Brac Pack 30

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

Maverick Brac is having a hard time letting go. It has been a full
year since Melonee found her mate, yet he can’t seem to accept

that she’s not his little girl anymore. Melonee knows Maverick
loves her, but waiting to be with Ruttford is no longer an option.

Especially when Ruttford gives her five days to settle her affairs at

home before he claims her.

But her troubles are only beginning when a stranger shows up at

her door and Melonee realizes the handsome man is her second
mate.

Adam Nyte has come to Brac Village with a hidden agenda, but
soon finds nothing is at it seems, including the way the seductive

but innocent Melonee Brac affects him.

Between her family offering up sex tips and Maverick blowing a
gasket every time her mates’ names are mentioned, Melonee has

no more room for madness in her life. But will she be able to
handle the love of two men, or will the chaos all around her prove

too much?

Note: Each book in Lynn Hagen’s Brac Pack collection focuses on a

different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and
crossover characters, we recommend reading the series in

sequential order.

Genre: Fantasy, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal
Length: 45,032 words

MELONEE BRAC’S MISTLETOE

MADNESS

Brac Pack 30

Lynn Hagen

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting


MELONEE BRAC’S MISTLETOE MADNESS
Copyright © 2013 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-337-8

First E-book Publication: January 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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MELONEE BRAC’S

MISTLETOE MADNESS

Brac Pack 30

LYNN HAGEN

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

Adam Nyte shoved his hands in his front pockets, fighting off the

winter cold as he walked down the almost deserted street, hunching
his shoulders in an attempt to cut down on the whipping winds. His
ears were frozen and he couldn’t feel his nose any longer.

It was damn cold out.
He balled his fingers into fists, trying to keep the circulation going

as he headed toward the coffee shop. Adam wasn’t sure why he
stopped. He had been in a warm truck with the heat blasting when he
spotted The Café. Adam was going to be in town for the next few
weeks, yet he really hadn’t had a chance to explore what Brac Village
had to offer. But the warmth of the place had made Adam pull over
and brave the winds.

He was only crossing the street from his parking spot on the other

side, but it felt like he had walked a mile—the heat from the truck
already being pulled from him by the winds. Reluctantly, he pulled
one hand from his pocket when he neared the door. As he entered the
small café, Adam smiled. They were playing Christmas music. It had
been too long since he had heard the familiar tunes. He had been
overseas last year at Christmas with a construction firm and so busy

8 Lynn

Hagen

overseeing the project that was on a stringent time schedule that he
had missed celebrating.

Adam missed the holiday tunes and the merriment this occasion

brought out in everyone.

There was something about hearing the festive tunes that made

him think of warm hearths and hot cider. He blew into his hands as he
walked over to the counter and waited in line.

“Adam Nyte?”
Adam turned to see Lewis Keating walking into the coffee shop.

Wow, of all places to run into someone from his past. Adam was a
little stunned. He smiled, extending his hand as he shook Lewis’s.
“Long time no see.”

“No shit,” Lewis said with a genuine smile on his face. “I haven’t

seen you since high school. How the hell are you?”

Adam shrugged as he looked up at the menu overhead. “I’ve been

good. You?”

Lewis nodded as he tucked his hands under his arms, staring at

Adam as if he wanted to rehash old times. As nice as it was seeing the
man, Adam wasn’t in town to reminisce.

“I’m good. I’m a detective now. I can’t believe you’re here in

Brac Village. Where are you staying?”

Adam smiled as he continued to glance up at the menu, unsure of

what he wanted to drink. “I rented an apartment next to the precinct.
Small world.”

“That it is. What are you doing now?”
Adam moved forward as the person in front of him gathered his

order and moved away from him. “Can I have a hot chocolate with
whipped cream?” He turned back to Lewis. “I’m here checking out a
few places.”

“For?” Lewis asked as he ordered a hot chocolate as well. Adam

grabbed the cup from the counter, taking a step back so Lewis could
grab his order.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

9

“Just looking into a few pieces of real estate.” He wasn’t allowed

to discuss his real reason for coming to Brac Village. Adam knew he
wouldn’t be welcome if he told anyone he was here to buy up the
properties and level the town for some conglomerate’s idea of a
shopping mall. People usually didn’t take too well to that kind of
news, especially the town’s residents.

“You’ll have to come by and have dinner at my place,” Lewis said

as he grabbed his insulated cup from the counter. “It’ll be good to
catch up on old times.”

Adam raised his hot chocolate. “I’ll do that.” He took a sip,

feeling a bit awkward. He hadn’t thought anyone he knew, let alone
went to school with, would be in this town. From what Mr. Kenyon
had told him, the place was dying and the residents would gladly sell.

But from what Adam had seen since coming to this quaint little

town, he wasn’t so sure. The place looked as if it was not only
thriving, but new buildings were going up. That wasn’t a dying town
in his opinion. Nonetheless, Adam wasn’t here to make judgments.
He had a job to do. Kenyon Corporation had hired the best, namely
Adam Nyte, to do a job, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Not even an old high school pal.
“Let me give you my address.” Lewis set his cup down and

scribbled on a napkin. He handed the address to Adam. “Come by
tonight. I’d love to shoot the shit with you.”

“I will.” The offer surprised Adam. He knew Lewis had grown up

with an alcoholic mother and deadbeat dad. The man had busted his
ass to finish high school, but Adam had lost track of the guy once he
left for college. They weren’t what others would consider good
friends, but he knew that sometimes a familiar face from the past was
welcome.

“See you tonight.” Lewis smiled once more and then walked out

of the shop. Adam wasn’t sure why, but the idea of a home-cooked
meal appealed to him. It had been too long since he made it home and
he wasn’t the best of cooks. He managed, though. He curled his

10 Lynn

Hagen

fingers around the napkin before pushing it into his front pocket,
wondering if he should go.

He wasn’t going to allow personal feelings to get in the way of

business. He liked Lewis and had even admired his perseverance way
back when. But this deal was worth millions. Adam’s reputation was
riding on his skills at negotiating to clench the deal and get everything
tied up by Christmas.

Besides, Adam loved what he did. There was a natural high he got

every time he closed a deal. Power and wealth were great, even
wanted, but what he lived for the most was closing the deal. It was a
rush like nothing else. Adam had yet to find anything that equated the
heady thrill.

Walking to the back of the coffee shop, Adam pulled his cell

phone out. The place wasn’t too crowded, so his conversation
wouldn’t be overheard. Les picked up on the second ring.

“Are you sure about your research?” Adam asked and then took a

sip of the chocolate. After traveling all over the world, he was
surprised to find the chocolate so rich, so flavorful. That wasn’t
something he expected in such a small town. Taking a seat on a red
sofa, Adam glanced around at the coziness of the shop.

“Our research is extensive, Mr. Nyte. Brac Village has roughly

nine hundred residents, and eighty percent of the populace is out of
work. The town hasn’t had a new development in years. The average
income is so low that I’m shocked the town still exists. The residents
should sell to you with no qualms.”

Adam opened his mouth to tell Les—Mr. Kenyon’s assistant—

that the town had quite a few new developments from what he had
seen, including a new movie house. But something inside of Adam
made him keep that bit of information to himself. He had no reason
to, but Adam wanted to investigate a little more before reporting in.

“The town is dirt poor. Buying up their properties should be a

godsend. They’ll think they hit the lottery.” Les paused and then
spoke in a worried tone. “Why, have you run into problems already?”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

11

“No, none. I just wanted to make sure your data was correct

before I proceeded.”

“Oh, well. I’ve researched the town thoroughly. It seems Mayor

Maverick Brac doesn’t care about the citizens. He’s let the town fall
down around them. I’m willing to bet he can be bought off just as
easily as everyone else. I’d hit him first. If the mayor sells, the
residents will all see that hanging on to the town they grew up in isn’t
worth it. If they don’t sell…”

Yeah, Adam knew what would happen then.
“I have the files in my apartment.”
“Very good,” Les said. “I look forward to your call telling me the

deal is complete.”

Adam hung up. He hated dealing with Les. The man was a

sniveling kiss-ass and a dilettante. The guy may work for a very
powerful man, but how Les kept his job was questionable. The guy
did not have his research in order. This town wasn’t dying but
thriving. How Les missed that vital piece of information was anyone’s
guess.

Adam decided to forgo the dinner invitation. There was too much

research he had to conduct on his own. This was the first time he was
pretty much blind to his job. Les was a fucking idiot and needed to be
fired.

Dropping the cup into the trash can, Adam made his way back to

his truck. It seemed to have gotten colder out, so he jogged across the
street and slid inside the now-cold interior. He pushed aside the
friendly smile on Lewis’s face. There was no use giving in to
nostalgic feelings when he was about to shut this town down.

Because thriving or not, he had a job to complete.
And Adam had never fallen short of his goal before.
Once back at his apartment, Adam pulled the files Les had

supplied and compared them to what he had seen around town. Not
only had Les missed the brand-new theater, but Santiago Cycles as

12 Lynn

Hagen

well. Adam shook his head at the incompetency. A child could have
put together a better research report than this.

If Mr. Kenyon kept Les on as an assistant, Kenyon Corporation

was going to fail.

Grabbing a cup of coffee from the small kitchen, Adam took a

seat on the couch and began to flip through Maverick Brac’s file.
There really wasn’t much there to read, but what he did notice right
away was that there was no start date for when Mr. Brac had become
mayor. The man hadn’t even had a running contender since…Adam
glanced over the file…never. There were no records of anyone
running against the man, no champions or elections, not even a hint of
any kind of candidacy race.

It was as if the man had been around since the town was built over

two hundred years ago.

But that was impossible. Adam read through the file twice, but

knew after the first read through that he hadn’t missed anything.

How odd.
Setting the file aside, Adam grabbed another, marked as the

Lakeland file. He gave the dossier a thorough read, noting that the
family of eight hadn’t been in Brac Village as long as some of the
other residents. Adam didn’t think it impossible to—“What the fuck?”
He frowned as he scanned the annual report of the Lakelands’
income. It baffled Adam.

There was no way Les was this incompetent. The Lakelands made

enough money to support this town ten times over. Something wasn’t
adding up. Scratching the stubble on his jaw, he tossed the Lakeland
file aside and picked up the folder containing the stats on Mark’s
Garage, expecting to see a steady decline in income—but found the
opposite.

Mark’s Garage was fiscally booming.
What in the hell was going on here? Adam was thoroughly

perplexed. From what he had been told and what he was reading, he
realized the two were vastly different. By the time Adam was finished

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

13

reading every file in his possession, he was positive something other
than buying a dying town was going on here. His instincts were
telling him that there was more to this than incompetency.

He just wasn’t sure what that could be. Why would Kenyon

Corporation send him to buy a town that any blind man could see was
not dying, but flourishing?

There was only one way to get the facts he was missing, or that

were being purposely withheld. He dialed a number he rarely used. If
anyone could uncover what was going on in this sleepy little town, it
was Vincent Caldwell. The man could unearth the truth behind Area
51 if he felt so inclined.

“Adam.”
The voice was deep and knowledgeable as Vincent answered the

phone. It always weirded Adam out that Vincent could do that.
Adam’s phone never gave up his phone number, or his location. He
had it set up that way.

And so did Vincent.
“I need you for a job.”
“Explain.”
Adam told Vincent about the job he was handed and the

conflicting information. His gut was telling him something more was
going on, and Adam knew he wasn’t going to give up until he had all
the puzzle pieces in place.

“Send me the files.”
Adam uploaded the files into an encrypted e-mail and sent them to

Vincent. “Call me when you know something.”

The phone went dead.
Adam tossed his satellite phone onto the coffee table, letting out a

deep breath. He had a feeling he had just stepped into a pile of shit
that wasn’t going to wash from his shoes so easily.

Maybe he shouldn’t have given up smoking. He sure could use a

damn cigarette right about now. Instead, he reached into his pocket

14 Lynn

Hagen

for a stick of gum and found the napkin with Lewis’s address
scribbled on it.

Maybe he could go to dinner at Lewis’s and see if his old

acquaintance was willing to tell him about Brac Village. If anyone
could tell him about this place, it would be a resident. Lewis had no
idea why Adam was there, so he wouldn’t be so guarded in giving up
the secrets of this small town.

Adam took a long shower and readied himself for his visit. Lewis

hadn’t given him a time, so the man shouldn’t complain about the
hour. It was only eight, too late for dinner, but not for information.

Not only was Adam committed to finishing what he had come to

Brac Village for, but he was damned and determined to find out why
Les had supplied him with a shitload of false files. Adam knew for
certain that Mr. Kenyon wouldn’t have hired someone that
incompetent. No, there was more going on here than met the eye.

And one way or the other, Adam was going to find out exactly

what that something was.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

15

Chapter Two

Maverick was so flustered that he wished he had duct tape in his

hands right now. Panahasi had talked him into letting the keeper of
the underworld place spells around the Den to warn him when anyone
was popping in or out. Maverick had agreed, and was thankful for that
decision because Melonee had set off the alarm more times than he
could count.

It seemed lately that every time he turned around she was trying to

shimmer out to go meet…that…that…fucking fey. Maverick
clenched his jaw so hard he swore he heard his back molars cracking.
Call him an overprotective asshole, but he wasn’t ready to let his
adopted daughter go, especially not to that…that…fucking fey.

He wasn’t ready to let her be the grown woman that she was, and

he damn sure wasn’t ready to accept the fact that she was…mated to
that asshole.

He knew pack law prohibited him from interfering in any kind of

mating—but this was Melonee, his little girl. Let anyone stand in his
way, and he was going to crush their bones to a fine powder.

Maybe he could duct tape her to his office chair.
“You are being so unreasonable!” Melonee shouted as she paced

his office, her hands balled into fists and a look on her face that
should have killed Maverick on the spot. “I’m a grown woman, Dad.
You can’t keep me locked up!”

“Watch me,” Maverick countered. He wasn’t ready to let his

daughter mate. He wasn’t ready to acknowledge that she was a full-
grown woman. He wasn’t ready…period.

16 Lynn

Hagen

And Ruttford? Really? Why in the hell did she want to mate that

havoc-causing dipshit? Maverick only wanted to kick Ruttford’s ass
from one end of the Den to the other. He could envision his hands
wrapping around the fey’s neck as he slowly squeezed the life out
of—

“You’re doing it again,” Cecil warned as he smacked Maverick’s

arm. “Stop looking as though you are dreaming of gutting the man.”

“I am,” Maverick admitted through clenched teeth. “If he touches

one hair on her body I’m going to make him—”

“Oh, stop it,” Melonee said with a growl. Maverick had taught her

well. Too well. “If you hurt him, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I can live with that,” Maverick admitted. He couldn’t help being

a prick. He still saw Melonee as the sweet little five-year-old girl who
had stolen his heart on sight. And now she had a mate? No fucking
way. Nope. Not a chance in hell Maverick was allowing her to run to
Rutt-fucking-ford.

Just the thought of Ruttford touching her—okay, he was officially

going to turn the bastard into a eunuch. Then Melonee could see him
all she wanted. Hell, he would even let them be alone together after he
took care of that little problem.

“Maverick,” Cecil said in warning as he patted Maverick’s chest.

“Breathe.”

“I. Am. Breathing.”
“Fire from your nostrils!” Melonee shouted as she stopped pacing

and gave him her full glare. “Face it, Dad. I’m a grown woman, and I
have a mate. He’s going to claim me whether you like it or not.”

“Don’t use that word when talking about Rutt—” Gods, he

couldn’t even say the man’s name out loud without seeing red.

“Ruttford,” Melonee finished for him. “Ruttford. Ruttford.

Ruttford.”

“Oh, jeez.” Cecil rolled his eyes. “Are you trying to piss Maverick

off so he will kill your mate?”

“Cecil!” Maverick growled.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

17

“Sorry,” Cecil said as he dropped onto the leather sofa in

Maverick’s office. “I forgot you refuse to let her grow up.”

Maverick loved his mate more than his own life, but between

Cecil and Melonee, he was dangerously close to tying them both up
and tucking them in a closet…for the next hundred years or so.
“You’re not leaving the Den,” he commanded as the anger boiled up
and flowed over.

“Watch me!” Melonee shouted as she spun around and stormed

out of Maverick’s office, slamming the door behind her so violently,
the walls shook.

“I’ll be watching you, all right!” he shouted at the closed door.

“Watching you do nothing!”

“Very smooth,” Cecil said as he sat back on the sofa and tossed an

arm over the back. “I feel goose bumps running up my arm from your
threat.”

Maverick growled at his mate. “Not you, too.”
Cecil threw his hands up in front of him. “I’m staying neutral.

She’s our daughter, but sooner or later you are going to have to let her
go. She is a grown woman with a mate who has patiently waited for
your approval. But I have a feeling he is at the end of his waiting with
you.”

“That’s not staying neutral.” Maverick slumped back in his chair,

pinching the bridge of his nose as he blew out a long breath. Why did
he go nuts every time he thought of his little girl and Ruttford—
“Damn it!”

Cecil stood and strode over to him, sliding into Maverick’s lap

and pulling at his chin until Maverick looked Cecil in his beautiful
amethyst eyes. “Face it, babe. She’s all grown up now. You have to
let her go and let her live her own life. If you don’t, she will grow to
resent you. What would you do if someone tried to keep me from
you?”

Maverick hated when Cecil tried to talk sense to him. He didn’t

want to be sensible right now. He wanted to be a raving lunatic who

18 Lynn

Hagen

kept his little girl from leaving him. Maverick laid his forehead
against Cecil’s and sighed, feeling as though he were fighting a losing
battle.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want his little angel to be happy. It was

just that letting go was one of the hardest things he ever had to do.
What father thought any man was good enough for his daughter? And
Ruttford of all men? It was going to take a miracle for Maverick to
see him as anything other than an immature fuckup.

“I’d kill them.”
“Exactly,” Cecil replied as he smoothed his hands up Maverick’s

chest. “You can’t hold on to her forever.”

Watch me.

* * * *

Melonee strode angrily to her bedroom and slammed the door.

She was so angry right now that she screamed at the top of her lungs.
She knew her dad cared. He had proven over the years that not only
was he willing to go above and beyond to keep her safe, but that he
truly did love and care about her.

She just wished he would stop seeing her as his little girl and

recognize her for the woman that she had blossomed into. Everyone
else in the Den treated her like a woman and not a child. Why
couldn’t her dad do the same?

Plopping down on her bed, Melonee dropped to her back and

stared up at the wooden canopy above her. She was tired of waiting to
be with Ruttford. She was starting to forget what he looked like, and
that only pissed her off even further.

She cut her eyes to the door when it cracked open. She already

knew who it was. “Come in, Taylor.”

As much as they picked on each other, Taylor was her best friend.

The half demon had spent so many nights with Melonee trying to

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

19

devise a way for her to escape to Ruttford that his mate, Dagon, had
started complaining.

But Melonee was grateful for Taylor. When she first met him,

they were more liable to throttle each other than hang out, but he
turned into a gem of a friend over the years.

“I heard the storm downstairs,” he confessed as he closed the door

behind him and walked over to her bed, taking a seat on her soft,
lacey comforter. “You okay?”

“No,” Melonee admitted. “I understand where Maverick is

coming from. I honestly do, but I can’t keep allowing him to dictate
my life. I’ve followed his rules”—Melonee smiled—“most of them
anyway. But Ruttford is my mate. How much longer does he think he
can keep us apart?”

Taylor lay back on her bed. “You could always just leave.”
“I could,” she admitted as she chewed her lower lip, “but I don’t

want to do things that way. I don’t want to be on the outs with my
dad. I want his blessing.” And that seemed like the last thing he was
going to give her. She understood her dad’s love, she honestly did, but
he was going to make her resent him if he didn’t let her go.

“Well,” Taylor said as he blew out a long breath. “I think it’s

boiled down to picking either your mate or your dad.” His tone was
sad, and Melonee knew he was right. But she didn’t want him to be
right. She didn’t want to have to choose. It was breaking her heart to
even consider turning her back on Maverick—the man who had raised
her selflessly and had loved her unconditionally.

The tears sprang to her eyes as she thought about never seeing her

dad again, but Taylor was right. It was time Melonee embraced her
destiny and found her future with her mate. She didn’t want to put it
off any longer. A part of her was dying without him. “I’m going to do
it,” she said with a hurting heart. “I’m going to go to him tomorrow
night.”

20 Lynn

Hagen

Taylor turned, patting her on her knee. “You know I’m always

here for you, Mel. Even after you leave, call me, even if it’s just to
talk.”

Melonee fought to hide the tears. The decision hadn’t come easy,

but she couldn’t deny Ruttford and live under Maverick’s roof for the
rest of her life. No, she had to live her own life—even if it was
without her dad.

“Come on,” Taylor said as he stood and held out his hand. “Let’s

go get some hot chocolate from the kitchen.”

She didn’t feel like going anywhere, but Melonee gave Taylor her

hand and allowed him to pull her from the bed. As soon as she was on
her feet, he embraced her in a brotherly hug, smoothing his hand
down her back. “It’ll be okay, I promise. Maverick will be mad, but
trust me, he won’t turn his back on you. You’re his little princess.”

Melonee reached up and wiped at the tears as she laid her head on

Taylor’s shoulder. “I hope you’re right.” She wished her brother
Tangee was here, but he and his mate, Loco, were at the Manchester
place helping the new shifters with some problems they were having
with a leaky roof. Even though it was great having her best friend
help her, Melonee needed a hug from her brother. He always chased
away her bad moods.

But then again, Melonee knew there would be no chasing this

away. She wanted Ruttford, craved him, and was slowly withering on
the inside without him. Pulling from Taylor, she gave the half demon
a wobbly smile and then followed him from her bedroom.

She knew he was right, but it didn’t make the decision any easier.

This was her home and she had dreamed of having her mate under the
same roof as everyone else, but it didn’t seem she was going to have
her dream. Although living outside of the pack would kill something
inside of her, Melonee was tired of waiting.

As they reached the foyer, the doorbell rang. She waved Taylor

on. “Go make our hot chocolate while I answer the door.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

21

Taylor nodded and went on to the kitchen as Melonee walked

toward the door, her thoughts deep in her problems. There had to be a
way to mate Ruttford and still live with her pack. She may not be
wolf, but ever since she was five, this had been her home.

Melonee grabbed the handle and opened the door, her mind

elsewhere until she noticed the man standing on the front step, gazing
at her as if he was in a trance.

She knew how he felt.
It was as if the air was punched from her stomach as she stood

there struggling for breath. Her mind couldn’t process the implication
standing right in front of her. Her brain was reeling with the
impossibility.

“Hello.”
Melonee just stood there blinking at the man, unable to respond.

Her heart was beating overtime as she stared into his pale blue eyes.
They reminded her of eyes on a Siberian husky, so light, so crystal in
color.

“Do you mind if I come in? It’s only getting colder out here.” His

voice it was warm, rich, and slid over her like soft fur.

“Of course.” Melonee stepped back, drinking in his short, dark

hair, his pale, pale blue eyes, and an expression on his face that said
he was enjoying the open stare she was giving him.

Human.
He was human. God, she was so screwed. If she thought Maverick

blew a gasket over Ruttford, wait until he found out fate wanted to
torture that alpha into insanity by giving Melonee a second mate.

A second mate.
Maybe it was she who was going to be tortured into insanity

because she had no idea how she was going to handle two gorgeous
mates. God, she had been fretting over one as it was.

“Can I help you?”
Melonee briefly closed her eyes at the sound of Maverick’s voice.

It seemed he had a radar when it came to anyone who had the

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Hagen

capability to take her away from the Den. But she knew letting the
alpha know who this man was couldn’t be allowed. He would be
tossed out on his rear before she even learned his name.

His name.
“Dad, this is…” She turned to look at him. “What is your name?”
There was a low and feral growl from behind her, telling Melonee

that her dad was pissed that she had let someone into the house
without finding out who he was first.

With a devilish smile, the stranger lifted his hand, his strong

fingers surrounding hers as he gave her a light handshake. As soon as
their skin touched, Melonee felt as if her knees were going to buckle.

Get it together, damn it. If Maverick suspects anything, he’ll kick

your mate out.

“Adam Nyte.” He gave Melonee a very charming smile, all white,

straight teeth and…damn, he had dimples. But she quickly removed
her hand from his lest her dad have a coronary.

“I’m Melonee Brac. What brings you here, Mr. Nyte?” Melonee

asked, unable to tear her eyes from his. Never before had she seen
eyes like his. They were so pale they almost lacked color.

“He’s here to see me,” Lewis said as he trotted down the stairs.

“Good of you to come, Adam.” The two men clasped hands, giving a
quick pump before Lewis turned and slapped Adam lightly on the
back. “We went to school together, and I ran into him in town today.”

Well, at least Melonee knew she had someone she could torture

for information about Adam once he left for the night.

“Sorry for coming by so late. I had no idea you lived with such a

large family.” Adam cut his eyes at Melonee for a second and then
glanced back at Lewis. “From the looks of all the vehicles outside, I
would say this place is filled to the brim.”

“Come on into the kitchen. If you’re hungry, I’m sure we can find

something for you to eat.” Adam began to walk beside Lewis, but
glanced over his shoulder at Melonee, a puzzled look in his eyes.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

23

She knew he felt the connection, but being human, there was no

doubt he didn’t understand the pull.

“There’s something about him I don’t trust,” Maverick said as he

walked back toward his office.

Melonee closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose,

wondering if she was going to survive this in one piece or if fate was
going to add another wicked twist to an already twisted situation.

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Chapter Three

Ruttford paced back and forth under the large tree, waiting for

Melonee. She was supposed to meet him tonight, and she was all that
he had thought about the entire day. His fingers itched to touch her
warm, silky skin and caress his hands through her long hair.

He still hadn’t figured out how to get around her family, though—

or more to the point, the alpha who was the bane of Ruttford’s
existence. There was only so much patience he had, and Ruttford was
finally at the end of his rope with waiting. Tonight, under the clear
skies and thousand stars, he was going to ask Melonee to come home
with him. He just prayed she agreed.

Ruttford understood family loyalties. He honestly did, but he

knew they were never going to get Maverick’s blessing, so to hell
with it. He was tired of waiting, tired of longing, and damn tired of
being without his mate.

Okay, so he understood Maverick’s gripe. He did, after all, cause

a lot of havoc in that house, but that was before he knew the woman
of his dreams lived there. Had he known…yeah, he probably still
would have been a shit, but he wouldn’t have gotten caught.

Stilling in aggravation, Ruttford felt his brother Fire before he

appeared, leaning against a tree, a smug smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Ruttford asked as his eyes swept over

the area, looking for Melonee.

“I just wanted to meet your mate,” Fire replied. “It isn’t like you

to hide someone from the family. It made me very curious.”

This coming from a man who had women and men alike flocking

to his bed. The tall, dark, and handsome elf had never hid the fact that

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

25

he could get any person he wanted. If Melonee wasn’t Ruttford’s
mate, he would have been worried about Fire being here.

It still made him on edge, though. Even if Melonee didn’t find

Fire attractive, his brother would work his charms until he had her
eating out of the palm of his hand. Fire was nothing but a big old slut,
and there was no way he was allowing his brother anywhere near
Melonee. “If I wanted you to meet her, you would have by now.”

