When love is on the line, crossing it is the only path to take.

Eaton Franks has had his eye on Marty, the leader of the hawks, for a long time. After he rescues

the bad boy, things take a tragic turn and it looks as if the gang leader might never fly again. When
Eaton has the chance to use a sorcerer to fix the love of his life, little does he know it will lead to his
own abduction.

Marty is beside himself when his eagle shifter is stolen. He knows they are mates and he’s willing

to do anything to get him back. However, now he has to decide if he is willing to give up his hawk
half in order to save his eagle. Sometimes love makes a man do crazy things.

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This book is a work of fiction. Nam es, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s im agination or are used fictitiously . Any resem blance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
To Enchant An Eagle Copy right © 2013 Am ber Kell ISBN: 978-1-77111-523-0 Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, m echanical or other m eans, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written

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Published by eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.eXtasy books.com

To Enchant An Eagle Banded Brothers Book Three
By
Amber Kell

For RJ Scott who said I couldn’t add a pigeon shifter to a book…so there.

Chapter One

“I

I think you need to recheck your numbers.” “Hmm?” Eaton kept his gaze outside even though his

mind was focused on other things. His thoughts bounced around like a ball in one of those old time
lotto machines, spinning around in an air-filled dome without rhyme or reason. Concentration
vanished as he tried to grasp a small sphere of an idea, but lost it to the spinning masses.

Marty lay in other room while concern and fear nibbled at Eaton in equal measure. Would Marty

wake up? Even the doctor didn’t know. Eaton worried his bottom lip with his teeth as concern
creased his brow. He pressed his face to the window, letting the cool glass absorb some of his heat
and soothe his restless spirit.
“You have an error.”

Eaton sighed. “I probably have several.” He still didn’t turn around. His studies beckoned, but he

ignored their call. Instead, he watched the hawks circling Harris’s window. He had a bet going with
Carey about long it would take the patient bear to get out his rifle and start picking the birds off one
by one. Harris hated it when people messed with his light while he was painting.

“Your conclusion lacks supporting documentation, and you skipped a few steps,” the annoying

man continued.

Eaton groaned before turning back to his study partner. Somehow lab work for his advanced

physics class failed to grab any of his attention while his life lay in tatters. How could even the
beauty of a perfectly balanced equation compete with the love of his life unconscious in the next
room? Still, he did owe Gallen an apology.

“Sorry, I guess I’m distracted today,” he told his lab partner.

Gallen Theos narrowed his eyes at his Eaton. “I don’t know why you’re so scattered, Eaton, but you
need to pull it together. This test is thirty percent of your grade. If you don’t pass this class, it won’t
matter how brilliant your dissertation is— you won’t be able to present it.”
Eaton nodded. He knew that, he did. He just couldn’t seem to care.
“You’re right.” He forced his feet to walk their way back to the table, then sat down. No matter what
happened with Marty, he needed to pull his shit together and make sure he didn’t flunk out of college.
Eaton’s dissertation only had a bit more to go before he could defend it to his board. First, however,
he needed to finish all his classes.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Gallen asked.
Eaton blinked at his lab partner in surprise. Gallen had a reputation for being a cold, uncaring sort of
person. With his icy blond hair and silvergreen eyes, Gallen could have men or women eating out of
his hand, but he never appeared to notice any of the people watching him. More than one person
mentioned Gallen’s standoffishness to Eaton when he’d been assigned Gallen as a lab partner. Eaton
never responded to other students’ probing questions. He didn’t gossip, he knew too well how much
it hurt different.
Eaton figured either already or he was so focused on being an A student he didn’t allow for any
distractions. Eaton had met grad students before who had almost tunnel vision and weren’t interested
in anything other than their research. He didn’t know Gallen well enough to decide if that was how he
thought or if he was indeed a cold bastard.

Gallen’s focus on studying even outdid Eaton’s own obsession. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t
know Gallen’s major or even the subject of his doctoral thesis. His lab partner never even told Eaton
his specific field of study.
“My boyfriend is in a coma,” Eaton blurted out. to be pointed out as

Gallen had someone He winced as the words escaped his mouth. Marty would probably molt if he

ever heard himself described as Eaton’s boyfriend. Did they even have a relationship? One that
consisted of more than Eaton’s unbridled crush on the hawk leader? A sigh slid from Eaton, long and
heartfelt. He wished he’d taken the opportunity to let Marty touch him. Now he might never know the
feel of the hawk shifter’s hands across his body.

He’d nervously stayed away, hoping Marty’s feelings for him might grow. His desire to be

something more than another feather on Marty’s belt had led to him resisting Marty’s advances. Now
he worried Marty wouldn’t wake again and Eaton would never forgive himself for the opportunity
lost.

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. Is he an eagle, too?”

Eaton blinked to focus. He frowned as Gallen’s words sank in. “You know I’m an eagle shifter?”
Gallen nodded.
Eaton scraped his memory, but couldn’t recall telling Gallen he was any kind of paranormal at all.
“How?”
Gallen laughed. “I’ve known a lot of shifters. I grew up in a shifter town. Besides, Eaton, you’re
probably the only person who hasn’t asked me about my eyes, which immediately pegs you as a
paranormal. I creep out most of our classmates.”
“I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d tell me.” Eaton shrugged. He didn’t care what a person
was as long as they treated other people well. If they were jerks, he kicked their ass and moved on.
He might not look like a tough guy, but Aden Gage, his best friend’s dad, had taught him how to fight
dirty and handle a gun. No one messed with him more than once.
When Gallen had been paired up with him as a lab partner, it hadn’t occurred to Eaton to protest. He
had wondered about Gallen’s unusual silvery eyes, but not everyone enjoyed discussing their true
nature. Eaton rarely told anyone what he was unless he knew for a fact they were friendly to paras.
Paranormals might be the worst kept secret in Seattle, but as long as no one confirmed there were
things that went bump in the day and night, humans could live in their happy bubble of denial.
“I’m a sorcerer,” Gallen confessed.
“Oh.” Eaton tilted his head as he regarded his fellow student. He’d never met a sorcerer before. At
least not that he knew of. “Why are you studying physics?”
“Physics and magic have a lot of the same properties. There are rules that both must follow. A natural
guideline, if you will. If you wander outside either of those boundaries there are consequences.”
Gallen’s gaze slid up and down Eaton’s body before he looked away. “What’s wrong with your
boyfriend?” he asked abruptly.
Remembering Marty’s broken body brought anger rushing through him and his fingertips transformed
into talons. It took several long, slow breaths before he could speak and even then he could feel the
bird trying to come out. If he hadn’t already killed the hawk that had hurt Marty, he’d go back and rip
him apart, slowly. A bullet to the head was too fast for the bastard.
“He’s in a coma recovering from an attack. I’m worried he won’t ever be able to shift and use his
wings again.” Pain ripped through Eaton at the thought of a grounded hawk. His hawk. Nothing felt
better than the breeze sliding across his animal form, and he didn’t know a single bird shifter who felt
differently. To be denied that pleasure would rip out Marty’s soul. Eaton stood up and began to move

back and forth across the room, unable to sit still while Marty lay so still. As if compelled into action
for both of them.
Gallen tilted his head as he watched Eaton pace. “He’s an eagle, too?”
Eaton shook his head. “No, a hawk.”
“That explains the flock circling your house. I wondered about that,” Gallen said, amusement lighting
his silvery eyes.
When Carey had returned to town, he’d settled the hawks into the third floor, cleaning out the rest of
the attic rooms that had been abandoned long ago. Every few hours, one of the hawk shifters located
their balls and dared to peek in on Marty, but none of them stayed for long, not after Eaton glared
them down. They hadn’t protected Marty when he needed it, they didn’t deserve to watch over him
now. Eaton didn’t allow any of them too close to his hawk. They knew better than to defy him after he
put a bullet through the arm of the first hawk shifter who got mouthy.
They feared him now.
Eaton couldn’t stop the smile of satisfaction. He’d never considered himself violent before, but after
what they’d allowed Marty to suffer through, he’d quite happily pluck them all bald. Marty had
protected and led them for years, and they had turned their back on him the first time he wanted
something for himself.
Eaton had told them they were all free to go and find new nests. He refused to do anything except
board them until Marty woke up. He wasn’t going to be a leader of hawks. He wanted their true
leader to wake up and kick their collective feathered asses himself. However, they were Marty’s
hawks until a new leader was chosen. Eaton didn’t have the right to kick them to the curb until Marty
gave him the go-ahead.
The sound of heavy footsteps heralded the arrival of Harris before he lumbered into the room.
“How’s Marty doing?” he asked.
Being a bear shifter, Harris always held a commanding presence when he walked into any room. The
fact that he was in fact a gentle-hearted artist with a beautiful soul often took most people by surprise.
“No change,” Eaton offered Harris a half-smile. He couldn’t quite ramp up the energy for believable
fake happiness. “He’s healing slowly.”
It might be better that Marty remained asleep for a bit. He couldn’t transform until his bones fused
back together. Lance, the sadistic fucker, had shattered Marty’s arms and legs.
“I hope he wakes soon. The hawks are starting to swoop in formations around the mansion. I’m gonna
start practicing my shooting soon if they don’t stop blocking my light,” Harris grumbled.
Eaton bit his lip to hold back the laughter. It amused him sometimes how well he knew his friends. It
took a lot to upset Harris, but no one messed with his lighting when he was trying to paint.
“I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who finds them annoying,” he commiserated with Harris.
“I’m also tired of fishing them out of the fountain when they crash,” Harris said, a frown marring his
handsome features.
“Next time leave them there. Maybe after a few of them drown, they’ll stop,” Eaton advised. He
didn’t even try to hide his derision of the hawks.
“Eaton!” Harris protested.
“What? They didn’t even try to save Marty! Not a one of them had the guts to stand up for themselves.
They’re lucky I don’t bury the lot of them under the house.”
He heard Gallen chuckle behind him.
Harris shook his head. “Fear does strange things to people. Give them a chance.”
Eaton folded his arms across his chest. “They had their chance and they proved to be worthless. If

they cared about him at all, they would’ve protected him. Any of them could’ve challenged Lance, but
not a single hawk tried.”
He wouldn’t cave on this. The hawks had let their leader down. Eaton didn’t trust any of them to
watch over Marty now. What if one of them hoped to finish Marty off and take the hawk leadership
for himself? It didn’t matter that Marty had tried to leave the group. They wouldn’t accept his
resignation. Now since Eaton killed Lance, they tried to make him their leader but he refused.
“Just give them another chance,” Harris said. “They might be annoying, but I think they really care
about him.”
“Friends don’t let friends get buried in the cellar,” Eaton said pointedly.
“Hi, I’m Gallen,” Gallen interrupted their conversation to offer his hand to Harris. Eaton jolted. He’d
almost forgotten about his fellow student’s presence.
“Hi, Gallen.” Harris returned his gaze to Eaton. “You didn’t tell me you knew a sorcerer.”
Gallen laughed. “See? I told you everyone else could tell.”
“How did you know he’s a sorcerer?” Eaton asked.
“The eyes. All sorcerers have the same look,” Harris explained.
“What look?”
“Suppressed magic. Their eyes have a silver glow because they have trapped magic inside.”
“Huh. How did I never know that?”
Harris’s gentle smile scolded Eaton louder than words. “Because you only focus on things important
to you. You don’t care about sorcerers so you never learned about them.”
Eaton didn’t know if he should be offended that his daydreaming bear shifter friend apparently had a
better grasp on reality than him or not. “I guess I’d better start paying attention.”
A nod was his only reply.
For the first time, Eaton noticed the bear shifter had on his good pair of jeans and one of his few
shirts without paint on it. “Where are you going?”
Harris blushed. “I got a call from a client of Denton and mine, named Anderson. I sent him the design
he asked for and pictures of my latest works. He loved my art so much he’s recommended me to a
vampire friend of his on Capitol Hill. They want me to put in a bid to paint a mural for the entryway
of their new club. I’m heading over there to check out the space.”
“You’re not going by yourself,” Eaton protested. No way would he send his gentle shifter friend into
a location where he could be bled dry before he even knew what was happening. Harris had the
misfortune of believing the best of everyone. A nasty habit Eaton had tried to talk him out of in the
past.
“Why not? It’s business. They aren’t going to jump me for a quick snack when I’m there to do work
for them,” Harris said as if he couldn’t contemplate a world where a vampire would bite an
unsuspecting shifter.
Silly old bear.
Eaton narrowed his eyes at Harris’s pink cheeks. “Which one do you like?”
“Which one what? I’m just going there to do a job.” Harris pushed his hands into his pockets, but
wouldn’t meet Eaton’s eyes.
“Uh huh. Which vampire do you have your furry little heart set on?” It had never occurred to Eaton
that Harris might have a love life. In the past several years, he’d only seen Harris on a handful of
dates. Flesh and blood people couldn’t usually compete with Harris’s first love—his art.
Harris tapped the tip of his right shoe against the wooden floor. “Nothing will come of it.”
Crap, Harris really did have a crush! Eaton had only been kidding before. He did the only thing he

could at that point. “Carey!” he shouted.
“Eaton!” Harris hissed at him, his eyes wide with alarm. “What are you doing?”
A few minutes passed, then Carey rushed into the room. “What happened? Did Marty wake up?”
Carey might be the only human among the friends, but he was the one they all looked to for problem
solving. No one was better in a crisis than Carey, except maybe his father.
Without a hint of guilt, Eaton spilled the beans. “Harris has a crush on a vampire and is going to visit
the coven alone!” Okay, he felt a tiny bit guilty for being a snitch, but only a smidgen. Harris’s safety
came first.
“Is this true, Harris?” Carey asked in that quiet, dangerous tone that always indicated impending
doom. Chills ran up Eaton’s spine and he began to really feel bad.
Harris nodded.
“Which vampire?”
Of course, Harris offered up the name right away. You didn’t hold things back from Carey. “Rohan.”
Eaton gasped. “The leader of the coven?”
Harris nodded. “I know. It’s stupid, but he completely does it for me. He’s gorgeous.” Harris sighed.
Carey let out a piercing whistle.
Three hawks tumbled into the room, stumbling over each other to get inside. Eaton didn’t remember
their names, but he glared at them anyway. Idiots.
“You three go with Harris. I want him protected at all times,” Carey ordered.
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
Harris sighed. “Do I have to take them?” A slight whine pitched his tone like a sulky teen.
“Yes,” Carey said. No room for contradiction or wiggling out of it existed in his voice. Harris would
be taking the trio of hawks with him. “I know you don’t think Rohan will harm you and you might be
right, but we have no idea how the rest of his coven feels. Make sure you take your cell phone and
check in with me every hour. Understand?”
“Yes, Carey, but I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Harris rallied. Eaton shook his head. He could already
anticipate how this would end.
“Better safe than dead.” Carey patted Harris on the back and sent him on his way with the trio of
hawks.
Yep. There he went. A large bear shifter and his three stooges. Maybe Eaton would get lucky and
Harris would lose them along the way, leaving three less hawks to worry about.
Eaton frowned at Carey. “Keeping them in your back pocket now?” He didn’t know why, but a stab of
resentment pierced his chest at the idea of Carey taking over the flock.
Carey shrugged. “They needed something to do. If they dive-bombed my office one more time, I was
going to thin the hawk shifter population. Marty might not appreciate having a third of his flock
slaughtered while he sleeps.”
Tears prickled the back of Eaton’s eyes. “I don’t know if he’s ever going to wake up to care.”
“He will.” Carey squeezed Eaton’s shoulder. “He has a lot to return for.”
“Lance did a number on his back. I’m hoping it won’t cripple his wings when he heals,” Eaton said
worriedly. He bit his lip as he shared his anxiety with the one person he trusted most on this earth.
Like the other three of the quartet, Eaton expected Carey to fix everything. He’d hate for Marty to be
the first problem Carey couldn’t solve.
“When Marty wakes up—if he still can’t shift, we’ll find someone to help him heal.” Carey’s
confidence unraveled the knot twisting Eaton’s insides. Carey never let Eaton down. If there was any
way to save Marty’s wings, Carey would find it.

