What would you do to protect your family? For Aden the answer is anything.

Aden Gale has always protected the boys he chose as his. Gallen Theos refuses to become
another one of Aden’s projects. He might have been bespelled by his father but he was
Aden’s mate and he refused to take anything less than a full partnership. If the cool-eyed
killer thought he could wiggle away for Gallen’s own safety, well he had a lot to learn
about the tenacity of sorcerers.

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

To Kiss a Killer

Copyright © 2013 Amber Kell

ISBN: 978-1-77111-647-3

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this
work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now
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To Kiss a Killer

Banded Brothers Book Five

By

Amber Kell

For my fans who insisted Aden had a story to tell.

Chapter One

Aden Gale snuck into the mansion’s garden. He’d stealthily visited Gallen Theos more
than once since the sorcerer had been put to sleep by his father with a particularly vicious
spell. Gallen lay still and silent in his iron coffin. He appeared to be napping as if one
loud noise might wake him up from his slumber. He was like Snow White without the
creepy dwarves.

Aden found it oddly restful to visit the unconscious man. Even as he sent others to try

and wake the sorcerer up, Aden secretly hoped it would take a while longer. He’d miss
his one-sided talks once Gallen awakened. Given his line of work, Aden couldn’t confide
in a lot of people, and he scared the crap out of most of them. Although he could share
his adventures with his son, he didn’t like to make Carey worry. Carey had enough
responsibility without fixating on whether his dad would make it back alive from his last
mission.

“How are you doing, kid?” Aden popped the cap off his beer with the bottle opener on

his Swiss Army knife before settling on the giant rock beside the filigree iron casket.
“Anything new happen since last time? I heard you didn’t like any of the guys I sent to
visit you. Are you playing hard to get?”

No response.
Although logically he hadn’t expected Gallen to sit up and talk, he still found himself

leaning closer. A glance revealed that the blond still lay still as death, not twitching or
moving an inch.

Aden sighed. “I can’t believe none of the men did it for you.”
He took a sip as he contemplated his failure to find the right partner to wake Gallen.

“Maybe you’re bi like me. I can always start finding women. It’s not like they can do any
worse than the guys I sent your way.”

Over the past three months, Aden had sent at least twenty men to the mansion to try

and break Gallen’s curse, but so far no luck. Carey had reported no change after any of
the men kissed Gallen. Aden flinched at the thought of a whole other group of people
coming and touching Gallen. Maybe he should stick around and supervise, make sure
they didn’t touch Gallen inappropriately while he slept.

The sound of soft footsteps drew his attention away from Gallen. “Hey, Dad, I didn’t

know you were here.” Carey sat down in the Adirondack chair across from Aden. A
semicircle of seating decorated the garden and surrounded a fire pit. They’d placed
Gallen’s coffin to the right, so he’d be included in any outdoor events. Aden wondered if
Gallen could hear anything, or if he was as asleep as he appeared.

Aden smiled at his son. Since he’d first held Carey in his arms, his son had never been

anything but a joy to Aden. He adored his son and would take care of anyone who
thought to harm him. The number of bodies buried to keep Carey alive would frighten a
team of FBI investigators.

He tipped a head toward Gallen’s coffin. “I just arrived, and I thought I’d check to see

if there was any change in his status.”

Carey shook his head. “Nope. Not that I’ve noticed. A lot of guys marching through

here, though. I’ve lost count of the number of people who thought they were going to get
the chance to mate with a hot sorcerer and went away crying.” Carey’s mocking smile
told Aden he’d not had a lot of sympathy for the men.

Aden could mentally list each and every man who walked through Carey’s gates, but

he didn’t want to reveal his obsession to his observant son. Time for a bit of distraction.

“How are things going with you and Broden?” He tried not to grin when his deflection

worked.

“Good.” Carey’s smile said all was right in his world. Which was good. Aden would

hate to maim the jaguar shifter for upsetting Carey. He’d become rather fond of Broden.
However, affection wouldn’t stop Aden from snapping the fucker’s neck if he hurt
Carey, but he might feel a little bad afterward.

“When are you starting a family?” Aden needed a project to distract him from his

impending retirement. What better than grandchildren?

Carey made a choking, coughing noise as if he were hacking up a fur ball. Aden barely

resisted teasing him about it.

“Kids?” Carey gasped.
“Yeah, you already have the until-death-do-us-part down.”
“Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I’m ready to start a family.” Carey shifted

uncomfortably in his chair as if uneasy about their conversation.

Aden pinned Carey with his narrow-eyed stare. “You need to think about your future.”
Carey folded his arms over his chest. “That doesn’t mean I need to have kids.”
“You don’t plan to have children?” It had never occurred to Aden that his son might

bypass kids altogether. Didn’t all shifters long to procreate?

“Broden and I haven’t discussed it yet!” Carey glared at his father. “I figure I’d talk to

my mate about children before I plan our lives with my father. Now, are you done
plotting my future, or is there something else you’d like to tell me about?”

“Nope, I’m good.” He loved to tease his son just to watch his eyes flare up with

annoyance.

Aden’s gaze drifted back to Gallen as if his eyes couldn’t stay away from the sight of

the beautiful man for long.

“Maybe we should concentrate on your love life instead of mine.”
“What love life?” Aden turned his attention back to Carey. He should’ve known better

than to think he wouldn’t notice Aden’s staring.

“The one you deny having. Instead of sending all these guys to Gallen, why don’t you

kiss him?” Carey folded his arms as if he could intimidate his father with a steady,
knowing stare. Damn kid had learned too well.

Aden gave a forced laugh. “Why would I do that? Unlike you, I’m no one’s fated

mate.”

He ignored the twisting, churning, sick sensation in his stomach as he shot down his

son’s idea. Aden’s fingers curled tightly around his beer as he fought the urge to yank
open the coffin and free the young man imprisoned there.

Aden couldn’t afford to become involved with anyone. He had too many enemies. The

few people he allowed into his life could take care of themselves. He should know. He’d
taught them. His current case—taking down a dangerous crime family—didn’t allow for
romantic involvements.

“I’ve seen you watching him,” Carey persisted. “I don’t think your attention is all that

parental. Not like it is with my other friends. You watch him like you’re hungry.”

Aden shook his head. If he denied the words enough, maybe they would become true.

“He’s just a kid. He’s probably the same age as you.”

Aden’s mouth dried up as he thought about touching Gallen. As much as he loudly

objected to the idea, deep inside he wondered how Gallen would taste. The young man
stuck in perpetual sleep called to Aden as no one had since Carey’s mother. He had all
but closed himself off after his wife’s death. Instead of mourning, he’d concentrated on
raising his son to be a happy and well-adjusted man. He even collected Carey’s friends as
his own and did what he could to provide for them by teaching his boys all they needed
to know to survive in a difficult world.

He ignored the ache in his heart and the voices in his mind whispering that Gallen

could be the one to break him out of his icy shell. He’d put his love life on hold while his
son was young and hadn’t met anyone since worth bringing home to meet the kids.
None of his hookups at the clubs would be worthy of introducing to his son or the others
under his protection.

“Hey, what’s up?” Denton shuffled into view, blinking at the bright sun.
“Dad’s too chicken to kiss Gallen,” Carey teased.
“Hey!” Aden retorted. “I’m not afraid. Besides, we were discussing how Carey doesn’t

want kids.”

Carey scowled at his father. “I didn’t say that.”
Aden grinned. At least he wasn’t the only one in the hot seat. He barely held back a

laugh when Denton turned his attention to Carey.

“You should adopt or get a surrogate. Broden would make a great dad.”
“What’s up with people and wanting me to have kids?” Carey’s mouth tightened into a

mutinous line.

Denton ignored Carey’s ire.
“You should. Broden’s a high profile businessman. If he gets starts a family, it will send

a message to the community what a stable family man he is.” Denton warmed to his
topic.

“I’ll talk to Broden about it,” Carey amended. “But I’m not turning my relationship

into some sort of statement.”

“Fair enough.” Aden smiled in satisfaction. He’d hold off on the children push again

until the men were married a few years. He still had some time to enjoy his grandkids.

“You should kiss Gallen,” Carey finished. “There’s no need to be afraid of him, you

know. He’s relatively harmless.”

Aden’s heart pattered in his chest—a nervous tattoo. Surely, a young man sleeping in

the middle of Aden’s mother’s flower garden shouldn’t be that scary.

“Of course not. A big, bad soldier like you wouldn’t be afraid of a tiny sorcerer. He’s

practically a midget,” Denton scoffed.

“He’s not a midget,” Aden snapped. “He’s a perfectly acceptable height.”
“Pfft, I doubt he comes to my shoulder,” Denton raised his hand to indicate how short

he thought Gallen would stand beside him.

Aden narrowed his eyes at the croc shifter. “I know you’re just trying to annoy me,

croc.”

Denton shrugged. “I can’t help it if you’re afraid of midgets.”
“Maybe he’s worried about man cooties,” Carey offered.
Aden rolled his eyes. His son had known of Aden’s bisexuality since Carey was old

enough to be aware of his own. While Aden had never brought dates around Carey, he
didn’t hide his interests either. He might not have dated much lately, but he was far from
a monk.

“You both know I’m not afraid of men or women cooties.” Aden smiled at their antics.

Visiting with the boy always cheered him up. Lately, he’d been feeling his age.

With his forty-fifth birthday fast approaching, Aden had decided it was time to retire

and look into another line of work. He had one more mission next week, then he was
done. The knife wound he’d received on his last trip had almost finished him off. His
gash had required fifteen stitches. He had them removed a few weeks ago. Luckily, his
son hadn’t known when Aden was supposed to return, so Aden had been able to heal
before returning to Seattle.

The loud stomping of booted feet announced the arrival of their next visitor.
“Hey, Harris,” Aden called out. Of all Carey’s friends, Harris had the calmest

temperament. Aden had always thought Harris added a soothing element to the more
volatile members of the group.

“What’s up?” Harris plopped down on the chair beside Carey.
Aden raised an eyebrow at Harris. He rarely spotted the bear shifter without his

vampire lover hovering nearby. “How did you escape your man?”

“He’s in the house talking to Marty about security or something. I think he’s hiring

more of the hawks to be my bodyguards,” Harris offered.

“Really?” Denton asked. “Is he expecting trouble?”
“I think he’s ready for everything short of a zombie apocalypse, and maybe even that,”

Harris said, grimacing.

Aden laughed. Somehow he doubted Harris exaggerated his mate’s dedication to

keeping him safe. Last Aden had heard, Rohan had hired half of the kettle of hawk
shifters and was eyeing the pigeon shifter to carry notes back and forth. Harris had come
a long way from the sad, abused child Aden had taken in years ago. Pride for his boys
swelled his chest.

He looked around, but didn’t see their missing shifter. “Where’s Eaton?”
“Defending his thesis,” Carey said. “He didn’t want us there. He said it would make

him nervous.”

“I’m sure he’ll do fine.” He’d forgotten today was the day for Eaton’s presentation.

Aden already knew Eaton would pass with flying colors. He’d unofficially spoken with
all of Eaton’s advisors and had been assured that the eagle shifter would have no
difficulty gaining his doctorate degree. Of course, Eaton didn’t need to ever know about

that. The less his kids knew how much Aden did for them in the background, the better
off they were.

“So what are we all doing in the garden?” Harris asked. “I spotted you from the

window, which is why I came out.”

“Dad’s too chicken to kiss Gallen,” Carey taunted.
Harris bit his lip, but Aden saw him hide a smile before he quickly looked away.
“You have something to say, bear?” Aden nudged Harris’s foot with his shoe.
“No, sir,” Harris examined the rose bush beside him as if it would whisper to him the

secrets of the universe, or at least distract him from Aden’s examination.

Carey and Denton continued to stare at Aden. “You two think you’re going to double

dog dare me into kissing the kid?” Aden asked incredulously.

Denton shook his head. “Nope. No dogs here. But wouldn’t you feel horrible if you

could free Gallen from his frozen hell, but didn’t. I mean, what if you are the one person
who can break the enchantment, but you failed to because you were afraid. You’ve
already sent tons of guys here. I’m thinking you wouldn’t have bothered if you weren’t
attracted to him a bit yourself.”

Aden opened his mouth to protest, but Denton had a point. If for some reason his kiss

would free Gallen, it would be cruel not to try. Besides, if he gave the kid a peck on the
lips, then the boys would leave him alone. Aden sighed. One quick brush of lips wouldn’t
be the end of the world. At least then he’d stop wondering how Gallen would taste.

He met the gaze of each of his boys in turn. “If I kiss him, will you drop it?”
The trio nodded, freakishly in synch.
“I just know I’m going to regret this. How I let you kids talk me into anything, I’ll

never know.”

“It’s because you love us,” Denton replied without hesitation.
“If I didn’t, I’d have killed you all years ago.” He let the truth of that hang in the air as

he stood up. The metal container had been twisted and hammered into an intricate
design to both hide its purpose and protect the man inside. At the time, Harris had
muttered about adding to the garden while keeping Gallen protected, but Aden secretly
thought Harris just wanted to play with a torch and a really big hammer.

Aden stared down at Gallen and tried to focus his concentration on the kid below.

With all of his boys settled, Aden had to admit he felt a little unneeded lately. His
boisterous kids had turned into self-sufficient grown men who now had their own
partners to watch out for them. They no longer needed Aden to protect their backs in the
big, bad world. Aden had been the protective training wheels of their life, and now they
were able to pedal on their own.

“I’ll get it.” Harris rushed forward to unlock the padlock and lift the lid to the metal

enclosure.

