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The Exiled 1

Nazaryth

When Nazaryth finally finds his mate, the clock starts ticking. He
has only a few short days to claim Theo before the mating heat

drives him insane. By day one he is ready to throw Theo down and
rut him like a wild beast. But Theo is refusing Nazaryth, claiming
that his mate died years before.

Theo has mourned the loss of his mate, Dorian, for twenty years.
He takes things day to day, trying his best to find happiness

again. But when a large and handsome stranger claims to be
Theo's mate, he runs the other way. There is no way Nazaryth is

his mate, and Theo is out to prove the man wrong.

When Theo is taken by the hounds of hell, Nazaryth isn’t far

behind in rescuing Theo. But what the commander of the winged
beasts finds instead shocks him to his core.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter

Length: 36,671 words

NAZARYTH

The Exiled 1

Lynn Hagen

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

NAZARYTH
Copyright © 2012 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-494-3

First E-book Publication: February 2012

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

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
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Letter to Readers

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NAZARYTH

The Exiled 1

LYNN HAGEN

Chapter One

Theo leaned against the counter, talking with a few of the mates

when he noticed the man who seemed to make him forget his own
name sitting at the bar. Theo hadn’t remembered him walking in but
could feel the man boring a hole in his back with his eyes.

He talked a few more minutes with Toby and Jasper before

excusing himself. He didn’t want to seem desperate, so he grabbed a
hand towel, tossed it over his shoulder, and took another patron’s
order first. The stall tactics may have been working to delay him
rushing over, but they didn’t help his hardened cock or his racing
heart.

Finally, after Theo thought enough time had passed, he sauntered

over. He was hard-pressed not to look the man straight in his eyes. He
knew the stranger would see the longing, and Theo wasn’t going to
put himself out there like that again. Once was enough to keep his
heart guarded, and he knew this man would steal his heart if he
allowed him.

“Michelob?” Theo asked with a steady voice.
The stranger’s sexy-as-sin lips pulled back into a smile that Theo

could only describe as wicked. He nodded his head as his eyes openly

Lynn Hagen

assessed Theo’s body. He could feel his body flush at the blatant
perusal.

Theo grabbed the beer, popping the cap and setting it on the

counter. “Name’s Theo.” He didn’t dare hold his hand out for a shake.
Theo feared touching the man and losing control.

The man gave Theo a low and erotic chuckle as he lifted the beer

from the counter. “I know who you are.”

Right. It’s not like his name wasn’t over the door. Theo felt kind

of foolish as he stood there for a moment with a blank mind.

“I am Nazaryth,” the man said as he slid his hand across the bar,

palm up.

Theo wasn’t so sure he should take the man’s hand. His gut told

him to run as far away from Nazaryth as possible. Against his better
judgment, Theo slid his hand into the stranger’s and gasped as images
assailed him.

The stranger leaned in closely, pressing his lips to Theo’s ear. “I

am the leader of the Winged Beasts of Zanthar, and you, Theo, are my
mate.”

Theo pulled his hand back, his head snapping around to see if

anyone had witnessed the exchange. No one seemed to be paying
them any attention, but Theo felt as though the whole room was
watching him. He stared into the man’s dark eyes, wondering if the
guy had lost his mind.

To hear the word mate again was a blow to his mind. He never

thought to hear the word again applied to him. After his mate’s
senseless murder it had taken ten years for Theo to get past his
mourning, another five for the numbness to finally wear off to where
Theo actually cared about another being. He had finally taken joy in
life, if only day-to-day.

Now this man sat here and claimed to be Theo’s mate?
“You have the wrong person, buddy,” he snarled as he grabbed

the hand towel and slung it over his shoulder, angered that anyone

Nazaryth 9

would put such a claim to him. “I don’t care who you claim to be.
You’re not my mate. He died a long time ago.”

“I am aware of Dorian,” the man spoke low, his voice a touch

gravelly as sympathy shimmered in his eyes. Theo didn’t want
sympathy from this handsome stranger. He wanted to be left alone.
The longer he thought about it, the more pissed he became that this
man would even speak Dorian’s name.

Theo spun around, glaring at the man sitting at the bar in his

tavern claiming to know his long-dead mate. His Dorian. “Get out.”

The man pushed away from the bar, giving Theo a slight but

arrogant nod. “I’ll go. But rest assured, I’ll be back.”

Of that, Theo had no doubt. The man seemed inflated enough to

do just that. Theo watched Nazaryth walk out of the front door, a
sense of loss immediately following the man’s departure. It was
insane that he would feel anything other than lust toward the guy.
Nazaryth was not his mate. There was no pull, nothing to indicate
otherwise. So why was he wanting to run after the man? Theo wasn’t
sure. There should be no sense of loss in him.

There was only a hard cock and horniness. As it should be. No,

Theo was imagining the need to make the man come back.

The guy was off his fucking rocker. Theo glared at the man’s

broad shoulders as Nazaryth left his tavern. How did Nazaryth even
know about Dorian? He hadn’t spoken his deceased mate’s name
aloud in almost a decade, and only in the darkest of night when he
was alone. Theo had never told anyone Dorian’s name, not even when
he was mourning his loss. It had hurt too badly to say the man’s
name.

Even thinking about Dorian right now hurt like a bitch. His

stomach instantly tied into knots, and Theo was on the verge of tears.
He cleared his throat as his eyes scanned the tavern, wondering if a
day would ever come when he could think of his mate without pain.

No, Nazaryth was not his mate and would never be. That part of

his heart was dead, along with his mate, and no other would ever

Lynn Hagen

claim it. There was definitely an attraction, a strong one to that hot ass
man, but it wasn’t a pull. Theo had been mated already. There was no
second time around.

“You okay?” Torem asked as he took a seat.
Theo watched the door for a moment more and then nodded.

“Yeah.” He had to shake off the empty feeling. Theo guarded against
negative feelings that threatened to send him back into his dark
depression.

“Someone giving you problems? You know I’ll take care of

anyone fucking with you, Theo.”

And Theo appreciated the gesture. He just wasn’t sure Torem

would be able to help him out with this problem. “No, I’m fine,” Theo
lied as he shook his head as he walked away.

* * * *

Nazaryth swung his leg over his motorcycle, glancing at the

tavern for a moment longer before starting his bike and pulling away.
After a lifetime of searching, he had finally found his mate. If the
shifter thought he was going to toss Nazaryth out on his ass that
easily, Theo had another thing coming.

“Did you tell him?” Dog asked as his bike drove up next to

Nazaryth’s on Route 14. He wasn’t sure how Dog knew where he
was, but he should have known the man wouldn’t be too far behind.
Dog had served him well over the past twenty centuries, always at his
side, the first to jump in and fight when chaos reigned.

The guy was lethal when it came to fighting, but he was also on

the quiet side, and Nazaryth knew those were the ones to watch out
for.

“Yeah. And he jumped for joy,” Nazaryth said sarcastically as he

sped up. He knew what was coming. “Right before he kicked me out,”
he said into the com-link built into his helmet.

Nazaryth 11

He could hear Dog’s hoots of laughter as Nazaryth clenched his

jaw tightly. He was glad his best friend found it so damn funny. He,
on the other hand, did not.

“He’ll give in. Of that I’m sure. Who could resist any of us?” Dog

teased in his calm and deadly voice. Nazaryth shook his head at the
bantering as he glided down the country road, heading back up into
the mountains that lay east of Pride Pack Valley.

Nazaryth never thought he would find his zaterio, his mate,

especially in a small town such as this one. He had stopped into
Theo’s Bar and Grill on his way home and discovered his destiny
behind the bar serving drinks. It had taken every ounce of self-control
Nazaryth had not to pull his zaterio from the bar and take him home
where he belonged.

Theo was a shifter. He was not aware of the customs of

Nazaryth’s people. He was going to find out soon though. There was
no way Nazaryth was going to allow his zaterio to get away from
him. Time was of the essence, and Nazaryth had a small window of
time, two days, before the mating heat became so unbearable that he
would wish for death if he didn’t claim Theo in that allotted time.

It really sucked some days to be a winged beast.
After a few hours, Nazaryth saw the small access road leading to

the base of the mountain. He and Dog turned off of Route 14, heading
in that direction. He didn’t like the feeling he was getting. They were
coming up on their two-thousand-year anniversary of being exiled,
and something always happened on the winged beasts’ anniversary.

Too bad it wasn’t flowers and a dinner.
No, King Zephyr would send the winged beasts a special gift to

remind them of their banishment. The gift occurred every century,
and they were coming up on their twentieth. Nazaryth had to admit,
the king was creative.

“You feel that?” Dog asked from his com-link.
“Yeah. The king is up to something.” Nazaryth swung his bike

around a large storage shed. It was roughly forty-by-forty in size.

Lynn Hagen

Anyone who saw it would think it was a long-ago-deserted small
hangar, and that was exactly what the winged beasts wanted.
Nazaryth had placed spells around the small building—a gift from his
friend Boromyr—making anyone who came near feel a need to get
away fast. So far, since they discovered this place a couple centuries
back, the defense had worked.

Hopefully Zephyr didn’t blow down their house of cards. The

rank bastard would do it just to piss Nazaryth off. Nazaryth came to a
stop and slid his hand inside his leather, hitting the remote that opened
the bay door.

Home sweet home.
He rode inside the building, parking his bike in a row of many as

he cut the engine and removed his helmet. Dog rode in behind him,
parking right next to him. Nazaryth hung his helmet up on the hook
on the wall as he sauntered over to the back wall. “I don’t want to
hear any shit from you. You’re not allowed to tell anyone about
Theo,” he warned Dog.

The man snickered as he hung his helmet. “What’s wrong, boss?

You don’t want anyone to know you were put out of the tavern on
your ass?”

Nazaryth growled at Dog’s laughter. The man was as loyal as they

came, but his sense of humor sucked. Dog was the type to have your
back while teasing the shit out of a person for getting into the mess in
the first place. “Fuck off. He did not put me out on my ass.” Nazaryth
snorted at the truth. “I walked out on my own.”

This only made Dog laugh harder as they hit the code on the side

of a long-dead panel, or so anyone who managed to get past their
defenses would think. The back wall slid open to reveal a well-lit
passageway that led upward into the winged beasts’ home.

“That may be just as bad.” Dog hooted with laughter.
Nazaryth ignored him as he jogged up the carved-out stairs and

stepped into the cavernous room. He grunted when he saw Tyson

Nazaryth 13

sitting on the couch watching some old black-and-white movie. That
man was addicted to those classics.

“How’d it go?” Vydeck asked as he walked out of the kitchen. He

had a large mixing bowl in one hand, his finger swiping around the
rim.

“He got tossed out on his ass,” Dog said as he dropped down on

the couch next to Tyson.

“Thanks.” Nazaryth curled his lip up as he walked over to his

desk.

“Seriously?” Vydeck asked, staring at him with a despondent look

on his face. “Tell me it ain’t so.”

“Why do you look so hopeless? It wasn’t your mate that told you

to piss off.” The more Nazaryth thought about it, the angrier he
became. Theo was his zaterio, and that should have mattered to the
man.

From what Nazaryth had learned, shifters could feel some sort of

pull when they found their other halves. It was different with winged
beasts. They were created, not born. There was no pull, no instant
need to be with the other. Winged beasts could just feel their zaterio
in their very bones.

“If he’s turning you down, then what chance do we have?”

Vydeck asked before shoving his finger into his mouth, a look of pure
bliss on his face.

“Stop riding his jock.” Tyson tossed a Nerf football at Vydeck,

who dodged the flying missile. “Not everyone drops to their knees
around Nazaryth.”

Vydeck smirked at Tyson. “I’ve never dropped to my knees in

front of him, but I hear you’re pretty good at it.”

Nazaryth rolled his eyes. He’d never had sex with any of these

men, but they loved to fuck with each other, each stating that the other
man had. He would never understand them. There was nothing special
about him to cause these men to tease each other like this, but when
you lived as long as they had, shit got boring.

Lynn Hagen

“Have you guys felt anything in the air lately?” Nazaryth asked as

he sat back, tucking his hands behind his head.

“No, but I’ve been looking out for some sort of sign,” Vydeck

said as he leaned against the doorframe leading to the kitchen. “It’s
our twentieth-century anniversary. Zephyr will try something. He
isn’t the type to let bygones be bygones.”

There was a strange vibe all around them. Nazaryth could feel it.

He just wished he could see it. He hated anticipation and the
unknown. It made a man jumpy as hell. “Where is everyone?”

Tyson shrugged. “Out.”
No shit. Nazaryth had gathered that much by their empty home.

“Silo was supposed to debug my laptop. It doesn’t look like he’s done
it yet,” Nazaryth grumbled when the page wouldn’t load.

“He also said that we were buried in a mountain, so getting

satellite in here was iffy at best,” Vydeck reminded him. “He’s out
getting something to enhance the reception, or at least that’s what he
said. I’m not too sure what the guy is talking about half the time.”

Nazaryth slapped his laptop closed and reclined back in his chair,

thoughts of his mate stealing his attention. Theo was one gorgeous ass
man. Nazaryth had never met someone with such pretty amber eyes
before. Not on a man at least. He wondered if those eyes would beg
prettily as Nazaryth fucked Theo until his zaterio was singing his
name. Just the thought of having Theo under him was making him hot
and horny. He was ready to go back to that damn tavern and have it
out with the man for his right to claim him.

Nazaryth held back the groan when he thought of fucking Theo’s

tight little ass. It would be magnificent. He just knew it.

“Hey, Nazaryth.” Trap smiled as he walked into the living area

from the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Nazaryth had known this
place would be perfect when he scouted the area a few hundred years
ago. Finding a castle already built into the side of a mountain was
perfect. He could see why the previous occupant had it built. There
was an ever-present mist that surrounded the front of the castle,

Nazaryth 15

blocking any view from the ground below. The only thing to indicate
anyone was around was the hangar, and it looked long-ago
abandoned.

But living in the side of a mountain had its disadvantages

though—like no fucking signal for his laptop.

“Wolf told me to tell you that he had heard a rumor about some

disturbances to the west of us. He and Layne went to go check it out.”

Nazaryth sat forward, the front legs of the chair slamming against

the marble floor. “What rumors?” Theo was west of here. Why hadn’t
he heard any rumors? Nazaryth was out of his seat and heading for the
door before Trap could finish speaking.

“Rumors that there is unrest within the shifter community. He

thinks it’s Zephyr,” Trap called out as Nazaryth ran down the steps
that led to the building below them and his bike. He hadn’t felt
anything when he was at the tavern, but his mate had distracted him.
He should have known better than to let Theo take all of his attention.

Things went bad fast when Nazaryth wasn’t on constant vigil.
Dammit.
“Need company?” Dog called from the top of the carved-out

steps.

“Not this time, Dog.” Nazaryth grabbed the keys to his bike from

the hidden compartment in the wall of the hangar and jumped onto his
bike, starting it as he hit the remote to open the bay door. He gunned
the motor and then shot out of there, remembering at the last second
to close the door.

If the king were truly causing trouble as he did every one hundred

years, then Nazaryth needed to make sure that Theo was not caught in
the middle of it.

If the king banished them two thousand years ago because he

thought the winged beasts were a threat to his throne, then Zephyr
hadn’t seen shit yet if he fucked with Theo. The guardians who had
sworn to protect any king that held the throne were tossed out of
paradise. The newly crowned king had decided to be a piss-poor

Lynn Hagen

leader and he didn’t want anyone to stop him from ruling with an iron
fist. His first order of business, get rid of the beasts that upheld
justice.

Fucker.

* * * *

Theo laughed as Sammy, Trevor and Knox’s mate, and Tristan,

Quinn and Hunter’s mate, danced on the dance floor. Those two
didn’t have an ounce of rhythm combined. They made quite the
spectacle as they flounced around, but it was all in good fun.

It honestly hurt sometimes to watch the mated men in his tavern.

It only reminded Theo of what he had lost so long ago. But Theo had
learned to deal with the pain of being alone, taking it one day at a
time.

Besides, owning a tavern kept Theo from being secluded. He

knew in his heart that Dorian wouldn’t have wanted him to waste
away, but to enjoy his life the best he could. So Theo had bought a
tavern, thinking that being around people would help combat his
depression.

Most of the time it worked. Theo kept busy with his customers.

But it was times like this, when he saw the raw love on the men’s
faces as they gazed at their mates making a spectacle of themselves,
that Theo felt his gut twist into a knot of longing for his dead mate.

“I’ll have another beer,” Dino, the foreman who had built Zeus’s

new home, said as he took a seat at the bar.

“Coming right up.” Theo reached below the counter and pulled

out a cold beer, handing it to Dino. He noticed two men sitting at one
of the back tables, watching Sammy and Tristan dance. But Theo
wasn’t stupid. He knew who those men were really watching, and it
wasn’t the small mates.

He smiled at Dino as he took the ten from the foreman’s hand, and

then walked over to the register. He could feel the strangers staring a

Nazaryth 17

hole into his back. Theo gave Dino his change and chanced a glance.
The two men were staring right at him, not hiding the fact that he was
their main interest. One inclined his head, giving Theo a lecherous
smile.

He wasn’t sure who they were, but every instinct in him said to

stay the hell away from them. They looked like they were up to no
good, and Theo didn’t plan on getting caught up in any plans they
might have. He just hoped they weren’t stupid enough to be here in
hopes of robbing the place. The tavern was packed with shifters and
otherworldly creatures who would tear each one of those men a new
asshole.

Theo walked around the horseshoe-shaped bar and took a few

more orders as he kept one eye on the suspicious men. Theo tried to
focus his senses on the two strangers, but with this many people in the
tavern, it was impossible.

He grabbed a Budweiser from below the bar and then straightened

to hand it to Knox when he noticed no one in the tavern was moving.
His eyes darted around to see people in various poses, but no one
moved a muscle, as if frozen.

His eyes caught movement to his left. It was the two men who had

been watching him all night. They loped toward him, hellfire grins on
their faces.

“So, you’re the one?” one of them said as they approached the

bar. “You don’t look like much to me.”

Theo wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t even sure he knew what

the hell the man was talking about. What did he mean the one? He
never saw either man before in his life, so he hadn’t a clue how to
respond.

He stood there stuck in a detached daze as he glanced at the

people he’d known for years standing still as statues. The hairs on the
back of his neck stood on end as his eyes darted over to the two men
who stopped a few feet from the counter.

Lynn Hagen

“I think Nazaryth will comply when he finds out we have him,”

one said to the other, as if Theo wasn’t standing right there listening
to them. He caught the gist of what they were saying, though. They
planned to use him to get at Nazaryth. Theo wasn’t sure what shit
Nazaryth was caught up in, but he wasn’t going to be used as a pawn.

Why did hot guys always have trouble at their heels?
“I would suggest you come willingly. You really don’t want to

piss us off,” one of the men said right before he shifted into the
biggest fucking dog Theo had ever laid eyes on. There was no way
this dog was a normal shifter or one of those pets humans kept. His
canines were twice the normal size of what a dog’s should be, and his
massive paws held claws the size of…hell, they were big and scary.

Theo didn’t know what he should do. He tilted his head, studying

the man’s face from behind the bar. “What are you?” he asked the one
still in human form.

“I work for someone who hates Nazaryth with every breath he

takes. I can’t say I blame him. Nazaryth thinks he’s above everyone
else, untouchable. He needs to be brought to heal. And you are just
the one to make the great commander submit.”

Somehow Theo couldn’t envision Nazaryth submitting to anyone.

The man seemed larger than life, a force to be reckoned with. That
was the impression Theo got when he had talked briefly to Nazaryth.

The man seemed to ooze primal authority. Theo glanced down at

the dog as it stood there growling at him. There was no way he could
get past either of these beings if he made a run for the door.

His heart was beating so fast that Theo feared it would explode in

his chest as he stared at the dog’s big ass canines that dripped with
saliva.

“We are infernus incolae, hell dwellers, or more commonly

known as the hounds of hell. We were summoned to teach Nazaryth a
lesson.” The man walked a few steps closer, making Theo’s heart race
harder behind his chest. Somehow he knew he wasn’t going to make
it out of his tavern alive. The only consoling thought Theo had was

Nazaryth 19

that he would finally be with Dorian. He closed his eyes and nodded,
resigning himself to whatever these two were about to do to him.

“Wise choice,” the one still in human form said as he walked

slowly around the counter, coming behind it to take Theo away.

I love you, Dorian.
Theo turned and followed the man, walking to the door with the

dog at his other side. The large claws clicked on the wooden floor,
reminding Theo of the sheer size of those claws and what sort of
destruction they could bring.

He felt regret that he would no longer be around his friends, never

get to say good-bye to them, as they weaved their way through the
still-frozen patrons to the front door.

Theo’s head snapped up when the entrance door slammed open, a

creature of utter beauty standing there. He was massive in size, and
his skin was bloodred in color, reminding Theo of the sun setting in
the horizon. The creature had eyes the color of whiskey and black
hair, matching thick lashes surrounding his stunning eyes. But it was
the fangs in his mouth that drew Theo’s attention. They gleamed in
the tavern light, looking razor-sharp.

The amazing creature’s eyes locked onto Theo as a loud growl

rumbled from his vast chest. “A wise man knows when darkness is
upon him.”

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Two

Nazaryth was enraged when he saw Rythicam and Morbius

walking Theo out of the tavern. So this was what the king had
planned. He summoned the scum of the underworld to come after his
mate? Even for Zephyr, that was low.

“Step down, Nazaryth. You know once we are summoned, we

complete our mission,” Rythicam said as he stepped closer to Theo.
“It’s nothing personal.”

Was he serious? “It’s very personal. Step away from him.”

Nazaryth took a step into the bar, his wings clearing the doorway and
then expanding to their full five-foot span. He knew Theo couldn’t
see them, but the hounds were one of the rare creatures that could.
Morbius shifted back into his human form, smirking at Nazaryth. He
cursed under his breath knowing that the dwellers were now on the
other side of the veil, being summoned here by the king.

Getting them back where they belonged would be next to

impossible now. They would keep coming after Theo until they had
his zaterio in their clutches.

That threat alone was asking for a major ass kicking.
“Still so arrogant.”
Nazaryth watched the two as he moved an inch closer to Theo.

The hounds couldn’t be trusted, and Nazaryth wasn’t taking any
chances with his mate. They had already tortured one of Pride Pack
Valley’s residents. The doctor, Max, had nearly lost his mind until
Nazaryth came in to fight the hound. Normally only Zantharians
could see the hounds, but now that they were in the human realm,
everyone would be able to see them. Not good.

Nazaryth 21

“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t even think about it. He agreed to come with us.

We are not forcing him. Even if we were, you know you couldn’t stop
us anyway,” Rythicam said with triumph in his voice.

Nazaryth’s arms fell back as he roared loudly. What the hounds

forgot was that the winged beasts didn’t follow the dwellers’ rules. If
Nazaryth had been a hound, then there would have been nothing he
could have done since Theo agreed. But he wasn’t.

God love loopholes.
Nazaryth pulled the serrated knives from the sheaths strapped to

his thighs, flipping them upside down and lining them up with his
arms. He circled around the hounds as he assessed Theo quickly. His
zaterio didn’t look harmed.

