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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Mychael Black

ISBN: 978-1-60521-707-9
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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Mychael Black

Once high school nemeses, now band mates with a secret and a love worth starting a
war to save.

Vaughn Burke is an Enforcer -- a werewolf working for Marcus Deleon and tasked to
help their kind escape from the vampire Dalton Gray. When Marcus gives Vaughn a

new case, it’s not exactly what Vaughn expects.

Elian Levine is the guitarist for a metal band, but he has a secret no one knows. When
he managed to escape Dalton Gray, he kept the truth hidden, even from his band
mates. Now their need for a singer threatens to tear the lid off his closely-guarded

past.

Chapter One

“Got one for you.”

“Can’t you send Tiff out? She’s itching to scout.”

Marcus Deleon sat on the corner of the metal desk, hands folded on his right

thigh. He’d brought this case to Vaughn Burke for a reason, but he wasn’t dumb

enough to let that much out. Vaughn had sworn an oath years ago, after watching too

many others lose their mates, to never get involved emotionally. He got the job done

and fast, but once his charges made it back to safety, he washed his hands of them. Not

this time -- or at least, that’s what Marcus intended.

“Tiff won’t work for this. This one is a runner.”

One dark eyebrow rose and golden brown eyes narrowed. “How the fuck did he

get away from Gray?”

“I don’t know. Frankly, I don’t care. He’s one of ours and I want him safe.”

Vaughn sighed and leaned back in the chair. The poor thing tipped precariously

on its back two legs. “Fine. Where do I find him? What’s the catch you aren’t telling

me?”

“His band needs a new front man.”

The chair hit the floor hard. “What? Marcus, I haven’t sung a single word since

high school, and that was in a garage band! Are you nuts?”

“Trust me. You’ll be fine.”

Vaughn grumbled and stood. “You fucking owe me for this.”

“Noted.”

* * *

“No.”

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Elian Levine glared at the closed door where the latest loser had thankfully

stepped through after a fucking awful audition.

“Dude, we’ve tried out every fucking singer in the city,” Cole said as he set his

bass down.

“I refuse to work with some half-assed idiot who can’t be bothered to learn

covers,” Elian snapped. “If that makes me a God damned diva, so fucking be it!”

Behind his drum kit, Derick twirled a stick absently. “You’re not a diva -- yet --

but Cole’s right. We’re running out of options. We’ve got gigs coming up, E.”

Elian threw his hands up in the air, utterly frustrated. “Fuck it! I’ll sing!”

“Uh, excuse me?”

He whirled around to face the next jackass to try out. “If you can’t sing, might as

well get the fuck out… Ah, shit.”

“What Elian is trying to say,” Cole interrupted, giving Elian the evil eye, “is

hello. He’s just in a pissy mood because most of the guys we’ve seen haven’t bothered

to even learn a single cover worth doing.”

“Ah.” The man extended a hand to Cole, though his gaze remained fastened on

Elian. “Name’s Vaughn Burke.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cole Powers, bass. On drums, we have Derick Osborn.”

“And Mr. Attitude is Elian,” Vaughn finished. “We’ve… met.”

Elian snorted. He switched his amp back on and waited until Cole was ready.

“See if you can keep up.”

He launched into “Sanitarium” -- classic Metallica. Not paying much attention,

expecting Vaughn to stumble on the words, Elian nearly forgot the damn chords when

the man began actually singing. Note for note, word for word, Vaughn nailed it.

Without missing a beat, the man followed them through another three classic metal

songs, and Elian grudgingly admitted they might have found their singer.

They wrapped up the final song, and Vaughn looked like he knew damn well

what went through Elian’s mind. Those eyes bore a hole through Elian, and he barely

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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

managed to suppress a shiver. He’d never heard Vaughn sing, though he’d heard

rumors when they were in high school.

“Dude.” Cole laughed and shook his head. He glanced at Derick, then Elian.

“You got it.”

Vaughn nodded. “Cool. I’m gonna step out for a cigarette.”

The second the door shut, Cole grinned. “Fuckin’ A, man! He’s perfect!”

“He’s an asshole.”

“How do you two know each other anyway?”

Elian turned off the amp and set his guitar on its stand. “We went to high school

together. I knew he was in a band, but didn’t know he sang.”