“Thanks. Sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing,” Eaton said.
Carey laughed. “I was putting off working in the garden. I thought maybe I’d recruit the winged team
and have them to do something besides take up space.”
“Good plan. You should also give them kitchen duty. I mean, they don’t do anything, but fly around
and sulk that they aren’t on their motorcycles,” Eaton replied. The lack of motivation from the hawks
to do anything useful irritated him.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got all kinds of things for them to do.” Carey’s grin almost had Eaton concerned
for his feathered comrades.
Carey nodded at Gallen, but didn’t shake hands. “I’ll let you two get back to work.”
“Thanks.” Eaton really needed to wrap up his paper. He reluctantly followed Gallen back to the large
table that had their laptops and papers strewn across in a tangle of words and equations. Physics was
Eaton’s only love besides Marty and he doubted either returned his affection. The past few months,
his dissertation work had slowed to a trickle. Between the wolf shifters attacking Carey’s mate and
the saltwater crocs attacking Denton, moments of peace lately had been few and far between.
“Good luck with that. I’m going to rally the garden crew.” Carey paused halfway out the door. “You
don’t have to forgive the hawks, but if Marty wakes up and takes them back, it’ll put you in an
awkward position. If you can’t accept them, maybe you should let Marty go.”
“Maybe,” Eaton agreed. He wouldn’t promise to forgive the bastards who let a psycho harm Marty.
He hadn’t killed them yet, they should be grateful, not whining to Carey.
“Think about it,” Carey advised.
He watched Carey leave, then turned back to his work. He needed to focus on his research, but his
mind kept drifting back to the man unconscious in the other room.
“He’s unusual for a human,” Gallen commented in a thoughtful tone.
“Yes. Carey’s a strong alpha. He’s mated to a jaguar shifter.” Eaton was almost certain Carey was
the alpha in that relationship, too. Broden might be big bad kitty cat, but Carey didn’t have a
submissive bone in his body.
Gallen laughed. “A human alpha? Why do the hawks even listen to him? Aren’t you their leader?”
“I won’t claim them. I keep hoping they’ll fly off and become someone else’s problem. Marty told
them he wanted to leave life on the road. I don’t know why they’re hanging around, except maybe they
hope he’ll change his mind. He won’t.” Eaton had hoped Marty planned to stay in one spot for him,
but he didn’t know the real reason. Before Marty’s attack, the two of them never really got a chance to
talk. For all Eaton knew, Marty just became tired of all the traveling and wanted to hang around and
work at his bar. His decision might have nothing to do with Eaton at all.
“Can I see him?” Gallen said.
“Why?” Eaton’s attention snapped fully to Gallen. His protective instincts flared as he evaluated
Gallen’s expression for danger.
“Because I might be able to help. I have some healing ability from my mother’s side of the family. She
comes from Fae blood.”
“Oh,” Eaton perked up at hearing that news. Fae were known for their healing abilities and were also
very hard to find. The Fae were dwindling in numbers and few were willing to step into the
paranormal limelight due to the high incident of kidnapping. Both other paranormals and humans were
easily enchanted by the Fae and often became obsessed, leading to a high level of abductions.
“Sure, you can come see him. It’s about time for me to go check on him anyway.”
Their project didn’t appear to be progressing very far. Marty filled all of Eaton’s thoughts. He needed
to snap out of his obsession and get his work done.

A loud noise in the other room lifted his spirits and made Eaton’s heart skip a beat.
“Fuck!” Marty’s voice, hard and angry, had Eaton racing from the study.
“He’s awake!” Eaton shouted. Abandoning Gallen, he rushed down the hall into the bedroom where
they’d placed Marty. Eaton skidded to a halt when Marty’s gold gaze pinned him to the spot.
The hawk shifter sat up in the bed, but hadn’t moved any more than that.
“Hey, you shouldn’t try to get up,” Eaton protested. “You’re still recovering.”
From Marty’s guilty expression, Eaton knew that was exactly what the hawk shifter had been
attempting to do.

Chapter Two

M

arty’s back burned like the fires of hell, but the scent of Eaton and hearing the soft timbre of his

voice in another room had Marty instinctively trying to seek out his mate.

Finding he couldn’t move had the hawk inside him screaming its protest. He couldn’t be injured.

His Eaton deserved a whole mate, someone who could keep him safe while still letting him spread
his golden wings. Marty refused to let his mate be unprotected.

The sight of Eaton standing beside another man made the hawk try to come forward. Marty’s inner

beast yearned to sink its claws into someone he saw as a threat.

“Come here,” Marty held out his hands. He groaned as the motion sent searing pain through him.

His arms and legs ached. He’d had broken bones before. Not so many at a time, but he knew how that
injury felt. Lance had done a thorough job at making sure Marty couldn’t shift to heal the damage he’d
caused. When he got his hands on the other hawk shifter, he’d kill the fucker.

Eaton studied Marty for a long moment as if trying to determine the reasoning behind his request.

After a slight pause, he walked forward until he stood beside the bed and within grabbing distance.
“What?”

Marty placed his hands on Eaton’s hips, holding him still. The eagle shifter always fidgeted when

nervous and Marty could almost feel the tension pouring off Eaton.

“I was coming to find you.” He hadn’t gotten any further than sitting up, but the thought had been

there.

“Why?” Eaton asked. “You aren’t in any condition to be looking for anyone. You need to settle

down and get some rest. I don’t know what you are thinking, trying to get out of bed. You’re injured.”

Marty scowled. “I needed to make sure you were all right. That bastard, Lance, said he’d go after

you. How did I get here?”

“I shot Lance in the head; he’s never going to touch anyone else again.” Eaton’s grim smile of

satisfaction had Marty’s cock rising. His baby had a vicious streak Marty found extremely attractive.

“How did you find me?”

“Denton discovered where you were, and Harris got you out. I killed Lance, and we walked away,”
Eaton summarized.

Marty caught the haunted look in Eaton’s eyes, and he knew it hadn’t been as easy as Eaton said.

Unable to resist the lure of his mate, he cupped Eaton’s face and pulled him gently down. Their lips
brushed, and heat poured through Marty at the contact. His inner hawk screamed its agreement.
A spasm of pain jerked him out of his lustful haze. Marty gasped from the ache.
Eaton stepped back. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t think.” The guilt emblazoned across Eaton’s face had
Marty quick to reassure.
“No, my mate, I needed you.” He wouldn’t let Eaton blame himself. Not after all he’d done for Marty.
“Mate?” Eaton’s gold-brown eyes widened.
“Crap.” He hadn’t meant to say that. Just because he’d finally admitted it to himself didn’t mean he
wanted Eaton to know just yet. Unfortunately, from the light glowing in Eaton’s eyes, it was too late
for take backs.
“We’re mates. That explains everything. Why didn’t I know that?” Eaton frowned. Marty could feel
the bond between them thrum as if Eaton had just discovered their connection.
Eaton’s tension and anxiety over being unaware hummed along with it.
“Because you’re just a baby,” Marty soothed. “And a virgin.”

Marty didn’t even try to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. Not wanting anyone else to have a
chance at the eagle shifter had led to his decision to settle down now. He didn’t plan on allowing
Eaton to spread his wings with anyone else. Ever.
Eaton blushed at Marty’s words, but rallied quickly. “So if I’d had sex with someone else, I
would’ve known we were mates.”
“You would’ve had something to base your experiences on. Whether you would’ve been able to tell
we were mates, I don’t know.” Marty tried to be honest. He’d never lied to Eaton before, he wasn’t
about to start now.
The sound of someone clearing their throat reluctantly pulled Marty’s attention away from his mate.
Marty turned his attention to the slim man with light blond hair and silvery green eyes who had
entered with Eaton. Marty wished he had the sense of smell of Eaton’s croc friend. He would lay a
bet that this newcomer reeked of jealousy like spicy hot peppers.
Eaton followed Marty’s gaze. “Oh sorry. This is Gallen. He’s in my advanced physics class. He’s
helping me with some equations.”
Gallen shrugged before saying modestly, “I’m not in the same league as Eaton. I’m just pointing out
flaws with no idea how to fix them.”
Marty didn’t like the fond smile Gallen gave Eaton. Now that he was awake, he’d definitely be
making sure their friendship didn’t go any further. Anyone who touched Eaton would lose some
fingers, even if he had to hire out a hit man to do it.
“No, you’re really helping,” Eaton corrected, turning back to face Marty. “I wouldn’t be half as far as
I am if Gallen didn’t help find the errors in my equations.”
Marty wished he felt better so he could rip out Gallen’s heart. The smug look Gallen flashed Marty
over Eaton’s shoulder sent a spark of annoyance through him.
“I’m always glad to help,” Gallen said.
The urge to growl at Gallen almost made him smile. Soon he’d be snarling like the cat shifters mated
to Eaton’s friends. That sobering thought had Marty relaxing against the pillows.
Eaton pulled out his phone and dialed. “Hello, Dr. Frennem, Marty’s awake now. Yeah, thanks.”
“What does the good doctor have to say?” Marty asked.
“He’s on his way,” Eaton replied.
“Good, maybe he can tell me if it’s safe to shift again.” Marty wouldn’t heal if he couldn’t shift, and
he couldn’t transform into a hawk without the all clear. Without proper guidance, he could completely
shatter his wings and never fly again. No way would he trap Eaton with a flightless bird shifter as a
mate. He’d rather rip off his own arms right now.
Eaton twisted his fingers together as anxiety poured off him. “There was a lot of damage.”
“What do you mean?” Marty frowned. “I don’t remember much. Lance attacked me from behind and
all I can recall is him slamming a bat into my legs so I couldn’t get up.”
“Bastard.” Something dark shimmered through Eaton’s eyes, and his sweet shifter’s face held an
expression that made Marty glad he hadn’t gotten on his mate’s bad side yet. He’d never thought of
Eaton as an aggressive man before, but he might have to re-evaluate his opinion. After all, the fates
only granted people their perfect match.
“Hey,” Marty caught Eaton’s hand in his. “Thanks for taking care of him.”
The idea of Eaton rushing to the rescue had Marty caught in admiration of his mate. He was kind of
sorry he missed the chance to see Eaton in action.
“I’ve offered my services as a healer if the doctor says you aren’t healing properly,” Gallen
interrupted. “I have some Fae blood and might be of some assistance.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Marty said. He barely kept his calm tone. Marty’s nails
began to lengthen. He ruthlessly shoved his hawk back down beneath his skin. Transforming wasn’t
an option. Not yet. That didn’t stop him from contemplating pecking out Gallen’s eyes.
Something must’ve shown in his gaze because the sorcerer took a cautious step back from the bed.
“Why don’t I see you later, Eaton? Call me if you need anything.”
“He won’t,” Marty said.
Eaton gave Marty a reproving look before telling his friend. “Thanks for your help.”
“No problem, see you at school tomorrow.”
Gallen left with one last longing glance at Eaton.
Marty let him go without another comment, considering it a victory. After all, Eaton stayed by his side
and didn’t even show his friend out.
“Does the doctor think I’ll fly again?” He tried not to let Eaton know how much his answer mattered
to him.
Eaton’s sad smile sent shivers of dread down Marty’s spine. “We don’t know. Lance broke your arms
and legs into little pieces. You need to heal a few more days before you can even try flying. I don’t
want you to reinjure yourself if there’s any chance you can heal.”
Marty swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. He couldn’t imagine never flying again. His inner
hawk screamed its dissatisfaction over that thought. Both of them wanted to feel the wind flowing
through their feathers. For a bird shifter, soaring through the air was one of the reasons they existed.
Flying cleared his head and soothed his soul. If it turned out he wouldn’t be able to change or fly
again, he’d have to make sure the flock knew they had to take care of Eaton. Since they hadn’t made
love yet, they weren’t completely bonded. Between the flock and Eaton’s good friends, they could
take care of the eagle shifter and make sure he had a good life. After all, if everyone had a mate and
not everyone found one then it made sense some shifters lived and died without ever bonding with the
supposed other half of their soul.
Eaton sat beside Marty on the bed. Marty gave in to his instinct to scoot closer. Pressing his face
against Eaton’s neck, he inhaled his mate’s scent. Eaton smelled of peppermints and sunshine. The
eagle shifter must’ve flown earlier to be so soaked with the fragrance of outside.
“Did you go flying?” he asked.
Eaton shook his head. “No, not yet.”
Interesting. His mate naturally smelled like all of Marty’s favorite things in the world. Curious, he
tilted his head, exposing his neck to his mate.
“What do I smell like to you?” he asked.
Not giving Marty a chance to change his mind, Eaton slid his nose along Marty’s neck. Goose bumps
popped across Marty’s skin as shivers of sensation danced through his body. He bit back a moan as
Eaton rubbed his cheek across Marty’s flesh, marking Marty as his.
“I didn’t say mark me, I said smell me,“ Marty complained with little heat.
“You smell like mine and now everyone else will know that, too,” Eaton replied simply.
Marty lowered his head to meet Eaton’s gaze. His mate’s eyes had turned pure metallic gold as
Eaton’s inner eagle peered back at him. Marty froze. He didn’t know if the eagle approved of a mere
hawk shifter trying to bond with its human half.
“What’s wrong?” Eaton asked.
“I didn’t want to spook your eagle,” Marty explained, feeling foolish.
Eaton laughed. “Marty, I know you’re a badass biker, but I’ve got Aden as my guardian. I’m much
harder to startle than you might think. You’re like a baby chick compared to him.”

