Hagen, Lynn Brac Village 8 Forged in Steele

Brac Village 8

Forged in Steele

Steele Avery is as lazy as the day is long. When the mates of the
Den show up for a night of partying, Steele and his brother Paine

follow the group into the demon realm. But what started out as a
good time ends with Steele being bitten by the club owner, Diablo,
who claims to be his mate.

Diablo Teslow is a dragon shifter. He has been tucked away in the
demon realm for over twelve hundred years. He is content with

running his strip club until a beautiful cheetah shifter walks into
his life.

Now that he has bitten Steele, Diablo must defend his mate
against the Dragon Hunters, a group of supernatural creatures

created for one purpose only, to exterminate the entire dragon
race.

But Diablo is not only fighting the Hunter. His mate was taught

that letting another man top him was a sign of weakness. Diablo
must find a way to claim Steele or remain alone for the rest of his

life.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 36,061 words

FORGED IN STEELE

Brac Village 8

Lynn Hagen

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

FORGED IN STEELE
Copyright © 2013 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-014-5

First E-book Publication: June 2013

Cover design by Siren Publishing
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FORGED IN STEELE

Brac Village 8

LYNN HAGEN

Chapter One

“It’s time to party!”
Steele turned his head, glancing over his shoulder from where he

was lying comfortably on the couch. His eyes rolled skyward when he
saw the troublemaker Cecil Walters trailing into his living room. The
man’s presence could only mean trouble.

“What are you talking about?” Recker asked as he walked down

the steps leading to the upstairs. The rhino shifter’s brows were
furrowed as he glanced at Cecil.

Cecil threw his hands on his hips as he smiled widely at Recker.

“It’s Friday night. I have worked hard all week and I want to party.”

“Uh, no, I’ve worked hard all week while you sat behind your

desk chatting on the phone,” Recker corrected him with a grunt. “I do
all of your work, so how in the hell are you tired?”

Cecil waved his hand at Recker dismissively. “Semantics. Look,

do you know what I had to go through in order for us to escape the
Den without any of the warriors hot on our heels?”

Steele glanced behind Cecil but didn’t see anyone. “Who is we?”

He was starting to regret asking the question when the mates of the
Den began to file in. Steele wasn’t familiar with most of them, but he

Lynn Hagen

knew damn well that the warriors would go nuts if they knew their
mates were roaming around the village at night by themselves.

Cecil began to wave his hand at the men behind him. “You

already know Blair and Oliver. Everyone knows Keata and Johnny.
This is Kyoshi, Keata’s cousin, and he barely gets out the house.”

Steele rolled over lazily, letting his arm dangle from the couch as

he stared at the misfit group. “And where do you plan on going?” He
had been told that every single shifter in Brac Village knew to steer
clear of Cecil when he had that mischievous glint in his amethyst
eyes. He was handsome and the devil all rolled into one.

Steele had no clue how the alpha dealt with such a troublesome

mate.

Even though everyone was warned about Cecil, Steele knew he

wouldn’t listen. He liked getting into trouble. Okay, he liked getting
into trouble just as long as he didn’t have to do any work. Yes, he was
as lazy as the day was long. He and his brother, Paine, were starting
new jobs tomorrow night, and partying the night before sounded like
a damn good idea to him. He was tired of being stuck in a house with
nothing to do. Even though working would alleviate his boredom, it
was not something he was looking forward to. He especially was not
looking forward to working at a movie theater.

Steele hated the smell of popcorn.
Cecil laughed as he clapped his hands and then rubbed them

together. “We are going to the demon realm. Where else would you
go to party at a club where there are hot strippers?”

“Did you say hot strippers?” Paine immediately woke from his

dead sleep on the other end of the couch, sitting straight up. Steele
grinned at his brother. He knew how the man felt. It had been so long
since Steele had sex that he thought his dick was going to shrivel up.
He wasn’t sure how he made it the past three days without a warm
body to fill his bed.

“What’s the demon realm?” Steele asked as he finally sat up, his

attention piqued at the promise of sex. Strippers were a sure bet. And

Forged in Steele

where there were strippers there were twinks. Steele’s cock began to
perk up at the thought of getting a few blow jobs.

“Gee, I don’t know,” Cecil said in a sarcastic tone as he tossed his

hands into the air. “Demon realm. I would say it was a realm filled
with demons.”

Steele narrowed his eyes at the lippy guy. If the task of kicking

the man’s ass wouldn’t exert so much energy, Steele would be off this
couch. He ran his hand down his bare chest and yawned right before
he gave a good all-over-body stretch. “I’m in.”

“Count me in,” Paine said.
“Count me out,” Recker replied. “I wouldn’t mind going, but I

don’t want Maverick to remove my head from my shoulders. He is
not only my alpha but my boss. I like my job.”

Frisco, Recker’s mate, pressed the palm of his hand into his chest.

“Maverick isn’t my boss. I’m going. This sounds interesting as hell.”

Steele pushed from the couch and headed toward the steps. “Let

me take a quick shower and get ready.”

“I want you back down here in ten minutes, not ten hours!” Cecil

shouted up to him. “I am on the lam, after all. I have to keep moving
or I’ll be caught.”

Thinking about getting his dick sucked, Steele hurried. Sex was a

great motivator. Apparently his brother thought the same, because
Paine walked out of his bedroom as Steele was heading toward the
steps. “I sure as shit hope those demons don’t have two horns and a
pitchfork.”

Steele’s smile widened at his brother. “I’m pretty sure Cecil isn’t

about to descend into the bowels of hell. At least not until his time is
up.”

“Ready?” Cecil asked irritably. Steele nodded.
“How are we going to get there?”
Cecil’s eyes sparkled. Steele watched as the man threw his head

back and shouted, “Hondo!”

Lynn Hagen

What in the hell was the nutty little—“Oh, shit!” Steele jumped

back when a set of flaming eyes appeared in the dark corner of the
living room, right before a massive body emerged. “What kind of
hocus-pocus shit is that?”

“He’s our ride,” Oliver stated as he moved forward. “You can’t

get there without a little help.”

That wasn’t a little help. The man was huge! He didn’t have two

horns and a pitchfork, but fuck if he didn’t look wicked as hell. He
watched as the other mates gathered around the guy and touched his
arm.

“Are you coming?” Cecil asked.
“Strip club,” Paine said under his breath, reminding Steele why

they were hitching a ride with the demon.

“Hell, yeah,” Frisco said as he grabbed Recker and pulled his

mate forward. “Just as long as no one is there with a rope and a brick,
I’m in.”

Steele and Paine moved forward. Fuck it. If it was his day to die,

why not go out on the demon express?

As soon as Steele touched the demon’s arm, the room began to

spin and he felt as if he was going to throw up. His stomach lurched
violently and Steele was beginning to wonder if strippers were worth
this.

He blinked a few times and saw that he wasn’t in Kansas

anymore. They were standing on some street, right outside of a
building with loud music and the word Diablo above the door.

“Just holler when you need a ride back,” Hondo said as he walked

away.

Steele quickly forgot about the demon as he walked toward the

door. He followed the group in, the side of his mouth twisting into a
smile when he spotted a stripper on the stage, twinks galore, and he
inhaled the scents of booze, sex, and various other aromas associated
with a club.

Forged in Steele

Steele ran his hand down his chest, wondering where to start.

Johnny and Keata took off toward the stage—pulling Kyoshi along—
and began to dance to the music that was blasting through oversized
speakers. The other men took a seat at one of the booths, but Steele
was on the prowl.

His eyes swept to the stage, taking in the beautiful stripper, and

immediately knew that the guy would be high maintenance. He just
had that look. So, Steele decided to go with his original thought and
pick out a twink…or two…or three.

Steele began to dance in place, letting the beats fill him as he

checked out a little blond who was batting his eyes flirtatiously.
Steele crooked his finger at the short man as he swayed his hips back
and forth. The man came willingly.

As soon as he was standing in front of Steele, he grabbed the

twink’s hips, rocking and swaying. This was Steele’s idea of a damn
good time. Brac Village was a cool place to live, but there was
nowhere to party.

Not the way Steele liked to party. He glanced over at his brother

and gave Paine a playful wink. The man had two twinks vying for his
attention. Oh yeah, this was the life. Steele began to gyrate, showing
the shorter guy with his body exactly what he planned on doing once
he got them alone and naked.

Unfortunately, he was working up a thirst. Steele shouted into the

man’s ear, telling the guy he would be right back. The twink beamed
up at him as Steele danced backward, twisting his hips and showing
the man the prominent erection right behind his jeans.

How the hell did he not know about this place sooner? Steele had

found his new hangout spot. He loved being single, partying, and
having sex with random strangers. As he pushed up to the bar, Steele
already spotted the next guy he was going to get just as soon as he
was done with the first.

He shouted his drink order at the bartender. As he waited for his

drink, Steele began to dance again. He was pumped up and raring to

Lynn Hagen

go. Steele planned on partying until the wee hours of the morning and
then maybe long after that.

Throwing his hands into the air, Steele popped his hips from side

to side. The bartender finally walked back down toward him. He
drank the man in, checking out his long black hair, lilac eyes, and
worship-worthy body. The guy definitely rocked the good looks.

But he wasn’t Steele’s type. The bartender had a menacing scowl

on his face and one too many tattoos. Steele wasn’t averse to tattoos,
but he liked his men a little softer. When it came to fucking, Steele
was in charge. Always. There was no way the bartender would
concede—but damn if he wasn’t nice eye candy.

As soon as the bartender placed the drink in Steele’s hand, he

dropped it, the glass shattering to the floor. He snarled and took a step
back as the bartender leapt onto the counter, and then took Steele
down to the floor, pinning him.

“Whoa!” Paine shouted as he shot across the club and tried to pull

the man off of Steele. The guy’s raven-black hair swept out into a veil
as he leaned closer and bit into Steele’s shoulder.

“Are you fucking serious?” Recker roared as he moved closer, his

mate hot on his heels. Even Oliver, Blair, and Cecil were running
toward them. Steele shoved at the man’s chest, but it was almost like
trying to push a brick wall off of him.

Just as quickly as the guy had attacked him, he moved away.

Steele jumped to his feet, grabbing his shoulder as he glared at the
bartender. “Do you want to tell me why in the fuck you bit me?” His
shoulder was throbbing. It felt like fire was racing through his veins.

God, I hope he doesn’t have rabies.
“What the hell is your problem?” Frisco shouted as he shoved at

the bartender. From the corner of Steele’s eyes, he saw the man who
had been standing at the front door heading their way. The guy was
just as big as Hondo, but the look in his eyes said that he was about to
crack some skulls.

Forged in Steele

Before Steele knew what his brother was going to do, Paine

attacked the bartender. Recker and Frisco swung around, fighting the
bouncer. It was a freaking brawl! This was not how Steele had
planned on spending his night. As the fight escalated, Steele knew his
chances of having sex had just dropped down to zero.

When an onlooker tried to jump in, Steele began to tussle with the

guy. He picked up one of the chairs at the tables and smashed it over
the man’s head. Before he could get in another punch, the back of his
shirt was grabbed and Steele was yanked free of the crowd.

He was about to turn and put a hurting on whoever had him until

he recognized Hondo. But the guy wasn’t alone. There were three
more very large men with the demon who were breaking up the fight.

It didn’t slip Steele’s attention that everyone in the club had

pushed to one side of the room when the demons had entered.

“Get your damn hands off of me,” Steele said with a snarl as he

pushed Hondo’s hands.

“Then calm down, Steele.” Hondo released him. “Tell me I did

not bring you guys down here to tear up Diablo’s club.”

Steele was seething, the bite mark on his shoulder getting hotter.

When he reached up to touch the wound, he winced. It was tender to
the touch. “That asshole attacked me,” Steele said as he pointed at the
bartender. “The only thing I did was order a drink.”

Thinking about the twink, Steele wondered if maybe the guy

didn’t belong to the bartender. Maybe that was why he had gone nuts.
It wasn’t Steele’s fault that the bartender had a slutty lover. He should
keep the guy on a leash.

Hondo’s eyes flickered over to the bartender. “Is that true,

Diablo?”

Steele inwardly groaned. Just great. The owner was the one who

attacked him. His chances of returning to this club were shot to hell.
He still couldn’t understand why Diablo had attacked him.

“He is my matter,” Diablo answered in a thick accent. “No one is

allowed to interfere.”

Lynn Hagen

The room fell into a quiet hush. Steele’s eyes grew wide at

Diablo’s statement. The only time no one was allowed to interfere
was when a person was claiming another—as in mates.

Steele cocked his head and studied the man. He didn’t feel a

connection, nor did he scent anything other than a shifter. “You’re
lying.” It was a blunt statement.

“Am I?” Diablo asked. He didn’t look upset and he hadn’t raised

his voice. But Steele could see a sly smirk on the man’s face. His
scent was a breed of shifter that Steele had never smelled before. He
couldn’t put his finger on what Diablo was, but as Steele raked his
eyes over the man’s dark and deadly features, he had a feeling that he
was in deep trouble.

Those lilac eyes, growing darker in their color, held Steele in the

grip of their gaze. Steele wanted to shout at the man to stop staring at
him as he grew more and more uncomfortable.

“I’m going to assume that you don’t want these guys tossed out of

your club,” Hondo said to Diablo. Although Steele was ready to get
out of there, he didn’t want to ruin everyone else’s good time. He
might be lazy as hell, but he wasn’t a prick. Johnny and Keata were
standing by the stage, their eyes beseeching.

Cecil and the rest of the men looked bummed at the possibility of

having to go. Even Paine’s expression said he wasn’t done partying.

Steele turned toward Hondo. “We’re good.”
Diablo gave a slight tilt to his head, confirming Steele’s statement.

“They can stay.”

Just as Steele began to turn away, he caught the promise in

Diablo’s eyes. The man was far from done with him. His expression
told Steele that this had only just begun. The heat in the bite mark
flared momentarily, causing Steele to wince.

The crowd broke up and everyone went back to partying. Hondo

and his friends left, the patrons acting as if nothing had happened.
With a wary expression, Recker and the other men went back to their

Forged in Steele

booth. Paine had gone back to his twinks, but Steele could see his
brother’s eyes continuously flickering over to him.

“It will ease,” Diablo said in his thick accent.
Steele looked over his shoulder at the bartender, giving him a

menacing scowl. “What did you do to me?” His canines slid low
when Diablo pressed his back into the bar, resting his arms on the
counter. The man looked smug.

“Marked you.”
Steele ground his teeth as he pushed through the crowd, putting as

much distance between him and the Mad Hatter as possible. The guy
was off his flipping rocker if he thought Steele was his mate. He must
be tossing back his own inventory because there was no way that
Diablo was anything but a lunatic.

Recker had explained to him what it felt like when he discovered

Frisco was his mate. The rhino had told him that there hadn’t been a
doubt in his mind and he had instantly felt the connection.

Steele didn’t feel any of that toward Diablo. The only thing he felt

was irritated.

Spotting the twink that he had been dancing with before chaos had

broken out, Steele headed toward the guy. If Diablo was his mate,
Steele wouldn’t want the twink.

But he did. He wanted to fuck the guy and prove that Diablo was a

big fat liar. He grabbed the guy’s hips and began to dance again.
Steele wanted to get lost in what he was doing and forget that he had
ever met Diablo.

He cursed himself when his eyes cut back over to the bar. Diablo

hadn’t moved. He was still leaning and watching Steele intently. Now
that just proved that Diablo wasn’t his mate. If he were, Diablo would
be over here acting like an idiot. No man allowed his mate to dance
with another guy. Steele smirked at Diablo and flipped him off. To his
surprise Diablo began to laugh. He was definitely one strange
character.

Lynn Hagen

The twink turned and glanced up at Steele, his eyes widening. He

shoved at Steele’s hands right before he began to back away. “I’m not
crazy enough to mess with Diablo’s mate. Are you trying to get me
killed?”

Before Steele could answer, the man was gone, running bullet-fast

to the other side of the club. As he glanced around, Steele noticed that
all the twinks had put some distance between themselves and him.

Fan-fucking-tastic! Not only had Diablo announced his false

claim, but he had managed to scare everyone away from Steele. Now
how in the hell was he supposed to get laid? He had become a
walking plague. No matter where he moved, people scattered away
from him.

“Having trouble finding a willing body?”
Steele stiffened when he heard Diablo’s deep tone behind him. He

ground his teeth and balled his fists, telling himself not to hit the guy.
Just because he was having a lousy night didn’t mean Steele had to
ruin it for everyone else. If he dropped Diablo onto his pompous ass,
Steele was pretty sure that they would be kicked out.

They already had one free pass. Beating the club owner up would

be pushing it. Steele headed toward a group of twinks over by the
stage. Someone was going to suck his cock tonight! He did not come
here for the show or to just hang out.

But after an hour of watching every man in the club dodge him,

Steele finally gave up. He was chewing nails by the time he leaned
against the back wall, crossing his arms over his chest in frustration.

Maybe he could get Hondo to take him home without disturbing

everyone else’s good time. There was no way in hell he was going to
watch his brother have sex at one of the tables while Steele’s cock
remained untouched.

He scrubbed his hand down his face, wanting to choke Diablo.

When he blinked open his eyes, Steele groaned. He wasn’t sure how it
happened, but that quick Diablo was standing in front him.

Forged in Steele

“Go away,” Steele said. “You have sufficiently shut me down. I

am in no mood for your bullshit.”

Diablo didn’t say a word. He just laid one arm against the wall,

cocooning Steele in. The guy was at least three inches taller than
Steele and his presence seemed daunting. Diablo wasn’t bulky like
Recker, but he was very well built and twice the size of Steele. He
gave the man a very cold expression, one that he hoped gave Diablo
frostbite. “What is your deal?”

As Diablo reached out to touch the bite mark, Steele’s eyes

followed the man’s fingers. But before the guy could touch him,
Steele grabbed Diablo’s wrist. “Back off.”

“I bet my savings that you are just as feisty in bed,” Diablo said

into his ear as his hand cupped Steele’s flaccid cock, bringing it back
to life as the man massaged his growing erection.

Steele grunted. “You don’t look a day over twenty-five. You can

keep your hundred dollars or whatever paltry amount you have in
your savings.” He forced himself not to enjoy what Diablo was doing
to him. He didn’t want to encourage the guy.

Blinking a few times, Steele knew he was losing his mind when

Diablo blew a light ring of smoke in front of Steele’s face. “I am
fifteen hundred years old, hjertet mitt drage. If a few hundred dollars
is the only thing I have managed to save in all that time, shame on
me.”

Steele cocked his head. “What are you?”
His back pressed harder into the wall, his heart shooting into his

throat when wings spanned outward from behind Diablo. They were
scaly, expanding a good eight feet on each side, and there was a lethal
claw at the edge of both wings.

The club grew quiet as Diablo’s eyes churned with molten lava,

the lilac gone, replaced by the most incredible sight Steele had ever
seen. When Diablo opened his mouth, Steele could see two sharp
fangs.

Lynn Hagen

“I am a fierce dragon shifter, and you are hjertet mitt drage. My

dragon heart.”

Forged in Steele

Chapter Two

Diablo had scented shifter all over his mate. He was a cheetah

shifter and that pleased him to no end. He wasn’t worried about Steele
trying to have sex in the club. No person walking through that door
would touch Diablo’s mate. He had bitten the man, marked him.
Diablo’s scent was now racing through the cheetah’s veins.

No matter where Steele went, Diablo would now be able to find

him. He collapsed his wings and took a step back, giving his mate the
room he undoubtedly needed. Steele may be composed on the outside,
but Diablo could practically feel the turmoil inside his mate.

The cheetah needed time to adjust to the idea of finding his mate.

Diablo would give him that time. He walked back over to the bar and
headed into his office. He needed time as well to compose himself.
The need to grab Steele and fly off to a secluded place to claim the
man was riding him hard.

Steele was a strong predator. Diablo could tell that it was going to

be near impossible to make the man submit. Cats were full of foolish
pride and stubborn will. Diablo had dealt with many cats throughout
his life. One thing he loved about them was their purr. It was the most
erotic sound he had ever heard.

But Steele wasn’t purring. The man had his claws out and Diablo

had to convince the guy to retract them. He dropped down in the seat
behind a bank of monitors, privately watching his mate. It had been so
long since Diablo had felt anything other than aloofness that he
rubbed at his chest, his nerves feeling as if they were being scraped
raw.

Lynn Hagen

His mood had not improved when he realized that Steele could not

scent their bond. The dragon race had been cursed long ago, the pull
that most shifters felt severed. But Diablo had outlasted most of his
kind. It hadn’t been easy. If it wasn’t for the demon realm, he
would’ve perished by now.

But Panahasi had given him refuge and saved Diablo’s life when

his species was hunted to the brink of extinction. There were less than
twenty dragon shifters left in existence. Although Diablo had made it
this far, the curse still remained.

“That was quite a show,” Diesel, Diablo’s bouncer and best

friend, said as he walked into the office. “I’ve never seen you show
your wings in front of anyone before. Pretty cool, man.”

Cool was not a word Diablo would use to describe what he had

done. His control had slipped. Exposing himself was a foolish move.
If the Drage Jegere—Dragon Hunters—had been in his club, Diablo
would’ve been dead.

Diablo had never told Diesel that he was a hunted man. Although

the bouncer was a good friend, trusting anyone with his life was not
something Diablo was willing to do. The only person who knew the
truth was the demon leader.

He was going to have to scrub everyone’s memory, including

Diesel’s. As his friend talked, Diablo began to chant under his breath,
forming a shield at the club door. Anyone who passed through it
would forget what they had seen. Just as soon as Diesel went back to
his post, he would forget as well.

“I’m going to need you to run things for a little while,” Diablo

said as he sat back, feeling a migraine coming on. That was the
downside of using his powers. “I have some things I need to take care
of.”

“Not a problem,” Diesel replied.
Diablo had a cheetah to play with and convince that they were

mates. Dragons were fierce, unfriendly, and downright nasty at times,
but being a dragon shifter, Diablo had a twisted sense of humor.

Forged in Steele

The centaur shifter patted Diablo on the shoulder before he left the

office.

Now how was he going to convince the cat to play with him?

Steele thought Diablo insane. He could tell by the man’s actions.
Going into the human realm was taking a big risk, but he was not
about to sit on his ass while his mate got away.

