To Kiss a Killer

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

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

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted  work  is  illegal.  Criminal  copyright
infringement,  including  infringement  without
monetary  gain,  is  investigated  by  the  FBI  and  is
punishable  by  up  to  5  years  in  federal  prison  and  a
fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

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

To Kiss a Killer

ISBN: 978-1-77111-647-3

Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

Look for us online at:

www.extasybooks.com

Chapter One

den Gale snuck into the mansion’s garden.
He’d stealthily visited Gallen Theos more

than once since the sorcerer had been put to sleep
by his father with a particularly vicious spell.
Gallen lay still and silent in his iron coffin. He
appeared to be napping as if one loud noise might
wake him up from his slumber. He was like Snow
White without the creepy dwarves.

Aden found it oddly restful to visit the

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

“How are you doing, kid?” Aden popped the

cap off his beer with the bottle opener on his Swiss

Amber Kell

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

No response.
Although logically he hadn’t expected Gallen to

sit up and talk, he still found himself leaning
closer. A glance revealed that the blond still lay
still as death, not twitching or moving an inch.

Aden sighed. “I can’t believe none of the men

did it for you.”

He took a sip as he contemplated his failure to

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

Over the past three months, Aden had sent at

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

The sound of soft footsteps drew his attention

away from Gallen. “Hey, Dad, I didn’t know you
were here.” Carey sat down in the Adirondack

To Kiss a Killer

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

Aden smiled at his son. Since he’d first held

Carey in his arms, his son had never been
anything but a joy to Aden. He adored his son and
would take care of anyone who thought to harm
him. The number of bodies buried to keep Carey
alive would frighten a team of FBI investigators.

He tipped a head toward Gallen’s coffin. “I just

arrived, and I thought I’d check to see if there was
any change in his status.”

Carey shook his head. “Nope. Not that I’ve

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

Aden could mentally list each and every man

who walked through Carey’s gates, but he didn’t
want to reveal his obsession to his observant son.
Time for a bit of distraction.

“How are things going with you and Broden?”

He tried not to grin when his deflection worked.

Amber Kell

“Good.” Carey’s smile said all was right in his

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

“When are you starting a family?” Aden

needed  a  project  to  distract  him  from  his
impending  retirement.  What  better  than
grandchildren?

Carey made a choking, coughing noise as if he

were hacking up a fur ball. Aden barely resisted
teasing him about it.

“Kids?” Carey gasped.
“Yeah, you already have the until-death-do-us-

part down.”

“Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I’m

ready to start a family.” Carey shifted
uncomfortably in his chair as if uneasy about their
conversation.

Aden pinned Carey with his narrow-eyed stare.

“You need to think about your future.”

Carey folded his arms over his chest. “That

doesn’t mean I need to have kids.”

“You don’t plan to have children?” It had never

occurred to Aden that his son might bypass kids
altogether. Didn’t all shifters long to procreate?

To Kiss a Killer

“Broden and I haven’t discussed it yet!” Carey

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

“Nope, I’m good.” He loved to tease his son just

to watch his eyes flare up with annoyance.

Aden’s gaze drifted back to Gallen as if his eyes

couldn’t stay away from the sight of the beautiful
man for long.

“Maybe we should concentrate on your love life

instead of mine.”

“What love life?” Aden turned his attention

back to Carey. He should’ve known better than to
think he wouldn’t notice Aden’s staring.

“The one you deny having. Instead of sending

all these guys to Gallen, why don’t you kiss him?”
Carey folded his arms as if he could intimidate his
father with a steady, knowing stare. Damn kid
had learned too well.

Aden gave a forced laugh. “Why would I do

that? Unlike you, I’m no one’s fated mate.”

He ignored the twisting, churning, sick

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

Aden couldn’t afford to become involved with

anyone. He had too many enemies. The few

Amber Kell

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

“I’ve seen you watching him,” Carey persisted.

“I don’t think your attention is all that parental.
Not like it is with my other friends. You watch
him like you’re hungry.”

Aden shook his head. If he denied the words

enough, maybe they would become true. “He’s
just a kid. He’s probably the same age as you.”

Aden’s mouth dried up as he thought about

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

He ignored the ache in his heart and the voices

in  his  mind  whispering  that  Gallen  could  be  the
one to break him out of his icy shell. He’d put his
love  life  on  hold  while  his  son  was  young  and
hadn’t met  anyone since worth bringing home to
meet  the  kids.  None  of  his  hookups  at  the  clubs

To Kiss a Killer

would be worthy of introducing to his son or the
others under his protection.

“Hey, what’s up?” Denton shuffled into view,

blinking at the bright sun.

“Dad’s too chicken to kiss Gallen,” Carey

teased.

“Hey!” Aden retorted. “I’m not afraid. Besides,

we were discussing how Carey doesn’t want
kids.”

Carey scowled at his father. “I didn’t say that.”
Aden grinned. At least he wasn’t the only one

in the hot seat. He barely held back a laugh when
Denton turned his attention to Carey.

“You should adopt or get a surrogate. Broden

would make a great dad.”

“What’s up with people and wanting me to

have kids?” Carey’s mouth tightened into a
mutinous line.

Denton ignored Carey’s ire.
“You should. Broden’s a high profile

businessman. If he gets starts a family, it will send
a message to the community what a stable family
man he is.” Denton warmed to his topic.

“I’ll talk to Broden about it,” Carey amended.

“But I’m not turning my relationship into some
sort of statement.”

“Fair enough.” Aden smiled in satisfaction.

He’d hold off on the children push again until the

Amber Kell

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

“You should kiss Gallen,” Carey finished.

“There’s no need to be afraid of him, you know.
He’s relatively harmless.”

Aden’s heart pattered in his chest—a nervous

tattoo. Surely, a young man sleeping in the middle
of Aden’s mother’s flower garden shouldn’t be
that scary.

“Of course not. A big, bad soldier like you

wouldn’t be afraid of a tiny sorcerer. He’s
practically a midget,” Denton scoffed.

“He’s not a midget,” Aden snapped. “He’s a

perfectly acceptable height.”

“Pfft, I doubt he comes to my shoulder,”

Denton raised his hand to indicate how short he
thought Gallen would stand beside him.

Aden narrowed his eyes at the croc shifter. “I

know you’re just trying to annoy me, croc.”

Denton shrugged. “I can’t help it if you’re

afraid of midgets.”

“Maybe he’s worried about man cooties,” Carey

offered.

Aden rolled his eyes. His son had known of

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

To Kiss a Killer

“You both know I’m not afraid of men or

women cooties.” Aden smiled at their antics.
Visiting with the boy always cheered him up.
Lately, he’d been feeling his age.

With his forty-fifth birthday fast approaching,

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

The loud stomping of booted feet announced

the arrival of their next visitor.

“Hey, Harris,” Aden called out. Of all Carey’s

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

“What’s up?” Harris plopped down on the

chair beside Carey.

Aden raised an eyebrow at Harris. He rarely

spotted the bear shifter without his vampire lover
hovering nearby. “How did you escape your
man?”

Amber Kell

“He’s in the house talking to Marty about

security or something. I think he’s hiring more of
the hawks to be my bodyguards,” Harris offered.

“Really?” Denton asked. “Is he expecting

trouble?”

“I think he’s ready for everything short of a

zombie apocalypse, and maybe even that,” Harris
said, grimacing.

Aden laughed. Somehow he doubted Harris

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

He looked around, but didn’t see their missing

shifter. “Where’s Eaton?”

“Defending his thesis,” Carey said. “He didn’t

want us there. He said it would make him
nervous.”

“I’m sure he’ll do fine.” He’d forgotten today

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

To Kiss a Killer

much Aden did for them in the background, the
better off they were.

“So what are we all doing in the garden?”

Harris asked. “I spotted you from the window,
which is why I came out.”

“Dad’s too chicken to kiss Gallen,” Carey

taunted.

Harris bit his lip, but Aden saw him hide a

smile before he quickly looked away.

“You have something to say, bear?” Aden

nudged Harris’s foot with his shoe.

“No, sir,” Harris examined the rose bush beside

him as if it would whisper to him the secrets of the
universe, or at least distract him from Aden’s
examination.

Carey and Denton continued to stare at Aden.

“You two think you’re going to double dog dare
me into kissing the kid?” Aden asked
incredulously.

Denton shook his head. “Nope. No dogs here.

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

Aden opened his mouth to protest, but Denton

had a point. If for some reason his kiss would free

Amber Kell

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

He met the gaze of each of his boys in turn. “If I

kiss him, will you drop it?”

The trio nodded, freakishly in synch.
“I just know I’m going to regret this. How I let

you kids talk me into anything, I’ll never know.”

“It’s because you love us,” Denton replied

without hesitation.

“If I didn’t, I’d have killed you all years ago.”

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

Aden stared down at Gallen and tried to focus

his concentration on the kid below. With all of his
boys  settled,  Aden  had  to  admit  he  felt  a  little
unneeded  lately.  His  boisterous  kids  had  turned
into self-sufficient grown men who now had their
own  partners  to  watch  out  for  them.  They  no
longer  needed  Aden  to  protect  their  backs  in  the

To Kiss a Killer

big, bad world. Aden had been the protective
training wheels of their life, and now they were
able to pedal on their own.

“I’ll get it.” Harris rushed forward to unlock the

padlock and lift the lid to the metal enclosure.

Aden wondered how much the lid weighed.

Harris was probably the only one strong enough
to shove it open.

Aden peered inside.
Harris could call it what he wanted, but Aden

saw it as a metal coffin. A pretty enough coffin,
but a decorative crypt, nevertheless.

Once Harris moved to the side, Aden got

another peek at the man he’d decided to kiss.

Aden caught his breath. Damn, Gallen was a

beautiful kid with icy blond hair and soft-looking,
kissable lips. He glanced over his shoulder at his
boys. “Here goes nothing.”

