The Moonlight Breed 7
From This Moment
With their scents almost as identical as their appearances, Cian
Murphy can’t be certain which twin is his mate. He’s inexplicably
drawn to Zavion, but if he chooses wrong, the consequences could
be devastating for everyone involved.
Cian haunts his every thought, but Zavion doesn’t know what to
do about it. He’s all but thrown himself at the man, yet Cian
doesn’t seem to return his interest. Being just friends is better
than nothing, but Zavion still can’t help but want a whole lot more.
Clearing up misunderstandings is only the start of their problems,
though. With the tracking chip in Zavion’s neck slowly leaking a
lethal poison, the clock is ticking to find a cure. Unfortunately, the
only known antidote rests with The Hive.
Can Cian find the elusive lab before it’s too late? Or will he be
forced to watch as his newfound mate wastes away to nothing?
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 35,692 words
FROM THIS MOMENT
The Moonlight Breed 7
Gabrielle Evans
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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FROM THIS MOMENT
Copyright © 2012 by Gabrielle Evans
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-505-2
First E-book Publication: September 2012
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
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FROM THIS MOMENT
The Moonlight Breed 7
GABRIELLE EVANS
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
“Yes! Harder! Oh, fuck!”
Zavion pressed his pillow over his head and tried to drown out the
noise coming from the room next door. He was beyond happy for
Oscar and Demitrius, but he could do without the nightly
performances. Besides, it just wasn’t right for him to have to listen to
the shouts and moans of ecstasy when he had no one to warm his bed
at night.
Did the horny couple ever stop to think about that? Of course they
didn’t. Some people just had no manners at all.
Reaching one hand over his head, he banged against the wall.
“Knock it off!” The moans just grew louder. Great.
In the nearly three months since he’d been in Haven, he’d seen a
slew of gorgeous men parading through the grounds like an all-you-
can-eat buffet, but none of them held his interest beyond a lingering
look of appreciation. None except one, but the man he had his heart
set on treated him more like a little brother than a potential lover.
Zavion flipped over on his stomach and punched his pillow in
frustration as Oscar continued to wail from the other side of the wall.
Good grief, was Demitrius fucking him or killing him? If he didn’t
know better, he might guess the latter, but he was fully aware of how
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Gabrielle Evans
much the big shifter adored Oscar. It was almost sickening to watch
them together, but it also sent a wave of jealousy through him.
Oh, he didn’t have designs on his friend’s mate, but he’d give
some vital part of his body to find someone who would look at him
the way Demitrius looked at Oscar. Braxton, Keeton, Jackson,
Malakai, and all the other friends he’d made in Haven were just as
deliriously happy with their partners. Everywhere he looked, people
were living out their fairy-tale endings, and it just wasn’t fair.
Surely the universe hadn’t run out of happiness. There had to be
something left over for him. Maybe he just wasn’t looking in the right
place. Or maybe Cian Murphy was just a big idiot and couldn’t see
what was standing right in front of him.
Mercy, but the Irishman was gorgeous. From the tips of his spiky
black hair to the soles of his boots, he was just over six feet of
bronzed, muscled, male perfection. The neatly trimmed facial hair
that adorned his chiseled jaw was incredibly sexy, and more than
once, Zavion had fantasized about those short hairs bristling over his
skin.
It was the man’s dazzling green eyes that invaded Zavion’s
dreams at night, though. All the Murphy brothers looked very similar
in appearance, including the color of their eyes. Ironically, Cian even
had a twin, though he and Farren weren’t identical like Zavion and
Zuriel.
Bannon and Flynn were the only ones mated, leaving him with a
pick of the other four Murphys, but there was just something about
Cian that hypnotized him. Maybe it was the way his eyes lit up and
sparkled like emeralds when he smiled.
Gods, he had a great smile. His laugh was even better, and it made
Zavion’s stomach flutter every time he heard it. They joked around,
and Cian listened to all his stories with indulgent interest, but that was
as far as it went. Once, Zavion thought he’d caught something flash in
the man’s eyes beyond just friendliness, but it was fleeting, and the
look might not have even been for him.
From This Moment
9
A last strangled cry, and the room next to his finally went quiet. It
didn’t matter, though. It wasn’t as though he could sleep anyway.
Tossing the blankets off of him, Zavion rose from the mattress, pulled
on a pair of black sleep pants, and plodded barefoot down the hall to
the kitchen.
As though his thoughts had summoned the man, Cian Murphy sat
at the oval-shaped table, speaking in low tones with Xander and the
vampire Enforcer, Raven. To his irritation, Zuriel was in the room as
well, staring at Cian with big doe eyes and a goofy grin.
That wasn’t really fair. Zuriel was batting his lashes at Raven as
well, but Zavion could care less about that. He was being stupid,
though. He had no claim to Cian and no right to his jealousy—even if
he did want to go rub himself against the guy and mark him as taken.
“Hey!” Zuriel called brightly when he noticed Zavion standing in
the doorway. “Come here. You won’t believe what Xander did.”
A rush of nervousness swept through him as he approached the
table, just as it always did when Cian was within close proximity.
“What’s up?” he asked as he slid into the seat beside his brother.
He was trying for nonchalant, but he wasn’t sure he pulled it off
because his heart pounded up in his throat when Cian turned that
million-watt smile on him. No one should look that tempting so late at
night. It had to be closing in on the midnight hour, but Cian looked
just as delicious as always.
No. Stop it. He’s not yours. Oh, but he could be. And Zavion
would take wonderful care of the big, brawny Enforcer, too.
“We’re getting bodyguards!” Zuriel exclaimed with a mischievous
twinkle in his eyes. “Sexy, hard-bodied, rough and tough wolf-
shifters, Xander says, who are just dripping with badassery.”
Raven snorted, Xander chuckled, and Cian laughed right from his
belly. “Badassery, is it?” Cian asked when he got himself under
control. “Am I not enough for you then?”
Oh, he was more than enough for Zavion, but he didn’t think that
was exactly what the guy meant by his question. “So, where are these
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Gabrielle Evans
wolves?” He directed his inquiry to Xander, trying his best to ignore
the way Cian made his cock swell and his skin tingle.
“They’re on assignment, actually. Cian and Raven are going to
take shifts with Demitrius until they get here. I don’t think it should
be more than a week or so before the wolves are back. There aren’t
any lighttight rooms in the dorms, so Raven can’t sleep here, but he’ll
be hanging out at night.”
What about Cian? How often was Cian going to be “hanging out”
in the dorms?
“Cian,” Xander continued, “will be here night and day until we
get some more guards trained. After what happened to Oscar, we
can’t take any more chances with your safety.” He paused and looked
directly at Zavion. “Do you have any questions or concerns?”
“Are the guards single?” Zuriel asked immediately before Zavion
could say a word.
Xander rolled his eyes and huffed. “You’re as bad as Keeton. I
have no idea if they’re single or not. I suppose you’ll just have to ask
them when they get here.”
Zuriel grinned like the cat that ate the canary and licked his
bottom lip. “I’ll definitely do that.”
“Zavion? Do you have anything you want to ask?”
“You said that Cian will be staying until the new guards are
trained.” His gaze flickered to Cian and quickly back to Xander.
“Does that mean that he’ll still be babysitting us when the new wolves
get here?”
“Yes, unless he’s needed somewhere else. Why?” A frown tugged
at the alpha’s lips, and his eyes tightened at the corners. “Is that going
to be a problem?”
“No,” he answered quickly. “There are only five rooms, though. I
just wondered where everyone is going to sleep.”
The dorms were really just large cabins, quickly constructed side-
by-side to give them a place to call their own until the individual
homes were built. Once the smaller cabins were completed, the dorms
From This Moment
11
would house any unmated shifters that came into Haven, including
Zavion, Zuriel, and their friend, Cicero.
“Well, there’s one extra room for now.” Xander shrugged. “Once
the guys from Cloud Peak get here, you’ll probably have to double
up. Sorry, but your lives are more important than getting your own
rooms.”
Zavion agreed, and he had no problems with sharing space with
someone else. The currently unoccupied room, however, was right
across the hall from him. How was he supposed to get any kind of
sleep with Cian that close all the time?
“If you’re not wantin’ me here, just say so.” There was an edge to
Cian’s voice that Zavion had never heard before.
“Pshh,” Zuriel scoffed. “We definitely want you here.” His mouth
softened, and his stare took on a seductive quality. “You can even
room with me.”
Zavion was out of his chair and halfway down the hall before he
even realized he was moving. “Way to be a spaz, stupid,” he chided
himself as he dipped into the bathroom to splash cold water on his
face.
The worst part of it all was that he didn’t even understand his
reaction. In the beginning, it had irked him a bit when his brother or
some other bit of fluff flirted with Cian, but he’d been able to keep it
together. Hell, he’d even turned on the charm for some of the other
Enforcers, thinking he could kick whatever addiction he had to Cian
Murphy.
Obviously, it hadn’t worked. As the months went by, his attraction
to the Irishman slowly built, consuming most of his thoughts and
infiltrating his dreams. They’d had barely a handful of conversations,
and never once had he actually been alone with the man. So what the
fuck was wrong with him?
Patting his face dry, he tossed the towel into the hamper and
shuffled toward his room, feeling completely miserable and defeated.
Things could only get worse with Cian living under the same roof
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Gabrielle Evans
twenty-four-seven. How was he supposed to rid himself of these
feelings if he had to sit across the breakfast table from the guy every
morning?
“Hello, darlin’,” an accented voice drawled from the darkness
when Zavion stepped into his room. “Took off like a bullet, ya did,
but no worries.” The light clicked on beside his bed, and Cian grinned
at him as he perched on the edge of the mattress. “Now, I believe we
were havin’ a discussion.”
They were? Since when? “Uh…” Well, that was brilliant.
Clearing his throat while struggling to breathe was no easy task, but
he somehow managed it. Now, if he could just tame his pulse before
his heart leapt right out his chest, he’d be in good shape. What the hell
was the man doing in his room anyway?
“Tell me, Zavion.” His name rolled off Cian’s tongue like a
caress, and it was all he could do to stay upright when his legs began
to tremble. “Tell me why it is that you’re not wantin’ me here.”
“I never said that.” Damn, he was going to pass out if he didn’t
get air into his lungs soon. Cian was too close, much, much too close.
His scent permeated the air around them, wafting off him like a
tangible force that wrapped around Zavion as if it was a living
blanket.
“Not outright,” Cian admitted. “You may as well have just
slammed the bloody door in my face, though.” Kicking his boots off,
he shifted to the center of the mattress and leaned back against the
headboard, linking his fingers behind his head. “I’ll not be leavin’
until I get an answer.”
“Then I guess you’ll be here all night.” Zavion’s lips snapped
together, and he barely resisted the urge to close his eyes and groan.
Had that really just come out of his mouth? Not that he’d mind
sharing his bed with the sexy shifter, but he doubted activities of the
naked variety were on the menu for the night.
Cian’s grin was quick and confident. “I’m okay with that.”
From This Moment
13
Maybe this was some kind of sick and twisted joke. Cian had
somehow discovered his secret, and now he was there to torment him
with it. He might even have believed it, but Cian would never be that
cruel. Still, he couldn’t come up with a plausible alternative for the
reasons why the guy was lounging on his bed as though he planned to
take up permanent residence there.
Zavion hadn’t moved away from the door, and it would be very
easy to turn and walk back out. Easy, except for that fact that he was
rooted in place, unable to do more than blink and breathe.
Perhaps he should just come clean about everything. He wanted
Cian to see him as more than a friend. Right? It was much easier
thought than said, though. What if Cian rejected him? It was a very
real possibility, and then he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to look
the man in the face again.
No, it was definitely better to keep quiet and at least maintain
some kind of friendship with the man rather than lose all contact with
him completely.
A soft sigh floated to him from across the room, and the cockiness
vanished from Cian’s visage as he pushed himself off the bed. “Come
here, Zavion.”
Though his brain screamed that it was a bad idea, his body
betrayed him, carrying him across the carpeted floor until he was just
a foot from the man that made every cell in his body ache with
longing. “Yes?” he croaked through dry lips.
“Closer.”
He took half a step, placing him as close as he could get without
actually touching the Enforcer.
Cian closed that last bit of space, encircling Zavion’s waist with
one arm and pulling him forward until their chests molded together.
“Better,” he whispered as he dipped his head to skim his nose up the
curve of Zavion’s jaw.
Shudders wracked his body, and his head fell back on his
shoulders, giving Cian more room to explore. Zavion didn’t know
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Gabrielle Evans
what the hell was happening, and he didn’t care. After months of
pining, he finally had Cian Murphy in his arms. Lightning could strike
him where he stood, and he’d die a happy man.
Those satiny lips traveled across his cheek and to the corner of his
mouth in feathery kisses that left him breathless and desperate for
more. “Ah, so my little fox requires a gentler touch,” Cian whispered.
“I’ll be rememberin’ that.”
Then Cian cradled his face in both hands and slanted their mouths
together. When Zavion gasped, he took full advantage, plunging his
tongue inside to search every inch until Zavion’s head began to spin
and his cock throbbed painfully.
Electricity spiraled down his spine, his stomach clenched, and the
gums around his canines began to itch like crazy. The haze fogging
his brain slowly dissipated, and once his mind was clear, everything
finally came together. The knowledge didn’t so much snap into place
as it waylaid him upside the head with a vicious right hook.
Jerking his mouth away from Cian’s and gasping for breath, he
stared into those bewitching green eyes as a single word tumbled from
his lips. “Mine.”
Cian grinned from ear to ear as he pushed Zavion’s hair back from
his forehead. “I can’t tell ya how happy I am to hear that. I was
beginnin’ to think you didn’t like me at all.” He bent and brushed his
lips over Zavion’s again. “Say it, just once more, darlin’.”
He was happy to oblige, but there were so many other things he
wanted to say. Still, when he opened his mouth, that single word
slipped out again, this time with a possessive edge to it. “Mine.”
From This Moment
15
Chapter Two
“Music to my ears, that is.” Cian had waited months for some sign
that Zavion was interested in him as more than just a friend or
protector. Now that he had what he wanted, he couldn’t have pried the
grin off his face with a crowbar.
“I don’t understand,” Zavion replied, and he looked very cautious
as he extracted himself from Cian’s arms, putting distance between
them once more. “If you knew this whole time, why didn’t you ever
say anything? I’m obviously attracted to you. You had to know that.
So…why?” He held his hands out to his sides, palms up, and
shrugged. “I just don’t get it.”
“Ah, but I didn’t know.” He’d guessed for some time, but since
Zavion was never out of the company of his twin, it had been a fifty-
fifty chance at picking the right one. “Not ’til tonight,” he added.
“Scent is a funny thing, I’m thinkin’, and yours is right similar to
Zuriel’s. Since you’re never without him, it made it bloody difficult to
figure out which of you was makin’ my head spin.”
The look Zavion gave him made it pretty clear that he could have
worded his explanation a bit more delicately. “Wait. Are you saying
I’m your mate?” He didn’t look very happy about the information.
“Aye. I thought ya knew.” Once he’d been alone with one of the
twins, it hadn’t been difficult to realize that it definitely wasn’t Zuriel
that had his heart pounding. The shifter was sexy as hell, the complete
mirror image of Zavion, and he was sweet as pie. He just wasn’t
Cian’s mate.
When Zavion had stomped from the room after his brother’s
blatant invitation for Cian to share his bed, it had only cemented his
16
Gabrielle Evans
conviction that Zavion was his true mate, his sienota. Apparently, the
little fox-shifter had acted on pure instinct without really
understanding why or what it meant.
“I’ve never had a mate, didn’t even know they existed until a
couple of months ago.” Zavion wrapped his arms around his
midsection and rounded his shoulders like he was trying to curl in on
himself. “I think about you all the time.” His cheeks tinted pink with
the confession. “I dream about you.” The blush darkened to a bright
red and crept up to the tips of his ears. “I think you’re gorgeous, and I
have this weird urge to rub all over you until you smell like me. I just
didn’t know what any of it meant.”
It had been a complicated situation from the beginning, and Cian
possibly hadn’t handled it as well as he could have. Although he’d
been unsure which twin he was fated to be with, he’d always felt
more drawn to Zavion.
Unfortunately, that had proven to add to the problem rather than
give him a solution. While he’d felt something more for Zavion, he
hadn’t been sure if it was from a mating bond or just general
attraction. What if Zuriel ended up being his intended? Picking one
twin, only to find out he was destined to be with the other, was a
recipe for disaster.
Then there was the issue of how Zavion had come to be in Haven
in the first place—naked, scared, and nearly starved to death for both
food and affection. It had been mere luck that Cian and his brothers
had found Zavion and his friends inside that cave in Missouri.
After all the hell he’d been through, both inside that shithole lab
he’d escaped from and while on the run from the men who operated
it, Cian was wary to make any kind of move that might seem
untoward. Maybe he should have just sat the brothers down from the
start and laid it all out on the table. He couldn’t go back and change
the past, but he could start building a brand new future with his mate.
“We’ll take our time, Zavion. You can ask me anything. I have
nothin’ to hide.”
From This Moment
17
“Why did you choose me? Is it just because I smell better than
Zuriel? I mean, you just said you can’t tell us apart.”
“Not true.” Reaching out to take Zavion’s hand, he tugged the
man to him once more and wrapped him up in his arms. “Oh, darlin’,
it’s not what you’re thinkin’. You are in every bloomin’ thought I
have. I love your smile and your laugh. I’m lovin’ the way those big
blue eyes are lookin’ at me right now.”
“So, it’s not just because I smell good?” There was so much
uncertainty in his tone, but he wasn’t trying to pull away again. “I
mean, if you want my brother…”
“Zuriel is right breathtakin’. How can I not think so when you two
look so much alike? No, I don’t want your brother, but I’m hopin’ we
can be friends.” Dipping his head, Cian skimmed his nose up
Zavion’s throat, inhaling deeply. “Aye, ya do smell mouthwaterin’,
but that’s just a bonus.”
How did he explain it so that Zavion would understand? Yes, he
smelled amazing. Yes, Cian found every inch of his lithe body
gorgeous. Sure, there had been a bit of confusion in the beginning, but
the more he got to know Zavion, the more he thought about him until
it had almost become an obsession.
Yes, the twins were identical in a lot of ways, but there was just
something about Zavion that made his heart beat quicker and his legs
go weak when they were together. While Zuriel was very outspoken
and eager to form relationships, Zavion was a bit more reserved. That
guarded reservation didn’t make him seem unapproachable, however.
In fact, Cian found it endearing as well as refreshing.
Zavion’s smile alone could clear the darkest of clouds. His heart
was as big as the wide open spaces, and he truly listened when
someone spoke as opposed to simply waiting for his turn to speak.
They hadn’t known each other long, but Cian felt he could tell the
man anything, and he never had to worry if it would go beyond the
two of them.
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Gabrielle Evans
Gods, his sweet mate was just beautiful inside and out, and there
were times Cian thought he’d go mad if he couldn’t get his hands on
the little fox. How did he explain all of that to Zavion? How could he
make him see that it went well beyond scent and physical attraction?
In the end, he settled on the truth.
“I like your brother fine, but it’s not him I think of when I’m lyin’
in bed at night. Yes, your scents are almost as identical as your looks,
but it’s a fair bit more than that. You are the one I can’t get out of my
head.”
“Then why did you wait so long?” Zavion wasn’t going to make it
easy on him, but that was fine. Cian didn’t want a doormat for a mate,
who just rolled over and accepted everything he said as truth.
“We don’t just pick our mates, Zavion. Fate guides us to each
other.”
“I know.” His cute button nose wrinkled. “Well, I mean, I didn’t.
Boston kind of explained some of it to me, though.”
“Well, now, while I’m feelin’ all confused, not sure which of ya is
my mate, I was hopin’ it would be you.” He pecked Zavion’s lips
when he started to argue. “Let me finish, darlin’. I hoped it was you,
but I couldn’t be sure, what with your brother always glued to your
hip. What if I’d followed my instincts, but Zuriel ended up being
mine?”
The growl that rumbled up from Zavion’s chest was full of
possessive rage, and Cian smiled at the sexy sound. “You are mine.”
“Aye, I am,” he confirmed. “But what if I wasn’t? Fate chooses
our mates, and we can’t run from that, no matter how much we try.
Just look at Boston. He tried runnin’, but he didn’t get far, did he?”
Cian was pretty sure that Boston was damn glad his mates had
been stubborn enough to chase after him. It had been pointless for him
to try to deny his connection in the first place. Cian’s brother, Flynn,
was a persistent asshole, and he could be very persuasive when he
needed to be. Boston hadn’t stood a chance against the Irishman or his
little vampire mate, Malakai.
From This Moment
19
“So…” Zavion trailed off, and his eyebrows drew together in
concentration. “If you picked me and found out I wasn’t your
mate…” His eyes rounded comically. “Oh, that would have been
ugly. Zuriel would have never forgiven me.”
“Precisely. I don’t want to come between you and your brother,
Zavion. I know how important he is to ya.” Cian had five brothers of
his own, including a twin, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do
for them. If one of them made a play for his mate, however, heads
would roll.
“He is.” Sucking his bottom lip between his teeth, Zavion bobbed
his head slowly. “So, you really are my mate?”
“Yes.”
“You’re really mine?”
His need for reassurance was adorable. “Aye, my little fox, I’m
truly yours.”
“So if I wanted to kiss you again, that would be okay?”
“More than okay,” Cian answered, his voice growing deeper,
huskier. Inching backward, he eased down to the edge of the bed and
pulled Zavion between his thighs to compensate for their height
difference. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for,
though. As fast or slow as you’re wantin’.”
In response, Zavion dove into his lap, grabbed his face in both
hands, and attacked his mouth with enough heat to set the room
ablaze.
* * * *
Yes, his brother was very important to him. They’d been together
since the womb, and no one on earth knew him better than Zuriel.
They shared absolutely everything. Well, not this time. Cian was his,
irrevocably his, and Zavion wanted him unlike anything he’d ever
wanted in his life.
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Gabrielle Evans
As his tongue swirled with Cian’s, his gut twisted with clawing
need, and he couldn’t get close enough. He couldn’t suck enough air
into his lungs, and he didn’t care. Those ebony locks were just as
silky as he’d imagined them to be, and that hard, sculpted body was
so warm, so inviting.
A little voice inside his head insisted he was moving too fast. It
had been what, three minutes since he’d discovered Cian was his
mate? His attraction to the guy wasn’t anything new, though. He’d
been lusting after the hunky Enforcer for months, and now that
Zavion had his hands on him, all that pent-up desire was exploding
from him, and he couldn’t stop it if he wanted.
Feelings, emotions, commitments, loyalty, devotion, love—those
were all words that just confused him and made his head hurt. Sex,
however, he was good at. Slow and sensual, raw and primal, and any
combination between was as easy as waking up in the morning.
