The S.E.X. Factor 3

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

When werewolf Maddox rescues dove Avery from a hunter, he is

shocked by the emotions Avery rouses within him. Sparks fly, but

Maddox sees Avery as too fragile to pursue a relationship.

A long time ago, Avery was kicked out by his parents for being

gay. His boyfriend cast him aside, and a shocking event turned

him into a fugitive. For the first time in ten years, Avery wants to

trust someone, but his increasingly strong feelings for Maddox

make him fear the werewolf's rejection.

However, as Avery becomes involved in an attempt to investigate

who is hunting shape-shifters, his past makes an unexpected

comeback. The appearance of Avery's first love arouses Maddox's

jealousy and brings about new questions and problems. The truth

Avery has been hiding will finally rear its ugly head, and when that

happens, it will be up to Maddox to save his dove, and them all.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 39,345 words

DOVE ME TENDER,

DOVE ME SWEET

The S.E.X. Factor 3

Scarlet Hyacinth

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

DOVE ME TENDER, DOVE ME SWEET
Copyright © 2012 by Scarlet Hyacinth
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-605-9

First E-book Publication: March 2012

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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DEDICATION

Love me tender,
love me sweet,
never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
and I love you so.

Love me tender,
love me true,
all my dreams fulfilled.
For my darlin’ I love you,
and I always will.

Elvis Presley, “Love Me Tender”

DOVE ME TENDER,

DOVE ME SWEET

The S.E.X. Factor 3

SCARLET HYACINTH

Prologue

About S.E.X.

Sex – coitus, sexual intercourse
S.E.X. (also S.S.E.X.) – the selenic and solar extreme xenogenesis.

Syndrome affecting children conceived during nights of the full moon
or during lunar and solar eclipses, manifesting as a mutation between
the newborn’s genes and that of the parents.

S.E.X. factor – The determining factor or factors that influence the

development of the children affected by the syndrome.

S.E.X. Lupus strain – Form of selenic xenogenesis. Children

attain wolf-like impulses that can manifest violently. Upon puberty,
they can even shift into wolves.

S.E.X. Columbidae strain – Form of solar xenogenesis. Children

are loving, kind, and have a very good sense of location. Growing up,
they are likely to experience severe gallbladder problems. Upon
puberty, they can shift into pigeons.

S.E.X. Corvus strain – Form of solar xenogenesis. Children may

be fascinated with death from a very young age. Upon puberty, crow
wings emerge, and they can even shift into crows or ravens.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

S.E.X. Lepidoptera strain – Rare form of solar xenogenesis.

Children attain a fragility of bones and a flighty behavior that can be
mistaken for the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or, in some
cases, the Asperger syndrome. Upon puberty, butterfly wings emerge
from their backs, or they even shift into butterflies.

S.E.X. Leo strain – Form of selenic xenogenesis. Children may

alternate bouts of extreme inactivity with athletic hobbies. Boys are
likely to be very territorial and girls protective of younger siblings.
Upon puberty, they can turn into lions.

S.E.X. Delphinidiae strain – Rare form of solar xenogenesis.

Children are playful, social, and very intelligent. If living inland, they
might develop light breathing afflictions similar to asthma. Upon
puberty, they can shift into dolphins.

S.E.X. Vulpes strain – Form of solar xenogenesis. Children may

be inclined toward theft, trickery, or surprise attacks on small family
pets. Upon puberty, impulses stabilize and they can shift into foxes.

S.E.X. Tigris strain – Form of selenic xenogenesis. Children grow

quickly and have great athletic abilities from a young age. Care must
be taken should other siblings not with the syndrome exist, as young
individuals are playful and might hurt their brothers or sisters by
accident. Later on, they are likely to become more solitary, but
permissive, as long as they are not challenged. Upon puberty, they
gain the ability of shifting into tigers. Melanistic forms may appear
regardless of the skin color of the parents.

S.E.X. Pardus strain – Form of selenic xenogenesis. Children are

athletic, but not as big or muscular as the Leo and Tigris strain. They
tend to be very stealthy and often have “hunting” instincts, which can
lead to close ones being accidentally injured. They are very fast
runners and good climbers. Upon puberty, they can shift into
leopards. Melanistic forms may appear regardless of the skin color of
the parents.

S.E.X. Caballus strain – Form of solar xenogenesis. From a

young age, children are alert and present a real potential for speed

Scarlet Hyacinth

and endurance. They flourish when living in a stable social
environment. Violent patterns of behavior may appear if the child is
left alone for too long. In rare case, children may suffer from a form
of narcolepsy, in which case they often fall asleep while still standing.
Upon puberty, they can shift into horses.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Chapter One

Bang!
The gunshot sound startled the birds, sending them flying toward

the safety of the clouds. Maddox counted to ten in his mind, his gaze
still on the pond. He considered continuing his little fishing session,
but the noise had scared them off, too. Damn and blast. It came from
far closer than it should have. Fucking normal humans. Couldn’t they
stay on their own grounds and leave Maddox alone? And his plan for
a perfectly good fish dinner was flushed down the toilet.

Grumbling, Maddox got up and started gathering his stuff. Sure,

as a wolf, he wasn’t particularly fond of fish, but for the purpose of a
meal it served him well enough. Now, instead of that, he’d have to go
hunting for whoever had dared to shoot a gun in his lands.

Another shot rang out, and all of a sudden, Maddox was filled

with apprehension. A strange sense of panic filled him, so foreign to
him that at first, he couldn’t even identify it. It shocked him so much
that he dropped the fishing gear and rushed in the direction where the
sound originated.

As he’d suspected, it was far closer into his land than he allowed.

He could smell a human in his proximity, but also someone else, a
person with a sweeter scent. The fear seemed to originate from the
latter individual, and Maddox frowned, uncertain as to why he would
feel it echoed within him.

He rushed through the undergrowth, his apprehension increasing

with each passing second. The smell of blood and fear hit his nostrils,
rousing the predator within him. His beast paced, anxious, and

Scarlet Hyacinth

Maddox was a step away from shifting when he spotted something
white in the grass.

As he approached, Maddox realized the “something” in question

was actually a fallen bird, a beautiful white dove. It was still
twitching, and waves of panic and confusion flowed of it. Upon first
sight, Maddox couldn’t tell the gender of the dove, but his wolf
instincts somehow identified the bird as being male. Not only that, but
there was intelligence in the bird’s erratic emotions, an intelligence
unlike that of animals. Maddox knew that what he was looking at was
no common animal, but a shape-shifter.

At the same time, it was easy enough to see that the bird also

suffered from an injury, a gunshot wound. Protectiveness swelled
through Maddox at the sight, and he slowly picked up the frightened
dove, his heart hammering as the small shifter cooed in terrified
protest.

“Shh,” Maddox whispered, gently caressing the dove’s wing.

“Don’t worry. No one’s going to hurt you.”

The bird-shifter quieted down, his black eyes still pained. Maddox

eyed his wing, trying to assess the injury. The bullet was not lodged
into the dove’s flesh, but the appendage did look broken. For a normal
bird, the injury would mean its guaranteed death. He would have
fallen victim to predation in no time. But a shifter could change into
his human form and set the bone back in place.

However, the dove clearly feared exposing himself. Not only that,

but Maddox heard a normal human making his way toward them. It
must be the person who’d shot the beautiful bird. For a few moments,
Maddox seriously considered shifting into his wolf form and hunting
down the guy. The damn human wouldn’t like being hunted like he
did with harmless doves. He only managed to suppress this instinct
because this plan would imply abandoning the dove. For some reason,
Maddox couldn’t stomach that thought. He wished he’d brought his
own trusty shotgun, but in truth, he rarely used it, and it wasn’t
exactly something he kept with his fishing tackle.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

At last, a large, burly man appeared from the trees. He stopped

dead in his tracks when he saw Maddox. Maddox was not surprised
by the man’s reaction. His size and muscles were intimidating for
most normal humans, and this guy was obviously used to dealing with
people smaller or weaker than himself.

Still, the stranger’s stupidity must have been just as large as his

ego. “Hey, what in the world are you doing, man?” he called out.
“That’s my prey.”

Maddox just stared at the guy, just barely managing to control his

fury. “Are you an idiot, or are you crazy? This is a dove. They’re a
domestic species. You don’t hunt them down with shotguns.”

In fact, most pigeons were protected by law. Some species could

be hunted down as pests, but not the white dove, or the white homing
pigeon. Doves in particular were quite helpless, as they lacked the
homing instinct other birds boasted. Maddox didn’t know to what
extent his dove had it, or how the small shifter had gotten here in the
first place, but he did know that he would not allow any harm to come
to the dove.

“I don’t care about that.” The stranger sneered at him. “Those

laws are for tree huggers and pussies. I’m getting bird dinner tonight,
and no self-righteous prick is getting in my way.”

And with that, he pointed his large shotgun at Maddox. Maddox

couldn’t believe his eyes. Slowly, he placed the dove on the ground,
regretting the loss of contact even as the beautiful bird cooed in
protest. The guy smirked, obviously believing Maddox meant to back
off. But Maddox intended no such thing. Instead, he shot forward,
reaching the intruder before the man could even blink. The guy
released a shocked sound, but he didn’t get the chance to flee or shoot
his weapon. Maddox snatched his shotgun then grabbed him by his
neck and lifted him in the air, squeezing relentlessly. He pinned the
stranger to a nearby tree, his voice nearly a growl as he spoke. “You
fool. Don’t ever dare to point a gun at me. Who do you think you are?

Scarlet Hyacinth

You’re nothing, no one. I can kill you right now, and no one would
ever know.”

The man’s eyes were wide, and he was starting to get a little blue

due to Maddox blocking his air supply. He futilely tried to claw at
Maddox’s hand, but Maddox was relentless. He didn’t enjoy hurting
people, but this time, he reveled in seeing the man’s fear and pain. His
wolf howled in satisfaction, demanding retribution for the hurt the
stranger had caused.

However, he was no killer, and he didn’t have the time to dispose

of the man. The beautiful, injured dove needed him. “Now, get the
fuck off my land. If I ever see you roaming around here, I’ll shove
this shotgun up your ass.” He shook the guy for good measure, just to
get his point across a little better. “Got that?”

He dropped the man on the ground and spat on him. Even if he

wasn’t one to kick a person when he was down, he couldn’t resist
directing a kick toward the stranger’s abdomen. Thankfully, he
managed to keep his strength his check because a blow with his full
power might have caused internal injuries.

The guy grunted and tried to crawl away. Maddox just walked

back to his dove, making no attempt to follow. He was satisfied with
having kept his beast sufficiently in check. What little use he’d made
of his abilities could have simple explanations for normal humans.
His size and build allowed for that. In any case, the stranger was
unlikely to return, and Maddox had more pressing concerns.

As the man rushed away, Maddox picked up the dove. It looked

so small in his big hands. Maddox was filled with a protective instinct
he couldn’t really understand.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he said. “Shift. It will do you good.”
He sensed the panic in the sweet bird skyrocket. The dove actually

tried to free himself, a feat that would have been impossible even if
the little shifter hadn’t been immobilized by a broken wing. Maddox
shushed it again. “Stop struggling. You’ll hurt yourself. I promise I
don’t mean you any harm. Now shift. It will help heal you.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

It was quite obvious that the dove had intended to change shapes

when Maddox wasn’t around and then flee. Maddox could almost
hear his thoughts whirling through his head. He must have realized
there was no way out, however, because he released a small coo, as if
to confirm he’d understood. Maddox placed the dove on the grass,
regretting the action even as he did it but knowing that the little shifter
needed the space to change shapes.

With S.S.E.X., the process of transformation from human to

animal and back was not instantaneous. Maddox had seen it many
times before, and it was particularly complicated with smaller animals
and birds. Thankfully, the person in question never morphed into a
huge-ass version of his shifter side because then, Maddox would have
ended up with a human-sized dove. As cute as the little bird was, he
doubted he’d have liked the big one as much.

Instead, the wings grew but the body became human. It was quick,

so quick Maddox almost didn’t register it. Before he knew it, he had
one very naked young man in front of him. At first, beautiful white
wings burst from his back, but then they were absorbed in the human
form of the unknown youth.

“How did you know?” the young man asked tremulously.
“I’m like you,” Maddox replied, studiously not staring at the

beauty’s naked body. Instead, he focused on the arm that had been
injured. “How’s the arm? Did the shift take care of it?”

The youth stared at him in disbelief. “You must be joking.” He

released an almost hysterical chuckle. “You? A dove?”

“Not a dove.” Maddox rolled his eyes. “A shape-shifter.” He took

hold of the young man’s wrist and dragged him close. “Now, you
haven’t answered my question. How is the arm?”

For a few moments, the beauty didn’t answer, just studying

Maddox with his head tilted in a strikingly bird-like pose. God, he
was gorgeous. White-blond hair reached his chin, and Maddox
desperately wanted to touch it to see if it was as silky as it seemed.
Innocent black eyes studied Maddox curiously, obviously not

Scarlet Hyacinth

knowing what to make of Maddox. His full lips were made for
kissing. And his body...His long, slender limbs and creamy skin made
Maddox’s mouth water.

All of a sudden, the dove’s face flushed and he started to pull

away from Maddox. Cursing his neglected libido, Maddox released
the beautiful stranger. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“No, no,” the dove said. “I just…” The youth took a deep breath

and met Maddox’s gaze once again. “I’m fine. The arm still hurts a
bit, but it’ll pass. I’ve been through worse.”

The implication was that this was not the first time the dove had

been injured, and Maddox couldn’t help a frown. Had the stranger
from earlier hurt the little bird before? Maddox had barely managed to
restrain himself from tearing the guy to pieces and only because he’d
known the dove needed him. But if the man had been tormenting the
lovely youth before, Maddox would hunt him down to the ends of the
earth.

“Was it that man?” he asked, unable to keep the tightness from his

voice. “The normal human?”

The dove’s body began to tremble. “Oh, no. It’s

something…different. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Maddox nodded, hastily took off his jacket, and wrapped it around

the young man’s shoulders. “Okay. It’s okay. Now, why don’t you tell
me your name?”

The dove eyed him in silence then finally replied, “Avery. My

name’s Avery Creed.”

“Well, Avery, I’m Maddox Finney, and you had the misfortune of

crashing on my land.” Maddox took the pretty Avery in his arms,
carefully so as to illustrate he was harmless. “How would you like to
grab a bite to eat and sleep for a bit in my cabin?”

“You’re not some creep, are you?” Avery asked, his voice low

and shy.

Maddox laughed. “Neah. I’m just your regular werewolf.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

“Oh.” Avery’s head dropped against Maddox’s shoulder. “That’s

fine. I can deal with that, as long as you don’t eat me.”

Maddox smiled. “You don’t have to worry about that. My current

diet only allows for fish meat.”

“That’s fine with me,” Avery replied sleepily. Poor thing was

obviously exhausted. “As long as you don’t make me eat it. I’m a
vegetarian.”

And with that, the little dove fell silent, or rather blacked out.

Maddox would have panicked, but his senses told him Avery would
be all right after some well-deserved rest. In the meantime, it would
be up to Maddox to care for the dove. As Maddox headed back
toward his cabin, he did his best to not think about why that thought
appealed to him so much.

* * * *

Avery was lost. Unlike with other doves, his sense of direction

was excellent, so him losing track of his location was unusual and
frightening. And they were right behind him. He could feel them, hear
them. He could sense their hot breaths against his nape. Gloomy,
wicked laughter echoed in his ears. He tried to fly away, but he could
not shift. He seemed to be stuck in his human form, which scared him
more than anything else.

“Avery!” a voice called out to him, dark and low. “Avery, can you

hear me?”

Avery tried to shy away from the source of the voice, but it was

next to impossible. The presence reached out to him, increasingly
strong. Much to his shock, the haunting laughter began to dim and
Avery was filled with a comforting warmth.

He opened his eyes in confusion, only to see the most gorgeous

man in existence looming above him, watching him with a concerned
gaze. “Are you okay?” the hunk in question inquired.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Slowly, Avery began to remember what had happened. He’d been

on the run, as usual, when some crazed human had intercepted him
and shot him down from the sky. He’d thought he was a goner for
sure because the only way he could have escaped was shifting, and
there had been no time for that. Then, a muscular, dark-haired man
had appeared and rescued Avery from his fate. As it turned out, the
splendid specimen of manhood was not a knight in shining armor but
a shape-shifter, like Avery. Or so the guy claimed. Avery had blacked
out in exhaustion before he could actually see any evidence of the
fact.

Maddox Finney. That was the name of Avery’s avenging angel.

And currently, Maddox was looking at Avery with increasing anxiety.
Avery realized that he’d been so lost in his musings that he hadn’t
even replied to Maddox’s inquiry.

“I’m fine,” he answered at last. “I just had a nightmare.”
“Are you sure?” Maddox didn’t sound convinced.
Avery forced himself to chuckle. “Positive. As well as I can be

after taking a nosedive from the sky.”

As gorgeous as Maddox was, Avery couldn’t tell him the truth

about his past. He’d hidden it for too long, and while something
inside him told him the man could be trusted, there were too many
things that could go wrong if Avery made hasty judgments.

Maddox brushed a lock of hair out of his face, his expression

serious. “If you say so,” he replied. “Are you well enough to stand?
You must be famished.”

On cue, Avery’s stomach growled. Avery hadn’t even realized

how hungry he was until Maddox had mentioned it. Maddox
chuckled, and Avery smiled back sheepishly. “That would be great,”
he said.

Maddox helped him out of the bed, and for the first time, Avery

allowed himself to really take in the room he’d woken up in. Judging
by the wooden walls and the fireplace, it was clearly a cabin of sorts.
From what Avery could tell, it had electricity, but beyond that, he

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

couldn’t be certain as to other commodities. Whatever lacks it might
have had, though, its rustic charm fully compensated for it. It was a
male’s lair, and instantly, Avery fell in love with the simple
decorations and the comfy, lived-in look.

“You have a beautiful home,” he couldn’t help but say.
“Thanks.” Maddox grinned at him. “It’s not much, but it’s quiet.

In fact, you’re the most exciting thing that’s happened in quite a while
around these parts.”

Maddox led Avery to a small kitchen and gestured for him to take

a seat at the wooden table. Avery obeyed, his eyes still fixed on his
host. “Is that a bad thing?” he inquired. “My appearance, that is?”

Maddox shook his head as he rummaged through his cabinets. “I

don’t normally have guests, and I’m used to it, but you’re welcome
here for as long as you want to stay.”

Avery might have asked the reason behind the more than generous

offer, but then Maddox set a bowl of fruit and cereals in front of him.
“I’m afraid I haven’t been able to stock up on anything more
nutritious,” Maddox said apologetically. “I’m normally a meat eater. I
hope this is okay, until you can tell me what you’d like.”

“Oh, it’s fine. More than fine.” Avery dug in, and for a few

minutes, the conversation drifted into silence as he focused on his
meal. When he finally finished, Maddox took the bowl from him and
washed it in the sink, this way revealing the cabin had running water,
too. Avery felt kind of bad for having Maddox cater to him like this,
but on the plus side, it did allow him to relax and simply watch the
gorgeous man.

“So how come you have fruit and cereals if you’re a carnivore?”

he asked.

“Oh, there’s a small town nearby where I get supplies,” Maddox

replied. He finished washing the bowl and dried it with a nearby
towel. “I called, placed the order, and had the stuff delivered here.
I’ve known the owner for a while now, so he doesn’t mind indulging
my strangeness once and a while.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

He turned toward Avery and retrieved a large jug of orange juice.

As he poured Avery a cup, he inquired, “Now, tell me. How do you
feel, really?”

“Still a bit shaken,” Avery replied honestly. “Confused.” He eyed

the other man and hesitated slightly before asking, “Are you truly a
shifter like me? A werewolf?”

“Uh-huh.” Maddox’s big hand landed on the table next to Avery’s

smaller one. Avery gasped when it sprouted fur and claws, beginning
the transformation toward a wolf paw. But Maddox didn’t finish the
show. Instead, he changed his hand back to human and said, “There
are many people out there like us. I grew up in an orphanage created
by a scientist studying our condition. Doctor Goldwin called it
S.S.E.X.”

“Sex?” Avery arched a brow at Maddox. He’d known no one so

gorgeous could be mentally sane. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Maddox laughed. “I know. Crazy, right? It’s an abbreviation for

selenic and solar extreme xenogenesis. But it’s certainly easier to
remember than the long name.”

Avery snickered. “Quite right.” He sobered, focusing on the topic

at hand. “And this…S.S.E.X.? What is it? A disease?”

He’d always known there was something not right with him, but

to have it confirmed would bother him more than he liked to admit. It
would mean all those who’d hurt him had been right all along.

But to his surprise, Maddox shook his head. “Not a disease.

Rather, a rare genetic modification. In fact, our abilities can give us
great advantages if we know how to use them.”

Avery mused over that. He had to agree. After he’d been thrown

out by his parents, it had certainly helped him survive. At his age, he
probably would have ended up selling his ass to make a living had he
not been able to shift into his dove form and find refuge in the simple
life of a bird. God only knew he’d come close enough to becoming a
prostitute, and if not for the emergence of his wings, he might be dead
now, or worse.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery shuddered as memories from that time passed through him.

He forcibly pushed them back, not wanting Maddox to see how
broken he was. Focusing on the new information helped center him,
and he managed to bury his recollections deep inside, from where
they would hopefully find it hard to reemerge.

He had to admit it was shocking to hear there were other people

like him, others who’d gone through the same thing and learned how
to deal with it without loathing themselves. “So you know a lot of
people like us?” he asked softly. “Are they all wolves?”

“No,” Maddox replied. “There are all kinds. The leaders of my

orphanage are a dolphin and a lion. Ironically, their younger sister is
human. I’ve lost track of the children growing up there since I’ve
always been a bit of a loner, but Doc—that is, the dolphin—still
writes to me and tells me all about it. There are foxes, tigers, and even
birds, like ravens.”

Other birds. Avery perked up. He’d always had trouble

understanding the process of his own shift. Perhaps these people
could help him.

As if guessing his thoughts, Maddox offered him a small smile.

“If you like, I’ll take you to meet them eventually. But for now, you
still need some sleep. You’ve had a trying day, and I don’t want to
shock you too much.”

Avery wanted to say that it wasn’t necessary, but truth be told,

Maddox’s concern touched him. In fact, he didn’t remember when the
last time someone had shown him such kindness was. He’d spent
years all alone, running from those who should have protected him
but had chosen to hurt him instead. At one point, he’d begun to find
more kindness when people thought he was a bird, but then, even in
dove form, he’d been shot down.

But Maddox was different from all of them. Maddox had opened

his heart and his home to a virtual stranger. Avery told himself that
the gratitude toward the werewolf was the only reason why he
suddenly felt so warm inside.

Scarlet Hyacinth

His face heated, and he focused on drinking his orange juice to

prevent questions. After he finished, Maddox took his hand and
guided him back to the sleeping quarters. The warmth of Maddox’s
palm distracted Avery, and only belatedly did he realize a very
distressful thing. In spite of the beauty of the cabin, it was also the
home of a bachelor, and as such, it just had one bedroom with one
bed. While the bed in question was quite big and it would easily fit
two people, the idea of sharing it with Maddox made Avery’s body
respond in scandalous ways. If the werewolf realized it, Avery would
be out on his ass before he even attempted explaining himself.

Whether or not Maddox sensed his anxiety, the werewolf

provided the solution. “I’ll be sleeping in the living room,” he said.
“If you need anything at all, just shout, okay?”

Once again, Avery was left dumbstruck by this man who would

forgo his own bed to a stranger. His kindness humbled Avery, and
speechless, he could only nod.

As Maddox left him to his rest, questions whirled through Avery’s

mind. First and foremost, could Maddox be as perfect as he seemed?
And if he was, could Avery resist falling in love with him?

Avery had only loved once in his life. He remembered those days

well, as in many ways they’d been the reason why he’d ended up here
in the first place.

His own story was quite pathetic and common. He’d discovered

from an early age that boys made him feel funny, and not in that ha-
ha-what-a-good-joke way. He’d finally understood it when he’d
befriended the son of a neighbor. The older boy had been so
handsome and so charming, and Avery had been swept away by his
smiles and casual touches. Soon, he’d figured out he was gay, and
he’d declared Will his one true love. He’d even decided to give Will
his virginity. And that fateful day, when they were a step away from
making love, Will’s family had unexpectedly returned earlier from
work and found them half-nude and kissing.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery had been shocked, and, not knowing what to do, he’d

listened to Will and gone straight home. But later that day, Will’s
parents had spoken to his own, claiming Avery had seduced their
precious boy. And the worst thing was that Will had been right there,
and he’d looked straight at Avery as he’d spouted insults and
accusations. Avery could still remember it all as if it were yesterday.