He’d stared down gun-wielding psychopaths

with less anxiety than he had over touching the
man lying still as death in a silk-lined bed.

Stalling, he turned to the bear shifter. “Nice

work, Harris.”

“Thanks,” Harris said. “I had a spell put on it so

water wouldn’t drip through and ruin the lining. I
wanted him to be comfortable. I’m not sure how
much he can feel.”

Aden didn’t even want to think about the

young man lying helpless, unable to move.

Amber Kell

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

To Kiss a Killer

Chapter Two

e was back.

Gallen could sense the golden light

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

Maybe his mate didn’t want him? Sorcerers

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

Although initially he had thought to take

Eaton’s will away, deep down he knew he

Amber Kell

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

The golden glow brightened behind his eyes.

He wished he could say something to encourage
his mate closer, but he couldn’t talk, couldn’t
move, or even open his eyes.

His mate came nearer, and warmth coated his

right  side  like  liquid  sunshine  pouring  over  him.
Gallen  wished  he  could  reach  out  and  grab  his
mate,  to  yank  him  close—do  anything  to
encourage his mate to touch him.

“Sorry about this, kid,” a husky voice

whispered.

He didn’t have time to wonder what the

apology was for.

Oh.
Lips. Soft. Warm.
Rough whiskers pricked his hands as he

mapped the stranger’s face, absorbing his mate’s
appearance with the pads of his fingers.

Wait. Fingers. He could move! Gallen’s eyes

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

To Kiss a Killer

“Hey there, kid.” The man’s voice, rich and

hard at the same time, like silk over stone,
caressed his ears.

“I’m not a kid.” He couldn’t let his mate think

Gallen was anything other than a full-grown man,
more than willing and able to prove that fact.

“You are to me,” his savior said. “I’ve got a boy

about the same age as you.”

Gallen mentally evaluated the man leaning over

him and decided he must’ve had his child super
young. “Unless he’s over a hundred, I doubt it.”

After years of living among them, Gallen knew

humans  thought  he  was  in  his  twenties.  Gallen
had only been able to attend the human university
because  his  mother  had  interceded.  Gallen  had
already  spent  sixty  years  fine-tuning  his  magic
before  his  father  reluctantly  gave  his  permission.
Apparently, even an evil sorcerer couldn’t take his
wife’s nagging.

“You don’t look it.”
“I know.” Gallen decided to drop the subject.

More important things needed to be discussed.
“Who are you?”

“Aden Gale. Here, let’s get you sitting up.

You’ve  been  lying  there  for  a  while.  Your
circulation is probably shot to hell.” Aden’s strong
grip  helped  Gallen  into  an  upright  position.  His
big  hands  rubbed  Gallen’s  back,  working  out  the
kinks.

Amber Kell

“Thanks.”
“Way to go, Dad. I knew you could do it.”
Carey’s familiar voice had Gallen peeking over

his mate’s shoulder. “Dad?”

“I believe you’ve met my son.”
Gallen checked out Aden more carefully, re-

evaluating his age. Not that it mattered, but he’d
pegged the man in his thirties. Although, he knew
Carey was easily in his mid-twenties.

On closer examination, he saw crow’s feet

decorated  Aden’s  eyes,  and  bits  of  silver  shone
through  his  blond  hair.  Gallen  had  never  seen
anyone  sexier  in  his  life.  A  quick  glance  across
Aden’s body revealed a man in his physical prime.

Gallen licked his lips. “I guess this means

you’re my mate.”

All his suffering had apparently been more

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

Aden straightened and stepped away from

Gallen. “I don’t know about that. It could’ve been
a fluke or something. Maybe you were just ready
to wake up, or the spell was fading.”

Aden’s panicked denial turned his blue eyes an

almost silvery gray. Delicious. Gallen could tell his
mate needed to be coaxed into accepting the bond
between them, but Gallen hadn’t survived his

To Kiss a Killer

childhood  without  knowing  how  to  manipulate
someone.  Aden  had  a  surprise  coming  if  he
thought  he  could  brush  off  his  responsibilities  as
Gallen’s mate.

If Aden wanted to wiggle like a fish on the end

of a line first, Gallen would give him the room to
fight. He turned his attention to the other men
surrounding him. “So what’s been going on?”

Carey scowled. “Your father has been a very

bad man.”

“So what else is new?” Gallen shrugged. He

gasped as a jolt of pain shot through his shoulder.

“Hey, take it easy, you’ve been frozen for

several weeks.” Aden’s warm hand massaged
Gallen’s muscle, easing the strain.

Gallen held back the moan that yearned to pour

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

“Thank you. That feels good.” Aden’s touch

oozed through his skin, soaking into Gallen’s
muscles, easing him.

“Better?” Aden asked, rubbing Gallen’s back in

slow circles, soothing him through his touch.

Amber Kell

Gallen gave his mate a shy smile, pleased when

Aden’s blue eyes darkened. “Much better. Thank
you.”

Gotcha.
He gathered the memories he had of Eaton

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

Gallen was the perfect mate for a killer with a

mother hen complex. He had no  doubt his father
would  come  after  him,  and  he’d  need  a  strong
mate  at  his  side.  The  fates  knew  what  they  were
doing  when  they  matched  Gallen  up  with  his
delicious mate.

“Could you help me up?” Gallen made sure his

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

“Of course.” Aden lifted Gallen up and out of

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

In time, he vowed silently.
Aden hovered as Gallen stepped forward,

trying to remind his muscles how to move. Even
though he didn’t try to rush it, his joints still

To Kiss a Killer

screamed their protest. He only took a few steps
before collapsing in the closest chair.

“How are you feeling?” Harris asked.
Gallen gave the bear shifter a grateful smile.

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

“Really?” Aden settled in the seat beside him,

his hand unconsciously resting along the nape of
Gallen’s neck.

Gallen leaned back a bit to encourage further

contact.

“What are your plans?” Carey asked. He

seemed to be the leader of his little group. The
others deferred to him instead of asking questions.

“I don’t know.” He slumped in his chair as

reality hit him. “I guess as of now, I’m homeless. I
certainly don’t want to go back to father.”

Not to mention he had no money and no way to

finish  school  without  his  father’s  financing.
Gallen’s  father  had  kept  a  tight  fist  on  all  the
coven’s  finances  and  hadn’t  allowed  Gallen  to
work to make any cash for himself. Gallen knew it
was just another of his father’s ways of controlling
him.  Most  of  the  people  in  their  coven  had
depended on Gallen’s father for their money. Even

Amber Kell

those  who  had  their  own  jobs  had  to  hand  over
their pay for the good of the coven. How his father
convinced  everyone  to  let  him  rule  their  lives,
Gallen  didn’t  know,  but  he  suspected  it  involved
some magical coercion.

Aden squeezed Gallen’s shoulder. “Nonsense,

you can stay here until you get on your feet. You
don’t mind, do you, Carey?”

Carey shrugged. “It’s not like we’ll notice one

more person, and you did try to save Eaton in the
end.”

Gallen looked up at his gorgeous mate through

his lashes. “Will you be here?”

Eaton had never mentioned where Aden might

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

Aden stroked a finger along Gallen’s

cheekbone. “I don’t live here, but Carey has extra
rooms now, since a few of the hawks are moving
to stay with Harris.”

“Hey, how do you know that? I didn’t even

know that,” Harris objected. “I thought they were
just going watch me during the daytime.”

To Kiss a Killer

Gallen ignored the growling bear shifter as he

leaned into Aden’s touch.

“What do you think? You’ll be well-protected

from your father here,” Aden persisted. “I added
safeguards. The house has quite a few wards to
keep bad people out.”

“Yeah, your father is creepy, dude,” Harris

said. “I’d stay out of his reach, if I were you.”

“Where do you live?” Gallen asked when Aden

didn’t offer the information.

“I have an apartment by Alki Beach.”
“Water view?” Gallen adored the water. It

matched his magic. He could manipulate it with
his powers. Along with healing, it was his best
ability.

“A bit of one,” Aden said guardedly.
“Dad’s view is amazing,” Carey praised. “Let’s

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

Gallen’s stomach grumbled as if on cue, and he

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

Everything would feel better after a shower and

food.

Aden offered him a hand to help him up.

Gallen gratefully accepted the assistance—any

Amber Kell

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

Gallen kept a hold on Aden’s hand as they

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

Harris raised his hand. “Mine! I wanted a glass

one, but Aden said it would attract the cops.”

“Um, thanks, I guess.” He’d rather not have

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

“You’re welcome.” Harris offered him a

friendly smile before rushing off after his friends.

Aden removed his hand from Gallen’s, but

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

To Kiss a Killer

Finding their true mates was a mixed blessing

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

Gallen hated the idea of a turning Aden into a

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

When they reached the house, Aden stepped to

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

A cold chill shimmered down Gallen’s spine.

“Did you see something?”

Amber Kell

Aden shook his head. “No. I just like to keep an

eye out. You never know who might be
watching.”

Gallen had a feeling Aden had a tendency to be

extra cautious. There was a guarded intensity in
his eyes, as if he had spent a long time watching
his back.

In the future, Gallen would make sure Aden

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

They entered a lovely dining room with a long

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

“A few of the hawks have learned how to cook

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

From the smirk on his face, Gallen guessed

Carey didn’t find the hawks’ avoidance of him
anything but amusing.

To Kiss a Killer

“Looks good.” Gallen grabbed a plate and piled

it high with food. It had been so long since he ate,
and his body yearned for sustenance.

“Eat slowly and give your body time to adjust

to solids again,” Aden advised. “You don’t want
to be sick.”

“I will.” Gallen found a spot with another

empty seat beside him, hoping Aden would sit
next to him.