Then the reason those things were so easy for him came rushing to
the forefront of his consciousness, dousing his ardor in a bucket of icy
self-loathing. Shoving at Cian’s chest, he shot up from his mate’s lap
like he’d been launched from a cannon and shook his head so fast it
made him dizzy. “I’m sorry.”
Cian looked stunned for only a moment before an easy,
understanding smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “I’ll not lie and
say I didn’t enjoy it. Feel free to ravish me whenever the mood
strikes.” He held an outstretched hand to Zavion and wiggled his
fingers. “Now, c’mere, and tell me what has you in a panic.”
That smooth accent and soothing tone coaxed him forward right
back into Cian’s arms—which, of course, was right where he wanted
to be. “You know about The Hive and why I was there, right?”
“I know most of it, yes.” There was a sugary sweetness to his tone
that was more frightening than if he’d shouted. The smile on his lips
didn’t quite reach his eyes, and his fingers flexed on Zavion’s hips,
biting into the flesh in a bruising squeeze.
“Cian?”
From This Moment
21
His hold became loose and tender once again, and he stretched his
neck to peck Zavion on the forehead. “Apologies, darlin’. You were
sayin’?”
“And you know I’m a Desirable, right?” He winced when the grip
on his waist tightened again. Maybe he should get to the point before
Cian pinched him in half. “What I am. Does it bother you?”
“Aye, it bothers me,” Cian answered immediately. “It bloody well
pisses me off is what it does. If you’re wantin’ to know does it make
me see you any differently, the answer is no.”
“I can’t change what I am.” He wished he could. Every night, he
tossed and turned, wishing with everything inside him that he wasn’t
such a freak. If there was some magic pill he could take that would
erase everything The Hive had made him become, he’d swallow it
without question.
“I’m not askin’ ya to,” Cian replied gently. “I think you’re pretty
amazin’ just how you are.”
The sentiment was sweet, but it didn’t fix anything. “Do you
know exactly what a Desirable is?”
“I know some.”
“I can change my appearance at will, to anything you want. If you
wanted me to have brown hair, I could do that.” He took a deep breath
and forced the magic through him, making his hair grow out to his
waist as the blond transitioned to a dark chestnut. “Or, say you liked
bright green eyes instead of blue.” Another shiver up his spine, and
from the look on Cian’s face, he knew his eyes were now the green
he’d described.
“Zavion.”
He wasn’t done, though. “Maybe you’d like me to be taller so that
you wouldn’t have to bend so far to kiss me.” The lengthening of his
bones and muscles was a little painful, but within seconds, he’d
grown six inches from his normal five foot three.
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Gabrielle Evans
“Zavion, stop.” Cian brushed the long dark locks back from his
face and cupped his cheek. “I know what ya can do, and this isn’t
necessary. Change back for me, darlin’. This isn’t you.”
No, it really wasn’t. A few ripples of whatever magic coursed
through him and he was back to his regular appearance. “That’s not
all I can do,” he whispered, shame and embarrassment heating his
cheeks.
“I know that, as well,” Cian confirmed in a voice barely louder
than a whisper.
Maybe he knew all of it, and maybe he didn’t. Either way, Zavion
had to get it out, had to purge himself before he combusted under the
pressure. “Any kink imaginable, anything you could ever want, from
foreplay to needle play, I can do it. I only had one year of training, but
it was extensive.”
A soft, dangerous growl rumbled through Cian’s chest, and his
nostrils flared as fury flashed through his eyes. When he spoke,
though, his words were calm and measured. “That is not who you are.
Bad things happen, but they only define us if we let them. You are
desirable, Zavion, but you are no longer a Desirable, not if ya don’t
want to be.”
“I don’t want to be,” Zavion confirmed. “I don’t want to be a
freak.”
Cian’s fingers massaged the back of his neck, kneading the tense
muscles there. “What is it ya do want?”
“I just want to be normal. Well, normal for a shifter. I want my
friends and family close. I want to shift when I want and not have to
call anyone Master. I want to eat cold pizza for breakfast. I want to go
camping, fishing, hiking, and all those other things I’ve never done. I
want to have sex with who I want, when I want, and because I want
to, not because it’s written in a fucking contract!”
“Now, those are all right fine things to want,” Cian answered with
a quirk of his lips. “I’m thinkin’ we might have a problem on this
From This Moment
23
whole ‘sex with who you want’ part, though. I’m not the sharin’ sort,
ya see.”
The response brought him up short for a heartbeat, and then snorts
and giggles began to escape him until he was laughing right from his
belly. Cian just had a way of making everything seem less formidable,
and Zavion couldn’t have been more grateful. Now that he wasn’t
feeling like he was going to vomit or shatter into a million pieces,
maybe it was a good time to mark one of those things off his list.
“I promise you are the only one I want in my bed, Cian Murphy.”
Straddling the man’s powerful thighs, he looped his arms around
Cian’s neck and pulled him closer until their lips were only a breath
apart. “Sharing is overrated, anyway.”
24
Gabrielle Evans
Chapter Three
The injustice Zavion had suffered at the hands of The Hive was
unacceptable. They would pay dearly for what they’d done to his
mate, but right then, Cian had very different things on his mind—like
acquainting himself with every inch of Zavion’s body.
Clothes were discarded and flung about the room haphazardly.
Their lips locked, their tongues dueled, and the only time either of
them came up for air was when Zavion pulled Cian’s shirt off over his
head. After months of depriving himself of his mate, Cian couldn’t
get enough of that delectable mouth or all the creamy, naked skin on
display just for him.
Zavion’s eagerness only added to the intensity of the experience,
spiking Cian’s urgency to a higher level. At twenty-six, he was no
blushing virgin, but never had he wanted someone like he did Zavion.
An animalistic need to mark what belonged to him, to ensure that no
one sought to claim what was his, rode him hard until it all but
consumed him.
He couldn’t count the number of ways he’d fantasized about
taking Zavion. Wet dreams about the gorgeous fox-shifter had
become an almost nightly occurrence. It probably should have clued
him in as to which of the twins he was fated to be with, but still, he’d
chosen to err on the side of caution.
With no more doubts or uncertainties plaguing him, he was free to
live out those late-night fancies until they both dropped from
exhaustion. And that was exactly what he intended to do.
Turning to the side, he pushed Zavion’s back to the mattress and
insinuated himself between his mate’s thighs, still locked in a battle of
From This Moment
25
tongues, lips, and the occasional scrape of teeth. His cock throbbed to
the point of pain, dripping translucent drops of pre-cum that smeared
over Zavion’s hip.
If Cian had ever had a type, it was definitely the man writhing
beneath him. He didn’t much discriminate, but if given the choice,
he’d always preferred the smaller, more petite men. Big, bulging
muscles did absolutely nothing for him. Not that he was narcissistic,
but he had plenty of muscles he could admire in the mirror if the
mood struck.
Mostly, he figured his preference came from a desire to be
needed. He was a protector, a champion of the weaker, and had been
since he was a little boy. With men his own size, it was a constant
struggle for dominance, and he just didn’t have the patience for it.
Zavion’s fingers tangled in his hair, and his legs wrapped around
Cian’s waist, driving all thoughts from his mind other than getting
inside his mate as soon as possible. It wasn’t very romantic of him,
but with his Thoroughbred demanding he claim their mate and cement
that last piece of the bond, he was fighting tooth and nail just to
remain gentle with his smaller lover.
Their naked cocks rubbed together as Zavion humped up against
him, creating a friction that had Cian trembling with restraint. “Can’t
go slow,” he warned through gasps for air. Gods, his mate deserved so
much more, but there would be plenty of time for that once he could
actually think beyond, “Mine. Fuck. Yes. Now.”
“Don’t want you to,” Zavion answered as he pulled on Cian’s hair
to drag their mouths back together. “I feel like I’m burning.”
Yeah, Cian knew that feeling well. The embers that had been
smoldering inside him for months finally erupted into an inferno,
growing bright, hotter, and more intense as the flames threatened to
engulf him.
He mapped the muscles of Zavion’s slim chest and then repeated
the journey with his mouth. Lapping at one copper-colored nipple, he
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Gabrielle Evans
sucked the hard bud between his teeth and nipped lightly, groaning at
the sensual gasp that puffed from his lover’s lips.
Zavion’s taste on his tongue, his scent in Cian’s nose, and his
warm body undulating beneath him had him reeling. The lines
between fantasy and reality blurred, and his vision shadowed in the
peripheral, narrowing so that Zavion was the only thing he could see.
His heart thundered, his cock flexed, and the pressure built inside
his sac. Currents of desire crawled over his skin, his abs clenched, and
a tingle started at the base of his spine. The ability to breathe was
becoming more difficult, the gums around his canines were on fire,
and if he didn’t get this party moving, it was all going to be over
before the fat lady got her standing ovation.
The nightstand beside the bed had only one drawer, and when he
finally managed to get it open, he found it completely empty.
Growling in frustration, he slammed it shut with more force than
necessary. What gay man—any man, for that matter—didn’t have
lube in their nightstand?
Lotion, massage oil, anti-wrinkle cream—he’d settle for anything
at that point. Zavion didn’t make him suffer long, however. Reaching
over his head, he produced a small, half-empty bottle of lube from the
top of the headboard.
“Clever,” Cian rasped in approval. Grabbing the slick from his
mate, he wasted no time popping the cap open and generously coating
his fingers.
Slipping one finger into Zavion’s fluttering pink star, he paused at
the first knuckle and cocked a questioning eyebrow at his mate. While
still the tightest, most wonderful thing he’d ever felt, the ring of
muscles relaxed quickly, sucking his finger in without resistance.
Zavion simply shrugged and gave him a sexy grin. “I was horny
earlier.”
“I’m thinkin’ ya should elaborate on that.” Jealousy was a new
emotion for Cian, and he didn’t much like it. He punctuated his
request with two hard pumps into his mate’s channel. When he
From This Moment
27
received no answer other than a garbled moan, he inserted a second
finger and gave a sharp turn of his wrist.
“Vibrator,” Zavion whimpered, whipping his head back and forth
on the mattress. “It was a vibrator.”
Cian eased up, sawing his fingers in and out of Zavion’s ass at a
more leisurely pace. “And what do ya think of when you’re pleasurin’
yourself?”
Again, he received no response. Fisting Zavion’s swollen cock, he
stroked his lover lightly, paying special attention to the bundle of
nerves just under the crown. “Tell me, Zavion.”
“I don’t know.” Lie. “Just stuff.” Lie.
Pulling his fingers free of Zavion’s clenching tunnel, he lightly
ringed the slick rosette while he held a loose grip on his lover’s dick.
The urgency was still there, and it was as much torture for him as it
was for Zavion, but he wasn’t moving until he got his answer. “Tell
me.”
Zavion growled and tried to hump up into his fist, but Cian
anticipated him and moved his hand to Zavion’s hip, pinning him to
the mattress. “You!” Zavion wailed. “I think about you when I’m
jerking off. Please, Cian! Ahh!”
Gods, yes. Searching through the tangled blankets, he finally
found the lube, dribbled it over his pulsing cock, and lined the head
up with Zavion’s entrance. “Yes?” Considering that his mate was
practically begging him, he figured he knew the answer, but he
needed confirmation one more time.
Once he started, there would be no turning back, and he didn’t
want to make assumptions while his dick was doing most of the
thinking.
“Fuck, yes!”
They both groaned long and deep as he sheathed himself to the
root inside Zavion’s heated channel. His mate’s inner walls clamped
down around him, massaging his cock, gripping him in a velvety
caress.
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Gabrielle Evans
“Move,” Zavion demanded, breathing heavily as sweat trickled
from his brow.
Moving sounded like an excellent idea, but Cian needed a moment
to get it together, or he was going to go off like a Roman candle. He
sucked in several deep breaths, but the scent of Zavion’s desire
blasted him each time, doing nothing to tame his runaway lust.
“I can’t…” With that little bit of warning, his restraint finally
snapped. Growling like an uncivilized beast, he jerked his hips back
and slammed forward, plunging into Zavion’s sweet body with a wild
abandon that scared him just a little.
“Cian!” Zavion screamed and clutched at his shoulders, arching
up to meet him thrust for pounding thrust. Their damp skin slapped
together, groans and grunts echoed around the room, and the air
thickened with the scent of erotic passion.
A dozen snaps of his hips, and Cian knew he was done for. With
the tight suction on his cock and the sinfully delicious sounds spilling
from Zavion’s kiss-swollen lips, there was just no way he was going
to last. Thank the heavens for the speedy recovery time of young
shifters, because he wasn’t anywhere near satisfied.
A hiccupping gasp penetrated the fog around his brain, and warm
wetness splashed against his belly as Zavion tumbled over the edge
and into orgasmic free fall.
The smell of spilled seed sent a shiver down his spine, and Cian
buried his face against the side of his lover’s neck to muffle the
sounds of his moans as he pumped endless ropes of semen into
Zavion’s convulsing channel. His canines lengthened, growing into
sharp, pointed fangs that startled the hell out of him.
As an herbivore-type shifter, he didn’t naturally have fangs.
Apparently, the magic that lived inside him knew exactly what was
needed to complete the mating bond, however. The need to sink his
new hardware into the side of Zavion’s neck was powerful, but it was
a step he couldn’t take alone. Once bonded, once claimed, there was
From This Moment
29
no going back. After a lifetime of being used and abused, Zavion
would need full control of this decision.
Though painful to pull away, Cian managed it. In some ways,
shifters were very much animals and ruled by instinct. The beast
inside him recognized Zavion as his mate and wanted him, end of
story. As a rational thinking man, Cian could wait, though. It
wouldn’t be easy to battle back his Thoroughbred, especially when
what his shifter wanted and what he wanted were one and the same.
When his lover was ready, he’d let him know. Until then, Cian
would lavish all the attention and affection on him that he could, and
just be thankful that he’d been given the gift of someone as amazing
as Zavion.
“I want to bite you.” It was said through gulps of air, but Zavion
sounded so confused that Cian couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Aye, but I’m thinkin’ it’s best if we wait a bit on that. If ya rush
into it, I’m afraid you’ll kick yourself for it later.” He pushed the
damp locks back from Zavion’s forehead and smiled. “Are ya okay,
then, darlin’?”
“Oh, yeah.” A mischievous light flashed in his eyes, and he
wiggled his hips in a way that caused Cian to groan as his cock awoke
with renewed interest inside his lover’s body. “Can we do that
again?”
“Right now?”
“No, in another three months.” Zavion rolled his eyes and snorted.
“I’m up for it if you are.” He arched his back, rubbing his still-hard
dick over Cian’s abs to show just how “up” for it he was.
“The gods almighty, you’re gonna be the death of me.”
“Is that a yes?”
Even if his cock wasn’t already throbbing once more, there was
no way on heaven or earth that Cian was going to pass up the
opportunity. “You’re not a fox. You’re a tricksy little minx, is what ya
are.” A confident smile slid into place, and he began a slow, sensual
rhythm, gliding in and out of Zavion’s lithe body. “Hold on tight.”
30
Gabrielle Evans
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Zavion taunted him
as he reached over his head and gripped the top shelf on the
headboard.
If his little fox wanted more, Cian could deliver. Slipping out of
his mate’s opening, he grabbed Zavion around the waist and flipped
him easily, pushing him face-first into the mattress. Then he held his
cock at the base and slid the tip along his lover’s crease, making sure
to nudge his glistening entrance without entering.
Over and over, he continued to tease. Insinuating his other hand
between their bodies, he palmed Zavion’s tight sac and squeezed with
just enough pressure to elicit a muffled moan. When he felt he’d
tormented them both long enough, he surged inside again until his
entire length was surrounded by Zavion’s silky heat.
Holding firmly to his mate’s thighs, he pounded into him with
bone-jarring force. The harder he thrust, the louder Zavion’s cries of
pleasure grew until he was certain half the coven would be able to
hear him. Perspiration rolled down Cian’s neck and over his chest, his
heart kicked hard against his sternum, and the muscles in his thighs
burned with exertion.
Feeling his climax building, nudging him close to the edge, he
gradually slowed his pace and pulled free of the strangling hold on his
cock. Manhandling his lover as though he weighed nothing, he jerked
Zavion up from the bed and spun him around so that he straddled
Cian’s thighs.
Planting his feet on the mattress, Zavion lowered in one swift
drop, impaling himself once again on Cian’s rigid shaft. Their mouths
crashed together in a sloppy kiss as his mate bounced in his lap, riding
his aching cock like a rodeo champ.
His smooth, creamy skin glinted in the low light of the bedside
lamp like diamonds in the moonlight. Honey-blond locks floated
around his face and brushed against Cian’s cheeks in feathery soft
touches that sent tingles racing along his spine. Every light touch,
From This Moment
31
every soft whimper, and every sweet taste bombarded him with
sensations until he was once again scrambling for control.
He was fighting a losing battle, though. Zavion commanded his
full attention, captivating him in a way he hadn’t thought possible and
leaving very few brain cells left over for intellectual thoughts.
Curling both arms around his lover’s waist, Cian guided his
movements, lifting him high and jerking him down on his stiff cock.
Small hands grabbed his jaw while slender fingers pressed into the
hollow indention just below his ears. Their tongues tangled and
swirled, mimicking the movements of their bodies, and the sounds
reverberating around the room grew more primal with each punishing
thrust.
Zavion’s cock rode the groove between Cian’s corrugated abs as
his body undulated in sinful waves. Snaking one hand up the shifter’s
spine, Cian gripped the soft hairs at the nape of his neck, jerking his
head back on his shoulders so he could stare into his eyes.
“Will ya come for me then, Zavion Dobbs? Will ya tell the world
who makes you fly?”
Zavion’s eyelids fluttered closed, his mouth fell open, and Cian’s
name burst from his lips on a shout of ecstasy as he filled the space
between them with a torrent of sticky cream. Those snug inner walls
tightened to near pain, and Cian roared as his release was ripped from
him.
Even as he was coming down from the euphoric high, he heard
pounding against the wall near the headboard. “Filthy hypocrite!”
Oscar shouted from the other room.
“Dirty whore!” Zavion yelled back, though his response was a bit
breathless.
Oscar’s chuckles were muffled but still identifiable. “It’s great,
isn’t it?”
Looking into Cian’s eyes, Zavion smiled softly as he dipped his
head to brush their lips together in a tender kiss. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
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Gabrielle Evans
Chapter Four
The heated, muscled body curled around the length of his back
shifted with a grunt, rousing Zavion from his slumber. The clean,
subtle scent of lavender soap from their shared shower tickled his
nose, invoking a soft sigh from his smiling lips.
Snuggling down into Cian’s arms, Zavion rehashed all the ways
his life had changed in such a short period of time. Of all those
changes, Cian was definitely the best. His mental skip down memory
lane eventually led him to the previous night’s activities and the
reason he had a gorgeous man currently sharing his bed.
His cheeks heated even as his cock twitched at all the incredibly
naughty ways they’d come together in the dark. Unfortunately, that
thought led him to the present, and the present wasn’t quite as
welcoming. Sure, Cian was still sleeping beside him, but how would
he feel when he woke up?
Everything had happened so quickly after the brief meeting in the
kitchen. Had Cian been reacting on pure instinct? Had he meant the
things he’d said under the influence of their connection? Most
importantly, would he feel the same way in the light of day?
The sun shone brightly through the window, illuminating the
room with his golden rays and warming Zavion’s face. Secrets lived
and bred in darkness but somehow always found their way to the
light. When Cian awoke, what exactly would Zavion find in his eyes?
Surprise, he could possibly handle. Regret, however, would crush
him.
From This Moment
33
“Do ya always think so loudly in the mornin’?” Cian mumbled as
he constricted his arms, pulling Zavion closer to his chest as he
nuzzled the side of his neck.
“Just hoping you’re happy to see me,” he answered, trying to
make light of his concerns.
“I can’t see anything with the bloomin’ sun in my eyes, but I’m
happy to hold ya.” He squeezed Zavion around the midsection and
kissed his shoulder. “You’ll not escape me so easily.”
Relief flooded him, and Zavion laughed as the nervousness began
to ebb. “Don’t worry, handsome. As you can see, I’m in no hurry to
move.” His stomach grumbled loudly at the smell of bacon in the air.
After the strenuous workout Cian had given him, he was starving, but
it still wasn’t enough to get him out of bed just yet.
He’d never been held like this. Sure, his friends and brother had
hugged him, maybe even put an arm around his shoulders when he
was scared or upset, but no one had just held him. Maybe his mother
had sometime during his infancy, but he couldn’t remember it, so it
didn’t count.
In fact, he had no recollections of his parents. In his mind, they
were wonderful people who’d been horribly wronged. They were
loving and kind with sweet smiles and had loved him and Zuriel with
all their hearts. When he thought about his beginnings, Zavion
imagined that he and his brother had been kidnapped right from their
beds, and their parents had been searching for them ever since.
It was probably a million miles from the truth, but it gave him a
small bit of comfort to think that his parents hadn’t willingly placed
him in the hands of The Hive. Really, what kind of people would do
that to their own offspring?
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting his thoughts, and
Zavion sat up in bed with a groan. “What?”
“If either of you are alive,” Zuriel called, the smile evident in his
voice, “breakfast is almost ready.” His giggle of amusement faded
away as he retreated back down the hallway.
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Gabrielle Evans
Zavion chuckled as well, remembering that he’d had the same
thought about Oscar and Demitrius the night before. “I guess we have
been summoned.”
“Your friends are just pervy. They’re wantin’ all the dirty details.”
Cian tossed a wink in his direction as he rolled off the mattress and
reached for his jeans. “What will ya tell ’em?”
“Nothing,” Zavion answered as he padded over to his closet. “I’m
not the kiss-and-tell sort.”
“I’d wager we did a bit more than kissin’.”
Yeah, he’d “wager” the same, but that didn’t mean that his nosey
friends needed the full scoop.
Dressed and presentable, they exited the room and made their way
to the sound of all the commotion. Pots and pans clanged together,
bacon and eggs sizzled, and conversation rang throughout the kitchen.
Everyone stopped talking at once when they noticed him, however,
and all eyes turned in his direction with an expectant glimmer.
“Good morning,” Oscar said brightly. “How was your night?”
The innuendo wasn’t lost on Zavion, but he just grinned as he slid
into one of the chairs at the table. “Pleasant.” He wiggled his
eyebrows at his friend. “And yours? I’m surprised you can even walk
this morning.”
“Bit of the pot calling the kettle black,” Demitrius said with a
snort as he began transferring the food to plates. “I thought I was
going to have to call an ambulance at one point.”
“Or a vet,” Zuriel added. “It sounded like someone was
slaughtering a turkey.”
“Hardy har. You guys are just a barrel of laughs.”