He knew why Theo had agreed to go with these two. Not too

many creatures resisted the hounds. They were menacing and deadly
looking as it was, but when they shifted, even angels pissed
themselves. Nazaryth didn’t have that reaction to them. He knew
them too well. Dealing with the hounds on occasion had dulled his
fear of them, and there weren’t too many beings that Nazaryth feared.

“Shift, Theo,” he commanded gently as his eyes darted between

Rythicam and Morbius.

Theo looked frightened as he stared at Nazaryth. “I–I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t, Theo?” Nazaryth asked as he tilted his head to

the side, hearing the crack as he rolled his shoulders. He didn’t dare
call Theo his zaterio in front to Rythicam and Morbius.

If the king found out who Theo was to him, that Nazaryth had

found his mate, the town would be flooded with hounds. The King of
Zanthar—Zephyr deserved that title no more than a pig did—had
played with the winged beast thus far. But if mates started showing
up, the king would call a full-fledged war against Nazaryth and his
people.

He had a feeling Zephyr knew, and that was why the hounds were

here. To sniff Theo out and bring him back to the king so Zephyr

Lynn Hagen

could torture the truth out of the shifter. Nazaryth wasn’t going to let
that happen.

The winged beasts were scattered all over the world, trying their

best to stay off of Zephyr’s radar. The king gave the other beasts no
thought. His hard-on was for Nazaryth and his crew.

Nazaryth glanced to his right, seeing one of the frozen patrons

close by. His first priority was getting Theo out of here safely, but he
didn’t want any innocents to be harmed.

“Why are you so interested in this man?” Rythicam asked. “What

makes him so special that you would fight us out in the open for all to
witness?”

Rythicam was trying to make Nazaryth admit who Theo was to

him. Did the dog really think he was that stupid? He would never
deny Theo to anyone. Nazaryth was proud that Theo was his. But
admitting it to these two morons would be deadly for his zaterio.

Nazaryth felt the sweat trickle down his body as the room came to

life. He lunged, scoring Morbius’s skin with his knife as he kicked at
Rythicam. His arm wrapped around Theo as he pulled his mate
outside with him, the hounds close on his heels. Nazaryth had no
choice but to sprint ahead and then leap, taking flight.

Normally the beasts tried to stay on the ground. Having a human,

or even a paranormal, spot them was never a good thing. All they
would see was a man flying in the air. And for the people who
occasionally spotted them, well, Nazaryth was sure psychology
sessions were made for those people.

“Oh my god, what are you?” Theo yelled as he clung tightly to

Nazaryth. They were in a dire situation, but Nazaryth couldn’t help
but take comfort as his mate wrapped his body around his. He finally
had his zaterio in his arms, even if the man was scared shitless.

He looked down to see Rythicam and Morbius shift and then try

their best to follow Nazaryth on all four paws.

Not gonna happen.

Nazaryth 23

Nazaryth veered to the right, away from his home, to throw the

hounds off of his trail. No one, not even the king, knew the exact
location of the winged beasts’ home. They could feel him within
twenty miles of where he was, but the spells he placed all around the
mountain they currently resided in would block out any revealing
spell.

“Is it too late to tell you that I’m afraid of heights?” Theo asked as

he buried his face further into Nazaryth’s neck.

Nazaryth chuckled. “A little, zaterio.”
“What does that word mean?”
“Mate.”
Theo’s body became rigid. “Don’t call me that,” he said with

contempt and pain in his voice.

Nazaryth wanted to comfort the man, but at this altitude, that was

impossible. He flew higher, reaching a ledge on a mountain that was
in the opposite direction of his home. Nazaryth would rest for a while
before heading toward the safety of his mountain. He needed to get
the hounds off of his trail and make sure his mate was safe. They
landed gently, Theo still clinging to him.

“You are safe, za—Theo.” Nazaryth quickly caught the title

before it slipped from his lips. He knew it would take time for Theo to
get over the death of the man he loved. Nazaryth wasn’t sure how
Theo had mated prior to him. A winged beast had only one zaterio.
He’d never heard of a chosen one having the ability to mate someone
else. It was very strange. He wanted to ask Theo if he was sure Dorian
had been his mate, but he knew questioning him wasn’t a wise move
at the moment.

It also didn’t set well with him that Theo’s heart was with another,

even if the other was no longer around.

Theo released his death grip on Nazaryth, glancing around as he

ran his hand over his beautiful black hair. “Uh, we’re on top of a
mountain.”

Nazaryth grinned as he looked around. “Very good observation.”

Lynn Hagen

Theo shot a glare at him before taking a step closer to the edge,

craning his neck to see over the edge without actually getting close.
“Although we’re on solid ground, I’d like it to be a little lower,
please.”

Nazaryth chuckled as he shook his head, enjoying the small

reprieve he had with his mate. This was the first real conversation
they shared, and he was enjoying it. “Not until the hounds have gone
another way.”

“What are you?” Theo asked as he walked away from the edge,

eyeing Nazaryth suspiciously.

“You cannot see them, but I have wings that span from my

shoulders to my feet, fangs of a vampire, and the strength of one
hundred men.”

“So you’re a mutt?”
Nazaryth bristled at the term. “I am not a mutt!”
“You just said that you’re a vampire,” Theo pointed out. “With

some kind of freaky-deaky wing thing going on.”

Nazaryth growled low as he stepped closer, leaning in so there

was no mistake about Theo hearing him. “I also drink blood to sustain
my life and know every single erogenous zone on the male body.” He
leaned back, but not before nipping Theo’s ear. He could hear his
mate panting heavily as he took a step back.

“W–What exactly are you again?” Theo asked as he swallowed

hard.

Nazaryth took a seat on a large boulder as he stared off into the

mountains, the sun setting low over the horizon as he pulled one leg
up and rested it on the large rock. “We are a race of vampires created
by the gods to guard the King of Zanthar. The gods gave us wings to
make us a little more palatable. When King Zephyr was appointed to
the throne, I knew right away that he was pure evil. He also knew
right away that I wasn’t going to sit on my ass and watch him ruin the
race of Zanthar. He had all one thousand of the winged beasts exiled

Nazaryth 25

from Zanthar so he could rule any way he wished without
interference.”

Theo nodded his head, but his amber-colored eyes looked lost as

hell. “So why didn’t you just kick his ass and get another king?”

If it were only that simple. “When appointed king, a being is

gifted with powers that make him superior to all others. We had no
choice but to leave. And just to remind us that he hasn’t forgotten
about the winged beasts, or me in particular, every one hundred years
he stirs up trouble.”

“And those things back there?” Theo asked as he pointed down

toward Pride Pack Valley.

“Those are hell dwellers, or hounds of hell. They thrive off of

misery and chaos. Apparently Zephyr has found out that I have found
my zaterio and has decided to send those hounds in to kill you.”

“I’m not your mate!”
Nazaryth ignored Theo’s outburst. He wasn’t going to keep

arguing the point. Theo would soon find out that Dorian hadn’t been
his true mate and that Nazaryth was. Until then, he planned on
keeping Theo as safe as possible.

As he gazed at Theo’s strong male features, he couldn’t help but

wonder how Zephyr had found out about Theo. He had only had
contact with the man twice. There should be no way the bastard knew
anything about Theo.

However he found out, Nazaryth knew his duty was to keep Theo

safe, even if the man fought him every step of the way. The hounds
were relentless and wouldn’t give up so easily. It just sucked that
Nazaryth was going to have to tell Theo that he could never go back
to his old way of life.

Working in the tavern wasn’t an option any longer.
“You ready to get out of here?” he asked as he walked closer to

Theo. His zaterio watched him approach, his body coiled to run, but
being on the top of a cliff, there really weren’t too many places the
guy could go.

Lynn Hagen

Theo snapped his head around and looked back toward the cliff

edge, fear evident in his amber eyes. “Do we have to fly out of here?”

Nazaryth twisted his lips to the side and just stared at Theo.
“That’s what I thought,” Theo said as he swallowed hard. “Can

we do this as quickly as possible?”

That request Nazaryth could deliver. He pulled Theo into his

arms, relishing the feel of the man’s toned body pressed against his as
he took flight.

* * * *

Theo breathed a sigh of relief when their feet finally hit solid

ground again. He wasn’t sure where they were, but it was better than
being higher than the damn clouds. He told Nazaryth that he had a
fear of heights, but the man truly had no clue how much Theo really
feared leaving the ground.

He got dizzy standing on a damn step stool.
It wasn’t a fact he advertised, but it was true nonetheless.
“Where are we?” he asked as he looked at a deserted hangar,

wondering if Nazaryth was nothing more than a nut job. There was
nothing out here except rocks, trees, and more rocks. There wasn’t a
house in sight.

“Home,” Nazaryth answered dryly as he slid his hand inside his

leather, and then the door to the hangar opened. Theo stood there
stunned. There was no way that hangar should have electricity. Theo
didn’t even see any wires running from the damn shed.

“Come on, we need to get inside,” Nazaryth said as he walked

into the interior of the hangar. Theo hesitated. Just because Nazaryth
was some sort of weird vampire that saved him from that humungous
dog, that didn’t mean Theo trusted him.

Hell, it was Nazaryth who the dogs were after.
If it wasn’t for this hot hunk standing in front of him, Theo

wouldn’t even be in this mess. “Where exactly are you taking me?”

Nazaryth 27

Nazaryth turned around, his lips pulled back into a slight smile as

he curled his finger in, walking backward into the hangar. “Come see,
my sexy little zaterio.”

“I’m warning you!” Theo was getting damned tired of correcting

this arrogant bastard. There was no pull, only lust, and Theo was tired
of clarifying who he wasn’t.

“Then stay out there, and let the hounds find you.”
The mention of hounds had Theo hurrying inside. Theo wasn’t

really sure he was seeing things with his own eyes as he looked
around. The inside of the hangar was what one would expect. The
walls were rusty, the windows had a layer of dirt over them so that no
one could see inside, and there was a layer of dust covering every
inch of surface.

What made the reality bizarre was seeing at least ten shiny, brand-

new motorcycles lining one wall to Theo’s left, and two Hummers,
sleek and black, next to them. There was even a small sports car. His
eyes grazed over the hangar, seeing brand-new helmets lining one
wall.

“What exactly do you do?” Theo asked, his eyes grazing over

every single bike. As a man, he appreciated the sleek and beautiful
way all the bikes were made. As a smart man, Theo knew each one of
those beauties cost a mint.

Nazaryth walked over to a panel that had wires sticking out

precariously as he lifted the lid. To his amazement, Nazaryth began to
punch in numbers. There was no way that panel should work. The
damn lid was smashed and barely covering the panel.

“The code is seventy-five, thirty-six,” Nazaryth said as a wall slid

open, revealing a narrow passageway. Curious, Theo stepped forward,
peering inside to see lights lining the passageway. There was a set of
steps that seemed to be carved out of the stone from the mountain.

“This is only the surface. The living quarters are above.”
Above? He had to go up? Theo prayed up wasn’t too damn high.

What was with this guy and heights?

Lynn Hagen

Theo hadn’t failed to notice that Nazaryth never answered his

question about what he did for a living. He also hadn’t failed to notice
that Nazaryth didn’t hesitate with giving Theo the code to his lair.

Glancing around the hangar once more, Theo felt as though

nothing he was seeing was real, like he was dreaming all of this.
When he heard the panel sliding back into place, Theo hurried inside
the passageway.

He saw Nazaryth right before the man disappeared around a turn,

leaving Theo alone in the passageway. He placed his hand on the
wall, feeling solid rock under his palm. This only confirmed that he
was indeed inside a mountain.

“Here goes everything,” Theo muttered quietly as he began to

ascend upward into the unknown. He took it slowly, his steps
measured as he made his way up the stone stairs. As he reached the
top, Theo blinked.

The passageway opened up, leading into a large, spacious room. It

looked like a damn palace. The floors were made of marble, and the
wide-open floor plan was breathtaking as he noticed the murals on
both the walls and ceilings. There was great detail work in the stone
pillars. He also saw modern things. There was furniture, a large flat-
screen television, rugs, art decorating the wall, but no windows, only
a balcony that he could see.

Was this real?
“You must be Theo.” A slightly muscular man jumped up from

the couch with his hand extended. “I’m Silo.”

As Theo opened his mouth to say hello, the man continued. “This

is our home. Right over there”—Silo pointed to the left side of the
room, to a door that sat on the right side of the wall the man was
pointing at—“is the kitchen. Help yourself to anything in there. We
have appliances, so don’t think you have to build a fire to cook,
although I wouldn’t run the microwave and oven at the same time.”
Silo spun around, pointing to an entranceway on the same side of the
room. “And that’s the wing to our sleeping quarters.” His hands

Nazaryth 29

waved in front of his body as Silo continued. “We don’t sleep
together or anything like that. We all have our own room, but you’re
welcome to explore wherever you want. Just give a guy warning
before you wander into any of the bedrooms.”

Theo cocked his head, wondering what drug Silo was taking. The

man reminded Theo of a nerd that tinkered with electronics as Silo
stood in place bouncing. He probably paced manically, talked
excessively, and could fix anything around here. The only contrast to
that theory was that Silo stood taller than Theo and was broad in the
shoulders. Silo was nothing like those small computer geeks that
weighed about one hundred pounds.

“Uh, thanks.” Theo ran his hand over the back of his neck,

wondering if he could explore the place just to get away from Silo.
The man seemed to radiate with untapped energy.

“Anytime,” Silo said as he clapped Theo’s back.
Theo’s head shot around when he heard a low growl. Nazaryth

was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his skin turning that
funky shade of bloodred once more as he bared his fangs.

Silo’s hand quickly left Theo’s shoulder. “Shit, man. Sorry, I

forgot.”

“Don’t forget again,” Nazaryth warned as he walked back into the

kitchen.

“Forget what?” Theo asked.
Silo’s voice dipped low as he leaned close to Theo without

touching him. “Nazaryth has found his zaterio. He has two days to
claim you before the mating heat kicks in and he goes mad.”

Well, shit!

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Three

Nazaryth stood at the kitchen counter, trying his best to give Theo

time to explore his new surroundings. He had let Theo come through
the passageway on his own, and now his mate was in his home, their
home, getting acquainted with the other winged beasts.

He knew Theo needed to take this in baby steps, but the mating

heat was starting to make his skin feel heated, tight, and fucking itchy
as hell. His cock was so hard that he could probably use the damn
thing as a meat tenderizer right now. His fangs itched to sink into
Theo’s soft flesh as Nazaryth held on to the counter with a death grip.

He wasn’t going to force his mate to have sex with him, but hell if

Nazaryth couldn’t smell Theo’s scent all the way in the kitchen. It
was thick, musky, and earthen, making Nazaryth want to run into the
living room and throw his mate to the floor and show him just how a
winged beast mated.

His damn wings were fluttering in the kitchen, ready to wrap

around Theo for the claiming. Get a fucking grip!

That was a very tall order considering Theo’s scent was getting

stronger by the second. He clenched his jaw as Theo walked into the
kitchen, his classic good looks stealing Nazaryth’s breath in his
current condition.

“I wouldn’t suggest coming in here right now,” Nazaryth warned

with a tight growl. “I barely have control at the moment.”

His mate stood in the doorway, his head cocked as he studied

Nazaryth. “Is it the mating heat?”

Nazaryth nodded.

Nazaryth 31

Theo snorted as he tucked his arms over his chest. “It can’t be

because we aren’t mates.”

Nazaryth pushed from the counter, getting directly in Theo’s face

as his fangs extended at his zaterio’s strong scent. “I wouldn’t push
the subject, Theo. Not right now.” He didn’t mean to be so curt with
the shifter, but Nazaryth had never in his life felt anything close to
this. No wonder beasts had gone insane when they couldn’t get to
their zaterios. It felt all consuming, and this was only day one.

The gods must be getting a good laugh right about now.
Theo swallowed as he backed away, giving Nazaryth a nod. “I’ll

go into the other room.”

“Do that.”
As soon as Theo disappeared, Nazaryth stuck his head in the

freezer, desperate to cool his heated skin. It wasn’t working. It was as
if Nazaryth’s skin was in some sort of aphrodisiac state, tingling and
hot, making his blood boil to the point his brain was frying.

“That bad?” Dog asked as he walked into the kitchen. Nazaryth

could see the smirk his best friend wasn’t trying too hard to hide. He
slammed the freezer closed as he walked over to the sink and grabbed
a glass of water.

“Nope.” There was no way he was telling Dog that he felt like he

was being put through a grinder. The man would have too much fun
with that tidbit of information.

“If it gets too bad, I can always toss you into the deep freezer for a

few days.” Dog snickered and then jumped out of the way as
Nazaryth took a swipe at him. He was feeling aggressive as hell, and
Dog was the perfect person he could take it out on. The beast could
hold his own, allowing Nazaryth to rid himself of some of this
aggression.

“Do you really want to go there?” Dog asked as he circled around

Nazaryth. “Because I can spank that ass for you.”

“I highly doubt it, mutt.”

Lynn Hagen

“Oh, using derogatory names, are we?” Dog taunted as he went in

for the kill. The beast slammed into Nazaryth’s midsection, taking
him down. But it didn’t last long. Nazaryth was back on his feet
within seconds, placing Dog in a headlock.

“Bastard,” Dog growled as he swung his body around, breaking

the hold and pinning Nazaryth’s arm behind his back. It was too easy.
Nazaryth had Dog up against the wall, his fangs extended and ready
for attack as his best friend laughed in his face. “Fuck if the mating
heat isn’t eating your brain cells.”

It was true. Nazaryth wasn’t sure what was going on inside his

body, but he wanted it to go away. Never had he felt this way before,
and fuck if he wanted to feel it again. The beast inside of him was
trying to emerge, and his throat was tight for thirst. He wanted to
drink from Theo until the man begged to be fucked.

He shook his head, releasing Dog as he backed away. “I don’t

think I can stay away from him.”

“You better think of something. If you force Theo, the mating

won’t work. You know this.”

Nazaryth’s brain knew this fact, but his body was totally ignoring

it. The gods had a fucked-up sense of humor. If Theo denied him in
any part of the claiming, the bond wouldn’t hold. The gods had been
merciful when creating the winged beasts by allowing them to have
mates, but they also stuck that fucked-up ass clause in there.

Not that Nazaryth would force Theo, but if his mate got mad and

said no, nada. There would be no bond. Nazaryth took a deep and
steadying breath before he left the kitchen. It wouldn’t be so bad if
Theo wasn’t fighting this. If his zaterio would just acknowledge that
they were mates, then Nazaryth could forgo the heat and fuck Theo
into the wall.

He wasn’t going to be that lucky.

* * * *

Nazaryth 33

Theo could see the stress lines forming on Nazaryth’s face as he

walked over to a desk and sat down. There was no way Nazaryth was
faking the funk. His skin was slightly red, and he was sweating
profusely.

Could Nazaryth be his mate?
Theo wasn’t sure what to think. He knew that Dorian had been his

mate. Hadn’t he? He growled at all the doubt now filling him. Never
before had Theo doubted who Dorian had been to him, but seeing
Nazaryth sitting across the room looking as though he were going to
combust at any moment had him delving deeper into his memories.

There had been a pull. Theo remembered that clearly. He had been

drawn to Dorian’s kindness, sweetness, and caring ways. The man
had truly been a work of art. His lost mate hadn’t a cruel bone in his
body.

Theo had loved everything about the man.
And there was also the fact that he didn’t feel any pull with

Nazaryth, just lust. The guy was hot as hell, but Theo wasn’t drawn to
him—other than wanting to have bone-rattling sex with the guy.

How could they be mates?
The only thing Theo felt was horny.
Just as the thought left his head, Nazaryth’s head snapped up, his

eyes narrowing at Theo as if he could scent Theo’s rising libido. The
way the beast was looking at him made Theo feel achy and wanting.

Nazaryth raised his head and sniffed the air once more before his

fangs slid further from their sheaths. Oh yeah, the man could
definitely smell Theo’s lust. The guy cocked a brow at Theo, as if
asking if he wanted to do something about his raging hard-on.

Theo looked away.
He could still feel Nazaryth staring at him.
“Get out.”
Theo stood at Nazaryth’s command until Silo shook his head at

him. “He means us. You stay.”

Lynn Hagen

Theo wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay by the lust-filled, guttural

look blazing in the beast’s eyes. Had Dorian ever given him such a
wanting look before? Theo would have remembered that because his
skin felt as though it was coming to life, humming for just one touch.

“I can smell your lust, zaterio.”
Theo didn’t even bother correcting the man. He was afraid to

contradict anything Nazaryth claimed right now. Raw desire and
lustful need were coming off of the man in waves. Theo felt rooted to
the spot as Nazaryth crossed the room, his walk predatory.

“I–I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That’s right. Play

dumb, you moron.

Nazaryth stopped a foot away, his hand lifting as the back of his

knuckles grazed over Theo’s cheek. The man’s skin was so hot to the
touch that Theo instantly jerked away.

“You feel what you do to me?” Nazaryth asked as he moved an

inch closer. “It will only get worse the longer you make us wait.”

He was blaming Theo for his condition? Theo twisted his lips as

he knocked Nazaryth’s hand away. “Go take a cold shower, bub.”

Nazaryth’s eyes narrowed to slits as a low growl left his chest in a

rumble. “I could lie on an ice shelf right now and melt it. Nothing can
cool me down except sinking into your tight ass.”

Theo’s cock jerked at the crass words. They were turning him on

big-time.

He glanced around, wondering if touring the bedrooms was such a

smart idea, but he needed to get away from Nazaryth. The man was
fucking with his head. Don’t feel sorry for him. He’s not your mate.
He’s the one that got you into this mess in the first place.

“That may be true, but I’m the only one who can keep you safe

now.” Nazaryth growled as he took a step closer. Theo was stunned
that Nazaryth was able to read his thoughts.

“How?”

Nazaryth 35

Nazaryth tossed a hand up in the air as he shook his head. “As

mates, we can talk to each other through a bond that is slowly forming
between us. Now that you are here with me, it will only get stronger.”

“I can’t be your mate,” Theo argued weakly. He was starting to

doubt a lot of things since coming here. Nothing made sense to him,
but he couldn’t refute the evidence standing right in front of him.

Nazaryth was sweating profusely, and his pupils were dilated. His

fangs were extended, and his body was still slightly colored with that
funky bloodred color. But there was one fact that he couldn’t let go
of, one fact that stopped him from believing Nazaryth’s claim. “We
are only allowed one mate, and mine died a long time ago.”

Nazaryth grunted as his lip curled up. Theo could have sworn he

could see right into Nazaryth’s very soul at that moment as the man
waved a hand at him, spinning around and walking back toward his
desk. “I’m tired of arguing the point. As sorry as I am to say this to
you, Dorian was not your mate. I am, and the sooner you accept that,
the sooner we can get past this.”

“How can you know this?” Theo asked heatedly.
“Because there is only one chosen one for each beast, and you are

mine!” Nazaryth’s deep voice boomed off of the walls as his chest
heaved heavily, his fangs showing clearly as his fist pounded the
small desk, making it groan under his protest. “We are given only
one. You could not have been mated before me. That’s impossible!”

