Running After David

You can run, but you can never hide from the evil
that hunts you in the night.

Ever  since  David  learned  about  the  war  between
the  Birds  of  Prey  and  Blood  Demons,  he  has
longed  for  the  Birds  of  Prey  leader,  Night. When
the warrior rejects him, David leaves to forget the
world he was thrust into.

Night was created for one purpose, to fight in a

war between good and evil. When his Goddess
Athena gives him the gift of a mate, Night doesn’t
know how to care for the man meant for him. Will
Night learn how to love the David, and will he get
to him in time to protect him?

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entirely coincidental.

Running After David

ISBN: 978-1-77111-653-4

Cover art by Carmen Waters

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Chapter One

he soft sound of the door closing was the most
deafening noise Night had ever heard in his

life. And he had been through centuries of fighting
a war in which screams in the night were
commonplace. How the soft snick of a door could
do the most damage to him left him feeling like he
was a stranger in his own damn body.

What the hell was he supposed to do? Ever

since  he  was  created  by  Athena,  he  had  one
purpose,  to  lead  the  fight  in  the  war  against  the
Blood  Demons.  Hell,  he  even  raised  the  warriors
to  become  the  best  and  most  savvy  at  defeating
the enemy.

David was just…so unlike any man he had ever

encountered  before.  Night  had  dealt  with
warriors,  bastards  so  evil  that  it  made  the  devil
himself pale in comparison. To Night, David was
an  anomaly,  unlike  anything  he’d  met  before  in
his  private  life.  The  man  was  full  of  life,  had
enough personality for ten men. And boy, did he
have a bite to him that made all the warriors want
to  turn  and  run  instead  of  getting  caught  in  the

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

same room with him.

Yet David had grown on everyone just like he

had Night. David had something that, once you
got past the snark, drew the others around him
just so they had a little light in their life when shit
was really hitting the fan.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Night felt at a

loss for the first time in his life. A knock sounded
at the door, and Night ran over to it, jerking it
open only to be sorely disappointed at seeing
Wren. Turning, Night prowled back to his desk.

“Glad to see you, too.” Wren walked over and

took a seat, lifting red clay-covered boots to rest
on his desk. Asshole.

“What do you need?” Night growled.
“Always to the point. Getting touchy, old man.”

Wren chuckled.

“Last call, what do you need?” Night swiped

Wren’s feet off his desk. A nice red smear left a
trail behind. Georgia clay sucked.

“Blood Demons were at our home in Atlanta.

Went  through  and  wrecked  the  whole  place.  We
took out the last three. There weren’t any residing
close  by,  so  Raven  and  I  are  thinking  they
followed us from the campus. I think  we need to
consider  having  a  talk  with  Aaron  and  David
about relocating to the satellite campus up here. I
know they don’t want to be imprisoned due to the
war,  but  we  can’t  be  placing  them  in  hot  spots,

Running After David

either.”

Night scrubbed his hands over his face, feeling

a  headache  coming  on.  “Talk  to  them  and  see  if
they’ll  be  agreeable.  We  need  to  figure  out  if  it’s
just that the Blood Demons can sense them in that
vicinity  or  if  the  Keres  themselves  are  finding
them  and  giving  away  their  location.  Usually,
Athena  has  always  been  able  to  cloak  us  better,
but I’m not so sure what’s going on that the Blood
Demons are able to find them so easy.”

Night needed to talk to the goddess. She had

always put the Birds of Prey under her protection.
Athena  had  been  able  to  shield  them  from  the
enemy  when  they  were  safely  ensconced  in  their
home.  Did  this  extend  to  their  mates?  If  it  did,  it
wasn’t  working.  All  their  sanctuaries  were
suddenly unsafe and exposed to the enemy.

Ten minutes later, Wren came back in alone.
“Where are Aaron and David?”
Wren’s brows lowered in concern. “Found

Aaron, but David is missing.”

“What do you mean David’s missing?” Night

got up and walked around the desk, heading out
of his office.

Prowling down the hall, he pounded on

David’s door. “David, open up!”

Night waited only a moment before he jerked

the door open to find the room completely empty.
What the fuck?

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

He moved around Wren, who’d followed him

in, and ran down the hallway as he scanned each
room, coming up with no sign of David. Raven,
Hawk, Aaron, and Duncan were watching him,
and Night could feel himself coming unglued. Get

it together!

Taking a deep breath, trying to put the foreign

feeling of panic behind him, Night tried to think.
He had never panicked a moment in his life. Now
was not the time. “Raven, did we get the GPS set
up on the cell phones?”

“Yeah, David has one.”
“Locate it. We need to find him.”
“He probably just needed to get away for a little

bit. David’s life has really changed a lot.” Aaron,
Hawk’s mate and David’s old roommate, said, but
Night didn’t fucking believe a word he said.

“Fuck,” Night groaned out as he made his way

out the front door. Maybe he took a walk by Lake
Lanier.

Night felt the presence of Wren behind him, but

kept scanning the area. The lake was surrounded
by beautiful tall trees and hiking trails. Enough
open area that David could be anywhere.

“Why are you so tense? He’ll turn up.” Wren

caught up with Night.

“Because…” hell how did Night even put how

much he fucked up into words.

“Go on.” Wren made a hand gesture to get on

Running After David

with it.

There was no point lying to Wren. The man

would find out eventually. “I pissed him off.”

“Huh, he’ll get over it. I think we’ve all pissed

him off.” Wren scratched his five o’clock shadow.
It was too fucking dark for David to be out in
these woods alone.

The man was all city, from his black and pink

streaked hair down to his skinny jeans. Hell, when
they  extracted David and Aaron from the dorms,
the  man  couldn’t  even  leave  without  his
wardrobe. David was lean with very little muscle,
and he was nowhere close to Night’s six foot five
height. And Night’s rejection had sent him out on
his  own,  completely  vulnerable  to  the  shit  that
went on in the cover of darkness.

“I fucked up,” Night mumbled.
“How’d you do that? I know the guy is a

handful, and hell, I feel bad for whoever the hell
Athena attached him to.”

Night lost it. “That’s me, you dick. And you all

keep saying that about him, and how fucked up is
that?”

Night bent over. He could not believe he had

lost all sense of composure and yelled at one of his
closest friends.

“Woo, you and David?” Night better get used

to the shock in the voices of his warriors. He and
David could not be any more different. “Is he

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running?”

Night hadn’t a clue. “He asked me if I was

going to claim him as my mate, and I told him I
couldn’t.”

“What in the hell did you do that for?” Wren

snarled angrily. Night had it coming.

“I have my reasons.” Night was not going to

tell Wren that he wasn’t even sure he was capable
of being with someone. Battle, war, protecting
mankind…that’s all he knew.

“I knew you were fucking cold, but David?

Hell, everyone loves the little spitfire. Did you
even try to get to know him?” Wren pushed him,
and Night was just wrung out enough to let it go.
Otherwise, he would have laid Wren out on the
forest floor. Plus, he knew Wren was right.

He was a cold bastard. The only thing he ever

felt  remotely  emotional  about  was  that  he  loved
each one of these men like they were his very own
sons. And that was another reason he couldn’t get
distracted  with  a  mate.  If  he  lost  one  of  them,  it
would  be  like  losing  a  son  that  he  had  raised  on
his own.

Every single warrior had come to him through

Athena.  He  had  raised  them,  trained  them,  and
prepared  them  for  the  life  they  were  created  for.
The  last  one  who  had  come  to  him  was  Duncan,
and  soon  Duncan  would  be  getting  his  blessing
from Athena and finding out what Bird he would

Running After David

carry.

Night needed to make sure that his entire focus

was keeping these men alive. He couldn’t be
selfish enough to take something for himself and
let his guard down. If he ever did that, lives would
be lost.

“Answer me!” Wren snarled, pushing him

again.

“I don’t have time to get to know him. All I

have time for is this war and making sure each
and every one of you stay alive,” Night shouted,
getting right up in Wren’s face.

Wren stepped back with a shocked look on his

face. “Is that how you see it? Because I have to tell
you, that’s fucked up.”

Night turned, scrubbing his hands over his face.

They needed to be looking for David, not having
this argument for anyone to hear.

Wren grabbed Night by the shoulder, turning

him. “I know you see us as…more than warriors. I
know I give you shit for being black-hearted, but I
know it’s all a front. You’re so scared of losing one
of us, you’re going to lose the best thing that ever
walked into your immortal life. Night, you need
him. You need more than this war. You need
something to call your own.”

“But—” Night wanted to protest, but what the

hell was he going to say?

“No, Night. Let’s find your mate. This is

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

important for all of us.” Wren began searching,
leaving Night wondering what Wren meant by his
words.

After an hour, they had no luck in finding

David.  How  Night  wished  he  could  have  taken
back  his  words  to  David.  The  longer  they  went
without  finding  David,  the  more  certain  Night
was that David had run from him. Night deserved
it,  but  David  was  now  out  in  the  world  without
protection.

Running back to the house, Night was hoping

that he would get some kind of good news, like
they’d picked up the location from David’s phone.

Night climbed the front stairs and made his

way into the house. He could hear voices in the
kitchen and made his way in there. “Anything?”

Hawk shook his head. “Yeah, we found it all

right. It was pretty beat up just a little ways down
the road. I think David threw it out the window.
Why did he run when he knew the danger he
would be in?”

Night glanced over at Wren who nodded at

him. “He left because I didn’t claim him.”

Whistles and a couple of shocked gasps

resounded around the room.

Night gripped the chair in front of him. “I know

I screwed up, but I need your help.”

Raven stepped forward. “You got it. What do

you want us to do?”

Running After David

Night thought for a moment before finding the

one  person  who  knew  David  best—Aaron.  He
stood next to Hawk, and his eyes didn’t hold any
of  the  accusation  Night  thought  they  would.  No,
they  held  compassion.  “Do  you  know  where
David  hung  out?  Where  he  might  go?  Maybe
friends  that  he  would  call  because  he  obviously
had to get a ride out of here.”

“I do, and I want to help,” Aaron spoke up as

Hawk whipped his head around, shaking his
head.

“I don’t think so. We’ll have to go back into

Atlanta, and that place is crawling with Blood
Demons.”

“You guys need me. I’ll need to talk to people.

Ask his friends. Think on my feet.”

Night didn’t like taking Hawk’s mate into the

hot zone that Atlanta had become. The place was
out of control, and taking in Aaron would only
attract the Blood Demons. But did they have a
choice? “Load up on all your weapons. Have extra
artillery in the Hummer for backup.”

Night ran to his room and pulled out his

daggers and short swords. He needed to be
prepared to protect, but he also needed to be
ready. If David actually did go into Atlanta alone,
and the Blood Demons found him first…

Night ran out his room with determination to

repair the damage he had done. He would find his

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

mate and get to know the man…learn from David
the things he had never been blessed to feel.

All the Birds of Prey were waiting, doors open,

outside the Hummer. Aaron and Duncan were
right alongside the rest of them. Duncan loaded
up just like the warrior he would soon become.

“Ready?” Wren asked, clapping him on the

shoulder.

Night nodded, getting in the passenger seat

next to his friend. David had a good couple of
hours’ head start on them. Goddess, Night hoped
he wasn’t too late.

Running After David

Chapter Two

have to pee,” David said as he began to look
for an exit that would indicate a gas station or

a rest area.

Sebastian let out a sigh as he gripped the

steering  wheel  harder.  Had  David  not  already
been  madly  in  love  with  Night,  Sebastian  might
have been the type of guy David would have gone
for. With light blond hair, green eyes, and a slight
build, he was cute without even trying to be to. He
had  the  classic  boy-next-door  looks.  But that  was
all a façade. Underneath all that, Sebastian was all
devil. He’d done things that had made even David
blush with shock.

“You always have to pee. I swear, we would

have already made it back to my parents’ house by
now if it hadn’t been for all your pee breaks,”
Sebastian bitched.

David gave Sebastian an imploring look. Or at

least he tried to. Sebastian was currently keeping
his focus on the road and ignoring David. Some

“I

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

kind  of  friend  he  was!  David  let  out  a  sigh.  He
knew  he  should  be  more  forgiving.  After  all,
Sebastian  had  dropped  everything  to  help  David
out,  all  without  David  giving  him  much  of  an
explanation, either. David had only told Sebastian
that  he  had trouble  with  a  boyfriend  and  needed
to get out of town ASAP, and Sebastian had been
there,  no  questions  asked.  There  weren’t  very
many friends who would have done that.

So David knew he should be less whiney, but

damn it all, he had to pee. He began to wiggle in
his seat. There was no way in hell he was going to
make it the next five minutes without a tinkle
break, let alone the next hour it was going to take
to get to Sebastian’s parents’ house. Like it or not,
they were going to have to make a stop.

“Look!” David pointed to a sign for a rest area.

“You can get some coffee there, and I can go the
bathroom. Then we’ll both be happy.”

Sebastian made a face. “The coffee at those

places is always crap.”

David put on his most winning smile. “It’s

better than nothing.”

Sebastian let out a grunt. “Fine, but then we’re

back on the road, and no more breaks. Got it?”

“Got it.”
“There is supposed to be a concert there

tonight, and I don’t want to miss it because your
pea-sized bladder ruined it for us yet again. I

Running After David

swear you must have a swollen prostate or
something,” Sebastian said. “Maybe I should stick
my finger up your ass and check.”

A few weeks ago, David would have taken

Sebastian up on the offer. Now he just stuck his
tongue out at Sebastian and said, “Thanks, but no
thanks. I know where that finger has been, and I
have no desire to have it anywhere near me. Who
knows what kind of diseases I might get?”

“Buzzkill. You’re never any fun anymore.”
“I’m still fun. I’m just not a slut anymore.”
Sebastian shook his head as he pulled into the

gas station. “That new boyfriend of yours has
really messed with your head.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” David shot back with

heat.

He didn’t know what in the hell Night was to

him, but boyfriend didn’t even come close to
labeling it. By all rights, they should be mates, but
noooooooo…Night thought he was too good for
David.

But then of course he was, why shouldn’t he

be? Night was so awesome. With his short, white-
blond  hair  that  just  begged  to  have  someone  run
his  hands  through  it,  and  his  icy  blue  eyes  that
seemed  to  look  straight  into  your  soul,  he  was  a
god  come  to  life.  Whereas,  David,  on  the  other
hand,  was  a  dork.  Sure,  he  might  try  to  act  cool
and  dress  the  part  with  his  skinny  jeans  and

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

trendy  clothes.  He  even  added  color  to  his  black
hair.  But  inside,  he  was  still  the  same  insecure,
bullied  kid  from  high  school,  the  one  who  was
super  skinny,  pale,  and  bumbling.  The  one  who
had  always  eaten  lunch  by  himself  because
nobody had ever wanted to be seen with him.

All that had changed at college, though. David

had  reinvented  himself.  Now  he  had  plenty  of
friends.  Or  at  least  he  had  until  Night  and  his
stupid  Birds  of  Prey  had  come  in  and  ruined
everything. Now David was on the run from some
freaks of nature Blood Demons who wanted to kill
him because he wore the mark of a mate, and his
damn  mate  didn’t  even  want  him!  It  was  all  so
fucked  up  that  David  didn’t  even  know  if  he
wanted  to  laugh  or  cry  or  do  both  at  the  same
time.

“Night isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my….” David

trailed off, not knowing how to explain without
going into too much detail.

If he were to explain everything to Sebastian,

his friend would think he was crazy. That was the
last thing David needed at the moment. If he
ended up in a padded room, those creeper Blood
Demons would get him for sure.

“It’s just complicated,” David finished.
Sebastian held up a hand. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t

mean to pry too much.”

Sebastian found a parking spot and pulled in.

Running After David

They  both  got  out.  Sebastian  headed  for  the
vending  machine  while  David  went  to  the
bathroom.  He  wrinkled  his  nose  as  soon  as  he
entered.  Didn’t  they  ever  clean  these  things?
David  hadn’t  expected  it  to  be  pristine  by  any
means, but this place really was the pits.

He shrugged. Oh well, it’s not like he was

planning on crawling on the floor or anything. He
was just there to take a piss. Not to take a nap or
do gymnastics or anything.

He was at a urinal, doing his thing, when the

door opened, and somebody walked in. David did
the man move and ignored him, continuing to pee.
After all, he had drunk a lot of Big Gulps during
the trip, and Sebastian hadn’t been kidding when
he’d said that David had a bladder the size of a
pea.

