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The Moonlight Breed 9

Jaded

Zuriel knows what people think about him. Hell, he’d made it his
mission to give them the impression he cared about nothing more

than sex. It wasn’t the best reputation to have, but it was a lot
better than getting his heart broken.

Then Dr. Spiro Araceli swept into his life and changed everything.

Spiro looked right past his outward façade, saw through all of his
insecurities, and offered him a chance that no one else had ever

given him—a chance to be normal.

Spiro never wanted to lead his people, but when a curse takes him

back to his family’s home, he’ll have no choice. With tragedy
around every corner, his instincts tell him to grab his mate and

run, but he has a responsibility to protect his people. When death
comes knocking at his own doorstep, however, how will he choose
between love and duty?

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 39,297 words

JADED

The Moonlight Breed 9

Gabrielle Evans

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

JADED
Copyright © 2013 by Gabrielle Evans
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-538-9

First E-book Publication: March 2013

Cover design by Sloan Winters
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
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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 Jaded 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

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JADED

The Moonlight Breed 9

GABRIELLE EVANS

Chapter One

“Look, Rissian, I don’t have time for this. You’re an elf. Heal

him.” Spiro glanced at his watch and sighed. “I have to go.”

“Do you think we haven’t tried to heal him? Nothing is working.

Spiro, Father is going to die.”

“Then the world will be a better place.” A small voice argued that

he was being too harsh, but there was no love between him and his
father. The man was a sadistic, psychotic bastard who ruled his people
and his children with fear and manipulation.

“I’m not arguing that.” His brother had lived through his share of

painful injustice at their father’s hands, and part of Spiro felt guilty
for abandoning his siblings to the man’s cruelty. “You know what
happens if he dies, though.”

Yes, he knew, but he didn’t think it would come to that. Whatever

plagued his father would pass, and life would go on exactly as it had
been. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” He glanced at his watch again
as he hurried along the dirt path that would lead to the pack cabins
near the pond. “Look, I really have to go. I have an appointment.”

“Fine.” Rissian sighed over the line. “I’ll keep you posted.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Right. Take care, Rissian.” Spiro disconnected the call, stuck his

phone in his pocket, and exhaled slowly, releasing his irritation on the
breath.

As he continued toward his destination, the most alluring scent

he’d ever encountered hit him, sending shivers down his spine. His
gums itched and ached, his fangs elongated, and he suddenly couldn’t
remember why he was walking along that stretch of muddy road.

Walking toward him, practically bouncing along the path, was the

most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen. His sandy-blond hair flowed
behind him like a hero on a romance novel cover, and the smile on his
lips surely lit the clearing, brighter than even the sun. He wasn’t
alone, either, but Spiro barely noticed the other man with him except
for the vividly pink hair.

“Oh, hello.” The little blond tucked a strand of hair behind his ear

and smiled shyly. “You must be Dr. Araceli. I’ve seen you with
Cicero. You’re his psychologist, right?”

Clearing his throat, Spiro tried to force his canines to retract with

no success. “Yes, but please, call me Spiro.”

“I’m Zuriel.”
Chosen.
Oh, yes, Spiro finally understood. After so many years of

searching, he’d finally found his chosen, his sienota. Gods, he
couldn’t have handpicked a more suitable mate. “It’s very nice to
meet you.”

“Mmm, you are delicious.” Sauntering forward, the shyness

completely faded, and a lascivious look came into Zuriel’s eyes as he
dragged a fingertip down Spiro’s chest. “Maybe we could get to know
each other better.”

Spiro didn’t know what the hell was happening, but he wasn’t

opposed to what the guy suggested. “I’m on my way to meet Cicero,
but maybe we could meet afterward? Would you like to have dinner
with me tonight?”

Jaded 9

Zuriel licked at his top teeth and winced, clearly feeling the same

burn in his gums that Spiro did. “Oh, honey, I don’t date. You can
meet me in my room, though.”

This was not going how Spiro had anticipated, and he was having

the damnedest time reading the shifter. Beautiful and so sad. His
chosen’s eyes held a world of hurt, and Spiro didn’t know where to
begin to heal that heartache. “Fine, we can have dinner in your room.”

Flicking a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, Zuriel seemed to

retreat into himself, pulling away from Spiro. “On second thought,
you’re really not my type.” He wiggled his fingers, grabbed his pink-
haired companion by the wrist, and darted away. “Laters, Doc.”

Spiro stood rooted to the spot, frowning at his mate’s back and

wondering exactly where in the brief conversation everything had
gone to hell.

* * * *

“Feel free to roam the sectioned area,” Logan explained, outlining

the rules for the full moon run. “No one goes off on their own,
though. Treat this like kindergarten and stick with the buddy system.”

Spiro had joined the pack in an effort to get closer to his mate, not

that it did him any good. Zuriel practically ran in the opposite
direction when he saw Spiro approaching. It was frustrating to say the
least, especially when Zuriel was still chasing every available guy in
the coven.

“I call dibs on the doc!” With a swagger in his step, Jacobi

crossed the room, linked his fingers with Spiro’s, and pressed up
against his side with a purr. “Isn’t he delicious?”

Spiro had nothing against the flamboyant shifter, but he had been

hoping to spend some time with his mate during the night. Too bad
Zuriel looked less than interested. Hell, the guy wouldn’t even glance
in his direction. “Um, yes, I suppose that would be okay.” He’d just

Gabrielle Evans

have to let Jacobi know up front that nothing could ever happen
between them.

Suddenly, the front door flew open, drawing everyone’s attention

as the vampire Enforcer, Raven, swaggered into the room with a
smirk on his lips.

“Okay, I’m here. The party can now begin. Now, who am I

babysitting?” He surveyed the room, rubbing his hands together like a
mad scientist. Then his gaze landed on Zuriel, the smug grin
vanished, and the big, bad vampire actually stumbled backward.
“Please tell me that one is going with you.”

Yes, Zuriel was going whether he liked it or not. No way on

heaven or earth was Spiro about to leave his chosen alone with the
playboy.

“He’s just playing hard to get,” Zuriel said in stage whisper to

Jacobi. “He secretly wants in my pants.”

“You grabbed my dick!” Raven exclaimed.
“And you loved it.”
Spiro grinded his teeth together until his jaw ached, trying

desperately not to growl or show any other kind of emotion. It was
one of the hardest things he’d ever done, especially since he wanted to
shove his fist down Raven’s throat and rip his dick out through his
mouth.

“Okay,” Braxton called, “everyone get out of here and wipe your

paws before you come home.”

No one needed to tell Spiro twice. He could already feel the magic

washing over him, drawing him to the moon and demanding his
transformation. Besides, if he didn’t get out of there, he was going to
do something he regretted—like shove Raven’s head up his arrogant
ass while he laughed about it.

* * * *

Jaded 11

Despite his agitation at the beginning of the night, the full moon

run was fairly uneventful. He stuck closer to Jacobi as he’d promised
per the buddy system, but he was never too far away from Zuriel. His
little fox was adorable, and he made Spiro laugh internally. Zuriel
prowled over the forest floor with his chest pressed to the ground and
his little butt in the air, his white tail waving in the breeze like a flag
of surrender.

Spiro ran and hunted, but he and his lion were in agreement that

they’d much rather watch Zuriel. Sure, he felt like a bit of a stalker,
but if this was the only way to be close to his mate, he’d take it.

As the sun began to crest over the horizon, the pack made its way

back to the cabins. Shaking out his mane, Spiro chuffed a few times,
crouched down on the ground, and groaned as he made the transition
back to his human skin. His clothes were folded neatly on the porch
where he’d left them, but when he went to retrieve them, he found his
way blocked by a very naked Jacobi.

“He’s scared,” the shifter announced without preamble. “I mean,

after all the things they did to us in that lab, how could anyone
possibly want us, let alone love us? Don’t let him run, Doc. He needs
you more than you know.”

Before Spiro could respond to the advice, a loud wail cut through

the air, growing louder as the sirens droned on. “What the hell is
that?” Jacobi slapped both hands over his ears and turned his face
toward the treetops. “That’s horrible.”

“It’s the perimeter alarm,” Xander informed him. “There’s an

incursion at the front gate.”

“What does that mean?” Jacobi asked, shouting to be heard over

the sirens. “Can you speak English?”

“The bad guys are here to kick our ass, and they’ve found a way

inside. Is that plain enough for you?”

After ordering the smaller shifters into the house and gathering the

support of the visiting wolf Enforcers, Xander turned to the rest of the
pack, his lips pressed together in a grim line. “Jacobi, Mihail, and

Gabrielle Evans

Nikola, you guys have a choice. You can stay here where it’s safe, or
you can fight.”

“I’m fighting.” Mihail stepped forward with confidence. His

courage apparently spurred his friends into action, because Nikola and
Jacobi joined him, ready and willing to fight for the people they
loved.

“Anyone else want to stay?” Xander asked. “No one will hold it

against you.”

“This is our home,” Spiro announced as he waved a hand to

encompass their pack. “We all want to protect it.” It was more than
that, though. No matter if Zuriel wanted him or not, no matter if he
bolted like a startled jackrabbit, Spiro would give his life to make sure
his chosen was safe.

Jaded 13

Chapter Two

Jacobi winced as he swept the broken glass from the window into

a pile on the front porch. “This blows.”

His usual perkiness was absent, indicating the level of pain he was

in, but he hadn’t complained once, voicing his displeasure only about
the manual work. Spiro was impressed. “Go sit down and rest. We
can handle this.”

There wasn’t an enormous amount of work to do, but after facing

down an entire horde of goblins, everyone was tired, and tempers
were flaring. Still, they needed to clean up and get boards over the
window before they could retire for the night.

“I’m fine,” Jacobi argued, clutching his side as he bent to sweep

the glass into a dustpan.

“No, you’re not.” The skin along his back and left side was better,

but there were still angry red welts where the goblins had ripped him
open with their talons. His body would heal itself by morning, but
right then, the shifter needed to be resting. “You are infuriatingly
stubborn.”

He’d only really met Jacobi the night before when they’d

partnered for the full moon run, but he’d learned that much already.
Spiro had been completely taken aback when Jacobi had sauntered
over to him in the living room, looked him up and down, and
proclaimed they’d be running together for the evening.

Jacobi was likeable, and he was definitely pretty to look at, but he

wasn’t Spiro’s chosen. As a psychologist, however, he understood the
man’s personality and driving need for acceptance. Much like the

Gabrielle Evans

other residents seeking refuge in Haven, he was lost and hurt, in need
of a home and a bit of kindness.

For these reasons, Spiro had been unable to maintain his usual

aloofness when it came to the broken shifter. To his surprise,
however, Jacobi had not kept up his advances once they’d entered the
woods to begin their hunt. It hadn’t made sense at first, not until the
next morning when they’d all been standing around in the front
lawn—just before the alarms had sounded.

“He’s scared. I mean, after all the things they did to us in that lab,

how could anyone possibly want us, let alone love us? Don’t let him
run, Doc. He needs you more than you know.”

To the others, the statement probably sounded vague and random,

but Spiro had known exactly who Jacobi meant. Not only did he
understand what the guy was saying, but it made sense.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. No was no, and Spiro couldn’t
and wouldn’t force himself where he wasn’t wanted.

“Would you please pull your head out of that very sexy ass and go

get him?”

“I thought Zuriel was the one who could hear people’s thoughts?”

Arching an eyebrow, he dropped his hammer to the wood planks
under his feet and folded his arms over his chest. “Why is it so
important to you?”

“No, I can’t read minds, but I don’t have to. It’s written all over

your face.” Propping the broom against the side of the house, Jacobi
rested his hands on his hips and shrugged. “Look, I’m not very good
at this whole serious discussion thing. So, can we just cut the bullshit
and say I’m right? You want him. He wants you. Go get him.”

“Just like that?” Somehow, Spiro didn’t think it would be that

easy.

“You know, for a head doctor, you’re not very smart sometimes.

Yes! Just like that!” Jacobi threw his hands into the air but dropped
them quickly with a groan. “This is grossly unsexy,” he whined as he
examined his injuries. “Go away. You’re aggravating my condition.”

Jaded 15

Then he turned his nose to the sky, sniffed once, and marched into the
house without a backward glance.

Spiro stood on the porch for another few minutes, contemplating

his choices. He could go after what he wanted, take a chance at being
happy for once in a very, very long time. Or he could play it safe,
accept that his mate didn’t want him, and go on as he had been.

The decision was taken out of his hands, however, when the front

door opened again, and Jacobi shoved his friend out onto the porch
with a wicked grin. “You guys have fun,” he called before slamming
the door. Spiro was pretty sure he’d even heard it lock.

They stood there, just staring at each other for the longest time,

and neither of them uttering a word. It shouldn’t be so uncomfortable
to stand this close to his destined mate. Their interactions shouldn’t be
so incredibly awkward.

Gods, but he was gorgeous, so perfect that it was almost painful to

stand in his presence. With shaggy blond hair that floated around his
face like a halo, and creamy skin that practically glowed in the
moonlight, he looked every bit the angel Spiro knew him to be. There
was a wariness in his gaze, though, and his clear blue eyes clouded
with unease as he shifted nervously and fumbled his fingers together.

“Hello, Spiro.”
“Don’t let him run, Doc. He needs you more than you know.”
Jacobi’s words played through his mind on a never-ending loop. It

was sound advice, and Spiro fancied himself a smart man. Playing it
safe required very little from him, but it also garnered no rewards.

In that moment, he had two choices. He could say nothing, nod his

head, and simply leave, protecting himself from rejection. The other
option was to take a chance, trust in Jacobi, and possibly gain
something many only dreamed of having.

Lifting his gaze to those bright blue eyes, the answer suddenly

seemed very clear, and he didn’t know why he’d ever tried fighting it
in the first place.

“Hello, Zuriel.”

Gabrielle Evans

* * * *

His skin felt too tight and tingled with electrical currents like a

thousand tiny ants crawling across his body. It was impossible to
stand so close to Spiro and not feel intimidated. The guy exuded a
level of power and sophistication that Zuriel could never hope to
imitate.

Flirting with the other men that roamed the grounds of Haven was

easy. He wanted nothing more from them than attention, and they
expected nothing from him in return. It was unclear exactly what the
resident shrink wanted from him, but Zuriel doubted he’d be able to
provide it.

“So…” He clapped his hands together in front of him as he rocked

back on his heels. He had no idea what to say next, and he was going
to freaking kill Jacobi for putting him in this position.

“How are you?” Spiro asked with genuine concern in his dazzling

green eyes. “Were you hurt?”

“No.” He’s been scared out of his mind when those goblins had

come crashing into the house, but neither of them had touched him.
“I’m not hurt.”

Watching Spiro lean back against the railing of the porch, Zuriel

was momentarily stunned speechless, rendered immobile by the mere
sight of the man before him. Pale beams from the moon illuminated
his ivory skin, casting the angles of his cheeks and jawline into
shadows.

Silvery-blond strands cascaded over Spiro’s broad shoulders,

ending just below his pectorals, and Zuriel wondered silently if the
locks were as silky as they looked. His body ached, his chest felt too
tight, and some buried instinct inside him screamed for him to cross
the short distance and rub against Spiro until he was drenched in
Zuriel’s scent.

Jaded 17

He did none of those things of course, didn’t even understand

where the urge came from. A voice in his head chanted, growing
more agitated the longer Zuriel ignored it. “Mine, mine, mine.” That
was ridiculous, though. Spiro didn’t belong to him, and he never
would.

Normally, he tried like hell to keep out of other people’s heads. It

was a never-ending battle, and oftentimes he cursed his gift. It would
be so easy to slip into Spiro’s mind and ferret out his secrets, but
Zuriel wasn’t sure that he really wanted to know.

When they’d first met, he’d been overwhelmed by Spiro’s

thoughts. Never had he heard someone think so loudly. There had
been something about a “chosen,” and while he didn’t know what that
meant, it sounded rather ominous to him. So when Spiro had
attempted to strike up a conversation, Zuriel had flipped his hair,
batted his lashes, and informed the good doctor that he was not his
type.

Then he’d run like hell.
“I think I understand now.” Pushing away from the railing, Spiro

took a step closer, tilting his head to the side when Zuriel retreated.
“You don’t know, do you?”

“Don’t know what?”
“Who you are. Who I am.”
“You’re not making any sense.” Gods, he was no good at this

stuff, and Spiro’s cryptic statement was beginning to make his head
hurt. “I know who you are.”

“Your heart is beating so fast, pounding so hard,” Spiro

whispered. “Tell me something. Is it driving you insane that I don’t
carry your scent right now?”

“How? I…don’t…” He took another step back when Spiro came

closer.

“You feel like you’re about to crawl out of your skin. Am I right?

There might be a bit of tightness in your chest and stomach. Do your
gums itch? Do they ache around your canines, Zuriel?”

Gabrielle Evans

Running his tongue over his teeth, Zuriel frowned. His gums

didn’t hurt really, but there was an uncomfortable sensation around
his canines, just as Spiro described. It was almost like when he
shifted, but not quite. “How do you know this?”

Spiro came even closer, and Zuriel tried to retreat again, but he’d

backed himself into the corner, trapped by the side of the house and
the wood railing. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Spiro vowed, but he
didn’t stop his forward progress until he was mere inches away. “I
want to help you.”

Zuriel didn’t think the guy was doing it on purpose, but the deep,

smooth cadence of his voice held a sensual quality that sent a shiver
from Zuriel’s nape, clear down to his calves. His dick swelled
instantly, straining against his zipper and embarrassing him.

“Easy,” Spiro whispered. “Take a deep breath, Zuriel. Everything

is going to be fine.”

Unthinking of his actions, Zuriel did as instructed, sucking in a

huge breath through his nose. The scent that hit him nearly dropped
him to his knees, and he moaned loudly when his dick jerked in
interest. “What is that?” he panted. He’d never smelled anything like
it, and he wanted to fucking bathe in that scent.

“It’s me,” Spiro answered, shuffling just a little closer. “Well, it’s

what my scent is to you.”

Zuriel opened his mouth to argue, but a startled gasp was all that

escaped when his canines punched through his gums. Slapping a hand
over his lips, he stared up at Spiro and shook his head frantically.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Maybe he didn’t know

much about life outside of The Hive, but common sense told him it
wasn’t good manners to bare his fangs at someone during civilized
conversation.

“It’s okay. It’s natural.” Tilting his head back, Spiro opened his

mouth to reveal his own lengthened canines. “See?”

Jaded 19

Giving up on figuring out what was happening on his own, Zuriel

finally admitted defeat and turned to Spiro for answers. “I don’t
understand. Can you just tell me straight? Please?”

“Can I try one thing first?”
“O–okay.”
Spiro’s hand slipped under the hem of Zuriel’s shirt and around

his hip to press against the small of his back. His palm was
surprisingly warm considering the chilly temperatures outside, but
Zuriel still trembled from the touch.

Very carefully, very slowly, Spiro pulled him forward, holding

him gently while their bodies molded together from chest to groin. “Is
this better?” he asked. “Do you feel less like you’re about to fall
apart?”

His pulse had quieted to a more reasonable pace, his skin no

longer crawled, and even breathing was becoming easier. “Yes, it’s
much better. What does it mean?”

Leaning closer, he skimmed his nose across Spiro’s collarbone

where it peeked out from his shirt. That tantalizing scent was so much
stronger up close, a mixture of warm peaches, honey, and fresh
cream. Suddenly, he couldn’t get close enough. Gripping the man’s
shoulders, he pressed more insistently against Spiro’s chest, soaking
up his intoxicating warmth.

Spiro didn’t stop him, either. His arm tightened around Zuriel’s

midsection, cradling the back of his head with his other hand. He held
him so close, and Zuriel could feel the answering bulge in Spiro’s
jeans pressing against his own, but the contact didn’t feel sexual.
Spiro held him protectively, almost reverently, as though he was
precious and priceless.

“It means I am yours, and you are mine,” Spiro finally answered,

resting his cheek on top of Zuriel’s head. “You are my chosen—my
sienota—my mate.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Yes,” the chanting voice in his head breathed with satisfaction,

and Zuriel realized it was his fox who’d been fighting him this whole
time.

Unfortunately, Zuriel wasn’t so convinced. Sure, he believed that

Spiro was his mate. The doctor had no reason to lie to him about that.
However, he seriously doubted his ability to fulfill that role. Once
Spiro learned of all the things he’d done, all the things that had been
done to him in that lab, he’d regret this conversation for the rest of his
life.

It was probably best to get it all out in the open right away. Then

Spiro could leave, and Zuriel could go back to pretending to be the
coven’s happy little slut. It hurt. Fuck, it hurt like hell. It would hurt a
lot more to see the disgust in Spiro’s eyes when he wasn’t expecting
it, though.

Easing away, he adopted a cocky grin and popped one hip out to

the side. “Look, big guy. I can fuck you in a hundred different ways,
and then fuck you again in another hundred ways you didn’t even
know existed.”

“Zuriel…”
He couldn’t be distracted, though. This was for the best, so he

kept talking as though there had been no interruption. “I can be your
every fantasy come to life, and I’ll do it with a smile on my face. I can
be your booty call and your dirty little secret. We can screw like our
lives depend on it, and then you can ignore me when we pass on the
street.”

“Zuriel, stop it.”
He couldn’t, though. He was almost finished. There was just one

more thing left to say. “I can be your naughty assistant, your playful
nurse, your slave, or anything else you can imagine.” Ducking around
his mate, he sauntered toward the front door and knocked on it to
request entrance. The smile never slipped, but inside, a little piece of
him was crying in agony.

Jaded 21

The door opened, and his twin stood there with a disapproving

glare. “I’m not letting you in until you settle this.”

“Okay,” he replied easily. Glancing over his shoulder, he

brightened his smile a notch and wiggled his fingers. “I can be
anything you can dream up, handsome.” He pressed his fingertips to
his lips and blew Spiro a sultry kiss. “Anything,” he repeated, “except
your mate.”

He tried to push past Zavion, but his brother continued to block

his escape route. “You don’t have to do this, Zuri. You don’t have to
be so scared all the time.” Zavion’s words flitted into his head as
clearly as though he’d spoken aloud, accompanied by scenes of him
and his mate, Cian, smiling and laughing. “You can have that, too, if
you give yourself a chance.”

He was happy for his brother, but he wasn’t Zavion. Not only did

he have to live forever with the consequences of what The Hive had
done to him, but he’d created a reputation for himself within his home
that he’d never be able to live down. Maybe if he’d met Spiro sooner
it would be different, but he couldn’t change the past now.

“It’s for the best,” he murmured, pushing past Zavion and

disappearing to his bedroom. In a couple of days it would be like none
of this had ever happened, and Spiro would forget all about him.

Stripping down to his boxers, he crawled into bed, pulled the

blankets up around his shoulders, and buried his face in his pillow as
hot tears streamed down his cheeks. When he woke up in the
morning, he’d be himself again, present his mask to the world, and no
one would have to know the hurt he felt inside.

For now, though, he could allow himself this one weakness while

no one was watching.

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Three

In the two weeks since their disastrous conversation on the front

porch, Spiro had kept his distance, giving Zuriel the time and space he
needed to work out his feelings. While he had a tremendous amount
of patience when it came to his work, he’d never been the type to sit
back and wait for what he wanted in his personal life.

It might have been different if Zuriel had given him any indication

that he was torn about his decision or hurting a fraction as much as
Spiro. From the moment he’d walked into the cabin, however, there
was no trace of the scared and vulnerable man who’d clung to him in
the darkness.

Watching him parading around the coven, shaking his ass and

flirting with anyone and everyone, ate away at Spiro until he wanted
to hit something. There was absolutely nothing he could do about it,
though. Zuriel had clearly made his choice, and Spiro had no claim to
him, no right to say anything against his behavior.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Zuriel purred from across the table.
Spiro snapped to attention, but his hope died a fiery death when he

noticed his mate batting his lashes at Raven. The vampire Enforcer
held his hands up and shook his head. “I’m here for the meeting, not
to be pawed and groped by you.”

“Aww, but it would be so much fun.”
The tip of Zuriel’s tongue traced his plump lips, and Spiro nearly

vomited right there in his lap. By sheer willpower, he maintained his
composure, but rage, jealousy, and possessiveness simmered just
below the surface.

“Sorry, little man, but you’re not my type.”

Jaded 23

“Well, what is your type?” Standing from his chair, Zuriel fisted

his hands on his hips and turned one way and then the other. “Taller?”
As everyone watched, he grew several inches until he was nearly as
tall as the vampire. “Maybe you like dark hair?” The blond locks
grew longer and became inky black. “Do you like muscles? Brown
eyes? Tanned skin?”

By the time he was finished with his transformation, he looked

nothing like himself. Worse were the snide, sideways looks he kept
casting at Spiro as though taunting him to say something. What he
didn’t realize, however, was that though there was a smirk on his lips
and confidence in his stance, there was a whole world of hurt shining
in his eyes.

