.

Boone rolled them over, Julius under the man

for a moment before Boone stood up, putting his
hat back on. Boone was reaching for his dusty
boot when he pointed to Julius. “Strip,” Boone
ordered.

Julius moved swiftly, removing his shoes before

taking off his shirt and pants. He was out of breath
as his gaze roamed over Boone. Boone’s body was
perfection. There was no chest hair to be seen
except for the tiny sandy-colored hairs that
matched Boone’s skin tone. He was even sexier
standing there completely naked with that damn

Jackie Nacht

cowboy hat on. Julius grabbed the base of his dick
to keep from coming right then and there.

Boone walked over to a shelf and grabbed a

tiny bottle.

Julius’s heart sped up, knowing what that was

going to be used for.

Boone crawled up from the end of the bed

before lying on top of him. Julius moaned at the
sensation of just how soft Boone’s skin actually
was. The tiny hairs brushed along his body,
sending shivers coursing through him.

“Can’t believe this is happening,” Boone

murmured as he leaned down and kissed him.

It might have been closed mouth, but the

intensity was still there. Julius sucked on Boone’s
plump lower lip, and Boone ground his thick cock
against Julius. Julius pulled away, gasping for air.
He needed to ask, “Is it all venom with fangs that
need to be careful?”

Boone shook his head. “Some, but not all. It

depends, I think, on what your mutation is and
what level of control you have over it. I’ve never
been good at controlling my aggressiveness, and
with sex, I might inadvertently hurt you. My fangs
have been known to expel venom without me
trying to do it. It’s a risk I’m not willing to take,
and besides—” Boone smirked, “—there are other
ways to kiss.”

Julius reached up and grabbed Boone by the

back of the neck, meeting their lips once again.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Boone was right. Their kiss had care and a
growing love between them. It was the two of
them here, and they could love one another in a
way that fit their needs, and Julius needed Boone
badly. Those confused emotions that had been
swirling inside him finally found what they
wanted. Boone worked his mouth over Julius’s.
Julius ached as he began thrusting his hips against
Boone’s. He just needed…

Boone leaned down and began sucking and

licking a path down Julius’s neck and then his
chest. The man never used his teeth, but God, did
Boone know how to work that tongue!

Boone’s hat fell off, and before Boone could put

his hat back on, Julius combed his fingers through
the hair.

Boone froze, lips still on Julius’s abdomen as he

gazed up at him.

“What?”
“It’s just…” Boone stopped as Julius went to

comb his fingers through Boone’s hair. The
hairline had several dark lumps on the front, but
Julius could barely make out any more than that
with Boone’s thick, shaggy brown hair.

“What?” Julius asked as Boone sat up, pulling

away, making a grab for his hat.

“I just don’t like to be touched there.” Boone

glanced away from him.

Jackie Nacht

“It’s okay, we all have scars.” Julius tried to

reassure Boone. Julius had several, and his body
had paid for the years of living outside the city.

Boone let out a humorless laugh. “It’s not scars.

It’s my mutation.”

Julius furrowed his brows in confusion. What

on earth…ooh. Julius had seen from the fights he
had encountered recently, venomous spider
sporting several eyes. Julius was baffled, though.
Boone’s could barely be seen.

“You can’t even see them.”
“But I know they’re there, and I hate it. There

are a lot of venom that despise what the toxins did
to us. I can handle the fangs, but my eyes…hell,
they even fucking creep me out.” Boone sat down
next to him.

“We all look different, Boone. Wilder has a

scorpion’s tail. Kalder’s head has a hood when he
gets in fights. I have a skinny ass.” Julius tried to
lighten the situation.

Boone chuckled. “I love your skinny ass.”
Julius swallowed. “And I love you, everything

that comes with you. I don’t mind your eyes.”

Boone glanced over at him. “You love me?”
Julius stared down at the bed and picked at a

loose string. “I do. I agree with you. I don’t want
to waste another minute. It’s important you know
that.”

Boone came closer and gently kissed him. “I

love you, too.”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Julius grabbed Boone by the shoulders and

pulled him on top of him. He was going to make
sure Boone never needed to worry that Julius
would be his.

“I want you,” Boone murmured into the kiss.
“Then take me,” Julius whispered back.
Boone’s nose flared, and then, Julius watched as

Boone grabbed the bottle of oil, uncorking it.
Boone leaned back on his knees, pouring a
generous amount on his callused fingers.

