Warriors of the Light 9

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

Josh Kelly has a huge chip on his shoulder. He’s convinced that life
has given him a raw deal and he takes his anger out on anyone

and everything. After losing his best friend to the madness of a
witch, Josh feels the only good witch is a dead one. Discovering
his mate is a witch has left Josh confused and yet attracted to the

tall, dark, and sexy man. Too bad his mate doesn’t even
acknowledge his existence.

Carlos Ramos has one mission, to find his missing friend and to
locate those responsible for the destruction of the council of

paranormal beings. Being focused on his job is the only thing
keeping him going, that is until Josh walks into his life.

As their attraction starts to build and danger descends on them,
Carlos must decide what’s more important, his obligation to the
council or allowing himself one small happiness, loving Josh.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 37,673 words

CARLOS’S UNCONTROLLABLE

WOLF

Warriors of the Light 9

AJ Jarrett

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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CARLOS’S UNCONTROLLABLE WOLF
Copyright © 2014 by AJ Jarrett
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-848-5

First E-book Publication: May 2014

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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Letter to Readers

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CARLOS’S

UNCONTROLLABLE WOLF

Warriors of the Light 9

AJ JARRETT

Copyright © 2014

Prologue

“Do you think he’s still alive?”
Carlos turned to meet Ben’s sullen face. He’d never seen the big,

strong warrior look so defeated. “I’m not sure, Ben. I’d like to think
he is.”

“Damn it.” Ben pushed away from his desk to go stand in front of

the window behind him. “He was never the greatest father and we had
our share of differences, but fuck!” Ben pounded his fist on the wall.
“I thought we had more time, ya know?”

“I think we all think that,” Carlos mumbled. “It’s the human part

of our brains that makes us feel such emotions.” Carlos stopped
caring a long time ago. After watching his mother and young sister
being burned alive, he didn’t have the strength or energy to believe in
love. It was a wasted emotion that only brought pain.

“I don’t care what it is. I just thought I would have time to make

amends with the man. He was my father, after all.”

Carlos sat listening to Ben talk of regrets and time wasted, but he

was only half hearing the man’s words. His mind kept drifting back to
the explosion and the aftermath that ensued. All the faces that stood
around gawking at the destruction of something so powerful that

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meant chaos in the human world. The council was the one place that
should have been impenetrable by dark forces, but they snuck in
under all their shields and took down the great building and stole their
sense of control.

As he walked around, searching for others, he ran into a man. He

smelled of magic, but Carlos had never seen the man before. With so
much going on around him, he didn’t stop to interrogate the other
man. That wasn’t one of his jobs within the council, but the
handsomely dark face had stuck with Carlos. Dark auburn hair, cut
short to a narrow face with high cheekbones. Skin so pale he almost
looked like a ghost. Something about this stranger seemed so familiar,
as if Carlos should have known who he was, but just as he was about
to say something, the man took off. Carlos didn’t give chase because,
at the time, it didn’t seem that important. But now, as he sat in Ben’s
office, he was haunted by those bright-green eyes.

“Carlos, are you all right?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, I’m just thinking.” Carlos closed his eyes and combed

through his mind for all the places he could have seen this stranger
before.

“What are these pictures from?” Carlos asked Benedict.
“Oh, they’re nothing.” Benedict quickly shut the photo album he

had been looking through before Carlos had entered his apartment.

Before Benedict had the book shut tight, Carlos saw a picture of a

man with long, flowing hair. The photo was in black and white so he
couldn’t decipher the color, but the smile on his sharp, thin face
definitely caught his attention.

“Who is that?” Carlos pointed to the book.
“A friend from a long time ago.” Benedict lifted the crystal glass

to his lips and swallowed down his drink. “A lifetime ago, really.”

“Oh my god!” Carlos stood up. “It’s him.” It had been years ago

that he’d walked in on Benedict mooning over the photo of the man,
but Carlos knew it was the guy. Sure, the picture was old and

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

9

 

weathered, but there was no mistaking that the two men were the
same person.

“What’s him?” Ben came around his desk toward Carlos.
“The man I saw standing in the crowd.” Carlos ran a hand through

his hair, tightening his fist in the silky strands. “I knew he looked
familiar. I shouldn’t have let him get away.”

Carlos wasn’t sure if the man had anything to do with the attack

on the council, but it just seemed too eerie that he’d be standing
outside the building, watching it burn to the ground. The stench of
magic that clung to the man should have gotten Carlos to react but so
much was happening around him that he couldn’t think.

“What man are you talking about?” Ben gave him a funny look as

if he thought Carlos was losing his mind.

“There was this man in the crowd. It was like déjà vu.” Carlos

knew his words weren’t making sense, but he couldn’t stop mentally
kicking himself for not recognizing this sooner.

“Okay.” Ben held up his hands in the air. “You’re losing me here,

Carlos. What the fuck are you talking about?”

Carlos explained about running into the stranger outside the

council and how he had the aroma of magic surrounding him. To be
fair, Carlos didn’t know if it was good or bad magic, just that the man
smelled like it.

“But what is even weirder is that this guy, the man outside the

building, had a striking resemblance to a man in a photograph your
father kept in his apartment.”

“Photograph?” Ben’s eyebrows arched in question, causing his

handsome face to wrinkle.

“Yes.” Carlos nodded his head. “I stopped by his apartment to

drop off some papers and he was sitting with this photo album in his
hands staring at this picture. It took him a couple of minutes to even
realize I was standing there.” He blew out a breath. “The look on his
face was…” Carlos closed his mouth. He didn’t want to pass
judgment or out Benedict if what he saw truly was lust on the other

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man’s face. It wasn’t fair to Ben to hear what only Carlos was
speculating about.

“Was what?” Ben narrowed his eyes at him.
“It was a look of longing.” Carlos waved toward the closed door.

“Kind of the way you look at Miles. Like he’s the only person in the
world.”

“That’s bullshit!” Ben snapped and stood up to pace his office.

“My dad’s not gay.”

“I’m not saying that he is. I’m only commenting on what I saw.”

Carlos wanted to clarify to Ben.

“You’re wrong.” Ben shook his head. “He would have told me.”
Carlos had to swallow down the laugh that tried to break past his

lips. Ben and his father hadn’t been close in ages, so Carlos couldn’t
follow Ben’s line of thinking. And if Benedict thought it might hurt
his son, he wouldn’t have told Ben just to spare his feelings. Which
didn’t make sense, because Ben himself was gay.

“Am I?” Carlos knew he was stepping on dangerous territory but

his brain required answers. It was a curse of being a smart man,
always seeking knowledge and understanding. “Not to piss you off or
anything, but have you ever seen you father with a woman? Or heard
him talk about one in a romantic way? I’ve known Benedict for years
and now that I think of it, he’s never dated a single person. Male or
female.”

Not that Carlos was keeping track of his boss’s love life, but when

he started to sift through what he knew, he couldn’t deny it. Benedict
was a hard person to get to know and like, but he was gorgeous. He
looked a lot like his son, but only the clean-cut version. Benedict kept
his golden-blond hair short and dressed in suits verses jeans and T-
shirts like his son. Other than that, the two men were pretty similar.
Same body build, tall and muscular but not overly bulky. And the
same piercing blue eyes that could make a person wet themselves if
those frosty peepers bore down on them in anger.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

11

 

“Fuck.” Ben plopped down in his chair. “I guess a part of me

always questioned it, but I was always too busy to ask him. Shit, I was
too busy to talk to him half the time. Always something more
important to do, or so I thought.”

“Come on, man. Don’t blame yourself.” Carlos tried to lend some

comfort to his friend.

“Do you know who the man was? In the picture?” Ben quickly

changed subjects back to the nameless stranger.

“No, and all the archives on past and present witches, be they

good or evil, were destroyed in the explosion.”

“Is there any way to find who this man is? He might be able to

help find my father, or at least shed some light on my father’s life.”
Ben’s voice went hoarse as if he were trying to keep from crying.

Carlos tried to think who might have copies of the books and

pictures the council had obtained over the years, but no one came to
mind. The council kept strict rules on who had access to information
they considered of importance.

As Carlos sat staring at Ben and seeing the hope in his eyes that

Carlos could solve this mystery for him, something came to mind. It
was a long shot, but he could try.

“There might be a way to find out who this man was.” Carlos

didn’t want to get Ben’s hopes up, but what other option did they
have at this point? “My grandmother has this friend. She can pull
upon a memory and then draw it. It’s a rare talent that’s not always
accurate. The council tried to get her to come work for them, but she
refused. Said she’d seen enough evil to last her an eternity.” Carlos
shrugged. “I can phone my grandmother and see if she can set
something up.”

Within a matter of hours, Carlos found himself on a plane heading

to Mexico. It had been a few years since he’d seen his grandmother
last, but when a person is immortal, years pass like minutes do for
humans.

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The plane landed on a tucked-away airstrip that didn’t get much

use from the looks of it. The runway consisted of nothing but dirt, and
as the wheels touched down, they caused an eruption of loose soil to
fly into the air.

When Carlos exited the plane, a car with a driver was waiting for

him. He got into the car and gave the driver his grandmother’s
address.

As the car moved along, Carlos stared out the tinted windows. The

sun was rising and the first glow of rays were beginning to highlight
the sky in shades of light blue and purples.

“Have you ever been to visit Puerto Vallarta before?” the driver

asked, looking in the rearview mirror at Carlos.

“Yes, sir.” Carlos smiled. “My grandmother lives here.”
“It’s a very nice place. At times a little too much high traffic of

tourists, but a lovely city.”

“That’s why my grandmother loves it so much. Beautiful city with

lots of good people watching.” Carlos chuckled. His grandmother was
funny like that. She was fascinated by all the changes she’d seen over
the years and loved to comment about how things were when she was
a young girl.

The driver pulled up in front of the one-story house. It stretched

wide and backed up to the beach. His grandmother liked comfort and
beauty and this home gave her both. She’d retired from the council
fifty years ago, wanting to relax and maybe find love again, but
Carlos hadn’t seen any signs of suitors. But he couldn’t blame her for
wanting to have a little peace. The council required all of his time and
he didn’t have the privilege of a social life, but it didn’t bother Carlos.
He worked to make the world a safer place and he’d happily give up
his freedom for the cause.

“Look at my beautiful grandson.” Carlos smiled as his

grandmother walked out the front door, still in her night robe, to greet
him.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

13

 

“Grandma Ysabel.” Carlos bent forward to allow her to kiss his

cheeks. She might be his grandmother, but she didn’t look much other
than him. Being immortal had its perks. She had tanned skin and deep
brown eyes. Her black hair hung in waves around her elegant face.
Even this early she looked ready to walk the runway in her crimson
red robe. “Sorry to have woken you so early.”

“Oh, don’t speak nonsense.” She smacked him lightly on the arm.

“We’re family and I’d die for you, my sweet grandson.” She grinned
at him. “So waking up at the ass crack of dawn is nothing.” Carlos
laughed. “Now grab your bag and let’s get inside.”

“Yes, ma’am.” As Carlos step through the door, he was greeted

with the sweet smell of cinnamon and coffee. If he knew his
grandmother, and he knew her pretty well, she probably got up and
started baking as soon as she got off the phone with him the previous
night. Ever since his own mother passed away, his grandmother had
begun to spoil him to make up for the loss. She blamed herself for not
saving his mother and sister, but he told her that was foolish. That if
she blamed herself, she then had to blame him, because neither of
them was able to prevent it.

Carlos helped carry the carafe of coffee and mugs out to the back

patio. The view was magnificent. It overlooked the sandy beach and
the deep blue ocean. Waves rolled over the glassy surface to crash
into the shore. Whenever Carlos visited, the sounds of the waves and
rushing water helped lull him to sleep. He liked it here, and maybe
one day he’d give up the good fight and retire here like his
grandmother.

With a deep sigh, Carlos turned away from the ocean. He didn’t

know if that time would ever come.

“Okay, boy, spill it.” Ysabel set a plate in front of him that had a

homemade cinnamon roll on it. “You said it’s council related, so
enlighten me.”

Carlos pushed the plate away and rested his elbows on the glass

table. He explained about the explosion and the destruction of the

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council. He then told her about the man he saw. That was the main
reason he’d come this far. With the council gone, they had no way of
tracking this man down and something in Carlos’s gut told him this
man was important. He just wasn’t sure for what.

“So you’re hoping Celeste can sketch a picture of this mystery

man?” Ysabel asked.

“Yes.” Carlos turned his attention to the roll on his plate, and

suddenly he felt starved.

“My dear child, I feel like you’re on a wild goose chase.” She

leaned forward and patted his hand.

“Might be, Nana, but it’s all I’ve got to go on.” Carlos took a sip

of his coffee, wincing as it burnt his tongue. “I can’t explain it, but is
seems important.”

Ysabel gave him an assessing look then nodded her head. “Okay.”

She stood from the table. “Let me go and get Celeste. We can get
started right away.”

“Wait? She’s here?” This surprised Carlos.
“Of course. We live together.”
Carlos had no clue what that meant, but was all too soon made

aware once his grandmother and her friend came back out to the patio.
They were holding hands and his grandmother pulled Celeste’s chair
out for her.

“Hello, Carlos.” Celeste held out her hand to him.
It took a moment for Carlos to get his mind to function. “Nice to

meet you, Celeste, and thank you for seeing me.”

“It’s my pleasure.” She smiled at him. “I’d do anything for

Ysabel.” Celeste lifted his grandmother’s hand to her mouth and
kissed the top of it.

Carlos looked from one woman then back to the other. He was

surprised because he never knew his grandmother was a lesbian.

“Stop staring, Carlos.” His grandmother raised her voice. “Celeste

is my partner and since I know you dabble in man-on-man love, this
can’t possibly bother you.”

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

15

 

“No, ma’am, it doesn’t.” Carlos pulled at the collar of his shirt.

“But you never told me you were in a relationship.”

“If you called home every once and a while, you’d know.”
“Okay, Carlos.” Celeste reached out her hand for his. “Ysabel

gave me a quick rundown on your situation. Give me your hand and
think back to the man you saw. Once I get a clear picture of him, I can
draw his likeness for you.”

“Thank you, Celeste. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

He took ahold of her hand.

It only took about five minutes until Celeste released his hand and

picked up the pencil and drawing pad his grandmother had sat beside
her. Celeste’s pupils appeared to be blown as if she were a zombie.
Her hands glided over the paper in swift strokes. When she was done,
she turned the pad to face him and his grandmother.

The likeness was uncanny. The only thing missing was the green

of his eyes. Had they given Celeste colored pencils, Carlos was sure
she would have added that to the picture.

“Dear god in heaven.” His grandmother clasped a hand to her

chest. “I know who that is.”

“Huh?” Carlos pulled his gaze from the picture to stare at her.

“Who is it?”

“That’s Asher Guillory.” Ysabel reached for Carlos’s hand. “Are

you sure this is the man you saw?”

“Yes.” Carlos blinked his eyes several times, trying to get a grasp

on what he had just learned.

Asher Guillory was the reason Benedict became a vampire, and

the cause of the war between good and evil. Why in god’s name
would Benedict keep a photograph of the very man he was said to
despise?

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Chapter One

“This is fucking boring.” Josh let out a heavy sigh. He knew he

was whining, but he didn’t care. Ben had asked him to come on this
mission with Garrett and Lachlan, and so far, it consisted of sitting on
a plane, in coach, no less. Their flight had arrived a little over two
hours ago and Lachlan and Garrett thought it best to just walk over to
the terminal Carlos would be coming in at and wait. So now, Josh had
to wait for a person he didn’t even want to be working with.

The word witch left a bitter taste on Josh’s tongue. There wasn’t

anything he hated more in the world than witches. They had ruined
his life and taken his best friend and lover away from him. He’d like
nothing more than see every last one burned at the stake.

“I’ll go and check and see how much longer until Carlos’s plane

arrives.” Lachlan stood up and hurried away.

“This is bullshit, Garrett.” Josh sat up and leaned closer to the

man who had once been the alpha of his pack. “Why do we need a
witch’s help? I say we ditch this asshole and go off without him.
You’re an alpha and shouldn’t be taking orders from anyone.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Garrett cocked an eyebrow at

him. “We are no longer part of a pack, Josh. We are Warriors of the
Light. We don’t get to pick and choose who we work with, and
besides, Carlos is a good guy. He’s not like Clara.”

Josh’s jaw clenched and his teeth ground together at the mention

of that bitch’s name. She still haunted his dreams. Most nights he’d
wake up covered in sweat, crying out for Victor. It made him feel
weak, then guilty for feeling that way. Victor had been his best friend

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

17

 

since he was a kid and now he was gone. And the love that they had
just started to explore was stolen from them by one psychotic witch.

“Is everything all right?” Lachlan asked as he sat down on the

other side of Garrett. His eyes darted between Josh and Garrett.

“Just peachy.” Josh turned away from his friends. There had been

a time when Josh couldn’t call these two men that, but now they were
the only family he had besides the other warriors. Garrett and Lachlan
were his closest confidants. He didn’t want to be angry at them. They
had no control over, this any more than Josh did. If they said this
Carlos was an okay guy, then Josh trusted them. They hadn’t steered
him wrong yet.

“Don’t stress, babe.” Garrett rested a hand on the back of Josh’s

head. “Josh is just having some witch issues.”

“Garrett,” Josh said in a low whisper, swallowing down the growl

he wanted to unleash at the man.

“Josh, look at me.” Lachlan reached over Garrett to grab Josh’s

hand. He tugged on his fingers until Josh looked at him. “Carlos is
one of the good guys. If he wasn’t, I’d have killed him long ago and
certainly wouldn’t let him get anywhere near you.” Lachlan squeezed
his hand. “Josh, you’re like a little brother to me and I’d never let
anything or anyone hurt you ever again.”

“You can’t make that promise, Catman,” Josh said with a smile,

doing his best to hold back the tears that threatened to run down his
cheeks. There had been a time when he’d been so cruel toward
Lachlan, it still surprised him how forgiving and caring the man was.
Lachlan saved his life and Josh would be forever grateful to him.

“That’s Mr. Catman to you.” Lachlan smiled at him and let go of

his hand.

They sat around for another forty minutes waiting for Carlos’s

plane. Flying commercial was a pain in the ass, but with the council
destroyed, it had become harder to charter their own planes. So they
had to resort to flying with humans. Josh found it frustrating to be
around them. To know he was risking his life for this selfish species

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and to never get a thank-you for risking his life to make the world a
safer place for them.

The people sitting around gate forty-five all began to rise. Garrett

nudged him in the arm and Josh stood up to join the mass of people
huddled around the door. Lachlan shouldered his way to the front of
the crowd while Garrett and Josh stayed toward the back.

Josh had his arms crossed over his chest, staring at each person

that passed him by. A part of Josh wished he’d been born a clueless
human. Free to live a life away from death and danger. To fall in love
and be happy. But no, he was now a Warrior of the Light risking his
neck for what? A bunch of people who would never thank him for his
services. Josh often compared it to how men and women in the
military must feel at times. Putting their necks on the line while others
just sit around on their asses doing nothing.

“Stop scowling at the nice people,” Garrett whispered out of the

corner of his mouth. “You’re scaring them.”

“I. Don’t. Give. A. Shit.” Josh said each word with a smile on his

face.

Garrett laughed as he shook his head. “You’re impossible at

times. You know that?”

Josh did smile at that. Person after person exited the plane, but

still no sign of their witch. Not that Josh even knew what the guy
looked like, but he could see Lachlan standing by anxiously waiting
for Carlos’s arrival.

As the minutes ticked by, Josh started to nod his head to the music

playing in there. The last song that played on his iPod had been
“Demons” by Imagine Dragons. He loved to listen to music of all
genres. It helped him loosen up.

Just then, an exotic, spicy smell smacked Josh right in the face

like a slap. The music in his head ceased and he stood up a little
straighter, trying to find the source of the enticing aroma.

“Dude, do you smell that?” Josh’s nostrils flared and he stood up

on his tiptoes, hoping to find the person or thing oozing that smell.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

19

 

“Smell what?” Garrett asked. “Oh look!” He grabbed Josh’s arm

and pulled him forward. “There’s Lachlan and Carlos.”

Josh allowed Garrett to pull him along, numb to everything but

that smell. It caused a pulse to jump over his skin as if he stuck his
finger in a light socket. And his dick started to fill in his jeans,
making it uncomfortable to walk. Garrett came to a stop and Josh
bumped into his side. He took a moment to readjust his swelling cock
then looked up.

Sweet mother of god! Josh’s eyes opened wide and it was as if an

alarm went off in his body. The man standing next to Lachlan had to
be the most gorgeous man Josh had ever seen. The term “tall, dark,
and handsome” must have been coined for this man.

“Josh, this is Carlos.” Lachlan introduced him.
Carlos’s eyes had been wandering, but at Lachlan’s words, he

turned his attention to Josh. If Josh thought just looking at the man
was hard, having that dark gaze trained on him and only him was
about to make him shoot a hot load in his boxers.

The man had the deepest brown eyes that reminded Josh of

chocolate and stirred a hunger in his stomach. The rest of Carlos was
just as perfect. Dark, wavy black hair angled toward his sharp
chiseled face giving Carlos a rugged look. His lips were thin but
looked soft.

“Nice to meet you, Josh.” Carlos reached out to grab Josh’s hand.
Josh flinched at the contact. A buzz hummed over his fingertips

and up his arm. His entire arm tingled from that one touch. He looked
up to see if Carlos felt it, too, but the man had a look of indifference
on his face.

“Garrett, it’s good to see you again.” Carlos pulled his hand free

to talk to Garrett.

Josh stood there in shock. Did Carlos not feel their connection?

Josh might be young but he wasn’t stupid or blind. Carlos was his
mate, but acted like Josh was nothing. That couldn’t be normal, Josh
thought to himself. He had to assume the mating bond had to be

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different for witches, because why else would Carlos act in such a
way?

“I’ve got a reservation to rent a car. Let’s go pick it up and head

out.” Lachlan started to walk in the other direction and Carlos fell into
step beside him.

Josh watched as Carlos walked away from him and part of him

felt a deep sadness, and the stubborn part of him was pissed off.

“Hey, you okay?” Garrett rested a hand on his back.
“Just fucking great.” Josh grunted.
He walked along with Garrett and even though he tried, Josh

couldn’t take his eyes off of Carlos’s retreated backside. The guy was
at least four inches taller than his five foot eleven inches, and his
body? Even covered in clothes, it looked mouthwatering. The way
Carlos’s long-sleeved black T-shirt sculpted to his chest held nothing
back from Josh’s imagination. Carlos’s broad shoulders angled down
to a trimmed waist and then flared out over his full, bubbled ass.
Josh’s hands itched to reach out and cup his palms over the firm
muscles. He breathed out a heavy sigh and his head tilted to the side
as he followed Carlos’s butt up the stairs.

“Josh, man, seriously, are you all right?” Garrett bumped his

shoulder into Josh’s. “You’re making funny noises.”

