STORY EXCERPT

Nick’s pack all went apeshit as they barked and struggled to free themselves from the nets. Even Victor, who was mostly always stoic and grumpy, was flipping out beneath the thick ropes that kept him down, but the vampire ignored him and drew one of his hands back that was holding the dagger, as though he meant to throw the business end into Nick’s chest.

“Nothing personal,” Daggers said.

Nick didn’t move. He was so sure it wasn’t.

Another gunshot sounded. This one didn’t come from the gun in either of the other two vampires’ hands. Nick could tell because one of the vampires in question flew backward as though he’d been punched in the chest by some invisible force.

It hadn’t been a punch. The spray of blood that flew from the fresh wound, the scent of it perfuming the air, was all the proof Nick and his wolves needed that someone else was on the playing field, and they were shooting at the vampires.

They weren’t assassins for nothing, however. To the credit of the two vampires, they didn’t turn and gawp at their now-dead friend, whose corpse was smoking slightly through the hole that had been made in his daylight uniform.

They immediately rushed into action, vanishing through the trees as another gunshot sounded after them. One of the vampires yowled, almost wolflike, through the trees as he was hit with one of the bullets. Nick couldn’t tell if it was a killing shot or not because he couldn’t see a damned thing, but he knew enough that one dead comrade and one injured would at least mean that the third was definitely not going to circle back and try something cute on them.

They would be coming back eventually, however. Assassins were notorious for not giving up until they were dead.

“Is everyone all right?” Nick called, very aware of the fact that whoever it was who’d saved them might not be an ally, and he was still very naked and completely helpless, as were his wolves until Acelin and his mate could get here. Providing they didn’t run into the retreating vampire assassins.

The regular sound of bones snapping and flesh realigning told him that many of the wolves were resuming their human forms, probably hoping that the addition of thumbs and fingers would be able help with getting the nets off of them, where their sharp canines had failed.

“How is it the entire pack fell for this and got caught?” Victor rumbled in that deep, usually unimpressed voice of his.

“It’s my fault,” Nick said immediately. Being the pack alpha made that a reality that he wasn’t about to shirk.

“Let’s just get out of here before whoever it was who chased off those vampires gets here.”

“Little late for that, guys,” said a completely new voice that Nick had never heard before, but wanted to hear again as it sent a violent shiver down every vertebra of his spine. The result was that his cock hardened as his blood pumped fast and hot through his body.

He immediately turned, but he did it so fast that he got the net he was hanging in swinging just enough that it made it difficult to see whoever it was who was beneath him.

Even though the rest of his pack was mostly in their human form, they all growled, and some even barked, distrustfully at the intruder.

The young man, who looked to be no more than twenty-five or so, maybe even a little younger, stood entirely out of harm’s reach and didn’t appear the least bit concerned that he was in front of several angry and netted werewolves.

Had Nick’s feet been on the earth, he was pretty sure he would have felt it shifting beneath him, because never in his entire life did he feel the things he was experiencing now.

Well, he had, but never this strong. His dick throbbed and lengthened to its maximum capacity. It was almost as if the damned thing was trying to point at the man beneath him. He really hoped the netting was keeping the other man from seeing it.

It was like he’d crossed the point of no return. The handsome man’s eyes flickered up. They were a pale green, which fit nicely with soft brown hair. Light earth colors, Nick’s favorite. The only thing that was off was some of the premature grays that streaked his hair. Not a lot, and Nick had to wonder if he would have even noticed it if he didn’t have such great eyesight.

He also had a little scar that ran through his bottom lip just on the right side, like someone had swiped an incredibly sharp blade at him and he’d ducked out of the way just in time to prevent something even more important from being sliced.

Nick couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to kiss and nibble on that lip. Better still, what would those lips feel like wrapped around his aching prick?

The second that thought passed through his mind, his treacherous cock gave a happy throb, like it thought that was what was going to immediately happen. Nick knew he was in trouble.

“Sir?” Victor’s voice pulled him out of his distracted thoughts.

Nick blinked himself awake, just like he was coming out of a dream, to realize that everyone was looking up at him, including his mysterious rescuer.

The knowledge that he’d spaced out while staring at the guy just cemented what Nick already suspected. Mate. The man down there was his mate, and Nick was already desperate to claim him, to fuck him in every way possible and put his scent all over the man so that no one else in his pack could question who he was mated to.

“Fuck.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Would you like to fuck me?” Regardless of Oliver’s answer, the strip of black silk was only going one other place, and Nick was already busy gently tying it around Oliver’s cock and balls.

