Mates in Life and Death (MMM)
Spirit Wolves 2

Professional Reviews

4 CUPS: "Dan and Linden are two souls bound for all eternity to love one another. Tragedy has always prevented them from getting it right and dooms them to meet over and over. Ash smells the scent of his mate and finds the most precious man he has ever seen. He is shocked to discover his new mate belongs to another destined to be his mate as well. Adding Ash to the equation might be the ingredient missing in the past that might prevent history from repeating the pain of the past. Linden's current life is built on a foundation of lies. He finds all that he once thought to be real is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of another. Can true life transcend the physical and wait for another time and place? The story of Mates in Love and Death is an interesting twist of a mating story. I found the foundation of the story solid and the characters endearing to the reader. The town created by the author is fascinating and sucks the reader into this paranormal world. For a truly interesting story of paranormal proportions pick up Scarlet Hyacinth and the Spirit Wolves today." -- Delane, Coffee Time Romance Reviews

"Long ago Spirit Wolf Caesar D’Averam loved his human mate Linden to the depths of his soul. Caesar made the fatal mistake one night of biting his mate during lovemaking thereby turning his mate feral. There was no cure for the feral illness so in an act of shear madness he killed them both with the hopes that their souls someday returned. As Daniel Lawson grew up he never felt as though he truly belonged. It isn’t until his best friend learned that he has two Spirit Wolf mates that Daniel discovered the truth of who he once was. Spirit Wolf Ashton Hart is thrilled that his brother has found his mate. When Ash finds a very special young man working three jobs to help his extremely ill mother he isn’t sure how to deal with the human’s problems or tell him that they are mates. Adding Daniel to the situation doesn’t help, at least at first. Uniting these mates will take everything they have and more. Their journey will be fraught with hidden dangers and unimaginable beings bent on destruction. The power of love will be put to the test for Daniel, Ash, and an innocent human named Linden. Mates in Life and Death opens the door to a unique new sequel for the second book of the Spirit Wolves series. With increased awareness of the supernatural and huge emotional hurdles Daniel, Ash, and Linden seem blocked at every turn. The cast is large and therefore while the overall storyline is understood, it would be much better to read this series in order. Drama, suspense, and mystical moments abound in Mates in Life and Death. It is the mates who make this story worthwhile, what they overcome and achieve as fulfilled lovers that makes Mates in Life and Death enjoyable." -- Lisa, Joyfully Reviewed

Excerpt

STORY EXCERPT

Linden grabbed his stuff and made his way out of the pub. Darkness enshrouded him almost instantly, the night heavy and impenetrable. The occasional street light cast eerie rays through the gloom, but they marked Linden’s way home like the proverbial breadcrumbs.

Truth be told, a part of Linden would have preferred to stay inside. Leaving work at this hour held some risks, even for a man. In the past, the night shift wouldn’t have bothered Linden. Timber Lake wasn’t exactly the Bronx, and the crime in their town rarely represented a problem. But an increasing shadow now weighed in the corner of his mind. Lately, the townsfolk had become cool to him, more so than usual. Even his bosses seemed aloof, making Linden fear for the state of his employment. He wanted to blame his apprehension on this, but he felt as if some sort of presence loomed over them, watching them from the darkness.

He couldn’t talk to others about this, but he did have his mother. She was the only one who believed him, who didn’t mock him when he told her about his premonitions. Both of them held a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. But this time, he couldn’t tell her. She’d forbid him from going to work, and God only knew they needed the money.

Shaking himself, Linden ventured into the darkness. He walked as quickly as he could. At this hour, most everyone retreated to their homes, even the regulars at Jake’s pub. The streets looked strikingly bare, but the same feeling of being watched returned. Linden gulped, his heart beginning to beat faster and his palms sweating. He increased the pace, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Behind him, he could clearly hear the sound of something approaching. Not a human, Linden knew, but some sort of animal. Linden took off running. He knew his flight would just trigger the hunting instinct in some beasts, but he couldn’t just wait around to become a snack.