There was no more time for foreplay; Julius

could see that in Boone’s predatory gaze.

Julius spread his legs, giving Boone room to

work as he felt Boone circle his entrance with a
finger. Nerves crept in since this was his first time,
but he blew out a breath, trying to relax as Boone’s
finger breached him.

Julius hissed at the burn, and Boone leaned

down and began licking and sucking at his cock.
Julius shouted as Boone slowly licked a path from
base to tip.

“Hold the base,” Boone growled out.
Julius grabbed the base of his dick as Boone

continued to lick it. A second finger worked in
with the first, but Julius didn’t care at the pain it
caused. He was pretty sure that Boone wouldn’t
take his shaft in his mouth with his fangs, but
fuck, Julius knew if Boone kept this up, he was
going to blow.

Jackie Nacht

Two fingers became three, and Julius began

talking nonsense as the intensity grew. The pain
and pleasure were mixing, and he wasn’t sure
what to do.

Boone licked him one last time and pulled back.
“Wait!” Julius shouted, on the edge.
Boone laughed as he greased up his own cock

before lining up. “Patience. You’ll be coming in no
time.”

Julius huffed as Boone began to push the head

inside, stroking himself. His cock softened as the
pain increased. Soon, Julius’s hands moved to
death grip the sheets beside him. “Hang on a
second.”

“Take a deep breath; once I bottom out, the

pain will lessen, and I can give you time to adjust.
This is the hardest part.” Boone gritted as he sunk
another inch into Julius.

Julius didn’t think his body would take Boone’s

huge dick, but in a matter of minutes, Boone had
bottomed out and held still. Julius gasped, trying
to get used to the invasion inside him.

“Hurts,” Julius whimpered.
Boone leaned down and kissed him on the lips

softly. “It’ll get better, and if it doesn’t, we’ll stop
and try again another time.”

“I don’t want to stop. I want you.” Julius blew

out a breath, determined.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Boone laughed, and the vibration went all the

way to Julius’s core. Julius moaned, not hating the
feeling at all. It almost felt…pleasant.

Boone began kissing Julius’s neck while he

reached down and grabbed Julius’s shaft. It didn’t
take long with those callused fingers on him for
his cock to thicken.

Desire overtook the pain, and Julius began

rocking his hips, testing to see if there was pain.
There was still a little, but the pleasure. God, the
pleasure was intense. Boone leaned back and
slowly began pumping his cock in and out. Julius
took over and stroked his shaft in time as the
thrusts grew.

Boone hissed, showcasing his set of wicked-

looking fangs. He was so fucking sexy that Julius
couldn’t take his eyes off him. Boone picked up
the rhythm, and soon, they were working their
way toward a powerful orgasm.

Julius could feel his stomach tighten and his

balls pull tight. He stroked his shaft a couple more
times before he came all over his hand and
stomach. Boone’s nose flared as he stared down at
the mess on Julius’s stomach. Boone pumped a
couple more times, erratically, before he shouted
and filled Julius up. Julius could feel the copious
amounts flooding his insides.

Boone was breathing heavily as he leaned over

him, holding himself up on his knuckles with his
elbows locked straight. Boone was staring at him

Jackie Nacht

from above for a couple of seconds before leaning
down and brushing his lips across Julius’s. “I love
you.”

Julius caressed his hand along the short

whiskers on Boone’s face. “I love you, too.”

They kissed one more time before Boone

carefully pulled out and climbed out of bed. He
made his way naked toward the door, pulling
Julius with him. “Wait, we can’t go out like this.”

Boone laughed. “Sure, we can. How else are we

going to get a bath in before we leave?”

“A towel would be nice,” Julius protested as

Boone opened the door and all but shoved him out
into the empty hallway.

“Then, how would I get to look at that

delectable, skinny ass that I love so much if you
cover it up?” Boone smirked at him.

God, Julius loved this man, but he was still a

stinker. Julius squared his shoulders back and
glanced over his shoulder. “Fine, there’s towels
there, but don’t get pissed when everyone gets to
see my dick blowing in the wind.”

