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Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Zus took one look at the brown-haired beauty that walked into the

bar with his friends and knew that he had found the perfect
submissive. He just wasn’t sure the sexy little man was ready for

his dominant brand of mating. Being in control was second nature
to him and he wasn’t about to change that for Rue, even if the

man was his forever mate.

Rue Tasquer had just about given up hope that he would find the
perfect man to dominate him until he found a set of deep, piercing

green eyes staring at him from across a bar. As eager as he is to
find someone to accept him—kink and all—Rue quickly gives into

the man’s demands and follows him for what turns out to be the
beginning of something that will either make Rue the happiest

man alive or send him running for his life.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), BDSM, Contemporary,
Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 31,896 words

FOREVER MATES: ZUS & RUE

Stormy Glenn

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

FOREVER MATES: ZUS & RUE
Copyright © 2014 by Stormy Glenn
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-117-4

First E-book Publication: August 2014
Cover design by Ash Arceneaux
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without
express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Forever Mates: Zus & Rue by
Stormy Glenn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank
you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
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This is Stormy Glenn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect
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FOREVER MATES:

ZUS & RUE

STORMY GLENN

Chapter One

Rue shoved his hands into his pocket as he listened to his friends

argue. It was the same old story really, just different words. Jace
always seemed to be talking them into doing something wild, on edge,
and usually really stupid.

“It’s just a bar, Liam,” Jace said. “They can’t keep us out.”
Rue wasn’t so sure. They’d been kicked out of bars before. If they

were lucky they got away unharmed. More often than not, they ended
up being roughed up a bit before they got sent on their way.

“You think not?” Liam laughed, sounding very nervous. “We’re

in redneck hell, Jace. Not only can they keep us out, they can tar and
feather us. That is what they do in these backwater towns, isn’t it? Tar
and feather people?”

Bay snorted. “Normal people, maybe. Queers like us?” Bay shook

his head. “They string us up, and like, throw lawn darts at us or
something.”

Lawn darts? Rue smothered a laugh behind his hand.
“Oh please,” Jace replied. “This is a public place. We have as

much right to be here as anyone else.”

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“Honey, I hate to break this to you but we’re not anyone else,”

Bay chuckled. “We’re loud, flaming, flamboyant queens. Hell, the
eyeliner on Rue’s face alone could get our asses kicked.”

Rue blushed as Jace frowned at him. He liked to wear a little

eyeliner. So the fuck what? It enhanced his pale features and made his
deep dark mocha-brown eyes stand out. Rue personally thought his
eyes were one of his best features.

“Jace, honey, if someone looked up gay in the dictionary,” Bay

said as he waved a hand between them all, “they’d find a picture of
us.”

“We’re not that bad,” Jace insisted.
Yes, we are! Rue nodded his agreement. They did scream gay, or

at least what people saw as the stereotypical gay man…right down to
the sequined purse under Liam’s arm.

“Jace, what color is my shirt?” Bay asked as he plucked at the

silky material with his fingers.

“Azure blue, why?”
“And Liam’s?” Bay continued.
“Chartreuse.”
“Uh-huh,” Bay said, “and what type of piercing does Rue have?”
Jace glanced back at Rue, grinning. “Guiche.”
Rue felt his face flush again. While he liked the paleness of his

skin because it made his eyes shine, there were times he hated it.
Every single little embarrassed blush could be seen for miles around.

“Honey, face it, we’re gay!”
Jace laughed. “Okay, so we’re gay. So what? That doesn’t mean

we don’t have as much right to be here as anyone else,” Jace said as
grabbed the door handle to the bar. “Besides, maybe we can teach
those hicks a things or two about fashion and makeup.”

Rue could hear Jace laughing as he opened the door and walked

inside the countryside tavern. He quickly scanned the parking lot to
make sure no one was giving them the stink eye and then followed in
behind the others…plowing right into Bay when the man stopped.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Sorry,” he whispered.
Rue looked past to his friends to try and see what had stopped

Jace. He gulped past the lump in his throat. Oh boy, they were in such
deep shit.

Rue had been inside of his fair share of bars but he tended to

avoid the ones filled with rough, muscle-bound, jean-clad, cowboy-
boot-wearing, beer-drinking rednecks. He tended to live longer that
way. Country boys didn’t seem to take to his kind very well.

He preferred to think his kind was the one that had brain cells but

he knew the truth. Rednecks and gothic gay subs didn’t blend well
and this place basically looked like every backwoods bar that Jace had
ever dragged him to…pool tables, beer and peanuts, country music,
and rednecks. And there didn’t seem to be a gay man in the bunch.

“Come on in, boys.” Jace giggled “There’s eye candy as far as the

mascara-lined eye can see.”

Rue ducked his head as he followed Jace across the room. He

hoped to hide the makeup on his face, but the way Jace strolled across
the room lit them all up like a beacon of gayness.

“Can I get four beers, please?” Jace asked when he reached the

bar. The bartender gave Jace a long look as if he were measuring him
then nodded and pulled out four bottled beers, setting them on the
wooden bar top.

“That’ll be eight dollars,” the bartender said, still eyeing them as

if they were aliens from outer space.

Rue started to reach for his own wallet when Jace pulled the

money out of his pocket and laid it on the bar before reaching for the
beer bottles. He took the beer Jace handed him and frowned at the top.

It had been awhile since he’d had to deal with anything that

required a pop top. He’d stopped frequenting the harsher bars a few
months ago after his last fling had tried to share him with a biker
gang. It wasn’t a memory he liked to think about.

Still, he chuckled quietly as Jace took a sip of his beer and

coughed a bit. Jace hated beer. He thought it was the simple man’s

Stormy Glenn

alcohol. He seemed to prefer fine wines and champagne. Rue didn’t
much care as long as it was cold.

This was cold.
“Let’s go find a place to sit,” Jace finally said.
Rue followed behind Jace, Liam, and Bay as they crossed the

room. He could feel the curious eyes of people watching their every
step. He glanced around through the curtain of his hair, looking for
potential trouble. It seemed to be pretty much anywhere. Rue had a
not so insane urge to run back to the car and grab his knives. The
comfort of the cold steel would settle him as nothing else had.
Unfortunately, Jace had insisted he leave them in the car.

The perfectly balanced set of throwing knives had been a present

from Bay, Jace, and Liam when he turned twenty-one. He tried not to
use them often, but every once in awhile he had to defend himself or
one of his friends. Once whatever asshole was bothering them saw
what he could do with one of his blades, they usually left Rue and his
friends alone.

“Jace?” Liam whispered. “Maybe we should go before we get our

asses handed to us.”

Rue couldn’t agree more, but he knew Jace was having none of it

when he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jace replied. “We’re not hurting anyone. If

they can’t deal with us then they are obviously not the big bad
rednecks I thought they were.” Jace chuckled. “Don’t tell me you
think that these guys are afraid of us?”

“No,” Liam said. Rue could hear the nervousness in Liam’s voice.

He didn’t blame the man. He felt just as nervous. “I don’t think
they’re afraid of us at all. I can’t say the same about me, though. I’m
shaking in boots here, Jace.”

“Yes, but you’re shaking in Prada boots, honey,” Jace said as he

and Liam to sat down in one of the vacant booths. Rue scooted in
beside Bay across from them. “That has to mean something. Ah, hell,
just ignore them and let’s have a good time.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Rue almost laughed when Bay snorted. “You said that the last

time we ended up in one of these backwater bars. Remember that? We
barely got out of there with our virtues intact.”

Jace burst out laughing. “What virtue?” he asked before he lifted

his beer and took another long drink.

Rue joined him and took a long drink of his beer, tilting his head

back to swallow a large amount of it. If he was going to have his ass
handed to him, he wanted to be a little medicated first.

Rue liked a little pain, but the amount he was sure was headed

their way went way beyond what he wanted. The men in the bar, and
a lot of the women, were a lot bigger than Rue, Jace, Bay, or Liam.

Lowering the bottle back down to the table, Rue once again

scanned the bar for potential threats. His eyes skimmed over several
people moving toward the pool table. A set of very deep green eyes
caught his interest, stunning him with their intensity.

Rue wasn’t sure he had ever seen eyes so green. They mesmerized

Rue, freezing him in his seat. He just knew he could drown in those
eyes. Intense fascination made Rue look beyond the green eyes to the
rest of the man.

Rue knew he had died and gone to hell. He was looking across the

room at the sexiest man he had ever laid eyes on and the man was in a
redneck bar. Rue had no doubt the man was as straight as he could be,
and wasn’t that a damn shame?

Rue could think of a million things he could do to the man starting

with his broad shoulders and ending down at his cowboy-boot-clad
feet. He might even be willing to throw the muscle-bound body in
between for fun.

Damn, the man was hot!

* * * *

Stormy Glenn

“I claim the blond,” Mikhail said as he straightened up and

watched his ball shoot across the pool table before sinking into the
pocket in the corner.

“Redhead,” Yuri stated.
“Brunette,” Zus added as he watched the man across the room

watch him. He might be looking through his soft brown hair, but Zus
knew the man watched him. He could feel his intense fascination even
from across the room.

It made Zus’s cock throb.
“Guess that about solves it then,” Stefan said. “I claim the little

black-haired one.”

“Well, that was relatively simple.” Mikhail chuckled.
“Any ideas?” Yuri asked.
“We could throw them over our shoulders and just carry them

out.” Zus shrugged. That would be his choice. He didn’t much like
trying to charm someone into his bed. He’d just rather order them
there. “It’s not like anyone is going to try and stop us.”

“That’s probably not a wise idea, Zus.” Mikhail chuckled.

“Although, we can always save that for a last resort.”

“Buy them a drink?” Yuri asked.
Mikhail shook his head. “Too predictable.”
“Ask them to dance?” Yuri asked.
“Too dangerous.” Mikhail chuckled as he gestured to the other

patrons in the bar. “The locals would rebel.”

“Well hell, Mikhail, what do you want us to do?” Zus griped.

“Send up smoke signals?”

“Just let me think for a moment,” Mikhail responded. He folded

his hands over the top of the pool cue, resting his chins on them. To
any that looked at him Mikhail seemed to be watching the pool game.
Zus knew he watched the blond across the room. The intensity of
Mikhail’s desire for the little blond was enough to send pheromones
shooting through the air. Zus was surprised the others in the bar didn’t
smell them.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Mikhail suddenly stood up straighter and handed his pool cue to

Stefan. “I’m going to the men’s room,” he said simply. “Don’t make a
move until I get back unless it’s life or death or they start to leave.”

Zus watched his brother, Mikhail disappear into the bathroom

hallway. A moment later, the cute blond Mikhail claimed jumped up
and followed after him. None but Zus and his remaining brothers
heard the moans that followed.

Zus grinned, happy that his brother had finally found his forever

mate. Now if he could just claim his. As he glanced across the room
and saw the dark mocha-brown eyes looking back at him, Zus knew
he looked at his future.

Deciding he’d waited long enough, Zus got to his feet. Without a

word to his brothers, he crossed the room to stand in front of the man
he desired. Zus knew he wasn’t as gentle or charming as his brothers.
The pulse beating rapidly in the little man’s throat said he didn’t have
to be.

“Come,” he ordered before turning to walk away. He knew the

man would follow before he even heard the soft tread of his feet on
the hard tiled floor. Zus tried the utility closet door and found it
locked. The scent of Mikhail, the other man, and sex filled his
nostrils.

Zus ignored it, and the ache it brought him. He walked further

down the hallway to the man’s restroom and walked in, the door
swishing closed behind him. A moment later, the door opened and a
smaller figure pushed in.

Zus stepped right up to the man, pushing him into the wall even as

he grabbed the man by the hair and tugged his head back. The man’s
mocha-brown eyes were wide open. There was a hint of fear, but it
was nearly overridden by desire blazing in their depths.

“You’re mine.” It wasn’t a question. Zus had every intention of

making this man his. The sudden flash of liquid brown told him the
man wasn’t adverse to his attentions. The hard bulge in his pants told
him the man liked Zus’s charming words.

Stormy Glenn

“Get rid of the clothes,” Zus ordered. He stepped back, crossing

his arms over his chest as he watched. The man was made for him. He
followed Zus’s orders eagerly, quickly pulling his shirt off then his
jeans and the rest of his clothes until he stood naked.

“Fucking perfect!” Zus hissed.
The man’s face flamed, but his jutting cock jerked in response to

Zus’s praise. It was the ideal response from a man he would soon
dominate. Praise and censure were excellent tools for training, and
Rue seemed susceptible to both.

Zus seized the man, hauling him into his arms. He grabbed his

hair again, yanking his head back. Huge brown eyes blinked up at
him. Zus knew he would continue to drown in those big mocha-brown
eyes for the rest of his days.

“Your name.”
“Rue, uh, Rueben, I mean,” the man stammered as his eyelashes

fluttered. “Rueben Tasquer.”

“You know you’re mine now, don’t you, Rue?” Zus asked. It

would be the last time he asked. Once he claimed the man, and he
would, there would be no turning back. Rueben Tasquer would
belong to him until he took his very last breath.

“Yes.”
That was all Zus needed to know. He lowered his lips and claimed

Rue’s. The instant molding of the man’s body against his made Zus
growl into Rue’s mouth. The man had just melted. It made Zus harder
then he thought possible.

He ached.
Pulling his lips away, Zus swung Rue around and pushed him

down to lean against the bathroom countertop. He tapped the man’s
legs apart until he spread them. It was only then that he spotted the
ring of silver on the man’s perineum glinting in the soft bathroom
light.

Zus groaned. Fate had a way of picking the most perfect mate for

each individual even if they didn’t agree at the time. Zus did. Rue

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

seemed to be everything he had ever wanted even if he hadn’t known
he wanted it until the man stood before him.

Squatting down behind the man, he grabbed his ass cheeks and

pulled them apart to get a better look. Hard, heavy balls hung just
beyond the piercing. A tight pink hole twinkled at Zus just above.

Zus leaned forward and caught the small ring with his tongue,

tugging on it. Rue cried out. His body trembled under Zus’s hands.
Zus tugged harder. He stuck his finger in his mouth and got it all wet
before pushing it against the pink puckered hole above the guiche
piercing.

His finger got sucked right in as if Rue’s body needed to be filled.

Zus knew his saliva, much like his pre-cum, would loosen Rue’s tight
body naturally so that he felt no pain, only exquisite pleasure.

He still wanted to be sure because he knew he couldn’t go easy on

the man. He wanted him too much. With that in mind, Zus pushed
another finger into Rue’s ass. The man squirmed, wiggling his ass and
silently begging for more.

Zus leaned back and brought his other hand down hard on the

man’s ass cheek. Rue’s legs trembled so much he was afraid the man
might collapse. Zus started to pull his fingers free to grab Rue before
he fell to the ground, but the man pushed back with his hips.

“No, please,” Rue begged.
Zus thrust his fingers back in.
Rue cried out.
Zus stood to his feet and looked down at the man he had bent over

the countertop. From behind Rue was gorgeous. His long, lean back
dipped at the bottom, inviting Zus to lick along the sleek lines. A
nicely rounded ass fell below the dip.

It begged to be paddled.
Zus couldn’t stop himself from bringing his hand down on Rue’s

ass. He wouldn’t have been able to stop himself if it meant the world
would come to an end. The soft pale skin begged to be reddened.

“Oh yes,” Rue cried out, “please.”

Stormy Glenn

Zus smacked him again and again. Rue’s cries only got louder.

Each smack, each deep, needy cry, drove Zus’s desire higher. He
pushed his cock against Rue with the intention of using his natural
lubrication to ease his way, but Rue wiggled around until he slipped
right in.

With just the head of his cock being squeezed inside Rue’s body,

Zus paused. He wanted to savor this flash in time for just a moment,
the first time he would claim his future. He gripped Rue’s hips to
keep the man from moving. He needed just a second.

“Please,” Rue pleaded.
Rue’s hands reached back and covered his. The man’s nails dug

into Zus’s skin with enough force to cause him to wince but not
enough to make him stop. Zus took it as permission to continue by
thrusting deep inside the man.

Zus began a punishing pace almost immediately, pounding his

dick into the man. He gripped Rue’s ass cheeks in his hands, digging
his fingers into the reddened flesh. Instead of being upset by the
gesture, Rue seemed to revel in it. His cries increased in volume until
they became one long wail.

Zus could feel the body shuddering around him. The man’s inner

muscles tightened down on his cock, and hot liquid splashed on his
leg. Gratification unlike any Zus had ever felt filled him knowing he
had brought Rue to a shattering release.

It was enough to spur on his own orgasm. Zus leaned over Rue’s

smaller body. He gripped Rue’s hair and tilted his head to the side
before sinking his teeth into the soft curve of the man’s neck.

Hot, sweet liquid exploded in Zus’s mouth just as his cock

exploded in the man’s ass. Zus roared around the skin in his mouth,
his hips pumping wildly as he filled Rue with seed, binding them
together forever.

Something deep inside of Zus shifted as he lifted his head and

stared down at his forever mate. He had often fantasized about hat his

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

mate would look like, but nothing had prepared him for the actuality
of having such a beautiful man in his arms.

Rue was panting heavily, his eyes closed as he rested his cheek on

the bathroom counter. The flush covering his pale face made his skin
glow. His lips were swollen and begging to be kissed again.

His body clenched around Zus’s cock, pulsing as if Rue was still

thrumming with pleasure, drawing the intense sensations out as long
as possible. His silky inner muscles squeezed and massaged Zus until
he started to harden again.

Damn, the man was hot!

Stormy Glenn

Chapter Two

Rue couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. His entire body had

melted at the hands of the biggest, sexiest man he’d ever met. The
man behind him had handled him like a master.

And Rue had no doubts the man was exactly that—a master.

Especially if the overwhelming need to sink to his knees was anything
to go by.

Rue liked being dominated, controlled. It allowed him to not be in

charge, to let everything go and just feel. None of his friends seemed
to understand that need. Rue thought that the man behind him just
might.

He hissed as the man pulled out of his ass, jumping when he felt a

small smack to his rump. It made him tingle from the top of his head
all the way down to his toes. He wanted more. He wanted the man’s
hands all over his body.

“Clean me up,” the man commanded.
Rue grabbed some paper towels and warmed them under the water

before turning toward the man, sinking to his knees. He carefully
wiped the man’s dick clean, making sure he wiped everywhere,
including under his heavy ball sac.

His eyes widened as the cock in his hand filled again. He glanced

up at the man through his long lashes only to lower them quickly
when he discovered two dark-green eyes staring back at him with
such an intent stare that it made him shiver.

Rue tossed the paper towels into the garbage can then sank back

down onto his legs. He kept his head lowered until he felt a hand
under his chin, lifting it up.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“You belong to me now,” the man said.
Rue eagerly nodded. His heart beat frantically at the

possessiveness in the man’s voice. He wanted to belong to someone
so very bad.

“You answer only to me.”
Rue nodded again.
“Tell me you understand,” the man insisted.
“I understand,” Rue said softly.
“Good, then get dressed while I explain my rules to you.”
“Yes, mast—”
Rue’s hair was suddenly gripped, his head yanked back. The

green eyes glaring down at him blazed with fury. Rue shuddered,
afraid he might have made another terrible mistake. He was always
choosing the wrong guys and paying for it in bruises. That was one of
the reasons his friends had purchased the throwing knives for him and
insisted he be trained how to use them—to protect himself.

“I am not your master,” the man said with a deep growl. “I am

your mate.”