Predictably, his speed proved insufficient for him to lose his pursuer. A loud growl was his only warning before a heavy weight landed on his back. The creature tore into his knapsack, and the rough material of the bag kept its claws from reaching Linden. He tried to squirm away, but the animal pinned him against the tarmac. Terror and pain showered over Linden at the realization these would be his final moments. He never should have taken the chance of working at night. Who would care for his mother now?

Just when he thought the beast would surely kill him, the weight above him vanished. As he struggled to recover, he heard a pained yelp and something that sounded like animals fighting.

He tried to scramble to his feet, but his body wouldn’t obey. And then, all of the sudden, something else hit him, a weird sense of warmth that strengthened him. Casting away his fear, he got up and looked behind him.

He’d intended to see what type of creature attacked him, but instead, his gaze fell on a tall, nude man. Dark hair flowed over the stranger’s back in thick waves. A deep gray gaze scanned Linden from head to toe, as if analyzing for injuries. Linden drank in all the bulging muscles in his immediate proximity and swooned.

The other man rescued him once again, catching him in strong arms. “Are you all right?” he asked.

Linden nodded, feeling dazed at the entire experience. Had he died and gone to heaven? He could find no other explanation for this. The incredible sense of familiarity that surrounded him couldn’t be real. For fuck’s sake, he couldn’t be jumping from being at the edge of death to having his cock throb in his pants. And yet, he could not have denied it if he wanted to.

Acknowledging the necessity to return to reality, Linden pinched his arm. The stranger didn’t vanish and just gave him an amused look. “I’m real,” he said. “You don’t have to hurt yourself to check that.”

Linden could swear the man’s tone sounded husky, and something like arousal made those gray eyes stormy. This couldn’t be happening to him. Sure, Linden had a lot of weird experiences in his life, but so far, none of them brought anything good.

He broke away from the embrace, trying to keep hold of his reason. First things first. He still needed to see his attacker.

This time, no hot hunk blocked his sight from the huge wolf lying on the tarmac. Its fur was tainted with blood and its body very still. But Linden could still spot the sharp fangs and wicked claws. His knees turned to jelly, the shock and fear slamming into him, choking him. He could have died. He would have died, if not for the appearance of this mysterious man.

“Shhh,” the stranger whispered. “You’re fine now. It’s dead.”

Linden took a deep breath and focused on his rescuer’s calming words. It occurred to him that he had no clue how the stranger even saved him. And who ran around in the buff killing wild animals? Who was this guy, Tarzan? No, Tarzan at least wore a loincloth. The man didn’t have anything to shield his more than generous package from Linden’s gaze. God, Linden, don’t look, don’t look. This is not the time for eyeing his damn cock.

“What just happened?” he forced himself to ask. “Who are you?”

“I’m Ash,” the man answered. “And as for what happened, clearly, I killed the wolf.”

ADULT EXCERPT

The sight of his mates’ naked bodies scrambled all the glum memories away. In fact, his brain almost shut down altogether, reverting to the primal “fuck now” mode. God, and he’d never even had sex. Would he know what to do?

Before he could worry himself to death, Ash and Dan walked up to him. “Are you all right?” Dan asked.

“More than all right,” Linden murmured back.

Ash and Dan sandwiched him from both sides. While Dan peppered kisses over his face, Ash whispered in his ear, “We don’t know how this is going to work, but together, we can manage.”

Linden nodded without a word. He didn’t think he could speak, his heart overflowing with emotion. Ash and Dan guided him to lie down on the grass, and he obeyed them. His legs already threatened to give out, simply because of the proximity of his two mates.