Instead, Aden sat at the head of the table, with

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

“You’re going to have to be persistent with

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

Gallen turned to give the croc shifter his

complete attention. Out of all of them, he hadn’t
pegged Denton as being the insightful one.
“Thanks for the tip.”

Amber Kell

Denton shrugged. “It doesn’t help that you look

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

Gallen resisted the urge to punch Denton. He

didn’t want anyone looking at his mate with lust.
Good thing Denton’s gaze was more admiring
than hungry, or Gallen would be dusting off some
of his more dangerous spells to see if his magic
still worked.

“How old is he?” Once they bonded, Aden

would stay at his current level of beauty, but he
had to admit, he was curious about anything to do
with his mate.

Denton tilted his head as he considered the

question. “Well, Carey is twenty-five, and he was
born when Aden was twenty, so that would make
him forty-five.”

“Wow, he looks younger.” Aden appealed to

Gallen much more than any of the fresh-faced kids
in college who always hit on him. He suspected
Aden knew his way around a sexual partner, male
or female.

“He takes good care of himself,” Denton said.

“But I hope he’s going to retire soon, like he told
Carey.”

To Kiss a Killer

“Retire from what?” Gallen suspected he knew

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

Denton

shrugged.

“Whatever

paranoid

assassins retire from. Truthfully, I’ve never been
certain who he works for. He’s not exactly open
with that information. Sort of the I’d-tell-you-but-
then-I’d-have-to-kill-you kind of job.”

“Hey, don’t talk about him like that. I know

what paranoid looks like.” His father was the king
of paranoia and self-delusion. That didn’t stop
him from being one of the most powerful
sorcerers.

Denton raised his hands. “I mean no disrespect.

No  one  adores  Aden  as  much  as  we  do,  but  the
guy is dangerous. Who knows what he considers a
retiring hobby? It’s not like he’s going to pick up
knitting  or  something.  I’m  thinking  since  you’re
his mate, you should help him think of something
to  keep  him  entertained.  Trust  me  when  I  say  a
bored Aden is a scary Aden.”

Gallen tilted his chin up. “I’ll keep that in

mind.”

He doubted Aden would be much of a problem.

His mate didn’t strike Gallen as the sort to sit
around and wait for someone to find him

Amber Kell

something to do. If Aden became bored, there
were quite a few things Gallen could think of to
entertain a restless mate.

Aden finished eating, then stood. Gallen

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

“What are you going to do now that you’re not

frozen in a box anymore?” Aden asked.

Gallen stood taller beneath Aden’s attention.

He enjoyed being the focus of those piercing blue
eyes. He felt as if Aden could see into his soul and
liked what he found there.

“I have to go to my school and make up an

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

“You could take them in summer session if they

aren’t already filled. I think it starts in a few
weeks.”

“Maybe.” Gallen nodded. Inwardly, he

wondered if he should bother. The only reason he
was taking classes was to escape his father’s

To Kiss a Killer

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

“I don’t really know what I want to do or what

degree to pursue.”

Aden squeezed his shoulder. “Take your time

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

Gallen took a moment to consider Aden’s

words.

“What I want to do with my life might change,

but who I want to share it with won’t.” He made
sure to meet Aden’s eyes. He stepped closer to the
sexy human until they were only a breath apart. “I
want you, and I will have you for my mate.”

Better to state his goals. He doubted Aden liked

surprises.

Aden’s cheeks turned a pretty pink. “I know

you think I’m your mate, but it could be a fluke.
I’m too old for you. Chronologically, you might be
older, but you look younger than my son.”

“Age doesn’t matter, and I turn a hundred and

one next month.” Gallen wouldn’t lose his mate
because of a misunderstanding.

“What?”

Amber Kell

“I told you, I’m older than I look. Besides, once

we’re bonded, you’ll live the same number of
years as I do. Our souls will be entwined.”

“And if I die?” Aden cupped Gallen’s face. “If I

get killed, will it kill you, too?”

Gallen nodded. “Sometimes mates can survive

the death of their other half, but not often.”

He’d seen the shell-like emptiness of those who

survived their mate’s death. It would’ve been
better to die.

“If you’re right and we are truly mates, it

would be wiser not to complete the bond. I
wouldn’t want you to follow me into death. I live
a dangerous life, and I don’t want to pull you into
it.”

Gallen frowned. “You can’t escape from this.

Now that we’ve met, the bonding process has
already begun.”

The fear on Aden’s face didn’t reassure Gallen

that they were on the same page.

“Plan on dying soon, Dad?” Carey entered the

kitchen. Gallen saw the younger man raise an
eyebrow at his father.

Aden took a step away from Gallen. He had to

bite his lip to hold back a protest.

“No, but I have a dangerous job, and if Gallen

truly is my mate, I don’t want him to be hurt, or
even worse, die through our connection.” Aden

To Kiss a Killer

narrowed his eyes as if he could get Gallen to
rescind his mate statement with a glare.

Gallen kissed Aden’s jaw, smiling when Aden

tensed beneath his touch. If there had been no
reaction at all, he would’ve been insulted. “What
is it you do?”

Aden slid his fingers up the back of Gallen’s

neck and caressed the bared skin there. “I take
care of problems when other people have run out
of options.”

“He kills people,” Denton offered helpfully.
When had the croc shifter entered the kitchen?
Gallen frowned. “What kind of people?” Was

he  hitching  his  life  force  to  a  cold-hearted  killer?
Somehow,  he  couldn’t  reconcile  that  person  with
the  guy  who  sat  by  Gallen’s  coffin  to  keep  him
company.

Aden shrugged. “The kind who need killing.”
“Cool.” Gallen dared to stand on his tiptoes and

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

Amber Kell

Chapter Three

den wrapped an arm around Gallen,
preventing the young man from escaping. No

way would he let him rush off after a little peck on
the lips. “What are you doing?”

“Um, kissing you.” Gallen smiled, but Aden

could spot the nervousness in his eyes. Aden
shook his head at him.

“I think we’ll be on our way,” Carey muttered.

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

“If you’re going to kiss me, don’t do it

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

Except it wasn’t like any kiss he’d exchanged

with a man before. Gallen’s lips, softer than any

To Kiss a Killer

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

Gallen’s soft moan encouraged Aden’s touch.

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

Eventually, the need for oxygen won out, and

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

“I think we scared everyone away.” Gallen

licked his lips, leaving a shiny trail behind.

Amber Kell

Unable to resist the invitation, Aden sucked on

Gallen’s lower lip, biting the plush shape before
tugging on the bit of flesh between his teeth.

Gallen’s gasp and the press of his erection

against Aden’s thigh told him that Gallen was a
more than a willing partner in their embrace.

Aden’s jeans were becoming uncomfortable. He

stepped back and removed Gallen’s hands from
behind his neck. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done
that.”

Regret twisted him in knots. He clenched his

fists to disguise the shaking of his hands. Never
had anyone turned him inside-out before. Aden
didn’t know what to do next.

Kissing a guy with such intensity and not

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

Gallen sighed before folding his arms across his

chest. “I am your mate. Whether you acknowledge
it  or  not  won’t  make  that  fact  go  away.”  The
defensive  gesture  twisted  Aden’s  insides  like  a
punch  in  the  gut.  He’d  never  met  anyone  who

To Kiss a Killer

wanted to keep him before. Aden didn’t do
relationships. Hard, quick fucks in dark clubs or
dirty alleys were how he got off.

“I can’t be your mate, sweetheart.” Aden

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

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

look in the sorcerer’s eyes entrapped Aden quicker
than any spell.

“I need to get it cut before I go.” Nothing threw

off a good sniper shot like hair in his face at the
wrong time, and he had people to kill.

A panicked expression crossed Gallen’s face.

“Go where?”

“I have a job out of town in two days.” Aden

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

“When are you coming back? You are coming

back, aren’t you?”

Gallen’s panicked tone had Aden wrapping

him back in his arms. Soothing sounds poured out
of him, noises without words, until he could feel
Gallen’s heartbeat slowing again.

Amber Kell

“Of course I’m coming back. I’ll return when

the  job  is  finished.  I’ve  never  failed  yet.”
Unfortunately,  he  couldn’t  tell  Gallen  when  he’d
be  returning.  He  couldn’t  put  a  timeline  on  a
project  when  he  didn’t  know  how  long  it  would
take to track down his man.

“You don’t understand,” Gallen gripped

Aden’s arms. “I can’t survive without you. If you
die, so will I.”

“Hey, easy, that’s why we aren’t bonding.”

Aden patted Gallen’s hand. “If we don’t bond and
something happens, you’ll still be all right.”

It made perfect sense to Aden, but Gallen’s

expression didn’t improve. If anything, his
expression turned grimmer.

“Take me with you.” Gallen gripped Aden’s

shirt as if he thought physically holding onto
Aden would prevent him from leaving for his job.

“Sorry, Gallen. I can’t watch over you and do

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

“Promise you’ll come back to me!”

To Kiss a Killer

Aden smiled. Gallen was a persistent young

man. “I said I’ll be back. I always keep my word.
Carey can tell you that.”

No way would he leave Carey alone,

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

“Of course, your son.” Gallen stepped back.

“I’ll let you get going.”

The hurt on Gallen’s face unnerved Aden. He

silently reviewed what he said in his mind. “Hey, I
didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean you weren’t
important. I’m just not used to anyone else
worrying about me.”

He cupped Gallen’s cheek, but the hurt

expression in the sorcerer’s eyes didn’t go away.

“No.” Gallen turned his face from Aden’s touch

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

Aden didn’t know if that were true or not.

None of his boys had mated with a non-para.

“Hey, when I return, we can talk. Right now,

my life is dangerous, but this is my last

Amber Kell

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

Something about the need in the Gallen’s eyes

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

Aden might be a killer, but he’d never been

sadistic. Needlessly hurting a vulnerable young
man—even one who claimed to be much older—
was not something he could do.