“You’re okay with it, right?”

“Yeah. He’s good, I’ll give him that.”

Derick packed up the last of his spare sticks and grabbed his wallet off the bass

amp. “I need to get going. See you guys tomorrow night.”

“I gotta head out, too,” Cole said. “I’ll catch up with you in the morning, E.”

Elian waved them out, content to stay behind and clean up a bit. If he waited

long enough, maybe Vaughn would be gone too. He hadn’t seen the guy since they’d

graduated, and that was perfectly fine with him. Vaughn Burke might have a god’s

voice -- and looks, if Elian let himself admit it -- but he was still an asshole.

“It figures you’d be the one I’d run into.”

Fuck. “Yeah, well, just my luck you’re the only fucking singer who can carry a

tune.”

The door shut and Elian glanced up briefly to see Vaughn leaning back against it,

muscular arms crossed over hard chest. He didn’t look like a guy who could sing worth

a damn. He looked more like the football player he used to be. Unfortunately.

“Cut the shit, Levine.”

“What?”

“How did you escape him?”

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Elian froze, hand poised over a mic cable. No one, not even Cole or Derick,

knew. How the hell did Vaughn? “Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid. It’s just you and me in here.”

“Look.” Elian gave up the pretense of cleaning up and stood, scowling at his

high school arch nemesis… and the subject of every teenaged wet dream he’d ever had.

“Doesn’t fucking matter. No one else knows. I don’t even know how the fuck you

know. Why did you -- holy shit!” His jaw dropped as the man’s face before him shifted

into a sleek gray wolf’s muzzle. “You… you’re like me.”

Vaughn shifted back, though how he did it without destroying his clothes, Elian

had no idea. “I’ve been sent to bring you home, back to safety.”

“Why? I’m fine on my own. I can hide from Dalton’s thugs without help.”

“You’re pack. You belong there.”

Elian rolled his eyes. “Like hell I do. I’ve managed for six months just fine.”

Vaughn left the door and started toward Elian. Elian backed up. Vaughn, even as

a human, towered over him -- nearly six feet to Elian’s five-foot-nine. “You’re coming

with me even if I have to haul you back there myself.”

“I’d like to see you fucking try!” Elian blurted out before thinking.

Vaughn shoved him against the wall, his huge hand fisted in the front of Elian’s

shirt. “Listen, and listen carefully,” he growled. “The very existence of our kind hinges

on our ability to band together and defend one another. Dalton Gray isn’t the only one

out there who takes that from us. I was sent to bring your ass back to Marcus Deleon

and the pack because, for some fucking reason, the asshole felt I was the man for the

job. I don’t go back on my word. Got it?”

Elian swallowed, unable to make words form in his dry mouth. He’d been with

plenty of guys since high school, yet no one had ever made him so utterly dumbstruck

as this one. Vaughn hadn’t changed a damn bit over the years -- not his attitude, not his

muscular body, not his deep-timbered voice. Elian could only nod.

Vaughn released him and stepped back, apparently unaware of the turmoil he’d

created… again. “Your place, is it safe? Where is it?”

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

“Ten minutes from here, on South Street.”

“Not safe enough. One of Dalton’s meeting points is near there. We’ll get you

moved to the mansion tonight. How much shit have you --”

“What? I’m not moving!”

Vaughn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes. You are. I don’t give a shit

what you do for a living, but your new home is with the pack.”

“You haven’t fucking changed a God damned bit,” Elian snapped. “Still the

biggest fucking asshole in town.”

Vaughn actually smirked. “Means I get the job done. Now get your shit

together.”

Chapter Two

“Marcus, I quit.”

True to form, Marcus just laughed on the other end of the line. “No, you don’t.”

Vaughn snarled and paced anxiously while his latest charge gathered

belongings. This place wasn’t safe, and Vaughn swore the little shit only took so long

just to be an ass. “You knew. You knew and didn’t fucking tell me.”

“Yes,” Marcus sighed, “I did.” He also didn’t sound the least bit sorry about the

deception, either. “No matter the history between you two --”

“There is no history,” Vaughn interrupted. “We went to high school together.

That’s all.”

“Uh-huh. Okay, anyway… Despite that, he is your responsibility until he is

safely in this house.”