Cian just chuckled as he passed by, pausing to kiss Zavion on the
top of his head and ruffle his hair before sauntering over to the
counter for a cup of coffee. “What’s on the agenda for the day?” he
asked, but not as though he really cared.
From This Moment
35
“We’re meeting with Blaise and Cole again at noon, and then
Stavion wants a powwow after sundown.” Demitrius sighed in what
Zavion assumed was frustration.
He could definitively sympathize with the big guy. It had been
just over a week ago that three Drones from The Hive had infiltrated
Haven and tried to kidnap Oscar. In that time, he and his friends had
been put through a slew of different tests by a variety of doctors to see
if there was a way to remove the microchips from the back of their
necks.
Zavion didn’t really see what the big damn deal was. Yes, the
microchips were actually a kind of tracking device, but The Hive
already knew where they were. Everyone had decided—without
asking his opinion, he might add—that it would be better to stay put
than try to run. The Enforcers didn’t want any of the coven members
to get hurt, but they still felt it would be best if they met this threat on
their own terms.
There was no doubt in his mind that more Drones would come for
them when the other three failed to return. It was rather surprising that
no one else from The Hive had shown up yet. Still, Zavion didn’t
know if staying put and just hoping for the best was the smartest way
to deal with the situation.
More than that, it felt very wrong to endanger so many people
who had put everything on the line to help them. He knew he couldn’t
fight this battle alone, but there had to be something more he could do
to help than just sit around and wait for more bad guys to come.
“What are you meeting about?” Oscar asked his mate, though he
was still staring at Zavion with a look that said he was going to grill
him for details the minute they were alone.
“Cole thinks he might have some information about where The
Hive is located,” Demitrius answered as he slid a plate in front of
Oscar. “Eat.”
Oscar picked up his fork and stabbed obediently at his eggs. “And
what about the meeting with Stavion?”
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Gabrielle Evans
“Just stuff.” There was an unease to Demitrius’s tone that
immediately caught Zavion’s attention.
“What kind of ‘stuff’ exactly?”
“The Drones we captured are finally talking. More to the point,
the vampire Enforcers were able to compel information out of them.”
“That makes sense. Thank you,” Zavion added to Cian when the
man slid a plate full of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him along
with a steaming cup of coffee.
“My pleasure, darlin’,” Cian replied with a kiss to Zavion’s brow
and a lingering caress down his neck. It seemed the guy just couldn’t
keep his hands to himself, and Zavion couldn’t have been more
thrilled about it. “What makes sense?”
“That the Drones couldn’t be compelled. They have all kinds of
pharmaceuticals in that lab. They gave us D-212 to enhance whatever
makes us shift. Then there were the drugs that actually prevented us
from shifting.”
“Don’t forget those little blue pills that made us horny,” Zuriel
said with a little shiver. “Those were horrible.”
Zavion bobbed his head in agreement. “Then there were the green
pills that kind of heightened our susceptibility to suggestion, like a
mind control drug, I guess.”
“So, it makes sense that the Drones would be given some kind of
pill or shot to prevent mind control,” Oscar concluded as he set his
fork down and folded his arms over his chest with a glare up at
Demitrius. “What’s going on? You’re obviously hiding something, so
spit it out.”
“I don’t want you to get all worked up, but we might have a
problem.”
“What problem?” Oscar, Zavion, Zuriel, and Cian all asked at the
same time.
Demitrius winced, a strange reaction for such a large man. “Those
little microchips in your necks?”
From This Moment
37
“Yes?” Oscar asked dangerously. Zavion recognized it as his “big
brother” voice, the one he always used on him, Zuriel, and Cicero
when he was getting annoyed with them.
Speaking of Cicero, where the hell is he?
“Talking to the new head doc,” Zuriel whispered to him,
obviously having read his thoughts. The poor guy did his best to stay
out of everyone’s head, but it wasn’t an easy task. Zavion didn’t
mind, though. He didn’t have anything to hide from his twin.
He hoped the psychologist or whoever they’d brought in could
help Cicero, but he had his doubts. Three months, and the guy still
hadn’t spoken a word. Zavion didn’t exactly see him opening up to
some stranger if he wouldn’t even talk to his friends.
“They’re not just tracking devices,” Demitrius continued, but he
didn’t look very happy about it.
“Well, what are they? Self-destruct buttons?” Oscar snorted and
bit into a piece of toast. “Good one.”
Except Demitrius didn’t look like it was a joke. His eyes tightened
in the corners, his eyebrows dipped into a shallow V, and his lips
pressed together in a grimace.
“You can’t be serious!” Zavion yelled, jumping up from his chair
so quickly that he banged into the table and knocked over his coffee.
He barely paid any attention to it. “We’re just walking time bombs
and could fall down dead at any second? What the fuck?”
“Tell me you’re joking,” Oscar said quietly.
“He’s not joking,” Zuriel confirmed with a terrified expression.
“Oh, crap. Oh, crap.” His eyes misted with unshed tears, and he began
to tremble. “I don’t want to die.”
“No one is dyin’ today,” Cian said firmly as he pulled Zavion into
his arms and hugged him tightly. “Easy, little fox.” Cradling the back
of his head, Cian brushed his warm lips over Zavion’s temple.
“Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
“Would I ever let anyone hurt you?” Demitrius asked in a subdued
tone as he lifted Oscar into his arms and crushed him tightly to his
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Gabrielle Evans
chest. “From what this Drone said, The Hive will activate the
microchips if you aren’t returned within ten days.”
“How long is that?” Did their time start from when the Drones left
The Hive? Or did the ten days begin from the time Oscar was
kidnapped? It was some horrible game of Russian roulette, and
Zavion hated it.
“I don’t know.” Demitrius squeezed his eyes closed and held
Oscar even tighter. “I’d guess soon, though.”
“Great,” Zuriel huffed. “So I could just keel over in my orange
juice right now. Yes, that’s a perfect way to fuck up my day.”
“The microchips are designed to release a small amount of toxins
into your systems over a period of two weeks. From what we
understand, it’s completely untraceable and with no known cure
outside of The Hive.”
“The drug is untraceable, no one knows how we died, and
without evidence, The Hive can’t be faulted in any wrongdoing.”
Oscar sighed and wiggled out of his mate’s arms. “I guess I really
shouldn’t be surprised.”
“The toxins take about fourteen days to run their course and…”
Demitrius trailed off, apparently unable to finish his thought.
Zavion understood perfectly, though. “Fourteen days to run their
course and kill us,” he clarified. “Well, I guess that’s better than dying
tomorrow.”
“No one is dying!” Demitrius roared. “We just have to find that
fucking lab.”
“Then what?” Oscar demanded. “Are you going to waltz in there,
kidnap a Doctor, and force him to give us the cure?”
Demitrius crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. “That’s the
plan.”
“What about the Drones?” Zuriel asked. “That place is crawling
with them.”
“Not a problem,” Cian answered before Demitrius had a chance.
“We’re just needin’ to find the place. The rest is easy.”
From This Moment
39
Zavion had serious doubts about that, but he was a little more
concerned with staying alive. Besides, arguing with the two
overprotective fools wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “I want to be
at the meetings tonight.”
“Me, too,” Zuriel piped up immediately.
“Same here,” Oscar concurred.
Demitrius and Cian shared a long look before they both sighed
and bobbed their heads in unison. “It’s only right,” Cian answered.
“None of you have any idea where this place is located?”
Zavion wanted to roll his eyes at Demitrius—or throw something
at the dumbass. If they knew something helpful, did he really think
they’d just keep it to themselves? “We were on the run for weeks
before you found us in that cave. I seriously doubt I could lead you
back to that damn lab. Remembering its location wasn’t really top
priority at the time.”
“We’ve told you as much as we know,” Oscar confirmed. “I wish
it was more.”
“I know.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Demitrius grumbled
under his breath. “Between what you guys told us and the papers
Xander got from that idiot that showed up at the main house a couple
of weeks ago, we have a general location.”
“We’re findin’ nothing, however,” Cian added.
“Cole did a search for troubled youth centers in that region, but all
the places the Enforcers have checked out are legit.” Demitrius was
going to have permanent wrinkles if his brow creased any more. “It’s
like the damn place just vanished.”
“What about the Drones?” Wouldn’t the Drones know where the
lab was located? Since they lived and worked there, it only made
sense.
“We tried that,” Demitrius confirmed. “When the vampires
compelled them, they only got bits and pieces. It’s like there are big
holes burned in their memories, and apparently, the location of their
workplace is one of them.”
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Gabrielle Evans
“Then how were they supposed to get us back if they succeeded in
nabbing us?” Oscar asked, and Zavion had to admit that his friend had
a good point.
“They weren’t. We found tracking devices similar to the ones in
your necks. My guess is that someone would come to them, not the
other way around.” Demitrius sounded weary, and he looked even
worse. Exactly how long had he known about this before sharing the
information? Somehow, Zavion doubted the big shifter had just
learned of the news that morning.
Gods, he really didn’t want to do what he was about to suggest,
but it was literally a matter of life and death. “Take me back to the
cave.”
“No,” Cian interrupted.
He patted his lover’s chest and shook his head. “Just listen, Cian.
Take me back to the cave, and I’ll retrace our footsteps. Maybe I can
catch a scent of some of the staff. It hasn’t been that long. If it hasn’t
snowed there, I might even be able to follow the scent trail we left
behind.”
“It might just work,” Demitrius said slowly. “It’s the best plan
we’ve had so far.”
“If you’re so damn ready to be riskin’ a life, why not take your
mate?” Cian clutched Zavion to him while he stared daggers at
Demitrius.
“I’ve got the better nose.” It was wonderful that Cian wanted to
protect him, and he’d really hoped to avoid going back there, but it
couldn’t be helped. “If we don’t find The Hive soon, I’m going to die
anyway. I can do this, Cian.” He paused, letting the words sink in for
a moment. “And you’ll be with me, right?”
“I’m damn sure not stayin’ here while you’re off traipsin’ across
the bloody country, so yeah, I guess I’ll be goin’.” It was kind of cute
how his accent thickened when he was upset, but Zavion didn’t think
his pissed-off mate would take too kindly to him saying so.
“Okay, so when do we leave?”
From This Moment
41
“I’m going with you.” Jumping up from his seat, Zuriel fisted his
hands on his hips and stared back at Zavion stubbornly. “What we
can’t smell, I might be able to hear.” He tapped at his temple and
arched one eyebrow. “You’re going to need me.”
Zavion hated the idea of putting his brother in danger, but he was
in no position to turn down the offer of help. “Okay, so like I said,
when do we leave?”
“We’ll have our meetin’ tonight,” Cian answered, though he still
sounded highly perturbed about the whole plan. “We’ll be leavin’ first
thing when the sun comes up.”
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Chapter Five
He’d agreed to take his mate right back to the sadistic assholes
who’d hurt him, but nobody said he had to fucking like it. Would
anyone else be so willing to throw their mates into the fire? Not
fucking likely. The only consolation to the whole mess was that he
would be there to make sure no harm came to Zavion by any means
necessary.
Cian didn’t consider himself a violent man by nature, but let
someone try to lay a hand on his sweet little fox, and he’d rip them
limb from limb without blinking. Yes, Zavion was on the small side
for a man and not exactly the poster boy for masculinity. Still, it
wouldn’t have mattered if he was six foot six and built like a brick
shithouse. Cian would still be going out of his damn mind just
thinking about what they were attempting to do.
“Cole and Blaise are here,” Zavion announced as he stepped into
his room where Cian was busy pacing the floor. He chuckled and
shook his head. “I just met their other mate, Willow. That guy is a
trip.”
He just grunted. Normally, he found Willow a complete riot, but
not even the troublemaking elf could lift his spirits right then. “Are
you comin’ then?” He’d as soon keep Zavion away from all of it, but
if the guy was determined to go back to Missouri, it was probably
better if he had as much information up front as they could give him.
“Yeah, I’m just going to jump in the shower first. I’ll be there in a
minute.”
From This Moment
43
Crossing the room, Cian wound an arm around Zavion’s waist and
tugged him forward until their bodies met. “You don’t have to do
this.”
“I kind of do,” Zavion answered with a soft smile. Then he pushed
up on his toes and pressed their lips together. “Everyone is waiting.
You better hurry.”
It had been barely twenty-four hours since he’d affirmed that
Zavion was his mate. Now, their relationship was already being
tested. Not only was there a chance that he’d lose the man if he did as
he’d promised and took him on this crazy mission, but if they stayed
in Wyoming and did nothing, he could lose Zavion that way as well.
Then there was the little part of him that just wanted to throttle the
shifter for even suggesting something so dangerous.
Any way he sliced it, the outcome appeared bleak. So instead of
arguing or begging Zavion to reconsider, he just kissed him on the
forehead and exited the room. If they got the meeting over with
quickly, he could spend the rest of the night with his lover and try to
pretend that the entire day had been just one bad dream.
“Okay, we’re all here now,” Blaise announced when Cian entered
the kitchen. “I think we might have some good news for you.”
Cian liked the hell out of good news, especially if it was the kind
that kept Zavion safe at home where he belonged. “What did ya
find?”
“We didn’t really find anything,” Cole answered, but he was
grinning from ear to ear. “However, I think we’ve managed to figure
out why that is.”
Willow cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter from his
perch on Blaise’s lap. “Who figured it out?”
Cole chuckled as he leaned over to kiss his mate. “Yes, baby, you
are a genius.” Resuming his seat, he folded his hands on the table and
looked around the room at the others gathered there. “Willow had the
idea that they might be cloaking this lab some way.”
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Gabrielle Evans
If they lived in a normal world, Cian would probably find the
theory ridiculous. Since his world was anything but normal—a world
where men and woman transformed into animals, and witches,
faeries, and elves ran rampant—he was a bit more inclined to agree
with Cole’s assessment of the situation. Besides, Zavion and his
friends were living proof of the type of power The Hive held.
If they could transform regular shifters into strange and contrived
mockeries of themselves, why wouldn’t they be able to hide their
location?
“Do you really think we’re mockeries?” Zuriel asked in a small,
wavering voice.
Cian felt like a total ass for not remembering that Zuriel could
hear his thoughts as clearly as if he’d spoken aloud. “I’m just upset,”
he assured the man. “I don’t think any less of ya, Zuriel. I swear it.”
“I’m not buying it,” Demitrius said, ignoring the exchange and
speaking directly to Cole. “I agree this place is hidden, but if we’re
talking magical concealment charms or whatever, that just sounds
phony. It would take a lot of damn witches with a lot of damn power
to pull that off.”
“Well, it’s the best we’ve got.” There was a shrug of his
shoulders, but Cole didn’t appear very happy about Demitrius’s
argument. “We’ve searched all the homes for troubled youths,
including juvenile detention centers, within a hundred-mile radius of
where that cave is in Missouri. We’ve even looked at abandoned
buildings and foreclosures. There’s nothing there, Dee.”
“What about the address on those contracts?”
“Bogus,” Blaise confirmed. “No such place exists.”
Cian listened intently, racking his brain for the crucial piece of the
puzzle they were missing. He couldn’t deny that Demitrius had a
point. It would take a lot of energy to conceal something as large as
an underground lab. Then again, Cole had a good point as well. How
else could it be so carefully hidden?
“Why are we lookin’ for homes for troubled kids?”
From This Moment
45
With a tilt of his head, Demitrius indicated Oscar. “That’s what he
said.”
“Why would ya think that?” If the shifters had been kept
underground, how would Oscar know what front The Hive used?
“During exams, the Doctors would scribble stuff down on these
sheets of paper. At the top of those pages was the name of a youth
center.”
Zuriel nodded vigorously in agreement with Oscar. “I remember,
too. It was something like ‘Bridgemont Center for the Seriously
Fucked Up.’”
While Cian snorted in amusement, Cole pulled his laptop to him
and began tapping away at the keyboard. “Bridgemont Center for
Disturbed Teens and Young Adults,” he read after a moment. “It’s
almost two hundred miles from where the cave is located. We didn’t
look that far away.”
“I’m on it,” Demitrius announced. Then he slipped out of the
kitchen, digging his cell phone from his jeans as he went.
He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but this could very well be the
break he’d been hoping for. If they could get a lead on this
Bridgemont place, then just maybe he wouldn’t have to go on a wild
goose chase with Zavion in tow.
“So,” Oscar said, interrupting Cian’s thoughts, “who is this
Redway guy? I’ve heard his name several times, but no one will
explain what he has to do with anything.”
Cian only knew parts of the story, so he didn’t feel he was
qualified to explain the sordid tale. His attention turned to Blaise, and
everyone else followed his lead, looking to the alpha from Cloud Peak
for an answer to Oscar’s inquiry. Truth be known, Cian wouldn’t
mind a bit more information on this mysterious bad guy, either.
“To cut to the chase,” Blaise began, “Cyrus Redway was the
leader of this coven a few years ago before his death. He had two
mates and at least two children, and one of those mates was obsessed
with finding a way for Cyrus and his children to walk in the sun.
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Gabrielle Evans
That’s where the kidnapping, trading, and enslavement of
paranormals we’ve been dealing with started.”
“It’s okay, Blaise.” A deep sigh fell from Cole’s lips, but when he
lifted his head, there was determination burning in his eyes. “One of
Cyrus’s mates was my father. He was the alpha of the Cloud Peak
Pack before Blaise took over.”
“It’s kind of fucked up the things people do in the name of love.”
Cian couldn’t have agreed more with Blaise’s statement. There
was very little he wouldn’t do for Zavion, but subjecting innocents to
torture and enslavement was definitely a line he wasn’t willing to
cross.
“We’ve guessed for a while now that the slave trades started long
before Cole’s dad began trying to find a cure for a vampire’s allergy
to the sun.” Running a hand through his short dark hair, Blaise huffed
and shook his head. “There are new victims coming in all the time,
and it’s just too big for something that simplistic.”
“This lab we’re looking for furthers the suspicion that Cyrus
Redway and my father were attempting something much larger,” Cole
agreed. “We just don’t know what it is. The records we found only go
back a couple of years, but I think we can safely assume this has been
happening for decades, maybe even before Cyrus met my father.”
“So, where are they now?” Oscar asked as he chewed at his
thumbnail nervously.
“Cyrus is dead,” Blaise answered. “He attempted to attack my
mates during a Council meeting. It couldn’t be avoided.” He didn’t
sound the least bit apologetic about the demise of the vampire, and
Cian couldn’t say that he blamed him.
“My father,” Cole added with a sigh. “Well, let’s just say that he
won’t be hurting anyone again. He also won’t be spilling any of his
secrets anytime soon, either. The last time I saw him, he was just
staring ahead blankly and babbling incoherent nonsense.”
From This Moment
47
“Why is that?” Flouncing into the room with his wet curls
plastered to his forehead, Zavion wore a bright smile and not much
else.
The T-shirt he’d donned was actually Cian’s, and while it
swallowed him, it stopped just below mid-thigh, showing off his long,
slender legs. His bare feet padded almost silently across the tiles as he
crossed the kitchen and settled into Cian’s lap with a chaste kiss to his
cheek.
“So,” he said, turning his attention back to Cole. “What happened
to your dad?”
“Talon happened.”
Cian hadn’t been there for the showdown between the former
alpha and the leopard shifter, so he was just as confused as his mate.
“Maybe you’ll want to elaborate so the rest of us can follow.”
Cole shrugged. “My dad made some rather rude comments about
Jackson that Talon took a little too personally. So he shifted and damn
near ripped the man’s face off. Jackson talked him down, but it was
too late.”
“Why was it too late?” Zavion’s head tilted to the side, and his
nose wrinkled. “If Talon didn’t hurt him, what happened to him?”
Exchanging a glance with Blaise, Cole then turned to look at Cian
and finally back to Zavion. “How much do you know about being a
Moonlighter?”
“Well, I know we have white pelts, and people are a little weirded
out about that. I guess it’s kind of a bad thing?” The lilt to his voice
made the last part sound like a question, and his head tilted to the
other side. “Xander and the others tried to explain it, and we’re
supposed to make people crazy when we shift. I don’t know. It was all
kind of confusing.”
Cian had grown up hearing the legends, and he’d been just as
guilty of prejudice against the breed until he’d met his brother’s mate,
Boston. They weren’t the devils people had made them out to be over
the centuries. He knew that now. While he didn’t fear his white-furred
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brethren, there was still a healthy dose of respect there and for good
reason.
“Moonlighters have been feared and hunted for as long as anyone
can remember,” Blaise explained in a calm, quiet voice. “There is
only one born to a clan, coven, pack, or whatever per generation,
except in cases of multiples.”
“Like me and Zuriel.”
“Or Logan and Talon,” Cian added as he skimmed his fingers
over the silky smooth skin on his lover’s thighs in a calming manner.
“I’d guess there are even triplets out there somewhere.”
“For whatever reason,” Blaise continued, “your magic is
supercharged. Popular belief is that this magic is so powerful, in fact,
that it will drive anyone to insanity within minutes if they are unlucky
enough to be close by when a Moonlighter shifts.”
“Other Moonlighters are considered to be the exception,” Cole
said, picking up where his mate had left off. “There was an incident a
few years ago that made Blaise think that mates of Moonlighters were
immune as well.”
“The more time I spent with Xander’s pack in Georgia, the more I
saw. Things weren’t really adding up.” Easing Willow out of his lap,
Blaise rose from his seat and began pacing, something he always did
when he was gearing up for a lecture.
Cian just sighed and settled back in his chair. He’d seen it a dozen
times and knew there was nothing to he could do to stop the alpha
until Blaise was finished with what he wanted to say. He continued
tracing circles on Zavion’s thighs, moving a little higher with each
pass. The guy didn’t really seem to need comforting, but Cian didn’t
really need an excuse to touch his mate, either. He just couldn’t keep
his hands off him.
When he smoothed his palm up the inside of Zavion’s thigh under
the hem of the oversized T-shirt, he almost swallowed his tongue
when his knuckles brushed against the man’s naked cock. His heart
From This Moment
49
beat a little faster, his breathing became just a bit shallower, and his
dick twitched inside his sweats with interest.
Scooting his chair closer to the table under the premise of
readjusting in his seat, he made sure Zavion’s lower half was hidden
under the tabletop before he reached between his lover’s legs again to
fondle his soft, smooth sac. It didn’t really matter. Everyone in the
room could smell the lust pouring off of them, but as long as Zavion
wasn’t uncomfortable with them knowing, Cian didn’t care.
Zuriel gave a visual shudder, shook his head, and quickly left the
room. Not that Cian could blame him. He had no doubt that he and
Zavion were both broadcasting louder than usual. All other eyes in the
room were on them, all but Blaise who was still pacing the floor,
waving his hands around, and talking a mile a minute.
Dipping his hand lower, he ran one finger over his mate’s
perineum to his back entrance and smiled when he felt the tight ring
slick, loosened, and quivering with anticipation. Zavion had known
exactly what he was doing when he’d strutted into the kitchen dressed
the way he was, and Cian aimed to make his dirty little fantasy come
true.