* * * *

Ten years before

Avery peered into the living room nervously, his entire being

filling with dread as he spotted Will’s parents sitting tensely on the
couch. His apprehension shifted into confusion when he saw Will
there as well. Hope rekindled within him. Perhaps Will had come to
stand up for their love. Yes, that must be the case.

Thinking back, it made sense that Will had sent him away. Will’s

parents had been furious when they’d been met with the evidence of
their son’s homosexuality. For his part, Will had given Avery a
strained smile and whispered, “Don’t worry. It will be okay. Just go
home. I’ll see you later, all right?”

Surely, Will had been trying to protect him then. Avery still didn’t

know what would happen, but he did feel much better with his
boyfriend.

“Come in here, Avery,” his father’s voice said coolly. “Mr. and

Mrs. Jameson want to have a word with you.”

The fear returned, but Avery forced himself to obey and slowly

entered the living room. His parents were silent, so still that they
didn’t even seem to be breathing. Their stony expressions didn’t bode
well for Avery’s future.

“Actually,” Will’s mother said, “it’s Will who wanted to say

something.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery couldn’t have been more surprised if she’d suddenly

declared the moon was made out of cheese. Sure, he’d expected Will
to have come here in order to defend their relationship, but at the
same time, he had not thought Will’s parents would allow it to happen
just like that.

Avery looked at his boyfriend, smiling slightly when he

remembered the feel of Will’s lips against his own. They hadn’t done
anything beyond kisses and fumbling caresses, but it had still felt like
heaven. His smile froze on his lips at the cold gaze in Will’s brown
eyes.

“I just wanted to say you’re sick,” Will said. “I don’t want to see

you ever again. Don’t think you can draw me into your perversion
because I’ve seen the truth now.”

“You don’t mean that,” Avery croaked, his heart breaking. “I

understand it’s hard, but you wanted it, too. I love—”

Will cut him off before Avery could finish the phrase. “Stop

spouting your stupid little lies. Love? You make me want to hurl for
ever being touched by you.”

“Being touched by you,” not “touching you.” It was more than

clear that Will was washing his hands of Avery. Avery couldn’t say
anything else. The pain was choking him, paralyzing his vocal chords.

“So there you have it,” Mr. Jameson told Avery’s father. “You

heard it from their own mouths.”

“Indeed,” Avery’s dad replied, his voice like ice.
“I trust you’ll do the right thing,” Mrs. Jameson added. “Our

community doesn’t need something like this, and I’m sure our church
group will agree.”

She brushed an imaginary piece of lint off her impeccable, sedate

skirt and got up. “Come on, Will,” she told her son. “Let’s go home.”

Mr. Jameson ushered Will out, and the older boy went without a

single look at Avery. The door closed with disturbing finality.
Avery’s world crumbled around him as he realized everything he’d
believed in was a lie.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

He didn’t get to lose himself in self-pity for much longer. “Why

are you standing there?” a cold voice snapped at him.

Avery turned toward his mother, only to see her glare at him icily.

“Get out,” she said.

Avery hastily made for the stairs, deciding his room was a safe

enough refuge until his parents got over at least a part of their anger.
But before he could reach his destination, his father stepped in the
way.

“Out of the house,” the man clarified.
Avery startled, glancing at his father in disbelief. “But, Dad…”
“Don’t call me that,” the man said, his voice tinged with an

emotion Avery couldn’t identify. “Just go.”

Avery’s eyes filled with tears. His gaze fell at the crucifix on the

wall, and it seemed to mock him. He’d always believed that God
loved everyone, but his parents and the Jamesons didn’t seem to think
the same. “Get the fuck out!” his father shouted again.

“At least let me get my stuff,” he pleaded, ashamed of how weak

his voice sounded. It was winter outside, Christmas just around the
corner. Where would Avery possibly go this time of year?

His father shook his head. “Nothing. Leave, now, before I do

something I regret.”

Avery had no choice. He grabbed his shoes and his jacket and fled

the house. He thought that he could see Will looking out the window
as he passed, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Will had betrayed him,
and now, Avery was all alone.

* * * *

Present day

And so, his parents had thrown him out with nothing more than

the clothes on his back. It was actually quite ironic that he’d been cast
away for being gay, instead of for his strange shape-shifting powers.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Either way, Avery was decided not to risk his heart again, not like

he had with Will. He’d been burned once, and after ten years of
running, he could not open up to the first person who offered a little
kindness. It simply wasn’t safe.

Nodding to himself, Avery allowed his eyes to drift shut. As soon

as he found out the information Maddox had teased him with, he’d
thank Maddox for his help and be on his way. There were far too
many ghosts in his past for him to even think of reaching out to
another. No, Avery was much better off on his own.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Chapter Two

A few months later

“You’re not going there, and that’s final!”
Avery crossed his arms over his chest and fumed at Maddox. “I’m

not a child, Maddox. You can’t forbid me from making my own
choices.”

“I can if they’re stupid choices,” Maddox shot back.
Avery winced at the blunt reply. Okay, so he hadn’t exactly been

the most productive person during their stay in the city. In fact, it had
been up to Maddox to make enough money to stay here. In the
beginning, things had been easier, since they’d lived rent-free in the
apartment their new friends Wallace and Raven shared. At the time,
Wallace had borrowed Maddox’s cabin for a small holiday, and the
exchange had relieved them from a great expense.

But once Wallace and his lover Blue had returned, Maddox and

Avery had been forced to look for a different place to live in. Maddox
had found work as a security guard, but the hours were horrible and
the pay sucked. And the small places they could afford on Maddox’s
salary were just as bad as their enforced separation was.

Sadly, Avery had no formal education to help him find

employment. Ford Goldwin, the head of the Goldwin orphanage
where Maddox had grown up, helped in creating him an identity that
might have been satisfactory for fast-food establishments. He’d even
aided Avery in taking his GED. Even so, he’d been unable to keep
what little jobs he’d managed to take on. He always seemed to run
into freak and perverts that thought that being smaller meant he was

Scarlet Hyacinth

helpless and he’d give them head just to keep his post. That wasn’t
the case, of course, and sadly, it meant Avery had become a financial
burden for Maddox.

It had been a bit more bearable in the time they’d spent alone in

Maddox’s cabin. But then, Maddox had suggested that they come
here so that Avery could learn a few things about his legacy.
Apparently, like Maddox, Avery also suffered from a syndrome called
S.S.E.X., which allowed them to shape-shift into different animals.
And while this stay in the city had allowed Avery to befriend a lot of
people, he’d still been too afraid to share his past with others, lest they
freak out and abandon him. He didn’t think he could survive if
Maddox left him, and not because of his inability to find a job. His
heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

But now, Raven’s mate, Lowell, needed a new assistant he could

trust, and he’d suggested Avery should take the job. Avery had been
ecstatic at the idea, especially since it had come with an offer for them
to move back into the previous apartment. Since Raven would be
sharing Lowell’s condo, Avery and Maddox could take his place and
live with Wallace.

But Maddox did not share his enthusiasm at all. He’d stubbornly

refused to take Lowell on either part of the offer. In a sense, Avery
understood it. Yes, there was an amount of danger involved. After all,
one of Lowell’s coworkers had found out about the syndrome and
kidnapped Lowell, as well as Ford Goldwin and his sister, Winnifred.
In fact, Lowell’s former assistant had been involved. Lowell had only
agreed to go back because they were not sure whether or not anyone
else knew.

Still, Avery wanted to help. He needed to give back some to all

the people who’d received him here with open arms. Besides, if he
continued to stay indoors all alone while Maddox was working, he’d
lose his mind. A job would at least distract him from the werewolf’s
absence.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

And here was the crux of the issue and the reason why Maddox’s

words hurt so much. In Maddox’s eyes, he was like a child who
needed to be cared for. While Avery appreciated that affection, he
wanted something different. He wanted what Raven had with Lowell
and what Wallace shared with his own mate, Blue. But no matter how
much he tried, he simply didn’t seem to be good enough for Maddox.
He was just a pitiful throwaway Maddox had found and taken in
because of his good heart.

“What will you have me do then?” he asked weakly. “Everything

I choose is stupid according to you. I’m a useless idiot.”

“Oh, Avery.” Maddox’s large arms went around him, and Avery

found himself crushed against Maddox’s warm chest. “Don’t say such
things. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

Avery knew he should break away from Maddox’s embrace

before the werewolf realized the effects of his proximity, but being
held by Maddox was Avery’s own little slice of heaven. He closed his
eyes and inhaled the scent that was so uniquely Maddox. His own
arms hesitantly went around Maddox’s body, tracing the lines of the
well-muscled back through the shirt. Would he ever get to feel the
flesh under his fingertips as he so yearned? Would he be granted his
wish to have Maddox’s cock fill him over and over, fucking him,
taking what Avery had protected for the better part of his existence?
Somehow, Avery wanted it. After all, why would someone like
Maddox be interested in a silly virgin?

Seemingly oblivious to Avery’s thoughts, Maddox continued to

speak. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Avery lifted his head and met Maddox’s gaze. “Oh? And why

don’t you want to move in with Wallace?”

This time, Maddox looked a bit uncomfortable. “He’s a wolf. I

don’t want a wolf around you.”

Avery blinked in surprise. He’d have expected anything except

that. He’d actually thought Maddox didn’t appreciate taking charity

Scarlet Hyacinth

from anyone, but apparently, the reason was different. “But why?” he
inquired. “It’s not like he’d harm me.”

Suddenly, Maddox released him from their embrace, leaving

Avery bereft of his warmth. “I just don’t,” he answered. “And I don’t
want you working for Lowell, either.”

Avery counted to ten in his mind, struggling to suppress the

feeling of inadequacy that always appeared during an argument with
Maddox. “So where does that bring us? Should we go back to the
cabin? Or perhaps I should leave altogether. I’ve been a burden on
you for months.”

He had no idea why he even said something so horrible, since, in

his heart, he knew he could not leave Maddox unless Maddox cast
him aside.

For a few moments, Maddox didn’t speak. Instead, he just stared

at Avery as if he’d never seen him before. Avery opened his mouth to
apologize, to say something and take his words back. He really did
regret burdening Maddox, but from that to actually wanting to return
to his previous life…God, Avery couldn’t even bear to think about it.

Maddox narrowed his eyes at him. “The day you mean that, I’ll let

you go. But for now, you stick with me.”

Avery barely managed to suppress his sigh of relief. He’d been so

close to fucking up the best thing in his life. He nodded, biting his lip
as he considered whether or not he should drop the issue they’d been
fighting about or not.

Thankfully, Maddox gave him the way out again. Rubbing his

eyes, the werewolf said, “Fine. I suppose it’s not reasonable to keep
you from others when the very point of coming here was to have you
see and befriend some of our peers. If it means so much to you, we’ll
move in with Wallace and Blue.”

Avery couldn’t believe his ears. Releasing a happy whoop, he

pounced on Maddox, wrapping the werewolf in a tight embrace.
“Thanks,” he whispered, touched by Maddox’s agreement. His
apprehension and fear melted as Maddox embraced him once again.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

This time, they didn’t let go of each other, and Avery allowed himself
to relax. Truly, there was nothing that frightened Avery more than
losing Maddox, not even the ghosts of his past.

At last, Maddox released him and offered him a small, indulgent

smile. The werewolf was obviously not happy about accepting
Lowell’s offer, but he’d agreed to it, regardless, for Avery’s sake.

“I’m just going to have to ask you something, Avery,” he said.
“Whatever you want,” Avery replied.
Maddox chuckled and kissed his forehead. It was a tender gesture,

almost parental, and Avery was torn between the happiness he always
felt at Maddox’s touch and the pain he experienced at the knowledge
that the werewolf didn’t see him as a prospective love interest.

“Don’t say such things so easily,” Maddox chastised him. “You

have no idea what I intend to ask.”

Avery shrugged. “You wouldn’t demand anything bad of me. I

trust you.”

“And yet, you refused to listen to my opinion regarding this

Lowell business.” When Avery opened his mouth to protest, Maddox
silenced him with a finger. “No, don’t say anything. We’ve already
agreed to go along with it. But if you’re planning to work for Lowell,
I need you to check in with me once every couple of hours.”

The demand might have seemed unreasonable, but Avery knew

Maddox was right to be concerned. Besides, as much as it irked
Avery to be babysat, it was probably better to be on the safe side.
They were all in this together, especially if Lowell was right and there
were more people involved in the plan to kidnap him. It was a
problem of great concern since Lowell’s missing assistant and one of
the people involved in the plan knew of the existence of the
syndrome. If they didn’t find her and didn’t figure out who else had
been part of the plot, they might end up in a secret laboratory
somewhere, being experimented on.

“That’s fair,” he told Maddox.

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Okay, good. And one more thing. Before you work for Lowell,

you’re going to learn how to shoot a gun.”

Avery gave Maddox a wide-eyed look. He despised guns and any

sort of item that had been built to harm other living creatures. Maddox
knew that well. “No!” he replied, his voice rising almost in a screech.
“How can you even suggest that?”

“Be realistic, Avery,” Maddox said. “These people know about

our shifter abilities. They can even neutralize Lowell, who is a
werewolf. They got Ford, who’s a lion and stronger than us. Imagine
what they would do if they had their hands on you.”

Avery’s stomach roiled at the images conjured by Maddox’s

words. Maddox had no way of knowing Avery’s past, and truly,
Avery had no clue why he was even remembering it now. But the fact
remained that lately, his nightmares had been stronger than ever.
Since this whole mess with the discovery of the syndrome started,
memories had resurfaced angrily. Oh, he’d never forgotten those
days, not really, but this was different. It was as if he could feel the
chill of the winter biting against his poorly protected skin, smell the
scent of despair and lust. Before he knew it, he was propelled into the
past, into a recollection he wished with all his might he could have
forgotten.

Maddox’s voice reached him before he could fully fall into the

memory. “Avery? Are you all right, baby?”

The endearment surprised Avery so much that he managed to

push back the mental assault of his past. He leaned against Maddox,
hating himself for his weakness. “I’m fine. It’s just…This whole
disaster reminds me of something.”

Maddox’s large hand caressed his head, his strong fingers

threading through Avery’s hair. “I don’t know what terrifying
experiences you passed through, Avery, and I won’t push you to
speak about them. But if you ever do want to tell me, I’m here. I’ll
always be here.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

A few months ago, Avery would have been skeptical. Hell, in the

beginning he had been skeptical to the point that he’d almost
convinced himself to take off before he could fall in love with
Maddox.

But now, Avery believed the werewolf’s words. Maddox truly

meant it when he promised to always be by Avery’s side. And
unavoidably, Avery was crazy about him.

It wasn’t even puppy love or childish infatuation like it had been

with Will. No, this was real, true love. Avery could feel it. He’d lived
with Maddox for months now and had gotten to know the werewolf
well. On occasion, he’d caught glimpses of Maddox naked—it was
impossible for it not to happen—so a hefty dose of lust also existed,
but beyond that, Avery also held a great deal of respect and
admiration for Maddox. Maddox’s strength, his generosity, even his
surliness and his wry sense of humor, everything about him called out
to Avery.

“Thanks,” he replied. “I’ll tell you about it when I’m ready.”
But even as he spoke the words, he knew they were a lie. He

could never tell Maddox the truth. He simply wouldn’t be able to bear
the look of disgust in the werewolf’s eyes once the older man realized
the things Avery had done to survive.

As always, Maddox sensed his unwillingness to continue the

conversation. He broke away from Avery and offered him a small
grin. “Okay. If we’re going to do this, let’s begin with packing. We
still have to move to Wallace’s, remember?”

Avery went with the change of subject and nodded

enthusiastically. “You’re right. God, we have to hurry. We have so
much stuff.”

They didn’t, not really, but Maddox indulged him. As they began

an inventory of their belongings, Avery stole furtive looks at Maddox.
Will might have broken his heart all those years ago, but Maddox’s
platonic affection could very well do the same.

Scarlet Hyacinth

* * * *

One week later

“This will be your desk,” Lowell said as he showed Avery around

his workplace. “We’ve already gone over your responsibilities, but
most of all, remember that if anyone bothers you, feel free to let me
know.”

Avery nodded, eyeing his new surroundings with a touch of

apprehension. Everything was gleaming and new. Lowell had
explained the previous branch of the firm had gone under, but a part
of the staff had been moved here, and their employers had provided
them with a reasonable budget for furnishings and equipment.

Normally, Avery would have been excited, except he could feel

something was not right here. He palmed the pocket of his trousers,
taking comfort in the weight of his cell phone. He also had a taser in
his bag, just in case something happened. He couldn’t for the life of
him make himself shoot a gun, so he and Maddox had settled for the
next best thing.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured his new boss. “Don’t worry about me so

much.”

Lowell chuckled. “I’m not. It’s me I’m concerned about. Maddox

will kick my ass if you’re not happy here.”

Or so Lowell said, but Avery was pretty sure the other werewolf

truly wanted Avery to have a good experience at work, for his own
sake. Lowell had explained that his kidnapper must have researched
his circle of friends, and since Avery had only popped up on the map
recently, he was not among those who’d been likely spied on. The
story they’d settled on was that Avery was the friend of a friend and
had needed the job. It held a fair amount of truth, although all the
subterfuge clearly illustrated that Lowell didn’t think the pleasant
appearance of their current environment would last.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

“Maddox won’t do anything,” he said with a smile. “He’s all bark

and no bite.”

Lowell just shook his head but didn’t comment. Instead, he

reiterated the details of Avery’s job, explained his attributions and
what was expected of him. A little while later, the werewolf finally
left Avery alone to get settled in.

At first, Avery couldn’t help but fidget in his seat, his focus all

over the place. But as the minutes ticked past, he began to believe his
apprehension had been most likely unjustified. After all, what was the
worst thing that could happen?

Before he knew it, two hours had passed, and he remembered he

had to call Maddox. He fully intended to keep his promise, more so
since he knew just how much Maddox worried about him. Even if
they never became lovers like Avery would have liked, Avery still
owed Maddox for the care the werewolf showered him with every
day.

He’d have liked to call, just to hear Maddox’s voice, but he and

the wolf had decided that neither of them could spend their work days
chattering on the phone. Instead, he typed a short message on his cell
and quickly sent it before he could succumb to the impulse to sign it
with “love, Avery.”

A minute later, his phone chirped, notifying him that he’d

received a reply. Avery checked the incoming message and couldn’t
help a smile. “I’ll come get you after work,” it said simply.

Truly, Maddox was just as gruff in cell phone texts as in usual

conversation. But in spite of that, there was a gentleness underneath it
all, and Avery could see the true affection behind the offer.

“I’ll be waiting,” he typed back.
After that, the work day seemed to pass with greater ease. Avery

delved into the files on his computer, trying to get accustomed with
the feel of it. He’d never worked in a big firm like this before, so it
was kind of intimidating, but Lowell helped him out, answering his

Scarlet Hyacinth

questions. By noon, he was getting the hang of what this job would
entail.

He was deeply engrossed in one of the files Lowell had forwarded

to him for review when he heard footsteps approach. He looked up, a
greeting ready on his lips. The words froze in his throat as a familiar
figure stood in front of him.

“Avery? Avery Creed?” the man inquired as he approached. “Is

that you?”

Avery struggled for composure even if the sight of his first love

brought back all the memories he’d have preferred to forget. Will
looked just as handsome as Avery remembered him, but of course, he
didn’t hold a candle to Maddox. Remembering the werewolf
grounded him, and Avery managed to force a smile.

“It is,” he replied. “Long time no see, Will.” He couldn’t help but

add bitingly, “Or should I say, Mr. Jameson?”

Will frowned at this, brown eyes narrowing. “Will is fine, you

know that. We shared too much to fall into formality now.”

Was the man kidding? What did Will expect, to be received with

open arms after he’d betrayed Avery like that?

Avery took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.

Judging by the expensive suit Will wore, the man probably had a
great position here at the firm. It wouldn’t do for Avery to lose it and
jeopardize Lowell’s plan from the very beginning. Too much was at
stake.

“It was a long time ago,” he replied icily. “I don’t really think it

matters anymore.”

Will didn’t grace that with a reply. Instead, he leaned against

Avery’s desk, invading his personal space. “God, what happened to
you, Avery? You just disappeared. Wait until your parents hear that
I’ve found you. God, they’d just about given up.”

“Why would they care at all?” Avery inquired, unable to keep the

disbelief from his voice.

“They’ve been searching for you for ten years. We all have.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery gaped at Will. He couldn’t believe his ears. Why would

they be looking for him? Could they know about his shape-shifting
powers? No, that couldn’t be right. If they had, Will would probably
be informed, too, and the other man didn’t seem to be afraid of him or
anything like that.

“Why?” he blurted out.
“What do you mean why?” Will’s frown deepened. “They’re your

family. They love you.”

Avery snorted. “They didn’t love me any longer when they found

out I was gay. They were disgusted with me. And oh, wait, so were
you, even if you’re just as queer as me.”

Will winced. “I’m sorry about what happened, Avery. I was a kid.

I was afraid of my parents. By the time I realized what I’d done, it
was too late. You were already gone.”

Avery looked away from Will’s earnest face. “Whatever. Like I

said, it was a long time ago. We’re different people now, and we have
different lives. I think we should forget we ever met before and stick
to professional relations.”

“Come on, Avery. Don’t be like that. Don’t you care what

happened to your parents? Don’t you think about them anymore?”

Avery clenched his fists, hating the fact that Will would even dare

to ask him such a question. Yes, he thought about them. He even
remembered the good times, when his parents had given him love,
before they’d started thinking that it wasn’t appropriate to show a
male child overt affection. But more than anything, he remembered
that night when they’d shoved him out the door as if he were some
disgusting stranger.

He didn’t get to utter the scathing retort on his tongue, as the door

to the office opened and Lowell appeared in the doorway. “Is
everything all right, Mr. Creed?” Lowell asked in a calm, measured
tone. “Mr. Jameson, what are you doing here?”

“I was just passing by and noticed Avery here,” Will replied with

a wide smile. “We’re old friends.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Are you?” Lowell’s gaze went to Avery, making Avery fidget.
If he denied it now, he’d just start a debate in front of Lowell,

something that would reveal far too many truths about him. “Yes,” he
said between gritted teeth. “Could I possibly take my lunch break
now, sir? I’d like to catch up with my…friend.”

Lowell narrowed his eyes at Will but nodded. “Of course. When

you come back, see me in my office. I want to talk to you. ”

Avery muttered something agreeable then got up from his desk.

He dragged Will away and toward the room reserved for staff
recreation. Thankfully, it was empty.

“Look, I don’t want you interfering with my work,” he told Will.

“You have no idea how lucky I was to even get this job.”

“You’re better off without it,” Will snapped back. “Lowell

Kingston is a freak.”

A freak? That was a strange phrasing. Perhaps Avery had been

mistaken about Will’s knowledge of his abilities.

His heart racing, he repeated, “A freak? What in the world are you

talking about?”

“He was involved in some sort of shady business at another

branch of the company,” Will replied. He gave Avery a suspicious
look. “Don’t you know about that? I thought his assistant would be
someone close to him.”

It occurred to Avery that the “passing by” comment could mean

Will had been spying on Lowell to see who the werewolf had chosen
as an assistant. If that was true, then Will might be helpful to find out
what was going on at the firm.

With renewed decision in his mind, Avery shook his head. “I got

the job through a friend. He knew I desperately needed the work, and
he got me in contact with Mr. Kingston.” He released a sigh of
irritation. “I have no idea if what you’re saying is true, but so far, he’s
been nothing but kind to me, something that I can’t say about you.”

“And we’re back to that.” Will threw his hands up. “What do you

want me to say?”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

“Nothing, not really,” Avery replied. It wasn’t quite true, but

Avery couldn’t exactly go ahead and interrogate Will about a possible
plot going on at the firm. He had to continue to behave like he had
earlier and slowly pretend to yield to Will’s attempt to befriend him.
Of course, he had to be careful because otherwise, he might push the
other man away. “I just want to focus on my new life now,” he added,
“and stop thinking about the old.”

“Could I maybe have a place in that new life?” Will suggested.
Avery rubbed his eyes and did his best to sound exasperated. “I

don’t know. I’m just…shocked to see you after all this time.”

“I know what you mean.” Will suddenly sounded weary. “Christ,

Avery, we thought you were dead, or worse. You have no idea…Your
parents…”

All this mentioning of his parents was beginning to make Avery

curious. “All right, already. Tell me what happened.”

“They never meant for you to run away like that. They thought

you’d come back.” Avery must have had a very interesting expression
because Will insisted, “It’s true. They were convinced that you’d
return, apologize, and become a model child.”