Vaughn grumbled under his breath when Elian returned to the front door. “I

deserve a vacation after this,” he said pointedly, glowering at Elian. “A long one.”

Marcus chuckled. “You’ll need it.”

Before Vaughn could ask what that meant, the line went dead. He scowled at his

cell phone before fixing his attention back on the one guy who used to make him forget

his own damn name. “Took you long enough.”

“Yeah, well, when some behemoth demands you go with him, you don’t have

much choice.”

“Don’t worry, princess, you’ll be rid of me -- and me of you -- soon.”

Vaughn led the way back outside, once more cursing whatever had possessed

one of their kind to live in such a dangerous area. Normal humans worried about

robberies, getting shot, that sort of thing. Weres, though, they had to worry about

outright slavery and a painful denial of the necessity to shift. The thought jerked him

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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

out of his grouchiness and he spun around. Elian ran right into him, and Vaughn

grabbed the man’s arms to steady them both. He dutifully ignored the soft gasp the

simple touch seemed to elicit from Elian.

“Can you shift?” he asked, keeping his voice low. Elian nodded. “Good. A lot of

those who are taken don’t have the chance. We brought one in not too long ago who

had no clue he was one of us.”

“What happened to him?” Elian asked, managing to keep up with Vaughn’s

quick strides.

“Dalton caught him as a pup. Andrew -- AJ -- never knew what he was besides

being a vampire’s punching bag. One of our other agents found him near death. Turned

out they were mates from before, and now they’re inseparable.”

Elian remained silent until they got into Vaughn’s car. He buckled, waited while

Vaughn got them on the road, and then sighed. “Dalton caught me when I left high

school. My first change happened a few months ago. It still hurts a little, but not as

bad.”

“How did you get away? Most of them don’t.”

“I hit on one of his guards when the idiot got drunk. He passed out in my cage,

thinking I would suck his dick.”

Vaughn snorted. “Dalton is smart, but his track record of hiring morons says

otherwise. Not all of them are like us. A lot, like your would-be suitor I imagine, are

human.”

“He was, yeah. Anyway, I stole his keys and ran. I didn’t look back, didn’t care.

Been hiding out ever since.”

“Marcus Deleon is the leader of our pack. Dalton took a lot of young ones, and

Marcus was the first to get out. He almost didn’t make it, but since then, he’s found

others. Not all were from Dalton, of course.”

“What about you?”

Vaughn turned onto the long drive that led to the heavily guarded mansion. “I

came along as a drifter, basically. Never been one for the usual pack politics, but

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Marcus can charm anything with a pulse. I’ve been with him as an agent for several

years.”

“What’s an agent?”

As the window descended, Vaughn glanced at Elian. “The rescuers.” He keyed

in his personal security code, and a moment later the enormous iron gates began to

open before them. He drove through, the gates shutting behind, and continued up to

the house.

“Wow.”

He smirked at the whisper when they pulled up in front of the palatial estate.

“We don’t know how Marcus affords it, or how he even got it, but it’s home. And it’s

guarded 24/7.”

The front door opened as they exited the car. Marcus stepped out, Geoff and AJ

behind him. Vaughn patted Geoff’s shoulder in greeting.

“Ah, and here they are now,” Marcus said with a smile. “Elian Levine, I am

Marcus Deleon.” When he extended a hand, Elian shook it somewhat tentatively. “This

is Geoff, another agent, and his mate -- and our newest family member -- AJ.”

Elian smiled at them and nodded, but Vaughn leaned to the side, close enough to

whisper only to Elian. “Geoff’s human side is blind, but the wolf is not. Just pat his left

shoulder to say hi.”

Elian’s gaze shifted between Marcus, Vaughn, and AJ, before he stepped up

enough to give Geoff’s shoulder a slight pat. Geoff grinned.

“Jesus, Vaughn. You could’ve told me he was cute.” Geoff grunted when AJ’s

elbow connected lightheartedly with his ribcage.

Vaughn laughed, a weird flutter in his stomach at the blush he detected creeping

over Elian’s face. “Get out of here.”

Marcus walked Geoff and AJ to their car, and Vaughn waved a hand toward the

open door. “Welcome home.”

