Loving the Enemy

Detective Catlin Hill doesn’t understand the instant,

possessive  attraction  he  feels  for  the  slender  John  Doe
in  the  hospital  bed.  But  the  minute  those  scared  baby
blues  meet  his,  Catlin  lets  his  protective  instincts  rule
him.  The  guy  has  amnesia,  and  it’s  only  from  a
conditioned  response  that  Catlin  confirms  his  name  is
Gallo  Ricci.  After  passing  the  case  to  a  fellow
detective, he takes the victim home with him and gives
in to lust. For some reason,  it doesn’t even  faze  Catlin
when  his  new  lover  turns  into  a  horse  in  his  living
room.  When a group of guys drop by and start talking
about mates and centuries  of  living together, Gallo has
a  panic attack, proving  his past abuse won’t allow him
to  take  charge  enough  to  claim  Catlin.  Is  their
relationship  doomed  from  the  start?  And  what’s  tough
enough  to  take  down  a  shifter  and  leave  him  in  the
hospital?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of
this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement,

including

infringement

without

monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.

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

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

Catlin’s Appaloosa

ISBN: 978-1-77111-177-5

Cover art by Martine Jardin

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

Published by eXtasy Books

Look for us online at:

www.eXtasybooks.com

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Kontra’s Menagerie: Book Two

Charlie Richards

Chapter One

etective Catlin Hill stared at the man in the bed.
The nurse had told him the patient regained

consciousness  for  several  minutes  just  over  an  hour
earlier.  He’d  been  getting  coffee,  then  his  captain  had
called, and damn it, he’d missed it. Now Catlin wanted
nothing more than to see those eyes open. He imagined
the  lean,  muscular  African  American’s  eyes  would  be
brown.  He  knew  it  sounded  stereotypical,  but  weren’t
most  black  men’s  eyes  brown?  Catlin  couldn’t
remember  seeing  any  other  color  on  a  dark-skinned
man.

He cringed. Yeah, that sounded racist. Catlin sighed

and  ran  a hand through his own short brown  locks. He
knew he wasn’t racist. His best friend, Detective Brock
Ridgeon, was  black.  Brock didn’t seem  as  tall  but was
definitely  broader  than  this  guy,  and  he  was  easily
darker.

Easing into the chair at the head of the bed, Catlin

rubbed his eyes. It had been too long since he’d had a
decent night’s sleep. Three days? Four? Ever since he’d
been called in on this John Doe’s case, a mugging, from
the way the witness spoke. Catlin wasn’t so sure. His

Charlie Richards

gut told him differently, and it didn’t matter how many
times his partner on the force laughed at him, he knew
better than to ignore his gut.

A soft groan from the bed interrupted Catlin’s

thoughts.  He  leaned  forward.  What  was  it  about  this
man  that  was  so  different?  Okay,  besides  the  obvious,
that  Catlin  would  be  more  than  happy  to  fuck  or  be
fucked  by this sexy  man. Did  it  make  him a pervert to
be obsessing over an injured man? Shit, he hoped not.

The fluttering of the patient’s long, black lashes

caught Catlin’s attention and he spoke softly, “Hey, you
with us, friend?”

“Yeah.”
The guy’s raspy, whispered answer sent shivers all

the way down Catlin’s spine, settling in his balls. His
cock twitched in his jeans with the start of an extremely
ill-timed erection. He shifted in the chair to hide his
growing bulge, just in case the guy glanced at his groin.
Wishful thinking, Catlin was sure.

“Do you know where you are?” he asked gently.
“Hospital,” the guy said, cracking his eyes open.
Fuck! I was wrong. This guy’s eyes weren’t brown.

They  were  blue,  as-clear-as-the-sky  blue.  He’d  never
seen  anything  like  it.  Catlin  nodded,  buying  himself
time to engage his brain. Mentally smacking himself in
the  back  of  the  head,  he  couldn’t  remember  the  last
time  a  guy  affected  him  this  way.  “My  name  is
Detective Catlin Hill. Do you remember what happened
to land you in the hospital?”

The patient’s eyes slid shut for several seconds

before reopening. “No.”

Okay, Catlin wanted to figure out a way to get

Catlin’s Appaloosa

beyond the one word answers. “Can you tell me your
name?”

That question received another slow blink, followed

by a sigh. “No.”

At least that coincided with what the nurse had said.

“You were found near a motorcycle. The registration
paperwork said Gallo Ricci. Does that ring a bell?”

“It’s pronounced Guy-o Reechee,” he whispered,

and Catlin’s brows lifted at the automatic correction. A
slight smile curved the corners of the man’s square jaw.
“I guess that’s me then, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Catlin replied with a relieved

grin. At least he could confirm the handsome man was
no  longer  a  John  Doe.  “Do  you  remember  anything
else?  Is  there  someone  I  should  contact  about  you?
Parents?  Spouse?  Siblings?  Children?”  Even  as  he
rattled  off  options,  Catlin  prayed  a  couple  of  those
weren’t viable for the man.”

“There’s…someone.” Then Gallo frowned. “I can’t

remember.”

“Just relax, Mr. Ricci. It’s not uncommon for

memory loss in head trauma cases,” said a middle-aged,
dark-haired  doctor  as  he  strode  briskly  into  the  room
followed  by  a  nurse.  Catlin  didn’t  like  the  way  the
doctor stared at Gallo with clinical interest. “It’s nice to
see  you  awake  and  talking.  We  were  getting  worried
about  you,  especially  in  light  of  how  quickly  your
physical injuries healed.”

“No,” Gallo gasped.
Something in the man’s whispered word had Catlin

whipping his head around to refocus on Gallo. The fear
in his tone brought every protective instinct in Catlin

Charlie Richards

roaring to life. He saw Gallo’s pale face and watched
him yank the needle from his arm and scramble up
toward the headboard of the narrow bed.

“Whoa. Hey, easy now. You’re just fine,” he

soothed, stepping closer and reaching out to the
obviously traumatized man.

To his surprise, the cute African American threw

himself at Catlin, wrapped  both arms around his waist,
and  held  on  tight.  Catlin  reflexively  curled  his  arms
around Gallo, sat down on the mattress, and tucked him
close.  The  guy  almost  crawled  onto  his  lap.  Catlin
looked up at the shocked medical staff.  “Give us a few
minutes,  doctor,”  he  said,  using  an  authoritative  tone
that left no room for confusion about wanting to be left
alone.

Once the door closed, Catlin returned his attention to

the trembling man. Something had happened to the guy
for  him  to  act  like  this.  Catlin  had  seen  enough  abuse
victims  in  his  line of work to  recognize  the  signs. The
anger  surging  through  him,  however,  didn’t  make  any
sense.  He’d  always  been  able  to  stay  detached  before,
but  this  guy  made  him  want  to  hunt  down  Gallo’s
tormentors  and  do  things  to  them.  Things  that  were
definitely not legal.

“They’re gone, baby,” he whispered into the

patient’s  ear,  the  endearment  slipping  out  without
conscious  thought.  Rubbing  his  hands  down  Gallo’s
back, he caressed the skin exposed by the open-backed
hospital  gown.  To  his  pleasure,  Gallo  relaxed  against
him. “No one will hurt you,” he added. “I promise.” But
he  damn  well  wanted  to  find  out  who  had  abused  this
man in the past.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

“Oh, you smell good,” Gallo muttered against his

neck, rubbing  his  cheek along the tendons  attaching to
Catlin’s  shoulder.  The  move  sent  tingles  of  awareness
through him, reminding Catlin that he had two hundred
pounds  of  sexy,  nearly  naked  man  pressed  against  his
side.  Before  he  could  formulate  an  appropriate
response,  he  felt  Gallo’s  tongue  flick  across  his  skin,
then teeth scraped up his neck, making him shiver.

“Come on, Gallo,” he muttered around a groan. “We

can’t do this here.”

“Yes, we can,” Gallo countered, sliding a hand under

Catlin’s t-shirt.

Catlin’s skin pebbled under the massaging fingers,

and  his  muscles  rippled  with  pleasure.  He  gripped
Gallo’s  wrist  while  shifting  their  bodies  on  the  bed  so
he was looking down at the handsome man. He pinned
those  questing  hands  to  the  mattress.  “We  need  to  get
out of here first, Gallo.”

That had Gallo’s eyes widening and his gaze darted

around the room. “Yeah. No more tests,” he whispered.

“That’s right. No more tests,” Catlin affirmed,

wondering what kind of tests Gallo thought the doctors
would run. He gently released  the patient’s wrists and,
much  to  his  straining  dick’s  displeasure,  eased  away
from the sexy black man.  “Are you well enough to get
dressed on your own?”

Gallo nodded and slid from the bed. Once standing,

Catlin  realized  the  other  guy  stood  about  three  inches
shorter than his own six  feet two inch height. Maybe it
was  the  small  bed  that  had  made  him  seem  so  much
bigger. He watched Gallo pull on the sweats and t-shirt
Catlin  had  left  for him  that first day,  and  he wondered

Charlie Richards

what he was going to do with the man. Gallo seemed to
have imprinted on him, almost.

The man cautiously glanced toward him several

times  as  he  pulled  on  the  clothes,  although  his  gaze
never reached Catlin’s  face.  Catlin  had swung into one
of  the  local  BDSM  clubs  a  few  times  a  year  when  he
couldn’t  ignore  his  desire  to  dominate  a  lover  any
longer.  He  hadn’t  missed  the  clear  submissiveness  in
Gallo’s  gesture.  It  raised  all  kinds  of  questions  in  his
mind,  like  was  the  man  hurt  during  a  scene?  Was  it  a
Dom  who’d  put  him  in  the  hospital?  It  certainly
explained Catlin’s immediate protective urges.

Once Gallo was dressed, he realized the next part

would  be  a  little  tricky.  Catlin  crossed  to  Gallo  and
urged him to sit on the edge of the bed.  “I need you to
wait  here,”  he  said.  “I’m  going  to  get  the  release
paperwork from the doctor.”

Gallo’s dark skin paled. “You’re leaving me?”
Catlin crouched in front of the man and cupped his

jaw so he could lift Gallo’s face and force him to meet
his gaze. “I will be right back, Gallo. No more than five
minutes,” he promised.

After a couple of seconds, where Gallo’s blue eyes

seemed to search his face, he nodded. “Okay,” he
whispered.

Catlin strode from the room and found the doctor at

the nurse’s desk. “I need Gallo Ricci’s release papers,”
he stated flatly.

“B-but,” the doctor stuttered, “he’s not ready to be

released.”

“Yes, he is,” he countered. “He’s a witness in my

case, and I need him calm. He’s not calm here.” He

Catlin’s Appaloosa

glared at the doctor and crossed his arms over what he
knew was an impressive chest. “Release him into my
custody. I’ll make certain he’s well cared for.”

He’d never allowed his dominant personality out of

the bedroom, or the interrogation room, but couldn’t
stop himself now. Plus, it seemed to get the doctor’s
attention. After a few grumbles, and one scathing look,
the man obeyed, pulling a chart from a bin then typing
up some paperwork on the computer.

Catlin glanced at his watch and saw that four

minutes had passed. Something in him made him
realize he couldn’t be late getting back to Gallo, so he
gave the doctor one more stern look and said, “Bring it
to the room as soon as it’s ready.” After getting a quick
nod from the other man, he hurried back to Gallo.

He paused in the doorway, taking a moment to

watch Gallo pace back and forth. After a few seconds,
the man glanced toward the doorway. He spotted Catlin
instantly, freezing for a second before rushing back to
him. “You’re back.”

Catlin smiled down at the other man. “I said I would

be.”

“Yes, but…” A frown creased Gallo’s face as he

obviously tried to remember something.

“Relax, Gallo,” Catlin said. “Don’t force it. Your

memory will come back in time.”

Gallo nodded, and Catlin couldn’t help reaching out

and  burying  his  hand  in  the  smaller  man’s  scraggly
black hair. He wondered if there was a style Gallo was
going  for  under  four  days  of  disarray,  or  if  the  man
really  didn’t  care  what  he  looked  like.  Even  as  he
thought  a  trim  to  make  the  thick  locks  frame  his  face

Charlie Richards

would  make  Gallo’s  stunning  blue  eyes  pop,  he
couldn’t  miss  Gallo’s  head  turning  to  nuzzle  the  hand
Catlin had  in his hair. Nor did Catlin  miss the fact that
he liked the show of affection.

A throat clearing had Gallo jerking away from him,

much  to  Catlin’s  displeasure.  He’d  like  to  see  if  Gallo
would  be  more  openly  affectionate  once  he  gained  his
memory  back.  On  the  other  hand,  Gallo  might
remember he had a boyfriend waiting at home for him.
That thought caused a frown to crease his features, and
that’s what Catlin focused on the doctor. “Is everything
ready?”

The doctor blanched, then hurried to produce the

necessary  paperwork  for  signatures.  Gallo  drew  back
when the man tried to hand it to him, so Catlin took the
clipboard  and  verified  instructions  for  headaches,
muscle aches, or other possible  side effects. He turned
to  Gallo,  who  stood  behind  him  and  to  the  right,  his
head down but cocked as if listening intently. The move
once again reinforced Gallo’s submissiveness. It was as
if he were looking for direction from Catlin. It occurred
to  him  from  the  incident  on  the  bed,  it  wasn’t  just
direction, either. Gallo seemed to need comforting, and
there was definitely mutual attraction, too.

Refocusing his thoughts, he got the necessary

signatures from Gallo. The handsome black man balked
at sitting  in the wheelchair a nurse  brought.  “Sit  in the
chair, Gallo,”  he  finally ordered. For a second, Gallo’s
gaze  met  his.  Seeing  the  wide-eyed  panic  in  the
muscular  man’s eyes, he softened  his gaze and smiled.
“I  need  to  wheel  you  out  of  the  hospital  to  my  car,
Gallo. It’s hospital policy.”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

That seemed to be all the encouragement Gallo

needed, for he let out a breath and settled into the chair.
As  Catlin  wheeled  the  chair  down  the  hall,  he  leaned
over,  letting  his  breath  brush  Gallo’s  ear  as  he
whispered,  “Besides,  you  don’t  have  any  shoes  on,
baby.  Those  concrete  parking  lots  are  not  comfortable
on bare feet.”

Gallo’s gaze glanced at him over his shoulder before

returning  his  gaze  forward  and  giving  a  quick  nod.
Even  after  his  words  of  reassurance,  Catlin  saw  the
white-knuckled  death-grip  Gallo  had  on  the  chair’s
armrests.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Two

allo stared through the window of the detective’s
car. Confusion, fear, and agitation warred through

his body, making his skin crawl. He wanted to run and
keep  running,  but  Catlin  smelled  so  good.  For  some
reason,  he  felt  safe  around  him,  and  although  he
couldn’t  remember  why  that  was  significant,  Gallo
knew it was.

