Evans, Gabrielle - Eight Second Fall [Sexually Awkward 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

Sexually Awkward 3

Eight Second Fall

With the threat of a mysterious enemy hanging over their heads,

the last thing on Cedric Barrows's mind is finding his mate. A

vampire mate is even worse, but it's not easy to resist the way

Cash's very presence soothes the pain inside him.

Cash Gavin berated himself for months trying to figure out why

Cedric ran from him, slamming the door on their budding

relationship. Everyone says the shifter needs time, but Cash

wonders if there isn't something more keeping his mate from him.

Secrets aren't so much revealed as unraveled, and neither can

believe they let things go so far. Between Cash's guilt and the new

reality Cedric must face, the road to love won't be an easy one. As

they're tested time and again, the pair will have to learn to trust in

their bond if they have any hope of overcoming the obstacles in

their path.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 45,470 words

EIGHT SECOND FALL

Sexually Awkward 3

Gabrielle Evans

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

EIGHT SECOND FALL
Copyright © 2012 by Gabrielle Evans
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-726-8

First E-book Publication: April 2012

Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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

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

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Eight Second Fall  by  Gabrielle
Evans  from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
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The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying
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This is Gabrielle Evans’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please
respect Ms. Evans’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher

www.SirenPublishing.com

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EIGHT SECOND FALL

Sexually Awkward 3

GABRIELLE EVANS

Chapter One

What the hell was going on?
Dorian had called, woken him up in the middle of the night, and

now they were all gathered in Cayson’s living room. Cedric didn’t
have anything against Nigel’s new mate, but he really didn’t like
being dragged out of bed to deal with issues that had nothing to do
with him.

“My uncle was Prince Grafton Constantine,” Salem answered

some question that Cedric had obviously missed.

Now they were talking about someone else he didn’t know. He

was truly sorry that Cayson was having problems at work. It sucked
monkey balls that the guy had been attacked by a group of angry
werewolf inmates at the paranormal prison he worked at.

Cedric wanted to be supportive, and he did care for Nigel, and to

some extent Cayson, but he just didn’t see how he was going to be
any help with this. Why couldn’t he be supportive and caring in the
morning?

“Was?” Cayson asked with an air of suspicion.
“He had a little accident involving a pissed-off hybrid and an

overly protective vampire,” Atticus answered with a shudder. “I think
I need to tell them.”

Eight Second Fall

That statement had Cedric’s full attention. Salem’s uncle had been

murdered? And not only that, but Atticus knew about it and hadn’t
said a word. True, it was none of Cedric’s business, but he and his
friends used to be so close. This wasn’t something that Atticus would
normally keep from them. There was probably a good reason, though.
With Salem being king of the entire vampire race, perhaps it was a
political reason.

“Tell us what?” Nigel wiggled around next to Cayson until he was

sitting up straight, staring at Atticus intently. “Who is this guy?
What’s going on, Atty?”

“It’s okay, baby. Tell them.” Salem pecked Atticus on the lips,

giving his permission, which only furthered Cedric’s belief that it had
to involve some kind of secret vampire politics.

“Grafton Constantine is the vampire who killed our parents and

turned Dorian’s dad. We—well, I—think he might have had
something to do with King Basil’s death as well.”

It was like the entire world came crashing down on Cedric’s head.

It had been nearly fifteen years since the death of his parents, but he
still had nightmares about that night. After Dorian’s mother had
encouraged them all to shift, she’d hidden them inside a hall closet
under a blanket. At eight years old, Cedric had been the youngest of
the group, and he really hadn’t understood what was going on then.

He’d been observant enough to know that something bad was

happening, though. All of their parents had acted nervous and on
edge. Cedric had known something was different, but he just hadn’t
been mature enough to figure out what or why.

When the crashes, growls, thuds, and screams began, he and his

friends had been treated to an up-close view of the slaughter through
the crack of the door. He hadn’t even known until later that it was
vampires who’d killed his parents, but he wouldn’t ever forget the
face of their leader, the man responsible for most of the carnage.

Tears stung his eyes as memories of that night came rushing back

to him. He thought he’d gotten over his distrust and dislike of all

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vampires, but suddenly, he viewed Salem in a different light, and he
didn’t like the way it made him feel. Not only was the man a vampire,
and a powerful vampire, but he was directly related to the man who’d
killed Cedric’s family.

And Atticus, one of his best friends, the only family he had left,

had lied to him. It was a lie by omission, but as soon as he’d learned
the information, he should have told them. It involved each and every
one in their circle, and they had a right to know.

Worse, the vampire was now dead, and if he understood what he

was hearing, he was killed before anyone could find out why he’d
murdered their parents. Atticus had implied that whatever was
happening with Cayson and Nigel, whatever trouble Nigel’s ex,
Drew, was causing them, it was related to Prince Grafton.

Cayson’s problem had just become Cedric’s after all.
The tears flowed freely, streaming down his cheeks in a display of

weakness that he hadn’t shown in a long time. Pulling his knees to his
chest, he wrapped his arms around his shins and sobbed, sinking
deeper into the cushions of his chair. He cried for the little boy he’d
been, who’d watched his parents ripped apart right before his eyes. He
cried because he felt betrayed by Atticus, one of the few people he’d
thought he could always trust.

“Cedric, are you okay?” Cayson’s son, Brier, asked kindly as he

leaned forward in his seat.

Cedric thought about answering him, but he had no idea what he

would say. Was he okay? He really didn’t think so, but it wasn’t like
he wanted to pour his heart out to a stranger, either. Brier was a nice
guy, but Cedric still didn’t know him well enough to share something
so personal.

Suddenly, strong arms slid under him, and he was lifted out of his

seat. The next thing he knew, he was settled into the lap of the other
stranger in the room, a vampire friend of Cayson’s named Cash. He
hadn’t even said more than hello to the man after their introduction,
so why was he offering him comfort now?

Eight Second Fall

And furthermore, why was Cedric allowing it? Hadn’t he just

established that he wasn’t over his unfriendly feelings toward
vampires? Still, there was something so peaceful, so calming about
being in Cash’s embrace that he couldn’t bring himself to fight
against it.

“It’s okay, darlin’. I’ve got you.” Cash massaged his neck and

rubbed their cheeks together as he whispered in his ear. “I know it
hurts, but it’s gonna be all right. I’m not going to let anything happen
to you.”

Strangely, Cedric believed him. That slow, Southern drawl was

sexy as hell, and he really wanted the guy to keep talking. Every word
he spoke was like a soothing aloe to the raw emotions that swarmed
inside him. A low, soft purr rumbled in his chest, and without
conscious decision, he found himself curling closer, snuggling against
his mate’s chest.

Mate? Oh, sweet Jesus, that’s exactly what Cash was to him.

Maybe he should be horrified after what he’d just learned, but it felt
so good to be held this way that he couldn’t summon the same level
of anger with this vampire.

With this new development, it took him a moment to catch up to

the conversation going on around him. Once he did, however, it
simply raised more questions. Oh, his poor tired brain was going to
leak out of his ears soon. “So, what does Salem’s uncle have to do
with Drew? Why do you think they’re connected?”

He’d only met Drew on a handful of occasions, but he despised

the man with every fiber of his being. Prince Grafton had never been
an acquaintance of his, nor had he even heard of the guy until Atticus
said his name. It would be so easy to hold animosity toward Salem
because of what his family had done, but Cedric just couldn’t do it.

The vampire king was a good and honorable man. Everything he

did was directly related to protecting Atticus and making his life
happy. How could Cedric hate someone like that? Every family had

Gabrielle Evans

its bad apples, and the Constantines weren’t excluded just because of
royal status.

“I don’t have any concrete evidence.” Atticus sighed and shook

his head. “The timing between Basil being attacked, Grafton trying to
split up me and Salem, and then Drew drugging Nigel—it just all
seems too coincidental to me. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

Maybe, but Cedric didn’t think so. It sound highly suspicious to

him as well, but not having all the facts, he really couldn’t offer more
than his agreement.

“I could try to talk to him,” Nigel said, interrupting the silence.
“Not a fucking chance,” Cayson exploded. “We’ll find what we

can on him, but you’re not getting involved.”

“That’s not really your decision to make.”
“Nigel.”
“Cayson.”
“Guys, please!” Atticus groaned at the two of them, but Cedric

just wanted to roll his eyes at their arguing. “At the risk of being the
bad guy, Cayson’s right. You need to stay away from Drew.”

Truth be told, Cedric was totally on Atticus and Cayson’s side

with this one. Drew was bad news and everyone knew it. The man
had intentionally drugged Nigel for weeks before they’d found out
what was happening. He’d manipulated Nigel, controlled him, and
threatened him. They would all do well to stay far, far away from the
wolf shifter.

“Fine.” Nigel jumped up from the sofa and disappeared down the

hallway.

A moment later, Cedric heard a door slam, and he did roll his eyes

then. “Well, that was a little overdramatic.” He squirmed until he
could face the other men in the room, but Cash kept him close,
refusing to relinquish his hold. Not that Cedric was complaining.
“Drama queen.”

Eight Second Fall

“I heard that!” Nigel screamed from the other room, causing

Cedric to snort in amusement. The guy really could lay it on thick
when he wanted to.

“I’ll take care of Nigel.” Cayson shook his head, looking like he

was trying very hard to keep from laughing at Nigel’s over-the-top
antics. “The sun will be coming up soon, so you guys should probably
take off. I really don’t want vampire soufflé on my front porch.”

“Can I give you a ride home, darlin’?”
Looking over his shoulder, Cedric glanced up at Cash through his

lashes and smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Everyone said their good-byes with lots of handshaking and back

patting, making promises to contact each other if they found out
anything that might be helpful. As a virtual outsider in this situation,
Cedric didn’t think he’d see or hear anything of use, but he could play
the supporting role.

Following Cash out to his dark-blue SUV, nerves threatened to

overwhelm him, but each time the man smiled at him, all of that
anxiety abated. Was he doing the right thing? He barely knew Cash,
and beyond that, his mate was a vampire. He must have done
something really bad in a previous life to be thrown into such a
situation.

“Buckle up, darlin’.”
It made him weak, but Cedric really liked the little endearments

that Cash used for him. He’d never been anyone’s baby or darling
before. It made him feel special, like maybe the guy really did care
about him. Then he had to remind himself that he wasn’t sure if he
wanted to be special to Cash.

“How old are you?” The words exploded from his mouth before

he could think better of asking something like that.

“You cut right to the chase, don’t ya? I’m thirty-four, and I

promise that I had nothing to do with your parents’ deaths.” Cash
spoke quietly, soothingly, and he didn’t look angry or even upset by
the question or its implied meaning.

Gabrielle Evans

“Rationally, I guess I know that. I’m not feeling very rational right

now, though,” Cedric admitted, chuckling at his neurotic behavior. In
fact, he was so twisted into knots that he wasn’t even sure which way
was up anymore. “You seem like a really nice guy, but…”

“Vampires have personally wronged you. I get it, Cedric. I really

do, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to prove that I’m not like that.”

How did Cash seem to know exactly what to say, the precise thing

that Cedric needed to hear? Was it a game or did he mean it? Some
paranoid part of him argued that it was all a ruse to get close to him,
to gain his trust, but a deeper instinct told him that Cash was being
completely honest with him without any hidden agenda.

The conversation ended after that, and neither of them spoke for

the remainder of the trip except for Cedric occasionally offering
directions. His porch light was shining brightly over the front door
when Cash pulled to a stop beside the curb, and to Cedric, that single
bulb suddenly seemed like a beacon of safety.

Within his home he was safe and sheltered from all of the bad

things in the world. Other than his friends and the random repairman,
no one had ever been inside his home. The thought of inviting Cash
into his safe harbor was daunting, but it seemed rude not to make the
offer.

Still torn over what he should do, Cedric exited the vehicle and

trudged up to his front door, fumbling in the front pocket of his jeans
for his keys. He should have just waited and caught a ride home with
Dorian. It would have made things much less complicated. Cedric
hated complications, and Cash posed a big one.

Unlocking the door, he took a deep breath and pushed it open.

What did he do now? Being close to Cash made him feel things that
he’d never felt before, but how could he trust those feelings?
Obviously he’d never had a mate before, but he understood the
fundamentals. The pull to be together was demanding, nearly
overwhelming in its intensity.

Eight Second Fall

That instant connection he’d felt when Cash had lifted him into

his lap only proved that. What if the mating bond was clouding his
judgment? How could he trust himself to know what he truly wanted
and what the connection between them was telling him to want?

“I think this is where I leave you,” Cash said from behind him.

Slowly, almost seductively, he reached into Cedric’s pocket and
extracted his cell phone. After a few rhythmic beeps, he pressed it
back into Cedric’s hand. “Now you have my number. Think about
what I said and call me when you feel like you’re ready to talk.”

He was being so damn nice, which was just confusing Cedric

further. And the guy had dimples for crying out loud! What kind of
homicidal monster had dimples? His bright smile was more charming
than Cedric cared to admit, especially with the lack of fangs he knew
the guy sported when he got all blood-lusty.

Cash was trying so very hard, and the least Cedric could do was

give him a chance. They were mates after all. He didn’t know about
vampires, but cat shifters only got one shot at the whole eternal bond
thing. “Let me give you my number.”

His mate’s smile widened as he pulled his own phone from his

pocket and passed it over. “I promise to let you make the first move.”

Cedric would believe that when he saw it, but to say so out loud

would be unkind. So he just smiled in return, punched in his digits,
and handed the phone back to Cash. “I just need some time to think.”
Time away from Cash’s delicious scent and the way his very presence
seemed to make the air around them sizzle. Sizzling air was too
distracting for him to think coherently.

With a great deal of care, Cash cupped the side of Cedric’s face

and brushed a thumb over his cheek. He didn’t come any closer,
though. For a long time they stood in the circle of light on Cedric’s
porch and just looked into each other’s eyes. Gods, Cash had the
greenest eyes he’d ever seen, like the color of fresh spring grass with
little flecks of dark brown around the pupils.

Gabrielle Evans

They were hypnotizing, holding Cedric immobile and unable to

look away from the penetrating stare. He wasn’t sure what the
vampire was searching for, but the look in his eyes was a little too
probing. Could he see down to Cedric’s soul? Once he had everything
bared before him, would Cash use those things against him?

There were too many questions that lacked adequate answers. As

much as Cedric wanted to pull away and run into the safety of his
home, he still couldn’t move. His fingers twitched at his sides, and he
fought against the desire to reached up and lace them through Cash’s
thick, black hair. Maybe a little touch wouldn’t be so bad, just a
caress of the locks that brushed over the vampire’s shoulders. He
really wanted to know if the strands felt as silky as they looked.

Before his body could rebel against what his mind said was a bad

idea, Cash dipped his head, leaning forward to touch his lips to
Cedric’s forehead. It was so soft, barely a ghost of a touch, but it sent
electricity sparking throughout his entire body. So easy. It would be
so easy to fall into the promises that simple touch offered.

“Good night, Cedric,” Cash whispered against his brow. Then he

was gone, moving quicker than Cedric’s eyes could follow.

Stepping into his house, Cedric moved in a daze, his mind reeling

with all the events that had happened that night. It was good that Cash
had left. He told himself that he needed time to work out what was
real and what was fabricated by the desire he felt to mate with the
man simply because of their natures.

That’s what he told his overactive libido. Now he just had to make

himself believe it.

“Hello, Mr. Barrows.”
Pausing just inside his entryway with his hand still on the

doorknob, the first thing that concerned Cedric was that someone was
in his home. The second thought that occurred to him was that he’d
just heard the stranger’s voice inside his head.

Releasing his death grip on his door, he turned slowly, surprised

to find the cable repairman who’d come to fix his DVR the previous

Eight Second Fall

day. Well, he supposed that explained how the man had garnered an
invitation into his home. What was the world coming to when it
wasn’t even safe to let the cable guy in?

“Don’t scream,” the man warned him, the words slipping into his

mind instead of being spoken aloud. He smiled brightly at Cedric,
showing off his elongated canines.

Vampire. Short, spiky hair, bright green eyes, more muscles than a

defensive line, and stunning good looks that would put the most
highly paid romance cover model to shame, the vampire definitely
wasn’t what Cedric expected a killer to look like. He had no doubt
that’s exactly what the man was, though. Why else would he be
lurking in Cedric’s house and telling him not to scream?

So, with that understanding, his next question was kind of stupid.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Oh, no, little one.” The vampire’s voice was smooth, rich, and

almost hypnotic. “You, my friend, are a very important part of the
plan.”

Cedric didn’t know what that meant, and he didn’t get a chance to

ask. His attacker was on him before he could suck in his next breath,
pinning him to the door while those long, vicious fangs sank
unmercifully into his neck.

Surprisingly, the vampire didn’t drain him, but he did take enough

for Cedric to feel weak and shattered, unable to fight back. A large,
cool palm pressed to the center of his brow, holding his head firmly
against the wood behind him.

“What are you doing?” he slurred, trying desperately to keep his

eyes open against the drowsiness he felt.

“Shh, little kitty. Don’t fight it.” The stranger’s eyes rolled back in

his head, and he mumbled words in a language Cedric didn’t
understand. “Almost done.”

Another hand landed on his chest, right over his heart, and

searing, unimaginable pain exploded inside Cedric’s body. Just as
quickly as the fire came, a bone-numbing cold invaded the very

Gabrielle Evans

depths of his being, causing him to shudder and shake violently while
the world around him began to flicker and dim.

As much as he didn’t want to be unconscious in the room with a

psychotic vampire, he welcomed the darkness coming for him. He’d
do absolutely anything to make the pain stop. His whole body went
rigid, clamping his jaw shut as his teeth grinded together. He thought
it strange that he couldn’t open his mouth, couldn’t make a sound, yet
the most ungodly scream pounded through his head and echoed
around the room.

Was the vampire screaming? That didn’t seem right. Why would

he be hurting?

The sound of tires screeching to a halt in front of his house

penetrated the fog surrounding him and made his attacker jerk out of
whatever trance he was in. Some of Cedric’s pain dissipated, but the
cold remained as though it curled around his very soul.

With a mingled look of frustration and panic, his attacker pried

Cedric’s lips apart as he bit into his own wrist. Then he pressed the
bleeding appendage to Cedric’s lips, forcing him to drink the coppery
crimson that flowed into his mouth.

“Cedric?” Pounding sounded on the door behind him, rattling him

where he was still pressed against it. “Cedric, open the door!” Cash
didn’t sound scared or frantic. If anything, his tone held demand and
maybe even a trace of anger.

“Your mate makes you nervous,” the vampire hissed as he wiped

at Cedric’s mouth with his shirt sleeve. “He knows too much, sees too
much. He’ll find out your secrets. You don’t want to be with him any
longer.”

What secrets did he have that Cash would find out? What exactly

was it that his mate knew? None of it made sense to Cedric.

“Forget I was here.”
His brain went fuzzy, his vision blurred, and when the world

returned to him, he still felt very peculiar and disoriented. Why was
he still standing in his foyer? He had the strangest feeling that there

Eight Second Fall

was something he was about to do, but he couldn’t remember what it
was.

“Cedric, open this fucking door!”
Anxiety overwhelmed him, making his hands tremble as he

slowly opened the door to a very pissed off looking Cash. “What are
you doing here?”

Cash eyed him oddly for a long minute before shaking his head. “I

heard you screaming from all the way down the street. Are you
okay?”

“Screaming?” Cedric frowned, his eyebrows drawing together in

confusion. “I wasn’t screaming.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’d feel much better if you’d

let me in so I can make sure you’re okay.”

“No.” The word came automatically. He wasn’t sure why that

was, but Cash made him nervous. He didn’t want to see the man
anymore. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You need to leave now.”

To his surprise, Cash didn’t argue with him. “Will you call me?”
Cedric smiled sadly and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I have to go

now. Good night, Cash.” Then he shut the door in his mate’s face,
turned, and drifted up the stairs to prepare for bed.

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Two

“You know you’re going to have to talk to him eventually.”
“Eventually,” Cedric mumbled. He was so sick of talking about

this. Hadn’t they exhausted the subject yet?

It had been almost eight weeks since he’d seen or spoken to Cash,

so why couldn’t everyone just let  it go?  He’d had a moment of
weakness  and  sought comfort in the arms of a man who was totally
wrong for him in every way. Now his friends had made it their lives’
missions  to make him feel as guilty as possible about the entire
situation.

“Cedric, this isn’t fair to him,” Nigel pressed.
“Him,” meaning his vampire mate, Cash Gavin. Well, whoopee

doo. What about what was fair to Cedric? What about what he
wanted? Nigel was supposed to be his friend, be on his side. “Gee,
thanks,” he sneered sarcastically. “I wouldn’t want to hurt his
feelings.”

“Ced.” Sighing in obvious annoyance, Nigel plopped down on the

sofa beside him and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t like
you. Can you just talk to me, please?”

If his friends were going to come over just to badger him about

calling Cash, he really wished they’d leave him alone. It wasn’t an
enjoyable feeling, either. They were his family, the only family he
had left, and he didn’t like his less-than-pleasant thoughts about them
recently.

“Look, I’m happy for you and Atty. I’m glad you two found your

mates and everything is all rainbows and fairy-tale endings. I’m not
you, and I don’t know if I can get past what he is.”

Eight Second Fall

That wasn’t strictly true. He’d been completely miserable since

making the decision to push Cash away—and that decision wasn’t
based solely on the fact that the man was a vampire. No, it had a lot
more to do with the way his mate had looked at him that night on his
front steps. That penetrating gaze that seemed to drill right down to
the very core of his being, threatening to unlock too many things he’d
rather keep buried.

He didn’t know exactly what secrets he was trying to protect, but

if he let Cash in, the vampire would take the knowledge and use it
against him. Of that, Cedric was sure.

“You don’t have a problem with Salem,” Nigel countered.
“Yes, but I’m not mated to Salem. I don’t have to look into his

face every day and know that he killed our parents.”

Again, not exactly true. Salem hadn’t killed his parents. To be

honest, Cedric didn’t even hold a grudge against him. Claiming a
dislike for vampires of every shape and size was much easier than
admitting the real reasons why he couldn’t be with Cash.

Why can’t I be with Cash?
“That makes absolutely no sense.” Nigel threw his hands in the air

and growled.

No, it didn’t. Once Cash had left him on his doorstep, the calming

effect his presence had on Cedric vanished with him. Every single
memory and emotion that Cedric had buried over the last fifteen years
came rushing back until he felt like he would suffocate under their
weight.

Ending his relationship with Cash before it ever really had a

chance to begin was best for them both. So, why did it hurt so fucking
much? He didn’t even know the man. They’d only spent a few hours
in each other’s company, and that had been weeks ago.

No matter what he tried, though, he couldn’t get thoughts of Cash

Gavin out of his head. Even in his dreams, the vampire haunted him,
called to him, and each time he woke up alone, it was like being
dumped into a bucket of ice water.

Gabrielle Evans

“Fine,” Nigel huffed when Cedric didn’t answer him. “Don’t talk

to me. Don’t talk to anyone. Just sit here and brood. And you call me
the drama queen.”

“Whatever.” Cedric pushed up from his sofa and jerked his head

toward the door. “We need to get going or we’ll be late for work.”
And they needed to stop talking about Cash before he broke down and
poured his heart out on Nigel’s shoulder. Keeping secrets sucked.
Keeping secrets from his adopted brothers was downright exhausting.
Unsure of exactly what those secrets were was going to make his
freaking brain explode and leak out of his ears.

What the hell is happening to me? He felt lost, like he was

constantly walking around in a fog. If he was really telling the truth,
he wanted to be with Cash more than anything. There was something
holding him back, something he couldn’t name.

He knew that the vampire made him nervous, but he didn’t know

why he felt that way. His brain screamed at him that Cash would try
to pry secrets from him, use those secrets to hurt him, but he didn’t
have any fucking secrets! Still, the anxiety and fear that rose inside of
him at the very thought of letting his mate close to him was enough
for him to continue to keep his distance.

What is happening to me? Over and over, he asked himself, each

time with more desperation. The sudden fear that plagued him had
gotten so bad that he couldn’t even bring himself to talk to his friends
about how he felt or what was bothering him. It was almost as if he
physically couldn’t talk about it.

“I don’t know if you realize this, but we own the place. We can

kind of show up whenever we want.”

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, it took a moment for Cedric

to remember what they’d been discussing. “And have to listen to
Atticus lecture us about the importance of punctuality? No thanks.”
Please, let’s just go.

Eight Second Fall

Nigel didn’t laugh like Cedric expected. He didn’t even crack a

smile. “You really need to talk to him. He’s going out of his mind,
and he won’t stop calling. It’s getting kind of annoying to be honest.”

Forcing a smile he didn’t feel, Cedric cocked his head to the side

and lifted his eyebrows in question. “That bad, huh?” He didn’t want
that for Cash, but he didn’t know how to fix it.

“Just give him a chance, Cedric. He’s a nice guy, and he’s your

mate. You need him just as much as he needs you.”

I need him more than you know, but I can’t have him. “Can we

just not talk about it right now?” Gods, this entire situation just
sucked donkey balls. “Let’s go. It would probably be a bad first
impression to show up late on the day the new guys start.”

“So you hate Salem and Cash, but you’re fine with Simon?”
Okay, that one threw him for a loop. Why on earth would he have

a problem with Simon? Dorian’s brother had dropped everything to
take care of them after their parents’ untimely demise. Cedric owed
him a lot. “What’s up with you and Simon?” He refused to answer the
first part of Nigel’s question. Maybe if he ignored them long enough,
all of his problems would just magically vanish.

Yeah, and maybe pigs will fly.
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” Nigel sighed and followed

Cedric out of the house. “It just sucks that he didn’t even try to help
me, ya know?” So much for dropping the topic. “I thought we were
closer than that.”

The whole epic tale of how Nigel had been kidnapped by his ex-

boyfriend and forced back to the house Dorian and Simon had grown
up in had been told more than once since it happened. While Cedric
hadn’t been there, it had still sent shivers up his spine at how easily
things could have turned deadly.

Finding out that Drew had been nothing more than a lackey for

some mysterious bad guy who went simply by Mr. X hadn’t exactly
come as a surprise. Drew Macon was about as dumb as a box of rocks

Gabrielle Evans

and had all the cunning of garden hose. What did surprise him was
learning about his parents’ supposed betrayal of this Mr. X.

Knowing exactly who was behind that night of slaughter when he

was little raised more questions than it answered. Who was this guy
and how had their parents known him? Had they been friends at some
time? According to Nigel, Mr. X was desperate to get his hands on
some box their parents had stolen from him, but none of them
remembered the treasure he sought.

It was all very confusing and made his head hurt just a little more.

Now he had to worry about what had happened between Nigel and
Simon that night. “I’ve only spoken to him once since he got back
into town. I don’t even know why he’s here.”

Well, he knew Simon had been dragged back to Indiana because

he was the sole owner of his parents’ old house, and Mr. X had
needed to be invited inside. What he’d meant was that he didn’t
understand why the guy was still there. Didn’t he have a life to get
back to in Tennessee?

Nigel shrugged halfheartedly as he slid into Cedric’s silver

Eclipse. “I haven’t spoken to him since that night when everything
went down with Mr. X.”

“Nigel, I’m sure there’s an explanation. Simon wouldn’t just hang

you out to dry like that.”

“I would have thought the same, but that’s exactly what he did.

Hell, he hasn’t even called to find out if I’m okay. After Salem
showed up and kicked ass, Simon just kind of disappeared. What the
hell is up with him?”

Cedric understood to a point. Simon had always been reliable in

the past, and he’d done everything in his power to keep them
protected and cared for until they’d been old enough to go off to
college. Just because he was back in town didn’t mean that he had to
spend every waking moment with them, but the behavior Nigel
described didn’t sound anything like the Simon he remembered.

Eight Second Fall

“Just ask him. There’s too much other shit going on for us to be

fighting with each other.”

After pulling into a parking spot behind the building, Cedric

climbed out of the car and waited for Nigel to catch up with him
before walking around to the front doors. They really needed to clean
out that back room so they could start utilizing the service entrance.
Spring was in the air, but the mornings and nights were still chilled,
and a quicker route inside would have been appreciated.