Boone growled, and Julius took off laughing

toward the bathing chamber. He still wasn’t a
hundred percent but Boone was playful as he
chased him slowly down the hall. Never had he
been so happy.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Chapter Six

he next morning, Boone left a sleeping Julius
while he went in search of TL and Rio. TL had

made the arrangements, but Boone needed to
make sure that the fire ants would be ready to
move out that day. Plus, he needed to know how
many were coming. Boone knew of Rio, but had
yet to get a number that would help the hive. If
they were, indeed, leaving today, he needed to get
him and Julius ready for a two-day journey.

The usually quiet hallway was busy as bodies

passed one another, getting ready. The harsh faces
of soldier ants and drones made Boone wonder if
they were unhappy to be leaving their home or if
something had happened.

Jogging on, Boone made his way to TL’s room

and knocked. He was surprised when Rio opened
the door. Two more workers walked behind him.
“What’s going on?” Boone asked as he entered
and closed the door behind him.

Cash was there, armed and already packed,

kneeling down to help Striker pack a small pack.

Jackie Nacht

The rattler’s hands were shaking, and he blew out
an anxious breath, but he appeared far better than
he had been the day before.

Rio looked pissed. His dark face was harsh with

anger. “We lost ten men last night. Pieces of them
are all we found.”

Boone’s eyes widened as he turned to stare at

TL. TL was also packing a bag. “The territory war
has spread all the way to this area. Rio’s entire
colony is joining us, not just a small army. They’ve
sent a messenger to the four other tunnels that we
weren’t informed of.” TL glared at Rio. “We have
five hundred ants coming with us.”

Boone adjusted his cowboy hat. That was twice

as many fighters as the hive already had. He’d
never expected the number or that the threat
would already be spreading this far.

The hive!
“If they’ve made it this far, what about the

hive?” Boone needed to go wake up Julius and get
moving out, now.

“I know!” TL shouted. “We leave in ten

minutes.”

“What about Striker?” Boone didn’t think the

rattler was up to traveling.

Striker stood up and wiped his palms on a set

of worn jeans. The man wore an old T-shirt, but it
fit tight to his muscular body, “I’ll be okay. I’ve
got TL, and I’ll…stick close to Rio.”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Boone nodded. “I’m going to get Julius. We’ll

be back in ten.”

Boone turned to leave when Striker yelled out,

“Wait!” Boone turned and Striker licked his lips.
“Tell Julius I’m sorry.”

“He’s a good man, and he understands what

you went through,” Boone said solemnly.

Striker licked his lips again. “Okay,” he

whispered.

Boone left and ran all the way back to their

room. He opened the door to find Julius sitting up
on the side of the bed, facing away from the door.
He was scrubbing a hand over disheveled blond
hair, which was sticking up in every direction. If
they had more time, Boone would have taken
Julius then and there, but the timing was
completely wrong.

Julius glanced over his shoulder with sleepy

eyes. “What’s up?”

“We have to get ready to leave immediately.”

Boone walked over to the storage cabinet and
began pulling his weapons and the few clothes
he’d brought. He grabbed a hold of Julius’s pack
and tossed it on the bed.

Julius dressed and packed swiftly. “What’s

going on?”

“Fire ants were attacked again. We think if

they’ve gotten this far…” Boone strapped his
crossbow on his back.

“My family!” Julius shouted in alarm.

Jackie Nacht

“Just pack, and let’s get started. We have a long

journey, and the entire colony is coming with us.”
Boone stuffed a blade into the sheath on his belt.

“The entire colony? I didn’t know all of them

were coming.” Julius zipped his pack and stood
next to him.

“I didn’t either until ten minutes ago.” Boone

closed his bag and grabbed a hold of Julius’s hand
as he made his way out of the room. Everyone was
running toward the exit now, the tunnels
emptying out quickly. Boone followed a group of
soldiers out and up to the surface.

The sun was bright, and Boone had to cover his

eyes until they adjusted to the light. Julius curled
into him, facing his chest. “I can’t see a damn
thing,” Julius grumbled into his chest.

Boone chuckled. “Give it a minute, and we’ll be

good to go.”

Cash came running toward them. “We’re up

front. Come on, you two, we’re heading out.”

Boone guided Julius to the front of the group.

TL was there with Striker. Rio flanked Striker’s
other side as they helped the rattler walk. There
was no time for rest, and Boone prayed that Julius
would be okay at the speed they would travel.

Urgency threaded through the army. Boone had

a bad feeling. The hive was between Venom City
and this colony. If the colony had been attacked,
then the hive was in trouble. The instinct that had

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

saved Boone’s ass was telling him that trouble was
on the horizon. He just hoped his family was okay.