Rue’s heart sank, and he lowered his eyes as much as he could. He

knew it. He knew he had made the wrong choice. The man didn’t
want him, not really. He just wanted someone he could fuck and boss
around, and he’d gotten exactly what he wanted.

Rue wasn’t sure he’d ever learn. He just wanted someone that

wanted him, someone to care for him like he needed to be cared for,
but no one seemed to understand that. No one wanted to care for him
like he needed.

Maybe what he needed didn’t exist except in his fantasies? There

certainly didn't seem to be any man out there that understood what
Rue needed or would even care enough to give it to him. Maybe Rue
needed to remember that and give up looking?

Feeling like the world’s biggest fool for believing that he might

have finally found what he was looking for, Rue pulled his head away
from the man’s tight grasp, wincing when a few hairs pulled from his

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scalp. He felt tears prickle the corner of his eyes as he reached for his
clothes and pulled them on. He wanted to cover his naked body as fast
as he could, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and somewhat ashamed
of his actions.

The man ordered him to the bathroom and Rue had fallen in with

his demands like he had no will of his own. He should have learned
by now where his needs took him. No wonder his friends had barred
him from biker bars. He was always getting himself in trouble like
this.

Rue just hoped he could get out of the bathroom and away from

the man before the beating started. As he pulled his shirt back on, he
watched the man’s movements, ready to flee at the first sign of
aggression.

“What I say, you do. If you don’t, you will be punished. If you

behave, you’ll be rewarded. It’s as simple as that.”

Rue shrugged his shoulders. What did the man’s rules matter

now? Rue knew he’d made a mistake coming into the bathroom with
this stranger, and he had every intention of leaving the moment he
could get away. He just hoped he could do it without making the man
angry. He didn't need to be beat up yet again.

Been there, done that.
“I need to check on my friends,” Rue said once he was dressed.

He twisted his hands together nervously in front of him. “They might
be worrying about me.”

“You can stop and talk with them when we leave,” the man said

as he reached for the bathroom door. “I’m sure my brothers have been
keeping them occupied.”

That wasn’t exactly what Rue wanted, but at least it would get

him out of the room and back with his friends. Once he was, they
could all leave. Rue’s shoulders slumped as the man grabbed him and
pulled him out of the bathroom.

His heart ached. He had just had mind-blowing sex with someone

he thought might be the one for him and he didn’t even know the

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

man’s name. The guy hadn’t even cared enough about Rue to give it.
If that didn’t say he’d made a huge mistake, Rue didn’t know what
did.

Rue jumped when a large body suddenly appeared in front of him.

His eyes widened when he saw Jace lying unconscious in the man’s
arms. Rue stiffened, ready to fight the man if need be.

“Uh, hey, Zus,” the man said.
So, that was his name… Zus. Figures he’d be named something

like that. Zeus was supposed to be a Greek god that ruled Olympus.
The spellings were slightly different, but the character of the man
wasn’t. Zus could probably rule as well. He certainly had the
demeanor for it…and the shoulders.

“Mikhail.” Zus’s eyebrow arched at the nearly naked bundle

Mikhail held in his arms. “Friend of yours?”

“And then some.” Mikhail grinned then nodded toward Rue. “And

him?”

“The same.”
The same what? Rue wondered as he looked between the two men

through the fall of his hair. What in the hell were they talking about?

“Does he know?”
Know what? Rue was getting confused and more nervous by the

second. What in the hell was going on? Was this some sort of gang or
something? Had he gotten his friends into trouble? Again?

Zus shook his head. “He will be told when I feel the time is right.

Not before then.”

Mikhail cocked an eyebrow. “Do you think that is wise?”
“He is mine.” Rue shuddered at Zus’s deep possessive growl. He

was in so much shit. “I decide what is right for him,” Zus continued.

Mikhail chuckled. “Just asking, Zus, just asking.”
“Are you taking him home?” Zus asked as he nodded toward Jace.
“Yes.” Mikhail nodded. “He belongs with me. I just need to

convince him of that. Jace is a spitfire.”

Stormy Glenn

Rue couldn’t help but snicker. This man had no idea how much of

a spitfire Jace could be. Jace was notorious for being contrary to
almost everything. He had an attack attitude about life. He attacked it
head-on. If someone didn’t like it, then Jace attacked them, too.

“You have something to say?” Mikhail asked.
Rue pressed his lips together and looked down at the floor,

shaking his head. He had a lot he could say, but he wasn’t about to do
anything that might get his ass handed to him. He wasn’t that stupid
even if his actions said otherwise.

“I’ll see you at home then?”
“We’ll be there.” Zus nodded. “Rue needs to speak to his friends

first then grab his stuff.”

Rue tightened his lips even more to keep from telling Zus to go

fuck himself. He didn’t have any intention of grabbing his stuff and
going anywhere with this man. He might want to be dominated but
fuck if he was going to be anyone’s doormat.

“Have you seen Stefan or Yuri?”
“Not in the last little while, no.” Zus glanced behind him as if he

could magically see around the corner into the main room. “I assume
they are off doing exactly what we are doing, claiming their mates.”

“If you see them, let them know I took Jace back to the house.”
Zus nodded, and Mikhail walked past them, carrying Jace cuddled

against his chest. Rue had misgivings about just letting Mikhail cart
his friend off, but he was in such deep shit himself, he didn’t know
how much use he could be. He needed to get to Bay and Liam, and
then the four of them needed to get the hell out of this freaking
nightmare.

“Let’s go.” The hand wrapped around Rue’s waist slid to his arm,

pulling him along behind Zus. Rue followed behind the man until
they reached the main room. He felt the blood drain from his face
when he spotted the empty booth where his friends had been sitting
when he left on his fool’s errand.

“My friends, where did they go?”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“I told you, my brothers are keeping them occupied.”
Rue suddenly felt like he’d totally lost control of the situation—

hell, he had totally lost control of his life. He bent over and rested his
hands on his thighs as he took in several deep breaths. This was so
incredibly fucked up.

He just wanted… he wanted something that didn’t exist. Rue had

done a lot of stupid things in his life, but he wasn’t dumb. He knew
the things he wanted in life were a little weird. He just didn’t
understand until this moment that they were so very wrong.

The very things he thought he’d find in the man standing over him

were what might get him killed or worse, one of his friends killed.
Rue couldn’t live with himself if one of his stupid choices hurt one of
his friends.

He knew then that he’d have to give up his dream. Besides the

fact that he didn’t think he’d ever find someone to fulfill his needs,
his desire for them could be putting people in danger, people he cared
about.

“I need to find my friends,” Rue said after a moment. He stood up

and wiped his hand across his face, hoping that Zus wouldn’t notice
the tears in his eyes. “Where is your friend taking Jace?”

“My brother Mikhail is taking your friend to our home where he

belongs, exactly where we are headed.” Zus’s hands landed on his
hips as he stared at Rue. “Now, any other questions before we get
your stuff? I need to let the others know we are leaving.”

Rue swallowed past the lump in his throat. “No, I’ll just go grab

my bags. They’re outside in the car.”

“Go.” Zus waved his hand as if dismissing Rue, and Rue wasn’t

dumb enough to argue. He hurried toward the front door as fast as his
legs would carry him. Rue cast one last glance over his shoulder at
Zus, his heart aching just a bit for what could have been then he
turned and walked out the door.

Once outside, Rue made a beeline for the car. He couldn’t see

anything and wished they had parked closer to the building. Reaching

Stormy Glenn

the vacant car, Rue’s heart sank again as he realized Jace still had the
keys. He was locked out.

Rue glanced anxiously around the parking lot. He didn’t know

what to do. Spotting a rock lying on the ground, and feeling just
desperate enough to use it, Rue started toward it when the bar door
opened and Zus stepped out.

Rue ducked down behind the car, carefully peeking over the hood.

He watched Zus scan the parking lot and knew that the man was
looking for him. Zus lifted his face into the air. It looked like he was
sniffing the breeze.

When he turned and looked in Rue’s direction, a grin on his face,

terror filled Rue. He didn’t wait around to see if Zus followed him but
took off in a fast run toward the woods. He knew he was leaving his
friends behind, but at the moment, Rue was very afraid his life was in
true danger.

Rue was never been so scared. It felt like a cold blanket wrapping

around him, weighing him down. No matter how fast he ran, he could
hear Zus’s footsteps in pursuit. They never slowed. They never
wavered. They just followed right behind him as if Rue was wearing a
tracking device hardwired directly to Zus.

Rue suddenly felt like he was being hunted. Zus was a big man

and could have easily caught up with Rue but the man seemed to be
steering him toward something. Rue tried going off in one direction
only to veer back when the footsteps behind became louder. The
moment he did, the footsteps slowed down.

Rue cried out as he tripped over a branch and went crashing to the

hard unforgiving earth. He could feel small rocks and twigs dig into
his skin. He was pretty sure he had a nasty scrape along one arm with
the way it ached and throbbed.

He could still hear the footsteps behind him, but they seemed to be

pacing instead of chasing, almost as if Zus was waiting for him to get
up and start running again. A small sob broke free from Rue’s throat
as he realized that this was just a game to Zus.

Stormy Glenn

Chapter Three

Zus paced back and forth as he waited for Rue to get up. His heart

nearly pounded right through his ribcage when Rue went down. This
was supposed to be fun, be a game, a way for Zus to show his
dominance over his mate.

Rue wasn’t supposed to get hurt.
When Rue didn’t immediately get up, Zus became concerned. He

quickly covered the ground between then, finding Rue sitting there
with his back against a tree. Even in the dim shine from the
moonlight, Zus could see the tears streaming down Rue’s pale face.

He heard a small catch in Rue’s breath when he squatted down in

front of him. Zus frowned and reached over to stroke Rue’s face only
to pause when his mate flinched away from him. Zus didn’t
understand why Rue would be afraid of him. He didn’t like the heavy
feeling it created in his chest.

“Rue.” He watched Rue’s eyes flicker up to his then quickly drop

down. Then Rue turned his head away as if he refused to
acknowledge Zus was there. “Rue, are you okay? Have you been
injured?”

Silence.
“Rue, answer me.”
Rue’s head turned slightly, a small shudder working its way

through the man’s slim body, but he still refused to answer. Even in
the moonlight, Rue’s features looked unnaturally pale. His hands were
clenched into little fists, his lips pressed together firmly.

“Rueben,” Zus tried again, more sternly this time, “I asked you a

question, and I expect an answer.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Rue turned to look at him. He still had tears in his eyes, but now

the dark mocha orbs also glowed with anger. “Fuck you. You don’t
own me. I don’t answer to you.”

Zus reeled back in shock. He never expected to hear such words

come out of his mate’s mouth. There had been something in the way
Rue looked at him, in the way the man responded to his touch, telling
Zus that his mate wanted exactly what he wanted.

Why the change in attitude?
“You are mine, Rue. You said you understood that.”
Zus watched Rue push himself up the trunk of the tree until he

stood on his feet. He was confused by the pain and anguish he could
see in Rue’s dark mocha-brown eyes. They just had mind-blowing
sex, some of the best in Zus’s life. They bonded.

Why the fear?
“I will never be your little fuck toy.”
“Fuck toy?”
“I thought you were different. I thought you—” Rue pressed his

lips together and shook his head. The sadness that came over his face
ate at Zus’s heart. Rue shouldn’t be feeling this way. “I want you to
go away and leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that, Rue.”
“You—” Rue’s words suddenly died away, and his eyes strayed

just beyond Zus’s shoulder.

Zus quickly sniffed the air before he moved, smelling the clear

scent of a predator behind him. He would have liked more time to
break the news to his mate of what he was, but Rue’s safety came
above all else.

“Stay down and don’t move from this spot,” Zus whispered.
Zus gestured for Rue to get down, trying his best to block the

view of his mate from the wolves he could sense standing behind him.
Once Rue squatted down, Zus very slowly turned around. He spotted
three pairs of golden eyes staring at him from the underbrush.

Stormy Glenn

Zus gave a low, threatening growl. He would prefer to warn the

wolves off before a fight started, but if not, he would protect Rue until
his dying breath. When the wolves just growled back, taking a few
steps closer to him, Zus let his canines drop down and extended his
claws. He heard Rue whimper behind him but couldn’t spare a glance
for the man. Taking his eyes off the threat advancing on them wasn’t
an option. Zus crouched down low and readied himself for the battle
he knew was coming.

The moment the wolves attacked, Zus shifted and jumped up,

blocking them from getting to Rue. He heard Rue cry out behind him
and knew his mate was freaked out. It just wasn’t something he could
deal with right now. It was more important that he keep Rue from
being hurt than soothe his ruffled feathers.

Zus started swiping his huge claws at the wolves, raking them

across their furred bodies. He bit into wolf flesh with his long teeth
and kicked out with his back legs. He roared out in pain as one wolf
got a good-sized bite out of Zus’s shoulder. Zus shook his upper
body, trying to dislodge the wolf. He winced when he felt the wolf’s
teeth just dig in deeper to the muscles of his shoulder. The pain was
excruciating, almost mind numbing. It was only the cries heard
coming from Rue that spurred Zus on, reminding him that he had
something worth fighting for.

Zus renewed his attack, going after the wolf directly in front of

him. If he could ignore the wolf biting into his shoulder, he could take
the others out one at a time. They might scatter if they were down a
wolf.

Zus could hope anyway.
He bit into the leg of the wolf at his front, clawing at his

vulnerable stomach area at the same time with his paws. The wolf
cried out and tried to wiggle out of his hold. Zus just dug his claws in
deeper. When the wolf arched away from him, Zus swiped at his
throat then tossed the wolf away as hard as he could. He heard a crack

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

and a suddenly cut off whimper as the wolf hit a tree trunk and went
down, not moving again.

Satisfied that he’d eliminated one threat, Zus went after the wolf

on his back. Zus’s heart pounded frantically when he went down
under the weight of the second wolf’s attack. He hit the ground with a
thud. Biting into the first bit of furry flesh he could reach, Zus tried to
roll back onto his feet, but he kept slipping in the dirt.

The wolf biting into Zus’s shoulder suddenly yelped and went

flying past him. Confused, Zus looked up to see Rue standing over
him with a large stick in his hand. He was waving it like a sword,
keeping the wolves at bay.

“Get away!” Rue shouted. Zus’s heart melted as he tilted his head

back and gazed up at Rue. His mate—his human mate—was
defending him against three vicious wolves. Zus wasn’t sure he’d ever
seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

He wanted to lean up and rub his face against the side of Rue’s

face, purr. He just couldn’t. Rue was swinging the stick in his hand
back and forth so fast, Zus knew he’d get a good knock on his head if
he lifted it too far up in the air.

Instead, he looked back at the wolves left, one injured and

whimpering, the other snarling and barring his teeth. Zus climbed
slowly to his feet, giving Rue plenty of time to stop swinging. He
barred his own teeth and let out a low, threatening growl. The two
wolves eyed Zus for a moment then backed up until they were several
feet away before turning and running, one of them limping severely.
Zus waited until he couldn’t hear them anymore or smell them, then
let out a loud huff.

He turned back to Rue and settled down on his stomach,

wondering what the man would do now that the fight was over. Much
to Zus’s surprise, Rue dropped the stick in his hand rushed over to
kneel down beside him.

Stormy Glenn

“Zus?” he whispered as he slowly reached out. Zus huffed again,

this time softer, and leaned his head into Rue’s hand. “Geez, now I’ve
fucking seen everything.”

Zus winced as Rue’s hand sank into his fur right where he’d been

bitten by the wolf. He rolled a little, trying to dislodge the man’s tight
grip. If he’d been in human form, his eyebrows would have shot up to
his hairline when Rue smacked him on the nose.

“Knock it off,” Rue snapped. “You’re injured, and I need to see

how bad it is.”

Zus tried to lie there quietly while Rue’s fingers probed his

wound, but it wasn’t exactly easy. It was a wound, damn it, and it
hurt. Still, he felt amazed to be lying there with his mate checking
over his wounds, especially since Rue had been scared of him before
the fight.

“Can you… turn back, I guess?” Rue asked as he sat back on his

legs. He waved his hand in the air over Zus’s body. “I don’t know
what it is exactly that you do, but can you do it? I think it would be
easier to look at your injuries if you were in… if you looked human.”

Zus closed his eyes and concentrated on shifting. The wind

suddenly whipped wildly around them, and there was a flash of
blinding light. When Zus opened his eyes, he was human once more.

“Is this better?”
Rue’s dark-brown eyes dominated his pale face. “I… I don’t

know.” Zus noticed that Rue’s hand trembled as he reached out again,
his hand pausing before it reached Zus’s skin. “Are you real? Am I
dreaming this?”

Zus slowly sat up until he was just inches from Rue. He gently

cupped the side of the man’s face and smiled. “It’s all very real, Rue.
You’re not dreaming, I swear.”

Rue’s eyebrows drew together as he frowned. “What are you?”
“I’m human just like you are, but I’m also something more. I was

born this way, and although I wasn’t able to do it until I hit puberty, I
can shift into a large white cat, as you saw.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Ho—those wolves that attacked us, were they… can they…?”
Zus nodded. “Yeah, they were shifters, too.”
“Why did they attack us?”
“They smelled your fear.” Zus stroked his hand down Rue’s face.

“I suspect that they were rogue shifters. They were probably drawn to
the scent of your fear.”

“Is that why you chased me?”
“No, Rue, that’s not why I chased you.” Rue looked so confused,

and Zus doubted it all had to do with his ability to shift into a large
cat.

“Then why?”
“You ran from me. And, while I may be half-human, I still have

the instincts of a cat. If you run from me, I will chase you.” Zus
grinned. “Hide and seek is a game I imagine we’ll play often.”

Rue’s jaw dropped open. “You were playing a game with me?”
Zus didn’t know what to say. Rue sounded astonished, and he was

starting to get pissed. Zus could see it in the narrowing of Rue’s eyes
when the man climbed to his feet and started backing away. Rue
opened his mouth then snapped it shut. Zus arched an eyebrow when
Rue pressed his lips together and crossed his arms over his chest. It
seemed like his mate might have a bigger temper than he thought.

“Why would you do that to me?” Rue asked. “Why would you—”

Rue snapped his mouth closed again as if he couldn’t finish his
question. He started shaking his head as he took a few more steps
back from Zus. He wagged his finger at Zus. “No, I’m not going to do
this with you. You just stay away from me.”

Zus was up and on Rue before the man could turn away. He

carefully turned them when they fell to the ground, making sure he
took the brunt of the fall on his own body. The pain shooting through
his shoulder quickly reminded him that he was still injured. Once he
regained his breath, Zus rolled them over until Rue’s body was
beneath his. He moved up and straddled Rue’s waist, capturing the
man’s wrists and holding them above his head.

Stormy Glenn

“You are mine, Rueben,” Zus said with a growl. “You agreed to

be mine when I claimed you. I will not give you up.”

“I agreed to belong to you when I thought you—”
Zus didn’t understand the tears that came to Rue’s eyes or the pain

that darkened them as he turned his head away. He knew deep down
in his soul that Rue wanted the same thing from their relationship that
he did. Why was this beautiful man denying it, denying them?

“When you thought I what, Rue?” Zus grew even more confused

when Rue bit his lip and shook his head, refusing to look up. Zus
grabbed both of Rue’s wrists with one hand. He stroked the other
down the side of the man’s face. “I know you want to belong to me,
Rue. Why do you deny it?”

“I wanted to belong to you when I thought you could give me

what I need.” Rue turned to glare up at Zus. “You can’t.”