Theo was tired of the arguing as well. He spun around, heading

for the steps that would take him out of this insane asylum. He wasn’t
going to stand here and listen to Nazaryth belittle what he had with
Dorian.

As Theo reached the steps, the door slid closed, blocking his exit.

He turned toward Nazaryth, scowling angrily as he pointed at the
impossible man. “Let me out of here.”

“No,” Nazaryth said with no regret in his tone. “You are not safe

to wander around down there. Do you forget that the hounds are after
you?”

Lynn Hagen

There was no way Theo could forget something like that. His skin

still crawled thinking about that big fucking dog in the tavern. “I’d
rather take my chances with Fido.” He could see the instant hurt on
Nazaryth’s face and regretted his words, but Theo was pissed.

Nazaryth was standing there mocking what he had had with

Dorian, and Theo wasn’t going to stand for it. The man had no idea
what they had shared, and he wasn’t going to listen to Nazaryth tear
apart his love for his dead mate.

“He wasn’t your mate.”
“Get the hell out of my head!” Theo shouted as he began to walk

toward the sleeping quarters. He wasn’t sure which room he could use
to lie down in, but he’d take his chances with the other beasts rather
than stand here and listen to Nazaryth’s irritating claim for one more
second.

“Last door on your left.”
Piss off, you arrogant bastard!
A haunting laugh followed Theo as he left the living room in

search of the last door on the left. As Theo walked down the hallway,
he noticed how finely decorated the place truly was. There were thick
stretches of carpet lining the floors, decorative tapestries hanging on
the walls, and thick mahogany wood everywhere the eye could see.

If he hadn’t seen the outside of the place with his own eyes, Theo

would never have guessed they were inside a mountain. The doors
were ornately carved with strange symbols. Theo couldn’t resist. He
stopped and walked to the closest door, running his fingers over the
carvings.

“They are spells Nazaryth placed on this mountain to keep anyone

from finding us,” a man with thick black hair said from across the
hall. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Theo nodded. “What does it say?”
The man walked over to Theo, but kept a small measure of

distance from him. The guy’s fingers traced over the dark wood as he

Nazaryth 37

smiled. “In laymen’s terms it says to stay the fuck away or untold
pain will be brought upon the intruder.”

Theo smiled at the humor in the guy’s voice. “I’m Theo.”
“I know who you are,” the man said with a wry smile. “Name’s

Dog.”

Dog, really? “You don’t turn into one of those dogs I saw in my

tavern, do you?” Because that would really freak Theo out. Seeing
one of those hairy things once was enough for him.

Dog shook his head. “Nah, that was a hound of hell. I’m a winged

beast, big difference.”

“What kind of a beast do you shift into?” Nazaryth hadn’t been

too clear on that point when he had explained to Theo what a winged
beast was and how they came about.

“You saw Nazaryth when he came into the tavern when Morbius

and Rythicam came after you?”

How in the hell did Dog know this? “Yeah?”
“That’s his beast. Only you couldn’t see his wings. I myself turn

into a funky-cool blue color.” Dog chuckled. “The coloring of our
skin when our beasts are unleashed indicates not only our age, but our
rank.”

Interesting. “What does red mean?”
Dog laughed once again. “I thought Nazaryth explained all of this

to you?”

“Not about his coloring.”
Dog leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he

studied Theo. “Red means Nazaryth is the commander over all the
winged beasts. He’ll tell you that he only commands twelve, but don’t
let him fool you. The gods appointed him as our ruler, and that is
what got us kicked out. King Zephyr hated that Nazaryth had that
power, and there was nothing the king could do about it since the
gods gave it to Nazaryth. All winged beasts heed Nazaryth’s call. Not
even Zephyr himself could control the beasts.”

Lynn Hagen

Theo was confused. “But Nazaryth told me that when a king is

appointed, that he has untold powers, stronger than anyone else’s.”

Dog nodded. “True. But the gods gave Nazaryth alone the ability

to rule the beasts. Zephyr has the power to kill us, destroy our race,
but he cannot command us. And that, my friend, is where the king’s
fear lies. Since he couldn’t rule us, he exiled us.”

“So why doesn’t Nazaryth just call all the winged beasts and kick

the king’s ass?” Sounded logical to him.

“Have you not been listening?” Dog asked. “Nazaryth commands

us, but Zephyr has the power to destroy us. Until another ruler takes
the bastard’s place, we’re screwed.”

Theo was starting to get a clear picture of what had taken place in

Zanthar and how truly screwed the beasts were. “So twelve of you
live here?”

“Thirteen,” Dog corrected him. “Don’t forget about the

commander.” He chuckled.

How could Theo forget about the most arrogant man he’d ever

met? Theo listened closely to Dog, seeing the man’s fangs peek out
from under his lip as he spoke.

“There’s Silo. You’ve already met him,” Dog said. “And me.

Then there’s Tyson, Ruthless, Trap, Vydeck, Layne, Nikoli, Trigg,
Renato, Damek, and Wolf. Most of the men are out right now, but
you’ll meet them all eventually.”

Theo knew he wasn’t going to remember half their names. He

wasn’t even sure he would stick around long enough to meet them all.
“How do I get a hound to leave me alone?”

“Die,” Dog answered with a stoic face. “That’s the only way.”
Theo cursed as he realized he was stuck here. He didn’t plan on

dying anytime soon. Not that he was aware of anyway. “Thanks,” he
said blandly as he walked down the hallway.

“Anytime.” Dog chuckled as he disappeared back into the room

he had come out of.

Nazaryth 39

Theo came to the last door on the left and opened it. He stood on

the threshold gaping at the room in front of him. It looked more like a
king should be living here. The room was decorated in dark, rich
colors of hunter green and cobalt blues, with a bed centered in the
middle of it that looked like it could sleep ten men. There were
bookshelves lined with leather-bound books and tables with scrolls
and opened books lying on them. There were even some things Theo
couldn’t put a name to.

The room was magnificent.
Instead of lying down, Theo explored. His fingers ran over the

spines of the books lining the shelves, and then he walked over to one
of the tables that held what looked to be ancient scrolls. He unrolled
one of the scrolls, seeing a language he didn’t recognize.

As he walked around the room, he heard someone enter. They

were quiet, making no sound, but Theo had felt the disturbance in the
air. It was filled with a powerful presence that could only belong to
Nazaryth.

“What language is this?” he asked without turning around.
“Zantharian,” Nazaryth answered as he moved closer. “If you’d

like, I could teach it to you.”

Theo could hear the need in Nazaryth’s tone. He could also detect

that the beast was straining to keep his distance. There was no other
way to think of Nazaryth than a beast. He looked like a man, but Theo
could see past his external façade to what the guy truly was.

“I’d like that,” he replied as his fingers grazed the ancient pages of

an open book. “It looks like a beautiful language.”

“Zymbartudio, zaterio.”
Theo cocked his head, wondering what Nazaryth just said to him.

“Translate.”

Nazaryth actually blushed as he stood in the doorway. It went a

long way in telling Theo that Nazaryth wasn’t just some mighty figure
that dominated any room he entered but a creature that was just as
nervous as he was about all of this.

Lynn Hagen

“You are the beat in my lonely heart, mate,” Nazaryth said with

uncertainty.

Theo’s heart stilled. No one had ever said anything remotely close

to that to him before. It was beautiful. “You honestly believe I’m your
mate, don’t you?”

Nazaryth nodded. “You are my zaterio. Our language is very

simple. With one word we can say many things.”

And Nazaryth had spoken volumes with those two simple words.

He glanced up at the handsome man from under his lashes, wondering
in that moment if Nazaryth was truly his mate. He felt no pull, but the
attraction was growing stronger the longer he was around the beast.

Theo was finding it harder to fight the attraction he was feeling

toward Nazaryth, and that scared him. He swallowed as he turned
toward the man claiming to be what Theo knew Dorian had been. “I
think I’ll lie down.”

Nazaryth 41

Chapter Four

Dog’s head snapped up when the panel next to the television

starting blinking red, indicating they had intruders around the
entrance to the hangar. He pushed from the couch, walking over to the
panel, hitting a few buttons, and bringing the video feed to life.

The camera was mounted in a hidden spot on the side of the

mountain, aiming directly at the entrance to the hangar, showing Dog
who was snooping around. He cursed when he saw Morbius and
Rythicam walking around.

This was just what they didn’t need.
How in the hell did those two find out where the beasts lived?

More importantly, how did the two hounds get past Nazaryth’s
warding spells?

This was not good.
Dog walked briskly down the long hallway, stopping at the last

door on the left. He raised his hand, rapping his knuckles on the
ornately decorated wooden door, waiting for his commander’s bark of
entrance.

Nazaryth opened the door, his eyes narrowing in irritation as he

glared at Dog. “What?” he growled.

“Bad time?”
“Very. What do you want?”
“Oh nothing,” Dog said as he waved toward the living room, “just

some pesky hounds snooping around the hangar.”

“Shit.” Nazaryth pushed past Dog as he stormed down the hallway

toward the monitors. Dog peeked into Nazaryth’s room, seeing Theo
standing there looking puzzled.

Lynn Hagen

“You might as well come with me,” Dog said as he walked away.

“You’re one of us now, so you should know what’s going on.”

Theo didn’t look too happy about Dog’s declaration. But he left

the room to follow behind him anyway. Dog made his way back to
the living room where it seemed every beast was standing, watching
the monitor.

Nazaryth was standing at the panel, tapping the monitor with the

tip of his claw, his lip curled up into a snarl. “How the fuck did those
two find us?” Nazaryth asked more to himself than to the men
standing around him.

“Beats me,” Dog answered, unconcerned as he shrugged. “But

they are here now, so how do you want to deal with this, boss?”

“I want their heads on a goddamn platter,” Nazaryth snapped as

he turned toward the men in the room. “But since that’s impossible,
we need to figure out how they found us and I need to go dig up
stronger spells.”

Dog rubbed his hands together as anticipation of a coming fight

began to build inside of him. “Goody, we get to go play with the
doggies.”

“That’s on the top of my list,” Theo said as he rolled his eyes at

Dog. “But I think I’ll sit back and watch the show instead. Does
anybody have any popcorn?”

Dog laughed as Nazaryth cocked his head. “Seriously? You really

want some popcorn?” Nazaryth asked in amazement.

“What the hell,” Theo answered, “I’ll have something to munch

on as Dog gets his ass handed to him.”

“Hey!” Dog shouted in reply. “What did I ever do to you?”
Theo snickered as he shook his head. “Nothing, but I’d rather

watch you get your ass kicked than go out there myself.”

“I like him already.” Silo chuckled as he and Dog walked toward

the entrance to their home.

Nazaryth 43

“Wait,” Nazaryth said as he glanced back at the monitor. “They

seem to be moving away. There is no need to alert them that we’re
here if they’re just sniffing around.”

Dog plopped back down onto the sofa, tucking his legs under him

as he waited.

“They’re moving away,” Nazaryth said as he clasped his hands

behind his back. “I’m not sure how they got this far or how they
figured out in what direction to search for us, but I wouldn’t put it
past Zephyr to tip them off.”

“I wouldn’t put it past that bastard.” Dog snorted. “Is it me or is

the king becoming crankier in his old age?”

“He’s getting careless, too,” Ruthless said as he dropped down

onto the couch next to Dog. “Has anybody noticed that?”

Dog shook his head. “He’s still pulling bullshit out of his ass, but I

hadn’t noticed anything different, why?”

Ruthless shrugged. “Nothing I can put my finger on, but it seems

King Batshit is losing his touch.”

Nazaryth shook his head in disagreement. “Seems quite the

opposite to me. It seems the man’s getting more accurate as he ages.
And that is not good,” Nazaryth mumbled as his eyes flickered over to
the monitor.

Dog totally agreed with Nazaryth. If Zephyr ever tired of playing

games with them, of taunting them, and decided to take it to the next
level, they were all screwed.

The king may not be able to command them, but he sure as shit

could kill them. And that thought didn’t set too well with Dog.

* * * *

Nazaryth had an uneasy feeling as he studied the monitor. He

watched the two hounds closely. He noticed that they were looking in
all the right places on how to gain entrance into the hangar.

Lynn Hagen

There was no way this was a lucky stumble. The two were pointed

in the right direction. Nazaryth cursed as his eyes quickly shot over to
Theo, seeing the man standing there trying his best to hold it together.
He hated that his zaterio was involved in this, but there was no way
Nazaryth was going to let Theo go.

After so many years of being alone, Nazaryth had finally found

the one person meant only for him, his chosen one, and there was no
way in hell he was going to allow Theo to just walk away from him.

“Keep everything quiet,” Nazaryth warned as he hit a few buttons

on the panel, dimming the lights in their home and cutting power to
things they didn’t need at the moment. The soft glow of the monitor
shone as Nazaryth watched the two hounds run their hands over the
entrance to the hangar, as if they were trying to work out how to get
in.

There was no way they could get in without a remote, but

Nazaryth wasn’t going to rely on that theory alone.

Some people possessed dumb luck.
Besides, these two were resourceful, and he didn’t trust them.
“Are they moving away?” Theo whispered nervously as he moved

closer to Nazaryth.

Nazaryth took the opportunity of his zaterio’s closeness, reaching

his arm out and curling it around Theo’s shoulder, pulling the shorter
man closer to his body, inhaling the strong, musky, earthen scent that
belonged to Theo alone.

“Not yet,” he replied, giving Theo’s shoulder a light squeeze.
“Does this mean we have to move?” Ruthless asked as he crossed

his ankle over his knee. “Because I’ve grown quite fond of this place,
and I finally got my bedroom just the way I like it.”

The side of Nazaryth’s lip pulled back into a smile at the way the

winged beasts reacted to this situation. They were used to battle. They
were used to fighting. It took a lot to put just one ounce of fear in
them.

They didn’t scare easily.

Nazaryth 45

As Nazaryth stood there, Theo close at his side, for the first time

in his life, fear had truly entered Nazaryth, feeling like a lead weight
sitting at the bottom of his stomach. For the first time in Nazaryth’s
life, there was somebody he cared about that he had to protect, that he
had to take care of. Someone he could lose.

The beasts could take care of themselves. They were cunning,

smart, and agile in battle. But Nazaryth knew Theo had none of those
when it came to defending himself against Zephyr or the hounds.

Theo, whether he knew it or not, was relying on Nazaryth to

protect him. “No,” he answered Ruthless, “we don’t have to move. I
just need to place stronger spells around us.” His thumb played over
Theo’s exposed arm, the flesh soft under the pad of his finger.

Nazaryth could feel a slight shiver under his hand, which only

intensified the mating heat. He wasn’t sure how he was able to stand
there so calmly and not take Theo to the floor, rutting out his claim.
But amazingly enough, he held his composure.

“They’re moving away,” Nazaryth confirmed as Theo let out a

sigh of relief. Nazaryth couldn’t do that. They were still too close.
Until he could sift through the ancient scrolls, or make contact with
Boromyr, Nazaryth would stay coiled with apprehension.

“Well, hell then,” Dog said as his hand waved toward the

television. “Turn my goddamn show back on. They’re gone.”

Nazaryth rolled his eyes as he walked away from the monitor,

Theo at his side. “They’re not out of the area yet.”

Theo pulled away, taking a seat on the lounging chair, his warm

body heat instantly leaving Nazaryth. It felt cold and empty without
Theo at his side, but Nazaryth wasn’t going to complain, for now. Not
until he had claimed Theo and made him his.

Then Nazaryth wasn’t going to let the man leave his side.
Walking into the kitchen, Nazaryth took in a deep and calming

breath, exhaling slowly. He could do this. He could handle the mating
heat without jumping Theo’s bones.

Piece of cake.

Lynn Hagen

Nazaryth groaned. Who in the hell was he kidding?
Having Theo so close, not being able to claim the sexy man was

wearing on him, more so than earlier. Not only was his body going
through the mating heat, his beast demanding that Nazaryth take
Theo, but the need to get to know his zaterio, to just hold him,
allowing his fingers to play over Theo’s sensual body, was starting to
cause havoc with his patience.

Nazaryth grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, twisting

the cap off and gulping it down until the bottle concaved, crinkling in
as it emptied.

It didn’t help.
He tossed the bottle into the trash, thinking that there had to be a

way to cool his heated skin. This was insane. It was only the first day,
and Nazaryth felt as though he had been suffering a lifetime with the
heat.

Get a grip!
He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he tried to release

some of the tension from his body. Laying his palms flat on the
counter, he stared at the appliances, trying to exercise some
semblance of control.

“I hate to ask,” Theo said as he stood in the doorway, “but I kind

of haven’t eaten yet today. I know you are a vampire, so I don’t
expect any food here, but do you have some crackers or something I
can nibble on?”

He turned his head to the right, a smile lifting his lips. He had

something Theo could nibble on, but he wasn’t so sure Theo would
consider it food. “I am a vampire,” he agreed, “and I do need blood to
survive, but I can also eat food. Check the cupboard and refrigerator.
There should be plenty of food. Help yourself.”

His eyes stayed locked on Theo, following his mate across the

room. He let out a low groan when Theo opened the fridge and bent
over, gifting Nazaryth with a view of his tight little ass. His fangs

Nazaryth 47

pressed into his lower lip, breaking skin as he watched his mate’s ass
move around.

The guy was seriously out to kill him.
Nazaryth’s fingers curled in as his nails scored his skin. He

glanced away. There was no way he could keep watching Theo and
keep control over his body at the same time.

That wasn’t going to happen.
He could hear the fridge close as Theo brought a few plastic

containers over to the counter, dropping them.

“I see you have root beer and ice cream,” Theo said with a smile.
“Yeah, so?” Nazaryth asked as his brows pulled together in

confusion.

“Are you serious?” Theo gaped at him. “Dude, tell me it ain’t so.

Tell me you’ve never had a root beer float before?”

“No, never,” he said as he turned, leaning into the counter and

tucking his hands over his chest. “I’ve never had a root beer float.”

Theo chuckled as he reached up into the cupboard and grabbed a

glass mug. “How have you been around for so long and never enjoyed
a root beer float before?”

Nazaryth shrugged. “There’s a lot of things I haven’t

experienced.”

“Like what?” Theo asked as he crossed the room, digging through

the freezer and bringing back the vanilla ice cream.

“I was created a full-grown man,” Nazaryth admitted. “I never

had a childhood.” That had always bothered him. He had seen small
human children playing and wondered what it would have been like to
be born as a babe instead of being created as an adult.

“Oh, my god,” Theo said as he scooped the ice cream from the

container and dropped it into the glass mug. “You have missed out on
so much.”

Nazaryth’s heart skipped a beat as he witnessed for the first time

the most gorgeous smile on his mate’s face. He cleared his throat.
“Like what?”

Lynn Hagen

“Jump rope and riding bikes, skinning your knee and drinking

from the hose in the summertime. Trading cards and high school.”
Theo shook his head. “Never mind about high school. You didn’t
miss much there.” He snorted. “And oh, we must not forget the young
adult years. Beer pong!” he sang as he cracked open a can of root beer
and poured the content of the can over the ice cream in the mug.

Nazaryth watched curiously as the root beer bubbled up, creating

a large head of foam. Theo looked through one drawer after another
until his hand snagged something and pulled it out.

“Here we go, a straw.” Theo shoved the straw into the concoction

and then lifted the mug to Nazaryth. “Now you’ve got to try this,”
Theo said as Nazaryth grabbed the mug.

“Drink it through the straw, but watch it,” Theo warned. “If you

drink it too fast and the ice cream makes the root beer too cold, you’ll
get brain freeze.”

“Brain freeze?” Nazaryth asked as he looked from Theo to the

mug. “What the hell is brain freeze?” He wasn’t so sure he liked the
sound of that.

Theo shook his head and he waved his hands in front of him.

“Trust me, you don’t want to find out. Now drink up.”

Nazaryth sniffed at the mug first and then curled his lips around

the straw, taking in a long draft. Damn, this was pretty fucking good.
He sucked on the straw hard, drinking the concoction down, and then
slammed the mug on the counter when sharp pains shot through his
head. He palmed his temples.

What the hell?
“I warned you,” Theo said as he grabbed the mug from the

counter. “I warned you about brain freeze.”

“Is that what this is?” Nazaryth asked as he breathed through the

shooting pain.

“You have to take it slow,” Theo said. “Now do you want to try it

again?” He held the mug up to Nazaryth.

Hell no. “I’ll pass.”

Nazaryth 49

“Your choice.” Theo finished off Nazaryth’s drink.
Nazaryth watched as his mate sucked at the straw, a low moan

slipping past Nazaryth’s lips, imagining Theo’s lips wrapped around
something else that was long and suckable. His cock got even harder.

His cock stayed in a perpetual state of readiness around his

zaterio, but watching Theo’s throat muscles flex as he sucked the
drink down, Nazaryth could feel the front of his jeans wetting with
pre-cum.

Theo’s eyes dropped down to Nazaryth’s groin as his face flushed

a pretty red. He released the straw and sat the mug down. “I–I’m
going to get something to eat,” Theo stammered as he gave Nazaryth
his back.

He wasn’t sure if that was a wise option. Now he was able to gaze

at Theo’s ass, imagining all sorts of things he could do to it as he
licked his dry lips, his heart beating faster. Nazaryth could smell a
hint of arousal coming from his mate and see small echoing thoughts
inside Theo’s head.

His mate was playing a scene in his head of them fucking!
Nazaryth was holding on by a single thread as he watched Theo’s

thoughts play out. He saw what Theo wanted and what his zaterio
liked.

It was becoming too much as Nazaryth forced himself to walk

away. He had to get away from the man before he cracked and did
something that Theo wouldn’t be too happy about.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Five

Theo stood at the counter, tossing some leftovers onto a plate,

feeling relief as soon as Nazaryth left the kitchen. He was finally able
to think clearly without the overwhelming presence of Nazaryth
breathing down his neck.

He had witnessed the wet spot spreading on the front of

Nazaryth’s jeans, and Theo had almost dropped to his knees in front
of the large beast. As he shoved his plate into the microwave, Theo
glanced toward the doorway. When he didn’t see anyone, he pressed
the palm of his hand into his aching erection.

If he didn’t stay away from Nazaryth, Theo knew for a fact that he

would give in to the temptation. There was something so powerful, so
raw and undeniably desirable about Nazaryth that Theo found himself
caving.

He tried to pull up an image of Dorian, of his lost beloved, of his

dead mate. The only image that came to him was of Nazaryth taking
him, fucking him until Theo’s throat was raw from screaming the
man’s name.

“Damn you,” he muttered.
He growled as his fist hit the counter.
Dorian had been his mate.
Nazaryth was not his mate.
Theo was so damn confused.
He pulled the plate from the microwave, his hunger forgotten as

he walked into the living room. “If I’m going to stay here, I’m going
to need some things,” Theo said to Nazaryth as the beast sat at his

Nazaryth 51

desk, scanning through his laptop, acting as if Theo wasn’t standing
right there.

“Done,” Nazaryth said without looking up at him. “Dog, Ruthless,

go to Theo’s home and gather his things.”

