Brac Pack 28
Take My Hand
Darcy is a worrier, a pessimist, and overanalyzes everything until
the subject dies a slow and painful death…and then he worries
some more. When he and his brother, Sterling, find their way to
Brac Village, Darcy thinks the place is just too perfect. Something
is off, and Darcy is determined to find out what that something is.
Raven, the oldest of four brothers, has found his mate. Being
raised by a prejudiced, homophobic jerk doesn’t deter Raven from
wanting Darcy in the worst sort of way. From the moment he sets
eyes on Darcy, Raven can think of nothing more than drinking
from his mate’s vein.
He just wasn’t certain if that was normal.
When a motley crew of shifters shows up in Brac Village, seeking
protection, trouble isn’t too far behind them. And when Darcy’s
younger brother is attacked, Darcy grabs Sterling and heads out
of town as quickly as his feet will carry him.
But can he leave knowing his heart is chained to Raven? Can he
walk away from the best thing to ever happen to him? When
Darcy discovers Tate’s Resource Center, he also finds out what he
is truly running from.
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 41,891 words
TAKE MY HAND
Brac Pack 28
Lynn Hagen
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
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TAKE MY HAND
Copyright © 2012 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-959-0
First E-book Publication: August 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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TAKE MY HAND
Brac Pack 28
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Darcy glanced sideways at his brother as they walked down the
long stretch of country road. It was late afternoon, the sun high and
hot, making Darcy wish for an ice-cold glass of water. He was tired as
hell, too. He knew Sterling was just as tired. But his younger brother
didn’t complain as Darcy tried to figure out just exactly where they
were going and what they were going to do once they got there. The
problem was he didn’t know where they were at.
He hadn’t seen a sign for miles.
They had left the last town they were in when the work had dried
up. Darcy had just turned south and started walking, Sterling
following behind him. It wasn’t the smartest way to plan their next
move, but Darcy was getting tired of trying to plot out his life and
getting nowhere. Maybe just walking out the door and heading into
the unknown was what they needed.
Darcy was a plotter, a planner, and a thinker. It had worked great
up until he and his brother started moving from town to town. Lately
his tactics hadn’t been working out that way, so he had done
something he had never done before.
…Just going with the flow.
But now they were lost.
8
Lynn Hagen
“There’s a sign up ahead,” Sterling pointed out as he quickened
his pace, having more energy than Darcy originally thought. “That
should tell us where we are.”
Darcy hoped so. He was also hoping to find a job and a place to
live for him and Sterling. Being broke, and having no home, didn’t
leave Darcy many options. That last job he took wasn’t much, but he
still had the money from his last paycheck in his pocket. As small as it
was, Darcy could say he was broke and mean it. If they didn’t find
work soon, the three hundred bucks wouldn’t last long.
“Do you think we’ll find work here?” Sterling asked eagerly as he
walked briskly toward the sign. Darcy wished he had the energy that
Sterling bounced with. At twenty-five, Darcy felt old as hell. He had
been on the road with his brother for a few months now, taking odd
jobs here and there, sleeping in shithole motels.
Darcy wanted more out of life than to just drift through it. He
wanted a place to call home. He wanted somewhere he could lay his
roots down. He knew Sterling yearned for the same thing. It was just
him and his brother. That was it. But Darcy knew Sterling wanted a
large family. The guy had always wanted a large family.
But that wasn’t in the cards. His parents had stopped at two
children, which Sterling didn’t complain about, but Darcy knew the
man wasn’t happy with.
That’s what Darcy loved about his brother so much. Sterling was
so easy to please, it made Darcy’s brooding mood seem even more
obviously opposite.
He and Sterling had shared a place together over in Dorman
County, but the landlord had found a loophole in their lease and
evicted them because he made a pass at Sterling and his younger
brother had turned the man down flat.
With no money and no place to stay, they decided to find a new
town to live in. He wanted a clean break and a new life. But Darcy
also wanted to go back to that arrogant bastard and pop the landlord in
his face one good time.
Take My Hand
9
It would serve him right.
“That’s what I’m hoping,” Darcy finally said as he caught up with
Sterling, who was almost trotting toward the sign now. “But don’t get
your hopes up, little brother. Times are tough, and jobs aren’t just
waiting around to be handed out.”
Sterling finally stopped, standing in front of the sign, his hands on
his hips as he leaned his head back, reading the sign posted on the
side of the road. It was a brightly colored sign, making anyone who
saw it feel welcomed. Darcy sure as shit hoped that was the case.
“Welcome to Brac Village. Mayor, Maverick Brac. Population,
nine hundred.” Sterling read the sign out loud and then turned back to
Darcy, a skeptical look in his light-grey eyes. “That’s not very many.”
Darcy agreed. With a town this small, they may not find any
work. It would be a shame to come all this way only to be turned
away. He couldn’t allow himself to think like that, though. So far they
had lucked out whenever they entered the small towns along their
way, and Darcy prayed their luck still held in this even smaller town.
Because if their luck finally turned sour, they were screwed. He
wasn’t sure where the next town was, and Darcy was tired of traveling
the back roads. He wanted to hang his proverbial hat up and toss a
welcome mat out.
“We can still see if they have any openings at their store or diner.
Most small towns have at least a general store and a mom-and-pop
diner.” He wasn’t so sure, but giving Sterling a little hope never hurt.
Giving himself some never hurt, either.
“I can work in a garage. Don’t forget that, dork,” Sterling teased
and then jumped out of the way when Darcy smacked a hand toward
him. He was glad Sterling was still in such good spirits. He knew that
being kicked out was rough on his brother.
It still pissed Darcy off to no end to think about what his landlord
did to them. They probably could have fought the case in court, but
the landlord had them dead to rights. He hadn’t added Sterling onto
his lease when his brother had moved in. It hadn’t occurred to Darcy
10
Lynn Hagen
to do so. The landlord was a scumbag, and never fixed anything.
Darcy had thought the man wouldn’t care if Sterling moved in. Hell,
Darcy had thought the guy wouldn’t notice.
But he had noticed Sterling all right.
His brother’s dark-blond hair and light-grey eyes always attracted
both men and women, but it was Sterling’s personality that always
won everyone over. He was vibrant, naïve, and so full of life that
Darcy felt blemished in comparison.
He didn’t think badly of his brother for having a personality that
won over even the hardest of men, but in cases like his landlord, it
hadn’t helped. But it did make Darcy’s fierce protective instincts
come out to protect his little brother.
And the insane part about what had happened was that Sterling
hadn’t acted in any flirtatious way. He just acted like Sterling, his
natural disposition grabbing the attention of even the most rotten of
men.
That truly sucked. The guy was too sweet to go through life taking
crap from people like Darcy’s landlord.
Again, he wanted to go back there and beat the hell out of the
scumbag who had turned their life on its ear.
“We better get moving if we want to catch any businesses open
this late in the afternoon. It’s going to take us at least another hour or
two to get to town.” Darcy was hot and tired as hell, but he would
much rather sleep in a bed—even one in a cheap motel—than out in
the woods, although they had to do that once or twice already. It
wasn’t fun, and the ground wasn’t as comfortable as it looked.
And Darcy wasn’t even going to think about how pitch-black it
was at night in the countryside.
“Then let’s get moving.” Sterling jogged in place, laughing when
Darcy scowled at him. Every bone in his body ached from walking for
so long, and Sterling was acting as if he were refreshed and
invigorated by their travels. How in the hell did he do that?
Take My Hand
11
“Chill or I’ll tie you to a tree and leave you out here for the
bears.”
“There are bears in these woods?” Sterling swallowed hard as his
head snapped around, his grey eyes glancing around the area wildly.
“You never told me there were bears out here.” His brother looked
like he had paled as his eyes grew rounder by the second. Darcy
chuckled to himself. His brother was just too easy.
“There probably are, but you’re not sweet enough for them.” He
sure as shit hoped there weren’t any bears out here. The thought
hadn’t occurred to him when he was teasing Sterling. But now that he
thought about it…
“You know what they say about outrunning a bear,” Sterling
teased, but picked up his pace as he glanced around nervously.
“If you outrun me, I’ll make sure the bear eats us both,” Darcy
warned, but hurried alongside his brother.
Why in the hell did he have to think of bears at a time like this?
There was plenty of forest around them, making it easy to imagine a
bear tromping out of the woods and giving chase. It was bad enough
that Darcy was afraid of the dark. He didn’t need to start imagining
wild animals trying to eat them.
Why, oh, why did he have to mention a large wild animal? Now
that was all he was going to think about.
Sometimes he was so damn brilliant that he outsmarted himself.
Darcy and Sterling kept at an even pace, but their heads never
stopped turning back and forth as they made their way toward town. It
gave Darcy a solid headache by the time the small village came into
view. Now not only was he hot and tired, but his neck was sore from
the constant snapping back and forth. Gods, all he wanted was a cold
shower and a soft bed.
Maybe something to eat as well. He was starving.
“It looks quaint,” Sterling commented as they walked past a
recreation center. The building wasn’t large, but there were cars still
12
Lynn Hagen
in the parking lot and he could hear kids out back playing. “If we
could settle here, I’d be happy.”
That was the first time Sterling had ever said anything about being
happy in a town. His brother was usually the first one trying to
hightail it out of a place. Darcy had tried to find something good
about each town they had been in, but Sterling had always talked him
into moving on.
Darcy was going to try his damndest to make sure Sterling liked it
here, and he could find work. If Sterling was happy, Darcy wasn’t
going to do anything to blight the feeling.
He spotted a diner up ahead after another mile of walking and
headed straight for it. Diners were pretty easy gigs to handle. Washing
dishes and busing tables wasn’t rocket science. Darcy just hoped this
town wasn’t so small that they didn’t need any help.
Pushing the diner door open, Darcy could see the place had a fair
amount of customers seated all around the place. He would have
thought that in a small town like this, the diner would have one or two
customers, but he had been wrong.
And damn was he glad he’d been wrong. Maybe they would find
work after all. A small sliver of hope filled him as he and Sterling
entered the diner. It wasn’t a run-down joint that had grease clinging
to every surface. The place was well kept and nice looking. Darcy had
seen some dives and shuddered at the thought that he and Sterling had
eaten in those places.
But this place, he wouldn’t mind eating here anytime. It seemed
the proprietor of this diner took pride in making sure the place stayed
clean and the atmosphere homey.
Darcy liked it.
“It smells good in here,” Sterling commented as he inhaled deeply
and then headed for a booth. Darcy followed, sniffing the air around
him. The diner did smell good. Whoever was cooking knew what the
hell they were doing.
Take My Hand
13
A waiter came over to their booth, laying down silverware
wrapped in a napkin for each of them as he smiled. “What can I get
for you gentlemen?” he asked as he pulled an order pad from his half
apron.
“I love your tattoos,” Sterling said as he leaned closer to the man.
Darcy kicked his brother under the table, giving a slight shake to his
head. He didn’t want his younger brother pissing anyone off as soon
as they hit town. They were trying to find work, not get booted out.
“Thanks.” The waiter grinned. “I’m kind of fond of them myself.”
The smile looked genuine on the waiter’s face, so Darcy relaxed.
People in small towns acted differently than in the big city. They took
things a little more personally and Darcy really did want a job and a
place to live.
Sterling was glaring at Darcy from across the table, but turned
back to the waiter with a friendly smile. “I’ll have an orange juice and
a job if you have one.”
Darcy was ready to smack Sterling. That was not how he planned
on asking. His younger brother was acting strange as hell in this town,
and Darcy prayed Sterling didn’t blow their chance of finding work
by seeming overeager.
The waiter chuckled. “I’ll grab your juice, and I just might have a
job for you as well.”
“Really?” Darcy asked in astonishment, his mouth slightly open.
“Just like that?”
The waiter was still grinning, giving Darcy a quick nod. “Well,
I’m not the boss, but I know that Cody is looking for a prep cook and
a dishwasher.”
“I can wash dishes,” Sterling quickly said as he practically
bounced in his seat. He looked pleased as hell with himself as he
stared up at the waiter, who had a wall of flames licking around his
neck, along with other tattoos on various parts of his visible skin.
“Call me Mr. Scrubber.”
14
Lynn Hagen
Darcy sat there in the diner with his mouth hanging wide open.
What the hell had gotten into Sterling? The guy was acting as if he
and the waiter were longtime friends. He couldn’t figure his brother
out, but glanced up at the waiter for his answer.
“I’ll go get Cody. He’s the one you have to talk to,” the waiter
said and then smiled at Darcy. “Do you want anything to drink?”
He quickly closed his mouth, glancing across the table at his
brother who looked too damn smug for his own good. “A Coke,”
Darcy answered.
“What was that all about?” Darcy asked once the waiter walked
away.
“If we waited for your way of doing things, we might miss out on
the chance to talk to the owner,” Sterling stated. “Face it, Darcy, you
are not real smooth when it comes to talking deals.”
“Am so,” Darcy shot at his brother. “I got us our last job, didn’t
I?”
Sterling snorted. It was a sound Darcy was growing used to from
his brother, but it was still annoying as hell. He seemed to have
developed the annoying sound just months ago, and Darcy wished
Sterling had never picked the sound up. It was disgusting in his
opinion. “Barely. I had to promise to work Sundays just to get us into
the garage. Your standards are way too high, Darcy. I mean, we were
looking for temporary work, and you started asking about a 401K and
when our vacation was going to be. You can’t come out of the gate
demanding benefits when we aren’t going to be there long.”
“I’m just trying to think of our future,” Darcy grumbled as he sank
back into the soft cushion of the booth. “You’ll thank me when you
are old and toothless.”
“I’m twenty-one, Darcy. That’s a long way off.” Sterling shook
his head, as if Darcy were being unreasonable.
Darcy looked away from his brother and glanced around the busy
diner. They’d had this argument before. Sterling lived in the here and
Take My Hand
15
now, never thinking about tomorrow. His brother was impulsive and
never thought anything through.
Darcy on the other hand knew they would need a savings. He
planned and saved what little money they made, investing it into
stocks and bonds. He may only be twenty-five, but retirement would
be here before both of them knew it. He had to think of their future,
something Sterling refused to even talk about.
He was a bean counter. Sue him.
He also overanalyzed things until they were lying dead on the
ground in agonizing pain. Darcy didn’t make a move unless he
thought it through, and then flipped it over, and reexamined it from
every angle. It was a wonder they had even left their old apartment
with as many new decisions that had been made over the past few
months.
Darcy saw the waiter talking with a guy behind the counter and
then pointed over to their table. He sat up straighter, trying his best to
look presentable as the man with every damn natural highlight
imaginable in his hair looked their way. There was no way that hair
coloring came from a bottle. Some people had all the luck when it
came to good hair. It seemed Cody—if that was who the waiter was
talking to—was blessed with not only good hair, but good looks as
well.
Some people had it all.
Darcy didn’t consider himself bad looking, just plain. He was
nicely built. Working outdoors had given him a nice body along with
a great tan. But his hair was average brown, and so were his eyes. He
was so nondescript that he was often overlooked.
Sterling had taken his looks from their mother. He was a very
good-looking man. Whenever attention was thrown their way, it was
usually Sterling who was flirted with.
Talk about kicking a guy’s ego in the ass.
He didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward his little brother, but it
would be nice every once in a while to catch a fish.
16
Lynn Hagen
The man with the multicolored hair walked their way, and Darcy
saw how the man was smiling at Sterling. If his brother’s good looks
could get them jobs, more power to Sterling.
“I hear you are looking for work,” the man said as he walked over
to their table. “I’m Cody.” The guy stuck his hand out, and Sterling
shook it.
Sterling’s head bobbed up and down quickly as he spoke. “I’m
Sterling, and yes, I’m looking for work.”
Darcy kicked his brother under the table again.
“And so is my brother, Darcy.” Sterling kicked Darcy back as he
released Cody’s hand. Cody glanced at Darcy and gave him a polite
smile.
“I need a prep cook and a dishwasher. Which one of you can fill
which job?”
“I can bust suds,” Sterling said quickly, tossing in that pretty boy
smile he loved to use when he wanted something to turn in his favor.
Yeah, take the easy job. “I can cook. I’ve worked in plenty of
diners.” And he had. They had been on the road for a few months
now, and Darcy had picked up work in a diner or two. Cooking
wasn’t that hard. It was just boring as hell. He couldn’t understand
how some people made a career out of cooking. But the upside to
cooking here was that the place was clean. Darcy was used to less-
than-desirable surroundings. That had been part of the reason he hated
working in kitchens. Some places should have been shut down for
health violations alone.
But he had a feeling this diner had none of those issues. That was
a relief.
“Then eat up, gentlemen, and I’ll give you a shot,” Cody said
toward Darcy. It figured Sterling was automatically given the job and
Darcy was offered a shot at his. It wasn’t hard to scrub pots and pans.
“I’ll ask for you when I’m done eating,” Darcy said and wished
Cody would leave. He felt like he was being scrutinized, and he didn’t
like the feeling. Darcy was relieved when Cody finally walked away.
Take My Hand
17
He gazed out of the window to his left at the gazebo across the street,
watching the sun set on the beautifully colored horizon and then fade
away to leave behind a darkness that reminded him that he and
Sterling needed to find a place to sleep tonight.
The waiter came back over to them, and Darcy found out the
man’s name was Tangee. They ordered their food and then ate. Darcy
stared out of the window at the small town, watching as lights glowed
in various shops, some turning out altogether as the business closed
for the night. It truly was a beautiful small town, a place he and
Sterling could set down roots in, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that
it was a little too perfect.
He wasn’t sure where that feeling was coming from, but it stuck in
his gut, and Darcy wasn’t one to ignore his gut feelings.
“Is it me, or does this place seem a little too perfect?” Darcy asked
as he ate the last of his vegetables. Of course, Sterling didn’t have one
nutritious thing on his plate. Hamburger and fries were not a part of a
healthy diet. But telling Sterling to eat better for his health was like
telling a kid to voluntarily take baths. It wasn’t happening.
“You worry too much, Darcy. This place is perfect. The people
are friendly, the food is awesome, and I have a job. What could be so
wrong about that?” Sterling glanced around, smiling and waving at an
elderly couple. “It’s like living in Mayberry.”
Darcy wasn’t sure, but there was a strangeness about this town
that felt like ants crawling down his skin. This place was a little too
perfect to him. The town was picturesque, serene, and slow. Some of
the buildings were new, while others held a vintage feel to them. The
village was nestled inside a deep forest that helped shade a lot of the
buildings, and gave it a homey feeling.
He just flat-out didn’t trust the place now that he took a closer
look at it.
“You should go see Cody. We still have to find someplace to
sleep tonight,” Sterling reminded him, bringing Darcy out of his
thoughts.
18
Lynn Hagen
After pushing away from the booth, Darcy wandered over to the
counter. There was a small Asian woman talking to a customer on the
far end of the counter, and Darcy spotted a cowboy hat just beyond
the ordering window. It all seemed normal.
“Can I help you?” the Asian woman asked.
Darcy felt his cheeks heat up when he realized the woman was
actually a very fine-boned man. Damn, he was glad he hadn’t said
ma’am. That would probably have gotten him kicked right out of the
place. But he did have to fight not to openly stare at the guy. And it
was a fight. He had never seen a man who was that pretty before.
Sure, Sterling was, but in a very masculine way. Not this guy. He was
androgynous in every sense of the word.
Darcy pulled himself together and banished the need to openly
stare, looking past the man’s shoulder instead of at his face. He
prayed the man didn’t pick up on what he was doing. “Cody asked me
to see him when I was done eating.”
The man nodded, and Darcy caught sight of a bright smile on the
guy’s face. Did everyone here smile? Again the thought of this place
being a little too perfect chased across Darcy’s mind. The guy left the
counter, walked through chrome double doors, and then disappeared.
Darcy took a seat on one of the stools, blew out a deep breath, and
waited for Cody.
“I told you everyone was friendly,” Sterling said as he sat down
next to Darcy. “Even that woman was nice.”
The heat in Darcy’s face returned as he stifled a laugh. “She is
actually a he.”
“No way!” Sterling said louder than Darcy would have liked.
Sterling didn’t have a buffer between brain and mouth. He glanced
around to make sure no one was watching them. It wouldn’t do to
make enemies in the town they were trying to find work in. “He sure
is pretty.”
Take My Hand
19
“Knock it off. You’ll get yourself fired before you even see the
kitchen.” And that would be a record for Sterling. The man had a way
about him, but even pretty boys could only push the envelope so far.
“Sourpuss,” Sterling complained as he rested his chin in his
hands. “Maybe you can find a doctor around here to pull that stick out
of your ass.”
“Sterling.” Darcy gritted his brother’s name out between clenched
teeth. The man was on a roll today. He turned on the stool to face
Sterling, cocking his head as his brother tilted the salt shaker, creating
a small mound of white granules, and then his brother did the same
with the pepper. He then grabbed a straw and began to mix the colors
together.
“You guys finished eating?” Cody asked as he walked from
behind chrome double doors, his eyes automatically zeroing in on the
mess Sterling was making. Darcy let his leg swing lightly, glaring at
his brother as he kicked him.
Sterling sighed and scooped the grains into a napkin and then
dusted his hands off. “We’re finished.”
“Great. Since it’s so late, we can start first thing in the morning,”
Cody replied as he grabbed the napkin Sterling had deposited his
mess in and tossed it into a trash can.
“Do you know where we can stay for the night?” Sterling asked
before Darcy had a chance to form the words on his lips. He glanced
over at Cody.
“Well, the bed-and-breakfast is full. So there is only one place I
can think of.”
“Pa’s,” the man who Darcy thought was a woman blurted out with
a smile.
“Who?” Sterling asked, his dark-blond brows furrowed deep.
“Malcolm Lakeland. He has a ranch a few miles out. He also takes
in people who need help,” Cody replied.
“No one said anything about needing help,” Darcy automatically
shot at Cody and then regretted the words. Cody looked surprised at
20
Lynn Hagen
Darcy’s outburst. Sterling looked at him like Darcy had mental issues
and had forgotten to take his medication.
Gods, he was screwing this up.
“I wasn’t saying you needed help. Pa Lakeland will give you guys
a room to stay in until the bed-and-breakfast has an opening.”
Darcy wasn’t too sure he could afford a fancy place like a bed-
and-breakfast. Those places charged an arm and a leg. He was a bean
counter, and that place would suck all of his beans right out of his
pocket.
Darcy didn’t mind staying broke as long as he knew that he and
Sterling had their savings. But he wasn’t willing to just throw money
away. A cheap motel would do just fine, even if he was sick and tired
of them.
“Thanks,” Darcy said with humbleness in his voice, realizing he
had no choice but to take Cody up on his suggestion. It didn’t mean
that he liked taking handouts, but knew when to shut up and play nice.
“I’ll give him a call and then give you the address. Like I said, it’s
only a few miles from here.”
“How far is it to walk?” Sterling asked, and Darcy could hear the
weariness in his brother’s voice. He knew the feeling. He was so
damn tired that he could lie on the counter for the rest of the night
with no problem.
Again, Cody looked surprised. But he didn’t ask how they had
gotten to town. He just nodded as he pulled his cell phone out. “I can
have one of the Lakeland men pick you up.”
“I don’t want to be a bother,” Darcy said before he could close his
lips. Sterling had told Darcy time and again that he had too much
pride, and it seemed to be shining through at the wrong time. Darcy
was starting to see that Sterling was handling this situation better. For
once, maybe he should let his little brother take the reins, although
that was a foreign feeling for Darcy. He was the older brother, the one
who should take care of Sterling, not the other way around. But he
conceded.
Take My Hand
21
Even if he didn’t want to.
“No bother. A few of the men who live on the ranch work here.
Steven will be coming in in the morning anyway. You can catch a
ride with him.”
It was really nice of Cody to offer Steven’s services without
asking the man. Now he knew this town was a little too perfect. Darcy
wasn’t normally a suspicious man, but there was just something about
this place that was off. His gut was screaming for him to examine this
place with a fine-tooth comb before he agreed to anything. He didn’t
want to end up in a worse situation than what they had left in the city.
And he knew he would analyze that thought to death…once he
laid his head down for the night. Darcy was tired as hell and knew his
judgment would be impaired by lack of sleep and exhaustion.
Cody slid the cell phone back into the leather case attached to a
belt loop. “Olsen Lakeland is on his way.”
“Thanks.” Sterling grinned at Cody and then turned toward Darcy,
clapping him on the back. “I told you things would work out.”
Darcy wasn’t so sure about that. He noticed the way Cody was
staring at him strangely. They were clandestine looks, but Darcy
caught them all. The man seemed to be studying him, or hiding
something. He just couldn’t tell.
After about twenty minutes, the diner door opened, and in stepped
a very large man. Darcy’s instincts told him that this was the guy who
he and Sterling were waiting on, and his instincts were also telling
him to get as far away from the man as possible. There was another
guy with him, and the redhead was larger than the first man.
“Here’s your ride,” Cody announced.
Darcy swallowed as he looked at both the men and then at
Sterling. His brother was grinning.
Figures.
Sterling would grin even if a gun was held to his head. The man
had no sense.
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Lynn Hagen
“You must be Darcy and Sterling,” the dark-haired man said as he
nodded at both of them. “I’m Olsen, and this is Tater.”
Tater gave a tight grin, showing no teeth, but his eyes were
friendly enough—too friendly in Darcy’s opinion. He wouldn’t look
fully at Darcy, and that made Darcy even more suspicious. Maybe it
was lack of sleep that had him on edge, ready to judge the whole town
of friendly folks. Darcy had never reacted this way before when
entering a new town.
He couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way. Never in
his life had he been this suspicious, and it was giving him a damn
headache. He didn’t like it, but couldn’t dismiss the gut feeling
gnawing at him to leave this place and not look back.
“I’m Sterling,” his brother said as he jumped up and shook both
men’s hands. “And that’s my brother, Darcy. Don’t mind him, he’s
the brooding type. He’s well trained though, so you don’t have to
worry about him biting anyone or pissing on your carpet.”
Darcy wanted to smack Sterling.