“What makes you think I can’t give you what you need, Rue?”
Rue started to struggle, pulling his hands free of Zus’s grasp. He

started beating his fists against Zus’s shoulders as he cried out.
“Leave me alone. I didn’t ask for this. Why are you doing this to
me?”

“Rueben!” Zus shouted as he caught Rue’s hands and held them

back down to the ground. He was astonished at the strength in Rue’s
smaller body. The ferocity in which the man fought him was amazing.
“That’s enough.”

“No! You—”
“Rue,” Zus said softer, hoping to calm the man down, “you’ve

seen what I am. I can’t—”

Rue’s eyes widened. “Are you going to kill me?”
“What?” Zus asked, frowning. “No!”
“Then let me go.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Chapter Four

Considering the situation he was in and the sheer power of the

man straddling his body, Rue was shocked when Zus released his
hands then slowly rolled away. He quickly scrambled back, putting a
few feet between them.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of me, Rue,” Zus said as he sat up.

He didn’t make any move to close the space between them, and Rue
was thankful for that. He knew he couldn’t outrun Zus in either of the
man’s forms.

“What do you want?”
Rue didn’t know what to think when Zus leaned back against the

log behind him and pulled his knees up. Zus rested his arms on the
tops of his knees and clasped his hands together, staring down at the
dirt between his legs.

“I thought we wanted to the same thing, but now I’m not so sure.”

Zus finally lifted his head to stare over at Rue. The determined glint
in his dark-green eyes gave Rue a chill. “That doesn’t mean I’m going
to give you up, though. I claimed you, and you belong to me.”

Rue swallowed past the hard lump in his throat. He licked his dry

lips before he spoke. “You… you can’t keep me if I don’t want to
stay.”

Rue jumped when Zus growled, the corner of his lip curling. “You

belong to me!”

“I belong to me,” he whispered, knowing his words would enrage

the man but unwilling to give in even if it meant Zus would harm him.
He had to stand his ground. Something told him if he didn’t do it now
he would never have the chance again.

Stormy Glenn

“You are my mate!”
Rue opened his mouth to argue when the strangeness of Zus’s

words struck him. He snapped his mouth closed and thought about
them. Mate, what exactly did Zus mean by that? Somehow, Rue knew
Zus didn’t mean it in the usual sense. But then, nothing about the
entire situation was usual.

“What does that mean?” he finally asked. Relief flooded Rue

when the tension in Zus’s shoulders faded away. The man settled
back against the fallen log, getting comfortable as he started talking.

“You know what I am,” Zus said. “You saw me shift.”
Rue nodded.
“When one of my kind meets our mate, we can scent it. We just

know. I scented you the minute you walked into the bar, just as my
brothers scented their mates in your friends. We call them forever
mates because once we claim our mates, we are forever bound to
them.”

“A–an–and you claimed me?” Rue’s entire body trembled when

Zus nodded. “What does that mean?”

“You are my forever mate.”
The words seemed so simple, but they had a wealth of meaning

behind them. Rue knew that. Nothing was ever that simple. At least
not for Rue. “I’m not one of your kind, Zus. I don’t understand what a
forever mate is. What does it mean to me?”

“I need you.”
Rue’s mouth dropped open. Of all the things Zus could have said,

those were the last ones Rue ever thought he’d hear. “You need me?”

“I will always need you, Rue.”
“Why?” Zus was a large man, a strong man. He could shift into

huge white tiger. What possible reason could Zus have for needing
Rue? Unless… Rue’s jaw snapped hard as a wave of anguish and
anger rolled through him. “I told you I won’t be your little fuck toy.”

Rue scrambled backward when Zus growled and rolled up onto

his knees. Fear made him tremble, made him clumsy. Rue slipped on

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

the dirt and fell back onto ground. Before he could get back up, Zus
was over him.

“You are not a fuck toy!” Zus bit out between clenched teeth. “I

don’t ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth again.
Do I make myself perfectly clear? You are my mate. I claimed you.
You belong to me.”

Rue was so terrified he would have agreed to anything at that

point. He nodded quickly, afraid to utter a single word in case he
pissed Zus off anymore. He had no idea what the man would do to
him. Zus looked so fierce. His face had darkened, his eyes going
nearly black. Rue could see the tips of fangs between Zus’s lips.

When Zus stood to his feet and held a hand out to him, Rue was to

afraid not to take it. He grunted a little then quickly bit his lips to
silence himself when Zus pulled him quickly to his feet.

“It’s time to head home,” Zus said. “Your friends should be there

right about now.”

That was the only thing Zus could have said that would have

made Rue walk even faster as they headed back toward the parking
lot. Rue knew if he could get back to his friends they could run for
their lives.

It was the only sane thing to do.
He followed behind Zus, knowing he didn’t have much choice

when the man refused to release his hand. He was surprised at how
close they were to the parking lot when they broke through the trees.

They couldn’t have been more than a few hundred yards and yet

Rue had felt like he had run for hours. More than likely, he had been
so scared he had run in circles. It would just figure. His life seemed to
just go that way—one big ugly circle.

Zus’s truck was on the edge of the parking lot. Rue didn’t offer

any protest when Zus opened the passenger side door for him. He just
climbed inside and buckled up his seat belt. By the time Zus climbed
into the other side, Rue was already looking out the passenger
window, wishing he could ignore the large man seated next to him.

Stormy Glenn

It wasn’t until they were driving through the parking lot and out

the driveway that Rue noticed that the place wasn’t vacant. He
pressed his hand against the window glass when he spotted Bay
talking to another man, wishing he could call out for help.

“I thought you said all of my friends would be at your house?”
“I’m sure Stefan will be brining your friend home soon enough.”
That didn’t reassure Rue. In fact, it made him feel even more

nervous. What if Zus lied about his friends being out at his house?
Rue really had no idea where he was going or who he was going with.
For all he knew, he could be headed toward his death.

Rue shivered and rubbed his hands up and down his arms. He

knew he should have kept his knives on him. He was so incredibly
fucked without them. He had no way to defend himself. On the
surface, Zus seemed to be everything Rue ever dreamed of, strong,
dominant, and powerful. Underneath, Zus didn’t want to be the one
thing Rue needed.

“Are you cold?”
Rue shook his head. He wasn’t cold, not the way that Zus meant.

He wasn’t cold from the lack of heat in the cab of the pickup truck.
He was cold down to his bones from lack of warmth, the kind of
warmth he only got when someone cared for him the way he needed.

Rue didn’t think he would ever be warm again.
When they pulled up in front of a large ranch house and stopped,

Rue noticed another pickup parked next to them and wondered which
of his friends had arrived in that vehicle. He wondered who it was and
if they could escape together, or was his friend just as doomed as he
was?

“Coming in?”
Rue opened the door and climbed out, quietly shutting it behind

him. Did he really have a choice? Zus kind of made it clear that he
could have whatever he wanted and apparently, he wanted Rue. Rue
wondered how long that would last before he did something to really
piss Zus off and paid for his insolence in blood and tears.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Zus walked around the front of the truck and took Rue’s hand,

leading him into the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. Rue
couldn’t keep himself from shivering when he spotted the big bed
dominating the room. He had a sudden vision of Zus pinning him to
the bed. Rue’s hands were tied to the headboard over his head. Zus’s
larger body kept Rue’s legs spread wide as the man fucked him. Rue
groaned at the image, and then he almost cried at the loss he felt for
something that would never happen.

Zus didn’t want that from him.
“Do you want something to eat?”
“I’m tired,” Rue said. He didn’t think he could eat anything right

now and keep it down. He was so exhausted his eyeballs ached. “Is
there some place that I can lie down?”

Zus pointed to the bed. Rue nodded. He figured as much. He

walked over and sat on the side of the bed, reaching down to take his
shoes off. He lined them up and set them on the floor right next to the
nightstand then lay back on the bed.

“You’d be more comfortable if you got undressed and under the

covers, Rue.”

Of course! Rue sat up and started pulling his clothes off. He felt

uncomfortable undressing in front of Zus, especially when he heard
the man’s quiet growl. He tried to ignore it, folding his clothes neatly
and laying them on top of his shoes.

Pulling the covers back, Rue climbed into the bed. He turned over

to face away from Zus, hoping the man would leave him alone, and
terrified that he would. Rue felt the mattress sink as Zus sat down on
the side of the bed. He jerked when he felt Zus stroke the side of his
face.

“Sleep well, Rue,” Zus said. “I’ll be just downstairs if you need

me.”

As if, Rue almost snorted. He felt the mattress give again as Zus

stood up then heard his footsteps cross the room. Rue held his tears at
bay until he heard the soft click of the door closing.

Stormy Glenn

Curling into a ball, Rue pulled the covers up and let his tears fall

down his face. He wanted someone to care for him, to love him. In his
mind, that meant discipline and boundaries, rewards and pleasure. His
ideal man was someone he could admire and respect, someone that
made his breath quicken when they walked into the room. He wanted
to adore and pleasure the one that mastered him. He was starting to
think that man didn’t exist.

Rue kept looking for this dream man even after his friends banned

him from biker bars. He had been so sure the man had to be out in the
world somewhere and if he just looked hard enough, he’d find him.

Rue thought Zus would fulfill his dreams. Instead, the man was

starting to be a part of Rue’s nightmare.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Chapter Five

Zus stood outside of his bedroom door, his head leaning against

the cool wood as he listened to Rue’s crying. His forever mate was in
anguish, and Zus didn’t know how to stop it. He didn’t know how to
make Rue see how perfect they were for one another.

From the moment Zus spotted Rue walking into the bar, he knew

the man was the one for him, maybe even before he knew Rue was his
forever mate. The black eyeliner, the curious glance Rue gave the
room, the sensual way the man walked.

It made Rue perfect in Zus’s eyes.
The fact that the man needed to be dominated only added to his

allure. Zus knew his need to dominate someone was an unusual one.
Certainly none of his brothers felt the way he did. Zus couldn’t
explain it. He just knew it was there.

He needed to be in charge more than he needed to breathe.
He desired someone that made him the center of their universe.
He hoped for a mate that wanted to be his submissive.
He wanted Rue.
As he listened to Rue crying through the door, Zus felt pretty sure

he was losing the one person that promised to be everything he
wanted in the world. Zus just had no idea how to get through to Rue.

He seemed more afraid of Zus because Zus wanted to dominate

him and less because he was a shifter. And that confused Zus on so
many levels. Rue responded so well when Zus took him in the
bathroom. He seemed to want everything Zus did to him, begging for
more.

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Where had he gone wrong? What did he do that made Rue truly

afraid of him because if Zus thought back over their time together,
Rue had been terrified of him long before he had shifted.

When Zus heard Rue hiccup, he couldn’t stand it anymore. The

thought of Rue crying sent shards of pain through Zus’s chest. He
pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Rue was crying so
much he didn’t seem to be aware of Zus coming in.

Zus closed the door and walked across the room to stare down at

Rue. Even with the blanket pulled up over his face, Zus could see the
man’s shoulders shaking. The ache in Zus’s heart almost brought him
to his knees.

Their mating shouldn’t be causing Rue so much anguish. It was a

time of celebration, of happiness. Not this deep, aching misery that
Rue seemed to be experiencing. Zus couldn’t stand it. He’d rather Rue
be happy even if it meant he was happy somewhere else.

Zus sat down on the side of the bed and reached over to pull the

blanket down from Rue’s face. He didn’t miss the jerk of surprise or
the paling of Rue’s already pale face as the man turned to look up at
him. Dark-brown eyes looked at him for a moment before quickly
dropping away.

Zus gently stroked the side of Rue’s face, brushing his brown hair

back from his face. “I don’t know what I did to make you afraid of
me, Rue,” he said softly, “but I would never hurt you. I swear. You’re
my forever mate. I’m incapable of hurting you.”

Rue squeezed his eyes closed and turned his face into the pillow.

Zus kicked his shoes off and lay down on the bed behind Rue,
wrapping an arm around the man and pulling him flush against his
chest.

He felt Rue hiccup again. The man’s body trembled as Zus began

to lightly stroke his chest through the blanket. “I’ll let you go if that’s
what you really want, Rueben.”

Even if it killed him.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Why can’t you—” Rue’s words ended almost as abruptly as they

started, leaving Zus confused.

“Why can’t I what, Rue?” Hadn’t he asked this before back in the

forest? Why wouldn’t Rue answer him? Instead, Rue just shook his
head, frustrating Zus even more.

“I just want—” Rue pressed his lips together.
“What do you want, Rue?”
“Some…something that doesn’t exist.” Rue’s cry was broken and

desperate. “I want something that doesn’t exist.”

“What, baby?”
“Don’t say that,” Rue suddenly snapped. “You don’t mean it.”
Zus was confused. He felt like he didn’t know which end was up.

And he’d just about had enough of feeling that way. He sat back and
whipped the covers off of Rue’s body.

Rue yelped when Zus flipped him over onto his stomach, but he

didn’t start fighting until Zus pulled his hands to the top of the bed
and snapped them into the fur-lined handcuffs welded to the
headboard.

“What are you doing?” Rue cried out as he struggled, yanking on

the handcuffs. “Let me go.”

Zus almost complied when he heard the fear in Rue’s voice but

decided to go with his gut instinct where the man was concerned
instead. He opened his hand and brought it down on Rue’s naked ass.

“Stop!” Rue shouted.
“I told you in the very beginning, Rueben, what I say, you do. If

you don’t, you will be punished. If you behave, you’ll be rewarded.
It’s as simple as that.” Zus spanked him again. “Now, I’m tired of you
not answering me. That is not acceptable behavior.”

Zus swatted at Rue’s ass with each sentence until Rue’s ass

glowed red. When he was finally done, Rue’s shoulders shook but not
a sound came out of his mouth. His face was turned to the side as if he
needed to see Zus.

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Zus gently massaged the red rounded globes he’d paddled

moments before as he looked at Rue and tried to ignore the silent tears
falling down his face. “Now, are you ready to answer my questions?”

Rue nodded.
“I prefer verbal communication, Rue, not nodding. Do you

understand?”

“Yes.”
Zus stretched out on the bed next to Rue and rolled the man onto

his side so that they faced each other. Rue’s eyes were darting around
wildly, first to Zus’s face then down to his chest, away to the ceiling
then back to Zus’s face. He seemed very unsettled.

“Take a deep breath and calm yourself, Rue.” Zus stroked his

hand gently down Rue’s side to his hip then back up again, waiting
for Rue to do as he said. “I want to know why you don’t want me to
call you baby.”

“You don’t mean it.”
“If I said it, I meant it.”
“Not… not the way I want it to mean.” Rue’s eyes dropped away

from Zus’s. “It’s just a word to you.”

Zus reached around and smacked Rue on the ass again. “Now that

we are mated, Rueben, I will no longer allow you to run around in
circles. If I ask you a question, I expect clear understandable
answers.”

“Why do you care?” Rue argued as his eyes snapped back up.

“You said you weren’t my master.”

Zus’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Rue’s glowering face.

“Is that what this is all about? Me being your master?”

Zus felt a deep need to paddle Rue’s ass until the man couldn’t sit

down, but he would never spank his mate when he was angry, and
Zus was very angry. He reached down and gripped Rue’s chin in his
hand and turned the man’s face up to his. He wanted Rue to look at
him when he spoke so there would be no misunderstandings.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“I am your mate, Rueben,” he said very slowly. “That means a

whole lot more than being your master. It is far more important. Your
happiness and well-being are my utmost concern. How we settle the
dynamics of our relationship is up to us and it doesn’t need a label.”

“You want to be my master?” Rue whispered.
Zus opened his mouth to argue with Rue when the awe in Rue’s

voice suddenly filtered through his anger filled brain. He didn’t
understand why by the word master seemed to hold so much meaning
to Rue, maybe as much as forever mate held for him, but it did.

“Rue, I am your master,” Zus said softly but firmly. “I will always

be your master. But I do not call it that. I call it mate. It means far
more to me that we are mates than any master/submissive
relationship.”

Rue hiccupped. His dark-brown eyes widened and started to fill

with tears.

“I will discipline you when you are bad just as I will reward you

when you are good. You are to follow my demands whether you like
them or not but I will never hurt you. I will care for you, love you,
and never leave you. I expect the same from you and will settle for
nothing less. Is that understood?”

Rue nodded quickly. “Yes.”
“You’ve said yes before, Rue, and didn’t mean it. Why should I

believe you this time?”

“Oh, no, it’s just that you—I mean, I—” Rue’s face looked

panicked. Zus could hear the handcuffs clink together and glanced up
to see Rue’s hands clenching and unclenching. “Please.”

Zus started to reach up to unlock the cuffs, thinking Rue was

asking to be set loose when Rue jerked away from him. He quickly
looked down to find Rue shaking his head emphatically. “Rue?”

“No, please, I—don’t.”
Zus cupped Rue’s cheek with his hand, rubbing his thumb along

the man’s prominent cheekbone. “Take a deep breath and then speak

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slowly and clearly, okay? You won’t get into trouble for anything you
say to me.”

“Don’t take the handcuffs off.”
Zus’s eyebrow arched. He hadn’t been expecting Rue to tell him

not to take the handcuffs off, but after hearing the words, he wasn’t
surprised when Rue’s face flushed. Zus settled back down beside Rue
and gave his naked hip a small pat.

“Okay, Rue, I’ll leave the handcuffs on for now, but I still want an

answer to my question. Why should I believe you now when you lied
to me before? You said yes back at the bar, but you didn’t mean it.
Why is now any different?”

“Back at the bar you said you weren’t my master, so I didn’t have

to tell you the truth.”

Understanding suddenly hit Zus like a bullet to the gut. “So, now

that I’ve told you that I am your master, you have to tell me the
truth?”

“I would never lie to my master.” Rue sounded almost offended.
“Rue, why is the word master so important to you? It’s just a

word.”

“Forever mate is just a word,” Rue countered. “Why is it so

important to you? Why is it more important than my word?”

“Fair enough, little one.” Zus chuckled. “As your master, I’m

telling you that you may refer to me as mate or Zus, but not master. I
do not like that word. It does not, however, mean I am not your
master. Understood?”

“Yes,” Rue said as he rolled toward Zus. He seemed calmer, the

tension lines in his face fading away to be replaced by the lines
caused from the grin on his lips. “Yes, please.”

“Please what?”
“Please, Zus.”
“Very good, Rue,” Zus said as he wrapped his hand around the

back of Rue’s neck and pulled him closer. “That deserves a reward.”
Rue’s lips were already puckered by the time Zus reached them.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Zus growled as he claimed Rue’s lips, giving himself freely to the

passion the kiss ignited in him. The man tasted so good, sweet,
musky, and something that was uniquely Rue’s. Zus kissed Rue with
a hunger that belied his outward calm.

Rue’s body trembled in his arms. Zus rubbed his hand down

Rue’s back to grab his reddened ass, giving it a good squeeze. Rue
moaned and bucked against him. Zus could feel the man’s hard cock
pressing against his abdomen.

“Mas—mate,” Rue whispered against Zus’s lips. Zus groaned,

aroused beyond control at the sound of the word mate on Rue’s lips
instead of master. Rue was listening, learning. He was perfect.

Zus grinned at Rue’s cry of protest as he rolled away from the

man. He climbed to the edge of the bed and stood up. Zus turned to
face Rue as he slowly took his clothes off. He wanted to see Rue’s
reaction, his desire. And it was all right there burning in Rue’s rich
mocha-brown eyes for Zus to see.

When Zus dropped the last item of clothing to the floor and

moved to the end of the bed, Rue rolled onto his back and spread his
legs, his hands still handcuffed above his head. Zus’s breath caught in
his throat at the picture Rue made spread out on the bed, displayed for
his pleasure. This was how he pictured his forever mate. Zus slowly
climbed up onto the bed between the Rue’s spread legs, gently
stroking a hand up each leg to his thighs.