He let his eyelids slide shut and concentrated on

breathing slowly and deeply. It helped. His skin seemed
to  lose some of  its tightness, and he  no longer  felt  like
ants were crawling underneath it. He wondered, briefly,
who  had  taught  him  this.  The  image  of  a  huge  brunet
entered  his  mind,  but  he  couldn’t  see  the  guy’s  face
clearly,  or  think  of  a  name.  He  sighed.  It  was
something.

“Are you okay?”
The detective’s question had Gallo turning to focus

on him. “I feel… confused,” he whispered honestly.

Catlin reached over and lightly squeezed his thigh

just above his knee before returning his hand to the
wheel. “I’ll help you through this. We’ll figure out what

Catlin’s Appaloosa

happened.”

Gallo didn’t know how Catlin could be so confident,

and frankly, he didn’t care. All he wanted was that hand
on  his  leg  again.  The  detective’s  touch  had  sent  the
most  wonderful  sensations  along  his  nerves.  Just  that
brief  touch  had  his  prick  thickening  in  his  borrowed
sweats and his heart rate increasing. He liked it, almost
as much as he liked the taste of the guy’s skin.

That memory had his dick hardening further. He

inhaled  deeply,  taking  in  Catlin’s  musky  aroma.  The
wonderful  scent  permeated  the  car.  His  shaft  jerked,
pre-cum  oozing  from  the  slit  and  soaking  into  the
fabric. He couldn’t suppress his whimper of shock and
need, and Gallo dropped a  hand to his cock, rubbing it
through the damp fabric.

“Oh, my god, Gallo!” Catlin growled.
Gallo jerked his gaze to Catlin’s shocked brown eyes

for several seconds  before dropping them to the  man’s
crotch.  He saw the thick  bulge  outlined at the  groin  of
the  guy’s  jeans  and  licked  his  lips.  His  ass  clenched,
and Gallo rubbed himself harder. “Need,” he whispered
breathily,  unable  to  express  the  sensations  suddenly
vibrating through his body.

“Gallo, I—”
Whatever Catlin would have said was cut off by the

honk  of  a  car  horn.  “Shit,”  Catlin  growled.  “Gallo,
behave,”  he  ordered,  pressing  on  the  accelerator  and
moving  the  vehicle through the  intersection.  “We’ll  be
at my place in fifteen minutes.”

“I burn,” Gallo whimpered, and he did. His dick felt

like it would fall off it was so hard. He couldn’t
remember ever reacting this way to another’s touch, not

Charlie Richards

that what he could remember was much to go by. Still,
something  told  Gallo  he’d  know  if  he’d  felt  this  way
before.  Instinct  running  deep  through  Gallo’s  veins
assured  him  that  he  needed  this  man,  and  soon.
“Please.”

He managed to bring his gaze up to Catlin’s,

beseeching the man with his eyes. Catlin glanced over
and looked him in the eye. “Damn it,” Catlin swore
before checking his mirrors.

Gallo followed his stare, taking in the country road

they’d  turned  down.  Catlin  whipped  the  vehicle  over
and  stopped.  He  quickly  unbelted  himself  and  leaned
over  Gallo.  “Take  out  your  cock,  Gallo,”  he  ordered
softly.

Moaning, Gallo quickly obeyed. He shimmied his

sweats  down  his  hips,  letting  his  dick  spring  free.  The
dark, engorged organ slapped against Gallo’s stomach,
smearing  pre-cum  across  his  abs.  Catlin  wrapped  his
fingers around Gallo’s dick and stroked  it from root to
crown.

“Oh,” Gallo whispered, spreading his legs and

thrusting  into  the  tunnel  created  by  Catlin’s  fist.  He
gripped  the  door  handle  in  one  hand  and  the  center
console  with  the  other, trying  to  gain  leverage  to  fuck
Catlin’s fist faster.

“Is this what you need?” Catlin growled. “My hand

on you?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” He grunted, lifting his hips again

and again. His eyelids drifted shut as pleasure tingled
through his body, settling in his balls. His testicles
pulled tight, and Gallo’s breathing turned ragged.

“Look at me.”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

The snarled words had Gallo snapping his eyes

open. His focus riveted on Catlin’s darkened brown
eyes. The hand on his dick slowed, keeping his body
just on the edge, but not letting him go over.

Catlin leaned close and whispered, “When we get to

my home, I’m going to have your ass, Gallo.”

Gallo’s skin formed goose-bumps where Catlin’s

warm breath wafted over his skin. He shuddered.

“You like the sound of that don’t you?” Catlin

growled the question into his ear.

Gallo couldn’t seem to get enough moisture into his

mouth to answer Catlin’s question, but the other man
didn’t seem upset. He smiled. The heat of desire almost
made Catlin’s brown eyes appear to smolder as he
swept an appreciative look down Gallo’s body.

“Oh, yes,” Catlin whispered, drawing his face even

closer. Catlin settled his lips over Gallo’s in a soft kiss
that  sent  hot  lust  coursing  through  Gallo’s  veins.
Considering  the  way  the  bigger  man  was  working  his
dick,  Gallo  found  the  soft  press  of  lips  shockingly
chaste. After bringing  the kiss to an end, Catlin  leaned
close to Gallo’s ear and whispered, “Come.”

Gallo’s over-stimulated body obeyed. His cock

spewed his seed in pulsing jets across his shirt and
Catlin’s hand. Soft nibbles against his neck had his dick
sending one last arc into the air. His ragged panting
sounded loud in the confines of the car.

“You’re fucking stunning, Gallo,” Catlin whispered,

nuzzling his neck. “Use your shirt to clean yourself up
while I get us home.”

While Catlin got the car moving again, Gallo

struggled to do as instructed. His movements were slow

Charlie Richards

and jerky as he pulled his soiled t-shirt from his body,
wiped away the rest of his cum, and righted his sweats.
By the time he was done, he realized the detective was
on the phone with someone.

“No, I need to be removed from the case. Brock will

have to take the lead on this one.” There was a pause,
where Catlin’s attention strayed to Gallo for a second.
“Because I’ve become too close to the victim.”

Gallo’s eyes widened. Was this about him? Had he

done something to jeopardize his soon-to-be lover’s
job? He tried to catch Catlin’s attention, but Catlin held
up a hand, telling him to wait. Gallo found himself
instinctively obeying the more dominant man.

“Thank you, Chief.” Catlin hung up just as he pulled

into the driveway of a small ranch-style home. “Here
we are,” he said, flashing a smile toward Gallo that
instantly changed to a heated look as he swept his gaze
down Gallo’s partially clothed form. “Get in the house,
Gallo.”

Gallo scrambled to obey, yanking the door open and

sliding from the car. Gravel bit into the soles of his feet
and he stumbled, crying out.

“Shit!” Catlin muttered. He was there instantly,

sweeping Gallo into his arms. “I should have thought of
that. I’m sorry.” He nuzzled his face into Gallo’s neck
as he held him close and headed toward the house.

Gallo wrapped his arms around Catlin’s neck and

snuggled close against the bigger man’s chest. He liked
how  it felt to be held  by the detective, almost as much
as  he’d  enjoyed  Catlin’s  touch  on  his  dick.  He  had  no
idea  how  Catlin  got  the  door  open,  nor  did  he  pay
attention  to  the  décor  of  the  place.  Instead,  he  rubbed

Catlin’s Appaloosa

his face against Catlin’s neck, inhaling his scent,
wanting to wallow in the amazing odors emanating
from the man.

He resisted when Catlin tried to put him down on a

bed, and a low chuckle rumbled through the guy’s
chest. “I need to check your feet, Gallo.”

“Okay,” he whispered, uncurling his arms and letting

go.

He watched Catlin step back and lift first one foot,

then the other. The look in his eyes was so tender as he
inspected the  flesh and ran  his thumb over the pads of
his  feet.  Gallo  couldn’t  hold  back  the  giggle.  Catlin
grinned  up  at  him,  his  brown  eyes  shining  with  mirth.
“Ticklish, huh?”

Nodding, Gallo tried to pull his feet from Catlin’s

grip,  but  the  man  would  have  none  of  it.  Instead,  the
soft touch changed to massaging caresses. “It looks like
your  feet  are  just  fine,”  he  stated,  working  his  way  up
Gallo’s  leg then his thigh. “Now let’s check the rest of
you,” he growled.

Gallo moaned as Catlin leaned forward and reached

for the waistband of his sweats. He paused, his intense
look settling on Gallo. The look turned questioning. Not
wanting the man to second-guess himself, Gallo eagerly
lifted his hips. “Yesss,” he hissed. Catlin took him at
his word, sliding Gallo’s sweats down and off,
revealing his once again hard dick.

Flipping over on the bed, Gallo rose onto his knees

and elbows. He spread his legs wide, presenting his ass
to Catlin, showing him without words that he
desperately wanted to be filled by him. A low growl of
desire came from behind him, along with the sound of

Charlie Richards

clothes being stripped.

A drawer opened and closed then the bed dipped

behind  him. Catlin’s palms rubbed down  his  spine and
over  his  ass,  settling  Gallo’s  nerves.  “So  beautiful,”
Catlin  whispered  before  draping  himself  over  Gallo’s
back.  “Is  this  what  you  want?”  he  whispered,  rubbing
his  dick  along  Gallo’s  crack.  “You  want  my  dick  in
you?”

He mewled with excitement before pressing his ass

firmly against Catlin’s cock and begging. “Yes, please
fill me.”

Without warning, Catlin’s weight was gone. Panic

flashed  through  Gallo,  thinking  he’d  said  something
wrong.  A  cold  finger  pressed  against  his  anus  and  he
sighed, easily relaxing as the digit pressed in. The lubed
fingers  worked  him  open  quickly.  By  the  time  a  third
filled  him,  he  was  rocking  against  those  wonderful
digits that were hitting his prostate every few thrusts.

Then the fingers were gone, and Gallo trembled with

anticipation as he heard the sound of a condom wrapper
being torn. The pressure of Catlin’s bulbous cock head
kissed his ass, and unable to take another moment of
being separated from this man, Gallo slammed
backward, ramming Catlin’s dick deep into his ass.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Chapter Three

atlin grunted as warm, sucking heat swallowed his
cock. He dug his fingers into Gallo’s hips, refusing

to let the other man move until he’d regained control.
He took several slow, deep breaths, willing himself not
to shoot his load right then.

He’d never responded to another man’s eagerness

quite  like  he  did  with  Gallo.  He’d  actually  stopped  on
the  side  of  the  road  to  stroke  him  off,  and  still  Gallo
seemed  to  want  him  with  almost  desperate  intensity.
Gallo was beyond sexy, with his mocha, toned skin and
amazing blue eyes.

Finally, Catlin felt like he wasn’t going to come at

the slightest movement. He leaned over Gallo, pressing
his chest to Gallo’s back. He licked a line from the back
of Gallo’s neck to just behind his ear before whispering,
“You will not do that again, Gallo. I am in control
here.”

Gallo shuddered under him and nodded.
“Say it,” he demanded gruffly, needing to hear the

guy admit that Catlin was in charge.

“Yes. I won’t do it again,” Gallo gasped. “You’re in

Charlie Richards

control.”

Catlin nodded, pleased beyond reason. He slid his

cock  slowly  out,  relishing  the  sucking  muscles
massaging  his  dick  as  he  moved.  Halfway  out,  he
switched  directions  and  thrust  forward.  Gallo  moaned
under him, his face buried in the comforter.

That wouldn’t do. He wanted to hear the sexy noises

his lover made. Catlin wrapped one arm around Gallo’s
torso  and  hauled  him  upright  against  his  chest.  “Wrap
your  arms  around  my  neck,  Gallo,”  he  ordered.
Pleasure  filled  him  when  the  man  immediately  obeyed
by  lifting  his arms above his head and opening himself
to  Catlin.  “Good,”  he  crooned,  wrapping  his  other  fist
around Gallo’s dick and slowly pumping the hard, silky
flesh.

“Oh! Catlin,” Gallo moaned.
Catlin grinned and nibbled the tendons of Gallo’s

neck, pleased when his new lover tilted his neck to give
him more room. He slid his cock out and in, setting up a
smooth, swift rhythm that used his own thrust to shove
Gallo’s  dick  through  his  fist.  Gallo  rested  his  head  on
Catlin’s  shoulder.  The  whimpers  of  pleasure  escaping
Gallo  had  Catlin’s  chest  flooding  with  pride  that  he
could get the man to lose it so completely.

He tweaked one of Gallo’s nipples, first scraping his

nail over the pebbled nub, then gripping it and twisting.
Gallo cried out and his body stiffened. Gallo’s cock
swelled in Catlin’s fist, and he knew the other man was
close. He sucked on the sensitive flesh behind Gallo’s
ear, listening to the man pant, his body shuddering as he
struggled to keep his orgasm at bay.

“Please, please let me come,” Gallo pleaded.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Remembering what had happened in the car, Catlin

lifted his mouth from the reddened flesh and whispered,
“Come for me, Gallo.”

The scream of pleasure that ripped through the air

only rivaled the intense pressure wrapping Catlin’s dick
in  a  stranglehold  of  heat.  Gallo’s  ass  muscles  rippled
with  each  shot  of  his  cock’s  seed  arcing  across  the
comforter,  massaging  Catlin’s  dick  in  a  milking
rhythm.  Catlin’s  eyes  widened  as  his  orgasm  roared
through  his  body,  starting  at  the  base  of  his  neck,
working  down  his  spine,  drawing  up  his  balls,  and
exploding cum from his dick.

Catlin’s body jerked, his cock flexing within the

confines  of  Gallo’s  ass  as  he  filled  the  condom  with
more  seed  than  he  thought  his  body  could  produce.  A
deep  desire  to  actually  warm  Gallo’s  channel  with  his
essence  filled  him,  leaving  him  gasping  with  the
intensity of the sensations. One  last shudder  left Catlin
drained  in  more  ways  than  one.  The  lack  of  sleep
caught up with him, and all he wanted to do was curl up
with Gallo in his arms and sleep.

He petted and stroked Gallo’s sides and chest as they

both  came  down  from  their  endorphin  high.  The  other
man settled  almost limply  against him,  and Catlin  held
them  both  upright.  After  a  moment,  Catlin’s  cock
slipped  from Gallo’s warm body, causing them both to
groan. He gripped the condom and slipped it off before
helping Gallo settle onto the bed.

“I’ll be right back, baby,” he whispered, pressing a

kiss to Gallo’s temple.

Gallo murmured softly, but didn’t move.
Catlin grinned, liking how cute the man looked sated

Charlie Richards

and  relaxed.  He  hustled  to  the  master  bath  and
discarded  the  condom  before  wetting  a  washcloth  and
cleaning  himself up.  After rinsing the cloth, he  headed
back  to  the  dozing  man.  He  gently  cleaned  his  lover,
tossed the cloth toward the bathroom, and climbed into
the bed.