Olsen chuckled, and Darcy relaxed. The man had a genuine smile
on his face, softening his rugged features. Maybe it was lack of sleep
that had him on edge.
“Come on, gentlemen, let’s get you back to the ranch.” Olsen
waved them toward the door, Tater walking out first. Darcy felt like a
shrimp next to these massive men, and he was five-eleven.
“Cool truck,” Sterling said as he appraised Olsen’s truck. It really
was a sweet-looking ride. It was better than what Darcy had, which
was nothing. But the truck was decked out with add-ons that made it
seem even more impressive, making Darcy a bit envious. What man
wouldn’t be?
“Thanks.” Olsen opened the small door in the back, allowing
Sterling and Darcy to climb into the extended cab. Darcy normally
didn’t take rides from strangers, but with no place to sleep, what
choice did he have? If he had enough time, Darcy would stand there
and grill Olsen about where exactly they were going and why he
Take My Hand
23
should trust a complete stranger. But Darcy saw the exhausted look
on Sterling’s face and decided he would let this one slide.
He didn’t like it though.
On the ride to the ranch, Darcy noticed Olsen and Tater’s fingers
twined together. So, they’re a couple. Okay, he could get with that.
Being gay himself, it was sort of a relief. He still hadn’t told Sterling
about his preference for men, but the conversation had never come up.
No time seemed right, and the longer Darcy took telling his brother,
the harder it had become, to the point that Darcy hadn’t spoken a
word about his sexuality.
Olsen turned from the main road onto a paved driveway. Darcy
was impressed when they pulled in front of an old ranch house. It was
the largest home he had ever seen while still maintaining the
Victorian appearance. He especially loved the porch swing. It gave
the house just the right added touch to make it a home. He liked it.
Darcy was a sucker for the country life. There was something
about the fresh air and open fields that made him feel like he could set
roots down.
Too bad he hadn’t found a place he liked yet.
And he still didn’t trust Brac Village, although it was the best
town so far that they had come across. He just wished that gnawing in
his stomach would go away.
“Here we are,” Olsen said with a bit of pride as he pulled the truck
to a stop. “Pa has rooms already set up for the two of you.”
“We get our own rooms?” Sterling asked, and Darcy elbowed his
brother. The man was acting like they were coming home or
something.
“Yep.” Olsen climbed out of the truck, and then pulled the small
door open to the extended cab. Darcy hopped out, staring up at the
large, looming home. If only he could call this home. Once again,
things were just too perfect.
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Lynn Hagen
“Come on, fellas.” This time it was Tater who waved them toward
the house. Darcy glanced up toward one of the bedroom windows,
seeing a man standing there staring down at him.
The guy watched Darcy as he slowly made his way to the porch. It
must be the late hour, because Darcy could have sworn the man had
black irises. Maybe they were just dark brown.
“Who is that?” Sterling asked as he stopped next to Darcy.
Olsen glanced up at the window they were staring at. The man
hadn’t moved. He just stood there with a rather blank expression on
his face as he stared directly at Darcy.
“That’s Raven.”
Raven.
Why did Darcy have a feeling that he was going to regret ever
coming to this town? He shook his head, heading up the porch and
following Sterling inside, praying he wasn’t making the biggest
mistake of his life by coming to this ranch.
Take My Hand
25
Chapter Two
Raven stepped back from the window, letting the curtain fall back
into place as the image of the unknown man burned in his mind. He
could hear the voices coming from downstairs, but he stayed in his
bedroom. His younger brothers, Remus and Daniel, were downstairs,
but Raven wasn’t sure going down there was a wise thing to do at the
moment.
He stepped closer to the door, listening as he heard heavy footfall
getting closer. Being a vampire, he didn’t have to strain to hear. But
he stood close to the door anyway. He was afraid that by some twisted
chance of fate, he would miss anything that was said.
“You’ll be in this bedroom, Darcy.” Malcolm Lakeland’s voice
was deep, thick with good intentions. Raven was still trying to figure
everyone out who lived here. He would probably get to know
everyone a little better if he ventured out of his bedroom, but he
mostly stayed to his room, while his brothers acted as if this was truly
their home, wandering downstairs after the sun had set.
“Thank you.”
Raven swallowed as he listened to the hesitancy in Darcy’s voice.
What was the man afraid of? Malcolm was an imposing man, but
from what he had learned, the kindest man around. Raven still didn’t
trust him. The bear was just too perfect. His own damn father had
disowned Raven, so what did he have coming from Malcolm?
The footsteps began to fade, but didn’t go far. Was Darcy in the
room across from him? Raven reached for the door handle, but
stopped short before pulling it open. He didn’t want to be out in the
hallway right now.
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Lynn Hagen
“And this will be your bedroom, Sterling.”
Raven wasn’t sure how Sterling fit into all of this. But from what
he had seen from the window, Sterling had a slight resemblance to
Darcy. Maybe brothers?
“This is so cool.” Sterling’s voice was buoyant, amusement
making the words almost musical.
Raven tuned Sterling out.
He wanted to hear Darcy’s voice again. He could solve the
problem by just going out into the hallway and introducing himself,
but Raven wasn’t sure he wanted to take those steps.
Darcy was a man.
Raven was a man.
And Darcy was his mate.
Raven could feel the spine-tingling connection as soon as he had
looked out of his bedroom window and spotted the man climbing out
of the truck.
Instinct tried to take over and make Raven go to Darcy, but Raven
fought against it. He had been taught his whole life that men should
not lie together.
But then again, look who had taught him. His father was a real
piece of work, but the thought still floated through his mind. It wasn’t
just the male thing that was factoring into Raven’s decision to stay in
his room. His mate was also human. Raven could look past the whole
male thing. His father was someone Raven wasn’t going to allow to
guide his life any longer.
But the human thing?
Since when did a vampire and its cattle mate?
Raven laid his hands on the wood, palms flat, as he pressed his ear
to the door. It was unnecessary, but it gave Raven something to do.
He listened for Darcy, but his mate had gone quiet. Raven could hear
voices once again downstairs, but the upstairs hallway had grown
silent.
Raven found that he was…curious.
Take My Hand
27
He cracked the door open slightly, glancing into the hallway, but
no one was out there. Raven chastised himself for acting like a young
one. He was well over four hundred years old. He shouldn’t be
cowering behind a wooden door or afraid to face his mate.
That was something his younger brother Daniel would do.
Stepping into the hallway, he glanced at the door across from him.
Raven wasn’t sure if he should knock or just leave well enough alone.
Darcy was human. Raven wasn’t sure what he should do. He
knew feeding from his mate as soon as he got his hands on the man
was not a good idea. It would scare Darcy, and probably get him a
good slap across the face.
The decision was made for him.
“Who are you?”
Raven glanced at the man coming toward him and recognized the
voice as Sterling’s. This wasn’t his mate. His eyes raked over
Sterling, assessing him and coming to the conclusion that Sterling was
no threat to Raven or Darcy. “Raven.”
“I take it you live here as well?” Sterling asked as he stuck out his
hand. Raven gave it one quick pump before releasing it.
“I do.”
“Not much of a talker, are you?” Sterling asked as he cocked his
head to one side, his extremely light-grey eyes filled with humor and
mischief. Raven could tell this one was a troublemaker.
“No.” But Raven could tell Sterling was. He prayed Sterling
didn’t talk as much as Daniel. His younger brother could talk the ear
off of a damn statue.
“I see you’re more of the brooding type, like my brother Darcy.”
So Sterling and Darcy were brothers. Raven’s lip lifted slightly at
one corner. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t met Darcy.”
Raven hitched one thumb into the waistband of his jeans, the other
tucked behind his back. He glanced once more to the door in front of
him and wondered what his mate looked like up close. Raven didn’t
care what his father had said about men lying together. He was more
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Lynn Hagen
curious to see what fate had given him. He wanted to inspect his mate
up close.
His human mate.
Damn, that was a kick in the pants. But Raven was willing to give
this a try. He would only get one mate in his life. Eternity was a very
long time to live without his other half. At that moment, Raven
realized that he didn’t care if his mate was vampire, human, male,
female, or a hairy baboon. Well, he was glad Darcy wasn’t a hairy
primate.
“Then you should meet him. From the way you’re acting, you two
should get along fabulously.” When Raven remained quiet, Sterling
rolled his eyes and knocked on the door.
Raven would be the judge of how he and Darcy got along. He
wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. It was true that he was a
moody, quiet kind of guy. Raven had been like that his entire life.
“What?” Darcy asked irritably as he opened the bedroom door and
then his eyes shot from Sterling to Raven. His agitated look melted
instantly, to be replaced by surprise. Raven felt like he’d been
punched in the gut at how stunning his mate looked up close. They
both just stood there staring at each other. Raven wasn’t sure what to
say or think. His mate’s eyes were the color of copper. They were
brilliantly intelligent, but sharp and assessing.
Raven could tell his mate wasn’t someone who trusted easily.
Darcy plunged a hand through his dark-brown hair, his tanned
skin pinking the longer Raven studied the man. By the time Sterling
spoke, Darcy had managed to make his hair stick up from raking his
hands through the strands.
Raven had an urge to reach over and smooth the hair back out.
“This is Raven.” Sterling chucked a thumb at Raven as he grinned
at Darcy. “He’s your across-the-hall ‘neighbor’.” Sterling made air
quotes on the last word and then looked at Raven. “And this is
Darcy.”
Take My Hand
29
Darcy’s hand fell away from the doorknob, but didn’t rise to
shake Raven’s hand. The man looked slightly confused as his copper -
colored eyes glided across Raven’s face. He felt the draw of mates,
and his fingers began to itch. The need to touch Darcy was becoming
overwhelming.
And that scent! Gods, Raven was ready to sink his fangs into
Darcy’s neck. It took sheer willpower to hold back. His damn fangs
ached as his throat went instantly dry. Had he ever smelled blood any
sweeter than Darcy’s?
Hell, no.
Here he thought he was going to have a problem with a human
mate. Raven was ready to jump Darcy right here in the hallway and
make the man submit to him. His cock jerked in his jeans, approving
wholeheartedly of the idea as it thickened to an almost painful
fullness.
“Nice to meet you,” Darcy said as his eyes shot to Sterling, and
then back over at Raven, a shy smile tugging at his mate’s soft,
kissable lips. “I’m Darcy.”
How cute was that smile?
“I said that already, dork,” Sterling reminded Darcy as he once
again rolled his eyes. Raven had a feeling that was the man’s instant
reaction to a lot of things. He could also tell that Sterling was the
younger of the two. Darcy had a lot more etched lines on his face, like
life had been too hard to him.
Raven almost smiled. Sterling and Darcy were acting like Remus
and Daniel. He liked the easiness between these two men. It showed
him that Darcy was a caring man, at least with his brother.
“Don’t you have someone else to harass?” Darcy asked Sterling.
“Nope. You have that honor.” Sterling’s smile widened as he
leaned against the wall, glancing between Raven and Darcy like he
knew something but wasn’t going to say what it was.
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Lynn Hagen
Raven did smile this time. It was good to know all younger
brothers were irritating, not just his. He waved a hand at Sterling as he
chuckled. “He’s as impossible as my youngest brother.”
“I heard that,” Daniel quipped as he walked up the stairs. “It’s not
nice to talk about me when I’m not around to defend myself.”
Raven stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Sterling already had
that covered. He knew that it was Sterling and Daniel who were going
to get along like two peas in a pod. They acted just alike.
“And you are?” Sterling asked as he stepped between Raven and
Darcy, extending his hand toward Daniel. Raven’s eyes shot to Darcy
to see his mate snatching quick glances his way. Raven gave Darcy a
slight smile. Damn, just seeing his mate standing there looking
bewildered and innocent was making Raven’s cock throb in his jeans.
“I’m Daniel. Are you Sterling or Darcy?”
“The first.” Sterling let Daniel’s hand go. “What’s there to do
around here?”
Daniel chuckled without showing his fangs. “You’ve never been
on a ranch, I take it.”
“Nope,” Sterling said. “But I like animals.”
“Then let me show you around.” Daniel turned and walked away,
Sterling following behind him. Daniel gave a quick glance over his
shoulder, throwing a questioning glance toward Raven.
Raven just stood there.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders and headed back downstairs.
“Cute kid,” Raven commented when he and his mate were finally
alone.
“Are you talking about Sterling?” Darcy asked, but there was no
humor in his tone. It was guarded.
Raven turned toward his mate, wondering why Darcy’s defenses
were up. They were just talking. Raven hadn’t made a move toward
his mate, although his body was fighting to get closer. He wanted to
touch his mate, feel his warm flesh under his fingers, and do other
Take My Hand
31
wicked things to the man. His mouth began to water for just one tiny
taste of his mate’s blood.
Raven nodded. “Yeah, Sterling.”
“Well, he is a grown man.” Darcy’s words were clipped as he
took a step back, closing the door in Raven’s face.
Wait. What in the hell did he just miss?
Raven stood there staring at the faded wood, confused. Had he
said something wrong? He wasn’t sure what just happened. Raven
placed his hand on Darcy’s door, wondering if he should knock and
ask. He shook his head and walked back into his bedroom, glancing
back at Darcy’s door before closing his. The human confused the hell
out of him. Maybe he should have gone with his first instinct and left
the guy alone.
He sat on the side of his bed, wondering why his mate had looked
so angry, when a gentle knock landed on his door. Raven pulled the
door open, a little surprised to see Darcy standing on the other side
looking defeated.
“I wanted to apologize.” Darcy’s eyes darted around Raven’s
bedroom, not meeting his eyes.
Raven nodded, unsure if he should speak. He didn’t want the man
walking away from him again.
“I shouldn’t have acted so childish. Sterling is a nice guy. If you
are interested in him, go for it. Although, I’m not sure if he is into
guys or not.”
Whoa, hold on.
Raven was starting to see the picture now. Sterling was a good-
looking man, but he was starting to see Darcy’s plight. His mate
thought he couldn’t hold a candle to Sterling’s good looks.
His mate’s assumptions couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Raven bit his bottom lip, leaning in toward his mate, inhaling as
he did so. Raven’s cock throbbed as his mouth watered. His lips were
close to Darcy’s ear, enabling him to hear Darcy’s blood rush through
his veins. What he wouldn’t give for just one small taste. Instead, he
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Lynn Hagen
lowered his voice, but was still loud enough for Darcy to hear him. “I
am not interested in Sterling.”
Darcy took a step back, a look of shock on his face…and a bit of
hope. Raven wasn’t sure how to take that look. He was the one to take
a step back this time, glancing down at the floor and then back up at
Darcy. “Well, it’s late.” How in the hell had he gone from trying to
seduce his mate to feeling inadequate in the span of five seconds?
Darcy was making Raven lose his damn mind.
“Yeah,” Darcy agreed, but hadn’t moved. He chewed on his
bottom lip, looked down at the floor, and then back up at Raven.
They both seemed to be staring at the floor more than each other.
Raven felt like he was a damn teenager again. That had been so long
ago that he barely remembered those years, but hell if Darcy wasn’t
making him nervous.
Raven’s hand itched to reach up and let his fingers run down
Darcy’s flushed cheek. He curled his fingers in, taking another step
back. Not only was his body fighting to be close to Darcy’s, but
Raven’s throat had gone dry once again.
Darcy’s blood sang to Raven.
He wondered if it tasted as sweet as it smelled.
Raven took another step back. “You should go.” Because he
wasn’t quite sure he could hold back much longer. Raven had
adjusted to the crimson that Prince Christian was sending over for him
and his brothers to drink, but Raven had been raised on the vein.
Standing this close to the sweet smell of his mate’s blood was too
much for Raven to handle right now. He could see the pulse
quickening in Darcy’s neck, hear the blood quickly racing through
Darcy’s veins, and Raven knew what he wanted.
“Oh, okay,” Darcy whispered and then darted a glance across the
hall.
“Good night.” Raven slowly began to close the door, giving his
mate enough time to step back and out of the way before the door hit
him.
Take My Hand
33
“Good night.”
Raven watched for only a brief second as Darcy walked back
toward his bedroom. He let out a heavy sigh as he closed the door
tight. Raven wasn’t sure what fate had planned, but the urge to sink
his teeth into Darcy’s neck had been extremely hard to resist. His
entire body was humming with want, and Raven knew that if he
didn’t keep his distance, he was going to jump the man and take what
he was most desiring.
Raven entertained the thought of calling his mated brother,
Dudley. Dudley was mated to a timber wolf shifter. Maybe his brother
could tell him if his reaction to Darcy was normal. Maybe Dudley
could let Raven know that his thirst was to be expected when finding
his mate. Raven had never felt anything like this and feared he would
lose his mind and drain Darcy.
That was the last thing he wanted to do. He only got one shot at a
mate, and draining Darcy wasn’t appealing to him. Having the man’s
body was. Drinking from his soft-looking neck was appealing as well,
but Raven just didn’t trust himself around the man right now. He felt
out of control. He had had to fight the urge with every cell in his
body.
That couldn’t be normal.
But as much as he wanted to find out, Raven quickly pushed the
thought aside. This was his problem, and he needed to figure it out on
his own. What kind of an older brother would he be if he ran to the
younger ones?
Resting his forehead against the cool wood of the door, Raven
took in deep and steady breaths until the urge slowly abated. He had
been able to resist the vein before. Why was it so hard now? Raven
knew very little about mating. It wasn’t like he could call his father
and say, “Hey, daddy dearest, why do I feel like drinking from my
mate until he’s dry?” Yeah, so not happening. And his pride wouldn’t
let him ask anyone else.
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Lynn Hagen
He was living with bear shifters. They knew nothing about
vampires and mating. Remus and Daniel weren’t mated, so they
wouldn’t know. Raven bit at the corner of his mouth as he wondered
what he was going to do about Darcy.
The sane thing to do would be to ignore the urges and let Darcy
leave tomorrow. But Raven knew mating was anything but sane. It
was the most insane thing he had witnessed over the four hundred
years he had been alive.
And now fate had turned its evil little sight on him.
Raven opened his bedroom door, making sure that Darcy’s door
was closed before making his way downstairs. He could smell
Darcy’s scent lingering in the hallway. It almost made him cross the
hall and take what he wanted. He knew he needed some fresh air to
clear his mind. That and being right across the hall from Darcy was
too much of a temptation.
Raven had made it down the stairs and into the kitchen, almost
getting away without being stopped when he spotted little Oscar
digging in the refrigerator. “Are you supposed to be up this late
snacking?”
Oscar squealed and spun around, nearly losing his balance
because of his bad legs. He looked relieved to see that it was Raven.
“I’m not snacking.”
Raven hid the grin that threatened to emerge. “Where are Chance
and Seth?”
“Asleep.” Oscar moved away from the refrigerator, but kept his
hands behind his back. The little six-year-old thought he was sneaky.
“Show me your hands, Oscar.”
Oscar shook his head.
Raven quirked a brow at the young human. “And why not?”
“Because,” Oscar whispered, “you’ll tell on me.”
Raven moved closer to Oscar, squatting down in front of the small
male child as he rested his arms on his knees, making himself seem
smaller. “I secret swear I won’t say a word.”
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35
Oscar didn’t look convinced, but pulled his hands from behind his
back. One hand was filled with three Oreos—that was all the small
fingers could curl around—and the other held a slice of leftover pizza.
“Are you having some sort of party I wasn’t invited to?” Raven
asked teasingly.
Oscar shook his head, bewilderment etched on his tiny little face.
“I’m not allowed to have friends over unless I ask permission first.”
Raven rubbed his hand over his mouth, hiding the smile. “What
will happen if I let you eat these things?”
Oscar shrugged. “I’ll be happy?”
This time Raven couldn’t fight the grin. He chuckled as he
nodded. “But you have to promise to brush your teeth when you’re
done.”
Oscar grinned, shoving a cookie into his mouth. “I will,” he
mumbled around the Oreo.
“Do you need help getting back to your room?” Raven asked. He
knew the small human child had been badly burned in a fire.
Although Oscar was in physical therapy, the child still had trouble
getting around, stairs being his biggest obstacle.
Oscar nodded, curling his fingers around his stolen snacks. Raven
picked him up and cradled Oscar in his arms and then walked back
upstairs. He peeked into Chance and Seth’s room, making sure they
were asleep before taking Oscar to the adjoining room, settling him in
his bed. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”
“I won’t,” Oscar promised as he began to nibble on his stolen
pizza, a sparkle of thanks in his eyes.
Raven walked out of the bedroom, seeing Chance awake and
watching him. He should have known he couldn’t sneak by a shifter.
“Thanks,” Chance said as he glanced back at Oscar’s door. “I
heard him when he left the room. Seth doesn’t know I let Oscar go for
snacks at night.”
“I do now,” Seth said sleepily. “And I’ll deal with you and Oscar
in the morning.”
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Lynn Hagen
Chance grinned as he looked over at Raven, his large hand
rubbing down Seth’s back. “Thanks for bringing him back upstairs.”
Raven nodded as he walked out of the bedroom and closed the
door.
“Nightly rescue mission?” Darcy asked from behind Raven, his
voice a mix of tension and humor.
Raven closed his eyes briefly. It seemed he just couldn’t put any
distance between himself and his mate. The aroma of Darcy’s blood
wafted around Raven, creating a cloak of temptation and making his
jaw tic. His heart rate sped up. Not to mention he was practically
drooling at the sweet scent of his mate’s blood.
Raven took a step back, letting a breath out slowly. “You should
go to your room.”
Darcy shook his head, taking a step closer for every one Raven
took back. “Tell me, Raven. Why do I get the feeling that this perfect
little town is hiding something?”
Raven stilled, stopping his backward progression. He nearly
closed his eyes at the sound of his name on his mate’s lips. He wanted
to hear it again. Only next time, Raven wouldn’t protest to both of
them being naked. “Like what?”
Darcy shrugged, his hands folded behind his back. “You tell me.”
Not only was his mate’s blood tempting, he was very observant.
Raven would have to remember this. He took a step forward, noticing
that Darcy didn’t look so confident now that he was moving toward
his mate. Darcy’s arms came to his sides as he glanced behind him in
the direction of his bedroom.
“Afraid, Darcy?” Raven asked as he took another step toward the
human, his eyes narrowing when he saw a nervous twitch in Darcy
hands. He wasn’t trying to scare the man. Raven was only trying to
get Darcy away from him before he sank his teeth into his mate’s soft-
looking flesh.
Raven scented his mate, and he hungered.
Take My Hand
37
Darcy turned back toward Raven, his coppery-brown eyes
skipping over Raven’s face as his mate’s breathing intensified,
coming in quicker pants. Even the pulse in Darcy’s neck was
thumping harshly. Darcy looked like he was caught in some sort of
imaginary headlights, unmoving and frightened.
Raven’s tongue traced his bottom lip as he stared at Darcy’s neck.
His fangs were painfully trapped in his mouth as Raven fought against
biting his mate. “Go back to your room, Darcy.” Because he was
losing control fast. Raven wasn’t sure how much longer he could
stand there and ignore the succulent scent of his mate’s blood. The
need to drink was overriding his common sense. He had to get Darcy
away from him.
Darcy nodded, taking a step back and then spinning on his heel,
hurrying down the hallway. Raven sighed in relief, although the
craving hadn’t dissipated in the least. But Darcy was gone. That
helped him breathe through the need as he closed his eyes and
counted to ten. That didn’t help. He wanted to chase Darcy down, but
forced himself to stay rooted to the spot.
“Is there something I should know about?”
Raven turned to see Malcolm standing in the hallway, his thick
arms crossed over his massive chest as he stared where Darcy had just
been standing.
Yeah, there was something Malcolm should know. Raven
couldn’t seem to control the urge to sink his fangs into his mate’s
vein. But was he going to tell the bear shifter that? Hell no. “No,
nothing.”
“He is a guest here, Raven, just as you are.” The warning was
clear in Malcolm’s deep voice.
“Everything is fine.” Raven walked back to his room, cursing
under his breath. He closed his door and wondered if he would
survive the night with Darcy right across the hall.
At this rate, he wasn’t sure he would survive the hour.
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Chapter Three
Darcy felt his entire body shaking as he closed his bedroom door.
There had been something unnerving about Raven as they stood in the
hallway. If Darcy didn’t know any better, he would say that Raven
hadn’t seemed human.
But that was impossible.
Wasn’t it?
Oh, gods, he was cracking up in this small town. Maybe months
of traveling from town to town had finally cracked his mind. He
wouldn’t doubt it. Darcy was starting to see things that weren’t there.
He was starting to imagine things that couldn’t be possible. And if his
gut didn’t stop gnawing at the feeling of this town being too perfect,
he was going to go crazy—if he already hadn’t.
This wasn’t like him. Darcy was never this damn suspicious. He
was uptight and moody, but he wasn’t someone who thought a town
was filled with dark secrets.
Gods, he needed sleep.
He jumped out of his skin and damn near shouted when his
bedroom door flew open. His nerves were already wound tight as it
was. Thankfully he had caught the scream before he had let it loose.
He didn’t need Sterling making him jump like that. “Damn it,
Sterling.” Darcy was a nervous wreck and knew his heart couldn’t
take any more scary shit tonight.
“What’s wrong with you?” Sterling asked as he plopped down on
Darcy’s bed, pulling one leg up and tucking it underneath him.
Oh, nothing. Raven just scared the shit out of me in the hallway
and he didn’t seem human. “You’re supposed to knock.”
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39
“Gee, get your panties out of your ass crack.” Sterling rolled over
onto his side, grinning like an idiot up at Darcy. He willed himself to
relax, taking in a deep breath and silently letting it out. He had to keep
his cool. It wouldn’t do him any good to have a nervous breakdown
because Raven had made him think that more than humans walked the
earth.
That thought was totally ridiculous, right?
Yeah, yeah, it’s ridiculous.
Hell, he was answering himself now. Nuthouse, here I come.
“This place is so cool. There’s a large barn with horses and a
corral behind the house. I saw some cows. Cows, Darcy! I know, I’ve
seen them before, but not this close. I was able to pet one of the
horses named Mammoth. Daniel said that one of the Lakelands would
take me riding if I just asked.”