Aden wondered how much the lid weighed. Harris was probably the only one strong

enough to shove it open.

Aden peered inside.
Harris could call it what he wanted, but Aden saw it as a metal coffin. A pretty enough

coffin, but a decorative crypt, nevertheless.

Once Harris moved to the side, Aden got another peek at the man he’d decided to kiss.
Aden caught his breath. Damn, Gallen was a beautiful kid with icy blond hair and soft-

looking, kissable lips. He glanced over his shoulder at his boys. “Here goes nothing.”

He’d stared down gun-wielding psychopaths with less anxiety than he had over

touching the man lying still as death in a silk-lined bed.

Stalling, he turned to the bear shifter. “Nice work, Harris.”
“Thanks,” Harris said. “I had a spell put on it so water wouldn’t drip through and ruin

the lining. I wanted him to be comfortable. I’m not sure how much he can feel.”

Aden didn’t even want to think about the young man lying helpless, unable to move.

Hopefully, Gallen was truly sleeping, and everything would be fine whenever he woke
up. Gallen would be traumatized enough dealing with being without a coven. Aden
hoped he hadn’t upset the sorcerer further by sending him to be mauled by total
strangers. If Aden’s kiss didn’t free him, he’d definitely be more selective about who he
sent to kiss the young sorcerer in the future.

Chapter Two

He was back.

Gallen could sense the golden light coming nearer. He always knew when his mate

approached. His fingers and toes unfroze slightly whenever his mate came close. Why
didn’t he come and kiss Gallen? Why did he hesitate while those other men wasted
Gallen’s time? He barely felt the touch of the strangers who kissed him, but he knew
none of them had been his mate.

Maybe his mate didn’t want him? Sorcerers were rarely lucky with their partners. They

had to bind them and take their will in order to get them to stay. His father always told
him that tradition enabled sorcerers to survive. Of course, his father was the reason he
was here—wherever here was. He didn’t know how much he could count on his father
having told him the truth. Maybe there could be another way.

Although initially he had thought to take Eaton’s will away, deep down he knew he

wouldn’t have been able to keep the eagle shifter bound. The vacant eyes of sorcerer
mates had always disturbed him. Taking some else’s will was wrong, and now that he no
longer needed to please his father, Gallen eagerly anticipated having a mate as his equal.

The golden glow brightened behind his eyes. He wished he could say something to

encourage his mate closer, but he couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, or even open his eyes.

His mate came nearer, and warmth coated his right side like liquid sunshine pouring

over him. Gallen wished he could reach out and grab his mate, to yank him close—do
anything to encourage his mate to touch him.

“Sorry about this, kid,” a husky voice whispered.
He didn’t have time to wonder what the apology was for.
Oh.
Lips. Soft. Warm.
Rough whiskers pricked his hands as he mapped the stranger’s face, absorbing his

mate’s appearance with the pads of his fingers.

Wait. Fingers. He could move! Gallen’s eyes fluttered open. The golden glow faded

until he looked into the eyes of a gorgeous human. Gallen licked his lips. “Hi,” he said,
his voice rough with disuse.

“Hey there, kid.” The man’s voice, rich and hard at the same time, like silk over stone,

caressed his ears.

“I’m not a kid.” He couldn’t let his mate think Gallen was anything other than a full-

grown man, more than willing and able to prove that fact.

“You are to me,” his savior said. “I’ve got a boy about the same age as you.”
Gallen mentally evaluated the man leaning over him and decided he must’ve had his

child super young. “Unless he’s over a hundred, I doubt it.”

After years of living among them, Gallen knew humans thought he was in his

twenties. Gallen had only been able to attend the human university because his mother
had interceded. Gallen had already spent sixty years fine-tuning his magic before his

father reluctantly gave his permission. Apparently, even an evil sorcerer couldn’t take his
wife’s nagging.

“You don’t look it.”
“I know.” Gallen decided to drop the subject. More important things needed to be

discussed. “Who are you?”

“Aden Gale. Here, let’s get you sitting up. You’ve been lying there for a while. Your

circulation is probably shot to hell.” Aden’s strong grip helped Gallen into an upright
position. His big hands rubbed Gallen’s back, working out the kinks.

“Thanks.”
“Way to go, Dad. I knew you could do it.”
Carey’s familiar voice had Gallen peeking over his mate’s shoulder. “Dad?”
“I believe you’ve met my son.”
Gallen checked out Aden more carefully, re-evaluating his age. Not that it mattered,

but he’d pegged the man in his thirties. Although, he knew Carey was easily in his mid-
twenties.

On closer examination, he saw crow’s feet decorated Aden’s eyes, and bits of silver

shone through his blond hair. Gallen had never seen anyone sexier in his life. A quick
glance across Aden’s body revealed a man in his physical prime.

Gallen licked his lips. “I guess this means you’re my mate.”
All his suffering had apparently been more than worth the wait. If he’d known this

guy was in his future, he’d never have stolen Eaton. He’d have kidnapped Aden and
chained him to his bed for the next century or two.

Aden straightened and stepped away from Gallen. “I don’t know about that. It

could’ve been a fluke or something. Maybe you were just ready to wake up, or the spell
was fading.”

Aden’s panicked denial turned his blue eyes an almost silvery gray. Delicious. Gallen

could tell his mate needed to be coaxed into accepting the bond between them, but
Gallen hadn’t survived his childhood without knowing how to manipulate someone.
Aden had a surprise coming if he thought he could brush off his responsibilities as
Gallen’s mate.

If Aden wanted to wiggle like a fish on the end of a line first, Gallen would give him

the room to fight. He turned his attention to the other men surrounding him. “So what’s
been going on?”

Carey scowled. “Your father has been a very bad man.”
“So what else is new?” Gallen shrugged. He gasped as a jolt of pain shot through his

shoulder.

“Hey, take it easy, you’ve been frozen for several weeks.” Aden’s warm hand

massaged Gallen’s muscle, easing the strain.

Gallen held back the moan that yearned to pour out of him. He’d heard Aden talking

to him before. Everyone else had just sounded like murmurs in the distance, but Aden’s
voice had sounded clear as if he had been whispering into Gallen’s ear. He wondered
how much experience his self-avowed bisexual mate had with men. He’d love to teach
him anything he needed to know.

“Thank you. That feels good.” Aden’s touch oozed through his skin, soaking into

Gallen’s muscles, easing him.

“Better?” Aden asked, rubbing Gallen’s back in slow circles, soothing him through his

touch.

Gallen gave his mate a shy smile, pleased when Aden’s blue eyes darkened. “Much

better. Thank you.”

Gotcha.
He gathered the memories he had of Eaton talking about Aden. According to the eagle

shifter, Aden had a protective streak a mile wide. It should be easy for Gallen to keep his
mate nearby.

Gallen was the perfect mate for a killer with a mother hen complex. He had no doubt

his father would come after him, and he’d need a strong mate at his side. The fates knew
what they were doing when they matched Gallen up with his delicious mate.

“Could you help me up?” Gallen made sure his tone sounded frail. He heard a muffled

laugh from one of the men, but didn’t let it distract him. Let them chuckle all they
wanted, as long as they didn’t expose his tactics to Aden.

“Of course.” Aden lifted Gallen up and out of the metal cage with an easy flex of

muscles before setting him gently on the ground. He yearned to explore Aden’s strong
body with his tongue. He bet a six-pack lurked beneath his mate’s loose t-shirt.

In time,

he vowed silently.

Aden hovered as Gallen stepped forward, trying to remind his muscles how to move.

Even though he didn’t try to rush it, his joints still screamed their protest. He only took a
few steps before collapsing in the closest chair.

“How are you feeling?” Harris asked.
Gallen gave the bear shifter a grateful smile. They could’ve left him at the sorcerer

enclave after what he’d done to Eaton, but instead, they’d rescued him. “Better, thanks. It
was horrible trapped in my own body without being able to communicate. Aden is the
only person I could hear.”

“Really?” Aden settled in the seat beside him, his hand unconsciously resting along the

nape of Gallen’s neck.

Gallen leaned back a bit to encourage further contact.
“What are your plans?” Carey asked. He seemed to be the leader of his little group. The

others deferred to him instead of asking questions.

“I don’t know.” He slumped in his chair as reality hit him. “I guess as of now, I’m

homeless. I certainly don’t want to go back to father.”

Not to mention he had no money and no way to finish school without his father’s

financing. Gallen’s father had kept a tight fist on all the coven’s finances and hadn’t
allowed Gallen to work to make any cash for himself. Gallen knew it was just another of
his father’s ways of controlling him. Most of the people in their coven had depended on
Gallen’s father for their money. Even those who had their own jobs had to hand over
their pay for the good of the coven. How his father convinced everyone to let him rule
their lives, Gallen didn’t know, but he suspected it involved some magical coercion.

Aden squeezed Gallen’s shoulder. “Nonsense, you can stay here until you get on your

feet. You don’t mind, do you, Carey?”

Carey shrugged. “It’s not like we’ll notice one more person, and you did try to save

Eaton in the end.”

Gallen looked up at his gorgeous mate through his lashes. “Will you be here?”
Eaton had never mentioned where Aden might live, or if he did, Gallen hadn’t been

paying enough attention. At the time, he’d been infatuated with Eaton and not
concerned about some guy who watched over the group like a father figure. Gallen
narrowed his eyes at Aden. He’d best think of the beautiful eagle shifter as a son, or
Gallen would be doing some plucking.

Aden stroked a finger along Gallen’s cheekbone. “I don’t live here, but Carey has extra

rooms now, since a few of the hawks are moving to stay with Harris.”

“Hey, how do you know that? I didn’t even know that,” Harris objected. “I thought

they were just going watch me during the daytime.”

Gallen ignored the growling bear shifter as he leaned into Aden’s touch.
“What do you think? You’ll be well-protected from your father here,” Aden persisted.

“I added safeguards. The house has quite a few wards to keep bad people out.”

“Yeah, your father is creepy, dude,” Harris said. “I’d stay out of his reach, if I were

you.”

“Where do you live?” Gallen asked when Aden didn’t offer the information.
“I have an apartment by Alki Beach.”
“Water view?” Gallen adored the water. It matched his magic. He could manipulate it

with his powers. Along with healing, it was his best ability.

“A bit of one,” Aden said guardedly.
“Dad’s view is amazing,” Carey praised. “Let’s get you inside and find you some food.

You must be starving. I’m sure I can find you a change of clothes, if you’d like to take a
shower.”

Gallen’s stomach grumbled as if on cue, and he suddenly felt grungy instead of

liberated from his semi-sleep. “I’d like to take advantage of both,” he declared.

Everything would feel better after a shower and food.
Aden offered him a hand to help him up. Gallen gratefully accepted the assistance—

any excuse to touch his mate. The more contact, the tighter their bond would grow.

Gallen kept a hold on Aden’s hand as they walked toward the house. As they turned

the corner, he caught sight of the filigree casket. He shuddered. “Whose idea was it to
put me in that thing?”

Harris raised his hand. “Mine! I wanted a glass one, but Aden said it would attract the

cops.”

“Um, thanks, I guess.” He’d rather not have been put in anything, but if it kept him

away from his father, they could’ve put him in a cement hole and he would’ve been
happy.

“You’re welcome.” Harris offered him a friendly smile before rushing off after his

friends.

Aden removed his hand from Gallen’s, but placed it at the small of his back instead.

The reassuring touch sent tingles through his system. Gallen only held back a moan

through rigid self-control. It wouldn’t do for the sexy human to know how much he
affected Gallen. As it was, he had to try and figure out how to bind Aden to him without
taking over his willpower. Sorcerers told everyone that using the Venus necklace to mind
control their mates was to prevent their partners from betraying them, but that was a lie.
The Venus necklace was designed to hold back the fear. If a sorcerer lost his or her mate,
they were doomed to a half-life forever.

Finding their true mates was a mixed blessing for sorcerers. Gallen would have to make

another necklace to show Aden had bonded, or someone else might think Aden was
available. A fierce need to claim the sexy human burned through Gallen like sorcerer fire.
He needed to find a way to entwine their lives without taking over Aden’s mind.

Gallen hated the idea of a turning Aden into a mindless zombie. After all, the man had

just rescued him from his father’s spell. One of the benefits of bonding with a sorcerer
was increased lifespan, and with a human, every year was precious. Gallen refused to let
his mate die. Unfortunately, the people who might know the answer to Gallen’s dilemma
either thought he was dead or still frozen. He didn’t plan on letting anyone know he’d
woken until he had to. As soon as his father discovered Gallen had broken the spell, he’d
hunt down Aden. Gallen had no doubt his father would gleefully hold Aden captive if it
would keep Gallen under his thumb.

When they reached the house, Aden stepped to the side and scooped Gallen through

the door. Gallen looked over his shoulder to see Aden sweep an assessing gaze across the
yard before following him inside.

A cold chill shimmered down Gallen’s spine. “Did you see something?”
Aden shook his head. “No. I just like to keep an eye out. You never know who might

be watching.”

Gallen had a feeling Aden had a tendency to be extra cautious. There was a guarded

intensity in his eyes, as if he had spent a long time watching his back.

In the future, Gallen would make sure Aden didn’t guard alone. What good was a mate

if they couldn’t help each other out? While they followed Harris down the hall, Gallen
ran through all the protection spells he knew in his head. He had a feeling he’d have to
brush up on that particular skill if he planned to keep his gorgeous partner alive.