He pulled Gallo into his arms, pleased with how he

immediately  snuggled  close,  resting  his  head  on
Catlin’s  chest  and  settling  an  arm  around  his  waist.
Catlin  sighed,  relaxing  into  the  mattress.  He  couldn’t
remember  the  last  time  he’d  felt  so  sated.  His  relaxed
state had him immediately slipping into a light doze.

The doorbell ringing followed by a fist pounding on

his  front  door  pulled  Catlin  awake.  He  glared  at  the
ceiling,  willing  his  visitor  away.  When  the  pounding
came again, this time disturbing Gallo, he slid from the
bed.  “Stay  here  and  rest,”  he  murmured,  seeing  Gallo
eye him while he pulled a pair of sweats from a drawer
and yanked them on. He glanced at the alarm clock on
the nightstand and read the glowing red numbers. Eight
thirty seven. Just great.

He strode through the house and pulled the door

open. He wasn’t surprised to find Brock at the door. His
best  friend  and  partner  on  the  force  didn’t  wait  for  an
invitation.  He  strode  into  the  front  room,  rested  his
hands on  his  hips, and glared at Catlin.  “What the hell
is  going  on?”  he  asked.  “I  got  a  call  from  the  chief
saying you were handing the case over to me.”

Catlin nodded. “That’s right. Did he tell you why I

chose to hand the case over?”

Brock scoffed. “He said you’d gotten too close to the

Catlin’s Appaloosa

victim. You’re the most levelheaded person I’ve ever
met,” he said, shaking his head. “So I know that can’t
be the truth. Tell me what’s up.”

“It is the truth,” Catlin affirmed with a shrug.
Brock snorted. “What?”
Catlin crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a

brow, knowing his friend had heard him.

“That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard

you say!” Brock roared. The dark-skinned African
American reached out, grabbed his shoulders, and gave
a slight shake. “Why the hell would you jeopardize a
case for some ass? This could ruin your career!”

An angry, nearly unintelligible sound came from the

hallway. Catlin turned just in time to see Gallo leap
forward. His lover’s blue eyes blazed with anger. He’d
never seen the guy be anything other than timid, so this
display of courage on his behalf shocked Catlin even as
it turned him on.

Gallo’s skin began to ripple. White blotches

appeared on his flesh, bones cracked and sinew popped
as  Gallo’s  body  grew  and  changed.  His  head
lengthened,  his  sweats  tore  from  his  expanding  body,
and  a  scraggly  black  tail  grew  from  his  ass.  Seconds
later,  a  fourteen-hand  appaloosa  stallion  careened
between  them,  shoving  his  shoulder  into  Brock  and
knocking  the  man  back  several  steps.  The  animal
pinned its ears back and screamed a neigh of warning at
the other man.

Catlin froze for all of ten seconds, his brain trying to

work  through  what  he’d  just  witnessed.  Did  Gallo
really  just  turn  into  a  horse?  Seeing  the  small  equine
standing  in  his  living  room,  he’d  have  to  answer  yes,

Charlie Richards

even though he had no clue how such a thing could
happen. Can Gallo change back? He had no idea, but
he sure hoped so. Can Gallo understand me? He’d have
to see.

“Gallo?” Catlin drew the one word out, using a low

tone  to  both  warn  and  soothe.  An  ear  flicked  back  at
him,  showing  him  the  animal  paid  attention  to  him.
Now will he listen? Using the same tone as he’d used to
get the  man  to  sit  in  the  wheelchair  at  the  hospital,  he
said,  “Back away  from  Brock, Gallo. He doesn’t mean
any harm.”

Hooves scuffed the hardwood floor as the black

appaloosa with white teardrop shaped spots moved first
one step, then a couple  more  away  from Brock. Catlin
rested  a  hand  on  the  animal’s  shoulder.  Thick  muscles
rippled  under  the  fur,  and  Gallo’s  head  lowered.  That
was when Catlin saw the animal’s eyes. Intelligent blue
eyes  filled  with  remorse  watched  him,  as  if  concerned
he’d done something horribly wrong.

He didn’t like that look in the man’s—shape-

shifter’s—  eyes,  but  didn’t  know  how  to  reassure  a
horse.  Can  Gallo  control  this  ability?  “Gallo,  can  you
change back?”  he asked. How he managed to sound so
calm, he had no idea. All he knew was he had to hold it
together for his lover’s sake.

Slowly the horse folded its legs under it and settled

on its belly. Then the process started all over again, this
time in reverse. The tail disappeared, as did the fur. The
head reshaped, the eyes moving back to the front of
Gallo’s face. The bones and tendons again snapped and
popped, and Catlin had to fight back a cringe at the
painful sound. Seconds later, his lover lay naked on the

Catlin’s Appaloosa

hardwood floor, panting as if he’d just run a marathon.

“Hand me that blanket, Brock,” he ordered, pointing

toward the folded cloth on the back of the couch.

Brock brought it, a wary look in his dark eyes.

“What the hell is going on, Catlin?”

“I don’t know, yet, but I intend to find out,” he

answered.

He wrapped the blanket around the shivering man’s

body and scooped him into his arms. This is becoming
a routine, he thought wryly. He glanced over his
shoulder at Brock. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Brock snorted. “Hell, no, I plan on hearing whatever

your new boy toy has to say about that freaky little
ability.”

Gallo cringed, and Catlin turned and glared at his

partner. “Don’t call him that,” he snapped.

“What?” Brock asked, surprised. “Boy toy? Or

freak?”

The man in his arms huddled in on himself, tensing

further in his arms.

Catlin growled. “Both, he’s neither.”
Without waiting for an answer, he strode down the

hall and returned Gallo to his bedroom. This time he
tucked him under the covers. “We’re going to need to
talk about this,” he admonished.

“I didn’t mean to turn into my animal,” Gallo

whispered miserably.

Smiling, Catlin tilted Gallo’s head up to meet his

gaze. “Not that, baby. I told you to stay here, and you
disobeyed me. We can’t have that happening again. Got
it?”

“You’re not upset that I turn into an appaloosa

Charlie Richards

instead of a paint?”

Catlin truly had no clue what Gallo was talking

about,  but  he  knew  that  the  man  needed  reassurance,
and probably a lot of it. “No, baby. You could turn into
a  purple  hippopotamus  with  pink  spots  and  I  wouldn’t
care. You being safe and healthy are what I care about.”
He smiled at the wonder in Gallo’s expression, pleased
and  relieved  he’d  figured  out  the  right  thing  to  say.
“Now, do you need anything? Water? Juice?”

He watched Gallo nibble his lip for a few seconds

before realizing his lover would need just a little more
encouragement. “Whatever it is, if I can provide it, I
will.”

“Do you have any hot chocolate?” Gallo asked,

staring shyly through his lashes.

“I think I have some,” he whispered, pressing a soft

kiss to Gallo’s lips. Gallo gripped his shoulders, his
body rising as he tried to press closer, but Catlin eased
the kiss to an end. “Stay here this time. I’ll be back in a
few minutes.”

After getting a nod from Gallo, he headed toward the

kitchen.  He  found  Brock  standing  at  the  counter,  two
empty  beer  bottles  in  front  of  him,  and  the  man  was
working  on  a  third.  Walking  by,  he  waved  a  hand
toward the downed alcohol. “What’s this?”

“Are you telling me you don’t need a couple beers

after what just happened?” Brock asked incredulously.

Catlin shrugged and pulled the canister of instant hot

chocolate mix from the cupboard then the milk from the
refrigerator. “I guess it hasn’t hit me yet,” he admitted.
“I’m more worried about the man in my bed.”

“What the hell is he doing in your bed anyway?

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Since when do you bring home strange men from the
hospital and fuck ‘em, man?” Brock downed the rest of
his beer and slammed the bottle down. “And now
you’re cooking for him?”

Catlin paused from where he was buttering a piece

of bread in preparation  for  making a grilled turkey and
cheese  for  Gallo.  Brock  had  a  point.  His  behavior  that
afternoon  was  completely  out  of  character,  from
cuddling a patient in the hospital to ordering his release,
to taking him home and fucking him. And even he  had
to  admit,  his  culinary  skills  were  nil,  but  still,  here  he
was trying to feed Gallo.

He shook his head and put the sandwich on the stove

to cook. “There’s just something about him,” he
replied, trying to think of how to explain the possessive
protectiveness he felt every time he was near Gallo.

“You got that right,” Brock muttered, pulling

another beer from Catlin’s fridge.

Stirring the chocolate powder into the heated milk,

Catlin glared at Brock. “Is it because he’s a guy? Or
would you be this big of an asshole if it were a woman,
too?”

“Awe, fuck, man!” Brock barked, the bottle halfway

to  his  lips.  “You  know  I  never  cared that  you’re  gay.”
When  Catlin  just  continued  to  stare  at  him,  Brock
dropped  into  a  chair  at  his  small  wooden  table  and
sighed.  “Come on. Even  you  have to admit that a  man
turning into a horse is weird!”

“I’m not arguing that with you,” Catlin admitted,

scooping the sandwich from the pan to a plate. He knew
the strangeness of this situation would hit him soon, but
he didn’t have time to dwell on it at the moment. Catlin

Charlie Richards

needed  to take  care of  the  abused,  traumatized  man  in
his  bed.  Maybe  after  Brock  stopped  whoever  had
mugged his man he’d think about the fact that his lover
could  turn  into  a  horse,  which  brought  another  scary
question  to  mind  that  he  didn’t  want  to  deal  with.  At
least this one, he could pass on.

Picking up the glass of hot chocolate, he turned to

Brock and smiled evilly. “Here’s something to boggle
your mind. If Gallo can turn into a horse, what the hell
is tough enough to take him down?”

“Awe, shit,” Brock muttered.
Catlin smirked and headed back to Gallo, but his

mirth  faded  when  he  thought  about  the  question  he’d
posed.  What  had happened to  Gallo  to land  him in the
hospital with amnesia? Again, he pushed the disturbing
thoughts  from  his  mind.  Some  things  were  just  more
important.

He entered the bedroom to find Gallo sitting up, his

back  against  the  headboard  and  his  arms  wrapped
around  his  knees.  When  he  looked  up  at  Catlin,  the
tears  in  his  eyes  sent  an  unfamiliar  ache  through
Catlin’s chest.

“Hey,” he whispered, settling on the bed next to him.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Does it hurt you to
change into a horse and back?” It sure as hell looked
and sounded like it did. Why hadn’t he thought to bring
some pain killers?

“Your friend thinks I’m a freak,” Gallo whispered

miserably.

Catlin pressed the mug into Gallo’s hand, not liking

how cold and clammy his lover’s fingers were. “Your
ability just took him by surprise,” he said. Brock wasn’t

Catlin’s Appaloosa

the only one surprised, but he couldn’t add that.

“Do you think I’m a freak?”
“Absolutely not,” he immediately answered,

surprising even himself with the intensity of the feeling
behind his words. “You’re perfect just the way you
are.”

“You think so?”
“Absolutely,” Catlin assured. “You’re sexy as fuck,

Gallo,  with  your  toned,  muscular  body,  high  cheek-
bones and  striking  blue eyes. I  love the way  you  fit  in
my  arms.  I  love  the  way  you  take  my  cock. I  love  the
way you look to me for direction, but will still come to
my  aid  if  you  think  I  need  it.  I  just  hope  you  won’t
come  to  dislike  me  once  you  learn  all  my  quirks,”  he
teased.

That had a small smile curving Gallo’s lips, and the

guy finally settled down enough to take a sip of hot
chocolate. He hummed happily and took a much larger
swallow. “This is wonderful. Thank you,” he
whispered.

“Good. I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook, but you

need to eat. I hope you like grilled cheese.”

Gallo took the plate, surprise etched on his features.

“You cooked for me?”

Catlin eyed the man, again wondering just what had

happened  to  him  in  the  past  to  make  him  doubt  that
another would be willing to do something so simple for
him.  “Yes,  baby, I cooked for you. Eat up while  I  talk
to  Brock.  If  you  get  done  before  I  come  back,  the
bathroom  is through that door. There  are a couple new
toothbrushes  in  the  second  drawer.  Clean  up  and  get
some rest.”

Charlie Richards

“Okay,” Gallo whispered, but a smile played across

his lips. “Thank you,” he called softly.

Catlin paused in the doorway and smiled back at

him. “You’re welcome, Gallo.”

He walked out to the front room and gratefully took

the beer Brock handed him. “Let me guess. You’re
sleeping on my couch?” he asked.

“Thanks!” Brock said with a grin.
Catlin shook his head as they moved the

conversation to the living room. “Your case just got a
hell of a lot more interesting,” he said and grimaced.

“Yeah, so did your life,” Brock quipped back.
The sound of the shower running caught Catlin’s

attention. The thought of a wet, naked Gallo had his
pulse picking up and a grin splitting his lips. “Yeah,
yeah

did.”

Even

considering

the

strange

circumstances, Catlin couldn’t find it in him to be sorry
about that.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Chapter Four

allo walked slowly through the house, admiring the
Native American décor. He stared at the different

size  dream  catchers,  Anasazi  artifacts,  and  pueblo
pieces. Gallo wondered what Catlin saw in those items.
Did  they  mean  something  to  the  man?  He’d  seen  the
small  barn out back and the two  bay  horses grazing  in
an  attached  paddock,  and  he  wondered  if  Catlin  had
Native American blood somewhere in his past. With his
light  brown  hair  and  pale  brown  eyes,  he  supposed  it
was possible.

He hadn’t noticed any of the truly spectacular pieces

when he’d been carried through the door yesterday,
because he’d been too busy trying to get the other man
to fuck him. His cock jerked in his borrowed sweats at
the memory. He forced those thoughts away, since the
object of his obsession wasn’t there.

The detective had woken Gallo at seven, letting him

know he’d  have to leave  for the  morning to talk  to his
boss,  but  he’d  be  back  around  noon  for  lunch.  That
brought  another  idea  to  mind.  Catlin  had  made  him  a
late supper  last night, so  maybe  he  should  make  lunch

Charlie Richards

for him. Gallo nibbled his lip. Would Catlin mind if I
used his kitchen? What should I make?

He started opening and closing cupboards, learning

what was available, wondering what he could make.
Without thinking, he picked up the phone and dialed a
number.

“This is Brad.”
Gallo froze. Shit! Who is Brad?
“Hello?”
“Hi,” he finally whispered.
“Gallo? Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you? What happened? We’ve all been

worried sick!”

They had been? Who are they? Gallo took a deep

breath. “I don’t know. I don’t remember. Who— Shit!
Who are you?” he finally blurted out.

That got a pause, then, “Gallo, you called me but

you don’t remember me?”

“I have amnesia,” he admitted.
“Okay.”
For some reason, Gallo could actually hear the other

guy take a deep breath and let it out.

“What were you doing that made you think to call

me?”

“I was trying to decide what to make Catlin for

lunch,” he answered immediately. That, at least, he
knew.