“Ceddy!” A familiar voice called out to him the minute he stepped

into the front office of Fantasy Creations.

Groaning at the ridiculous nickname, he bumped Simon’s

shoulder good-naturedly as he slipped past him. Pulling his jacket off,
he draped it over the back of his chair and turned to face his friend
with a sardonic grin. “I am not ten anymore, Si. How about you just
call me Cedric?”

Simon chuckled, slow and easy, not bothering to look even the

least bit apologetic. “Sorry, but you’re always going to be little Ceddy
to me.” Simon grabbed him around the waist, lifting him off his feet
and swinging him in a circle while they both laughed like idiots.

Glancing over his shoulder as Nigel walked up behind him, Simon

dropped Cedric to his feet, beamed wide, and turned to pull Nigel into
his arms for a big bear hug. “Nigel!”

A huge rush of air puffed through Nigel’s lips, and he groaned as

he tried to shove Simon off of him. “What the hell?”

“Just happy to see you, little man.”
Nigel rolled his eyes and snorted. “Yeah, that’s going to get old

fast. Dude, we’re not little boys anymore. In fact, we’re your bosses
now.”

“You’re pissed.” Simon bobbed his head as if it was no surprise to

him. “I’m sorry, Nigel. I really am.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know how much you love Dorian, and I

get that you were just trying to protect him.”

Gabrielle Evans

“I do, but I love you all like brothers.” The jovial mood

plummeted, and Simon sighed heavily as he slumped down against
the edge of Cedric’s desk. “I don’t know what to say. Yes, he
threatened to hurt Dorian, but he threatened a lot of people.”

“Then why did you help him? Why were you at that house?”

Nigel asked, and thankfully, there was little hostility in his voice.

“I don’t know.” It wasn’t spoken like someone who knew the

answer but was scared or ashamed to admit it. The way Simon said it,
Cedric believed the man literally didn’t know why he’d done what he
had.

“Si, that doesn’t make any sense. You don’t know why you

showed up, invited me inside, and stood by while that homicidal
asshole threatened my life?”

Simon looked him right in the eye and shook his head. “No.”
“You said you did it because he threatened Dorian!” Uh-oh. The

ninja kitty was getting pissed. “And why the hell haven’t I seen you in
the last six weeks? You can talk to Atticus and get a job here, but you
can’t pick up a goddamn phone and make sure I’m okay?”

Oh, this reunion was going south in a big damn hurry. Since

Cedric hadn’t been there and didn’t know the facts about what had
happened, there was no way for him to interject, either. The quicker
Nigel and Simon hashed out their problems, the quicker everyone
could get over it and move on.

“Nigel, you’re being a dick.”
Spinning around with his upper lip curled over his teeth, Nigel

immediately dropped his hostile expression when he spotted his
stepson, Brier Downs, shuffling toward him, relying heavily on his
cane to keep him upright.

Cedric had only met Cayson’s son a few times before. The most

recent being during his eighteenth birthday party that Nigel had
insisted on throwing him. He liked the guy, though. Brier was funny,
smart as hell, and if he had something on his mind, people were likely
to hear about it.

Eight Second Fall

“I’m not being a dick,” Nigel insisted, but his tone had lost most

of its venom. “I’m just trying to understand.”

“Remember when Dad was attacked by those werewolves at

work?”

Cedric nodded along with Nigel though Brier’s question hadn’t

been directed toward him. It wasn’t a night he was likely to forget
anytime soon, though. It was the same night he’d met Cash.

“Remember when he said that none of those werewolves

remembered the attack the next day?”

“Yes.” Nigel looked thoughtful, his head cocked to the side and

his eyebrows drawn together. “What are you trying to say?”

“I think they were drugged, or hypnotized, or something. Dad said

he heard a whistle before they attacked. Then there was another
whistle, and they stopped. What if the same happened to Simon?”

“Wouldn’t he know it?”
“Man, I’m sitting right here, and the answer to your question is,

again, I don’t know. I remember what I did, but I couldn’t tell you
why. When you showed up at the door, I just wanted to tell you to
run. Then when everything was over, I wanted to tell you that I was
glad you were okay, but all that came out was that the douche bag had
threatened Dorian. It was almost like it wasn’t even me saying it.”

“There. See?” Brier dipped his head in Simon’s direction.
“Okay, I can probably buy that,” Nigel conceded before turning

back to Simon. “Where have you been since then, though? Why
hasn’t anyone heard from you except Dorian and Atticus?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Simon arched an eyebrow and

twisted his lips around into a smirk. “I had to go back to Tennessee to
settle some things and pack. I just got back into town yesterday.”

“You still could have called. And why the hell didn’t Dorian say

anything about you leaving town again? I thought you’d been staying
with him this whole time.”

“I asked him not to say anything in case it took longer than I

expected to make it back up here. I wanted to surprise everyone.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Oh, shut up.” Nigel huffed, but his lips twitched like he wanted

to smile. “I hate it when you’re all logical and sense-making.”

“Sense-making?” Cedric threw his head back and laughed. That

was much more like the Nigel he knew and loved. “Okay, now that
we have that mostly settled, can we agree to talk about the rest later?
We really do need to get some work done.”

“You’re right,” Nigel agreed. “I do think we need to talk about

this mind-control thing, but we should probably wait and talk to
everyone at once. I’m sure Salem would have a better idea about
what’s going on than the rest of us.”

“Yeah,” Cedric said warily. He really didn’t want to talk about

anything vampire related at the moment. “How about you show Brier
the ropes out here while I take Simon to the back and hand him over
to the mad scientist?”

“No one is here yet except for us and Atticus,” Brier informed

them, “and Atticus went around the corner to get coffee.”

Cedric sighed and rubbed at his temples. “Okay, then let’s just

start with the order forms. Everyone gather ’round.” He had the
terrible feeling that it was going to be an excruciatingly long day.

Eight Second Fall

Chapter Three

Pacing back and forth in his living room, Cash continuously shot

furtive glances at the clock just over his mantel. There really wasn’t
any need since he’d be able to feel the minute the sun set, but he just
couldn’t help it.

Eight weeks he’d gone without a scrap of news about his mate.

Cayson and Nigel told him to be patient and let Cedric work out his
issues. He’d tried to do what they suggested, but he was losing his
mind. He didn’t want to eat real food. He couldn’t stomach the idea of
taking blood from anyone but his intended.

Through a connection at the local blood bank, he’d been able to

score a couple bags of the liquid crimson he needed to survive. One of
the donors had been a smoker, and he could smell and taste the
tobacco in the blood. It was revolting, but still a better alternative to
going out and biting someone who wasn’t Cedric.

Rarely did he sleep anymore. He wanted to sleep. Fuck, he was so

tired, but he couldn’t take the dreams anymore. Inside those dreams,
he was happier than he’d ever been in his life, but once he woke up,
the pain of being alone was enough to drive him to his knees.

While he slept, when he escaped to a place all his own, Cedric

was there and happy to be with him. When he woke alone, shaking,
and sweating in his bed with no one there beside him, he felt so much
grief it was as if Cedric had died.

That level of hurt made no sense. He didn’t know the shifter well

enough to feel so much for him, and it was making him fucking crazy.
Once he was free to leave the house, he was going to find Cedric and
demand to know what the hell was happening to him.

Gabrielle Evans

Cedric would have already left work, but Cash knew where he

lived. Part of him argued that he was being aggressive to the point of
creepy stalker, but he was done playing games. If his mate didn’t
want him, that was fine, but he wanted to hear the words directly from
the source. Then, he wanted an explanation. He was over the damn
avoidance.

Maybe he should have gotten the hint when Cedric had slammed

the door in his face that night, but it wasn’t good enough. He wanted
to know exactly why he was being pushed away and discarded
without even being given a chance to prove himself.

Another ten minutes passed before he felt the shiver race up his

spine, informing him that the day had finally released its hold on the
world, giving way to the beauty of the moonlit night. He was out the
door before the tingle even stopped.

The drive from Cambridge to the east side of Indianapolis seemed

to pass with unbearable slowness. He had no idea what he was going
to say when he got there, but if he didn’t say it soon he was going to
end up doing something stupid.

Just as he pulled into Cedric’s neighborhood, his phone began to

ring. He almost ignored it, thinking it was probably Ironrock, the
prison he worked at, calling to request his attendance. Well, they
could kiss his ass. Now that his contract had been negated, he didn’t
have to be on call and could refuse to answer the summons if he
wished.

That was another thing he’d have to talk to Cedric about, but they

had a whole boatload of issues to work out before they got to the time
Cash had spent on the wrong side of those prison bars.

Concerned that it could be Cayson, he reluctantly lifted the phone

from the cup holder and checked the display screen. His eyes widened
when he saw his mate’s name appear, followed by his number just
below it. Connecting the call, he was all set to give the guy a piece of
his mind when he heard Cedric panting over the line.

“Cash? Cash, is that you?”

Eight Second Fall

“Cedric, what’s wrong?” Cash pressed down on the accelerator,

rocketing through the neighborhood and barely slowing as he made
the turn onto Cedric’s street. “Where are you?”

“There’s someone here. I can’t see them, but I can hear them.”
“Darlin’, tell me where you are.” Whatever problems they had,

Cedric was his mate, and it was ingrained in him to do whatever it
took to keep the man safe.

“The trees behind my house, the ones near the middle school.”
Cash wouldn’t admit that he’d prowled that small wooded area on

several different occasions in the last few weeks. It definitely gave off
the whole stalker vibe, but he hadn’t once gone near Cedric’s
property. He’d just wanted to make sure his mate was safe.

He also didn’t waste time asking what the hell Cedric was doing

out in the woods after dark. “I’m coming. How close are you to your
house?”

“I can see the field just up ahead. I’m almost through the trees.”
“Run, baby. Just run. I’m coming for you.”
The line went dead as he swerved to a screeching halt in front of

Cedric’s two-story home. Throwing himself out of the vehicle without
even bothering to kill the engine or close his door, he raced around
the side of the house, heading in the direction of the field beyond the
privacy fence.

A loud, bone-chilling scream rent through the night air, stabbing

him right in the heart when he recognized it as Cedric’s. Uncaring as
to who may be watching him, he used his supernatural speed to fly
over the dewy grass in the direction of the scream. Reaching the tree
line within seconds, he stopped abruptly, listening for any sound that
would lead him to the small shifter.

A soft whimper floated to him on the breeze, followed by the

sound of retreating footsteps. As much as he wanted to pursue the
person who’d hurt his mate and rip them inside out, Cedric was his
main concern. The whimper he’d heard was small and weak, barely

Gabrielle Evans

loud enough for him to detect even with his heightened auditory
senses.

Charging into the trees, he didn’t have to travel far before he

found Cedric curled up on his side in the dead leaves that littered the
forest floor. His naked body practically glowed in the moonlight, a
deep contrast to the dark blood that flowed over his neck and down
his back.

“Fucking vampires,” Cash spat as he knelt down beside his mate

and rolled him gently to his back. Yeah, he might be a vampire as
well, but he wasn’t an evil, sadistic bastard like some of his race. No
wonder Cedric hated him if this was the sampling he’d gotten of
Cash’s kind.

Cedric’s breathing was a little erratic, but his pulse was steady.

Though a fair amount of blood covered his smooth skin, the wound on
his neck had already begun to close. What worried Cash the most was
the blood that coated the man’s lips and dripped down his chin. The
implications of what that meant were too much for him to think about
just then, so he pushed it aside as he lifted Cedric into his arms.

Small hands clutched at his shirt, and Cedric’s eyes flew open,

pinning him with their wide, terrified gaze. “He bit me.”

“Yeah, baby, he did. I’ve got you now, though.”
“He…he made me drink his blood.”
Cash kept his expression impassive, but that was exactly what

he’d feared. “I know, Cedric. I know.”

“What does that mean?” His voice trembled right along with the

rest of his body, but he never loosened his hold on Cash’s T-shirt.
“Am I going to be a vampire? Cash, I don’t want to be a vampire!”

“Hush now, darlin’. You’re not going to be a vampire. Everything

is going to be fine.” Gods, everything was far from fine, but he
couldn’t tell Cedric that. Not yet.

Slipping through the gate in his mate’s backyard, Cash closed and

locked it behind him before carrying Cedric across the lawn and up on
the back deck. He paused at the door he assumed led to the kitchen

Eight Second Fall

and debated on what to do next. Cedric hadn’t invited him inside on
his last visit, so he was kind of stuck.

“The door is unlocked,” Cedric mumbled, rubbing his cheek

against Cash’s chest.

The information did little to appease him, but that wasn’t really

the problem. “I can’t go in.”

“Yes, you can. I officially invite you inside.”
Well, that worked. Turning the knob, he pushed the back door

open and stepped over the threshold with Cedric still clutched to him,
supporting him easily with his other arm. Making sure the door was
locked this time, he proceeded to the front door and checked the dead
bolt  on that as well. Confident that the house was as secure as he
could make it for the time being, Cash glanced  down at Cedric and
smiled—even if it was a bit forced. “We need to get you cleaned up,
baby.”

“Do I smell bad?”
“Not bad, but you don’t smell like you.” The guy reeked of blood,

dirt, a faint scent of wet fur, and an overwhelming smell of vampire.
The possessive beast that lurked inside Cash was spitting mad about
the last part.

“I can walk.”
Cash was sure he could, but he didn’t want to let go of him just

yet. Two months he’d spent in agony, starved for the feel of his mate
against him, and he wasn’t willing to give that up after only a few
minutes. Yeah, he was still angry with the guy for the hell he’d put
him through, but it was overshadowed by the primal need to be close
to the one person fate had intended just for him. “Indulge me.”

“Okay.” A small, shy smile was offered, and Cash almost melted

right there on the spot.

He wanted to kick his own ass for the next question from his lips,

but he couldn’t stop himself from asking it. “Why did you call me?”
He was happy that he’d been Cedric’s first choice, but after so long of

Gabrielle Evans

Cedric avoiding him, he just didn’t understand why he’d been called
to the man’s rescue.

“You were the first person I thought of when I heard someone

following me. I know I’ve been a total ass, but after what happened
today, can you really blame me?”

“No, Cedric, I really can’t blame you.” He didn’t have to like it,

but he could understand Cedric’s fear and distrust. There was
something else going on, though, and that’s the part he couldn’t grasp.
“Not all vampires are like that, though. You, my sweet kitten, just
seem to attract trouble.” Cash navigated the stairs with Cedric still
cradled in his arms. “I’m assuming your bedroom is up here.”

“Yeah,” Cedric answered distractedly. His hand lifted to Cash’s

face, and his fingertips skimmed over his cheek, along his jawline,
and back up to flutter under his left eye. “Nigel was right. You look
horrible.”

“Thank you, I guess.” Well, that was exactly what everyone

wanted to hear from their partner, and Cash was just vain enough for
it to sting his ego a bit.

Those big chocolate-brown eyes twinkled, and a ghost of a smile

played over Cedric’s stained lips. “You haven’t been eating right, and
from the bags under your eyes, I’m going to guess you haven’t been
sleeping well, either.” The smile faded, replaced by a look of remorse.
“I know from experience,” he whispered.

Now that Cash knew Cedric wasn’t seriously hurt, he looked the

man over, checking for more than just injuries. His curly, blond hair
floated around his face like a halo, though it was matted with specks
of dirt and blood. His cheekbones seemed more prominent than the
last time Cash had seen him, and purple lines marred the delicate skin
under his eyes, attesting to his lack of sleep.

Cedric had been the one to put the distance between them and

draw the proverbial line in the sand, so why did it look like he’d
suffered just as much as Cash had? “You haven’t been taking care of
yourself.”

Eight Second Fall

“I could say the same for you,” Cedric countered, hissing when

his naked backside met with the counter where Cash set him down in
the private bathroom.

“My mate tossed me aside like an old chicken bone. How exactly

should I feel, Cedric?”

The shifter winced at Cash’s harsh tone and turned his face

away—but not before Cash caught the moisture in his eyes. “I’m
sorry.”

Cash was sorry, too, but not enough for him to take back what

he’d said. In fact, he was growing angrier by the second. Cedric had
called all the shots since they’d met. More than just keep Cash at
arm’s length, he’d basically shoved him off the planet.

After all of that, he’d called, desperate for Cash’s help when he

had a number of friends who would have willingly come to his aid.
Then he’d put the nice cherry on top of everything by acting as
though the last eight weeks hadn’t happened at all.

Cash didn’t want a fucking apology. He wanted an explanation.
Afraid of what he would say if he opened his mouth, he pressed

his lips together and shook his head as he turned to start the shower.
Cedric seemed steady on his feet. If he wasn’t stable enough to stand
for the length of time it would take to bathe, then he should probably
speak up.

“Cash.”
“The water’s warm.”
“Cash, look at me, please.”
“I’ll just give you some privacy.”
“Damn it, Cash, just look at me!”
“No,” Cash growled, gripping the doorknob so hard that it bent in

his grasp. Turning sideways, he looked at Cedric over his shoulder.
Well, glared would probably be a more accurate description. “You
don’t get to make demands anymore. You don’t get to tell me how it’s
going to be. We played by your rules and look where that got us.”

Gabrielle Evans

Instead of shouting, his voice become quieter, colder with each word
he spoke. “I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re finished.”

With that parting statement, he left the room, slamming the door

so hard behind him that it splintered and the walls shook. He was
probably scaring the hell out of his mate, but motherfucker! Cedric
did not get to rub up against him and bat those long lashes at him like
everything was okay.

Moving swiftly before he could change his mind, he flew down

the stairs and right out onto the back deck where he paced the wood
planks. Maybe he should go for a run. He was so furious, and he
needed to find an outlet for his agitation before it exploded into
violence.

He’d rather rip off his own arm and beat himself senseless with it

before he hurt his mate. No matter how close to the surface his rage
boiled, he’d never, ever, lay a hand on Cedric in anger. If he didn’t
find a way to release the pressure building inside of him, however, he
was likely to tear the house apart.

The last time he’d allowed his temper to dictate him, things had

ended very badly for everyone. Part of him wanted to cast blame on
someone—anyone—else, but that still couldn’t erase what he’d done.
He alone was responsible for his actions, and he felt he deserved
every second of the six years he’d spent inside that paranormal prison
in Texas.

Yes, better to find an alternative solution before something awful

happened again.

“Cash?”
Either he’d been pacing longer than he realized or that had been

the fastest shower in the history of indoor plumbing. Cedric’s hair
dripped at the ends, and he was dressed in a pair of black sweatpants
and a worn, blue T-shirt, so Cash was leaning toward the former—
even if he still smelled too much like a vampire who wasn’t Cash.
“Go inside, Cedric. I need you to please go inside.”

Eight Second Fall

“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.” Pulling back his shoulders,

Cedric lifted his head, setting his jaw stubbornly as he crossed his
arms over his lean chest.

“Cedric,” Cash growled. “You’ve spent weeks ignoring me except

for when you invade my dreams. I don’t think a few more minutes
will make any difference to you. Go. Away. Now.”

“No.”
Cash’s fangs shot through his gums, lengthening so fast that it

stung. His hands curled into claws, his fingernails sprouting into long
talons. Every breath was a struggle to pull into his lungs, and his chest
heaved while he snarled menacingly. Sights, sounds, and smells
became sharper, and it was by sheer willpower that he kept his body
from growing and shifting into his true vampire form.

“I’m not asking, Cedric. I’m telling you to take your ass into the

house and stay there.” Cash’s fist came down on the railing, snapping
the wood and sending fragments flying through the air. “Now!” he
roared.

Cedric trembled from head to toe, causing his clothes to vibrate

around him, but he didn’t back down. “No,” he repeated firmly. “You
need to calm down.”

That was the understatement of the century, but Cash couldn’t

even figure out why he was so angry, let alone manage to control it.
When his mate took a step closer to him, Cash retreated until his back
bumped up against the broken railing on the deck. “Stop.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Cash. You’re not going to hurt me.”
“I would never hurt you,” he vowed.
“I know.” Cedric smiled softly, uncrossing his arms and reaching

out for Cash’s hand. “Come inside. We’ll talk, and I promise to
explain everything.”

Cash stared at the hand coming toward him as though it was an

alien object. Everything out of Cedric’s mouth, every move he made,
confused the hell out of him. He’d said he wasn’t afraid, but he was

Gabrielle Evans

obviously lying. So why was he still standing there, trying to coax
Cash inside?

Then their hands touched, Cedric’s slender fingers brushing over

the back of Cash’s hand in a gentle caress. “Please, Cash. I’m so
sorry, but I can make this right. Please.” He stepped even closer, his
other palm coming up to rest on Cash’s chest. “Please,” he repeated
for a third time.

Every thread of self-control snapped at once, launching Cash

forward like a bungee cord. In half a heartbeat, he had Cedric lifted
off his feet with his back pinned to the side of the house, their faces
only centimeters apart. “Are you afraid now, darlin’?”

“No,” Cedric answered in a shaky whisper. “You can’t scare me

away, Cash, not like this.”

Wrapping his much larger hand around both of Cedric’s wrists,

Cash jerked the man’s arms over his head and pinned them to the
beige-colored siding. “Don’t be so sure about that, Cedric.”

“I’m not afraid,” Cedric growled stubbornly, making no move to

free himself from Cash’s clutches.

Cash growled right back, the vampiric part of his nature angry at

Cedric’s lack of respect and submission. Still, the hold he kept on his
mate was firm but gentle, not restrictive enough to cause him even the
faintest bruise.

“You’re cute when you pout.”
Pout? He was not fucking pouting!
Before he could deny the claim, though, Cedric jerked out of the

grip he held on his hands, wrapped his arms around Cash’s neck, and
slammed their mouths together in a kiss explosive enough to rival a
supernova.

Eight Second Fall

Chapter Four

His brain screamed at him, demanding to know just what the hell

he thought he was doing. This was bad! It had to stop! He should not
be kissing Cash Gavin as if the man was the very air he breathed and
Cedric would suffocate without him.

That’s how he felt, though. His body was engulfed in flames of

desire, reaching higher and higher with each hungry swirl of Cash’s
tongue inside his mouth. Those big, strong hands that had pinned him
so easily to the house roamed Cedric’s body in barely-there touches
that left him aching for more. It was the first measure of warmth
Cedric had felt in weeks, and he couldn’t stop himself from wanting
more.

His dick throbbed painfully where it was trapped between their

bodies, rubbing against Cash’s abs as he humped against him in a
silent plea. He didn’t know what he was begging for, didn’t have a
clue what he was doing. His body had taken over, moving on instinct
rather than conscious decision on his part.

Want, want, want! His inner beast had gone into override, just

dragging him along for the ride. His cat knew what it wanted, wasn’t
shy about getting it, and was prepared to fight Cedric to have it. Right
then, his cat wanted Cash, and if Cedric wasn’t on board with the
plan, he damn well better get with the program.

“Mine, mine, mine,” he chanted in a guttural tone that he didn’t

recognize as his own. Gods, he didn’t even know he was capable of
making such a sound.

“Mine,” Cash agreed, growling as he applied pressure against

Cedric’s chin to open his mouth for deeper exploration.

Gabrielle Evans

There was a reason he should be resisting, a reason he’d been

going out of his way to avoid Cash for several weeks now. He needed
to say no, needed to stop this before it went any farther. They
shouldn’t—couldn’t—be doing this.

None of that mattered just then, though. Whatever his reason for

wanting to keep his distance, it paled in comparison to how much he
needed to be closer. Part of him shied away at how bold and forward
he was acting, but the beast inside of him wouldn’t be deterred.

Locking his ankles behind his mate’s back, he tore at Cash’s shirt,

desperate to feel the warmth of all that creamy skin. “I can’t stop.” It
was less of a warning and more of a plea for Cash to save him
because he was no longer in control of his body. The last thing he
wanted was for either of them to end up hurt—even accidently.

Then their mouths crashed together again, and the only thing he

could concentrate on wanting was Cash. As though an invisible force
guided his movements, Cedric insinuated a hand between their
tightly-pressed bodies and cupped the impressive bulge trapped
behind the vampire’s zipper.

A slow squeeze of his fingers as he plunged his tongue into

Cash’s mouth once again was all it took to send his mate tumbling
over the edge. The man shuddered hard, and a low groan poured into
Cedric’s mouth. In the next moment, a firestorm washed over Cedric
as though the sun itself had exploded inside of his chest. It wasn’t an
orgasm, but the feeling of euphoria was just as intense.

His nirvana was short-lived, however, when Cash jerked away,

gasping and panting, but not in the usual way. It was as though an
unseen presence was choking him as he coughed, sputtered, and
clawed at his throat. His eyes went wide, his fangs and claws
retracted, and his skin slowly paled until it was deathly white.

“Oh, no.” Cedric shoved and fought until his mate released him.

Falling to the deck and landing on his ass, he didn’t even bother to
stand. He scrambled backward, shaking his head and mewling

Eight Second Fall

pathetically as he stared up at Cash, begging silently for forgiveness,
though he wasn’t completely sure what he’d done wrong.

The instant they were separated, the color returned to the

vampire’s face, and his breathing eased, allowing him to suck in slow,
steady streams of oxygen. He looked a little shaky and very much
confused, but it was the concern in his expression that had Cedric’s
eyes prickling with emotion. Gods, what was happening to him?

He stepped closer, but stopped when Cedric threw his hands up

and screamed at him not to come closer. “You have to leave. I’m so
sorry, Cash. I didn’t mean it. I swear I didn’t mean it.”

“What the hell just happened?”
Pulling his knees to his chest, Cedric wrapped his arms around his

shins and shook his head quickly, looking out over his backyard
instead of at Cash. “This is wrong. I can’t do this. Please, I need you
to…I want…just please leave, Cash.”

“Nice try, darlin’, but I’m not going anywhere until I get some

answers. You’re pretty damn demanding without giving much in
return. Come inside and give me that explanation you were talkin’
about.” Heedless of Cedric’s desperate attempts to keep distance
between them, Cash marched right over and crouched in front of him.
“Whatever’s going on, you don’t have to be alone, Cedric. You do
have to give me something to go on, though.”

“I can’t. Please, Cash. I’m sorry I called you. Go home, forget

about me, and find someone who can love you.” His stomach rolled
uncomfortably at the thought of his mate being in the arms of
someone else, but it was the right thing to do.

Cash eyed him for a moment longer before nodding in finality.

Though it was what he’d just asked for, the easy acquiescence felt like
a punch to the gut, and bile rose up in his throat. It’s for the best. No
matter how many times he repeated the litany inside his head, it did
little to chase away the cold that settled over him once more.

Even as he fought to push the man away, there was another part of

him that wanted to reel Cash in, make him angry, make him hurt. He

Gabrielle Evans

wanted to push, poke, and instigate until his mate exploded into a
maelstrom of violent emotion.

What the hell? Cash was his mate, a gift from the fates. How

could he even contemplate something like that? It wasn’t just the
vampire, either. There were times when he’d wanted to do the same to
his friends—or even random people at the supermarket. It was never
malicious in intent, however, but like he needed them to feel
something so he, in return, could feel.

It made absolutely no sense, and frankly, just scared the hell out

of him. What if one day he wasn’t able to control it? He wasn’t a very
big guy, had no illusions that he’d come out on the winning end of a
fight. Never in his life had he been confrontational. The mere idea of
picking a fight left him feeling nauseous, so why was he acting like
such a dick?

Sometime during his obsessive inner monologue, Cash had moved

closer to him. Instead of leaving like Cedric had begged him to do, the
man scooped him into his arms, stood, and marched inside with
purposeful strides.

It was apparently the night for surprises, because Cedric didn’t

struggle or try to push the man away, but quite the opposite actually.
He clung to him as though Cash was his only lifeline to a world that
made no sense to him anymore.

Once they were inside and settled on the sofa with Cedric perched

securely in Cash’s lap, his mate hugged him tightly and caressed the
hair that curled at the nape of his neck. “Are you gonna tell me what
has you so tangled up?”

Where did he even start?
“How about you start by telling me why you were out in the

woods tonight,” Cash suggested as if reading his mind.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. He had no recollection of

going out into the trees, what he was doing there, or really anything
leading up to that point.