Darcy was losing it and needed to pull himself together. He could
still feel his body shaking as he stood there looking at his younger
brother. He wasn’t sure what to think right now. Raven had shaken
him to his core. “Don’t bother the nice people.” Nice people, riiight.
“They’ve already extended themselves by letting us stay here for the
night.” But Darcy did keep in mind that Sterling loved animals. The
guy had a weird way with them. Even the meanest dogs seemed to
calm down around Sterling. His younger brother had begged for a pet
for months, but Darcy wasn’t willing to have an extra responsibility,
and owning a pet was a huge responsibility.
It hurt him to tell Sterling no, and now that they were on the road,
he was glad he had stuck by his guns. As badly as Sterling craved a
pet, it wouldn’t have been a wise decision.
“It’s just horseback riding, Darcy.” Sterling was almost whining
as he pushed up into a sitting position, irritation and a big, sappy pout
on his face. “That can’t be putting them out.”
Darcy hated seeing the look of disappointment on Sterling’s face.
The man had already been through enough. They both had, but Darcy
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didn’t want to chance being asked to leave because Sterling was being
a pest. And Sterling could be a very big pest. “Just don’t bug them.”
Sterling’s eyes lit up as he grinned from ear to ear. The little shit
knew he won. “I promise I won’t.”
Somehow Darcy had a feeling he was fighting a losing battle with
his little brother. Sterling not bugging people was like the sun not
rising.
Totally impossible.
It was infused in Sterling’s DNA to be a pain in the ass. Darcy
glanced at his open bedroom door and then gave in to the urge and
closed it. He was still a little wigged out about the way Raven had
acted in the hallway. He prayed it was lack of sleep that made him see
things, but he could have sworn he had seen a hunger in Raven’s eyes
as he stared at Darcy. Never before had anyone looked at Darcy in
that manner, and it was shaking him to his core. It wasn’t just the fact
that Raven gave him a hungry look. He could have shaken that off.
But Darcy had felt the hunger as well.
That was a little more than he could handle.
“You look like shit,” Sterling said as he pushed from the bed, a
bounce in his step now. Even though Darcy’s nerves were on edge, he
smiled. Sterling had that effect on him. “Get some sleep.”
Sterling’s advice seemed to bring on Darcy’s fatigue. He yawned
as he nodded, waving his brother from his room, feeling his eyelids
grow heavy. The bed was looking more appealing by the second. “I
will.”
“Oh,” Sterling said as he turned back around, nearly bumping into
Darcy. He sidestepped, Sterling missing him entirely. “Pa said that
breakfast will be at six.”
“Pa?” Since when did Sterling call anyone Pa? It sounded strange
hearing Sterling call anyone by a fatherly name. Their own father had
died when Sterling was two. Darcy had taken on the responsibility of
raising Sterling, along with their mother, until Darcy turned of age
and got his very first apartment.
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41
But when their mother passed away, Sterling had moved in with
Darcy. They’d lived together ever since. Until that jackass landlord
pulled that bullshit stunt.
Sterling double whammed Darcy with a snort and an eye roll.
“Just be downstairs for breakfast. Roman is giving us a ride to work.”
Darcy wasn’t even going to ask who Roman was. There were just
too many people in this house to keep up with. But the one person
Darcy wouldn’t forget was Raven. The man was an enigma. One
minute he had been polite to Darcy, even a bit shy and charming, and
the next he had practically threatened Darcy to go to his bedroom.
Maybe the guy was bipolar.
And those charcoal-black eyes. Darcy felt as though he were
falling into a dark abyss when he stared into Raven’s eyes. The
feeling wasn’t welcome, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like losing
himself so quickly to someone, especially someone he just met.
“Hello?” Sterling waved his hand in front of Darcy’s eyes a goofy
frown on his face. “Where’d you go?”
“Asleep on my feet,” Darcy answered as he ushered Sterling
toward his door. He really did need some sleep. It might only be nine
at night, but six in the morning would be here soon enough.
“See you in the morning, dork.”
Darcy closed his bedroom door, yawning as he pulled his clothes
off. It had been one long day, and all he wanted was a shower and a
soft mattress. He walked into the bathroom and took a long shower,
letting the hot stream of water beat at his muscles, sighing deeply as
he washed away the tension of the day.
Too bad he couldn’t wash all his worries away with the hot jets of
water. It would take a waterfall for that to happen.
After toweling off, Darcy climbed into the large bed and folded
the blanket over his head. He was beat. After walking for what felt
like forever today, then finding jobs, and then coming out here to this
ranch, Darcy had had enough excitement for one day.
And then there was Raven.
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Lynn Hagen
Darcy turned over, closing his eyes as he tried to forget the man
who had scared the hell out of him in the hallway, yet excited him in
ways Darcy didn’t understand.
Raven was tall, over six feet, with a nice frame that wasn’t too
large or ripped with muscles. He was sinewy, sleek, and Darcy
couldn’t help but wonder what Raven looked like naked. He was glad
Raven wasn’t protruding with large muscles. Darcy didn’t care for the
overly muscled. They were overrated and not his type. He preferred
the more refined body that hid a tight and lean physique that begged
to be explored.
But Darcy’s mind wandered back to Raven’s coal-black eyes. He
had caught the gleam of interest in Raven’s eyes earlier—before
Raven had scared the shit out of him in the hallway.
“You were just imagining the interest,” Darcy mumbled to
himself as he let out a long breath and tried to sleep. But as weary as
he was, Darcy couldn’t get Raven off of his mind. The man was
simply gorgeous. He held an old-world air about him that intrigued
Darcy.
Too bad Darcy didn’t have the balls to hit on the man.
Darcy knew he was gay. His eyes wandered toward men, not
women. He drooled every time he saw a man in nicely sculpted jeans,
and Darcy got a boner when he spotted a man without a shirt on, or
wearing even less.
He just never acted on his lust.
Darcy was ready, willing to jump into the rainbow lake, but he
lacked the nerve to approach anyone to feed his curiosity and turn it
into reality. He was in a house full of men, for fuck’s sake, and Darcy
was too chickenshit to approach any of them.
But there was only one man Darcy wanted to approach.
“Go to sleep,” he groaned to himself as he grabbed one of the
pillows on the bed and shoved it over his head. It would do no good to
fantasize about someone he couldn’t have, or was too scared to have.
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43
Raven was quiet, reserved, and downright intimidating. The man
wouldn’t waste his time on someone like Darcy Lagrange. The guy
struck Darcy as the type of man that appreciated more sophisticated
company. Darcy wasn’t sophisticated. He was well mannered, and
even educated, but he lacked the sophistication that would impress
Raven.
But damn if Darcy wasn’t dying to let Raven have him—just as
long as the man didn’t scare the crap out of him. Darcy turned over
onto his stomach, his cock hard and poking him in the belly as he
reached behind him, rimming his fingers around his untried entrance.
He quietly moaned as his hole pulsed and images of Raven taking
him filled Darcy’s head. He pulled his hand back up toward his head,
spit on his fingers, and then reached back behind him, sliding his
fingers down the crack of his ass and then rimming his hole once
again.
When Darcy slid one lone finger into his ass, he softly spoke
Raven’s name. He imagined that it was Raven’s hard cock entering
him, filling him completely, making his body come to life. His cock
jerked, pulsed, and leaked as Darcy inserted another finger.
“Fuck me, Raven, please,” he whispered in the dark room as his
imagination took flight. Darcy had had fantasies before, but never like
this, never to the point that he was verbally living the fantasy out
while fucking his fingers like they were a cock.
Raven’s cock.
Darcy hissed, moaned, and grunted as his fingers pushed deeper
inside of his ass. Even though he was imagining Raven fucking him,
imagination just wasn’t enough. Darcy needed the real thing to make
his orgasm happen.
He could jack off, but it wouldn’t be the same as having Raven
touch him, kiss him, or just take command and rock Darcy’s world.
“Is that what you want?”
Darcy froze, every muscle in his body locking down. Even his
breathing was so shallow that his lungs were beginning to burn from
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lack of proper oxygen. He was even too afraid to remove his fingers
from his ass.
No sudden movements.
“I know you’re awake, Darcy.”
Darcy still didn’t move. He wasn’t sure how Raven had gotten
into his bedroom so quietly, or why the man was here, but damn if
this wasn’t the most embarrassing moment of his life. Had Raven
heard him crying out to be fucked? Darcy was going to die of
complete and utter mortification.
When the blanket was tossed aside, Darcy slammed his eyes
closed. He knew what Raven was looking at, and there was no way
Darcy could deny what the man was seeing.
“Darcy,” Raven groaned as his fingers trailed lightly down
Darcy’s arm. It was the same arm that held the fingers that were
tightly tucked into his ass. Darcy shivered. “What are you doing to
me?”
The dryness in Darcy’s mouth was almost painful, but not as
painful as the heart that slammed into Darcy’s chest, making it almost
impossible to breathe. “Raven.” He half whispered, half whimpered
the man’s name.
“I couldn’t stay away, Darcy,” Raven murmured as he crawled
onto the bed next to Darcy, his fingers lingering dangerously close to
Darcy’s wrist and the fingers that were inserted into his rear end. He
could feel that Raven was still fully dressed, the denim of his jeans
scraping against Darcy’s bare legs. “Keep your fingers where they
are.”
Darcy swallowed, trying to moisten his mouth to speak, but it was
a futile attempt with Raven so close, the heat of his body soaking into
Darcy’s naked flesh. He lay very still, wondering what Raven was
about to do, and prayed at the same time that the man fulfilled
Darcy’s fantasy.
Raven’s firm hand curled around Darcy’s chin, tugging Darcy’s
head until he was staring into Raven’s eyes. “I’m trying to figure out
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45
what to do with you,” Raven whispered against his lips before he laid
a kiss as tender and light as a summer breeze across the edge of
Darcy’s mouth. When he tried to pull his fingers from his body,
Raven’s fingers wrapped around Darcy’s wrist, holding it firm in its
place. “Don’t.”
Darcy gave a tight little nod of his head, wondering if he hadn’t
fallen asleep and all of this was just one great-ass dream. If it was,
hell if he wanted to wake up anytime soon. Raven’s weight felt good
pressed into Darcy’s body. They were lined up perfectly.
When Darcy tried to turn his head further to look behind him,
Raven dipped his head and began to trail his tongue over Darcy’s jaw,
and then he licked at the pulse in Darcy’s neck. “So good,” Raven
whispered.
“What’s good?” Darcy asked. He was confused and willing in
equal measures. He didn’t want Raven to stop touching him, but
Darcy wanted to know what was happening, what to expect. He felt
the need rise up inside of him to overanalyze the situation, but his
brain wasn’t functioning at the moment to scrutinize a damn thing.
Tomorrow. Darcy would overanalyze Raven tomorrow. Right now
he prayed Raven gave him some kind of relief. His cock was so hard
that Darcy feared his blood wouldn’t return to his brain anytime soon.
“You,” Raven sighed as his teeth nipped Darcy’s neck. “All of
you, Darcy.”
He shuddered when Raven nipped at him again. He tilted his head
to the side in hopes that Raven wouldn’t stop his oral exploration. The
man’s lips on his skin were heavenly. His heart sped up when Raven
began to move Darcy’s hand, the one with the fingers still buried in
his ass.
“Fuck yourself.”
Oh, hell. He was going to come. There were no two ways about it.
The command, along with Raven’s sexy-as-sin voice, was going to be
his undoing. Darcy had never performed for anyone, and found
himself blushing so badly that his skin was heated to the point it felt
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like it was boiling. But damn if feeling Raven’s hand on his didn’t
add to the excitement.
“I’m watching everything you do, Darcy. I want to see what you
do when you are alone and think no one is watching.”
Gee, the man didn’t want much.
Raven pulled Darcy until he was lying on his side, and then his
fingers brushed over Darcy’s erection. It made Darcy moan and hitch
his hips forward in hopes that Raven would stroke him off. Darcy
began to move his hand in novice pumps, his eyes closing as he felt
Raven push closer. Every time his fingers pulled out, his hand grazed
over the hard bulge in the front of Raven’s jeans.
“Just…fucking…perfect,” Raven moaned, his arm resting over
Darcy’s hip, his knuckles brushing over Darcy’s cock in a lazy
rhythm.
A powerful tremor shook Darcy’s body as he tried desperately to
get Raven to do more than just graze his damn knuckles over Darcy’s
cock. “Please, touch me.”
He almost cried out in joy when Raven’s lithe fingers curled
around his erection, squeezing it tightly as Darcy’s fingers plunged
deeper into his ass, bearing down on them as Raven stroked his cock.
Yes! That was exactly what Darcy had been looking for.
Raven fisted a handful of Darcy’s hair, yanking his head harshly
to the side, and then moved so fast that Darcy almost imagined Raven
at his neck. The bite was painful, radiating throughout his body, and
then Darcy screamed, his orgasm ripping through him from so much
pleasure he thought he was going to drown in it. Raven grunted and
pulled deeper at Darcy with his mouth and sharp teeth as Darcy’s
orgasm seemed to not only go on forever, but intensify with every
pull of Raven’s mouth.
There was a raw desperation to Raven as he clung to Darcy’s
neck. “R–Raven.” Darcy was becoming dizzy, and wasn’t sure if it
was from his explosive orgasm alone.
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47
Raven slowed and then pulled free of Darcy, licking at his neck as
his hand eased from Darcy’s oversensitive cock. The room fell silent,
both men lying there quietly, and only quick intakes of breath could
be heard.
What in the hell had Raven just done to him?
* * * *
Raven refused to move. He lay there motionless, waiting for his
mate’s reaction to what he had just done. Raven had tried to stay
away. He tried to resist the aromatic scent of his mate. But Darcy was
just too damn tempting for his own good.
And when Raven heard his mate call his name, he could resist no
longer. It was like a siren call in the night, begging Raven to come to
the sweet sound. As hard as Raven resisted, he found himself in
Darcy’s room, desperately wanting what he feared to take.
What was rightfully his.
But he hadn’t planned on feeding from the human, although
Raven couldn’t find any regret inside himself for indulging. Darcy
had tasted even better than he smelled. Raven was a bit surprised he
hadn’t come from the scent of his mate’s blood and seed clinging to
the air in the bedroom.
Being with a man wasn’t as awkward as Raven had thought it
would be. Maybe it was because Darcy was his mate, but Raven
wanted to explore some more, preferably naked.
“You take my self-control, Darcy. You shred it with your sweet
smell.”
Darcy chuckled softly. “Thanks.”
Raven ran his hand over Darcy’s soft brown hair, wishing he
could look into his mate’s coppery eyes. He hadn’t drained Darcy like
he had feared, although he had taken more than he should have. Even
so, he thought maybe they had a chance together. Darcy’s blood was
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temptation incarnate, but Raven had held back. He didn’t think it
possible, but he had. “I think we’d be good together, Darcy.”
Darcy stiffened, pulling away from Raven and putting space
between them. “I need to get some sleep. I have a job to go to in the
morning.”
Ouch! Raven knew a dismissal when he heard one, and he didn’t
like it. He had set aside his reservations about Darcy not only being a
man, but a human, and now Darcy was excusing him from his bed
because he mentioned something about being a couple? He could feel
the tic in his jaw begin to beat as Raven uncurled his body from the
bed. Maybe he had moved too fast, but in the world Raven lived in, he
should have had Darcy the moment he scented the human as his mate.
He had resisted for a few hours. He should get some damn credit
for that.
Raven glanced at the door, refusing to look back at Darcy. It
would be a cold day in hell before he allowed Darcy to see how hurt
he was. “Good night.” The words were sharp, even though Raven was
trying to keep his anger out of his tone.
“Good night,” Darcy replied as Raven walked out of his mate’s
bedroom. Never before had he been dismissed in such a way. Raven
wasn’t sure what to do about it. Instead of going back to his bedroom,
he headed downstairs and walked outside. Standing on the front
porch, Raven glanced up at the sky, vibrating with rage.
“I usually eat chocolate when I’m that mad.”
Huh? Raven turned to see Sterling laid back on the porch swing.
He had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Darcy that he hadn’t
even noticed his mate’s kid brother. Raven really should work on his
“ignoring everything around me” when he was pissed.
“Chocolate helps?” Although Raven wasn’t going to try any to
find out. He was a vampire. The whole drinking blood thing kind of
stopped him from eating human food.
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Sterling kicked his foot out, the swing swaying gently back and
forth. It must be nice to look as though there wasn’t a care in the
world.
Raven wished things were that easy. He had a feeling dealing with
his mate was going to be anything but easy. The guy was hot and cold
in a span of minutes. Raven couldn’t understand what had happened,
and thought once again that maybe he had moved too fast.
If that was fast, Darcy was in for a shock. Raven didn’t plan on
letting the man go. His mate better get used to the idea of having him
around, because Raven wasn’t going anywhere.
One mate.
That’s all Raven would get. And fuck if Darcy was going to blow
him off. He was seething with anger at the dismissal.
“It does for me, but then again, I don’t take too many things
seriously. Darcy thinks I’m immature, but I think he’s uptight.”
No shit. Raven was thinking along those very same lines. Yeah,
Darcy was probably freaked out over the biting thing, not to mention
the idea of being a couple. But his mate could have talked to him
instead of kicking him out of the bed they had just shared something
very intimate in. Talk about a bucket of ice tossed over his raging
hormones.
“You remind me of him.”
Wait, what? “How?” Raven sat sideways along the porch railing,
folding his hands over his thigh. He wasn’t uptight—okay, maybe he
was, but he wouldn’t have kicked Darcy out of bed after some very
intense…whatever they just shared. Raven wasn’t sure a hand job and
feeding were considered sex, but hell if he didn’t enjoy himself.
Darcy had gotten off at least. Raven was still full of sexual
frustration and hadn’t a clue what to do about it without taking
matters into his own hands, literally.
Sterling’s smirk was downright evil. “You two were cut from the
same cloth. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you liked him.”
Raven stiffened. Just who the hell was this kid? “Why?”
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“Because only Darcy can piss someone off that much. But you
have to care in order for my brother to push your neurotic buttons.”
“Who says it was Darcy who pissed me off?” And who said
Raven was neurotic? He was solemn, moody, and a bit pushy, but he
wasn’t neurotic.
No matter what his brothers said.
Sterling rolled his eyes. “Deny it all you want. I saw the way you
two were stealing glances at each other.”
Raven wasn’t sure how much to admit. Sterling was human, and
unaware of mates. He was also blissfully ignorant of vampires. The
guy wasn’t Raven’s mate, so clueing him in wasn’t an option. He
shrugged, neither confirming nor denying what he and Darcy had
between them.
“Oh yeah, you are definitely a Darcy.” Sterling chuckled as he got
to his feet, shaking his head. “I’m heading in. I have to go to work in
the morning.”
So, Sterling was just as observant as Darcy when it came to his
surroundings.
Sterling turned before walking into the house, a somber look in
his eyes. “You know, there used to be a shine to Darcy when he
smiled. I haven’t seen that shine in so long that I sometimes wonder if
it was ever there. Help him get it back, Raven.” Sterling grabbed the
screen door, pulled it open, and walked inside.
Raven sighed as he took Sterling’s place on the swing. He thought
about how good it had felt to hold his mate in his arms, how right
Darcy felt against his body. There had been nothing awkward about
being with his mate. It had felt as natural as breathing.
He wasn’t sure how well things would go when it came to sex
though. Raven had never been with a man. But if tonight was any
indication, then Raven knew that he and Darcy would fumble through
the sex part just fine.
Looking down at his hand, Raven curled his fingers in,
remembering the feel of his mate’s cock in his hand. It had felt like a
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steel rod encased in soft silk. Raven wouldn’t mind holding the shaft
once more.
Hell, he was willing to go further than that.
If only he could get Darcy past the whole couple thing. The man
had freaked out and kicked Raven from his bed, something that still
stung when Raven thought about it. Raven also wondered if Darcy
would freak out when he told his mate he was a vampire. Darcy
seemed too out of it to notice that Raven had done more than just
lustfully bite his neck. He prayed it wouldn’t be a problem, because
feeding was the only way Raven could survive.
And fuck if he was going to drink crimson when he had a hot,
moist vein attached to one very attractive mate.
But Sterling’s words haunted Raven. He was determined now to
make the shine appear on Darcy’s face once more.
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Chapter Four
Maverick Brac walked out of the small movie house that had been
recently built, his beta, Kota, at his side. Some of the warriors had
brought their mates to town for a night out, and Maverick was a little
miffed that he had been pulled away from his mate, Cecil.
The movie had actually been pretty damn good.
But so was the hand job Cecil was giving him in the back row of
the theater.
“What’s so important that you pulled me away from my mate?”
Maverick was still trying to get used to Kota with shoulder-length
hair. It didn’t look bad on the wolf, but Kota had always worn his
honey-blond hair down his back in one long braid ever since
Maverick had known the guy. Seeing it cut to the shoulders was just
plain weird.
“I didn’t intentionally pull you away from your…fun, but I think
you need to handle this yourself,” Kota said as he led Maverick
around the side of the red brick building. If Maverick hadn’t known
Kota for over three hundred years, he would have been suspicious.
As they neared the back of the movie theater, Maverick slowed.
“What is this, Kota?” he asked as the hairs on the back of his neck
began to rise. Standing on the other side of a parked car were a group
of men, all extremely large, and all looking as though they had seen
better days. Maverick wasn’t afraid, but he was cautious. He had a
family to look out for and a mate to protect. As he scrutinized the
group, he noticed that one man was shorter than the rest, but he was
being blocked by another, as if the larger man was protecting the
smaller one.
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“Just hear them out,” Kota said from beside him. “I would never
place you in harm’s way, alpha. You know that I would lay down my
life to protect yours.”
Maverick cut his eyes from Kota back over to the group of men.
The largest of them all took a step forward, making Maverick’s
canines instantly punch through his gums as a snarl crept from his
throat. “That’s far enough.” The warning was clear as he stared at the
largest of the group.
He was going to hand Kota his ass for this.
“We mean you no harm, Alpha Maverick,” the largest man said.
Maverick instantly took in the Native American features. The man
had long black hair, high cheekbones, and his skin was a dark tan.
“We’ve come to find refuge under your protection.”
These men needed Maverick to protect them? Maverick was the
largest timber wolf ever born, and he was a force to be reckoned with,
but even he was wary about taking these strangers in. “What breed are
you?” He could smell shifter, but the scent wasn’t something he dealt
with on a regular basis, so he wasn’t familiar with it. As a matter of
fact, the longer Maverick stood there scenting them, he was realizing
that they were a mixed bunch.
“My name is Kenway. I’m a buffalo shifter,” the largest of the
bunch answered. “We were living peacefully in a small township
when we were attacked. The alpha of the local wolf pack deemed us
dangerous and called a hunt on our heads.” The man looked back at
the group and then turned back toward Maverick. “We’ve done
nothing wrong, but the alpha fears us.”
Maverick could see why. He was six nine, and the man standing
before him made Maverick feel short. A goddamn buffalo shifter?
Now he had heard it all. “Why would he think you were a threat?”
Besides the obvious.
Kenway shrugged. “Our size? He never really gave a plausible
explanation. He said we had twenty-four hours to leave his territory.
And when we refused, the fighting began. The alpha burned our
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homes to the ground, killing some of our pack. We have heard of you
and how men with certain tastes live among you peacefully.”
Maverick could hear not only the mounting rage in the man’s
voice, but the sorrow at losing those he cared about. He glanced at the
other men behind Kenway, counting eight, nine if he included the
buffalo shifter. “There is a farmhouse about two miles outside of
town. If I agree to accept you and your men, you will need to give me
not only your blood oath of loyalty, but everyone’s name and their
breed.” Maverick took a step closer, allowing his claws to extend as
he stared Kenway directly in his eyes. “But if you try anything while
in my territory, none will survive. Do I make myself clear?”
Kenway nodded, his deep cobalt-blue eyes hard as stones. “Very.”
Maverick glanced over at Kota, wanting to kick his beta’s ass for
this. The man could have given him warning. “Kota will give you the
address to the farmhouse. Go there for the night, and I’ll come see
you in the morning. But be warned, I will send warriors out there to
guard the house until I can find out what’s going on. And if you are
here to fuck with me or mine, I’ll let the Santiago brothers burn that
place to the ground with you inside.”
“That’s more than we had hoped for,” one of the other men in
Kenway’s group spoke up. Maverick swore it was the smallest of the
group. “Thank you, Alpha Maverick.”
Damn, after the threat he just handed out, someone thanked him?
Maverick was losing his damn touch. He nodded, leaving the mess
with Kota as Maverick walked back inside the movie theater, his
erection gone.
* * * *
Darcy tossed and turned, unable to sleep. All he could think about
was Raven. The man dominated his thoughts as he tried desperately to
get some damn sleep. He felt bad for practically tossing the man out
of his bedroom after that mind-blowing orgasm.
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He felt guilty for his knee-jerk reaction to what Raven had said.
They’d be good together? What did that mean? Did he want Darcy to
announce to the world that they were an item? Not that Darcy would
mind—although it would take some getting used to everyone
knowing—but he and Raven had just met. The man was moving way
too fast for him. He was overanalyzing this, and Darcy knew it.
And what was with the biting? That wasn’t his kink, but Raven
sure as shit seemed to get off on it.
Darcy sighed as he tossed the covers aside and sat up, letting his
feet hit the floor. It seemed he wasn’t going to get any sleep. He
stood, pulling his jeans and shirt on, walking over to the window,
brushing the curtains aside, and looking out into the darkness. He
leaned against the windowpane, wishing he could figure Raven out.
For his life, Darcy couldn’t understand why he was so confused
about being with Raven. Maybe he was making a bigger deal about
Raven than he should. So what if Raven was a man. Darcy liked men.
It should be a no-brainer. He knew in his heart that Sterling wouldn’t
have any problems with who Darcy chose to be with.
But Sterling wasn’t the problem, and Darcy knew it. It was Raven.
The man intimidated the hell out of him. He called to Darcy and made
him want to run as far away as possible at the same time.
Damn it, he was going nuts.