Marty opened his mouth to object, but then snapped it shut. Memories of Aden’s frigid stare had him
agreeing with Eaton’s assessment.
“Fair enough. Where are the hawks?”
Hawks didn’t have the same sense of smell as wolves, bears or even croc shifters. However, they
could often sense when others from their flock were near. He could feel them close. Not necessarily
in the house, but nearby.
“They’re around,” Eaton shrugged indifferently.
“What did you do to the hawks?” Marty asked. The lack of inflection in Eaton’s voice told him his
eagle didn’t mesh well with Marty’s flock.
Eaton’s eyes flashed gold again. “Not as much as I should’ve. They are living on the third floor.
Carey’s been giving them things to keep them occupied. They claimed I am their new leader, but I told
them where they could put that idea. Unfortunately, they still stuck around.”
Marty nodded. “They won’t go until I appoint someone new or you do.”
Eaton jumped to his feet. “I can just pick an alpha? Why didn’t they tell me that? I thought it had to be
a big fucking deal.”
“No one said anything?” Marty asked, surprised.
Eaton folded his arms across his chest and refused to meet Marty’s eyes. “We’re not exactly on
talking terms.”
“Why not?” Marty didn’t understand why his flock wouldn’t talk to Eaton. He knew they didn’t have
problems with him being gay, and they were perfectly free to go back to their bikes and continue their
trek across the country. The entire fight between Marty and the rest of the flock derived from Marty
not wanting to travel away from his mate anymore. Eaton was a nesting kind of bird and wouldn’t be
happy on the road.
To tell the truth, Marty had tired of that lifestyle a long time ago, but it wasn’t until he’d met Eaton he
realized the urge to settle down had been an itch for a while.
“I didn’t know you had a problem with my flock.” For the first time, Marty wondered if he would be
able to keep both flock and mate. He’d already proven he’d take Eaton over the hawks. He wondered
if his behavior had caused the tension between them.
“I didn’t have a problem with them until they let you be tortured and didn’t lift a feather to help.”
Eaton’s growl told Marty his mate held a big ass grudge.
Marty sighed. He knew his explanation wouldn’t go over well before the words left his mouth. “I told
them not to.”
“What? Why?” Eaton glared at Marty. “That asshole Lance didn’t deserve to lead your people.”
“I wanted any challenger to be free to fight me without worrying about the rest of the flock attacking
following
them. I didn’t count on Lance not the rules. When I told them not to interfere, I didn’t think Lance
would come after me with a bat.”
Honestly, he was glad Eaton had killed Lance, that way Marty didn’t have to deal with a renegade
hawk. Everyone knew what the challenging rules were. To have someone blatantly ignore the
guidelines infuriated Marty. He might permanently pay the price for Lance’s betrayal.
“He deserved to die,” Eaton snarled.
Marty wondered if he’d underestimated his pretty eagle this entire time. “Wow, I never knew you
were so hard-hearted, my golden one,” Marty said.
“You don’t betray your friends. I’d kill all the hawks before I let that psycho get hold of you again,”
Eaton said.

Marty slid a hand across Eaton’s head, petting him. “Not everyone has your loyal heart, my love.
Some people think of themselves before their friends.”
He’d have to meet with the flock separately and determine what they wanted to do. He would be more
than happy to cut them free to fly elsewhere. The meeting might go better if he didn’t bring his volatile
mate. Eaton apparently wasn’t the forgiveand-forget type.
“No friend of mine would consider themselves first,” Eaton said with conviction.
Marty sighed. It wouldn’t be easy explaining the difference between Eaton’s friends and other
peoples’ relationships. Eaton’s connection with the other three men was almost more of a mating
without the sex. They were all intricately bonded through life and common experiences. He struggled
to explain the difference to Eaton.
“But you are in an exceptional situation. It works for the four of you, but hawk hierarchy is different.
I’m responsible to my flock. They aren’t responsible to me. If I can’t protect them, then I’m useless.”
“You aren’t useless.” Anger flared in Eaton’s eyes. “You’re a strong man who’s been tortured. I don’t
know if we are truly mates or not, but I’ll be here until you get back on your feet and in the air.”
“I know you will.” Marty touched Eaton’s face with the back of his fingers in a gentle caress. Even
that short motion had the air freezing in his lungs as pain surged up his back in a tsunami of agony.
“You’re one of the good guys. Too bad I wasn’t there to see you come to the rescue, guns blazing.”
Eaton laughed. “If I’m one of the good guys, what are you?”
“One of the lucky ones because you belong to me.” He couldn’t stop the heartfelt words even though
the soppiness of the statement should’ve made him ill. Somehow when it came to Eaton, his usual
barriers vanished. His emotions overflowed until he had to spout romantic nonsense like an idiot
poet. He’d have to turn in his badass card soon. Perhaps he should consider a new hobby, maybe
Harris could teach him how to paint. Marty barely held back a snort at that thought. His artistic talents
went more toward draining oil than dabbling in it.
Eaton apparently liked Marty sappy. The eagle shifter leant forward and gave Marty a wet,
openmouthed kiss.
“Mmm,” Marty moaned. Gripping fistfuls of Eaton’s hair, he let Eaton take control, unable to pin his
mate in place with his current limited mobility. By the time he lifted his lips, they were both panting
and Eaton’s erection pressed against his leg.
Eaton licked his lips, pulling another groan from Marty. “I want you to get better so you can fuck me
into that mattress.”
Marty kissed Eaton again, careful not to move too much. “You really do know how to motivate a man,
don’t you?”
He liked the image Eaton painted in his mind. A vision of Eaton tied to Marty’s bedposts and fucked
until he screamed with pleasure had Marty’s body waking up completely from its slumber. His
muscles tensed as he spread his legs to make room for his growing erection.
A gasp burst from him before he could stop it as pain ricocheted through his body like a PingPong
ball in a racket ball court.
“Shh.” Eaton slid careful fingers across Marty in soothing circles as if trying to absorb Marty’s pain.
“I’ve got you, love.”
After a few minutes, the searing agony faded. “You took it, didn’t you?”
A new crease formed on Eaton’s forehead. “I took some of your pain. Not all,” he rushed to correct.
“I don’t have that kind of ability.”
“Oh, babe, I don’t want you hurting. Next time, let me suffer. I never should’ve turned my back on
Lance.”

“But I’m the reason you were in the situation to begin with. If you weren’t trying to leave the flock,
Lance wouldn’t have attacked you,” Eaton protested.
Marty sighed over his own stupidity. “I thought he’d just take the flock and move on. I didn’t think
he’d try to take over the bar, too. It doesn’t make a ton of money. Hell, it barely covers expenses. I
only bought it so the hawks could have a home base. I wanted us to have something to come back to. It
wasn’t until I met you that I realized how important that had become to me.”
Eaton’s smile brightened the entire room or at least it did for Marty.
“Sorry to interrupt.” A new voice broke into Marty’s fixation on Eaton.
Blinking, he sought to change his focus to the newcomer. The interloper had the smell of an avian
shifter and the movements of one, too. Most flyers had almost twitchy movements from time to time in
their human form, a habit from having to move constantly while in flight. The man before them had
rather plain features, but kind eyes and dimples. Marty judged him to be a young doctor, probably in
his early fifties.
“Sorry, Carey let me in,” the man apologized in a thick German accent.
“Welcome, Doctor.” Eaton jumped off the bed to shake hands with the man. “Doctor Frennem took
care of a gunshot wound for Aden a few years ago. He really specializes in shifters, but he’s a good
doctor all around,” Eaton concluded.
Marty didn’t like how the doctor’s eyes followed Eaton, but he couldn’t blame the man. Eaton was
like visual crack, looking once only made you want to go back for more.
“Nice to see you awake.” The doctor nodded toward Marty. “I’ve reviewed your x-rays and I’m
sorry to say the results are not good. It will take a long time before you will heal. I wouldn’t
recommend shifting for at least five months and even then there is the risk of permanent wing damage.
I can provide you with drugs to help hold back your urge to shift, but I’m afraid it might drive your
hawk mad if you suppressed him for so long. The choice is, of course, yours to make.”
The doctor’s sympathetic look hurt almost more than the words he spoke.
Marty swallowed back the lump in his throat. “So you’re saying in order to possibly heal and fly
again, I might end up destroying my animal half. Are there any other alternatives?”
Frennem shrugged. “You could shift now, but your bones as a hawk will more than likely crumble and
you’ll be unable to ever fly again. Taking time to heal will at least give you a chance.”
“Oh no!” Eaton’s heartbroken whisper conveyed Marty’s opinion of the tragic news.
Marty tilted his head back, blinking rapidly. Either way, he’d have to give up his precious mate. He
couldn’t let Eaton bond with a broken man.
“So you’re saying if my hawk turns insane, I might snap and shift anyway?” Marty asked. He could
barely believe the news was even worse than anticipated. Even if he managed to suppress his hawk in
order to heal, it might be pointless in the end if he went insane.
Frennem stood silent for a moment, as he appeared to consider Marty’s words, maybe translating
them in his head before responding.
“Yes,” he said finally. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
Marty nodded. He wanted to say something sharp and cutting, but the compassion in the doctor’s eyes
stopped him. Frennem might admire Eaton, but the man hadn’t stepped one toe out of his professional
setting.
“Thanks, doc.”
“Wait,” Eaton called to the doctor when Frennem turned to leave. “Could a Fae save him?”
The doctor frowned. “From what I’ve heard of the Fae, they have abilities far greater than any other
species. Whether you could find one willing might be a different matter. I’ve never met a Fae, but I

have heard they are excellent healers. However, the one warning I have is the Fae always extract a
price. No Fae can give you anything without asking for something in return, it goes against their
nature. For the Fae there always has to be an equal balance. They never do anything for free.”
“Okay, thanks for the warning, doc.”
“You’re welcome,” Frennem said. With a last, lingering look at Eaton, the doctor left the room.
“I probably should’ve shown him out,” Eaton said, shrugging. “I never remember all those social
niceties. I’m kind of awkward that way.”
Marty dredged up a smile for his mate. “Honey, I run a biker gang, we aren’t exactly up on our
manners.”
Eaton chewed his lip for a few seconds as if contemplating something that took a great amount of
thought.
“Gallen offered to help you, but I didn’t know about the price thing. Do you think he knows about
that?”
Marty rubbed the back of his naïve young mate. “I’m betting he does, sweetheart.”
Eaton turned guileless eyes up at Marty. “What do you think he would want in exchange for your
wings?”
Marty smiled a sad, bitter smile. “Nothing I’m willing to give him. I might be broken, but I wouldn’t
give you up for the sun and the stars, much less the ability to fly.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Eaton growled. “You need to rest. I’m going to call Gallen and see what he can
do, if anything. Maybe the doctor was wrong and you’ll heal faster than you think.”
Marty had no doubt that Frennem knew what he was talking about. The physician had a competent air
about him. Marty doubted the man ever made mistakes.
“Oh, I’ll fly,” Marty said, putting determination in his voice. “There’s no way I’m going to be
landbound for the rest of my life.”
He hoped he hid the fear well. Eaton worried enough without him knowing the terror rushing through
Marty at the thought of never flying again. On the road, he’d occasionally met avian shifters who’d
lost their ability to fly. They were shadows of their former selves. He’d rather end his life than
become one of those sad imitations of his previous existence.
“I won’t let you,” Eaton vowed.
For a moment, he wondered if Eaton had read his mind, but then he reviewed his words.
He offered a slight smile to his mate. “My head would feel better if you came and snuggled with me.”
He hoped he put just the right amount of sadness in his voice. He really yearned to feel Eaton’s body
beside him.
“Umm. That isn’t going to happen. You’re not up to whatever you think you’re going to do.” Eaton’s
scolding voice lightened Marty’s mood. The longing in his mate’s eyes had Marty push a bit more.
“Come on, Eaton, you know you’re my mate,” Marty coaxed. “I’ll heal faster if you’re beside me.
Besides, a romantic like you can’t resist saving his love.”
Eaton threw back his head and laughed until tears ran down his cheeks. “What makes you think I’m
romantic?”
Marty’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the eagle shifter. “Because you came to my rescue. Only
a romantic would save his man with guns blazing.”
A smile teased the corners of Eaton’s mouth. “I hate to ruin this illusion you have, but I don’t have a
romantic bone in my body. I just protect what is mine, and you are mine.”
“For a guy who didn’t know we were mates, you’re awfully protective,” Marty said.
Eaton kicked off his shoes and began to climb on the bed.

“Sorry, this is a no clothing zone,” Marty protested.
“You’re wearing clothes.” Eaton pointed at Marty’s long-sleeved T-shirt and sweats.
Marty nodded. “That is a problem. You should help me with that. After all, you should take proper
care of your mate.”
“Oh, I’ll take care of you.” Eaton’s eyes darkened until they resembled burnished antique gold unlike
their usually shiny color.

Chapter Three

E

aton stood beside the bed. He knew Marty couldn’t do anything too adventurous. However,

Marty’s erection definitely needed some attention, and as Marty’s mate, Eaton felt he should
definitely take care of that big problem.

Stripping quickly, Eaton approached the bed only to have Marty point at the door. “I don’t want

an audience.”

“Oh, good point.” Who knew if the hawks would choose to drop in during an awkward time?

Eaton didn’t mind stripping in front of others for shifting, but he wasn’t an exhibitionist at heart. He
had no wish to have the hawks or even his roommates watch him have sex, no matter how limited. He
walked over to the door, then shut it firmly before turning the lock. The doors stuck sometimes, and if
it wasn’t closed completely, the lock wouldn’t engage.

“Just to remind you, eagles mate for life, which is one of the reasons I’ve never dared have sex

with anyone before.” Eaton’s parents had bonded young and had never really loved each other. Eaton
had no intention of becoming a mate of someone just because they had sex. “I’m not going to throw
everything away because I want you so badly. I still have to finish graduate school no matter what you
decide to do with your flock.”

Eaton ran his hand through his hair as he gave Marty his boundaries for their relationship. Eaton

had never had a relationship before. He didn’t really do anything except hang out with his friends and
go to school. If Marty were indeed the one he was fated to be with the rest of his life, he planned to
start how he meant to go.

His education was something he cherished. No one paid his way through school, and luckily, a

scholarship covered most of his expenses so he didn’t have to get a job to pay for books and classes.
The money he received for playing with the band was put into the household coffer with his friends.
Denton still put in his money because he said he still had his crap there and didn’t want the others to
be caught short. Carey made enough now, he told Denton he didn’t have to contribute, but the croc
shifter insisted. They all felt connected to the old house on Queen Anne. When your childhood
memories were caught in something, it became difficult to let it go for any reason.
“Hey, remember me?” Marty’s voice jerked

Eaton out of his thoughts.