“Get over my homosexuality, you mean?” Avery released a bitter

laugh. “Like you did, I suppose. Well, whatever they thought, it didn’t
work out that way.”

Will looked like he wanted to say something else, but suddenly,

Avery didn’t want to hear it. “Look. Let’s drop it for now. This is my
lunch break, and I do want to grab a bite.”

Sadly, he’d left his bag at the desk, but there was a snack

dispenser in the room. Avery bought a cereal bar and crunched it
down, while Will gazed at him in silence. Avery could swear he saw a
fond smile on the other man’s lips. “Still on your usual diet, I see. I
swear you eat like a bird.”

Avery almost choked on his frugal lunch. He looked at Will, but

he could see no sign that that the man knew just how close he was to
the truth. “What can I say? I’m trying to protect my figure.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Oh, baby, you never had to keep a diet,” Will practically purred.

“You’re as gorgeous as always.”

Before Avery could reply to that, Will pushed him against the

snack dispenser, walling him in with two powerful arms. “You have
no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

Avery pushed back against Will’s chest. A dove he might be, but

he could still protect himself. Still, having his personal space invaded
like this triggered awful memories, and Avery would prefer not to fall
into a fit of panic if he could help it.

“I haven’t,” he replied. “Back off, Will.”
“Why?” the other man shot back. “Don’t tell me you have a

boyfriend.”

Maddox’s image flashed through Avery’s mind. “Yes,” he replied

automatically. “Actually, I do. I have a boyfriend, and I live with
him.”

There. Let Will make what he wanted of that. Will grimaced, but

released him. Taking the chance, Avery headed toward the door,
deciding it was time to make his escape. It was unlikely that he could
find out anything useful today anyway.

Will grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “You’re not in

any trouble, are you?” Will asked. “This guy you live with…Is
he…forcing you?”

The mere question confused Avery. He simply couldn’t compute

the concept of Maddox hurting him. “Huh?” he asked eloquently.

“You said you had to do something bad to get this job,” Will

explained. “This boyfriend of yours…Is he the one who got you the
job? You don’t have to let anyone use you. I can help you.”

Avery snatched his arm from Will’s grip. Whatever information

Will could provide, Avery wasn’t willing to let the man spout insults
directed at Maddox. “Fuck. You. I don’t need your help.”

He stalked out of the recreation room, fuming and absolutely

furious. Who did the guy think he was? Will had been the one to
betray him, and suddenly he fancied himself Avery’s knight in

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

shining armor. Well, Avery didn’t need that, not when he had
Maddox.

When Avery was halfway to the desk, his phone rang. Avery

veered off into the bathroom, checked the stalls, and when no one
proved to be around, took the call. It was Maddox.

“Is everything all right?” the werewolf asked.
Avery had no idea how Maddox had sensed his predicament, but

merely hearing Maddox’s voice calmed him. “Yes…I mean, no.
There’s someone working here, a man I knew from before. He and I
used to be friends, but we parted on bad terms.”

There was a pause at the other side of the connection, and Avery

wished he’d told Maddox about Will sooner. The werewolf would
probably misunderstand the entire situation now. And it was such a
long story that Avery couldn’t exactly explain it over the phone in a
conversation that took place in his workplace bathroom. “I really miss
you right now,” he said instead.

The words broke whatever trance Maddox had been in. “I’ll come

get you and have a word with this guy. I’ll tell him to leave you
alone.”

Maddox’s offer made Avery’s heart lift. “Thanks, but I can’t leave

work early on the first day. Just pick me up like we established
earlier.”

Maddox worked from the early hours of the morning until six in

the evening, when the other shift began. However, for today, he’d
arranged to take a few hours off to celebrate Avery’s first day. Or so
he said. Avery sometimes couldn’t figure out exactly what rose
Maddox’s protective instincts, but right then and there, he was very
happy for them.

“If you’re sure,” Maddox muttered. “But if anything happens—”
“I’ll let you know,” Avery said, interrupting him. “Don’t worry

about it. Will’s harmless. He’s just a pest I didn’t want to deal with on
my first day. I’ll be fine.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Yes, you will,” Maddox answered. “You’re far stronger than

everyone, including me, gives you credit for.”

The words were surprising, but they shouldn’t have been. Avery

knew Maddox must have guessed at least part of his past. The
werewolf had many times been woken up by Avery’s nightmares, and
even if he hadn’t prodded, it didn’t take a genius to see Avery had bad
experiences in the past.

For once, Avery didn’t know what to say. More than anything, he

wished he could be in Maddox’s arms. He wished he could kiss
Maddox with all the love he had in his heart.

“I’ll see you later, Avery,” Maddox said. “Bye.”
“Bye,” Avery whispered. The dial tone sounded in his ear, and

only then Avery deigned to say, “I love you.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Chapter Three

The day seemed to drag on forever. Since his conversation with

Avery at lunch, Maddox felt like he was slowly losing his mind. A
man from Avery’s past. A friend, Avery had said, but Maddox had
sensed there had been a deeper bond there. The familiarity with which
Avery said the man’s name—the famous Will—suggested the fact
that they had been lovers.

Avery had never quite told Maddox what he was running from

and why he kept having those awful nightmares. From bits and pieces
Maddox had gathered throughout the time he’d lived with the dove,
he’d figured out Avery had lived on his own for the past ten years,
give or take. This made Will a teenage boyfriend, perhaps a first love.
How could Maddox even hope to compare to that?

He left work in a black mood, and he knew he didn’t imagine the

expressions of relief on his coworkers’ faces. He was usually silent
and kept to himself, but today, he’d been positively growly.
Everyone, including himself, was glad he had the last few hours off.

Finally, he drove toward Avery’s workplace, anger and, yes,

jealousy making his temper explode as cars or pedestrians got in his
way. At last, he reached his destination. As he parked, he took in the
building that housed this branch of Gilpin and Sons and wondered
what in the world its CEO was plotting. Something was very fishy
here, and Maddox would have given his right testicle to keep Avery
from getting involved. But the dove could be very stubborn when he
wanted to, and if Maddox had insisted in his refusal to allow it, he’d
have done more harm than good.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Sighing, Maddox got out of his car and leaned against it to wait

for his dove. His mind immediately went back to the earlier
conversation. Avery had not seemed any different, but then there was
the thing he’d said the week before. Would Avery really leave him?
Christ, how would Maddox withstand it if the dove decided to reunite
with his past love?

Maddox had been doing his best to keep their relationship as

strictly one of friendship. Sometimes, it was incredibly hard. He had
not been prepared for the feelings Avery awoke inside him. Like
many of his friends, he himself was an orphan, one of the first ones
who’d been brought up at the orphanage. He’d left the city when it
had become obvious that he wasn’t aging. While Doc and Ford could
work around that, for Maddox, it was too much of a pain to create a
new identity just to go on with his life.

Oh, in a way, he had missed seeing the others, belonging to a

pack, so to speak. But he’d gotten used to his solitary lifestyle, and it
had served him well, at least until Avery had come to shake his world.

To this day, Maddox remembered every moment of the night of

Lowell’s arrest, and not because any particular affection he had for
the man. No, that night, Raven had dragged Maddox and Avery to a
club and dressed Avery in the most sinful outfit known to man.

He shifted against the car, his cock suddenly straining the material

of his jeans as he recalled how gorgeous Avery had looked in Raven’s
clothing. He honestly didn’t know if he could have controlled his
impulses had disaster not struck mere hours later. But not even the
revelations of recent weeks could put a damper on his need for Avery.

It was just that Avery was so sweet and so fragile. Maddox

thought that if he touched Avery, the man would surely shatter. He
sometimes saw it, the fear to be touched, when Maddox surrendered
to his impulses and hugged the dove. Usually, Avery relaxed in his
arms, but Maddox knew that an embrace was very different to
intimacy. He had no idea what to do since he worried approaching
Avery with a relationship in mind would scare the dove away.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

At last, the object of Maddox’s thoughts and fantasies appeared

from the building. Maddox watched a smile appear on Avery’s face as
the dove spotted him. Perhaps he was worried about nothing. Avery
clearly cared about him. Maddox should stop being such a coward
and tell the dove how he felt.

Those thoughts dissipated into a cloud of anger and jealousy when

another man emerged from the building, intercepting Avery. He was
handsome, his expensive suit clearly outlining his muscular body and
his gait confident, almost arrogant.

“Wait up, Avery,” he said. “We need to talk.”
“We can talk tomorrow, Will,” Avery replied without looking

behind. “It’s late, and I want to go home.”

Will stole a look toward Maddox, obviously believing Maddox

could not hear them from this distance. “That’s your boyfriend. You
have got to be kidding, Avery. You need someone with more class,
someone who’ll treat you gently.”

For all his façade of niceness, he grabbed Avery’s wrist and

stopped the dove with striking violence. “Stop, please. I’ll buy you
dinner. You can sleep at my place. It will be just like old times.”

Vicious fury assaulted Maddox, and his beast snarled inside him,

ready to attack. He might have shifted right then and there, except
Avery was quick to extract his arm from Will’s grip. “Thanks, but no
thanks.”

With that, Avery started toward Maddox again. Maddox met him

halfway and couldn’t contain himself from hugging the dove. He
desperately wished he could shower every inch of Avery’s beautiful
body with kisses, but he restrained himself. He still had Will to deal
with, not to mention that if he did tell Avery how he felt, it wouldn’t
be like this.

To his credit, Will didn’t look the least bit intimidated. He stalked

to Maddox and Avery’s side, looking furious. “I get it, all right?” he
told Avery. “You’re pissed at me. But you don’t have to go with this
guy just to spite me.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery briefly broke away from Maddox’s embrace and answered,

“Stop being so full of yourself. My relationship with Maddox has
nothing to do with you.”

“The hell it doesn’t.” Will took a deep breath and reached for

Avery again. “I’m not going to let you go again.”

Maddox revised his opinion of the other man. Will was clearly an

arrogant, self-righteous prick with no regard to the opinions of others.
He didn’t fear Maddox because he believed himself above anything
Maddox could do. He believed himself above Maddox, period. Well,
Maddox would show him that in the real world, things didn’t work
quite like Mommy and Daddy had taught him. There were always
bigger fish in the pond, and it seemed Will was long overdue on a
wake-up call.

Maddox caught Will’s arm before the other man could touch

Avery. “Listen up,” he said, squeezing on Will’s wrist. “I don’t know
what you were to Avery, and I don’t care. Avery belongs to me, now,
and you’d better keep your hands to yourself if you don’t want to
wake up without them. Got that?”

Aware of the security in the building, Maddox released Will and

pushed him back. “I may be a meathead, but I know how to protect
what’s mine.” He kissed Avery’s forehead and whispered, “Come on,
baby. Time to go home.”

They both slipped into the car, with Maddox taking the driver’s

seat and Avery quietly buckling himself next to him. In the rearview
mirror, Maddox caught sight of Will impotently fuming in the parking
lot. With a satisfied grin, he drove off, leaving the other man standing
there.

Once they were away from the building, though, the silence

suddenly seemed strained. Maddox reviewed what he’d said, cursing
himself for allowing Will to get to him. God only knew how he’d get
out this predicament now.

Before he could think up a solution, his dove spoke at last. “Did

you mean it?” Avery asked in a low voice. “What you said?”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Maddox barely managed to suppress a groan. In the heat of the

moment, his true feelings regarding Avery had burst out, although not
as eloquently as Maddox would have liked. He didn’t even want to
know how it must have sounded to his beautiful Avery. As much as
Maddox regretted to admit it, Will was right about thing. Avery
needed someone who could be gentle with him, not a big lug like
Maddox.

There was nothing for it now. He couldn’t lie and pretend none of

it had happened. He’d already been hiding what he felt for far too
long, but deliberate deception would damage their relationship,
perhaps beyond repair. Maddox got the feeling that Avery had been
lied to before, and he refused to do it.

“I did mean it,” he replied. “I’m sorry if it makes you

uncomfortable, but I can’t help it.”

For a few moments, Avery didn’t answer. Maddox stole a look at

him and saw the beautiful dove trembling. His heart fell, but he tried
to control himself, to sort through his own emotions and find Avery’s.
He’d always been able to sense Avery’s feelings to a certain extent,
which was why he’d been so affected by the dove’s dismay earlier
that day. At the same time, this ability merely scratched the surface of
Avery’s psyche. Maddox could usually tell if something was
bothering Avery since he suddenly got a feeling of wrongness
niggling at the back of his skull. But he couldn’t distinguish between
the more complex emotions, and Avery was nothing if not complex.

He turned toward his dove and opened his mouth, not sure what

he even wanted to say. Much to his shock, however, Avery suddenly
reached for him, killing any possible attempt of speech. Avery
crushed their mouths together, so hard and so out of the blue that
Maddox almost lost control of the car.

As kisses went, it wasn’t the most spectacular one in existence.

Avery was clearly inexperienced, and he didn’t know what to do
beyond pressing their lips together. He’d obviously gone with an
impulse because he quickly pulled back, his face as red as a beet.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Maddox steadied the vehicle, his heart racing as he processed

what Avery had done. Avery might not have a brilliant kissing
technique, but just his touch and the feel of his soft lips against
Maddox’s made Maddox so hard it hurt. “Okay, so it seems we need
to talk,” he told the younger man.

Avery fidgeted, looking apprehensive, but nodded. Maddox hoped

he was reading Avery right when he thought it must be fear of
rejection.

After ensuring himself he wouldn’t cause any accidents, Maddox

reached for the dove and gently caressed his cheek. “It’s okay, baby.
I’m not angry. In fact, I couldn’t be happier.” In more ways than one,
he thought as he adjusted himself in his pants.

The sweet little imp must have noticed the motion because his

eyes widened before his full lips twisted into a smile. “I guess I
should have tried that sooner, huh?”

Maddox couldn’t help it. He burst into laughter. “I guess we both

should have.”

They fell into silence after that, a comfortable one Maddox had

only ever been able to share with Avery. It was so familiar that the
change in both of them almost seemed like a dream. But Maddox’s
arousal couldn’t be denied, and his beast sensed it echoing in Avery.
His cock throbbed simply when he thought about what was to come.
Because no doubt about it, that kiss was only a prelude of something
much more intense, something they had both been waiting for since
the moment they’d met.

Taking into account just how long Maddox had hidden his

feelings for Avery, it came as no surprise that he’d run out of
patience. The trip back to the apartment seemed to take forever,
although for once, Maddox could appreciate his dove’s suggestion to
move in with Wallace. This apartment was much closer to the firm
than the one Maddox and Avery had shared before.

Maddox parked the car, and they quickly got out. Urgency soared

through him as he watched Avery move, and he barely managed to

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

restrain himself from simply draping Avery over his shoulders and
running up the stairs with him.

By the time they at last reached the apartment, Maddox thought

that he’d have permanent zipper marks on his prick. On the bright
side, the place was quiet, so their flat mates were probably out.

“They must be out on a job,” Avery said. Wallace was a private

detective, and these days, his lover, Blue, helped him.

“Aren’t we lucky?” Maddox murmured. After making sure the

door was locked, Maddox finally surrendered to his impulses and took
Avery in his arms. “Tell me you want this,” he whispered against his
dove’s lips.

“Oh, God, yes, Maddox,” Avery practically whimpered. “I want

you so badly. Please touch me.”

The words broke the dam keeping Maddox’s passion at bay.

Without one second of hesitation, he pressed his mouth to Avery’s.
This time, he took command of the moment, licking across the seam
of Avery’s lips and demanding entrance. Avery gasped, and Maddox
took advantage of it to thrust his tongue inside the wet cavern. He
plundered Avery’s mouth, tasting his sweet dove, greedy for Avery’s
flavor.

Refusing to break their kiss for even a moment, Maddox walked

Avery to the bedroom they shared. Usually, Maddox slept on the floor
or on the living room couch, not wanting to impose on Avery’s
privacy. It was an agreement they’d come to with great difficulty and
insistence from Maddox’s part since Avery felt uncomfortable with
doing that to Maddox. But now, that would finally change. Now, they
would at last share a bed. More importantly, they’d share their bodies
with each other.

Maddox pushed Avery on the bed, and the dove went down,

bouncing a bit on the mattress. He stared up at Maddox, his
expression dazed and almost lost. He looked like a debauched angel,
his innocence and nervousness still shining in those beautiful black
eyes. But at the same time, there was surrender, need, and

Scarlet Hyacinth

anticipation. Maddox’s heart simply melted, and he wondered what
he’d done to deserve such trust.

Mentally leashing his beast, Maddox lowered his body over

Avery’s. He might have the impulses of an animal, but with Avery, he
would be as gentle as the dove deserved.

This time, when their lips met, the kiss was tender, almost lazy,

completely unrushed. Yes, they had waited a long time for this, but
there was no reason to hasten the pace now and ruin it. No, this
needed to be special because Avery was special for Maddox. In fact,
Maddox suspected Avery was his mate, like Blue was for Wallace
and Raven for Lowell.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed silly that he’d doubted

himself and allowed his doubts to keep them apart. But he would not
make the same mistake again. Instead, as he tasted Avery’s mouth,
Maddox started working on disrobing his dove. Avery looked
gorgeous in his work suit, but Maddox needed skin. Avery helped
him, and between the efforts of the two of them, they managed to
remove the jacket. Maddox tossed it on a nearby chair then went on to
the dress shirt. With each button he undid, he exposed more of
Avery’s delicious body. He couldn’t help but break away from
Avery’s lips, deciding that he needed to taste the rest of his sweet
dove. Once the shirt was off, Maddox pressed butterfly-light kisses on
every inch of skin he could reach, mapping the rest with his fingers,
greedy to feel, to touch, to know. He stopped over Avery’s nipples
and couldn’t resist sucking on the tiny nubs. Avery arched under him,
gasping out his name, and Maddox grinned as he mouthed the bits of
flesh. Oh, yes, taking it slow with Avery definitely had its perks. His
little dove was so responsive.

Avery was writhing now, begging and pleading in a breathless

tone. Maddox took pity on his soon-to-be lover and licked down
Avery’s chest to his abdomen. As he thrust his tongue into Avery’s
belly button, he reached his dove’s slacks and hastily started to undo
the belt.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

It was in that moment that Avery tensed up. Maddox instantly

stopped, sensing something was wrong. “Is this okay? If you’ve
changed your mind…” He trailed off, knowing Avery understood.

Avery shook his head. “I haven’t. I just…I had a bad experience a

long time ago.”

Anger assaulted him at the mere thought of someone forcing

himself on his dove. “Will?” he managed to ask.

“No.” Avery’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked away, as if

unable to meet Maddox’s gaze. “Another man. I—”

Seeing how hard it was for Avery to explain, Maddox cut him off

him a light kiss. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to,
baby,” he whispered when he broke away. “Just relax. I’ll take care of
you.”

Avery nodded, although he still seemed tense. His cock, which

had been rock hard all throughout their foreplay, had grown soft,
something that didn’t seem encouraging. But Maddox knew that he
couldn’t stop, not now, not if he wanted a future with Avery. Clearly,
Avery had many demons haunting him, but it was up to Maddox to
cast them away.

He started by slowly undoing Avery’s belt, keeping his every

motion careful, so as not to startle Avery. His dove began to relax
again, and Maddox marked that as progress. Once the belt was off,
Maddox removed Avery’s shoes, giving his sweet mate time to get
accustomed to the process. Finally, he reached for the slacks again.
This time, when he started to remove them, Avery went with it,
wiggling his ass to help.

Finally, Avery was left in his underwear, simple white briefs that

emphasized the line of Avery’s cock. Maddox noticed in satisfaction
that his little dove had hardened again, and he licked his lips as he
removed the final garment that stood between him and Avery’s
nudity.

“You’re so beautiful,” Maddox couldn’t help but say.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery gave him a tremulous smile. “Touch me, Maddox. Make

me forget.”

One of these days, Maddox would have Avery tell him exactly

what he was running from. But it wouldn’t be now. No, now Maddox
would wipe away all of Avery’s apprehension and love him just like
he deserved.

With that in mind, Maddox indulged in another brief kiss, smiling

against Avery’s lips when the dove relaxed against him. He didn’t
prolong the lip-lock, however. As much as he enjoyed this, he needed
something more. They both did.

As they broke apart, Maddox lowered his mouth over Avery’s

hard cock and took the shaft deep in one fell swoop. Avery’s body
went rigid, but this time, it wasn’t because of fear. Maddox hung onto
Avery’s hip, just in case Avery panicked again, and started a slow
torture of his dove’s cock.

He bobbed his head up and down Avery’s slender prick, reveling

in the salty-sweet taste of the pre-cum seeping from the slit. Avery’s
cock was beautiful, just like its owner, and for Maddox, the feel of the
engorged flesh sliding over his tongue was maddening. His taste buds
were in pure heaven, Avery’s flavor even stronger here. And then
there was his mate’s scent, surrounding him in a cloud of male
passion. Maddox’s beast rose within him once again, demanding that
he claim what belonged to him. Maddox soothed it with the promise
that it would come, all in good time. He couldn’t rush Avery. His
lover was the most important one now.

Slowly, Avery’s cries rose in volume, becoming more and more

incoherent. At last, Maddox proceeded to the next step of Avery’s
claiming. He briefly released Avery’s cock and reached for the
nightstand. Since he shared a room with Avery, he couldn’t keep
lubricant in plain sight, so it was hidden on a lower shelf. Still,
Maddox retrieved it with reasonable ease and returned to his
trembling mate.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery gave Maddox a look full of need and spread his legs wide.

Innocent he might be, but he obviously knew how it worked. In a
way, it relieved Maddox because sometimes, he’d worried about
taking advantage of Avery’s lack of experience.

Looking at his gorgeous mate, Maddox realized, perhaps for the

first time, just how much Avery meant to him. It wasn’t only carnal
desire. It was love, love for everything Avery had brought into his life
and the beauty of Avery’s soul.

Cupping Avery’s cheek, he whispered, “It’s not too late to change

your mind.”

Avery released a tremulous laugh. “Are you kidding? That’s the

last thing I want.”

Maddox nodded and turned to disrobing. There was something

incredibly powerful about him being dressed while Avery was naked,
but now his clothing was just in the way. He wasn’t nearly as careful
with his own outfit as he’d been with Avery’s, but everything had a
limit, including Maddox’s patience.

As soon as he was naked, Maddox returned to Avery’s side and

his previous activity. Avery reached for him, but Maddox pushed him
back down and took Avery’s cock in his mouth. Truly, he couldn’t get
enough of tasting Avery like this. He could practically feel Avery’s
pleasure swell inside the dove, the little sweet cries like a drug to him.

This time, Avery said something else, something that made

Maddox’s prick throb in wild need. “God, Maddox, fuck me!”

How could Maddox deny him? It was what he wanted, too, what

he desperately needed. Even as he hollowed his cheeks, sucking
Avery with all he had, he opened the tube of lube and squirted a
generous amount on his fingers. He rubbed one slick digit against
Avery’s opening and slowly breached it, seeking that special spot that
would make Avery fly. He took his time, and only when Avery didn’t
tense up did Maddox dare to add a second finger.

Avery pushed back against the invading digits, his passage

squeezing them so tight Maddox could only imagine how it would

Scarlet Hyacinth

feel around his cock. Encouraged by the response, he scissored his
fingers inside Avery, crooking them just so until he found his mate’s
prostate. Avery arched his back and cried out, going wild. The dove’s
apprehension seemed to have melted completely in the heat of desire.
Maddox could no longer feel any fear coming from him, just need,
and yes, confusion. Clearly, Avery was not used to such sensations,
which made it even more important for Maddox to take it slow.

By now, Avery’s voice had dissolved into a litany of “Fuck me,

fuck me, fuck me,” peppered by Maddox’s name, over and over. It
was growing increasingly hard for Maddox to resist the lure of doing
just that, with hard being the operative word. Maddox thought that he
might have a permanent case of blue balls if he didn’t get to fuck
Avery soon.

Even so, he didn’t rush, choosing to add a third finger inside

Avery instead. He started sucking on Avery’s prick even harder and
then took the dove’s cock deep into his throat and swallowed around
the head. With a choked cry, Avery came, and Maddox almost found
his peak as well just at the taste of Avery’s passion.

The only thing that held him back was his need to be inside his

lover when he came. He drank down every drop and released Avery’s
still half-hard cock from his mouth. Avery looked up at him, his eyes
glazed with the aftermath of pleasure. Maddox had never seen a more
beautiful sight in his life.