Darcy stilled when he saw a shadowy figure over by the corral. He
didn’t know a damn thing about ranching, but he was pretty sure no
one should be out this late. He watched as the shadowy figure moved
along the wooden fence, his steps slow and measured.
Sterling.
Darcy felt like smacking his younger brother when he saw the
dark-blond hair. He would know that head of hair anywhere. “What in
the hell are you doing out there, Sterling?” Darcy asked. Sterling was
bound and determined to ride one of the horses, or pet a cow, he
wasn’t sure which. But Darcy knew his brother was going to bug
someone into letting him get his way.
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Darcy’s breath caught as his eyes darted to another figure crossing
the field on the side of the barn. Sterling wasn’t looking, hadn’t seen
the other figure coming toward him. The figure was moving too
quickly and everything inside of Darcy told him Sterling needed to
get back inside, and fast.
Blinking to make sure he was seeing things right, Darcy let out a
silent scream when the dark figure swooped across the yard so
quickly that Darcy thought he imagined the speed. He let go of the
curtain, racing toward his bedroom door.
What in the hell had Sterling been doing out there? It was late and
dark. Sterling should have been in bed asleep, getting ready for work
in the morning. His feet hit the last step, and Darcy was running
toward the kitchen. He was out the back door and racing toward his
brother when he felt his heart collapse in his chest.
“Get off of me!” Sterling shouted as he fought the man who had
him trapped on his back, on the ground. It was a sight that not only
scared the hell out of Darcy, but something he never wanted to see in
life again. The thought of anyone hurting Sterling had Darcy racing
faster. No one was taking away the one person in his life that he
cherished the most.
Darcy didn’t think.
He didn’t have time to think.
Putting on a burst of speed, he leapt, plowing hard right into the
figure that held his brother down. They rolled, Darcy ending up on his
back, blinking up at the night sky.
“I want him,” the man growled as he swiped at Darcy’s face with
fingernails so long that Darcy was stunned momentarily. The
fingernails almost looked like…claws. The thought quickly fled as he
cried out when he felt his skin being torn open. His face felt as if a
fire had been lit right under the surface. The burning was so close to
Darcy’s eye that he feared the man had torn it out.
Raising his arms, Darcy tried his best to block the next attack. He
wasn’t sure what was going on, or who the man was, but he knew he
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57
had to stop the man from attacking Sterling. He cursed when he saw
Sterling jump up with a determined glint in his eyes right before he
rammed his shoulder into the guy.
That gave Darcy some leeway. He rolled, shoving his knee right
into the man’s groin. The attacker howled and then pushed Sterling
away, coming straight for Darcy.
Oh, shit.
The man growled as he knocked Darcy on his ass, but Darcy
wasn’t giving up. Sterling was his little brother and Darcy was
determined to keep him safe. He would die to protect Sterling, even
though a small part of him feared he would have to do just that. But
Darcy had raised Sterling since he was two. Not only was he a big
brother, but somewhat of a father figure.
There was no way the stranger was getting his hands on Sterling.
His brother meant more to him than his own life.
When the guy’s arm came close enough, Darcy opened his mouth
and bit into hard flesh. He locked his jaws, praying he took a big
chunk of flesh with him. The man punched Darcy right in his damn
jaw, knocking Darcy loose of his death grip and probably loosening a
few teeth as well.
“You’ll pay for that,” the man grunted as he straddled Darcy’s
hips, pressing one of his hands onto Darcy’s chest.
Fuck, he couldn’t breathe. The guy had unbelievable strength. It
felt as if the man were pushing every single ounce of breath from
Darcy’s body. It hurt. It was painful, but Darcy was not going to give
up and allow this man to get his hands on Sterling.
“Go get help,” Darcy called out as he struggled to get the man off
of his damn chest. The guy wasn’t light, and Darcy felt as though he
were going to suffocate at any moment. He wasn’t even sure why the
man had attacked Sterling, but Darcy would be damned if he allowed
his younger brother to be hurt.
“Oh. My. Gods!” Sterling shouted as he jumped back, pointing
frantically toward the house. “There is a bear heading our way!”
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Darcy made the mistake of looking behind him. The man on his
chest sliced his face again, the burning somehow worse this time.
Darcy howled, slamming his fist into the guy’s chest. It was almost
like a fly fighting a wall of steel. The punches didn’t seem to do a
damn thing as the man swiped at Darcy’s face again.
But the fear that Darcy felt was a weight that was going to crush
him. He was terrified that this man was going to kill him. Dread
pounded through his bloodstream, and bile rose to the back of his
throat. Please let someone come and help.
He would do whatever he had to in order to protect Sterling, but
the fear of dying couldn’t be stopped as it pounded through his body,
making him fight even harder to stay alive. None of this made sense,
but Darcy didn’t have time to analyze a damn thing. He was fighting
for his life, Sterling’s life, and to breathe.
Darcy cried out when the man bit into his shoulder. It felt like he
was crushing Darcy’s damn collarbone. He even heard something
snap. The man was going to eat him! Darcy punched at the man’s
head, trying desperately to make the man get off of him. It just wasn’t
working out the way he planned. The guy was relentless, and wasn’t
giving up his hold.
Darcy felt tears sting his eyes when he saw Raven behind the
stranger. He was fighting to get the man’s teeth from out of Darcy’s
shoulder. Darcy was dragged a few inches, the pain exploding
through his shoulder and face like a nuclear bomb, and then the man
released his hold on Darcy’s body.
The weight was finally off of Darcy, enabling him to breathe once
more. He immediately cupped his face as he turned over onto his
stomach and then jumped to his feet, swaying slightly as dizziness
washed over him. His face hurt, his shoulder was on fire, and he felt
like he was going to vomit. He heard growls and howls, but Darcy
was too damn dizzy to concentrate.
Loss of blood would do that to a guy.
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“Easy, mate,” Raven said as he appeared out of thin air. He placed
his hands on Darcy’s shoulders, steadying him as Darcy quickly
glanced over at Sterling. The oldest Lakeland brother was at
Sterling’s side, his body between Sterling’s and the fight. His younger
brother was staring up at Riley, his brows furrowed, as if trying to
figure the man out.
“Let’s get you inside,” Raven said as he tried to turn Darcy toward
the house.
“No, I can’t leave Sterling out here!” Darcy fought to get free, to
get back to his brother, but his steps faltered and his head swooned.
He could barely see from the blood that was trickling into his eyes,
nearly blinding him.
“Riley has him,” Raven said as he coaxed Darcy to move closer to
the house. “Trust me. Sterling is very safe with Riley.”
“I’m fine,” Sterling called out to Darcy, but was still staring up at
Riley. Riley glanced at Sterling, and then looked away. He repeated
the move over and over again.
Darcy turned, in too much pain to try and understand what was
going on with his baby brother when another wave of dizziness
swamped him. He would have dropped to the ground, but Raven’s
strong arms caught him.
Sterling jogged over to him, his eyes growing wide. “Darcy, oh,
my gods. You’re hurt.”
“Was the blood dripping down my face a clue?” Darcy asked as
Raven’s arms tightened around him.
“Let Raven get Darcy inside and cleaned up,” Riley said to
Sterling as he pulled Sterling back by his shoulders.
Darcy was a little confused at the overprotective way Riley was
handling Sterling. The man’s face was grim as he stared down at
Darcy’s younger brother. Darcy wanted to stay and question things to
death, but the lightheadedness was becoming too much.
Something very strange was going on in this sleepy little town.
Darcy knew it was too damn perfect. He winced, pain shooting
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through his face and straight to his head. “The prick cut my face
open.”
“I know.” The angry growl could be heard in Raven’s tone. For
some reason, Darcy liked that Raven was pissed that he got hurt. Of
course, Darcy would rather not have been hurt, but knowing Raven
was mad…well, it was nice that someone besides his brother cared.
“Why is there a bear on the ranch?” he asked as Raven guided him
through the house and up the stairs. “And who in the hell was that
who attacked me?” The dizziness was getting worse. Darcy could see
small dots dancing in his vision now. Man, that attacker had done a
number on him. He shuddered at the thought of what kind of scars
were going to be left behind once he healed. If he thought he hadn’t
been that good looking before…
“Let’s get you cleaned up before the interrogation begins.” Raven
guided Darcy into his bedroom. Darcy was relieved for some odd
reason that he was in his own room. He hadn’t even been here a full
night, yet the room comforted him in some strange sense. Raven hit
the light switch in the bathroom and guided Darcy over to the sink.
The lights were bright, hurting Darcy’s wounded eye.
“Too bright,” Darcy complained.
Raven turned the light off. The bathroom was now dimly lit, the
light from his bedroom filtering into the bathroom. Darcy wasn’t sure
how Raven could see, but the man was moving around the bathroom
as if the lights were still on.
As much pain as Darcy was in, Raven’s closeness hadn’t gone
unnoticed. Mixed in with the metallic scent of his own blood, Darcy
could smell Raven’s earthy scent. Gods, was there a better smell in
the world than a strong, handsome man? He would argue that there
wasn’t.
Darcy leaned against the counter, watching as Raven pulled a
washcloth from inside a small cabinet and wet it under the running
faucet. “Hold still.”
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He held still, but Darcy couldn’t help but notice the strong tic in
Raven’s jaw. Was Raven holding his breath? Darcy sure as hell was.
Not only did his face and shoulder hurt like nobody’s business, he
was so close to Raven that all he had to do was lean forward and their
lips would be touching. How embarrassing would it be to sport a
boner in the bathroom as Raven cleaned him up?
Darcy stayed completely still as Raven wiped the side of his face.
It disturbed him how the white towel Raven was using turned a deep
shade of red. Even in the dimly lit bathroom Darcy knew it was way
too much blood washing down the sink.
When he glanced back up at Raven, the man’s dark eyes bore into
Darcy’s, making Darcy feel as if he were falling forward into the stars
and galaxy beyond. He leaned forward, his lips parting as Darcy
watched the black irises with intense interest.
“If you keep staring like that, I’ll bedazzle you,” Raven said softly
as he dropped the washcloth and cupped Darcy’s jaw, bringing it so
close that his lips touched the wound on the right side of Darcy’s face.
Raven inhaled, his eyelids fluttering. “You smell so sweet.”
Darcy shivered as Raven closed the distance, gently kissing the
side of his face. “What are you doing?” He whispered the question.
“Healing you. Tasting you. Wanting you. Going mad because I
want to lick every inch of your flesh with my tongue.” Raven tilted
Darcy’s head to the side, his tongue trailing up the side of Darcy’s
face so slowly that Darcy could feel Raven’s tongue licking the blood
from the wound.
“Raven.”
“Shh. Let me heal you.” Raven kissed and licked Darcy’s neck
and shoulder until Darcy was so hard he was afraid his cock would
explode from so much blood buildup. He placed his hands on Raven’s
waist, curling his fingers around the man’s shirt as Raven inhaled and
then shuddered. “So sweet.”
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Darcy didn’t protest when Raven led him from the bathroom,
walking Darcy backward as he kept his hands on Darcy’s face,
continually licking over the torn flesh.
When the back of Darcy’s legs hit the bed, he gasped. Raven
slowly lowered Darcy until his back was resting on the mattress. “So
sweet.” Raven’s hands, but not his tongue, left Darcy’s face,
skimming down Darcy’s body until they reached the snap of Darcy’s
jeans.
Darcy grabbed Raven’s wrists, stopping him from going any
further. “What are you doing, Raven?”
“Loving you, Darcy.” He kissed the side of Darcy’s face and then
leaned back, a crooked smile on his face. “Tell me no one has ever
loved you before.”
“Has anyone ever loved you?” Darcy countered, evading Raven’s
question. Darcy wasn’t ready to answer that question. Especially with
the way Raven was looking at Darcy with such intensity that it scared
him.
“No,” he admitted and then kissed Darcy’s wound once more.
“I’ve never had anyone love me the way mates are supposed to love
each other. I’ve never loved a man before, either.”
Darcy was a bit confused. Raven’s answer made no sense to him.
“Me either.” He felt it was his safest response. Strangely enough,
Darcy noticed that his face no longer felt like it was on fire. Whatever
Raven had done to him, it made his wounds stop hurting, but on the
tail end of that thought, Darcy felt his body catch on fire from
Raven’s touch. It was a different kind of fire than his wounds, and
Darcy admitted to himself that he welcomed this blaze.
“So let me love you, Darcy,” Raven murmured seductively as he
pulled his wrists free, going once more for Darcy’s snap. Darcy laid
his hands on the side of his body, and then lifted them and rested them
over his head. He wasn’t really sure where he should put them.
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Raven grinned as he laid a soft kiss on Darcy’s wounded eye.
“Leave them where they are. You look sexy lying there letting me
have my wicked way with you.”
Darcy stilled, staring directly into Raven’s mouth. He didn’t think
his night could get any weirder, but it had. Was he really seeing
fangs? Did Raven really have fangs? Gods, his mind just couldn’t
register what he was seeing.
The. Man. Had. Fangs.
He had seen them as clear as day when Raven grinned. He knew it
wasn’t a trick of the lighting. “What’s going on, Raven?”
Raven leaned forward, pressing his face into Darcy’s neck, and
nipped at his skin before licking at the wound in Darcy’s shoulder, a
low, guttural growl leaving Raven’s throat. “Do you fear me, Darcy?”
He breathed his question out slowly.
“I don’t even know you, Raven.” But he knew one thing. Raven
was a vampire. There was no way this could be possible, but the
man’s teeth said it all. Now even the biting made sense, and Darcy
felt dizzy all over again.
What in the fuck was going on in this town?
“Yes, you do,” Raven said as he leaned back and pulled at the end
of Darcy’s pant leg. “Look at me and tell me your soul doesn’t
recognize mine. Tell me that you don’t feel like we’ve known each
other since the beginning of time. You feel a connection, a pull,
something between us that makes you want to stay with me forever.”
“I think you’re hot,” Darcy admitted and then glanced away,
afraid to look at Raven now that he knew the truth. He had a vampire
hovering above him, stripping Darcy’s clothes from his body. Maybe
he suffered more blood loss than he originally thought.
Raven gave a low and seductive chuckle. The sound made
Darcy’s cock impossibly harder. “Coming from you, that means a lot
to me. But I can smell your fear, Darcy. There is no need for it.”
Darcy looked back at Raven, and then his eyes drifted down to
Raven’s mouth. “But you drink blood.”
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“I do.”
“My blood.”
“I did.”
“I—” Darcy shook his head, his eyes drifting up toward the
ceiling. “I knew there was something strange about this town. It
seemed a little too perfect, a little too serene.”
“There is more here than you could ever imagine, Darcy,” Raven
said as he ripped Darcy’s shirt from his body. He should be afraid, but
he wasn’t. Raven tearing his only good shirt miffed him though. Now
what was he going to wear to work in the morning?
“Why do you look angry?”
“Because that was my only shirt,” he admitted.
Raven cocked his head, studying Darcy for a moment, and then
shook his head, as if dismissing the silly idea. Darcy dismissed it as
well when Raven dipped down and began to lick at his nipple. Hell,
he tossed the whole thought process right out of the damn window.
“You have sensitive nipples,” Raven said as he blew a tiny puff of
air across Darcy’s moistened nipple. Darcy moaned.
Who knew? “Yeah,” Darcy whimpered, his back arching, trying
his best to feed Raven his nipple. Darcy let a soft, drawn-out satisfied
sound leave his throat as Raven teased his flesh with his tongue and
teeth.
Once again, Darcy was naked while Raven was fully dressed. He
wanted to touch the man’s flesh, wanted to feel it under his fingers.
The need was so overwhelming that Darcy reached for Raven’s shirt,
pulling at it.
“Stop.” Raven grabbed Darcy’s wrists, placing them back above
his head.
“But I want to touch you, too,” he whined.
“Trust me, you will.” Raven began to kiss his way down Darcy’s
chest, until his mouth was so close to Darcy’s cock that it jerked in
excitement. He began to pant when Raven licked his lips, and then his
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65
tongue snaked out, tasting Darcy’s pre-cum as if experimenting with
the taste. “Salty.”
Darcy gritted his teeth, trying his damnedest not to come in
Raven’s face. The guy was slowly torturing him to death as he just lay
there, examining Darcy’s cock. “It’s a dick. Now suck it.”
Raven’s eyes slowly lifted to Darcy’s face, a dark brow lifting.
“Sorry,” Darcy murmured as he let out a long breath. “Do
whatever you like.”
“Whatever I like? Hmm, I like the sound of that.” Raven spread
Darcy’s legs further apart, his tongue tentatively lapping at Darcy’s
balls. Darcy slammed his eyes shut, counting to ten, and then to
twenty. If Raven didn’t suck him off soon, Darcy was going to blow
without the man ever wrapping his lips around Darcy’s dick.
His toes curled and his back arched as Raven dipped his head
down and took Darcy’s tight balls into his mouth. He shouted, his
seed exploding onto his chest. “Fuck!”
Raven continued to suck Darcy’s balls, slowly letting up until he
pushed up onto his arms, using one hand to swipe the cum from
Darcy’s chest and shove his finger into his mouth.
Darcy groaned at the sight of the man tasting him. It was erotic as
hell. He had imagined what it would be like to finally be with a man,
but nothing in his wildest imagination prepared him for reality. Raven
was everything and more. Just the masculine tilt of his smile had
Darcy ready for round two. The man was simply gorgeous, and that
only made Darcy wonder why the guy wanted him, but he let that
thought go when Raven continued to give him such a seductive smile.
“I’m guessing you like your balls sucked?”
“You think?” Darcy mumbled as he lowered his legs to the bed.
Raven nipped the inside of Darcy’s thigh, making Darcy jerk and
moan. “Be nice,” Raven said as he leaned back, pulling his shirt over
his head. Darcy lay there, mesmerized by Raven’s lean body. It was
pale and cut to masculine perfection. Darcy’s eyes darted down
toward Raven’s pants, seeing the dark trail of hair that vanished inside
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Raven’s jeans, and the outline of his lover’s erection. Darcy’s heart
raced as he stared at the bulge, images of what Raven’s cock looked
like dancing in his mind. He wanted to find out. He desperately
wanted to find out.
Raven chuckled. “I’m going to take them off as well.”
Raven was smiling, but Darcy was sweating bullets. He watched
as Raven pulled his clothes off, revealing a cock much larger than his
own, nicely cut, perfection in every way. Darcy lay there wondering
how in the hell that big dick was going to fit into his ass. There was
just no damn way. His doubts must have been on his face by Raven’s
next word.
“Worried?” Raven asked as he tossed his shirt aside, a wicked
smile playing on his lips.
“Sort of,” Darcy admitted, his eyes glued to Raven’s cock. It was
long, thick, and cut, and so hard that the head was a deep shade of red.
He swallowed and then looked up at Raven.
“Now let’s see if we both can’t figure this out together.” Raven
glanced down at Darcy’s cock, a peculiar look in his dark eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Darcy asked.
Darcy was amazed at how large Raven was. He wasn’t muscular
or bulky. No, Raven’s demeanor and the way he carried himself made
him seem so much larger than he truly was. Darcy stared at Raven’s
face as if it were the only thing left in the world.
“Darcy?” Raven asked as he stretched out over Darcy’s body,
running his knuckles over Darcy’s chin. “What’s wrong, baby?”
The endearment tore at Darcy’s heart. What Raven had said was
true, even though Darcy didn’t understand how. He did feel a
connection, and some sort of invisible string that was pulling Darcy to
the vampire. That thought alone frightened him because the feeling
was so damn intense. “You’re amazing.”
Raven’s smirk was anything but smug, but Darcy could see the
appreciation in the man’s dark eyes. “Thanks. If you keep
complimenting me, it just might go to my head.”
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“Which head?” Darcy laughed, easing the tension in the room.
“Now who is the one that looks absolutely amazing?” Raven
asked as he trailed his fingers across Darcy’s shoulder. Darcy
shivered, wondering if it got any better than this. Raven’s touch was
like magic against Darcy’s skin, making his body react in ways he
didn’t think possible.
Raven kissed his way down Darcy’s bare shoulder as he reached
down and rimmed Darcy’s ass with his finger. “I know we need
lube,” Raven said as he kissed his way back up until the man was at
Darcy’s neck, inhaling deeply.
Darcy pointed toward the bathroom. “I saw some in there.”
Raven chuckled. “It figures there is lube in every room in this
house.” He pushed away from Darcy, walked into the bathroom, and
came back a few seconds later with a tube of lube in his hand.
He lifted it up, wiggling it back and forth. “Gay man’s gold.”
Darcy spread his legs, wanting Raven more than anything. Just
thinking about Raven inside of him was making Darcy’s cock throb
against his stomach. All Darcy could do was lie there and stare at
Raven. The man was handsome, with a sexy-as-fuck smile to boot.
Even the fangs were starting to turn Darcy on.
He’d question the rationality of that thought later.
Right now all Darcy wanted was Raven. The feeling was
overwhelming and riding him hard as he stared into Raven’s eyes.
The man not only wanted him for sex, but to keep. Raven had said
they would make a good couple. Even though that thought still scared
him, the fear wasn’t as strong as it had been earlier.
Just the thought of this man wanting him had Darcy shaking in
anticipation.
Raven crawled back onto the bed, settling himself between
Darcy’s legs. He lubed his fingers, tossed the bottle aside, and then
once again rimmed Darcy’s hole. He felt a tight pressure at his bud,
and the palm of Raven’s hand pressed tightly against his perineum.
Darcy bit his bottom lip as Raven finally pushed his finger into Darcy.
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“You okay, Darcy?” Raven asked, his hand stilling.
Darcy nodded, bearing down on Raven’s finger. It was the
strangest feeling Darcy had ever felt, and he loved it. Although he had
used his own fingers on many occasions, having someone else finger
him was a whole new experience. Raven wiggled his finger, and then
pressed another finger inside. Darcy hissed out a breath, his abs
singing with tension as he pulled back slightly and then pressed down,
moaning as Raven stretched him.
He wanted Raven to fuck him so damn badly. The man’s fingers
felt great, but Darcy wanted to feel Raven wrapped around him,
holding him down as he fucked him into a coma. Darcy had known
most of his teenage life that he was gay, but had never acted on those
feelings.
Now that he had Raven to show him the way, Darcy was tight
with anticipation, his nerves jumpy, and his mouth was dry.
“I can feel you tensing up, Darcy.” Raven kept his fingers buried
inside of Darcy as he leaned forward, teasing one of Darcy’s nipples
with his teeth.
Darcy bucked, groaning as Raven forced a third finger into
Darcy’s ass. Darcy jerked when Raven began to fuck him with all
three fingers. He squeezed down on Raven’s fingers, his hands
pressing into Raven’s shoulders. “I need to feel you inside of me.”
Raven pulled his hand free, straightened, and then positioned
himself between Darcy’s legs. Raven hooked Darcy’s legs over his
arms, pulled him further down the bed, closer to Raven’s hard and
weeping shaft, and then Darcy felt the head of Raven’s cock pressing
at his hole.
“You’ll tell me if you want me to stop.” It wasn’t a request.
Darcy licked his lips and nodded. “I will.”
“Good,” Raven almost growled and then pushed forward. Darcy’s
eyes damn near crossed as Raven’s cock began to enter him. Whoa,
ow, shit. It burned. Darcy’s attention was taken away from the
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uncomfortable feeling in his ass as Raven released his legs and raked
his nails over Darcy’s ankles.
“You doing okay?”
Darcy sighed and nodded. Raven’s fingernails trailing up the
inside of his legs was taking Darcy’s mind from the pain, and making
goose bumps surface along his skin. His thigh muscles flexed, and his
cock twitched as Raven reached his inner thighs.
Raven pushed in another inch, his fingernails circling around
Darcy’s navel and then trailing up his sternum. Small flares of
electrical excitement followed Raven’s touch. A fine sheen of sweat
broke out all over Darcy’s body as Raven pushed in. This time he
didn’t stop until his balls touched Darcy’s ass.
“Bend your knees,” Raven said with a voice that seemed on the
border of restraint and madness. Darcy knew how Raven felt. His own
body was jerking and his hips were hitching. He bent his knees,
letting them fall to the sides as Raven snagged his legs under the
knees once more and then spread Darcy’s legs apart.
Raven pulled almost all the way out, his eyes closing, and then
pushed back in slowly. Darcy curled and uncurled his fingers into the
sheets as he watched the sexiest face he had ever seen. Raven slowly
opened his eyes, smiled down at Darcy, and then winked before he
repeated the pull, push action, only quicker this time.
Darcy’s arms flew over his head, his fingers grabbing the
headboard as the bend in his legs rested in the crook of Raven’s arms.
He was being pulled closer on every upthrust, but when Raven pulled
back, Darcy damn near sang.
He liked out.
Out felt so damn good that Darcy wanted to scream his approval.
Raven lifted Darcy’s legs higher, and pounded Darcy’s ass so hard
that he cried out his pleasure, not caring who heard him. He fucked
Darcy hard and fast, plunging into him over and over again. Darcy
pulled at the headboard, whimpering and twisting his hips, trying to
meet Raven thrust for thrust. His cock was dancing around freely, but
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Darcy wasn’t ready yet to let go of the headboard. He needed the
anchor. He needed something to ground him because he was reaching
a peak he had never reached before and Darcy feared cascading over
the edge into an abyss of epic proportions.
Raven moved in and captured Darcy’s mouth in a possessive and
dominating kiss. Darcy could feel Raven’s sharp fangs bite into his
lower lip, and then Raven licked the sting away. “Play with yourself,
Darcy,” Raven said with a growl. “Stroke your cock for me.”
Darcy tilted his head back as he released the headboard, his
anchor, and grabbed his cock. It throbbed in his hand as he pulled and
tugged, letting Raven sweep him into the unknown. “Deeper,” he
begged Raven as his head swam and his body ignited into a
maelstrom of emotions so strong that he knew he was never going to
be the same after this.
Raven was branding him, placing his ownership all over Darcy as
he leaned back, staring down at Darcy as if Darcy were the man’s
entire universe.
