STORY EXCERPT

The soft, gentle breeze caressed his face as they left the stuffy pub. It didn’t seem to help Ross. “It’s just as hot here,” the young man said. “Damn it. I hate this awful place.”

Kiltimagh was hardly an awful place. In fact, the tiny Irish town boasted a lot of beautiful historical attractions. Unfortunately, its small size meant they couldn’t stay here too long, or the hunters would track Ross’s scent.

“Let’s go to our room,” Clay offered. He’d try to bite Ross again and hope for the best.

Ross nodded but didn’t move. His eyes burned with the incipient touch of the feral madness, but for a second, they were as beautiful and clear as ever. “Hey, I never thanked you for taking me out of there. I think I’d have been dead by now if you hadn’t.”

The words startled Clay. Ross spoke little, and when he did, he only referred to practical considerations, like “let’s take cover,” “when do we eat,” and so on and so forth. “Don’t say such things,” he told Ross. “You don’t ever need to thank me.”

Ross laughed a little. “I don’t understand you. After everything I said and did, you still want to help me. Why?”

It was a good question that didn’t have a simple answer. Everyone in the spirit wolf world always replied, “you’re my mate.” But to Clay, it had never been so easy. Mate or no mate, Klaus abandoned him in favor of another man. So Clay surmised there must be more to it than that.

Clay saw something inside Ross, a hidden sorrow his mate refused to share. Ross always claimed he couldn’t remember a thing from his past, but Clay had known it was a lie even before the fire at the compound. At the same time, he sensed gentleness beyond Ross’s mask of deception, sweetness and a genuine desire for affection. Clay didn’t know if he could give his mate all that, but he wanted to try.

“Because I always follow my heart,” he replied, almost wincing at the corniness.

Ross didn’t laugh but gave him a sad look. “You shouldn’t. It will get you hurt.”

Clay wondered if he should tell Ross about his time at Klaus’s side. He’d refrained from doing so in the hope that, one day, Ross might meet Klaus and they could have the perfect bond Trent and Ash built with their own mates. A dream, and nothing more. One couldn’t force a person to love another. And besides, Ross himself didn’t seem to show any particular attraction to Clay. Beyond the gratitude and the occasional smile, Clay could have very well been traveling at a stranger’s side. He contented himself with the few kisses they’d shared at the compound and didn’t ask for more.

Still, it was not the moment to burden Ross with his own frustrations. “Maybe,” he replied. “Come on. It’s late, and we should get some sleep.”

“I guess your contact isn’t coming, huh?” Ross said with a sigh. “Oh, well. I suppose I should have—”

A heavy groan interrupted Ross’s words. Clay would have panicked if at the same time he didn’t feel the overwhelming heat that marked the presence of his mate. So Klaus had come. Thank the Spirit Mother.

Klaus’s large form emerged from the shadows, rushing toward them. “Hurry inside,” Klaus whispered as soon as he reached their side. “I might’ve been followed. I think I dodged my pursuers, but I can’t be sure.”

For a few moments, Clay stared at the familiar features of Klaus’s face in disbelief. He realized he’d never actually expected Klaus would show up. Ross seemed just as gobsmacked, but then he let out a moan and swooned. Clay caught him just before he hit the ground and cursed as his mate started seizing. “Fucking hell. Help me.”

They rushed to carry Ross to the small room Clay rented for them to stay in. As soon as they deposited Ross on the bed, Klaus retrieved a small bag disguised under his coat and took a syringe and some vials out of it.

Clay frowned at his mate, insofar as he could while still holding Ross down. “What’s that?”

“Some of Blunt’s serum,” Klaus replied as he filled a syringe with the liquid. “The doctors made another batch deposited at the Magistrate’s Den. I managed to steal a couple.”

Clay was torn between relief and disappointment. Sure, he should have realized Klaus wouldn’t offer to claim Ross just like that. Clay himself didn’t mention it on the phone, for crying out loud. And after all, why wouldn’t Klaus’s persistent refusal to claim Clay extend over Ross? He should be happy Klaus risked his position at the Den to steal the valuable serum for them.

“Okay,” he said simply. “Inject it.”

Klaus found a vein on Ross’s arm, while Clay held the young man as still as possible. It wasn’t easy, and Clay earned a good measure of painful bites and scratches for his efforts. Even so, a few seconds after the serum entered Ross’s system, it began to take effect. Even if at first the convulsions increased, they lasted only a couple of seconds and then Ross’s breath and pulse began to become steadier. In a couple of minutes, Ross had regained a healthier color and look. The only sign of the seizure was the blood still lingering on his red, swollen lips.

Clay breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d have done without your help.”

Klaus gave him an unreadable look and glanced toward the gashes on Clay’s hands and chest. “Let me help you with those.”

Clay allowed his mate to sanitize the wounds. They’d heal easily enough. It wasn’t the first time Ross injured him like this. He didn’t know if Ross remembered it, but Clay didn’t particularly mind them. He might not have Trent and Ash’s strength, but he could at least take some damage.