“Huh?” Josh snapped back to reality and put his usual scowl back

in place. “I’m fine. Perfectly fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

When they reached the car rental place, Carlos stepped outside to

make a phone call. Josh kept an eye on the man through the glass
window. Carlos stood facing sideways and Josh got the perfect view
of his profile. The way Carlos’s lips moved when he talked
mesmerized Josh to the point of annoyance. His desire was burning
hotter and faster than a forest fire and Carlos couldn’t look any
calmer. What the hell was going on?

“Are you trying to make his head explode by staring at him?”

Garrett asked as he stood beside Josh. “I’m pretty sure only a witch
can accomplish that.”

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

21

 

“I’m not trying to kill him,” Josh said in annoyance. “It’s…” It’s

just what? He didn’t want to say anything to Garrett or Lachlan about
them being mates or they’d try to push him and Carlos together. That
would be the worst possible thing to do if Carlos didn’t even
recognize their connection. Plus Josh wasn’t sure he was ready to
hand over his heart to another person. He’d lost Victor, and being
immortal didn’t offer any guarantees that they could never die.

“It’s what?” Josh looked up into Garrett’s understanding eyes. He

was always a good listener, but Josh couldn’t bring himself to say
what he so desperately wanted to.

“Nothing.” Josh turned around to rest his back against the

window. “I think I’m just hungry.” Oh, yes, Josh was hungry, just not
for food. He wanted Carlos in a bad way.

Lachlan came back from the counter with a set of keys in his

hand. They stepped outside just as Carlos finished his call, and they
all walked in silence to the parking lot.

“A minivan.” Josh had to swallow down the laughter threatening

to spew out his mouth. “Seriously?”

“Well, since Carlos was late getting in,” Lachlan shot a look in the

other man’s direction, “we lost our reservation for an SUV, so the
best they could offer was this.” Lachlan eyed the vehicle then
shrugged. “It’s not too bad and it’s practical.”

“Yeah, if we were a family of five with a dog,” Josh teased.
The sound of Carlos laughing had Josh turning around to look at

the man. His head was flung back and his white teeth sparkled in the
afternoon sun. The sound was deep and husky, almost like Carlos’s
throat wasn’t used to doing it.

“Who’s the mom and who’s the dad?” Carlos asked as he gasped

for breath.

“Ya, no, Carlos.” Lachlan pointed the keys at him. “I expected

more from you.” A smile teased over Lachlan’s upper lip.

“The kid has a point,” Carlos said. “A minivan screams soccer

mom.”

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Josh’s smile fell from his face at the word “kid.” Did Carlos see

him as a child? Is that why he had been ignoring Josh?

Stop it! He might not even know he’s your mate. So relax. Josh did

his best to listen to that annoying little voice in his head, but he
couldn’t help but feel like he’d just been insulted.

It was times like this that Josh wished he had a better handle on

his emotions, or at the very least, a filter for his mouth.

“I’m not a fucking kid, witch.” Josh snapped. “Maybe you should

get your eyes checked.”

“Josh!” Lachlan shouted. He grabbed Josh by the shoulder and

turned him to face him. “He was joking.”

Josh did his best to calm his racing pulse. His lips were clenched

tight to keep himself from insulting his would-be mate again. But it
was hard, and he was young. “Well, I didn’t find it funny.”

“I apologize, Josh.” Carlos’s deep voice melted into Josh’s skin.

“My intentions were not to insult you.” He grinned and Josh’s knees
went weak. “I can just see that you are far younger than I and I meant
it as a compliment.”

“Well, you need to work on that.” Josh crossed his arms over his

chest and tilted his chin defiantly up at Carlos. “If you want to
compliment me, why don’t you go with that I’m super sexy and you
can’t see how anyone could resist me.” Josh gave Carlos a cocky grin.
“Now that, my friend, is a compliment.” Josh dug his fingernails into
his arms where they were crossed. He couldn’t believe he just said all
that.

Something dark flashed in Carlos’s eyes and Josh felt his throat go

tight as if being constricted by a snake. A slow, almost erotic sort of
smile curled Carlos’s lips.

“I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.” Carlos turned around

and headed toward the minivan.

“What the fuck was all that about?” Garrett whispered in a harsh

tone as he came to stand in front of Josh. “Were you just flirting with
the witch?”

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

23

 

“What?” Josh flinched back a step, face all scrunched up, and he

blew a breath out his tightly pressed lips. His lips flapped together,
making a rippling sound. “No, are you crazy?” Josh chuckled to cover
his nervousness because he was, in fact, flirting.

“You’re acting strange.” Garrett shook a finger at him. “I mean,

like, more than usual.”

“Garrett, I’m fine, man.” He patted his ex-alpha on the arm. “Let’s

get to the hotel and get settled. We’re here on a mission and Carlos
has all the info we need to get started.”

“You’re right.” Garrett squinted an eye at Josh as if trying to read

his mind, but could only nod his head. Josh followed Garrett to the
van.

Josh climbed into the back of the minivan and Carlos followed in

behind him. They sat side by side as Garrett drove them toward their
hotel. Lachlan sat in the passenger seat giving directions but Josh
tuned everything out. Occasionally his thigh would brush against
Carlos, and that simple contact sent waves of heat coursing over his
body. He had to bite his lip to keep from saying something. He didn’t
know how he was going to get through this mission without claiming
Carlos for his own. Or better yet, how he was going to get through the
next few days without screaming at Carlos for not noticing they were
mates.

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Chapter Two

The traffic to the hotel was brutal. It was just after six in the

evening and it appeared everyone in downtown San Francisco was
getting off of work. Garrett maneuvered through the bumper-to-
bumper traffic to their hotel. When he pulled up in front of the huge
stone building, Josh let out a low whistle.

“This place looks fancy.” He leaned between the front seats to

look at Lachlan. “Why are we staying here?” Josh gave a self-
conscious look down the front of his body, thinking his clothes
weren’t good enough to walk through the hotels front doors.

“Because the witch we are keeping tabs on is an artist and lives

not far from here,” Carlos answered as he pushed opened the side
door of the van. “Ben agreed that it made sense to stay close to our
target.”

As Carlos climbed out the open door, his ass lifted and stuck right

in Josh’s face. His eyes zeroed in on the plump bottom and his mouth
went slack. Maybe he could reach and touch Carlos and play it off as
an accident. In the end, Josh just stared and cursed mentally at himself
for letting an opportunity pass him by.

A valet attendant came and took the keys to their van and Josh

followed the other three men into the expensive-looking hotel. Marble
floors ran as far as Josh could see. He did his best not to drag his feet
and scuff up the floor. The tall, pale-yellow walls seemed to lighten
the front foyer of the hotel up. Josh smiled because it reminded him of
spring and with all the vases of flowers placed around the open room,
it even smelled like it.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

25

 

The line at the check-in desk was long. Josh looked around at all

the strange people passing by, talking on their cell phones, completely
oblivious to the beauty of the building they stood inside. He never
understood how some humans just let life pass them by without
stopping to smell the roses. If he were a human with a short existence,
Josh would enjoy every little thing until he took his last breath, but
not this class of people

“Excuse me, but do you mind?” An older lady held her chin high

as she spoke to Josh, looking her nose down at him. “The line is
moving.” Her eyes darted over his shoulder and he turned to look.

“Oh, my apologies, ma’am.” Josh hustled to catch up with the

others. The line hadn’t moved that much, but it was apparent this
woman was in a hurry.

Lachlan and Carlos stood at the counter while Josh and Garrett

stood behind them. Garrett stood close to Lachlan’s back while Josh
turned his back to them to take in more of his surroundings. So many
people were coming in and out of the front door, and the line to check
in had only gotten longer. Josh couldn’t imagine that this many
people were vacationing right now.

“Let’s go.” Lachlan put his arm over Josh’s shoulders and led

them toward the bank of elevators. “Here’s the deal.” Lachlan stopped
and moved out of the way of the traffic coming and going out of the
elevators. “When I booked the rooms, I didn’t realize that they would
only be equipped with king-size beds, so there is only one bed in your
room. For Garrett and me, that is totally fine, but I realize that it might
not be comfortable for the two of you. But in order to keep us from
being put on separate floors of the hotel I didn’t change the rooms.”
Lachlan smiled down at Josh. “But I do have good news.”

Josh couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Sharing a room with

Carlos was doable, but sharing a bed? Yes, a part of him wanted to
dance a jig at having to share the same living quarters with Carlos but
the other part wanted to punch the guy. How in the hell would Josh
get any sleep with Carlos in such close proximity?

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“What’s the good news?” Josh managed to grit out.
“The concierge said they have a cot they could put in the room so

you don’t have to share the bed,” Lachlan said as if that were good
news.

“What?” Josh threw his hands up in the air. “Not only do I have to

share a room with a guy I just met, but one of us has to sleep on a
fucking cot. Where’s the good news in that, Lachlan?”

“That you even get the option of having a cot brought to your

room. I would hate for you to have to sleep on the floor.” Lachlan
turned on his heel and headed toward the elevator. “The hotel is
packed because of the art show in town this week. Several different
painters are having showings of their work. It’s like a big festival
from what the lady at the desk said. We are lucky to even have two
separate rooms while we are here.”

“Our target is one of those artists,” Carlos said as the door slid

shut. He turned his deep brown eyes to Josh. “We can flip a coin for
the bed. Heads it’s mine, tails it’s yours.” Carlos’s lips curled up into
the sexiest grin Josh had ever seen and he damn near lost his balance
and fell into the side of the elevator.

Josh shook off his light-headedness and pointed a finger into

Carlos’s chest. The sizzle at the small touch zapped sparks up his
fingertip. Josh didn’t know if he’d ever get used to that. “Listen here,
wit—” Josh clamped his lips down tight and took a minute to put his
thoughts together in a nice way. “I’m an active participating Warrior
of the Light. You are just here in an official capacity to give
information. Since I’ll be the one risking my neck, it’s only fair that I
should get the bed.” There, he said his piece without insulting Carlos.

“You guys could always share it,” Lachlan offered as the doors

dinged open. “It’s a king-sized bed.”

“I’m okay with that.” Carlos winked at him. “I’ve slept with

worse.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Josh stepped out of the elevator

first and turned to face Carlos.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

27

 

“Kid, I was joking, again.” Carlos patted a hand on Josh’s

shoulder. “This is my fault, so I’ll take the cot. Okay?”

Josh swayed a little on his feet at the warmth and weight of

Carlos’s hand. How did Carlos not feel the same way?

“Good, it’s settled.” Garrett pushed them along down the hallway

toward their rooms.

Josh and Carlos’s room was right next door to Garrett and

Lachlan’s. Josh wasn’t looking forward to that. The last time he had a
room next to theirs, he heard them banging each other’s brains out all
night. No way he could hear all those needy moans and not get
excited, especially with Carlos in the room. He was so screwed. Josh
didn’t know what to say or do.

Lachlan handed Carlos and Josh their room key cards. Carlos

opened their door and Josh followed him inside. The room was dark
except for a little slice of the evening setting sun came in through the
crack of the drapes. Josh hit the light switch and dropped his bag in
the corner by the door.

The off-white of the room and the fluffy white comforter on the

bed looked so inviting. Josh had to give it the hotel. They did seem to
go out of their way to make the guests feel at home. A simple picture
hung above the bed. It was a black and white photograph of the
Golden Gate Bridge. A flat-screen TV hung on the opposite wall at
the foot of the bed. A seating area was situated in front of the glass
doors leading out to a stone balcony. Carlos pulled the curtains back
and Josh’s eyes took in the view. From their room, they could see the
ocean.

“It’s almost romantic, don’t you think?”
Josh turned to see Carlos standing beside him staring out at the

view. He took in the sight of Carlos’s profile as he looked out the
glass doors. His lips were tilted up and his dark eyelashes brushed
against his caramel-colored skin as he blinked. “It’s beautiful,” Josh
whispered as his gaze stayed focused on Carlos. He couldn’t make
himself turn away.

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“Really?” Carlos laughed. “Me or the view?”
“Um…” Josh sucked his lips in and turned away from Carlos. He

had just been caught ogling him. Not good, not good at all.

His cell phone ringing interrupted him and Carlos from furthering

their conversation on the beauty of the view and Josh staring at him
with stars in his eyes.

“Tell Carlos to bring whatever he has on this witch we’re here to

watch, and let’s head out to get some dinner,” Garrett said into the
phone. “I’m starving.”

“We’re on our way.” Josh thumbed over his shoulder. “Garrett

said to grab all the information you have on the witch. We’re going to
discuss it all over dinner,” Josh said in a rush as he ran out the door,
bumping into Lachlan.

“Everyone okay?” Lachlan raised an eyebrow at him, then looked

over his shoulder at Carlos.

“Yeah.” Carlos smiled down at Josh as he passed by. “We were

just enjoying the view from our room.”

“I know, right!” Garrett fell into step with Carlos as they walked

toward the elevator.

“Josh, are you sure everything is all right?” Lachlan asked in a

near whisper as they followed Garrett and Carlos. “If you really don’t
feel comfortable with Carlos, you can share a room with me and
Garrett can stay with Carlos.”

“No, Lachlan. You and Garrett are mates and shouldn’t be

separated like that.” Josh ran a hand through his short hair as he
debated how much to tell Lachlan. Lachlan was more like a brother to
him than anyone else. “I’m just tired, I think.” Josh went with the safe
excuse.

“Well, if you change your mind, the offer still stands.” Lachlan

wrapped his heavy arm over Josh’s shoulders. “I know you’re still
having a hard time with everything that happened to you. I just don’t
want you to be uncomfortable. I mean, Carlos is a witch and all.”

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

29

 

Josh hated that Lachlan still worried about him. It had been almost

a year since his attack. A witch had tricked Josh’s pack into believing
she was a wolf shifter. She fooled them all and where she failed in
killing Garrett and Lachlan, she succeeding in killing Josh’s best
friend Victor and nearly killing Josh. Whenever Josh closed his eyes,
he could still see her evil face and hear the sickening sounds of bone
ripping apart and muscle and flesh being torn as she tore Victor’s
head from his body.

Stop it! Josh shook his head hard, trying to dislodge the memories

that haunted his every step. “It’s fine.” Josh smiled up at Lachlan.
“Everything is fine, I swear.”

Lachlan looked into his eyes and once he was satisfied that Josh

truly was okay, he nodded his head and waved for Josh to precede
him into the elevator.

Josh moved into the corner furthest away from Carlos. He listened

to the others talk as they made their way down to the first floor. Josh
closed his eyes and did his best to bring his breathing under control.
Clara was dead and Carlos was nothing like her. Being a witch didn’t
necessarily make a paranormal being evil. Josh had to believe that
fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to give him a mate that would cause him
more heartache.

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Chapter Three

The moment Carlos saw Josh’s youthful face, he knew there was

something special about him. The way his brown eyes shined like
honey and the lightly tanned skin on his face glowed was like a
beacon to Carlos. Then, when they touched? Carlos knew exactly why
he felt so drawn to the younger man.

Carlos refused to give a word to it because saying it out loud

would make it harder to deny. Fate chose a really funny time to drop
bombs like that on people, but Carlos was stronger than most. He was
sent here to do a job and above all else, he’d accomplish it. He hadn’t
gotten this far in his life by falling victim to his emotions.

But Carlos had to admit that being close to Josh was becoming

harder and harder. It had been years since Carlos had been with a
lover. His work always came first and now, with the council
destroyed, there was pressure to find out who had done such a thing
and how. The life he lived didn’t allow him time to find and fall in
love. It was an impossibility.

Carlos had walked beside Garrett to an Italian restaurant three

blocks from their hotel. Josh and Lachlan trailed behind them. Carlos
slowed his pace to try and make out what the two behind him were
talking about, but it was pointless. Between Garrett babbling in his ear
and the sounds of the city blaring around them, it drowned out Josh’s
voice.

The hostess led them to a booth in the back. Garrett waved Carlos

into the seat ahead of him and Carlos slid inside, thinking Garrett
would sit next to him, but he didn’t. Garrett sat down on the bench
seat across from him and Lachlan sat beside his mate, so that left Josh

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

31

 

sitting beside him. Carlos thought it best to sit beside the younger man
rather than have to stare across at his handsome face all night.

Josh shifted to remove his jacket and his elbow nudged Carlos in

the bicep. Nope he was wrong, sitting this close was much worse.
Smelling the fresh, clean scent of Josh’s soap and a hint of sweat was
going to drive Carlos absolutely mad. Carlos scooted further into the
booth until his hip hit the wall.

The waiter took their drink order, then hurried off. Lachlan gave

Carlos a sharp nod as if to say let’s get started and Carlos pulled out
his tablet. He hit the icon for his notes he’d taken while at his
grandmother’s house. They had collected enough data to lead them to
San Francisco and to a witch who might have information on Asher
Guillory.

Carlos explained about seeing the man after the explosion of the

council headquarters. He told them how the man held a close
resemblance to a photograph Benedict kept in his office.

“That’s crazy,” Lachlan said in a loud whisper. “No one has seen

Asher in over a thousand years. Why would he show up now?”

“And why would one of the heads of council be keeping a picture

of this monster in his possession?” Garrett asked.

“That’s the million-dollar question now, isn’t it?” Carlos relaxed

back against his seat. “My grandmother Ysabel and I have been
calling all our contacts trying to get a location for Asher, but none of
the witches we’ve spoken to can get a read on him. It’s almost like
he’s hidden from us.” The waiter came back with their drinks and
took their dinner orders. Once he was gone, Carlos carried on with his
explanation. “But we did get one lucky break.” Carlos leaned forward
to rest on his elbows and spoke in a softer tone. “My nana is friends
with a witch that does locater spells. Together, they found the right
combination to cast a locater on anyone who might have knowledge
of Asher.”

“Well?” Lachlan asked, his eyes eager with excitement.

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“One name was spoken when they performed the spell.” Carlos

smiled wide, proud of his witch heritage. “Abel Brossard.”

“I have no desire to know how you witches did all that but fuck,

am I glad you did.” Lachlan smacked his hand on the table.

“Not to be a skeptic, but how do you guys know for sure that this

Asher guy is really who you saw?” Josh asked. It was clear in his eyes
he didn’t believe in any of this.

“Don’t you trust me?” Carlos asked without thinking.
“Dude, I barely know you.” Josh took a drink of his soda then set

the glass back down. “All I’m saying is it seems like we are going on
a wild goose chase.”

“Goose chase or not.” Lachlan cleared his throat. “If this Abel

Brossard has information that might help us either find Benedict or at
least give Ben some peace of mind where his father is concerned, then
we are going to follow through with this lead.”

“Thank you, Lachlan.” Carlos looked from Josh’s disbelieving

eyes to Lachlan’s. “I know this all sounds crazy, but I know what I
saw. I’m not sure how Asher is involved in all this, I just know he is. I
can feel it in my gut.”

“Nice to know you feel something,” Carlos heard Josh mumble

under his breath.

Carlos ignored the dig at him. He knew exactly what Josh was

referring to, but unlike Josh, Carlos could control his emotions and
lead with his brain, not his heart. Love and hope were for suckers.
Carlos learned long ago that to love someone would only open a door
for others to hurt him. He’d be damned if he let something as silly as
love and fate get in his way.

Dinner came and they went about eating their supper. Carlos had

lasagna and he found it extremely tasty. He had to catch himself
several times to keep from offering Josh a bite.

“So, this Abel Brossard, who is he exactly?” Garrett asked

between bites of his ravioli.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

33

 

“He’s an artist.” Carlos shrugged. “From what I’ve read online

about the man, he’s actually quite popular in the art world.”

“I’ve never heard of him.” Josh sneered as he stabbed at his

chicken.

“Now, how come that doesn’t surprise me?” Carlos asked in a

mocking tone. He was finding Josh to be quite the pest. Almost like a
pouting child at times.

“Anyways.” Lachlan steered the conversation back to him. “Do

you think he might have photographs of Asher or something?”

“I’m not sure.” Carlos shook his head. “But I say we watch him

for a few days. For all we know, he’s rather close with Asher and
Asher is here in town. Anything is possible.”

After they finished dinner, they walked back toward their hotel,

then four more blocks past it. They came to stand in front of a
building that had shops on the first floor, then apartments on the upper
floors. Large floor-to-ceiling windows lined the front exterior of the
building, allowing a perfect view in the apartments. One in particular
had its lights on and a man moved about inside, crossing past the
windows every so often.

“That’s him.” Carlos pointed up. “He’s in Apartment Three. He

has the entire top floor to himself.” Carlos had run a background
check on Abel but to his surprise, no pictures of the man popped up in
his search. Abel didn’t have a driver’s license or, by the looks of it,
attend school. It made Carlos wonder just exactly who they were
dealing with.

“He has a gallery showing this Thursday night.” Carlos turned to

face the others. “I got us tickets to attend. It’ll be him and a few other
artists, but he’ll be there.”

“Why can’t we just go up there right now and knock on that

fucker’s door and interrogate his ass?” Josh crossed his arms over his
chest and tapped his foot.

“Because, young man.” Carlos’s jaw hurt from clenching it so

tight. Josh’s emotions would get himself into trouble one day. “If

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Abel does know where Asher is, he could possibly warn him. If Asher
has a head start in getting away, then we might never find him again.
Abel is all we got.”

Josh opened his mouth to say something but Lachlan held up his

arm, stopping the younger man.

“Carlos is right,” Lachlan said. “We need to play this safe. If

Asher truly is alive and well, we need to approach this in a sensitive
manner. Asher might have answers as to how and why the council
was blown up. Even more, he might be able to tell us something about
Benedict. We owe it to Ben to do all we can to help find his father.”

Carlos shot Josh a grin that had the younger man’s nostrils flaring

in anger. Josh’s fist balled up so tight that Carlos could see his
knuckles turning white. It shouldn’t cause him so much pleasure to
see Josh so upset, but damn, it was like winning a small battle. If Josh
wanted to push Carlos’s buttons, then he’d push back.

They crossed the street and watched Abel move around his

apartment. Abel didn’t seem to notice anyone looking in at him.
Carlos, being a witch and a Warrior of the Light, would have noticed,
but not Abel. The man just went about as if everything in his life was
perfect, and maybe it was.

“Let’s head back to the hotel,” Lachlan announced. “We can get

some rest and come back here tomorrow. Something tells me we
don’t have to worry about this guy taking off in the middle of the
night.”

Josh led the way back toward their hotel. Carlos walked with

Lachlan and Garrett discussing possible ideas for how to approach
Abel without scaring him away.

Carlos found it hard to follow along with the conversation. He

was distracted by Josh’s ass as he stomped his way back to the hotel.
Every now and again Josh would look over his shoulder, and Carlos
would quickly dart his eyes upward so as not to be caught staring at
his ass.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

35

 

The roundest ass Carlos thought he had ever seen bounced up and

down, distracting him so much he nearly tripped on a crack in the
sidewalk. Josh had a thin frame and narrow waist but his butt bubbled
out from his trim body. Carlos could just imagine resting his hands on
the hard muscle. Grabbing and kneading it while he whispered a dirty
invitation in Josh’s ear.