Raven pushed Darcy’s legs back and sank his cock deeper, his
eyes glued to what Darcy was doing with his hand. Darcy
instinctively tilted his head to the side, baring his throat as he
quickened his strokes. Raven groaned, pushing his cock so hard into
Darcy’s ass that Darcy thought he would feel Raven’s dick in the
back of his throat.
“Do you know what you are offering me?” Raven asked as he
lowered his head, his tongue trailing over Darcy’s neck. “Do you
know what happens if I bite you while we’re having sex?”
“A great orgasm?”
The look in Raven’s eyes told Darcy that it was much more than
that. Raven stilled, staring down into Darcy’s eyes. “No, mate. We
will be bonded. The connection will only grow stronger between us.”
“But I thought you said we already had a connection?” Why in the
hell was Raven making him think right now? Darcy could barely
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string two thoughts together while Raven was buried in his ass and
the man wanted to talk?
The side of Raven’s mouth lifted in a half smile, and then he
nuzzled his face in Darcy’s neck. Darcy shouted, his hips snapping up
when Raven bit into his neck.
Fuck!
His semen shot from his cock in a wet, sticky mess, wetting his
and Raven’s abdomens thoroughly. Raven grunted, fucking Darcy
harder, pounding into him mercilessly, and then Darcy felt Raven’s
cock pulsing in his ass.
“Oh, gods!” Darcy cried out, feeling as if his mind and body had
just separated. He gasped, sucking in lungfuls of air as he tried to
settle his raging heart. His mind and body fell back together, leaving
Darcy a quivering mess as he lay under Raven, soaked in sweat and
seed, and regretting none of it.
Never had he thought it would be this good with a man, let alone a
vampire. His breath stuttered as he slowly opened his eyes, staring
into a black canvas that twinkled back at him.
Raven lowered his head and licked Darcy’s neck. He pulled back
and kissed Darcy’s jaw lightly, a feathered touch. “You belong to me
now, Darcy.”
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Chapter Five
Raven hated to leave Darcy’s bed. It felt good and right to lie next
to his mate. What they had shared together was beyond Raven’s
wildest hopes. His mate had fit around Raven’s cock like a tight
glove, bringing him so much pleasure that all Raven could do was
sigh in contentment at the memory.
And the claiming? Raven shivered at the thought of tasting
Darcy’s sweet blood again while being buried deep in the man’s tight
ass.
He hated to leave, but he needed to find out who attacked Darcy,
and he needed to make sure Sterling was okay. Darcy would go nuts
if something happened to his little brother.
But Raven had a feeling Riley Lakeland had things covered when
it came to Sterling’s safety. It hadn’t slipped his notice that Riley had
bolted from the house when they heard Darcy shouting. The man had
looked murderous as everyone raced to the humans’ cries.
And if Raven ever saw a shifter attacking his mate again, he
would probably die of a heart attack. Just seeing that shifter sitting on
Darcy’s chest had caused anger and retribution to boil inside of
Raven.
He tucked Darcy in and then stood by the bed, looking down at
his human mate. Raven was still trying to adjust to his new life since
his father had disowned him. Raven hadn’t thought Magnum had it in
him to turn his back on his sons, but he had with a coldness that still
made Raven shiver. The man was an asshole, but he was Raven’s
father. He had loved the man, even after he saw Magnum for what the
man truly was.
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When his father disowned him, a part of Raven had died. He knew
he would choose his brothers over the man who had ruled over his life
since his birth, but it didn’t take away the hurt that Raven felt every
time he thought of the betrayal.
One thing did comfort him, though. There were no more rules and
stringent guidelines to follow. Raven was free to live his life how he
saw fit. Even though his father had been a force to be reckoned with,
Raven reveled in the fact that he didn’t have a damn soul to answer to.
Except Darcy.
There was no denying that being with Darcy was both exhilarating
and strange.
Damn, he had slept with a man.
A human male.
As he stared down at his sleeping mate, Raven’s heart clenched,
feeling as though it were going to shatter into a thousand pieces when
he thought about being without his mate. Male or human, Raven was
going to do whatever it took to make his mate happy.
I haven’t seen that shine in so long that I sometimes wonder if it
was ever there. Help him get it back, Raven.
Raven was determined to put the shine back in Darcy’s eyes. The
man was simply beautiful. His mate had shown so much bravery last
night when defending his brother, but Raven had also seen the
vulnerability in the man’s eyes. He wanted to shelter Darcy from the
world, but knew the man wouldn’t let him.
Darcy, if nothing else, was a very stubborn man. He could not
only tell by his mate’s mannerism, but the steel glint in his eyes.
Darcy was nobody’s fool.
And that made Raven even more proud of the man.
He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, wondering if he could
take care of a mate. Financially he could, but what if he failed to
protect him? He wasn’t doing a bang-up job so far with letting Darcy
get attacked.
Speaking of…
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Raven gave one last glance at Darcy and then headed downstairs.
He wanted answers. He wanted to know who the man who attacked
Darcy was before he killed him.
“How’s Darcy?” Malcolm Lakeland asked.
Raven felt as though he was walking into a warm and loving
kitchen. The men sat around the table, all looking at him with concern
in their eyes. Raven was momentarily taken aback. He had seen how
the bears acted with their mates, but he never thought to see such
concern for Darcy from them.
They were shifters. He was a vampire. Raven knew his father had
taught him and his brothers all the hateful things a man held in his
heart. But seeing that shifters were truly kind and generous, not
savages, made Raven hate his father even more.
“He’s sleeping.”
“How’s his face?” Chance, one of the twin bears, asked.
“Healed.” Raven took a seat at the table, folding his arms over his
chest. “So who was the shifter who attacked Darcy, and where is he?”
It was Bryce Lakeland who sat back, sighing heavily. Raven had a
feeling he wasn’t going to like the words that followed that sound.
“Apparently there are some new shifters in town. Maverick sent
them to the Manchesters’ old farmhouse, but their enemies weren’t
too far behind.”
Wait, what? “How do you know that shifter that attacked Sterling
and Darcy wasn’t one of the men the alpha allowed to stay here?”
Malcolm picked up his cup of coffee, taking a long sip before
glancing over at Raven. “I know you don’t trust shifters, Raven, but
I’m here to tell you that Maverick put the fear of the gods into them
before allowing them to stay. They would be fools to come here
looking for trouble.”
Yeah, that was like a dog owner saying, “He’s never bitten anyone
before.” Raven didn’t trust the newcomers no matter what Maverick
may have threatened them with. He didn’t even know who they were.
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But he half-ass trusted the Lakelands. Strangers had nothing coming
from him.
“So if he is the newcomers’ enemy, why did he come here and
attack Sterling?”
Raven noticed Riley shift in his seat, his jaw clenched tight. “How
is Sterling?” he asked the oldest Lakeland brother.
“Sleeping.” Riley’s answer was clipped.
Did no one else see that Sterling was more than likely Riley’s
mate? There was no way Raven was the only one who saw the way
Riley was acting when it came to Darcy’s younger brother.
“We are still trying to figure out why Sterling was attacked,”
Malcolm answered.
“What did you do, kill him?” Killing the guy was the only reason
Raven could see that the shifter wouldn’t answer a mob of angry
bears. Too bad, he would have loved to have found out why the man
had attacked Sterling and then Darcy.
“No, but Riley broke his jaw,” Malcolm said and then shot Riley a
peeved look. “And now the man refuses to shift to heal. Maverick is
on his way over to take the shifter off of our hands.”
Riley leaned forward, his nostrils flaring slightly as his top lip
pulled back into a snarl. The look was dark, his black brows pulling
down angrily. “Just give him to me. I can make sure he never speaks
again.”
“Watch your tone, son,” Malcolm said as he sat his coffee mug
down. “I told you, I won’t allow you to turn into a murderer. Let’s
find out why he attacked Sterling and Darcy before justice is
dispensed.”
Riley sat back and snorted. Was Sterling rubbing off on the bear
already? “I’d like a crack at him as well,” Raven said with a nod.
“Your mate is healed and resting. Let’s stay calm here.”
Raven was shocked that Malcolm knew Darcy was his mate. He
hadn’t said a word to anyone. Maybe the way Raven had come racing
out of the house and pulled the damn shifter off of Darcy was a huge
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clue. The shifter better be lucky he was still breathing. Riley had
ripped the man from Raven’s arms before he had a chance to do
anything, and then he had seen his mate’s bloody face and lost all
thought about the attacker. His only goal was getting Darcy inside and
healed.
Malcolm grinned at Raven. The smile was mischievous. “Just
because I’m an old bear doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on
in my own home.” The bear’s eyes slid over to Riley and then back to
Raven. “I’m not out to pasture just yet.”
“But you will be if you don’t get up here and put Cole to sleep,”
Luke, Malcolm’s mate, called from upstairs.
Malcolm chuckled as he walked his cup to the sink. “Yes, sir,” he
said playfully and then headed out of the kitchen.
“Where did Pa hide him?” Riley asked Chance as he stood,
looking toward the back door.
“Oh, hell no. You are not going to have Pa pissed at me,” Chance
said as he stood. “I know nothing about where that shifter is being
held.”
“He’s tied up in the barn,” Chauncey said as he walked into the
kitchen. “Oops.” He grinned. “Wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”
Raven watched Riley push the screen door open and head out. The
bear looked downright pissed.
“Pa!” Chance shouted. “Your dumbass son told Riley where the
shifter was.”
“Snitch,” Chauncey said as he grinned.
Chance flipped him off as Malcolm raced down the steps and out
the back door, but not before cuffing Chauncey on the back of his
head.
“Damn it, Chance.” Chauncey scowled at his twin and then
walked out of the kitchen, rubbing where his father had smacked him.
Chance chuckled. “Gods, I love living here.”
Raven was starting to see why. As loony as these bears acted, he
could see the love they had for one another in everything that they
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did. It was the polar opposite to the way he had grown up. It was a
wonder Raven wasn’t a coldhearted bastard from the way Magnum
had raised him.
He knew that it was Daniel and Dudley who kept the humanity in
Raven and Remus. Both of his brothers kept Raven and Remus from
becoming just like their father, although it had been close. By the time
their father had kicked them out, Raven was teetering on the edge
between good and jackass.
Which side won was still in question some days.
“I’m going to check on Seth and Oscar. Have fun,” Chance said
before he walked out, leaving Raven standing there in the kitchen by
himself. His eyes snapped up when the back door opened and
Maverick walked in, a few men trailing in behind him. Raven would
never get used to how tall and menacing the man looked at times. The
alpha put Magnum to shame in the scary department.
“Hello, Raven,” Maverick said, a smirk on his face. “Nice to see
you again.”
Raven had met Maverick when he went to the alpha’s house to
kill Sloane, Maverick’s cousin. Sloane was mated to Raven’s
youngest brother, Dudley. It hadn’t been pretty. Magnum was the one
who sent Raven, Remus, and Daniel after Sloane. That hadn’t worked
out so well. And honestly, Raven hadn’t wanted to hurt the man. All
he wanted was for Dudley to be happy. And his youngest brother was,
although Sloane was still pissed at them for trying to kill him.
Since living here at the Lakelands’, Raven hadn’t seen Maverick.
He had forgotten how damn big the man was.
“Alpha,” Raven replied, dipping his head slightly in respect. He
may have been raised to believe shifters were beneath him, but Raven
was no fool.
Secretly, he liked Maverick, but Raven would never admit that out
loud.
“Is Malcolm around?”
“He’s in the barn trying to stop Riley from killing the shifter.”
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Maverick laughed. “Gotta love those bears.” He turned, the men
with him leaving, Maverick following. Raven was curious, so he
followed as well. He walked into the barn behind the men and saw
that Malcolm had Riley pushed up against the barn wall, growling
low.
“You will wait.”
Riley turned his head, his lips thin and his eyes spewing hate.
Raven knew that Riley was an uptight man who barely spoke and kept
to himself, but he had never seen Riley this angry before. It was a
sobering sight.
“Am I interrupting?” Maverick asked as he stepped closer.
“No,” Malcolm said as he released Riley. “You’re just in time.
He’s over there.” Malcolm pointed to a man gagged and tied to one of
the poles in the barn.
Raven could feel his fangs itching to tear the man’s throat out.
This was the person responsible for hurting Darcy. It took every
ounce of restraint not to charge forward and kill the bastard.
“I know him,” one of the men that had come with Maverick said.
Maverick nodded, glancing over at Malcolm. “This is Kenway.”
Maverick waved a hand toward the man who had spoken. “He’s one
of the men I allowed to stay here.”
No one said a word.
“How do you know him?” Maverick asked as he walked over to
the bound man and knelt in front of him.
“He is one of the men who burned down our homes.” Kenway
was fucking huge! Raven raked his eyes over the man, wondering
what kind of shifter he was. He could smell shifter on the man, but
not what breed. But there was no mistaking the man for anything but
Native American. His long black hair shined in the dimly lit barn. He
also had high cheekbones and a dark tan that complemented his
complexion.
“So your enemies have come a-calling?” Maverick asked.
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Kenway bowed his head, but not before giving a slight nod. “I
didn’t mean for our trouble to follow us here, alpha.”
“Yes,” Maverick said as he turned back toward the shifter tied to
the pole, “you did. But I knew this would happen.”
“Did you know he would come after my—Sterling?” Riley
growled, but Raven caught the slip. Riley’s hands were fisted tight at
his sides as he paced back and forth in front of the pole, his eyes
murderous as he looked down at the shifter.
“No,” Maverick answered Riley and then pulled the gag from the
shifter’s mouth. “So why don’t you tell us why you came here.”
When the man spoke, it was between clenched teeth. It looked like
it hurt like hell. Riley really must have broken the prick’s jaw like
Malcolm said.
“Fuck you,” the man snarled and then spit in the direction of
Maverick’s face. He winced with the effort, but the spittle fell short.
Guess a broken jaw isn’t as effective as the man would have liked.
Raven blinked and almost missed how fast Maverick’s hand flew
up and then barreled downward, slamming across the shifter’s face.
“Let’s try this again.”
The man’s head wobbled on his shoulders, his eyes dazed. Damn,
even Raven’s jaw hurt after that blow to the face. Maverick’s hands
weren’t small.
The man smirked, his eyes narrowed as he licked his busted lip.
He gritted the words out, but Raven understood each and every one.
“Was going after Kenway. Saw a hot piece of ass standing by the
corral.”
Riley growled as he lunged, his boot kicking the man square in his
ribs. Maverick stood, taking a step back, and raising his arm for
Malcolm to stop, giving a slight shake of his head. Riley laid waste to
the man’s face, his fists connecting repeatedly. When it looked like
Riley was going to kill the shifter, Maverick grabbed Riley around the
waist and hauled him away.
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The bear’s chest was rapidly rising and falling, his canines
elongated and showing from under his upper lip. He looked wild,
unfocused as he lunged again, but his claws were still sheathed.
Raven watched as Maverick held the bear back.
“How many are with you?” Kenway asked as he walked behind
Raven and stopped in front of the bloody shifter. The bound man’s
eye was swollen shut, and blood was trickling out of his nose, bathing
his mouth and chin in blood-red color.
The shifter gazed up at Kenway with his one good eye, but
refused to answer. Either that or his damn brain was scrambled. Riley
had unleashed on the man.
“I asked, how many are with you,” Kenway said with a growl.
The shifter turned his head, his lips tightly sealed. He was slightly
tilted to one side, and he winced heavily as he tried to push back up
into a sitting position. Raven could feel his claws extending, thinking
of what the shifter had done to his mate. He wanted a piece of the
action, but feared killing the man.
No matter what his father thought, Raven was not a monster like
dear old dad. He wouldn’t kill the shifter. He wasn’t going to prove
his father right. Magnum had tried like hell to turn Raven into a
killing machine. But as hard as his father pushed, Raven had pushed
back. He wasn’t a murderer. He wasn’t going back to Darcy with
blood on his hands. Watching the attacker get his just dues was
enough for him. The guy wasn’t going to attack anyone else. That was
for sure.
“I’m going to take him somewhere more comfortable,” Maverick
said as he untied the bloody mess of a man. “It seems this piece of
shit needs help in remembering how to count.”
Raven glanced toward the barn door when he saw movement from
the corner of his eye. Sterling quickly ducked out of sight. He
wondered how much of what just took place that Sterling had seen.
Raven looked over at Riley, but the bear was too busy staring daggers
at the man who had attacked Darcy’s younger brother.
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“I want to be in on his punishment,” Riley said as he wiped the
sweat from his face with his shoulder.
Malcolm stepped closer to his son, lowering his voice. Raven
wasn’t sure why Malcolm was whispering. Everyone there had
exceptional hearing. “I will not have one of my sons in on a vindictive
revenge. You doled out your punishment, Riley. Let it be.”
Riley opened his mouth as if to argue and then tilted his head
back, looking up at the ceiling, letting out a long breath. “Fine.”
Raven turned and walked away. It may have been Sterling who
was targeted, but Darcy was the one who felt the shifter’s malicious
intents. He once again felt the need to rip the man’s throat out and
with that urge came images of his father taking him on hunts.
“Go ahead, Raven. He’s nothing more than a savage shifter. They
know nothing about kindness or mercy. Kill him and feel what it is
like to rid the world of violent, unrestrained creatures.”
Raven shook the memory off, gritting his teeth as he headed
toward the house. He was not a monster, and he wasn’t going to kill
anyone. Magnum had taken Raven on many hunts. Hunts where
vampires chased shifters into the ground, killing them in the name of
whatever the fuck they thought was righteous at the time. To Raven, it
was only an excuse to feed their darker sides with bloodshed. He
hadn’t seen it at the time, but Raven’s eyes were wide open now to
what his father truly was.
Magnum, and his buddies, had been the violent, unrestrained
creatures, not the shifters they hunted.
Pulling the screen door open, Raven climbed the steps until he
was standing outside of Darcy’s bedroom. He stood in the hallway
debating on whether to go in and crawl back into bed with his mate or
go to his own bedroom.
It had been their first time together, their bonding, and their
claiming. Raven should be curled around his mate, inhaling Darcy’s
clean, fresh scent and nuzzling into his warm flesh. But he felt the
rage and pain warring inside of him. He wanted to avenge his mate,
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but he feared turning into the very creature Magnum tried to mold
Raven into.
Blowing out a deep breath, Raven walked across the hall and
entered his own bedroom. Besides, he couldn’t wake up with Darcy.
There were no protective curtains up to shield Raven from the
harmful morning sun.
With a heavy heart, Raven glanced at Darcy’s bedroom door and
then shut his.
* * * *
Darcy stretched, yawning as he glanced at the empty space next to
him. He wasn’t used to waking up with anyone next to him. So why
did he feel so disappointed when he saw that Raven had left his side
sometime during the night?
Logically, Darcy knew that Raven couldn’t get caught out in the
sunlight. Well, he didn’t really know, now did he? What did he
technically know about vampires?
Garlic?
Stakes?
Holy water?
Sunlight?
Who the hell knew? He sure didn’t. Darcy was only praying
sunlight was what drove Raven from his bed. Pushing his
disappointment aside, Darcy got up and began to get ready for his first
day of work. He had to impress Cody in order to keep the job. It
wouldn’t be hard, but he wasn’t sure how stringent Cody was about
prep cooks.
Darcy winced, feeling sore in all the right places. One thing he did
know, Raven knew how to knock the kinks out of Darcy’s back. The
man was a dream in bed. He snickered to himself, remembering how
Raven had worked Darcy’s body, making it go nuts. He finally knew
what it was like to be with another man, and Darcy was addicted now.
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He wanted to run across the hall and jump into Raven’s bed, begging
the man to fuck him again.
“Get your hand off of your snake, Darcy. Roman is waiting on us
downstairs whenever you’re ready,” Sterling called from the other
side of Darcy’s bedroom door.
“Almost ready,” he shouted back, grinning. Sterling was
something else.
Glancing in the mirror, Darcy saw that he didn’t have one scratch
mark on his face. Whatever Raven had done to him last night, it
worked. The large gash was gone. Not even a scar remained.
Glancing at his shoulder, Darcy saw that there wasn’t a mark there
either, and his collarbone felt fine.
He needed to talk to Raven though. Darcy needed to know if he
would become a vampire now. With all the great sex Raven had given
him, Darcy had forgotten to ask.
Darcy grabbed the extra toothbrush from the bathroom drawer and
brushed his teeth, washed his face, and then saw that there was a fresh
shirt sitting on the closed toilet seat.
Raven had remembered.
Darcy pulled the T-shirt over his head, grabbed his shoes and
laced them up, and then headed for the bedroom door. He looked back
at the bed, images of Raven taking him last night playing in his mind.
Too bad he had only one night here. Would Raven ask him to stay
now that he said they were mates? Darcy wasn’t sure and too
intimidated by all the large men running around this house to ask.
They had already been generous enough by letting him and Sterling
stay the night. Darcy didn’t want to wear out their welcome.
Trotting down the creaking wooden stairs, Darcy met Sterling at
the front door. His brother stood there staring up at Riley, grinning
like a loon. What the hell? “I’m ready.”
“Riley said he would run us into town,” Sterling said as he walked
out the door behind Riley. Darcy was a little puzzled at the way
Sterling was acting around Riley. The man was quiet, and wore a
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grim face half the time Darcy saw him, but Sterling didn’t seem to
notice Riley’s sour mood.
“Don’t forget me,” Steven said as he jogged down the steps. “Seth
is getting a ride into town from Chance.” Steven walked past Darcy, a
smile on his face. “Which means he’ll be late.”
Just how many people in this house worked at the diner? Darcy
headed outside, climbing into the backseat of the truck. Steven sat
next to him, and Sterling sat up front. He watched his brother the
whole ride into town, listening to Sterling talk Riley’s ear off.
“Do you like working on a ranch?” Sterling asked. “I think it
would be cool to work around all those animals. I like animals,
although I’ve never had one of my own. Darcy would never let me
have a pet. Can you teach me how to ride a horse after work?”
Riley grunted, cutting his eyes at Sterling and then looking back at
the road. “We’ll see how much daylight is left when you get back.”
Well, that answered Darcy’s question of if they were coming back
here. It only made him smile knowing he would see Raven again.
Now that was something he was totally looking forward to. Maybe
Raven would come back to his room tonight. Darcy could hope.
“Do you have your own horse? Can I have one, or will I be
borrowing someone else’s? It’s okay if you don’t have enough of
them to just give me one. I’m new at riding a horse, so if you have a
starter horse, that would be great.” Sterling prattled on. Darcy could
see the way Riley was stealing furtive glances at Sterling. It was as if
the man was trying to figure Sterling out.
Darcy knew how Riley felt. Some of the things that came out of
Sterling’s mouth baffled even Darcy, and he had known the man his
entire life.
“How late is late to you? I don’t want to get here five minutes
before it’s too late to ride.”
Riley gave a low grunt. “We’ll see when you get back.”
“That’s not a clear answer,” Sterling replied.
Poor Riley.
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“So, are you gay?” Sterling asked Riley.
Darcy coughed and choked, his eyes watering as Steven patted
him on the back. What in the hell was wrong with Sterling? He knew
his brother had no buffer between brain and mouth, but even this was
beyond what Sterling normally said.
“Here we are,” Riley said, pulling into the spot in front of the
diner and apparently ignoring Sterling’s last question.
If Riley only knew, ignoring Sterling was not going to make the
man go away. Sterling had a way of getting the answers he wanted.
Darcy darted from the truck, not wanting to stick around for any
more of Sterling’s personal questions. He just prayed his younger
brother didn’t talk them out of a place to stay.
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Chapter Six
Darcy scrambled in the kitchen of the diner to get things ready for
Steven as his mind wandered back to Raven for the hundredth time.
Why would Raven give him a mind-blowing orgasm and then
leave him in the middle of the night? He had tried to convince himself
it was because Raven was a vampire, but Darcy wasn’t sure if he
should feel used or not. He thought they had been great together last
night—although Darcy wasn’t sure what to think about the whole
vampire biting thing. That wasn’t his kink, but after Raven had given
him not one, but two mind-blowing orgasms from biting him, Darcy
was quickly changing his mind.
When he checked his face in the mirror this morning, he not only
didn’t see any marks left from the attack, but he hadn’t seen any
bruises on his neck as well. That was a damn good thing. Explaining
bite marks to Sterling wouldn’t have been easy.
“You can daydream about Raven on break,” Steven said as he
wiggled his fingers at the counter Darcy was working at. “Right now I
need the onions.”
How in the hell did Steven know about Darcy and Raven? He
didn’t think he had been that loud last night. Had he? Darcy felt his
face heat like he was standing in direct sunlight as Sterling snickered
from the sink.
Great, now my little brother knows I like men.
But, if he was reading things correctly, so did Sterling.
Darcy scooped the onions into a small bowl and handed it off to
Steven, wondering if there was a hole somewhere he could crawl into.
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He shot sly looks at Sterling, worried what his brother now thought of
him.
“Give it up, Darcy. I have known for some time,” Sterling teased
as he submerged a large pot in to the sudsy water. “You may be a
private kind of guy, but you can’t hide the fact that your eyes wander
toward men.”
Well, damn. Darcy had thought Sterling never caught those subtle
glances or slight moans when he saw a really hot and tempting man.
But hearing that his brother was cool with Darcy being gay didn’t
make him openly admit a damn thing.
“Okay, enough teasing your brother. We need to get a move on.
The dinner crowd will be getting here in about ten minutes. You need
to put your game faces on,” Steven said as he grilled the onions Darcy
had just handed him. “It usually is larger than the lunch crowd.”
Sterling growled, his face intense as he showed Steven that he had
a game face. Darcy had to chuckle. Sterling was already starting to
relax, and they hadn’t been in this town for twenty-four hours.
Again Darcy thought the place a little too perfect, but he could see
that it was good for Sterling. His little brother was smiling more since
they arrived than in the few months they had been on the road. It
could also be Riley putting that playful smile on his brother’s face. It
made Darcy feel better seeing Sterling so happy. A sour Sterling
wasn’t something he wanted to ever deal with again.