****

A day and a half later, the army was bone tired,
but Boone pressed them. Julius had only
complained one time, although when they did
have a short rest, Julius fell onto the ground next
to him, asleep in moments.

They were less than half a mile away when they

first heard the fighting. Boone turned to stare at
TL who yelled at Rio. “Watch Striker!”

TL ran, his wings buzzed and took off into the

sky, moving swiftly toward the noise.

“My family,” Julius gasped.
Rio grabbed Striker. “I need you to stick with

Julius and wait here.”

Striker shook his head. “I can fight. I used to

be…”

Rio shook his head. “Another time. Not today. I

need you and Julius to take care of each other
along with some of my soldiers.”

“Is that okay, Striker?” Julius asked as he bit his

lip.

Boone had seen how Striker reacted to Julius

yesterday, and Julius was clearly nervous of a
repeat.

“I’ll be fine,” Striker rasped as he approached

Julius.

Jackie Nacht

Julius tentatively grabbed onto Striker’s hand

and the rattler blew out a shuddering breath. It
was a step in the right direction for Striker to heal,
but the rattler had a long road ahead of him.

They grouped soldiers together, and just as

they were ready to charge, TL flew back. “Boone!
They need us!”

Boone took off, adrenaline flooding his system

as the rest of the army followed him and Rio. TL
was far in front of them in the sky, weapons
already drawn. It didn’t take more than a couple
minutes to see the destruction that had been
caused to the hive. The swarm was in the air,
fighting and dive-bombing sea snakes and cone
snails. Several stonefish and cuttlefish were
fighting against their friends.

Boone spotted Kalder in the center with Wilder,

fighting viciously as they struck their enemy
down with their tail or fangs.

Charging and loading up his cross bow, Boone

took out the first funnel web he met with an arrow
before unsheathing his knife. Two more came at
him as he ducked below a fist and struck the
funnel in the thigh. After rolling to the side, Boone
lunged and struck the other funnel with his fangs,
tearing into the fleshy thigh.

The fire ants passed him, plowing the enemy

down, vastly outnumbering the intruders. Boone
stood just in time to see Rio pull out a wicked-
looking black spiked-ball mace, smashing a spider

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

in the face. Other fire ants wielded the same type
of weapon, and holy fuck was it a blood bath.
They might not be as venomous, but they were
savage with their weapon of choice.

A coral snake slithered behind Rio, moving

quickly. He was almost there when TL dive-
bombed out of the sky, beheading the snake with
his sword. Pure rage encompassed TL’s face as he
met the snakes coming at Rio’s back.

Boone took out three more spiders before

realizing that he was standing alone with no one
to fight. Huffing out a breath, he stared at his
surroundings to see that the hive and fire ants
were all that were left standing. Some had fallen,
and Boone hated to see one, let alone several,
within the carnage of the venomous bastards.

Kalder took off at a run toward the hive.
Boone gasped as he saw the wreckage. Gaping

holes had been opened in the clay protection, and
webbing was thick along some of them. Had some
of the spiders gotten in?

Boone hurried to the structure, and soon more

followed to enter the hive.

Tristan stood at the front, covered in blood, and

the other anti-venom stood behind him. They
were out of breath and, by the black and blue
bruising, had clearly fought hard.

Kalder screamed, “Reese!”
“I’m right here.” Reese came from behind a

couple bees, hurrying toward Kalder. Reese was

Jackie Nacht

holding his side, but appeared unharmed
otherwise, and he practically jumped into Kalder’s
arm.

Wilder ran past, and Leif approached, left eye

swollen shut. Wilder softly touched the swollen
eye before wrapping his arms around Leif.

Boone rushed out, in search of Julius. Were the

others okay outside, or were there more enemies?
Panic bubbled, and Boone rushed to find out.

Rio was already running in that direction, and

TL flew toward the group they’d left behind. By
the time they got back, ten black mambas
surrounded the small group. The snakes were
known to be shy and only strike out when
threatened, but they were also one of the most
venomous of all the snakes. The venom were some
of the few that were covered from head to toe in
their snakeskin, a group known to be loyal to La
Jolla Territory. Had Pacific and La Jolla united? In
the middle of it all was Julius, holding a knife with
such inexperience that Boone knew he didn’t
stand a chance.

