Friday, April 26, 2013

Ollie's Haven by Stormy Glenn

OLLIE’S HAVEN
Wolf Haven 2
Available Now!
Griffin Gates used to be a Senate Sentry. Now, he’s just a guy along for the ride as a group of people run for their lives and one of them is his mate. If he was an accepted part of the group, it might be different but his former status as a Sentry has kept him standing on the outside looking in—even with his mate.
Ollie Fremont wants nothing to do with Griffin. After spending years locked up so that no one knew his father had given life to an omega wolf, being mated to a Senate Sentry seems like a really screwed up joke. He doesn’t trust Griffin not to betray him to the Senate.
There’s just one small problem…Griffin has already claimed Ollie.


STORY EXCERPT
Griffin Gates stared over the hood of the truck, watching the other people he was traveling with as they all sat around a picnic table at the rest area they had stopped at. They were pretty much a ragtag group and each and every one of them were on the run because they were gay.
It was a run for their very lives.
If the Senate Sentries caught them, they were dead, right down to the last one of them, which happened to be a brand new baby. In fact, the baby might be in the most danger. He was living proof of the lies that the Senate had been telling their people for centuries.
The poor thing was less than three weeks old and he already had a price on his head. It made Griffin want to tear something apart—preferably a member of the hunter team sent out by the Senate to track them all down and kill them. Griffin knew it like he knew the sun would come up tomorrow.
He used to be a Sentry, a sanctioned killer for the Loup-Garou Senate.
That had all changed when he discovered that one of members of this ragtag little group was his mate. Now, due to his actions that night, he was on the run just as much as his new friends were. The Senate would never forgive the fact that he had shot the members of his own hunter group or helped Rico and his friends escape.
He hadn’t had any other choice.
Letting the hunters get to Oliver Fremont became unacceptable the second he discovered the man was his mate. Due to his increased Loup-Garou genetics, he was probably one of the few wolves around that didn’t need to sleep with his mate to discover they were mates. He just had to smell Ollie to know the truth.
Not that it did him a damn bit of good.
Ollie was denying him, refusing to have anything to do with him. He wouldn’t even speak to Griffin, but that didn’t change the fact that they were mates. And Griffin would protect Ollie till his dying breath, whether the man accepted him or not.
At the rate things were going, Griffin was leaning toward not.
Griffin sighed and rubbed a hand down his face as he pushed away from the truck. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk around the parking lot, stretching his legs out a bit. Sitting in the truck for hours on end made him a very cranky wolf. It didn’t help that Ollie refused to sit in the truck with him, not matter which truck he sat in.
Hell, Ollie refused to have anything to do with him at all. Except for one incredibly hot incident in the woods soon after they met, Ollie did his level best to pretend Griffin didn’t even exist, and Griffin didn’t think that was going to change any time soon.
No matter how much his heart ached for his mate.
Griffin glanced over at the group for a moment, waiting until he caught Rico’s eye, then nodded is head toward the bathroom. When Rico nodded back, Griffin headed for the bathroom. He was under orders to let Rico know whenever he went somewhere unescorted.
It only made sense considering that they were all running for their lives. Because of who Griffin had been, and the things he had done while working for the Senate as a hunter, he was still watched pretty closely by the group.
They didn’t trust him.
Griffin understood it. He just wished they understood that he wouldn’t do anything that would harm a hair on Ollie’s head, and he would kill anyone that tried to hurt his mate. Nothing else mattered except Ollie’s wellbeing.
He wished Ollie understood that as well.
Griffin walked into the bathroom and did his business then went to wash his hands. The mirror above the sink wasn’t made of glass but rather polished metal, but he could still see himself in it and he didn’t like what he could see. The lines around his mouth and eyes were more pronounced, deeper. He looked older, tired.
He looked like shit.
Griffin sighed and turned away. There was no hope for it. He was in an impossible position and there didn’t seem to be any way out of it. No matter how many times he tried to approach Ollie, the man really wanted nothing to do with him. And Griffin couldn’t bring himself to be angry about that.
He deserved every hateful word Ollie tossed at him.
Griffin had spent the better part of the last few years doing the Senate’s bidding, tracking down the Loup-Garou deemed rogue by the Senate and bringing them to justice. Granted, he had been following orders and enforcing the laws of his people, but it was only now that he understood that those laws were not only wrong but implemented by a group of people that didn’t want to give up their power.
Griffin hated the Loup-Garou Senate and everything they stood for. If he had his way, every damn last one of them would be put to death for the people they had ordered executed and the laws they had enforced to keep the truth from all of wolf kind.
They deserved nothing less.
And after Griffin made sure that Ollie was safely hidden away on the property he had secretly purchased to hide away on, he planned to do just that. But getting Ollie there came first. Griffin wouldn’t do anything until he knew that Ollie was safe.
Dejection rode Griffin hard as he turned off the water and went to dry his hands. It seemed that he had nothing to look forward to in his life but planning the take down of the Loup-Garou Senate—and his death, because he knew he wouldn’t come out of that battle alive.
It would be worth it to keep Ollie safe.

ADULT EXCERPT
Ollie pressed his ass backward. He bit his bottom lip as he wiggled his ass around a little. He wanted to feel that hard cock smashed against his ass, not his back.
“Keep that up, and I’m going to fuck you,” Griffin’s deep and sleep filled voice said from above him.
Ollie’s heart quickened as he braved the threat and wiggled again. He gasped when Griffin rolled, placing Ollie below him. Griffin grabbed Ollie’s, pushing them above his head with one hand as the other skimmed down his side.
Ollie shivered at the contact.
Griffin’s dark eyes were intense as he gazed into Ollie’s eyes. “Do you want to get fucked, baby?”
Ollie swallowed and nodded. He had wanted to get fucked by Griffin from the moment he had laid eyes on him this morning. The previous night, as intense as it had been, wasn’t enough. Ollie was having serious doubts that he would ever get enough.
“Stand and strip.” Griffin’s voice was deep, commanding, and guttural.
Ollie shivered as Griffin released him. He stood, his hands shaking as he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside, and then pushed his pants down his legs, kicking them off along with his underwear. He groaned when he bent to remove his socks and felt a hand glide over his ass.
“You have a very nice body, Ollie.” Griffin said as he stood and slowly started to peel his own clothes off.
Ollie gulped when he saw the large cock slap Griffin’s belly. His mouth watered to taste it, to take it into his mouth, and suck it until Griffin shouted his name. Would Griffin shout his name?
Griffin tossed his clothes aside and then cupped Ollie’s face, rubbing their cocks together as he kissed Ollie as if he mattered, like he wanted this as much as Ollie did.
Ollie moaned as Griffin cupped his ass, pulling him closer, taking the kiss deeper. His skin broke out in goose bumps as Griffin’s hands left his ass and slid over his back. He wanted to climb the large man and beg to be fucked.
“You’re mine, Ollie. I won’t share you with anyone else. Do I make myself clear?”
Ollie nodded. “Yes.”
A low guttural growl left Griffin’s lips at Ollie’s answer.  “Get onto the blankets and lay on your back,” Griffin demanded.
Ollie twisted around, scrambling to do as the larger man commanded. His skin buzzed with excitement at the knowledge that Griffin was going to claim him again. Ollie laid down on his back and spread his legs wide.
“Beautiful,” Griffin whispered as his eyes roamed over Ollie’s naked body, but Ollie wasn’t sure if Griffin was talking to him or to himself.
He fisted the sheets as Griffin dropped to his knees and crawled up the blanket, smoothing his hands over Ollie’s legs. Ollie was dying to move, to wiggle around and beg Griffin to fuck him already, but he bit back his urges.
His eyes damn near rolled to the back of his head as Griffin’s fingertips played over his skin, slowly making their way up his thighs toward his hard cock. Ollie almost whined at the slow pace.
Griffin wrapped his large hand around Ollie’s hard shaft. This time he couldn’t stop his moan. His legs spread wider as Griffin stroked his cock. The other hand cupped his balls, massaging them as Griffin watched him intently.
Ollie writhed, squirmed, and moaned as he succumbed to the waves of ecstasy that tried to pull him under. He lay there, drowned in a flood tide of exquisite rapture as Griffin took him to another place, a place where Ollie was no longer his own person, a place where Griffin owned him, mind, body, and soul.
“Come for me.”
Ollie’s back left the blankets as he cried out, hot jets of cum shooting from his cock as Griffin stroked him through his orgasm. The pleasure was pure and explosive as Ollie shouted Griffin’s name, his head thrashing from side to side. He panted as Griffin milked his cock, pulling every last drop from his balls.
“You’re beautiful when you come, Ollie,” Griffin whispered. “You make me feel like I can conquer the world.”