“Hey.” He cupped Gallen’s face between his

hands. “I’ll come back to you. We’re not done yet.
I promise.”

The scent of Gallen standing close, the feel of

his skin beneath Aden’s fingertips all threatened
to overwhelm his usual common sense.

Resisting the urge to slam Gallen against the

wall, fuck him, and damn the consequences tested
Aden’s well-vaunted control.

Crap.

To Kiss a Killer

Aden had dangerous enemies who would love

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

“I will try to be patient until you return.”

Gallen broke into Aden’s increasingly worried
thoughts. “I’d feel better if you wore this.”

Gallen took off a medallion from around his

neck and handed it over. A flat circle, it
shimmered with gold and sparkled with magic.

“My mother gave this to me when I came into

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

“What’s a Venus necklace?”
Gallen sighed. “It’s a piece of sorcerer jewelry

to keep a mate under our control. Mine didn’t
work on Eaton, anyway.”

Amber Kell

“That’s because of the inoculation,” Aden

confessed. “I had everyone given an anti-magic
shot.”

Gallen’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t think

those things existed.”

“It was experimental.”
“Well, it worked. Eaton wasn’t the least bit

persuaded by my magic.”

“Good.” Aden shrugged. “I mean, it worked

out for the best. If I’d been around when they
went to retrieve Eaton, you might have been
injured.”

He would’ve been dead, but Aden didn’t think

that needed to be mentioned.

Gallen dangled his necklace at Aden again.

“Please wear this. I promise it doesn’t have any
magic that will harm you.”

Aden appreciated the carefully worded

warning. Still…

“Kid, I can’t take your necklace.” The charm

glowed faintly blue in the daylight. One side had
some writing Aden couldn’t read, the other the
symbol of a dragon.

“Please.” Damn, the sad, silvery eyes cut Aden

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

To Kiss a Killer

“You’ll feel better?” Aden checked. He’d do

anything to lower Gallen’s anxiety. As it was, he
felt guilty for leaving his mate so soon after Gallen
woke up from his spell.

Gallen nodded. “I’d worry less if I knew you

were safe.”

Aden’s resistance folded beneath Gallen’s sad

expression. He’d never had anyone worry over his
safety before. Carey knew Aden could take care of
himself,  and  years  of  having  his  father  go  off  on
trips  and  come  back  without  a  scratch  had
lowered  his  level  of  alarm  whenever  Aden
traveled.  Gallen’s  lack  of  experience  with  Aden’s
abilities no doubt led to his concern.

“Fine, but you’re worrying for no reason.”
Gallen gave a sexy growl and stood on his

tiptoes  to  fasten  the  chain  around  Aden’s  neck.
“You’d better come back to me. If I have to go  to
wherever  you  are  and  fetch  you,  I  will  be  very
upset.”

“You like giving men necklaces,” Aden

remarked, fingering the fine talisman. He
remembered Eaton telling him a necklace had
almost sapped his will.

Gallen winced. “I guess I should apologize to

Eaton properly for kidnapping him.”

Aden smiled. “Nah, he got to have his mate

rush in and save him like Prince Charming, so he’s

Amber Kell

good. I think everyone is willing to move on, as
long as you’re over your infatuation with Eaton.”

He barely kept the growl out of his voice over

the thought of Gallen still drooling over the eagle
shifter. Aden knew he couldn’t compete with the
younger, sexier man.

Gallen’s quick nod eased his fears. “Yeah, I’m

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

Aden shrugged. “Sometimes. He’s one of my

boys.”

Gallen frowned. “Well, don’t go thinking I’m

another one, because I won’t be lumped into the
category of men you look out for. I expect you to
treat me like you would any other lover.”

As if he had a frame of reference for that. “I

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

To Kiss a Killer

Relationships led to expectations, and Aden

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

“Hey.” Gallen slid a hand down Aden’s arm.

“Come back to me.”

Aden kissed Gallen hard. “I always come back.

That’s one thing I’ll guarantee.”

Amber Kell

Chapter Four

allen paced back and forth before the window.
After three weeks, he was still trying to put his

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

Did his father know yet that Gallen had broken

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

To Kiss a Killer

Gallen hadn’t seen any signs of other sorcerers

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

While he waited for Aden to return, Gallen

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

The lack of any news from Aden had Gallen’s

nerves on edge more than anything else. Unable to
take it anymore, he went to talk to the one person
who might have heard from his mate.

“Why can’t he just call?”
Carey looked up from his piles of paperwork.

Apparently, working for his mate and running the
household took a lot of tree killing. “Can I help
you with something, Gallen?”

“Doesn’t it bother you to not hear from your

father for so long?”

Carey frowned. “What are you talking about? I

heard from him yesterday.”

Amber Kell

Gallen sat down in a visitor’s chair, his knees

too weak to support him. “He called you?”

How could Aden contact his son and

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

“Dad calls me every three days like clockwork.

Oh, don’t tell me he hasn’t called you.” Carey’s
mouth dropped open. “He’s going to hear about
that!”

“No. Don’t.” Gallen blinked back tears. “I don’t

want him to think I was whining.”

“You aren’t whining. You have every right to

expect your mate to call you.”

“But we haven’t officially bonded. He can still

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

“He knows it. He’s just stubborn,” Carey

assured him. “My dad is great, don’t get me
wrong, but he doesn’t like it when things don’t go

To Kiss a Killer

according to plan. You are the perfect example of
things not going according to plan.”

Gallen bit his lip before confessing. “I’m

supposed to take his will in order for us to bond
properly.”

Carey shook his head and set down his papers.

“You can’t take his will. He’s inoculated like
Eaton.”

“I know. He told me.” Gallen didn’t know what

to do. Nothing in this mating had gone right. Sure,
Aden  fulfilled  every  fantasy  of  the  physicality  of
the  perfect  mate,  but  the  man’s  independence
could  prove  a  barrier  to  their  life  together.
Sorcerers  didn’t  do  well  if  they  didn’t  have  their
mate close by.

“Gallen, don’t take this the wrong way, but

who is it that told you that you have to take
someone’s will to properly mate with them?”
Carey trained his brilliant eyes—so like Aden’s—
on Gallen.

“My father.” Gallen swallowed several times to

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

“And do you wonder if it is really true or if

your dad is a just controlling bastard who wants

Amber Kell

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

Gallen spun the idea around in his mind like a

shiny metal top, trying to spot the bits of
corrosion. “I’ve never talked to any sorcerers
outside out coven,” he said finally.

Sorcerers inside the coven wouldn’t dare speak

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

“So you don’t know if what he said is true?”

Carey persisted.

Gallen shook his head feeling foolish.
“You are also half fae. What do fae do to bond

with their mates?”

Gallen reviewed all the stories his mother used

to share, but came up empty. “I don’t know.”

To Kiss a Killer

“Think about it,” Carey advised. “You aren’t

going to be able to bind my dad’s mind any more
than you did Eaton’s, so you’ll need a different
tactic.”

“I know.” He shoved his fingers through his

hair. “I don’t want to control anyone, anyway.”

The thought of Aden being a mindless zombie

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

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

* * * *

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

His intel had been so wrong, it might as well

have been a fairy tale created from clouds and
wishes. Aden wondered who’d been the one to

Amber Kell

compile the information, because if he got out of
this alive, he was going to hunt them down and
bury his Bowie knife in their throat. He smiled at
the visual.

Another shower of bullets spat way too close,

breaking chips off the roof he perched behind.

Fuck.
Aden lifted his head long enough to take out

the sharpshooter firing from the building across
from him.

Bastard.
The gunman had been the one who pegged

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

Mate.
The word settled deep in his bones, an added

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

Sliding across the rough roof on his belly, Aden

ignored the bits of gravel embedding in his flesh
and scraping it away. It wouldn’t be the first time
he gave up a bit of skin to stay alive, but hopefully
it would be the last. Damn, he knew this job

To Kiss a Killer

would suck. Was it too much to ask that he retire
with balloons, candy, maybe a big-ass cake?

Aden pulled out his semi-automatic pistol and

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

This particular group of drug smugglers was

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

Screams of terror pierced the air.
What the hell?
Aden dared to peek up from around the roof air

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

Where the fuck did the dragon come from? Were

there more?

He had thought the rumors about dragon

shifters were just that—rumors.

Amber Kell

Crap.
He ducked back behind his shelter as he

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

But a dragon—shit. He didn’t have the

firepower to deal with a dragon. He didn’t know
anyone who did. Dragons were so rare, Aden had
thought they were only something other
paranormals told their kids about to keep them on
the straight and narrow. “Be good, or the dragon
will get you.”

Aden had dealt with some big paranormals in

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

Screams continued to echo between the

buildings. Aden took a deep breath, then peeked
around the unit again. Yep, still a dragon. His

To Kiss a Killer

gunshot  wound  wasn’t  making  him  delusional.
Aden was used to normal shifters. Hawks, eagles,
bears,  crocodiles—dragons  were  an  entirely
different  category.  Where  the  hell  had  it  come
from?

Aden mentally noted that the creature was

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

Aden didn’t see any signs of the remaining

drug dealers. Did they run off, or had the dragon
eaten them? Aden couldn’t tell from his spot. The
dragon sniffed the air, and Aden knew he was
busted.

He froze.
Maybe the beast would only see him if he

moved.  Aden  had  no  idea  about  dragon  vision,
but  he  had  little  other  hope  of  avoiding  death  or
being  eaten.  He  remained  still  in  his  spot,  not
daring to twitch.

A low growl emitted from the creature. Nerves

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

“What the fuck was that about?”

Amber Kell

Aden snatched up all his weapons, then walked

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

Another cautious look around didn’t reveal

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

Luckily, the keys were still in the car, because

he didn’t have the patience to hotwire anything.