“Wait,” Theo said as the two men hopped up. “They can’t just go

into my home.”

Nazaryth closed his laptop, finally glancing up at Theo. “Isn’t that

what you just asked?”

“No,” he replied. “I said that I needed to go get my things, not for

you to send someone to get them.”

Nazaryth stood, his form looming over Theo as his face tightened.

Theo could tell the man was trying to control himself. “It is not safe
for you to be out there. Not with the hounds still on the hunt for you. I
will not risk my zaterio’s life.”

“Stop calling me that!” he shouted in anger. He wasn’t sure where

that erupted from, but the thought of being held a prisoner was pissing
him off. “Now let me go get my things if you insist on keeping me
here.” He knew he was being unreasonable. After all, Nazaryth was
only trying to keep him safe, but confusion and conflicting feelings
toward the beast had him lashing out in anger.

He didn’t know what to think anymore. “Just forget it,” he

grumbled as he walked down the hallway toward Nazaryth’s
bedroom.

“Fine,” Nazaryth said from behind him. “We’ll take the other way

out.” He stormed past Theo, entering the bedroom.

Theo followed, curious.
He saw Nazaryth cross the room, waving his hand in front of a

bookcase. Theo gaped as the bookcase slid aside, revealing a second
way out.

“Just how many escape routes do you have in this place?” Theo

asked as he took a step closer, peering up into the passageway.

Lynn Hagen

“Enough to ensure we’re not trapped in here,” Nazaryth replied.

“We better get going, but I’m warning you now. The hangar isn’t
safe, so we can’t use any vehicles. We have to fly.”

Theo shook his head as he took a step back. “I did tell you about

my enormous fear of heights, right?”

Nazaryth gave one quick nod. “It’s the only option we have right

now. So are we going to gather your things or not?”

“And what are we supposed to do, strap my belongings to our

backs?” Theo asked in a snarky tone.

Nazaryth’s hands quickly waved at the bookcase, and Theo

watched as it slammed back into place, a dark veil falling over the
beast’s face. “Then I guess our trip will have to wait.”

Feeling anger and desire building inside of him, Theo wanted

Nazaryth, wanted him in the worst possible way. Hot, moist heat hung
in the air as Nazaryth walked closer, his whiskey-dark eyes set on
Theo.

He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. Nazaryth was enveloped

in some sort of dark, supreme power that crackled around him as his
skin started taking on that funky red coloring. Theo felt as though the
beast had sucked all of the air out of the room.

Nazaryth’s voice seemed to wash over Theo as he spoke. “If you

don’t want me to take you, I suggest you go back to the living room.”

Theo wasn’t sure if Nazaryth’s reference to take you was leaving

this place or being claimed. He didn’t move. His feet stayed rooted to
the floor. A part of Theo wanted to run from the room, run from the
beast that was consuming him with his eyes.

But a larger part of Theo wanted to prove a point.
If he had sex with Nazaryth, and nothing happened, then that

would prove that they weren’t mates.

There was also the fact that Theo was hornier than hell. But he

was sticking to his first reasoning as to why he was about to beg the
man to fuck him.

Nazaryth 53

Theo pulled his shirt off angrily and tossed it aside. He could see

Nazaryth’s nostrils flare as his lips thinned, sexual hunger springing
into the man’s dark eyes.

Before the bravery fled him, Theo reached down and untied his

boots, kicking them aside, his eyes never leaving Nazaryth’s.

“What are you doing, Theo?” The words were ground out.

“You’re tempting the beast.”

“No,” Theo replied as he tossed the second boot aside. “I’m

proving a point.”

“And what point are you proving?” Nazaryth asked as his fangs

slid from their sheaths.

Theo licked his dry lips at the sight, panting lightly. His bravery

was slowly slipping from him as Nazaryth’s powerful frame loomed
over him. “I–I’m proving that we’re not mates.”

“No,” Nazaryth said as he took a step back. “I won’t have you like

this.”

Theo’s hand stilled on the snap of his jeans as he tilted his head to

the side. “Have me like what?”

“Angry, disbelieving. If you refuse me anytime during the

claiming, the bond will not form.”

Theo smiled as his fingers popped the snap open. “Then I’ll make

sure I don’t refuse you.” He couldn’t deny that he wanted Nazaryth
more than he had wanted any man since Dorian. Not since then had
he desired someone so desperately.

His fingers slowly peeled the zipper down as he bit his bottom lip,

giving Nazaryth a shy grin. Nazaryth’s eyes were glued to Theo’s
fingers, hope and desire swimming in his dark eyes.

“Are you still telling me no?” Theo asked as he slid his fingers

into the waistband of his pants.

Nazaryth shook his head. “If you’re sure you won’t refuse me

anytime during the claiming,” he said heatedly. “I won’t have you
telling me no and breaking the bond.” Nazaryth’s right arm lifted, his
fist slamming into his left shoulder. “I am the commander of the

Lynn Hagen

winged beasts. I am given one zaterio to walk through life with. The
gods made sure I would know you as soon as I found you. There is no
doubt in my mind that you, Theo, are my mate. And unless you go
into the claiming with this knowledge, then it will never work.”

Theo’s smile faltered as his hand stilled.
Nazaryth was so adamant, so sure about his claim that even more

doubt crept into his mind about what he had had with Dorian. This
couldn’t be a ruse. Not with the vehemence in Nazaryth’s eyes. The
man wholeheartedly believed his claim.

Theo nodded. “I believe.”
He slid his pants down, kicking them aside.
Nazaryth growled as he leapt.

* * * *

Nazaryth closed his eyes as he held his zaterio in his arms. He

prayed to the gods that Theo did believe and that he wouldn’t refuse.
His wings spanned out, curling around their bodies, cocooning Theo
in his arms.

He inhaled his mate’s scent, the beast inside of him growling low,

in a dark, deep secret place that told Nazaryth the claiming had begun.
His arms slid down Theo’s back until his hand rested at Theo’s waist.
The warmth of his zaterio’s flesh was intoxicating.

“Has it begun?” Theo asked nervously.
“Yes,” Nazaryth answered as his lips grazed softly over Theo’s

neck, skimming along his throat. Nazaryth didn’t protest when Theo
pushed his shirt up, trying to remove the fabric. Nazaryth lifted his
arms, allowing his chosen one to undress him.

His fingers ran over Theo’s cheek as the man dropped to his

knees, pulling at Nazaryth’s pants. Once his clothes were gone,
Nazaryth pulled Theo back into his arms. The heat of their naked
flesh finally touching unhindered sent fire through every part of his
body.

Nazaryth 55

His cock swelled against Theo’s sinewy abdomen, prodding the

man’s flesh as Nazaryth tilted his zaterio’s head back, capturing his
lips.

The world around Nazaryth faded as he surrendered to Theo

completely. His doubts and reservations were gone, replaced by
contentment and peace.

His zaterio was in his arms, and Nazaryth never planned on letting

Theo go.

Theo pulled away, looking up at Nazaryth with those liquid-amber

eyes that had the ability to make Nazaryth’s heart stop. They had
grown darker with desire as his pink tongue slid across his bottom lip.

“How does a winged beast claim his mate?”
“With the core of his being,” Nazaryth replied as his hands

smoothed down Theo’s skin until they cupped his flared cheeks.
Theo’s head fell back as his eyes began to close, a moan rumbling
from his lips, showing Nazaryth how well Theo would respond to his
touch when he took him.

“You are a beautiful creature,” he said as his knuckles ghosted

over Theo’s throat. Dipping his head, Nazaryth ran his tongue over
Theo’s lips and then slid his tongue into the warm heat of Theo’s
mouth.

Theo’s arms reached up and snaked around Nazaryth’s neck as he

opened wider. Nazaryth was desperate to make sure Theo was
pleasured in every possible way. He pulled Theo harder to his chest,
his zaterio instinctively wrapping his legs around Nazaryth’s waist.
The feel of Theo’s ass resting on his cock had Nazaryth growing
impossibly harder.

“Take me to bed,” Theo shamelessly begged as he pulled his kiss-

swollen lips away from Nazaryth.

“Anything my zaterio wants.”
Nazaryth, with his wings still wrapped around Theo, walked them

to the large bed in the center of the room. He rolled onto the bed,

Lynn Hagen

keeping Theo secure against him as Nazaryth ran the tips of his fangs
over Theo’s throat.

“You want to bite me,” Theo stated.
“I do,” Nazaryth agreed.
A growl ripped from him when Theo tilted his head back,

willingly giving Nazaryth the precious gift of his blood. He reined in
his instincts to pin Theo down and drink until sated. Theo was giving
himself freely. There was no need.

“Take it,” Theo said as he swallowed. “Drink from me.”
Nazaryth licked a path with his tongue from Theo’s collarbone to

his jaw, teasing his zaterio’s skin. “In time.” This was not something
he cared to rush. This was their mating. Nazaryth would take his time
and explore Theo, giving him the ultimate pleasure.

Their breath mingled as Nazaryth stole a few light kisses before

trailing down Theo’s shadowed jaw. The rasp of Theo’s whiskers
scraped Nazaryth’s lips before his tongue continued down Theo’s
smooth neck, his fingers ghosting over Theo’s shoulders, the pads
feeling Theo’s flesh raise in goose bumps.

Theo’s fingers grabbed Nazaryth’s hair, curling into the strands

and tugging as he whimpered. Nazaryth trailed his lips over Theo’s
chest, barely touching flesh, just taking in the overwhelming scent,
pulling it into his lungs where it soaked into his very being.

Nazaryth pressed his hands into the mattress, keeping his weight

off of Theo as his tongue snaked out, circling around the brownish-
pink nipple. His tongue flicked over the tight peak, feeling the nub
grow tighter as the cool air touched the wet skin.

“Please,” Theo begged, his voice raspy and raw.
Nazaryth closed his teeth over the peak, rolling it around before

he kissed the moist flesh and then moved to the other. His beast was
at the surface, his fangs razor-sharp as he nicked Theo’s flesh over his
heart and then ran the tip of his tongue over the nectar.

Sweat broke out on Nazaryth’s body as his limbs shook. Taking

his time, savoring his zaterio’s body, took every ounce of self-control

Nazaryth 57

he possessed. He may be the one with the wings, but Theo was the
true angel. His body was giving, soft, and tasted like the food of gods.

He closed his lips over Theo’s side, laying small, light kisses over

his heated flesh as Nazaryth worked his way down the smooth and
firm body. Theo shuddered under him, his hips grinding into
Nazaryth’s.

As he took Theo’s hot, thick cock into his mouth, his wings shot

out, fluttering and fanning, the mating dust falling on them like fresh,
new snow. It was light, as light as fine dust, but it was a part of the
ritual that would bind them for all eternity.

“Y–You have wings,” Theo stuttered and groaned as Nazaryth’s

tongue ran the length of his engorged cock. Theo declaring that he
could see Nazaryth’s wings only proved that the man was truly his
zaterio.

Nazaryth swallowed Theo’s cock and then pulled back, his hands

landing on Theo’s thighs, spreading them apart as he gazed down at
the man’s beautiful body. He ran his tongue up one thigh and then
down the other, leaving behind a trail of moisture before he
straightened.

Running his fingers over the pre-cum that was leaking from his

body, Nazaryth used it as lubricant, his fingers circling Theo’s hole,
and then he sank two fingers deep.

“Nazaryth,” Theo groaned as his head rolled back, his eyelids

fluttering.

Nazaryth leaned forward, sucking the flesh at Theo’s throat into

his mouth as his tongue laved over the soft skin. The heady
combination of Theo’s scented arousal and the smell of his blood
drove Nazaryth’s beast to the brink.

He needed desperately to taste Theo, to drink from him. Nazaryth

couldn’t hold out any longer as his fangs ached to sink into Theo’s
soft flesh.

In one fluid motion, Nazaryth removed his fingers, bit into Theo’s

jugular, and thrust his cock deep into the man’s body.

Lynn Hagen

“Uh,” Theo grunted loudly as Nazaryth took him, drank from him,

and fell to his zaterio’s desires all at the same time. An erotic
possession took over as Nazaryth circled his arms around Theo’s
body, holding him close as he slid his cock in and out of Theo’s tight
channel. It felt like a tight fist was wrapped around his shaft as
Nazaryth pulled in mouthfuls of Theo’s sweet-tasting blood.

As he pulled his fangs free and licked the wound, he saw his

creation, along with Theo’s birth. Their two lives raced alongside
each other at the speed of light as they played out until they crashed
and intertwined, forever binding them together.

Theo gasped as he reared his head back. His amber eyes had

shifted into a wolf’s eyes as his canines dropped. “My mate,” he said
in shock.

“Yes,” Nazaryth said with joy as he rolled, placing Theo atop him,

his wings wrapping around them to create a private veil as Nazaryth
thrust his hips, driving his cock deep into Theo’s ass.

Theo gazed down at him, breathing harshly through his nose, the

skin between his eyes wrinkled and the bottom of his eyes pushed
upward until Theo’s eyes were almost closed. The possessive
expression on Theo’s face could not only be seen, but felt. His nostrils
flared as his lips thinned, and the white around his amber eyes was
colored bloodshot as moisture built, threatening to spill.

Theo fell forward, sinking his canines into Nazaryth’s shoulder,

claiming him. Nazaryth shouted as his release exploded, bathing his
mate’s silky channel, completing the claiming as Theo’s cum erupted
between them.

“Mine,” Nazaryth growled possessively as he cupped Theo’s face.

“You are my zaterio.”

The tears finally fell as Theo nodded. “As you are mine.”

Nazaryth 59

Chapter Six

“Only twenty minutes, zaterio,” Nazaryth warned as he pointed to

a round greyish rock. “Press that and the entrance will open for you,
allowing you back into our home.” Nazaryth hesitated, his eyes telling
Theo that he didn’t like this.

“I’ll be fine,” he said to Nazaryth as he placed his hands on

Nazaryth’s chest, leaning up and kissing him quickly on the lips.

With reluctance in his eyes, Nazaryth nodded before walking back

down through the passageway, the entrance sliding closed. Theo
looked around. He was on the mountain’s peak, dawn barely a
shadow on the horizon.

Theo spotted a large boulder off to his left. He took a seat, pulling

his legs to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, watching as the
sun began to rise. He had told Nazaryth that he needed time to think,
needed time to clear his head. But Theo also needed time to work out
everything about his relationship with Dorian as well.

Fate gave a were-creature only one mate in one lifetime. But Theo

didn’t know what to think. He could feel the binding taking place with
Nazaryth and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the beast was his
mate.

Boy, had his plan backfired on him.
He had been out to prove that Nazaryth wasn’t his mate, but

instead, he was now bound to the gorgeous man. Not that he was
complaining. Nazaryth would make any man proud to call him his.

But where did that leave Dorian?
Was Dorian ever truly his mate? Theo had felt a pull. He had been

positive at the time, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Lynn Hagen

As he watched the sky lighten, a dusting of pink manifesting,

Theo’s eyes caught movement down the side of the mountain. He
released his legs as they slowly lowered to the ground. His eyes
scanned the area, but he didn’t see anything but rocks and brush.

There. Theo’s eyes locked onto the two hounds in their dog form

sniffing their way up the side of the mountain. He dropped down
behind the boulder he had been sitting on. He was pretty sure he
hadn’t been seen by the two creatures, but if he stayed here, he was
surely going to be found.

“Crap, crap, and double crap,” Theo cursed under his breath as he

scrambled for the entranceway. He crawled over to where Nazaryth
had been standing just a moment ago, but Theo couldn’t remember
which rock his mate had pointed to.

He began to smack every rock he could see, but no passageway

appeared. Quickly crawling back over to the boulder, Theo peeked
above it to see that the dogs were getting closer. Nazaryth wouldn’t be
back for at least fifteen minutes. He would be in deep shit way before
then.

Hell, he was in deep shit now.
Theo ran back over to the area of the passageway, uncertain that

he was even standing in the right spot. Nothing looked familiar to
him.

“Think, dammit,” Theo growled to himself as he dropped down

one more time, his hands hitting everything in sight. He knew he was
running out of time.

There was no way he was going to find the passageway, and he

knew it.

He walked closer to the edge, peering over and seeing he had a

long way down. But what choice did he have? If he didn’t climb
down the other side of the mountain, and quickly, the two hounds
would have him.

Theo knew that they were after him to use him against Nazaryth.

As hard as he had fought Nazaryth about being mates, now that he

Nazaryth 61

knew the truth, or what he could make of the truth, Theo wasn’t going
to let the dogs use him against his mate.

Breathing out a long breath, Theo began his descent down the side

of the mountain. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go once he hit
solid ground, but it was better than staying put and facing those huge
ass dogs.

That wasn’t an option.
He was a grey wolf and an agile fighter, but those things were

fucking huge! He clearly remembered what one of them looked like in
its creature form, and there was no way he would be able to fight two
of them.

Carefully, but quickly, Theo climbed down. Small rocks slid out

of place as Theo held on. His fear of heights almost froze him to the
spot, but his fear of being taken from Nazaryth kept him moving.

His head shot up as he heard a loud bark. Theo looked up the

mountain peak, where just moments before he had been sitting, and
saw the two hounds staring down at him growling.

Oh shit, his time was up.
Theo had to move and move now. He descended quickly,

grabbing onto brush and large rocks that were jutting from the side of
the mountain as he made his way down. He prayed to the gods that he
didn’t fall.

Right about now he could use a set of damn wings.
He would just have to fly with his eyes closed.
Theo wasn’t too sure how well that would work out, but it was

better than sticking around here. He glanced up once more to see the
hounds working their way down, coming after him. Nazaryth had told
him, told everyone in the house that the hounds were only guessing
that the winged beasts lived there.

Now that they spotted Theo, he knew they would be back. Theo

cursed when his ankle twisted as it slipped from one of the jutting
rocks. He was going too fast, and he knew it. But he had no choice.

Lynn Hagen

As he scaled down the side of the mountain, Theo shouted when his
injured ankle slipped.

Before he knew it, he was free-falling.
He slammed his eyes closed, praying his death would be quick.

He felt his body hit something rock hard and solid. His eyes flew
open to see his mate had him as strong arms wrapped around him.

“I have you,” Nazaryth murmured as he flew higher, taking Theo

away from the hounds.

“I’m sorry,” Theo said as he wrapped his arms around Nazaryth’s

neck.

“For what?”
“They were only guessing before, but now they know where we

live,” Theo said as he buried his face in Nazaryth’s neck.

He glanced up when he heard a deep chuckle, his brows pulling

together as he wondered why Nazaryth would be laughing at a time
like this. “You find that funny?” Theo asked.

“No, zaterio,” Nazaryth replied, “but they have to get past the

warding spells to enter our home, and I highly doubt Morbius and
Rythicam are that intelligent.”

Theo wasn’t so sure about that. Now that the hounds knew where

they lived, the dogs would be relentless in their pursuit of finding a
way in.

“I am not worried,” Nazaryth reassured him, his strong arms

squeezing Theo tightly.

“I’m glad you’re not,” Theo said as he refused to look down.

“Now get me on solid ground before I vomit.” He was feeling queasy
as hell. His stomach rolled and flipped as Nazaryth held him close.

“I guess now is the perfect time to gather your things,” Nazaryth

said as he flew toward Theo’s home. “Since we know where the
hounds are, we can gather your things without worry.”

“I still don’t know how we’re going to get my things back to your

place,” Theo said as they finally descended, his feet touching solid
ground.

Nazaryth 63

He would never get used to flying.
Theo winced when he put slight pressure on his injured foot, but

he kept Nazaryth from seeing his painful expression as he walked the
best he could to hide his injury. If the large man knew Theo was hurt,
he wouldn’t let him out of his sight ever again.

But fuck if it didn’t hurt to walk on it.
“Our place,” Nazaryth corrected him. “We can gather what you

want to take and leave it at the tavern. I’ll send one of my men to
retrieve the items.”

Theo knew a compromise when he heard one. “Fine,” he said as

he let himself into the back door of his home. The place wasn’t much.
He hadn’t kept it up since Dorian passed, and not many things
decorated the place. Grabbing a suitcase from the closet, Theo tossed
it on the bed and began to gather his clothes, shoving them into the
suitcase precariously.

Nazaryth walked into the room, carrying an empty box. “I figured

you’d want to put your personal items in here,” he said as he sat the
box on the bed.

“Thanks.” Theo walked to the dresser, grabbing the picture of

Dorian. He ran his hands over the frame, wondering if the man he was
staring at was ever truly his mate. Would fate have given him two
mates? Would fate have felt sorry for him and given him another
chance at happiness?

He would like to think so.
Theo looked over his shoulder at Nazaryth. The beast nodded his

head. “Take it, Theo. You should have some memory of your lost
beloved.”

Theo was shocked. He didn’t know too many men that would

allow their mate to keep a picture of their dead lover. Hell, he didn’t
know any man who would allow such a thing. Theo placed the frame
inside the box and then gathered his photo albums from the bottom
dresser drawer.

Lynn Hagen

Next he grabbed a small throw blanket that his mother had made

him when Theo mated Dorian. He refused to think about Dorian not
being his mate. He pushed it to the back of his mind as he finished
gathering his things.

Looking at the suitcase and the box, Theo realized that he hadn’t

much to take with him. Over the last twenty years he had stopped
caring, and his meager belongings were proof of that.

“Anything else, zaterio?” Nazaryth asked as he grabbed the

suitcase off of the bed.

Theo shook his head. “This is it.” He grabbed the box from the

bed as he and Nazaryth walked out of the home Theo knew he would
never come back to.

“Going somewhere?”
Theo’s head snapped up to see Morbius and Rythicam standing

there at the back door looking smug. How in the hell had they gotten
there so fast? Theo wasn’t sure as he took a step back, his injured foot
throbbing. He sat the box down, not wanting his memorabilia
damaged.

Nazaryth did the same, lowering the suitcase to the ground before

straightening, his wings spanning out as his skin began to change.
Theo could see the beast surfacing and knew they had half a chance.

He shifted into his wolf form as Nazaryth’s fingernails elongated

into long black claws. The hounds shifted as well, snapping and
snarling. One went after Nazaryth as the other bounded toward Theo.

Theo ran further into the backyard, giving himself more room to

fight. The hound was huge, its canines long and thick as the hound
tried to bite into Theo’s neck. He could hear fighting and knew his
mate was battling the other hound, but he couldn’t look up. Theo
couldn’t lose focus. One slip and the hound would have the
advantage.

Theo snapped his jaws, growling out a warning, but that only

seemed to make the dog angrier. They circled each other, both
growling, their lips pulled back, their canines exposed. He may be in

Nazaryth 65

his grey wolf form, but that hadn’t been enough time for his ankle to
heal.

Theo realized this too late when his back leg gave out, giving the

hound the advantage. The hound went in for the kill when Theo went
down, but he rolled, stopping the hound from locking onto his neck,
biting into his shoulder instead.

Theo howled in pain. He scratched, digging his claws into the

dog’s flesh as he tried to break free, but the hound had his canines
embedded into Theo’s flesh.

It felt like his blood was on fire. Theo had fought many times

before in his life, been bitten a time or two, but it had never felt like
this before, like his entire body had been thrown into a pit of fire.