“Who’s Catlin?” Brad asked.
“Detective Catlin Hill,” Gallo said. “I’m staying

with him while I figure out what’s going on.”

“Okay. Is he taking good care of you?” Brad asked,

Catlin’s Appaloosa

clearly worried.

“Yeah. He’s very nice. He didn’t even mind when I

turned into an appaloosa in his living room,” he added,
a smile tugging at his lips.

“You what!” Brad roared. “Bloody hell, Gallo!”
Gallo felt the blood drain from his face, dropped

onto a chair, and nearly hyperventilated at the
frustration he heard in Brad’s voice.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry I yelled, little bit. Your

words were just very…unexpected. Just breathe, Gallo,
just breathe.”

The other man’s crooning finally got through to him,

and  Gallo  sucked  in  deep  breaths.  “I’m  sorry,”  he
finally  squeaked  out.  “I  didn’t  mean  to.  I  thought  he
was  being  attacked  by  this  other  guy,  and  I  had  to
protect  him.  I  didn’t  know  it  was  wrong  until  Brock
freaked out.”

“Shit, there were two humans,” he whispered, then

he paused for a second. “And you thought you needed
to protect one?” Brad’s surprise came through loud and
clear.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I—I thought the other guy

was hurting him and—and—” He couldn’t even begin
to express the terror that had swept through him at the
thought of something happening to Catlin.

“Okay, Gallo, okay. I’m going to let Kontra know

who you’re with, and I’m going to tell him what
happened. He’ll be able to make certain nothing bad
happens to you.”

“Who’s Kontra?”
“The leader of our motorcycle gang. You won’t be

able to miss him, just hold on a sec.”

Charlie Richards

Gallo nodded absently, even though he knew Brad

wouldn’t  be  able  to  see  it.  He  heard  Brad  sharing  the
information Gallo had  just told him to someone named
Dagus,  who  promised  to  call  Kontra  right  away,  then
Brad returned to the phone.

“Now, you said you wanted to cook lunch for your

man, right?”

“Yeah,” he answered, remembering his original

reason for the call.

“Okay, tell me what you have in the pantry to work

with and I’ll help you whip up something to wow the
guy.”

Relief engulfed Gallo. “Thanks.”

“Baby, I’m home! Where you at?”
Gallo jumped up from where he was sitting in the

dining room, reading. “In here,” he called.

Footsteps approached and he couldn’t help but smile

when Catlin appeared around the corner. When the man
opened his arms, Gallo didn’t hesitate to step into the
embrace. Catlin cupped Gallo’s jaw, lifted his face, and
claimed his mouth in a deep kiss. Immediately, Gallo’s
dick responded, and he instinctively pressed his
hardening shaft against Catlin’s thigh.

Catlin grunted, and Gallo felt an answering hardness

against his hip. Sliding his tongue against Gallo’s in an
erotic  tango,  Catlin  took  the  kiss  deeper.  He  clutched
the  detective’s  shoulders,  trying  to  get  closer.  Catlin’s
arm  at  his  waist  tightened,  tugging  him  flush  against
him.

Gallo wanted to climb the man’s body like a jungle

gym, or drop to his knees and suck dry the hard shaft

Catlin’s Appaloosa

pressing against him. The beeping of the oven timer
caught his attention and he groaned.

Catlin chuckled and broke the kiss. “Cooking

something, baby?”

“Yes, I made you lunch. I hope you like pizza.”
Catlin’s brows shot up. “You made pizza? I didn’t

know I had pizza in the freezer.”

“You didn’t. I called Brad, and he helped me make it

from scratch,” he replied happily, pulling the fragrant
pan from the oven.

“Really? Uh, who’s Brad?”
Gallo’s brow creased as he set the pan on the wire

cooling rack. “I ride my motorcycle with him,” he
finally answered. He grinned, immensely pleased with
himself. “I remembered!”

A smile creased Catlin’s mouth, but Gallo noticed it

didn’t  quite  reach  the  other  man’s  eyes.  Worry  filled
him. Had  he done  something wrong? Evidently,  Catlin
must  have  noticed  his  trepidation,  for  he  quickly
wrapped  Gallo  in  his  arms.  “I’m  very  happy  for  you,”
Catlin murmured into his neck.

The vibrations had Gallo instantly relaxing against

the bigger man, and the scent of his lover calmed his
nerves. “I still don’t remember most things, like where I
was going or who I was with, or even most of my
friends,” he admitted.

“It’s a start, baby. It’s a start,” Catlin purred. Easing

his grip, Catlin inhaled deeply and stared at the pizza on
the counter. “That looks amazing! I didn’t know I had
sausage or green peppers around here.”

Gallo laughed. “You need to check your freezer and

crisper more often,” he teased.

Charlie Richards

Catlin winked. “I warned you last night that I’m not

much of a cook.”

Pulling out the cutting wheel, he quickly went to

work  creating  even  slices  out  of  the  pizza.  “Well,
you’re in luck, because it seems that I am a pretty good
cook.”  Then  his  face  heated,  realizing  how  that
sounded.  He  glanced  at  Catlin,  then  at  the  floor.  “I
mean… I can create a meal or two when we’re together
or—”

“Hey, I know what you really meant,” Catlin

interrupted, taking the pizza from him. He held Gallo’s
gaze and added, “I like the idea of you being around
here more often.”

Gallo sighed, tension in his shoulders he hadn’t even

realized he’d been holding seemed to ease. “Okay,” he
whispered.

He ducked his head, smiling shyly at the moan of

approval Catlin made when the detective chewed a big
bite of the pizza. “This is amazing,” Catlin said around
a mouthful. “I am never ordering out again. I’m hiring
you as my personal chef,” he said before taking another
huge mouthful.

Feeling the heat of a blush, Gallo focused on eating

his  own  pizza.  He  had  to  admit,  it  tasted  fantastic.  I’ll
have  to  send  Brad  a  thank  you  note.  Well,  if  I  ever
remember  where  he  lives  anyway.  And  if  the  idea  of
staying and being Catlin’s chef warmed him even more.
It wasn’t like Gallo had to admit it to anybody.

After they finished their meal, Catlin volunteered to

do the dishes. “Hey, I have a friend dropping off your
bike. It should be here soon. I set your saddlebags in the
hall, if you want to go through them.” He grinned and

Catlin’s Appaloosa

winked. “I’m sure you’re looking forward to dressing in
your own clothes.”

“Thanks,” Gallo murmured and headed through the

house.

He found the saddlebags and took them to the

bedroom. Setting them on a chair, he pawed through the
contents,  finding  the  usual;  clothes,  toiletries,  biker
leathers. There  was one picture, showing  him  standing
outside  a  pub  with  a  group  of  eight  other  guys.  Most
were  bigger  than  him,  although  a  couple  were  much
smaller, and  a  huge  bear of a  man  had  his arm around
Gallo’s shoulders.

He wondered who everyone was and if Brad was in

the photo. He also wondered what his relationship with
the  big  guy  was.  Was  that  Kontra?  Setting  the  picture
aside,  he  found  a  pair  of  clean  jeans  and  a  sweatshirt.
He  stripped  his  sweats,  pulled  the  jeans  on,  then  after
tucking in his shirt, pulled the sweatshirt over his head.
He  fingered  the  worn,  navy  green  fabric  before  lifting
the collar to his nose and inhaling deeply.

Memories assaulted him, images coming hard and

fast. He gasped as the memory of pain radiated through
his back from a whipping with a horse crop. A bear of a
man roared angrily  at someone while Gallo  hid  behind
his bulk. The tattooed behemoth stood over him as two
others  carefully  cleaned  his  wounds,  fed  him,  and
helped  him  heal.  The  faces  of  the  men  in  the  photos,
laughing  and  joking,  himself  included  in  their  fun  as
they all had a good time at what must have been the bar
in the picture.

Tears slipped down his face and Gallo picked up the

photo again. Names swam through his brain, and he

Charlie Richards

was able to fit them to the bikers in the photo.  Kontra,
he remembered the big man was definitely Kontra, had
stumbled  upon  his  abusers  in  the  woods,  probably
saving his life. The big man had taken him to the hotel
he was staying at, given  him  his  bed, had  a small  man
named Yuma soothe and feed him after a doctor named
Eli  cleaned  him  up.  Those  men  were  his  friends,  and
they’d be worried about him.

The roar of a motorcycle engine caught his attention.

Gallo set the photo back down, wiped his face, and
headed to the front. Catlin had just finished the dishes
and met him in the hallway. Catlin gripped his shoulder
gently and pulled him close. His other hand cupped his
chin and a thumb wiped away a stray tear he’d missed.

“Are you okay, Gallo?”
Touched by Catlin’s concern, Gallo met the other

man’s warm gaze and smiled. “Yeah. I had some
memories come back.” Then he grimaced. “Not all of
them were good,” he admitted.

“I hope sometime you’ll feel comfortable sharing

with me,” Catlin said. “I’d like to help.”

He started to nod, but the honk he recognized as his

V-Rod  Harley  sounded  outside  the  house.  “That’s  my
bike,”  he  said  with  a  grin.  “It  took  me  six  months  to
figure  out  how  to  drive  one  and  earn  my  license,”  he
admitted, as he  slipped on  his shoes.  “I’d  never driven
anything before.”

“Really? How old were you when that happened?”

Catlin asked curiously.

“Um…forty-two, I guess,” he replied. Catlin’s

choked sound had him jerking his head up. “What?”

“How old are you, baby?” Catlin asked softly.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

From the serious look in his eyes, Gallo realized

he’d once again said something wrong. He seemed to
do that a lot. Not certain what it was, he folded his arms
around his middle and responded, “Fifty-seven.”

When Catlin just narrowed his eyes but didn’t say

anything,  Gallo’s  flight  instinct  took  over.  He  hurried
out the door, suddenly wanting nothing more than to get
on  his  bike  and  run  from  that  look,  because  he  knew
what  it  meant.  Catlin  thought  he  had  a  few  screws
loose.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Five

hit! I botched that up. Yeah, hearing Gallo say he
was that old had thrown him, and Catlin’s first

inclination was the guy was still confused from his head
injury.  Then  he’d  seen  the  hurt  in  Gallo’s  eyes,
followed  by  fear.  It  had  speared  Catlin  through  to  his
core.  He  didn’t  want  his  lover  to  slip  away,  and  now
that  Gallo  had  his  bike  back,  it  was  a  very  real
possibility.

Catlin hurried after Gallo. He was surprised to find

his  lover  talking  animatedly  about  his  bike  with  Rich
and  Katelyn.  His  friend  had  jumped  at  the  chance  to
drive the Harley, and his wife had followed him in their
pick-up.  Now Rich and Gallo were discussing the pros
and cons of different motorcycles.

Needing to know just how upset Gallo was with him

and  willing  to take  a  chance,  Catlin  walked  up  behind
him and slipped an arm around his waist. He settled his
chin on Gallo’s shoulder and looked at the bike.  “It’s a
beautiful  bike,  baby.  You  gonna  take  me  for  a  ride  on
it?” he asked softly.

When Catlin had initially drawn close to the shifter,

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Gallo had stiffened. When he whispered into his ear,
Gallo began to relax.

Gallo turned his head and looked at him. “You’d

really want me to take you for a ride?” He seemed
genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, Gallo, I’d love to wrap my arms around you

and hold you close as you carry us down the highway
on your bike.”

“Okay,” Gallo whispered.
Catlin watched Rich’s brows lift, and realized this

was  quite  a  public  display  of  affection  for  him,
especially  since  he  was  out on his driveway  for all  the
world  to  see.  Katelyn,  on  the  other  hand,  grinned,
saying, “I didn’t know you were dating someone again,
Catlin. You look so cute together! How’d you meet?”

“I met him on a case,” he answered simply, “and

couldn’t resist his sweet charms.” He grinned and
winked, then pecked a kiss to Gallo’s temple.

Before his friends could ask for more information,

the roar of several motorcycle engines powering up the
street drowned out the possibility of conversation. To
his surprise, four bikes came to a stop at the foot of his
driveway.

When the biggest of the bunch pulled his helmet off

and  pinned  a  cold,  dark-brown  eyed  stare  at  him  and
Gallo, he had to fight back a shiver from working down
his spine. Gallo had no such problem. Suddenly, Catlin
found  his  arms  empty  as  Gallo  shouted  excitedly  and
raced  toward  the  man.  To  his  shock,  the  big  biker
grinned,  opened  his  arms,  and  caught  his  lover.  Gallo
wrapped his arms and legs around the guy, who laughed
and  hugged  him  tightly  before  pecking  a  kiss  on  his

Charlie Richards

forehead and gently setting him down. “It’s good to see
you, too, little bit,” the biker said, chuckling.

“Who’s that?” Rich asked curiously.
“I have no idea, but I intend to find out,” he replied

through  clenched  teeth.  Seeing  his  lover  in  another
man’s arms sent unexpected waves of jealousy through
him. For the first time in his career, he actually felt the
urge  to  use  his  badge  for  something  other  than  police
business,  like  tossing  this  guy  in  jail  on  a  trumped  up
charge just to keep him away from Gallo.

Evidently, his glare wasn’t lost on the big man. The

guy smirked, but at least he gently pushed Gallo away
from him and toward Catlin. “Introduce me to your
friend, little bit.”

Catlin quickly schooled his features, not wanting his

skittish lover to feel threatened by him in any way. He
crossed  to  Gallo’s  side  and  took  his  hand,  earning  a
smile  from  the  horse  shifter.  That  eased  his  frustration
almost as  much  as the  fact that Gallo  let  him  pull  him
close and tuck him against his side.

“This is Detective Catlin Hill. Catlin, this is my

friend Kontra. He…” Emotions too quick for Catlin to
follow flickered across his face, before he tried again.
“He helped me when I really needed it.”

Catlin realized there was a hell of a story behind that

statement. He let his ire flow out of him with a slow
exhale as he pasted an understanding expression on his
face. “I’m glad you had someone.” Keeping his features
carefully neutral, Catlin said to Kontra, “Won’t you and
your friends come in?”

Kontra nodded, “That’d be great.” His gaze strayed

toward Rich and Katelyn, who immediately made their

Catlin’s Appaloosa

excuses and nice to meet yous before climbing into the
truck at the end of the driveway and leaving.

The hairs on the back of Catlin’s neck stood on end

as he led the way into his house, his arm still securely
around Gallo’s waist. “Can I get anyone coffee or a
beer?”

“A beer sounds good,” Kontra answered.
“Sure, make yourself comfortable,” he said. “I’ll be

right back.”

“I’ll help,” Gallo immediately offered.
Catlin smiled at his lover. “Thanks, baby.”
Reaching the kitchen, Catlin glanced at the contents

of the refrigerator. “Turn the oven on and reheat that
pizza. Would your friends like that, baby?”

