Overcoming His Pride
Author: Amber Kell
Date: 2014-06-26 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Shapeshifters; M M Romance; Paranormal; Romance; Menage; Fantasy; M M M; M M Paranormal; Lgbt; M M Shapeshifters
Description: Supernatural Mates: It doesn't matter the form love takes, when a shifter finds his mate there's nothing that can stand in his way. This series explores love in all its various shapes and the people who can change their shape at will. Pack, pride and sloth will protect what is theirs and if some of their members need a little push to find true love, well there's nothing wrong with a little direct intervention, especially when killers are on the loose. Overcoming His Pride by Amber Kell Book Eight in the Supernatural Mates series Andrew never expected love to come to him. Andrew Everett has had
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

Table of Contents

Legal Page

Title Page

Book Description

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

New Excerpt

About the Author

Publisher Page

A Totally Bound Publication

Overcoming His Pride

ISBN # 978-1-78430-069-2

©Copyright Amber Kell 2014

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright May 2014

Edited by Stacey Birkel

Totally Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2014 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 1.

Supernatural Mates

OVERCOMING HIS PRIDE

Amber Kell

Book eight in the Supernatural Mates series

Andrew never expected love to come to him.

Andrew Everett has had horrible luck in love. His wife left him with a baby then years later his second relationship ended with his girlfriend turning into a psychopath. Imagine his surprise when two wren shifters decide to keep him.

Marlen and Chen have been together for years. Kicked out of their flock because of their love for one another, they’ve drifted from place to place looking for a home. One sight of Andrew and the pair knows who they want to complete their nest. But convincing Andrew of that proves more difficult than anticipated.

When a woman from Andrew’s past comes back, they have to pull together to protect all that Andrew holds dear. Will the three of them be able to find their happy ending, or will Andrew remain unwilling to be their nest mate?

Dedication

To Leona Perry, who helped me find a name for my ménage.

Chapter One

Andrew looked both ways before heading to his car. He let out a relieved sigh. No sign of them. It was barely seven in the morning—maybe they didn’t wake up early. Weren’t birds supposed to, though? Something about getting the worms? Did wren shifters eat actual worms? Would they have worm breath? He shuddered.

Another glance around didn’t reveal any birds hopping out to greet him. One cranky crow swept the sky above him, but as he didn’t know any crow shifters, he ignored the bird. It had probably only come to sit on the phone lines and poop on his car.

For once the wrens weren’t waiting around the corner to pounce. Besides, birds didn’t really pounce—the most they could do was hop and peck, or shift into gorgeous men and try to seduce him. That was their favourite trick.

When he was a few steps from his car, two wrens landed on the roof. The familiar click of their claws against metal had his heart skipping a beat. Huh, they hadn’t lost interest after all. Andrew sighed and tried to hide his smile as relief washed over him. He knew he should step back from the wrens. He’d never acted on his attraction to men before. How these two had broken down his resistance, he didn’t know. Maybe he had a weakness for stunning, sweet men who wanted to take care of him. He’d never been on the receiving end of pampering before. Or perhaps having two sexy stalkers was going to his head…and not the one on his shoulders.

“You can’t sit there. You have to let me go to work.” He tried to use a serious tone, but frankly the birds were adorable.

They responded by puffing up their feathers and chirping at him with a series of scolding noises. He didn’t need to speak bird to know they weren’t happy with him.

“You need to stop coddling me.” Andrew held his hand up to the wrens, showing his small bandage. “See, I’m not bleeding at all. It’s almost completely healed. If I wasn’t heading for the hospital, I would leave it unwrapped.”

He felt foolish showing his minor cut to a pair of tiny feathered creatures, but the sight of his blood had completely freaked out the wren shifters. They had insisted on hovering over him for days until they were certain he wouldn’t bleed to death over a small knife cut. Although he’d refused to let them stay the night, that hadn’t stopped them from making a nest in the tree across from his apartment. They hopped out to check on him whenever he dared step a foot outside.

A barrage of irritated chatter assaulted his ears.

“No! You two don’t get a say.” Ignoring the indignant birds, Andrew Everett opened his car door. A flutter of wings flickering in the corner of his eye assured him they’d flown off. He brutally squashed his stab of disappointment over their departure. Did he expect a pair of twenty-something shifters to hover outside his house forever waiting for his attention? Andrew closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cool metal of his car for a moment. The saying ‘there’s no fool like an old fool’ whispered through his head like a relationship death knoll.

He didn’t want to lust after the two young men. He’d already done the ‘fated mate with a shifter’ relationship and that hadn’t turned out so well the first time. The only good thing that had come out of his heart-crushing marriage to a lion shifter was his son, James.

“Hey, I thought you were feeling better?”

Chen’s warm breath brushed across Andrew’s ear as he spoke. A large hand slid down Andrew’s back. Was it wrong that he knew who touched him without looking? He’d become too comfortable with the wren shifters. Andrew opened his eyes and turned his head only to find Chen’s face inches away. Chen’s brown eyes were lit with concern.

“I’m fine.” Andrew straightened. “Thanks for checking up on me. I do appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.”

He knew he sounded stiff and formal, but he couldn’t afford to encourage the shifter duo. His horrible romantic track record didn’t just make him gun shy—it had him considering monkhood.

“Babe, you’re still injured.” Marlen turned Andrew to face him with gentle hands as if he were made out of spun sugar and might crumble apart at any moment.

How had he missed them transforming? The two men changed from bird to man and back again with seamless precision. Still, they should’ve made some noise while stretching from a small bird to full-sized human.

It still pained Andrew to watch his son shift. The drugs that he’d created to hold back James’ transformation still caused his son residual problems even though James had scaled back his drug dosage.

Andrew forced his attention to the matter at hand. “First of all, don’t call me babe. Secondly, I’m mostly healed. It was only a little cut.” The injury he’d caused while cooking was mostly gone. Chen and Marlen had reacted as if Andrew had hacked off his hand and could’ve bled to death. His lack of shifter-level healing had unnerved the wrens. He’d tried to avoid them until his wound had all but vanished. They made the process difficult by repeatedly showing up on his doorstep and checking on him.

“You were bleeding.”

Andrew almost jumped at Chen’s accusing voice behind him.

“And now I’m not. I promised the hospital I’d come in. They’re short-staffed today. Apparently there’s a flu going around all the human doctors.” The chief physician, Dr Henrickson had called him in. Since Andrew knew the mink shifter didn’t particularly like him, they must be in critical need of doctors. The mink resented Andrew for what he had done to stop James from shifting, even if Andrew had had the best intentions.

Marlen grabbed Andrew’s wrist, pulling his attention back to the wren shifter. He peeled away Andrew’s bandage with his free hand. The frown didn’t leave his face. “It does look better. But you’re human. What if you catch whatever those diseased creatures are spreading around?”

Andrew shook his head at Marlen’s dramatic behaviour. “They had the flu, not the hantavirus. If I catch it, I’ll be sick for a few days then bounce back. It won’t be the first time I’ve caught a cold. It’ll be fine.”

“But humans die of colds.” Tension tightened Marlen’s shoulders. He traced Andrew’s healing scar with his finger, careful not to press too hard. “And your wound is still puffy, it could get infected. You could lose the hand!”

Andrew pulled Marlen into his arms, unable to resist the horror on the wren shifter’s face. “You don’t hang around humans much, do you?”

“No,” Marlen’s voice muffled against Andrew’s shoulder. He clung tight like a child seeking reassurance from the scary world.

“I’m a doctor. I would know if my hand was beginning to get gangrene. It’s healing naturally and is almost all better. You don’t have to worry so much.”

Marlen stepped out of Andrew’s embrace. “If we mated with you, you’d get increased healing.” He looked over Andrew’s shoulder. “Wouldn’t he, Chen?”

“Yep. One more reason bonding with us would be a great idea,” Chen agreed.

“It didn’t work before. James’ mother was a shifter. I didn’t get super healing from being her mate.”

The only thing he’d got was stabbing heartache and a sad lesson in trusting shifters. One he felt doomed to repeat with the gorgeous wren shifters claiming to be his.

“I don’t think she was your true mate,” Marlen said. His smooth brow furrowed. “If she were, she wouldn’t have been able to leave you. You said she just walked away from you and her child. Shifters can’t just abandon their mates. If you were truly bonded, it would’ve hurt her a lot more than it hurt you.”

“Trust me, it hurt quite a bit.” Just the memory of how she’d left him alone with their baby twisted the knife a little deeper into the old wound. A few days after James’ birth, Juliet had smelt their baby son and declared him defective. The next day she’d vanished with no explanation.

Marlen nuzzled Andrew’s neck in an attempt to comfort him.

If Andrew didn’t know for a fact the pair were wrens, he might’ve guessed they were cat shifters from their constant affectionate petting.

“We’re sorry that bitch abandoned you.”

The low, vicious tone was so out of character for the gentle shifter, Andrew almost stepped away in surprise. Chen pressed his hard body against Andrew’s back while Marlen slid across his front and prevented him from moving. The pair had a habit of caging him between them, making him the centre of their wren shifter sandwich. The heat of their naked bodies warmed him from the chill of the cool morning air. Like all shifters, the wrens put out more body heat than the average human.

Andrew bit his lip to hold back a moan. He was too old to be whimpering like a needy puppy at the first friendly touch. Unfortunately his erection hadn’t received the message. Aching for release, he rubbed against Marlen and groaned when he encountered a matching firm shaft.

His hand, as if it had a will of its own, cupped Marlen’s face. A sigh escaped him, long and heartfelt. “What are you two doing to me? I used to be very independent. I even raised a kid on my own. You know—James, the guy about your age.” He couldn’t resist the jab. The age difference bothered him—he didn’t even try to deny it. Andrew might be old-fashioned, but he wanted any partner of his, male or female, to have been born at least in the same decade as him.

How could he date men close to his son’s age? Mid-life crisis didn’t even excuse it…more like a mid-life catastrophe.

Marlen smirked. “Nice try, but we won’t let a little thing like an age difference affect our mating.” He stroked Andrew’s hair, a gentle caress that blazed a line of fierce desire straight to Andrew’s cock. “We worry about you.”

“You two don’t need to fuss. I’m fine.” He’d hate to see how they’d react if he had a real injury. The wrens were affectionate and playful, but not necessarily good in a crisis, at least not one where he might be injured.

The wren shifters continued to pet and muss his hair. He tolerated it for a few minutes. If he leaned into their touches, he’d deny it later. Andrew hadn’t experienced a lot of casual affection in his life. His last girlfriend had turned out to be a psychopath and his wife had abandoned him. Maybe given his track record with women, he should pay more attention to men. At least he knew these two men wanted him without an ulterior motive. Andrew had nothing else to offer them.

The magnetism between him and the wrens scrambled his senses. He gripped Marlen’s hips tight to prevent the shifter from scooting any closer. The wrens hated distance between them, but having them this near—this intimate—destroyed Andrew’s resolve. Surrounding him, naked, they were a feast for the eyes and a comfort to his battered soul. He never had to worry if the wren shifters desired him. As often as they ran around naked, their attraction to him was more than obvious.

“You’re our mate,” Chen insisted for the hundredth time.

He slid his hands up and down Andrew’s arms, his touch maddening. The need Chen’s confident touch created, settled in Andrew’s balls. He had to get out of there before he lost control and gave in to the wrens’ sweet demands. He lost all his resolve when they double-teamed him.

Sneaky bastards.

Andrew tried not to glance too low while they spoke. The shifters still hadn’t put on any clothing. His resolve to resist them was fading faster than morning mist. He stepped away from the wrens, sliding out from the small pocket of space they’d left between them. Taking a deep breath, he tried to refocus his thoughts on what they were saying instead of their lack of clothes. “How does that work anyway?”

“How does what work?” Chen asked.

“The mating thing.” Andrew blushed but continued. “How do you know who your mate is? I thought you two were mates. Don’t shifters only have one mate?”

They always talked about Andrew being their mate, but he never saw one wren shifter without the other. Surely they were bonded. He refused to come between them no matter how much they appeared to like the idea.

Chen shrugged. “Wrens are different. We’re polygamous.”

Andrew glanced from one shifter to the other. Marlen nodded his agreement.

“So do you have any more mates out there somewhere?” Andrew couldn’t identify the odd feeling going through him. It almost felt like jealousy, but that couldn’t be right. He shouldn’t care if the bird shifters had twenty mates. He had no claims on them. He ignored the evil whisper in the back of his mind telling him they were his for the taking.

“No, you are it for us,” Chen insisted.

Marlen stepped forward and rubbed Andrew’s chest. His hand burned right through Andrew’s thin shirt as if he were touching bare skin. Andrew shivered at the contact. Chen slid closer. The shifter’s warm lips against Andrew’s skin shattered his response. Arguments formed and melted beneath their touch as if they could prevent him from turning them down with mere force of will.

Again, he stood between them as if that were his spot in the universe. Andrew relaxed against Chen, unable to resist any longer. He inhaled deeply. The combined scent of the pair washed through him, a soothing tide of comfort. Tension in his muscles unravelled like unfurling twine. How could two young men twist him in knots and leave him wanting more?