He growled and whimpered as his front paws continued to claw at

the hound. It was useless. The dog had a good lock on him. Just
before Theo passed out, he heard an echoing roar and saw a span of
greyish-white wings as his eyes closed.

* * * *

“Is he alive?” Silo asked as he poked at Theo.
“Of course he’s alive, numbnut. But you won’t be if you keep

poking him,” Dog said from the other side of the bed. “If Nazaryth
sees you touching his zaterio, he’ll skin you alive.”

“I was just checking,” Silo defended.
“Checking what?” Nazaryth asked as he walked into the bedroom

with an ancient book in his hand. Dog grinned as Silo shook his head.
“Nothing.”

“Then I thank you for watching my zaterio, but you can leave

now.”

Silo almost broke his neck trying to run from the room as Dog

walked at a more leisurely pace. “I’ve set up extra cameras around the
perimeter and added motion sensors. We may hear them go off when

Lynn Hagen

a stray coyote passes by, but at least we’ll know when a creature is
close.”

“Thanks,” Nazaryth said as he studied the book.
“How is he?” Dog asked.
Nazaryth looked up, confusion on his face. “Who?”
Dog rolled his eyes. “Your zaterio?”
Nazaryth’s eyes snapped over to Theo as the man rested in the

bed. Dog was amazed how small Theo looked in Nazaryth’s large
bed. As Theo fought his fever, the man looked twice as small as Dog
remembered. His skin was pale, and his legs jerked around restlessly.

“He’s a fighter,” Nazaryth said more to himself. “He’ll pull

through.”

Dog heard the hope in his commander’s voice. Nazaryth wasn’t as

confident as he wanted everyone to believe. Being bitten by a hound
was a torturous experience that left the victim fighting for his life. It
always depended on the person and their pantheon.

Wolves seemed to survive the bite, most of the time anyway, but

the poison always left a lasting imprint. Dog prayed Theo made it
because if the man didn’t…he shivered as he glanced over at
Nazaryth. He so did not want to go down that road.

* * * *

Nazaryth waited until Dog left the room before hurrying over to

kneel on the floor next to the bed. He reached up and stroked his hand
down the side of Theo’s hot, sweaty face. He was more worried than
he had let on with the others. In fact, he was fucking terrified.

Nazaryth knew that Theo was strong enough to fight the hound’s

bite, but half of the battle was wanting to fight it. Theo had to want to
live. And Nazaryth was very afraid that Theo would rather die and be
with Dorian than stay and be with him.

They were mates. He knew that. Theo knew that. But the pull of

his lost love was strong for Theo, so strong that Nazaryth didn’t know

Nazaryth 67

if he had what it took to keep Theo with him. If Theo’s need to be
reunited with Dorian was stronger than his growing feelings for
Nazaryth, they were both lost.

Nazaryth sighed deeply and laid his head on the mattress where he

could watch Theo’s face and glance down every now and again to see
the labored breathing in his chest. His heart ached in a way he hadn’t
experienced in his twenty centuries of life.

And it sucked.
He couldn’t fight this battle for Theo. He couldn’t magically make

him better or make Theo want to live. He just had to sit there and wait
for the outcome and hope that Theo chose him over his dead love.

Nazaryth quickly reached for Theo’s clammy hand when the man

started mumbling and rustling around on the bed. He brought Theo’s
hand to his lips and pressed a small kiss into the palm.

“Please choose me,” he whispered silently as he rubbed Theo’s

hand up and down his cheek. Nazaryth had never begged in his life,
but for Theo, he would. He couldn’t think of anything he wouldn’t do
for his zaterio.

Nazaryth fell back on his ass when Theo suddenly screamed and

arched into the air. He quickly scurried back, trying to hold Theo
down to the bed as he started to thrash around wildly like he was
possessed.

Theo’s eyes snapped open and stared at him. Nazaryth’s jaw

dropped. They were no longer the beautiful amber color that he had
grown to love. Now, they were red rimmed and solid black, no white
in them at all.

“Theo, wha—” Nazaryth had never seen anything like it.
Theo wasn’t—Theo.
Nazaryth scooted back until he hit the wall and covered his ears

when Theo began to scream. It was so high-pitched that Nazaryth felt
like his ears were bleeding. A glass on the nightstand shattered. The
glass covering the framed pictures hanging on the wall fractured.

Lynn Hagen

Nazaryth’s hands slowly fell to his sides. He stood there in shock

as he watched thick black liquid ooze from Theo’s pores. It had a foul
smell, like brimstone and sulfur, with a side of dead flesh added in for
good measure. It was the most noxious thing Nazaryth had ever
smelled, and he had lived through the burning of infected bodies
during the Black Plague.

Nazaryth suddenly knew that he had to get the black stuff off of

his mate. He didn’t know what the black foam was exactly, but it was
imperative that the noxious stuff not touch Theo any longer than it
had to. Nazaryth bounded to his feet and raced over to the bed.

His hands burned when he reached down to grab Theo, and they

got covered in the black shit. Nazaryth gritted his teeth and swept
Theo up in his arms. Everywhere that the black ooze touched burned
like live coals. Nazaryth couldn’t even imagine what it was doing to
Theo.

He paused long enough to kick his door open and call for help

then raced Theo into the bathroom. He held Theo with one arm and
reached down to turn the water on in the tub. Once warm water
started filling the tub, Nazaryth slowly lowered his mate into it and
then began washing him.

Theo didn’t say anything, but his eyes remained locked on

Nazaryth. It was unnerving, especially when they should have been
golden amber, not pitch-black.

“What the fuck is that stench?” Dog snapped as he came running

into the bathroom, his arm covering his nose.

Nazaryth glanced over his shoulder. “I need a cup or something to

wash Theo with.”

Dog stepped closer, his eyebrows shooting up. “Is that coming

from him?”

“Yes,” Nazaryth shouted as he went back to washing Theo. “Now

get me a fucking cup!”

Nazaryth 69

Dog ran out of the room without a word. Nazaryth heard a noise

and noticed that the space Dog had vacated was suddenly filled with
Silo and Ruthless. They looked just as disgusted as Dog had been.

“Can you change the sheets on my bed?” Nazaryth asked. “And

make sure none of that black shit touches your skin. It burns like
hell.”

Silo shrugged. “Makes sense, it comes from the bite of a hell

dweller.”

Nazaryth paused in washing Theo to look at the man. “Do you

know what this shit is?”

“My guess would be the poison being expelled from Theo’s

body.”

Nazaryth’s gaze snapped back to Theo. “The poison is being

expelled from his body?” he whispered. That could only mean one
thing, right? Theo had decided to live. He was fighting. “And his
eyes? Will they remain black?”

“Sorry, dude, I don’t know.”
Nazaryth sighed deeply and went back to washing the black ooze

from Theo’s body. If black eyes meant he got to keep his zaterio, then
he would learn to love black as much as he loved golden-amber eyes.

He’d take Theo any fucking way he could get him.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Seven

As soon as Theo’s eyes opened he grabbed his head and rolled

over, vomiting. What in the hell had he eaten? Theo never
remembered feeling this sick before. And it tasted like he had licked
the bottom of a garbage can in the sweltering heat of summer.

“Get it all out.”
Lord knows he was trying to. The rancid taste was burning his

damn nose. “What did I eat?” Theo asked as he rolled back over,
feeling too weak to get up and rinse his mouth. He wished he could
because the taste was still there, lingering.

“Do you remember what happened?” Nazaryth asked as he ran his

hand over Theo’s hair. “The hounds?”

Theo groaned when he remembered the snarly bastard biting him.

“He did this to me?”

“More precisely, his bite,” Nazaryth answered him as he got up

from the bed, coming back a few moments later with a wet towel and
a glass of water.

“Thanks.” He grabbed the water, swishing it around in his mouth,

and then spit it into the wastebasket Nazaryth held up. Grabbing the
towel, Theo lay back and then draped it over his face. “How did his
bite do this to me?” he asked from under the towel. “I’ve been bitten
by were-creatures before, and this never happened.”

He felt the bed dip, and then Nazaryth took Theo’s hand in his

larger one. “You were bitten by a hell dweller. They are very
poisonous. Some creatures do not survive the bite.”

Theo lifted his head as he pulled the wet cloth away from his face.

“They don’t?”

Nazaryth 71

Nazaryth shook his head.
“You could have shared that tidbit of information before I fought

him.” He dropped his head back down on the pillow, covering his
face once again. Theo felt like someone had used his body for batting
practice. He was sore all over, and what in the hell was that smell?

“There wasn’t time.”
He tried to remain still. His body hurt like hell, and the taste in his

mouth, along with the smell lingering in the bedroom, was putrid,
making him want to vomit again.

“There wasn’t time to tell me from the first moment they

approached me in the tavern? You’re right, forty-eight hours isn’t
nearly enough time to tell me ‘watch out, their bite is poisonous.’”

“I fucked up,” Nazaryth said angrily as the bed shifted, telling

Theo that the beast had left his side. “It won’t happen again. Do you
think I would put my zaterio in danger on purpose?”

Theo’s head began to throb. He really didn’t want to argue. What

was the point? What was done was done. “All right, but please lower
your voice before my head splits in two.”

Nazaryth was back at his side, grabbing Theo’s hand. “What can I

do for you?”

Theo’s head spun with the way Nazaryth turned hot and cold. Did

the man have a split personality? He didn’t think so. This situation
was stressing everyone out, including him as his head pounded a
reminder. “Just let me rest.”

“I’ll have some soup brought in later. Rest, zaterio.” Nazaryth

kissed his temple as he tucked the blankets around Theo.

Theo planned on it, just as soon as he brushed his damn

teeth…with a Brillo Pad.

* * * *

Theo came awake slowly to find himself facedown on the soft

bed. He stared at the floor, waiting for the nausea to kick in. As he

Lynn Hagen

waited he realized he felt ten times better than the first time he had
awakened.

His splitting headache was now just a low throb, and his stomach

felt more stable. The taste was gone from his mouth, and the rancid
smell in the room was no more. Frowning, he rolled to his back and
stared up at the ceiling.

“Careful, zaterio.” Nazaryth’s voice floated to him. Theo looked

around until he saw the beast sitting in a chair across the room. The
image seemed like a contradiction to what Theo had seen already of
the handsome man.

Nazaryth had a book open on his lap, one leg crossed over the

other, and there was a steaming cup sitting on the small table next to
him. The picture Nazaryth painted right now made Theo think of a
strong knight at rest.

“How do you feel?”
Theo moved around, testing his muscles and joints. “Much

better,” he said as he placed his hands on the mattress and pushed
himself up into a sitting position. There were no windows to tell him
what time of day it was. He was beginning to lose track of time inside
this mountain.

Nazaryth closed the book, sitting it on the table next to him. “I’m

sorry I didn’t tell you about the bite.”

Theo shook his head. “I survived it. That’s the important thing.”

And it was. After losing Dorian, the small stuff really didn’t matter to
Theo anymore. He hated arguing and confrontation. He was alive,
breathing, and staring across the room at his mate. That was good
enough for him.

Theo could see how truly sorry Nazaryth was by the strained

expression on his face, the sadness in his dark eyes. “I’m a bit
hungry,” he said.

Nazaryth nodded as he stood. “I’ll go get something for you to

eat.” A few moments later, Nazaryth returned with a tray in his hand.
Theo could see that his mate was really trying. The man was at his

Nazaryth 73

beck and call and was willing to do whatever it took to make him
happy.

After the claiming, Theo knew that Nazaryth was his mate, and he

also knew he needed to cut the man a break. The beast had done
nothing but try and care for him. “Thanks.”

Pushing his back into the headboard, Theo moved his arms aside

as Nazaryth placed the tray on his lap. There was a steaming bowl of
broth and a glass of water on the tray. “I would give you more, but I
don’t think your stomach could handle it right now,” Nazaryth said as
he sat down next to Theo on the bed.

“It smells great,” he replied as he lifted his spoon, blowing across

the top as the steam scattered. He really was feeling a lot better. It
seemed rest was all he truly needed. Theo was even feeling well
enough to fool around, but he knew he needed something in his
stomach first. He took a sip from the spoon as he watched Nazaryth
watching him closely.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one hungry, but he knew Nazaryth

was hungry for something other than food. “Have they come back
around?” he asked as he dipped the spoon into the hot broth once
more.

“No.” Nazaryth shook his head as his eyes followed the spoon’s

progress to Theo’s lips. He wasn’t sure if his mate was aware of his
actions as Nazaryth licked his lips as soon as Theo sucked the spoon
into his mouth. Nazaryth cleared his throat as his gaze fell away.
“And that worries me.”

“How so?” he asked as he sipped at his spoon.
“They know where we are now. They should have been back

trying to tear the mountain down. But nothing has happened.”

“What do you think that means?”
Nazaryth shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. I’m getting a

bad feeling with the silence.” His mate looked down at the blanket,
his fingers tracing small circles around the deep emerald-green

Lynn Hagen

patterns. “Tell me, Theo,” he said and then took a deep breath, but his
mate didn’t continue.

Theo noticed that Nazaryth wouldn’t look at him. He sat his spoon

down onto the tray, waiting. His mate wouldn’t look up at him, so
Theo tapped his finger on the back of Nazaryth’s hand.

“When the fever was with you, had you considered joining

Dorian?”

Theo was surprised by the question. He placed his hand on top of

Nazaryth’s, giving it a gentle squeeze until his mate met his eyes. “I
don’t even remember the fever,” he answered honestly, “but if I had,
there’s no way I would have left you.”

Nazaryth stared at him for a moment, his eyes snapping around

Theo’s face, studying it as uncertainty filled his eyes. He wasn’t sure
if his mate believed him after everything Theo had said about Dorian,
but he told the truth. There was no way he would leave Nazaryth
alone. He knew how that felt, and he wouldn’t wish that upon a man
that had done nothing but care about him.

“The amber coloring has come back,” he said with a smile. Theo

noticed the change of subject and let it go for now.

“What do you mean?” he asked as he finished off his broth.
“Your eyes,” Nazaryth said as he reached up and ran the tips of

his fingers over Theo’s cheeks. “Your eyes had changed to black
rimmed in red. I was afraid I’d never see your beautiful golden-amber
eyes again.”

Theo batted his lashes, knowing he had to break the tension in the

room. “What, these old eyes?” he teased. “You like them?”

Nazaryth chuckled as he nodded. “That I do. They are beautiful

gems.”

Theo placed his hands in his lap, feeling a heated blush creep over

his face. “Why thank you, kind sir.”

His mate reached over, taking the tray from Theo’s lap, walking it

across the room and setting it on a table. “You should rest,” he said as
he turned back toward Theo. “You’ve been through a great ordeal.”

Nazaryth 75

“I’m rested.” Theo could see the guilt once again in his mate’s

eyes. That wouldn’t do. “Now I think I need some loving from my
beast.”

Nazaryth’s eyes widened as he stood there. Theo patted the bed as

he shifted around to make room for his mate. “Come over here, and
I’ll show you what’s hidden under the blanket.”

The beast shook his head back and forth. Theo could see that

Nazaryth wanted him. “You’re weak. You’ve just fought to stay
alive.”

“Now I’m fighting to get fucked?” Theo questioned with a snort

and then changed his tone to a syrupy sweetness. “You know you
want to.”

Theo slid the blanket aside enough to reveal the weeping head of

his cock. “I don’t want to rest.” He pouted, his bottom lip sliding out
as he ran his fingers through the clear liquid and then pulled the
blanket back in place, hiding his erection. “I guess if you don’t want
this,” he said and then licked the clear liquid from his fingers.

Nazaryth was at the bed in record time, peeling his clothes off and

tossing them aside. His beast slid under the covers, his hot body
pressing into Theo’s. “Do you think I would refuse my zaterio?”

“I sure as hell hope not.”
“But you must promise to let me do all of the work.”
Theo was all for that. Whatever it took for his mate to give him

some loving. Hell, he’d agree to be tied down just as long as Nazaryth
filled him. Theo turned, pressing his chest against Nazaryth’s. “Okay,
I’m not moving. Now fuck me.”

Nazaryth grinned as he reached behind Theo and slid a finger up

and down his crease. Theo groaned as he pushed back, trying his best
to get Nazaryth to impale him.

“You’re not supposed to be moving,” Nazaryth reminded him as

he pressed the tip of his finger against Theo’s hole.

Lynn Hagen

“Nazaryth,” Theo begged softly and then cried out his approval

when Nazaryth’s finger sank deep inside of him. “More, I need more.
Please give it to me.”

“You beg so prettily,” Nazaryth crooned as he reached behind

Theo and brought back a small glass bottle. Theo could see that it was
filled with some sort of oil.

“What about lube?” he asked as he watched Nazaryth remove the

glass top.

“This is so much better, zaterio.” Nazaryth dipped his fingers into

the jar and then smoothed them around, coating his thick fingers with
the oil. “Trust me.”

Theo did trust him as he lifted his leg up, placing it on Nazaryth’s

thigh. He bit his lower lip as Nazaryth set the bottle aside and then
turned back toward him. “No moving.”

“I promise,” Theo said as Nazaryth’s finger slid inside of him. He

wasn’t so sure he could keep that promise. He was unable to resist the
demands of his highly aroused body as his back arched and a moan
slipped from his lips.

“You don’t listen very well,” Nazaryth softly reprimanded him.

“Do I need to stop?”

“You stop and I’ll bite you.” Theo growled out his threat.
“I’m hoping you do that anyway,” Nazaryth said as he grinned.

“Now lie still.”

Theo grabbed Nazaryth’s shoulders, trying his best not to move as

his mate’s large fingers stretched him. He moaned, biting his bottom
lip, suppressing the urge to fuck Nazaryth’s thick fingers.

“Does that feel good, zaterio?” Nazaryth asked as he nipped at

Theo’s ear. “Do my fingers please you?”

How in the hell was he supposed to remain still when Nazaryth

started talking dirty to him? The man was asking for the impossible
right now. If he kept up his naughty words, Theo was going to
explode before Nazaryth had a chance to fuck him.

Nazaryth 77

He gasped when Nazaryth rolled Theo to his belly, shoving

another finger into his ass as he kissed him down his spine. “Answer
me, zaterio.”

“I–I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you keep talking that way, game over.”
Nazaryth chuckled against Theo’s skin. “Does it turn you on?”
“Big-time,” he admitted. “So if you want to keep talking dirty,

then you have to do it while your cock is buried in my ass.”

He heard a loud growl coming from behind him. “It seems I’m not

the only one who likes to hear naughty words.”

Theo canted his ass in the air. “Then we can have a full-blown

conversation after you slide your dick into me.”

He grinned when he felt Nazaryth move around, and then his

cheeks parted, the blunt head of Nazaryth’s cock poking at his hole.
“That’s it, beast. Fuck me.”

Nazaryth snarled as he shoved his cock to the root. Theo cried out

from the pleasure as he fisted the sheets. Nazaryth stilled, leaning
close to Theo. “Is this what my zaterio wanted?”

“Hell, yeah.”
“How about this?” Nazaryth asked as he pulled his cock slowly

from Theo’s ass, leaving only the head embedded inside of him. The
action made Nazaryth’s cock slide over every nerve ending, grazing
across his sweet spot. Theo gasped and panted as he nodded.

“Yes.”
“And this?” he asked before slamming his cock back into Theo’s

ass.

“God, yes.”
“It seems you like anything I do to your body.”
Duh. He wasn’t crying out to pass the damn time. Theo dug his

knees into the bed as he raised his ass higher. “Show me what you
have.”

“A challenge?”

Lynn Hagen

“A challenge,” Theo agreed.
Nazaryth leaned back, digging his fingers into Theo’s hips. “You

better hold on, then,” he warned right before he jetted into Theo’s ass,
the sound of skin slapping ringing through the room. Theo’s cock
strained for release as he shouted and begged for more.

He was close, so damn close.
And then Nazaryth stopped.
“More, damn you.”
Nazaryth chuckled. “Again?”
The man was turning out to be a sadistic bastard. He took Theo

right to the edge where he teetered, and then stilled. Theo was ready
to knock the man out. “Dammit!”

“I like to hear you beg me for my cock. It sounds so damn pretty.

Beg me again, Theo.” Nazaryth drew out Theo’s name, making it
sound exotic and sensual. “Beg me to fuck you.”

Theo got to his hands and knees, slamming his ass back onto

Nazaryth’s long and thick length repeatedly as his orgasm built inside
of him.

“No cheating.” Nazaryth gripped Theo’s hips, stilling him.

“You’re not supposed to be moving, zaterio.”

“Then fuck me, dammit.”
“Beg me again.”
Theo pounded his fists into the bed as he gritted his teeth. He may

be ready to throttle his mate, but he wasn’t going to deny that the
game turned him on. “Fuck me, mate.”

The word mate ignited a hailstorm behind him. Nazaryth

hammered into Theo with such force that he almost banged his head
into the headboard. “Again,” Nazaryth commanded.

Grinning, Theo looked over his shoulder, and then his breath

caught in his throat. Nazaryth was perched behind him, his fangs
gleaming in the low light as sweat glistened over his muscled and
deadly body. His wings were fully spanned as his skin was a deep
bloodred.

Nazaryth 79

“I’ll beg all you want if you bite me,” Theo said unsteadily. The

sight of Nazaryth in his beast form was almost Theo’s undoing.

Nazaryth struck, sinking his fangs deep into Theo’s neck as his

pelvis pounded into Theo’s ass. He begged, whimpered, and shouted
his approval as Nazaryth showed Theo how truly masterful he was in
bed.

The electricity shot up his spine, and then Theo’s cock shot his

cum so violently that his head began to pound. He cried out his mate’s
name as Nazaryth punished his entrance. His mate licked the wound
closed and then roared as his seed erupted inside of Theo’s body.

“Goddamn,” Theo panted as he fell toward the bed. “Keep that up

and I just may keep you.”

“That’s my plan,” Nazaryth said as he pulled Theo into his arms,

spooning behind him.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Eight

Theo opened the bedroom door slowly, sticking his head out and

doing a quick check. With a roll of quarters and a tube of dice in his
hands, Theo slid from the room and he closed the door behind him.
Nazaryth had been adamant about Theo staying in bed and getting his
rest.

But he was getting cabin fever. Or was it bedroom fever?
He didn’t want to stay in the bed. That fucking session Nazaryth

had just put him through had knocked Theo out cold for hours. Theo
was rested enough. He knew his body and knew he was fine. It was
childish to sneak out of his room, but Theo was sick to death of lying
in that bed staring at the ceiling.

Theo was used to being around people and being around crowds.

He didn’t like being alone. It was too damn quiet.

He was well rested, so now it was time to get up and show these

men how to have a little fun. Theo poked his head into the living
room, glancing around to make sure he didn’t see his beast anywhere.

When he saw that there was no sign of his mate, Theo grinned. He

stepped into the living room. The men that were gathered there in the
room were either watching the television or sitting off to the side
bullshitting. They turned their heads when Theo appeared in the
doorway.

Holding up the tube in his hand, Theo shook it back and forth as

the contents rattled. “Anybody up for a game of LCR?”