There was no way he could keep the shifter here, so he was going

to have to follow his mate back to his home. The dragon race had
been cursed when their leader, Chacon, had become greedy and
double-crossed a witch. Not only was the pull severed, but any
offspring that they had would die.

That curse stopped any new dragon shifters from being born.
Pushing those depressing thoughts aside, Diablo exited his office.

He had a feeling that Maverick Brac had no clue that his mate was
here. He smiled at the human’s wild streak. Just as long as no one
bothered the group, Maverick wouldn’t try to disembowel Diablo.
Diesel knew to keep the mates of Brac Village safe. For some damn
reason they held a soft spot in Panahasi’s heart. Diablo didn’t pretend
to understand the demon leader, but he owed the guy big-time.
Moving back behind the bar, Diablo sent Monte—his bartender—over
to where the mates were partying, giving them a complimentary bottle
of wine.

As they partied, Diablo watched Steele closely. His mate was

relentless. He was still trying to find somebody to have sex with. That
should have driven Diablo over the edge, but he found it humorous
instead. Steele was damned and determined to prove that they weren’t
mates.

Let him try. No one in the club was going to take the cheetah up

on his offer.

When Diablo saw Cecil and his buddies getting ready to leave, he

winked at Steele. The cheetah flipped him off before heading out the
door. Diablo chuckled. Little did the man know that he would be soon
following.

Lynn Hagen

He gave Diesel a heads-up before Diablo walked into his office

and opened a portal. That ability was a small gift from Panahasi just
in case Diablo had to make a quick exit from the Drage Jegere.

Who knew he would be using it to follow his mate.
Diablo stepped out into the balmy summer night, feeling the soft

breeze billow through his hair. He had not been in the human realm in
over twelve hundred years. His mind went on full alert as he glanced
around.

Tucking the long black strands behind his ear, he glanced at the

house his mate was inside. The structure was tan and white, three
stories high with a second-floor balcony. The lawn was well
manicured with pink flowers running up both sides of the walkway.
The place was picturesque. It made Diablo yearn at what he had been
denied for so long.

He spotted steps leading to a side door. But he hesitated. He could

sense that the house was full of shifters. Not that he feared any of
them, but it would be a damn shame to kill Steele’s friends if they got
in the way.

He walked toward the back of the house, spotting a deck. Diablo

moved in and out of the shadows, dividing his attention. Not only was
he looking for Steele, but he also had to be extremely careful of the
Drage Jegere. He wasn’t sure if they existed any longer, but he
wasn’t willing to take that chance to find out.

“You are one persistent screwball.”
Keeping to the shadows, Diablo raked his eyes over his mate.

Steele had a blend of blond and brown hair, a mustache with a light
goatee. It looked like he had changed into something more
comfortable, the T-shirt straining over the compact muscles. His teeth
ached to bite the man again. Steele’s cat-green eyes seemed to glow
as he stared at Diablo.

“Stalk people much?” Steele asked as he took a seat on one of the

chairs.

Diablo’s mouth twisted into a smile. “Just you.”

Forged in Steele

Steele crossed his ankles as he rested his hands on his flat

abdomen. “I feel so honored,” he said in a sardonic tone. The
cheetah’s head turned, his eyes glowing even brighter. “How did I
know you were out here?”

Taking a chance, Diablo moved from the shadows and walked

behind Steele’s chair. He ran the tips of his fingers over the bite mark,
his cock getting hard when Steele shivered. His mate would forever
carry the mark, the wound never quite healing. It was also an
erogenous zone. But only when Diablo touched the bite wound. The
enzymes that he had injected into Steele when he bit him recognized
Diablo. Anytime he came in contact with his mate’s skin, the enzymes
would fire up, causing Steele great pleasure.

“You already know the answer, hjertet mitt drage. Do you need

me to repeat what you so adamantly deny?” Diablo’s fingers traced up
the side of Steele’s neck. He smiled to himself when Steele tilted his
head to the side. As long as Diablo was touching his mate, having any
sort of skin-to-skin contact, the cheetah would feel the pleasure
coursing through him. “Do you want me to restate the word that
seems to inspire such fiery passion inside of you?”

Steele groaned as Diablo watched the man’s cock grow thick in

his jeans. Still standing behind his mate, Diablo reached forward,
brushing the back of his knuckles down the pronounced outline. “You
long for release. I can give you the orgasm you seek and so much
more.” He pressed his lips to the bite mark. “Give your body to me,
hjertet mitt drage. Allow me to show you the pleasure that I can
unleash inside of you.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”
Diablo glanced over his shoulder to see a man that resembled

Steele. They looked so much alike that the intruder could be nothing
other than Steele’s brother. He grew closer, hard lines filling his face.
“Get away from him.”

The intrusion seemed to snap Steele’s mind awake. He shoved

Diablo off of him as he jumped up from the chair. Steele had an

Lynn Hagen

extremely strong bond with his brother. That was the only explanation
Diablo could think of that would pull Steele from the drowsy, lust-
filled haze he had been floating in.

He knew bonding with his mate was going to be hard, but he had

no idea that he was going to be thrown off course by the cheetah’s
brother.

Dammit. He had been that close to claiming his mate.
“Thanks, Paine,” Steele said to his brother, but his cat-green eyes

were locked on Diablo. Steele looked downright pissed. Diablo
straightened from his crouched position.

“Stop screwing with his mind.” Paine wiggled his fingers at his

temple. “Or we’ll both stomp your ass into the back deck.”

Diablo would like to see them try. He had trained with the best,

fought with the mightiest, and defeated the undefeatable. These cats
were child’s play. But he didn’t come here to fight with his mate’s
relatives. Diablo had a feeling that he would not win any points if he
kicked Paine’s ass.

“I’m not going to get rid of you, am I?” Steele asked as he crossed

his arms over his chest.

“You already know the answer.” Diablo winked at his mate. He

then turned his attention to Paine. “Threaten me again and I will burn
you to a crisp.” His tone was matter of fact, but Diablo’s mood was
turning nasty. He wanted Steele, and Paine was getting in the way.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Steele waved toward Diablo. “He’s a dragon shifter.”
Diablo was shocked. That memory should have been erased from

Steele’s mind when he had left the club. It began to dawn on him that
his mate was immune to Diablo’s magic. He was not going to be able
to suppress the memory in Steele’s mind.

“Do not speak those words out loud,” Diablo warned as his eyes

flickered around the backyard. The witch who had cursed his race was
the same person who had created the Drage Jegere. Their only goal
was to kill any dragon shifter that they found.

Forged in Steele

“Why?” Steele asked. “Is the bogeyman going to come after me?”

His mate was teasing but he had no idea how true his words rang.

“Yes,” Diablo answered honestly. “You have no idea what you

will unleash.”

“I’m shaking in my space boots,” Paine said sarcastically.
Diablo wanted to knock the guy on his ass. He had very little

patience to begin with and Paine had used up Diablo’s reserve. He
was still seething from the guy interrupting him in the first place.
Slashing his arm toward Paine, Diablo smiled when the pain in the ass
disappeared.

“What in the hell did you do with my brother?” Steele shouted as

he came after Diablo.

“I merely sent him to his room,” Diablo answered as he easily

maneuvered away from the cheetah. “He is an irritation that I can do
without.”

“If you hurt him, I am going to beat the brakes off of you.” Steele

tried once again to get his hands on Diablo, but Diablo was too quick.
He moved in behind Steele, grabbing his mate and pressing their
bodies together.

“I’ll be back to play with you later, my little furball.” Diablo

nipped the side of his mate’s neck before he opened a portal and fell
through. He had already spent too much time in the human realm. The
risk was just too great to linger.

Diablo had his work cut out for him. But he would be back and

Steele would be his.

* * * *

Steele stood behind the counter at the movie theater, ready to roll

the popcorn machine out the back door. The stuff stunk to high
heaven. Andy, his new coworker, was chatting his ass off and Steele
was trying his best to tune the man out.

Lynn Hagen

He so did not want to be here. Unfortunately, his part of the bills

was not going to pay itself and his savings was running low. He
needed the job. As the moviegoers trickled in, Steele worked the
concession stand. If he never saw another tray of nachos and cheese,
it would be too soon.

The job really wasn’t that bad. It was pretty easy, but ever since

running into Diablo, Steele couldn’t concentrate. It irritated Steele
that the dragon shifter had gotten under his skin. He shouldn’t have.
Steele felt no pull, yet Diablo was all he could think about.

The guy wasn’t even his type.
Standing, Steele straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat,

giving his boss a smile as the man walked by. As soon as he was out
of sight, Steele leaned back against the wall, wishing he was
anywhere but here.

“Can’t take you anywhere,” Paine said as he leaned next to Steele.

“You’ve had that confused look since meeting Diablo. Either that or
you’re constipated.” The skin around his brother’s eyes tightened.
“Tell me you aren’t considering messing around with that lunatic.”

Steele loved his brother deeply. They had grown even closer after

their two brothers had died. His worst fear was losing Paine, but there
were certain times when he wished the man would mind his own
business. “I wasn’t aware that I had to get your permission to screw
someone.”

“And I wasn’t aware that you were a few claws short of a lethal

set. Come on, Steele. The man leapt over the bar and attacked you.
What, does lunacy turn you on?” Paine walked away when some
moviegoers approached the counter. He watched his brother work as
he mulled over everything that had taken place.

He normally wasn’t attracted to hostile men. Steele scratched at

his chin. But then again, he normally wasn’t attracted to big brutes.
Steele liked his men smaller, easier to control. Twinks tended to be a
little clingier, but he always worked his magic and escaped their grip.

No one was cuffing him.

Forged in Steele

Diablo was handsome with his dark looks. Steele would give him

that. His lilac eyes were gorgeous. The man reminded Steele of a
renegade, an outlaw. He had no problems making friends with people
like that, but as a rule, Steele tended to turn his back on those types.

Fuck! The man had his brains scrambled. Why was he even

considering the shifter?

“Um, would you mind getting a little work done?” Andy asked as

he approached Steele. “That seemed to be the whole concept behind
hiring you.” The guy said it a little timidly, but Steele got the point.

He smirked at the human. “Didn’t you read my job app? I

specifically stated that I excelled at doing absolutely nothing. The big
boss hired me so I assume that those terms were acceptable.”

Andy shook his head as he walked away, mumbling under his

breath about lazy people and having to do all the work. What was
there to do? Their job was to hand out food and snacks. How damn
hard was that?

Paine seemed to be enjoying himself. The man had already

scarfed down three bags of popcorn and sucked down two oversized
cups of pop…and they had only been working for an hour.

Steele knew his sour mood was coming from Diablo. Normally he

was a carefree man. He didn’t allow much to bother him.

Although he did chuckle when Paine asked if he could go on

break. Andy began to rant and rave, slamming a box of Goobers onto
the counter. The vein at Andy’s temple looked like it was about to
burst.

“Lighten up,” Steele said as he knocked out the long line. Once

everyone was taken care of, he turned toward the human. “You can’t
take life so seriously.”

“Says the man who takes nothing seriously,” Andy shot back.
“You think you have me summed up within an hour of meeting

me?” Steele asked. He took a lot of things seriously. Steele just chose
not to get his panties in a ruffle over the things he couldn’t change.

Lynn Hagen

Andy glanced down at the floor and let out a long sigh. “I’m

having a shitty night. I don’t mean to take it out on you but a little
help would be nice.”

“When was the last time you got laid?” Paine asked as he rested

against the counter. “That might cure all your ills.”

Steele bit back a smile when Andy blushed profusely. “That’s

none of your business.”

“Ah, so Mr. Andy needs to get laid,” Paine teased. “I can help you

out with that.”

Steele slapped his brother on the back of the head. “You don’t

fuck the people you work with, moron. You’re only asking for
trouble.”

Paine glowered at him as he rubbed his head. “It’s only sex,” he

complained. “What’s so complicated about that?”

Steele rolled his eyes. Paine was hopeless. The man would have

sex with any guy that walked into the movie theater if he could get
away with it. “Andy is off-limits. Leave him alone,” Steele warned.

Undoubtedly Andy would crumble under Paine’s flirtatious ways.

The human didn’t stand a chance. His brother was relentless. If Steele
didn’t step in, Paine would sleep with the guy, things would become
awkward, and then they would be looking for another job.

He saved them both a headache by declaring the man off-limits.

He knew his younger brother would listen to him.

“Fine,” Paine grumbled. “See if I try and help the guy out again.”
“All your pistons aren’t firing,” Andy said to Paine. Steele

grinned as he tossed a few more hot dogs onto the rollers. He could
see that working with those two was going to be pure entertainment.

And here he thought his job was going to be boring.
“What is Diablo doing here?” Paine asked. Steele snapped his

head up and looked around. He didn’t see the dragon shifter
anywhere. His brother burst out laughing. “I knew you had the hots
for him.”

Forged in Steele

Steele threw a hot dog at Paine. His brother was getting on his

nerves. He might just strangle the man before the night was over. It
was a real possibility considering Paine had a mischievous glint in his
eyes.

“Not funny, asshole.”
“I thought it was hilarious.” Paine filled another bag with

popcorn. “It was downright entertaining.”

Steele ignored his brother as he took care of a few more

customers. He should have known the guy was going to tease him
about Diablo. Paine got a kick out of pissing Steele off.

As Steele rang a customer up, he could feel someone watching

him. He glanced toward the theater doors, spotting a stranger staring
directly at him.

He tried to ignore the man, but the guy was outright watching

him. Steele winced when the bite wound that Diablo had given him
began to burn. It was a searing pain that made him clench his teeth.

“What’s wrong with you?” Paine asked, concern in his voice.
Steele rubbed at his shoulder, trying to ease the discomfort. “Do

you know that man?” Steele nodded toward the stranger who was
standing there menacingly, glaring daggers at him.

Paine glanced toward the doors. “What man?”

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Three

Diablo rubbed at his temple as a sharp pain shot across his skull.

He staggered behind the bar, having to grip the counter to steady
himself. The pressure built, making it hard for him to breathe.

It only took half a second for Diablo to figure out what was

wrong. A Drage Jegere had honed in on Steele. The Dragon Hunter
was merely probing at Steele’s mind. If Diablo showed up to rescue
his mate, he would be confirming his existence.

“Diesel.” Diablo called his bouncer over to him. He gripped the

counter tighter as he waited for the centaur shifter to make his way
over. It was becoming almost impossible to breathe.

“Are you all right?” Diesel asked, his brows knitting into a frown.
“I need you”—Diablo sucked in some air through gritted teeth—

“to bring me my mate.” If he didn’t get Steele away from the Drage
Jegere, Diablo feared he would die in agonizing pain. The pressure
continued to mount.

“Where is he?”
It took every ounce of strength he possessed to lock on Steele.

Once he had the man’s location, he gave it to Diesel. The bouncer was
gone in the blink of an eye. Knowing that Diesel would not fail him,
Diablo staggered to his office. He dropped down in the chair, cradling
his head in his hands.

Wretched curse.
Diablo wanted to kill the witch who had cast it upon his race.

Chacon had died eons ago, when the dragon race was being hunted
and exterminated. Why in the fuck couldn’t that bitch leave the
remaining race alone?

Forged in Steele

They had suffered enough.
Sweating profusely, Diablo pulled his cell phone free and called

Panahasi. He had to let the demon leader know that a Dragon Hunter
had locked onto Steele. So far no Hunter had ever entered the demon
realm, and Diablo wanted to keep it that way.

When Panahasi answered, Diablo quickly explained what was

going on. He had to pause a few times to breathe through the
excruciating pain in his head. He knew that once Steele was safely
tucked in the demon realm, the pressure would ease.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on the Drage Jegere,” Panahasi said.

“The one after your mate is the last one in existence.”

That didn’t make Diablo feel any better. One was too many. “I

sent Diesel after Steele.” Diablo pressed the palms of his hand into his
forehead. “I’m going to keep him here until I can figure out what to
do.”

“From what my Warriors have told me about your mate, that’ll be

easier said than done.”

No shit. Steele was going to pitch a bitch when Diesel grabbed

him and brought him here. There was nothing Diablo could do about
that. If he didn’t get Steele out of there, not only would the Hunter
harm the cheetah shifter in order to find Diablo, but he would unleash
a whole lot of bullshit on Brac Village.

Diablo did not need the Ultionem on his ass.
“I’ll handle Steele. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“Much appreciated,” Panahasi answered. “I’m going to shut the

Black River down so no one can get into Serenity City.”

Diablo understood the ramifications of the Black River being shut

down. It was a portal the residents used to get in and out of the demon
realm—which meant that anyone wanting to return or leave would
have to rely on the Demon Warriors.

It was going to be one big pain in the ass. “Can you do it after

Diesel returns?”

Lynn Hagen

“He’s already back,” Panahasi said before he hung up. Diablo had

known Panahasi for over twelve hundred years and the man’s powers
still amazed him. He tossed his phone onto the desk as his office door
opened.

“Get your fucking hands off me,” Steele shouted indignantly at

Diesel. “You have no right to kidnap me, jackass.”

Diablo moaned as he closed his eyes and continued to rub the

palm of his hand against his forehead. The pain had eased but a new
headache had emerged. This was not going to be a picnic. “He was
only doing what I told him to do.”

Steele rounded on Diablo, his cat-green eyes blazing with fury.

“I’m sorry, did I forget to pencil a kidnapping into my calendar? I
don’t remember you mentioning anything about it.”

The centaur shifter eased out of the office, giving Diablo a

sympathetic look before closing the door behind him.

Chickenshit.
“Hondo!” Steele shouted.
“He won’t come,” Diablo said irritably as he finally sat back, the

pressure gone. It was a crushing blow to his ego that Steele would call
a Demon Warrior to get away from Diablo. He was half tempted to
send the man back to the human realm out of spite.

“Okay,” Steele said, a little calmer. “Then explain to me why you

sent your henchman to fetch me.”

Diablo’s eyes cut over to Steele as his jaw turned to granite. His

mate wasn’t stupid. There was no way he hadn’t spotted the Drage
Jegere. No one else would’ve been able to see the Hunter. Being
mated to Diablo, Steele would have no problem seeing the guy. “You
already know why.”

“The stranger.” His mate stated those two words in a confused

tone.

Diablo nodded. “I told you not to utter the words dragon shifter.”
Steele took a seat in the chair next to Diablo. “I thought you were

bullshitting.”

Forged in Steele

Extremely thankful that his mate was acting as if he had some

sense, Diablo relaxed. “What you saw was a Dragon Hunter. I would
never joke about a Drage Jegere. They have slaughtered my race until
only twenty of us are left.”

The cheetah grimaced as he glanced over at the bank of monitors.

“I know what it’s like to lose those you care about the most.”

Diablo wasn’t sure what Steele was talking about, but he was glad

that they were finally having a decent conversation. It made a man’s
soul weary to continually battle with his mate. He knew he hadn’t
won the war when it came to claiming the man, but a calm
conversation was a start. “It was a bloody war. My entire family was
wiped out in one fell swoop. For twelve hundred years I’ve been
hidden in the demon realm.”

Steele sank back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “Are we

really mates?”

Diablo explained the curse to the cheetah shifter. “This is why you

cannot feel the connection. It is just as frustrating for me as it is for
you.”

Steele chewed on his bottom lip. “But at least you feel it. The only

thing I have is your word. I’m not a very trusting man,” Steele stated
bitterly.

“Touché. Neither am I.” How could Diablo trust anyone when his

very existence hinged on secrecy? Just uttering the words dragon
shifter was asking for a death sentence. It made for a truly lonely
existence.

“Is Paine in any danger?” Steele asked, his eyes never leaving the

monitor.

“You are the one carrying my mark. Paine is safe.” Just thinking

about the mating mark had Diablo growing hard. He wanted to claim
Steele, to close the bond between them. But the cheetah had been
resistant, and although they were being civil at the moment, that could
change at any second.

Lynn Hagen

They were on a precarious slope. Their conversation could turn

combative in the blink of an eye. Steele was only going off of
Diablo’s word that they were mates. It said something about the man
because Steele was willing to listen instead of adamantly denying
Diablo.

“Is this what you do?” Steele waved toward the monitors. “Just sit

here and spy on people? Seems pretty boring and creepy to me.” His
mate tapped on the far right monitor. “But I like this porn channel.”

Diablo rested his chin against his chest, covertly checking Steele

out as the cheetah watched two guys having sex at one of the tables.
He wasn’t so stringent that Diablo stopped his customers from having
fun. Just as long as they were two consenting adults and didn’t get too
carried away, anything went.

The twink was sitting on a larger man’s lap. It was obvious what

was going on but they weren’t making a show of themselves. If they
had been, Diesel would have told them to take it to a back room.
Diablo rented those rooms out to the customers who wanted to either
get livelier or preferred more privacy.

“Do you like watching?”
Steele sat back and shrugged. “Just as much as the next guy. I’m

not a voyeur like Reese. But if I spot two guys having sex, I’m going
to look.”

Diablo had no idea who Reese was and quite frankly he didn’t

care. His only interest lay in Steele. The cheetah’s eyes continually
wandered over to the monitor on the right. The guy was more than
interested in what was going on.

Owning this club as long as Diablo had, seeing two people having

sex no longer flipped his trigger. It wasn’t even a blip on his radar.
But seeing his mate getting turned on turned Diablo on. “Do you want
to sit in my lap as you watch them?”

Steele’s cat-green eyes narrowed. “I don’t sit in anyone’s lap.”
“Ah, I see. You are the epitome of masculinity and dominance.”

Diablo was feeling his mate out, testing the waters.

Forged in Steele

Instead of confirming Diablo’s statement, Steele sat there with a

sullen expression on his face. Interesting.

“Don’t even think about it,” Steele snapped when Diablo reached

over to touch his mate. “The last time you touched me I lost my damn
mind.”

Diablo gave a low and soft chuckle. “But is it not supposed to be

that way between mates? Is it wrong for you to lose yourself in me?”

“No one monkeys with my brain.” Steele tapped his finger against

his temple.

Stretching his legs out in front of him, Diablo crossed his ankles.

“You have it all wrong. I would never monkey with your brain. My
touch merely allows you to let down your inhibitions. Nothing more.”
Besides, Diablo’s magic didn’t work on Steele. Even if it had, there
was no way Diablo would use it to influence Steele’s decisions.

“I like my inhibitions, thank you very much.” Steele must have

realized how asinine his statement sounded because he grinned
widely. “That didn’t come out right.”