They wrapped tighter around him, their bare flesh bumping against his clothing. A brief image of all three of them tangled together in a heap of legs, hands and hard cocks flitted through his head. He tried to empty his mind of that delicious daydream, but the hot males surrounding him didn’t help his focus.

The bird shifters were always rubbing or caressing Andrew. Damned if he knew why he let them. He hated to admit he enjoyed the unbridled affection the pair lavished on him. Every day he struggled harder to not fall under their spell. His reasons were solid, but he still had to continually remind himself why they weren’t the right partners for him.

“There are only three for our nest,” Chen stated in a firm tone. “There will be no others.”

“How do you know?” Curiosity not malice had him asking the question, despite the scowls he received for his doubt.

Marlen tilted Andrew’s chin, forcing Andrew to face him. “We know you’re the only one for us because when you’re near, we feel complete. If there were more people for our family, we would know.”

Family.

The word reverberated in his head and caused an ache in his chest. Besides his son, Andrew had no family, and James was starting a life of his own with his big bear shifter. His grown son had little need for the father who had screwed up his life, even if James did show amazing tolerance for Andrew’s presence around town.

James was a good man. Andrew figured he must’ve been born with that bit of compassion buried in his soul because his parents weren’t model citizens. His mother had abandoned him and Andrew’s insistence on protecting James from himself had almost killed him.

Andrew stared into Marlen’s strong features. Maybe the wrens were Andrew’s last chance at a happy relationship? If he pushed them away, would he end up alone and bitter?

While his mind reeled over his choices, Marlen kissed him. A quick brush of lips across his that he barely felt before he jerked his head back.

“We know you aren’t into men, but we need to be near you. Get to know us before you reject us just because of our age, okay? You don’t have to have sex with us, just let us take care of you.”

Chen’s pleading tone gripped Andrew’s heart.

“That sounds sort of one-sided,” Andrew protested. “Listen, you guys are really sweet but…”

Chen clamped a hand down over Andrew’s mouth, his touch gentle but firm. “I don’t want to hear those words from you again. You are exactly what we need. Your age means nothing.”

Andrew shook his head and dislodged Chen’s hold. He stepped away from the wrens, more than a little surprised when they let him. He needed to stand where he could see them both and know where their hands were.

“How can you say that my age is inconsequential? You’d both outlive me even if you were human. I hope you have a backup mate because you’ll probably still look like that when I’m old and grey.”

He hated to keep harping on their age difference, but they simply refused to get the message. They still believed in happily ever after and everything turning out for the best. Sweet, delusional boys. Destroying their dreams brought him little pleasure, but breaking their hearts would bring him even less.

“We don’t get another mate. That’s not how it works,” Marlen insisted.

Andrew’s phone rang. When he saw his son’s name on the screen, he answered the call. James rarely phoned him without a reason.

“Hello, James.”

“Morning, Dad,” James’ cheery voice came over the receiver followed by a long pause as if he didn’t know what to say next.

“What’s up?” They hadn’t mended things so well that they were in the casual ‘call each other just to chat’ stage.

“Umm… If you have time I need your help.”

Andrew clenched the phone until the edges bit into his fingertips. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Concern for his child pushed everything else out of his mind. With his son’s partner out of town for a law enforcement meeting, James was on his own. Andrew had thought his son would be safe with Talan’s pride keeping an eye on him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to panic you. Nothing drastic. The car broke down and since Lou’s out of town, I was hoping you could pick me up. The tow truck won’t be here for another hour. Apparently the owner went fishing. They said if I left the keys, they would come by and get it.”

Only in a small town could a person leave their keys in the car and still expect it to be there for the tow truck driver an hour later. Of course in a shifter town, the odds were Talan would maul any potential thief and scare him back to the big city.

Andrew sighed with relief. He’d been imagining the worse. Inwardly he did back flips. James could’ve called someone in the pride or from the sheriff’s office. Both groups would eagerly help James out. The fact he’d called Andrew had him smiling.

“I was just about to leave home. I can pick you up on the way to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Dad.” James rattled off his location, giving Andrew enough landmarks he was confident he could find his son.

Andrew grinned. “You’re welcome. See you soon.” He tucked his phone back into his pocket.

“Problem?” Chen asked.

“James is having car trouble.”

“You have to get to work. Why don’t you let us pick him up?” Marlen offered.

“I don’t know.” Andrew worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “He’s expecting me. He doesn’t usually call me for help.”

He didn’t want his son to feel he’d pawned him off on the wrens, not when they were growing closer.

“He’s counting on you to help out. We’re willing to do that and make sure you’re not late.” Chen kissed Andrew’s cheek. “Let us take care of this. We need to get to know him better anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Andrew looked from one wren shifter to another, not certain of the right thing to do.

Marlen kissed Andrew’s other cheek. “He should get to know his stepfathers.”

Cold sweat sprang up across Andrew’s body. “Stepfathers?” he asked weakly. He knew the wrens wanted him to be their mate, but he hadn’t considered the stepfather aspect. Robbing the cradle could make things awkward.

Chen grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.”

“As if he were our own child,” Marlen agreed.

“Oh, God,” Andrew whispered. “Please don’t tell him that.”

Marlen grinned. “We’ll be discreet, but I think it’s too late to hide the fact we want you.”

“Probably.” The wrens had announced to pretty much everyone in town that they considered Andrew their mate. Still trying to recover from the idea of the young shifters trying to act fatherly to a man their own age, Andrew agreed. “Fine. You two go get him. I’ll give him a call and let him know to expect you.”

He needed to get away right now before he began to agree to things he couldn’t take back. They were sweet and young, and had a blind spot the size of Texas regarding Andrew’s suitability.

Andrew gave them James’ location then climbed in his car and sped away. Maybe he could have his courage replenished at the hospital. It had apparently leaked out of his cock.

Chapter Two

“I think that went well.” Marlen watched Andrew’s vehicle fly away over the hill.

Chen nodded at the cloud of dust forming into the air behind their fleeing mate. “Yes, I think we’re wearing him down. He’s letting us talk to the kid on our own.”

Considering Andrew’s protective streak towards his child, Chen regarded his capitulation as a victory. They had to take advantage of their mate’s moment of weakness.

“I think the kid’s as old as we are,” Marlen reminded him.

“Then we should be able to find some middle ground.” Chen grinned, unperturbed by Marlen’s concerns. His mate had always been the worrier between the two of them. Chen preferred action. If they got James on their side, that would be one less barrier Andrew could use to block their mating.

“Maybe.” Marlen bit his thumbnail.

Chen heard his mate’s stomach growl. Wrens had faster metabolisms than most shifters, causing them to eat constantly. Unfortunately, when they were nervous that became even worse.

“We can grab some takeout after we get James. Maybe he’d like a bite with us.” Chen patted Marlen’s back before transforming into his wren form. Marlen followed. They had to fly home to fetch their car and some clothes since they’d flown to visit Andrew.

Luckily they didn’t live too far away and within minutes they were driving towards James’ location. “Don’t look so nervous,” Chen scolded as he drove their battered car down the dirt road. “It’s not like we haven’t met him before.”

“Never on our own. And you know how much Andrew loves his son. If James hates us then we have no chance to win our mate.” Marlen sighed. His nervous energy crackled between them like a living beast.

“He’s not going to like you better if you puke on his shoes,” Chen snapped. He’d run out of patience for Marlen’s negative thinking. “We need to be optimistic. Andrew is ours. He just has to get used to the idea.”

“Do you think he’ll agree to be our mate soon?” The pain in Marlen’s voice smoothed over the edges of Chen’s irritation.

Waiting for their mate to acknowledge them was grinding across Chen’s soul like a sharp pebble at the bottom of his shoe, hobbling his spirit.

Chen sighed. “Truthfully, I don’t know if he will ever give in to our mate bond. I don’t think he’ll abandon us even if humans don’t feel the bond like shifters, or at least I don’t think so. I don’t know any human-shifter pairs.”

“Yeah, me either.” Marlen’s despair whispered across their connection.

They both worried that Andrew could live quite well without them.

“I refuse to give up on him. He’s responding to us, you’ve seen him. Besides if he touches another person, man or woman, I will kill them.” Chen gritted his teeth over the thought of anyone else romantically involved with their man. He could accept Andrew’s reticence over being with two men so much younger than himself, but he wouldn’t allow their human to find a replacement. Anyone Andrew showed interest in would be dissuaded, forcibly if necessary.

“Agreed.” Marlen’s expression reflected Chen’s determination. They might not be bad-ass warriors, but they could peck the shit out of anyone who tried to get too close to their mate.

They pulled up alongside James’ car. The lion shifter paced back and forth along the side of the street. James stopped when he saw them approach.

“Hey, James,” Marlen greeted him.

“Hey, guys, thanks for coming to get me. Dad said you volunteered.” James eyed them curiously.

Chen had a feeling they were being inspected for more than their willingness to help out. “Your dad had to get to work. We didn’t have anywhere else to go so we offered.”

James raised a golden eyebrow. “And you two happened to be at my dad’s house this morning?”

Marlen blushed then bristled. “That’s between your father and us.”

Chen wrapped an arm around his lover. Marlen was generally the more level-headed of them, but Andrew brought out his protective streak. Marlen had confessed to Chen before that he thought Andrew had been beaten up by life and just needed the right people to love him. His nurturing lover couldn’t resist an injured soul.

James didn’t appear placated over Marlen’s statement. “Don’t hurt my dad. He’s pretty vulnerable right now. His last relationship ended badly.” James shoved his hands into his pockets and levelled them with a challenging look. He might be new to the shifter world, but the lion shifter was settling in just fine.

A spike of admiration went through Chen at James’ willingness to stand up for his father. Andrew didn’t know how much his son was watching out for him.

“We’re not screwing with him. He’s our mate. I’m sure you’ve heard us telling him that before.” They weren’t shy about announcing to everyone that Andrew was their mate, especially to people who looked twice at the sexy older man.

“I know you two think he’s your mate, but how’s he’s taking the news? He isn’t big on discussing his love life with his son.”

Chen could tell James worried about his father. Andrew and James might have a rocky relationship, but the love between them warmed Chen’s heart. He decided James deserved an answer. Andrew wouldn’t want his son worried about him. “We’re going slow and trying to get him used to the idea.”

Well…slow for wrens, but James didn’t need to know that part. Andrew wouldn’t want details of his courtship shared with his son, no matter James’ age.

Chen walked over until he stood shoulder to shoulder with Marlen. The soothing comfort of his mate’s warmth against him calmed Chen. “We will take good care of him.”

They stood still, frozen with apprehension as they waited for James’ decree. Their mate’s son could make things difficult for them if he chose. Chen knew if James didn’t approve, it would put the nail in the coffin of their hopes. Andrew might not let his son pick his lovers, but James’ approval would be an important factor. After what felt like forever to Chen’s thundering heart, James finally nodded.

“Good. I just want him to be happy, even if you are kind of young for him.” James’ teasing grin told Chen he was just yanking their tail feathers.

“We’re trying to wear him down,” Marlen admitted. “He thinks he’s too old for us.”

“He’s also not gay. That might be an even bigger issue than the age thing.” James examined them with his clear gaze as if weighing their worth. “He might be bi. He doesn’t seem to mind you two touching him. Let’s just say we never talked about my father’s sexuality as a child.”

“He didn’t say anything when you told him you were gay?”

“I never told my father I was gay. He caught me kissing a guy and that was that. We never had the ‘big discussion’,” James said, curling his fingers into quotation marks.

“Even if he was only bi-curious before, he’s more now. It’s the mate connection,” Chen said. “If he lets us stay near enough to him, I’m almost positive we can eventually wear him down.”

Chen had to believe those words were true. If Andrew didn’t accept them, their nest would never be complete. How much longer could he keep Marlen happy on his own if Andrew rejected them? Wren shifters tended to bond in groups to keep larger predators away. They rarely made successful couples.

“Good luck. I want him to be happy.” James looked down at his shoes as if contemplating their tips would reveal the secrets of the universe. “He’s had it tough with me over the years. Everything he’s ever done, he’s done for me, even when things didn’t work out quite like he was hoping. I know he feels bad for the medication, but I think without it in the beginning I would’ve died. I hope he sticks around longer. I’d like to get to know my dad better.”

The wistful words full of hope and heartache gripped Chen’s heart. He ached for the pair.

He gripped James’ shoulder. “We hope so too.”

“He’s doing good work for the hospital,” Marlen offered. “Not to mention he saved Chester. He could help out a lot around here if he decided to stay. It’s always hard for shifters to get good medical care. At least here we have a hospital, but I know Henrickson sometimes has problems finding enough staff.”

James tilted his head. “You think he’ll stay?”

Chen took this question. “Maybe, maybe not. He might decide that we’re too stalkerish and you are doing better without him. He doesn’t lack confidence in his skills as a doctor, but like you said, his relationship record isn’t the best.” He didn’t want to tell James that a lot of it depended on him. The lion shifter didn’t need the pressure. If James told Andrew he wanted his father around, Chen doubted Andrew would leave.

James ran his fingers through his hair as if the conversation had stressed him. “Can you guys take me to the pack house? I left some homework there I need to grade. Talan has convinced me to tutor some of the younger lions. He thinks if they can get extra tutoring, they’ll do better in the human school.”