Slipping the tip of his middle finger into that tight tunnel, he used
his other hand to fist Zavion’s rigid cock and pump lightly with only
his wrist. They didn’t want to be too obvious, after all.
“Fuck,” Demitrius groaned as he reentered the kitchen, stopping
just inside the doorway. His nostrils flared, and his eyes went heavy-
lidded as they zeroed in on Oscar.
“Well, I’m bushed.” Jumping up from his chair, Oscar gave an
ostentatious yawn, stretching his arms over his head and arching his
back. “Good night, guys.” Then he practically ran from the room with
Demitrius right on his heels.
Blaise, of course, didn’t notice anything, too lost in his
monologue.
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Gabrielle Evans
Zavion’s back settled heavily against his chest as his head lolled
on Cian’s shoulder. His legs spread minutely wider, and Cian could
hear his teeth grinding together as he tried not to make any noise.
Pushing his finger in deeper, Cian sawed in and out of his mate’s
clenching ass as he applied pressure to Zavion’s balls with his palm.
Gods, the man was stunning. And when that mixture of pleasure and
pain washed over his face during orgasm, it was the most exquisite,
most breathtaking thing Cian had ever witnessed.
The rock-hard length in his hand flexed and pulsed, and Zavion’s
breathing accelerated into shallow pants through his nose. Keeping a
loose grasp on his lover’s cock, he glided his hand along the shaft and
tightened his fingers just under the swollen crown. When he traced
the tip with the pad of his thumb, he couldn’t stop his grin when he
found the slit dripping with pre-cum.
Playing was one thing, but Cian’s dick was hard and aching, bent
in an unnatural position as Zavion’s sweet ass rubbed against him. He
didn’t have a clue what Blaise was saying any longer, didn’t care that
Cole and Willow were practically devouring each other’s mouths in
the seat across from him.
All he wanted was Zavion, and as they’d already established, he
really didn’t like to share. No one needed to see his mate naked or
hear the beautiful sounds he made. Those things were just for Cian.
“Everyone out,” he ordered, still pumping his finger into Zavion’s
opening.
“Excuse me?” Blaise finally stopped speaking and whirled around
to face them. His lips fell open as though he meant to argue, but when
he sucked in a deep breath, it rushed out on a strangled groan.
His eyes strayed to his two mates, and Cian thought the man
would fall to the ground when a full body shudder rolled through him.
“Out,” he repeated Cian’s order, fumbling with the button on his jeans
as he ushered Cole and Willow from the kitchen.
“Now I have ya all to myself, my naughty fox.”
From This Moment
51
“What do you plan to do with me?” Zavion teased as he moved
against him with a sensual roll of his hips.
“I’m thinkin’ you’re in need of some payback. A good teasin’
should teach ya better manners. Do you think so, darlin’?” He nipped
at Zavion’s ear, and then swirled his tongue around the flesh to soothe
the sting. “Then,” he rasped as he slid another finger into his lover’s
velvety heat, “the real fun can begin.”
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Gabrielle Evans
Chapter Six
Walking into the kitchen with nothing more than his lover’s faded
yellow T-shirt on had been a risky move. He’d wanted to seduce
Cian, and yes, a part of him thrilled at the idea of everyone watching
them as they coveted what belonged to him. While it wasn’t rational,
there was an even bigger part of him that wanted to lay claim to the
Irishman, to ensure that everyone knew Cian was his.
Well, he’d certainly gotten his wish. Cian’s words teased him
while his hands and mouth played him like a fiddle. Work-roughed
fingertips ghosted across his chest and pulled at his erect nipples,
eliciting soft gasps from Zavion’s parted lips.
Two digits continued working in and out of his stretched hole,
making his cock jerk as his heart thundered loudly inside his chest.
Soft, moist lips traveled along the column of his throat, and Cian
arched his hips, grinding his hard cock over Zavion’s ass. It was
delicious torture, and he loved every second of it. Surely the man
didn’t mean what he’d said about all that teasing, though.
“Please, Cian,” he whispered as he reached one arm behind him to
wrap around his mate’s neck. “Please.”
His cock was practically screaming for attention, but Cian
continued to ignore the engorged length, choosing to insert another
finger into Zavion’s greedy ass instead. A tormented groan rolled up
from his chest, and his eyes closed of their own volition as he began
rocking his hips, trying to take the digits deeper.
“You don’t need me at all, do ya?” There was amusement in
Cian’s tone, and his lips stretched wide against Zavion’s nape. Lifting
From This Moment
53
his hips, he slid his gray sweats down his thighs and settled back into
the chair to resume his assault against Zavion’s senses.
The soft cotton shirt was removed and tossed unceremoniously to
the floor, leaving Zavion completely nude as he squirmed in his
lover’s lap. The hot length of Cian’s cock pressed heavily against his
back, slicking the skin with copious amounts of pre-cum.
The hand gliding up and down his chest pressed flat over his
sternum, locking him in place and stilling his movements. “Mmm,”
Cian purred as he skimmed his nose up the curve of Zavion’s throat.
“You smell wonderful.”
Well, he hoped so. That had kind of been the point of his
impromptu shower. He’d scrubbed every inch of his body with his
favorite soap until he was red and glowing. Then he’d slicked his hole
and played with one of his vibrators for extra preparedness.
The twinge of disappointment he’d felt when Cian had ordered
everyone out of the room had dissolved under the skillful touch of his
mate. Plus, the possessiveness behind the order was extremely
arousing. The exhibitionist in him still pouted a bit, but if a man like
Cian wanted Zavion all to himself, who was he to complain?
The slippery digits eased out of his clenching channel, and Zavion
had to bite his lip to keep from crying out in protest. When that
strong, capable hand wrapped around his throbbing cock, however,
there was no holding back his moan of pleasure.
Cian stroked him slowly at first, twisting his wrist at the tip so that
his knuckles brushed under the flared helmet. “More,” he whispered,
trying to arch up into the too-light grip.
His attempts were in vain, however. Cian’s hand moved from his
chest, and his arm encircled Zavion’s waist, holding him in a firm
grip as he gradually increased his tempo. Growling in frustration, he
fell back against his lover’s chest as his body vibrated with the need
to come.
“Please,” he begged, desperate for relief.
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“Please what, darlin’?” Cian’s voice whispered into his ear,
throaty and hoarse.
“Please, let me come.”
“I’m not stoppin’ ya.”
“Fuck me,” Zavion pleaded, arching his head back as the grip on
his cock tightened, and Cian’s hand sped over his length. “Please,
Cian, fuck me.”
“Ah, but not yet, Zavion. I promise you’ll be well satisfied when
I’m through with ya.”
A million tiny explosions detonated inside his body, and Zavion
began to tremble in earnest, his upper body bucking wildly while Cian
held his lower half motionless. The friction over his shaft felt so damn
good, too good, and the pressure in his balls built until he couldn’t
hold out any longer.
With a long, garbled groan, Zavion went completely stiff, pressing
his shoulders hard into Cian’s chest as his cock spurted ropes of
pearly cream from the slit that splashed over his lower abs and pooled
in his navel. Scooping the semen from his skin, Cian lifted him with
one arm while he coated his own long, thick cock with Zavion’s seed.
After his intense orgasm, everything felt overly sensitive, as
though the slightest touch would shatter him into a million pieces. A
loud cry ripped from his mouth when Cian angled him slightly
sideways and encouraged him to lower back to his lover’s lap.
Gods, Cian was hung like a fucking horse. The huge cock invaded
his depths, stretching him wide as his inner walls clamped around the
swollen length. Zavion had never come so hard from nothing more
than a hand job, and he wasn’t sure he’d survive another orgasm like
that.
“Shh, baby,” Cian murmured, petting the damp locks away from
Zavion’s face before cradling his cheek tenderly. “Nice and easy,
okay?” Then he pressed their lips together in a deep, searching kiss
while his free hands stroked Zavion’s chest and belly in light caresses.
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Their tongues tangled in an intimate glide, and Zavion wound his
right arm around Cian’s shoulders, pulling him closer as he craned his
neck, eager for more of his lover’s taste. Only Cian’s hands moved,
mapping and exploring Zavion’s body. He didn’t thrust, didn’t rock,
didn’t move his hips at all, seemingly content to kiss and touch while
his cock remained sheathed to the root inside Zavion’s heated
channel.
There was no way for him to tell the passage of time, but before
long, Zavion felt the familiar tightening in his loins, and his dick
began to harden, swelling with arousal as he ached once again for
release. Would the feeling ever go away? Would he always want Cian
this much? He didn’t know the future, but he couldn’t foresee a time
he’d ever tire of the man’s touch.
“Move,” he breathed into Cian’s mouth as he wiggled his hips,
grinding his bottom against his mate’s thighs.
Sliding to the edge of the chair, Cian looped one arm around
Zavion’s waist, fisting his renewed erection. His other hand cupped
the back of Zavion’s knee, lifting his leg toward his chest and opening
him to deeper penetration. Then his muscles flexed and his hips
rolled, pumping his dick into Zavion’s hole in a slow, sensual tempo.
His powerful thighs were firm and unyielding like stones beneath
Zavion’s rounded globes. Heat poured from Cian’s sculpted body,
warming Zavion until perspiration beaded over his flushed skin. Each
thrust stretched his inner walls, plunging into his core while Cian
mimicked the motion with his tongue, flittering into Zavion’s mouth
and then dancing just out of reach.
The coarse hairs along his jawline added a new level of sensation,
and when Cian abandoned the assault on his lips to kiss down the side
of his neck, the scrape of his neatly trimmed beard sent shivers racing
along Zavion’s spine. Erotic flames of desire and pleasure engulfed
him, scorched him, and had him moaning wantonly as he undulated to
meet each of his lover’s thrusts.
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Gabrielle Evans
The wooden chair squeaked and clacked against the floor when
Cian increased his pace, driving his hips upward as his large fist
became a blur over Zavion’s cock. Their mouths crashed together
again, hungrier and more desperate than before, muffling the sounds
of their pleasure.
Zavion’s leg was lifted even higher until his knee touched his
shoulder, and Cian released his control with a wild abandon that was
primal, aggressive, and arousing in a way that Zavion couldn’t
describe. Currents of electricity buzzed across his skin. His nerve
endings sizzled. His heart pounded up into his throat, making it
difficult to breathe.
Every cell in his body felt taut, like a string pulled too tight on a
harp. One more stroke, one more kiss, one more deep plunge, and the
string snapped, sending Zavion careening into euphoria. Burying his
face into the side of Cian’s neck, he cried out as lights flashed behind
his eyelids, and his cock erupted once more in what felt like a river of
semen.
“Zavion,” Cian murmured into his hair, ending the single word on
a guttural groan.
The arm around Zavion’s waist tightened, the fingers holding his
thigh dug into his flesh, and scorching lava filled his depths to the
brim.
“Amazing,” Zavion praised as he fought to control his breathing.
He slumped exhaustedly against his mate, unsure if he’d be able to
move at all before morning.
Cian chuckled quietly against his temple. “Oh, darlin’, this is
simply intermission.”
* * * *
“What’s the plan? Please tell me there’s a plan. It’s been three
days! I’m probably being poisoned as we speak.” Zavion’s hands
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went to his throat, and he gave a dramatic heave of his chest. “I can
feel it killing me!”
It wasn’t really funny, but Cian still had to bite the inside of his
cheek to keep from laughing. Oh, his fox was a feisty thing. “Calm
yourself, Zavion. We’ll be gettin’ a report anytime now. Try not to
worry so much.”
“How can I not worry? Maybe something happened. I mean, we
should have definitely heard from someone by now.”
“These things take time,” he tried to explain. “The Enforcers can’t
just go stormin’ the castle gates, now can they?”
“I don’t see why not,” Zavion argued. “There are lives at stake!”
Considering Zavion’s was one of those lives, Cian understood the
concern. He hadn’t been sleeping very well because of his constant
worry over that very fact. Still, Zavion was taking overreaction to a
whole new level. “Is anyone sick? Are ya feelin’ rundown?”
“Well…” Zavion trailed off and crossed his arms over his chest as
he flopped back on the couch in the common room. “No,” he finally
answered with a huff. “I’d like to keep it that way, though, if it’s all
the same to you.”
“You’ll not be usin’ that tone with me, Zavion Dobbs.” He didn’t
want to be snappy with his mate, but truth be told, he was just as upset
about the abundance of non-information.
That, combined with his lack of sleep, was making him short-
tempered. It pissed him off immensely that Zavion would think he
was anything but fully dedicated to finding a cure for whatever toxins
were flooding his lover’s body.
“I’m here because it’s my job. That’s true enough. If you’re
thinkin’ a job is all this is to me, though, you’re not knowin’ me at
all.”
Zavion’s eyes rounded, and his lower lip began to tremble as he
pulled his knees close to his chest and hugged his arms around his
shins. “I’m sorry, Cian.”
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Damn it all, it just wasn’t fair. Why did the man have to look so
heartbroken? It wasn’t as though Cian had even raised his voice. He
just didn’t appreciate the assumptions Zavion was making about what
he did or didn’t feel.
Sighing heavily, he crossed the room to ease down on the sofa
beside his lover. “All right now.” Wrapping his arms around Zavion,
he tucked the smaller man close to his side and petted his silky locks.
“I’m sorry I upset ya.”
Zavion sniffed and burrowed closer. “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t
have said that.” He was quiet for a long time before he spoke again in
a wavering whisper. “I’m scared, Cian. I don’t want to die.”
The mere thought of losing the man in his arms made his pulse
race with anxiety. He’d been lost, completely and irrevocably
captivated, from the moment Zavion had first spoken to him in that
musical voice. It had been damn foolish for him to wait so long, and
he hadn’t been totally honest about why that was.
Yes, he’d been confused at first. Part of him had wanted to play
things cautiously until he knew which one of the twins gave off that
alluring scent. Then there was another part of him that had just been
scared out of his ever-loving mind.
If Zavion could provoke such emotions in him as only a friend,
how easy would it be to fall head over feet for the guy if they became
something more? When he’d finally gotten one of the brothers alone
and realized his instincts had been right all along, there had been no
more excuses left for him to hide behind.
“Do you remember that day it snowed, and you were trying to
teach me and Zuriel how to build a snow fort?” Zavion asked out of
the blue.
“Aye, I remember.” How could he forget? The little brats had
failed miserably at building a decent fort, but that hadn’t stopped
them from pelting him with snowballs until he was dripping wet and
freezing.
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“And do you recall Raven showing up after sunset and tackling
you?”
“Yes,” Cian answered carefully. He didn’t know where the line of
questioning was going, but he had a feeling it wasn’t anywhere good.
“The big idiot damn near broke my bloody neck.”
“I didn’t like it. He was stretched out on top of you, pinning you
to the ground, and I wanted to rip every strand of hair out of his
scalp.” His head tilted back on his shoulders, and he looked up at Cian
with wide, innocent eyes. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“Raven is an idiot.” Lord, the man was but a fool.
One day, he’d find his mate, though. One day, Raven would be
getting a nice big slice of payback for all the hell he’d given the
mated pairs in the coven. Cian really couldn’t wait for that day to
come. He’d be the first one in line with a huge, shit-eating grin as he
watched the vampire flounder.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“No, it doesn’t make ya a bad person.” If it did, well, Cian was a
maniacal bastard, because he probably wouldn’t have been able to
show as much self-restraint if their positions had been reversed. “It
makes ya right territorial.” He tapped Zavion on the tip of his nose
and winked. “I’ll tell ya a secret, though.”
“What secret?”
“I think you’re cute when you’re jealous.” Then he tossed Zavion
to his back on the cushions and loomed above him, encouraging his
mate’s legs around his waist. “Gotcha.”
“You cheated,” Zavion accused, but not as though he really cared.
His arms encircled Cian’s neck, pulling his head down for a long,
lingering kiss.
Now that he’d caught the shifter—or maybe Zavion had caught
him—he had an answer for his earlier question. Falling for the
extraordinary man beneath him was easier than breathing.
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Chapter Seven
“Bridgemont checks out,” Blaise announced the next evening at
yet another meeting—another meeting that was vastly less crowded,
with only Blaise, Cole, Cian, and Demitrius gathered in the common
room.
“The place is mostly legit,” Cole elaborated. “It’s an institute for
teens and young adults with problems ranging from ADHD to chronic
depression. No underground labs that we could find and nothing more
maniacal than an infirmary.”
Cian was listening, but he was more interested in the “mostly
legit” part of that statement. “Why do I feel there’s more to this?”
“Funny you should ask.” Inching to the edge of the couch
cushions, Cole set his laptop on the coffee table and tapped at the
keyboard. “It took a little work, but Jackson was able to get into their
secured files. While everything appears on the up-and-up at first
glance, once we dug a little deeper, we found some pretty interesting
facts.”
“Will ya be gettin’ to the point sometime tonight?” The
excitement in Cole’s voice and expression was certainly a good thing,
but Cian was tired of the roundabout way he was getting to the
delivery of his information.
“Right,” Cole answered distractedly. “Sorry.” He clicked
something on the screen, waited for it to load, and spun the computer
around toward Cian. “Okay, so this is a list of incoming and outgoing
transfers made within the last six months.”
Names and photos of nine men and six women ranging in ages
from eighteen to twenty-four composed the list displayed on the
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61
laptop. Stats, such as height, weight, and blood type accompanied
each name, along with numbers and letters that made no sense to
Cian. “What are these?”
“This column is outgoing transfers.” Cole pointed to the list of
names on the right. “Do you see where it says ‘D-212R’ under the
picture? We think that means these patients have been recommended
for the D-212 program, the same drug The Hive gave your mate and
his friends.”
Only three of the fifteen names were on that list. “What about the
incoming?”
“Again, we can only theorize, but in this case, we think that ‘D-
212UR’ means that the subjects were unresponsive to the treatment.”
“So, they use these patients until they snap, and then they ship
them off to this Bridgemont place,” Demitrius surmised.
Cian had been thinking exactly the same thing, though he
probably would have chosen a few colorful adjectives to describe
“they.” The one thing that was perfectly clear to him was that they
were in a world of trouble. The more he learned, the more he began to
realize that this thing was far too big for them to fight alone. Hell, he
didn’t even have a clue where to begin.
Did they cut it off at the legs? And exactly where was that? Or did
they go right for the heart? Again, he had no idea where to aim his
proverbial sword. Though he’d never had occasion to meet the
vampire, he was beginning to view Cyrus Redway as some bizarre
cross between a giant squid and a Hydra. He had his tentacles in
everything, even from the grave, and each time they cut off one head,
ten more grew back—just like their problems.
“Can ya tell where they’re sendin’ these patients?”
Cole shook his head and huffed in clear disgruntlement. “It’s the
same bullshit address on those contracts Xander swiped.”
“So, where does that leave us?” Cian already knew the answer. It
left them right back at where they’d freaking started. It sent him right
back to endangering his mate by taking Zavion to that cave and
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hoping the guy could retrace his footsteps to the lab. Fuckin’
fantastic.
“Well, it’s actually not as bad as you think.” Cole jabbed a few
more keys before turning the screen back to Cian. “We were also able
to get into their financial records. There aren’t any charges for flights
or anything that would indicate they were traveling long distances
back and forth between Bridgemont and The Hive.”
“Maybe The Hive is paying for everything,” Demitrius argued. “It
would make more sense if they were the ones transporting these
patients back and forth.”
“True, but Bridgemont has also received large charitable
donations from Redway Corporations.”
“Does that tell us anything we’re not already knowin’?” Cian
asked.
“If you two are going to be so negative, why am I even here?”
“Well, if you’ll tell us anything that’s any goddamn use, maybe
we wouldn’t be so bloody negative,” Cian yelled.
“You just keep talking in fucking circles,” Demitrius agreed with
a growl to his tone. “Nothing you’ve said is any help. Why do we
even have these ridiculous meetings?”
“We’re doing everything we can,” Blaise began in a placating
tone. Only Cian wasn’t having it.
“And it’s not your mate who’s dying, is it? What do ya have to
lose, Blaise Taylor? Not a fuckin’ thing!”
“We’ve wasted three days, three motherfucking days, where we
could have been doing something more than sitting on our asses and
waiting for you to tell us that you have absolutely squat!” His chest
heaved, his nostrils flared, and Demitrius looked mad enough to spit
fire as he loomed over the alpha.
“Back the fuck off,” Cole demanded, shoving at Demitrius’s chest
as he tried to insinuate himself between his mate and the pissed-off
shifter.
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“I’m doing the best I can, you ungrateful asshole,” Blaise shot
back, completely ignoring Cole. “No, Oscar and Zavion may not be
my mates, but I do have mates. I know exactly what you’re feeling, so
don’t lecture me about what you’re going through.”
“If ya know so damn much, why aren’t we any closer to findin’
this place?” Cian demanded, rising to his feet to stand toe-to-toe with
the wolf.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Well, make it that fucking simple,” Demitrius countered as his
upper lip curled over his teeth.
“All you’ve done is fiddle with that computer, and where has that
gotten us? We could have been out lookin’ for this place for a week
now, but no. We’ve been waitin’ on you. How is that okay, Blaise?”
“It’s the safest and most efficient way to—”
“Oh, blow it out your ass, Alpha. I’m not buyin’ it.”
“Guys, this isn’t getting us anywhere,” Cole implored. “Everyone
just needs to calm down.”
“Shut up,” Demitrius growled at him.
“You can be pissed at me all you want,” Blaise responded coldly
as he eased Cole behind him. “You will respect my mate, however.
Cole has barely slept in a week, and he’s doing everything he can to
help. Watch yourself, Accola. I mean it.”
“And what have you done? Where have you been this whole
time?”
“I have responsibilities. I have a pack to run.”
“Where are the Enforcers ya promised?” Cian asked, letting the
accusation slip into his tone. “They should have been here by now.”
“Their assignment is taking longer than expected.”
“Bullshit,” Demitrius snapped. “Go back to Cloud Peak, Blaise.
We’ll take it from here.”
“You need our help,” Cole inserted quietly.
“Yes, we do,” Demitrius agreed. “Too bad we’re not getting any.”
“Now, listen here…”
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And after that, everything just dissolved into chaos again with the
four men yelling and snarling at each other. There was name-calling,
accusations tossed around, and a few questionable references to
bodily harm that Cian wasn’t sure were physically possible. It didn’t
stop him from saying them, though.
They were acting like idiots. More to the point, they were being
childish, like little boys in a playground skirmish. None of them
seemed to be able to dial back the testosterone long enough to do
anything about it, however. The longer they argued, the more
imaginative the insults became, and Cian figured it would have
probably escalated into physical contact if Oscar hadn’t chosen that
moment to burst into the dorm.