Knowing that Avery’s body would be relaxed now due to the

orgasm, Maddox lifted his mate’s legs on his shoulders. They didn’t
need protection since Maddox’s most common sex partner was his
own hand and Avery was clearly a virgin. Besides, the S.E.X. factor
influencing their genes had ensured that most diseases didn’t stick to
them.

Maddox slicked his cock up with a liberal amount of lubricant and

pressed his cock against Avery’s fluttering hole. Slowly, he pushed
inside his mate’s passage, all the while holding Avery’s gaze,
studying the dove for any signs of pain.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery clung to his shoulders and released a small sound that

seemed like a cross between a moan and a whimper. There was so
much emotion written in his eyes, in his beautiful expressive face. In
that moment, Avery was an open book for Maddox, and the things he
read there humbled him.

Avery was so tight that it took a superhuman effort not to thrust in

violently like his body demanded. Instead, he slid in slowly, gritting
his teeth as the hot velvet of Avery’s passage engulfed him. Finally,
he was balls-deep inside his mate, Avery fully impaled on his prick.

He remained still for a few moments, allowing Avery to get used

to the sensation of being invaded.

It was the longest wait of his life, but at last, Avery smiled up at

him and nodded. “I’m okay. You can move.”

Maddox almost lost it right then and there. He pulled out of

Avery, then slid back in slowly. No matter what Avery said, it always
paid to be careful with a virgin. When there were no signs of pain on
Avery’s face, Maddox allowed himself to increase the pace. He pulled
Avery closer and shifted the angle, thrusting against Avery’s special
spot.

If until then Avery had seemingly enjoyed the mere union of their

bodies, now it became completely different. Avery pushed back
against him, meeting Maddox thrust for thrust. They turned into
beings of pure pleasure, the sexual energy arcing between them,
snaking over their flesh. With each push, Maddox began to lose it
more and more, until his resolve to remain in control dissipated in the
heat of passion. Avery was simply too beautiful, his white-blond hair
clinging to his sweaty forehead, his full lips swollen from Maddox’s
kisses, and his heart reaching out to Maddox’s.

Over and over, Maddox thrust his prick inside Avery, each time

harder than before. An almost insane urge gripped him, the desire to
bury himself so deep they wouldn’t ever be separated. The bed
creaked, protesting the abuse, and the noise added to the symphony of
pleasure rising around them. Grunts, groans, moans, and gasps, and

Scarlet Hyacinth

the distinctive sound of flesh slapping against flesh surrounded
Maddox and Avery, enveloping them in a cocoon of their own
making. In that moment, only the two of them existed, bound by their
bodies and their souls.

In a strange development, he felt his canines lengthening, and a

new urge gripped him, the urge to sink his fangs into Avery’s throat.
As if sensing it, Avery tilted his head in a gesture of submission.
Maddox could not resist. He buried his teeth in the tempting flesh, his
wolf howling in satisfaction as sweet blood filled his mouth.

Several things happened at the same time. Maddox sensed

something change inside him, as if that part he’d kept reserved for
Avery alone was suddenly open. All of his barriers cracked, and he
was invaded by the strongest wave of emotion he’d ever experienced.
The most awe-inspiring thing was that they didn’t all belong to him.
A strange bond snapped into place, and Maddox could feel what
Avery did, but not like before. No, it was so intense that Maddox
couldn’t even distinguish his own thoughts from Avery’s. He couldn’t
tell where Avery ended and he began.

The beauty of the moment mingled with pure carnal ecstasy as

they both came at the same time. The orgasm was so powerful that for
a moment there, Maddox actually lost consciousness and became one
with the whirlpool of emotion teeming inside him. Thankfully, he
recovered just in time to prevent himself from falling over Avery and
crushing the dove under his larger bulk.

Instead, he collapsed at his mate’s side, his mind invaded with the

implications of what had happened. He’d always felt close to Avery,
uncommonly so, but this, this was so special that Maddox had no
words how to even express it.

“I know,” Avery said. “I feel the same.”
Hearing Avery’s voice in his mind didn’t surprise Maddox as

much as it should have. He already felt one with Avery, and he knew
his friends shared a similar bond with their mates.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

He pressed a brief kiss to Avery’s lips, tasting love and exhaustion

in the lip-lock. “Rest,” he sent to his mate. “You’re safe now.”

As they broke apart, Avery’s eyes began to drift shut. “I love you,

Maddox,” he whispered in Maddox’s mind.

Maddox smiled at his beautiful mate. “I love you, too, baby. I love

you, too.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Four

“So you think you can use Will to find out what’s going on at the

firm?” Maddox frowned. “I don’t like it, baby. It’s too dangerous.”

Avery added a dash of pepper in the pot on the stove and smiled at

Maddox. “We knew it would be risky when I agreed to Lowell’s job
offer. This is nothing. Will can’t harm me.”

“He hurt you once,” Maddox couldn’t help but answer.
Avery’s smile fell, and Maddox immediately regretted bringing

the topic up. They shouldn’t even be talking about anything except
their relationship. This was a special day, the day of their mating, and
it shouldn’t be tainted by day-to-day problems.

Still, in spite of this knowledge, he couldn’t help a stint of anger

when the image of a younger-looking Will flashed through Avery’s
mind. It was brief, an erratic slide show that made little sense, some
of the pictures showing Will happy and flirtatious while others made
him look cold and aloof. Without even having to ask, Maddox knew
what had happened.

“He didn’t deserve you, baby,” he told Avery. “He didn’t know

how to treat you right.”

Avery sighed, the sound wistful and sad. “It’s just hard to process

that I would see him there of all places. I mean…I don’t love him
anymore. That affection is a part of my past. But it’s still hard.”
Avery paused and turned to look at the brewing pot. “You know, my
mother taught me to cook this stew.”

The change in topic might have seemed surprising, but Maddox

had sensed another thing weighing on Avery’s mind. He realized now

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery had been thrown out by his parents, and the fact that Will had
awoken old wounds pissed him off. Avery deserved better.

“Do you truly think they’ve been looking for you?” he asked his

mate.

“I don’t know.” Avery bit his lip and stared at the cooking food as

if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. “What he
told me…I just can’t stop thinking about it. I mean, I don’t owe them
anything, but they’re still my parents.”

“If you like, we can go see them,” Maddox offered.
Avery turned toward him, his eyes filled with awe and hope.

“You’d do that for me?”

Maddox couldn’t resist stealing a brief peck from Avery’s

tantalizing lips. “There’s very little I wouldn’t do for you.” In fact,
he’d probably do anything Avery asked him to. He was putty in his
dove’s hands.

“Thank you,” Avery whispered in his mind. “I think that with you

by my side, I’d actually be able to do it.”

He stepped into Maddox’s arms, molding their bodies together.

Passion rose inside Maddox, and he was tempted to just grab Avery in
his arms and dash back to their bedroom. Alas, their moment of
privacy was interrupted when they sensed two familiar presences
approach.

They broke the embrace with twin sighs of regret. Sharing the

apartment had its advantages, but now that they wanted to be alone, it
was also regrettable.

Since they weren’t much for formality, they didn’t bother to meet

their flat mates at the door. Instead, they waited, Avery busying
himself with the meal while Maddox just watched him.

“I smell home cooking,” Wallace shouted from the hallway.

“What’s the occasion?”

He stepped into the kitchen and froze in his tracks, blinking at

Maddox and Avery as if he’d seen something there strange. He threw

Scarlet Hyacinth

up his hands and laughed. “Finally! I was starting to think you’d
never get your head out of your ass.”

Blue stepped inside the kitchen behind his mate and beamed. “I

think congratulations are in order, right?”

Maddox nodded silently, while Avery explained, “We mated

today.”

Blue pounced on Avery, hugging him tightly. His bright azure

wings burst from his back, flapping excitedly. “Oh, I’m so happy for
you.”

Normally, Maddox disliked anyone but himself touching Avery,

but it was hard to be upset with Blue. Like Avery, the butterfly had an
inherent sweetness that kept Maddox from being too harsh with him.
Maddox made a mental note to consult Wallace on how he dealt with
his fragile mate. After all, who could be more delicate than a
butterfly? Perhaps the other werewolf had good advice for him.

He revised this plan when Wallace punched his shoulder and

smirked. “Well, you two sure cost me a pretty penny. Who won that
bet anyway?”

For a few moments, Blue seemed to consider the question. “I

think it must be a close call between Ford and Onyx.”

Maddox gaped at the two shifters. “You had a bet going on?”
“It was just Raven, Lowell, and us, first,” Wallace explained.

“Then, it got out at the orphanage, and everyone wanted in.”

Maddox shook his head and disbelief. Even Onyx, the black

panther they’d released in the process of finding Lowell, had
apparently gotten in on it. It was dumbfounding, but Maddox
supposed he couldn’t begrudge them. Maddox could accept a little
eccentric betting today, as long as it didn’t bother Avery.

“They care about us,” Avery said through their bond, his glee

invading Maddox’s heart like a wave. “They’re happy for us.”

Indeed, they were, and Maddox marveled at the change in his life.

A few months ago, he’d lived all alone in his cabin, not knowing what

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

he was missing. Avery had brought feeling and light into his life, and
for that, Maddox would never stop thanking his dove.

Sadly, the earlier conversation had brought to mind just how many

things stood between the two of them and happiness. Maddox was not
surprised when Avery took a deep breath and suddenly said,
“Wallace, I need a favor.”

“Sure,” the werewolf replied. “If I can help, I’d be happy to. What

is it?”

Avery fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable with what he was going

to say. He freed himself from Blue’s grip and came to Maddox’s side.
Maddox took his hand and kissed it. “You don’t have to do this if you
don’t want to,” Maddox said through their bond.

“I know,” Avery replied. “But there was a time when I truly felt

them close to my heart. I can’t forget that.”

He turned toward the other two shifters. Both Wallace and Blue

looked surprised at the change in Avery’s demeanor, but Avery
wasn’t deterred. “Today when I went to work, I ran into my first
boyfriend. William Jameson. He told me my parents have been
looking for me, but I really don’t know what to believe. Could you
maybe look into it, discreetly? I just want to find out if it’s true or
not.”

“Of course I can investigate that for you,” Wallace answered.

“You’re going to have to give me some details, though.”

Clearly, the other werewolf was aware that Avery had a past he

didn’t like to talk about. In truth, Maddox himself would have
preferred to let sleeping dogs lie, but this was about Avery’s parents,
and it would have to be Avery’s choice.

“I understand,” Avery said. “I trust you won’t share what I tell

you with anyone.” He offered Blue a small, weak smile. “Well,
anyone except Blue. I can’t expect you to keep secrets from your
mate.”

“Don’t worry,” Blue said, reaching out to Avery and taking

Avery’s hand. “We won’t say a thing.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“But, Avery, if you plan to contact your family, you’re going to

have to tell Ford,” Wallace said. “He’s always trying to keep our
existence from the general public.”

“I know.” Avery released a tired sigh. Both Avery and Maddox

were well aware of the implications of such a decision, but they could
hardly avoid it, with Will working for Lowell. “Now sit down. It’s a
long story, and I can tell you while we eat.”

* * * *

Avery stared at the apartment block in front of him and rechecked

the address Wallace had given him. It seemed to be the right place,
but the decrepit building didn’t fit with Avery’s image of his parents.
They’d always been well off, not excessively so, but enough so as to
have a comfortable living in a home of their own.

Wallace had told Avery that a few years back, Avery’s family

seemed to have run into financial difficulties. They’d sold the house
Avery had grown up in and rented this place instead. Wallace’s
discreet inquiries didn’t reveal the reason behind this change,
although Avery had no doubt that eventually Wallace could have
found out.

Instead, Avery had chosen to come here himself. More and more,

he thought this was something he needed to do, to get closure. He
could still back down, but he wouldn’t. He could face this. It was time
to begin a new life, and the first step was making his peace with his
family.

In a way, it was somehow sneaky. He knew Will had told them

about finding him, but he’d refused to meet or talk to them. Visiting
them out of the blue would take them by surprise, but at the same
time, perhaps it would give Avery the real truth about whether or not
his parents had changed.

“You okay, baby?” Maddox asked by his side.
Avery took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Maddox took his hand, and together, they stepped into the

building. The neighborhood was so bad that the block didn’t even
have the slightest security in front. It was scary, and yet again, Avery
wondered what could have determined his parents to move here.

He shuddered, remembering a time when he himself had been

forced to hide in such areas. Unlike his parents, he hadn’t been able to
find even this type of shelter, and that had eventually forced him into
a course of action that had changed his life.

Shaking his head, Avery pushed back the memories. He needed to

focus on the present. Maddox’s warm hand against his own gave him
the strength he needed to climb the stairs and not take off running
when he saw his parents’ apartment door.

“Okay?” Maddox asked again.
“Not really,” Avery answered this time. It was likely that Maddox

sensed it, but in the end, the most important thing was that, in spite of
his apprehension, Avery could still stand his ground.

Before he could surrender to the urge to flee, Avery rang the

doorbell. “Yes?” a female voice asked from inside. “Who is it?”

Avery started trembling the moment he heard his mother speak.

His own voice trembled as he replied, “Avery.”

Chains rattled and several locks clicked, and then the door

opened. The first thing Avery thought when he saw his mother was
that she’d aged. The ten years that had passed since he’d last seen her
had left a mark. The face Avery remembered as flawless now had
lines, far too many where Avery was concerned. Her hair had also
gone prematurely gray, but she was still beautiful.

“Mother?” he asked gently, fearing what side of his mother he

would find. Would it be the gentle parent who’d reared him or the
hard one who’d cast him aside because of his homosexuality?

She took a step forward, and her eyes filled with tears. “Avery? Is

that really you?”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery just nodded without speaking a word. His mother rushed

forward, wrapping his arms around him. “Oh, my baby. My baby, I
can’t believe it.”

Her enthusiasm was quite surprising, especially since he’d

gathered she must have known about his reappearance from Will. As
if guessing his thoughts, she added, “When Will told us about seeing
you, I wanted to go to you so badly. But you didn’t want us. God, you
didn’t want us, and we were so afraid.”

Avery slowly broke away from her embrace, struggling to process

the overflow of words. “Afraid? Of what?”

“That you’d disappear again,” she replied, wiping her eyes.

“Jesus, Avery. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been looking
for you?”

“I suppose the time I spent running away from you,” Avery

replied bitingly. Technically speaking, they hadn’t been the ones he’d
been hiding from, but that was beside the point. “Don’t blame me for
what happened.”

She winced, probably realizing how accusing and unfair she’d

sounded. “You’re right. You’re not to blame. But don’t just stand
there. Come in, come in.”

She ushered both of them inside, and for the first time, she seemed

to register Maddox’s presence. Avery took advantage of the
opportunity to get over what would probably the hardest part of the
meeting. “This is my partner, Maddox Finney,” he explained. He
couldn’t exactly say Maddox was his mate since that was a concept
normal humans couldn’t understand. “Maddox, this is my mother.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Creed,” Maddox said politely.

The ice in his voice was carefully disguised, and Avery felt thankful
his mate was making the attempt to be civil to his family.

“The pleasure is all mine,” she answered. The reply was

automatic, Avery knew. She paused, as if uncertain, then gave Avery
a somewhat troubled look. “You have a partner?” she inquired.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery released an exasperated sigh. “I’m still gay, if that’s what

you’re asking.”

“That’s not it,” his mother answered. She rubbed her eyes,

suddenly looking very old and tired. Her lower lip trembled as she
whispered, “We were told some things, bad things about you.”

Avery was now worried about what she knew from his past and

what she would say. Before he could answer, he sensed another
person closing in from outside. His mother rushed to open the door,
and moments later, his father walked in.

Like Avery’s mother, he had aged, and it showed not only in his

physique, but also in his clothing. During Avery’s childhood, his dad
had worked as an architect for many important companies, but with
the fall of real estate, jobs in that field had become few in number.
According to Wallace, the man now worked for a much lower pay as
an engineer. But in spite of the changes, he remained as alert as ever,
and his gaze instantly zeroed in on Avery and Maddox.

“Avery,” he said breathlessly.
Avery had never heard his father sound lost. Surprised, yes.

Angry, definitely. But never lost, never confused. His father was a
rock, and he’d always wanted to model Avery after himself. Perhaps
this was why both he and his mother had reacted so badly when
they’d found out Avery was gay. Now, however, there seemed to be
very little left of that confidence. That rock had been corroded away,
and it shocked Avery as much as the lines on his mother’s face did.

“Hello, Dad,” he said.
“Will told us he’d found you, but I believed he was lying,” the

older man said, seemingly in a daze. “He never agreed with us
coming to live here.”

Avery shared a look with Maddox. What did that have to do with

anything? “It was true,” he replied to his father. “I just needed a little
time to wrap my mind around seeing you again.”

For a few moments, they just stared at each other. Avery’s mother

was the one who broke the awkward silence. “Why don’t we all step

Scarlet Hyacinth

into the living room?” she suggested at last. “I believe we’re long
overdue a conversation.”

Already uncomfortable with his father’s scrutiny, Avery allowed

his mother to lead him to the living room. The apartment wasn’t big,
so it took him maybe ten seconds to step inside. He blinked, the sight
before his eyes not registering fully. Somehow, he seemed to have
ended up in a shrine to himself. There were pictures of him hanging
on the walls, childhood ones where he was beaming at the camera. In
others, where he was older, he looked a bit more aloof. It was a place
full of memories, and Avery swallowed around the knot in his throat.
He could have waved off Will’s words as biased, but he couldn’t deny
that his parents must have missed him.

“When we moved, we ended up with a lot of things belonging to

you,” his mother explained, obviously sensing his dismay. “We
couldn’t bear putting anything away, so we just placed it all here
instead. I know it’s a bit ostentatious, but it couldn’t be helped.”

When Avery didn’t say anything, she cleared her throat and asked,

“How about I get you some refreshments? Avery, do you still like
grapefruit juice?”

Avery nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Mom.”
“And you, Mr. Finney?” she inquired, turning toward Maddox.
“Whatever Avery’s having is fine,” Maddox replied.
Affection swelled inside Avery. It was sweet of Maddox to save

Avery’s parents from embarrassment by asking for a drink he knew
they would own. However, his momentary pang of happiness began
to melt into apprehension when his mother abandoned the room. This
left them alone with Avery’s father, who was eyeing Maddox with
open curiosity. Telling himself he could do anything as long as he had
Maddox’s support, Avery repeated the earlier introductions. “Father,
this is my partner, Maddox Finney. Maddox, my father.”

Maddox and Avery’s dad shook hands, and then they all sat down.

Avery seated himself next to Maddox on the couch while his father
took the armchair in front of it. It was the same couch he remembered

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

from their old house, and Avery felt just a tiny bit comforted by the
thought that some things didn’t change. But then he wanted his
parents to be different, right? He wanted them to love him again. God,
this was so very confusing.

He was distracted from his musings when his father suddenly

inquired, “Would you mind terribly if I talked to my son alone, Mr.
Finney?”

“Anything you want to say to me you can say in front of

Maddox,” Avery replied in Maddox’s stead. He hoped his parents
wouldn’t try to break him apart from his mate because if so, this
entire reunion thing was destined to fail.

His dad looked uncomfortable but probably read the decision on

Avery’s face. “Very well. I just…I wanted to know where you’ve
been all these years. Your mother and I have been trying our best to
find you. Ever since that youth councilor came in and told us…”

Avery froze, panic immediately gripping him. Had they found out

about his abilities? No, they couldn’t have. They hadn’t given him
any weird looks, and Avery had run away from the youth center
before his powers had manifested.

In a way, he was uncomfortable with Maddox hearing all of this.

His mate had respected his decision of not revealing everything from
his past, but he must suspect some things. Avery knew he should tell
Maddox about it, if only because of the potential dangers his past
could bring, but he simply couldn’t muster the courage to do so.

“You can tell me whenever you feel comfortable,” Maddox’s

voice whispered in his mind. “I’ll always love you.”

Avery leaned against his mate, finding comfort in Maddox’s silent

strength. “I love you, too, Maddox,” he answered, “and I do trust
you. I just don’t want those days to taint what we have.”

“You and I, baby, we’re bulletproof,” Maddox answered. “I’ve

waited for too long to find you and claim you to lose to anything in
the past, present, or future. No matter what happens, I’ll always be
here.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery struggled to push back the tears that threatened to come. It

was not easy, but he focused on his father to keep himself from losing
it. Oblivious to the exchange between Avery and his mate, his dad
continued to speak, “…and you understand what we thought given the
circumstances.”

Avery blinked in confusion and realized he hadn’t heard

everything his father had said. This bond with Maddox would take
some getting used to, not because it felt strange in itself, but due to
the fact that Avery tended to focus on it alone and forget about
ongoing conversations with other people.

“I’m sorry?” he asked. “I didn’t quite get that.”
His dad gave him a funny look. “I said the youth councilor told us

you’d been seen in bad neighborhoods. A couple of prostitutes said
they remembered you because you were new and you stole the best
john. When you didn’t come back, they figured you probably earned
yourself a permanent patron.”

There was another option, one that his dad didn’t mention, even if

Avery could see the other man had considered it. Prostitutes were a
cheap commodity and often got hurt or even killed. Someone like
Avery would have been particularly vulnerable since he didn’t have
anyone protecting him.

Avery rubbed his hands together, suddenly feeling very cold.

Maddox wrapped an arm around him, and the comforting touch of the
werewolf kept him anchored in reality. Sure, he remembered it all. He
remembered it far too well, the black limo who’d picked him out, then
the customer, and that hellish night.

Shaking his head, Avery focused on his father. “I couldn’t go

through with it,” he said. “I ran away. I’ve been living on the streets
for the past ten years, or, well, until Maddox found me. We live
together now, and he helped me find employment with his friend,
Lowell.”

Judging by his dad’s expression, the other man didn’t believe him,

not that Avery blamed him. He couldn’t exactly tell his father he’d

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

lived more as a bird than a man and it had allowed him to get by even
when times were particularly bad. But to his credit, his dad didn’t
insist on that time of his life. Instead, he inquired, “And what do you
do, Mr. Finney?”

“I’m a security guard,” Maddox replied. “I own a small property

in the mountains, but we decided to temporarily stay in the city. This
way, Avery could finish his studies and perhaps pursue a more active
social life.”

“How exciting,” Avery’s mother said as she walked into the living

room, carrying a tray with three liquid-filled glasses. She placed them
on the coffee table and added, “We have wine if you’d prefer it, Mr.
Finney.”

“No, this is quite all right. I like grapefruit juice.”
In Avery’s mind, the werewolf added, “It tastes like you.”
Avery choked on his own juice, disbelief coursing through him as

his mate flirted with him in his parents’ living room. Thankfully, the
two remained blissfully unaware of Avery’s sudden change in mood
and its reason.

“So, you were talking about going to a university?” his mother

inquired. “Which one?”

“I don’t know yet.” Avery really had other things to worry about.

“I haven’t decided.”

“I suppose there’s plenty of time to do that,” his mother replied.

“You were always so intelligent. Furthering your education is a great
idea.”

“Like I said, I haven’t taken a final decision,” Avery bristled. How

typical. It was the first time they’d seen him in ten years, and they
were already trying to lead his life.

“And you, Mr. Finney?” Avery’s dad arched a brow at Maddox,

his tone hiding something Avery did not like. “What do you think?”

“I stand behind any decision Avery makes,” Maddox replied

neutrally.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery’s dad crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. “I can

see that. He lives with you, works at a place of your choice, and
socializes with your friends. His own loved ones aren’t good enough,
and he’s not allowed to pursue more studies as they would liberate
him from your hold.”

Avery gaped at his father in disbelief. “Dad! Don’t talk to

Maddox that way.”

“Let him speak, baby,” Maddox said out loud. “Let him vent. He

needs someone to hate that isn’t himself or you.”

Avery’s father shot to his feet. “You have some nerve, Kinney,”

he shouted. “I know how your kind works. You just want to use
Avery and then throw him away.”

The entire meeting was rapidly going down the toilet. Avery

supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. In spite of the warm welcome he
had received, his parents were unlikely to accept Maddox just like
that. Indeed, some things never changed, and Avery realized now that
it wasn’t a good thing.

Well, he wouldn’t stand for it. He wouldn’t take accusations

thrown at Maddox, the man who’d only shown him warmth and love
since the very day they’d met. He got up as well and said, “You’re the
ones who threw me away. It seems that you’ve conveniently forgotten
about it.”

“You were never meant to leave like that,” his mother said. “You

were always such a good boy. We thought you’d reconsider your
ways and come back once you realized your mistake.”

“Reconsider my ways?” Avery laughed, the sound brittle and

bitter. “I’m sorry, Mother, but it doesn’t work that way.”

“I know,” his mom replied hastily. “We understand that now. We

shouldn’t have pushed you away.”