Chen nodded his agreement. “School is a special hell for shifters. Staying still for hours on end is unnatural for children. For shifter children it’s even worse.”

With their quick metabolism and short attention span, both wren shifters had had difficulty in school. Focusing had been next to impossible with their fidgety bodies. Large shifters thought they had it tough. His human teachers were always quick to want to label Chen with having ADHD and recommend medication. His parents had just laughed.

“I think I’m helping some. I just have to remember to build in time for going outside to hunt and napping in the sun.”

James’ mouth quirked in one corner—he had his father’s smile. Chen’s heart ached at the sight. Any sign of their lover twisted his heart. Fear their older mate would never accept them lived like a scary beast in the corner of his mind.

Marlen jangled his keys and nodded his head towards the car. “How about we go get something to eat first? We didn’t get a chance for breakfast and I don’t know about you, but we’re starving.”

“That’s a great idea. I ran out of the house without eating. I figured I’d grab something at the pride house. Lou usually makes me honey with almond butter and toast.” James’ face lit up when the talked about his mate.

Chen hoped one day he could talk about Andrew like that, as if he were part of their lives.

“Ready to go?” Marlen asked, breaking into Chen’s thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry.” He avoided Marlen’s curious, questioning look. He had no doubt his wren mate would corner him later to talk. Damn, how he hated talking about feelings. Unless it was Marlen or James wanting to share theirs, then he’d listen.

The drive to the diner went swiftly as the three men discussed different shifters they knew.

“Have you seen that little wolf following Arturo around?” James asked.

Chen laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know his name, but I think Arturo is losing his resolve to ignore him. I saw him toss a roast beef sandwich to him the other day.”

“It wouldn’t be the first wolf and lion match,” James said.

“No, but it might be the most interesting.” Marlen grinned.

Arturo, a lion shifter, kept to himself and didn’t mix with most of the pride. He remained loyal to Cesar although he gave Talan proper respect during shifter gatherings. Chen didn’t know what he thought about the lion, but the sad wolf shadowing Arturo had come with some other pack members to help build an extension to the pride house.

“Has anyone seen him in human form?” James asked.

“I don’t think so,” Chen replied. “At least I haven’t. I mean, he has to change sometimes if he’s helping with the build, right?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Marlen said.

Chen pulled into the diner parking lot right beside a familiar car.

“Why is Dad here?” James asked.

“I don’t know. He said he had to get to the hospital.” A cold, icy shiver went down his spine.

Marlen exchanged an uncertain look with him that confirmed neither of them knew what was going on. They got out of the car. A glance through the diner window had them freezing in their tracks.

“Who the fuck is that?” Chen growled.

A beautiful woman with long golden hair sat on the opposite side of the booth from their mate. Andrew’s intent expression twisted the knife in Chen’s heart.

Marlen entwined the fingers of his left with Chen’s right hand. “You don’t think he’s on a date, do you?”

No collection of words had ever hurt more.

“I’m sure he isn’t,” James said. “Maybe she works for the hospital. It could be a business meeting. They aren’t holding hands or kissing or anything.”

Chen remembered how to breathe. He nodded, more to show he’d heard James’ words than that he agreed with them. James had made a good point. Still, something about the way Andrew held himself, the stiffness in his posture, radiated discomfort.

“Let’s go introduce ourselves,” Marlen said. He dragged Chen after him. James walked a little ahead of them as if trying to head off any confrontation.

Chen could’ve told him a dragon shifter wouldn’t be able stop them from finding out who sat with their man, much less a lion.

“If she touches him, I’ll peck her eyes out,” Marlen growled.

His mouth almost dropped open. Marlen’s gentle nature had always steadied Chen’s fiery temper. How had Chen become the calm one?

James shoulders shook, but the lion shifter wisely didn’t turn around.

They entered the diner but waved the waitress away.

“We see our party,” James said.

Chen’s chest tightened as they stopped beside Andrew’s table.

“Hey, Dad. Thanks for having your mates pick me up,” James said in a cheerful tone.

“James.” Andrew paled. The scent of his fear had Chen’s bird clawing to get out.

Chapter Three

Andrew looked up to find the wren shifters and his son glaring at him. He swallowed the lump of tension in his throat. Damn, he’d hoped to talk to James before he saw the woman sitting across from him. Fear over losing his son again choked him.

“What are you guys doing here?” Shouldn’t they be back at the pride house? Someplace far away from him where he didn’t have to explain anything. The wrens practically radiated hatred at Andrew’s companion. Since they didn’t know her identity, he wondered why they were so angry.

“We came to have some breakfast. James hadn’t eaten either so we thought we’d bring him. What about you?” Chen asked. “I thought you had to go to the hospital.”

Andrew winced at the accusation in Chen’s eyes. “I called and told them I would be late.”

Henrickson hadn’t been happy with him, but Andrew’d had to see what Juliet wanted and she wouldn’t tell him over the phone.

“Aww, did the little birds lose their nest mate?” Juliet taunted.

Andrew stood and grabbed Chen’s wrist just in time. The wren’s hand had transformed into talons—rather big ones considering the tiny bird he transformed into. “Enough!” He scowled at both of them. He couldn’t have a fight in the middle of the diner, not with James still wondering what the hell was going on. He needed to talk to his son privately before all hell broke loose.

“You don’t want to play that game.” Juliet’s hand turned into a lion paw ready to swipe at the wrens.

“Juliet, stop it,” Andrew demanded.

She changed back completely to human before flashing Andrew an insincere smile. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends? They’re so cute and so very young.”

Andrew gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath before he spoke. “These are my friends, Chen and Marlen. And you don’t probably recognise him because you dumped him when he was young, but this is James, your son. Gentlemen, this is my ex-wife, Juliet.”

“I don’t remember us getting a divorce, love,” Juliet said, batting her eyelashes. She turned her gaze to James. “Nice to see you’ve grown into a fine young man.”

A soft gasp from the wrens had Andrew clenching his fists.

“We’re no longer married. You turned into my ex when you left and abandoned our child because he wasn’t perfect,” Andrew snapped. He immediately regretted that when his son spoke.

“That’s why you left?” James soft tone of horror made Andrew’s heart ache. He’d never told James the truth because he hadn’t wanted his son to carry that burden, thinking he’d caused his parents to split. Juliet’s selfishness and callous disregard for them both had been the cause. Still, Andrew hadn’t expected her to leave James behind. But Juliet didn’t have a maternal bone in her body.

“James!” For the first time, the smug smile left Juliet’s face. She stood, brushing past the wrens, and reached for James as if to give him a hug.

He stepped back. “What, you think you come out of nowhere and we’re hugging now? I don’t know you and I don’t care to.” James turned to Andrew. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Andrew nodded. “Later.”

James hugged him.

Juliet huffed. “So you’re just going to ignore me like I’m not here?”

“Why are you here?” James asked.

Andrew held back the laugh. Juliet had truly thought James would welcome her with open arms despite her abandonment. She’d always been a self-absorbed bitch. Unfortunately he hadn’t recognised that until they’d already married. He’d been dazzled by her beauty and sweet nature. Little had he known it was just an act. She’d wanted a child and had chosen Andrew as the perfect match. When their child hadn’t been how she’d envisioned, she’d dumped them both.

“I heard about your transformation. I’ve come to help you learn how to be a lion,” Juliet said brightly.

“No thank you. I have a pride more than willing to help me with my transition. They can be counted on to be there for me.”

Juliet crossed her arms over her chest. “I might not have had the best judgement, but you have to remember I was younger than you when I made that decision. My pride already hadn’t approved of your father. If I’d come home with a non-shifter child, I’d never have been allowed back in.”

“Then don’t let me keep you from your acceptance. I’ll wait in the car.” James nodded to Andrew and the wrens, then walked out of the door.

“He still doesn’t entirely smell like a cat,” Juliet said.

“He’s mated with a bear shifter, maybe that’s it.” Andrew sighed over his ex’s callous behaviour.

“No, he smells like a chemical.”

“He had some problems as a teen with transforming. I had to develop a formula to suppress his change. It caused some lasting effects. I’m hoping with a little more time his pain will fade.”

“You broke our boy?” Juliet’s mouth dropped open.

Andrew raised his hand in a futile hope to stop her from speaking. “It’s not like I had any guidance. None of the other shifters would talk to me because of my defective son. I did what I could.”

“And it damaged him,” Juliet growled.

“Well, if you’d been there maybe you could’ve helped make that decision, but now it’s a day late and a dollar short. Go away, Juliet. No one wants you here.”

“You just want me gone so you can go back to playing with your little birds. Robbing the cradle, are we?” Her eyes glowed with a malicious light. “I didn’t know you were into boys.”

“I’m not into boys—I’m into men…well, these men at least. And it doesn’t matter if you approve or not. You are no longer a part of my life. Now go.”

Juliet snatched up her purse. “I’m going to stick around town and get to know my son.”

“Feel free, but don’t expect me to encourage any interaction. That is completely up to him.”

“If you help me, I’ll give you a divorce.” Her eyes gleamed like a cat certain she’d cornered a tasty bird and decided to play.

“You already did. I divorced you years ago when I declared you dead.” Andrew’s smile bested Juliet’s for pure venom. She had nothing to offer, and for once he had the upper hand.

“How could you declare me dead?” Her tone of genuine shock had him shaking his head.

“You vanished without a trace. I told the cops you were suicidal. When you disappeared I made sure the court knew you’d abandoned your child. I also removed all your parental rights in case you came back to claim him.”

“You bastard!”

“At least I care about our son. You vanished for James’ entire childhood and now you’re surprised he doesn’t take you back with open arms? You’re delusional. Why would you even care now?”

Juliet bit her lip and looked out of the window.

Marlen kissed Andrew’s cheek, startling him. He’d forgotten the wrens were there—they’d gone silent after James had walked out. “We’ll talk to you later. We’re going to take James home. Call us when you’re done.”

“I will.” The need to reconnect with the wren shifters pulled at him. He didn’t like them worrying about him finding someone new. He might not be certain they should be mates, but he wouldn’t sneak around behind their backs.

Chen kissed him lightly on his lips, claiming him before the lion shifter. Andrew had noticed the birds might be small in their animal shape, but they were viciously territorial.

He waited until the wrens had left before he turned his attention to his ex-wife.

“Now tell me the truth. This fake maternal bonding isn’t fooling anyone.”

She stared at him for a minute, her cold cat eyes waiting for him to blink. When he didn’t back down, she leant back and ran her hands through her hair, rumpling her perfect haircut. He almost ran out of patience before she finally spoke.

“My pride needs new blood. I thought if I could convince James to join us, it would help my standing,” Juliet confessed, still not looking at him. “My alpha doesn’t like outsiders, but she’d accept James since he’s from my bloodline.”

“Your alpha is a female?” Andrew knew in some prides the females ran things, but he’d never heard of one taking the alpha position before.

Juliet nodded. “Yes, she’s a strong woman and has had difficulty getting males to stay. I think she’s sterile, but she refuses to get tested. I’m hoping James can breed with the other members of our pride.”

She fidgeted with the coffee cup and refused to look Andrew in the eyes. He might not be a shifter, but even he could see her unease. Andrew didn’t take pity on her. She’d put him through hell and crushed a little boy’s dreams of having a mother.

“So after years of being an absentee parent, you want to have your son further your agenda by pimping him out to your pride? I hope you aren’t waiting for your ‘mother of the year’ award.” Andrew resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You really haven’t changed at all. James has made a life for himself here. He won’t be interested in going back with you.”

A pissed off cat noise poured out of her “Don’t act like I’m a monster or something. It would be good for him. He’d be surrounded by his people and he can take his pick of females to mate with.”

Andrew had just taken a sip of coffee. He choked on the liquid.

“What’s wrong with you?” Juliet asked.

“I told you he was mated. It doesn’t matter how many females you have, he won’t be interested.”

“He can bring his mate with him,” Juliet offered. “The pride could always use more fertile females.”

To Andrew, her lack of understanding about mates had him wondering if the wrens might have been right. Maybe he hadn’t been her mate after all. No mated lion would allow another near his mate.

“She’s a he, and I don’t think the pride would be so excited to have him in their den.”

“James is gay?”

The horror on her face was almost worth the painful moment of seeing her again.

“I don’t think you need to shout that any louder, pretty much everyone in the diner already knows.”

Juliet blushed bright red. “He can’t be gay,” she whispered, her tone almost desperate.

“I wouldn’t tell him that, he seems quite certain of it and so is his mate,” Andrew said calmly.

“Can I get you folks anything else?” the waitress asked. She pinned Juliet with a hard, unwelcoming glare.

“More coffee, please,” Andrew interrupted the staring match. Juliet wasn’t known for her kindness. She might just decide to attack the waitress because she didn’t like her.

“Cream?”

“Yes, please.”

The waitress left without asking Juliet if she wanted anything.

“Great service,” Juliet snarled.

“Kelly’s a picky waitress. She only likes to wait on nice people,” Andrew said.

“You’d think a deer would be more careful over who she upsets,” Juliet mused.

Kelly reappeared a few minutes later to pour Andrew’s coffee and drop off another small pitcher of cream. “I don’t worry much. Our sheriff tends to discourage riffraff from sticking around. Yell if you need anything else, Doc.”

