Wings of Moonlight

Deadly Mates 2

Wings of Moonlight Lysander Metsovou is a man on a mission. His mother, the harpy queen, entrusts him with a very important task: kill Kaiden Hearne and eliminate the influence the man has on their nation. Determined to succeed, Lysander is taken aback when he meets Flame Grayson. When a huge eagle attempts to kill his best friend's lover, Flame knows the eagle is his mate. Torn between his destined mate and his family, he vows to find out who Lysander really is. All the while, Lysander refuses to accept their connection as more than sexual chemistry. Before either of them can clarify their emotions, tragedy strikes. The horrors of a past long ago buried return to haunt them all. Flame and Lysander have to fight side by side to save their friends and family from a plot that could destroy them and the world as they know it. Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter Length: 36,324 words

WINGS OF MOONLIGHT Deadly Mates 2

Scarlet Hyacinth

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

WINGS OF MOONLIGHT Copyright © 2010 by Scarlet Hyacinth E-book ISBN: 1-60601-953-8 First E-book Publication: October 2010 Cover design by Jinger Heaston ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter from Scarlet Hyacinth Regarding E-book Piracy Dear Readers, Your support and opinion always mean a lot to me. I was a reader before I was writer, and as such, knowing that people enjoy my stories gives me tremendous happiness and satisfaction. Some of you may know that I originally started writing on FictionPress and AdultFanFiction. It was because of the many friends I made there and through their constant support that I persevered in writing. However, I have to point out that, unlike stories on FictionPress and AdultFanFiction, my published books are intellectual property and are not free. The amount of time and effort authors, editors, and cover artists put into each and every one of these books is astonishing. I spent one month polishing Enraptured for my readers to offer them the best experience when reading my work. It hurts me, emotionally and financially, that before I could earn anything from my book, it was pirated and distributed illegally. I sometimes can‟t help but wonder if all the effort is worth it. Writing is my passion, but writing for publishing is very different than posting free stories online. As much as I hate to admit it, taking into account all the work I put into these books and the poor financial profit, it somehow seems I‟m wasting my time. Maybe many of you think that being a writer instantly translates into thousands of dollars. Well, it doesn‟t. Many authors cannot support themselves with their writing, especially in the e-publishing industry. They have to hold day jobs while they write in the evenings and on weekends. For my part, I started writing as a student, sneaking in

writing between studying for exams and trips to the library. It wasn‟t easy then, and it isn‟t easy now. Please do not pirate my books. If you have downloaded this copy illegally, know that every reader is important and your support would mean the world to me. I hope you enjoy the story. Please e-mail me your thoughts and comments at [email protected]. With love, Scarlet Hyacinth

DEDICATION For all the readers who read Moon’s Sweet Poison, liked it, and asked for more. I thank you on behalf of Kai&co.

WINGS OF MOONLIGHT Deadly Mates 2 SCARLET HYACINTH Copyright © 2010

Prologue Somewhere in Greece Lysander Metsovou knelt in front of his mother, surreptitiously taking in those beloved yet stern features. He wondered why she had summoned him. Usually Rhea ordered one of Lysander‟s sisters to finish the more menial tasks she needed done and kept him as a personal guard. He knew all too well that this status ranked him above many of his kind, a fact which kept him alive all this time. What task would she trust him with now? Lysander quickly looked away from his mother, the queen, as she abandoned the papers she‟d been studying. He didn‟t have the right to look upon her, not when they met in an official capacity, at least. “Captain, you‟re here. Excellent.” “I am always at your command, my Queen,” Lysander replied. Rhea ignored him and instead directed her attention toward the guard still standing behind Lysander. “Go. I need a private word with the captain.” “Yes, my Queen.” Lysander heard the door open and close behind the guard. “Get up, Lysander,” Rhea began. Lysander obeyed, allowing himself to steal a look toward his mother. She didn‟t berate him for

this small transgression, but neither did she gesture for him to sit, in spite of the fact that she probably wanted to. In fact, much to Lysander‟s surprise, Rhea got up herself. She walked up to him until they stood face to face. “Look at me, Lysander.” Lysander did and almost gasped at the emotion in his mother‟s eyes. Alarm bells starting ringing in his head when she wrapped her arms around him. Something was wrong. Lysander hugged his mother back in slight dismay. “Mother? What‟s wrong?” Rhea stiffened and broke away from his embrace. “Lysander… My rule has failed.” “No, Mother. You are a wise leader. You‟ve always thought about our people.” Rhea let out a bitter laugh. “Much good that did me. I lost your father to our people.” Lysander didn‟t blame his mother for allowing his father to die. He knew she‟d loved the man, but being a queen in their world meant sacrificing a lot. To survive in harpy society, you needed to be cruel and ruthless. Love didn‟t fit anywhere, at least not love between a man and a woman. She‟d chosen to keep her rank and lose her husband, but only because she couldn‟t find any other option. Harpies didn‟t take well to treason. Still, there was more to this than his mother feeling pained about his father‟s disappearance. Confirming his suspicion, Rhea shook her head as if dispelling a bad memory. “This is not what I called you here for. Lysander, some disturbing information has reached my ears.” Lysander remained silent, waiting for her to offer more details. “I should have never allowed our people to continue on the path of the Thieves‟ Guild. Now disaster has struck.” Lysander didn‟t succeed in holding his tongue. “I don‟t understand, Mother. What is going on?” Rhea stepped back and snatched a document off the table. Without another word, she handed it to Lysander. Lysander scanned the papers with increasing anxiety. It seemed to be some sort of report from a source stationed in the United States. Lysander frowned as he realized the source in question was Adrienne, one of his mother‟s most trusted advisors. Adrienne had been strangely absent in the past few days. The

results of this scouting mission could explain that particular fact, but not the rumors surrounding her name. In the report, Adrienne claimed that under the leadership of one Ian Montgomery, the Assassins‟ Guild activity increased to levels never seen before. Moreover, members of the Thieves‟ Guild supported this movement. A large number of harpies met with Kaiden Hearne, a representative of the Assassins‟ Guild and gave this man sensitive information or items to support his growing faction. Lysander looked up at his mother, trying to understand where he stood in all this. Surely, this couldn‟t be such a big threat. After all, Adrienne could deal with Montgomery easily, and an entire ocean separated them from the United States. If some members of their guild wanted to support an obscure movement, they could swiftly be weeded out as well. He opened his mouth to say as much, but his mother stopped him with a glance. “Lysander, this man, this Kaiden Hearne…He can bring about our destruction, the doom of us all.” “Wait, why Hearne? I thought this Montgomery individual led the movement.” “That‟s true. However, without Kaiden, Ian is nothing.” Lysander frowned, still not understanding. Rhea shook her head and sighed. “You‟re aware of the legends that surround our race, son.” “That we evolved from the mythological beings of old, yes. Everyone knows that.” Rhea nodded. “Just like we are said to have evolved from the harpies, snake shifters originate from the Hydra, the monstrous snake creature slain by Heracles in ancient Greece. Strangely enough, we are somehow distantly connected—cousins, if you will—which is why some snake shifters find it easy to connect with harpies.” Lysander nodded, waiting for his mother to continue. “The legends are true,” Rhea said, “but the blood of the creatures of old is all but spent now. There is only one line that preserves this power, one line for each type of supernatural being. For us, that line is mine. For the snake shifters, it is the Hearne family.” Lysander‟s eyes widened as realization struck. “It‟s why Hearne has influence over harpies—because of his connection to the Hydra.”

“Precisely. His influence does not stop with harpies, of course. To us, this is of great consequence, more so now that he is using his power to further his own interests.” Rhea sighed, and it suddenly seemed to Lysander that she looked very old. “Adrienne herself suffered from his presence. A week ago, I sent her to investigate, and she came to me brainwashed, full of praise regarding this Hearne. I would have killed anyone else for such treachery, but Adrienne has shown loyalty to me in the past. Indeed, when she recovered just last night, she told me everything written there.” Rhea stepped up to Lysander once more and gripped his arms in an iron-like vise. “The hour grows late, my son. I do not know what Montgomery and Hearne are trying to do, but I‟m sure their plans involve our common ancestors in some way. You, of course, understand what disasters such a thing could bring about. The old gods are dead, and dead they should remain.” Lysander nodded, knowing what his mother wanted of him before she even said the words. “There is no one else I can trust with this, Lysander. You must go to the United States. You must kill Kaiden Hearne.”

Chapter One The full moon shone brightly on the dark sky, signaling yet another night of revelry for the werewolf pack. This particular night promised events of special significance. The Alpha, Viktor, had summoned a meeting to discuss issues of great importance to the pack. Even before the actual meeting, Flame knew exactly what Viktor intended to say. A year had passed since Jessica and Sasha‟s departure. There had been some restlessness among some of the members of the pack as, even with their original acceptance of Viktor, they were still uncertain as to what to make of their new Alpha. Despite Sasha‟s flaws, they‟d been used to him, and the knowledge that things were undoubtedly going to change didn‟t sit well with some werewolves. Ironically, it was the young ones, the ones who‟d lived their entire lives under the leadership of Sasha Petrovic, who still held on to their silent and passive resistance. Throughout the past year, the pack had shown a degree of hostility toward Viktor‟s young mate, the snake shifter Kaiden Hearne. Werewolves were notoriously homophobic since their society had a very clear familial structure with alpha male, alpha female, betas, pups. An open relationship between two males—one of whom was the pack Alpha—meant not only that having pups would be a problem but that the whole fabric of werewolf society would be torn apart and rebuilt after new norms and standards. It didn‟t help that Kaiden was not even a werewolf but a former snake assassin. Everyone said that snakes could not be trusted, that they were the one race of shifters inherently evil. Flame knew it to be just a stupid prejudice, but, still, it caused an already unstable situation to become even more volatile. His voice brimming with authority, Viktor spoke out to the gathering of werewolves. “It has come to my attention that you vent your concerns behind my back, concerns that may or may not have a legitimate reason. And the cause of that is supposedly my mate. I have

waited one year, giving you time to adjust, but no longer. I will make things clear, once and for all. My mating is nonnegotiable, and those who don‟t agree are free to leave. I‟ve won leadership over the pack fair and square and will not accept disobedience. “ In his capacity as Beta, Flame stood, naturally, by his Alpha‟s side. He supported Viktor in every way and felt happy for him and Kaiden. How could he not? If anyone deserved the joy of finding a true mate, it was Viktor. His friend had been through so much, having been persecuted his entire life by a jealous and overbearing father and a sneaky and backstabbing Alpha female. He‟d even helped Flame free himself from the unwanted mating with that particular bitch. Now, Kaiden‟s affection did wonders for his friend‟s wounded heart. “Now, there‟s another issue that I wanted to discuss,” Viktor said, softening his tone a bit. “My mate has a few words to say.” Murmurs started in the crowd at Viktor‟s introduction. After Viktor took over the pack, Kaiden refrained from speaking out or addressing them in his public capacity. The fact that he chose to do it now made Flame realize the depth of Viktor‟s anger and concern. Flame hoped whatever Kaiden said would placate the pack or at least make them see Kaiden could be one of their own. “As all of you know or at least suspect, I worked in the past as a hired killer for the Assassins‟ Guild. I deeply regret this fact, but there is nothing I can do to change who I am. Since my abandonment of the Guild was done in a very…brutal manner, you‟d probably think some repercussions might occur. However, you needn‟t worry about that. The problem has been dealt with. The pack is safe. Your families are safe. The one thing I can say is that I am loyal to my mate—and loyal to you all. Let us please get over our differences and work together to build a future for this pack.” All of a sudden, a wave of power swept through the grove, and Flame recoiled at the almost physical blow. In a peculiar twist, the rest of the werewolves seemed to fare better, not showing any sign of even feeling it. The murmurs quieted, and the occasional glares melted into more neutral, understanding looks. Viktor seemed surprised but didn‟t point out the weirdness of it all. Instead, he took advantage of the moment to steal a small kiss from his mate‟s lips and then turned his attention toward the pack once more.

“Now, if you have any other questions or concerns, please come to me or, if I‟m not available, my trusted Beta or my mate.” As the meeting ended, Viktor gathered his mate to his chest and kissed him deeply on the mouth. While Kaiden seemed a little uncomfortable with public displays of affection, he obviously had the incentive to get over this discomfort, because he allowed Viktor to pull him onto his lap and play with his hair whenever the Alpha wanted. Viktor and Kaiden finally broke away from each other. Viktor started to mingle with the members of the pack, answering questions and addressing concerns. Flame knew his friend still wanted what was best for the members of the pack, and for that reason, Viktor always tried to show openness and care. Flame stayed close since his duties as a Beta required him to offer support to his Alpha at all times. He suppressed the twinge of sadness at the realization that Viktor didn‟t need him, not really. Kaiden did a very good job of watching Viktor‟s back. Flame shook himself, mentally scowling at the realization that he had yet again lost himself in self-pity. His Alpha may have Kaiden, but he needed all the help he could get to rebuild the trust and solidarity in this pack. And even if Viktor did not need him, Flame still had his three younger siblings, practically pups, counting on him for protection, love, and a home. He looked around the grove, searching for his brothers, Jared and Loren, and his sister, Maya. As if guessing his thoughts, Viktor nodded toward Flame, silently giving him leave to go find his siblings. The number of werewolves present almost overwhelmed his senses, but he still locked in on Jared, Maya, and Loren with ease. They had retreated next to a small tree stump, similar looks of frustration on their faces. When Flame came closer, they turned toward him, their eyes shining with emotion. “Shouldn‟t you be at the Alpha‟s side?” Jared said snappishly. Flame arched a brow. “Viktor has Kaiden to watch his back. I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you‟re all right. “ Jared looked away, huffing angrily. “What‟s wrong?” Flame asked, frowning. “Did anything happen?” “No,” Maya hastily replied. “It‟s fine. We‟re fine.” Flame didn‟t believe her for a second. Before he got a chance to ask, he realized

that, with the pack meeting over, everyone was shifting into wolf form and preparing for the traditional run. Flame‟s stomach sank as he realized he would have to do so as well. Since the dissolution of his mating with Jessica, the wolf inside of him had been disobedient at best and uncontrollable at worst. He didn‟t have problems in shifting, but he feared what his wolf would do once given free rein. Unfortunately, it seemed that he didn‟t have any choice in the matter. Everyone started to shed their clothes, turning into their wolf forms mere seconds later. Soon Flame was the only one still hesitating. His sister nudged him with her snout, urging him to shift as well. With a sigh, Flame obeyed. He took a deep breath and allowed his mind and body to open, releasing the beast that dwelled inside of him. The wolf answered his call, and Flame lost himself to the familiar sensation of the change, embracing it, embracing his true nature. As the wolf opened his eyes, he reveled in the presence of his pack, in the feel of the grass beneath his paws and the pure life that surrounded him wherever he looked. The wolf idly noted that his Alpha‟s mate had yet again shifted into a beautiful rust-colored reptile and wrapped himself around Viktor. The image should have been unsettling, and yet he felt it was as natural as his attraction to the moon. They were two mates sharing an unbreakable bond, their bodies instinctively drawn to each other. He yearned to find that same connection. He desired it with feverish intensity, needing it like the very air he breathed. The pack gathered in a compact formation, and for a minute, Flame nearly forgot about the burning loneliness that branded him. When the pack came together, the wolf would lose himself in the company of his brethren, in the thrill of the hunt and of the midnight run. And yet the appeal of the familiar routine was only momentary. The wolf no longer found the shelter and support he needed in his pack. He desired something else entirely, a different kind of bond. In spite of this, Flame took his place at the Alpha‟s side while at the same time keeping a close eye on his siblings. The smaller wolves obediently followed in his tracks, choosing a position safely close to their brother but respectfully behind the Alpha. Flame couldn‟t help but feel humbled by his Alpha‟s strength, acknowledging the fact that,

even with the weight of the snake sinuously wrapped around his body, he could still lead them in their midnight hunt at an alarming speed. As they ran, Flame happily took in the myriad of scents and sensations. His wolf eyes could not see colors, but he did not feel in any way deprived. His well-developed senses of smell and hearing compensated for it. He allowed himself to enjoy the sound of the startled deer and rabbits scattering around them in the bushes, the scent of their prey as it attempted to flee from the overwhelming strength of the wolf pack. He ran and ran, cleansing his mind and soul through his connection with Mother Nature. His wolf side obeyed him, as if pacified by an unknown force. Flame‟s human mind recalled the power wave in the grove, and he froze in his tracks. What was this thing that could influence his wolf so? Flame had been trying to mend his bond with his animal counterpart for months now. All of a sudden, this mysterious power showed up and did it for him? A part of him—that animal part who knew better than to question good things—told him to just accept it, but Flame‟s reason refused to do so. Viktor also noticed the fact that Flame had stopped and immediately halted the pack. Loren looked at him quizzically, but Flame had no way to explain what he‟d felt. He resolved to speak to Viktor after the run. He nudged Loren with his snout, reorganizing his brothers. Viktor growled, ordering the pack to continue to run in his swift and authoritative manner. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Flame continued to follow his Alpha, no longer interested in catching the prey. The notion that something would happen suddenly weighed heavily upon his mind. Yes, he would have to talk to Viktor soon. It seemed to take forever for the wolves to satisfy their lust for blood and hunt. In the meantime, what had given Flame comfort in the past became a burden. At last, the pack members headed back toward the grove where each of them shifted to their human forms and headed for their respective vehicles. Flame immediately turned his attention to his siblings and found the keys to his Lexus. “Jared, you take Maya and Loren home tonight. I have some business to attend to with the Alpha.”