“No,” Diablo said with a chuckle. “Not at all.”
“Even if you could prove your claim by having sex with me,”

Steele said, changing the subject so quickly that Diablo almost didn’t
catch on to what he was saying. “I won’t allow it. I’ve never given up
the ass and I never plan to.”

Brick wall, here I come. Diablo ran his knuckles over the stubble

on his chin, wondering how he was going to get past Steele’s
defenses. He could see the resolution in the cheetah’s green eyes.
Steele meant what he said. The guy was no one’s bottom boy. That
presented a huge problem in their relationship because neither was
Diablo.

“Duly noted,” Diablo replied, his eyes swinging over to the

monitors as he sank deep into thought. He had sat in this room for
hours on end, lost in his own mind. But now Steele was here and
Diablo wasn’t sure if sharing his quiet time was beneficial or if the
cheetah was going to drive him insane.

Lynn Hagen

“You’re not going to browbeat me?”
Diablo gave a nonchalant shrug. “I am downright nasty and

unfriendly most of the time, but never have I forced anyone to be with
me. That’s not my kink.” He cut his eyes at Steele. “I’ve gotten a little
rough, though.” He winked at his mate. “But only when asked.”

“You are one sick puppy.”
“Dragon,” he corrected. “And there is nothing twisted about

giving a guy what he asks for. I aim to please.” A small part of Diablo
shined when Steele turned up his nose. Was the guy jealous? Diablo
was even more anxious to hear Steele purr.

Too bad they couldn’t get along like this all the time. Diablo could

get used to this side of Steele. When the guy’s defenses weren’t up, he
was pretty easy to talk to. He began to wonder just how much they
had in common.

“You know I can’t stay, right?”
Diablo closed his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he

had known. But the selfish part of him wanted to keep Steele right
here, next to him for all eternity. There was no way he could cage the
cheetah. Although he had saved Steele from a perilous situation, the
situation was only temporary.

Steele belonged to the human realm. The man deserved to feel the

warm sun on his face as he ran in his cheetah form through the forest.
Diablo had only been fooling himself, wishing for something he knew
he couldn’t have. He would sign his own death warrant if he lived
anywhere other than the demon realm.

“For now, you have no choice.” The thought of letting Steele go

pained him. What choice did Diablo have? He wasn’t going to force
his mate to be at his side. Maybe it was best that he didn’t claim the
cheetah. Cementing their bond would only kill Diablo when Steele
returned home.

“For now,” Steele agreed.
Diablo pushed from the chair and left the office. Sitting next to

what he could not have was torturous. Inhaling the cheetah’s scent

Forged in Steele

was only tempting Diablo to touch the man, to call on the mark and
pull Steele down into a haze of lust.

Throwing himself into work, Diablo tried his best to forget that

his mate was sitting in his office.

* * * *

Steele watched Diablo through one of the monitors on the wall.

He had noticed the change in the shifter when he told the man he
wasn’t going to stay. Diablo’s lilac eyes had hardened when he exited
the office.

But what was Steele supposed to do? Cecil had told him that the

sun never shined here and that was something that Steele could not
live without. One of his favorite things to do was to go running in his
cheetah form as the sun blazed down on him. He couldn’t imagine a
world of nothing but darkness.

As he watched Diablo work, Steele’s eyes followed every move

the man made. Only a bitch lets a man top him. Steele closed his eyes
and tried to purge the memory of Cruel’s words. Although Steele
missed his oldest brother, he could have done without the taunting
words. The man had constantly drilled into Steele’s head that the
Averys bowed to no one.

Long-buried feelings began to surface as Steele gazed at the dark

and deadly man through the monitor. He tried to push those yearnings
back down, to deny that they existed. Ever since he reached puberty,
Steele’s two eldest brothers had been hard on him, telling him that he
better be no man’s bottom boy.

Steele had never told anyone that he preferred not to be in control

in the bedroom, but he had a feeling his brothers had known. They
had to have or they wouldn’t have drummed those lessons into his
head over and over again.

But Cruel and Vengeance were no longer here. They had died

years ago. Yet, Steele felt ashamed over his feelings toward Diablo.

Lynn Hagen

This was why he always preferred a twink. They were safe. They
allowed Steele to be in control, to follow his brothers’ lessons.

But now that he had met the dragon shifter, those lessons seemed

to be falling to the wayside. He wanted—Steele rubbed his temples,
fighting against the urges simmering inside of him. They were wrong.
He was no man’s bitch.

“Leave me alone,” he whispered at the memories. Having

suppressed his desires his entire life, the longing that he felt seemed
foreign to him. Steele wanted to bury them once more and to forget
that they ever existed.

His breath caught when Diablo turned around and glanced up at

the camera. Had he ever seen anyone look as lost and lonely as the
dragon shifter? It was as if Diablo had resigned himself to Steele
walking away.

One thing was for certain. Steele had to get out of this office.

Staring at the man who claimed to be his mate was driving him mad.
He didn’t like the feelings that Diablo was evoking inside of him.

Steele walked out into the crowded bar. Diablo was on the far side

serving drinks. The guy seemed lost in his work, but Steele knew the
shifter was well aware of him standing there. Could Diablo really be
his mate? Steele could think of no reason why the dragon shifter
would lie to him about something so sacred.

Had Diablo been telling the truth about the curse? He had seen the

Hunter with his own two eyes and constantly felt a tingling in the bite
wound whenever he was near the bartender. Everything was adding
up and all evidence was pointing to Diablo telling the truth.

He was mated to a dragon shifter who was a very dominant male.

“Need some help?” he asked Diablo when…his mate—Steele finally
admitted the truth—passed by him.

“Have you ever served drinks before?” Diablo asked as he began

to turn up a few bottles at the same time, mixing more than one
alcoholic flavor into the same glass. Steele was impressed with the
ease with which Diablo worked.

Forged in Steele

But then again, his mate had been doing this for a very long time.

“Not a day in my life.”

One side of Diablo’s mouth turned up into a crooked smile,

making Steele glance away. The longer he was around the man, the
harder it was to remember those lessons. He felt a pang of guilt for
wanting Diablo the way he did.

“I guess it’s never too late to learn,” Diablo said. “Stay by my side

and I’ll teach you the ropes, hjertet mitt drage.”

Steele felt his cock getting hard at the endearment. The guy

seemed to like calling Steele his dragon heart. It only seemed befitting
since they were mates.

The guilt slammed into him again.
Keeping his distance, careful not to touch Diablo, Steele listened

to his mate instruct him. The guy was an excellent teacher. He seemed
to possess infinite patience as Steele fucked up one drink after
another.

Diablo didn’t get mad. His mate just repeated the steps over again

as Steele tried his best to get things right. It was frustrating as hell but
at the same time Steele was having a blast. Maybe he should be a
bartender instead of working at the movie theater. Steele was going to
have to check and see if the Lucky Clover was hiring.

Even though he was just starting his lessons tonight, Steele

seemed to be a natural at this. He had a feeling that he would be a pro
by week’s end.

“I’m going to unleash you on this crowd,” Diablo said after two

hours of showing Steele the ropes. “If you have any questions,
holler.”

Steele nodded as he took his first drink order without Diablo’s

help. The customer ordered something fairly basic and Steele was
beaming with satisfaction as he served his very first drink without any
help.

When he glanced down the counter toward his mate, Diablo gave

an approving nod as he winked at Steele. Butterflies began to flap

Lynn Hagen

around inside Steele’s stomach, confusing him and making him turn
away.

As the night wore on, Steele had gotten better and better. He

seemed to take to bartending like a fish to water. Amazingly, he
retained everything that Diablo had shown him. It had been a lot of
information, but Steele had remembered the combinations with ease.

“You’re a natural,” Diablo said as he brushed his hand over the

small of Steele’s back. “I just might hire you.” Once again the dragon
shifter’s eyes began to glow. Steele swallowed hard. Mentally, he told
himself that he wasn’t supposed to be thrilled at the way Diablo was
raking his eyes over Steele’s body or the approval in the man’s tone.

If only his hard cock would listen.

Forged in Steele

Chapter Four

“What do you mean there is nothing you can do?” Paine asked

between clenched teeth. He was not going to stand idly by when that
psychotic-ass dragon shifter had outright kidnapped his older brother.
Paine had already lost two brothers. He was not going to lose Steele.
“I’m pretty sure kidnapping is illegal.”

“I’ve already got the rundown on what’s going on, Paine. Steele is

safe.”

He hated the way the alpha sat there as if Diablo had done nothing

wrong. It didn’t seem to matter that Paine was going out of his mind.
Did anyone care about the stress he was going through? No. Everyone
acted like kidnapping a person from their job was normal.

“So you are going to let him get away with it?”
Maverick rubbed the bridge of his nose before he sat forward.

“They are mates, Paine. I cannot interfere.”

“Bullshit! Steele told me he thought the man nuts and that he felt

no pull. Diablo is lying.” He began to pace the alpha’s office as he
wondered what was happening to his brother. If that screwy dragon
harmed one hair on Steele’s head, Paine was going to rip the man
apart.

The alpha stood, pressing his knuckles into the mahogany desk as

his light-grey eyes darkened. “I don’t give a shit how angry you are. If
you don’t watch your fucking tone with me, I’m going to remind you
why I’m the big bad wolf around here.”

Paine knew he was walking a thin line. Maverick could snap him

in half in the blink of an eye. But he was desperate to find out what
was going on with Steele. He loved his brother more than his own life

Lynn Hagen

and would die to protect him. Hondo wasn’t answering his call and
Paine had no idea how to get into the demon realm without the
Warrior’s help.

“Can you at least take me to my brother?”
Paine bit back a curse when Maverick shook his head. “It’s too

dangerous. Besides, Panahasi has the demon realm on lockdown. It
would be best to leave Diablo and Steele alone right now.”

Reminding himself that he didn’t want to breathe through a hole

in his chest, Paine bit his tongue. He was going to find a way into the
demon realm. No one was going to stop him from rescuing Steele.

Diablo was not Steele’s mate. He didn’t care what anyone said. If

Steele believed that the dragon shifter was a crackpot, then so did
Paine.

One way or the other, Paine was getting his brother back.

* * * *

Diablo opened the door to his home, showing his mate inside. It

had been a long night and he was exhausted. Taking a hot shower and
getting some sleep sounded damn good.

Although he would love to share his bed with Steele, Diablo knew

that his mate would protest. He was too tired to feel the sting of the
cheetah’s rejection.

“You can sleep in here,” Diablo said as he showed Steele to the

guest room. “I’ll talk to Panahasi later and find out if there’s any news
about the Hunter.”

“How long do you think I’ll have to stay here?” It was a simple

question. So why did it anger Diablo? Was he looking too deep into
the question? After so many centuries of casual one-night stands that
held no passion for him, Diablo realized just how lonely he truly was.
It was as if Steele couldn’t wait to get away from him.

He raked his eyes over Steele scathingly, even though he would

prefer to pull the cheetah into his arms, into his bed. “You won’t be

Forged in Steele

here one second longer than necessary.” Without another word he
spun around and headed toward his bedroom.

“You don’t have to be a prick,” Steele shouted after him. Diablo

ignored his mate as he closed his bedroom door. He was no longer
exhausted. Knowing that Steele was just down the hall seemed to
bring his body to life.

Diablo’s cock was ramrod stiff.
“This will never work,” he muttered to himself as he walked over

to the sideboard and poured himself a drink. Drager Pusten was very
rare and Diablo did not indulge in it too often. It wasn’t like he could
order Dragon’s Breath from his regular vendor. He’d had this bottle
for over seven hundred years.

Tonight he needed the potent drink.
Dealing with Steele, Diablo wasn’t sure that the ancient alcohol

was going to be enough. He grabbed the tumbler from the cherrywood
sideboard and then walked over to the window. As the drink burned
his throat, he glanced out into the night.

It was always night in the demon realm.
Diablo couldn’t remember the last time he felt the sun warming

his face. He also missed soaring through the clouds, feeling the wind
as it caressed his body. He hadn’t thought about any of that for eons.
After visiting the human realm, Diablo felt a yearning deep down
inside of him.

What he wouldn’t give to be able to soar through the heavens,

once again feeling the warm sun against his wings. But those days
were long past. Even if he didn’t have the Hunter after him, the world
had grown too modernized.

The days of the dragons freely flying were over.
He downed the clear concoction when he heard a knock on his

bedroom door. Why was Steele tempting him like this? “Enter.”
Diablo didn’t bother to turn around. There was no way he could see
his mate in his bedroom and not take the man down.

Lynn Hagen

It was bad enough he had bitten Steele. But that was only the first

step in mating the man. If he didn’t have sex with Steele, then they
would merely have a connection, nothing more. But if things
progressed and he fucked Steele into a coma, then being separated
from his mate would feel like a thousand deaths.

Why in the hell was his life so complicated?
He needed another drink.
“Do you have anything around here to eat?” Steele asked from the

doorway. “I was kidnapped before dinner and now I’m starving.”

Diablo couldn’t help but grin. He liked his mate’s sense of humor.

“Help yourself to anything I have in the kitchen.”

Steele cocked his head, giving Diablo an exasperated expression.

“When was the last time you were in your own kitchen?”

Diablo had to stop and think for a second. “I normally dine out.

Why?”

“I can tell. There is absolutely nothing in the cupboards and I

think you have a science experiment growing in your refrigerator.”
Steele waved toward the hallway. “I’m not really sure what it started
out to be, but now it’s green, fuzzy, and I’m pretty sure arms are
sprouting from the moldy mess.”

The man was a breath of fresh air.
“It seems that I need to visit the market,” Diablo said. “Until then

I can order in if you’d like. There is a menu somewhere in the
kitchen.”

Steele held up the menu. “Way ahead of you.”
Setting the empty glass down, Diablo moved closer. “I have an

open account with every establishment in the demon realm. Order
whatever you like and have them put it on my tab.”

“Sweet!”
Diablo was fascinated with his mate’s reaction. He had never seen

anyone get that excited over an open tab. He curled his fingers in to
prevent himself from reaching out and touching Steele. The cheetah

Forged in Steele

seemed oblivious to Diablo’s growing desires as his mate glanced
over the menu.

“Ribs should hit the spot,” Steele said and then glanced up at

Diablo. “Did you want anything?”

You.
He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”
Steele stared at Diablo for a long moment. The intense gaze was

wreaking havoc with Diablo’s body. He studied his mate’s cat-green
eyes, wanting, needing.

“Why do your eyes glow?”
Diablo blinked a few times before he took a step back. “Deep

arousal.” The words barely made it past his throat. If Steele didn’t get
away from him, Diablo was going to finish what he had started and
seal their fates forever.

The greenish-yellow of Steele’s eyes simmered with a yearning

that shocked Diablo. The man had been very adamant about not
letting anyone top him. So why could Diablo see a longing, a raw
hunger that had gone unfed for so long?

The stark truth was so easy to read on Steele’s face.
“Why?” Diablo asked. “Why have you denied what you so

desperately crave?”

Steele’s features shut down as he glared at Diablo. “I’m nobody’s

bitch.”

Diablo stood there in bafflement as Steele walked away. What in

the hell did that mean? It had been very obvious just seconds ago. His
mate’s guard had slipped and Diablo had seen the real man that was
dying to get out.

He couldn’t understand why Steele was hiding from himself, from

his wants and needs. Didn’t the cheetah know that Diablo would treat
the man like a precious stone? Steele had nothing to be ashamed of.
Diablo would tenderly see to all of his mate’s needs and desires with
gentleness. Steele would be well taken care of in and out of bed.

If only he could get the guy to open up.

Lynn Hagen

The tough guy act was nothing more than Steele’s armor and

Diablo was going to find a way to get past the high wall his mate had
built around himself.

Diablo found himself at a crossroad. On one hand, he knew their

relationship was very fragile and the possibility of it not working was
astronomical. Diablo could never leave the demon realm. Steele
would never permanently leave the human realm. Their relationship
seemed doomed before it even started.

On the other hand, Diablo was selfish enough to ignore the

differences and claim Steele. He was tired of being alone and wanted
desperately to show his mate how good it could be between them. The
cheetah was just as lonely. Diablo had seen that.

He wasn’t sure which road was the right one, but hell if he was

just going to stand there and let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip
through his fingers.

Steele was his.
I guess I’ve made up my mind.
Diablo headed down the hallway, looking for his mate. He had no

clue how they were going to work their differences out, and he hadn’t
an inkling about what to do as far as their living arrangements went.

But was he going to let that stop him?
Hell no.
He would rather fight for what they both deserved than walk away

and never know what it felt like to have his mate in his arms. Diablo
wasn’t foolish enough to think that Steele wasn’t going to fight him
every step of the way.

But he was up for the challenge.
Diablo found Steele in the kitchen, on the phone placing his order.

He threw caution to the wind as he walked up behind the cheetah and
placed a soft kiss on Steele’s nape. His mate tried to move away as he
continued to talk on the phone, but Diablo wasn’t going to be that
easily dissuaded.

Forged in Steele

The stakes were too high and Diablo refused to give up his chance

at happiness. One way or another he was going to get Steele to lower
his guard and submit to Diablo. If he had to play dirty, so be it.

Brushing his fingers over the bite mark, Diablo’s mouth twisted

into a smile when Steele shuddered. The man nearly dropped the
phone as his head fell forward. With his nape exposed, Diablo ran his
fangs over the soft skin.

“Hang on,” Steele said into the phone before he reached behind

him and smacked at Diablo. “Knock it off.”

Dodging his mate’s hand, Diablo dropped to his knees and bit one

jean-covered ass cheek. Steele yelped and tried to move away, but
Diablo’s hands gripped the man’s hips and pushed him toward the
counter.

As he slowly stood, Diablo’s hand slid up Steele’s back, pressing

his mate forward so that he was bent over. Now this was a position he
could work with. Steele pushed into Diablo’s hand, trying to stand.

He wasn’t going to let the cheetah get away.
Steele could fight him all he wanted to, but Diablo now knew the

truth. Steele was afraid to let go. He was afraid of his own needs.
Diablo couldn’t understand why, but he was going to help his mate
get past those fears.

When Steele tried once more to get away, Diablo had had enough.

He sank his fangs deep into the mating mark. Steele shouted, tossing
the phone on the counter as his fingers curled over the edge, his
knuckles turning white.

Diablo pressed his erection into Steele’s ass. He wanted the man

to know just how aroused he was. He could feel Steele fighting
against his very own arousal. Diablo was going to have to raise the
stakes higher.

Lapping at the wound, Diablo pulled back as he reached in front

of Steele and caressed his fingers over the straining erection in his
mate’s jeans. Diablo liked that he stood at least three inches taller than
Steele and was broader in body. It made him want to wrap his mate up

Lynn Hagen

in his arms and protect him from the world, from himself. “Let me
show you just how gentle I can love you, hjertet mitt drage.”

It occurred to Diablo that maybe Steele was afraid of being taken

for the first time. “I promise to go slow and ease you into this. I will
fight to make sure that you feel no pain, only unimaginable pleasure.”
He rubbed the palm of his hand up Steele’s hard cock and used his
fingers to squeeze the head of his mate’s shaft.

Steele hissed. For a second he thought he had won when Steele

pressed his ass into Diablo’s erection, but then his mate struggled to
pull away. Diablo held on tighter. “Do not fear me, my pussycat. I
would never hurt you.”

“I’m not your bitch,” Steele gritted out between clenched teeth.
Diablo growled low in his throat. “I never called you my bitch nor

do I think of you that way. Why is it impossible for you to understand
that giving yourself to me is an act of trust, not weakness?”

“Because,” Steele said, his voice losing the hard edge it had

moments before held. “Just…because.”

That wasn’t good enough for Diablo. He could feel guilt and

shame coming off his mate in thick waves. Someone had screwed this
man’s head up and filled it with nothing but lies about what it truly
meant to submit to somebody. “Who told you that this was wrong,
dirty?” It was only a guess, but Diablo knew he hit the nail on the
head when Steele stiffened.

“I’m a dominant predator. Only a punk bends over for another

man.”

Steele was reciting more than he was explaining things to Diablo.

Someone had told Steele this to the point that it was now ingrained in
his mind. He would like to find out who that person was so he could
rip the man’s throat out. “So every man that you have fucked is
nothing more than a punk?”

Steele’s head snapped around, gazing at Diablo in confusion.

“No,” he said as if Diablo’s statement was preposterous. “But they
were twinks. They are naturally submissive.”

Forged in Steele

Diablo backed up. “Who in the hell mind fucked you?” He

honestly couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Sex is more than just
a power-play, Steele. It isn’t about being a bitch or a punk. Are you
telling me that if I fuck you, you’ll instantly turn into a twink?” He
was trying to grasp at Steele’s understanding about how sex worked.
“Lie to yourself all you want, but I know for a fact that you crave to
be dominated in bed.” Diablo was going to lay the truth out in front of
both of them. If Steele didn’t like it, too bad.

When Steele tried to walk out of the kitchen, Diablo stood in his

way. “I want the truth, Steele.”

Diablo moved out of the way just in time as Steele’s claws sliced

the air, right where he had just stood. “Don’t push me, Diablo. I’m not
a very nice pussycat when cornered.”

“In case you have forgotten,” Diablo said as his wings shot out,

“I’m very nasty and unfriendly.”

A thick brownish-blond eyebrow shot up, the anger diminishing

that quickly. “Are you so desperate to have me that you are ready to
fight me?”

Swooping toward his mate, Diablo bared his fangs. “I’m that

desperate to get you to admit what you really want.” Diablo snarled
the words. “A bitch isn’t a man who allows another man to fuck him.
A bitch is someone who runs from the truth.”

“Put your damn wings away,” Steele said, his mate’s tone telling

him that he didn’t fear Diablo. He didn’t want Steele to fear him but
he was tired of the cheetah denying who he truly was.

“Who put those lies in your head?” Diablo asked once more.
“My older brothers,” Steele finally admitted. Diablo could see the

pain in the man’s eyes. He finally understood why Steele was so hell-
bent on proclaiming his dominance. Living up to someone’s
expectation, to an older brother’s expectation, was very daunting. And
Steele was trying to live up to not one but two twisted points of view.

Lynn Hagen

Closing the distance, Diablo brushed his fingers over the bite

mark. “And you think by giving yourself to me that you’ll be letting
them down.”

Steele curled his hands into fists as he glanced away from Diablo.