Darcy tossed aside the thought of Sterling and replaced it with
Raven. His cock perked up at the thought of the dark and handsome
man. His skin tingled in remembrance of what they had done together
last night. He wanted—
“Do I have to dump a bucket of ice over your head?” Steven asked
as he snapped his fingers in front of Darcy’s face. “Snap out of it.”
Darcy quickly nodded, getting back to work, and praying he
hadn’t made that bad of an impression on Steven. Cody was the one
to hire him, but Steven was the one who said if he wanted to keep
Darcy or not.
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Shit, Raven was going to drive Darcy nuts.
He worked hard the rest of the shift, pushing away thoughts of
Raven every time they came his way, which was every five damn
minutes.
Darcy cleaned his work area as the diner crowd wound down. For
a small town, they sure as shit had a lot of customers. Darcy had been
surprised at how busy they had gotten not only with the dinner crowd,
but lunch as well.
“Is it always like this?”
“Most days,” Steven replied as he piled a plate with roast beef and
mashed potatoes. “Tomorrow you’ll be working with George. He is a
really nice guy, but takes cooking way too seriously for me. I’d stay
away from daydreaming if I were you.”
Darcy nodded, wanting to ask Steven if he was going to give a
good recommendation to Cody. Instead, he walked outside the diner,
glancing around the small town as he waited for their ride. It was a
nice evening out, a warm breeze blowing. Darcy bit his bottom lip as
he glanced back at the diner and then started to wander down the
street. He wasn’t going to be gone long, and exploring a little couldn’t
hurt. After all, if he and Sterling were going to make this town their
home, shouldn’t he get to know some of the businesses?
Darcy spotted a garage, a few cars parked outside, and the bay
door open. He could hear power tools being used and wondered how
late the place stayed open. Not that he should care. He didn’t have a
dang car.
Looking across the street, Darcy saw a motorcycle shop. The sign
read Santiago Cycles. He didn’t own a motorcycle either. There was a
bookstore on the same side of the street as the garage and a small post
office as well.
But next to the motorcycle shop was a building that piqued
Darcy’s curiosity. Tate’s Resource Center. What did they do there?
What services did they offer? Darcy walked briskly across the street,
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intending to find the business hours posted on the door or window,
but instead found that the place was still open.
There was a man with short strawberry-blond hair sitting behind
the desk, another with short brown hair leaning his hip casually
against the desk. What caught Darcy’s attention was the man with the
blue gloves sitting at a table across the room, looking over what
appeared to be a ledger.
Darcy opened the door, wincing when all eyes turned to him.
“Hello,” the man behind the desk said as he stood, walking around
to stand close to Darcy. “I’m Taylor Tate. Did you need help with
something?”
Darcy glanced at the other two men. They were staring at him
curiously. The one with the blue gloves on scratched at his arm,
chewing on his lower lip. Darcy’s gaze zeroed in on the blue latex
gloves. The guy was looking through a book. Why would he wear
gloves for that?
“I was just…” Why did he come in here? He had a job and a place
to stay. He really didn’t have any need for resources.
“Take your time,” the man with the brown hair stated. “I’m Drew.
If you need to look through some pamphlets, they are over there by
the window.” Drew pointed to a table with several small clear holders,
pamphlets stuffed in each of them. Darcy wandered over to the table,
hoping the three men took their attention from him.
“You have to make sure you put those pamphlets back in the right
holder. Yes, yes you do,” the man with the blue gloves stated and then
quickly looked away when Darcy looked over his shoulder at the guy.
“That’s Nero,” Taylor said. “He’s a nice guy, but a stickler when
it comes to order.”
Darcy nodded, very carefully placing the pamphlets back in the
correct holder. Maybe he should have just stayed over at the diner.
“What services do you offer here?” And why did he just ask that
question?
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Taylor shrugged. “It depends on what you need. We offer
financial help for those looking to secure a loan from the bank or get
their car repaired over at Mark’s Garage. We offer counseling, shelter,
meetings—depending on what you’re needing a meeting for—and we
also help with finding jobs. And at the end of this month, we’re
offering services for teen girls who are pregnant, and counseling for
young couples who are pregnant. The guy sometimes needs just as
much help as the female.”
Taylor hadn’t listed anything that Darcy would have a need for. It
all sounded wonderful, but he didn’t need a loan or car repairs. He
didn’t need a shelter, a meeting, and he wasn’t pregnant. He also had
a job.
“What kind of counseling do you offer?” Fuck, why wouldn’t he
shut up and walk back over to the diner? Darcy was not trying to let
everyone here know his business. But there was a deep inner voice
telling him he had to make sense of what happened to him, of
everything around him and in his life. He felt like a complete mess
and wasn’t seeing an end anywhere near. Even his overanalyzing
wasn’t getting him the answers he needed. And Darcy had
overanalyzed his situation to death as he worked in the kitchen.
Taylor glanced at the two men in the room, and then back at
Darcy. There was a spark of something undefinable in his eyes.
Taylor’s stance became a little more rigid. “We can talk in the back.”
He pointed toward the back of the building.
Darcy didn’t think so. He wasn’t going anywhere with someone
he didn’t know. Olsen had been an exception. He and Sterling had
needed a place to stay, and he hadn’t liked taking a ride with a
stranger last night. Why was he even considering talking with Taylor
anyway?
“I’m finished with the books,” Nero said as he stood, carrying the
small ledger with him as he headed toward the door, stopping briefly
to straighten the already-straight pamphlets. “I’m just going to go next
door and see what Gunny is doing.”
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“I’ll walk you over there,” Drew said as he held the door open,
both men walking out. Darcy watched them walk past the large
window in the front, seeing Drew cut his eyes over to him and then
dart them away.
“I sure know how to clear a room out, huh?” Darcy said
nervously, his eyes still focused on the window and the town beyond.
“Don’t worry about them. Come, have a seat.” Taylor waved to a
brown metal folding chair in front of his desk. “Can I get you
anything to drink?”
“Water?” Darcy answered as he sat down. The chair wasn’t the
most comfortable. It made his butt cheeks hurt. And after the fantastic
sex Raven had given him last night, he was still a little sore. A metal
chair was not what he needed to be sitting on right now.
Taylor nodded, heading to the back. Darcy glanced toward the
door, wondering if he should just make a run for it. This was crazy.
He wasn’t even sure he should talk about what had happened to him.
Things were fine now. Why upset the applecart?
“Here you go.” Taylor walked back up front, carrying a glass of
water in his hand. He handed it off to Darcy and then sat in the chair
next to Darcy. Why hadn’t he gone back behind his desk? This was a
little too intimate for Darcy’s taste. Taylor should be sitting in a
cushiony chair, and Darcy should be laid out, staring at a ceiling and
confessing his life story.
So why were they just sitting here facing each other?
“First,” Taylor began, smiling at Darcy, “it would be nice to know
your name.” His voice had softened, taking on a gentler tone. His
green eyes were kind, making this the perfect job for the man.
Somehow Taylor made Darcy relax as he sat there wondering where
to begin.
“Darcy, Darcy Lagrange.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Darcy.” Taylor patted Darcy’s shoulder.
The touch was so light that if Darcy hadn’t seen Taylor reaching, he
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wouldn’t have felt it. “Now, start anywhere you’d like. It doesn’t even
have to be about why you want to talk.”
Darcy was a little confused. Why wouldn’t Taylor want him to
talk about why he was here? “I was attacked,” Darcy blurted out and
then quickly looked down at the glass of water in his hands. Way to
go.
“Is the attacker still a threat to you, Darcy?” Taylor wasted no
time asking.
Darcy shook his head, and then shrugged. “I’m not really sure. It
was out on the Lakeland ranch.”
“Pa’s place?” Taylor sounded shocked. He began to stand, stern
lines forming around his lips. “Was it one of the Lakeland men?”
“No,” Darcy quickly replied. “No, the Lakelands have been very
nice about letting me and Sterling stay there.”
“Who is Sterling?”
“My younger brother.”
Taylor seemed to relax, sitting back in his chair. “I’m sorry. I’m
not supposed to lose my composure, but thinking that one of the
Lakelands had attacked you took me by surprise. They really are a
nice bunch of men.”
Seeing that Taylor was just as human as Darcy, he nodded, feeling
the tension slowly drain from his cramped stomach muscles. “They
are.”
“So, do you want to tell me about the attack?”
Did he? In telling the story, Darcy would have to reveal what
happened afterward, wouldn’t he? Did Taylor know that vampires not
only existed, but lived right here in Brac Village? Could he betray
Raven’s secret that easily? Darcy blinked back threatening tears as he
glanced at a spot on the floor. He hadn’t thought the attack had
affected him that much. Raven had taken him upstairs and tended to
his physical wounds, and then he had had the best sex of his life.
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But he hadn’t dealt with the attack. “It’ll sound stupid,” he said as
he took a sip of his water. It tasted like it had come from the tap,
slightly metallic.
“If it bothers you, then it’s not stupid. Different people react to
stressful situations in different ways. What might be important to you
may not be to someone else, and vice versa.”
It made sense, but Darcy was starting to feel foolish for seeking
out someone to talk to. Hell, he hadn’t even thought it was a problem
until now. “I was standing in my bedroom window and saw my
brother down by the corral. The next thing I know, I saw a shadow
heading his way. I raced downstairs just as the attacker went after my
brother. I didn’t think. I didn’t have time to. The only thing going
through my mind was keeping Sterling safe. I just jumped the man,
getting my ass handed to me as I tried to keep the stranger away from
Sterling.”
“That was very brave of you.”
“No, that was very dumb. I could have been killed. And I don’t
even know who the man was or why he tried to attack Sterling in the
first place.”
“How did it make you feel?”
“The attack?”
Taylor nodded.
“Terrified. The man cut open my face—” Darcy grew quiet as his
fingers traced over a scar that wasn’t there, remembering that Raven
had healed him. There wasn’t a scar on his face to substantiate his
story. Was Taylor going to look at him as a nut or not believe him?
“Take your time, Darcy.”
He wasn’t stalling for time. Darcy was trying to figure out how to
finish his story without betraying Raven. As much as the man
intimidated him, Darcy couldn’t give Raven’s secret away. There was
just something about Raven that called to Darcy and made him feel
safe. Which was very odd considering Raven somewhat frightened
him.
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“I’m attracted to someone who scares me.” Darcy not only felt,
but saw his hands shaking as he wondered why he was confessing his
fears and problems. Taylor was a complete stranger, yet here he sat
blabbing his business.
“Who?” Taylor asked as he sat a little straighter.
Oh, no. Darcy was so not giving any names away. “I’d rather not
say. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel this deep and connecting
attraction to him. I should run. I really should…” Darcy stood,
walking over to the table that Nero had been sitting at and began
pacing in front of it.
“It sounds like you are dealing with a lot,” Taylor commented.
Darcy chewed on his bottom lip and then let the floodgates open
up. He had been wound up tight for so long that he probably couldn’t
have stopped the words from coming even if he had tried. “My dad
passed away when Sterling was two. My mom raised us by herself,
never remarrying. She did a great job, but then breast cancer took her.
I was on my own by then and took Sterling in. We were making it,
both of us working, until that bastard landlord cornered Sterling and
made a pass at him. When Sterling turned him down flat, he said I
never put Sterling on the lease and that I was in violation. He evicted
us. We’ve been wandering from town to town, finding odd jobs ever
since.”
“And you are overwhelmed by the responsibility to make sure
Sterling, as well as yourself, are safe and cared for.”
Darcy pointed at Taylor. “Exactly! I worry about everything. I
mean, I didn’t ask to be my brother’s keeper, not that I’m
complaining, but it’s scary as hell knowing I have a life depending on
me.”
“How old is Sterling?” Taylor asked.
“Twenty-one.”
“It sounds like he’s old enough to take care of himself.”
“But I’m the older brother. We stick together, and it’s my job to
make sure nothing happens to him.”
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“I have an older brother. His name is Josh. He did a damn good
job taking care of me, but there comes a time when us younger
brothers need to spread our wings and try to fly on our own. You just
might be surprised at what Sterling is capable of.”
“It’s not so much that.” Darcy waved Taylor’s statement away.
“It’s everything.”
“Overburdened?”
Darcy nodded. “And then when that man bared his claws and
sliced my face open, all my fears, all my worries, everything that I’d
been holding inside came to a head, only I didn’t know it.”
“Again,” Taylor said as he stood, crossing the small room over to
Darcy, “how did the attack make you feel?”
“Fucking violated! I felt helpless. I wanted to hurt the man. I
wanted to kill him for going after Sterling. Instead, he damn near
killed me.” Darcy stopped pacing, rubbing his hands over his face. “I
thought I was going to die,” he whispered.
Taylor laid a hand gently on his shoulder, giving it a light
squeeze. “But you survived.”
Yeah, he had survived. But now he knew that vampires existed,
and he couldn’t talk that over with Taylor. The only person he could
talk to about how he felt was Raven. And he wasn’t really particular
to talking to a vampire about his fear of vampires.
“There is something else eating away at you.”
The man was very perceptive, but Darcy had to keep this one to
himself. He shrugged. “It just feels a little overwhelming.” Darcy
used Taylor’s descriptive word to sum it all up in a nutshell.
“You said the man bared his claws and sliced your face open?”
Had he? Shit. Darcy curled his lips in, playing with the pamphlets
in the clear holders. He had been so caught up in telling Taylor what
happened that he hadn’t used discretion.
“Tell me about this man that scares and thrills you at the same
time.”
“Who said anything about him thrilling me?” Darcy squeaked.
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“Because,” Taylor said as he smiled. “I know that look. You’re
very serious about this man.”
Darcy blew out a long breath, the sound loud in the small room.
He placed his hands on his lower back, staring down at the table he
was standing in front of. “He isn’t like any man I’ve ever met before.”
And wasn’t that the damn truth?
Taylor took a seat on the table, crossing his arms over his chest as
he listened.
“He’s wonderful and scary, charming, and intimidating. How can
a man be all of those things at the same time?”
“What is it about him that intimidates you?”
The dark menacing look Raven had in the hallway. The way he
had warned Darcy away. The fangs in the man’s mouth. The feeling
that he could get lost in Raven and lose his heart. There was a whole
list of things, but Darcy finally realized what the true answer was.
“Trusting him to take care of my heart.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt.”
Darcy felt his heart speed up at Raven’s voice behind him. How
long had he been standing there? How much had he heard?
“Yes?” Taylor asked.
Darcy slowly turned, looking down at Raven’s feet, too
embarrassed to look any higher.
“You’ve got a lot of people searching for you, Darcy.” Raven’s
tone wasn’t angry, or even hurt. He wanted to ask why Raven was
there, but Taylor was in the room, and Darcy didn’t want the
counselor to know that it had been Raven he was talking about.
“Really?” Taylor asked.
The door opened, and in walked one of the Lakelands. Darcy just
wasn’t sure which one. They all looked alike. The only reason he
knew Riley from the rest was because the man interested the shit out
of Sterling.
“I told everyone you were over here,” he boasted proudly, “’cause
I’m smart like that.”
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Taylor chuckled. “Hi, Chauncey.”
“Hey to you, too,” Chauncey replied. “Are you finished shrinking
his head, because I was pulled away from the house before I got to eat
my supper.”
“Liar,” Curtis said as he slipped in behind Chauncey. “You
already ate two helpings before Bryce called to say no one could find
Darcy.”
So that was the reason Raven was here. Was he asked to come or
did he volunteer? “I’m sorry for troubling everyone.”
Chauncey waved him off. “Ain’t nothing. We’ve had to search for
bodies before.”
Okay, Darcy had never heard it put that way before. Maybe he
needed to steer clear of Chauncey.
Darcy chanced a glance at Raven, seeing the man standing there
looking at Darcy with careful, unreadable eyes. He once again felt the
room full of people staring at him. “I’m ready,” he said as he walked
past Taylor, and then Chauncey and Curtis. Darcy came up short
when Raven slid his hand over Darcy’s, stopping him from making a
hasty exit.
The move had taken him by surprise. Darcy loved feeling Raven
touch him and wasn’t sure what to do. Raven gave a slight tug and
Darcy followed him from the resource center. He was still confused
as hell, even after talking to Taylor, but he knew he would follow
Raven’s quiet form anywhere.
And that was what scared him the most.
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Chapter Seven
Raven climbed out of Chauncey’s truck, Darcy following. When
his mate started for the house, he took Darcy’s hand and stopped him.
“Come for a walk with me.”
“He’s afraid of the dark,” Sterling called out as he walked up the
front steps. “Don’t ask. I’m still trying to figure that one out.”
Raven watched Sterling walk into the house and then looked
down at his mate. “You are?”
“I’m not afraid of the dark,” Darcy answered defensively. “I’m
just night shy.”
Raven chuckled, never hearing it put that way before. “Night shy,
huh? What if I were to say that I wouldn’t let anything happen to
you?”
“It’s still dark, though.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“There might be bears in the woods.”
A burst of laughter escaped Raven. If Darcy only knew he was
living in a house full of bears. The bear shifters were the last thing
Darcy needed to worry about. Raven was more concerned with rogue
preternatural creatures, but he knew he could take care of his mate,
even after all his doubts last night. He knew in his heart that he would
defend Darcy with his life. “I don’t think any bears will be bothering
you.”
“You an expert on them?” Darcy asked, skepticism in his
coppery-brown eyes.
“You could say that.” The shifter kind at least. “Come on.” Raven
tugged, and Darcy gave in, following close behind Raven. He could
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feel the tension coming off of his mate and was amazed that Darcy
was really scared of taking a walk out in the darkened woods. Maybe
it was because Raven lived in the darkness of the night that it didn’t
bother him, but it just seemed odd that someone would fear the dark.
He walked across the front yard, still holding Darcy’s hand as
they neared the barn, and then walked around it. The woods lined the
property behind the barn. It lined the property behind the corrals as
well, but this distance was closer. Raven didn’t want to take Darcy far
considering his mate had worked all day and was probably tired.
But after hearing his fear in the resource center, Raven wanted
some time with his mate, alone, just the two of them. He hadn’t meant
to listen in, but when he was told that Darcy was missing, Raven had
panicked. He had opened the blood call, searching for his mate,
finding him across the street from the diner. Walking into the resource
center, Raven had heard, and smelled, Darcy’s sadness and fear.
He wanted to know if his mate really did fear him. He had stood
there frozen to the spot when Darcy had said Raven was wonderful
and scary, charming and intimidating. He wanted to know why Darcy
was afraid to trust him with his heart.
Raven was ready to hand his over to Darcy.
And if he was honest, Darcy already owned it.
Raven wasn’t sure confessing that he was falling in love with
Darcy was the smart thing to do right now. His mate was confused,
and Raven feared his profession of love would scare the guy off.
That was the last thing he wanted to do.
Raven was trying to figure this whole mating thing out. It seemed
just when he thought he knew what was going on, wham, he stumbled
back into the dark. This shit wasn’t easy.
“What did you want to talk about?” Darcy asked as he hesitated at
the woods’ edge. He glanced into the dark forest, back at Raven, and
began to chew on his bottom lip.
“Who said I wanted to talk about anything?”
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Darcy twisted his lips, looking at Raven like he was being silly.
“Not only do you have that look, but no one drags someone out in the
middle of nowhere just to walk.”
Raven turned, grabbing both of Darcy’s hands in his as he began
to walk backward. He smiled. “Maybe I just like spending time with
you.”
Darcy didn’t look convinced.
Raven tugged on his mate’s hands until Darcy’s chest bumped
into his. He cupped Darcy’s face, staring into his beautiful brown
eyes. “I really do like spending time with you.”
Darcy blushed and Raven damn near melted on the spot. The man
was too sexy for his own good. Raven let his hands wander down
Darcy’s back, cupping his ass. “And I especially love this tight little
ass of yours.”
“I knew you had a motive.”
Raven wiggled his brows. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” He
leaned forward, inhaling his mate’s scent and feeling the rush inside
of his body. Darcy had a way of making his cock perk right up. His
hands slid under Darcy’s shirt, and his fingernails lightly scraped
along his mate’s back. Raven knew Darcy loved it when he did that.
His mate shivered.
Raven turned Darcy around, pressing his chest into his mate’s
warm back. His hands skimmed up Darcy’s chest until he felt the taut
peaks of Darcy’s hard nipples. Raven pinched them at the same time.
“Oh, hell,” Darcy moaned as he leaned further into Raven, his
head resting on Raven’s chest. “Do that again.”
Raven nipped at Darcy’s neck, feeling the excitement building
inside of him of having his mate and drinking from his vein at the
same time. There was nothing more heady or erotic in his book. He
traced his tongue along his mate’s neck and then stilled.
He smelled shifters, but it wasn’t bears that he scented. Living
with them, Raven had learned each individual scent of the bears. This
scent didn’t belong to any of them.
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Raven pulled Darcy down to the ground, and then pressed his
index finger to his lips, indicating that he wanted his mate to be quiet.
Darcy nodded his understanding. Raven pointed toward the woods,
and then on hands and knees, both hurried toward the cover of trees.
“What’s wrong?” Darcy whispered.
Raven scanned the area, looking for what his senses were picking
up. He spotted wolves heading toward the house, and he wasn’t too
happy with the numbers that were creeping their way toward the front
and back porches.
“We have to warn them,” Darcy said in a panic. “Sterling is in
there.”
Raven knew it was too late to warn the Lakelands about the
impending attack. They were on their own. What he had to do now
was find reinforcements and come back to save the bears and
everyone else in the house.
Darcy scrambled to his feet, but Raven caught his mate in time
when howls erupted and the battle began. Raven just wasn’t sure who
the wolves were.
“Get off of me!” Darcy shouted as he clawed at Raven’s arms.
“Sterling is in there.”
“And so are my brothers,” Raven reminded his mate heatedly.
“Do you think I have forgotten about them?”
“Then why aren’t you doing anything?” Darcy asked as he
snapped his head around, his eyes wide as a bear rushed out of the
front door, fighting one of the wolves. “What’s going on, Raven?”
“I’m not sure, but if there is any hope of the ones we care about
surviving, we have to get help.” Raven wrapped his arms around
Darcy and disappeared from the woods, reappearing right outside of
the Den.
* * * *
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Maverick’s eyes flew open. He wasn’t sure what woke him, but
the dream he just had wasn’t pleasant. He saw cubs crying and
bloodshed. He just hadn’t seen who was in the dream. Tossing the
covers aside, he got out of bed and quickly dressed. Maverick wasn’t
sure why he needed to dress, but the feeling was overwhelming.
“Where’s ya doin’?” Cecil mumbled as he turned over and fell
right back to sleep. Maverick pulled the covers over his mate’s
shoulders, kissed his temple, and then headed for his bedroom door.
Cold spikes of dread raced down his spine when he heard his
daughter, Melonee, screaming. Maverick took off, racing down the
hallway until he came around the corner by the den. What he saw
baffled him.
“Hold her still!” Tryck shouted.
Carter, the resident fey, was holding on to Melonee for dear life,
and Tryck, Carter’s mate, was trying to place a fey bracelet on
Maverick’s daughter. The fey bracelet would stop Melonee from
shimmering.
“What in the fuck are you doing?” Maverick roared. He could feel
his claws shoot from his hands, his canines extend, and his eyes shift.
Family or not, he was about to hand these two men their asses for
touching his little girl.
“She’s trying to shimmer to the ranch,” Carter said and then cried
out a protest when Melonee swung her arm back, elbowing Carter in
the neck.
“Release her!”
“There are wolves attacking the Lakeland ranch,” Tryck said as he
grabbed for Melonee’s arm but was unsuccessful in grabbing it. “Hold
the hell still!”
“Get the hell off of me, Tryck, or I swear Carter is going to be a
very unhappy man until the swelling in your balls go down,” Melonee
threatened.
Ouch. Yeah, she was ticked off because Melonee never cursed.
And she used the word balls. That was a new one for her.
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“She’s trying to shimmer and join the fight,” Tryck said as he
glared at Melonee. “Ask the little vamp what’s going on.” Tryck
chucked a thumb over his shoulder.
Maverick walked over to the fighting and snapped his fingers,
pointing a finger at Melonee. “Stay.”
“Arf, arf.” Melonee pouted.
Maverick sighed. “Please.”
Melonee crossed her arms over her stomach, looking vexed, but
nodded. Carter slowly let her go, but kept his hands close enough to
stop her if she attempted to shimmer out of the Den.
“What is going on over at the Lakelands’?” Maverick turned
toward Raven, who was holding a human tightly in his arms. He had
seen that gesture a million times. The human was Raven’s mate.
Ha! The little shit got what he deserved. Maverick knew Raven
wasn’t too fond of humans. But after the little shit had gone after
Sloane, Maverick wasn’t too happy with the vampire.
Even if he was Maverick’s in-law.
“I was with my mate in the woods when I saw wolves
approaching the front and back of the ranch. It was too late to warn
the bears, Maverick. I wouldn’t have left if I thought going to the
house and fighting was a better option.”
“So you came for reinforcements,” Maverick concluded. “How
many wolves?”
“About a dozen.”
“Kota, go wake Hawk. Tell him to gather his sentries and head
over to the Lakelands’.” Maverick turned toward Carter and Melonee.
“I want you two to gather the mates and take them to Zeus’s. Tell the
alpha—” Maverick watched as Abe, the fey living at the Lakelands’,
shimmered in with Oscar and Cole in his arms. The guy was a bloody
mess. One eye had claw marks slashed deeply into his skin, and he
had blood trickling from a wound somewhere on his scalp.
“I grabbed the cubs,” Abe said as he set Oscar down and then
collapsed to his knees. Maverick quickly grabbed Cole, handing him
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off to Raven’s mate. “I heard one of them say that since we took one
of theirs, they were going to kill all of the bears.”
“What about Sterling?” Raven’s mate asked, his eyes filled with
terror.
Abe shook his head as he wiped away the blood that was trickling
into his eyes. “The last I saw of him, Riley was in his bear form and
standing over Sterling as he fought off two wolves.”
“Bears? Wolves?” Darcy looked confused.
Great, Raven hadn’t explained to his mate about shifters. This
wasn’t going to be pretty.
Abe nodded.