“Well, now that Miss Busybody is gone, let’s get down to it then.”

“Get down to what?” Andrew asked. He doubted she could say anything that would change his opinion of his ex. She was like a poison, sickening everything she contacted.

“James might have a mate, but I’m certain you can convince him to help me out. After all, you would do a lot to stay out of jail, wouldn’t you, Andrew?” Juliet asked. Even though her tone had an edge, her eyes begged him. It was almost as if she were at odds with herself.

“What are you talking about?” He narrowed his eyes and took a sip of coffee. He couldn’t let her rattle him. She would go for the jugular and enjoy the taste of his blood.

“I mean those experiments you conducted on people. I’m certain I can get enough of them to press charges. You’ve been a bad, bad man.”

Andrew took a sip of coffee and didn’t reveal by so much as a blink that she’d bothered him. He’d dealt with dangerous people before. He knew better than to let shifters smell his fear. “You go ahead and do that, Juliet. I’d gladly go to jail if it would keep my son safe.”

He set his cup back on the table then stood.

“You always were a self-righteous prick,” Juliet sneered.

“And you were always a bitch in either form.” Andrew threw a few bucks on the table. He was done listening to her venom. He’d known when she’d called and told him she was waiting at the diner that there would be nothing but trouble. He’d hoped to head off anything she planned to do with James. Like usual, she hadn’t listened to a word he’d said.

He’d only taken two steps before Juliet spoke again. “It would be a shame if something happened to your pretty birds.”

Andrew froze then turned back around. He leaned over Juliet’s side of the booth. “Yes it would, but at least one good thing would come of it.”

“Yeah, what?”

“I’d get to try out my new rifle. I was wondering if my new bullets could rip through hide or not. Don’t make me find out. The sheriff is my son-in-law. I’m pretty sure he knows how to cover up a murder.”

Andrew left the diner, his stomach churning. He had to get out of there before he purged his body of the acidic coffee swirling around his stomach.

* * * *

He arrived at the hospital, his head spinning with the implications of Juliet’s appearance. How much damage could she cause to his family by her mere presence? He’d thought that after James had grown up, he’d be in the clear. The reoccurring nightmare of his ex showing up and demanding parental rights had faded when James passed eighteen. Now they came back to haunt him.

Despite what Juliet had said, Andrew doubted she could find anyone wanting to sue him. He’d met with most of the shifters. Even the damaged ones wouldn’t want the publicity a trial would bring. He didn’t worry about if her plots would work. He worried if they didn’t, she’d take actions she hadn’t warned him about.

“We have a problem,” Dr Henrickson greeted Andrew at the emergency room doors.

“Does it have to do with a new lion shifter being in town?” Damn, Juliet had done her homework.

“So you know?”

“I know my ex is in town and had made some threats. What did she do to you?”

Henrickson’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “She said if we didn’t fire you, she’d report to the news that we have an unlicensed doctor working at our hospital who has been arrested for conducting illegal experiments.”

“I’m licensed and I’ve never been arrested,” Andrew argued, his stomach sinking.

“It’s not a matter of the truth, Dr Everett. It’s a matter of whether she can get reporters to investigate our hospital.”

Andrew sighed. One puff of air displayed his emotions more eloquently than any words. “If you’d like me to stay away for everyone’s safety, I’ll understand.”

The hospital had to stay out of the limelight. They specialised in shifter medicine and any sudden attention to a previously unknown medical facility could bring authorities sniffing around.

“What does she want?” Henrickson asked. “She just insisted I fire you.”

“She wants James, but I think there’s more to the story she’s not sharing. I don’t think she’s going to give up even after I told her he’s mated and gay.” Andrew scrambled for his phone. “I need to call Lou.”

“I’m going to relieve you of duties until we can get this straightened out. I want you to know this has no bearing on your skills as a doctor.” The mink shifter gripped Andrew’s shoulder. “We’ve been happy to have you.”

He didn’t know how much of that was true. Henrickson had never seemed particularly pleased with Andrew, but he appreciated the thought.

“I understand. No problem.” Andrew knew he’d do the same thing if he had to run a hospital. Luckily he didn’t work there for the money, but to help the local shifters out.

The administrator’s support at this time of crisis meant a lot to him. He turned to head out of the hospital.

“Andrew!”

He spun around to face Henrickson. “What?”

“You’re a good doctor. Don’t let her stop you from practicing. Once you get her chased out of town, come back.”

“Thanks. I will.”

He nodded to Henrickson then turned and dialled his phone.

“Hello?”

“Lou, it’s Andrew.”

“What’s up?”

The tension in the sheriff’s voice had him rushing to get to the point. “If you can get away now, James needs you.”

“What happened?”

“His mother is in town.”

A long silence stretched between them.

“I’m on my way.”

Lou disconnected. The bear wasn’t known for his communication skills. Still, the fact he dropped everything to come to James proved to Andrew that at least his son had chosen well. A lion and a bear wasn’t a pair he would’ve imagined together, but it worked for them. He’d never seen his son so happy.

Andrew began to head to his place, but he remembered the wrens were taking James to the pride house. Maybe he should go talk to the lion alpha instead of calling. They had a lot to discuss. Andrew trusted Talan like he trusted few people. The lion shifter always had his pride’s best interests at heart. James might not live at the pack house with the lions, but he was in Talan’s territory and Andrew knew the alpha considered James one of his pride members.

Ten minutes later, he pulled up to the mansion. From the array of lions sprawled across the porch, it must be after-breakfast naptime. With the addition of new lions in town, the felines often spent time bonding in a mass catnap. Andrew didn’t know how many now belonged to the pride, but overall the group appeared to get along. Talan led with a firm but fair fist and no one crossed his wolf mate, Adrian. The smallish shifter had poisonous claws that he was more than willing to use to protect his people.

Andrew almost wished Juliet would foolishly come to visit Talan. She’d quickly have her tail tucked between her legs and run out of town. He picked his way towards the largest lion with a mighty mane and reached out to touch one flickering ear.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Andrew jerked his hand back and spun around to meet the amused eyes of Talan’s mate, Adrian. “You wouldn’t?”

Adrian shook his head. “Lions get cranky if you interrupt their nap. They tend to bite off hands first, ask questions later. Come inside you can talk to him after the king of the jungle has his nap.”

A few snorts from the other lions proved that not all of them were sound asleep.

Adrian cast the group a fond look before turning on his heel and going inside. Andrew followed the wolf shifter to the kitchen only to find Chen and Marlen sitting on a bar stool and licking a bowl of chocolate batter. Their faces were smeared and their fingers appeared slightly sticky.

“Boys.” They had never looked so much like naughty children as they did at that moment. Andrew couldn’t help but smile at them. His heart ached with emotion he couldn’t contain. Something must’ve shown in eyes because both of the wren shifters stood and approached him.

“Have a taste.” Chen held up his finger, his eyes challenging Andrew to refuse.

Andrew kept eye contact with the wren shifter. He wrapped his fingers around Chen’s wrist to hold him still. Leaning forward, he lapped at the sticky digit, the taste of bittersweet chocolate, cream and warm male sliding across his tongue in a decadent swirl of flavour. The underlying taste of Chen’s flesh on his taste buds twisted his gut with need like a starving man stumbling across the perfect buffet of treats.

He lifted his mouth away from temptation, before he slammed the wren shifter against the counter and gave in to his carnal urges.

“Suck him,” Marlen whispered into Andrew’s ear as he stepped behind him.

The wren shifter had a few inches on Andrew so he always felt surrounded by the wrens when they sandwiched him between them. He’d never had anyone want to protect him before.

“You guys can use a guest room if you’d like,” Adrian offered. “I don’t think Talan would want you having sex in the kitchen.”

Andrew reluctantly pulled away from the wrens. Talan would skin them for exposing their naked bodies to Adrian. During a shift was one thing, having sex another.

He cleared his throat and took another step back. “Where’s James?”

Adrian answered. “He shifted and went for a run. I think he needed a few minutes alone.”

Andrew couldn’t blame him. James’ entire world view had been changed again. The poor man couldn’t catch a break. Andrew had tried to soften the blow of his mother leaving them when James was growing up, but all secrets came out eventually. He should’ve known that.

“I called Lou and told him what was going on. He’s coming back from his conference.”

James needed his mate more than his father. Maybe Andrew should move away. All he brought James was bad news.

“Hey.” Marlen’s warm brown eyes examined him as if trying to peer into his soul. “It’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is. If I had chosen a better wife, then James wouldn’t’ve had such a bitch for a mother.”

“All things happen for a reason.” Marlen kissed Andrew’s cheek. “Besides, if she’d been the perfect wife, you wouldn’t have us now.”

Both wrens hovered, touching him with soft brushes of fingers and lips, trying to offer him comfort.

He let them flutter for a bit before wrapping an arm around each of them and taking charge for once. “I’m fine. It’s James I’m worried about.”

Maybe if he said it enough times he truly would be better. Twin demons of guilt and regret tore through his soul.

“He’ll be okay.” Chen ran a hand down Andrew’s back as if trying to imbue comfort through his touch. “He’s strong.”

“Yes he is.” But even the strong could break beneath too many burdens. “I hope Lou gets back here soon.” There was only so much he could do for his son. James’ mate could help with the emotional stuff far better than Andrew.

Marlen slid his fingers through Andrew’s. “Come on, love. Let’s get going.”

“To where?”

“We have a couple of choices. We can go to the spare room here or back to our place for a talk, but we are going to spend a little time alone,” Chen insisted.

Andrew didn’t want to talk at all. He doubted from the determined expression on the wren shifters’ faces that they would go along with that idea. “I don’t want to leave James yet. I’ll talk to you here.”

There was a slim chance his son might choose to see him sometime this century and Andrew wanted to be there if it happened.

The wrens didn’t argue, instead they led him down the hall. He kept his words to himself until they were inside a small guest room and Chen slammed the door behind them.

Andrew sat down on the large bed since there was nowhere else to sit. The room’s sparse furnishings consisted of a bed, a dresser and a side table holding up a lamp—definitely a guest room.

“What now?” He looked from one shifter to the other before settling his gaze on Chen. The temperamental wren generally spoke for the pair.

Marlen crawled onto Andrew’s lap, placing a knee on either side of his hips. “Now you kiss me like you mean it.”

If he had any sense he would shove Marlen off his lap and run. He wasn’t in any condition to start a relationship. He grabbed Marlen’s hips to prevent the wren shifter from falling and cradled him closer. A soft whimper left Marlen’s lips. Andrew smiled. Pride slid through him. This beautiful shifter not only wanted Andrew, but needed him.

“You feel so good, my mate,” Marlen moaned. “I dreamed of you holding me like this, except we were both naked.”

A strangled laugh burst from him. He could always count on the wren to be honest about what he was thinking. While Andrew’s world tumbled apart, the sweet young man in his arms still looked at him like Andrew could hand over Marlen’s dreams in a package with pretty gold wrapping. “I’m sorry I resisted being your mate. I still think I’m too old for you, but if I’m what you want, I’m willing to give it a try.”

After revisiting his past and all that he’d lost, Andrew decided he needed a fresh start. If he refused these two kind, loving souls, he’d always look back and wonder what could have been. He had enough regretful memories to last a lifetime.

Fighting against the two wrens took too much energy. Why battle with them? He doubted his heart would survive them leaving, but the battered organ hadn’t done much for him anyway.

Andrew slid his hands around and squeezed Marlen’s ass. Fantasies he’d long relegated to fiction sprang into his head like a full-grown porn flick.

“I’ve never had a ménage before,” Andrew confessed.

“Neither have we,” Chen replied.

“Really? I thought you were looking for more nest mates?” The wrens confused him. He knew they had been searching for at least one more mate. Why hadn’t they been trying out other men?

Chen slid his fingers across Andres’s cheek pulling his attention. “We’ve been looking, but we didn’t find anyone until now.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say to the sincerity burning in Chen’s eyes. The wren shifter really meant every word. They’d been waiting for him. Two gorgeous young men with everything going for them had been searching out their perfect third and they were both convinced they’d found it in him. It didn’t say much for their judgement, but he was done trying to change their minds.

Marlen took Andrew’s distraction as an opportunity to nibble on his neck. Andrew tipped his head back and let the wren shifter have his way. Tingles of desire shivered down his spine and directly to his cock, a live wire of connection from Marlen’s mouth to Andrew’s erection.

“Oh, God, you look so good together.” Chen groaned.

Andrew’s eyes slid closed, too drunk with passion to stay open. Overwhelmed by the shifter’s touch and craving more, he absorbed their affection, certain it would be ripped away from him at any time. He wanted to cling to the pair and refuse to let them go…ever. How many times in his life would he ever feel this cherished again?

Before Andrew could say anything, Chen climbed up behind him and straddled his back. Chen wrapped his legs around Marlen’s knees, cradling them between his long limbs.

Two hard cocks pressed against Andrew in a position he’d only seen on Internet porn sites. He’d denied himself for too long. Now, sandwiched between two young, virile males, Andrew gave in to defeat. “You win. I’ll be yours.”

He’d been an idiot to deny them for so long.