A quick trip to the hospital to seal up his

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

It took a week before Aden was allowed to fly.

Even  then,  the  doctor  hadn’t  approved  his  quick
exit  from  the  hospital.  In  Aden’s  opinion,  he’d
already taken a week too long. He hated hospitals,
doctors,  and  nurses  even,  to  be  fair.  Anyone

To Kiss a Killer

whose  idea  of  a  good  job  involved  stabbing  him
with needles obviously had serious sadistic issues.
His  last  nurse  unnervingly  resembled  a  torturer
Aden  had  been  unfortunate  enough  to  spend
some with.

Suppressing a shudder, Aden looked out the

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

Aden sighed. Already the relationship was

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

Amber Kell

like that. They’d give him a few months before
they began sniffing around again. Aden knew his
skills weren’t easy to find.

Not to mention his enemies wouldn’t magically

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

His resolve lasted up to the minute he arrived

at the airport and spotted Gallen standing on the
other side of the security area.

Oh, crap.
“Hey,” Aden approached the sorcerer slowly,

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

Gallen’s eyes lit up at the sight of Aden, but his

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

Aden froze. “I don’t usually contact people

while I’m out.”

“You called Carey.” Gallen’s eyes narrowed

with accusation.

To Kiss a Killer

“He’s my son.” Years of habit had him

automatically calling his son when he was out in
the field. “I always call him.”

Gallen sighed. “I didn’t mean not to call Carey.

It just would’ve been nice if you’d at least sent me
a text.”

“I don’t have your number.”
There, that was a rational explanation. A much

better one than he’d be terrified to contact the
sorcerer. Or that he’d been unsure what to say.

Gallen grinned. “I’ll let you off this time, but

next time, I expect a phone call.”

“There won’t be a next time.” Aden grabbed

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

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

steady. He automatically scanned the airport,
verifying nothing stood out. “How did you get
here?”

“I drove. I’m parked in short term.”
No one ought to be able to connect Gallen to

Aden yet, so his car should be safe. Aden didn’t

Amber Kell

trust leaving his vehicle where anyone could fuck
with  it,  so  he  always  took  a  taxi  to  the  airport.
Only  once  had  to  needed  to kill  his  driver. Aden
considered  those  good  odds.  “Lead  the  way,
sweetheart.”

Gallen grinned. “I like that.”
“What?”
“When you call me sweetheart.”

Fuck.
He hadn’t even thought out the pet name. Even

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

“This is Carey’s car.”
Gallen nodded. “I don’t have access to any

money. Until I get a job, I’m pretty much living off
Carey.” Embarrassment flushed his cheeks pink.

“Hey.” Aden cupped Gallen’s cheek. “You have

nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has a rough
patch sometimes.”

Gallen gave a bitter laugh. “My whole life has

been a rough patch.”

“Then it’s time to change that.” Even if they

weren’t going to be mates, Aden could help Gallen
out. He had a good track record for helping young
men get on their feet.

To Kiss a Killer

Gallen jerked his head back. “Oh, no. You don’t

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

“Is he now? That’ll be interesting to tell the

others,” a silky voice spoke behind them.

Aden spun around, and before Gallen could say

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

“Whoa, babe, you don’t have to kill him,”

Gallen said.

“Yes, I do. He’s a scumbag, and he’ll paint a big

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

“He won’t,” Gallen protested.
Aden shook his head “You don’t know men

like this. He won’t stop until he makes me pay for
killing his brother.”

Ren Holver was a member of a Chicago crime

family. Aden didn’t know why he was in Seattle,
but the sight of him never meant anything good.
Three years ago, Aden had killed Paul Holver in a
shootout while rescuing a kidnapped senator’s

Amber Kell

daughter. Paul had been holding her hostage, and
Aden  had  killed  him  while  saving  the  girl.  Since
then,  Aden  had  killed  several  members  of  the
organization.  For  a  while,  they  had  a  hit  on  him,
until  hit  men  stopped  taking  the  bounty  after
Aden picked most of them off.

“He’ll leave you alone if he can’t remember.”
“What?”
“I can take away his memories of you.”
Aden stared at his mate with new respect.

“Really?”

“Yep.”
“And he won’t remember you at all?”
“No.”
“Okay, do it.”
“You have to remove your hand.”
Aden patted Ren down, taking the gun out of

his inner pocket before releasing him.

Ren curled his lip as he regarded Aden with

disdain. “No way am I going to forget this,
asshole.”

“Look at me,” Gallen ordered.
Ren turned to face the sorcerer. Aden watched

with amazement as the hit man’s face went slack.

“You will forget you ever met me or Aden Gale.

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

To Kiss a Killer

“I will forget you,” Ren said in a wooden tone.
“Yes, now go.”
Ren turned and walked away in a slow,

stumbling gait as if he were dreaming.

“How long will that last?” Aden asked.
“If I did it right, forever. I created a blank spot

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

“Huh,” Aden almost felt sorry for the asshole.

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

“Here.” Gallen gave Aden the keys.
Aden grinned. His mate understood Aden’s

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

Aden fastened his seatbelt, then waited until

Gallen had buckled in before starting.

Amber Kell

“All set?”
Gallen nodded. “Yeah. This feels good.”
“What does?”
“Coming to meet you at the airport like we’re a

couple.”

Aden didn’t swerve into the column as he

turned the corner, but it was close. “I have to tell
you, I’ve never been a couple with anyone but
Carey’s mother before.”

“Neither have I. We can learn together.”
For someone who had a pretty tragic childhood

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

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“Why not?” Aden pulled up to the payment

booth and paid for the parking.

“Because I don’t think he wants me. I mean, he

cursed me thinking I would never wake up. What
kind of father does that to his child?”

“A poor one,” Aden said. He’d never abandon

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

“Have you ever thought about having more

kids?”

To Kiss a Killer

Aden swerved again, almost sideswiping a

minivan. “Maybe I shouldn’t talk and drive at the
same time.”

“What? It’s obvious you enjoy being a father.

Why wouldn’t you have more kids?”

The hospital. Laura’s dead eyes looking back at him.
Aden shuddered.
“I don’t know that I enjoy being a father. I enjoy

my  son,  but  most  of  the  time  while  Carey  was
growing  up,  I  was  terrified  I’d  do  something
wrong, first by not being around enough for him,
then by being a bad influence. My mother helped
out  a  lot  while  he  was  growing  up,  helping  to
provide  a  stable  home  while  I  worked.  When  I
was  home,  I  taught  him  how  to  protect  himself
against  anyone.  Most  kids  aren’t  taught  like
Carey.”

Knowing how to take down a person three

times  your  size  with  nothing  but  a  pocketknife
and  a  shoelace  didn’t  fit  into  most  six-year-old’s
lesson  plans.  Carey  might  look  like  Aden,  but  he
had  more  delicate  features  and  gentle  ways,  and
Aden had refused to let his son be a victim to any
bully.  Any  fucker  started  crap  with  his  son,  and
they’d leave screaming.

“Carey is a strong human who can hold his

own against any shifter. If that’s what you were
going for, you did a great job.”

Amber Kell

Aden laughed. “I didn’t even know there were

shifters until we met Harris. I freed a bear being
tortured, only to find out he was really a kid.
Imagine my surprise.”

“And yet you still kept him.”
“What the fuck else would I do? I’m not going

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

“What happened to Harris’ owner?”
Aden grinned. “I made him understand the

error of his ways.” The man had died crying and
begging for forgiveness. He hadn’t known Aden
didn’t have any.

“You can be a really scary man, Aden Gale.”

Gallen’s voice didn’t sound scared. He sounded
admiring.

“I’ve been told that once or twice,” Aden

admitted. He didn’t try to be scary. He just didn’t
see anything wrong with killing people who
needed to be killed.

They pulled up to the mansion gates. Aden

punched in his code and waited for them to slide
open.

“Why is there so much security here? Don’t you

think it’s a little overkill?”

“No. I’ve made some dangerous enemies. Most

of them don’t know who I am or where I live, or

To Kiss a Killer

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

Amber Kell

Chapter Five

allen watched Aden maneuver the SUV into the
mansion’s garage bay. He knew Aden had left

his car at the mansion, because he always checked
in on his son before going to his own residence.
Gallen wondered what it would be like to be taken
care of by someone else. Someone like Aden, who
would do anything to protect the people he loved.

Anything.
Gallen needed that in his life. He needed

someone  steady  to  watch  his  back  and  support
him,  no  matter  what.  Aden  would  be  the  perfect
type  of  mate.  The  man  made  solid  boulders  look
flimsy in comparison.

Carey opened the door as they walked up.

“Hey, Dad. I see Gallen found you.”

Aden’s wide smile twisted Gallen’s heart a bit.

He hadn’t received the same unadulterated joy at
the sight of him. He wondered if there was a
timeframe for when Aden Gale would see him

To Kiss a Killer

and think Gallen belonged. He needed to belong—
desperately.

“Yes, he did. I’ve got some news for you.”

Aden walked past Carey and headed for the living
room, apparently confident everyone would
follow. Since Gallen and Carey both did, it wasn’t
a misplaced belief.

Once they were seated, Carey spoke first when

Aden

didn’t

immediately

volunteer

any

information. “What’s up?”

“Did you know there are dragons?” Aden

asked.

Gallen laughed. He hadn’t known Aden had a

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

“No, babe, I don’t have a concussion. Besides,

don’t you see little birds when you get knocked on
your head? They always do in cartoons.”

“Sometimes

people

hallucinate,”

Gallen

defended.

“Do they imagine people getting eaten?

Because that’s a damn strong hallucination.”

“Not usually,” Carey interjected. “So this

dragon ate people? I’m hoping bad guys.”