“Please,” he begged with wide eyes and a trembling lip. “I need
help. Please.” Then he was gone again, dashing back outside like the
hounds of hell were on his ass.
Cian didn’t waste time with questions. Shoving past Blaise and
Cole, he sprinted after Oscar with Demitrius right on his heels. His
heart pounded frantically as his brain supplied ghastly images of
things his mate could have suffered while he was busy being a tool.
His boots thudded over the sodden ground as he raced to catch up
to Oscar. For such a little guy, he was damn fast. Cian was faster,
though, and within seconds, he’d finally caught the shifter. “What?
What’s wrong?”
“This way,” Oscar panted, not slowing his pace at all. “We were
just walking down by the lake and he collapsed.”
“Who? Who collapsed?” Cian didn’t wait for an answer, though.
His mind supplied the worst, picturing Zavion spread out on the
ground—pale, cold, and unmoving.
Turning on a burst of speed, he shot past Oscar, running as fast as
his legs would carry him toward the murky pond. The cold January air
burned his lungs and stung his face, but he barely noticed. Overhead,
the clouds rolled and darkened, churning with the threat of coming
rain and echoing the emotions inside his heart.
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When he broke through the trees at the end of the path, his
thundering pulse drowned out all other noise when he saw both twins
on the ground, one kneeling over the other. From that distance, he
couldn’t tell who was who, and it did nothing to calm his whirling
panic. While it was horrible no matter which was immobile in the dirt,
the selfish part of him prayed it wasn’t Zavion.
“Cian.” The kneeling blond looked up at him with watery eyes,
pleading for his help.
Only Zavion ever looked at him that way, and relief crashed into
Cian like a wrecking ball, allowing him to breathe again and think
intellectually. “Okay, baby, easy now.” Crouching in the mud beside
his mate, Cian pulled him into his arms and kissed the top of his head.
“He just dropped,” Zavion whispered thickly. “He can’t die.
Please, Cian, don’t let him die.”
Cian wasn’t a medic, nor was he the gods. He had no power over
life and death, but he’d do everything he could to make sure Zavion
didn’t lose his brother. Easing the smaller man to the side, he leaned
over Zuriel’s motionless form and pressed two fingers under his jaw
to feel for a pulse.
“Is he okay?” Oscar asked, appearing at Zuriel’s feet with
Demitrius’s arms wrapped around him protectively. “Does he have a
pulse? Is he breathing?”
“Aye, he’ll be okay.” Zuriel’s pulse was weak but steady, and his
chest rose and fell with deep, easy breaths. “I’ll get ’im back to the
dorms. Someone needs to get Logan.” As a former paramedic, Logan
would hopefully know what to do. He’d know a lot more than Cian at
any rate.
“I’ll do it,” Zavion offered at once as he pushed to his feet.
“No.” Even though Zavion appeared okay at the moment, Cian
didn’t want his mate out of his sight.
Cicero was as silent as ever, but he nodded curtly and took off at a
jog along the path that led away from the pond. Cian didn’t have a
clue where Logan was, but if Cicero couldn’t find him, then maybe
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Blaise could reach him on the phone. Either way, he didn’t have time
to ponder it just then.
Scooping Zuriel into his arms as gently as possible, Cian held him
carefully as he began the trek back to the dorms. “Stay close,” he
ordered his mate, slowing his pace to allow Zavion to fall into step
beside him. If the man collapsed like his twin, there wasn’t much
Cian could do about it, but it just made him feel better to have his
mate within reaching distance.
“This is it, isn’t it?” Zavion asked with an air of hopelessness that
pulled at Cian’s heartstrings. “It’s starting.”
“I’m afraid so, Zavion.” He wished it wasn’t so, but with the proof
staring him in the face, he’d be a fool to deny it.
“Then we can’t wait anymore. We have to leave now. I’ll find the
lab, Cian. I know I can do it.”
Cian had full confidence in his lover, but that didn’t mean he
wanted to send the man into the fire if he could help it. Unfortunately,
it appeared that they’d run out of other options, and with Zuriel now
sick, they’d also run out of time.
“Please, Cian,” Zavion pleaded. “I have to do this. Zuriel would
do the same for me, and I can’t just sit here and twiddle my thumbs.”
His hand settled lightly on Cian’s elbow, stopping him just before
they reached the front porch of the dorm-like cabin. “I won’t let my
brother die, and I’ll do this without you if I have to. Please don’t
make me choose.”
It wasn’t quite that cut and dry, but Cian understood what the man
was trying to say. If placed in a situation where he had to choose
between Zavion and his brothers, Cian would choose Zavion, but it
would kill him to do so. However, if he could save his family without
endangering his mate, he’d do that as well. It was all a matter of
perspective, and right then, his views were a little skewed by his
worry for his lover.
“I’ll not make ya choose, Zavion, but we’ll do this my way. Do ya
understand?”
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“I’ll do whatever you tell me as long as it doesn’t include doing
nothing.”
With a resigned sigh, Cian trudged into the house and settled
Zuriel onto the sofa to wait for Logan. “Stay with your twin.” He
cupped Zavion’s cheek and pressed their lips together lightly. “I have
some things to do, but I’ll be back.”
“What do you have to do?” Zavion’s fingers looped around his
wrist, holding him in place as he nuzzled against his palm. “Where
are you going?”
“I need to have a talk with my brothers. I promise I won’t be gone
long.” He really didn’t want to leave Zavion’s side, but if they were
going through with this crazy plan, he hoped his family would be
willing to come along for extra protection.
He respected the hell out of the other Enforcers in the coven, but
he’d feel more comfortable with his brothers there to cover his back.
He just didn’t trust anyone like he did the Murphy men. They were
family, and where he came from, that meant something.
“What should I do?”
Cian kissed his mate’s lips again and eased away. “Watch Zuriel
and keep him company. Tell Logan what happened.” He ran a hand
through his hair and bobbed his head with a huff. “Then pack a bag
and be ready to go when the sun comes up.”
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Gabrielle Evans
Chapter Eight
“Are ya okay? Do ya feel sick? We can stop for a bit, darlin’.”
When Zavion had said that he wanted to go hiking and camping,
this wasn’t exactly what he’d meant. “I’m fine. There’s still an hour
of daylight left. Let’s keep going.”
For three days, they’d marched through the hills of Missouri as
Zavion tried to retrace the path they’d followed from The Hive. The
days were cold, but the nights were frigid, and he’d taken to curling
up next to Cian in his fox form to stay warm.
So far, they hadn’t found anything, but Zavion could sense that
they were getting closer. Once or twice, he’d even picked up a
lingering scent from one of his friends, but each time, he’d lost it just
as quickly. Still, it was a good indication that he was on the right track
and headed in the right direction.
The trip probably would have been mind-numbingly boring if not
for Cian’s brothers. While most of them were busy hunting evil
vampires in the mountains back home, Devlin and Flynn had agreed
to make the journey with them. The two had talked nearly nonstop
since they started, regaling Zavion with tales of Cian as a boy.
“So, he’s screamin’ his fool head off like a wailin’ banshee, he
is,” Devlin said around his laughter.
“We all go runnin’ into Cian’s bedroom,” Flynn continued when
Devlin had to stop to regain his composure. “Thought Da was goin’ to
wet himself from laughin’ so bloomin’ hard.”
“I was five!” Cian huffed in disgruntlement, which forced Zavion
to slap a hand over his mouth to muffle his giggles.
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“So, Cian’s on the top bunk, and Jiminy Christmas, I still don’t
know how he managed it,” Flynn added, ignoring his brother’s
indignation. “But he’s hanging upside down with one leg caught in
the rail, and Farren’s just starin’ up at him like he’s lost his damn
mind.”
“So, Da asks what he thinks he’s doing.” Devlin picked up the
story, though he still had to pause after every few words when he
started chuckling again. “Cian stops shoutin’, pushes himself back up
on the mattress, crosses his arms, and stares our Da in the face bold as
you please.”
“And what did you tell him?” Flynn asked, bumping his shoulder
against Cian’s.
“I don’t remember,” Cian mumbled, but the gleam in his eyes said
he was lying through his teeth.
“Well, I remember.” Stopping in his tracks, Devlin folded his
arms over his chest and stuck his nose into the air. “‘I’m trainin’ to be
an acrobat, Da. You’ll not stop me. I’ll run away with the circus.’”
“Oh, wow,” Zavion breathed before he dissolve into giggles.
“Aye,” Flynn answered, “but it gets better.”
Zavion had no idea how the brothers were going to top that one,
but he listened intently just the same. “So, what happened then?”
“Well, Da tells him to go on and run away with the circus if he’s
so bothered about it. Cian, being the rebellious shit he was, says he’ll
do just that.”
“You really ran away? At five?”
“I didn’t make it far,” Cian answered with a chuckle.
“You didn’t make it off the bloody porch!” Devlin shouted. “For a
whole hour, we were sittin’ in the front room listenin’ to ya goin’ on
about how you couldn’t run away because ya had no clean
underpants.”
“You couldn’t run away because you didn’t have clean panties?”
Zavion teased, though he was starting get a cramp in his side from
laughing so hard. “Oh, that’s precious.”
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Cian’s cell phone began to ring, quickly sobering everyone’s
mood, and Zavion lunged for his mate, holding his hand out with his
palm up. Pulling the phone from his pocket, Cian glanced at the
display screen, bobbed his head, and passed it over to Zavion. “It’s
Oscar.”
“Oscar? How is he? Is he doing better? How are you? What about
Cicero? Is anyone else sick? Is Zuriel still mad because I left him
there?”
Oscar had been calling twice a day since they left with updates on
Zuriel’s condition. Zuriel had woken up before Zavion had left, and
they’d had a good fight about the wisdom of his brother
accompanying him and the Murphys. In the end, Cian had been the
one to put his foot down, saying that they wouldn’t be able to cover
much ground with Zuriel so sick.
Zavion appreciated the support from his lover, and Cian had an
excellent point. He still felt guilty about leaving while he and Zuriel
were mad at each other. His twin could just get over it, though,
because he wasn’t about to do anything that would jeopardize Zuriel’s
life.
“Hey, Zee, it’s Braxton.”
“What? Braxton? Where’s Oscar? What happened? Why do you
have his phone?”
There was a long pause, followed by a nearly silent huff of breath.
“Demitrius asked me to call, said you’d be expecting updates. Oscar
had a little incident today, and he’s resting.”
“What kind of incident? Braxton, just tell me.”
“Zuriel and Oscar are both vomiting, though Zuriel has progressed
to throwing up blood. They’re tired and weak, but Logan says there’s
really not much we can do for them other than clear liquids and bed
rest.” Braxton sounded so sad and hopeless. “I’m sorry, man. I wish I
had better news.”
“What about Ro? Is Cicero okay?”
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“He’s been sleeping almost all day. Keeton’s sitting with him
right now. He hasn’t started vomiting yet, but Logan says we should
expect it soon.” Braxton paused again, and his voice was measured
when he finally spoke. “How are you feeling, Zee? Are you okay?”
Honestly, he felt like he’d been rode hard and put up wet. His
whole body ached, his eyes felt gritty, and he could probably sleep for
the next week. “I’m fine. We’re about to bed down for the night, but I
think we’re getting closer. Call me in the morning with updates,
okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Zavion?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not going to help anyone if you drop dead out there in the
middle of nowhere. If you start feeling sick, please tell Cian.”
“Sure. Gotta go, Brax. Call me tomorrow.” Then he hung up and
passed the phone back to his lover. “Well, we might as well stop for
the day.”
“Zavion, look at me.” Cian stepped in his path and grabbed his
face in both hands. “Your face is pale, your eyes are glazed, and your
skin is burnin’ my hands. Tell me the truth, baby. How are you
feelin’?”
“I’m fine,” Zavion repeated, shrugging off Cian’s hold. “I’m tired
from walking so much, but that’s it.”
“Don’t,” Cian growled. “Don’t lie to me.”
Marching ahead of his mate, Zavion covered his mouth to quiet
the sound of his cough. It was just allergies, but Cian would go
berserk. The blood dotting his fingers and palm when he pulled his
hand away definitely wasn’t a good sign, but they were so close, and
he wouldn’t give up now.
Quickly wiping the blood away on his jeans before anyone
noticed, Zavion plastered a bright smile on his face and turned back to
Cian. “I’m absolutely fi—”
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Wrapping both hands around his stomach, he hunched over in
agony as his stomach heaved, expelling a torrent of blood onto the
forest floor.
* * * *
“Did you try givin’ Oscar blood?” Cian paced outside of the tent
where Zavion was resting, frantic, scared, and going out of his
goddamn mind.
“Yeah, we tried,” Demitrius confirmed. “He just threw it up,
though.” The shifter sounded as panicked as Cian felt. “I don’t know
what to do. We’ve had all kinds of doctors in to take blood samples,
but they can’t figure out what’s wrong.” A loud, pain-filled moan
echoed in the background, making Cian wince. “Sorry, man. I gotta
go. Let me know if you find anything.”
“Same to you.” Cian disconnected the call and scrubbed at his
face. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
He had known this was a bad idea from the beginning. Now
Zavion was sick, and they were miles from the nearest hospital—not
that he thought human doctors could do anything for his mate. The
only option was to keep moving forward, but how could he ask
Zavion to do that in his condition?
“Stop worrying so much.” Stepping out of the tent, Zavion
wobbled a little but pushed himself up straight. “Yes, I’m sick, but
I’m not dead yet. If you’re not going to sleep anyway, I think we
should keep going. Maybe we can find The Hive before I get too
much worse.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it. The gods know I don’t. It’s all we’ve
got, though. Either we find one of the Doctors who can undo this, or
my friends are dead. Then we did all of this for nothing.”
Cian knew his lover was careful not to lump himself in with his
friends and their situation, but Cian was well aware that he could lose
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his mate. He also knew that Zavion had a valid argument. If it was
anyone else, he might agree, but his emotions always got in the way
where Zavion was concerned.
“We have to hike out of here to get home. We have to hike the
rest of the way to The Hive. I don’t really see much of difference
other than the fact that home doesn’t have a cure.”
“Stop makin’ sense.”
“He’s right,” Devlin agreed as he sauntered up to them. “We
should keep goin’.”
Easy for him to say. He didn’t have a dying mate.
“I know what you’re thinkin’,” Flynn added as he joined their
group. “I do have a mate, though, two of them, and I’d do whatever
needs doin’ to keep them safe.” He glanced in Zavion’s direction and
back to Cian. “If hurtin’ a little now will keep him alive later, it’s
worth it.”
“Agreed.” Wrapping both arms around Cian’s waist, Zavion
rubbed against his chest with his cheek. “I know you’re worried for
me, but this is my choice. I can die at home doing nothing, or I can
die out here trying to find this antidote. At least out here there’s a
chance I might actually survive.”
“Then I guess we better get movin’.”
“See?” Zavion purred. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Actually, it had been like pulling teeth without Novocain. Still,
Cian could admit defeat. “You’ll not be walkin’, though.” Besides, if
he and his brothers shifted, they could cover more ground more
quickly.
“I’m fine with that. Let’s go kick some ass.”
“Easy, RoboCop,” Devlin said with a wave of his hand. “There
will be no Murder-Death-Kill unless absolutely necessary.”
“That’s Demolition Man,” Flynn said with a snort. “Get your
movies straight, Dev.”
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Gabrielle Evans
“Whatever. We just have to find the place. Then I make a phone
call, and this area is swarmin’ with Enforcers. Hopefully, we can
avoid casualties.”
“Is there anyone on the inside who could be an ally?” It would
much better if they could get what they needed and actually trust the
person giving it to them. How could they be sure what The Hive
offered them was truly an antidote to the poison and not something
more sinister?
“Hmm.” Zavion rubbed at the back of his neck as his brow
furrowed. “There was this one Doctor.”
Even better. “Why do ya think he could help?”
“He was always a lot nicer to us than the others.” Zavion’s lips
twitched at the corners. “I think he had the hots for Oscar.”
“We’ll be leavin’ that part out when we tell Demitrius later.”
Zavion chuckled and bobbed his head. “Good thinking. Dr.
Woods is probably our best bet, though. He always apologized when
he had to do tests on us, and I’d see the Trainers yelling at him all the
time. I don’t think he really wants to be there, but I get the feeling this
isn’t the kind of place where you just put in your resignation, either.”
“Why do you ask about allies?” Flynn pulled his shirt off and
kicked his boots to the side, obviously planning to shift along with
Cian.
Cian wiggled his eyebrows as he began stripping out of his clothes
in preparation to shift. “It could be helpful to have someone actually
willin’ to share information.”
“Aye, correct ya are, brother. Would make our jobs right easier as
well.”
“It’s a ninja attack,” Zavion mumbled tiredly. “The force is strong
in this one.”
“You’re all just a barrel of laughs.” The movie references were
entertaining, but not anywhere in the vicinity of helpful. “Let’s go.
We’re wastin’ time.”
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How much longer did Zavion and his friends have? There really
was no way to know for sure, but judging by the swiftness in which
their symptoms had appeared, Cian guessed it wasn’t long. Zavion
was positive that they were going in the right direction and felt they
were getting closer. How much farther, though? How long would it
take to get there?
Most importantly, would they make it in time?
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Chapter Nine
Riding on the back of a chestnut-colored Thoroughbred in the
moonlight would have been weird enough. Doing it naked was just
downright bizarre. Cian had made a good point, though. If Zavion
needed to shift quickly, his clothes would only impede his movement.
All night and most of the day, they’d been walking. Well, Zavion
hadn’t done much walking, but his thighs and butt were sore from
riding atop Cian’s back. They’d stopped only once to eat and catch a
few hours of sleep, but with each passing hour, Zavion was growing
weaker. If they didn’t find The Hive soon, he didn’t know how much
longer he’d make it.
Coughing fits were coming more frequently and with increasing
violence. He hadn’t been able to eat much, but what he’d managed to
choke down only came right back up. His body felt overheated, his
muscles cramped, and even his fucking hair hurt. To say he was
miserable would be an understatement, but he was also determined to
reach their destination and remain alive.
“We’re getting closer,” he mumbled to the Thoroughbred. His
senses were dulling as he became sicker, but he could detect scents
that he hadn’t smelled in months. “It shouldn’t be much farther.”
Squinting into the moonlit night, he tried to remember which way
they’d ran when they’d fled The Hive. It had been daytime during
their escape, though, and everything looked different in the dark.
In the distance, he caught sight of a large boulder silhouetted
against the horizon. It reminded him a little bit of a turtle stretching
his head out of his shell to look up at the stars. More importantly, it
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was familiar. “That way,” he said through more coughs, extending his
arm to point toward the south. “Just beyond that rock.”
Musical chimes and chirps cut through the silence of the night.
Zavion sighed as he rested his temple against the back of Cian’s neck
and wound his fingers in the thick mane. “Devlin, your butt is
ringing.”
Stopping in the middle of the open field, Devlin shifted back to
his two-legged form and dug around in the pouch that had been tied
around his waist but had fallen to the ground during his transition.
“Devlin,” he answered. “Aye, the runt thinks we’re gettin’ closer.
Another few miles, maybe.”
He was quiet for a long time, occasionally bobbing his head or
grunting as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.
“Got it. We’re about twelve miles inside the Tennessee border.”
Zavion giggled at the way the state name came out in Devlin’s
accent, earning him a sharp glare from the Irishman. “Sorry,” he
mouthed.
“Right. I can do that. We’ll keep movin’ southeast, and I’ll call
when we find something. Thanks, Blaise.”
“That was Blaise?”
“No, it was Santa Claus.”
“There’s no need to get snippy.” Zavion was far too tired to argue.
“What did he say?”
Devlin tapped at the screen of his smartphone for a few moments
before he answered. “Cicero started havin’ seizures, and they can’t
get Zuriel to wake up.”
“No,” Zavion moaned heartbrokenly before another bout of
coughs wracked his body, and the coppery taste of blood filled his
mouth. “We have to hurry,” he added in a hoarse whisper when the fit
had subsided.
“I know. Cole is trackin’ the GPS in my phone. Enforcers are
flyin’ in as we speak. They’re just waitin’ on the location of this lab.”
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Gabrielle Evans
“So, what do we do now?” They were so close. He couldn’t
fathom turning around when their destination was within reach.
“We keep followin’ your nose,” Devlin answered with a short dip
of his head. “Then we get you on a chopper back home.”
“All righty then.” A huge yawn rolled up from his diaphragm, and
Zavion snuggled closer to Cian’s neck. As long as he was able to find
The Hive before they packed him off back to Wyoming, he could live
with that plan. It wasn’t like he would be much use in a fight anyway.
“Maybe I should ride with ya.” Surveying him with clear concern,
Devlin stepped forward, but he didn’t make it far. With a loud snort,
Cian whipped his head around, shoving his nose into his brother’s
midsection so that he was forced to retreat several steps. “I’ve got no
designs on your mate,” Devlin assured Cian. “I do have concerns that
he’s goin’ to fall and break his damn neck, though.”
Cian snorted again and shook his head so that his mane flapped in
Zavion’s face. Then very carefully, he lowered himself to the ground
and shifted so that Zavion found himself wrapped around his mate’s
very nude and very human back.
“Ya can keep all your private bits to yourself, Devlin Murphy.”
The possessiveness was evident in his lover’s tone, and Zavion
couldn’t stop himself from smiling against the dewy skin of Cian’s
shoulder. “And you’ll want to keep your eyes upward if you’re
intendin’ to keep those bits and bobs.”
Considering Zavion and Devlin were both naked as they day they
were born, he could understand Cian’s jealousy. He did think his
lover was overreacting just a little, though. Plus his head pounded like
someone had nailed him between the eyes with a baseball bat, and he
didn’t appreciate all the shouting.
“Can you please keep it down?” he asked with a pathetic moan.
Even the sound of his own voice made him feel like his eardrums
were going to bleed.
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Pulling Zavion around to his lap, Cian gave him an odd look. “No
one is yellin’, Zavion.” Cian gripped his chin and tilted his head up.
“How bad is it?”
“Just a headache,” he lied. “We should get going if we’re going to
meet the others.”
“Stubborn fool,” Cian mumbled in clear frustration.
“It’s nothing major. I can keep going. Hopefully, we’re close, and
then we can turn it over to the big guns.”
“I don’t like this.” It had become Cian’s mantra over the past
week, but what he did and didn’t like wasn’t going to change
anything. With a disgruntled huff, he turned to cup Zavion’s cheek
and peck him on the lips. “Can ya hold on, then?”
“I’m not going to fall asleep or pass out. Don’t worry. Your
brother’s oversized penis will come nowhere near me.”
Cian growled and pinched Zavion on the butt. “Just how would ya
know what my brother’s cock looks like?”
“Because he’s ass naked?”
“Well, stop lookin’.”
Zavion laughed, though it was quiet and a little raspy. They’d
have to work on his mate’s jealousy, even if he did find it kind of
cute.