“Oh, sorry.” Eaton shook his head.
Approaching the bed, he let his gaze slide across
Marty’s bare chest. Luckily, shifters rarely scarred
and none of the scratches were a problem with
Marty’s health. It was the broken bones. Both his
legs were broken and his lower back had snapped
in three places; the vertebrae were shattered.
Besides that, his arms were shattered.
Because he was a shifter, Marty’s bones had
fused enough to be barely attached on the surface,
but not enough to put weight on his body or shift.
If his bones were not solidly connected in places
where they were supposed to be, when he went
from human to bird, it could prevent him from

ever flying again.
“Don’t look so worried, babe. Come make me
feel better,” Marty coaxed.
A sharp pain speared Eaton’s heart. “I wish I
could make you feel better,” he whispered. He could bleed off some of the pain while they
made contact. Eagles were the best at touch
healing, but Marty’s wounds were too extensive
for Eaton’s skill. He should’ve suspected
something when Denton let Marty stay there. He
bet the croc shifter had known Marty was Eaton’s
mate.
He made a mental note to yell at his friend
later.
“Denton should’ve told me,” Eaton complained
as he climbed up beside Marty. Immediately, the
slide of his skin across Marty’s settled his eagle. A
contented sigh slid from him as his eyes closed.
He hadn’t
kidnapped. “Remind
murmured. Marty laughed. “See? I knew you were a
romantic.”
Eaton smiled. “I’m tired. Hold me while I
sleep?”
“Always.”
He tumbled into darkness between one breath
to the next.
slept well since Marty had been
me to pounce you in a bit,” he

“Baby, wake up.” A deep rumble vibrated beneath Eaton’s ear. He snuggled closer.

A delightful scent filled his nose. Nestling nearer to the source, Eaton absorbed the warm skin
beneath him. He rubbed his cheek across the flesh and frowned as he decided this person needed
more of Eaton’s scent.
His.
Eaton’s inner eagle screamed his agreement.
“I’m more than happy to be marked, but you have to wake up,” the annoying voice continued.
Why would it say such stupid things? Of course Eaton didn’t need to get up. He was right where he
needed to be.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Eaton jolted up. “What the hell is that?” He tried to unscramble his thoughts as the noise continued for
a few more minutes.
“Eaton, if you don’t answer this door, I will take it down,” Carey shouted.
Eaton scrambled out of bed and rushed to get the door. Swinging it open revealed Carey with two
hawks standing behind him.
Carey raised an eyebrow at Eaton.
“What? I was sleeping, Mr. Poundy.”

“I was worried about you. You left your papers all over the table and you weren’t answering my
knock.”
“I could’ve been having hot sex,” Eaton replied.
“Then you are the quietest ex-virgin ever,” Carey replied, folding his arms over his chest in a move
eerily similar to his father. Eaton resisted the urge to mention Carey was becoming more like his dad
every day. He liked his ass un-kicked, thank you very much.
Eaton sighed. “I was sleeping.”
“Sorry, but I got a call from Harris. He said he’s going to spend a few days with the vamps. I’m
working on a project for Broden, so I can’t leave right now. Could you head over there and make sure
he’s there under his own power?”
“I thought he took some hawks with him.” Eaton frowned, trying to pull the memory from his sleep-
drugged mind.
“He did, but they came back saying he’d agreed to stay. I’m worried they don’t know Harris well
enough to tell if he’s under someone else’s influence or not,” Carey continued.
“True.” Eaton didn’t want anything to happen to Harris because he was too lazy to drive over to the
vampire coven and check on him. “Okay. I’ll head over there in a bit.”
A relieved smile crossed Carey’s face. “I appreciate that. Denton is at a job site, and I didn’t want to
pull him off unless you couldn’t go.”
“No problem. I’ll get dressed and go,” Eaton promised.
“Thanks.”
Eaton nodded and began to close the door when a hand popped between the door and the wall.
“I don’t think you want to do that,” Carey warned the idiot who intercepted.
Eaton whipped the door back open to glare at the hawk shifter standing in front of the others. “What?”
The hawk shifter bit his lip before he spoke. “We want to go with you.”
“No.” Eaton began to close the door again.
“Eaton!” Marty shouted from the bed.
He looked over his shoulder at the injured hawk shifter. “What?”
“You take some people with you,” he demanded.
“But I don’t want to,” Eaton whined. Damn, he sounded just like Harris. That thought only made his
scowl harder.
Marty frowned. “I don’t want to be worrying about you the entire time you’re gone.”
Eaton sighed. Marty didn’t need additional stress, not when Eaton could see the stress on Marty’s
face over his injuries.
“Fine, I’ll take you.” Eaton growled. He slammed the door closed and didn’t feel the least bit guilty
when the hawk had to yank his hand out of the way at the last minute.
“Next time, could you please dress before you answer the door?” Marty asked.
“Why? It was only Carey and some hawks. Carey’s seen me naked tons of times and somehow I doubt
your hawks are shy,” Eaton reasoned.
“It could’ve been anyone,” Marty argued.
Eaton rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll try to remember to keep my clothes on. Do you want me to dress
before coming to bed, too, or are you okay seeing my sinful, naked flesh?”
Marty smiled. The sight of which had Eaton’s heart skipping a beat. Surely if his mate could still find
amusement in things, he would be all right. “You can be naked with me any time you want.”
“As long as there aren’t others around,” Eaton finished.
“Exactly,” Marty agreed.

Eaton thought about it for a bit. “As long as it isn’t right before a shift, I can agree to those rules,” he
said after a moment of contemplation.
“Good. Now get dressed and going. The quicker you go, the sooner you can come back to me,” Marty
ordered.
Eaton approached the bed. He kissed Marty with all the pent-up passion he had concealed inside. He
hoped his mate healed quicker than the doctor anticipated or soon his balls would be glowing so blue
they’d distract planes circling overhead.
He dressed quickly and gave Marty one last kiss before yanking on his shoes.
“Bye, love. Stay out of trouble.”
Marty flashed a devilish grin. “What would be the fun in that?”
Eaton shook his head and walked out the door. He had the uncomfortable sensation that his mate was
just showing Eaton what he wanted to see. Eaton made a note to call Gallen later. Any price would be
worth having Marty walk again.
* * * *

Marty barely waited for Eaton to clear the room before he wiggled his fingers and toes to assess

the damage. At least he had feeling. He’d panic more if he didn’t have any sensation.

“I can do this. I bet I can walk,” he muttered. With excruciating slowness, he sat up completely

and swung his body around until his feet dangled off the side of the bed.
“What are you doing?”

Marty’s head jerked up. He tilted his head to meet the cold eyes of Aden Gage. He should’ve

heard the man approach, but his experience with the creepy human told him no one heard Aden unless
he wanted them to.

“Umm, I thought I’d see if I could walk,” he said. The words had sounded stronger in his head.

Somehow when confronted with Aden, Marty wanted to offer his neck like he would to a stronger
alpha. Carey serving as the alpha of the house didn’t seem such a strange thing after meeting his
father.

“Wow, they really do make hawks stupid. I thought it was just a rumor,” Aden mocked.

“You don’t have to stay and witness my stupidity,” Marty snapped. “I’m sure I’ll be fine without an
audience.”
“If you hurt yourself further, Eaton will be crushed, and I don’t let anyone hurt my boys.” Aden let the
threat hang in the air.
Marty gave a scoffing laugh. “What could you possibly do to me that is worse than this?”
“Set you on fire,” Aden replied.
The speed with which the human found an answer to that question sent a deep chill through Marty’s
body. He swallowed back the knot of fear. “Um, how about you don’t?”
“I didn’t say I would,” Aden said quietly. “I said it was worse. I don’t think Eaton would forgive me
if I burned you. I’d have to make sure it looked like an accident.”
The blood drained from Marty’s face. He’d stared down shifters three times his size, taken on
homicidal rival gangs and more than once looked down the barrel of a gun, but none of them scared
him as much as the human standing calmly before him. It wasn’t just the coldness in Aden’s eyes. It
was the practicality in his voice. Marty had no doubt in his mind if he needed to be eliminated, Aden
Gage would kill him and not lose a second of sleep over the action.
“I’m Eaton’s mate,” he said. Maybe that would give him the edge. If Aden didn’t want to harm the
men he’d accepted as part of his little group, surely killing one of their mates would be taboo.
Aden nodded. “That’s what I heard and it’s why you’re here instead of at the bottom of Lake

Washington with Lance.”
“You put Lance at the bottom of the lake?”
Aden shrugged. “He had to go somewhere, and with all the development around here, burying a body
just isn’t practical. They all get dug up.”
“I-I see. Yes, that would be inconvenient.” See him talk nice to the homicidal maniac. Marty knew if
he were at full strength, Aden wouldn’t intimidate him as much, but helpless and barely able to move
wasn’t the best time to deal with psycho man here.
“Exactly.” Aden smiled as if pleased Marty appreciated his resourcefulness.
“Dad!” Carey’s voice broke through Marty’s paralyzing fear. He’d never been so relieved to see a
human in his entire freaking life.
Aden turned to face his son and his entire face transformed. The cold-blooded killer turned into a
fond father whose adoration of his offspring transformed a handsome face to a stunning one.
“How are you doing, Carey?”
The two men exchanged hugs. This close together, Marty could see the striking resemblance between
father and son. Marty decided Carey’s mother must’ve been stunning. While he resembled Aden,
Carey’s face had more delicate beauty than his father’s purely masculine face.
“What are you doing here?” Carey asked.
“Besides coming to see you, I thought I’d see how Eaton’s mate was doing.” Aden’s hard gaze swept
across Marty. “He apparently thinks he can walk.”
“Hmm,” Carey shook his head at Marty’s stupidity.
“Speaking of Eaton, where is our eagle?” Aden asked.
Marty relaxed at the fondness in Aden’s tone.
“I sent him to check on Harris. Our bear friend has decided to work for the vamps. I wanted to make
sure he chose to stay there.”
Aden nodded. “Good idea. Let me know if you think Eaton needs back up.”
Carey shook his head. “I sent him with some of the hawks. I figure they could at least determine if the
situation required further action.”
Aden nodded. “Good plan. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be going out of town for a job and will
be gone for a few days.”
“I think we’ll be all right. I expect Eaton will return soon and say everything is fine. Harris can
handle himself if he really wanted out of there. I think it’s just a case of poor judgment in romantic
partners.”
“He’s got the hots for a vamp, huh?” Aden asked.
Carey nodded. “Rohan.”
Aden threw back his head and laughed. “At least when he goes bad, he goes all the way.”
“Don’t encourage him, Dad,” Carey scolded.
Aden shrugged. “I’m not encouraging him, but you have to admit Harris doesn’t usually pick out guys
to fixate on. You need to keep an open mind in case this vampire turns out to be Harris’s mate.”
Carey scowled. “I hope not. Vampires give me the creeps.”
Marty bit back a laugh. Laughter right now would hurt more than anything. Carey must’ve seen his
expression.
“What? They are creepy. You don’t think a being that exists only to suck out your blood isn’t wrong?”
Carey shuddered.
Marty gave in and laughed. Yep, it hurt just as much as he thought it would.
“Why don’t you take a nap? I’m sure Eaton will wake you when he returns,” Carey said.

With those words, father and son left the room.
Exhausted, Marty moved back to lie down on the bed. The nap idea sounded really good.

Chapter Four

S

ome people had an innocent cast about them in slumber. To Eaton’s mind, Marty appeared like a

fallen angel, taking a break from sin until he could gather more energy.

Harris had appeared quite content at the vampire coven. Those damn vamps were fawning all

over the bear shifter, making sure he had whatever he needed while he sketched out ideas for their
mural. Apparently Harris’s attraction to Rohan wasn’t completely one-sided.

Locking the door behind him, Eaton quickly stripped. He knew exactly how to wake Marty from

his nap. A quick blowjob, then he’d call Gallen and find out how he could cure Eaton’s mate.

No way would he let Marty become a cripple or go insane just because there might be a price to

be paid. Eaton liked Gallen, surely he wouldn’t ask for anything Eaton couldn’t pay.

Marty still didn’t wear a shirt. Eaton hoped that was a sign the man remained stark naked beneath

the covers. Curious, Eaton reached out and
around the edge of the wrapped his fingers blanket.

He jumped when around his fingers, trapping them in Marty’s hold.

“I thought you were asleep,” Eaton pouted. “You’ve ruined my surprise.”
“If your surprise has anything to do with your mouth on my erection, don’t let me stop you. Come
show me what you can do.”
Eaton pulled the blanket down farther, revealing Marty’s thick cock filling and rising to greet him.
“Part of you isn’t sleepy,” he commented.
“I sensed you coming closer. How can I rest when I know you are near but not beside me?” Marty
asked.
Careful of Marty’s legs, Eaton climbed onto the mattress and settled between them. “Let me know if I
do something you don’t like. I’ve never done this before,” Eaton warned.
“Never? You mean you are completely untouched?”
Marty’s tone had Eaton glancing up at his mate. “What did you think virgin meant?”
“Well, I figured you would’ve at least experimented. Maybe touched someone else.” Marty’s hand
wrapped
Eaton shook his head. “Unlike other shifters, the first person I have sex with will be the one I bond
with. Eagles imprint on their first lover. I’ve always been careful who I touch.”
“So if you had sex with someone other than me, you would’ve been their mate?” Marty asked, a low
growl rumbled in his voice.
“No. Just because we bonded wouldn’t necessarily mean you were my mate. Some eagles actually
find their mates after they already bond with someone else. Which is why eagle shifters are so rare.
Those meetings usually end with someone dying,” Eaton explained.
“No wonder you’re so careful.” Marty slid his fingers through Eaton’s hair. “You don’t have to worry
about that, love. I’m positive we’re mates.”
Relief rushed through Eaton. He’d heard so many horror stories when he was younger that he’d been
afraid to be involved with anyone. However, he’d been unable to get Marty out of his mind after their
first meeting. He used to think maybe it was Marty’s bad boy image, but in reality, it was the man
himself. Marty cared about his people, and he might have a tough biker gang reputation, but he always
watched out for his flock.
Eaton licked the tip of Marty’s cock. His lover’s flavor exploded across his tongue, sticky with a bit
of sweetness and bitter. “Do all men taste the same?” Eaton asked.