When the newcomer took the urinal right next

to  David,  David  was  a  bit  put-off.  Everybody
knew  that  was  a  huge  no-no.  It  wasn’t  like  the
place  was  packed.  They  were  the  only  two  in
there,  so  the  stranger  should  have  played  by  the
one-urinal-between-us rule.

Oh boy. If this guy was trying to pick David up,

he was going to be in for a rude awakening. David
was so not in the mood for games. Especially in
some sleazy rest area. Still not looking at the
stranger, David deliberately turned slightly to the
side so his back was to the guy.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

David tried to pee faster, but damned if his

bladder would cooperate. Why oh why had it
chosen this moment to have to go? Why couldn’t it
have waited another hour when they were safe
and sound at Sebastian’s parents? Now David was
probably going to get hit on by some scuzzy guy,
and he was going to have to make a run for it.

Finally finishing up, he zipped, giving his back

to the guy who needed to learn the rules of
bathroom etiquette.

Then he felt some heavy breathing on his neck

and heard an all-too-familiar growling sound.
Clawed hands reached out, grabbed him by the
shoulder, and spun him around. David sucked in
a breath as he found himself face to ugly face with
a Blood Demon.

As always, they never failed to amaze him with

their sheer ugliness. With pale grayish skin and
black eyes depleted of emotion, they looked like a
thing that came out of a horror movie. Only they
were very real, and they were there for David’s
ass.

“Oh, fancy meeting you here.” Why did David

always say the weirdest shit when he was
terrified?

The thing actually growled at him and leaned

closer.

Eww gross. The Blood Demon could definitely

benefit from a breath mint or something.

Running After David

David did the one thing he swore he would

never  do  to  a  man:  he  kneed  the  demon  in  the
nuts. Oops! His bad! Not really. He didn’t feel one
ounce  of  remorse  over  kneeing  Mr.  McGross
where  it  counted.  In  David’s  opinion,  being  bent
over with pain etched on his face upped the guy’s
look a bit.

Keeping a calm he couldn’t identify the origin

of, David sucked in a nice lungful of air and then
let out a scream that would have made a B-movie
actress proud before leaving the bathroom. He
didn’t even take time to wash his hands. He could
use the hand sanitizer in his bag later. That is, if he
lived that long.

He grabbed Sebastian by the arm and said,

“Run! Now!”

Sebastian dropped his cup of coffee. “Not cool,

dude, you just made me drop my drink, and that
was the last of my quarters.”

No sooner had those words come out of

Sebastian’s  mouth  than  the  doors  to  one  side  of
the rest area opened, and a dozen  Blood Demons
came  spilling  out.  David  let  out  a  curse  while
Sebastian  watched  them  with  wide-eyed  terror.
“What  in  the  hell  are  they?  Some  sort  of  street
gang or something?”

“No, they’re here to kill me. We need to run

before they do.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Sebastian said, still not moving.

David gave him another tug. Would the guy get

the picture already? “We can talk about this later.
We need to start running!”

Finally, Sebastian must have gotten the

message through his thick skull because he started
to run. The Blood Demons were close on their tail.
David and Sebastian ran through the opposite
doors of the rest area.

They came to a skidding halt when they met up

with more Blood Demons on the outside. Worse
yet, they were surrounding Sebastian’s car.
Cutting off their only means of escape.

“What in the hell have you gotten us into

now?” Sebastian demanded.

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,”

David said.

He looked around frantically for a means of

escape and saw a nearby field. While it might not
be much, maybe they could hide out in there. He
pulled on Sebastian and said, “Let’s make run for
it in there.”

Sebastian’s eyes grew wide in horror. “Are you

kidding? There may be snakes in there.”

Eww….David had never stopped to think of

that. But then again, it was better than having to
face the Blood Demons. “I would rather deal with
a snake than them.”

He nodded to the Blood Demons who were

Running After David

closing in. Sebastian must have agreed because he
made a run for the field. David had to catch up,
running double time to close the gap.

“Wait for me,” he called.
“Nuh-huh, this is all your fault,” Sebastian

called back, but he did slow down and let David
catch up.

All of a sudden, Sebastian began to run in a S

formation.

“What in the hell are you doing?” David asked.
His friend had to be battier than him, and that

took some serious work to do.

“I’m running in a serpentine formation. I heard

that’s the best thing to do if somebody is chasing
you,” Sebastian called back.

“That only works if they’re shooting at you,

you idiot,” David said. “If you keep that up,
they’re only going to catch up to you quicker.”

“Nah, I know what I’m doing.”
No sooner had those words left Sebastian’s

mouth  than  a  Blood  Demon  tackled  him  from
behind  and  took  him  down.  David  couldn’t  see
what  happened  after  that  because  they  both
disappeared in the dense brush.

“Well, shit!” David said.
There was no way he could leave his friend to

get his heart carved out. David wasn’t about to let
that happen on his watch. He ran over and found
that the Blood Demon had straddled Sebastian

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

and was letting out a cackling laugh.

“Oh, look at this, another mate,” it said.
David cocked his head to the side, mate? That

would mean that Sebastian would have to have a
birthmark somewhere, but if that was the case,
then where was it? Because David had never seen
it.

David began beating on the Blood Demon’s

back, but he might as well have been hitting on
granite for all his efforts. His fists even began to
hurt a little bit.

“I’m the one you want. Not him. So let my

friend go,” David demanded.

The Blood Demon ignored him and continued

to claw away at Sebastian.

“Protect your chest. It’s going to try to take

your heart,” David warned.

“What!” Sebastian screamed, his eyes going

wide with horror.

David didn’t have time to say anything more

before another Blood Demon moved in and
grabbed him. David’s world spun around as he
was thrown to the ground. He landed with a loud
thud.

All the air left David’s lungs. He tried to let out

a  scream,  but  all  that  came  out  was  a  soundless
wail.  He  found  himself  looking  up  at  a  Blood
Demon. Fear clogged David’s throat, and he began
to  fight  back  for  all  he  was  worth.  But  no  matter

Running After David

how much he struggled, he couldn’t get out from
under the demon.

So this is how it’s all going to end, David

thought. He only wished that  he could see  Night
one more time. Better yet, he wished that he could
have  at  least  kissed  the  warrior  at  least  once,  to
know  how  he  tasted,  to  at  least  know  that  Night
hadn’t found him totally repulsive.

The Blood Demon pulled back its razor sharp

claws for the killing blow. David lifted his hands
up over his face, not wanting to see it coming. He
waited for it to come…and waited…and waited.
Then suddenly the weight of the Blood Demon
was thrust off him.

David rolled to his side and saw a group of

warriors. But it wasn’t the Birds of Prey from
Atlanta. No, this was a different group. Although
they fought and dressed much the same way. Did
they have a group in every state or something?

David staggered to his feet and ran over to

where Sebastian was. He was happy to see that his
friend was okay, but going by his pale complexion
and shaking, he was in shock.

“What in the hell is going on? Who are those

men?” Sebastian asked.

David put his arm around his friend. “Don’t

worry. Those are the good guys. We’re going to be
safe now.”

David watched in awe as the Michigan group

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

fought just as well as the Atlanta group. They had
soon dispatched most of the Blood Demons and
had the survivors on the run. Once it was over, the
warriors returned.

“Well, look at what we have here. A little

runaway,” one of them said.

“Easy, Buzz, they’ve had enough scares for one

night,” the tallest of them said.

The taller one had to be the leader. He had

short hair in a fade cut on the side and was a
mountain of muscles. He walked up to David and
grabbed him gently by the cheeks, forcing him to
tilt his head. David knew that as soon as the guy
looked at his birthmark, AKA his mating mark,
David was busted.

Taking his phone out his pocket, the leader

dialed. “Hey, Night, this is Snow. We have
something that you’re missing. Yeah, see you in a
little bit. I’ll make sure to keep it safe for you.”

As soon as Snow hung up the phone, David

gave him a dirty look. “Haven’t you ever watched
the Brady Bunch? Nobody likes a tattletale.”

Running After David

Chapter Three

ight hung up the phone, relief making him
sink into the chair closest to him. “Michigan

Birds of Prey have him.”

They had searched all night long, coming up

with nothing. Raven had sent out a call to all the
Birds of Prey in the surrounding states to keep on
the lookout for David along with his description.
He knew David would be attracting the Blood
Demons and that there was a small chance a Bird
of Prey might find him. How the hell did he end
all the way up in Michigan?

Aaron came over, sitting next to Hawk. “Is he

okay?” Concern filled Aaron’s pale gray eyes.
Aaron and David hadn’t started off well, but since
they had been thrust into their world, they had
gotten a lot closer.

“I’m not sure. Snow just said that he had him

and that was all. I’m going to leave here on the jet.
Wren, can you come with me, and the rest of you
get some rest. Don’t patrol tonight and stay safe.”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

There was no way Hawk and Raven should be out
patrolling. They should just stay in and protect
Duncan and Aaron until they returned.

Night and Wren made their way to the private

airstrip, boarding the Cessna 525B CJ3 Citation Jet.
An  hour  later,  Night  took  off,  piloting  the  six
person  jet  and  taking  them  toward  David.  Now
that he’d found him, what in the hell was he going
to  say  once  they  were  face  to  face  again?
Groveling  on  his  part  was  in  order.
Communication was another thing that Night had
never  been  good  at.  He  was  more  of  the  give
orders  kind  of  guy.  Somehow,  giving  David
orders  would  probably  go  over  as  well  as  giving
Lindsay Lohan a bottle of vodka.

Night had the whole flight to come up with

something, and three and half hours later, he still
had no clue what to say to David. They deplaned
and rented a vehicle. A half hour later, they pulled
into  the  drive  of  a  six  thousand  square  foot  gray
stone home that belonged to the Michigan Birds of
Prey.  Night  pulled  up  behind  a  full-size  pickup
and climbed out. Wren and Night made their way
up  the  walk  but  didn’t  even  have  a  chance  to
knock  before  the  front  door  opened  and  his  old
friend Snow, the Michigan leader, stood smiling at
him.

Snow waited for Night to come within range,

then clapped him on the back in a tight hug. “How

Running After David

are you, old man?”

Okay, so they liked to piss each other off, too.

Flocks tended to like to ruffle each other’s feathers
when they got the chance to get together. It wasn’t
that they didn’t like each other, it’s just well…they
liked to give the opposing flock hell.

“You outdate me, you fucking dinosaur,” Night

shot back. It was true, too. Snow was one of the
originals like Night. All the owl Birds of Prey were
the first of Athena’s warriors.

“So I see you came to get the runaway. Boy, is

he  in  a  mood.  A  little  scuffed  up,  but  that  hasn’t
stopped his tongue from lashing everyone within
hearing  distance.”  Snow  shook  his  head,  leading
them into the large home and guiding them to the
living room that had a wet bar in the back. The bar
had five chairs, and Wren and Night occupied two
while  Snow  went  behind  to  pull  out  a  decanter
along  with  three  glasses.  He  poured  a  generous
amount  in  each  before  passing  two  over  and
taking one for himself.

Night took a large swallow, feeling the burn all

the way down. “So where is David?”

“David and Sebastian are in the basement,

watching a movie.” Snow shot his amber liquid
back.

“Sebastian?” Wren asked.
“His buddy who apparently also has Athena’s

mark, but hell if he’ll show it to anyone. Blood

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Demons were on their way to taking out his heart
when we found them in the field. Just in time, too.
Those two need to learn to fight. Right now, I
doubt they could fight their way out of a paper
bag.”

Snow had a good point. Blood Demons were

strong, but they needed to train these mates, so if
they were found, they could at least fight to
defend themselves enough to get to a safe spot
and call for help.

“C’mon, I’ll lead you down to them. I thought

you were gonna need the drink before seeing the
little viper,” Snow grumbled as he led them into
the basement.

Night had been here once, and this was his

favorite  part  of  the  house.  Full  bar  in  the  back,
movie  room  with  theatre  seating,  games,  pool
table,  and  if  you  went  through  the  double  doors
on the other side of the basement, a kick-ass gym
that kept all his Michigan birds in top shape.

Night scanned the room and found David

sitting next to a blond-haired cutie in two of the
theatre seats. David was glaring at Night over the
back of the seat. Shit, he knew it was going to be
tough, but David looked at him with so much
anger it bordered on hatred.

“Oh look, it’s the cheater,” a voice came from

over by the wall. Fuck, Night didn’t need this shit
right now.

Running After David

Buzz came creeping out of the shadows. He and

Wren  had  a  hate/hate  relationship.  Buzz  never
liked  the  way  Wren  came  to  be  a  Bird  of  Prey.
Athena  became  fascinated  by  the  German  fabled
king of the birds and created Wren to become part
of  the  Birds  of  Prey  since,  in  the  old  fable,  the
wren did beat the eagle. Although in the fable, he
cheated,  so  Wren  now  carried  all  the  negative
publicity  from  other  flocks,  and  acceptance  for
him  was  minimal.  Night  had  gotten  into  more
than  one  fight  with  other  flocks  defending  his
friend.

Wren, on the other hand, had built up this

snarky  wall  when  it  came  to  other  flocks.  Night
wouldn’t have brought him here, but he seemed to
be  the  only  one  that  could  handle  being  around
other birds. Raven would have already choked the
life  out  of  Buzz,  and  Hawk  would  have  had  his
short swords at the man’s throat. While Wren was
a persistent bastard who wanted to come and help
Night out.

Wren flicked a piece of lint of his shirt. “Hey,

Buzz. Eat any roadkill lately?”

Buzz lunged for him. “You fucker!”
Night and Snow got in the middle of the two,

Night shouting, “Knock it off, you two.” Turning
to Wren, he added, “We didn’t come here for
this.”

Night turned to see David and the guy he

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

supposed  was  Sebastian  look  wide-eyed  over  at
the  welcoming  committee.  He  appeared  a  little
scuffed  up,  and  Night  wanted  to  go  over  and
inspect  the  man,  see  if  he  was  injured,  hold  him.
Shaking those thoughts off, he stood his ground.

“David,” Night mumbled.
David turned and sat facing away from him.

Night  deserved  this,  the  cold  aloofness  from  his
mate.  Slowly,  Night  made  his  way  over  and
rounded  the  couch  to  sit  next  to  David.  He
tentatively reached out and checked David’s arm,
grabbing his chin and turning to see the scratches
on  his  face.  The  room  was  so  damn  quiet  you
could hear a pin drop. He wished he would have
let Wren kick Buzz’s ass then everyone would be
distracted.

“What happened?” Night murmured.
Sebastian leaned over and spoke across David.

“He had to pee.”

“Huh?” Night was lost.
David cleared his throat. “We stopped at a rest

area, and those freaks were there in hordes. These
guys came, and that’s that.”

Night frowned.
“You’re missing a whole lot, David. Like how

there was a horde of them, and how we had to run
in the field. One of the fuckers tried to tear into my
chest, and I just got a tattoo there. Definitely didn’t
want him to dick that up, but the asshole was

Running After David

strong, you know. Kept calling us mates, which
I’m like hell no, I’m no one’s mate …” The
blond—Sebastian sucked in a breath.

Night thought that was the only chance he’d

get of cutting in. “Whoa, you’re someone’s mate?”

Night turned to the others. “Whose mate is he?”
For a bunch of warriors, every damn one of

them stepped back, shaking their heads. Seemed
Sebastian was a talker.

Wren came forward and knelt by Sebastian,

eyes widening before he mumbled out, “Oh, hell.”

“Sebastian.”
Wren looked baffled at Sebastian. “It’s

Sebastian. Only been called a hellion a time or
fifty.” Sebastian winked at Wren.

Night tried to stifle a laugh as he asked Wren,

“So he’s yours?”

Wren nodded.
“Oh, hell no! I’m only twenty-one. I will not be

mated.  I  like  being  single.  There  is  no  way  I’m
going  to  become  a  part  of  this  fucked  up
nightmare.”  Sebastian  pointed  his  finger  at  Wren
like he was the one to blame.

Wren snatched that finger out of mid-air and

held in his grasp. “You don’t have a choice just
like I don’t have one. But we do have a choice to
get to know each other and not give each other
hell.”

“Fuck you,” Sebastian growled.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

“In time, sweetheart,” Wren snarled back.
Clapping from the back of the room had all

heads turning to see Buzz laughing his ass off.
“Oh, this is too good. Wren gets the broken one.”