“They died years ago, yet I feel as if they are still judging me. Neither
of them was gay. I never understood how they could accept my sexual
preference but couldn’t accept the fact that I didn’t want to dominate
anyone. The only thing I could think of was that they thought that if I
had to be gay, I was going to at least be a man about it.”

“Do you know how damn stupid that sounds?” The words were

out of Diablo’s mouth before he could stop them. But now that they
were out, Diablo didn’t regret them. “I am so sorry that you lost them,
but they had a truly fucked-up way of thinking.”

“I realized that when I got older. But it still doesn’t stop me from

feeling—” Steele ran his hands over his head, frustration clear in his
eyes. Diablo could tell that his mate was struggling with his identity.
He had been shut down before Steele had a chance to truly blossom.

Pulling Steele into his arms, Diablo nuzzled his mate’s neck. “I

promise that you can be whoever you want to be around me. I will
never judge or criticize you.” He kissed his mate’s Adam’s apple.
“Give yourself to me, hjertet mitt drage. Let me gently ease you into
who you were meant to be.”

“But what if—” Steele let out a shaky breath.
“You will always be a predator in my eyes,” Diablo stated firmly.

“I will never look at you as less than a man. You are my mate, Steele.
By giving yourself to me, by letting go, you will have given me the
most precious gift in either realm.”

Steele chuckled. “You really are working very hard at getting

some ass, aren’t you?”

Diablo gave the cheetah a wicked grin as he brushed his thumb

over the man’s bottom lip. “Is it working?”

Steele opened his mouth to answer when a knock sounded on the

door. “My dinner is here.”

Forged in Steele

Diablo wanted to gut the delivery man. He pulled in a deep breath

to steady his control as Steele answered the door. His mate set his
dinner down on the counter and then turned toward Diablo. “Are you
sure you’re not hungry?”

Diablo moved closer. “Oh, I’m hungry all right. But what I crave

can’t be found on that dinner plate.”

“You are persistent,” Steele said as he opened the container and

then took a seat at the table. “Never try to have sex with a cat when
he’s hungry.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Diablo leaned against the counter and

watched his mate eat. He felt as though he had just cleared a major
hurdle between them. Steele hadn’t said yes, but he hadn’t said no
either.

The guy seemed a little more open to the idea of Diablo claiming

him. He was going to test that theory just as soon as Steele was well
fed. Diablo had a feeling that if Steele could get past their first time,
they had a fighting chance together.

He still had the Hunter to contend with though. That obstacle

wasn’t going to be so easy to overcome. Now that he had found his
mate, Diablo wanted to once again feel the sun on his face. He no
longer wanted to live in the demon realm, but with his feisty cheetah
in Brac Village.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Five

Lester Berkeley quickly gathered the files from Mr. Kenyon’s

cabinet before closing it. Every instinct in him said that he was in
danger. Not only did Mr. Kenyon own Kenyon Corporation, but he
was also the head Vampire Hunter. The human had been trying to dig
up information on Brac Village and Lester had done everything in his
power to destroy any evidence collected.

But someone was onto him. He didn’t have any concrete proof

except his shifter instincts. Lester was being watched. Somehow Mr.
Kenyon must have found out that he was a mole. If he didn’t run now,
Lester had a feeling his life would come to an end very soon.

He shoved the files down the back of his pants and then fixed his

shirt so no one would know what he had stolen. It was very rare that
Mr. Kenyon left his office unlocked. This was Lester’s one shot at
obtaining the documents the president of Kenyon Corporation
possessed.

Moving quickly out of the posh office, Lester hurried down the

hallway. He needed to get a hold of Adam Nyte. The human would
know what to do. Adam had once worked for Kenyon, taking on a
contract to buy up Brac Village.

Too bad for Kenyon that Adam had found his mates. The Vampire

Hunter’s plans to find out what was going on in that quaint little town
had slipped through the cracks. Mr. Kenyon had been livid that Adam
had voided his contract. Kenyon had gone so far as to bribe one of the
police officers that worked in that small town.

And once again his plans had failed.

Forged in Steele

Lester knew that Mr. Kenyon was not going to give up. He was

determined to find out Brac Village’s secrets. Lester still had no clue
who had tipped the Vampire Hunter off. But Kenyon was determined
to prove that more than vampires existed.

Quietly closing his office door, Lester hurried over to his phone.

He dialed Adam’s number and chewed on his thumbnail as he waited.

“Adam Nyte.”
“I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m Lester Berkeley—”
“Mr. Kenyon’s assistant,” Adam finished for him. He could hear

the reservation in the human’s tone. Adam was being cautious. “What
can I do for you, Les?”

He hated that abbreviation of his name. But that was how Mr.

Kenyon had introduced him to Adam. It was the president’s way of
demeaning Lester. “I need an extraction. They’re onto me.”

“Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about?”
Lester glanced toward his office door, his heart racing. “I know

you are well aware of who Mr. Kenyon is. I’ve been working to
destroy any evidence that proves the paranormal exist. But I think my
cover is blown. I don’t know who else to turn to. Someone is
watching me.”

“First of all,” Adam began. “You shouldn’t be talking on a

company phone. Call me back on your cell phone.”

The man was right. Lester was so scared that he wasn’t thinking

clearly. He hung up the office phone and pulled his cell phone free,
calling Adam back.

“How do I know you’re not setting me up?” Adam asked. “You

are Mr. Kenyon’s assistant, after all.”

“I’m a shifter,” Lester admitted. “How safe do you think I am

working here? I’ve risked my very life to protect my species’ secret.
All I’m asking for is a little help in making sure someone doesn’t end
my life before my time.”

“Okay,” Adam said. “Go down to the coffee shop on Parker

Street. I’ll have someone pick you up from there.”

Lynn Hagen

“Wait,” Lester said hurriedly, wanting to get out of Kenyon

Corporation as quickly as possible. “Who am I looking for?”

“He’s a shifter. Do you remember the first words you said to me?”
Lester nodded as he answered. “I said—”
“Hush,” Adam said. “I don’t want you speaking them out loud.

Your contact will use those words to let you know that I sent him.”

Lester swallowed hard as Adam hung up. He grabbed the small

disk that held all the imperative information that Mr. Kenyon had
gathered. Shoving it into his pocket, Lester moved quickly. He tried
to walk normally, drawing the least amount attention to himself.

It was noon, and even though a lot of employees were out to

lunch, the office was still busy. Mr. Kenyon had gone to a luncheon
date and Lester was trying to get out of there before the man returned.
He never wanted to lay eyes on the Vampire Hunter again. Even
though Mr. Kenyon was human, the guy was one powerful man.
Lester was a fox shifter. He was not a fighter. He was crafty though.
Lester had kept his identity secret for five years now. But someone
knew that he was a shifter.

He had to get out of here.
Just as the elevator doors closed, Lester spotted Mr. Kenyon’s

right-hand man coming out of the president’s office. He turned his
head and locked eyes with Lester, an evil grin forming on his face just
as the elevator doors shut.

* * * *

Steele finished dinner as he listened to Diablo talk on the phone.

“You want to hide him in the demon realm?”

Standing, Steele tossed the empty container into the trash can. He

pushed his shoulder into the refrigerator and leaned there, listening to
the conversation. Diablo had said that they were mates so Steele could
be as nosy as he wanted to be.

Forged in Steele

What he hadn’t expected was for Diablo to slide his arm around

Steele’s waist. “I guess Serenity City is turning into a refuge. A
Dragon Hunter is already looking for me. Why not hide somebody
here who has a Vampire Hunter looking for him.”

Steele could hear the irritation in Diablo’s voice. But his mind

wasn’t focusing on that. Steele was more concerned with the warm
arm pressed against him. His body was trying to lean into Diablo and
Steele was forcing himself to lean back. There was a war going on
inside of him. A deeper part of him yearned to give in but his mind
was holding him back, telling him that only a punk allowed a man to
fuck him.

Diablo hung up and set the phone aside. He turned and pulled

Steele into an embrace. “Do you know how good it feels to finally
have you in my arms?” His mate nuzzled Steele’s neck, alternating
between licking and nipping.

The sensations rioted through him as pleasure wrapped around

him. Steele felt himself getting lost. Diablo’s breath was warm,
sensuous as it lightly blew over his skin. He shuddered as he tilted his
head, moaning.

His mind was screaming to push Diablo away, but his arms were

reaching up and linking behind the man’s neck. The contradiction was
a battle inside Steele, but he didn’t pull away.

Diablo licked at Steele’s bottom lip, sucked it into his mouth, and

then there was a sharp pain. Steele knew that the dragon shifter had
nipped him.

“Let me love you,” Diablo whispered into his ear as his hands

moved down Steele’s back and then cupped his ass, giving his cheeks
a light squeeze. Steele’s eyes flew open as he pressed his palms into
Diablo’s chest.

“I’m not—” Steele swallowed back what he was about to say. He

cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m not ready for that.”

Diablo’s hands were instantly gone from his backside, but he

continued to sample Steele’s neck. “No pressure,” he whispered.

Lynn Hagen

Steele bit his bottom lip when he felt Diablo’s whiskers scraping
against his skin. It was a sensation he was not used to and found that
he really liked.

“Would you stop me if I wanted to swallow you whole?”
Steele’s knees nearly buckled. Was the guy asking to suck his

dick? He didn’t say a word, letting things play out on their own as
Diablo sunk lower and lower until he was on his knees. Steele shoved
his back into the counter, gripping it as the dragon shifter unsnapped
his jeans and lowered the zipper.

Diablo glanced up at him, the man’s eyes glowing. Steele’s mouth

went dry, his heart hammering in his chest as his mate pulled Steele’s
erection free. He was paralyzed, unable to move or utter a single
sound as he watched Diablo take his cock into his mouth.

Steele fell back, his cries filling the room as Diablo worked his

cock. His mate licked, sucked, stroked, and devoured Steele’s shaft.
Steele spread his legs, bucking his hips as he fucked Diablo’s mouth.

He could feel his heart struggling to keep up with the demands his

arousal was placing on it. When Steele glanced down, Diablo looked
up at him from under his dark lashes. The guy smiled at him in a way
that had Steele’s stomach feeling all tight and hot.

Steele’s balls drew up tight against his body and he knew it

wouldn’t be long. Not when the guy was working Steele’s flesh so
mercilessly. Diablo slid his free hand up between Steele’s legs and
fondled his balls, squeezing gently.

Pumping his hips furiously toward Diablo’s mouth, his mate

tormented Steele, wringing searing pleasure after pleasure from his
hard, aching dick. Steele could feel the white-hot fingers of fire
moving down his spine now.

“Finish this,” Steele begged shamelessly, pressing his back fully

into the counter, melting under his mate’s touch.

He screamed as the pleasure burst inside of him. His climax was

like a tidal wave, tearing through him, destroying him as he held tight
to Diablo’s hair, praying for some anchor to hold him to earth.

Forged in Steele

Never had he climaxed so hard, so deep. Steele could feel his legs

wobble and then they gave out, but Diablo caught him, held him close
as the lingering climax simmered inside of him. Steele gripped the
man’s shoulders as he struggled to breathe.

Diablo kissed the side of his mouth. “And that is nothing

compared to what I can make you feel, hjertet mitt drage.”

If Diablo could do better than this, Steele—he closed his eyes,

knowing in his heart that he would give the man anything he asked for
and so much more. He just wasn’t ready to take that crucial step just
yet.

But he knew he would.
God, Steele knew he would.
“Do not pollute what you are feeling with narrow-minded

thoughts, Steele. Enjoy what I give so freely.” Diablo ran the back of
his knuckles over Steele’s cheek. “Do you see how good it can be?”

Steele rested his forehead on the man’s shoulder, so damn

confused that his head began to hurt. They sat there on the floor,
Steele wondering if maybe Cruel and Vengeance had been just that—
cruel and vengeful.

He let out a deep sigh as something inside of him let go of what

was drilled into his head. “Just give me time.”

“I will give you anything you need.” Diablo kissed him tenderly.

“Anything you need,” he repeated with emphasis. For the moment,
Steele relaxed in his mate’s arms, resting his head on the man’s
shoulder as he indulged in the feel and scent of his dragon shifter.

If humans only knew that prejudice didn’t solely belong to them.

Steele loved being a shifter and hated the paranormal world at the
same time. Brac Village was a rare find. Pride Pack Valley and The
Manacle as well. Steele was coming to realize that he could add
Serenity City to that list of places where gay men could be themselves
without fear of becoming an outcast or being killed for their sexual
preference.

Lynn Hagen

Growing up, Steele and Paine had hidden who they were from

their coalition. Only Cruel and Vengeance knew their secret and even
their own brothers hadn’t fully accepted them. After their coalition
was attacked and the devastation was done, Steele and Paine never
thought to find a group of men who shared in their views.

But they had and Kenway accepted them for who they were. Paine

had quickly forgotten what their older brothers had tried so hard to
pound into them.

Steele hadn’t. He carried the guilt and the shame of wanting to be

with another man. Those emotions were so great that Steele buried
who he was until he no longer recognized the man staring back at him
in the mirror. He didn’t stop being gay because that was impossible,
but he made sure no one topped him.

And then along came Diablo, knocking down his house of cards.

The man holding him wanted Steele’s submission, but Diablo had no
idea just how hard that request was for Steele to fulfill. When he was
in charge and calling all the shots, Steele had control of his life.

But that was all a smoke screen. Diablo had opened Steele’s eyes

to the truth. He was only living half a life, denying what he wanted
the most. His mate had spoken nothing but the truth, and Steele had
fought him every step of the way.

“Such deep thoughts,” Diablo said as he ran his fingers through

Steele’s short hair.

“Please don’t tell me you can read my mind.” That was all Steele

needed. He didn’t know too much about dragon shifters. Who was he
kidding? He knew nothing about them. They were a very rare species
and their existence was almost forgotten. For all he knew, Diablo
could do just that, read his mind.

That was one scary-ass thought.
“It’s not that cut and dry,” Diablo answered. “I see images in your

mind like small snapshots and I can feel what you are feeling. But to
hear your inner thoughts is a talent I do not possess.”

Forged in Steele

Steele instantly envisioned punching Diablo in his jaw for the

intrusion.

“Point taken.”
“I knew you were screwing with my brain.” Steele pushed away

from Diablo and stood. He readjusted himself as the anger at wanting
Diablo to top him resurfaced. “Stay out of my fucking head.”

“Back to being enemies,” Diablo muttered under his breath as he

got to his feet. Anger sharpened his lilac eyes. There were tight,
controlled lines around his lips and a flash of dark emotions on his
face. “I’m going to be sleeping with one eye open.”

Steele was caught off guard with Diablo’s statement. Did the guy

think that Steele would off him in his sleep? Was he acting like that
big of a jerk? He didn’t think so. What was he supposed to do, jump
for joy that he wanted another man to fuck him? The lessons had been
drilled into his head for many years. They were not going to be
undone with one fantastic blow job.

If Diablo couldn’t understand that, then it was his problem. Steele

was screwed in the head, and it was going to take a minute to undo
the damage.

“And I said I would give you time.”
Steele shoved his finger into Diablo’s face. “I told you to stop

monkeying with my brain.” He was shocked when Diablo licked his
finger. The man was truly insane. He had to be. Who teased a pissed-
off guy with sexual suggestions?

“Go get some sleep, hjertet mitt drage. I will still be available for

your sharp tongue when you wake up.” Steele watched as Diablo
walked away, befuddled at the man’s flip-flop mood swings.

Steele wasn’t tired. He had no desire to go to bed. Feeling restless,

Steele decided to call his brother instead. He knew Paine had to be
worried. He would be if his brother had been snatched right out of the
movie theater.

If he knew Paine—and he did—the cheetah was devising a plan to

rescue him. Steele sat at the kitchen table and was ready to call his

Lynn Hagen

brother when he saw that he had fifteen missed calls. Checking his
phone, Steele realized that he had the ringer off. He had done that so
he wouldn’t be disturbed at work. As he scrolled through the missed
calls log, he saw that every single phone call was from Paine.

Yep, his brother was up in arms. Once he took his phone off of

silent mode, Steele called his brother.

“Why in the fuck haven’t you answered my calls!” Paine shouted

into the phone. “Do you know what I have been going through?”

Steele knew. Ever since their coalition was killed, they both

worried about the other. There was no way that he could lose Paine.
The thought alone brought tightness to his chest. “I’m fine.”

“You call being kidnapped fine? Dude, I watched that bouncer

from the demon club snatch you from the movie theater. How in the
fuck is that fine?” Paine continued to yell. Steele had to pull the
phone away from his ear. If his brother continued to shout, Steele was
going to go deaf.

“Apparently Diablo really is my mate. He also has a very nasty

Hunter after him. I had to—”

“What Hunter?” Paine asked, cutting Steele off. “Please don’t tell

me that Diablo has gotten you into some sort of mess. Is it the whole
Frisco James incident all over again?”

“I don’t box,” Steele reminded his brother. “And it’s not the same

mess. From what I’m told, his race is cursed. Dragon Hunters kill any
dragon shifter that they find.”

“Let me guess. Since you are mated to him, you are now on their

shit list.” Paine’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.

“Pretty much.” Steele slid down in his chair, rubbing the bridge of

his nose as he wondered just how difficult his life was going to get.
Not that it wasn’t already. When he thought of finding his mate, this
scenario never crossed his mind. He was being hunted by some
supernatural being that wanted his mate dead. Nope, this was not how
he imagined finding his mate would play out.

“You have to make him unmark you, Steele.”

Forged in Steele

Steele couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that passed his lips. “Do

you hear yourself? You know as well as I do that you can’t take back
a mating mark.” Tucking his arm over his chest, Steele wondered if it
were possible, would he? Would he have Diablo remove the mark and
walk away from the man, leaving the dragon shifter to figure all of
this crap out on his own?

Lord knew he wanted to say yes. Steele did not want this

complication. But the thought of walking away from Diablo made his
stomach tie into twisted knots. He hadn’t even had sex with the man
and already their bond was growing.

Shit.
“Just watch your back, Paine. Diablo reassured me that you

weren’t in any danger, but I still want you to keep your eyes peeled.
I’ll try to work things out on this end.” Steele pushed from the table
and went to the refrigerator, opening it. He groaned and slammed it
shut. That quickly he had forgotten that Diablo only had a mutant in
there.

He could really use an ice-cold beer right about now.
“Just tell fang boy that he better take damn good care of you.”
Fang boy? Where the hell did Paine come up with that shit? “I

will quote you verbatim.”

“Yeah, do that.” Paine sighed heavily on the phone. “Just take

care of yourself. I don’t think I could survive if… Keep your ass
safe.”

Steele grinned. “Love you, too, bro.”
Paine grunted at him and then hung up. Sliding his phone back

into his pocket, Steele glanced around the kitchen. There had to be
some kind of store around here. From what he had seen, Serenity City
was just that, a city—which meant there had to be shops, stores, and
other places a guy could go to purchase some food for the house.

He had to hide in the demon realm, but that didn’t mean he was on

lockdown. Diablo had said nothing about him wandering around. His
mate had hidden here for twelve hundred years without incident.

Lynn Hagen

How much trouble could he get into making a store run? Steele

paused as a thought occurred to him. Did they take credit cards here
or would he need some kind of funny money? He grinned when he
thought about a dollar bill with a demon face on it. Now that would be
pretty cool.

This was his first time shopping in another realm. Steele was kind

of excited to see what they had to offer. Patting his back pocket to
make sure he still had his wallet, Steele headed toward the door.

He winced when the bite mark on his shoulder began to burn. He

was going to have to talk to Diablo about—Steele slowed his steps as
his eyes swept over the room. The last time the bite mark had burned,
a Dragon Hunter was close by.

Steele swallowed roughly when Diablo moved into his line of

sight, his index finger pressed to his lips. As quietly as he could,
Steele closed the distance, hurrying toward his mate. Just as Diablo
reached out for him, the front door crashed in.

His mate yanked on his arm. “You cannot fight him. We must

go.”

Steele wasn’t sure where they were going, considering the man

was blocking the doorway. He didn’t think things could get any more
bizarre…that was until Diablo threw his hand out and a black swirly
hole appeared. “No fucking way.”

“No choice.” Diablo tackled Steele and they tumbled into the hole

Diablo had created. As soon as Steele hit solid ground, he rolled to his
hands and knees and vomited. His insides felt as if they were all
twisted up.

He was going to kill Diablo for that one. Steele heard loud

hissing. He glanced up to see more than a dozen vampires
surrounding them.

Correction. Steele was going to kill Diablo for this one.

Forged in Steele

Chapter Six

Diablo had to blink a few times when Steele shifted into his

cheetah form. His mate was the most beautiful creature he had ever
seen. His coat was simply gorgeous, but it was the black teardrop
markings below his eyes that drew Diablo in. Before he had a chance
to fully appreciate Steele, the cheetah attacked.

“No!” Diablo knew that cheetahs were the fastest animals, but to

see it with his own eyes was truly amazing—although he was pretty
sure the whole attacking thing was going to be frowned upon. “This is
Christian’s coven. You cannot attack them.”

Diablo had no choice but to tackle the cheetah before his mate

made a mistake that could not be undone. When Steele continued to
struggle, Diablo wrapped his arms tightly around his mate’s body and
then used his wings to pull them both into the air.

This got Steele’s attention. “This is Christian’s coven,” he

repeated. “We are in no danger.” Diablo landed back onto the floor,
releasing Steele but keeping him by his side.

“You were not invited here,” Christo said venomously as they

stood close to the vestibule in Christian’s home. “To invade a
vampire’s home is an act of war.”

Diablo quickly grabbed Steele again when his mate tried to lunge

forward. “The prince is well aware of the safety precautions that were
set up twelve hundred years ago. Were you born then, Christo? Are
you as ancient as I?” Diablo wasn’t trying to be an ass. He had
learned long ago that vampires only understood strength and
hierarchy. If he didn’t put Christo in his proper place, the vampire
would view Diablo as his lesser.

Lynn Hagen

As Steele would say, Diablo was nobody’s bitch.
The vampire’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t argue with Diablo.

Instead, he snapped his fingers and the vampire to Christo’s right
disappeared. Christian’s second-in-command was undoubtedly
sending the vampire to alert the prince.