“Carlos, are you okay?” Lachlan reached out a hand to steady him

as he tripped on the curb leading up to the hotel. “You and Josh are
both acting weird.”

It didn’t surprise him that Josh knew who Carlos was to him. The

younger the paranormal, the more volatile their emotions, and they
couldn’t control them. Carlos felt a pinch of guilt for not confronting
Josh and explaining to him the circumstances, but Carlos didn’t want
to open up that door just yet.

“Can’t speak for the kid, but I’m exhausted.” Carlos opened his

mouth and yawned real wide. “Over the past two weeks, I don’t think
I’ve had one good night’s rest. With the council in ruins and Asher
back on the scene, it’s a lot to deal with. My grandmother and I have
been working around the clock, coming up empty handed until this bit
of info on Abel presented itself. We have to find Benedict. For Ben
and for all the paranormal beings in the world. Benedict was always
the face of the council. People feared him, but they also respected
him. I feel like with him gone, the others are losing hope.”

“I hate to agree with you since Benedict was kind of an asshole.”

Lachlan grinned. “But he did have a stability that made others feel
safe. And we need to find something for Ben, if anything else.”

They stepped into the elevator and rode it up to the seventh floor,

then got out. Garrett and Lachlan retired to their room, while Carlos
followed Josh into theirs. Josh grabbed his bag then went straight into
the bathroom. After a few minutes, the water clicked on.

“Sure, Josh, you go first and dirty up the bathroom.” Carlos

mumbled to himself as he pulled out his pajama bottoms and the case

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that carried his toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. He sat waiting
patiently for the younger man to finish.

After about five minutes, Carlos fell back on the bed. The shower

was still running and the longer it went, the more annoyed Carlos
became. He couldn’t understand what was taking the kid so long.

While he waited, he phoned down to the front desk to inquire

about the cot that should have been delivered to their room by now.
The man on the other end said he would look into it and get one up to
their room right away.

Then, as if to add to his suffering, the sounds of moaning and

heavy panting came through the wall.

“Oh hell no.” Carlos sat up to stare at the wall that connected with

Lachlan and Garrett’s room. The sound of a headboard hitting the
wall was soon followed by wild animal noises. Carlos couldn’t bring
himself to cover his ears. The sounds stirred something inside him.
His cock started to fill and his jeans became too tight. He reached
down to situate his rapidly growing cock, but he left his hand down
there covering the bulge.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had Carlos jumping

off the bed. He spun around to see Josh laughing at him. The sound
was so innocent and sweet compared to his surly attitude. His short
hair had been combed back off his forehead and a few water droplets
slid down the side of his face. Carlos’s eyes ate up every inch of
Josh’s handsome features. The glow on Josh’s cheeks made him look
even younger and not so jaded.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Josh pulled at the hem of

his shirt as if that would cover him from Carlos’s view.

“You just frightened me, is all.” Carlos grabbed his things and

brushed Josh’s shoulder as he headed for the restroom.

Once in the safety of that bathroom, he locked the door and rested

his forehead against the hard cool surface. He needed to get a grip on
himself. He was a strong warrior and an experienced witch. He could
get through this without making a fool of himself.

Carlos’s Uncontrollable Wolf

37

 

Carlos quickly went about brushing his teeth, then turned on the

shower. He stepped under the hot spray and washed his body. There
was something intimate about being in the same shower stall as Josh
had been. Josh had left his washcloth draped over the water faucet.
Carlos snatched up the cloth and brought it up to his nose. He inhaled
deeply, taking in Josh’s intoxicating scent. It was wild and sweet like
the young man himself.

Josh acted as if he was a tough man, ready to battle at any

moment, but Carlos could see beyond that. There was a softness in
Josh’s eyes as well as a vulnerability. He could see that someone had
hurt Josh, but Carlos didn’t want to pry. Knowing more about Josh
could do dangerous things to Carlos. He couldn’t get close.

Carlos put the washcloth back where he got it and shampooed his

hair, then started to wash his body. The silky wetness of his body
wash bubbled down his chest. Carlos followed their path and his hand
bumped into his hard-as-steel cock. He hissed out a breath at the mere
touch of his own hand. The delicate tissue was tinted a deep purple
from all the blood being pumped to it. He ran his soap-covered hand
over his shaft, then reached lower to clean his balls.

Warmth flooded his body as his hand movements fell into a fast

and tight rhythm. Carlos couldn’t stop himself. He imagined that it
was Josh’s hand working him into a frenzy with each stroke of his
warm fingers.

Carlos reached one arm above his head to hold him up while the

other one jacked his cock. Tingles ran up his spine as he drew nearer
to the finish line. Carlos let his head fall back on his shoulders and his
mouth gaped open. His hand squeezed tight over the flared head,
milking his juices to the surface. Carlos clenched his eyes tightly
together and he focused on Josh’s grinning face as he looked out onto
the view from their window.

“Fuck!” Carlos grunted as his warm, sticky cum shot out the tip of

his dick. His hand never faltered as he stroked through his release,
still thinking about Josh.

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Once he got his breathing under control, Carlos rewashed his

body. He didn’t want Josh to smell the semen on him and know
exactly what he was doing in the bathroom.

Carlos toweled off and got dressed. He didn’t grab a shirt, so his

chest was bare and his soft cotton pants hung low on his waist. For
some reason, he felt so naked now. Things like would Josh be pleased
with the way I look crossed his mind.

“It’s okay to come out now!” Josh shouted through the door. “I

think they’re done.”

Carlos chuckled as he opened the door. The room was dark, lit

only by the light spilling in from the city outside their window. As
Carlos looked around their room for the cot that should have been
rolled up to their room, he noticed the far side closest to him on the
bed had been turned down.

“They ran out of cots,” Josh said, as if reading his mind. “So it

looks like we’re sharing a bed.”

Carlos’s eyes had adjusted and he could see that Josh had tucked

the blanket tightly around his body and stuffed a pillow between
them. At least Josh didn’t toss a blanket on the floor and tell him to
sleep there.

It was a small step toward being kind to one another, and Carlos

would take what he could get, because a night on the floor didn’t
sound too appealing. If he couldn’t have Josh, he could at least have
the closeness of sharing a bed.

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Chapter Four

Josh couldn’t decide if he wanted to jump for joy or reach through

the telephone and strangle the concierge when he called to say they
were out of extra cots. On one hand, he wanted Carlos in his bed, but
then again, Carlos acted like he could give two shits about Josh. But
in the end, his curiosity got the best of him. He wanted to see how
Carlos would react to having to share a bed with him and if maybe,
some internal feelings of lust and desire would rise while they both
slept.

It took forever for Josh to fall asleep. He stared up at the ceiling

for so long he started to see images dance before his eyes. Beside him,
he could hear the steady, even breathing coming from Carlos. He’d
already fallen asleep.

Josh so badly wanted to jump up and down on the bed or smack

Carlos with a pillow to grab his attention. How could the man sleep
with Josh so near to him? They were mates, and no matter how much
Carlos acted like Josh meant nothing to him, Josh wasn’t buying it.
Granted he might be young, but he wasn’t stupid. The feelings he had
already developed for Carlos were stronger than even the feelings he
had for Victor, and Victor had been the first person he had ever loved.

Josh’s eyelids started to grow heavy and he let his eyes fall shut.

He made a silent plea that tonight of all nights he wouldn’t have any
nightmares. Somehow, waking up in a pool of his own sweat,
screaming like a terrified child, Josh didn’t think Carlos would find
that all too attractive.

Warmth surrounded him and Josh knew it must be a dream. The

weight of a heavy arm around his waist had Josh snuggling deeper

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into the covers over his body. He shuddered at the feeling of naked
flesh against his back. Josh hummed out his pleasure and he prayed he
never woke from this dream. He felt cared for and safe. A feeling he
hadn’t known since his mother was alive.

Soft lips kissed along the back of his neck and Josh’s cock

instantly became hard. He scooted his ass back further into the heat
behind him. Something hard yet soft nudged his lower back right
where the crease to his butt was. Josh pushed into the hardness and
rutted against it, needing more skin-on-skin contact.

A large and smooth hand drew circles around his stomach and the

kissing on his neck became more persistent. Josh gasped for breath,
thrusting his hips up to reach the outstretched hand wandering over
his body.

Josh felt dizzy. He needed to open his eyes and catch a glimpse of

his dream lover before he woke up and the chance was gone, but he
just couldn’t do it. The warm hand pulled at the waistband of his
pajama bottoms and shoved them down to his thighs. Josh once again
pushed his naked ass back to the same very naked cock nudging at his
crease.

Sweat glistened over Josh’s body and he clenched his eyes tight as

his dream lover slid his thick cock between his butt cheeks and
worked his hand over Josh’s straining cock.

It took a moment before Josh found his rhythm but once he got it,

there was no going back. Josh wanted to come and more than that, he
wanted that thick, meaty cock that was pumping one out against his
body to slip into his untried virgin hole. He’d never let anyone fuck
him but now it seemed like a good idea. He wanted to be split apart
only to be put back together by his lover. To be one with another
person. It had been too long since he’d been intimate with another
soul. Josh was craving it like a smoker craved their next cigarette.

The hand on his dick tightened and Josh cried out as a toe-curling

orgasm was wrenched from his body. His dream lover’s hand never

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stopped and as Josh grew sensitive to the touch, his body twitched in
aftershocks.

Just as Josh was about to open his eyes, a splash of warmth

covered his lower back and was then smeared up and down his ass
crack. It seemed so real.

“Josh,” his dream lover whispered against his ear, then flicked his

tongue out, causing Josh to jerk from the sensation.

The sound of sirens in the distance had Josh cracking open one

eye. It took him a moment to get his senses about him. He recognized
the hotel room with the French doors with the drapes he’d left open to
look at the view as he fell asleep. The dream was over and he had to
find a way to get through another day with Carlos.

“Morning,” the deep voice behind him mumbled as the arm

around Josh waist tightened, pulling him closer to Carlos’s chest.

It wasn’t a dream! Josh’s brain damn near short circuited as he

jumped from the bed. His pants were wrapped around his knees and
he fell to the floor as he darted out from under Carlos’s arm.

“What the fuck, man?” Josh shouted as he pulled his pants up,

wincing as the cooling cum on his ass smeared against his skin as he
pulled them up.

“What?” Carlos yawned and rolled to his back and stretched his

arms over his head.

Josh watched as the lean muscles in Carlos’s arms pulled tight and

moved under his golden tanned skin. His tongue flicked out to wet his
suddenly dry lips. He so badly wanted to jump on top of Carlos and
kiss him senseless, but then the niggling little voice in his head
reminded him that Carlos had one, been asleep when he rubbed one
out on him and two, he didn’t even act like he liked Josh.

“You molested me in your sleep.” Josh pointed a finger at Carlos.
Carlos narrowed his eyes at Josh as if he just now noticed him

standing there. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me.” Josh swiped his hand over his back

and held up the evidence of Carlos’s release on his fingers. “This

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belongs to you and—” Josh pulled the comforter back on the bed to
find the wet spot from his orgasm. “And that is from you jerking me
off.” Josh pointed out the damp, irregular shaped circle from his cum.

Carlos rolled to the side and sat up to look at what Josh was

pointing at. He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes to look up at Josh.
“So what you’re saying is we both got off in our sleep, and now
you’re mad because…” Carlos shook his head. “Why exactly are you
mad again?”

Josh let out a deep growl, fisted his hands in his hair, and began to

pace the room. “You didn’t have my permission.” He stopped long
enough to look down at Carlos. “No means no, even for guys.”

“Well, sweetheart, I was asleep and I can’t control what I do when

I’m sleeping.” Carlos sat up and Josh had a moment’s distraction as
the blanket fell down his chest to lie loosely around his lap, the dark
trail of pubic hair barely visible from the folds of the sheets. “I’m sure
if you would have said no, I would have stopped. I’m not a monster
for god’s sake, and I’m not that desperate for human contact.”

Josh spun around, and in the process kicked the leg at the foot of

the bed. Fire burned up his leg as his toe screamed in pain. But he
refused to cry out or make a scene. Sure, Josh’s toe hurt like hell, but
it was Carlos’s harsh words that pained Josh more.

Carlos acted like what just happened between them meant

nothing. Maybe Josh reacted a bit badly to waking up with Carlos
lying next to him after giving Josh the best hand job of his life, but it
didn’t give Carlos any right to make it sound like what they just
shared didn’t mean anything to him. Hell, Josh would take anger over
indifference any day.

The more Josh thought about it, the more his temper spiked. “You

fucking witches are all the same.” He waved his hand in the air as he
spoke. “Taking what you want, not giving a crap about who you hurt
in the process. It’s a wonder any of you ever find a mate. And why
have I been cursed with you?” Josh mumbled the last part, not
wanting Carlos to hear it. Or maybe a small part of him did.

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“You know, Josh, it’s pretty small-minded of you to put all

witches in the same category.” Carlos threw back the covers and
moved to the side of the bed. Josh looked away from his mate’s naked
chest and crotch. “I know about your past, but I’m not like Clara, so
don’t even compare me to her. I’d never hurt another living soul. I’d
die before that happened.” Carlos grabbed his bag and stormed to the
bathroom.

“But you’re hurting me,” Josh whispered to himself as one solemn

tear ran down his cheek. He quickly swiped it away. “Whatever. I
don’t need him. I don’t need anybody.”

Josh pulled a fresh set of clean clothes from his bag and waited for

Carlos to exit the bathroom. He was in need of another quick shower
before they left the hotel. He’d be damned if he’d walk around all day
smelling like Carlos.

* * * *

Carlos felt like a complete asshole. He hadn’t meant to cuddle, let

alone jack Josh off in his sleep. But hell, he’d enjoyed it. At first, he
thought it was just a dream too and a good one, at that. After lusting
after Josh silently all day he finally felt free while asleep to let loose
and explore Josh’s body, something he couldn’t do while awake. It
wasn’t until he felt Josh coming in his hand that he realized it wasn’t
a dream, but it was too late. His orgasm tore through his body like a
bat out of hell. Nothing had ever felt so good, and for one brief
second all the stress that straddled his shoulders lifted and he was
free. Free to be with Josh and to be everything that his mate needed,
but then reality set in and Josh reacted like a toddler who had been
told no.

Now, sitting across the table from Josh, eating breakfast, Carlos

had the strong urge to apologize for what had happened.

But you don’t want to. You want to have him again and again, but

only the next time you want to fuck him while Josh stares into your

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eyes. You want him to see who is giving him pleasure. You want Josh
to want you.

Carlos’s eyes went wide and he dropped his fork, and it clattered

to the ceramic plate beneath it. He hated how his subconscious mind
voiced his innermost desires. But no matter how much he wanted to,
Carlos wouldn’t act on it, at least not yet. He had a promise to keep to
Ben and to all paranormal kind. He had watched the council crumble
to ash with all his research trapped inside, along with one of his good
friends. Until he found out for sure that Benedict was dead, he had to
stay focused on his mission. It was for the greater good.

“You okay, man?” Lachlan asked as he eyed Carlos with a funny

look on his face.

“Yeah, Lachlan.” Carlos forced a smile. “I’m great.”
The sound of a chair screeching across the floor drew everyone’s

attention to Josh. His sweet and young face had colored red and his
eyes were narrow slits as he stared at Carlos.

“Can we get on with it?” Josh stood up and tossed his napkin on

his plate. “The sooner we get this guy and find out what he knows, the
sooner we can be done with this.” Josh looked at him while he spoke.

“Take it easy, Josh.” Garrett stood up and rested both his hands on

Josh’s neck. Carlos had to ball his hands into fists to keep from
grabbing Garrett and punching him in the face. If he wasn’t allowed
to touch Josh, then neither was Garrett. “I know all this witch
business bothers you, but we need to do our job.”

“I know.” Josh glanced over at Carlos, flames burning in the

younger man’s eyes. “I’m just ready to be done with this mission.”

Carlos knew the meaning behind that. In other words, Josh was

ready to be done with him.

His tongue tingled with the words he needed to say to Josh. He

needed to tell the man that yes, he knew they were mates, and that he
wanted to see where things went between them, but Josh had to be
patient and wait. But after seeing Josh in action, Carlos could tell Josh
didn’t have a patient bone in his entire body. Carlos would just have

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to wait. But the longer he was around Josh, the harder it became. As
long as he didn’t have sex with Josh, meaning no penetration, then he
could prolong the mating bond. That’s what he had to do until they
talked to this Abel character. Too much was at risk to let his heart
take control of his brain.

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Chapter Five

“Here’s what we are going to do,” Lachlan said as they sat in their

rental car outside Abel’s building. “Josh, you and Carlos are going to
sit out here and watch the front of the building. Keep an eye on
whether you see anyone suspicious coming or going. Garrett and I are
going to head over to the building that sits right behind this one. The
roof has a perfect view to the inside of Abel’s apartment. So we all
should clearly see this guy’s comings and goings. If he is working
with the Dark Warriors, we will find out, and if he’s not then there’s
no telling if they are looking for him to. Carlos, if you were able to
find him, no telling who else might be looking for this man.”

“I totally agree.” Carlos sat forward, resting his hands on the back

of the passenger seats. “If this guy is important, the Dark Warriors
would want him, too, I’d imagine.” Carlos looked up at the building,
wishing he knew the connection between Abel and Asher.

“Exactly.” Lachlan opened the driver’s side door and climbed out.

“Carlos, here’s the keys.” Lachlan tossed them in the air and Carlos
caught them. “It might be best to pull the car into that parking garage,
so as not to create suspicion.” Lachlan pointed to the building to their
left.

“Good idea.” Carlos walked around to the driver’s side. Once Josh

got into the passenger’s side, he started up the car. He pulled into the
parking garage and found an open spot facing Abel’s building in the
far corner. Carlos turned off the car and rolled the windows down.

A warm breeze blew through the open structure. With the wind

blowing and them sitting in the shade, there was no need to worry
about getting too hot. Carlos propped his arm up on the door and

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47

 

rested his head in his hand and stared out onto the apartment building
across the street.

It felt like hours had passed, but it had only been about twenty

minutes. Carlos was used to going hours upon hours without talking
to another person, but sitting next to Josh made it harder. His body
itched for that connection to its mate.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” Carlos said without even thinking

about it. The words just slipped out his mouth as if he had no control
over his own body.

Josh turned his head slightly, looking at Carlos out of the corner

of his eye. “I’m sure you are.”

“No, I mean it.” Carlos tore his gaze from the building to look at

Josh. “I was truly asleep and had no clue what I was doing.” He
shrugged. “I just don’t want you to think I would take advantage of
another person like that.”

“Yeah?” Josh turned his attention back out the front window.

“And why would you care what I think about you?”

“Because…” Carlos bit down on his tongue to keep from

confessing what he was sure Josh already knew.

“Because, what?” Josh tapped his fingers against the passenger

side door.

“Because I would like for us to be friends,” Carlos offered. “We

are sharing a room together, after all. It might make things less
awkward if we could get along.”

Josh chuckled and shook his head. He didn’t say another word so

Carlos returned to staring toward the building. A few minutes past
before Josh spoke again.

“Earlier you said you knew about Clara. How is that?” Josh asked

without looking at Carlos.

“Ben told me.” Carlos had been back at headquarters when the

attack had occurred. At the time he didn’t even know Josh existed, but
now as he sat next to him and knew that this man was his mate, he
wanted to bring Clara back to life and kill her himself. She had

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kidnapped and tortured Josh for hours. Her plan was to kill Josh and
his friend Victor, but Lachlan had stopped her, just not in time to save
Victor. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

“Me, too,” Josh said in a soft, faraway voice.
Carlos watched as Josh brought a hand up to his face and wiped a

finger under his eye. He wanted to reach out and comfort Josh, but he
didn’t think his touch would be welcomed.

“So what’s your power?” Josh asked out of the blue.
“My power?” Carlos arched a brow, taken back by the abrupt

change in subjects.

“Yeah, ya know.” Josh waved his fingers around. “What’s your

witchy thing you can do?”

“Witchy thing?” Carlos laughed. “I’ve never heard it put like that

before.”

“So.” Josh shrugged. “What is it?”
Carlos didn’t regularly use his magic. After his mother and sister

had been murdered, the thought of ever using the gift bestowed on
him made Carlos ill.

With a deep breath, Carlos held out his hand. He concentrated on

his palm until a small flame grew to life. “I can create fire.” He held
his hand out closer to Josh, who stared at it with wide eyes.

“Holy shit.” Josh looked up at him, a smile on his face.
Carlos kept the flame small. His fingers tingled from using his

magic after not having used it for so long. It made his skin sizzle with
the rush of power. Beads of sweat lined his forehead as his body
temperature rose. “If you haven’t noticed, I run a little hot.” Carlos
darted his eyes over to Josh. “I mean to the touch. Most people think
I’m running a fever if they brush up against me, but nope. I’m a fire
starter.” He chuckled.

“I did notice you felt abnormally warm this morning.” Josh’s

cheeks flushed with heat. “That is pretty cool, though.” Josh ran a
finger through the small flame.

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“I’ll take that as a compliment coming from a guy who can turn

into a wolf.” Carlos closed his fingers into his palm, smothering the
flame.

“Trust me, it’s not that great being a wolf shifter.” Josh snickered.

“It takes years to be able to shift without howling out in pain as your
bones break and reshape. And then, if that’s not bad enough we’ve
got Dark Warriors trying to kill us, we have humans hunting us down,
killing us for sport.” Josh glanced over at Carlos, a sadness in his
eyes. “I’ve seen it done before. That’s why I always find myself
questioning why I want to help a race of people who kill for the fun of
it.”

“Not all humans are bad, just like not all paranormals are bad,”

Carlos said, trying his best to ease the anger he saw in the hard lines
surrounding Josh’s soft lips.

“I get that, I really do.” Josh spat the words out at him. “But

watching your mother get gunned down like a wild animal kind of
changes your outlook on things.”

Carlos hadn’t known. This time he didn’t hesitate to reach out to

lay his hand over Josh’s, where it rested on his thigh. “I’m sorry to
hear that.” Josh tried to pull his hand away. “No, stop.” Carlos refused
to let go. “Believe it or not, I know what you’re going through.”

“How could you?” Josh’s lips peeled back off his teeth,

showcasing a set of very sharp canines.

“Witches for the Warriors of the Dark killed my mother and

young sister.” Carlos let go of Josh’s hand. Suddenly he felt cold all
over. He had never talked about his mother and sister’s death with
anyone, ever. “Burned them alive.”

“Oh my god,” Josh said, but Carlos barely heard him. He found

himself lost in the memory of finding the burned and blackened
bodies of his family. “Why did they kill them?”