Wren stepped around the seating and cocked

back his arm, then landed one right on Buzz’s face
before  the  guy  even  had  a  chance  to  defend
himself.  Night  jumped  up,  running  to  pull  Wren
off  Buzz  while  Snow  grabbed  Buzz  who  was
wiping the blood off his face and glaring at Wren.

“Don’t talk about my mate that way.” Wren

tried to break free of Night’s grasp.

“Take a joke.”
“Ha ha! That was so fucking funny, insulting

him.” Wren snarled.

After a few minutes, Snow spoke up, “I think

it’s best if we all rest for the night. Been a hell of a
day, and everyone is on edge. We have the suite
above the garage prepared for you and Wren.”

“And David,” Night interrupted.
David looked like he was about to protest, so

Night focused on his mate. “We need to talk and
work some things out, David.”

At first, Night thought he was going to object,

but instead, David glanced down before he
nodded solemnly. Ah, he hated that he caused his
mate pain. For the first time, Night wished that he
had taken the time to step outside the war and
learn how to be more compassionate instead of a

Running After David

cold-hearted fighter.

The three got up and made their way to the

base of the stairs before Wren turned. “C’mon,
Sebastian.” Wren crooked his finger at the blond.

“I think I’ll stay here,” Sebastian challenged.
Oh, Night wasn’t sure he was going to be able

to handle Sebastian living under the same roof
with him. The man was going to cause trouble,
challenge Wren every step of the way. Rubbing his
head, Night felt a headache coming on.

“Go with them, Sebastian, or you sleep

outside,” Snow waved a hand, ushering Sebastian
toward the door.

“You’re seriously kicking me out?” Sebastian

gasped.

“No, just forcing your hand.” Snow sighed and

rubbed the back of his neck. Guess the other
leader was going to be popping a couple aspirin
tonight, too.

Sebastian got up and stormed past the three,

leading the way up the stairs.

Night followed the angry mate and David as

they  made  their  way  outside.  Snow  was  behind
him  and  walked  them  over  to  the  in-law  suite.
Climbing the stairs, Night entered to find himself
a  little  shocked  at  the  size  of  the  place.  The  suite
was nice with two bedrooms, a bath and a built-in
kitchen. There was really no need to go back over
to the main house tonight. Night felt a little of the

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

tension leave his body. knowing Wren and he
wouldn’t have to go at it with the other birds.
There was a reason that the flocks were small.

David and Sebastian sat on a plush couch in

from of a large flat screen television. Both seemed
exhausted.

“There are towels in the bathroom and stuff to

wash up with. Fridge is stocked. Call over to the
main house if you need anything, and I’ll come on
by.” Snow walked around, double-checking the
fridge and cabinets.

“Thanks, Snow, we owe you,” Night sat down

at the pub table. The day’s events and no sleep the
night before were finally catching up. He was
going to need to sleep soon, but he also wanted to
talk to David. Rolling his head, he tried to work
the kinks out of his neck.

Snow pulled Night aside. “Stay for a couple

days, and just relax. Work things out with your
mate before you have to head home and get back
to fighting.”

“I can’t just leave Hawk and Raven down there

by themselves.” Night put his hands on the table,
feeling the weight of the war on his shoulders. He
couldn’t take time off and put others in danger. A
leader always had to be on call no matter what.

“This is more important,” Snow said.
Night tried to process everything that had

changed in his life during the last week. Snow was

Running After David

right;  everyone  was  right.  It  was  time  Night
changed  and  tried  to  prioritize  something  above
this war. Glancing over at David, who was staring
back  with  worry  in  his  brown  eyes,  Night  knew
this man was more important than fighting. David
was  more  important  than  this  war.  He  was  what
Night needed.

“Thank you, Snow. I’ll take you up on that

offer.” Night clapped Snow on the back as the
man exited.

David was staring at Night as he turned and

leaned against the door. “Can we talk?” Night
asked.

David nodded, whispering, “Sure.”
Night walked over and grabbed David by the

hand, pulling him up. The feeling of that soft hand
in his was so foreign to him that he was
momentarily paralyzed before his legs kicked into
gear, leading his mate to the bedroom. The whole
time Night kept repeating in his head, Please don’t

fuck this up. Please don’t fuck this up.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Chapter Four

e already have a problem,” David said.

Never in his life had David been so

angry.  Not  even  when  they  had  cancelled  Sex  in
the  City,  and  that  one  still  stung,  damn  it.  He
shook  from  head  to  toe,  and  he  didn’t  know
whether to yell or just kick something. Maybe he
would  settle  for  kicking.  It  would  serve  the
Michigan flock right if he put a hole in their nice
pretty wall. How dare they call Night and tell him
where David was.

Night arched a brow at him, and damn if that

didn’t make him look sexy. “What is that?”

“There is only one bed, and there are two of

us.” David pointed to the offending object.

“Point being?”
David rolled his eyes. Did he have to spell this

out? Get out an easel and draw a diagram? Why
wasn’t Night getting it?

“There are two of us, and if you think for one

second that I’m sleeping with you, you’re crazier

“W

Running After David

than that Buzzard guy that Wren punched out.”

“Fine, you can sleep on the floor,” Night

shrugged.

David’s mouth opened in shock. As if! He never

slept  on  the  floor.  For  one  thing,  it  was  all
hardwood,  and  he  would  be  sore  the  next
morning,  which  would  make  for  one  cranky
David,  and  that  just  would  not  do.  Well,  David
would just have to show Night who was the boss.

“Fine, I’ll go sleep with Wren.”
He started to leave the room. His only warning

was a growl before Night grabbed him by the
collar and jerked him back inside. Before he knew
it, David found his back against the wall and
Night’s body pressed against him, their faces mere
inches apart.

“You only sleep with me. Got that,” Night said.
David wasn’t scared for a moment. He knew

that Night would sooner cut off his sword arm
than harm him. If there was one thing he knew
about the warriors, it was that they protected their
mates with their lives.

But David was turned on like nobody’s

business.  Just  being  so  close  to  Night,  and  Night
going  all  cavemen  over  him  made  David  turn
from soft to hard in under sixty. Even though his
brain might still be mad at Night, his little traitor
of  a  cock  was  just  skippy,  dandy  around  the
warrior,  and  it  was  letting  the  fact  be  painfully

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

obvious.

Night let out a dark laugh. “See, you’re not that

mad at me.”

“That’s just my dick talking, and it’s always

had a mind of its own.”

“Oh, really?”
David nodded as best he could since he was

pinned against the wall like a bug. “Yes, it’s gotten
me into trouble more times than I can count.”

“Admit it, David, you still want me,” Night

urged.

“Wanting something and needing it are two

different things,” David pointed out.

And just like that, Night pulled away and took

several  steps  back.  David  stayed  in  his  same
position  for  several  beats,  not  sure  of  what  had
just  happened.  Had  he  finally  gotten  through  to
Night? Or had he pissed Night off enough that the
warrior  was  going  to  leave?  If  so,  why  did  that
thought make David so sad? He was supposed to
be pissed at Night.

“We’ll both be sleeping in the bed. I promise to

keep my hands to myself until you say otherwise,”
Night said.

“What makes you think that I’ll ever change my

mind?” David challenged.

“We were meant to be together. You and your

temper aren’t going to change that.”

Anger surged through David. “Oh, so all of the

Running After David

sudden you have a change of heart and come here
to get me, and now we’re going to be mates?
Whatever happened to you not being able to do it?
That’s what you told me back at Atlanta. Or did
you forget that part?”

Night let out a sigh. “I didn’t forget that.”
“Then what happened? What’s with this

sudden change of heart?”

“I realized that I was being an asshole and that I

was hurting you by not claiming you. I went to
find you and talk to you, but you were missing. I
looked for you, but you had already taken off.”

David crossed his arms over his chest and

stared Night down. “Likely story. I’m not buying
it for one second. Everybody probably just figured
out who your mate was, and you came here to
save face.”

Night ran a hand through his hair. “What do I

have to do to convince you that I’m telling you the
truth?”

“We could go on Maury and have you take a lie

detector test,” David suggested.

“I’m trying to be serious here, David.”
“And who says I’m not? I’ll make the call to the

producers right now.”

“I am not going on any talk show, so you can

just forget it.”

David let out a sigh. Night was just no fun. It

had always been David’s dream to be on a

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

daytime show, too. Well, there goes one more
dream quashed.

“Fine, let’s just go to bed,” David suggested.
David went to the adjoining bathroom and got

changed into a pair of sweats. When he came out
and found that Night was still fully dressed,
David was a bit confused.

“If you want, you can go into the bathroom to

get into your PJs,” David offered.

“No thanks, I always stay dressed like this. That

way if there is an attack, I’m fully ready for
action,” Night said.

Yet everybody called David the strange one. In

his book, Night was the odd cookie in the bunch.
David just shrugged and got under the covers.
Even though the bed was big enough to fit
eighteen people, he still scooted as far as possible
to the edge of the mattress.

Night let out an aggravated sigh. “There is

plenty of room. You can move over some.”

“I’m fine where I’m at. Thank you very much,”

David said in clipped tones.

He knew that he was never going to get any

sleep  that  night.  Not  with  Night  in  the  bed  with
him. How many times had David dreamed of this
very  situation,  but  it  hadn’t  been  under  these
circumstances. It had always been of both of them
naked  and  of  Night  pounding  him  into  the
mattress. Oh, how times had changed.

Running After David

“Are you going to continue to be this difficult?”

Night asked in an aggravated voice.

David bristled, as if Night had the right to be

upset at all. He was the one who caused this
whole situation in the first place.

“I’m pretty much planning on it,” David

replied.

Night let out a sigh. “Just go to sleep. We have a

lot of talking to do the next couple of days before we go
back home.”

David sat straight up in the bed. “What makes

you think that I’m going back with you?”

Night went up on one elbow, and damn him for

looking so sexy. “Because you’re my mate, and
you belong by my side.”

“So you think that you can show up, and I’ll

come home with you just like that?” David
snapped his fingers.

“Well…yeah.”
“Boy, you really are full of yourself. I’m not one

of your warriors. You can’t order me around and
expect me to jump when you tell me to. I do what
I want to do. Right now, that’s not coming home
with you.”

Night ran a hand through his hair. “David, you

can’t just run around out there unprotected. You
have to know that you will get attacked again.
You carry the mark of a mate. The Blood Demons
won’t stop until you’re dead.”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

David fumed. He had never asked to be part of

this fucking world, and he’d be damned if he was
going to let it rule his life. He would just find a
way around it.

“I’ll buy myself a gun and take some self-

defense courses then. I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t, and we both know it. You can

fight it all you want, but they won’t stop until
you’re dead.”

David finally lost it. “I never asked to be part of

this. Find some way to get me out of it so I can get
my damn life back. You’re the leader, so talk to
Athena and get me a damn out clause.”

“I hate to break it to you, but once Athena

makes up her mind, there is no changing it. She is
stubborn when it comes to this kind of thing.”

David got out of the bed and began to pace the

room. “So what you’re telling me is I’m screwed.
Not only do I have a mate who doesn’t want me,
but I’m going to be chased by those creepy Blood
Demons for the rest of my life. This just sucks.”

“I told you I was sorry about remaining silent

when you asked. I fucked up, okay? How long are
you going to hold that against me? If I didn’t want
you, would I have flown all this way to get you
back?” Night asked.

David shot him a jaded look. “You just didn’t

want to lose somebody under your control. It
would have made you look bad.”

Running After David

“If that was the case, then I would have sent

one of the other warriors instead of me. I wouldn’t
have come myself. I’m way too busy to take the
time out for this. But you mean more to me than
all that stuff.”

David paused. Could it be true? Could Night

actually mean it? And if so, what did that mean of
his  and  Night’s  future?  What  if  David  was  to  go
home with Night and Night just put him in some
corner  and  forgot  all  about  him  again?  David
didn’t  think  he  could  go  through  that  heartbreak
again.

“Come back to bed. Please?” Night said.
David let out a sigh and climbed in bed. Even

though every fiber of his being screamed at him to
go over and cuddled into Night, David ignored it
and stayed on his side of the bed. He pulled the
covers over him and soon fell into a restless sleep.

When David woke up in the morning, he felt so

warm  and  safe.  He  cuddled  in  deeper.  It  was  so
nice  that  he  didn’t  want  to  open  up  his  eyes.
Strong  arms  were  around  him,  and  the  smell  of
leather  surrounded  him.  David  inhaled  deeply,
taking it in.

Then David realized he was in Night’s arms

and that somehow during the night he must have
snuggled into the warrior, and horror filled him.
Jerking away, David fell off the bed and landed on

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

his ass.

“Well, that’s one hell of a wakeup call,” Night

muttered as he sat up.

“It was a mistake cuddle, nothing more,” David

said.

“No, it was your body doing what your brain

really wanted,” Night fired back.

“Fuck you,” David snarled.
“Name the time and the place, and I’ll bring the

lube.”

David got up. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Why am I not shocked?”
David flipped Night off before he went into the

restroom and relieved himself. He then rummaged
around his bag for his toothbrush and took care of
his  morning  hygiene,  taking  his  time  because  he
didn’t  want  to  face  Night  again.  Thank  God  the
warriors grabbed it out of Sebastian’s car because
he had been too terrified the night before to even
remember  his  own  name.  After  getting  dressed,
David  realized  he  couldn’t  put  it  off  any  longer
and went out to face his mate.

“It’s about time. I was about to send a rescue

team in there for you,” Night grumbled.

“It takes a while to look this good,” David fired

back.

“You could look good even if you were

dragged through the mud and rolled through hay
afterward,” Night said.

Running After David

David paused, surprised by the compliment.

He floundered a moment for the proper words
before all he could come up with was a simple,
“Thank you.”

Night got up and went to the bathroom. He was

only in there a few moments before he came out,
looking as hot as ever. David wished he could do
that. But he hadn’t been lying when he said it took
a lot of work to look as good as he did. He didn’t
want to become that sad, dorky geek that he had
been in high school again. David vowed that was
never going to happen again. So if it took a little
bit longer to groom, then so be it.

Night began strapping weapons all over his

body. Daggers, short sword, knives. Paranoid
much?

They went over to the kitchen to find a very

grumpy  Sebastian  and  Wren.  Wren  was  making
breakfast.  This  was  a  blessing,  since  Sebastian
couldn’t  even  make  microwave  popcorn  without
burning  it.  Meanwhile,  Sebastian  was  drinking
coffee and shooting dirty looks at Wren.

“Didn’t you guys have a good night’s sleep?”

Night asked.

“Oh, princess over there had a great night since

he had the bed to himself. I got to sleep on the
couch,” Wren snapped.

“I told you, I don’t have a mate, so I’m not

sharing my bed with you,” Sebastian shot back.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

“I hate to break it to you, brat, but you do have

a mate, and it’s me.” Wren pointed to himself.

Sebastian made a small raspberry sound.

“Please, you’re not even that good looking. You
really need to get over yourself.”

The look on Wren’s face was priceless. David

had to pretend to cough to hide the fact that he
was laughing. Night, on the other hand, didn’t
even bother, he out and out laughed his ass off.

“I’m going to love to see how this one plays

out,” Night said.

“Like you’re having such good luck with your

mate,” Wren shot back.

“Touché,” David said as he helped himself to a

cup of coffee.

Everybody who knew him was aware of the

fact that he wasn’t human until he had at least a
cup or four of java in the morning. If he could, he
would just put the stuff in an IV and inject it
straight into his veins.

“So, Sebastian,” David drawled as he turned

back around. “Where exactly is your mating
mark?”

Sebastian shook his head. “There is no way in

hell I’m going to tell or show you.”

David stomped his foot. Maybe he was being a

little childish, but once again, he still hadn’t had
his coffee. “Come on, show me already.”

Sebastian gave him a no-way-in-hell look. “It

Running After David

will be a cold day in hell before you or anybody
else sees it.”

David and Night looked over at Wren. Wren

shrugged. “All I saw last night was the back of his
hand and a whole lot of attitude. So I have no idea
where the damn thing is.”

Night shook his head. “Whatever, I don’t care if

the thing is stamped on his damn ass. It’s there,
and we need to protect him because of it. Let’s eat.
We need to get going.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I already

told you that,” David said.