Gallo nodded. “Yeah. Good idea.”
They quickly tossed the last three slices of the first

pizza into the microwave and the extra pizza Gallo had
made into the oven. Catlin pulled out several beers,
gave Gallo a quick kiss because he couldn’t get enough
of his lips, and took the beverages to the living room.

“Here you go,” he said, handing a bottle to each of

the  men  and  leaving one on the coffee table  for Gallo.
He straightened and glanced around at the men. All four
of  them  were  good-sized  guys  ranging  from  about  six
foot to  six  foot  five  or  so.  The  big  guy  was  obviously
the  leader  judging  by  the  way  the  others  discreetly
watched him and took their lead from him.

“How did Gallo end up here?”
Catlin straightened and met Kontra’s hard gaze head

on. “He was attacked and left in an alley. He was in a
coma for five days and woke with amnesia.”

“And he ended up in your home how?” Kontra

Charlie Richards

raised a brow, obviously waiting for an answer.

Narrowing his eyes, Catlin’s jaw clenched for a

second.  He  took  a  deep  breath  and  reminded  himself
these  were  Gallo’s  friends  and  had  saved  him
from…well…something.  Catlin  couldn’t  deny  his
worry. Since his lover’s pals had arrived, his man could
possibly  leave  him.  Surely,  he  could  convince  Gallo
that  he  had  more  to  offer  him  than  these  guys.  They
might  be  fellow  shifters,  but  Catlin  could  give  him  a
home,  and  eventually,  maybe  even  love.  He  already
cared greatly for the man, and Gallo seemed to care for
him in return. Wait. Are these guys shifters, too?

He decided to test the waters. “His appaloosa likes

me.”

“That’s rare. I’ve only seen his appaloosa a handful

of times in the fifteen years he’s traveled with us,” a
tall, slender guy in the back said. “Kontra told us he
shifted to help you.”

Okay, so they know he’s a shifter. Does that mean

they  can  turn  into  horses,  too?  Or  are  they  something
else? Because they sure as hell aren’t  human!  Just the
idea  of  sitting  across  from  guys  who  could  turn  into
wild animals, men Catlin didn’t need to fuck more than
he  needed  his  next  breath,  had  his  heart  rate  shooting
through  the  roof.  He  took  a  deep,  soothing  breath  to
settle  his  nerves.  He  reminded  himself  one  more  time
that his own lover was a shifter and it didn’t bother him
before saying,  “My partner on the  force was  frustrated
with  my  decision  to  pass  the  case  to  him.  He  didn’t
believe  me when I told  him I’d gotten too close to the
victim. He believed me after that,” he said flatly.

“Okay, here’s some pizza in case anyone is hungry,”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Gallo interrupted, bustling into the room. He set the
tray on the coffee table along with plates, napkins, and
silverware.

Kontra lifted a brow, and Catlin had to admit he was

pleased the guy deferred to him in his home. “Help
yourselves,” he said, waving a hand at the food. “As
you know, Gallo called his friend Brad. The guy helped
my man make a hell of a pizza.”

“Brad’s a great cook. We already miss him on the

road,”  Kontra  stated,  leaning  forward  and  grabbing  a
plate and a slice of pizza. The others followed suit, and
Kontra  added,  “This  is  Eli,  Haben,  and  Payson,”  he
added, pointing first to the tall, slender brunet, then to a
broad-shouldered,  black  haired  African  American,  and
finally at a toned, shorter redhead.

“Nice to meet you all,” Catlin replied easily. “Are

you human or horse shifters?” he asked bluntly. It
couldn’t hurt to try to confirm his suspicions.

Kontra took his question in stride. “We’re shifters,

but not horse shifters.” He set his plate on his knee and
leveled an even stare on Catlin. “Let me ask you this,
why did you bring Gallo here?”

Catlin took Gallo’s hand in his, but his gaze

remained fixed on Kontra. It didn’t escape him that the
man  hadn’t  actually  answered  his  question  about  what
kind  of  shifters  they  were,  but  he  answered  anyway.
“I’ve  asked  myself  that  a  number  of  times,”  he
admitted.  “I’ve  never  responded  to  another  man  like  I
do  him.  Gallo  calls  to  all  my  instincts.”  He  moved  his
focus  to  the  man  in  question  and  squeezed  his  hand.
“He’s  sexy  as  hell.  I  can’t  keep  my  hands  off  him.  I
want  to  protect  him  from  the  world.  And  I’d  love  to

Charlie Richards

hunt down whoever left those marks on his back and
slice them to ribbons.”

His last words were whispered, and Gallo gasped.

Catlin grimaced. “I saw them when we fucked
yesterday, baby, then you said Kontra helped you out of
a bad place. If it was some kind of slave ring or
something, I’ll do everything I can to bring them down.
I want to bring to justice anyone who hurt you.”

“You can’t,” Gallo whispered.
To Catlin’s surprise, the shifter actually held his

gaze when he said it. “Why not? I am a cop. I can send
them to jail for a long time, baby.”

Gallo shivered and looked away.
Catlin pulled him close, rubbing his back. “Talk to

me, Gallo,” he pleaded.

“You can’t bring them to justice because they’re

shifters. That’s why.” The man introduced as Eli
growled the words, his lip curling in disgust. “It was his
family.”

“That’s enough, Eli,” Kontra snapped.
Silence descended, and Catlin watched the two men

for  a  second.  He  saw  how  Eli  watched  Gallo  and
recognized  some  of  the  emotions  working  across  his
features, a mixture of concern, compassion, desire, and
resignation.  The  man  had  been  intimate  with  his  lover
in  the  past.  Catlin  wondered  if  Eli  would  try  to  take
Gallo from him, and knew if Eli tried, he’d have a hell
of a fight on his hands.

“The existence of shifters must remain a secret,”

Kontra stated flatly, drawing Catlin’s attention back to
the conversation.

“What? Why?” Catlin frowned.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

“Can you imagine what would happen if you tried to

prosecute  them  as  humans  and  it  somehow  came  out
that they  could  turn  into  paint  horses?”  Haben  pointed
out. “We don’t need to advertise our existence. It would
only  cause  a  shit-load  of  problems.  We  have  shifter
friends  in Colorado who are fighting against a band of
scientists  right  now.  Some  private  company  has  been
doing  experiments  on  us  for  the  last  hundred  years  or
so. We don’t need to add problems with the government
and cops, too!”

“Haben, that’s enough.” Kontra said the words

quietly, but the other man obeyed immediately. Silence
fell  over  the  room’s  occupants  for  a  moment,  then
Kontra  stated,  “The  reason  you  feel  so  protective  of
Gallo  is  because  he’s  your  mate.  Fate  gives  a  shifter
one true mate, and you’re it  for Gallo, Catlin. With the
exception of Gallo’s sister, who’s no longer part of his
old herd, Gallo’s family doesn’t know where he is. Do
you  really want to open a case that could endanger his
life  from  not  only  his  family,  but  the  government  and
private  companies  looking  to  exploit  his  abilities  as
well? Can you protect him from everyone?”

Catlin remained quiet for a moment, trying to wrap

his mind around everything these men were saying. The
shuddering of the man  he adored prompted him to pull
Gallo  onto  his  lap.  He  dropped  his  gaze  to  his  lover,
smoothing his hands over his back, caressing his spine,
and  massaging  his  neck.  Gallo  held  tight  to  him,  and
finally the trembling stopped.

“Please,” Gallo whispered.
He didn’t like the fear in Gallo’s eyes when he

stared up at him. That one word rocked Catlin, and he

Charlie Richards

knew he could never do anything to endanger this man.
He nuzzled his face into his lover’s neck. “It’s going to
be okay, love. We’ll let it go.” Gallo peeked at him
from under his lashes, and Catlin smiled down at him.
“Your safety is more important than anything else, and
if going after your family would put you in harm’s way,
then I’d never do that.”

“Thank you,” Gallo whispered.
Catlin’s lips curved up. It wasn’t quite a smile, but

relief calmed him.

“What about the other guy?” Kontra asked.
“What other guy?” he asked, confused.
“The other guy who saw Gallo shift into a horse?”

Eli elaborated dryly.

“Brock is my partner on the force. I’m sure I can get

him to keep silent,” he said, voice full of conviction.

“Good,” Kontra replied, “because your mate’s life

depends on it.”

Catlin’s brows narrowed. “You’ve said the term

mate a number of times. What does that mean?”

“Each shifter gets one mate, designated by Fate,”

Haben started, and Catlin nodded, remembering them
saying that already.

Eli leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms

over his chest. “Think of it as love at first sight, or
finding your soul mate. He’s your perfect complement.”

“That’s not saying the relationship won’t require

work,”  Kontra  added  quickly,  “but  with  a  shifter,  you
have  a  built  in  guarantee  that  he’ll  never  cheat,  and
he’ll  only  want  what’s  best  for  you,  or  will  make  you
happy.”  Then  his  eyes  hardened,  and  so  did  his  tone.
“Just  keep  in  mind  that  we  bikers  are  Gallo’s  family,

Catlin’s Appaloosa

and we won’t tolerate anyone mistreating him.”

“I’d never mistreat him,” Catlin snapped, frustrated,

his mind reeling with the information he’d been given.

Gallo squirmed on his lap, and he felt his cock

respond  to  the  movement,  thickening  and  lengthening
in  his  jeans.  It  quickly  distracted  him  from  his
confusing thoughts, and he bit back a groan and looked
down at Gallo. The other man stared up at him through
his  lashes,  obviously  wanting  to  ask  something.  Catlin
cupped his cheek and stroked his thumb over his plump
bottom lip. “You never have to ask permission to talk to
me, Gallo.” He wasn’t that kind of Dom. “What is it?”

“Does that mean you want to keep me?”
“I wanted to keep you before I knew you were my

soul mate, baby,” he replied. He captured Gallo’s lips
with his, slipping his tongue between them so he could
taste this wonderful man. His dick came to full arousal,
and Gallo rubbed his ass against him. Catlin had to grip
Gallo’s hips in one hand to still his movements.

“There’s one other thing you should know.”

Kontra’s gravelly voice interrupted them.

Reluctantly, Catlin ended the kiss and looked at the

serious expression on the big biker’s face. “What is it?”

“Shifters heal faster than humans. Our bodies are

constantly regenerating.” Kontra leaned back in his
chair, the beer bottle balanced on his knee. He tapped it
with his index finger as his eyes narrowed. Catlin could
tell he was deciding how much to say.

Catlin nodded, already knowing about Gallo’s

impressive healing time. “I noticed in the hospital,” he
admitted.

“This also impacts a shifter’s age,” Kontra

Charlie Richards

continued. “A shifter can live three hundred, four
hundred years if they take care of themselves.”

“What?” His jaw dropped. How can that be? My

lover will outlive me by centuries! “How could Fate be
so cruel?”

“She’s not. She gives a solution,” Eli stated.
“A solution?” Unconsciously, Catlin’s arms

tightened around Gallo. The very idea of having to
leave his lover set his teeth on edge.

“Shifters claim their mates,” Payson stated, speaking

up for the first time. He grinned, showing off teeth that
appeared sharper than they should. “With a bite.”

Catlin’s eyes widened with surprise.
Eli rolled his eyes. “Stop scaring the man,” he

admonished.  The  slender  guy  popped  Payson  on  the
back  of  the  head,  causing  the  other  man  to  chuckle.
“During sex, the shifter sinks his canines into his mate’s
neck and drinks his blood. It binds them together. If one
of  them  is  human,  it  extends  his  life  to  match  the
shifter.”  Eli  glanced  at  Kontra,  a  brow  rising  in
question.  Kontra  lifted  a  hand,  waving  Eli  on.  Eli
returned  his  focus  to  Catlin  and  Gallo.  “On  the  down
side,  if  something  should  happen  to  either  one  of  you,
there is an extremely high probability that the other will
die of  heartache. On the up  side,  I’ve  been told  it’s an
incredibly pleasurable experience.”

“I see,” Catlin murmured. “So you’re, uh, you’re not

mated?”

All four of the men shook their heads.
The room fell quiet for a moment before Payson

grinned. “Tell him about the condoms!”

Haben actually chuckled, shaking his head. “You

Catlin’s Appaloosa

won’t need condoms anymore.”

“Why?” Catlin couldn’t disguise his skepticism.
Eli shrugged. “Shifters can’t catch or pass on human

diseases.”

“Nice,” he whispered, impressed. Catlin had to

admit that was a nice little trait. He turned to Gallo.
“What do you think, baby? You gonna top me?” he
teased.

To his surprise, Gallo actually paled. “I don’t—I

don’t know if I can do that,” he whispered.

That had Catlin’s brows shooting up. “You don’t

want to fuck me, baby?”

Gallo actually trembled. Catlin tightened his grip

around  him  and  held  him  securely  against  his  chest.
With  his  free  hand,  he  rubbed  his  back  in  soothing
circles. Eli  looked like  he was about to say something.
Instead  he  mouthed  a  few  words,  and  Catlin’s  eyes
narrowed when he figured out what the other man said.
Top from the bottom.

Fuck! Am I getting sex advice from Gallo’s former

lover?  The  idea  set  his  teeth  on  edge.  Returning  his
focus to the  man  on  his  lap, he  nuzzled Gallo’s cheek,
then  tried  to  catch  his  eye.  He  didn’t  like  the  glazed
look  on  his  lover’s  face.  It told  him  their  conversation
about Gallo topping him had triggered some memory of
pain or torture. He needed to bring the man back to the
moment. Cupping his cheek, he forced Gallo to look at
him, even if he wasn’t seeing him.

“Gallo, focus on me, baby.” He made his voice as

stern  as  possible,  while  still  keeping  it  soothing.
“You’re  not  in  any  danger.  You’re  safe  here.  No  one
will  hurt  you.”  Still  nothing.  Catlin  struggled  to  come

Charlie Richards

up with a way to reach him. He brushed his lips over
Gallo’s, allowing their breath to mingle. “Come back to
me, baby,” he whispered, his lips moving gently, almost
massaging the other man’s.

A whimper worked its way out of Gallo’s throat. He

brought his hands up and twisted them in Catlin’s shirt.
Catlin smiled against his lips, pleased by the reaction,
especially when Gallo kissed him back. He sighed into
the other man’s mouth and threaded his fingers through
Gallo’s thick black hair.

Gently, he brought the kiss to an end, holding Gallo

steady  when  he  tried  to  follow  his  lips.  Catlin  waited
for  those  gorgeous  blue  eyes  he  was  quickly  falling  in
love with to blink slowly open at him.  “There you are,
baby,” he whispered.

Gallo whimpered, and Catlin’s cock jerked at the

sexy sound. Gallo snuggled against his chest. “I want to
claim you,” he whispered, “but I don’t think I
can…can…”

“Hush. It’ll be okay,” he assured. “We’ll think of

something.”

“You could always drink his blood,” Payson said

with a snort.

Catlin frowned. “Would that work?” He didn’t like

the idea, but he’d do it if it meant keeping himself
around to protect Gallo.