Fire laughed and the sound grated on Ruttford’s nerves. “Is she

that displeasing to the eyes that you felt you need to keep her
hidden?”

Ruttford was ready to deck his brother, but ignored him instead.

Fire was just trying to rile him. But it wasn’t going to work because
Ruttford had other things on his mind tonight. Like how he was going
to convince his mate to leave her family and come live with him.

“I thought you were going out tonight?” Ruttford asked irritably.

“Why are you really here?”

Fire crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. “I really do

want to meet your mate.”

“Well,” he said as he turned his back, “I don’t want you here.”
“Be careful, Ruttford, or you just might hurt my feelings.”
If that were possible. Fire only had one feeling, and that was

horny. That was the only mode the man seemed to operate in, and
Ruttford didn’t want him anywhere near Melonee. She was a beautiful
woman who made his heart beat faster and slower at the same time.
He loved her that deeply. She was the only one that made him feel
that way every time he laid eyes on her. Although he hadn’t spent that
much time around her, Ruttford was enamored. She had the biggest
blue eyes he had ever seen and thick, mahogany-brown hair that
begged a man to wrap his hands in the lush strands and pet her like a
kitten.

And he wasn’t going to let Fire ruin this for him.
“Don’t you have someone you can go charm into your bed, like

one of Nick’s reindeer?” Ruttford shot petulantly at his brother.

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Hagen

“Very funny,” Fire replied, unfazed at Ruttford’s insult. “Nope,

I’m all yours tonight.”

Ruttford turned toward his brother and studied the man. It wasn’t

like Fire to be so adamant about sticking around Ruttford. They were
brothers, but it was no secret that they weren’t close. “What aren’t
you telling me?”

When Fire shifted from one foot to the other, Ruttford felt the

anger race toward the surface. “You’re using me to hide your scent!”

“Am not,” Fire denied, but the way his eyes flickered from

Ruttford told him the man was lying through his teeth.

“You owe those damn bookies again, don’t you!” Not only did

Fire have a penchant for sex, but gambling as well. The last time his
brother owed those Shadow elves, the man had nearly been killed. He
had sworn to their parents that he was done with gambling, but
Ruttford knew his brother. “How much, Fire?”

“I’m not running from the bookies,” Fire snapped as he pushed

away from the tree. “Why do you automatically assume the worst,
Ruttford? Just because I want to meet your mate I’m up to no good?”

“Sounds about right,” Ruttford said. “How much do you owe

them, Fire?”

“You know what, screw you!” Fire shimmered out, leaving

Ruttford standing there fuming. He would have felt bad if it weren’t
for the fact he knew he was right.

Tired of waiting, Ruttford shimmered to Melonee’s backyard. He

knew how to get in undetected, but Ruttford had been trying his best
to behave and not piss Maverick off any more than he had. He had
tried to teach Melonee how to shimmer undetected, but his sweet little
mate was finding the lesson difficult. She had tried numerous times,
only to set off the house alarm and make Ruttford quickly vanish
before his balls were snipped.

But after dealing with Fire, Ruttford wanted to know what was

keeping his mate from meeting him. He had promised to help her

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

27

shield her shimmering when she was ready to come to him, but she
hadn’t called him yet.

He wanted to know why. Using the darkness to shroud his

appearance, Ruttford glanced inside the kitchen. He spotted Lewis
and Taylor right away. They were standing over by the counter
talking to one another.

Ruttford liked Taylor. The half demon had covered for Melonee

many times for them. It bothered the hell out of him that he had to
cover his mate leaving with him. She was a grown woman, his mate,
and he had every right to be with her.

But again, Melonee wasn’t ready to defy her dad and truly be with

him.

A part of him was saddened by that thought, but Ruttford knew he

would do whatever it took to be with her. She was too sweet and
innocent to defy Maverick, something Ruttford wasn’t going to hold
against her.

His breath caught when he saw her entering the kitchen. God, she

was so damn beautiful. It was like looking into the gates of heaven yet
being denied entrance. His arms ached to wrap around her and pull
her to his body, to kiss the softness of her neck and nibble at the soft
shell of her ear.

It took everything in him to stay rooted to the spot and not storm

into the kitchen, taking what was rightfully his. Ruttford should be
dubbed saint of the year for the patience he exhibited when it came to
holding back.

He smiled when he saw her smile. It did his heart good to know

she was happy. That was all he wanted for her, to be happy.

That was why he was waiting until she was ready to leave instead

of dragging her away from her family and claiming her for his own.

Frowning, Ruttford wondered who Melonee kept stealing glances

toward. It looked as if she were trying not to get caught, which piqued
his curiosity. Moving to his right, Ruttford peered into the kitchen,

28 Lynn

Hagen

further to the left, and spotted a stranger standing there, gazing at
Melonee as if she were his to openly ogle.

“What the fuck?” Ruttford murmured to himself. He scratched at

his jaw, glancing between the two and knowing for damn sure they
were eyeing one another. Red-hot anger settled in his chest as his
hands clenched into fists at his sides.

His mate was checking out another man? Had she lost her damn

mind? Ruttford was ready to gut the man on the spot for even looking
her way. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he keyed in
Melonee’s number and waited while it rang. He watched her pull her
phone from her back pocket, check the number, and then glance
around before hurrying from the kitchen.

“Hello?”
“Hello, beautiful. Did you forget we were supposed to meet

tonight?” he asked, keeping his tone even, not giving away the fact
that he had seen the hungry glances they had exchanged in the
kitchen. He wanted an explanation before he locked her in his
bedroom for the rest of her life and killed the bastard standing in the
kitchen.

He could feel the hesitation on the other end of the phone, and he

wanted to curse and beg her to come outside and see him at the same
time. There should be no other man who pulled at her attention.

“I haven’t forgotten,” she whispered into the phone. Ruttford hung

onto her voice, letting it soothe a part of him that was about to go all
barbaric on her. It helped him rein in his anger and give a small smile.

“Then what is the delay? I told you I would shield you from

leaving so no one would know.” He peeked at the stranger in the
kitchen and saw that the guy was glancing toward the door where
Melonee had walked out of. His fingers curled around the phone
tighter, damn near cracking the casing. “Are you ready?”

“Hang on, let me go to my room and lock my door first.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

29

Ruttford blew out a breath. He would get to the bottom of the

stranger, but for now, he shimmered back to the tree he had been
waiting at so she wouldn’t know he had been spying on her.

“Okay, I’m ready.”
Since Maverick had the house protected by god only knew what,

it made it a lot harder for Ruttford to use his fey magic, but he closed
his eyes, pushing his energy into her as he felt her shimmer.

Shoving his phone into his back pocket, Ruttford enveloped her

into his arms as soon as she finished appearing in front of him. He
pressed his face to her hair, inhaling her scent, and knew he would do
anything to keep her with him.

“You miss me?” she asked with a small laugh as he smoothed his

hands up and down her back.

“More than you know.” He kissed her temple and then pulled

back, staring down into her beautiful upturned face. “What do you
want to do tonight?” Her body felt good pressed to his, his chest
rising and falling a little faster. It always did when they were this
close, but Ruttford had yet to claim her.

She wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t going to rush her into something

that was very intimate and special among their people. He may be a
different type of fey, but the bond was something cherished by all
their kind.

But that didn’t stop him from petting, nuzzling, and kissing her.

Ruttford trailed his lips up her neck, enjoying the feel of her sweet
skin beneath his lips as he glided his hands up her sides and then back
down again.

“You make it hard to think when you do that,” she confessed as

she tilted her head to the side, giving him more room for play. He
smiled into her skin as his hands moved to her back, pulling her
closer, pressing her small breasts to his chest. What he wouldn’t give
to have her naked while he explored every inch of her innocent body.

“Do I?” he teased as he nipped her chin.

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Hagen

She shuddered and nodded as Ruttford grabbed a handful of hair

and gave it a light tug, his cock thickening when she moaned. The
woman had no idea how much restraint he was using tonight—
especially after witnessing her in the kitchen with the stranger. An
overwhelming urge to claim her so everyone knew she belonged to
him had him pressing her back to the tree, taking her lips in a
controlled, tender kiss.

She melted against him, surrendering into his arms as he took a

chance and pressed his thigh between her legs. Melonee gasped,
breaking the kiss and staring up at him with her trusting blue eyes.

“Ruttford, I—”
Ruttford stole her protest with a gentle nip to her lower lip. “We

aren’t going to do anything, beautiful. I just like feeling you against
me.” Which was true, but god how he wanted to do so much more.

Tentatively, she snaked her arms around his neck, pulling closer.
“That’s my girl,” he said as he bent to kiss her neck. His hands

wandered down to her waist, gripping it as he pulled her even closer,
knowing damn well what the friction would do to her.

He was out to give her a pleasure he knew she had never

experienced before. Ruttford was using any means necessary to
remind her that she belonged to him, not some stranger who had given
her heated glances. He’d be damned if his mate strayed. Showing her
the pleasures he could unleash inside her body was one way to ensure
she didn’t forget about him.

Taking her lips again, Ruttford began a slow dance of pulling her

up and down his thigh. He kept it pressed firmly between her legs as
her arms tightened around him, her breathing becoming ragged.

He drank her moans as he swept his tongue into her warm, moist

mouth. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. She didn’t
hesitate, didn’t shy away from him as he pressed her harder into the
tree, devouring her as he helped her ride the wave of sensual erotic
pleasure.

“Ruttford,” Melonee said in a desperate tone. “What—”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

31

“Relax, beautiful.” Ruttford wrapped one arm around her body,

holding her tight. The other he used to pull at her hair as she took over
writhing against his leg. “That’s right, baby. Take what you need
from me.”

Melonee arched her back, Ruttford holding on tighter as she

splintered in his arms. He had never seen a more breathtaking sight in
his life. She ground her pussy on this thigh, crying out his name as
she came. He was so fucking hard it was killing him not to take her,
but he knew this was as far as they would go tonight.

But that didn’t stop him from petting her through her orgasm. She

shuddered, her eyes fluttering open and a pretty shade of pink
coloring her cheeks.

He smiled, kissing her jaw as she relaxed in his arms.
“Feel better?” He nuzzled into her neck and then licked his way

up to her ear. She was fey, so her pointy little ears would be
ultrasensitive right now. He was right when she moaned once more.

He could eat her up when she was like this, all putty and sated in

his arms. It only made the anticipation of having her naked and
claiming her all the more sweet.

“I have to go home,” she murmured as he nipped her ear.
“No,” he said as he tightened his arms around her. “You have to

stay with me, Melonee. Don’t you think it’s time, beautiful?”

She leaned back, the unfocused glaze still riding her blue irises.

“Soon, Ruttford, I promise.”

He stole another kiss before setting her on her unsteady feet.

Leaning into her, Melonee had no choice but to lean back into the
tree. With his thumb, he lifted her chin to look him in his eyes. “I’ll
give you five days, precious. When those five days are up, I’m taking
what is mine.”

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Chapter Four

Adam glanced at the kitchen door once more, but he didn’t see the

stunning woman return. He wasn’t sure what it was about her—aside
from the obvious beauty she possessed—that made him continue to
search for her to come back.

“So, Adam,” Lewis began, “tell me what you’ve been up to all

these years.”

He tore his eyes from the door as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Mainly corporate work overseas.”

“That’s pretty vague,” Lewis commented with a small chuckle.
There was no way he could tell the man he assisted companies in

hostile takeovers. He didn’t want to tip his hand about his presence in
Brac Village. Not until he had Vincent’s report and found out why
Les had sent him such incomplete files. “It’s all legal mumbo jumbo.”
Not truly a lie.

“How long do you plan on staying in town?” Lewis asked as he

set his mug down and turned toward Adam.

“A few weeks at most.” He needed to change the subject before

his old schoolmate asked him why he was here. “So,” he began,
waving his arm at the large kitchen, “you live here, huh?”

“Fancy, isn’t it?” Lewis asked with a smile. “But I don’t own the

place. My boyfriend and I rent a room here.”

Adam stood there stunned into silence for a moment. The world

he lived in, moved around in, discouraged openly gay relationships. It
took him by surprise to hear Lewis admit it so freely. He wasn’t used
to that. Adam was used to everything pertaining to gay men being

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

33

hidden behind closed doors, only whispered about, and meetings to be
with another man made in secret.

“Close your mouth, Adam,” Lewis said. “Yes, I’m gay.”
Adam quickly closed his mouth, feeling the embarrassment flush

across his face. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just not used to
hearing anyone openly admit it.”

“No offense taken. Would you like a tour?”
That would help him with his research. It was filled with holes

this place could fill in. “Sure.”

Lewis waved for Adam to follow as they strode from the kitchen.

Not only did Adam pay attention to the grand home he was being
toured through, but he kept an eye out for Melonee as well.

As he walked through the corridors with Lewis, Adam was

stunned at how richly decorated the place was. This was not a home
of someone who was destitute and looking to sell. The marble floors
in the foyer alone must have cost a cool mint, not to mention the rich
varnished wood of the staircase and walls.

“Who owns this home?” he asked.
“Maverick Brac,” Lewis replied. “But he has plenty of family

staying here.”

Adam stopped walking when a toddler ran from one of the

bedrooms, streaking down the hallway wearing nothing but a smile as
he laughed.

“Come back here, Nevada!” A very large, bald headed man

chased after the babe, grabbing him up into his arms. “You’re taking a
bath whether you want to or not.”

Adam was amazed at how gentle the giant was with the small

child. He groused at the toddler, but his eyes sparkled with
amusement.

“That’s Montana and his son Nevada,” Lewis informed him.
Adam nodded and then began to walk as Lewis showed him the

many hallways in the place. Just how many bedrooms did this home
have, and how many were filled with people?

34 Lynn

Hagen

Adam slammed his back into the wall, his arms spread wide and

locking every muscle into place when a fucking tiger pranced around
the corner. He wasn’t sure he was seeing things correctly. Was that
really a tiger heading toward them? Just what in the hell was going on
in this house?

“Relax, Adam. Keata is harmless.”
Adam wasn’t willing to take Lewis at his word. He had never

been this close to an exotic animal before, and he wasn’t willing to
get any closer. “Can you put him in a room?” he asked, hating to
sound like such a wuss, but damn, that was a tiger.

A real live tiger.
“Go find Cody,” Lewis said to the animal as he leaned down and

rubbed behind the tiger’s ear. “Go on.”

The tiger stared at him a moment, as if studying him, and then did

as Lewis asked. Adam wasn’t so sure he wanted to finish his tour.
“Any more surprises?”

“Nope,” Lewis answered and then added, “just a shitload of

troublemakers and a handful of babies.”

Adam was ready to tell Lewis he was done touring and ready to

leave when he spotted Melonee heading down the hallway toward
them. Now that exotic beauty could get as close as she wanted to.
There was just something about her that was making Adam’s blood
run hot and his imagination run wild. All that long, luscious hair was
driving him mad—not to mention the killer-ass body she had.

“I wouldn’t continue to ogle my niece if I were you,” Lewis said,

making Adam tear his eyes away from her to look at the man. “She
isn’t on the sightseeing tour.”

The warning was loud and clear. Back the fuck off or see a side of

Lewis he had never seen before. Fair enough. But it wasn’t easy. He
could actually feel her moving toward him.

“Giving a tour?” Melonee asked, her voice so damn hypnotic that

Adam had to force himself not to openly stare at her. What the hell
was wrong with him? No woman had ever affected him like this

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

35

before, and he had been around the world. He was normally more in
control and didn’t act like a horny teenager out to score.

But damn if she wasn’t making his senses go wild.
“We were just finishing up,” Lewis said. Adam could hear the

undertone of irritation. He hadn’t meant to be rude but it seemed
Melonee was affecting him in ways he had never encountered before.

“Yeah, it’s getting late,” Adam replied as he turned and began to

head back toward the foyer. He had enough for now to update his
files. He was here to buy this town and tear it down. That thought
needed to stay in the forefront of his mind. It didn’t matter how
beautiful Melonee Brac was or how much she affected him. Adam
was not here to reminisce or meet new people.

He was here for one single purpose, and it would do him good to

remember that. Adam mentally chastised himself for letting someone
get to him the way Melonee seemed to be doing. He wasn’t weak and
he wasn’t one to let his hormones rule him.

As he reached the front door, Adam turned to shake Lewis’s hand,

ready to get the hell out of there. “It was good seeing you again.”

The irritation was gone, and the man gave him a ready smile. “It

was good, Adam. Maybe we’ll run into each other in town.”

Adam let himself out before he gave in to the urge to look at the

top of the steps. He could feel Melonee standing up there, staring
down at him, and he was hard-pressed not to look. Stepping back out
into the cold, Adam used the cool air to clear his mind as he headed
toward his car.

Every warning bell in his head was going off, telling him that

something strange was going on in that house. But Adam wasn’t here
to figure out who everyone was. He was here to buy everyone out and
hand the contracts over to Kenyon Corporation.

* * * *

36 Lynn

Hagen

Maverick stood at the window in his office, watching as the

human drove away. “I don’t trust him.”

“That’s because he was checking Melonee out and didn’t hide it,”

Kota, Maverick’s second-in-command, said from the leather chair
seated in front of his desk. “Anyone who openly ogles her is
immediately put on your shit list.”

Maverick shook his head as he turned from the window once the

Mercedes was down the driveway and out of sight. “There’s more to
it than just that.” The man had been dressed in an expensive sweater,
jeans, and jacket, and to Maverick, reeked of underhandedness. “I
want someone to keep an eye on him while he’s in town.”

“I’ll have Hawk send some men to check out Mr. Adam Nyte,”

Kota said as Maverick took a seat behind his desk and kicked his
booted feet up. He knew he wasn’t feeling this way just because the
little prick had been checking his daughter out. Of course, that alone
put the man on Maverick’s least-favorite people list, but there was
more to it than that. He hadn’t remained alpha for this long without
having instincts that told him there was more to the man than met the
eye.

“I want Nero to run a background check on him as well,”

Maverick commented. “If there is anything shady about that human, I
want to know.”

Kota nodded as he stood. “I’ll stop at Nero’s office across the hall

before seeing Hawk.”

Maverick pulled at the patch of hair under his lip, wondering who

Adam Nyte was and what he was doing in Brac Village.

“Are you contemplating Ruttford’s death again?” Cecil asked as

he walked into the office and dropped down onto the sofa.

“I wasn’t, but thanks for reminding me about the prick.”
Cecil rolled his eyes and lay back on the couch, using the arm as a

headrest. “You need some deep and intense psychotherapy, Maverick.
Maybe I can get Nicholas to shrink your head and teach you how to
cut the cord.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

37

Maverick narrowed his eyes at his reason for living. “You’re

supposed to be on my side, mate.”

“And most of the time I am. But on this subject, you are on your

own, buddy. You know I agree with Melonee.”

Maverick decided to leave the subject alone before he blew

another gasket. It would do him no good. He and Melonee were at an
impasse, both refusing to see the other’s point of view. He didn’t give
two shits if everyone thought he was being unreasonable and
overbearing. She was his little girl, and he wasn’t ready to let her go.

“Has Nero finished setting up your network?” Maverick asked as

he changed the topic of conversation.

Cecil sat up, giving Maverick a look that said he knew what the

man was doing. “He did. He also sent word to the other packs and
Christian’s coven for the mates to each set up an account under a
username and password.”

Maverick was glad to see Cecil getting so involved in the

intricacies of the pack instead of getting into trouble. He wasn’t
foolish enough to believe his mate was finished causing havoc, but it
was good to see him getting into other things as well.

Maverick turned just as his office door flew open, twin brothers

running in and heading straight for his desk—or behind his chair to be
more precise. “Isn’t it late for you two to be running around?”
Maverick asked just as Murdock came racing in, his eyes flickering
around the office.

“Seen my boys?”
Maverick tried his best to keep a straight face as he shook his

head. “Not in the last five seconds.” Murdock spun around and
headed out of the office. Small giggles sounded behind his chair.

“You two can come out now,” Cecil said. “He’s gone.”
Matthew peeked his head out and glanced around the office.

“He’ll be back. He’s trying to trick us.” His head disappeared behind
Maverick’s chair just as Murdock appeared in the doorway again, shot

38 Lynn

Hagen

a glance around the office, and then walked away, mumbling under
his breath.

“He should be gone now,” Maddox announced as he popped out

from behind the other side of Maverick’s chair. “That was close.”

“Now what are your diabolical plans?” Cecil asked.
The twins stood there glancing at each other and then at Maverick.

“We don’t know. What should we do?”

It amazed Maverick that, although these two were twins, the older

they became, the more Maddox looked like Murdock and Heaven’s
softer features appeared in Matthew. Their personalities even seemed
to match their parents’. Maddox was a true alpha when it came to the
two. He was the leader, the one leading Matthew around and getting
them into trouble while Matthew obediently followed. He had no
doubt this running from dad thing was Maddox’s idea. Maverick
wasn’t sure considering Matthew was an escape artist.

“Come on, guys. I’m sure we can find some trouble to get into,”

Cecil said as he led the twins from Maverick’s office.

“Just don’t take them to a damn strip club!” Maverick shouted

after his mate. He wasn’t sure if he should rescue Heaven and
Murdock’s boys or trust that his mate had a bit of common
sense…Maverick got up and went after Cecil.

Just as he cleared his doorway, Micah and Ludo stopped him.

“What do we know about this Adam Nyte?”

Maverick watched as Cecil headed toward the kitchen and prayed

his mate was getting them some cookies and not sneaking out the
back door. He turned his attention to Micah. “Nothing right now. I
have Nero working on the human’s background.”

“What’s with the surveillance then?” Ludo asked.
“My gut,” Maverick replied. “There is something off about that

man, and I want to know since he is in my damn town.”

“We could just interrogate him like we did in the good old days,”

Micah suggested with a sinister smile. The wolf’s dark eyes seemed
to light up at the prospect.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

39

“If it comes down to that,” Maverick replied. “For now, just keep

an eye on him and let me know what he’s up to.”

As the two walked away, Maverick strode into the office across

the hall from his, finding Nero behind his desk, typing away.
“Anything yet?”

Nero clicked a few more keys and the printer came to life, a few

pages sliding into the tray. “There’s not much known about him. Not
much at all,” Nero said in his normal nervous tone. “But I did manage
to find out he works freelance as a construction consultant.”

Maverick crossed the office and pulled the pages from the printer,

scanning what Nero had found. It seemed Mr. Nyte had spent a lot of
time overseas working on various projects for a few companies, but
nothing that would tell him why the man was in Brac Village.

“Keep searching.” He walked from the office, more determined

than ever to find out what secrets the human was hiding.

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Chapter Five

Melonee sat at the breakfast table, feeling the tight knot in her

stomach. She couldn’t stop thinking about her time with Ruttford last
night and what he had done to her body. That was the first time the
man had taken things that far, and Melonee was wasn’t averse to
doing it again. Never before had she felt anything that explosive, and
her body tingled at the remembrance. She needed to get her thoughts
under control because she knew for damn sure the shifters could scent
arousal.

That was all she needed this early in the morning was her uncles

interrogating her. There was no way in hell she was revealing what
had gone on between her and the man who had given her the best
orgasm of her life.

God, she was blushing. She could feel her cheeks heating.
But Ruttford’s warning kept playing over and over in her mind.

Five days. He was giving her five days before he threw down the
gauntlet and demanded his mate. Melonee had been prepared to leave
tonight, but that was before Adam had showed up.

Now she wasn’t sure what to do.
She knew she should have told Ruttford, but after what he had

done to her, Melonee was surprised she remembered her own name.

“Your eggs are getting cold,” Johnny said as he poked her arm

and then pointed at her plate with his fork. How could he think of
eating at a time like this? Her world was spinning out of control, and
he was thinking about eggs?

“Do you want them?” She slid her plate over to him, careful not to

let her confusion of her situation show on her face.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

41

“Well, if you insist,” he said before pushing his empty plate aside

and grabbing hers. “Can I eat the sausage, too?”

“Knock yourself out.” She knew she needed to call Ruttford and

tell him what was going on, but she feared his reaction. The fey had
waited patiently enough, but if he found out there was another man
fated to be hers, she wasn’t sure Ruttford would wait the five days. He
just might storm in here and demand she leave with him.

She winced at what she knew her dad would do if her mate

decided to go all Rambo on them. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Johnny patted her on her hand and whispered, “You should go see

Dr. Sheehan. You look a little constipated.”

Melonee smiled and hugged the man. If he only knew how much

he had lightened the moment for her. “Or it could be the fact that I
need to shop.”

Johnny’s blue-grey eyes lit up. “Now you’re cooking with bacon.

I can have Hawk take us to the mall.”

“Mall?” Keata said from across the table. “Did you guys say you

were going to the mall?”

“I want to go,” Blair said as he pushed his plate aside. “I need to

do some Christmas shopping.”

It looked like Melonee had her day set. But that still didn’t settle

the butterflies in her stomach. She needed to talk to Ruttford, but hell
if she could work the nerve up to call him. Maybe after shopping with
her family she would have the nerve, although she doubted it.

She also wanted to find out where Adam was staying and have a

talk with him as well. She just wasn’t sure what she was going to say
to him. Oh, by the way, I’m fey and you are my other mate. Yeah, that
wasn’t going to cut it.

But her biggest hurdle was going to be her dad. Melonee was

dreading that talk. Maybe she could text him once she moved out.
God, she was such a chickenshit. She knew she couldn’t do that to
Maverick, not after he had taken her into his home, adopted her, and
loved her like she was his biological daughter.

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Maybe she should call her mother. Even though Olivia was

happily mated to Windstorm, a shifter who lived with the eastern pack
of grey wolves, they still stayed in contact and saw each other often.
She should be able to help Melonee with her problem.

“I’ll meet you guys in an hour by the front door,” Melonee said to

the men around the table as she scooted her seat back and then made
her way to her bedroom. As soon as she had her door closed, she
grabbed her phone and dialed her mother.

“Hey, sweetie,” her mother said as soon as she answered. “I was

just about to call you.”

Melonee sat down on her bed, wondering how to start the

conversation. Maybe she should just blurt it out and get it over with,
like ripping a Band-Aid off. “I have another mate.” She winced and
held her breath as she waited for her mother to reply.

“Oh, dear,” Olivia said. “How did you find out?”
Melonee rolled to her stomach and cupped her face with her free

hand, wondering how she was going to deal with this mess. “A
stranger came by last night. I guess he used to go to school with Uncle
Lewis. As soon as I answered the door, I knew.”

“I’m guessing if he went to school with Lewis that he’s human?”
“And you would be correct.” Melonee sighed. “What am I going

to do, Mom? Maverick is already having a fit over Ruttford, who, by
the way, told me last night he was giving me five days and then he
wasn’t waiting any longer.”

Olivia chuckled. “It seems you have quite the situation on your

hands. Does Ruttford know about this human?”

Melonee growled in aggravation. “No. I was going to tell him last

night, but then…” Even talking to her mom, Melonee was
embarrassed to say what had happened last night under the large oak
tree.

“He became frisky?” Her mom took a guess.
“Kind of,” she shyly admitted. “He made me forget what I wanted

to talk to him about.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

43

“Men tend to do that, sweetie. But you can’t keep that bit of

information from Ruttford. He deserves to know that you have a
multiple partnership on your hands. I’ve met the young man, and he
seems very sweet. I’m sure…oh, heck, I really can’t say what he’ll
do.”