They entered a lovely dining room with a long table covered in fine linen. A buffet on

the side held plates, utensils and a surprising array of food. Gallen smiled at the selection.
The vast piles of food would feed a lot more shifters than the handful sitting around the
table.

“A few of the hawks have learned how to cook surprisingly well,” Carey commented

at Gallen’s surprised expression. “They’ll come in later and eat. They like to avoid me
when they can, in case I send them to do more work.”

From the smirk on his face, Gallen guessed Carey didn’t find the hawks’ avoidance of

him anything but amusing.

“Looks good.” Gallen grabbed a plate and piled it high with food. It had been so long

since he ate, and his body yearned for sustenance.

“Eat slowly and give your body time to adjust to solids again,” Aden advised. “You

don’t want to be sick.”

“I will.” Gallen found a spot with another empty seat beside him, hoping Aden would

sit next to him.

Instead, Aden sat at the head of the table, with Carey on the other end. The men didn’t

say much while they ate, but Gallen couldn’t resist glancing at Aden from time to time
through his lashes. He hid his smile when he found Aden watching back. His mate
would be a difficult man to manipulate, but Gallen was confident he had the skills. He’d
spent his childhood with a dangerous, volatile man, and Aden appeared much less
psychotic, at least on the surface.

“You’re going to have to be persistent with Aden. He’s going to try to convince you

that it’s too dangerous to be his mate. Don’t take that crap. He needs someone. He’s been
alone for too long,” Denton said.

Gallen turned to give the croc shifter his complete attention. Out of all of them, he

hadn’t pegged Denton as being the insightful one. “Thanks for the tip.”

Denton shrugged. “It doesn’t help that you look younger than Carey. Aden’s going

through some sort of midlife crisis where he thinks he’s old or something. We’ve tried to
convince him otherwise. I mean, look at him. If he were anyone but Carey’s dad, he’d be
a DILF.”

Gallen resisted the urge to punch Denton. He didn’t want anyone looking at his mate

with lust. Good thing Denton’s gaze was more admiring than hungry, or Gallen would be
dusting off some of his more dangerous spells to see if his magic still worked.

“How old is he?” Once they bonded, Aden would stay at his current level of beauty,

but he had to admit, he was curious about anything to do with his mate.

Denton tilted his head as he considered the question. “Well, Carey is twenty-five, and

he was born when Aden was twenty, so that would make him forty-five.”

“Wow, he looks younger.” Aden appealed to Gallen much more than any of the fresh-

faced kids in college who always hit on him. He suspected Aden knew his way around a
sexual partner, male or female.

“He takes good care of himself,” Denton said. “But I hope he’s going to retire soon, like

he told Carey.”

“Retire from what?” Gallen suspected he knew what his mate did for a living, but he

didn’t know for sure. Aden had an air of danger about him that screamed he didn’t have
even a nodding acquaintance with a desk job. However, Gallen preferred facts, not
supposition.

Denton shrugged. “Whatever paranoid assassins retire from. Truthfully, I’ve never

been certain who he works for. He’s not exactly open with that information. Sort of the
I’d-tell-you-but-then-I’d-have-to-kill-you kind of job.”

“Hey, don’t talk about him like that. I know what paranoid looks like.” His father was

the king of paranoia and self-delusion. That didn’t stop him from being one of the most
powerful sorcerers.

Denton raised his hands. “I mean no disrespect. No one adores Aden as much as we do,

but the guy is dangerous. Who knows what he considers a retiring hobby? It’s not like
he’s going to pick up knitting or something. I’m thinking since you’re his mate, you
should help him think of something to keep him entertained. Trust me when I say a

bored Aden is a scary Aden.”

Gallen tilted his chin up. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He doubted Aden would be much of a problem. His mate didn’t strike Gallen as the

sort to sit around and wait for someone to find him something to do. If Aden became
bored, there were quite a few things Gallen could think of to entertain a restless mate.

Aden finished eating, then stood. Gallen quickly followed him to the kitchen to set his

dish in the sink. Aden spun around, and Gallen stepped forward instead of backward like
his instincts insisted. He wondered how long he’d have to wait before he could have
Aden naked in his arms.

“What are you going to do now that you’re not frozen in a box anymore?” Aden asked.
Gallen stood taller beneath Aden’s attention. He enjoyed being the focus of those

piercing blue eyes. He felt as if Aden could see into his soul and liked what he found
there.

“I have to go to my school and make up an excuse as to why I missed so many classes.

Somehow, I doubt they’ll believe the I-was-cursed-and-waiting-for-Prince-Charming
excuse. I’m sure I’ll have to retake a few classes.” Luckily, he hadn’t been taking very
many credits when his father sent him to sleep.

“You could take them in summer session if they aren’t already filled. I think it starts in

a few weeks.”

“Maybe.” Gallen nodded. Inwardly, he wondered if he should bother. The only reason

he was taking classes was to escape his father’s tyranny a few hours a day. He’d rather
stay and take care of his mate than spend his days in worthless classes. Not to mention,
he didn’t have the money to continue anymore.

“I don’t really know what I want to do or what degree to pursue.”
Aden squeezed his shoulder. “Take your time to decide. What you decide to do with

your life today could change tomorrow. Most people don’t end up doing what they
started out planning to do with their life.”

Gallen took a moment to consider Aden’s words.
“What I want to do with my life might change, but who I want to share it with won’t.”

He made sure to meet Aden’s eyes. He stepped closer to the sexy human until they were
only a breath apart. “I want you, and I will have you for my mate.”

Better to state his goals. He doubted Aden liked surprises.
Aden’s cheeks turned a pretty pink. “I know you think I’m your mate, but it could be a

fluke. I’m too old for you. Chronologically, you might be older, but you look younger
than my son.”

“Age doesn’t matter, and I turn a hundred and one next month.” Gallen wouldn’t lose

his mate because of a misunderstanding.

“What?”
“I told you, I’m older than I look. Besides, once we’re bonded, you’ll live the same

number of years as I do. Our souls will be entwined.”

“And if I die?” Aden cupped Gallen’s face. “If I get killed, will it kill you, too?”
Gallen nodded. “Sometimes mates can survive the death of their other half, but not

often.”

He’d seen the shell-like emptiness of those who survived their mate’s death. It

would’ve been better to die.

“If you’re right and we are truly mates, it would be wiser not to complete the bond. I

wouldn’t want you to follow me into death. I live a dangerous life, and I don’t want to
pull you into it.”

Gallen frowned. “You can’t escape from this. Now that we’ve met, the bonding process

has already begun.”

The fear on Aden’s face didn’t reassure Gallen that they were on the same page.
“Plan on dying soon, Dad?” Carey entered the kitchen. Gallen saw the younger man

raise an eyebrow at his father.

Aden took a step away from Gallen. He had to bite his lip to hold back a protest.
“No, but I have a dangerous job, and if Gallen truly is my mate, I don’t want him to be

hurt, or even worse, die through our connection.” Aden narrowed his eyes as if he could
get Gallen to rescind his mate statement with a glare.

Gallen kissed Aden’s jaw, smiling when Aden tensed beneath his touch. If there had

been no reaction at all, he would’ve been insulted. “What is it you do?”

Aden slid his fingers up the back of Gallen’s neck and caressed the bared skin there. “I

take care of problems when other people have run out of options.”

“He kills people,” Denton offered helpfully.
When had the croc shifter entered the kitchen?
Gallen frowned. “What kind of people?” Was he hitching his life force to a cold-

hearted killer? Somehow, he couldn’t reconcile that person with the guy who sat by
Gallen’s coffin to keep him company.

Aden shrugged. “The kind who need killing.”
“Cool.” Gallen dared to stand on his tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss on Aden’s mouth.

The man wasn’t super tall, but he was definitely taller than Gallen. His lips tingled from
the contact, and Aden’s eyes widened in surprise.

Chapter Three

Aden wrapped an arm around Gallen, preventing the young man from escaping. No way
would he let him rush off after a little peck on the lips. “What are you doing?”

“Um, kissing you.” Gallen smiled, but Aden could spot the nervousness in his eyes.

Aden shook his head at him.

“I think we’ll be on our way,” Carey muttered. Aden barely acknowledged his son

leaving. To do it properly, he’d have to tear his gaze away from the pretty sorcerer, an act
he found himself unwilling to do.

“If you’re going to kiss me, don’t do it halfway.” Before he could change his mind,

Aden pulled Gallen close, then cupped his face. Surely a kiss would put Gallen’s foolish
ideas of their being mates out of his mind, and he’d realize Aden wasn’t what he needed.

Except it wasn’t like any kiss he’d exchanged with a man before. Gallen’s lips, softer

than any other, brushed Aden’s with a worshipful touch, as if he cherished the
encounter. For the first time, Aden didn’t feel as if he’d be interchangeable with any
other warm body. Gallen’s touch had a caressing quality. A warm ball of need unfurled
from Aden’s gut and poured through his body. Desire pulsed through him like a hot
flame, burning him from the inside out and leaving him yearning for more contact. He
ached to wrap himself around Gallen until they became one.

Gallen’s soft moan encouraged Aden’s touch. He slid his hands down Gallen’s spine

until he could cup the sorcerer’s pert ass. Squeezing the round orbs, he relished the
contact. He pressed Gallen tighter, until their bodies rubbed together with little space in
between while he deepened their kiss. Tangling his tongue with Gallen’s, tasting,
devouring. He couldn’t get enough. Aden’s cock hardened in his pants. Desire knifed
through him, sharp and aching.

Eventually, the need for oxygen won out, and Aden broke the kiss to gasp for air.

Looking into Gallen’s lust-filled eyes boosted his self-confidence. Aden’s age meant
nothing to the gorgeous sorcerer staring at him with want and need.

“I think we scared everyone away.” Gallen licked his lips, leaving a shiny trail behind.
Unable to resist the invitation, Aden sucked on Gallen’s lower lip, biting the plush

shape before tugging on the bit of flesh between his teeth.

Gallen’s gasp and the press of his erection against Aden’s thigh told him that Gallen

was a more than a willing partner in their embrace.

Aden’s jeans were becoming uncomfortable. He stepped back and removed Gallen’s

hands from behind his neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Regret twisted him in knots. He clenched his fists to disguise the shaking of his hands.

Never had anyone turned him inside-out before. Aden didn’t know what to do next.

Kissing a guy with such intensity and not fucking him made Aden a cock tease of the

worse sort. However, his body hadn’t received notice that Gallen couldn’t belong to him.
He clenched his hands to hold back the urge to grab Gallen again. He had to remind
himself that sorcerers were dangerous, and he was an idiot if he thought Gallen’s age
prevented him from being a possible threat. Gallen had kidnapped Eaton before. He

wasn’t completely innocent.

Gallen sighed before folding his arms across his chest. “I am your mate. Whether you

acknowledge it or not won’t make that fact go away.” The defensive gesture twisted
Aden’s insides like a punch in the gut. He’d never met anyone who wanted to keep him
before. Aden didn’t do relationships. Hard, quick fucks in dark clubs or dirty alleys were
how he got off.

“I can’t be your mate, sweetheart.” Aden sought to convey the many completely

logical reasons why a bond between them would be a horrible idea, but the words
wouldn’t come.

A gentle touch swept Aden’s hair from his eyes.
“I like your hair,” Gallen said. The vulnerable look in the sorcerer’s eyes entrapped

Aden quicker than any spell.

“I need to get it cut before I go.” Nothing threw off a good sniper shot like hair in his

face at the wrong time, and he had people to kill.

A panicked expression crossed Gallen’s face. “Go where?”
“I have a job out of town in two days.” Aden gripped Gallen’s hand, trying to comfort

the younger man with his touch. The terror in Gallen’s eyes didn’t seem to fade with
Aden’s weak reassurance. He knew he’d be a poor mate. Hell, even if he wanted to, he’d
never be the comforting type.

“When are you coming back? You are coming back, aren’t you?”
Gallen’s panicked tone had Aden wrapping him back in his arms. Soothing sounds

poured out of him, noises without words, until he could feel Gallen’s heartbeat slowing
again.

“Of course I’m coming back. I’ll return when the job is finished. I’ve never failed yet.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell Gallen when he’d be returning. He couldn’t put a
timeline on a project when he didn’t know how long it would take to track down his
man.

“You don’t understand,” Gallen gripped Aden’s arms. “I can’t survive without you. If

you die, so will I.”

“Hey, easy, that’s why we aren’t bonding.” Aden patted Gallen’s hand. “If we don’t

bond and something happens, you’ll still be all right.”

It made perfect sense to Aden, but Gallen’s expression didn’t improve. If anything, his

expression turned grimmer.

“Take me with you.” Gallen gripped Aden’s shirt as if he thought physically holding

onto Aden would prevent him from leaving for his job.

“Sorry, Gallen. I can’t watch over you and do my job. Where I’m going isn’t a good

place for you.” Aden released Gallen before prying the sorcerer’s fingers from his
clothing. He hated to break the kid’s heart, but worrying about someone taking Gallen
out would definitely detract from his concentration. He couldn’t afford to be distracted,
especially on his last job. More than one agent had died with only a few days until
retirement because they got sloppy.

“Promise you’ll come back to me!”
Aden smiled. Gallen was a persistent young man. “I said I’ll be back. I always keep my

word. Carey can tell you that.”

No way would he leave Carey alone, wondering what happened to his father. Years

ago he’d promised his son that he would always return to him. He wouldn’t break it on
his last time out, especially if Gallen was also waiting for him.

“Of course, your son.” Gallen stepped back. “I’ll let you get going.”
The hurt on Gallen’s face unnerved Aden. He silently reviewed what he said in his

mind. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean you weren’t important. I’m just not
used to anyone else worrying about me.”