Jared gave him a curious look but didn‟t question him. After hugging his siblings, Flame looked around to find Viktor. To his surprise, he saw his friend still in the grove, apparently engaged in a heated discussion. As Flame approached, Viktor stopped talking, and Flame couldn‟t catch what they‟d been saying. “Hey, Flame. How come you didn‟t leave with your brothers?” “They can take care of themselves for a few hours. I need to have a word with you.” Viktor nodded. “Sure, Flame. What‟s the matter?” Flame threw a glance in Kaiden‟s direction. He didn‟t know how to say this, especially with his friend‟s mate present. Viktor frowned at his hesitation. “I have no secrets from Kai. You know this. Flame, what‟s on your mind?” “Something happened in the grove, when Kaiden spoke to the pack. I felt it, my wolf felt it. I can still sense that power. What‟s going on?” Kaiden tensed visibly. “I suppose you think it came from me.” He shook his head, looking puzzled and frustrated. “I don‟t understand it either. I‟ve been feeling weird for the past week or so.” “Since that damn Adrienne visited,” Viktor growled, giving Flame a disgruntled look. “We were discussing this when you came up.” Flame blinked in his surprise. “You realized it, too? And who‟s Adrienne?” “A harpy messenger,” Kaiden explained. “I met with her on behalf of the Guild. Point of the matter is, she seemed reluctant at first. Then I got angry, and suddenly…” Kaiden trailed off, burying his face in Viktor‟s shoulder. Viktor petted his mate‟s rust-colored hair. “Don‟t worry, pretty. We‟ll get to the bottom of this.” A gust of wind swept through the now-empty grove, further stirring the restless beast inside of Flame. He shared a look with Viktor and saw the same apprehension in his friend‟s eyes. “We‟ve lingered here too long,” Viktor said. “We need to go.” Flame nodded and turned to follow after his Alpha. For some reason, however, he hesitated. The wolf inside pulled at him, howling that they needed to stay. What in the world was going on?

The wind changed direction, and all of the sudden, Flame scented a foreign, yet familiar, aroma, the one scent that all wolves were bound to recognize, even though it was different for each individual. The scent of his mate. Flame wanted to howl in triumph at the knowledge that his other half was here somewhere, in this very grove. And then realization struck. The entrancing aroma of his mate was tainted by something else, something darker. The smell of hate, of violence, and of anger. Turning on his heel, Flame looked back just in time to see a large bird swoop down on them, claws extended. It seemed to be some sort of huge eagle, the size of a man, with an incredible wingspan and razor-sharp claws. Flame had seen nothing like it before, and he felt awed at the sight. He found himself unable to move, rooted on the spot. Viktor didn‟t have this problem, probably because the peculiar bird seemed to be targeting Kaiden in its attack. Before Flame‟s very eyes, Viktor shifted, a large white wolf appearing where his human body stood before. All the while, Kaiden dodged the bird‟s attack with fluid movements. The snake shifter avoided the eagle‟s deadly claws, but he didn‟t seem to get enough respite to find his weapons. Fighting in his animal form would have been suicide in this case. Viktor lunged toward the bird, but the large eagle flew away just in time. As Viktor freed him from the bird‟s relentless assault, Kaiden cursed and retrieved the one blade he kept with him. In that moment, Flame‟s mind recovered, and he realized the identity of their attacker. Without sparing another moment to consider the effect of his actions, he shifted and jumped Kaiden just as the snake shifter threw the knife at the bird. The blade trajectory shifted, hitting the bird‟s large wing instead of its heart as Kai had obviously intended. The bird shrieked a wounded sound of pain that tore at Flame‟s insides. It tried to fly away using its remaining functional wing, but to no avail. The large, majestic body seized, the wings stopped flapping, and the eagle fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a sickening crack. Flame got off a stunned Kaiden and padded toward the fallen body of the bird. He nudged the motionless eagle with his snout, letting out

a lost whine when the bird showed no reaction. Behind him, he heard Viktor shift and head toward Flame with Kaiden in tow. A growl emerged in Flame‟s throat, and he turned to meet the two men, snarling in warning. Viktor‟s eyes widened. “Flame…What the fuck do you think you‟re doing?” Still in wolf form, Flame ignored his Alpha‟s words. Much to his surprise, Kaiden spoke in his stead. “The bird…The bird is his mate.” Viktor groaned. “You have got to be shitting me.” Kaiden knelt next to Flame, demanding his attention. “The blade I hit it with was poisoned. You have to let us near it, otherwise it‟ll die.” Flame considered his options and scented his fallen mate, whimpering at the realization that the smell of death already started to envelop the eagle. He shifted and turned to Kaiden. “Help him. Please help him.” Kaiden nodded and ran to the eagle‟s side. “We have to stop the venom from spreading further. It‟s lucky you stopped me from hitting anything more vital, or else he would‟ve been dead by now.” “And how do we help him?” “Well, if he was human, I‟d say cut the limb off,” Kai replied. Flame‟s eyes widened in horror, but Kai continued to explain before he could utter his protest. “Since he‟s a shifter, we can try to suck out the venom from the wound. Paranormal beings are usually more resistant to poison, even one as strong as mine.” As he spoke, Kaiden removed the knife from the still-bleeding wound. Black, viscous liquid seeped out, and Flame kicked himself for not taking the weapon out. “Aren‟t we forgetting something here?” Viktor growled behind them. “He attacked you, Kai.” “Yes, he did,” Kaiden agreed. “But he is also Flame‟s mate, and as such, I would give him the same consideration you gave me.” Viktor remained silent. Flame mentally thanked Kaiden as the snake shifter leaned over the wing and deftly moved the blood-stained feathers aside to find the injury. The wing already seemed inflamed, and the eagle seemed to breathe hard, as if wheezing. Kaiden sucked on the ugly wound and spat out the venom, over and over until the inflammation started to recede. The large bird remained motionless, but his breathing evened and Flame knew his mate would survive.

Confirming his guess, Kaiden got up and gave Flame a small smile. “He is strong. He‟ll make it, I‟m sure.” “And then perhaps we‟ll find out why he tried to kill you,” Viktor muttered, somewhat more subdued. His angry glare turned to concern when Kaiden swooned ever so slightly. “What‟s the matter? Did he hurt you?” Kaiden shook his head. “It‟s the venom. For the most part, I‟m immune to it, especially since it didn‟t hit my bloodstream. Even so, ingesting venom is not something good for the body.” Viktor paled and took Kaiden into his arms, making his mate laugh shakily. “Don‟t worry, Viktor. I‟m not going to die or anything like that. It‟s just going to be a slight indigestion.” “You shouldn‟t have gone through it in the first place,” Viktor said between gritted teeth. Flame directed a glare at his Alpha. “So what are you saying? It‟s okay to forgive and forget when it‟s your mate, but when it‟s someone else, we should let them die?” A small moan prevented whatever scathing reply Viktor intended to shoot back. Flame turned toward his mate, realizing that the huge eagle had now become a beautiful young man. A slim but toned body invaded Flame‟s vision, all sleek skin and lean muscles. Chin-length locks fell in auburn waves, naughtily tickling the nape of his neck. Even fallen, he emanated a sense of raw power, an air of silent nobility. Flame berated himself for noticing his mate‟s looks and forced himself to forgo his mate‟s nakedness. A small part of him, the part that almost made him scream in frustration and anger, rejoiced at the realization his mate was a man. He‟d long ago realized that even if he liked women well enough, he preferred men. But damn it, that was unimportant now! His mate didn‟t need lustful intentions, but tender care. “Come on,” Viktor urged in a disgruntled voice. “We can take him to my place.” Flame nodded wordlessly and took his mate into his arms, choosing not to argue with Viktor on this one. He needed to find out why his mate attacked Kaiden as well. The situation didn‟t look too good. Something inside Flame whispered that his mate must‟ve had a

good reason for his actions, but Flame resolved to find out the truth beyond the shadow of a doubt. He could already feel the connection between himself and this man, but if his mate truly intended them ill…Flame would be torn into two, his instincts and his heart separated. He could not love an evil person, of that much he was certain. And yet, as he watched the man‟s face, the worries and dark thoughts vanished. He allowed himself to gently caress his mate‟s cheek. At Flame‟s gesture, his mate‟s eyes cracked open, revealing dazed, emerald-colored orbs. Obviously still out of it, the man leaned into Flame‟s touch and let out a sigh of contentment. Ignoring Viktor‟s glare and Kaiden‟s smirk, Flame headed out of the grove and in the direction of Viktor‟s car. Whatever happened, he‟d found his mate tonight, and he would protect the other man, come what may.

Chapter Two Lysander woke up to a splitting headache and the feel of soft sheets against his skin. He opened his eyes and immediately noticed the unfamiliar background. What had happened to him? He‟d left Greece the day of his conversation with his mother, boarding a plane that headed toward Washington D.C. After an unpleasant flight, he‟d taken the bus to Rook Valley, the city where Kaiden Hearne lived. He‟d found the man with ease, through his connection with the local werewolf pack. For all their claim of secrecy, werewolves didn‟t do “discrete” too well. That‟s how he‟d ended up in a peculiar grove just after what seemed to be a meeting of sorts. Everybody had left, with the exception of Hearne, his lover, and another werewolf of African-American descent. Slowly, the memories came back to him. Much to his shame, he‟d lost himself in admiring the naked body of the black wolf and forgotten to anticipate the change in wind. Hearne sensed him, and the battle ensued. Lysander had not originally intended to attack since at night his vision was poorer. He‟d found himself forced to do so regardless of his disadvantage. Even so, at one point, he‟d almost cornered Hearne. In the end, the pack Alpha stopped him, and Lysander had been forced to retreat. Things started to get fuzzy after that. The swish of a blade, a dark shadow over Hearne‟s silhouette, and pain, so much pain. Lysander let out a moan of distress. One thing seemed clear. He‟d failed in his task because he couldn‟t focus enough to get over his attraction for one—granted, very well-endowed—werewolf. The sound of raised voices made him push through the haze of self-pity. He lifted his head a bit and, to his surprise, realized he was alone. Did Hearne have so much trust in his own abilities that he would leave an assassin unwatched in his home? Lysander guessed

this to be the man‟s den, or whatever it was that snakes and werewolves had together. As he moved on the bed, agony shot through his arm. Lysander bit his lip to suppress the cry of pain. He didn‟t want to alert his captors that he‟d regained his consciousness. He got up awkwardly on the bed and pressed a hand to the arm in question. It felt a bit swollen, hot with the pain. If Lysander guessed correctly, and the blade that hit him had been tipped with poison, it seemed amazing that he could feel this pain in the first place. By rights, he should be dead. With his metabolism, the venom would have spread even faster through his body. He couldn‟t understand it. Shaking his head at the incomprehensible situation, Lysander decided to figure out the mystery of his survival later. If he didn‟t get out of Hearne‟s house, that miracle would quite possibly be for naught. Gritting his teeth, he leaned his arm against the headboard and pushed himself off the bed. He cursed when he realized he didn‟t have any clothes on. It made sense, of course. He‟d been in shifted form during his attack, and his captors wouldn‟t have given him clothes once he‟d changed back. He scanned the room, hoping to find some sort of item that could help him cover his nudity. If he didn‟t, he‟d have to brave escaping in nothing but his skin. He preferred not to use that option since he didn‟t know at what point he‟d be able to shift into his animal form again. Being caught by the American authorities and arrested for indecent exposure didn‟t appeal to him at all, especially since he‟d supposedly come as an innocent Greek tourist vacationing in the great US of A. His eyes fell on a large wardrobe, and he half-walked, half-dragged his body to the monstrous piece of furniture, grimacing at the taste of whoever had furnished the room. He hoped the thing at least held something he could use. As he opened the doors of the armoire, he realized that it did indeed hold a few items of clothing. With a sigh of relief, Lysander snatched a T-shirt and a pair of jeans within his reach. Donning the acquired items proved to be quite a challenge with his still-throbbing arm, but in the end, he managed to put the T-shirt on. Only when he‟d succeeded in this task did he realize that when wearing the garment, he looked like a child playing dress-up with his parent‟s coat. The T-shirt

obviously belonged to someone of a larger bulk, and despite Lysander‟s athletic physique, he still felt small and inferior wearing it. To his dismay, he also realized the clothing held a tantalizing, masculine scent, something that reminded Lysander of the strength of the gods of old. His dick hardened, and Lysander groaned to himself. Giving himself a disgusted look, he pressed his hand to his throbbing arm. Pain shot through his body, killing the arousal but also draining him of strength. His knees buckled, and he almost fell on the hardwood floor. He caught himself and leaned on the doors of the big wardrobe, struggling for a few moments to recover. As the pain faded into the background, Lysander took in the size of the jeans still in his hand. He instantly decided against trying them on. For all its lacks, the T-shirt covered his groin and ass, and it was better than nothing. The jeans would just hinder him, if not make escape impossible. Now, more than ever, straining his arm to put them on wouldn‟t help him any. He dropped the jeans and made his way to the door, noticing with disquiet that the raised voices had at some point stopped. Did it mean he‟d have a chance to break free? Somehow, he doubted it. He looked around, wondering if he could find any other way out. One glance to the window told him that wouldn‟t be an option. For all their apparent disregard of Lysander‟s abilities, the windows had been locked tight and boarded. Under normal circumstances, Lysander could have attempted to break through them, but his hurt arm didn‟t allow for much effort. Even if he did try to open a window, his captors would surely hear and that would defeat the purpose of the whole thing. With a sigh, Lysander decided he didn‟t have any other choice but to try the door. He didn‟t really think he could escape through there, but staying here and waiting for his enemies to come for him would be worse. Lysander opened the door and stealthily slipped into the hallway. He needn‟t have bothered with the stealth. Three men stood in the room facing the one he‟d just exited, Hearne, Hearne‟s lover, Viktor, and the other werewolf in the grove, the one responsible for Lysander‟s distraction. Lysander tried to focus on his target, but his

gaze wandered to the tall, dark man who just stood there, watching him with those piercing black eyes. Unwillingly, Lysander shuddered. In a peculiar development, Lysander swore he could feel a connection between them. He didn‟t even know the other man‟s name, but he felt himself inexorably drawn to the stranger. For a brief moment, Lysander lost himself in that sensation. He only realized the stupidity and irrationality of his behavior when a voice broke the spell of the man‟s eyes. “Well, now that you‟re awake,” Viktor Petrovic began, “perhaps you can tell us who sent you—and why you tried to kill my mate.” Lysander looked away from the attractive stranger to Petrovic. “You can do whatever you want to me. I won‟t tell you anything.” Even if these people killed him, he would not betray his Queen. More than the loyalty to his people, his allegiance lay with his mother. Hearne scowled. “We have no interest in killing you. I just want to know who wants to kill me.” He paused, his expression darkening even further. “Admittedly, I don‟t have a very good history, but I‟ve tried to leave that life behind. Just answer this question. Is it connected to something I did in the past?” Petrovic took hold of Hearne‟s arm and forcibly turned him around. “Kai, no. This isn‟t your fault. We‟re together now. You can forget about it.” “Apparently not,” Kaiden snarled, releasing himself from Viktor‟s grip. He glared at Lysander. “Well? Is it revenge?” Lysander blinked. Of course, he‟d been aware of Hearne‟s background as an assassin, but he‟d not realized the man had given it up once Petrovic came into his life. He hesitated, unsure of what to answer. “It‟s not connected to an assassination,” he replied in the end. Hearne‟s eyes widened in disbelief. “Then why…? I‟m no one now.” He shook his head. “No, you lie. It has to be something like that. I can‟t imagine…” Petrovic tensed further. “I can. It‟s Jessica, isn‟t it? Jessica and my father.” He grabbed Lysander‟s arms and squeezed, ignoring Lysander‟s gasp. “Answer the damn question.” A snarl sounded behind them, and Lysander suddenly found himself free from the tight grip of the werewolf. He realized with

surprise that the dark man had pushed Petrovic aside and posted himself protectively in front of Lysander. “You will not lay a hand on him, Viktor.” Lysander gaped. Why would this man protect him? Did the stranger feel the same connection he did? No, it couldn‟t be. Lysander needed to focus on his mission and on finding out what the hell was going on. The entire situation seemed wrong somehow. He had no idea who Jessica even was or why Petrovic would think his father had any connection to Lysander. He did remember something about Petrovic defeating the former Alpha of the Rook Valley pack and taking it over, but he didn‟t care at all about werewolf politics. Viktor glared right back. “Get out of the way, Flame.” Even Lysander could feel the wave of power in Viktor‟s voice. He realized where it came from, the Alpha bloodlines descending from Cerberus. Due to his noble blood and ancestry, Lysander was immune, but the man in front of him—Flame—didn‟t seem to be. His body tensed, as if aching to obey the command. And yet, Flame did not move. “No.” Viktor took a deep breath, obviously put out by Flame‟s behavior. “Fine. I won‟t touch him. I just want him to answer the question anyway.” Flame nodded and turned to look at Lysander. Their eyes met, and Lysander‟s mouth went dry. “Hi.” “Hello,” Lysander replied, not knowing what else to say or do. “I‟m Flame Grayson, Viktor‟s Beta. “ Before he could stop himself, Lysander found himself telling Flame his name. “Lysander Metsovou.” “Viktor‟s mate‟s assassin,” Viktor muttered behind them. They both ignored him. “Something tells me,” Flame began, “there is more to this than what it seems. If you can, answer Viktor‟s question.” If his mother had taught Lysander anything, it was that decisions should never be made blindly. Orders needed to be obeyed, but blind submission didn‟t help. The Queen needed people who could understand things, who could read through the lines and see the shades of gray in a black-and-white world. Lysander now realized his mission held more complications than he‟d initially expected. Hearne could

indeed be guilty of the accusations against him, but at the same time, he could be innocent. If he truly didn‟t know, he might not even be aware of the forces fighting against him. In such a situation, Lysander could use an ally like Hearne. After all, the man would be a much better addition to his mother‟s entourage and more helpful than a random kill. He needed more information. With Flame‟s help, those chances increased. He nodded, not giving away the thoughts that passed through his mind. “I don‟t know any Jessica, nor did Petrovic‟s father send me here.” “Then who?” Hearne cried. “Why? I don‟t get it.” Lysander considered the question. How much could he say without implicating his mother? They‟d already seen him in shifted form, but other winged shifters existed, some of whom had no bloodline connection with the harpies. Lysander knew his mother had established diplomatic relationship with at least two or three distinctive races. Still, since Hearne had just discussed a certain issue with a harpy, Lysander‟s sudden arrival was suspicious. He decided to be vague and offer only the strictly necessary information. “I belong to a group that is concerned about recent developments in the Assassins‟ Guild. Taking into account your involvement with the Guild and your great influence in its progress, I‟ve been sent to eliminate the threat.” Hearne gave him a confused look. “I don‟t get it. If your group is concerned, why not take out Ian? Why me?” Lysander arched a brow. He didn‟t want to speak about Hearne‟s ability if the man did not realize it himself. “Do you truly not know?” Hearne paled, and Lysander saw realization on his face. “The thing in the grove. The power.” Lysander nodded, wondering at the same time if he was doing the right thing. Each step he took now could determine the outcome of this increasingly delicate mission. He wished Flame didn‟t distract him with his presence. Perhaps without feeling Flame so close, he could think more clearly. Flame chose that exact moment to speak. “We‟ve only just now noticed it ourselves. Back in the grove, before you…. arrived, we were discussing it.”