A sharp pain stabbed through his temple, causing him to grit his
teeth together to keep from crying out. His vision dimmed, his
muscles cramped, and another wave of nausea rolled through him.
They had better find their destination soon, because he didn’t
know how much longer he was going to last.
* * * *
This was stupid, idiotic, foolhardy, unwise, and a slew of other
synonyms that described how much Cian detested dragging Zavion
through the woods in his condition.
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Gabrielle Evans
By the time they’d reached the other side of the turtle-shaped
rock, Zavion was shivering from head to toe, his skin felt clammy,
and each breath stuttered through his blue-tinted lips in a wheezing
gurgle. His heartbeat was still steady, but it felt slower than it should
have been, and every new coughing fit sprayed more blood into his
pale hands.
Suggesting the man shift into his fox form to combat the cold had
seemed like a good idea at the time. After listening to the agonizing
moans as Zavion struggled through his transformation, though, Cian
had internally berated himself for a half hour.
When the seizures began, he’d never felt more useless or helpless
in his life. Shifting back to his human skin had slowed their progress,
but with Zavion only half-conscious, he’d needed arms to carry his
mate.
Approximately a mile beyond the boulder, they encountered a dirt
road that traveled north and south. Cian didn’t want to disturb his
lover, but needed to know which direction to go. “Where to, Zavion?”
Lifting his furry head, Zavion sniffed at the air, pointed his
muzzle to the north, and whimpered. Continuing their trek, Cian
rubbed his cheek over the top of the tiny fox’s head. “Hold on, a
ghrá,” he whispered when Zavion went limp in his arms once again.
“Stay with me.”
“You must be kiddin’ me,” Flynn grumbled twenty minutes later
when the trees on either side of the road parted to reveal a large
rustic-looking building, complete with a parking lot and welcome
sign. “A park ranger station?”
Zavion shook violently as he whined and whimpered in obvious
fear. His muscles tightened, his spine stiffened, and his body began to
reshape right there in Cian’s arms until he was completely human
again. The metamorphosis took an unusually long time, and the
tortured sounds spilling from his mouth made Cian feel like someone
had sliced open his heart and left it to bleed.
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“No,” Zavion gasped, grabbing at Cian’s shoulders and clinging to
him as much as his waning strength would allow. “I can’t go back in
there.” Cough. “I want to go home now.” Cough. “Please take me
home.” The last plea was ended with a violent coughing fit that made
Cian wince.
“A car is on the way to take us to the helicopter,” Devlin informed
him as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Ya did good,
Zavion.”
“Oh, gods.” With that bit of warning, Zavion jerked his head to
the side and expelled a gush of crimson from his lips. His eyes rolled
back in his head, his mouth went slack, and his body became heavy.
Then with a last hissing puff of air, he stopped breathing altogether
just as the flare of headlights rose over the hill.
“C’mon,” Flynn commanded, jogging toward the approaching
vehicle. “That’ll be Xander and Logan.”
The SUV skidded to a stop, fishtailing through the dirt as it slid
sideways in the road. Devlin hurried forward, practically ripping open
the back hatch and shoving Cian and Zavion inside before he and
Flynn dove into the backseat.
“Go,” Devlin urged, slapping at the seatback in front of him. Then
he spun around with a worried look on his face. “Is he breathing?”
“No.”
“Pulse?”
“I don’t know!” Cian shouted as he spread his lover out as best he
could in the cramped space. Kneeling over him as the SUV bumped
and rocked, he pressed one hand atop the other, right in the center of
Zavion’s chest, and sent up a silent prayer to whoever was listening.
Counting out thirty chest compressions inside his mind, Cian
shifted to his mate’s head, pinched his nose closed, and covered
Zavion’s mouth with his own to breathe air into his lungs. “C’mon,
Zavion,” he urged as he began another round of compressions.
“C’mon, damn it!”
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Gabrielle Evans
“Give him blood,” Logan instructed from the front passenger seat
while Xander drove at breakneck speeds along the dirt road. “It
should act like a jolt to his heart, the same as a defibrillator.”
The suggestion hadn’t worked for Demitrius and Oscar, so Cian
had no reason to believe it would be successful for him. That didn’t
stop him from accepting the pocketknife Logan passed to him,
though. Slicing the blade across his palm, he forced the blood into
Zavion’s mouth and caressed his throat in hopes that it would get him
to swallow.
Then he returned to doing chest compressions, pausing after the
next thirty to place his ear to his mate’s chest. “C’mon, Zavion,
c’mon.”
“Fuck,” Xander growled as the vehicle accelerated to dangerous
speeds. “We’ve got company, guys.”
Still pressing the heel of his hand against Zavion’s chest in a fast
rhythm, Cian spared a glance out of the back window of the SUV.
Two sets of headlights sped toward them, one vehicle behind the
other, and both swerving dangerously on the narrow road. He
estimated the distance to be half a mile at least, but their pursuers
were gaining quickly.
“How far to the helicopter?”
“Three miles, maybe four,” Xander answered tightly as his eyes
darted back and forth between the windshield and the rearview mirror.
At the speed they were traveling, it shouldn’t take more than five
minutes to reach their destination. With their enemies closing in on
them quickly and Zavion still unresponsive, five minutes suddenly
felt like a lifetime.
“We’ll make it,” Devlin assured him, though his eyes didn’t stray
from the lights behind them. “It’s when we stop that I’m worried
about.”
Cian didn’t have anything left in him to care or worry about much
else besides his mate. Nothing he was doing was working. Why
couldn’t it be like it was in the movies? Why couldn’t he just shout at
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the heavens, profess to love Zavion, and scream that the man couldn’t
leave him? Then Zavion would miraculously wake up, and all would
be fine.
With growing desperation, he retrieved the pocketknife from
where he’d tossed it to the side, placed the blade over his wrist, and
cut deep into the flesh with a grunt. The blood flowed freely, gushing
from his veins, and he pressed his arm to Zavion’s lips, flooding his
mouth with the life-giving crimson.
“What the hell?” Flynn gasped. “Have ya lost your damn mind?”
“Shut up,” Cian snarled. “I don’t care as long as it works.”
When the dark red blood began to seep from the corners of
Zavion’s mouth, he pulled his arm away, lifted his lover’s head into
his lap, and pinched his nose. Then he tilted Zavion’s head back and
stuck two fingers into his mouth, depressing his tongue in an attempt
to force the fluid down his throat.
“Almost there,” Xander informed them. “Be ready to run like hell.
We’ll take care of the assholes following us.”
Cian barely heard him, though. He was positive that he’d felt
movement in Zavion’s throat. “That’s it, a ghrá. Wake up. We’re
goin’ home. You won’t want to miss that.”
Zavion’s throat constricted again, a bit more forcefully, and he
started to gag and choke as he sucked in a huge lungful of air. He
never opened his eyes, didn’t move beyond that, but the steady rise
and fall of his chest and the strong beat of his heart were enough for
Cian.
Slumping back against the window, he pulled Zavion into his
arms and closed his eyes as he battled back tears of relief. They
weren’t out of the woods yet, though, and there was no time for him
to be an emotional wreck.
Only a moment later, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, the
wheels stuttering through the dirt and mud. The back hatch flew open
instantly, and someone was screaming at him to move his ass.
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“Cian! Let’s go, man!” The vampire Enforcer, Raven, jerked on
his elbow as he pulled him out of the SUV.
There was movement all around him as men, vampires, and
animals clashed together in a battle of fists, feet, claws, and fangs.
The dozen Drones from The Hive were easily distinguishable in their
black attire, and they’d come in full force, complete with several
automatic weapons.
As much as it killed him, as much as it tore him apart inside, he
couldn’t leave his brothers and friends to fight alone. Easing Zavion
into Raven’s arms, he nodded curtly and pushed at the vampire’s
shoulders. “Get him home, Raven, and take care of him.”
For once, the man didn’t offer a sarcastic response. He looked
Cian right in the eyes and nodded seriously. “I’ll keep him safe.”
Then he was gone in a blur of movement, leaping into the helicopter
in a show of strength and agility that Cian could only envy. “There’s
another chopper on the way,” he yelled as the bird lifted off the
ground.
Cian hoped he’d live long enough to be on the next helicopter, but
he didn’t have high hopes. Even with the added Enforcers who’d
flown in with Raven, they were still outnumbered twelve to eight, and
none of them had guns.
Shots rang through the grassy field, but strangely, none of them
seemed to be hitting their marks. While Cian was all for fighting fair
and totally against mindless killing, if it came down to him or his
opponents, they were shit out of luck where his mercy was concerned.
The three vampires darted through the Drones, too fast to get a
target on them. In mere seconds, they’d evened the odds, taking down
four of their enemies. Xander and Logan prowled forward in their
shifted forms, a huge Bengal tiger and a sleek snow leopard, hissing
and snarling as they pounced on the backs of two Drones.
Devlin and Flynn had disarmed two other guards but weren’t
having much success in bringing them down. Sprinting forward, Cian
grabbed one of the men on top of Flynn by the hair and jerked his
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head back before delivering a vicious blow to the side of his neck.
The Drones obviously weren’t there to play. They were there to kill
without remorse. Well, if they wanted to dance, Cian would dance.
Devlin finally dislodged the asshole from his back, sending him
flying through the air to land in a heap a few feet away where Logan
pounced on him before he could even roll over. Two of the vampire
Enforcers were down, but they weren’t out for the count yet. The
Drones were dropping like flies, and though more reports rang out,
each shot was more wildly off target than the last.
The air smelled of blood, sweat, dirt, and the acrid scent of
gunpowder. Grunts, growls, screeches, and snarls rent through the
night, sending a chill down Cian’s back. The whir of propellers in the
distance had him jerking his head skyward, distracting him long
enough for one of the Drones to tackle him to the ground.
Fangs glistened in the moonlight as the bastard lunged for his
throat, but Cian dodged at the last second, grabbed the vampire by the
back of the neck, and slammed his face into the ground over his
shoulder. Since becoming an Enforcer, he’d yet to lose a fight, and he
wasn’t about to start with this idiot.
Rolling out from under the larger man, he whirled around,
swinging his left foot out so that it connected squarely with the back
of the Drone’s head, knocking him out cold. “Chopper’s here!” he
yelled to his comrades as the metal bird began lowering to the ground.
“We’ve got this bunch,” one of the vampire Enforcers said with a
sideways kick to one of the Drone’s ribs. “There’s a transport unit on
the way that can hold all of them. Ahh, here they are now.”
The roar of an engine had him glancing over his shoulder as a
huge SWAT-like van rumbled into the clearing and Blaise, along with
five more Enforcers, filed out of the back—werewolves this time.
“Nice of ya to make it,” Cian welcomed them with a sarcastic look.
“We had to get the transport van from a local coven,” Blaise
informed him with an arched eyebrow. “These things take time.”
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They’d won, they were all alive, and Blaise had come through—
even if it had taken longer than Cian would have liked. “Be careful,”
he warned. “I’ll see ya back in Wyomin’.”
A soft, almost imperceptible sound to his left caught his attention,
and he spun around to investigate. A single Drone knelt in the bushes
near the tree line by the road, his rifle trained on the helicopter where
Cian’s friends and family were boarding. Before he could shout out
his warning or even move, the muzzle flashed and the gunshot echoed
through the forest.
Two Enforcers were on him immediately, but the damage had
already been done. On the floor of the helicopter, a white tiger
sprawled half in and half out, his beautiful white coat bathed in
crimson as blood pooled beneath him.
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Chapter Ten
“Let me in!” Braxton screamed as he beat his small fists against
Logan’s chest. “He needs me! What the fuck are you doing? Let me
go!”
They’d all arrived back in Wyoming without further incident, and
Xander had been taken immediately to the Cloud Peak Pack lands—
the closest place with a medical center specifically for paranormals.
Braxton had met them at the front doors, obviously in pain and
beside himself with worry. After the fifteen phone calls the guy had
made to Logan on the flight home, Cian had expected it, however.
The bond between a mated pair was too strong for Braxton not to
have known the second it happened.
They’d also relocated Zavion and his friends to the facility,
though no one was having any luck figuring out how to help them. All
four were resting comfortably with the aid of sleep medication, but
their vitals were steadily declining.
Standing inside the doorway of Zavion’s room, Cian continued to
watch the heated argument between Braxton and Logan. He couldn’t
say that he blamed the little guy. He’d be spitting mad if someone
tried to keep him away from his mate.
The surgery had gone well to remove the bullet from Xander’s
back, and they’d taken a pint of blood from Braxton to give to him
intravenously. Nearly twelve hours later, though, the alpha still hadn’t
opened his eyes. For humans, maybe that was normal. For shifters, it
was certainly cause for concern.
“Braxton, there is nothing you can do for him right now,” Logan
said quietly. “You’re just going to get yourself worked up, and that’s
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not going to help. You know he can feel you, and this isn’t good for
him. Just calm down.”
“Go to hell, Logan,” Braxton responded coldly. “Let me in that
goddamn door, or I’m going to rip your sac off and feed it to you.”
“Braxton—”
“Let him in,” Cian interrupted. “He’ll be much calmer inside than
out here.”
Logan stared at him for a long time before he sighed and stepped
aside to let Braxton into Xander’s room. “I’m not trying to be a dick. I
just don’t want him to be upset.”
“I know,” Cian acknowledged. “He wasn’t too happy just now,
either. Ya can’t expect him to be okay with this, Logan. At least he’ll
feel better if he can hold Xander’s hand and watch over him.” There
was absolutely nothing he could do for Zavion, but just being near his
mate made him feel slightly less panicked, so he knew from
experience.
“Yeah, you’re right.” A loud commotion sounded from the front
of the building, and Logan exchanged a confused look with Cian.
“What the—”
Side by side, they hurried to the reception area, following the
sound of all the shouting and clanging. “It’s all here,” an Enforcer
stated. His large hand was wrapped around the arm of a stranger Cian
had never met, and he shook him violently. “Which one is it?”
“The purple ones. I swear it’s the purple ones.”
“The Doctor,” Logan whispered to him unnecessarily.
“How do we know ya aren’t lyin’ through your teeth?” Cian
demanded, stepping forward to grab the man away from the Enforcer.
“If ya do anything to hurt my mate, I’ll make sure ya don’t live long
enough to regret it. Are we clear, Doc?”
The man gulped audibly and bobbed his head in understanding. “I
don’t want to hurt them, but we’re running out of time. They probably
only have a couple of hours at most. If you’ll let me, I can save
them.”
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Jerking his head toward the boxes of vials and bottles, Cian
indicated that someone should bring them along as he dragged the
Doctor down the hallway to his lover’s room. When the man stepped
forward with an outstretched hand like he was going to touch Zavion,
a vicious growl rumbled through Cian’s chest, and he grabbed the
Doctor around the wrist in an unyielding grip. “What do ya think
you’re doin’?”
“Please,” he whispered. “I just wanted to check his heart rate.”
“No,” Cian snarled. “Get the antidote and get on with it.”
A sad look came into the Doctor’s eyes, but he did as he was
ordered, preparing a syringe from the vial of lavender-colored liquid.
When he went to inject the drug into the crook of Zavion’s arm,
however, a sense of paranoia washed over Cian, and he grabbed the
man once more by his elbow.
“Cian,” Logan said slowly, cautiously. “It’s okay. Let him help.”
“I won’t hurt him,” the doctor responded quietly as he gazed
down at Zavion’s sleeping form. “I never wanted to hurt anyone.” The
needle pierced Zavion’s skin, and the life-saving liquid filled his
veins. “It will take a couple of days for him to be back to normal, but
he should be okay now.”
“Thank you, Doc,” Cian said sincerely as he finally released the
man’s arm and took his hand instead. “Cian Murphy.”
“Destin. Destin Woods.” He shook Cian’s hand quickly before
using the rolling lab tray to prepare three more syringes. “You must
think I’m horrible for not helping them escape. I’m no soldier, Mr.
Murphy, and I was watched like a hawk. I would have just ended up
getting us all killed.”
“How did ya get mixed up in this mess in the first place?”
Destin sighed and readjusted the glasses on his nose before
pushing his long hair out of his face. “About six years ago, my lover
was caught and killed by a group of wolf-shifters because of his white
pelt. He wasn’t my mate, but I assure you, I loved him deeply. When
The Hive approached me, they said they could make sure that nothing
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like that ever happened again. I’d lost my partner, but I could save the
lives of others.”
The guy didn’t need to point out that his shifter lover wasn’t his
true mate. Shifters only ever mated shifters, and Cian couldn’t scent
even a trace of animal on the man. With his long, dark hair, silvery-
gray eyes, and slightly pointed ears, Cian pegged him for an elf. Plus,
he was a bit dainty. He wasn’t feminine exactly, but he seemed kind
of fragile, both physically and emotionally.
Welcome to the club. After all, that’s exactly what Haven was—a
home for the broken and lost.
“It wasn’t what you expected, though,” he prodded, choosing to
discuss Destin’s paranormal status at a later date.
“No. I tried to resign once I realized what was really going on
there, but it’s a lifetime commitment. It’s either The Hive or death. I
guess I should have read the fine print.”
“Aye, that ya should’ve.” Part of Cian wanted to grill the man for
more information, but there were more pressing issues at hand.
Besides, The Council, along with the leaders of several covens and
packs, were probably chomping at the bit to interrogate Destin. He’d
find out all he wanted to know—and some things he probably
didn’t—soon enough. “I’ll show ya where the others are.”
Leading Destin down the hall, Cian stopped at Oscar’s room first.
The minute they stepped inside, he knew there was going to be
trouble. Demitrius rose to his full and intimidating height, growling
savagely at the Doctor. A random thought flitted through Cian’s
overtaxed brain, and he wondered if he should still think of Destin as
a Doctor with a capital D since he no longer worked for the lab. Hell,
did the guy even have medical training outside of The Hive?
Jerked out of his thoughts by Demitrius’s hostile approach, he
decided to worry about it later when he didn’t have a snarling shifter
ready to rip someone’s throat out. “He’s here to help.”
“How do you know that? He’s one of them.”
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“Aye, but not anymore.” Technically, them didn’t even exist any
longer. Some had fled, of course, but most of the staff from the lab
had been detained and taken to various holding facilities run by The
Council. “He gave Zavion the antidote.” Cian paused, letting the
information sink in. “I trust him.”
That wasn’t to say that his trust was implicit, but right then, he
really didn’t have any other choice. Apparently, Demitrius realized it
as well, because he finally stepped aside to allow Destin access to
Oscar’s bed. The poor guy looked like he was going to wet himself as
he slipped past Demitrius and pulled a syringe from his pocket. Still,
his hands were steady when he administered the drug.
“A couple of days tops,” he said, repeating the information he’d
given Cian. “He’ll be good as new, I promise.”
“You better hope so,” Demitrius responded threateningly as he
eased onto the edge of Oscar’s bed and took his small, pale hand. Just
before they exited the room, however, Cian was pretty sure he heard a
mumbled word of gratitude.
* * * *
While his recovery had been swift thanks to the drug Destin had
given him, along with his own magic that governed all paranormals, it
apparently wasn’t quick enough for Cian. Zavion had awoken with a
headache that first morning after the antidote was administered, and
he’d been weak for a few days afterward.
Other than that, and the occasional bouts of nausea that had
plagued him those first couple of days, he’d healed with no
complications. Cian, however, was having a hard time letting go of
his anxiety, and he practically jumped out of his skin every time
Zavion so much as cleared his throat.
It was sweet in the beginning, and he appreciated how Cian doted
on him, but he’d been out of the hospital for over a week and really
just wanted things to go back to normal.
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“What are you doin’?”
“Cooking,” Zavion responded with a bright smile, ignoring the
warning edge to his lover’s tone. “I don’t know how to make much,
but I can make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. Do you want one?”
“You need to be restin’. I’ll do that.” Cian crossed the kitchen of
the dorm and tried to take the spatula from his hand, but Zavion
danced out of his reach.
“Stop it. I’m a hundred percent better, and I don’t need you to do
everything for me. I appreciate that you want to take care of me, but
I’m not a child, and I don’t need it. Now, sit down and let me make
you lunch.”
“I just worry about ya, a ghrá.” His arms encircled Zavion’s waist
from behind, and Cian nuzzled against his nape. “I almost lost you.”
Zavion had been unconscious for most of it, but he understood
that it must have been hell for his lover. When Logan told him that
he’d stopped breathing and had technically died, it had been scary as
fuck. Watching the pain play through Cian’s eyes as though he was
reliving it all over again had nearly broken his heart, though.
“But you saved me,” he said in a soft, calm tone. It was true. He
wouldn’t be alive if not for his mate’s determination to keep his heart
beating. “You didn’t give up on me.”
“How could I?” Cian asked, his voice thick with emotions while
his arms tightened around Zavion’s midsection. “My heart doesn’t
beat unless yours does.”
Gods, the man was going to make him melt into a big pile of goo
right there in the kitchen. Turning to face his lover, Zavion curled his
arms around Cian’s neck and pulled the big shifter into a tender kiss.
“I couldn’t live without you, either.”
“Good, because I love you, and I’m never lettin’ ya go.”
Zavion opened his mouth to respond but snapped it closed just as
quickly. Surely he hadn’t heard that correctly. “I’m sorry. Can you
say that again?”
“I’m not lettin’ ya go,” Cian repeated with a knowing smirk.
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“No, not that. The first part.”
Cian pressed their lips together again, dipping his tongue into
Zavion’s mouth in a kiss that curled his toes. “I love you, Zavion
Dobbs. Ya might as well get used to it.”
“Yeah,” Zavion said dazedly as he tried to make his head stop
spinning and his swelling cock behave. “I think I can live with that.”
Some of the fog cleared, and a bright smile stretched his lips from ear
to ear. “I love you, too, Cian. I loved you before you even decided
you wanted me.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, darlin’. I’ve always wanted ya.
From the moment I met ya, I wanted nothin’ else. I was just too much
of a fool to do anything about it, but no more. From this moment, I’ll
spend every day showin’ ya just how much you mean to me.”
“Stop that.” Zavion sniffled and wiped roughly at his misty eyes.
“You’re going to make me burn the sandwiches.” He pulled away
from his mate’s searching hands and turned back to the stove. “So,
what’s been going on with Dr. Woods?” It was hard to carry on a
casual conversation when he was so deliriously happy, but he was
kind of curious about what the Enforcers had found.
“Destin has been cooperative. Unfortunately, he wasn’t entrusted
with much information. The Enforcers boxed up all kinds of
equipment, computers, and paperwork, though. Cole and Jackson are
goin’ through it, but there’s a lot.”
“What about Bridgemont?”
“Technically, it’s a human facility,” Cian answered with a
disgruntled sigh. “We have no jurisdiction there.”
Zavion placed the sandwiches on two plates and cut them in half.