For more on the Wolf Haven series, visit my website at http://www.stormyglenn.com/wolfhaven.htm

All in the Details by AKM MILES

Blurb

Beau Garner meets Nash Tyler under very strange circumstances. Beau's so not the gun type. He keeps saying that! Their relationship develops over a period of time filled with one wild ride after another. Beau, with his OCD, is the owner of a successful event planning company called Details. Everybody knows, or he thinks they should, that to get things done well, it's all in the details.
Beau goes from planning parties, weddings, and showers with his well-chosen staff, to nearly getting arrested, to saving a young girl, to becoming the victim of hate crimes, and then things really take a turn. Now what? Thank God he’s got Nash, but what if his life is a little too crazy for Nash?
 

 
Excerpt
 
He found the aisle and was looking at some of the toys they had for kids. He'd just seen the bags of balloons and was reaching for the three bags of white ones when he heard children's voices from the next aisle over.
He didn't think anything about it until one of the little boys said, "Pick it up."
Another child said, "You pick it up. I'm not gonna pick it up. You think it's real?"
The first one replied, "It looks real. Wonder what it's doing under there? I'm gonna pick it up."
"No. What if it goes off and shoots you in the foot? Or what if you drop it and it hits both of us? I'm tellin' Mom." The second one was getting a little louder.
"Don't you dare, chicken. I'm gonna get it." The first one grunted like he was bending down to the floor.
Beau was stunned for a second and then the whole thing made sense and he hurried around the end of the aisle. He saw two little boys, maybe four and five. The bigger one was bending and reaching for a gun that was just under the bottom shelf on the floor.
"Hey. Leave that alone." He couldn't let the boy pick up the gun and take the chance that it was indeed real.
They gasped and froze, looking at him. Beau moved closer and bent to pick the gun up before the young boy could reach any farther under the shelf for it. He picked it up and was surprised at how heavy it felt to him. He had no doubt this was a real gun.
All hell broke loose. Both boys screamed at the top of their impressive lungs. Beau nearly dropped the gun himself at the cacophony. Both boys were now standing right there, looking at him like he was going to shoot them when a woman came around the corner, sliding to a stop when she saw the tableau in front of her. Her screams added to theirs and Beau was now as frozen as the boys. Of course, the only thing that would add to the idiocy of the moment was the lady behind the counter.
She held a shotgun in her hands and yelled over the others, "Y'all shut up! Now, Marie, bring those boys over here to me and put them behind the counter. You join them and all of you sit on the floor. Now, stop screaming, you hear? My gun's bigger than his."
Beau spoke for the first time. "Ma'am, this is not my gun. I heard the boys talking and they were going to pick it up and I was afraid one of them might get hurt."
"Uh-huh. But you're holding it and the police are on their way, so just you stand there, nice and easy until they get here." Mabel was calm and steady. Beau was shaking like a leaf.
"Really? Do I look like someone who would own a gun?" he asked.
From behind the counter a small voice jumped in with, "You look like a fag."
Beau was so shocked he nearly dropped the gun. His hand was shaking. He heard the mother, Marie, say, "John David, you hush right now. I'm sorry, mister, he's only five. Please don't, uh, do anything you might regret."
Beau was simply stupefied. "The only thing I regret is that I'm going to be late to Shana Wainwright's sixteenth birthday party. They're not going to have the white balloons we need. Damn, try to do a good deed and oh, yes, I hear the sirens. What fresh hell is waiting for me now?"
"Could you not cuss so much in front of the boys, please?" Marie was full of requests from the floor behind the counter.
"Sorry."
A Tanner Police Department cruiser pulled up out front, lights and sirens stopping abruptly. Beau sighed in relief, though it was short-lived. Two officers came bursting through the door, guns drawn, and the younger one yelled, "Put the gun down, lie down on the floor, hands clasped behind your head."
From behind the counter, Beau swore he heard one of the boys say, "Cool."
 
 
 
  ~AKM Miles~
***love is love***
www.akmmiles.com
akmmiles@yahoo.com
http://akmmiles.livejournal.com
http://www.facebook.com/akm.miles
http://bookworld.editme.com/akmmileshomepage
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2869347.AKM_Miles
 

 

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Cold Warriors by Clare Dargin

Cold Warriors 

Left in cryogenic stasis for nearly a century, Caitlin Driskoll is awakened and drafted into a war she knows nothing about. Expected to defend a world where her kind is despised and expendable, she discovers love and respect from the one man who can’t be associated with her.

Lieutenant Colonel Medoro Keegan has spent a lifetime in the Marines. With no family to speak of, the Corps and his ship, the USS Blanchard, are all the loved ones he needs…until Caitlin sparks a fire within, that threatens to consume him if he doesn’t walk away.

Will he choose a life of certainty in the only world he knows or give it all to Caitlin and run the risk of losing someone, yet again?


 

Excerpt~

He didn’t know what to say. His first clash with her had distracted him to the point of madness. It had been some time since he’d had such a powerful encounter with a woman. The last one to push his buttons that hard, he wound up marrying.

Caitlin was stubborn, mouthy, somewhat insubordinate, and filled with an innate force he had not seen in sometime. She had no problem in standing up for who or what she believed in. He didn’t like the feelings she stirred in him. He dare not consider them. Especially with her. She was a subordinate and a cryo. It was against regulations for him to even think of starting anything with her.