“So perfect, my beautiful Rue.”
The silky soft skin of Rue’s body fascinated Zus. He couldn’t

keep from stroking his hands all over Rue. There didn’t seem to be a
hair on Rue below his eyebrows, just beautiful naked skin. Even his
ball sac was hairless.

Zus avoided Rue’s cock, despite the small pearly drops of pre-

cum he could see pooling on the head that begged to be licked away,
and rubbed his fingers down over the soft sac below and back to the
little ring Zus knew was waiting for him.

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Rue trembled and cried out, exactly the reaction Zus wanted. Rue

seemed to respond perfectly to everything Zus did to him. He
trembled when Zus stroked his skin. He arched into the air when Zus
licked him. He cried out when Zus tugged at the small ring below his
balls.

When Zus scooted up to kneel between Rue’s thighs, the man

pulled his knees up to his chest. Zus knew with his hands handcuffed
over his head, Rue wouldn’t be able to keep them there for long.

He scooted forward until the head of his cock pushed against

Rue’s tight puckered entrance then grabbed his legs. He waited a
moment until he felt the natural lubrication from his semen start to
loosen Rue up then pushed forward, sinking his cock into the man
until his balls brushed against Rue’s rounded ass.

“Zus,” Rue panted heavily, his face flushed with desire.
“You will not come until I give you permission.” Zus waited for

Rue to nod then gripped Rue’s thighs in his large hands and started
thrusting. The tight hole enveloping his cock felt like heaven on earth.
Zus could feel every inch of his cock wrapped in silky heat.

Zus’s fingers gripped Rue’s thighs harder as he increased the

force of his thrusts. He knew he’d never get enough of loving Rue, of
touching the man’s body, of being inside him. Zus felt pretty sure that
Rue would spend a large majority of his life on his back with Zus’s
cock buried deep inside of his ass.

“So beautiful,” he whispered as he gazed down at Rue. “So

perfect, my forever mate.”

Rue nodded, panting too heavily to say anything, but his eyes

watched Zus like a predator. Zus knew that look. Rue was hungry,
needy. Zus wanted to fulfill his need. He wanted to fulfill all of Rue’s
needs until the man wanted for nothing.

“I’m going to get a mirror put on the ceiling so you can watch me

love on you, Rue.” Zus arched an eyebrow when Rue’s cock jerked in
response to his words. “Would you like that, baby? Do you want to
see my big cock fuck your tight little ass?”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

The drops of pre-cum pooling on the head of Rue’s cock increased

until they slid down the thick veined sides. Zus reached down and
wiped some up with his finger. He watched Rue’s eyes widen as he
licked his finger clean.

Rue was a very tactile man. Zus could see it in every response he

received when he touched the man. He felt pretty sure that Rue was
also a very visual lover. The more he could see the more aroused Rue
would become.

Zus let go of Rue’s legs and stretched out over the top of the man

as he reached up to uncuff him. Rue started to protest and until Zus
cocked an eyebrow at him. The man just bit his lip and glanced away.

Once Rue’s hands were free, Zus cupped his mate’s chin, bringing

the man’s face back. “Do not be upset that I released you, Rue. I
always have a reason for everything I do.”

Rue looked doubtful but started to grin when Zus rolled over onto

his back. Rue’s hands landed on Zus’s chest, holding him up. A long
drawn-out groan fell from Rue’s lips as Zus’s cock slid inside him
just a little more.

“Zus!” Rue hissed.
Zus grinned. He liked having Rue on top almost as much as he

liked having Rue on the bottom. “Reach back with your hand, Rue.
Feel me love you.”

Zus wanted to see Rue’s reaction when the man felt Zus’s cock

moving in and out of him. He wasn’t prepared for how aroused it
made him to feel Rue’s fingers touch his cock as he moved in the
man.

“Fuck, Rue!” Zus planted his feet in the mattress and thrust up

into Rue, pounding into the man over and over again. He could feel
himself teetering on the edge of bliss. He just needed one more thing
to toss him over. “Come here, baby.”

Rue looked confused but leaned forward. Zus grabbed a handful

of hair and pulled Rue’s head to one side.

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“Do not come,” Zus whispered just before he sank his teeth into

the soft flesh of Rue’s neck.

Rue cried out, and Zus exploded, filling his mate’s ass even as

Rue’s sweet essence filled his mouth. He could hear Rue’s soft cries,
feel the man’s fingers dig into his shoulder. Rue was on the edge and
desperately holding on to his control.

Zus thrust into Rue twice more then pulled both his cock and his

teeth free at the same time. He quickly lifted Rue, settling the man on
his chest, and leaned up to swallow his cock all of the way down to
the root.

One swipe of his tongue and Rue’s body stiffened, white, hot

cream filled Zus’s mouth. Zus continued to lick and swallow until
Rue’s body shuddered and the man kind of collapsed down over Zus.

Lifting Rue in his arms again, Zus placed him gently down on the

mattress then stretched himself out beside Rue. He pulled Rue’s head
over to rest on his chest and wrapped his arm around him.

“Sleep, my mate.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Chapter Six

Rue groaned as he opened his eyes and blinked against the

morning light flooding the room. He ached, but it was a delicious
ache, and in all the right places. It told him he had been well and truly
fucked the previous night.

The body wrapped around him, not letting him move an inch

away, was another big clue.

Rue lifted his head to look up at the man holding him. Zus was

everything he had always wanted and never thought he’d have. Rue
couldn’t help the doubts that flooded him as he gazed up into Zus’s
handsome face.

What if he didn’t measure up? What if he couldn’t please Zus?

What if the man didn’t mean the things he had said the previous
night? That was Rue’s biggest fear. He wanted this so much, more
than he wanted his next breath. What if none of it was real?

Rue jumped when he felt a thick callused hand land on his ass.
“Knock it off,” Zus growled without opening his eyes. “I can hear

you thinking.”

Rue swallowed hard and tried not to think. It wasn’t working. The

second he got one thought out of his head, it was filled with another
one. That led to another thought then another, and before he knew it,
Rue was right back where he started.

Zus sighed and opened his eyes to look down at Rue. “Do I need

to give you something else to think about?”

Before Rue could figure out what Zus was talking about, the man

rolled out of the bed and pulled him along. Confused, Rue followed

Stormy Glenn

Zus into the bathroom. He stood against the wall, admiring Zus’s firm
backside as the man relieved himself then stepped into the shower.

“Come, Rue.”
Rue wasn’t stupid enough to resist. He quickly stepped into the

shower next to Zus, inhaling sharply when the man’s large, muscular
form brushed up against his.

Damn. Zus was built like the god he was named after.
“Hands.”
Rue frowned but held out his hands. He blinked as he watched

Zus handcuff them together. It was only as Zus pulled them up over
his head that Rue noticed the hook in the ceiling of the shower. Hot
damn! The man had restraints down to an art form. Rue could feel his
cock hardening as his excitement grew.

As soon as Rue’s hands were restrained over his head, Zus

grabbed a washcloth and a bottle of body wash. He quickly added
some to the washcloth then began washing Rue. Each touch was
divine and meant to drive Rue to distraction.

It was working.
Rue felt like he was going out of his mind by the time Zus got to

his toes then started his way back up. He was positive his cock would
snap off when Zus carefully washed him there then the small piercing
behind his cock.

“I like this, Rue,” Zus said as he tugged on the guiche piercing.
“Thank you, sir.”
Rue yelped when he felt a hard smack to his ass. He looked down

at Zus in confusion. That hadn’t been a fun smack.

“Thank you what?” Zus asked, one eyebrow arched.
“Thank you…mate?”
Zus smiled and rubbed his hand over the spot he had spanked.

“Good boy.”

Rue grinned.
“I understand that master and sir are important words for you,

Rueben, but I don’t like them, remember?”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Rue nodded. He did remember. “You prefer mate.”
“I do. For us, when you call me mate, it will mean the same thing

as master and sir. Understood?”

Rue was so happy he felt like he was floating. “Yes, mate.”
“Good boy.”
Rue swallowed hard at the wicked grin on Zus’s face when the

man stood up. He was nervous. Still, when Zus cupped a hand around
the side of his cheek, Rue couldn’t keep himself from leaning into the
man’s gentle touch.

“You’ve been so good, my love,” Zus said as he reached up and

unhooked Rue’s hand from the ceiling hook. “I prefer washing you
every morning, Rue. I like touching you. It’s a treat for me.”

Rue was all for that.
“Monday through Friday you will get up with me. We will take a

shower together, and then I will fit you with a plug that you will wear
for the rest of the day. After our shower, I will give you your morning
spankings or fuck you or both. You will only come when I allow it.
You are not to touch yourself. If you need relief, you will come to
me.”

Rue was about ready to come just from Zus’s words. To be

controlled to that extent was his fondest desire.

“On the weekends, I prefer to sleep in.”
“I—” Rue swallowed hard. “I usually have coffee with my friends

in the mornings.”

“Hmmm.”
Zus frowned for a moment, and Rue thought he might have

overstepped his bounds. He enjoyed having coffee with his friends in
the mornings. It was how they usually started their day. He didn’t
want to give that up, but he didn’t want to upset Zus either.

“Very well. During the week, you will wait until after we have

had our morning shower and then you can go have coffee with your
friends. On the weekends, you are allowed to get up when you wake

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up and go have coffee with your friends as long as you don’t leave the
house. By ten o’clock, I want you back in bed with me.”

Rue felt like his smile was about to split his face. “Yes, mate.”
“Are you used to wearing a plug, Rue?”
Rue felt his face flush. He lowered his eyes as he nodded. He

liked the feeling of being filled. It was a kink, pure and simple, but
one he liked.

“Good. I have several for you. We’ll start out with something

small, just enough for you to know it is there. We’ll work up from
there.”

Yep, he was going to come just from Zus’s words.
“I expect you to be ready for me whenever I want you. I like to

fuck, Rue, and I like to fuck often. You also need to program my
phone number into your phone. If I call you, I expect you to drop
whatever you are doing and come to me.”

Rue nodded eagerly. He was in heaven.
“Turn around, mate.”
Rue turned around. He started to whimper in protest when Zus

unhooked the handcuffs around his wrists until he remembered that
Zus said he always had a reason for the things he did. He decided to
wait and see. He was thrilled to death when his hands were once again
handcuffed, this time behind his back.

“Turn around and get onto your knees, love.”
Rue turned around and sank down onto his knees. When he

looked up Zus’s long body, waiting for his next direction, he was
astonished at the look of awe on Zus’s face. Shouldn’t it be the other
way around? He was supposed to be in amazement of Zus.

“You are so graceful,” Zus whispered. “So beautiful.”
“Me?” Rue squeaked. He had never been referred to as graceful.

And beautiful was so out of the realm of what people had called him,
he didn’t even want to go there.

“Suck my cock, love,” Zus said as he grabbed his cock and rubbed

the head against Rue’s lips. “I want to come in your mouth.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Rue opened his mouth and felt Zus’s cock slid past his lips. He

started to close his eyes until he felt Zus’s hand yank on his hair. He
quickly looked up, confused.

“You always look at me when you’re sucking my cock, Rue.”
Rue nodded just a bit because it wasn’t an easy feat to nod fully

with the man’s hard erection filling his mouth. Rue swallowed and
tried to take in as much of Zus’s cock as he could. It wasn’t easy. The
man was hung very well. Still, Rue gave it his best shot. He wanted to
give Zus the best blow job he had ever received. He would put every
other man that had ever sucked on Zus’s cock a bad name.

“One of these days I’m going to fuck you with a dildo while you

suck my cock.”

Rue groaned, the image building in his mind. He could feel his

cock harden even more, weeping with want.

“That’s it, love, use your tongue,” Zus directed. “Make me come,

Rue. Make me shoot down your throat.”

Rue groaned again as he licked his way back up Zus’s thickly

veined cock. He loved being restrained, but he almost wished he
wasn’t. He was afraid he was going to come just from watching the
pleasure flash across Zus’s face. He needed to stop himself from
coming. Rue pressed his legs together as tight as he could, afraid he
wouldn’t be able to control himself.

His eyebrows shot up when Zus instantly pulled away from him.

“Wha—”

“Is that the way you’re supposed to sit, Rue?”
“I—” Rue glanced down at his closed thighs. He felt a little

flushed when he looked back up into Zus’s green eyes. “I’m going to
come.”

Zus’s dark eyebrows climbed up his face. “From sucking my

cock?”

“An–and from your words,” Rue whispered, feeling more

embarrassed than he could ever remember being. Way to go and show
his stamina. He had no idea what Zus must be thinking of him.

Stormy Glenn

“Can you reach your ass, Rue?”
Rue blinked in surprise. He wiggled around for a moment, moving

up on his knees and arching his back until his fingers brushed over his
quivering hole. He swallowed hard at the soft contact.

“Yes.”
“Stretch yourself out,” Zus said as he stepped out of the shower.

“I’ll be right back.”

Rue frowned as Zus walked away but did as the man commanded.

It wasn’t hard. He was still pretty stretched out from the fucking he’d
received the night before. It didn’t take much to get him stretched out
the rest of the way.

By the time he was done, Zus was back, standing at the shower

door with his hand behind his back. “Stand up and bend over, love.”

Rue was even more confused than he had been before, but Zus

hadn’t steered him wrong so far. He was willing to see where this
went. His legs were shaking a bit as he stood up. He felt Zus’s hand
on his hip as he turned and faced the other way then bent at the waist.

“Spread your legs, Rue.”
The legs in question started to shake even more as he spread them

as far as they would go. He felt a little like he was display when Zus’s
hand came down on his ass cheek. When flesh met flesh, he couldn’t
have cared less. The small smack zinged through his body like a
wildfire.

“I fucking love this ass,” Zus groaned as his fingers moved

between Rue’s ass cheeks.

“All yours.”
“Damn right it is,” Zus snapped. “I’m the only one that gets to

touch it, to fuck it, to do this to it.”

Rue almost collapsed on the shower floor when he felt something

long and hard sink into his ass. He knew it wasn’t Zus’s cock because
he could feel that digging into the side of his hip. When Zus started
fucking him with whatever it was he had, it was all Rue could do to
stay standing.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

And then Zus suddenly stopped and smacked his ass again. “Get

back on your knees, love.”

It took Zus’s help to get Rue back on his knees. His legs were

shaking too much for him to do it on his own. But, slowly, he knelt
down on the shower floor again. He was a little confused when Zus
lifted each of his legs and he found himself kneeling on some sort of
rubber mat.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time, my sweet boy.

I’ve been anticipating having you here with me, and I’ve prepared for
it.” Zus stepped over and stood in front of him, his hard cock in his
hand. “Move your hips.”

A loud wail fell from Rue’s lips when he flexed his hips and felt a

long hard cylinder object push into him. The more he moved, the
harder he could fuck himself on whatever was impaled in his ass.

“Zus!”
“That’s right, my love,” Zus said as he leaned forward and fed his

cock back into Rue’s mouth again. “Fuck yourself while you suck me
off but no coming until I do.”

Rue groaned in protest. He wasn’t sure he could wait. He was on

the edge right now as it was. His hands were still restrained behind his
back. His ass was full. His mouth was full. He was in submissive
heaven.

“If you come before I do, we won’t use this toy again until you’ve

earned it.” Zus smirked as if he knew exactly how hard it was for Rue
to keep from coming. “If you’re a good boy and make me come first,
you’ll get to use it again tomorrow morning when we have our
shower.” Zus held up a small plastic device in his hand. “And if
you’re really good, I might use the vibrate setting.”

Rue’s eyes nearly crossed. This damn thing had a vibrate setting?

Oh hell. Rue sucked Zus’s cock back into his mouth as far as he could
swallow it without gagging. He started sucking on Zus’s hard length
then slowly began moving his hips, testing his control.

Stormy Glenn

He quickly found a rhythm that seemed to work for both him and

Zus, sucking the man’s cock into his mouth at the same time he
pushed down on the object in his ass. He pulled up with his hips at the
same time he pulled back on Zus’s cock.

He was eternally grateful when he felt one of Zus’s hands sink

into his hair, yanking gently on it as Zus began fucking his mouth
with his own momentum. For one, it told him that Zus was close, and
that was a very good thing. For two, it felt damn good to have his hair
pulled.

“That’s it, baby, suck my cock,” Zus groaned. “Suck my cock

while I fuck your ass.”

Rue blinked in confusion at Zus’s words. He knew the toy in his

ass belonged to Zus, but it was still a toy fucking him. What in the
hell was Zus talking about. Just as Rue started to pull away to ask Zus
what he meant, the man stiffened and roared.

Rue swallowed as fast as he could as shot after shot of hot cum

filled his mouth, nearly choking him. He was so excited that he had
gotten Zus off first that he nearly forgot the object in his ass until Zus
grinned down at him.

“Now, it’s your turn, love.”
Rue’s entire body went ramrod straight as Zus held up the small

device in his hand. The dildo in his ass went from zero to sixty at the
push of a button. Rue’s head fell back on his shoulders as he
screamed, his orgasm ripping through him like a tornado.

The pleasure shooting through his body shocked Rue. He had

never felt anything like it. It was like every cell in his body had
exploded at the very same time and he was helpless to resist. All he
could do was feel.

“So beautiful.”
Rue blinked up at Zus through the fog of lust filling his head. The

vibrator was still on, keeping Rue floating along on an orgasm of epic
proportions.

“Zus,” he whispered.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“You are so beautiful when you come.” Zus’s hand skimmed

down over the side of Rue’s face. “I think this toy is going to be a
permanent part of our morning showers. I want to see this look on
your face every day.”

Rue wasn’t sure he’d survive.

Stormy Glenn

Chapter Seven

Zus couldn’t keep the huge grin off his face as he shut his

bedroom door and came face-to-face with his brother Mikhail. He
nodded in greeting. “Brother.”

Mikhail smirked, a slight arch to his eyebrow. “You certainly look

well rested.”

“I am.”
“How is your mate?”
“Perfect.” Zus chuckled. “Yours?”
“About the same.”
“Mine’s pretty damn good, too,” Yuri said from behind them.

“And I’d like to get to him if you two would get the hell out of my
way.”

Zus turned to see Yuri standing just outside his bedroom door.

“Have you claimed him?”

“I have.” Yuri glanced between Zus and Mikhail. “I believe we all

have.”

“Does he know what we are?” Mikhail asked.
“Of course.” Yuri’s eyebrows drew together. “I would never claim

Liam without telling him the truth. He has the right to choose.”

Dumbass. Zus rolled his eyes.
“Liam is not your mate, Zus,” Mikhail said. “Fate would only give

Yuri a mate designed for him just as they gave Rue to you. Fate
chooses the best mate for us. If Yuri feels he needs to give his mate a
choice, you need to respect that.”

“Oh, I respect it. I would never force Rue to do anything he

doesn’t want to. That does not mean I will give him the choice of

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

leaving.” Zus growled low in his throat at the mere thought. “Rue is
mine.”

“Zus—” Mikhail began.
Zus held up his hand. “You deal with your mate how you choose.

I will deal with my mate how I choose.”

“Don’t hurt him,” Yuri warned.
“I’d rather die than hurt a hair on Rue’s head.” Zus snarled at his

brother. “He’s my mate. Mine!”

Yuri quickly took a step back. Zus started after him until he felt a

hand land on his shoulder. He turned to growl at Mikhail.