“And yet, here you are, doing it again,” Avery pointed out. “You

still can’t accept who I am.”

“It’s not about that, honey,” his mother replied. “It’s just that it’s

hard to see you with a stranger who’s…No offense to you, Mr.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Kinney,” she said to Maddox, “but you’re not exactly a good match
for Avery. Avery’s much better off with Will. He still loves our son,
and I’m sure that once Avery gives it some thought, he’ll realize he
feels the same.”

“No offense to you, Mrs. Creed,” Maddox parroted, “but what you

need to realize is that Avery is not an object. He is a person, and you
can’t decide what he feels. And allow me to say this. You and your
famous Will are the ones who aren’t suited to Avery. Someone like
Avery deserves to be treated with love, kindness, and caring, not
thrown out in the cold because he’s different.”

Maddox’s voice trembled with barely restrained anger. Avery

could sense his lover’s wolf just waiting to pounce at having its claim
questioned. At the same time, he sensed Maddox’s outrage at the way
his parents still thought of him.

There was no point to continue this torture. Avery had found out

what he’d come here for. “We should go, Maddox,” he told his mate.

“Right.” Maddox took a deep breath and smiled sarcastically.

“Thank you for the juice, Mrs. Creed.”

Before Avery’s parents could say another word, both Avery and

Maddox turned and headed toward the door. Behind them, Avery
heard his mother call out, “Wait! At least, give us your phone number.
Please don’t disappear again.”

Avery stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He considered his

choices. In his heart, he’d expected this. Since he’d taken the first
step, Avery couldn’t go back. If he did things halfway, he’d just make
the situation worse and hurt everyone for nothing.

“Don’t call me,” he said. “I’ll call you. Eventually.”
Without another word, he left the apartment, Maddox right behind

him. “Well, that could have gone better,” Maddox said once they
were out of the building and heading toward their car.

“It also could have gone worse,” Avery answered. He sighed and

took Maddox’s hand. “I suppose I expected it. I’m sorry you had to go
through all that.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“It’s not me they hurt, baby,” Maddox replied. Even in a

neighborhood like that, he stopped and pulled Avery into a hug. “But
what I said still stands. I love you, no matter what.”

Much to his dismay, Avery couldn’t hold back the emotion any

longer. “I just…I couldn’t help it. I hoped. They’re my parents, and I
still love them.”

“I know you do, baby.” Maddox kissed his forehead with such

gentleness Avery’s heart was immediately soothed. “Now let’s go
home. Tonight is for us. No more problems and no more sadness.”

Avery wiped his eyes, eliminating the incipient tears. “I like that

idea very much.”

After all, if there was anyone who could make him forget, it was

Maddox.

And yet, as they started walking again, Avery couldn’t help but

wonder if this was only the beginning. Tomorrow, he’d have to face
Will at work. Would he really be able to use his former boyfriend in
his quest to find out what was going on at Gilpin and Sons?

He was still musing over this as they slid into the car. Suddenly,

he felt very small and foolish for even taking on this quest. His
parents were right about one thing. He didn’t have anything he’d
achieved through his own strength. Every commodity he enjoyed was
due to Maddox.

“Don’t think that, baby,” Maddox said instead of starting the

vehicle. “You’re stronger than anyone I know. You survived for ten
years without any type of support, and you’re still so kind and gentle
that sometimes, I wonder how you can be real. I’m the lucky one. I
don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I assure you, nothing I’ll
ever give you can account for what you’ve given me.”

Avery didn’t think he was so great, but how could he protest when

Maddox spoke with so much passion?

“You can’t protest.” Maddox grinned at him and leaned over

Avery’s seat. Maddox’s fingers landed on Avery’s chin, and the

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

werewolf forced their eyes to meet. “You know I’m right,” he added
huskily.

As soon as Maddox touched him, Avery’s mind melted. Suddenly,

he had no idea what they were even talking about. He had no idea
who reached for whom first. Perhaps it was Maddox, or maybe it was
Avery himself. Whatever the case, when their mouths pressed
together, Avery could no longer care about anything that wasn’t
Maddox. In one single moment, he was lost.

Pushing back the knowledge that they were practically in public,

Avery climbed over the clutch and onto Maddox’s lap. He released a
small gasp as he felt Maddox’s erection against his crease. Maddox
pulled him closer, diving in for an even deeper kiss.

Avery reached between them and fumbled with Maddox’s belt.

The space in the car was cramped and didn’t exactly allow for
acrobatics, but it would have to do. The urgency inside Avery didn’t
allow for anything different.

Avery slipped his hand into Maddox’s trousers and released

Maddox’s erection from his underwear. The feel of the hot flesh in his
fist enflamed him, making need pulse through him. He wanted to feel
that thick prick pounding inside him, stretching and filling him like
only Maddox could.

“Baby.” Maddox growled as they parted their lips. “If you don’t

stop, I’m going to fuck you right here, right now.”

“That’s what I want, Maddox. In fact, there’s nothing I want

more.”

“You deserve better. You deserve making love, not fucking.”
Avery pressed his mouth to his mate’s once again. “Wherever we

are, Maddox, it’ll always be making love,” he said through their bond.
He knew the werewolf had insecurities about the differences between
them. No matter what Maddox said, those feelings always rose
whenever someone mentioned the discrepancy between the two of
them. But Avery knew that whatever others claimed, he and Maddox

Scarlet Hyacinth

were made for each other. He trusted Maddox with his life and knew
the werewolf would never do anything to harm him.

He rubbed his ass against Maddox’s hard cock, asking with his

body what he’d asked with his thoughts. This time, he managed to
burst through Maddox’s resistance. The werewolf’s hands were
frantic as they worked on Avery’s clothing. Thankfully, for today,
Avery had chosen a casual outfit, which had the advantage of being
easily removable. Avery’s T-shirt practically flew off, thrown by
Maddox somewhere in the back. It was harder with the pants, so
Avery decided a change in positions was in order. As much as he
liked being in Maddox’s lap, their choice of location meant Avery
would have to forgo riding his mate for another time.

Instead, they both climbed into the backseat, struggling to

accommodate themselves in the cramped space. Avery hit himself
with the stick shift as he moved into the back and a giggle escaped
him. He felt like a naughty kid, sneaking in caresses with his
boyfriend, only this time, there was no fear of discovery. When he’d
been with Will, he’d done a lot of hiding, and while he still couldn’t
reveal every truth about himself to the world, he could love his man
and not be ashamed of it. It was incredibly freeing.

By the time they found a reasonably comfortable position, they

were both breathing hard, both out of frustrated arousal and due to the
effort to work with the less than stellar conditions. Maddox seemed a
bit put out. “We can still go home,” he said. He clearly wasn’t
enthused about the idea of waiting for God only knew how long to get
to the apartment.

In answer, Avery pulled off his sneakers and started to shimmy

out of his jeans. Maddox’s eyes were hot as they followed his every
move. “Come on, Maddox,” Avery practically purred. “I want to see
you.”

Maddox didn’t look away from him for one single second as he

started peeling off layers of clothing. Given the circumstances, Avery
found it prudent to just push his jeans and underwear out of the way

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

without taking them off completely. He turned on all fours, exposing
his now-naked ass to his mate’s gaze.

The werewolf’s hot hands landed on his skin, caressing his back,

tracing his spine. Maddox’s lips pressed light kisses on his nape and
shoulders as his palms left marks of pure fire on Avery’s body. When
the wolf reached for Avery’s cheeks, Avery couldn’t help a gasp. He
pushed his ass back, demanding more of the addicting touches.

A wicked, dry finger rubbed Avery’s hole, promising sinful

delights. Avery wiggled a bit, trying to get the digit inside him, and he
was rewarded when the finger slowly slipped inside. The lack of
lubrication made it burn a little, but Avery enjoyed it. It was just one
more reminder of Maddox’s presence inside him.

Sadly, this time, the werewolf disagreed with him, as the invading

digit abandoned Avery’s body. Avery moaned in protest, already
desperate just at the thought that Maddox might change his mind.

Much to Avery’s relief, Maddox did no such thing. Instead, he

reached in front of Avery, and his big hand engulfed Avery’s cock.
Avery’s eyes rolled in his head as pleasure assaulted him. His mate
knew just how to touch him to drive him crazy, to make him simply
wild with the need to come.

Maddox pressed their bodies even closer, and his very hard cock

nestled in the crease of Avery’s ass. So close, so good, so hot. Avery
bit his lip to keep himself from crying out. The steady, relentless
rhythm of Maddox’s hand on his cock already had him on the brink of
finding his peak.

Maddox’s voice drifted in his mind, strong and seductive. “Come

for me, baby. Let go.”

Avery couldn’t have resisted if he wanted to. There was

something unbelievably erotic about hearing his lover’s voice in his
head while they were coupling. The sensation became too much and
Avery climaxed, spending his seed all over Maddox’s hand and the
upholstery.

Scarlet Hyacinth

The werewolf didn’t seem too concerned about the state of the

car, though. No sooner had Avery started recovering from his orgasm
than he felt his mate’s now-slick fingers nudging against his opening.
Maddox was preparing him using his own cum. Just the thought made
Avery’s cock respond and go rock hard again.

Maddox chuckled, the sound like a palpable caress on Avery’s

skin. “I love how you respond to me.”

Two fingers slipped inside, stretching Avery’s passage, preparing

him for what was to come. Avery’s body was still relaxed from his
climax, and he accepted the two digits with ease. The third one just
made him hungry for more, for a deeper invasion. God, he was such a
slut for Maddox’s prick, and he loved it.

A low growl came from Maddox, and the werewolf removed his

fingers from Avery’s ass. “Sorry, baby,” he said. “I’m going to be
gentler when we go home. Right now, I just have to have you.”

Something far thicker than digits nudged at Avery’s hole. Avery

dropped his head against the car window, struggling with the
sensations assaulting his body. His mate slid inside, filling him to
perfection in one slick thrust.

It should have hurt, but it didn’t. Avery had found that since

mating Maddox, he’d grown much stronger and able to resist more
physically strenuous activities, something that he could appreciate
extensively now. In fact, the edge of promised pain made him wild
with desire and need. He pushed back against Maddox as his mate
started moving in and out of him. The hard shaft hit Avery’s prostate,
making stars burst behind Avery’s eyelids.

Avery simply came undone. He couldn’t withstand the onslaught

of ecstasy, not when it was mingled with Maddox’s. Through their
bond, he sensed Maddox’s pleasure and it was weirdly as if he was
doing the fucking, as well as being fucked. The pressure inside him
increased, and sexual energy sizzled over his spine.

In these circumstances, it was not surprising that it didn’t take

long for both of them to reach the edge of orgasm. With a growl,

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Maddox buried his fangs in Avery’s neck. A wave of nirvana swept
over Avery’s body, and he exploded, his second climax even more
intense than the first. For one beautiful moment, it was as if he and
Maddox were one. There were no barriers, neither mental nor bodily,
between him and his mate. They were a single essence in body and
soul, their lovemaking bringing them together in a way that
transcended their flesh.

It seemed to go on and on, and he forgot his own name, losing his

identity in Maddox’s. There was simply too much pleasure for him to
be able to register the real world.

At last, the haze of the orgasm began to diminish, and Avery

realized just how uncomfortable he was. As Maddox slipped out of
him, they released echoing groans at the sight of the mess. Maddox
retrieved tissues from somewhere and wiped Avery down as well as
he could. The car would probably be harder to clean.

But when Avery met his mate’s eyes, Maddox grinned. Avery

smiled back. Uncomfortable or not, this had definitely been worth it.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Five

“I heard you took your boyfriend to visit your parents,” Will said

as he leaned against Avery’s desk a few days later. “I don’t think that
was a very good idea.”

“You wouldn’t,” Avery replied icily. He looked up from his

computer screen and glared at his former boyfriend. “Why are you
here anyway? Don’t you have anything better to do? I mean…like a
real job?”

“This is my job,” Will answered. His expression sobered, and he

looked around, as if apprehensive of someone seeing them. “Look, I
was serious about this not being a safe job for you.”

Avery was getting sick of the never-ending warnings and hints.

He was beginning to think Will didn’t know anything about the
situation with Lowell and was just blowing smoke up his ass.

“How?” he inquired. “Why? Give me one good reason that

doesn’t stem from your personal opinion of Maddox or Mr.
Kingston.”

“I will if you go out to dinner with me tonight,” Will replied with

a grin. “Come on, Avery. For old time’s sake. It will be great.”

The “hell no” was on the tip of Avery’s tongue. He didn’t want to

talk to Will or even see him outside office hours. In fact, he didn’t
want anything else except packing his bags and taking off to
Maddox’s cabin. But he’d committed to helping Lowell, and he
couldn’t take the chicken’s way out.

“I don’t know what to do, Maddox,” he told his mate through

their bond. “Maybe you were right. I’m not cut out for this.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Maddox’s voice encouraged him.

“You’ve been handling it fine, even being forced to see that bastard of
your ex every day.” He paused. “I wish I could kick his ass.”

Avery couldn’t help a small smile. “And I might even like seeing

you do it. But I don’t think it’s very smart.”

“No, it’s not.” A sigh. “If you want to go to that dinner, it’s fine

with me. I don’t like it, but he could have real information.”

Avery could feel the frustration and jealousy burning through

Maddox, but the fact that the werewolf was being supportive anyway
meant the world to him. His smile widened, and he only realized he’d
given Will the wrong impression when the man chuckled and leaned
in closer.

“That’s a yes, then?” Will inquired, a wide grin on his face.
Avery barely managed to suppress a sigh. “Just dinner,” he

replied. “Nothing more.”

“Whatever you say, gorgeous,” Will answered, a twinkle in his

eye. “I’m at your beck and call. So I can count on you tonight?”

“How about tomorrow instead?” Avery wanted to check out the

orphanage first. It had been a while since he’d been there, and he
owed the kind people so much. He knew Ford and his twin sister,
Winnifred, were busy with dealing with Onyx and the other shifters
rescued together with Lowell. Perhaps he could lend a hand.

Will didn’t look too disappointed. He must think Avery wanted to

fool Maddox or something like that. As such, he grinned and nodded.
“Sure thing, gorgeous. It’s a date.”

Avery suppressed a grimace. He disliked the very idea of a date

with Will, but he’d have to do it, for the sake of his mate and
everyone with the syndrome. The information Will had could make a
great difference.

There was an unexpected advantage to Avery’s decision to accept

Will’s offer. The other man seemed to think his work here was done,
so he left Avery alone to his own job. Since Avery had begun to work
at Gilpin and Sons, Will had been continuously stalking him, blatantly

Scarlet Hyacinth

ignoring Maddox’s warning. Maddox had managed to keep himself
from throttling Will, a fact Avery blamed mostly on Maddox’s busy
work schedule. Secretly, Avery couldn’t wait to get out of this place
and take a long vacation with his mate.

Later that day, Maddox picked him up from work. Even without

their bond, Avery would have sensed Maddox didn’t feel comfortable
at all with the idea of allowing the date between Avery and Will.
Avery could practically hear the wolf inside Maddox howling in
protest.

By some miracle, Will didn’t show to taunt Maddox, something

Avery felt very grateful for. Avery did see him head toward his own
car, and he wanted to scream at the smugness irradiating from the
man. Of course, he didn’t, going to Maddox instead and pressing a
brief kiss to Maddox’s mouth.

They didn’t linger too much in the lip-lock, aware of all the eyes

that could be watching. Avery allowed the tension in him to show,
knowing he shouldn’t seem too excited about seeing Maddox if he
wanted to make Will believe the date was real.

But the interest in the arrangement dwindled more and more as he

slid into the car. “I’ll cancel,” he finally told Maddox as he buckled
in. “I don’t want you mad at me.”

Maddox sighed. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just pissed at the

situation.”

Avery was frustrated with himself. If he hadn’t insisted on

working with Lowell, they wouldn’t be here in the first place. But
then again, what he could find out from his former boyfriend could
make a big difference for his friend. God, what a mess.

“I’m sorry, Maddox,” he said. “I should be focused on you, not on

this.”

A small smile fleeted on Maddox’s lips. “You wouldn’t be

yourself if you didn’t try to help everyone.”

The werewolf inserted the key into the ignition and started the

long drive to the orphanage. One of the reasons why they hadn’t

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

visited too much lately was that they were both too tired after work to
do anything except fall into bed together. And okay, being recently
mated meant they both had libidos to rival their animal equivalents.
Still, if anyone asked, Avery was sticking to the distance excuse.

“Don’t tell me you’re ashamed of having me as a mate,” Maddox

teased.

Avery scoffed. “You know that’s not the case. But our friends

have enough ammo as it is. We shouldn’t give them more.”

Maddox nodded, seemingly deep in thought. “Perhaps they can

lend us a hand with how to proceed tomorrow.” He stole a look at
Avery. “Just so you know, baby, everything inside me is rebelling
against the thought of allowing him next to you. So if you two are
going out to dinner, I’ll be close by.”

“I’m fine with that.” Avery beamed, already feeling a bit better

about the whole thing. “Really, the only person I want to date is you,
so I’ll just pretend you’re the one I’m there for.”

Between the light banter and flirting, they navigated through

traffic with far greater ease than Avery expected. Soon, they were
driving through the gates of the Goldwin orphanage.

The institution had been founded by Heather Goldwin, the mother

of its current leaders, twins Rutherford and Winnifred. Their father
had been a scientist and had studied the syndrome that allowed Avery
and many others to shift into animal form. Much to everyone’s
amusement, the man had called it S.S.E.X.

Of course, there wasn’t anything amusing about having to live in

fear of being discovered. Avery knew that and understood the people
who’d been brought here better than most.

A few weeks ago, a group of young men and women had been

discovered imprisoned in a sanatorium where they seemed to be
experimented on. Sadly, the files detailing their capture had been lost,
but the most important thing was actually taking care of the persons
who’d lived for so long trapped and tortured because they were
different.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Maddox parked the car at the secondary entrance reserved for

people with the syndrome. There were other, normal children in the
orphanage, and the Goldwins did their best to keep the existence of
S.S.E.X. from them. Avery wondered how the twins had been dealing
with the problem since the admittance of the former prisoners inside
the clinic.

Winnifred—or rather Doc, as every one called her due to her

chosen profession—met them at the gate. “Hi, boys. How’s it going?”

Avery had no doubt that she knew about his parents and Will.

While it made him uncomfortable, Maddox was right. She and her
brother might be able to give Avery and Maddox some tips as to how
to deal with the situation. After all, they were in this together.

“Actually, Maddox and I wanted to talk to you and Ford. We

might need your help with something.”

“Of course, come in and we’ll talk.”
She led them into the clinic toward her office. But before they

could get there, Avery was drawn in by something different. He heard
voices coming from one of the rooms, and he peeked through the
crack of the door. Onyx sat on a chair next to the bed where a young
girl lay huddled.

Avery didn’t know much about the group of rescued shifters, but

from what little he recalled, he thought her name was Dana. She was
the youngest of the group, barely a teenager, and had probably
acquired her powers during the past few months. Something about her
reminded Avery of himself when he’d been abandoned. He’d been
lucky, in a way. He’d managed to free himself from those who’d have
hurt him. But Dana, Onyx, and the others didn’t have that luck. And
because she was so young, a lot of the experimenting had been
focused on her.

He knocked at the door, knowing that the two must have sensed

him, but uncomfortable with just bursting in, regardless.

“Come in,” a small, female voice said.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Onyx’s black gaze fixed on him as he entered the room. Avery

had seen the black panther kill a man, and he knew just how
dangerous Onyx could be, but he wasn’t afraid. “Hi,” he said with a
small smile.

“Hello, dove,” Onyx replied. “What a surprise. I didn’t think you

and your boyfriend would deign yourselves to leave your little corner
of heaven to drop by.”

“Don’t be mean, Onyx,” Dana said in a low whisper. “Avery is

finding out stuff to help us.”

Avery had no idea how she knew, but he still felt bad at having

considered giving up. “You know about me?” he asked the teen.

Dana nodded. “Blue tells me all the time. He said that now, I’d

have a lot of friends. He wasn’t happy before either, but now, he has
many people who stand by his side.” She smiled a bit. “I like Blue.”

Avery sat on the edge of the bed. “I like him, too. We’re flat

mates. He and Wallace have helped me a lot.”

He heard his mate come in and made the introductions. “Dana,

this is my mate, Maddox. Maddox, this is Dana.”

“Hello, princess,” Maddox said. “How do you feel?”
“Oh, much better now, thank you.” She stole a look at Onyx. “Do

you think I could go out for a while?”

Onyx didn’t look happy about the prospect. “If Doctor Goldwin

thinks it’s a good idea.”

“A breath of fresh air never hurt anyone,” Doc said.
Dana beamed and pushed aside the sheet. Avery barely managed

to suppress a gasp at the sight of her lower body. It was as if the
human was cut off in the middle, replaced by an animal. Instead of
normal, human legs, she had the legs of a horse.

Thankfully, Avery had known her condition was serious, so he

succeeded to hide his shock. He sensed his mate’s anger as Maddox
took the teenage girl in his arms. Together with Doc, he left the room,
presumably to take Dana outside. Avery intended to follow, but Onyx

Scarlet Hyacinth

stopped him. “I apologize,” the panther said. “I shouldn’t have judged
you. I know you’re doing your best to help.”

“It’s all right,” Avery said, surprised by the apology. “I know you

don’t mean any harm.”

In a way, Onyx was a lot like Maddox. He had an almost vicious

temperament, which somewhat reminded Avery of the way Maddox
could get when he was particularly pissed. Of course, the panther had
a darker edge that differentiated him from Maddox, but that was
entirely justified. Avery would have been very angry with life, too,
had he spent the past few years imprisoned in a sanatorium, and he
was a dove, not a feline.

He gave Avery a frustrated look. “I just thought Doctor Goldwin

would be able to do something for Dana. She’s so young. She doesn’t
deserve to live her life trapped by her own body.”

“What happened?” Avery inquired softly. To this day, he didn’t

know the whole story behind the captivity of the group. He didn’t
think anyone knew it. Onyx had told them a few things, but he’d been
vague regarding the procedures that had been used on him and equally
vague about his past.

“Dana was brought in to the sanatorium a month before you

showed up. I immediately knew she was in grave danger, more so
than the rest of us. The staff was excited, and especially that bastard
Karl. I heard him say they were finally going to make a
breakthrough.” He released a low growl, obviously remembering
Karl, the same man he’d killed. “I tried to help, to draw their attention
off her, but I’d already been there nine years. They were bored with
me. They wanted a more interesting subject.”

Nine years. Nine years inside that awful place. It was a wonder

Onyx was still sane. He shook himself, almost dreading to ask the
next question. “What did they do to her?”

“Some sort of genetic manipulation, I believe,” Onyx answered.

“Doctor Goldwin is studying the problem now. It seems that since
she’s a teen, her powers were not yet stable and she was the perfect

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

subject to be studied, to find out what makes us tick. They messed
with her genes so much that she ended up torn between the two sides
of her body.”

“If there’s anyone who can help her, it’s Doc,” Avery told the

panther.

“I realize that,” Onyx answered. “But you know, even with

everything that happened to Dana, she’s not even the worst off. The
others…They were so torn apart they can’t be trusted to be around
children. Doctor Goldwin had to arrange for them to stay in a separate
facility. Another sanatorium, just when they escaped the first.”

It was hardly the same thing, and they both knew it. On impulse,

Avery squeezed Onyx’s shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. You did
everything you could.”

He knew he’d said too much when Onyx’s expression darkened.

The panther slapped his hand away. “Make no mistake, dove. I’m not
your friend, and I don’t need your pity.”

Avery felt Maddox’s apprehension through their bond, but he sent

reassurances to the wolf. He didn’t actually feel in danger. He’d just
crossed the invisible line Onyx had set between them, but that was all
right. Perhaps, in time, Onyx would learn how to lower the walls.

“Okay,” he said simply. “I’m off to see how Dana’s doing.”
The other shifter didn’t stop him as Avery turned to go. When he

was in the doorway, though, Avery ran into Lowell’s friend, Ivory.

Ivory was an arctic-fox-shifter, and his white hair stood out like a

beacon. Avery had met him the night when they’d all gone together to
rescue Lowell from the sanatorium. Since then, they hadn’t had much
contact, but for some reason, it surprised Avery to see the other man
here.

The fox nodded at Avery, silently acknowledging him, then slid

into the room gracefully and made his way to Onyx’s side. “You all
right?” he asked softly.

Scarlet Hyacinth

To Avery’s surprise, the panther offered Ivory a small smile. It

was barely there, just a twist of lips, but Avery had experience
detecting them. “I will be,” Onyx replied.