He shifted his stance. His heart pounded in his ears and breaths quickened. “Ms. Driskoll. I don’t know what you expect from me.”

“Nothing more than I expect from myself.”

Before he knew it, he crossed the distance between them and swept her into a searing kiss. He caressed her body, touching every curve. Arousal sped through his body like lightening. He dug his fingers in her hair and hungrily dominated her mouth, his tongue delving in, playing with hers. Gripping her waist, he lifted her up and placed on her the table. She arched her neck exposing her creamy skin. He nipped and bit at it enjoying its smoothness. He reached up and caressed her breasts, a need filling him to see them, taste them.


He was ready to slip off into oblivion when he remembered himself. It was the middle of the day; they were in a briefing room and would be caught. Breaking off the kiss, he raised his hands in surrender.

“Jesus,” he said in between breaths.

“What?” she panted, as she straightened her uniform.

“Please leave. Just go.” He closed his eyes, wrestling his feelings into submission. Holding them down, he shuddered. Dear God, help me. He needed her so badly. His breathing slowed to a normal rate. When he opened his eyes, she was gone.

“Sir, you’re needed on the bridge,” the voice on the com said.

“Be right there,” he replied, grateful for the distraction.
 
 

Monday, April 22, 2013

The Queen's Consorts by Kele Moon

Blurb:

The Queen's Consorts.

Just laying eyes on one is a death sentence. So when Sari, who spent most of her life on the streets, ends up entangled in a steamy relationship with the two most forbidden men on the planet she knows it can’t end well.

After a brutal attack, Sari’s taken to the Sacred City, exposing her to the secret lives of the Rayians who rule in the long lost queen’s absence. It’s in this darkly sexual world where she first meets the legendary consorts. 

Too handsome and talented for their own good, Calder and Taryen have learned to trust only each other in order to survive. Bred to be feared warriors and exclusive companions to a queen, instead they’re slaves to other Rayian’s desires for them. 

Their brutal lives make the two consorts hesitant to care for Sari when she’s unexpectedly dumped in their laps, but they soon discover she’s different from the cruel women they’re used to serving. Drawn to Sari on a soul deep level, Calder and Taryen can’t seem to stop themselves from going back for one more taste of the beautiful outsider… even when it puts the fate of the entire world in jeopardy.
 


Sari came awake to the slow throb of an agonizing headache. Her first instinct was to groan, but life made her cautious. She lay still instead, forcing her breathing to remain steady as she silently dealt with the pain and tried to absorb her surroundings without the benefit of sight.

The air was cleaner than she was used to, and sweetness lingered with every breath, smelling of burning herbs of some sort. The scent was pleasant. As was the feel of silk sheets against her bare skin.

It was then Sari realized she was naked. She couldn’t help stiffening, especially when a low male voice cut through the silence. “What are we to do with her?”

“We gave her some healing waters while we waited for you, but she needs more,” Macro said evenly. “Care for her.”

“Are we a medical unit? I missed that on our list of duties.”

“Cal, stop. We care for each other often enough. We can care for her too,” said another male. This one’s voice was more soothing in pitch than the first. Sari was still frozen in fear, even when she recognized Macro’s voice, but this new male was noticeably concerned. Sari felt some of the tension draining from her shoulders as he questioned, “Who would do this to a female?”

“You think as a consort.” Macro sounded tense. “Life has been cruel to her. Not all males appreciate the divinity of females. She’s been abused.”

“Raped?”

“I find that hard to believe. But certainly abused. That’s why I brought her to you. I thought your presence would be soothing to her.”

“She’s beautiful,” the concerned man said with a catch in his tone. “How could any male abuse her? She’s clearly Rayian. Harming any female is unimaginable, but a Rayian? With the queen still missing, what fool would offer anything but aid to a female with her appearance?”

“Have the ones who harmed her been put to death?”

“Not yet. They are in custody and awaiting a ruling. Just marring a sister’s skin is a death crime, but this is a far more serious offense than simply striking a female. It requires deliberation by the judgment panel.”

“Where’s her family?”

“She has none,” Macro said sadly. “She’s alone in the world.”

There was a deadly silence in the room before the more cynical of the two males asked, “Are you certain she’s not—”

“The queen is still missing,” Macro cut him off abruptly. “She is simply a Rayian female who was left alone to a world that abused her because of her beauty and rarity.”

“How many Rayian females are there? Even one going unclaimed and unnoticed is unimaginable.”

“I’m not arguing with you anymore, Calder,” Macro said in annoyance. “Do you want to care for her or not? I can send her away and leave you to other distractions. Your happiness is, as always, my primary concern.”

“I want to care for her,” the other man said before his friend Calder could answer. “It’s not fair for her to suffer for misdeeds of others, Cal. I know you know that.”

“She’s Rayian, Taryen. Her needs will be the same as the rest of them.” Calder sounded determined and protective. “Do you need to attract the attention of another Rayian female when you already have so many to contend with? Better to leave her to me and stay out of her sights.”

“No, we will care for her together.” Taryen’s voice grew closer to where Sari lay feigning sleep. “She’s been injured. That’s a crime against nature and our people. We should right the wrong.”

“She will be angry and inclined to punish if others of our sex have abused her.”

“That’s all right,” Taryen whispered a breath away from Sari. “I will bear their punishment for them if that’s what she needs to heal. It won’t be the first time I’ve felt pain at the hands of a sister.”

“You know how I feel about that, Taryen,” Macro snapped. “You were only supposed to endure a cycle in their hands to prepare you for the queen, and that’s it. Our sisters should not be hurting you in the name of pleasure training.”

“There’s nothing to be done. Why do you continue to try?” his friend Calder asked with dark cynicism. “You are powerful, Macro, but even you cannot force justice on Rayian females. They answer to nothing but their own conscience.”

“The balance has been disrupted. They should be answering to the queen. The great mother would never allow others to hurt you, Calder—either of you.”

“You don’t know that. She could be the same as her sisters. She could be worse for all we know.”

Macro gasped. “That’s blasphemy.”

“I apologize.” Calder’s voice was suddenly as compliant as Taryen’s. “Forgive me for my misspoken words of my queen. Serving her is a sacred privilege. I am honored to do whatever need be for the great mother and our people.”

“I believe you.” Macro huffed. “You suffer the punishment of training for her without complaint and have done so far longer than nature ever intended.”

“I do,” Calder said without hesitation. “I will gladly serve her sisters until my queen is found. Leave this newest sister to us. She will be well cared for.”

“I thought she might be.” Macro’s voice was still low and pained. “I ask once again for your permission to speak out against your mistreatment. I realize I cannot bring those who hurt you to justice, but I am not bound to blind obedience of them in the queen’s absence either. Your soul is bound to the great mother. That makes your body as sacred as hers. I have no problem reminding them you two are to be cherished, not abused.”