It was that sadness that finally spurred Spiro into speech. He’d

given Zuriel his space, let him do it his way, but he saw his mistake
now. He saw where he’d gone wrong, and he had a pretty good idea
of how to fix it.

“Enough.” Placing both hands on the tabletop, he pushed to his

feet and leaned forward, adding a bit of a growl to his tone. “Enough,
Zuriel.”

“Don’t worry, Doc,” Zuriel teased as he reverted to his usual

appearance. “There’s enough of me to go around.”

A mischievous grin flittered over Jacobi’s lips, and he snickered

openly. “Get ’im, Doc.”

Snatching Zuriel around his upper arm, Spiro dragged him across

the table before anyone could even blink, and threw him over one
shoulder, smacking his upturned ass when he began to struggle.
“You’re done here, Zuriel. Say good night.”

“Oh, you know how I like it rough,” Zuriel purred. “Hit me

harder, sexy.” He pushed up so that he could see around the room and
wiggled his fingers. “Good night, everyone. Apparently, Mr. Doctor
is going to teach me a lesson.”

Gabrielle Evans

Yes, he was going to teach Zuriel a lesson, but not the kind he was

expecting. The little brat could run his mouth all he wanted. In the
end, it wouldn’t matter, because Spiro had him figured out now.

Marching down the hallway, he stepped into Zuriel’s room,

kicked the door closed behind him, and dropped his squirming
passenger onto the mattress. After bouncing twice, Zuriel flipped
around so that he was stretched out on his stomach, propped his chin
up on one hand, and grinned wickedly. “Well, here we are. What do
you plan to do with me now?”

“You can quit with the act. We both know that I didn’t bring you

here for sex.” That wasn’t to say sex was completely off the table, but
neither of them would be removing a stitch of clothing until they
talked about what bug had crawled up Zuriel’s ass.

“Pity. I’m very good at it.” Using his index finger, Zuriel traced

his bottom lip and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Are you sure
you wouldn’t like a demonstration?”

“I’m going to make this very simple, Zuriel. There isn’t a single

thing that I wouldn’t do for you, but you’re going to have to meet me
halfway.” His cell phone vibrated in his jeans, but he wouldn’t be
interrupted. Pulling the device from his pocket, he declined the call
and set the phone aside on Zuriel’s dresser. His family was just going
to have to wait.

“I’ll meet you in any way you want, Doc.” Rolling to his back,

Zuriel hung his head off the end of the bed and ran both hands down
his slim torso. “C’mon. You know you want to.”

“Is that really what you want? If it is, if that’s truly all you want,

I’ll walk out that door right now, and I won’t bother you again.”

This was why doctors didn’t treat people they cared about. It was

too hard to remain detached and not let his personal feelings cloud his
judgment. In his case, it was doubly hard because of the intense
connection between mated pairs.

“It doesn’t matter what I want.” It wasn’t what Spiro wanted to

hear, but at least Zuriel had dropped the slutty camouflage he used to

Jaded 25

hide himself from the world. Pushing into a sitting position, he
crossed his legs under him and folded his hands into his lap. “This is
who I am. This is who I’m always going to be. I wish I could be more,
but this is it.”

“C’mon, Zuriel, is that really the best you have? That’s the

weakest excuse I’ve ever heard, and believe me, I’ve heard them all.”
Everyone had the ability to be more, to be happier. The only thing
holding Zuriel back was Zuriel, and Spiro just had to figure out why.

“Stop trying to analyze me. You can’t fix me. You can’t change

what happened to me.” He finally looked up from the contemplation
of his hands and pinned Spiro with an unblinking stare. “Let it go,
Spiro. You say you’ve heard it all?” He chuckled darkly and shook
his head. “Believe me, you really haven’t.”

“Then tell me.” He had a general knowledge of what had

happened to the captives in The Hive. They were all working through
their pain in different ways, but Zuriel exhibited the most self-
destructive behavior by far. “Talk to me, lirimaer.”

“That’s beautiful,” Zuriel whispered.
“It’s elvish.” He hadn’t even realized he’d spoken the endearment,

but it was fitting. Zuriel was the loveliest creature he’d ever met.

“What does it mean?”
“Loosely translated, it means ‘lovely one.’ Do you like it?” It had

been years since he’d spoken the ancient language of his people, but if
it could bring some common ground between them, he was more than
happy to use it to his advantage.

“I do. Could you teach me?”
“I could certainly teach you.”
It was too much to ask that his reprieve from their arguing would

last long. Zuriel sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and chewed it
vigorously, probably searching for another excuse as to why he
couldn’t allow Spiro into his life.

“I’m not lovely, though. If you knew the things I’ve done, you

wouldn’t say that.”

Gabrielle Evans

Before he could ask what that meant, his cell phone began to ring

again, vibrating against the gleaming wood of the dresser.

“You should answer that.” Zuriel nodded toward the phone. “I’m

tired anyway.”

“It can wait.” Two seconds after his phone stopped vibrating, it

started once again. “One minute.” The he snatched the phone up and
answered the insistent ringing. “What?” he demanded.

“Spiro, it’s Rissian. You need to come home.”
Until recent weeks, Spiro hadn’t seen or spoken to his family

since his departure from his home nearly a decade ago. The night
before the full moon, however, Rissian had called him with news that
had turned his world upside down. “He died.”

“Yes,” Rissian answered. “You know the rites. You have to come

home.”

When his younger brother had first called him about their father’s

illness, Spiro hadn’t been overly worried. As elves, they were
immortal, unsusceptible to human diseases and sickness. When the
calls became more frequent, however, he’d known this conversation
was coming.

“I have time.” Spiro glanced toward Zuriel and winced. Gods, he

was so royally fucked. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

His father was a cruel and sadistic asshole, and the only grief he

felt over the man’s passing was for himself, because his life was about
to change in ways he’d never wanted.

“You know what will happen if you don’t complete the rite.”

There was an edge of panic in Rissian’s voice that hadn’t been there
before. Though nearly two decades separated them in years, he’d
always been closer to Rissian than any of his other siblings. Still, this
wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of Zuriel, especially
since he hadn’t filled his mate in on the details yet.

“We’ll talk in the morning,” he repeated. Then he disconnected

the call, interrupting his brother’s protest, and turned the phone off for
good measure.

Jaded 27

“I’m sorry,” Zuriel murmured. “Is it okay to ask who died?”
“My father.”
“You don’t sound upset. Were you not close?”
“Not particularly.” His father was an abusive, barbaric fucker, but

Zuriel didn’t need to hear his sob story.

“Oh.” Lifting a hand to his mouth, Zuriel’s eyes watered,

glistening in the low light with unshed tears. “Oh, my gods. Spiro,
I’m so sorry.”

Had he remembered Zuriel’s ability to read his thoughts, he may

have worked a little harder to shield them. “So now you know.” It still
wasn’t nearly as bad as what his mate had lived through, and he didn’t
need pity. “Zuriel, I don’t give a damn what happened in your past.
Hell, I don’t care what happened five minutes ago. I’m living proof
that the past does not define us. We can start right now, right from
this very second, and none of the rest of it matters.”

To his credit, Zuriel actually appeared to be considering his offer

for once. “I don’t know. Can I…Can I have time to think?”

It was the best answer he’d received yet and was a damn sight

better than “no.” He had only one stipulation, however. “I’ll give you
the time you need, but no copulating, kissing, groping, or flirting
during that time. Can you at least give me that?”

The most breathtaking smile stretched across the shifter’s face,

and he bobbed his head slowly. “I can give you that. I promise, but
the same goes for you.”

Spiro hadn’t even thought about anyone else since he’d met

Zuriel, but he offered his agreement anyway. “Take care, lirimaer.”
Moving to the foot of the bed, he bent slowly and placed a brief,
chaste kiss on Zuriel’s lips. “You know where to find me when you’re
ready.” Then he turned and forced his legs to carry him to the door
while his lion fought him every step of the way.

“Spiro?”
“Yes?” He paused near the door with his hand on the knob.
“How do you do it? How do you get over the hurt?”

Gabrielle Evans

It was a good question, but there was no easy answer. “One day at

a time, Zuriel. Instead of letting my past cripple me, I used it to make
a change. I refuse to be like my father, and I wanted to help others
who have been hurt by people like him.”

“It gets easier?”
“It absolutely gets easier. I’ll help you anyway I can, but you have

to want it.”

“I want it,” Zuriel whispered. “I want to be better.”
“Then we’ll take it one day at a time, just like I said.” He dipped

his head in good-bye and pulled the door open as his heart soared with
hope. “I hope you’ll find me soon.”

* * * *

Zuriel rarely left his room during the course of the next three days.

He still couldn’t get over what he’d seen in Spiro’s thoughts, and he
couldn’t fathom how parents could do something like that to their
children. Spiro had said that he now knew his story, but Zuriel had the
uneasy feeling that the public beatings were only the tip of the
iceberg.

“Do you plan to shower any time soon?” Zavion asked after

barging into the room without knocking. “I can smell you clear from
the kitchen.”

“You cannot.” He’d just showered that morning, and his brother

was being an ass. “What do you want?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to talk.”
“No.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that.” He stuck his head back out the

door and called down the hallway. “Hey, guys. I was right.”

“What are you doing?” This had all the markings of one of his

twin’s insane intervention plans.

Jaded 29

“We’re going to hang you up by your toes and throw wet

spaghetti at you,” Jacobi answered with a wicked grin as he slid past
Zavion and into the room. “Sounds delicious, huh?”

“Don’t be such an ass,” Nikola chastised. “We’re here to listen

like good friends do.”

“And if that doesn’t work, then we’re going to the spaghetti plan,”

Oscar added, entering the room behind him.

By the time they were all there, Zuriel’s room was feeling

extremely crowded. Nikola, Oscar, and Mihail lounged on the floor,
while Cicero, Zavion, and Jacobi surrounded him on the bed. “Talk,”
his brother demanded.

“I have nothing to say.” It wasn’t like he could tell his friends that

he hated himself, hated what he’d become. He could see that
conversation going over like a whore in the front pew at midnight
mass.

“Nice try,” Oscar countered. “Why have you been dodging the

doc?”

“You know,” Mihail said slowly, “if I had someone like Dr.

Araceli who wanted to be with me, I’d snatch him up and never let
go.”

“Cian doesn’t care about the things they did to us.” Scooting

closer, Zavion draped an arm around Zuriel’s shoulders and pulled
him closer. “I understand how you’re feeling.”

“We all get it,” Nikola added. “When I find my mate, the last

thing I want to do is tell him about how I was a fully trained sex
slave.”

“You know what, though?” Reclining on his elbows, Mihail

stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles. “Spiro
already knows about what happened in The Hive, and he’s still here.”

“He knows about us in vague, generalized terms,” Zuriel argued.

“I think it’s a little different when it’s your mate.”

“It wasn’t to Demitrius.” Oscar arched an eyebrow at him and

tilted his head to the side. “I was scared out of my damn mind when I

Gabrielle Evans

had to tell him, but it didn’t matter. He never looked at me any
differently.”

“You also didn’t have a reputation for fucking anything that will

stand still long enough.” Granted, he’d brought that one on himself,
but it wasn’t like he knew he was going to stumble upon his mate
right there in the coven.

“I was wondering about that,” Mihail interrupted. “So, what’s the

story? Have you really been bumpin’ uglies with half the men here?”

“Or,” Jacobi added, “are you more of an attention whore than a

regular whore?” The grin on his face said he already knew the answer,
but he was going to make Zuriel spell it out for him anyway.

“I like to flirt.”
He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. The last he’d heard, it

wasn’t a crime. In actuality, he hadn’t slept with anyone since arriving
at Haven. Yeah, he liked the attention, but mostly, it kept anyone
from trying to get too close to him. After all, who wanted to take the
resident harlot out to dinner?

“Don’t you want more than that?” Nikola fumbled his fingers

together in his lap and sighed. “I know I do. I want someone to love
me, flaws and all. After everything that we’ve been through, I think
we deserve that much at least.”

Zuriel had never thought of it that way. He was contaminated,

vile, and unworthy to be with regular people. Never once had he
considered that perhaps he’d survived something horrible, and Spiro
was his reward. “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted.

“Oh, that’s easy.” Bouncing up from the mattress, Jacobi stretched

his arms over his head and yawned. “I’m beat.” He tugged at one of
his bright blue spikes and wrinkled his nose. “I think I’ll go platinum
tomorrow? What do you think, chaps?”

“Wait!” Zuriel practically shouted. “What’s easy? What do I do?”
The room exploded into laughter, and Zuriel didn’t think he was

imagining the knowing smirks on his friends’ faces. Finally, it was
Mihail who took pity on him. “It’s not up to you, Zuri. Spiro is a big

Jaded 31

boy, and he can make his own choices. All you have to do is make the
first move.”

“Okay.” He could do that. He still had his reservations and doubts,

but he could try. “How do I do that?” Everyone was filing out of his
room, though, and no one seemed to be paying him any attention.
“Guys? What do I do?”

“You don’t have to do anything,” a familiar voice answered him

from the doorway. “He’s right, you know. Tell me it’s okay, and I’ll
take it from here.”

This was probably a bad idea. It probably wasn’t going to end

well. If it did, though, it was probably going to be the best decision he
ever made. “I want to be happy, and I don’t think I can do that
without you.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Crossing the room in two huge

strides, Spiro dove onto the bed, rolled Zuriel beneath him, and
attacked his mouth in a steamy kiss that had Zuriel’s head spinning in
seconds flat. “I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks now.”

“Don’t stop.” His dick was hard enough to pound nails, and he

wanted his mate with something akin to pain.

“Not yet,” Spiro whispered, rubbing their lips together in another

kiss. “I want your body, lirimaer, but I want your trust more.”

He doubted Spiro had planned to say that or rehearsed in front of a

mirror, but Zuriel had to admit it was a pretty fabulous line. The best
part was that he believed Spiro actually meant it. “Thank you.” His
eyes misted, betraying the emotions he’d been battling back from the
surface.

Dipping his head, Spiro kissed each of his eyelids, the tip of his

nose, and finally back to his lips. “Stop trying to figure out all the
answers. We’ll find them together.”

And “together” sounded a hell of a lot better than “alone.”

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Four

Zuriel fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt and spent the entire

car ride trying to smooth the nonexistent wrinkles from his slacks.
Technically, it was his third date with Spiro, but they were actually
leaving the coven this time. They were going out in public where
people would see them together, and they’d instantly realize Zuriel
wasn’t good enough for his mate.

“Relax. You look amazing.” Reaching across the console, Spiro

gripped Zuriel’s knee and squeezed.

“I’ve never really been around humans,” he confessed. From what

he understood, however, they were a lot less tolerant about same-sex
relationships than the paranormal world. The last thing he wanted to
do was fuck up and embarrass Spiro in front of a crowd. “Where are
we going again?”

“I’m sorry to say that you won’t be getting an introduction to

humans tonight, either. I thought we’d start off with something a little
easier for your first real date.”

Zuriel liked the sound of that, but it still hadn’t answered his

question. “Where are we going?”

“Cloud Peak Pack lands,” Spiro answered with a wink. “Do you

like pizza?”

“I love pizza.” He was touched by Spiro’s thoughtfulness. Since

being rescued and brought to Haven, he really hadn’t ventured outside
the protective gates. He’d spent a few days at the Cloud Peak
infirmary when the tracking chip in his neck had almost killed him.
Since he’d been largely unconscious for that stay, however, he didn’t
really count it.

Jaded 33

He didn’t have anything against humans, but his first foray into

the real world would be more comfortable surrounded by people of
his own kind—people who understood him.

Spiro was trying so hard, and Zuriel wanted to meet him halfway.

Mostly, he was succeeding. There were still times when his
insecurities got in the way, though, and he ended up making a
complete ass out of himself. Thankfully, Spiro never let him stray too
far, and he was always right there to steer him in the right direction.

“I’ve never been to a restaurant.”
There were a lot of things he’d never done, but none of them were

in his immediate future. Of course, he’d seen movies where people
engaged in public dining, but he didn’t know all the rules involved.
Would they sit at a table or a booth? If they sat at a booth, should he
sit beside Spiro or across from him? Was this one of those places
where a waiter served them, or would he have to get his own drinks
and food?

“Zuriel, I promise that nothing bad is going to happen. If you get

overwhelmed or have any questions, just tell me. You’re not alone,
lirimaer.”

No, his mate was right. Spiro would never let him fall on his face

or flounder like that. Taking a deep breath, Zuriel let it out slowly and
plastered a smile on his face as they pulled to a stop in the parking lot.
“Okay, I can do this.”

“I know you can.” Lifting Zuriel’s hand to his lips, Spiro kissed

the knuckles gently and rubbed them against his cheek. “Are you
ready?”

“I’m ready.”
Entering the pizzeria, Zuriel could feel his eyes rounding and his

grin stretching wider. The place was amazing. Music blared from a
real jukebox in the corner. White walls, black-and-white checkered
floors, and red vinyl booths gave the place a very authentic feel. The
atmosphere was electric, infectious, and before they’d even made it to

Gabrielle Evans

their table, Zuriel was bobbing his head along with the tempo of the
music.

“This place is fantastic.”
“I thought you’d enjoy it.” Stopping at one of the corner booths,

Spiro gave Zuriel a little push, urging him to enter first and slide
around the curved bench. Then he sat as well, scooting closer until
their shoulders were touching. “What kind of pizza do you like?”

Without making a show of it or even mentioning it, Spiro had

solved Zuriel’s problem of figuring out the appropriate place to sit.
Normally, he’d chalk the considerate gesture up to coincidence. He
hadn’t mentioned his anxiety, and it didn’t make sense for Spiro to
anticipate this particular need.

However, he might have peeked—just a quick look—inside his

mate’s head and seen that was exactly the case. Spiro had indeed
known he’d need this little nudge of guidance, and he’d purposely
chosen the corner booth for that reason.

“I’m sorry.” His gift was sporadic. Sometimes he could control it,

and other times it got away from him. This time, however, he’d
deliberately delved into Spiro’s thoughts, and the guilt was killing
him. “I listened to your thoughts, and I shouldn’t have. It won’t
happen again.”

To his surprise, Spiro smiled at him. “I have no secrets from you.

I give you permission to slip into my mind whenever you want.” He
ducked his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Zuriel’s brow. “Out of
curiosity, what did you hear?”

“Just that you picked this table so I wouldn’t stress over where I

was supposed to sit.” He’d had benign intentions, but that still didn’t
give him the right to invade people’s private thoughts. “I really am
sorry.”

“Yes, I did get the impression that you were unsure about what

was appropriate, and I wanted to ease some of that worry. There’s
nothing wrong with not knowing.” He took Zuriel’s hand and

Jaded 35

squeezed. “And I meant what I said. I have no secrets from you.
Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” His smile returned, and he wiggled around in his

seat, trying to get even closer to his mate. A contented sigh fell from
his lips when Spiro finally got the hint and wrapped an arm around his
waist. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I told you I’d give you anything in my power, Zuri. One of these

days, I hope you’ll believe that.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it, but moments like these didn’t

really happen to people like him. Yes, things were wonderful now,
but he doubted it would last long.

Some people in life just weren’t meant to be happy, and

unfortunately, he was probably one of them. That didn’t stop him
from wanting that happy ending Spiro painted for him when they
talked, though.

It just made it that much harder to let go when everything ended.

* * * *

“Lirimaer, we need to talk.” Spiro had been avoiding the

conversation all week in favor of cuddles on the couch and nights out
to dinner. Gods, Zuriel had the most infectious laugh, and when he
turned that heart-stopping smile in his direction, it was as if every bad
memory faded away to nonexistence.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Easing away from his side, Zuriel

put more distance between them as he inched toward the other side of
the sofa. “Did you change your mind already? I have to say, you
lasted longer than I thought you would.”

Spiro could already see the fake smile and aloof façade slipping

back into place, and he didn’t like it. Instead of chastising his mate,
however, he simply took both of Zuriel’s hands and brought them to
his lips. “You can’t get rid of me if you tried. This is important,
though, so I need you to listen, okay?”

Gabrielle Evans

Appearing a bit more relaxed, Zuriel nodded once and offered him

a half smile. “Sorry. Knee-jerk reaction.”

“It’s okay. You’ll trust me one day.” It wasn’t reasonable to

expect years of suffering to disappear overnight, and he understood
that Zuriel’s trust would need to be earned. Though he wasn’t looking
forward to the discussion they were about to have, it was important
that he not hide anything from his mate or lie to him, even if it was a
lie by omission.

“Okay, what’s going on? You look like you just swallowed a

tack.”

“It’s a bit complicated, but I’ll try to explain the best I can. You

know that I’m a Lunician.” He paused at Zuriel’s frown and sighed.
“A Moonlighter?”

“Oh, yes, okay, I knew you were a white shifter. Your lion is very

impressive.”

“Thank you.” He wasn’t looking for compliments, though. “What

you might not know, and I haven’t told anyone else, is that I’m not
only a shifter. My mother is a lioness, but my father was an elf.” The
man was no father to him, but his death did put a kink in Spiro’s
plans.

Zuriel tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips briefly.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t have guessed if you hadn’t told me.” His
sarcasm wasn’t lost on Spiro. “I mean, the pointy ears kind of give
you away, big guy.” He shrugged casually. “It’s not a big deal to me
what you are or aren’t.”

He hadn’t thought it would be. Zuriel didn’t have a judgmental

bone in his body. “Zuri, what do you know about elven traditions?”

Zuriel’s lips turned down at the corners, and he shook his head

slowly. “Nothing really, but I don’t think I like where this is going.”
He fumbled his fingers together nervously and wrinkled his nose.
“Why are you asking me this stuff? What does it have to do with
me?”

Jaded 37

Upsetting his mate wasn’t part of the plan, so Spiro decided to

give it to the guy straight. “My father wasn’t just anyone. He was the
ruler of our people.”

“Like a king? So, you’re a freakin’ prince? Oh, wow. I’m mated

to a flippin’ prince!” His enthusiasm was adorable, but Spiro couldn’t
conjure the same level of happiness about the situation.

“When our king dies, it is tradition for the first born son to take

his throne, much like in any other culture. However, the Yaaraerae,
the Ancient Ones, took it a step further in their doctrines,
incorporating it into part of our magic.”

“What does that mean?”
Unfortunately, it was nothing good. “It means that I have until the

next full moon to complete the rite and ascend the throne.”

“I gather that’s not what you want.” Moving back to his side,

Zuriel curled against him and began rubbing soothing circles over
Spiro’s chest. “What is this rite?”

“It’s a ritual of sorts. If I don’t complete it before the next full

moon, well, I’ll die.” He winched at the harshness of that statement,
but there really was no way to ease into that kind of news. “Then the
next born will have to complete the rite, and he will take his place as
the head of our race.”

“You’ll die?” Zuriel yelped. “Why are you still here? Where does

your family live? Spiro, it’s only four days until the full moon!” Both
of his smaller hands pressed against Spiro’s chest and began pushing
at him. “You have to go.”

“Calm down, lirimaer.” Cradling Zuriel’s face, he kissed his lips

and rubbed their noses together. “I have no intention of dying. You
were right. I never wanted to be king, but I want to die even less,
especially now.” He pressed their mouths together again, teasing the
seam of Zuriel’s lips with his tongue. “I want you to come with me.”

“Okay.” His acquiescence was a little too easy, though, and he

sounded distracted.

Gabrielle Evans

Leaning away, Spiro bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop

his laughter when Zuriel tried to follow him. His sweet lips were
slightly parted, his eyes were closed, and his fingers looped tightly
around both of Spiro’s wrists. Perhaps a kiss wasn’t the best idea
when discussing important issues.

“Zuriel?”
“Yes?”
Spiro did chuckle that time. “Zuri, focus.”
Shaking himself out of his lusty haze, Zuriel smiled sheepishly

and blushed clear to the tips of his ears. “Sorry. I’m really not that big
of a slut.”

It was a more telling statement than Zuriel probably realized, but

it was a truth Spiro had suspected all along. “I know you’re not, but I
need you to listen.” He almost kissed his mate again but stopped at
the last second and rolled his eyes at himself. There was no helping it,
though. He always wanted to kiss those lush lips. “I have to go
home.”

“I know.” His fingers tightened around Spiro’s wrists again, and

he stared up at him with big, pleading blue eyes. “Will you come
back?”

“Yes, lirimaer, I will come back. I don’t have to live in my

family’s home to govern my people.”

“How long will you be gone?”
Spiro didn’t have a definitive timeline, and therein lay the

problem. “I’m not sure. That’s why I want you to come with me.” He
understood how much he was asking of his mate, and he would
understand if Zuriel said no.

“Where exactly are we going?”
“Silmataurea. It’s a little island off the coast of Greenland, and

it’s also the home of my people. It’s very private, hidden by magic so
that no one can harm us. I think you’d like it there.” The temperatures
were ideal for an artic fox shifter like Zuriel, but Spiro had his doubts
that a little snow could persuade his stubborn mate.