Realizing he was intruding on a private moment, Avery made his

way out. If something was going on between Onyx and Ivory, it was
none of his business. Personally, he thought they made a gorgeous
couple, one black as night, the other white as day. But if that was the
case, Ivory would have quite a task on his hands. It wouldn’t be easy
to heal a wounded soul like Onyx’s.

Lost in thoughts, he followed his instincts until they led him to an

interior garden. Maddox was there, watching over Dana as the teen sat
on the grass. She seemed at the same time happy and sad, and it
deeply upset Avery to see her like that. In the circumstances, his
previous concerns seemed very selfish.

He joined his mate and leaned against Maddox, finding comfort in

his mate’s proximity. “You’re not selfish,” Maddox said through their
bond. “You’re one of the most giving people I know.”

“Onyx was right, though. I’d have preferred to be home with you

rather than come here.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” Maddox answered. “I’d have been

concerned if things were different.”

Avery supposed that was true. No matter how much he cared

about helping Dana and all the others who’d been imprisoned in the
sanatorium, Maddox was and would always be his priority. Did that
mean he was selfish? Maybe, but if so, Avery fully accepted it.

A few minutes later, Maddox and Doc took Dana inside. They

said good-bye to the teen and promised to visit again as soon as
possible. Now in a somber mood, Doc led them to the office. Ford
was already there, studying some files.

“You wanted to talk to us?” the lion-shifter asked.
“My ex, Will, asked me out on a date,” Avery said without

preamble. “He’s been dropping hints that he knows something fishy is

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

going on. I agreed to go, just in case he can indeed tell me valuable
information.”

“But it’s against my instincts,” Maddox added. “Things are

getting too dangerous for Avery. I can feel it.”

“Fair enough.” Ford nodded. “Want some backup tomorrow?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.” Usually, Avery was a private person, but if his

friends helped out, they could make sure Maddox wouldn’t pounce on
Will.

Maddox wrapped his arm around Avery’s waist and kissed his

temple. “Your faith in me is staggering,” he said through their bond.

Avery just smiled. “I do have faith in you, but I also know you

and your overprotectiveness.” And okay, he loved it, but on this
particular occasion, it could be a setback.

“I’ll go myself,” Ford said, “and we can get Wallace and Blue on

it, too. I’ll have some of the others be on standby, just in case
something happens.”

Ford’s words startled Avery. “Why? What do you think will

happen?”

“I wish I knew.” Ford sounded troubled. “I just have a bad

feeling.”

“Do you think he shouldn’t go?” Maddox inquired. “I don’t want

Avery to be harmed.”

“We don’t want that, either,” Doc assured them. “I’ll go with you,

too, in case medical assistance is needed, but we have no reason to
believe your ex is violent. It’s probably nothing.”

“Just in case, be extra careful. Maddox, watch your back at all

times, be discreet and as inconspicuous as possible.”

Maddox nodded. Suddenly, the supposed date with Will no longer

seemed like the romantic meeting Will had obviously envisioned, but
something entirely different. Avery only hoped their preparations
would suffice for what would come.

Scarlet Hyacinth

Chapter Six

“So tell me, gorgeous, how did you escape your meathead

tonight?”

Avery took a sip of his wine and frowned at Will. “Don’t tell me

you took me out to dinner to talk about Maddox.”

Will laughed, and the genuine mirth made him look younger,

oddly transporting Avery ten years back, when they’d actually had
something in common. “Of course not. I was only curious.”

Avery shrugged, increasingly uncomfortable with Will’s scrutiny.

He hadn’t known what to expect from this supposed date. Will had
taken him to an almost ostentatiously expensive restaurant, and they’d
actually shared a pleasant enough conversation until now. Avery was
torn because every passing moment made Avery realize that Will was
truly the man Avery had once fallen for. Oh, he certainly couldn’t
love Will now, but he felt bad about deceiving the other man and
making false promises. He knew he shouldn’t since he didn’t owe
Will a damn thing. But they’d been friends once upon a time, and
Avery found that he hadn’t completely forgotten it.

“He went to the orphanage he grew up in,” he finally replied. “We

sometimes go together, but I begged off. I told him I didn’t feel well.”

Will arched a brow. “And he believed you?”
“It was believable,” Avery answered, irritated at Will for his

attitude toward Maddox. “You know me, I’ve always had my little
problems.”

Will’s smug expression turned a little concerned. “You still have

health issues? You seemed so much better these days that I thought
you must have surpassed them. Is everything okay?”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Yes, Avery had gotten rid of those problems, but he couldn’t

exactly tell Will that. “I’m fine. I’m much better than I was when we
were kids.” He took a bite of his salad and chewed it slowly, focusing
on his bond with Maddox as he did so. He could sense his mate was
pissed.

“I’m sorry, Maddox,” he told his mate. “I can’t help how I feel.”
“I know, baby,” came the reply. “I don’t blame you. He seems

genuinely concerned for you, so maybe I won’t tear his head off after
this is all over.”

Or so Maddox said, but Avery could feel Maddox’s jealousy.

Truly, Will was no threat for the werewolf. It was just Avery having
conflicting feelings about his former friend.

Shaking himself, Avery focused on Will once again. He’d come

here for a reason, and it wasn’t to reminisce. “So tell me,” he prodded,
“how did you start working at Gilpin and Sons?”

“This is where I should probably try to impress you with all my

accomplishments, right?” Will grinned. “Well, I actually didn’t do
that much. My father put in a good word for me with the father of the
current CEO. It got me an interview, and after that, the job.”

Will looked a bit sad now, and Avery couldn’t help but ask,

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Will sighed. “I just remembered…My parents. They

died in a car accident a few years back.”

Avery’s eyes widened. He hadn’t known that. “I’m sorry to hear

that,” he said. He hadn’t liked Will’s parents much, but he didn’t wish
that kind of fate on anyone.

“Thanks.” Will sipped his wine thoughtfully. “I know they had

their flaws, but they were still my family.”

“I can understand that,” Avery replied. “It’s why I’m trying to

reconnect with my parents.”

“You made the right choice, gorgeous. I know they hurt you. I

know I did, and God, I regret it so much. But we’re older and wiser
now, and we know how to value you.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

“Thank you.” Avery forced a smile, struggling to come up with a

way to steer the conversation to what he wanted to find out. “I
suppose I haven’t been completely unlucky, though,” he offered. “Mr.
Kingston has been quite nice to me in offering me the job, even if I
only have a GED.”

Will’s expression darkened, and just like that, Avery knew his

former boyfriend had taken the bait. “I told you many times, Avery.
That job’s not good for you. Resign. I’ll find you something different.
It’s just not safe.”

Avery rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic. So Mr. Kingston had

a brief problem with the law. He isn’t in jail, so it must mean he was
innocent.”

“That’s not the point.” Will leaned in closer, as if what he wanted

to say wasn’t something he wanted others to overhear. Of course, the
chances of such a thing happening were minuscule at best since Will
had chosen the most private table of the restaurant. It was essentially
cut off from the rest of the tables, making it impossible for Avery’s
reinforcements to be too close.

“Look,” Will added, “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but there’s

something fishy going on with Lowell Kingston. Mr. Gilpin told me
the other day to poke around in his files and see if I found anything
suspicious. He said he believes Kingston killed two former
employees, including the assistant he had before you.”

Avery’s gasp wasn’t faked at all. He knew for a fact that Lowell

had done no such thing. In fact, Lowell’s assistant, Melissa, had
disappeared without a trace. Was Will deliberately lying, or was he
the one being lied to?

“You see now?” Will insisted. “That’s why I want you out of

there. I don’t want you to be hurt.”

“But if he’s so dangerous, why did they hire him again?” Avery

asked.

“I think it wasn’t Mr. Gilpin’s idea. He was actually pissed about

it, but he said the big boss ordered it.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

“The big boss?” Avery blinked in shock. This was the first time

he’d heard anything about a second boss. Alarm bells started ringing
and anticipation coursed through him. He was close to something
important, he just knew it. “I thought Mr. Gilpin was CEO,” he added
offhandedly.

“Oh, he is,” Will answered. “But the Gilpin family no longer

holds the majority of the company stocks. I’m not sure how, but
through a course of events, they lost it years back.”

“So who’s the one who has control, then?”
Avery almost winced at the eager sound of his own voice, but

Will didn’t seem to realize anything was wrong. “His name is—”

Before Avery could find out the required information, he felt

something like a familiar presence niggling at the back of his mind.
Will’s expression changed, falling into a mask of pleased
professionalism. And then a man approached them and greeted Will
with a pleased smile. “Mr. Jameson, what a pleasure to see you here.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Cummings,” Will replied.
Avery dared to look up from his plate and felt the blood drain out

from his face as he was met with the sight of the man who’d plagued
his nightmares for ten years. Memories swamped him as that cool
gaze fixed on him. “And who is this?” the other man asked Will.

“Mr. Cummings, this is my friend, Avery Creed. Avery, this is

Mitchell Cummings. He’s an important shareholder at Gilpin and
Sons.”

The inflection in those words told Avery everything he needed to

know. Suddenly, all the pieces started to fall in place.

“Mr. Creed and I have previously met,” the man said with a

predatory grin Avery remembered too well. “Isn’t that so, Avery?”

The flashback was unstoppable now, and Avery trembled,

propelled by the chill inside him in a time he ached to forget.

* * * *

Scarlet Hyacinth

Ten years ago

Avery rubbed his hands against his arms in a vain attempt to

warm himself. His skimpy clothing did nothing to shield his body
from the winter cold, but if he had any hope of eating in the near
future, he didn’t have a choice but to take it. He watched the other
young men around him, all attired in similar or even more revealing
outfits than his own. Distantly, he wondered what had pushed them to
this path. Were there others like him, who’d lost their families
because of stupid prejudice?

For his part, Avery had been scraping for food and barely

managing to make ends meet on the streets, mostly with the help of
homeless shelters. He’d been too afraid to stay for extended periods
of time in any particular help center since wherever he went people
seemed to watch him, always on his back. At first, he’d been reluctant
to tell anyone about his misfortune, but when he’d at last gone to a
youth councilor, the guy had ended up hitting on him. Avery had fled,
terrified and sickened.

Finally, one month after the day his life had changed, he’d

admitted that there was no way to keep dreaming. He had no other
chance for survival but to sell his dignity. He was desperate, hungry,
and cold, and he had no way of finding a real job.

So here he was, trying to look as sexy as possible. Once, Will had

told him he was pretty, and his blond hair looked like spun gold or
quicksilver depending on how he moved. At the time, Avery had
thought it was romantic. Now, it seemed like a lifetime ago, and
Avery only wished Will had been right about his looks. It might be
the only thing keeping him from starving to death.

Avery watched as the cars passed him by, some of them stopping

in front of other men. Some of the prostitutes exchanged words with
the drivers of the vehicles, trying to sell their wares for as much as
they could. Avery listened, increasingly disgusted with himself and
what he’d been reduced to and at the same time knowing the

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

information would serve him when the time came for him to have a
conversation like that. If it came, of course. It seemed like he’d been
waiting here forever.

Perhaps he was too young. Sure, some of the other prostitutes had

whispered to him that his youthful looks would help as some johns
were suckers for that sort of thing. But how would Avery know if
they weren’t lying?

This was hopeless. Even if a car did stop, could Avery truly go

through with this? Could he give his virginity to a nameless stranger
who’d forget all about him the next day? Perhaps he’d been better off
at the shelter. At least if the youth councilor fucked him, he’d be
reasonably safe.

His musings plunged him into a deep well of despair. And as if

that weren’t enough, his back burned like hell. He couldn’t figure out
the reason, especially since every other part of him was frozen stiff.
Perhaps he was coming down with something. Avery almost wished it
would be so because it might rid him of this life he couldn’t bear
living.

He was seriously considering leaving and abandoning this

disgusting task when all of a sudden, a luxurious limousine drove by.
Avery had no hope that it would stop in front of him, but it did. The
window swooshed down, and a male voice came from the occupant of
the vehicle. “How much?”

In the obscurity, Avery couldn’t see the new arrival too well, but

that didn’t matter. Terror suddenly coursed through him at the mere
thought of what he’d have to do.

“Depends on what you want,” he replied, somehow managing to

keep his voice steady.

“Full service,” the man inside said.
“Two hundred dollars.” Avery blurted out the price, knowing it

was high and hoping it would dissuade his prospective customer.

But the man just laughed. “You’re expensive. For that, I expect

great service.”

Scarlet Hyacinth

Avery didn’t reply. He just stood there, trembling, and not

because of the cold.

“Get in,” the man in the car said.
Avery had no idea why he obeyed. Everything inside him

screamed to make a run for it. He could have done it. It was doubtful
that the guy would come chasing after him. There were plenty of
hookers who would be willing to cater to the man’s tastes, however
strange they might be. But there was something in the guy’s voice that
almost forced Avery to comply. He got in the car and found himself
seated in front of his customer.

Now that he was inside, he could at last see him better. Any other

time, Avery might have considered the stranger handsome. He was
quite young, in his thirties, perhaps, with blond hair styled in a
fashionable hairdo. He wore a suit that seemed perfectly tailored for
him. Everything about this man, from his stance to his car, screamed
money. At the same time, Avery couldn’t figure out why the guy
would pick up a prostitute at all. He didn’t look like he would have to
pay for sex.

“How old are you?” the stranger asked.
“Eighteen,” Avery lied.
His customer barked out a laugh. “Yeah, right. Don’t worry. I’m

not concerned about the long arm of the law reaching me. Answer the
question honestly.”

“Fifteen,” Avery finally amended. “I’ll be sixteen in March.”
“You’ll do,” the stranger decreed. He tilted his head at Avery, his

expression predatory. “You look scared. You’re new at this, aren’t
you?”

Avery debated not replying. After all, he wasn’t being paid for

conversation. But for some reason, he heard himself say, “This is my
first time.”

“Your first time selling yourself or your first time having sex?”

the man inquired in an almost amused voice.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Avery was stricken. Clearly, the guy was cruelly enjoying his

predicament. Avery had no idea how the john had even realized
Avery was a virgin, but he gathered he must be broadcasting
frightened vibes.

The stranger laughed when Avery didn’t answer. “Both, I take it.

Excellent.”

Nothing more was said after that, and Avery’s fear increased more

and more. He’d heard stories of prostitutes being murdered, never to
be heard from again. It would explain why a rich man like this would
want to pick up someone like Avery. Perhaps the guy was only taking
them to his house or something like that. Christ, Avery couldn’t deal
with not knowing.

Of course, his customer didn’t deign to explain anything to him,

and Avery couldn’t muster enough courage to ask. After what seemed
like forever, the car left the bustling city and reached an estate of
sorts. When it finally stopped, the chauffeur left the vehicle and
opened the door for them—well, for the strange man. Avery doubted
he warranted such respect from anyone in his current state.

The john ushered him out, and Avery obeyed. He gaped in awe as

he found himself standing in front of a huge, sprawling mansion.
“Follow me,” the man said.

Avery was led into the house, and as he took in the richly

decorated surroundings, he began to realize two hundred bucks was
probably nothing to them. What had he gotten himself into? Who was
this guy, and why had he chosen Avery specifically?

The stranger took him to the first floor and into an office filled

with beautiful antiques. Arched windows adorned the walls, one of
them cracked open in spite of the chilly winter. Even so, the fire
burning in the hearth sent pleasant heat throughout the room, creating
an almost surreal atmosphere. Any other time, Avery would have
been charmed.

He didn’t get to observe it for much longer, though, since the

other man finally began to explain the conditions of their

Scarlet Hyacinth

arrangement. “Now, listen up. You’re going to take a shower. Don’t
bother putting the clothes back on. After you finish, sit on the bed and
wait. Your customer will arrive soon.”

Just as the man finished the phrase, the door opened and another

male voice rang out. “No, you don’t. He’s clean enough. I don’t want
to wait.”

For the first time, the stranger who’d brought Avery here showed

a flicker of emotion, grimacing. “For all we know, he could have
parasites, Father. And you shouldn’t have left your room. I was going
to bring him to you.”

Avery turned as he heard a sickly chuckle. An obese, old man sat

rolled inside in a wheelchair, eyeing Avery with undisguised lust.
“Thanks, Mitchy my boy, but we can take it from here. Can’t we, my
pretty?”

The endearment made Avery’s stomach roil, and he nodded

numbly without even wanting to. “Oh, you’ve outdone yourself this
time, Mitch,” the old man said. “He’s delicious.”

“Thank you, Father. And get this, he’s a virgin.”
The old man’s eyes lit up with delight. “You jest. Oh, Mitch, you

know how to pick them.” He glanced at Avery with interest. “So, my
dear boy, tell me, how much do you charge?”

“Two hundred for everything,” Mitch replied in Avery’s stead.
Mitch’s father licked his lips. “Everything?” He rolled his chair

closer to Avery. “You’re a kinky one, aren’t you? I can’t wait to fuck
your ass, piss on that pretty hair, have you eat my shit…”

Avery’s skin crawled as revulsion swept over him. “I…I don’t do

that sort of thing,” he managed to stammer.

“Ah, so it’s like that.” The old man laughed, and the sound was

like nails on a blackboard for Avery. “How about five hundred? Does
that appeal more?”

Nothing really appealed, except getting the hell out of here. Avery

had never been so afraid in his life, not even the day he’d been thrown

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

out of his home. “I’m s–sorry,” he replied, his voice trembling as he
spoke. “I can’t do this.”

He started for the door, a feat made difficult by the fact that the

old man’s wheelchair essentially blocked his path. Mitch grabbed him
before he could flee. “No, you don’t, you little whore,” he said. “I’m
not in the mood for your games. You’ll please my father, whether you
like to or not.”

Avery tasted terror in his mouth as Mitch started ripping his

clothes off. The old man was cackling, rubbing his hands together in
wicked glee. He pushed off the quilt that had covered his legs and
unzipped his pants, revealing a half-hard shaft. Distantly, Avery
thought that Mitch’s father must not be as aged as he looked if he
could still get it up.

Mitch forced him to his knees, trying to force Avery’s mouth over

his father’s prick. It was disgusting, and beyond the humiliation,
Avery was suddenly invaded by a different sensation. His back began
to burn again, just like it had earlier. But the pain grew more intense,
and Avery struggled, half to get away from Mitch, half to fight the
ache that would not fade.

All of a sudden, his world exploded into absolute agony as he felt

the flesh of his back rip. The smell of blood assaulted his nostrils. He
heard Mitch scream and saw the old man’s eyes widened. Weak and
terrified, Avery struggled to his feet. He didn’t know how he
managed, since his vision was clouded with panic and pain. He tried
to head toward the exit, but something weighed heavily against his
back.

In that moment, Avery caught sight of himself in the mirror

hanging above the fireplace. Wings. He had wings. God, this must be
some sort of bizarre nightmare. He’d soon wake up, possibly in a
filthy alley or one of the homeless shelters that had helped him out in
the past weeks. He counted to ten in his mind, willing himself to cast
the dream away.

Scarlet Hyacinth

But no such thing happened. Avery stumbled, the strange

appendages hanging against his back weighing him down. As he
turned, one of his wings brushed against the desk, sending papers and
ornaments flying everywhere. The other one hit the old man’s
wheelchair. It hadn’t been a hard blow. In fact, the chair barely moved
at all. But Mitch’s father went gray, clutching his chest and making
choking noises.

“Father,” Mitch shouted. “Father, what’s the matter?”
The question was quite idiotic since it seemed obvious the older

man was having a seizure of sorts. Avery took advantage of the
distraction and made for the door, but he heard the thumping of
approaching footsteps in the hallway. There were more people
coming. He was trapped.

Avery looked around, growing increasingly desperate when he

saw Mitch still trying to save his father. There were no other exits
except the door, and if the old man died, Avery would be in more
trouble than he’d ever thought was possible. The only way he could
get out would be if he could fly out the window. But he had no idea
how to use his new wings, and even from this height, he’d most likely
break his neck. Growing up, his bones had always shown an unusual
fragility. Coupled with his gallbladder problems, it had made for an
overall unpleasant childhood. Avery could not count on being
particularly fit to escape his predicament.

Just as he thought this, an image invaded Avery’s mind, the image

of a white dove. Before Avery knew what was going on, his body
started to shrink, losing its humanity and turning into a bird.

At first, Avery had no idea what to do. He panicked, fluttering

about the room like a chicken with its head cut off. He simply could
not focus since he didn’t understand the way his new muscles worked.

But then, the door burst open and several men ran into the room.

Survival instinct kicked in, and just like that, Avery knew what to do.
He spread his wings and flew out the window, having absolutely no
trouble in distancing himself from the house.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

Only when he was far enough away did he at last land and change

back into his human form. However, it was still very cold, and he was
completely naked. Avery surmised that he was safer as a dove and
willed himself to change back. This time, he had no trouble shifting at
all. As he flew back toward the city, Avery lost himself in his new
avian nature and tried to forget the ordeal he’d just gone through.

* * * *

Present day

Of course, forgetting had been impossible. The day after, Avery

had caught sight of a newspaper headline screaming the death of oil
magnate Patrick Cummings. The man’s son, Mitchell Cummings, had
made no comment regarding the event, and the press had no details as
to what had triggered Cummings’s heart attack.

Avery, however, knew. He’d been the one to blame. He might

have felt bad about it, but he was too worried Mitch would come after
him. So, he’d run, hiding within his shifted form, doing his best to
keep out of sight in the rare occasions when he shifted. Now, it
seemed, Mitch had finally found him.

Worst of all, because of him and because of that night, Mitch had

found out about the existence of shape-shifters. His fault. It was
Avery’s fault for Dana’s suffering, for Onyx’s imprisonment, for the
pain of everyone who’d been trapped inside the sanatorium. Karl’s
blood was also on his hands. The man had been a maniac and a
bastard, but perhaps if he hadn’t been hired by Mitch, he’d never have
reached such extremes and never had ended up killed by Onyx.

“Calm down, baby,” Maddox’s voice drifted in his mind.

“Breathe. We’re coming to get you now.”

But as Avery’s focus returned, he realized Mitch had not come

alone. Several men dressed in black suits loomed a respectable
distance away from the table, creating a barrier between Avery and

100

Scarlet Hyacinth

the rest of the restaurant. Avery had no doubt his mate could get past
them if need be, but the bulges in their jackets were not encouraging.
Even people with the syndrome could be hurt by bullets.

“Be careful, Maddox,” he sent to his mate. “There are

bodyguards, and they have guns.”

“They could have nuclear bombs for all I care,” Maddox replied.

“I’m not letting you share a table with that monster.”

Avery caught sight of his mate making his way through the

restaurant, but thankfully, Ford was there to stop him. “Just give me a
moment, Maddox,” Avery told his lover. “He can’t do anything while
we’re in public.”

Besides, it was high time he faced his fears. He’d been running

away from Mitch for ten years, but no longer.

Oblivious to the exchange and Avery’s new resolve, Mitch

chuckled. “I see you remember me, Avery.”

“Sadly, yes,” Avery replied coldly. “I wish I could forget.”
“Mr. Cummings, Avery, what’s going on?” Will piped up. “How

do you know each other?”

Will seemed confused and very much upset. Obviously, the man

had caught onto the vibe of hostility between Avery and Mitch. Of
course, it must be impossible to miss, given that Avery had been
struck dumb with fear upon his first sight of the man.

“You’ve been a good employee so far, Mr. Jameson,” Mitch said,

“but I never expected you to deliver the man I’ve been searching for
the past ten years. Did you know your friend killed my father?”

Will’s eyes widened, but Avery didn’t give his friend a chance to

ask. “Your father died of a heart attack because he was a pervert and a
filthy lecher. He deserved what he got.”

Mitch’s eyes sparked with anger, and for the first time, his almost

pleasant expression vanished. “You little whore. You killed him with
your freak-show nature. But I know how to deal with your kind now.
I’ve done my homework. You won’t take me by surprise again.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

101

“Is that right?” Avery clutched his fork so hard his knuckles

whitened, suppressing the urge to bury it between the man’s eyes. Just
earlier, he’d thought he would never wish death on anyone, but now,
he realized that wasn’t the case at all. He could have let go of the pain
of his own trauma, but not of the suffering Mitch had inflicted on
others in his insane crusade. “Well, news flash, you bastard. You’re
the freak. You’re the one who imprisoned innocent men and women
and tortured them.”

Will was making wheezing sounds now, obviously more confused

than ever. Mitch spared Will a look and said, “I gather you didn’t
know about your friend’s proclivities, Mr. Jameson. Well, that’s fine.
Just forget what you saw and heard, and you’ll get far.” He got up and
reached for Avery. “You come with me. We have a discussion
pending that needs to take place in private.”