He cupped Gallen’s cheek, but the hurt expression in the sorcerer’s eyes didn’t go

away.

“No.” Gallen turned his face from Aden’s touch and raised a hand as if to ward off

further statements. “You don’t need to explain. We barely know each other. I guess I
thought our being mates would have more of an effect on you. Apparently, it affects
humans differently than sorcerers.”

Aden didn’t know if that were true or not. None of his boys had mated with a non-

para.

“Hey, when I return, we can talk. Right now, my life is dangerous, but this is my last

assignment. I just don’t want to endanger you. If we truly are mates, it is better we don’t
bond yet. When I get back into town, we can talk about what we are looking for in mates.
Okay?” Aden’s heart pounded erratically in his chest as he spoke those words. He didn’t
really know what to expect. Long-term romantic relationships didn’t fall into any of his
experiences. For Gallen, he’d give it a try.

Something about the need in the Gallen’s eyes told Aden that if he turned his back on

the sorcerer, Gallen wouldn’t survive the devastation. A frailty of spirit lived in Gallen’s
expression, as if life had already given him so many hard knocks, one more would be the
last one he could take.

Aden might be a killer, but he’d never been sadistic. Needlessly hurting a vulnerable

young man—even one who claimed to be much older—was not something he could do.

“Hey.” He cupped Gallen’s face between his hands. “I’ll come back to you. We’re not

done yet. I promise.”

The scent of Gallen standing close, the feel of his skin beneath Aden’s fingertips all

threatened to overwhelm his usual common sense.

Resisting the urge to slam Gallen against the wall, fuck him, and damn the

consequences tested Aden’s well-vaunted control.

Crap.
Aden had dangerous enemies who would love getting their hands on anyone Aden

called his. He couldn’t do anything to bring attention to Gallen. Human attention. He’d
barely kept Carey and his friends out of the slimy underworld Aden worked in, and only
by booby-trapping the mansion and making the boys as skilled as him did he feel free to
let them live on their own without him watching their every step. Another reason he
wanted Gallen to stay with Carey while he was gone. If Gallen stayed in the mansion,
he’d be safe from his father. Magic attacks couldn’t penetrate the invisible shield around
the mansion.

“I will try to be patient until you return.” Gallen broke into Aden’s increasingly

worried thoughts. “I’d feel better if you wore this.”

Gallen took off a medallion from around his neck and handed it over. A flat circle, it

shimmered with gold and sparkled with magic.

“My mother gave this to me when I came into my abilities. I’ve always worn it for

good luck,” he gave Aden a wry grin. “With mixed results, but I’d feel better if you wore
it for me. It’s not a Venus necklace, in case you’re worried.”

“What’s a Venus necklace?”
Gallen sighed. “It’s a piece of sorcerer jewelry to keep a mate under our control. Mine

didn’t work on Eaton, anyway.”

“That’s because of the inoculation,” Aden confessed. “I had everyone given an anti-

magic shot.”

Gallen’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t think those things existed.”
“It was experimental.”
“Well, it worked. Eaton wasn’t the least bit persuaded by my magic.”
“Good.” Aden shrugged. “I mean, it worked out for the best. If I’d been around when

they went to retrieve Eaton, you might have been injured.”

He would’ve been dead, but Aden didn’t think that needed to be mentioned.
Gallen dangled his necklace at Aden again. “Please wear this. I promise it doesn’t have

any magic that will harm you.”

Aden appreciated the carefully worded warning. Still…
“Kid, I can’t take your necklace.” The charm glowed faintly blue in the daylight. One

side had some writing Aden couldn’t read, the other the symbol of a dragon.

“Please.” Damn, the sad, silvery eyes cut Aden to the core. He could almost feel his

resolve crumbling like one of those piles of saltines Carey used to run over with his toy
truck. “I’ll worry less if I think I’ve helped provide for your safety in some way.”

“You’ll feel better?” Aden checked. He’d do anything to lower Gallen’s anxiety. As it

was, he felt guilty for leaving his mate so soon after Gallen woke up from his spell.

Gallen nodded. “I’d worry less if I knew you were safe.”
Aden’s resistance folded beneath Gallen’s sad expression. He’d never had anyone

worry over his safety before. Carey knew Aden could take care of himself, and years of
having his father go off on trips and come back without a scratch had lowered his level of
alarm whenever Aden traveled. Gallen’s lack of experience with Aden’s abilities no
doubt led to his concern.

“Fine, but you’re worrying for no reason.”
Gallen gave a sexy growl and stood on his tiptoes to fasten the chain around Aden’s

neck. “You’d better come back to me. If I have to go to wherever you are and fetch you, I
will be very upset.”

“You like giving men necklaces,” Aden remarked, fingering the fine talisman. He

remembered Eaton telling him a necklace had almost sapped his will.

Gallen winced. “I guess I should apologize to Eaton properly for kidnapping him.”
Aden smiled. “Nah, he got to have his mate rush in and save him like Prince

Charming, so he’s good. I think everyone is willing to move on, as long as you’re over

your infatuation with Eaton.”

He barely kept the growl out of his voice over the thought of Gallen still drooling over

the eagle shifter. Aden knew he couldn’t compete with the younger, sexier man.

Gallen’s quick nod eased his fears. “Yeah, I’m over that. I can’t believe I let it get that

far. I should’ve known Eaton wasn’t my mate. I think maybe it was you being around
him that caused my confusion. Do you hug him?”

Aden shrugged. “Sometimes. He’s one of my boys.”
Gallen frowned. “Well, don’t go thinking I’m another one, because I won’t be lumped

into the category of men you look out for. I expect you to treat me like you would any
other lover.”

As if he had a frame of reference for that. “I don’t have lovers. I have hookups that

leave the next morning.” Aden couldn’t remember the last time he dated someone for
more than a few nights. A repeat with the same person didn’t happen often. He had a
few friends that came with benefits, but usually, he stuck with the random sexual
partners. A person who became attached inevitably asked questions Aden couldn’t
answer. Simple questions, like what he did for a living and when he would be back from
a job.

Relationships led to expectations, and Aden couldn’t afford to have someone depend

on him to make a dinner reservation, much less be there when his potential lover wanted
him to be. The only people Aden allowed to rely on him were Carey and his friends. His
life revolved around making sure his boys had whatever they needed. Now with partners
of their own, they were beginning to need him less every day. He told himself it was a
natural evolution of the kids growing older, but it didn’t stop the encroaching loneliness.

“Hey.” Gallen slid a hand down Aden’s arm. “Come back to me.”
Aden kissed Gallen hard. “I always come back. That’s one thing I’ll guarantee.”

Chapter Four

Gallen paced back and forth before the window. After three weeks, he was still trying to
put his life back together. He’d missed the deadline for both student loans and restarting
his classes, so he’d have to wait another two months before he could apply. The tension
of waiting to find out if he could qualify for student loans grated. If he didn’t go back to
school, what would he do? Searching his mind, he didn’t come up with many
alternatives. Maybe he needed to go see a magical life coach? Unfortunately, he didn’t
know any who wouldn’t report back to his father. Right now, he wanted to remain
beneath his father’s radar as long as he could.

Did his father know yet that Gallen had broken the spell? Gallen wondered if his father

had put a tracker on the spell. Since it had been thrown recklessly at Eaton, he doubted
his father had had the time. If his dad knew Gallen had awakened, so far he showed no
interest in retrieving him.

Gallen hadn’t seen any signs of other sorcerers in the area or detected any magical

signatures nearby. Somehow, he doubted his father would give up the city he considered
his own. The lack of spotting them didn’t mean they weren’t around somewhere.

While he waited for Aden to return, Gallen learned some everyday chores. Things he’d

always relied on servants to do were now suddenly necessary to learn. Harris had taken
to teaching Gallen how to cook whenever he visited the house, but his visits were
sporadic and depended on whether his overprotective vampire mate let him out of his
sight. Denton taught him how to wash dishes and had made some inroads in showing
Gallen how to play the guitar.

The lack of any news from Aden had Gallen’s nerves on edge more than anything else.

Unable to take it anymore, he went to talk to the one person who might have heard from
his mate.

“Why can’t he just call?”
Carey looked up from his piles of paperwork. Apparently, working for his mate and

running the household took a lot of tree killing. “Can I help you with something,
Gallen?”

“Doesn’t it bother you to not hear from your father for so long?”
Carey frowned. “What are you talking about? I heard from him yesterday.”
Gallen sat down in a visitor’s chair, his knees too weak to support him. “He called

you?”

How could Aden contact his son and completely ignore his mate? His chest ached with

the hollowness echoing inside. Did he mean so little to Aden? He’d thought they had
connected emotionally before Aden had left. Maybe he’d been fooling himself all along.
No. It wasn’t like with Eaton. Aden woke Gallen from his spell. The man was definitely
his mate. All the signs pointed to it.

“Dad calls me every three days like clockwork. Oh, don’t tell me he hasn’t called you.”

Carey’s mouth dropped open. “He’s going to hear about that!”

“No. Don’t.” Gallen blinked back tears. “I don’t want him to think I was whining.”

“You aren’t whining. You have every right to expect your mate to call you.”
“But we haven’t officially bonded. He can still deny the mating.” Gallen couldn’t

blame Aden if he had changed his mind. No one really wanted to be the bonded mate of
a sorcerer. Sorcerers weren’t exactly the good guys of the magical world.

“He knows it. He’s just stubborn,” Carey assured him. “My dad is great, don’t get me

wrong, but he doesn’t like it when things don’t go according to plan. You are the perfect
example of things not going according to plan.”

Gallen bit his lip before confessing. “I’m supposed to take his will in order for us to

bond properly.”

Carey shook his head and set down his papers. “You can’t take his will. He’s inoculated

like Eaton.”

“I know. He told me.” Gallen didn’t know what to do. Nothing in this mating had

gone right. Sure, Aden fulfilled every fantasy of the physicality of the perfect mate, but
the man’s independence could prove a barrier to their life together. Sorcerers didn’t do
well if they didn’t have their mate close by.

“Gallen, don’t take this the wrong way, but who is it that told you that you have to

take someone’s will to properly mate with them?” Carey trained his brilliant eyes—so
like Aden’s—on Gallen.

“My father.” Gallen swallowed several times to wet his dry throat. He didn’t know

how he felt about Carey asking questions. Sorcerers were trained since birth to keep their
secrets. It went against everything he believed to tell Carey the truth. “If we don’t have
complete control of our mates, we won’t completely bind.”

“And do you wonder if it is really true or if your dad is a just controlling bastard who

wants to make sure no one can take over his coven? I mean, if only half of your people
have a will of their own, it’s not like they can band together and overthrow him. Right?”

Gallen spun the idea around in his mind like a shiny metal top, trying to spot the bits

of corrosion. “I’ve never talked to any sorcerers outside out coven,” he said finally.

Sorcerers inside the coven wouldn’t dare speak against Gallen’s father. He had spies

everywhere. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered. Carey could have a
valid point. No one had ever questioned Gallen’s father about his beliefs. To doubt him
would’ve been seen as a sign of dissention and possible grounds for being tossed out of
the coven. Sorcerers didn’t fare well alone. They needed others of their kind to share
their energy, and most didn’t have enough power to protect themselves against their
enemies. Odd. He’d felt amazing since he’d woken up. Deciding he’d worry about his
own health later, Gallen focused on Carey.

“So you don’t know if what he said is true?” Carey persisted.
Gallen shook his head feeling foolish.
“You are also half fae. What do fae do to bond with their mates?”
Gallen reviewed all the stories his mother used to share, but came up empty. “I don’t

know.”

“Think about it,” Carey advised. “You aren’t going to be able to bind my dad’s mind

any more than you did Eaton’s, so you’ll need a different tactic.”

“I know.” He shoved his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to control anyone,

anyway.”

The thought of Aden being a mindless zombie had Gallen’s stomach churning. Even if

he could bring it off, he had only tried to brainwash Eaton because Gallen had had a
crush on the guy and wanted to make his father proud. Now he didn’t care about
pleasing his father. He only wanted to make Aden happy. He wondered if he could get
hold of his mother in order to ask her some questions. Bellion hadn’t contacted him since
she left, and he had no idea of how to call her. It wasn’t like she carried a cell phone
around.

“I’ll think about it,” he promised Carey.

* * * *

Aden wondered if he’d be able to keep his word. The bullet wound in his shoulder
wouldn’t stop bleeding, and although he was in a safe spot for the moment, he doubted
the people hunting him would stop anytime soon.

His intel had been so wrong, it might as well have been a fairy tale created from clouds

and wishes. Aden wondered who’d been the one to compile the information, because if
he got out of this alive, he was going to hunt them down and bury his Bowie knife in
their throat. He smiled at the visual.

Another shower of bullets spat way too close, breaking chips off the roof he perched

behind.

Fuck.
Aden lifted his head long enough to take out the sharpshooter firing from the building

across from him.

Bastard.
The gunman had been the one who pegged Aden’s shoulder with a bullet that felt as

big as a boulder, moving around under his skin and pushing out blood. Thoughts of
Gallen firmed his resolve. He’d told the sweet sorcerer that he’d be back. No way would
he lie to his mate.

Mate.
The word settled deep in his bones, an added responsibility he couldn’t deny. He

promised Gallen he’d return to him, and even if he had doubts about their mating, he
wouldn’t break his word. He never broke his word. He didn’t give it often either.