Marty shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not much for sucking cock.”
“Oh.” Eaton sat back on his heels. “Would you rather I don’t…”
He’d assumed all men liked oral sex, but maybe he’d been mistaken.
“No, honey, you can suck me all you want. It isn’t my favorite thing to do, but I will definitely make
an exception for my mate when I’m healed.”
Eaton would address Marty’s healing after he figured out what to do. Wrapping a hand around
Marty’s erection, he lapped at the liquid oozing from the slit. He kept that up for several minutes until
curiosity had him wrapping his mouth around the tip and giving it a tentative suck.
“Don’t tease an injured man,” Marty scolded.
Eaton responded by sucking harder. He held Marty’s hips in a firm grip to keep the hawk shifter from
moving and possibly hurting himself further. Marty had more muscle mass, but with his injuries, Eaton
had strength on his side.
“More, babe, just a little more.”
Eaton had one more trick to show Marty. He wasn’t the college hot dog eating champion for nothing.
It had a lot to do with his complete lack of a gag reflex. Without pausing, he swallowed Marty down,
letting his throat caress the long cock.
“Oh, fuck.” Liquid spurted down Eaton’s throat. He pulled back a little to allow some of the liquid to
land on his tongue. He wanted the essence of his lover. Marty’s cock softened beneath Eaton’s
attention, and he slowly let his mate slip from his mouth.
Eaton rubbed Marty’s hips where he would undoubtedly have bruises. “Better?”
Marty nodded, a languid smile crossed his lips. “For a newbie, you did an amazing job.”
“I’m glad you approve. Does that mean I get the position?”
“Once I’m healed, you can do any position you want,” Marty quipped.
Eaton nestled beside Marty, barely touching. Marty moved him until Eaton’s head rested on his chest
and Marty’s arm wrapped around him.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes, but it hurts more for you to be so far away,” Marty replied.
“I’m going to call Gallen and have him examine you.”
“What if he asks for something you aren’t willing to give?” Marty asked.
Eaton sat up to look his lover in the eyes. “There is little I wouldn’t give to have you whole again.
You need to be able to fly.”
“You think your friend can make this happen?” Disbelief colored Marty’s voice.
“I don’t know, but he hinted he might be able to help. I’d like to hear what he might have to say,”
Eaton said.
“Okay, call him, but if he can’t perform a miracle, I don’t want you to be upset,” Marty warned.
Eaton blinked back tears. “I just want to explore all avenues.”
He slipped out of Marty’s hold to dial Gallen’s number.
“Hey, Eaton, what’s up?” Gallen’s voice came over the line.
“I was wondering if you have time to come by and see Marty. I would like your magical assessment.
See if maybe you can help him,” Eaton said. His voice shook at the thought of his poor hawk shifter
unable to shift for months while waiting to heal.
“I’ll be by in a bit. I’m just down the hill drinking some coffee.”
“Great! I’ll make sure the gate’s unlocked.” Eaton hung up after a few more pleasantries.
“He’ll be here soon,” he told Marty.
“Good. I hate waiting.”

Another reason the wait-and-see healing plan wouldn’t work well on the hawk leader.
After calling Carey’s phone and alerting him that Gallen was on this way, Eaton dressed in his jeans
and shirt, then slipped on his wool socks to protect his feet against the cold floor for later.
Climbing back onto the bed, he cuddled up against his lover. They spent their waiting time talking
about casual things like the weather— rainy—and Carey—bossy—until a knock on the bedroom door
had Eaton jumping off the bed to answer it.
Pulling open the door revealed Gallen standing on the other side.
“Hey, thanks for coming,” Eaton said sincerely.
“No problem, but I can’t make any guarantees until I examine him closely,” Gallen said, approaching
the bed.
Eaton watched the sorcerer carefully. He hadn’t thought of Gallen as a threat when he studied beside
him for hours, but now with him approaching Marty, he had to clamp down control over his eagle
who wanted to shred anyone coming too close to their injured mate.
“May I touch you?” Gallen asked. He might have posed the question to Marty, but his eyes went to
Eaton when he asked.
Eaton reluctantly nodded his permission.
Gallen pressed his hand in the center of Marty’s chest. Since Marty didn’t make any sounds of protest,
Eaton didn’t think it hurt his mate any. After a minute, Gallen’s hand began to glow and a white light
emitted through his fingers.
“What are you doing?” Eaton asked. He didn’t really understand magic. Shifters were beings of
magic, not manipulators of power. Until now Eaton would’ve sworn he didn’t know any magic users.
“I definitely think I can heal you,” Gallen said after about five minutes of putting his glowing hands
over different parts of Marty’s chest. “It will take a lot of energy, however.”
“What is your price?” Marty asked.
“A kiss,” Gallen said. He spun around. “From Eaton.”
Eaton gasped. “Why?”
“Because I’ve been watching you for two years now, and you’ve never noticed me before. I want a
kiss in exchange for healing your boyfriend,” Gallen said.
He clasped his hands before him and waited for their response.
“Could you give us a moment?” Eaton asked.
“Of course. I’ll be right outside this door. Call me when you’re ready.”
“We will.” Eaton didn’t say a word until Gallen closed the door behind him. “I’ll do it.”
“No!” Marty snarled. “What if it’s a trick?”
Eaton shrugged. “What if it is? That still wouldn’t change what we need to do.”
“We need to make sure that bastard doesn’t get his hands on you,” Marty said.
“It’s only for one kiss!” Eaton shouted. “What is one kiss if it can stop you from being crippled?”
“What if he does something freaky and gets me killed?” Marty protested. “I think you’re putting too
much faith in Gallen.”
“And I think you aren’t putting enough. I think Gallen genuinely wants to help.”
Marty scowled. “If you think we can trust him…”
Eaton walked over to the door and flung it open. “We’ve decided to take you up on your offer, but you
have to heal Marty first in order to get your kiss.”
“Fair enough,” Gallen agreed.
Eaton followed the sorcerer back to Marty’s side. He clenched his fists so he wouldn’t give into his
urge to snatch Gallen away from his mate. After tasting Marty, he knew Marty had spoken the truth;

the hawk shifter was indeed his mate. They still weren’t bonded yet, but Eaton could feel the pull of
the mating bond trying to lure him to the side of his beloved.
“I’m not going to lie, this is going to hurt,” Gallen said. “The Fae are great healers, but we’re not
particularly compassionate.”
Eaton gritted his teeth. His inner eagle flicked his wings and tested the limits of Eaton’s control.
“Maybe you’ll want to step outside for this,” Gallen told Eaton.
“But.”
“Please, babe,” Marty begged, “I don’t want you to accidentally attack Gallen if I start screaming.”
Eaton thought over the chances of that happening before he nodded. “Okay. But do what you can to
make sure he suffers the least amount.”
Gallen walked over to Eaton and took his hands in his own. “I will promise to give your boyfriend
the very best care I can.”
Eaton squeezed Gallen’s hands tightly before giving his lab partner a small smile. “Thanks, Gallen, I
do appreciate you doing this.”
“No problem.”
Eaton released Gallen and walked over to Marty. “You get healed so I can fly with you.”
Despite them both being aerial shifters, they’d never had the opportunity to fly together.
“I look forward to that,” Marty said.
Eaton kissed Marty, then walked out the door. He heard Gallen lock the door behind him, probably a
good precaution.
Rubbing his hands up and down his arms, Eaton wondered if the chill going through his body was
merely the drafty house or the icy fingers of premonition.

Chapter Five

W

hen Gallen turned back Marty, he didn’t like the gleam in the half-Fae’s eyes. His smile took

away the little hint of doubt over Gallen’s intentions. “I thought it might take longer to get my hands on
my pretty eagle, but you helped land him right into my hands.”

The cold smile crossing Gallen’s lips had Marty opening his mouth to protest, but Gallen waved

his hand and no noise came from Marty’s mouth.

Fear trickled down his spine. Helpless, he couldn’t do anything to stop the sorcerer from doing

whatever he wished.
Idiot!

He silently berated himself. He let his only layer of protection walk out the door.

“I’ve been watching Eaton for years,” Gallen said in a wistful tone. “He’s so beautiful, don’t you
think?”
Gallen waved a hand at Marty. “It’s all right; I know you agree. I mean, who wouldn’t. Once I have
him fully beneath my enchantment, he’ll be perfectly happy as my mate. It’s lucky for me that you
were stupid enough to hand him over on a silver platter.”
He slid a scornful glance over at Marty. “You don’t deserve him. When he’s my mate, I’ll never let
another touch him. I’ve been waiting to give him this.”
Gallen pulled a silver chain out of his pocket. It shimmered and shone in the sunlight streaming
through the window. A small silver eagle dangled from the necklace. “This is a Venus chain. It will
keep Eaton under my thrall long enough to bond with him. In fact, it will convince him I’m his proper
mate. Eagles are fierce warriors, but not particularly strong willed. Once Eaton is convinced he was
meant to be mine, he won’t even acknowledge your tiny bond.”
Satisfaction all but oozed from Gallen.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to cause him any harm. He’ll live a perfect life as my mate. My family has
lots of money, and once he graduates, I’ll set him up with the best lab money can buy so he can tinker
with all his ideas and experiments. He’s quite brilliant, you know. A bit head-in-theclouds, but I
guess that’s part of being a bird shifter.”
Gallen laughed, a beautiful light-hearted noise that made Marty hate him even more.
The thought of his free-spirited eagle trapped in a loveless mating for the rest of his life caused more
pain to Marty than his fractured bones.
He tried to move. His jaw dropped open as he screamed without noise.
“Take it easy. It will take longer to heal you if you thrash about.”
Gallen waved a hand. White ropes of energy wrapped around Marty like sizzling snakes, wiggling
and hissing with power. Heat poured through the bonds, warm and comforting. If he’d been less
concerned for Eaton, he would’ve enjoyed the sensation. Instead, he struggled against the healing
bonds. He’d rather remain broken and useless than have Eaton’s free will stolen from him.
“Settle down. I plan on keeping my half of our agreement. If you healing, I can’t complained.
That sounded just fine to Marty. He tried to move some more.
“Be still.” Gallen placed a palm against Marty’s neck and he froze.
He couldn’t move. Not his nose, not his pinky, nothing on his entire body could so much as twitch. He
was more frozen than the top of Mount Rainier.
Somehow his lungs operated enough to allow do anything to ruin your claim payment,” Gallen him to
breathe, but that was the extent of his motion.

“I’m rebinding your bones, but I’m trapping your hawk inside,” Gallen said casually. “Sorry, but I
can’t have your animal half calling to Eaton’s eagle. According to my studies, the bond between your
shifter halves is stronger than the human one.”
Marty didn’t know if this was true or not, but despite hating Gallen, he was impressed the man had
done his homework. Maybe Gallen’s obsession with getting everything right could work in their
favor.
He had no doubt the sorcerer would take Eaton with him. After all, Marty couldn’t do anything, and
with the necklace, Eaton would think it was all his idea. His pretty naïve shifter would be putty in the
hands of the ruthless sorcerer.
With his stomach tied in knots, even the relief of his bones sealing together wasn’t enough to remove
the pain from his heart.
“Easy, almost done.” Gallen’s voice, calm and soothing, had Marty’s eyes starting to droop.
He shouldn’t fall asleep. He knew there was a reason for that. A fog began to settle in his head. Why
shouldn’t he rest? There must be a reason.
“That’s it. Go ahead and take a nap; healing is hard work.”
Yes, a little sleep would be good. He could rest for a bit and then he could go for a flight.
Flight.
Now he remembered. Marty fought against his heavy eyelids. He needed to stay awake. He had to tell
Eaton about Gallen’s deception. His friend wasn’t really a friend at all. Gallen only wanted Eaton for
himself, to keep him as a pet or something. Marty wasn’t quite clear on what Gallen wanted Eaton
for. A mindless mate? Whatever nefarious reasons he wanted Eaton, none of it could be good. Eaton
belonged to Marty.
“Relax. It will all be over soon and Eaton will be in a good place. Don’t think I won’t take good care
of him. I will. My father has taken excellent care of my mother over the years and I’ll do the same to
Eaton.”
Crap.
Now he knew how Gallen got his Fae half, his mother must have been one of the abducted. A hundred
years ago, magic wielders had stolen an entire branch of Fae. Most of them had escaped over time.
Apparently, Gallen’s mother hadn’t been one of the more fortunate. A man raised to think abducting
your mate was a good idea wouldn’t give Eaton up without a fight.
Marty needed to get stronger to take Eaton back. He settled for raising his eyelids high enough to
glare at the sorcerer.
“I know you think I’m insane, but everything will be fine. You can go back on the road with your
hawks knowing I’ll take care of Eaton.”
Gallen made it sound as if they were friends, and he was doing Marty a favor. If he could talk, he’d
tell the sorcerer where he could shove that favor.
“Deep breaths, accept the magic. You have to take it inside so you can heal faster. Eaton isn’t going to
wait forever, and if he interrupts your healing, I won’t be responsible for any consequences.”
Marty didn’t know if the consequences would be for him or Eaton, but he couldn’t chance it. His
stupid wish to speed up his healing had gotten them into this situation.
Closing his eyes again, he took slow, even breaths. He could feel the magic tingling along his skin,
poking at him to accept it. Not being able to move a muscle made relaxation close to impossible, but
he did what he could.
Warm soothing heat slithered down his spine and spread throughout his body. He thought this was
supposed to hurt. Maybe it was a ploy to get Eaton out of the room. Sleep tugged at him again.