“Riley will die protecting Sterling, Darcy,” Raven said as his mate
handed Cole off to Carter.
Darcy spun around, slamming his fists into Raven’s chest. “What
have you done? There were bears and wolves at the ranch. What the
fuck is going on, Raven!”
Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.
Raven grabbed his mate, holding his arms down as he pulled
Darcy close. “I’m sorry.”
“He’s right,” Maverick said as he watched the sentries entering
the foyer. “Riley will protect Sterling with his life.”
“Why would Riley protect Sterling? He barely knows my
brother.”
“Because,” Maverick said as he watched Carter and Melonee
shimmer out with the cubs, also carrying Heaven’s three children, and
Gabby’s son. “Sterling is Riley’s mate.”
“We’re heading out,” Tryck said as his brothers, Dagon and Law,
followed.
“Get the sentries to the Lakelands’,” Maverick said when he saw
Hawk striding toward him. The man had quiet death in his eyes as he
moved his mate, Johnny, toward the gathered mates.
“Kick their asses, Hawk!” Johnny shouted before standing next to
Gabby.
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“Loco, I want you and Ludo to stay behind and make sure all the
mates make it out. Go wake Cecil after I leave.” Knowing his mate,
Cecil would try and join in the fight. There was no way in hell
Maverick was going to allow that to happen.
The two sentries nodded as Maverick headed toward the door. He
shook his head when he saw Montana, Gabby’s mate, walking toward
the door with a bazooka over his shoulder.
What a fucking night. He just hoped the Santiago brothers didn’t
burn the ranch down to kill the invading shifters.
Maverick wouldn’t put it past them.
* * * *
Darcy watched as the very tall man with the long black hair
walked out of the front door. He got the impression that Maverick was
someone he would rather have on his side than as an enemy. That
thought only made him think of Sterling. His brother must be scared
out of his mind.
“I’m going,” Darcy argued as he pushed at Raven’s chest. “Get
away from me. You lied to me, and that put my brother in danger.”
“I didn’t lie,” Raven said as he grabbed Darcy’s arm, pulling him
back to his chest. “And you can’t go, not now. It’s too dangerous for
you.”
“I knew there was something wrong with this town,” Darcy
argued as he tried to pull his arms free. He wasn’t sure what the hell
was going on, but his mind was slowly putting the pieces together.
The men at the Lakeland ranch could change into bears. Fuck. That
was news he wasn’t sure even Taylor could help him sort out.
“We can talk about everything when this is all over. But I’m going
back to the ranch to save my brothers and yours.” Raven released
Darcy, disappearing right before Darcy’s eyes.
A tic started in Darcy’s left eye. Abe had appeared out of thin air,
the guy and the girl had disappeared with children in their arms, and
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Raven had made the world spin sideways when he brought Darcy
here.
Oh, hell, he was losing his damn mind.
What was this town full of, David Copperfields?
“You want your brother back?”
Darcy turned to see a man with amethyst-colored eyes staring at
him, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Don’t do it,” a small redheaded man whispered beside him.
When Darcy glanced at the guy, he slowly shook his head back and
forth.
“Got something to say, Gabby?” the man with amethyst eyes
asked the redhead standing next to Darcy.
“Nope,” Gabby answered.
“I want my brother,” Darcy admitted.
“Don’t do it.” This time Gabby was talking low and from the side
of his mouth. What in the hell was wrong with the man?
“Name’s Cecil.” The guy stuck his hand out, and Darcy numbly
shook it.
“Darcy. Do you change into a bear of a wolf?” Darcy asked as he
glanced at the men gathering around Cecil.
“Nah, I’m a boring human. But we do have a few vampires, two
feys, and a demon in our arsenal.”
Darcy was going to be sick. He pushed aside the feeling that his
world had changed within the span of a few days and nodded. He had
finally found out this town’s little secret, but he couldn’t take that
time to overanalyze the problem or beat it over the head. Not now.
Sterling needed him, and Darcy wasn’t just going to sit on the
sidelines and hope his brother survived. He would deal with Mr.
Vampire and the eight bears later. “What do you have in mind?”
“Oh, geez,” Gabby sighed.
“Funny you should ask,” Cecil said as he stared over Darcy’s
shoulder. This only made Darcy turn to see what Cecil was staring at.
There were two large men standing off to the side, talking with the
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guy and the girl who had vanished into thin air with the children.
Darcy was amazed at the head of silver hair on the one man.
Was that really silver?
“If we’re going to leave, we need to move now while they are
distracted.”
Darcy wasn’t too keen on following behind a stranger, but he
wanted his brother back. At this point, he didn’t care what happened
to him, just as long as Sterling was safe.
Creeping down the hallway, Darcy found himself in a really large
kitchen. Damn, it was nice. He might think cooking was boring, but in
this kitchen, even he would have some fun.
“Let’s go,” Cecil whispered as he opened the kitchen door that led
into an expansive backyard. There were small cottages built close to
the tree lines, about five of them. Just how big was this place?
They hurried around the house, making it to a driveway filled with
gravel. Cecil punched the fob on the set of keys in his hand, and a
Hummer lit up like a Christmas tree. “Guess we’re taking Montana’s
truck.”
“Just don’t scratch it,” Gabby griped. “He’ll kill me. Tanny just
bought this. Do you know what he had to go through to get Nero to
approve his request?”
“I can just imagine.” Cecil chuckled as he opened the driver’s
door.
After they all piled in, Cecil called out a hurried introduction.
“Darcy, this is Blair, Gabby, Johnny, Keata, and Oliver. I hear you
already know Taylor.”
Darcy nodded at each of them. He wondered if Taylor had said
anything to any of these men about their conversation. That would be
the only way Cecil knew that Darcy was already aware of who Taylor
was. If the man had betrayed him, Darcy was going to clean Taylor’s
clock. “Can we go?”
“I like his impatience.” Oliver chuckled. “Let’s go kick some ass.”
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Darcy sat there quietly the whole ride, fuming that Raven had left
him behind. Who did the man think he was, treating Darcy with such
a high hand? When this was over, he was going to tell Raven to take a
hike. He didn’t need this kind of complication in his life. He and
Sterling could find someplace else to set down roots.
This place was too damn nutty.
Darcy just kept kicking himself in the ass for not listening to his
first instincts when he walked into Brac Village. If he had known the
place was full of men who could change into animals and vampires,
he would have kept on walking, bypassing the town.
When Cecil pulled the Hummer over to the side of the road and
cut the lights, Darcy began to open the door.
“Slow down, Darcy. We are about half a mile from the ranch. We
need to go in through the woods and check the place out,” Cecil said
as he shoved the keys up in the visor and then opened his door. “No
running in.”
Darcy slid from the truck, already heading toward the ranch. He
wanted Sterling, and he wasn’t going to wait around.
“Gods, you’re stubborn,” Blair shouted as Darcy entered the
woods. Fuck, it was pitch-black out here. Darcy’s fear of the dark
tried to rear up and strangle him into running back toward the truck,
but he wasn’t going to be a chickenshit and leave his brother out there
by himself.
He heard the other men running to catch up, but Darcy had
already started a light trot. Bears, wolves, and vampires be damned,
Darcy was getting Sterling out of that house and out of this town.
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Chapter Eight
Raven appeared directly into Sterling’s bedroom. He had to make
sure the guy was all right. Darcy was going nuts worrying about his
brother, and Raven would do whatever it took to make Darcy happy
and calm.
Too bad he was going to get his ass handed to him when he went
back to the Den. It was true he hadn’t told Darcy about shifters, but if
he had known there was going to be an all-out war at the ranch, he
would have told his mate.
But who in the hell could have predicted this shit?
When Raven saw that the room was empty, he opened the
bedroom door and stuck his head out. The hallway was clear. Oddly
enough, he didn’t hear any fighting going on downstairs. The
quietness was eerie.
Walking toward the top of the stairs, Raven chanced a glance. He
saw two wolves sitting at the bottom of the steps. Well, going down
that way wasn’t an option. Raven was positive he had seen a dozen
wolves entering the Lakelands’. That meant there were ten more
wolves around here somewhere.
But where?
And where were the bears? He was concerned about his brothers,
but knew Remus and Daniel could hold their own. After all, they had
grown up with Magnum as a father.
“You’ll tell me where my brother is or I’ll kill your mate.”
Raven froze. He didn’t recognize the voice, so it had to be one of
the wolves. His anger spiked at the thought of one of the bears, or
their mates, being threatened. He may not fully trust the bears, or any
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shifter, but they had taken him in when his own father no longer
wanted him. Raven felt honor bound to help the bears out. They
weren’t savages, not like his father, and Raven was starting to feel
that maybe he could actually settle down here and be a part of this
family now that he was mated. Darcy needed a stable home, a place to
call his own. Raven had never considered those things before, not
until Darcy. He wanted his mate happy. He wanted a place he could
build memories with the human.
And what better place than a loving home filled with men that
would help Raven protect his mate? But even if he wasn’t looking for
a pack, Raven was still going to help the bears.
The bears were always nice to Raven, making him feel welcome.
It was Raven who shied away from everyone, refusing to care. If he
cared, he could get hurt again. And one betrayal in his life was
enough.
But the more time he spent around Malcolm and family, Raven
was beginning to see that the Lakelands were a better breed than
vampires. Maybe. Hell, he wasn’t sure anymore, but Raven was tired
of pushing everyone away. He wanted to be a part of this family. He
wanted his mate to be a part of this loving family.
Damn, being mated was turning him into a softie. Who knew?
Glancing at the two wolves still lying on the floor at the bottom of
the steps, Raven knew he had no choice. If he was going to save
Sterling, he had to go into the living room. It was a huge risk, but
Darcy was counting on him.
Here goes another crazy fucking idea.
Raven gasped as soon as he appeared in the living room. A hand
was around his neck in seconds, squeezing tight. His claws
unsheathed, but they weren’t doing him much good as his vision
blurred.
“Who the hell are you?” the stranger snarled.
Raven’s eyes watered. They filled with bloodred tears as he tried
desperately to pull air into his lungs. He was being lifted from the
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floor, his feet dangling as the pressure mounted at his neck. Gods, the
guy was going to snap his fucking neck. Raven fought to get free, but
the man’s grip was too damn tight.
“You’re killing him!” Malcolm shouted from across the room.
“How can he answer you if he can’t speak?”
Through his blurred vision, Raven saw the man shrug. “He
shouldn’t have crashed our little party.”
With all the strength he had left in him, Raven reared his leg back
and then let it swing. He made contact with something, because the
shifter dropped Raven, howling in pain. Let the bastard retrieve his
testicles from his throat!
Being a guy, Raven should have known better, but he was fighting
not to get choked to death. All’s fair…
Raven hit the floor, clawing at his throat, fighting past the burning
pain as he sucked air into his lungs. He wasn’t sure if his damn
windpipe was damaged, but it sure as hell felt like it.
Malcolm pulled Raven from the floor, shoving him behind the
massive bear. Raven went to his knees, wheezing as he glared at the
shifter who had choked him.
“Go ahead, Raven. He’s nothing more than a savage shifter. They
know nothing about kindness or mercy. Kill him and feel what it is
like to rid the world of violent, unrestrained creatures.”
His father’s words whispered through Raven’s mind as he felt his
insides go calm, the feeling of blood on his hands washing over him.
His eyes snapped over to another wolf, this one holding his claws
against Luke’s throat. Now Raven knew why Malcolm hadn’t killed
the bastard. They were holding his mate hostage.
“Give him here,” the man who had choked Raven said as he got to
his feet. “I want that bastard.”
“No,” Malcolm said as he shook his head.
“Come and get me,” Raven said as he crouched down. His voice
was raspy, sounding like sandpaper, but he was quite sure the man
understood him. “That is, if you are man enough.”
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“You bloodsucking bastard,” the man shouted as he stormed
across the room. Raven disappeared, reappearing right behind the
wolf that held Luke. In the blink of an eye, Raven snapped the
shifter’s neck, pushing Luke toward Malcolm.
The bears roared, charging after the wolves as Raven grabbed
Sterling from the corner where the human was balled up, and then he
disappeared from the ranch. He had seen that Daniel and Remus were
unscathed, and Raven knew his brothers could take care of
themselves, but Sterling couldn’t.
As he appeared in the Den, Daniel and Remus appeared with
Alex, Steven, Curtis, and Seth. “Where’s Luke?” Raven asked.
“He wouldn’t leave,” Remus said as he glanced around. “Where is
Darcy?”
“Take me back!” Curtis shouted. “I fight beside my mate.”
“But you are human,” Raven pointed out as he glanced around for
his mate.
“And? It doesn’t matter what my species is. Chauncey is my mate.
I fight next to him, die next to him, live next to him. Everything I am
is intertwined with my mate. Now take me back!”
Raven was stunned at Curtis’s outburst. He had never looked at
Darcy that way. He had looked at his mate as someone he had to
protect, someone who needed coddling because he was the weaker
species. Watching Curtis grab Daniel and demand that he be taken
back made him respect the human and see him in a whole new light.
Had he underestimated Darcy? Could Darcy have fought next to
him? Raven thought about how he was choked out and knew in his
heart that he wouldn’t have wanted Darcy there. His human mate
would have been a bigger target.
“Chauncey will kick our asses if you get hurt,” Daniel pointed out
as he brushed Curtis’s hands from his arm. “I’m not taking you back.”
Raven glanced around, but didn’t see Darcy anywhere. He knew
his mate was pissed at him, but he was supposed to wait for Raven in
the foyer. Raven closed his eyes and opened the blood call, letting out
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a slew of curses when he felt where his mate was presently at.
Darcy’s blood called to Raven, and it was in the direction of the
ranch.
“Darcy went back to the ranch,” he said as he staggered a bit
backward. His mate had gone back to the battle. What in the fuck had
his mate been thinking? Didn’t he trust Raven to get Sterling to
safety? Raven wasn’t sure if he should be pissed or offended.
“Then take me to him,” Sterling said as he grabbed Raven’s arm,
tugging at it. “My brother risked everything to save me. I can’t let him
fight alone.”
Raven looked into Sterling’s light-grey eyes, unsure of what he
should do. Darcy would never forgive him if Sterling was hurt, but his
mate had disobeyed Raven and put his own ass in harm’s way.
He was going to paddle Darcy’s ass.
“He should be fighting,” Curtis said as he fisted his hands at his
sides. “Mates are not creatures who should be tucked away when bad
shit happens. We fight with our mates.”
Sterling nodded. “I want to go back to Riley.”
Did Sterling know Riley was his mate, or did he just feel the pull?
“I can’t,” Raven said as he quickly disappeared from the Den. There
was no way he was taking the mates back into the battle. The bears
would kill him.
Raven appeared in the yard at the ranch, seeing the timber wolves
had arrived and joined in on the fight. Raven growled when he saw
Cecil. That man was nothing but trouble. In the short time Raven had
been around the pack, he got the distinct impression that Cecil was a
terror on two legs.
“Where is Darcy?” Raven shouted.
Cecil shook his head as Taylor levitated the grill on the back
porch and threw it at the wolf. “He ran inside.”
His mate was going to shorten Raven’s life. This time Raven used
the door. He wasn’t about to be caught off guard again and get
choked. Once was enough. He entered the kitchen, hearing the
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fighting in the living room. Raven raced ahead, spotting his mate
running up the stairs, and a wolf close on his heels.
Damn it!
“Sterling!” Darcy shouted as Raven raced up the stairs, tackling
the wolf before he leapt toward his mate. Goddammit. This night was
going from bad to worse. If Darcy fucked around and got himself
hurt, Raven was going to be pissed.
After tussling around with the wolf, Raven managed to get free
and went after his mate. He would worry about the dead wolf on the
steps later, although it was eating at his conscience that he had to take
a life.
He was not his father.
“Where is Sterling?” Darcy asked in a panic, his coppery eyes
darting wildly around the hallway.
“Safe, where you should have been,” Raven snarled as he grabbed
his mate around his waist and took him to the Den.
“Darcy!” Sterling shouted. “Oh, gods. I thought those wolves
were going to kill you.”
Raven watched as Darcy grabbed Sterling, tears in his eyes as he
hugged his brother. Now that he knew both men were safe, Raven
went back to the fight.
He’d deal with his mate later.
* * * *
“Let’s go, Sterling,” Darcy said as he pulled his brother toward
the door. He had to get out of this crazy place. If he didn’t, he just
might end up as crazy as everyone else. Just that one battle and Darcy
knew he couldn’t handle living here.
These people were fucking nuts.
And the biggest nut of them all was Raven.
“But I don’t want to go, Darcy,” Sterling said as he covered
Darcy’s hand with his.
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“What do you mean you don’t want to go?” Darcy asked as he
tugged on Sterling’s hand, trying to get his brother moving. “You saw
what it was like there. Can you honestly tell me that you don’t want to
leave? We just saw men change into animals. How could you not
want to leave, Sterling?”
“Because,” was the only answer Sterling gave.
Darcy narrowed his eyes. “You don’t want to leave Riley, do you?
Is that it? You don’t want to leave this madhouse because you have
some crush on a guy? He’s not even a guy, Sterling. Riley is a bear.”
How could he make his brother see what Darcy saw? Staying here
was only asking to be attacked again.
Sterling shrugged, his expression petulant.
Was the man seriously pouting?
He so didn’t need this right now, because if Darcy admitted the
truth to himself, he didn’t want to leave either. But he couldn’t risk
Sterling’s life. His brother meant more to him than all the craziness in
the world.
Or in Brac Village.
“Listen to me.” Darcy released his brother’s hand, cupping
Sterling’s face. “We stick together. Where I go, you go, and vice
versa. Remember that?” Darcy asked as he smiled weakly at his baby
brother, the pressure in his hands becoming firmer on Sterling’s face.
“What if the next time you get hurt, or worse? I can’t live with that,
Sterling.”
Sterling looked on the verge of tears, but nodded, placing his
hands over Darcy’s. “Okay.”
Darcy was relieved that Sterling wasn’t going to fight him on this.
He grabbed Sterling’s hand, and got the hell out of that place. As
much as he hated the darkness, Darcy was willing to face his fear in
order to get Sterling out of this town.
What if the next time Sterling didn’t make it?
The thought made Darcy feel physically sick.
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The further they walked toward town, the heavier Darcy’s heart
felt. He thought it would be easy to walk away, that it would be easy
to leave Raven behind. It wasn’t. Darcy hadn’t realized how much he
had come to care about the man. In a short amount of time, Darcy had
fallen in love. He blew out a slow breath, trying his best to hide his
inner misery of being separated from Raven. This was for the best.
And knowing he was getting Sterling away from the craziness didn’t
make leaving Raven hurt any less.
He thought of how Raven held him like he mattered. Like he was
the only one in the world Raven cared about. Darcy thought about the
man’s gorgeous smile, the way Raven touched him with such care.
The way the man’s kisses drove Darcy to the edge every single time.
Fuck, he needed to stop thinking about Raven.
If he kept thinking about how Raven made him feel, or what
Raven did to his heart, Darcy would never leave. He would run back
to Raven like a moth drawn to a burning flame. Turning so Sterling
couldn’t see him, Darcy wiped away the tears that had started to fall.
Gods, why was leaving Raven so damn hard? It was like his heart
was chained to the man, and he couldn’t get free no matter how much
distance he put between them.
“We could always go back,” Sterling said quietly next to him.
Yeah, they could. But where would that leave them tomorrow
night, or the night after? He just prayed he was strong enough to stay
away. It was killing him. Darcy wanted to leave, and he wanted to
stay. He was so confused. It was such a hard choice. He wanted the
pleasure he knew his mate could bring him, the happiness he knew he
could find in the man, but he couldn’t deal with the pain of knowing
Sterling was in constant danger.
It also dawned on him that Raven was in constant danger as well.
Could he live with that knowledge? Could he deal with the fact that
he could lose the man? Gods, he didn’t know what to do. He just did
not know what to do.
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“Darcy, listen to me,” Sterling said as he laid a hand on Darcy’s
upper arm. “We should go back. Running away never solved
anything.”
“We’re not running away,” Darcy snapped, trying his best to hide
the fact that he had been crying.
“Sounds to me like you’re trying to convince yourself of that
fact,” Sterling replied. “You care about Raven. Why are you running
from him?”
Because.
Goddammit. Darcy knew why he was running.
He was running because he couldn’t trust his heart in Raven’s
hands. He was too terrified to let go and love the man. He was a
worrier, a pessimist. And lord knew Darcy was the biggest
overanalyzer on the planet. He had flipped his relationship with
Raven over and over again, but couldn’t make any sense of it.
Shit.
Darcy stopped walking, running his hands through his hair as he
cursed under his breath. The guy thrilled him and scared him at the
same time, and Darcy just didn’t know how to handle that.
“Because, Sterling, he scares me,” Darcy confessed.
“Why?” Sterling looked surprised. “Why does Raven scare you?”
“Because I have his heart.”
Darcy spun around to see Raven standing behind him.
How the hell did Raven do that?
“Oh,” Sterling said as he looked between the two. “This is
awkward.”
If Darcy wasn’t so damn confused he would have laughed.
Sterling hit the nail right on the head. Raven always managed to hear
the things Darcy didn’t want him to know about. Darcy knew he
should just walk away, just leave Brac Village and never return. But
his body betrayed him. He wanted nothing more than to run into
Raven’s arms.
But he was scared.
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So many what-ifs ran through his mind that Darcy didn’t know
what direction to turn to.
“Are you really that afraid that I’ll hurt you?” Raven asked as he
took a step closer.
Darcy glanced over at Sterling, biting his bottom lip as he shoved
his hands into his front pockets and shrugged.
“Give the guy a chance,” Sterling said. “You’ll never know if you
don’t at least try.”
Yeah, but trying entailed trusting. Did he dare?
“Darcy.”
Darcy turned toward Raven, getting lost in the man’s beautiful
black eyes. He could drown in them, and Darcy knew it. He saw the
fear in Raven’s eyes and knew for the first time that Raven was just as
scared he was.
Was the man afraid of being hurt as well?
“Darcy, just take my hand,” Raven said as he reached for Darcy.
“Whatever it is, we’ll walk through it together.”
“Awww,” Sterling said as he pushed at Darcy’s shoulder. “You
better give him a damn chance.”
“I’ve found that sometimes little brothers know what they are
talking about,” Raven said.
Darcy glanced at Raven’s extended hand and knew he couldn’t
walk away. He knew he couldn’t leave his heart behind.
He was terrified.
Terrified of it all.
He was not only scared of loving Raven, but of putting his heart
out there and trusting it with someone else. He’d never been in love
before, and it scared the shit out of him. He saw how his mom was
never the same after their father died. How she mourned his loss until
the day she died. He used to hear her crying in her room at night for
him, and there was nothing Darcy could do to comfort her.
He didn’t want to know what that aching hole in his heart felt like.
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Through the craziness that he had witnessed here in this sleepy
little town, or of the fear that had wrapped its claws around him when
he thought Sterling was in trouble, or when Raven had disappeared
and he had no clue if his mate—Gods, my mate.
Darcy knew without a doubt that trying to leave Raven had been
the dumbest move of his life. He had nearly thrown away what could
amount to a happy life, crazy as hell, but happy.
He couldn’t let his fear of losing Raven to death stop him from
living.
Darcy lifted his arm, placing his hand in Raven’s. His mate gave a
small tug, and Darcy, god help him, fell into Raven’s arms. He rolled
his eyes when Sterling started clapping and whooping behind him.
The man had no damn sense. He could feel Raven chuckling from the
vibrations in his chest.
“Come on, babe, let’s get you home.” Raven’s breath tickled
Darcy’s ear.
Home.
Darcy liked the sound of that.
“And as for you,” Raven said, “there is one angry bear looking for
you.”
Darcy turned to see Sterling with the biggest grin on his face. The
smile damn near split his face in half. “Then I say we get moving.”
Darcy rested his head on Raven’s chest, inhaling the man’s
musky, manly scent, and feeling like he was already home.
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Chapter Nine
Raven ran his hands over Darcy’s bare back, relieved that his
mate was safe and lying in their bed. He had used the blood call more
in one damn day than he had in his entire life. The house was back in
order, the cubs back where they should be, and the shifters had wiped
out most the wolves that had attacked—although Maverick had to
tackle Tryck and stop him from setting the house on fire. Raven had
never seen Malcolm that pissed either when the big bald-headed guy
aimed the bazooka at one of the wolves on the porch.
From what Raven had heard, the timber wolves had the remaining
grey wolves and were taking care of the little problem. Thank fuck the
house hadn’t been set on fire or blown to pieces.
Crazy damn shifters.
“Am I boring you?” Darcy asked as he pushed at Raven’s
shoulder, bringing him out of thought.
Raven chuckled, grabbing Darcy around the waist and pulling his
mate back into bed. “You can’t escape me that easily.”
Darcy laughed as Raven straddled his mate’s hips. “You’re not
letting me go, are you?”
Raven leaned forward, pressing his lips to Darcy’s cheek,
caressing his skin more than kissing it, and then whispered in his
mate’s ear, “I want you to breathe me in every time you close your
eyes.” His tongue slowly descended down Darcy’s jaw, feeling his
mate shiver as he kissed the other cheek, again, whispering, “I want
you to crave me like an addiction, sweet, sweet Darcy.” Raven
brushed a kiss over Darcy’s forehead, each eyelid, and then dipped his
head to his mate’s neck, inhaling the now-familiar scent of the man he
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loved. He leaned back, placing a kiss over Darcy’s heart. “But most of
all, Darcy, I want you to love me.”
Darcy cupped his face and drew Raven’s mouth to his, his mate’s
lips warm and sweet as the gentle massage of their lips sent currents
of desire through Raven. His emotions whirled and skidded as Darcy
took the kiss deeper, sending a shockwave through Raven’s body.
When Darcy released Raven’s face, Raven’s head was spinning
from such a passionate kiss. “I already love you, Raven.”
Raven reached out, caressing his knuckles down the side of
Darcy’s firm jaw. A hard, rough breath shuddered through him as
Darcy looked up at him with sexual heat glittering in his coppery-
brown eyes. “Then why do you fear me, Darcy?”