“Because dark witches feel that you need to pick a side and if you

don’t pick theirs, you’re not worthy to live.” Carlos gave him the
answer his grandmother had given him all those years ago.

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“This world is so fucked up.” Josh reached out and entwined his

fingers with Carlos’s. It shocked Carlos, but he didn’t pull away.

“Yes it is, but it also has some good in it, too.” For Carlos, that

goodness sat beside him, holding his hand. Now more than ever,
Carlos wanted to get this mission completed so he and Josh could
explore what was happening between them.

All too soon, Josh let go of his hand and leaned back against his

seat. Carlos did the same. They watched as a few people entered the
building across the way and a few more exited, but never once did
they see Abel.

Carlos’s phone started to ring and he answered it. “Hello.”
“This guy is extremely boring,” Garrett said into his ear.
“But extremely talented.” Carlos laughed at the sound of Lachlan

shouting over Garrett.

“Here’s the deal. Since nothing seems to be going on, Lachlan’s

going to set up a camera on the back of the building and connect it so
that we can watch the back of the building on his laptop. We’ll go in
shifts of watching this reclusive man. Lachlan and I will take the first
shift and you guys can take the next. We’ll walk around and meet you
at the car.”

Carlos told them where their parking spot was and then relayed

the message to Josh.

“So I guess we have some free time, huh?” Josh opened the car

door and stepped out. He reached his arms over his head, stretching
his body. Carlos’s eyes were riveted to the small strip of flesh
revealed between Josh’s shirt and shorts.

“Um…” Carlos quickly turned away to hid the tent in his pants.

“We should probably grab something to eat, then head back to the
room to get some rest.” The stiffness in his pants started to deflate and
he turned back to Josh, who had his elbows resting on the hood of the
car, leaning over.

“Sounds good to me.”

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Once Garrett and Lachlan made it to the car, Carlos and Josh said

their good-byes and agreed to meet them back there around midnight
to take on the night shift.

On the way back to the hotel, Carlos suggested they order room

service and eat up in their room.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Josh pushed the button for their floor

once inside the elevator. “Sitting around on your ass all day does
make you tired.” He snickered.

“That is a disadvantage of a stakeout.” Carlos waved for Josh to

go ahead of him when the elevator doors slid open. “That and it’s
boring.”

“True. Especially when the target doesn’t leave their house or do

anything exciting like dance around naked in front of the windows or
fuck the chick or dude living next door to them.” Josh laughed as he
plopped on the bed.

“You’ve seen that before?” Carlos stared down at Josh completely

shocked.

“Of course.” Josh sat up on the bed to rest his back against the

headboard. “When no one thinks anyone is watching, you would be
amazed at all the crazy shit people will do.” Josh cocked his head to
the side. “Haven’t you?”

“No.” Carlos snatched up the room service menu from the side

table and sat down on the bed. “My expertise lies more in inventing
weapons to fight against the Warriors of the Dark.”

“So you’re an office geek.” Josh laughed out loud.
Carlos glanced over to see Josh bent at the waist, holding his

stomach as he laughed. He smiled at seeing the younger man look so
happy, even if it were at his expense. “Okay, that’s enough.” Carlos
swatted Josh’s hip with the menu. “What do you want to eat?”

Josh sat up, picked out what he wanted and Carlos ordered their

dinner. Twenty minutes later, the waiter brought up their food and
they pushed the rolling cart over in front of the bed and sat side by
side while they ate. Carlos found this quite enjoyable. They weren’t

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fighting and the sexual tension simmering between them didn’t feel so
suffocating.

“You want to watch a movie or something?” Josh asked as he

stepped out of the bathroom and moved to take his side of the bed.

“Sure.” Carlos kicked off his shoes and relaxed back on the bed.
“I set the alarm on my phone so we have enough time to get up

and change and whatnot before we have to go and relieve Garrett and
Lachlan.” Josh positioned his pillows, then lay down.

The distance separating them felt like miles but was only maybe

about a foot. But Carlos thought it was too far. As they watched some
movie Josh picked out, Carlos let his body go slack and his eyelids
grew heavy. Before long, he drifted off to the sound of Josh laughing
at the movie.

An irritating sound beeped nonstop, pulling Carlos from his

peaceful rest. He snuggled deeper into his pillow and pulled the heavy
weight resting on his chest and the right of his body closer. Carlos
lowered his head and nuzzled his nose against the soft, silky hair of
the head tucked in close to his neck. He hummed as his body instantly
reacted and his dick started to lengthen.

“For the love of god, turn off the alarm.”
Carlos’s eyes shot open and he glanced down at the warm body

cuddled up next to him. Josh still had his eyes closed but he had his
arm and leg draped across Carlos’s body, rubbing his face into
Carlos’s shoulder. And he couldn’t help but hiss out a breath as the
hardness in Josh’s loose shorts nudged against his thigh.

“I can’t.” Carlos mumbled into the sweet-scented hair on Josh’s

head. “You’re lying on top of me and I can’t move.” More like he
didn’t want to move, but Carlos wasn’t going to split hairs on this
one.

“What?” Josh slowly opened his eyes and the warm brown orbs

gazed up at Carlos with a dazed look to them.

“Hey,” Carlos whispered as his eyes fell to look at Josh’s sleep-

swollen lips.

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“Hey,” Josh responded back as he, too, focused his attention on

Carlos’s mouth.

Carlos slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips over Josh’s.

The man gasped but didn’t pull away. Feeling bold, Carlos flicked his
tongue over Josh’s soft, full lips and groaned as he opened wide for
Carlos to sample the sweetness inside.

Josh’s hand curled into the front of Carlos’s shirt, holding him

close. Carlos worked the arm trapped underneath Josh’s body free and
trailed his hand up to comb his fingers through Josh’s hair. The silky
strands tickled the palm of his hand.

Just as the kiss grew deeper, more passionate, the phone on

Carlos’s side of the bed began to ring. He cursed under his breath as
he pulled away from Josh.

“What?” he snapped into the phone.
“Where are you two at?” Lachlan asked. “You were supposed to

meet us ten minutes ago.”

Fuck! Carlos wanted to throw his phone across the room. They

had overslept Josh’s alarm.

“Sorry, we’ll be there in a few minutes.” Carlos looked over when

he felt the bed shift as Josh got up. “We overslept.”

“No worries, man. We’re just hungry and tired.” Carlos could hear

Lachlan yawn. “Abel didn’t leave his apartment all day. I’m not even
quite sure the guy ate anything. He just worked on his paintings.”

“Damn, I was hoping we’d catch Asher there. I know it’s a long

shot, but it’s all we got.”

“Me, too. But we’ll keep watching him. Certainly something is

bound to happen.”

Carlos disconnected the call and went over to his suitcase. He

pulled out a fresh set of clean clothes and slipped into the bathroom
when Josh came out, freshly showered. Neither one of them said a
single word about what just happened and maybe it was for the best,
Carlos thought, at least for himself. They needed to stay focused on

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the mission, and afterwards he and Josh could have a heart-to-heart
conversation about their future.

The prospect of that put a smile on Carlos’s face. He was a patient

man and could wait a little longer.

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Chapter Six

Josh couldn’t believe he cuddled up close to Carlos in his sleep.

He was shocked when he woke up curled into Carlo’s side with the
other man holding him tightly to his body. Josh even felt the brush of
lips against his hair. But even then, Josh couldn’t make himself pull
away. The nearness to his mate seemed to ease the ache of wanting to
fuck his brains out.

Just as the kiss started to ignite, the phone rang and it was like

being drenched in a bucket of cold water. Josh came to his senses and
hurried off to the bathroom to get ready. He couldn’t bear to look
Carlos in the eye. Too afraid of what he might see.

They made their way back to the parking garage in front of Abel’s

building. Lachlan gave them a rundown of what had been going on,
which was a whole lot of nothing. Garrett and Lachlan left and
promised to be back by noon. Josh got back into the passenger seat
and stared over at the darkened building.

He was still reeling from that one kiss. It had been so perfect, but

he refused to be the one to bring it up. Josh was being childish, but he
wanted Carlos to admit he wanted him. Over the past year, Josh had
kept himself caged off from everyone else, only letting people get
glimpses of who he was. The thought of letting anyone get close
enough again terrified him. Watching Victor being murdered changed
Josh. Everyone he cared about always seemed to go away. His mother
had died, killed by hunters, and then Victor.

Josh knew Victor wasn’t his mate and Victor knew Josh wasn’t

his, but they still loved each other. At first that love was just genuine
friendship, but it grew into something more over the years. Both had

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been afraid to admit their feelings and it hadn’t been until Lachlan
came to live with their pack that he could come to terms with what he
felt for Victor. Loving another man didn’t make him weak or any less
of a person. The body craved what it wanted and Josh’s craved
Victor.

Josh smiled as he remembered his first time with Victor. It had

been his first time ever being intimate with anyone. They had been so
nervous, but they made up for it with enthusiasm. It would be a
moment Josh would cherish forever. Victor had been his best friend
and he didn’t deserve to die the way he had.

“What you thinking about over there?”
The sound of Carlos’s voice pulled him from the past, and he

turned to look at the man next to him. “Victor,” he simply replied.
There was no reason to lie.

“Your friend.”
Josh nodded his head. “My best friend. We did everything

together. Tasted my first beer with him, snuck out of my house for the
first time with him, and even…” Josh stopped himself. He didn’t want
to reveal to Carlos that Victor had been his first. It felt wrong on so
many levels. One was that he didn’t want to upset Carlos, and he also
didn’t want to offend Victor’s memory by wishing he had waited to
share his first time with Carlos. It was odd that in a matter of minutes
Josh wanted to turn his whole world over to Carlos. The mating bond
grew stronger by the minute.

“Even what?” Carlos asked as he took a sip from his coffee cup.
“Yeah, let’s not talk about that.” Josh shifted in his seat,

uncomfortable with Carlos’s stare.

“Was he your first boyfriend?” Carlos arched a brow in question.

Josh glanced over at Carlos, but didn’t see any anger on his handsome
face. “It’s okay, Josh. I mean, you don’t have to tell me anything and
I’d prefer not to hear the gory details.” Carlos ducked his head down,
but not fast enough to hide the blush on his cheeks.

“Why?” Josh asked, turning to face Carlos head on.

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“Because that was something private you shared with another

person.” Carlos shrugged. “It’s not any of my business. Just like my
past lovers aren’t any of yours.”

“Lovers?” Josh’s face scrunched up in irritation. “Just how many

have you had?”

“Not a ton, but I am over two hundred years old, Josh. I’ve had

my fair share of sex.” Carlos went silent for a heartbeat then looked
over at Josh, not breaking his gaze. “But not in a long while. And
before you ask why, it’s because meaningless sex just doesn’t appeal
to me anymore. I want it to mean something the next time I do make
love to another person.”

There was something in Carlos’s eyes that warmed Josh’s heart.

Carlos didn’t confess that Josh was his mate, but the heat burning in
his eyes reassured Josh that Carlos did have a heart and a part of it
recognized him.

“Me, too.” Josh answered back. A small smile tugged at his upper

lip.

Going slow had never been Josh’s style, but if Carlos needed time

to come to terms with them being mates, Josh would give it to him,
because Josh wasn’t going anywhere. He’d love for Carlos to grab
him and kiss the very breath from his lungs, but he was beginning to
see that just wasn’t the type of man Carlos was.

Carlos was a man who thought before he acted. Not Josh’s style,

but he could respect it. Things were moving slow between them, but
Josh found that he did actually like that. Carlos was clearly attracted
to him and going slow made Josh feel special.

Josh and Carlos took turns from watching the building to staring

at the laptop screen recording the back of the apartment building.
Nothing happened all night. Abel finally went to bed around four in
the morning.

As noon came around, Garrett and Lachlan came to relieve them

of their duty. Josh and Carlos walked quietly back to the hotel,
ordered in some lunch, showered, then turned in to bed.

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Once again, they started out on opposite sides of the large

mattress, but in sleep, they found each other. Carlos’s smooth and
warm chest pressed into Josh’s back. One strong arm hugged him
close and Josh woke with a smile on his face. The heat radiating off of
Carlos kept him warm and he felt safe in this man’s embrace.

When the alarm went off, Carlos rolled to his back and Josh slid

out of bed to get ready. A part of him wanted to jump back in bed and
kiss Carlos, then roll the man over to fuck him, even claim him as his
rightful mate, but he held himself back. He found something arousing
about the small steps they were taking. The flirting thing was new to
him and Josh liked it. He felt desired.

Back at the car, Josh listened as Carlos talked about his work at

the council. He was bored out of his mind. He could appreciate that
Carlos was a genius and a master with creating weapons, but Josh
could feel his brain going numb. Not that Josh wasn’t a smart man.
He just preferred to use his hands, not his mind, to fight evil.

“Are you thirsty?” Josh reached for the door handle. “I’m going to

run across the street to that little store and get a soda. You want
anything?”

“A coffee and something to snack on. All this sitting around is

making me hungry.”

“Boredom will do that to you.” Josh got out of the car, then leaned

back down to look in the window. “If you’re not careful you’ll gain
weight on that hot body of yours.” Josh walked off before Carlos
could respond. He wanted Carlos to know that he thought his body
was damn sexy, and he would know since he got to feel it pressed into
his the previous night.

Josh jogged across the street until he reached the sidewalk. He

slipped inside the little store and got a soda from the cooler and
grabbed a couple bags of chips before getting Carlos’s coffee. Josh
couldn’t understand how the man could drink so much caffeine and
still be able to sleep.

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He took the items to the cashier and paid. Josh pushed his

shoulder against the glass door to open it. The coffee sloshed out the
lid and burned his fingers. Josh had his head down as he stepped
down the sidewalk and bumped square into another person’s
shoulders.

“Fuck!” Josh let the cup of coffee fall to the ground and he shook

his hand in the air trying to fling off the hot liquid.

“Oh my gosh.” The man touched his arm. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t

even paying attention.”

“No shit.” Josh looked up, eyes hard as he glared at the stranger.

Suddenly his throat went dry and his mouth moved up and down like
a fish on dry ground. Abel was the stranger that had bumped into him.
He had yet to see Abel up close but the man was gorgeous in a pale,
tall, thin-guy kind of way. Abel’s T-shirt and jeans were splattered
with paint and he had his dark auburn hair pulled back with some sort
of elastic headband. The first thing that came to Josh’s mind was that
this guy did not look evil. If anything, he seemed terrified that he had
angered Josh for bumping in to him.

“It’s not your fault…” Josh snapped his mouth shut quickly as to

not say Abel’s name, because he was supposed to be a stranger to
him.

“Abel.” Abel smiled at him. His cream-colored skin was tinted a

soft pink.

“Nice to meet you, Abel. My name is Josh.” Josh held out his

hand and glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the parking
garage. He could practically feel Carlos’s heated stare on him.
“Seriously though, man, I wasn’t paying attention either. So no harm,
no foul.” He gave his best smile.

“Thanks, Josh.” Abel beamed at him, his green eyes seeming to

sparkle in the streetlights. Just as fast as Abel took his hand, he
dropped it and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I still feel bad
about your drink. Can I buy you another?”

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Josh could see the hopeful look in Abel’s eyes. He seemed to be

uncertain of himself and Josh had to wonder what that was all about.
If this guy knew Asher, Josh would have thought the man would be
more self-confident. According to all the stories Josh had heard,
Asher was a stubborn and selfish man who took what he wanted
without consequence to others. But Abel seemed like a skittish
schoolboy caught cheating on a test.

“You don’t have to,” Josh answered. But as he stood there looking

at Abel, a thought hit him. “The stuff here isn’t that great but if you
are offering to brew me up a fresh cup, I wouldn’t turn that down.”
They had been watching this guy for two days and nothing had come
of it. Maybe if Josh could get into Abel’s apartment he could find
something.

“Um…” Abel sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and nibbled

on the rosy flesh. Had Josh not been so attracted to Carlos, the action
would have been cute. “I do live close, but my place is a mess.”

“I don’t mind.” Josh held up his hand the coffee had spilt on. “It’d

also give me a chance to wash my hand.” Abel looked at Josh’s hand
then over his shoulder as if he were nervous. But Josh sensed it was
more shyness than anything else. “But you don’t have to. I’m new in
town and keep crazy hours, so you’re the first person I’ve actually
met and talked to besides coworkers.” The lies were flowing smoothly
out of his mouth. Josh was on a roll.

“Sure, why not.” Abel held the door open to the store and let Josh

step in front of him. “But first I need to get some paper towels.”

While Abel picked out what he needed, Josh waited. The vibrating

of his phone had him pulling the device out. Carlos’s number flashed
across the screen, but Josh hit decline and shoved it back into his
pocket.

“You ready?” Abel asked with a smile on his face.
“Very.” Josh walked along side Abel back toward his apartment.
“Do you live close to here?” Abel asked.

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“Down a block.” Abel stopped in front of his building and

punched in a code to open the door. “I actually live in the apartments
behind this one.” Josh remembered Lachlan telling him there were
more apartments behind Abel’s.

His phone vibrated again, this time with a text message. Josh

looked at the screen and in all caps Carlos asked, WHAT ARE YOU
DOING??

Josh ignored it again and put the phone back in his pocket.
Once they reached the third floor, Abel opened the door to his

apartment. Josh was shocked to see the man hadn’t even locked it.
Once inside, Josh’s eyes went wide. The apartment was one large
open space. The walls were a stark white against the dark hardwood
floors. The kitchen ran along the same wall as the front door and all
the appliances were stainless steel. It looked tidy except for the back
half of the living space where several different paintings rested
against the wall and on easels.

“You’re an artist,” Josh said as he walked toward the man’s

working space. The painting Josh stopped at was as tall as him, and
just as wide. Purples and dark blues swam in swirls on the canvas.
Josh wasn’t sure what it was, but he found it calming and nice to look
at.

“I paint a lot of abstracts.” Abel said from behind him. “I’ve been

working on this one for a few days.”

“It’s beautiful,” Josh said in awe as he took a step closer. Mixed in

the purple and blues was a deep pinkish-red color. It made Josh think
of the evening sky.

“Thanks!” Abel bounded off to the kitchen to start the coffee.
Josh tore his attention from the painting and walked over to the

windows. He raised his hand and gave a slight wave toward where he
knew Carlos was watching. Josh could handle himself and didn’t want
Carlos to worry.

“Here you go.” Abel handed him a steaming mug of coffee.
Josh blew over the hot surface, then took a sip.

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“So you said you were new in town.” Abel kicked off his shoes

and curled his legs under him as he sat on the couch.

“Yeah.” Josh eased back on the couch.
Josh made up a story to tell Abel and he seemed to be buying it.

He lied and said he worked nighttime security at a warehouse down
off of Locust Street and that he lived alone. The words flew from his
mouth as if he were telling the truth. Josh said his family had all died
and he moved around a lot. Abel didn’t ask a lot of questions. He just
nodded at the appropriate times and kept an easy smile on his face.

“Enough about me.” Josh set his now empty mug down on the

coffee table. “What about you?” Josh looked in the direction of all the
paintings filling up all the available space in Abel’s apartment.

“Not much to tell, really.” Abel removed the headband from his

hair and the straight dark strands shrouded his face as he tilted his
head forward, avoiding Josh’s eyes.

“Bullshit.” Josh laughed out loud. “Look at all this.” He stood up

and went to stand in front of a painting. This one was a view of the
bay done in the same flowing strokes similar to the abstract painting
that had caught Josh’s eye when he stepped into the apartment.
“You’re obviously talented.”

“So they tell me.” Abel answered as he stepped beside Josh.
The way Abel looked at his work was almost with a critical eye.

Like he didn’t believe it was beautiful art. Josh had to wonder if that
was an artist thing.

“So do you have any family or friends here in San Francisco?”

Josh asked, trying to find something out about Abel.

“No.” Abel turned away from him. “I, too, lost my parents, and

friends are a luxury I don’t have time for.” Abel picked up a rubber
band and pulled his hair back at the nap of his neck. “Can I ask you
something?”

“Sure, shoot.” Josh kept an easy smile on his face even though he

was a little annoyed. Abel didn’t give anything away and just

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admitted he didn’t have any friends. Maybe that witch was wrong
about Abel and he was just an innocent person.

“Can I draw you?” Abel was already moving around his studio

getting a fresh canvas and a black pencil.

“Now?” The phone in Josh pocket shook again with what he

expected was another angry text from Carlos.

“Sure, why not?” Abel grinned at him and it reminded Josh of the

way a child would when excited about something. Josh looked out the
window and when he turned back to Abel, the man started to nibble
on his lip again. “But if you have to go, I’ll understand.” He crossed
his thin arms over his chest.

Josh debated his options. He could either leave and go back to the

car and get yelled at by Carlos for even engaging with their target, or
he could stay and pray he got lucky enough for Abel to tell him
something of importance. There was no doubt he was already going to
be in trouble for this, so he might as well go all the way.

“No, I’d love to stay.” Abel gave him a huge smile that caused

dimples to form in his cheeks. “But I’m not taking my clothes off.”
Josh teased. “You’d have to at least buy me dinner first.”

“I totally understand.” Abel’s cheeks reddened as he motioned for

Josh to sit down on the couch. “Here, if you could just lay down
here.” Abel positioned a throw pillow behind Josh’s head and moved
Josh’s arm to drape over the side of the couch. He pulled off Josh’s
shoes and socks and moved to Josh’s other arm to lie across his
stomach. Abel took a step back and admired Josh’s prone body.
“Perfect.”

Josh shrugged his shoulders and yawned as Abel grabbed his

supplies and set up right in front of the couch. Lying down like this
was relaxing and the silence in the apartment helped ease Josh into
sleep. He knew it wasn’t smart, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open a
second longer. Something inside him told him Abel wasn’t a threat
and he hoped that his gut feeling was right.

“Hey, Josh, wake up.”

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Josh cracked open his eyes, then jumped up once his surroundings

came into focus.

“What time is it?” Josh rubbed at his eyes and reached in his

pocket for his phone. He cursed under his breath when he saw that the
battery had died.

“Just after eight.” Abel sat down in front of Josh on the coffee

table. “You looked so peaceful I hated to wake you, but I didn’t know
if you had somewhere you had to be this morning.”

“No, thanks, I appreciate it.” Josh ran a hand through his hair. He

looked over Abel’s shoulder to see the drawling he did of Josh. “You
did that all last night?” Josh asked as he stood up and walked over to
the picture. “It’s amazing.”

“Thanks.” Abel blushed and nervously crossed his arms over his

chest. “I had a very attractive model and looking at you all night
wasn’t a hardship by any means.”

Josh turned to face Abel. Abel looked at him from under his

eyelashes and Josh hated himself for leading the other man on. Sure,
he found Abel hot, but his heart belong to another and Abel was just
an assignment. A person he might never see again. For some reason,
that thought saddened him.

“I better get going.” Josh swallowed around the knot in his throat.

He slipped on his shoes and headed toward the front door.