Viktor snorted at Flame‟s pause but didn‟t make any comment on the phrasing. Instead, he turned to Lysander and asked, “I am concerned. What is this power? We just want to be left alone. “ “That isn‟t likely to happen anytime soon.” Lysander made the attempt to remember his mother‟s explanation and sound reasonably coherent at the same time. Luckily, Rhea had also given him a file detailing the family tree of the snake shifter, so he managed to explain things quite intelligently. “Basically, Hearne is a descendent from the old Greek gods. Snake shifter noble blood originates from the Hydra, killed by Heracles. Through that connection, you have a bond to many other shifter races, such as the werewolves, werecats, and even fox spirits—the kitsune, as Japanese call them. Your noble blood gives you power over those with diluted blood.” He avoided mentioning the harpies, hoping none of those present would make the connection. “I don‟t understand,” Hearne said. “What kind of power?” “It‟s the same thing as the werewolf Alpha. It originates from the same source, only it‟s not set in stone or organized like in wolf packs, and it crosses over races.” “Wait, that‟s not right,” Petrovic interceded. “So you‟re saying Kai has power over werewolves. Why not me?” “Pure bloods can‟t control other pure bloods.” Hearne let out a thoughtful sound, seemingly digesting the information. “So then you‟re a pure blood, too, I take it—otherwise, they‟d never have sent you. You‟d have to be immune to my power.” At those words, Lysander simply blanked out. He‟d not expected to have the tables turned on him. Fuck! He‟d completely underestimated Hearne. Now what? Did Hearne realize Rhea’s involvement? In a weird twist, Petrovic helped Lysander out of his jam. “Or not belong to those races connected to the snake shifters,” he suggested. Hearne shook his head. “He‟d have to be one of them. Otherwise, they‟d never have bothered in the first place.” He gave Lysander a sly look, and Lysander had the sudden feeling of being the fly caught in the spider‟s web. He didn‟t like it. He refused to be intimidated. “My ancestry is not the issue here,” he replied coolly. “Yours is.”

“I beg to differ,” Petrovic snapped back. “You‟re the intruder here, and the one who tried to assassinate Kai.” “Hold on,” Flame immediately interceded. “No need to get violent. This is clearly a misunderstanding. Kaiden never wanted to control anyone, and Lysander wouldn‟t have attacked him had he known this.” Kaiden let out a deep sigh. “Flame is right. In hindsight, I should have realized Ian didn‟t allow me to live out of the kindness of his heart.” Viktor nodded glumly. “Flame, it‟s best that you take Lysander out of here. His presence here is suspicious. Kai and I will investigate this, find out what we can. Hopefully, Montgomery won‟t realize what happened, and we‟ll get to the bottom of this soon. We‟ll keep in touch.” Lysander opened his mouth to protest, but a large dark hand landed on his arm and squeezed, silencing him. Unlike Viktor‟s hold, Flame‟s touch didn‟t hurt Lysander, but it clearly conveyed the message, Keep your mouth shut. For once, Lysander obeyed. For whatever reason, Flame wanted to keep him safe. Lysander wouldn‟t reject that because of macho stupidity. “Will do,” Flame replied to Viktor‟s suggestion. “Take care.” Viktor shared a look with Flame. “You, too.” After a brief, awkward moment, they stared in silence at each other, but then Viktor reached to engulf Flame in a hug. “Be careful, man.” Flame hugged Viktor back, and Lysander realized in surprise he didn‟t appreciate the intimacy level between the two men. Before he could even figure out what that meant, he cleared his throat in irritation. “I guess we should get going then.” Hearne stared at him, those golden-black eyes eerily analyzing Lysander as if trying to delve deep in his soul. Lysander didn‟t know what Hearne wanted from him now, so he just glared at the snake shifter. To Lysander‟s dismay, Hearne actually started to laugh. “Go on, Flame. Take Lysander and be on your way. We‟ll deal with things here.” Lysander frowned, not appreciating Hearne‟s tone. In the end, Flame stopped him from uttering a single word. He grabbed Lysander like a sack of potatoes and draped him over his shoulder. Lysander let out a yelp of protest, knowing the T-shirt would in this position expose

all his bits, but Flame slapped his ass to quiet him. “I‟ll call you as soon as I can,” he said to Petrovic and Hearne. Flame walked down the hallway, Hearne‟s mirthful chuckles following them out. Sighing to himself, Lysander surrendered the battle and vowed to win the war.

Chapter Three As he pulled into the driveway to his house, Flame wondered how he‟d explain his sudden departure to his siblings. He couldn‟t risk telling them everything about this peculiar situation. They were young still and, to an extent, didn‟t understand the complications life as an adult could yield. More importantly, knowing about it might cause them to try to interfere or help, and Flame refused to expose his siblings to that danger. He entered the house still musing over how to break the news to his brothers. In the end, he didn‟t have a lot of time to figure things out. Loren showed up in the hallway, munching on a cupcake, and waved at him. “Hi, bro. What‟s up?” Even if the question seemed light, Flame caught on to the seriousness of the tone and nearly winced. “Hey, Loren. Where are Maya and Jared?” “Around,” Loren said. “Hey, guys, come on down,” he called out. “Flame‟s home.” Flame really did wince this time. He remembered Jared‟s snappish tone at the meeting and cursed his life for making him choose between his mate and his brothers. Hasty footsteps sounded down the stairs, and Jared and Maya showed up in a few seconds. Flame greeted them with a smile. The sight of them always made his heart warm up regardless of the circumstances. Flame‟s birth parents had died when he‟d been just a pup, and he could barely remember the worriless child he‟d been. The Graysons had taken him in, given him a family and a home. After their deaths in a fire a few years back, things had never been the same. Flame almost thought he was cursed to always lose his loved ones. For that reason, he protected his three siblings with everything he had. He hated leaving them now, but he didn‟t really have much choice.

“Hey, Flame,” Jared greeted him, sounding even more upset than in the grove. “How are things at the Alpha‟s house?” Flame was taken aback by Jared‟s abrupt question. He‟d told them he needed to stay at Viktor‟s because of a work-related issue, but he‟d not expected such hostility from his brother because of it. “Fine,” he replied. “Viktor gave me a task, and I need to leave Rook Valley for a few days.” A moment of silence followed his reply. “Leave?” Maya eventually asked. “Why? To go where?” “I‟ll explain more when I come back,” Flame said. “It‟s a quite urgent and complicated issue.” His brothers‟ gazes burned into him, at the same time reminding him he really did need to hurry. “Every time Viktor asks something of you, you go ahead and obey like a puppy. He has a mate now. Let it go.” Flame gave Jared a look of horror. “You‟re not insinuating that Viktor and I…” He shook his head, shocked that his siblings would even consider something like that. “He‟s like my brother, guys, you know that. What brought this on?” Loren sighed. “You were always by Viktor‟s side, ever since we were pups. For a while, we actually thought you two were mates. Suddenly, he is pack Alpha, has a new, gorgeous mate, he separates you from your own, and now you leave us for a mysterious task given by him.” “Viktor‟s mate has nothing to do with you,” Flame replied. “And I cannot believe you would say that my friendship with him could take precedence over my care for you.” “You let him tear apart your mating!” Loren cried. “Do you really believe we can‟t see the way you wander around, looking lost? Do you think we can‟t see the pain in your eyes?” Maya placed a gentle hand on her littermate‟s arm, effectively stopping his angry rant. Loren closed his mouth and looked away as Maya took a step forward and wrapped her slim arms around Flame‟s torso. She was so small that Flame was afraid she would break if he squeezed her. Even so, she had a deeply hidden strength and a priceless heart of gold. “Are you all right, brother?” she asked softly, her big, blue eyes concerned.

“I‟m okay, princess,” Flame said, forcing a smile on his lips for Maya‟s benefit. He hated fighting with his brothers. “I‟m just fine.” Maya frowned, her blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. They were so different, Flame and the three younger Grayson pups, so different that it hurt. He couldn‟t have stood out more if he tried. Everything about Flame, from his skin tone to his build and his hair, simply clashed with the Grayson litter. They all had light colored hair, from Loren‟s honeyed brown to Maya‟s spun gold and Jared‟s darker blond. In consequence, whenever they shifted, they made for the most amazing group of gray-brown wolves Flame had ever seen. His own black fur, black eyes, and black skin were a perpetual reminder that he didn‟t fit in. He was by no means the only black person in the pack. The pack was nothing if not diverse, and all sorts of races had come together, forgetting their differences because of their one common feature, the wolf. Flame had never been looked down on for racial reasons, with the exception of Jessica, perhaps, who pathologically found something to hate in everyone she knew. It was not the racial aspect that bothered him, but the fact that, while he could play the role of the big brother for his siblings, he could never really make himself believe that they were blood. Their physical differences made it impossible to even entertain such thoughts. He knew he shouldn‟t dwell on these idiotic notions. Many adopted children had diverse families and didn‟t agonize about it like him or overanalyze their good fortune. If he turned on the television, he could easily see yet another celebrity who‟d adopted a child from Somalia or Korea, or whatever country they targeted nowadays. “You‟re lying!” Maya cried, her blue eyes burning with anger. “You‟re lying! I can tell!” “Would you stop being such a martyr, Flame?” Loren said with a sigh. “We‟re your brothers, you can tell us anything. You know that. Are you certain the Alpha did the right thing in separating you from Jessica?” “Oh, Loren. Matings are held sacred for a reason. It‟s not my separation from Jessica which caused me the hurt you saw, it‟s the fact that I was with her to begin with.” He smiled at his brothers, now

thinking of Lysander. “I‟m fine now. You don‟t need to be worried anymore.” Something in his voice or in his reply must have convinced them because this time, they remained silent. “Anyway, I need a favor, Loren,” Flame said. “I‟d owe you forever if you could gather up some spare clothes of yours and lend them to me for a short while.” Loren blinked, obviously taken by surprise. “Ummm…Sure. For this task of Viktor‟s?” Flame nodded. “Like I said. Long story.” Maya immediately went into motherly mode. “You need anything else? Food? Supplies?” Flame beamed at his sister in gratitude. “Thanks, princess. That would be great.” As his two siblings rushed to finish their assigned tasks, Flame ruffled Jared‟s hair. “I‟m serious, pup. I‟m fine. You just take care of the kids while I‟m away.” Jared snorted. “Sure, Flame. We‟ll be fine. And we‟re not kids.” Flame laughed as he poked his brother in the ribs. “Sure you aren‟t.” Avoiding Jared‟s punch, Flame left the room to finish his own bags. His heart still felt heavy at the knowledge that he‟d have to leave his siblings alone, but he hoped he‟d return soon. Maybe then he could even introduce Lysander to them. He shook his head to himself. One step at a time, Flame, one step at a time. He‟d focus on his task for now and deal with the rest later. **** As he drove, Flame stole a look toward his sleeping mate. Their hasty departure from Rook Valley had made Lysander angry, but now the exhaustion caused by his brush with death had come back and he‟d fallen into frustrated slumber. Flame couldn‟t believe how close he‟d come to losing his mate before even knowing him. Lysander Metsovou. The man was a mystery. Kaiden‟s little interrogation session made Flame realize a few facts about Lysander. First off, Flame suspected Kaiden had guessed right about Lysander‟s

ancestry. He didn‟t know who‟d sent Lysander, but with some research, he could come up with some clues. Flame admitted Lysander awoke things inside him he‟d never thought possible. He wanted Lysander to have a justification for his actions. How could he not? He hated the thought of taking any side in this, and his soul and instincts didn‟t allow him to choose anyone else but Lysander. Going against his Alpha and best friend back in Rook Valley had been the hardest thing he‟d done in his life, harder than mating with Jessica even, but he‟d do it all over again with no regret. To his knowledge, Kaiden had turned over a new leaf since mating with Viktor and that meant Lysander was in the wrong. At the same time, Lysander seemed to know a lot more about Kaiden‟s power than either of them. Flame suspected that at least part of Lysander‟s story was true. Perhaps, with luck, they could work together to find out the cause of all this mess. He didn‟t yet understand all the feelings Lysander evoked in him. Werewolves were told from a very young age that each of them had a mate—the other half of their soul—who could complete them. At the same time, though, they needed to be careful. Even if the wolf inside felt the mate bond, the human part needed more. Too often a werewolf ended up torn in two because he couldn‟t love his instinctual mate or he fell for someone different. Even as he acknowledged that risk, Flame somehow knew it would not be the case for him. Lysander intrigued him. His wolf instincts demanded that he claim his mate, yes, but his heart wanted to know the man better, to understand what made him tick. What did those beautiful green eyes hide? Loyalty, for sure. Courage, strength, a wicked temper. Passion. Flame smiled as he remembered the moment Lysander exited the room wearing his T-shirt. Viktor had given Flame a room to stay in while Lysander recovered, but Flame had never thought he‟d see Lysander like that, at least not so soon. The possessiveness and desire he‟d experienced in that moment couldn‟t be described in words. No, it wasn‟t just the wolf. He simply knew something more would grow between them. Until then, Flame needed to stay low-key and out of sight. His smile melted as a bad feeling started to grow. He suspected Lysander‟s

attack was only an omen for a series of bad events that would befall his friends. Flame half wanted to turn the car around and return to Rook Valley to support his Alpha and family, but he knew that course of action would just sabotage Viktor‟s efforts and, consequently, risk his mate‟s safety and that of his entire pack. No matter what happened, Flame would avoid that at all costs. He was taking them to his parents‟ cabin, the one thing he had left of his birth family. No one but Viktor knew he still owned it or that he came here sometimes when he needed to think. Even back then, he‟d been friends with Viktor, back when they were both just pups and Flame‟s birth parents were still alive. The road stretched in front of them for hours as Flame drove and Lysander slept. Night fell, and outside clouds started gathering on the sky, signaling an oncoming storm. Lightning flashed, and the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. The dam holding the downpour at bay broke, and rain surrounded the world in a curtain of water. As Flame activated the windshield wipers, a flashback of a different stormy night passed through his mind, the one when he‟d met Kaiden. Would his mate love him like Kaiden loved Viktor? Flame couldn‟t ask for more. The bond with his wolf was already starting to mend as both of them yearned for the same thing. But Flame had seen loyalty in Lysander for whoever told him to kill Kaiden and, beyond that, deep affection. Who did his mate love so much that he was willing to die to protect him? Shaking his head at his own musings, Flame concentrated on driving. By his side, Lysander stirred. His eyes cracked open, and he stared blearily at the falling rain. “What‟s going on?” he asked as he stretched. “Where are we going?” “Someplace safe. You‟ve not recovered completely yet.” Lysander visibly tensed. “About that…I remember being stabbed or something along that line. The blade was poisoned. How did I survive?” Flame shrugged, although the painful memory of his mate‟s body convulsing and fighting death hurt him still. “Kaiden helped you out.