Dan and Ash took their time with him. Dan unbuttoned his loose shirt with excruciating slowness, placing featherlight kisses on each patch of skin he revealed and sending goose bumps all over Linden. Ash took position between Linden’s legs and unbuttoned his jeans. When Ash pulled the zipper down with his teeth, Linden whimpered. Dan chuckled, and his mouth enclosed over Linden’s right nipple. A shock of pleasure swept over him, pooling straight into his throbbing cock. “Dan, Ash, please…”

Dan’s mouth abandoned Linden’s nipple and traveled up his chest to his lips. Their first actual kiss began gently, like an exploration, a rediscovery of each other. No, this wasn’t their first kiss. Even if they’d been different people back then, their souls remained the same, and their love had not faded. If anything, they had at last become complete, through Ash’s appearance.

Their motions began to turn frantic. Linden’s clothes felt constricting, but his mates caught onto his wishes and got rid of his shoes, shirt, and jeans. Ash didn’t even bother with taking off Linden’s underwear the civilized way. He just tore the simple white briefs and discarded the useless material in the grass.

When Ash’s mouth lowered to Linden’s cock, Linden thought he’d died and gone to heaven. The wet warmth around him engulfed him so perfectly it seemed surreal. Ash took him deep, bobbing his head up and down the shaft, all the while massaging Linden’s balls with clever fingers. Dan’s kisses returned, his hands sweeping over Linden’s chest, tweaking his nipples. Energy arched through Linden, powerful and intense. He’d never experienced such a thing in his life. The double sensations made his pleasure soar higher and higher, until his climax was just within his reach. And then, Ash went even lower and swallowed around Linden’s cock, deep-throating him expertly.

Linden cried out, and his climax burst out of him, wild and untamed, just like the lovers that caused it. The pleasure went on and on, and for a few seconds, Linden’s vision darkened.

When at last he recovered, two pairs of hands soothed him, turning him over. Dan supported Linden to stand on all fours and Linden gasped when he felt his second mate spread his ass cheeks. Ash rubbed slick fingers against Linden’s hole, and Linden had a distant thought as to where Ash could have gotten lubricant before he figured out his mate used his own seed for it. It was strangely arousing, the thought that their coupling would be untainted by anything coming from the other world. Linden felt something so very magical in making love here, in the heart of the forest. Quiet surrounded them, the scent of the trees and the soft wind creating a magical cocoon around them. And when his mate inserted a finger inside him, Linden took it with ease, relaxed, no longer afraid. He accepted the second one in the same way. The third one took a little to get used to, but then Ash hit something deep inside him, the special spot that made stars burst in his vision. Linden pushed back against the invading fingers, needing more of the delicious sensations. Through the haze of pleasure, he stared up at Dan. “Please,” he said.

Dan caressed his cheek, his expression both warm and reverent. “Don’t worry, love. We’ll give you what you want.”

Slowly, Dan fed his cock into Linden’s mouth. His unhurried motions drove Linden crazy, and he forced himself to suck his lover’s shaft deeper. Much to his dismay, he gagged, Dan’s size being too great for him to take.

Dan’s hands landed in his hair. “Easy. You’re new at this. Just take as much as you’re comfortable with and go slow.”

Linden obeyed and focused on the cock in his mouth. Dan tasted intoxicating, and Linden wanted to make him come, to feel Dan’s hot seed on his tongue. He greedily explored the delicious flesh, all the while pushing his ass against the fingers invading his backside.

Groans filled his ears, and Ash said, “I never thought I’d say this, but you look so hot with his cock in your mouth. Just like that, beautiful, take him.”

Ash’s words fueled the fire already burning bright inside Linden. He wiggled his ass, wordlessly telling Ash what he needed. His mate didn’t disappoint. After a few seconds, Ash retracted his fingers and positioned his cock at Linden’s entrance. Like Dan, he took his time pushing inside. This time, Linden felt grateful for the gentleness. Ash’s cock was much bigger than three fingers, and it speared Linden in two. It made him lose his concentration, and he could no longer keep a pace on Dan’s cock.