“They just get away with it? That’s not fair!”
“No, it’s not,” Cian agreed. “We’re lookin’ for a way around the
law, but right now, we’ve got nothin’.” He picked at the toasted bread
on his plate without much interest. “Thanks, Zavion.”
Settling into the chair across from his mate, Zavion wished there
was something he could do to bring that smile back to Cian’s
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handsome face. Unfortunately, bad shit just kept piling up no matter
how hard they tried to combat it. “What about Xander?”
Cian scrubbed at his face wearily as he slumped back in his seat.
“Still no feelin’ or mobility in his right arm. He’s a right mean bastard
these days, too.”
“Mean? Shouldn’t he just be happy to be alive?”
“You’d think so, but you’d be wrong. Braxton says he barely
leaves his room, and he won’t talk to anyone except to shout at ’em.
I’m guessin’ he’ll work through it, but it’ll take some time before he’s
back to himself.”
Okay, well, that line of questioning hadn’t produced very good
results. “Where are the other patients from The Hive?” He wasn’t
really close friends with any of them, but he wouldn’t mind saying
hello to a couple of the guys.
“Other patients?” Cian cocked his head to the side as he set up
straighter in his chair. “What patients? Zavion, were there others
there? We thought they were all transferred to Bridgemont.”
“Well, yeah,” he answered in confusion. “I mean, I guess they
could have moved them after we escaped, but there were six others
still there when I left.” He held his hand up and started ticking them
off on his fingers as he recited names.
“Shit,” Cian spat as he jumped up from the table and retrieved his
cell phone from his pocket. “We didn’t find any patients.” He paced
the tiles while he mumbled under his breath. “Yeah, Flynn, we’ve got
a problem.”
It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the upper
sixties. Zavion had been hoping to talk his mate into a picnic down by
the pond later. That obviously wasn’t going to happen now.
Sometimes, being in love with an Enforcer just sucked.
Then again, he wouldn’t give up Cian for anything in the world,
so he’d just have to learn to deal with it. The man was always
working, something always needed his attention, and of course, there
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was the constant worry that something would happen to him while he
was out on assignment.
“Where are you goin’?” Cian asked when Zavion rose from the
table and headed for the back door.
He needed someone to talk to, someone who would understand,
and only one name came to mind. “I’m going to see Braxton.”
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Chapter Eleven
“I don’t want a goddamn nap. I don’t want to eat. And I sure as
hell don’t want some crackpot idiot in here trying to make me move
this worthless fucking arm!”
“Well, he seems cheerful.”
Braxton sighed as he set a cup of coffee in front of Zavion. “Yeah,
Logan’s been in there talking to him for almost an hour, and it just
keeps getting worse.”
“I’m sorry, Brax. I really am.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll get through it. He’s feeling depressed and
useless right now. I’m just glad he’s still alive to yell at everyone.”
“Why do you let him do it?” Zavion hadn’t intended to just jump
in feet first like that, but it was the perfect opening.
Braxton snorted before taking a sip of his own coffee. “No one
lets Alexander Brighton do anything. He’s as stubborn as they come,
but his heart is in the right place. Being an Enforcer, helping others, it
makes him happy.”
“Yeah, but how do you stand it? I mean, don’t you worry about
him?”
“This is about Cian, isn’t it?”
Zavion folded his hands together in his lap and bobbed his head.
“I’m really am sorry that Xander got hurt, but yes, I’m worried about
Cian. It could have just as easily have been him. I don’t know what to
do.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Braxton said with a thoughtful
expression as he set his mug back on the table. “They know the risks,
and we can’t stop them. All you can do is love Cian, support him,
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hope for the best, and remind him that someone is waiting at home for
him.”
“And be prepared for them to act like they lost a limb if they get
hurt,” Keeton added as he bounced into the kitchen. “Damn, Xander
is going to rip Logan’s head off.” He placed his hand over his mouth
to muffle his giggle. “I know it’s not funny, but they’re acting like
little boys.”
“Xander kind of did lose a limb,” Braxton said quietly, not at all
his usual cheerful self.
“Oh, pfft,” Keeton scoffed, smacking Braxton on the shoulder. “If
he’d quit being a dick and actually do his physical therapy, he’d be
fine. He’s just pouting.” His eyebrows shot up to his hairline and
began to wiggle devilishly. “Maybe you should give him some
incentive.”
The smile was slow to spread, but before long, Braxton was
grinning like a loon. “I think that might just work.” He sprang out of
his chair and hugged his friend tightly. “You’re a genius, Kee.”
Keeton huffed at his fingernails and pretended to polish them
against his chest. “I know.” Once Braxton was out of the room, he
turned to Zavion and pointed a finger in his face. “You, stop moping.
You almost died, but you didn’t. You were almost kidnapped, but you
weren’t. You have a gorgeous piece of Irish deliciousness fawning all
over you. What the hell do you have to be so Debbie Downer about?”
Well, when put that way, Zavion really didn’t have a response. “I
was going to ask Cian to go on a picnic, but then he was on the phone,
and well…”
“Well, nothing. No matter what he has going on, he can take half
an hour to chew on a chicken bone with you.” He flapped his hands
toward Zavion. “Shoo. Go get him. For the love of Christmas, I really
should run this place. Things would be much less dramatic.”
Zavion did as directed, but he giggled the whole way out the door.
Keeton’s name was synonymous with drama. Hell, the guy turned the
most mundane tasks into life-altering events. He’d worry about
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Keeton’s slightly cockeyed views of himself later. Right then, he had
a mate to seduce.
It wasn’t that far to the back door of the cabin he shared with his
friends, but excitement made him breathless. “Cian!”
It wasn’t his lover who greeted him, though. “I think he’s in the
shower,” Oscar informed him around a huge yawn. “Damn, I’m
exhausted. Demitrius kept me up most of the night.” His cheeks tinted
pink with the confession, and his eyes rounded comically. “Sorry.”
Zavion waved him off with a chuckle. “You forget that our rooms
share a wall.” His mate hadn’t been as forthcoming with the physical
love since Zavion had fallen ill, though. Something he hoped to
rectify in the next few minutes. “You might want to turn the television
on,” he warned Oscar as he started toward the bathroom. “Loudly.”
* * * *
Cian pounded his fist against the shower wall and grunted as the
hot water fell over his back. When was it going to stop? Just when
they finally got one thing settled, a dozen more problems cropped up.
Thankfully, the other patients Zavion mentioned had been rescued
from The Hive, but they were still being held in Tennessee. They’d
been taken to the nearest pack for medical treatment and held there
for questioning. According to Flynn, they would be arriving in Haven
at the end of the week.
While good news, it did raise more concerns. Would the new
residents have those tracking chips? Would they be poisoned? Would
more Drones follow them to Wyoming? Gods, the list never ended.
Then there was the little problem of actually removing the
microchips.
Destin was quick to say that there was no way for him to remove
the little tracking devices. However, he had an idea of how to disable
and dissolve them. As Cian’s bad luck would have it, the method
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Destin outlined would undoubtedly cause Zavion more pain and
suffering. He just couldn’t catch a fucking break.
“What did that wall ever do to you?” Gloriously naked and so
beautiful that it made Cian’s chest ache, Zavion stepped into the
shower in front of him and moaned as the spray of water pelted
against his shoulders. “Why so grumpy?”
With his mate’s scent permeating the air around him and all that
smooth, delectable skin on display, he really couldn’t remember why
he’d been in a bad mood. He could barely remember his own name.
Grabbing Zavion around the back of his thighs, Cian lifted him
easily, pinning his back to the wall under the showerhead. “I forget,
but I’m feelin’ much better now.” His lips traveled up the curve of
Zavion’s neck, and he swirled his tongue into the hollow indention
just behind his ear.
With all the chaos going on, he hadn’t really had time to pay
proper attention to his lover. Plus, there was a part of him that felt
guilty when the thought did flicker through his mind. Zavion had died
for all intents and purposes. He’d suffered more than anyone should.
While he’d passed his physical with flying colors two days before,
Cian couldn’t just erase everything that had happened from his
memory.
“I’ve missed you,” Zavion whispered against his cheek. “Even
when you’re right beside me, you’re a million miles away.”
It was true and only added to his feelings of guilt. Even at night,
when he was holding the man in his arms, his mind raced with things
that had happened and things that would come. There hadn’t been
much left over for one-on-one time, and if he was being honest, he
tried to avoid talking about the time when Zavion had been sick.
Nothing could make him forget that feeling of heart-wrenching
despair, but he never wanted to speak of it again.
“What do you want, little fox? Anything, I’ll give ya anything.”
“I just want you to love me,” Zavion responded breathlessly as he
rocked his hips, gliding his hard cock along Cian’s abs.
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“Ah, but I do love you. Ya know this.” He kissed back down
Zavion’s throat and across his collarbones. Anchoring his mate to the
tiles with his larger body, he slid one hand over the outside of
Zavion’s thigh in a sensual caress, loving the shivers it elicited from
his lover.
His touch was easy and gentle, barely a fluttering of his fingertips,
as he smoothed over Zavion’s soft hip, up his side, and around to his
curved spine. The muscles in Zavion’s back flexed and rippled as he
continued to rock his hips. Moans of need and grunts of frustration
mingled as they rolled from his plump lips, and his fingers scrambled
for purchase against Cian’s wet, slippery shoulders.
“Please, Cian. It’s been forever.”
In actuality, it had been barely two weeks, but Cian understood.
He felt the same clawing desire as it burned through him like wildfire.
His swollen cock pulsed rhythmically with each beat of his heart, and
the friction caused by Zavion’s movements was making his head reel.
Shoving at his chest in clear irritation, Zavion reached between
them and fisted Cian’s dick in a firm grasp. “If this isn’t in my ass in
the next three minutes, I’ll…I’ll…”
“You’ll do what, exactly?” Cian teased, though he was fighting
back a moan. “You’ll stutter at me?”
“Cian Murphy,” Zavion snapped at him. “You fuck me good and
proper right now, or I’ll find someone else who will.”
A loud growl, though human in nature, rumbled through his chest,
and Cian tangled his fingers in Zavion’s hair, pulling his head back on
his shoulders as his lover gasped. “Is that so?” Cian considered
himself fairly easygoing, but the thought of his mate in another’s arms
was enough to make him see red. “And are ya already havin’ someone
in mind, Zavion?”
“Nope.” A wickedly sexy grin curled his lips while his eyes
flashed with desire. “I got your attention, though.”
“Ya little shit. You’ll be the death of me, ya will.”
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In his heart, he knew Zavion would never betray him, but some
primal part of him still needed to prove he was more than enough for
his little fox. His muscles quivered, his hands shook, and his mouth
watered as he fought back the beast inside him that wanted to mark
Zavion, to claim him as taken for all to see.
“Nope,” Zavion repeated, “but I will keep you on your toes.” He
wiggled his hips and tugged on Cian’s neck until he relented and bent
his head for a deep, penetrating kiss.
As the intensity of the kiss escalated, so did Cian’s hunger for his
mate. His beast pawed at him, demanding to know what the hell he
thought he was waiting for. The water from the showerhead rained
down over them, making Zavion’s golden hair appear darker where it
curled in disarray around his delicate cheeks. Beads of moisture rolled
along his straining muscles, glistening in the overhead light so that his
creamy skin appeared to glow with ethereal beauty.
When he jerked away to gasp for breath, his eyes rounded with a
mixture of lust and panic. “What’s happening to me?” The usual blue
of his irises had completely bled away, replaced by the deep amber
color of his fox. Pointed canines elongated just slightly, peeking
below his kiss-swollen upper lip. “Cian? What’s wrong? I can’t stop
it. Why am I shifting?”
“Nothin’ is wrong, a ghrá.” Indeed, Zavion was the most
breathtaking creature he’d ever seen. “Don’t be afraid. It’s not a real
shift, just your eyes and canines. Follow your instincts.”
Keeping eye contact with his mate in hopes that it would calm
him, Cian reached to the top shelf in the corner, curling his fingers
around the small bottle of waterproof lubricant. Sharing a bathroom
with another horny couple did have its perks. Slicking his fingers
generously, he reached under Zavion’s thigh to ring the fluttering
muscles of his entrance.
Since it had been so long since their last sexual foray, he took
great care in stretching his lover with methodical, unhurried
movements. By the time he had three fingers easily sliding into
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Zavion’s tight channel, they were both vibrating with pent-up desire
while an erotic symphony of moans and unintelligible words spilled
from Zavion’s mouth.
Gripping his length as the base, Cian pressed the spongy crown
against Zavion’s opening, released his held breath, and surged
forward, encasing himself in the silky heat of his lover’s body. When
he was balls-deep, his groin flush against his mate’s pert bottom, he
paused with a quiet groan as he fought the overwhelming need to
thrust hard and fast.
The wanton moans and the way Zavion squirmed on his cock did
nothing to help his perilous grip on self-control. When a miniature-
sized growl interrupted his internal contemplation of things like
football, fluffy puppies, and intergalactic alliances—none of which
were helping to tame his lust—his full focus zeroed in on the man in
his arms and the tight suction around his shaft.
Grabbing a handful of Cian’s hair, Zavion reared up as though
going for a savage kiss but buried his face in the crook of Cian’s neck
instead. The pinch of pain lasted only a second before unmitigated
warmth and pleasure invaded him, beginning where Zavion’s canines
were embedded in his skin.
His hips jerked, rational thought ceased to exist, and Cian drove
into his lover’s body with deep, forceful plunges. The rhythmic sound
of skin slapping against wet skin echoed through the shower stall,
bouncing off the tiles and back to his ears, fueling his rampant desire.
His pulse raced, his abs clenched, and his gums ached as his own
canines lengthened.
The sounds, the scents, and the sight of ecstasy on Zavion’s face
as he rose and fell, meeting each snap of Cian’s hips with enthusiasm,
all combined until the last frayed rope of resistance finally unraveled.
Fisting Zavion’s bouncing cock, he pumped in tempo with his thrusts
as he lunged forward, sinking his new, temporary fangs into the meaty
part of his mate’s shoulder.
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Time stood still, noise was muted, and his vision dimmed as tiny
explosions ignited down his spine in a chain reaction. The scorching
wetness of Zavion’s release splashed against his stomach as the
shifter groaned and clung to him.
Following instinct rather than any form of thought, Cian extracted
his canines, sheathed himself to the root, and shuddered violently as
his cock detonated, spilling copious amounts of semen into Zavion’s
moist depths.
They’d already been through so much together, and with or
without the mating mark, Zavion would always be his. With the
exchange of blood, their lives were intertwined, their souls wound
tightly together.
“Holy hell,” Zavion panted, doing a little shuddering of his own as
though he’d gotten a sudden chill. “That was amazing.” His eyelids
cracked open, and he smiled deviously up at Cian. “Let’s do it again.”
Zavion’s lust, love, happiness, and every other emotion he was
feeling were pushed at Cian, and it ricocheted throughout him,
spreading warmth to every part of his body. There would probably be
days when that particular part of their bond was more of a curse than
a blessing, but Cian still wouldn’t trade that connection to his mate for
all the gold in the world.
“You love me,” Zavion said with awed conviction. “I know you
already said it, and I believed you, but I can feel it. I can feel what
you’re feeling.”
“Is it weird?”
“No.” Zavion shook his head. “I like it. We shouldn’t have
secrets.” Then his eyes flashed with mischief, and he pulled himself
up to press his lips to Cian’s ear. “What am I feeling right now?”
Cian’s cock began to swell once again as Zavion’s lust penetrated
him and fueled his own desires. Oh, yes, his sly mate was going to be
the death of him, but he’d go smiling all the way to the grave.
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Chapter Twelve
“Is it going to hurt? I just know it’s going to hurt. Why does it
always have to hurt?”
“Destin says you’ll be asleep the whole time. Try not to worry so
much.”
Zavion wasn’t much appeased by Cian’s reassurance. Asleep or
not, Dr. Woods was going to slice into his neck and poison him with
liquid silver. Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t technically poison him like
the last time, but he wasn’t looking forward to it, either.
No matter what Cian said, the guy was just as worried. Zavion
could tell by the tight expression on his face and the tense set of his
shoulders. He was only being brave for Zavion’s benefit. It was
probably a good thing, because he was doing enough freaking out for
both of them.
“We can go fishing after this, right? We can have that picnic? I
really don’t know why we need to do this at all.” He was babbling,
but he couldn’t stop. “I mean, The Hive is shut down, yeah? No one
will be coming after us. They don’t have any equipment to track us
anymore. Yeah, this is silly. We really don’t need to do it.”
“Zavion?”
“Yes?”
“Stop talking.”
“Okay.”
He was well aware that some of the staff from the lab had escaped
the raid, but he’d specifically chosen to overlook that little detail.
Who could blame him, though? They were going to fry his insides.
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Destin was going to drop silver into an open wound, and Zavion’s
flesh would sizzle like fatback bacon on the griddle.
And it was going to freaking hurt.
“Are we going to Cloud Peak? Everyone there is pretty nice. The
wolves look at me funny, but not in a bad way. Well, I hope it’s not
bad. I really wouldn’t want to make an enemy of a pack of wolves, ya
know?”
“Zavion?”
“Yes?”
“You’re doin’ it again.”
“Sorry.”
He just couldn’t help it. He rambled when he was nervous, and he
was more than a little terrified of someone cutting him open. His
blood should stay inside his body, right where it belonged, and no one
could convince him otherwise. On the same note, silver had no place
anywhere near him, and he wasn’t shy about saying so.
While silver jewelry had no effect on their skin, the liquid version
of the shiny stuff was a much different story. Once silver entered a
shifter’s system and mixed with their blood, it became a type of acid
that burned and bubbled, and given enough, it could be lethal.
Destin wasn’t going to use enough for that to happen—only a
drop or two—but he’d been very upfront in saying that Zavion and his
friends would probably feel like they had the flu for about twenty-four
hours. He’d never had the flu, but he seriously doubted it could be any
worse than how he’d felt while he was poisoned. He was quite
knowledgeable in the effects of silver in his system, however,
considering it had been another way for the Trainers and Drones to
control and punish them.
The night was cold and breezy, more rain in the forecast, and
Zavion desperately wanted to go back to his dorm and cuddle in front
of the fireplace with Cian. Instead, he was trudging along the narrow
path that led to the main house near the gates of the coven.
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“People probably think we’re some weird cult or something with
all the fences and guards around this place. Or maybe they think it’s
some sort of government operation. Oh, I bet they think we have
aliens here like that place out in the desert. I was watching this
documentary the other night about—”
“Zavion?”
“Yeah,” he sighed, “I know.” Shoving his hands into the pockets
of his jacket, he dropped his head and forced himself to be silent.
Long fingers looped around his wrist, pulling his left hand from
his pocket and enveloping it in Cian’s much larger one. Bending
slightly, he whispered his lips across Zavion’s knuckles and gave him
a little tug to get him moving again.
“No, we’re not goin’ to Cloud Peak. No, the wolves don’t look at
ya bad-funny. Yes, the townspeople probably think we’re a cult,
though most around here are paranormal, so they understand. I’ve
never met an alien, but I’m not opposed to it. I wonder what they’d
have to say. What did your documentary tell ya?”
“I love you.”
“Did it now?” Cian teased. “Is that what it told you?”
Gods, how could he not love this man? Though obviously
concerned as well, Cian was holding it together, strong and steady as
ever. He was Zavion’s rock, his safe harbor, and more importantly, he
was an understanding friend waiting with a shoulder to lean on and an
ear to bend.
Instead of gushing like some lovesick teenager, though, Zavion
took a deep breath, released it slowly, and began recounting the things
he’d learned while watching the program on television. Cian listened
intently, bobbing his head or asking for more details occasionally. If
he was trying to distract Zavion from his worries, it worked, because
by the time they reached the enormous mansion, he’d completely
forgotten why they were there.
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When he saw Oscar standing on the front steps along with Zuriel,
Cicero, and Demitrius, everything came rushing back, and Zavion
stopped in his tracks. “I changed my mind.”
Instead of arguing with him, Cian scooped him up, tossed him
over one muscled shoulder, and popped him on his upturned ass.
“You doth protest too much, Zavion, my love. This is for your own
good.”
Logically, he knew that. Not only was it best for his safety but for
the safety of those around him. He just really, really didn’t like pain in
any of its varying degrees. “What if he scrambles my spinal cord or
sets my brain on fire?” he argued as he wiggled around on Cian’s
shoulder. “I could be paralyzed forever and ever.”
“Destin knows what he’s doin’.” There was a smile in Cian’s
voice that Zavion didn’t appreciate in the least. “Stop bein’ a drama
queen.”
“Yeah,” his twin called to him, “stop worrying everything to
death, dude. You want to stay here, right? Well, we gotta get those
doohickeys out of our necks.” He clung to Raven’s back with his arms
wrapped around the vampire’s neck and a shit-eating grin on his face.
“I really like it here.”
Raven, on the other hand, looked disgruntled when Zuriel pulled
himself higher and licked the Enforcer on the side of his neck.
“Knock it off,” he ordered, swinging his arms around wildly to try to
remove Zuriel from his back. The guy looked utterly ridiculous and
wasn’t making any progress in his pursuit of Zavion’s brother. “Will
someone get the little slut monster off me?”
“Aww,” Demitrius cooed sarcastically. “I think he likes you,
Raven.”
“Oh, ha-ha, asshole.” Raven spun in a circle, doing a great
imitation of a dog chasing his tail, but he was no closer to capturing
Zuriel. “Come here, you little brat. Ah! Fuck!” Raven looked up at
Demitrius pleadingly. “He grabbed my dick! Do something!”
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Zavion laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. The others joined in
with him, the sounds of their amusement bouncing off the walls. Even
Cicero laughed, the first sound Zavion had heard from him in months.
He might have made a big deal out of it, but he was afraid the
attention would send Cicero back into his shell, and that was the last
thing he wanted to happen.
So he continued to focus on Raven’s fight with Zuriel. It served
the big dummy right for all the hell he gave everyone in the coven. He
vaguely wondered if the big vampire was his brother’s mate, because
that would be hilarious. Somehow, he didn’t think so. Zuriel just liked
men in general and treated most of them to the same kind of attention.
Hell, if dick-grabbing was the equivalent of prenuptials, Zuriel
would be mated to half the guys in Haven by now. Not that he was
calling his brother a slut or anything, but if the shoe fit, Zuriel would
probably buy a belt to match and wear it on any given Friday.
Honestly, he had no right to judge anyone, and his twin was free
to live his life however he wanted. Zavion just didn’t want to see him
get hurt. For all of his wicked ways and naughty antics, he wasn’t
different than anyone else. Zuriel just wanted someone to love him for
him, and apparently, he hadn’t found the right man yet—not that it
stopped him from looking.
“Are we ready?” Destin asked when he stepped into the foyer
where everyone was gathered with two Enforcers flanking him.