ADULT EXCERPT

By the time they reached the bedroom, a trail of shirts, pants, and jackets lay behind them while they greedily explored naked skin. Klaus pushed Ross on the mattress and pounced on top of the young man. He didn’t go any further, though. He wanted to make sure Ross was ready for this.

“Are you sure?” he asked his mate.

Ross nodded. “Like you said, you and I knew each other before we actually met. I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life.”

Klaus didn’t hesitate again. He pressed his mouth to Ross’s, coaxing his mate’s lips to part. By his side, Clay joined them on the bed. His hands trailed over Klaus’s naked back, sending shivers down his spine. “Go ahead,” Clay whispered. “Touch him. Touch us.”

Following his mate’s instructions, Klaus allowed himself to intensify the kiss. He ravaged Ross’s delicious mouth, taking in the addicting taste of his mate. Ross’s answering passion humbled and astonished him, at the same time fueling his desire.

He’d have liked to take more time just enjoying Ross’s flavor, but his cock throbbed, demanding a full union with his two mates. It was long overdue, and something both his soul and his body had yearned for a long time.

Klaus got off Ross, intending to prepare the young man for intercourse. He just went with the flow, allowing his passion to lead his touches. Even if he’d never taken Ross to his bed, he instinctively knew what his mate might like, and he looked forward to finding everything out in detail.

To his surprise, Ross pushed him down, switching their positions on the bed. Before Klaus could figure out what was going on, Ross lowered his mouth over Klaus’s cock. Wet heat engulfed Klaus’s dick, and he moaned, the bliss casting away all his lingering misgivings.

Clay’s beautiful face appeared in his line of sight. “We’ll take care of you. It’ll be the three of us together from now on. So just relax and enjoy.”

Whatever reply Klaus might have been able to muster was swallowed by Clay’s kiss. Their tongues entangled in a dance of passion that went to Klaus’s head like high-class Riesling. Clay’s hands traveled over his chest and stopped next to Klaus’s nipples. When his mate’s fingernails scraped over the tender buds, a whirlpool of sensations assaulted him from several directions. The hot ecstasy of the suction, the light, teasing pain against his nipples, the delicious taste of Clay’s lips on his, all of it converged and conspired to drive him crazy.

At first, Ross’s motions remained teasing, almost hesitant. He moved his head up and down Klaus’s shaft, as if acquainting himself with Klaus’s taste and preferences. Gradually, he began to speed up, taking Klaus’s dick to the root then releasing him in quick, enthusiastic sucks.

With his two mates intent on feasting on his body like this, Klaus clung to the bedding and enjoyed the ride. He was close, so close, hovering just on the edge of orgasm. For maybe a moment, Clay disappeared, leaving Klaus puzzled and bereft. With his brain still being sucked out through his cock, he couldn’t find words to ask, and he didn’t get the chance anyway. Clay returned and tossed Ross a tube of lubricant.

A snap and a click alerted Klaus to his mate’s desires. Ross briefly abandoned his ministration on Klaus’s dick to squirt lube on his fingers. Klaus parted his legs, giving his mate access, and forced his body to relax. He and Wolfram had fucked many times, but this was nothing like those moments. Just the thought of the coupling to follow drove him wild.

To his surprise, Ross didn’t prepare him. Instead, the young man reached behind himself, biting his lip and sighing softly. Klaus couldn’t suppress a groan when he realized what Ross intended. He could almost feel the ghost of Ross’s touch inside him as his mate prepared himself.

Clay moved behind Ross, his skilled hands helping Ross along the process. Ross leaned against Clay, his face flushed beautifully in a shade of red that complemented his gorgeous hair. Over Ross’s shoulder, Clay grinned, his eyes heated. “You should see him, Klaus,” he said. “He looks so amazing.”

Klaus indeed wanted to see Ross, but his young mate shook his head. “We’ll do this right.”

The ghostly touch disappeared as Ross retreated his fingers and positioned his hole over Klaus’s hard cock. He hesitated, sharing a look with Clay, but Clay smiled gently and pecked his mate. Klaus realized Ross had never done this before, not even with Clay, and his heart leaped at the amazing gift he’d been granted.

Ross took a deep breath and began to lower his body over Klaus’s dick. Klaus gritted his teeth in a conscious effort not to thrust up. It must’ve been one of the hardest things he’d done in his life. Ross’s channel engulfed him in a tight hold, a velvet-like fist that swallowed him more and more. Klaus could just compare it with the few times he’d shared with Clay. Only, Clay was also here now, his hands wrapped around Ross’s torso, helping their young mate measure his descent to avoid discomfort.

At first, Ross showed some difficulties in taking the whole of Klaus’s dick. But at last, his buttocks lay flush against Klaus’s testicles, and he breathed hard as he smiled down at Klaus. He whispered a single word. “Together.”