“Why were you naked?”

Eight Second Fall

“I don’t remember. I think I was trying to shift, but I’m not sure.”
“Where are your clothes? Your phone? You had to have had your

cell phone if you called me.” Cash was just trying to understand, but
Cedric couldn’t remember anything between the time he left work and
when Cash had carried him out of the woods.

“I’m sorry, Cash. I honestly don’t know.”
“It’s okay, Cedric. I believe you. Let’s try something else, okay?

Why haven’t you called me?”

“Because you make me nervous. You’ll figure out my secrets.”
Cash didn’t seem upset or even concerned about that bit of

information. “And what secrets do you have, Cedric?” He spoke
calmly, nothing more than a curious lilt to his tone.

“I don’t know.” Crap, why couldn’t he think? Everything felt so

fuzzy and mushy inside his brain. It was almost as if whole pieces of
his life were missing—big, black, gaping spots in his memory.

“There seems to be an awful lot that you don’t know.”
“Mm-hmm.” What else was he supposed to say? That just about

covered it.

“I have an idea. Do you trust me?”
Did he? Cash made him nervous. He was bad for him. Those same

words played over and over in his head, but he didn’t feel nervous.
His thoughts didn’t match his emotions at all. So, why couldn’t he get
through the mental block screaming at him that he couldn’t let Cash
get close to him?

“I don’t know,” he finally answered. Oh, that was so damn lame.

Cash was right. Cedric really didn’t know anything anymore.

Cash chuckled under his breath and moved Cedric off his lap

before slipping onto the floor to kneel in front of him. “Just relax. I’m
going to make everything okay.”

“You will?” Could Cash really do that? Cedric wanted it to be

true, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical. “What are you going
to do?”

Gabrielle Evans

“Shh. Just be quiet for a minute.” Sitting back on his heels, Cash

rested his hands on his thighs and closed his eyes.

Cedric didn’t have any clue what the man was doing, nor did he

see how this was supposed to help him at all. If anything, he was
feeling worse. There was a disconnection between him and Cash now.
The thin, metaphysical thread that linked them together faded until he
couldn’t feel it all, and suddenly the temperature in the room became
utterly frigid.

It wasn’t the first time he’d felt the icy temperatures, but he still

hadn’t become accustomed to it. His body shook violently, his teeth
clacked together, and plumes of vapor puffed from between his lips.
“S–Stop,” he stuttered.

“Okay, okay,” Cash said soothingly, opening his eyes and rubbing

his hands up and down Cedric’s thighs. “One more thing, and then we
can stop. I just want to try one more thing.” He kept his hands on
Cedric’s legs but closed his eyes again.

Within seconds, his shoulders began to rise and fall rapidly, low

growls rumbled in his chest, and his nostrils flared as though he was
extremely upset about something. The arctic air vanished, Cedric’s
trembling subsided, and heat filled his body from the inside out until
sweat beaded across his forehead.

“Damn, it’s hot in here.”
Taking several deep breaths, Cash visibly calmed and relaxed

before opening his eyes once more. “We need to talk to Salem.”

“Why? What’s going on? Cash, what’s happening to me?” Now

that Cash wasn’t doing that weird breathing-grunting thing, Cedric’s
body temperature had receded to a more neutral level. The shaking
returned, but not because of the cold this time. No, he wasn’t freezing,
but he was scared out of his fucking mind. “Please, tell me what you
know, Cash. What’s wrong with me?”

“Do you feel depressed when you’re alone? I know you’re always

cold, because it’s like a damn furnace in here.” Cash wiped at his

Eight Second Fall

brow, and Cedric only then realized that the vampire’s skin was
flushed, and he was sweating profusely.

It wasn’t unusual for him to keep the thermostat set around eighty-

five degrees these days, but it still wasn’t enough to chase away the
cold. What Cash described was exactly how he felt. “Yes,” he
whispered. “I’m pretty good while I’m at work, but once I leave, I
feel…hopeless. Sundays are the worst.”

Until Cash pointed it out, he hadn’t made the correlation between

being alone and his downward shift in mood. That still didn’t explain
why it was happening to him, though. “Please tell me what you know.
I can’t take this crap anymore.”

There was so much concern and sympathy in Cash’s gaze that

Cedric wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. Was it that bad?
Was he going to die? Had something really horrible happened to him
without him knowing it? Nothing made sense to him.

“Cedric,” Cash began slowly.
“No, don’t do that. Don’t try to protect me. I need answers, not

pity!”

“You’re transitioning.”
“No, I’m not.” Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d

shifted. He’d tried a couple of times, but it was so uncomfortable that
he couldn’t complete the change. Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t
have control over his body. It was very much a conscious decision
when he decided to unleash his cat.

“I don’t mean you’re shifting into your animal. Darlin’.” Cash

stopped speaking and growled as he shoved his fingers through his
dark hair. “You’re becomin’ a vampire.”

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Five

Cedric’s fingers went to his lips, and he shook his head in

defiance. “No. You said that I wouldn’t turn from drinking vampire
blood. That’s what you said.”

“And I wasn’t lying.” The situation was beyond Cash’s ability to

deal with. He didn’t know when or where his mate had come in
contact with a Psychi, but he had a feeling it had been the same night
he’d met the man. Was that the screaming he’d heard when he’d left
Cedric that night?

The sound had been awful, bloodcurdling, and loud enough to be

heard clear down the street over the roar of his engine and the blaring
of the speakers inside his SUV. Just remembering that awful screech
was enough to make him shiver in combination of fear and anger.

“Then how?” Cedric demanded. “You’re not making any sense.”
“You’ve been feeling this way for weeks, right?” And unless he

figured out how to control his mood swings, it was only going to get
worse.

“Well…yes.” Poor Cedric was wound so tight, Cash could

practically hear his bones rubbing together.

He could only imagine how terrifying it must be for the guy to

feel like he had no control over his emotions. From what he
understood, it was a roller-coaster ride for the first few months until
newly turned vampires learned their triggers and became accustomed
to their bodies’ signals.

As a born vampire, a Strix, there was a lot Cash didn’t know about

what was happening to his mate. His only association with a turned
vampire was the one inmate he’d shared a cell with in Conroe, Texas.

Eight Second Fall

With no one to teach him about his new nature, the guy had spiraled
out of control until the International Paranormal Corrections division
of their governing body had caught up with him and thrown his ass
behind bars. Cash refused to let that happen to Cedric.

“Cedric, I know you’re scared, but we really do need to call

Salem. He’ll know more about this than I do.” Rising up from the
floor, Cash sat beside Cedric on the sofa and brushed his blond curls
back from his face. “Atty will come with him, ya know. We can call
your other friends as well. Won’t that make you feel better?”

“I’m not a child,” Cedric snapped at him. “Don’t talk to me like I

am.” His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he
inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry.”

“I want to help, darlin’, but you’re gonna have to trust me.” Cash

knew it was asking a lot, especially since they barely knew each
other, but it was already a delicate situation. If Cedric continued to
fight him every step of the way, they weren’t going to accomplish
anything.

“I want to trust you, but you’re not making sense.” Cedric pushed

up a little straighter and pulled his knees up to his chest, clearly
drawing the boundaries between them. “I don’t want to suck your
blood or whatever. The sunlight doesn’t bother me. How can I be a
vampire?”

How indeed. Cash was no good at explaining things like this.

More likely than not, he’d get all tongue-tied, leave out parts, and just
end up confusing Cedric more than he already was. “I’ll tell ya some,
but I don’t know it all. I’m thinkin’ it’s best if we call in the big guy.
Salem’s older, and he’ll know a whole hell of a lot more than I will.”

Cedric considered his offer for a long time before he finally let out

a long sigh and nodded. “Okay, but I want some answers while we’re
waiting.”

“Fair ’nough.”
“And I guess tell the others to come, too.”

Gabrielle Evans

Cash smiled gently as he leaned back on the sofa to dig in his

pocket for his cell phone. It still amazed him that he was on a first-
name basis with the king of his race, but Salem was an easy man to
like. He really cared about people, and he’d do anything in his power
to help someone in need. Well, Cedric—and by extension Cash—was
in definite need of some help.

“Yep,” Salem answered on the second ring, causing Cash to snort

at the informal greeting.

“Could you and your mate come to Cedric’s house?”
“What’s wrong with Cedric?” The guy was so damn intuitive.
Cash glanced to Cedric, unsure of how much he should say over

the line. With a huff, Cedric rolled his eyes and held his hand out,
silently demanding Cash give him the phone. Once he had it, he
pressed the receiver to his ear and huffed again.

“Salem, I’m a vampire. Well, that’s what Cash says anyway. I

don’t know what’s going on, but if you’ve got some answers, I’d be
happy to hear them.” Then he hung up and tossed the phone back to
Cash. “They’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

“So, what would ya like to know?” Cash wanted to reach out and

touch his mate, pull Cedric into his lap and kiss the breath out of him.
Unsure if his advances would be welcome, he did none of those
things. Whatever came next would have to be completely up to
Cedric.

“If I’m really a vampire, how come I can walk in the sunlight and

you can’t?”

“Well, the first thing you need to know is that a vampire ain’t just

a vampire.” Cash stopped in his explanation and stared at Cedric in
shock when the shifter began to giggle. “You wanna share the secret,
darlin’?”

To his astonishment, this just seemed to make Cedric laugh

harder. Gods, he had a great laugh, too. “I like the way you talk,”
Cedric said through his chuckles.

Eight Second Fall

Ah, well that made sense. He was born and raised in Texas and

only recently a transplant to Indiana. It wasn’t uncommon for people
to comment on his accent. “Well, I like the way you laugh.”

Cedric beamed from ear to ear and moved closer until he was

pressed against Cash’s side. “Is this okay?”

“Well, it’s almost perfect.”
“Almost?” Tilting his head back on his shoulders, Cedric stared

up at him curiously.

Arching his hips, Cash grimaced as he pulled at the stained denim

near his groin. The orgasm he’d had out on the deck had been mind-
blowing, but he was certainly uncomfortable now with the cold,
sticky mess in his boxers.

“Oh,” Cedric breathed, slapping a hand over his mouth when he

started to laugh again. “Oops.”

“Oops? Is that all you have to say? This is your fault, ya little

brat.” This happy, adorable Cedric was addicting, and Cash decided
he’d do anything to keep that smile on his mate’s face.

“I think I have a pair of Dorian’s sweats in the laundry room.

They’d probably fit you.”

Before Cash could get worked up or jealous about why Dorian’s

clothes were in Cedric’s house and departed from his body, Cedric
popped up from the couch and jogged out of the room in the direction
of the kitchen. He was back just seconds later, brandishing a pair of
black sweatpants.

“There’s a bathroom just on the other side of the staircase if you

want to clean up some.”

Biting back the question on the tip of his tongue, Cash thanked

Cedric for the clean clothes and disappeared to the bathroom to
change. He’d only met Dorian once. He also knew that Cedric was
very close to all of his friends—like family. Yes, they were like
family. There was nothing sexual going on between Cedric and
Dorian.

Gabrielle Evans

Cleaned and changed, he removed his shirt since the dark-green

button-down looked ridiculous with the sweats. Then he folded
everything and exited the bathroom, hoping Cedric wouldn’t think he
was trying to get frisky by emerging only half-dressed.

“Oh, wow.” Cedric’s eyes widened when he noticed Cash, and his

soft, pink tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Uh…you can…um…oh,
wow.”

As far as compliments went, Cash figured that was a pretty damn

good one. “Is there somewhere I can put these for now?”

Cedric’s eyes raked over him like a physical touch, and all the

blood in Cash’s body headed south to pool in his groin from the
heated stare. “Just set them on the stairs,” Cedric finally answered.
“I’ll wash them after everyone leaves.”

Doing as he was told, Cash turned back toward the living room

just in time to catch Cedric when the man launched himself into his
arms. One dainty hand roamed his shoulders and chest while the other
fisted in his hair, holding him still so that his mate could claim his
mouth in a demanding kiss.

Stunned from the suddenness of the attack, Cash didn’t respond at

first, earning him an annoyed growl from the shifter in his arms.
Could he even still consider Cedric a shifter? It was too strange to
think of him as a vampire, though. So, what did that leave?

Cedric nipped at his lower lip in what felt like reprimand, but it

did the trick to snap Cash into the moment. Mate. That was the only
word he needed to describe the man. Keeping a firm hold around
Cedric’s waist, he cradled one delicate cheek in his other hand as he
deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue inside the moist depths of that
delectable mouth and exploring every inch.

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Cedric mumbled against his lips.

“But I want to do it over and over again.”

That sounded just fine to Cash. It didn’t matter how much or how

little experience Cedric had. Cash would eagerly take the reins and
lead that horse to water.

Eight Second Fall

The sound of the doorbell cooled his ardor in a hurry and brought

reason rushing back to his lust-hazed brain. It wasn’t just that Cedric
didn’t know what he was doing sexually. Something beyond his
control drove him, made him act in a way that wasn’t usual or
characteristic for him.

Besides that, Cash was feeling a little out of breath and light-

headed—and not in the usual way, either. It was like Cedric was
sucking the very life out of him. His heartbeat slowed. No matter how
quickly he breathed, he couldn’t pull enough air into his lungs.
Exhaustion like he’d never felt before threatened to overwhelm him,
but the bone-numbing cold was the absolute worst. It was almost like
being a walking corpse—or what he’d imagine one to feel like.

He couldn’t not touch his mate, though, so they needed to find a

solution to the problem quick, fast, and in a hurry.

“You need to get the door.”
“No,” Cedric growled, chasing his lips when he pulled away.

“Tell them to leave.”

Grabbing his mate’s chin, he forced the man to hold still and look

at him. “Baby, listen to me. Salem’s here to help. You want some
answers, right?”

The fire slowly faded from Cedric’s eyes, and he blinked several

times before bobbing his head and wiggling out of Cash’s arms. “I’m
sorry that I keep attacking you.” His cheeks flushed, the pink working
its way up to the tips of his ears. “I’m really not this aggressive, I
swear.”

“Ced, it’s fucking cold out here!” Salem called from the outside of

the front door.

“Oops.” Cedric blushed even deeper as he darted across the room

to invite his guests inside. “Please, come in.”

“Did we interrupt something?” Atticus grinned teasingly as he

surveyed Cedric’s swollen lips and Cash’s naked torso.

“Don’t be an ass,” Nigel scolded as he walked right in through the

front door like he owned the place. His hand lifted, popping Atticus in

Gabrielle Evans

the back of the head as he passed by on his way to hug Cedric.
“Everything is going to be okay, Cedric. We’ll figure out what’s
going on.”

“Thank you.” After releasing his friend, Cedric looked toward the

door and chuckled. “Sorry, Cayson. Come on inside.”

“Damn, it’s sweltering in here,” Cayson groused as he stepped

inside and closed the door behind him.

“Sweltering?” Bumping his shoulder against Cayson’s, Salem

laughed and shook his head. “Is that your word of the day?”

“Shut up, asshole.” Cayson shoved the vampire away and turned

his attention to Cash. “Dude, did you lose a bet? Where are your
clothes?”

“Shut up, asshole,” Cash responded, tossing Cayson’s words back

at him with a smile.

Considering the reason they were all gathered there, the

atmosphere was oddly jovial. Maybe that was the point—to keep
Cedric from freaking out about everything. His friends obviously
knew him much better than Cash did, so for now, he’d follow their
lead.

He knew he’d made the right choice when Atticus looked over at

him and dipped his head just fractionally, telling him without words
that they were there to take care of Cedric and surround him with
support. But would it be enough? Cedric seemed fine now, but how
much longer before the truth sank in and he self-destructed?

There was a perfunctory knock at the front door before it opened,

and the rest of Cedric’s friends filed inside. “Come in,” Cedric said
casually to the stranger standing at the threshold.

Cash had never seen the man before, but he seemed well-known

by the rest of the group. How much had he missed in the time he’d
spent away from his mate? How much of this drama could they have
avoided if he’d ignored everyone’s well-intended advice and followed
his own instincts? Cedric had refused to answer his phone calls, but
he could have shown up on the guy’s doorstep much sooner than he

Eight Second Fall

had. That last thought brought a swarm of guilt—guilt that he hadn’t
protected Cedric when he’d needed it the most.

“Cash, this is Dorian’s brother, Simon.” Cedric waved his hand

between them by way of introduction. “I think everyone else knows
each other, so can we please skip to the part where vampires ain’t just
vampires, but I am a vampire?”

He tried. Oh, mercy, he tried like hell not to laugh. But little snorts

became snickers, snickers became chuckles, and before Cash could
stop it, he was clutching his side and roaring with unrestrained
laughter. Since no one else in the room had been there for his and
Cedric’s conversation earlier, they all just looked at him like he’d lost
his mind.

Cedric got it, though. The little imp smirked at him, and there was

a mischievous light in his eyes that Cash couldn’t miss, even from
across the room. It was good to see him happy, but the breakdown
was coming. Cash would put it off forever if he could, but since that
wasn’t possible, perhaps it would be best to just get it over with—like
ripping off a bandage.

All the men found their seats, and Cash was surprised but pleased

when Cedric motioned him over, patting the cushion between his
thighs. Settling himself on the floor with his back to the sofa, Cash
sighed in contentment with Cedric’s fingers began combing through
his long hair. Whatever issues stood between him and his mate,
attraction certainly wasn’t one of them.

“Well, I’m not sure if I would have phrased it that way,” Salem

began, “but you’re right. There are different types of vampires.”

“And why am I just now learning this?” Atticus demanded.

“We’ve been mated for months now!”

Salem shrugged and kissed his mate on the temple. “It never came

up.”  Atticus rolled his eyes but was ignored as Salem returned his
attention to Cedric. “There are Strix  vampires like me who feed on
blood. It’s how we survive. Strix  vampires are born. There are even
half-breed Strix, but we can’t turn people.”

Gabrielle Evans

“See? Then I can’t be a vampire,” Cedric said confidently.
Cash rubbed his mate’s ankle with the pad of his thumb. “Let him

finish, baby.”

“There are also Psychi, or soul, vampires who feed on the energy

created by strong emotions. They’re much, much rarer than Strix.
Psychi vampires can turn humans, shifters, werewolves, or whatever.
I didn’t realize that a paranormal can only have one supernatural
ability at a time until I met Atty, though.”

“I thought you said you know a guy. How could you not know the

rules?” Atticus demanded.

“He would never tell me, and until you came into my life, I never

had a reason to care much about the logistics of it.” Proving once
again that he wasn’t some arrogant, power-hungry jerk, Salem
sounded completely unconcerned about his lack of knowledge. If
Cash were to ask him, he was almost positive the king would tell him
there were a great number of things he didn’t know.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Cedric sat up straighter on the sofa and waved

his hands around to get everyone’s attention. “I can’t be a vampire.”
There was a slightly hysterical note to his voice now, as though he
wasn’t quite sure of that denial any longer. “You just said that
paranormals can be only one species at a time. My ocelot isn’t gone. I
can still feel him.”

“Are you sure?” Nigel took Cedric’s hand and patted the top of it.

“Honey, when is the last time you shifted?”

“Not for a while. It hurts me,” Cedric confessed quietly. “I know

he’s still there, though.” Those slender fingers slid into Cash’s hair
again and began massaging his scalp. “My cat wants Cash. I’ve been
fighting him for weeks.”

“If you want to be with your mate, why would you be fighting

against that?”

Yes, Cash would like to know the same thing, though it did make

him feel marginally better to know that Cedric didn’t despise him.
Just as soon as he’d had the thought, the answer came chasing right

Eight Second Fall

on its heels, however. “Cedric was bitten tonight.” He spoke directly
to Salem, the only other vampire in the room. “There was blood on
his lips when I found him.”

“Fuck,” Salem groaned as his head dropped so that his chin rested

on his chest. “This just keeps getting better.”

“What does that mean? Why is that bad?” Cedric’s fingers stilled,

and his thighs tightened around Cash’s shoulders. “Someone tell me
what the hell is going on.”

“The one thing Strix and Psychi vampires have in common is the

ability of mind control.” Pausing in his explanation, Salem shot his
mate a glare when Atticus gasped. “I’ve never, and I would never do
that to you, so don’t even start.”

“It’s not like in the movies,” Cash said, picking up the storyline.

“You have to be given the blood of a vampire before he or she can
compel you.”

“I…I…how do I make it stop?”
“The compulsion will wear off once the blood is out of your

system.” There was no way to know exactly how much blood Cedric
had ingested out in the woods, but Cash didn’t think it was much
considering how quickly he’d gotten there. “As long as you aren’t fed
more blood, you should be good in about forty-eight hours.”

“So, some bloodsucker has been breaking into Ced’s house and

feeding him vampire blood then fucking with his brain for almost two
months?” Dorian was on his feet and growling like a feral animal by
the time he finished speaking.

Cash couldn’t blame him, though. Hell, he wasn’t even offended

by the derogatory jab at his race. “It won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t. Cedric, you’re coming home with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Dorian, so sit down and stop

barking at everyone.” There was a long, heavy sigh, and Cedric’s
arms slipped around Cash’s neck. “Hopefully, Cash will help me.”

Turning around and pushing up on his knees, Cash grabbed the

shifter’s face in both hands and pressed their lips together tenderly.

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“Whatever you want. We can stay here, but it would probably be safer
at my place since the vampire has been invited into your house.”

“Take the rest of the week off to figure out what you want to do

and get settled,” Cayson ordered. Cash realized there were certainly
perks to having a friend as his boss.

“Same for you, Cedric,” Atticus said sternly. “Take the week off,

but we’ll all be here if you need us. Okay?”

“And I’ll try to get in touch with Edan,” Salem offered. “I’m sorry

I don’t have all of the answers for you, but Edan is a good guy. I trust
him to help you.”

Cash didn’t know who to trust anymore. Until he had some

answers that satisfied him, no one was getting to Cedric unless they
went through him first.

“You know this is likely connected to everything else that has

been happening.”

No, it hadn’t escaped Cash’s notice. He just didn’t know how any

of the events were connected, or what to do about it. Just then, he
didn’t rightly give a damn, either. His main concern was keeping
Cedric safe.

Before he could open his mouth to say just that, Cedric went stiff,

his eyes rolled back in his head, and a loud, catlike scream burst
through his lips.

Eight Second Fall

Chapter Six

“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here?” Cedric dropped

his bag beside the front door and crossed the room to flop down on
Cash’s brown, suede sofa. He knew the guy was worried about him,
but he honestly didn’t know what to say to soothe him.

Everyone had completely freaked out when his cat had started

screaming, but he couldn’t remember any of it. It took nearly an hour
for him to assure his friends that he was fine before they all finally
went back to their homes, leaving him in Cash’s care.

There was still a lot he didn’t understand, but he did get that it

wasn’t safe for him inside his own home anymore. So, with a bit of
reluctance, he’d finally agreed to stay with Cash at his place until
Salem could get in touch with his friend, Edan.

“I’ve got no ax to grind with you bein’ in my home.”
Cedric worked the statement over in his head a couple of times

before finally giving up, cocking his head to the side, and staring up at
his mate in blatant confusion. “Huh?”

“No, I don’t mind you stayin’ here,” Cash answered with a

chuckle. “We need to teach you the fine art of Southern phrasing,
baby.”

He didn’t know about all of that, but he did like the way Cash

spoke. That Texas drawl was beyond delicious, and while he didn’t
always understand what the vampire was saying, it usually made him
giggle. Gods, the man was just too yummy for his own good.

“So, if I understood correctly, you and Salem think that I was

compelled to stay away from you?” As much as he hated the idea of
someone messing around with his brain, it made a lot of sense. The

Gabrielle Evans

time they’d spent apart had been miserable for him. Every single day
they were apart he fought against the desire to pick up the phone and
call Cash. There just hadn’t been a good excuse as to why he was
fighting it so hard.

“Well, that’s what I’m hopin’, but we won’t know for sure until

the blood is out of your system. Maybe you just don’t like me very
much.”

Cedric snorted and rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not true.” It

did raise yet another question, though. “How was I able to call you?
Why don’t I feel like running away from you right now?”

“I’d guess that’s not what he compelled you to do this time. There

was probably a little residual from the time before that, but I think
you’ve gotten past that.”

Well, Cash still made him nervous, but not in the unidentifiable

way as before. No, he was very aware of where his anxiety was
coming from now. Cash was just freaking gorgeous, and every cell in
Cedric’s body howled to get his hands and mouth on the man.

After what had happened on his deck, however, and the following

scene in his living room, he was a bit reluctant to even breathe in the
vampire’s direction. What if he inadvertently hurt him again? It was
probably best to keep his distance until he learned how to win
whatever battle was raging inside his body.

“I don’t have much to eat around here, so I was fixin’ to go to the

store. You wanna come with me?”

Cedric pressed his lips together firmly to keep from laughing and

bobbed his head.

“What’s so funny now?” Cash demanded, resting his hands on his

hips.

“Well, I don’t know what you’re fixing, but I hope you have the

proper tools for it.” And with that, Cedric dissolved into peals of
laughter. “I’m not making fun of you,” he said through his gasps for
air. “I think it’s great how you talk. What store did you want to go
to?”

Eight Second Fall

“Kroger is the closest, I reckon. That’s where I usually go.”
Oh, if Cash didn’t stop talking, Cedric was going to pass out from

lack of oxygen. The slow, Southern twang was just too damn
adorable. The way the guy said “Kroger” came out more like three
syllables instead of two, and he’d never heard anybody “reckon”
anything. “I’m sorry!” Not only did Cash probably think he’d lost his
mind, but the man had to be offended. Cedric certainly would be.

Cash, however, just shrugged and gave him a sexy half-grin. “I

get it all the time, darlin’. It takes a lot more than that to hurt my
feelings. Hell, that was pretty tame compared to how it was when I
first got here. There’s nothin’ I can do about the accent, but I’ve been
learning how to talk a bit more like a Yankee.”

“Oh?” Cedric’s eyes lit up, and he leaned forward eagerly. “Tell

me something like you would have said it in Texas.”

“Well, right when I was eighteen, I decided I’d been raised up

about as much as I could be. So I had this fallin’ out with my pa when
I told him I aimed to move out directly. Well, he said he was fixin’ to
tan my hide, ’cause he’s needin’ help on the ranch, and I can just get
them kind of sorry idears right outta my noggin.”

Cedric’s mouth fell open, and he wasn’t sure what to say or do.

For once, he understood exactly what Cash was saying. “Did that
really happen? Did you really fight with your dad?”

It was Cash’s turn to laugh as he dropped to the cushions and

wrapped his arm around Cedric’s shoulders to squeeze him tight. “I’m
just messin’ with you, Cedric. I’m positive that was the first time I’ve
ever said ‘idears’ in my life.”

With a huff of disgruntlement, Cedric elbowed his mate in the ribs

and rolled his eyes. “You’re a brat.”

“You started it.”
What were they even talking about? Cash’s sweet scent, the

amazing heat flowing off his body was short-circuiting Cedric’s brain.
His mouth watered, his cock hardened, and his body ignited with the
flames of carnal passion.

Gabrielle Evans

He stared longingly at Cash’s mouth, obsessed with the way the

bottom lip was slightly plumper than the top. So pink, so soft, Cash’s
mouth beckoned to him, and he found himself leaning closer. One
little taste. That’s all he wanted. Surely he could control himself for
just one, little bitty kiss.

Cash must have caught on to his current mood, because the smile

slid from his face, his eyes became heavy-lidded, and he bent slowly,
moving to meet Cedric halfway. Just before their lips met, images of
his mate pale white and gasping for breath assaulted Cedric, smashing
into him like a runaway locomotive.

“So,” he said a bit too loudly, scrambling backward and jumping

up from the sofa. “Are we still going to the market?” Cedric’s cat was
spitting mad at his refusal to give in to its demands, but he just
couldn’t do it.

It hurt him, though. Every time he pulled away from Cash, the

cold invaded his body until his bones ached with it. The sudden drop
in temperature also dragged his mood with it, making him sad and
melancholy for no good reason.