Jaded 39

If he could guarantee his trip home would be a short one, he

would make the journey on his own and not put Zuriel in the position
to choose. However, it could be weeks, even months before he’d be
able to return to Wyoming, and the thought of being separated from
his mate for that length of time made him more than a little anxious.

“I don’t know what to say. What about Zavion? What about my

friends?” Crossing his arms over his chest, he tucked his hands close
to his sides as though he was trying to prevent something inside him
from breaking free. “This is my home now. It’s the only home I’ve
ever had.”

“It’s not forever, sweetheart.” An idea was brewing, but it was a

long shot, and he doubted anyone would actually agree to it. “What if
we asked your friends to come with us?” There was more than enough
room in his family’s palace to house those who chose to make the
journey. Like Zuriel, however, they all had lives in America, lives that
were comfortable and familiar.

“You really want me to come with you?”
“You’re my mate, Zuriel. I always want you with me. However,

I’ll understand if you want to stay.” He’d go insane with worry while
he was away, but he couldn’t just kidnap the man and force him on a
plane.

“What if I hate it there?”
“Then you don’t have to stay.” Hope blossomed, but Spiro

squashed it quickly before he got ahead of himself. Zuriel may be
considering it, but he hadn’t answered in the affirmative yet. “Give
me a week, just one week. If you don’t like it there, I’ll get you on the
first flight home.”

“And the others could come if they wanted?”
“Your friends and family are welcome to visit anytime they want

for as long as they’d like.” Hell, he’d try to convince Stavion to move
the entire coven there if he thought that would appease his mate.

“Okay,” Zuriel said slowly, dragging the word out while he

squinted in concentration. “When do we have to leave?”

Gabrielle Evans

“Tomorrow morning, I’m afraid. I know I haven’t given you

much time to think about it, but as you pointed out, the full moon is in
four days.” Not only was it an ungodly long trip, but because he and
Zuriel would both be forced to shift during the full moon, he’d have
to complete the rite before then, leaving him with only two days
rather than four.

“Can I talk to the others before I make my decision?”
“I think that’s a good idea. I actually have my meeting with

Cicero in ten minutes, but I’ll find you later, okay?” Pinching Zuriel’s
chin lightly between his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger, he
tilted his mate’s head up and indulged in a slow, lingering kiss.
“Don’t stress, lirimaer. If you decide to stay, I’ll understand.”

“Okay,” Zuriel whispered, but he sounded a million miles away.

“I’ll see you tonight then.”

“Tonight.”

* * * *

“Wow,” Oscar breathed when Zuriel finished telling his friends

about his earlier discussion with Spiro. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”
“Well, I say this calls for dancing.” Jumping up from the kitchen

table, Nikola motioned for everyone else to stand as well, and pushed
the table up against the wall.

“I second that.” Mihail scurried over to the small radio situated in

the corner near the refrigerator, and loud music instantly began
blaring from the speakers. “Dancing makes everything better.”

Zuriel didn’t necessarily agree, but he was tired of thinking about

it. A ten minute break to clear his mind might be just what he needed.
While Beyonce sang about being a diva, he and his friends twisted,
twirled, and gyrated around the kitchen, laughing loudly as they
bumped their hips and shoulders together.

Jaded 41

The impromptu party didn’t exactly have the desired effect,

however. Instead of clearing his mind, it only affirmed how much he
loved his life in Haven. Spiro was the only royal he’d ever met, and
he hadn’t even known the guy was a prince until a couple of hours
ago. Somehow, he doubted dance parties in the palace kitchen would
be approved forms of entertainment where he was going.

Plus, he’d be mated to a king, a ruler of an entire race, and he had

no idea what that meant for him. He was just beginning to figure out
who he was, and he didn’t want to lose himself to a title. Frankly, the
idea that he would cease to be Zuriel and become simply “the king’s
consort” held very little appeal.

“What the bloody hell is all that noise?” Cian Murphy stomped

into the kitchen dressed in nothing but a pair of loose-fitting jeans
with his hair sticking out in odd angles all over his head. “How is a
man supposed to get any rest around here?”

“Oops,” Zavion mumbled. “I forgot Cian has night patrol this

week.”

Jacobi on the other hand, appeared to hold very little sympathy for

the Enforcer. “We’re thinking. Go away.”

“You’re thinking?” Demitrius appeared behind Cian, looking just

as disheveled and, if possible, more irritated. “How can you think
with that…that…”

“I believe ‘music’ is the term you’re looking for,” Zuriel quipped.
“You call that music?”
“Zuriel has a problem,” Nikola tried to reason. “We’re trying to

help him come up with a solution.”

Both Enforcers went into full protection mode, storming into the

kitchen, killing the music, and grabbing their mates to keep them
close. “What problem?” Demitrius demanded. “What happened?”

“That delectable doctor is his mate,” Jacobi began.
“And Spiro is a prince,” Mihail added.
“His dad died, and now he has to go home to be king.” Nikola

hopped up on the counter and swung his feet so that they tapped

Gabrielle Evans

rhythmically against the cabinets below. “I’m sure you see the
problem.”

Demitrius and Cian just looked confused. “I’m sorry. What?”
Oscar chuckled and patted his mate on the chest. “Spiro has to go

home to some island because his father passed away, and he wants
Zuriel to go with him. My brother is having trouble making a
decision.”

“What’s the problem? They’re mates. Of course he should go.”
Oh, if it was only that easy. Yes, he felt the draw to be with Spiro.

There were so many things about the man that made his heart race and
his stomach flutter. Though he might be a little gruff on the surface,
Spiro constantly put other people’s needs above his own, and he never
made Zuriel feel like his ideas or opinions were without merit.

He didn’t smile often, but when he did, it was the most gorgeous

thing Zuriel had ever seen. It transformed his face and warmed the
green of his eyes. He had dimples, and yes, his hair was just as silky
soft as Zuriel had imagined it would be.

Spiro listened, and he never pushed. He was always there to help,

but never to take over, and Zuriel appreciated how much confidence
his mate had in him. It was nice to feel important for once, instead of
just another stray the coven had taken under their wing.

“He said we don’t have to stay forever, but he doesn’t know when

we’ll be back.”

“So, what has you scared?” Cian asked as he settled into one of

the kitchen chairs and pulled Zavion into his lap.

“Well, I know we’re mates, but I barely know him when you think

about it. What about you guys?” Spiro had said that his friends could
visit, but he hadn’t sounded hopeful that they’d make the trip. Zuriel
tended to agree. “I’ll be alone there.”

“Well, I’ll miss you,” Zavion said quietly. “I can’t imagine not

being close to Cian, though. You may be confused right now, but fate
chooses our mates, Zuri. You can’t run from it, and I think you’ll
regret it if you don’t go.”

Jaded 43

“Spiro said you guys could visit whenever you want.” It wasn’t a

question, but he hoped someone would step up and offer to come with
him. Having a familiar face around while Spiro was off tending to his
responsibilities would make the transition much easier.

“We can’t leave right now,” Demitrius said at once, holding Oscar

tucked against his side. “Security is stretched thin as it is, and I can’t
put the coven in that position.”

“Same for us,” Cian added as he placed a soft kiss on Zavion’s

neck. “I can’t be without Zavion, and I can’t leave the coven when it’s
needin’ me.”

It was disappointing, but Zuriel had expected as much. Cicero

seemed happier lately, but he still wasn’t talking, and Zuriel figured it
was probably best if he didn’t leave the comfort of the community.
Everyone else appeared happy right where they were, and he was
seriously starting to feel left out in the cold. He didn’t blame his
friends, though. If not for his growing attachment to Spiro, he
wouldn’t even be contemplating the extended trip.

To his surprise, it was Mihail who stepped forward and took his

hand. “I’ll come with you. I do like this place, but it will be waiting
when we return. There’s nothing holding me here.” He bumped their
shoulders together and grinned. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to
travel.”

“Well, I’m in, too,” Nikola announced, hurrying to Zuriel’s other

side. “Home isn’t a place. It’s the people you care about. Who
knows?” He chuckled quietly and wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I’ll
find my mate on this island of yours.”

“Water, water everywhere,” Jacobi said with a dramatic sigh, “and

nary a drop to drink. This place is crawling with men, and not a one of
them available. It’s atrocious.” Then he sidled up to Zuriel and leaned
close to kiss his cheek. “I’ll come with you, my scrumptious cupcake,
but you’ll have to promise me a harem of muscled men to keep me
entertained.”

Gabrielle Evans

“I’m pretty sure they have men where we’re going.” He was over

the moon, and there just weren’t words to express how much his
friends’ support meant to him. “Thank you, all of you.”

“There’s only one thing left to do.” Huffing dramatically, Jacobi

trudged out of the kitchen, looking very much like he was walking to
his execution.

“What is left to do?” Whatever it was, if it made Jacobi that

unhappy, Zuriel didn’t think he wanted any part of it.

Nikola snickered and patted him on the shoulder. “We have to

pack. Have you seen Jacobi’s closet?”

“Oh, right.” He hadn’t even thought that far ahead yet. “Crap, and

we’re leaving in the morning.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Sliding out of Cian’s lap, Zavion

pulled Zuriel to him and hugged him tight. “I’ll take care of your
packing.”

“Where are you going?” Mihail called before Zuriel could

disappear through the back door.

He couldn’t have pried the smile off his face with a crowbar. “I’m

going to find my mate and tell him the good news.” And if everything
went as planned, he’d be having a little preflight celebration.

Jaded 45

Chapter Five

“We discussed last week that I’m going to have to leave the

country for a little while.”

“Right.”
“I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I can arrange for you to talk

to someone else while I’m gone.” Spiro already knew what the
response to that would be, but he felt morally obligated to offer.

“No, I don’t think I’d trust anyone else.”
Swallowing back his sigh, Spiro leaned forward in his chair,

resting his elbows on his knees and linking his fingers together. “Ro,
your friends are worried about you. No one has heard you speak a
word since you arrived in Haven, and that was six months ago.”

Cicero ducked his head and fidgeted nervously on the sofa. “I

know,” he mumbled. “I don’t want them to worry about me, but I hate
this. They’ll think. They’ll think. They’ll think I’m a freak.”

“If you won’t talk to your friends, at least speak to Dr. Woods. He

would probably have more answers than I do.”

Spiro had treated many people with different disorders over the

years, including various types of tics that ranged from almost
nonexistent to extremely severe. In Cicero’s case, he was exhibiting
signs of palilalia—a neurotic disorder that presented itself in the
repetition of certain words or phrases during speech. The strange part,
however, was that the symptoms hadn’t begun until after his escape
from The Hive.

“Maybe I’ll just wait until you come back.”

Gabrielle Evans

“Ro, I know you’re afraid of what people will think, but you need

to trust your friends. They love you, and they want to help. Let them
help you.”

“I just want it to stop. Why? Why? Why? Why?” On and on for

nearly an entire minute he repeated the word like a skipping record.
“Why did this happen to me?”

Cicero was having a fairly mild day. The repetitions weren’t

nearly as bad as they had been during some of their previous sessions.
Unfortunately, that didn’t necessarily mean he was getting better. The
symptoms came and went, some days good, some days worse.

“I don’t know why this happened to you.” It broke his heart,

though. If there was anyone on the planet who deserved to be happy,
it was Cicero. “I want you to talk to someone while I’m gone, so
choose your poison. I can call in another psychologist. You can talk to
Dr. Woods.” He paused, letting Cicero absorb what he was saying.
“Or you can just talk to your friends.”

“I’ll think about it.”
“I’m leaving in the morning, but I’m going to check up on you. If

you haven’t found someone to talk to by the end of next week, I’m
going to call Dr. Woods. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Cicero answered with a tiny half smile. “Safe travels,

Doc, and hurry back.”

The back door of the cabin opened quietly, and Spiro leaned back

to get a better view into the kitchen. “Zuriel?” His mate never
bothered him during a session, and they’d made plans to speak later in
the evening. “What’s wrong?”

“Hey, Ro.” Zuriel greeted his friend with a wave when he entered

the living room. “I’m sorry. I thought you’d be finished by now.”

For just a moment, Spiro thought Cicero might answer. His lips

parted, he sucked in a breath, but right at the last moment, he pressed
his lips together and shook his head. Then he pushed up from the
cushions, hugged Zuriel, and disappeared out the same door Zuriel
had just entered.

Jaded 47

“Is he okay? Is he getting better?”
“He’s going to be okay.” It was the best answer he could give

without completely violating his oath and Cicero’s trust. “Now, what
are you doing here, lirimaer?”

“Oh! Right.” Showing more genuine confidence than Spiro had

seen from him yet, Zuriel marched forward to stand right between his
thighs and smiled down at him. “I’ve made my decision, and I want to
go with you. That is, if you still want me.”

It was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “Don’t be

ridiculous. Of course I want you.”

“Mmm,” Zuriel purred as he crept closer, crawling into Spiro’s

lap to straddle his thighs. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Shouldn’t you be packing?” His words held little conviction—

probably because most of the blood in his body was rushing straight
to swelling cock.

“I should.”
“What are you doing?”
Zuriel’s nimble fingers worked open the buttons on his shirt,

parting the fabric so that he could spread his palms across Spiro’s
chest. “If you don’t know, I’m obviously not doing something right.”

“That’s not what I meant.”
Hell, he wasn’t sure what he’d meant, but he definitely knew that

he wasn’t going to take Zuriel for the first time in some living room
on a narrow armchair. His mate deserved candlelight and roses, soft
music and sweetly whispered endearments. In that moment, however,
Spiro would settle for a mattress and some privacy.

“This would go much better if you cooperated.” Those delicate

hands skimmed over his collarbones and up the sides of his neck to
tangle in his hair. “Maybe I don’t deserve it, but I need this, Spiro. Let
me have just this one time where I don’t have to be anyone but
myself.”

The plea in his eyes and the tremble in his voice cemented Spiro’s

decision, and he pushed to his feet, clutching the little fox to his chest.

Gabrielle Evans

“I never want you to be anything but exactly who you are.” Holding
Zuriel up with an arm around his hips, he used his other hand to palm
the back of his mate’s head and pull him close for a gentle kiss. “Lle
naa vanima, amin lirimaer.”

“Wow.” His lips parted and curled into a cute grin. “I love when

you do that. What does it mean?”

“You are beautiful,” Spiro whispered as he brushed his mouth up

the smooth slope of his mate’s neck. “You don’t see your value
clearly, but you will.” He’d do everything in his power to nurture
Zuriel’s self-confidence and prove to him that his worth was not
based on the pleasures his body could provide.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t looking forward to worshipping every

inch of the little shifter’s lithe body. The pleasure he received would
be from the quiet whimpers and throaty moans from his lover, though.
It was all about Zuriel—what he wanted, needed, and desired.

Shifting him higher for a more secure hold, Spiro carried his

treasure from the room and down the hallway to his bedroom, closing
the door behind him with his shoulder. “It’s been a long time.” The
words were spoken without conscious decision, and he wasn’t even
sure why he’d said them.

“Don’t worry.” Tightening his grip around Spiro’s neck, Zuriel

pulled him closer to nibble at his mouth. “I know what to do.”

That wasn’t exactly what he’d meant, and if he were a lesser man,

the reassurance might have irked his pride. True, it had been nearly a
decade since he’d taken someone to his bed, but he was no
inexperienced virgin. Secure in his sexual prowess, however, he took
Zuriel’s words in stride and silently promised to rise above the man’s
expectations.

Their mouths met and their tongues tangled, sliding together in

languid, sensual movements. Without breaking the kiss, he lowered
Zuriel to the floor and walked him backward until they stood directly
at the foot of the bed. Taking his time, he carefully removed his

Jaded 49

mate’s clothing piece by piece, exploring every inch of skin as it was
revealed.

From the tips of his golden locks, to the soles of his feet, Zuriel

was breathtaking. Creamy skin stretched taut over lean muscles, silky
to the touch as it quivered beneath Spiro’s palms. When he’d finished
unwrapping his prize, he urged Zuriel onto the mattress, stretching
him out over the dark purple comforter.

The natural highlights in his hair gleamed in the waning afternoon

sunlight that trickled in through the part in the curtains, contrasting
beautifully with the shadowy fabric beneath him. Though his cock
ached, straining against his zipper in a valiant attempt at freedom,
Spiro continued his cautious pace, determined to treat Zuriel with care
and respect.

It was becoming increasingly clear, however, that Zuriel had

never experienced the type of intimacy Spiro was trying to give him.
He squirmed impatiently, reaching for Spiro several times and
growling in frustration when his attempts to speed things along were
ignored.

“You are ever impatient, lirimaer. Relax and let me take care of

you.”

“How am I supposed to relax when my dick is so hard it’s going

to fall off?” Zuriel growled again and thrust his hips up, rubbing his
swollen length against Spiro’s abs. “Just lube up and fuck me. You
don’t even have to stretch me first. I’m used to it.”

Rage simmered in his gut, but he kept his expression neutral,

reminding himself that Zuriel had been conditioned to think that way,
and it wasn’t his fault. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, he
stilled his wandering hands and allowed his mate’s scent to calm him.
“There’s lube in the drawer of the nightstand.” Ten years of celibacy
had made him very familiar with his own hand.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Zuriel groaned as he rolled to his stomach and

dove for the small table beside the bed.

Gabrielle Evans

While he rummaged around for the small plastic bottle, Spiro

stood, undressing quickly as he watched Zuriel’s wiggling ass in
appreciation. Gods, it really was a great ass—small, round, and firm
with a single freckle just above the swell of his left cheek. Spinning
around before he pounced on his mate like a wild animal, Spiro
finished undressing, keeping his back to the bed until he’d dropped
the last stitch of clothing to the floor.

Apparently, Zuriel had wasted no time procuring the lube and

coating his fingers with the slick gel. Spiro nearly came right there in
his hand when he turned back to find his mate sprawled in the center
of the mattress with his knees pulled to his chest and two fingers
pumping into his clenching hole.

The pink starburst stretched tight around his digits, sucking them

in deeper. His free hand wrapped around his weeping cock, stroking
temptingly while his skin flushed with arousal. Both hands paused in
their tasks when Zuriel blinked open his eyes to find him watching.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just didn’t want to be sore on the plane

tomorrow.”

He released his engorged erection and began easing his fingers

from his entrance, but Spiro held a hand up and advanced toward the
bed. “Don’t stop.” He’d every intention of stretching Zuriel himself,
but he’d be a fool to pass on this.

The ambiguity vanished from Zuriel’s expression, replaced by a

sly, knowing smirk. “You want to watch.”

Oh, he planned to do much more than watch, but it was a good

place to start. “Touch yourself.” Kneeling at the foot of the mattress,
Spiro skimmed his hands up the insides of Zuriel’s thighs, chuckling
when the action pulled a sexy little shiver from his mate.

“Feels good.”
Spiro caressed the taut muscles of Zuriel’s entrance, coating his

finger with the excess lube. “Faster,” he coached, watching Zuriel’s
hand fly over his cock from root to tip. When his partner was
moaning, writhing, and shaking, rolling from side to side with need,

Jaded 51

Spiro pushed a single digit into his channel alongside the other
fingers.

Spiro moaned at the slick heat, and Zuriel’s hips arched up off the

mattress as he cried out to the ceiling. “Please!”

His own cock rested heavily against his thigh, the swollen length

throbbing angrily with his rapid pulse, but Spiro wouldn’t be rushed.
He’d waited a long damn time to share this experience with someone
he actually cared about, and he planned to savor it.

“Keep going,” he ordered, turning his wrist and pumping in

tandem to Zuriel’s fingers.

“I can’t,” Zuriel whined. “Please, Spiro!”
“Then come. I’m not stopping you.”
“No.” He shook his head firmly, rolling it against the pillow. “Not

without you.”

“Shh, easy, Zuri.” There was a note of desperation to Zuriel’s

voice that Spiro couldn’t ignore. “Okay, okay.”

He eased his finger from Zuriel’s entrance and reached for the

lube where it had been discarded near the corner of the bed. In turn,
Zuriel flipped over to his stomach so fast that Spiro nearly missed the
movement. Then he tucked his knees under him and pushed his ass
into the air, displaying the rounded globes to perfection.

“What are you doing?”
“What?” Zuriel asked, lifting his head to peek over his shoulder.

“I thought you wanted…”

He wanted, but not like this. “Roll over, baby.”
“But.” His eyebrows drew together, and the look of anxiety from

earlier returned. “I don’t understand. Isn’t this what you want?”

Placing a hand on his mate’s hip, Spiro urged him to his back and

crawled up his body until they were eye to eye. “I want to see you.
This first time, I want to look into your eyes and know that you see
me.”

“But,” Zuriel repeated, his bottom lip trembling, “I’ve never.”

Gabrielle Evans

Spiro didn’t think anything could surprise him, but he’d been

wrong. Instead of commenting, however, he decided that actions
spoke louder than words. “Then let me show you.”

Sliding one arm beneath his mate, Spiro lifted him close, pressing

their chests together and positioning the head of his lubed cock at
Zuriel’s entrance. Then he surged forward, flexing his hips to encase
himself to the base inside his lover’s heated channel.

Their moans mingled and bounced around the room, and Spiro

clutched more tightly to Zuriel when the sensations threatened to
overwhelm him. His balls ached, drawing closer to his body and
reminding him exactly how long it had been since he’d had a warm
willing body beneath him.

Zuriel’s slender fingers dug into his shoulder blades, and his

heated breath panted against the side of Spiro’s neck while his inner
walls contracted in waves. “Oh, gods, please. Please, please, please.”

He didn’t know what his mate begged for, and he wasn’t

completely sure that Zuriel knew, either. Every cell in body buzzed,
and Spiro’s brain short-circuited. Growling and groaning, he
increased his pace, rocking more forcefully into Zuriel’s lithe body.
Electricity zipped up his spine, his skin tingled, and his stomach
began to clench, signaling his impending climax.

Zuriel’s thick cock rubbed against his abs, painting his skin with

increasing amounts of pre-cum. Releasing his mate, he braced himself
with one hand on the mattress, and insinuated the other between their
sweat-dampened bodies to fist Zuriel’s pulsing length.

Harder and faster, he snapped his hips with primal intensity,

forcing Zuriel up the mattress toward the headboard with each
demanding thrust. Jerking in quick, erratic movements, he stroked his
mate’s dick, rubbing his thumb over the engorged crown.

“Come for me, Zuri. Come on my cock.”
Sweat beaded over his brow and rolled down his nape. His heart

pounded against his sternum. His lower abs clenched, his muscles
bunched, and the pressure in his sac built to excruciating levels. Fuck,

Jaded 53

he wasn’t going to last, and he needed Zuriel to fall over the edge
first.

“Touch yourself.” Leaving the task to his lover, Spiro pressed one

palm flat against the headboard and looped his other arm under
Zuriel’s right knee, spreading him wide and opening him to deeper
penetration.

The change in the angle must have done something good for the

shifter, because he practically howled as he threw his head back and
stiffened from neck to toes. Pearly seed erupted from the tip of his
cock, arching into the air and falling to splash against his chest and
belly.

His snug channel clamped tighter, squeezing Spiro’s cock in a

vise grip and ripping his orgasm from him. Driving in to the hilt, he
stilled completely and groaned his lover’s name as he filled Zuriel’s
depths with endless amounts of heated cream.

He wasn’t sure exactly how long it took for the blood to return to

his brain, but when he could finally think again, the soft sounds of
snoring were the first thing he heard. Glancing down, Spiro smiled
softly and dipped his head to brush his lips over Zuriel’s forehead.

They had so much to do before their departure, and the sun was

already beginning to set. As he stared down at his lover, however, he
couldn’t bring himself to wake the exhausted angel. In fact, a quick
nap sounded very appealing.

Having Zuriel tucked next to his side, wrapped securely in his

arms, sounded even better. Their problems were just beginning, and
once they reached his family’s home, it was only going to get worse.
So for a few minutes, just for a little while, he’d soak up the peace
Zuriel gave him and worry about his troubles in the morning.

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Six

After traveling for nearly twenty-four hours, including a four-hour

layover in London, Zuriel was dead on his feet by the time they
landed at the small airstrip in northern Norway. Between jumping
several time zones and the fact that he hadn’t been able to sleep at all
on the plane, he was ready for a soft, warm bed where he could curl
up and sleep for the rest of the week.

“We’re almost there, Zuri.” Spiro wrapped an arm around his

waist and pulled him closer to his side as they exited the tarmac. “Just
a few more hours.”

He’d tried to bite back his groan, but he was just too damn

exhausted to hold it in where it belonged. “How are we getting
there?”

“Rissian should be waiting for us. It’s a twenty-minute drive to

the docks, an hour boat ride to the island, and then another hour drive
to the palace.” There was a hint of apology in his tone. “I promise a
hot shower and warm bed the minute we arrive, though.”

“Can we walk faster?” Jacobi whined. “I’m freezing all my bits

and pieces off. How the hell do people live here?”