“Hey, Josh.” Abel opened the door to his apartment for Josh. “If

you’re not doing anything tonight, would you like to attend my art
show with me?” Abel lifted his hand and started to chew on his
fingernail. “These showings make me nervous and I don’t have
anyone else to attend with me. If you have other things going on, you
don’t have to come.”

Josh could see the loneliness in Abel’s eyes and Josh felt guilty

for lying to the man. He knew he should say no, but he just couldn’t
make the words come. “I’d love to go with you. What time should I
pick you up?” Abel pulled him in for a tight hug and Josh hesitantly

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lifted his arms to hug him back. He was more than a little surprised
when Abel’s soft, full lips kissed him on the cheek.

Once Josh left the apartment, he went down a block and

backtracked to come in the rear entrance to the parking garage. His
pulse raced with the argument he knew he was about to have with
Carlos. When he reached the third level, he wasn’t just greeted by a
pissed off Carlos, but Garrett and Lachlan as well.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Carlos started in on him.

“You had me terrified out of my mind.”

“I had it under control, Carlos.” Josh defended himself. He wasn’t

a child who needed looking out for.

“Oh yeah?” Carlos nodded his head in a sarcastic manner and

crossed his arms over his chest. “When exactly? Hmm?” Carlos took
a step closer to him. “When you were asleep on his couch, or when
you were hugging him?”

“At least someone wanted to touch me.” Josh snapped back. He

wasn’t even sure whey he said that. In the last couple of days, he and
Carlos had been getting along, but he didn’t like being treated like he
couldn’t take care of himself.

Had Josh not seen it with his own eyes, he would think it was

impossible. The space around Carlos went wavy like the air around a
fire burning hot. Heat floated off of Carlos’s body and it burned
slightly on Josh’s skin.

“Hey, guys, calm down.” Lachlan walked over to them and

pushed Josh back a step. “Josh, Carlos is right. You shouldn’t have
gone into Abel’s apartment. He could have hurt you.”

Josh met Carlos’s hard stare and a silent battle warred between

them. Finally, out of self-preservation he turned away.

“I’m fully aware of what Abel could have done to me, but there’s

something about the guy.” Josh raised his hand to rub at his forehead.
“I think we have it all wrong. After getting to know Abel, I don’t
think he’s some evil mastermind.”

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“Oh because he was nice to you and kissed you good-bye, you

think he’s Mister Perfect, is that it?” Carlos glared at him.

“No, because I can get a pretty good read on a person, and right

now my gut is telling me you’re an asshole.”

“Enough.” Lachlan spoke before Carlos got the chance. “Josh,

what makes you think he’s so innocent?”

As quickly as he could, he explained about last night. How he and

Abel ran into each other and how nervous the other man had been.
Even at his apartment, Abel was shy.

“All he does is paint and draw.” Josh leaned back against the car.

He didn’t bother meeting Carlos’s stare. “He doesn’t have any
friends. His apartment is devoid of anything personal like family
photos or magazines. The guy seems to be extremely lonely.”

“It could be an act,” Garrett suggested.
“Maybe.” Josh lifted a shoulder. “Oh, by the way, I agreed to

attend his art show as his guest tonight.”

“You did what?” Carlos shouted.
“Carlos, would you please get ahold of yourself?” Lachlan turned

his attention back to Josh. “You did what?” he asked in a calmer tone
than Carlos.

“Look, guys, we aren’t getting anything from sitting out here

watching Abel all day and night. And after last night, I’m convinced
he doesn’t have a clue who or where Asher is.” He raised a hand to
silence Carlos as he started to open his mouth. “Sure, he could be a
great liar, but I’m not buying it. I think this man isn’t evil. Hell, I
didn’t smell anything off about him either. He reeks of paint and
turpentine but not magic or vampire like Asher. I think if I can get to
know Abel a little better, he might be able to give us some more
information.”

“He has a point.” Garrett spoke up. “If Abel doesn’t know

anything, we could just be spinning our wheels here.”

“He has to know something.” Carlos threw his hands in the air.

“My grandmother’s friend said this man would lead us to Asher.”

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“Maybe she was wrong.” Josh met Carlos’s hard stare. “I think we

should be sure before we condemn the man.”

“I have to agree with Josh.” A deep sigh passed Lachlan’s lips.

“We need to be certain. Josh, you’ll go on this date with Abel and
we’ll follow close behind.”

“You can’t be serious?” Carlos asked Lachlan. “This could be a

trap. You know how the Warriors of the Dark work.”

“Josh is like a brother to me, Carlos. I’d never allow him to be

harmed. I trust his judgment.”

Josh’s chest swelled with pride at Lachlan’s words.
After a few more attempts by Carlos to get them to change their

minds about letting Josh go with Abel to the art show, they left the
parking garage. The walk back to the hotel with a brooding Carlos
wasn’t fun at all. He walked in front of Josh and people stepped out of
his way as he passed by.

As they took the elevator up to their room, Josh didn’t look

forward to the next few hours alone with Carlos. In the few days he’d
known Carlos, he hadn’t seen him like this. There would be no
cuddling for them today.

Josh stared at Carlos’s back as he followed him down the hallway

to their room. Something hit him. Was Carlos mad because he was
worried about Josh, or because he was jealous? The childish part of
Josh swooned at the thought of making Carlos jealous. It’d serve him
right.

“After you, princess.” Carlos thrust open the door for Josh to go

ahead of him.

“Ha, ha, very funny.” Josh kicked off his shoes and reached inside

his bag to grab some clothes. “Stop acting like a fucking child.”

“Me?” Carlos pointed his finger at his own chest. “I’m not the one

running off doing whatever the hell I want in the middle of the night
with another man.”

Josh turned around and leaned his hip against the desk. “If I didn’t

know better, I’d say you were jealous, Carlos.”

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“Jealous of what?” Carlos sneered in Josh’s face.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Josh rolled his eyes, doing his best to keep

his heart beating slowly at the nearness of Carlos. “Maybe because I
spent the night with another man and I must say, Abel has very soft
lips.” Josh made a smacking sound with his lips. It was like poking an
angry bear. Josh knew it was foolish but he wanted a reaction from
Carlos.

“You selfish little prick.” Carlos spun around to pace the floor. As

he turned around to walk back toward Josh, he leveled him with a
hard stare. “Does being mates mean nothing to you?”

Josh’s first reaction was to smile and pump his fist in the air, but

he held in that impulse. Carlos finally admitted they were mates and
by his show of jealousy, he did have strong feelings toward Josh.

“So you did know!” Josh shouted in an accusing tone. It was a

small victory that Josh wanted to relish.

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Chapter Seven

“Of course I knew.” Carlos flung his hands in the air.
“Then why didn’t you say anything before now?” Josh asked as he

stepped in Carlos’s path.

“Why didn’t you?” He countered, too angry to say anything more.

Carlos was an adult and he shouldn’t be acting like a pissed off
teenager, but fuck! He’d been so scared when he watched Josh go into
Abel’s apartment that he damn near ran across the street and broke
down the door. He couldn’t allow himself to destroy any hope they
might have of finding Asher, so he had no other choice but to sit and
watch.

It had to have been the longest night of his life watching his mate

in the company of another man. Then to see Josh hug and allow Abel
to kiss him on the cheek had Carlos so upset he could feel flames
burning at his fingertips. He had to clench his fists to keep from
setting something on fire.

“Because you didn’t show any sign of recognition that I was

yours.” Josh’s tilted his chin up, doing his best to look down his nose
at Carlos. “What’s the point if I have to spell it out for you?”

“Oh my god!” Carlos fisted his fingers in his hair. “You’re such a

brat.”

“Excuse me?” Josh grabbed Carlos’s shoulder then pushed him

away.

“I knew the moment I laid eyes on you, but I couldn’t allow

myself to be distracted.” Carlos admitted. “I was sent here to find
answers that might lead me to finding my friend. I had to stay
focused.”

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“So you chose to ignore me.” Josh gritted his teeth together so

loudly that Carlos could hear it.

“A lot of good it did me. I woke up that first morning wrapped

around your body, and then the kiss the other day. Wasn’t it obvious
that I was interested in you?”

“Yeah, but you never said anything, asshole.” Josh took a step

back, his jaw still clenched tight. “I thought it was me you didn’t
want, then I woke up with you all over me and even then you never
said a single word. It made me feel like I wasn’t important to you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Josh. The world can’t stop just because you want

it to. We are warriors first and foremost. Nothing else matters.”
Carlos wanted to pull those words back into his mouth but it was too
late.

“You fucking jerk!” Josh screamed just before he pulled his arm

back then flung his fist at Carlos’s face.

Carlos reacted fast enough to grab Josh’s fist in his hand and spun

him around. “Stop acting like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum,”
he whispered harshly in Josh’s ear.

“Fuck you!” Josh tried to break free of Carlos’s hold. He twisted

his upper body while trying to stomp on Carlos’s foot.

The more Josh fidgeted around, the more turned on Carlos

became. His dick became rock hard and he pressed his thick length
into Josh’s firm ass. “I thought you would never ask.” He shoved Josh
to the bed and covered him with his body.

Carlos fisted a handful of Josh’s hair and wrenched his head to the

side. Josh cried out at the rough handling, but Carlos didn’t care. It
was too late to turn back now.

He kissed and nipped at the side of Josh’s neck. It didn’t take long

before Josh was arching up into his touch and moaning. Carlos
straddled Josh’s hips and sat up. He grabbed the hem of Josh’s shirt
and yanked it over his head. Not wanting to give Josh the chance to
escape, he ripped Josh’s shorts down the center, exposing his white,

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smooth ass. Carlos placed one hand at Josh’s neck to hold him in
place and the other he used to grope at the bare cheeks before him.

“What are you doing?” Josh asked in a strained voice as he thrust

his ass up in the air, grinding the firm mounds into Carlos’s hard
cock.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Carlos bent down to lick a path

up Josh’s back until he reached his ear. He flicked his tongue along
the delicate shell. “I’m giving you what you wanted.”

“Not like this.” Josh tried to sit up. “I want to fuck you, not you

fucking me.”

“After what you did to me last night”—Carlos lowered his mouth

to suck up a small bruise on Josh’s shoulder—“I’d say I’ve earned the
pleasure of taking your ass.”

“But…” Josh tried to sit up but Carlos held him down, pressed

into the mattress.

“But what?” Carlos shifted enough to push his knees between

Josh’s thighs and forced his legs apart. He slowly worked his way
down, kissing and nipping at the soft skin covering the hard muscles
twitching in Josh’s back.

Carlos spread his hands wide on Josh’s ass and massaged the firm

cheeks apart, exposing Josh’s tiny hole. No hair shaded the pink
opening, just creamy skin waiting for Carlos’s eager tongue.

Josh tried to prop himself up and in the process brought his ass in

the air, and Carlos flicked out his tongue. He pointed the tip and
circled the rippled flesh, then went lower to tongue at Josh’s balls.

“Oh my god.” Josh’s body quivered, then fell back to the bed.
Carlos smiled as he flattened his tongue and ran the length from

Josh’s hairless ball sack all the way up to Josh’s ass at the small of his
back. He bit down hard on the left cheek, soothing the sting with his
lips and tongue. As Carlos worked his way back down, he reached
underneath Josh and pulled his cock backwards to face his face. He
licked the bead of pre-cum from the tip and Josh let out of howl of
pleasure. Carlos couldn’t wait to claim his mate.

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For some reason, every good intention Carlos had had in wanting

to wait to bed Josh seemed ridiculous now. They were destined to be
together and he couldn’t stop it. He didn’t want to stop it. Up until a
few days ago, work had been the most important thing to him, but
now he’d changed his mind. With him neglecting his duties as a mate,
Josh had every reason to be angry at him. Sure, Josh could have said
something, but Josh was young. From just observing the man, Carlos
could see he was hot tempered and had very little impulse control.

He didn’t want to give Josh an excuse for balking at the mate

issue but he, too, was grateful the younger man hadn’t brought it up.
There was an age gap between them but they both had one thing in
common, fear of losing someone they loved. He’d lost his mother and
sister and Josh had lost his mother and best friend. They’d both
suffered such great losses over the years, there was no wonder they
were both emotionally awkward toward one another.

“Fuck, you taste so good,” Carlos said against Josh’s twitching

hole as he ate at his opening. “I need you.” He sat up, tore his shirt
over his head, flung it to the floor, and then shoved his pants down.

“I need you, too,” Josh whimpered as he looked over his shoulder

at Carlos. “I need to feel you inside me. Please, Carlos, show me how
much you need me, too.” Josh circled his hips and his hands clenched
the sheet by his head. A fine sheen of sweat covered his back and
Carlos could feel his mouth fill with drool, so eager to lick the man
from head to toe. Carlos stuck two fingers in his mouth, getting them
nice and wet, then eased the digits into Josh’s hole.

Tight, clenching heat surrounded his fingers and Josh gasped and

buried his head into the pillow. Carlos bent down and licked around
Josh’s opening and spat at his hole, using his fingers to work the
wetness up his tight channel.

Sex wasn’t on the list of things to do that Carlos had mentally

compiled in his head when he got on the plane, so he didn’t have
access to any lube, but maybe…

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“Baby, do you have any lube or lotion?” Carlos kept his fingers

buried in Josh’s ass as he leaned over his mate’s back, covering him
with his heat.

“No.” Josh panted, his eye still shut tight. “Just do it.” He whined

as he thrust his hips back into Carlos’s hand.

The need to claim overrode his better judgment. Josh was so tight

that Carlos didn’t want to hurt him when he shoved all eight inches
into his snug channel, but he also couldn’t wait a second longer to feel
that smooth, wet heat surrounding his cock.

Carlos moved back down to Josh’s ass and licked around his

fingers, taking in the sweet, salty flavor of his mate and inhaling his
musky scent. His eyes rolled back in his head and he had had enough.
He pulled his fingers free, spat in his hand, and then coated the
wetness onto his steely shaft. He lined up the blunt tip to Josh’s hole
and smeared the pre-cum leaking out the head. Josh moaned loudly
and tried to crawl up the bed as Carlos applied pressure to the tiny
starburst. Carlos wrapped his hands around Josh’s waist and held him
still as he eased the head into the hot heat.

“Carlos!” Josh’s body tensed up, almost pushing his cock out. But

Carlos held firm and pushed in further.

“Come on, baby.” Carlos pulled out just a little, then worked his

way back inside. The smooth walls clamped down around him and
nearly had him spilling his seed. “I’m finally giving you what you
wanted.” Carlos let out a loud groan as he bottomed out. “What we
both wanted.”

Josh didn’t say another word. Carlos could feel his lover relax but

tense up as he started to move his cock. Not wanting to hurt Josh,
Carlos fell forward, supporting his weight on his elbows as he kissed
the area right behind Josh’s ear.

“You feel so good wrapped around my cock,” he whispered into

Josh’s ear. “No one’s ever felt this good.” He sucked Josh’s earlobe
into his mouth. “No one.”

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“Yeah?” Josh opened his eyes, doing his best to meet Carlos’s

stare. “You mean that?”

“With every inch of my body.” Carlos angled his head to kiss

Josh’s lips. His dick shifted deeper, pulling a moan from Josh’s
throat. “I’d never lie to you.”

Josh closed his eyes and ducked his head down away from Carlos.

He could feel Josh wiggle his hips and he groaned at the sparks of
sensation the action sent shooting up his spine.

“I’m ready.” Josh mumbled into the bedspread and jerked his hips

upward, shoving his ass along Carlos’s hard pole.

Carlos started out slow, making sweet love to Josh’s ass, every in-

and-out stroke equally measured to give them both pleasure. But as
the pressure mounted, his hips thrust harder and deeper into Josh’s
tender opening.

“God, you feel so good.” Carlos wrapped his hands under Josh’s

chest to anchor his hands over his shoulders for leverage. “I’m so
close.”

“Me, too.” Josh pushed up as best he could on his knees, trying to

meet Carlos’s slamming thrust. “Please make me cum.”

Carlos held Josh tight as he rolled over onto his back, putting Josh

on top of him. He braced his feet on the bed as he bounced Josh up
and down on his hard cock. Josh cried out from the new position and
reached back to fist his hands in Carlos’s hair. The added sting to his
scalp had him growling out his need and pumping his dick harder into
Josh.

“I’m…I’m…Fuck, Carlos, I want to come.” Josh’s words were

followed by a deep howl that echoed off the walls.

Leaving one arm twined around Josh’s waist, he used the other to

reach down and fist Josh’s pulsing shaft in his hand. He jerked the
delicate flesh at the same pace as his rutting hips. He wanted it to be
good for Josh. Wanted his mate to came hard and fast and come apart
in Carlos’s arms.

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“Carlos.” Josh cried out as his cock erupted in Carlos’s hand,

sending hot jizz spilling over his fingers.

The tightening of Josh’s inner walls and the feel of his sticky cum

was all it took. Carlos pounded into Josh two more times before he
exploded, filling Josh’s hungry hole with his cum. He unleashed a
load so thick he could feel it swirling around his invading shaft as he
continued to pump into Josh’s lax body.

Carlos’s body quaked with aftershocks as he held Josh snug to his

chest. He could feel the rise and fall of Josh’s chest as he eased down
from the high of his orgasm.

All too soon, Josh rolled to the side and Carlos’s softening cock

slipped out of his wet hole. Josh curled into a ball, facing away from
him, and didn’t say a word. Carlos didn’t like this side of Josh. Why
was he so quiet?

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” Carlos rolled to his side and gently

ran his fingers up and down Josh’s ribcage down to his hip.

“Nothing,” Josh whispered so softly Carlos barely heard him.
“Then what’s the matter?” Josh slowly rolled over to face Carlos.

He had his hands tucked up under his chin and his eyes looked damp,
as if he were about to cry. “Josh, did I hurt you?” Carlos started to sit
up, afraid he’d been too rough with his mate.

“No.” Josh chuckled. “I just…” Josh’s eyes roamed over Carlos’s

face. “I just didn’t know that would feel so good.” He started to laugh
so hard the bed shook.

“Huh?” Carlos propped up on his elbow and looked down at Josh.

“Do you mean that you didn’t know sex with me would feel that
good?”

“No.” Josh sat up, copying Carlos’s pose. “I’ve only had sex with

one other person and I never…” Josh sucked in his lower lip and
chewed at the swollen flesh. “The few times we’d done it, I was
always on top.”

“Oh,” Carlos said doing his best to follow along until it struck

him. “You were a virgin?” Josh nodded his head and looked away.

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Carlos felt like an ass for taking Josh so roughly. He should have
taken better care of his mate. Used lube, for heaven’s sake.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Josh said softly, then dropped his

gaze to stare at the space between them. “I knew if I told you, you
would have stopped.” Josh looked back up at him. “And that was the
last thing I wanted you to do. We’d finally broken down one wall I
didn’t want to throw another one up in its place.”

“Baby, I wouldn’t have been upset.”
“No, but you would have stopped.” Josh arched an eyebrow at

him. “You’re a nice guy and I knew you would have used the excuse
of not wanting to hurt me. Don’t get me wrong, I was terrified at
first.” He giggled and the sound was music to Carlos’s ears. “But
deep down, I knew you would never hurt me. Granted, you were so
pissed off about earlier, but even then you didn’t raise a hand in anger
toward me or call me stupid and belittle me.”

“I’d never do such a thing.” Carlos scooted closer, wrapped an

arm around Josh’s waist and kissed his forehead. “Why would you
even think that?”

“Because my father would have.” Josh looked away from Carlos,

shame clearly written on his face.

“What do you mean?” Josh had told him about his mother but

never spoke a word about his father in the short time they’d known
each other. “Did you two not get along?”

Josh bit out a bitter laugh. “That would be an understatement.”
Carlos pulled Josh closer to his chest and kissed the top of his

head. “Talk to me, Josh, please.”

“My father was never really loving toward me, even before my

mother died.” Josh rubbed is head into Carlos chest, snuggling closer.
“Once she was gone, he started to treat me even more poorly. He’d
insult me and beat me if I didn’t do things exactly the way he wanted.
Then when he found out Garrett was gay, he no longer wanted me to
live with the rest of the pack. I knew what waited for me if I went
back to live with my father. He was so bitter and cruel. I just couldn’t

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do it.” Josh voice cracked and wetness dripped onto Carlos’ chest.
“Especially after discovering that I was gay. It would have just been
one more thing to give him an excuse to hit me and put me down.

 

He

would have killed me.”

“Josh.” Carlos pulled Josh into a hug. Their position was awkward

but he refused to let go. “I will never hurt you and I’ll kill anyone
who tries to.” It was a promise Carlos intended on keeping. Josh was
his now, and no one would ever be allowed to lay a finger on him
again.

“Don’t do that.” Josh tried to push Carlos away. “Don’t feel sorry

for me.”

“Baby, I don’t feel sorry for you, but I hate knowing that your

father was cruel to you. Being a parent doesn’t give you the right to
beat your children.” Carlos didn’t know his own father. He’d passed
away before he was born but still he couldn’t imagine a parent doing
that to their own child.

“It doesn’t, but it did make me stronger.” Josh’s upper lip tugged

up into a grin. “I’m one stubborn son of a bitch.”

“I’d have to agree with you there.” Carlos chuckled. He cupped

his hand to the side of Josh’s face and stared into his big brown eyes.
“But know this, now that you’re mine, no one will ever hurt you
again.”

“I’m yours now, huh?” Josh made a popping sound with his lips.
“You better believe it.” Carlos rolled on top of Josh and pinned

his arms above his head.

“If I only knew going out on a date with another guy would cause

this reaction, I would have done it sooner,” Josh teased.

“I have no doubt in my mind that you would have done just that.”

Carlos lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on Josh’s lips.

They kissed for a little longer until Josh yawned. Carlos climbed

off him and pulled the comforter up to cover their naked bodies. They
were covered in sweat and cum, but Carlos didn’t care and Josh didn’t
seem to mind, either. He curled in behind Josh, spooning him.

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Between the flurry of emotions and the great sex, Carlos was

exhausted. The sound of Josh’s soft and even breathing let Carlos
know he’d already fallen asleep. Carlos smiled against Josh’s hair and
closed his eyes. Sleep was a welcome friend.

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Chapter Eight

“So technically we’re not mates, yet,” Josh said as he climbed out

of the bed. They woke before the alarm and were getting ready to
shower.

“What do you mean?” Carlos yawned and stretched as he stood

up. “You know we are mates. I know that we are mates. We’ve
already discussed this.”

“Yes, but we haven’t completed the blood-sex-magic ritual.” Josh

didn’t want it to seem like he was complaining, but…

“Are you serious?” Carlos laughed as he headed toward the

bathroom. “That ritual is how humans are about marriage. It’s just a
piece of paper and in our case, it’s a minor technicality.”

“So you don’t want to complete the mating bond with me?” Josh

stretched his arms over his head on the doorframe to the bathroom.
His eyes roamed over Carlos’s gloriously dark, tanned naked body as
he reached into the shower to adjust the water temperature.