Eli exchanged a quick glance with Kontra. “Ah, I’m

not really sure.”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Chapter Six

allo’s heartbeat slowly settled back to a regular rate.
He was so embarrassed he’d had a panic attack right

in  front  of  everyone.  Catlin  was  so  kind  about  it,  so
understanding.  He  wanted  to  stay  curled  up  in  this
man’s  arms  forever.  Which  brought  his  thoughts  back
to what had caused the attack in the first place, topping
his  mate  so  he  could  claim  him.  The  idea  of  taking
charge  of  their  sexual  encounter  scared  the  shit  out  of
him.

He listened to everyone talk about the possibility of

Catlin  giving  him  a  claiming  bite  instead.  Due  to  the
way the enzymes in a shifter’s saliva worked, they just
couldn’t  be  sure  if  it’d  work.  From  the  tightness  in
Catlin’s jaw, Gallo knew the man didn’t like the idea. It
didn’t  surprise  Gallo.  Most  humans  found  the  idea  of
drinking blood gross.

The chirping of Catlin’s cell phone interrupted the

debate, and the detective answered his call. “Hello?”

This close, Gallo had no trouble hearing the other

end of the conversation. “It’s Brock. There’s been
another attack. This time the guy’s dead.”

Charlie Richards

“Shit. Same area?” Catlin responded.
“Yeah, pretty close,” Brock stated, then cleared his

throat. “I got a question for you. When Gallo was first
brought in, did he have any puncture marks on his
neck?”

Gallo watched Catlin’s brows furrow as he replied,

“Puncture marks? No. Why?”

“Because there are on this victim. Two sets of them,

and the body looks desiccated,” Brock told him.

“Desiccated?” Catlin frowned. “Does that mean

what I think it means?”

“If you think it means drained of fluid, then yeah,

that’s what it means,” Brock replied.

“Holy fucking hell!” he growled. “The victim was

drained? How is that possible?”

Gallo frowned, desperately trying to remember his

own  attack.  He’d  been  eating  dinner  alone  at  a  small
café.  When  he  was  done,  he’d  walked  outside  to  his
bike  to  head  out  and  find  a  hotel  for the  night.  “There
were two of them,” he whispered.

“Brock, I’ll call you back. Gallo’s starting to

remember things.” Catlin said into the phone, although
his gaze remained on Gallo.

“Good. I sure hope your guy there can shed some

light on what’s going on, because this is fucking weird,
Catlin.”

“Yeah.” Catlin hung up the phone. “Okay, Gallo.

Talk to me, baby.”

Gallo shook his head. “There’s not much to tell. I

was  just  rolling  my  bike  out  of  the  parking  spot  when
two  men  grabbed  me,  pulled  me  from  my  bike,  and
dragged  me  into  an  alley.  I  remember  pain  shooting

Catlin’s Appaloosa

through my neck,” he whispered. He frowned, trying to
remember more. He lifted his hand to his neck, tracing
the vein. “One of them bit me, but he immediately
jerked away and spat the blood out.”

He looked up at Catlin. “He somehow knew I was a

shifter. He slammed my head into the brick wall, and I
lost consciousness.” Gallo shook his head. “How could
he know I’m a shifter?”

“Your blood gave you away, little bit,” Kontra’s

deep voice broke into his confused thoughts.

He turned to face his alpha, taking in his grim look.

“What do you mean?”

“A vampire can taste the differences in blood. A

shifter’s blood tastes more bitter than a human’s, but it
will  give  him  more  strength  for  a  longer  period  of
time,”  Kontra  explained.  “He  may  have  been  too  used
to feeding off humans and didn’t like your taste, but the
probability is higher that he didn’t want to take the risk
of  raising  the  ire  of  your  pack.  That  means  those  two
who  attacked  you  are  rogues,  without  a  coven  to  back
them.”

“Are you seriously talking about vampires?” Catlin

pulled Gallo tighter against him, as if that would keep
Gallo safe from future attacks. “As in creatures of the
night that suck people’s blood, vampires?”

Kontra snorted. “Sure, except they’re not creatures

of  the  night.  Not  really.  They  can  handle  the  daylight
just fine. They live in covens like shifters live in packs.
You  can’t  be  turned  into one  by  being  bitten,  just  like
you  won’t  be  turned  into  a  shifter  if  Gallo  bites  you.”
Kontra leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees,
the now empty beer bottle dangling between his fingers.

Charlie Richards

“But just like humans have their share of murderers, so
do our races.”

“How do you know so much about vampires, boss?”

Payson asked what Gallo wanted to know. He’d known
vampires  were  out  there,  but  had  never  met  any.  They
kept  to  themselves  just  like  shifters  did,  and  their
willingness  to  attack  him  hadn’t  even  been  a  blip  on
Gallo’s radar.

“Because I’ve met a few,” Kontra replied. “There’s a

coven not too far south of Santa Fe, as a matter of fact.
It’s led by a guy named Adalric,” he added, then
shrugged. “Well, at least he led it sixty-two years ago.”

“Sixty-two years,” Catlin whispered. “You weren’t

kidding about your longevity.” He sighed, nuzzling his
neck and Gallo settled closer against his chest. “How do
we stop them?”

“You don’t,” Kontra replied.
“We do,” Payson added, his gray eyes gleaming.
“Now, wait just a second,” Catlin snapped. “You

can’t just take the law into your own hands! This is a
police matter!”

“Vampires are stronger and faster than humans,”

Kontra warned, his voice turning hard. “You’re no
match for them, and do we have to remind you of what
could happen to Gallo if our existence is made public?”

“Fuck!” Catlin growled. “I can’t just let you kill

whoever these men are! What about justice? Closure for
the families of the victims?”

Gallo slid off Catlin’s lap, being sure to press his ass

against  his  mate’s  hard  shaft  to  get  his  attention.  He
settled  on  the  floor  between  the  detective’s  knees  and
stared  up  at  him.  “Please  let  Kontra take  care of  this,”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

he beseeched. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.
If they can knock me out, and I’m a shifter, then I don’t
even want to imagine what they could do to you.”

Catlin rested back against the cushions and scrubbed

his  hands  over  his  face.  “Ah,  damn  it.  All  right.  I
understand what  you’re saying.”  He took Gallo’s hand
in  his  and  grimaced.  “I  gotta  call  Brock  back  and  get
him over here. He’s the detective in charge of the case
now, so he’ll need to help coordinate a cover story.”

“While you’re doing that, I’ll see if I can contact

Adalric,” Kontra said.

“Why?” Catlin arched a brow.
The huge biker grinned. “When I go to another

man’s house, I don’t reach into his refrigerator without
asking. We’re close enough to his territory where if we
kill a couple of vampires, he might take offense.”
Smirking, he shrugged. “He’ll want to know who they
are

and

verify

that they

really

are

killing

unnecessarily.”

“Okay. Make yourselves at home while I take care

of some things.” His voice sounded tense to Gallo, and
he  wondered  what  was  wrong.  Of  course,  that  was  an
easy  question  to  answer,  Gallo  realized.  His  mate’s
world  had  been  turned  up-side-down  since  meeting
him.

Catlin stood, pulling Gallo up with him. The

detective  hit  a  number  on  his  phone  as  he  led  Gallo
from  the  room.  Consumed  by  his  own  thoughts,  he
listened  with  half  an  ear  to  his  mate’s  side  of  the
conversation,  not  really  interested  in  what  Catlin’s
partner  had  to  say.  He  wanted  to  know  what  was
bothering his mate.

Charlie Richards

“Hey, Brock, I know you’re busy, but I’ve got some

information you need to hear.” He shook his head. “No,
it’s  not  something  I’m  comfortable  sharing  over  the
phone.  When  you’re  done  there,  can  you  come  to  my
house?”  Catlin  led  him  into  the  bedroom  and  shut  the
door  behind  them.  “Good.  See  you  in  a  couple  of
hours.”

Catlin slowly put the phone on the dresser and

turned toward Gallo, who couldn’t stop from fidgeting
under his scrutiny.

“Are you okay?”
His soft question had Catlin shaking his head, a stern

set to his lips. “No, baby, I’m not. You were wriggling
on my lap on purpose, weren’t you?”

Gallo paled, but couldn’t stop the twitching of his

cock in his jeans at Catlin’s intense gaze. “Yes,” he
admitted softly.

“Well, I don’t want to meet my partner with a hard-

on, so now you’ll just have to take care of it. Take off
your clothes and get on the bed, Gallo,” Catlin ordered.

Gallo’s pulse rate quadrupled in a matter of

seconds, and  his   stiff  cock oozed pre-cum. He yanked
off  his  shirt  and  scrambled  out of  his  boots  and  jeans,
never  in  his  life  so  happy  to  have  forgone  underwear.
From under his lashes, he glanced at Catlin, but the man
hadn’t  moved.  He  stood  halfway  across  the  room,  his
legs shoulder width apart and his arms crossed over his
broad chest.

It wasn’t until Gallo was lying naked in the middle

of the bed that he moved. Then Catlin slowly stripped,
peeling off his dark blue button-down shirt and his
white t-shirt. He toed off his shoes and slid his jeans

Catlin’s Appaloosa

down and off his legs. Once he stood in just his briefs,
he again paused and stared at Gallo.

When Catlin dropped a hand to the thick ridge

hidden by cloth, Gallo moaned softly. Catlin smirked.
“Take yourself in hand, Gallo. Stroke your cock.”

Gallo’s brow creased. “But I thought—”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
The stern tone had Gallo whimpering, but he did as

he was told. He wrapped his fingers around his bobbing
erection, giving it a loose stroke. Even that sent a jolt of
pleasure  careening  through  his  system.  His  breath  left
him  in  a  whoosh  and  beads  of  sweat  broke  out on  his
forehead.  A  voice  in  the  back  of  his  head  nagged  him
about how wrong it was to make himself feel that good,
but  when  Catlin  appeared  next  to  the  bed  naked,  his
hand  on  his  own  cock,  that  little  voice  disappeared.
Desire  took  over.  He  desperately  wanted  to  taste  the
pearly  seed  of  pre-cum  leaking  from  Catlin’s  blood
engorged dick.

“You look so amazing lying there with your prick in

your hand,” Catlin growled. “So stunning, baby.”

Gallo opened his mouth, ready to beg for Catlin to

join him on the bed. To his relief, his lover crawled up
next to him, but instead of giving him his cock, the man
leaned down and nibbled his lips, nipping and sucking.
Catlin’s voice came out a husky whisper when he
ordered, “Stroke yourself harder, Gallo. Let me see you
fuck your hand.”

Groaning, he obeyed. He tightened his fingers and

rocked his hips up to meet his fist. His eyelids slid shut,
and again memories assaulted him. Harsh voices
echoed through his skull, telling him he’ll be punished.

Charlie Richards

“Gallo, look at me!”
The sharp command from his mate had Gallo

snapping his eyes open. It was only then he realized
tears leaked from his eyes, he’d stopped stroking
himself, and his cock had begun softening.

Catlin’s eyes were full of warmth as he stared down

at him. “There you are, baby.” He gently kissed the
wetness from his cheeks. “You need to focus on me
when we’re together, Gallo. No one else matters.”

“Okay,” he replied.
“Good.” Catlin took Gallo’s mouth in a plundering

kiss, delving his tongue in deep, tangling them together.
Gallo  mewled  into  his  mate’s  mouth,  Catlin  slowly
mapping  his lips, teeth, and gums with his tongue. The
wonderful  sensations  had  Gallo’s  shaft  swiftly  firming
back up.

Catlin gently broke the kiss and grinned down at

him. “Are you ready for my cock, baby?”

“Yes, please,” he responded eagerly.
Instead of settling over him like normal, Catlin

swung around and straddled his head with his knees.
Gallo looked at the heavy shaft dangling just above his
lips. “What are you doing?”

“You’re going suck me, baby, and I’m going to suck

you,” Catlin replied while nuzzling Gallo’s balls. The
move sent tingles up his spine and goose bumps erupted
over his arms and chest. His nipples pebbled, and his
cock jerked.

“No one’s—No one’s ever done that before,” Gallo

finally managed to whisper.

“Then I’d best make it good for you,” Catlin replied.

“Now, stop thinking about it, my mate, and take my

Catlin’s Appaloosa

cock into your mouth,” he commanded softly.

The tone sent a tremor through Gallo’s body, or

maybe that was caused by  Catlin  calling  him  his  mate.
Either  way,  he  eagerly  opened  his  mouth  and  sucked
the  head  of  Catlin’s  dick  between  his  lips.  He  swirled
his  tongue  around  the  cap  and  dipped  the  tip  into  the
slit.

“Oh, yeah, Gallo. That’s it. Take my cock.” Catlin

growled softly and his hips moved, slowly fucking
Gallo’s face with his dick.

Gallo increased his suction while reaching up and

gripping the man’s thighs for leverage. Catlin groaned,
and Gallo took that as permission to keep his hands on
him. Warm breath blowing across his dick followed by
a wet tongue sliding along his shaft had him pausing.
Instantly the heat was gone.

“Focus, Gallo.” Catlin’s words were breathy, but it

was an order, none-the-less.

He grunted around the flesh in his mouth, but

doubled  his  efforts.  Gallo  sucked  and  stroked  and
moved  his  hand,  rolling  Catlin’s  balls.  The  detective
groaned around his cock, and the vibration sent intense
pleasure  through  Gallo’s  dick,  drawing  his  testicles
tight to his body. He moaned at the amazing sensations
Catlin sent coursing through his body.

Catlin’s thrusts picked up speed and growled his

pleasure,  sending  a  fresh  wave  of  vibrations  through
Gallo’s  body.  It  became  exceedingly  difficult  to
concentrate.  Gallo  knew  he  had  to  get  Catlin  off
quickly, or he wouldn’t have any of his faculties left.

Gallo wrapped a hand around the base of Catlin’s

shaft and squeezed, pumping rhythmically as he sucked

Charlie Richards

on  the  cap  in  his  mouth.  He  tongued  the  glans,
massaging  it.  The  small  orbs  under  his  other  hand
tightened  further.  The  shaft  in  his  mouth  swelled,  the
thick  vein  pulsing  faster,  telling  Gallo  how  swiftly
Catlin’s heart raced. He pressed his tongue into the slit
of the cock, delving deep.

Catlin let out a long, low moan as his body jerked

and his dick spewed stream after stream of seed into
Gallo’s mouth. He swallowed it greedily, massaging the
stalk and sucking out every last drop Catlin could feed
him.

Once Catlin stopped shuddering, Gallo let the man’s

softening cock slip from his mouth. His mate’s panting
breath puffed warm gusts along the wet skin of his
over-sensitized shaft. A tremble worked through Gallo
when he realized just how close he was to orgasm.

“Come for me, Gallo,” Catlin murmured then took

Gallo’s shaft back into his mouth.