“I like it. It’s so open here.” Their last-minute guest had been all

smiles from the moment he’d stepped on the plane.

Zuriel had only met Aspen once, but he liked the little demon. The

guy was always so damn optimistic, and it was hard to feel unhappy
when he was around. While Aspen had also come to Haven from The
Hive, no one had ever seen him within the confines of the lab. Since
arriving in Wyoming, he’d been living in the main house of the coven
while he acclimated to his new life of freedom.

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“I’m excited, too,” Nikola agreed, bumping his shoulder against

Aspen’s. “I can’t wait for the full moon.”

Normally, Zuriel looked forward to the full moon as well, and his

fox was definitely going to love the climate on the island. This time
was different, though. The following night, Spiro would have to
complete some ritual, a tradition of his people, and if he didn’t do it,
he would die. His mate had assured him that there was no chance for
anything to go wrong, but Zuriel couldn’t help but worry.

“You’re thinking very loudly,” Spiro teased him. “Don’t stress so

much, lirimaer. Tomorrow will go exactly as planned, and then the
following night, we’ll run in the forest.

Zuriel bobbed his head because that was what was expected of

him, but until this mess was over, he didn’t think he’d be getting
much of that sleep he so desperately needed. “What about our
luggage?”

“Someone will get it and bring it to the palace. Relax.” Spiro

lifted his arm and waved a hand in greeting when they stepped into
the small terminal. “There’s my brother, Rissian.”

There was such a striking family resemblance that Zuriel blinked

twice. Tall and thin with flowing white-blond hair and delicate
features, the man waiting for them near the entrance was almost an
exact clone of his mate. He was broader in the shoulders, and his nose
was a little narrower, but from a distance, Zuriel doubted anyone
would be able to tell them apart.

Being confronted with Spiro’s family suddenly made everything

very real, and it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the
other on his shaking legs. His mate may not be the king yet, but he
was still a prince, and Zuriel had no idea how he was supposed to act.

“Brother,” Rissian called, “it’s been a long time.”
Spiro moved from his side to embrace his brother, leaving Zuriel

standing with his friends. Shifting from foot to foot, he ducked his
head and fumbled his fingers behind his back, wracking his brain for
his next move. He doubted he had to bow to the younger prince, but

Gabrielle Evans

then again, he didn’t know a damn thing about being the consort of a
royal.

His old defense mechanisms kicked in, throwing up walls to

protect him against possible embarrassment or rejection. He stood a
little straighter, held his head a little higher, and popped his hip out to
the side while adopting a cocky grin. The best defense was a good
offense, and by the time Spiro beckoned him forward to make the
introductions, Zuriel was prepared to be as offensive as necessary.

“Riss, I’d like you to meet my mate, Zuriel. Lirimaer, this is my

younger brother, Rissian Araceli. You can call him Rissian, Riss, or
asshole. He’ll answer to anything.”

Tracing his top lip with his tongue, Zuriel sashayed a little closer,

completely invading the prince’s personal space, and held his hand
out. “Well, hello, handsome.”

Rissian appeared taken aback by the bold behavior, and he

glanced at Spiro worriedly before taking Zuriel’s hand. “It’s nice to
meet you, Zuriel.”

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine.” He purred the last word, allowing it

to roll off his tongue.

“This is not good,” Mihail whispered to someone behind him.

“What the hell is he doing?”

“Being a jackass,” Jacobi answered, not bothering to keep his

voice down.

Footsteps came closer, and the next thing Zuriel knew, a hand

smacked against the back of his head. “What was that for?” he
demanded, rubbing at his skull.

“Sorry about that,” Jacobi answered, not looking one bit

apologetic as he grinned brightly. “You had a little bit of bullshit
stuck in your hair, but I think I got it all.” His eyes narrowed
infinitesimally, as though daring Zuriel to argue with him.

What the fuck am I doing? He had a fantastic man who accepted

him just the way he was, flawed as he may be. His cheeks heated with
shame, and he dropped his eyes to stare down at the floor. Gods, he

Jaded 57

wouldn’t blame Spiro if the man put him right back on a plane to
Wyoming. He could only imagine how much embarrassment he’d just
caused his mate, and in front of his family of all people.

“Well, I see that you have your hands full,” Rissian said with a

light chuckle as he clapped Spiro on the shoulder. “Are you ready to
go home?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He stroked Zuriel’s arm absently with

his knuckles as he spoke. “The rooms are prepared like I asked?”

“We have five guest suites ready, all on the east wing.” Rissian

paused and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Are you sure you don’t
want a larger suite for you and your mate?”

“No,” Spiro answered at once. “I think Zuriel would prefer to be

close to his friends for now.”

His thoughtfulness only served to make Zuriel feel worse about

his behavior, and he scuffed his toe across the floor, wishing that a
hole would open up in the ugly tile and devour him. That didn’t
happen, though, and Rissian led them outside to the vehicles.

Once settled in the backseat, Spiro pulled him close to his side,

brushed his hair back from his face, and kissed his lips. “Don’t be
afraid.”

“I’m sorry,” Zuriel whispered, but he couldn’t look Spiro in the

eyes. His emotions were running too close to the surface, and if he
saw even a hint of disappointment, he’d lose the battle with his tears.
He probably should have seen this coming. He always fucked things
up.

“Look at me.” Cool fingers slid under his chin and encouraged

him to raise his head. “Do you remember what I told you back at the
cabin?”

Zuriel pressed his lips together and shook his head. There had

been a lot of things said, and he had no idea how any of them
pertained to this situation.

“You are beautiful.” He traced the curve of Zuriel’s jaw in a

featherlight touch. “Not just here, but here.” Spiro’s other hand rested

Gabrielle Evans

lightly on his chest, right over his racing heart. “I know you don’t see
it yet, but I do.”

No, he didn’t see it, wasn’t even sure what Spiro meant, so he

went back to his original apology. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you in
front of your brother.”

Strangely, Spiro smiled at him. “I don’t care what my brother

thinks. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks, and you shouldn’t,
either.” He leaned one shoulder against the door, and eased Zuriel’s
head to his chest. “Try to rest. I’ll wake you when we get to the
boats.”

To his surprise, he did manage to sleep despite the bumpy roads

and idle chitchat within the car. The next time Zuriel opened his eyes,
they were stopped, and he was staring up at the most beautiful castle
he’d ever seen, with white stone walls and high-reaching turrets.
When Spiro had said they were going to a palace, Zuriel had pictured
a large house, not an honest to goodness castle.

“Did you carry me onto the boat? How did I sleep through that?”

The chill of the air alone should have been enough to rouse him from
his slumber.

“Yes, I carried you, but I didn’t mind.” Spiro winked as he

ushered him out of the vehicle. “You needed the sleep.”

“How do you hide this place?” Jacobi asked, interrupting anything

Zuriel might have said in response. “I mean, it’s a big damn island.
Did you pay off Google Maps or something?”

Rissian led the way through a beautiful courtyard to the main

entrance. “Other paranormals don’t venture here because of the
rumors and legends.”

“Most of which we started to scare them away,” Spiro added with

a wink.

“But if they’re brave enough to make it this far,” Rissian

continued, “our elven magic will cloak us from strangers.” Glancing
over his shoulder, he dipped his head and smirked. “And no, even
with Google Maps, humans would never be able to find this place.”

Jaded 59

Zuriel didn’t understand how that was possible. Of course, he

wasn’t a scientist, but he highly doubted people could miss a massive
island in the middle of the Norwegian Sea. “So, if no one knows
you’re here, how do you get electricity?” He thought that over for a
second and gaped. “Please tell me you have electricity here.”

“We’re not troglodytes.” Ascending the front stairs, Rissian

turned and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at Zuriel
with an arched brow. “We use solar panels and wind energy. We do
have generators for backup, though.”

Zuriel didn’t know what the hell a troglodyte was, but he was

relieved that he wouldn’t have to go traipsing around the place with a
candle. “Cool.”

“Nice digs.” Aspen whistled as he sidled up next to him. “Can you

believe we’re actually going to be living here? It’s like a fairy tale.”

“Are there showers in fairy tales?” Jacobi asked from the back of

the group. “I am seriously gross right now.”

“I’m starving,” Mihail added. “I don’t know what time it is, but I

hope it’s food o’clock.”

“I don’t even need a bed.” Nikola appeared on the other side of

Aspen. “Just give me a blanket, and I’ll sleep right here in the
courtyard.”

“I’ll take you straight to your suites,” Rissian assured them. “Your

bags are already waiting, and I’ll send food to your rooms.”

“I love this place already.” Nudging Spiro out of the way, Jacobi

took his place beside Zuriel and bumped their hips together. “I’m still
expecting that harem, but I’ll let you sleep for a few hours first.”

Zuriel laughed, feeling marginally better. “As soon as I wake up, I

promise to find out where they’re keeping all the men.”

“Are they always like this?” Rissian inquired of his brother, but

there was a smile in his voice that said he was amused rather than
annoyed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zuriel saw Spiro give his brother a

playful shove. “This is nothing. They’re on good behavior right now.”

Gabrielle Evans

Zuriel couldn’t dispute the claim, but he also didn’t think they

were that bad. Still, he promised himself that no matter what, he
wouldn’t do anything else to humiliate his mate in front of his people.

* * * *

“The rite is set for tomorrow after sunset. Your robes are already

here.” Rissian waved a hand toward the closet in the common area of
the suite. “I’ll be waiting at the burial grounds with Thalian, Sadron,
Locien, Aradan, and Mother.”

A tall, well-muscled man appeared in the doorway with his hands

linked behind his back. His dark hair flowed past his chin, and there
was a hard set to his jaw, but his eyes were kind when he smiled.
“And I will be escorting you to the burial grounds when it’s time for
the rite.”

“Marcel?” The warrior had been no more than a pup the last time

Spiro had been home, reminding him just how long he’d been away.

“Prince Spiro.” Marcel dipped his head in respect. “Welcome

home.” His gaze drifted to Rissian and softened with a look that Spiro
had become quite familiar with during his short stay in Haven.

Arching an eyebrow, Spiro glanced between his brother and the

guard with a satisfied tilt of his lips. “You two?”

Rissian lifted his chin and stretched his neck, turning his head to

the side to show off his mating mark. “We made it official last year.”

“Congratulations.” He was happy for Rissian, but there was also a

bitterness that tasted sour on his tongue. He’d missed so much, and all
because he’d been driven from his home by his sadistic father.

“We’ll leave you to rest.” Rissian patted his arm as he passed by.

“Mother will want to see you soon.”

“I’ll find her once we’re settled.”
“That was the most confusing conversation I’ve ever heard,”

Zuriel said once their guests had departed, closing the door behind

Jaded 61

them. “Who will be waiting for you? Did he say burial grounds?
What exactly is going to happen during this ritual?”

“Thalian, Sadron, Locien, and Aradan are my brothers. Thalian is

the second born, while Locien and Aradan are younger than Rissian.”
It would be confusing for a while, but he had confidence that Zuriel
would eventually become familiar with all the names. “Yes, the rite is
performed on the burial grounds, but it’s really not as creepy as it
sounds.”

His back hurt from the long trip, and his temples were beginning

to throb from lack of sleep. Undressing quietly, he draped his clothes
over the back of the dark green loveseat, took Zuriel by the hand, and
led him into the bedroom. How the guy was even still standing was
beyond him.

“Okay, so what exactly is going to happen in this non-creepy

cemetery?” Getting the hint, Zuriel undressed as well, and crawled
under the blankets to snuggle next to Spiro’s side without hesitation.
“Gods, this is amazing.”

Spiro had to agree, though their luxurious feather mattress could

have been a cot in the closet for all he cared. “It’s really not that big
of a deal.” A yawn stretched his mouth open wide, and his eyes
burned behind his closed eyelids. “We’ll go to the burial grounds after
sunset. I’ll stand in the middle of a circle and repeat some words. One
of my brothers will place a magical brand on my skin, and that’s
that.”

“They’re going to burn you?” His mate’s soft hand landed on his

chest and stroked lightly. “Will it hurt?”

“I’m really not sure, but I doubt it will be too painful. At any rate,

it’s better than death if I don’t go through with the rite.” The magic
had long been set in place to ensure a ruler of their people. Should he
not complete the ritual before the set of the full moon, his life was
forfeit, and the tradition would start over with the next born.

“True,” Zuriel mused sleepily. “That’s it? You just repeat some

words, get branded like cattle, and then you’re king?”

Gabrielle Evans

“Well…” He hadn’t brought up the part that came next because it

really wasn’t important. Family tradition meant little to him, and it
wouldn’t change anything. “Once I become king, I will experience
something similar to a mating heat. It lasts for three days, and I’ll
warn you now. From what I understand, you’re going to be seeing a
lot of action.”

His mate chuckled under his breath and stretched up to kiss the

underside of Spiro’s chin. “I look forward to it.”

Spiro wished he could just leave it at that, but knowing how

interfering his mother could be, it was bound to come up sooner rather
than later. “Traditionally, three rwalaerea, women of breeding age,
will be presented after the ceremony since the mating heat is to ensure
the king procreates to provide heirs to the line. These women will
become his wives and bear his children, but they do not live in the
palace or raise their young.”

As expected, Zuriel stiffened beside him and pushed away, rising

slowly to a sitting position with murder in his eyes. “I don’t give a
fuck where they live, because it’s not going to happen. Maybe you
should have told me this before I decided to move my happy ass
halfway around the world, because I don’t share.”

While a bit dramatic, the reaction had been just what he’d hoped

for, proving that Zuriel’s feelings for him ran deeper than just
physical attraction.

“Shh, lirimaer. You don’t have to share me.” Spiro wasn’t

interested in seeing his mate with anyone else, either, but he figured
that went without saying. “I’m telling you this because I’m sure my
mother has already chosen women she deems suitable for a king.”

“You can just send their suitable hussy asses right back to where

they came from.”

Levering up on one elbow, Spiro reached out, cupped the back of

Zuriel’s neck, and pulled him forward for a long, heated kiss. “I don’t
want anyone else, baby. You have nothing to worry about.”

Jaded 63

Zuriel was a little rigid at first when Spiro tried to pull him back

down to the mattress, but he soon relaxed, heaving a heavy sigh and
nuzzling against Spiro’s chest. “I’ll keep you so busy you won’t even
have time to think about those twatwaffles.”

“Twatwaffles?” Tightening his arms around his mate, Spiro

laughed right from his belly at his mate’s phrasing. “Oh, you are
something special, Zuriel, something very special indeed.”

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Seven

Spiro stood in the moonlight atop his father’s grave dressed in

white and gold robes that flowed down to his ankles. Zuriel didn’t
understand the words he spoke, but he could feel the slight charge to
the air, hear the crackle on the wind.

“Am I the only one who finds this slightly creepy?” Jacobi asked,

wrapping his arms around his midsection and huddling closer to their
small group.

“More than slightly,” Mihail agreed.
“I don’t know,” Aspen added with his usual perkiness. “I think it’s

kind of cool.”

Zuriel was inclined to agree with Aspen, but he was still freaking

out more than a little. If something went wrong, there was a good
chance that he’d be returning to Wyoming sooner than planned—sans
one mate. “How do we know if it works?” he whispered out of the
side of his mouth.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure Spiro will. I mean, he is part elf,

right?”

Aspen had a point. Sadly, Zuriel couldn’t get behind his positivity,

not until after the full moon when he was sure everything would be
okay. Hell, he wouldn’t even chance shifting if he didn’t absolutely
have to, but since they hadn’t been able to get the Inhibitors through
Customs, he didn’t have a choice.

Rissian stepped forward, holding a small, glowing disk in his

hand. More words were spoken that Zuriel didn’t understand, but he
got the sense that Spiro was reciting some type of oath. When he was
finished and the last words had drifted away on the breeze, Rissian

Jaded 65

pressed the silver disk to Spiro’s chest, singeing the smooth skin just
over his pectoral.

Cheers rose from the kneeling crowd gathered amongst the

tombstones, but Spiro paid no attention to the onlookers. His eyes
bored into Zuriel, picking him out easily amongst the masses, and he
lifted one hand to crook his finger.

As though reeled forward on an invisible line, Zuriel practically

floated across the distance until he was standing directly in front of
his mate. “Congratulations.” He wasn’t sure if that was the
appropriate sentiment, but it sounded as good as any.

Strong hands cupped both of his cheeks, and those dazzling green

eyes pierced him right down to his soul. “The mating heat will start
soon,” Spiro said quietly but clearly. “Before that happens, I just
wanted to tell you that if it gets to be too much, I won’t be offended if
you decide to stay with your friends until it’s over. I hear it can be
very intense.”

No way was he going to pass up that kind of opportunity. Besides,

he wasn’t going to take the chance that Spiro’s family would try to
slip some whore into his room to persuade him to propagate the
bloodline. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The words were barely past his lips when he was pulled

backward, away from his mate, and shunted off to the side. A
beautiful woman he assumed to be Spiro’s mother took her son by the
shoulders and looked him up and down before hugging him fiercely.

“I am so happy to have you home.”
His aggravation at being discarded like week-old garbage melted

away, and Zuriel retreated another few steps to give the pair some
privacy. She was the first maternal figure he’d ever met, and he
wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. That was until she glanced
over her shoulder and waved three more women to her.

“Mother,” Spiro growled in clear warning, surveying the females

with distaste. “We discussed this.”

Gabrielle Evans

“I’m not saying that you have to give up your mate, but it is

tradition, Spiro. I know you’ve been away for a while, but I’ve chosen
three perfect brides for you.” She smiled sweetly, but Zuriel saw right
through the charade, especially when her thoughts began to stray.
“Just one night, and he’ll see how wrong he is to want the shifter.”

“We are happy to serve you during the heat.” One of the females

stepped forward and bowed her head. “I’d be happy to wrap my legs
around your head and let you give me a nice ton—”

Zuriel threw up his barriers, blocking the concubine’s thoughts.

His stomach cramped, threatening to expel his dinner, and he had no
desire to hear the end of that sentence. If the bitch wanted to play,
however, he’d play, and he’d do it better.

Pushing through the group of women, he molded himself to his

mate’s chest, lifting his arms to wind them around Spiro’s neck. “I’m
happy to serve you anytime, anywhere. Why don’t you come to bed
and let me show you?”

Spiro’s mother, Mariska, cleared her throat and brightened her

smile a notch. “Of course you should spend time with your mate
during this celebration, but surely you understand that you can’t
monopolize all of his time. He is king now, and as such, he has certain
duties.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of his responsibilities,” Zuriel responded just

as sweetly.

“Then it’s settled.” She turned to Spiro with a relieved sigh. “I’ve

already made arrangements for your things to be moved to another
suite in the north corridor.”

“No,” Spiro answered calmly. “This isn’t going to happen,

Mother.”

Patting his mate’s chest, Zuriel turned to face his new mother-in-

law and grinned widely, showing off his elongating canines. “As his
mate, I will see him, talk to him, look at him, and fuck him whenever
I please.” Sliding his hand down Spiro’s chest and over his rippled
abs, he ended with his fingers curled around his lover’s flaccid cock.

Jaded 67

“He is mine, and I will fight for what’s mine.” He leaned closer to the
female until their noses were almost touching. “And now it’s settled.”

A part of him felt bad because he’d promised not to do anything

else mortifying, but his territorial instincts wouldn’t allow him to sit
idly by while someone was trying to take his place. No one was going
to remove him from Spiro’s side, no matter who he had to battle for
the right to be there.

“I am so proud of you,” Spiro whispered into his mind. “You will

always be my first priority.” Then he brushed his knuckles down the
side of Zuriel’s neck while claiming his lips right there for everyone
to see. “I will never hurt you,” he whispered.

The seriousness with which he spoke impacted Zuriel more than

the words themselves. It wasn’t just an empty promise. He could see
the conviction in his mate’s eyes. Intentionally, unintentionally, and
everywhere in between, he firmly believed the vow.

“This is just a suggestion, so ya know, ignore me if you want, but

can we get the hell out of this city of the dead?” Jacobi popped one
hip out to the side and flipped his hair over his shoulder as he spoke.
The strands were longer today, colored in an electric shade of purple,
and he’d donned some sort of matching kimono that stopped at mid-
thigh. Where he’d gotten it was anyone’s guess, but he certainly was
colorful.

“He’s got a point.” Taking his mate by the hand, he tugged on it

gently. “His outfit really does clash with the décor here.”

* * * *

The heat—the fire—the uncontrollable burn was already coursing

through his veins, and watching Zuriel put his mother in her place
only increased his desire. The little fox still didn’t know the true
extent of his worth, but making a stand for what rightfully belonged to
him was a step in the right direction.

“You are so extraordinarily beautiful.”

Gabrielle Evans

“I think that’s the mating heat talking,” Zuriel teased as they

entered their suite. “However, I won’t argue with you.”

Spiro knew the truth, though. It wasn’t the heat. From the moment

they’d met, he’d seen the beauty in his mate. With his need growing,
he didn’t have enough functioning brain cells to fully articulate that
point, but he knew. “Are you hungry?”

“You look like you’re in pain,” Zuriel answered, ignoring his

question. “You’re all flush, and you’re sweating. Does it hurt?”

It didn’t hurt in the strict sense that Zuriel meant, but it wasn’t

comfortable, either. Still, he wouldn’t treat his mate like a common
prostitute. He had more control than that. “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not.” Pulling his shirt off over his head, he tossed it to

the floor and began working open the zipper on his tight jeans. “Let
me help you, Spiro. Let me take care of you.”

He appreciated the concern, but the flames scalding his insides

were still manageable. “Isn’t that my line?”

His joke fell flat, however, and Zuriel simply frowned at him.

“You don’t have to be strong all the time.”

“Zuri, I’m not going to use you like that.”
“You can’t use me if I want it.” The button on his jeans finally

popped open, and he slid the zipper down with a quiet rasp before
pushing the snug denim down his thighs, exposing his swollen cock.
“C’mon, sweetheart, you know you want me.”

He did. He wanted his lover with a desperation that scared him.

As his temperature increased and his pulse accelerated, it was
growing harder to maintain his self-control. If he slipped, even for just
a minute, he didn’t know if he could be gentle with his much smaller
mate. Probably, he should have thought this through a little better, but
in his defense, he hadn’t realized the heat would be so all consuming.

“I do want you. I always want you. That’s not the point.”
“Well, then you’ve lost me somewhere,” Zuriel argued. “Please

explain what the problem is.”

Jaded 69

“Not ten minutes ago, I swore to never hurt you. That hasn’t

changed, and I won’t risk your safety because I can’t control myself.”
It wasn’t Zuriel’s fault, and he felt like a heel for snapping at his
mate, but he was already fraying at the edges. One touch was all it
would take to break the tenuous leash on his desire.

“Let me get this straight.” The smile on Zuriel’s lips was

downright wicked as he slinked across the carpet, creeping closer like
a predator stalking his prey. “The problem is that you want me too
much?”

“Lirimaer, that’s close enough.” He even held his hands up as

though that would stop the determined shifter. “Stop.” Though his
head was spinning and his vision was growing blurry, every other
sense was heightened.

Zuriel’s unique scent seemed to saturate the entire room, and he

could practically taste it on his tongue with each inhalation. Even
from a distance, he could hear the steady cadence of his lover’s
heartbeat, and the silk robes that adorned his body were suddenly too
heavy against his overheated skin. Gods, even the brush of his balls
against his thighs was enough to make him moan.

The beast within him roared and gnashed his teeth, throwing

himself against his cage in a bid for freedom. His lion recognized
Zuriel as their mate, and unlike Spiro, the cat had no qualms about
taking what belonged to them.

“You can fight it all you want, but you know I’m right.”

Continuing forward, Zuriel didn’t stop until Spiro was pressed up
against the door with no room to escape.

If he wasn’t going out of his mind with need, he would have

found the situation hysterical. Between the two of them, he was
definitely the bigger and stronger. Yet, there he was, cowering against
the gleaming wood of the door and clutching at the door handle
because he was afraid of what he might do if he let go.

“Spiro, I can see that you’re hurting,” Zuriel continued. “It’s not

going to get better or just magically go away. Let me help you.”

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Before he could make a move to combat him, Zuriel reached out,

parted the fabric of his robes, and curled his long fingers around
Spiro’s aching cock. Two quick strokes was all it took to send him to
his knees, groaning loudly as ropes of semen jetted from the head of
his cock.

“That’s better,” Zuriel whispered as he crouched down in front of

him.

It wasn’t better, though. It hadn’t taken the edge off at all, but

only made his lust surge higher. “Zuri, go.” The words were barely
intelligible through his gritted teeth. “I want you to leave right now.
Please.”

“No. I can help. I’m the only one who can help.” Very slowly, he

pushed to his feet and began striding backward. “Come and get me.”

When he fisted his own engorged erection and began stroking in

seductive, languid motions, Spiro’s control finally snapped. With a
primal growl, he sprang up from the floor and lunged for his mate. “I
can’t stop it,” he warned. Or maybe it was an apology. Nothing made
sense anymore.