“There is no abuse.” Calder sounded strong and confident, but Sari could clearly hear the lie in his voice despite his obvious attempt to hide it. “Serving my queen’s sisters is never anything but divine pleasure for me.”

“Taryen, I implore you to let me do my job and protect you for our queen. How can I face her when she is found if I have failed to protect her most treasured companions?”

“You do your job just fine, Macro.” Taryen’s voice rang with honesty as clearly as his friend’s had rung with deception. “We’re more than strong enough to endure for our people while we wait. Your guilt is unnecessary.”

“I thank the gods that my birth did not deem me a consort. You both bear more than I can imagine. She’s my blood. We all feel her loss, but life has been cruelest to you by taking our queen from you. I make an offering for her return every day just to see you both under her protection.”

“Do not make an offering for us.” Taryen was still frighteningly close to Sari, the bed dipping as he rested his hands on it. He studied her in a way that caused her skin to tingle despite not seeing him to do it. “Make an offering for our people, who suffer greatly with our queen gone. The skies have been dark for nearly twenty cycles. She needs to return home to Calder and I so we can bring sunshine back to our people by protecting her and dedicating ourselves to her happiness.”

“Gods be blessed. I will gladly make an offering for that. I miss seeing the sun.”

“I do not remember the sun.” A smile sounded in Calder’s tone. “But I think he and I would be great friends.”

“You would,” Macro said. “I will leave you with your charge. Shall I send in the attendants to help?”

“Yes.” Taryen ran a hand tenderly over Sari’s forehead. “She needs female company if males frighten her. They will offer her comfort.”

“Of course.” Macro’s voice grew distant as his footsteps echoed on wood flooring. “I will send them straightaway. Care for the new one. Protect her.”

Sari’s breathing fell shallow against her will as the sound of a door opening and closing indicated she was alone with these strangers. She tried to remind herself of what she had heard, that these two males were actually the birth consorts to their people’s long-missing queen. Everyone from the highest-ranking rulers in the Sacred City to the lowest peasants were aware of these two Rayian males’ special service to their people as consorts to the queen. Not only were they feared warriors, ones trained since birth to be deadly in defense of the great mother, they were also tasked with keeping her sated and content at all times. When the queen was happy, her people and her planet felt the joy along with her. One need only look out a window to see that. The skies had been volatile for as long as Sari could remember. Storms thundered on a daily basis. Their world and way of life was in jeopardy unless the queen could be found, because it was obvious wherever she was now made her miserable and unhappy.

The consorts were rumored to be the most beautiful males in all of Auroria. Girls whispered behind hands about them, pondering their good looks and talents with pleasure, which were supposed to surpass even their legendary skills with a sword. They were a great mystery, carefully guarded for the queen, prized, but deadly birds kept in the gilded cage of the Sacred City to await the return of the Rayian female who reigned supreme over their people.

To say Sari was more than a little nervous to be left alone with them was a profound understatement. Though she did not think they would hurt her—they seemed kind enough for such lethal defenders—laying eyes on one of them would still earn a death sentence.

“You can stop feigning sleep,” Taryen said softly. “Macro is gone now.”

Sari squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She wasn’t certain if speaking to a queen’s consort was an instant death sentence like laying eyes on one was, but she was going to have to risk it because of the situation she found herself in.

“Go away,” she whispered, keeping her voice low just in case. “I know what you are. Do not think I am unhappy enough to desire certain death by looking at you.”

“Are you unhappy?” Taryen sounded curious.

“My entire body is black-and-blue. What do you think?” Her eyes were still squeezed shut tightly in fear of seeing males designed for a queen’s pleasure only. “I’m a street kid, but even I know I’m forbidden to look at you.”

“That is a half-truth made up to romanticize something that isn’t nearly so fantastic as you make it seem. A commoner casting eyes on us is forbidden, but I doubt one would actually die for it.” Calder came closer to the bed as a laugh burst out of him. “Besides, you’re Rayian. The rules do not apply to you. Do you not carry the mark of the gods on your body?”

Sari did have a marking on her body, one she had always wondered about. “W-what does the mark of the gods look like?”

“It’s the shape of our two moons when they are cresting,” Taryen offered helpfully. “Would you like to see mine to compare?”

The unbidden image of her training with the Order of the Seven Swords rose up in her mind. Sari shuddered. “No, I do not want to see yours.”

“His markings as a Rayian,” Calder clarified. “You’re one of our queen’s sisters. Looking at us is not a threat to you, my lady.”

Her finely honed survival skills made her cynical. Despite hearing the truth of his words, she asked, “Why should I believe you?”

“We’re Rayian males. Do you not think we know our own kind?” Calder asked in amusement.

Against Sari’s better judgment she let her eyes blink open and got her first look at Taryen leaning over her bed. She caught a glimpse of dark hair and a bare, muscular male body, but she avoided looking at his face. Her gaze darted around the room, taking in the opulent surroundings, which were enough to cause her jaw to go slack.

She had never seen such a beautifully appointed area. Even spending many cycles of her life catering to the rich had not prepared her for this. The enormous bedroom was decorated brightly and surrounded on three sides with large windows. The room was so stunning, even the dark weather and a fresh storm rumbling in the sky could not take away from it. She looked up at the ceiling, seeing a beautiful painting of what she had always imagined a sunny sky would look like, with fluffy white clouds and a bright sun casting warmth over the countryside. She wilted, staring at the painting and admiring the large, healthy trees, green grass, and colorful flowers that all flourished beneath a bright blue sky and warm sun.

“It’s lovely,” she whispered in awe.

“Yes,” Taryen agreed. “When our queen is returned to us, Auroria will be like that again. Calder and I will guard her and make her happy for you, my lady. You will see a real spring day, not a painted one.”

“I would like that.” Sari continued to stare up at the painted ceiling, admiring the birds flying through the clouds and the sheer brightness and joy that radiated from the sun casting life over all of nature. “Do you think she will actually be found?”

“I hope so.” Taryen reached out and touched Sari’s forehead once more, his large hand cool against her skin. “You have a fever, my lady. Will you let my lifemate and I care for you?”

“I don’t know,” Sari mumbled, letting her eyes drift closed as she enjoyed the feeling of his hand against her injured forehead. She took a calming breath and felt herself reel from the scent in the room. It was spicy and compelling, filling her with a strange warmth that rolled over her skin with a shiver. “Perhaps I do have a fever. I feel unnaturally warm.”

“Mmm,” Taryen hummed, the sound of his voice suddenly hypnotic. “You need not fear looking at us, my lady. You’re Rayian, blessed and protected like we are. You belong here in the Sacred City. We’re your brothers.”

“You can call me Sari,” she corrected, hating that they kept addressing her as someone to serve.