Chapter Three

Elian dropped onto his new bed, dumbstruck. What the fuck? A couple hours

ago, he was bitching about singers for the band. Now, here he sat in a strange house

with people like himself and his high school wet dream just down the hall. He didn’t

bother to move when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

He’d been expecting Vaughn, but to see the man shirtless, a light dusting of dark

hair covering a muscular chest, unnerved him more than he wanted to admit. Released

from its confines, Vaughn’s black hair hung over his shoulders, plastered to his skin,

fresh from a shower. Elian fought the urge to lick the stray water droplet that escaped

and circled Vaughn’s right nipple.

“Hungry?”

It took a great deal of effort to tear his gaze from the torso to actually look at the

man’s face. He remembered Vaughn as an asshole, a jock and playboy. Elian

grudgingly gave the man credit for turning out better than he had been in school.

“Did Marcus know we went to high school together?”

Vaughn shrugged, the motion sending another drop of water over his chest.

Elian swallowed a soft whimper. “Probably. There isn’t much he doesn’t know.”

How could one man be so… casually gorgeous, like he didn’t realize just how he

made people feel? Lost in his thoughts, Elian didn’t see Vaughn move until he blinked

and noticed the man crouching right in front of him.

“Hey, I know we didn’t talk much back then, and I know this is far from ideal,

but you can relax, Elian. I won’t hurt you. No one here will.”

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Elian stared into eyes he hadn’t seen so clearly before. He wanted to ask how

they knew where he was, or how they knew he was a shifter, but what came out didn’t

exactly go through his brain filter. “Say my name again,” he murmured.

Something indefinable passed through Vaughn’s gaze, but Elian didn’t catch it.

Vaughn slipped a fingertip beneath Elian’s chin and tilted Elian’s head up a fraction of

an inch. “Elian.”

The world sort of tilted the second those lips touched Elian’s. His lips parted

instinctively, the kiss not really registering until a warm tongue traced the length of his.

This wasn’t the Vaughn he remembered from high school. The kiss remained soft and

slow, almost reverent. Elian struggled to hold onto even the tiniest shred of sanity as

Vaughn’s breath stole his own.

“I’ve waited a long time for that,” Vaughn murmured.

“What?” Elian met Vaughn’s gaze, unsure if he heard correctly.

Before he could ask, Vaughn caught him again, pressing Elian back onto the bed.

“You. I’ve always wanted you,” Vaughn whispered, kisses trailing along Elian’s throat.

Elian gasped, not believing his luck and definitely not questioning it. He closed

his eyes and reveled in Vaughn’s rough hands on his body, sliding up under his shirt.

Instead of whisking his shirt off, however, Vaughn went the other direction. He slid

downward, undoing Elian’s pants in the process. Elian’s eyes rolled back as the hottest

mouth he’d ever dreamed of circled the head of his cock. Breath stolen, he could only

writhe beneath Vaughn, thrusting between the man’s lips, over and over.

It didn’t take long at all.

Elian’s body seized and he shouted Vaughn’s name, fingers fisted in Vaughn’s

hair as he came harder than he remembered ever doing before. He sank onto the bed

and let Vaughn lick him clean without a word. Hell, Elian didn’t think he could move,

much less speak.

* * *

“We didn’t get much of a chance to speak when we first met, so I wanted to do

so now.” Marcus motioned toward the leather couch in his office. “Please, have a seat.”

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Elian sat down and watched as Marcus circled the large desk in the office. The

man towered above him, a few inches taller than Vaughn, yet Marcus had an air of

gentleness that surprised Elian. “How much do you know of our kind?”

“Not a whole lot,” Elian said. “I didn’t shift for the first time until after I escaped.

I knew there were others like me, but I felt safer if I could hide.”

Marcus nodded. “I understand. Sooner or later, however, Dalton would find

you. He doesn’t accept loss and failure well.”

“You talk like you know him.”

A slight smile, wry and humorless, twisted Marcus’ lips. “I should say I do. We

were together for nearly twelve years.”

“Wait… you and Dalton?”