Gallen stroked a finger down Marty’s right cheek. “I can see why Eaton is so enamored of you. You
are a handsome man, just not right for my eagle. This is the part you’re not going to like so much.”
The sorcerer flicked his finger across Marty’s chest.
Marty screamed. A soundless noise that hurt his throat as molten lava burned him from inside out. He
could feel tiny bits of bone fusing together, bonding as if reattached with magical cement. Every
fracture, every snapped off piece realigned with pure energy.
He trembled from head to toe, fine shivers shaking his frame despite the magical blanket laid across
his body.
“Shh, it’s almost over,” Gallen soothed. “This is the worst part, I’m told.”
Minute blended into minute until Marty wondered if these were his last moments on earth and he’d
chosen to spend them in agony instead of curled up beside his beloved. Tears dripped from his eyes,
leaving wet tracks down the sides of his face. He couldn’t move to wipe them away, but that didn’t
matter. What would happen after he healed? Would Eaton understand to not go with Gallen?
Gradually, so slowly it took a moment to realize what was happening, the pain faded. Sweeping back
like a receding tide, it eased off bit by bit. Marty did an internal inventory. Healed. His hawk
however remained silent. Marty tried to access his spirit animal, but it remained quiet. The entire
purpose of becoming healed was moot. He not only couldn’t fly, but he couldn’t even find his hawk.
“The disassociation from your bird will only last a few months,” Gallen assured him. “Long enough
for me to bond with Eaton. I wouldn’t want him to feel rushed.”
The false concern from the sorcerer made Marty want to smash Gallen’s face in.
Gallen placed his palm in the center of Marty’s chest. He remained there for a long moment before
nodding. “Yes, you are all healed. Your hawk is having a little nap, but he’s not gone forever. I did
good work.”
Marty tried to tell Gallen exactly what he thought of Gallen’s work, but of course he couldn’t speak.
“I’m going to go get Eaton. He’ll be thrilled!” Clapping his hands, Gallen went to unlock the door.
Eaton rushed inside, immediately heading to Marty.
Soft hands brushed Marty’s cheek, stroked his hair and petted his chest in soothing motions. “How are
you, my mate?” Eaton asked, concern shimmering in his gold eyes.
“I’m afraid he can’t talk right now. Sometimes the process causes temporary paralysis. He’ll be fine
in a few hours,” Gallen smoothly assured Eaton.
“But he’s healed?” Eaton asked, a frown marring his forehead.
“Absolutely. Every single bone is whole and right where it needs to be,” Gallen assured him.
“Oh, thank you.” Eaton threw himself into Gallen’s arms, exuberantly hugging him.
Marty’s fingers curled into a fist.
Wait.
His fingers moved. Gallen’s eyes widened over Eaton’s shoulder as he caught the motion.
Gallen carefully set Eaton away from him. “I believe you owe me a kiss,” he told the eagle.
Eaton sent a cautious glance over to Marty.
“You promised,” Gallen scolded.
“I know. I did.” Eaton dipped his head shyly before stepping into the circle of Gallen’s arms.
“I expect a good one, too. I did quality work on this one.”
“I won’t cheat you. I just haven’t ever kissed anyone but Marty before,” Eaton confessed.
Marty’s stomach churned as he realized what he’d blithely agreed to put his mate through. He’d
kissed hundreds of men in his life, an embrace as meaningless as a handshake to him. However, his
chaste, faithful eagle had only kissed him. Now it as his own damn fault for giving away the precious

gift of his mate’s innocence for his own selfish needs.
If he hadn’t felt like a heel before, he certainly did now. If he didn’t know Gallen planned to take
away Eaton’s free will, he might’ve let the other man have him. Marty wondered briefly about
Gallen’s mother. Did she enjoy her captivity after all these years or had she only just become numb?
“I’m ready when you are,” Gallen said, snapping Marty out of his inattention. Whatever Gallen had
done with his magic, it had fogged Marty’s mind.
Eaton went to his tiptoes and pressed his lips against Gallen’s.
Marty watched as Gallen slipped the necklace out of his pocket and snapped it deftly around Eaton’s
neck.
Eaton jerked back. “What?” He lifted the chain to get a better look.
“It’s an eagle,” Gallen told him. “It will magically adjust whenever you wish to shift and fly.”
“Oh, thank you.” Eaton flickered a cautious look toward Marty.
“Marty told me it was fine to give it to you,” Gallen lied.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Marty opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Apparently, the one hand was the extent of his ability.
He had to do better. There! His foot twitched.
“I only have one more surprise, my eagle friend,” Gallen said.
“Surprise?” Eaton’s eyes lit up.
Marty struggled harder to move.
“This necklace has a special ability,” Gallen purred.
Eaton tilted his head. “Besides adjusting its size.”
“Mm hmm. Ready.”
Eaton flashed another glance at Marty. When Marty didn’t protest, he shrugged. Marty’s heart ached
from the misplaced confidence Eaton gave him. The eagle shifter trusted Marty to keep him from
harm, and he was all but gift-wrapping him for his abductor.
“I guess.”
Gallen pressed the eagle between his fingers. “In Venus’s hands, my will I’ll keep.”
A golden glow surrounded them.
“Whoa, what?” Eaton blinked at Gallen as if his lids became too heavy to lift for more than a second
or two at a time.
Marty watched as the bright light of curiosity that usually flowed in Eaton’s eyes dimmed.
“You’re going to come home with me now, Eaton. You are going to be my bonded,” Gallen said.
Eaton didn’t agree, didn’t argue, didn’t do anything but stand there.
“Come along, love. Once the spell settles, you’ll feel a lot better. Maybe you’d enjoy a good flight
later, hmm?”
Gallen waved his hands. With little fanfare, a black transportation hole appeared in the middle of the
room. “Bye, Marty. Have a good life. Don’t worry, I’ll take excellent care of him.”
Gallen led Eaton through the portal.
The hole vanished behind them just as the spell wore off Marty.
Marty screamed, not the sound of a hawk shifter, but the broken noise of a man who’d just lost the
other half of his soul.

Chapter Six

K
isses sprinkled across his face, his lips, and all over his naked body. Eaton wiggled beneath the
attention.

“Marty,” Eaton whispered.

“Always, my love,” Marty replied.
The hawk shifter lay beside Eaton. They were both

naked. Eaton’s mouth watered at the sight of his beloved in all his bare glory. “I want you. Please

make me yours,” he begged.

“You are already mine,” Marty said. He kissed Eaton’s shoulder, dragging his lips across Eaton’s

skin. “You will always be mine.”

Marty nipped at Eaton’s neck, sending a shivering thread of desire through his body.

Eaton looked into his lover’s passionate gaze.
Marty leaned forward, but just as their lips almost touched, he transformed into a hawk and flew
away. Eaton cried out, reaching for his vanished lover.

Eaton blinked as he tried to bring his world into focus. He lay on a large bed in an enormous

decadently luxurious room. Antique furniture rubbed elbows with expensive textiles. Eaton knew
exactly what some of this cost, because when Carey had redecorated the manor, most of the items like
this fell into the too expensive to purchase pile.

He rubbed his scalp as a mild ache pierced through his head. A memory skated across his mind

only to be erased like writing on a whiteboard, crumbling to dust.
“Where am I?” he whispered.

The last thing he could remember was studying with Gallen and figuring out a particularly hard

physics problem. Eaton took stock. He wore his jeans, the T-shirt he remembered dressing in earlier
and his favorite green wool socks. His stomach rumbled its dissatisfaction over its current emptiness.

Maybe if he left the room, he could find somebody with food. He was obviously in someone’s

house. There must be a kitchen. A brief scan didn’t reveal his shoes, but if he stayed inside that
shouldn’t be a problem.

Working on the theory that all homes had places to prepare food, especially ones with rooms this

nice, Eaton headed for the door.

The knob turned easily. Eaton paused, wondering why he thought it might not. Did he think he’d

been abducted? Eaton laughed at his own silliness. Who would steal him?

After opening the door, he peeked outside to the hallway, looking for dangers or people of any

kind. No one. Confident the house was apparently free of ninjas, Eaton exited the room. A quick
glance up and down the hall determined there was only one way, which appeared to have a staircase.
The other end led to a long row of doorways that dead-ended with a solid wall.

Instinct had him trying to walk silently, but eagles were only graceful in the air. For the first time,

Eaton wished he’d been born a cat shifter. Broden could’ve scoped out the entire building and no one
would’ve heard him.

A man stood at the bottom of the stairs. Tall with cropped dark hair and insanely broad shoulders,

he eyed Eaton with a cold gaze. He had the air of a bodyguard, probably why the house was ninja
free.
“They are expecting you in the dining room.”

“Oh. Um.” Eaton looked down at his feet. “I’m not sure where my shoes are.”

The man sighed as if Eaton had turned into way more work than he was prepared for. “Come with
me.”
Eaton followed the man like a lost puppy who’d found the first nice stranger and decided to follow
him home. He really wanted to ask who was waiting for him and why, but he had a feeling he could
ask all the questions in the world only to have them completely ignored.
The room he was led to was a giant closet with dozens of shoes and outfits placed according to size if
the signs were any indication.
A pair of sneakers with a familiar star caught Eaton’s eyes. “Cool, I love these kicks.” He snatched
them up, happy they were in his size.
Once his feet were covered, he straightened. “Take me to your leader.”
The dark-haired man’s mouth kicked up on one side. “You are taking all this rather well.”
Eaton tilted his head as he examined the man. “I’ve learned to go with the flow.”
Aden taught him to assess all threats before attacking, in order to have a better chance of success.
Eaton wouldn’t do anything without knowing his odds. If they thought of him as a simple, easy-going
prisoner, all the better to escape.
He followed the man, whose name he still didn’t know, back down the hall and through a pair of
double doors. At least twenty people sat around a long dining table. He recognized one.
“Eaton, you’re awake,” Gallen rushed to his side. “Come sit with me.”
Without giving Eaton a chance to ask any questions, Gallen pressed his hand along Eaton’s back and
escorted him close to the head of the table and to an empty seat three spots down.
“Everyone, this is Eaton, my bonded. He’s an eagle shifter.”
Murmurs of approval went around the table.
“Nice job, son!” a deep voice resonated through the air.
Eaton turned his attention to the speaker. He looked like an older version of Gallen, if the younger
man had been stripped of his soul and pure evil had been stuffed inside.
He still didn’t know why he was there, but if this man had anything to do with it, it wouldn’t be
anything good.
“That’s my father,” Gallen whispered. “Everyone calls him Theos.”
Eaton decided people probably had several names for the scary bastard, but kept that thought to
himself. Somehow, he didn’t think they’d appreciate his sense of humor.
“Although I wish you were born at least bisexual, you have brought honor to the clan,” the man
grudgingly said.
“Thank you, Father,” Gallen bowed his head as if he were just given the highest praise. From the
stench of animosity pouring off Gallen’s father, he probably didn’t give even half-hearted backward
compliments very often.
Eaton kept his gaze empty and let the man think he was completely under their control. A tingle along
the chain on his neck had him wondering if there were some sort of spell on it.
Good thing Aden had inoculated them all with anti-spell venom when the four of them were young.
Anti-magic shots were super rare and outrageously expensive, but Aden had saved the life of the
inventor’s son, and in return had everyone injected several years ago. Sometimes, Eaton wondered if
Aden had a little seer in his blood. The man had considered every possibility. Some people might
call him paranoid, but so far, everything he’d taught them had come in handy at some point in their
life. As much as they bitched about his lessons in escaping handcuffs and unbinding rope, not one of
them ever refused a lesson by Aden Gage.
A covert glance around the table revealed others were wearing the same sort of chain. Their empty

eyes and wooden motions had a stilted aspect as if they weren’t completely moving under their own
power.
It was like a freaky puppet paranormal show. Chills raced up and down Eaton’s back. This was what
Gallen had wanted for Eaton. Eaton swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He’d have to be more
careful and pretend to be just as affected. The spell must’ve worked at least momentarily before the
antidote kicked in or Eaton would never have agreed to come along.
Marty was going to have a fit.
Marty!
Eaton’s inner eagle screamed it’s discontent at their separation. He wondered if Gallen had truly
healed Marty or if he’d just put on a good show. Memories of Marty unmoving had him biting his lip.
He quickly released it. Any sign of nerves or indeed any emotion would only draw attention he didn’t
want.
“Did he bond yet?” Gallen’s father asked.
“Nope. His mate had an accident which shattered him. He was unable to solidify the bond.”
“Excellent.”
Gallen motioned for a servant. “Please bring Eaton a plate of food. He prefers salmon and rice.”
Eaton wondered when Gallen had learned his preferences. Apparently, this wasn’t a kidnapping of
opportunity. Gallen had studied Eaton’s habits.
It didn’t take long before the servant set a plate of food before Eaton. He waited for direction.
“Go ahead and eat, love,” Gallen said, sliding a finger down Eaton’s arm.
Eaton stomped down the urge to slap Gallen’s hand away. He had to pretend to accept Gallen’s
advances or at least not flinch away from them.
“Introduce me to your man, Gallen?” A soft musical voice cut through the silence only punctuated by
the clatter of metal against china.
“Eaton, this is my mother, Bellion.”
Eaton glanced up to meet the eyes of a woman who all but glowed in the dim room. Her eyes were a
piercing blue as if created by someone cutting out a piece of the sky on a perfect day. Her skin gave
off a faint shimmer and her lips had a violet tint to them Eaton was certain didn’t come from a tube of
makeup.
Her gaze held his for a moment and he could tell she knew he wasn’t under the thrall of enchantment.
“Nice to meet you, Eaton.”
Eaton nodded, not speaking. He didn’t know if his voice would give him away.
“Eaton just arrived. He’s not up to talking yet, Mother.” Gallen’s condescending tone made Eaton
want to shift just to claw out Gallen’s eyes. He could feel the eagle just beneath the surface ready to
take charge, talons ready. However, if he shifted in the middle of this elegant dining room with these
equally elegant and cold people, he had no doubt their combined magic could more than take him out.
He needed to be sneaky. Luckily, birds tended to be crafty as a default.
Eaton let the people talk around him. From eavesdropping, he learned Harris’s friendly neighborhood
powerful vampire was giving the sorcerers a run for their money. The sorcerers wanted the prime
land around Capitol Hill and the vampires weren’t giving in. They claimed the territory from the hill
all the way into downtown and apparently a huge chunk of the local crime cartel.
“We need to expand our property.” Gallen’s father slammed his fist down on the table, making the
silverware clatter. “We can’t let the vampires take over. If we give on this, we might as well roll
over and show our bellies.”
“It is unfortunate the Salties didn’t work out as planned,” Bellion said.

Eaton wondered if he was the only one who detected a note of satisfaction in her voice.
“We still haven’t discovered what scared them away. They were supposed to be our in for the
brothels,” Theos complained.
The urge to enlighten the ass teased the tip of his tongue, but Eaton resisted. It was in his best interests
to stay silent. He now wondered if the vamps had a hand in the Salties sudden disappearance. They
had given up a bit too easily.
“Our new plan will take care of them. Once they drink the poisoned blood, it will be all over.” Theos
grinned at the idea.
Eaton set down his fork. The salmon swirled uneasily in his stomach. He needed to get the word to
Harris. His friend would be devastated if his love interest died. Eaton didn’t know if Harris and
Rohan were mates, but rarely did anyone catch Harris’s attention more than his art.
Keeping his eyes down, Eaton set his hands on his lap. No way could he eat any more. He had to find
a way out of this place and get a note to Harris somehow.
From beneath his lashes, he scanned his choices of possible accomplices. All of the sorcerers were
immediately crossed off his list. He contemplated using Gallen’s mother for a brief moment, but he
didn’t know if she had grown used to her captivity and now was one of them or not. If she’d been
captive since Gallen’s birth, she might have grown to love Mr. Evil beside her.
Eaton didn’t see the attraction, but not everyone understood his obsession with a motorcycle biker
gang leader either.
To each his own.
The people he spotted with necklaces like his own looked too brainwashed to be of much help. Eaton
didn’t understand the appeal of having a zombie for a mate, but maybe that was the sorcerer tradition
to make sure your mate couldn’t turn on you. Almost all the people Eaton identified as sorcerers had a
zombie/mate beside them. The few that didn’t had an empty chair between them and the next person.
Eaton wondered if it were a mark of shame to not have your own special mind-controlled other half.
Gallen certainly had seemed proud of his accomplishment.
The rest of the conversations didn’t reveal anything new to Eaton. Besides the fact they were a table
full of whiners who had ungrateful children, lazy servants and paid too many taxes. Apparently,
buying a politician cost more every year.
Eaton’s head began to ache even more. He wondered if it was the effect of the necklace fighting his
inoculation.
Gallen rubbed a hand across Eaton’s back.
“Excuse us, Father. I think Eaton is feeling unwell, probably from the bonding. If you’ll please excuse
us.”
“Of course. Let me know if you need me to send for a physician.”
The man sounded actually solicitous. If Eaton didn’t know Gallen’s father would probably slit his
throat as soon as he became a problem, he might like the guy. He wondered how Marty was doing.
Asking would more than likely send up red flags so he had to stay quiet for now.
Gallen led him back to the room he’d snuck out of.
“Here we go. This is your room. Mine is through those doors. Father believes it’s important that
everyone has their own space. I always suspected it was because Mother didn’t want to share with
him,” Gallen muttered.
Eaton suppressed his smile.
Gallen sighed. “It didn’t work, did it?”
Eaton dared to glance up, fear drying his throat. “What didn’t work?”