It would hurt a lot more if Cash ended up dead on the rug because

Cedric had accidently drained the life out of him, though. He
imagined that’s just what every guy wanted—a partner he couldn’t
even kiss without dropping like a fruit fly. Go me!

“Cedric, come here.”
“No.” He shook his head firmly and backed away from the

vampire. “We should go.”

“I said come here.”
“I know what you said, but it’s not happening. I can’t remember

why I stayed away from you for all those weeks, but I know why I
have to do it now. I don’t know you that well, but I can tell you’re a
good guy. You’ve been amazing about this entire situation, and I’m
not about to repay you by risking your life. Now, can we please just
go?”

Eight Second Fall

In a move too fast for him to follow, Cash was up out of his seat

and lifting Cedric into his arms. “Tell me one thing,” he whispered,
skimming his nose up the curve of Cedric’s throat. “Do you want
me?”

“Duh.” What a stupid question. “You know I do, but it’s

dangerous.”

“What fun would it be without a little risk?”
Cedric didn’t find that humorous at all. “It’s not like hooking up

in a public bathroom where we run the risk of getting caught. Cash,
you could die!”

“So, you’re never going to kiss me again?” The man arched an

eyebrow at him and smirked, but wouldn’t relinquish his hold. “That
doesn’t sound like any way to live.”

“At least you’d be living,” Cedric mumbled. Why was Cash being

so flippant about this? Didn’t he get it? Didn’t he care?

“Cedric, I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. You

just have to want it bad enough. Now, how bad to you want to kiss
me?”

“You’re awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you? Who said I wanted

to kiss you at all?” This playful banter was nice. He could do this.

“You do.” With one hand firmly on his bottom to keep him held

up, Cash cupped the side of Cedric’s neck and caressed his jaw with
his thumb. “You can control it, baby. I know you can.”

Cedric wasn’t so sure, but he wanted that kiss like people in hell

wanted ice water. “Stop me if I hurt you. Promise me, Cash.”

“You’re not going to hurt me.” His hand slipped down to rest right

over Cedric’s heart. “At the risk of sounding cliché, we’re meant to be
together.”

“Oh, yeah, that was bad.” But he understood what Cash was

trying to say. “Don’t let me screw this up.” Slowly, hesitantly, he
lowered his head until their lips barely brushed together.

Gabrielle Evans

The beast inside him perked up at the contact, scratching and

hissing for more. The languid pace was obviously frustrating it. His
cat wanted Cash naked, prone, and panting beneath them.

Jerking away from his mate’s mouth, Cedric began pushing at his

chest, trying to get free. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry. Please, just let me
go.”

“Take a deep breath,” Cash coaxed. “Tell me what happens when

we kiss.”

Cedric did as instructed, sucking in huge amounts of air and

letting it out slowly. “My cat wants more, and I mean a lot more. I
think…I think he wants to eat you.” It was the weirdest sensation—
like he was hungry and horny at the same time.

“Well, then let’s feed him.” In another lightning-quick move,

Cash had his back to the wall, anchoring him with his larger frame
while his cradled Cedric’s face in both palms. “Everything in
moderation, right?”

The rebuff was on the tip of his tongue, but before he could get it

out, Cash swiped it away with his own tongue. It took only a heartbeat
for the kiss to turn feral, and suddenly, Cedric felt like he was the one
being consumed. The deeper the kiss went the more his cat purred,
loving how much of himself Cash was giving to them.

Not too much. Don’t hurt him. Please, don’t let me hurt him.
And just like that, his beast settled, curling up happily in a corner

and letting him just enjoy kissing the man in his arms. Unfortunately,
Cedric was so shocked by the development that he pulled away and
just stared like an idiot. “I can’t believe that worked. Are you okay?
Did I hurt you?”

Cash chuckled breathlessly and rubbed their noses together. “No,

darlin’. You didn’t hurt me at all. You just have to remember that you
can’t let the tail wag the dog—or cat in your case.”

“I think you’re going to have to explain that one, cowboy,” Cedric

teased, happier than he could remember being since childhood.
Maybe this really could work between them.

Eight Second Fall

“You have to show your cat who’s boss. You control him, not the

other way around.”

It wasn’t quite that easy. He wasn’t even sure what he’d done.

Wrapping both arms around Cash’s neck, Cedric grinned as he
pressed their lips together again. No, he didn’t know how he’d done
it, but just at that moment, he wasn’t going to worry about it.

Apparently, Cash didn’t have any worries, either. One moment

they were pawing at each other against the wall of the living room,
and the next Cash had them flying down the hallway. Thank the gods
his supernatural speed came with super vision, or they probably
would have ended up going through a couple of walls.

Somehow they made it into the bedroom without breaking the kiss

or incurring any bodily harm. The moment Cedric’s back hit the
mattress, an extreme case of cold feet smacked him right in the gut.
What the hell was he doing?

“Whoa, whoa, time out!” As if he’d pressed the pause button on a

remote, everything stopped instantly.

Cash pushed up on his hands, still looming above Cedric, but no

longer pinning him to the bed. “Did I do something wrong?”

Well, he could give some lame excuse to save face, but he wasn’t

really that type of guy. “I’ve never done this before. I want you, but
I’m nervous.” The way he saw it, he wouldn’t be doing either of them
any favors by lying about something so important. His virginal status
didn’t embarrass him, but he was worried about doing the wrong
thing.

Plus, he still wasn’t totally convinced he could control that part of

him that craved the swirling emotions inside his mate. The man had
been so good to him after all the shit he’d pulled. He had the patience
of a saint, had chosen to forgive and forget, even going so far as to
cast blame on someone else for Cedric’s insane behavior. It would
destroy him if something happened to Cash because of him.

“We’ll go slow, baby. I’ll take good care of you.” Cash lowered

over him again, insinuating himself between Cedric’s thighs and

Gabrielle Evans

gripping his hip, kneading the flesh there with his long fingers. “Or
everything stops now.” His soft, moist lips traveled up Cedric’s
throat, all the way to his earlobe. “It’s your choice.”

If not for his little I-want-to-eat-your-soul condition, it would

have been an easy decision to make. He had no reservations about
losing himself in the pleasure Cash was offering him. Maybe he
didn’t know what to do or how to pleasure his partner, but he was a
firm believer in instincts. Still…

“It’s okay to say no.” Cash’s breath over his ear made him shiver,

sending electricity down his spine and straight to his already swollen
cock. “But say no because that’s what you want, not because you’re
worried about hurtin’ me.”

“I do want you,” Cedric admitted shakily. “But—”
He never got to voice his concern, though. Cash’s tongue plunged

into his mouth, stealing his breath and causing a delighted moan to
rise up from his deep in his chest. The ocelot inside him perked up to
take notice at the spike of adrenaline, but he wasn’t fighting Cedric
for dominance. So far so good.

With superhuman speed and agility, Cash had them both divested

of their clothing within seconds and little effort on Cedric’s part. The
first feel of his mate’s warm skin pressed solidly against his own was
an almost religious experience. Their rigid cocks lined up along
Cedric’s stomach, both leaking extraordinary amounts of pre-cum that
provided a smooth glide as Cash humped against him.

His hands were everywhere, petting, stroking, groping, and

driving Cedric out of his mind with need as the pressure built and he
crept closer to the edge of climax. Damn, they’d barely gotten started
and already he was about to erupt like a freaking geyser.

While he was happy to let Cash take control, maybe his lover

wanted a more active partner. That made sense. If the vampire wanted
someone to just lie there and not more, Cedric could hook him up
with their test mannequin, Jack.

Eight Second Fall

Lifting up on his elbows with the intentions of rolling Cash to his

back, Cedric moved a bit too quickly and ended up smacking their
foreheads together. “Oww!” Well, that had been smooth.

Cash barely paid attention, shaking it off quickly and diving back

into the kiss. Assured that he hadn’t screwed everything up, Cedric
tried once again to roll his mate, but this time crushed their mouths
together rather than their heads. The coppery taste of blood trickled
over his tongue, and his bottom lip stung like crazy.

Groaning in defeat, he dropped back to the pillow and threw his

forearm over his eyes. “I quit. I suck at this.”

A warm, slippery tongue licked over his wound, soothing it and

cleaning the blood away. Perks of mating a vampire. The snick of a
bottle cap caught his attention, and he jerked his arm away from his
eyes—only to have his knuckles graze across Cash’s temple, making
him grunt in pain.

“Oh, just fucking shoot me.” He’d never been so clumsy outside

of the bedroom, but he was doing a spectacular job of it now.

Cash chuckled as he urged Cedric’s legs apart and pushed his

knees toward his chest. “Relax, darlin’. Just be still for a while and let
me do the work.”

What choice did he have? Every move he made ended up getting

one or both of them beat up like a punching bag. The movies made it
look so natural, like everyone was born to be a porn star. Cedric
wanted to sue for false advertising, because this was anything but
easy.

A slick finger prodded at his opening, applying steady, gentle

pressure that his virgin hole shied away from instantly. Cash didn’t
stop, though. He simply continued ringing the guarding muscles while
he laved kisses down Cedric’s torso. Then that very talented mouth
captured the head of his cock, surrounding it in the most glorious heat
he’d ever felt.

His hips arched, pushing his throbbing length farther into Cash’s

mouth at the same moment that thick digit pushed into his entrance.

Gabrielle Evans

Oh, sweet baby Jesus, it was too much. Sweat beaded across his body,
his belly tightened, and a barrage of sensations battered against him.

Cash moved his hand and mouth in tandem, dragging his lips up

Cedric’s shaft as his finger plunged into his body. A second finger
was added to his clenching channel, stretching him wider, but Cedric
barely even felt the burn through the overwhelming pleasure.

When yet another finger plunged into his hole, Cedric gritted his

teeth and fisted his hands in the sheets at his sides, trying frantically
to keep his orgasm at bay. Cash wasn’t making it easy on him,
though. In fact, his lover seemed intent on torturing him until he
begged for mercy. If begging was what Cash wanted, Cedric was
more than willing to oblige.

“Please! Oh, fuck, damn. I can’t. I need. Cash!” Okay a bit

incoherent, perhaps, but surely he’d gotten his point across.

Cash’s fingers slipped from his hole, his mouth popped off of

Cedric’s cock, and he chuckled hoarsely. “Tell me what you need,
baby.”

“You. I need you, Cash. Now, stop messing around and just fuck

me.”

“No toppin’ from the bottom, brat.”
“I don’t even know what that means.” He barely knew his own

name in that moment. His entire universe centered around the
beautiful cock jutting from Cash’s groin while his lover stroked the
rigid flesh from base to crown, slicking it with lube.

“Flip over. Hands and knees.”
If Cash had told him to stand on his head and suck his thumb, he’d

have done it happily if it meant the mind-numbing pleasure would
continue. In his eagerness to comply, his inner klutz made another
appearance and his heel connected solidly with Cash’s hipbone.
“Crap, I’m sorry.”

“Shh, it doesn’t matter.” His lover’s arm looped around him, and

his back was covered by Cash’s warm weight. The soft ends of his

Eight Second Fall

black hair tickled over Cedric’s shoulder, and moist breath puffed
against the nape of his neck. “You are so very perfect.”

The spongy tip of Cash’s dick pressed at his hole, and to Cedric’s

surprise, he didn’t tense this time. Instead, he rocked backward,
silently offering his approval and acceptance. He wanted this. His cat
wanted this. And as long as they were on the same page, everything
would be fine.

“Breathe,” Cash whispered into his ear, holding him even closer

as he slowly worked his way inside Cedric’s yielding passage until he
bottomed out.

Surprisingly, the burn was minimal, the fullness felt amazing, and

all Cedric wanted was more. “Move. Please, move.”

Cash’s thrusts were slow and steady, his hips moving in gentle

waves as he allowed Cedric to become accustomed to the invasion.
Raw, animalistic emotions flowed off of him like a tangible force,
blanketing Cedric and warming him from the outside in.

His inner walls contracted around Cash’s thick cock, massaging it

and causing his lover to growl loudly as the rhythm increased. The
faster he moved, the harder he plunged into Cedric’s body, the more
the emotions flowed off of him and into Cedric—feeding him, fueling
him, and increasing the ecstasy he felt.

His lover’s hold on him never loosened, even when the snap of his

hips became untamed and erratic. Cedric’s balls rolled inside his tight
sac, his dick jerked hard, and tiny explosions rocked his body,
sending lights flashing before his eyes.

“Cash!” That was the only warning he could give before rivers of

semen jetted from his slit to splash against the sheets below him.

Luckily, his mate was right there with him, gripping him tighter as

he roared Cedric’s name and filled his depths to overflowing with
scorching wet seed. The strength drained out of Cedric, his arms gave
way, and they both collapsed to the mattress in a damp, sticky,
exhausted heap.

Gabrielle Evans

“Thank you,” Cash mumbled against his neck before peppering

kisses across his shoulders. “Gods, you are amazing.”

Oh, it felt good to be wanted and appreciated so much. “We need

to get cleaned up, but I don’t want to move. How can I feel so alive
yet so tired at the same time?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Apparently Cash was a snuggler after sex. Not that Cedric was

complaining. He felt safe, protected, and utterly content in Cash’s
arms. The ringing phone on the nightstand interrupted their moment,
though. His lover rolled away to answer it but was back almost
immediately, curling himself around Cedric once again.

“Yep…right…got it…yeah, we’ll be here. Thanks.”
“Who was that?” Cedric asked when Cash ended the call.
“Salem.”
“And what did he have to say?”
“Edan Russo will be here at sundown tomorrow.”

Eight Second Fall

Chapter Seven

Edan Russo was not at all what Cash expected. For one thing, the

guy looked barely older than a kid. While born vampires stopped
aging when their bodies stopped growing—near twenty-one for
women and twenty-four for men—Edan didn’t look any older than
eighteen or nineteen.

He dressed simply in dark jeans and a white button-down shirt.

His blond hair flowed over his shoulders and clear down to his hips, a
golden wheat color that shone in the lamp light. His dark gray eyes
held a wisdom that belied his younger looks and was a little
intimidating.

“Gentlemen, thank you for having me in your home.”
Oh, yeah, and he talked funny, too. It was almost like the way

Atticus spoke, but more refined and dignified. Cash wondered exactly
how old the guy was because he talked like he was from a different
era. The slight European accent was kind of hot, though.

A soft smile tilted the corners of Edan’s lips, and his eyes

twinkled with merriment. “I am three thousand and twenty-seven
years old, Mr. Gavin. And thank you, again. It’s been quite some time
since someone found me hot.”

“Cash!” Cedric gasped, smacking him in the arm as he glared.
“What? He is!” He leaned sideways, bumping his shoulder against

his mate’s. “Don’t deny it. I know you have a thing for accents.”

“Shut up,” Cedric grumbled under his breath, but his lips twitched

and his cheeks tinted the barest shade of pink. Clearing his throat, he
sat up a little straighter and folded his hands in his lap. “Thank you
for coming, Mr. Russo.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Please, call me Edan. Salem’s grandfather was one of my closest

friends. I couldn’t say no when he called me. What exactly would you
like to know?”

“Can you read minds?”
“Yes, I can hear others’ thoughts.”
“That is wicked cool. Will I be able to do that now?”
Edan laughed quietly and shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I was

born with that particular gift.”

“Well, do I get any cool abilities?”
“Actually, no. There is a great deal of suffering and no real perks

to becoming a turned vampire. That’s why it happens so rarely.
Usually we only turn our mates, and only if they’re human. Humans
seem to have a much easier time with the transition because they
don’t really have to sacrifice anything.”

“Salem said a person can only be one kind of paranormal at a

time.” Cash sank back into the cushions of the sofa and crossed his
arms over his chest. “Is that true? If a shifter is turned, he can’t shift
anymore?”

“It’s true,” Edan agreed. “It’s like a living game of rock, paper,

scissors where vampire trumps everything else.”

“Why is that?”
“It’s a long story, dating back to the very first vampires.” Edan

took a sip of the water Cedric had brought him and seemed to be
mulling over where to start. “How much do you know about
demons?”

“Nothing,” Cash answered in unison with Cedric.
Edan didn’t seem surprised by the retort as he bobbed his head

and linked his fingers together around one knee. “Demons are not
physical beings but specters, wraiths, ghosts, spirits—however you
wish to classify them.”

“Wait.” Cedric held his hand up and waved it around. “Are you

saying that all vampires are demons? Or were once demons?” He

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didn’t sound upset about the information, just mildly curious. Cash,
however, didn’t like where this was going.

“No, not all vampires. The first vampires came into existence

approximately three thousand years ago at the pinnacle of the war
between the Demoni—the demons—and the Starateli, or guardians.”

“What were they warring over?” Cedric cuddled a little closer to

Cash, but he was obviously fascinated by the history lesson. His eyes
were big and bright, a half smile tilted one corner of his mouth, and
he looked at Edan as though the man was an omniscient being.

Cash was interested as well, but he could care less about all the

mumbo jumbo leading up to their current predicament. He needed
answers in the present, not story time about the past. However, he had
to concede that it was best to know as much about what they were
facing as possible, so he kept his trap shut and waited for their guest
to continue.

“Demons were and are no more than the souls of wicked men,

trapped in limbo and seeking a way back to the world of the living.
The guardians were an insurance policy to make sure that didn’t
happen.”

“But it did happen,” Cash interrupted.
Edan sighed but dipped his head once. “Yes, it did happen. Living

bodies already house a soul, but the Demoni discovered they could
possess recently deceased bodies, bodies separated from their souls,
and reanimate them. Since the body was no longer living, it couldn’t
produce its own blood to function properly, however. That’s why
Strix vampires must imbibe blood from others.”

“Okay, I’m following so far.” Cedric took Cash’s hand and

gripped it tightly.

Cash took a lot of comfort from that small gesture. Edan had just

told them that Strix vampires were from an evil, vile lineage, but
Cedric was essentially letting him know that none of that mattered.
Good thing, too, since he had absolutely no control over what had
happened nearly three millennia ago.

Gabrielle Evans

“What about the guardians? What happened to them?” Cedric

prodded.

“The rules of the war had changed, and the guardians had to

evolve as well. The first Psychi vampires were from a circle of
witches—the same witches who’d pledged their lives to protect
humans against the demons.”

Cash was slowly putting it all together, but it was a lot of

information to digest at once. And none of it explained what was
happening to Cedric. Thinking over the timeline and what he’d
learned in the last twenty minutes, he had come to one suspicion,
however. “Are you one of the original Starateli?”

The other vampire acknowledged him with a simple dip of the

head. “Yes. We used magic, drawing on the power of the sun and the
moon to immortalize ourselves. With all magic there must be a
sacrifice, though.”

“What did you sacrifice?” Cedric asked in a whisper, sounding a

little shaky as though maybe he didn’t really want to know the
answer.

“Our souls. Our bodies are stronger and faster, our senses keener,

but we are still essentially human. This is why we don’t need to feed
on blood. Our bodies function quite normally. Without souls of our
own, Psychi vampires must feed on the energy waves created by
others’ emotions. While most believe strong emotions are a weakness,
I assure you, a person cannot survive without them.”

“My soul?” There was a little catch in Cedric’s voice as he

burrowed into Cash’s side and held on to his shirt in a white-knuckled
grip. “I don’t have my soul anymore?”

“Actually…I think there is something more happening with you,

Mr. Barrows. Salem told me about what happened last night, and the
fact that you claim to still be able to feel the shifter inside of you.”

“I’m not claiming anything,” Cedric snapped. “My cat is there. I

can feel him.”

Eight Second Fall

“Shh, baby. Easy.” Lifting his mate into his lap, Cash wrapped

him up in his arms and held him close, offering comfort in the only
way he knew how. “I don’t think he’s calling you a liar.”

“No, no, of course not!” Edan hurried to assure them, showing the

first sign of emotion since he’d entered the house. “I believe you,
Cedric. I apologize if it didn’t seem that way.”

“I’m sorry, too.” A soft sigh rolled up from Cedric’s chest, the

warm breath fanning over Cash’s collarbone as his lover rubbed his
cheek against Cash’s neck. “I’m a little edgy these days.”

“Considering what you’ve been through, I’d say you’re doing

remarkably well. When this vampire attacked you, was there an
interruption? Did something happen that caused him to leave
quickly?”

“I don’t know. I can’t remember anything.”
“He was given blood,” Cash added in explanation. “We’re hopin’

it will be out of his system by tomorrow or the next day.” He thought
back to the night he’d dropped Cedric off on his doorstep. “I was
leavin’ when I heard the screaming. I came back and pounded on the
door, but it took a while for Cedric to answer. I guess I could have
interrupted.”

“That’s what I’m assuming. The process is not complete. Your

human soul is still very much intact, Cedric. It’s the shifter soul inside
you that is a little more complicated.”

Now Cash was lost again. The races tended not to intermingle

much, so just as Cedric knew little about vampires, Cash knew almost
nothing about shifters. “What does that mean?”

“I technically have two souls,” Cedric answered. “My human soul

and my cat soul. My mom used to say that a cat shifter’s mate would
be the guardian of my cat soul. I don’t really know what that means,
but I always thought it was kind of mystical and cool.”

“Very true,” Edan agreed. “Psychi vampires use the same original

spell to turn another. If that person is another paranormal, we can pull

Gabrielle Evans

that part of their soul into ourselves. For instance, if we turn a shifter,
we can absorb their shifter soul, enabling us to shift into that beast.”

“But, I still have my cat!” Cedric was getting a little frantic, and

Cash couldn’t blame him. It was a lot to take in, and even he was
running on information overload.

“Yes and no.” There was a long pause while Edan seemed to

gather his thoughts. “Since the spell was interrupted, there wasn’t
time for this vampire to take your human soul. I believe he was trying
to absorb your shifter soul first, which is actually beneficial in this
case.” He leaned forward and stared at them very seriously. “Cedric, I
believe your cat is trapped in the In Between.”

* * * *

What the hell did that even mean? Cedric was pretty damn proud

of himself for holding it together as long as he had, but he was
seriously starting to freak out. Some ancient vampire asshole had
broken into his house, attacked him, attempted to steal his soul, and
now his cat was lost somewhere that sounded like the equivalent of
purgatory.

Just fan-fucking-tastic. “Please explain.” There, that was perfectly

polite and not at all bat-shit crazy like he felt.

“It’s just what it sounds like. Your cat is trapped somewhere

between living and dead, its soul lost in the In Between—the realm
between this plane and that of the deceased. Have you tried shifting?”

“Yes, but it felt weird, so I stopped.”
“That’s because you are more or less shifting into nothing. There

is no longer a physical embodiment of your cat. He has become
something like a ghost, more commonly known as a Shadow Cat. If
you push through the uncomfortable feeling of your transformation,
you could still shift, however.”

For some strange reason, this didn’t send him into a panic like it

probably should have. Technically, he still had his cat. It might be a

Eight Second Fall

little strange, but he could shift if he really wanted—into a freaking
ghost cat. How cool was that?

“Is it specific to cat shifters?” Cash asked practically.
“No, no, of course not.” Edan shook his head quickly. “It could be

any type of shifter.”

“Okay, so how do I keep this spirit cat from trying to eat my

mate?” The supernatural and unexplainable had always been a part of
his life. He could handle everything that was happening, would learn
to adapt, but he needed to make sure Cash was safe with him.

“Do you feel sad or especially tired when you’re alone?”
Cash had asked him the same thing, but he’d never explained the

importance of it. “Yes. It’s worse when I’m alone for an extended
period of time, like on the weekends.”

“Your shifter needs to feed on the emotions of others to keep it

strong. When you’re alone, there is obviously no one for it to draw
power from. Most Psychi have a subtle downshift in mood when
they’re alone, but this is a little different. You have been unchanged,
and it is your cat that needs to feed. So when you are by yourself,
your shifter feeds on your emotions, which can be very draining for
you.”

That actually made sense when he stopped to think about it.

“Okay, well how do I control it?”

“There may be a way for you to get back that part of your soul, if

you’re willing.”

“Hell yeah, I’m willing!” Was the guy crazy? Cedric would do

anything for shit to go back to normal.

“You and your mate would both have to be willing, and it will

have to be done on the full moon.”

“If it will help Cedric, I’ll do whatever you say.”
Oh, Cash just said all the right things, and more importantly, it

was apparent that he meant them. “Thank you,” he whispered before
brushing his lips over the vampire’s. “You have been more
understanding and patient than I deserve.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Stop it. None of this is your fault, but it doesn’t hurt to have

backup.” Cash turned his attention to their guest. “When is the next
full moon, and what do I have to do?”

“The full moon is in three weeks. The two of you needed to be

bonded by then. I’ll explain the rest when the time comes.”

Cedric didn’t like the vagueness of that. Or the fact that Cash may

have to claim him against his will before he was ready. “Is there a
time limit on this? Does it have to be this full moon?”

“No.” Edan gave him a knowing look and a soft smile. “As long

as you keep your cat fed and healthy, we can do it any full moon.”

Okay, that was a little better. At least they wouldn’t have to rush

into anything without thinking through all of the ramifications. “So,
what do I do in the meantime?”

“If you keep the beast well fed, give to it freely and often, it will

be less likely to try and overpower you to take what it needs.” A pink
hue crept up Edan’s neck and over his cheeks. “Anger works, but
sexual stimulation is the best way to provide that. If this spirit can
draw on your own desire, it shouldn’t require much from your mate.”

That was all well and good in theory, but Cedric didn’t exactly

walk around in a state of perpetual horniness. When he said so out
loud, though, Cash started laughing so hard that he had trouble pulling
air into his lungs. “Well, I’m glad you find this so funny,” Cedric
grumped, not amused by the man’s unhelpful behavior.

“Oh, darlin’, don’t get your tail in a knot.” Cash chuckled again

and kissed his temple. “I was just thinking this could be a lot of fun. I
have an idea, but I’m going to need to talk to the mad scientist.”

He didn’t know what his mate had planned for him, but if it

involved Thaddeus, that most likely meant big trouble for Cedric—
trouble he eagerly anticipated.

Eight Second Fall

Chapter Eight

The next day, Cedric was feeling infinitely better now that he had

a course of action. No one wanted to be turned into a soul-sucking
vampire against his will, but since that wasn’t technically what he
was, and he had tools to control his cat now, he could manage.

After everything that had happened, he wasn’t stoked about

venturing out on his own, but there were just some things that needed
to be taken care of during the daylight hours. Since Cash would sizzle
like fatback bacon, that meant Cedric was going to have to suck it up,
put on his big-boy panties, and deal with stuff by himself.

His first order of business was cancelling his old cell phone,

reporting it stolen, and getting a new one—along with a new number.
He didn’t know what had happened to his old one, but Cash thought it
might have been taken by the vampire who’d attacked him out in the
woods. It was as good of an explanation as any, and Cedric was
inclined to agree with his lover.

Coming out of the Verizon store, he was so lost in playing with

his new smartphone that he didn’t pay much attention to where he
was going. His forward progress came to an abrupt halt when he
walked right into the guy trying to enter the store.

Embarrassment washed over him, and Cedric stammered for an

apology. Before he could get it through his lips, however, the beast
inside him bared its fangs and hissed menacingly, effectively letting
him know that this stranger was no friend to them.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.” Sidestepping the mountain of a

man, Cedric stuffed his phone into his pocket and walked quickly to

Gabrielle Evans

his car with his head bent, unwilling to look over his shoulder in case
it appeared suspicious.

The man seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t figure out

where he’d seen him before. Whoever he was, though, Cedric wasn’t
sticking around to find out. The guy screamed danger, and danger was
high on Cedric’s list of things to avoid.

“Hello, Mr. Barrows.”
The cool, crisp voice slipped into his mind, sending a cold shiver

down his spine. He couldn’t shake the sense of déjà vu. He’d heard
that voice before, felt this same sense of panic. Damn it, why couldn’t
he remember?

Can’t remember. Oh, gods, he was so totally screwed. His

memories hadn’t returned, but he suddenly recalled why that was.
There was no evidence linking the man in the parking lot to the
vampire who’d attacked him, but Cedric considered himself a fairly
smart individual. So, when in doubt—run like hell.