As he waited, Diablo ran his fingers over Steele’s soft fur. He

could hear the low, rumbling purr as his mate breathed out. Diablo
knew that a cheetah purred when he breathed because they couldn’t
roar, but knowing that fact didn’t stop him from getting hard at the
sound.

Prince Christian appeared within seconds of the other vampire

leaving. “Diablo Teslow. It has been a long time, my friend.”

Diablo moved forward and shook Christian’s hand. “I’ve been at

the same strip club for twelve hundred years, old man. I’ve told you
time and again that you’re welcome.”

Christian’s lip curled up into a smile. “Indeed you have.

Unfortunately I have my own club to run and mates to contend with.”

Diablo released the man’s hand. “Congratulations on your

offspring.”

“As delighted as I am to get reacquainted, your presence only tells

me one thing,” Christian said. He nodded toward Steele. “We all
feared that you finding your mate and giving him the mark would
alert your enemy.”

Diablo’s race was nearly extinct. Although Panahasi was a demon

and Christian was a vampire, no magical creature wanted to see any
race die out. The two leaders had fought at Diablo’s side when the
extermination began. But as valiantly as they had fought, all three of
them knew that the battle was lost before it was over.

That was when they had hidden Diablo in the demon realm.
“Panahasi is working with the keeper at this very moment to find

a way to lift the curse and destroy the Hunter. You are more than
welcome to use my home as refuge for you and your mate, but we
both know you are only borrowing time.”

Forged in Steele

Diablo already knew that. He had known that when he leapt over

the bar and sank his teeth into Steele, marking his mate forever. He
didn’t regret it then and he didn’t regret it now. If the underworld
wasn’t such a fucked-up place to be, Diablo would take Steele down
there.

But hell if he wanted to deal with those creepy ghost forms and

listen to the tortured screaming. No thanks. He would take his chances
with the Hunter.

“Christo,” Christian said as he turned to his second. “Show them

to a guest room downstairs.”

“You would allow shifters among the coven mates?” Christo said

between clenched teeth. “They are our most precious gifts.”

Diablo smothered a grin when Christian’s fangs grew until the tips

touched his chin. “I was not aware that you had become prince. Are
you challenging me?”

With a look that should’ve killed Diablo, Christo turned and

headed toward a large black door.

Diablo looked down at Steele. “I guess we’re supposed to follow

him.” He chuckled when Steele opened his mouth wide and then
chomped down. “It would be interesting to see you take a bite out of
his ass.”

“He is merely doing his job,” Christian defended good-naturedly

after Christo disappeared behind the door. “He is my most trusted, so
try not to kill him.”

Diablo quirked an eyebrow as he glanced down at Steele and then

looked back at Christian. “No promises.”

If the second-in-command kept acting like a jerk, Diablo was not

going to stop Steele from taking a chunk out of the guy’s ass. They
walked toward the black door and headed down the long, narrow
passageway until it opened up to reveal the most impressive sight
Diablo had seen in a long time.

These vampires knew how to live. It was a gilded tomb. The

floors were made of marble, and highly polished, deep cherrywood

Lynn Hagen

with gold trim made up the walls. There was even a sitting area off to
the left.

Well, if they had to live underground, why not do it in style?
“This way,” Christo snapped as he pointed toward one of the

doors. Diablo paid the man no attention as he and his mate walked
into the room. As soon as the door closed, Steele shifted.

“It’s been a very long time since I wanted to actually bite

somebody. But that guy”—Steele pointed toward the door—“can piss
off a nun.”

Diablo raked his eyes over his mate’s nude body, becoming very

impressed. The man was built like a sleek cat, sinewy muscles and a
nice, tightly rounded ass. Diablo’s teeth ached to nip both
cheeks…hard.

If the man thought that Diablo wasn’t going to look, going to

touch—hot desire shot to his groin as he took in the whole package.
Steele was the epitome of what a cheetah should look like in human
form. Diablo couldn’t move, just stood there in the heated path of
Steele’s gaze, feeling it rake over his body from head to toe.

The promised time had just run out.
He closed the distance, touching Steele’s chin as he lifted it. “You

are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” Diablo bent his head to
Steele’s and pressed his mouth to his mate’s parted lips.

Grazing his fingers down Steele’s jaw, Diablo slid his tongue

along the seam of the man’s lips. The craving for this man seared him
with its intensity. His skin was tight, and Diablo knew that Steele had
to feel the hard ridge of his cock, which was wedged between their
bodies, pushing against Steele’s abdomen.

Lord knew he could feel Steele’s thick shaft between them.
“Men aren’t beautiful,” Steele replied, his voice holding no

conviction. Diablo could hear the nervous tremble and knew he had to
go very slow with the cheetah.

“And you would be wrong, hjertet mitt drage. They are quite

beautiful. Not in the way one would appreciate a woman’s beauty,

Forged in Steele

but”—Diablo ran the tips of his fingers down Steele’s arms until he
reached his mate’s wrists and shackled them—“a masculine beauty
that makes other men want to covet every inch of your body.”

Steele’s cat-green eyes widened as Diablo tightened his hands on

his mate’s wrists. “Sexy. Beautiful. Sensual. You are all of these and
more.” Diablo kept his voice low and smooth as he brushed his lips
over Steele’s mouth. He was unhurriedly moving them toward the
bed.

With the utmost care, Diablo slowly eased Steele back until his

mate was lying beneath him. “You bring my heart to its knees.”
Pulling one of Steele’s arms free, Diablo placed his mate’s palm on
his chest. “The beat you feel is only for you, hjertet mitt drage.”

His eyes slowly closed when Steele brushed his fingers tenderly

over Diablo’s heart. Leaning back, Diablo pulled his shirt free and
threw it aside, pressing his chest back into Steele’s hand.

Both hands freed, Steele pulled Diablo close, thrusting his tongue

into Diablo’s mouth. His mate hadn’t said a word since Diablo had
touched him. He wasn’t sure if Steele was trying to work things out in
his head, but as long as the guy wasn’t rejecting him, Diablo had no
complaints.

Diablo pushed them further up the bed, situating himself between

Steele’s legs and encouraging his mate to wrap them around his waist.
The cheetah still held on to a little stubbornness, keeping his feet
planted firmly on the bed.

If this wasn’t their first time together, Diablo would show the man

who would win the power struggle. But he didn’t want to shatter
Steele’s quasi-submissiveness. He had to tread carefully.

“I know what you’re doing, Diablo.” Steele said his name softly,

and it sank into his soul and tightened his body in urgent need.

“And what am I doing?” Diablo growled playfully as a tingle of

excitement rushed through his system. His mate was warm and
vibrant. The feel of Steele soaked through Diablo’s fingertips and into
his blood.

Lynn Hagen

Diablo’s eyes fell on the mating mark and he couldn’t stop

himself from reaching out and brushing his fingers over the semi-
healed twin holes. Arousal shot into the air, thick and wild, seeping
into Diablo’s skin, curling around his senses.

“I want to.” Steele’s eyes dropped to Diablo’s chest as his skin

flushed profusely. “I don’t know how…”

“Let me show you.” Diablo’s own voice was a fierce whisper as

he touched his fingertips to Steele’s cheek.

Steele gave him a cheeky smile. “That’s kind of hard to do when

you still have your clothes on.”

“Not anymore.”
Steele frowned as he glanced at Diablo’s lower body and then his

eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “How did you do that?”

“Dragons are very magical creatures.” He raked his eyes

seductively over Steele’s naked and hard frame. “You would be
amazed at what I can do.”

Steele’s eyes flared with desire. Diablo braced himself by his

hands on either side of Steele’s head. He rocked his hips, feeling the
fire arc between them as their cocks rubbed against each other. The
corded muscles in Steele’s neck strained as his hands flew to Diablo’s
biceps, his nails biting Diablo’s flesh.

His mate’s scent rushed back into Diablo in a wave of intoxication

as he sucked one of Steele’s aroused nipples into his mouth. He felt
drugged by Steele’s desires. He could feel the man’s heart thumping
wildly in his chest as Diablo sucked at the peak between his teeth.

The harsh, uneven rhythm of his breathing told Diablo that Steele

was being engulfed in the same erotic flames of desire as he was.
Steele began to pull at his hair, tugging it roughly as Diablo licked a
path to the neglected nipple. Bathing the hard flesh with his tongue,
Diablo inserted one of his fingers into his mouth and then reached
between them, separating Steele’s cheeks and rimming the tight hole
in long, smooth strokes.

Forged in Steele

His mate stiffened. His fingers curled tighter in Diablo’s hair. He

could tangibly feel the walls starting to go up. He had to stop Steele
from shutting down on him. Diablo was not going to let the man push
him away.

Using his tongue to lick a moist trail down Steele’s abdomen,

Diablo licked all the way to the tip of Steele’s hard shaft, lapping at
the pre-cum lying in a puddle on his stomach. A kaleidoscope of
muskiness exploded on his tongue, igniting a blaze of passion ready
to consume him.

The pressure on his hair eased. Diablo moved swiftly and

engulfed his mate’s straining erection. He took Steele’s cock to the
back of his throat, causing his mate to cry out. He could feel the man
slowly surrendering to him as Diablo began to suck, his tongue
tracing the veins, his cheeks hollowed.

Diablo pulled back and then swallowed again, pushing his finger

inside his mate’s body at the same time. He sucked ferociously, not
giving Steele any leeway or time to fully understand that he was being
invaded for the first time. He wanted Steele mindless with pleasure.

Hearing the sultry groans that spilled from Steele’s mouth caused

Diablo’s own cock to ache and leak. He used his teeth as he scraped
them along his mate’s shaft, giving the man just a little more added
pleasure as he worked his finger in and out of the tight ass.

He sucked harder and played with Steele’s slit with each outward

stroke, adding a second finger. They were going to need lube very
soon. Diablo just hoped like hell he could find some in this room. His
eyes flickered over to the nightstand and, without breaking stride, he
wrapped his fingers around the handle of the drawer and pulled.

To his utter amazement, Steele twisted sideways and dug through

the drawer. He dropped back onto the bed, a tube landing right next to
Diablo’s head. There was no way he was going to stop and ask
questions. Diablo grabbed the lube and wet his fingers, reinserting
them with much more ease.

Lynn Hagen

With the combination of a knowledgeable tongue on the sensitive

underside of his mate’s straining cock and the masterful stroking of
Steele’s sweet spot, Diablo quickly had the cheetah reduced to
unintelligible sounds of unbridled passion.

And that was exactly where he wanted him. Diablo worked Steele

until his mate’s hole was stretched and relaxed, the cheetah panting
and purring. He closed his eyes for a moment, his body shivering at
the erotic sound. Diablo could listen to that purr all day.

But his body was demanding that he take Steele, to finish the

claiming. The bite had been the first step, creating a connection that
could never be severed. Sex would finish this, bonding them together
for all eternity.

Diablo pulled back, letting Steele’s erection slip from his mouth.

He knelt between Steele’s legs, lathering his own straining cock with
the clear gel. “Pull your legs back, hjertet mitt drage.”

Steele hesitated. Diablo held his breath, uncertain if his mate was

going to let Diablo claim him. With slow and measured movements,
Steele slid his hands behind his knees and pulled his legs back, at the
same time turning his head away and closing his eyes as if ashamed.

Diablo released his cock as he blanketed his mate. He grabbed

Steele’s jaw and turned the man’s head. “Open your eyes.”

Steele’s eyes flew open as he clenched his jaw. “Why, so I can

watch you take my manhood away?”

Diablo was ready to slam his fist into the wall. He never spoke ill

of the dead but Steele’s brothers were total and complete assholes.
They had polluted his mate’s mind and now it was Diablo’s job to
strip away their lessons and reteach Steele exactly what surrender
truly meant.

“The only way I can take your manhood away is if you give it to

me. Taking this”—Diablo stroked his fingers over Steele’s stretched
hole—“and surrendering yourself to me will never make you less than
a man.”

Forged in Steele

The air in Diablo’s lungs froze as he watched Steele let out an

unsteady breath before he gave a tight nod. Diablo slammed his
mouth onto Steele’s as he pressed the head of his cock to the tight
entrance. “Breathe out, hjertet mitt drage,” he whispered into Steele’s
mouth.

Diablo breathed in his mate’s surrender as he began to inch his

cock into Steele’s ass. Once he was far enough inside, Diablo released
his shaft and slid his arms under Steele’s body, holding him in a tight
embrace as he fucked the man’s mouth with his tongue.

Steele was stiff in his arms, but he kissed back, aggressively,

savagely. His mate was trying to retain some sort of control as Diablo
steadily worked his cock deep inside his mate’s body.

Diablo growled his approval when Steele finally wrapped his legs

around Diablo’s waist, opening himself up further as Diablo began to
thrust. He gritted his teeth at the tight grip around his cock.

“Mother fuck,” he said with a snarl before he began to murmur in

his native tongue. Fucking Steele was the most exquisite thing Diablo
had ever done. His mate’s body was tight, hard, yet yielding, bringing
him so much pleasure.

“Diablo.” Steele’s voice dropped. Sexual, heated, it stroked over

Diablo’s senses with an intimacy he hadn’t expected. He pulled back
and slid his cock forward, swallowing Steele’s sultry moans into his
mouth as he continued to kiss Steele heatedly.

“Tell me you do not feel unimaginable pleasure.” Diablo rocked

their bodies together. “I can make you fly, hjertet mitt drage. I can
teach your body to fall apart with erotic explosions.” Diablo leaned
closer, pressing his lips to Steele’s ear as he continued to rock his
hips, driving his cock deeper. “Stop fighting me, my love. Let go of
the shame and embrace the pleasure—embrace your true destiny.”

Steele twisted in a serpentine motion, pushing his ass onto

Diablo’s erection. “That’s it, hjertet mitt drage,” he whispered with a
growl, “Take your pleasure from my body.”

“I need—”

Lynn Hagen

Diablo bit Steele’s earlobe. “Tell me,” he roughly demanded.
“H–harder,” Steele cried out as his fingernails dug into Diablo’s

shoulders, breaking skin and making Diablo hiss in pleasure. “Fuck
me harder, Diablo.”

Those words were music to Diablo’s ears. He leaned back and

grabbed Steele’s ankles, pushing them apart, opening Steele wide as
he pistoned into his mate’s swollen ass. The sound of skin colliding
filled the room as Diablo plunged deeper and deeper, faster and faster.

Steele jerked, twisted, and cried out as Diablo gave the man

exactly what he had begged for. His blood caught fire when Steele’s
canines grew longer, his cat-green eyes filling with savagery. Diablo
knew the man wanted to bite him.

But he wasn’t ready to slow down, to end their coupling so soon.

He slowed his movements, watching Steele’s cock bounce freely
around. His mouth watered to taste the man once more, but he was not
going to pull free.

Steele’s ass was nothing short of raw, rapturous, and entrancing

pleasure. The man was so fucking beautiful that Diablo wanted to
consume him. Before Diablo could rein in his control, his dragon
wings shot out, his fangs sharp and ready to clamp down on the
mating mark.

“Fuck!” Steele shouted, his eyes wide as he stared past Diablo.
“The presence of my wings shows just how much control you

have taken from me.” Diablo slammed into Steele harder, deeper, one
hard hand spanning Steele’s hip as he held the man in place. “Mine to
have. Mine to fuck. Mine to claim!”

The last vestige of control slipped free when Steele tilted his head

to the side, telling Diablo to bite him, claim him. Diablo struck, at the
same time lifting them from the bed, taking flight, pushing Steele into
the wall and making his mate wrap his legs around Diablo for
purchase.

Forged in Steele

A mating dragon was a very dangerous creature. If anyone

intruded right now, Diablo would tear them apart. Dragons were
possessive, nasty creatures when it came to protecting their mate.

His hands gripped Steele’s hips tightly as he thrust his cock into

Steele’s ass. He held the man’s shoulder with clamped teeth, growling
as he took his mate savagely. Steele shouted, his seed spilling
between them.

Diablo extracted his razor-sharp teeth just as Steele sank his

canines into Diablo’s shoulder. His mind splintered as he fell
backward, taking Steele with him. Diablo landed hard on the floor, his
mate atop him. Steele rode him as he bit Diablo harder.

His cock exploded inside Steele’s ass as small, weblike lines

began to form around them. They glowed in blues and greens,
electricity arcing and snapping before the web closed in on the two
and bonded Diablo and Steele for life.

Steele released his hold, his eyes wide. “What was that?”
Diablo struggled to breathe as he brushed his hand over Steele’s

cheek. “The unbreakable bond. We are now tied together on the
deepest level of our souls.”

Steele winced as he lifted his hips, Diablo’s cock slipping free.

Without a word, Diablo flew into an upright position, cradling Steele
in his arms—even though Steele was protesting being handled this
way—and headed toward the bathroom so his mate could soak in a
warm bath.

Before he reached the door, the Hunter appeared in the bedroom.

Diablo quickly threw his arm out and dropped him and Steele into the
portal, escaping before his head could be removed from his shoulders.

He hadn’t thought of a destination when he fell back, so where

they ended up was anyone’s guess. Diablo groaned when he and his
mate—both still very naked—stood in Christian’s office, the
Ultionem gathered around the table.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Seven

Steele had never been more embarrassed in his life. He was naked,

cradled in Diablo’s arms, and the seven leaders were staring at them,
some smiling, others looking confused as hell.

He pushed at Diablo’s chest until his mate released him. If he was

going to face his most embarrassing moment, he was going to do it
standing upright.

“Well,” Maverick began as he cleared his throat, a smile twisting

his lips. “I had no idea that Christian was providing entertainment.”

“And here I sit.” Dante joined in on Steele’s mortification. “Not a

dollar bill on me.”

“Enough,” Christian said firmly as he stood. “Is the Hunter in my

home?”

This wiped the smile from every man’s face. “What Hunter?”

Zeus asked.

His question was answered when the Hunter popped into

Christian’s office, wielding his sword over his head. Chaos broke out,
the leaders all jumping into action as Diablo grabbed Steele. Before
his mate could open up a portal, Steele shifted and jumped in front of
Diablo as the Hunter grabbed for the dragon shifter.

Steele yowled when the Hunter grabbed him by his throat and

slung him across the room. He slammed into the wall and then
unceremoniously hit the floor. Steele was ready to tear the bastard’s
throat out.

That shit had hurt.
Steele pushed to his feet, ready to get back into the fight when a

wave of nausea hit him. He stumbled and fell back down. The only

Forged in Steele

thing he could do was watch the Ultionem battle. Steele had never
seen a more impressive sight—aside from seeing Diablo naked. The
ones who possessed the ability to shift had stayed in their human
forms. The vampires bared their fangs as they fought. The demon
leader, Nazaryth, and Ahm fought with honed skills that reminded
Steele of ancient warriors.

The Hunter was losing. Steele could see this. The creature cut his

losses and vanished. Diablo was at his side in seconds. “Are you
hurt?” His hands ran over Steele’s fur, checking for wounds.

Steele tried to stand again, but only managed to slump back down.
“I think he has a concussion,” Dante said. “Since he is in his

shifter form already, he just needs a few minutes.”

Diablo spun, baring his fangs at Dante. “You don’t have to sound

so technical. This is my mate we’re talking about.”

For a moment Steele thought the two were going to go head-to-

head. Dante glared venomously at Diablo. His mate shot daggers at
Dante.

Christian held up his hand. “Dante has not found his mate. You

cannot hold it against him that he sounds so clinical.”

Dante’s head snapped toward Christian. “I do not need you to

fight my battles.” The vampire was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Well, this is too much excitement for me.” Ahm walked to the

office door. “I have a daughter waiting for her father. Later.”

“It still amuses me that the Keebler Elf is distantly related to you,

Christian,” Maverick said as he headed toward the door. “I have to go
play mayor. Peace out.”

The room slowly began to empty. Steele shifted into his human

form when only the prince was left.

“Easy,” Diablo said as he helped Steele to his feet.
“I’m ready to go home,” Steele snapped as he jerked away from

his mate. “It seems no matter where we go the Hunter finds us. I
might as well go home and wait for him.” He was pissed off beyond

Lynn Hagen

belief and not thinking rationally. Steele knew this, but it didn’t stop
him from lashing out. “I didn’t sign up for this bullshit.”

“I’ll just leave you two alone,” Christian said as he walked from

the office and closed the door behind him.

Diablo ran his hand through his long black hair, his eyes weary.

“You know you can’t go home right now, Steele. You’ll be a sitting
duck.”

“And this is any better?” Steele argued. “I wish you had never

bitten me.” He stormed from the office and then turned around and
walked back in angrily. “I’m fucking naked. Use your swirly hole and
take me home.”

Steele mentally crumbled. He hadn’t meant to say that to Diablo.

It wasn’t the shifter’s fault that he had a nut job after him. None of
this was Diablo’s fault. The man had claimed his mate, as any shifter
would’ve done. Steele breathed out in a slow and frustrated breath,
wishing like hell he could retract his statement. “Look—”

Before he could finish what he was saying, Diablo opened the

hole, grabbed Steele, and took him home. As soon as he released
Steele, Diablo was gone. Fuck!

He stood naked out on the back deck, his hands clenched into tight

fists. Steele prayed like hell that Diablo forgave him.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Paine said as he strode outside. “Just

tell me why in the hell you’re standing here when you got a lunatic
after you?”

Steele ran his hands over his face and growled in frustration.

“Because I am the biggest asshole in the entire world.” Even if he had
his doubts about their sex life, Steele had never been out to hurt the
guy. He had seen the anguish in Diablo’s lilac eyes when he said he
wished the man had never bitten him.

“Oh lord,” Paine said as he took a seat at the table. “What the hell

did you do?”

Forged in Steele

Steele joined his brother at the table. “Do you remember Cruel

and Vengeance drilling us with the whole no man should top you
thing?”

Paine began to laugh. Steele wasn’t sure what he found so funny.

“Please don’t tell me you listened to those two idiots. They were
homophobic jerks, Steele. God knows I loved them because they were
my brothers, but they were the meanest assholes I had ever met.”

Slumping back in his chair, Steele closed his eyes. “I fought

Diablo every step of the way. He kept telling me—” Steele swallowed
around the lump in his throat.

Paine groaned. “Please don’t tell me you refused to mate with him

because he wanted to dominate you.”

Steele slammed his hand down on the table. “I thought you didn’t

like him. Why are you defending him?”