“The necklace. I followed all the proper steps, too. Maybe eagle shifters are just different.”
Eaton opened his mouth, but then quickly shut it again. He didn’t dare tell Gallen the true reason. For
all he knew, the man’s father kept an antidote in the fridge.
“Sorry?” Gallen looked so defeated Eaton almost felt bad for the guy.
Gallen plopped down on Eaton’s bed. “What are we going to do now?”
“You could free me,” Eaton proposed. “I won’t tell anyone.”
For a moment, it appeared as if Gallen was going to give that idea a proper thought. Then he shook
his head. “No, Father would gut me if he thought I let you go unbound.”
“Well, I have to get back to my mate!” Eaton said, anger rising to the surface.
“He can’t find you here,” Gallen said. “The entire place has been reinforced by layers of magic. Most
people forget it’s even here.”
Eaton almost asked where they were, but he knew it was a step too far. “If I can get word to my
friends, they’ll come get me. You can’t be blamed if outsiders take me back, right?”
Gallen lifted his head. “Marty would gut me.”
Eaton sat down beside Gallen. “Did you really heal him?”
A long silence almost had Eaton ready to gut Gallen himself.
“I healed his bones, but I put a temporary suppression on his hawk. Both because shifting too soon
would rebreak his newly healed wounds and because I thought he’d find you faster in his animal
form.”
“What were you going to do if he found me?”
Gallen shrugged. “I was hoping if you were under my spell, you would tell him to go. I can make your
life good here. Please consider it, Eaton.”
“What’s with the zombie thing?” Eaton asked, genuinely curious.
“It has to do with an ancient sorcerer, Ballinea. Her lover turned on her when she had taught him all
about her power. Now we bind our mates so they can never betray us.”
“But don’t you want genuine emotion? Real feelings? All those people out there had nothing going on
inside. Except your mother.”
Gallen’s miserable expression softened Eaton’s heart. “I know. I do. I just wanted Father to be proud
of me for once. And you’re so beautiful, so full of energy and happiness, I wanted that for myself. I
didn’t mean to destroy your life, Eaton. I just wanted some of your joy for myself.”
“Maybe you just need to get away from this place.” Eaton waved a hand, indicating the building
around him. “This house has a toxic atmosphere. And don’t take this wrong, but your father gives me
the chills.”
“I know. I think he uses me to keep mother in line. I’m never allowed to talk to her alone, so I don’t
know how she feels about everything. Besides, where would I go? No one wants to harbor a sorcerer.
Not only will the others hunt me down, but Father would take great joy in making an example of me.”
The fear in Gallen’s eyes went bone deep.
After meeting his father, Eaton wished he could say the terror was exaggerated, but he worried it
wasn’t. “We’ll think of something.”
Eaton kicked off his new shoes and curled up on the bed. Gallen pushed his shoes off, too. When he
caught Eaton’s expression, he gave a wry smile. “I just want to cuddle, besides it will make them less
suspicious.”
“True.” Eaton scooted over. He still wanted to kick Gallen’s ass, but he better understood the man
now.
“Try to get some rest. We’ll figure out what to do tomorrow.”

He doubted he’d be able to sleep, but apparently fighting magic drained a person. In no time, darkness
claimed him.

Chapter Seven

M

arty lay there for a moment. He could feel the spell breaking down, chipping away beneath the

onslaught of his will. His hawk half still slumbered, but maybe he could at least get his human part
moving.

“What the hell happened?” Carey walked into the room with Broden quickly following.

Opening his mouth, Marty still couldn’t speak. His one scream had apparently taken all his sound
ability for the moment.
“I don’t think he can talk, love,” Broden said. The cat shifter examined Marty with an unnerving stare.
For a moment, he had a flash of insight of a bird’s emotions when spotting a cat stalking it as prey.
“That sorcerer friend of Eaton’s was going to stop by here,” Carey said.
“Well, he did some sort of spell, that’s for sure. This place reeks of magic,” Broden wrinkled his
nose at the scent.
“Hmm, I’m going to call Denton and Harris. I need to rally the troops. Eaton wouldn’t abandon Marty
like this. Something happened.”
“I’ll call my cats in also. If Eaton has been taken, we have the best trackers.”
“We can look from the sky.”
To Marty’s surprise, Tim, one of his hawk shifters, entered the room with a couple other hawks on his
heels.
“You want to help?” Carey’s surprised tone reflected Marty’s viewpoint.
Tim folded his arms and looked directly at Marty. “We didn’t get upset because you wanted to stay in
one place, Marty. We were upset because you didn’t ask us to stay with you. We will follow you
anywhere, but you just gave up on us. We’ll help get your mate back even if he doesn’t like us, but
we’d like to have a group meeting afterward.”
“I’m sure he’d be happy to talk to you,” Carey spoke for him. “Let’s hope the spell wears off soon.”
Broden sniffed. “It’s already fading.”
“Good.”
“Tim, you go gather the hawks. Broden, get your cats together and I’ll call my friends.”
“Don’t forget your father,” Broden said. The big cat shifter winced after he said those words.
Carey laughed, but shook his head. “We might have to do this without Dad. He left town.”
“Damn, the one time I was hoping to see Aden,” Broden muttered.
“I’ll text him what’s going on and get his advice,” Carey said. “He can help us remotely if
necessary.”
Everyone scattered. Marty had to admire the quick thinking Carey used in marshaling his resources.
No wonder Eaton spoke so highly of a mere human.
Marty had to agree with Broden though. This was one time he would’ve been happy to see the slightly
psychotic father figure.
A cramp went up his spine. “Crap,” he muttered.
Excitement rushed through him. Marty tried to sit up. He laughed when his muscles obeyed and he
gained full mobility. The aches and pains from his broken bones had all disappeared. If Gallen
weren’t such a backstabbing mate stealer, he’d kiss the man right then.
Wiggling his fingers and toes, he sucked in his breath. Pins and needles stabbed him as his circulation
returned.
“Oh good.” Carey smiled at seeing Marty mobile. “Get dressed. We’re meeting in the living room in

thirty minutes.”
Marty nodded. He’d wait to tell his story until everyone had assembled.

A half hour later and Marty found himself the focus of the strangest collection of shifters ever. By

nature, avian and furred shifters didn’t mix, but that didn’t stop the hawks and assorted cat
paranormals from crowding the living room at Carey’s behest.

“Hello, everyone. A sorcerer has captured Eaton. He goes by the name of Gallen Theos. He

claims to want Eaton to be his bonded and that he will take good care of him. However, in order to
do this, he is stealing Eaton’s will by using a necklace to control him.”

Denton made a derisive snort. The croc shifter sat on the lap of his mate Isaac, a puma shifter.

“Something you want to say?” Marty challenged.
“Eaton can’t be spelled; he’s been inoculated,” Denton explained.
“Really? The necklace looked like it was working,” Marty said, not daring to hope his beloved was
truly safe.
“It might have initially, but when the counterspell kicks in, he’ll be fully cognizant,” Carey said.
“That might not be a good thing.”
Marty turned to the new speaker. He knew without the sight of the bear shifter standing protectively
near that the interloper was none other than Rohan, leader of the vampires. The man’s supernatural
energy whipped through the room like an electric shock, setting the shifters on edge. Marty wondered
how Harris could stand being that close to the vampire.
“Why not?” Marty couldn’t understand why Eaton controlling his own thoughts could be dangerous.
“Because sorcerers enslave their better halves, if you will.” Rohan made air quotes around better
halves. “In order to be bonded with a sorcerer, you have to give up your will. If they find out that
Eaton can’t give up his free will, they might kill him to keep their secrets.”
“Then we’d best save him quickly,” Marty said, his heart sinking at the news.
“I’d like to offer my vampires to assist,” Rohan said unexpectedly.
Marty saw Carey wince at Rohan’s words. He remembered the human didn’t like vampires, but he
knew from their interactions that Carey wouldn’t refuse anyone’s help if it would get him back his
friend.
Biting back a smile, Marty nodded. “Welcome to our rescue group.”
“Thank you. Harris told me how much Eaton’s friendship means to him.” The vampire’s gaze settled
fondly on the big bear shifter, who blushed beneath his regard. “I don’t want him upset.”
“Well, thank you for coming,” Carey sounded as if he had to scrape the words off his soul in order to
get them out, but he said them nonetheless.
“Does anyone know where the sorcerers live?”
Most of the paranormals tended to stick to their own neighborhoods. The shifters mostly stayed in
Queen Anne, Green Lake, Fremont and West Seattle with a few dotted through downtown. The
vampires took over Capitol Hill and part of First Hill. There were rumors of necromancers living in
Ballard, but no definitive sightings. Humans still took up most of the space, but there were pockets
where non-paranormals shouldn’t go at night. Marty had heard the Fremont Troll had rampaged
during the last earthquake, but the media had hushed it up.
“They are in Magnolia,” Rohan offered. His tone brooked no argument.
“Where?” Carey asked.
Rohan shrugged. “We aren’t certain. There aren’t a lot of places for them to hide. I’ve always
suspected they were squatting on Fort Lawton property. Too many times the Army has changed their
mind about what they wanted to do.”

Marty turned to the hawks. “You guys do a fly by and check it out. Report back anything suspicious.
Pay special attention to any possible magical influence.”
They shifters nodded and left the room.
“We’ll wait for their report,” Marty said. He sat down on the closest surface, a beautiful upholstered
couch.
Carey gripped his shoulder. “It will be okay. We’ll get him back. Eaton may look delicate, but he’s
pretty tough.”
“How tough can he be without his guns?” Marty asked.
“You’d be surprised. My dad trained him on how to protect himself. He won’t go down without a
fight.” Carey patted Marty on the back before moving on to talk to the others.
Marty put his face in his hands and didn’t even look up when the couch cushion dipped beside him.
“I could not help noticing you are apart from your hawk,” Rohan said in his softly accented voice.
“Gallen suppressed my hawk nature so I couldn’t find Eaton as easily,” Marty explained.
“I can fix that for you.”
Marty sat up, giving Rohan his total attention. “How?”
“Many don’t know this, but vampire blood helps break enchantments. If you were to take a sip of my
blood, it would awaken your inner animal,” Rohan explained.
Joy rushed through him until Marty realized it would mean taking someone else inside of him. He held
back his instant agreement. “I already lost my mate because I selfishly thought of myself instead of
what was best for my beloved. I don’t know how he would react to my taking your blood,” Marty
replied honestly.
Rohan nodded. “From what Harris has said, he is a good-hearted man and would want what was best
for his mate.”
Marty nodded. “He is, but I’ve already made a lot of mistakes in our relationship. Maybe I should ask
Carey, he knows Eaton best.”
“Harris has told me about his friend. Frankly, the human terrifies me.” Rohan’s wary glance toward
Carey made Marty laugh.
“Thank you for the offer. I’ll think on it.”
Rohan nodded. The vampire stood and walked straight back to Harris who smiled at his approach.
Marty could almost see the hearts floating in the air around them.
Half-hearted conversation sputtered and died as they all waited for the hawks’ report.
An hour later, the flock returned. They headed directly to Marty to give their report.
“What did you learn?”
Tim served as the group’s spokesman. “If you approach the fort on foot, it looks like an abandoned
Army base, but if you fly over it, you don’t see anything.”
“So you didn’t see any sorcerers?” Defeat weighed heavy on Marty’s chest.
“No, you don’t understand,” Tim corrected. “You don’t see anything. It’s like the entire place
vanishes.”
“Magic,” Marty said with satisfaction. “At least we know where they are hiding. Now we have to
figure out what we’re going to do about it.”
A bang on the window had everyone spinning around to see a pigeon slamming against the glass.
“Stupid bird,” Carey opened the glass door to shoo the creature away.
To Marty’s surprise, the bird flew inside. A few people made half-hearted swipes to encourage it
back outside, but it easily escaped the motions.
The small bird landed in the middle of the Oriental rug. Before anyone could grab it, a shimmering