“Why?” Marlen asked. He ran his fingers across Andrew’s cheeks and hair.

By now he’d become used to the wrens’ odd need to randomly touch him. He leaned into the caresses. Cupping Marlen’s face gently, he kissed the wren shifter.

A low hum vibrated through him. Marlen tasted as sweet as he looked. Some of it could be from the chocolate he’d been eating, but Andrew didn’t care. He just needed more.

The pair deserved a better mate, not a tired old man who had little to offer. Affection and need trumped his conscience. He broke away. “I’m tired of fighting you. I want to be happy for once.”

Chen rubbed Andrew’s shoulders. Somehow the casual affection was harder for him to resist than an all-out seductive assault. He soaked up the attention, wishing he could trap it in a bottle and take it out whenever he was lonely.

“We’re here for you.” Marlen nuzzled Andrew’s neck.

Andrew relaxed against Chen’s chest, his reassuring strength holding him up.

“Let us take care of you,” Chen murmured. “We can make it work.”

His entire body melted beneath their touch. He didn’t have the fight in him. “I’m just so tired,” he confessed. He’d been working to save his son, to save shifters, to make them pay attention to their children and all his work had resulted in almost killing his own son and torturing innocents. Now his ex was back in town ripping open new wounds and letting them fester.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

“Hey.” Chen’s deep voice vibrated against Andrew’s back. “We’re here for you. You don’t have to do things alone.”

“Never again.” Marlen captured Andrew’s mouth.

He opened wider, allowing the wren shifter’s tongue to dip inside. Marlen slipped his fingers into Andrew’s hair and held him tight as he ravaged his mouth. This was nothing like the sweet pecks on the lip and cheek he’d received before. Marlen’s hunger spiked Andrew’s desire as if the shifter had use kerosene to spark Andrew’s sexual fire and now he craved the flame.

He tried to scoot closer only to be held back by strong hands on his upper arms. “Don’t leave me, babe. I need you too. Marlen, let go for a second.”

Marlen lifted his hands. Chen stripped off Andrew’s shirt in a quick yank. Andrew blushed and fought the urge to hide his body from the shifters. Unlike them, he didn’t have hard muscles and smooth skin and he’d never had pebbled abs even in his teen years.

“Hey, none of that. To us, you’re gorgeous,” Marlen said.

His awed expression told Andrew that for whatever reason, the young man believed his words.

“You and Chen are beautiful. I’m average.” Maybe below average, but he knew better than to say anything like that around the shifters. They were oddly protective of him.

“May I take off your shirt?” he asked Marlen.

Marlen nodded.

“I’ll do it.”

Chen immediately slid off the bed and moved behind Marlen. Andrew watched, entranced, as Chen stripped of Marlen’s shirt with a sexy pull and yank method that revealed bits of Marlen’s hard abs a little at a time. Andrew had already seen both men naked. As bird shifters they often appeared on his doorstep stripped of their clothes.

This was different.

They hadn’t just changed from their bird form. They were humans preparing for sex.

With him.

Andrew swallowed, trying to gather some moisture into his mouth. “How did I get so lucky?” he asked, not expecting an answer.

“We’re the lucky ones,” Chen said in a deep, sexy voice rough with emotion.

Not willing to argue, Andrew turned his attention to more important things. He pressed a kiss to Marlen’s shoulder, relishing the shiver trembling through the shifter.

“Do you want me?” Andrew asked.

“Yes,” Marlen said.

Andrew met Chen’s eyes. Chen nodded.

“Stand so we can take off the rest of our clothes,” Andrew ordered.

“Now you’re talking.” Chen helped Marlen to his feet.

Andrew removed his clothes, trying not to let his self-consciousness prevent him from enjoying time with the wrens. They wouldn’t judge him based on his age and less than perfect body. Whatever had attracted them had little to do with his appearance and more to do with his scent.

Chen trailed a finger along Andrew’s shoulder. “You are so warm,” he said in delight.

“Come closer and you can see how warm.” Andrew scooted back then lay down, displaying himself for their pleasure. The sudden heat in the wren shifters’ eyes told him he’d done the right thing. He wrapped a hand around his erection, trailing his hand up and down. The soft, needy sounds they made boosted his ego. He might not be model perfect, but the wrens didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I want to taste,” Chen said.

Andrew didn’t bother hiding his surprise, he would’ve bet money that Marlen would’ve been the one who approached first. For it to be Chen threw him off a bit. He’d anticipated Marlen wanting him more.

The wrens impatiently yanked off the rest of their clothes then climbed onto the bed with matching expressions of lust. Chen stopped between Andrew’s legs, pushing them apart with his broad shoulders as he lay down.

“We’re claiming you, Andrew. You know what this means for shifters?” Chen asked.

Andrew nodded, his throat too dry to speak.

“We need your verbal consent,” Marlen said.

Chen continued, “We don’t want any misunderstandings later. Do you agree to be ours?”

Andrew thought it over. He could hold back and fight his own needs and resist the wonderful young men before him or he could grab what they offered with both hands. Maybe then the gnawing craving in his stomach would ease. What would James think about his dad and two men his own age?

“What’s holding you back?” Marlen asked his eyes, concern lit his eyes.

“I don’t want James to be ashamed of me,” he confessed. There, it was out in the open.

Marlen cupped Andrew’s cheek. He always had the gentler touch of the pair. Chen was more intense, his passion overwhelming. Marlen wrapped Andrew in a gentle tide like he would protect Andrew from any of the world’s ills if only he gave up his worries to the wren shifter to take care of.

“He never seemed concerned when we talked to him before,” Chen said. “Has he said anything to you?”

Andrew shook his head. “No, but I’m not sure if that’s because he thought I’d turn you down or not.”

“Does it matter?” Marlen asked. He nibbled on his bottom lip, a nervous habit that had Andrew wanting to soothe.

Of course it mattered. But did it? Did James care if his father bonded with two wren shifters? A bit of soul searching gave him the answer.

“No. It doesn’t matter.” Even if it did, he had no doubt his son would be pleased for Andrew as long as he was happy. James had a kind heart and would want his father to have whatever he wanted in life, even if that included two sexy wren shifters half his age.

“Good. Now can we claim you?” Chen scowled.

Andrew smiled over the profound differences between the two men. Where Marlen worried, Chen attacked the problem. Chen ordered while Marlen coaxed. Andrew adored them both.

“Yes. I’m all yours.” Words had never had such an immediate response.

Marlen slid alongside Andrew’s body and tackled his mouth as if he needed to mark him with his scent. Did birds scent their mates like cats?

“Shh, you think too much. I can practically hear your brain spinning with questions. Sex first, questions later.” Chen’s tone didn’t leave room for discussion. The bird shifter pinched Andrew’s left nipple and he found he didn’t care.

“You’re right. Thinking is overrated.” Andrew tossed years of careful, methodical thinking out of the window without regret.

“Suck him, love,” Marlen addressed the other wren.

Andrew gasped. Hot, wet suction surrounded his cock, better than anything he’d ever felt before. “Oh, fuck.”

“We’ll get there,” Chen said. A teasing glint filled the shifter’s eyes.

“I probably should tell you I’ve never had sex with a man before.” The words spilled out. Chen’s expert sucking had derailed Andrew’s usual filters.

Marlen’s mouth dropped open. “Never?”

Andrew shook his head. I’ve rarely been attracted to other men before and I was too shy to approach a man. Later when I had the freedom to date men, none of them were interested in a guy with a kid.”

“We would’ve been,” Marlen said.

Andrew snorted. “You would’ve been kids yourself.”

“Does that still bother you?” Marlen asked.

“I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t, but I’m also not going to let it stop me. I’ve held back because of fear for too long. What did that get me? A lion shifter who didn’t want me, and a psychopath who did. Even if you guys don’t work out, I’m pretty sure you’ll be the best time I ever had.”

Marlen pressed a soft kiss on his lips scrambling his thoughts. “Trust me, we’ll work out and be the best everything you ever had.”

Andrew smiled. “Your competition isn’t that tough.”

No more words were necessary. Chen went back to sucking on Andrew, and Marlen returned his attention to rubbing against Andrew’s skin. He had to concentrate on breathing and not shouting out his bliss. His entire body tingled with sensation.

“I’m going to come.” He couldn’t hold out beneath the twin assaults of the beautiful men determined to worship him.

Chen lifted his mouth, earning a groan from Andrew. “We can’t have that. I want you inside Marlen when you come.”

Marlen nodded. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”

Andrew didn’t care if it hurt his masculine image, the whimper couldn’t be stopped. “Please.”

“Always, my love.” Marlen’s soft expression twisted his heart. He could easily fall for these men with their addictive touches and kind souls.

“Check the side drawer,” Chen ordered.

Marlen scrambled to obey. A moment later he waved a bottle with a victorious wave. “I found it. Lions take good care of their guests.”

Chen kissed Andrew, his lips barely a whisper against Andrew’s skin. “Marlen’s going to ride you, then I’m going to fuck you into the mattress. Do you have any problem with that plan?”

“No.” Andrew shook his head. “Sounds perfect.”

“Since you’ve never had anal penetration before, it will be easier if we turn you on your stomach.”

Andrew frowned. “What makes you think I’ve never had anything up my ass?”

“You said you’ve never had sex with a guy.” Chen tightened his grip on Andrew’s arm as if trying to stop him from leaving.

Andrew blushed. “I have a few toys.”

“Oh.” Chen’s eyes lit with interest. “We’ll have to explore those later.”

“Much later. I’m going to get fucked now and not with a rubber object,” Marlen announced.

Andrew’s attention snapped to the other wren. Marlen must’ve prepped himself while he’d been distracted with Chen. With little fanfare, Marlen lined Andrew up and sank down on him without hesitation.

“Oh.” The wren didn’t use a condom. Nothing blocked the full sensation of being dipped into Marlen’s hot heat. If he’d thought that Chen’s mouth was bliss he’d been mistaken, this was heaven.

“He’s so tight,” Chen whispered in Andrew’s ear. “No matter how many times you fuck him, he still grips you like a fist. And the beauty with shifters is you can’t fuck him too hard.”

Andrew snapped. Rolling over, he pinned Marlen beneath him. He caught the wren shifter’s surprised expression right before he began to fuck the man in earnest. He’d never had the freedom to let go and take what he wanted.

The noises coming out of Marlen only encouraged him further. Marlen clung to Andrew and pumped his hips along with Andrew’s motions, luring him to slam harder. After dreaming of the two men for days, he didn’t have the capacity to resist for long. His orgasm swept over him like a king tide, drowning him in its wake.

Chen reached a hand between them and pumped Marlen’s hard cock. “Come.”

A birdlike screech emerged from Marlen’s throat. His release splashed between them, filling the air with the scent of his desire. Andrew gasped, trying to gather enough oxygen to process his thoughts. His other lover didn’t have the patience to wait.

Chen eased Andrew out of and away from Marlen. “Let him up.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to crush you.”

Marlen smirked. “You weren’t crushing me. Chen just wants me moved so he can fuck you proper.”

“Are there improper ways to fuck me?” Andrew teased. “I might prefer those.”

He didn’t know where he found the guts to taunt the intense shifter, but he couldn’t resist.

“I’m sure we’ll explore all those too. Eventually.” Chen smirked.

Marlen slid out from beneath Andrew. “I’m going to grab a washcloth. Don’t do anything before I return.”

Andrew smiled at Chen. “What do you think constitutes anything?”

“I’m sure kissing is allowed,” Chen responded.

Andrew grabbed Chen and pulled him into the spot Marlen had just vacated. “I’m sure it must be.”

The wren shifter’s slow, drugging kisses were addictive. Unlike a narcotic, Andrew had no wish to break this new addiction. He would happily die bound to the two shifters. He’d been a fool to resist them for this long.

Chen grinned up to him, affection glowing in his eyes and making him more beautiful than ever before.

Andrew refused to call it love. Their relationship was too new for him to label it with such a big title.

“We will make you amazing mates,” Chen vowed.

The sincerity on the shifter’s face had Andrew blinking back tears. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you two, but I’d do it a thousand times more if it meant I got to keep you.”

“Oh, wow.” Marlen had returned without Andrew noticing.

He’d been focused on Chen.

“I really need to be in you right now. Marlen, can you prepare him?”

“Sure.”

“Ready, love?” Marlen stroked a hand down Andrew’s back.

“Yeah. You guys don’t bite or anything?” He’d always heard of shifters biting each other to bond.

“No, wrens don’t do that. When we come inside you it will spread our scent and permanently mingle with your own. Other shifters will know you’ve been marked,” Marlen explained.

Andrew looked over his shoulder at the wren. “But you didn’t come inside me.”

“I’ll do it later,” Marlen promised. “I don’t top very often and I wanted to feel you inside me first.”

“Okay.” Andrew didn’t want either of his mates to feel unwelcome.

A lubed finger brushed his hole. Andrew stopped thinking. Tension tightened his shoulders. He could do this. A moving finger felt completely different than the rubber dildo he’d used before. He hadn’t lied about using toys, but it had been few and far between. He didn’t have an enormous collection. He wished he’d got up the nerve to use that butt plug he’d bought. It still sat in its sealed container in his drawer.