He removed the poison and gave you the closest thing to an antidote we could come up with.” Lysander‟s eyes widened. “Hearne? Why? I tried to kill him.” “For me,” Flame replied. Lysander blanched and looked even more confused. Questions whirled in those deep green eyes, but before Lysander could voice them, Flame saw their destination ahead. He nodded toward the house now visible in the distance. “Look. That‟s where we‟ll be staying.” Lysander followed his gaze to the cabin and squinted, as if he couldn‟t see too well. “Anything wrong?” Flame asked, concerned. “No,” Lysander snapped irritably. “I‟m perfectly all right.” Flame arched his brow but kept his mouth shut. It was more than clear that Lysander had a bit of a problem seeing in the darkness. Of course, that made sense. Eagles in the wild had the same issue. Flame vowed to keep a close eye on Lysander, wondering if he could get some information from those tiny hints. Even with this small weakness, he still had the feeling his mate wasn‟t a common type of winged shifter. They drove for a bit more in silence until the house became fully visible even through the curtain of rain. Lysander let out a sound of frustration upon realizing the road would take them almost two hundred meters from the actual cabin. “How the hell am I going to go through that rain with no clothes and no shoes?” Flame laughed. “Don‟t worry about it. You‟ll have both. Unfortunately, the luggage is in the trunk, and I‟m not looking forward to carrying it to the house in this weather, so I‟ll have to carry you instead.” Lysander actually blushed. “That won‟t be necessary. I‟ll just make a run for it or stay in the car.” “I‟m afraid you don‟t have a choice.” Flame stopped the car and grinned at his mate. “Come on.” He grabbed his jacket and wrapped it around Lysander, smirking to himself at the outraged look he received. “No way,” Lysander protested. “I refuse. I‟m not some damsel in distress.” “You asked for it,” Flame pointed out. He opened the car door and, before Lysander could fend him off, pulled Lysander out with him. As soon as the rain hit, Lysander stopped squirming, probably realizing

that it would only get them both wetter and even more uncomfortable. Flame noted that little fact about his mate. Lysander liked to choose his battles. The feel of the cold water assaulted Flame‟s skin as he shut the car door quickly and wrapped the jacket around Lysander. He held his mate tightly and ran toward the cabin door. With his speed, it only took a couple of seconds to get there. Even so, they were still sopping wet by the time they reached shelter. Flame reached above the door pane, searching for the key he knew would be there. As soon as he detected the item and led them inside, Lysander jumped out of his arms. “That‟s not very safe, leaving the key there for anyone to take.” Flame just shrugged. “We‟re not exactly in central New York City. No one knows this place even exists.” Lysander scowled and opened his mouth to say something. The words ended up choked by a cough, and Flame realized the state of the cabin didn‟t offer them a very warm welcome. He could actually see dust particles floating in the air, and the furniture was still covered with white sheets from the last time he‟d visited. He pressed the switch, trying to turn on the light. To his horror, above them, the lightbulb burst. Lysander ducked at the small explosion and cursed. “What the hell…?” “Sorry about the mess,” Flame began with a sigh. “I haven‟t been here in a full year.” Since he‟d broken the mating with Jessica and been unable to control his wolf. “And you thought it was a good idea to come now because…?” Flame didn‟t appreciate his mate‟s tone. “It‟s remote, and it will keep you safe and away from Rook Valley. Happy?” Lysander took a deep breath, obviously not happy at all. “Tell me you can do something about the heat here.” “We have a heating system, but the generators seem to be down.” “Do you at least have candles?” Flame struggled to control his own temper. “I‟m not sure.” “Splendid.” Lysander walked to the couch and pulled off the sheet. Ignoring Flame, he jumped on the dusty piece of furniture and cuddled on the couch in a tight ball, legs beneath him, face down and buried in

his neck. Flame gaped as his mate took off the wet T-shirt, ignoring the fact that he was now completely nude. Feathers appeared on his arms and chest, and Flame stared in awe at the sight of his mate‟s birdlike behavior. “All right…I‟ll get us some blankets, find candles, and clean up a bit.” Lysander didn‟t say anything, nor did he give any sign of having heard Flame. Flame couldn‟t quite leave his mate on the couch alone, though. Lysander obviously didn‟t appreciate being here, and even with the storm, he might try to escape. “As much as I hate it, you‟re coming with me.” Lysander let out a birdlike squeak as Flame grabbed him off the couch. “Ade gamisou! Let me go! I can‟t be here. I have a job to do. I can‟t stay here and play camping or whatever it is you‟re trying to pull.” Flame ignored his mate‟s anger, silently wondering what language Lysander used. Probably Greek, if he went by Lysander‟s name, assuming, of course, his mate had been truthful about that. Not that he could focus too much on linguistics with Lysander naked right there in front of him. Carrying his protesting mate on his shoulder, Flame went into the dark kitchen and started looking through the drawers. “Stand still,” he told Lysander. “I‟m trying to find some sort of source of light.” Lysander huffed but stopped arguing. Flame focused on his task, but it wasn‟t easy, since Lysander‟s nudity distracted him. In the end, he managed to get a hold of some candles, matches, and a cup to use as support. Knowing he didn‟t have much else to do in the kitchen, Flame walked to his former bedroom and put his mate down on the bed. He lit a candle on the nightstand, pushing aside the stupid image in his head of the two of them at a romantic dinner. Rummaging through his closet, he came up with a shirt and some old pants. He threw the shirt to Lysander and kept the pants for himself. “Put that on.” “Feathers are better,” Lysander muttered, but he obeyed. Flame turned around to pull his own pants on, hoping his mate would miss the throbbing erection between his legs. Then again, how bad could

Lysander‟s eyesight be? His damn cock couldn‟t help but respond to Lysander‟s nearness, and the sight of Lysander‟s nude body didn‟t help at all. For a second, he considered leaving the wet jeans on, but he decided against it. The material felt hard, scratchy, and uncomfortable, and Lysander would notice his arousal tomorrow, if not today. He removed his own shirt and pulled off his shoes and jeans, his senses keeping track of his mate‟s movements behind him. Lysander remained silent, motionless. He almost seemed to have stopped breathing altogether. Having changed, he turned to look at Lysander. To his surprise, he saw Lysander remained in the same position Flame put him in, still naked and clutching the T-shirt in his hand like an anchor. Flame‟s nostrils flared as he took in the arousal now permeating the air. His gaze went to his mate‟s groin, and his mouth started to water upon seeing Lysander‟s shaft pointing accusingly at him. If nothing else, Lysander was attracted to him. The wolf demanded to claim Lysander, to seal their mating bond. Flame tried to shake himself, knowing he needed to focus on getting to know Lysander. Fucking would not clear things up between them. It wouldn‟t bridge the gap Lysander‟s attack on Kaiden had caused. All reason flew out the window when Lysander got up, dropped the T-shirt, and came to stand in front of Flame. “Ade gamisou!” he said again. Flame wondered what that meant, but he didn‟t have a chance to ask. With no other warning, Lysander crushed his lips against Flame‟s. Growling, Flame wrapped his arms around his mate and pushed Lysander against the wall with more strength than he‟d have liked. Lysander didn‟t seem to mind. He supported himself against the wall, wrapping his long legs around Flame‟s waist. Flame held his mate up with one hand and used the other to tear his pants off. His mind cried out his mate‟s name over and over, the need to be skin-to-skin sweeping over him with the intensity of a tidal wave. Lysander clung to him, digging peculiarly sharp fingernails into his skin. The slight pain melded with the pleasure as Flame took his mate‟s mouth, swallowing those sweet moans.

Flame forgot all about his tasks and questions. What questions? There was nothing clearer to Flame than the connection between him and Lysander. He could feel it, taste it in their intoxicating kiss, and he couldn‟t get enough of it. He greedily explored his mate‟s mouth, the wolf inside him wanting to howl in triumph when Lysander surrendered unquestioningly. He‟d have liked the kiss to go on forever, but Lysander broke away. “Bed,” he croaked out in a raspy voice. “Now.” Flame nodded. He was entirely capable of keeping his mate upright, more so since Lysander felt quite light, which was probably courtesy of his bird shifter nature. Still, he didn‟t want their first time to be a quick, mindless fuck. In a swift motion, Flame hoisted Lysander up from the wall. He groaned when Lysander pressed himself even closer, the feel of his mate‟s strong legs wrapped around his waist, and the hot shaft against his abdomen driving him crazy. An almost sadistic satisfaction filled him when Lysander gasped, rubbing against him wantonly. Flame was obviously not the only one whose brain had been overwhelmed by sensation. As he deposited Lysander on the bed, Flame took a moment to admire his mate‟s body. In the dim candlelight, Lysander seemed to shine. Flame realized with awe that a fluff of tiny feathers now followed the line of Lysander‟s collarbone. Fascinated, he swept his hand over his mate‟s chest, marveling when Lysander‟s skin felt goose bumpy to the touch. Occasionally, his palm even ran into soft, tiny scales. Flame explored his mate‟s body greedily, knowing well what the changes in Lysander meant. Whenever a shifter experienced extreme emotion, ranging from anger to arousal, his true nature surfaced. Flame could feel his own claws emerging, and his vision had already gone monochrome. The answering passion he could read in Lysander‟s body made his blood boil in his veins, and he wanted Lysander so badly it hurt. He realized for the first time that, unlike him, Lysander was uncircumcised. Sweet. More to play with. But then his mind started working and he actually registered their environment. The cot was too small for them to fit in, having been built for a young Flame. He‟d been a tall child but a child, regardless, so they didn‟t have a chance of moving on that bed without having to suffer through supreme

discomfort. As if that weren‟t enough, he didn‟t have any of the supplies necessary, either. At his uncertain pause, Lysander looked up with a frown. “What?” he asked, his green eyes slowly becoming more focused and less hazed with desire. “I don‟t have what we need,” Flame replied, barely suppressing a wince. He sounded like a frightened virgin about to lose her virginity on prom night. God! Lysander seemed to ignore his lameness. “What do you mean?” he inquired again, his hand actually going down between his legs to fondle his dick. Flame‟s eyes instantly went to his mate‟s groin, and he swallowed at the mouthwatering sight of Lysander rubbing his fingers across his foreskin and playing with the glistening head of his dick. Mentally shaking himself, Flame struggled to keep a straight face and focus on the practical issues. “Everything in the house is too old and therefore unsuitable, and the packs are still outside.” Lysander just grinned, apparently not worried a bit about their predicament. “We improvise.” “I don‟t want to hurt you,” Flame murmured. He couldn‟t help but feel self-conscious, particularly when he took in his mate‟s perfection. God, he wanted Lysander so badly, and if he went by the hard dick between his mate‟s legs, Lysander obviously wanted him too. Still, the last thing Flame wanted was to cause his mate pain. “You won‟t,” Lysander said. He grinned impishly as he reached over to fist Flame‟s cock. “I want to taste you, Flame,” he purred. “I‟m assuming I can count on your stamina for recovery time.” Flame grinned at his mate, not feeling offended one bit. The teasing tone in his mate‟s voice created a sense of camaraderie over the sexual tension, and it made everything better, bringing them closer somehow. “You know it,” he growled. “Suck me.” Lysander didn‟t wait for a second invitation. He got up from the cot, leaving it free for Flame and nodding toward it as his feet hit the floor. Flame obeyed his mate‟s silent command and sat down on the side of the bed. When Lysander knelt, Flame spread his legs to better accommodate him. And then Lysander‟s mouth engulfed Flame‟s dick and Flame forgot to breathe. The heavenly, wet warmth around his

cock was unlike anything he‟d ever experienced, and it felt even better because it was Lysander doing it. Flame gritted his teeth to withstand the onslaught of pleasure. His vision darkened, but he kept his eyes on Lysander, refusing to let go of his mate‟s monochrome image. The way Lysander‟s lips stretched around Flame‟s cock, the naughty flicks of tongue and teasing around his sack, everything seemed specifically engineered to magnify the feelings and sensations. His mate‟s skilled mouth led him to the highest peaks of ecstasy and kept him there, tantalizing, but never quite pushing him over the edge. Flame‟s control broke, and he couldn‟t hold himself still any longer. His hips pushed forward as he started fucking his mate‟s sweet mouth. Lysander choked a little, but he soon recovered, accepting Flame‟s cock all the way into his throat. Flame felt his wolf emerge more and more as Lysander sucked his dick. With Lysander bobbing his head up and down his shaft, his instincts told him to possess, to mark his mate with his seed. And then Lysander swallowed around Flame‟s dick and the shock of rapture was too much. With a growl, he reached his peak, pleasure short-circuiting his brain. He did, however, realize that Lysander retreated just in time to catch most of Flame‟s seed all over his face. “Oh, shit,” Flame cursed when he regained his speech faculties. “I…” His apology died in his throat when Lysander swept his hand on his cheek and gathered the semen. He then spread his legs and reached down behind him. A few seconds later, he sighed softly, and Flame‟s shaft instantly responded. He nearly died of arousal overload at the knowledge of what his mate was doing. Flame‟s body moved of its own accord, and he joined Lysander on the cold floor. Gently, he pushed his mate against the bed. Lysander obeyed, setting his head down on the soft mattress. From his position on the floor, Flame watched with avid eyes as Lysander fingered himself, using Flame‟s own seed as lubricant. It was the sexiest thing Flame had ever seen. The way Lysander‟s hole stretched around those slender, elegant fingers made Flame‟s cock throb and his mouth water. He gently caressed Lysander‟s back, smiling to himself when his mate arched toward him. His hand went down to Lysander‟s ass, and he

slipped his index finger in the already-lubricated entrance next to Lysander‟s. He hissed when the passage sucked his digit right in, squeezing around it deliciously. Lysander went limp, his fingers unable to continue their motion. “Flame…God, I want you so bad.” Flame kissed the back of Lysander‟s neck as he removed Lysander‟s fingers and entwined them with his own on the bed. With his other hand, he continued preparing Lysander‟s passage. The first orgasm had taken the urgency out of the desire, but nothing other than the union of their bodies could make him feel complete. He took his time with Lysander, pushed his fingers in and out of his mate‟s body, crooking them just so to tease at his lover‟s prostate. Lysander came undone, and his lover‟s moans increased in volume and incoherence. Finally, Flame couldn‟t stand it any longer either. He turned and lifted Lysander so that they could face each other. He wanted to see Lysander‟s eyes as they made love. Flame positioned himself at his mate‟s hole and pushed inside in excruciatingly slow motion. Lysander clung to him, biting his lip in an endearing way, his entire body trembling. He tried to force himself down, but Flame stopped him, unwilling to hurt his mate in any way. He was taken by surprise when suddenly Lysander freed himself from their embrace. Flame almost thought his mate had changed his mind, but Lysander pushed him down. “Let me,” Lysander said in a raspy voice. Hypnotized, Flame allowed his mate to shift them on the floor. Somehow, Lysander managed to get Flame down and himself upright on top without separating their bodies. Grinning down at Flame, he slid down Flame‟s shaft, impaling himself in one swift movement. Flame groaned as the tight heat engulfed him, squeezing him like a fist. Lysander‟s wicked smirk faltered. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath when his passage encased the entirety of Flame‟s shaft. “Are you okay?” Flame asked in concern. Lysander opened his eyes and beamed down at him. “Never better. Just need you to fuck me.” Flame didn‟t like the way Lysander said that. It was too flirtatious, and it sent shadows of doubt through his mind. But every suspicious

fear vanished when Lysander squeezed his ass muscles around his dick. With a growl, Flame started thrusting up, embedding himself in his mate‟s welcoming channel. Lysander rode him furiously and met his thrusts, their bodies moving together in perfect synchrony. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, groans, grunts, and the distinctive scent of sex filled the room. Flame lost himself in his mate‟s body, reveling in the cries that escaped Lysander‟s lips. He poured all his emotions into the physical act, feeling the mate bond reach out to him, beckoning him closer. Was it too early to decide to mate with Lysander? Perhaps. But he already knew their connection meant more than sheer sexual attraction. This silent, mysterious, loyal warrior had, for some reason, chosen to gift Flame with this incredible night. In that gift, Flame read shapeless shadows he wanted to defeat, emotions he couldn‟t yet understand, but that in a way echoed those in his own heart. Without allowing himself to hesitate, Flame shot up and, shifting them on the floor, leaned Lysander against the side of bed. His dick slipped out of Lysander‟s body in the process, but Flame pushed back inside as soon as they hit the mattress. Before his mate could even try to protest, he embedded his fangs in Lysander‟s throat. As he claimed his mate, Flame buried himself one more time inside Lysander‟s passage and came, filling his lover with his seed. He felt heat splash against his abdomen and distantly realized Lysander had come as well. The purely carnal satisfaction added to the whirlpool of emotion, and Flame‟s heart nearly stopped at the intensity of the experience. The cascade of feelings swallowed him, some of them humbling, others promising, others confusing. Lysander‟s mind seemed a jumble of contradictions, need, passion, and desire warring against his duty. Distant flashes of memory invaded Flame‟s mind, sometimes hazy, sometimes clear. Flame saw a young Lysander shift for the first time, him fighting with a scowling woman then bowing in front of a throne. Then Flame saw himself, through his mate‟s eyes. Beyond the exquisite pleasure of the climax, Flame rejoiced in just the knowledge that his mate truly cared, whether he knew it or not. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and their minds started clearing from the nirvana of the orgasm. Their bodies began to stick