Amber Kell

Aden nodded, then proceeded to tell them a

scary tale of how he almost didn’t return to
Gallen.

“You are never to go after bad guys without me

again,” Gallen ordered. “You could’ve been
killed!”

“I could’ve been, but I wasn’t. I returned like I

promised.” Aden appeared to think he’d done his
part, and Gallen was just nitpicking.

“But it was close. If a dragon hadn’t

intervened…” Gallen trailed off, unable to
continue that thought.

“So now you believe in my dragon?” Aden

teased.

“Can you focus? You are not to go anywhere

you  could  be  shot  at  or  eaten  again!”  Gallen
shouted.  His  magic  crackled  inside  him  with  the
force  of  his  anger.  How  could  Aden  endanger
himself  like  that  for  the  sake  of  a  few  drug
smugglers? “Let me see your wound.”

Aden stood and walked over to sit on the arm

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

“Really? You mean it?” Carey asked, sitting up

straighter in his chair. “I didn’t think you’d
actually do it. You’ve tried to retire six times
now.”

To Kiss a Killer

“This time, I’m done. I’m getting too old for this

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

Gallen couldn’t stop smiling. He’d worried that

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

He had no doubt Aden could protect his family.

If anyone bothered them, Aden would kill them.
He appreciated the simple logic.

“I’ve heard stories of dragons,” Gallen

confessed. “But I always thought they were just
things my father said to scare me from sleeping
well at night.”

His father had enjoyed frightening Gallen, even

when he was just a child.

Amber Kell

“If I ever get hold of your father, he’s not going

to be sleeping well—ever!” Aden’s fierce intensity
told Gallen his mate wasn’t kidding.

He had to admit, if he didn’t know his father

fought dirty, he would’ve been more than happy
to see Aden kick his father’s ass.

“What did you hear about dragons?” Carey

asked, easily bringing them back on topic.

After meeting his father, Gallen had thought of

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

Gallen scraped his mind for memories of

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

“Hmm.” Aden scratched his cheek. “It looks

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

“You didn’t provoke it,” Gallen said.

To Kiss a Killer

“Neither did the other man. They were

shooting at me, but I don’t think they saw the
dragon before it attacked them,” Aden said. “I
certainly didn’t have any warning.”

Gallen doubted anything snuck up on Aden

very often. “Good thing it was on your side.”

“Well, if I ever see it, I will thank it for its

assistance,” Aden said dryly.

“Now what are you going to do with your

time?” Gallen asked. “As a newly retired person.”

“Besides get to know your mate,” Carey chimed

in.

Gallen blushed, but held Aden’s piercing gaze

until his mate said the worst thing possible. “I
don’t think we should bond.”

The blood rushed out of Gallen’s face. Spinning,

the room began to lose focus.

“Crap!” Aden grabbed him as he slumped

down on the chair. “Don’t you faint on me!”

Gallen blinked back tears. Maybe he’d heard

wrong. Aden wasn’t acting like someone eager to
get rid of Gallen. “What do you mean you don’t
want to bond?”

“What if I die? I can’t be responsible for your

death.”

“Once we bond, you will get some of my

magical protection. I can heal people, so you
should be harder to injure. It won’t go away if we
just don’t bond. Sure, I might live longer, but I’d

Amber Kell

rather have a shorter life in bliss than a longer life
wallowing in misery the rest of my life.”

“Don’t you care if you die?” Aden cupped

Gallen’s face, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“Of course, I don’t want to die, but I’d rather

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

“Maybe I should leave so you two can discuss

this alone,” Carey stood up and quickly left the
room.

Before either of them could comment, Carey

was gone. Gallen appreciated his tact.

“My son seems to think we should work things

out.” Aden’s eyes were on the doorway Carey had
disappeared through.

“What do you think?” Gallen held his breath as

he waited for Aden’s response.

Aden returned his attention to Gallen. “I want

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

To Kiss a Killer

“What if you’re never ready?” Gallen was

prepared to move in now. When would be the
magical time for Aden? Would he spend the next
hundred years waiting for the perfect day?

“Hey, this isn’t a way to avoid our bond. I

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

Gallen resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Then

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

“Is it? Do all mates match perfectly? Have you

never heard of a mating that didn’t work out?”

Gallen searched his mind. “No. I’ve never

heard of a mating that didn’t work out. Sometimes
people  are  more  inclined  to  love  their  mate  than
others,  but  I’ve  never  met  a  pair  of  mates
completely  incompatible.  That’s  what  being
chosen by fate is all about.”

His parents didn’t count, because he’d always

known they weren’t proper mates. His mother had
told him many times.

Amber Kell

“Is it because sorcerers take away their mate’s

will? How can you know if they are willing if you
brainwash them?”

Gallen sighed. “I know it seems silly to you, or

even dangerous, but there is a historical reason for
sorcerers’ behavior.”

Of course, after meeting Aden, he couldn’t

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

Aden wiped away a lifetime of beliefs with a

wave of his hand. “But how do you know they’re
happy?”

“Because we can feel our mate’s emotions. If we

were bonded and you were miserable, I would
know and I would free you.”

“You’ll never get that chance.”
“I know. Carey suggested I study the other half

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

He didn’t dare let others have the chance to

tempt Aden away from him. Gallen knew no one
would ever replace Aden as his soul mate. Maybe
the human couldn’t feel the connection because of

To Kiss a Killer

his lack of magic. Gallen hoped Aden wouldn’t be
completely resistant to their mating.

“Won’t sex be enough? I have to admit I know

nothing about fae bonding,” Aden confessed.

“Sadly, that makes two of us, and I’m half fae.

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

“You don’t have a way to get hold of her?”

Aden picked Gallen up and set him on his lap.

Gallen smiled at the intimacy. Aden didn’t

know it, but he’d make a fine mate. His instincts
were always to make Gallen as happy as possible
without even trying.

“No. I’ve tried sending out psychic calls to her,

but so far nothing.”

“I can try to see if I can use some of my contacts

to find her for you.”

“Will they want something in return?” Gallen

didn’t  want  Aden  doing  anything  that  might
require  him  to  give  a  dangerous  favor  in  return.
He  planned  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  his  man.  He
worried Aden’s success in staying alive so far had
been as much due to luck as to skill.

“Depends who I ask. Some people owe me

information, others I’d owe.”

Amber Kell

“If it takes more than a phone call on your part,

then no.” Gallen refused to let Aden endanger
himself even to help them as a couple.

“I’ll be careful.” Aden smiled, a sexy curling of

his lip that made Gallen want to ravage him.

“Good.” Gallen wiggled his ass against Aden’s

lap, pleased when Aden’s cock hardened beneath
him.

“If you make me come in my pants, I will spank

your ass.”

Gallen’s breath caught in his throat. “Ooh, I’d

say I have a daddy fetish, but seriously, that
would probably be the creepiest thought ever.”

Aden laughed. “I see you’re going to keep me

on my toes.”

“I hope not.” Gallen frowned. “I was going for

balls deep in my ass.”

“Hmm, I might be able to help you out with

that.” Aden’s voice deepened with arousal.

“Might? I’m pretty sure you’re the only one for

the job.” Gallen’s skin crawled at the thought of
anyone else touching him. Never again would he
let someone other than Aden into his bed.

Aden’s grip tightened, and a flash of jealousy

crossed his face. “I better be, because if I find you
in another man’s arms, I’ll kill him. Trust me when
I say it isn’t just an expression.”

Gallen nodded. “You have no worries there, my

mate. I would never betray.”

To Kiss a Killer

Aden now had Gallen’s complete loyalty. As a

human, Aden didn’t truly understand the bond
between mates. Observing a mating between
shifters wasn’t the same as experiencing the bond.

The close examination he received had him

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

“Sounds good,” Gallen pressed his lips against

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

He moaned against Aden’s mouth, encouraging

more. He tilted his head, giving Aden deeper
access.

So good.
Aden’s tongue snaked out to lap at Gallen’s

lips.

“Ooh! A make-out session. No one told me it

was necking time,” Marty’s chipper voice
shattered the mood.

Gallen broke away from the embrace to glare at

the cheery hawk shifter. “I’m tempted to pluck
you bald,” he growled.

“Just try it, sorcerer!” Marty spat. Unlike Eaton,

Marty hadn’t forgiven Gallen for endangering his

Amber Kell

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

“Children!” Aden interjected. “Everyone needs

to get along.”

“I’m not a child,” Gallen argued again.

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

“Why? Are you cradle-snatching now?” Marty

taunted.

Aden tensed beneath him, and a tendril of hurt

trickled through their newly formed bond.

Fury filled Gallen over the pain Marty’s words

caused his mate. “You will not disrespect my
mate.”

He raised his hand and shouted an incantation.

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

Marty groaned as he opened his eyes. Slowly,

he climbed to his feet.

“Mate?” Marty’s gaze went between Aden and

Gallen, then back again. “Sorry, man, I didn’t
know you were mates.”

To Kiss a Killer

The hawk shifter’s sincerity glowed in his eyes.
Aden stepped up behind Gallen and nuzzled

his throat.

Oh, hell.
“If you keep that up, Marty is going to see more

of me than you might be comfortable showing,”
Gallen warned.

“Sorry,” Aden said, pinching Gallen’s ass when

he stepped away. “Watching you toss Marty was
kind of sexy.”

“Hey!” Marty scowled at Aden.
Aden shrugged.
Gallen turned around to face his man. Aden’s

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

“How about you take me home and show me

what you really think?” Gallen cleared his throat
after his voice came out deeper than ever before.

“I think I might need to bleach out my eyes,”

Marty commented.

“Keep it up, hawk, and I’ll do it for you.”

Aden’s eyes stayed locked with Gallen’s while he
issued the threat.

Amber Kell

Marty stepped away from them, sliding along

the wall. “Understood.”