“But if Ruttford is my mate, and Adam is my mate, wouldn’t that

make them each other’s mate?” Melonee felt a spark of hope light up
inside of her. Maybe she was fretting over nothing. Maybe the two
would accept each other and things wouldn’t be so bad.

“I can tell you from experience living here in Zeus’s town that just

because you have two men doesn’t mean they will get along. Quite a
few of the men here almost killed each other until they stopped acting
like macho boneheads and settled into their relationship.”

That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
“But, Melonee, whatever happens, you have to follow your heart.

I love Maverick to death for taking you in when I couldn’t take care
of you. He was a godsend, but this is your life, not his. Do you really
want secrets between you and your mates?”

No, she didn’t. She wanted what she saw the others under this

roof experiencing with their mates. The way the men looked at their
mates was nothing short of awestruck. Even though Cecil was the
biggest troublemaker she knew, Maverick looked at the man like this
entire world rode on Cecil’s happiness.

Melonee wanted something like that. She wanted a family so

badly that it hurt. She saw the way Murdock looked at Heaven, or the
way Montana cuddled with Gabby, their children tucked close and the
intimacy so raw it was tangible. Melonee wanted children. She
wanted them to grow up with their cousins, under one big happy roof.

But the way things were going, she would be four hundred by the

time she bore her first child. “I’m scared.”

“I know, honey. But part of being a grown woman is facing that

fear and doing what needs to be done, no matter how hard the road is
to travel.” Her mother sighed. “I wish I could give you a hug and

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make things all better, but this requires more than just me wrapping
my arms around you. Although if you need one, I will certainly make
your stepfather bring me there.”

Melonee smiled. “No, I will handle this. Tell Windstorm he better

bring you for Christmas or I’m going to give him coal in his
stocking.”

Olivia laughed, they shared a few more exchanges, and then

Melonee hung up, still confused and scared as hell. She dialed
Ruttford’s number, biting her thumbnail as she waited for him to
answer.

“How’s my beautiful girl?” Ruttford asked when he answered.
Melonee felt the blush creep over his skin once again as she

remembered what the man had done to her body last night. “I’m fine,”
she admitted. “Heading out to do some shopping today with the
guys.”

“And you want me to meet up with you?” His voice was teasing,

making things low in her body tighten. “God, no. I love Johnny and
Keata to death, but they can’t keep a secret to save their lives.”

Ruttford growled. “Five days, beautiful, and then that’s no longer

our concern.”

“We need to talk,” Melonee blurted out before she lost her nerve.

“Can we meet tonight, same place?”

Ruttford was silent for a moment and then said, “You won’t

change my mind, Melonee. I’m being generous with the five days.”

Her anger spiked. “If you hadn’t played all those tricks on my

family, Maverick wouldn’t be ready to skin you alive.”

“If I had known they were going to be family, I wouldn’t have

come near them. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m tired of
waiting, Melonee. You’re mine and I plan on claiming you, whether
your dad likes it or not.”

Melonee would have given him a piece of her mind for talking

that way to her, but he was right. Ruttford had been more than patient.
“Tonight, ten o’clock. Same place.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

45

“Wear some loose-fitting clothes, beautiful,” Ruttford said, his

voice dropping to a husky tone that was filled with sensual heat and
naughty promises.

Melonee hung up and wondered what the fey had in mind for her.

She sat there holding the phone, her body wound so tight that every
part of her was feeling needy and hot. Ruttford had woken something
inside of her, and now that Melonee had a taste of what things were
going to be like between them, there was no going back.

But before anything more happened between her and Ruttford, she

had to tell him about Adam.

A knock sounded on her door. “Come in,” Melonee called out.
Hawk came into her room. If she hadn’t grown up around this

warrior, his sheer size would have intimidated her. The wolf seemed
to demand everyone’s attention when he walked into a room. “Yes?”

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
Oh, no! Please don’t let him be here to give me a sex talk. The

man had that gleam in his eye, and he looked uncomfortable as hell.
She was going to die of mortification if he began with the birds and
the bees.

“Okay,” she said as she drew the word out.
Hawk took a seat on her large, pink chair. He looked so out of

place she nearly laughed, but didn’t because her stomach was tying in
knots.

“The only reason I’m here is because Johnny asked me to talk to

you.”

She was going to die. “About what?”
Hawk glanced around the room, his tanned skin taking on a slight

shade of red.

Please, no, no, no.
“We all know that you found your mate, Melonee,” Hawk said

and then cleared his throat. “And, uh, soon he’ll be claiming you.”

Melonee sat there slack-jawed. He was really going to go through

with this! She wanted to hide her face and scream at him to get out,

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but she just sat there, stunned into silence. She prayed he lost his
nerve and walked out. She prayed she lost her hearing. Hell, she
prayed the house was struck by lightning in the next five seconds.

But she wasn’t that lucky.
“There are things guys like, and, uh, I just wanted to tell you—”
“Stop right there!” Melonee finally said before he totally messed

her head up. “Look, Uncle Hawk, we both know you don’t want to
have this conversation just as much as I’m begging you not to plant
those images in my head. Why don’t you tell Johnny we had the talk
and everything is fine?”

Never before had she seen the man looked so relieved. “Thank

fuck,” he said and then apologized for cursing. “Trust me, the only
reason I came in here is because he badgered me to speak with you.”

“We talked, you filled my head with images I’ll need therapy for,

and we had a heartfelt moment,” she quickly said. “Now go.”

He stood. “I’ll tell him that.”
Melonee jumped up and locked her door as soon as he left. She

stood there with her back pressed into the door, wanting to laugh and
scream at the same time. She loved her family beyond measure, but if
anyone else came to her with the talk, she was going to shimmer
herself to Alaska.

Besides, her mother had talked to her about sex when Melonee

was sixteen. There was no way she would look at one of her uncles
the same way again if they told her the things Hawk was about to tell
her.

Shuddering, Melonee grabbed some clothes and took a quick

shower. Everyone would be waiting by the front door for her.

Once she was dressed and ready to go, Melonee made her way

down the hall. She rolled her eyes when Johnny walked up next to
her, giving her a knowing smile. “So everything went well?”

“The next time you want me educated on the subject of sex, come

talk to me yourself,” she said, holding back her irritation. She knew
Johnny was only trying to look out for her.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

47

Johnny grew serious as he nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. But I

thought maybe it would have been better coming from someone who
wouldn’t use pet terms for the anatomy.”

Melonee stopped walking and stared at Johnny. “Just what kind of

pet terms?”

He blushed. “Do you really want to know?”
Not really. “Come on, french fry. Let’s go do some shopping.”

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Chapter Six

Adam paced his apartment, deep in thought. He had the files he

was supposed to be working on open on his table, but that wasn’t
what was on his mind.

Melonee Brac.
God, why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? Adam had been to

Brazil, Italy, France, and many other countries where beautiful
women were aplenty, and he had had his fair share of sampling their
ample bodies. So why was he so obsessed with this small-town
woman? What was it about her that he couldn’t even concentrate on
the job he was sent here to do?

Running his hands over his head, Adam decided that maybe he

needed to get out and take a walk, go sightseeing, or jump into the
damn water down by the pier—anything to get his mind off of her.

Donning his jacket, Adam jogged down the steps of the apartment

building he was living in and walked outside, taking in a lungful of
cold, December air. Instead of getting wet at the pier, Adam decided
to be a little more practical and head to the coffee shop.

Today wasn’t as cold, so walking suited him just fine. It also gave

him a chance to check out the new buildings and businesses in town,
businesses Les had left out of his dossier. Vincent still hadn’t called
Adam back, but he knew it would be a few days before he heard
anything from the man.

As Adam passed by the obviously new movie theatre, he couldn’t

help but feel as if someone was watching him. The hairs on the back
of his neck began to rise as he glanced around, but he didn’t see

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

49

anyone paying him any attention. There were a few cars driving by, a
handful of people on the streets, but no one was looking his way.

Even though he had confirmed no one was paying him any

attention, the feeling wouldn’t go away. He strode into the small
coffee shop, pushing the thought of someone watching him from his
mind. It had to be the lack of sleep he was experiencing. No one knew
why he was here, so no one would think to keep an eye on him.

Not until he began his slow progression through town, talking the

people into selling their homes to the large corporation.

Before Adam ordered his hot chocolate, he headed toward the

back where he assumed the bathrooms were located. As he entered
the small hallway, he was shocked to see Melonee coming out of the
ladies’ room.

From the expression on her pretty face, she was just as surprised

to see him. Her blue eyes rounded as she stared at him and then
quickly looked behind him. Adam turned but didn’t see anyone in the
hallway with them. “Hello, Melonee.”

He could see her swallowing tightly as she once again glanced

behind him. “Hi, Adam.”

Her voice alone was doing things to Adam that still confused him.

No other woman’s voice made his cock rock hard just from hearing
the sweet tone. He couldn’t understand it, but he had an
overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and lay claim to her.

What the devil?
He wasn’t here to hook up with anyone. That was the last thing he

needed right now. What he needed to do was walk away, but instead,
he stood there drinking her in. She was wearing a pair of faded
jogging pants and a loose-fitting sweater, but damn if it didn’t look
good on her. His eyes kept falling down to her small, pert breasts, his
hands itching to cup them and bring her so much pleasure that—god,
he needed to stop thinking like that.

Running his hand over his stubble, Adam couldn’t help but ask,

“Would you like to join me for some cocoa?”

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Okay, he was getting really tired of her nervous glances behind

him. Did she have a boyfriend he needed to watch out for? His cock
became impossibly harder as he watched her tongue slide along her
bottom lip. “I can’t, but not because I don’t want to.” She quickly
added the last part. “Can we meet somewhere?”

Well, he hadn’t been expecting that. “Okay, name the time and

place.” He shouldn’t be agreeing, but hell if he could deny her.

Melonee chewed her bottom lip, as if it was a very difficult

decision. Adam was about to tell her to meet him in the coffee shop
tomorrow when she said, “Meet me at the diner for breakfast at
eight.”

As Melonee walked away, Adam turned to watch her, feeling

something close to longing pulling at his gut.

Never before had he wished for a steady woman, but as he

watched her nicely shaped ass sway back and forth, all kinds of
thoughts were going through his head.

And not just sexual.
He was beginning to think that maybe meeting her wasn’t such a

good idea after all. What if things became too complicated? He
wasn’t sticking around, so he shouldn’t be considering anything with
her.

Yet he found himself anticipating breakfast.

* * * *

Ruttford was getting ready to take off to meet Melonee when Fire

grabbed him by the arm and spun him around. “Okay, maybe the
Shadow elves are after me.”

Pushing Fire’s hand off of him, Ruttford narrowed his eyes. “I

told you to leave those damn men alone. How much are you in debt?”

“Fifty,” Fire said as he raked his hand through his hair and turned,

pacing over to the bush in front of Ruttford’s home.

“Fifty isn’t bad.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

51

Fire turned, giving Ruttford a look that told him this wasn’t going

to be good. “Fifty thousand, brother.”

“How the hell—what—are you fucking crazy!” Ruttford felt like

his stomach had turned inside out. “Where in the hell are you going to
get that kind of money?” The Shadow elves Fire dealt with were some
mean sons of bitches. They had damn near killed Fire last time he
owed them, and it wasn’t nearly as much as what he owed them now.
He grabbed his brother by his shirtfront, slamming him into the door.
“You know if you don’t pay, they’ll come after your family. What
were you thinking?”

He thought about his parents, about Melonee, and knew the shit

was about to hit the fan. If he claimed her now, she wouldn’t be safe.
He wanted to kill Fire for ruining his plans. All his life, Fire had been
selfish and only thought about his own needs. Now his
thoughtlessness was about to impact them all. Did his brother even
care?

Probably not.
“I wasn’t thinking,” Fire admitted. “You have to help me get out

of this.”

Ruttford released him, walking away before he did something he

was going to regret…maybe. He wasn’t too sure if becoming an only
child at this point wouldn’t be more beneficial than keeping Fire
alive.

“What do you want me to do, Fire? I don’t have that kind of

money. You’re going to have to find some way to pay them back, or
so help me god, I’ll kill you myself if anything happens to our
parents, or Melonee.”

Ruttford didn’t even want to think of those sharks coming after

her. Melonee was innocent, sweet, and her family would cut
Ruttford’s balls off and—Ruttford swallowed. If Maverick found out
that Fire put her in danger, Ruttford’s entire family would be wiped
out.

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But the alpha wouldn’t blame Fire. He would find a way to blame

Ruttford. After the havoc he had caused, the wolf was looking for any
excuse to keep Ruttford and Melonee apart.

This would seal his fate.
“I come to you for help and that’s all you have to say?” Fire

shouted at him as Ruttford began to walk away again. He had to walk
away or he would wrap his hands around the man’s throat and
strangle him to death.

Ruttford shimmered out, feeling sick to his stomach as he saw

Melonee waiting for him. He pulled a smile out of his ass and pasted
it on his face as he enveloped her into his arms. She didn’t need to
suspect what was going on. If he knew her, and he was pretty sure he
did, she would try her best to get him and Fire out of this situation.

And with the way Ruttford’s luck was going, Maverick would

find out. “How was your shopping, beautiful?” He noticed that she
was wearing the loose-fitting clothes he had asked her to wear. He
had planned on taking her back to his place and going a little further
than last night, but he wasn’t sure his home was safe right now. The
jogging pants and sweater would give him easy access, but Ruttford
was terrified the Shadow elves would show up at his place.

“Good,” she replied.
He pulled back, giving her a kiss that should have set his soul on

fire. Instead, all he could think about was what Fire had done and how
it could impact Melonee.

She was the first to break the kiss. “We need to talk.”
He grabbed her hand, ready to shimmer out when he stopped.

“How did you get out of the house without setting off any alarms?”

“Nero helped me,” she answered.
Satisfied Maverick wouldn’t be on the hunt, Ruttford shimmered

them to one of his favorite spots he liked to go to when he needed to
think. It was private and from the expression on her face, Ruttford had
a feeling his night was only going to get better.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

53

“This place is amazing,” Melonee said as she glanced around.

“Where are we?”

He led her up a path, feeling overdressed in his jacket. “Santa

Maria Island,” he replied as he slipped his jacket off. “Tell me you
have a T-shirt under your sweater.”

Ruttford damn near swallowed his tongue when she pulled the

sweater over her head, revealing a small camisole. He forgot about
Fire. He forgot about Maverick. Ruttford forgot about everything as
he gazed at the blushing pink and baby-blue sunset behind her. She
was so damn beautiful that Ruttford felt his chest tighten.

“Much better,” she said, unaware how she affected him. He knew

in his heart that she could live to be one thousand and he would still
look at her as if she were the most gorgeous creature to ever walk the
earth.

She was the other half of his soul.
Slipping his hand around the back of her neck, Ruttford pulled her

close, placing his other hand on her hip as he dipped his head. “Do
you know how much you mean to me, Melonee?” He slid his hand up
her side and then cupped her breast. His cock became instantly hard
as he felt the soft skin, separated only by a thin layer of silk.

“We need to talk, Ruttford,” Melonee said, but he could tell her

will to say anything was crumbling. Ruttford didn’t want to talk right
now. He didn’t even want to think right now. All he wanted was to
drown himself in Melonee and forget.

Maybe they could hide out here for the rest of their lives. The

place was stunningly beautiful, after all. But as much as he wanted to,
Ruttford knew he couldn’t run. He could forget for the moment,
though.

Slipping his hand up into Melonee’s long, lustrous hair, Ruttford

pulled it back as he worked his lips down her throat. “You taste so
damn good.” He pushed her breast further into his hand, using his
thumb to brush over her nipple. It became diamond hard under his
touch.

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“Trust me?” Ruttford asked he continued to work his way down

her neck, licking a path over her delicate collarbone and inhaling her
wild scent. He didn’t plan on claiming her tonight, but hell if he was
letting her walk away hungry.

Never would he let his mate starve for something he could so

readily give. And from the heated moans and the arched back, she
was famished.

“I trust you, but—”
“No buts, beautiful.” Ruttford leaned his head down and gently bit

her peaked nipple. Melonee cried out as he worked the silk-covered
bud between his teeth. When she didn’t protest, Ruttford pushed the
thin piece of material out of his way and licked her breast, his lips
nibbling sporadically. Melonee fisted his hair, drawing him closer as
her head fell back, a long, sensual groan vibrating in her chest.

He growled low in his throat as he slowly lowered her to the

grassy earth, taking his time as he finally explored her body. It had
been a long while, and not only was Melonee hungry, Ruttford was
ravenous for her.

Licking a path to the neglected breast, Ruttford pushed at the

waistband of her jogging pants, talking them all the way down, and
then off before cupping her small bottom in his hand. He massaged
the smooth skin, running his nails over her flesh, hearing her moan
even louder.

“I’m going to bury my mouth in your pussy, beautiful.” His hand

moved to her abdomen, stroking its way to her parted thighs. He drew
lazy circles over her skin, letting her get used to the idea of what he
wanted before dipping his hand down into her moist heat and parting
the folds of her pussy, his finger running over her swollen clit. “God,
you are so wet, so hot.”

And sweet mother of god, she was bare down there, not one single

hair in sight. Ruttford felt like he had died and gone to heaven as he
stared between her legs, his breathing coming out roughly, raggedly.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

55

There was a fine blush spilling over Melonee’s body, but Ruttford

wasn’t going to give her enough time to back out. Not tonight, not
while he had her so open to him, so willing. His cock was throbbing
in his jeans, begging to be let out to play, but Ruttford knew that if he
released his swollen shaft, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from
claiming her.

It wasn’t safe right now—not with the bullshit Fire had gotten

into—and the last thing he would do was put her in jeopardy.

Ruttford clenched his jaw when Melonee lifted toward him, the

sweet folds of her cunt shining wetly in the fading light. He ran his
fingers over the moisture clinging to her thighs and then lifted his
fingers, placing them in his mouth as he tasted her for the very first
time.

Melonee’s eyes widened as he smiled wickedly at her. “Beg me to

devour you, beautiful.” He dipped his fingers again, gathering more of
her cream, letting the back of his knuckles graze over her throbbing
bud.

Her head fell back as she whimpered, her legs spreading further

apart in invitation.

“Uh-uh, beg me, baby.”
“Ruttford!” Melonee said in frustration.
Ruttford settled between her legs, giving her clit one long lick.

“Beg me.”

“Please,” Melonee panted.
Ruttford swirled his tongue around her clit, teasing her. “Please

what?”

Melonee licked her lips, staring down at him as if she were afraid

to say the words. He was going to get her past her shyness. Ruttford
wanted her screaming her desires, telling him what she wanted most.

When she didn’t answer him, Ruttford sucked her clit into his

mouth, gave a few tugs, and then pulled back. “Please what?”

“I’m going to kill you!” she shouted as her lower half hitched

higher, placing her waxed pussy close to his mouth.

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“You just might, but I’m not going any further until you beg me.”

He heard how low his voice dipped, how guttural it had become as he
circled the tip of his finger at her untried entrance.

“Oh, god, Ruttford,” Melonee moaned, and he could hear the

underlying embarrassment in her tone. “Please, suck my pussy,
please.”

Sliding his hands beneath her rear end, Ruttford lifted her to him

and devoured her with his mouth. Her sweet honeyed essence spilt
over his tongue as he licked and sucked, nibbled and caressed her
swollen clit with his lips and tongue.

Torture unlike anything Ruttford had ever known swept through

him, forcing him to ground his cock into the grassy knoll, trying his
best to satisfy himself without taking her. His control was slipping
away quickly with every cry, every moan, and every plea from his
mate. He knew that if he didn’t bring her to climax soon, his control
would be shredded.

Her hips began to thrust forward, gyrating in his mouth. Oh fuck,

he was losing it. Pulling one hand from underneath her, he pressed a
finger at the entrance of her pussy as he sucked her clit into his
mouth.

She was gasping for breath as she writhed under him, her thighs

locking at his head as she screamed her release. Ruttford sucked
harder, pushing his finger inside of her as she spasmed.

If he had thought her beautiful when she rode his leg to

completion, it was nothing compared to the way she cried out his
name and bucked against his mouth, pulling at his hair, and clenching
her thighs as she shook.

He pulled his finger free, licking her in slow, lazy strokes,

bringing her slowly down. She lay there panting, her skin shining with
a fine sheen of sweat. Ruttford pushed his way up her body, pulling
her into his arms, petting her, giving her light kisses as her breathing
evened out. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said as he smiled down at her.

“Hi.” She smiled back.

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57

“Now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” His hand slid

to her belly, petting her, letting her know just how much he enjoyed
touching her.

When Melonee turned her head, refusing to meet his gaze, his

hand stilled. His breath stilled. His entire world came to a halt. “Talk
to me, Melonee.”

She slowly turned her head back around, her eyes filled with fear.

He wasn’t sure what to think.

“I found my other mate.”

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Chapter Seven

Cecil walked around the pool table, eyeing the balls as Blair stood

against the wall, rolling his eyes. “I can hear my hair growing. Hurry
up and take your turn.”

“Don’t rush me because you are losing,” he replied as his phone

rang. Cecil grabbed it off of his hip, glaring at Blair. “No cheating.”

Blair flipped him off as Cecil answered his phone. “Brac’s

Mortuary. You stab ’em, we slab ’em. Cecil the undertaker speaking.”

“Oh, that’s good. I’m going to have to use that.”
“Feel free.” Cecil frowned. “Just as long as you tell me who this is.”
“You’ll find out soon enough if Ruttford’s brother doesn’t come

through. If he doesn’t pay, we are going to start with that fey your
daughter is mated to and then work our way through your entire
family.”

“Try it and see how fucking far you get!”
Blair was at his side, scowling as the caller hung up. “What the

hell is going on?” he asked.

Cecil tucked his phone back in, tossing the pool stick onto the

table. “Grab Oliver and Carter. We have some business to take care
of.” No one fucked with his family. Just as soon as he found out what
was going on, Cecil was going to kill the bastard who had threatened
the people who meant the most to him.

As soon as Blair left the room, Cecil called out for Ahm. He tried

to be as quiet as possible. The last thing he wanted was for Maverick
to find out there was some kind of bullshit going on with Ruttford.
Maverick wouldn’t listen to reason when it came to Melonee, and

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

59

knowing everyone they loved had just been threatened because of
Ruttford’s brother would only send his mate over the edge.

The used-to-be-blue elf shimmered in, looking as irritated as ever.

“Should I roll over and lick my balls?”

Cecil would have laughed at the dog reference, but after the phone

call he just received, all he wanted was answers. “What do you know
about Ruttford’s brother?”

“Santa’s elf?” Ahm asked as he stood there looking at Cecil like

he really didn’t want to be there.

“Yeah, that’s the guy.”
Ahm shrugged as he leaned a hip into the pool table. “They are a

different breed of elves. I really don’t know much except that
Ruttford’s brother, Fire, has a gambling addiction.”

Crap. That wasn’t what Cecil wanted to hear. “Who would be

hunting him down if he owed a debt?”

“What’s with the sudden interest?” Ahm asked.
“I got a phone call telling me that my family is in danger if Fire

doesn’t come through.”

Ahm stood up straight, shaking his head as he crossed his arms

over his chest. “They are Shadow elves, but I can’t interfere, Cecil. If
it’s a legitimate debt, there isn’t anything I can do about it. It’s our
law.”

Cecil pierced Ahm with a hard glare. “Fine, but at least tell me

who is after the man. I need to know who I’m dealing with.”

The man’s upper lip curled. “Trust me. You don’t want to mess

with Myne and Yanyte. They aren’t Shadow elves to be trifled with.”

“And I’m not a human to be threatened, Ahm. We’re talking about

my family. What do you think Maverick will do when he finds out
some of your people have called me and told me my family is going
to be wiped out? Do you think he is going to sit by and let it happen?”

“Point taken,” Ahm said with irritation. “But if I interfere, my

strength as their leader will come into question. This isn’t the first

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time Fire has gotten into trouble with them. If you ask me, he needs to
be dealt with.”

Oh, Cecil planned on dealing with this Fire guy. He could give a

shit less if the man gambled his life away, but now he was involving
this household and Cecil wasn’t going to stand by and let that happen.
“Give me a loophole.”

“For the simple fact that I don’t want to go to war with Maverick,

I’ll tell you,” Ahm said. “But if you get Fire out of this, mark my
words, he will only turn around and go into debt again.”

“No,” Cecil said, “he won’t. I can guarantee his ills will be

cured.” Unfortunately, Fire would become family as soon as Ruttford
mated Melonee. There was no way in hell Cecil was going to allow
the man to do this again.

“Unless they kill Fire first, they are not allowed to work their way

down the familial tree. They will threaten you, try and scare you into
paying his debt, but they can’t touch you. Keep him safe and no harm
will come to you or yours.”

“Gee, gangsters with rules. How fucking nice.”
Ahm moved closer, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. “Don’t joke

about this, Cecil. Myne and Yanyte have wiped out entire family lines
before. They aren’t playing around here. Keep that troublemaker here,
where they can’t get to him until you work out a solution.”

Cecil eyed Ahm and then smiled. “How are things going with

Bryce? Get the balls yet to go near his family or are you still acting
like a five-year-old too scared to claim what is yours?”

“Fuck you, Cecil,” Ahm snarled as he shimmered out.
Nero walked into the den, glancing around. “I silenced the alarms

because I thought it was Melonee sneaking back in.”

Cecil cursed again. “Do you know where she went?”
Nero shook his head. “No, but she went to meet Ruttford.”
God, this was getting better and better. Even though Ahm had told

him the Shadow elves couldn’t touch anyone until Fire was dead,

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

61

Cecil was not trusting his daughter’s safety to gangster rules. He
needed to find Fire before Myne and Yanyte did.

“Kill the alarms. I’m heading out and I don’t want Maverick to

find out.”

Nero wrung his gloved hands in front of him. “I’m going to get a

lecture for this. Yes I am. I hate when Maverick lectures me.” Nero
leaned closer. “He’s scary when he’s mad.”

“I’ll handle my mate. Just don’t let him know we’ve left.”
“We?” Nero asked. “Wait, don’t tell me. The less I know the

better.” He hurried from the den just as Blair, Oliver, and Carter
walked in.

“Let’s go, gentlemen. We have a gambling addict to hunt down

before he dies.”

“Do we get to kick someone’s ass?” Oliver asked.
“We just might.”

* * * *

“Come again?” Ruttford said as he pulled away.
Melonee hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but she couldn’t think of any

easy way to break the news to him. “A stranger came by the house to
see Lewis. As soon as I answered the door, I knew.”

She felt her heart clench when Ruttford rolled to his feet and

walked a few steps away. He tucked his hands behind his back,
staring at the gorgeous water, deep in thought. She wasn’t sure if she
should ask what he was thinking or leave him to work things out in
his head.

“I’ve never heard of fey having more than one mate, Melonee.”

He turned, his eyes filled with something close to despair. “I won’t
give you up. You’re mine.”

Melonee pushed to her feet, pulling her pants back into place, and

then shoved her camisole down. “I’m not asking you to give me up.

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All I’m saying is that I felt the pull with him. How do you know you
two aren’t mates?”

Ruttford scowled at her. It wasn’t a look Melonee wanted to see.