together as the cum cooled on their skin. Flame got up, picked up his ruined T-shirt, and cracked the window open. He had no idea if the water basin still worked and no desire to try it now. The storm outside did an excellent job of wetting the rag and chilling Flame to the bone. T-shirt in hand, Flame returned to the bed and smiled at Lysander‟s disheveled look. He half-wanted to leave Lysander like that, marked with his seed, but he knew it would cause his mate a measure of discomfort. Besides, if he had his way, he‟d get them both dirty again by the time the sun came up. Flame cleaned himself up and ran the wet T-shirt over Lysander as well. Task complete, he wrapped his arms around Lysander and buried his head into his lover‟s hair. Lysander hugged him back, sighing happily, and Flame smiled. His mate didn‟t know it yet, but their lives were entwined forever. Above all else, the golden thread of the mate bond was there, soothing, guiding, and Flame knew they would be just fine. They would find their way. **** Lysander allowed himself to sink into the warmth of Flame‟s embrace. His lover‟s scent engulfed him, and for a few brief moments, Lysander wished they could stay like this forever. As his mind processed that, though, he tensed, cursing to himself. He shouldn‟t be wishing anything remotely connected to Flame. The only thing he should be focusing on was getting back to Rook Valley and finding out exactly what he needed to do to finish the job for his mother. “Anything wrong, babe?” Flame purred in his ear. Lysander forced himself to calm down, but with Flame‟s voice whispering in his ear, he had a hard time doing it. Emphasis on hard. Damn it, he‟d just fucked the man. How could he want it again so soon? Then again, why not? Why shouldn‟t he enjoy this night? He obviously wasn‟t going anywhere, and he might as well enjoy Flame‟s touch. After all, Flame seemed quite smitten with him, and Lysander quite liked being the center of the other man‟s attention. He could even

exhaust Flame with sex and then make his escape. Two birds in one stone. Strangely enough, Lysander felt a pang of remorse at the thought of using Flame like that. Aghast, he instantly squashed it. Sleeping with the man changed nothing. He had no intentions of staying in Rook Valley after this whole thing was over. Even if he couldn‟t return to Greece, he didn‟t want to be tied down to a particular person or location. He‟d had enough of that. His erection started to fade at the glum, angry thoughts, putting Flame on alert. “Babe?” the other man asked again, now sounding truly concerned. “Are you okay? I didn‟t hurt you, did I?” The question made Lysander‟s insides twist painfully, yet again throwing in his face the knowledge of his deception. He viciously pushed that emotion down.What the hell? He‟d just known the man for a day or something like that. It wasn‟t like they were suddenly boyfriends or in a relationship. This was a one-night stand and nothing more. Smirking, Lysander rubbed against Flame, his arousal coming back with a vengeance. “I‟m more than okay.” He reached down to take hold of Flame‟s dick. The narrow bed didn‟t allow for too much maneuvering, but he made it work. Flame let out a strangled groan as Lysander‟s hand wrapped itself around his dick. “God, babe…” Lysander couldn‟t help but grin. He wondered how long he could keep Flame up, how many times the other man could come before succumbing to exhaustion. He was looking forward to finding out. Then Flame pressed his lips to Lysander‟s and Lysander forgot all about being coy and seductive. He forgot about plans and duties. Need throbbed inside him, hot and heavy, the desire to taste, to be filled, to be taken, to feel Flame within every inch of his body. Abandoning Flame‟s dick, Lysander shifted on the bed until he got on top of Flame. The heat Flame‟s body radiated made his own skin tingle with lust. Once again, he lost all self-control, and his mouth watered as he took in the sight of his lover‟s hard dick. God, had he really taken that thing in his ass?

Yes, he had, and he wanted it again, and again and again, until he couldn‟t walk straight. His mind swam with desire. Even the raspy tone of Flame‟s voice seemed addictive. Feeling desperate, Lysander dove down on Flame and took his lover‟s erection in his mouth. He‟d been forced by circumstances to give up the sweet benefit of swallowing Flame‟s cum. This time, he‟d get his wish. Flame‟s rough hands guided Lysander carefully until they were in a sixty-nine position on the bed. Lysander let his lover lead the way and focused on the dick in his mouth. Or tried to, at least. When Flame‟s mouth engulfed his dick, he lost all power of thought and coherence, and all he could do was moan and hope that through some miracle, he‟d be able to give Flame pleasure, too. He took Flame‟s cock deep in his throat and shuddered when Flame did the same for him. To a certain extent, he felt surprised he yearned for the other man so much, but the shock was distant, and he couldn‟t bring himself to care. He just wanted to find a way to get Flame‟s dick in his ass and, preferably, keep Flame‟s mouth in that wonderful sucking motion. That was anatomically impossible, right? Lysander couldn‟t figure it out, not when Flame did that wicked thing with his tongue that made Lysander‟s whole body pulse with a blaze of ecstasy. Flame‟s finger went to tease at Lysander‟s opening and pushed inside. His flesh yielded with ease, still stretched from their lovemaking just minutes before. Lysander‟s eyes went wide when that blunt digit hit his special spot, rubbing it in an almost sadistically erotic motion. Lysander couldn‟t take it anymore. He exploded with a choked cry, mouth still wrapped around Flame‟s dick, mind struggling between the desire to give his lover the same bliss and the urge to just ride his own pleasure. In the end, he lost control over his limbs, bones melting from the climax, and he didn‟t get the chance to do anything but pathetically cling to his lover‟s body. He moaned in distress when Flame‟s heat disappeared, that fat dick slipping away from his mouth. Flame‟s voice soothed him, and Lysander registered his lover moving them around, until they were

facing each other, the feel of Flame‟s heavy body on top of Lysander‟s, overwhelming him. Murmuring soft endearments in his ear, Flame pushed inside Lysander‟s body, so slowly it made Lysander‟s heart ache. He felt feathers sprout again, but Flame didn‟t seem to mind. In fact, the other man looked intent on keeping the excruciating rhythm. Even when Lysander tried to urge him forward, Flame held him down, forcing Lysander to stop, forcing their eyes to meet. As he looked into those deep pools of darkness, Lysander felt himself falling. Gods, he‟d wanted to drive his lover crazy, but instead, Flame was effectively demolishing all his barriers. Confusing emotions and sensations took hold of Lysander as his body surrendered to his lover‟s ministrations and his mind tried to fight them. Losing control, losing himself to Flame…It scared him. He wanted what Flame offered. God, he ached for it. But it needed to be on his terms. Already, he‟d given up too much of himself. He couldn‟t let himself fall for the other man. The fear gave him the strength to push Flame away. Flame gave him a puzzled look but didn‟t protest, allowing Lysander to change their positions on the bed. Lysander almost winced when their bodies separated, but instantly he suppressed the feeling of loss. This was just a fuck, damn it! He didn‟t need to get all emotional about it. Grinning, Lysander reached for the burning candle sitting in the tiny cup on the nightstand. Under the heat of the fire, hot wax was already starting to pool, drops falling on the wooden drawers. Lysander had a better idea for that wax. Lysander snatched the candle, carefully holding it so that he wouldn‟t get burned. He tilted the candle over Flame‟s body, letting it hover over Flame‟s nipple. The air seemed charged with electricity as they both watched the candle burn. For a brief moment, Lysander felt hypnotized by the fire. He met Flame‟s eyes through the blaze, this time unafraid. He had the power. He wouldn‟t lose this battle. The peculiar spell was broken when one drop of wax fell off the candle and onto Flame‟s skin. Flame hissed, but Lysander felt the other man‟s dick throb against his ass. More drops fell and Lysander watched with greedy eyes as the hot liquid decorated Flame‟s dark skin in sinfully beautiful patterns. First the man‟s nipples, then down

his abdomen. Lysander even turned to torture Flame‟s legs. All the while, his lover sat there, claws buried in the sheets, teeth gritted, sweat covering his body, and cock jolting whenever the wax hit his skin. Finally, Lysander got tired of the game. He set the candle back on the nightstand, his dick aching for release. Flame looked desperate, too, and gave Lysander a pleading look. “Please, babe…Just…” Ever so softly, Lysander swept the wax off his lover‟s body. “It‟s okay. I‟ll give you what you need.” He spat in his hand and rubbed his saliva-slick palm over his dick, preparing himself to enter Flame. Flame didn‟t say anything, just waited in silence, and it suddenly seemed to Lysander that this was all wrong. What he wanted…What he wanted was not Flame‟s ass around his cock, but Flame‟s dick in his ass. He didn‟t hesitate, nor did he tease. He positioned himself on top of Flame and sank down on his lover‟s dick. He arched his back as the hot brand of Flame‟s cock penetrated his passage. His mind went blank, but Lysander was too tired to care. When Flame‟s hands landed on his hips and guided his motions, he didn‟t protest. He surrendered to the pleasure, giving in to the rhythm and the carnal heat between them. He lost track of time as he fucked himself on Flame‟s dick with abandon. At one point, Flame growled and pushed him off, thrusting inside him with an almost alarming strength and violence. Lysander yet again ended up on his back under Flame, but this time, he just wrapped his legs around the other man‟s waist and hung onto the headboard. It didn‟t take long…or did it? Lysander didn‟t know. His mind was too lost in the sexual energy and the lust. With every thrust, the bed creaked alarmingly, still narrow, still tight, but at the same time, incredibly comfortable just because Flame was in it. When it came, the climax took him by surprise. In a sense, it was as if the pleasure escalated but never quite to the extent of bringing him to completion. But then Flame dug his fangs in his neck, just like he had before, and Lysander‟s entire body exploded in a million pieces. The other man moaned something that sounded like Lysander‟s name and came, too, coating Lysander‟s passage with hot cum. The

world vanished, and he felt as if could experience both his own orgasm and Flame‟s. For a few minutes, Lysander just lay there, too exhausted to think, only able to focus on the buzz of the afterglow. But as the orgasm faded into a tingling sensation over his nerve endings, it occurred to him that in the end, he had lost control to Flame. At first, he panicked, but then he watched Flame collapse on the bed. The other man beamed up at him, and just like that, the alarm vanished. He still had things well in hand. Flame wouldn‟t refuse him, and for the night, at least, Lysander would allow himself to enjoy it.

Chapter Four Lysander woke up feeling warm and sore in an unfamiliar way. At first he didn‟t realize why. As he cracked his eyes open, he saw a heavily-muscled, black arm draped over his waist. Right, he‟d slept with Flame last night, more than once, even. In truth, if he judged by the way Flame touched him and spoke to him the night before, the werewolf could possibly even have feelings for him. Lysander supposed that was a good thing. After all, he could use it to escape. As planned, he‟d exhausted the werewolf with their energetic sex fest, so he could honestly say the night had been quite a success. He didn‟t regret giving his body to Flame, but whatever the werewolf thought last night meant, it was just fucking. Nothing else. He pushed back the memory of the emotions that passed through him at Flame‟s touch. The heat of the moment, arousal, sexual frustration, nothing more. After all, as a harpy, he couldn‟t exactly come out and say he desired men. He‟d found ways to get around this limitation in the more discrete neighborhoods of Athens, but lately the guard had increased, and he‟d refrained from going out. In the end, not even his mother would be able to save him if his preference came out. The thought of his mother brought back the seriousness of his circumstances. No matter how much he‟d enjoyed having Flame‟s cock in his ass, he couldn‟t stay here. Kaiden Hearne was a sly man, and Lysander had already given away too much. He needed to at least warn his mother about the complications that had emerged. Even if he‟d failed her, she deserved to know so that she could protect herself. He carefully slipped from beneath Flame‟s arm, grimacing when the motion jostled his wounded limb. He probably wouldn‟t be able to fly a long distance like this, so he‟d have to take the car. He‟d leave Flame stranded, but the other man would surely find a way out of here. As Flame‟s name flashed through his mind, Lysander turned to give the man another look. In repose, his handsome, dark face looked

peaceful, the hidden sadness in those eyes now shielded behind the eyelids. Lysander wanted to steal another kiss, to taste Flame one last time, but he couldn‟t afford the luxury. Shaking himself, he tiptoed out of the room and into the hallway. The rain had stopped at some point during the night, and now the sun shone brightly through the windows. Lysander scanned the living room and caught sight of the jacket on the couch. No, the car keys couldn‟t be there. Flame had wrapped the coat around him. Damn it! He really needed to get himself out of the house and Flame out of his mind. Maybe sleeping with the man hadn‟t been such a good idea after all. Lysander grabbed the jacket and put it on. He remembered Flame telling him they had luggage in the trunk, but he didn‟t want to risk being seen naked if that wasn‟t true. Making his best effort to remain stealthy, he sneaked out of the house and into the now-sunny outdoors. A narrow, muddy pathway led from the cabin entrance to the actual road where the car had been parked. Lysander snorted as he realized Flame had actually taken a Lexus out of the city and into the wilderness. Would the damn car even start after the storm the night before? Shaking his head, Lysander started walking down the path. The mud and sharp rocks beneath his naked feet didn‟t disturb him. As a harpy, he could strengthen the skin of his legs at will to keep the environment from affecting him too much. More often than not, he didn‟t even bother. Harpies weren‟t injured so easily. Even with the weakness from the poisoning, he didn‟t mind the rough terrain. He‟d just tried to be difficult the day before to push Flame‟s buttons, but it worked against him. Now frowning, Lysander hastened his steps, unwilling to think about the other man too much. He got to the car and decided to first check the trunk for supplies before actually departing. The car alarms started to screech as he approached, making Lysander wince. Damn it, he needed to hurry. Lysander passed his fist through the window of the Lexus and forced the car door open. He found the alarm fuse below the steering wheel and disconnected it. Then, he looked for the trunk release switch. When he located it, he realized in irritated dismay that the damned thing didn‟t work. Had the

car systems been damaged on the difficult mountainous roads? Lysander didn‟t know, and he didn‟t have time to contemplate fixing the stupid mechanism. He got out of the Lexus, went around the vehicle, and eyed the trunk lock, considering the difficulty of breaking it. It wouldn‟t be hard. After all, he was a born thief. His fingernails lengthened into claws, and he carefully started working the lock to the trunk. With a bit of luck and a lot of skill, he‟d procure supplies from the car, drive away from the cabin, and then go to the closest town to contact his mother. After that, he‟d return to Rook Valley and finish the mission he never should have failed. He didn‟t know yet if it would be by supporting Kaiden Hearne or slitting the man‟s throat, but right then and there, it didn‟t matter. He had a job to do, and a duty, and he couldn‟t linger at Flame‟s side anymore. **** Flame lay on the bed, wondering how much time he should give his mate before apprehending him. In truth, Lysander‟s attempt to escape shouldn‟t have surprised him. From Lysander‟s point of view, they didn‟t have anything special. If Lysander felt the bond like Flame did, he ignored it. Perhaps he even had another lover, the person causing that zeal and loyalty inside of him. Flame didn‟t see anything like that in Lysander‟s memories, but he‟d certainly missed many things. The thought hurt Flame to the very core, but he couldn‟t fool himself. More so than for werewolves, mates not belonging to his species were not bound to fulfilling the destiny Flame saw so clearly. Flame could see himself introducing his mate to his siblings, the five of them spending a day together, then Flame and Lysander going back to their own little home. Flame sighed. That future was lost now, fading in the distance with each step Lysander took. Flame cursed himself for his cowardice and stupidity. So his mate didn‟t want him. Big deal. Lysander had used his body to distract Flame from his task, and it had worked, but Flame would not allow his own feelings to cause disaster for his friends and family. He‟d face his

mate and keep him trapped here if he couldn‟t have it any other way. If Lysander hated him after…Well, Flame would at least have the memory of their one night together. The sound of an alarm made the decision for him. With a sigh, Flame got up and headed to the back door. Once outside, he shifted. He was faster in wolf form, and he didn‟t need to deal with human emotions that complicated things so much. Flame ran to his car, detecting his mate working on the trunk of the machine in the distance. His paws hit the ground noiselessly as he approached, and Lysander didn‟t feel him at first. He seemed engrossed in his task and somewhat lost in thought. Eye on his unsuspecting prey, the wolf lunged forward. A few seconds before his body made contact with Lysander‟s, the other man looked up, eyes widening. His hands moved in a flash from the trunk of the car, instinctively pushing toward Flame. As their bodies connected, a terrible pain pierced Flame‟s chest. His weight took them both down and, as they hit the ground, the pain intensified to agony. Sharp, dagger-like talons penetrated his flesh, and Flame let out a howl, unable to keep himself from voicing the pain the only way his vocal cords allowed him to. Lysander pushed his weight aside like he was nothing, and the talons retreated from Flame‟s chest. As he hit the grass, Flame tried to move, but his vision started to dim. He tried to reach for Lysander, to tell his mate not to leave him to die alone, but only a whimper came out. Above him, his monochrome eyes could very distantly see a looming shadow. Warm drops of liquid hit his snout and Flame identified it as blood. His own blood. “Oh, God, what have I done?” Lysander‟s voice said. Flame thought he heard a choked sob coming from him. More than anything, he wanted to tell Lysander it was all right. He understood. It had been an accident. He didn‟t blame Lysander for any of it. He tried to climb back on his feet, but his body wouldn‟t stay up. With a wheezing sound, he collapsed back in the grass, his efforts proven to be futile. Lysander hastily knelt at Flame‟s side, a wet hand stroking Flame‟s fur. “Stop. Stop moving.”