Edan had explained that Psychi vampires could walk in the sun

because they were kind of just enhanced humans. He’d been happy
about the information at the time, but it wasn’t exactly comforting
now that he had a day-walking, emotion-stealing, wicked-witch
vampire eye-stalking him from across the parking lot.

Callused fingers wrapped around the back of his neck, preventing

him from entering the car, and Cedric immediately took back the
“across the parking lot” part of that thought. Surely the guy wasn’t
going to attack him in the middle of the day near such a busy
shopping center. That would be insane. Then again, the man hadn’t
really proven himself to the pillar of sanity or morality.

A loud, pain-filled grunt burst from his lips when he was spun

around and slammed up against the side of his vehicle. A bleeding
wrist was shoved toward him, aiming straight for his parted lips, and
Cedric responded on instinct.

For the first time in weeks, he dropped all of his shields, let go of

the control, and allowed his cat to take over, to defend them as

Eight Second Fall

necessary. It was still uncomfortable, but once he stopped fighting it,
the metamorphosis happened faster than he could ever remember it.

Instead of the sleek, medium-size ocelot he was so familiar with,

though, he now resembled something like Peter Pan’s shadow—only
without Peter. He didn’t have a definite shape, but he did resemble
something kind of feline.

His clothes, keys, and cell phone clattered to the asphalt, and

Cedric groaned inwardly that he’d probably end up having to
purchase yet another phone. It was merely a fleeting thought as he ran
for his life, though. Convenient technology could be replaced.

Cedric didn’t have a clue where he was going, but his ocelot—or

whatever the hell it was now—seemed to know exactly what to do, so
he decided to just go with it. Wow, this was the weirdest thing that
had ever happened to him. He didn’t so much run, but floated, zipping
across the ground like a fast-moving, dark cloud.

Within minutes, he arrived at the doors of Fantasy Creations, his

shape contorting until he easily slipped through the crack under the
door. Okay, that was seriously cool.

“Did you see that?” Nigel whipped his head directly toward

Cedric, but seemed to peer right through him. Then he shook his head
and turned toward Atticus. “Never mind. I guess I’m seeing stuff.”

Atticus turned his head in Cedric’s direction as well with a

puzzled look on his face. “No, I thought I saw something as well.
Hmm, I guess it was just a shadow.”

Ah, now Cedric understood why Edan had called it a Shadow Cat.

I think I’m going to have to take over from here. The feline didn’t
seem very happy about it but eventually calmed from his fight-or-
flight mode enough to allow him to shift back to his more solid
human form.

“Holy shit!” Nigel yelped, jumping up from his chair like he’d

been launched from a cannon. “How the hell did you get here? You
weren’t there. And now you’re there. And oh, my gods!”

Gabrielle Evans

It wasn’t funny, not really, but Cedric couldn’t stop the laughter

that bubbled up in his chest and spilled through his lips. “I’ll explain
in a minute. Do you think I could get some clothes?”

Nigel nodded dazedly and hurried out the room, leaving Cedric

with nothing to cover his bits and pieces with but his own hands.
Luckily, he was back just seconds later, holding out a pair of faded
jeans and a T-shirt at least two sizes too big for him.

“Cedric, what just happened?” Atticus was always so calm about

everything. Cedric kind of envied that about him.

“Some guy attacked me outside of the Verizon store and tried to

feed me his blood,” he answered as he pulled on the borrowed
clothes. Once dressed, he plopped down in his office chair and
proceeded to explain all about his meeting with Edan the night before.
“So, there you have it, here I am, and what the hell do we do now?”

“I’m calling Salem,” Atticus announced, reaching for the phone

on his desk.

“I’m calling Cayson.” Nigel dug his cell phone out of his pocket.
“Well, I’m calling Pizza Hut. I’m starving.”
Cedric beamed at Brier as the kid made his way into the room. He

was using his crutches, which meant he was having a bad day
physically, but it didn’t seem to affect his mood. “Hey, Brier. How
goes it?”

“Better than you, apparently. What trouble did you get yourself

into now?”

“Oh, not much,” Cedric answered with a causal shrug. “Soul-

eating vampire tried to feed me his blood. My shifter is a ghost. I
almost killed Cash by sucking the life out of him. You know, the
usual.”

“Cayson is going to call Cash, and then he’s going to come get

you and drive you out to Cambridge.”

“Nigel, that seems like a lot of trouble. Besides, Cash is sleeping.”
“And so is Salem,” Atticus added with an annoyed huff as he

hung up the phone. “He basically mumbled something about if no one

Eight Second Fall

was dying, he didn’t want to hear about it. I think there might have
been something about being dead doesn’t count. Either way, he hung
up on me.”

“Cash isn’t sleeping.” There was a little too much of a smirk in

Thaddeus’s voice as he stepped into the office from the hallway. “I
just got off the phone with him.”

“Oh?”
“I can’t tell. It’s a surprise.”
“Then why bring it up at all, asshole?”
“It’s fun to tease you?” Thaddeus winked at him as he jumped up

on Cedric’s desk and tucked his long legs beneath him.

“How’s it going with the vet?” It was a cheap shot, but Cedric felt

justified.

“He is a total dick,” Thaddeus huffed. “I don’t know what I ever

saw in him. I’m not going back.” His head lifted, and he sniffed
haughtily before mumbling under his breath. “Stuck up, self-centered
elf-bitch.”

Sometimes Cedric wished there were acronyms for real life

because it was definitely one of those LMAO moments. Falling back
in his seat, he wrapped his arms around his midsection and melted
into uncontrollable laughter. Had the guy really just called Dr.
Fawkes McKenna an “elf-bitch?”

Cedric had met the elf once when Thaddeus had talked him into

being his escort to the zoo. The exotic-animal vet hadn’t exactly
seemed like the singing birdies and growing flowers kind of elf,
either. He was the size of a fucking barn—not the side of it, but the
whole damn thing. Cedric thought the guy might have his own
atmosphere. Yeah, he was that big.

Thaddeus wasn’t fooling anyone, though. He’d had the hots for

the hunky vet for months, and it was kind of comical the lengths he’d
gone to in order to get close to the man. None of it seemed to be
working, though. Cedric wished him luck, but he kind of had his own
issues to deal with.

Gabrielle Evans

“Where’s Dorian? And Simon?”
Atticus cleared his throat and spun his chair around so he could

face Cedric. “Simon has a degree in chemical biology, and you know
Dorian majored in physiology.”

Cedric nodded. Dorian was the only one of them who hadn’t

majored in some kind of engineering or design. His knowledge of the
human body came in pretty handy when building some of their more
elaborate toys, however.

“One of the shifters at this paranormal prison in Washington died

last night. Salem sent them to see if they could find out something.”

With all the people at Salem’s disposal, Cedric found it odd that

he’d have chosen the Elder brothers, and he had no problem saying
just that.

“We don’t know who we can trust right now,” Atticus said sadly.

“Salem doesn’t want it getting around that we’re privy to information
that we shouldn’t have.”

The phone rang, and Nigel snatched it up, rambling off the

customary greeting. Cedric ignored him, hoping to get more
information from Atticus. Instead, the guy changed the subject. “So,
since you’re staying with Cash, are we still meeting at your place on
the full moon?”

“Huh?” He didn’t remember inviting anyone to come over to his

place during the full moon. “When did this happen?”

“You asked us last week.” Atticus tilted his head to the side in

confusion. “Don’t you remember?”

“No, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. If I can’t remember it,

there’s a good chance that I’m not the one that really wanted you to
be there.”

“Oh,” Atticus breathed, catching up to what Cedric was trying to

tell him. “What happened to us being normal guys with boring lives?
Why is something bad always happening these days?”

Cedric didn’t have a clue, but he didn’t like it. Everything had

started when Atticus had met Salem, but as much as he’d like to

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blame it on the vampire king, he just couldn’t do it. From the few
things they’d been able to piece together, all of their problems had
started years ago—maybe even before they were born.

So a better question was why now? After all of these years, why

was it just now catching up to them? There was little doubt that
something horrible was planned to happen at his house during the full
moon, but why?

“If this Mr. X guy wants something we supposedly have, doesn’t

it seem a little strange that he’d be trying to hurt us? We can’t exactly
give him want he wants if we’re dead.”

“Maybe this vampire isn’t working with Mr. X,” Brier suggested.

“Maybe he’s trying to keep you all from him, and the only way to do
that is if you’re dead.”

Cedric dismissed the idea immediately. “Cash and Edan think this

guy has been feeding me his blood and compelling me for weeks.
Why wouldn’t he just kill me? Or force me to kill you guys?”

“Why didn’t he ever finish turning you into a vampire?” Atticus

countered with an arched eyebrow. “None of this makes sense, and I
don’t think we can assume anything, Cedric.”

“Why you?” There was a thoughtful expression on Brier’s face as

he surveyed Cedric. “Everything happened in Dorian’s family home.
Why not him?”

“Mr. X said Simon was unhelpful,” Nigel chimed in as he placed

the phone back in its cradle. “I’m taking that to mean Simon didn’t
know anything useful. Same would probably go for Dorian.”

“Then why not Atty? I mean, he’s mated to the freaking king.

Plus, his uncle was directly involved in all of this.”

Cedric’s head was going to explode and splatter his brain all over

the clean carpet. “Where is this Mr. X guy anyway? Why isn’t he
doing his own dirty work?”

“If he’s related to this,” Brier said quietly, earning him a glare

from Cedric.

Gabrielle Evans

“He was almost caught once.” The phone rang again, and Nigel

spun around to answer it. “He’s probably keeping a low profile and
hoping we’ll let our guards down.” Then he lifted the phone to his ear.
“Fantasy Creations…”

They all seemed to have a lot of theories, but nothing concrete to

go on. Cedric didn’t like trying to feel his way through the dark. It
would be really nice if the bad guys would just give them an itinerary
of all the evil stuff they had planned. At least then he’d know to
expect it.

“Cedric, I have a highly agitated vampire on the phone. Would

you care to take this one?”

With a roll of his eyes, Cedric bounced over to Nigel’s desk and

took the receiver. “Cash, I’m fine. Stop growling at everyone.”

“I didn’t growl at anyone.”
“You’re growling at me. I don’t have a scratch on me. Promise.”
“You are not leaving this house again.” Oh, the guy was cute

when he was grumpy and protective.

“That’s sweet, but not very practical. Go back to sleep. I’ll be

there soon.”

“Why aren’t you takin’ this seriously?” Cash exploded, making

Cedric’s ears ring with the increase in volume. “The bastard attacked
you in the middle of the day!”

Where I can’t protect you. It wasn’t said, but Cedric understood it

clearly. Cash was upset that he’d almost been hurt again, but he was
also feeling helpless because there was nothing he could do to prevent
it.

It was time for redirection before Cash combusted. “Could you

make me a grilled cheese sandwich before I get there?”

Cash was quiet for a moment before Cedric heard his heavy sigh.

“Yes, but I’ll trade you for a blow job.”

“If I wanted to work that hard to put something in my mouth I’d

make my own damn sandwich.”

Eight Second Fall

Cash laughed loudly, Nigel started choking, and Thaddeus’s eyes

looked like they were going to bug out of his head. “Just get home,”
Cash managed to say through his mirth. “I’ll make you the stupid
sandwich.”

“Okay.” Cedric grinned like a Cheshire cat, though he knew his

mate couldn’t see him. Now that he’d gotten what he wanted, he
supposed he could bend a little. “And I guess I’ll give you that stupid
blow job.”

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Nine

The rest of the week trickled by without further incident. Then

again, Cash had been serious about Cedric not leaving the house
again, so there was little chance that he’d be hurt inside his home.
That didn’t mean he was about to let his guard down, though.

There had been times in the early morning hours, while Cedric

was sleeping, and Cash was winding down his night, when he was
almost sure that someone was lurking outside the doors. The curtains
were drawn, and no paranormal could get inside, but it still made him
twitchy to feel as though he was being watched right through the
walls.

Saturday morning was just the same. It was nearing four o’clock

in the morning when that creepy sensation of being stalked washed
over him while he was sitting in the living room, idly flipping through
the channels on the television. Cash was fed up with it and tired of
waiting for something to happen. If this asshole wanted a fight, he
was about to get one.

Turning off the television, Cash tossed the remote to the cushion

beside him and stomped to the front door, jerking it open and stepping
out onto his porch. Even if the guy couldn’t come in without an
invitation, he made sure to close the door behind him. Paranormals
might need to be invited in, but bullets and knives didn’t.

The night was warm, but a slight chill carried on the breeze.

Everything seemed quiet—too quiet. No frogs croaked. No crickets
chirped. It was as if the night itself held its breath, waiting cautiously
for what would happen next.

Eight Second Fall

Cash didn’t seen anyone at first, but as his eyes adjusted to the

darkness the shadowy form of a man came into focus near the front of
his SUV. He hadn’t expected anyone to be so close, but he wasn’t
about to turn tail and run.

“Why are you here?” he demanded.
Instead of an answer, a body slammed into him from the side,

spinning him back inside the house as the door was slammed behind
him.

“Are you insane?” Edan Russo demanded, looking at him like

he’d lost his damn mind. “What exactly did you hope to accomplish
with that little stunt?”

“What the hell are you doing slinking around my house in the

middle of the night?”

Edan released him with a huff before stomping across the room

and falling into one of the armchairs. “Saving your life obviously.”
Gone was the calm, dignified man he’d met with earlier in the week.
The guy sitting in front of him looked to be highly pissed off.

“That’s not an answer. Why are you here?”
“After Cedric was attacked earlier in the week, I had a feeling that

something like this would happen. I’ve been watching your place for
the last few nights, hoping my brother would show himself.”

“Your brother?” Well, this just kept getting better. Could he even

trust Edan? He’d thought so before, but now he wasn’t so sure.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but I wasn’t sure. I knew it had

to be one of the original guardians, but I didn’t know which one. This
is worse than I originally presumed.”

“Man, you have exactly ten seconds to tell me what the fuck is

going on, or I’m going to snap you in half and shove your head up
your ass.”

“Nice imagery,” Cedric mumbled as he padded into the room,

looking sleep-tousled and far too cute for someone who’d just
crawled out of bed. “Maybe if you’d quit snapping and let the man
talk you might get some answers.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Or I could just beat them out of him.” Cash was leaning toward

the second option.

“Maybe, but then you’d get the carpet bloody. You’d never get

that stain out.”

Since the vampire blood had left his system, freeing him from the

compulsion, Cedric had been a regular brat. Normally, Cash found his
personality entertaining and endearing. Now—when he was trying to
keep his ass safe—was not one of those times.

Ignoring the disgruntled look that Cash sent his way, Cedric

dropped down on the sofa, grabbed the blanket off the back of it, and
wrapped himself in it like a burrito. There were dark circles under his
eyes, his skin was a bit paler than usual, and he shivered from head to
toe while his lower lip quivered.

Deciding he could be pissed off at him later, Cash crossed the

room, lifted Cedric into his lap, and tucked him close. With his anger
boiling just beneath the surface, he doubted it would take long before
Cedric was sweating from the onslaught of emotions pouring off of
him.

“Explain,” he growled to Edan as he rubbed his palm up and down

Cedric’s arm in an attempt to warm him.

“Only the original Psychi have the ability to turn someone. There

were eight of us, and since I knew I hadn’t attacked Cedric, that left
only seven others. I knew there could be a possibility that it was my
brother, Graham, but I didn’t want to believe it. Once Cedric
described him, I had to face the truth.”

“You thought you and your band of cheery enchanters were

supposed to be the good guys.” Cedric turned his head and kissed the
underside of Cash’s chin. “I’m fine now,” he whispered. “Thank
you.”

“The quest for ultimate power has destroyed better men than my

brother, Mr. Barrows.”

“Okay, great. A power-hungry, egotistical witch on crack wants

me dead. Fabulous. And here I was worried.”

Eight Second Fall

“Do you ever take anything seriously?” Edan closed his eyes and

pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is he always like this?”

“Pretty much since the compulsion wore off. I didn’t know him

well before then, but I’d guess this is his usual personality.”

Cedric flicked him on the end of his nose. “I’m sitting right here,

and there is nothing wrong with my hearing.”

“I assure you, if my brother wanted you dead, you’d be dead,”

Edan interrupted, seemingly unhappy that they were ignoring him.

“Then what does he want? Why didn’t he finish turning me? He’s

had plenty of opportunities.”

“I just don’t know. We’ve been going on the assumption that

Graham was attempting to turn you and was interrupted. What if
that’s not the case? What if this outcome was always the intention?”

Cedric snorted as he threw the blanket off him and wiggled

around until he was seated on the cushion at Cash’s side. “You mean
he meant to turn me into some kind of ghost cat? Really? That’s what
you’re going with?”

It sounded a bit far-fetched to Cash as well, but he knew

absolutely zilch about what was happening. Therefore, he was more
inclined to listen to what their guest had to say and hope at some point
he’d start making sense. “I’m guessin’ you have a reason to think that.
What aren’t you telling us?”

“Only a Shade or a Shadow can venture to the In Between. If that

part of Cedric’s soul was taken now by a Psychi, that vampire would
be able to transform into the Shadow Cat—allowing him or her to
enter the In Between.”

There were still pieces missing, but Cash was beginning to see the

puzzle coming together. What they’d viewed as random or chaotic, he
was now starting to see as a small part of a bigger picture. What had
happened to his mate wasn’t the work of a deranged madman, but one
more part of the plan.

“Why would someone want to go into the In Between?” He was

getting closer to figuring it out, but he needed to know more.

Gabrielle Evans

“Well, to retrieve the lost part of their soul,” Edan answered

slowly.

“Why else? Why does your brother want to go there?”
“The demons we defeated.” Edan stopped speaking and dropped

his head in a self-depreciative gesture. “Those spirits are trapped in
the In Between. If he could get in, Graham could release them.”

Gods, the answer was right there—hovering just out of his reach.

“What else would he need?”

“A moonstone and the blood of the doppelgänger,” Cedric chimed

in sarcastically. “Do you really believe him?”

Since that was anything but helpful, Cash decided to ignore his

mate. “Edan, what else does he need?”

“He’s actually close,” the vampire mumbled. “It’s not a

moonstone, but a moon crystal. The crystal the original circle bound
their souls to under the full moon over three thousand years ago. The
crystal has to be destroyed while the holder is in the In Between to
release the demon souls.”

“Wait!” Waving his hands around and bouncing in his seat, Cedric

demanded their attention. “Let’s just say that I’m buying all this
witchy mumbo jumbo. What happens to you if the crystal is
destroyed?”

“I’d die.” There was very little concern in Edan’s voice. He was

simply stating a fact.

“So, your brother would die as well. Why would he want that?”
“I don’t think Graham is acting of his own accord. He’s just being

used as a means to an end.”

It wasn’t surprising that the man would want to find some kind of

redeeming quality in his brother. Cash didn’t care, though. Graham
Russo had attacked his mate, and for that alone, his life was forfeit. In
Cash’s world, there was no democracy, no trial, no need for proof of
guilt. The asshole hurt what was his, and for that, he would pay.

“Is there anything else?” A little frown pulled down on the corners

of Cedric’s mouth, and his eyebrows drew together as he stared at

Eight Second Fall

nothing in particular. “Atticus said that I invited everyone to my
house for some party on the full moon. I don’t remember that, so I
have to assume I was compelled to ask them.”

Edan didn’t look happy about what he was going to say, but

thankfully, it didn’t prevent him from divulging the information
anyway. “I told you that demons are no more than spirits. Outside of
the In Between, they have no bodies and very little power. They’d
need preserved bodies to animate.”

“Minions,” Cedric said firmly. “Your brother wants to kill all of

my friends, animate them with demon ghosts, and create his own little
minions. Well, that’s just peachy.”

“Where is this crystal?”
“That, I don’t know. We’ve each taken turns guarding it over the

years, but it was lost about thirty years ago.”

“Nigel,” Cash and Cedric said in stereo. Then Cedric went on to

explain about Nigel’s kidnapping, the house where their parents had
been murdered, and the mysterious box that the even more mysterious
Mr. X demanded they hand over to him.

“Mr. X?” The name apparently didn’t mean anything to Edan,

which was more disappointing than Cash was willing to admit. “What
did he look like?”

“Nigel said he was really nerdy.” Cedric, ever oblivious, chattered

right along as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “Kind of a little
guy with red curls and glasses. Do you know him?”

Edan groaned like he was in pain and bobbed his head sadly.

“Yeah, I know him. The last I heard, he was going by the name
Jonathon Xavier.”

“Mr. X,” Cash expounded, just in case anyone missed the

connection. “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. We cut off the
head, the body dies. So, how do we stop this guy?”

“Well, it would help if we knew where he was.”
“He was posing as the head of the IPC,” Cedric offered. “We also

think he’s been drugging the inmates and controlling them somehow.

Gabrielle Evans

Only, it’s not really working because they keep getting sick. Some
have even died.”

“He was exposed and the contracts he placed on the guards were

revoked, but no one had a clue who he even was or how he was able
to infiltrate the corrections system in the first place.” While Cash was
grateful that he no longer had to undergo mandatory training or be at
someone’s beck and call for the next sixty years, it did remind him
that he was going to have to have a very unpleasant conversation with
his mate—and soon.

“I really should take more interest in vampire politics,” Edan

mumbled. “Perhaps I would have known all of this sooner, and some
of it could have been prevented.”

“I thought you were friends with Salem?”
Edan smiled at Cedric like he was a sweet little kitten though not

very bright. “I was friends with his grandfather. I never had much
contact with Salem or his father unless they needed something from
me. It’s nothing personal. I just prefer not to have personal
attachments. It makes life easier.”

It wasn’t how he chose to live, but Cash could respect that. Living

for as long as Edan had would probably leave anyone jaded. “So, if
we can get Cedric’s soul back, make sure no one is at his place on the
full moon, and find this crystal before your crazy ass brother does, we
might stand a chance?”

“That’s a lot of ifs,” Cedric said unnecessarily. The man just had a

way of pointing out the obvious that made Cash want to strangle him.
Good thing he was so damn cute. “And where the hell is this Jonathon
guy? He disappeared when Salem started kicking asses and taking
names to save Nigel. The men with him didn’t even know his damn
name or anything helpful about him. And now it’s like he just
disappeared into thin air.”

“Jonathon was overconfident and acted rashly.” There was a little

shrug to his shoulders as Edan lifted both hands, palms up. “I would

Eight Second Fall

assume this time around he will want to be prepared for anything.
Plotting world domination takes time.”

“The full moon is in three weeks. Does he really think he’ll find

the crystal before then?”

“We’re witches,” Edan reminded Cedric. “We can preserve bodies

indefinitely. It’s more likely that he just wants them out of the way
right now and plans to use them later. Nigel and Simon have seen
him. Salem is a king. Cayson and Cash both work for one of the
prisons he’s trying to overthrow. There are a lot of people standing in
his way.”

“Wow, you’re just one big fucking ray of sunshine, aren’t you?

Don’t you have anything helpful to say?”

Edan looked Cedric right in the eyes and smirked. “Stick with me,

little kitty. I’m going to help you save the world.”

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Ten

“You aren’t going to believe this!” Cedric had just gotten off the

phone with Atticus and was dying to share the news.

“Get your cute butt in the shower, and you can tell me all about it.

You’re going to be late for work.”

This was true, and Cash should have been in bed hours ago.

Having a light-tight house was a good thing, but the man still needed
his rest. Still, Cedric had to tell someone what he’d just found out,
and he really didn’t want to miss showering with his gorgeous mate.
Sleep was overrated anyway.

“Okay, well hurry up. You’re going to freak when you hear this.”

Bouncing into the bathroom, he started the shower and jumped under
the spray before it even had a chance to warm. “Ah, shit, that’s cold!”

“A little impatient, are we?” Cash chuckled as he slipped off his

boxers, revealing his already hard cock to Cedric’s gaze. Then he
stepped into the shower behind him and slid the glass door closed
before pressing against Cedric’s back and wrapping his arms around
his waist. “Now, what is so important, darlin’?”

“Dorian called Salem last night about that shifter who died in

Washington. Atticus said that they found traces of cerebrospinal fluid
in the guy’s blood!”

“Uh, okay.”
Cedric huffed in frustration. That was not the response he was

hoping to get. “Cash! The guy had brain fluid in his blood! Not only
that, but it wasn’t even from his brain! Can you believe that?”

“I can tell this is a big deal, but I honestly don’t know what you’re

trying to tell me. What does that mean?”

Eight Second Fall

Well it wasn’t surprising that he was lost because he definitely

seemed distracted with his hands roaming Cedric’s body while he
grinded his erection against his ass. More than that, it was distracting
Cedric, and suddenly his big, important news didn’t seem quite so
urgent anymore.

“It’s hard to think when you do that.”
Cash’s big palm smoothed down his chest, over his clenching abs,

and wrapped around his throbbing length. “That’s not the only thing
hard,” he rasped into Cedric’s ear.

His hips jerked involuntarily, pushing his aching cock through

Cash’s tight grip. The friction was amazing, Cash’s hand was so
warm, and the lips nibbling across his shoulders were making his
head spin.

Cedric was getting much better at this sex thing, though he still

ended up acting like a klutz more times than not. Luckily, his lover
was not to be deterred just because Cedric occasionally flipped
himself off the bed when his eagerness got the better of him. At least
no one could say that he wasn’t enthusiastic.

“Turn around and put your hands against the wall.”
Proving the point he’d just made inside his head, Cedric spun so

fast that his feet slipped on the bottom of the tub, sending him into a
headlong fall right into the tiled wall. Cash was used to his
clumsiness, though, and it helped that his reaction time was
astounding. With no effort at all, his arm looped around Cedric’s
chest, catching him before he could do a full-out face-plant.

Cedric could have done without the amused chuckles, however. It

really wasn’t that funny. “Legs apart,” Cash ordered, tapping on the
inside of his left thigh. “And please try not to hurt yourself.”

Asshole. He really wasn’t that bad. Well, neither of them had

ended up bloody or with broken bones yet. Surely that had to count
for something.

There wasn’t much space in the small tub, leaving little room for

him to spread his feet apart as his mate had asked. Well, this just

Gabrielle Evans

wasn’t going to work. Lifting one leg, he placed it up on the side of
the tub, opening himself wider, but there was still something wrong
with the logistics of his position.

Maybe he should bend over. Yeah, that would be better. Releasing

the wall, Cedric bent from the waist, intending to place his hands on
the back of the bathtub. Of course that proved to be problematic when
his foot slipped and he lost his balance.

Once again, Cash was there to rescue him, catching him just

before his nose got up close and personal with the tiles. “You are hell-
bent on messing up that pretty face. Will you please just be still?”

He could, but that didn’t seem like much fun. “I was trying to

help.”

“You were trying to help me right into a heart attack. I swear my

heart stops just thinkin’ about something happenin’ to you.”

Aww. How could he not adore a man who said things like that? He

didn’t want sweet words and gentle touches right then, though. He
wanted his mate to fuck him into the next week. “I’ll be good.” Hell,
he’d be a purple giraffe if it got him what he wanted.

“Oh, I have no doubt of that.” His lover kept a firm hold on him

while he lifted Cedric’s leg, placing his foot in the corner created by
the wall and shower door.

Next, Cash took one of his hands at a time and placed his palms

flat against the wall in front of him. Finally, he pulled Cedric’s hips
back and pressed down on his lower back, encouraging him to arch
his spine. “Oh.” That was a lot more stable than what he’d been trying
to do. He’d have to remember this position for future use.

Without further preliminaries, two slick fingers pushed inside his

hole, twisting and pumping just the way he liked. It was clear from
the slippery glide of those digits that Cash hadn’t foregone the lube.
Cedric supposed that explained what his lover had been doing while
he’d been busy almost breaking his neck.

His muscles relaxed instantly, opening without resistance to

Cash’s expert touch. The familiar feeling of his mate moving inside

Eight Second Fall

his body had become something he craved. It didn’t matter how many
times they’d found their way together during the week, or how many
imaginative positions Cash had introduced to their lovemaking.
Cedric always wanted more.