She was hoping he would be reasonable about this. Her life was
already shrouded in madness between her dad refusing to let her go
and finding out she had another mate.

“Talk to me, Ruttford.”
“I’m being paid back for what I did to your family, aren’t I?” he

asked acerbically. “Fate is having the last laugh at my expense. It’s
bad enough I have to get through your father in order to see you. Now
I have another man to deal with?” He paced a little further away, the
anger rolling off of him. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “We’re supposed to meet

tomorrow morning for breakfast at the diner.”

Ruttford spun around, his green eyes narrowing. “Making dates

behind my back, beautiful?”

Melonee felt her anger kick into high gear. “I didn’t ask for this! I

came to you hoping you could help me, but instead, you want to get
pissy. Screw you, Ruttford.” Melonee shimmered out, dropping onto
her bed as she balled up and covered her face with her hands. How
had things gone so wrong? Yesterday, she had planned on telling
Ruttford that she was ready to be with him.

Now she lay in her bed a damn mess. Her emotions felt raw as she

wiped the tears from her eyes. Maybe she wouldn’t wait for breakfast.
Maybe she needed to go find Adam and have a long talk with him.
There was no way she was going to let Ruttford close the subject
when she knew in her heart she had felt the pull. If the two men
couldn’t work things out, she was going to hand them both over to
Maverick and be done with it. Melonee shimmered back out, praying
Nero would continue to keep the alarms silent for her. She needed
answers, and she needed them now.

The man had said he would be in town for a few weeks when he

was talking in the kitchen with Lewis. Everyone knew the apartments

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

63

by the police station were where renters usually lived when renting
short-term leases.

Taking a chance, Melonee shimmered on the side of the building

and then walked around front. Damn it, she should have remembered
to grab her sweater before she left in such a funk. She was cold as hell
now, but she wasn’t going back home to get a jacket.

Opening the door to the building, she walked in and scanned the

mailboxes. She found only one without a name on it and prayed it was
Adam’s apartment.

She really wasn’t sure what she was going to say once she

knocked on the door. Would he think her a stalker? Would he close
the door in her face?

There was only one way to find out. Climbing the three flights of

steps, Melonee stood outside the door and hesitated. Was she really
that brave? She hadn’t thought of a good enough reason to tell him
why she was there. Oh, she planned on letting him know what he was
to her, but thought it best to keep that to herself until she was allowed
in.

Steeling her nerves, Melonee knocked. It was late, and she wasn’t

sure if he would—the door swung open and Melonee lost the ability
to breathe. Adam stood there with a towel wrapped around his waist,
looking good enough to eat. She licked her dry lips as she gazed at the
thin piece of material around his body.

“Melonee, I wasn’t expecting you.”
That was obvious by his half-naked state. An overwhelming urge

to make the towel shimmer away had Melonee clearing her throat.

“I’m sorry to stop by unexpected, Adam.” She was starting to lose

her nerve until she thought about Ruttford’s fear that Adam would
replace the fey man. It was ridiculous in her mind and she was
determined to prove that Adam and Ruttford were mates as well.
“May I come in?”

Adam stepped back, but left her at the door as he hurried inside

and began to gather some files, quickly tucking them away in a

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briefcase. “Make yourself at home.” He waved toward the couch. “I
apologize, but I thought we were meeting tomorrow morning.”

She stared at his well-rounded bottom in the towel, and her fingers

itched to run them over the two mounds. Biting her bottom lip, she
took a seat, forcing herself to stop gawking at him. “It was supposed
to be tomorrow morning,” she answered. She knew what she needed
to tell him. Melonee just wasn’t sure how to tell him.

“Can you give me a second to throw some clothes on?”
She didn’t want him to put clothes on. She wanted him to take that

towel off. But did she say that out loud? No. Did she want to? Yes.
Nodding, Melonee sat back on the sofa, clasping her hands in her lap,
glancing around.

She sat there flipping through different ways to tell him she was

fey and he was her second mate. Nothing sounded sane in her head.
Adam was human. He needed to be eased into this. There was no
sense scaring the crap out of the man.

Maybe she needed to start off by asking him if he believed in

ghosts to see if he was open to the idea of the supernatural. Melonee
never had to explain the world she lived in to anyone and found that it
wasn’t as easy as one would think. She had no idea whatsoever where
to begin.

How had the shifters in her house who had human mates told

them about this stuff? Maybe she should have found out before
coming here.

Melonee sat up straight when Adam came back into the room.

God, he looked good in his slacks and cashmere sweater. She wasn’t
sure how she ended up with two gorgeous mates, but hell if she
wasn’t thankful.

“Would you like something to drink?” Adam asked as he stood in

the doorway between the living room and kitchen, smiling at her.

“Sure.”
She had expected him to get her a hot tea or something along

those lines, but he walked over to a stand with a bottle of whiskey and

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

65

glass tumblers. Melonee had never drank before and wasn’t sure this
was a good time to start, but took the offered glass when he walked
over and handed it to her.

“So, Melonee, tell me why you are here.” Adam took a seat next

to her, placing his arm on the back of the couch as he took a sip of the
amber liquid.

Melonee stared into her glass, wondering where to begin when she

felt the hairs on her arm stand. Her head snapped up in time to see
Ruttford shimmer in, glaring at the two of them.

“What the hell?” Adam jumped up from the couch, backing away,

staring at Ruttford like he had seen a ghost and then…he fainted.

Ruttford quickly caught Adam before he hit the floor as Melonee

threw back the shot, swallowing down the burn and praying Ruttford
hadn’t just given the man a heart attack.

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Chapter Eight

Adam came to feeling a cold compress on his head…and a hard

body underneath his. He blinked his eyes open to see the man who
had just appeared in his apartment staring down at him, and Adam
was lying on the man’s lap.

“Feel better?”
Shit! Adam pushed from the man’s lap, hitting the floor. He

scooted away as he looked between the stranger and Melonee. Both
were staring at him as if he were the one who had just appeared out of
thin air.

Maybe the man didn’t just poof in. It could be possible that he

walked in and Adam hadn’t noticed until the guy was standing in
front of him. People didn’t just magically appear. No, they didn’t.
Adam had to go with that thought, because if he didn’t, he was going
to faint again.

“So, you’re Adam,” the man said, leaning forward and peering

down at him. He had a mischievous grin on his face, as if this was
funny as hell to him. His green eyes were sparkling as he raked them
over Adam.

God, did the guy just openly check him out? He must have hit his

head when he fell. “Who are you?”

“My name is Ruttford.”
Adam felt his throat dry out when he noticed the point on the end

of the man’s ear. Maybe it was a birth defect or something. There was
no way—god, he needed to get a grip on himself.

Pushing to his feet, Adam took in a deep breath and centered

himself. He was a very powerful man, highly sought after by many

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67

companies. He was worth millions, and here he stood in front of these
two feeling shaky as hell.

No, he had to take control of the situation. “How did you get in

here, Mr…” Adam trailed off, waiting for the guy to fill in the blank.

“Just Ruttford.” He stood, walking toward Adam, making the

knots in his stomach tighten harder. “You’re not a bad third,” he said
as he walked around Adam, who stupidly stood there letting him.
“Not bad at all.”

Okay, Adam knew for damn sure the man had just blatantly come

on to him. As powerful as Adam was, he felt like he was on some sort
of auction block and Ruttford was checking out his purchase.

This pissed him off. “Get out.”
Melonee jumped up from the couch, her hands held up in front of

her. “I told you we needed to talk when I first arrived here.”

Adam glanced at the gorgeous woman, and he felt red-hot anger

begin to sizzle inside of him. “What sort of game are you two playing
here?”

Ruttford slid behind Adam, cupping his ass and squeezing both

cheeks in his hands, making Adam jump. “This isn’t a game, Adam.
Trust me.” His fingers dug harder into Adam’s backside. “God, I
can’t believe how nicely rounded you are.”

Adam shoved Ruttford away and glared at the man. “Don’t

fucking touch me again.”

“You’re our mate,” Melonee blurted out.
Ruttford brushed her hair from her shoulder and kissed her

temple. “You really do have to work on your subtlety, beautiful.”

“Knock it off, Ruttford,” Melonee said as she swatted at him. “He

needs to know.”

Adam was at a loss for words. These two were nuts. They had to

be. He hadn’t a clue what they were talking about, and hell if they
didn’t look dead serious. “I’m going to say it one last time,” he said as
he strode over to Ruttford, who was a few inches taller than him. “Get
out.”

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Adam froze when the man disappeared from in front of him, only

to appear right behind him. Okay, he was going mad. There was no
other explanation. No human being could just pop in and out at will.

“Calm down, handsome,” Ruttford whispered into his ear.
Adam didn’t move a muscle. He was barely breathing as he stood

there. A man had just disappeared from in front of him and then
reappeared. How on earth was that possible?

“Breathe, Adam,” Ruttford said as he slid his arm around Adam’s

waist, pulling his back to the man’s chest. “Just breathe.”

Adam glanced at Melonee, who just shrugged. “We’re fey.”
Oh, god. Adam felt his knees shaking. He wasn’t even sure what a

fey was, but it couldn’t be good. Gathering his thoughts, Adam
shoved Ruttford away from him once more. “I don’t care who or what
you are. Get out.”

Ruttford narrowed his eyes. “Stubborn little man, aren’t you?”
Adam walked over to the couch in a daze, taking a seat and

wondering if maybe he wasn’t dreaming all of this. This had to be the
strangest moment in his life.

“Are you going to pass out again?” Melonee asked as she moved

closer and then stopped, her eyes telling Adam she wasn’t sure if he
would welcome her. His mind struggled to come to grips with what he
had seen and what they had told him. This had to be some weird
dream.

“He looks like he’s going to be sick,” Ruttford commented to

Melonee. “Should I get him a paper bag or something?”

“You just”—Adam waved his hand around—“popped in. This

can’t be real. It can’t be possible.”

“I think he’s going into shock,” Melonee said as she moved

closer, kneeling in front of him. “Adam, you have to listen to me.”

Adam gazed down at her. Was she even real? God, had he dreamt

up this gorgeous woman while he slept? If he did, kudos to his
excellent imagination. But why would he conjure up Ruttford? The

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69

man was handsome as hell, but why two people? “I’ll be okay,” he
said, “just as soon as I wake from this bizarre dream.”

“Adam,” Melonee said as she leaned up and cupped his cheek,

“you aren’t dreaming, sweetheart. This is real. I’m real. Ruttford is
real.”

“I’m a highly intelligent man, Melonee. But you cannot kneel

there and tell me a person can pop in and out of places.”

Adam blinked when Ruttford popped in and out of his apartment

repeatedly. He just kept doing it over and over again like someone
was turning on and off a light switch. One minute he was there, the
next he wasn’t. One minute he was there, and then he wasn’t.

“I think he gets the point, Ruttford,” Melonee said over her

shoulder. “Stop it. Even I’m getting dizzy watching you.”

All three froze when there was a knock on the door.
“Are you expecting company?” Ruttford asked.
Adam shook his head.
“Open up, Melonee,” a deep voice called through the door.
“Crap, it’s Micah,” Melonee said as her eyes widened.
Adam wasn’t sure if he could take any more surprises tonight, so

he didn’t even ask who Micah was. He was just praying they didn’t
say he was another mate.

“Time to get ghost,” Ruttford said as he grabbed Adam, Melonee

grabbing his other arm.

Adam was about to tell them to get off of him when the apartment

disappeared and all of a sudden they were surrounded by palm trees
and the sound of the ocean as it broke its waves on shore.

He had officially lost his mind. “Where are we?” he asked as he

glanced around.

“The Bahamas,” Ruttford answered. “It’s the place that popped

into my head as I shimmered us out.”

Adam took a hard look at Ruttford, glancing at his ears and then

into his eyes. “You really are magical, aren’t you?”

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“No, you’re imagining all of this. Melonee slipped something into

your drink and you are having one big hallucination.”

Melonee smacked Ruttford’s arm. “Stop messing with his head.”
Too late for that.
Adam was becoming less afraid of the two and more excited by

the moment. He had stumbled into a gold mine in this town. He knew
something was amiss, but he had no idea it was filled with fairies.
“Are there more of you in Brac Village? Is Mayor Brac a fairy?”

Melonee gaped at him as Ruttford narrowed his eyes. “Oh, please,

I’m begging you to ask the alpha if he’s a fairy,” Ruttford said with a
tone of amusement.

“You would exploit us?” Melonee asked in hurt astonishment.
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Adam said. “I would

commercialize you. Do you know how rich you would become if
everyone found out what you could do?”

Instead of answering him, Melonee swung her arm and decked

Adam on the jaw. He stumbled back, the pain exploding on the side of
his face. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“You better be lucky that’s all I did!” Melonee shouted. “You are

talking about exploiting my family. How in the hell did fate give me
such a self-serving asshole?”

“Now you’ve pissed her off,” Ruttford said. “She never

curses…much.”

“Don’t you guys see the opportunity I’m presenting to you? Don’t

you see the fame and fortune that could be yours?” Adam couldn’t see
a downside to this. What was their problem?

“I am already rich. I have the richness of a big, loving family and

don’t want the fame,” Melonee explained.

Adam rolled his eyes. “But the richness of family won’t pay your

bills.”

“How did you end up so coldhearted?” Ruttford asked as he

leaned against a palm tree. “I’ve heard of guys like you who don’t
care who they destroy for monetary gain.”

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71

Adam thought about the sterility of his childhood, how the only

family he had worked to the point they forgot they had a son. His
parents had told him that money was the key to happiness and that to
be happy, he had to be the best of the best. Well, Adam had become
the best at what he did, had secured enough money for him to be the
happiest man on the planet, yet he wasn’t. The only happy memories
he had as a child were when his parents took him to his grandparents’
house for the holidays.

They had been loving and doting, showing him not all parents

thought their child an inconvenience. But he had always felt like
something was missing in his life. No matter how much money he
made, how many deals he had clinched, a part of him had always been
restless.

He glanced at Melonee and Ruttford, feeling some strange

attraction toward them both, but Adam chalked it up to his discovery.
“You’ll see, Melonee, once you can buy anything you want, walk into
any store and buy the place out.”

“Is that all life is for you, Adam, money?” Melonee asked. “Is that

all you care about?”

“This isn’t about me,” he replied, feeling that hole in his chest

grow. “This is about the way we could change the world.”

“And here I thought Ebenezer Scrooge was a fictional character,”

Ruttford replied. “If Maverick thought he didn’t like me after what I
had done, he is going to think me a saint when he meets Adam.”

“What does Maverick have to do with this?” Adam asked.
“He’s my dad,” Melonee confessed. “And trust me, he’s someone

you don’t want to get on the wrong side of.”

Adam thought about the extremely large mayor of Brac Village

who he had met in the foyer when he had gone to meet Lewis. Adam
had thought the mayor was going to be some fat, lazy bastard who
didn’t care about his town. The man he met looked like the leader of
some outlaw gang, but from the way he had stared at Melonee in the
foyer, Adam knew the man loved her beyond words.

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And from the looks of the home they lived in, Adam had a feeling

no one was going to be selling to him. He had to recoup his losses
somehow. This discovery would make him rich beyond his wildest
dreams.

“We can’t let you tell anyone,” Ruttford said as he pushed away

from the tree. “It can’t be allowed.”

“How are you going to stop me?” Adam asked. Even if they

thought to abandon him here, Adam could easily make his way home.

“By keeping you at the Den until you see just how important

family is and why it should be protected with your life,” Melonee
replied as Ruttford grabbed Adam around his waist. The man had
taken him by surprise and Adam had to bite back the moan—which
surprised him. No one, not even his parents, knew that Adam was
bisexual. It wasn’t encouraged in the world he moved around in. The
encounters he had had with other men were always behind closed
doors and very discreet. It had cost him to keep the other men quiet,
but Adam had paid and had enjoyed his time.

“Sorry, Adam,” Ruttford said in his ear, “but you leave us no

choice.”

“What are you doing?” Adam asked as the palm trees and ocean

disappeared. He found himself standing in Melonee’s front hallway.

And Maverick Brac was standing there glaring at them as if he

was the angel of death and they were next on his list of victims.

* * * *

Ruttford swallowed as he looked at the way Maverick was glaring

at them—or more precisely, him.

“What are you doing here?” he snarled as Melonee ran forward

and slapped the palms of her hands onto Maverick’s chest, trying her
best to hold him back. Ruttford had a feeling she wasn’t stopping him
so much as he didn’t want to bowl her over.

“You have to listen, Dad,” Melonee began. “It’s a long story.”

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73

“I’ll listen as I’m roasting Rutt-fucking-ford’s balls over an open

fire!”

Oh jeez.
“Why the hell is he here?” Maverick asked as he looked at Adam.

“What the hell are you into, elf?” Maverick’s face contorted into pure
rage. “What in the hell did you have my baby girl doing with you?”

Ruttford shimmered himself and Adam to the staircase when

Maverick moved Melonee aside and came after him. The man was
going to kill Ruttford. There were no two ways about it. He was going
to find a way to blame him for the two of them having a second mate.

“He’s my mate, Dad!” Melonee yelled as she grabbed Maverick’s

arm, trying in futility to pull him back.

Maverick stilled.
The house grew deathly quiet.
Ruttford could have sworn he heard the devil himself laughing.
“Your what?”
“Adam is my second mate,” Melonee replied behind him. “So you

can’t kill him.”

Maverick slowly turned, piercing his grey eyes into Melonee as

his face became mottled with rage. “Wait. Right. Here.”

The three watched as Maverick walked down the hallway to his

office and slammed the door so hard, Ruttford’s teeth rattled. A
second later, something very large and very heavy crashed in the
man’s office.

“Oh, hell,” Melonee whispered.
Then something else was destroyed.
“You really do need to work on your subtleties, beautiful.”
They all winced when something else crashed and they heard

Maverick cursing so loudly that people started gathering downstairs.

“What’s going on?” Johnny asked as he glanced between the three

and then looked down the hallway.

“I think Maverick is finally cracking,” Law Santiago said as he

came to stand by Ruttford. “Who’s the human?”

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Adam glanced up at Law and then looked back at Ruttford.
“Not a damn word,” he warned his mate. Adam struggled to get

out of Ruttford’s arms, but Ruttford wasn’t sure if he still needed to
shimmer them out to safety. “Hold still.”

Everyone grew quiet when Maverick walked out of his office,

dust and small pieces of splintered wood on his shoulders and in his
hair. “Tell me why you have brought them here,” Maverick said to
Melonee.

Ruttford grabbed Adam tighter because the werewolf was about to

try and kill Adam when he found out their mate wanted to exploit the
supernatural world.

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75

Chapter Nine

“Is that him?” Cecil asked as they walked into the back room of

an illegal boxing match. The place smelled of sweat and blood. Cecil
wasn’t too sure about the unsavory characters around them either.
He’d dealt with his fair share of bad guys, but these men looked like
they would slice someone’s throat while they were smiling.

They didn’t really scare him—not after dealing with vampires,

demons, and rogues—but he was cautious, staying alert to everything
going on around him.

He nodded at a few people as they worked their way through the

room. Carter had met Fire before, so knew what he looked like. Cecil
wasn’t about to ask how Carter had met Ruttford’s brother. He just
wanted to grab the man who had gotten himself into this mess and get
out of here.

“Gross,” Oliver said as he lifted his boot. Cecil glanced down to

see that the Goth man had stepped in blood. “Can we just get the guy
and get out of here?”

“That’s the plan,” Blair said.
The four turned when the bell rang and two men began to box in

the center of the room. Cecil had seen boxing on television, but never
up close. They weren’t even wearing gloves, just white tape around
their knuckles.

Carter tapped him on the shoulder and nodded toward the back of

the room. “We need to get Fire and get out of here before the Shadow
elves show up.”

Cecil tore his eyes away from the fight and began to make his way

back to Fire when he saw two blue elves shimmer in.

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Fuck. “Hurry,” Cecil shouted when the two henchmen began to

glance around the crowded room. He pushed through the throng of
people, trying his best to reach Fire before the other men did.

Just as Cecil cleared the crowd, someone yelled, “Cops!”
Okay, now he really needed to get his ass out of here. If Maverick

found out that Cecil was in a place like this, the shit would hit the
roof. Cecil darted between the running crowd, trying to keep his eyes
on the men who had come with him, Fire, and the men after Fire.

Not to mention the cops.
Cecil knew everyone was in a panic because no one noticed the

two blue men heading toward the elf with murderous glares on their
faces.

Someone grabbed the back of Cecil’s shirt, but he pulled free and

continued to head toward Ruttford’s brother.

He was relieved to see Carter reach Fire first, but before he could

make it there himself, a man in a blue uniform stepped in front of him
and cut his path off.

“This way,” Oliver shouted, grabbing Cecil by the arm and

yanking him along. Blair was right behind them, all three heading for
the door. He knew Carter would get Fire back to the Den. The
question was, would Cecil and the other two make it back. He hadn’t
a clue where they were or how far away from home Carter had taken
them.

Cecil almost made it to the door when he was thrown to the

disgusting floor, his hands pulled behind his back. “Hold it right
there.”

“But I didn’t do anything!”
“That’s what they all say,” the cop said as he snapped the cuffs

into place. “Tell it to your lawyer.”

As the cop pulled him to his feet, Cecil began to struggle. There

was no way he was calling Maverick and telling his mate that he had
been arrested at an illegal boxing match.

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77

The cop yanked at his arm. “Do you want to add resisting arrest to

your charges?”

“Where’s your holiday spirit?” Cecil asked as the cop started

marching him toward the door.

“Santa hasn’t left it under my tree in years.”
Glancing around, Cecil saw that Oliver and Blair were cuffed as

well. Thankfully, he didn’t see Carter, Fire, or the two blue men.
Cecil just hoped like hell Carter got the man out before the henchmen
were able to get them.

This was not going as planned.
“Where am I?” Cecil asked the cop.
“Earth,” he answered sarcastically. “Welcome.”
“You have a real fucked-up sense of humor,” Cecil snapped.
“At least I’m not the one being arrested.” He was pulled through

the back door and taken out into the lot. There were cop cars there,
swirling lights, and a lot of noise as more people who had been
arrested were brought out.

“Can’t you just give me a warning?” Cecil asked. “I cross my

heart I won’t be caught here again.”

“Real comedian.” The cop opened the back door of the car and

pushed Cecil’s head down. “Laugh your ass into the backseat.”

“Maverick is going to shoot me this time,” he mumbled as the car

door slammed shut.

* * * *

Melonee squeaked and leapt in front of Ruttford and Adam when

Maverick went after them. “He wants to do what?” Maverick shouted.
“I’ll kill him.”

Kota and Hawk grabbed Maverick and pulled him back. “You

can’t kill her mate,” Kota said as Maverick shoved them off of him.

“Watch me.”

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“I swear to god, if you lay a hand on either of them, I’ll leave and

never come back!” Melonee shouted at him. “Go cool off, break
something, shoot something, but go.”

“Your goddamn mate wants to expose us and you want me to cool

off?” Maverick asked in angry astonishment. “He better be lucky he is
still breathing.”

“Dad.”
“Don’t dad me,” Maverick said in a tone he only reserved for

when he was truly pissed at her. “Both of your mates are real damn
winners. The only reason that human isn’t dead right now is because
he’s your mate. But trust me, he isn’t leaving this house until I know
he isn’t a threat to us.” Maverick glared at Adam. “But if I find him in
your bedroom, I’ll make him into a eunuch.”

“You can’t keep me here!” Adam shouted indignantly.
Melonee groaned.
Maverick walked closer, his eyes narrowing to two tiny slits.

Melonee could see the vein on the side of his temple not only
pronounced, but throbbing. “Oh, I can keep you here, human. I can do
whatever the fuck I want. You would be wise to keep your mouth shut
and stay under my radar if you want to leave here with your balls
attached.”

Thank heavens Adam didn’t say another word. But then again, it

might be the fact that Ruttford had a hand over the man’s mouth.
Whatever the case, Adam didn’t utter another sound.

Maverick turned, stabbing a finger in Hawk’s direction. “Show

them both to a room. Make it on the opposite end of the house as
Melonee’s.”

Melonee knew her dad was talking about Adam and Ruttford. She

wanted to kick him. She could understand his anger about what Adam
wanted to do. But it had been a while since Ruttford had pulled his
pranks. Her mate had tried his best to make it up to the alpha, but
Maverick was as stubborn as they came.

“You can’t keep me from my mates,” she argued.

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79

“As long as you are under my roof, watch me.”
Melonee wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. “I’m not a little

kid anymore!”

He ignored her as he walked away. Melonee wasn’t sure if he

would ever see her as the woman she had become. It was as if he
refused to let her grow up. What hurt her heart was that fact that she
knew the only way she could ever be with her mates was to leave.

Once the crowd had dispersed and Hawk took her mates to their

room, Melonee sat on the step leading upstairs, rubbing her hands on
her thighs and wishing she didn’t have to make the hardest decision of
her life.

She had been ready to leave before she knew she had two mates.

She was still ready to leave now. But that didn’t make the decision
any easier. She listened to the noises of the house and knew she
would miss each and every one of the people under this roof. All of
them had come to mean so much to her over the years.

“He’ll come around,” Tank said as he walked down the steps and

sat down beside her. “Just give him time…like one hundred years.”

“I don’t think he’ll ever come around, Uncle Tank. He’s got it in

his head that I’m still the little girl who was brought here when I was
five. He refuses to see me any other way.”

“It ain’t easy letting go.” Tank wrapped his arm around her

shoulder and pulled her close. “But you can’t let him win, or you’ll be
miserable.”

“I know that, but I can’t figure out how to make him see me for

the adult that I am.” Melonee had racked her brain trying to come up
with a solution. She had argued until exhaustion with the stubborn
man, but Maverick refused to hear anything she had to say. In her
heart, Melonee knew her only option was getting from under his roof.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll back you one hundred percent.” He

kissed her temple and then cleared his throat. “By the way, I’ve been
meaning to talk to you.”

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Melonee stiffened in his arms. “Do not tell me you want to talk

about the birds and the bees.”

Tank shrugged. “Fine. We’ll talk about the feys and the humans,”

he said. “But since you have two mates, there are things you should
be aware of.”

Melonee jumped up, backing away. “If you start talking to me

about sex, I’m going to kick you.”

“We all know you’re innocent, Mel. Tell me you know what to do

with two men,” he argued.

“I’ll figure it out on my own.” She hurried down the hall, praying

he didn’t come after her and try to finish their conversation. Had they
all gotten together and had a powwow about her virginity and decided
to educate her into insanity?

She came to a skidding halt when Maverick walked out of his

office, his eyes so dark that they looked black. “I haven’t disobeyed
you,” she argued. “I haven’t gone anywhere near their room.”

“It isn’t that, this time. It seems Cecil, Oliver, and Blair got

arrested, by the NYPD.”

Melonee blinked at him. “How?”
Maverick headed toward the front door, Ludo and Kota joining

him. “That’s what I intend to find out.”

She watched them walk out the front door and then spun on her

heel, heading back down the hall. Since Maverick wasn’t here, she
was going to find Ruttford and Adam. She needed to talk to them
about her plans, but she also needed to see if Adam had changed his
mind.