Flame obeyed. His human mind knew his erratic movements only caused him to lose more blood. Lysander turned him over gently to look at the wound on his chest. “God…I‟m so sorry.” Lysander took off the jacket and started tearing out pieces of material. As he worked, he wrapped the cloth around the wound on Flame‟s chest. Flame felt thankful for it. Even if he died, he knew his mate cared enough to try and help. Suddenly, Lysander shot to his feet. Flame let out another choked whimper, begging his lover not to leave his side, but Lysander just turned his back on him and left. As Lysander‟s steps faded, Flame resigned himself to the knowledge that would be the last time he‟d see his mate. **** As he moved away from Flame‟s body, Lysander fought to come up with something to solve this. His talons had gone straight through Flame‟s sternum, by miracle missing Flame‟s heart. He‟d not intended to attack or anything like that, but he‟d been using his claws to open the trunk and when taken by surprise…God! He needed help. He couldn‟t deal with this on his own. He was no doctor, and he didn‟t have any idea on how to deal with Flame‟s injury. He didn‟t know where he was, or where he could find the closest hospital. Then again, he probably needed a veterinarian clinic that took wolves. How the hell could he find that? Viktor. Petrovic and Hearne could tell him something. Flame must have some sort of communication device in the house or in the car. After all, he‟d told Viktor they would keep in touch. Lysander returned to the open car door. He knew Flame hadn‟t brought any cell phone with him into the house the day before. It hadn‟t been in the jacket, nor in the jeans. Perhaps he‟d left something in the car. Lysander hastily went through the glove compartment. He let out a victorious sound when he detected a phone. His joy was short-lived, however. The display on the screen tore his hopes to shreds. No signal.

Lysander threw the useless device back into the glove compartment. Exiting the car, he decided to try the trunk once more. If he didn‟t find anything in there, he was on his own. He didn‟t have time to scour the entire cabin. Lysander went back around the car, his heart constricting in his chest at the sight of Flame‟s prone form. Flame‟s legs twitched as if he wanted to move but couldn‟t. Tears filled Lysander‟s eyes, but he willed them away. He needed a clear head if he wanted to help Flame. He found it hard to summon his claws again, the feel of them piercing flesh and bone still too near. He did it regardless, pushing back the nausea and horror. His hands felt slippery with Flame‟s blood, and breaking the lock of the trunk proved to be more difficult than expected. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the trunk opened, revealing two travel bags. Lysander hastily opened the first one and realized it only contained food products. He abandoned it and turned to exploring the second one. Clothes, in a size that fit Lysander. Some that belonged to Flame. A picture frame, and inside, a photograph of Flame with two other men, and a woman, all of them blond. Lysander pushed everything aside, more and more desperate by the second. Just when he thought his search would be in vain, his hand hit a promising object. Retrieving it, he identified it as a satellite phone. At the same time, though, he realized that he didn‟t know the code needed to access the device. Lysander cursed. He‟d wasted precious time for nothing. Just as he dumped the phone in the travel bag, his eyes fell on the familiar shape of a med kit. Lysander could have sobbed in relief. He hastily grabbed the kit and broke it open. Among other things, it held bandages, antiseptic wipes, and wound dressings. Unfortunately, it didn‟t have syringes or any suturing items. He supposed that made sense. After all, Flame was a werewolf. Most of his wounds would heal on their own. He most likely just carried the kit for appearances‟ sake. Well, Lysander would have to make do with what he did have. He made his way back to Flame, carrying the kit. He focused strictly on the wound, making a conscious effort not to think about what would happen if he failed. He did his best to swipe the large puncture wounds clean through the fur and bandaged them tight, wincing whenever

Flame let out pained sounds. After he finished, he just lay there, looking at his blood-covered hands. Pushing the med kit aside, he cuddled next to the wolf, tears flowing on his face. “Hang in there! Please don‟t die. God, please don‟t die.” He lay there watching, keeping the wolf close, and counting Flame‟s every heartbeat. He didn‟t know how much time had passed when Flame‟s breath started to even and his dark eyes became more focused. Lysander got up and reached into the trunk to the bag with food. Rummaging through its contents, he detected a bottle of water and uncapped it. Going back to the still-motionless wolf, he supported Flame‟s head and poured a bit of water in the palm of his hand. “Here. Drink a bit.” It was awkward, as Lysander had to focus on keeping the wolf comfortable and the position not straining on his wounds. It got him what he wanted, though. The wolf moved a bit, tilted his head and lapped at the water, licking Lysander‟s palm after he finished the liquid. Lysander‟s heart did a little twist, and he poured more water in his palm. God, he hoped it was a good sign, and not the last stand Flame‟s body was making. They remained like that, Lysander giving Flame water and the wolf drinking it, for quite a while. Strength seemed to flow back into Flame‟s body and with it, hope in Lysander‟s heart. At last the wolf‟s form blurred, replaced by the naked body of the man. Flame turned to him, wincing slightly at the motion. “You didn‟t leave.” “Of course I didn‟t,” Lysander replied. He couldn‟t help but feel hurt that Flame thought so lowly of him. Then again, he had attempted to escape after using Flame for sex and then he‟d almost killed the man. He didn‟t have a very good history where Flame was concerned. “I‟m sorry. I can‟t tell you how sorry I am.” Flame actually smiled. “It‟s all right. I know you didn‟t mean it.” Lysander wanted to believe those words, he really did, but it wasn‟t that easy. The scent of blood still permeated the air, and he realized all too well how close he‟d come to killing Flame. Carefully keeping his thoughts from his face, Lysander jumped to his feet and extended his hand to help Flame up. Flame took it, but instead of following Lysander‟s example, he pulled on Lysander‟s hand with

surprising strength. Lysander yelped, lost his balance, and fell into Flame‟s lap. With a distant shock, he realized they were both naked and in this position, his ass rested against Flame‟s groin. In any other situation, he‟d have yearned to feel Flame inside him, to let Flame possess him once more. But how could he even think about sex when the man he loved just recovered from a life-threatening wound? A wound he himself had inflicted. Lysander‟s eyes widened as his own thought registered in his consciousness. The man he loved? No way! He couldn‟t fall for Flame. He didn‟t even know the man. Yes, he could tell he was kind and passionate, protective, funny, sweet. He‟d cared for Lysander like no one ever had. It had to be only gratitude, that and the fantastic sex. Flame‟s arms wrapped tighter around Lysander‟s waist, stopping him from running away. “Don‟t be afraid, and don‟t feel sorry. I‟m just glad you didn‟t go.” Lysander hesitated, unsure what to say. “About that…I know it looks bad that I tried to run away, but I really do have a mission. Even if Hearne isn‟t guilty of anything, I have to find out who is.” Flame nodded, deep in thought. “You‟re right. But you can‟t risk yourself until that wound is completely healed. Viktor doesn‟t like you, and even if you go to Rook Valley, you won‟t be able to find out much Kaiden and Viktor can‟t.” He raised a hand, stopping Lysander from protesting. “I know you don‟t trust Kaiden, but he‟s really not so bad. He did leave that life behind to be with Viktor. I‟ve seen it. So if you don‟t believe in him, believe in me.” What could Lysander say to that? Flame‟s eyes shone at him like dark jewels, and Lysander found that he did, indeed, trust the other man. Why, he couldn‟t say. Perhaps it was his dick doing the thinking, not his mind. For once, though, Lysander vowed not to overthink things. He‟d go with his gut on this one. He‟d been given another chance, and he‟d take it. Maybe, while they tried to figure out what was going on with the Assassins‟ Guild, he could find answers for his own emotions as well.

Chapter Five The sun was starting to set by the time they decided to return to the house. Flame seemed to have recovered remarkably, but as they brought the packs inside, Lysander insisted on carrying everything. Flame didn‟t let him do so, though, demanding that they share the burden. “They aren‟t even so heavy,” he said with a laugh. “Still,” Lysander protested, “you‟re hurt.” “So are you,” Flame pointed out. “Don‟t worry about it, babe. Werewolves heal fast. I won‟t lie, the blood loss almost killed me, but with some rest and good loving, I‟ll be just fine.” Lysander appreciated Flame‟s honesty, but it also brought home even more what he‟d done. In a peculiar twist, now that his task was done and Flame taken care of, shock settled in. Remorse tore at his insides relentlessly, but Lysander hid the agony under a fierce scowl. “Which is why you shouldn‟t carry anything. Rest. You said it yourself. Now give that here.” Faced with Lysander‟s wrath, Flame yielded. He gave Lysander a concerned look but didn‟t protest further. Lysander grabbed the two bags and headed toward the house, head spinning from the emotion. Flame followed behind him in silence. His vision zeroed in on the cabin and he found a refuge of sorts in having a purpose. Just get to the house. Flame is all right. Just get to the house. Flame is all right. Over and over, he repeated the words in his head, hoping they would stick. They didn‟t. The image of Flame‟s blood all over his hands returned, haunting and horrifying. Halfway through the path, Lysander went down, unable to hold his own weight, let alone the weight of the bags. Warm arms wrapped around him, drawing him close to a powerful chest. “Oh, babe…” Flame murmured. “Shhh…It‟s fine. I‟m fine.” Lysander trembled in Flame‟s embrace. His hand roamed through the hair on Flame‟s chest, lingering over Flame‟s heart. The wounds were already starting to heal, but he‟d been so close to making those

heartbeats stop that he couldn‟t bear it. He‟d killed before, of course. He didn‟t enjoy it—after all, he was a thief, not an assassin—but not even his first time killing had felt so horrible. Flame rocked him gently, murmuring whispers of comfort in his ear. Those callused palms rubbed Lysander‟s skin, sending the chill in Lysander‟s heart away. But could Lysander afford to lose himself to the calming sensation? He didn‟t deserve it, not after the way he treated Flame. Lysander tried to break away from Flame‟s hold, but Flame just held him tighter. “Look at me, babe,” the other man said, nudging on Lysander‟s chin. Unable to resist the command, Lysander met Flame‟s gaze. Flame caressed his lips with a rough thumb, as if yearning to kiss them. “Stop fighting it. I won‟t ever let you go.” It occurred to Lysander then that if he wanted to, he could command Flame to release him or even to take him to Rook Valley. No matter what Flame said, they couldn‟t be together. He couldn‟t deal with all these new emotions and still keep a clear head to complete his mission. It would have been easy, so easy, if his entire being didn‟t protest at the thought of leaving. Anger swelled inside him. He was a person, not a machine or an automatic soldier. He had emotions, and if they got in the way of his job here, so be it. He‟d served his mother for many faithful years, but this time, he‟d serve his own heart. Body still tense, he buried himself in Flame‟s strong embrace. Maybe they could forgive and forget together. God only knew Lysander needed the help. **** As Lysander quieted down, Flame lifted his mate up in his arms. His abused body protested, still not completely recovered from the attack, but his mate‟s proximity made him forget about it. The desire to protect and to hold his mate close overwhelmed everything else. In brisk steps, he made his way to the house. The cabin looked exactly the same as the night before, as if the day had passed it by

entirely. Somehow, it comforted Flame, and he placed his mate down on the couch, silently telling Lysander to enjoy the peace as well. Lysander beamed at him, his smile full of hidden meaning and decision. Taken aback, Flame wondered what thoughts passed through his mate‟s mind. What did Lysander intend to do about them? “Be right back. The baggage is still outside.” Lysander nodded and huddled on the couch just like the night before, this time making no protest or claim. Flame drank in the sight, reluctant to leave his mate‟s side, but knowing he had to. They both needed to eat to recover from the poison and blood loss, respectively. As he walked outside, he contemplated the events of the day. He found his meeting with his mate eerily similar to Viktor‟s. First, the assassination attempt—granted, not on him, but on Kaiden—then their incredible chemistry which, of course, could be attributed to any mate bond. And then Lysander‟s attack on him, his near death, Lysander‟s help and remorse…Viktor had told him bits and pieces of his first night with Kaiden, and Lysander‟s behavior seemed too similar to Kaiden‟s for it to be in coincidence. A chill went through Flame, and he hurried to retrieve their luggage. He returned to the cabin within seconds, holding the two bags. Lysander waited on the couch still and gave him a welcoming look. “That was fast.” Lysander‟s smile threatened to melt Flame‟s brain cells, so Flame closed his eyes and focused on keeping hold of his reason. “I brought the food,” he offered as a reply. “You need nourishment to heal.” Lysander hummed in thoughtfulness. “Are the generators up yet? I‟m thinking it should be kept somewhere cool.” Flame considered the question. “I‟m not sure. I may have accidentally fried some of the circuits yesterday. I‟ll check. Anyway, we can eat the things that spoil easier now and leave the dry and canned stuff for later.” Lysander opened the bag and chuckled. “You‟re a Boy Scout, aren‟t you? Prepared for everything.” Flame couldn‟t help but join in on the laughter. It was a joke his siblings always made. “You know the song. „Be prepared, be prepared, this lesson must be shared…‟” He started droning on the familiar tune before he could stop himself.

Lysander cracked up. “Hoodwinked? Oh, my God. You watch cartoons?” Flame would have blushed if not for his dark skin. “Yes, well, they‟re surprisingly entertaining. Besides, I can‟t help but identify with the wolf.” Lysander lost himself in hysterical laughter, but somehow, Flame knew his mate wasn‟t making fun of him. In this mess, they needed all the amusement they could get. Besides, Lysander laughing was a beautiful sight. His entire body almost glowed, as if the sheer joy of hearing a funny bit of trivia or a joke made life worth living. Perhaps it did. Maya always said life meant nothing without love and laughter. Lysander‟s amusement began to dwindle, and he wiped at his eyes to control his mirth. “I actually love that movie, too. I rarely get to watch anything, but when I do, I choose things like that.” “It does help. Cleansing for the soul after so much sorrow in real life.” Flame‟s own words reminded him of the seriousness of the situation, and Lysander‟s good mood seemed to vanish to. “Go on,” Flame urged, “eat. I need to talk to Viktor and see if they managed to find out anything.” Lysander nodded, although Flame could detect a flash of disappointment in those deep green eyes. He vowed to deal with the phone call as soon as possible then go back to bed to worship Lysander like he deserved. Since satellite phones couldn‟t really be used indoors, he retrieved it from the bag and stepped outside. He opened the device, dialed Viktor‟s cell, and waited for the call to connect. To his surprise, an unfamiliar robotic voice told him the caller could not be reached. The feeling of dread from before returned with a vengeance. Sure, Viktor could have left for a run, but why would his cell be off? He never let the battery run out because he wanted pack members to always be able to reach him. Swallowing in nervousness, Flame tried Kaiden‟s cell, but still nothing. He resorted to calling Viktor‟s home number. The phone rang a few times before the machine picked up. What the hell? Panic filled Flame. With trembling hands, he dialed Jared‟s number. His sibling might know what was going on.

Flame had entrusted Jared with the safety of their home and his other two siblings, telling him to resort to Viktor‟s help if anything happened. But if something happened to Viktor, had it affected his brothers as well? Luckily, Jared picked up on the first ring. “Thank God, Flame,” he said, sounding both relieved and panicked. “We were so worried. Where are you?” “I told you I had something to do. Jared, what‟s going on? Why isn‟t Viktor answering the phone?” “I don‟t know what‟s going on,” Jared replied. “Some men slipped into the house yesterday just a few hours after you left. I counted around a dozen intruders before we escaped.” Flame felt himself pale. “Are you all right? Maya? Loren?” “Yes, we‟re fine. But, Flame, when we went to see Viktor, we found his house trashed. There was no sign of him or the snake shifter.” The confirmation of his worst fears made Flame freeze in shock. Something shuffled at the other side of the receiver, and Loren‟s voice sounded over the connection, “Flame?” Flame managed to find his voice and answer his brother. “Yes, Loren. Right here.” “Look, something weird is going on. Jared doesn‟t believe me, but I can feel it.” Loren always had a deep affinity for the mystical and the unknown. Unlike Flame, the muscle of the Grayson family, Loren concentrated on studies and held a particular interest in mythology. More often than not, he kept his suggestions to himself since no one really believed him, but Flame believed. Loren once confessed he‟d felt their parents‟ death before it happened, and he carried the guilt to this day. Something like that couldn‟t be invented or dreamed. Whatever input Loren could offer in this situation would be very valuable. “What can you tell me, Loren? Anything would help.” “Viktor‟s house teemed with energy—bad energy. Something evil happened there, and it wasn‟t just forceful violence. It felt too deep and powerful. I think someone performed magic there, and for

whatever reason, that someone is after you. Don‟t try to fight this by yourself.” Magic? Evil? Flame leaned against the door, his knees weak. How could he possibly deal with that? He didn‟t have the knowledge, power, or skill to even understand it. Still, he couldn‟t allow his siblings or Viktor and Kaiden to die. He had to find out who‟d taken his friend, no matter what. “All right. Where are you now?” “We left Rook Valley, and we‟re in hiding in the caves. Don‟t worry, we‟re safe. But, Flame, I don‟t know anything about the pack.” “Just stay there,” Flame replied, all business. At least his siblings were safe, hidden in the caves on pack land. “I‟m coming back to deal with this. Wait for me in the forest.” “We‟ll be here. Be careful,” Loren whispered. “And you. Take care of Maya.” “We will. You take care of yourself, too, Flame, and remember what I said. You can‟t go against this alone.” Flame nodded, even if Loren couldn‟t see him. “I‟ll remember. Don‟t worry about me. Love you all.” “And we love you, too.” Loren‟s voice broke, and Flame knew his sibling felt Flame‟s determination to deal with this at all cost. With Viktor and Kaiden gone, the duty to take care of the pack fell onto Flame. With a final good-bye, Flame closed the connection. He had a feeling his mate could give him some information that would help him in this. He couldn‟t let himself lose to emotion any longer. His brothers and friends needed him. As he walked in, he found Lysander nibbling on a piece of meat. “What‟s going on?” Lysander asked. “We need to go. There‟s been another attack. Kaiden and Viktor are missing.” Were Lysander‟s people behind it? If so, Flame didn‟t know what to do. Lysander paled. “God, I wanted to send word, but I didn‟t get the chance. When?” “A few hours after we left.”