She let her eyes flutter open because the scent in the air had her feeling light-headed. His voice was so lulling, the comfort of it was impossible to resist. She frowned, wondering if her fever was playing tricks on her. The face hovering in her line of vision was too beautiful to be real. Dark, seductive eyes stared at her in concern. His hair was black as midnight, curling into silky waves at the base of his neck. Like Sari’s hair, which was unique for an Aurorian, Taryen’s hair was streaked, but the thick patches of white blond that ran from his temples on both sides just made the blue-black hue more startling.

Beyond his magnificent hair, it was his skin that had Sari gaping at him. It was deeply tan in a way she had never seen before. “How do you get so dark? You look like the sun has kissed your skin.”

“Artificial light.” A smile tugged at his full lips, which were inviting in a way Sari had never noticed on a male. “It gives skin color as the sun would. When you are healed, we’ll show you. Lying in it is very soothing. It warms you from the inside out. You’ll enjoy it.”

“All right,” she agreed, still admiring his skin, so healthy it seemed to glow. Sari had never seen an Aurorian with color to their skin like that. Most were all painfully pale due to the sun being constantly hidden by storm clouds. She studied Taryen’s face, realizing the rumors hadn’t been exaggerations. The queen’s consort really was surreally gorgeous, a perfect male specimen, with a strong jaw, long eyelashes, and a compelling gaze. “You’re radiant.”

“Thank you, my lady.” He gave her a bright smile, showing off even, white teeth. “As are you.”

“Liar.” She let out a pained laugh as she tried to sit up. She had to bite her lip to hold back a scream as agony shot through her body from the effort. “I feel awful, and I probably look worse.”

“The men who did this to you will surely suffer an excruciating death. I would enjoy watching their agony before they pass over.” Calder leaned over the bed next to Taryen and tilted his head as he studied Sari. “Strange as it is, I feel true rage over your injuries, my lady.”

She stared back at him just as curiously and was surprised to find he was every bit as handsome as Taryen, though in a completely different way. His hair was a light, sandy blond with streaks of black running through the sides of it. His skin was also tanned, though it was a warmer, tawny color, as opposed to the dark olive of Taryen’s skin. He had broad shoulders, and a cut, muscular body that was rare in its perfection. But it was his eyes that were awe inspiring—the lightest shade of blue she had ever seen. It made them stand out starkly against his tanned skin. Just like Taryen, he was an example of divine male beauty, and Sari could only gape at the two of them, with their opposing coloring making them a complete complement to each other in a way she had never suspected. These two men could have made a fortune for the Order of Seven Swords. They were easily the most attractive males she’d ever seen, and she’d seen many.

Calder smiled, raising his eyebrows at her appraisal of him. His teeth were straight and white, standing out against tanned skin. “She is very beautiful, even under dirt and bruises. Dare I say she is the most radiant of the queen’s sisters?”

“I thought the same.” Taryen turned to Calder, his dark eyes studying his fellow consort silently before his voice became lower, taking on a more hypnotic sound as he switched languages and whispered, “I’m drawn to her, Cal.”

Calder met Taryen’s concerned look with one of his own as he said in the same strange language, “As am I.”

Sari forced her features to stare at them blankly rather than reveal she had a gift for understanding all languages. She never knew why she could understand all voices regardless of what tongue they spoke in, but she had learned at a young age to hide the talent or risk putting herself in danger for being vastly different from others. She just stared at both men, wondering if perhaps it was a gift all Rayians had. If she was truly one of them, perhaps they had the same talents as her, but she couldn’t risk exposing her gift just yet.

Calder whispered to his lifemate, “It has been two nights since I’ve taken the herb.”

“Longer for me.” Taryen’s eyes darted back to Sari. “We should feel nothing toward her, yet I’m drawn to her—as powerfully as I’m drawn to you.”

“What language are you two speaking?” Sari cut in, deciding to find out once and for all if they knew she could understand them or if she was eavesdropping on a private conversation.

For some reason the hitch in Taryen’s voice when he admitted to being drawn to Sari as powerfully as he was drawn to Calder left her uncomfortable. She hadn’t known the consorts were attracted to each other. That was a secret kept from the Aurorian people. They were led to believe the consorts exclusively served the queen and desired only her pleasures, but Calder and Taryen were real lifemates to each other just like any other Aurorian male couple. It may have not been true of all consorts in the past, but it certainly was of these two. They stared at each other like men in love. She swallowed hard against the pulse of something strangely pleasurable as she admired the two of them looking at each other lustfully.

She almost felt guilty for ruining the moment but knew they probably didn’t mean to be so obvious as she clarified, “It’s very unique. I’ve never heard it before.”

“It’s the queen’s language.” Taryen turned away from Calder to give her an embarrassed smile. “Only Calder and I speak it. We apologize. Sometimes we forget ourselves. We know it’s rude to use a language not understood by others.”

“Only you two speak and understand it?” Sari asked cautiously, her gaze darting back and forth between them. “No one else in the Sacred City does?”

“Darin does. He is the surviving consort to the old queen. He’s the one who taught us.” Calder looked back to Sari. His beautiful, crystal eyes studied her in a way that left her uncomfortable simply because his gaze was so intense. “It’s a holy language reserved for the queen and her consorts so their conversations can always remain intimate and private. No others understand or speak it.”

“No other Rayians understand it?” Sari repeated, silently thankful she had not revealed her gift for languages, all languages apparently, even secret ones reserved for the queen. “I heard a rumor Rayians knew all languages, that they are so powerful nothing could escape them.”

“Another rumor, my lady.” Taryen gave her an indulgent smile. “We’re not as powerful as our queen. We need to work at learning new languages the same as any other Aurorian. We speak the queen’s language because Darin was in charge of our care until we reached puberty. We spoke it exclusively at home for many cycles as he taught us the fine arts of being a consort.”

“What happened after you reached puberty?” Sari asked in concern, remembering Macro’s worry over both these men. “Do you not still see him?”

“We do.” Taryen smiled. “He’s like a father to us. The only one we’ve ever known. We see him nearly every day.”

“But he didn’t care for you as teenagers?”

“No. Once we hit puberty and started releasing pheromones, our education fell to our queen’s sisters. He is a guide, someone who makes sure we keep our other skills as consorts honed, but most of our education is in our sisters’ care now.”

“What do they teach you?”

“How to care for the queen when she returns.” Calder’s voice became low and hypnotic once more. “How to pleasure her and make sure all her needs as a female are taken care of. They are kind enough to let us practice on them.”

“I see,” Sari mumbled, hearing a catch in his speech, something that betrayed abuse she knew all too well. “I thought you were supposed to remain pure for the queen.”

“We are pure.” Taryen pulled back as if she had insulted him. “We just pleasure them. We would never bond with the sisters by entering them.”

“You can do many things without penetration.” Sari closed her eyes as dark, horrible images assailed her mind. “Many unpleasant things.”

“Pleasing our queen’s sisters is never unpleasant. It is always an honor that gives us nothing but happiness.”

“I hear your lie.” Sari tried to sit up more fully, biting back another groan of pain. “Don’t worry. I won’t betray you. We’re similar souls. I too know what it’s like to be a slave to others’ passion for you.”