glow surrounded the pigeon and in its place stood a fully dressed young man wearing black jeans and
a red T-shirt.
“There are pigeon shifters?” Carey asked in astonishment.
“No. There’s not,” Marty replied absently. “Not naturally.”
The young man gave Marty a bitter smile. “You have that right. However, never try to break up with
your sorcerer boyfriend or he can turn you into something you hate. Let’s just say if I were to do it
again, I’d find out if my ex could do magic before I tossed his clothes on the lawn when I caught him
cheating.”
A world of pain lived in the young man’s grey eyes. Marty wondered how long he’d been cursed.
“What are you doing here?”
“Are you Marty? You match the description I was given,” he muttered.
Marty nodded.
“Just so you know, if you let Eaton down, I will follow you around and crap on you for the rest of
your life. That’s kind of my superpower,” the pigeon shifter said.
“What’s your name?” Carey asked.
“Kurtis. Eaton freed me and sent me here. He wanted me to tell Marty that he was trapped at Fort
Lawton and to tell Harris that the vampires’ new donors might have poisonous blood.”
Marty saw Rohan whip out his cell phone and begin dialing. Even kidnapped, Eaton tried to save
others. “How did he rescue you?”
“My asshole ex keeps me in a cage in the lobby. Eaton picked the lock. I think the guy with him is
beginning to regret kidnapping him. I heard him say he’d try to get him out of there. Theos, the head
sorcerer, is kind of an asshole though. I don’t think he lets anyone leave voluntarily. If he finds out
Eaton freed me, there will be hell to pay.”
“Do you have anywhere to go?” Carey asked.
Kurtis shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I mean there are shelters and stuff.”
“You can stay here while you get on your feet. It was nice of you to come here when you could’ve just
flown off,” Carey said.
“I always pay my debts,” Kurtis said.
“Good, then you can let me repay mine,” Carey said with a friendly smile.
“Thanks.” Relief crossed Kurtis’s face. Marty couldn’t blame him. Stay at a beautiful mansion or live
on the streets—not a super hard decision.
“Maybe we can look into fixing your curse,” Carey offered.
“I’d like that,” Kurtis replied.
Rohan got off the phone, his face hard and a new resolve in his eyes. “Three of my vampires were
poisoned and might die because of the sorcerers. Eaton’s warning saved the others in time. We will
go first to counter the sorcerers’ attack. It is the least we can do to repay Eaton’s help.”
“All right,” Carey agreed. He turned to Marty. “How do you want to do this?”
Marty smiled at Carey for turning over the leadership to him. He knew the human usually took charge
and was only deferring because he recognized Marty as Eaton’s mate.
“I think Rohan makes a good point. Send the vampires in first to block out any magic, then shifters.
The hawks first then Broden’s people. Everyone agreed?”
A chorus of agreement resounded.
“Where do you want me?” Harris asked.
“Here,” Rohan said promptly. “I don’t want you in the line of fire.”
Carey burst out laughing. “That’s not quite how it works, vampire. When one of us is in trouble, we

all go to the rescue.”
Denton and Harris nodded.
“Then I want Harris next to me, where I can keep an eye on him,” Rohan insisted.
“Agreed,” Harris said.
“Okay, let’s arm up,” Carey announced.
Denton and Harris moved the large coffee table out of the middle of the floor. Carey whipped back
the carpet to brackets and pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked it.
At Carey’s nod, Harris pulled on the ring and lifted the solid door. It banged open to one side. Carey
reached inside and flipped a switch. Unable to resist, Marty stepped closer to look. His jaw dropped
open as row after row of weapons were revealed.
The staircase went down into the darkness with enough guns, ammo and grenades to blow up Seattle.
Carey waved a hand to the bunker. “Welcome to the armory, gentlemen. Take what you need. We
always have more. Please return reveal a large door. It had iron a ring for a handle. The human
everything when you’re done.”
“I think I’m going to like being part of this family,” Marty said.
Rohan raised his eyebrows as Harris pulled out a weapon that looked big enough to take out a
submarine and shoulder.
“What?” the widening at finding himself the object of Marty and Rohan’s stares.
“Nothing, beloved,” Rohan said. “I was merely thinking your weapon suited you.”
“It should. Aden bought it for my sixteenth birthday.” With those words, Harris grabbed a couple of
grenades with one hand and sauntered off.
“Well, you can’t say they are boring,” Marty offered.
Rohan bared his fangs. “I think I need to meet this Aden,” he replied.
Marty smirked. “You might regret that wish.” propped it comfortably on his
bear shifter asked, his eyes

Chapter Eight

“I

I had hoped my son wouldn’t follow in his father’s footsteps,” a feminine voice spoke behind Eaton.

He turned to find Gallen’s mother standing there with a look of disappointment on her face.

Eaton bit his lip as he moved to block her view.
She gently pushed him to one side. “Excellent,” she said, eyeing the empty cage. “So you aren’t
entirely under his spell.”
“Not at all, actually,” Eaton said. It was too late to cover up. At this point, she already knew he’d
freed the pigeon shifter. When Gallen had mentioned Kurtis’s plight, Eaton knew he could help the
tortured man. Eaton’s winged half rebelled at the thought of any bird being caged. To have it happen
to someone who wasn’t even intended to be a shifter sounded like the worst kind of torture.
He’d quickly located Kurtis and got the pigeon shifter to agree to send a message to Marty. He hoped
the man actually delivered Eaton’s message. He figured he had a fifty-fifty chance of Kurtis keeping
his word. It had been two hours since he’d been freed; Eaton hoped to have a response soon. He’d
come back to the cage to check and see if the shifter might have returned.
“Why do you stay?” Eaton asked. He could see she wasn’t under the influence of anything. She didn’t
wear one of those necklaces and her eyes were clear of enchantment.
“My son. Whenever I try to leave, I worry that Gallen’s father will finally completely twist his soul.
He’s the reason I stay.”
“What will you do if he finally breaks free of his father?” Eaton asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been under Theos’s thumb for three centuries, and in all that time,
I’ve only had one child. I’m hoping my true mate is out there somewhere. I’d like to see if I could find
him.”
Eaton smiled. “Good luck.”
“You might need it more than me,” she replied. “When they find out you are lucid, they will try to
discover why.”
“I don’t plan on being here much longer. My friends will come for me.” Eaton has no doubt in his
mind that Carey had already devised a plan.
Bellion gave him a sad smile. “You think they will trouble themselves over one eagle shifter.”
“I know they will, because I would do the same for them.” Eaton had not even a twinge of unease
when he made that statement.
“You really believe that.” She stared at him for a long moment.
“What?”
“I see absolutely no doubt in your aura. You have complete faith in your friends.”
“I grew up with them. I was there for Carey’s first bullet wound and Denton’s first toothache. I’ve
seen my shy friend go from crayons to brilliant oils to become an amazing artist. They are extensions
of my soul. You don’t turn away when part of you is missing. You hunt it down and get it back.” Huh,
maybe Aden had rubbed off on him over the years after all.
“I wish you good luck, Eaton. I hope your faith isn’t shattered.”
“It won’t be.”
A loud explosion rocked the house. Screams echoed through the mansion.

Eaton smiled. “Harris has arrived.”
Gallen came running down the hall. “We’ve got to go!” he shouted, grabbing onto Eaton.
“Go where?” Eaton asked.
“To the bunker. It’s spelled so no one can get inside unless they have sorcerer blood or a chain.”
Eaton jerked his wrist out of Gallen’s hold. “I’m not going anywhere. My going with them.”
“You can’t. Father will you’re the reason our home was destroyed.”
“Go with him,” Bellion urged. “Now is the time, son. Start fresh; be the person I always knew you
could be.”
Gallen paled. “Marty will kill me!” He shook.
“Then don’t go with me. Nothing says you can’t strike out on your own,” Eaton said practically.
“What about you, Mother?”
Bellion smiled. “I think I’ll quite like travelling about. I’ve only stayed for you, my sweet boy.”
“You could come with me,” Gallen offered.
She shook her head. “It’s time for you to be your own man. Good luck, my son.”
Eaton smiled when she vanished, leaving in her place bits of pink glitter.
“She always did have a flare for the dramatic,” Gallen said.
“Gallen! This is your fault!” Theos appeared from around the corner.
Eaton could hear the older man begin to chant. Darkness swirled around him as he continued to mutter
words Eaton couldn’t understand.
“Don’t do this, Father,” Gallen pled. His fingers moved quickly. Eaton figured Gallen must be doing
a silent counter chant, because no words left Gallen’s mouth.
friends are here. I’m
kill me. He’ll know

With a shout Theos released his spell. Except instead of aiming at Gallen, he sent it toward Eaton.
Gallen leapt in front of Eaton, blocking the spell with his body.

“No!” Eaton shouted. He grabbed Gallen as the sorcerer toppled to the ground. Gallen’s skin turned
ashen as if all the life had been sucked out. His eyes slide closed shutting the world out.
“What did you do?” Eaton screamed at Theos.
“I did what he wanted,” Theos said, a scowl crossing his features. “He wants a true mate, now Gallen
will have to find him in order to come back to life.”
With a scathing look at the pair of them, Theos stomped away.
Eaton picked Gallen up, determined to save the sorcerer before his friends burnt the building to the
ground. Smoke filled the air, making Eaton’s eyes water and singeing the hairs inside his nose. He
could see and hear the crackle and spit of flames, but he couldn’t smell any fire.
Taking a chance, he marched through the inferno. The spell tickled his arm as he walked past the
illusion and straight into the circle of his friends.
“Hey, Eaton, took you long enough,” Carey said. His favorite spell flame weapon sat propped on his
shoulder. “I thought I might actually have to set the place on fire to get you out.”
Eaton grinned. “It’s good to see you, too.”
“What happened to the sorcerer?” Marty rushed to his side.
“His father spelled him. Something about having to find his soul mate or some crap in order to come
back to life,” Eaton said.
“Aw, the snow white curse mixed with a little necromancer approached, Gallen. “Interesting
application. I’ve never seen it used like that before.”
“Cool, I’ve always wanted one of those glass coffins in the garden,” Harris said. “It’ll make a great

conversation piece.”
“Yeah, for the police,” Denton said dryly.
Harris scooped Gallen out of Eaton’s arms. “I’ll take him.”
Eaton’s hands were only empty for a brief moment before Marty wrapped himself around Eaton and
squeezed him tight. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
“Do what? Get kidnapped? Well, I’ll try, but I didn’t exactly plan it the first time.”
Marty kissed Eaton and every other thought melted from his brain. “Let’s go home.”
power.” A tall elegant vampire his interested gaze swept over

Eaton barely slammed his bedroom door shut before he began stripping off his clothes. Marty

pulled off his attire with equal speed and soon they were writhing naked on the bed, wrestling each
other for dominance. It was only for show on Eaton’s part; he didn’t want to be on top, but he thought
Marty needed to work for it.

He grinned madly when Marty flipped them over until Eaton lay pinned completely by the larger

man.

“Gotcha,” Marty said with satisfaction, his erection pressed against Eaton’s stomach.

“Yes, you do,” Eaton agreed. “Now what are you going to do with me?”
“Oh, I have several ideas.” Marty wrapped one hand around both of Eaton’s wrists before he grabbed
the lube out of Eaton’s side table.
“Afraid I’ll escape?” Eaton asked.
“Neither of us is going anywhere until I’ve claimed you. I was terrified Gallen would bond with you
before I could get you back.”
“Despite his actions, Gallen knew what he was doing was wrong,” Eaton protested. The sorcerer was
an odd mix of wanting to please his father and wanting to do what was right.
“Let’s not talk about him right now.” Marty bit Eaton’s nipple.
“Sorry.” Eaton gasped at the sensation before wiggling to get even more.
Marty smiled. “I don’t know that you really are, but I am.”
Eaton froze at the seriousness on his lover’s face. “What are you talking about?”
“If I hadn’t been so focused on being healed, I would never have let another man touch you. I’m an
ass,” Marty said.
“I forgive you,” Eaton said. “You are completely healed now, right?”
“I’m healed enough to show you what you were missing by not letting me screw you earlier.”
Marty released Eaton long enough to remove the cap off the lube. He slicked up his fingers and
carefully loosened Eaton up. Eaton gasped as Marty penetrated him slowly, widening him by twisting
his hand back and forth, up and down, bumping something inside that made Eaton wiggle, trying to get
him to do it again.
“Ahh, I found it, I see.” Marty’s victorious smile made Eaton grin.
He’d never seen this carefree, happy side of Marty before, and he wouldn’t mind seeing it more often.
Marty removed his fingers and applied more lube to his erection. “Are you ready? We will be bound
forever in the way of your people. Do you choose me as your mate?” Marty asked, his serious gaze
unwavering.
“Yes. Make me yours.”
Marty pushed inside. A whimper burst from Eaton before he could help it. It hurt. His body sought to
reject the intrusion. Marty whispered soothing words and stroked Eaton’s skin until Eaton relaxed
enough to take more. Each time he tensed, his mate took a little time to relax him. He couldn’t ask for
a more patient lover.

“Almost there, love,” Marty moaned. He moved his hips in slow increments until finally he filled
Eaton completely.
Eaton clenched and shifted beneath his mate, trying to align their bodies and get more comfortable.
“Just relax,” Marty said, rubbing Eaton’s ass.
“Move!” Eaton ordered. He needed something, something more.
“Whatever you want!” Marty’s stunning grin warmed Eaton’s heart.
Marty slid out, then back in. The first few times were awkward until Marty found the rhythm and
Eaton’s toes curled as his lover pegged him over and over in the most delicious way possible.
“Marty, touch me!” Eaton needed more than Marty’s cock; he needed his hand.
“Bossy, bossy. I see you are going to top from the bottom,” Marty teased.
“I’m going to punch from the bottom, too, if you don’t get busy,” Eaton ordered.
Marty laughed. Wrapping his hand around Eaton’s shaft in a loose grip, he continued to drive Eaton
out of his head with a combination of squeezes and pumps until Eaton made noises he didn’t even
know could come out of his throat.
A loud eagle scream burst from him as he came. His fingers shifted into talons as he gripped Marty.
Unlike the cat shifters, Eaton didn’t have teeth in his shifter form so he used his talons to slash at his
lover’s neck. Slicing a line along Marty’s throat, he lapped at it, taking in his mate’s blood to finalize
the ceremony.
After he sealed Marty’s wound with his saliva, he sliced his own neck. “Drink!” he demanded.
Marty quickly dipped his head and suckled down a few drops of blood before closing up the wound.
A hawk’s cry vibrated Eaton’s eardrums as Marty pumped his essence into him, adding to their bond.
Replete, Marty slowly slid out of Eaton and collapsed beside his lover.
Eaton could feel cum sliding out of his ass and onto the blanket below. “How come no one ever
mentions how messy sex is?”
“Because wet spots aren’t romantic.” Marty grabbed Eaton and pulled him into his arms until he lay
across his lover’s chest. “I can feel him now.”
“Feel who?”
“My hawk. Gallen had done something to put him to sleep, but now I can feel him again.”
“Of course, you can. You ingested my blood. It woke him back up.” It made perfect sense to Eaton.
“Rohan offered me blood, but I refused him.”
“Good. I don’t want you to take anyone’s blood but mine.” Eaton sighed with satisfaction, his entire
body replete.
“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Marty replied. “I don’t want you to ever regret taking me as your
mate.”
Eaton sat up so he could look Marty in the eye. “The only thing I’ve ever regretted about us was that I
should’ve bonded with you a long time ago.”
“Good.” Marty snuggled Eaton back against his chest. “Get some rest, babe, we’ll have sex again
after our nap. We need to double check that the bond worked.”
“It worked,” Eaton said.
“Hush, like I said, we’ll double check. You can’t be too careful about things like that.”
Eaton laughed. “Okay, we’ll make certain of it.”
Cuddled next to his mate, his bonded, his love, Eaton fell asleep.

About the Author

Amber Kell lives in Seattle, WA with her husband, two sons, three cats and one extremely stupid

dog. She loves to hear from her fans at [e-mail]