God, Night just didn’t seem to get the fact that

David wasn’t going to march to his orders
whenever Night snapped his fingers. David felt
like banging his head against the wall. The warrior
was going to drive him crazy.

“I’m not going with you guys, either,”

Sebastian said.

“And just exactly where do you two plan on

going?” Night snapped.

Oh, he looked good and mad. Well, too bad. He

was just going to have to learn how to play nice
with others. Just because he was the leader of the
Atlanta Birds of Prey didn’t make him king of the
world. David planned on showing him just that,
too.

“We’re going to Sebastian’s parents’ house, just

like we planned to all along,” David said.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

“You do that, and you’ll put them in danger. Is

that what you want?” Night asked.

Shit! David had never thought of that. If

Sebastian’s parents were hurt on his account, he’d
never forgive himself. He quickly scrambled
around for an alternative.

“Fine, we’ll find some hotel nearby to hole up

in. One that those creeper Blood Demons won’t
find us at,” David said.

Ha! Let Night choke on that one for a while.

David crossed his arms over his chest and gave a
triumphant smile.

Night slammed his fists on the table, making

David and Sebastian jump. “And just how long do
you think it will be before the Blood Demons find
you there? How many times do I have to tell you?
The only safe place you can find is with us.”

No sooner had Night said those words than the

windows crashed open, and Blood Demons began
to pour into the kitchen.

Running After David

Chapter Five

uck!” Night screamed, circling David with
his arm around his waist, then diving as the

horde of Blood Demons came pouring in. His first
instinct was to get David out of harm’s way.

He looked swiftly over at Wren who was

already  grabbing  Sebastian.  “Take  him!”  Night
threw  David  at  Wren  none  too  gently.  Night
watched  as  they  ran  as  fast  as  they  could  to  the
back of the place, hoping there was a rear exit.

Just as Wren was about to open the door, Night

noticed the Blood Demons had already found the
entrance, and the three turned briskly, making
their way into the bedroom. Bathroom!

“Lock yourself in the bathroom, and don’t open

it until you know it’s safe,” Night screamed,
standing at the ready as the Blood Demons
charged him.

Night barely got a chance to slam the bedroom

door shut before the first Blood Demon was all
over him. Turning, he did a swift kick to the

“F

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

demon.  He  could  only  pray  to  Athena  that  the
other  birds  in  the  house  would  hear  what  was
going  on.  It  wasn’t  like  the  Blood  Demons  were
being quiet ripping the place apart.

He reached for his weapons, thankful he

strapped them on this morning, and went to work
slicing them with his sword.

Wren came out of the bedroom and was next to

him  with  his  own  pair  of  short  swords,  working
on taking one head while stabbing another Blood
Demon.  Night  only  hoped  that  Wren  did  a  good
enough  job  securing  the  mates  because  the  two
warriors  were  the  only  thing  standing  between
them and the Blood Demons.

Night took one down with a swipe, punching

another. There were just too many. For the first
time, Night was feeling panic in his fighting. If he
went down, there was no one to keep David safe.
They would break that bedroom door down.

Rage began to build at the helpless situation,

and Night let out a roar as he punched the one in
front of him, swinging deftly with the sword to
cut the throat of another. One jumped on his back,
and he felt Wren rip the guy off him but not before
those damn claws left a crimson trail in their
wake.

Another sharp claw to his stomach had Night

hissing in pain. Any deeper and the demon would
have torn through muscles instead of just flesh.

Running After David

Wren screamed out, “Fuck!” and Night barely

saw through the mass of Demons as Wren went
down.

Night felt one of the bastards kick him in the

face, sending him sliding across the hardwood
floors. Dammit, he was completely on the opposite
side of the room. Dizzily, he looked down the hall
to see the Blood Demons getting ready to break
down the door.

Just as Night was sure they were going to cash

out on this life, the Michigan birds came storming
in, efficiently working their way through the
group of Blood Demons. It had been a long time
since Night had seen Snow fight. The group stood
back to back as they took down the enemy. Buzz
ran over with Eagle and Phinn to surround Wren,
protecting him.

This is one huge clusterfuck, Night thought as

another  claw  sliced  into  his  shoulder.  They  were
slowly  taking  out  the  Blood  Demons.  Buzz
decapitated  one  with  his  samurai  sword  while
Phinn,  the  massive  blue-haired  warrior,  took  out
one with his long sword.

Finally, after it felt like he had been fighting

decades—when in reality, it was probably only
fifteen minutes—the last Blood Demon’s head
rolled.

The only sounds to break the silence were the

heavy breathing of all the Birds, completely

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

exhausted.

Night stumbled, damn legs barely able to hold

him up as he ran to the bedroom. Knocking on the
locked door, he called, “David, Sebastian. Open
up.”

Legs failing, Night slid to the floor. Shit, this

was bad. Glancing down, he noticed that his shirt
was soaked with sweat and blood. For some odd
reason, whether his stubborn pride or the
possibility that this might upset David, Night tried
to regain his footing. Only to fall once more.

The door opened, and a shocked looking David

stared down at Night. David sat down next to
him. “Oh shit, oh shit, Night.”

Night hissed as David applied pressure to the

wound on his abdomen. Fuck, that hurt!

Snow’s face came into view. “We need to get a

look at you, Night.” Snow tore his shirt open with
one of his knives.

Glancing down, Night was pissed as hell one of

those fuckers had done this much damage to him.

“Wren, he okay?” Night moaned in pain as

Snow touched a sensitive spot on his stomach.

“Phinn and Eagle are taking care of him. You

two are lucky bastards that you aren’t hurt worse.
We have an alarm system here you could have
triggered.” Snow scolded, reaching for a med bag
that Buzz was handing to him as Night slid to lay
on the floor.

Running After David

“Nice to know that now.” Night’s head flopped

back, thunking on the hardwood floor. Great, now
he could add concussion to his list of injuries.

Turning, Night gazed down the hallway at

Wren. Buzz was approaching Eagle with another
med bag. Wren glared. “Stay away from me,
Buzzard. I’m not dead yet.”

Buzz actually snorted at Wren. “Even I’m not

that hard up for a meal,” Buzz said before he knelt
down and went to work on Wren. If Night hadn’t
been flat on his back, he would have been from the
kindness Buzz was showing Wren.

Sebastian followed Buzz hesitantly, sitting next

to Wren.

Night felt a pressure on his hand and glanced

down  to  see  David’s  black  chipped  nail-polished
fingers  wrapped  around  his.  Staring  up  at  his
mate,  he  saw  for  the  first  time  anger  was  gone,
replaced  by  worry.  Night  almost  wished  he  saw
anger  instead.  He  didn’t  want  his  mate  to  ever
have to worry about him.

“I’m sorry,” Night mumbled.
“For what? Getting hurt? Protecting us?” David

asked incredulously.

“For turning you away. For getting you

involved in a world that is nothing but war and
hate.” Night moaned as Snow worked on the claw
marks in his arm.

“This isn’t any of your fault, Night. Maybe you

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

didn’t handle it well to begin with but…” David
looked around at the wreckage of the living room.

Night would love to know what he was

thinking at this moment while looking at all the
carnage that surrounded him. “I don’t think you
know anything other than this war. Maybe Athena
is right. Maybe you do need me.”

Night knew David was right. He needed so

much  more  than  this  shit  in  his  life.  He  was
sinking  into  the  darkness  of  this  war,  and  it  was
consuming  him  in  a  way  that  made  Night
uncertain  if  he  could  ever  regain  the  light.  Was
this  all  his  life  was  to  be?  Is  that  why  Athena
brought  David  into  his  life?  Night  knew  for  sure
that’s exactly why she did it.

David was life, vibrant in a world devoid of

love.  If  anyone  could  help  Night  to  live  for
something  outside  of  war,  it  would  be  this  man
sitting  next  to  him  now.  And  he  almost  threw  it
away. Goddess, had he ever fucked up there.

A slight panic began in Night. He gripped

David’s hand, holding onto it like a lifeline. He
didn’t want to lose him. Night didn’t want to let
him go.

Snow picked him up, leading him out of the

upstairs suite. This must have been a sight since
Night was a big boy, but Snow was even with him
in muscles and height. “Where are we going?”
Night moaned.

Running After David

“The only place I can think of is a rendezvous

point  we  have  not  too  far  from  here  that  is
underground.  Hopefully,  that’ll  keep  the  Blood
Demons off our back long enough to get you back
on your feet. It shouldn’t take you long to heal, but
you do have the proverbial wind knocked out you
for  now.”  Snow  tucked  him  into  the  back  of  an
SUV, and David climbed in after him.

Snow shut the door, and he could hear voices

on the outside for a couple of minutes before
Snow climbed into the driver’s seat.

“I think we need to talk to Athena. This is crazy

that they can find our mates like this. There has to
be some way to protect them. At this rate, we’ll
continually be on the run and never get a place to
rest.” Snow jerked the car into motion, and Night
could feel the vehicle taking off down the road.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t be tailed by the Blood

Demons. “Where are Wren and Sebastian?” David
asked.

Snow called from up front, “They’re in the

vehicle behind us. Buzz is in the rear in case we
run into trouble. Do you want me to call Hawk
and Raven and have them come up?”

Night thought it through. If Night and Raven

were to come up, that would leave all of Atlanta
swarming with those sick fucks and no one to
protect humans. But how the hell were they going
to get back? “Call them.”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

David sidled up next to him. “Are you okay?”

Night asked.

“Me? You’re asking me if I’m okay? You who

took down about twenty of those freaks and looks
like you got your ass kicked by Edward
Scissorhands? Yeah, I’m fine,” David hoarsely
finished.

Night reached over, even though it hurt, and

pulled David down to lay next to him. There was a
moment when David’s hands hovered over his
skin before he rested them on a part that didn’t
hurt. Closing his eyes, Night sighed that the small
touch could relax him to the point where he might
just be able to forget the last couple days.

“Is this all there is, Night? Because I have to

say, this is a fucking nightmare,” David
whispered.

“No, it’s not. We’ll talk to Athena and figure

out a way so you aren’t hunted any more. There
has to be a way to hide you from the enemy that
we don’t know about. We’ll figure it out,” Night
mumbled.

David looked so sad right then. Hope seemed

to be lost in his blue eyes. “C’mere,” Night
murmured.

David hesitated for a moment before he leaned

forward and placed a gentle kiss over Night’s lips.
It wasn’t a kiss of passion but one to comfort.
Night worked his mouth over David’s full lips

Running After David

before he pulled back. “I promise I’ll do
everything I can to make sure you don’t have to
live in fear anymore.”

“But I fear for your life, too, Night.” David

rubbed his thumb over Night’s cheek, and he
relished the feeling of such tenderness. It was so
foreign to him, and Night instantly craved more.

The drive took an hour and a half, but Night

was shocked at what he saw out of the rear
window. Was that Santa Claus? “Where the hell
are we?”

“Frankenmuth. There is no way in hell any

Blood Demons are within an hour of this place,”
Snow yelled from the front.

“Isn’t that a tourist attraction? German town?”

David looked wide-eyed at Night. Yeah, Night
knew the feeling.

Night could completely relate. Why in the hell

did they bring them here?

“Yep. Best place to hide and heal up. It’s not

like you’re going to see a Blood Demon serve you
German style fried chicken in lederhosen.”

David burst out laughing. It was a sight to see.

This is the first time since meeting him that Night
had genuinely seen him smiling.

Night sat up, hissing but resting his back

against the side as he saw a massive amount of
Christmas lights and decorations go by, watching
David as he stared at a light-up Santa and his

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

sleigh. Man, Snow was right, this was a bizarre
place to relocate and get out of a hot zone.

They pulled through the town and passed a

brewery.  Sheesh,  he  could  definitely  use  a  beer
right  now.  Maybe  a  little  alcohol  could  numb
some of this pain, although he could feel his body
already  healing.  Thank  the  Goddess  for  being
blessed with the ability to heal fast.

Just as Night was about to slump back over,

Snow pulled onto a long dirt drive. The place
looked to be a rundown farmhouse.

Snow rolled up to the house and parked the

vehicle. David was already opening the rear door.
Two more black SUVs were making their way up
the drive, and Night assumed it was Wren and the
rest.

“C’mon, big guy.” Snow made a gesture like he

was going to carry him again. No fucking way. He
was already doing better.

“I got it.” Night slid out, hissing, and was

warmed when David came over and grabbed his
arm, pulling it over his shoulder to help him walk.

Maybe, just maybe, David was coming to

forgive Night. He hoped, at least.

The group made their way to the house, and

Night got his first look at Wren since the fight.
Apparently they could have been twins, matching
wounds from arm to stomach. Hell, guess they
better go out and get matching outfits to complete

Running After David

the look.

Groaning, Wren glanced over at Night. “Glad

to see you’re still breathing.”

“Huh…twenty can’t take us out. Next time let’s

try for thirty.” Night groaned, climbing the stairs.

Buzz snorted behind them. “As I see it, we

saved your sorry asses from becoming a
permanent stain on the floors in our house.”

Night couldn’t help it. He was starting to like

the scavenger. For years, he had hated the bastard,
but seeing him warm up to Wren was making him
thaw out for the guy.

Night glanced around at the acres of farmland.

This certainly  looked like a place they could hole
up  and  heal.  Hopefully,  Hawk  and Raven would
be able to find this place. Snow had told them that
they  were  on  their  way  and  coming  into  Flint
airport with Duncan and Aaron.

Snow unlocked the door and opened it up for

the rest of them. They walked into a living room of
sorts, and David set him down on the couch. Wren
flopped down next to him, groaning. David sat on
the other side, and Night grabbed his hand.

Snow came back with more medical supplies,

and Buzz sat down, getting ready to redo the
bandages. With them being blessed by the
Goddess, they would heal faster, but it would still
take a good patch job and some time to heal.

A sound from the kitchen had everyone

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

turning, pulling weapons out. Night had nothing,
but he tried to cover David. He couldn’t believe
they had found them already. There was no end to
this.

Athena came out, drying her hands on a towel.

Her golden armor covered in crimson. The
goddess was beautiful with long red hair and
intelligent green eyes. She was also lethal as hell.

“About fucking time you all got here. We need

to chat.”

Running After David

Chapter Six

avid’s breath hitched in his chest as he stared
at the Goddess in front of him. So this was

the one. The woman that all the warriors feared so
much. The one who had decided to interfere with
David’s perfectly normal life and make it one big
clusterfuck.

Sure, she was pretty enough in her golden

armor. That just happened to be covered in blood
and who knows what else. Her hair was a sight to
behold, too. It wasn’t just red, it reminded David
of flames. He wanted to reach out and touch it but
didn’t dare, not trusting himself not to give it a
great big tug. Yeah, he was that ticked at her at the
moment.

“So, you’re Athena,” David said, not bothering

to keep the venom from his voice. He was pissed,
so why bother hiding it? Besides, if she was a
Goddess, then she could probably read his mind
and already knew he was ticked anyway.

She seemed undisturbed by it. She simply held

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

out her hand. “Yes, I am. You may kiss my ring
now.”

David looked down at her hand, which was

devoid of any kind of jewelry. “What ring?”

Athena looked down and let out a gasp, her

green  eyes  turning  bright  with  fury  as  she  gazed
at  her  fingers.  “Damn  those  elves  and  fairies.  Let
me give you a lesson, boys. While elves and fairies
may  try  to  fool  you  with  their  one-with-nature
hippy  dippy  bullshit,  don’t  buy  it  for  a  second.
They  are  the  worst  liars  and  thieves  out  there.
They  just  hide  it  beneath  layers  of  wings  and
gauzy dressing. I wouldn’t eat their damn cookies,
either.”

David didn’t know if she was crazy or if this

was all just an act she was putting on. He looked
at Night for confirmation, but the warrior
remained as stoic as ever. He just stood there, his
face devoid of any emotion. Well, okay, David
could handle this one on his own.

“You should know all about stealing since you

snatched my life from me and thrust me into this
freaky world,” David snapped.

That one got Night’s attention. He stepped in

front of David and said, “Please forgive him,
Goddess. David is human and doesn’t understand
our ways and customs.”

David smacked Night in the back as hard as he

could, which hurt the hell out of his hand but at

Running After David

least got a grunt of aggravation from Night. So it
was worth it. Shaking his hand to take away some
of  the  sting,  David  stepped  out  from  behind
Night.  Putting  his  hands  on  his  hips,  David
glowered  at  Athena.  While  she  might  be  a
Goddess, she wasn’t David’s Goddess, so there!