“Come, let’s go home.” Aden entwined his

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

He let Aden lead him through the house,

waving at the others as they watched him leave
with Aden. “Don’t I need my clothes?”

Aden flashed him a hot look over his shoulder.

“Why?”

Gallen would forever deny the whimper that

came from his mouth at the thought of being
naked and alone with Aden. His pants became
painfully tight.

They paused by Carey in order for Aden to give

his son a hug. “I’ll come by tomorrow, and we can
discuss what I’m going to do now that I’m done
with work.”

“Sounds good.” Carey patted his father on the

back, nodded to Gallen, then headed down the
hall.

Aden continued to drag Gallen through of the

house and toward the front door.

To Kiss a Killer

“I am coming willingly,” he commented,

shaking his hand as Aden continued to drag him.

Aden scooped up his bag from the front door

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

Sorcerers might be considered the badasses of

the magical world, but Aden could order Gallen
around any time. He’d easily bow to his mate’s
request.

Aden led him to a classic sports car. An old

Mustang painted a cherry red.

Amber Kell

Chapter Six

den drove Gallen to his condo. It was on the
fourth floor of a new building built a few

years ago. He had sweeping views of the sound
from his entire living room. Denton and his
partner lived just down the street.

“Wow, that’s a great view.” Gallen stepped up

beside him to stare at the water.

“I like it.” Aden always found the water

calming. Something about the waves crashing
against the shore and the soothing depths always
lured him in.

“Have you ever gone diving?” Gallen asked.
“Yep. I love diving. I go whenever I get the

chance.” He didn’t mention he needed to be
certified in order to do some of his jobs. More than
once, he’d had to sneak aboard some ship from the
water.

“Me, too.”

To Kiss a Killer

The men smiled at each other, pleased they had

a common interest. “We should go diving together
soon,” Aden said.

It took a lot of resolve to keep reminding

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

Aden didn’t know which one of them moved

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

Perfection.
Gallen’s mouth twisted Aden in knots with his

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

It didn’t take long before they stood naked in

the middle of the living room. Gallen had
surprisingly nimble fingers.

“Damn, you’re gorgeous,” Gallen said.
Aden grinned, resisting the urge to preen

beneath Gallen’s adoring gaze.

Gallen’s body had delicate lines, with lean

muscle and little fat. The sorcerer ran his hands

Amber Kell

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

Stripped naked, their erections nudged against

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

They needed lube—desperately.
“Okay.” The glazed look in Gallen’s eyes

boosted Aden’s ego. If this kept up once he got
him there, he’d never let the kid out of his bed.

Out of patience, his hormones ruling his head,

he grabbed Gallen’s wrist and dragged him down
the hall.

“I’m coming.”
But not fast enough. Aden picked Gallen up

and  flung  him  over  his  shoulder,  laughing  when
Gallen  hummed  happily  at  the  action.  Teasing
fingers  rubbed  his  ass  as  he  marched  down  the
corridor to the bedroom.

Flinging the door open, he tossed Gallen across

the room. He smiled when the sorcerer bounced
on his mattress.

“I like you there,” Aden confessed. It had been

far too long since a man had decorated his bed.

“I like being here,” Gallen replied. Confidence

sparkled in his eyes, the surety of a man who
knew his partner desired him.

To Kiss a Killer

“Good.” Aden could easily see Gallen lying in

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

Climbing on the bed, he kissed his way up from

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

“You’re killing me,” Gallen groaned.
Aden grinned against Gallen’s hairy thigh. The

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

“Could you get on with it?”
“Getting cranky, aren’t you?” Aden asked idly.

The growl was adorable, but Aden had dealt with
shifters, so a tiny sorcerer growl wasn’t exactly
going to send him into a panic.

He slid up Gallen’s body until only his hands

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

Amber Kell

Aden grinned. He kissed Gallen and relaxed a

fraction of his weight on the smaller man. He
wanted to entice him, not crush him.

Gallen wouldn’t have any of that. The sorcerer

used his thighs to roll them over until he lay on
top.

Tongues clashed as Gallen took over, and for

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

“Lube?”
Aden pointed to the drawer. “Not wasting any

time.”

“Sorry. I need to feel you in me. We can take it

slow next time.”

Aden didn’t blame him. He’d only thought of

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

A slick hand spreading lube over his erection

jolted him back to the present. Gallen’s silvery
eyes glowed with amusement. “Stay with me,
mate.”

To Kiss a Killer

Aden didn’t have time for an apology as Gallen

quickly prepped, then impaled himself on Aden’s
erection.

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

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

Gallen sighed when he finally took all of Aden.

He placed a sloppy kiss on Aden’s mouth. “You
feel amazing,” he whispered in Aden’s ear before
playfully nipping his lobe.

“You feel incredible, too,” Aden agreed. Gallen

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

Gallen’s smile brightened his handsome face to

incandescent beauty. “Excellent.”

A possessiveness Aden had never felt for

anyone gripped him tighter than the one time he’d

Amber Kell

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

As he moved in and out of Gallen, Aden’s heart

ached with the need to make Gallen his. To mark
the man as belonging to him and kill anyone else
who thought to take him.

With a shout, Aden came, filling Gallen with

his seed. Before he could recover, Gallen placed
his hands on Aden’s chest.

“Mine.”
Pain seared through him as Gallen’s touch

burned into his skin like a branding iron.
Overwhelmed, Aden only had enough time to
slide out of Gallen, then topple to the side to avoid
crushing Gallen before everything went black.

* * * *

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

To Kiss a Killer

“What the hell?” he whispered, staring at the

mark.

A loud crackling sound had him covering their

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

“Okay.” Gallen glanced at Aden one more time

before realizing all his clothes were in the living
room. Before he could register that fact, they came
sailing through the open doorway.

“You might need these.”
“Thanks,” he called out, although she’d already

gone.

Gallen quickly dressed, not wanting his mother

to become impatient and leave while he dallied.
Before he went to join his mother, he checked
again to make sure Aden still breathed.

“I’m sorry, babe, I’ll be right back.” Gallen had

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

He found her sitting on Aden’s leather couch,

looking out over the water. “He’ll be all right,” she
said before Gallen opened his mouth.

“How can you be sure?”
“Because he’s your mate. Is this the first time

you’ve had sex?”

Amber Kell

“Yes.” Gallen hadn’t been this uncomfortable

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

“Hmm. I always thought you took more after

your dad. I guess I was wrong.”

“What does that mean?”
Gallen plopped down on the couch beside her.

He twitched with the need to return to his mate,
but he didn’t know when he’d get another chance
to talk to her.

“It means you mated with him like a fae, not

like a sorcerer.”

“What did I do?”
“You gave him the mating mark. I’m not certain

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

Gallen liked the idea of protecting his human

mate. Despite his tough exterior, humans were
frighteningly frail. “It’s permanent?”

“Yes. To humans, it will look like a tattoo. To

paranormals, it will glow like the mating brand it
is.”

To Kiss a Killer

“What about me? Will I get one, too?”
His mother shook her head. “No, only if he

were a fae would you get one. I have a feeling he’ll
think of something to mark you. He has the aura
of a take-charge kind of man.”

“Yeah.” Gallen couldn’t stop the smile crossing

his face. Aden fulfilled every one of his fantasies.

“I came to check on you, my love. I felt it when

your dad enchanted you, and I saw where they
put you in their garden.”

Gallen shrugged. “They took care of me.”
She smiled. “Yes, they did in their own weird

way. Though I have to wonder what they’ll do
with that casket now.”

“That is a good question.” Gallen laughed.
His mother squeezed Gallen’s shoulder. “I love

you, son.” She stood up. “You’ll do well. I’ll come
back and visit for the holidays.”

“But what if I need you before then?” Panic

raced through Gallen. “What if father comes after
me?”

“I wouldn’t be any use against him, anyway.

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

“I’m pretty hard to kill,” Aden’s deep voice

spoke behind him.

Amber Kell

Gallen turned to find Aden standing in the

living room with nothing but a pair of denims on.

“You must be Gallen’s mother.” Aden smiled,

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

“Please, call me Bell,” Bellion Theos said with a

sweet smile. She stood up and took Aden’s
proffered hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“I’m Aden.”
“I know. I did some research on you when I

found out you were my son’s mate. I’m happy to
report that I think if anyone non-magical can
protect him from his father, it’ll be you.”

“Thank you.” Aden gave a short bow. “I’ll do

my best.”

“Hey! I’m not completely useless,” Gallen

objected.

“Of course not, dear,” his mother agreed. She

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

Most people would walk out the door with that

exit line, but Bellion Theos just vanished.

“That’s impressive,” Aden said, glancing

around as if expecting to see Gallen’s mother still
standing in the room.

To Kiss a Killer

Gallen shrugged. He’d seen her do that a

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

Aden rubbed his chest. “Like I was hit by a

truck. Trust me, I know how that feels.”

Gallen opened his mouth to ask how, but Aden

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

“Mmm.” Gallen melted against him. “You taste

good.”

Aden laughed. “I’m glad you think so.

Hungry?”

“Yeah, I could eat. What do you have?”
“Nothing. I need to restock the cupboards. How

do you feel about Thai food? The delivery guy can
be here in half an hour.”

“Love it. I’ll take some chicken satay and rice.”
“Got it.”
Gallen returned to the couch. He soaked in the

scenery as Aden’s voice rumbled in the
background as he ordered their food. He could get
used to this.

Amber Kell

After a few minutes, Aden dropped onto the

couch beside him. “Did you know your mother
put her name down as Mother-in-Law on my
phone?”

“No. I didn’t see her add it. She used magic.”
“Ah. I guess I’ll have to get used to that.”
Gallen snorted. “Since you raised an odd

collection of shifters, I doubt a little magic is going
to throw you.”