Marcus sighed and sat down, leaning his chair back and resting his feet up on his

desk. “I call him my greatest mistake. I loved him, but I don’t think the feeling was

mutual. Of course, we knew about one another -- his being a vampire and my being a

shapeshifter -- but it was never an issue. When I left him, though, it twisted something

inside him. He realized he couldn’t control me or anyone else. I partly blame myself for

what he has become and what he’s done. It was me who told him at one time that a

shifter is weaker if they can’t shift at all. He used that knowledge I’d inadvertently

supplied to his advantage -- and our detriment. Now he’s become nothing more than a

monster.”

“Wow. I’m sorry…”

“It’s no matter. I’ve moved on and found my calling in helping those he has

taken. Whether I ever trust another with my heart is another matter entirely, but for

now, I’m content to know I’m aiding others.”

Elian hadn’t expected the revelation. “Who are the agents?”

“They are the strongest of us: Vaughn, Geoff, and a few others. They all are

sworn to rescue and protect those who can’t do so themselves. They track any shifters

who escape Dalton and bring them to safety here.”

“Did you know that Vaughn and I knew each other before?”

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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Marcus chuckled softly, a clue that he had indeed known. “I’m not without my

own methods. I knew you attended school together. I also know Vaughn well enough

to realize that, despite what he thinks, he needs someone.”

One eyebrow lifted when Elian realized just what Marcus meant. “You mean you

sent him after me so we would become mates?”

“That is precisely why I sent him -- as opposed to sending anyone else. Call it

matchmaking or what have you, but I’ve seen him exist alone for years while others

he’s rescued have gone on to find their mates. He’s also watched friends lose their

mates in various ways, and he’s used it as an excuse to avoid getting involved with

anyone. Until you.”

“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or pissed,” Elian muttered.

“Probably both. Vaughn can be a handful -- broody, grouchy…”

“Tell me about it.” Elian rolled his eyes at the mere thought. “He hasn’t changed

in that department, that’s for sure. He’s nicer, don’t get me wrong, but still just as

standoffish as he was back then.”

“His defenses will be tough to break through, but I have faith you can do it.”

“Why me?”

Marcus smiled. “Because over the past several years, you’re all he’s talked

about.”

Chapter Four

Vaughn hadn’t liked the idea, but Elian wasn’t about to give up his entire life

and his music. The guys didn’t ask about the connection between them, and for that

Elian was grateful. None of them knew what he was, and he preferred to keep it that

way. Elian figured it was the only thing he and Vaughn fully agreed on. Well, except for

the music. The man could fucking sing!

Elian fought like hell to keep his mind on the music and not on the leather- and

denim-clad god in front of him. Vaughn belted out the songs like he’d written them

himself. The crowd fucking loved it and so did the rest of the band. By the time the set

ended, Elian knew they had something good going with Vaughn in the lead.

“Dude!” Cole clapped Elian on the back. “Where have you been hiding him all

these years? He rocked the house!”

Elian laughed and shook his head. He glanced up to see Vaughn walk through

the meager dressing room doorway, black leather pants so tight they left absolutely

nothing to the imagination. Elian barely caught himself before he could drool all over

the floor. Vaughn’s hair hung down, damp with the sweat he’d worked up during the

show.

“Man, that was awesome,” Derick crowed as he entered behind Vaughn.

Vaughn nodded and smiled, but his gaze remained fixed on Elian. “Sure was.”

“Elian, there’s a call for you out here,” the bartender said, peeking around the

door frame.

Vaughn looked like he was going to protest, but Elian glared at him. Elian left

the room and headed for the bar. The bartender waved toward the phone on the far

corner and Elian sat down.

“Hello?”

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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

“Did you really think you could run?”

Elian swallowed hard. “Who --?”

“You will not escape again. You will learn your place.”

Before Elian could open his mouth, a sharp pain stabbed into the back of his

neck. The world swam before him, and he barely registered a few shouts by the time the

darkness set in.

Fuck. Vaughn.

* * *

“Where is he?”

The few patrons in the bar gave Vaughn a wide berth, and he spun around,

looking for anyone who gave even the slightest hint of knowing what happened. No

one said a word. Vaughn snarled and bit back the almost overwhelming need to shift

and rip them all to shreds. The screams had sent every nerve in his body into overdrive,

but when he’d burst into the main area of the bar, Elian was gone.

“Start talking or I’ll tear every fucking one of you into --”

“Vaughn!” Cole raced over to him from the front door of the bar. “I found this

outside.”