Maybe it made him greedy, but he hadn’t heard his mate complain

once. He took that as a good sign that he was doing something right
and decided to just go with it. If they both dropped from
exhaustion…well, there were worse things.

The hand against his chest moved toward his groin once more,

fisting his cock and squeezing lightly. Two fingers became three, his
dick was jerked quickly from root to tip, and sharp teeth grazed up the
side of his neck. “Come for me, darlin’.”

What? No. Why on earth would he want to come before he could

get Cash’s gorgeous cock inside his ass? “Fuck me,” he countered.

“Mmm, not this morning, baby.” Cash twisted his wrist, adding

extra friction around the crown of Cedric’s cock.

Well, why the hell not? The talented fingers sawing into his

clenching tunnel nudged against his prostate, pushing him that much
closer to the orgasm he was trying so desperately to keep at bay.
“Cash, please.”

“I’m tired and hungry, baby. I can’t.” Soft lips skimmed along the

curve of his jaw. “Just let me make you feel good.”

Cedric wanted to bang his head against the wall for being such a

selfish prick. Instead, he decided to do something much more
constructive. Arching his back, he thrust erratically, fucking himself
on his mate’s thick digits while he tilted his head to the side, baring
his throat to Cash’s gaze.

“Don’t say no, Cash. Take what you need.”
“Cedric.”
“I want this, but you better hurry because I can’t hold out much

longer.” His balls were tight and aching, his stomach clenched, and
his ass sucked greedily at Cash’s fingers. “Please.”

Gabrielle Evans

His lover needed no further encouragement. Those razor-sharp

fangs sank through the yielding flesh on the side of Cedric’s throat,
but the pain lasted only a nanosecond before the most intense pleasure
he’d ever felt exploded inside of him.

Light burst behind his closed eyelids, and he swore he saw stars.

Each pull on his neck was directly linked to his dick. It was as though
Cash was sucking on his neck and his cock at the same time. He
didn’t know how it was possible, but he was all for it when his climax
slammed into him like wrecking ball, sending him careening over the
edge.

Reams of semen spurted from his slit, painting the tiles of the wall

while he screamed so loud it was a wonder the windows didn’t
shatter. Oh, yeah, this definitely needed to become part of his
morning routine.

“Better?” he asked through his gasping when Cash finally released

the flesh in his mouth.

“Much,” Cash whispered, licking at the puncture marks. “Thank

you, baby.”

They spent a few minutes just kissing and petting before finally

getting clean so that Cash could get some rest and Cedric could head
into work. Atticus and Nigel had retrieved his car from the Verizon
parking lot, and amazingly his cell phone and clothes as well. It had
taken a little persuasion, but Cash had finally agreed to let him travel
alone to work as long as he took his cell phone and made no stops for
any reason along the way.

It might seem overbearing to some, but Cedric understood that his

lover had valid concerns. He couldn’t hide out in Cash’s house
forever, though. Edan had offered assurance that he’d deal with his
brother, and though Cedric didn’t know if that was a promise the
vampire could deliver, it did make him feel marginally better about
venturing out alone.

Eight Second Fall

Bending over to pull his jeans on, Cedric went tumbling face-first

into the mattress when Cash pushed him from behind. “What the
hell?”

“Easy, tiger. I’ve got something for you.”
Looking over his shoulder, Cedric frowned at his mate. “What is

that thing?”

“I call it the Eight Second Ride.” He turned the black butt plug

one way and then the other.

It was small, thinner toward the base, telling Cedric it was meant

for long-term wear. The tip curved slightly with a ball on the end,
ensuring it would press right against his prostate. Did Cash really
expect him to wear that all day while he was at work? How would he
get anything done?

“What does it do?” If Thaddeus had helped design it, Cedric

didn’t believe for a second that it was just a run-of-the-mill plug.

“That’s a surprise,” Cash said with a mischievous wink as he

poured a generous amount of lube over the toy. “Don’t worry. You’ll
love it.”

That wasn’t what concerned him. He was a little more nervous

about where he was going to enjoy it. This was supposed to help,
though, to feed his cat so that he didn’t accidently drain his lover.
With that thought in mind, he didn’t even flinch when Cash gently
inserted the toy, not stopping until the base pressed snugly against his
cheeks.

“Fuck,” he groaned, burying his face into the sheets as his cock

began to swell from the stimulation. “Are you sure about this?”

“Turn over, baby.” Cash helped him roll to his back and placed a

quick kiss on his lips before moving away again. A rubber, stretchy
ring was rolled down Cedric’s semi-hard dick to fit securely around
the base. “It’s expandable, so it won’t hurt you.”

It might not hurt him, but it was going to make concentration a

bitch. “You better be ready when I get home because I’m going to
attack you the minute I walk in the door.”

100

Gabrielle Evans

“I’ll be waitin’ with bells on.”
“I expect you to be waiting with nothing on.” How had he let the

cowboy talk him into this? And more importantly, what could he do
to pay the guy back?

* * * *

By some miracle, he made it to work on time and with nothing

bad happening. Part of him wanted to call Cash and let him know, but
his lover needed to sleep. He was working the graveyard shift at the
prison, and being tired and unfocused was just bad protocol when
dealing with inmates.

“Tell me about Dorian,” he pleaded with Atticus the minute he sat

down at his desk. “What else did they find? What does it mean? Can
we stop it?”

Atticus looked unusually somber. “We’re not positive what it

means, but it can’t be anything good. Salem thinks the drug
administered to the inmates was created using the cerebrospinal fluid
from telepaths.”

“Wow, this guy has watched one too many sci-fi movies.”
“That might be where he got the idea, but this isn’t the movies,

Ced. Simon speculates these telepaths were probably human, and
Salem says humans wouldn’t be able to survive the extraction. This
just keeps getting worse.”

“Atty, what’s really wrong? I know you’re worried, but I can tell

it’s something more.”

“Gwen is human.”
The little girl Salem and Atticus had adopted was sweet as pie. All

of the guys adored her and spoiled her rotten every chance they got.
True, she was human, but she was adapting to their world remarkably
well. “Nothing is going to happen to her, Atty.”

Eight Second Fall

101

Atticus pressed his lips together and shook his head, his eyes

glistening in the florescent lighting. “I asked her to set the table this
morning. She did—without even moving from her seat.”

“Ah, shit.” Cedric had been paying attention during his talks with

Edan, and one of the things he’d learned was that telepaths were rare.
Those who possessed the power of telekinesis were almost
nonexistent. “Who else knows?”

“Just me and you. I haven’t even told Salem yet.” Atticus looked

to him with a helplessness that was heartbreaking to witness. “I love
her so much, Cedric. I’m scared.”

“We’re not going to let anything happen to her, okay?” Rising

from his seat, he crossed the aisle created by their desks and pulled
Atticus into a hug. “I’m scared, too,” he admitted quietly. “We’re
going to get through this, though. Okay?”

Atticus sniffed, squeezed him hard, and then released him. “Yeah.

We’re going to be fine. Sorry I broke down on you like that.”

“Understandable, man. I really think you need to tell Salem,

though.” Cedric backed toward his desk when his phone started
ringing. “He’ll know what to do.”

“You’re right.” Atticus nodded firmly. “Okay, get your ass to

work.”

With a quick wink at his friend, Cedric snatched up the phone

from his desk and rambled off his greeting. “This is Cedric. How can
I assist you today?”

“I want a special collar designed for my sub.”
Before the man on the other end of the line had even finished with

his request, the butt plug stretching Cedric’s inner walls began to
vibrate rhythmically and bump against his prostate. “What the fuck?”
he yelped, jumping up from his seat and gripping his desk in a white-
knuckled grip.

“Excuse me?”
“No, no, sir. Not you. I’m sorry. Please, what were you saying?”

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Gabrielle Evans

The vibrating subsided after only a few seconds, and Cedric

settled back into his chair to begin filling out an order form for his
client. “What kind of material would you like to use for the collar?”

The vibrating started again, and he swore it pulsed to the beat of

one of Cash’s favorite country songs. The rubber ring around the base
of his cock squeezed and released him, contracting and relaxing to the
same rhythm as the buzzing in his ass.

“Leather, of course, though he likes the color red. Will that be a

problem?”

“No, no problem,” Cedric answered two octaves higher than his

normal tone. His cock was swelling quickly, draining the blood from
his brain and making it impossible to think. “Can you hold for one
moment, please?”

Without waiting for a response, Cedric placed his client on hold

and spun around, brandishing the phone at Nigel like a medieval
sword. “Take this.”

“What? Why?” The shining of his eyes and the curl of his lips said

he knew exactly why, though.

“Just take it. Or don’t. Whatever.” Fuck, his dick was going to

snap in half it was so hard.

Dropping the phone to his desk, he hurried out of the office, down

the hall, and stormed right into the workroom. “Thaddeus Young!
What the hell did you do?”

Thaddeus and Brenner fell together, laughing their fool heads off.

“I take it Cash gave you your present this morning.”

“What is this thing?”
“The Eight Second Ride,” Brenner said around his snickers.
“Yes, I got that, thank you very much. What the hell does it do

besides make it impossible for me to have a coherent conversation?
How often does it go off? Is it on a timer?”

“Well, I’m sure you know what it does by now.” Thaddeus

wiggled his eyebrows playfully, but Cedric was still debating
wringing the guy’s neck. “Brenner created an app on Cash’s cell

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phone. He just runs the app whenever he wants, and it sends a signal
to the toy.”

“It runs in eight second intervals,” Brenner said, taking over the

tutorial. “Eight seconds on and eight seconds off for eight minutes.”

“Eight minutes!”
“The cock ring is like a blood pressure cuff. It inflates to contract,

and then deflates so that it doesn’t cut off the circulation to your dick.
We thought you might like to keep that particular part of your
anatomy.”

“I hate you ahhhh!” Cedric’s hips jerked, and his legs began to

tremble as another series of vibrations pulsed through him.

Stomping out of the room amidst his friends’ laughter, Cedric

figured Cash had one thing right. If this is what he had to look
forward to all day, his cat was going to be a fat ass and way too
bloated to even notice his mate by the time he got home.

Grabbing the wall and falling against it, Cedric groaned loudly

when his orgasm slammed into him, taking him by surprise. Closing
his eyes and breathing heavily, he grimaced at the sticky mess inside
his boxers.

He was going to kill his mate. “Just wait, Cash,” he promised

quietly. “Revenge is a bitch.”

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Chapter Eleven

Parking beside Cayson’s pickup in the back parking lot behind the

convenience store, Cash shook his head and chuckled under his
breath. Cedric had been ready to spit fire by the time he’d gotten
home, and Cash had reaped every one of those benefits. Damn, his
little man was a hellcat in the sack when he was riled up.

Really, the guy was just a spitfire no matter the situation, and

Cash loved that about his mate. The guy didn’t back down, and if he
had something on his mind, people were damn sure going to hear
about it. A strange thing to be attracted to, but he couldn’t deny that it
turned him on something fierce when Cedric got his back up.

There was a gentleness to him as well. This sweet, vulnerable side

that Cash doubted many people had ever seen. And, gods, he was
gorgeous right down his soul. The outer package was mouthwatering,
but the beauty inside him was what had Cash falling hard and fast.

He should probably be getting all bent out of shape about that, but

Cedric was his mate. It seemed natural that he’d care for the man.
Besides, he could either fight it or just enjoy the ride. Fighting took
too much work.

Smoothing the wrinkles from his uniform, he approached the

storage building that camouflaged the entrance to the underground
prison where he worked. After a series of different doors, elevators,
fingerprint and retina scans, he finally arrived at the post where he’d
show his badge and security number.

“Have you told him yet?”
Cash thanked the guard on duty and took his badge back before

turning to Cayson. “No.”

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The shifter arched one dark eyebrow and crossed his arms over his

chest. “It won’t be as bad as you think. Give him a little credit.”

“Right.” Cash didn’t want to talk about it. How did he tell his

mate that he’d spent six years in a paranormal prison in Texas for
killing a human? Yeah, he saw that conversation going over like a
prostitute in the front pew at Sunday mass.

“You’ve got Block Green tonight. Things have been pretty quiet

all week. I don’t think you’ll have any problems out of them.”

Block Green housed the small shifters, fae, elves, and a couple of

witches. Cash couldn’t for the life of him figure out what a tiny faerie
could do to a human to land him in PCC, but it wasn’t his job to ask
questions. For all he knew some human had picked a fight with the
wrong supe, been sprinkled with pixie dust, and made to walk into
traffic. Stranger things had happened.

While werewolves were the majority in the male prisons, he’d

heard rumors that elves and witches held the top spot in female
prisons. It just went to prove that it was a bad idea to piss off a
woman who could use magic against you. Cash was just damn glad he
preferred men, because females scared the hell out of him.

The lime-green tiles of the cell block hurt his eyes. It was like

stepping into some psychedelic mind trip. Block Green was
considered prime choice among the guards, though, so to complain
would be stupid. These inmates were the most docile housed in
Ironrock, making his job a damn sight easier.

As usual, none of the prisoners bothered him as he patrolled the

corridors. It also helped that he worked the night shift and few of the
inmates on his block were nocturnal. As he neared the last cell, loud,
wracking coughs caught his attention, bringing him closer to the iron
bars.

One of the smallest men he’d ever seen perched on the edge of his

cot with his head bent, coughing into his hands and gasping for air.
His long, black hair hid his face, but as a vampire, Cash had no
problem smelling the blood coming from inside the cell.

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“Open cell one-twelve,” he said into the mic clipped to the front

pocket of his shirt.

A loud buzzing sounded, and the door creaked as it opened to

permit him entrance. Why did he have to have such a soft spot for the
small ones? These guys were just as much criminals as their larger
counterparts, but Cash never had learned to treat them as such.

“What’s your name?” he asked from the doorway.
“Fisher, sir.” The guy didn’t even look up at him as he spoke.

“Fisher Price.”

Cash would have laughed at the name if the man hadn’t fallen into

another coughing fit that sent blood spraying from his mouth to
splatter over the floor. “Okay, Fisher. Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

The inmate shook his head and scrambled into the corner of his

cot, pressing his back to the wall and pulling his knees to his chest.
“No, sir. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re coughin’ up blood. I’m no doctor, but I don’t think that’s

supposed to happen.”

“I don’t want to go.”
Cash was used to the defiance of the prisoners, but this was

different. Fisher didn’t look angry. He looked terrified as he trembled
in the corner and chewed on his bottom lip.

“What happened to you in the infirmary?”
Fisher’s big, brown eyes went wide, and he started shaking his

head frantically, which brought on another coughing fit. This time
when the hacking had subsided, Fisher slumped back against the
cinderblocks and closed his eyes. “Just let me die. I’d rather die than
go back there.”

“Not today, little one.” Pressing the button on his mic again, he

spoke into it, asking Cayson to join him on the cell block. “We’re
going to get you fixed up, Fisher.”

He received no response, and if not for the fluttering of his

eyelashes, he might have thought the guy was asleep. It took only

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minutes for Cayson to reach him, striding down the hall with a mix of
alarm and curiosity on his face.

“What’s going on?”
“Close cell one-twelve,” Cash said into his mic and waited for the

bars to slam shut before motioning for Cayson to walk with him. “Can
you find out why this guy is in here? Just look at the size of him.
What the hell could he have done?”

“I can do better than that.” Cayson called another guard to take

Cash’s place before leading him through the hallways toward the
warden’s office. Once inside, he patted Cash on the shoulder and
motioned to the man behind the desk.

“I’d like you to meet Hugh Capton, my ex-father-in-law for all

intents and purposes, and the new warden of Ironrock PCC
Cambridge. Brier’s grandfather,” he clarified, but all Cash really
needed to know what this was the guy in charge.

“Sir.” Cash nodded respectfully, though he didn’t have a clue

what was going on.

“Cash Gavin,” the warden greeted him with a bright smile as he

stood and walked around his desk with his hand extended. “Cayson
has told me a lot about you. I guess I’m the new guy here, so don’t be
afraid to let me know if I’m doing something wrong.”

Okay, he liked this guy already. After a brief shake, Warden

Capton moved back behind his desk to take his seat, waving at the
two chairs to indicate that Cayson and Cash should do the same.
“Thank you, Warden.”

“While we’re in here, you can just call me Hugh. Now, what

brings you to my office?”

“One of the prisoners on Block Green is coughin’ up blood and

refuses to go to the infirmary,” Cash explained. “I also wonder if he
even belongs here. He’s knee high to a piss ant, sir.”

Hugh’s eyes crinkled at the corners, and he offered a genial smile.

“I like you, Cash.” Then he turned to his computer and tapped at the
keyboard. “Name?”

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“Fisher Price.”
“You’re kidding.” Cayson chuckled under his breath. “That kid’s

parents definitely didn’t like him.”

“Here we are,” Hugh announced, ignoring Cayson’s amusement.

“Fisher Price, age twenty-one…turtle shifter.” There was a pause
where it looked like the good warden was doing his best not to smile
or laugh. “Hmm, it says here he was convicted and placed in Ironrock
nearly three years ago. It doesn’t say what he was convicted of,
though.”

“Eighteen,” Cash muttered. “The kid has been here since he was

eighteen, and we don’t even know what his crime was? Am I the only
one who finds that shady?”

“I agree.” Hugh pushed a hand through his thick, blond hair and

sighed. “I’ll do some digging, see what I can find. If there’s no
evidence of why he’s here, I might be able to get him a pardon—
much like the ones the two of you received recently. It’s going to take
some time, though.”

“Hugh, we need to move the kid to a hospital while you’re

looking.” Cayson spoke before Cash had the chance. “I think he was
one of those drugged by the former warden. He’s not going to make it
if he doesn’t get some help.”

“And not to tell you how to do your job, but you might want to

investigate what’s goin’ on in the infirmary,” Cash added. “I thought
he was going to jump outta his skin when I mentioned it.”

“You guys aren’t going to make this easy, are you?” Hugh stared

at them for a long moment before he finally sighed and dipped his
head. “Cayson, you make the phone calls and get the paperwork ready
to have him moved to a hospital. I’ll sign off on it. I’ll get in touch
with the IPC board about investigating any wrongdoing in the
infirmary. Cash, well, I guess you just get back to your patrol.”

“Thank you, sir.” Cash’s cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket

as he stood, and he glanced quickly at the warden to see if he’d be
reprimanded. Strictly speaking, they weren’t supposed to carry cell

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phones during working hours, but he’d been worried about Cedric and
wanted his mate to have a way to reach him at all times.

“It’s fine.” Hugh smiled and pointed at Cash’s pocket. “Cayson

informed me about what’s happening with your mate, and I’ve spoken
with King Constantine as well. I have a mate, too, son. I get it. Go
ahead and find out what he wants.”

Okay, Cash really liked this guy. Nodding in gratitude, he

extracted his phone from his pocket and answered it quickly. “Cedric,
what’s wrong?”

“You tell me. I have a witchy vampire here sobbing in the corner

like some virgin hooker.”

* * * *

As usual, Cedric had vastly overexaggerated the situation. Edan

did seem upset when Cash finally arrived home, but he wasn’t crying,
nor was he rocking in the corner. He was simply sitting in the
armchair he normally occupied during his visits and staring off into
space.

“Okay, what happened?”
“I called you four hours ago.”
“Yes, and I had to work,” Cash answered calmly. “I told you I’d

be home when I could. Don’t be an asshole.”

“Right,” Cedric sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep, and I’m

kind of grumpy.” He pushed up on his toes and brushed his lips
against Cash’s. “I really am sorry.”

“I know, baby.” Gods, he couldn’t be mad at the guy if he wanted

to. “Has he said anything?”

“Nope. He just walked in, sat down, and hasn’t moved since then.

He’s kind of starting to freak me out.”

Brushing Cedric’s blond curls back from his face, Cash kissed his

forehead, lingering a little longer than necessary and just inhaling his
mate’s warm scent. “You always smell so good.”

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“Down, boy,” Cedric teased. “We have a sullen sorcerer to deal

with.”

“He’s gone,” Edan whispered, though his lips were still the only

thing on him that moved. “All these years, and now he’s gone.”

Cedric looked up at Cash in alarm before hurrying over to Edan

and kneeling in front of him. “Edan, look at me.” He took the guy’s
hand and held it in both of his own. “Honey, tell me who died.”

“Graham.”
Cash could understand Edan’s reaction, even if he didn’t feel the

same. If Graham Russo was dead, he was no longer a threat to Cedric.
Somehow, he didn’t think Edan saw it that way.

“What happened to him?” Cedric coaxed, stroking Edan’s

knuckles.

“I found him just outside of the city, living in an abandoned

mobile home. It was like he knew I was coming. He met me on the
front lawn, apologized for what he’d done, and…and…” Edan trailed
off, and his eyelids drifted closed. It took several seconds and few
deep breaths before he was able to finish. “And then he drove a silver
dagger through his heart.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cedric offered quietly, sitting up on his knees and

pulling the man into his arms. “I know how it feels to lose someone. I
wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

Cash wouldn’t wish it on anyone, either, but he was having a hard

time scrounging up any sympathy. Maybe if he’d experienced the
same level of loss as Cedric it would be easier for him. Just then, all
he felt was relief, though.

“Then he got up,” Edan whispered.
“What?” Cash hadn’t meant to yell, but that was beyond even his

comfort zone. “What the fuck do you mean that he ‘got up’?”

Edan looked him right in the eye without a hint of humor. “Just

what I said. He stood up, pulled the dagger from his heart, and
laughed in my face. He looks like my brother. Talks like my brother.
But whatever it is that disappeared into the night is not Graham.”

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“You didn’t stop him?” Cedric stared wide-eyed at Edan as

though he was utterly appalled at the vampire’s lack of interference.

Cash wasn’t very happy about the fact that all of his hopes and

dreams of Graham Russo finally being out of their lives were crushed,
but he didn’t blame Edan for it. It had to have been quite a shock to
see his brother rise from the dead and brush it off like it had been
nothing more than a sprained elbow.

“What would you have had me do?” Edan countered.
“I don’t know. Aren’t you like some crazy powerful witch? Can’t

you, like, I don’t know, put him into some kind of eternal sleep or
something?”

“Technically, I could, but it’s not that simple. It would take time.”
“How much time?” Cash wanted Graham off their backs sooner

rather than later.

“I don’t know. A couple of days maybe? I need something that

belongs to Graham…and a drop of his blood.”

Well, of course he did. Why couldn’t anything ever be easy? And

witches seemed to be the most complicated of them all.

“Okay,” Cedric said quietly. “Okay. We’ll figure it out and help

you anyway we can.” He pulled Edan into his arms for another hug
and rubbed his spine in comfort.

“I don’t know why I came here.” Edan sniffled. “I’m sorry. I

shouldn’t have bothered you with this.”

He was making no move to release Cedric, though. Cash had to

wonder just how long the guy had been alone. Rebuffing personal
attachments might have kept him alive or prevented him from being
hurt, but it had obviously taken its toll. A friend like Cedric was
exactly what Edan needed, and for that reason, Cash found himself
smiling instead of growling at the fact another man was holding his
mate so tightly.

Cedric needed to be needed, and Edan needed someone to be on

his side. It was a perfect match platonically speaking. If the vampire
tried to put the moves on Cedric…well, Cash just wouldn’t think

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about that or all of his good intentions and happy thoughts would go
right out the proverbial window.

“You’re always welcome here,” Cedric assured his new friend.

“Well, you’re welcome where I am. I can’t really speak for this house
because it’s Cash’s, but you know what I’m saying. If you need
someone to talk to, you can talk to me. And I’m usually here, but I
might not be here always. And well—”

Edan started to laugh, cutting off Cedric’s insane ramble. “I know

what you’re trying to tell me, Cedric, and I appreciate it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome here,” Cash agreed. “And if I have my say,

Cedric won’t be anywhere else.”

Cedric spun around and beamed from ear to ear. “Really? You

mean it?”

“Darlin’, you’re my mate. Where else would I want you to be but

right beside me?”

“Well, you haven’t claimed me, so I wasn’t sure.”
“It’s been a week,” Cash countered, though he felt the pull every

day to bind himself to Cedric in every way possible.

“So? You just said we were mates and basically proposed to me.”
“Proposed?” Was the room getting a little warm? And why was it

suddenly getting harder to breathe?

“You said you wanted us to be together forever.”
Had he said that? He supposed he had in his own way. Was he

ready for that? The connection with Cedric was strong, and it was
instinct that drove him to want to claim the man. Instinct wasn’t
exactly the same as love, though. Binding them together forever
simply because he had the urge to growl mine didn’t seem like a good
enough reason.

He had strong feelings for his mate, knew he was falling fast.

There were still secrets standing between them, though. Maybe that’s
why he was holding back. There was a very real possibility that
Cedric would never look at him the same after he knew everything
that lurked in Cash’s past.

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“He’ll understand,” Edan said quietly, looking Cash in the eyes.

“You have to trust him, Cash.”

It was close to what Cayson had told him earlier in the evening.

Both men were right, but it didn’t make what he had to say any easier.

“Will someone please tell what the hell I just missed?” Cedric

grumped.

Edan gave him another quick hug and rose from his seat, crossing

the room to stop at Cash’s side. “Tell him.” Then he strode to the door
and just left without saying anything further.

“Tell me what? What’s he talking about, Cash?”
“Maybe you should sit down.”
Cedric had apparently caught up to Cash’s mood, because his

features softened as he rose to his feet and held his hand out. “Come
on. Let’s get you in bed. You look tired.”

He was exhausted, but he needed to say this. “Cedric, please.”
“Cash.” Cedric began walking backward toward the hallway.

“Some things are easier to say in the dark.”

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Chapter Twelve

Whatever Cash had to tell him, it was clear he wasn’t excited

about it. Since Cedric didn’t think it was anything to do with him
personally, he didn’t have the same level of anxiety. Someone had
once told him that everything was worse in the dark. He didn’t believe
that, though.

“Cash.” He started backward, inching his way toward the

bedroom, but kept his hand outstretched to his lover, beckoning him
to follow. “Some things are easier to say in the dark.”

There was another few seconds of hesitation, but finally, Cash

took a step forward, then another, and in the next heartbeat, he was
across the room. His hands landed on either side of Cedric’s face,
holding him gently as his mouth descended and their lips pressed
together in a hungry, desperate kiss.

“I don’t want you to look at me any different than you are right

now,” Cash panted when he broke the kiss. “That look, right there, is
the only one I want to see when you look at me.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Cash. Just tell me.”
“I was in prison for six years.”
“I know.” He hadn’t known the length of time, but he knew from

Nigel that the guards at PCC Cambridge were all ex-convicts. “I’m
not scared of you.”

“I don’t want you to be scared of me, but I need to tell you.”

There was so much worry and dejection in Cash’s eyes that it hurt to
see. “I killed a human.”

While logically Cedric knew Cash had been locked away for a

crime against a human or humans, he hadn’t expected to hear that the

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person had actually died. Still, he kept his expression neutral as he
tugged on Cash’s hand, urging the man to follow him to the bedroom.
“Keep talking.”

His lover followed as though he was in a trance, his eyes never

leaving Cedric’s as they made their way down the hall. “I didn’t mean
to do it. I couldn’t control it.”

“Tell me what happened.” Once inside their room, Cedric pushed

the vampire toward the bed and forced him down on the end before
crouching to remove his boots. “What happened, Cash?”

“I was coming out of a bar in Houston one night. I felt the bullet

hit me in the back before I actually heard the gunshot. Another guy
came at me from behind one of the cars in the parking lot. The blade
just missed my heart.”

The man had been shot and stabbed? “Lean back.” Cedric kept his

voice quiet, not wanting to break whatever spell Cash was under that
allowed him to purge his demons.

His mate did as asked, leaning back on his elbows so that Cedric

had access to the button on his pants. There was nothing sexual in his
actions, though. Not this time. His lover needed a little extra care, and
he was simply providing it.

“I was so…angry. I’ve never felt rage like that before.” Cash

lifted his hips automatically, allowing Cedric to slide the uniform
pants off his legs. “I never saw the guy who shot me, but the second
man came at me with the knife again.”