“I didn’t say that, but will it change anything for you? Will you

want me any less?”

Josh found it hard to concentrate as Carlos’s heavy cock swung

from side to side as he walked from the shower to the sink. The lean
muscles of his body pulled and flexed as he moved. Josh could feel
his arousal building with each passing second. He didn’t know how
he’d survive going a minute without touching his mate.

“Hello!” Carlos waved a hand in front of his face. A smile curled

his upper lip.

“I’m sorry.” Josh looked away, trying to hide the blush spreading

across his cheeks. “Nothing will change if we don’t complete the

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bond, but I think for me, being a wolf shifter, the need to mark and
claim you is stronger.” Josh shrugged. “You’re a witch, bro, your
wiring must be different or some shit.”

“Did you just call me bro?” Carlos cocked an eyebrow at Josh,

then reached for him. Josh tried to squirm away, but Carlos’s hold
was too strong. “You have to promise to never call me that again,”
Carlos said with a smile. He wrapped his arms low on Josh’s waist,
then leaned his bottom against the counter.

“Then what am I allowed to call you?” Josh rested his hands on

Carlos’s smooth chest. He let his fingers drift across his mate’s
nipples. The pebbled peaks grew tighter. Josh’s cock twitched as his
desire for Carlos spun tighter.

“You can call me Carlos.” Carlos nipped at Josh’s jaw. “Lover.”

The lips on his jaw moved lower down Josh’s neck. “Mate.” Josh
gasped as Carlos sucked deeply at his shoulder. “I’d even settle for
boyfriend.” He pulled back to grin at Josh.

“How about all the above.” Josh lightly pushed his hips into

Carlos’s. His cock lay trapped between them while Carlos’s hung
low, brushing up against Josh’s balls. “But if you want me to call you
mate then you have to let me claim you as one.”

The wolf in Josh needed that. Witches were a different breed of

paranormals. The animalistic need found in shifters and even
vampires could drive one crazy when it came to their mates. It was a
connection they craved and Josh was no different. Now that he and
Carlos had made love, his blood boiled with the need to claim the
older man. They were destined to be together. Why wait or hold off
on sealing their fate together?

“It’s really that important to you?” Carlos asked. His hands ran

slowly up and down Josh’s back in a hypnotic pattern.

“Very,” Josh answered honestly. They had already spent too much

time dancing around the whole mate issue. Now that they had agreed
to be together, Josh wanted to make it official. “Isn’t it to you?”

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“Sure.” Carlos sucked in a deep breath as if to gain courage.

“When I say this you, can’t laugh at me, okay?” Josh nodded his
head. “The whole biting-and-blood thing freaks me out just a little
bit.”

“You worked for the council and you’re a warrior, for goodness

sake. How can you be afraid of blood? The biting I get, but blood?
Really?” Josh had to purse his lips together to keep from laughing.

“I might be a warrior, but I haven’t had to deal with too much

hand-to-hand combat. The council wanted me for my brains, not my
fighting ability.”

“Well you are one sexy-as-fuck nerd.” Josh stepped in closer and

dipped his head to kiss Carlos’s lips. The sweet taste of his mate
fueled him on to reach down between them and stroke Carlos’s hard
cock.

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Carlos eased

back. “If you promise to be gentle, I’ll let you claim me.”

Josh’s head popped up at the softly spoken words. Carlos’s brow

was creased and his body seemed abnormally tense.

“Carlos, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.” It was a lie. Josh

wanted nothing more than to mark Carlos for others to see. He was
proud to have found a mate as gorgeous and smart as Carlos. It was
the selfishness in Josh poking out its ugly head but Josh really did
want this. No, he needed this from Carlos. This had been the first time
he’d actually been happy since Victor’s death. Carlos was his new
lease on life.

“Oh, whatever.” Carlos chucked. “If I don’t do this, you’re going

to pout until you get your way and I don’t need you setting up any
more dates with strange men just to punish me.”

“I didn’t do that to punish you.” Josh placed both his hands on

either side of Carlos’s face. “I’m a warrior and I saw an opportunity
to maybe get some information we weren’t getting by sitting and
staring at Abel’s apartment all day. Believe me when I say I want
only you.”

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“I know that, but still, it hurts.” Carlos curled his fingers around

Josh’s hips. “I’m two hundred and seventy-one years old and I must
say, I’ve never been so jealous in my life as when I saw Abel touch
you. I’m too old to be acting like a pissed-off teenager.”

“True, but I liked it when you got angry. You took charge and

made me bend to your will.” Josh winked at him. “It was kind of
sexy. No one’s ever stood up to me like that. Well, no one that I had a
strong urge to sleep with.”

“I’ll have to remember that when you get out of line.” Carlos

sucked Josh’s bottom lip between his.

Josh groaned into Carlos’s mouth and moved his hand around to

the back of his lover’s neck. He massaged the hard muscles under the
soft skin and pushed himself harder into Carlos’s body. Steam filled
the bathroom from the forgotten shower as Josh rammed his tongue
into Carlos’s mouth, tasting him so deeply his body started to shake.

“Josh, hold up a sec.” Carlos pushed Josh back a step then hopped

up on the counter behind him. He positioned his feet on the edge and
spread his thighs apart, exposing his hole. A light dusting of dark hair
grew in the crease and around the tight pink opening. “I want you to
claim me.”

“Any place in particular that you want me to bite you?” Josh

trailed the fingers of his right hand up Carlos’s chest.

“Right here.” Carlos grabbed Josh’s hand when it reached just

above his heart.

Josh rushed forward and sealed his lips to Carlos’s. His hands

roamed up and down his mate’s body, memorizing every dip and
groove of his muscled chest, thighs and arms. He couldn’t get enough.

With one hand, Josh pulled Carlos’s shaft upward to pump the

fleshy, hard pole. He used the other hand to caress lightly from
Carlos’s balls down to his hole. Carlos moaned as Josh teased the
tight opening. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and stuck them
inside to wet them.

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Carlos let out a shout as Josh pushed the two fingers in alongside

one another and worked him open. The feel of the tight, snug channel
had beads of pre-cum dripping from the tip of Josh’s cock to land on
the tiled floor.

A small tray of soaps and glasses sat on the far corner of the sink.

Josh reached for the bottle that said lotion. Carlos eyed him funny and
Josh held up his treasure. He used his teeth to twist off the cap and
squeezed the white contents onto his fingers. Josh gently worked the
cool lotion up inside Carlos, easing the dry friction of fingering him.
Carlos leaned further back into the mirror behind him and panted with
each thrust of Josh’s fingers. He shoved a third in, then quickly added
a fourth.

“I’m ready.” Carlos panted as he raised his hips off the counter to

work Josh’s fingers deeper.

Josh pulled his hand free from Carlos’s and squeezed the

remainder of the lotion on his dick and rubbed it in. He wrapped his
hands around Carlos’s thighs and pulled him to the edge of the
counter. With one hand still holding on to Carlos’s leg, Josh used the
other to guide his cock into Carlos’s scorching heat. The head slid in
with ease and Carlos moaned, and his eyes fell shut.

So many sensations coursed through Josh’s body as he pushed

deeper into Carlos’s ass. The inner depths felt hotter than normal and
Josh started to sweat. He worked his hips in and out, gradually
picking up the pace.

The sound of their sweaty bodies smacking together drowned out

the sound of the shower running in the background.

A sharp and welcoming sting bit at Josh’s gum tissue. His canines

were descending, causing his lips to push back and bulge, and his
fingertips tingled as his claws came out. Josh looked up into the
mirror at his reflection and saw that his eyes had started to glow a
bright amber.

“You look beautiful like that.” Carlos raised his hand to brush his

thumb over Josh’s upper lip.

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Josh closed his eyes and took deep breathes. He didn’t want to

come too soon, but Carlos’s engulfing heat was making it hard to hold
back.

Carlos let out a long, drawn-out groan and Josh opened his eyes.

His mate sat up in a crunch position, one arm behind him supporting
his weight while the other hand worked his dick in a frenzy.

Josh could feel the walls of Carlos’s ass constrict and knew he

was close to coming. Bending over, he licked around Carlos’s left
nipple. Carlos’s head fell back on his shoulders and Josh pushed in
closer. He slowed the pounding of his cock and eased into slow
movements.

Carlos’s skin tasted salty from sweating and the smell rolling off

his body smelled like wood burning in a fireplace. Josh loved it.

Trailing his tongue just to the right of Carlos’s nipple, Josh sucked

the moist flesh into his mouth, prepping the skin for his bite. Carlos
brought his hand up from the counter to wrap around Josh’s head and
pulled him closer. Josh opened his mouth and allowed his sharp teeth
to pierce Carlos’s skin.

Carlos cried out and Josh quickly dropped his hand to squeeze the

base of Carlos’s cock to keep him from coming. He wanted them to
jump off that bridge together.

Josh sucked a mouthful of Carlos’s blood and savored the sweet

and cinnamon taste. Licking up as much of the oozing blood from the
wound as he could, Josh released his hold. He raised his hand to brush
over the bite mark, then pulled his cock free from Carlos’s body. Josh
swiped his fingers over his throbbing shaft, then nipped at his bottom
lip. A bead of blood trickled to the surface and he collected the drop
with his finger and wiped it onto his cock to mix with Carlos’s blood.

As he shoved his cock back into Carlos’s tight channel, he leaned

forward and kissed Carlos. The blood from his lip smeared over
Carlos’s mouth and mingled with the saliva of their kiss.

Josh pumped his hips faster. The need to come was so strong he

thought his head might explode. One, two, and on the third inward

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thrust he shot his cum deep inside Carlos. His hand never faltered on
Carlos’s raging hard-on and just like magic, cum spilled from
Carlos’s cock, splashing onto Josh’s chest.

Carlos reached out and rested his right hand over Josh’s heart.

Josh’s eyes widened as he stared into his mate’s. His brain was in a
hazy fog of pleasure but he watched as the brown of Carlos’s eyes
transformed into a glowing orange. He winced as a burning sensation
emitted from Carlos’s hand onto his chest.

Josh stood over Carlos, breathing heavily. He glanced up at the

mirror to see a light, faded burn mark on his chest from where Carlos
had touched him. He raised his hand to finger the pink, raised skin,
but it didn’t hurt. It was like a scar.

“I guess I felt the need to mark you, too.” Carlos sat up and pulled

off Josh’s deflating cock. He hopped down from the counter to look at
the mark on Josh chest. “Does it hurt?” Carlos looked down into
Josh’s eyes.

“No,” he whispered softly as he rose up to kiss Carlos’s lips. “I

love it, by the way.” And he did. With Carlos being a witch, he didn’t
have sharp teeth like a shifter or vampire, and Josh didn’t really want
to be bitten by blunt teeth. Carlos’s mark on his body was unique, just
like the man who gave it to him.

“I’m glad, because to be honest I didn’t know I was doing it.” He

brushed a kiss over Josh’s lips and jumped into the shower. “Come
on, Josh, before we use all the hot water in the hotel.”

Josh glanced in the mirror and smiled at his reflection. He could

honestly say life was damn near close to perfect right at the moment.
“I’m coming!”

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Chapter Nine

“You two smell like sex,” Lachlan greeted when he opened the

door to let Carlos and Josh into their room.

“How can you tell with your guys’ stench stinking up the room?”

Josh responded back as he glanced around the room, his nose
twitching as if he smelled something unpleasant. “You really ought to
open a window.”

“Josh,” Carlos said in a warning. “This is their room and they are

allowed to fornicate in it.”

“God, I love the way you talk.” Josh leaned in and kissed Carlos

on the lips.

Carlos let the kiss deepen for a split second before he remembered

they had an audience. “Oh, sorry about that.” His cheeks heated from
the knowing looks on his friends’ faces.

“Thank god, you two worked out your shit,” Garrett said as he sat

down on the bed to put on his shoes. Water droplets dripped from his
hair. “I couldn’t take another day of the bickering and long, lingering
stares you two gave each other. It was sickening.”

“Ignore him.” Lachlan smiled at Carlos and Josh. “He’s just

anxious about tonight. So you to finally completed the mating bond?”
Lachlan looked from Josh then to Carlos.

“Yeah, but how did you know we were mates?” Carlos asked.

“We didn’t say anything, not even to each other, about it.”

“I figured it out.” Garrett looked up at them from where he was

bent over, tying his shoelaces. “The moment Josh laid eyes on you, he
starting acting weirder than usual. Then this morning when you called
us freaking out about Josh being in Abel’s apartment. It was more

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than just concern for Josh that had you all worked up. You were flat-
out jealous.”

Carlos opened his mouth to deny it. He didn’t like others to see

emotions he, at the time, didn’t realize he was even feeling.

“Don’t stress on it, Carlos.” Lachlan patted him on the arm. “I

would have been pissed off, too.”

“Thank you, Lachlan.” Carlos wrapped his hand around the back

of Josh’s neck and gave him a little shake. “I think it’s his youth that
has him acting rash at times.”

“Hey, assholes, I’m standing right here.” Josh pulled away from

Carlos and glared at the three of them.

“Babe, we aren’t making fun of you, just pointing out one of your

flaws.” Carlos grabbed Josh by the elbow and pulled him close to
circle his arms around his waist.

“Like you don’t have any.” Josh rolled his eyes.
“I have plenty, but I didn’t willingly walk into the apartment of

the man we’ve been sent to watch. You could have gotten yourself
hurt or exposed the entire mission.” Carlos didn’t want to fight with
Josh, but he wanted his mate to understand the consequences of his
actions. He had to be smarter when it came to his safety.

“But I didn’t.” Josh turned in his arms and rested a warm palm

against his cheek. “You’ve got to learn to trust me. We’re mates now
and that’s forever, and I don’t feel like arguing for an eternity.” A grin
bloomed over Josh’s face.

“I’m really happy for you both.” Garrett stood up. “But right now

we have work to do.”

Carlos’s heart pounded in his chest as they made preparations for

Josh to go on his date with Abel. He wasn’t worried that Josh would
fall for Abel and leave him. No, he was worried about what might
happen while on said date.

The last thing his grandmother told him before he boarded his

flight for San Francisco was to be careful. If Celeste was able to find
Abel, then no telling who else might be watching him as well.

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The thought sent a shiver down Carlos’s back. Come hell or high

water, he’d keep Josh safe, even if it meant sacrificing his own life to
accomplish it.

* * * *

It was two minutes past eight and Josh stood outside Abel’s. He

rang the buzzer and Abel released the lock for the main door to the
building. Josh took the steps slowly upward until he reached Abel’s
apartment.

Josh pulled at the collar of his black button-down shirt. He’d

dressed somewhat nice for the occasion. Faded jeans and black boots
completed the outfit. He’d never been to an art showing before, but
Lachlan told him not to worry. As long as he looked decent, he’d be
fine. So Josh let Carlos help him pick out something to wear. He
could sense that Carlos wasn’t happy about him going through with
this plan, but it needed to be done. He told Carlos as much. If they
had any hope in finding Asher, they needed to be proactive.

But as Josh stood there waiting for Abel to open the door, he

couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. He was going out on a date with
another man while his mate had to watch. Yes, it was for a good
cause, but damn if Josh didn’t feel bad. He wouldn’t like it one bit if
the shoe was on the other foot and he had to watch Carlos with
another man.

“Hey, Josh,” Abel said when he opened the door.
Josh allowed himself to be pulled into another hug. He raised his

arms stiffly and gave a series of pats to Abel’s back. “You ready to
go?”

“Yeah.” Abel looked nervously around his front living room. He

heaved a sigh and turned to face Josh. “Do I look okay? I’m so
nervous.”

Josh looked at Abel’s attire. He wore a pair of loose-fitting dark

jeans and black V-neck sweater with a white shirt underneath it. The

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dark auburn hair lay loose around his chiseled face. Honestly, Josh
thought the man looked like a freaking model.

“Dude, you look great.” Josh waved toward the front door. “Now

let’s go. I’m excited to see more of your work.”

“Okay.” A rosy glow lit up Abel’s cheeks. As they walked down

the stairs, Abel said, “I hope you don’t mind but I sort of have a
surprise for you when we get to the gallery.”

“Oh, yeah?” Josh bumped shoulders with Abel. “What is it?”
“Can’t tell you.” Abel smiled so wide dimples poked at his

cheeks. “Because then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Had it been anyone else, Josh would be in a panic at what the

other man had planned for him. But Abel wasn’t like most people.
Josh would bet money the guy didn’t have an evil bone in his body
because if he did, he would have hurt Josh the other night. No, Abel
was an innocent and Josh couldn’t understand how he had
connections of any kind to Asher Guillory.

“You’ve got a point, but still.” Josh shook his head. “I’m going to

be stressing until we get there.” He looked over at Abel. “Just tell me
this. Is it a good or bad surprise?”

Abel was quiet as they walked a little ways down the sidewalk.

“Depends on how you look at it. I mean, I just hope you don’t get
mad at me.”

“Mad at you?” Josh put his arm around Abel’s shoulders. “I don’t

think that’s possible.” And he didn’t.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Abel stepped closer to Josh’s

side, sharing his personal space.

They walked like that together until they reached the art gallery.

Josh looked over his shoulder before stepping into the building. He
couldn’t see Carlos or the others, but he could feel eyes staring at him.

“You coming?” Abel asked when Josh hesitated at the door.
Josh turned to smile at Abel. “Of course.” He placed his hand at

the small of Abel’s back and ushered him through the door.

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The place was packed. Josh sidled up close to Abel as they walked

through the narrow building. Every now and again, someone would
stop Abel and of course, Abel would introduce Josh. He shook so
many hands he felt the need to go wash them.

Men and women raved about Abel, requesting that he do a one of

a kind painting just for them. Josh found it quite annoying. Poor Abel
just stood there and nodded his head and accepted the business cards
the people handed them.

“Excuse me, ladies and gentleman.” A short, thin man came to

their rescue. “Anything you might need from Mr. Brossard goes
through me. Okay?” The man winked at Abel and ushered the people
away.

“Who was that?” Josh whispered in Abel’s ear.
“My agent. He knows how I feel about large crowds, so he tries to

save me when the vultures start circling.”

“I bet he comes in handy. With your kind of talent, I’m sure you

get hounded all the time.” Josh couldn’t help but notice, as people
passed by, they pointed at Abel and talked quietly to one another. It
had to be uncomfortable.

“Only at things like this.” Abel grabbed Josh’s hand and pulled

him toward the back of the building. “Follow me. What I want to
show you is back here.”

Josh allowed Abel to hold his hand and lead him away. He let his

eyes roam his surroundings and sniffed at the air. Nothing seemed out
of the ordinary. Crowds of people stood around drinking wine and
gazing at all the different styles of artwork hanging on the walls. Josh
had to admit he was impressed. He never really took the time to go to
a museum or visit any type of art gallery before. So many different
types of photographs and paintings jumped out at him, calling for his
attention.

“Here.” Abel stepped behind Josh and covered his hands over

Josh’s eyes.

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“What are you doing?” His warrior instincts struck and he reached

up to grip at Abel’s wrist.

“I want to surprise you.” Abel said the words next to Josh’s ear.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Not at the moment was what Josh wanted to say, but he bit his

tongue to keep those words in. “Sure.” He tried to smile but was sure
it came out more as a grimace as he let Abel walk him blindfolded
toward their destination.

They came to a stop, but Abel still held his hands over Josh’s

eyes. “Just promise me one thing before I pull my hands away.”

“And what’s that?” Josh wanted to laugh at the anxiousness he

heard in Abel’s tone.

“That you won’t get mad.”
“Promise.”
Abel let his hands fall from Josh’s face and it took his eyes a

moment to adjust to the bright lights. His eyes widened and his mouth
fell open at what hung on the wall before him.

“Tha…that’s me.” Josh looked over his shoulder at Abel.
“Do you like it?” Abel shoved his hands into his pockets and

rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. Josh’s answer seemed
really important to him.

Hanging on the wall was the picture Abel drew of him just the

night before. It was done in black and white but the shading was
dead-on and it looked so lifelike. Josh reached out to touch it but
stopped himself. In the picture, he laid on the couch asleep, one arm
over his head and the other across his stomach, just like he had been
that night. Abel’s attention to detail was perfect, from the way Josh’s
head lay to the side to the objects surrounding him. The curtainless
windows, the hardwood floors, even the magazines sitting on his
coffee table. It was like a moment in time captured for all eternity in
that one drawing.

“Well, what do you think?” Abel asked again.

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Josh tore his gaze from the picture to look at Abel. Abel nervously

combed his hair behind his ears then brought his hand up to nibble on
his fingernail.

“I love it.” Josh smiled, then turned back to the picture. “I can’t

believe you finished it so quickly or that you put it in your showing
tonight.”

“It’s one of the best pieces of work I’ve done in a long time.”

Abel blushed and dropped his head to stare at the floor.

“Dude.” Josh scoffed. “I highly doubt that. I’ve seen the stuff in

your apartment. You are an amazing artist. I’m just lucky you made
me look so damn good.” He lightly punched Abel in the arm.

“An artist is only as good as their muse,” Abel said softly as he

looked up at Josh. “And trust me.” He smiled. “You are absolutely
gorgeous. I didn’t have to do anything to improve on what was
already perfection.” Abel’s eyelids fell to half-mast he swayed toward
Josh.

Josh did his best to swallow around the lump in his throat. He

knew what that look meant and Josh couldn’t bring himself to kiss
Abel. He liked Abel, but in a friend kind of way.

How am I going to get out of this?
As if god himself heard Josh’s plea, a man bumped into Abel’s

shoulder, knocking him off balance. It was all it took to distract Abel
and take that dreamy look off his face. Josh reached out a hand to
steady him. The large man who shoved into Abel said a quick apology
then strode off. Josh watched the man go. Something about the guy
didn’t seem to say art enthusiast, but that was only a guess on Josh’s
part. He was sure he didn’t look like a lover of art, but he was quickly
becoming one.

“Come on.” Josh put his hand to the small of Abel’s back and

guided him toward the bar that had been set up by the front entrance.
“Let’s get a drink.”

The next few hours passed in quick secession. By the time Josh

glanced at the clock, he saw that it was closing in on midnight.

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He’d been having so much fun with Abel, just listening to him

talk. Never once over the last four hours did Abel mention any family
members or even friends. He just talked about his art, his favorite TV
shows, and what he liked to read when he got the chance.

Josh got the impression it wasn’t something Abel did on purpose.

Maybe, like Josh, he didn’t want to think about his past. Too many
bad memories.

Finally, Josh and Abel made their way out the front door. The

crowd outside had died down and they were able to walk away
without being stopped by interested art collectors. A chill blew in the
wind and Josh tucked his hands in his pockets. He kept his eyes
peeled for any suspicious-looking people. Cars drove by, their
headlights flashing in his eyes.

“So did you sell anything tonight?” Josh asked to make

conversation. He found the silence a little unsettling.

“All but one.” Abel replied.
“That’s good.” Josh nudged his elbow into Abel’s. “Which one

didn’t sell?”