Paine didn’t look the least bit intimidated by Steele’s outburst. “If

you were plotting his demise, I would gleefully help you. But you are
listening to two morons who are not even with us anymore. Let me
tell you something”—Paine pointed a finger at Steele, his eyes
narrowing—“I’ve been dominated on more than one fucking occasion
and would jump at the chance to do it again. Let someone try to call
me a bitch or punk, I’ll rip their goddamn throats out.”

Steele sat there shocked. He never knew his brother rolled like

that.

“Stop being such a damned jackass and let Diablo fuck you,”

Paine said as he sat back. “You’ll thank me for giving you that
advice.”

Steele couldn’t stop the heated blush that crept across his cheeks.
Paine hooted with laughter as he slapped the table. “He already

claimed you!”

Steele reached out and punched his brother in the shoulder. “Shut

the hell up, idiot. You don’t have to announce it to the whole world.”

Paine jumped up and swatted his own ass. “I don’t care who

knows that I like a big, fat cock in my ass.”

Lynn Hagen

Steele gaped at Paine. He had never heard his brother talk like this

before. Paine wasn’t being flamboyant, just stating a fact about
himself. He was still the hard-core, lethal brother he had always been.
And lazy. He couldn’t forget lazy.

“Dude, you were forged in steel and branded by fire when you

fought those hyenas off to try and save our coalition. You grew up
that day and I couldn’t have been prouder to have you as an older
brother. You saved my life.” Paine sat forward, his eyes growing
stone cold. “So stop listening to anyone else. Follow what you most
desire in your heart. Fuck anyone who turns their nose up at you.
We’re Averys, baby! We don’t give a fuck.” Paine whooped as he
laughed.

Steele began to laugh as well. He couldn’t help it. Paine’s raw

enthusiasm and love for life was contagious. He knew Paine was right
and maybe all Steele needed was his baby brother to cancel out their
older brothers’ twisted way of thinking. An Avery told him he was
still a man even though it had been two Averys who had poisoned his
mind to begin with.

Funny how Diablo had said the very same thing, yet Steele needed

to hear it from Paine. Just thinking about his mate made Steele feel
like an utter idiot. Paine was right. Diablo had been right. If only
Steele hadn’t allowed his brothers to get to him. “That’s not all,”
Steele said as he lowered his head in shame. “I told him that I wish he
had never bitten me.”

When his brother didn’t say anything, Steele glanced over at

Paine. He was taken aback by the livid expression. Paine had never
looked at him that way before. “You really are something else,
Steele.” His brother stood. “You should’ve just plunged a knife in his
heart. That probably would have hurt less.”

Steele jumped to his feet. “What the hell is your problem?”
“You!” Paine shouted. “Do you know what I would give to know

who my mate is? I may be promiscuous, but at the end of the day, I
sleep alone. I would give my left nut to have my mate in my bed. And

Forged in Steele

you”— Paine waved a hand toward Steele—“are fucking up with the
one person you are supposed to share the rest of your life with. That’s
a mighty long fucking time to be alone.”

Steele watched as Paine stormed into the house. He shouted at the

top of his lungs in frustration. “I didn’t mean it,” he said angrily to no
one. He had fucked up and he knew he had fucked up. Steele just had
to find a way to fix this.

The problem was, he had no clue where to start. Diablo could be

anywhere.

“This is better than I thought.”
Steele spun around to see a woman standing at the edge of the

deck, her raven-black hair falling in waves all around her. The
woman’s mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. “I just might have
some fun with you before I kill you.” Her eyes raked over Steele’s
naked form.

He became hyperaware of his nudity, moving to stand behind one

of the chairs. Steele normally didn’t care who saw him naked, but
there was something about her that set off his warning bells. “Who the
hell are you?”

She sashayed closer, her hips swinging voluptuously. “The witch

that cursed your dragon shifter’s wretched race and the woman who is
going to destroy not only Diablo Teslow, but his mate as well.”

* * * *

Diablo had just finished tucking away Lester Berkeley in the

demon realm. Panahasi had told him that the shifter was in hiding
from a very nasty Vampire Hunter. At the moment, Diablo could give
two shits less. He was hurting so badly that he wanted to lash out at
somebody. Not only was his heart feeling as if it were being ripped
out, but his head was killing him.

Lynn Hagen

He was beginning to think that his head was going to explode

when he remembered the last time he had felt this kind of pressure in
the back of his head, as if someone was literally crushing his skull.

The witch.
Twelve hundred years ago he had come face to face with her,

narrowly escaping. His head had felt like it was going to explode back
then. He wasn’t sure why she affected him this way. But it was a
damn good silent alarm to let him know whenever she was near.

As angry as he was, Diablo would never let anything happen to

Steele. He needed to check on his mate. Using a portal, he came out
on the other side and stood on Steele’s back deck.

“About fucking time!” Paine shouted as he headed toward Diablo.

“Some hot babe kidnapped Steele. He shifted and tried to fight her
off, but damn, that bitch was strong. By the time I made it outside
they were gone.”

Diablo knew Paine was referring to the witch. Although she was

the evilest being he had ever met, even a gay man would admit that
she really was a hot babe. “How long ago did she take him?” Diablo
asked Paine as he dialed Panahasi’s phone number.

“As soon as they disappeared, you appeared. I have never hit a

female in my life, but I’ll make an exception for that bitch.” Paine’s
claws shot out. “So, you and me, a team? We need to hunt her down.”

“I thought you wanted to wipe the deck with me,” Diablo stated.

He held a finger up to Paine, telling him to wait a minute when
Panahasi answered the phone. “The witch took my mate.”

Panic had a fierce grip around his heart, but Diablo knew that if he

didn’t keep a clear head, saving Steele was going to be impossible. He
would fall apart later. Right now he needed to take action and get his
mate back. Diablo just needed to figure out how to defeat her—
something he hadn’t been able to do thus far.

Diablo was about to ask the demon leader if he was he still on the

phone when Panahasi walked out of a shadow in the backyard. “We
must get to her before she kills Steele.”

Forged in Steele

“You’re not leaving me behind,” Paine said fiercely. “He’s the

only family I have left. I’ll be damned if I just sit on my thumb and
hope that he is rescued.”

Grabbing his brother-in-law by his arm, Diablo pulled him toward

Panahasi. “If you get your ass spanked, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Paine snorted. “No one has kicked my ass in a very long time.”
“I would reconsider that statement,” Panahasi said with a smirk.

“As I recall, Frisco James knocked you on your ass for picking on his
mate.”

“It’s a matter of opinion,” Paine stated. “Are we going to stand

here and argue semantics or are we going to go save Steele?”

Diablo glanced at Panahasi. “I’d like to meet Frisco James so I

can shake his hand.”

“Ah, ha-ha,” Paine said sarcastically. “Let’s get moving.”
The demon leader reached out and grabbed them both before

disappearing from Brac Village. When his feet were on solid ground
once more, Diablo realized that he was standing on familiar soil. He
stood there staring at the rolling green hills of his ancestors. This was
the very same land that they had not only lived on, but died on as
well.

A sense of pride and overwhelming grief engulfed him. Diablo

hadn’t seen these lands in over twelve hundred years.

“We have to move quickly,” Panahasi said. “She’ll know that we

are here.”

“I’m really trying not to freak out,” Paine said as he nodded

toward Panahasi. “But, dude, you look a little like a ghost.”

No sooner had the words left Paine’s mouth than Panahasi’s

corporeal form fully emerged, making him solid. “I am a Demon
Warrior, Paine. My corporeal form fades in the sunlight.”

“The Demon Warriors are a very strange group,” Paine muttered

as they began to move, heading toward the forest up ahead. Diablo
could feel Steele and he knew his mate was close. He also knew the

Lynn Hagen

witch was close because a fierce pounding started in the back of his
head again.

“Keep it together,” Panahasi said to him as if the man knew how

Diablo reacted to the witch. Diablo had learned eons ago that there
was more to Panahasi than met the eye. The guy may claim to be a
Demon Warrior, but there was a whole lot more mixed into that man’s
blood.

He was just smart enough not to question the demon about his

suspicions.

As they entered the forest, Diablo noticed right away the lack of

sound. There were no birds chirping, no small animals scurrying
around, and maybe his imagination was working overtime, but he
could’ve sworn it seemed to be getting darker.

“Is it me, or do you guys feel like the sun is fading pretty damn

fast?” Paine asked.

“An illusion,” Panahasi replied. “She has a lot of tricks up her

sleeve, so watch your back.”

Diablo was well aware that she had cursed his race. But he had

only met her one time before and that was when the extermination
had begun. He was not looking forward to meeting her again.

He wasn’t sure how the witch had gotten all her powers, but

Diablo had sensed that she was pretty damn old. Her good looks were
deceiving, a mask to hide behind. She had to have been practicing a
very long time to be as powerful as she was.

But Diablo had Panahasi on his side.
“I swear to god I’m going to kill you when I get loose, bitch!”
Diablo was ready to take off in the direction of his mate’s voice,

but Panahasi held up his hand. “It is a trick.”

“I know my brother’s voice anywhere!” Paine argued.
Panahasi turned, his eyes blazing. “Do you?”
Paine opened his mouth to argue and then closed it, giving

Panahasi a deep scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest. Diablo
was just as frustrated, but he knew to trust Panahasi’s instincts.

Forged in Steele

“That might not be him,” Diablo said. “But I can feel that he is

close by.”

“Indeed he is.” Panahasi began to walk. Diablo and Paine

followed. Even though he now knew that the darkening forest was an
illusion, it was a damn good one because Diablo could see the cast of
shadows across the ground, indicating the lowering sun.

“I vote we shove her into an oven and eat her house,” Paine said

irritably as he walked alongside Diablo. What made his statement
funny was that Paine was dead serious. Despite the dire situation,
Diablo smiled.

He stopped in his tracks when he spotted the witch. She was

standing next to Steele who was hanging from a tree by his wrists,
which were tightly bound with a rope. He was completely naked and
trying to kick out at the witch.

Diablo saw red. He wanted to eviscerate her.
“I knew you would come,” she said as she smirked at Diablo.

“Although I’m starting to wonder if the shifter is worth it.” The witch
turned toward Steele, giving him a deep glare.

Steele spat at her. “Let me down from here so I can show you

what real torture is.”

“Will you shut up already?” she snapped at Steele. “I’m starting to

regret kidnapping you. You are nothing but a pain in the ass.”

Diablo knew that the only reason Steele wasn’t dead was because

the witch was using him as bait. This was some kind of twisted game
for her. As soon as Diablo had mated Steele, their bond had turned
into some sort of homing beacon.

That was how the Hunter could so easily find them. That had been

a part of the curse as well. Diablo had never wanted to kill someone
as badly as he wanted to kill this witch.

“Let him go,” Paine said as he shoved a finger toward her. “Or I

swear to god I’ll make sure that house falls on top you.”

“Will you stop with all the movie references?” Diablo said as he

gritted his teeth. “Pissing her off is not my goal.”

Lynn Hagen

“I’ll let him go,” she said as she walked in a circle around Steele.

“Just give me the dragon shifter and I’ll give you this annoying
cheetah.” She backed up her words by slapping Steele on his bare ass.

It took every single ounce of control that Diablo possessed not to

go after the bitch for touching his mate.

“Would you be willing to pledge that promise?” Panahasi asked.

Diablo knew that pledging a promise made it unbreakable. She would
have no choice but to make good. From the frosty glare she was
giving Panahasi, she had no intention of making good on any damn
thing.

“That’s what I thought,” the demon leader said. “Tell me, what

price do you demand in exchange for lifting the curse?”

“Chacon’s head on a platter!”
“Unfortunately I cannot give you that, Samara.” Panahasi took a

step closer. “You know as well as I do that no magic or trickery can
be used for or against true love.”

What the hell was he talking about? As Diablo studied the witch,

realization dawned on him. Oh hell, they were in deep shit.

Samara was a woman scorned.

Forged in Steele

Chapter Eight

The ropes were biting into Steele’s wrists. He was starting to lose

sensation in his hands. If he wasn’t cut down soon, he feared he might
suffer some permanent damage.

“I know the rumors are not true,” Samara said angrily. “Chacon is

not dead. The coward is hiding somewhere, letting his race die.”

Steele was totally lost. He had no clue what they were talking

about. The only thing that he did know was that he had nothing to do
with that twisted love affair. But from what he could gather, Diablo’s
race was nearly extinct because his leader fucked this woman over in
some way.

They were so screwed.
“Give me Chacon and I’ll lift the curse.”
“I have no clue where he is at,” Panahasi replied.
“Liar!”
Steele shouted when the witch drove a blade through his thigh.

His entire body began to tremble as the pain seared through his lower
body. He curled his hands into fists as he gritted his teeth and rode
through the agony.

“Tell me where he is hiding or I will carve this cheetah up.”
“Diablo, no,” Steele said as he panted. He could see that Diablo

was shifting into his dragon form. Somehow he knew that if the witch
saw this, she would be driven insane at the sight of the dragon
because it would only remind her of that worthless fucking leader.

If Steele ever got his hands on that guy, he would show him

what—Steele sighed. He had no room to tell anyone how to treat the

Lynn Hagen

person who loved him or her most. He had screwed things up so badly
with Diablo that he was surprised his mate was even here.

“I fucked things up and I’m sorry, Diablo,” Steele said out loud as

he helplessly and hopelessly hung there. If he was going to die, he
wanted his mate to know the truth. No more hiding, no more running.
“I didn’t mean it when I said I wished you never bit me.”

“Shut up!” Samara shouted.
“Let the man speak his piece,” Paine countered. “You have him

tied up with his dick swinging in the wind. Give him some sort of
fucking break.”

“Thanks for reminding me of my predicament,” Steele said.
“No problem at all, big bro,” Paine said as if proud for helping

Steele out. At times, Paine wasn’t the brightest color in the rainbow,
but Steele loved him.

“I was scared,” he said as he glanced back at Diablo. “You knew

this. But I didn’t mean to panic and take things out on you.” Steele
shouted when the witch pulled the knife from his thigh and shoved it
into the other one. The piercing pain made Steele’s body jerk around
in agony.

Why in the fuck wasn’t the demon leader doing anything? He was

just standing there, blocking Diablo and Paine from advancing. The
demon was pretty useless in Steele’s opinion.

“Finish telling him how you feel,” Panahasi said.
“I’ll kill him!” Samara ground out in warning. Steele swung away

when she reached for the knife. He wasn’t sure what Panahasi was up
to, but he hoped the man knew what he was doing.

“I knew since puberty that I was gay. I also knew—” Steele closed

his eyes and breathed out deeply. Was he really going to announce his
innermost desires in front of this group, his brother? Yes, because
Diablo deserved no less. He would embarrass himself publicly if it
meant his mate would forgive him. “I also knew I wanted a strong
man, just like you, to dominate me in bed.”

Forged in Steele

Steele felt his heart beating so fast that he feared it would explode.

He had just declared his darkest, most intimate desire.

“Preach it, brother!” Paine hollered as he pumped his fist in the

air. “Ain’t no shame in your game.”

Steele wanted to shove a rag in Paine’s mouth. He wasn’t sure

what Panahasi was doing, but he saw the demon leader twisting his
hand covertly at his side. The demon locked eyes with him, nodding.
Steele knew the man wanted him to go on.

What the hell? What else was he supposed to confess? The truth.

“I love you, Diablo. I loved every damn second you claimed me and
I’m not ashamed of the fact that it was you who fucked me.”

Paine was grinning from ear to ear as he winked at Steele. Diablo

was standing there looking like a love-struck pup. His lilac eyes were
glowing, misty, and his dark looks only added to the savage fire in his
eyes, telling Steele he was going to be claimed again once they got
out of this.

If they got out of this.
Steele realized that Panahasi’s little hand twist was stopping

Samara from attacking. She was rooted to the spot, shouting at him to
shut up, but she hadn’t come any closer.

What the hell, Steele sighed inwardly. “I love you, Diablo

Teslow!” he shouted and then smiled…and then grimaced when the
knife in his leg reminded him that he was wounded.

“I love you, too, Steele Avery,” Diablo replied. “And I forgive

you.”

Samara twisted where she was standing, screaming for Panahasi

to let her go.

“I told you,” Panahasi said as he moved closer to her. “No magic

or trickery can trump true love.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the full force of their mating

bond slammed into Steele, making him cry out as it washed through
his body. He panted, feeling every damn emotion Diablo held for him.

And he was ramrod hard.

Lynn Hagen

Was his embarrassment going to end anytime soon?
“The curse,” Diablo said as he stared wide-eyed at the leader.

“What happened?”

Panahasi threw his arm out and Samara disappeared. “As long as

your race was lonely and miserable, the curse remained. All it took
was one dragon shifter to openly declare his love for his or her mate.
But they are in hiding, too afraid to face her.”

“So you are telling me that all I had to do was say I loved Steele

and it was lifted?”

Panahasi nodded. “She cursed your race because Chacon didn’t

want to claim her. He turned his back on his very own mate because
of his selfish ways. He didn’t want to be mated to a witch, either. It
was rejected love that cursed you, but pure love that freed you.”

“That is some backward-ass shit,” Paine said. “Can we get Steele

down or do you two still want to hold a philosophical debate while he
bleeds to death?”

“The witch?” Diablo asked as he and Paine worked to free Steele.
“She will be dealt with. The Drage Jegere are no more.”
Diablo looked stunned. “Just like that?”
Panahasi nodded. “Just like that.”
Steele groaned as he was lowered to the ground and then felt like

vomiting when he was suddenly lying in his bed. Damn, that demon
leader had some freaky powers.

“Where are we?” Diablo asked as he glanced around.
“My bedroom. Now, if you don’t mind, I really need to shift.”

* * * *

As Steele slept, Diablo slipped into the demon realm to find

Panahasi. There were answers he needed, answers only the demon
leader could provide.

He found the leader leaning against the wall of Diablo’s nightclub.

It was almost as if the guy knew Diablo was looking for him. The

Forged in Steele

man looked harmless with his foot pressed into the wall and his arms
crossed over his chest—a casual and nonthreatening pose—but he
was anything but. Diablo had known him too long to be so easily
deceived.

And that was why he was here. “True love, huh?” Diablo moved

closer, relaxing next to the leader, pressing his back into the wall and
gazing down the alley. “Nice little story you put together.”

The side of Panahasi’s mouth twitched as he stared down at the

ground. “Not bad for improvising.”

“Not bad,” Diablo agreed. “But you and I know it was bullshit.”
“Do you not believe in true love, Diablo?”
He snorted. “Yeah, but true love trumps all was laying it on a bit

thick.”

They both stood there in silence, lost in thought. Diablo

remembered when he had first come here. He was young, angry, and
did a few things he later regretted. But he had mellowed out over the
centuries, to a point. He had lived with that curse for so long that he
wasn’t sure what he was going to do now that it was lifted.

The thought of living in the human realm inspired both heart-

pounding excitement and a bit of intimidation. The demon realm had
been his home for so long. “So why didn’t you lift the curse eons
ago?” he finally asked, knowing full well that the demon’s smoke
screen story was fabricated for the cheetahs’ benefit. “And thanks for
making my mate confess all of his sins,” he added sarcastically.

Panahasi gave a soft chuckle. “The man needed to open his eyes.

He was being an idiot. I knew his brothers Cruel and Vengeance and
they lived up to their names.” He rubbed his hand across his jaw.
“Although I wasn’t expecting Steele to confess how much he loved—”

Diablo held up his hand. “That’s my mate you are talking about.

Let’s forget he confessed our intimate details.”

“Fair enough.” Panahasi crossed his arms back over his chest, his

head tilted down. “I am life and death, Diablo. I can’t interfere with

Lynn Hagen

the road fate has laid out in front of you. I’m sorry about your race,
but”—he shook his head—“I can’t interfere.”

“But you lifted the curse tonight,” Diablo said as he tilted his head

back and leaned it against the brick wall, shocked and not surprised
that Panahasi was life and death. He knew there was something
different about the leader. Diablo just had no clue the secret was that
epic. “You got rid of Samara.”

“I did.”
“What happened to the whole not interfering thing?”
Panahasi shrugged. “She was getting on my last damn nerve

tonight.”

“If your story was fabricated, why did she keep screaming for

everyone to shut up?” She would have known the story was total crap
as well. Samara should have called the leader on it instead of looking
as if she were going mad.

Panahasi’s eyes filled with fire as he turned his head to gaze at

Diablo. The man looked possessed. “I let the dragon shifters she
killed whisper their vows of vengeance inside her head.”

Diablo had to remember never to piss the guy off. He wasn’t sure

what Panahasi truly was—aside from what he had just confessed—but
he had a feeling he really didn’t want to know any more details.

“Where did you send her?”
“Go to your mate, Diablo.” Panahasi pushed from the wall.

“Enjoy the human realm.”

Diablo began to walk away.
“Oh, and Diablo,” Panahasi said.
Diablo turned back around. “Yeah?”
“You know I can’t let you keep my secret.”
Sighing, he nodded. “I figured it was too big to let me have. Go

ahead and erase our conversation.”

“Not the entire conversation, just the juicy parts.” Panahasi gave

him a wicked grin before Diablo found himself standing once again in

Forged in Steele

Steele’s bedroom, a bit fuzzy on what he and the leader had just
discussed.

He stood there, staring down at his sleeping mate. Steele was still

in his cheetah form, stretched out on the bed. This wasn’t the first
time he had seen his mate as a cat, but it still amazed him how truly
beautiful the man was in both human and animal form.

Sliding onto the bed, he ran his hand over his mate’s soft fur,

relieved that he didn’t have to hide any longer. Diablo hated the
Hunter coming after him, and loathed that Steele had been in danger
as well.

He stretched out alongside the cat and closed his eyes, finally

exhaling in relief. Diablo had craved to have something even remotely
close to what he had seen in the demon realm. The mated pairs that he
had seen around town—or even the Demon Warriors who were
mated—had a look about them that said they were content in their
lives.

And now he had what he had craved. It had taken a great battle

with Steele to finally get here, but he was here.

As Diablo petted his mate, Steele shifted back into his human

form. The man lay naked next to him, his cat-green eyes glowing with
pleasure as Diablo continued to pet. Leaning forward, he sealed his
lips over Steele’s neck, sucking up a bruise as he slowly explored his
mate’s body with his hands. Diablo’s insides formed knots, his
muscles locked into place, telling himself to go slow, to be gentle
when he heard Steele begin to purr.