“I’m trying to be serious here. I never asked for

any of this. What gives Athena the right to decide
that I would make good mate material and mark
me all without my consent?” David demanded.
“She could have at least had the decency to ask me
first.”

“Now that he puts it that way, it really doesn’t

sound fair,” Sebastian added.

“One more word from you, Bastian Baby, and I

show them all where your mark is,” Athena
warned as she held up a finger.

Sebastian quickly clamped his lips closed and

took  a  couple  of  steps  back.  Boy-oh-boy.  It really
must  be  bad.  Despite  the  anger  he  was  currently
feeling,  David’s  curiosity  grew.  He  would  have
given  almost  anything  to  know  where  that
marking was.

“Really, Bastian? Is it that bad of an area? Why

are you so shy about it?” Buzz asked.

“I wonder if it’s on his ass. That could explain

everything,” Snow wondered.

“It could be. Maybe he just doesn’t want to

drop trou in front of all of us and show us the full

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

moon,” Buzz added.

“Will you both shut up! That’s my mate you’re

talking about,” Wren snarled.

Sebastian pointed a finger at Wren. “How many

times do I have to tell you? I am not nor will I ever
be your mate. So go sniffing somewhere else. I
don’t want you.”

Athena huffed, making a piece of her red hair

blow out of her face. “I hate to break it to you,
Bastian, but you are Wren’s mate. Like it or not,
you’re stuck with him for the rest of eternity.”

“What?” David and Sebastian said at the same

time.

“Oh, I left out that part, didn’t I? Once you

become mated to a warrior, you become immortal.
So unless somebody chops off your head or
eviscerates you, you’re going to live forever.”

Sebastian let out a groan. “Oh my God, this all

has to be some crazy dream. There can be no other
explanation.”

“Cheer up, Bastian. Think of all the raves you

can go to now,” Athena chirped.

Sebastian threw his hands into the air. “Will

you stop calling me that? My name is Sebastian.”

“Oh please.” Athena rolled her eyes. “You can’t

expect us to keep calling you by your whole name.
It’s such a mouthful and a bit stuffy if you ask
me.”

“Nobody did?” David said, wanting to get the

Running After David

attention back on him and his situation. They
could hash out nicknames later.

“Don’t be impatient. We’ll get back to your

hissy fit in a minute,” Athena said.

David gaped at her. Hissy fit? She comes in,

throws his life into ruins and when he dares to get
upset, accuses him of  having a hissy fit. Boy, did
she  have  some  nerve.  If  David  didn’t  think  it
would earn him a lightning bolt in the ass, he’d be
tempted to really tell her off big time. As it was, he
was  just  planning  on  giving  her  a  piece  of  his
mind. And yes, there was a difference—damn it!

“My name isn’t stuffy at all, you crazy thing,”

Sebastian argued.

Athena let out a sigh as she gave a slow shake

of her head. “I did warn him.”

She marched over to Sebastian, bent him over at

the  waist  and  pulled  his  shirt  up  enough  so
everybody  could  see  his  mark.  The  one  that  just
happened  to  be  on  the  base  of  his  spine,  right
above his ass.

David couldn’t help himself. He burst into

laughter. “Oh my God, Sebastian has a tramp
stamp.”

A few of the other warriors joined in the

laughter. Night just shook his head, then pinched
the bridge of his nose. Wren, on the other hand,
looked ready to spit nails, then eat them up again.
But he made no move toward the Goddess.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Athena gave the mark an appraising look. “I

still think this one was one of my better pieces.
You should be proud of it, Bastian.”

Sebastian jerked away from her. “Proud of it?

Are  you  kidding  me?  Do  you  know  how  much
razzing  I  got  in  gym  class  because  of  it?  High
school  was  a  living  hell  for  me,  thanks  to  that
mark. It was bad enough being the gay kid, but to
be the gay kid with a tramp stamp practically put
a neon sign over my head that said hit me!”

Athena shook her head. “Kids can be such little

shits these days.”

David gave her a droll stare. “He would never

have had to put up with it if you didn’t put the
mark there in the first place.”

“Are we back to that again?” Athena asked

irritably. “You really do have a one-track mind.
You better count your lucky stars and stripes that
you are the perfect mate for Night. Otherwise, I
would have turned you into a donkey by now.”

David looked at Night. “She really can’t do

that, can she?”

“Ah…yeah,” Night replied as he gave David a

shut-your-frigging-trap-already look.

A genuine jolt of fear went through David as he

realized  that  he  might  just  have  overstepped  his
bounds, and his big mouth might have gotten him
into  trouble  yet  again.  He  wondered  if  he  would
ever  fricking  learn.  Probably  not,  since  he  was

Running After David

already in college and hadn’t yet.

“You can’t turn me into a donkey,” David

blurted.

“And why not?” she asked.
“Because I’m allergic to them.”
David was, too. If he even got close to one, he

would break out into hives, start sneezing, and his
eyes would swell shut. He didn’t think he could
live the rest of his life like that. It would be awful.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn you into a

donkey.  Not  after  I  went  to  all  the  trouble  of
finding the perfect mate  for Night.  It wasn’t easy
to  find  somebody  who  would  be  compatible  to
him.  Believe  me,  I  tried  for  centuries  to  find  him
somebody. I was just about ready to give up and
then you came along.”

David didn’t get how he could be suitable for

anybody. He was nothing but a hot mess. Inside,
he had the self-esteem of a worm, and outside, he
was nothing more than a shallow party boy.
Athena had to have made a mistake.

“Not to disagree with you, but you have the

wrong  guy.  I  am  the  last  person  that  should  be
mated  to  somebody,”  David  said.  “In  fact,  I’m
pretty  certain  that  I’m  not  suitable  to  be  in  a
relationship with anyone.”

Athena walked over and raised her hand.

David flinched, not knowing what to expect. In his
past, a raised hand meant you had overstepped

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

your  boundaries  and  were  about  to  get  your  ass
handed to you. But instead of hitting him, Athena
gently  cupped  his  cheek.  It  felt…nice.  It  was
loving  and  kind.  The  kind  of  touch  that  he’d
always yearned for from his mother, yet had never
received.  Damn  if  it  didn’t  make  a  lump  form  in
David’s throat, too.

“David, if you could only see yourself through

my eyes. You would be amazed at all the potential
you have inside you,” Athena said softly.

David felt an ache build up in his chest.

Nobody  had  ever  said  that  to  him,  certainly  not
his  own  parents  who  couldn’t  ship  him  off  to
college  fast  enough.  They  had  even  told  him
already that they weren’t going to be home for the
holidays so he didn’t need to bother coming back
during  the  break.  They  had  all  but  washed  their
hands  of  him.  The  only  reason  they  kept  paying
for his college was so he could stay away and not
come back looking for handouts.

“If that’s true then why can’t anybody else see

it?” David asked. “Why are you the only one who
can see that I have anything worthwhile in me?”

“Some people are too stupid to look at what is

underneath the skin. They only look at the outer
shell and make their judgments based on that.”
Athena gave a sad shake of her head. “It’s sad but
true. But I can see the real David, and he’s a great
guy. He just needs to believe in himself.”

Running After David

“Sometimes, I don’t know if that’s possible,”

David admitted. “I don’t think that even I know
who the real David is anymore. I think I buried
him a long time ago.”

“But it has to be possible. Otherwise, you won’t

be strong enough to fight for you or for Night. He
needs you, just as much as you need him.”

David gave a soft chuckle. “I seriously doubt

that a buff warrior like him needs me for
anything.”

“You would be amazed at how lonely being

immortal can be. It’s a blessing and a curse all
rolled into one. He’s waited his entire life for you,
David. Don’t let him down.”

Gee, nothing like laying on the guilt a little

thick there, lady. Why don’t you add on another
layer and say the fate of mankind depends on it.
Go for the big one!

“I don’t know that I’m capable of not letting

him down,” David said.

That earned him a not-so-gentle slap across the

face. David’s head snapped back before he
brought a hand up to rub away the pain. “Ouch!
What was that for?”

“For not believing in yourself. You need to start

doing a much better job at that. I didn’t waste all
my time picking out a mate for Night only for the
mate to turn out to be a whiner.”

“Okay, I will. Just don’t hit me again. That shit

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

hurts.”

It did, too. David had been hit several times

growing  up  by  both  parents.  Neither  of  them
could  hold  a  candle  to  Athena.  David  was  half
tempted  to  ask  her to  give them  a  visit  and  offer
them  some  payback.  Day’am,  she  could  put  any
MMA fighter to shame.

Night came over to them. “Is everything okay

here?”

“No, your Goddess just slapped me across the

face,” David said, still holding his hand up to his
cheek.

“Why the hell did you do that?” Night asked

Athena. David was shocked to see Night talk to
the Goddess that way, and for him no less.

“I can pretty much wipe you off the face of the

Earth and him, too, with one blink of my eyes. I
get a free ride if it knocks some sense into him.”
Athena stared daggers at Night, challenging him.

“Forgive

me.

Please…don’t…touch…him

again,” Night gritted out. David could tell it
pissed his mate off to have to apologize.

Athena looked at David and winked. David

fumed inside. There was a reason why he flunked
out  of  mythology  in  college.  All  the  gods  and
goddesses  and  their  damn  ego  trips.  They’d
always  annoyed  the  hell  out  of  David.  Now  that
he  saw  that  they  were  actually  true,  it  made  him
more pissed off than a cat thrown into a bath full

Running After David

of water.

Night put an arm around David’s shoulders.

David  was  still  too  pissed  to  be  touched  and
wanted to shrug off the arm but was too tired to
do  more  than  a  feeble  shrug,  so  after  a  few
moments he just gave up. Besides, even though he
didn’t  want  to  admit  it,  even  to  himself,  it  felt
good to be in Night’s embrace.

“So is it true?” David asked.
“What?”
“Am I really immortal now?”
“If that’s what Athena says, then yes, it’s true,”

Night said.

“So I’m going to have to spend an eternity

fighting off those Blood Demons. Great,” David
replied.

“Most people would be thrilled to find out that

they were immortal.”

“Yeah, well, most people haven’t had my life. If

it  hasn’t  been  one  battle,  it’s  been  another.  I
thought  once  I  got  to  college  I  would  find  some
peace, but look at where I’m at now. Running for
my life from some freaks that want to rip out my
heart and put in on the mantelpiece as some kind
of  personal  trophy.  Seriously,  those  guys  need  to
start  collecting  things  a  little  less  gross,  like  sock
monkeys  or  something.  There  is  a  lot  less
bloodshed, and everyone is happier at the end of
the day.”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Night just studied David as he rambled on. It

wasn’t until David stopped for breath that Night
asked, “Are you done yet?”

David took in a quivering breath. “Yeah, I think

so.”

“Good, because it’s time to talk to Athena about

what’s really important. How to keep the Blood
Demons from hunting you.”

Running After David

Chapter Seven

thena walked by Buzz and snatched a knife
out of one of the man’s sheaths. She sat down

across  from  them  in  the  room  and  began  picking
the gore out from under her fingernails. Night had
seen  some  seriously  gross  shit  in  his  day,  but
seeing  part  of  someone’s  entrails  flick  out  of  the
bottom  of  her  nail  had  him  wanting  to  vomit  all
over the coffee table.

“I’m working on it. I won’t have those bitches

outwit  me.”  Athena  flicked  a  piece,  hitting  Buzz
on  the  cheek.  He  looked  at  it  for  a  moment
before…holy  hell,  don’t  put  that  shit  in  your
mouth!

Trying to focus on the serious topic, Night

leaned forward, hissing at his injuries. “From what
I’m gathering, our mates are like a homing beacon
to them. If they’re within the area, they can easily
find them. We need to find a way that they aren’t
hunted. Is the Keres the one responsible?”

The Keres, or bitches as Athena loved to call

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them, were the Goddesses that controlled the
Blood Demons. They had a thirst for human souls
and now the Blood Demons had a steady supply
to sacrifice to them.

Athena’s flame-colored eyebrows furrowed in

concentration. “I may have a temporary solution.
Stay holed up. I’ll make sure Hawk and Raven get
here safe.” She rose, handing Buzz back his blade.

Please don’t lick the sucker in front of me.

“But what about Atlanta? The humans?” Night

rose with her.

“I’ve got some backup there in the meantime.

Don’t  worry  about  Atlanta  at the  moment. When
change  happens,  there’s  bound  to  be  a  lot  of
fucked  up  in  the  transition.  In  the  end,  it’ll  all
work  out,”  Athena  said  right  before  she
disappeared.

Great! Just fantastic! Night wasn’t sure who

was protecting the city in The South, but right
now as he glanced over at David and felt his own
wounds, for the first time he didn’t give a shit. He
was bone tired.

David stood. “C’mon, you need some sleep,

and so do I.”

“I’ll show you where you can crash. You want

me to take a look at your wounds?” Snow got up
and showed them to a room at the back end of the
ranch. There was a connecting bathroom that
seemed to call Night more than the bed.

Running After David

“Just leave the supplies, and I’ll take care of it

myself. I think I’m going to have a shower first.”
Snow left as Night stumbled over to the shower,
and David caught up quickly, helping him into the
low-lit room.

“I don’t think you’re in any shape to shower on

your own. Let’s get naked.” David started to strip
right  in  front  of  Night  without  a  damn  care  to
modesty. Night couldn’t help but stare as the man
revealed  pale  creamy  flesh  when  he  removed  his
shirt.  David  had  no  clue  what  he  was  doing  to
Night  at  this  very  moment  as  he  stripped  his
pants.  David  walked  over,  and  sweet  gods  that
ass,  Night  couldn’t  tear  his  eyes  away  as  David
leaned in to turn on the shower.

David turned, and Night was caught staring

red-handed. He rubbed his brow as he got to see
the front of David. If he wasn’t so damn hurt, this
shower might have been Night’s undoing. Instead,
he stiffly undressed and got into the hot spray,
moaning and hissing as the water hit each cut.
Thank gods the stuff was superficial, but they still
hurt like hell.

Night felt David step in behind him. “Here, let

me grab some soap and wash you up.”

David grabbed the bar of soap and lathered his

hands. Night was at a loss as what to do as David
gently began to wash his chest, arms, and neck. He
couldn’t help the low moan that escaped at such a

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

soft touch. Everything in his damn life was hard
and to have this moment…he wasn’t sure if he
wanted to push David away or grab the man and
never let him go.

Night was at war with himself as David began

to wash his thighs and calves. It was too much to
bear, and he stepped back. David stood up, dark
hair wet. “What’s wrong?”

Night felt cornered, caged. “I…uh…” He

scrubbed his hands over his face. What the hell
was wrong with him?

Hands grabbed his and pulled them off his face.

“You’re not used to being touched, are you?”
David looked at him curiously.

Night was just so damn tired of the war,

fighting David, so he just leaned against the wall
and shook his head.

“Haven’t you ever had anything but the Birds

of Prey or the war?” David’s brow rose.

“No,” Night mumbled, feeling the water drip

off his lower lip at the damning word.

“A choice?” David stepped forward.
Night took a deep breath. “No.” He was created

for one thing. He never had a choice, always to
lead, to fight, to train.

David touched his arm, and Night couldn’t bear

to look at his eyes so he just stared at those fingers
stoking his forearm. “And you didn’t even get a
choice with me being your mate? Your whole life

Running After David

isn’t even your own but belongs to others.”

Night had no idea what to say to that so he

remained silent, listening to the sound of the
water hitting their bodies.

“You have no idea what freedom is? Do you?”
Again Night remained quiet. Tentative hands

grabbed his chin, forcing him to look down at
David. He saw so many emotions crossing David’s
face, he couldn’t possibly ever figure out what the
man was thinking.

Hands grabbed his hair, and Night felt himself

being  pulled  down  until  David’s  lips  connected
with his. Dammit if his breath didn’t hitch at the
feeling of those full lips for the first time. David’s
tongue  grazed  his  lips,  and  Night  opened  up  to
him,  moaning  at  the  taste.  The  kiss  was  soft,
gentle,  and  they  slowly  embraced.  This  wasn’t  a
kiss of passion but a truce, a new beginning for the
two of them.

David stepped back. “Let me finish you up and

then we can get to bed, okay?”

Night nodded, and David finished the job and

went to work on cleaning himself while Night just
leaned against the cool tiled wall.