“What’s that?” Dog asked as he jumped up from the sofa,

grabbing the cylinder from Theo’s hand.

Nazaryth 81

“Oh, it’s just a game where I can take all of your money.” He

chuckled and then held up a roll of quarters. “Tell me you guys have
ten dollars in quarters to play with.”

“All right,” Ruthless said as he slapped his hands together,

rubbing them back and forth as he stood. “I’m in. I love taking other
people’s money.”

Theo helped Vydeck and Wolf set up the table, grabbing chairs

from where they could find them. There seemed to be an excited buzz
around the room as everyone gathered around the table. Layne
brought in beers for everyone as Tyson grabbed some snacks.

Running into the kitchen, Theo grabbed a bowl and then set it in

the center of the table. “Okay, listen up,” he said as he held up his
hand. The men quieted down as Theo cleared his throat and
continued. “This is how it’s played.” Theo held up the three dice. “An
L means you give a quarter to the person on your left, an R means the
person on your right, a C means the money goes into the basket in the
center, and the single black dot means you keep your money. Got it?”

Everyone nodded.
“What if you roll more than one letter?” Ruthless asked. Theo

rolled his eyes at the obvious. “Whatever the dice say, do it.”

“What’s the object of the game?” Renato asked.
Theo grinned as he sat the dice down. “The object is, the last

person with a quarter gets the basket. And since there are twelve of
you sitting here, that’s enough money for papa to buy himself a
brand-new hat.”

“What the hell do you need a hat for?” Silo asked as he took a

seat, setting his quarters in front of him.

“Never mind. Let’s get this game started.” Theo sat down and

rolled the dice, letting the game begin.

“Ha!” Ruthless yelled as he jumped up, pointing at Theo’s dice.

“Give me my quarters, baby!”

Lynn Hagen

Theo grunted as he slid two quarters to his right. “That’s all right,

I still have a whole roll of them,” Theo pointed out amusingly. “Bring
it on, buddy.”

As the game went on, the guys around the table were becoming

more rowdy, shouting, laughing, or growling when they won or lost
their money. Theo was having a great time. It had been too long since
he had fun like this. Sadness stabbed inside of him when he realized
the last time he had played this game.

It had been with Dorian and their friends.
Theo knew that playing this game would bring up old memories,

but he wanted to get to know his new family.

And what better way than gambling?
Ruthless’s fist slammed down on the table, making the quarters

and drinks jump as he growled. “Dammit!” he shouted angrily as he
shoved three quarters Theo’s way. Theo chuckled as he rubbed his
hands together.

“Don’t be a baby, loser. I’ll take real good care of your money,”

he teased. “Oh, wait a minute, I meant my money.”

“You won’t have that smug smile on your face when I walk away

with that basket!” Ruthless said as he pointed to the basket in the
center of the table.

“We’ll see about that,” Theo challenged as he rolled the dice.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
Oops.
Everyone stilled as the room fell silent, no one making a sound.

Theo saw Nazaryth glaring at everyone as he stood in the doorway,
his arms over his chest. “Why are you out of bed, zaterio?” Nazaryth
demanded as he walked closer to the table. “You should be resting.
Not out here…” Nazaryth glanced down at the table, his brows pulled
down into a frown. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Oh, dude, you so have got to play this,” Silo said as he stood,

grabbing a chair for Nazaryth.

Nazaryth 83

“Hey, he can’t get in!” Ruthless shouted. “We’re already halfway

through the game.”

“You are so damn competitive,” Theo said as he waved Nazaryth

over to the empty seat. “Chill the hell out. It’s just a game.”

“Says the second most competitive man at this table,” Ruthless

retorted.

“He can get in on five bucks since we’re halfway through the

game,” Silo offered.

Ruthless grunted as he took a seat. Theo wanted to laugh at the

scowl on the man’s face. It was only a game, but Ruthless was dying
to make Theo go down. It was hilarious.

“Get in on what?” Nazaryth asked, looking at Theo in confusion.
Theo leaned up, kissing Nazaryth before tossing an arm over his

shoulder and pointing to the table. “Let me explain how this is
played.”

* * * *

Nazaryth glanced down the table at his mate as Theo picked up

the dice and rolled. Had he ever seen Theo so happy before? The man
wore a smile on his face that lit up his beautiful amber eyes, making
them almost glow. His zaterio looked his way, winking at him.

Nazaryth was stunned by the way Theo was acting. The man

treated the other beasts as if he had known them for years, chiding
them, shouting or laughing at them. It was an amazing sight.

And his men? They were treating Theo like their little brother.

Nazaryth grinned when Theo whooped, shouting about giving papa
his money. He’d rather have his zaterio in bed, resting, but the glow
that surrounded his mate was stunning.

It looked like Theo was having a great time, which pleased

Nazaryth. The only thing he wanted for Theo was to be happy. It
seemed this game was bringing out all kinds of emotions, from not
only his mate, but all the men in the room.

Lynn Hagen

He had no clue how competitive the men truly were, but he was

seeing it firsthand now, and it was actually quite funny.

“God dammit, if I roll one more C, I’m going to knock somebody

out!” Dog yelled as he tossed his quarters in the basket. “Now I only
have four quarters left. What in the hell am I going to do with four
fucking quarters? I can’t do a damn thing with four quarters.”

Damn, and Dog used to be the quiet one.
“Stop crying,” Theo said as he grabbed the dice from Dog.

“Maybe I’ll roll some Ls for you…or maybe not!” He laughed and
then whooped when all three dice showed black, solid dots.

This game was pretty fun. Nazaryth would have to make sure they

played it again. He got up from the table and walked into the kitchen,
tossing his empty beer bottle into the trash and grabbing two cold
ones from the fridge.

He sat one down next to Theo, kissing him on the temple before

taking his seat again.

“I need a beer,” Silo said as he pointed to his empty bottle.
‘Then go fucking get one,” Nazaryth snapped. “What the hell do I

look like, your damn maid?”

“Why does Theo get one?” Silo pouted.
“Because he’s fucking me,” Theo answered for Nazaryth. “That’s

a no-brainer.”

The room erupted with laughter as Nazaryth, for the first time, felt

his face heat with embarrassment. Theo had been so blunt about his
answer. Not that Nazaryth cared what anybody thought, he had just
been caught off guard with his zaterio’s answer.

“Does that explain it?” Nazaryth said as he narrowed his eyes at

Silo.

“Loud and clear,” Silo said as he jumped up and ran to the

kitchen.

Nazaryth rolled the dice when they came his way, tossing his last

quarters into the basket. “Looks like it’s down to you and Ruthless,”

Nazaryth 85

Nazaryth said as he took a long draft of beer, noticing that Theo and
Ruthless were glaring at each other.

“You’re going down!” Theo said as he scooped the dice into his

hand.

“You can only have two dice, Theo. You only have two quarters

left,” Ruthless pointed out.

Theo tossed the extra die into the basket and then blew into his

fist, letting the remaining dice fly. He shouted when he rolled two
black dots.

“Lucky bastard.” Ruthless snarled as Nazaryth growled.
Ruthless’s head shot sideways, his eyes growing wide. “It’s just a

game, man. Just some friendly bantering. I meant nothing by it,” he
said as he swallowed.

“Keep that competitive talk down before I remove your head for

talking that way to my zaterio,” Nazaryth threatened.

“He’s fine,” Theo said nervously and then blew Nazaryth a kiss.

Nazaryth forgot his protest as he saw the apprehension tightening
Theo’s features. He sighed and nodded then focused his glare at
Ruthless.

“Let him say what he wants,” Theo said with a wry grin. “I’m

going to be the one walking away with that basket.”

“Like hell,” Ruthless growled as he grabbed the dice, plucking the

one out of the basket. “I have three quarters, you have two. That
means I’m winning.”

“And the tables could turn oh so quickly,” Theo argued.
Ruthless grabbed the dice, shaking them in his hand when the

perimeter alarm went off. Everyone’s head turned as Nazaryth got up
from the table and walked over to the monitor. “Fucking dogs are
back, and this time they brought some friends.” Nazaryth turned
toward everyone in the room. “Get ready for battle.”

The room cleared, the men going after their weapons, leaving

Theo standing there at the table. A serious expression suddenly came
over Theo’s face. “How many?”

Lynn Hagen

Nazaryth blocked the monitor, not allowing Theo to see the

hounds. “Five in all.”

Theo nodded as he came around the table. “Then I guess we better

get ready.”

“No,” Nazaryth said firmly. “I want you in our room where it’s

safe.”

“Like hell!” Theo argued. “I’m not hiding. Even though their bite

is poisonous to me, I’m not a coward.”

Theo started for the hallway, but Nazaryth blocked his path,

cupping his zaterio’s face. “Theo, please.” Nazaryth was begging for
the first time in his life. “I’m asking you to please stay in our room.”

It was actually the second time. The first would be when Nazaryth

begged Theo to live. But since no one had heard him the first time…

Theo didn’t look too happy about Nazaryth’s request. His zaterio

refused to look at him, his eyes cast downward. Nazaryth hated to see
Theo this way. He wanted to see that brilliant smile back on his face
but knew that it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. He ran the
pads of his thumbs over the stubble lining Theo’s jaw, dipping his
head for a kiss.

Theo finally nodded when Nazaryth pulled away. “But I’m not

staying in our room. I’m going to watch you on the monitor and the
first time I think you’re in too deep, I’m coming out to help.”

Nazaryth wanted to argue, but he could see the resolute expression

in Theo’s amber eyes.

Nothing was going to stop Theo from coming out if he thought

Nazaryth was in trouble. So he just needed to go out there and kick
some ass. That was the only way he was going to keep his zaterio
inside where it was safe.

“Deal,” he said as he took a step back. Theo walked over to the

table, grabbing a chair and bringing it back. He sat down in front of
the monitor, crossing his arms over his chest. Nazaryth wanted to
growl at the man’s stubbornness, but he needed to get outside.

“Tell Ruthless we have a game to finish when he gets back.”

Nazaryth 87

Nazaryth grinned at the obstinate look on Theo’s face. “I’ll tell

him that.” He shot down the hallway, hating that he had to leave Theo
behind as he used the exit in his bedroom to get outside.

He came out on the other side of the mountain, giving him the

advantage as he flew up to the top of the mountain, looking down
toward the hangar. Not only were Morbius and Rythicam there, but
they had three other hounds with them.

Nazaryth leaned over the precipice, listening closely.
“The entrance is around this hangar somewhere,” Morbius said as

he ran his hand over the rusted metal. “We just have to find it.”

“Why don’t we just tear the damn thing down?” one of the hounds

that Nazaryth didn’t recognize asked.

“Because we can’t,” Morbius said in frustration. “Nazaryth has

some sort of warding spell over this damn place.”

“Is that why I feel like turning around and walking away?” the

man asked.

Morbius growled as he cuffed the guy in the back of the head.

“What the fuck do you think? That’s what a warding spell does,
moron. Now figure out a way in. I want his zaterio.”

Nazaryth suppressed a growl when Morbius’s words floated up to

him. If that dweller went anywhere near Theo, he would hang the man
by his own entrails. Nobody was going to get their hands on his
zaterio. He would give his life to ensure that Theo stayed safe.

But he’d rather give Morbius’s instead.
Nazaryth saw the other winged beasts coming out of their private

exits, crouching down low, taking in the scene by the hangar. Dog
glanced over at him, a ruthless smile on his face as he winked at
Nazaryth. “They’re dumber than a box of rocks.” He chuckled.

Normally Nazaryth would agree with his best friend, but Theo

was inside and he didn’t find the situation the least bit funny.
Scooting closer, Nazaryth accidently kicked a rock, sending it
careening down the side of the mountain, alerting all to the beasts’
presence.

Lynn Hagen

The hounds’ heads snapped up as they spotted Nazaryth and his

men. “Why don’t you send your pet out here?” Morbius shouted up to
Nazaryth.

Just as soon as he lay cold and dead on the ground. “Not likely,”

he shouted back.

The hound shrugged, giving Nazaryth a lecherous smile. “Sooner

or later I will have him. Why don’t you save me the time and hand
him over?”

Nazaryth knew that Morbius was antagonizing him, trying to

provoke him into fighting. Nazaryth knew a ploy for distraction when
he saw one. Morbius didn’t really want to fight him, but pull his
attention away from the other hounds trying to get into the hangar.

He wasn’t falling for it, but did need to get them away from the

hangar. Although a remote was needed to get in, once again Nazaryth
agreed that some creatures were born with dumb luck.

“Why don’t you come up here and play?” Dog shouted as he

stood. “I have a long and thick stick up here you can play fetch with.”
He grabbed his crotch as he sneered down at Morbius.

Nazaryth rolled his eyes.
“What?” Dog asked as he released his crotch. “I never claimed to

be a saint.”

Morbius turned a crimson red as his lips thinned and his eyes

narrowed at Dog. “Fuck you.”

“Not even on my most desperate day.” Dog hooted with laughter.

“You ugly fuck,” he added.

Nazaryth listened to the two taunt each other, but he was also

watching the hounds carefully. He saw one of the other hounds that
had accompanied Morbius and Rythicam pull something from his
jacket.

Nazaryth realized what it was too late. The hound opened the

bottle and threw the content toward the hangar, making a hole in his
warding spell. Morbius howled with triumph as the hounds opened
the hangar door.

Nazaryth 89

“Shit!” Nazaryth, along with the other beasts, was down by the

hangar in seconds, fighting the hounds to keep them out. He sent a
silent prayer to the gods that Theo wasn’t stubborn enough to come
racing out of the passageway. A hound’s bite had no effect on a
winged beast, but Nazaryth wasn’t sure Theo would survive a second
one.

Pulling their weapons free, the beasts fought until the three

unknowns were lying in a pool of their own black blood.

Morbius and Rythicam retreated, running off in their hound forms.
“What do you want to do about this?” Tyson asked as he waved at

the broken door. “They have a way in now.”

Nazaryth knew that it could have only been King Zephyr who had

given that hound the counterspell. “I need to go see an old friend.
Move my zaterio to a safer location until I return.” He was going to
pay a visit to the man who had given him the warding spell to see
what he could do about securing his home. Nazaryth wasn’t going to
move. He refused to run.

“Done,” Dog said as the beasts opened the passageway and

descended down the steps. Nazaryth wanted to go to his zaterio and
explain to him what was going on, but he knew Theo a little too well
now. The wolf would argue to go with Nazaryth, but the journey was
dangerous and he wasn’t going to have Theo in harm’s way.

He sighed deeply as he stepped from the hangar, looking up at the

darkened sky before he walked away.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Nine

“Come in,” Ruthless shouted and then hissed as he pressed the

cold, wet cloth into the bite mark on his thigh. If he found out which
hound had bit him, he was going to neuter the bastard. If it wasn’t one
of the dead ones.

It hurt like a bitch.
He glanced up to see Theo entering his bedroom.
Ah shit.
Why was he the one who was going to have to explain to

Nazaryth’s zaterio about where the commander was? Nazaryth hadn’t
come back in with them, and Ruthless had seen the despondent look
on Theo’s face when the men had come back in without Nazaryth.

Ruthless prayed Theo wasn’t about to cry in his bedroom. A

downhearted zaterio he couldn’t handle. He wondered where in the
hell Nazaryth was as he cursed the ugly bastard for not telling Theo
anything before he took off.

He leaned back against his dresser, waiting for Theo to say

something. Theo pointed to Ruthless’s leg. “Are you okay?”

Did he look okay? He had a damn bloody towel pressed against

his leg. “Yeah, it’s just a bite,” he said instead, keeping the sharp
comments to himself.

Theo’s eyes widened. “Are you going to get the fever?” he asked

nervously as he approached Ruthless, squatting down and pushing
Ruthless’s hand away, peeling back the towel. Ruthless’s eyes fell to
Theo’s hands as the guy probed the bite mark.

He wasn’t sure what to say. Nobody had ever cared about his

wounds before. Ruthless had taken care of them himself his whole

Nazaryth 91

life, even stitching his own skin at times. It felt strange having
someone so concerned over a mere bite wound.

He cringed inwardly at the soft feelings he had toward the guy

who he considered a family member now. “I’m fine. The bite doesn’t
affect us like it does others,” he said as he moved his leg away. “What
do you need?” he asked more curtly than he intended.

Theo stood, glancing around Ruthless’s room.
Here it comes.
“Do you know where Nazaryth went?”
Again Ruthless cursed the commander. “I’m not sure,” he

answered honestly.

Theo bit his lip. “Would you have any idea at all?”
“Nazaryth doesn’t answer to anyone,” Ruthless snapped and then

felt guilty when he saw the tears gathering in Theo’s eyes. Dammit,
he wasn’t good with this emotional shit. What did he know about
comforting someone? He had been alone for so many years now that
Ruthless was damn near numb when it came to emotions. The
solitude had robbed him of his compassion, but he was trying for his
commander’s zaterio.

It just sucked like hell.
Why was he the one that Theo had come to? He should have gone

to Dog or Silo, but instead he had picked Ruthless.

Wrong choice.
“Okay,” Theo said as he turned, heading toward the door.
“Wait.” Are you fucking nuts? The guy is leaving. Let him go.

Ruthless sighed as he sat down on the side of his bed, pressing the
cold, wet cloth harder into his leg. “He probably went to go see
Boromyr.”

Theo turned, confusion pulling his brows down. “Who’s

Boromyr?”

“He’s the man who gave Nazaryth the warding spell. Nazaryth

probably went to go see him about another, stronger defense. The

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hounds found a counterspell to our defenses, so Nazaryth is more than
likely going to ask for a stronger protection spell.”

“Oh,” Theo said as he stood there, glancing around once more.

Ruthless waited, but Theo hadn’t added anything else. He shrugged,
ignoring the man as he walked toward the bathroom. This wasn’t his
mess, and he surely wasn’t going to thank Nazaryth for leaving him
with it.

“Does Nazaryth always run off like this?”
Dammit, dammit, dammit! He’d almost gotten away. Ruthless

exhaled deeply as he waved a hand toward his bedroom door, not
turning around. “It’s who he is. You’ll have to talk to him about it.”
Ruthless walked into the bathroom, cursing Nazaryth the whole way.

* * * *

Theo felt the bed dip and knew Nazaryth had returned. He kept his

back to Nazaryth, not wanting his mate to know that he was awake.
Theo was too angry and hurt right now to deal with the man.

“I know you’re awake,” Nazaryth said as he slid under the covers.

“Let me explain.”

Theo turned over, mad that his mate had taken off and not told

Theo where he was going after the battle the beasts had fought with
the hounds. Didn’t Nazaryth know how worried Theo had been?
Didn’t he know how scared he was?

“What?” he snapped.
Nazaryth cocked his head back, his eyes searching Theo’s face.

Theo wanted to throw himself into Nazaryth’s arms at seeing that his
mate was okay. But he hesitated. If he gave in now, Nazaryth would
think he could disappear anytime he wanted. And Theo wasn’t
standing for that.

He had already lost one man who he cared deeply about. Theo

wasn’t going to lose another. And the fear that had gripped him today

Nazaryth 93

drove home the fact that he could easily lose Nazaryth. Something he
never wanted to experience.

“Why are you mad at me, zaterio?” Nazaryth asked as he slid

closer to Theo.

“Because,” Theo said as he sat up, the blankets pooling in his lap.

“You took off without a word. I didn’t know where you were going, if
you were injured, or if you were even coming back,” he said as he
suppressed a sob as his shoulders slumped. How could he convey
what he had felt to his mate? Nazaryth had never experienced such a
loss as Theo had.

Not that he knew of anyway.
Theo needed Nazaryth to see how what he had done affected

Theo. “You can’t do that to me,” he said as his voice broke. He was
losing the battle to keep his tears at bay. The thought of losing
Nazaryth scared the hell out of him.

“Oh, zaterio,” Nazaryth said as he pulled Theo down into his

arms. “I didn’t think.”

“And that’s the problem,” Theo said as he pushed at Nazaryth’s

chest, trying to pull from the man’s arms. “You didn’t think about
how I felt before you took off. You didn’t think to let me know you
were okay, or to tell me you were leaving, or even to tell me you
would return, if you would be back. I can’t live like that,” Theo
choked out as one lone tear slipped from his eye. “I already lost one
person I care about. I refuse to lose another. Don’t you know how
important you are to me?”

Nazaryth looked shocked as he leaned his head back, staring down

into Theo’s eyes. “I didn’t know. I swear. All I was thinking about
was keeping you safe.”

“I’m safest in your arms,” Theo confessed as he buried his face in

Nazaryth’s chest.

Nazaryth smoothed a hand down Theo’s back, shushing him and

rocking him, as Theo silently wept. Images of Nazaryth lying dead

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somewhere had haunted him all evening until he had restlessly fallen
asleep.

He refused to go through that again. To feel that loss, that pain,

that deep, dark depression that had clung to him for many years. He
had already survived through that pain once, and Theo refused to go
through it again.

“I promise,” Nazaryth said as he tilted Theo’s head back, wiping

away his tears with the pads of his thumbs, “to always tell you where
I’m going and to always let you know I’m okay.”

Theo nodded, unable to speak from the constriction in his throat.

Nazaryth leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “Don’t cry,
zaterio. It breaks my heart to see you cry.”

Theo couldn’t help it. The thought of losing Nazaryth was too

much. “Then don’t ever leave me like that again.”

Nazaryth rolled, placing Theo on top of him as his strong fingers

skimmed up and down Theo’s back. He shivered at the contact,
especially when Nazaryth reached up and grazed his sensitive nipples
with the rough knuckles.

“You like that?”
Theo nodded. “I love it.”
Nazaryth pulled Theo down enough to pull one of his nipples into

his moist mouth. Theo curled his fingers into Nazaryth’s chest as his
mate dined on him. When Nazaryth finally released him, Theo
scooted down his mate’s body until he was staring his Nazaryth’s
straining cock. He flicked his tongue out, sampling what Nazaryth
had to offer.

Theo groaned at the salty taste and then wrapped his lips around

Nazaryth’s cock. He suckled the head, drawing the clear liquid out as
he ran his tongue under the spongy head. Nazaryth hissed, his hips
bucking as Theo reached down and massaged Nazaryth’s balls.

“You do that so well,” Nazaryth complimented with a groan.
Theo teased the head with his tongue as he ground his own aching

cock into the bed. He needed release, and he wanted it while Nazaryth

Nazaryth 95

was buried balls deep inside of him. He wanted to feel the bond
between them. Theo wanted to feel his mate wrapped around him,
letting him know that their world was safe even for just that moment.

Running his tongue up and down Nazaryth’s thick shaft, Theo

circled the head one last time before he climbed back on top of his
mate. He grabbed Nazaryth’s cock, holding it still as he sank down on
his mate’s girth.

“Theo,” Nazaryth cried out. “I haven’t readied you.”
“I already did that”—he grinned sheepishly down at the gorgeous

man—“earlier.”

Nazaryth’s eyes hooded as he thrust hard into Theo. He was at the

edge already, crying out as Nazaryth made love to him. He dug his
knees into Nazaryth’s side as Theo slammed down hard onto his
mate’s cock, his own erupting with ribbons of his pearly-white seed.
Theo shouted as Nazaryth jackknifed, biting into Theo’s neck as his
mate’s cock throbbed its release in his ass.