Lysander got off the bed and extended his hand to take the phone. “I‟m going to call my home. If this happened a little after we left, I doubt they have any link with it.” Flame arched a brow in doubt. “Why?” “I was given a certain amount of time to finish my task. It has not yet run out. My people wouldn‟t have sent another so soon.” Lysander took the phone and stepped outside. He dialed a number and under Flame‟s gaze, waited. **** Lysander tapped his foot impatiently as the satellite phone attempted to make the connection with his mother‟s private number. When someone finally picked up the call, the voice that answered surprised Lysander. “Hello?” “Adrienne?” Lysander said hesitantly. “Why are you answering the Queen‟s phone?” “The Queen retired to her chambers early and asked me to take her calls,” Adrienne replied. “Is there any message you‟d like me to convey?” That wasn‟t right. His mother wouldn‟t entrust her private phone to Adrienne, especially taking into account past events. He suddenly felt sick to the stomach. “No, thank you,” he told Adrienne. “I‟ll call back later.” Before Adrienne could answer, he ended the call. “Oh, God…She‟s gone. What am I going to do?” His legs couldn‟t hold him, and he leaned against the cabin wall to support his weight. Flame was next to him in an instant. “Babe? What‟s wrong?” “My mother…” Lysander replied, tears blurring his vision. “She‟s gone.” “But you talked to someone, right?” “Yes, but my mother wouldn‟t leave her business in Adrienne‟s hands—or anyone else‟s for that matter. She‟s too strong for that.” Anger mixed with the pain in Lysander‟s heart. “I‟m going back. I have to find out what happened.”

“Calm down, babe. Don‟t you think it‟s weird that your mother vanished at the same time Viktor and Kaiden did?” “But who would want them?” Lysander‟s eyes widened as realization struck. “Ian Montgomery. That bastard snake has them.” Flame nodded glumly. “We have to go back to Rook Valley. My brothers may have something of importance to tell us. We‟re going to meet them and see if they can give us any information.” Lysander didn‟t know how much help Flame‟s brothers would be. Hell, he hadn‟t even known Flame had siblings. If Flame thought they could help, he‟d follow this lead. Going to Greece now would, in the end, help no one but their enemy. Ian would probably expect it, and Lysander would be walking into a trap. “I suppose you‟re right.” He sighed. “Let‟s finish up here and hurry to go.” They grabbed their meal with lightning speed and retrieved some clothes from the bag brought by Flame. Lysander hated every second spent doing these things, but he needed to keep his strength up if he wanted to help his mother, and he couldn‟t go to Rook Valley in the buff. They rushed through every task, and in no time they were out of the cabin and back in the Lexus. Flame made no comment upon seeing the damage done to his car, but Lysander thought he saw a small smile fleet over his lips. As they drove away, Lysander experienced a brief pang of regret. He‟d have liked to spend more time here, to cast away the memory of Flame‟s near-death and feel more of Flame‟s affection. He hated himself for his selfishness, but he couldn‟t help it. And even as they headed toward Rook Valley, Lysander‟s thoughts oscillated between their quest and the man by his side.

Chapter Six A few hours later, they reached their destination. It was already dark outside, and when they exited the car, the chilly wind foretold another storm coming soon. Flame retrieved his phone and dialed Jared once more. To his surprise, this time the call didn‟t connect. Flame looked at the screen, hoping some network issues were behind his new problem. The display showed the signal to be strong and steady. They were close enough to Rook Valley for Flame—or Jared—to not have any trouble calling. Perhaps they were deeper in the caves, where the phones didn‟t work. God, Flame hoped so. He didn‟t even want to think about something happening to his siblings. He put his phone back in the glove compartment and proceeded to lock the car. “Come on,” he urged Lysander. “It‟s this way.” Lysander followed after him in silence as they started exploring. After a few minutes, Flame took hold of Lysander‟s hand, pulling him along. A terrible suspicion weighed upon his mind. He could already feel his brothers and sister around the forest, but he also scented something else, a trace left by someone else. Violence. Terror. Evil. It made Flame restless, and he hastened his steps, now more than ever wanting to see his siblings. At the same time, he felt Lysander‟s tension and fear, and he ached to take his mate in his arms and comfort him. He knew that would have to wait. They both had loved ones to find and a very serious problem to solve. They closed in on the grove his pack used for meetings and veered through the forest to the small area of caves nearby. As children, they‟d played there, and Flame could find the caves in his sleep. The closer they got, the stronger the fearful scent became. “Flame…Something‟s not right,” Lysander whispered quietly. Flame nodded, dread pooling in his gut. He had a very bad feeling about the entire situation. “Hurry.”

They actually started running, no longer caring about being stealthy. Flame‟s mind whirled with grim thoughts and possibilities. Much to his dismay, his suspicions were confirmed in the worst way. Flame felt her presence before she even appeared. He still froze when a small gray wolf slipped out of the shadows, whimpering. Her fur was stained with blood, and she looked weak, subdued. Flame let out a choked gasp and ran to his sister‟s side. As soon as Flame reached her, she shifted back into human form and collapsed in his arms. “Flame…God, it was awful.” He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Maya‟s shoulders. “What happened, Maya? Where are the boys?” Maya looked at him, tears flowing from her big blue eyes. “The men took them.” Flame‟s heart constricted, but he pushed back his own pain and tried to focus. “How? Why?” He felt horrible for pushing his sister like that, but really, she was their only source of information. “I don‟t know, Flame.” She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath as if gathering her thoughts. “We were minding our own business, in the caves, like you said. Jared teased Loren about this weird theory Loren had, but you know how they are. It was entirely normal.” Flame nodded, keeping her tight to him, caressing her hair, and wordlessly encouraging her to continue. With every passing second, Maya seemed to regain strength, as if the memory of her ordeal replaced the fear with a different emotion. “And then these people showed up,” she said between gritted teeth. “We tried to escape, to fight back, but they were too many. In the end, Loren and Jared distracted them enough, so I managed to escape.” “Did you hear anything at all?” Lysander said from behind Flame. “Anything to clue us in on the reason of their capture?” Maya blinked up at him, obviously surprised at his intervention. She looked at Flame then back at Lysander. Understanding dawned in her eyes, and a small smile fleeted on her lips. Shaking her head, she turned her full attention to Lysander. “I‟m sorry, what did you say?” “I asked if you managed to catch any piece of information that can help us find them.”

Maya gave the question some thought. “Well, first off, they didn‟t look for me too much. One of them said they had what they wanted, that they didn‟t need the woman.” Her focus returned more and more as she spoke, and she jumped up to her feet. “He mentioned another thing. He said they needed to get back to base, that if they took too long the boss would be pissed. Then another one said it was a good thing they‟d built the base close by. He wanted to see the wolves bleed.” Flame dug his fingernails in his palms at his sister‟s words. “Which way did they go?” Maya pointed back the way she‟d come, now fully alert. “I followed them up to the mountain path. I couldn‟t get too close because they would‟ve felt me, but I did see them leaving with these SUV things.” Flame hugged his sister, both impressed and scared by the risk she‟d taken. “Good job, Maya. We‟ll find them.” Lysander took a step closer to them and offered Maya a neutral smile. “By the way, I‟m Lysander. I‟ll do my best to help.” Maya grinned up at him, even if Flame could still feel her sadness. “I‟m sure. I mean, that‟s what mates do, right?” Lysander‟s eyes widened. “Mates?” he repeated. “What do you mean?” A frown replaced Maya‟s small smirk, and Flame sighed. “We‟ll talk about it later, babe. I promise.” Lysander‟s expression went blank. Flame didn‟t know what that meant, but truly, as much as he wanted to be with his mate, to explain their connection to Lysander, he couldn‟t. “Come on, little sis,” he told Maya. “Let‟s go.” Maya nodded and took off toward the mountain path. Wordlessly, Flame took Lysander‟s hand in his, hoping the gesture would convey at least a measure of comfort. The ice in Lysander‟s demeanor cracked a little, and together they followed behind Maya. Loren and Jared‟s scent permeated the air, polluted with that same sense of wrongness. Maya swept through the thick greenery, but Flame pulled her back behind him, unwilling to risk his sister as well. He could follow the lingering trace easily enough without Maya leading the way.

Maya let out a disgruntled grumble but obeyed. Finally, they reached the mountain path, and Flame sniffed the air, checking their progress. Indeed, Loren and Jared had been there, along with several other men. The very slight smell of gasoline fumes as well as the barely visible car tracks indicated the path the kidnappers had taken. Flame growled low in his throat. He knew that once on a rockier terrain, those tracks would die down. Still, not even for a second did he doubt that he‟d find his siblings. Whoever did this would be very sorry. **** The trip toward the assassins‟ headquarters was shorter than expected, and by midnight they‟d reached their destination. It had been easy to follow the tracks of the cars and then go up the mountain using their noses as guides. Now a silent, huge building loomed ahead. Strangely enough, there didn‟t seem to be any guards around it. Lysander couldn‟t track scents as well as Flame and Maya, but even so, he instinctively knew the structure before them was undoubtedly the assassins‟ base where Loren and Jared had been taken. The lack of guards could very well be a trap. The building probably held many foes, and for once Lysander wouldn‟t regret using his talons for slitting throats. Now, more than ever, he was convinced the men who‟d taken Hearne, Petrovic, and Flame‟s brothers kidnapped Lysander‟s mother as well. He felt a small measure of happiness at the knowledge that Flame was by his side, helping him with this. It was crazy. Lysander had just met this man the day before, but he felt as if they‟d known each other all their lives. He trusted Flame to get them all out of this alive and rescue their loved ones. Together, they snuck through the shadows stealthily, doing their best to stay out of sight. No one seemed to be watching, but appearances could be deceiving. Flame led the way, with Lysander behind him and Maya following in silence. As they approached, Flame sniffed the air and grimaced. “Blood.” Lysander smelled it, too, the sickening scent of death that polluted the atmosphere. The predator inside of him felt drawn to it, but at the

same time, loathed it. He could safely say their expedition wasn‟t off to a very promising start. “It‟s not Loren‟s or Jared‟s,” Maya said softly. “I can‟t scent Viktor or Kaiden either,” Flame replied. Lysander just shook his head, indicating that he didn‟t sense his mother‟s blood. This fact put him at ease somewhat, but an ominous premonition still weighed upon his mind. It wasn‟t even because of the blood. Something else niggled at his consciousness, a foreboding feeling of evil about to happen. They sneaked around the building slowly, looking for a way in. In the darkness, Flame pointed to a door, which Lysander soon realized was open. He couldn‟t help but frown. What in the world was going on? Flame fidgeted slightly and gave Lysander and Maya an uncertain look. No matter what lay behind that door, they needed to get inside the building. If Lysander guessed right, Flame would ask them to stay outside in about three…two…one… “Maybe you should wait here,” Flame said, right on cue. Lysander couldn‟t help but snort. “We‟re perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. Right, Maya?” Flame‟s sister nodded, her eyes burning with determination. “Now let‟s get in there and find Jared and Loren.” Flame sighed but made no further attempt to convince them to stay behind. Lysander felt thankful for that. He appreciated the other man‟s protectiveness, but he could handle himself in battle, and he refused to let Flame go alone against whoever waited for them inside the building. Offering his lover a reassuring smile, Lysander nodded toward the assassins‟ base. They made their way slowly into the silent building. As they passed the door, Maya let out a gagging sound, and Lysander‟s eyes widened. Several bodies littered the floor, ripped to pieces, guts and brains mixed together in a gory ensemble. Blood was splattered all over the place, creating a picture ripped from horror movies. Upon setting eyes on the carnage, Flame started scanning the bodies with a speed that could only be born out of sheer despair. “They‟re not here,” he proclaimed after a few moments.

Lysander‟s eyes fell on the wounds on one of the bodies. “These people weren‟t killed by snakes, Flame. Those are fang marks.” Maya squinted a bit and after a second decided, “I would say a large feline. Since when are cats in league with the assassins?” Flame turned his back on the dead men and women and gestured them forward. “I don‟t think they are. This way.” Once again, they braved the darkness of the corridor, only stopping when they ran into a few more bodies. As they checked, it became clear Loren and Jared were nowhere to be found. Lysander began to think the whole thing was nothing more but a gory, terrible nightmare, and they‟d go around and around in circles, lost in a dark maze of corpses, without finding anything. To his surprise, things didn‟t happen like that. After what seemed like forever, a light flickered back to them, the first real sign of something other than death in this investigation. The sound of angry voices reached out to them, and Lysander felt shocked when he realized one of the voices belonged to Petrovic. He couldn‟t quite tell what they were saying, but either way, it seemed they hadn‟t come here in vain. Wordlessly, they slipped forward and soon realized the source of the muted light was a doorway. As they approached, the words exchanged became clearer. “You‟re crazy, Montgomery,” Petrovic said. “There‟s no way you can accomplish this.” Another man laughed. “Oh, but, my dear Viktor, I already have. That stupid lion escaped for now, yes, but I have you still, and once I‟ve finished with this, no one will be able to stand in my way.” Lysander guessed from the other man‟s words that someone else had been imprisoned and managed to break free, causing all the damage they‟d seen in the hallway. He shuddered at the thought of just one person being able to do that. “Montgomery, you must stop,” a woman said. “This is insanity.” Lysander froze, the sound of her voice making him dizzy with relief. Flame must have noted his reaction as he mouthed toward Lysander, “Your mother?”

Lysander nodded, more determined than ever to find out what Montgomery planned. Flame took his hand and squeezed it, silently reassuring Lysander that they‟d save her as well. Someone else piped in, again trying to reason with Montgomery. “The lady is right,” a man said. “What you‟re trying to do will be the death of us all.” Flame tensed, and Lysander guessed the man was one of his brothers. As horrible as the entire day had been, at least they‟d managed to find their loved ones. It was excruciatingly hard to get to the doorway without being heard or felt by the assassins. Even if she‟d tried to protest, Maya had stayed behind in the corridor, too young for such stealth. Finally, Lysander and Flame reached their target. They sneaked a peek inside the room from where the voices were coming, just in time to see Kaiden Hearne spit in the face of a handsome blond man. Lysander didn‟t know what surprised him most, the layout of the room or the sight of Hearne, Petrovic, and his mother. There were six people tied to a wall with heavy metal shackles, four men and two women. Other than Hearne, Petrovic, and his mother, there were two other men that bore a significant resemblance to Maya and another tall, slim woman. Somewhere to the right, he could see a large pool of viscous liquid, guarded by over ten assassins. Each of the prisoners also had guards next to them. All the captives looked haggard and weak, barely managing to stand up, and yet Hearne still looked proud and disdainful. “You‟re going to die, Ian. If not by your own hand, by mine. I promise you, you won‟t live to see another sunrise.” The other man—Ian Montgomery, apparently—was not amused by Hearne‟s behavior. He wiped the spittle from his face and retrieved a wicked-looking syringe. “You know, Kaiden, I always knew you weren‟t very bright. Hooking up with a werewolf and agreeing to anything I wanted just as long as I left you alone to play house? Not smart. This thing today just confirms it.” As he spoke, Montgomery inserted the syringe in Hearne‟s neck. Petrovic let out a howl and pulled desperately on the chains. An assassin guard pushed him back against the wall roughly and gave him a few kicks in the ribs for extra measure.

The syringe in Montgomery‟s hand filled with blood, and the man removed it from Hearne‟s wound. “I really didn‟t need to do this, you know,” he said. “I‟ve taken plenty of blood from you to use for testing. I just enjoy it.” This time, Kaiden just gave him a dazed look, the blood loss obviously getting to him. Montgomery snarled and turned away from Hearne. “As much as I would like to play with you all a bit more, I‟m sick of this stupidity.” He walked down to the pool, and Lysander noticed for the first time a small table holding several vials of red liquid. “What do you want us to do with the other one?” an assassin asked, pointing toward one of Flame‟s brothers. Montgomery shrugged. “Leave both of them alive. We‟ll see which one will be chosen and feed the other to my army.” Army? The man was indeed insane. Even with all the guards present, they couldn‟t wait anymore. Echoing his thoughts, Flame touched his arm and gestured toward Lysander and the shackles, mouthing, “Try to free them. I‟ll hold back the guards.” Lysander shook his head. “You‟re stronger, and you can break those shackles. I can handle the snakes. You deal with freeing our friends.” Flame opened his mouth, probably intending to protest, but he closed it right back. They didn‟t have time to fight over who did what. He nodded at Lysander. “Just be careful,” he mouthed. With that, Flame shifted into animal form. Before anyone could realize what was going on, he attacked, with Lysander right behind him. The building‟s height would have allowed Lysander to maneuver in spite of his exceedingly large wingspan, but Lysander decided against shifting. His very size made him vulnerable to a combined attack from the faster, stealthier snakes. In human form, though, he could help more. The assassins looked taken aback by the attack, and their surprise allowed Flame and Lysander the opening necessary to push several guards back. Flame managed to make his way to Petrovic and Hearne, and Lysander focused on keeping the other man safe while Flame struggled with the shackles on his friends.