Gallo’s jaw sagged open at the order, but his body

obeyed  without  question.  A  groan  erupted  from  his
throat  as  he  shot  his  essence  into  Catlin’s  waiting
mouth.  His  fingers  tightened  spastically  on  Catlin’s
thighs as the other man continued to work him, reaming
even more pleasure from his body.

When he had nothing left to give, he collapsed,

panting on the bed. He was as limp as a wet noodle
when Catlin licked him clean. A moment later, Catlin
reversed his position and pulled Gallo against his chest.
Gallo was only too happy to snuggle.

Catlin cupped his cheek and turned his face toward

him. He nibbled Gallo’s lips, and he immediately
opened for the man’s kiss. He could taste himself on

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Catlin’s tongue, and it surprised Gallo how much he
liked that.

“Very nice, baby. You have an amazing mouth,” he

whispered after easing the kiss to an end.

“Why would you do that for me?” he asked,

knowing his amazement showed in his voice.

His lover’s brows shot up. Catlin remained silent for

a few seconds, before levering up on his elbow to stare
down at him. “Let me ask you this,” he said instead of
answering. “When you sucked my cock, did you enjoy
it? Or did you do it only because I told you to?”

Gallo’s jaw dropped. “No, I loved pleasing you,” he

quickly reassured.

That had the worry leaving Catlin’s deep brown eyes

to be replaced by relief. His lips curved into a smirk.
“And that is exactly why I did it to you, baby. I enjoy
giving you pleasure.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Seven

atlin heard Brock shouting even through the closed
bedroom door. “Rest for as long as you like, Gallo,”

he said, pecking his temple. “I’ve gotta convince Brock
this is a good idea.”

Rolling from the bed, he pulled on black jeans and a

black  t-shirt.  He  gave  the  man  he  was  quickly  falling
for  one  more  kiss,  this  time  with  tongue  and  far  more
feeling.  Catlin’s  dick thickened  in  his pants. He pulled
away  and  grinned  at  the  glazed  look  in  Gallo’s
expressive  blue  eyes.  “We don’t have time  for another
round, baby. Sorry, we’ll have to wait until tonight.”

Gallo’s pout was so cute, Catlin couldn’t stop the

chuckle. “I’ll be out in the front room when you’re
ready to join us.” Giving the man a wink, he left the
bedroom.

He found Brock yelling at some guy he didn’t know

in the living room. The stranger stood six foot two, had
closely shorn brown hair, brown eyes, nicely tanned
skin, and listened to Brock’s rant with a mildly amused
expression on his face.

“Damn it, Brock. What the hell are you yelling

Catlin’s Appaloosa

about?” Catlin snapped.

“This asshole says we can’t be involved when they

go after the two dudes murdering people,” Brock
replied angrily.

Running a hand through his hair, Catlin let out a

frustrated breath. “Who are you?” he asked. “Where’s
Kontra?”

“I’m Adalric,” the man replied. He had a

surprisingly deep voice and a German accent. “The bear
is in the kitchen.”

Bear?
“Bear? What bear?” Brock snapped.
The man lifted a brow. “Kontra,” he stated simply.
Realization hit Catlin. “You’re the vampire.”
“One of them,” Adalric allowed. “Darian is around

here somewhere.”

“The leader of the vampires just drops everything to

take care of a couple of rogues?” Catlin really would
have thought he’d just send a couple of his people. And
how surreal did that sound? Talking to a vampire as if it
were an everyday occurrence?

“Rogues endanger us all,” he replied. “I take the

safety of my people very seriously.”

“Wait a minute.” Brock took a step back. “You’re a

vampire?”

Adalric lifted a brow. The corner of his mouth

slowly curved, and he lifted a lip into a smirk that
showed off one small, very pointed fang. “Yes. I am a
vampire.”

“Holy shit!” Brock stumbled back several steps.
While Adalric chuckled, Catlin grabbed his friend’s

shoulders. “Focus, Brock. Those guys out there killing

Charlie Richards

people are vampires, too. Now, I agree that there’s no
way the shifters are going to go catch them without us,
but be smart about this. We can’t catch them alone. We
need their help, their protection, to bring these guys
down and make the killing stop.”

Brock’s dark eyes focused on him, and he nodded.

“Yeah. Gotcha.” Catlin removed his hands and the
African American sank onto the couch. “Boy do I hate
it when you’re right,” Brock muttered.

Catlin frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You asked what would take down a shifter. There’s

your answer,” Brock replied almost blankly. “A pair of
fucking vampires!”

Catlin grimaced, understanding how overwhelmed

his  friend  felt.  He was trying to keep his  shit together,
too.  “Just  think  of  all  the  bloodsucker  jokes  you’ll  be
able  to  use  now,”  he  cajoled,  knowing  how  much  the
other detective liked to tease.

That had his friend brightening. “Yeah. Cool!”
Kontra took that moment to walk into the room.

Catlin  turned,  facing  him  as  Brock  rose  and  stood
beside  him.  “You’re  not  leaving  us  behind,”  Catlin
stated flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kontra’s
eyes narrowed. The alpha male probably didn’t like his
tone,  but  Catlin  didn’t  give  a  damn.  “We’re  the  only
ones  who  can  help  you  hide  the  truth.  We’ll  come  up
with  a  story  so  no  one  will  know  what  really
happened.”

Kontra exchanged a look with Adalric, who lifted a

brow as if to say it’s your call.

Surprisingly, it didn’t end up being that difficult to

Catlin’s Appaloosa

convince Kontra once he and Brock agreed to stay close
to  the  shifter  and  vampire  group  where  they  were
assigned. Brock was sent with Kontra, Eli, and Darian.
Catlin  found  himself  teamed  with  Gallo,  Adalric  and
Payson.  He’d  tried  to  convince  his  mate  to  stay  home,
but  Gallo  refused.  Kontra  had  explained  that  because
Catlin  was  an  unclaimed  mate,  the  need  to  protect
would drive Gallo crazy if he were left home.

They prowled the dark streets, looking for signs of

the  rogues.  Brock  had  searched  through  the  last
month’s  assault  cases  where  the  victim  hadn’t  been
killed.  He’d  found  six  more  where  the  victim  had  bite
wounds  on  their  necks.  From  the  appearance  of  those
assaulted,  the  vampires  were  becoming  increasingly
violent  in  their  attacks.  Using  the  information,  Brock
and  Catlin  created  a  grid  of  locations.  It  gave  them  an
area to start hunting.

Scuffling sounds from the alley ahead had Catlin on

full alert, and he drew his service weapon. They hurried
toward the noise as quietly as possible. Payson lifted his
nose to the breeze and smirked. “Just a cat.”

A scream echoed off the buildings for two seconds,

only to be cut off. Catlin tried to pinpoint the direction,
but  Adalric  seemed  to  know  exactly  where  it  came
from.  He  sprinted  down  a  side  street,  Payson  a  step
behind. It took everything Catlin  had to just keep them
in sight as they ducked between buildings and ran down
alleyways.  His  chest  heaving,  he  came  upon  a
disturbing scene.

Deep in the alley, a blonde woman lay sprawled

across the wet ground. Blood oozed from two puncture
marks on her pale, slender neck. Payson was leaning

Charlie Richards

over her, checking for a pulse. From the woman’s
pinched features, clouded eyes, and sallow skin, Catlin
couldn’t drum up much hope.

Beyond them, Adalric had a man pinned to the wall

of a building. The vampire leader’s eyes glowed an
eerie red. His hands were sharp claws where they dug
into the other guy’s neck.

As he drew closer, Catlin realized the captive’s eyes

were red as well. The guy opened his mouth in an angry
snarl as he struggled against Adalric’s hold.

Catlin shivered as he saw the vampire leader flash

his fangs, which seemed larger than what he
remembered seeing.

“You have been found guilty of endangering the

safety of our species,” Adalric snarled. “How do you
plead?”

“Fuck you,” the foolish vampire replied.
A creepy smile curved Adalric’s features. “Very

well.”  Without  a  word,  the  powerful  vampire  dug  the
claws of his other hand into the captive’s chest and tore
out  his  heart.  Blood  gushed  from  his  chest.  The  red
glow dimmed  from the  man’s eyes only to be replaced
by  a  regular  brown  color.  Adalric  let  the  man’s  body
drop to the ground.

“Was that necessary?” Catlin managed to get the

question out of a tight throat as he fought back the urge
to puke.

Adalric’s red eyes turned on him, sending another

shiver  down  the  detective’s  spine.  The  man  blinked,
and the red was gone. “Removing the heart is the most
effective  way  to  end  a  vampire’s  life,”  he  stated,  the
words  coming  out  much  calmer  than  Catlin  thought

Catlin’s Appaloosa

they should considering what he’d just done.

“Yeah, I’ll file that little tidbit in my never-want-to-

use file,” he muttered. He hurried over to the woman on
the ground, crouching beside Payson. A search for a
pulse confirmed what he’d already figured. There was
nothing they could do for her.

“Bring them both. We can’t leave more bodies,”

Adalric said.

Payson heaved the body of the vampire over his

shoulder and followed Adalric out of the alleyway.
“Where are we going?” the shifter asked.

Catlin cradled the woman to his chest and headed

after them. “Brock told me about some abandoned
warehouses. We should take them there,” he said.

The other men nodded their agreement. During the

ten-minute  walk,  Catlin  watched  the  blood  congeal  on
her  neck  and  fought  cringes  as  he  felt  it  soak  through
his  t-shirt  and  crust  against  his  skin.  They  piled  into
Adalric’s SUV, and Catlin gave them directions.

Once the bodies were carried into the empty

building,  Adalric  took  out  his  phone  and  dialed.
“Update, Darian.” The muscular vampire nodded once.
“Excellent. We are already at the rendezvous point with
the  other one.”  He disconnected the call.  “They are on
the  way  with  the  second  rogue.  This  will  all  be  over
soon.”

Catlin rubbed his neck. “I don’t understand.” He

crouched  down  and  located  the  woman’s  purse.  He
pulled out her ID and  stood, shoving  it  into his pocket
for later. No sense having to deal with a Jane Doe. His
brows  creased  in  confusion.  “You  and  your  friend
obviously  have  control  over  yourselves.  Why  were

Charlie Richards

these vampires killing at will?”

Adalric focused on him and frowned. “Why does a

human beat their spouse? Why does a psychopath play
with  their  victim  before  killing  them?  Because  they
have allowed their desire  for power to control them.  A
vampire  drinks  blood  to  survive.  Although  we  can  eat
other food as well, blood is what sustains us. We don’t
need to kill the donor when we feed.” He curled a lip in
obvious  disgust  at  the  dead  vampire,  then  stalked
toward the  entrance  of  the  building,  apparently  having
said all he was going to on the subject.

After Kontra arrived with the second vampire, they

ignited the building.

The story he and Brock planned to weave was that

the  murderers  brought  their  latest  victim  to  the
warehouse. Then  they  became trapped  inside  when  the
building  went  up  in  flames,  the  blaze  caused  by  some
spilled  gasoline  and  a  carelessly  thrown  match.  The
vampires left, and Catlin really hoped he wouldn’t need
to  call  on  their  services  again,  ever.  Kontra  and  the
other bikers escorted him and Gallo home, telling them
they’d stop by the next day before roaring away.

He led Gallo into the bathroom and stripped down

his quiet lover. “What’s on your mind?” he asked
curiously, leading him into the shower.

He soaped up his hands, rubbing the suds into

Gallo’s skin as he watched the expression flitting across
the smaller man’s features.

Finally, Gallo murmured, “I really do want to claim

you, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Can you tell me why the idea of penetrating me

causes such fear?” he asked gently.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Gallo shook his head, and at first, Catlin thought that

meant he wasn’t going to answer, so his man’s next
words surprised him. “It’s not that, really, it’s just, I’m
not allowed.”

His hands paused at those words. Catlin swallowed

and got his hands moving again. “Who says you’re not
allowed, Gallo?”

“The stallion of my herd,” Gallo whispered. “When

it  came  out  that  I  was  gay,  I  became  the  one  used  by
others  for  sexual  release,”  he  admitted,  “but  if  I  was
found touching myself, I would be punished. They told
me—they told me I was there only for their pleasure. I
couldn’t  come  unless  they  said  it  was  okay.”  He
shrugged.  “Some  were  nice  about  it,  always  making
sure I got off, too, and I like sucking cock, so that was
no big deal.”

Catlin swallowed hard, fighting back the rage filling

him.  He’d  known  his  man  had  been  abused,  but  he’d
had no idea of the extent of the torture he’d endured. A
renewed  desire  to  track  down  Gallo’s  herd  surged
through him,  but he beat  it back, knowing  he couldn’t.
Forcing  his  voice  to  come  out  even,  he  whispered,  “Is
that how you got the marks on your back, love?”

Gallo jerked a nod. “Some liked it rough,” he

whispered. “Or if I misbehaved during the tests,” he
added. “Then I’d have to be punished.”

“Tests?”
Nibbling his lower lip, Gallo nodded again. “They

wanted to know why my animal was an appaloosa
instead of a paint.”

That explained why the doctors had freaked him out.

Catlin forced himself to remain calm as he rubbed

Charlie Richards

shampoo into his man’s hair, then gently washed it out.
Finally, he asked, “How did you end up with Kontra?”

Gallo shuddered, his breath hitching as he

whispered. “I was bad. I fought when they came at me
with  a  needle.  It  took  three  shifters  to  hold  me  down.
Two  of  my  herd-mates  took  me  into  the  forest
surrounding  our  ranch.  They  took  turns,  with  my  ass
and  the  whip.”  Catlin’s  mate  shivered,  even  in  the
steaming hot water. “Kontra saw it and stopped them.”

“I hope he killed the bastards.” He couldn’t stop the

snarled words, and he wanted to kick himself when
Gallo instantly tensed in his arms. He rubbed his palms
gently over Gallo’s glimmering skin and crooned,
“Easy, baby. I’m not angry at you, never at you. What
happened wasn’t your fault. You’re safe with me.”

When Gallo relaxed again, Catlin maneuvered his

lover  under  the  spray  to  rinse  out  the  conditioner.
Rubbing his hands through the mass of silky, dark hair,
Catlin thought about Eli’s silently mouthed words. Top
from  the  bottom.  He  wondered  if  that  would  work.  It
had  seemed  to  during  the  dual  blowjobs.  It  brought
another question to mind. “Were you and Eli lovers?”

Gallo’s wide-eyed gaze snapped to Catlin’s face at

his questions. He swallowed and nodded once. “Sort of.
Our relationship was more of a teacher with a pupil,” he
admitted.

“What do you mean?”
Gallo’s face fell, so Catlin cupped his jaw and

brought  his  attention  back  to  him.  “He  taught  me  that
sex  could  be  pleasurable,  not  clinical  or  cruel.  He
helped  me  accept  that  I’m  submissive,  and  what  it
should mean in the right relationship. He taught me that

Catlin’s Appaloosa

a Dom should never do anything to his submissive that
wasn’t good for him.” Gallo nuzzled into Catlin’s hand
as he continued. “Eli’s the gang’s doctor, so he
probably felt it was his responsibility to help me heal
mentally as well as physically.”