“Just another thing to get used to. Did you get

back into school?”

They spent the next few minutes discussing

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

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

for a minute.”

* * * *

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

“Aden, this is Scott Pressons.”

To Kiss a Killer

“Sir.” The leader of one of the agencies Aden

had done work for in the past rarely called him.
All of Aden’s instincts went on alert.

“I’m calling because I got a complaint about

illegal magic use on a civilian.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Aden

had a sinking sensation he knew.

The captain’s next few words had him certain.

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

“As I don’t have any magic, I’m not sure how

I’m supposed to have done that,” Aden said
mildly. “Not to mention, they admitted to sending
a killer after me.”

“Maybe your new mate had something to do

with it?”

Aden growled. “Are you having me watched,

captain? Because I’m almost certain you don’t
want to go there.”

“Watch your back, Aden. More than one group

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

There was a long pause, and Aden waited. It

didn’t take long before his patience was rewarded.

Amber Kell

“If you were to do one last task for me, I’m sure

I can make this all go away.”

Aden had a suspicion he didn’t like. No one

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

“If I find out you had anything to do with the

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

He leaned against the balcony and watched the

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

“It’s too late. You can’t get rid of me now.”

Gallen walked out onto the patio to join Aden.

“Listened in, did you?”
“Yep.”
Aden turned to face his mate. He’d never been

one to run from things. At least, not unless

To Kiss a Killer

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

“Ah. Does that mean we need to watch our

backs?”

“I always watch my back.” Aden hadn’t slept

deeply  in  decades.  Always  vigilant,  he’d  caught
more  than  one  assassin  trying  to  finish  him  off.
He’d  been  an  idiot  to  think  he’d  be  able  to
completely

retire

and

everyone

would

conveniently forget him. “My old boss thinks they
might come after me.”

Gallen shrugged. “If they do, we’ll take care of

them.”

Aden smiled. His mate was of the same mind as

him. Together, they could eliminate any threat.

“What’s that?” Gallen pointed at the window

behind Aden.

Aden spun around and watched as a blue water

dragon splashed into the sound. “What the hell?”

“There aren’t any dragons in Seattle,” Gallen

said.

“Well, there’s apparently at least one,” Aden

countered. They couldn’t deny the huge beast had
just jumped into the water. Aden scoured the sky
but didn’t see any more.

“Is that like the one you saw on your mission?”
Aden shook his head. “No, I think that one was

a fire dragon.”

“Damn, I wish I had my wet suit.”

Amber Kell

100

“No way are you going to go diving in the

water with that thing there,” Aden said firmly.

“But sorcerers and dragons have always gotten

along,” Gallen protested.

Aden folded his arms. “And that doesn’t make

you worry just a bit? Your daddy might be behind
this recent spate of dragons. If the humans start
seeing those beasts everywhere, there will be hell
to pay.”

Gallen bit his lip. “Maybe if I could talk to one

of them.”

“Or maybe you could stay out of it.” Visions of

Gallen being eaten by a large dragon had Aden’s
stomach in a twist.

A loud sigh filled the air. “You can’t coddle

me,” Gallen said.

Aden gave a bark of laughter. “I don’t think

telling you to stay away from something that can
eat you with a few bites is exactly wrapping you
in cotton.”

The sky darkened, and crackles of lightning

filled the air.

“Father,” Gallen said.
“What?”
“My dad. The weather is caused by him.”

Gallen said, conviction ringing in his voice.

“Do you think he’s after you?”

To Kiss a Killer

101

Gallen nodded. “Let’s go down to the beach.

He’s bound to meet me there. It’s the sort of
dramatic showdown he’d enjoy.”

“I’m sort of surprised he waited this long.”

Aden confessed. The boys had told him about
Gallen’s father soon after they’d brought the
unconscious wizard to their house.

“Yeah, me, too. I hope the food doesn’t arrive

while we’re gone.”

The pair of them took the stairs down and

headed  across  the  street  to  the  beach.  Aden
scanned  the  area,  looking  for  any  humans  who
might  be  stupid  enough  to  be  walking  the  beach
during  a  lightning  storm.  Pleased  there  weren’t
any in sight, he followed his mate as he walked his
way  across  the  sand  to  the  group  waiting  on  the
beach.  They  all  wore  dark  robes,  like  a  group  of
sadistic  cult  members  from  a  bad  horror  movie.
After getting closer, Aden wondered when his life
had  gone  from  an  action  flick  to  a  sword  and
sorcerer knock-off.

“Greetings, son.” Theos’ gaze swept over Aden.

“I see we meet again. I thought there was
something about you.”

Aden sneered at Theos. “Huh, I just thought

you were a scumbag.”

A bolt of lightning burst from one of the

sorcerers and slammed into Aden. It crackled
around him, but didn’t touch his skin.

Amber Kell

102

Aden yawned.
“You mated with him,” Theos said. “I thought

he’d just be a passing fancy. I didn’t think you’d
actually mate with this human.”

The sorcerer said human as if he were

something distasteful, like dog crap.

“Nice to see you again, daddy-in-law,” Aden

said. He knew he shouldn’t provoke the man, but
it was too much temptation to resist.

“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”
Aden snorted. “Like I haven’t heard that

before.”

“If you come back with me, I’ll let your mate

live,” Theos promised.

“Why would I go back to you? You trapped me

in my body,” Gallen shouted.

“I helped you find your mate.”
Aden stayed silent to wait and see what they’d

do next.

The sound of a bullet hitting the sand beside

him had Aden grabbing Gallen and tossing him to
the ground. He scanned the area and didn’t see
their shooter. They were sitting ducks on the
beach. The buildings across the street held perfect
cover, while the sand hid nothing.

“I should’ve brought my rifle,” Aden

murmured.

“You don’t need it.”

To Kiss a Killer

103

Gallen waved his hand, and a wave of water

poured out of the sound and turned into a sheet of
ice, protecting them from any dangers.

“Wow.” Aden had to revisit his lover’s

statement of being able to manipulate water. The
blockade sparkled in the dim sunlight.

“Nice, boy, but you forgot about me.” While

they’d been concentrating on bullets flying toward
them, they had taken their eyes off the sorcerer.

“Don’t be jealous,” Aden taunted. “You’ll get

some attention.”

Theos waved his hand, and the shooter flew off

the building across the street and landed with a
crash on the ground.

“Handy.” Aden couldn’t help feel a bit of envy

over that move. He’d never been jealous over
someone’s abilities before, but that would’ve been
a great skill during his last shootout.

“Thank you. Now, Gallen, join with me or die.”
“I think I saw this in a really bad movie once,”

Gallen commented.

Aden bit the inside of his cheek to hold back the

laughter.  His  right  hand  slid  to  the  back  of  his
waistband where he hid his .45. He didn’t bring it
out  yet.  With  this  group,  he  needed  it  to  be  a
surprise.  Any  of  those  damn  sorcerers  could
disarm him with their spells.

Theos scowled. “There are worse things I can

do to you, son.”

Amber Kell

104

“You forget that I’m not that weak. You took

me by surprise before.”

“I knew you’d try to save that worthless eagle.

That’s  why  I  shot  it  at  him.  You  were  always
foolishly  sentimental,  just  like  your  mother.”  The
disgust  on  Theos’  face  had  Aden  clenching  his
fingers around the gun butt. “And to think, I just
saved you from a killer!”

“You don’t want me, father. You just want my

magic.”

“Well, if you won’t join me, I will just take it

from you.” Theos raised his hands. Aden shot at
him.

Theos screamed. The other sorcerers crowded

around him in a protective shield. One of them
began an incantation. Aden’s bullet went through
his chest.

Gallen did something with his hands, and

shards  of  ice  materialized  like  a  freaky  horror
movie  before  he  unleashed  them  at the  sorcerers.
Four  of  them  dropped  to  the  ground,  dead  from
the frozen darts of death.

Undaunted, Theos screamed, “I’ll kill you.”
“Go ahead and try, old man.” Aden barely

heard Gallen’s shout over the sudden roar. Water
spewed up at least twenty feet high, and the
silvery blue dragon they spotted earlier appeared.

Aden’s heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t

think his small gun could take out a dragon. He

To Kiss a Killer

105

gripped Gallen’s arm, ready to pull his lover out
of harm’s way.

The dragon lifted its head and focused on the

group on the beach. Without warning, the beast
began picking off sorcerers. When it was done,
only Theos stood on the beach alone.

White fire glowed from the sorcerer’s hands as

he faced the enormous beast. “You want to take
me?” he shouted.

The dragon spewed liquid from its mouth. Acid

sprayed  across  Theos,  hissing  as  it  dissolved  his
clothing.  Aden  had  never  understood  the  phrase
blood-curdling screams until that moment. The blue
dragon  continued  to  spit  until  there  was  nothing
left of the sorcerer but a bloody corpse. The entire
encounter lasted for minutes, but felt like years.

Aden didn’t know if he’d ever get the sound of

Theos’ cries from his memory.

When the dragon turned to them, Aden

stepped in front of Gallen.

The dragon gave a soft snort, then turned and

plunged back into the water.

“I’m sorry I doubted your dragon story at first,”

Gallen said.

Aden sighed. The stress of the day was catching

up with him. “Come on, love. Let’s go eat. I’m
starving.”

“That’s it? Aren’t you the least worried about

dragons?”

Amber Kell

106

Aden shook his head. “My plans for the

evening are eating, sex with my mate, and a nice
long sleep. We can worry about dragons
tomorrow. Tonight, let’s work on bonding.”

Gallen didn’t see a single problem with that

plan. Tomorrow was for worrying about crime
families and dragons. Tonight, they would
celebrate being together.

Stay tuned for the spin off series, Dragons of Seattle,

with more of Aden and Gallen and the rest of the

Bonded Brothers.

Document Outline