After searching through two dozen rooms, Melonee finally found

her mates on the second floor, on the other end of the house. She
slipped inside and pressed her back against the door. Ruttford was
sitting in one of the bedroom chairs, relaxed. It was Adam who was
pacing the room, looking like a caged bird.

“You have no right to keep me here,” Adam argued.

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81

“Will you be quiet?” Melonee snapped. “This is bigger than you

and your idea of making us known to the world.”

“How?” Ruttford asked as he stood, moving across the room to

pull Melonee into his arms. How was she supposed to think with all
this man-muscle wrapped around her? It really didn’t help when his
hands began to wander all over her body.

“How do you know Maverick won’t bust in here any second?”

Adam asked.

“Because,” Ruttford said as he began to nibble at her ear. “She

wouldn’t be in here if Maverick was home.”

Ruttford was right. Melonee wouldn’t chance her dad killing these

two if he found her with them. That only solidified her resolve to get
from under Maverick’s roof. She knew she would never have a
chance with them if she remained here. “I can’t think,” she moaned as
Ruttford slid his hand up the back of her sweater, running his fingers
over her bare skin.

“I don’t want you to think, beautiful.”
“We face certain death if that behemoth of a man finds her in here

and you’re thinking about sex?” Adam asked in astonishment.

“Oh, yeah,” Ruttford replied.
Melonee shivered as his warm breath felt like a small, hot wind

across her neck. His hands were massaging her sides, working their
way up toward her breasts, and his lips were teasing her flesh so damn
wickedly that she forgot why she had come in here in the first place.
Her womb clenched as her thighs tightened, thinking about the
naughty things he could do to her, had done to her already.

“Watch or join in, your choice, Adam.” Ruttford pushed the hem

of Melonee’s shirt up and over her head, groaning when his eyes
landed on her breasts. She was nervous and excited all in one. He had
been going further and further with her lately, and she wasn’t sure
how far he would go today.

Melonee also had never dealt with another man in the equation

before. Adam may do nothing, but just the thought of both of them

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touching and kissing her made her shudder. She needed skin. Melonee
pulled Ruttford’s shirt that was tucked in his waistband free, and then
slid her hands under the soft material to feel the hot flesh beneath her
fingers.

She could feel a hunger building inside of her for the man she had

waited so long to be with and for a man she had just met. The scent of
Ruttford infused her senses. It was male, hot and dark, captivating, as
she trembled under his touch.

His green eyes seemed to darken as he gave her the full weight of

his stare. Ruttford was just as hungry as she was. Melonee could see
it, sense it, and taste it in the very air around her. She fought for
breath as she felt warm hands skim down the curve of her back and
knew they didn’t belong to Ruttford.

Her body was gearing up for the claiming. She was ready, but

terrified of the intensity she could feel pulsing through her like
wicked licks of flames.

When Adam pressed his chest into her back, Melonee knew there

was no stopping them. Ruttford gripped her jaw, slipping his tongue
inside her mouth and giving her slow, easy strokes. Her body
tightened as Adam’s hands moved to the waistband of her pants.

It seemed they weren’t wasting any time. They knew Maverick

wouldn’t be gone that long, and had plans on claiming her without
any preludes or foreplay. She groaned as her hands slid over
Ruttford’s shoulders—strong, wide shoulders. They were shoulders
that flexed with strength and power.

“Oh, god,” Melonee groaned when Adam’s hands squeezed the

rounded curve of her flesh as her pants slowly lowered.

“I love the taste of your skin,” Ruttford said as he kissed his way

down to the swell of her breast. Melonee arched her back, her pussy
clenching and her clit throbbing at the sensual way both her mates
were touching her.

“Get undressed, Adam,” Ruttford said as he took the tip of her

nipple into his mouth, laving the sensitive flesh with his tongue as he

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

83

pulled her closer. Adam finished removing her pants, leaving
Melonee standing there in her panties and bra.

She felt vulnerable, exposed to these men as Ruttford began to

walk her backward. Melonee licked her lips, panting hard as she felt
the erotic heat washing over her flesh. These two were going to make
her combust. Melonee wasn’t sure if she would survive. An all-
consuming need was taking over, and she didn’t care anymore if she
drowned in the two men.

Ruttford laid her down as Adam crawled in on the other side,

entirely naked, his thick and heavy cock protruding from his groin.

“You are sexy, erotic, and hot as hell,” Adam said with a guttural

growl as he leaned down and took Melonee’s lips for the first time.
She writhed under searching hands as Adam’s tongue delved deep
into her mouth, devouring her. Reality began to recede as Adam
kissed her like his life depended on it and Ruttford sucked her nipple
back into his mouth.

Her breathing became shallow when Adam grabbed her hand and

guided it toward his cock. The shaft felt like forged steel under her
fingers as she curled them around his heated flesh. She wondered
what it would feel like to have Adam buried deep inside of her,
claiming her, fucking her until she screamed her release.

“You’re so wet,” Ruttford said as he slipped his fingers between

the folds of her pussy, capturing the small bud between his fingers.
Her hips hitched as his fingers played, drawing out more juices as
Ruttford explored between her legs. Wicked, driving hunger rose to
the forefront of her senses as Adam pulled back and stared down at
her with his Siberian husky blue eyes. Arousal was swimming in their
depths, making them almost crystal clear, void of any color
whatsoever.

A chill raced up her spine to explode at the back of her neck as

electricity seemed to charge her entire body when Ruttford kissed her
intimately between her thighs. She could feel the rioting pleasure
rising inside of her.

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Adam cupped her chin, turning her toward him as the head of his

erection pressed against her lips. His fingers opened her mouth until
he slid home with a guttural cry. “Suck me, baby.”

Her tongue caressed him with slow and unsure strokes as she

tasted the hot, spicy essence of her mate in her mouth. A low, sexy
growl filled the room as he held her head in place, pumping with
measured thrusts.

Arching her back, Melonee cried around Adam’s shaft as her body

splintered into thousands of tiny, pleasure-filled shards as her orgasm
swept through her. Ruttford held on to her hips, holding her down as
he licked her until her body could only jerk and shudder.

She cried in protest when Adam pulled his shaft free, but the

protest didn’t last long when Ruttford appeared at her side, his cock in
his hand, moving closer to her mouth.

“My turn, beautiful.” His lashes lowered, becoming heavy with

sexuality. His lips were fuller, his face sang with pleasure, tight with
needs that he was looking for Melonee to provide. Her lips parted as
she took Ruttford’s cock into her mouth, suckling the head as she felt
Adam move between her legs.

Melonee’s stomach clenched and her pussy throbbed at the

thought of binding with Adam. He was her mate and about to
intertwine their souls together forever.

* * * *

Adam’s cock was so sensitive it was almost unbearable. He knew

he should be finding a way out of this place, not having sex with
Melonee. But as much as his mind told him to escape, his body
seemed drawn to her like a moth to a flame. There was something
about both of them that had Adam spreading her legs as his fingers
caressed her silky thighs. He wasn’t sure what that feeling was, but he
wasn’t going to deny the pleasure he found in being near both of
them. The thought made his cock hard and heavy as his fingers played

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

85

at the entrance to her pussy and then he grabbed his painfully hard
cock and pressed the head to her wet entrance.

Ruttford gave a long moan, his face contorted in pure ecstasy as

Adam lifted Melonee’s hips and thrust forward.

He froze in terrible realization as her legs locked into place and

her body shook. She was a damn virgin! What had he just done? Why
would she give herself to a stranger like this? Adam felt the guilt
begin to build inside of him. He knew he couldn’t take her like she
didn’t matter, like this was just a bout of sex.

Spanning his hand over her belly, Adam took in a deep breath,

letting it out slowly as his muscles felt like they were at their breaking
point. But he wasn’t going to move until her body relaxed.

“Come here.” Ruttford snagged the back of Adam’s neck, pulling

him over for a kiss. But it wasn’t a simple kiss. Ruttford’s tongue
delved into Adam’s mouth, taking possession. It almost felt as if
Ruttford was branding him with his claim. Adam’s fingers moved to
Melonee’s inner thighs, smoothing the skin as he felt her slowly
relaxing.

“Move inside of her,” Ruttford said into Adam’s mouth, “because

I’m about to fuck you to within an inch of your life, handsome.”
Ruttford took possession of his mouth once more.

Adam’s pulse raced at Ruttford’s promise. He broke the kiss and

gazed down at Melonee. Her eyes were closed as she sucked
Ruttford’s cock deeper into her mouth. The sight had Adam moving a
bit faster, hissing at the tight feel of her pussy around his cock. He’d
never had a virgin before and was scared he would hurt her.

Melonee opened her eyes and turned her gaze on him. Adam

sucked in a breath as he saw the blue irises filled with sensual heat.
Pushing her legs back a little further, Adam glanced down and
watched his cock disappear inside of her body, feeling the licks of fire
running along his groin as he took her.

Knowing he was the first man to ever have her like this, a

protective need seized him, making him want to kill anyone who

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came near her. It was an insane thought, but that didn’t stop him from
feeling that way.

Dropping to one arm, Adam got an up-close view of what

Melonee was doing to Ruttford. The sight was erotic as hell. He
leaned closer, licking at Ruttford’s shaft when Melonee pulled back
some. They were both sampling the man as Adam curled his hips,
propelling inside of her tight, wet pussy.

“Goddamn it!” Ruttford said as his hand landed on Adam’s head.

“Shit.”

Adam tried to follow Ruttford’s cock when the man pulled away,

but the guy had moved too far. “You two are going to be the death of
me.”

Adam looked down when Melonee cupped his face and turned his

head. “Hi.”

He couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips. “Hey, beautiful.”
“That’s my nickname for her,” Ruttford said as he moved in

behind Adam. “But I’ll share it.”

Adam captured Melonee’s lips, their tongues dueling when Adam

felt Ruttford’s fingers slide over his ass. It was an automatic reflex
when Adam slowed his thrusts, feeling nervous as hell as Ruttford’s
finger slid over his hole.

“Relax,” Ruttford said as he leaned forward and kissed both

cheeks. “Has anyone ever fucked you before?”

Pulling from Melonee’s lips, Adam shook his head. “I’ve always

topped.” Adam groaned when he felt Ruttford’s wet tongue slide over
his asshole. Never before had he felt anything so damn good.

“Well, you are about to be claimed, handsome.”
Melonee lifted her legs, wrapping them around Adam’s waist as

she gazed up at him. “First for both of us, huh?”

He smiled and kissed her on the lips. “You should have said

something.”

“Why?” she asked, looking genuinely puzzled. “You are my mate.

You can have me anytime you want me.”

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87

Oh hell. Adam felt his cock pulsing at her offer. He wasn’t sure

what a damn mate was, but hell if he wouldn’t take her up on having
sex anytime he wanted with her. He paused with that thought. Adam
wasn’t going to stick around. He was here to buy out Brac Village and
move on.

Why did that thought make his chest hurt?
Adam didn’t want to examine that feeling right now. It was

bizarre as hell, and at the moment all he wanted to do was lose
himself in these two. Adam stopped thinking as he felt how tight and
hot Melonee felt wrapped around his cock. She tangled her fingers in
his hair as her legs shook around him…and then Adam felt Ruttford’s
finger enter him. He moaned as Melonee pulled him down and
captured his lips. She tightened her legs around him as Adam broke
the kiss and took a nipple into his mouth. He was lost in the
sensations burning through his body. His cock was buried deep as he
pumped hard, while Ruttford used more than one finger to stretch
him, ready him.

He couldn’t stand it. He needed Ruttford’s steel shaft to fill him,

to fuck him into oblivion—anything but this slow torture that drove
him to the brink.

And then the blunt head of Ruttford’s cock was pressed against

his opening. Adam stilled, laving at Melonee’s nipple, gently biting it
as Ruttford inched his way in. Melonee’s pussy tightened around his
cock, bringing him to the brink of the abyss.

“Goddamn, Adam,” Ruttford said with a low groan.
Adam kissed his way back up Melonee’s chest, sucking at her

neck when Ruttford started to move. Something inside him shattered.
The feeling was something he had never experienced before and
Adam knew this wouldn’t be the last time. Not when his body was
being set on fire. He groaned low and deep into her ear.

“God, Adam,” she said breathlessly. “Fuck me harder.”

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Adam began to move faster, feeling the dual sensation on his cock

and in his ass. And then something very strange began to happen.
Adam couldn’t understand it. There was no logical explanation.

Tiny, colorful ribbons began to form in front of him. They pulled

and twirled from everyone’s chest. Adam glanced behind him to see
the shocked look on Ruttford’s face.

“What’s happening?”
“We are binding our souls together,” Ruttford replied as the

rainbow of colors stretched and lengthened from Ruttford. All three of
their ribbons began to swirl around each other, twining together…and
then Adam saw small images, made of wisps of smoke, of all three of
them. He reached his hand up to touch, but his hand went right
through them. The sight had him mesmerized.

They were the exact images of Adam, Melonee, and Ruttford.

They danced around one another, melded together, and then split
apart. Melonee’s image broke in half, one part entering Adam as the
other entered Ruttford.

The same happened with his and Ruttford’s images. Ruttford’s

form became two, one going into Melonee as the other entered him.
Ruttford’s green eyes blazed with heat as Adam’s image disappeared
into the man’s chest.

It was the strangest thing he had ever seen, but he couldn’t deny

the deep bond that instantly filled him for these two. In that moment,
Adam knew he couldn’t live without either of them.

He was brought out of his stunned state as Ruttford slammed into

him, reminding Adam that he was being thoroughly fucked. He
glanced down at Melonee to see her eyes locked intently on him.

Sliding his arm under Melonee’s shoulder, Adam began to move

fast and deep inside of her, watching as she became unglued in his
arms. Her back arched as Melonee cried out, her pussy flexing and
gripping his cock tight as her orgasm swept through her.

“God, you are so beautiful,” Adam whispered as Ruttford matched

his pace, Adam’s need reaching a pinnacle. With a flurry of hard and

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fasts thrusts, Ruttford froze behind him, roaring out his release. Adam
wasn’t too far behind. The buildup exploded inside of him, sending
him over the edge as he shouted, his seed spurting inside Melonee as
his movements became uncoordinated, jerky.

Adam was boneless as Ruttford pulled free, moved from the bed,

and headed into the bathroom. Adam pulled his flagging cock from
Melonee and then dropped down beside her. He wrapped his arms
around her and wondered how he was going to get out of the mess
with Kenyon Corporation so he could stay in Brac Village with these
two.

Because no matter what his mind was telling him, Adam knew he

wasn’t going to clinch the deal in Brac Village or exploit them.
Somehow—whatever that was that had just taken place between them
and bound them together—Adam knew he couldn’t just walk away.

Ruttford came out of the bathroom, scratching his chin, his

expression perplexed. “I just tried to shimmer back into bed, but
nothing happened.”

Melonee sat up, glancing at Ruttford with wide eyes. “Maverick

must have had the keeper place stronger spells on the house. It seems
we are all stuck here now.”

Adam wasn’t sure what a keeper was, but he knew from the way

the two were looking that he wasn’t leaving this house anytime soon.

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Chapter Ten

Maverick walked into the precinct, unsure of who he had to talk to

in order to kill his mate. Illegal bare-knuckle boxing? Was his mate
insane? What on earth had possessed Cecil and the others to go to a
boxing match in New York? He had gone to Malcolm Lakeland,
asking if his mate, Luke, would shimmer him, Kota, and Ludo here.

The keeper was placing a stronger spell on the house and Micah

and Ludo were clearing out Adam’s apartment at this very moment.
Maverick knew he needed to stop thinking about that human before
he went home and killed the man. It seemed everyone was losing their
minds lately.

“Can I help you?” a man dressed in plain clothing asked from his

desk, looking as interested as watching a parked car.

“I’m here to bail out Cecil Walters and Blair and Oliver Weston.”
“Hang on,” the man said as he set his cup of coffee down, pushed

from his desk, and walked away. Kota and Ludo stood behind him,
Luke electing to stay by the door. As he waited, Maverick glanced
around to see the place sparsely decorated with Christmas items. It
seemed this precinct was as enthusiastic with the holiday cheer as the
officer was talking to Maverick.

“I still don’t understand how they ended up here,” Kota muttered.

“I could understand closer to home.”

“It seems I need to have a talk with Gunnar about his mate

silencing the alarms,” Maverick said. He didn’t keep his mate or any
other resident under lock and key. But Nero knew Cecil had a
penchant for trouble. It wasn’t even his mate who had called him. It

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had been Sidney from Zeus’s pack. That alone pissed Maverick off to
no end.

He knew Cecil had created a network with the other mates in the

other packs and covens, but his mate should have called him.

Maverick gave a low growl when the detective returned with files

in his hand instead of Cecil. “Where is Cecil?” he asked.

“He has a bond hearing in the morning,” the human replied. “It

seems the ring he was caught with has been under surveillance for
some time now. I have a feeling the judge isn’t going to go light on
him and his friends.”

Christmas was only a week away and Maverick knew that if Cecil

didn’t get free, hell would be paid. He hadn’t spent a Christmas away
from his mate since first claiming Cecil, and he wasn’t going to start
now. It angered him that he had to walk away empty-handed tonight,
but there was nothing he could do until tomorrow morning.

“Can I see him?”
The man raked his eyes up and down Maverick, and he had a

feeling the man was judging him by his appearance. Maverick hated
when anyone did that. Just because he wore leather didn’t mean he
was a bad guy…mostly.

The plain-dressed cop was more apt to allow Kota back there. His

beta dressed in charcoal slacks and a cashmere sweater, wearing a
long tweed coat. The guy looked more like a businessman than a
timber wolf—especially since he had cut all his damn hair off.

“I’ll give you five minutes,” the man finally said.
They followed the cop down to the holding cells. Maverick

wanted to rip the bars from in front of his mate and pull him free
when he saw the seedy characters around the three mates. Most
looked like they would sell out their own mother if given the right
price. His fingers itched to teach each of the men what would happen
to them if they touched Cecil, Blair, or Oliver.

“Oh, shit,” Cecil murmured as Maverick walked into his mate’s

line of sight.

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“It’s not what it looks like,” Blair quickly defended. “I swear.”
“Get over here, Cecil,” Maverick commanded as he eyed each and

every one of the men in the cell with his mate. He spotted the biggest
man and knew he was going to have a talk with the human before
Maverick left.

Cecil walked over to the bars, his chin jutted out in stubbornness.

Oh, his mate was asking for it. “Do you want to tell me how this
happened?”

“I was helping someone,” Cecil replied. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Maverick gaped at his mate. “That’s all you can—you have five

seconds to explain to me why you just might be looking at doing
time.”

Cecil raised his head, his amethyst eyes locking with Maverick’s.

“I can’t tell you, but I wasn’t out causing trouble. It just found me this
time.”

The sincerity in Cecil’s eyes made Maverick believe the man, but

it still didn’t explain why the three were behind bars. “Your bond
hearing is in the morning. I’ll be here for it.”

Maverick waved the large man over. He lowered his voice so only

the human could hear him. “How much would it take to ensure my
three friends are kept safe until their hearing in the morning?”

The man rubbed his chin, and Maverick heard the plain-clothed

cop clearing his throat, telling him his time was just about up. “Find
me something that pays better than this bullshit fighting and it’s a
deal.”

“You trust me to keep my word?” Maverick asked.
“You trust me?” the man countered.
Maverick pulled out a business card with the rec center’s address

on it and handed it to the man. “Come see me when all of this is
cleared up, and I’ll make good on our deal.”

The man’s beefy fingers curled around the card as he nodded his

head. “Name’s Frisco James.”

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93

“Maverick Brac,” he replied before turning to Cecil. “Stay out of

trouble until morning.”

Cecil nodded, but Maverick could see the slight tinge of fear in

the man’s eyes. He knew his mate could do overnight in the slammer,
but the thought of doing a stretch of time scared them all.

It was going to be his first night away from his mate in over a

decade. Whether Cecil was helping someone out or not, Maverick
didn’t like the idea of sleeping alone. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Cecil replied as his glanced up at Maverick. “I love

you.”

Kota finished talking with Blair and Oliver and joined him at his

side as Maverick leaned close to the bars. “I’ll get you out, Cecil, and
then I’m going to tan your hide for the next five years for this.” That
brought a sparkle to his mate’s eyes. “I love you,” he said before
heading out of the police station.

* * * *

Carter paced back and forth as he stared at the man who was

scowling at him. He couldn’t leave this fey alone, but he needed to go
rescue Cecil, Blair, and Oliver. This was a mess, and he couldn’t
figure out what to do.

“Does he bite?” Keata asked as he stood there with his arms

crossed over his slim chest, glancing nervously at their capture.

“No,” Carter answered. “But don’t trust him. He’ll probably tell

you whatever you want to hear in order to get free.”

“Why are we kidnapping him again?” Johnny asked as he peeled

back the wrapper on his candy bar and took a bite.

“Because there are big blue men out there trying to kill him,”

Carter replied. “And according to Cecil, we have to keep him alive.”

“He looks harmless enough,” Drew said. “But I still don’t

understand why we have to keep him hidden. Shouldn’t we just tell
Maverick the guy needs our help?”

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Carter paced around the room, worried about the men he had left

behind. Cecil should have called by now to tell him where to pick the
three mates up. It wasn’t like the man to chance getting caught. Okay,
maybe it was, but that still didn’t stop Carter from wanting to pull his
hair out in frustration. “No, Cecil said to keep him hidden from
everyone.”

“Then why are we here?” Keata asked.
“Because I need help watching him.” Carter checked the bracelet

he had placed on Fire’s wrist to make sure it was snugly in place. He
didn’t need the man shimmering out and getting away.

“I think he’s trying to talk,” Johnny said as he strode forward and

pulled the gag from the man’s mouth. “What?” He took another bite
of his candy bar.

“Who in the hell are you guys?” the man asked, looking around

bewildered. “Why have you taken me?”

“We’ll be the one asking the questions,” Johnny said with a mean

little growl, slapping the candy bar on the palm of his hands. “Who
are you and why are you here?”

Carter glanced at Johnny and wondered if the man was aware he

asked the man the same questions Fire just asked them.

Fire stared at Johnny as if he had lost his mind. “I could have

sworn I just asked you that.”

“Oh, double-talking me I see.” Johnny reached over and placed

the scarf back in the man’s mouth. “Watch him. He’s a crafty one.”

“Will he be staying for Christmas?” Keata asked. “Someone

should make sure he has something under the tree if he is going to be
here.”

Carter rubbed his eyes. “He isn’t a houseguest, Keata. He’s our

prisoner.”

“I’ll go get him some bread and water,” Drew said as he exited the

room. Carter wasn’t sure if letting these men in on the fact that Fire
was here had been a good idea. If Maverick found out who this man

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was and why he was here, Ruttford would probably be skinned alive
and his flesh used as a damn carpet in Maverick’s office.

He still couldn’t figure out how he had gotten dragged into all of

this. Just because he knew who Fire was didn’t mean he knew the guy
personally. Why was he stuck watching the man? If Maverick found
out what Carter was up to, his skin just might be laid out next to
Fire’s under Maverick’s feet.

“What the hell is going on in here?”
Carter swallowed when his mate, Tryck, walked into the room, his

eyes zeroing in on Fire.

Johnny quickly ran to the door and closed it, pressing his back

into the wood. “Were you followed?”

Tryck glanced at Johnny and then turned back toward Fire. “Who

is he?”

“Our prisoner,” Keata replied.
“But watch him,” Johnny warned. “He’s a real smooth talker.”
Carter grabbed Tryck by the arm and pulled his mate across the

room. He knew he couldn’t lie to Tryck. “He’s Ruttford’s brother. He
had a gambling problem and is in debt to some very shady Shadow
elves. If they find him, they’ll kill him, and then come after Ruttford
and then us.”

Tryck glanced back at the bound fey. “This is Ruttford’s brother,

gatito?”

Carter nodded.
“And this will piss Maverick off if you keep him hidden in here?”
Again, Carter nodded.
“Count me in then.” Tryck moved closer to Fire. “You will stay

here and keep quiet or I will ensure you have no more fingers for
gambling, understood?”

Fire’s eyes widened as he nodded his head at Tryck.
Drew slipped back into the room. “We’re out of bread so I

grabbed him a few cinnamon rolls.”

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Carter groaned when Gabby walked in, gazing at everyone. “So

it’s true. We kidnapped a man.”

He shot a glare at Drew.
Drew shrugged. “What? He won’t tell anyone.”
Carter ignored him as he turned back to Tryck. “I have to find

Cecil, Blair, and Oliver. They were with me when we found Fire. I
had to shimmer out and left them behind.”

Tryck clucked his tongue. “Maverick just went to bail them out of

jail.”

“Jail!” Carter felt like he was going to be sick. They were

supposed to find Fire, kidnap him, and bring him back here. The plan
was simple. How had it gone so wrong?

“No worries, gatito. You know Maverick will bring them back.”
Carter wished he was that confident. He wanted to punch Fire for

getting him into this mess. He was happy decorating the house for
Christmas, and now he was going to be skinned alive.

“How long do we have to keep him here?” Drew asked as he

pulled the scarf down and hand-fed Fire the cinnamon rolls.

“Hell if I know,” Carter answered honestly. “Until he isn’t a

wanted man anymore I guess.”

Carter turned when Kyoshi stuck his head into the room.

“Maverick’s back and he doesn’t look happy.”

Just how many people knew Fire was here?

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Chapter Eleven

Adam needed to get to his files. He knew Les would be calling

soon, but he didn’t even have his cell phone. He knew that if Les tried
to call him and Adam didn’t answer, Mr. Kenyon would send a scout
to find out what was going on.

And then there was Vincent. If Vincent couldn’t get ahold of

Adam, he would show up looking for him. That was something Adam
didn’t want to happen. He had never met the guy, but the vibes he got
whenever they talked told him Vincent wasn’t anyone to mess with.

“Where are you going?” Ruttford said as he turned over, pulling

Adam close to his warm body. He still couldn’t believe he was mated
to two fey creatures. It was weird as hell. If he hadn’t seen the strange
silhouette figures, he wouldn’t have believed it. None of this seemed
real.

“I have to get back to my apartment.” Adam saw that Melonee

had already slipped away, and oddly enough, he missed her already.

Ruttford nuzzled Adam’s neck as he ran his hand down Adam’s

back. “You can’t leave, handsome.”

God, feeling Ruttford touching him was sending licks of fire

through Adam, making him want to repeat what they had done earlier.
Never before did he hunger for two people the way he hungered for
Ruttford and Melonee. “I have things I need to gather from there and
phone calls to make.”

Adam yelped when Ruttford smacked his bare ass. “Still trying to

exploit us, naughty man? I can’t let you go.”

“But you don’t understand,” Adam said as he tried to get from

under Ruttford’s strong touch. It was odd as hell letting someone else

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control him. Adam was used to being in control. He was the dominant
one in all situations. He was a shaker and a mover, never allowing
anyone to have the upper hand. Yet here he lay, allowing Ruttford to
tell him what he could and couldn’t do.

“Then explain it to me,” Ruttford said as he kissed Adam’s

shoulder. God, would the man stop thinking about sex for one
minute? He was making it hard for Adam to think.

“I can’t.” There was no way Adam was telling Ruttford why he

was sent here. He had already fucked up when he mentioned telling
the world about fey. If anyone found out he was here to buy the town
out and demolish it, he was pretty sure Maverick would do more than
just kidnap him.