Fuck!
TL dove and made contact first.
Rio swung his ball mace, crashing it into one of

the snakes.

Boone reloaded his crossbow and fired before

pulling out a small machete from his belt.

The other fire ants were fighting fiercely as

Boone took a clean slice at the first mamba,

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

removing her arm. She turned, hissing, and struck
out. Boone barely dodged out of the way in time.
He swung again, and her head rolled. Boone
spared no time, but turned and engaged another
mamba. One clean slice through the midsection
and the mamba was screaming, falling to his
death.

A sickening crunch had Boone whipping his

head around to see that Rio was taking out the last
mamba.

Boone made his way to Julius, grabbing and

holding him close. “Are you hurt?” Boone asked,
completely out of breath.

“I’m fine. You got here in time.” Julius leaned

back. “Is any of this yours?” Julius was skimming
his bloodied flesh for injuries.

“No.” Boone sucked in a lungful of air.
Julius stared up at him then pulled him down

for a kiss. The kiss was strong at first, filled with
fear, but then, it softened until Julius pulled away
and rested his forehead against Boone’s, “Boone,
did my friends…” Julius swallowed.

“They’re fine. I saw them before I came to get

you. Kalder and Wilder, as well. Not sure about
Tucker, Durango and Memphis.” Boone stared at
the fallen black mambas. Memphis was a black
mamba himself. He prayed that the man didn’t
know any of these men and women.

Jackie Nacht

Boone pulled back and grabbed a hold of

Julius’s hand. “We better get to the hive and find
out what’s going on.”

Rio and TL flanked Striker as they made their

way back.

Julius gasped next to Boone as the hive came

into view. The fallen were everywhere, even as the
swarm and fire ants attempted to clean up the
bodies. Hornets were outside the hive, trying to
repair what had been damaged.

Kalder and Abby stood in the front of the hive,

with Reese tucked under Kalder’s arm. Wilder,
Tucker and Memphis were close by, helping Leif
with hurt anti-venom.

Boone approached the group with Julius.
Rio stepped up next to him along with TL and

Striker.

TL gave Abby a hug.
Abby hummed. “Your timing was impeccable,

TL.”

TL smirked at Abby, “I aim to please.” TL

gestured toward Rio, “This is Rio. He is the leader
of the fire ants.”

Abby nodded, and Kalder shook Rio’s hand.

“Welcome. Thank you for the help. We were
losing the battle until your army came along.”

Rio rubbed the back of his neck, “They’ve been

surprising all of us, coming in the night. We
haven’t seen an attack of this magnitude yet.”

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Kalder rubbed Reese’s back as he spoke, “It’s

getting worse every day. It was a dozen or so, but
this one was full scale. Not sure where they are
getting their numbers.”

Boone had a bad feeling he knew where those

numbers were coming from. More than one
territory had to be working with Pacific.

Abby glanced around. “Where’s your queen—

Sylvia, wasn’t it?”

Rio sighed. “We’ve had several attacks in the

last month. Sylvia was one of the first we lost
when she went out of the colony. Before we left
the colony to come here, we lost another ten. My
entire colony is here and willing to help.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. I know Sylvia just

wanted you all to live in peace.” Abby covered her
mouth, clearly upset. “TL, can you try and help
get their colony settled? We may have to double
up until we find more accommodations for
everyone.”

“I don’t think we’ll be here for much longer,”

Kalder said seriously.

Abby nodded. “I think you’re right, Kalder. We

need to figure out who our enemy is and who we
can trust, then make our move. We can’t sit here
and be a target anymore. I want us to find our
brothers.”

“I’m going to take Julius to see his friends.

We’ll help clean up after he sees them.” Boone
pulled Julius away from the leaders.

Jackie Nacht

Julius covered his mouth as he stared at the

fallen. “I can’t believe…”

“It’s just the beginning, Julius,” Boone said

gravely.

“I know.” Julius stopped and pressed his body

against Boone’s.

“Come on, we did our job bringing the fire ants

in. Let’s go see your friends, and then we’ll get to
work.” Boone put his arm around Julius. The next
couple of days were going to be long ones.

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Epilogue

hree days later, Boone woke up completely
exhausted and with an aching hard on. It

wasn’t that Julius was sucking on his cock either.
No, his mate was preparing to fuck him. Boone
moaned as he rolled over, getting on his hands
and knees to give Julius more room to work.