“You were raped?” Calder questioned. “Macro needs to know that. The perpetrators need to be punished appropriately. Raping a Rayian female requires punishment much more agonizing than death.”

“I wasn’t raped,” Sari put in defensively, her voice low and bitter. “I’m pure too. They never entered me. I never allowed that. I did anything to prevent it—anything.”

“You were violated and abused,” Calder whispered, his breathing hitching in a way that was surprising. Sari got the impression he cared very little for Rayian females, yet he was concerned for her as he reached out and brushed her hair off her forehead. “That’s as bad as rape. You should have never had to grovel to keep yourself pure. You’re one of the queen’s sisters. You’re blessed by the gods.”

“So you say,” Sari hissed through the pain. “The point is that I won’t tell. You can admit that you hate groveling to the other sisters.”

“She is a similar soul,” Taryen contemplated in the secret language of the queen, raising his eyebrows as he stared down at Sari wistfully. “I never thought to find one in a sister.”

“You look like a lovesick fool.” Calder also spoke the secret language, both of them unaware that Sari was following their conversation easily. “Stop making yourself so vulnerable.”

“Sorry.” Taryen continued to stare at Sari longingly before he switched back to traditional Aurorian that rang with the refined accent of one very well-bred. “Will you let us care for you, my lady? We have healing waters here in the palace. They will cure your injuries.”

Sari nodded hesitantly. “I will, but I need clothing.”

“To bathe?” Calder asked in amusement.

“Usually, yes. I spent too much time being bare. Now that I’m free, being naked is something I avoid at all costs.” Sari pulled the sheets higher around her, feeling her nudity keenly beneath them. “It leaves you exposed to predators. Have you not learned that?”

“Being vulnerable while bare is a state of mind, not a state of being,” Calder countered with his eyebrows raised and his light eyes shining in both understanding and pain. “Besides, we are not predators. Your will is ours. Harming a sister is impossible for us.”

Sari considered that, her life making her skeptical of any male claiming to be anything other than a predator. It was curiosity that had her pushing back the sheets in front of them, exposing her bare body from the waist up.

Predictably both their gazes fell to her chest, but instead of lust she saw sadness mirrored in their gazes. “You need the healing waters,” Taryen whispered in horror. “We didn’t know your injuries were so severe. Macro should have taken you immediately to the baths.”

“She is quite strong,” Calder mumbled, his eyes growing wider as he stared at her. “Any other sister would be screaming and crying.”

“What purpose do either serve?”

“You are wise, my lady.” Taryen reached to help her up. “Will you let us aid you?”

“I suppose.” Sari gritted her teeth again. “Where are these attendants Macro was supposed to send?”

“Oh, gods, you distracted us.” Calder jumped up, turning to walk out of the room.

“I trust you, Taryen,” Sari whispered when he leaned down, wrapping one strong arm around her waist. She gripped his broad shoulders, steeling herself for what she would have to endure to stand up. “How far are the waters?”

“The consort baths are private. Just down the hall. You can cry out. We will not judge you.”

“Good to know.”

Sari would have liked to say she endured the pain stoically, but it would have been a lie. She couldn’t help the cry of pain that escaped her. Despite Taryen’s soothing presence and his spicy, enticing scent, which was temptingly distracting, Sari was nearly flat on her face after a few steps. Her lip bled from how deeply her teeth cut into it to keep her agony silent. She knew instinctively that her pain was hurting Taryen as if it were his own, perhaps more so, and she wanted to protect him from it.

Calder walked back into the room, three female attendants following him. “Come here.”

Sari gasped when he pulled her gently away from Taryen and swept her into his arms as if she weighed nothing to him.

“What’re you doing?” she choked out, the pain still making her vision foggy. “I’m naked.”

Calder rolled his eyes, careless of her being uncomfortable as he walked out of the room he shared with Taryen and down a long, richly decorated hallway. Sari should be more concerned with her nudity in such a public domain, but the pain was making her forget everything. As was Calder’s scent. Like Taryen, he smelled divine.

“You smell good,” she mumbled, not knowing what it was about these two males that left her feeling safe to the point that she trusted them even while naked. She turned her face toward his chest, inhaling deeply. “Different from your lifemate. His scent is more exotic. Yours is a clean, crisp scent—both are nice.”

“We wear different scents,” Calder explained, taking long, fast strides toward his destination, not even sounding winded from her weight. “The attendants try to use oils they feel suit us.”

“They do a good job,” Sari whispered as she focused on the way he smelled, his strong arms holding her, his smooth, tanned skin that felt so good against hers. Calder was an effective distraction from the pain. “I think I’m attracted to you.”

“Very likely,” Calder agreed matter-of-factly. “Most Rayian females are.”

“You sound unhappy about that.” Sari found him unique as well as handsome. “Females are rare. Most males would consider themselves lucky to have such attention.”

“If you say so.” Calder turned around, looking to the attendants and Taryen behind them. “She’ll need something to dull the pain.”

“We brought it, my lord.”

Sari frowned. “I thought the waters—”

“Trust me on this.” Calder winced. “You want something to dull the pain.”

Sari opened her mouth to argue but was hushed by Calder as the attendants opened the doors. He carried her into a room that looked like a large, communal bath. Beautiful pillars and decorative lounge chairs surrounded a massive pool with sloping sides that would be nice to rest against in the water.

One of the attendants leaned over Sari as she rested comfortably in Calder’s arms. “For you, my lady.”

Sari blinked up at the young woman, fighting to keep her face in focus. The scent in the bathing area was aromatic and full of burning leaves like Taryen and Calder’s room. It was a strangely lulling scent, and her eyes felt heavy. Despite the fog to her thinking, Sari refused to open her mouth to the small cup of unknown liquid the pretty attendant was offering.

“It’ll help your pain. You’re gravely injured,” the attendant coaxed when Sari shook her head, refusing the offering.

“I don’t drink strange substances. It could cloud the mind.”

“It does cloud the mind,” Taryen assured her as he brushed her hair tenderly off her forehead. “The waters’ healing is painful when the injuries are grave. Be thankful you can take it.”

Sari stared at Taryen with his dark, soulful eyes that shone with empathy. “Will you protect me while my mind is clouded?” she asked, feeling seduced by his beauty and kind nature. “Will you keep the predators at bay until I can do it myself?”

“There are no predators here, my lady.” Taryen’s voice was entrancing. “But if there were, Calder and I would protect you. We’re well trained to protect the females we serve.”

Sari surprised herself by believing him. She leaned up in Calder’s arms, stifling a scream and choking down the horrid-tasting liquid the attendant held to her lips. “It’s awful.”

“Is it?” Taryen asked curiously, his large hand stroking her hair in a way that was calming.

She squinted at Taryen, who became fuzzy around the edges almost instantly. “You’ve never tasted it?”

“Neither of us have.” Calder pushed past Taryen and walked with Sari toward the pool. “As Taryen said, be thankful you can take it. This is going to be painful. I apologize in advance.”