“Calm yourself, Zus. You know Yuri was just looking out for

your mate. You have to admit, you can be a little intense at times.
Yuri just wanted to be sure that you were looking out for Rueben and
not your own needs.”

“I would never put my needs before Rue’s.” Zus was angry, but

he could understand his brother’s precautions. Yuri was a lot gentler
than Zus. He took a quick breath then nodded at Yuri. “Rue is fine, I
promise. He… likes me intense.”

“Just be careful, Zus,” Mikhail said. “You’re little games are well

and good, but everyone needs a gentle hand every now and then.
Don’t forget that he is human.”

Zus growled, baring his teeth. He didn’t like being questioned by

his brothers. They had never understood the things he liked, and he
doubted they ever would. That didn’t mean he was going to stop
doing the things he did because he wasn’t.

He meant it when he said Rue liked him intense. The more

possessive and controlling he became, the more Rue seemed to settle.
It was like the man needed him to be in charge more than he needed
to breathe.

And that worked out just fine for Zus. The look on Rue’s face this

morning in the shower had been worth any discomfort he felt every
time he thought about it. His cock hadn’t even gone down after the
expert blow job he’d received in the shower. Zus was starting to

Stormy Glenn

wonder if being hard was going to be a constant occurrence now that
he was mated.

Spanking Rue’s ass after lubing up a butt plug and putting it in

him was enough to bring Zus to the edge once again. The second
blow job he had received after that was just so he could get his pants
zipped over his hard dick.

He was still hard.
The knowledge that Rue was stretched and ready for him at any

moment kept him in a state of constant arousal. The knowledge that
Rue wanted it just as much as he did kept him close to the edge. Rue
could probably breathe in his direction and he’d blow.

“I’m going to go find my mate now.” Zus turned and started down

the hallway. He’d wanted to give Rue a little time to talk with his
friends before coming back in to claim his mate and glue the man to
his side. His friends seemed important to Rue, which made them
important to Zus.

He walked into the dining room to find all four men sitting around

the dining room table drinking coffee. They had obviously been
talking, but Zus wasn’t sure about what when he saw Bay’s mouth
drop open. Zus instantly made his way to Rue, grabbing a handful of
the man’s hair and yanking his head back. He leaned down and kissed
Rue, swirling his tongue against the man’s lips until Rue opened up
and allowed him inside.

Maybe he would come just from kissing his mate. It was a distinct

possibility. “I need to fuck you, love,” Zus whispered for his mate’s
ears alone as he broke contact with his lips. “My cock is aching for
your tight ass.”

Rue grinned. “Okay.”
Someone suddenly cleared their throat. Zus glanced over at Bay,

raising one of his eyebrows. He didn’t like being interrupted,
especially when Rue’s face had taken on such a delightful flush.

“Are you going to introduce me?” Bay asked when everyone

looked over at him.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“You know Yuri,” Liam said from Yuri’s lap, gesturing to the big

man who held him. “You met him last night.”

Bay nodded. He did remember Yuri. Even if he hadn’t, he would

have agreed just to continue to see the happy smile on Liam’s face.
The little man was glowing.

“These are my brothers, Mikhail and Zus,” Yuri said as he

gestured to the two other men. “I kind of thought Stefan would be
here with you.”

Zus found it very interesting when Bay’s face flushed and he

glanced away. Had something happened between the two men? Or
was it more of an issue that something hadn’t happened? Just where
was Stefan anyway?

“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” Bay replied. “He lives

here, doesn’t he?”

“He does,” Mikhail said.
“Stefan and I had a difference of opinion last night.” Bay

shrugged. “I asked him to leave, and he did. I’m sure he’ll be back
once we leave.”

Zus’s jaw dropped. He swore he could have heard a pin drop with

the silence that fell over the room. Seriously? Stefan hadn’t claimed
Bay last night? Zus moved closer to Rue, needing the contact with his
mate. He’d hate to be in Stefan’s shoes right now. It would kill him to
find his mate and be denied him. The misunderstanding he had had
with Rue last night had been bad enough.

Bay’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned and glanced around at

everyone. “Did I miss something?”

“Bay—” Jace began.
Zus stiffened when he heard several vehicles pull up in front of

the house. They really didn’t need company right now. They needed
to discover what happened to Stefan. Mikhail jumped up and walked
to the window, pulling back the curtains to look out. A moment later,
he turned around, a deep frown on his face as he gestured to Yuri and
Zus.

Stormy Glenn

“It’s Craigen and his boys.”
Damn! Zus jumped to his feet. He grabbed Rue’s hair and yanked

his head back again. This time he stroked a finger down the side of
Rue’s face. He leaned down and gave his mate a light kiss on the lips
then headed for the door.

Zus instantly took in the situation when he stepped out onto the

front porch. Ezra Craigen and his five boys stood in front of their
vehicles, facing the porch. He tried to look nonchalant as he leaned
against one of the porch posts and regarded the five men.

“Ezra.”
“We’ve come to talk to you and your brothers, Zus.”
“Do tell.” Zus hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. He

wasn’t going to do anything until his brother Mikhail stepped out onto
the porch, and Zus could still hear him inside arguing with Bay.

Damn, where was Stefan when they needed him? Zus swore he

was going to kick his brother’s ass the first chance he got.

“Is Mikhail here?”
“He is.”
“We’d like to talk to him.”
“He’s co—”
“I’m here, Ezra,” Mikhail said as he stepped out onto the porch

and closed the door behind him. “To what do I owe this visit?”

Zus glanced behind him when he saw one of Ezra’s boys eyeing

the window. He could see Bay and Jace pressed up against the glass,
Liam and Rue standing right behind them. He wished he could tell
them to get away from the window, but that might be admitting a
weakness he didn’t want Ezra to know about.

Ezra Craigen was just the type of man to exploit any weakness he

could find to get what he wanted. When Ezra glanced toward the front
window, Zus had a feeling the man already knew that. Ezra Craigen
wasn’t subtle about anything—not his feelings of disgust of gay men,
his hatred of the idea that the four brothers led the pride instead of just

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

one of them, or his belief that his family was higher up on the food
chain than it actually was.

“What do you want, Ezra?” Mikhail asked as he walked down the

steps to stand in front of the man. “It’s early. It’s the weekend. And
I’d like to go back to bed.”

“With your mate?” Ezra spat out, the disgust clear in his voice as

well as the hatred in his eyes as he shot another glance toward the
window.

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Mikhail crossed his arms over his chest,

a clear indication that he was not a happy man. “What business is it of
yours?”

“It’s very much my business, alpha,” Ezra snapped. He waved his

hand wildly in the air. “It’s the business of everyone in this pride. You
cannot have a man for a mate.”

“And why the hell not?”
“Because he’s a man.” Ezra said it like his meaning was obvious.

“He is incapable of continuing your family line, of adding anything
constructive to this pride. It cannot be allowed.”

“I don’t believe that’s up to you, Ezra,” Mikhail snarled through

gritted teeth.

Zus tensed when he saw Mikhail’s claws extend. He knew his

brother was holding onto his control by a thread. Their mates were
being threatened, clear and simple. Zus felt much the same as Mikhail
except he just wanted to tear into Ezra. He didn’t want to be
diplomatic. This was why Mikhail was their spokesman. He had a lot
more patience than Zus did. Zus was more the “kill them and let god
sort them out” type of guy.

“They need to go, Mikhail,” Ezra said as he brought his gaze back

to Mikhail. “You can send the humans on their way or we can. The
choice is yours.”

Oh, that so wasn’t the right thing to say. Zus stepped down off the

porch and stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother. He saw Yuri do
the same on the other side of Mikhail out of the corner of his eye.

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Ezra and his boys were in deep shit.
“You don’t get a say in it, Ezra,” Mikhail snapped. “You and your

boys need to leave, not them. They are our forever mates. If I have to
choose between them and you, they will win every time.”

Zus’s mouth dropped open in shock when Ezra took a swing at

Mikhail. It was unheard of to attack one of the alpha leaders. It was an
act punishable by banishment or death, depending on the severity of
the attack and the mood of the alpha.

The fight was on.
Zus heard a cry from the house but didn’t have time to reassure

whoever it was. He jumped forward and started swinging with his
fists, heading right for one of the Craigen boys. Because of the energy
it took to shift, they would more than likely stay in human form
unless one of the Craigens shifted, and then the fur would really fly.

It was three against six without Stefan there, but Zus, Mikhail, and

Yuri had something to fight for. That made them stronger. They had a
lot to lose if the Craigens got to their mates.

Zus grunted painfully when one of the Craigen boys got in a lucky

strike to his gut. Pushing the pain away, he grinned at the man then
repaid him in kind, driving his fist into the Mark Craigen’s gut as hard
as he could.

When Mark bent over and grabbed his stomach, Zus rammed his

knee into the man’s face. Mark cried out and crumbled backward onto
the ground. Blood spurted from his nose. Zus hoped he broke the
damn thing.

He turned his attention to the other Craigens. Mikhail had taken

on Ezra. Yuri was fighting Joseph and Thomas. And Mark was passed
out on the ground. That left Peter and Luke Craigen.

But where were they?
Zus spun around when he heard a cry behind him. His mouth

dropped open when he saw the knife embedded in Luke Craigen’s
forearm. A gun dangled precariously from his hand then fell to the
ground. Zus’s eyes snapped to the porch. Rue stood there, pressing

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Liam into the house wall behind him. He held another knife in his
hand looking like he was ready to defend Liam if the need arose.

Zus nodded, noting the relieved look on Rue’s face before he

turned back to Luke. “Go home, Luke. My mate is not leaving, and
I’m pretty damn sure he’ll gut you if you try and make him.”

Zus was so damn proud of his mate.
Luke sent Zus a scathing look then scurried off. Zus watched

Luke until he climbed into his truck and then disappeared down the
driveway in a cloud of dust before turning to look for more opponents
to fight. He blinked in surprise when he found all of them on the
ground in various states of unconsciousness. Yuri and Mikhail were
dusting themselves off.

Mikhail wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his lips then

nodded. “Get them to their trucks and get them out of here. I’ll deal
with them at the next pride meeting.”

Zus nodded and reached for the first Craigen. He pulled Mark to

his feet and shoved him toward his vehicle before reaching for the
next one. He looked up when he heard a shout from the house. He
couldn’t hear what was said, but it sounded important. Zus stiffened
until he saw Rue still standing on the porch watching him.

His mate was safe.
“Go find out what that was all about, brother.” Zus nodded toward

Mikhail. “I’ll be in as soon as I take out the trash.”

Mikhail took off for the house before Zus even finished speaking.

Zus chuckled. He knew Mikhail was running for the house more to
check on his mate and less to see what the shouting was all about. He
couldn’t blame his brother. He would have done the same. In fact, as
soon as every last Craigen was gone, he intended to do just that.

Zus grabbed a very dazed Ezra by his arm and escorted him to his

truck. Once he had placed the older man in the driver seat and
slammed the door, he leaned in through the window and snapped his
teeth at the man.

Stormy Glenn

“Come near my mate again and I will kill you. Not even Mikhail

will be able to save you.”

Zus stood back and watched as the last of the Craigens climb into

their trucks and drove away then turned and walked back toward the
house. Rue stood on the porch, still watching him, but he was the only
one. The porch was deserted except for Rue.

“Where’d Yuri go?”
Rue jerked his thumb toward the side of the house. Zus stepped

over and peeked around the corner. He chuckled softly when he saw
Yuri standing there with his little mate pinned against the side of the
house. He shook his head as he walked up onto the porch.

“I’m sorry,” Rue whispered as soon as Zus walked up to him. “I

shouldn’t have done that, but he was going to hurt you and—”

“You did good, love.” Zus grabbed Rue’s chin and tilted his head

up. “I like knowing you can protect yourself.” Zus grinned. “And me.
That’s the second time you’ve saved me, Rue. Is this going to become
a habit with you?”

Rue’s face flushed as his eyes darted away. “You did say your life

belonged to me now.”

“It does.”
There was steel reserve in Rue’s dark-brown eyes when he looked

back up at Zus. “Then it’s mine to protect.”

As much as Rue liked being dominated, Zus could see

stubbornness in the man that made him perfect in Zus’s eyes. His
mate was scared out of his mind, but he wouldn’t let that stop him
from protecting what was his.

It was a heady combination.
“You are a good mate, Rue.” Zus stroked his thumb down the side

of Rue’s face. “And you handle those knives like an expert.”

Rue’s face flushed. “I made a few bad decisions a while back.

Jace, Bay, and Liam got me a set of throwing knives and then made
me train with a master thrower until I could practically throw a knife
and hit the target in my sleep.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Zus glanced up and down at the tight-ass jeans Rue wore and the

simple long-sleeved shirt. “Where do you keep them?”

“Most of my clothes are altered to have hiding spots for the

knives.” Rue pulled back one of his sleeves, showing off the knife
strapped to the inside of his wrist. A little smile cocked up one side of
his mouth. “If you want to know where the others are, you’ll have to
frisk me.”

Zus grinned. “Is that a dare, sweet boy?”

Stormy Glenn

Chapter Eight

Rue breathed a sigh of relief. He was so sure that Zus would be

pissed at him for interfering in his fight, but he couldn’t just stand
around and watch someone shoot Zus. He didn’t care if Zus was some
sort of shifter.

Bullets still hurt.
“Come along, my love,” Zus said as he pulled Rue toward the

house. “I want to make sure everyone else is okay and then we’ll see
about taking you upstairs and finding the rest of your hiding spots.”

Rue nodded and followed happily after Zus. Each step felt light

like he was walking on air. Zus wasn’t angry at him for throwing his
knife and his mate wanted him. Could life get any better?

When they walked inside and Rue got his first good look of the

situation inside, he wanted to turn right back around and walk out.
The place was covered in blood and… and… something else. Rue
didn’t want to examine it too closely to find out. His stomach rolled
and threatened to rebel.

It was totally gross.
“Mikhail?” Zus asked, gripping Rue’s hand tightly.
Rue knew he wasn’t going to like what Mikhail had to say when

he saw how pale the man’s face was when he turned.

“Stefan’s been shot,” Mikhail said.
The blood drained from Zus’s face as he scanned the room for his

injured brother. “Where is he?”

“Jace said he took off.”
“We have to find him!”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Yuri and I will go,” Mikhail said. “Stay here and protect our

mates.”

Zus nodded.
“Tell me where the first aid stuff is,” Jace said as he started

pushing Mikhail toward the backdoor. “The boys and I will get things
ready back here and clean this mess up.”

Mikhail grinned. “The first aid kit is in the bathroom cabinet at the

top of the stairs. Is there anything else you need before I go?”

“Take that thing with you.” Jace’s finger shook as he pointed to

the dead body on the floor.

Rue followed behind Zus as the man leaned down and picked the

body up without saying a word and carried it outside to the garage.
His stomach rolled a little as he watched Zus wrap the bloody body in
a tarp and placed it by the garage door.

“Are you just going to leave him there?”
“If the Craigens don’t come back for him by morning, we’ll take

the body to them.”

“Don’t we have to report this to the police?” Rue asked.

“Someone died.”

“Things are a little different in our world, Rue. The death will be

reported to the authorities but how it’s dealt with is up to the shifter
community.”

That didn’t sound right. “Can’t that lead to corruption and abuse

of power.”

“It can and often does.”
When Zus picked up a few heavy rocks and placed them on the

edges of the tarp, Rue helped, picking up a few. He understood that
Zus was trying to weigh the tarp down to keep animals from getting to
the body.

“How do you prevent that?”
“We’re not animals, Rue. We have rules and laws we have to

follow just like you do, even when dealing with other shifters.
Mikhail will have to make a full report to our governing council. In

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fact, you’ll be asked to make a witness account. It’s no different than
if you had witnessed an incident in the human world.”

Rue wasn’t so sure he agreed with that. This seems a lot different.

People had died, Stefan was injured and missing, and yet they were
merely wrapping the body in a tarp and leaving him beside the garage.
It felt wrong, and yet Rue couldn’t dispute Zus’s handling of the
situation because it was all so new to him.

“What now?” Rue asked as they reached the back door of the

house.

“We need to make sure everything is ready for when Mikhail

comes back with Stefan, and I need to secure the house in case there
are any more of Ezra’s boys hanging around.”

“Why would someone do this, Zus?” Rue just didn’t understand

this level of violence. Sure, he had experienced his fair share of gay
bashings and a few pummeling from wannabe Doms. But this…the
body Zus had wrapped up had been torn to shreds. This was serious
violence.

“Some people are assholes, baby.” Zus shot Rue a worried look.
“Is this…” Rue gulped, his eyes landing everywhere except on

Zus. “Is this normal for your life?”

“It can be at times.”
Rue’s eyes locked with Zus’s for a moment before darting away

again. “You’re not going to send me away, are you?”

“No, mate, I am not sending you away.”
Rue sighed heavily with relief. He had been worried there for a

moment. “Okay, good.”

“But I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave. You didn’t sign

on for a threat like this.”

Rue stopped walking to frown up at Zus. “But you said it can be a

normal part of your life sometimes.”

“Yes.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Then I signed on for it.” Rue narrowed his eyes before looking

Zus square in the face. He wanted the man to understand how serious
he was. “I signed on for anything that concerns my mate.”

Zus hooked a hand around the nape of Rue’s neck, drawing him

closer until their bodies pressed together. Rue felt the man’s lips press
against the side of his head.

“Good boy.”
Rue melted. There was nothing he loved more in the world than to

know he had pleased his master…mate…whatever. He was just glad
he had pleased Zus.

“Such a perfect mate.”
Yep.
Melting.
“I need to secure the rest of the house, Rue. Can you—”
As much as Rue didn’t want to leave Zus’s side, he understood

that they were in a precarious situation. His smile wobbled a bit when
he leaned back, but at least he wasn’t crying. “I’ll go help Jace get
things ready for Stefan.”

“Thank you, mate.”
Rue nodded then watched Zus take off around the side of the

house toward the front yard. When the man disappeared around
corner, Rue drew a deep breath and opened the door, stepping inside
the kitchen and then into the dining room where he hoped everyone
else was.

He grimaced as he looked around at the blood pooled on the floor

and splatters on the china hutch and dining set. Apparently, this part
of the house hadn’t been dealt with yet. Rue could clean the room. It
would give him something to do until the others got back.

Rue went back into the kitchen and searched around until he

found a bucket in a closet by the back door. He filled it with hot water
and cleaner then carried it back into the dining room. After soaking a
rag in the hot sudsy water, he began scrubbing away all of the blood.

At some point, Jace came in and joined him.

Stormy Glenn

“How are you holding up?” Rue asked because Jace looked so

pale Rue worried the man was about to pass out.

“I’ll be okay.”
Rue doubted that. As brave as he thought he was, Jace really

wasn’t used to this level of violence. Rue wasn’t either, but at least he
had more exposure to it. He had hung out in some pretty interesting
places in his time.

“I’m worried about Stefan,” Rue admitted. “If anything happens

to him, Zus just won’t handle it well.” He might not have known his
lover for more than a day or so, but he knew enough to know Zus
would be devastated if anything happened to his brother.

Jace turned and plopped down on his butt. “I don’t think Mikhail

will either. He’s going to take full responsibility for all of this.”

Rue frowned. “He didn’t do this.”
“No, but he’s the alpha of this pride along with his brothers, and

as such he feels it’s his responsibility to keep everyone safe.”

Rue blinked. “He’s the what?”
Jace chuckled. “He shares the position with his brothers but he’s

essentially the alpha, the head honcho, the man in charge, the—”

Rue held up a hand to stop Jace before he really got going. “I get

it. Mikhail is top dog.”