Wow, some people weren’t very bright. Cedric had a feeling he

knew where this story was going, though, and he was glad he’d
waited to hear all of it before passing judgment. A small piece of him
was ashamed for even thinking that his mate could hurt someone
without being provoked.

“Is that when you killed him?” He worked the buttons open on

Cash’s shirt as he spoke, pushing the fabric apart to reveal the
vampire’s smooth chest beneath it.

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“I pushed him away, but he just kept comin’ at me.” A small bit of

emotion slipped into the monotone Cash had used up to that point. “I
snapped. All that rage inside of me just exploded, and I shoved him so
hard that he went flying through the air.”

“Lift up.” When Cash sat up, Cedric pushed the material off his

shoulders, fully divesting him of his clothing. “What else happened?”

“He hit the ground and didn’t get up. My dad talked me into

turning myself in to the IPC. He said they’d be more lenient than our
coven leader.”

“Hold up.” Crawling up his lover’s body, Cedric straddled his

hips and stared down at him in confusion. “Are you sure the guy was
actually dead? Did you check?”

Cash mirrored his expression while he slowly shook his head. “He

didn’t get up, baby. I swear he just crumpled when he hit the ground.”

“Yes, but how do you know he was actually dead?”
“I…well, IPC said he was.”
“Did they check?” This story wasn’t adding up, and Cedric didn’t

like it one bit. “Cash, honey, this is bullshit. If the guy died, it was
self-defense. I’m having doubts that he was actually dead, though.”

Cash shook his head defiantly. “They would have made sure.

They wouldn’t have sent me to prison without proof.” His tone was
lacking in conviction, though.

“Then it was still self-defense. Cash, I don’t know who those guys

were or why they were trying to hurt you, but you had every right to
defend yourself. That doesn’t make you evil or whatever else you’re
thinking. It makes you smart. I’m not just going to throw my hands up
and let someone kill me—not even a human.”

“No, I don’t imagine you would, baby. You’ve got too much fire

in you for that.”

“Damn straight. Your heart is too soft for you to let go of that

guilt, but don’t let it consume you. What happened is unfortunate, but
you didn’t intentionally hurt the guy. You weren’t malicious about it.
You were protecting yourself.”

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Cash took a breath, presumably to argue, but Cedric placed a hand

over his mouth to prevent him. “Just think about what I said. No more
talk tonight.” Leaning forward, he removed his hand, replacing it with
his lips. “I don’t see you any differently, Cash. I’m still looking at you
just the same.”

Cedric still couldn’t distinguish between negative and positive

emotions. Anxiety and excitement, anger and passion—they were all
strong feelings that fed the beast inside him. There were a lot of
different energies flowing off of his mate in that moment. Some
subtle, some intense, but all directed toward him.

“I don’t deserve you.”
“Probably not,” he teased, “but you’re stuck with me, so get used

to it.”

* * * *

It had never occurred to him that the man he thought he’d

murdered might not have actually died. He hadn’t stopped to question
his father’s advice that he should turn himself in and face his
punishment like a man. The IPC didn’t just send people to prison for
no reason.

Now, he wasn’t so sure. No one knew what the little inmate,

Fisher, had done to land himself in a cell, yet there he was. How did
that happen? How did their governing body take away years of a
person’s life without proof of wrongdoing?

“Did I lose you?”
Cash had made a lot of wrong choices in his life. For a long time,

he’d agonized over how he could have done things differently,
regretted the mistakes he’d made in his younger days. Each and every
decision in his life had led him to this moment, though. They’d led
him to Cedric.

“I’m right here, baby.” He was right where he belonged, and for

better or worse, he wasn’t going anywhere.

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“Do you know the guy’s name?”
“Harrison Wright.” There hadn’t been much of a trial, more of a

meeting to formally charge him, but he’d distinctly remembered the
judge speaking the victim’s name.

Cedric didn’t comment, but Cash could practically hear the gears

turning in his head. What was the little imp up to? Knowing Cedric,
he already had a plan percolating in that cute head of his. Cash just
wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was.

When they’d found out that Mr. X had somehow managed to

corrupt the local prison complexes and contracted inmates as guards,
the shit had hit the fan. It had been determined that most of the new
guards were not a threat to society and had been granted clemency
with the option to keep their jobs.

Things had turned out okay for Cash, and he was happy right

where he was. Did he really need to go digging up bones? What if he
got his hopes up only to find out that it was even worse than he
remembered it? No, some things were best left buried.

“Thank you for believin’ in me and wanting to make this all

okay.” He laced his fingers through Cedric’s hair and pulled the man
down to kiss his lips. “I don’t need all that, though. As long as you’re
stickin’ around, I’ll be just fine.”

“You’d have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming,”

Cedric assured him. “A week ago, I barely knew who I was. I didn’t
trust anyone. I didn’t like anyone. Hell, I didn’t even like myself. I
was scared, had no idea what was happening to me, and though I
don’t remember why, I do know that I was horrible to you.”

“That wasn’t you, Cedric. You didn’t have any control over that

stuff.”

Cedric grinned and rubbed their noses together. “I know, but it

doesn’t change the things I did. It took you a bit to get your head out
of your ass, but you fought for me. You didn’t give up on me. Did
you dream about me?”

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Cash nodded since the lump in his throat made it difficult to

speak.

“I had dreams, too. Edan said it was my subconscious way of

reaching out to you in my sleep. When I was awake, the compulsion
kept me nervous and confused, but when I slept, my subconscious
knew what I wanted…what I needed. That hasn’t changed, Cash. I
just see it more clearly now.”

It was too fast. They were moving way too fast. While he’d met

the man more than two months ago, they’d technically only been
together for a week. He shouldn’t feel so strongly about Cedric in that
short amount of time. The thought of losing him shouldn’t make his
chest constrict so painfully.

There should be more time to get to know each other. They hadn’t

even been on a real date yet. There should be…be…well, stuff! Damn
it! He didn’t even know Cedric’s middle name. “What’s your middle
name?”

“Uh, Thomas. Why?”
Cash nodded firmly. Okay, that was good. They were getting

somewhere. “Mine’s Troy.”

“Well, okay.” Poor Cedric looked so confused.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Green. Cash, what the hell is going on?”
“Mine’s yellow.”
Cedric huffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re freaking out on me

here. Cash, it’s okay if you don’t love me. I get that it takes time. I
was just trying to let you know where my head is right now.”

“But, I do love you! That’s the problem!” Oh, fucking hell, had he

just said that out loud? Not only had he just declared his love for the
man after only a week of living together, but he’d shouted it at him
like it was his fault. Which…yeah…it kind of was. Cedric made it so
easy to love him.

The heart wanted what it wanted. He could deny it all day long,

but it didn’t change the way he felt. Maybe it was too soon, but who

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really cared? What right did anyone else have to judge them? Besides,
with an ancient vampire breathing down their necks, it kind of put
everything into perspective. He might not have tomorrow or the next
day to tell Cedric how he felt about him.

His lover still hadn’t said anything about Cash’s outburst. He was

just sitting there, grinning down at him like the cat that ate the canary.
“Yeah, so I guess I love you.” Well, that was lame. He could
definitely do better than that.

He didn’t get a chance, though, because Cedric claimed his mouth

in a scorching kiss that he felt right down to the tips of his toes. “I
guess I love you, too, big guy. Don’t overthink it so much. This is
right.”

He guessed his parents cared about him, but they’d never once

said they loved him. Until the moment when Cedric had said it, Cash
never realized how much he’d needed to hear the words.

The overwhelming urge to claim his mate, to bind them together,

to make Cedric his for eternity rose up inside him, manifesting itself
in a deep, primal growl that rolled through his chest like thunder. It
took only seconds for him to rip away his lover’s sleep pants, leaving
them in a tattered mess at the foot of the bed, before rolling Cedric
beneath him and pinning him to the mattress.

“Do. Not. Move.” It was less of a command and more of a

warning. His was so amped up, he didn’t know what would happen if
Cedric so much as wiggled. The animalistic instinct to mark what was
his rode him hard, driving everything else from his mind.

Cedric didn’t look afraid in the least, though. There was a

challenging light in his eyes as he arched his back and moaned.
“Claim me, Cash.” He slipped his hand under the pillow and came
back with a bottle of lube. “Make love to me and claim me.”

There was another first. Cash had fucked and sucked his way

through a lot of men and women, but not one of them had he made
love to. In his mind, the act required a gentleness that he wasn’t sure

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possessed, especially not right then when he felt like he’d die if he
didn’t get inside his mate.

“I can show you how it’s done if you need a demonstration.”
The sexy smirk on Cedric’s lips broke any and all control he

harbored. His hand fisted around the plastic bottle of lube, crushing it
and causing the contents to leak out through the cracks. Cash barely
noticed.

Tossing the broken tube to the side, he used the gel in his palm to

coat his cock and still had plenty left over to slick Cedric’s tight
entrance. The first finger slid in easily when the guarding ring of
muscles relaxed to welcome him inside. He pumped only twice before
adding a second, groaning and growling at the way his lover’s inner
walls surrounded his digits.

“I wore that damn plug all day,” Cedric grumped. “I’m good.”
“I’m a bit bigger than that toy, darlin’.” Even in his urgency, he

wouldn’t do anything to hurt the shifter.

“Seriously, Cash. Foreplay is overrated.” His legs quivered, his

abdominals clenched, and his hands fisted in the sheet. In the last
week, Cash had learned to read the signs, and with a bit of
amazement, he realized Cedric was already battling back his climax.

His long, thick cock pulsed against his belly, flexing occasionally

as if calling to Cash. Saliva pooled in his mouth, his gums tingled,
and he licked his lips in anticipation. Without any warning at all, he
pushed three fingers into his lover’s channel, gripped the base of his
shaft, and swallowed the head like a pro.

Sweet yet salty, the taste of pre-cum burst over Cash’s tongue, and

he wanted more. Hands, lips, tongue, throat, he used every tool in his
arsenal to push Cedric over the edge, but the man was stubborn.

“Cash! Please!” His small hands tangled in Cash’s long hair and

jerked. “Fuck me!”

There was just one little problem with that, and he needed to

address it before things went any farther. Popping off of Cedric’s

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cock with a naughty slurp, he slowly extracted his fingers. “Baby, if I
claim you, I have to—”

“Shift into your true form. Yeah, I got the memo. Can we get on

with it now?” His hand fisted around the base of his dick and
squeezed, obviously trying to keep his climax at bay. “Please,” he
whimpered.

“Okay, baby. Shh. Just relax.” Lining up with Cedric’s fluttering

hole, Cash pushed in slowly, flexing his hips in minute nudges until
he was seated to the root. “Are you ready?”

“Cash!”
Guess that’s a yes. Closing his eyes, Cash let go of everything,

feeling the transition wash over him as his body grew to massive
proportions. His bones lengthened, his muscles hardened, and when
he finally opened his eyes, Cedric looked so tiny beneath him that he
began having second thoughts.

“Holy crap!” Cedric gasped. A long, strangled moan rumbled up

from his chest, and he arched his back, pulling Cash deeper inside
him. “Oh, sweet hell, that feels amazing.”

Good to know, but he was still worried about hurting his mate.

Rolling to his back, he brought Cedric with him until the man
straddled his hips. “It’s all you, baby.”

“I’ve always wanted to ride a cowboy.” It would have been funny

if not for the fire in his eyes and look of passion on his face.

His fingertips dug into Cash’s chest, his head fell back on his

shoulders, and his chest heaved as he began a slow, easy rhythm. Up
and down, harder, faster, the tempo increased. The hot, velvety walls
of Cedric’s depths squeezed and massaged, gripping Cash’s cock in a
vise grip that had him galloping toward his peak in record time.

As much as he wanted to close his eyes and revel in the intense

pleasure, he couldn’t pry his gaze away from the beauty atop him.
Cedric was breathtaking in his uninhibited desire. The way his
muscles flexed, the fine sheen of sweat that coated his creamy skin,

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and even the way his lips parted just fractionally was all mesmerizing
to Cash.

“Oh, oh, oh, my gods!” Cedric’s movements became jerky and

uncoordinated, his head dropped forward, and he began to shake
violently. “I…I can’t…I…”

Lifting his lover off of him, Cash moved them with his

supernatural speed, pinning Cedric face-first to the wall as he drove
back into his ass. The position was a little more difficult with the
change in their height difference, but Cash simply lifted his lover off
his feet, holding him securely as he continued to plunge into his fiery
depths.

Cedric cried out again and again, urging Cash on with the erotic

sounds. One hand pressed firmly against the wall while the other
arched around the back of Cash’s neck, pulling him closer. “Fuck me
harder. I won’t break.”

Holding Cedric’s waist in a bruising grasp, Cash snapped his hips,

holding nothing back. His balls churned and ached, his lower back
cramped, and a firestorm erupted inside his body. Long, sharp canines
punched through his gums, his nostrils flared, and his muscles tensed
as he fought to hold out just a little longer.

In the sweetest act of submission, Cedric dropped his head and

tilted it to the side, baring his neck and the pulsing vein along the
curve of his throat. “I love you, Cash.”

There was no moment of hesitation or indecision. Cash struck

swiftly, sinking his fangs through Cedric’s supple flesh and moaning
raggedly as the sublime rush of warm crimson flowed into his mouth.
With each pull, he felt their connection growing stronger, brighter,
more physical as all the pieces snapped into place.

“Cash!” Cedric screamed, pounding at the wall with his fist as his

inner walls clamped down on Cash’s cock in a stranglehold.

Fisting his mate’s cock, he pumped slowly, milking Cedric’s

climax until the man sagged in his arms. Extracting his canines from
his lover’s neck, he pressed his face against Cedric’s shoulder, buried

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himself as deep as he could go, and shuddered violently as his release
rocketed through him, filling Cedric with his seed.

“Now that was better than any eight second ride,” Cedric

announced a moment later, still limp in Cash’s arms.

Cash agreed, but it was more than just phenomenal sex. Maybe it

had started out that way, but he’d been bucked from the saddle almost
immediately and thrown into an eight second fall that ended with his
heart in Cedric’s hands.

“Hey!” Cedric exclaimed, moving away so that Cash’s flagging

erection slipped from his hole, causing them both to groan. Then he
spun around and beamed from ear to ear. “I didn’t hurt us this time!”

Chuckling under his breath, Cash bent and brushed his lips across

Cedric’s forehead. “No, you didn’t. I guess practice makes perfect.”

Cedric wiggled his hips, doing a little happy dance that made

Cash laugh even harder. “I am definitely getting better at this.” He
jerked his head toward the door to their left. “Shower time.”

Then he turned, apparently unaware that the door was closed, and

walked right into it, smashing his nose against the wood. “Oomph.”
With a shake of his head, he rubbed his nose and glared up at Cash.
“Not a word.”

Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, Cash shook

his head and held his hands up in surrender. “I wouldn’t dream of it,
darlin’.”

“Good.” Cedric turned the doorknob and stepped forward, but

something must have gone wrong because he walked right into the
door again, which set of a stream of swear words that would have
made a trucker blush.

Without saying anything, Cash reached over, turned the knob, and

pushed the door open.

“I hate you.”
Damn, the guy was cute when he was pissed. “I love you, too,

baby.”

“Bite me.”

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“I just did.”
“Ugh!” Cedric threw his hands in the air and stomped into the

bathroom.

“So, is this our first fight?”
“Just stop talking. You’re making it worse.”
“I heard a rumor that there’s makeup sex after a fight.”
Cedric paused with his hand under the spray of the shower. Very

slowly, he turned, gave Cash a wicked grin, and crooked his finger. “I
never believe rumors until I see them for myself.”

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Chapter Thirteen

After a week of searching on his own and coming up empty-

handed, Cedric finally had to admit defeat. So, he’d taken his problem
to Atticus, who’d handed it over to Salem, and within twenty-four
hours, Cedric had answers. Why the hell hadn’t he just asked the
vampire king in the first place?

Harrison Wright, thirty-seven, and current resident of Kemah,

Texas, was alive and well. More than that, he wasn’t a human. None
of it was surprising, though. Cedric couldn’t figure out why two
humans would even know what Cash was, let alone why they would
attack him with such vehemence.

Mitchell Wright, Harrison’s brother, lived just a jump down the

road in Baytown, Texas. According to Salem’s sources, Cash’s attack
wasn’t the first on their rap sheet, nor was it the last. Unfortunately,
the werewolves also had connections with IPC that kept their sorry
asses out of prison.

It didn’t matter. Cedric hadn’t set out to clear his mate’s name or

seek justice against an offense that happened years ago. He’d just
wanted proof, something concrete to show his lover so Cash could let
go of the guilt he felt. Now that he had it, hopefully they could put the
entire incident behind them and move on from it.

“So, what’s up with Dorian and Simon?”
Cedric looked up from the documents he’d been reading at

Nigel’s question. He was rather curious about that as well. The pair
had been gone for nearly two weeks, and Cedric was growing
concerned. “Are they okay?”

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“They’re fine.” Atticus tapped a few buttons on his keyboard

before pushing away from his desk and turning to face them. “There
was another death in one of the prisons in South Africa. This vampire
apparently started having an allergic reaction to blood. I don’t know
all the details, but the prison has several other inmates who are
showing signs of the same illness.”

“This isn’t contagious is it? I mean, Dorian and Simon will be

safe?” As far as he knew Dorian had never been out of Indiana.
Cedric wondered how his friend was adapting to the outside world.

“No, so far we haven’t seen any proof that it can be transmitted

from one host to another. Dorian and Simon are safe, but they are
going to be in Africa for another couple of weeks.”

“They’ll miss the full moon?” Cedric was nervous about the full

moon and could really use the support of all of his friends. No, that
wasn’t right. He wasn’t nervous. He was fucking scared shitless.

“I’m sorry, Ced, but the rest of us we’ll be there. Do you trust

Edan?” Cedric bobbed his head at Atticus’s question. “Then don’t
worry. Edan can help you, and you know Cash won’t let anything bad
happen.”

How could Atticus tell him not to worry? When the full moon

rose, he’d been entering a place where demon spirits roamed to search
for the other part of his soul. Then he somehow had to get in, get out,
and try not to get eaten, possessed, or dead in the process. Yeah, piece
of cake.

The most dangerous thing he’d ever done in his life was mate a

vampire, and that didn’t exactly count because Cash was a big
freaking marshmallow. He was no superhero. Hell, he wasn’t a
regular kind of hero. Fuck, he even sucked at Guitar Hero. “I can’t do
this.”

“You don’t have to do it,” Nigel offered. “You’re getting better at

controlling things, right?”

Yes, he was. They’d only had one incident where he’d sucked the

breath out of Cash, but he blamed it on his mate. All he’d done was

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mention that once Graham was dealt with, it would be safe to move
back to his own house. Cash, of course, had gone completely
caveman on him, and his cat had interpreted that as feeding time.

“I don’t have a choice,” he finally confessed. “That Mr. X guy

wants me because of what I am. He’s not going to stop until I’m no
longer useful to him.” There were a lot of lives on the line, and he felt
selfish for even considering backing out of the whole thing. He’d
never claimed to be that selfless, though.

His friends were important to him, and he’d do anything to keep

them safe. Dying to save them was a no-brainer. That didn’t mean
he’d willingly walk into the flames if there was another way to
accomplish the same goal, though.

“Not to change the subject, but I had an idea.” Thaddeus clasped

his hands behind his back and looked down at his toes, obviously
embarrassed about whatever he had to tell them.

“I’m all ears, Thad,” Cedric assured him.
“Cayson was able to get that little turtle shifter moved to a

hospital, right?”

Cedric nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going. “Yeah, but

none of the doctors can figure out what’s wrong with him.” He knew
Cash was worried, felt responsible for the little guy. Part of him
wanted to be jealous, but after Cash had told him Fisher’s story, all
he’d wanted to do was help the guy as well.

“Umm, well, maybe…”
“Thad, spit it out. If you know something that can help him, tell

us.” Nigel looked up at the leopard shifter with pleading eyes.
“Cayson says he’s just getting worse. I don’t think he has a lot of time
left.”

“I think Dr. McKenna could help. He’s a vet, and, well, maybe it’s

not the human part of this shifter that’s sick. I figure it’s worth a
shot.”

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“That’s fucking brilliant.” Cedric jumped up from his seat and

hurried across the aisle to pull Thaddeus into a crushing hug. “When
can you ask him?”

“Me?” Thaddeus squeaked. “Why do I have to ask him? Can’t

Salem or someone else do it?”

It would be mean for him to laugh, but Thaddeus’s crush on the

good doctor was kind of adorable. “You know him the best.” They’d
all speculated—quietly and when Thaddeus wasn’t around of
course—that Fawkes McKenna was their friend’s mate. “I think he’d
be more likely to agree if you’re the one to ask him.”

“He hates me,” Thaddeus argued dejectedly. “I think someone

else should do it.”

“I’ll do it,” Brenner said with a shrug as he sauntered into the

room. “The worst he can do is say no.”

Thaddeus didn’t quite growl, but it sounded pretty close. The guy

could fight it all he wanted, but Cedric knew from experience that he
was headed for a long fall sooner or later. Judging by the jealous
gleam in his eye, Cedric was betting on sooner.

“Does anyone else feel like we’re finally starting to get

somewhere?” Atticus asked with a measure of excitement that had
been absent from his voice lately.

“I think we’re on the right track, and that’s more than we had a

couple of weeks ago.” There were still so many things that could go
wrong, though. “Did you talk to Salem about Gwen?”

The light died from Atticus’s eyes, and he sighed heavily. “Yeah,

and he totally freaked. I mean we’re already trying to deal with the
fact that she’s human.”

Cedric didn’t need it spelled out for him. As a human, Gwen

wouldn’t live forever. One day, Salem and Atticus would have to
watch their child die. Gwen had wormed her way into all of their
hearts, and they all dreaded that day, but Cedric couldn’t even
imagine what it was like for Atticus.

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“He’s got guards on her twenty-four-seven, even standing outside

her door while she’s sleeping. He completely flipped and made her
swear that she wouldn’t use her powers anymore. At least twice in the
last week he’s snapped at me for no reason at all. I don’t even know
what to do.”

“Shit!” Cedric yelled, almost falling to his knees.
It happened so often these days, no one even questioned it. In fact,

they all found it highly entertaining. Cedric thought he’d be used to
the vibrating sensation by now, but it still caught him by surprise
every time.

“You were saying?” he asked tightly, trying to ignore his swelling

cock. This was so not the time for Cash’s little games. The vampire
was supposed to be sleeping, damn it.

Atticus snorted several times before bursting into laughter. “I

think we need to nail this fucker so all of our lives can get back to
normal. That’s what I was saying.”

“Hear, hear!” Nigel called.
“I’m in,” Thaddeus and Brenner said together.
“Gods,” Cash groaned when the next set of vibrations caused the

toy in his ass to rub over his prostate. “Let’s take this guy down, and
let’s do it before I kill my mate.”

* * * *

Only guards were allowed inside Fisher’s hospital room, at least

until his pardon came through. Warden Capton hadn’t been able to
find anything in the prison system about Fisher other than his name,
age, and paranormal status, which had prompted the IPC board to take
immediate action to keep from looking corrupt.

After Cedric had told him that the man he’d supposedly killed

outside that bar in Houston was alive, well, and not even human, Cash
had little trust in the system. Freeing Fisher was the right thing to do,

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but it wasn’t enough to change his opinion of the IPC or those who
ran it.

Since humans had no knowledge about anything paranormal, Cash

and a few other trusted vampire guards had needed to compel the
hospital staff to make sure only a select group of people were allowed
to see Fisher. Each time it was Cash’s turn to guard the man, though,
it broke his heart a little more at how small and pale the shifter
looked.

“How are you feeling?”
“I’m dying,” Fisher answered casually. “How are you today, Mr.

Gavin?”

“I’ve told you to call me Cash. And you’re not dying.” He eased

down on the side of the mattress and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I have some news for you.”

“Oh?”
“You’re getting out of this place.”
Fisher half-shrugged and nodded. “I figured they’d be sending me

back to my cell before long. These human doctors can’t find anything
wrong with me, and I don’t have health insurance. It only makes
sense.”

“Are you always so pessimistic?” It was as though he was just

waiting to die and had no illusions that anyone would miss him.

“I’m not pessimistic. I’m realistic. Sugar-coating my condition

isn’t going to change anything.”

“They’re not takin’ you back to prison, and the warden is

expectin’ for your pardon to come through any day now.” There was a
small bit of satisfaction at seeing the surprise on Fisher’s face. “Umm,
don’t take offense to this, but we’re movin’ you to the zoo.”

Fisher snorted, which sent him into a violent coughing fit. Once it

passed and he’d taken a sip of the water Cash handed him, he smiled
and shook his head. “The zoo? Really?”

“There’s a vet there who happens to be an elf. We’re hopin’ he

might be able to help.”

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“I’m in no position to argue, so to the zoo it is.”
“You’re a little smart-ass.” The most adorable little giggle

bubbled up through the shifter’s lips. How in the hell had he ended up
in Ironrock? Cash just couldn’t see the guy hurting anyone. “Can I ask
you something?”

“You want to know why I was in prison.”
“Well, yeah.” Cash rubbed at the back of his neck and frowned.

“I’m sorry, but I’m just not seein’ it.”

Fisher sighed and ringed the rim of his cup with one finger. “My

parents kicked me out of the house the day I turned sixteen. That’s a
story for another time, though.” He took a deep breath and coughed it
back out before slumping against his pillow. “I did okay on my own,
though. I got a job at this bakery. The owner, she was a really sweet
lady and let me rent the apartment over the shop for next to nothing.”

“What happened?” Cash prompted when Fisher stopped talking

and gazed out the window.

“I’d gone out with some friends one night and was cutting through

an alley on my way home. A couple of guys I’d turned down at the
club apparently didn’t understand the meaning of no.”

His bottom lip trembled and his hands shook, making the water

slosh around in his cup. “There was an officer patrolling the
neighborhood, and I guess he heard the noise. One of the guys who
attacked me pulled a knife and went at the cop with it. He ended up
with a bullet in his leg and two in the chest for his efforts.”

“They threw you in jail for that?” Cash could feel the fury boiling

just beneath the surface. What had been done to him could have been
written off as a misunderstanding. This was bullshit of the highest
caliber, though.

“I was so scared.” A single tear slid down Fisher’s cheek. “I

couldn’t stop myself from shifting. Two guys showed up at my door
the next morning saying I had caused the whole incident and had
revealed our world to humans. You know the rest of the story.”

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No wonder the man didn’t trust that Cash was trying to help him.

No one in his entire life had stood up for him or cared about him. It
was probably the saddest story he had ever heard, and as much as
Fisher needed a champion, Cash already had someone depending on
him, someone who was his entire world.

He could be Fisher’s friend, though, could do what he was capable

of to make sure the man never suffered like that again. And he
wouldn’t do it alone. “You can come in now, baby.”

Cedric, Atticus, Nigel, Thaddeus, and Brenner all filed into the

room with tear tracks on their cheeks and smiles on their faces.
“Hello, Fisher,” Cedric said before making the introductions. “It’s
nice to finally meet you. No putting the moves on my mate, though.”

“He’s so not my type,” Fisher answered automatically. The

moment he’d realized what he’d said, his eyes went wide, and he
looked up at Cash in apology. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean,
you’re attractive, but I just…I…oh, crap.”

The room erupted into laughter, and Cedric sauntered over to the

bed to kiss Cash on the cheek. “Don’t worry, big guy. You are totally
my type.”

Cash hadn’t been offended, but if it would get him another kiss,

he wasn’t above playing that card to the hilt. “My ego is bruised.”

“Oh, poor baby.” Cedric winked at Fisher before placing a kiss on

Cash’s lips. “Does that make it feel better?”

“A little. One more.”
The playful banter did the trick, pulling Fisher out of the sadness

of his memories. “It’s nice to meet you all. Uh, why are you here?”

“We’re breaking you out of here,” Nigel answered, puffing out his

chest and huffing on his fingernails. “It’s a secret.”

“I’m going to see the vet now, right?”
“That’s the plan,” Cedric agreed. “It’s top-secret spy stuff, though.

No one can know.”

“Just out of curiosity,” Thaddeus said suddenly, “what is your

type?”