His dragon wanted to claim the man once more, to bite, to fuck.
But all Diablo did was suck erotically at his mate’s neck. The

sensation only made his cock harder, throbbing more heavily in his
pants.

* * * *

Lynn Hagen

This gorgeous man is mine and I’m not afraid to let him top me.

The thought startled and excited Steele in the same measure as the
dragon shifter nibbled on his neck. But Steele couldn’t just lie there.
He pulled at Diablo’s shirt until his mate lifted his arms and allowed
Steele to slide it over the man’s head, tossing it aside.

The man’s heat began to slowly seep into Steele as he took in

shallow breaths. Diablo moved in behind Steele, his lips grazing over
Steele’s exposed shoulder, sending tiny sparks of electricity along his
flesh. His mate grazed his fingers over the head of Steele’s cock and
then played in the pre-cum. He slid the clear liquid over his fingers, as
if enjoying how it felt. Steele’s breath was coming out in short gasps.

Steele pressed his lips against Diablo’s neck and slid his tongue

across the smooth expanse, tasting the salty skin as Diablo’s fingers
curved around Steele’s ass. He hissed with pleasure as he sealed his
lips tighter on his mate’s skin.

He had to breathe out slowly, gaining a measure of control as one

of Diablo’s fingers slid inside his ass. It was wet and Steele wasn’t
sure—oh, he spotted the lube by the pillow. Steele hadn’t even seen
the man look for the tube.

He was pretty damn sneaky.
“I love how your body feels, hjertet mitt drage. So tight and all

mine.”

Steele groaned as he spread his legs further. He just wished

Diablo would take his damn jeans off. Steele wanted to feel the man’s
hard cock in the palm of his hand.

“Take your pants off.”
Diablo gave a throaty growl, which only made Steele’s cock

throb. The noise was too damn sexy.

Gripping Steele’s chin, Diablo tilted his head back and kissed a

trail down Steele’s neck, adding pleasure to what Steele was already
feeling. He bucked, his moans echoing through the room. Steele
hitched his hips as Diablo sucked at his neck, Steele’s cock pulsing
fiercely.

Forged in Steele

Steele forgot how to breathe when Diablo moved away and

stripped his jeans off his body. Steele’s hole ached to feel his mate’s
thick fingers back inside of him, but he was becoming deeply aroused
at the thought of having the man fuck him with his cock.

Steele’s heart was pounding out of control when Diablo palmed

his own erection, giving the swollen flesh a few slow strokes. He was
going to have a coronary. He just knew it.

“Do you know how beautiful you look lying there? I can see how

much you want me and it’s setting me on fire.”

“Same here, buddy. Now get back into bed and fuck me.” Steele

laughed at his own words. It felt so liberating saying them out loud.
He no longer hid from the truth of what he desired. “I want to feel that
cock pounding into my ass.”

Steele smirked when Diablo’s hand tightened around his cock, his

lilac eyes growing darker until they were amethyst. “You are tempting
me to fuck you roughly, cat. Be careful how you entice me.”

Steele grinned. “Have your wicked way.”
Without warning, Diablo was back on the bed. He slammed his

lips over Steele’s. The kiss was brutal, crushing, and Steele could
taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. An animalistic sound
rumbled in Diablo’s throat.

Steele didn’t fight his mate.
Diablo looked at Steele with a wicked glint in his eyes before

sliding down Steele’s body and swallowing Steele’s cock down to the
root. Steele shouted as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His hips
bucked, driving his cock further down his mate’s hot mouth.

God, the man was sucking him so hard that Steele was mindless.

He spread his legs further apart as he began to fuck Diablo’s mouth.

But his mate wasn’t having that. Diablo pressed Steele’s hips

down, keeping them in place as he ran his tongue around the head,
pulling the pre-cum out like honey, and then dove right back down
onto Steele’s dick.

Lynn Hagen

“Fuck, Diablo…fuck!” Steele shouted and then gritted his teeth,

staving off his orgasm. He wasn’t about to let this moment end so
soon, but if his mate kept up at his current pace, he was a goner.

His damn legs were wobbling as Diablo rode Steele’s cock with

his lips, sliding them up and down his shaft, faster and faster. His
head was bobbing, the suction tight, and Steele felt like his damn
brain was melting into the side of his head.

“Diablo…please…god!” Steele threw his head back and ground

his back molars, curling his fingers into the bed. He wasn’t going to
be able to hold off. Not when Diablo was sucking him so goddamn
good.

Fuck!
Steele began to rock his head back and forth as jolts of pure

pleasure pulsed through his body. The man was out to kill him.
Diablo had to be because Steele’s heart was beating so fast he feared
it would burst from his chest.

And then Diablo slid more than one finger into Steele’s ass.
His eyes crossed.
“Goddamn…motherfucker!” Steele howled as his body unraveled

right there. His hips shot up and his seed was being ripped from his
very balls. Stars began to form behind his eyelids. It took
concentrated effort to breathe.

Steele let out a high, strangled cry when Diablo leaned down and

swirled his tongue around Steele’s puckered hole. His mate gave the
opening a long lick. He speared his tongue just inside, along with his
finger. He thrust it in again and again, driving Steele into madness.

Diablo tongue-fucked Steele over and over, then alternated with a

finger and finally two. He moved his fingers in a steady rhythm,
making sure to nail Steele’s gland as often as he could, until Steele
was barely hanging on the edge.

He never knew he could die from pleasure, but if Diablo kept up

at this pace, he would.

Forged in Steele

Diablo scooted between Steele’s legs and positioned the head of

his cock at his entrance and then slowly fucked his way in, stretching
Steele’s tight ring of muscles around his thick girth inch by glorious
inch. Tremors started to shake his body before his mate even got in all
of the way.

“God, Steele, you feel so fucking good.”
“Glad…” A small shudder wove its way through Steele’s body.

“Glad you approve.”

Diablo gazed down at him, his face contorted with raw pleasure.

Steele lay there in awe for a moment, spellbound by the gorgeous
man.

He began to pump slowly in and out of Steele’s ass. He could feel

his channel contract around Diablo’s cock with almost brutal
intensity. Diablo’s hand moved over Steele to skim his stomach and
chest in a loving way. Steele wasn’t sure what happened to rough, but
he was thoroughly enjoying the slow and steady. Diablo was a master
of seduction and an expert lover. He stroked down between their
bodies, tracing his fingers over Steele’s hard shaft.

Steele moaned as the long, thick cock that seemed to fill him so

perfectly brushed across his prostate with every thrust of Diablo’s
hips. He groaned as his mate’s angle altered and his sweet spot was
struck again and again.

His fingers wrapped around his cock, and with one strong stroke

he came on a bone-deep groan. He buried his face into Diablo’s
shoulder, smelling his sweet scent, and feeling his release against his
own chest.

Diablo hissed and then clasped Steele’s shoulders from

underneath and began to lift and lower him, impaling him as his
thrusts suddenly increased in their intensity. Steele was fully aware of
the hardness of Diablo’s thighs brushing against his as the man
pounded into him. He was even more aware of the fangs that scraped
along his throat.

Lynn Hagen

Steele cried out as liquid fire exploded throughout his entire body

when Diablo’s fangs pierced his neck. The pleasure induced from the
bite was so exquisite that dark spots danced in front of Steele’s eyes
as he came a third time.

The deep, guttural roar that rumbled through Diablo’s chest was

the only warning Steele got before the dragon shifter’s cock slammed
into him and scorching hot liquid flooded his ass, burning Steele in a
sensual wave that made his entire body tremble.

Paine had been right. Forever was a very long time to be alone.

Diablo was his and Steele would never again feel ashamed about
wanting the man to fuck him.

Forged in Steele

Chapter Nine

Diablo was wearing Steele out. Now that the dragon shifter could

safely be in the human realm, his mate was like a kid hopped up on
sugar. He wanted to see and do everything—especially during the
day, in the sunlight.

Steele was currently being dragged around the farmers’ market as

Diablo picked up fresh herbs and vegetables for cooking. Every so
often Diablo would tilt his head back, close his eyes, and smile as the
sun bathed him.

Having worked last night, Steele was dead on his feet but

wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see his mate so happy and
content. Diablo was even talking about selling off his club and
opening one up here in Brac Village.

They had been together for two months now and Diablo was a

different man from when Steele first met him. He was no longer
reserved, although he still had a bit of a nasty attitude at times. That
could be chalked up to his dragon DNA.

“I think we got enough,” Steele said when Diablo was handed yet

another bag filled with his purchases. If his mate kept this up, they
were going to need a wheelbarrow to get their groceries home.

Steele stepped aside when a mother pushing a stroller passed by

him. He stepped in front of Diablo and crossed his arms over his
chest. “Unless you plan on cooking for the entire village, I’d say we
are done.”

“Very well,” Diablo said. “I don’t see anything else I need

anyway.” Steele grabbed a few bags from Diablo as they walked back
to their car. As soon as the groceries were stored in the truck, Steele

Lynn Hagen

headed toward the driver’s door. Diablo couldn’t drive. Cars weren’t
used in the demon realm and before that, well, cars hadn’t been
invented.

“Why don’t you get some rest when we get home,” Diablo said as

he slipped into the passenger seat. “I’ll have a nice dinner waiting for
you when you get up.”

Thankfully, Diablo’s tender care hadn’t changed. The man was

anal about taking care of Steele. “I could really use a good eight
hours.” As if on cue, Steele yawned. He pulled away from the market
and headed toward home, wanting nothing more than to crawl into
bed.

He was bone-weary.
Steele turned down the road that led to his house when his

shoulder began to ache. It was a low throb and he would have blamed
it on weariness if it weren’t for the fact that his mating mark burned.

Diablo shot straight up in his seat as he glanced around. “There is

no damn way.”

Steele checked all around him and in the mirrors but he didn’t see

anything. “Getting rid of the witch should’ve taken care of the Hunter,
right?” They had been living peacefully for a month, with no
incidents. If it was a Hunter, and that was a big if, what took it so long
to come after them?

And then just that quick, the burning sensation was gone. If

Diablo hadn’t felt the Hunter as well, Steele would have thought he
had imagined it all. The burning had come and gone that fast.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Diablo said as he continued to

scan their surroundings. “But I would feel much better if we weren’t
trapped in this car.”

Steele couldn’t agree more. “We are right by the house. I’d rather

go there where we have more help than pull over and be out in the
open like sitting ducks.”

Too bad the demon leader had taken away Diablo’s ability to

make those swirly holes. He had said that the dragon shifter no longer

Forged in Steele

needed that handy little escape feature. Boy, had Panahasi been
wrong.

Steele pulled into the driveway and parked the car. They left the

groceries in the trunk as they headed inside. Steele ran to warn
everybody as Diablo called the demon leader. Paine was out cold so
Steele didn’t bother waking him. The only other two he found home
were Ryker and Reese.

“I thought that was taken care of,” Ryker said as he headed

downstairs. The white Siberian tiger shifter headed into the kitchen
where Diablo was still talking on the phone. Reese was already in
there.

From the expression on Diablo’s face, whatever the demon leader

was telling him wasn’t good. His dark brows were pulled deeply
down and his mouth was set with grim lines. They all waited until
Diablo was off the phone.

“Well?” Steele asked. He was praying like hell that they had been

mistaken. He was dead on his feet, after all. Maybe his fear had
triggered Diablo’s response in the car. Maybe his mate had shot up
because he had felt Steele’s panic and not because he had felt the
Hunter.

Diablo tossed his phone aside. “Panahasi says that the Hunter

should have disappeared as soon as the curse was lifted since that’s
what they were created for.”

“And?” Ryker asked. “Please tell me there’s more.”
Diablo shook his head. “That’s all he said. He is just as stumped

as we are.”

“It’s not a good thing when Panahasi is stumped,” Reese said as

he leaned against the counter. “Did he say how to defeat a Hunter?”

“Yeah,” Diablo said with a sigh. “You defeat a Hunter by lifting

the curse.”

“In other words,” Steele said, “we’re fucked.”
“Without lube,” Diablo replied.

100

Lynn Hagen

“Wait,” Ryker said as he held up a finger. “If he’s the one who

lifted the curse, why can’t he take care of the Hunter?”

“He would, but the problem is, Panahasi can’t feel where he is.”
“So screwed,” Reese muttered. “Do you know of any vulnerability

the Hunter has?”

“As far as I know, none,” Diablo said.
Steele didn’t protest when Diablo wrapped his arms tightly around

him. They needed to find a solution before that damn thing appeared.
“We have to find out what his kryptonite is. Every creature has a
weakness, some spot of vulnerability.”

“The Hunters killed my race,” Diablo argued with Steele as he

released him, his mate moving to stand in front of him. “If they had a
weakness, we would have found one when they were slaughtering us
by the thousands.”

Steele glanced away. “I wasn’t insulting you.”
Diablo grabbed Steele’s chin and turned his head, gazing at Steele

with his beautiful lilac eyes. “And I was only stating a fact, hjertet
mitt drage.” His thumb ran along Steele’s chin. “The Hunter should
have disappeared when the curse was lifted. The fact that he is still
coming after us tells me that Samara is more powerful than even
Panahasi thought.”

“So I guess killing the bitch won’t help us,” Steele said. “Because

I would really like to pay her back for kidnapping me and driving a
fucking knife into my legs.”

Again, Steele had never hit a female in his life, but he would love

to have five seconds with her, without her powers, and while he was
in cat form. His cheetah purred in agreement. He may bottom for
Diablo, but Steele was still a man and he still had his honor.

He was still lazy as hell, too, but that was neither here nor there.

Too bad he didn’t know where Panahasi had taken her.

“Okay,” Frisco James said as he walked through the side door and

laid his helmet on the counter. “I know that conspiratorial look. Who

Forged in Steele

101

are we plotting to kill and why wasn’t I invited to play with the big
boys?”

“Because Recker would pull out our intestines and dance on

them,” Reese answered without missing a beat.

“You let me worry about him.” Frisco hopped up onto the counter.

“Now, who needs to die?”

“Bloodthirsty much?” Steele asked.
“I can’t let you guys have all the fun,” Frisco answered. “Just

because I’m human doesn’t mean I can’t hold my own.”

“Even we aren’t sure how to defeat the Hunter,” Steele admitted.

“Panahasi can’t detect where he is hiding.” Steele filled Frisco in on
what was happening, catching everyone else up on why the Hunter
was created and what happened in the forest.

He was racking his brain and couldn’t think of a way to kill the

Hunter. He just hoped like hell that the damn thing didn’t appear
before they worked a plan out.

* * * *

Panahasi already interfered more than he should have. He knew

better than to get in the middle of the dragon curse. It had been going
on for over twelve hundred years. But since finding his mates, he
knew what it was to be in love and what he would do to protect Drake
and Casey. He hadn’t known what living was until those two had
entered his life.

Why should Diablo be denied such love? Why should he suffer

for something a pompous dragon king had done to his mate? That was
why Panahasi had sent her to where Chacon was hiding out. Let them
two either work out their problems or kill each other.

But the Hunter. Panahasi had no answer for Diablo. He couldn’t

feel the creature anywhere—which was something that never
happened. The only thing he could think of was that the primal source
was making sure Panahasi didn’t interfere.

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Lynn Hagen

Panahasi grinned to himself. He may not be able to kill the Hunter

for Diablo—a man he had sworn to protect—but that didn’t mean he
couldn’t gift the dragon shifter. Panahasi already felt the loss of the
dragon race. He wasn’t about to watch them go extinct.

Flicking his hand out to the side, Panahasi walked into his

penthouse to see his mates wrestling each other…naked.

What a sight to come home to.

* * * *

Although the Hunter was a very big threat, Steele had to work. He

was just extremely cautious. It had been two weeks and the Hunter
hadn’t made an appearance. Steele had been going crazy stuck in the
house. Even though he hated working at the movie theater, he needed
fresh air and something to do.

The mating bite hadn’t burned since the night he and Diablo had

been driving home. Steele hoped the Hunter had fallen into a swirling
hole somewhere, never to be seen again.

That would be nice. Steele just wouldn’t be that lucky. But he was

glad his evening was uneventful. Paine was with him. His brother
knew the dangers as well. They were both on alert but that didn’t stop
Steele’s nerves from being frayed.

“What’s wrong?” Andy asked as he restocked the candy in the

glass display case. “You and Paine have been eyeing the door all
night.”

“I have a hot date,” Paine said without missing a beat. “Jealous?”
Andy scowled at him. “No.”
“Liar,” Steele’s brother teased. “Too bad my brother made me

promise not to shit where I eat or you could have had the privilege.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Andy said, seeming ruffled at Paine’s

blatant words. “You aren’t that good-looking.”

Forged in Steele

103

Paine burst out laughing. “Dude, I am very good-looking. You

know it and I know it. Just because you’ve never let anyone tap that
ass doesn’t mean you have to insult me.”

Andy turned a deep shade of red as his eyes narrowed at Paine.

“You have no idea what you are talking about!”

Steele felt sorry for the human. He wanted to tell Paine to leave

the poor guy alone, but if he kept sticking up for the guy, Paine would
never let up. Andy had to stand up for himself. He wasn’t doing too
badly. The man hadn’t gone to the boss about Paine…yet. It seemed
he had some backbone.

“You’ve had sex?” Paine asked with a heavy dose of doubt in his

tone. “And I’ll know if you are lying to me.”

Andy slammed the display door closed as he stood. “Screw you,

Paine.”

“Again, Steele won’t let me play with you, so I must decline your

invitation.”

Steele chuckled. Paine was laying it on thick. Andy let out a

frustrated noise as he walked from behind the counter.

“Ease up on him, Paine.”
Paine wiggled his brows. “If I can’t fuck him, the least I can do is

have a little fun. Besides, if I really thought it bothered him, I would
back off. He gets flustered very easily, but I can tell he doesn’t mind
the bantering and teasing.”

Steele leaned his forearms on the counter, wishing his shift was

over. He really hated working here. If he ever found another place
was hiring, Steele would be out of here. Too bad he loved the
sunshine so much or Steele would work with his mate in the demon
realm.

But he couldn’t imagine living without the warmth of the sun on

his face. Besides, although the demon realm was a fascinating place,
Steele didn’t want to live or work there. He had heard his mate talking
about selling Diablo’s. He wasn’t sure how serious the man was but

104

Lynn Hagen

wondered what Diablo would do with his time if he did sell his
business.

Right now Diablo was at work and Steele didn’t care about

admitting how much he missed the guy. His mate was living at the
Manchester place with Steele, and he loved waking up in the man’s
strong arms every morning. It was a feeling Steele would never get
tired of.

Paine grabbed a flashlight off the back counter. “I’m bored out of

my mind. I’m going to go harass moviegoers and bust up kissing
couples.” He wiggled the flashlight. “Care to join me?”

Normally Steele would say yes. He loved having fun with his

brother. The two had stayed in constant trouble growing up. But
tonight the only thing Steele wanted to do was go home. “Nah, knock
yourself out.”

Paine frowned at him as he pointed the flashlight toward Steele.

“You’re no fun ever since you mated Diablo. If you get any more
boring I’m going to beat you over the head with this flashlight.”

Steele watched his brother walk away. He wasn’t trying to be a

stick in the mud. Steele just knew better than to let his guard down
right now. He had stayed vigilant and kept an eye out for the Hunter.
All it would take was one lax moment and Steele could lose his head.

He had seen the large sword that the Hunter carried with him and

knew that thing had to be razor-sharp. He really wasn’t trying to test
that theory though. When Kenway and Ross walked into the theater,
Steele smiled. “Date night?”

Ross pulled on Kenway’s hand. “If I left it up to him, Kenway

would do nothing but work. I had to bend his arm to get him here.”

Steele wanted to laugh when he saw the pout on the buffalo

shifter’s face. Kenway was too big of a man for that look. Steele had
thought about asking the alpha for a business loan, but he had no clue
what he would do. It had surprised him when Kenway opened a
bakery shop because the man didn’t know a damn thing about baking.

Forged in Steele

105

But Sweet Delight was thriving so the shifter was doing

something right. “Did you want something to snack on or did you just
come over here to harass me?”

“I’m surprised I don’t see a couch back there,” Kenway

countered. “I’m still waiting for my heart attack to happen from you
getting a job.”

Steele flipped Kenway off. “Job this.”
Kenway laughed as Steele’s phone rang. He saw that Diablo was

trying to call him. “Make this quick,” he said to Kenway and Ross. “I
have an important call to take.” He answered the phone before
Kenway—because Ross was not going to eat any snacks—made his
decision. “Too slow,” he teased the buffalo shifter.

“Hello, cat,” Diablo said in his rich-as-whiskey voice. Steele

shuddered at the sound, his cock growing hard at the same time. “I
just called to see how things are going.”

“Just ducky,” Steele replied sarcastically. “I’m working my dream

job.”

“Hang in there, babe. I have something in the works. If it pans out,

you won’t be at the movie theater for much longer.”

“Can I get—”
Steele waved Kenway off as he turned his back and talked with

his mate. “I’m not stripping in your club, no matter how much you
beg.”

He smiled when Diablo gave a low growl. “I would really love to

see you strip for me, privately.”

Steele’s hard cock pulsed at the image Diablo had just put into his

head. Of course, there was no way he was dressing up in drag. That
wasn’t his kink. “If you are a good boy, I just might.”

He had no clue why he was teasing Diablo like this. Steele had

never stripped a day in his life. He wouldn’t even know where to
begin. Okay, admittedly he knew how to take his clothes off, but not
while trying to dance seductively for someone.

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Diablo sucked in a quick breath of air. “I’m going to hold you to

that.”

“I think you just called me to talk about sex.”
“Can I get some fucking popcorn?” Kenway bellowed behind

Steele.

Steele grabbed a big bag, filled it to the brim, and then shoved it at

the buffalo shifter. “Now go away.”

“I hope you’re not talking to me,” Diablo said.
“No, I’m talking to some needy kid.”
Kenway curled his lip at Steele as he moved behind the counter

and poured his own drink. Steele didn’t stop him. Hell, the buffalo
could stay back here for the rest of the night and serve everyone so
Steele could talk on the phone.

When Kenway waved a twenty at him, Steele pushed the money

back at his friend. Kenway shrugged, grabbed his stuff, and walked
toward theater three with Ross. Good, now he could talk
uninterrupted.

He would much prefer spending his time on the phone with his

mate than working. The only thing that would beat this was spending
time with Diablo face to face…naked.