Okay, I can understand that. It wasn’t like he had

been a virgin before meeting Gallo. Catlin hurried
through the rest of the shower, needing to wrap his man
in his arms and hold him. He toweled them both dry
quickly, then guided his lover to the bed and curled his
bigger body around Gallo’s.

“I want you to claim me, too, Gallo,” he whispered

the admission.  “I’d love to belong to you, just as much
as I want you to belong to me.” That earned him a sigh
from  the  shifter  and  Gallo  snuggled  closer.  “Do  you
trust  me?”  Catlin  held  his  breath,  knowing  how
important the answer would be to both of them.

His heart skipped several beats before Gallo

whispered, “Yes.”

Catlin sighed with relief, his eyelids dropping

closed. He sucked in a deep breath, opened his eyes,
focused on his lover, and stated firmly, “You will do
exactly as I say.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eight

is mate’s tone immediately had Gallo’s
responding, “Yes, sir.”

“Lie back on the bed, Gallo,” Catlin commanded,

pulling away.

Gallo obeyed, whimpering when he looked up and

saw  the  heat  and  desire  burning  in  Catlin’s  eyes.  His
lover wasn’t angry,  he  was aroused. Something  settled
in  Gallo.  He  knew  his  man  would  take  care  of
everything. All he had to do was obey.

Catlin tossed the tube of lube on the bed next to his

hip. “Stretch yourself. Get yourself nice and ready for
my cock. You have two minutes.”

His eyes widened as he watched Catlin walk away.

He  wondered  what  was  going  on,  but  didn’t  question
him.  Not  wanting  to  disappoint  Catlin,  Gallo  grabbed
the  lube  and  quickly  prepared  himself.  With  every
nudge  of  his  knuckles  against  his  prostate,  his  cock
filled more and more. His eyelids dropped to half-mast
and  he  wrapped  his  other  hand  around  his  dick,
gripping  the  base  tightly.  His  mate  hadn’t  given  him
permission  to  come,  he’d  just  been  told  to  stretch

Catlin’s Appaloosa

himself.

When he looked up, he spotted Catlin leaning

against the footboard watching him. He paused,
wondering when he’d returned to the room. “Use four
fingers, Gallo.”

“Yes, sir,” he whispered between gasps. He inserted

a fourth finger into his ass, feeling the stretching burn
and whimpered with pleasure.

“Enough,” Catlin growled.
He set something on the bed, but Gallo’s lust-hazed

brain  didn’t  register  what  it  was.  His  gaze  was  riveted
on  Catlin’s  sexy  body.  His  mate  prowled  forward,
slinking toward him on hands and knees like a cat. The
light  in  his  brown  eyes  sent  sizzles  of  awareness  up
Gallo’s spine. He’d never seen anyone look at him like
that, and Gallo knew he’d do anything to keep this man.

Catlin lifted Gallo’s legs, placing them on his

shoulders, then holding his gaze, Catlin slid his cock
into Gallo’s tight channel. “You’re mine, Gallo. Say it,”
Catlin demanded as he slowly fucked him.

Gallo moaned at the exquisite pleasure of having

Catlin fill his ass, his cock head nudging his prostate
with every stroke. “Yes,” he gasped out. “I’m yours.”

“You will please me any way I want you to, won’t

you, Gallo?” he pressed.

“Yes, sir,” Gallo responded.
That seemed to be the right answer, because Catlin

began fucking him in earnest. “Grab the headboard,” he
ordered gruffly, not slowing his speed.

Gallo reached up and grabbed a rung in each hand.

He used the leverage to rock his hips to meet each of
his mate’s strokes. He stared into Catlin’s eyes and

Charlie Richards

reveling in the heat and desire he saw in them.

“I need more, Gallo. You will give it to me,” Catlin

snarled, his eyes filling with an odd light.

“Yes, anything,” he promised.
Before he could respond, Catlin slid out of his ass

and  something  thick  and  hard  took  the  place  of  his
mate’s cock in his ass. He realized the thick object must
be  a  butt  plug  and  was  surprised  at  how  good  it  felt
when  Catlin  nestled  it  against  his  prostate.  He  gasped,
but  had  no  words  to  ask  what  he  was  doing.  His  legs
were  dropped.  Catlin  straddled  him,  and  without  a
word, the detective pulled a silver object from his own
ass and sank down on Gallo’s rigid cock.

His dick was enveloped in tight, sucking heat and

Gallo let out a shocked, strangled moan. His brain
clouded with confusion and fear.

“Gallo, look at me.”
Catlin’s voice cut through the fog, and he stared up

at his lover hovering over him. “You will fuck me and
make me come,” he demanded in a voice thick with
passion.

Gallo’s mouth opened, then closed, then he managed

to squeak, “Yes, sir.” His mate wanted this? No one
had ever wanted this before, not even Eli.

“Focus on me,” Catlin snarled again. His lover lifted

halfway off Gallo’s cock, dragging clenching muscles
across his over-sensitized flesh. “Now fuck me.”

Obeying was second nature to Gallo, and it didn’t

fail him then. He rocked his hips up, sliding his shaft
deeper into Catlin’s body. To his surprise, Catlin’s
groan held nothing but pleasure.

“Yes, faster, baby. Show me what you got.”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

Catlin’s whispers sounded more like a plea, but

Gallo obeyed anyway.

Sweat beaded on Gallo’s brow from his exertions,

only  to  drip  down  his  temple.  Gallo  watched  Catlin’s
lips peel back from his teeth in a feral grin as his mate
groaned  and  grunted,  gasping  and  moaning  in  his
obvious  enjoyment.  The  amazing  sounds  told  Gallo
exactly how much he pleased his man, causing his own
enjoyment to build exponentially,  hot pressure sending
spikes of pleasure throughout his system.

Catlin’s chest heaved. “Yesss, love,” he praised.

“That’s the way.”

The plug in Gallo’s ass rubbed against his prostate

with every  move, and  his  balls pulled  tight. The  tingle
in  the  base  of  his  spine  intensified.  He  groaned  and
struggled  to  hold  back  his  orgasm.  He  bucked  up  into
Catlin, striving to bring his lover to completion.

“Claim me,” Catlin whispered.
Gallo froze for a split second before ancient instincts

took  over.  He  released  the  headboard  and  grabbed  his
lover’s  upper  arms  tightly.  Lunging  forward,  he  bit
deep  into  Catlin’s  shoulder.  His  canines  sank  into  his
mate’s flesh and Catlin’s blood flowed over his tongue.
Catlin groaned and his body convulsed. His warm seed
spurted from  his dick, coating  both their  stomachs and
chests.

“Come.”
Hearing the gasped word, Gallo moaned around the

flesh in his mouth. He shuddered. His eyelids slid shut
as a heady wave of endorphins crashed through his
body. His cock swelled and his seed flooded his mate’s
rectum. Ecstasy zinging through him, clouding his

Charlie Richards

mind, it took Gallo a moment to release Catlin’s neck
and lick the bite clean.

He opened his eyes and saw Catlin’s breathing was

just as ragged as his own. Catlin was grinning down at
Gallo with so much affection in his eyes that Gallo had
to swallow hard.

His cock softened and slipped from Catlin’s ass. The

bigger man leaned down and gave him a soft kiss.
“Thank you.”

Gallo didn’t know what he was being thanked for.

When  Catlin  leaned  down  to  the  foot  of  the  bed  and
retrieved a warm cloth, Gallo marveled at what had just
happened.  His  mate  had  controlled  the  encounter  even
though  Gallo  had  ended  up  with  his  cock  in  Catlin’s
ass. He’d been able to claim his mate.

He grunted softly, enjoying his mate’s care as Catlin

gently pulled the plug from his ass. After cleaning him
up, his lover pulled Gallo against his chest, half-
sprawled on him, and settled the comforter over them
both.

“Why did you thank me?”
“Because you trusted me enough to do what was

necessary for you to claim me, baby. Because now I get
to keep you and love you for many years to come,” he
replied.

Gallo’s heart stuttered. “You love me?”
Catlin cupped his cheek and pressed a chaste kiss to

his lips. “I love you very much, Gallo.”

“I love you, too,” he replied, knowing he was

sporting a goofy grin.

He’d almost drifted to sleep when Catlin’s quiet

voice prodded him back to wakefulness. “Baby?”

Catlin’s Appaloosa

“Hmm?”
“I can’t really leave my job,” he murmured, and

something in his tone had Gallo cracking an eyelid
open. The pensive look on Catlin’s face worried Gallo.
“Would you be willing to stay here with me?”

Gallo hadn’t even thought about that. First, he’d

worried  about  his  memory.  After  that  came  back,  the
rogue  vampires  needed  everyone’s  attention.  Then  the
problem  of  claiming  his  mate  consumed  his  every
thought.  Good  thing  Catlin  planned  ahead.  Catlin
tensed  underneath  him,  and  Gallo  realized  he  hadn’t
replied  yet.  “Yes,”  he  blurted.  “I  want  to  stay  with
you.”

The tightness in Catlin’s body drained away. “Good.

Good.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Nine

he next evening, Catlin came home from work,
which had consisted of tons of paperwork to help

Brock  close  the  case,  to  see  a  dozen  motorcycles
outside  his  home.  His  brows  rose.  He  hadn’t  realized
there were that many  men  in Gallo’s gang. Striding  up
the walk, he spotted his front door open and heard rock
music blasting.

He stepped into the front room where no less than

eight different big men hailed him with congratulations.
Catlin’s brows shot up as a number of them came over
and patted him hard on the back. He actually had to
lock his knees to keep from stumbling.

Gallo peered out of the kitchen. Seeing him, he

squealed  with  glee  and  leaped  into  his  arms.  Catlin
caught him easily, claiming his  man’s  mouth in a deep
kiss. He didn’t know how it was possible, but somehow
ten  hours  was  just  too  long  to  go  without  seeing  his
lover. After reacquainting  himself with  Gallo’s tonsils,
Catlin broke the kiss and asked, “What’s going on? Are
all these guys from your gang?”

Nodding happily, Gallo told him, “They want to take

Catlin’s Appaloosa

me running tonight.”

“Running?” It took him a moment to comprehend

what Gallo meant. “Oh, your horse?”

Gallo nodded again. “Can I go?”
“Of course, baby.” Setting him down, Catlin glanced

around at everyone. “Is this an outing only for shifters?
Or can I come? I’d love to see your appaloosa again.”

“Sure,” Kontra replied from beside him.
Catlin barely stopped himself from leaping out of his

skin at the man’s sudden proximity. He had no idea
how the massive mountain of a man moved that quietly.

Kontra smirked, his knowing eyes taking in his

reaction. “You can keep Ben company.”

“Ben?” He looked around curiously.
The ranks of men parted, revealing a slender brunet

standing next to a large African with dreadlocks. Seeing
everyone’s attention on them, the pair made their way
over. “I’m Ben Moore,” the smaller man said. He held
out a hand, which Catlin took. “I’m human, too.”

Chuckling, Catlin released the hand and nodded.

“Good to know.”

“Hey, can I swim in your pool later?”
Catlin turned and spotted a short, flamboyantly

dressed man with frosted black hair and brown eyes
staring hopefully up at him. “Uh, sure,” he replied.
“You can use it now if you want.”

The guy giggled. “I think the neighbors would be a

little concerned if they saw a penguin swimming in
your pool in broad daylight,” he teased.

“Penguin?” he whispered the question, looking at

Gallo for confirmation.

Gallo must have sensed his bewilderment, for he

Charlie Richards

wrapped an arm around him and said, “This is Yuma.
He’s a penguin shifter.”

“Oh, right,” Catlin replied as if that explained

everything, and maybe it did. His head was spinning as
everything  he’d  learned  over  the  last  few  days  finally
caught up with him. Shape-shifters were real. Vampires
were  real.  He  was  in  love  with,  and  mated  to,  a  man
who  could  change  into  a  horse.  God,  he  had  so  many
questions. But first, Catlin whispered,  “I think I need a
beer.”

In a daze, he headed toward his kitchen. Men—

shifters—  moved  out of his way  as  he  approached. He
grabbed  a  beer,  popped  the  top,  and  chugged  the
contents. Setting the empty bottle down, he reached for
a  second  with  the  same  results.  The  third  he  took  a
healthy swig  from  before resting the cold glass against
his temple.

When he looked around, he spotted his lover

standing in the doorway, worriedly nibbling his bottom
lip. Catlin took a deep breath, gave his man a tight
smile, and held out a hand to him. Relief filled him
when Gallo didn’t hesitate to come to him.

“Are you okay?” Gallo murmured the words into the

shirt covering his chest, making them hard to
understand.

Catlin cupped his cheek and tipped Gallo’s head up

so he could see his pretty blue eyes. “Yeah. I’m fine. It
just kinda all hit me at once. I just needed a moment to
wrap my head around it all,” he admitted.

Gallo let out a shuddering breath. “You—you

haven’t changed your mind?”

His heart clenched at his lover’s tremulous question.

Catlin’s Appaloosa

He brushed a soft kiss over the lush lips that he enjoyed
tasting so much. “Oh, baby, I’ll never change my mind
about you. You’re everything to me. It may take some
time, but we’ll figure everything out, together,” he
vowed. “Don’t ever doubt that you’re the only one I
want to have a relationship with.”

A beautiful smile lit up Gallo’s face, and Catlin took

his shifter’s mouth again. He slipped his tongue into
Gallo’s warmth, stroking the other man’s tongue with
his own. Relishing the way his lover tipped his head so
Catlin could deepen the kiss, he took slow possession of
his man. When his lungs burned for air a moment later,
he gently brought the contact to an end.

“Let’s eat something. Then I know the perfect place

for you all to take your run. We’re not too far from the
Carson National Forest.” The look of excitement on
Gallo’s face told Catlin he’d made the right choice, and
he planned to do everything in his power to see that
expression on his lover as often as possible.

About the Author

Charlie  lives  on  a  mini  ranchette  in  Utah  with  her
handsome,  supportive  husband.  She  started  writing
fantasy  when  she  was  eight,  and  after  stumbling  onto
her  first  erotic  romance  at  nineteen,  she  realized  her
true  calling.  She  now  focuses  on  writing  erotic
romance,  often  of  the  paranormal  variety,  with  heroes
and heroines of all kinds. You can often find her curled
up  with  her  laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or  glass  of  wine,
creating  her  next  story,  which  could  pair  a  sexy  hero
with  an  adventurous  heroine…  or  maybe  with  another
handsome  hero.  Charlie  enjoys  horseback  riding,  jump
lessons  with  Apache,  watching  movies  with  her
husband,  and  listening  to  her  muse  tell  her  about  her
next project.

She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com