“Then you are going to stay in bed with me,” Ruttford said with a

wicked gleam in his green eyes. Adam felt like he was arguing with
the wall. The man wasn’t going to budge.

He was about to tell Ruttford to get the hell off of him when a

knock sounded on the door. Who on earth could it be?

“Come in,” Ruttford called.
“Are you nuts?” Adam asked, trying his best to cover himself.

“I’m naked.”

“You have a blanket on, handsome,” Ruttford reminded him.
The door opened and a man walked in carrying a box.
“What do you have, Micah?” Ruttford asked as if they weren’t

lying in bed naked together. It was embarrassing as hell. Adam
wanted to demand the man leave at once.

“Adam’s stuff from his apartment,” Micah replied as he sat the

box down.

Adam almost leapt from the bed until he remembered he wasn’t

wearing anything but his birthday suit. He wanted to smack Ruttford
when the fey began to caress his arm.

“Thanks, Micah,” Ruttford called when the guy turned and closed

the door behind him. “Jeez, make one mistake and everyone wants to
cut my balls off.”

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“What did you do to them?” Adam asked as he hurried from the

bed to rummage through his things. He blew out a relieved breath
when he saw his briefcase. It had a combination lock and looked
undisturbed. Now if only he had his damn phone.

“I played a few pranks on them,” Ruttford said offhandedly. “No

sense of humor.”

Adam searched through the box and pulled out his clothes. He

needed to talk to Maverick. Maybe the man would see that Adam
really didn’t care about exploiting them. He had just been blown away
by the discovery. That was all. There really was no need to keep him
here.

Adam moved to the bathroom to take a shower and then dressed,

needing to find Maverick and have a talk with him. The man seemed
fairly intelligent. He should listen to reason. Besides, kidnapping was
illegal.

Ruttford went into the bathroom next and showered. Adam

glanced through his files and reread Maverick’s while Ruttford was
busy in the bathroom. If Maverick was fey, then that might explain
why there was no record of when he first ran for mayor. The more
Adam read, the less he feared the man. So Maverick could pop in and
out of places, big deal. Adam had dealt with true sharks in the work
world. He wasn’t afraid of Melonee’s dad. The guy was pissed
because his daughter had two men. He’d get over it.

Confident he could face the man down, Adam tucked the file

away and locked the briefcase just as Ruttford came out of the
bathroom. He didn’t wait for the man. Adam marched from the
bedroom and went in search of Maverick.

* * * *

“Are. You. Serious?” Melonee asked in astonishment as she stared

at Ruttford’s brother and then glanced at Carter. “You kidnapped
him?” This was not good. Maverick already wanted to skin Ruttford

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alive. If he found out Fire had put them all in danger, he was going
to—Melonee wasn’t even sure what he would do.

A few days ago, all she had wanted to do was mate Ruttford. That

was it—nothing more. And she had stupidly thought her life was
complicated then. Now she had Adam and Fire was sitting here bound
and gagged, glaring daggers at her.

She didn’t even want to ask what else could happen for fear the

skies would open up and lightning bolts would rain down on the
house.

“So what do you plan on doing, keeping him for the rest of his

life?” she asked as she stared at the bracelet around his wrist. She
knew it was the one Maverick kept in his desk. It neutralized a fey’s
power and prevented him from shimmering out. But after trying to get
away herself, she knew it wasn’t needed. Maverick had made damn
sure no one was shimmering anywhere.

“Yeah, Cecil hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Carter answered her.

“Right now we just have to keep him hidden so the Shadow elves
don’t find him.”

“I still vote we hand him over to Maverick and let him decide

what to do,” Drew said.

Melonee felt her stomach turn to ice. “Oh, no. We can’t let him

find out.” She glanced around. “Where is Cecil anyway?” He may be
a troublemaker, but Melonee was pretty confident the man would
have a solution to this. He was a crafty guy.

“In jail,” Keata answered.
“What!” Melonee pressed her hands over her stomach as she

gaped at Keata. Everything seemed to be falling apart at a rapid rate.
“Why is he in jail?” There would be no talking reason with her dad if
his mate was behind bars. Maverick had to be spitting mad right now.
Melonee ground her back teeth and wondered if she was going to
have the happily ever after everyone else had or if she was doomed to
a life of madness. All she had ever wanted was the happiness she saw
in the other couples. Was that asking for too much? Was wanting a

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family of her own with two loving mates not in her cards? It seemed
she had hurdles the size of the Empire State Building to jump over
and they kept getting larger by the day. She ached inside to have a life
with her mates, in this house, with her family.

But it didn’t seem like she was going to get her wish.
She strode across the room and yanked the scarf out of Fire’s

mouth. “How much do you owe those bastards?”

Fire raked his eyes over her from head to toe, and then back up

again. “I see why Ruttford kept you all to himself.”

“If you don’t answer me, I’ll gift wrap your crude butt and hand

you over myself to those henchmen. Now tell me how much you
owe.”

“Fifty thousand dollars, sweet cheeks.”
Melonee felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She didn’t

have that kind of money. Hell, she didn’t even have a fourth of it.
“How did you rack up that kind of debt?”

“Let me go and I’ll show you.”
“Be nice!” Johnny growled at the man. “Or I’ll kick your butt.”
“Where are we going to find that kind of money?” Melonee asked.
“Honey, if you can come up with fifty grand, I can use it to—”
Melonee shoved the scarf back into his mouth. “First of all, I’m

not your honey or your sweet cheeks. It seems you need a lesson in
how to treat a woman. Secondly, your days of gambling are over.”

That was if Fire lived past Maverick trying to kill him. She turned

back to Carter. “Why is Cecil in jail?”

Carter dipped his head toward Fire. “For trying to get this asshole

back here. Fire was at an illegal boxing match. The police raided it,
and Cecil, Blair, and Oliver were arrested.”

Melonee hadn’t known about Blair and Oliver being there. Kota

and Micah were going to kill Ruttford. She just knew it. As soon as
they found out it was Ruttford’s brother who had caused all of this,
they would find a way to blame her mate. A sudden heart-stopping

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thought occurred to her. “Does Maverick know it was because of
Ruttford’s brother?”

“Unless Cecil said something, no,” Carter answered.
She knew Cecil wouldn’t rat her out, which made her feel all the

worse for what was going on. She had to get him out of the clinker.
“Where are they being held?”

“New York,” Carter answered and then told her where in New

York. Melonee had an urge to deck Fire for this. It was bad enough
she was dealing with an irate dad over her mating. Fire had to go and
make things worse.

“Keep him hidden,” she said as she walked from the room. Maybe

she could sneak out with her mates and go to New York and rescue
the three. There had to be a way to get them released and the charges
dropped.

Melonee froze when she saw Adam walking toward Maverick’s

office, Ruttford close behind. What in the dickens were they up to?
Her dad would eat them alive in the mood he was in right now.

She took off down the hall, but didn’t reach them in time as Adam

walked into Maverick’s office. Melonee wanted to scream in
frustration. Was the man insane? She was about to lose the damn
human before she even got to know him.

Coming to a halt outside Maverick’s office door, she stood there

holding her breath. Ruttford stayed by the door, leaning against the
wall. When Melonee glanced at him, Ruttford just shrugged his
shoulders.

“I demand that you let me go,” Adam said as he stormed over to

Maverick’s desk. Her dad was sitting in his usual position—feet on
desk, hands clasped across his stomach, only his eyes were dark,
lethal.

Maverick studied Adam, his eyes darkening further, telling

Melonee he was at the edge already. “I suggest you go back to your
room, human. Count your blessings that you are still breathing.”

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“Do you know who I am?” Adam asked in a tight, angry voice.

“There will be people looking for me when they don’t hear from me.”

Melonee flew forward and yanked on Adam’s arm when

Maverick slowly stood, murder in his light-grey eyes. “Apparently
you don’t know who I am,” he thundered as his eyes shifted to wolf
and his canines slid from their sheath. Melonee truly feared for Adam
at the moment. She could tell by the tic in Maverick’s jaw that he was
about to eviscerate her mate. “Tell me, Adam Nyte, why did you
come to Brac Village?”

Adam swallowed and took a step back, shaking his head rapidly

back and forth. “You’re not a fairy.”

Maverick growled.
Melonee yanked on Adam.
Ruttford cursed and came to their side.
“What did you call me?” Maverick asked as he began to walk

around his desk. Melonee pushed Adam into Ruttford’s arms.

“Get him out of here!”
“Not before he answers my damn question,” Maverick said low

and with lethality in his voice. “Why did you come here, Adam?”

Melonee turned, glancing at her human mate, waiting for the

answer.

Adam stood, spine straight, locking eyes with Maverick. “I came

to buy the town out so Kenyon Corporation could level it and build a
shopping mall and luxury homes.”

Melonee felt as if her world had just shattered at her feet. No, this

couldn’t be true. Her mate hadn’t deceived her. He just couldn’t have.
She saw the green bleed from Ruttford’s eyes as he released Adam,
staring at him as if the human had sliced his heart out.

“Tell me, Mr. Nyte,” Maverick continued. “Does Brac Village

seem like a prime location for what Kenyon Corporation plans to do?
We are way off the beaten path, not easily accessible. Why would a
large corporation want this land?”

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“It is not my job to ask why,” Adam answered. “I seal the deal for

companies looking to acquire certain properties.” Adam didn’t sound
as confident as he had a few seconds ago. Melonee was wondering
where Maverick was going with this. She knew her dad and knew he
was leading up to something.

“It should be your job,” Maverick replied. “You should know

when you are getting into bed with the devil.”

“What did you do?” Melonee asked her mate. “What have you

done to us?”

Adam glanced her way. “Nothing. I took on a contract. There was

nothing special or different about it.”

“I haven’t lived as long as I have without knowing a few things,”

Maverick said, moving closer to Adam until he was towering over the
man. Melonee knew she should save her mate, but she was rooted to
the spot, fear of what Adam had done paralyzing her.

“It’s just a midsized corporation that wants to buy this land,”

Adam defended.

“No,” Maverick said as he shook his head. “We’ve been

investigating Mr. Kenyon for some time, Adam. He may own Kenyon
Corporation, but he is also the head leader of the vampire hunters, and
you have just invited him to Brac Village.”

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Chapter Twelve

Maverick took in deep breaths, telling himself he couldn’t kill his

daughter’s mate, no matter how badly he wanted to. The Ultionem
had already met when Maverick had discovered what was in Adam’s
briefcase.

He had told Micah and Ludo to find out what they could about

Adam Nyte, and the two sentries had gone through the human’s
belongings to find the files on everyone in Brac Village. The
Ultionem had voted against Maverick killing Adam—which he was
still debating on whether he should listen to the other leaders or not.

What they had to figure out was how to get Mr. Kenyon’s eye off

of Brac Village. Adam’s files were pretty damn detailed. That meant
the head vampire hunter knew more than he should about Maverick
and his town.

“Did you just say vampires?” Adam asked as he turned a little

pale. “I could have sworn you just said vampires.”

“You’re a goddamn idiot,” Ruttford snapped at Adam. “Do you

know what you’ve done?”

Even though Maverick wanted to pound Ruttford into the floor

every time he either heard the man’s name or laid eyes on him, he
liked that the elf knew how grave the situation was. He would never
tell Ruttford that, though.

He would rather be beheaded than admit that Ruttford had just

gained a small grain of respect from him.

“But he said vampire,” Adam repeated. “And what’s with his

teeth?” Adam waved toward Maverick.

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“You have no clue what’s going on here, Adam,” Melonee said.

“You have no idea the crap you just stepped into. If Mr. Kenyon
confirms his suspicion, Brac Village will be crawling with vampire
hunters. What if he finds out there are more than vampires in the
world? What if he finds out about the different preternatural
creatures? We are so screwed.”

Maverick could hear the hurt in Melonee’s voice and knew she

was still reeling from Adam’s betrayal. He wanted to gut the man for
making his little girl angry. And she wondered why he was so against
her mating these idiots.

Everyone thought him dimwitted in this house, which pissed

Maverick off. He knew about Ruttford’s brother being held in one of
the rooms. Did they think he wasn’t aware what went on under his
roof?

Right now he would deal with Adam.
Then he would deal with Ruttford.
Then he would deal with everyone else who thought he was a

fucking idiot.

“How could you do this to me, Adam, to us?” Melonee yelled as

she fisted her hands at her sides. “How could you come into our town
and think you could destroy it? What kind of monster are you? Don’t
you know how hard it was to build this place up, to make jobs for the
townspeople relying on my dad for their income? Who in the hell are
you to come in here thinking you can take that away from us? You are
one sneaky bastard, and I’m starting to regret mating you!”

That, Maverick hadn’t known about. He threw his head back and

howled as the three stared at him for a second and then took off from
his office. He felt his timber wolf trying to break free as he tore from
his office and chased them down.

* * * *

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107

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Ruttford could already feel his balls

being torn from his body as he raced to get away from the alpha. He
had told Melonee over and over again she needed to work on her
subtlety.

And he couldn’t even shimmer his ass out of here.
“What’s going on?” Hawk asked as he walked out of the den.
“Maverick just found out we mated Melonee!” Ruttford shouted

as he and Adam followed Melonee down the hall, racing to get away
from Satan. He could hear Hawk curse as they rounded a corner and
kept going.

“Wait!” Melonee shouted as she came to a skidding halt. “He’s

not going to kill us.”

“Us?” Ruttford asked in astonishment as his eyes flickered toward

the hallway he knew Maverick was coming down.

“Okay, me, but he won’t kill you two because I’ve mated you.”
“Are you willing to bet our lives on that?” Adam asked, looking

as if he were about to faint.

“You are still in the doghouse,” Melonee snapped. “How could

you?”

“I didn’t know you when I took the damn contract,” Adam

defended. “And I sure as hell didn’t know about vampires and…what
is Maverick?”

“A timber wolf shape-shifter that you just pissed off,” Ruttford

said. “I can hold my own, able to defend myself in a fight, but even
I’m terrified of that man. Do you know how damn big he is in his
wolf form?” And Ruttford couldn’t shimmer out. Fuck.

The three spun around when they heard nails clicking on the

wooden floor. Ruttford swallowed when he saw Maverick slowly
come around the corner…in his wolf form. His head was hung low,
his grey eyes filled with murder and locked onto Ruttford.

Pushing Melonee and Adam behind him, Ruttford stood in front

of them, his arms out wide. “You can kill me, Maverick, but I won’t
let you hurt them.”

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The hallway seemed to flood with sentries as they surrounded

Maverick. The wolf gave a low, warning growl, but the sentries didn’t
budge.

“You can’t kill them,” Storm said as he stood in front of Ruttford.

“Trust me, you’ll regret it in the morning.”

Maverick snapped his jaws at Storm, but never took his eyes off

of Ruttford.

“You have to let her grow up,” Gunnar said. “You can’t keep her

under your thumb forever.”

Maverick whipped his head toward the sentry, his growl growing

deeper.

“Think about this,” Remi warned. “As badly as you want to mount

their balls on your wall, you will regret it.”

Ruttford tried to keep Melonee behind him, but she shoved her

way forward, dropping to her knees in front of the extremely large
wolf, cupping Maverick’s face. Ruttford couldn’t breathe. She looked
so small compared to Maverick.

“I love you, Dad. You took me in and gave me a home, showed

me what being a part of this family was all about.” Melonee ran her
hands through his fur. “I’ll always love you for that. I remember
getting into so much trouble with you, the pranks we pulled, the fun
we had staying up late and watching horror flicks.” Melonee wiped at
her eyes and then hugged him. “I may be grown up now and mated,
but that doesn’t mean we can’t still get into trouble and watch late-
night movies. I want to live under your roof, but I can’t if you don’t
accept my mates.”

Maverick nuzzled her neck and then moved forward to stand in

front of Ruttford. He snapped his jaws, a loud growl rumbling up
from his chest. Ruttford just knew he was about to be eaten.
Maverick’s head was level with his. To stand there and stare the alpha
in his face was truly terrifying. The fur around his muzzle crinkled as
he bared his teeth.

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109

It was not comforting that Maverick’s ears were laid back.

Ruttford knew for a fact that meant the wolf was about to attack.

To his surprise, the horse-size wolf backed away. Ruttford wasn’t

sure if he should be relieved or brace himself for an attack. He wasn’t
taking shit for granted right now. He nearly collapsed in relief when
Maverick disappeared around the corner.

“Go sit in the den until we are sure he isn’t going to kill you,”

Kota said as the sentries strode away.

“What…in the fuck…was that?” Adam asked from behind

Ruttford.

“My dad in a very pissed-off mood,” Melonee snapped as she

walked away.

* * * *

Adam sat on the suede sofa, trying to figure out how he was going

to get out of this mess. When he had accepted the contract from
Kenyon Corporation, he had no clue he was being used. It was all
clear to him now. The reason the files were incomplete was because
Les and Mr. Kenyon hadn’t a clue what was going on here. They had
wanted Adam to fill in the blanks.

He was nobody’s lackey. Adam didn’t appreciate being used this

way, any kind of way. But he wasn’t sure if saying he was nullifying
the contract would work in this situation. There were bigger players
here than Adam had ever come up against. Vampire hunters? Really?

And what in the hell had Maverick turned into? Ruttford had said

that Melonee’s dad was a wolf shifter, but that did not look like any
wolf Adam had ever seen on television. He was so big that he looked
like he could have swallowed them whole. Adam had never been that
damn scared in his life.

And Kenyon had sent him here like a sheep to the slaughter. How

in the hell was he going to get out of this?

“Who are you?”

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Adam looked up to see twin boys staring at him. They both had

dark-blond hair, but one had blue eyes while the other had grey. “I’m
Adam.”

Adam had never dealt with kids before and felt a little awkward as

they stood there staring at him. Where in the hell were Melonee and
Ruttford? They were supposed to be in here with him.

“Are you here visiting?” the one with the blue eyes asked.
Adam clasped his hands together, glancing around as he nodded.

“Sort of.” He wasn’t about to tell them he had been kidnapped.

“Sort of?” the grey-eyed one asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means Maverick thinks I should stay here for a little while,” he

answered. He was a bit surprised when then gave him an oh look.

“He grounded you, didn’t he?” the blue-eyed one asked. “My dad

grounds me and Matthew sometimes.”

“What about your mom?” Adam asked, trying to keep to topics

they should be familiar with.

“We don’t have a mom,” Matthew, the one with the grey eyes,

replied as he climbed up onto the couch next to Adam. “Just two
dads.”

The twin brother climbed up on Adam’s other side. “How many

dads do you have?”

Before today, Adam would have said this was the weirdest

conversation he had had. But after dealing with Melonee and
Ruttford, and then Melonee’s family, this was mild in comparison. It
still shocked him that these two were being raised by two fathers.
“One.”

“That’s weird,” Matthew replied. “Me and Maddox have a whole

bunch of uncles, too.”

Adam couldn’t help it. “Any aunts?”
Maddox shook his head. “Nope, just Melonee. We have a sister,

though.”

“Wanna see a trick?” Matthew asked as he scooted off the couch

and pulled a deck of cards out of his back pocket.

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111

“Sure,” Adam replied as he sat forward.
Matthew flipped the cards in his hand. They flew up into the air

and then landed on the floor, scattering everywhere.

Adam waited for Matthew to finish his trick, but the kid just stood

there. “What’s the trick?”

“It’s called fifty-two pick up. Uncle Tryck showed it to me,”

Matthew announced proudly. “But I hate when I have to pick the
cards up.”

He sounded so downtrodden that Adam moved from the couch,

knelt on the floor, and helped the young kid pick the cards up.

“Thanks,” Matthew said when Adam handed him the cards he had

gathered.

“I know a trick,” Adam said as he held out his hand. Matthew

gave him the cards and took a seat on the couch with his brother.

“Show us,” Maddox shouted.
Adam chuckled as he shuffled the cards. “My grandfather taught

me this.” Adam set half the deck aside, shuffled them some more, and
then held them out to Matthew. “Pick a card.”

Matthew scooted forward and plucked one from the deck.
“Don’t tell me what it is,” Adam warned him. “Just look at it,

remember what it looks like, and push it back into the deck.”

Adam smiled when Matthew concentrated really hard on the card

in his hand, nodded, and then pushed it back into the deck. Shuffling a
few times, Adam pulled a card free and flipped it over. “Is this your
card?”

“How did you do that?” Maddox shouted as he bounced around.

Matthew was looking at Adam like he was Harry Houdini.

“If I show you, you can’t tell anyone else.”
“We promise. We promise,” Maddox exclaimed excitedly.
Adam spent the next half hour showing them what his grandfather

had shown him. The twins grabbed the other half of the deck, trying
the trick out on each other until they got it right. A strange feeling

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came over Adam. It almost felt like pride as the two laughed and
performed the card trick over and over again.

“You two causing trouble?”
Adam glanced up to see a man with short blond hair and a bit on

the muscular side walk in. He had the same eyes as Matthew—a deep,
intense grey. This had to be their dad.

“No,” the two answered quickly. “Adam was showing us a card

trick.”

“Your dad is looking for you two,” the man announced. “I think

he wants you to clean up your room.”

“Aw, man,” Matthew mumbled as he lowered his head and

walked out, his brother close behind.

“Cute kids,” Adam replied as he took a seat on the couch.
“They’re a handful,” he commented and then stuck his hand out.

“I’m Murdock.”

“Adam,” he replied as he shook Murdock’s hand. “Can I ask you

something?”

Murdock shrugged. “Go ahead, although I can’t promise I’ll

answer.”

“Fair enough,” Adam said. “Your sons are being raised by two

fathers?”

Murdock nodded.
“What happened to their mother?”
“Nothing,” Murdock replied as he walked behind what looked to

be a juice bar. He began to pull things down from a cupboard as he
continued to talk. “Heaven is their father. He gave birth to all three of
our children.”

Adam sat there in total shock. “A man gave birth?” That was

totally impossible. Adam would have called the man a liar, but after
what he had seen, he wasn’t so sure it couldn’t be true.

“It’s a long story,” Murdock said as he added some fruit to a

blender. “But yes, a man gave birth.”

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113

“That doesn’t freak you out even just a little?” It was freaking

Adam out big-time.

“It did at first,” Murdock admitted. “But when it’s your mate, you

learn to accept the unexplained. I love Heaven just as much today, if
not more, than when we first met. Although,”—Murdock chuckled—
“I thought Maverick was going to kill me when I first met Heaven.”

“I’m in the same boat.” Adam sat back, still unsure how he was

going to get out of this mess.

“Do you know how to get out of trouble with Maverick and earn

his respect?” Murdock asked as he added ice to the blender.

“No.”
“Fix the mess your damn self. Don’t wait on anyone to help you.”

The blender began making a loud crushing noise as Murdock watched
the ingredients mix together. How was he supposed to fix this mess
himself when Maverick had him on lockdown? And how could Adam
fix the mess when Mr. Kenyon was the leader of some vampire hunter
group who was using him for information?

Vincent.
“Do you have a phone I can use?” Adam asked.
Murdock took his phone off his clip and tossed it toward Adam.

“Don’t tell Maverick I let you use it, and don’t make me regret letting
you make a call.”

Adam thought about Murdock’s twins and he knew he had to fix

this. Somehow, in the short span that they were in the den, they had
wormed their way inside of him.

For the first time in Adam’s life, he considered what it would be

like to have children. He could honestly see starting a family with
Melonee and Ruttford, and that thought was scary as hell, especially
after the way his parents raised him. But after learning that it was
okay to be with a man and a woman, that the people in this house not
only accepted that, but lived alternative lifestyles themselves, Adam
was kind of looking forward to the prospect of becoming a father. He

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was brought out of thought when the line clicked, but Vincent didn’t
say a word.

“It’s me, Adam.”
“Little Bo Peep get lost?” Vincent asked.
“I need a favor.”
“I was already working on a favor for you.”
“This takes precedence.” Adam glanced at Murdock. “It involves

my family.”

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Chapter Thirteen

Maverick tugged at the tie around his neck. It felt more like a

damn noose as he stood in the mirror and examined himself. Never
would he have thought to see himself in a business suit. Kota thought
it would make a better impression when he showed up in court to
defend his mate and the other two.

Kota was going, of course, along with Micah. They looked like

they were heading to a boardroom rather than a courtroom.

Smoothing his hand down the front of his suit, Maverick prayed

he came home with his mate or he wasn’t sure what he was going to
do. He didn’t get a second of sleep last night. He couldn’t, not when
his bed was so damn empty. It gave him a glimpse of what his life
would be like without Cecil in it, and Maverick didn’t like it one bit.
The man might be a royal pain in the ass sometimes, but the cold,
empty feeling Maverick had suffered through last night wasn’t
something he ever wanted to experience again.

Last night was a harsh reminder of what his life was like before

Cecil had come into it. The memories of those lonely times had
haunted him all night. No matter what happened today, Maverick was
bringing his mate home—legally or not.

Maverick turned when he heard a throat clear behind him. A

camera flash went off, temporarily blinding him.

“No one is ever going to believe me if I don’t get proof.”
“Show anyone that picture, Kota, and they’ll never find the body.”
“Oh, come on, Maverick,” Kota teased. “You look fucking

fabulous. We should have gotten you into a suit years ago.”

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Maverick gave a low growl. He was not only dying to take the

damn suit off, but take the leather thong out of his hair. Heaven had
come into his room this morning and put his hair into one long braid.
Maverick wasn’t used to his hair being bound. It was driving him
crazy.

“Luke is here,” Micah announced as he walked into Maverick’s

bedroom. “Holy shit, look at you!”

“One more word from either of you and I’ll dispose of both your

bodies.” Maverick walked from his bedroom and down toward his
office, praying he didn’t see anyone on the way. He looked like a
damn idiot in the dark suit.

Luke was in his office waiting, but thankfully—although the

man’s eyes grew round—he didn’t say a word. He grabbed his
sunglasses off of his desk and placed them on his face before giving a
nod. “Ready.”

Luke grabbed the three and shimmered them behind the

courthouse. Maverick was in a foul mood and prayed no one pissed
him off. He didn’t like being without Cecil. Not only that, Melonee’s
mates were walking a thin tightrope with the bullshit they were
pulling. He still couldn’t believe Adam had led the vampire hunters
toward Brac Village and Ruttford’s brother was in debt up to his
eyeballs.

He was going to clean the mess up when he got home and show

those two the door. There was no way he was allowing his little girl to
be mated to two irresponsible men. Ruttford didn’t have a serious
bone in his body, and Maverick was tired of dealing with the man.
Adam could get his ass out of town as well.

Maverick walked into the courthouse, feeling his skin tighten as

he looked around at the hustle and bustle of men and women in suits
as they hurried from one direction to the other. He knew he had
grown accustomed to dealing with matters in the paranormal world
because being in the human world, in this court system, made him
feel out of his depth.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

117

It was unfamiliar territory, and all Maverick wanted to do was get

the three mates and get out of here. This was what he had tried to
avoid, contact with the human populace on their terms. If something
happened, he couldn’t shift and Luke couldn’t shimmer. Their hands
were virtually tied.

Maverick pushed the doors open to the courtroom where Cecil

and the brothers were having their bail hearing and noticed how
crowded it was. The judge was sitting up front behind his raised desk,
looking irritated already this morning.