Sliding across the rough roof on his belly, Aden ignored the bits of gravel embedding

in his flesh and scraping it away. It wouldn’t be the first time he gave up a bit of skin to
stay alive, but hopefully it would be the last. Damn, he knew this job would suck. Was it
too much to ask that he retire with balloons, candy, maybe a big-ass cake?

Aden pulled out his semi-automatic pistol and fired a quick burst of bullets. He smiled

as two more drug dealers toppled to the ground. They wouldn’t be getting back up. Aden
would be happy if he never saw another bastard carrying a briefcase full of cash or
government secrets or whatever illegal thing crooks hauled around with them again.
They thought they were above the law, but they weren’t above Aden.

This particular group of drug smugglers was getting on his very last nerve. They were

cousins in a crime cartel that Aden had worked hard the past three years to bring down.
Destroying their family business was his last bad guy fuck-you before he left the field.

Screams of terror pierced the air.
What the hell?
Aden dared to peek up from around the roof air conditioner unit. A winged serpent

swooped out of the sky and snatched the drug dealer off the ground. Aden’s mouth dried
up with fear, and his heart slammed against his chest. He ducked back behind the metal
barrier.

Where the fuck did the dragon come from? Were there more?
He had thought the rumors about dragon shifters were just that—rumors.
Crap.
He ducked back behind his shelter as he contemplated what to do. With so many

shifters in his life, he had a rule about not killing them unless they attacked him or
someone he loved. He only made an exception with the Seattle wolves. Those shifters
were so stupid they deserved a bit of killing.

But a dragon—shit. He didn’t have the firepower to deal with a dragon. He didn’t

know anyone who did. Dragons were so rare, Aden had thought they were only
something other paranormals told their kids about to keep them on the straight and
narrow. “Be good, or the dragon will get you.”

Aden had dealt with some big paranormals in his time, but dragons were an entirely

different situation. He’d never seen anything so fucking big in his life. Gunfire popped
like fireworks below him as the criminals tried to kill off the winged beast. Aden
wondered if the gold-and-black dragon was a shifter or only a creature. From the shape,
it appeared to be of Chinese origin, however, Aden had to admit his dragon lore was
kind of sketchy. Eaton would know. That kid knew everything.

Screams continued to echo between the buildings. Aden took a deep breath, then

peeked around the unit again. Yep, still a dragon. His gunshot wound wasn’t making
him delusional. Aden was used to normal shifters. Hawks, eagles, bears, crocodiles—
dragons were an entirely different category. Where the hell had it come from?

Aden mentally noted that the creature was about the size of one of the construction

trailers they always had on sites. Its black and gold scales gleamed beneath the bright
sun. It didn’t appear overly friendly if the decimated remained of the drug dealer was
any indication of its intent. Damn! He’d left his rocket launcher at the hotel.

Aden didn’t see any signs of the remaining drug dealers. Did they run off, or had the

dragon eaten them? Aden couldn’t tell from his spot. The dragon sniffed the air, and
Aden knew he was busted.

He froze.
Maybe the beast would only see him if he moved. Aden had no idea about dragon

vision, but he had little other hope of avoiding death or being eaten. He remained still in
his spot, not daring to twitch.

A low growl emitted from the creature. Nerves swirled Aden’s stomach. His rifle

wouldn’t even put a dent in the beast. The dragon’s head dipped as if in a nod before it
jumped up and flew away. Aden slumped against the building.

“What the fuck was that about?”
Aden snatched up all his weapons, then walked down the fire escape. After a quick

sweep of the area, he limped over to the drug dealer’s car. A duffle bag and a briefcase
sat in the open trunk, mute evidence to the deal that didn’t go down. A quick check
proved one contained drugs, the other cash.

Another cautious look around didn’t reveal anyone else in the immediate area. He

slammed the trunk closed, then walked around and slid into the driver’s seat. He
carefully shut the door behind him as his strength began to fade along with his
adrenaline rush. Aches, pains, and bullet wounds were always worse after the excitement
wore down.

Luckily, the keys were still in the car, because he didn’t have the patience to hotwire

anything.

A quick trip to the hospital to seal up his wounds, then he’d head home and straighten

out the mess of his future relationship with a hot sorcerer. Aden wasn’t sure if he should
be excited about this turn of events or be making plans to run away.

It took a week before Aden was allowed to fly. Even then, the doctor hadn’t approved

his quick exit from the hospital. In Aden’s opinion, he’d already taken a week too long.
He hated hospitals, doctors, and nurses even, to be fair. Anyone whose idea of a good job
involved stabbing him with needles obviously had serious sadistic issues. His last nurse
unnervingly resembled a torturer Aden had been unfortunate enough to spend some
with.

Suppressing a shudder, Aden looked out the window and watched the endless white

of the cloud cover floating below him. He wondered how Gallen was doing. He’d missed
the sorcerer while he’d been gone. He probably should’ve made a phone call, but surely
Carey would’ve told Gallen about Aden’s imminent return.

Aden sighed. Already the relationship was complicated, and they didn’t even

technically have one. Gallen might consider Aden his mate, but Aden still had
reservations about their future. He didn’t like sorcerers as a species. They trapped their
mates to be mindless zombies. Gallen might be different, but from what Aden had
learned, Gallen’s father had brainwashed him for years. He wondered how much
emotional damage the older sorcerer had done to his son. He’d have to talk to Gallen and
explain how they couldn’t work as a couple. Aden’s heart ached for the young man, but
what kind of future did they have? Aden would die in a few more decades, barring
getting himself killed before then. Even with his retirement, Aden didn’t foolishly
believe his handlers would leave him completely alone to go fishing or some shit like
that. They’d give him a few months before they began sniffing around again. Aden knew
his skills weren’t easy to find.

Not to mention his enemies wouldn’t magically disappear because Aden decided to

quit. They’d still hunt him when they could, and although Carey and his friends could
protect themselves, he had no idea about Gallen’s abilities. How could he endanger his
mate like that? Maybe if he avoided the final bonding, they could live separate lives. His
heart ached a bit at that thought, but he refused to back down. He’d do the right thing

and let Gallen go.

His resolve lasted up to the minute he arrived at the airport and spotted Gallen

standing on the other side of the security area.

Oh, crap.
“Hey,” Aden approached the sorcerer slowly, not sure of the proper greeting for

almost mates. Besides, it might not be the smoothest line ever, but being able to speak to
the beautiful sorcerer was an achievement in itself.

Gallen’s eyes lit up at the sight of Aden, but his mouth remained in a straight line.

“You didn’t call me,” he said in a flat tone.

Aden froze. “I don’t usually contact people while I’m out.”
“You called Carey.” Gallen’s eyes narrowed with accusation.
“He’s my son.” Years of habit had him automatically calling his son when he was out

in the field. “I always call him.”

Gallen sighed. “I didn’t mean not to call Carey. It just would’ve been nice if you’d at

least sent me a text.”

“I don’t have your number.”
There, that was a rational explanation. A much better one than he’d be terrified to

contact the sorcerer. Or that he’d been unsure what to say.

Gallen grinned. “I’ll let you off this time, but next time, I expect a phone call.”
“There won’t be a next time.” Aden grabbed Gallen’s arm and dragged him along with

one hand as he pulled his carryon suitcase with the other. He didn’t loiter in airports. Too
many places a person could be taken down. He knew from experience the ease of
poisoning a person in a crowd.

“In a hurry?”
“Yes.”
“Any other luggage?”
“Never.” He kept his movements slow and steady. He automatically scanned the

airport, verifying nothing stood out. “How did you get here?”

“I drove. I’m parked in short term.”
No one ought to be able to connect Gallen to Aden yet, so his car should be safe. Aden

didn’t trust leaving his vehicle where anyone could fuck with it, so he always took a taxi
to the airport. Only once had to needed to kill his driver. Aden considered those good
odds. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”

Gallen grinned. “I like that.”
“What?”
“When you call me sweetheart.”
Fuck.
He hadn’t even thought out the pet name. Even though he knew Gallen didn’t have a

spotless background, the sorcerer always struck Aden as sweet. They didn’t speak as they
made their way to the parking garage until they stopped in front of a familiar vehicle.

“This is Carey’s car.”
Gallen nodded. “I don’t have access to any money. Until I get a job, I’m pretty much

living off Carey.” Embarrassment flushed his cheeks pink.

“Hey.” Aden cupped Gallen’s cheek. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone

has a rough patch sometimes.”

Gallen gave a bitter laugh. “My whole life has been a rough patch.”
“Then it’s time to change that.” Even if they weren’t going to be mates, Aden could

help Gallen out. He had a good track record for helping young men get on their feet.

Gallen jerked his head back. “Oh, no. You don’t get to make me another one of your

projects. I’m not one of those kids you save from their bad home life. I’m your mate.”

“Is he now? That’ll be interesting to tell the others,” a silky voice spoke behind them.
Aden spun around, and before Gallen could say anything, he pinned the speaker to the

car by his throat. “I don’t think you’ll be around to tell anyone anything,” Aden said.

“Whoa, babe, you don’t have to kill him,” Gallen said.
“Yes, I do. He’s a scumbag, and he’ll paint a big X on your back. I can’t chance that. You

have enough to worry about with your father. You don’t need scum crawling out of the
ground to bother you. Not to mention, he’ll go back home and tell his family
everything.” There were still a few in the family who cared enough to hunt Carey down.

“He won’t,” Gallen protested.
Aden shook his head “You don’t know men like this. He won’t stop until he makes me

pay for killing his brother.”

Ren Holver was a member of a Chicago crime family. Aden didn’t know why he was in

Seattle, but the sight of him never meant anything good. Three years ago, Aden had
killed Paul Holver in a shootout while rescuing a kidnapped senator’s daughter. Paul had
been holding her hostage, and Aden had killed him while saving the girl. Since then,
Aden had killed several members of the organization. For a while, they had a hit on him,
until hit men stopped taking the bounty after Aden picked most of them off.

“He’ll leave you alone if he can’t remember.”
“What?”
“I can take away his memories of you.”
Aden stared at his mate with new respect. “Really?”
“Yep.”
“And he won’t remember you at all?”
“No.”
“Okay, do it.”
“You have to remove your hand.”
Aden patted Ren down, taking the gun out of his inner pocket before releasing him.
Ren curled his lip as he regarded Aden with disdain. “No way am I going to forget this,

asshole.”

“Look at me,” Gallen ordered.
Ren turned to face the sorcerer. Aden watched with amazement as the hit man’s face

went slack.

“You will forget you ever met me or Aden Gale. You will return home and forget all

about us. If anyone mentions Aden, your mind will go completely blank, and you will
change the subject.”

“I will forget you,” Ren said in a wooden tone.

“Yes, now go.”
Ren turned and walked away in a slow, stumbling gait as if he were dreaming.
“How long will that last?” Aden asked.
“If I did it right, forever. I created a blank spot where his memory of you existed. I

don’t know if I wiped out the memory of his brother, too, but it’s possible. This way,
whatever he has against you can’t fester.”

“Huh,” Aden almost felt sorry for the asshole. However, he quickly got over it. He

couldn’t let any dangers affect his mate. No one got to touch Gallen. He hoped the
memory erasure held. Right now, Ren was the only one who blamed him for his
brother’s death. The others considered it part of the price of crime. If Ren conveniently
forgot Aden, life would be a little easier.

“Here.” Gallen gave Aden the keys.
Aden grinned. His mate understood Aden’s need for control. Aden tossed his bag in

the trunk before climbing in and starting the car. The engine engaged smoothly. He’d
bought Carey the SUV a few months ago after his son got a new job and had more people
occupying his house. Carey needed better transportation than the kid’s music van.

Aden fastened his seatbelt, then waited until Gallen had buckled in before starting.
“All set?”
Gallen nodded. “Yeah. This feels good.”
“What does?”
“Coming to meet you at the airport like we’re a couple.”
Aden didn’t swerve into the column as he turned the corner, but it was close. “I have

to tell you, I’ve never been a couple with anyone but Carey’s mother before.”

“Neither have I. We can learn together.”
For someone who had a pretty tragic childhood with a controlling asshole, Gallen had

a positive attitude. “I’ll protect you, you know. I won’t let your father get you back.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“Why not?” Aden pulled up to the payment booth and paid for the parking.
“Because I don’t think he wants me. I mean, he cursed me thinking I would never

wake up. What kind of father does that to his child?”

“A poor one,” Aden said. He’d never abandon his child. If it were Carey who became

cursed, Aden would’ve dragged every gay man in the world to kiss his son. However, he
would never shove his father’s errors at Gallen. Gallen knew his father didn’t care about
him like a parent should.

“Have you ever thought about having more kids?”
Aden swerved again, almost sideswiping a minivan. “Maybe I shouldn’t talk and drive

at the same time.”

“What? It’s obvious you enjoy being a father. Why wouldn’t you have more kids?”
The hospital. Laura’s dead eyes looking back at him.
Aden shuddered.
“I don’t know that I enjoy being a father. I enjoy my son, but most of the time while

Carey was growing up, I was terrified I’d do something wrong, first by not being around
enough for him, then by being a bad influence. My mother helped out a lot while he was

growing up, helping to provide a stable home while I worked. When I was home, I
taught him how to protect himself against anyone. Most kids aren’t taught like Carey.”

Knowing how to take down a person three times your size with nothing but a

pocketknife and a shoelace didn’t fit into most six-year-old’s lesson plans. Carey might
look like Aden, but he had more delicate features and gentle ways, and Aden had refused
to let his son be a victim to any bully. Any fucker started crap with his son, and they’d
leave screaming.