The water shut off, and Night hadn’t even

realized he had closed his eyes. They stepped out,
and David began to dry him off. He wasn’t sure
where the tenderness was coming from, and why
David all of a sudden was taking care of him, but

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

he  wasn’t  going  to  ask  questions.  Soon  he  felt
David  helping  into  the  bedroom  and  lying  him
down on the bed. He moaned as his body wanted
to  give  into  the  sleep  instantly.  He  had  gone  so
fucking  long  with  little  to  no  sleep  that  his  body
was demanding it now.

David climbed in next to him and crawled over

next to him. “Sleep, Night. We’ll talk in the
morning.” Their hands entwined, and that’s the
last thing Night remembered.

The next morning, Night woke up to the most

wonderful feeling. Someone was stroking his hair,
and he leaned into it, knowing that it could only
be David.

“Morning,” Night grumbled out.
“More like afternoon. You’ve been doing some

crazy healing sleeping. I didn’t want to even wake
you up to get breakfast.” David touched his chest
where it had been tender yesterday. Now all he
could feel was the touch that was sending
electricity through his entire body.

“We need to talk.” David leaned in and licked a

path up his neck.

Well, that’s a hell of a way to start a

conversation. “Hold that thought.”

Night crawled out of bed and went into the

bathroom to take care of business and search for a
toothbrush. If he was going to talk to David, he

Running After David

wanted  to  do  it  with  fresh  breath  and  up  close.
Washing  his  face,  he  came  out  to  see  David  was
sitting on the top of the covers in his skinny jeans
but  no  shirt.  Now  how  the  hell  was  he  going  to
think clearly with all that bare flesh?

David patted the bed. “C’mere.” David smirked

while his eyes traveled down Night’s body.
Sheesh, he was completely naked and sporting an
erection in front of him. Not the time, he chastised
himself.

Never being one to give a shit about his nudity,

he had to question why everything was suddenly
changing with this man. Trying his best not to
cover himself, Night walked across and got back
into bed, covering himself immediately. Where the
hell was all this shyness coming from?

David out and out laughed at him.
“What are you laughing at?” Night grumbled.
“You. I finally get it. This is so damn foreign to

you, isn’t it?”

“What?”
“Being in a relationship that isn’t militant.”

Then David’s face softened. Dammit. “You have no
clue what freedom is. I never realized until last
night how none of you have ever had any
freedom. I can’t even imagine what that would be
like.”

“It isn’t that bad. You don’t know what you’re

missing if you’ve never had it to begin with.”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Night  closed  his  eyes.  He  was  supposed  to  be
begging  for  forgiveness,  hoping  that  David
wouldn’t  see  him  as  a  cold-hearted  bastard.  He
did not want him feeling sorry for him. That was
the last thing he wanted.

Trying to steer the topic away from himself,

Night turned his head to stare at David. “But you
do know what freedom is, and yours has been
ripped away by fate.”

“Yeah, and I’m still not happy with Athena

about  that.  However,  I’ve  been  doing  a  lot  of
thinking, and I believe that we have a freedom in
our relationship. Yes, I know we are mates. But are
we going to be happy, care about one another, or
are  we  going  to  let  the  claws  come  out  and
continually  bitch  at  each  other?  I  vote  for getting
to  know  each  other  and  learning  to  find  some
form of happiness in the middle of this fucked up
world.”  David  picked  at  the  comforter  before
murmuring, “We both need a sliver of happiness.”

Night rolled over onto his side and rested his

head in his hand. Tentatively, he reached out and
touched  David’s  hair.  The  man  had  been  so
resistant,  he  half  expected  him  to  slap  his  hand
away. What he didn’t expect, and got instead, was
a  gentle  smile  and  David  reaching  up  and
reciprocating.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Night

whispered.

Running After David

“I’ve forgiven you. I’m not so sure I’ll ever

forgive Athena, but I don’t want to talk about her
right now. There’s been something else I’ve been
thinking about,” David said before he leaned
down to kiss Night.

Night moaned, and David took full advantage,

thrusting his tongue into his mouth. The taste that
exploded in Night’s mouth had his entire body
heating. David moved on top of him and pressed
his jean-covered cock against his body. Damn,
what he would give for those jeans and comforter
to be gone.

David pulled back. “Wait! Your wounds?”
Night glanced down at the pink puckered

slashes on his skin, so the hell what?

“I’m good. Swear.” Night grabbed the back of

David’s head and brought it back down to his. He
could not get enough of the man’s flavor. At this
rate,  it  was  going  to  become  an  obsession.  There
was  no  way  he  was  going  to  let  these  wounds
keep  him  from  feeling  David  for  the  first  time.
They  were  already  more  than  halfway  to  healing
anyway.

Night felt David’s hands and feet move. What

the  heck  was  he  doing?  Ooh…David’s  hands
worked  on  getting  his  jeans  off  while  his  feet
worked  on  kicking  the  comforter  off  of  Night.
Thank  fuck!  Night’s  feet  went  to  work,  and  they
probably looked utterly ridiculous, but he was not

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

moving his mouth away from David’s even if a
whole horde of Blood Demons crashed through
the damn door.

“Need to feel your body,” David moaned.
“Gods,” Night moaned when they finally got

all the obstacles out of the way. David lowered his
body  onto  his,  and  it  was  all  he  could  do  not  to
come  right  there.  David’s  hard  cock  rubbed
against  his,  and  he  rolled  his  hips  involuntarily.
His cock began to leak copiously as David grinded
into him, creating the perfect friction.

Their kissing became hard. Rough. Teeth

clashed, and David began pulling his hair, and
fuck, he loved it. Not being able to take it
anymore, Night rolled, putting David underneath
him.

He had lost control. He began pumping his hips

faster.  David  was  matching  thrust  for  thrust.
Emotions  rolled  through  Night,  and  he  couldn’t
keep up with them and the physical feeling. It was
all he could do to keep from drowning from all the
foreign  feelings  crashing  down  on  him.  The  only
thing keeping him grounded in this moment  was
David.

“So good. Don’t stop.” David moaned, then bit

his ear.

Night was in heaven. He thought there was

nothing better than this until he felt David’s hand
reach in between them and took both of their

Running After David

cocks in his hand.

“Fuck!” Night cried out hoarsely.
David’s hand was slick from their pre-cum as

he  worked  both  their  cocks  in  his  hand,  moving
them  closer  to  orgasm.  Night  reached  down,
joining their hands. Night broke the kiss unable to
breathe.  He  huffed  as  he  leaned  his  forehead  on
David’s shoulder. Feels so good. Not gonna last.

It only took a couple of pumps before David

cried  out.  Night  felt  the  warm  wetness  over  his
hand and stomach. It was too much, and that was
all it took. Night groaned out as he went over the
edge.  His  whole  body  was  shuddering,  and  it
seemed  like  forever  before  he  fell  to  the  side,
breathing heavily.

David jumped out of bed and ran to the

bathroom, coming back with a cloth to clean them
both. Night watched as he ran back and got rid of
it before climbing back into bed.

David blew out a breath before he laughed a

little. “Well, I thought about kissing you, but boy,
did that get a little carried away.”

Night tensed. “Did you not want to do that?

You regret it?” Oh shit, had he failed his mate
again?

Rolling over, David rested his head on Night’s

chest. “Absolutely not. I loved everything we just
did. Did you?”

How could Night tell David that for the first

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

time, he felt alive instead of just walking through
the motions or fighting day in and day out? That
this moment had changed him forevermore
because it was with his mate, a man he was
growing to care about more each day.

Bending down, Night kissed David’s messed

up hair. “David…” he choked out then cleared his
voice. “It meant everything to me.”

Running After David

Chapter Eight

he next morning, they woke up to find that
Hawk, Raven, Duncan and Aaron had arrived.

David rushed forward to hug Aaron. While before
all this had happened, they hadn’t gotten along
well. They now felt like best friends.

“I missed you so much,” David said.
“I missed you, too. Don’t you ever go and pull a

disappearing act like that again.” Aaron squeezed
him so tight that David could barely breathe.

“I won’t. I promise. I learned my lesson the

hard way when some Blood Demons tried to
snack on me and Sebastian.”

Aaron pulled back, his brown eyes growing

wide. “Is he the one with the tramp stamp?”

“Oh, for God’s sake!” Sebastian yelled. “You

guys gossip worse than a group of old ladies at a
gin table.”

“We have to get our fun somewhere, and we’re

in between seasons of Game of Thrones,” Raven
called.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

“Just when I had hoped that maybe there might

be a sane one in the bunch, some more crazies
show up. You all need to be locked up in padded
rooms,” Sebastian said.

“They tried that once, but I just ate my way

through the padding.” Raven made gnashing
sounds with his teeth.

Sebastian took a step closer to Wren, but David

was  willing  to  bet  that  Sebastian  didn’t  even
realize  he’d  done  so.  For  one  thing,  Sebastian
hated  showing  any  sign  of  weakness,  and,
another, he would rather die than go to Wren for
anything, especially protection.

Hawk clapped his hands together to get

everybody’s attention. “I thought while we were
waiting for Athena to come back tonight, that the
mates could go out and do a bit of sightseeing.
You know…act normal for one day of our lives.”

David loved the sounds of that immediately,

but he didn’t know if Night had it in him to let go
of his warrior side for one minute, let alone one
day. So he was shocked when Night nodded and
said, “That sounds like a great idea to me. I’d love
to see some of the stuff here. Plus, David and I
haven’t had any real downtime.”

David grinned. “You mean that? Really?”
Night reached down and cupped David’s face.

“Yeah, I do. Go get ready. We can leave in a
minute.”

Running After David

“Well, I’m not going anywhere, because I don’t

have a mate,” Sebastian cut in.

“We’re going to be getting taffy,” David

singsonged.

“I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” Sebastian called

back, having a complete one-eighty in attitude.

David smiled to himself. He knew Sebastian too

well. His friend had never been able to turn down
anything sweet. A Blood Demon could be holding
up a piece of chocolate, and Sebastian would
willingly go along, just to get the treat.

Once they were all ready, they got in one of the

SUVs  and  drove  into  the  small,  quaint  town.
David usually didn’t go for cutesie kinds of things.
But he had to admit it was charming. All the roofs
were  styled  like  an  old  German  town,  and  they
even had horse-drawn carriages. All the buildings
were  painted  to  look  like  dollhouses,  and  David
felt like he’d just walked into a storybook.

Night found a place to park, and they all got

out. Since it was too early  to eat, they decided to
do  some  sightseeing  first.  When  they  went  into
one  store  that  had  all  elves  and  fairies  in  it,  the
devil in David couldn’t resist asking, “Say, Night.
Have you ever thought of redecorating your office
any?”

“I never thought of it,” Night said with a shrug.
“Would you mind if I picked up a few things

here to add to you décor?” All the while, David

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

was practically rubbing his hands together in glee.
Wait until good old Athena got a gander at all the
new pretties.

“Hey, Bastian,” David called, laying a heavy

emphasis on the nickname. “You want to help me
out here?”

Sebastian looked over, and his eyes lit up with a

wicked gleam when he realized what David was
up to. “I would love to.”

They then spent the next hour picking out what

fairies and elves would look best in Night’s office.
At some point, Night grabbed David by the waist
and hauled him back. “Don’t think that I don’t
know what you’re doing, you little troublemaker.
I’ll let you get away with it, though. Nobody
smacks my mate and receives a get out of jail free
card, even a Goddess.”

“Oh…My….God…” Sebastian said as he

pointed to a particularly large statue.

It was a female fairy with golden wings and

body armor, and she was the spitting image of
Athena. It was so spooky that David half expected
the thing’s head to turn and start barking out
orders at them.

“Okay, that one is so not coming home with

us,” David said.

“Agreed,” Night replied.
They went up front and paid for their

purchases. Since the taffy place was next door,

Running After David

they made their way there. Sebastian ran ahead,
leaving them all behind. It was then that David
realized how sad Wren looked.

“Give him some time. He’ll come around,”

David suggested.

“I keep telling myself, but it’s hard. It’s almost

like he hates me,” Wren said.

Wren reminded David of a puppy dog that had

been kicked one time too many. So he decided to
break Sebastian’s confidence and share something
with the warrior. In the end, David had a feeling
Sebastian would thank him for it.

“Sebastian just got out of a really bad

relationship,” David said.

“Bad, how?”
“The guy was a real asshole. He cheated on

Sebastian  and  everything.  So  Sebastian  is  having
real  trust  issues  right  now,  and  the  last  thing  he
wants  is  another  relationship.  That  doesn’t  mean
you can’t win him over, though. You’re just going
to  have  to  work  harder  at  it.  Is  that  something
you’re up for?”

Wren looked at Sebastian through the window

of  the  taffy  shop.  Sebastian  was  watching  the
machine pull taffy, and he was smiling like it was
the  most  amazing  thing  he’d  ever  seen.  He  was
talking  to  Duncan  with  his  hands  pointing  at  the
machine, and the two were laughing. Wren let out
a soft chuckle. “I can fight as hard as I need to.”

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

They stood in silence for a while before Wren

asked, “This former boyfriend. He never
physically harmed Sebastian, did he?”

Damn Wren for putting two and two together

so  damn  soon.  David  let  out  a  deep  breath as  he
worked  over  in  his  head  just  how  to  say  what
needed  to  be  said.  “Well,  he  wasn’t  exactly  all
cuddles and hugs, let’s just put it that way.”

“Do you know his name?”
David wasn’t stupid, he knew damn good and

well why Wren wanted the ex’s name. “You don’t
need to know it. You’ll only do something that
you’ll end up regretting, and Night will be left
picking up the pieces.”

Just like he always has had to do, David

realized.  No  wonder  Night  didn’t  know  how  to
have  any  fun.  He  was  never  given  the  chance  or
time  to  have  some.  He  was  always  too  busy
cleaning  up  other  people’s  messes.  Well,  not  this
time. David would play point for the warrior.

“David, I’m not kidding. Give me the name so I

can go and rip that guy apart. If I’m feeling good, I
just may let him live,” Wren snarled.

“I…said….no, and that’s final. You go and hurt

a  human,  you’re  going  to  have  the  wrath  of
Athena on your ass, and Night is going to have to
throw himself in the middle to protect you. I won’t
allow  that  to  happen  this  time.  If  you  want  the
name,  you’ll  have  to  get  it  out  of  Sebastian.  Of

Running After David

course,  that  will  mean  that  you  will  have  to  fess
up  to  talking  about  him  behind  his  back,  and  he
hates  that  more  than  anything.  But  don’t  worry,
I’m sure he’ll get over it soon.” David patted Wren
on the arm, then went inside.

The smells of sugar and other artificial

sweeteners hit David like a fist the moment he
walked inside. How in the hell Sebastian managed
to eat this crap by the bucket load was a mystery
to David. Deciding to forgo the taffy, David went
to the back of the building where they were
baking the fudge.

Night was there, leaning against the railing. The

soft glow from the oven shone off his skin, making
it  look  all the  more  golden.  While  he  might  have
appeared  young  on  the  outside,  the  gaze  on  his
face  at  the  moment  made  him  look  older  than
time.

“What are you thinking about?” David asked,

almost afraid to hear the answer.

If Night was going to reject him yet again,

David didn’t think his heart was going to be able
to take it. He couldn’t go through all that pain
again. Not if he wanted to keep his sanity.

When Night didn’t answer him, David said,

“You’re not having second thoughts about us, are
you?”

Night let out a light chuckle as he grabbed

David’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Never.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

Now  that  I  have  you,  I’m  never  going  to  let  you
go.  I  was  just  trying  to  figure  out  a  way  we  can
keep  you  mates  safe  without  making  you
prisoners at the same time. I mean, if we let you go
back  to  school  we’re  screwed  because  the  Blood
Demons  will  attack  you.  But  at  the  same  time,  I
don’t think it’s fair to you to keep you guys under
lock and key twenty-four hours a day.”

David stepped in closer and wrapped his arms

around Night’s neck, not even caring that they
had an audience. “If anybody can come up with
something, it will be you. You’re amazing.”

“I’m glad you have that much faith in me, but

it’s Athena who’s going to ultimately work out
this problem, not me, remember?”

David wrinkled his nose. “Athena. Blah! Can

we go a couple of hours without saying her name?
Please.”