Zuriel wrapped both arms and legs around him, kissing and

licking at his neck while Spiro carried them to the bedroom. “That’s
the best news I’ve heard all day.”

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Chapter Eight

The hours passed—nights turning to days, days into nights—and

the wildfire that raged within his mate didn’t wane but grew into a
firestorm of raw, animalistic need. By the rise of the sun on the third
morning, Zuriel had been taken in numerous positions in a variety of
ways, and he awoke with a silly, well-fucked smile on his lips.

It hadn’t been all fun, though. The night of the full moon had been

awful. Without the Inhibitors, they’d both been forced to shift,
postponing any relief for Spiro until morning. He’d spent the entire
night running in an effort to lessen the driving lust, and Zuriel had
been left to roam the unfamiliar forests with his friends.

“Good morning, lirimaer.” Spiro purred against the shell of his

ear while his hands roamed Zuriel’s naked torso. “Did you sleep
well?” One hand caressed his hip, dipping lower to fondle his
morning erection. “Mmm, is this for me?”

“Again?” It was really a rhetorical question, because he knew the

mating heat wouldn’t cease until the moon rose that night, but he
enjoyed teasing his lover.

“Are you too sore?”
That was Spiro—ever worrying about him. There was no need for

his concern, however. Thanks to a few tiny drops of his mate’s blood,
he was feeling right as rain without even a hint of soreness.

There was no biting involved, though, and Spiro refused to claim

him during the heat. Since Zuriel didn’t think he was completely
ready for that important step in their relationship, he accepted it as the
gift it was and didn’t argue.

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“No, not too sore.” Rolling to face his lover, he pressed closer,

rubbing his swollen cock against the man’s nude hip. “Come here,
you.” Twirling his fingers in Spiro’s hair, he pulled him down until
their lips met. “I do love taking care of you.”

Their tongues twisted together, and their lips nipped and nibbled

while they rolled across the mattress in a tangle of limbs. Zuriel’s
heart raced, beating a quick staccato against his ribs when he found
himself atop his lover, straddling Spiro’s narrow hips. Just the brush
of the elf’s cock against his crease caused his ass to clench greedily
and then loosen in anticipation.

A click of a bottle cap registered somewhere to his left, and Zuriel

moaned as two lubed fingers pushed into his hungry hole. It took very
little to prepare him after days of marathon sex, and within seconds,
Spiro had added a third finger to his snug channel.

Moaning into his lover’s mouth, he rocked his hips, rubbing his

hard cock against Spiro’s abs and fucking himself on the man’s
fingers. It didn’t matter how many times they’d danced this same
dance. He couldn’t get enough of Spiro. His taste, his touch, the
sound of his voice—it was like a habit he didn’t want to break, an
addiction he didn’t want to cure.

“So eager,” Spiro murmured. “So responsive.”
His digits eased from Zuriel’s hole, but he quickly replaced them

with the tip of his cock. His back bowed, arching his hips up from the
mattress, and Zuriel’s eyes rolled back in his head when the flared
crown popped through his fluttering entrance.

The steel-hard length stretched him open, penetrating his depths

until Spiro was seated to the base, his thighs pressing firmly against
Zuriel’s backside as he grinded against him. “Ride me, lirimaer.
Show me what you can do.”

Their first time together and every time after, he’d always strived

to be an active participant. However, he’d never taken the lead role.
Oh, he knew what to do, exactly which buttons to push to send his
lover flying, but he respected the dynamics of their relationship. Plus,

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he just felt protected with Spiro surrounding him, felt safe with his
mate in control.

If this was what Spiro needed from him, though, he was more than

happy to give it. Sitting up straighter, he braced his hands on his
lover’s chiseled chest, kneading the muscles with his fingertips as he
began a slow grind, a gentle sway of his pelvis.

“Like that,” Spiro encouraged, “just like that.”
He was only getting started, though. Contracting his abs, he

clenched his inner walls so that they hugged his mate’s thick cock like
a glove as he rolled his hips, rising and falling in waves. There were a
thousand and one tricks hidden up his proverbial sleeve, but he felt
wrong—dirty—for even thinking of using them.

“Don’t overthink it.” Long fingers caressed the side of his face,

and Spiro gave him a penetrating stare. “Forget the past, because it
doesn’t matter.”

Zuriel wanted to believe it, but he knew it wasn’t true. It couldn’t

be true. The past did matter, and for as long as he lived he’d never
forget it because he refused to be that person anymore. Never again
would he let someone use him the way the Trainers had in The Hive.

“No,” Spiro chastised, grabbing Zuriel’s hips and jerking him

down as he thrust up into him. “Don’t go back there, baby. Stay with
me, right here with me.”

When he didn’t respond right away, Spiro growled and flipped

them off the bed, rolling Zuriel beneath him once they were on the
floor. “Look at me,” he commanded, gripping a handful of Zuriel’s
hair and pulling his head back on his shoulders, giving him no choice
but to obey. “I will never hurt you. Now come back to me, Zuri.”

Something snapped inside him, wiping away his unpleasant

thoughts, and Zuriel echoed his lover’s growl, lunging up to wrap
himself around his mate. “Right here,” he agreed. Looping one leg
around Spiro’s knee, he jerked hard, using all of his strength to flip
the man beneath him once more. “Hold on tight, handsome.” Without
dislodging his partner, he spun around in Spiro’s lap, bent backward,

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and curled his arms around his mate’s neck, jerking him into a sitting
position. “On your knees.”

Sticking to Spiro like a magnet, he managed to contort his body,

holding his mate’s cock trapped within his channel until they were
both kneeling beside the bed. Spiro wasted no time setting a hard and
demanding pace, just like Zuriel liked.

The harder his hips snapped, the deeper he drove into Zuriel’s

channel, but it still wasn’t enough. Straightening one leg, he stretched
it back between Spiro’s legs and practically bent himself like a
pretzel. The new position changed the angle, and every feral plunge
tapped against his prostate.

It also provided him with easy access to his mate’s tight sac.

Holding himself steady with one hand, he reached the other beneath
him, stretching himself even farther thanks to his enhanced
engineering as a Desirable. He fondled Spiro’s balls, rolling the heavy
orbs between his fingers and praying that he could stave off his
orgasm for just a little longer.

Spiro’s throbbing cock filled him so completely, leaving no inch

of his channel untouched. His own dick bounced between his thighs,
pulsing and aching until he feared it would snap off at the base. His
ass clenched, his stomach cramped, and his quiet moans grew to loud
cries of ecstasy.

His partner’s fingers dug into the flesh around his waist while the

other hand held his shoulder in a bruising grip, pulling him down on
Spiro’s cock with every bone-jarring thrust. “Please! Fuck, I’m not
going to last.”

Beads of sweat rolled down his spine, and his head began to spin

as he shook and moaned, trying desperately to hold back his climax.
Proving he was ever the gentleman, however, Spiro sat back on his
heels, yanked Zuriel into his lap, and gripped his hard cock. “You
first, lirimaer.”

One hard thrust and the scrape of teeth down the side of his neck

was all it took to send him spinning out of control. Bucking against

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Spiro’s chest, Zuriel writhed in his lap, moaning, whimpering, and
barely holding back his screams as he painted his thighs with cum.

“Much better,” Spiro whispered, tightening his arms around

Zuriel’s chest and shuddering through his own release, filling his
channel with heated semen. “Perfect.”

Zuriel hadn’t even caught his breath when a loud, pounding knock

sounded at the door. “Spiro!”

“Go away,” Spiro called back, but he still eased Zuriel from his

lap and patted his hip to get him to stand.

“Spiro, you have to come now.”
“Rissian, for fuck’s sake, go away. I’ll deal with you later.”
The front door of the suite banged open, and Rissian marched

straight through the living room and into their bedroom. “Clean your
dick off and get dressed.” He looked paler than usual, and he seemed
more afraid than angry.

As a shifter, Zuriel had little in the way of modesty, but it didn’t

feel right to be prancing around naked in front of his mate’s brother.
So, he casually removed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around
his waist before settling down on the edge of the mattress to watch the
two brothers argue.

Something was definitely wrong, and while his curiosity was

burning, he didn’t think it was wise to ask questions just then.
However, judging from the look on Rissian’s face, his fun and games
with Spiro had just come to a screeching halt.

Spiro rose from the floor and faced his brother, seemingly

unconcerned with his nudity. “I swear to the gods,” he began, only to
be cut off by Rissian’s snarl.

“Get dressed.”
“What the hell has gotten into you?” Spiro demanded. “What

happened?”

It wasn’t polite. Zuriel told himself he shouldn’t do it, but he

couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. Dropping his shields, he took
a little peek into Rissian’s mind and gasped at what he found there.

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Before he could open his mouth and say something stupid,

though, Rissian spoke. “Thalian is dead.”

* * * *

“No one saw anything?”
Rissian shook his head quickly as they hurried through the

corridors to Thalian’s room. “We’ve questioned everyone, but no one
knows what happened.”

Spiro was incredulous to the truthfulness in that statement.

Someone must have seen something. Yes, it was a big house,
pretentious even, but there were also thirty people roaming the halls at
any given time.

Apparently, his skepticism showed in his expression, because

Rissian pulled him to a stop and shook his head. “There’s no sign of
forced entry or a struggle. Nothing in his room has been touched.
Spiro…” He trailed off, and his eyes tightened at the corners. “He has
the same blue lips and swollen esophagus Father had when he died.”

A groan rumbled through Spiro’s chest before he could stop it. He

wasn’t insensitive to the death of his brother, but while Thalian was
only a year younger than him, they’d never exactly been close.
Actually, he hadn’t been close to any of his siblings other than
Rissian. Perhaps it was because they were the only two who shared
the same mother.

His closeness to Thalian wasn’t the point, though. Yes, he felt the

pain of his brother’s untimely death, but the time to grieve would
have to come later. As the unchallenged ruler of his race, it was
Spiro’s duty to protect his people. Part of him—a part he would never
let speak aloud—almost wished it had been foul play that had taken
Thalian’s life. At least then he’d have something to fight against.

Following Rissian through the maze of corridors, he eventually

found himself outside of Thalian’s room. “Has anyone told his
mother?”

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Though it wasn’t a law of his people, it was tradition for a king to

take more than one wife, ensuring the best possible chance for
multiple heirs. In his father’s case, the greedy bastard had taken only
one wife—Spiro and Rissian’s mother—but there was never a lack of
females parading through his bedroom. Four of those lucky women
had birthed the other Araceli heirs.

Rissian dropped his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. “She

lives on the mainland. Aradan went with one of the guards to find
her.”

As the oldest, it should have been his duty to inform Thalian’s

mother, but Spiro was just selfish enough to be glad that their
youngest brother had taken on the obligation. As much as he’d like to
return to his room and pretend like none of this had ever happened, he
couldn’t do it. So with a bit of reluctance, he took a deep breath, let it
out slowly, and crossed the threshold into Thalian’s suite.

“Sir,” one of the guards greeted him, bowing his head in respect.

“We’ll give you a minute.” With no further instruction, he jerked his
head toward the doorway, indicating that the other three sentries
should follow him. “We’ll be just outside the door.”

Spiro nodded his thanks, impressed with the young man. “What’s

his name?” Gods, he’d been gone for too long. There had once been a
time when he knew every man, woman, and child on the island.

“Uh, Nithron, I think.” Rissian stared at the closed door with a

frown as though he could see through it to the other side. “I’m really
not sure. He’s only been here for a couple of months.”

The information was important, but Spiro decided to file it away

for later contemplation before he went accusing people of murder.
Still, he couldn’t overlook the fact that his father’s sudden illness—
and ultimately, death—coincided with Nithron’s arrival on the island.

As Rissian had said, nothing in the suite had been touched or in

any way indicated that someone had entered without Thalian’s
permission. There was a soda can on the coffee table, and a T-shirt

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was draped haphazardly over the arm of the sofa, but nothing else
seemed to be out of place.

“Bedroom?” he asked.
“Bathroom,” Rissian replied with a wince. “I’ll warn you, Spiro.

It’s not pretty.”

“I can handle it.” This wouldn’t be the first time he’d been in the

presence of the deceased.

The minute he stepped into the bathroom and saw Thalian

sprawled out in the empty bathtub, however, he immediately began to
rethink his nonchalant approach to death. He also had to reconsider
his suspicion of the guard’s involvement.

It wasn’t just Thalian’s throat that was swollen, but his entire face.

His skin appeared sickly yellow, not the pallor of death, but the hue of
disease. The bulging of his eyes was visible, even though someone
had been thoughtful enough to lower his eyelids. Blue veins snaked
across his face and down the side of his neck, matching the ghostly
tint of his dry lips.

“What the hell could cause this?” Spiro murmured, more to

himself than to Rissian.

“I don’t know,” Rissian whispered back.
Spiro detected a slight tremor in the softly spoken words. He

wasn’t sure if it was fear or grief that put the hollow look in his
brother’s eyes, but he imagined it was a mixture of both. While he and
Rissian were part shifter, Thalian had been born of pure blood. Like
shifters, elves were immune to disease, but they were also impervious
to poisons, infections, and most types of magic.

He’d never seen anything like what they were now facing. Just

from one observation, he couldn’t tell if it was magic or some
mysterious plague. Whatever it was, though, whatever had the ability
to ravish two immortals, it was wicked powerful, and Spiro didn’t
even pretend to know how to fight it.

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People were counting on him to make the important decisions,

though. Everyone was depending on him to keep them safe. He knew
what he had to do, but it wasn’t going to make him very popular.

Marching back out into the hallways, he faced off with Nithron,

eyeing him speculatively before issuing his orders. The guard was
alert, but not tense, and Spiro detected no scent of deceit or betrayal
from him. “Quarantine the island. No one comes or goes until further
notice.”

“What about Aradan?” Rissian demanded.
“When did he leave?”
“Twenty minutes before I knocked on your door.”
It was an hour drive to the boats, and with any luck, their youngest

brother hadn’t made it that far yet. “Radio the guards and have them
intercept him at the docks.” He turned back to the guards and jerked a
thumb over his shoulder. “Please take Prince Thalian to the holding
room in the infirmary.”

They’d have to bury Thalian without his mother present, but it

couldn’t be helped. Until he figured out what was happening, he
couldn’t risk spreading some unknown and deadly disease. Besides,
he’d met the female on a few occasions, and as much as he hated to
admit it, he doubted she’d be overly distraught about the loss of her
son.

Spiro stepped aside to allow the guards to pass and nodded at

Rissian. “Get Aradan back here and assemble the palace guards.
We’ll meet at sundown.”

“Sure, but where are you going?”
Sighing heavily, Spiro ran his fingers through his long hair and

grimaced. “To break the news to my mate that he won’t be going
home anytime soon.”

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Chapter Nine

Showered and dressed, Zuriel paced the common room of their

suite, mumbling under his breath in agitation. He wasn’t selfish
enough to begrudge Spiro the time with his family, but he didn’t
appreciate being treated like a prisoner.

He wasn’t too proud to admit that Thalian’s death had him more

than a little freaked out. After Spiro’s abrupt departure, Zuriel’s first
instinct was to rush to his friends and tell them everything. However,
his dear mate had made that impossible by stationing guards outside
his door.

The minute he’d stepped out into the hall, he’d been ushered right

back inside with no explanation other than Spiro had ordered his
confinement. Likely, it was a safety precaution until they had more
information, but that didn’t mean he had to enjoy being treated like a
child. He wasn’t stupid. He understood the risk and possible danger,
but he was just going next door. As far as he could see, there was no
reason the sentries couldn’t guard him in Mihail’s room.

“Lirimaer?”
Spinning on the ball of his foot, Zuriel pointed a finger at his

mate, intending to give Spiro a piece of his mind. The instant their
eyes met, however, all of his irritation drained away, and he rushed
forward to throw his arms around his lover. “What happened?”

Spiro petted his hair and kissed the top of his head. “I don’t know,

baby. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Do you think someone hurt him?”
“It doesn’t look like it, but as I said, I really don’t know for sure.”

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A morbid sense of curiosity infiltrated his thoughts, but Zuriel

understood it wasn’t the appropriate time for such inquiries. “I’m
sorry, Spiro.” At the rate his family was dying, there wouldn’t be any
of them left by summer. Again, he decided to keep that little remark
to himself.

“I’m sorry, too.” Spiro contracted his arms, holding Zuriel closer.

“I was a little paranoid when I left earlier. I’m sorry I locked you in
here alone.” Leaning back, he slipped a finger under Zuriel’s chin and
urged his head up. “Did you want to see your friends?”

It took all he had not to melt into a big pile of warm goo right

there at his mate’s feet. Never in his entire life had he met someone
who cared so much for him. His friends were great. His twin was even
better. Yet, it wasn’t quite the same as with Spiro. The man went
above and beyond to always give him what he needed—and even
most things he just wanted.

“If they haven’t heard the news yet, I’m sure they will soon. What

should I tell them?”

“There really isn’t anything to say right now, but…”
Zuriel didn’t like the way Spiro cleared his throat and looked

away. In his experience, those types of expressions usually
accompanied bad news. “Just tell me.”

“I’ve quarantined the island.” When he turned back to Zuriel,

Spiro’s gaze held a hint of apology. “I’m afraid we can’t leave until I
know for sure this is an isolated incident.”

The answer only fueled his interest in knowing exactly what had

happened to the prince. This wasn’t about him, though, and he was
pretty sure he’d eventually hear the details through the grapevine
anyway.

He wasn’t the best at being supportive. Oh, he tried to be a good

friend, brother, and mate. There were lots of times when he wanted to
listen to the worries of those he cared about and find some way to
help. Unfortunately, his brain just didn’t function that way. It wasn’t

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that he didn’t care. He just tended to get distracted somewhere in the
middle of the conversation.

As always, things were different with Spiro. He was different—

better somehow. “What can I do?” There was a storm of emotions
brewing in his lover’s eyes, and an overwhelming need to erase the
haunted expression filled Zuriel until he practically vibrated with it.
“Tell me what I can do.”

“Apparently, family tragedy has stifled the mating heat for now.”

A tiny smile tilted one corner of Spiro’s mouth, but it didn’t reach his
eyes. “Is it really important to you?”

“Yes.” He couldn’t explain why, but he needed to be useful, even

if it was simply offering comfort to his mate.

“Okay.” Spiro nodded firmly. “I need you to find the others and

take them next door to Mihail’s room. If they know what’s going on,
they’re probably scared right now.”

Zuriel could agree with that. He’d been pretty terrified himself. “I

can do that. What then?”

“I need you to explain about the quarantine, and that we’re doing

everything we can to find out what caused Thalian’s death.” Spiro
stepped back and brought one of Zuriel’s hands to his mouth to brush
a kiss over the knuckles. “I’m going to the infirmary to speak with the
doctor. While I’m gone, I want you to stay in Mihail’s room and make
sure no one leaves, not even Jacobi.”

A breathy chuckle escaped him at the last part of that order. If

anyone would try to make a prison break, it would definitely be
Jacobi. “Anything else?”

“That’s it. Just try to keep everyone calm until I have something

more concrete to tell them.”

Pushing up on his toes, Zuriel kissed Spiro’s lips and bobbed his

head in understanding. “I’ll see you later then. You know where I am
if you need me.”

“I always need you.”

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“Yep, melting goo,” Zuriel mumbled under his breath. He was

already to the door and turning the handle when it finally dawned on
him what Spiro had just done. The man had given him exactly what
he wanted—time with his friends—and had turned it into a
responsibility so that he wouldn’t feel bad about it.

“Problem?” Spiro asked.
Zuriel shook his head and snorted as he exited the room. “Well

played, Dr. Araceli. Well played indeed.”

A dozen steps down the hall took him right to Mihail’s door, and

he gave the dark wood a perfunctory knock before turning the handle
and stepping into the room. “Mihail?”

“Come in,” Mihail called back from the corner of the common

space. “We’re all here.”

It wasn’t surprising to find all of his friends pacing the room and

conversing in low tones. Had he not been trapped in his own suite,
Zuriel would have been right there with them the minute Spiro had
left.

As soon as the door was closed, everyone converged on him,

firing off questions faster than he could answer them.

“What happened?”
“What’s going on?”
“Is Prince Thalian really dead?”
“Hold on, guys.” Zuriel threw his hands up and stumbled

backward to avoid being trampled. “Can I at least get inside before
you jump me like a Las Vegas hooker?”

“Sorry,” Jacobi said with a flippant twist of his wrist. “Now spill.

What do you know? No one will tell us anything.” He’d reverted to
his short, spikey locks in his signature neon pink color, and he tugged
at the ends of his hair as he spoke.

“That’s because no one knows. Spiro is in the infirmary talking to

the doctor, and the island has been quarantined.”

“Quarantined?” Nikola gasped, lifting a hand to his mouth. “It’s a

disease? Oh, crap, are we going to die?” His eyes rounded, and he

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backed away from Zuriel as though he was some kind of venomous
beast.

“No one else is sick. It’s just a precaution.” Zuriel’s temples

throbbed, and his shoulders tensed. Obviously, he wasn’t suited to this
leadership role, because he’d just started, and he was already tired of
explaining things. “Guys, seriously, just calm down.” Hell, he was
scared, too, but falling apart wasn’t going to change anything.

“How is Spiro?” Aspen was the only one in the room who hadn’t

rushed him upon his arrival. The demon was curled up in the corner
of the sofa with a subtle, almost dazed smile on his lips. When he
asked about Zuriel’s mate, however, there was sincerity in his voice,
and concern in his eyes.

Zuriel envied the guy’s calmness. It seemed that nothing ever

affected Aspen. Hell, the whole world could fall down around him,
and he’d likely still be skipping through the fucking daisies. However,
his genuine concern for others above himself was admirable.

“He’s worried.” It wasn’t obvious, but he was getting better at

reading his lover’s moods. “I think Thalian died just like Spiro’s dad.”

“I’m no expert, but I have a hard time believing this is some kind

of plague.” Mihail was definitely the most logical of the group, and
when he spoke, most people were inclined to listen. Zuriel was
certainly interested in what he had to say.

He hadn’t personally seen the body, but he’d caught a glimpse

from Rissian’s thoughts, and he highly doubted a person could have
done that. “Why do you say that?”

“Even if the king and the prince died of the same cause, they

weren’t sick at the same time. Plus, no one else is sick. I saw Thalian
just last night, and he looked perfectly healthy to me.”

“Right,” Nikola agreed, finally relaxing his defensive posture. “I

saw him, too. He was with that one guard.”

“Wait. Which guard?” Zuriel had only met a few of them, but

he’d caught something about a guard in Spiro’s thoughts.

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Nikola’s brow furrowed, and his nose crinkled. “I don’t know his

name, but I don’t think he’s even part elf. He’s a lot bigger than the
other sentries.” He held his hands apart in measurement. “Broader in
the shoulders, ya know?”

“Oh,” Jacobi cooed. “I’ll have to make his acquaintance very

soon.”

And everyone thinks I’m the slut. “Yes, you do that.” Chasing

after hot men had been a fun pastime, but Zuriel was finding he was
much happier being a one-man kind of guy. “Let’s just hope he
doesn’t try to murder you in your sleep.”

Jacobi smirked and rocked his hips suggestively. “Who said

anything about sleeping?”

He was barely paying attention anymore, though. A stray

thought—a completely absurd idea—was swirling around in his head.
“We could find some answers.”

If this was an attack of some sort, it was clearly aimed at members

of the royal family. Zuriel wasn’t a fighter, but he’d be damned if
he’d sit back and twiddle his thumbs while someone was plotting to
kill his mate.

“I like where this is going.” A mischievous grin stretched across

Jacobi’s face. “I always wanted to be a private dick.”

The guy was completely incorrigible, but Zuriel liked that about

him. A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have been opposed to sharing
Jacobi’s bed, either. In fact, he’d practically thrown himself at the
shifter. Hell, he’d attempted to seduce anyone with two legs and a
dick. He wasn’t proud of it, but playing the whore was much easier
than wallowing in self-hatred.

Then Spiro had blown into his life like the cool breeze from a

storm and swept him away. No matter how hard he’d fought against
it, his mate had refused to let him self-destruct, had refused to allow
him to hide behind his mask of outrageous behavior.

In essence, Spiro had saved him. The least he could do was return

the favor.

Gabrielle Evans

Rubbing his hands together, he rolled his shoulders back and lifted

both eyebrows. “Okay, where do we start?”

* * * *

The meeting in the infirmary had garnered zero results. The doctor

was just as perplexed as everyone else, proclaiming that she’d never
seen anything like it before. However, she had promised to conduct a
slew of tests and get back to him quickly. Her lack of knowledge on
the situation was troubling, but Spiro couldn’t say he was surprised.

The pretty female was married to one of the sentries, which was

the reason she’d come to the island in the first place. It wasn’t often
that the paranormals required her services, but she was good with
wounds and injuries. Plus, there were several human mates on the
island, and it was much more convenient—not to mention safer—to
have a doctor nearby rather than travel to the mainland.