“Bail denied,” the judge said as he slammed down his gavel.

“Next case.”

Cecil was nowhere in sight. Maverick, Kota, and Micah took a

seat up front, waiting. Luke had shimmered out, telling them to call
when they needed him. He had said being here in New York made
him nervous. It was too crowded, too busy, and he feared his ears
would give him away.

Thankfully Maverick didn’t have to worry about sunlight or any

other problems with Cecil, Blair, and Oliver. They were human.

What concerned him was the judge taking his frustrations out on

the mates and throwing the book at them. There was no way he was
allowing the three to do any time, but that would mean housing
fugitives.

He was going to kill Cecil for this.
“Docket number 56421. The state of New York versus Cecil

Walters, Blair Weston, and Oliver Weston.”

Maverick stood as the three were ushered into the courtroom. He

smoothed his hand down his suit nervously, wondering if he could
really get them out of this when someone called out, “Devlin Stanton
as their attorney, Your Honor.”

Turning, Maverick saw a man walking toward the front of the

crowded courtroom, a briefcase in his hand.

“You always show up late?” the judge asked. The man did not

look pleased.

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Maverick groaned. This had to be a public defender. He prayed

this man knew what he was doing—although, for a public defender,
he wore a very expensive suit.

“Your Honor, these three men were caught in a raid on an illegal

bare-knuckle boxing ring that had been under surveillance for
months,” the prosecutor said as he stood on the other side of the three
mates and the lawyer.

“My clients are upstanding citizens in their community, Your

Honor. They have volunteered for over a decade at the local
recreation center, have helped out at the resource center for the
battered, and have helped the community in many other ways.
Request they be released on their own recognizances.”

“Your Honor,” the prosecutor argued, “they have the resources to

escape the country. They don’t even live in the state of New York.
Request their bail be denied.”

“They are deeply rooted in family in Brac Village, Your Honor.

They pose no flight risk.”

“Tether them,” the judge said. “Released on their own

recognizances until their court date.” The gavel came down.

“This way,” the lawyer said to Maverick.
“You’re one hell of a public defender,” Maverick said as he

grabbed Cecil and pulled him into a hug. God, it felt so good to have
his mate in his arms again. He knew this wasn’t over, but feeling
Cecil safe in his arms calmed Maverick’s wolf.

“I’m not a public defender,” Mr. Stanton replied. “Christian hired

me.”

“Now what?” Cecil asked.
“Now you get a pretty little bracelet around your ankle and stay

home until your trial.” The man moved forward until they were out of
the courtroom. “I’ll take care of the paperwork while you three go
down to have the bracelets put on. I’m pretty sure I can get the
charges dropped, but you’ll have to give me until after the holidays.”
The man gave Maverick a hard stare. “Christian told me about Cecil’s

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119

penchant for trouble. Mark my word. This judge is a hard-ass and will
bury them under the jail if they disobey the court order. Keep him
home.”

Maverick wasn’t letting the man out of his sight.

* * * *

Melonee knew Maverick was going to blow a gasket when he

found her gone, but she had decided that leaving her home behind and
moving away wasn’t the answer. This was her family, and she was
going to fight to keep them and her mates. She knew in her heart that
she would be miserable if she had to live outside the Den.

As much as she loved Ruttford and Adam, life without her family

didn’t hold any warmth for her. Melonee had to find a way to keep
her mates and the people she loved more than life itself.

If Maverick wanted proof that she was an adult, she was going to

give it to him. She knew it wasn’t easy for him to let her go. Melonee
even understood his need to keep her safe and happy.

But she was suffocating under his love.
If what she was about to do didn’t prove that she could handle her

own and that she was grown, Melonee wasn’t sure what she was
going to do.

“This is a very bad idea,” she mumbled to herself as she walked

into the small building with high windows and a buzzer system. She
didn’t know the first thing about dealing with Shadow elf henchmen,
but she needed to find a way to get Fire out of this mess without going
to Maverick for the money.

She was going to show him that she could handle this situation on

her own. She just hoped the two blue men didn’t squash her like a bug
when she met with them.

If they would even talk to her.
Steeling her nerves, Melonee walked up to the counter, looking

the woman directly in her eyes. “I’m here to see Myne and Yanyte.”

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The woman with her purple spiked hair and loud makeup gave

Melonee a droll stare as she lowered her horn-rimmed glasses and
looked at Melonee over the bridge of her nose. “Are you sure about
that, darling? Most people don’t get a visit from those two until it’s
too late. I’ve never had anyone come looking for the two. Do you
have a death wish?”

That was not comforting, but Melonee knew she had to find some

way to free Fire from his debt before she killed her brother-in-law
herself. Melonee nodded at the woman, even though she felt like
turning around and running from this place. “I need to speak to them.”

The woman shrugged. “Your funeral.” She picked up a phone and

dialed, talking quietly into the receiver.

Melonee glanced around at the plainness of the room she was

standing in. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she tortured
Fire into telling her where this place was, but it didn’t look like a
bookie office—not that she would know what one would look like.

Just as the woman hung the phone up, Myne and Yanyte

shimmered in behind her. They weren’t what she was expecting
either. For some reason, Melonee had pictured them as some sort of
Italian musclemen with greased-back hair and toothpicks sticking out
of their mouths.

Instead, she found herself standing in front of two stunning blue

men who could have worked a runway in Paris. One had black hair
that settled at his shoulders in soft waves, while the other had a deep
chestnut-brown coloring to his hair, which was cut short and stylish.
They both had intense green eyes and handsome faces. They were
sleek in build, but there was no mistaking the power emanating off of
them in thick, commanding waves.

“You come to pay a debt?” the black-haired one asked.
“No,” the brown-haired one said as his eyes glided over Melonee,

making her feel as if he had just violated her with his deep-green,
penetrating gaze. “I would have remembered a fine-looking female
like this one.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

121

Pig.
“I’m here to talk to you about Fire’s debt,” Melonee replied as she

stood her ground. She refused to wither under their gazes. She could
tell they were used to their intimidation tactics scaring people, but
Melonee had grown up with Maverick. They were going to have to
come at her harder than with mere glares.

“Why don’t we talk in a more private setting? I am known as

Myne, sweetness.” The dark-haired man took Melonee’s hand, kissing
her knuckles.

Melonee pulled her hand free. “This will do just fine.” She waved

her hand around the room. Privacy was something she didn’t need
with these two horndogs. She had a feeling they wouldn’t be talking
about Fire if they got her alone.

Yanyte glared at her when she refused their offer. “The only thing

we want to hear about Fire’s debt is that it was paid. That sorry son of
a bitch better be lucky we are currently busy, or he would be dead by
now.”

Myne leaned forward, his face inches from hers. “And you would

own the debt after his death. We are fully aware you are Ruttford’s
mate.”

“There has to be something you gentlemen want in exchange for

clearing his slate,” Melonee replied and then rolled her eyes when
Myne’s nostrils flared. “Besides sex.”

“As good looking as you are, doll,” Yanyte replied, “you don’t

have fifty thousand dollars’ worth of goodies for us to play with.”

Melonee wanted to smack the crap out of both of them. If she

wasn’t bargaining for someone’s life, she just might have done it.
“There’s nothing you two need taken care of?”

Yanyte threw his head back and gave a deep laugh. “What could

you do for us that we couldn’t take care of ourselves?”

“Wait,” Myne said as he placed his hand on Yanyte’s arm. “There

is one thing. If you can accomplish this feat, we will wipe Fire’s debt
clean.”

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Melonee knew it was going to be colossal. Fifty thousand dollars

was nothing to sneeze at. But she knew, no matter what it was, she
would do it. “Go on.”

Yanyte glanced at Myne, and Melonee caught the nervousness in

the man’s eyes. What could be going on that would make these two so
ill at ease?

“We seemed to have incurred someone’s anger,” Myne began.

“So far, he hasn’t come after us, but I have a feeling it is only because
he wants us to sweat before he seeks his revenge.”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Yanyte added. “If we had known the

person placing the small wager was being protected by this creature,
we would have forgiven the debt.”

Melonee was pretty sure that if the person was demon or shifter,

she could help these two. Her pack was on good terms with most of
the demons and shifters. If not, she would find something to bargain
with. “Who have you pissed off?” she asked.

“Ceri,” they both replied at the same time.
Melonee felt her heart sink.

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Chapter Fourteen

Ruttford walked down the hallway, searching the rooms for

Melonee. He knew Adam was in the den with Murdock, and
Maverick was gone, dealing with his mate in New York. But he
hadn’t a clue where Melonee had taken off to.

“Who ya looking for?” Johnny asked, sipping on orange soda

from a straw as he came down the hall from the opposite direction
Ruttford was heading.

“Melonee, have you seen her?” he asked as he closed the door of

the room he had just searched.

Ruttford growled when Johnny stiffened and then quickly spun

around, heading away from him. “Hold on right there, Johnny.”

Johnny stilled, glancing at Ruttford over his shoulder. “I don’t

know anything.”

“The guilty look on your face says otherwise,” Ruttford said as he

strode over to the human. “Where is she?”

Johnny pursed his lips as if he had to really think about it. “I saw

her this morning when she was awake, and then I ate breakfast, right
before Keata pulled me into the den to play a video game, only her
hair was pulled up into a ponytail, so I—”

“Johnny.” Ruttford said the man’s name in warning.
“Coming!” Johnny shouted and took off. Ruttford followed,

determined to find out what was going on. He spotted the human
ducking into a room as the door slammed shut. There was no way he
was letting this go.

Ruttford grabbed the handle and flung the door open, ready to

demand Johnny tell him where Melonee was, but froze. What in the

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hell was Fire doing tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth? Ruttford
glanced around to see Keata sitting in a chair across the room,
flipping through a manga, relaxed, as if nothing were wrong.

“We’re busted!” Johnny shouted. “Hide Fire!”
“I can see him, Johnny,” Ruttford said as he crossed the room and

yanked the scarf from Fire’s mouth.

“About damn time you showed up!” Fire shouted at him. “These

damn people are nuts.”

Keata stood and tucked the comic under his arm. “I think my

services are no longer needed.” Before Ruttford could ask any
questions, Keata and Johnny bolted from the room. He ignored them
as he turned toward his brother.

“What in the hell is going on?”
“Your crazy-ass family kidnapped me,” Fire said as he struggled

against the binding. Ruttford could see a metal bracelet on his
brother’s wrist, stopping him from shimmering out.

“Why did they kidnap you?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

He wasn’t letting his brother go, and he wasn’t budging until he had
answers.

“Nobody can resist my charms,” Fire said with a smirk. “They all

want a piece of me.”

“You are so full of shit, Fire. If anything, they all want to strangle

you just for being related to me.” Ruttford had a feeling he wasn’t
going to get anywhere with his brother. The man wasn’t forthcoming,
and all he was doing was pissing Ruttford off. A horrific thought
entered his mind. “Does Maverick know you are here? Did he put you
in this room?”

“I’m pretty sure everyone has avoided the man finding out.”
Ruttford felt a measure of relief, but that still didn’t tell him why

Fire was here.

“Melonee came to see me,” Fire said in a tone that said he was

more than happy with her visit.

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125

“If you don’t want to spit your teeth out, stay away from her,” he

said to his brother.

“She came to me,” Fire defended.
“Why?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Fire asked with a twist to his lips.
“If you don’t tell me, I’m calling our parents and telling them

about your debt.”

Fire lost the playful gleam in his eyes as he paled slightly. “She

wanted to know where to find the Shadow elves that are after me.”

Ruttford shoved the scarf back into Fire’s mouth and raced from

the room. What in the hell was Melonee up to? Why would she hunt
those no-good men down? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he had to
rescue his mate before she got in over her head. He found Adam in
the den, still talking with Murdock.

“I need to talk with you.” He pulled Adam into the foyer. “We

have to go save Melonee.”

“Isn’t she here?” Adam asked.
“No, she went to deal with some unsavory characters who would

sooner kill her than listen to her pleas.”

Ruttford headed toward the front door. If he couldn’t shimmer

while in the house, he needed to get outside.

But fate was being a bitch today because as soon as he opened the

front door, Maverick stepped through, giving them both a murderous
glare.

* * * *

“I need to talk to your brother,” Melonee said as she stood in front

of Christian’s desk.

“Why do you need to talk to Rhys?”
She shook her head. “No, the other brother.”
Christian sat forward, his brows creased as he stared at her. “Why

on earth do you need to talk to Ceri?”

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“It’s a long story, but basically, in order to stop my brother-in-law

from being killed, I have to settle a dispute these two Shadow elves
have with Ceri.”

“Maverick didn’t tell me about any dispute the elves had with

Ceri.”

Melonee quickly stopped Christian’s hand with hers when he

reached for the phone. “That’s because my dad doesn’t know, and I
would prefer to keep it that way. This is my mess and I am going to
handle it on my own.”

Christian stood, walking around the desk, stopping in front of her.

“Ceri is not one to talk to in private, young one. You are aware of his
affinity for flesh, correct?”

“He’d eat me?” Melonee asked in astonishment.
“Ceri is lost in his own head right now. I am not sure what he

would do, but tempting him isn’t a wise thing. I may have some
differences with Maverick, but sending his only child to a man who
just might harm her would be an act of war.”

Melonee chewed on her lower lip. This was not what she wanted

to hear. There had to be a way to talk to the ancient vampire without
getting hurt. “Can you come with me?”

Christian shook his head. “Ceri is not pleased with me at the

moment.”

“You don’t understand, Christian. I need to talk to Ceri.”
Christian sighed as he leaned against his desk. “It is that bad?”
“If the Shadow elves kill Fire, then my brother-in-law’s debt falls

to us. I don’t want my family involved in this.”

“Very well, but be warned, if he becomes impossible, we leave

right away.”

Melonee wasn’t sure who she had feared dealing with more,

Maverick, Myne and Yanyte, or Ceri. None of them were people to
take lightly. At least she knew her dad wouldn’t kill her, but seeing
the disappointment in his eyes would be far more damaging than
anything the others could do to her.

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127

Christian grabbed her by her arm as they disappeared from the

club and appeared in some strange palace that looked like it was
going to crumble at any moment. It reminded Melonee of a palace
that a king and queen would reside in with knights and maidens.

“This is our childhood home,” Christian said as he walked her

through the once-regal place. Melonee caught movement out of the
corner of her eye just as Christian’s grip on her arm tightened.

“Why have you come here?”
Melonee watched as a vampire slid slightly into view whose very

presence seemed to dwarf the room. Not because he was large, but
because of the raw power that seemed to snap and crackle around
him. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

“This young fey wishes to have a word with you,” Christian

announced.

Ceri’s ice-cold blue eyes slid over to Melonee, and she had an

overwhelming urge to run as fast and as far as she could. It wasn’t a
welcoming look nor was it friendly. “I need to ask a favor,” she
replied before her bravery passed out.

“And why would I grant you any favors?” Ceri asked as he moved

out from the shadows.

“Because my family is in danger and I would do whatever needed

to keep them safe. There are two Shadow elves who have offended
you?”

Melonee took a step back when Ceri’s features transformed into

what nightmares were made of. “Do not speak of those dead men.”

Oh, hell. She was going to fail here. It didn’t seem like Ceri

wanted to hear anything she had to say. “But if I don’t get you to
forgive them, they will come after my family.”

“They threatened someone that I—” Ceri glanced over at

Christian as he stopped speaking midsentence. “They will be dealt
with.”

Melonee yanked her arm from Christian’s and strode over to Ceri.

“What can I say that will convince you to leave them be? I love my

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mates with all my heart, and it would kill me to see anything happen
to them. If I don’t get this debt forgiven, those two will come after not
only my mates, but my family as well. We have little ones in the
house, along with mates and…please, Ceri.”

When Ceri reached out to run a finger along her arm, Melonee

forced herself not to move. She knew it wasn’t a sexual gesture, but
the alternative was downright terrifying. Was he inspecting her flesh
before he consumed her?

“Ceri,” Christian said in warning.
“You do not exist to me, brother.” Ceri cocked his head, studying

Melonee. “What would you sacrifice in order to save your family?”

“Everything,” Melonee said without hesitation. “My very life.”

But she prayed it didn’t come down to that.

“Family is not as noble as you believe them to be,” Ceri replied.

“They will betray you and turn their backs on you.”

“My family would kill to keep me safe,” Melonee replied. “My

dad would torch the earth if he thought someone was going to harm
me. Not all families are bad, Ceri. My family loves me, even if they
still look at me as a child.” She wasn’t sure why she said the last part,
but the pain of choosing between her mates and her family was eating
her alive.

“You are a child,” Ceri replied.
“Then my mates are lost to me,” Melonee whispered as she turned

to walk back to Christian. She had foolishly thought she could handle
this on her own. But it seemed she was going to have to go to
Maverick in order to get the money to save Fire. It would be a blow to
her ego to tell him she couldn’t deal with this on her own, but she
would rather be defeated than have her family killed.

“You would give up on them so easily?” Ceri asked.
Melonee spun around, curling her hands into fists. “What do you

want me to do, Ceri? You won’t help me. No one wants to help me. I
have to go home and tell my dad that I need him to bail me out of this.
I have to show him that I’m not an adult who can handle a mess her

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129

brother-in-law has gotten himself into.” She jutted her chin in anger.
“Screw you, Ceri. Wallow in your self-pity. I hope it keeps you warm
at night.”

Melonee gasped when Ceri was across the room, pinning her to

the far wall in under a second, growling in her face. “You come into
my home and insult me?”

“I told you,” she said, not bothering to struggle. “I would do

anything to save them, even incur your wrath.”

“Not very smart,” Ceri replied. “I could dine on your flesh with no

regret, little girl.”

“Enough,” Christian commanded in a tone that made the hairs on

Melonee’s neck stand. “Release her, Ceri.”

“Why should I?” Ceri asked. “You brought her to me. I did not

seek her out.”

Melonee gazed into Ceri’s troubled eyes, seeing the truth in them.

“Who is he?”

Ceri’s hold on her tightened. “Watch your tongue.”
“You love him,” she replied, taking a wild stab that the person in

question was male.

“And those two Shadow elves threatened his life. I’m going to

enjoy eating them as they slowly die.”

Melonee was going to be sick at the image Ceri had just put into

her head. This was one seriously messed-up individual, but she wasn’t
here to judge him. “If you forgive them, then I owe you a debt.”

“I will call you on that debt, young fey.” Ceri slowly released her.

“I see wisdom in you owing me. But rest assured, if they go near him
again, nothing will stop me from making them suffer years before
they die.”

“Do you know what you have just done?” Christian asked.
“I saved my family,” Melonee replied as she backed away from

Ceri.

“Anytime I call on you,” Ceri reminded her.

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“Give me your word,” Melonee said as she came to a stop at

Christian’s side.

“Be gone before you really anger me.”
Before Melonee could argue, she and Christian were back in his

office. “You have just dealt with a man who will not forget you owe
him,” Christian said as he cursed. “He will wipe out your entire
family, village, and friends if you refuse him when he comes to
collect.”

“Who said I would refuse him?”
“I’m not sure if you are the bravest female I have ever met or the

dumbest. Go home before I call Maverick.”

Melonee shimmered out, but she didn’t go home. She went

straight to Myne and Yanyte.

“Well?” Myne asked.
“I don’t know who you went after, but if you go anywhere near

him again, Ceri is going to dine on you two years before you are dead.
Those are his words.”

Yanyte didn’t look relieved. “Fire’s debt is wiped out.”
“No,” Melonee said. “I don’t want it just wiped out. You are no

longer going to deal with him. He is banned from making any more
bets.”

Myne studied her. “You have balls, woman. Fine, I’m tired of

dealing with him anyway. Fire couldn’t pick a winner if it walked up
to him and slapped him in the face.”

Satisfied that Fire wasn’t going to get her family killed, Melonee

shimmered home.

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131

Chapter Fifteen

“I’m going to paddle her ass just as soon as I get my hands on

her,” Ruttford said as he paced their bedroom. “What was she
thinking?”

Adam had to admit, he was worried as well. After Ruttford

explained what was going on with his brother and the men after Fire,
he wondered about Melonee’s sanity. She had to be crazy to go
looking for the Shadow elves. He had an overwhelming urge to
paddle her ass as well.

Since meeting her and Ruttford, Adam’s eyes had been opened to

a whole new world, one where he could not only be himself, but have
a family. It was odd for him to love Melonee and Ruttford the way he
did, especially since he hadn’t known either of them that long, but his
chest felt tight at the thought of anything happening to her.

After the childhood Adam had experienced, he didn’t think

anything but money and power would matter to him. But after
spending time with this family, playing with the kids, and seeing how
devoted the people in this house were to one another, Adam wanted to
be a part of that.

He just hoped Vincent came through for him or Kenyon

Corporation was going to tear this town apart.

Adam glanced up when the door to the bedroom opened and

Melonee slipped inside. He felt his heart speed up as he looked her
over. She was so damn beautiful, and thankfully, undamaged.

Ruttford immediately yanked Melonee into his arms. “You are in

big trouble,” he snarled between clenched teeth.

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“Actually,” Melonee said as she placed the palms of her hands on

Ruttford’s chest, “I just got us out of trouble.”

“How?” Adam asked as he cocked his head and regarded Melonee

with curiosity. “From what Ruttford told me, those two are the dregs
of society. How did you get them to call off the debt?”

The smile on her face brightened, making Adam suck his breath

in. He knew without a doubt she had woven herself around his heart.
Never had he met a more stunning and vivacious woman—and he had
met a lot of stunning beauties in his travels. Her laughter alone melted
something inside of him.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, tilting her head to the side

as she smiled at Ruttford and then Adam. “I found out they had
someone gunning for them and bargained them out of being killed.”

Ruttford frowned, his eyes level under drawn brows. “Who was

after them?”

Melonee pulled from Ruttford’s arms and sat on the bed next to

Adam. “Does it matter? Fire is free of his debt, and our family is no
longer in danger.”

“It matters,” Ruttford said sternly. “You are our mate. What you

do, who you deal with impacts all three of us.”

Adam could feel Melonee stiffen next to him. Their relationship

was still new, but he felt he had privileges with her. Grabbing her
around the waist, Adam hauled her into his lap as he gazed into her
stubborn face. “Tell us what you did.”

The resolution in her eyes told Adam that no matter what they

said, what happened was a sealed deal. “I owe Ceri a debt.”

Ruttford paled where he stood, his jaw dropping as he stared at the

back of Melonee’s head. “Sweet mother of the feys, please tell me
you didn’t just say Ceri.”

“Am I going to regret asking who Ceri is?” Adam asked as

Melonee’s hands that were lying on his shoulders tightened. Yeah, he
was going to regret this.

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133

“Ceri is an ancient vampire who thirsts not only for blood, but

flesh. He is the example mothers use to scare their children into
obedience.” Ruttford wiped his hand over his mouth as he turned.
“How could you owe him a debt, Melonee? Do you know what you
have done?”

“Saved our asses,” she replied with a heated tone. “Do you have

the fifty grand to give to those henchmen? Did you come up with a
plan to get us out of this?”

“I have the money,” Adam said. “Why didn’t you just ask?”
Melonee turned to glare at him. “And how was I supposed to

know this?”

True. As Adam thought about it, he realized that they didn’t know

him and he knew very little about them. His life, who he was and
where he came from, was shrouded in secrets. All these two knew
was his name and that he had inadvertently brought the lead vampire
hunter’s attention to their town.

It was a sad insight, and one he planned on rectifying. But right

now, they needed to deal with Melonee’s debt to a psycho vampire.

“I don’t think paying them now will call off Ceri’s debt,” Melonee

replied as her slim fingers tightened on Adam’s shoulders. “What’s
done is done, and I’m not going to worry about it until we cross that
bridge.”

Adam ran his hands down Melonee’s sides as he looked at

Ruttford. “She’s right. I don’t like it, but there is nothing we can do
about it.”

Ruttford opened his mouth and then closed it, his eyes narrowing

as he stared at Adam. “That doesn’t ease my worries. What on earth
could Ceri want from her?”

Melonee tried to turn and face Ruttford, but Adam held firm to her

sides. He liked having her in his lap, and he didn’t want to let her up.
Adam touched her cheek, and Melonee stared into his eyes. He felt
like his whole body was coming alive when she looked at him with
such innocence.

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“I can’t take it back.”
“I know. It will be okay.” Adam ran his thumb over her soft skin,

amazed at how much she had come to mean to him. He finally felt
like he belonged somewhere, and Adam wanted to capture that feeling
and hold on to it forever.

Ruttford moved around the bed, coming in behind Adam. He slid

his legs on either side of Adam’s, pressing his chest to Adam’s back.
“We’ll figure this out together.” Ruttford rested his chin on Adam’s
shoulder, his hands sliding around Adam’s waist.

“Whatever he asks for, all three of us will take care of,” Adam

said as he settled against Ruttford’s chest. It felt good not having to
hide his sexual nature. He didn’t have to worry about paying anyone
off to keep quiet or hoping the people he worked with didn’t find out.
Here, in this house, Adam was free to be who he was, no pretenses—
and that was a feeling he treasured most.

His eyes fluttered closed when Ruttford’s warm lips touched the

nape of Adam’s neck. He could feel Melonee’s fingers curling into
his shoulders as Ruttford’s hands wandered over his back. “You smell
so good, Adam.”

“Like wild earth and summer rains,” Melonee added. “He feels

good, too.”

Adam smiled. “I’m glad you two think so.”
“Mmm,” Ruttford murmured. “But I wonder if you taste just as

good.”

Adam’s breath caught at Ruttford’s question. His cock became

ramrod stiff as he imagined Ruttford going down on him.

“I bet you he does.” Melonee leaned forward and began to kiss

him along his jaw. Never before had he been the object of two
people’s attention. Not like this. Not with one sitting on his lap and
the other so close behind him.

Adam lifted his arms when Melonee grabbed the hem of his shirt

and pulled it over his head, tossing it aside. He shuddered when
Ruttford ran his hands over Adam’s back.

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135

“So flawless.” Ruttford began to kiss Adam’s shoulder. “So

sweet.”

Melonee was sucking on his neck, her lips and tongue making

Adam’s skin buzz and tingle. He ran his hands through her long,
brown hair, playing in the silky strands as both used his body to taste,
to tempt, and to make him so hard that his erection bordered on
painful.

“We’re both going to fuck her,” Ruttford whispered into Adam’s

ear. “But first, I want you to suck my cock.”

* * * *

Adam turned, laying Melonee down as he moved from the bed

and undressed. Ruttford stretched out beside Melonee, watching his
handsome mate bare his body to them. His hands played at Melonee’s
shirt, and then he pulled it over her head. Her lush breasts were
exposed to him, cupped in a pretty purple lace bra.

“So nice,” he said as he mouthed her breast.
Melonee’s hand slid through his hair, grabbing the strands as he

pulled the lace aside and sucked one taut nipple into his mouth.

“I could watch you two all day,” Adam said as he tossed his

underwear aside. He crawled into the bed, taking the other nipple into
his mouth as Ruttford moved back, slid from the bed, and undressed.

He helped Melonee out of her jeans, and then slid her matching

panties down her body, groaning as he saw how wet she was. He
wanted to bury his cock deep inside of her. But first he wanted to feel
Adam’s lips wrapped around his erection.