“Carey is a strong human who can hold his own against any shifter. If that’s what you

were going for, you did a great job.”

Aden laughed. “I didn’t even know there were shifters until we met Harris. I freed a

bear being tortured, only to find out he was really a kid. Imagine my surprise.”

“And yet you still kept him.”
“What the fuck else would I do? I’m not going to turn him over to child services. Who

knows what would happen to him?” Memories of the whip marks and open sores
covering Harris’ body still haunted his dream.

“What happened to Harris’ owner?”
Aden grinned. “I made him understand the error of his ways.” The man had died

crying and begging for forgiveness. He hadn’t known Aden didn’t have any.

“You can be a really scary man, Aden Gale.” Gallen’s voice didn’t sound scared. He

sounded admiring.

“I’ve been told that once or twice,” Aden admitted. He didn’t try to be scary. He just

didn’t see anything wrong with killing people who needed to be killed.

They pulled up to the mansion gates. Aden punched in his code and waited for them to

slide open.

“Why is there so much security here? Don’t you think it’s a little overkill?”
“No. I’ve made some dangerous enemies. Most of them don’t know who I am or where

I live, or even that I have a child, but if one of them does, I’m not going to sit around and
let them attack Carey. If they come here, there are a lot of ways for them to die before
they even get to my son.”

Chapter Five

Gallen watched Aden maneuver the SUV into the mansion’s garage bay. He knew Aden
had left his car at the mansion, because he always checked in on his son before going to
his own residence. Gallen wondered what it would be like to be taken care of by
someone else. Someone like Aden, who would do anything to protect the people he
loved.

Anything.
Gallen needed that in his life. He needed someone steady to watch his back and

support him, no matter what. Aden would be the perfect type of mate. The man made
solid boulders look flimsy in comparison.

Carey opened the door as they walked up. “Hey, Dad. I see Gallen found you.”
Aden’s wide smile twisted Gallen’s heart a bit. He hadn’t received the same

unadulterated joy at the sight of him. He wondered if there was a timeframe for when
Aden Gale would see him and think Gallen belonged. He needed to belong—desperately.

“Yes, he did. I’ve got some news for you.” Aden walked past Carey and headed for the

living room, apparently confident everyone would follow. Since Gallen and Carey both
did, it wasn’t a misplaced belief.

Once they were seated, Carey spoke first when Aden didn’t immediately volunteer

any information. “What’s up?”

“Did you know there are dragons?” Aden asked.
Gallen laughed. He hadn’t known Aden had a sense of humor. However a moment

later, it proved that he really didn’t. “You think you saw a dragon?” Gallen wondered if
any of his old contacts would talk to him long enough to evaluate Aden. “Do you have a
concussion?”

“No, babe, I don’t have a concussion. Besides, don’t you see little birds when you get

knocked on your head? They always do in cartoons.”

“Sometimes people hallucinate,” Gallen defended.
“Do they imagine people getting eaten? Because that’s a damn strong hallucination.”
“Not usually,” Carey interjected. “So this dragon ate people? I’m hoping bad guys.”
Aden nodded, then proceeded to tell them a scary tale of how he almost didn’t return

to Gallen.

“You are never to go after bad guys without me again,” Gallen ordered. “You could’ve

been killed!”

“I could’ve been, but I wasn’t. I returned like I promised.” Aden appeared to think

he’d done his part, and Gallen was just nitpicking.

“But it was close. If a dragon hadn’t intervened…” Gallen trailed off, unable to

continue that thought.

“So now you believe in my dragon?” Aden teased.
“Can you focus? You are not to go anywhere you could be shot at or eaten again!”

Gallen shouted. His magic crackled inside him with the force of his anger. How could
Aden endanger himself like that for the sake of a few drug smugglers? “Let me see your

wound.”

Aden stood and walked over to sit on the arm of Gallen’s chair. He brushed a hand

through Gallen’s hair. “Baby, you need to relax. I always put my life on the line, and I
always come back. Besides, that was my last mission. I’m retired.”

“Really? You mean it?” Carey asked, sitting up straighter in his chair. “I didn’t think

you’d actually do it. You’ve tried to retire six times now.”

“This time, I’m done. I’m getting too old for this crap. The last few missions have had

shitty intel, and I’ve almost been killed a few times. I’m not as fast as I used to be, and it’s
time to let a younger generation do all the things I used to do.”

Gallen couldn’t stop smiling. He’d worried that Aden’s job might be a point of

contention between them, but now that Aden had decided to quit, he could happily
settle down with his silver fox. The idea of children brought into his head a happy image
of the pair of them alongside some beautiful blue-eyed children with Gallen’s magic and
Aden’s solid core of morality. Some might think Aden had a cold-blooded approach, but
Gallen appreciated his practicality. He wondered about a surrogate. He should probably
be the biological father if they wanted to have kids with magic, but a child as beautiful as
Aden and Carey wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

He had no doubt Aden could protect his family. If anyone bothered them, Aden would

kill them. He appreciated the simple logic.

“I’ve heard stories of dragons,” Gallen confessed. “But I always thought they were just

things my father said to scare me from sleeping well at night.”

His father had enjoyed frightening Gallen, even when he was just a child.
“If I ever get hold of your father, he’s not going to be sleeping well—ever!” Aden’s

fierce intensity told Gallen his mate wasn’t kidding.

He had to admit, if he didn’t know his father fought dirty, he would’ve been more

than happy to see Aden kick his father’s ass.

“What did you hear about dragons?” Carey asked, easily bringing them back on topic.
After meeting his father, Gallen had thought of Carey as a less intense version of Aden.

Not a lesser person, but perhaps not as willing to kill. The fierce expression in Carey’s
eyes had him re-examining that notion.

Gallen scraped his mind for memories of dragon stories. “I’ve heard they had them in

ancient China, and that most of them died out over the years. A few have been
enchanted and trapped in their dragon shape, but I don’t know where or when. Sorry,
I’m not much help. The stories my dad told me mostly involved them stalking me in my
sleep and eating me for being a disobedient child.”

“Hmm.” Aden scratched his cheek. “It looks like something freed them, or they came

out of hiding. I don’t know why that dragon didn’t attack me, but I’m really happy it
didn’t. I didn’t have enough firepower to do any good.”

“You didn’t provoke it,” Gallen said.
“Neither did the other man. They were shooting at me, but I don’t think they saw the

dragon before it attacked them,” Aden said. “I certainly didn’t have any warning.”

Gallen doubted anything snuck up on Aden very often. “Good thing it was on your

side.”

“Well, if I ever see it, I will thank it for its assistance,” Aden said dryly.
“Now what are you going to do with your time?” Gallen asked. “As a newly retired

person.”

“Besides get to know your mate,” Carey chimed in.
Gallen blushed, but held Aden’s piercing gaze until his mate said the worst thing

possible. “I don’t think we should bond.”

The blood rushed out of Gallen’s face. Spinning, the room began to lose focus.
“Crap!” Aden grabbed him as he slumped down on the chair. “Don’t you faint on me!”
Gallen blinked back tears. Maybe he’d heard wrong. Aden wasn’t acting like someone

eager to get rid of Gallen. “What do you mean you don’t want to bond?”

“What if I die? I can’t be responsible for your death.”
“Once we bond, you will get some of my magical protection. I can heal people, so you

should be harder to injure. It won’t go away if we just don’t bond. Sure, I might live
longer, but I’d rather have a shorter life in bliss than a longer life wallowing in misery the
rest of my life.”

“Don’t you care if you die?” Aden cupped Gallen’s face, forcing him to meet his eyes.
“Of course, I don’t want to die, but I’d rather die happy than live like this.” After a

childhood of bullying and intimidation, even a brief few years with a proper mate would
be worth any price. Aden’s expression didn’t share Gallen’s joy in finding his other half.
Gallen had to find a way to get Aden to concentrate on the positive side of their mating
and not so much on the negative.

“Maybe I should leave so you two can discuss this alone,” Carey stood up and quickly

left the room.

Before either of them could comment, Carey was gone. Gallen appreciated his tact.
“My son seems to think we should work things out.” Aden’s eyes were on the doorway

Carey had disappeared through.

“What do you think?” Gallen held his breath as he waited for Aden’s response.
Aden returned his attention to Gallen. “I want to do what is best for you. If you think

I’m the one for you, then I’ll do everything I can to make you happy. However, I think
we should take it slow. I want you to stay with Carey until we’re both ready for you to
move in with me.”

“What if you’re never ready?” Gallen was prepared to move in now. When would be

the magical time for Aden? Would he spend the next hundred years waiting for the
perfect day?

“Hey, this isn’t a way to avoid our bond. I promise.” Aden’s sincere expression

squeezed Gallen’s heart, but he resisted the temptation to cave to Aden’s decision. He’d
spent too many years letting others decide his future.

Gallen resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Then what is it? How are we going to get to

know each other better if you aren’t around? I think a better idea would be for me to
move in with you so we can get to know each other. Dating is for people who are unsure
of the future. Our path is already chosen.”

“Is it? Do all mates match perfectly? Have you never heard of a mating that didn’t

work out?”

Gallen searched his mind. “No. I’ve never heard of a mating that didn’t work out.

Sometimes people are more inclined to love their mate than others, but I’ve never met a
pair of mates completely incompatible. That’s what being chosen by fate is all about.”

His parents didn’t count, because he’d always known they weren’t proper mates. His

mother had told him many times.

“Is it because sorcerers take away their mate’s will? How can you know if they are

willing if you brainwash them?”

Gallen sighed. “I know it seems silly to you, or even dangerous, but there is a historical

reason for sorcerers’ behavior.”

Of course, after meeting Aden, he couldn’t imagine taking over his will and making

him a mate puppet. Some people weren’t meant to live under the yoke of the Venus
chain. Gallen suspected, even if he hadn’t been inoculated against magic, Aden would be
difficult to charm.

Aden wiped away a lifetime of beliefs with a wave of his hand. “But how do you know

they’re happy?”

“Because we can feel our mate’s emotions. If we were bonded and you were miserable,

I would know and I would free you.”

“You’ll never get that chance.”
“I know. Carey suggested I study the other half of my heritage to seal our bonding. I’m

trying to contact my mother and find out what the fae use to connect with their soul
mates. I want to make our relationship as strong as possible.”

He didn’t dare let others have the chance to tempt Aden away from him. Gallen knew

no one would ever replace Aden as his soul mate. Maybe the human couldn’t feel the
connection because of his lack of magic. Gallen hoped Aden wouldn’t be completely
resistant to their mating.

“Won’t sex be enough? I have to admit I know nothing about fae bonding,” Aden

confessed.

“Sadly, that makes two of us, and I’m half fae. My mother wasn’t allowed to teach me

any of her ways. My father worried it would corrupt me. In secret, we used to hide in an
abandoned room at the back of an old barracks, and she would teach me how to heal. I
have so much more to learn, but I don’t know where she went.”

“You don’t have a way to get hold of her?” Aden picked Gallen up and set him on his

lap.

Gallen smiled at the intimacy. Aden didn’t know it, but he’d make a fine mate. His

instincts were always to make Gallen as happy as possible without even trying.

“No. I’ve tried sending out psychic calls to her, but so far nothing.”
“I can try to see if I can use some of my contacts to find her for you.”
“Will they want something in return?” Gallen didn’t want Aden doing anything that

might require him to give a dangerous favor in return. He planned to keep a sharp eye on
his man. He worried Aden’s success in staying alive so far had been as much due to luck
as to skill.

“Depends who I ask. Some people owe me information, others I’d owe.”
“If it takes more than a phone call on your part, then no.” Gallen refused to let Aden

endanger himself even to help them as a couple.

“I’ll be careful.” Aden smiled, a sexy curling of his lip that made Gallen want to ravage

him.

“Good.” Gallen wiggled his ass against Aden’s lap, pleased when Aden’s cock

hardened beneath him.

“If you make me come in my pants, I will spank your ass.”
Gallen’s breath caught in his throat. “Ooh, I’d say I have a daddy fetish, but seriously,

that would probably be the creepiest thought ever.”

Aden laughed. “I see you’re going to keep me on my toes.”
“I hope not.” Gallen frowned. “I was going for balls deep in my ass.”
“Hmm, I might be able to help you out with that.” Aden’s voice deepened with

arousal.

“Might? I’m pretty sure you’re the only one for the job.” Gallen’s skin crawled at the

thought of anyone else touching him. Never again would he let someone other than
Aden into his bed.

Aden’s grip tightened, and a flash of jealousy crossed his face. “I better be, because if I

find you in another man’s arms, I’ll kill him. Trust me when I say it isn’t just an
expression.”

Gallen nodded. “You have no worries there, my mate. I would never betray.”
Aden now had Gallen’s complete loyalty. As a human, Aden didn’t truly understand

the bond between mates. Observing a mating between shifters wasn’t the same as
experiencing the bond.

The close examination he received had him holding his breath as he waited for Aden’s

decision. “I think you’re right. Let’s go to my place. At least then I can keep a good eye
on you. I’m tired, and we can leave any big decisions until tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Gallen pressed his lips against Aden’s, letting his mate take control of

the kiss. Kisses were more intense with Aden in charge. His grip in Gallen’s hair and his
fingers against Gallen’s hip made him harder than diamonds.

He moaned against Aden’s mouth, encouraging more. He tilted his head, giving Aden

deeper access.

So good.
Aden’s tongue snaked out to lap at Gallen’s lips.
“Ooh! A make-out session. No one told me it was necking time,” Marty’s chipper voice

shattered the mood.