Not that it mattered anymore. No one was going anywhere until

he had some answers that satisfied him. “I hate this job,” he mumbled
under his breath as he trudged along the pathway that would lead him
home.

His companion said nothing, but he did grunt, which Spiro took as

acknowledgment of his complaint. He didn’t care, though. He wasn’t
looking for validation. Taking charge was something he excelled at,
but it was the rare occurrence when he actually enjoyed it.

The guards had successfully shut down all transportation on or off

of the island. Spiro and Rissian had personally interviewed everyone
on staff in the palace, paying special attention to those who’d had
contact with Thalian before his death. Of course, no one knew
anything.

They’d combed the courtyards, searching for anything that might

be amiss. Either he had a horrible eye for detail, or everything was
just as it should be. The kitchen was ransacked and food tested for

Jaded 87

contamination. A group of volunteers had even dug through the trash
but had found nothing useful.

Making little progress within the house, Spiro had taken a handful

of guards through their small town, and they’d conducted a very quiet
observation of the residents. So far, no one else was showing any
signs of illness. In fact, they’d all looked at him very strangely when
he’d inquired about their health. After all, most of them were
immortal.

Having so many people rely on him was a lot of goddamn

pressure, and the lack of helpful information was frustrating, to say
the least. It had been the longest day of his life, and it wasn’t nearly
over yet.

“You should rest, Your Majesty. We can meet in the morning.” It

was the only thing Nithron had said throughout the entire walk home.

“Call me Spiro.” It might be his birthright, but any royal title or

address just sounded hollow to him. “I’m tempted to take you up on
that offer.” He’d promised Zuriel he’d be back after his trip to the
infirmary, but he’d gotten caught up in his quest for answers. There
was a good chance he had one highly irritated mate waiting in bed for
him.

“I think we’ve done all we can for today. Some sleep to clear our

heads might make for a better start tomorrow morning.”

Spiro really didn’t need convincing, but he was intrigued by the

way Nithron spoke. From appearances, Spiro wouldn’t have guessed
he was any older than twenty, but looks were deceiving, especially
when it came to supes. After spending the majority of the day with the
guard, he highly doubted his original estimate of maturity was
anywhere close to accurate.

While Nithron’s age was unimportant, spending the day with him

had provided Spiro with a chance to study his chaperone. He
supposed anything was possible, but watching the guard with the
islanders, seeing him smile and laugh with the children, Spiro was
having a hard time picturing him as a cold-blooded murderer.

Gabrielle Evans

“Clear heads sound good,” he finally answered, wanting more

than anything to step into a hot shower to wash away the day. With
any luck, Zuriel wouldn’t be too upset with him, because he was
missing his little mate like crazy. “Gather everyone for breakfast in
the morning. We’ll start fresh then.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see you in the morning then.”
They parted ways in the foyer, and Spiro bounded up the stairs,

eager to find his lover. Reaching the door to his suite, he slid it open
quietly and tiptoed into the room. Coming home late was bad enough,
but he doubted he’d win any favor by waking Zuriel up if he was
sleeping. They were learning new things about each other every day,
but Spiro was well aware that his fox was not a morning person.

The darkness of the room didn’t give him much hope for a happy

reunion. Finding the bedroom lit only by moonlight was not
promising, either. Upon closer inspection, however, he found that the
bed was untouched, and it definitely didn’t contain a Zuriel-sized
bump beneath the blankets.

Flipping on the light, Spiro’s heart raced when he confirmed that

the bed was empty. Trying to remain levelheaded, he checked the
bathroom and retraced his footsteps to the common room. Fully lit,
the place appeared even lonelier than it had in the dark, forcing him to
accept that Zuriel wasn’t anywhere in the suite.

Hurrying back out into the corridor, he did the only thing that

made sense. He sprinted to Mihail’s room and threw the door open
without even knocking. Zuriel’s scent permeated the air, and while
he’d been too exhausted to realize it at first, his lion had known
exactly where to find their wayward mate.

“Holy shit,” Zuriel yelped, jerking around so violently that he

nearly toppled himself off the couch. “Spiro, you scared the crap out
of me.”

“What are you doing here?”
Zuriel’s eyebrows drew together, and his button nose scrunched

adorably. “You told me to stay here until you came back.”

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His heart rate slowly fell back into a steady rhythm, and his chest

loosened, allowing him to breathe normally again. “Right. Okay.” He
remembered issuing that order, though it had felt like days rather than
hours ago. “Well, I need you to come to bed now.”

No one said anything, but all of Zuriel’s friends were looking at

him as though he’d lost his mind and gone mad. Well, all of them
except Aspen. The demon just looked vaguely amused by the
situation. There was something very odd about the guy, but that was a
topic for another day.

“Okay,” Zuriel answered slowly. His expression said he was

questioning Spiro’s sanity as well, but he rose to his feet, said his
good-byes, and followed Spiro to their room without argument. “Is
everything okay?” he finally asked when they were alone.

Winding both arms around his lover’s waist, he lifted Zuriel into

his arms and held him close, nuzzling his cheek against the soft locks
on top of his head. “It’s getting better.” Now that he had his mate in
his arms, he didn’t want to let go.

“Good,” Zuriel whispered, snuggling closer to his chest with a

sigh. “I won’t bug you about it tonight.”

Thank the gods. He didn’t think he could spend another second

talking about plagues, diseases, deaths, or anything else morbid. He
just wanted to crawl into bed, hold his lover, and pretend that the rest
of the world didn’t exist. “You have no idea how much I appreciate
that.”

Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Ten

Two weeks later, things were beginning to calm down and return

to normal. With no reported sicknesses, Spiro lifted the quarantine,
allowing residents to come and go as they pleased.

As suspected, once they’d finally reached Thalian’s mother, the

woman had cared little for the passing of her son, even refusing to
make the trip from the mainland. It was a damn shame, but like most
things in their little part of the world, it didn’t shock him.

However, it did make him more appreciative of his own mother.

She might be pushy and stubborn, but he knew she loved him in her
own way. Well, he felt confident that she’d at least mourn his passing.

The mystery surrounding the deaths of his father and brother were

still just that—a mystery. But with no further illnesses, he was forced
to consider it an isolated incident and move forward to other pursuits.
The first priority on his list was to change the outdated laws that
governed his people.

“To be frank, our traditions are ridiculous,” he began, addressing

those in attendance of the meeting.

The International Council for Preternatural Justice had no

jurisdiction over the individual laws of different races. By elven code
of conduct, he only needed someone outside of his family to second a
motion, and the majority vote of his family to pass it.

That was something else he intended to change. He didn’t believe

any one person, or even one family, should have final say in matters
that concerned their entire population. That fight would come soon
enough, but right then, he needed to stay focused on the task at hand.

Jaded 91

“There are some things I can’t change,” he continued. The magic

set in place by the elders couldn’t be undone, not by him anyway.
Heirs would still be forced to complete the ritual by the full moon,
and new kings would continue to endure the three-day mating heat.
“However, there are several things I do have the power to improve.”

“Such as?” Rissian asked, leaning back in his chair and resting a

hand on his mate’s thigh.

“If a king, or anyone for that matter, chooses to take more than

one spouse or mate, that’s their prerogative. To force someone into a
polygamous relationship because of traditions that have no place in
this century is absurd.”

“That’s not really a law,” Aradan argued. As the baby of the

family, he was outspoken and accustomed to getting his way, but he’d
never gone up against Spiro.

“No, but it’s still not something that should be expected.”
“I agree.” To Spiro’s surprise, it was Marcel, Rissian’s mate, who

spoke. “I sure as hell wouldn’t have allowed Rissian to shack up with
a couple of females just because of tradition.”

“Allow?” Rissian arched an eyebrow, but the corner of his lips

twitched, belying the sternness in his tone.

“Does that mean you second the motion?” Spiro asked, hurrying

to interrupt the lover’s quarrel.

“Yes.”
Rissian sighed and lifted two fingers just past his ear. “Fine. I

agree.”

“Having three wives sounds like a pain in the ass,” Aradan added.

“I vote yes.”

“Yes,” Locien said with a nod. He was only a few years older than

Aradan, but he was much quieter, seldom speaking unless there was
something important to say.

Technically, Spiro didn’t need Sadron’s vote now that he’d won

the majority, but he felt it was important to give everyone their say.
“What do you think, Sadron?”

Gabrielle Evans

The elf shrugged, seeming bored with the entire conversation. “It

doesn’t affect me one way or another, but I guess I agree that it should
be optional.”

As the fourth born, there was very little chance that he’d ever

ascend the throne. Still, he was a prince, part of the family, and Spiro
felt Sadron should be more active in the decision making. In fact, the
same could be said for all of his brothers.

“Rissian, I’m appointing you to head of security. You’ll be in

charge of training the new guards, assigning patrols, and the general
protection of the island.” Spiro dipped his head and continued before
anyone could argue. “Locien, Doc said that you’ve shown some
interest in human medicine, so I want you to start training with her.”

“I’d like that.” Locien sat up a little straighter in his seat.
It was a good thing, because Spiro wasn’t giving him an option.

“Sadron, you’re in charge of distribution. You’ll need to go to the
mainland once a week to gather the supplies we need here on the
island. I want a surplus as well, enough to feed everyone for at least
one week in case of an emergency.”

“And where do you suppose I store this surplus?”
Sadron’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on him, but he also wasn’t going to

rise to the bait. “Not my problem.” Then he turned to Aradan,
specifically saving him for last. “You like to talk, and you can be
damn persuasive when you need to be.”

The brat offered him a cocky grin. “This is true.”
“I want you to start forming alliances with the packs and covens

in Norway and Greenland. We’ve isolated ourselves for too long. If
there was ever an attack on the island of any magnitude, we’d be
royally fucked.”

“Isn’t this why we have guards and a staff?”
“It’s time you guys started pulling your weight around here.”

Spiro was tired of watching them laze about the palace like spoiled
assholes. “If you don’t know what to do, the guards can point you in
the right direction. I mean it, though.” He went around the group,

Jaded 93

nodding at each of his brothers. “Being a prince is a responsibility,
not a free ride through life.”

Shuffling through the notes on his desk, Spiro was about to move

on to the next of his concerns when his office door opened without
warning. “Hello.” Zuriel waved happily as he strutted into the room.
“Wow, why the grumpy faces? You guys look like someone just shot
your dog.”

“I’m being an overbearing big brother,” Spiro answered, crooking

a finger for his mate to come closer. “What are you doing here?”

Zuriel shrugged. “I got bored.”
“Where is everyone?”
Zuriel was finally starting to settle into island life. Every day, a bit

more of his true personality appeared through the layers he’d draped
around himself. No longer did he use his tight body and sharp tongue
like a living security blanket to fend off rejection. However, it was
rare to find him outside the company of his friends.

“Aspen is painting some mural thing on the wall of his room.

Mihail and Nikola went to the mainland. Jacobi is an asshole.”

Spiro paused for a heartbeat, mulling over that last part in his

brain, and then burst into laughter along with the rest of the room.
“That’s not really a physical location, lirimaer.”

“It is the way he does it,” Zuriel argued. “His Royal Pickiness of

Questionable Standards has decided that he doesn’t trust me to find
suitable men for him. So he’s off trying to form his own harem.”

His laughter died away, replaced by concern. “Marcel?”
The guard rose from his seat, kissed Rissian on the forehead, and

nodded. “I’ll find him.”

Spiro didn’t give a blue fuck who Jacobi took to his bed. With

territorial shifters and a slew of hotheaded elves on the island, though,
the guy was likely to get himself hurt for barking up the wrong tree. It
was just one of the things he and Zuriel had in common. Neither of
them understood limits or boundaries. Though Spiro would admit
Zuriel had been trying.

Gabrielle Evans

The shifter was just so damn stubborn. While his independence

was a huge turn-on, there were also times when it was painfully
frustrating. “Why don’t you go down to that little confectionary shop
in town you like?” He pulled his lover between his thighs and nipped
at his kissable lips. “I’ll meet you as soon as I’m finished here.”

He hated to usher his mate away so quickly, but he’d never get

anything accomplished with Zuriel in the room. They were barely
halfway through the meeting, and Zuriel had already proven himself
to be a very tempting distraction.

“I know you.” There was a hint of accusation in Zuriel’s voice.

“It’ll be sunset before you leave this office.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” It seemed he spent half his time apologizing

lately. Perhaps Zuriel wasn’t the only one still adjusting to their
mating. “I just have things to do.”

Uncaring of their audience, Zuriel pushed himself onto the

gleaming surface of the desk and leaned back on his elbows, propping
his feet up on the arms of Spiro’s chair. “Yes, you do.” The hem of
his blue cotton T-shirt rested just below his sternum, showing off the
flat expanse of his stomach. “I’m feeling very neglected, handsome.”

His eyes held a hint of mischief as he licked his upper lip and

arched his hips off the desktop. It was all Spiro could do to remain
seated, to not pounce on his lover and mount him right there in front
of everyone. The scent of arousal hung heavily in the air, and when
loud groans echoed around the room, Spiro realized he wasn’t the
only one to notice it.

“Meeting’s over. Get out.”
“Oh, they can watch if they want.” The sparkle of mischief in

those blue eyes turned to full-blown trouble. “I don’t mind.”

Spiro was fine with an audience, just not this particular one. “I

highly doubt my brothers want to see my pasty-white ass.”

“Yeah, no thank you,” Rissian agreed.
“Your mate’s hot,” Aradan added, “but you have a point. I’m

gone.”

Jaded 95

One by one, they all gathered their things and exited the room

without additional comment. Zuriel, however, seemed to have caught
a case of the giggles. “What’s so funny?” Spiro demanded.

He squeezed his eyes together and shook his head as he rocked

from side to side on the desk. “Your ass really is white, sweetheart.”
More giggles erupted from his bow-shaped lips. “Have you tried self-
tanner?”

Launching out of his seat, Spiro hooked his arms under Zuriel’s

knees and leaned over his mate with a playful growl. “Oh, you’re a
comedian now, huh?”

“I think I’m pretty funny, yes.”
Gods, he loved that smile. “Hmm, so, someone is feeling

neglected?” He bent closer, rubbing the tips of their noses together. “I
just saw you a few hours ago.”

“You woke up, showered, ate breakfast, and went straight to

work.” Some of the light in his eyes dimmed. “I know you have an
important job, and I’m trying not to be selfish, but I’ve barely seen
you all week.”

It was painful to hear, mostly because it was true. Yes, he had an

important job, but he’d promised to always put Zuriel first. In the past
few days, he’d broken that promise more than once.

Words were cheap, and at this point, they probably wouldn’t mean

much anyway. “Then let me make it up to you. Anything you want.”

“Really?”
It was a damn shame that Zuriel sounded so surprised by the offer.

Didn’t he understand how important he was? “Really. You name it.”

Zuriel grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll get back to you.”

Then his arms came up to encircle Spiro’s neck and pull him closer
until their lips met. “In the meantime, I think this is a good place to
start.”

* * * *

Gabrielle Evans

At first, Zuriel had felt bad about interrupting Spiro’s meeting. He

was the king, after all, and he had probably been talking about kingly
stuff. He was missing his mate like crazy, though, and if he had
waited for the guy to come to him, he’d be waiting until summer. So,
he’d taken Jacobi’s advice, and for once, it had actually worked.

“If you really want him, go get him,” his friend had said.
With desire burning in his belly, he’d showered, lubed his needy

hole, and inserted one of the plugs he and Spiro liked to play with on
occasion, ensuring they could jump right to the good stuff. Then he’d
donned the shortest pair of cutoffs he could find and went in search of
his lover.

Their mouths rubbed together in an intimate caress, and Spiro’s

tongue tickled the seam of his lips, seeking permission for something
deeper. Opening on a contented sigh, Zuriel relaxed into the hard
wood of the desk, giving his lover complete control. Kissing Spiro
was a drug unto itself, and he hadn’t realized just how much he’d
been craving it until now.

His cock swelled, aching uncomfortably within the confines of his

denim shorts. With Spiro pushing his knees wide and back to his
chest, every movement, no matter how subtle, jostled the silicone plug
nestled between his cheeks. The sensations caused him to squirm and
clench around the toy, and on and on it went in a perpetual loop that
was driving him out of his mind.

Bowing his back, he arched up from the desk, humping against

Spiro’s midsection in his quest for relief. The slight friction was nice,
but it would be better without the barriers of clothing between them.
Breaking the kiss, he gripped the hem of his shirt and jerked it off
over his head, hoping his lover would get the hint.

Luck was on his side, or maybe Spiro was just really horny. Either

way, in the next heartbeat, his shorts were ripped from his body, and
the remaining scraps were tossed to the floor without ceremony.
Zuriel’s pulse raced, each breath became shallower than the last, and

Jaded 97

he moaned like a wanton slut when his lover’s clothes were stripped
away as well, leaving them skin to warm, wonderful skin.

“Very nice,” Spiro whispered into his ear while he manipulated

the butt plug, gripping the base and twisting it.

A low, husky growl vibrated his lover’s chest, and Zuriel shivered

with excitement, feeling the tingle of desire race from the nape of his
neck clear to the ends of his toes. “Need you,” he murmured back,
rubbing against Spiro’s chest like a cat in heat.

His skin crawled, as though too tight for his frame, and his

temperature climbed, causing perspiration to bead from his forehead.
They weren’t just empty words or passionate ramblings. There was a
deep, throbbing ache, a clawing need to be as close as possible to his
partner that had nothing to do with his pulsing dick.

The sound of a sliding drawer caught his attention. Without being

told, he knew exactly what Spiro was reaching for inside that drawer.
“You keep lube in your office?”

“Jacobi brought it to me earlier. I just thought he was being

funny.”

He definitely owed the shifter for that one. “Please, Spiro. I can’t

wait anymore.” The urgency that boiled inside him was surging
toward painful. Never had he wanted anyone as much as he wanted
his mate. Hell, he didn’t even think the level of desire was possible.

Even when he’d been in the throes of his mating heat, however,

Spiro was never one to be rushed. So, when the toy was wrenched
from his hole and he was flipped onto his stomach, Zuriel nearly came
right there on the shiny wood.

The rough handling was primal and raw, but there was still a

tenderness that made him feel protected and cherished in a way that
only Spiro could accomplish. Ivory skin stretched across sinewy
muscles, contrasting beautifully against his own creamy complexion
when strong arms twined around his midsection, lifting him up on his
knees.

Gabrielle Evans

Spiro’s nose skimmed up his spine, and his lips followed the trail

back down. “Your skin is always so soft.”

Zuriel preened at the compliment. Since the first time his mate

had mentioned how much he loved the soft, suppleness of his skin,
Zuriel had been religious in his use of moisturizer. It was a small
thing, unimportant in the grand scheme of their relationship, but
though he wouldn’t admit it aloud, he thirsted for the acceptance.

One slippery finger skimmed his crease, teasing his needy hole

with light caresses. Just the tip of Spiro’s digit slipped past the
muscles, dipping into his hungry channel before disappearing. Over
and over, he continued to torment, giving just a little and then taking
it back until Zuriel was gritting his teeth to hold back his orgasm.

Just as he was gearing up to beg, plead, and scream for relief, two

long fingers penetrated his entrance, plunging into his depths and
bumping against his prostate. A current of electricity sizzled along his
spine and radiated outward to his extremities. Flames erupted in his
stomach, his inner walls clamped around the invading digits, and a
long, strangled groan burst through his panting lips.

“That’s right,” Spiro encouraged. “There’s that moan I wanted.”
If it would finally get him what he craved, Zuriel would give him

a thousand more sounds just like it. Falling forward onto the desk, he
grunted when his lover’s fingers slipped from their sheath but quickly
rolled to his back and pulled his knees to his chest again. “Damn it,
stop teasing and fuck me.”

A wild, untamed light flashed in Spiro’s eyes. An instant later,

Zuriel found himself in his lover’s arms with his back pressed against
the cold glass of the floor to ceiling window behind the desk. He’d
learned just the week before that the particular glass had been
designed especially for the palace, measuring four inches thick and
able to withstand any manner of attack imaginable.

He was secure in the knowledge that he wouldn’t break the glass,

be cut to ribbons, and fall to his death. That didn’t make it any less
cold against his overheated skin, though, nor did it dampen his desire.

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Lifting both arms to loop them around his mate’s neck, Zuriel moaned
and rocked his hips when Spiro caught both wrists in one pale hand
and pinned them against the window over his head.

The thick, engorged crown of Spiro’s cock prodded his opening,

slick with lube and throbbing with his pulse. “You have a lot of
demands, lirimaer.”

Zuriel didn’t think that was strictly true. In fact, he considered

himself a fairly low-maintenance kind of guy.

“You interrupt my meeting.” Spiro surged forward, driving into

Zuriel until he was seated to the base. The groan that rumbled in his
chest was sexy as hell, but the fire in his gaze was nearly Zuriel’s
undoing. “You seduce me in front of my brothers.” He swiveled his
hips, grinding his groin against Zuriel’s ass. “Then you deny my
leisurely exploration of this gorgeous body.”

Okay, yes, he’d done all of those things. When the blood returned

to his brain, maybe he could present a strong defense for his actions.
As it was, he was having a hard enough time just remembering his
own name. “Yes.” There had been a question in there somewhere. He
was pretty sure of it.

The quiet chuckle that fanned his lover’s warm breath against the

side of his neck said otherwise. His other hand held a firm grip on
Zuriel’s right knee, lifting it upward to tilt his hips and spread him
open as he began a hard but steady tempo. Dipping his head, he rested
their foreheads together so that their gasping breaths mingled as one
and pressed Zuriel’s wrists more securely against the glass.

Showing off his flexibility, but really just trying to get better

leverage, Zuriel contorted his other leg until he had it draped over his
mate’s shoulder, providing maximum penetration. Each hard thrust
took advantage of the new angle, tapping repeatedly against his
prostate and making his head spin.

Spiro growled and grunted, increasing his rhythm as he drove into

Zuriel with growing intensity. All traces of the uptight and proper
king had vanished, and some animalistic instinct had taken over.

100

Gabrielle Evans

Zuriel could see it in his lover’s expression and feel it in the trembling
of his muscles. It was the first time he’d ever witnessed a lapse in
Spiro’s control, but if he had his way, it wouldn’t be the last.

Harder and faster they rocked together while an erotic symphony

of sound echoed around the room. As he neared the pinnacle and
raced toward his release, a single thought repeated like a skipping
record in his mind.

“Mine, mine, mine…”
At first, he figured it was him, just an errant thought of a lust-

hazed brain. Then the cadence and tone changed, and he assumed he
was hearing Spiro’s thoughts. The constant changing of volume,
pitch, and character eventually merged to create a chorus, and Zuriel
finally understood that it wasn’t just him or Spiro, but their combined
thoughts.

Lifting Zuriel’s other leg over his shoulder, Spiro made use of the

free hand by fisting Zuriel’s weeping cock. “Don’t think about it,” he
whispered throatily. He stroked the length in quick pumps, squeezing
a bit harder around the tip on each upward glide. “Don’t make me
wait.” His mouth crashed down on Zuriel’s, plundering the depths
before jerking away with a growl. “Come now.”

As instructed, and because he really had no choice after that

arousing display of dominance, Zuriel dropped his head back against
the window and called Spiro’s name while he tensed and shuddered
through a mind-bending, earth-shattering orgasm.

“Beautiful.” Lifting his hand to his lips, Spiro looked him right in

the eye before popping one finger into his mouth to suck off the
creamy drops of seed. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he
plunged deep, burying himself to the hilt, hissing through his own
climax.

When the world stopped spinning and he could finally breathe

without panting, Zuriel extracted his hands from Spiro’s grip and
wrapped them tightly around his mate’s neck. Something profound

Jaded 101

had happened, and while he didn’t quite understand it, he wasn’t
afraid.

“Thank you for not kicking me out.”
Tapping his chin to get his attention, Spiro waited for Zuriel to

meet his gaze before offering him a tender smile and a chaste kiss.
“I’m still waiting for you to see it.”

Maybe he’d be able to see it if the guy would stop being so damn

cryptic and tell him what he was supposed to be looking for. “That’s
because I don’t understand half the things you say.”

“Yes, you do, but that’s okay. I can wait until you’re ready.”
There was that vague, cryptic shit again, and frustration began to

taint his otherwise perfect mood. “Can you just say something normal
for a change?”

One corner of his lips curled up, and Spiro bent to rub the tips of

their noses together. “You can seduce me whenever you want. I won’t
kick you out, and I won’t complain.”

Now that, Zuriel understood. Arching his neck, he nipped at his

mate’s bottom lip and purred happily. “I’ll hold you to that.”

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Chapter Eleven

“You’re pretty powerful, right?”
They held hands as they walked along the narrow dirt path

through the woods, taking a shortcut into town. “I suppose.”