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“Is the vet your mate?”
“No,” Thaddeus answered a little too quickly.
Fisher just grinned and dipped his head. “I’ll keep it strictly

professional.”

“We’ve got about three more minutes before staff change,”

Brenner announced. “We need to go now.”

While Cash wanted to help Fisher, wanted him to get well, if he

could be saved, it could help them cure the other inmates. Each step
they made toward undoing the evil Mr. X was spreading put them that
much closer to winning this war.

Cedric wouldn’t be completely safe until that happened, and Cash

wouldn’t rest until his mate could live his life without looking over
his shoulder. He didn’t see it as using people since it benefited
everyone, but if it came down to it, he’d do whatever he had to do if it
meant keeping Cedric alive, and he wouldn’t apologize for it.

His mate would always be most important, and everyone else

could just move the hell out of his way. If that made him the bad guy,
so be it. From the moment he’d claimed Cedric, he’d made a promise
to always put him first.

Cash never made promises that he didn’t intend to keep.

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Chapter Fourteen

“Have you heard from Fawkes? When can we see Fisher?” It had

been three days since they’d spirited the little turtle out of the hospital
in the middle of the night and smuggled him into the zoo. Why hadn’t
they had any news yet?

“Dr. McKenna said he’d call when he knew something.” Cash

shrugged unconcernedly. “If Fisher was gettin’ worse, I’m sure he’d
have called by now. Try to be patient, darlin’.”

“Patience is a virtue for those with too much time on their hands.”

He didn’t mean to be so snippy with his mate, but the full moon had
risen, everyone would be arriving soon, and he was wound tighter
than an eight-day clock.

“I know, baby.” Cash wrapped his arms around Cedric’s waist

from behind and kissed the side of his neck. “Maybe one of your
friends will know something. Please try to relax. I promise nothin’ is
gonna happen to you tonight.”

“What if Edan is more upset about what happened to his brother

than he’s letting on? What if he holds that against us?”

It was only a small concern, but one he’d yet to voice. They’d

been unsuccessful in finding Graham, and without the man’s blood,
Edan couldn’t perform the spell—which also meant that Graham was
still somewhere out there waiting for him.

“I trust Edan. He wants to end this as much as we do. Have a little

faith, Cedric.”

Before he could voice any further arguments, there was a knock at

the door, signaling the arrival of their first guest. “I guess this is it,”
he mumbled as he cross the room to greet their friends. He was a little

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surprised to find they’d all arrived together, but at least they could get
on with it. As much as he was dreading what would come, the waiting
was killing him.

Everyone filed inside, minus Dorian and Simon, but he’d been

assured the brothers were okay and would be returning soon. “Are
you ready for this?” Edan asked as he stepped over the threshold.

“Not at all, so let’s get it over with.”
“What exactly is going to happen?”
“One step at a time, Cedric. This will work.” The vampire clapped

him on the shoulder and squeezed. “Trust me, please.”

“I do trust you.” Kind of. “I just want to know what to expect.

How will I know what to do? What if I screw this up?”

Edan ignored him, turning instead to instruct Cash and Cayson to

move the coffee table off to the side of the room. “Sit in the middle of
the floor here with your mate.”

Cedric did as he was told, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front

of Cash and taking his hands. “Now what?”

Kneeling beside them, Eden sat back on his heels and took a deep

breath, letting it out slowly before he spoke. “I’m going to put you
into a type of trance. It will allow your human body to remain here
while your mind slips into that of your Shadow Cat. Once you do that,
you’ll need to find a way to enter the In Between. Thresholds are the
most common, such as the one between the living room and kitchen.”

Okay, Cedric was following so far. “What does Cash have to do

with this?”

“As your guardian, your mate, he will be your tether to this plane.

If you get lost on the other side, he’ll be the one to pull you back.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a big but coming?” Atticus asked from

his place in Salem’s lap.

“It’s very draining for Cash to hold you here, almost like the times

when you lose control and take too much of his energy.” Edan winced
a little when Cedric growled at him. “I’m sorry, but it’s the only way.
Don’t waste time once you cross over. Get your cat and get back. No

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matter what you see, what you hear, don’t let it distract you. As long
as you move quickly, everything will be fine.”

Cedric wanted to ask what he might see in the In Between but

thought better of it at the last second. No use in freaking himself out
before they’d even started. Could he risk Cash like that, though?
“What if something prevents me from getting back?”

“The longer you’re there, the more energy you drain from your

mate. If you take too long, it will eventually drain the life force from
him, severing the connection and leaving you lost in the In Between.”

“Cedric, are you sure about this?” Nigel leaned forward on the

sofa and touched his arm. “There’s a lot of risk here, a lot more than I
expected. Maybe you shouldn’t do it.”

“Cash?” Ultimately it was Cedric’s decision, but if Cash said no,

he’d abandon the entire plan without hesitation. “Tell me what to do.”

“If the connection is broken,” Cash said to Edan, but didn’t look

away from Cedric’s eyes, “is there another way to get him back?”

“Yes, but you wouldn’t like it. Someone else would have to claim

his physical body to form the bond before that could happen.”

“I’d be dead. I doubt I’d have too much to say about it.” Cash

stared at Cedric for a long time before he finally dipped his head. “As
long as you can get him back, even if somethin’ happens to me, I say
we do it.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Cedric vowed. “I’ll move fast.”
His mate smiled easily and bent forward to kiss his lips. “I trust

you. I know you can do this.”

The L word was on the tip of his tongue, but Cedric didn’t let it

past his lips. It felt too much like a good-bye. So he just squeezed
Cash’s hands, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. “I’m ready.”

He felt silly sitting there on the floor while everyone watched him

and Edan chanted strange words under his breath. After several
minutes when nothing happened, he opened his eyes to find out if
something had gone wrong, only to find himself staring back at his
body.

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It was very strange to see himself like that, to survey the rest of

the room through the eyes of his Shadow Cat while his human body
was still present. There was no time to waste, though. Cash was
counting on him.

Moving quickly, he floated across the room, heading straight for

the doorway that led into the kitchen. Some instinct called him to the
shadows just beyond the threshold, and he decided to just go with it.
Surely his cat knew better than he did.

The instant he stepped into the shadow, the temperature dropped

and the world around him began to melt and re-form. Guess it
worked. Where there should have been the warm and inviting kitchen
where he shared meals with his mate, he now found himself in a
dense, dark forest.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, just barely enough to

illuminate the forest floor where thick fog settled around the base of
the tree trunks. The branches above him twisted and curled, giving off
a menacing appearance that did nothing to calm his fear.

Silence settled around him as he began slinking through the forest,

winding his way through the trees and over fallen logs. How much
time had passed? How long did he have to get back? It felt like only
seconds since he’d stepped into the woods, but maybe time was
different here.

“Cedric, help me.”
“Help us.”
“Cedric, we’re lost.”
The voices of his friends drifted to him from somewhere to his

left, and he almost turned in that direction before stopping himself.
His friends were safe and sound inside Cash’s living room. If the
demon souls were trying to trick him, they would have to do better
than that.

Trekking deeper into the woods, he searched frantically, but found

nothing more than fog and low-hanging limbs. Just when he was

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starting to panic, sure that his time was almost up and he would fail, a
soft, rumbling purr called to him from up ahead.

Moving faster, he slipped between two large trees and came to an

abrupt stop when he found a lone ocelot, its dapple coat gleaming in a
beam of moonlight as it stared back at him as though to ask what had
taken him so long. What did he do now? Edan had never explained
how he was actually supposed to get his cat out of the In Between.

Once again, his beast proved to know more than he did. The

ocelot padded toward him in a slow, easy gait. Was he supposed to
follow it? Should he lead the way? What happened now?

The cat pounced, hissing madly as he dove right into the shadow

Cedric created against the ground. Like a rubber band snapping into
place, he felt the two parts of him meld into one. His vision dimmed
momentarily, and his brain went fuzzy as though he was floating on a
haze of alcohol.

When his senses returned, they were sharper, keener, and he could

feel his feet pressing into the damp dirt below him. Gone was the
weightless feeling, the sense of floating outside his body, and Cedric
let out a triumphant growl when he realized this was technically the
first time he’d been in shifted form in almost three months.

Now, he just had to find his way back. Retracing the path he’d

taken to get there sounded like the most logical course of action, only
when he turned around, everything looked exactly the same. Which
direction was the right one? He hadn’t exactly taken a direct path
from point A to point B, either.

“Cedric.” Cash’s voice was hollow, distant, but still unmistakably

his.

Pinpointing the direction his mate’s voice had come from, he took

off through the underbrush, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry
him.

“Cedric, come this way. You’re going the wrong way. Follow

me.” The voice was much sharper, louder, but it still sounded like
Cash.

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“You need to hurry, baby. Come back to me. Just follow my

voice.”

Well, fuck. Both voices sounded like his mate. Which one was he

supposed to trust?

“Trust me,” the second, clearer voice answered just as Cash

appeared in front of him, causing him to skid to a stop. “I’ll show you
the way out, Cedric.”

It was a damn good replica of his lover, but Cedric wasn’t fooled.

Other than the fact that the demon kept calling him by his first name,
the eyes just weren’t right. He doubted there was another color on
heaven or earth the same green as Cash’s eyes.

“Hurry, darlin’. You’re almost home. Don’t stop running.”
Dropping his head, Cedric dug his claws into the dirt to propel

him forward, flying over the ground faster than he’d ever run in his
life. A small sliver of light cut through the darkness up ahead, shining
the way for him, calling to him.

Nearing it within seconds, he didn’t even slow as he pushed off

with his back feet and leapt into the air, diving right through the strip
of light. The brightness blinded him. His chest constricted until he
couldn’t breathe. Sound vanished, leaving him completely deprived of
all his senses.

Then the knot in his chest loosened, and Cedric gasped for air,

sucking in a great lungful over and over again. Blinking open his
eyes, the first thing he noticed was that he was back in his living room
and inside his human body. The second thing he noticed was his mate.

Cash looked like he’d been put through the wringer. His face was

deathly pale, his eyes sunken and hollow, and even his hair looked
limp and lifeless. “You look like shit.”

“I love you, too, baby.”
Ignoring everyone else, he crawled into Cash’s lap and hugged

him tight. “We did it.”

Cash petted his hair and peppered kisses all over his face and

down his neck. “You did it, darlin’. I’m so damn proud of you.”

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“Stop talking and bite me.”
“You have such a way with words.”
“Please,” Cedric whispered. “You’ll feel better. Let me do this for

you.” He could have lost everything, and he needed to know that they
were both alive, safe, and together. He needed to do this, to give
something back after everything Cash had sacrificed to help him.
“Please.”

Cash nuzzled against the side of his throat before embedding his

canines in the flesh with such gentleness that Cedric barely even felt
the pinch. He didn’t take much, not nearly what he needed, but when
he lifted his head, there was at least color to his cheeks again.

“Uh, guys, I know we’re supposed to be celebrating, but…”

Atticus trailed off, wincing when everyone turned to look at him. He
held up Cedric’s cell phone and wiggled it around. “The Indianapolis
Fire Department just called.” He let everyone absorb that for a
moment before speaking again. Not that it was necessary because
Cedric already knew what he was going to say. “Cedric, your house is
on fire.”

* * * *

The official ruling was arson, caused by a small bomb placed

inside the hall closet. The news had surprised no one since they’d all
been expecting something that would cause maximum damage. Cash
didn’t know how their bodies were supposed to be preserved if they
were all burned crispy, but he’d learned not underestimate anyone or
anything.

The house was a complete loss, even if the insurance adjuster

hadn’t been out to appraise it yet. Since Cash had no intentions of
letting his mate get away from him, the main question was what
they’d use the insurance money to buy. He voted for something fun—
maybe a nice long vacation.

“I’m bored.”

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Edan looked over at him from the passenger seat of his SUV and

snorted. “Really? We’ve been here for fifteen minutes.”

“Yeah, but waiting blows,” Cayson groused from the backseat. “I

can think of much more pleasurable pursuits I could be engaging in
right at this moment.”

“Tell me again why we couldn’t have just asked Salem to send

some of his guards?”

“They’d kill him,” Edan mumbled as he stared straight ahead

through the windshield. “This isn’t his fault, and he’s still my brother.
I just want to help him.”

That was all well and good, but if Graham made another move

against Cedric, whether it was his fault or not, Cash would rip his
heart out. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Yes,” Edan answered with conviction, holding up a lock of hair

that Cash assumed had come from Graham. “I have everything I need
except for the blood. Once I have that, the spell will only take a few
seconds. As long as you can hold him down until it’s complete, this
will work.”

“And you’re sure he’s going to show?” Cayson leaned forward

between the front seats and peered intently through the windshield.

Cash felt kind of bad about dragging him out of the house in the

middle of the night to deal with something that wasn’t even his
problem. Then again, that was what friends were for. Besides, Cash
had been there when Cayson and his mate needed help. He figured the
guy kind of owed him one.

“I’m not certain.” Edan shook his head and fisted his hands on the

tops of his thighs. “This is where he’s been staying, though. I’ve
watched him come and go for the past few nights.”

It didn’t look like great digs to Cash, but he supposed immortal

demon-vampire-witch-things couldn’t be picky when it came to
where they called home. Still, an abandoned warehouse was kind of
cliché and unimaginative.

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They sat in silence for another few minutes before Cash’s cell

phone began to chirp, interrupting the monotony of his thoughts.
Snatching it off the dashboard, he smiled happily when he saw
Cedric’s name on the display screen.

“Hey, baby. Miss me already?”
“There’s someone here,” Cedric answered, sounding panicked.

“What do I do?”

“What do you mean? Who’s there?”
“I don’t know, but when someone comes knocking on the door in

the middle of the night without announcing themselves, I’m going to
guess it’s not a vacuum salesman.”

“Okay, okay, I’m on my way. Just stay in the house. If it’s a

paranormal they can’t get in unless you invite them. Hold tight, Ced.”
He had the car in gear and was speeding along the street before he’d
even finished speaking.

Disconnecting the call, he tossed his phone to the side, wincing a

bit when Edan grunted in pain. “What happened?” Edan asked,
picking up Cash’s cell phone and placing it in the cup holder.

“I think I just found your brother.”

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Chapter Fifteen

Cedric sat stiffly in the armchair farthest from the door and stared

at it intently as though he could see through the wood and to the
danger beyond. He was concentrating so hard that he nearly jumped
out of his skin when another rhythmic knock sounded, and a harsh
laugh echoed inside his head.

“Oh, shit.” Scrambling out of his chair, he began backing out of

the room and toward the kitchen. He didn’t know where he would go,
but he wasn’t going to be one of those lame damsels in distress who
got himself stuck upstairs with no way of escape.

“It’s rude to keep someone waiting, Mr. Barrows.”
He’d really hoped to never hear that voice inside his head again,

but apparently he’d wished upon the wrong star. No sense in
antagonizing the psycho, however, so he kept his mouth shut and
continued making his way to the kitchen.

Cash was on his way, and he was coming with backup. All Cedric

had to do was be patient and keep his wits about him. Graham Russo
was a vampire—kind of—and that meant Cedric was safe as long as
he stayed inside the house.

He’d no more had the thought when the window beside the door

shattered inward, and three smoking canisters rolled into the living
room. Seriously? Where the hell did the guy get tear gas? Or maybe it
was something worse. Graham was working with Mr. X, and that guy
had proven himself to be quite the resourceful villain.

The roar the engine reached his ears before he heard the crunch of

speeding tires over the gravel. Next was the sound of pounding

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footsteps against the wood planks of the porch. Was Graham running
away? That seemed far too easy.

Then the growling started, followed by several loud, vicious barks

that had to have come from Cayson. The cacophony of noise
sounding from the front lawn was terrifying, but Cedric had a much
bigger problem on his hands. The smoke in the room was growing
thicker, slowing curling its way to him, and he had to get out.

He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that he stood any chance

against someone as massive as Graham, but he had other weapons in
his arsenal. Stripping out of his clothes as he went, he sprinted for the
back of the house, through the kitchen door, and right out onto the
back deck.

Completely naked, he leapt down the stairs and crouched in the

grass, breathing heavily as he waited for the shift to complete. It felt
odd to be back inside the body of his ocelot, and part him kind of
missed the Shadow Cat. It would be much easier to sneak up on his
adversary if no one could see him coming.

Still, his ghost cat might be excellent at running away, but he

wouldn’t have been much help in an actual fight. Running full-out, he
rounded the corner of the house just in time to see Graham deliver a
powerful kick to the center of Cash’s chest that sent him flying
through the air to land on his back in the gravel.

“Wound him!” Edan yelled, dancing around his brother and trying

to get closer. “I need his blood.”

Cayson was in his Doberman form, growling and snapping at

Graham, but he couldn’t get close enough, either. Cash was back on
his feet, circling the vampire, but Graham was fast, giving him little
opportunity to strike.

Crouching low to the ground, Cedric slunk forward as quietly as

possible, taking in the scene and looking for his opening. One scratch.
That was all Edan needed was one scratch that would draw blood.

“You don’t have to do this,” Edan pleaded. “This isn’t you.”

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Graham laughed harshly as he kicked out with his left foot,

connecting solidly with Cayson’s ribcage and sending him tumbling
across the ground. “I don’t take orders from you anymore. We do
things my way now.”

He turned to sneer at Edan, leaving his back vulnerable as he did

so. It wasn’t great, but it was the best chance Cedric was going to get.
Squeezing himself even closer to the ground, he let the power coil
through him like a spring, swished his tail once, and pushed off hard
with his back legs.

Cedric was fast, but Graham was faster. Spinning with a grace that

belied his large frame, he swung out his right arm, backhanding
Cedric across his temple and sending him careening toward the porch.
It hurt like hell, but Cedric gained a small measure of satisfaction
when he heard Graham hiss in pain and saw him curl his hand toward
his chest.

It wasn’t a large cut, really more of a knick, but Cedric’s sharp

claws had done the trick to draw blood from Graham’s palm. Cash,
however, didn’t appear to be impressed. A loud, terrifying roar ripped
through the night seconds before Cash dove forward, driving his fist
into Graham’s nose and plowing over him to get to Cedric.

“Are you okay? Talk to me, baby.”
If Cedric could, he would have rolled his eyes. It was sweet that

his mate was so worried about him, but it wasn’t like his ocelot had
the ability of speech. Still, he could offer comfort and reassurance in
his own way. Crawling up in Cash’s lap, he curled close to him and
rubbed his face over his lover’s neck and face, purring softly to let
Cash know that he wasn’t seriously injured.

Movement beyond the porch caught his attention, and he whipped

his head around, preparing for whatever danger was coming.
Fortunately, he wasn’t going to have to fight again. Edan grabbed a
sharp rock from the ground, slashed it across his own palm, and
tackled his brother so that he sat atop him.

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Then he clasped his bleeding hand to Graham’s, grunting when

the man tried to throw him off but otherwise holding his own. “Teneri
sanguis amorque somnum sempiternum erit dicendum.”

There were no bright lights, cries of pain, or any other kind of

dramatic scene. Once Edan finished speaking, there was a split-
second pause where time seemed to stand still, and then both he and
his brother simply closed their eyes and slumped together.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself first, Cedric

shifted back to his human form and scrambled down the porch steps
to his friend. “Is he okay? Is he dead?”

Cash knelt down beside him and pressed two fingers to the side of

Edan’s throat. “He’s alive, Ced. I think he had to spell himself along
with Graham.”

“What?” Cedric’s head snapped up and his eyes rounded. “No.

Bring him back. Fix him.”

“I don’t know how, but maybe Salem can help.”
“He at least has the security to keep them both safe until we can

figure out how to undo the bewitchment,” Cayson added as he limped
toward them. “He’s fine, Cedric. Edan is just taking a really long nap,
and I figure after three thousand years, he kind of deserves a rest.”

Cedric supposed that was right, but he was going to miss his

friend until they could find a cure for him. On the other hand, Edan
was now probably the safest person in their group, and the vampire
king definitely had enough manpower to protect him. “Okay, call
Salem.”

* * * *

“Dorian and Simon are on their way back,” Cedric announced

with a huge smile as he bounced into the kitchen where Cash was
preparing dinner a few nights later. “They have a ton of blood
samples and other gross stuff, I guess. I have no idea how they’re
going to get that crap through Customs, but whatever.”

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“Well, hopefully Dr. McKenna can find something in those

samples that will help.”

“We’re still going to the zoo tomorrow, right?”
“Atty will be by to get you around six. I’ll meet you there when

the sun sets.” Fisher hadn’t gotten worse, but he wasn’t getting any
better, either. Dr. McKenna wanted to try a total blood transfusion,
but he needed uncontaminated blood from paranormals before he
could do that.

“And they still haven’t found anything that can help Edan?”
Cash wished he had better news, but so far, they’d found very

little that even made sense to them. “We’re still looking, but it could
take a while.”

“Yeah, I know.” Cedric sighed softly before plastering a bright

smile on his face. “Are you almost finished?”

Placing the chicken and potatoes into the oven, Cash kicked the

door closed with this foot and held his arms out wide. “I’m all yours
for the next hour and half.”

“What happens in an hour and half?”
“You have to share me with the chicken.”
Cedric snorted loudly. “You’re an idiot.” Backing out of the

kitchen, he wiggled his hips and crooked his finger. “Come with me.”

Cash knew that look and wasn’t about to waste a second of

whatever Cedric had planned for them. Darting across the kitchen, he
snatched his lover up over his shoulder and had them inside their
bedroom in less than a second.

“You always cheat,” Cedric said with an uncharacteristic giggle as

he bounced on the mattress where Cash dropped him. “You know
you’re stronger than me, so you have to promise to do what I tell
you.”

Oh, he was liking this game already. “All right, darlin’, you have

my promise.”

A wicked gleam shone in Cedric’s eyes, followed by a sly smirk.

“Clothes off and get on the bed.”

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“Yes, sir,” he teased, stripping out of his clothes and tackling his

lover back to the mattress. “I’m on the bed.”

“No, you aren’t. You’re on me, ya big oaf.” Cedric pecked him on

the lips before shoving at his chest. “Roll over on your back.”

Cash flopped over and stretched out, lacing his fingers together

behind his head. “What do you have planned, darlin’?”

“Well, you’ve been torturing me for the better part of two weeks,

love. I figured turnabout was fair play.” There was a whole lot of
undisguised satisfaction in the shifter’s voice, but Cash figured he had
it coming after all the coming he’d made Cedric do with that toy.

Reaching underneath the bed, Cedric brought out a long, slender

box and sat it on the bed beside Cash’s hip. Every move he made
seemed to be in slow motion, torturing Cash by leaving him waiting
in suspense.

“This,” he announced with a satisfied smile, “is called the Ball

Gag.” He held up an oddly shaped butt plug that looked nothing like a
ball gag.

The plug itself was long and slender with a circular base—nothing

out of the ordinary. What caught Cash’s attention, however, were the
two prongs that curved out and upward from the base with large,
metal balls at the tips. “What is that?”

“I just told you.” Cedric wiggled his eyebrows as he extracted a

bottle of lube from the box and flipped the cap on it. “Do you trust
me?”

Since he trusted Cedric with his life, Cash merely bent his knees

and spread his thighs, opening himself up for his mate’s exploration.
“Do your worst.”

“I’ve never stretched anyone before, so tell me if I hurt you.”
One slick finger brushed over Cash’s entrance, hesitantly at first

but gaining confidence. After a few seconds of gentle rubbing,
Cedric’s finger pushed a little more insistently, popping through the
guarding muscles and making Cash groan.

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“Keep going,” he encouraged when Cedric looked up at him in

alarm. “Feels good, baby.”

Slow and diligent, Cedric used long, gentle strokes to stretch him

as he pumped his fingers in and out of Cash’s hole. Once he had three
fingers gliding effortlessly without resistance, he pulled his fingers
free and retrieved the toy, slicking it generously with the lube.

“Deep breath, love.”
The blunt tip nudged Cash’s entrance only briefly before Cedric

inserted the toy in one, smooth plunge that had Cash’s hard cock
jerking as pre-cum dribbled over his lower abs. The curved prongs
wrapped around his sac, cradling his balls and keep them pressed tight
to his body. The metal ends rested just under his cock where the shaft
met with his scrotum, cool against his overheated skin.

“Keep your hands where they are,” Cedric ordered. “No

touching.” Then he tapped something on the base of the toy that sent
Cash out of his mind with pleasure.

The silicone plug inside his ass began to vibrate in a low, constant

thrum, while the metal balls emitted an electrical current that made
his balls contract while sending mind-numbing pleasure straight to his
dick.

“Fuck!” His back bowed, his hips arched off the bed, and it took

every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep his fingers locked
behind his head.

It didn’t stop, didn’t let up. Over and over, slow, rhythmic

currents traveled through his sac and straight up to the tip of his cock,
even spreading out to make the muscles in his stomach quiver. Damn,
neither of them had even touched his dick, and he was already battling
back his orgasm.

Cedric crawled up his body, licking a slow path along the side of

his neck and nipping at his earlobe. “I love you so much, Cash Gavin.
I want you to be mine, but I need you to say yes.”

Another shock tightened his sac. His ass clenched, sucking the toy

in deeper so that it vibrated against his prostate, making lights dance

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behind his closed eyelids. “Yes!” Cash wasn’t even sure what he was
agreeing to, but he wanted anything Cedric was willing to give him.

“Then come for me, love. Just let go and fall.” There was a slight

growl to his voice, a raspy quality that was more animal than man.

Only a slight pinch of pain accompanied his bite before an ecstasy

so intense Cash wasn’t sure he’d survive it gripped his body while
tiny explosions detonated inside him. His sac tightened almost to the
point of pain, his cock pulsed, his inner walls clamped down on the
butt plug, and Cash went off like a bottle rocket, coming in a torrent
of thick, creamy seed.

“See,” Cedric whispered in his ear. “It’s okay to let me be in

charge sometimes.”

Cash had never had any doubts about that, though. There wasn’t

another person in the world he trusted like his mate. Wrapping his
fingers around the back of Cedric’s neck, he pulled his lover into a
sweet, tender kiss, pouring all of his emotions into the mating of their
lips.

“I don’t care who’s in charge, baby. I just want you to be safe. As

long as I have a say in that, I’ll gladly let you take care of all the rest.”

“Oooh, I like the sound of that. Say it again.”
“I love you enough to let you be in charge. Fallin’ is so easy with

you, Cedric.”

Cedric lost the playful look and dropped his head to Cash’s

shoulder, nuzzling against the side of his neck. “I’ll always catch you,
big guy.”

Of that, Cash had no doubt. “Do you think you can get me out of

this contraption, now?” The toy wasn’t painful, but he was covered in
drying cum that was beginning to make his skin itch. He needed a
shower, but it was hard to find the motivation when it felt so good to
stay right where he was.

“Hush.” His chest was patted lightly as Cedric snuggled closer to

him. “You always talk too much. Usually I’m okay with that, but
sometimes it’s just not necessary. Now, relax and enjoy the ride.”

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Gabrielle Evans

And really, wasn’t that what life was all about in the end? Ups and

downs, good times and bad, so many different things would be thrown
at them. They could fight it, insist they knew what was best, and try to
shape their own destinies. Or they could shut up, hold on, and enjoy
the ride.

Holding his mate close to his chest, breathing in Cedric’s calming

scent, Cash voted for whichever path always led him back to
moments like these.

THE END

WWW.GABRIELLEEVANS.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gabrielle Evans grew up in a small town in southern Oklahoma.

We are talking one red light that may or may not work depending on
the day of the week. She married her high school sweetheart and the
rest is pretty much history. They have two very active boys and one
high-strung wiener dog that keeps her constantly on the go. For now,
she parks her car in central Indiana, but who knows what tomorrow
will bring.

Gabrielle believes in love at first sight, falling hard and fast,

taking chances, and grabbing your happy-ever-after with both hands.
Most importantly, she believes that a great cup of coffee can cure
anything.

Also by Gabrielle Evans

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Sexually Awkward 1:

Custom Toys Made to Order

Everlasting Classic ManLove: Sexually Awkward 2:

Naughty by Design

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

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