“Why do you hate her so much?” Night asked.
“How can you not?” David retorted. “She took

away  all  your  free  will.  If  it  hadn’t  been  for  her
interfering,  you  would  have  never  lived  all
eternity,  fighting  Blood  Demons.  Always  on  the
run, battling to survive.”

Night then did the most amazing thing ever. He

leaned  down  and  nuzzled  their  noses  together.
Just  like  normal  everyday  couples  would  do.
David was so shocked he even let out a little gasp.
He  almost  pinched  himself  to  make  sure  that  he

Running After David

wasn’t dreaming.

“True,” Night agreed. “But if it hadn’t been for

her interfering, I would have never met you. I
wouldn’t trade that away for anything.”

David tried to say something back, but all the

air had left his lungs. Nobody had ever said
something that sweet to him in his entire life. It
felt like his heart was a puddle of chocolate goo at
the moment.

Oh shit! I love him. When did that happen?
“I guess you have a point there,” David finally

conceded in a small voice.

“Do you want some taffy or fudge?” Night

asked.

David was still struck dumb from the

conversation that it took him a few seconds to
catch up and answer. “Just some fudge for me. I
hate the way taffy gets stuck in my teeth.”

Night looked over his shoulder. “It’s just as

well.  It  looks  like  Sebastian  is  buying  the  place
clean  of  all  their  taffy  and  corrupting  Duncan
along  the  way.  Wren  is  going  to  have  his  hands
full with that one.”

“Funny, that’s what everybody says about you

and me,” David said.

“Oh, my hands are full. I’m just learning how to

juggle faster is all.”

“So you don’t have any regrets about being

mated to me?” David asked.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

“I never did. I just worried about how it would

affect somebody as sweet as you, being paired up
with a basket case like me. In case you haven’t
realized it yet, I have a bit a baggage that I lug
around.”

David was shocked that Night was sharing so

much with him. In fact, this was one of the most
intimate conversations they’d ever had, and it was
in the middle of a crowded taffy shop of all places.
David didn’t know whether to laugh or shake his
head. Welcome to his new, strange world.

“Well, now that you have me, you won’t have

to lug all that luggage by yourself.” David
brushed his lips against Night’s. He had to stand
on tiptoe to do so, and David wasn’t short, but he
managed to get the job done.

“See, that’s just it. I never wanted to drag

anyone into my world of troubles,” Night said.

“Who said you were dragging me anywhere?

I’m doing thing of my own free will. I’m doing it
not because of some birthmark, but because I
genuinely care about you,” David said.

David closed his eyes and prayed that he hadn’t

revealed  too  much  too  soon.  God,  he  probably
scared Night away. Worse, Night was going to go
to  Athena  and  beg  to  mate  to  somebody  else.
Anybody  but  the  local  crazy  who  falls  head  over
heels  for  the  first  hunk  who  looks  twice  in  his
direction.

Running After David

“David, open your eyes,” Night said gently.
It took all of David’s bravery, but he managed

to  do  as  commanded.  He  cracked  his  lids,
expecting  to  see  disgust  or  pity  on  Night’s  face.
But  what  David  got  instead  was  the  most  tender
smile in the world.

“I care about you, too,” Night said. “And it’s

not because of the birthmark, either.”

“Really?” David said.
He was so high he felt like he’d eaten almost as

much taffy as Sebastian had probably consumed.
David threw his arms around Night and gave him
a brief hug before pulling back.

“I would show you how much I really care

about you, but there are children present,” David
said.

Night winked at him. “We can save that for

later.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” David said.
“Go pick out what fudge you want, so we can

eat. I’m starving. I hear they make great chicken
dinners here,” Night urged.

“Birds of Prey eating chicken? Doesn’t that

sound a little wrong to you?” David asked.

“Not when it’s made as good as it’s supposedly

made here,” Night countered.

“Okay, okay.” David held his hands in the air

and went to the counter to pick out his flavors of
fudge. There were so many of them that at first he

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

had a hard time making a choice, but eventually,
he made up his mind.

The dinner was just as good as promised. There

were  so  many  courses  that  David  felt  ready  to
burst  by  the  time  he  was  done.  He  even  gave
Sebastian  his  ice  cream  at  the  end.  By  the  time
they  all  left,  they  were  in  good  spirits.  Even
Sebastian was laughing and joking around.

When they got back to the others, they found

that the warriors weren’t alone. Athena was with
them. Her normally golden armor was covered in
soot and ash, and she looked like….well, hell. Her
hair hung in clumps around her face, and she had
a black eye.

“What happened to you?” Wren asked.
“Never mind that. Now let’s talk about how

we’re going to protect your mates,” she said.

Running After David

Chapter Nine

hat in the fuck happened to her? Night had
never seen the Goddess look as bad as she

did  at  this  moment.  She  looked  like  she  had  her
ass  handed  to  her.  If  something  could  cause  that
much damage to Athena, he prayed that he never
came up against it. He wasn’t even aware that she
could be damaged to the point of having her own
blood  spilled  and  bruises,  but  he  knew  if  he
showed concern, she’d be utterly pissed.

Trying to put that behind him, Night asked, “Is

there a way to protect them?”

Athena stood, and if Night hadn’t been

watching her so closely, he wouldn’t have seen the
momentary weakness of her listing before
correcting herself. She widened her stance, looking
strong like the Goddess she is.

“I have a temporary fix for now. I’ll have a

more permanent solution just as soon as that
bastard learns to play nice.” Athena flicked a piece
of ash from her armor.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

“Is he your problem?” Buzz asked.
Athena growled. “Didn’t I just say let’s focus on

working at getting the mates safe, or do I have to
send your ass to find out the answer to your
question? He would just love your ass.”

Buzz raised his arms and backed the hell off.

Finally, Night saw something intelligent in the
bird. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

“Night, Hawk, and Wren, I need you to come

over here.” Athena beckoned them with the quirk
of her finger. She glanced over at the Michigan
bird Phinn before shaking her head. What the hell
was that all about?

“Wait…why Wren?” Sebastian cut in.
Athena didn’t say a word but cut a glare at

Sebastian that should have killed him on the spot.
Instead, he sidestepped over to David and held his
hands. Now, Night wanted to go over there and
kill Sebastian himself.

Night could hear the two mumbling,

“Seriously, don’t know why he’s over there,”
Sebastian grumbled.

“I would be quiet if I were you. And whether

you’re ready or not, Wren is your mate. Trust me,
you’ll be safe with him,” David whispered over
his shoulder.

“No way in hell is she strapping me to that guy

for life. Have you seen the shit that surrounds
him? It’s like a dark cloud of freaks.” Sebastian

Running After David

visibly shuddered.

“Don’t think about the Blood Demons and

Athena.  Focus  on  Wren,”  David  murmured.  Was
Wren  seeing  this?  Night  glanced  over  to  see
Athena  talking  quietly  to  Wren.  Shit,  he  was
missing this.

Sebastian glanced down before whispering to

David, “I’m trying, but I’m scared. He’s big…real
big. He could…”

“Pay attention!” Athena snarled and then lost

her balance but swiftly corrected herself. “Come
here.”

Night walked forward with Hawk behind him.

Wren was already next to Athena as she pulled a
wicked dagger out of a thigh holster.

Athena stood there for a moment as Night and

the others waited to see what she would request.
She blew out a breath. “Remove your shirts.”

Night wasn’t sure if she was pissed that she had

to see some skin or if her breathing was labored?
The Goddess was going to need some downtime
to heal from her wounds.

Night removed his shirt while the others did as

well. Athena moved around until she was facing
their backs, causing Night to tense.

“I need you to hold still. Sebastian, Aaron, and

David, I need you to come over here, too,” Athena
said while standing directly behind Night. He
hated having someone at his back, the goddess

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

was no exception.

Feeling the presence of his mate had Night’s

muscles tightening even more. He knew David
loathed Athena, and not protecting his mate was
having sweat pop on his brow. Fuck, what the hell
was she going to do?

Night heard a small hiss from Aaron. “Ouch,

what the fuck?”

Night turned to his left to see Athena holding

Aaron’s  wrist,  palm  of  his  hand  facing  up.  There
was  a  slash  across  the  palm  oozing  blood.  What
the  hell?  Night  felt  the  need  to  step  in  when
Athena  took  Aaron’s  hand  and  smeared  it  across
Hawk’s  back.  Across  his  tattooed  hawk  to  be
precise. She leaned forward, her full lips blowing
out  a  small  puff  of  air  on  Hawk’s  back  before
leaning back.

If Night hadn’t been so used to seeing weird

shit in his past, this one would have sent his ass to
the floor. Hawk’s tattoo started to grow out of his
back. First the beak, followed by the feathered
head. The hawk let out a piercing screech before
its feathered body made its appearance.

Night stared in horror as Hawk bent over,

groaning  in  pain.  Shit,  this  was  going  to  be  bad.
He was only there for a moment before Hawk fell
onto  all  fours,  screaming  as  the  claws  came  out,
ruthlessly  ripping  Hawk’s  back.  It  looked  as
though Hawk’s bird was trying to climb out of his

Running After David

back.

Aaron ran over, kneeling next to his mate.

“What are you doing to him?” Aaron screamed at
Athena.

Athena shrugged. “I gave his hawk life. Now

you will have a guardian watching over you
twenty-four/seven while he is out in the field.”

Hawk groaned, interrupting Athena before he

fell face down on the floor. Aaron cried out as he
went down to help his mate. The bird detached
itself from Hawk’s body, letting out a screech. Its
claws clacked on the ground next to the two. Right
before Night’s eyes, Hawk’s back seemed to heal
itself back together.

Before Night had a chance to go to his friend, he

heard David hiss behind him and then felt a wet
hand streak across his back.

David screamed out, “No! Oh God, Night!”
A hot breath blew against his skin.
Night couldn’t say anything because he was

grinding  his  teeth  so  hard  he  thought  he  might
actually  chip  the  fuckers.  A  searing  pain  hit  his
back,  and  it  was  taking  everything  in  him  not  to
scream  out.  Holy  hell,  he  felt  like  lava  was  just
poured all over his back. Standing there flexing his
hands, he willed himself to stay on two feet. David
had  already  been  through  so  much,  he  did  not
want to have his mate see another dark moment in
their lives.

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100

The pain almost became too much, and he

gritted his teeth when he heard the sound of a
screech at his back. Holy fuck…sweat popped out
all over his body. Night fell on all fours and began
rocking while growling between his teeth.

“Night!” David came down to him. He began to

murmur, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Goddess, it took every ounce of energy in him

to groan out, “Not…your…fault.” Spit flew out of
his mouth as he blew out a breath. Was he going
to have any skin left on his back?

Finally, after what felt like forever, the pain

lessened. Night was finally able to take a breath
and began huffing and puffing. What the fuck,
Athena?

Glancing up, he came face to face with the

tattoo from his back. The great gray owl tilted his
head before letting out another screech and
extending its wings. David came closer, and the
owl settled down. The thing turned his head and
gazed on at David with possessive eyes.

Wren went down immediately and cried out.

Man, whatever Sebastian was telling everyone
was full of shit because he actually held and
hugged Wren.

“You’re gonna be okay. I got you,” Sebastian

repeated over and over as he hugged Wren from
the front. Night could clearly see in this moment
that Athena actually had her shit together, and

Running After David

101

those two were meant to be together.

Hawk, Night, and Wren remained on the floor

with their mates as all the men came closer to see
what in the world just happened.

Buzz, the bastard, leaned down and poked

Wren in the back, which earned him a nice swat
with the hand. “Don’t touch me,” Wren snarled.

“Just weird seeing you without your bird is

all.” Buzz sounded amazed and horrified all in
one.

Sebastian scrambled up and away from

everyone,  holding  his  cut  hand  to  his  chest  with
wild eyes. Night felt like cursing the Goddess out.
These  matings  were  such  a  delicate  balance,  and
Wren’s  mate  was  already  scared  to  death.  This
would  only  make  it  harder  for  the  two  to  work
things out.

David was hugging Night. “I’m all right,”

Night huffed out. “Help me up, please?”

Putting an arm over his shoulder, David helped

Night to stand. Night’s strength was already
returning, but hell, she could have given a little
warning.

Night glanced down and saw the hawk and

owl. The wren flew around, then landed on a
window ledge. Someone snorted. Shit, here it
comes.

“Sorry, Bastian, you got the short end of the

stick.” Buzz laughed.

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102

Everyone glanced over as the wren took off and

began zipping around the room. Wren looked
pissed. Yeah, Night kind of knew what he was
thinking. The wren didn’t exactly look tough next
to an owl or hawk.

What shocked Night was Sebastian ground out,

“He can protect me, and I think he’s cute, so fuck
off, Buzz.”

The Atlanta birds moaned while the Michigan

birds laughed. Night was pleased to see that
Sebastian was defending Wren, but did he have to
say…cute? Kill a warrior’s ego with that word.

“You’re absolutely right, Bastian, the wren is

very cute.” Buzz chuckled.

Sebastian crossed his arms. “Can’t win with

you guys. You’re all such bastards.”

Athena stepped forward, wiping the blood off

the blade. “Your birds will stay with your mates.
Protect them, but you’ll be able to feel if your
mates are in danger through your bird.”

Raven laughed. “They communicate?”
Athena pinched the bridge of her nose like she

was  getting  a  headache.  “No,  they  don’t  talk  to
you.  You’ll  get  feelings,  awareness  of  how  your
mates are doing. Something  goes down, they  can
find your mates for you. They have both you and
your mate’s blood within them. They’ll be able to
hunt you down that way.”

“Sounds like a dog sniffing out blood,” Wren

Running After David

103

murmured.

“More like blood knowing blood. These birds

were co-created through your blood. They’ll be
able to find their own blood.” Athena sat on the
arm of the couch.

“So we no longer have our tattoos? Isn’t that

where our strength comes from?” Hawk asked.

“Your strength comes from your blood not the

marking.  And  yes,  you’ll  have  your  tattoo  back.
You  should  only  be  separated  from  your  bird
when you are out patrolling. And if your mate is
in  danger,  your  bird  can  call  you  forth  to  be  by
your mate’s side immediately.” Athena pulled out
a fresh dagger.

“How’d that work if we’re all the way in

Atlanta and they’re up at Lake Lanier?” Wren
asked.

“Want to test the theory?” Athena smirked.
Not really, Night thought, but as Wren and

Hawk stepped back, he knew he was going to be
the one to volunteer. Sometimes it sucked being
the leader. “I will.”

“No, let’s have Wren do it. He asked. Go

outside, Wren.” Athena waved her hand toward
the front door.

Hesitantly, Wren opened the door and left.
Athena immediately grabbed Sebastian and put

the dagger to Sebastian’s throat, nicking the skin.
Sebastian screamed. The wren chirped, and then

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104

holy hell, Wren was standing there with the
finishing touches of his bird being seared back
onto his back.

“Fuck that hurts.” Wren gritted out before he

took a deep breath. “But the pain is already
lessening.”

David came over to Night, eyes worried. “I

don’t like this. Looks like you have to go through
a lot of pain to protect me. I don’t think it’s worth
it.”

Night leaned down and kissed David. “It’s

worth it to me. I don’t want you hurt, and I don’t
want you all caged.”

David turned and embraced him. “I think I’d

rather be caged than see you screaming in pain
just so I can go to class.”

“It gets easier, David,” Athena interrupted their

conversation.  “Eventually,  their  bird  will  be  able
to  soar  out  of  their  back  quickly  and  efficiently,
rather  than  clawing  the  hell  out  of  it  and
struggling  to  separate.  It  won’t  be  pain-free  but
more like a ripping the bandage off.”

“See? It’ll get better. You’ve lost so much. I

don’t want you to lose all your freedom.” Night
embraced David.

“Plus, I need you all back in the field. We’re

losing this war, gentlemen. Atlanta is overrun, and
so are a lot of the major cities out there. I’m
working on getting you some backup because you

Running After David

105

are severely outnumbered.”

“Who?” Night wondered.
“I’ll let you know when I can get their fucking

leader  to  play  nice.  Right  now,  he’s  being  a
bastard.” Athena grumbled. “And I’m off, boys. I
need  you  back  in  Atlanta  tomorrow.  I  will  be
working  on  a  long  term  solution  to  protect  your
mates.  One  that  will  have  them  go  unnoticed  to
the Blood Demons.”

Then she was gone.
Night wasn’t too happy that while they had the

birds and could get back to their mates quickly,
they still could easily be hunted down by Blood
Demons.