Julius laughed. “You’re insatiable.”
Boone smiled with sleepy eyes, “What are you

talking about? You’ve been worse than me.”

Julius laughed as he worked three lubed fingers

into Boone’s ass. It wouldn’t take much preparing.
They had been going at it most of the night. They
were preparing to leave to gain back Mission
Territory. They were just waiting on some of the
people to heal.

He and Julius hadn’t been able to keep their

hands off each other and they spent most nights
talking. Boone was in love with Julius and he
knew hard times were ahead, that this down time
was precious.

Jackie Nacht

Julius pulled his fingers out and Boone

moaned. Movement behind him and then Boone
felt Julius slowly working the long, thin cock
inside him. “Mmmm.” Boone moaned.

“You feel so damn good Boone,” Julius groaned

as he bottomed out.

Boone gripped the sheets beneath him as Julius

began pounding into him. He would have never
thought it looking at Julius, but Julius was a
vigorous lover and Boone loved every second of it.
Julius met him thrust for thrust as they climbed
together toward orgasm. Julius reached around
and grabbed Boone’s leaking cock and Boone
roared as his climax ripped through him. Julius
shouted behind him and Boone felt the warmth of
cum filling him up. He loved to be fucked by his
mate, feeling that every time that Julius was
claiming him.

Boone dropped down on the bed and Julius fell

on his back, breathing heavily. “I might just fall
asleep on you like this,” Julius murmured then
kissed his shoulder blade.

Boone smiled against the sheets, “Go ahead. If

anyone needs us, they’ll come knock, but for right
now, all I want to do is be with you.”

Julius kissed his shoulder blade again

whispering, “Love you, Boone.”

“Love you, too, Julius,” Boone whispered back,

feeling the warmth of his mate covering him. A
few moments later, he heard Julius breathing

Pursued by the Wandering Spider

evening out and chuckled. His mate was indeed
falling asleep on his back. Boone smiled into the
silent room, soaking up and memorizing this
moment. He would need it as his strength for the
dark days to come.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet— where a little love goes a
long way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s
stories. She was introduced to M/M Romance
through her sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then, she thought it was time to put her own
stories on paper. Jackie began writing short and
sweet stories that ended with a happily ever after.

Thinking back to her own book addiction,

where there were many nights Jackie stayed up
way too late so she could read just one more
chapter— yeah, right— Jackie decided to write
short romances for young adults as well as adults.
Hopefully, they will give high school and college
students, or working men and women something
they can read during their lunch hour, in between
classes or just when they want to briefly get away
from the daily stresses of everyday life.

You can find Jackie at:
Website:

www.jackienacht.com

Blog:

www.jackienacht.com/blog

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jackie.nacht?ref=tn_t
nmn

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JackieNacht

Document Outline

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
About the Author

Wyszukiwarka

Podobne podstrony:
Jackie Nacht Intoxicated by the King Cobra (Venomous Mates #1)
Jackie Nacht Bewitched at the Pumpkin Patch
Jackie Nacht Holiday Jobs That Don t Suck 07 The Firecracker and the Rocket
Jackie Nacht The Sting of the Death Stalker Scorpion
Chambers Kaye On The Prowl 2 Tiger By The Tail
Konspekt LA oszczep zabawowa by the wejsyl(2)
4 The Wanderer & The Seafarer
DS182 The Red Spider
MONEY BY THE MOUTHFUL
20020105 T Fascinated by the Emotions of God Part 2 EEP2
Zaproszenie, Public document to be completed by the Contracting Authority
The Wanderer conveys the meditations of a solitary exile on his past glories as a warrior in his lor
By the girl
Conan Pastiche ??mp, L Sprague Conan the Wanderer
by the time of world war ii NZRMQ22WVNW73JEDUAEMIMBG2CLONPKSGVQGVJA
de?mp, L Sprague [ed] Conan Saga Conan the Wanderer v0 9 [Lancer,68, 4SS]
2 LASER (LIGHT AMPLIFICATION by the STIMULATED EMISIONid 21138 ppt
Język angielski Story by the timeI got there it was too late
[60]Selective degradation of oxidatively modified protein substrates by the proteasome

więcej podobnych podstron

Jackie Nacht Pursued by the Wandering Spider

Document Outline