Theo collapsed against Nazaryth as his mate licked the pinpricks

closed. “I promise,” Nazaryth whispered into Theo’s ear as he lay
back, wrapping his arms around Theo and holding him close.

* * * *

Nazaryth tapped an impatient rhythm out on his thigh with his

thumb as he sat across the desk from Zeus, alpha of Pride Pack
Valley. Dog sat next Nazaryth, sighing out dramatically and looking
bored. His zaterio was just down the hall, visiting with the other wolf
shifters.

“My soldiers have reported to me that they’ve seen those hell

dwellers you told us about lurking around town,” Zeus said as he sat
forward, a grave look on his face. “I thought you were going to take
care of the problem?”

Dog snorted but didn’t say a word as he ran his fingers over the

bridge of his nose, his look of boredom morphing into irritation at the

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alpha’s words. Nazaryth knew how he felt. A simple phone call would
have sufficed. He didn’t have to bring his second-in-command and his
zaterio down here for this meeting.

He crossed his ankles as he splayed his hand. “They’ve become a

problem for us as well.” More than you know.

“So what do you plan on doing about it?” Zeus asked. “I not only

have a house full of mates and soldiers, I have a town to look out for,
protect. I can’t have these things running around loose in my town.”

Nazaryth stopped the rolling of his eyes. If he could figure out

how to gather all the hounds together and get rid of the bastards, his
problem would be solved as well. He understood where Zeus was
coming from, but the hounds were like a reoccurring infection, hard to
get rid of and nasty as fuck.

It was the winged beasts’ job to guard mankind against these

dwellers, but they were starting to pop up like a disease. He wasn’t
used to handling so many at once. Maybe he had become rusty from
sitting on his ass and doing nothing for so many years.

“So what do you suggest?” Nazaryth asked, open for ideas at this

point. He didn’t like to admit that he was at his wits’ end, but he
figured the alpha should know about the problem since it involved his
town. King Zephyr had sent the hounds in, and only King Zephyr
could call them back.

The dwellers could be killed, but it was tricky as hell, and one had

to get close enough to do the job. It was something he doubted the
shifters could handle.

“What do you mean what do I plan on doing about it?” Zeus

looked at Nazaryth as if he had two heads popping out of his
shoulders. “You brought them here, and I want to know how you plan
on getting rid of them.”

“It’s not like I sent them an engraved invitation,” Nazaryth shot

back. “They’re just as much a problem for the winged beasts as they
are for your town.”

Nazaryth 97

“I guess it’s hunting time,” Dog interjected, coming out of his

comatose boredom finally.

“What do you mean?” Zeus asked as he turned toward Dog. “How

do you hunt them? Or more to the point, how do you kill them?”

“The hell dwellers have a mark behind their left ear,” Nazaryth

said. “If you stab them in it, they die. No other way can they be
killed.” The problem was getting close to those bastards. They were
quick and agile, knowing that they had to protect their only weak
spot. And if the person fighting the hounds wasn’t a winged beast, the
whole biting thing became a problem.

“That doesn’t seem so hard,” Zeus said as he sat back.
Nazaryth rested his arms on his legs as he dropped the bomb on

the wolf alpha. “One more thing. Their bite is poisonous. There’s a
fifty-fifty chance the victim may not survive if bitten.” He knew he
had to warn Zeus, something he should have done for his mate—a
mistake that nearly cost him his zaterio.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Zeus asked as he slammed his fist

down on the desk. “You’re telling me that I have creatures running
around my town that can bite a person and kill them?”

Nazaryth nodded as he steepled his fingers, resting his elbows on

the arms of the chair. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Now you
can sit there complaining about it all you want, but that’s not going to
solve the problem.”

He knew he wasn’t making friends with the alpha, and he honestly

didn’t care. His main concern was keeping the people in this town
safe. He also cared about making the hounds die painfully. They were
the vilest of creatures, thriving on the pain and misery of others.

He had seen what the hounds could do to other creatures many

times over his long years, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Nazaryth
wanted them eradicated just as much as the alpha did, if not more.

“So now what?” Zeus asked.
Nazaryth stood, Dog following suit. “It’s our problem. We’ll take

care of it.”

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“But you just said—”
“I lost my mind for a minute there. No worries, my sanity is back.

Let the beasts take care of this. I don’t need any of your men getting
bitten.”

Zeus nodded, looking at Nazaryth with worry. “Fine, but if you

don’t deal with them, then we will.”

Right. Like that was going to happen. And Nazaryth didn’t want it

to. He didn’t want to risk anyone’s life for those hounds. The beasts
may be a bit rusty, but they were the ones who had sworn to guard the
world against the hounds.

“We’ll take shifts patrolling your town, watching out for the

hounds, killing them on sight. I have a stake in this myself,” Nazaryth
admitted. “One of them attacked my zaterio, my mate. He damned
near killed him.”

“Theo?” Zeus asked in shock. “He looks fine.”
“That’s because he survived the bite, barely.”
Zeus’s face was grim as his large hand extended. Nazaryth shook

the proffered hand. “I’ll let my men know what’s going on and put the
town on alert. Every shifter around here will know what to look out
for,” Zeus said as Nazaryth released the alpha and headed for the
door. He needed to feel his zaterio in his arms. He spotted him down
the hall, chatting with a few men.

As soon as Theo saw Nazaryth, he immediately came to his side.

“How’d it go?”

Nazaryth opened the front door, pulling Theo outside, Dog close

behind.

“Looks like we’ve come out of retirement,” Dog said as he headed

toward the Hummer. Nazaryth hated driving the damn thing. Flying
was so much easier. But his mate’s fear of heights kept him grounded.

For now.
“What job is that?” Theo asked as he looked from Dog to

Nazaryth.

Nazaryth 99

“It seems the hounds are not only coming after you,” Nazaryth

said as he opened the passenger door, lifting Theo into his seat.
“They’ve been spotted in town as well.”

“No,” Theo said as his hands gripped Nazaryth’s. “I have friends

here, people I care about. You can’t let them be harmed.”

Nazaryth squeezed Theo’s hands and then released them, seat-

belting his zaterio in. “We’re not,” Nazaryth said before kissing Theo
on the lips and closing the door. He climbed into the driver’s side as
Dog jumped into the seat behind Nazaryth. “My men are going to take
turns hunting them down.”

“Even though the bite doesn’t do a damn thing to you,” Theo said

as he turned in his seat to face Nazaryth, “that doesn’t make me feel
any better about this.”

Nazaryth pulled from the drive, heading home. “I know, love. But

it’s a job given to us a long time ago, and since the hounds are back,
so are we.”

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Chapter Ten

“What are you doing?” Nazaryth asked as he walked into the

kitchen, looking as though he just rolled out of bed. Theo smiled at
the sexy way his mate was standing there with sleep still pulling at his
face.

Damn, the man was hot.
He could stare at the man for the rest of his life and never tire of

looking at him. Nazaryth had come to mean so much to Theo.

He slipped a tray of biscuits into the oven and then turned to smile

at his mate. He gave Nazaryth a quick peck on the cheek, knowing
any more, and he’d be grunting out his release in the kitchen. The
man looked that good.

“Making you guys a decent breakfast,” Theo finally answered his

mate as he flipped the bacon in the pan. He pointed the spatula toward
the refrigerator. “You men cannot live on frozen entrees and takeout
alone. You need some home-cooked meals because your diets suck.”

He grabbed the mug of hot coffee sitting on the counter and took a

sip and then pointed to the one still sitting there. “I made you a cup as
well.”

Nazaryth picked the mug up, leaning into the counter as he took a

sip. “Smells good. What are you cooking?”

“Just something simple,” Theo said as he pulled the bacon from

the pan and then added more. “I sent Vydeck into town with a grocery
list. Dinner is at six.”

“Dinner?” Nazaryth perked up.
“Yes, dinner. If I see one more fast-food container around here,

I’m going to scream.”

Nazaryth 101

Nazaryth chuckled. “Bachelor’s life.”
“Was,” Theo corrected him. “It was a bachelor’s life, at least for

you. You’re mated now, remember that.”

“Yes, sir.”
“You know,” Theo said as he began to crack eggs over a bowl,

“I’ve been wondering something. If Prince Christian is the original
vampire, where do you guys fit in?” He grabbed the whisk, beating
the eggs as he waited for his mate to answer him.

“Totally separate situation,” Nazaryth answered. “Prince Christian

is the original vampire, born of his race. We were created by the gods
to protect Zanthar. We were never meant to be here in the human
realm.”

That news disturbed Theo. How were they never meant to be here,

yet the gods gave Nazaryth a shifter for a mate? Theo had a feeling
the guys were meant to be here. They just didn’t know it. How else
would that explain Nazaryth as his mate?

“Oh,” Theo said as he poured the eggs into the hot cast-iron

skillet. He left the subject alone. It was too early for a heated debate.
“I think I understand,” he said as he sat the bowl in the sink. “Now
tell those guys out there to wash their hands and get ready for
breakfast.” Theo shooed Nazaryth out of the kitchen as he began to
grab plates from the cupboard.

It felt good taking care of people again. He was used to it, being a

bartender and all. Theo felt useful again, and that alone went a long
way with Theo.

“Hot damn,” Silo shouted as he wandered into the kitchen. “Are

you cooking real food?” He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing as a
blissful look crossed his face.

“Yes, and you can help out by grabbing those plates and setting

the table for me.”

“Yes, sir,” Silo said as he grabbed the stack of plates. “Does this

mean I get more since I’m helping out?”

“No, it means you get to eat.”

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Lynn Hagen

Silo frowned and then grumbled low as he walked out of the

kitchen. Theo chuckled, turning the fire off under the eggs. He plated
the food and took it out to a rowdy group of men. They were
practically salivating as he sat breakfast down in the center of the
table.

When Ruthless grabbed for some eggs, Theo smacked his hand.

“You have to wait until everything is set on the table.”

“What the hell do you mean I have to—” Ruthless stopped when a

low growl was heard from the other end of the table. Theo smiled
down at his mate.

“Fine,” Ruthless said with a pout as he sat back down.
He snickered as he turned to Nikoli. “Would you mind grabbing

the pitcher of orange juice?”

“No problem,” Nikoli said as he got up and fetched the glass

container, bringing it back to the table. Theo sat, seeing that Silo had
done a good job at setting the table. When Nikoli set the orange juice
down on the table, Theo nodded at Ruthless.

“Now you can eat.”
“What the hell did we have to wait for?” Ruthless grumbled as he

filled his plate. Theo had made more than enough for these large men,
knowing how big their appetites were. He watched as everyone
cleared their plates, sitting back with a satisfied smile their faces.

He sipped at his orange juice as he sat back, crossing his legs and

letting his foot rock back and forth under the table. “Oh, by the way,”
Theo said as the room grew silent, “since I cooked, you guys can
clean.”

“What?” the men protested as complaints rang out around the

table. “What do you mean we have to clean?”

Nazaryth growled, slamming his fist onto the table. “You heard

my zaterio. If he can slave in the kitchen for your sorry asses, the
least you can do is clean up the mess.”

Theo smiled at the way Nazaryth defended him. His mate winked

at him, making Theo feel a thousand feet tall. He never thought he’d

Nazaryth 103

be this happy again, but he was, even more so with this large family
sitting around him. They may be a hodgepodge of lunatics, but Theo
was becoming very fond of them.

Even Ruthless’s sour ass was starting to grow on Theo.
“I want Tyson and Wolf on patrol today,” Nazaryth announced.

“Our vacation is over. We need to protect the people here from the
hounds. You’ll do eight-hour shifts, Silo and Renato taking over. I put
a schedule up, and I want it followed religiously so I know who’s out
there at all times.”

“What the hell do we do with the bodies when we kill one of

them?” Dog asked. “I myself don’t care. I’ll leave them where they
lie.”

“You can’t do that,” Theo protested. “What if a cub or someone

else sees the dead body?” he asked with a shiver. “You may not care,
but I do.”

“Then what the hell do you want me to do with the body?” Dog

asked. “I’m not carting it around on my shoulder.”

“We really have been out of the game for far too long,” Nazaryth

said from the other side of the table. “They’re hell dwellers,
remember? They come from hell. You ignite them, and they burn
within seconds.”

“You can’t go around town setting bodies on fire,” Theo said as

he waved a hand around at everyone. “The town will stink like shit.”

Nazaryth sat back, entwining his fingers and resting them on his

full belly. “Then I’m open for suggestions.”

Theo wasn’t sure what to suggest, but setting a body on fire on

Trenton Street didn’t sound to appealing to him. Everyone would see.
“Don’t forget that there are humans who live there that are ignorant of
the paranormal world.”

“Still waiting for a suggestion,” Nazaryth said.
Theo was ready to throttle the man. He was becoming irritating as

he sat at the other end of the table with a smirk on his face. “I don’t
have a solution, but you can’t ignite them in town.”

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Lynn Hagen

“So you’re still suggesting that I haul them around?” Dog asked.

“That can get messy after a few hours.”

Theo’s face crinkled with disgust. “You are fucking gross.”
“Still…”
“You have wings, use them. Fly them to some remote place in the

mountains and burn them.”

“As much as I love to fly,” Nazaryth cut in, “We try not to do so

around the populated areas. People tend to freak out when they see
men flying in the air.”

“So don’t be seen,” Theo said as he stood, carrying his plate to the

kitchen.

* * * *

Wolf walked carefully through the forest. He had spotted a hound

sniffing around the police station earlier, but the dog had been too
quick, getting away from Wolf before he could kill the dweller.

Now he was tracking it down, following its putrid scent as he

quietly stole through the neighborhood surrounding Pride Pack
Valley. The scent was still strong in the air, guiding Wolf.

“He’s not too far away,” Tyson commented from beside him. “His

scent is getting stronger.”

Wolf could smell that, but he also felt something wasn’t quite

right. The moon was high and the streets were quiet, hardly a soul
around, but Wolf felt a dark shadow around them. “Do you feel that?”

Tyson slowed to stop, stilling as he raised his head and sniffed the

air. After a moment, he shook his head. “Nah, I don’t feel anything,
but I can still smell that hound.”

It was more than that. Wolf couldn’t shake loose the uneasy

feeling in the pit of his stomach. The air blew around him, bringing
Wolf a scent that made his blood turn cold.

He began to walk again, ignoring Tyson as he followed the smell

that guided him.

Nazaryth 105

“Where in the hell are you going?” Tyson asked as he caught up

with Wolf. “The scent goes the other way.”

Wolf kept walking, his feet having a mind of their own. The

aroma was calling him, beckoning him to come. Wolf unsheathed the
blades that had been strapped to his thighs, his pace picking up until
he was half trotting, half jogging.

“This better be fucking important or Nazaryth is going to have our

asses.”

Wolf couldn’t explain the feeling that was coming over him,

consuming him in ways he’d never felt before. His feet faltered when
Tyson grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “What the fuck is going
on with you?”

I wish I knew.
“Just follow me.”
Tyson twisted his lips to the side, looking skeptical, but finally

nodded. “If that hound attacks someone, I’m making sure Nazaryth
knows it was your fault,” he said and then waved a hand for Wolf to
show him the way. “I’m just saying.”

Wolf sniffed the air once more, picking the scent back up, and

then followed it. He found himself walking up a residential driveway,
heading into the backyard where he froze.

“What the hell?” Tyson asked as he stopped next to Wolf.
Wolf watched as a small human male clutched his arm, blood

seeping through his fingers as he backed away from the hound. His
eyes were wide, and he stumbled once or twice, catching himself
before continuing his progress backward.

“Goddamn, how many are around here?” Tyson asked angrily

before passing Wolf and going after the hound.

Wolf was concentrating on the human.
He cursed when the hound turned his way, his canines long and

his eyes black. No wonder the human looked as though he were
staring at his own death. The sight of the hound half-shifted was scary
as hell…for the human.

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Tyson began to fight the hound, lifting from his feet as he flew up

and then kicked the dog in his head. The human glanced up at Tyson,
and then his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Wolf shot across the
backyard, catching the man before he hit the ground.

The human’s head lolled to the side as Wolf picked him up into

his arms.

“What are you doing?” Tyson asked when he finally stabbed the

hound in his mark. “Taking strays home now?”

“Grab the hound. We don’t want Theo having a fight if you burn

him here,” Wolf said, ignoring Tyson’s question and comment. “I’ll
meet you at home.”

“Thanks for leaving me with the dead one.”
Wolf glanced around, making sure no one was looking before

taking flight.

Nazaryth 107

Chapter Eleven

“Hey,” Theo said as he poked his head into the bedroom, the rest

of his body following suit. Nazaryth glanced up from his notes,
smiling as Theo crossed the room and took a seat on his lap. “I made
lunch.”

Nazaryth gave Theo a quick kiss before nodding toward the

papers laid out before him. “Boromyr sent me some more spells. I’m
trying to decipher them.”

“No luck?” Theo asked as he leaned forward, looking at the scroll

that was written in Zantharian. “It says here that there’s a dog in the
tree and you need a fishing pole to get him down.”

“You can read it?” Nazaryth asked, shocked.
“I read it?” Theo looked even more shocked.
“No.” Nazaryth chuckled as he guarded his ribs against Theo’s

elbow. “But I couldn’t resist.”

“You had me going for a minute there,” Theo admitted as he

stood. “Come eat lunch. You can check out the unconscious man
Wolf brought home as well.”

“What?” Nazaryth shouted as he stood. “What do you mean

unconscious?”

“Like, not awake.” Theo snickered as he walked to the study door.

“Wolf has him in his bedroom. I think he’s squirreling the guy away
for a rainy day…and he’s human.”

Nazaryth was across the carpeted floor and heading toward Wolf’s

room before Theo even took a step. He walked down the hall and then
banged on Wolf’s door. When he didn’t get an answer, Nazaryth tried
the knob. He found it unlocked, so he peeked his head in.

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Wolf was sitting in a chair by the bed, his elbows on his knees, his

hands fisted together as his chin rested on them. He was staring at a
small human who was lying in his bed.

“Wolf?”
“He was bleeding.”
Nazaryth stepped into the room, closing the door behind him

softly. “Who was bleeding, Wolf?”

“I’m not sure if he was bitten, so I have to watch him.”
Nazaryth was becoming worried. Wolf seemed as though he

wasn’t in full touch with reality. He knew the beasts had lived in
relative seclusion for two thousand years, only going out to feed at
times.

But he’d never seen any of them not firmly grounded.
This was wrong.
“Who is he, Wolf?” Nazaryth asked a little more sternly. “Why

have you brought a human here?” He wasn’t even going to ask why
the guy was unconscious. Nazaryth didn’t even want to know. But
one thing was for sure. If one of his winged beasts had harmed a
human, Nazaryth would have to put the beast down.

He’d seen what happened firsthand when a beast lost his mind,

and it was worse than any nightmare a human could conjure up. Once
a beast went mad, there was no coming back from it. “Tell me who he
is.”

Wolf turned, his eyes tortured and filled with pain. “He’s my

zaterio.”

Nazaryth knelt beside Wolf, laying his hand on the man’s

shoulder. He knew that feeling. That helplessness that stole inside of a
man when he watched the one he loved, uncertain if that person
would live or die. Wolf’s zaterio was human. Nazaryth was almost
positive that if he was bitten, he wouldn’t live. “Have you checked his
wound?”

Nazaryth 109

Wolf nodded. “It’s a long gash on his arm, running from shoulder

to elbow, but I’m not sure if he was bitten as well,” he said. “But I
have to watch him.”

Nazaryth saw the blood seeping through the makeshift bandage

Wolf had applied to the human’s arm. He was going to need more
than a Band-Aid. The guy was going to need stitches—if he survived.

“We need to clean his wound, Wolf.” He wasn’t sure what was

going on inside the beast, but he knew Wolf was fighting not to feel
the mating heat. If the human died, so would Wolf’s soul.

What in the hell was there to get excited about?
“I’ll get some fresh gauze and some clean water.”
Wolf only nodded, his eyes locked onto the small human’s form

as he slept. Nazaryth stood, patting Wolf on his shoulder as he stole
out of the room.

“Who is he?” Theo asked, the other beasts standing behind him,

looking at Nazaryth curiously.

“His zaterio.”
“Damn,” Tyson said and then whistled low. “I was wondering

why he was acting nutty.”

“What did you see?” Nazaryth asked Tyson.
“Nothing. When we came around the corner, the hound had

already inflicted the wound. Did he bite him?”

“Oh my god,” Theo said as he stood there. “He won’t be able to

survive that.”

Nazaryth shook his head as he pulled Theo into his arms, pressing

a kiss on the top of the man’s head. “I’m not sure, but Wolf needs
fresh gauze and some water to clean the wound. I’m going to get
some herbal leaves to press into his injury.”

“I’ll get what Wolf needs,” Tyson said as he walked away.
Nazaryth walked to the other side of the castle, taking the stairs

down into the room they kept the healing plants in.

“This really is a huge place,” Theo commented as Nazaryth began

to pluck various plant leaves.

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“It didn’t look like much when I first found it. I couldn’t even see

the balcony from the ground below. It was an accidental find.”

“Do you know who lived here before?” Theo asked as he grabbed

a wicker basket for Nazaryth to set the leaves in.

“No, it was abandoned when I found it.”
“But who would carve a castle into the side of the mountain and

then just up and leave it?” Theo was full of questions this evening.
Nazaryth smiled at his inquisitive mate. Theo had finally accepted
their mating, and now his true personality was coming out.

Nazaryth liked it.
“Good question,” he replied as he tossed a few more leaves into

the basket. “I’ve tried to find out, but this castle isn’t registered
anywhere.”

“Their loss,” Theo said as he followed behind Nazaryth, holding

the basket out for leaves every time Nazaryth plucked one. “It’s a
beautiful place, and I don’t mind calling it home.”

Nazaryth’s hands stilled as he glanced back at his mate. It seemed

Theo was full of surprises. “You consider this your home?” Nazaryth
asked as he set the pruning shears down.

“Well, of course I do,” Theo said as he shrugged. “We’re mates. I

go where you go. So since you live here, this is my home.”

He chuckled as he cupped Theo’s face, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Thank you,” he said as he took a step back, taking the basket from
Theo’s hands.

“For what?” Theo asked as he trailed behind Nazaryth as they

headed toward the kitchen. He needed to make the brew for the
human, to help him heal faster, but all Nazaryth wanted to do was
take Theo to bed for that statement. He concentrated on the task at
hand. Nazaryth needed to make the healing patch to place on the
human’s wound. If the hounds hadn’t bitten him, then the patch of
leaves would help in the healing process, but if it was more than a
scratch from their claws, he wasn’t sure what would happen.

Nazaryth 111

“For calling this your home,” he replied to Theo as he walked into

the kitchen. “It tells me that you’re settling in.”

“Well, of course I’m settling in,” Theo teased. “I’ve been here,

what, two days? In my book, that’s moving in and a proposal.”

Nazaryth’s eyes snapped over to Theo before widening. “You

want me to propose?”