Spiro wasn’t sure if Zuriel meant his strength or his magic, but

either would be an accurate statement. As a lion shifter, he was
naturally powerful in his animal form. White-pelted shifters were
surrounded by ridiculously potent magic, though it was more of an
energy, not spells and enchantments. Elves, however, were only
outmatched by gifted witches, but in modern times, many of them—
like him—no longer practiced the ancient magics.

“Then why didn’t you challenge Xander to be alpha of the pack in

Wyoming?”

“Xander is a good man and an honorable alpha. Why would I

challenge him?”

Zuriel huffed and rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I think

Xander is kickass, but if you’re stronger than he is, why did you want
to follow him?”

“Lirimaer, I may have been born to lead, but I’ve never wanted

the job. It’s a lot of responsibility and stress to be accountable for so
many people.” If he hadn’t been forced to accept his new title by the
threat of death, he would have gladly handed the crown to the next in
line.

“I can see that.” Zuriel nodded in confirmation. “How are you

ruler of the whole race, though? I mean, what about the people who
live on the other side of the world? Or the ones that aren’t part of a
pack?”

Jaded 103

“Circle,” Spiro correctly gently. “We are a circle of elves.” It

wasn’t as complicated as Zuriel was trying to make it out to be,
though. “It’s much like a president. He or she rules a country, but they
can’t regulate everyone at every moment. Each circle has a leader. On
this island, for this circle, I am their leader.”

“Then why do you need a king at all, especially since The Council

oversees a lot of the disputes?”

It was a legitimate question, and Spiro squeezed his mate’s hand a

little tighter, impressed with his insightfulness. “You make a good
point. It’s a tradition left over from a simpler time when we weren’t
so divided. I am the only person who can declare war on another race
as a whole, but other than that, you’re right. The Council deals with
most of the major disputes now.”

The Council was good in theory, but Spiro wasn’t sure how

effective they were in practice. Most of the rules they set forth were
generalized, regulating or aiding only a small percentage of the people
they governed. Their ideals were as outdated as some elven traditions,
and while they were undergoing changes, they really needed to tear
down and rebuild, starting with a new foundation.

Wrinkling his small nose, Zuriel looked up at him from the corner

of his eye. “Then why are you still here? You did the rite so you
won’t die. Can’t you just renounce the throne or whatever?”

Swallowing back his sigh, Spiro undid the buttons on his shirt

down to his sternum and parted the fabric to reveal the elven symbols
branded into the skin on his chest. “These aren’t just pretty markings.
This is the crest of my family and sealed by magic. It won’t fade, and
it cannot be removed until I die.”

To his annoyance, Zuriel rolled his eyes and twisted his mouth

around as though he found Spiro completely absurd. “That’s stupid.
Rissian can be king without some stupid tattoo on his chest. It’s not
like that dumb thing gives you superpowers or anything. You’re not
Iron Man.”

“I’m pretty sure Iron Man didn’t have any superpowers, either.”

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Zuriel stopped suddenly, spun around, and stomped right on top of

Spiro’s foot. “You are purposely missing the point!” He breathed
heavily as he fisted his hands on his hips and squared his shoulders.
“If you want to be king, just say so. If you don’t, stop making excuses
and walk away. Rissian doesn’t need some damn ritual, and he
certainly doesn’t need you to die to get the job done.”

He’d never seen his mate this upset, and Spiro actually took a step

back, hoping to prevent any further damage to his already throbbing
foot. “Why is it so important to you?” Maybe Zuriel was feeling
homesick. “Do you want to leave? Is that what this is about?”

Throwing his hands toward the sky, Zuriel growled and grumbled

under his breath as he took off stomping through the trees in the
direction of the village. “I give up.”

“Wait just a damn minute.” He was trying, but Zuriel was going to

have to give him something more to go on. Lengthening his strides,
he caught up to his lover quickly and pulled him to a stop. “I can’t
read your mind, Zuri. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong, and I
won’t know what’s bothering you until you tell me.”

“I want you to care!” Zuriel yelled up at him. “I want you to care

about something—anything! Your dad dies, and you act like it’s a
burden. Your brother dies, and you barely blink.”

“Everyone deals differently with grief. Besides, my father—”
“I wasn’t finished,” Zuriel snapped, cutting him off. “Your mother

is a raging bitch who tried to slip three women into your bed, and you
shrugged it off. You keep saying you don’t want to lead, but you
won’t step aside either.” His chest heaved, and his bottom lip
trembled as he continued. “Scream. Cry. Get angry. Throw a chair
through a window. I don’t care, but do something! Stop acting like a
fucking robot and let me in!”

Spiro stood there with his lips pressed together in a thin line,

unsure of how to respond. Everything Zuriel had accused him of was
true, and he had no rebuttal that wouldn’t sound trite or come out as
an outright lie.

Jaded 105

In his defense, this wasn’t a recent development. He’d never been

one to wear his feelings on his sleeve, and he considered it
inconsiderate to burden someone else with his problems. While he
doted on Zuriel, made sure the man knew how beautiful and special
he was, Spiro admitted that might not be enough. He hadn’t
intentionally left his mate out in the cold, but he understood how it
could be interpreted that way.

Yes, he comprehended these things on an intellectual level, but

emotionally, he didn’t know how to fix them. Opening up to Zuriel,
pouring his heart out and releasing all the bitterness, resentment, and
rage he’d harbored throughout the years would be a good place to
start, but it was so much easier to push everything away and pretend
like it didn’t exist.

When he didn’t answer, Zuriel shoved his hands into his pockets

and shook his head sadly. “What happened to you, Spiro?”

Apparently, this was a rhetorical question, because Zuriel didn’t

give him an opportunity to answer before turning his back and
marching down the dirt path. Spiro could see the cobblestone streets
through the clearing just ahead, and he knew his mate would be safe
once he reached them. So, instead of chasing after him again, he
waited, giving them both a chance to cool down.

He’d canceled all of his meetings for the day, and he’d intended to

spend the whole afternoon with his mate. Ten minutes into it,
however, he’d fucked everything up without clearly understanding
where he’d gone wrong.

Spiro wasn’t sure how long he stood just inside the tree line,

arguing with himself about what move to make next when Zuriel’s
scream pierced through the forest. When his mate called his name,
their argument no longer mattered. Their disagreements weren’t
important.

His pulse galloped as he sprinted toward the sound of Zuriel’s

voice, hoping he wouldn’t be too late.

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* * * *

“Spiro! Spiro, help!”
Kneeling over the prone body of a young woman, Zuriel fought to

keep his breakfast down. It was the most grotesque thing he’d ever
seen, and he was pretty sure the female was already dead. However, if
there was even a chance that she could be helped, he needed to act
quickly.

He’d stumbled out of the woods behind the general market where

people brought their craft items to be sold and had nearly tripped over
the petite blonde when he’d rounded the corner. Steeling his courage,
he pressed two shaking fingers to her engorged throat, feeling the bile
rise in his esophagus again at the cold, stiff texture of her skin.

“Zuriel?” Nithron jogged up to him and crouched on the other side

of the girl. “Zuriel, what are you doing here?”

“Spiro,” Zuriel whispered. “He’s coming. I called for him. He’s

coming.” His brain wouldn’t function properly to form more than a
few words at a time, but he hoped he’d gotten his message across.

“Okay,” Nithron answered just as quietly. Rounding the

unmoving body, he took Zuriel’s shoulders and lifted him to his feet.
“Let’s get you out of here. You don’t need to see this.”

A flash of metal caught his attention, and he glanced back at the

girl, noticing the gold bracelet that adorned her wrist. It was thin and
delicate with just a single charm in the shape of a daisy. “I knew her.”
He couldn’t recall her name, but she’d worked in the bakery just
down the street.

Footsteps pounded against the earth behind him, slowing as they

approached, and another set of hands landed on his shoulders. “Come
here, lirimaer.”

“I knew her,” he repeated, unable to look away. “I can’t remember

her name.” This was very important. He needed to know her name.

“It’s Lily,” Nithron answered. “Her name is Lily.”

Jaded 107

“Lily.” He bobbed his head. That sounded right. “I forgot to tip

her for the apple bread yesterday.” His eyes stung, and his throat
constricted, burning as he fought back his emotions. “I just saw her
yesterday.”

“Shh, baby.” Spiro wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled

him back to his chest. “I’ve got you.”

“Who would do that?” Lily was so sweet, and she’d welcomed

him—a complete stranger—with a smile and a hug. “Who would
want to hurt her?”

“She looks like the others.”
Zuriel jerked around to stare at the guard, and guilt hit him hard in

the gut. He’d been trying to find answers. Hell, he’d broken his
golden rule and eavesdropped on people’s thoughts, hoping to
overhear something that could help point to how Thalian and his
father had died.

Jacobi had used his powers of seduction to question some of the

guards without them even realizing it, while Mihail and Nikola had
been using every available opportunity to travel to the mainland,
utilizing the library to scour the internet for information. So far,
however, they’d found nothing useful.

“This is my fault.” If he had tried harder, maybe Lily wouldn’t

have suffered as she had.

“Zuri, you didn’t do this,” Spiro responded with a firm squeeze to

his midsection.

He couldn’t keep the secret any longer, and it all came spilling out

in a rush. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled when he’d finished explaining
what he and his friends had been trying to do. “I should have done
more.”

“You did everything you could, and I’m inspired by your

dedication, but this stops now.” A hardness entered Spiro’s gaze, and
the muscles in his jaw tensed as if he was grinding his teeth together.
“This is dangerous, and you’re going to get yourself hurt.”

“But…I—”

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“No,” Spiro growled. “Nithron, please take Zuriel back to the

palace.”

Nithron nodded, gripping Zuriel’s elbow in an unshakable grip.

With his free hand, he reached for the walkie-talkie on his hip,
fingering the knob at the top. “Should I call for more guards?”

“They’re already on their way.” Marcel strode toward them with

narrowed eyes, stopping short and bowing respectfully to Spiro.
“Rissian had a craving for vanilla bean coffee this morning. The café
was still closed when I got there, but the smell coming from inside
was awful. I found Jaeah dead behind the counter.” He stared
pointedly down at Lily’s bloated form. “I radioed for more guards.”

“Someone else is dead?” This nightmare just kept getting worse,

and Zuriel desperately wanted to wake up now. These residents
weren’t related to the royal family, blowing his theory completely out
of the water.

“Zuri, go home and stay put until I get there.”
He had no argument against going back to his room, but he did

worry for Spiro’s safety. “Come with me.”

Spiro offered him a sympathetic smile, but Zuriel knew the

answer before it even came. “You know I can’t, but I’ll be there
soon.” He kissed Zuriel’s forehead and eased him away. “I’m needed
here.”

He needed the king, too, but with two more deaths, he felt selfish

for even thinking it. “Yeah, I know.” Allowing Nithron to lead him
away, he glanced over his shoulder, feeling his heart ache for his
lover.

Spiro wasn’t nearly as okay as he led everyone to believe, and he

looked so alone standing over the lifeless form of someone who had
once been his friend. Zuriel couldn’t change the past, but maybe he
could heal his mate and give him a reason to look forward to the
future.

Jaded 109

Chapter Twelve

“Goddamn it!” Spiro raged, downing the contents of his glass

before sending the crystal sailing into the fireplace to shatter. He
pushed both hands into his hair, pulling roughly at the locks while he
paced his office.

In the mere weeks since he’d become king, three people had died,

and he was no closer to knowing why. He had nothing to tell their
families, no comfort to offer them. Additionally, the arrival of more
sentries in the town had gained the attention of the residents, and
they’d amassed in the streets, whispering amongst themselves as they
watched on in obvious fear.

After paying his respects to the families of the deceased, he’d

spent hours fielding questions and assuring everyone on the island
that they weren’t in danger. It was a lie, but the last thing he needed
was mass hysteria.

If he’d been honest, however, he’d have told them that any one of

them could be next, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Gods, banging his head against the fucking wall would probably
produce better results than any of their tests or speculations.

Grabbing the rum off his desk by the neck of the bottle, he spun in

a circle, searching for his glass. When he remembered he’d taken his
frustrations out on it, he shrugged and tipped the bottle to his mouth
without care of propriety. Two swallows later, he pulled the clear,
empty bottle away from his lips and frowned. He didn’t remember
drinking that much, but it would explain why the room was suddenly
spinning.

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Had he been human, he’d probably be passed out in the middle of

the floor. Good thing he wasn’t human, because he needed another
fucking drink.

A soft knock echoed around the room, and the door creaked open

so that Zuriel could poke his head inside with a tense smile. “Hey, can
I come in?”

“Sure.” Oh, he really needed to sit down. Damn his elven

tolerance for alcohol. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’m okay.” Slipping into the room, Zuriel closed the door behind

him and shuffled a little closer, looking him over with a speculative
eye. “Are you drunk?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You are!”
“Zuriel, I assure you that Dr. Spiro Melonious Araceli does not

get drunk.”

His mate snickered, not looking even a little convinced. “Maybe

not, but King Araceli is hammered.”

“King Araceli was my father, and he was a certifiable prick.”

There was a place in hell reserved for people like his daddy dearest.
“When I was fifteen, I stood right where you are while guards carved
derogatory remarks into the flesh of my back on my father’s orders.
Of course, since I’m part shifter, they healed.”

“Why would he do something like that?” Poor Zuriel. He sounded

a little sick to his stomach.

“Who knows? Because it amused him, I suppose.” Turning in a

circle, Spiro held his arms out to his sides and twirled his wrists.
“This was his kingdom, his dominion, and he could do whatever the
hell he pleased.”

“Spiro, I think you need to sit down.”
“Oh, he was pissed when those cuts healed. So, he had more

sentries drag me—literally—out into the courtyard and tie me to that
old, ugly tree. Then he invited the entire island to watch as he beat me
with a cane.”

Jaded 111

It had hurt, sure, but the humiliation and pitying stares had been

worse. That was just the beginning of his father’s reign of terror,
though. “Once I shifted for the first time, he had this ingenious idea to
raise money for the circle. Every full moon, he invited werewolf and
shifter packs to hunt me. Each member paid an entrance fee, and the
winner won the pot.”

“Jesus Christ,” Zuriel breathed. “How old were you?”
“It started when I was fifteen.” He chuckled darkly. “I was fast,

though. Plus, I knew how to hide, and I knew how to fight.” Spiro
didn’t know why he was telling his mate all of this, but once he’d
opened the flood gates, he couldn’t dam the memories from spilling
out.

“I don’t even know what to say. Why didn’t you leave sooner?”
He’d thought about it. There had been many nights when he’d

stayed awake, dreaming of disappearing from the island and never
returning. “Rissian was just a baby when it started, and then along
came the others. As long as Father’s attention was focused on me, he
left the younger ones alone.”

Of course, the man had a name. Spiro hadn’t spoken it since the

day he’d left, though. To give a name to the monster made him real,
and he’d spent a lot of years trying to forget the things he’d suffered
at the bastard’s hands. It was bad enough that he’d ever existed, but
Spiro refused to immortalize his father by speaking his given name.

Lost in the past, he hadn’t noticed Zuriel making his way across

the room until he was standing in front of him. There was no pity in
his red-rimmed eyes, but there was sadness. Guilt assailed him,
because he’d been the one to put that look in those beautiful baby
blues.

“I’m sorry, lirimaer.” His head was beginning to clear, and he felt

ashamed of his outburst. He had no right to complain about his life
when Zuriel had lived through so much worse.

“Hush,” Zuriel whispered thickly as he reached out to take his

hand. Leading Spiro to the small sofa, he encouraged him to sit before

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kneeling on the floor between his feet and resting his head on Spiro’s
knee. “I’ve never met my parents. A few months ago, right before you
came to Haven, we all got really sick. Zavion saved us. He’s always
looked out for us.”

Then Spiro had waltzed in and taken away the only family he had.

Fuck, he hadn’t thought it was possible for him to feel any worse, but
he did. “I’ll take you home.”

Zuriel was right. He didn’t want to be king, and he didn’t have to

be. There was no acceptable reason for him to cling to it so hard other
than the fact that he felt he could make things better for his people,
finally move them forward and give them a better life.

Rissian could do just as much, though, and he could probably do it

better. He’d made a lot of mistakes in his life. Some he’d learned
from and some had no lessons to teach. However, he never made the
same blunder twice, and he wasn’t about to begin with something as
important as his relationship with Zuriel.

“Once again,” Zuriel said with a grin, “you’re missing the point.

You were thinking that I had it worse off than you, but it’s not a
competition.” His head lifted from Spiro’s knee, and he peeked up at
him though long lashes. “I suspect my parents were part of a breeding
program at The Hive, but I’ll probably never know. I made it out,
though, and I have Zavion.”

“Do you miss him?”
“Yes. He’s my brother, my twin, and I’ll always miss him. This is

where I belong, though. This is where you belong.” He jabbed one
finger toward the window behind the desk. “These people need you,
and I think you need them. The things that happened in your past
aren’t your fault, and you need to stop blaming yourself.”

“That’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black.” Spiro wasn’t the

only one who couldn’t let go of the past. Their entire relationship had
been hindered by Zuriel’s adamant belief that he wasn’t worthy of
love because of the things that had happened in that hell hole.

Jaded 113

“No.” The pleasant smile never left his lips. “I don’t blame myself

for what happened in The Hive. I don’t blame myself for being a
genetically engineered freak. I just have a hard time believing that
anyone can love me once they know the whole sordid tale. I mean,
who wants to spend the rest of their life with a whore?” He shrugged
flippantly, but Spiro could see the tension in his shoulders. “See, not
the same at all.”

The alcohol-induced buzz had finally worn off, probably killed by

the depressing topic of conversation, but Spiro was grateful. He had
something very important to say, and he wanted no doubts of his
sincerity when he said it.

“You’re wrong, you know.”
Zuriel arched an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. “About

which part exactly?”

Scooting forward to rest on the edge of the cushions, he cradled

Zuriel’s cheeks in both hands, holding him delicately like the precious
treasure he was. “You are very easy to love, lirimaer. Your beauty,
your kindness, your zest for life, and your unwavering loyalty—
everything about you takes my breath away.”

Those gorgeous blue eyes misted, and a single tear slid down

Zuriel’s soft cheek, but Spiro wasn’t finished. Lifting his mate to his
feet, he took Zuriel’s place on the floor, kneeling before the small
shifter.

“You are everything good in my life, and I’ll never take that for

granted. I love you, Zuri, for everything that you are, and I’ll love you
every day for the rest of our lives if you’ll let me.”

Zuriel sniffled as another tear trickled from the corner of his eye.

“You said I didn’t understand yet, but I would soon. I think I get it
now.”

“Oh?” He loved that playful smirk, and he couldn’t wait to get his

mouth on those kissable lips. “What do you get?”

“You’re insane. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

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“Come here, brat.” Wrestling his mate into his arms, he crushed

their mouths together and kissed the breath from him. “It doesn’t
matter if you can’t see it. I do, and that’s enough.” Then he patted
Zuriel’s backside to urge him to his feet. “You need to eat before you
get a headache.”

It didn’t matter if Zuriel wasn’t ready to repeat the words. It didn’t

even matter if he didn’t feel the same way. He was still there and still
trying, and that was all Spiro could ask from him.

“Wait, we’re not finished here,” Zuriel demanded. “You don’t just

get to say something like that and then tell me I need a sandwich.
What the hell is wrong with you?”

“My apologies, lirimaer.” He dipped his head respectfully, but it

was mostly to hide his grin. The fox was a lit firecracker when his
temper flared. “Please continue.”

“Well…” He trailed off, rolled his eyes, and huffed. “I don’t have

some long-winded declaration or gooey sweet words to make you
melt.”

“I don’t need them.”
“Would you be quiet?” Sucking in a deep breath, Zuriel let it out

slowly through his nose, grabbed Spiro’s face, and looked right into
his eyes. “I love you. That’s the only way I know how to say it, and I
hope it’s enough.”

Spiro’s heart skipped a beat and then picked up in rhythm while

he fought the urge to tackle his mate to the floor and have his wicked
way with him. Gods, no one had any right to be as happy as he felt
right then. It just wasn’t natural, but he’d get used to it.

“I think that was perfect.”
“Okay.” Zuriel nodded once. “Now, I really am hungry. Let’s talk

about that sandwich.”

* * * *

Jaded 115

For the rest of the day, Zuriel felt like he was walking on a cloud.

He also felt kind of bad about that considering two people had died,
but he decided to cut himself some slack. Spiro loved him. He’d never
thought he’d hear those words from anyone other than his twin.

The best part about it was that he actually believed it. Spiro knew

everything about him that was important and a whole lot of things that
weren’t. Still, he loved him. His admission had been honest and
heartfelt and so completely Spiro with all of those sweet words.

“Oh, someone looks happy,” Jacobi teased when he walked into

the shifter’s room. “The doc must be treating you right.”

“I love him,” Zuriel announced proudly. He’d been dying to tell

someone, and while Zavion would have been his first choice, his
brother wasn’t there.

“I know.” That was all he said, but the smile and wink was a nice

touch. “It’s about time, too.”

“What’s about time?” Aspen bounced into the room with a happy

smile. “Never mind.” Floating over to Zuriel, he gave him a tight
squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek. “Congratulations, love. You
two are a good match.”

Sometimes, he swore Aspen shared his gift and could read minds.

They had become closer since arriving on the island, and Zuriel no
longer felt uncomfortable with asking about Aspen’s abilities. “How
do you do that?”

“I’m just observant, and you have the look of love. You wear it

well by the way.”

Zuriel didn’t think that was completely accurate, but everyone

was entitled to their secrets. Even if he’d wanted to argue, he
wouldn’t have had the chance. The door burst open, and Mihail came
tripping inside with Nikola right on his heels. “We found something.”

Grabbing Mihail’s wrist, Zuriel pulled him through the suite to the

small table in the corner and shoved him into a chair. “Spill.” While
he’d been facing his past and confessing his feelings, his friends had

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been on the mainland, still searching for information. “What did you
get?”

“Well, we called Xander, and he was able to get us a copy of The

Council registry.” Nikola was still panting for breath as he tried to
explain. “Now, the townspeople on this island aren’t in the registry,
but you have to hear this.”

“See these numbers?” Mihail jabbed his finger at a group of

numbers listed beside each name on the list. “These correspond with
the type of paranormal and how each is classed.” He held up another
sheet of paper and waved it around. “These are descriptions of the
different types and classes.”

“Okay, so what does that mean?” He was trying to be patient, but

it seemed like they’d been waiting forever to get some kind of
answers.

“Arsidian Demons,” Mihail read from the sheet of paper in front

of him. “They’re class-four preternaturals, the most deadly of any
paranormals. They inject venom into their victims through their claws
and teeth, paralyzing the central nervous system and poisoning the
blood. Their bite is fatal to humans ten times out of ten.”

“Oh, my gods,” Zuriel murmured. Why had he never heard about

these monsters? The goblin attack had been shocking enough, but
from the sounds of it, these Arsidians were a hundred times worse.
“What else?”

“They’re soulless. They survive by leeching the souls from others.

The more powerful the being, the stronger the demon becomes.”

“I admit that sounds disgusting,” Jacobi interrupted. “What does

that have to do with what’s happening here, though?”

Zuriel was just wondering the same thing. “There aren’t any

demons here.” A few shifters, a lot of elves, but there weren’t any
demons on the island other than Aspen. He felt confident that his
friend definitely hadn’t caused the devastation.

“Wait,” Nikola warned with a smile. “There’s more. See, this

obviously isn’t a full registry. That thing’s like a damn book.”

Jaded 117

“And?”
“We gave Xander a list of possible suspects, and the names of the

guards for good measure since this started here in the palace.”
Running a finger over the paper, Mihail stopped at a name about
halfway down the page. “None of the residents are registered, but not
everyone was born here.”

“Nithron,” Zuriel mumbled, reading the name over his friend’s

shoulder. “Okay, but we already knew he’s not from here.”

“Look closer.”
“Shifter hybrid. Demon hybrid. Class-two preter. Minimal threat.”

He understood what he was reading, but he wasn’t sure it convinced
him. “It says low threat? What kind of demon is a class-two?”

“An Aíma, apparently. They’re blood demons from what I

understand.”

“None of the victims were missing blood. They weren’t even

bleeding.” Well, he couldn’t say for sure about any of them except for
Lily, but he hadn’t seen a scratch on her. He assumed the others had
been similar.

“The other guards checked out,” Nikola informed him. “All,

except one other.”

“Marcel,” Mihail add, tapping his finger atop the guard’s name.

“Rissian’s mate. He was born to a pack in Germany, and then
removed from their registry four years later.”

“Shifter hybrid,” Zuriel read, noting the absence of any further

information. He’d been in the same room as Marcel on several
occasions, and he’d never scented anything amiss. “Maybe there’s
nothing else because he was removed.” The excuse sounded flimsy,
but so was the case against the prince’s mate.