Vaughn thumbed the tiny dart Cole handed him. “Dalton.”

“Who?”

“Look,” Vaughn said, eyeing Derick and Cole. “I know where he is, but I have to

go alone.”

“Like hell!” Derick got up in Vaughn’s face, huffing. “He’s our fucking friend

too!”

Vaughn growled and seized the drummer’s shoulders, claws forming just

enough to dig into the cloth and flesh beneath them. Derick hissed and tried to pull

away. “You will return home and stay there. Do not force my hand on this.”

Derick’s expression shifted from angry to fearful within seconds. “Yeah. Yeah.

Just get him home.”

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Grateful he didn’t get any further arguments, Vaughn left the bar as fast as

possible. The sooner he got away, the sooner he could shift and find Elian. Only one

motherfucker in the city used those darts, and Vaughn refused to let Dalton Gray get

his fucking hands on Elian ever again.

Vaughn stuck to the shadows and shifted, the change coming on so fast the tight

pants and shirt fell into ribbons on his furred body. He dropped to all fours and took off

for Dalton’s compound on the other side of the city. A touch of awareness flitted into

his head, and Marcus’ warning came through loud and clear. Vaughn ignored it and

summoned a burst of speed, weaving in and out of shadows and not giving a damn

who saw him anymore.

Dalton Gray’s compound loomed on the horizon. A massive fortress of steel and

stone, it looked more like a modern mad scientist’s haunt than a suburban mansion.

Vaughn slowed down and hid in a cluster of bushes near the rear entrance. The iron

gate, just like the one in front, stayed under constant guard, but if he played his cards

right, Vaughn had ways of getting inside.

A few minutes of patience paid off in the form of an armored truck. It pulled up

to the gate, where the driver stopped and identified himself to the guard. Shifting –

hands could be quite useful -- Vaughn rolled under the vehicle. He grabbed onto the

undercarriage and flattened himself as much as possible to the bottom of the truck. No

one was the wiser as the truck passed through the gate.

Once the vehicle stopped, Vaughn waited for a few seconds, then slipped away,

back into the shadows. The entrance to the holding cells lay on the other side of the vast

yard. He’d seen the blueprints, had even scouted the outer perimeter. This, however,

was the closest any of them had ever gotten. It was against the rules to directly attack

Gray or his compound. Hell, it was against all common sense.

Vaughn stopped and watched the guard hut at the entrance to the holding cells.

There was one guard inside and one by the door leading down into the cells. Ignoring

the tiny voice of reason in his head, Vaughn snuck around the shadows until he stood

directly behind the little wooden hut. He found a stone about the size of his palm and

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Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

threw it toward the opposite side of the main door. The guards exchanged looks and

the door man headed to investigate. Vaughn took his chance.

He struck fast, the guard in the hut not even getting the chance to yell before

Vaughn’s claws tore a huge, gaping hole in his neck. Blood pooled at Vaughn’s feet, and

he snatched the keys on the guard’s left hip. The other one returned and Vaughn caught

him a split second too late. The bullet felt like liquid fire the moment it slammed into

Vaughn’s right shoulder. He howled in pain and barreled into the guard, sending them

both to the ground. The guard shouted and fought back, but Vaughn clawed him until

nothing but meat and blood remained.

“Fuck!” Vaughn shot a quick glance toward the house where men were yelling,

presumably coming for him. He fumbled with the bloodied keys and finally got the

door unlocked. “Elian!”

* * *

“What?”

Elian blinked slowly, the world spinning, though not as bad as before. He’d been

drugged, he knew that, but the worst were the manacles. Damned silver. Pure fucking

silver. Gray wasn’t taking chances, it seemed.

“Elian!”

Vaughn?

Elian struggled to sit up, but the manacles on his wrists and ankles felt like they

weighed ten tons each. “Vaughn…” Fuck, his throat burned. He couldn’t remember the

last time he’d had so much as a sip of water.

“Oh, thank God. I’m getting you out. Now.”

“Vaughn. How --”

“Never mind that.” Vaughn threw open the cell door and rushed over. “I have

the key to these things,” he said, carefully unlocking the manacles. “Can you stand?”

Elian shook his head.

“Then I’ll stand for us both.” Vaughn picked him up, draped Elian over his

shoulder, and started for the exit.