Theo snorted with laughter and then shook his head. “No, never

mind. That’s not what I was saying.”

Sometimes it was very hard to understand his zaterio. The man

seemed to speak a different language, a language that Nazaryth didn’t
always get. Theo was a breath of fresh air and confusing all at the
same time.

“Are you happy, Theo?” he asked quietly as he dropped the leaves

into the pot of boiling water. He didn’t dare look at his mate, nor did
he probe his mind. Nazaryth had stopped doing that. It was an
invasion, and he knew it. Theo had a right to his private thoughts just
like everyone else.

But damn if it wasn’t tempting.
So he stood there waiting for his mate to speak his answer.

Nazaryth felt Theo press into his back, his hands resting on
Nazaryth’s shoulder blades. “I’m very happy, mate,” Theo replied and
then kissed the center of Nazaryth’s back. “Happier than I’ve been a
very long time. Now it’s my turn to thank you.”

Nazaryth worked around the kitchen, gathering the supplies he

needed to finish the healing patch. He wasn’t sure what to say. Was
he supposed to say you’re welcome? He had worked so hard getting
Theo to believe that they were mates, that they were meant to be
together, and now that Theo believed, Nazaryth wasn’t sure what to
do next.

Nazaryth had never been in a relationship before. He’d never been

thanked before for loving someone, but then again, Theo was the first
person Nazaryth had loved.

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“You still haven’t touched your lunch,” Theo said as he pointed

over to the counter. “I slaved all day in the kitchen to make you that.”

Once Nazaryth blended the brew together, he walked over to the

counter, lifting the napkin from the plate. His lips twisted to the side
as his brow arched. “You slaved all day to make me a ham sandwich
and some chips?”

Theo placed a hand on his chest dramatically as he sighed. “Hey,

it wasn’t easy finding the mayo in that fridge. I think I even broke a
nail in the process.”

Nazaryth chuckled at his playful mate as he grabbed the sandwich

and took a bite. He hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until he
started chewing. He lifted the sandwich, giving a nod. “Thanks.”

Polishing off his food, Nazaryth took the leaves from the pot and

grabbed the mortar and pestle, placing the leaves in the bowl. He
began to grind them into a paste that would adhere to the human’s
skin.

“What is that?” Theo asked as he stared over Nazaryth’s arm. “It

looks like crushed peas.”

“It’s a healing patch used for thousands of years by my people. It

draws out infection and helps the wound close.”

“See, that’s where I’m lucky,” Theo replied. “I’m a shifter. All I

have to do is shift and I begin to heal.”

“Like when you twisted your ankle?” Nazaryth asked as Theo

blushed.

“You weren’t supposed to know about that.”
Nazaryth gave a low growl. How could he have not noticed his

mate limping around his bedroom when they were gathering his
belongings? The man sucked at hiding things. “Hide something like
that from me again and I’ll lock your ass up and chain you to my
bed.”

“Try threatening me with something that isn’t turning me on,

buddy.”

Nazaryth 113

The guy was hopeless. Nazaryth grabbed the bowl and headed for

Wolf’s bedroom. “Not all of us are shifters. Some of us need things to
help with the healing process.” He let the other subject go for now.

Nazaryth gave a light knock on the door and then pushed it open.

He noticed Theo lingering in the hallway. “You can come in with
me.”

Theo shook his head. “That’s private in there,” he said as he

waved his hand toward the bedroom door. “There shouldn’t be
anyone in there that doesn’t have to be. Wolf doesn’t need spectators.
I know what it’s like to lose a mate. No one should witness that.”

Nazaryth felt the twinge of jealously inside of him, but he pushed

it aside. Theo had a right to mourn a man who he had thought was his
mate, and Nazaryth would only look like a monster if he argued the
point.

Besides, he wouldn’t demand that Theo let Dorian go. It was a

process that Theo had to work out. It was a process that Nazaryth
wasn’t going to interfere with.

Even if he didn’t like it.
“You should learn how to do this.” Nazaryth held the bowl higher.
“But—” Theo bit his bottom lip.
“What?”
“It’s still something private between Wolf and his mate. He

doesn’t need an audience.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Nazaryth corrected him. “Wolf

needs the support of his family right now. And you, Theo, are a part
of his family.”

Nazaryth could see a smile wavering on Theo’s face as he led his

mate into Wolf’s bedroom. “Here,” he said as he gave the bowl to
Theo. “I will guide you through the process.”

“There’s a process?” Theo asked as he stared down at the wooden

bowl and then back at Nazaryth, a tint of fear in his amber eyes.

“There’s always a process. Now come over here.” Nazaryth

walked to the bed where Wolf was washing the wound on his

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zaterio’s arm. The beast didn’t glance up, and he didn’t say a word.
Nazaryth gave him his solace.

“I brought the paste,” he said, not expecting an answer. He waved

Theo over as Wolf stepped aside, his eyes never leaving the human.

He showed Theo how to apply the patch, how to press it into the

wound. His mate listened carefully, doing exactly as Nazaryth
instructed. Once they were finished, they moved aside, allowing Wolf
to wrap the gauze around his zaterio’s arm.

“Any signs?” Nazaryth asked.
“None. He holds no fever. Not yet at least,” Wolf responded as he

brushed his hand over the human’s hair, worry and love in his eyes.

Nazaryth knew what Theo was talking about now. The scene was

very intimate, private, and Nazaryth was beginning to feel as if he and
his mate were intruding. Placing his hand on the small of Theo’s
back, Nazaryth ushered his shifter from the room.

Nazaryth 115

Chapter Twelve

Theo’s brows pulled together when his phone started to vibrate on

the bed. He’d been here two days, and no one had bothered calling
him. Zeus had let everyone know that Theo was with his mate and
there was nothing to worry about.

Who could be calling him?
He grabbed the phone from the bed, smiling when he saw his

mother’s number displayed. It had been a while since he spoke with
her. She was going to be thrilled when she found out that Theo had
mated again.

And confused as hell.
Just like Theo was.
“Hey, Mom,” Theo said cheerfully into the phone. “You’ll never

guess what’s happened to me.”

“Why don’t you come home and tell me?”
Theo’s blood ran cold as he stilled. “Who is this?” That wasn’t his

mother’s sweet voice. The voice was vaguely familiar, Theo hearing
it somewhere before. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. But
whoever it was shouldn’t be in his parents’ home. Theo could feel his
anger, along with worry, building inside of him.

“Someone who has a job to finish.”
“If you’ve hurt my parents—”
“No need for threats. They’re safe, for now. And they’ll remain

that way just as long as their pup does what he’s told.”

Theo’s first instinct was to run to his mate, but he couldn’t risk his

parents’ lives. “How do I know you haven’t already killed them?”

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“You don’t. Now leave your hiding place and come home before I

kill your father. Don’t tell any of the beasts where you are going or
your parents will be waiting for you in body bags.” The phone
disconnected.

Theo blinked as he looked around his bedroom, feeling as if he

weren’t really in his own reality any longer. It was one thing for those
hounds to come after him, but now they were threatening his parents.

He couldn’t risk getting them killed.
Scribbling a quick note and tossing it on the bed, Theo hurried

over to the bookcase. He waved his hand in front of it, chanting the
spell Nazaryth had taught him. Theo hated leaving like this after he
had made Nazaryth promise not to do the same.

But his parents’ lives were at stake here.
He quickly descended the steps, making sure the bookcase slid

back into place before he traveled down the dimly lit passageway.
The tunnel was going to exit him on the other side of the mountain.

Theo wished he could have taken the main exit, but that exit was

off the living room. His risk of getting caught was ten times higher
there. But it would have been nice to come out in the hangar and grab
a vehicle.

But even if he stole into the main passageway unseen, the hangar

was monitored with cameras and motion sensors. He wouldn’t have
gotten far.

Blinking rapidly, Theo stepped out into the brightness of the sun.

He yelped when he was immediately grabbed.

“You follow instructions well.”
He struggled as he was tossed into a car, his head hitting the

doorframe. “Where are my parents?” he demanded as he was wrestled
down and then tied up. He cursed his stupidity. How could he have
fallen for such an obvious ruse?

“How the hell should I know?” the guy said flatly. “They weren’t

home.”

Nazaryth 117

Theo panicked until he remembered that his mom and dad always

vacationed this time of year. He wanted to bang his head against
something when the memory came to him. How could he have
forgotten that?

If he had kept a cool head, he wouldn’t be in this mess. But

running off half-cocked was about to get him killed now. His only
thought was Nazaryth and how his beast was going to be alone now.

“Let me go,” he shouted as he struggled against the rope. How

could he have been that damn gullible? As hard as Theo struggled, the
ropes wouldn’t give.

“Just sit back and shut up.” The hound knocked Theo in his face

and then sat back. “I don’t want to hear any begging or whining from
you.”

Clenching his jaw, Theo sat back. He knew there was nothing he

could do right now. He’d have to wait for the moment when he found
an opportunity to get away. He glanced up and saw the mark Nazaryth
had told him about.

The one weak spot on a hound.
If he got loose, he was going to stab the son of a bitch. “Where are

you taking me?” Theo asked.

“Not where Nazaryth is expecting.” The hound laughed manically

as the car pulled away. “He’s in for a big surprise.”

“Nazaryth,” Theo called out, praying his mate could hear him. It

felt strange having a conversation this way, and Theo prayed it
worked. He had never tried talking to his mate through his mind
before. He wasn’t even sure Nazaryth would hear him. The guy was
able to read his mind before, and hopefully he still could.

“Zaterio?”
Theo closed his eyes at the happiness he could hear in Nazaryth.

He was using their mating bond for the first time, and it was to tell
him that he was being kidnapped.

God, he felt like a shit.

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“The hounds have me. They aren’t taking me to where you would

suspect. Does that make sense?”

Theo slid down the seat when he heard the loudest roar shatter

through his mind. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was deaf after that.

“Find out where they are taking you.”
His mind was quiet after that. Theo knew for a fact that Nazaryth

was steaming mad at him right now. He would take responsibility for
his mate’s anger and deal with it…if he survived.

“Where are we going?” Theo asked as he slid back up into his

seat.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” the hound asked irritably.
“It’s a simple question.”
“Shut the hell up,” the hound warned.
Theo knew he was pushing his luck, but if he was going to get out

of this, he needed answers.

“Where’s the harm in telling me?”
He grunted when he was knocked in the face again. Well, that

plan wasn’t going to work. Theo switched tactics, fearing his face was
going to be shattered if he pushed the guy.

“He won’t tell me, so I’m going to tell you what I see.”
“Are you unharmed?” Nazaryth asked, worry lacing his voice.
Theo was not about to tell Nazaryth that he’d been knocked

around. He needed his mate to focus. “I’m fine. We’ve turned onto
Route 14 and are heading west.”

“I’m on my way.”
Theo felt relief at his mate’s words. He just prayed the only ones

to die were the hounds. He had seen firsthand how the hounds fought,
and he knew they were worthy opponents. He just wondered how
Nazaryth was going to get him out of this car without the hound
tearing him to shreds. With his hands tied, he was screwed.

“You there?” Theo asked when his mate hadn’t spoken to him in

almost a half hour. He was becoming worried.

“Yes, zaterio, I’m here. I can see you. We’re following the car.”

Nazaryth 119

Theo stopped himself from turning around and looking for his

mate. That would be a dead giveaway. “How are you going to rescue
me?”

“We have to wait for you to be taken from the car. Stay calm. I’m

not letting you out of my sight.”

“Who’s we?” Theo knew the other beasts were with Nazaryth, but

he just wanted his mate to keep talking. He had a deep need to hear
Nazaryth’s voice. It was comforting to him.

“Every winged beast is with me except Wolf.” Nazaryth’s words

were punctuated with steel. Theo knew he was in big trouble if he got
out of this alive. Nazaryth was definitely going to chain him to the
bed, and not in a good way.

“We’re stopping,” Theo said as they pulled onto an access road.

The trees were thick here, barely enough room for the car to
maneuver. Theo feared his mate wouldn’t be able to see him with the
way the trees formed a tight canopy, barely letting in light.

“I have you in sight, zaterio,” his mate said gently. “We’re

landing and coming in. Don’t give us away.”

Theo stopped himself at the last second from nodding. He kicked

his legs out, pressing them onto the earthen floor as he struggled to
stand. The hound moved around to the other side, yanking Theo to his
feet.

He could hear a low growl in his head and knew Nazaryth was

watching him. But Theo wasn’t sure if his mate was protesting the
way he was being handled or if Nazaryth had seen his face. It had to
look a mess from the two hard blows.

“Get moving.” The hound pushed at Theo’s shoulder, propelling

him forward. They entered a small cabin where Theo was thrust into a
seat.

“So this is Nazaryth’s zaterio?” The man sneered and then

growled. “Why isn’t he unconscious?”

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Theo glanced up, but didn’t recognize the man. Was this King

Zephyr? He didn’t look like a king. The man was short and kind of on
the puny side.

“He kept quiet the whole ride,” the hound said defensively.
“You fool! I wanted him unconscious because winged beasts can

talk to their zaterios through a mind link. You have brought them
here!”

As the hounds hurried to the window to glance out, Theo ran for

the door. He cursed when he realized he couldn’t open it with his
hands tied behind his back.

“Get him!”
Theo kicked at the door, praying for some kind of miracle.
And it came in the form of an angry bloodred beast. Nazaryth

slammed the door open, Theo jumping out of the way just in time
before he was knocked down. The room was flooded with beasts as
Dog reached for Theo and shoved him to the back of the group.

He shouted his disapproval, but Dog was in the air within seconds,

taking him away from the fight.

* * * *

“Boromyr?” Nazaryth asked as he cocked his head to the side.

“What’s going on here?”

His longtime friend laughed as he took a step closer to the table

that was situated between them. Nazaryth saw that the table was
littered with spells and incantations. He needed to get the man away
from the table.

“Yes, it is I, Nazaryth,” Boromyr said almost gleefully. “Did you

think the king would waste his time with you? What does he care
about you being mated? Zephyr is growing old. His need to fuck with
you is dwindling.”

He couldn’t understand why his friend would do something like

this. Nazaryth had never seen Boromyr as anything but kind. The man

Nazaryth 121

had helped him out many times over the years, never asking for
anything in return. This new side of his friend was confusing. “Why?”

Boromyr clucked his tongue as he waved a hand at the beasts

surrounding the room. His eyes narrowed. “Why not? You have it all.
You and your winged beasts have immortality, and I want it. Look at
me. I’m an aging old man. With my talent, I should be able to live
forever.”

Okay, the guy was nuttier than hell. Nazaryth could see it in his

eyes. Eyes that used to be a gentle blue were now as cold as ice.
“How could you betray me like this?”

“Very easily, my friend.”
“Don’t call me that!” Nazaryth shouted as he lunged, knocking the

scrolls to the floor. Boromyr relied on his spells. Without them, he
was just a weak old man. Boromyr growled as he dove for the scrolls,
but Nazaryth was stopped from taking them away when a hound
latched onto his arm.

He fought the hound as he reached for his dagger, stabbing the

dog behind his ear. The hound immediately fell to the ground as
Boromyr unrolled the scroll in his hand and began to chant.

“We’ve got this,” Ruthless shouted as Nazaryth went after the

rank bastard who had betrayed him. He ripped the scroll from
Boromyr’s hand and then felt a searing pain in his side. Nazaryth
looked down to see a small dagger was sticking out of his side.

Nazaryth roared as he finished the man off. Sadness washed over

him as Boromyr lay lifeless on the floor. What used to be a great
friend was now lying there with his eyes fixated on nothing.

Nazaryth pulled the small dagger from his side and threw it at the

lifeless body. Turning, he stormed from the room. The winged beasts
had things under control with the last hound falling. Nazaryth leapt
into the air, heading home.

He had a mate to teach that keeping secrets was not acceptable.

* * * *

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Theo paced the bedroom, worry eating away at him. The man in

the cabin may have been puny, but he had a dark maliciousness in his
eyes that frightened Theo. He swallowed hard when the bedroom door
flew open.

Nazaryth stalked in, slamming the door behind him. “I would

really like to know why my zaterio felt the need to run out of here
half-cocked without informing me of the situation.”

Theo took a step back, the bed stopping his progress. “He said he

had my parents and that he would kill them if I didn’t comply.”

“And you believed this?” Nazaryth asked as he removed his belt.

Theo’s eyes flickered to the black leather, wondering what in the hell
Nazaryth was about to do with that piece of leather.

“He called from my parents’ home. What was I supposed to

believe?” Theo defended weakly as Nazaryth approached him, belt in
hand. What did he really know about Nazaryth? They had been
together less than a week. That wasn’t enough time for Theo to know
what the man was going to do with that belt.

“Do you honestly think I would hurt you?” Nazaryth growled as

he tossed the belt onto the bed and then ripped Theo’s shirt from his
body. “Do you think I would harm my zaterio?”

Theo shook his head as Nazaryth went for his pants, ripping them

from his legs. He stood there naked, shivering as Nazaryth grabbed
the belt once more. He wasn’t sure what to think from the feral look
in his mate’s eyes. “You’re reading my mind?” he asked.

“No, I can see the fear in your eyes,” Nazaryth said as he lifted

Theo from the floor and placed him on the mattress. “Did I not tell
you that I would chain you to our bed?”

“That’s not a chain,” Theo pointed out and then curled his lips in

when Nazaryth narrowed his eyes.

“No, it’s much softer for your delicate skin.”

Nazaryth 123

Theo watched as Nazaryth pulled his arms over his head, securing

Theo’s hands to the headboard. “I may let you go when I think you’ve
learned your lesson.”

Theo’s fear left him as Nazaryth undressed. His cock was as hard

as steel and weeping pre-cum. Theo had a feeling this was turning his
mate on.

He lay as still as he could, watching Nazaryth reach for the oil.

“I’m going to have you begging by the time this is over.

God, he hoped so.
Nazaryth poured the oil onto his fingers, his eyes boring into

Theo’s as he set the jar aside and then lowered his hand.

Theo bit his lower lip, waiting for Nazaryth’s fingers to enter him,

but instead, his mate just rimmed around his entrance. Theo tried to
bear down on the digit, but that only made Nazaryth pull his hand
away.

“You will be breached when I decide to do so.”
Theo grunted his frustration as his legs fell to the side, opening

wider in anticipation. His hole was pulsing to be filled as Nazaryth
continued to play at his back entrance but didn’t enter him.

“Please,” Theo begged as he panted. “Please, mate.”
A slight smile lifted Nazaryth’s lip as the tip of his finger pressed

inside. “Beg me again. Tell me what you want.”

Theo’s heart thudded behind his chest as he licked his dry lips. “I

want to feel your fingers inside of me, stretching me.” He wanted so
much more, but he knew Nazaryth was going to take his sweet time
torturing him.

He gasped when more than one finger slid inside his ass and then

growled when they stilled.

“Beg me to move them.”
Theo tried to wiggle, but Nazaryth’s fingers pulled back, his thick

black brow rising. Theo stilled. “Stretch me for your big fat cock,
please.”

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Theo’s length thickened as Nazaryth began to move his fingers,

scissoring them, stretching him until Theo felt he was going to come.
His cock was dripping a river of clear liquid onto his belly as
Nazaryth added a third finger, his eyes fixated on where their bodies
were connected.

He whimpered when having Nazaryth’s thick fingers inside of

him was no longer doing the trick. Theo wanted to feel his mate fill
him with his hard cock. “Please, fuck me. I’m begging you to fuck
me, mate.”

Nazaryth grinned his approval as he slid his fingers free. Theo felt

empty only for a second before his mate was working his heavily
veined cock into Theo’s ass. He yanked at the belt securing him in
place. Theo wanted to touch, to feel Nazaryth’s heated skin under his
fingers.

“Let me have my hands,” Theo pleaded.
Nazaryth shook his head as his cock filled Theo completely. His

mate’s hands reached up, tweaking Theo’s nipples as Theo wrapped
his legs around Nazaryth’s thick waist. “Fuck me, please. Fuck me
like you’re a dying man.”

Releasing his peaked flesh, Nazaryth began to pound into Theo’s

ass, his cock sliding over Theo’s sweet spot repeatedly. Theo cried
out as his orgasm drew near. Nazaryth leaned forward, biting into
Theo’s neck as cum erupted between them. As his seed emptied from
his balls, Theo noticed that his cock was still rock hard.

He needed to bite his mate, claim him once more, but he couldn’t

move with the damn belt holding his hands. “I need,” Theo begged.

“What do you need?” Nazaryth asked as he licked the pinpricks

closed. “Tell me, zaterio.”

“To bite you,” Theo panted as Nazaryth continued to snap his

hips, driving his cock deeper into Theo’s ass. “I need to reclaim you.”

“In a moment,” Nazaryth said as he flipped Theo to his hands and

knees. Now Theo knew where the real torture was. Nazaryth wasn’t
going to let Theo bite him until he was almost mad with need.

Nazaryth 125

He grabbed Theo’s hips, slamming his pelvis into Theo’s ass.

Sliding his legs further apart, Theo jutted his ass into the air, feeling
another orgasm approaching. His canines actually hurt with the need
to sink them into Nazaryth’s flesh. Just as Theo was about to beg once
more, Nazaryth reached up and untied him.

Theo growled as he knocked Nazaryth off of him and pinned the

larger man to the bed. He sank his teeth into Nazaryth’s neck as his
mate’s cock erupted between them. Nazaryth shouted as Theo
grabbed his own cock, pumping it furiously, his cum mixing with
Nazaryth’s. He released his teeth, licking the wound as he leaned
back.

Nazaryth smiled up at him. “Now that was hot.”
Theo knew their life together would be interesting, but what he

was finding out was that their sex life was off the charts. He lay
across Nazaryth’s chest, soaking in the sated afterglow as his eyes
drifted closed.

* * * *

Theo walked up the passageway, clutching the small satchel in his

hand as he headed for the top of the mountain. Nazaryth knew he was
up here. Theo had made sure to tell him.

Crossing the area to the large boulder, Theo gazed at the setting

sun. It was gorgeous in the sky. The streaks of pink and red blended
together to present a brilliant and beautiful picture.

Theo knelt by the boulder, untying the satchel and upending it

until two gold rings dropped into his hands. “I love you, Dorian. I’ve
loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on your beautiful face.
You have been the very beat in my heart since we first met. You will
always be with me, mate,” Theo said as he swallowed around the
lump that had formed in his throat, burning as Theo tried hard to hold
back the tears.

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“But fate has decided that I need to live again. I’ve mourned your

loss, not allowing myself to move on.”

Theo dug a hole with his hands, burying the rings on the top of the

mountain. Tears spilled from his eyes as he patted the earth and then
looked up at the setting sun. “I’ll always carry you in my heart, mate,
but it’s time for me to move on. Fate gave me Nazaryth, and he
deserves to be just as happy as we were.”

Theo stood, smiling into the sunset as he made his way back to the

entrance, feeling as though he could finally let Dorian go and begin a
new chapter in his life with his winged beast.

THE END

WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but

lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to
find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a

cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

Also by Lynn Hagen

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Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 24:

A Brac Pack Crazy Family Christmas

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Brac Pack 25:

A Cold Winter’s Day

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