“The picture of you.” Abel stopped at the entrance to his building.
“Ah, man, I told you. I’m not the best model you could have

found,” he teased.

“No, you misunderstand.” Abel reached for his hand. “No one

bought it because it wasn’t for sale. Several offers were made but I
wanted to keep it for myself.” Abel entwined his fingers with Josh’s.
“I know we just met, but you’re like the only friend I’ve made in
years.” Abel chuckled. “And when I say years, you have no idea how
long that is.”

“Oh, I can imagine.”
“Would you like to come up?” Abel offered. He chewed on the

side of his cheek as he waited for Josh to answer.

The sound of a bottle hitting the ground distracted Josh. He

looked over his shoulder to see a familiar shadow in between two
buildings.

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“I better not.” Josh turned back to face Abel. “It’s late and all, and

I have an early shift tomorrow. Maybe next time.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Abel pulled Josh in for another hug and

Josh gave him a tight squeeze.

Josh could sense the loneliness in Abel and he felt bad for the guy.

He hated himself for leading Abel on, but it was part of his job. And
sometimes innocent bystanders like Abel got hurt.

Josh said good-night and walked down the block and turned left.

As he got around the corner, he ran right into Carlos’s chest.

“Did you have to hug him for so long?” Carlos asked as he

gripped both of Josh’s biceps with his hands.

“I loved how jealous you get.” Josh teased and pulled his arms

free to wrap around Carlos’s neck. He lightly brushed his lips over
Carlos’s, but it wasn’t enough. He pushed Carlos against the side of
the building and let himself fall into his mate’s touch. Josh
remembered what it had felt like to be so lonely like Abel, but he
wasn’t anymore. He’d hang on to every moment like this with Carlos
because it made life worth living.

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Chapter Ten

“So you didn’t find anything out?” Carlos asked Josh once they

made their way back across the street to the parking garage. Garrett
and Lachlan sat in the van waiting for them.

“Not really.” Josh gave a little shrug. “I’m starting to think your

grandmother’s friend was wrong. Abel is a really sweet guy. I don’t
see him in cahoots with someone like Asher. From what I’ve heard,
Asher’s a bad dude. Abel is nothing but nice.”

Carlos wanted to growl out his annoyance. He didn’t want to hear

his mate talk about how great another man was.

“She isn’t wrong.” Carlos gritted out between clenched teeth. “I

think you just have gotten too close to the target.”

“Really?” Josh narrowed his eyes at him. “I think I can tell a good

person from a bad person. Prime example, I knew you weren’t the
complete asshole you seemed to be when we first met.”

“Josh.” Carlos rounded on his mate but Lachlan stopped him

before he could get a word out.

“Listen, both of you. I know this has to be hard for you to watch,

Carlos.”

“You think?”
“But I trust Josh’s judgment. If he says this Abel is a good person,

then I believe him.” Lachlan ran a hand through his hair. “We’ve been
here four days and there have been no signs of Asher or any dark
warriors.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “This guy is kind of boring.
No offense, Josh.” Josh nodded his head in agreement. “I’m
beginning to think we need to start searching elsewhere.”

“Hey, you guys.” Garrett called out but Carlos ignored him.

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“But this was our only lead.” Carlos banged his hand against the

concrete pillar in front of the van. “He has to know something or be
connected in some way.”

“Guys!” Garrett’s voice sounded more urgent.
“Carlos, I know you want to find Benedict. We all do, but we

need to start thinking of the possibility that he’s dead.” Lachlan
moved to stand in front of him.

“No body was recovered.” Carlos shook his head. “He’s out there,

and I think Asher can lead us to him. Asher was there the night of the
explosion. He could have taken Benedict hostage.” But Carlos didn’t
really believe that either. The fact that Benedict kept a picture of
Asher made him think there was more to the story of why those two
fought all those years ago.

“Hey, guys.” Garrett pointed toward the apartment building across

the street. “Art boy’s life just got a whole lot more exciting.”

Carlos turned to look at Abel’s open windows. Abel had only

turned on one light and stood staring out the window. Behind him
stood a silhouette of a man. Even from this distance, Carlos could see
the light reflect off his black onyx eyes.

“Abel!” Josh shouted as he climbed up on the ledge and jumped

down three stories to land on his feet. Garrett and Lachlan were right
behind him, running across the street.

“Damn it.” Carlos got up onto the ledge and jumped. He hadn’t

done this sort of thing in years and his knees popped when he hit the
ground.

“You two go up the front.” Garrett hollered out to him. “Lachlan

and I will go in through the back.”

Carlos ran toward the front door. Josh rammed it with his shoulder

and the metal creaked under the pressure. Carlos stood next to Josh
and together they pushed the heavy door open. They ran up the stairs
two at a time until they reached Abel’s door. Not a single sound came
from inside the apartment.

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Carlos mumbled a simple incantation he’d learned from another

witch. It would keep any of the other tenants in the complex from
hearing what took place inside Abel’s apartment. This spell came in
handy when having to torture a dark warrior in a public setting.

“What did you say?” Josh gave him a funny look, one eyebrow

cocked in question.

“I’m casting a spell so as to not alert the other residents of what

happens inside here.” He shot a look at the closed door. “Things
might get loud, if you know what I mean.”

“Good point.” Josh nodded his head. “What should I do?” Josh

looked up at Carlos. “Do I knock or break his door down?”

“Let’s knock. If Abel doesn’t know that there’s someone in there

with him, it might be easier to get him out unharmed.” Or catch him
in the act. Carlos didn’t voice that opinion out loud. He didn’t want to
start an argument with Josh. For some reason, his mate believed that
Abel was one of the good guys. It was time to find out it that was true.

Josh raised his hand and knocked on the door. It only took a few

seconds for Abel to answer it.

“Josh.” Abel’s smile faltered when he noticed Carlos standing

beside Josh.

“Can we come in?” Josh’s body shook with anticipation and

Carlos reached out a hand to rest on Josh’s neck to help calm his
mate. “Please.”

“Sure,” Abel said the word real slow, drawing it out as he looked

between Carlos and Josh. “What’s going on?”

Carlos looked around the apartment while Josh talked to Abel.
“Have you noticed anything odd since you got home?” Josh

asked. “Heard any weird noises?”

“No.”
Carlos listened as Josh and Abel continued to talk. He walked

toward the bathroom to look inside. He didn’t see anything or anyone
so he turned back around. Just then, the door at the rear of the
apartment splintered open and Garrett came crashing through, tangled

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with another man. Another man he didn’t recognize was thrown
through the open door and crumbled to the floor in a heap.

“What the hell is going on?” Abel shouted over the commotion.
Carlos spun around to give a quick explanation when someone

jumped on his back.

“Carlos!” Josh’s scream echoed off the walls so loudly, Carlos

feared the windows would shatter.

Carlos reached behind him to grab the man’s hair and yanked him

over his shoulder to land on the floor. Black, soulless eyes stared up at
him.

“The boy is ours.” The sharp teeth protruding from the man’s

mouth made his words sound garbled.

“Like hell he is.” Carlos balled up his fist and let the heat from the

fire burning inside him smolder in his hand, then he hit the man in the
face. A burn mark appeared across his jaw and Carlos hit him again.

“Carlos, look out!” Josh shouted out a warning as another dark

warrior came rushing at him.

Josh ran full out toward him. Carlos watched as his mate shifted in

midair. His clothes fell away and his smooth, hairless body sprouted
thick brown fur. Carlos ducked in time to keep Josh from colliding
with him. His mate landed on the dark warrior behind him. Carlos
peered over the wolf to see what he thought was a vampire. Josh
ripped the vamp’s throat out, nearly detaching the beast’s head from
his body.

“What do you want from me?”
The sound of Abel’s terrified cry had Carlos spinning on his heel

to find the other man. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Josh,
Garrett, and Lachlan were fighting off the dark warriors that came
through the back door, and they were winning. Knowing that Josh,
Garrett and Lachlan had his back, he was able to go help Abel. He
was still worried about Josh, but he knew his mate could take care of
himself and they couldn’t let anything happen to Abel.

“You’ll see soon enough.” The vampire sneered at Abel.

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Carlos walked up behind the vampire and punched him the back

of the head. The vamp stumbled forward but quickly regained his
footing.

“Witch, this doesn’t concern you.” The vampire spat the words

out.

“Oh, but it does.” Carlos held his hand out, palm up, and let a

flame grow in his hand. A glowing orb of fire hovered over his hand.
The vampire’s dark eyes widen in fear. “What do you need him for?”
Carlos motioned with his head toward Abel, who stood plastered
against the wall. His face had gone pale and Carlos feared the man
might pass out.

The vampire tried to step around him. Carlos raised his other hand

and flicked his fingers at the man, sending sparks flying into his face.

“He can lead us to someone.” The vampire said as he smacked out

the flames that sprung up on his clothes. Once the flames were
squelched, the vampire looked up at him. “But I’ll never tell you.” In
an action so fast Carlos never saw it coming, the vampire pulled a
knife from his back pocket and flung it at Carlos.

A sharp pain blossomed in his side and he fell back a step. Abel

screamed in terror. Carlos fell to his knees as the vampires rushed
toward Abel. Carlos raised his hand and released the ball of fire,
setting the vampire up in a twist of orange-and-red flames. He howled
in pain as he tried to put the fire out, but it was pointless. The flame
Carlos produced would only burn the one it was aimed at. So no
matter what the vampire touched, the apartment wouldn’t catch fire.

Abel skirted around the burning figure to reach Carlos. Carlos

pulled the knife from his side, letting the blade drop to the floor, then
clamped a hand over it.

“Oh my god.” Abel placed his hands over Carlos’s and applied

more pressure. “He stabbed you.”

“You saw that, did ya?” Carlos chuckled, then quickly hissed in

pain.

“Don’t worry, witches heal fast, too.”

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“How do you know that?” Carlos looked up at Abel.
“Because my mother was one and so am I.”
“Carlos!” Josh, followed by Lachlan and Garrett, ran toward

them.

Josh’s shout frightened Abel and his hands jerked up, and Carlos

watched as his mate and friends were frozen in place.

“What the fuck did you do to them?” Carlos tried to sit up. A faint

whiff of magic surrounded Abel but it wasn’t strong.

“I swear I didn’t mean to.” Abel wiped his blood-covered hands

on his thighs. “I can’t control it.”

“You can explain that to me later, but for now, just unfreeze

them.” Within just a few seconds, Josh, Garrett, and Lachlan had
control over their bodies and came over to Carlos.

“You’re hurt.” Josh pushed Carlos’s hands out of the way to get a

better look.

“I’m fine.” He held his arm out for Josh to help him sit up. “I’m

immortal just like you so I’ll heal, but until then.” Carlos held out his
pointer finger and concentrated on the tip. When it started to glow, he
reached down and seared the torn flesh together to keep himself from
bleeding all over the place. He could already feel the muscle and
tissue weaving back together.

“Okay.” Josh nodded his head. “That’s a cool trick, but I’m still

freaking out.”

“Babe, calm down. I’m going to be fine.” He placed a gentle kiss

to Josh’s forehead. “But I think we need to get out of here.” He turned
his attention to Abel. “And you’re coming with us.”

“Me? Why?” Abel climbed to his feet.
“They came here for you, and if I’m right, they were hoping you

could lead them to the same person we’re looking for.” Josh helped
Carlos to his feet and Carlos leaned on his mate for support and for
comfort. “And trust me when I say Warriors of the Dark don’t give
up. More will come for you.”

“He’s right, Abel.” Josh gave Abel a sympathetic look.

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“Who are they hoping I can lead them to?” Abel sat down on the

couch and fisted his hands in his hair. “I don’t know anything.”

“Asher Guillory,” Carlos simply said.
“Asher?” Abel looked up at him. “What do you want with him?”
“So you know who that is?” Lachlan asked.
“Yeah.” Tears sprung to Abel’s eyes. “He’s my father.”

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Chapter Eleven

Josh wasn’t the only one surprised by Abel’s revelation. He, along

with the others, was shocked. Josh was a little hesitant to believe
Abel’s claim. Asher was a vampire and Abel clearly wasn’t.

“How’s that possible?” Carlos asked. “You said you were a

witch.” Abel nodded his head as Carlos asked the question that
everyone wanted to know the answer to.

“It’s kind of a long story,” Abel mumbled.
“Yeah, we don’t have time for that.” Lachlan sat down next to

Abel and held out his hand. “My name is Lachlan.” He pointed over
to Garrett. “And that’s Garrett. He’s my mate. And you already know
Josh. Carlos is his mate. If you hadn’t already figured it out, we are
members of the Warriors of the Light. We aren’t here to hurt you, but
we do need to get you out of here.”

“Okay.” Abel gave a shaky nod and stood up.
“I know we just met.” Garrett spoke up. “But can I borrow a pair

of shorts or something?”

Josh glanced down at himself. He, too, had lost his clothes when

he shifted. “Yeah me, too.”

While Josh helped Abel pack, Carlos, Lachlan, and Garrett

cleaned up the mess. Lachlan and Carlos piled the dead bodies
together then Carlos used his magic to

 

disintegrate the bodies. They

smoldered to ash without the hassle of an all-consuming fire. When
that was done, they swept up the remains into a trash bag, then carried
it down to the Dumpster. Garrett had gone to the basement and found
a discarded door and brought it up to replace Abel’s back door.

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Josh rested a hand on Abel’s shoulder as the man gave one last

look at his apartment. He must have known it would be the last time
he’d see it. Josh knew that if Abel returned, the dark warriors would
come for him. It was no longer safe.

The five of them made their way across the street and up to the

third level of the parking garage. They got into the minivan and drove
the short distance to the hotel they were staying at.

Josh sat close to Carlos, holding his hand tightly in his own. When

he rushed into that room and saw Carlos lying on the floor, it was like
someone had ripped out his heart. Being a warrior was a dangerous
job and he’d never get used to his mate putting himself in danger.

The valet took the car and they made their way into the fancy

hotel. They got a lot stares as they walked to the bank of elevators.
Carlos and Abel had patches of dried blood on their clothes, but
thanks to the dark material, no one could tell that it was blood.
Lachlan’s shirt had been ripped and he had a healing scratch on his
cheek. Josh and Garrett were shoeless and in mismatched clothes they
borrowed from Abel.

Once on their floor, they all headed to Josh and Carlos’s room.

Lachlan made a call to the airport to set up a flight for all of them to
leave as soon as possible. They’d be going back to Texas where the
other warriors were. They needed to regroup and figure out how Abel
played into all this.

Carlos and Garrett took a seat on the couch in the sitting area of

the room. Abel took one of the open chairs and Josh sat down on the
floor resting his side against Carlos’s leg. He tilted his head to the
side as Carlos combed his fingers through his hair.

“So, Abel, can you explain to us how it is possible for Asher to be

your father when you’re a witch?” Carlos jumped right in, asking the
question they all were curious about.

“To explain, I need to tell you about my mother.” Abel spoke in a

soft tone. “See, my mother was a witch, and she was gifted with the
power to undo any witch’s curse.”

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“That’s a rare gift,” Carlos said. “Many would kill her for that.”
“Exactly.” Abel pulled his legs up on the chair and hugged his

arms around them. “Because of her gift, she had another witch cast a
spell that kept her hidden from others who would do her harm and it
kept her safe for a long time.”

“What changed?” Carlos asked.
“My mother had spent years trying to conceive a child,” a faint

smile crossed Abel’s tired-looking face, “with other witches and
humans, but nothing seemed to work. So she met a witch that could
cast a spell for her to become pregnant with the next man she slept
with. She said she had been so excited and wasn’t thinking clearly
until it was too late.”

“Too late?” Josh asked, unsure what Abel meant.
“She didn’t know Asher was a vampire.” Carlos answered Josh’s

question.

“No, she didn’t. And the laws of nature don’t allow any

crossbreeding between different paranormal beings. It just isn’t
possible, but with magic involved, it was able to happen. Afterwards
she knew there would be consequences, but she didn’t care. It was too
late and she could already feel me growing inside her. Her friends had
pleaded with her to abort the pregnancy. To end my life before I was
born. They knew there would be ramifications for going against
Mother Nature.”

“So what happened?” Josh had an idea how Abel’s story would

end and a part of him didn’t want to listen.

“The day I was born, the spell keeping her hidden from dark

warriors stopped working. Only hours after my delivery, she had to
flee for her life. We spent the next thirteen years running. She’d pay
other witches to perform spells to make us unnoticeable to evildoers,
but it only lasted so long before the spell would give out and we were
running again. When I was about six years old, my mother met a man.
A human man, Phillip. He knew what she was and even though they
weren’t true mates, they fell in love. Whenever we had to run, he

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went with us.” Abel sat back further in his chair and his eyes got a
far-off look to them, as if he was watching the past replay right before
his eyes.

“I had just turned thirteen and we were living in New Orleans. We

lived in a townhome. Phillip and my mother had bought two right
next door to each other, just in case we were discovered. My mother
had paid a lot of money to a voodoo priestess who swore the spell she
casted would work, but it didn’t. We were there for a year before they
found us. It was late at night and my mother woke Phillip and me up.
She ushered us next door before the dark warriors could get into the
house. She told me to be a good boy and listen to Phillip, and that she
loved me.” Tears streamed down Abel’s face. “That was the last time
I saw her.”

“Oh my god, Abel.” Josh got up and went to hug the other man.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Why didn’t they come after you?” Lachlan asked. Josh moved to

sit on the side of Abel’s chair, keeping his arm around his shoulders
as he spoke.

“They didn’t know about me. She’d kept my existence a secret

from them. And at the time, I wasn’t showing any signs of having a
power at all. Most paranormals can’t even sense that I’m one of
them.”

“But you do have a power.” Carlos pointed at Abel. “You can

freeze things.”

“You can?” Josh looked down at Abel.
“Yeah, but I can’t control it.” He shook his head. “And I can’t

always make it happen.”

“I bet it’s a punishment, a defect if you will, from the spell your

mother cast and because your father is a vampire,” Carlos offered.

“Maybe.” Abel shrugged. “I don’t want to be like this. I just want

to be normal.”

Josh knew that feeling, but there was no use wishing for things

that could never be.

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“Don’t we all.” Josh heaved out a sigh.
“I’ve got to ask,” Carlos said. “Do you even know Asher?”
“Yes.” Abel nodded. “I’ve met him a few times. He’d stayed in

contact with my mother, but because he was on the run just like we
were, I didn’t get to see him very often.”

“Asher was on the run?” Carlos asked, shooting a glance up at

Josh.

“Yeah. The Warriors of the Dark were after him. For all I know,

they still are.”

“But why?” Lachlan looked from Abel to Carlos.
“He’d never tell me.” Abel smiled again. “Whenever I saw him,

he’d tell me that since we only had a short time to spend together, we
couldn’t talk of sad things. Only happy.”

“Asher said that?” Carlos asked. His brow pinched in confusion.
“Yes.” Abel uncrossed his legs and put them back on the floor.

“My mother told me what others paranormals said about my father,
but he isn’t the monster everyone thinks he is.”

“How so?” Lachlan sat forward in his chair. “I’ve never met the

man myself, but I’ve heard stories.”

“That’s just it. They’re stories.” Abel wiped away the tears

streaking his cheeks. “My father loved me. He would send me letters,
carry me on his shoulders, and tell me he loved me every chance he
got. What kind of man would do that if he was a bad person? If he
was as terrible as everyone claimed, he never would have spent any
time with me. And he sure as hell wouldn’t have left me for my own
good. After my mother died, he came to see me. He felt like it was his
fault for not protecting us better. It pained him to have to say good-
bye but he did, so that I’d have a chance at a normal life. Those aren’t
the actions of a selfish and heartless man.”

“No, they’re not.” Josh met Carlos’s gaze. He could see that

Carlos was thinking the same thing. That maybe everyone had been
wrong about Asher all these years. But how did the rumors start in the
first place?

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“Abel, I’m not saying what you just told us isn’t true, but you

have to understand what we’ve been told over the years. It will be
hard for us to change our way of thinking and it would help if we
could actually speak to Asher.” Carlos stood up and walked over to
kneel in front of Abel. “Do you have any way of reaching him?”

“No.” A single tear fell from his red, swollen eyes. Josh rubbed

small circles on his back, trying to calm him down. “I haven’t seen
him for the past fifty years. I’m sorry.”

Abel broke down into tears again. Josh couldn’t blame him. The

man had lived a hard life. He lost his mother, then his father
abandoned him in order to keep him safe.

“So what now?” Josh asked Carlos.
“Now we get some rest.” Lachlan answered as he stood up. He

tapped Garrett on the shoulder to follow him. “Our flight leaves first
thing in the morning. Be ready to go by six.”

“But what about me?” Abel jumped from his chair so fast he

damn near knocked Josh over.

“You’re coming with us, Abel. We can’t leave you here. It’s not

safe for you anymore. You’re an innocent.” Lachlan darted his eyes
over to Josh and gave him a small smile. “It’s our job to keep you
safe.”

Once Lachlan and Garrett left for their room, Josh sat next to Abel

on the couch.

“So, what’s San Antonio like?” Abel asked him. He picked at the

hem of his shirt.

“Not really sure.” Josh scratched at his head. “I’m usually

traveling on a mission to someplace, but what time I’ve spent there
has been nice. Pretty scenery. I think the artist in you will love it.”

“I hope so.” Abel curled into a ball and rested his head on the

pillow next to the arm of the couch. “Like your friend Lachlan said,
it’s no longer safe here and I don’t have the ability or the power to
protect myself. I just wish I knew what they wanted with me, ya
know?”

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“I’m assuming they want the same thing we want.” Carlos sat on

the coffee table in front of Josh and Abel. “To find Asher. But unlike
them, we won’t torture you to find out the answer we need. We
believe you don’t know where your father is. But I’m hoping once he
realizes you’re gone, he’ll come looking for you.”

“Why would you say that?” Abel asked. “I haven’t seen him since

I was thirteen years old.”

“I’d bet money he keeps an eye on you no matter where you go.

From what you said, he cares about you and I can’t imagine him just
walking away like that.”

“If that’s true, why didn’t he come tonight?” Josh asked, curious.

If Carlos’s assumptions were right, the freaking vampire should have
been there helping them fight off the dark warriors.

“If he’s taking care of someone that is sick or injured, that would

be the only thing keeping him from protecting his son.”

Josh’s eyes opened wide. It would make sense if Carlos’s theory

that Asher had taken Benedict were, in fact, true. The question now
was, how did they find Asher?

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Chapter Twelve

“I really hate flying.” Josh groaned as he flopped back in his seat.
“Driving would be worse, babe.” Carlos chucked as he buckled

his seatbelt then took Josh’s hand.

Carlos was happy to be leaving San Francisco. After what

happened at Abel’s apartment, he was on edge and barely got any
sleep. Every little noise he heard in the room and the hallway had him
jumping up to look around. It was a miracle that Josh and Abel were
able to fall asleep, with him getting up and checking the doors
constantly.