They weren’t putting him in a cell or treating him harshly, but no
one was taking any chances. Until they felt confident they could trust
the man, he was under constant supervision. Surprisingly, Destin
understood and didn’t protest the invasion of his privacy or the
constant shadows that followed him everywhere.
“You’ll stay with me, right?” Zavion grabbed both of Cian’s
hands when his mate set him back to the floor and stared up at him
pleadingly. “Please, Cian?”
“Sure, I’ll stay.” He nudged Zavion ahead of him and indicated he
should follow Dr. Woods.
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By the time Zavion was dressed in a blue gown that showed off
his ass and was spread out facedown on a cool, metal table, he was
trembling from head to toe with nerves. “I don’t like this.”
“That’s my line,” Cian responded with a wink as he settled into a
chair beside Zavion’s head. “Deep breaths.” A mask was placed over
his mouth and nose, and Zavion did as instructed. “Count back from
ten.” Leaning forward, Cian pressed a kiss to his forehead and
brushed his hair back from his face. “I’ll be right here when ya wake
up.”
“Okay,” he mumbled before beginning his countdown. He’d only
made it to seven when the anesthesia took hold of him, dragging him
under and plunging everything into darkness.
* * * *
“You’re sure he won’t feel anything?” To a degree, Cian trusted
Destin Woods, but when it came to his mate, no one was immune to
his overprotectiveness.
“I promise he won’t feel anything. The procedure will take about
ten minutes total. His neck will be sore for an hour or two, and he
might feel sick to his stomach or have a headache for the next twenty-
four hours. That’s it.”
“What about his spinal cord?” He hadn’t wanted to freak Zavion
out any more than he already was, but the guy had brought up a
legitimate concern. “How do ya know that this won’t sever something
vital?”
“I don’t,” Destin answered seriously. “However, the chips are
below the spine and deep enough that the silver shouldn’t cause any
problems. If the microchips were shallower, I wouldn’t attempt it for
fear that the silver would burn too deeply and damage the spinal
cord.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d be lying if I
said nothing can go wrong, but this method does pose the least
amount of risk.”
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“Okay.” Of course, he’d known there would be a certain amount
of risk. There really wasn’t another option, though, and he wanted any
and all threats to his mate eliminated. They may have won this time,
but if there was a next time, they might not be so lucky. “Go ahead,
Doc.”
Destin talked as he worked, probably to calm Cian and distract
him, which was just fine by him. “So, what’s the story on Demitrius?
Does he always look like that? Or is it just an intimidation thing?”
The blade of the scalpel gleamed in the fluorescent lighting as he
sliced it across the back of Zavion’s neck. “I don’t have the proper
tools here. Can you hold this open?”
Grimacing as his mate’s blood slicked his fingers, Cian did his
best to hold the wound open while Destin retrieved a tiny, amber-
colored glass bottle. “From what I gather, he’s stuck that way. Some
genetic fluke, he says.” Those who knew Demitrius didn’t give a
damn what he looked like, but Cian understood that the man was self-
conscious about his appearance. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, that’s kind of my specialty.” Destin held a dropper over the
open gash on Zavion’s neck, letting it drip the silvery liquid twice
before pulling it away. “If he’ll let me, I might be able to help him.”
“That’s somethin’ you’ll have to talk to him about,” Cian
answered with a wince. Zavion’s blood hissed and bubbled, and the
smell rising up from his neck made his nose curl. “Gods above, this is
awful.”
Destin kept a close eye on his watch, announcing the two minute
mark as he reached for a clear bottle of saline solution and poured half
the contents into the opening to flush out the silver. “I’ll have to stitch
up Cicero and Zuriel, but I’m lucky this time.” Grabbing Cian’s wrist,
he jerked his hand out and pierced the tip of his index finger with the
scalpel. Then he flipped Cian’s hand over and ran the digit along the
seam of Zavion’s cut where he held the flesh together.
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Within seconds, the skin knitted back together, leaving only a
faint pink line that would probably fade before the hour was up. “Did
it work?”
“Let’s find out.” He lifted something from the table that looked
like the metal detector wands they used in airports. Destin pressed a
couple of buttons, waved it over the top of Zavion’s neck, and
grinned. “It worked.”
“What is that?”
“The Hive has programs on the computers to track these little
devices, but your Enforcers confiscated all of that. This was in my
medical supplies. It’s kind of a mobile tracking device.” He flipped it
around so Cian could see the small screen. “They mostly just use this
to make sure the chips are activated, not for actual tracking, but it
serves our purposes.”
Destin removed the mask from Zavion’s face and hung it on a
nearby hook. “He should be awake in about twenty minutes or so, and
then you can take him home. Try to keep him in bed until at least
morning.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and maybe put in a word for me with Xander, if you could. I
can work with him on getting his arm back in shape, but he won’t let
me anywhere near him.”
Xander was still being a rat bastard to just about everyone,
including his mate, Braxton. Cian understood a little about how the
alpha was feeling. It was very rare that a shifter didn’t heal fully from
their injuries, but Cian was with Zavion on this one. Xander was
damn lucky to escape with only a fucked-up arm. Maybe someone
needed to remind him of that—with a swift smack upside the head.
“I’ll see what I can do, but he’s a stubborn prick.”
“Well, he’s not going to get better if he doesn’t try.” After that,
Destin left the room with the two guards right on his heels.
Cian used a warm, wet cloth to wipe the blood away from his
lover’s neck. Once that task was complete, he pulled his cell phone
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from his pocket and dialed quickly. He was about to request his first
day off since arriving in Haven. Part of him felt a little guilty, but he
was able to push it away easily. After all, he had someone very
important to spend the day with.
As predicted, it was only fifteen or twenty minutes later that
Zavion began to squirm on the metal table. “I’m blind!”
Cian bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “Open your
eyes, a ghrá.”
Slowly and carefully, Zavion pried his eyelids open, blinking
several times against the harsh glare. “Oh, I knew that.” His voice was
a little slurred, and he appeared to be a bit groggy. Otherwise, he
seemed fine, and Cian was able to breathe a bit easier.
“Destin says we can go home, if you’d like.”
“Yes, please. I hate the smell of this place. What is it, anyway?”
“It’s kind of a makeshift infirmary for minor injuries around the
coven.”
“Well, I’m not infirm. Take me home.” Zavion sat up a little too
quickly and almost toppled right off the table. “Uh, maybe you should
carry me.”
Having an excuse to hold his mate close to him? Cian didn’t know
anyone who could complain about that, and he certainly wasn’t going
to. “Up ya go, then.”
Grabbing Zavion’s clothes, he tucked them into the guy’s hands
and easily lifted him from the table. Now he just had to figure out a
way to keep his rambunctious lover in bed for the next twelve hours.
Hmm, blow jobs aren’t that strenuous. Right?
“Well, I wouldn’t say no to one,” Zavion answered with a cute
yawn. “Can you not think so loud, though? It’s making my head
hurt.”
“Apologies, darlin’.”
“Hearing you in my head is weird. Now I kind of know what
Zuriel feels like.” His eyes popped wide open, and his head snapped
up, pinning Cian with those big blue eyes. “Are the others okay?”
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“They’ll be home soon.” It wasn’t technically a lie, but he didn’t
want to inform his lover that he hadn’t bothered to check in on his
friends. Thankfully, their kind healed quickly, so they would know
something shortly.
“Okay. Are we going fishing tomorrow?”
“If you feel up to it.”
“I will,” Zavion assured him as he snuggled down into his arms.
“I’ve never been fishing.”
“I remember.” Hopefully, if all went according to plan, it would
be a day that his lover would never forget.
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Chapter Thirteen
“So, Xander still hasn’t come around?” It was a stupid question. If
that were the case, Braxton would be with his mate instead of in
Zavion’s kitchen.
Braxton looked over the top of his coffee cup with a dead, hollow
look. “No. Hell, he barely even leaves his room. I don’t know what to
do anymore.”
“Well, did you try Keeton’s suggestion?” Zavion felt so sorry for
his friend. It was apparent from the puffy, dark circles under his eyes
that he hadn’t been getting much sleep.
“I did. Apparently, the loss of movement in his arm is directly
related to his dick. I don’t know.” Braxton sighed and scrubbed both
hands over his face. “I’ve been sleeping on the couch since he came
home. At first, it was because I didn’t want to disturb him. Now, well,
I don’t really think he wants me in there anyway.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sure that’s not true. He’s just a little grumbly
right now. He’ll get over it.” Zavion had very little to base that
opinion on, but he hoped for Braxton’s sake that it was true.
Braxton and Xander had one of the most loving relationships he’d
ever seen. Sure, he’d witnessed them have their disagreements a time
or two—usually concerning Braxton’s safety—but they’d always
made up shortly afterward. If there was something wrong in their
relationship that couldn’t be fixed, it would break Zavion’s heart.
“Cian tried to talk to him about working with Dr. Woods this
morning, but he flipped out like a complete lunatic. He won’t talk to
me, so I don’t even know why he’s acting this way.”
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“Maybe Destin isn’t the right doctor.” A brilliant idea popped into
Zavion’s head, and he took just a second to pat himself on the back
for it. “Cicero has been seeing Dr. Araceli a couple times a week, and
I think it’s really helping. I mean, he’s still not talking, but I have
heard him laugh a couple of times.”
“I think I’ve seen him around,” Braxton admitted. “The tall guy
with white-blond hair and glasses?”
“Yep, that’s him. He’s a psychologist or something like that.
Maybe he can help with Xander.”
Braxton seemed to mull it over for a while before finally bobbing
his head slowly. “I think most of this isn’t physical but emotional and
psychological. It couldn’t hurt anyway. Well, unless Xander won’t
talk to him, of course.”
“I see,” Zavion answered slowly. “I think that’s Dr. Araceli’s job.
You know, to get people to talk when they don’t want to. Like you
said, it can’t hurt to try.”
“I happen to know that there is a deliciously half-naked man in
your room right now,” Keeton announced as he sauntered into the
room. Didn’t the guy ever just walk somewhere?
And what the hell was he doing there anyway? Then again, he was
Braxton’s best friend. Maybe he’d come in search of Braxton to offer
a little moral support. They probably had a lot to discuss as well.
Zavion had it on good authority—Keeton’s incessant complaining, as
it were—that he was no happier than Braxton in the love department
these days.
Apparently, Logan’s new position as an Enforcer was taking him
away from home much more than his impetuous mate cared for.
Zavion could definitely sympathize. Maybe he hadn’t had to deal with
it yet, but the day was coming when Cian would return to his regular
duties.
“What are you waiting for?” Keeton asked when Zavion
continued to sit there.
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He almost sprang out of his chair, but he held on by sheer will,
torn between wanting to see his mate and staying to be a good friend
to Braxton. Glancing up at Keeton, he tried to ask with his eyes what
he should do. In return, he received a wink as the blond plopped down
in the chair beside his friend.
“I wouldn’t wait too long,” he quipped, and then silently mouthed,
“I’ve got this.”
Knowing the two had been friends much longer than he’d even
known Braxton, he trusted that Keeton would understand better how
to handle the problem than he would. “Let me know if there is
anything I can do to help. I know I’m young and just beginning a
relationship, but I can listen if nothing else.”
“Thank you, Zavion.” Braxton rose from his chair and rounded
the table to give Zavion a crushing hug. “I’m really glad you’re part
of our family now.”
Tears prickled the corners of his eyes, but Zavion battled them
back ruthlessly. He wasn’t going to spaz out like a child just because
he finally had a real family. “I’m glad I met you, too, Braxton.”
“Go get your man.” Then he released Zavion and gave him a little
shove toward the doorway.
No one had to tell him again. Hurrying down the hallway, he
practically barreled into his room in his eagerness to see Cian. He
came to an abrupt halt when he found the object of his desire standing
in the center of the room, wearing only a pair of jeans and holding a
single red rose to his chest so that the petals brushed under his chin.
“Hello, a ghrá.”
Swallowing loudly, Zavion eased the door closed behind him
while his chest constricted with emotion. “Hello,” he responded
hoarsely.
“Are you ready for the day?”
He was ready to tackle his mate to the mattress and do dirty, dirty
things to him. “Yes.”
“Where should we start, Zavion?”
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With your cock in my mouth. “Uh, I don’t know. You decide.”
“C’mere.” Cian lifted his free hand and crooked a finger at him.
As if attached to some invisible line that reeled him in, Zavion
floated across the carpeted floor like he was in a trance, very similar
to the first night Cian had been waiting in his room for him. It was
hard to believe that he’d known the man for only months rather than
years.
“Do ya like it?” Cian asked, pressing the stem of the rose into
Zavion’s hands.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” It was beautiful, and the sentiment
behind it was even more so. Right then, Zavion couldn’t really care
less about the flower, though.
Two warm fingers slid under his chin, tilting his head up to Cian’s
waiting lips. The kiss was slow and tender, speaking louder than any
words ever could. “I love you, Zavion Dobbs. Just so ya know.”
How could he forget? The man was adamant about expressing his
devotion in everything he did. Still, it was nice to hear the words. “I
love you, too, Cian Murphy.” He paused for dramatic effect before
tossing the rose aside and tackling his lover to the bed, just like he’d
wanted to do since entering the room. “I’d really love it if you were
naked.”
* * * *
“Am I doing this right? I don’t think I’m doing it right? Why
couldn’t we just use fishing poles? This is ridiculous. The fish are
looking at me funny.”
Why on earth Cian had insisted that he try fishing in his fox form,
he’d never know, but it wasn’t going very well.
“You’re splashing too much,” Cian coached him. “You’ll scare all
the fish.”
He wasn’t scaring the fish. If anything, they were looking at him
like he was dinner. Wading a little farther into the chilly water, he
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surveyed the fish swimming around his feet, trying to gauge which
one looked the smallest and weakest.
In a quick move, he plunged his muzzle into the water, but only
ended up biting his own leg. “Ow! Damn it. This sucks.” Then to add
insult to injury, one of the stupid fish leapt out of the water and
smacked him in the face with its tail. “Are you sure these are real
fish? Maybe they’re shifters and don’t appreciate me trying to eat
them.”
“They’re real fish,” Cian assured him. He looked rather bored just
sitting there with a stick and a pocketknife. Who the hell whittled
anymore, anyway?
“Do you not want to be here?” The picnic had been pleasant, and
as much as he complained, he was actually having fun with the fish. If
Cian was ready to go home, though, they could always come back
another day. It wasn’t like the pond was going anywhere.
Looking up from the piece of wood in his hand, Cian grinned and
winked at him. “I’m happy right where I am. I got my fill of fish
growin’ up in Ireland, but it’s peaceful here. I like it.”
Something moved near the banks of the pond, and Zavion
couldn’t resist going to investigate. “Hey, what’s that?” Whatever it
was, it beat the hell out of trying to catch fish in his mouth and having
them basically laugh in his face.
“Zavion, no!” Cian jumped up from his place under a big leafless
tree and began running toward him. “Don’t!”
It was too late, though. Yelping madly, Zavion reared back and
began shaking his head, whining and barking at the snapping turtle
clamped down on his nose. When jerking his head around like an idiot
didn’t do any good—the turtle just flopped right along with him—he
dropped to the dirt and began pawing at the little bastard.
“Cian, get it off! It hurts! Ugh! I changed my mind. I really hate
nature.”
His mate looked like he was having a hell of a time containing his
laughter as he knelt beside Zavion. In short order, he had the turtle
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removed and tossed back into the water, but his shoulders were still
shaking, and his face was a brilliant shade of red.
Zavion, however, found nothing funny about the situation.
Covering his muzzle with his front paws, he whimpered pathetically
while his nose continued to ache and burn. “Where is your
compassion? Go kick that turtle’s ass for impugning my honor.”
Well, that did it. Cian fell back on his butt as he roared with
unrestrained laughter that echoed through the trees around them. “Oh,
my poor pup. Has your dignity been stripped away, then?”
“Yes, along with part of my nose.”
“Zavion, it’s not even bleedin’,” Cian informed him through his
chuckles. “Come here, and let’s see it.”
Crawling forward on his belly, Zavion lifted his head to Cian’s
knee and looked up at his mate with as much misery as he could
muster. “It hurts.” It was the truth, but he might be playing it up just
a bit to get sympathy from his mate.
“Aww, would ya like me to kiss it better?”
Shifting back to his human skin, Zavion plopped himself into his
lover’s lap with a big, cheesy grin. “Yes, please.” His nose had
already stopped hurting, and the turtle was long forgotten. Well,
maybe not completely forgotten, but he’d deal with the little bugger
later. “One of us is overdressed for the occasion, Mr. Murphy, and it
isn’t me.”
They’d already had a nice tangle in the sheets earlier, but he
couldn’t get enough of his gorgeous mate. Destin had said nothing
strenuous for twenty-four hours, but how was he supposed to resist
when Cian showed up in his room half naked and carrying a single
red rose? It had been the most romantic thing anyone had ever done
for him, and he’d repaid the favor with great enthusiasm.
Plus, he felt better than fine, so he didn’t really think that Destin’s
rules applied to him.
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With a playful growl, Cian locked his arms around Zavion’s back
like steel bands and rolled him to the ground, hovering above him as
he insinuated himself between Zavion’s legs. “How do you feel?”
“Never better.” Luckily, he’d escaped the minor operation with
only a headache, and even that had disappeared with a couple of
Advil. “Stop being all protective and kiss me like you mean it.”
The cold grass beneath him seeped into his skin, but Cian’s heat
chased away any chill. The tangle of their tongues started a wildfire in
his belly, and each sensual glide only stoked the flames higher. Before
the kiss ended, Zavion was moaning into his lover’s mouth and
rocking his hips, rubbing his hard cock over Cian’s cotton T-shirt.
The last rays of sun shone down on them, lighting the small
clearing and gleaming off of Cian’s ebony locks. The scrape of his
lover’s facial hair tickled his belly as Cian kissed down his torso,
making his way to Zavion’s jutting cock.
Cian licked and nibbled along his hip bone, the crease of his thigh,
and swirled his tongue around Zavion’s tight sac before working his
way up to the opposite hip. The teasing was delicious torture,
ratcheting Zavion’s lust until he was almost delirious with need.
When soft, moist lips surrounded the head of his erection, his
shoulders rose up from the ground, and he almost came then and
there. A tight grip around the base of his cock prevented him from
embarrassing himself, but he couldn’t stop the wild moans from
pouring through his lips.
Tight, wet, and indescribably pleasurable, Cian’s mouth worked
up and down his throbbing shaft, sucking in more of Zavion’s length
with each bob of his head. Long, talented fingers fondled his balls and
skimmed his perineum, adding more sensations designed to push him
closer to the edge.
His orgasm built, tightening his abs and sending electrical currents
up his spine, but just when release was within his grasp, Cian pulled
off his cock with a naughty slurp. His glistening, swollen lips curled
up at the corners in a devilish smile that only made Zavion pant
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harder. Whatever his lover had planned, it was sure to involve all
kinds of naughty, erotic pleasure.
“So eager,” he cooed, stroking Zavion’s sides in barely-there
caresses.
Unbuttoning his jeans and sliding the zipper down, Cian parted
the flaps and pushed the denim down his hips until his thick, dripping
cock sprang free. A bottle of lube was extracted from his pocket, and
he took his time, slicking his length as he stared into Zavion’s eyes
with heat and passion.
Unable to take any more teasing, Zavion sprang up from the grass
and dove at his lover. Tackling Cian to his back, he straddled the
man’s hips and grabbed his shaft at the root, positioning the tip at his
eager entrance.
“Zavion, wait.”
He didn’t want to wait, though. Letting out a deep breath, he
relaxed every muscle in his body as he slowly lowered over Cian,
impaling himself on his lover’s cock. It was a tight fit—it always
was—but the intense pressure and slight burn only increased his
pleasure, as did the strangled groan that rumbled through Cian’s chest
as he arched up into him.
Planting his feet on the ground beside his mate’s thighs, Zavion
didn’t start slow. He rode his man hard and fast while one hand
tweaked and pulled at Cian’s nipples. Wetting just his middle finger
in his mouth, he showed off his flexibility as he reached behind him,
slipping his hand between Cian’s legs.
Allowing Cian to take over the demanding thrusts, he pressed
between his lover’s rounded globes, seeking out the tight ring of
muscles that beckoned to him. Cian grabbed him around the waist, his
fingers biting into Zavion’s flesh as he rocked upward, plunging his
cock into Zavion’s hungry hole.
Grabbing his bouncing prick, Zavion stroked the aching length as
he inserted his middle finger into Cian’s tight, heated channel.
Pumping the digit in tandem with the fist jerking on his cock, he
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established a rhythm in no time that had him bucking wildly in
pleasure.
Cian’s groans and gasps grew in volume as he slammed up into
Zavion. His eyelids squeezed together tightly, his head tilted back in
the grass, and the sinewy muscles in his throat strained, creating a
glorious picture for Zavion’s viewing pleasure.
“Close,” he warned, pushing his finger just a bit deeper into his
mate’s ass. “Come with me, Cian.”
His hand flew over his cock in a blur as his muscles tightened, and
his inner walls clamped down on Cian’s invading length. It was hard
to tell which of them moaned louder as creamy seed jetted from
Zavion’s cock to paint the tanned, rippling stomach of his lover.
Cian’s back bowed, driving him balls deep into Zavion’s yielding
body, and wet heat filled him to overflowing.
Easing his finger from Cian’s hole, Zavion collapsed to his mate’s
chest, struggling to catch his breath and will his pulse back to normal.
“It just keeps getting better.”
“Aye,” Cian answered breathlessly. “What did ya do to me?”
“Did you like it?” The answer was obvious, and the proof was
leaking down the insides of his thighs.
“Definitely.”
Zavion grinned against the side of Cian’s neck and kissed the salty
skin. “Good. I have lots more to show you.”
Cian held him for a long time, silently caressing his back or
petting his hair. “When do lessons start?” he finally asked as his cock
began to rise and harden against Zavion’s backside once more.
Pushing up so he could see into his mate’s eyes, Zavion gave him
a very serious look before he lost his composure and grinned hugely.
He really couldn’t help it, though. For such a big man, Cian was
absolutely adorable sometimes.
“From this moment, of course.”
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THE END
WWW.GABRIELLEEVANS.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gabrielle Evans grew up in a small town in southern Oklahoma.
We are talking one red light that may or may not work depending on
the day of the week. She married her high school sweetheart and the
rest is pretty much history. They have two very active boys and one
high-strung wiener dog that keeps her constantly on the go. For now,
she parks her car in central Indiana, but who knows what tomorrow
will bring.
Gabrielle believes in love at first sight, falling hard and fast,
taking chances, and grabbing your happy-ever-after with both hands.
Most importantly, she believes that a great cup of coffee can cure
anything.
For all titles by Gabrielle Evans, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/gabrielle-evans
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com