“Not your fault.” Sari’s tongue felt thick. The drugs were obviously doing their job as her eyes grew heavy. “As long as it doesn’t kill me, I can endure.”

“All right.” Calder waded into the waters with her.

Her feet touched the water first, and she jerked from the searing burn. Her first instinct was to tell him to stop, but she fought the urge to flee, wanting her strength back, even if the healing was agonizing.

“Fast,” she choked, her body stiff not just from the pain but in anticipation of more. “Do it fast. End it now.”

A scream burst out of her when Calder obeyed, dropping down in the water, plunging her into the steaming pool. Her entire body convulsed from the level of pain that seared through her.

“He has to obey you. Your will is his.” Taryen jumped into the waters with them, helping Calder hold on to her as she fought against the torment that was blinding in its intensity. “Breathe, my lady. Long, slow breaths. Listen to my voice and the pain will fade.”

“It’s not fading.” Her attempt at long, slow breaths sounded more like hyperventilating. “I’m dying.”

“No, no, you’re not.” Taryen cupped her face with both hands. He turned her head toward him as she fought to break free of Calder’s strong grip. “You said you trusted me. Hear me when I say you aren’t dying. Just look at me and see the truth of my words.”

Sari panted through the pain, her eyes wide and stunned as it continued to rip through her. She stared at Taryen as instructed, finding that on some level it did help. His eyes were strangely dark, with the irises hard to find even in the brightly lit room. She became entranced, feeling suddenly as if he were some sort of mirage. She stared for several minutes, following his instructions to take concentrated breaths in a long, slow manner.

It worked. The pain started to fade faster than anticipated, though she knew instinctively it was Taryen’s beauty more than his instructions on how to breathe that was distracting her. He was so alluring. Taryen almost radiated with something stronger than good looks. In the distant part of her mind not dazed by drugs and pain, she recognized an oddly healing vitality that seemed to pulse off him. His hands on her cheeks felt warm, as if exuding some sort of restorative life energy.

“The queen is very lucky,” Sari whispered in a heavy voice she didn’t recognize as her own while she studied Taryen. “I’m attracted to you.”

“Thank you.” Taryen’s voice was still soft and hypnotic. “Appealing to you pleases me.”

“It should,” she told him, lifting her eyebrows to emphasize her point. “I’ve never been attracted to a male before. I don’t crave sex—ever.”

“All Rayian females crave sex.” Calder sounded harsh and cynical. “Give yourself time and you’ll catch on.”

“I never crave it. I never even think of it except to avoid it,” Sari explained, feeling too hazy and dazed to argue more than that. “I think it’s you. There’s something strange about both of you.”

“Our life force is bound to the queen,” Taryen explained, his voice making Sari’s eyelids heavier with its lulling pitch. “We naturally release a pheromone designed to entice her. It’s very strong. It appeals to all Rayian females.”

“I don’t understand,” Sari mumbled.

“You don’t have to.” Calder held her tighter, making her feel secure and protected. “It is us. We apologize if it upsets you. If we could turn it off, we would.”

“It doesn’t upset me.” Sari fell lax in Calder’s arms, and gave up the battle to keep her eyes open. “It makes me feel sort of nice.”

The water’s healing was no longer painful. It was warm and calming, much like Calder’s arms around her as he waded over to the shallower side of the pool. Then he lay back against one of the sloping sides with her. Taryen’s fingers were still in her hair, stroking it softly away from her face. She hardly noticed the attendants bathing her while she lay in a dazed realm of half sleep, with strong, hard arms shielding her and the smell of burning herbs mixing with the enticing combination of Calder and Taryen.

Feeling comfortable and safe for the first time in her memory, Sari fell into an exhausted, drug-induced sleep nothing could disrupt. Unusual that these two strangers were able to give her that gift when Sari rarely trusted, but Taryen and Calder didn’t feel like strangers. The sleep brought a bizarre clarity that told her on some level her soul knew these males even if they should be completely alien to her.Copyright © Kele Moon



 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Off Stage: RIGHT by Jaime Samms

Blurb:  Damian Learner and his grunge band, Firefly, are on a meteoric rise to success. If they get the right break, fame awaits. Seeking more professional management, Damian independently strikes a bargain with the best agent in the business, Stanley Krane. Unable to afford the penalty for breaking old contracts, Damian agrees when Stan’s best friend, country and Western megastar Vance Ashcroft, offers to buy him out of his old contract. 

Overwhelmed by a crippling loan, secretive guilt, Stanley’s expectations, and a volatile relationship with Lenny, Firefly’s lead guitarist, Damian disintegrates. Bad habits of too much sex, booze, and drugs create a rift in the band. Finally Vance, with his understanding of Dominant/submissive behavior, sees that submissives Damian and Lenny are falling into chaos, clinging to each other to try to avoid the inevitable crash. 

When the pressure to perform becomes too much and the unthinkable happens, Damian and Lenny have to decide: accept that they need something they can’t get from each other, or burn out and take Firefly with them. Vance is ready to claim Lenny, but even Stan’s hesitant agreement to give Damian the direction he needs might not be enough for Damian—or the band—if he loses Lenny.


Excerpt: 
Lenny was still in his room when Damian emerged from the shower, so he investigated the results of Lenny’s shopping excursion and made them both a supper of salmon and salad. Healthy enough even for a picky, demanding guitar player’s exacting standards.

 Lenny emerged from his room as Damian was scooping the fish from the pan. “You cooked?” He made a show of sniffing the meat on Damian’s spatula.

“You want to wear it? Get out of the way.” Damian planted a hand on Lenny’s chest and shoved him from the small kitchen space while Lenny snickered at him.

 “You have to admit, it doesn’t happen very often.” He managed to snag a tender pink morsel off the hunk of salmon Damian was sliding onto a plate before being forced away. “Ohmygod.” He licked his lips and reached for more. “And it totally should. This is awesome!”

Damian grinned despite his attempt to be stern and annoyed. “I’m more than this pretty face and a decent set of pipes, you know.” He demonstrated by trilling off a few notes of the song Lenny had been working on.

The guitarist blushed. “So you heard that.”

“Of course.” Damian popped a bite of fish from the pan into his own mouth. “It’s got potential.”

“I know.” Seating himself at the breakfast bar, Lenny accepted the plate Damian handed him and picked up his fork. “All it needs is a set of lyrics.” He glanced up hopefully.

“Already on it.” With a tap to the side of his skull and a wink, he set to his own dinner. “Mmm. Shit. This is good.”

Lenny shouldered him playfully. “I never thought you were all that pretty anyway.”

 “Because you’ve never had a proper look.”

“Well.” Lenny made a show of thinking about that. “No, I’m pretty sure that’s not it.” He studied Damian’s bare face and mohawk, still damp and shaggy from the shower. “Good thing you have other qualities, I guess.”

“Thanks.”
Lenny grinned. “I live to knock you down.”

 Damian speared a broccoli floret and popped it into his mouth without comment.



Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Alpha King by Vicktor Alexander



Blurb:
While on a delivery for the GPA with his adopted sister Josie, Talon "Tal" Versuthion's space shuttle crashes onto Tumaro, the notorious wolf-shifter planet. Tal, a Vermithian humanoid, is lucky to be alive, though Josie can't be found. Desperate to find her, Tal meets the Alpha King, Blazell Roughshire, his mate, and his life and the galaxy changes forever. But before the two men can settle into their new relationship, they must deal with conspiracy, murder, kidnapping and a centuries old plot to completely eradicate the human race. Can Tal, who has made it a point to never fall in love with anyone, open his heart and let Blaze be Passion's hero?



Excerpt:

Tal opened his eyes and looked around, wincing at the harsh glare of the light above him. Turning his head slightly, he glanced around the room and realized he lay on a bed, a very soft bed, and the room décor and furnishings had been done in soft golds and greens. Tal instantly felt at ease, not only the colors but, inexplicably, also by the presence of someone in the room, which didn't make any sense because Josie knew not to enter his guest quarters when they were given rooms to sleep in. He sighed and closed his eyes to return to sleep. His brain clicked into gear. He been headed off course towards Tumaro and his shuttle had crashed. Josie had been with him…
Josie!
"J-J-Josie?" he croaked.
Clearing his throat, he raised his voice and tried to sit up in bed, which he seemed incapable of doing. "Josie!"
The doors to the room flew open and Tal found himself blinking up at the massive, hulking man who'd rushed inside.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" the gorgeous man asked.
Tal's brain effectively shut down again and he let his gaze rove over the man's features. Tall, really tall, gorgeous, with long black hair, a pair of the lightest blue eyes ever. While his skin had a darker shade than Tal's, it still appeared paler than that of other Tumarons.
Shaking himself out of his reverie, Tal answered, "J-Josie… my sister, where is she? She was with me on the shuttle. Where is she?"
Reaching out, he grabbed onto the front of the man's gray shirt and held on as tight as he could, which in his weakened state wasn't all that tight. What if Josie hadn't survived? What if she had and tried looking for him? What if the Tumarons had found Josie and made her their slave? Were they about to do the same thing to him? What if he never saw his sister again?
Tal looked around the room frantically and realized what he'd thought had been a bedroom, actually appeared to be a clinic. He began to panic, his breath coming faster when he imagined all of the horrible things that could have happened to Josie, while he'd been lying in a hospital bed, apparently being taken care of.
The big man frowned when he sat down on the bed. Tal noticed and appreciated the look of concern on the other man's face but he had to find his sister.
"There was no woman when we found you, beauty," the stranger said, his voice low and full of confusion.
Tal's brain paused momentarily at the endearment. The man didn't know him and while Tal found him attractive, he felt too stunned to really appreciate it. Then the other man's words sank in.
"What? No. No. No! No, you have to be wrong! She was sitting in the seat next to mine, she was there! You have to go find her! You have to go and find my sister! Josie! Josie!"
Frantic, Tal sat up swiftly, swaying a bit and pushing away the hands of the mysterious man who seemed determined to try to make him lay back down in the bed. "Let me go! I have to go and find my sister! Josie!" he screamed and got out of the bed and tried to race for the door, stumbling along the way.
The solid wood swung open in front of him and he barreled into a very wide, very firm chest.
"Whoa there, where are you running off to?" the man attached to the chest spoke.
Tal flushed with warmth. He wanted to wrap his arms around the body before him. He wanted to wrap his legs around the bigger man's waist and never let go. Tal raised his eyes up, past the thick, muscled, tanned neck to the square jaw, dusted faintly with a dark, stubbled shadow, to the aquiline nose that spoke of an aristocratic heritage, and finally to a pair of the most gorgeous, dark blue eyes Tal had ever seen. The man's long, black hair that hung to just below his shoulders and his large frame turned him into Tal's walking wet-dream come true.
Tal quickly reconsidered the crazy notion when the man in question growled low in his chest and clutched Tal fiercely to his chest before burying his face in his neck. Tal squeaked in surprise but amazingly did not pull away. He felt safe in the man's arms, even though he didn't know his name, and he never wanted him to let go.
Tal's world spun when the man in question quickly jerked him behind him, pressing Tal against the door.
He growled at the other man in the room, "Mine."
His voice sounded low and forceful, growly and full of authority and power. He would not be one to be messed with. He ruled in the room at that moment and Tal kind of felt happy the guy seemed to be on his side, even if he didn't exactly know why.
"Blaze? Are you saying that this… humanoid… is your mate?" the first man asked incredulously.
The man named Blaze turned to look at Tal, his eyes softening rapidly, a slow smile coming to his fac. He inhaled deeply, breathing in Tal's scent, his eyes closing in rapture before he turned back to answer the question.
"Yes Buck, he's mine… my mate."
Tal's eyes widened, another squeak escaping at the word mate. His mother's words about how he would feel upon meeting the person destined for him came rushing back. He stepped away from the man called Blaze and backed into the door behind him, his eyes wide and his body quivering in fear. Blaze met his gaze, his eyebrows raised in question
"Fucking shit balls," Tal breathed. "Hell no." He shook his head quite forcefully before he slipped back into unconsciousness.

About the Author:
Author: Vicktor Alexander
Info:   Vicktor Alexander “Vic” wrote his first story at the age of 10 about his youngest sister and her destruction of the world…with her breath. Always one who pushed the edge of convention, it wasn’t long or much of a shock, before he was writing interracial historical romances. However, Vic realized that his heroes seemed much happier when they were hanging out with other guys and that was when he discovered the M/M genre. Vic now enjoys writing about shifters, humanoids, cowboys, firemen, rent boys, fairies, elves, dancers, doctors, Doms, Subs, and anything else that catches his fancy, all sexy men falling in love with each other and having lots of naughty, dirty, man-on-man sex. Vic is a huge fan of the “happily-ever-after” ending, but while his characters all ride off into the proverbial sunset, all sexually satisfied and in love, they all bear the scars of fighting for that love, just like in real life.  No fluff writer here, Vic’s stories can be slightly gritty, dark and hard hitting, but the reason for that, is that love is sweeter when it’s been fought for and won. Never satisfied with only one genre, every book that Vic writes falls into more than one category and has each main character experiencing more than one orgasm. Out and proud, Vic does not believe that love only comes in one form, one race, one gender and that not only is gender fluid, by sexuality as well.  Vic loves to make people laugh and when he’s not writing, or rather, procrastinating in writing, he’s reading, playing the Sims 3, hanging out with his very supportive adopted family, taling to his adopted daughter Catrina, seeking the man or men who can handle his crazy, stressful, soap opera-esque life and being distracted from his writing by drooling over pictures of John Barrowman and Shemar Moore.
 



 
Vic
Vicktor Alexander
Author of Erotic M/M Romance
Where Naughty & Nice Boys Get Roped Into Romance Time and Again