“I still think it’s worth checking out,” Mihail argued. “We can

investigate quietly.”

“How do you suppose we do that?”
“Well…” Jacobi popped one hip out to the side, huffed on his

fingernails, and rubbed them against his chest. “Are we genetically

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modified Desirables or not? I’ll take Nithron.” He wiggled his
eyebrows and giggled mischievously.

“Fine,” Zuriel conceded. “I’ll pretend to be Rissian and question

Marcel.” He didn’t like it. There was potential for so much to go
wrong, but it was something. “We’re not going to tell Spiro until we
know something for sure, though.”

“Falsely accuse a palace guard or a royal consort?” Nikola snorted

as he pushed his hair out of his face. “Yeah, no thank you.”

Zuriel knew his mate would take the suspicion seriously, but if

they were wrong, there was going to be a huge fallout when the
smoke cleared. Despite Spiro’s protests that he wasn’t extremely
close to his siblings, Zuriel highly doubted investigating Rissian’s
mate would bring them closer together.

“Let’s go.” Reaching for the button on his jeans, he jerked his

head toward the door. “Spiro is meeting with his brothers right now,
and I know Nithron is down at the clinic with the bodies.”

“Awesome,” Jacobi responded excitedly. “I’ll be Locien.” He

sighed a little and fanned his face. “That family has such lovely
genes.”

“Okay, Casanova, keep it in your pants and let’s get this over

with.”

“What if something goes wrong?” Ever practical, Mihail planned

for all scenarios.

Unfortunately, Zuriel didn’t have a good answer for this one. So

he just kicked his pants off and shrugged like he wasn’t about to
vibrate out of his skin. “Then I guess we bend over and grab our
ankles, because we’re completely fucked.”

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Chapter Thirteen

“You can do this,” Zuriel said to himself as he stood outside the

door of Rissian’s room. He was a complete replica of the elf, right
down to his slightly pointed ears. Of course, Rissian was much bigger
than him, so he’d had to borrow some of Spiro’s clothes, but he knew
no one would be able to tell the difference physically.

“You’re back early,” Marcel greeted when he finally gathered the

courage to step into the room. “How did it go?”

“Same as usual,” Zuriel replied, hoping that was a suitable

response since he wasn’t sure what the meeting was even about.
“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.” Marcel kicked his feet up on the coffee table

and dropped his head onto the back of the sofa, stretching out his bare
torso. “I’ve seen death before, but this…this was different.” Rolling
his head to the side, he lifted one hand and crooked a finger. “Come
sit with me.”

Eyeing all the naked skin, Zuriel had serious doubts about getting

too close to the shifter. Damn it, he should have thought this through
better. As mates, it was natural that Rissian and Marcel would touch
and kiss—among other things that he’d rather not contemplate. The
only problem was that Rissian wasn’t really in the room.

“Have you eaten?” he asked, stalling for time while he tried to

think of a good reason to stay right where he stood.

“Nah, I don’t really feel like food right now. Every time I close

my eyes I see Lily’s face. She was so young. And Jaeah.” A weary
sigh fell from his lips. “I’ve known him since we were kids. He was

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the first friend I made when I moved here. Who would do something
like this?”

Zuriel cleared his throat, chastising himself for falling into the trap

of sympathy. Marcel’s words were pretty, and they were definitely
convincing. It was his thoughts that Zuriel was there to investigate.

“Everyone is devastated, but we’re going to find out who did

this.”

“Why are you standing all the way over there?” Sliding the zipper

of his jeans down, Marcel arched his back and pushed the denim off
his hips, leaving him totally naked.

Resisting the urge to turn away or shield his eyes, Zuriel silently

berated himself for being such a pussy. The self-lecture did the trick,
but he found it much harder to slip into his mask of uncaring sex slave
than he had before meeting Spiro. Still, he managed to accomplish it,
viewing Marcel’s nude form clinically, but with just enough
manufactured desire to appear believable.

“I can make you forget for a few minutes, but it won’t fix

anything. You’ll still feel just as hollow and sad when we’re
finished.”

Marcel shrugged and beckoned him closer again. “I’ll risk it. I just

need a few minutes of peace before I have to return to patrol.”

“Why is he being so distant? What did I do? Fuck, we don’t even

have to mess around. I just want to hold him for five minutes.”

Marcel’s pleading thoughts flitted into his mind, and Zuriel

resisted the urge to wince. Words could be manipulated, but the guard
had no reason to censor his thoughts. Other than his friends, Spiro
was the only one who knew he was a telepath or a shape-changing
Desirable.

“Don’t move,” he ordered seductively. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Ah, I like surprises.”
“Uh-huh.” Backpedaling to the door, he gave one last endearing

smile and then turned to let himself out, leaving Marcel with the
assumption that he’d return shortly.

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The doorknob was in his hand, and he’d turned it just halfway

when a large body slammed into him from behind, pinning him
heavily against the door. “Nice try,” Marcel growled into his ear.
“Rissian was late for the meeting. He left two minutes before you
walked into the room.”

He could kick himself for being such a damn fool, but that

wouldn’t get him out of his predicament. Instead, he chose to take
action, shifting back to his normal size in hopes that he could slip
through Marcel’s arms.

The act only left him at a further disadvantage, though. “What are

you going to do?” he taunted. “Are you going to kill me? You know
you’ll never get away with it.”

“Actually, I will. I kill you, which in turn kills your mate, and then

Rissian steps in to save the day and rids the island of this plague that
took the life of the new king and his beloved mate. Rather brilliant,
don’t you think? Rissian will be a hero.”

His blood ran cold, but he wasn’t afraid to die. His only regret

would be that no one would ever know what a deranged monster
Marcel was. “One little problem with your plan.” He squirmed until
he could look over his shoulder with an evil grin. “Spiro hasn’t
claimed me. We’re not bound.”

“Bullshit,” Marcel spat. “You’ve been together for weeks. No

shifter can resist the urge that long.”

Zuriel lifted one shoulder as far as he could, which admittedly was

very little. “Believe what you want.”

He was beginning to piece it together, but none of it would save

him. Marcel wasn’t strong enough to take on Spiro, but if Zuriel and
his mate were bonded, their life forces were linked. Kill one, the other
dies. However, even though that plan hadn’t worked out, Marcel
wouldn’t leave him alive now that he knew the truth.

“So, tell me something. Do the bodies look like that because of

the venom, or because you sucked out their souls?” If he was going to
die, he might as well ask his questions.

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“It’s a combination of oversaturating the blood with venom and

forcibly removing the soul.” Marcel sounded confused by the
question, as though he wasn’t sure if Zuriel was playing with a full
deck. Too bad he snapped out of it just as quickly. “No more talking.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why poor Lily had needed to

die in this quest for power, but he figured he already knew the answer.
She and the café owner were both just decoys, used to distract
everyone from the true target.

“How long were you poisoning the king before you finally killed

him?”

“Shut it,” Marcel snarled. “I have to think.” He was clearly

growing more desperate now that Zuriel had thrown a wrench into his
plans. “Not here,” he mumbled. “It can’t happen in this room.”

Jerking Zuriel away from the door, Marcel wrenched it open and

stuck his head out into the hall, presumably to check for witnesses.
“Where are we going?”

“Who knows you’re here?”
“No one,” he lied.
“You’re lying.” Damn shifters and their ridiculous sense of smell.

“That’s okay. You were kidnapped. I tried to save you, but sadly, I
was too late. By the time I caught up to you, the kidnapper was gone,
and you were dead.”

“Really? That lame story is the best you can come up with? How

are you going to explain being naked?”

“It’ll be enough when I produce a murderer. I’m thinking Nithron

will do nicely. Everyone suspects him anyway. As for my nudity, I
had to shift, of course.” Once sure that no one would see them,
Marcel yanked him out into the corridor by his hair. “Let’s go.”

Before Zuriel could even open his mouth to scream, a long, sharp

talon pierced the side of his neck, burning like a white-hot poker.
Immediately, he felt his limbs grow heavy, his eyelids started to
droop, and though fire coursed through his veins, it wasn’t enough to
keep him conscious.

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He registered being lifted off the floor, but that was the last thing

he felt before the darkness swallowed him whole.

* * * *

“The families have been notified, and the ceremonies will be held

together at the burial grou—”

“Spiro!” Three voices shouted his name in unison as they rushed

into the office where he was holding a meeting with his siblings.
“Spiro, you have to save him,” Mihail demanded. “Go, go now.”

“Save who?” Rissian asked. “What happened?”
“Where am I going?” Spiro asked. “Take a deep breath, Mihail,

because you’re not making any sense.”

“Oh, for the love of dildos,” Jacobi yelled, ending on a dramatic

huff. “There’s not time for explanation, but we think Zuriel is in
trouble.”

“Where?” Jacobi was right. The details weren’t important just yet.

All Spiro needed was a location.

“He was pretending to be Rissian, and he went to talk to Marcel,”

Mihail supplied. “Please.”

“Marcel?” Rissian jumped to his feet so quickly that his chair

toppled over behind him. “Why would he go see my mate?”

“There’s no time!”
“Calm down.” Holding his hands up, Rissian made placating

gestures to calm the agitated group. “I don’t know what’s going on,
but Marcel wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“I believe them.” With squared shoulders and a steely gaze,

Nithron stepped into the open doorway. “Marcel said he found Jaeah
dead, and the shop hadn’t been opened yet. I bought a cup of coffee
and a bagel from Jaeah, though, not twenty minutes before I heard
Zuriel calling for help.”

“We think he’s a demon,” Nikola hurried to add, “an Arsidian

Demon.”

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“They don’t give off a scent. Haven’t you ever noticed that you

can’t scent his emotions, not even when he’s aroused?” It was
apparent that Mihail was uncomfortable with the accusation, but there
was also a panicked undercurrent that couldn’t be ignored.

Worse was the flicker of doubt in Rissian’s eyes, as though he was

truly considering what the three were saying but didn’t like where it
was leading. “If you’re wrong—”

“If we’re wrong, I’ll stand naked in the town square while people

throw rotten garbage at me.” Jacobi grabbed Spiro’s wrist and pulled
hard. “Please! Just believe us!”

“Marcel was in our room when I left.”
Spiro nodded calmly, though his heart pounded painfully against

his ribs. His lion roared for blood, beating against him so violently
that his fangs burst through his gums. He tried to remind himself that
they had no proof that Zuriel was hurt, but logic and reasoning had
abandoned him.

“Nithron, gather the guards and start searching.” Hopefully,

Rissian was correct about Marcel’s location, but if not, Spiro needed
to cover as much ground as possible.

“We’ll help, too,” Mihail announced as he gathered his friends

and sprinted out of the room after Nithron.

Rissian was the next through the door, and Spiro was just half a

step behind him while their other siblings watched on in a kind of
stupor. “I can’t believe it,” Rissian said as they hurried toward the
staircase. “I would have known. This just doesn’t make any sense. If
it’s true, he…he…”

“I know.” If the allegations were true, it had been Marcel who’d

murdered four people, including their brother. It was horrific to think
about, but if he was found guilty, if he’d harmed one hair on Zuriel’s
head, Spiro would have little mercy on him.

They were more than halfway up the stairs when Rissian suddenly

stumbled to a stop and grabbed the railing in a white-knuckled grip.
“Oh, gods,” he breathed. “I…I can hear him.”

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Having not claimed his own mate yet, Spiro had completely

forgotten about the telepathic bond between pairs. “Where is he?
Where is Zuriel?”

“Marcel has him.” His head snapped up, and his pupils dilated

until they completely dominated his eyes. “He’s going to kill him.”

Without waiting for more, Spiro turned and began charging up the

stairs again, only stopping when his brother called him back.

“They’re not in the room. He has to make it look like someone

else did this, like it was a stranger to the island, and he was trying to
save him.”

Spiro assumed Rissian was paraphrasing, because that didn’t

sound like a very well-thought-out plan to him. “Where are they?”
Grabbing his brother’s shoulders, he shook him roughly as he
growled. “Tell me!”

“It’s only glimpses of inner monologue. I can’t see what he’s

seeing right now.” Stopping abruptly, Rissian twitched, and his
nostrils flared. “Zuriel was taking the shortcut to town. He knew he
wasn’t supposed to go alone.” He blinked several times, his eyes
focusing on Spiro once more. “They’re in the forest near the edge of
town.”

Spiro nearly fell to his knees, knowing he’d never make it in time.

Still, he had to try, had to pray that Nithron had sent guards to search
the grounds as well. “Try to talk to him,” he ordered. “See if you can
stall.” Then he flew down the stairs, and ran toward the doors. His
lion would be able to move faster, but he couldn’t risk the time it
would take to shift.

“Fuck,” Rissian screamed, and footsteps pounded over the wood

floor behind him. “He won’t listen.”

“Keep trying!”
“I’m only making it worse. He knows he’s caught now.” Rissian

stumbled, and an agonized moan echoed around the entryway just as
they reached the front doors, stopping Spiro in his tracks as well.

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“No.” Rissian waved him away. “Go. I’ll stop him, but you have to
get to Zuriel. He needs your blood.”

“Rissian, you can’t stop him from here. C’mon.”
“I can.” Rising to his full height, Rissian unsheathed his dagger

from his belt and bowed his head to Spiro. “I’m sorry, brother.”

Backing away, Spiro kept his gaze on the gleaming blade in his

brother’s hand. “What are you doing?”

“I’m the only one who can make this right. I’m the only one who

can stop it.” So swift that Spiro almost missed the action, Rissian
turned the dagger on himself, plunging it into his heart.

“No!” As he watched his sibling crumple to the ground, Spiro was

torn between saving his brother and rescuing his mate. “No, no, no!”
This wasn’t what he wanted. In a thousand years, he’d never have
guessed that Rissian would sacrifice himself to stop his lunatic mate.
It wasn’t fair, and it damn sure wasn’t right.

“I’ve got this.” Locien appeared seemingly out of nowhere,

kneeling over their brother’s body and wrenching the knife from his
chest. “I can heal him.”

“C’mon, brother.” Aradan appeared on his right side, while

Sadron took his left, pulling him back and pushing him out into the
chilly courtyard. “Zuriel needs you.”

With no choice but to trust that they’d be able to use the ancient

magic to revive Rissian, he spun around and darted toward the tree
line. His feet flew over the frozen ground, beating out a frantic
rhythm with each slap of his boots against the hard dirt path. He was
getting closer. He could smell it on the wind—Zuriel’s scent, coupled
with that of freshly spilled blood.

Then, there he was. His beautiful, perfect mate sprawled limply

across the narrow trail with four bleeding gashes cut into his slim
chest. Marcel lay just feet away, his sightless eyes staring blankly up
toward the treetops.

Paying no attention to the bastard other than to kick his lifeless

form as he passed, Spiro dropped to his knees at Zuriel’s side. “Hey,

Jaded 127

lirimaer. We’re going to get you fixed up, okay. Everything is going
to be fine.”

Gently sliding his hands beneath his mate’s body, Spiro lifted him

into his lap, careful to cradle his head. Then he lifted his other arm to
his mouth, using his sharp canines to bite into his wrist until blood
poured freely from the wound. “Here we are, baby.” Holding the
bleeding appendage over Zuriel’s open mouth, he watched as the
crimson pooled on his tongue, and almost sobbed in relief when his
lover swallowed reflexively. “That’s it. You’re going to be okay.”

A quiet, almost imperceptible gurgle caught his attention, and

Spiro glanced toward Marcel’s still prone body, watching the shallow
rise and fall of his chest. Rissian’s alive. Cuddling Zuriel closer, he
nuzzled against the top of his head, thankful beyond words.

He didn’t quite sob, but when a stray tear beaded in the corner of

his eye and overflowed to trickle down the side of his face, he didn’t
bother to wipe it away, either.

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Chapter Fourteen

Waking to a warm body pressed against his back, Zuriel smiled,

keeping his eyes closed for just a few minutes longer. When he finally
decided to roll over and greet his mate properly, however, he froze,
sucking his bottom lip between to his teeth to keep from shouting.

“Easy,” Spiro whispered against the shell of his ear. “You’re safe

now.”

“It was Marcel. He killed all those people. Spiro—”
“Hush now.” His arms tightened fractionally, and he kissed

Zuriel’s nape with a tender brush of his lips. “Your friends were very
forthcoming with information. I know everything.”

Well, Zuriel was missing some crucial bits of information—like

everything that had happened after he’d fell into unconsciousness.
“Where is he? How did you find me?” He squirmed until Spiro
loosened his arms, and then rolled to face his lover. “Tell me what
happened.”

“You’ve been asleep for about twenty-four hours, and your

wounds have healed.”

He didn’t even know he’d been injured, but Spiro was right. He

didn’t hurt anywhere. The sleep thing would explain why he felt like
his bladder was going to explode, though. “What else?” He wanted
details too much to move.

“When Jacobi got back to the room and realized you weren’t

there, your friends pieced together what had happened. Rissian tried
to reason with Marcel through their mating bond. When that didn’t
work, and he realized we wouldn’t reach you in time, he sacrificed
himself to stop his mate.”

Jaded 129

“No,” Zuriel moaned, burying his face against Spiro’s chest. “I

was prepared to die. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“You can knock that shit off right now.” Spiro nudged his chin up

so that he was forced to meet his mate’s glare. “I would gladly walk
through fire for you, but there will be no more talk of dying.” He
dipped his head for a short kiss. “Rissian is alive. He stopped Marcel,
and I think he intended to die, but Locien was able to save him.”

“Hold up. So, he’s not dead?” Grunting angrily, he beat his fist

against Spiro’s chest. “You’re an ass for letting me think that, even
for a second.”

His disgruntlement ebbed at the sound of Spiro’s laughter. “Well,

you didn’t let me finish.” The chuckle faded, and he rested his
forehead against Zuriel’s as he let out an unsteady breath. “You
scared the hell out of me. I still haven’t decided if I’ll let you leave
this room again.”

“I know.” Putting himself in Spiro’s place, he had a pretty good

idea of how frightened the man had been. “I was just trying to help. I
honestly didn’t think anything would come of it.” It occurred to him
that his mate knew the hows, but he hadn’t mentioned anything of the
whys. “Marcel wanted Rissian to be king.”

“I suspected as much.” Spiro shook his head and snorted. “He

didn’t stop to think that Rissian might not want to lead, though.”

“It’s just a title. Does it really matter who wears it?” It all seemed

so senseless to him. “Hell, divide the crown, and all five of you can
wear it.”

“Actually, you’re pretty close. I’m petitioning The Council to

remove the position and undo the enchantments that curse our
family.”

“Can they do that?”
“Elder Winters is ancient.” Spiro twisted his lips up on one side.

“If anyone knows how to accomplish it, he will.”

“So, we’re going back?” There were mixed feelings on that,

something he hadn’t expected. The truth of the matter was that even

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with all the bad stuff, Silmataurea felt more like home than Wyoming
ever had. On the other hand, he’d really like to see his brother and tell
him all the wild things that had transpired in his absence. His twin
probably wouldn’t even recognize him anymore.

“Actually, Aradan spoke with the elder, and he has agreed to

come to the island to hear our case and sentence Marcel.”

“Oh.” Again, he was torn, but this time, he was more disappointed

about not visiting Zavion.

“Mmm hmmm,” Spiro hummed. “And a certain Irishman has

agreed to bring his mate for a visit next week.”

“An Iri—Spiro! Holy crap!” Throwing his arms around his mate’s

neck, Zuriel squeezed with all of his strength as he rained kisses over
Spiro’s face. “Thank you. Thank you. I love you. This is so awesome.
Thank you!”

“Okay, okay, cut it out.” Spiro pinched his butt and rolled him to

his back where he pinned him to the mattress. “I love you, too,
lirimaer, and you are very welcome.” A scorching kiss that curled his
toes was delivered to Zuriel’s mouth, wiping away any argument he
might have had. “Shower and food, in that order.”

Since his bladder was protesting the weight on top of him, and he

felt like he was covered in a week’s worth of grime and sweat, he
conceded the point with a nod and a giggle. “Come with me.”

“That’s the plan.”

* * * *

Zuriel’s inner walls clamped around his cock and squeezed as his

mate moaned and writhed against the tiles of the shower wall. Water
cascaded down his smooth skin, causing it to glisten in the overhead
light, and Spiro couldn’t pry his eyes away from those plump,
gorgeous lips.

“Harder,” Zuriel demanded, gripping the neck of the showerhead

as he rocked his hips in time with Spiro’s hard thrusts. His head fell

Jaded 131

back on his shoulders, and his mouth opened slightly, revealing
elongated canines where they protruded just below his top lip.

Spiro ran his tongue across his own fangs, anticipating the sweet

victory of finally claiming the little fox. Every instinct in his body
screamed for him to mark Zuriel and drown him in his scent.

His cock ached and throbbed, begging for release with each

demanding plunge into his lover’s depths. The muscles in his thighs
quivered, his fingers dug into the flesh at Zuriel’s hips, and his sac
tightened, drawing his balls closer to his body.

“Lirimaer…”
Opening his eyes, Zuriel’s gaze fixed on Spiro’s canines, and

without being told what to do, he smiled in acceptance and tilted his
head to the side, baring the side of his neck in submission. The act
tripped Spiro’s lust into overdrive, and his growl reverberated
throughout the room as he struck hard, embedding his canines into the
smooth, supple skin.

Bucking and moaning, Zuriel’s knees squeezed his waist, and

ropes of creamy seed erupted from his slit, spilling into the marginal
space between them. “Spiro!”

Confident that his bite was deep enough for all to see, Spiro

extracted his canines, but he didn’t make it far before Zuriel grabbed
his neck and jerked him forward again, biting into his shoulder with a
needy groan.

“Mine.”
The muffled snarl was sexy as sin, and the bite he delivered was

exhilarating. Unable to maintain his self-control for even a second
longer, Spiro slammed his fist against the wall and roared through his
orgasm, shaking and shuddering as he filled his mate’s depths with
reams of heated semen.

Spiro could sense their connection growing stronger as though

some invisible seamstress was busy knitting their hearts, minds, and
souls together with an unbreakable thread. Their heartbeats
synchronized. Their breaths came in the same shallow gasps. Even as

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Zuriel rolled his head to the left, Spiro felt himself leaning to the
right.

It was the most intense thing he’d ever felt, more pleasurable than

even the greatest sex, and he never wanted it to end.

“We are so doing that again.”
The contented, well-fucked smile on Zuriel’s lips was humorous,

but Spiro imagined he wore a similar expression. Hearing his mate’s
thoughts inside his head as if they were his own would take some
getting used to, but he loved that he had this special bond with Zuriel
that only they shared.

“And again and again and again,” he sent back through their

link, and then out loud, “I love you, Zuriel.”

“I know. I can feel it. I can feel everything.” Zuriel purred and

humped against Spiro’s groin again. “I love you, too, handsome.”

If someone had told him just a few months ago that he’d be

settling down in his old home with a new mate and presiding over the
island as king, he’d have laughed in their faces and offered his
services as a psychologist. Now, however, he couldn’t picture his life
any other way.

There would always be obstacles—his mother would be a big

one—but they’d overcome them together. Spiro had confidence that
given time, Zuriel could win over the lioness. She wasn’t a bad person
in the traditional sense. She was just selfish and a little too invested in
her status. Now that he was back to stay, they’d work on her attitude.

Being home, surrounded by his family, Spiro realized something

he’d forgotten a long time ago. It wasn’t the place that mattered. It
was the people. This was his home, not because he’d been born there,
but because it was where his heart lived. He’d keep the people he
loved close, because that was what home truly meant, and the gods
help anyone who tried to harm his family.

“Spiro?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Can we have a dance party in the kitchen?”

Jaded 133

“Uh, yes.” What an odd question. “This is your home now, too.

You can do whatever you want, wherever you want. If you want to
paint an entire room purple and douse it in glitter, I won’t stop you.”

“Don’t tell Jacobi that.” Zuriel released his grip and slid to the

floor with a snicker. “Okay. I was just checking. Oh, and, Spiro?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the playful lilt and teasing light in

Zuriel’s eyes. “Yes, Zuri?”

“I’m glad you didn’t give up on me, even though I was broken

and jaded.”

Considering he’d been just as damaged, just as jaded about love

and loyalty, Spiro figured they were a pretty good match. “I could say
the same to you.”

“Then why don’t you?”
Oh, his life was going to be eventful. “Thank you for not giving

up on me.”

“I finally get it.” His eyebrows drew together, and he kneaded the

flesh on Spiro’s sides as he spoke. “I don’t have to be perfect or have
a spotless past. This is me. This is who I am, and I can’t change that.
You look at me and see past all my flaws, and that’s all that really
matters. So, I guess, thank you for saving me. I promise to return the
favor one day.”

Since Spiro had expected him to smirk and say something

sarcastic, the declaration left him speechless for several seconds.
Normally, he had no trouble finding the words to express himself, but
everything that came to him now sounded trite and trivial. In the end,
he decided to just go with the short, simple truth.

“You already have.”

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.

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