Gallen broke away from the embrace to glare at the cheery hawk shifter. “I’m tempted

to pluck you bald,” he growled.

“Just try it, sorcerer!” Marty spat. Unlike Eaton, Marty hadn’t forgiven Gallen for

endangering his mate or paralyzing him so he could kidnap Eaton. Gallen didn’t blame
him, but he didn’t put up with the abuse either.

“Children!” Aden interjected. “Everyone needs to get along.”
“I’m not a child,” Gallen argued again. Somehow, he had to get Aden to see him as an

equal. He didn’t know what that would take, but he was determined. Until Aden saw
him as a partner, he’d never be fully accepted as a mate.

“Why? Are you cradle-snatching now?” Marty taunted.
Aden tensed beneath him, and a tendril of hurt trickled through their newly formed

bond.

Fury filled Gallen over the pain Marty’s words caused his mate. “You will not

disrespect my mate.”

He raised his hand and shouted an incantation. Marty flew through the air and

slammed into the wall behind him as if smacked down by an invisible wave. Gallen slid
off Aden’s lap, then stomped toward the shifter. “Say what you want about me, but if
you hurt my mate again, I will rip you apart and feed your innards to the crabs.”

Marty groaned as he opened his eyes. Slowly, he climbed to his feet.
“Mate?” Marty’s gaze went between Aden and Gallen, then back again. “Sorry, man, I

didn’t know you were mates.”

The hawk shifter’s sincerity glowed in his eyes.
Aden stepped up behind Gallen and nuzzled his throat.
Oh, hell.
“If you keep that up, Marty is going to see more of me than you might be comfortable

showing,” Gallen warned.

“Sorry,” Aden said, pinching Gallen’s ass when he stepped away. “Watching you toss

Marty was kind of sexy.”

“Hey!” Marty scowled at Aden.
Aden shrugged.
Gallen turned around to face his man. Aden’s heated gaze sizzled down Gallen’s spine.

He could get used to that look aimed at him. He didn’t have a good record with men.
Most of them found his eyes freaky or weren’t strong enough to introduce to his father.
Gallen had never been completely free to pick a lover before. He wasn’t a virgin, but he
wasn’t super experienced either. He hoped to change all that with his mate.

“How about you take me home and show me what you really think?” Gallen cleared

his throat after his voice came out deeper than ever before.

“I think I might need to bleach out my eyes,” Marty commented.
“Keep it up, hawk, and I’ll do it for you.” Aden’s eyes stayed locked with Gallen’s

while he issued the threat.

Marty stepped away from them, sliding along the wall. “Understood.”
“Come, let’s go home.” Aden entwined his fingers with Gallen’s, taking him by

surprise. A warm flow of affection poured through Gallen. Maybe he could get Aden to
stay with him without taking away his will after all. However, if he didn’t find a way to
combine their life forces, Aden would die of old age long before Gallen received more
than a few wrinkles. He silently vowed to work harder to contact his mother.

He let Aden lead him through the house, waving at the others as they watched him

leave with Aden. “Don’t I need my clothes?”

Aden flashed him a hot look over his shoulder. “Why?”
Gallen would forever deny the whimper that came from his mouth at the thought of

being naked and alone with Aden. His pants became painfully tight.

They paused by Carey in order for Aden to give his son a hug. “I’ll come by tomorrow,

and we can discuss what I’m going to do now that I’m done with work.”

“Sounds good.” Carey patted his father on the back, nodded to Gallen, then headed

down the hall.

Aden continued to drag Gallen through of the house and toward the front door.
“I am coming willingly,” he commented, shaking his hand as Aden continued to drag

him.

Aden scooped up his bag from the front door and released Gallen’s hand. He briefly

missed the contact. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Aden’s masterful hold on his
wrist had made him harder than steel.

Sorcerers might be considered the badasses of the magical world, but Aden could order

Gallen around any time. He’d easily bow to his mate’s request.

Aden led him to a classic sports car. An old Mustang painted a cherry red.

Chapter Six

Aden drove Gallen to his condo. It was on the fourth floor of a new building built a few
years ago. He had sweeping views of the sound from his entire living room. Denton and
his partner lived just down the street.

“Wow, that’s a great view.” Gallen stepped up beside him to stare at the water.
“I like it.” Aden always found the water calming. Something about the waves crashing

against the shore and the soothing depths always lured him in.

“Have you ever gone diving?” Gallen asked.
“Yep. I love diving. I go whenever I get the chance.” He didn’t mention he needed to

be certified in order to do some of his jobs. More than once, he’d had to sneak aboard
some ship from the water.

“Me, too.”
The men smiled at each other, pleased they had a common interest. “We should go

diving together soon,” Aden said.

It took a lot of resolve to keep reminding himself that Gallen was much older than he

looked. For all he knew, Gallen had been diving for more years than Aden had been
alive. “I’d like that.”

Aden didn’t know which one of them moved first, but Gallen wrapped in his arms was

the best thing Aden had ever felt before. A sigh slid through him when Gallen’s body
pressed against his, as if he’d been missing a chunk of his soul and hadn’t known until
that moment.

Perfection.
Gallen’s mouth twisted Aden in knots with his sweet taste. Unable to get enough,

Aden reached down and pulled at Gallen’s shirt, annoyed when he had to separate to
slip it over his head. He didn’t have a shifter’s strength to rip it away, and would only
look foolish trying to do that move.

It didn’t take long before they stood naked in the middle of the living room. Gallen had

surprisingly nimble fingers.

“Damn, you’re gorgeous,” Gallen said.
Aden grinned, resisting the urge to preen beneath Gallen’s adoring gaze.
Gallen’s body had delicate lines, with lean muscle and little fat. The sorcerer ran his

hands worshipfully over Aden’s body. Glad he’d kept up with workouts, Aden let a sigh
of satisfaction roll through him at Gallen’s touch.

Stripped naked, their erections nudged against each other in a friendly kiss. Aden

reached down and gripped them together, his touch firm, but not too rough as he rubbed
them together slowly, building the passion. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

They needed lube—desperately.
“Okay.” The glazed look in Gallen’s eyes boosted Aden’s ego. If this kept up once he

got him there, he’d never let the kid out of his bed.

Out of patience, his hormones ruling his head, he grabbed Gallen’s wrist and dragged

him down the hall.

“I’m coming.”
But not fast enough. Aden picked Gallen up and flung him over his shoulder, laughing

when Gallen hummed happily at the action. Teasing fingers rubbed his ass as he marched
down the corridor to the bedroom.

Flinging the door open, he tossed Gallen across the room. He smiled when the sorcerer

bounced on his mattress.

“I like you there,” Aden confessed. It had been far too long since a man had decorated

his bed.

“I like being here,” Gallen replied. Confidence sparkled in his eyes, the surety of a man

who knew his partner desired him.

“Good.” Aden could easily see Gallen lying in his bed for years to come. Damn, he

hadn’t realized how lonely his life had become until the possibility of sharing it with
someone else dangled in front of him like a glorious promise. He might not deserve a hot,
young-looking man, but with Gallen, who watched him as if he were every hot dream,
he’d sure as hell take him.

Climbing on the bed, he kissed his way up from Gallen’s ankle to his inner thigh. He

placed a soft kiss on Gallen’s ball sac, only to bypass his erection to kiss his other thigh.

“You’re killing me,” Gallen groaned.
Aden grinned against Gallen’s hairy thigh. The kid had a nice sprinkling of hair, just

enough Aden knew he was dealing with a male. A few guys he’d slept with in the past
had waxed, and Aden never understood why they wanted to look like a pre-pubescent
boy. He liked a man to look like a man, armpit hair and all.

“Could you get on with it?”
“Getting cranky, aren’t you?” Aden asked idly. The growl was adorable, but Aden had

dealt with shifters, so a tiny sorcerer growl wasn’t exactly going to send him into a panic.

He slid up Gallen’s body until only his hands held him above the sorcerer. Gallen

wrapped his legs around Aden’s waist and pulled him down. “I need you now!”

Aden grinned. He kissed Gallen and relaxed a fraction of his weight on the smaller

man. He wanted to entice him, not crush him.

Gallen wouldn’t have any of that. The sorcerer used his thighs to roll them over until

he lay on top.

Tongues clashed as Gallen took over, and for the first time, Aden didn’t have control.

The younger man slid his fingers into Aden’s short hair and held him still as he ravished
his mouth. Unlike Aden, Gallen pinned him with his full body, letting Aden accept his
weight. Tension poured out of Aden. If he didn’t have to worry about crushing Gallen,
he could relax.

“Lube?”
Aden pointed to the drawer. “Not wasting any time.”
“Sorry. I need to feel you in me. We can take it slow next time.”
Aden didn’t blame him. He’d only thought of Gallen while he’d been gone. The

sorcerer had slipped into his thoughts. One of the reasons he’d gotten shot was because
Aden had been so tired from his sexy dreams.

A slick hand spreading lube over his erection jolted him back to the present. Gallen’s

silvery eyes glowed with amusement. “Stay with me, mate.”

Aden didn’t have time for an apology as Gallen quickly prepped, then impaled himself

on Aden’s erection.

“Oh lord,” Aden whispered.
“You are so big.” Gallen moaned.
Slowly, Gallen accepted Aden into his body, inch by excruciatingly blissful inch. Aden

clenched his fists in the covers to resist the urge to grab Gallen’s hips and shove him
down all the way. He wouldn’t hurt Gallen for anything, and he didn’t know how long it
had been since his sorcerer had sex. The thought of Gallen with anyone else made him
want to get his gun, but he quickly pushed those images aside. He didn’t want to miss a
moment of their first lovemaking.

Gallen sighed when he finally took all of Aden. He placed a sloppy kiss on Aden’s

mouth. “You feel amazing,” he whispered in Aden’s ear before playfully nipping his
lobe.

“You feel incredible, too,” Aden agreed. Gallen clenched around him, and he gave into

the urge to buck. He grabbed Gallen’s hips and flipped them back around. Holding the
back of Gallen’s thighs, he got to his knees. “Hold on, mate, I’m going to fuck you until
you forget your name.”

Gallen’s smile brightened his handsome face to incandescent beauty. “Excellent.”
A possessiveness Aden had never felt for anyone gripped him tighter than the one

time he’d fought with a wolf shifter and had an arm gripped in the beast’s incisors. He
had a feeling any separation from Gallen would be even more painful than the bit of skin
he lost in that battle.

As he moved in and out of Gallen, Aden’s heart ached with the need to make Gallen

his. To mark the man as belonging to him and kill anyone else who thought to take him.

With a shout, Aden came, filling Gallen with his seed. Before he could recover, Gallen

placed his hands on Aden’s chest.

“Mine.”
Pain seared through him as Gallen’s touch burned into his skin like a branding iron.

Overwhelmed, Aden only had enough time to slide out of Gallen, then topple to the side
to avoid crushing Gallen before everything went black.

* * * *

Gallen gasped in horror as Aden collapsed on the bed. He quickly grabbed some tissues
and cleaned the human up. Careful not to push him off the bed, he tossed the tissues,
then pulled Aden more into the center of the mattress. A small tattoo spread across
Aden’s chest, a spiral-shaped black dragon. It glowed around the edges as if it were
biding its time to protect its human.

“What the hell?” he whispered, staring at the mark.
A loud crackling sound had him covering their naked bodies. Bellion, Gallen’s fae

mother, appeared before him. She gave Aden a quick glance before turning to walk out
of the room. “Put some clothes on, dear. We need to talk,” she said on her way out.

“Okay.” Gallen glanced at Aden one more time before realizing all his clothes were in

the living room. Before he could register that fact, they came sailing through the open
doorway.

“You might need these.”
“Thanks,” he called out, although she’d already gone.
Gallen quickly dressed, not wanting his mother to become impatient and leave while

he dallied. Before he went to join his mother, he checked again to make sure Aden still
breathed.

“I’m sorry, babe, I’ll be right back.” Gallen had to fight his instinct to cuddle up beside

Aden and hold him close. He needed to see his mother first. Maybe she could help him
with this mess.

He found her sitting on Aden’s leather couch, looking out over the water. “He’ll be all

right,” she said before Gallen opened his mouth.

“How can you be sure?”
“Because he’s your mate. Is this the first time you’ve had sex?”
“Yes.” Gallen hadn’t been this uncomfortable since he had the sex talk with his mother

at the age of fifteen. By then, he’d already known everything, but she’d insisted on going
out and buying him condoms in case he decided he was ready. The box she purchased
actually expired before Gallen ever used them, but the humiliation of that talk survived
far into the future.

“Hmm. I always thought you took more after your dad. I guess I was wrong.”
“What does that mean?”
Gallen plopped down on the couch beside her. He twitched with the need to return to

his mate, but he didn’t know when he’d get another chance to talk to her.

“It means you mated with him like a fae, not like a sorcerer.”
“What did I do?”
“You gave him the mating mark. I’m not certain about the significance of the dragon,

but you’ve tattooed him as belonging to a fae. It will also work as a guardian for him if he
finds himself in a dangerous situation.”

Gallen liked the idea of protecting his human mate. Despite his tough exterior, humans

were frighteningly frail. “It’s permanent?”

“Yes. To humans, it will look like a tattoo. To paranormals, it will glow like the mating

brand it is.”

“What about me? Will I get one, too?”
His mother shook her head. “No, only if he were a fae would you get one. I have a

feeling he’ll think of something to mark you. He has the aura of a take-charge kind of
man.”

“Yeah.” Gallen couldn’t stop the smile crossing his face. Aden fulfilled every one of his

fantasies.