“I—” Oliver swallowed hard. Nick could actually hear it. He was staring down at Nick’s handiwork, mostly. Nick knew how to tie knots like this so that they wouldn’t hurt the man, just keep him from finding release.

“Whatever you want, baby,” Nick said, pressing another openmouthed kiss to the head of Oliver’s dick. He was pleased to feel the organ jump as Oliver hissed in a pleasured breath, but the man didn’t come. That meant that Nick hadn’t lost his touch and had tied the silk properly. He was so taking this with him as well when it came time to leave here.

“I think—oh fuck—I think you should do it. I don’t know if you’d like it if I was in charge.”

Odd thing to say. Maybe Oliver hadn’t had a whole lot of lovers before Nick. Maybe he didn’t often top them.

Nick was just going to do as he was told. He wanted to know as much about the man as he could, but his cock was doing all the thinking now, and he just wanted to get inside Oliver now more than anything.

Nick dipped two fingers into the salve. It made a little squishy sound when he pulled them out again, and all he could think about was how much he wanted to be inside of the man.

His dick gave an impatient jump. Fuck. Maybe he should have tied the strap of silk around his own prick instead of Oliver’s.

“Spread your legs,” he said, and Oliver did as he was told.

“More,” Nick demanded. Oliver’s eyes widened a little, but then he did, until he was completely exposed to Nick. His cock and balls and asshole perfectly visible for Nick to see.

It was enough to make Nick sigh in pleasure.

“I’m going to make you feel so damn good,” he said, pressing his lubed fingers against Oliver’s pucker, pushing them inside.

Oliver inhaled deeply. Nick had the pleasure of watching his toes curl as his back arched.

He was still a little stretched out from when Nick had put one finger inside of him earlier. He’d wanted to put in more, to stroke and tease the man’s prostate until he came, but there had been no salve to work with.

Still, Oliver’s body easily accepted two of Nick’s fingers. Then he found what he was looking for, and he pushed up against it.

Oliver’s prostate. Nick was pretty sure the only reason why the man didn’t come right there, despite his desperate shout, was because of the silk cord he’d tied around Oliver’s cock and balls.

“That’s it, baby, make some noise for me,” Nick said, and he added a third finger into Oliver’s asshole, stretching him out even further.

Nick’s cock was swollen and leaking drops of pre-cum, and all he wanted to do was sink into that space. He knew that if he did, the first thing that his body would do was tense up as he came.

That was all right. He wasn’t interested in his pride right now. He’d be able to get it back up in enough time to see to Oliver’s pleasure. His dick might not even soften at all. The musky scent of his mate, so close, spread open and panting because of what Nick was doing to him, was setting his blood on fire.

He wouldn’t survive it, if Oliver turned him away. He’d promised the man that he would leave to try and make their lack of a proper union hurt less, but there would be no end to the hurt. Nick would go wild if he couldn’t have this every night.

“I want to come!” Oliver shouted, and he managed to lift his head enough to look down at Nick. Their eyes met, and Nick’s heart nearly stopped in his chest.

Was he feeling this, too?

No, he wasn’t.

“Nick, for God’s sake, I want to come. Let me come,” Oliver begged, and he was reaching down to try and untie the knot that Nick had made with the black silk.

With his fingers shaking like they were, he couldn’t seem to figure it out. Nick had tied it so that it was pretty simple to come off, but only if one knew where to pull and tug.

Nick swatted Oliver’s hands away. “Not yet.”

Oliver’s eyes hardened. He actually looked like he might attack Nick if he tried to deny him his orgasm. “Nick,” he said with a clear warning.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Nick said, and he climbed up the bed, scooping some more of the salve into his hand and stroking his heavy, aching dick with it. He spread some more over Oliver’s exposed asshole, and then lined up the head of his cock with Oliver’s stretched pucker.

A shiver passed through Oliver’s entire body, and the man moaned. That was enough that Nick almost came right then and there.

His inner wolf made itself known, and Nick couldn’t stop himself from making a claim, even knowing that it wouldn’t be returned.

“You’re mine,” he said, and then pushed deep inside of his mate’s asshole, coming instantly, but his dick remained hard and ready.

Oliver’s eyes widened, his back arched as he yelled out. Nick stopped himself before he could start thrusting mindlessly away.

He was already very well in tune with the noises of pleasure that his mate made whenever they were being intimate together. That didn’t sound like a pleasured noise, and Nick held stock-still, scared to death that he might’ve hurt his mate without intending to.

Oliver’s body relaxed then, and his thighs tightened around Nick’s waist as he wrapped his legs around Nick’s body, holding him in place.