“Top cat actually.”
Rue spun around so fast at the roughly spoke words that he slid

onto his butt. “Mate.”

Zus’s lips curled up. “Hey, babe.”
Rue quickly canned Zus from head to toe looking for any sign of

injury. When he didn’t find anything out of place, he met Zus’s eyes.
But just for a moment before the intensity in their green depths was
too much for him and he dropped his gaze.

“I was worried about you,” Rue admitted.
“Yeah?” Rue shuddered when he felt Zus’s fingers slide through

his hair, bunching then tugging Rue closer. “Why was that, love?”

“You were gone an awfully long time.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“I told you what I was doing.”
Rue shrugged. “I still worried.”
“Thank you, mate.” Rue’s eyes slid closed in pure delight when he

felt Zus’s lips brush his forehead. “It means a lot to me that you care.”

Rue frowned as he leaned back and stared up at Zus. He knew he

wasn’t in love with Zus, but he was quickly falling in that direction.
The man was everything he had ever dreamed of and then some.
Falling in love with him was going to be pretty damn easy. Knowing
that Zus considered them forever mates only added to the feelings he
was quickly developing for the dominant man.

Rue just wished Zus understood that. He didn’t have a single clue

how to convince him. “You said you were my mate.”

Zus’s eyebrows drew together in a confused frown as he nodded.

“I am.”

“My definition, not yours.”
Zus’s lips thinned, a glint of anger darkening his green eyes. “I am

still your mate no matter what the definition you use.”

“He means that you agreed to be his master.”
Rue cringed at Jace’s use of the word master. Zus really hated that

word. He needed to defuse this situation before Zus really got angry.
“I know what I mean.”

Zus stood straight, crossing his arms over his broad chest. It was a

posture that both intimidated Rue and inflamed him. His breath
stuttered as he inhales slowly, trying to find his center.

“The last day or so has been more eventful than the last two

months. I feel like we’ve lived a lifetime since we met,” Rue said. “I
know things are moving along fairly quickly, but please don’t assume
my feelings are minimal because of that. I know how I feel.”

Zus’s expression softened but just a little. “And just how do you

feel, Rueben?”

“You are my master, my—” Rue held up a hand when Zus opened

his mouth. He knew the man was going to argue with him. “You are
my master, my sir, my mate. You are all of those things to me, and

Stormy Glenn

more. I have never wanted to be with someone the way I want to be
with you.”

Rue dropped his gaze down to his hands as he tried to figure

exactly how to say what he was feeling. He didn’t want to come off as
too needy, and yet he knew he was.

“I need you,” he admitted simply when he couldn’t think of

anything else to say. Rue shuddered when Zus’s hand fisted in his
hair, yanking his head so far back it hurt to swallow.

“Not nearly as much as I need you, mate.”
“And on that note,” Jace said in a very high voice, “I’m going to

go check on Bay.”

Rue didn’t even turn to watch as Jace hurried out of the room. His

entire attention was on the man standing over him. The look in Zus’s
eyes was intent, searching. But more than that, they were filled with a
curious longing.

“We spend our entire lives looking for our mates.” Zus’s teeth

clenched for a moment, a small tic pulsing in his jaw. “Once we find
our mate, there is no going back for us. It’s forever.”

“But what if you don’t get along?”
The tension in Zus’s face faded. “That’s the thing about fate, Rue.

She pairs us with the perfect mate, whether we immediately know that
or not. If we just accept that fate knows best, our lives go a lot easier.”

Rue’s stomach unfurled slowly, releasing the tension that had

started to take a hold of him. “Do you really think fate gave you the
perfect mate?”

Zus’s lips curved up. “Perfect for me.”
That was good enough for Rue.
Zus’s hand tightened in Rue’s hair, pulling Rue close until his

cheek rubbed against the growing bulge in Zus’s pants. “Suck me,
love.”

God, yes!

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Rue’s fingers shook as he unzipped Zus’s pants and pushed the

edges down and out of the way. He inhaled the intoxicating scent
trapped by the wiry hair at the base of Zus’s hard cock.

A heady, clear drop of pre-cum pearled at the tip of Zus’s cock

then slowly slid down the hard length. The shaft had a thick pulsing
vein on the underside that went all the way up the column.

Rue caught it with his tongue. The heady scent of the essence was

nothing next to the potent taste that filled his mouth. Salty and just
slightly bitter, the flavor burst across his tongue, flooding his senses.

Rue kept his eyes locked with Zus’s as he opened his mouth and

swallowed the man’s hard cock until it pushed against the back of his
throat. He might have sucked Zus off before, but it was just as
explosive this time as it had been the last time.

Careful of his teeth, he slowly slid up and down the silky hard

column, easing all the way to the root where the wiry hair tickled his
nose. Coming back up, he fisted the thick rod and pumped the shaft as
he lavished attention on the head.

Zus didn’t move, not a muscle. He let Rue do all of the work, all

of the movements. His eyes, on the other hand, spoke volumes. Every
aching need and desire shined in Zus’s green eyes.

With every stroke of his tongue, every suck of his mouth, Rue

could see the pleasure he was providing his mate, and it made him
harder than he could ever remember being.

Rue groaned, wishing that he could grab his own cock, stroke

himself. He could feel the blood pounding through his body, settling
in his groin, and he ached. But an order from his mate was to be
obeyed, and he wasn’t allowed to touch until Zus gave his permission.

Instead, Rue gripped his hands tighter together and renewed his

attack on Zus’s cock, sucking and licking for all he was worth. He
needed to prove to Zus that he was the perfect mate for the man.

His lips pressed again the head of Zus’s dick, following the slope

down over the rim. He stopped and suckled, tongue swirling around
and around.

Stormy Glenn

Zus’s eyes started to grow dazed, his eyelids falling down more

and more until they showed just a hint of green. Zus’s lips curled
back, his jaw clenched. Rue noticed a vein throbbing in the man’s
temple. Small beads of sweat dripped down the sides of his face.

But still, the man didn’t move. If his chest hadn’t been rising and

falling so rapidly, Rue would have wondered if the man was even
breathing. Except for his eyes, and the quickness of his breathing, he
looked as still as a statue.

“Make me come, pet,” Zus ordered harshly. “Make your mate

come.”

Suddenly, without warning, Zus’s head fell back on his shoulders

and a loud groan echoed around the room as hot cream filled Rue’s
mouth. Rue swallowed it down and licked around Zus’s cock until he
cleaned every last drop up.

He moaned in protest when Zus suddenly pulled away from him,

put himself back in his pants, and zipped himself up. Rue frowned
when Zus’s head snapped up and he glanced toward the back door.
“What is it?”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Chapter Nine

Zus lifted his nose into the air and sniffed. “They’re back.” He

took off toward the kitchen. The amount of blood he could smell
concerned him greatly. The air was saturated with the thick coppery
scent.

“With Stefan?” Rue asked as he hurried along behind him. “Did

they find Stefan?”

“Yes.” Zus hit the back door running. He was desperate to get a

look at his brother. He didn’t realize how worried he was until he saw
Yuri walking toward the house. Zus skidded to a halt his breath
catching at what he saw.

Yuri was walking through the yard with a huge tiger in his arms.

The tiger should have been white. He wasn’t. His fur was splattered
with red splotches.

“Is that Stefan?” Rue whispered.
Zus imagined it was a little daunting to see Yuri carrying a full-

grown live tiger. They had reached the dining room only after Stefan
had taken off, so Rue hadn’t had a chance to see him in tiger form
then. He had only seen Zus in his tiger form.

“Yes,” Zus replied.
He felt helpless as he watched Yuri carry Stefan into the house

and lay him down on the sheet-covered dining table.

“I sterilized everything I could find in the kit,” Jace said as he

grabbed a cookie sheet covered in first aid tools and carried it over to
the table.

“Thanks, babe,” Mikhail said as he turned and pressed a kiss to

the side of Jace’s head. “Why don’t you go heat some water?”

Stormy Glenn

“Why?” Jace asked.
Mikhail’s mouth opened and closed like a drowning fish. “I don’t

know. Because that’s what people do in situations like this?”

There was a reason that Mikhail was one of the alphas of their

pride. He was the smartest, the fastest, and—despite Yuri’s size—
Mikhail was the strongest of them all. Even though they all ruled the
pride together, they all looked to Mikhail as the head alpha.

But sometimes he could be dumb as a box of rocks.
“That’s what people do when women go into labor,” Jace insisted

in a “duh” kind of voice. “Not when someone needs a bullet dug out.”

“Oh, well…”
Jace waved his hand toward the table where the tiger lay panting

heavily. “Do you even know what you’re doing here?”

“Jace,” Zus said, “we don’t get injured like this very often.” It

wasn’t like they were experts at treating battle wounds. Usually, life
inside of their pride was pretty mellow. Ezra and his boys had never
launched an attack like this.

“In fact,” Mikhail continued, “this is the first time one of us has

been shot. We’re kind of winging it here.”

Jace’s jaw dropped. “You’ve never done this before?”
Mikhail shook his head.
“Bay!” Jace shouted.
“Stop shouting,” Bay snapped from his position by Stefan’s head.

“They can hear you in the next county.”

“You’re going to have to dig that bullet out.”
Bay stared, slack jawed. Zus did as well. He wasn’t a medical

doctor by any means, but he knew more about tiger physiology than
Bay did.

Didn’t he?
“No one here has the medical training that you do,” Jace said.
Zus leaned over to whisper in Rue’s ear. “Is that true?”
Rue nodded. “Bay had medical training,” he whispered back. “He

went to school to be a registered nurse but never took the exam. We

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

convinced him to go into business with us instead. He’s the most
qualified out of all of us to get the bullet out.”

Okay then.
Zus quickly assessed the situation. The dining room was the best

place for any type of surgery. It had the most room for Bay to move
around and the only table that would hold Stefan’s tiger form.

It didn’t have enough light, and Zus was pretty sure Bay would

need some sort of stand for the medical tray Jace had. He gestured for
Yuri to follow him and then hurried to the hallway and took
everything off of the small sideboard his mother had placed by the
front door years ago. He grabbed a small wooden box on top of it and
grabbed a lamp on his way back into the dining room, reaching it just
as Jace spoke up.

“Uh, Mikhail, do you have—” Jace stood there with the cookie

sheet in his hand, glancing around as if looking for something.

“Here.” Zus set the small table down next to the dining table.
“Perfect.” Jace set the cookie sheet down.
Yuri walked in a moment later with several lamps and began

setting them around the room. It lightened the room considerably but
not enough. Even Zus could tell that they needed more light.

“Rue, can you help me?” Zus asked.
Rue nodded.
They hurried up stairs to grab more lights. Zus was pretty sure this

was a situation where the more light the better. He went from
bedroom to bedroom, grabbing every lamp he could find that wasn’t
attached to a ceiling. By the time he was done, he and Rue had made
several trips up and down the stairs.

“I think that’s all of them, baby,” he said when Rue stopped at the

bottom of the stairs. Zus hurried back into the dining room, placing
the last two lamps on the hutch with the others. “Do you need
anything else, Bay?”

“Someone else to do this would be nice.”
Zus smiled weakly. “Sorry.”

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“Yeah.” Bay grimaced as he grabbed some tools and bent over the

tiger laid out before him. “Me, too.”

The next hour crawled by. No one spoke for fear of distracting

Bay. Jace worked with Bay, handing him the tools he pointed at. Liam
wiped a damp rag across Bay’s forehead every once in awhile.
Mikhail stood next to Stefan’s head, close to Bay, watching. The rest
of them stood back by the walls, not wanting to get in the way.

What Bay was doing seemed like back-breaking work. When Bay

stood up straight at one point, he groaned as his back crackled. When
he swayed just a bit, Mikhail was there to catch him. Bay just smiled
and went back to work.

“I got it!” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Bay

straightened and held up a small silver bullet with a set of tweezers.

“I’ll take that.” Zus held out a small white envelope, sealing it

tight after Bay dropped the bullet in. “Silver is poisonous to shifters.”

Jace gasped. “That man shot Stefan knowing he was using silver

bullets?”

“Ezra Craigen and his boys have been a thorn in my side since I

took over as alpha after our parents passed away.” Mikhail grimaced
as he rubbed the back of his neck. “If he had his way, my brothers and
I never would have been born.”

“Why?”
“Simple, Jace,” Zus said. “He wants power.”
“It’s more than that,” Mikhail said. “My grandfather didn’t have

any male heirs, and the alpha line won’t pass down to a female. So,
when my mother came of age, there was a lot of competition for her
hand. Whoever married her would take over as alpha.”

“I thought you said shifters mated when they found their forever

mates?” Jace asked.

“Not everyone is lucky enough to find their forever mates, Jace,”

Zus said. “Very few of us do in fact. Most simply find someone they
are compatible with and mate with them. The bond isn’t as strong as
the one you have with a forever mate, but there is one.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Ezra tried to win the hand of our mother,” Mikhail said. “He

almost succeeded, too, but our father came through town before they
could mate. Mom took one look at him and knew he was her forever
mate. She refused to accept any other bids for her hand and mated my
father.”

“As you can imagine,” Zus continued the story, “Ezra was pissed.

Not only did he lose our mother, who was a beautiful woman, but he
lost his opportunity to become alpha.”

“But he went on to mate someone else, didn’t he?” Jace asked.

“He has sons.”

“He did, but he never forgave my parents for mating. He’s caused

problems ever since.” Mikhail’s face paled for a moment when his
eyes met Zus’s. “We suspect that he had something to do with our
parents’ deaths but we could never prove it.”

Zus’s upper lip curled back as he growled. He knew for a fact that

Ezra had something to do with the death of his parents. There might
not be any evidence of it, but he still knew. Ezra was determined to
take the pride he felt should have been his to rule, and he didn’t care
who he had to kill to do it. The attack on the house and Stefan’s
shooting proved that just as much as the death of his parents.

“Then why not kick him out of the pride?”
If only it was that easy. Zus’s hands clenched, renewed anger

flowing freely through him. “Ezra has never done anything big
enough to give us a reason to kick him out, always skating the edge of
the law. He has to break one of our more serious laws before I can
banish him.”

Jace’s eyebrows shot up as he waved his hand toward Stefan’s

still body. “Will that do it?”

“Yep.” Mikhail’s jaw clenched. “I just have to wait until next

week when we have our monthly pride meeting. I can present the
evidence then and banish Ezra and his boys from the pride, and the
sooner the better. Now that Ezra knows about you all, he won’t stop
until he’s either banished or dead.”

Stormy Glenn

“Why? What does that have to do with us?” Jace asked. “Why did

he try and force us to leave?”

“A mated alpha is a better leader,” Zus replied for his brother. “He

fights harder and makes better decisions because he wants to provide
a safe, happy place for his mate, and by extension, the rest of the
pride.”

Jace frowned as he looked between the two brothers. “That sounds

pretty good. Why would Ezra be upset about it?”

“Because if I find my mate,” Mikhail said, “he doesn’t have a

chance in hell of disrupting the pride and taking over, and he knows
it. My family has a reputation for creating the strongest pride around
for our mates. It’s been that way for centuries.”

“I guess that means I’ll be pretty damn safe now that I’ve decided

to stick around.”

Zus glanced over when he felt Rue stiffen next to him. Was his

mate having second thoughts about staying? He grabbed Rue’s arm
and drew him to the corner of the room, away from the others.

“You are not leaving me, mate.”
Rue’s brow furrowed. “No.” The man’s voice rose with each word

as if he was offended by Zus’s question. Hurt shined in his mocha-
brown eyes. “Why would you say that?”

“You seemed upset that Jace had decided to stick around.”
“Because Bay won’t leave until Stefan is okay and that might take

awhile. We have a lot of stuff to pack up, clients to inform. Not to
mention transferring all of our business stuff. Bay usually handles all
of the billing stuff, and if he’s not there…”

Zus blew out a relieved breath. “Okay, I get it, babe. There’s a lot

to do to get you and your friends here.”

Rue’s hair flopped around his forehead when he nodded. Zus

smiled as he reached up and pushed it back, tucking the brown strands
behind Rue’s ear. “I suppose it would be easier to move your business
here if you had a place to move it to.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“Stefan told Bay that you guys could build us a home office

attached to the house.” Rue seemed nervous as if he was afraid he
might be speaking out of turn.

Zus smoothed Rue’s hair back again then slid his hand back even

further, wrapping it around the nape of Rue’s neck. “Then I guess it’s
a good thing we work in construction, isn’t it?”

Rue’s smile was as bright as the morning sun. “Yeah.”
“I like the idea of you working from home, always here when I

want you.” Zus pulled Rue close to whisper in his ear. What he had to
say was only for his mate’s ears. “I could come home from work and
fuck your tight little ass whenever I wanted and you’d be here waiting
for me, wouldn’t you?”

Rue’s eyes rounded as if he had never even considered that

possibility. He gulped then licked his lips. Desire flashed in his eyes.
“Yeah.”

Zus inhaled deeply, the scent of Rue’s arousal thick in the air

around him. “Would you like that?”

Rue whimpered.
Zus slid his hand down Rue’s back to the small of his back and

then to his butt. He brushed his hand down the middle of Rue’s ass,
pressing on the butt plug he had put there earlier.

Had it just been this morning?
Rue’s breathing hitched, the man leaning into Zus’s body even as

he pushed his ass out into Zus’s hand.

“You need so beautifully, love.” Zus tapped the butt plug a couple

of times, hard enough to give Rue something to think about until they
could be alone together again.

“Jace,” Bay called out, gaining Zus’s attention. “We’re not done

here.”

Jace swung back around and stepped up to the table. “What do

you need?”

“We have to clean the wound so that an infection doesn’t set in.”

Bay dapped at the wound to wipe away the fresh blood welling up

Stormy Glenn

since he took the bullet out. “An infection can kill him just as fast as a
bullet.”

“Stefan just needs to shift,” Mikhail said. “Now that the bullet is

out, he shouldn’t have any problem.”

“Then why isn’t he shifting?” Bay snapped.
Zus glanced between Mikhail and Bay when his brother’s steely

eyes narrowed at Bay. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on
between the two men, but obviously he had missed something.

He knew his brother was getting pissed when he saw Mikhail’s

nostrils flare. “Maybe he doesn’t think he has a reason to shift,”
Mikhail said.

“But you just said he won’t heal if he doesn’t shift,” Bay insisted.
Mikhail’s features tightened. “Nope.”
“He’ll die!”
Zus’s heart ached at the tear that trickled down Mikhail’s cheek.

“I know.”

* * * *

Zus lifted his head when he heard Mikhail walk into the living

room several hours later. He held his breath as he stared at his older
brother, waiting to hear whether his baby brother was alive or dead.
Zus really didn’t know what he would do if Stefan didn’t make it.

“He shifted a moment ago.”
Elation filled Zus. He clenched his hand around a fistful of Rue’s

hair and pressed his lips against the side of the man’s head, his eyes
closing briefly.

Stefan was alive.
Mikhail walked over to the overstuffed chair his mate was curled

up in. He scooped the man up in his arms. “I’m taking my mate to
bed. I suggest the rest of you do the same. We could all use a good
night’s sleep. I don’t think this thing with Ezra is over, and we need to
be on our toes.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Zus couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do more other than

get a quick look at his brother, just to see for himself that Stefan was
okay. He lifted Rue up in his arms because the man was out cold, and
carried him toward the dining room.