“I came to check on you, my love. I felt it when your dad enchanted you, and I saw

where they put you in their garden.”

Gallen shrugged. “They took care of me.”
She smiled. “Yes, they did in their own weird way. Though I have to wonder what

they’ll do with that casket now.”

“That is a good question.” Gallen laughed.
His mother squeezed Gallen’s shoulder. “I love you, son.” She stood up. “You’ll do

well. I’ll come back and visit for the holidays.”

“But what if I need you before then?” Panic raced through Gallen. “What if father

comes after me?”

“I wouldn’t be any use against him, anyway. He’s always been stronger than me. You’ll

have to watch out for your mate, son. Theos isn’t going to give up on you. He’ll find out
about your mate and use him against you.”

“I’m pretty hard to kill,” Aden’s deep voice spoke behind him.
Gallen turned to find Aden standing in the living room with nothing but a pair of

denims on.

“You must be Gallen’s mother.” Aden smiled, not appearing the least uncomfortable to

be talking to the parent of the man he’d fucked not a few minutes before.

“Please, call me Bell,” Bellion Theos said with a sweet smile. She stood up and took

Aden’s proffered hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“I’m Aden.”
“I know. I did some research on you when I found out you were my son’s mate. I’m

happy to report that I think if anyone non-magical can protect him from his father, it’ll
be you.”

“Thank you.” Aden gave a short bow. “I’ll do my best.”
“Hey! I’m not completely useless,” Gallen objected.
“Of course not, dear,” his mother agreed. She exchanged a look with Aden before she

kissed Gallen on the cheek. “I put my number on both of your phones, so you can call me
if you need anything. See you later, darlings.”

Most people would walk out the door with that exit line, but Bellion Theos just

vanished.

“That’s impressive,” Aden said, glancing around as if expecting to see Gallen’s mother

still standing in the room.

Gallen shrugged. He’d seen her do that a million times. He couldn’t teleport, but it

wasn’t that unusual of a skill. He walked over to Aden and put his arms around his
mate’s waist. “How are you feeling?”

Aden rubbed his chest. “Like I was hit by a truck. Trust me, I know how that feels.”
Gallen opened his mouth to ask how, but Aden kissed him, and all questions floated

away out of his head. He couldn’t help it. His mate’s touch took priority over all
thoughts. Soaking in the sensations of Aden’s lips on his, Gallen forgot to ask anything.
After several minutes, Aden lifted his lips.

“Mmm.” Gallen melted against him. “You taste good.”
Aden laughed. “I’m glad you think so. Hungry?”
“Yeah, I could eat. What do you have?”
“Nothing. I need to restock the cupboards. How do you feel about Thai food? The

delivery guy can be here in half an hour.”

“Love it. I’ll take some chicken satay and rice.”
“Got it.”

Gallen returned to the couch. He soaked in the scenery as Aden’s voice rumbled in the

background as he ordered their food. He could get used to this.

After a few minutes, Aden dropped onto the couch beside him. “Did you know your

mother put her name down as Mother-in-Law on my phone?”

“No. I didn’t see her add it. She used magic.”
“Ah. I guess I’ll have to get used to that.”
Gallen snorted. “Since you raised an odd collection of shifters, I doubt a little magic is

going to throw you.”

“Just another thing to get used to. Did you get back into school?”
They spent the next few minutes discussing Gallen’s school issues, his missing father,

and Aden’s retirement. Gallen enjoyed their chat. As much as he wanted to pull Aden
back into the bedroom and get that orgasm denied to him earlier, he knew they needed
to build a relationship outside of mattress time.

Aden’s phone rang.
He saw his mate check the screen. “Excuse me for a minute.”

* * * *

Aden stepped out onto the balcony and shut the door behind him. “Hello.”

“Aden, this is Scott Pressons.”
“Sir.” The leader of one of the agencies Aden had done work for in the past rarely

called him. All of Aden’s instincts went on alert.

“I’m calling because I got a complaint about illegal magic use on a civilian.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Aden had a sinking sensation he knew.
The captain’s next few words had him certain. “The Holvers are claiming you wiped

Ren’s mind. He’s currently in a rehab center trying to regain his memory. They said the
last time they heard from him, he was coming after you.”

“As I don’t have any magic, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to have done that,” Aden

said mildly. “Not to mention, they admitted to sending a killer after me.”

“Maybe your new mate had something to do with it?”
Aden growled. “Are you having me watched, captain? Because I’m almost certain you

don’t want to go there.”

“Watch your back, Aden. More than one group wants your head over their mantle. The

Holvers have a lot of friends who enjoy killing people. They might come after you and
yours. If they can prove your boy used that spell, you might have a lawsuit on your
hands.”

There was a long pause, and Aden waited. It didn’t take long before his patience was

rewarded.

“If you were to do one last task for me, I’m sure I can make this all go away.”
Aden had a suspicion he didn’t like. No one had taken his retirement well, but

Pressons had been particularly upset. Aden knew the man didn’t want Aden leaving the
agency, because he was one of their best shooters.

“If I find out you had anything to do with the Holvers finding out about Gallen, you

better hope your security system is on at night.” Aden disconnected as rage coursed
through him. He’d take care of Pressons. He couldn’t let the guy threaten his family.
Gallen was his, and he’d use the same tactics he used to protect his boys. Everything he
had.

He leaned against the balcony and watched the waves. The sound soothed him. One of

the reasons he’d bought the condo was for the sound and smell of the salty water. His
past was starting to catch up with him. Aden’s stomach sank. He should’ve known he
couldn’t have a man of his own. The smart thing would be to let Gallen go. He rubbed his
chest.

“It’s too late. You can’t get rid of me now.” Gallen walked out onto the patio to join

Aden.

“Listened in, did you?”
“Yep.”
Aden turned to face his mate. He’d never been one to run from things. At least, not

unless grenades were involved. “The Holvers have discovered Ren’s memory gap.”

“Ah. Does that mean we need to watch our backs?”
“I always watch my back.” Aden hadn’t slept deeply in decades. Always vigilant, he’d

caught more than one assassin trying to finish him off. He’d been an idiot to think he’d
be able to completely retire and everyone would conveniently forget him. “My old boss
thinks they might come after me.”

Gallen shrugged. “If they do, we’ll take care of them.”
Aden smiled. His mate was of the same mind as him. Together, they could eliminate

any threat.

“What’s that?” Gallen pointed at the window behind Aden.
Aden spun around and watched as a blue water dragon splashed into the sound.

“What the hell?”

“There aren’t any dragons in Seattle,” Gallen said.
“Well, there’s apparently at least one,” Aden countered. They couldn’t deny the huge

beast had just jumped into the water. Aden scoured the sky but didn’t see any more.

“Is that like the one you saw on your mission?”
Aden shook his head. “No, I think that one was a fire dragon.”
“Damn, I wish I had my wet suit.”
“No way are you going to go diving in the water with that thing there,” Aden said

firmly.

“But sorcerers and dragons have always gotten along,” Gallen protested.
Aden folded his arms. “And that doesn’t make you worry just a bit? Your daddy might

be behind this recent spate of dragons. If the humans start seeing those beasts
everywhere, there will be hell to pay.”

Gallen bit his lip. “Maybe if I could talk to one of them.”
“Or maybe you could stay out of it.” Visions of Gallen being eaten by a large dragon

had Aden’s stomach in a twist.

A loud sigh filled the air. “You can’t coddle me,” Gallen said.
Aden gave a bark of laughter. “I don’t think telling you to stay away from something

that can eat you with a few bites is exactly wrapping you in cotton.”

The sky darkened, and crackles of lightning filled the air.
“Father,” Gallen said.
“What?”
“My dad. The weather is caused by him.” Gallen said, conviction ringing in his voice.
“Do you think he’s after you?”
Gallen nodded. “Let’s go down to the beach. He’s bound to meet me there. It’s the sort

of dramatic showdown he’d enjoy.”

“I’m sort of surprised he waited this long.” Aden confessed. The boys had told him

about Gallen’s father soon after they’d brought the unconscious wizard to their house.

“Yeah, me, too. I hope the food doesn’t arrive while we’re gone.”
The pair of them took the stairs down and headed across the street to the beach. Aden

scanned the area, looking for any humans who might be stupid enough to be walking the
beach during a lightning storm. Pleased there weren’t any in sight, he followed his mate
as he walked his way across the sand to the group waiting on the beach. They all wore
dark robes, like a group of sadistic cult members from a bad horror movie. After getting
closer, Aden wondered when his life had gone from an action flick to a sword and
sorcerer knock-off.

“Greetings, son.” Theos’ gaze swept over Aden. “I see we meet again. I thought there

was something about you.”

Aden sneered at Theos. “Huh, I just thought you were a scumbag.”
A bolt of lightning burst from one of the sorcerers and slammed into Aden. It crackled

around him, but didn’t touch his skin.

Aden yawned.
“You mated with him,” Theos said. “I thought he’d just be a passing fancy. I didn’t

think you’d actually mate with this human.”

The sorcerer said human as if he were something distasteful, like dog crap.
“Nice to see you again, daddy-in-law,” Aden said. He knew he shouldn’t provoke the

man, but it was too much temptation to resist.

“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”
Aden snorted. “Like I haven’t heard that before.”
“If you come back with me, I’ll let your mate live,” Theos promised.
“Why would I go back to you? You trapped me in my body,” Gallen shouted.
“I helped you find your mate.”
Aden stayed silent to wait and see what they’d do next.
The sound of a bullet hitting the sand beside him had Aden grabbing Gallen and

tossing him to the ground. He scanned the area and didn’t see their shooter. They were
sitting ducks on the beach. The buildings across the street held perfect cover, while the
sand hid nothing.

“I should’ve brought my rifle,” Aden murmured.
“You don’t need it.”
Gallen waved his hand, and a wave of water poured out of the sound and turned into a

sheet of ice, protecting them from any dangers.

“Wow.” Aden had to revisit his lover’s statement of being able to manipulate water.

The blockade sparkled in the dim sunlight.

“Nice, boy, but you forgot about me.” While they’d been concentrating on bullets

flying toward them, they had taken their eyes off the sorcerer.

“Don’t be jealous,” Aden taunted. “You’ll get some attention.”
Theos waved his hand, and the shooter flew off the building across the street and

landed with a crash on the ground.

“Handy.” Aden couldn’t help feel a bit of envy over that move. He’d never been

jealous over someone’s abilities before, but that would’ve been a great skill during his last
shootout.

“Thank you. Now, Gallen, join with me or die.”
“I think I saw this in a really bad movie once,” Gallen commented.
Aden bit the inside of his cheek to hold back the laughter. His right hand slid to the

back of his waistband where he hid his .45. He didn’t bring it out yet. With this group, he
needed it to be a surprise. Any of those damn sorcerers could disarm him with their
spells.

Theos scowled. “There are worse things I can do to you, son.”
“You forget that I’m not that weak. You took me by surprise before.”
“I knew you’d try to save that worthless eagle. That’s why I shot it at him. You were

always foolishly sentimental, just like your mother.” The disgust on Theos’ face had
Aden clenching his fingers around the gun butt. “And to think, I just saved you from a
killer!”

“You don’t want me, father. You just want my magic.”
“Well, if you won’t join me, I will just take it from you.” Theos raised his hands. Aden

shot at him.

Theos screamed. The other sorcerers crowded around him in a protective shield. One of

them began an incantation. Aden’s bullet went through his chest.

Gallen did something with his hands, and shards of ice materialized like a freaky

horror movie before he unleashed them at the sorcerers. Four of them dropped to the
ground, dead from the frozen darts of death.

Undaunted, Theos screamed, “I’ll kill you.”
“Go ahead and try, old man.” Aden barely heard Gallen’s shout over the sudden roar.

Water spewed up at least twenty feet high, and the silvery blue dragon they spotted
earlier appeared.

Aden’s heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t think his small gun could take out a

dragon. He gripped Gallen’s arm, ready to pull his lover out of harm’s way.

The dragon lifted its head and focused on the group on the beach. Without warning,

the beast began picking off sorcerers. When it was done, only Theos stood on the beach
alone.

White fire glowed from the sorcerer’s hands as he faced the enormous beast. “You

want to take me?” he shouted.

The dragon spewed liquid from its mouth. Acid sprayed across Theos, hissing as it

dissolved his clothing. Aden had never understood the phrase blood-curdling screams until

that moment. The blue dragon continued to spit until there was nothing left of the
sorcerer but a bloody corpse. The entire encounter lasted for minutes, but felt like years.

Aden didn’t know if he’d ever get the sound of Theos’ cries from his memory.
When the dragon turned to them, Aden stepped in front of Gallen.
The dragon gave a soft snort, then turned and plunged back into the water.
“I’m sorry I doubted your dragon story at first,” Gallen said.
Aden sighed. The stress of the day was catching up with him. “Come on, love. Let’s go

eat. I’m starving.”

“That’s it? Aren’t you the least worried about dragons?”
Aden shook his head. “My plans for the evening are eating, sex with my mate, and a

nice long sleep. We can worry about dragons tomorrow. Tonight, let’s work on bonding.”

Gallen didn’t see a single problem with that plan. Tomorrow was for worrying about

crime families and dragons. Tonight, they would celebrate being together.

Stay tuned for the spin off series,

Dragons of Seattle, with more of Aden and Gallen and the rest

of the Bonded Brothers.

About the Author

Amber Kell lives in Seattle, WA with her husband, two sons, three cats and one
extremely stupid dog. She loves to hear from her fans at [e-mail]