Darcy gave a light shrug and then kissed Raven’s palm. “You
already know.”
“Because I have your heart.”
“Don’t sound so cocky.” Darcy softly chuckled. “But you have to
admit, you scared the crap out of me last night.”
How had Raven forgotten about that? “That’s because your blood
smelled so damn sweet that I was afraid I’d jump you right there in
the hallway.”
“Really?” Darcy asked, sounding surprised. “You chased me
away because you liked the way I smelled?”
“No,” Raven said as he slid his hands under Darcy’s shirt,
luxuriating at the feel of his mate’s soft skin, and then pinched
Darcy’s nipples. He smiled when his mate moaned. “I didn’t like the
way you smelled. I loved it. It was driving me crazy. It made all of my
senses come alive.” Raven nipped Darcy’s neck, giving a small growl.
“And it still does.”
“So I have what you desire,” Darcy teased.
“I crave all of you, Darcy, not just your blood.” Raven was so
tightly wound right now that he felt like he was going to shed his own
skin. It was tight and achy.
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“You just want me for body.” Darcy chuckled and then
jackknifed, taking Raven by surprise and putting him on his back.
“Two can play at that, my addictive vampire.”
Raven was stunned. He never would have pegged Darcy as
aggressive, especially not in bed. He lifted his head, placing his hands
on his chest as he watched Darcy unsnap his jeans and then peel the
zipper down. Damn, the man was sexy as fuck when he was in
charge. Raven could live with that.
Darcy tugged at Raven’s jeans until Raven lifted his hips. Slipping
his jeans off, Darcy went for Raven’s shirt next. “Now you’re the one
who is naked while I’m still dressed.”
“I’m at your mercy,” Raven said as he spread his arms wide. “Do
your worst.”
“I sure as hell hope I don’t do badly,” Darcy said as he dipped his
head and pulled Raven’s cock into his mouth.
“Darcy!” Raven saw stars as Darcy worked his mouth down
Raven’s shaft. Slowly, Darcy’s hands moved downward, skimming
either side of Raven’s body until he reached his inner thighs. Raven
gasped in sweet agony as Darcy cupped his balls, his fingers playing
over Raven’s tight sac as his tongue swirled around Raven’s cock,
making Raven moan his approval. His mate explored Raven’s body as
he tightened his lips around Raven’s shaft and then pulled upward.
“Gods, Darcy.” Raven threaded his fingers through Darcy’s hair,
tugging on the strands as Darcy took Raven’s cock back down his
throat. “D–Darcy.”
Darcy leaned back and began to suckle at the head of Raven’s
shaft. Raven shattered into a million glowing stars as his seed shot to
the back of his mate’s mouth. Raven breathed in soul-drenching drafts
of air as he slowly came back into his body.
He felt boneless, unable to move as Darcy straightened, smiling
down at Raven. “Ready?”
Raven only had enough energy left in him to quirk a brow.
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Darcy chuckled and then pushed from the bed, undressing.
Raven’s jaw dropped when Darcy tossed his shirt aside and then
pinched his own nipples, moaning like a harlot. His soft cock jerked,
trying its best to come back to life.
His mate licked his lips and groaned, and then pushed his jeans
down his legs, palming his cock, stroking it a few times before
kicking his pants aside. “Don’t look so surprised.” Darcy crawled
across the bed on his knees, and then slid his hand under the pillow,
pulling out the tube of lube.
Oh. Hell.
Was Darcy…
Oh. Hell.
“My turn,” Darcy said as he popped the cap, lubing his fingers.
Raven swallowed hard as Darcy set the bottle of lube aside and then
dipped his hand down between Raven’s legs. His eyes crossed when
Darcy rimmed his hole. His legs began to quiver as he breathed out
slowly, trying his fucking best to relax.
“Trust me, Raven. You are going to love this.”
“I trust you,” Raven said as he glanced back down, feeling
Darcy’s finger pushing inside of him. “I’ve just never—D–Darcy. Oh,
gods, Darcy.”
Raven could hear his mate chuckling as he slowly inserted a
second finger, scissoring them apart. Raven raised his legs, and then
planted his feet on the bed, letting his legs fall to the sides.
“That’s right, just turn yourself over to me.”
Raven lifted his head, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you, and
what have you done with my mate?”
Darcy laughed…and then plunged a third finger into Raven’s ass.
“Um, oh, yeah, shit.” Raven was making absolutely no sense, and
he could care less. What Darcy was doing was fucking fantastic!
Raven sucked in a quick breath and then let it out slowly as the
burning eased and the real pleasure spanned over his groin, making
Raven hitch his hips, wanting Darcy’s fingers deeper inside of him.
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“I told you.” Darcy grinned.
Raven would forever be dazzled by his mate’s smile. He reached
up, running the pad of his thumb over Darcy’s lips. “There it is.”
Darcy’s grin wobbled as he looked confusedly at Raven. “What?”
“The shine,” Raven said. He smiled when Darcy blushed deeply.
“Don’t ever lose it again. It’s stunning.”
Darcy pulled his hand free, and then leaned over Raven, taking his
mouth in a sweet and devouring kiss. Raven felt as if he were being
lifted up to heaven as the taste of his mate spilled into his mouth.
Darcy licked over Raven’s teeth, nipped his lower lip, and then pulled
back. “Ready?”
Raven nodded. “Have your wicked way with me.”
Darcy’s copper-colored eyes sparkled as he grabbed the lube,
coating his cock before settling between Raven’s legs. Raven couldn’t
tear his eyes away from Darcy’s. His mate finally looked happy. He
was smiling like a loon, which only made Raven smile.
Raven spread his legs open as the head of Darcy’s cock probed at
his hole. Raven wrapped his legs around Darcy, planting the heels of
his feet on his mate’s ass, and then shoved, plunging Darcy’s cock all
the way to the root.
“Raven,” Darcy whispered as he lowered his head, closing his
eyes.
“Don’t close your eyes,” Raven said, although he had to admit,
that fucking hurt. He had to remember not to do something that stupid
again. Taking a cock all the way into his ass the first time was a very
dumb move.
Darcy opened his eyes, the brown bleeding out to smolder like
liquid heat. Raven reached up and pulled his mate down, pulling his
hair as he took Darcy’s lips with his. Darcy began to move his hips,
and the pleasure was pure and explosive.
Raven curled his fingers into Darcy’s hair as his mate’s hands
landed on either side of Raven’s head. “Raven,” Darcy whispered into
Raven’s mouth. “I love you, Raven.”
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Raven’s head fell back, his lips parting as his back arched. Darcy
thrust deeper, with longer strokes, making Raven feel as if his body
was half ice, half flame.
“You are so damn breathtaking,” Darcy said as he pulled his cock
almost all of the way out of Raven’s ass and then shot his hips
forward. “I want to grow old with you. I want to love you so much
that I can’t live without you.”
Raven growled and rolled, placing Darcy underneath him. He
straddled his mate’s hips, which made Darcy’s cock go deeper into
his ass. “I’ll never let you go, Darcy.” Raven dropped forward,
planting his hands on the bed. He rocked back and forth, picking up
the pace. He had held out as long as he could.
Raven bit into Darcy’s neck, the taste of his mate’s blood
exploding in his mouth as Darcy cried out. Raven growled, slamming
his ass down on Darcy’s cock, pulling every damn last seed from
Darcy’s dick.
Raven grunted when he felt Darcy’s fingers curl around his cock,
tugging on the skin until Raven was drinking in Darcy’s blood and
coming at the same time. He licked the wound closed, breathing
heavily as he slowly pulled from Darcy’s flagging cock. “Damn.”
Raven panted and then fell sideways, wishing there was a fan in the
room because he was sweaty as hell.
“Mmm,” Darcy murmured as he curled up next to Raven.
Raven turned his head, kissing his mate on the top of his head as
he closed his eyes, smiling as he drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
“Can I see you in my office?”
Darcy quickly dried his hand on the hand towel and then followed
behind Cody. This was it. Either Cody was going to hire him or tell
him to beat feet. He was praying he got the job. He had worked his
ass off yesterday and today. Darcy had even gone above and beyond
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to make sure Steven, and then George, never lacked for anything
while cooking. And Steven was right. George didn’t mess around in
the kitchen. The guy was really nice, but very demanding.
“Have a seat.” Cody waved a hand toward the chair on the other
side of his desk when Darcy walked into the office.
Darcy sat obediently.
“I watched you all day yesterday,” Cody began.
He had? When? Darcy didn’t remember seeing Cody at all
yesterday. But then again, he had been so busy that a tour bus could
have crashed into the front of the diner and Darcy wouldn’t have
noticed.
“You performed well under pressure and helped Steven out
tremendously. George tells me that he is impressed with you. That’s
something coming from the cowboy. I’m going to hire you. But I’m
warning you, Darcy, no daydreaming. I know I’m hot, but you can
lust after me when you clock out.”
Darcy’s jaw dropped to his chest. Was the guy serious? When did
he give his boss the impression that he wanted him? Darcy racked his
brain, but couldn’t think of any time where Cody might have gotten
the wrong impression. “I…what?”
Cody laughed. “I’m joking. Go back to work.”
Darcy scratched his head, wondering what in the hell he had just
gotten himself into. Well, at least his boss had a sense of humor. That
was a good thing, he hoped.
Cody walked out of the office, whistling. Darcy chuckled to
himself, shaking his head. He could see he was going to have one hell
of a life here in Brac Village. The people were as nutty as hell, but
they were nice. He was so glad he hadn’t walked away. Not only
would he have missed out on the best thing in his life, but he
genuinely liked this town.
Even though he still thought it was just a little too perfect.
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Darcy jumped back, grabbing the back of the chair he had just
been sitting in when a man just appeared in the office out of thin air.
He didn’t think he would ever get used to that. It was weird as hell.
“Who are you?” Darcy asked as the man just stood there, looking
over Cody’s office. The guy ran his fingers over the back of Cody’s
cushioned office chair, sliding his fingers together as if he had found
an inch of dust.
“I have a proposition for you.” His eyes snapped up, boring right
into Darcy’s. A cold chill slithered down Darcy’s spine. The man’s
eyes were filled with hatred and loathing. Darcy had never seen
anyone look so damn coldhearted in his life.
“Where I’m from, that could get you arrested.” Darcy mentally
shook his head. He was becoming as crazy as the residents in the
village and he’d only been here forty-eight hours.
The corner of the man’s lips turned up into what should have been
a smile. Darcy shivered.
“I will pay you one million dollars to leave town.”
Darcy stood there stunned. Had he heard the man correctly? One
million dollars? American? “Can I ask why you want to pay me to
leave town?” Darcy asked cautiously. He had an urge to ask if the
man wanted him to leave by sundown. That was what this whole
situation felt like. Maybe he should run and get a six-shooter along
with George’s cowboy hat.
The man clasped his hands behind his back, raking his eyes over
Darcy like he was dog poo under the man’s shoe. Darcy’s hackles
rose, feeling the slow edges of anger build in him. He may not be
wealthy like this guy apparently was, but that was no reason to look at
Darcy as if he were worthless.
“My son seems to have lost his way. If he loses his mate, then he
will turn into a coldhearted killer, something I had been grooming
him for his entire life. You, Darcy Lagrange, are the only thing that
stands in my way.”
Darcy had a bad feeling about this. “And who is your son?”
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“Raven. Now, do you accept my offer?”
Darcy sat back down, crossing one leg over the other, and then
rested his hands on his knee. “How much do you think Raven is
worth?”
The man chuckled, but the sound wasn’t humorous. “Shrewd
businessman. I can respect that. Name your price, and we can
negotiate.”
Darcy leaned back, tossing his arm over the back of the chair. “I
don’t think there is a dollar amount on priceless.”
The man’s eyes narrowed, the edges rimming in anger as he
gripped the back of Cody’s chair, his fingernails elongating as they
cut into the soft leather, reminding Darcy that he wasn’t dealing with
a human. How could he have forgotten so easily? This guy could
probably drain him dry, but Darcy held his ground. Raven meant
more to him than any dollar amount. He was being honest when he
said Raven was priceless.
“You are a pitiful fool. The last man who tried to mate one of my
sons dealt with Raven. He’s not at all what he pretends to be. Raven is
bloodthirsty. He has participated in hunts where we’ve killed shifters
for the pure joy of the sport. Whatever fanciful notions you have
about him, they are all delusional. Now, take the money before I
remove the offer from the table and just kill you.”
Yeah, Darcy was pretty damn scared right about now. The man
looked like he would deliver on his promise. But then again…
“You can take your bullshit and get out of my boss’s office,” he
replied furiously, the thought of anyone trying to separate him from
his mate making his temper not only rise, but explode. “I don’t care if
you threatened to disembowel me. I’m not letting Raven go. There is
no fucking price you can name that will make me walk away.” Darcy
just prayed it didn’t come to disembowelment. The man looked as if
he could do just that.
Darcy ran around the chair, trying his best to get away from
Raven’s father, but the man was quicker. He reached an arm out and
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grabbed Darcy’s collar, yanking him back. “Then we can settle this
matter a different way.” Darcy had a feeling he knew what that
different way entailed, and he tried his best to cover his neck with his
hands.
“Darcy, I thought I told you—Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Cody snarled
as he stepped into the office, his eyes shooting from Darcy to Raven’s
father. “Get your damn hands off of him.”
“And what are you going to do if I refuse, shifter?”
Darcy was shocked at how the man sneered the word shifter. He
really wasn’t liking his father-in-law very much. The man was an
asshole, and Darcy was glad Raven had gotten away from the jerk
when he did. He shivered at the thought of how Raven would have
turned out if this man had gotten his wish.
Cody grinned, but the smile was anything but polite. If the man
wasn’t his boss, and Darcy already knew he was a kind man, he
would be praying that Cody wouldn’t come after him. The grin was
downright evil.
“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”
Own size? Cody was like, twice the man’s size. Of course, Darcy
wasn’t going to point that out. He hoped Cody wiped the floor with
this asshole. It still angered him that Raven’s father could put a price
on his son’s happiness. There wasn’t enough money in the world to
make Darcy leave Raven.
He’d learned his lesson the hard way of what it felt like not to
have his mate at his side. He never wanted to experience that soul-
wrenching feeling again.
“Admit it,” Raven’s father said as he curled his fingers tighter into
Darcy’s shirt collar, the fabric tightening in the front, making Darcy
very uncomfortable. The man could strangle him this way. “All you
shifters are savages.”
“Some days, but aren’t we all?” Cody replied.
Darcy’s father-in-law let out a low chuckle as he pulled Darcy
closer. Closer was not what Darcy wanted. He wanted the asshole to
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let go of the back of his damn shirt so he could move as far away as
possible.
“I proved shifters are nothing but barbaric savages. How do you
think those wolves found the bears?”
Darcy stiffened, and slowly turned his head toward Raven’s
father. “You sent them?”
“My little gift to Raven for his mating.”
“Is there a problem in here?”
Darcy gaped at the man standing in the doorway. He had to be
damn near seven feet tall—not as tall as Maverick, though—and well
over three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He sure as shit hoped this
guy was on his side.
Sterling’s head appeared by the newcomer’s side, grinning at
Darcy and giving him a thumbs-up. “I brought you very big help,” he
mouthed and then pointed up the man. “His name is Tank.”
Darcy rolled his eyes. Sterling was such a damn dork. But Darcy
would have kissed his brother right about now for sending the guy
here. He could use all of the help he could get.
“Uh, can someone help me out here?” Darcy asked.
“Sure,” Tank said as he walked into the office and backhanded
Raven’s father so hard that Darcy was instantly released. He quickly
scrambled to the other side of the office, standing next to Sterling.
“You’ll pay for that,” Darcy’s father snarled, glaring at Tank as if
he were already a dead man.
“Not if I tell the prince you’re starting your shit again, Magnum,”
Cody snarled.
The man narrowed his eyes at Cody and then disappeared, but not
before giving Darcy a withering glare. Damn, his father-in-law was
creepy as hell.
“Thanks,” Darcy said as he tried his best to straighten his shirt,
but it was a hopeless cause. The back was stretched out of shape.
What was with Raven’s family and ruining his damn shirts?
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“Next time scream,” Tank said as he walked from the office.
“Come on, Sterling, let’s go finish our debate on wolves versus
bears.”
Sterling bounced with eagerness as he followed Tank from the
kitchen. Darcy would never understand how Sterling made friends so
damn quickly. But thank the gods he had.
“Are you okay?” Cody asked as he gazed at Darcy’s mangled
shirt.
“No worse for the wear.”
Cody was giving him that strange look again. The one he had
given Darcy the day he had walked into the diner. “Is something
wrong?”
Cody shrugged. “A lot of men would have taken the million
dollars and run. Why did you choose your mate over the money
Magnum offered you?”
“How much would it take for you to leave Keata?”
Cody growled. “There isn’t enough money in the world for me to
leave my mate.”
“Exactly,” Darcy said as he turned toward the door, only to see
Raven standing there with a smile that could light up the entire world.
“Thank you.”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Cody said as he slid past Raven.
“Dude, I swear, you know exactly when to show up. Do you have
some kind of radar that goes off whenever I spill my guts about you?”
Raven chuckled, walking into the office and pulling Darcy into his
arms. Darcy had to lean back in Raven’s arms to see the man’s face,
and damn if his mate’s lips didn’t look kissable. “No, but I’m glad I
know where I stand with you.”
Darcy dipped his head, feeling his face heat up.
“Awww,” Sterling said from behind them. “You better give that
man a kiss.”
“Get out, Sterling,” Darcy growled. “Why aren’t you harassing
Tank?”
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Sterling laughed as he walked back into the kitchen area, leaving
Darcy and Raven alone to kiss. And damn if Darcy wasn’t enjoying
every second of it.
“Is everyone who isn’t human nuts? It seems every paranormal
person I run into needs therapy. I’m surprised Taylor isn’t booked for
the next ten years.”
Raven chuckled as he kissed Darcy on the tip of his nose. “I came
to give you a ride home.”
“In a vehicle or—” Darcy clung to Raven as his mate popped
them back to the ranch. He should have known Raven would do
things the weird way.
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Chapter Ten
Kenway walked up to the front door of Alpha Maverick’s home.
He wasn’t in the least bit surprised when a wolf came around the side
of the house, giving off a low warning growl. From the rumors that
had reached Kenway’s township, Maverick had a fortress here in Brac
Village. Only a suicidal fool would try to break in.
“I’ve been invited here by the alpha,” Kenway said to the wolf,
but that didn’t make the wolf back away. It stood its ground, watching
Kenway closely. Kenway knew it was his size that intimidated most
shifters, and even humans, but if they only knew what a big softie he
was, they would probably laugh their asses off.
His size was the reason the alpha of the wolf pack who had come
after him and his small pack had started shit in the first place. The
man feared not only Kenway, but the mixer of breeds who had lived
happily in town.
It still angered Kenway to think of the losses they had suffered
just because someone feared them. They were senseless killings that
some of his group were still trying to recover from.
The door swung open, a human standing there with his arms
crossed over his chest, and piercings in his ears and lip. The man wore
black jeans, a black T-shirt that read When I snap, you’ll be the first to
go, and black boots that laced up all the way to the man’s knees.
Chains hung from various belt loops, trailing off somewhere behind
the man. “Town is back the way you came.”
Kenway sighed. This Goth man looked at him strangely? Wasn’t
that the pot calling the kettle black? “I’m here to see Alpha
Maverick.”
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The man raked Kenway with his crystal-blue eyes and then
dropped his arms to his sides. “This way, but if you try anything, I’ll
open a can of whoop ass on you.”
Kenway hid the chuckle as he was escorted down a long hallway.
It amazed him how large the place truly was. It was huge from the
outside, but inside…damn.
“He’s in his office.” The guy pointed toward a closed door. “I’d
warn you not to do anything stupid, but I’m pretty sure Maverick can
take you down.”
Kenway ignored the strange-ass human. He was used to reactions
like this to his massive size. He just wasn’t used to a puny human
threatening him. It was kind of comical. He gave the human a one-
fingered salute before stepping into Maverick’s office.
“Kenway,” Maverick said as he waved to a chair in front of his
desk. “Having fun with Oliver I see. Did you bring me the list?”
Pulling the piece of notebook paper from his pocket, Kenway
handed it off to Maverick. “That’s everyone.” Kenway still had a
dreaded lump in his stomach that Maverick was going to change his
mind and tell them to get out of town. It wouldn’t be the first time
they were asked to leave their homes or even forced to do so.
Maverick sat back in his chair, pulling at the small patch of hair
under his lower lip as he scanned the paper Kenway had given him.
“Very interesting.”
Kenway knew the alpha would think so. Some of the breeds on
that list were extremely rare. He hated to even reveal what his small
group consisted of, but if they were going to settle here, it was a fair
trade. Somehow Kenway knew Maverick wouldn’t betray or exploit
them.
“We have two cheetahs, two white Siberian tigers, and a polar
bear?”
Kenway nodded.
“An impala, a coyote, and…a rhino shifter?”
“That sounds about right,” Kenway said nervously.
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“Let me ask you,” Maverick said as he laid the paper on the desk.
“How did such a melting pot end up as a pack?”
Kenway knew this question was coming. “Reese, the polar bear,
left the Arctic. With the climate change, he said it was too damn
depressing to stay and watch all of the beauty melt away.” And Reese
also was tired of not being able to find his mate in such a desolate
place. “Steele and Paine, the cheetahs, are brothers and don’t have a
coalition any longer. Their other two brothers were killed.”
“The rhino?”
Kenway should have known that was the breed Maverick was
interested in. He was surprised the alpha hadn’t asked him about
being a buffalo shifter yet. He sat there and explained to Maverick
everyone’s story, leaving a lot of personal details out. It wasn’t his
place to tell the alpha any of the men’s sorrows or hardships.
“And your story?” Maverick leaned forward, resting his arms on
his desk, an interesting glint in his eyes.
“With all due respect, my story is mine to keep.”
“Fair enough,” Maverick said as he stood. “I’ll allow you men to
stay. Bring them here tonight to swear their loyalty, and I’ll see what I
can do about getting each of you men housing. I know the Manchester
place isn’t big enough for all nine of you.”
Kenway inwardly blew out a relieved breath. He had worried the
whole time since first meeting the alpha that Maverick would turn
their request down. “Thanks.”
Maverick nodded as he waved a hand toward his office door. “Just
don’t make me regret my decision.”
Kenway wouldn’t. But he wasn’t too sure about the rest of the
men with him.
Those men were large predators after all. Well, except for the
impala, Spencer. He just hoped they had more brain than brawn when
it came to behaving in their new home.
* * * *
136
Lynn Hagen
Raven smiled seductively at his mate as he crooked his finger at
Darcy. “Come on, just try it. I know you’ll love it.”
Darcy didn’t look convinced. “Let me think about it.”
“You’ve thought about it for a half an hour now,” Raven pointed
out. “Just do it. Trust me, it’s worth it.”
Darcy began to pace back and forth, looking over at Raven with
furrowed brows, and then back down at the ground again. “I don’t
know if I can do it. I’m scared.”
“What’s there to be afraid of, Darcy? It’s just me. I promise not to
scare you.”
“You promise?” Darcy asked as he looked back at Raven. “And
don’t cross your fingers this time.”
Raven chuckled. His mate had him on that one. He had been
trying his best to get Darcy to try new things, to stop worrying about
everything so much and live in the moment. It was a slow process, but
Darcy was starting to relax a little. It even helped Raven. He wasn’t
so damn intense any longer. He found by helping Darcy to try and
loosen up, he was doing so as well.
“I’m going to be old and grey by the time you make up your
mind.”
“Liar.” Darcy laughed. “You live for eternity. There is no
greying.”
“Then get in.” Raven walked out of the lake, heading toward his
mate. It was hot as hell out tonight, and Raven thought it would be a
good idea to go skinny-dipping. Too bad he had to coax his mate into
stripping down in the middle of the woods.
Raven’s heart skipped a beat when Darcy licked his lips, staring
directly at Raven’s cock. “Damn, you look good enough to eat with
all of the water clinging to your sexy-ass body.”
“Are you going to show me your naked body, or am I going to
have to toss you in fully clothed?”
Darcy narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Take My Hand
137
Raven quirked one lone brow.
“Fine,” Darcy grumbled as he began to strip down. “It’s one in the
morning. Who skinny-dips at one in the morning, and in the damn
darkness?”
Raven waved toward the sky. “It’s not dark. The moon is out.”
“You know exactly what I mean, Mr. Constantinople.”
“Yes, Mr. Lagrange, I do. Now take your shirt off so we can go
for a swim.” It was Raven’s turn to lick his lips as Darcy finished
stripping down, revealing his tanned and creamy flesh. Shit, they
might not make it to the water if Darcy didn’t stop letting his hard
cock bob up and down like that.
Darcy held his hand up as he backed away. “I know that look,
Raven, and the answer is no. We just had sex an hour ago.”
“And?” Raven said as he advanced on his mate. “You’re hard. I’m
hard. What’s so hard about it?” He laughed at his pun.
“Dork.” Darcy chuckled and then raced toward the water. “You’re
still not getting any ass.”
“How about a good blow job?” Raven shouted his question as he
took off after his mate.
“If you catch me, I’ll give you one.” Darcy took off, jumping from
the wooden dock and flailing his arms wildly. “Oh, shit!”
Raven raced down to the water, diving in and grabbing his mate
around the waist. “You didn’t tell me you couldn’t swim, Darcy!”
Darcy sputtered as he came up, wiping the water and the hair from
his eyes. His mate looked like a sexy water siren, plastered hair and
all. Raven didn’t think he could love anyone more than he loved his
Darcy.
“That’s because you haven’t taught me yet,” Darcy replied as he
wrapped his arms around Raven’s neck, holding on with a death grip.
Raven wondered if he would ever figure his mate out. Darcy was
an enigma that Raven was going to be trying to solve for the next
hundred or so years. But until then… “Now, about that blow job.”
138
Lynn Hagen
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but
lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to
find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.
You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a
cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.
For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com