He grinned when he peeked inside the room and saw Bay

stretched out on the table with Stefan. Both men were awake, talking
in voices too low for Zus to hear. That was enough for Zus. He could
talk to Stefan more in the morning after everyone got a good night’s
sleep.

Stormy Glenn

Chapter Ten

“Time to wake up, mate.”
Rue groaned and pushed at the hand that swatted at his ass. He

wasn’t ready to get up yet. He was having the most wonderful dram
about this gorgeous green-eyed man that made his toes curl in the
most delightful way. A niggle at the back of his consciousness said
yesterday was crazy, and he wasn’t ready to face today quite yet. He
needed to stay in his dream world.

“Rueben, don’t make me repeat myself.”
Rue jumped when he got spanked again and rolled to his side,

rubbing his sore ass. That swat had hurt. But god, his ass was
warming right up and his cock had taken a definite interest in being
spanked again.

“Shower time, love.”
Rue’s head popped up.
Shower time?
His eyes followed Zus as the sexy and confident man strutted

toward the bathroom door. And the man did strut. He had a right to.
Rue could probably bounce an entire roll of quarters off the man’s
tight rounded ass.

The moment the gorgeous body he was drooling over disappeared

from sight, Rue forgot all about being tired and the chaos of
yesterday. All he could think about was their morning routine. He
rolled out of bed and hurried into the bathroom, skidding to a halt just
as soon as he saw the man from his dreams standing there with a stern
look on his face and his arms crossed over his naked chest.

Rue swallowed hard.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Oh man, he was in trouble.
“Hands.”
Rue thrust both hands out. Zus grabbed them by the wrist and

pulled Rue into the shower, securing his hands above his head. As
soon as Rue’s hands were restrained over his head, Zus grabbed a
washcloth and a bottle of body wash. He quickly added some soap to
the washcloth then began washing Rue’s body.

Restrained as he was, Rue could truly appreciate the large shower

with its many showerheads. There were three on each side of the
shower stall, and two rainfall ones in the ceiling. Rue didn’t even
have to tilt his head back to keep the shower spray from hitting him in
the face. Zus had adjusted them so that they hit well below his neck.

“You made me repeat myself this morning, Rue.”
Rue hung his head. He could hear the disappointment in Zus’s

voice, and it ate at his soul. “I’m sorry, mate.”

“I know you are, but you still have to be punished. You will never

learn what I expect out of you if I allow you to get away with that
type of behavior.”

“No, mate.” Rue wasn’t sure if he was elated or scared, but his

skin was tingling, his breath short. His cock was hard, jutting out from
his hairless groin, leaking pre-cum.

“I think we’re going to practice a little orgasm denial.”
Rue almost wept.
“If you can be a good boy, I might let you come sometime today.

Otherwise, it could be awhile.”

Rue gulped. “Yes, mate.”
Rue winced when Zus’s fingers grabbed his chin and pulled it up.

He felt shaky and uncertain when Zus’s dark-green eyes locked onto
his. He truly did not know if he could keep from coming if Zus
continued to touch him. The man’s touch was like gold.

“Zus, I don’t—” Rue swallowed hard. “I don’t know if I can keep

from coming.”

Stormy Glenn

“You will.” Zus’s look wasn’t stern, but it definitely brooked no

argument. He had a lot more faith in Rue than Rue did. Rue was
pretty sure he was going to explode just from being denied an orgasm.
“You will because you want to please me and this will please me.”

Rue shuddered as he tried to rein in his need to orgasm. He did

want to please Zus. He wanted to please the man more than he wanted
to climax.

But it was a close thing.
“Now, turn around so I can wash your hair.”
Rue turned. He shuddered again when Zus’s fingers threaded

through his hair and started scrubbing. This was a different kind of
pleasure, luckily one that didn’t make him want to come. He wanted
to stretch his sore muscles and then cuddle into Zus’s side, sleep the
day away.

“Close your eyes, pet.”
Warm water cascaded down Rue’s face as Zus rinsed him off.

When he was all clean, Zus jiggled the butt plug in his ass, pushing it
in and out until Rue’s legs began to shake and he started considering
just how upset Zus might be if he came.

Rue cried out when Zus pulled the butt plug out. He had been so

close, right on the edge of what he was sure would have been a earth-
shattering orgasm. The smirk on Zus’s face said he knew it, too.

Zus released Rue’s hands only to restrain them behind his back,

locking the clip between the two cuffs together. “Bend over.”

Rue shuddered with need, knowing what was coming. His legs

shook so hard he could barely stay standing as he bent at the waist
and spread his legs wide. He swayed toward the wall and rested his
head against the hard tile. The pleasure skating along his skin started
to seep into his body until there wasn’t a cell that wasn’t vibrating.

He whimpered.
“On your knees, pet.”
Oh god.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Rue entire body started to tingle when he dropped to his knees, his

eyes narrowing in on the hard cock bouncing in front of his face. He
knew what was expected of him. He even looked forward to it.

But he also knew that his torture wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

His suspicion was confirmed when Zus attached the bottom of the
dildo in his ass to the rubber mat suctioned to the floor of the shower
stall.

Rue didn’t have a single clue how he was going to survive much

less keep from coming. Every movement sent the dildo deeper into
his ass. Each breath made Rue’s inner muscles clench around the
thick rubber dick.

“Suck me, pet.”
Rue’s eyes snapped up, meeting Zus’s eyes. Every thought he had

about his own need to come faded away when he saw the lust burning
in Zus’s eyes. All he could think about was pleasing his mate.

The man’s arousal, along with the clear liquid seeping from his

cock, filled Rue’s lungs, making his mouth water for just one taste.
With a feral smile, Rue swallowed Zus’s straining erection, wrapping
his lips around the flared head of the man’s cock. The taste of pre-
cum—the flavor tangy and hot—exploded on his tongue, and he knew
he wanted more.

“Jesus, baby.” Zus’s eyes rolled, his head smacking back against

the wall tiles.

Rue grinned around the cock stretching his lips to their limit. He

felt the hard length pulse when he swallowed, and did it again as he
bobbed his head forward and back.

As he sucked and licked and swallowed, Rue flexed his hips,

driving the dildo into his ass. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew it
would send him closer to disobeying Zus. He just couldn’t help it. It
was physically impossible for him not to move.

He ached almost to the point of pain. Just like the day before, his

hands were restrained behind his back. His ass was full. His mouth

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was full. He was pleasuring his mate with not only his mouth but his
obedient behavior.

Rue was in submissive heaven.
Again.
It was becoming increasing clear to him that Zus had the ability to

keep him in submissive heaven for the rest of his days. The man was
just about perfect in Rue’s eyes.

Rue watched the wildfire in the man’s eyes, saw the lust that filled

them as Rue fought to please the man who was quickly becoming
important to him.

Zus’s fingers glided through Rue’s hair, massaging his scalp as

Rue sucked and licked, swallowing the man’s pre-cum. “Close, baby.
Real close.”

Rue slowly pushed the cock to the back of his throat, further still,

letting his throat muscles relax. He pulled back, sucking on the head,
his tongue working magic around the helmet, circling the bundle of
nerves. Rue sucked the engorged head of Zus’s cock. He massaged
Zus’s prick with his tongue, and his lips stretched as he began to bob
his head faster and faster, sucking in until his cheeks concaved.

“Gonna…come, pet.” Zus groaned.
Another groan rumbled through Zus right before his hips thrust

forward, driving his cock deep into Rue’s mouth, causing Rue’s body
to scream with pleasure, with an overload of sensations that made Rue
whimper around the man’s cock.

“Rueben!” Zus shouted as warm liquid quickly filled Rue’s

mouth. Zus’s hips hitched a few times. Rue swallowed greedily,
savoring the salty taste of his of the cream filling his mouth in great
spurts. Rue didn’t release him right away. Instead, he cleaned every
drop before allowing the softening shaft to leave his mouth.

He leaned his head against Zus’s leg and just breathed, the need to

come rearing up now that he had pleasured his mate to competition. It
might have even been worse.

“Look at me, Rue.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Swallowing hard, Rue tilted his head back and looked up into the

satisfied eyes of his mate. The approval and pleasure in Zus’s deep-
green eyes took Rue’s breath away. That was the look he wanted, the
look he craved. It made everything in his world complete.

Rue’s eyes widened with awareness when Zus held up a small

black device in his hand. He would never survive. “Mate, I—”

“Come.”
Rue screamed as the vibrator inside of the dildo deep in his ass hit

an all-time high. Every inch of his body vibrated and short-circuited.
He could feel it all the way down to his toes. His thigh muscles
quivered as his balls drew so tight to Rue’s body that they actually
hurt.

Rue shouted as his back arched as hot jets of seed were ripped

from his balls. White lights exploded behind his eyelids, making the
world around him swim. Rue panted heavily, trying to regain the air
that should be in his lungs. He leaned his head against Zus’s legs
again as he settled his body back down. The vibrator was still on,
keeping Rue just on the edge. Zus’s fingers tangled in his hair as the
vibrations slowed, leaving Rue’s ass aching but in a good way.

“Thank you, mate.”
“You are very welcome, pet.”
Rue smiled as he glanced up at Zus. “I love you.”
Zus’s eyes glitters suspiciously. “Oh, pet.”
Rue gasped as he was yanked to his feet and then lifted. All of the

air rushed from his lungs as he was slammed back against the shower
stall wall. Rue would forever be grateful he had been stretched out.
Before he could draw in another breath, Zus thrust forward and filled
Rue’s ass with his hard cock.

“My mate!” Zus growled.
Something dark and feral flashed behind Zus’s eyes, and Rue

suddenly felt like he was no longer dealing with just the man, but the
animal just beneath the surface.

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Submissive instincts had Rue tilting his head back and to the side,

offering his submission to both the man and the beast. Zus’s thick
cock plunged into him over and over again as Zus roared. Just having
come moments before meant nothing. The moment Zus struck,
sinking his teeth deep into his flesh, Rue screamed and shot between
them, his orgasm ripped from the depths of his soul.

A moment later, liquid heat filled his ass and Zus’s large muscular

form shuddered against him. Zus withdrew his teeth and licked at the
bite mark before pulling from Rue and slowly lowering him to the
floor. Rue laid his head against Zus’s shoulder as the man’s arms
wrapped around him, cradling him.

“I love you, mate.”
Rue sighed happily, smiling.
Yep, just about perfect.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Chapter Eleven

“Babe, I have to go into the office for a little while today.”
Rue’s shoulders slumped.
“Sorry.” Zus chuckled. “I’m the boss man. If I don’t go in, the

work doesn’t get done. No work, no new office for my baby.”

“Office?” He had forgotten about that. Falling in love with his

mate seemed so much more important.

Zus nodded as he tucked his shirt in and then zipped up his jeans.

“Stefan will draw out the plans, so you need to talk to him about
anything specific you might need. Once we have the architectural
design, we can begin to clear the sight on the side of the house and get
the building started.”

“How long do you think it will take?” Rue could feel excitement

start to take a hold of him. They worked from home right now as it
was, but their home office was pretty cramped. They were always
tripping over each other. A new spacious office would be so fantastic.

“Well, barring bad weather, no more than six weeks or so.

Mikhail said you all can use the family room in the meantime.”

“As long as we have Internet to contact our clients, we’re pretty

good to go.”

Zus cocked an eyebrow. “Does that mean you don’t want an

office?”

Rue pressed his lips together, shaking his head.
Zus chuckled at his quick denial. “Walk me to the door, pet.”
Rue couldn’t prevent the happy little smile that played across his

lips as he followed Zus out of their room and down the stairs to the

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front door. Why he was smiling when Zus was leaving could only be
attributed to the hand Zus kept wrapped around the nape of his neck.

It was comforting.
“I won’t be more than a couple of hours, love.”
Rue nodded, the smile starting to slip as the reality of being on his

own for the first time since he accepted Zus became apparent. “Mate.”

“You’ll be fine, pet.” Zus’s finger threaded through Rue’s hair,

fisting, yanking his head back. “And do you know why you will be
okay, Rue?”

Rue gulped. He didn’t really care why. The fierceness in Zus’s

eyes had full confidence that whatever Zus said would be true and
Rue was helpless to deny it.

“You’ll be okay because I say you will.”
Rue drew in a deep breath, and something inside of him settled.

The calmness that he felt was almost alien to him. He glanced at Zus,
opening his mouth to ask how that could be, only to have Zus’s
fingers press against his lips.

“I am your mate, Rue, your master.” Rue almost purred when

Zus’s warm callused hand cupped the side of his face. “You are the
most important thing in the world to me, Rue. You are my forever
mate. I would never leave you in a situation that I do not feel you
couldn’t handle.”

“Okay.”
“Now, kiss me and think about how I am going to punish you for

doubting me when I get home.”

Rue’s eyes widened as Zus claimed his lips. He was going to get

punished again? He didn’t know whether to drop to his knees to thank
Zus or run. Rue was still standing there pondering his options when
Zus lifted his head. There was a definite smirk on the man’s face as he
turned and walked out the front door. Rue watched until Zus got in his
truck and drove down the driveway and then went looking for
coffee…smiling the entire time.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

Liam was already in the kitchen when he walked in. The slim man

was pouring himself a cup of coffee. Rue sent the man a nod when
Liam glanced up and then grabbed another cup, pouring coffee into it
before handing it to Rue.

“Thanks.”
Liam just nodded. Rue knew not to try and get Liam into a

conversation before he had his morning coffee. Liam wasn’t as bad as
Jace—who terrified armed men before he had his coffee—but it was a
close thing.

Rue heard laughter from the dining room. He headed in that

direction, Liam on his heels. “What’s so funny?” he asked as he slid
into a chair across from the two men.

Liam sat down next to him.
It took Jace a moment to stop laughing so that he could reply to

Rue’s question. “We were just discussing the work uniform for the
guys when they came to help us with all the heavy lifting and
packing.”

“Jock straps,” Rue replied without missing a beat, sending both

Jace and Bay back into fits of laughter. His lips curved up with
amusement. He could just picture the Kугуар brothers in jock straps.
What a sight that would be. He very seriously doubted that they
would be in them very long.

Liam just sat there with a very confused frown on his face.
“So.” Rue’s expression turned serious because he knew there was

a huge subject that they all needed to discuss and were kind of
pretending didn’t exist. “We’re all in agreement then? We’re packing
up and moving here?”

Rue was moving with or without his friends. He was hoping they

would come with him, but he needed to be with his mate. Zus was the
first man he had ever met that understood him. Zus gave him the
dominance and control he had craved his entire life, but he did it with
love and understanding, not physical abuse.

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“Stefan said they would design us an office attached to the house

anyway we want it,” Bay said. “We work from home anyway so
having an office to work out of would kind of be a step up.”

“I’m not leaving,” Liam said firmly, using a tone the man never

used. “I’m never leaving.”

Jace’s eyebrows rose. “Not even to go home and pack?”
“No.” Liam’s lower lip slid out in the cutest pout. “Yuri likes me.”
Rue lifted his coffee cup to hide his smile. Liam was the shyest of

them all. For him to even make a statement like that was a pretty big
deal for the little man. He prayed that Yuri understood the gentleness
Liam needed. Brother of Zus or not, if Yuri harmed Liam, he would
have four very angry humans after him.

“You could bring Yuri with you, you know,” Jace said. “We’re

going to need all of the muscle we can get.”

Liam’s face lit up like it was Christmas day. “I’ll go if Yuri goes.”

God love Liam, he was glued to Yuri’s side.

“Okay then.” Jace took another sip of his coffee. “So, we—”
Rue jerked when the front window shattered. He jumped to his

feet and raced toward the living room. Smoke was quickly filling the
room. As he stood there trying to figure out what was going on, a
silver canister leaking smoke came flying through the window.

Jace rolled his eyes as he walked over and picked the canister up,

tossing it right back out the window. “Tear gas? Really?”

Rue grabbed the other canister and tossed it out the window just

as Jace had. “What freaking idiots.”

Even Liam rolled his eyes.
“It’s that Ezra guy,” Bay said as he stood by the wall and peeked

out through the broken glass. “He has friends with him this time.”

“How many, Bay?” Rue asked. They needed to know what they

were up against before they could make a plan of action.

“I count about seven out front, but I can see at least four going

around the side of the house.”

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

“We should probably call Mikhail and the others and let them

know what’s going on.” Jace pulled his cell phone out and started
dialing.

Rue listened in on Jace’s phone call as he pressed himself against

the wall by the front window and watched out through the shattered
glass. He could see several vehicles in the driveway, and he even
recognized a couple of them as the trucks Ezra and his boys had come
in before. But there were other vehicles he didn’t recognize at all.
Ezra Craigen had invited friends to the party this time.

“Hey, babe,” Jace said calmly, “just thought you’d like to know

that Ezra and his boys are back. They are currently tossing tear gas
canisters through the front window.”

Rue glanced at Jace when he heard Mikhail shouting through the

phone. The man was so loud that he should have been able to hear
him, but the shouting from outside was just as loud, the two kind of
canceling each other out.

“Oh please,” Jace said. “We’ve been to more gay rights protests

than I have shoes in my closet.” That said a lot. Jace was a shoe
whore. “Tear gas doesn’t bother us.”

Rue shrugged. “Makes my mascara run.”
“I’m not leaving.” Liam blinked rapidly as he crossed his arms.

His eyes reddened around the rims, a few tears streaking down his
cheeks. He was a little less used to tear gas than the rest of them.
“And they can’t make me.”

Jace held his cell phone out. “Liam, take this and go upstairs. I

need you to keep Mikhail informed of what is going on, and the
second-floor window at the front of the house is your best spot for
watching the show.” He shook a finger at Liam after the man took his
phone. “Lock the door after you.”

Liam nodded and hurried from the room. A moment later, Rue

hard his light footsteps running up the stairs and then the sound of a
door slamming.

“Rue, do you have your knives?”

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Rue’s head cocked to one side, smirking. Jace should know him

better than that. He almost always had his knives on him. Besides,
Zus seemed to like the fact that he was armed with deadly weapons,
and knew how to use them.

“Forget I asked.” Jace waved a hand. “Bay, let’s raid the kitchen.

I’m sure we can find something in there to defend ourselves.”

Bay just stood there, staring. “Am I the only one here that

understands that we are being attacked by a bunch of people that can
shift into tigers?”

“No, I got it,” Jace replied. “I just don’t care.”
He wouldn’t. This was how they ended up in so many scrapes.

God love him but Jace didn’t take shit off of anyone. Bay and Rue
usually ended up having to rescue him.

“They can kill us,” Bay insisted.
Jace waved his hand back toward the shattered front window.

“They are no different than the bigots back home that call us names
and try to beat us up when we walk down the street because we have
more fashion sense then they do. I, for one, refuse to allow them to
make me leave, especially now that I’ve found someone that loves me
just as much as I love him.”

Bay’s eyebrows rose in a single line. “You’re in love with

Mikhail?”

“Yes.” He frowned as he looked at the flush on Bay’s face. “Are

you in love with Stefan?”

The red on Bay’s face deepened, moving down beneath his collar.

“Maybe.”

“Okay, maybe is a start, but wouldn’t you like the chance to find

out if there is something more there?”

Bay sighed heavily. “Fiinne.”
Rue rolled his eyes. While the kitchen was a good idea for finding

weapons, he worried a little about his friends getting hurt with
whatever they found. They were trained to defuse situations and

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

defend themselves if needed. They were not trained to take on an
entire pride of tiger-shifters.

Jace walked back in with a round cast iron flat skillet as well as a

few of the sharp knives. He held the skillet with both hands and
swung it like a baseball bat. Grinning, he turned to Bay and Rue. “I’m
ready.”