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

“Gray will hunt us,” Elian muttered.

“I know.”

* * *

Elian seemed to drift off, and for that Vaughn was grateful. Getting out wasn’t

going to be easy. He headed for a copse of bushes and trees, praying the temporary

shelter would be enough to shift again. Once hidden, he braced Elian on his shoulder

once more.

“Hang on.” Vaughn summoned every ounce of energy and, with Elian’s grip

tight around him, launched them both over the wall. They hit the pavement on the

other side hard, knocking the wind out of both of them. Vaughn scrambled to his feet

and held Elian close as he took off in the direction of home.

Chapter Five

“Have you lost your fucking mind?”

Elian winced as he lay on the bed. Outside their room, Marcus Deleon tore into

Vaughn like a madman. Vaughn remained silent for the most part.

“You have jeopardized all of us, Vaughn! Direct contact with any of Gray’s men

has always been expressly forbidden, and you killed two of them!”

“I stand by my actions.” Vaughn broke his silence at last.

“I hope so. Consider us at war now, because that is precisely what Gray is going

to do.”

Elian watched as Vaughn entered the room alone, locking the door behind him

and sat on the edge of the bed. Elian traced the scar from the silver bullet with one

finger. “I’m sorry.”

Vaughn shook his head. “No. Don’t be. I’m not. I wasn’t going to let Gray have

you, Elian. Never again.”

Closing his eyes, Elian sighed. “What happens now?”

“Gray will openly declare war, I imagine. It was bound to happen eventually.”

Vaughn stroked a fingertip along Elian’s cheek. Then soft lips brushed Elian’s. “You are

worth it,” Vaughn whispered.

Elian draped his arms around Vaughn’s neck and drew the man closer. The kiss

grew stronger, almost desperate. Elian spread his legs and Vaughn lay between them,

his body pinning Elian’s to the bed. Hands ran along Elian’s arms and finally locked

with his fingers. Elian arched into Vaughn’s kiss, testing his lover’s hold. Vaughn

groaned.

“Please…” Elian panted, rocking his hips into Vaughn’s.

Mychael Black

Dark Reign 2: Oathbound

Vaughn rose up long enough to undress and strip off the sheet from the bed.

Naked and hard as stone, Elian spread his legs more, drawing them up in invitation.

“Fuck yes,” Vaughn growled.

All pretense of tenderness gone, he pushed Elian’s knees to his chest and bent

down. Elian gasped, body jerking at the first touch of Vaughn’s tongue to his ass. The

muscle pushed into Elian’s body, circled the outside, and then thrust back in. He

whimpered and rocked, needing more. Two fingers joined Vaughn’s tongue and Elian

cried out as Vaughn stretched him open.

“Vaughn. Oh fuck… please…”

“Waited so fucking long.” Vaughn withdrew his fingers and jerked open a

drawer in the bedside table. A pop of a cap and a few seconds later, Elian shouted as

Vaughn’s well lubed cock plunged deep into his ass. “Elian.”

Elian wrapped his legs tight around Vaughn’s waist, back bowing and nails

becoming claws as he clung to Vaughn’s shoulders. He gave up control and let the wolf

out. His howls mirrored Vaughn’s hard thrusts into him, and it didn’t take long before

Vaughn let out his own rumble. Heat rushed through Elian and spilled between them,

wetting skin and fur.

Breathless, sated, exhausted, Elian practically melted into the bed. Vaughn’s

kisses turned soft and he eased out before stretching beside Elian. Their bodies returned

to full human form, and Elian rested his head on Vaughn’s chest.

“There’s going to be hell to pay,” Elian said after a few minutes of silence.

“I know. But like I said, you are worth it, Elian.”

Mychael Black

What do online gaming, SpongeBob, cooking, writing, and an unnatural

addiction to Mountain Dew all have in common?

Not a damn thing, which is what makes Mychael Black an interesting bird

indeed.

Born in north Alabama, Mychael now resides on Maryland’s eastern shore.

Having run the gamut of labels in regard to gender and sexuality, Mychael now shuns

society’s views on normality and embraces a poly-everything attitude. Call Mychael her

or him -- it doesn’t matter. Just keep reading the books.

http://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/