“It’s gonna be alright,” David murmured while

hugging him. He leaned in, whispering in Night’s
ear, “He’s creeping me out.”

Night leaned back, brow furrowed in

confusion. “Who?”

“Your owl. He keeps staring at me, and eww!

He just turned his head like Linda Blair!” David
did a whole body shiver, making Night laugh.

“Owls have the ability to turn their heads two

hundred and seventy degrees. I have no doubt he
can  turn  his  head  almost  like  Linda  Blair,  but  I
think  you’re  safe  that  he  won’t  throw  up  pea
soup.”  Night  smiled  into  David’s  hair.  How
fucked up was this situation, and he was actually
smiling.  Why?  Because  of  this  man  in  his  arms

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106

right now.

David shivered. “It’s grossing me out and

giving me a neck ache at the same time.”

Night laughed until he heard the owl screech

again, and then he watched as the owl took flight
toward his back. Bracing himself, he felt the bird
make impact on his back. A sharp burn, causing
him to hiss, and then the pain was gone.

David turned him around. “He’s on your back

again. Why?”

“Must be what they do when we are together.”

Night watched as the hawk did the same thing to
Hawk.

Hawk glanced over at them. “That wasn’t as

bad this time.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Night agreed.
“Are you just lying to make us feel better?”

David came back around, holding him again.

“No, Athena was telling the truth. It isn’t so bad

when  you  get  used  to  it,  and  the  birds  aren’t
clawing  the  fuck  out  of  you.”  Night  grabbed  a
hold  of  David’s  hand.  “C’mon,  it’s  been  a  long
day,  and  I  want  to  take  you  to  bed.  Tomorrow,
we’ll leave for home.”

Running After David

107

Chapter Ten

hey drove straight through to Atlanta the next
day, and they were so tired they all just

crashed. Duncan and Raven drove to the airport
and took the Cessna back, but after fighting Blood
Demons along the way, they didn’t beat them by
much.

So when David woke up the next morning and

found the bed empty, he was more than a little
disappointed. He wanted his Night, so they could
finally get their hippidy-dippity on. David had
waited long enough to be fully claimed, damn it.

Deciding that he was going to have to take

matters into his own hands, David got out of bed.
He put on his tightest jeans and his sluttiest shirt.
The one that had a big heart on it and lettering
that read I love to suck. If that didn’t get the
message across to Night, then nothing would.

As David was going downstairs, he bumped

into Raven. Raven took one look at the outfit and
cocked a brow. David just stood there and waited.

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

108

He knew the smartass wasn’t going to let him pass
without some kind of comment.

Not one to disappoint, Raven said, “If Night

doesn’t jump you as soon as he sees you, then he’s
dead inside. You are just dripping sex right now.”

David cocked his head to the side. “Is that a

compliment or not?”

“Oh, yeah. If you weren’t my leader’s mate, I’d

be all over you. But since I want to keep all my
limbs, I’m going to keep my hands to myself.”

“Thanks,” David said as he passed Raven and

began his way down the stairs again.

Since he knew Night would be in his office,

that’s where David went. He knocked on the door,
then entered. Night was looking down at some
paperwork and didn’t even glance up.

Well, that wouldn’t do. David cleared his

throat. Night still didn’t look up. Frustrated,
David let out a cough. Night still concentrated on
that damn paperwork. David decided that some
drastic measures were in order.

Walking across the room, he climbed on top of

the desk and put his body between Night and the
blasted papers. That finally got his mate’s
attention. Night let out a grunt, then gave David a
look of shock that was so funny that David
couldn’t help but laugh.

“What in the hell are you wearing?” Night

asked, a slight smile on his face.

Running After David

109

David stretched out on the desk. “I’m trying to

seduce you. But you’re not playing your part very
well.”

“Has anybody else seen you dressed that way?”

Night asked as he ran a hand over David’s body.

“Just Raven. He said he approved.” David let

out a moan when Night cupped him through his
tight jeans.

“I’ll pluck his eyes out for even seeing you this

way.”

“You don’t want to do that. I don’t think

Athena would approve, and I don’t want you to
get on that bitch’s bad side.”

Night rubbed at David’s erection again. “You

really don’t like her, do you?”

David stretched out even more. “Do we have to

talk about her now? I have more important things
I would like us to focus on.”

David put his arms over his head in order to

give  Night  better  access  to  his  body,  at  the  same
time he arched his back. He must have misjudged
the  size  of  the  desk  because  before  he  knew  it,
he’d  flipped  over  and  fallen  to  the  floor.  David
landed  on  the  side  opposite  of  Night.  Paper,
pencils,  paperclips,  a  stapler  and  a  huge  desk
calendar landed on top of him.

Well, shit, that hadn’t been the image David

had been hoping to present. He had done exactly
the opposite of sexy. He had managed to make

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110

himself  look  like  some  helpless,  klutzy  dork.
David  got  up  on  his  knees  and  stayed  there  a
moment,  trying  to  think  of  a  way  he  could  play
this  off  and  still  manage  to  save  face.  But  for  the
life  of  him  he  couldn’t  think  of  a  way.  So  he  just
buried his burning face in his hands and let out a
groan. Why oh why  did this kind of crap always
have to happen to him?

Night let out a chuckle. David could hear

Night’s  chair  creak  as  the  warrior  got  up,  and  a
few  moments  later  the  warrior  came  into  view.
David  peeked  at  him  between  his  fingers  but
didn’t  move  his  hands  down.  He  was  too
mortified  to  do  anything  but  sit  there  and  hope
that the Earth would open up and swallow him.

Night reached down and hauled David to his

feet before he gently pulled David’s hands down.
He then kissed David.

“You are so damn cute sometimes I don’t know

what I’m going to do with you,” Night said.

“How can you say that? Not only did I just

make a fool of myself, but I just made a mess of
your desk?” David asked.

He tried to look away, but Night cupped his

face  and  made  David  gaze  at  him.  “Before  you
came along, my life was boring. Every day was the
same  thing  over  and  over  again.  Now,  I  never
know  what  to  expect.  You  have  no  idea  how
refreshing that is.”

Running After David

111

“So you don’t think that I’m a hot mess?” David

asked.

“Not at all. In fact, I’m so turned on by you

right now, I can’t wait to fuck you,” Night said,
his eyes going dark with desire.

And just like that David went from being

embarrassed to being horny. It was amazing how
quickly his body worked that way when he was
around Night. David licked his lips in anticipation
as his cock grew hard, pressing against his tight
jeans.

“Are you going to fuck me here?” David asked.
“I’ll admit I’ve quite a few fantasies of screwing

you in this office. But I want our first time to be
more special than that. You deserve to be treated
like the special treasure that you are.”

Wow, when Night wanted to, he could really

turn on the charm. Night might not think he had it
in him, but David begged to differ. His mate sure
as hell could sweet talk the socks off of him.

Night grabbed David by the hand and led him

out  of  the  office.  They  made  their  way  up  the
stairs,  passing  Raven  again  on  their  way.  Night
paused  long  enough  to  growl  at  the  warrior,  but
he didn’t physically harm him, so David let it pass
without comment.

They went into their bedroom, and Night shut

the door, then locked it. Still holding David’s
hand, he led him to the bed and said, “Strip for

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112

me, mate.”

“Do you have supplies? Because I don’t have

condoms or lube on me,” David admitted.

“I have lube, but we don’t need condoms.

Athena made us immune to all human diseases,”
Night said.

A thrill went through David. While he’d always

practiced  safe  sex,  he’d  often  wondered  what  it
would  feel  like  to  have  sex  without  a  barrier
between  him  and  his  partner.  To  have  his  first
bare  experience  be  with  his  mate  made  the
encounter all the more special.

David pulled off his shirt, then tossed it to the

side. When it came to his pants, it was a bit more
difficult since they were so tight. He had to sit on
the edge of the bed and struggle to peel them off.
He was glad he didn’t have shoes on, because it
would have made it more difficult than it already
was.

Finally, David was nude. He expected Night to

follow suit. In fact, he was praying for Night to do
so. David had been wanting to touch the warriors
body intimately for so long that he was practically
drooling. But Night didn’t make any move to get
undressed.

“You know, it may have been a while since

you’ve done this, but it works better if we’re both
naked,” David pointed out.

Night gave a wicked grin. “I’ll get undressed in

Running After David

113

a minute. I just want to play around with you a bit
first.”

David’s heart stuttered a bit. He had a feeling

he was in for some of the sweetest treatment ever.
Night  moved  in  on  David,  forcing  David  to
backtrack  until  he  fell  onto  the  mattress.  Night
followed  him,  climbing  on  top  of  David,
straddling  him  and  moving  up  until  their  faces
were just mere inches apart.

“I have wanted to taste every inch of you for so

long,” Night said. “I’m going to lick, bite, and suck
on you until you are screaming for mercy.”

David let out a soft whimper. His cock was

hard and pressing against Night’s jeans. Unable to
help himself, David rocked against Night, creating
some friction. Desire rocketed through David’s
body, making him moan.

Night laughed. “I love how eager you are.”
“I want you so bad,” David said.
“I know. I want you, too.”
“Then

something

already,”

David

demanded, his frustration growing.

Night reached down, grabbed David’s bottom

lip between his teeth, and tugged lightly on it.
“Patience. You really need to learn that.”

“And you really need to learn to stop

procrastinating.”

Night began to nibble his way down David’s

jawline. David tilted his head back, giving Night

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

114

more room to work with. Oh, yeah, that felt good.
The nips were just hard enough to leave behind
some marks too. There was nothing that David
loved more than a good hickey.

Night only stayed there a minute before he

worked  his  way  to  other  areas  of  David’s  body.
He was true to his word. He didn’t leave one area
of David’s body untouched. He licked, nipped, bit,
and  sucked  every  inch  of  David.  By  the  time  he
was  done,  David  was  a  quivering  mess  and
begging Night to fuck him.

Finally, Night sat up and began to take off his

clothes. David sprang up from the bed and said,
“No, let me do it for you. Let somebody else take
care of you for once.”

So Night stood still while David undressed

him.  David  slowly  undid  the  buttons  to  Night’s
shirt  then  peeled  it  back,  revealing  his  well-built
chest.  David  couldn’t  resist  taking  the  chance  to
kiss  Night’s  pecs,  swirling  his  tongue  around
Night’s nipples a few times. When Night hissed in
pleasure,  David  smiled  to  himself.  To  know  that
he could get such a reaction from the usually stoic
warrior was the biggest turn on ever.

Once David had Night’s shirt off, he moved his

hands  down  to  the  fly  of  Night’s  jeans.  Luckily,
Night  wasn’t  the  skinny  pants  kind  of  guy  so  it
only  took  a  few  seconds  to  get  him  out  of  those.
When  David  saw  that  Night  went  commando,  it

Running After David

115

was a pleasant surprise.

Night’s cock was thick and large. It had a bit of

pre-cum lingering at the tip. David reached down
and  gathered  it  up  with  his  fingers  and  brought
them  up  to  his  lips,  licking  them  clean.  Night  let
out  a  little  growl  at  the  action,  his  eyes  growing
stormy with passion.

Licking his lips, David said, “So are you going

to fuck me or not?”

Night put his hand in the center of David’s

chest and gave him a gentle push so he fell back
on the bed. He then grabbed a bottle of lube from
the nightstand and joined David.

David got on all fours and tilted his ass in the

air. He didn’t care if the move made him look like
a slut. At that point, all he wanted was Night
inside him as quickly as possible.

When he heard the click of the lube being

opened,  David  let  out  a  sigh  of  relief.  Finally,  it
was  happening.  Night  was  going  to  claim  him.
They  were  going  to  be  mates  in  every  way.
Nothing would ever be able to tear them apart.

David sucked in a breath when he felt a cold

finger pushing at his entrance. A moment later,
the digit thrust inside him. David arched his back,
trying to take it all inside him, eager to get the
show on the road.

Night moved his finger in and out for a few

moments before he added a second one, scissoring

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

116

them out to stretch David. For which David was
grateful because he’d seen how big Night’s cock
was. He would need to be good and slicked up to
take that thing.

Soon, Night had a third finger in, and he was

pegging David’s sweet spot. David began to rock
back. Pleasure made him act on pure instinct. So
when Night took out his fingers, David let out a
small cry of disappointment. That was until he felt
the blunt tip of Night’s cock pressing against him.

David took in a deep breath and slowly let it

out as Night slid inside him. Once Night was
seated, he paused for a second until David nodded
that he was ready, only then did Night begin to
move in and out of him.

David braced himself as pleasure raced through

his body. With each thrust, Night managed to hit
David’s sweet spot, making it the best fuck of
David’s life. David soon began to babble, but he
had no idea what he was saying. All he knew was
that he was enjoying the hell out of himself and he
never wanted it to end.

Night began to pick up the pace, his thrust

getting harder and more demanding. David went
down on his elbows and thrust his ass up higher.
Night grabbed onto David’s hips, his grip so tight
that David was sure to be sporting himself a nice
set of bruises the next day. David didn’t care,
though. It felt too damn good to ask Night to stop.

Running After David

117

Then Night reached under and began to stroke

David  off,  and  David  knew  he  was  in  trouble.
There  was  no  way  he  was  going  to  last  much
longer. While he wanted his orgasm so bad, a part
of  him  was  disappointed  because  he  didn’t  want
this first time together to come to an end, either.

But then he felt the telltale tingle at his spine,

and his balls began to draw up, and David knew
he couldn’t fight it any longer. Letting out a cry,
he came, his cum covering the bedding under him.
The orgasm seemed to go on forever, his body
shaking from the force of it. The entire time, Night
continued to fuck him through it, anchoring David
in place.

Then David heard Night yell out his name, and

he  felt  the  warrior’s  cock  twitch  inside  him  as
Night  came  too,  his  spunk  filling  David’s  ass.
David clutched at the blankets and tried his best to
keep  up  until  Night  finished,  but  it  was  hard
because David’s strength was slowly ebbing away.

Finally, David couldn’t take it anymore, and he

collapsed, landing right in the wet spot. Gross, but
he could always take a shower once he got his
strength back. Night rolled off him and lay down
next to him.

After a few moments, David noticed that Night

was rubbing David’s right shoulder blade, a look
of awe on his face.

“What?” David asked, curious about the odd

Jackie Nacht & Stephani Hecht

118

behavior.

“You have my mark on you. It’s right there,”

Night said.

All of the sudden, David’s strength returned to

him. He jumped up and ran to the bathroom,
eager to see his new mark. Going to the mirror, he
twisted around and looked at his shoulder. There,
standing proudly, was a little gray owl that looked
like a miniature of Night’s mark.

David did a little dance. “I love it.”
“You do?” Night asked from the doorway of

the bathroom.

“Of course. It’s a part of you, and I love you.”
Night’s eyes widened in shock, making David

laugh.

“You love me?” Night asked.
“Of course I do, and it’s not because stupid

Athena made us mates. I love you because of who
you are, Night. I love you of my free will.”

“I love you, too,” Night said.
David ran over to Night and threw himself into

his arms. “So I guess this means we really are
stuck with each other then. Not because we have
to be, but because we want to be.”

Which to David meant more than all the stupid

marks and goddesses in the world.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long

way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories.  I  was  introduced  to  M/M  Romance
through my sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then, I thought it was time to put my own stories
on paper. I began writing short and sweet stories
that  ended  with  a  happily  ever  after…and
sometimes  more  than  one,  in  the  case  of  my  YA
Fork  in  the  Road  series,  which  has  interactive
endings.

Thinking back to my own book addiction,

where there were many nights I stayed up way too
late so I could read just one more chapter—yeah,
right—I decided to write short romances for young
adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give
high school and college students, or working men
and women, something they can read during their
lunch hour, in between classes or just when they
want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of
everyday life.

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and at

my webpage:

www.jackienacht.com

About the Author

Stephani  Hecht  is  a  happily  married  mother  of
two.  Born  and  raised  in  Michigan,  she  loves  all
things  about  the  state,  from  the  frigid  winters  to
the  Detroit  Red  Wings  hockey  team.  Go  Wings!
You  can  usually  find  her  snuggled  up  to  her
laptop, creating her next book.

Contact her at:

Email Address:

stephani@stephanihecht.com

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/StephaniHecht

FaceBook:

ttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile

&id=110935385

tumblr:

http://rainbowsandmish-mash.tumblr.com

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