“You’re tight. You’re going to strangle his cock. I can’t wait to watch.” Marlen settled at the top of the bed, sitting up against the headboard.

“Does he do that often?” Jealousy speared through Andrew.

“What?” Chen slipped of the bed to walk to the end. “Scoot up, I’m going to take you from behind.”

“Watch you have sex with other men,” Andrew said through gritted teeth.

Chen rubbed a soothing hand over Andrew’s back. “No, babe, I told you we never found a third. He just likes to watch porn.”

“And now I get a live show.”

Marlen’s tone of satisfaction soothed Andrew’s previously undiscovered jealous streak.

Where Marlen’s touch had been almost tentative, Chen’s fingers pushed and stretched, prepping Andrew with impatient efficiency.

“I’m ready,” Andrew said through gritted teeth.

“I’m just making sure. If you hate your first time, you’ll never let me near your ass again.”

“Now, Chen!” If he got any more ready, he’d explode from anticipation.

Chen sighed. “We don’t have to do this.”

“Yes we do. I want you inside me.” He might be wondering about how their relationship would go, but he had no questions about wanting the wren shifters.

The head of Chen’s cock might as well have been the size of a boulder when he tried to push it inside.

“Fuck,” Andrew said, his eyes stinging from the pain.

“Shh, relax.” Marlen slid down. Always eager to make everything better for Andrew.

Soft kisses across his face distracted him long enough for Chen to push deeper into Andrew’s body.

“Yes, oh, you feel like heaven.”

Chen’s tone of wonder boosted Andrew’s ego.

Marlen kissed him. Andrew appreciated the difference between the shifters. Even with his eyes closed, he’d be able to tell his men apart. Marlen didn’t seem to have an alpha bone in his body. Marlen was all sweet words and soft touches. Chen had a harder edge. Not any less loving, but more commanding.

A kiss between his shoulder blades relaxed him further. “I’m almost all the way inside,” Chen said. “Easy, babe.”

“Okay.” Andrew concentrated on relaxing. After several minutes, he opened enough for Chen to enter him completely. “I’m so full.”

He needed a bigger dildo if he wanted to emulate his lover. He should’ve paid more attention to Chen’s size before he’d agreed to let him top.

“Feels amazing, doesn’t it?” Marlen asked.

Andrew almost disagreed. The pain in his ass had more discomfort than bliss.

“Give me a minute. Let me find it.” Chen moved inside Andrew and hit the perfect spot.

Electricity sizzled up his spine. “Right there.” Andrew clutched at Marlen.

Chen pulled out with excruciating slowness then shoved back in, pegging the same spot.

He couldn’t stop the shout bursting from his lips.

“I think you found it.” Marlen grinned at Chen over Andrew’s shoulder.

Andrew would’ve made a sarcastic comment, but he forgot how to breathe. His entire world narrowed to the small point between his two mates.

He knew he’d turned a corner. Never again would he be able to live without these two men in his life.

Marlen reached beneath him and took Andrew’s cock in his hand. “I see we’ve woken back up.”

“I don’t know how.” He’d lost the ability to recover that quickly over ten years ago.

“Mates. When you meet your soul mate, even your body knows.” Marlen’s confident tone told Andrew his lover truly believed his words.

“Focus on me,” Chen demanded.

“It’s kind of hard to forget you when you have that log up my ass,” Andrew grumbled.

He winked at Marlen.

Marlen grinned and rewarded him with a kiss.

Andrew clenched his body around Chen, pulling a strangled scream from the shifter.

“Oh, yeah. Do that again.”

“Bossy.” Andrew repeated the action.

Chen smacked Andrew’s ass. “Absolutely.”

“You slap me again, boy, and I’ll turn you over my knee.”

“Oh, fuck.” Chen spurted inside him.

“You too.” Marlen pumped Andrew’s erection. It only took a few slides of the wren shifter’s hand before Andrew’s orgasm surged over him and he came on the sheets.

“That hasn’t happened in a while.”

Chen slid out of Andrew’s ass. “What hasn’t?”

“Double orgasm.”

“You have mates now,” Marlen said. “You might not be a shifter, but your body will respond to us. Double orgasms will be the norm for you.”

Chen grabbed the washcloth Marlen had brought and wiped Andrew down. “Sometimes even triple.”

Andrew snuggled up to Marlen, avoiding the wet spot. “I’m too old for that.”

“Not any longer.” Marlen wrapped an arm around Andrew, pulling him close.

“What do you mean?” Andrew didn’t really care about the answer. Chen had climbed onto the bed behind him and he was once again in his new favourite spot, sandwiched between his two mates.

Chen kissed his shoulder. “He means once you’ve fully bonded with us, your life will be extended along with ours.”

“Really?” Andrew met Chen’s glance over his shoulder.

“We don’t publicise that often.”

“But I had thought I’d bonded to James’ mother. That didn’t stop me from ageing.”

“You never bonded with that bitch,” Marlen snapped.

“She claimed I was her mate.”

“She just used you. I don’t know why, but she never mated with you properly,” Chen insisted.

“I wonder why?” It wasn’t the first time that idea had filtered into his head.

“Maybe you should ask her,” Chen said.

“Maybe I should. She still thinks she can convince James to go with her.”

Marlen snorted. “That’s because she hasn’t met his mate. She’d better vacate town before Lou returns.”

“Yeah. I warned her that James would want his mate. She was quite upset to hear he was gay. It ruined her great baby-making plan.” A niggle of unease settled in Andrew’s stomach. “I don’t think she’ll just give up though. She’s not the type. I should go check on James.” The urge to get a visual inspection of his son rode him hard.

“Let’s take a shower and we’ll go with you,” Chen said.

His concern must’ve transmitted to the wrens because they didn’t fuss. Instead they rushed him to the bathroom to clean up and didn’t even take time to fondle him along the way.

Chapter Four

Chen herded his mates out of the bathroom and went about fetching their clothes. He’d watched over Marlen for years, now he had a second mate to keep an eye on. With Andrew’s mating, James had also fallen into Chen’s guardianship. He had to keep the family together. If anything happened to his son, Andrew would be devastated.

They had just finished pulling on their clothing when someone knocked on the door.

“Andrew!” Talan shouted from the other side.

Chen rushed to open the door and yanked it open.

“James is missing. I smelt two strange female lions in my territory. I followed it to James’ scent, then they disappeared. One smelt a bit like James. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Me too. James’ mother came to visit. She wanted him for a breeder. I told her he was gay, but apparently that wasn’t enough of a deterrent. We have to get him back.” Andrew had paled at Talan’s news.

“Do you know where her pride is?” Talan asked.

“No.” Andrew slid a shaking hand through his hair. “She didn’t say. The only way they could’ve taken James is if they knocked him out. He wouldn’t have left without telling me. They can’t have taken him far.”

Chen held Andrew tight. Close enough he could feel the rapid pounding of his mate’s heart.

“Maybe she holed up nearby,” Marlen said.

“I’ll put out the word for everyone to keep an eye out,” Talan assured them. “I’ll also call around. Someone knows where she is.”

“Thank you,” Andrew said.

Marlen wished he could do more, anything at all to ease Andrew’s pain.

“James is one of us. He might have come to shifting late, but he’s a member of my pride.” Talan left after reassuring Andrew he’d find James if it were the last thing he did.

“She’s not going to hurt him. Not if she needs him to breed,” Chen tried to reassure Andrew. His mate was seconds from breaking apart.

“My worry is what she’s going to do to get him to mate. It’s not like he’s going to get an erection for a woman. He isn’t bisexual.”

“Maybe they’ll give him pretty boy pictures and let him jackoff,” Marlen soothed. The other wren shifter cuddled Andrew from the other side.

“You know artificial insemination doesn’t work for female lions,” Andrew said.

Chen tilted his head. “No, I didn’t know that. It works for avian breeds.”

Andrew frowned. “I’m going after my son.”

Before Marlen could stop him, Andrew slid out of their embrace then headed for the door.

“Oh no you don’t.” Chen rushed to catch up, Marlen at his side. He grabbed Andrew’s arm. “You aren’t going anywhere without us.”

“I don’t want you two hurt,” Andrew protested.

“We’re tougher than we look.”

Marlen nodded his agreement. “And you’re human.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Andrew looked genuinely curious, as if his human fragility had nothing to do with whether he could handle himself or not.

“Where’s my mate?” Lou’s booming voice echoed through the pride house. Lions scattered down the hall.

Andrew raced towards the sound. The wrens chased after him. Chen grabbed Andrew’s arm when he went to approach the bear shifter.

“Where’s James?” Lou asked. “No one can tell me.”

“He’s been kidnapped by his mother.” The despair in Andrew’s voice had Chen tightening his grip.

He refused to let his mate throw himself on the other shifter’s mercy. It wasn’t his fault that James had been taken.

Lou frowned. “I’m tired of people stealing my mate. You have horrible taste in women.”

“I know,” Andrew agreed.

“You won’t have to worry about that anymore,” Chen said.

Marlen was on Andrew’s other side.

Lou nodded. “Good. Are you sure there aren’t any more psycho women in your past?”

Andrew shook his head. “No. She was the last one. I had hoped she was dead.”

Chen rubbed Andrew’s back. He couldn’t help the compulsion to soothe his beloved. Andrew would scoff at their quick love, but he didn’t understand the shifter compulsion to bond with their mates. Andrew could still walk away and feel none of the repercussions of leaving them. He wished they knew more humans who had bonded with shifters. They didn’t have anyone to ask for advice.

“I found him.” Talan rushed into the room. “She checked into the Where Motel with another female. The owner hasn’t seen James, but that doesn’t mean he’s not there.”

“Do we know anything about her pride?” Lou asked. “If they are kidnapping males that brings up all kinds of warning flags.”

Talan nodded. “When I heard she was back in town I had KC run up her name. She’s been with a pride in Spokane, apparently it is run by a ruling female. They only bring men in for breeding then toss them out. They have a horrible reputation, so much that no more pride males will deal with them.”

“She did say her alpha was female,” Andrew agreed.

Chen froze. There were always more pride males than females needing a place to live. If no male would touch them, there was something going on. “What do you think they are doing to the males?”

Talan shrugged. “It’s pretty hard to piss off male lions when it comes to breeding, but we don’t have time to track one down and interrogate him. We’ve got to go get James. We have to be smart about this though. If they feel cornered, they might hurt him.”

“She’d hurt her own son?” Lou asked.

“She abandoned him as a baby. I don’t think we can count on her maternal instincts kicking in,” Andrew said.

“We’ll get him back even if I have to crush a few lion heads.” Lou growled.

“I’m coming along,” Andrew said. “I warned her I had a new rifle to try out.”

Chen had never heard his mate sound so vicious. His cock hardened behind his zipper. This might not be the best situation, but his mate was damn sexy when he took charge.

* * * *

The hotel didn’t look like much. Chen eyed it through his binoculars. The others stood beside him doing the same. They were tucked behind a small group of trees across from the motel.

“There’s her car. If she’s hurt my son, I’ll put a bullet in her head.” The coldness in Andrew’s voice snapped Chen’s attention back to his mate.

“Hey, we’ll get him back.”

“Technically she’s in my territory. I can challenge her for taking one of my pride mates. We need to talk to James and make sure he didn’t go willingly,” Talan said.

“You think he might have agreed to go with her?” Andrew asked.

“He has a good point,” Lou said. “James is a curious kitty. If his mother said she wanted to talk, he might have gone with her to see what she wanted.”

“Want us to fly down there and see if we can peek in the window?” Chen offered.

Marlen nodded his agreement with that plan.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Talan said.

“It sure is. What if they get hurt?” Andrew said.

Chen wondered if Andrew noticed he was touching them. Andrew rarely initiated contact. He accepted their caresses but never started anything. He exchanged a smile with Marlen, who also didn’t point out Andrew’s new affection.

“They won’t see us,” Marlen boasted.

Chen nodded his agreement.

“Fine. But if you’re injured, I’m not going to be happy.”

Marlen kissed Andrew’s cheek. “We’ll be careful.”

“We’re always careful,” Chen agreed.

“I don’t want to sacrifice you to save James. Why can’t I have you all safe?” Moisture shimmered in Andrew’s eyes, but he didn’t let the tears fall.

Chen kissed Andrew, a quick peck of affection. “We can take care of ourselves. Don’t worry about us, concentrate on James. This is what we excel at.”

Andrew examined Chen’s expression. He didn’t know what his mate saw, but after a few minutes Andrew nodded. “Okay. Come back safely or I’ll have to go kick some lion butt.”

“You think you can take on a lion?” Talan asked, his voice challenging.

“Well, not you, Talan, but a regular lion. If I had my gun.” Andrew lifted his rifle.

“Easy, Talan. He’s not trying to take over your pride. I think he’s got his hands full with his wrens,” Lou said to the ruffled lion.

Andrew laughed. “Yeah, I definitely do.”

Chen smiled. Talan had refused to let Adrian come because his impulsive wolf could’ve got hurt. He’d reasoned the smaller the group, the better their chances. Adrian had reluctantly agreed.

“Are we done chatting?” Lou growled. The bear shifter had a wild glint in his eye as if he were ready to run down there and get his mate back.

“Sorry.” Chen turned to his nest mate. “Ready?”