Ruttford palmed his cock as he slipped back onto the bed, moving

closer to his handsome mate. The first tentative kiss was gentle,
sweet, and almost chaste. The second was anything but, hard, wet and
demanding. The two men almost devoured each other as their hands
reached to touch and then hold tight. Ruttford’s tongue licked
purposefully at the upper lip and was granted entry to the warm, wet

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cavern. Ruttford felt Adam open to him, and he swept his tongue
inside to subdue the shyer muscle, sucking it slowly. Ruttford’s
tongue slid over satiny inner cheeks, strong, even teeth, and danced
languidly with Adam’s. Their moans and groans echoed through the
room as their tongues dueled and tasted each other.

Ruttford pulled away and watched as Adam slowly lowered in

front of him and enveloped the hard flesh as he began to suck
earnestly. Adam sucked hard and fast, making Ruttford feel the
beginning of his orgasm. Pleasure pooled at Ruttford’s spine and
tingled along his nerves.

Using his tongue, Adam laved the tender depression beneath the

swollen crown and then tongue-fucked the tiny slit, licking away the
salty taste of Ruttford’s desires. He thrust his hips toward Adam’s
mouth, pumping furiously with short, even strokes. He held Adam in
place as Ruttford rolled his hips backward and pulled his dick from
Adam’s mouth with a damp pop.

“Not yet.” Ruttford blew out a deep breath, bringing his body

back under control. Goddamn, the man could suck dick.

Turning onto his back, Ruttford grabbed Melonee and draped her

over his chest. “Time to ride me, beautiful.” He brushed his knuckles
over her cheek as she straddled his waist. Melonee was so damn
stunning sitting on top of him, gazing down at Ruttford heatedly, her
eyes glittering with lust and love.

Melonee was vibrant. The feel of her soaked through Ruttford’s

fingertips and into his blood. She crushed her chest to his, her nipples
feeling like cut diamonds as she slowly impaled her body on his cock.
Reaching for her, Ruttford slanted his open mouth across Melonee’s.
Heat and womanly spice, the taste of her flooded his mouth.

“Oh, god,” Melonee moaned. Ruttford looked to the side to see

Adam behind her. He knew exactly what the man was doing. Adam
was readying Melonee to take her anally. The thought of both of them
having her at the same time sent a spike of pleasure through Ruttford.

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137

“Just relax, beautiful.” Ruttford reached behind Melonee with one

arm, curved it around her neck, then turned and pulled her in close for
a kiss filled with heat and intense passion. He wanted to distract her
from what Adam was doing, to make her forget for the moment until
there was nothing but pleasure between them.

Ruttford raised Melonee’s head, kissing each eyelid as he felt

Adam begin to move behind them. Melonee stiffened, but Ruttford bit
her shoulder with his blunt teeth, bringing her attention back to him.

“So intense,” she whispered to him.
“Tell me if you want me to stop,” Adam said from behind her. His

voice was a fierce whisper as he ran his hands over her sides, reached
under, and cupped her breasts, palming them, massaging the small
mounds.

Melonee’s fingernails dug into Ruttford’s chest. He would take

the pain, knowing the pleasure she was going to experience.

Ruttford began to move, grabbing her hips and thrusting up into

her hot pussy as she moaned and tilted her head back. His cock
swelled and pulsed at the sight of Adam behind her, knowing the man
was lost in her as well.

They set up a rhythm, their thrusts matching as Melonee fell apart

between them. The pulse of pleasure was overtaking Ruttford’s mind.
It wrapped over the head of his erection like tiny fingers of paradise
as Melonee’s body impaled his cock over and over again.

“It’s too much,” Melonee said as she panted. “I can’t handle you

both.”

“Yes,” Ruttford said with a growl, “you can.”
He quickened his thrusts as Melonee arched her back and cried

out her release, the tight channel of her pussy milking his cock.

Adam grabbed her sides, pounding hard as he, too, shouted out his

release.

Ruttford was desperate for his. He wanted to join them in

satiation. His cock tingled, aching for release, his balls drawn tight.
With a flurry of hands and hard thrusts, Ruttford finally froze, buried

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as deep as he could be, and roared out his completion. Once drained
of his seed, Ruttford pulled his cock from Melonee, watching as both
Melonee and Adam tried to catch their breaths. He held Melonee
close, Adam coming to lie beside him as the aftershocks rippled
through him.

Ruttford watched them both for several minutes, devouring his

mates with his eyes before he closed them for a long-needed nap.

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Chapter Sixteen

Maverick went in search of Melonee after the phone call he had

just received from Christian. He couldn’t believe she had handled the
whole mess on her own. There were details he knew the vampire
prince wasn’t telling him, and Maverick had a hunch the man
wouldn’t be forthcoming about them either.

It just amazed him that she had gone head-to-head with two

Shadow elves and then with Ceri. It scared the shit out of him as well
when he heard Christian retelling her heroic tale. The damn man had
made it seem like she was some sort of badass warrior.

If it were anyone else but his daughter, he would have thought the

same. It was just hard to think of his little angel going out there and
facing off with some scary-ass men. Had she lost her mind?

“Looking for Melonee?” Hawk asked as he walked toward

Maverick.

“Have you seen her?”
Hawk nodded. “She’s in the backyard.”
Maverick headed toward the kitchen when Hawk called his name

and stopped him. “What?”

Hawk shot him a twisted smile. “Go easy on her. All she was

trying to do was prove to you she can handle things without calling
for her dad. I’m damn proud of her.”

Maverick watched as Hawk walked away. He opened his mouth to

reply, but closed it. What could he say? Melonee had proven herself
to everyone else, so why couldn’t he see her for the woman she had
grown into? Why was it so hard for him to accept that she was an
adult now?

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Rubbing the back of his neck wearily, Maverick walked into the

kitchen and went to the back door with every intention of talking with
Melonee until he glanced outside. It had snowed lightly the night
before, the ground barely covered in the white powder, but apparently
it was enough for Melonee and her mates to have a snowball fight.

Maverick leaned against the door and watched as Melonee

laughed, her face bright with happiness as she shoved snow down the
back of Adam’s pants. He yelped, spun around, but it was Ruttford
who grabbed her and pulled him into her arms. Goddamn. The man
was staring at his daughter with nothing short of worship in his eyes.
Maverick had thought Ruttford wasn’t serious about her, or anything
in life for that matter. But from the way he was gazing at Melonee,
the expression spoke volumes of his love for her.

Adam was even staring at her like she was the jam in his

doughnut. All Maverick could do was watch as they played in the
snow together, feeling a smile edge the side of his mouth when
Melonee dumped Adam on his ass.

“She looks happy.”
Maverick nodded as Cecil came to stand by his side. “That she

does.”

“Are you going to keep giving her problems about her mates?”

Cecil asked as he slid his arms around Maverick’s waist.

“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep giving Ruttford

and Adam a hard time.” They were mated to his daughter. Maverick
would remind them that if they hurt her, he would grind them into
dust.

“I never got to tell you how stunningly handsome you were in

your suit,” Cecil teased as he rubbed his cheek against Maverick’s
chest. “You are definitely going to have to wear that again.”

“Not on your life,” Maverick replied. “But you will tell me how

you got into trouble in the first place.”

Cecil leaned his head back to give Maverick a dazzling smile.

“My lips are sealed.”

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141

He had a feeling it had something to do with Fire. Cecil was

trying to protect Melonee, making sure she got all the credit for
cleaning up that troublemaker’s mess. When were the people in this
house going to learn that secrets couldn’t be kept, especially not from
him?

“Come on, Mr. Cryptic. You have a spanking that needs to be

taken care of.”

Cecil laughed as he wiggled out of Maverick’s arms. “You can’t

punish me with something I enjoy.”

Maverick growled as he chased after his mate.

* * * *

Johnny, Keata, and Drew stood in front of Fire as the man gazed

back at them.

“Just because Melonee saved your butt from dying doesn’t let you

off the hook with us,” Johnny said as he loosened the ropes that kept
Fire bound to the chair. “We’re going to be keeping a close eye on
you, buster.” Johnny made a V with his fingers, pointed them at his
eyes, and then at Fire. “Real close, buddy.”

“There won’t be a need for that,” Fire said as he stood. “I don’t

plan on sticking around here another second.”

Johnny grinned as Keata laughed. Drew just shook his head.

“Didn’t you hear?” Drew asked.

“Hear what?” Fire tossed the ropes aside and headed for the

bedroom door.

“Maverick has made you a permanent houseguest until you work

off the debt you owe this family.”

Fire spun around, his mouth hanging open as his eyes grew round.

“Oh, hell no!”

Johnny walked past the man, slapping him on the chest with the

back of his hand. “You can start by helping us finish decorating the

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house for Christmas. After that, you can help me find the present
Hawk hid from me again this year.”

“And you can help me by getting me back the reindeer Santa took

from me,” Keata added with a pout. “I miss Cody.”

“I could use some help at the resource center,” Drew said as he

closed the bedroom door behind him. “We’re shorthanded this time of
year.”

Johnny smiled when Fire took off down the hall. Little did the

man know that Hawk was waiting by the front door, already
anticipating Fire running. Watching Fire turn into a model citizen was
going to be very interesting.

* * * *

Ruttford sat in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of hot cocoa. Adam

and Melonee were asleep in bed, but he was feeling restless. He still
couldn’t believe Melonee had faced off with two henchmen and a
crazy ancient vampire.

Just thinking about what could have happened sent chills of terror

down his spine. The bond between them was growing, and Ruttford
couldn’t see his life without Melonee or Adam in it. The thought
made his heart ache.

For the fey, finding one’s mate was like finding the other half of

their soul. And he had found two mates. He was looking forward to
getting to know them and was thankful as hell nothing had happened
to her.

Setting his mug down, Ruttford rubbed at his weary eyes. He felt

exhausted, but knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. The problem with
Fire was under control, but Ruttford knew Fire had a long way to go.
The man didn’t see anything wrong with his negative aspects, and that
was a problem.

But what worried him now was the problem with Adam. Ruttford

wasn’t sure how they were going to get off of Kenyon’s radar. The

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

143

vampire hunters had become increasingly problematic, especially in
the city where Christian and his coven resided. Ruttford was still a bit
surprised that the hunters hadn’t let the world know vampires existed.
Thankfully, according to the people he spoke with, the hunters didn’t
know about the other paranormal beings that lived among the humans.

Ruttford had a foreboding feeling that Kenyon wouldn’t be in the

dark much longer. It would only take one slipup for the human hunter
to find out about shifters, demons, and fey.

“You’ve brought a lot of trouble to this house.” It was more of a

statement than an accusation. Ruttford gave a string of curses in his
mind as he turned in his chair to see Maverick leaning against the
doorframe, his powerful arms crossed over a broad chest. “Not only
did you create a lot of havoc in the past, but your brother put this
family in danger.” The man’s face was inscrutable as he stared at
Ruttford. “Tell me why I should give this mating my blessing?”

This was the first time Ruttford would have a real conversation

with the alpha. Normally, the guy just shouted, threatened, and told
Ruttford what he was going to do to various body parts if he came
near Maverick’s little girl.

Picking up his cocoa mug, Ruttford took a long sip, buying

himself some time as his brain scrambled for an answer. He knew that
no matter what he said, it wouldn’t appease the shifter. Melonee was
his daughter, and no man would be good enough for her in
Maverick’s eyes. “Because I love her.” He told the honest truth.

Maverick grabbed one of the chairs, flipped it around, and

straddled it. Even sitting across the table, the man seemed ten times
larger than Ruttford, but he was tired of fighting Maverick about
Melonee. She was his mate and the man was going to have to accept
that or they would leave.

Ruttford knew it would kill Melonee to leave her family, but if

Maverick continued to try and keep them separated, they would have
no choice.

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“I didn’t like you from the moment I laid eyes on you,” Maverick

said as he rubbed his hand across his chin.

“Had I known you were going to be family, I never would have

played those pranks.” Ruttford knew it was going to be a long time
before anyone let him live that down.

Maverick’s mouth pulled down into a frown as he shook his head.

“That’s not why I didn’t like you.”

Ruttford was confused. “Then why?”
For a split second, Maverick’s eyes softened, and then the look

disappeared, replaced by a contemplative glance. “Tell me, Ruttford.
If you had a daughter, what qualities would you want in the man she
mated?”

Ruttford curled his fingers around his mug, staring down into the

chocolaty mix as he thought about it. “He’d have to love her
unconditionally, be able to protect her, and be honorable and have
integrity. For her, I would want him to be compassionate and take
their mating seriously.”

“Hell of a list to live up to.”
Ruttford nodded. “I may not be the man you want Melonee to be

mated to, but I’m not a bad person, Maverick. She’ll never doubt how
much I love her or how much I take our mating seriously.”

“Look at me, Ruttford.”
Raising his eyes, Ruttford stared into eyes the color of steel. “I

still don’t like you or Adam, and neither of you will ever be good
enough for her. If I ever feel that she is unhappy or you are
mistreating her, there is nowhere you can hide from what I plan on
doing to both of you for the rest of your miserable lives.”

“Does this mean we are best buddies now?” Ruttford gave a smile

when Maverick scowled at him. “Should I Facebook you or add you
to my favorite five?”

“In your dreams.” But there was a light spark of amusement in

Maverick’s eyes. That was something he had never thought to see
aimed at him.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

145

“Or maybe we should have a group hug.”
Ruttford and Maverick turned to see Adam standing in the

doorway, a slight smirk on his face. His heart sped faster at how much
Adam had come to mean to him. Ruttford knew without a doubt that
he would have many years of splendid bliss learning all he could
about the man.

“I’ll hug you all right,” Maverick said with a growl, “but you may

end up with cracked ribs and a punctured lung.”

“And here I thought we were all getting along so well,” Adam

said.

“Take your smart ass to my office, now.”
“Guess the honeymoon is over,” Adam said as he turned and

walked away.

“Don’t kill him,” Ruttford said as he got up and headed out of the

kitchen, following his mate to find out what Maverick had to talk to
Adam about.

“No promises,” Maverick replied as he passed Ruttford.
Once they were all in Maverick’s office, Ruttford took a seat on

the couch, pulling Adam down onto his lap. He couldn’t seem to get
enough of the shorter man. The guy was becoming an addiction to
him.

Maverick took a seat and then pulled a file from his drawer,

tossing it onto his desk. “Who is Vincent?”

Adam stiffened in Ruttford’s arms. “How do you know about

him?”

“You’ll find that I know everything that goes on in this town.

Now answer my damn question.”

Adam shifted on Ruttford’s lap, turning to face Maverick. “He’s

someone I use when I can’t get the information I’m looking for.”

“And you called him to find out about us? Not only do we have

Kenyon breathing down our necks, but now we have a wild card to
deal with?” His tone was not pleasant. The man was downright pissed

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off. “Call him and have him come to town. I want to find out who I
am dealing with.”

“I sent him to work on Kenyon, to find out just what the man

knows,” Adam quickly replied.

“Call him here,” Maverick said, enunciating each word with a

deep growl.

“And if he doesn’t come?” Adam asked.
Maverick’s expression darkened, turning into a lethal edge that

Ruttford had never seen before, not even aimed at him. “Trust me,
Adam. This man does not want me going to him.”

“I’ll call him,” Adam replied as he jumped up from Ruttford’s lap.

“I’ll get him here as soon as possible.”

Ruttford had thought he won the war with Maverick, but he could

see he had only won a battle. Until things were resolved and Brac
Village was safe again, no one was safe from the alpha’s wrath.

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

147

Chapter Seventeen

Melonee glanced up to see a mistletoe hanging from another

doorway. It seemed the house was riddled with them, and she had a
feeling she knew who was running around hanging them. She knew
the mates were making sure the house was festive for Christmas
tomorrow, but this was a little extreme.

“Gotcha.” Strong arms wrapped around her waist as Adam turned

her in his arms and then glanced up at the mistletoe. “I’ve never seen
a house decorated with so many of those things before.” He leaned
forward, placing a sizzling kiss on her lips. Melonee almost forgot
they were standing in the foyer as she tried to climb his hard body. He
laughed, releasing her as he grabbed her hand. “Come on. George
made some cookies, and if we don’t hurry, they will be all gone.”

“You seem very cheery,” she commented.
Adam stopped pulling her along and gave her a wide smile that

showed his brilliant white teeth. “Christmas is my favorite time of the
year.”

Adam had told her about his sterile upbringing and how his only

fond memories from childhood were from his visits to his
grandparents’ house for the holidays. She had learned a lot about the
man and found that—even though he bought distressed businesses
only to have them torn apart and sold off—she liked what she learned.

Thankfully, after the deceitful way Kenyon had used Adam, her

mate decided it was time to find a new line of work.

“Where’s Ruttford?” she asked as Adam led her to the kitchen.

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“Eating all the cookies. Not only do we need to save the sugary

treats, but I think George is going to crack if we don’t get him out of
there.”

“Why?”
“Because Ruttford is trying to eat everything he can get his hands

on. Apparently I’m not the only one who loves this time of year.”

Melonee hurried toward the kitchen, knowing how George could

get when he was riled up. The only thing worse was when Tank
became mad because George was riled up. It still amazed her that
someone as large as Tank could become such a big teddy bear around
his mate. But then again, it seemed all the sentries in the house
became goobers for their mates.

Melonee ducked when a spatula came whizzing across the kitchen

and hit the wall by her head.

“Eat one more thing and I’m gonna skin your hide!”
Ruttford danced around the kitchen, avoiding George as he

shoved more cookies into his mouth. “I’m a Christmas elf. You
should have known better than to bake cookies!”

“Ruttford!” Melonee shouted.
Her mate stopped running, smiled at her with a mouth full of

cookies, and then grabbed a few more off of the plate before racing
toward the kitchen door.

“Keep him out of here before I roast his ass on an open fire,”

George warned as he glared at the kitchen door. “Christmas elf or not,
he’s going to get his ass kicked.”

“I promise to keep him out,” Melonee said before she and Adam

took off after Ruttford, laughing at the peeved look on George’s face.
They caught up to the cookie bandit, Ruttford handing over his stolen
cache to Melonee and Adam.

“I think he’s going to string me up if I go back in there,” Ruttford

said with amusement.

“Oh my god,” Adam said as his eyes rolled to the back of his

head. “These are the best damn cookies I have ever tasted.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

149

Adam felt his balls clench when Cecil strode toward them with a

large smile on his face. Melonee had warned him about the man. She
told Adam to never, under any circumstances, go anywhere with
Cecil. The man may look innocent, but he was the devil incarnate.

“What are you up to?” Melonee asked as Ruttford grabbed her

from behind, hugging her close.

Cecil stopped, pulling his pant leg up to show off the metal

bracelet around his ankle. Adam didn’t think the judge meant it for a
fashion statement. “I get this damn thing off after Christmas.”

“How?” Ruttford asked.
Cecil dropped his pant leg and smiled. “My lawyer got the

charges dismissed. Our case was thrown out when my lawyer found
out that the arresting officers didn’t read us our Miranda rights. One
hell of a Christmas present, huh? Of course, it was strongly advised
that Blair, Oliver, and I stay the hell out of New York City.” Cecil
glanced at Ruttford. “Where is your troublemaking brother?”

Ruttford shrugged. “Last I saw Fire, Johnny and Keata had him in

the horse stable.”

Cecil grinned. It was the kind of smile that made one feel like the

devil was hidden inside the man. “I think I’ll go…help.”

Somehow Adam had a feeling that helping was the last thing Cecil

was going to do. Turning after Cecil walked away, Adam gazed at his
two mates, still in awe of how his life had changed so drastically. He
had come to Brac Village to take this town apart. Instead he was
calling it home.

He strode over to the two, kissing each in turn. They weren’t

short-lived kisses, but they set fire to his blood as he drank them both
in, filling his lungs with their scents, and enjoying their taste.

“What was that for?” Ruttford asked when he finally pulled away,

panting as he as gazed at Adam.

Adam pointed to the ceiling above them where mistletoe was

hanging. “Just thought I would take advantage of the decorative
display.”

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Melonee laughed. “Then pucker up because they are all over the

place.”

Adam laid one hand on Melonee’s cheek, the other on Ruttford’s.

“It would be my pleasure.”

* * * *

Adam blew into his hands, trying to keep them warm as he stood

outside the coffee shop. He was supposed to meet Vincent here, but
the man was already twenty minutes late. He had never met the guy in
person, so he wasn’t really sure who he was looking for. Adam had
learned of Vincent’s services through a business associate. They had
never met face-to-face, and Adam was a little nervous.

Although it could be the fact that Maverick was waiting in the

coffee shop and there were others from the house hiding in various
places, unseen to the naked eye. It all felt so covert. He felt like he
was some damn spy on a mission.

“You can call them off.”
Adam glanced around but didn’t see anyone. He knew the

command was directed at him because the hairs on his neck were
standing. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He felt kind of
silly talking to someone who wasn’t there.

“I’m talking about the shifters who have their eyes trained on

me.”

Adam was a little surprised Vincent knew about the shifters. But

then again, he wouldn’t be a highly sought-after go-to intelligence
man if he didn’t know what he was doing. “They are here to protect
me.”

“Or find out who I am and what I know.”
Adam was no longer worried about his cold hands. Not when the

deep voice sounded low and lethal. Maybe he should have had one of
the shifters standing next to him. “Will you come out here? I feel
foolish standing here talking to the cold air.”

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151

Adam was taken aback when a man no taller than five four

stepped out from the side of the building. He looked more like he
belonged on the back of a horse as a jockey than a threat to him. But
Adam wasn’t foolish enough to judge the man by his appearance. He
had learned that looks could be deceptive.

But damn the man was short.
“Where is the man who was so adamant about meeting me?”

Vincent asked.

“Right here.”
Adam turned to see Maverick standing at his side. He hadn’t even

heard him come out of the coffee shop. That was some spooky shit.

“Maverick?”
“Vincent Caldwell?”
“You two know each other?” Adam asked as he stared between

the two. He took a step back when Maverick laughed and grabbed
Vincent, giving him a crushing hug. That was not the image he
thought to ever see with the deadly alpha.

“How the hell have you been?” Maverick asked as he moved

away from Vincent.

“Been doing good. You?”
Maverick shrugged. “Can’t complain. So, you are into the covert

shit I see. I should have known from the way you used to know
everything that was going on.”

“Wait,” Adam said as he raised a hand, confused as all hell. “How

do you two know each other?”

“This,” Vincent said as he waved a hand at Maverick, “used to be

my partner in crime when we were small pups. You didn’t see one
without the other.”

Adam wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or worried. His intel

guy was best buds with Maverick. Was that a good thing?

“At least now I know I don’t have to kill you for knowing about

shifters,” Maverick said as he held the door open to the coffee shop.
Vincent walked in, Maverick behind him. Adam just stood there

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feeling like he missed the punch line. They had totally forgotten about
him, leaving him to stand outside in the cold.

Opening the door, Adam wandered in to see the two men sitting

over in a corner on the red couch. He took a seat by them, listening.

“I gathered as much information as I could on Kenyon. It seems

the man has been a busy little devil. He doesn’t have concrete proof
about Brac Village, only suspicion. I managed to break into his files
and wipe out what he had, replacing it with bullshit.”

“But he’s still a threat we need to keep an eye on,” Maverick said

as he picked up a mug and took a sip. “He already knows vampires
exist. I don’t want him finding out about everyone else.”

“I think his assistant will keep him in the dark,” Vincent replied.

“I dug into Les’s past and found out the man is a shifter. It seems he is
working to take down Kenyon Corporation.”

That would explain the vague files on Brac Village the man had

given Adam.

“No shit,” Maverick said with a laugh.
Adam felt so out of place sitting there. He hadn’t a clue what to

say to them. Maybe he should get back to his mates. When he left,
Melonee and Ruttford were sipping hot apple cider and cuddled
together in the den. If he hurried, he could get in some cuddle time as
well. “If you gentlemen don’t mind, I’m going to head home.” Home.
Adam liked the sound of that. The Den was one strange-ass place to
live, but Adam knew it was a far cry from what he once had. The
place was filled with life and love, something he had been sorely
missing. The Den also held the two people who meant the world to
him, and he couldn’t wait to get back to them both.

Maverick waved him off, not even looking Adam’s way. Adam

would take that. It was better than the alpha trying to skin him alive if
Vincent had turned out to be a threat.

Whistling as he walked out of the shop, Adam saw Murdock

standing by the truck waiting on him. “You ready to head out?”

Adam nodded. “I’m ready to go home.”

Melonee Brac’s Mistletoe Madness

153

* * * *

The house was bubbling with holiday cheer as everyone opened

their Christmas gifts. Melonee sat there with Adam and Ruttford,
feeling as if she had received the best gift of all. She had her mates
and her family. Nothing could top that.

Well, maybe one thing.
Standing, Melonee made her way over to her dads, watching

Maverick and Cecil as the two unwrapped their gifts and shared a
look between them that said how much they truly loved each other.
Melonee finally had not one, but two men whom she could share a
look like that with.

“Here comes trouble,” Cecil said with a smile. Melonee stuck her

tongue out as she leaned over and kissed them both on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Dads.” She felt Ruttford and Adam come up

behind her. Even though Melonee said she could do this on her own,
she should have known her mates were going to stand by her side.

“Merry Christmas, Melonee,” Maverick said as he pulled her

down by his side. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you how proud I was
of the way you handled the situation with Fire. But if you do
something like that again, I’m going to have your mates lock you up
and throw away the key.”

Melonee’s heart burst with pride at the compliment—although it

was followed up by a threat. She had finally proven that she was an
adult to Maverick. She knew that was a major feat to accomplish.

“So, no more trying to keep us separated?”
Maverick cocked his head to the side, as if thinking about it.

Melonee smacked his chest. “Dad!”

“Fine, but you better not expect me to play nice.” He smiled,

showing off his lethal canines. “You are my little girl, after all. I have
to do the whole if you hurt my daughter, I’ll kill you thing.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, grandpa.”

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Maverick became very still as his eyes searched Melonee’s face

for a very long moment. When she thought he would stay frozen like
that forever, the widest grin she had ever seen broke out on the
alpha’s face. “Really?”

Melonee nodded as Ruttford and Adam sat down beside her.
“Guess you can’t kill us now,” Ruttford replied with a smirk.
“And I will be more than happy to raise the little guy if you keep

thinking you finally have me over a barrel,” Maverick replied in a
calm, even tone.

“Be nice,” Cecil said as he leaned over and gave Melonee a tight

hug. “It’s Christmas.”

Maverick eyed both men before sighing. “Congratulations,” he

said to Adam and Ruttford. “Now you are really on my shit list.”

“Why?” Ruttford asked in astonishment.
“You knocked my little girl up. It’s hard to be a badass when I’m

going to be a grandfather.”

“Melonee’s pregnant?” Johnny asked excitedly and then turned

toward the room. “Melonee is going to have a baby!”

The room erupted in a cheer as Ruttford and Adam pulled

Melonee away, running from the room and down the hall lined with
mistletoe. She had her mates and her family, and now she was going
to have a small family of her own.

Life was good in the Den. She had all the heart-stopping

happiness she could handle, and there was no doubt that the two men
who had stolen her heart and given theirs in return would bring her
many years of joy.

THE END

WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but

lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to
find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a

cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com