“So, are you going to dance for me, hjertet mitt drage?”
Steele had no doubt that he could come just from listening to the

erotic accent and baritone voice. Diablo was definitely masturbation
worthy. He just might go into the bathroom and jack off while he
talked to his mate on the phone.

Hmm, not a bad idea.
Looking around to make sure no one was watching him, Steele

slipped from behind the counter and hurried into the men’s bathroom.
He closed himself into a stall, cradled the phone between shoulder
and ear, and then freed his aching cock.

“What are you doing?” Diablo asked.
“Uh, nothing?”
“Then why do you sound out of breath, hjertet mitt drage?”

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107

Steele wrapped his fingers around his cock and began to quickly

stroke himself. “I’m just—” He did not want to be the one talking. He
wanted to hear his mate’s erotic voice. “Oh hell, talk dirty to me.”

“Are you jacking off?”
“Uh-huh. In the men’s bathroom.”
“Shit,” Diablo said with a hiss. “I want to see your beautiful

cock.”

“Ung,” Steele said as he swallowed and kept stroking himself.

“Don’t stop talking. I want to jack off to your voice.”

Diablo gave a low and sexy chuckle. “I have never come across

that request before. Is the head swollen and weeping?”

“Yes.”
“Too bad I’m not there. I love sucking your dick, swallowing you

whole, licking your essence from your thick cock.”

Oh, yeah. This was working great for Steele. That was exactly

what he needed to hear. “And?” he asked breathlessly.

“The only thing I love more than taking you down my throat is

working my cock into your tight asshole. You have no idea how much
control you take from me every time I sink my dick into your body.
Your ass stretches so prettily for me, hjertet mitt drage.”

Steele couldn’t believe he was in a public restroom jacking off to

his mate’s voice. It was thrilling as hell. He had never done anything
like this before, but if he kept working at the movie theater, he was
definitely going to be doing it again.

“Come for me, my dragon heart.”
Steele threw his head back as his cock erupted. It shocked him

that he came from his mate’s command. His seed shot out and hit the
stall door. Fuck, he was going to have to clean that up.

“You are so damn beautiful,” Diablo said into the phone. “Even

your orgasm sounds sexy on the phone.”

Steele grinned widely as he grabbed some toilet paper and wiped

his hands and cock. He flushed it, readjusted himself, and then
cleaned the stall door. That was exactly what he had needed.

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“Next time I’ll be the one talking dirty.”
Diablo groaned. “You’re on.”
Steele opened the stall door and was immediately grabbed by his

throat. His cell phone fell to the floor as he tried desperately to get the
Hunter’s hand from around his neck. He kicked out, clawed, and tried
to shift, but nothing happened.

“You die,” the Hunter growled into his face.
He felt his lungs burning for air as the Hunter disappeared from

the men’s bathroom, taking Steele with him.

Forged in Steele

109

Chapter Ten

Steele moved around the best he could with a heavy shackle on

his ankle and one on his wrist. He glanced at the door before quickly
shoving his pants down to his thighs. He pulled his underwear
forward and slid the egg down between his legs. It was the only place
he could think of to hide it and the warmest place on his body. This
was awkward as hell considering the egg was three times the size of a
chicken egg, scaly, and a deep emerald green in color. Steele had no
clue what he was doing.

Once he got free—and he was going to get free—Steele was going

to beat the brakes off of Diablo for not telling him that he was going
to…Steele wiggled some more until he finally had the egg in place.
This felt so weird. He carefully sat back down and prayed the Hunter
didn’t know he already had the dragon egg.

That had been a complete shocker, but somehow Steele knew

instinctively what to do with the thing. Okay, he needed to stop
thinking about the egg as a thing. It was his son or daughter. Oh, fuck.
He cradled his head in his hands as the dizziness swept over him.
Steele wasn’t ready to be a parent. He didn’t know the first thing
about raising a child—dragon—cub—egg—whatever.

He wasn’t even sure he was doing the right thing, but his gut told

him to keep it warm. This had to be the most bizarre shit he had ever
been through, and that was saying a lot. If Paine found out how Steele
had delivered the egg, his brother would never let him live it down.
He shivered at the memory.

The Hunter had told Steele that he was going to die because he

wasn’t going to take a chance at a dragon shifter being born since the

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curse was lifted. Steele had no clue what the Hunter meant
until…Steele audibly swallowed. Shit, he had to get out of here. He
may be freaking out over the thought of being a parent, but a
protectiveness ripped through him at the thought of anything
happening to the young babe he was trying desperately to keep warm.
If anything happened to the egg, Steele wasn’t sure what he was going
to do. He couldn’t defeat the Hunter, but he couldn’t contemplate
something happening to his baby.

The only thing he could do was pray his mate found him and keep

the egg safe.

Diablo was another matter. Steele couldn’t promise the man’s

safety once he got a hold of him.

* * * *

Diablo wasn’t a fool. He knew Panahasi had gifted him with

something. He had felt it the moment the tingling had happened two
weeks ago. He just wasn’t sure what it was.

“Can you feel him?” Paine asked as he paced the living room.

“You have to feel him. You two are mates. You bit him, fucked him,
and put some sort of homing beacon into him. Find him.”

Paine was getting on his last nerve. Diablo was ready to throttle

the guy. It was bad enough he couldn’t get a lock on his mate, but
Paine’s constant bitching wasn’t helping. It was actually giving him a
headache.

“What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” he snapped at

Paine. “If you shut up for five minutes maybe I could concentrate.”

The cheetah dropped onto the couch, rubbing his hands over his

face. “He’s all I have left. I can’t lose him, Diablo.”

The woeful tone almost made Diablo comfort the man—almost.

Paine was still a pain in the ass. “I’ll try again.” Diablo cleared his
mind and concentrated on the enzymes he had injected into Steele’s

Forged in Steele

111

body. He could feel a faint connection, but it wasn’t enough to tell
him where his mate was.

He wished to god he knew what Panahasi had given him. Diablo

had tried to call the demon leader a few times, but Panahasi wasn’t
answering. If anything happened to Steele, Diablo was going to hunt
that witch down and slowly peel skin from bone. He loved Steele to
the depth of his being. The man was his precious moon and stars, and
had given Diablo a freedom he never thought to have again.

He lived to see the man’s smile and hear his laughter, to feel the

cheetah in his arms as he made love to him or simply slept next to his
warm body. Losing Steele was not an option. Diablo was going to
find that Hunter and burn him to a crisp.

He just prayed he wasn’t too late.
“Anything?”
Diablo shook his head. “The connection is faint, but it’s not

enough to tell me where he is.” He turned to head into the kitchen
when a forest opened up in front of him. Diablo gasped. He knew he
was still in the Manchester place because he could see the kitchen.
The forest was a faint image, almost holographic.

And it was familiar as hell. The Hunter had taken Steele to

Diablo’s homeland. He should have thought about that. What other
surroundings would be the perfect place to kill Steele than the place
where almost all the dragon shifters were wiped out?

He had a feeling he wasn’t going to find Steele as quickly as when

the witch had taken his mate. Diablo was getting pretty fucking tired
of everyone kidnapping his dragon heart. The curse was gone and he
should be enjoying his cheetah, not hunting him down after someone
else had kidnapped him.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Paine still pacing the living

room and wondered if he should let the cheetah know. Steele was
already in trouble. Did he want another Avery to possibly suffer at the
hands of the Hunter?

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Paine might get on his last nerve but he didn’t want the guy dead.

Diablo also knew that he couldn’t face the Hunter alone. He was
angry as hell but was smart enough to know that he needed help. He
still had to figure out how to kill the Hunter once he found him.

He needed a way to get to his homeland. Maybe Panahasi had

given him back the power to use portals. Hoping like hell the man
had, Diablo raced up to his bedroom. He had to leave Paine behind. If
anything happened to the cheetah, Steele would never forgive him.

“Where’s the fire?” Reese asked as he walked out of his bedroom.
Diablo sized the man up and then nodded toward his bedroom

door. “I need you to come inside.”

Something sparked in the polar bear’s eyes. “Are you asking me

to watch you and Steele have sex?”

Diablo cocked his head as he studied Reese. “Why would you ask

me something like that?”

Reese gave a low chuckle as he headed toward Diablo’s room.

“No reason at all, my friend.”

Did Diablo really want to know? Not really. Some things were

best left unasked. Whatever happened before him and Steele mated
was none of his business. He definitely did not want to know about
Steele’s past lovers. That thought was enough to add fuel to his rage.

“So what is it that you need?”
“I need you to help me rescue Steele from the Hunter,” Diablo

answered as he threw his hand out and was relieved as hell when a
portal opened up. Panahasi may not be there to help him, but the man
hadn’t left Diablo totally helpless.

Reese’s eyes scanned over the portal, his expression telling Diablo

that he was mulling things over in his head. Diablo was wasting
precious seconds, but his instincts told him not to go alone. After
what felt like forever, Reese finally nodded. “Let’s go rescue the
cheetah.”

“Seriously?” Paine said from the doorway. “You were just going

to leave me behind? I knew I didn’t like you.”

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113

“You can’t go, Paine.”
“The hell I can’t!”
Diablo sighed. He really didn’t need this right now. “If anything

happens to you—”

“It will be on my head,” Paine said. “My safety is not your

concern. I have just as much right to rescue Steele as you do.”

Diablo hoped like hell the stubborn cheetah didn’t get killed. He

already had enough to worry about. The only thing he knew about the
Hunter was that the creature was a killing machine as far as dragon
shifters were concerned. There would be no reasoning and there
would be no compromising.

One of them was going to die and Diablo was determined to make

sure it wasn’t him. He hadn’t hidden in the demon realm for twelve
hundred years only to have his head lopped off. That wasn’t going to
happen.

“Remember those words, Paine,” Diablo said, “because if you get

hurt, Steele is not coming after me.”

The three fell through the portal, landing on solid ground. Paine

rolled to his knees and vomited as Reese groaned while holding his
head. Diablo knew the portal took some getting used to. Pushing to
his feet, Diablo glanced around. He knew he was in the right place
because the connection between him and Steele was stronger now.

“Let’s move out,” Diablo said.
“Just as soon as I’m done tossing my cookies,” Paine said as he

spit on the ground. “I think I’ll take a cab back when this is all over.”

Diablo chuckled. “That will be one long-ass ride, my friend.”
Paine got to his feet and then began to rub his arms. “Damn, it’s

cold. Where the hell are we?”

“Far from Kansas, Dorothy,” Diablo answered as he began to

walk, following the connection he had with Steele. He hadn’t seen his
home in over twelve hundred years but had visited twice in the last
month. Although he wasn’t complaining at the breathtaking sights, it
would’ve been nice to revisit the place under better circumstances.

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“It’s not cold,” Reese said to Paine. “It feels great out here.”
“That’s because you’re a polar bear. I’m a cheetah, used to

warmer climates.” Paine trudged alongside them. Although the man
was complaining, he was keeping up. Diablo entered the forest, his
senses on full alert. He still hadn’t figured out how to defeat the
Hunter and hoped like hell he figured it out soon.

What he wouldn’t give for a sword made of the Valeryn steel. It

was the strongest metal forged and used by his race when they were
thriving. He knew the Hunter could be killed considering the one who
had his mate was the last in existence. Diablo just wished he knew
how the others had died.

It would be a handy trick to know right about now.
They walked for hours, moving deeper and deeper into the lair of

the Hunter. A dull ache was throbbing at the back of Diablo’s skull,
telling him that he was getting real close. He spotted a cave up ahead
and groaned.

Why couldn’t bad guys hide out at a five-star hotel? Why did it

have to be a dark and dank cave? Hell, he would even settle for a
rough-and-tumble club rather than this dismal place. Since he didn’t
know the layout, the Hunter had the upper hand.

That didn’t settle well with Diablo. He felt as though he were

walking into a trap. If things went south, he didn’t know all the exits.
As they approached the mouth of the cave, Diablo spotted something
shiny hidden in the brush. He moved closer to investigate.

“Please tell me we are not going in there,” Paine said, unable to

hide the small amount of tension in his tone. “I forgot my spelunking
gear at home.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to bring you along,” Diablo

said as he moved closer to the brush. “I can’t ensure your safety,
Paine.”

As the cheetah complained about not needing a babysitter, Diablo

moved the thick branches out of the way and gasped. He had wanted a

Forged in Steele

115

sword, had wished for one in his mind, and here it lay. Diablo was
going to really hate when Panahasi took these powers back.

They were pretty damn sweet.
He pulled the heavy sword from the ground and then turned

toward the cave.

“Do you know how to use that?” Reese asked as he advanced

forward with Diablo.

Diablo gave a curt nod. “I was trained by the best.” Although it

had been too long since Diablo had wielded a sword. He was pretty
sure the lessons would come back to him. He hoped like hell they did.

They moved along the tunnel, a light and stale air fanning toward

them. Feeling the subtle breeze told Diablo that there was more than
one exit. He had a feeling he would need that knowledge.

The tunnel opened up into a large chamber, a fire pit in the middle

of the room. Diablo spotted a steel door built into the side of one wall.
That was where Steele was being held. He could feel it. Diablo just
wasn’t sure about crossing the open area. This was going a little too
easily.

“I don’t like this.” Paine whispered Diablo’s thoughts. “Where is

the Hunter?”

“Don’t be so anxious to meet him,” Reese said before glancing

over at Diablo. “Go get Steele from that cell. We’ll watch your back.”

Diablo nodded and quickly crossed the room, sliding the two large

bolts back and swinging open the door. His mate was curled up into a
ball, lying on his side. Diablo’s heart leapt at the sight. Was his mate
hurt? Steele wasn’t dead. He knew this because Diablo wasn’t going
insane.

He quickly closed the distance, setting the sword on the ground as

he lifted his mate’s head. “Are you hurt, hjertet mitt drage?” Relief
flooded him when Steele’s cat-green eyes stared up at him.

Why in the hell did his mate look pissed?

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“No,” Steele answered as he sat up. Diablo examined the shackles

and then used the sword to break the chains. The shackles still
remained in place, but Steele was no longer tethered to the wall.

“We must go.” Diablo tried to pull his mate to his feet but Steele

yanked his hand away. He was truly stumped at Steele’s behavior.
“What is wrong with you?”

“Me?” Steele asked between gritted teeth. “I’ll show you what’s

wrong with me.” His mate carefully stood and then reached down into
his pants. Diablo’s head tilted to the side, his brows dipping low as he
wondered what his mate was doing.

Steele could’ve grown a second head and Diablo wouldn’t have

been as surprised as he was now when his mate presented him with
their dragon egg. He swallowed past the lump in his throat as he
stared at the wondrous sight.

And then fear slammed into him. Since the curse, every egg

produced by a dragon shifter had been either an empty shell or the
young fetus dragon was stillborn. Diablo wasn’t sure if he could take
it if his son or daughter died inside this egg. He now knew what fear
truly meant.

But the curse had been lifted. Did this mean there was a chance

that he and Steele were going to have the first dragon born in over
twelve hundred years? This made their situation a thousand times
more dangerous.

If the Hunter found out…
“Care to tell me about this?” Steele asked as he pushed the egg

back down into his pants. For someone who knew nothing about
giving birth to a dragon, Steele had the intelligence to keep the egg
warm. But his mate’s tone hadn’t gone unnoticed. The cheetah was
beyond angry.

“I didn’t know it was possible,” Diablo answered honestly. “No

male has ever produced an egg.” And no dragon shifter had ever had
an egg in human form. Diablo glanced over Steele’s body. “How did
you have it?”

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117

“Dude, you don’t even want to know.” Steele started walking

toward the door, albeit a little awkward and slow. Diablo’s protective
instincts doubled, knowing he not only had a mate to protect, but his
unborn child as well.

If the egg successfully hatched, it would bring new hope to the

remaining dragon shifters. It would mean that his race would not die
out. Diablo would die to protect the future of his race.

“Your little Hunter was a very chatty man,” Steele said as they

moved toward the door. “He told me that even though the witch was
captured, he was created to kill every last dragon shifter and that’s
why he didn’t die when the demon leader lifted the curse.”

That explained a lot. Too bad the Hunter hadn’t told Steele how to

kill the bastard. “Whatever you do, keep our egg safe.”

Steele grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving forward. His

mate didn’t say a word, just stared into Diablo’s eyes. There was a
wealth of emotions swimming in Steele’s cat-green irises. Reaching
out, he cupped his mate’s face. “I love you, hjertet mitt drage. We’ll
get through this and our child will be safe.”

His mate nodded, his eyes shimmering as he swallowed audibly.

Diablo placed a light kiss on Steele’s lips, breathing the cheetah’s
scent in before turning back toward the door. “Whatever happens, I
want you to make a run for it. Do not try to fight. Your number one
priority is to get our unborn child out of here.”

“How?” Steele asked.
Diablo threw his hand out to open a portal but nothing happened.

He tried again with the same results. “The Hunter must be blocking
my powers.”

“Then we need to get out of here before he comes back.” Steele

nudged Diablo toward the door. They stepped out into the open area,
Reese and Paine waiting for them. Paine gave Steele a quick hug
before they traveled back through the tunnel.

Diablo had thought that luck was on his side until they emerged

from the cave, the Hunter heading toward them. Diablo pushed Steele

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toward the other two shifters as he raised his sword and began a fierce
battle.

The Hunter matched him stroke for stroke, their blades echoing

through the forest as they clashed. Diablo’s skills were rusty, but his
lessons were coming back to him. He fought with savagery, his
determination as solid and unyielding as the Valeryn steel he was
fighting with.

When the Hunter swung his blade toward Diablo’s stomach,

Diablo jumped back and countered the move. He wanted to shout in
triumph when the sharp tip of his blade sliced across the Hunter’s
abdomen, blood oozing from the wound.

If the son of a bitch bled, then he could die. Diablo doubled his

efforts, his sword effortlessly slicing through the air, hitting its mark
continuously. The battle was hard fought, swords clashed, grunts
sounded, and Diablo unsure if he was going to win until the Hunter
made a fatal mistake and left his throat vulnerable.

Without hesitation or mercy, Diablo spun, gliding the blade across

the Hunter’s throat. As the creature went down, Diablo gasped for air.
He was getting too old for this shit. All he wanted to do was go back
to the Manchester place, settle down with Steele, and raise their baby.

Fuck all this fighting bullshit.
Diablo walked over to where the Hunter had fallen, raised his

blade, and beheaded the bastard. He wasn’t taking any chances. When
the body suddenly caught fire, Diablo quickly jerked back.

He threw his sword to the ground and walked over to his mate,

enveloping Steele in his arms. “Let’s go home.”

* * * *

“He’s overdue,” Steele said as he paced the bedroom. The dragon

egg was nestled in a pile of blankets, situated under a heating lamp.
“Why hasn’t he emerged yet?”

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119

Dr. Sheehan had talked them into letting him ultrasound the egg.

It hadn’t been an easy task. The shell was a lot thicker than an
ordinary egg, but the doctor managed. He not only told Steele and
Diablo that the fetus was doing just fine, but that they were having a
son.

“Relax,” Diablo said as he leaned against the wall. “Children are

not on a set schedule when being born.”

Steele waved a hand toward Diablo. “How the hell can you be so

calm?” He was ready to pull his hair out. His nerves felt raw and
exposed. Steele was a damn mess and Diablo stood there all calm and
composed.

He wanted to smack the man.
“At least I can be here for his birth,” Paine said. All of the shifters

in the house had gathered in the bedroom, waiting. “You still haven’t
told me how you laid that egg.”

Steele glared at his brother. “And you’ll never know.”
Paine laughed. “My money says—”
Everyone grew still when the egg wobbled slightly. Diablo and

Steele hurried toward the small nest they had created. His mate
pressed his hand into the small of Steele’s back as they watched their
son slowly break free.

It was the strangest and most beautiful sight Steele had ever seen.

The youngling was green in color and made a small squawking sound
as he tumbled forward onto the blankets. Diablo reached out and
lifted their son into his hand. He was no bigger than two of Diablo’s
fingers, but his mate had told him that the young dragon would grow
quickly and be able to shift into his human form within a matter of
days.

“He’s cute,” Recker said as he moved forward to get a closer look.

“Small as hell, too.”

“What’s his name?” Ryker asked.
“Kahl,” Steele replied proudly as he stared at his son. His entire

body quivered when Diablo turned and handed him the youngling.

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Steele was terrified the babe was going to fall from his hand. He
quickly took a seat on the floor, cupping the young dragon tenderly.

“Congrats,” everyone said as they slowly trickled from the room.

Steele knew that the doctor would be here soon to examine Kahl. But
for now, he enjoyed the bonding between him, Diablo, and their
newborn son.

His mate wrapped an arm around his shoulder, kissing him lightly

on the temple as Kahl curled up on Steele’s hand. This may be the
strangest moment in his life, but the proudest as well. He was now a
father, mated, and his mate had managed to sell his business, buying
into the Lucky Clover.

Steele was now a bartender there. It was a much better option than

the movie theater. He was able to work with his mate and he didn’t
have to smell popcorn all night. Everything seemed to finally be
coming together.

Kahl burped and a small plume of smoke billowed from his

mouth. Steele chuckled as he ran a knuckle gently over his son’s
back. “He’s perfect.”

Steele glanced at Diablo to see love shining in the dragon shifter’s

beautiful lilac eyes. Diablo was the most handsome guy on the face of
the earth and the man was all his. He swallowed roughly at the
thought that he had nearly lost his mate when he pushed him away.
Thank the heavens Diablo had forgiven him.

He now had the best life a man could ask for. It hadn’t been easy

getting to this point, but it was well worth it.

“Let’s get Kahl fed,” Diablo said as he pushed to his feet. Steele

handed their son over before getting up as well. He wrapped his arms
around his mate, kissing him fiercely on the lips.

Diablo looked puzzled. “What was that for?”
“For never giving up on me,” Steele replied. “And for teaching me

how to accept who I was meant to be.”

Diablo gave Steele a sexy half smile, making Steele’s heart melt

and his groin ache.

Forged in Steele

121

“You are my hjertet mitt drage, my dragon heart—my moon and

stars. You have given me more than I could have ever given you.”
Diablo held Kahl higher in his hand as if to prove his point. “But I
will find out how you laid his egg.”

“Maybe one day,” Steele said as he winked at his mate and then

followed Diablo downstairs to feed their newborn son.

THE END

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