Avery slapped Mitch’s hand away. “I don’t think so. I’m not

fifteen anymore. You can’t order me around.”

Mitch scowled and waved one of the bodyguards closer. “Grab

him,” he said.

Avery shot to his feet, slipping out of the man’s grip just in time.

The bodyguard was all muscle and much bigger than Avery, but
Avery was lighter and faster. He couldn’t risk shifting in the middle
of a restaurant, but he had other abilities that could help him.

Before his would-be captors even knew what was going on, Avery

ran around the table and, drawing his strength, leaped against a wall.
The momentum pushed him farther up, and he went over the wall of
muscle formed by the bodyguards. They stood there, gaping at him,
and only snapped out of their trance when Mitch released an angry
bellow. “Get him, you fools.”

But Avery was already moving, dodging tables and heading

toward the exit. A strong hand stopped him. Avery might have fought
the unbreakable hold, but his body warmed and a sense of safety filled
him. Maddox took Avery in his arms and pressed a brief kiss to his
forehead.

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“Come on,” the wolf whispered. “This way.”
Maddox led Avery to the back door. They passed confused diners

and waiters who threw questions at them. Finally, they slipped out of
the main restaurant into the staff area. They ran into the kitchens,
where chefs and assistants shouted imprecations at them. All the
while, the bodyguards followed, relentless in their pursuit.

But as they burst into the last hallway, Avery and Maddox found

reinforcements coming their way. Ford was leading a large group of
shifters. Wallace, Onyx, Ivory, as well as Raven, Lowell, and Raven’s
friend, Kalum, had been brought in to help. They’d all been there the
night when the sanatorium had been broken into and knew the stakes.

“There’s a car waiting for you outside,” Ford told them. “Go.”
Avery took one look at his friends and shook his head. “We can’t

leave you behind.”

Ford rolled his eyes. “Then stay, but don’t worry about us. We can

handle a pair of high-handed bodyguards.”

Maddox kissed Avery again and hid him behind a large barrel.

“Stay here, baby. We’ll deal with this and go, okay?”

Avery was beginning to regret suggesting that they should stay

and help. He wasn’t afraid for himself, but cold terror gripped him
whenever he thought Maddox might end up injured.

There was no time to change their minds, though. The group of

normal humans reached them and stopped dead in their tracks when
they noticed the other men assembled. When one of them reached for
his gun, Ford and the others burst into action.

They moved so fast that Avery had trouble following them. In

spite of being limited to their human form, they didn’t have any
difficulties in overpowering the bodyguards and relieving the men of
their guns. It was over so fast that Avery felt silly for even being
worried. Still, he couldn’t shake his fear. Facing Mitch had propelled
him into his nightmarish past, but there was more to it than that. Even
if he and his friends escaped Mitch now, the man was very powerful
and could find them wherever they went.

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103

Ford didn’t seem overly concerned about the idea. “Now run

along and play somewhere else,” he told the bodyguards. “And tell
your boss to leave Avery alone, or else.”

“You can tell me yourself,” Mitch said from the other end of the

corridor. Avery hadn’t even sensed him approach, which spoke
wonders of his overall mental state. Maddox, however, must have
been aware of his presence. The wolf looked toward Mitch and took a
threatening step forward. “How about I rearrange your face instead?”

Mitch laughed, as if he found Maddox’s threat very funny. The

bodyguards were slowly backing away from Maddox and forming a
circle around their employer. At first, Avery couldn’t figure out what
Mitch had up his sleeve, but then, the bastard dragged Will out of the
shadows.

Avery’s ex had been, at one point, knocked out. There was

another bodyguard next to Mitch, probably the only one who’d stayed
behind to guard his boss. Avery guessed he must be the guilty party
since he didn’t imagine Mitch dirtying his hands with things like that.

“Here’s what I think, Avery,” Mitch said. “Will here was very

upset on your behalf. I gather you mean something to him. My guess,
therefore, is that he means something to you.”

Mitch retrieved a gun and pressed it to Will’s temple. “Now, come

along nicely, or else I’ll blow his brains out.”

Avery released a sound of dismay. He didn’t love Will, but he

didn’t want the other man to be hurt either, especially not for his sake.
Too many had suffered already because of a mistake Avery had made
in his youth. “All right,” he said as he stepped forward. “You win.
Just don’t hurt him.”

Maddox gave Avery a shocked look. “Baby, you can’t be

serious,” he said through their bond. “You’re not going anywhere
with that man.”

“If he kills Will, I’ll never be able to live with myself.” Avery

swallowed around the knot in his throat.

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“And how will I live if he kills you, huh?” Maddox’s nostrils

flared as he blocked Avery’s path. “No. No way.”

Avery winced as he realized he was being incredibly selfish again.

Whatever he chose, someone would suffer. He was stuck, and his
heart hurt when he understood that his love for Maddox would never
be enough. He had to pay up on the dues of his past. There was no
way around it. Maddox was an amazing man. He could find someone
else should the inevitable happen to Avery.

Having obviously overheard Avery’s thoughts, Maddox grabbed

his arm and pulled him away from the group. “I won’t allow it,” he
said. “You’re my mate, the only one for me. Don’t ever think anything
different.”

His hold on Avery was so tight it hurt. It was the first time

Maddox had actually done something that caused Avery pain, and it
was a clear sign of Maddox’s displeasure.

Just as the thought passed through Avery’s mind, Maddox

released him as if he’d been burned. “I’m sorry, baby,” the wolf said,
“but I just can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

The wolf’s emotion just about made Avery lose it right then and

there. He instantly regretted his thoughts, berating himself for
believing for even one single second that their bond could be replaced
by something else. He didn’t want to leave Maddox, so this left them
in quite a quandary.

Avery stole a look at the still-waiting Mitch. “Look, he’s

obviously angry with me,” he told Maddox, “but he doesn’t know
about the mate bond. He won’t kill me until he has his revenge. If I go
with him, we’ll know if he has other prisoners. You and the others can
bust me out.”

“And if he knocks you out, then what? No, don’t even think about

it.”

Avery found himself powerless in front of the decision Maddox

exuded. It was a good thing Ford took over because in spite of his
resolve, he melted in Maddox’s embrace.

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105

“Mr. Cummings,” the lion said, “I’d advise you to release Mr.

Jameson now if you know what’s good for you. You might think you
are untouchable, but I have my own weapons, as I’m sure you know.”

Mitch’s expression darkened. “And yet, that didn’t keep you from

my grasp, Rutherford Goldwin.” He licked his lips and chuckled. “I
admit, for a freak, you’re quite handsome. Had I known at the time, I
wouldn’t have left Karl to have all the fun.”

Avery’s eyes widened at what Mitch was implying through his

vulgar comment. Ford didn’t react in any perceivable way. It was
Onyx who spoke next. “I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun when you
join him in hell.” His tone held so much hatred that even Avery was
taken aback. “I’ll personally take care of that.”

Mitch just laughed again. “Oh, please. You and I know far too

well for me to believe that threat, isn’t that right, Onyx?” He released
an almost thoughtful sigh. “Oh, we had the best of times. Do you
remember when I first found you? You were quite a breakthrough
after futilely chasing shadows for one year.” He grinned. “In a way,
I’m grateful. If it hadn’t been for you, we might not even be here
now.”

Onyx didn’t answer, at least, not in words. His human form

melted into that of a black panther.

Mitch’s eyes widened, which in different circumstances might

have amused Avery. As it was, he had no idea what Mitch had
expected when he’d taunted Onyx, but Avery was not surprised by
Onyx’s response.

Chaos ensued as the normal humans watched a man turn into a

beast before their very eyes. As the only one who still had a gun,
Mitch pointed the weapon away from Will and in Onyx’s direction. It
seemed to be somewhat of an impulse, rather than a conscious
decision. A couple of bodyguards had already fled, and Avery was
distantly concerned about what they would say now that they knew
about the existence of shape-shifters.

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But the more pressing problem was trigger-happy Mitch. As quick

as all of them were, they might not be able to avoid a bullet.
Furthermore, they didn’t have the luxury of blowing up the restaurant
like they had with the sanatorium. Any moment now, security would
show up, and then questions would appear. Like, for example, what in
the world a black panther was doing loose and attacking people.

Just as Avery struggled to come up with some sort of thing to

distract Mitch, Blue appeared behind Mitch, seemingly out of thin air.
He knocked the gun out of Mitch’s hand and dodged the bodyguard
who reached for him. At the same time, Maddox and the others shot
into action.

This time, they even caught Mitch, who was futilely trying to

chase after Blue.

Thankfully for Mitch, Ford got to him before Onyx did, saving the

bastard’s life. Upon seeing these new developments, Onyx shifted
back into human form. Without a word, he turned around and left the
building.

Alas, it seemed that it wasn’t only Onyx’s anger who urged the

panther to depart. Blue shifted as well just seconds before other
guards appeared at the end of the corridor. Ford released Mitch and
took Will in his arms. “Time to go,” he told the others.

“Hold it right there,” one of the new arrivals said. “Release that

man and step away from Mr. Cummings.”

Great. Mitch seemed to have friends everywhere. Avery struggled

for an excuse and could only come up with a very lame one. “It’s all a
big misunderstanding, caused by me, I’m afraid.” He coughed, doing
his best to sound embarrassed. “See, I used to date Mitch, and he
reacted badly when he saw me with Will. But it’s fine now. We’re
going.”

The guy looked doubtful, especially when he saw how close

Avery was standing to Maddox. He must also have his reserves over
Mitch’s homosexuality, which was something Avery hadn’t
considered when he’d impulsively come up with the excuse.

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107

To his surprise, Mitch jumped to his aid. “That’s right. We’ve

settled things, and now it’s time to go.”

“But…your friend seems injured,” the guy protested.
Mitch waved the man’s concern away. “He drank too much.”
Obviously, Mitch didn’t want the curious to pay too much

attention to why exactly he’d been hunting for Avery. It was the first,
and most likely the only time, Avery would agree with the man.

Without bothering to explain anything else, Avery started to head

out. Mitch would cover it all up, and Ford would most likely deal with
any problem that might surface. It was time they got out of there.

Avery, Maddox, and their friends left the building in silence, and

they made their way to their cars. Blue and Onyx were already there,
just as quiet. As they all slipped into their vehicles, Avery’s mind
went back to the memories of his teenage years.

“Don’t think about that,” Maddox urged him through their bond.

“He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“He’s even more dangerous than back then,” Avery replied

earnestly. “He knows about the syndrome, and he won’t rest until he
gets his revenge.”

Maddox nodded. “That’s why we have to be prepared. He’s angry

now. It won’t be long until he regroups and attacks us.”

Avery shuddered as he thought about Dana and the other people at

the orphanage. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Mitch would
strike there. For all they knew, it might be that very night.

“That’s right,” Maddox confirmed his thoughts. “But for what

it’s worth, I’ll always be there and I’ll protect you.”

Avery leaned in closer to Maddox, wondering if he truly deserved

that affection. But even as questions and fears swirled through his
mind, he couldn’t help but allow Maddox’s love to surround him in a
comforting cocoon. Perhaps he was not worthy of his mate, but when
they had to face their enemies, he’d make Maddox proud of him.

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Chapter Seven

Through the windows of Doc’s office, Maddox stared outside into

the night, anger and frustration coursing through him. He’d always
wondered why his mate shied away from him sometimes, refusing to
let Maddox see a particular part of his past. Now that he knew, he
couldn’t believe how much pain Avery had been forced to withstand
through the course of his young life. It was so unfair, and more so
since Avery was now blaming himself for Mitchell Cummings’s
monstrous actions.

As far as Maddox could tell, no one else thought the same. Of

course, they weren’t all informed as to the details of Avery’s
acquaintance with Cummings. There simply hadn’t been enough time
to worry about that since as soon as they’d come to the orphanage,
they’d started ensuring their defenses and preparing for a possible
attack.

Now, a few hours from their arrival at the orphanage, nothing had

happened yet and Ford had summoned Maddox to his office. It wasn’t
hard to figure out what the lion wanted to discuss.

“Are all the human children safe?” Maddox asked as the lion

approached him.

Ford nodded. “We sent them off to a different location and locked

it down. There’s a special system in place for emergency situation,
and I have a group of men guarding the area.” Ford gave Maddox a
serious look. “Look, Maddox, I didn’t want to ask Avery this since
he’s obviously very upset about the whole situation, but I need to
know just how he is involved with Mitchell Cummings.”

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109

For a few moments, Maddox didn’t speak. He didn’t want to

betray Avery’s confidence by revealing things he’d learned through
their bond. He’d seen that memory through their connection, and it
was something very private.

“Tell him,” Avery’s voice drifted inside his mind. “He deserves

to know.”

Maddox sighed and complied. Meeting Ford’s gaze, he explained,

“Ten years ago, Mitch picked Avery up with the intention to make
him a whore for Cummings Sr. Avery refused their advances. He was
very young, afraid, and alone. When they attacked him, they triggered
an instinctual response, and his wings burst out. The shock made the
elder Cummings have a heart attack. Avery managed to flee the scene
by shifting into his dove form and lived more like a bird than a man
for ten years.”

“I see.” Ford rubbed his eyes tiredly. “He blames himself, I take

it.” Maddox nodded silently, and the lion added, “It’s not his fault.
Mitchell Cummings is a cruel, sadistic man. He’s the only villain in
this story.”

“That’s nice of him to say,” Avery said to Maddox through their

bond, “but I don’t think Onyx or any of the others would agree.”

As if to confirm Avery’s doubts, Ford went on. “Still, we’ll keep

things under wraps until we have better hold on the situation. The kids
might be safe, but the orphanage itself is not. Onyx is very angry, and
so is Ivory. There’s no telling what they’ll do. And then there’s
Avery’s friend. I personally have no clue if he saw or figured out
anything at all, but he’s coming to, and he will eventually become a
problem.”

Maddox was aware of the situation with Will since his mate was

with the other man now. Given the circumstances, jealousy seemed
petty, but his wolf still howled at him to drag Avery away from Will’s
bed. He’d only managed to suppress this urge by burying himself into
the tasks that needed to be done. He knew his own emotions were

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only burdening Avery more, but no matter how hard he tried, he
couldn’t help how he felt.

“You’re too good to me, Maddox,” Avery suddenly said through

their bond. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”

“I’ve told you a million times, baby,” Maddox answered. “You’re

an amazing person. Once all of this is over, I’ll show you just how
much you mean to me.”

Sadly, now was not the time for declarations, as was eloquently

proven when Onyx burst inside the office. “Why are we just waiting
around for him to attack us?” he fumed. “We should be attacking
him.”

“Believe me, there’s nothing I’d like more,” Ford replied.

“Unfortunately, we have limited forces of people with shifter abilities.
What if while we’re away, he strikes here? I hate having the
orphanage in danger more than anyone, but at least this is our home
turf. We’ll be ready for him.”

“Exactly. He won’t expect us to attempt an attack first.”
Onyx’s grin was predatory, and Maddox could see now what Ford

meant about the panther’s temper being volatile. Unfortunately, Onyx
was unlikely to listen to Ford. Not only were they both feline and as
such competitive strains, but Onyx also had personal reasons to attack
Mitchell Cummings.

For his part, Maddox agreed with Onyx. He might have allowed

Mitchell to go free once since he’d been forced to get out of there
before he could throttle the man. But a second time, Cummings would
not be so lucky.

As if guessing his thoughts, Onyx looked straight at Maddox.

“You agree with me, don’t you?”

Maddox nodded. “I do, but Ford is also right. I can’t just leave

and abandon Avery here, and taking him along is out of the question.”

Onyx’s expression changed, as if the stakes had just occurred to

him. Maddox knew from Avery that the panther had some sort of
relationship with Ivory, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough to

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111

keep Onyx from impulsively hunting Cummings down. He hadn’t
actually said the words because of this, but they did seem to have a
sort of wake-up call effect on the panther.

“I suppose you have a point,” Onyx mused. “All right, then. I’ll

stay. But if nothing happens tonight, I’m hunting Mitchell Cummings
down.”

In a way, Maddox was confused. Onyx hadn’t told them about

Mitchell Cummings beforehand, but he’d recognized the guy on sight.
As if guessing Maddox’s questions, Onyx frowned and explained, “I
apologize about not remembering him. It seems I underestimated the
extent of the damage Karl did to me.”

The words were said with such a no-nonsense approach that

Maddox was taken aback. He couldn’t find anything to say to that,
and it seemed that neither could Ford.

Luckily, Onyx wasn’t the type to expect comfort from them. He

turned his back on Maddox and Ford and simply left.

Once the panther was gone, Ford turned toward Maddox and

offered him a strained smile. “Good work. I hate to think what would
have happened had he gone.”

“Cummings would probably die, but so would Onyx,” Maddox

said somberly.

“You did good, Maddox,” Avery said in his mind. “Onyx might

not know it, but you probably saved his life.” The dove paused.
“Would you have really gone out to hunt Mitch if you didn’t have me
to worry about?”

“You have to understand, baby, that the mere thought of what he

did to you makes my blood boil. He needs to pay.”

Avery didn’t answer, but his mood seemed as poor as ever.

Maddox would have done anything to reassure the dove, but he had a
feeling that until Mitchell Cummings stopped hurting people, Avery
would not recover.

In the end, their dilemma proved to be pointless. All of a sudden,

an alarm sounded, signaling that their preparations had not been for

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naught. Ford rushed out of the office, and Maddox followed behind
him. They met up with Avery, Doc, and Onyx in the hallway and
headed to the security room.

On the screens that captured the video feed from outside, Maddox

clearly saw Mitchell Cummings’s approaching force. There were
several cars, as well as a helicopter a bit farther way. As they got
closer, Maddox began to hear them with his own ears, especially since
they didn’t seem to think stealth was necessary.

One of the cars burst straight through the orphanage gates. What

they did not expect, however, were the spikes that emerged from the
road. Two vehicles drove straight over the sharp barbs, which
efficiently slash their tires. Because of their speed, the drivers lost
control of the cars. One of them flipped several times before stopping
wheels up, while another crashed into a nearby tree.

The other three cars halted in front of the spikes, narrowly

avoiding their colleagues’ fate. Several men and women left the
vehicles and rushed forward to come to the aid of those trapped in the
cars. Meanwhile, the helicopter approached more and more.

“Time to go,” Onyx said.
Ford nodded while Maddox kissed Avery’s forehead. “Stay here,

all right, baby? We’ll take care of this.”

“I want to come with you,” Avery protested. “This is my fight,

too.”

“I know you want to, but it’s too dangerous. You’re not a killer,

Avery, not like these men.” Maddox cupped his mate’s cheek, a fist
squeezing around his heart. Avery was an angel, and he shouldn’t
have been touched by the filth of Mitchell Cummings.

“Don’t worry, all right? It’s going to be fine. We’ll take care of

it.”

Avery didn’t look convinced, but thankfully, Blue appeared next

to him. “Come on, Avery. You and I should watch over Will. We
can’t exactly leave him on his own, now can we?”

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113

“You’re right, I guess.” Avery sighed, and his eyes were wet

when he looked at Maddox. “Just take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will. I promise.”
Blue dragged Avery out of the room, although judging by the look

the butterfly threw toward Wallace, Blue wasn’t happy about being
left behind, either. Doc followed after them, ushering them toward
Will Jameson’s room.

When they were gone, Maddox turned toward his companions and

said, “All right, my friends. Let’s do this thing.”

Other than those Maddox knew personally, several other shifters

had piped in to help. Apparently, there was a pack of sorts, all
werewolves who’d grown up at the orphanage. There were also
felines, like Kalum and Ford, and other species Maddox had lost
count of. Sadly, many of those who’d been helped by the Goldwins
left the city, like Maddox had, so they could not help. On the whole,
there were maybe twenty people spanning to protect the entire space.

It was not much, but it would have to do. Together with his

companions, Maddox headed outside to prepare for the upcoming
battle. Whatever Cummings had prepared for them, Maddox would be
ready.

* * * *

Avery sat in Will’s room, watching over his still-unconscious ex-

boyfriend while his current one was out there fighting for his life. It
was almost laughable, or it would have been, had Avery not been
aware it was all his fault.

“They’re going to be fine,” Blue said. “They’re good fighters.”
“Who are you trying to convince, yourself or me?” Avery shot

back bitingly. Blue winced, and Avery cursed himself for his
brusqueness. It wasn’t Blue’s fault for all of this. In fact, Avery
should be grateful he even had his friend’s support.

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He took a deep breath, struggling to control his erratic emotions.

He was a mess, but he couldn’t allow himself to wallow in self-guilt
while their friends and lovers fought alone. “There has to be
something we can do.”

“There is,” Doc said. “You can stay inside where you won’t be a

distraction. They love you, and having you there, in danger, would
just cause them to lose focus.”

As much as Avery hated to admit it, Doc had a point. Still, Avery

might not be a warrior, but he could fight if it helped Maddox. After
all, Blue did it all the time, and butterflies were even frailer than
doves. Not to mention that Avery had participated in bursting into the
sanatorium. That had to count for something, right?

“It does count, baby,” Maddox said in his mind. “But you have to

understand, I worry about you. Even then, I had my reserves about
you getting involved, and they didn’t know you were in the building.”

Avery sighed, feeling defeated. “Okay. I’ll wait here and be

useless.”

Just as he told Maddox this, a sudden feeling of doom gripped

him. His eyes widened as he looked toward the cracked-open door. At
the same time, Doc seemed to sense something was wrong, too. She
peeked outside and paled visibly.

“There are men incoming,” she mouthed at Avery. “On the other

corridor. Not yet in sight, but will be here soon.”

Avery didn’t have to listen to her to know who had joined the

group of intruders. “Mitchell Cummings is with them,” he said

“Most likely,” she answered, and Avery barely managed not to

sway. He’d thought he could handle this, but he’d obviously been
mistaken.

“I’m coming your way, baby,” Maddox said through their bond.

“I don’t understand how they slipped past our defenses, but I won’t
allow them to hurt you.”

Looking at Doc’s pale face, Avery knew Maddox would never

make it here in time. He needed to stall, and the best way to do so was

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115

to draw attention onto himself. Technically speaking, he was the one
Mitchell was looking for. Avery might not be able to go out to face
them head-on, but he could play bait like the best of them.

A litany of nos filled his mind as Maddox tried to persuade him to

abandon his plan. “There’s no other way,” Avery told the wolf. “Now
calm down. I’m not a child. I can handle this.”

Chastised, his mate quieted down. “All right,” he finally said,

“but please, be careful. I’ll meet you at the northern corner of the
building.”

Avery nodded, even if his mate couldn’t see him. He turned

toward Blue and Doc. “Stay here and turn off the lights. I don’t think
they’ve seen us yet, or they’d have come here already. I’ll draw them
away from you and hopefully stall for enough time for the others to
get here.”

“But, Avery, we can’t just let you go on your own,” Blue

protested.

“I’m a faster flier than you,” Avery answered, “and anyway, it’s

me they want.”

In the end, there was no room for much argument. Avery slipped

out of the room and was very relieved when he saw the lights turn off.
He ran toward the other end of the corridor and waited breathlessly
until the men were in view. He needed to time this perfectly, so that
the men would be completely focused on him and not investigate the
other rooms.

As they approached, Avery looked around the corner, as if he

were trying to investigate the source of a sound he heard. He
remained like that until he was sure they’d seen him and, when the
men began to make their way toward him, shot into motion. He
started running and, once he was out of sight, melted into dove form.
As he freed his body from the remnants of his clothes, he heard the
thud of loud footsteps behind him. He started flying, directing himself
toward the northern side of the building where his mate should be
waiting for him. He was a white dove, not a white pigeon. In nature,

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domestic white doves were notoriously lacking where the homing
instinct was concerned. But Avery had never had problems in that
regard, and even now he easily found the right way. Besides, even
without those skills, he could still sense his mate’s presence, calling
out to him like a beacon.

Unfortunately, the narrow corridors of the building weren’t

exactly helping his flight. A shot rang out, just narrowly missing him.
Avery knew what it was like to be shot, and he had no desire to repeat
the experience.

The second bullet grazed his wings, making him realize the

seriousness of the situation. The only option he had was to change
into his human form. As a dove, a shot could very well kill him.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Avery turned back into a human

and landed on his feet on the ground. He heard people cursing behind
him while Mitch just shouted, “Stop right there, you little whore. I’ve
got you now.”

Avery slowly turned around and faced his worst enemy. “Fancy

seeing you here, Mitch,” he said in his best mocking tone. “I thought
you’d have given up for sure after what happened at the restaurant.
Didn’t you make a fool of yourself enough?”