His mind also raced with all that he’d learned. Now that he knew

Asher was Abel’s father, he could see the resemblance. The dark
auburn hair and cream-colored skin. But just the one time Carlos had
seen Asher, in that split-second chance encounter, he could tell that
Asher was a confident man. Abel, on the other hand, was shy and
uncertain of himself. The loss of his parents and not having control of
his power kept Abel distant from other people. Just that one small
difference set the two apart, but as Abel slowly came out of his shell,
Carlos could see more of Asher in Abel.

Abel becoming an artist made sense. He had real talent, but he

also could be a recluse without anyone questioning it.

“I love to fly.” Abel said from the other side of Josh. “But I do

usually fly first class.”

“Of course you do.” Josh rolled his eyes.
“Hey, Abel, did you reach your agent?” Carlos asked. Carlos and

Lachlan thought it was best to have Abel contact his agent so as to not
raise suspicion about his abrupt leaving.

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“Yep. I told him I was taking an extended vacation and I’d call

him if and when I came back.”

Abel was taking everything really well. He even seemed happy.

Ever since Carlos mentioned that Asher might be keeping tabs on
him, the man seemed to be in a better mood and more than willing to
go with them. He wanted to prove to everyone that his father was a
good man.

Josh had been concerned at first that he had led Abel on, but the

other man just laughed it off and said he was just glad to have a
friend, a real friend, not just one using him for his talent. Carlos was
relieved by that. He was starting to like Abel and didn’t want to have
to beat the shit out of him for making a move on his mate.

Lachlan and Garrett sat in the aisle across from them. Carlos

leaned forward to wave at the pair. He laughed as the two argued over
who got the aisle seat.

The plane rolled away from the terminal and started the trek down

the tarmac. The stewardess came over the intercom, going over the
safety procedures in case the plane crashed.

Carlos closed his eyes and relaxed back in his seat. As the plane

took off, he fell asleep.

As the plane descended, readying to land, Carlos woke to Josh

shaking his shoulder.

“Carlos, we’re landing soon.” Josh whispered next to his ear. The

warm, soft tongue flicked against the shell of his ear and Carlos let
out a deep groan.

“I’m awake.” He stretched.
Once off the plane, they collected they luggage. As they headed

toward the front entrance, Carlos noticed Ben and Klaus waiting for
them.

“Dear god,” Ben said as he stared at Abel. “He looks so much like

him.”

Carlos put his arm around Abel’s shoulders as the man tried to

slink back into the crowed. “Yes, he looks like his father, but he’s

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nothing like you would expect the offspring of Asher Guillory to act.”
He smiled at Abel’s worried face. “And maybe Asher isn’t the terrible
person we originally thought, either.” Abel grinned back at him.

“We’ll just see about that.” Klaus gave Abel an up-and-down

look, then waved for them to follow behind him.

The whole way to the car, Ben kept looking back at Abel. Carlos

could tell it was making the witch nervous. He lent down to whisper
in Abel’s ear.

“Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. He just has over a thousand

years of built-up hatred toward your father. It’ll take longer for him to
come to grips with the possibility that Asher’s not the monster
everyone thought he was.”

“I hope so,” Abel mumbled and kept his eyes downcast.
The ride to the new warrior’s compound was done in a tense

silence. Abel sat on the other side of Carlos, staring out the window.
Carlos reached back behind him and rested his arm on Abel’s
shoulders while he held Josh’s hand. He could sense that Abel was
worried about what would happen to him once they arrived at the
compound and Josh fidgeted in his seat, just as concerned for his new
friend. Carlos wasn’t sure how all this would work out with Abel
being Asher’s child, but he knew one thing, and that was that Abel
wasn’t a bad person. He’d seen real terror in the man’s eyes the night
of the attack.

“Let’s go to my office,” Ben said once they walked through the

front door.

“Ben, you’re back.” Miles, Ben’s mate, hustled over to him

carrying a crying baby. “I need you to sing that song to Colby that he
likes so much.” He patted the baby’s bottom in a gentle rhythm. “This
little monster has been whining ever since you left.” Miles grinned
down at the fussing baby.

Ben took Colby into his arms. “My office is down the hall, first

door on the right. I’ll be back in a moment.”

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“Thank god!” Miles released a sigh of relief once Ben was out of

earshot. “I thought it was bad carrying that little stinker to term, but
oh, no. The little crying fits he throws are the worst.”

“You know you love every minute of it.” Klaus flicked his finger

at Miles’s ear.

“Did he just say that was his son and that he carried him to term?”

Carlos heard Abel whisper to Josh.

“Colby is a magic baby of sorts.” Miles answered Abel’s question.

He leaned to the side to get a better look at Abel. “Who’s this?”

“This is…”
“Asher Guillory’s son,” Klaus interrupted Carlos’s reply.
“No shit!” Miles’s eyes went wide and his eyebrows reached up to

his hairline. “I’m going to go ask Astrid to watch Colby. I can’t miss
this meeting.” Miles ran up the steps to go and find Klaus’s mate
Astrid.

“Should I be worried?” Abel asked.
“Nah, Miles is a good guy, but I think being around his infant son

for so long, he needs a break.” Carlos shrugged. “Adult time.”

Klaus led the way to Ben’s office. Three chairs sat in front of the

large desk. Carlos sat in the left one and Josh in the middle, with Abel
on the other end. Klaus stood by Ben’s chair and Garrett and Lachlan
leaned against the bookshelf just to the right of the desk. The room
was quiet. Klaus kept staring at Abel, making the man uncomfortable,
Carlos could tell.

“Klaus, relax, please.” Carlos spoke up. “Abel’s not the enemy

here and I won’t have you treat him as such.”

Carlos and Klaus worked together at the council before it had

been destroyed. They were good friends, but Klaus was a feared
witch-hunter. His stares had made weaker men wet themselves and
Abel didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

Josh’s warm hand wrapped around Carlos’s and gave him a tight

squeeze. Carlos tore his gaze from Klaus to stare at his mate. Josh
smiled at him and Carlos could feel the stress and anger lift off his

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shoulders. He glanced back at Klaus, who was now giving him a
funny look.

“What’s that all about?” Klaus waved a finger between Josh and

Carlos.

“Josh is my mate.” Carlos sat up straighter in his chair. At Klaus’s

shocked expression, Carlos shrugged. “It’s new.”

“Yeah, I’d say.” Klaus grinned at Carlos and nodded his head.

“Congratulations.”

Just then, the office door creaked open and Miles walked through,

followed by Ben. Ben sat down in his chair and Miles leaned against
the side.

“It’s creepy as fuck when you stand like that, Klaus.” Miles

looked up at the other man. “It’s like you’re a guard dog.”

“There’s no more room for chairs in here, you ass.” Klaus

grumbled.

“Anyway.” Carlos spoke up before Klaus and Miles could start to

argue about the whole chair situation.

Carlos gave the rundown of their findings over the past few days.

How Abel was in fact a witch, but with the magical help his mother
sought out to conceive him, his powers weren’t that strong, to the
point it was hard to sense that Abel is even a paranormal being.

When he got into the more important details of Asher being

Abel’s father, Ben seemed to grow wary.

“Not that I don’t believe you, Abel, but it’s just a lot to take in.”

Ben laid his hands flat on his desk and stared down at them. “There’s
a lot of bad blood between our families. If what you are saying is true,
that Asher isn’t the evil bastard we all thought, then I’m not sure what
to think.” Ben pressed his palm to his forehead.

“What do you think the dark warriors at Abel’s apartment

wanted?” Miles asked Carlos.

“His blood,” Klaus answered.
“My blood?” Abel looked between the two men.

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“Certain witches have the ability to locate people, and it’s said

that the blood of a family member can aid in the cause,” Klaus
explained.

“But the bigger question is, why are the Warriors of the Dark

searching for Asher?” Carlos crossed his left leg over his right, ankle
to knee. “If Asher is a dark warrior, why would he be hiding from
them?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, now, isn’t it?” Klaus gave

Carlos a knowing look.

Carlos could see it in Klaus’s eyes that he, too, was questioning

his thoughts about Asher. Maybe they’d had it wrong all these years.

They sat for a little longer discussing their options. They did all

agree that they needed to keep Abel safe. He might be their only
chance in locating Asher. And with any luck, Asher would be able to
answer the question brought up by the existence of his son. Carlos
was still holding out the hope that Asher had answers as to Benedict’s
whereabouts.

When they got up to leave, Ben asked Carlos to hang back.
“When you’re done, just come up to my room.” Josh reached up

to kiss his cheek. “Up the stairs, fourth door on the right.”

“Did I miss something?” Ben asked once Josh and the others left

the room.

“We’re mates.” Heat rushed to Carlos’s cheeks. “Talk about a

crazy week.”

“I bet.” Ben stood up from his chair and walked around his desk

to sit next to Carlos. “Josh is a good kid. A little headstrong, but he’s
a great warrior.”

“I’ve noticed.” Carlos chuckled.
Ben leaned closer to Carlos, as if he didn’t want anyone to hear

him. “So if Asher has a child, do you think maybe you were wrong
about him and my father?”

Before Carlos had left to go visit his grandmother, he had voiced

his opinion that it might be possible for Benedict and Asher to have at

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one time been more than just friends. The picture Benedict kept in his
living quarters at the council still made Carlos question the man and
his motives in searching for Asher for all these years.

“Or maybe Abel’s mother was just in the right place at the right

time. Asher is a man, after all.” Carlos pointed out. “I don’t know
about you, but I’ve had my fair share of male and female lovers over
the years. Who’s to say Asher hasn’t either?”

“Why are you so convinced that my father and Asher were

together?”

“Because I saw the way your father stared at that picture.” Carlos

could close his eyes and still see the longing on Benedict’s face. All
the years Carlos had known Benedict, the man had seemed so lonely,
and now Carlos thought he knew why. “I’m not going to say I know
for sure, but fuck, Ben, I think we just really need to find Asher.”

“Me, too.”
Carlos left Ben’s office and headed for Josh’s room. They were no

closer to finding Benedict or Asher, but Carlos wasn’t going to give
up. If Asher was the great father that Abel said he was, the man would
soon be searching for his son to make sure he was safe. Carlos had to
believe that.

* * * *

Abel sat in the room Josh showed him to. It was nice and the bed

comfortable. He should have been scared, leaving behind his life and
his home, but really, was he leaving anything of importance behind?
Abel didn’t think so.

In all his years, he had made few friendships. After his mother’s

murder, he clung to Phillip. Phillip had been like a father to him as
well as a best friend. After he died, Abel just kept to himself. He was
sick of people coming into his life just to watch them leave.

Asher had always been good to him. Every time Asher came to

visit, he told Abel how much he loved him and that if things were

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different, he’d take Abel with him. But things weren’t different and he
didn’t. In order to keep him safe, Asher left him behind. Abel wasn’t
mad at his father for that, but he was lonely. In a way, it left Abel
damaged on the inside. His heart was wounded from all the loss he’d
suffered over his sixty-three years. Even if for a good reason, it still
didn’t change the fact that Abel was left broken.

A ray of light came in the form of Josh and his friends. Josh

befriended him and when the dark warriors came to take him away,
these men put themselves at risk to save his life. For that, Abel would
be forever grateful. It felt good to have people he could call friends
and people he was able to rely on to be there if he needed them.

He still wasn’t sure what would come, if anything, from Asher.

The others seemed convinced that his father would seek him out, but
Abel wasn’t so sure. If Asher thought Abel was safe, he might just
keep his distance. But a part of Abel longed to see his father again. To
look at the man who looked so much like himself. To know he did
have family, a connection beyond friendship.

Abel took off his clothes, then climbed into the soft bed. He didn’t

know what tomorrow would bring but he had a good feeling about
being here with these warriors. He looked forward to this new life
because he wasn’t having to do it alone.

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Chapter Thirteen

Josh rushed up to his room the moment he was excused from

Ben’s office. He got slowed down by Miles wanting to congratulate
him on his mating. Josh hated to be rude, but he was in a hurry.

The whole flight home he sat trying to come up with something

romantic to do for Carlos. It would be their first night spent together
in their room. With the council gone, Carlos was free to live wherever
he wanted and Josh hoped he chose to stay in San Antonio. As
warriors, they moved around a lot, but it was nice to be around the
other warriors. They were like a large family. And family is what
made a home.

All the rooms in the large house had their own bathrooms, a stand-

up shower, and, attached to the back of the shower, a deep and long
bathtub. Josh really liked how it was set up. He could soak in the tub
for a while then just step over the edge right into the shower without
dripping water everywhere.

Josh started the water, making sure it was nice and hot. He

dimmed the lights, took his clothes off, and wrapped a towel around
his waist. Next, Josh ran back into his bedroom and pulled out the
lube he kept in his nightstand and carried it back into the bathroom,
setting it on the lip of the tub.

The water filled to just over halfway when Josh turned it off.

Carlos still hadn’t come into the room yet and Josh began to pace. He
shouldn’t be nervous, but he was. This whole mate thing was still so
new to both of them and he didn’t want to screw it up.

He’d been so childish back in San Francisco. The moment he

realized Carlos was his mate, he should have said something. Now

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when he thought back on it, it seemed so stupid to have waited. What
point was he trying to make? Josh was a grown man who could have
taken charge and made his feelings toward Carlos known.

But it didn’t matter now. He and Carlos were together and he

couldn’t wait to have his lover in his arms again.

“Babe, you in here?”
Josh ran into the door as he headed toward Carlos. He cursed

under his breath and rubbed his hand against his forehead where the
door had dinged him.

“You okay there?” Carlos chuckled as he opened his arms and

pulled Josh close. He bent his head down to kiss the red mark on
Josh’s head.

“Better now that you’re here.” Josh tucked his face in close to

Carlos’s neck and inhaled his smoky scent.

“I can tell.” Carlos’s hands ran down Josh’s back until his big,

warm hands cupped his ass. “Babe, not that I’m complaining, but why
are you in a towel?”

“It’s a surprise for you.” Josh linked his fingers with Carlos’s,

spun around, and headed for the bathroom.

“Okay,” Carlos said and Josh could hear the smile in his voice.
“What do you think?” Josh asked as he waved a hand toward the

bathtub. Steam rose up from the water. “Care to join me for a nice,
hot soak?” Josh waggled his eyebrows at Carlos.

“Nothing else in this world I’d rather do.”
Josh helped Carlos remove his clothes. His fingers fumbled with

the button at the front of Carlos’s pants. But it wasn’t from
nervousness, no, it was because Josh was so damn anxious to have his
mate naked. He wanted Carlos to make love to him like he did in that
hotel room. Not once did Josh ever imagine that he’d like letting
another man fuck him, but with Carlos, he was eager to do it. The
feeling of having Carlos’s cock deep inside him filled him up in a way
he’d never felt before.

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Once Carlos was completely naked, Josh grabbed his hand and

walked backwards, leading Carlos to the tub. He stepped in first, then
Carlos. Carlos sat down and Josh positioned himself between his
lover’s spread legs and rested his back to Carlos’s chest. A contented
sigh passed his lips as the heated water lapped up against his skin.

“So what did Ben want to talk to you about?” Josh couldn’t help

but ask. His curiosity always got the best of him.

“About Asher.” Carlos ran his hands up and down Josh’s chest.
“What about him?”
“Babe, do you really want to talk about this now?” Carlos rested

his chin on Josh’s shoulder.

“No, but I need to know that Abel is safe here.” Josh sat up and

turned to the side to look into Carlos’s dark-brown eyes. “That Ben
believes him and won’t try to hurt him because of his connection to
Asher.”

“Ben believes Abel and we all agree that he’s an innocent in all

this.” Carlos brushed his lips lightly over Josh’s.

“Good.” Josh smiled.
“Now can we get back to you, me, and this glorious bath you ran

us?” Carlos pulled Josh close as he leaned back against the side of the
tub.

“Yes,” Josh whispered against Carlos’s jaw, grazing the slightly

stubbled flesh with his teeth.

Carlos let out a deep groan and fisted a handful of Josh’s hair,

bringing their mouths together. Josh shifted to face his mate and
moved to straddle Carlos’s lap. The hard cock nestled between
Carlos’s thighs pressed against Josh’s. Josh rocked his hips back and
forth against Carlos’s thick shaft.

“You feel so good.” Carlos nipped at Josh’s neck. “I’ll never get

enough of you.”

“I feel the same way.” Josh brought his hands up to cradle

Carlos’s face. He leaned forward and kissed him lightly on his

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swollen lips. “I love you, Carlos.” He pulled back enough to see what
his mate’s reaction would be.

Carlos blinked once, then again. A grin tugged at the right corner

of his upper lip. “I bet that was hard for you to admit.”

“Not really.” Josh giggled. The sound annoyed him, but he

couldn’t help it. Carlos brought things like that out in him. “You
make it easy to love you.” Josh shrugged. “Well, when you’re not
ignoring me.”

“Will you ever let me live that down?”
“Uh…” Josh brought a finger up to his lip as if he were actually

thinking about it. “Nope.”

“Okay, I’ll admit it. I was a dumbass. Will you please forgive

me?” Carlos thrust his hips upward, slapping his erect cock into
Josh’s crease.

Josh’s head dropped forward and he moaned at the tingle Carlos’s

dick sent shooting up his spine. Josh slowly opened his eyes. “I
already have.”

Josh held Carlos’s head in place as he attacked his mouth. He

forced his tongue past the smooth lips and deep into Carlos’s mouth.
Their tongues toyed with one another as they both fought for control.

“Please, make love to me,” Josh begged as he gasped for breath

between kisses.

Carlos reached for the lube that sat on the edge. He smacked Josh

on the hip, helping him stand up. Carlos coated his fingers in the clear
gel and reached between Josh’s legs to finger his hole.

The water ran down his body and Josh shivered from the cool air

coming from the air conditioner blew over his skin and from Carlos
kissing his bare thigh. Carlos had two fingers worked up his tight
channel, curling his fingers to hit his sweet spot, sending fireworks
bursting behind Josh’s eyelids.

“Carlos,” he cried out. His hips arched forward, humping the air

as his lover added another finger.

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Carlos fucked him with his hand until Josh was begging for his

cock. He removed his hand and helped Josh to straddle his lap again.

“You ready for this?” Carlos’s asked in a seductive tone as he

gripped his cock at the base and held it upward.

“I’m always ready for you.” Josh slowly lowered himself on

Carlos’s cock. They both groaned at the tight, heated feel of Carlos
slipping into his body.

Josh circled his hips, taking every inch of Carlos’s length. Once

he was fully seated on Carlos’s thighs, Josh bent forward to kiss along
Carlos’s neck and moved lower to suck at his erect nipples. Carlos
arched up into Josh’s mouth. As he did that, it made his cock go
deeper. Josh moaned around the heated flesh and slowly rocked his
hips forward.

Carlos grabbed his chin and brought Josh’s mouth up to his. The

kiss grew frantic. Josh sucked on Carlos’s tongue and rode his cock
hard and fast. Sparks tingled at the base of his spine and Josh could
feel his orgasm rise to the surface. He rose up on his knees and
plopped down on Carlos’s fleshy pole. Again and again until he
couldn’t breathe.

“Oh, god, Josh.” Carlos used one arm to pull Josh to his chest and

he wrapped his other hand around Josh’s engorged cock in a tight
grip, keeping him from coming. “Here it comes, baby.”

Hot, wet heat filled Josh’s hole. He could feel the stickiness slosh

around the probing cock in his ass. His walls gripped at Carlos’s shaft
as he rode out the waves of his orgasm. Josh tried to knock his hand
away so he could finish himself off.

“Carlos.” Josh let out a low growl.
“Stand up.” Carlos pushed up on Josh’s hips, forcing him to stand.
His legs wobbled as he came up out of the water and Carlos pulled

him closer to his face. Carlos rose up and licked his tongue around the
flared head and then stuck his tongue into the slit at the tip.

“Holy shit!” Josh curled his fingers into Carlos’s shoulders, doing

his best to keep from falling over.

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AJ Jarrett

 

Carlos worked Josh’s length with his mouth, taking him deeper

with each bob of his head. Josh started to fuck Carlos’s face and
Carlos’s hands on his ass encouraged him to go faster.

Josh was so revved up it wouldn’t take much more before he shot

his load. He used his fingers to comb Carlos’s hair off of his face so
he could watch his mate suck his cock. He’d never seen a more
beautiful sight then Carlos’s ruby lips wrapped around his piece as
Josh fucked his face.

Josh reached up to pinch at his nipples, adding to the sensation.

He wanted to cum, but he so badly wanted it to last forever.

At the feeling of Carlos’s fingers penetrating his ass, Josh lost the

battle. He came so hard his knees gave out and he had to lean against
Carlos’s shoulders for support. Carlos continued to finger his gaping
hole and drank down every hot pulse of cum Josh released into his
mouth.

Finally, Carlos let Josh’s cock slip from his mouth and pulled his

fingers from his ass. Josh crumpled forward and Carlos helped guide
him back to sit on his lap.

Neither of them spoke as they basked in the afterglow of their

lovemaking. For one moment in this crazy world they lived in,
nothing else mattered. Not missing council members or deranged
Warriors of the Dark wanting to kill them. It was perfect.

“Tell me nothing bad will happen,” Josh said against Carlos’s

neck.

“Ah, babe, you know I can’t promise that.” Carlos used his hand

to angle Josh’s face up to meet his eyes.

“Lie to me then. Tell me we will always be this happy.” Josh

knew he was being childish, asking for something that Carlos couldn’t
promise. They were warriors, and the life of a warrior held no
guarantees.

“Josh, stop it.” Carlos leaned forward to rest his head against

Josh’s. “Yes, the world we live in is unpredictable and it feels like we
are always fighting a losing battle.” Carlos kissed Josh. “But as long

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as we are together, we can and will accomplish everything we set out
to do. I’m the brains and you’re the brawn. Now that’s a deadly
combination, and I feel sorry for any dark warriors that come up
against us.”

“You’re probably right.” Josh laughed.
“You should get used to saying that, because I’m hardly ever

wrong.”

“What am I going to do with you?” Josh rubbed his nose

alongside Carlos’s.

Josh knew it was unrealistic to make Carlos promise him

something he had no control of. Life wasn’t perfect, but that was also
what made it exciting. As long has he had Carlos in his life and his
friends at his back, Josh could go into any battle without being afraid.
People were counting on him to be strong and he wouldn’t let them
down.

“Love me.” Carlos pulled Josh closer and kissed his way down

Josh’s neck.

Josh tilted his head to the side, giving his mate more access to

explore his body. “I already do.”

THE END

WWW.AJJARRETT29.BLOGSPOT.COM

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and

four children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her
own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be
antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever
after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a
little humor along the way never hurt. To her, there’s nothing sexier
than two men finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love.
When she isn’t chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on
the couch with her trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.

For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/aj-jarrett

 

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com