Marlen nodded. They started to remove their clothing. Andrew grabbed them before they had more than their shirt off. “What are you doing?”

“We can’t exactly shift with our clothes on, the shirt alone would weigh us down,” Chen explained trying to keep his patience. “You’ve been around shifters before.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Andrew glared at the other shifters.

Talan raised his hands. “We’re turning.” He motioned towards the others.

Amid rolled eyes and good-natured ribbing, the other two men turned around.

“Now you can strip down,” Andrew announced.

“You’ll have to get used to this eventually,” Marlen said.

“Maybe. Or maybe you’ll just have to get used to changing in our bedroom then flying off,” Andrew countered.

Chen planted a hard kiss on Andrew’s lips. “We’ll be right back, beloved.”

Reaching into his mind, he transformed. After trilling to Marlen, he flew away.

The motel showed sign of age. The cheery paint job didn’t cover the fact the building was maybe a year or two from falling apart completely. He settled on an overgrown rose bush outside a window and peered inside the gap in the curtain.

A vibration on his branch heralded Marlen’s landing.

He chirped quietly in greeting, not wanting to draw too much attention.

Hopping closer to the window, he peered inside. James lay on one of the double beds, one woman sat on the other. Where had the other gone?

“Gotcha,” a female voice said right before the world went dark.

Marlen screeched beside him. Chen tumbled through the air, crashing into a cloth barrier that smelt of cotton. They’d been captured. Marlen slammed into him. Before he could get his bearings, they were carried away. The sound of a door closing alerted them that they’d been carried inside the motel room. She must’ve used a pillowcase to capture them—they’d been foolish to not have heard her coming. They’d become too cocky about not being detected. They’d forgotten that James’ ex knew they were wrens.

“Is that them?” a different female voice asked.

“Yes, foolish birds. Just so you know, I’ve tied this off with rope. If you transform, you might hurt yourself.” Juliet’s tone indicated she hoped they would attempt the transformation.

“How many people do you think they brought with them?” the unknown female asked.

Juliet shrugged. “Who cares? James isn’t a proper lion, so he has no pride to back him up. Only his father is going to miss him and Andrew will do anything I want while I hold James and his mates hostage. He’ll be putty in my hands.” She purred.

Chen screeched his anger. Now that they’d captured them, he didn’t need to be quiet.

“Hush or I’ll eat you!” Juliet growled.

He held back the angry barrage of scolding chirps he wished to give. There wouldn’t be much time before their lover came for them. It didn’t occur to him even once that Andrew wouldn’t try to rescue them.

A loud roar startled them.

Talan.

“I thought you said he’d be agreeable. What are we going to do with an unconscious man? We can’t exactly drag him home on the plane,” the unknown lion said.

The wrens were plopped down on a hard surface, the woman indifferent to their care.

“I said he’d do it. I didn’t say he wouldn’t need persuading,” Juliet said.

The sound of a slap and someone hitting the wall had Chen wincing.

“We can’t keep him drugged forever! We need a male to inseminate our girls, but you had to have a gay son.” Loud snaps indicated bones were being broken. The still unnamed lion shifter continued her rant. “Why can’t you do one thing right?”

“S-sorry, Mistress.”

“I should’ve known any boy of yours would be as useless as you. We just needed a few more litters to last through the winter. You’ll have to convince him to do the right thing for his family, or I’ll get rid of him like I did the others.” The she-lion growled.

Chen’s stomach swirled. The picture was becoming clear and he didn’t like it. No matter what Juliet had done, she didn’t deserve this. No one deserved to be treated like that.

A bear roar reached Chen’s ears.

“What the fuck is that?” the she-lion snarled.

Chen heard the door open then slam shut again.

It wasn’t until the alpha lion’s footsteps faded that Juliet spoke again. “You two watch over James, okay? And Andrew. They both deserve better than what I gave them. I can’t let her do this anymore. I’ve let her torture me long enough.”

Chen chirped his agreement. They would take care of their mate and his son.

Marlen added his own song.

“Good. Andrew will let you out when he comes. I can’t take the chance she’ll see you.”

The sound of the door opening was followed by the crackle of broken bones. With her injuries, changing from human to lion must’ve been excruciating, but she didn’t complain.

The soft padding of lion paws headed away from them, leaving them in silence.

Chapter Five

“Where are they?” Andrew paced back and forth. His lovers had vanished into the motel with Juliet. Talan had grabbed Andrew when he’d tried to run after his mates.

“We have to be cautious,” Talan said.

The sound of a roar echoed through the air.

“I know you’re out there. Come and get your birds if you can,” a woman screamed. Her words ended on a screech worthy of a bird shifter.

“This bitch is mine!” Lou stripped down then shifted. He let out a challenging growl.

“Lou,” Talan said.

The large grizzly turned to face the alpha.

“Be careful. James won’t like it if you get killed.”

The grizzly chuffed his amusement.

“Yeah, I know she’s only a cat.”

Andrew bit his lip. His mates were missing and James’ mate was going into trouble. He turned to Talan. “What do you want me to do?”

“Honestly, I want you to stay put. I don’t want the wrens to be upset with me if you’re injured. I like my eyes just where they are. Keep an eye on things. If she has backup, you can start trying out your rifle.”

“Are you going in?”

Talan shook his head. “I’m not going to get in Lou’s way. It’s his mate and he deserves to rescue him. If it looks like he’s being overpowered, then I’ll do something.”

Andrew lifted his binoculars to watch the encounter.

“I wasn’t sure about you, Doc, but I have to say you’re growing on me,” Talan said.

“Glad to hear it.” Andrew knew the alpha disliked how he’d managed James’ shifting, but Talan hadn’t been there when his young son had screamed from the pain. Or when James had almost been stuck in a half-shifted shape.

Talan chuckled and patted Andrew on the back. “You don’t care if I like you or not. You only care how I treat your son. That’s why I like you.”

Andrew shook his head. He’d never understand shifters.

Turning his attention back to the trouble at hand, he watched the psycho she-lion transform into her animal form and attack Lou. She had to be crazy. Lions were strong, but they weren’t bear strong. Lou swiped at the lion, sending her flying across the open field in front of the motel. Andrew watched her stand back up and attack again. Another lion emerged from the house and stood between Lou and his opponent.

Andrew dropped the binoculars and readied the gun. Before he had the sight lined up, the new lion attacked the alpha lion instead of Lou. Andrew’s jaw dropped open as the lions battled and the sounds of low growls and high-pitched screams reached them. Andrew didn’t know which lion he should shoot. They mixed together in a swirl of fur and claws.

One lion threw the other against the tree and when she turned to attack again, Lou swiped her with his claws and ripped open her chest. She lay still.

There were no second chances when it came to stealing a bear’s mate. The lions changed back. Lou’s attacker reverted into an unknown woman while the lion by the tree shifted into Andrew’s ex-wife. Cursing, Andrew dropped his gun and ran down the hill. He needed answers.

He reached the lions and dropped to his knees beside Juliet. “Where is he?”

It took a moment for her gold eyes to focus.

“Asleep.” She clutched at his shirt. “Watch over James. Tell him I love him.”

“Then why did you leave us?”

“Because she made me. I was supposed to get pregnant. I wasn’t supposed to love you both.” Her fingers tumbled away and the light dimmed from her eyes.

“Juliet,” Andrew whispered, wondering what had happened to her. He stroked her cheek. Tears dripped down his face and regret stabbed at him with sharp knives of bittersweet memories.

A large hand gripped his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Andrew nodded. He stood and carefully didn’t look directly at the naked bear shifter.

“Eventually you will get used to us being naked,” he rumbled.

“Somehow I don’t think so,” Andrew said. Brushing past Lou, he entered the small motel room. Loud chirping led him to a pillowcase tied off with a bit of rope. It took him a few minutes to unravel the binding and free the birds. The small wrens chirped happily up at him. “Hello, my mates.”

Relief coursed through him. They didn’t appear injured and no feathers were out of place.

In a blink, he became the centre of a wren sandwich. He relaxed against them. Glancing over, he saw Lou leaning over an unconscious James.

“I’ve got to check on my son.” The wrens released him immediately. They knew of his need to watch over his boy.

“Is he all right?” Lou asked. He hovered over James as if worried about touching him.

Andrew checked James’ vitals and nodded. “She just knocked him out. He doesn’t appear to be having any bad side effects. I think he can just sleep it off.”

“Good.” Lou picked up his mate in his muscular arms. Andrew didn’t get another word in as the bear shifter left the room with his prize.

Talan patted Andrew on the back. “Take your mates home. We’ll call you if there’s any change.

Chapter Six

Marlen smiled. He couldn’t help it. His two favourite people in the world were lying in bed together. They weren’t doing anything yet except smiling at each other and kissing between conversations, but for a wren, having everyone in his nest was a present of the highest level.

“Are you going to stand there and smile all night or are you going to strip down and join us? I warn you there is a no clothing standard for this bed,” Andrew teased. After two weeks of breaking apart the other pride and uncovering all her nefarious actions, they’d been too tired to do much to further their bond.

They had gone to the pride home of Andrew’s ex and had found female lions locked in cages. They’d been bred, then their cubs were sold to bring money to the pride house. Their conditions had been inhumane. Talan had turned them over to the shifter authorities to handle. The women needed counselling and places where they could feel safe. Some of them had watched their mates be killed when they’d challenged the alpha female.

Marlen pretended to pout. “What about my flannel jammies?”

“If you ever get anything flannel, I will burn it,” Chen vowed.

“But I get cold.” Marlen batted his eyelashes.

Andrew laughed. “Come here, little bird, I’ll keep you warm, though I think you probably have more body heat than I do.”

That was an invitation he couldn’t resist. He climbed on top of the bed and snuggled against Andrew.

“Are you going to claim me anytime soon?” Andrew asked.

Marlen lifted his head. “Why? Are you missing the connection?” He didn’t dare hope their human could feel the mate bond.

“I think so.” Andrew frowned. “I feel more connected to Chen and I think it is because he and I have bonded, but we haven’t.”

“O-okay.” Marlen didn’t top. Ever. Chen had been kind when he said Marlen didn’t do it often. Wren shifters only had to be claimed by one member of the nest but apparently humans were different. Since Andrew couldn’t bond with Marlen, he had to step up to the plate and do the honours.

Chen gave him an encouraging smile. “It’ll be all right. Hey, Andrew could probably give you a blow job and get the same result.”

“You think?” Marlen’s anxiety eased a bit.

“Do I get a vote?” Andrew asked.

“What is your vote?” Marlen asked, curious.

Andrew trailed his hand down Marlen’s chest. “I want you to do me.”

“Okay. If-if you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.”

“Here, babe.” Chen handed over the lube.

Marlen fumbled with the cap and would’ve dropped it if Andrew hadn’t snatched it out of the air and handed it back. “Great reflexes.”

“Thanks.”

Marlen’s fingers shook. He didn’t know why. Andrew already belonged to them and he showed no signs of distress over the thought of Marlen fucking him.

“No problem, how do you want me?”

“On top and fucking me deep,” Marlen replied, trying to hide the nerves trembling through him.

Andrew pulled Marlen close. “If you truly don’t want to do this. I won’t make you. It’s supposed to be pleasurable for everyone.”

“No.” Marlen scooted back. “I have to do this. You’re mine.” He shot a quick glance at Chen. “Ours. I want everyone to know.”

Everyone, being shifters. The wrens never worried about humans trying to snatch Andrew up. They could take care of any humans.

“I’ll prep him,” Chen offered. He kissed Marlen, a hard, reassuring peck on the lips.

“It’s not so horrible, I promise.” Andrew smiled.

A ghost of a grin hovered on Marlen’s mouth but didn’t dare materialise. “I know.”

He was being foolish. He’d never wanted to top anyone before, but Andrew called to him. He’d already touched his human mate every other way, he didn’t want this to be a stopping point.

Andrew cupped Marlen’s cock. Rubbing the soft skin with the palm of his hand, coaxing the shaft to its full glory. “According to Chen, I have a tight ass.”

He grunted when Chen pushed a finger into him.

“You do,” Chen affirmed. “Now relax so I can prep you. We don’t want you hurt.”

Chen often did that, spoke for them both. Marlen nodded his agreement as he often did.

“I love you both.”

Andrew’s heartfelt words gripped Chen’s heart. He was being stupid. Andrew wanted him. Chen had been with him for years and neither of them were upset he hadn’t topped before.

“We know,” Chen and Marlen said together.

Andrew laughed. “Then claim me and make me yours.”

He cupped Andrew’s face. “I might not be as alpha as Chen, but I will never leave you, never betray you and I will love you forever.”

It was Andrew’s turn to smile. “I know, my sweet bird. I know.”

“He’s ready.”

Marlen flashed Chen a grateful smile. His hands shook too much to prep Andrew on his own. Having Chen help made all the difference. Letting his gaze sweep across his mate, Marlen couldn’t help smiling.

“Our nest is finally complete.” He sighed with satisfaction. “Could you lie on your back and face me?”

He needed that connection. Staring into Andrew’s grey eyes and knowing his mate desired this coupling would ease his fears more than anything else.

“Of course.”

Andrew’s steady smile and understanding expression warmed Marlen.