Mitch scowled. “Don’t believe you can distract me with your little

tricks and taunts.” He eyed Avery appreciatively, licking his lips.
“You might have more luck with your body. I might even be
convinced to fuck you before I kill you. You’ve grown up quite
nicely.”

Avery shuddered, unable to conceal his revulsion. Mitch ignored

him and gestured for Avery to approach. “Come on. We’ve wasted
enough time here.”

Avery might have obeyed, but hope suddenly filled him as he

sensed a beloved presence approach. All of a sudden, two large
wolves appeared from behind Avery. Maddox and Wallace—for they
were the two wolves—shot forward like black shadows. The men
with Mitch cursed and grabbed their guns.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

117

“Take cover, baby,” Maddox said through their bond.
Avery would have done what Maddox asked, except he couldn’t

just leave his mate to fight alone. There were far too many of the
normal humans. So, instead, Avery shifted into his dove form and
flew forward.

Once upon a time, before his parents had thrown him out, Avery

had seen a movie called The Birds. He’d been fascinated by the power
nature could have, especially when it set itself against man. Of course,
in these circumstances, Avery was one bird, not hundreds, but what
he felt for Maddox would have to compensate for the lack.

Surprisingly, once Avery got over his fear, he found it was quite

easy to confuse and panic the men, pecking at their eyes and
screeching. The men were clearly intimidated more by the idea of
Avery than by his actual abilities, and it distracted them from the
approaching wolves.

When they shot their guns, bullets started flying around them

without a real aim. Avery shifted and, taking advantage of the
confusion, succeeded to make one of Mitch’s soldiers drop the gun.
He then changed back to dove form, managing to avoid being caught.

When the chaos began to get too intense, Avery followed

Maddox’s order and retreated. There were just too many bullets, too
much violence for him to be able to even move around. It was only by
miracle that none of the projectiles had hit him. As far as he could
tell, Wallace had been struck only lightly while Maddox still
remained unharmed.

Back during that fateful expedition when they’d rescued Lowell,

Avery had helped fight their opponents as well. But this was different.
It was only a matter of time until Maddox and Wallace would be
overpowered. They were animals with the intelligence of humans, but
once their opponents got over their panic of having to fight creatures
they’d only seen in movies, the two wolves would be defeated. Avery
could not help his mate more, but perhaps he could sound the alarm
and call the others here.

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Just as he thought this, Avery sensed someone’s attention. He

turned just in time to watch Mitchell Cummings fall, struck by a
bullet in the head.

In the chaos, nobody even saw how it happened. Well, nobody but

Avery, that is. With the corner of his eye, he’d noticed the moment
Will picked up the gun Avery had dislodged from its owner’s grasp.
He understood what had happened just as Mitch fell to the ground, his
own weapon useless in his grip but still pointing toward Avery.

And he saw Will dropping the gun with a shocked expression on

his face and falling back, his legs obviously still unsteady.
Thankfully, Blue was there to catch him. For a brief moment, Blue’s
eyes met Avery’s, and then the butterfly started pulling Will away.

Will had most likely saved Avery’s life. It was a mystery how the

man had gotten there since he never should have left his room in the
first place. Either way, upon noticing their boss’s injury, the soldiers
suddenly became less interested in fighting Maddox and Wallace.

“Back. Retreat,” one of them shouted as he picked up Mitch’s

prone body.

Wallace and Maddox trailed them, and Avery followed behind his

mate, unwilling to leave the wolf for a single moment out of his sight.
In the process, they found three injured shifters who’d been taken out
by the group of normal humans upon their entry. Lowell’s friend,
Kalum, was among them, and he started to recover just as the soldiers
mounted Mitch in a helicopter.

There had been two helicopters, Avery now realized, not just one.

One of them had been caught on the video feed and its occupants held
back by Ford’s troops, but the other had sneaked past.

Fortunately, their opponents retreated without further incident. As

soon as they were gone, Maddox shifted into his human form and
crushed his lips to Avery’s. “I thought I would lose you,” he said
through their bond. “God, baby, don’t ever do that to me again.”

Avery had feared the same thing, but toward Maddox. “Now you

know how I felt.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

119

As they broke apart, they turned toward Wallace, who had shifted

and was watching them with a grin. “Go. I’ll take care of things until
Ford gets here.”

Avery felt a bit bad about leaving Wallace to deal with the

aftermath of the attack. The man deserved to be by his own mate’s
side. Avery had seen the same fear he’d felt in Blue, so he didn’t want
them separated.

But right then and there, Avery could allow himself to be just a

little selfish. When Maddox took him in his arms, he didn’t protest at
all.

Maddox carried Avery into a room that usually served as a

patient’s quarters. It was empty now, and it had been so for quite a
while now. Avery was thankful for it because he didn’t think either of
them could wait until they got home.

Maddox placed him on the bed, and Avery looked up at his mate

with feverish eyes. He’d been so close to dying. They both had. His
body began to tremble as shock settled in, but before terror could take
hold, Maddox was on him, his hands hot and frantic on Avery’s skin.

Courtesy of the change, they were both naked, which was a very

good thing. The adrenaline and the fear turned to liquid arousal in
what seemed like moments. All of a sudden, Avery needed to feel
Maddox’s cock piercing him with an intensity that rivaled the need to
breathe.

Maddox’s lips crushed against his own, greedy, desperate, tasting

him and plundering his mouth. Avery wrapped his legs around
Maddox’s waist, rubbing his hard prick against his mate’s belly. God,
if he didn’t get fucked in the next five minutes, he might very well
implode.

They broke apart to breathe, but Avery couldn’t withstand being

apart from Maddox even for one second. He pulled Maddox back into
another kiss. Their tongues dueled, and Avery didn’t even try to win
the battle, more than happy to allow Maddox to dominate him. He

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needed Maddox’s strength to anchor him. Without Maddox, he felt
like he would shatter in a million pieces.

He half expected Maddox to take him right then and there. Their

bond allowed their thoughts to meld together, especially in moments
of passion. But this time, Maddox did not to do what Avery wanted.
All of a sudden, he broke the kiss and gathered Avery in his arms.
“Shh, baby,” Maddox whispered. “I have you. Let go. You’re safe
now.”

Avery’s emotions came bursting out. The humiliation of having

his secret known, the shame of knowing he wasn’t worthy of Maddox,
the guilt he felt over involving their friends in a battle that should
never have been theirs. The fear of nearly dying, and most of all,
nearly losing Maddox. The shock of seeing Mitchell after all this time
and practically reliving his own worst nightmare. It was all too much.

Much to his dismay, Avery burst into tears. He buried his face in

Maddox’s shoulder, trying to quiet down the sobs. Maddox didn’t
speak. He just held Avery, his warmth and silent comfort better than
anything Avery had ever felt.

Finally, Avery’s tears dried out, and he managed to calm down a

bit. He pulled away from his mate, intending to clean up a bit.
Maddox discreetly offered him a tissue from the dispenser on the
nightstand.

Avery wiped his eyes and blew his nose. The sound made him

wince. It certainly wasn’t conducive to arousal or sexy thoughts. But
then he probably looked horrible now, with his eyes swollen from
crying. He was such a wimp.

“Would you stop that?” Maddox released a sigh of distress. “How

many times do I have to tell you? You’re not a wimp, and you’re not
a coward or a disaster of a human being. There’s nothing wrong with
you. You’re a normal person, barring the shape-shifting thing, of
course. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has fears and doubts.
You are not to blame for the choices of others.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

121

Avery’s eyes widened. He’d never heard his mate sound so

decided about anything, except maybe when he’d ordered Avery to
stay behind for his own safety. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t help how
I feel.”

Maddox gave him a penetrating look. “Don’t you trust me?” he

inquired.

“Of course I trust you.” Avery wondered how in the world their

make-out session had turned into an argument. “You’re the only
person I trust completely.”

Was this about Avery keeping Mitch and that side of him secret?

“I was going to tell you,” he said hastily. “I swear. I just…”

“You were afraid I wouldn’t love you anymore,” Maddox

interrupted him. “You still are. You’re always waiting for the other
shoe to drop. And it’s not like I don’t understand why. I do. But,
baby, you have to realize that I’m not Will, and you’re not a teenager
anymore. You and I, we’re meant to be together. If you go on
doubting us, Cummings is going to win.”

Avery bit his lip and looked away. Maddox was right. Avery

loved the werewolf with all his heart, but a part of him always
wondered if Maddox wouldn’t get tired of him and throw him away.
It had happened before, with Will and his parents.

But that was the point, wasn’t it? Maddox wasn’t like them. Never

had Avery felt more loved than when he’d been by Maddox’s side.
Maddox had given him everything, even before they’d been lovers.
He’d never rushed Avery into anything. He’d helped Avery better
himself in more than one way.

Avery took a deep breath and met Maddox’s gaze. The werewolf

was waiting quietly, patiently, as was his way. He would wait for as
long as it took, even forever. Avery saw it, right there in his eyes.

As if by miracle, the horrible tightness in Avery’s chest eased, and

he smiled at his mate. Maddox smiled back, wiping a stray tear from
Avery’s cheek. “There you go. That’s my beautiful, sweet dove.”

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When the kiss came, it was kind and lovely, so much so that

Avery almost wept again. Instead, he melted against Maddox,
allowing the werewolf to do whatever he wanted. Maddox lowered
him onto the bed again, his weight pushing Avery into the mattress. It
felt good and safe, and at the same time so arousing. It felt right.

After that, there were no more words. They both turned into

beings of pure passion. Maddox released Avery’s lips and proceeded
to kiss and lick every inch of Avery’s body. From the hollow of
Avery’s throat, to Avery’s nipples and lower down, that wicked
tongue explored Avery’s skin, driving him wild with lust. His hands
kneaded Avery’s buttocks, a dry finger rubbing at the tiny opening of
his anus. There were no more fears and no more doubts, only
Maddox, his mouth, his scent, and his touch.

And then wet heat engulfed Avery’s cock as Maddox started

sucking on the shaft. Avery threaded his fingers through Maddox’s
hair, torn between fucking Maddox’s mouth and allowing the rhythm
to remain mellow. It was just so good, lazy, unrushed, and perfect that
Avery never wanted it to end.

Sadly, the decision was taken out of his hands. Avery’s body

finally protested the overload of pleasure, and orgasm exploded over
him, taking him completely by surprise. Maddox didn’t seem too
shocked. He drank down most of Avery’s offering, slicking his
fingers up with the rest. Slowly, Maddox inserted one digit inside
Avery’s passage, fucking Avery with it in almost tentative motions. It
was not enough, and Avery gasped out, “More!”

Maddox added another finger, all the while checking Avery’s face

for any sign of discomfort. He scissored the digits inside Avery,
stretching him with excruciating care. Avery didn’t need so much
prep. His body was already quite relaxed and more than ready for
intercourse. But still, Maddox took his time, only inserting the third
finger when he was absolutely sure Avery would have no problem
taking it.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

123

Through their bond, Avery sensed Maddox’s need to show him

how beautiful a coupling between two men who loved each other
could be, to make Avery see his own worth. When faced with
Maddox’s emotions, Avery had no defenses left. He surrendered
completely, already knowing that his body, mind, and soul inexorably
belonged to Maddox.

Just when he thought his mate planned to drive him crazy with the

slow torment, Maddox removed his fingers from Avery’s passage. He
lifted Avery’s legs on his shoulders, never looking away from
Avery’s eyes. Maddox’s prick then nudged at Avery’s hole, much
thicker than the three fingers. Slowly, Maddox pushed in, and as
Avery’s flesh yielded to the pressure, he couldn’t help a small gasp. It
wasn’t one of pain, though. No, their bodies fit too well together for
Avery to experience that. Oh, the burn was there, but it wasn’t
unpleasant. Rather, it represented just one more thing that added to
the sensation of being taken, invaded, branded by Maddox’s passion.

Ever so gently, Maddox slid home until Avery was fully impaled

on his mate’s prick. Taking the wolf fully inside him almost seemed
like a miracle, and not only because Maddox was well endowed. The
feelings the act aroused inside Avery were too intense to be anything
but out of this world.

“God, baby,” Maddox murmured, “you’re so tight, like velvet.

Fuck…”

The wolf took a few deep breaths, as if struggling for calm, his

muscular body trembling with the effort it took to remain still. Avery
licked his lips and whispered back, “Maddox, please…”

There was nothing more he could say. He was beyond words,

beyond thoughts. Thankfully, Maddox understood him. He pulled out
of Avery and thrust back in once again, angling his cock to hit
Avery’s prostate.

They fell into a rhythm that was pure carnal perfection. Avery’s

world dissipated around him, his entire being focusing on Maddox.
He moved with his mate, meeting his thrusts, pushing back, and

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seeking more of the delicious invasion. Even if he’d just come earlier,
he was already close to another orgasm.

Maddox didn’t rush, keeping his thrusts hard and slow, drawing

out their lovemaking. And then, out of the blue, Maddox buried his
canines in Avery’s neck. Avery could no longer withstand the sensual
assault. He found his peak just as liquid warmth filled his passage,
signaling that Maddox had come as well.

Pleasure exploded over him, reaching out to every nook and

cranny of his being. His mind was one with Maddox, and for a brief
moment, he saw himself through the werewolf’s eyes, felt his mate’s
love for him. He opened his heart, accepting it and understanding it,
for the first time allowing himself to trust that indeed Maddox would
never leave him. It was ecstasy that went beyond the physical and
seemed to go on and on. It was his own pleasure, and Maddox’s,
joined into one. Avery couldn’t even tell where he ended and Maddox
began.

He didn’t know how much time passed while he was lost in his

cloud of nirvana. He must have blacked out for a few moments
because when he came to, his mate was cleaning him with a wet
washcloth. Avery had no idea where it had come from, but as he
slowly began to recover, the question brought to mind something
different. Finally, his environment registered and he remembered just
what they’d been doing earlier, before he’d surrendered to his impulse
to retreat in Maddox’s arms.

“We should go check up on the others,” he said with a great deal

of regret.

Maddox shook his head and kissed his forehead. “No. I’ll go. You

stay here and rest. You’ve been through hell today.”

Avery opened his mouth to protest, but a yawn swallowed his

words. He was, indeed, emotionally and physically exhausted.
Looking into Maddox’s eyes, he relented. In the end, he could trust
Maddox to do what needed to be done.

“Okay, but you wake me if anything’s wrong,” he whispered.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

125

“Sure thing, baby,” Maddox said as he covered Avery with a

warm blanket. “Now go to sleep. I promise I’ll be right here when you
wake up.”

When Avery drifted into slumber, he did so with a smile, knowing

his mate would keep his word. Avery would never be alone again, and
as long as he had Maddox, he could face everything that came his
way.

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Epilogue

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Will asked again for

the millionth time.

Avery nodded and smiled. “I have everything I need right here.”
Will sighed and absently gazed through the airport windows.

Avery knew that any moment now, Will’s plane would be ready for
departure, whether Will had boarded it or not. “I just wish we
wouldn’t have to be separated again,” Will mused.

“I know.” Avery gave the other man a serious look. “We’ll always

be friends, Will. Even if we can’t return to what we had when we
were kids, we’ll always have that.”

Will’s eyes returned to Avery’s face. “I suppose I’ll have to be

happy with that, then.” He looked over Avery’s shoulder, toward the
bench where Maddox was patiently waiting with Avery’s parents.
“He’s a good man, and he loves you. I’m happy for you.”

On impulse, Avery hugged his friend. A few months ago, he’d

never have thought this would ever happen, but here he was.
Unexpectedly, Will had accepted what he’d found out about Avery
and his friends. Even if the other man had been shocked at first, he’d
gradually gotten accustomed to it. It helped that everyone had been
very accommodating in deference of what Will had done. Even
Maddox was on his best behavior, something Avery appreciated a lot.

“Is that so, baby?” Maddox asked through their bond. “I do hope

you’ll show me just how much you appreciate it.”

Avery focused on his bond with the wolf and said, “Don’t be evil.

If you give me a hard-on while I’m hugging Will, I’ll never forgive
you.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

127

Husky laughter filled the connection, and Avery declared his job

done. He focused on his friend, soaking up the affection Will gave
him. As he expected, however, they didn’t have too long together.
Ford returned to their side, carrying Will’s passport as well as his
own. “Come on. It’s time to board.”

“All right.” Will squeezed Avery a little harder. “Take care,

okay?” he whispered in Avery’s ear. “I want you to show me more of
that shape-shifting business when I come back.”

Avery nodded wordlessly and released his friend from the

embrace. At last, Ford began to drag the other man off until they
disappeared in the throng of passengers getting on their planes.

Ford had been the one who’d decided Will needed to disappear for

a little while until the situation with Mitchell Cummings calmed
down. Unexpectedly, the shot from Will had put Mitchell into a coma.

After that, there had been thousands of accusations flying around,

the staff of the Cummings Corporation pointing fingers without really
being able to prove anything. After all the stuff that had happened, it
was without a doubt that some of them knew about the existence of
the syndrome. It was impossible to hide, especially with the number
of people who’d seen Onyx shift at the restaurant and who’d fought
Maddox, Ford, and the others at the orphanage.

But somehow, Ford had managed to pull some strings to bury the

entire affair. Apparently, the heads of the Cummings Corporation
were not very ecstatic about the idea of having Mitchell’s proclivities
and plans known by the whole world. The idea that the wealthy oil
magnate could be linked to genetic experimentation on teens had been
enough for them to agree to Ford’s terms.

Conveniently or not, Mitchell had died shortly after the deal had

been struck. The official story was that there had been a malfunction
in the machines monitoring his state, but Avery suspected Mitchell
had become a liability and had therefore been eliminated.

Either way, this left Will in a somewhat precarious position. No

one except Avery and his friends knew Will had been the one to shoot
Mitchell Cummings, but Ford had decided a trip outside the United

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States was in order. Ford had become more and more involved in
trying to institute a real system to find people with S.E.X. Lately, it
had become increasingly obvious that the few people they had
protecting the orphanage were not enough. Since Will had been thrust
into their world, the lion intended to recruit Will for this purpose as
well. Onyx and Ivory had already gone ahead to monitor the condition
of Dana and the other patients who’d been freed from the sanatorium.
It was Ford’s way of clearing the air.

With a final look in the direction where Will had disappeared,

Avery made his way to his mate’s side. “Finally,” Maddox said
through their bond. “I thought your parents were going to stare me
down to death.”

Avery gave Maddox a brief peck on the cheek. “Sorry. It couldn’t

be helped.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to compensate me.”
Much to Avery’s dismay, Maddox squeezed his ass. He seemed in

a particularly amorous mood, perhaps because of the fact that with
everything that had been going on, they hadn’t managed to spend so
much time together. Avery made a mental note to take some time for
himself and Maddox as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that time
wouldn’t be now, as his parents were waiting.

Pasting a smile on his face, Avery turned to his family. They’d

come here to see Will off, but now that Will was gone, it was a
mystery what they wanted. Things were still strange and somewhat
awkward between them, and they seemed more confused than ever
upon realizing Will agreed with Avery’s assessment of Maddox and
the situation as a whole.

“Well, now, Will left. What do you want to do?”
“Spending a day with my son would be nice,” his father said,

eyeing Maddox with apprehension and distrust, “if you don’t mind,
Mr. Kinney.”

“Mind? Why should I mind?” Maddox grinned. “We’d love to. I

took a day off today, and this way, you’d get to know me a little
better, too.”

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

129

The fact that Maddox had deliberately misunderstood Avery’s

father didn’t go unnoticed by Avery, and he hid a smile. He was
happy his mate had no intention to leave him alone with his parents.
He cared about them, but to a certain extent, they’d become strangers.

His father and his mother looked somewhat dismayed at the

prospect of spending the day with Maddox. In the end, they contented
themselves with a cup of coffee at one of the airport’s restaurants. The
conversation was stilted, at best, but Avery noted that both his parents
and Maddox were at least making the attempt.

Still, Avery was relieved when the time came for them to go their

separate ways. Since Avery’s parents didn’t own a car, it was up to
Maddox to drive them back to their home. Avery still winced when he
saw the dilapidated buildings, and in spite of everything that had
happened, he wished he could spare some money to help them out.
Then again, his father would probably refuse the help. He was proud
like that.

They reached the apartment building, and Maddox parked the car.

Avery’s parents left the vehicle, and Avery half expected them to
invite him and Maddox for lunch or something like that. They didn’t.
Instead, they waited, and Avery took his cue and stepped out of the
car as well. Maddox followed his example, politely saying his good-
byes to the two normal humans. Avery’s mother hugged him while
his father shook hands with Maddox. “Call us one of these days, all
right?” she requested.

“Sure, Mom,” Avery replied. “Maybe I’ll drop by for a visit when

I have time.”

Between putting things back in order at the orphanage and his job

as Lowell’s assistant, he couldn’t spare a moment. He hoped that
Lowell decided to quit their investigation at Gilpin and Sons soon, as
with Mitchell Cummings gone, it seemed unlikely their presence
would be required there for much longer. But he couldn’t say any of
that to his parents, so he made his promise vague and hoped to be able
to keep it in the near future.

Finally, his parents disappeared into their building. Avery and

Maddox waited until they were out of sight and slid back into the car.

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“Well, thank God that’s over,” Maddox said out loud.
Avery laughed. “Quite. If they really accepted your offer, it would

have been horrible.”

“I was counting on their refusal.” Maddox inserted the key in the

ignition and started the car. “But you know what? I really did take a
day off.”

“So did I.” Avery gave his mate a look full of meaning. “Also,

Wallace and Blue are out on a case, and I believe I had some making
up to do.”

Instead of driving off, Maddox looked straight at Avery. The next

thing Avery knew, his mate’s lips met his own.

The kiss was tender, gentle, and not at all the passionate crush of

mouths that Avery might have expected after a whole day of sexual
tension. But Avery couldn’t say he was surprised. Maddox often
touched him like this, almost worshipful, like Avery was the most
perfect and precious thing in the world for him. And while Avery had
been uncomfortable with it at first, as the days passed he’d begun to
understand that he himself might not be perfect, but his connection
with Maddox was.

So Avery reveled in the gentleness, parting his lips and lazily

meeting Maddox’s tongue with his own. When they broke apart, they
were both panting and their cocks were hard as hell.

“What was that for?” Avery asked.
Maddox just smiled mysteriously. “What? Can’t I kiss my mate

when the mood strikes you?”

Avery snickered. “You can kiss your mate whenever, as long as

you don’t torture him needlessly.” He adjusted himself in his pants,
pointing out his little problem.

This time, Maddox laughed out loud. “Ah, but anticipation is half

of the pleasure, baby.”

Avery would have been disgruntled had he not sensed Maddox’s

own arousal coursing through their connection. As it was, he waited
patiently as Maddox drove off and engaged in traffic.

Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet

131

A little imp inside his mind urged him to persuade Maddox to pull

over for a fun romp, but Avery squashed the urge down. For the first
time in many months, they weren’t in a hurry. Things might not be
perfect, but there was no one hunting them down and trying to capture
them. They were free to do whatever they wanted and simply be.

Avery closed his eyes and leaned against the window of the car,

allowing Maddox’s scent to engulf him. He remembered the first time
he’d seen his mate, when Maddox had protected him from that hunter.
He’d been Avery’s avenging angel from the very beginning. Now that
he thought about it, Avery realized that he’d probably loved Maddox
from that day, even if he’d tried to deny it out of fear. How had he
gotten so lucky?

“I love you, too, baby,” Maddox said through their bond, “and

I’m the lucky one.”

Avery opened his eyes and stole a look at his mate. On this, they’d

probably never agree, but that was all right. They had their whole
lives ahead of them to debate which one of them was luckier. Then
again, Avery was pretty sure he could find better uses for their time.
That trail of thought automatically led him to what they’d most likely
end up doing when they reached their apartment, and his body began
to heat up.

“I like the way you think, Avery,” Maddox said huskily. “Hold

on. I think I can get us home faster if I take a shortcut.”

Avery doubled checked his safety belt as Maddox made a U-turn

and started driving faster. Instead of being afraid, Avery laughed.
Tender and sweet Maddox might be, but he was also a wild ride. And
Avery wouldn’t have it any other way.

THE END

WWW.SCARLETHYACINTH.WEBS.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid

fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and
adventure. Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she
delved into her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled
onto romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer

day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her
to GLBT fiction—proposed they start writing a story of their own. As
it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but
Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting
to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation,
studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the
Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people
who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in
the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

Also by Scarlet Hyacinth

Siren Classic ManLove: The S.E.X. Factor 1:

On the Wings of a Butterfly

Siren Classic ManLove: The S.E.X. Factor 2:

The Wolf and the Raven

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DOVE ME TENDER,
DOVE ME SWEET
THE END

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