Bay shook his head. “You’re insane, that’s what you are.” He

waved his hand toward the front window. “They have guns and claws
and shit. A cast iron skillet is not going to give you the upper hand.”

“Bay, we have one thing on our side.”
Bay cocked an eyebrow.
“We’re human.”
“And that gives us the upper hand how?”
“They think we’re idiots.”
“You mean we’re not?” Bay scoffed.
“They think we’re going to be cowering in the closet frightened

out of our minds. They are not expecting us to fight back.”

Bay’s eyes were wide and round as he nodded. “The closet is

sounding pretty damn good right about now.”

“Bay.”
“Fiinne.” Bay walked over to stand beside the front door, his

rolling pin raised in the air. “I’ve got the hallway,” Jace said as he
headed for the bottom of the stairs. He pressed himself against the
wall leading into the kitchen.

Rue took up position near the front window. “Here they come,

guys.” He waited until one of them got onto the porch and then threw
a knife, grinning with satisfaction when the blade’s aim was true.

The front door opened. The man coming in made it in two steps

before Bay brought his rolling pin down. The guy dropped like a rock.
Bay reached down and tore his facemask off and tossed it back out the
doorway before stepping back into his original position, rolling pin
raised over his head.

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Stormy Glenn

Rue saw a shadow appear through the kitchen doorway. A

moment later, a man with a gasmask on his face stepped through the
archway, gun in his hand. Jace swung, the edge of the skillet hit the
guy right in the goggle piece of his mask. The man shouted and
dropped his gun as he grabbed for the mask, yanking it off his head.
Blood was pouring down his face from where the broken goggle piece
had sliced into his face.

His eyes were enraged as he turned to glare at Jace. “You—”
Jace brought the skillet up again. The man didn’t even cry out

before he dropped to the ground. Jace grabbed the gasmask and tossed
it away.

Satisfied that Jace had things under control, Rue turned his

attention back to the front of the house. The people attacking them
seemed to be avoiding the front porch. The bleeding body on the
porch might have something to do with it. The men hurrying around
the side of the house either didn’t see the body or they didn’t care, and
that worried Rue more than the blood on the porch. While he could
count heads and had a general number of how many people they were
up against, he really didn’t know exactly what they were up against.

Rue didn’t think that shifters played by the same rules as humans,

and that meant he needed Zus, and he needed him now.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

101

Chapter Twelve

Zus made another calculation with his measuring tape then made a

note on his pad of paper. “It looks like we are going to need another
six inches on the master bedroom if we are were going to fit that new
tub Mrs. Baxter want into the master bath, Mike.” It drove him nuts
when clients changed their minds when the build was halfway done.
Only the fact that he would be charging Mrs. Baxter for the extra
work involved in giving her the bathroom of her dreams kept him
from telling her where to put her new bathtub.

“Okay,” his foreman Mike said as he studied the blueprints Zus

had spread out over the hood of his truck. “Do you want me to have
the tub ordered or wait until the flooring gets done?”

“Better wait. Mrs. Baxter might change her mind again.”
Mike chuckled. “Right?”
The woman had changed the build three times already. Too many

more and Zus was going to make someone else deal with her, like
Mikhail.

In the construction company they all owned, each of them had

specific jobs that they were good at. Mikhail was the front of the
business. He ran the office, did the books, and greeted the clients.

Stefan was their architect. He worked with the clients to make

their dream homes come to life in blueprints he drew up. Yuri worked
with the suppliers making sure that they had everything they needed
to build with. Zus ran the crews that actually worked on the houses.

All of them had a job to do, and they were very good at their jobs.

But in a pinch, any of them could temporarily do the job of one of the

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others. Zus just thankful he had three other brothers to get through
before he had to work with the public.

“I’m going to need a small crew to work another site just as soon

as Stefan gets the blueprints done. It should take about six weeks,
give or take a week.”

“Small job?” Mike asked.
“We’re adding on a large office to the house.” Zus grinned

broadly. “We found our forever mates.”

Mike was part of their pride. He would understand how significant

it was to find a forever mate. Mike’s smile was almost as wide as
Zus’s. “Congrats, boss. Which brothers?”

“Surprisingly, all of us.”
Mike’s eyes rounded. “Really?”
Zus nodded.
“Damn, maybe there’s hope for me then.”
Zus patted Mike’s shoulder. “There’s always hope, Mike.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Mike didn’t sound convinced. Zus knew he had

reason for doubting he might ever find the forever mate for him.
Many didn’t, which was why it was so special when someone did.
“So, when do we get to meet this mate?”

“Soon. I want to get him settled first. He’s a little frazzled right

now. Ezra and his boys paid the house a visit a few days ago to try to
force Rue and his friends to leave.”

Zus knew Mike wasn’t surprised that his mate was a man. He had

never hidden the fact that he preferred men. Neither had his brothers.
Everyone in the pride knew. If his forever mate had been a woman, he
would have accepted her for the gift she was. He was just lucky Rue
was a man. His man.

“I’m not surprised, Zus,” Mike said, his expression pensive as if

he had something share but wasn’t sure if he should. “We’ve been
hearing rumblings, Zus, the boys and I.” Mike nodded his head
toward the other construction workers hard at work on their current

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

103

project. “We thought they were just grumblings, but now I’m not so
sure.”

Zus frowned. “What sort of grumblings?”
“You know Ezra has always had it out for your family ever since

that thing with your parents. Everyone knows it. Ezra pretty much
isn’t silent about how he feels he got cheated when your mother
married your father. That man has had a hatred building in him for
almost forty years. That’s a lot of hatred.”

Zus nodded. Mike wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already

know. “I don’t know how he found out about our forever mates so
fast. We haven’t told anyone yet. We planned to do that at the next
pride meeting. Ezra and his boys intended to either force them to
leave or kill them. While they had us busy outside, Peter snuck in the
backdoor and tried to attack our mates. Stefan stopped him, but he got
shot in the process.”

“Shot?” Mike’s eyebrows shot up. “Is he okay?”
Zus nodded. “They were using silver bullets, Mike.”
“Fucking bastards!”
“I think Mikhail is going to banish them at the next pride

meeting.”

“He should. Ezra Craigen and his boys are nothing but trouble.”
“I know Mikhail hoped that things would settle down after our

parents were killed, but they just seemed to escalate. Going after our
mates was kind of the last straw. I refuse to—” Zus paused when
Mikhail’s unique ringtone filled the air. “That’s Mikhail. I have to
take it.”

Mike nodded and stepped away to give Zus some privacy. Zus hit

the answer button. He could hear Mikhail yelling before he even got
the phone to his ear. His brother sounded frantic, his voice high and
loud. “You’re yelling, Mikhail. I can barely understand you.”

“The house is under attack!” Mikhail said in a voice just as stern

but without the yelling.

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Stormy Glenn

Zus stilled, nightmare visions he preferred not thinking about

starting to come to life in his mind. “What?”

“Jace called. Someone is attacking the house again. They are

throwing tear gas canisters in through the front window.”

Zus started running around the front of his truck, heading for the

driver’s seat. “Is it Ezra?”

“Yes, and he brought company.”
“I’ll meet you at the house.” Zus yanked his door open and tossed

the phone inside. “Mike, get the guys and meet me at the house. Ezra
and his boys are going after our mates again.”

Zus didn’t wait for Mike’s answer. He knew the man would do as

Zus said. Mike was a good foreman. They had worked together ever
since Zus had taken over running the job sites. They worked well
together. Zus respected Mike and felt the man did the same for him.

More than that, he trusted Mike to have his back.
Zus knew he broke more than a few traffic laws as he raced back

toward the house. He didn’t care. He had forgotten one very important
thing when he left the house this morning. He forgot to get Rue’s
phone number. He had no way to contact his mate and make sure
nothing had happened to him. He would fix that just as soon as he
found his mate.

Zus slowed his truck when he reached the driveway to the house.

It was a long driveway, but Zus could still see several vehicles parked
along the dirt road leading up to the house. He pulled over to the side
of the road and got out. He sniffed the air as he started for the house,
trying to discern how many people he was up against.

There were more than fifteen different scents, which meant that

his mate was in the fight of his life. Zus shifted as he raced toward the
house, intent on killing anything and everything between him and his
mate.

Zus jumped onto the back of the first man he reached, ripping his

throat out before the man knew he was being attacked. He moved to
the next man, snapping his jaws and sinking his teeth into the man’s

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

105

arm until he heard bone snap and the man screamed. Zus dropped the
man’s arm when he fell to the ground, cradling his broken arm, and
moved on to the next guy.

He jumped on the next guy, taking him down to the ground. He

growled into the man’s face, baring his long sharp teeth. The man
screamed, a sour scent filling the air. Zus jumped back, glancing
down to see a wet stain appearing in the man’s jeans.

Gross.
Zus shifted. He pointed back down the road he had just run down.

“Go, and don’t come back. If I see your face again, I will kill you.”

The man jumped up and started running so fast he tripped over his

own feet and face-planted in the ground. When he scrambled back up,
blood ran down his face from his nose. Zus watched for a moment as
the man ran down the driveway, barely missing getting hit when
several more vehicles pulled up the drive.

Zus tensed, just knowing that the luck he had been experiencing

since he found his perfect forever mate had just ran out. When the
vehicles came to a stop and people started piling out, Zus made a
quick prayer that he died honorably and whatever he did today made
it so that his mate survived.

Just as he readied himself to shift and attack, Mike jumped out of

one of the trucks and ran toward him. “What can we do?”

Zus’s jaw dropped when he realized that nearly their entire pride

was arriving to help in the fight.

He almost smiled.
Zus waved his hand back toward the house. “I want every one of

those fuckers dead.”

Mike’s eyebrows narrowed. “As you say.”
As Mike and several of the people with him shifted and started

toward the house, Zus knew he had to stop them. As much as he
wanted to see every damn person that put his mate’s life in danger
dead or dying, he knew he couldn’t.

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“Mike,” he called out. “Restrain those that you can, kill those that

resist.”

The tiger’s head moved up and down, Mike acknowledging Zus’s

order. Zus shifted as well and began working his way back toward the
house. The fight was bloody and painful on all sides. It felt like it took
forever for the last man to drop to the ground when it was probably
only a few minutes. Lives had been lost but thankfully just a few, and
all on the opposing side. Still, the loss of life would be felt by all.

No one ever really won when someone died.
Zus shifted back to his human form, turning his head one way and

then the other until his neck popped. He brushed his fingers lightly
over a healing gash in his side. That was going to hurt for a little
while.

“Make sure no one is hurt too badly, and tie up anyone still alive.

Mikhail will deal with them later.” Zus stared toward the house. As
much as he wanted to go inside and check on Rue, he knew he needed
to insure that every last man that had attacked them had been
eliminated. His mate wouldn’t truly be safe until all of them were
gone or dead. “I’m going to go check around the back of the house.”

Mike nodded and took the rope another man brought him. He was

already tying up the first man before Zus even turned and took off
around the side of the house. He shifted on the run. As he reached the
edge of the house leading into the backyard, Zus slowed and sniffed
the air. The scent of blood was thick in the air, making it hard to
discern any other scent.

It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to him that Ezra and his boys

would only attack the front of the house, but so far there was had been
no indication that the fighting had reached the back of the house. Zus
just didn’t believe it, and he wouldn’t stop hunting until he knew
every last threat to his mate had been eliminated.

Zus slid along the side of the house, hugging the wooden siding.

His steps were slow and measured, every step silent as he padded
closer to the corner that led to the backyard. Zus knew his suspicions

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

107

were correct when he rounded the corner and spotted Mark Craigen
trying to sneak in through the back door. He seemed to be having a
problem getting the door open.

Idiot. Zus would have just kicked in the door if he was the one

attacking the house. He would be going into battle. He wouldn’t be
worried about the niceties of trying to get a door unlocked.

Growling ferociously, Zus raced toward the man. Just as he

reached the porch and went to lunge at Mark, a searing pain ripped
through Zus’s back. The agony was so intense he stumbled and
crashed into the steps at the bottom of the back porch.

Zus roared and turned to face whatever had attacked him. Even in

tiger form, he recognized Joseph Craigen. Zus tried to push the pain
to the back of his mind as he faced off against the large tiger. The
Craigen were large tigers, but they weren’t as large as the Kугуар
boys. Even injured, Zus had an edge over Joseph.

The two men circled each other, Zus looking for the right

opportunity to attack. He wasn’t stupid enough to allow his anger to
feed his movements. He had seen too many shifters to go down that
way. His father had taught him better than that.

Zus jerked back when Joseph lunged at him. Joseph’s jaw snapped

together close enough that Zus felt the air displaced next to his face.
While Joseph was trying to regroup, Zus spun around and sank his
teeth into the tiger’s flank, ripping away a good piece of flesh.

Joseph roared and attacked.
Zus dodged left and then right, swatting out with his paw every

time Joseph got too close. He wasn’t really trying to play with the
man, but his injuries were enough that he didn’t want to take Joseph
fully on until he had a good opening.

And there it was.
As Joseph went to jump on Zus, jaw open so he could bite down

on Zus and probably rip his throat out, Zus allowed the shifter to take
him down to the ground. Only, he dug hi hind claws into the tiger’s

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gut and ripped until his body was bathed in hot blood. Joseph roared
for all of a second before he dropped.

Zus squirmed until he could push the heavy body off of him and

then rolled to his feet. His legs were shaky, barely holding him up as
adrenaline ran rampant through his body. It took effort just to keep
from collapsing on the ground.

“You killed him. You killed my brother.”
Zus turned his head to see Mark standing there with astonishment

on his face—and a gun in his hand.

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109

Chapter Thirteen

Rue’s entire world swirled to a stop as he reached the back door

and saw the scene just off of the back porch. A tiger sat on the ground
just feet from the porch, covered in blood. Another one lay on the
ground right next to the first one, except this one didn’t look to be
moving. The large gaping hole in its stomach might have been the
reason.

The scene was terrifying but not as much as the gun the only

human there had in his hand.

“You killed him. You killed my brother.”
Rue drew in a shaky breath. That voice didn’t belong to any of the

Kугуар brothers. Rue would bet his life on it. Which meant the shifter
sitting on the ground was one of them. Rue just wasn’t sure which
one. Despite that, he knew he couldn’t let anything happen to the
tiger. Not only would one of his friends be heartbroken if that
happened but so would Zus.

He didn’t even want to consider the possibility that the tiger

covered in blood could be his mate. That just wasn’t something he
thought he could handle at the moment. His courage was only so
strong, and it wouldn’t withstand having the man he loved die right
before his eyes.

Rue carefully reached down and turned the bolt lock on the back

door, praying that the man with the gun wouldn’t hear the click as the
lock pulled back. His eyes darted between what he was doing and the
scene playing out in front of him.

“You killed Joseph.”

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Rue’s heart dropped to his toes when he glanced up from the door

handle to see Zus kneeling on the ground where the tiger had been
mere moments ago.

No! Not his mate.
Rue turned the handle and pushed the door open, sliding out just

as soon as there was enough space for him to get through. As he
tiptoed across the porch, he pulled two knives out of his pants, one in
each hand.

“Joseph attacked me first,” Zus snarled. “You all attacked us,

every last damn one of you. Mikhail told you what would happen if
you tried to hurt our mates again, and you ignored his warning. You
deserve what you get.”

“Your mate doesn’t deserve to live. He’s a human!”
Rue blinked, pausing as he stared at the man with the gun. He

didn’t deserve to live because he was human? Rue thought this was
about Zus being mated to a man. Where did the whole human thing
figure into this fiasco?

“Rue has more right to be here than you or your father ever will.

Human or not, he is my forever mate.”

Wicked and somewhat insane laughter flooded the air until Rue

felt like covering his ears so he didn’t have to hear it anymore. It was
a horrible sound that made him cringe.

“He’s human, so mate or not, he’s going to die. Once my father is

alpha, they are all going to die. It’s time that shifters were at the top of
the food chain again.” The man raised the gun in his hand, pointing it
right at Zus. “And for that to happen, you and your brothers have to
die as well. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure your little mate joins you
soon enough.”

Rue didn’t wait to hear the gun go off. He threw both knives at the

same time, reaching for a new set before they even hit their target.
Rue ignored the loud bang of the gun going off and jumped on the
back of the man slowly sliding to his knees. He jabbed one knife into
the guy’s heart and pulled the blade of the other one across his throat.

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

111

The man gurgled once and went down.
Rue grimaced when he pulled back and rubbed his hand across his

mouth only to smear blood over his face. He turned and found the
nearest bush, barely reaching it before he threw up whatever was in
his stomach.

“Sshhh, I’ve got you, love.” Zus’s glorious—yet raspy—voice

murmured in his ear as hair was pulled back from his forehead. “I’ve
got you.”

“Zus?” Rue collapsed in the arms that wrapped around him,

burying his face in Zus’s neck. “Did I…did I…” He couldn’t finish
that sentence. He was pretty damn sure he had just killed a man.

Zus leaned back and grabbed Rue’s face between his hands. “You

saved me, Rue. That’s what you need to think about. Mark was going
to kill me. He was going to kill you. He needed to be stopped.”

Tears sprang up in Rue’s eyes and trickled down his cheeks. Zus

wiped them way but more just appeared. He couldn’t seem to stop
crying. Zus just held Rue as he cried, murmuring soothing words to
him until he was done.

When Rue finally lifted his head, Zus wiped his eyes for him then

glanced back behind him. “Do you want your knives back?”

Rue gulped. “Yeah. They are specially calibrated for my hands.

Besides, if I intend to stay here then I should probably have some way
to defend myself.”

Zus pushed to his feet and then held out his hand to help Rue up.

The second they were both standing, Zus took Rue back into his arms.
“I swear to you that it’s not always like this, Rue. Usually, things are
pretty damn calm around here.”

“I’ve been here for three days, Zus. We’ve been attacked on two

of them. I’m not sure I believe you.” Rue jumped when Zus smacked
him on the ass. “What was that for?”

“For not believing your mate.” Zus winked. “Your punishment

will begin just as soon as this mess gets cleaned up.”

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Rue grinned as he walked with Zus around the side of the house.

So, maybe he did have the perfect mate after all—a forever mate.

* * * *

Rue grinned as he watched his mate argue with Mikhail over how

to load the moving truck. He wasn’t sure which one of them was
going to win the argument, but he was damn sure he was going to end
up with a red ass when Zus needed an outlet for his stress. It was
almost worth watching Zus growl at his brother.

He pushed away from the window and finished loading the last of

his belongings into a box. He was almost sad to say goodbye to the
house he had shared with his friends, but not enough to stay. Moving
in with Zus and being his fulltime submissive was the culmination of
every dream Rue had ever had. Zus was the perfect master, even if he
was a mate.

Rue chuckled as he lifted the last box onto his bed and pulled

open the lid. He hadn’t informed Zus that he had a toybox of his own.
Everything inside, from the numerous butt plugs to the fur-lined
handcuffs, had been carefully chosen and packed away for the day he
found his forever master. Rue couldn’t wait to get them home and
open them up, and maybe misbehave a little so his master would have
a good reason to use them.

He was especially looking forward to the wooden paddle he had

found in a small shop on the coast. It was padded but beneath the
padding were a variety of bumps sure to drive him insane. Rue pulled
the paddle out and lovingly ran his hand over the soft surface. His ass
cheeks tingled with anticipation.

Just how bad did he have to be?

Forever Mates: Zus & Rue

113

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots

is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first
sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.

You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand

and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man
for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You
can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com.

For all titles by Stormy Glenn, please visit