His erection returned to full mast. Andrew’s body wasn’t the sleek wren shape he was used to loving on. Instead, he had a more solid feel. Andrew was their tree. The base they could always fly back to.

“I love you,” Marlen said. “I love you both.”

Chen kissed him. The wren’s touch always made Marlen ache. His heart overwhelmed him with emotion.

“Here, this will help.” Chen slid a pillow beneath Andrew’s ass, elevating him at a better angle for Marlen.

Andrew slid his hand up his erection. “Don’t make me start without you.”

Marlen grinned. “As long as you don’t finish without me, that’s all right.”

He pushed inside his lover’s body, his cock trudging through territory he would’ve sworn had never been breached if he hadn’t seen Chen take Andrew.

“Oh fuck, you’re tight. I’m not going to last.”

Andrew’s chuckle vibrated along his cock and only made things worse.

Grunts fell out of Marlen and words tumbled like rocks rolling about to be polished, rubbing against each other with little care.

“Now!” Chen commanded.

Marlen’s body responded to his lover’s command and he spilled inside their mate. Andrew quickly followed. He groaned as he slid out of Andrew’s volcanic heat. “I could live in there.”

“That might be a bit uncomfortable after a while.” Andrew opened his arms and Marlen snuggled in, Chen on the other side.

“We need to shower,” Chen muttered.

“You don’t need to,” Marlen said.

“Yeah, I came when you did,” he confessed.

“Good. I like it when we do things together.” Marlen kissed Andrew’s chest then lifted up and brushed his lips against Chen’s cheek.

“When did you want to look at property?” Chen asked.

Andrew lifted his head. “What property?”

“We’ve been buying plots around town to build the perfect nest,” Chen said.

Andrew frowned. “Plots? As in several?”

“Well we didn’t know which one you might like,” Marlen said. He didn’t want Andrew to think they hadn’t cared about his opinion.

“It’s a wren thing. Typically we’d go ahead and have several houses built, but because you live in an apartment, we weren’t certain of your style. And since you’re human, we thought you might want to pick a couple different types to see which one is your favourite.”

Andrew’s tone sounded a little odd when he asked. “Why don’t you just build one house?”

Chen and Marlen sat up and glared at their mate. “We would never do that,” Chen snarled. “It would show disrespect to only give you one choice.”

Marlen nodded his agreement.

“Oh. I was just thinking about the cost.”

Marlen laughed. “Wrens save their entire lives for this.”

“Like a nest egg?” Andrew asked.

“Exactly!” Marlen didn’t know why his mate found that so amusing.

“What do you do with the extra houses?” Andrew asked.

“Sell them. Wrens are great at real estate.” It was one of the number one jobs for wren shifters, it just didn’t appeal to either of them.

Andrew pulled them both back down to snuggle. “I look forward to seeing my choices.”

Marlen smiled. They’d known as soon as they saw him that Andrew would make a proper mate. Chen rubbed his arm, cherishing their connection.

Yes, it was worth a little stalking to finally get their Andrew. Satisfied, deep in his bones, Marlen slipped into sleep. Tomorrow would be early enough to tell Andrew they wanted children.

Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

A Wizard’s Touch: Farren’s Wizard

Amber Kell

Excerpt

Chapter One

“Touch me!” Farren Azar growled at his lover.

Dan Stewartson flipped back his brown hair where it had fallen across his brow. His blue eyes glowed with lust and appreciation. “Now, babe, there’s no hurry. We have plenty of time.”

“Trust me—you are running out of time. If you don’t do something soon, I will take over.”

Dan nipped at his neck. Pleasure poured through Farren. His toes curled and his breath stuttered. His body struggled between the pain of too much sensation and the greedy urge to get more. Oh fuck! He’d never had anyone explore his erogenous zones until he’d met Dan. His lover damn well owned the map to them.

Dan slid his face across Farren’s neck, and the rough hairs on his cheek sent shivers rippling across Farren’s skin.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Soon,” Dan promised. “Very soon. Hang in there, a little more.”

“Now!” Heat flushed through Farren’s body. He clenched his fists and pushed the fire back, deep inside where it couldn’t escape.

I can’t lose control!

He took long, slow breaths and mentally shoved his magic in a box and locked it with triple industrial locks. If he burned Dan, he’d never forgive himself. It had been too long since he’d purged his magic. He should’ve cleared out his system before going to bed with Dan, but he couldn’t resist Dan’s smile or anything else about him.

Dan grabbed Farren’s wrists and pinned them over his head. Farren sighed with relief. Dan’s brief show of dominance couldn’t have come at a better time. With his wrists pinned, Farren couldn’t burn Dan with his fingers.

“You like it when I take control?” Dan asked.

“Sometimes.” Especially when Farren was seconds from losing the tight leash he had on his magic.

Dan kissed Farren, nipping his bottom lip when he finished. “One day I’m going to tie you up and have my wicked way with you.”

Farren’s heart skipped a beat at that promise—more because the words indicated they would be doing this again than because he cared to be tied up. “We’ll see. Maybe I’ll tie you up instead.”

The image in his head of Dan spread out and bound in place for Farren’s pleasure almost had him coming from the thought alone.

He groaned.

“I might just let you.” Dan bit Farren’s right nipple.

“You are a toothy guy aren’t you?” Farren teased.

“Maybe I’ve been hanging around wolves for too long.” Dan’s sexy mouth tilted up at the corner.

Farren figured Dan had probably been having too much sex with werekin. He quickly blanked that thought before jealousy spiked his magic. This was going to be the first time they went all the way and Farren didn’t want to ruin it by setting the bed on fire. “I’d prefer if you keep them out of your bedroom.”

If he were dressed and not lying beneath Dan with their erections rubbing together, he might have been able to pull off nonchalance. By the change in Dan’s expression, he knew he’d failed.

“I’m not seeing anyone but you,” Dan promised. He kissed Farren, a silent vow that he eagerly accepted.

“Good,” he said once Dan had finished kissing him stupid. “Me either.”

“Excellent.” Dan released Farren’s hands to grab his hips. He slithered down to lap at Farren’s cock.

Farren groaned. “Inside me, now!”

He’d never been happier that his roommate tended to spend the night elsewhere. Truth be told, Maddox was a complete slut. In the three months since they’d roomed together, Farren could count on one hand how many times Maddox had actually slept in his bed.

The perfect roommate—or he would be if he weren’t so intent on getting into Dan’s pants. Although Dan hadn’t said anything, Farren wasn’t an idiot. He saw how Maddox watched Dan. From the glares Dan sent Maddox, Farren had no doubt his roommate had hit on his man and that Dan had shot him down.

“You want to face me or roll over?” Dan asked.

Nerves jangling, Farren thought over his choices. He didn’t know how his magic would respond to Dan penetrating him. “I’ll roll over.” Farren worried that his eyes might change colour or his hands turn too hot. He’d had enough experience in the past to know he didn’t always look human when he came. Farren planned to hide his true nature from Dan until at least their five-year anniversary.

Farren bent his knees, tilting his ass up.

“Oh man, that’s a beautiful sight.” Dan groaned. He slapped Farren’s butt, the sound loud in the quiet room.

“Ow.” Farren turned his head to glare at Dan. “Stop that.”

Dan grinned then reached around and pumped Farren’s erection. “Doesn’t look like you minded that much.”

“My cock doesn’t know what’s good for it. Don’t take its advice.”

Dan laughed. He grabbed the lube off the table. Farren sighed when Dan’s finger circled his hole. He scooted closer to Dan’s touch only to have his ass slapped again. “Will you stop that?”

“No.” Dan’s mild tone had Farren laughing.

“Feeling dommy today, are we?”

“Maybe.”

Each of Farren’s shoulder blades received a soft kiss. A bite to the back of his neck pulled a moan from his throat. “Damn, that feels good.”

“I’ve got something to make you feel even better.” Dan slid his erection between Farren’s ass cheeks, pressing the hard rod along his crease.

“In!” Farren demanded. He gritted his teeth as he fought to keep the magic inside.

He desperately needed Dan to wrap up their lovemaking before he lost it. Dan slid a finger inside Farren, but only one. Farren groaned.

“More.”

“Don’t make me spank you again,” Dan warned.

“Bossy.” He would’ve complained more, but Dan took that moment to slide in another finger.

Farren arched his back and pushed into Dan’s touch. He concentrated on keeping his magic inside and not exploding into flame.

Dan took a few more minutes to prep Farren. Just as Farren was about to snap, Dan speared Farren’s hole with his cock, pressing inside and spreading Farren perfectly.

“Yesss,” Farren hissed at the burn and stretch.

“Relax, babe. Am I hurting you?”

“No.” Farren couldn’t gather enough syllables or gain enough breath to form longer words.

Kisses showered his shoulders and back. Dan’s hot breath bathed Farren’s neck and sweat dripped across his skin. In slow, controlled motions, Dan slid in and out, lingering unnecessarily, in Farren’s opinion.

“Harder!” Farren needed to feel Dan for days. If he didn’t survive his magical purging, he wanted this to be his last memory.

“You’ll take what I give you.”

“Remember, paybacks are a bitch,” Farren warned.

Dan patted Farren’s hip. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Farren almost came from the image in his head, of him screwing Dan. “Oh, fuck.”

Dan’s body shook with laughter. “Like that image, do you?”

“Yes.”

“Next time.” Dan wrapped his hand around Farren’s cock, sliding his touch up and down Farren’s skin in a tantalising tease. “I want to feel this inside me.”

Farren groaned.

“That’s it.” Dan tightened his hold and rubbed harder, giving Farren the friction he craved. Farren’s orgasm seemed to snap whatever leash Dan had over his control. Growling, Dan pumped his hips, driving into Farren with a new ferocity that almost triggered another orgasm.

“Yes!” Farren might not be able to come again, but he still enjoyed the sensation of Dan sliding inside.

Dan grunted, the noise deep and guttural, then collapsed against Farren. “You melted my bones.”

For a second Farren’s heart almost stopped until he realised Dan was speaking figuratively. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now get off me—you’re heavy.”

Dan laughed. He slid off the bed and stumbled to the small, attached bath.

Farren rolled away from the wet spot. He mumbled a short spell, smiling when the mess quickly vanished off both the bed and his skin.

“Nice,” Dan approved. “I love that spell.”

“Mmhmm, come here.” It would be wiser to send Dan on his way, but Farren couldn’t just toss his lover out of bed.

Dan immediately climbed back on the bed and snuggled close. “You are always so warm.”

You have no idea.

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About the Author

Amber Kell has made a career out of daydreaming. It has been a lifelong habit she practices diligently as shown by her complete lack of focus on anything not related to her fantasy world building.

When she told her husband what she wanted to do with her life he told her to go have fun.

During those seconds she isn’t writing she remembers she has children who humour her with games of ‘what if’ and let her drag them to foreign lands to gather inspiration. Her youngest confided in her that he wants to write because he longs for a website and an author name—two things apparently necessary to be a proper writer.

Despite her husband’s insistence she doesn’t drink enough to be a true literary genius she continues to spin stories of people falling happily in love and staying that way.

She is thwarted during the day by a traffic jam of cats on the stairway and a puppy who insists on walks, but she bravely perseveres.

Email: amberkellwrites@gmail.com

Amber loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.totallybound.com.

Also by Amber Kell

Hellbourne

Back to Hell

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Switching Payne

Supernatural Mates: From Pack to Pride

Supernatural Mates: A Prideful Mate

Supernatural Mates: A Prideless Man

Supernatural Mates: Nothing To Do With Pride

Supernatural Mates: Talan’s Treasure

Supernatural Mates: More Than Pride

Supernatural Mates: Protecting His Pride

Cowboy Lovin’: Tyler’s Cowboy

Cowboy Lovin’: Robert’s Rancher

Dangerous Lovers: Catching Mr Right

Dangerous Lovers: Accounting for Luke

Yearning Love: Taking Care of Charlie

Yearning Love: Protecting Francis

Yearning Love: In Broussard’s Care

Planetary Submissives: Chalice

Planetary Submissives: Orlin’s Fall

Planetary Submissives: Zall’s Captain

Magical Men: Keeping Dallas

The Under Wolves: A Gamma’s Choice

Mercenary Love: Tempting Sin

Mercenary Love: Testing Arthur

Mercenary Love: Teasing Jonathan

The Thresl Chronicles: Soldier Mine

The Thresl Chronicles: Prince Claimed

The Thresl Chronicles: Politician Won

The Thresl Chronicles: Bonded Broken

The Thresl Chronicles: Duke Betrayed

The Thresl Chronicles: Saint Returns

Hidden Magic: William’s House

Hidden Magic: Modelling Death

Hidden Magic: Magically His

A Wizard’s Touch: Jaynell’s Wolf

A Wizard’s Touch: Kevin’s Alpha

A Wizard’s Touch: Farren’s Wizard

A Vampire’s Kiss: Kissing Orion

Heart Attack: My Subby Valentine

Scared Stiff: Protecting His Soul

Unconventional at Best: Convention Confusion

Unconventional in Atlanta: Blown Away

With RJ Scott

End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Cupid Curse

End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Wicked Wolf

End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Dragon’s Dilemma

End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Sinful Santa

Totally Bound Publishing