Behind them, a smaller wolf charged forward, supporting their attack. Together with Maya, Lysander desperately tried to hold the guards at bay and buy Flame some time to free their loved ones. Still in front of the pool, Ian barked out a vicious laugh. “You‟re too late, whoever you are. No one can stop me now.” Lysander half-wanted to roll his eyes at the cliché, but as ridiculous as Ian‟s “evil genius” appearance seemed, Lysander suspected Ian did indeed have a plan that could kill them all. He tried to fight his way through the assassins, but he found it impossible to get through. Even with his fighting skills, these were men trained to kill, and Lysander‟s experience, while considerable, consisted more of thieving missions and killing only when absolutely necessary. He tried to come up with solutions, with some sort of plan to get to Ian without risking another meeting with an assassin knife. Unfortunately, the chaos wasn‟t very conducive to effective brainstorming, and he failed abysmally. He told himself he‟d just have to fight through the assassins, but the ominous premonition returned with a vengeance. As Montgomery busied himself around the pool, Lysander was invaded with a sense of urgency and the knowledge of evil about to happen. He couldn‟t let Montgomery go through with his plan. Even acknowledging the risk to himself, he had to stop the assassin. Following his instincts, Lysander shifted and launched himself in the air. His sudden change knocked several assassins back, but as he flew away, the men recovered. Throwing knives assaulted Lysander, and he screeched in anger, doing his best to dodge the blades. Getting to Ian would be hard, but he had to try. Unfortunately, he didn‟t even have the chance to put his plan into practice. Montgomery snatched the vials from the small table and dumped them all in the pool. With a hiss, the blood mixed with the liquid inside the pool. Grinning, Montgomery started reciting an incantation in Ancient Greek. In the sacred bloodlines, sleeping power lies, Today it will awaken For the gods above decree today, What was dead, shall be reborn Petty mortals, melt away

And the chaos of the ages walks again. It happened so fast, Lysander didn‟t even manage to grasp the meaning of the words. Suddenly, a foreign energy invaded him, tearing him apart from the inside. A screeching laughter filled his ears, and Lysander somehow knew he was the only one who could hear it. The presence inside him tore at his mind until Lysander could no longer keep himself aloft. His wings stopped obeying him, and he surrendered the battle to whatever force invaded him. **** Flame let out an angry growl. It was useless. He‟d shifted back to human form to try to release Viktor, but the shackles holding Viktor and Kaiden prisoner stubbornly resisted his efforts. Viktor tried to help him as well as he could, but their efforts proved to be futile. Flame trusted his mate to watch his back, and Lysander did indeed hold his own against the snakes, first in human form, then as an eagle. But their time seemed to be running out. Flame turned just in time to see Montgomery dump the vials in the pool, and Lysander suddenly started to twitch in the air. Flame watched in horror as the eagle‟s body shifted as if possessed, twisting and turning, the large bird‟s body writhing and blurring, as if Lysander the man fought with Lysander the shifter. Flame wanted to come to his mate‟s aid, but he didn‟t know how. His mind whirling, his heart thudding faster and faster, he directed his attention to Ian. The damn snake laughed, looking very pleased. If anyone could fix this, it was Ian. Before Flame could lunge for Ian, peculiar growls and hisses sounded behind him. Flame turned only to see Viktor, Kaiden, Loren, and the two women struggling exactly like Lysander. A fight between animal and person ensued, brutal, intense, and cruel. Flame tried to reach for his friend in an effort to snap him out of whatever spell Montgomery had cast. “Viktor, calm down, it‟s all right.” Even as he said these words, the chains snapped, and Viktor pounced. Flame managed to dodge his friend just in time, but the

swish of claws swept over his skin, leaving a burning trail in their wake. More shackles snapped, and Flame looked around to see all the previous prisoners, with the exception of Jared, had somehow freed themselves. A fleeting question passed through his mind, the dilemma of how Loren and Kaiden could have broken the shackles when Flame failed. He didn‟t know the women so he couldn‟t judge, but the men weren‟t stronger than him. Whatever Ian did to them affected both their bodies and minds. Behind him, no one even moved, as if hypnotized by the sight of the now-free prisoners. All too soon, Flame understood why. With a mighty roar, Viktor turned into a wolf and, under Flame‟s horrified eyes, grew and grew until he doubled Flame‟s height while still on all fours. The most sickening thing, though, was not Viktor‟s new size, but the fact that he had spouted two more heads. A mane of snakes appeared on his head, hissing angrily. Flame couldn‟t even move in front of the monster his friend had become. He just stared at it, trying to comprehend what was going on. If this had happened to Viktor, what about his friends? What about his family? Taking a step back, he looked to his left and gaped upon realizing all the former prisoners were shifting as well. Kaiden‟s form melted into that of a humongous snake with nine heads. Behind Kaiden, Loren shifted into another huge dog, this time with two heads. One of the women turned into a giant spider, whereas the other one shifted halfway, sprouting wings and becoming a bird from the waist down. Flame wasn‟t really a fan of mythology, but he couldn‟t have lived with Loren as a sibling without knowing some basics. His mind registered the transformations even as they happened. Cerberus. Hydra. Orthrus. Arachne. Harpy. He was afraid to look up, to see what his mate had become. He couldn‟t say he was surprised that Lysander, much like the second woman, turned half-human, half-bird. Of course, it was by far the least horrifying transformation. For a second, actually, Lysander almost seemed the same, flapping his wings casually, watching them from above. Then Lysander turned to look at Flame, and as their gazes

clashed, Flame knew that, just like in the case of his friends, Lysander‟s body now housed something entirely different. The second woman, who Flame now identified as being Lysander‟s mother, launched herself in the air, while the Hydra, the huge spider, and the two monstrous canines moved around the room to block all exits. Ian rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. “It worked. It worked. Nothing can stop me now.” A smaller wolf scurried beside Flame and shifted into Maya. “Are you insane?” she growled at Montgomery. “How exactly is this a good thing?” The man chuckled. “Not a good thing for you, of course. You‟ll probably end up eaten. I, on the other hand, will rule the world.” “Don‟t you think leading the world is a bit much?” Flame heard himself say. “I mean, sure, all the beings here are incredibly powerful, and they‟d tear a normal army to pieces, but faced with rockets, bombs, and the like…” Montgomery waved a hand. “No rocket will be powerful enough once I‟m done. This is only the beginning. I—” “This has been a very fun discussion, mortal,” Lysander‟s mother interrupted, “but I‟m not sure what made you think you could recruit us for your little army.” At her words, both Montgomery and Flame looked up. “I summoned you. I called you out from the dead. You have to obey me.” The two harpies watched the developments on the ground with something akin to amusement in their eyes. Lysander‟s mother snorted. “Creatures like us never die. This body is the evidence of that.” Before Montgomery could reply, or anyone could ask anything else, a fierce scream pierced the air. Flame turned to see the Cerberus crush an assassin‟s skull in it powerful jaws and start feasting on his flesh. The hellhound‟s impromptu dinner spurred the other creatures into action. Orthrus joined his canine sibling in his feeding frenzy, finding another unfortunate assassin to eat. The Hydra didn‟t seem interested in dining, as once it descended upon its prey, it killed them and moved on. Its nine heads breathed poisonous fume, snapping around its body

viciously. Some assassins tried to fight back against the monsters, but they didn‟t have a chance. Flame pulled Maya back to where Jared still lay bound. “About time,” Jared muttered softly. Together with his sister, Flame struggled to free Jared, all the while keeping an eye on what went on behind them. The sinister creatures who had once been their friends and family swept through the assassins so fast it made Flame‟s head spin. Half of him couldn‟t even understand how all of this had even come to pass. He almost thought it to be just a dream, a nightmare he would soon wake up from. Perhaps he was actually still in his parents‟ cabin, with Lysander by his side. He would soon wake up, and they‟d make love again. Flame would claim Lysander again and again until all the bad dreams faded. But the screams and pain around him penetrated his consciousness, and Flame realized the actual Lysander still flew above him in harpy form, watching the ongoing massacre in an obvious good mood. Lysander and his mother were the only ones who kept their original forms, and it occurred to Flame that perhaps he could get his mate to hear him out. He was out of his depth and obviously couldn‟t fight these monstrous creatures ripped out of the shadows of mythology. He left his sister with Jared and looked around to see if he had any way of reaching his mate. The room chosen for the ritual was cavernous and tall, obviously built to fit the hideous beings. From the floor, Flame didn‟t have a chance of leaping to Lysander‟s position. Some rubble flew around them when the Hydra‟s tail hit the wall, and Flame briefly considered using it to aid himself. Unfortunately for Flame, his mate somehow sensed the planned attack. Before he could say or do anything, Flame found himself the focus of the harpy‟s full attention. Flame didn‟t move as Lysander flew down toward him. He could have dodged or fought back, but what was the use of it? Lower and lower the harpy came, and Flame could see absolutely nothing of his mate in those green eyes. He needed to change that. He couldn‟t bear the thought of his mate losing himself forever to this creature who possessed him.

The harpy‟s talons yet again dug into his skin, this time embedding themselves in his shoulders. Flame couldn‟t suppress a gasp of pain when the harpy started flying back up. As they flew, blood flowed down Flame‟s hands, waves of agony sweeping through his body. The harpy let out a screech, so loud and high-pitched that Flame nearly went deaf. The small, high-up windows shattered, the broken glass coming down in a rain of sharp shards. Undeterred, the harpy flew outside, higher and higher, until they soared over the mountain and into the frigid night air. Suddenly, Lysander stopped, and Flame looked down, gulping when he realized how high they were. If Lysander dropped him, Flame would die in a very, very unpleasant way. “Do you like the sight, my darling Flame?” an unfamiliar female voice asked, startling him. Trying to figure out the source of the voice, Flame didn‟t manage to find a reply. As if displeased, the harpy released his shoulders, surrendering Flame‟s body to certain death. But before Flame could even panic, Lysander swept down and caught him, this time in his arms. “Well?” he asked again. “Aren‟t you going to answer my question?” Flame stared at Lysander, gaping as he realized the feminine voice came from him. It made sense, of course, but that didn‟t mean Flame was ready for it. Even so, he somehow succeeded in offering a coherent response. “Actually, if not for the threat of a lethal fall looming over my head, I would like the sight very much.” Lysander—or whoever inhabited Lysander‟s body—chuckled. “I see.” His arms tightened their hold around Flame as he whispered, “You‟re very handsome. I can understand why Lysander likes you so much.” “Who are you?” Flame asked. It didn‟t surprise him that she knew his name. After all, she controlled Lysander‟s mind, so she probably knew everything Lysander did. “I‟d not normally answer you, but I‟ll make an exception,” the woman said. “You can call me Ocypete.” The name sounded familiar, and Flame distantly remembered Loren telling them once the story of the original harpies. “I‟m honored, my lady,” he said as politely as possible.

Lysander—or rather, Ocypete—smiled. “That‟s nice. Now, how about you and I have some fun together? After all, you enjoy this body.” Flame couldn‟t help but recoil at that. Yes, he lusted after Lysander, but theirs wasn‟t just a connection of bodies. Their souls were one, even if Lysander didn‟t understand it yet. The thought of dirtying that link by touching someone else made him sick to his stomach, more so with that thing invading Lysander in such a monstrous way. Ocypete‟s expression twisted from a sort of seductive leer to an angry glare. “Stupid, useless man! Creatures like you deserve to die. Men who don‟t like women are an abomination.” The sudden shift didn‟t surprise Flame. He knew Ocypete wouldn‟t take refusal well. That knowledge didn‟t help him at all, though. When she roughly released him, he didn‟t have a chance of clinging to Lysander‟s body. Giving his mate a last desperate look, Flame fell into the abyss.

Chapter Seven Lysander watched in horror as Flame disappeared into the darkness beneath. His body had been invaded by Ocypete, one of the three harpy sisters his people came from. He‟d tried to push her out at first, but she was far stronger than him, and after all, he‟d basically worshipped her all his life. Unable to find the strength to fight back, Lysander allowed Ocypete to imprison him within his mind and take hold of his body. In the ethereal but unbreakable cage where he lay, he could still hear and see what she did, what went on around him. Seeing Hearne and Petrovic turn into those beasts horrified him, even if he didn‟t particularly like either of them. He hated the change in Flame‟s brother more, knowing it would hurt his lover tremendously. But none of those things managed to move him enough to go against Ocypete. When he saw Ocypete turn on Flame, though, that changed. Indirectly, he felt his talons tear through Flame‟s flesh. Now Flame would die if he didn‟t do anything. Ocypete may be more powerful than he was, but Lysander just needed a few minutes to save Flame from falling to his death. This was still his mind and his body, damn it! He refused to let Ocypete force him into killing his own lover. Concentrating, he willed the cage away and blinked in surprise when the bars actually evaporated. Somewhere above him, a loud screech sounded, tearing at his soul. It should have scared him, but it didn‟t. Lysander had never really thought about how his mind would look from the inside. It didn‟t come as a surprise that it was dark. It looked almost like a wisp of cloud on a rainy day, just before the storm started. And yet, in that darkness, small threads of light lingered, like the sun fighting its way through the gloom. He wouldn‟t let Ocypete destroy it. Through the blurry clouds, Ocypete descended upon him at an astonishing speed. Lysander shifted and met her dead on. Their bodies

collided, and they tore and scratched at each other in a frenzy. It felt incredibly genuine, as if this wasn‟t happening in Lysander‟s mind, but in the real world. Then again, where could one place the line between reality and dream? This was very real, as powerful and true as Ocypete‟s own existence and Lysander‟s feelings for Flame. Screeching, Lysander forgot about everything else but the battle and its stakes. He fought with the despair of someone on the brink of losing everything, acutely aware that each second he wasted in this battle could seal Flame‟s fate. The image of Flame‟s body crushing against the mountainside spurred him forward, giving him a strength he didn‟t know he had. In his heart, he understood why he couldn‟t let Flame die. All of a sudden, everything seemed clearer, his senses stronger, even his talons sharper. A connection just within his reach, more powerful than his every skill and belief, pushed him forward. Nothing else mattered but keeping that connection, saving Flame. Lysander attacked Ocypete with everything he had. She faltered, as if taken by surprise. In that one instant, Lysander found his opening. His beak connected to Ocypete‟s chest, and his wing hit her hard in the shoulder, sending her falling down. With just a thought, Lysander created a cage for Ocypete, much like she‟d done for him before. He knew he couldn‟t hold her back for long, though. His time was already running out. He needed to hurry. Lysander took a deep breath and focused his mind on his task. When he opened his eyes, he realized he could once again control his body, a body currently plummeting from the sky, now in human form. He guessed that Ocypete had kept them aloft while they‟d been fighting, but after he‟d imprisoned her, his body had been left abandoned. Twisting in the air, Lysander shifted into an eagle. Since he was a man, he couldn‟t use the middle harpy form. Only females of their species had this gift, a fact which stood at the base of the mistaken belief that only female harpies existed. This inability of the harpy male caused Lysander‟s abrupt transformation from the mythological winged creature to a human body. Lysander did, however, have powerful wings, and he intended to use them to rescue his lover. Thankfully, the moonlight shone clear

over the mountains, and Lysander managed to detect Flame‟s falling body. It amazed him that the mind battle between him and Ocypete, which seemed so long, actually lasted just a few seconds. He swept down faster and faster, acknowledging with dread the ground that dangerously approached them. Already he could feel Ocypete stirring in his mind, but he refused to lose this battle. He needed to be careful with this. Ocypete had hurt Flame, and Lysander himself had stabbed the other man just a few hours back. He would not allow the same thing to happen a third time. Pushing Ocypete back in the recesses of his mind, Lysander reached for his lover with desperate determination. As if by magic, his talons closed around Flame‟s waist, this time gently, carefully, so as not to tear into the flesh. Lysander thought he heard Flame utter a sound of surprise, but he focused on getting them safely down. Lysander‟s size made maneuvering in the air harder, and he almost crashed into the mountainside. Thankfully, at the last moment, he managed to veer away from the dangerous rocks. Finally, he succeeding in smoothing his flight and started a descent. His powerful wings led them both down to a small ledge beneath them where he carefully placed Flame away from any danger. Immediately, Lysander shifted and rushed to check on Flame. “Are you all right?” Flame gave him a wide-eyed, hopeful look. “I‟m fine. Babe…How? I thought…” Lysander sighed, hating the very idea of squashing that hope. “She‟s still inside my head. I‟m just barely holding her down. We have to hurry.” Flame‟s face fell, but he nodded. “Come on. We have to find a way to take care of this before it‟s too late. We can‟t leave them there to die.” Lysander changed forms once more and carefully carried Flame back up the mountain. The assassins‟ headquarters shone darkly beneath them, and Lysander made his way toward the windows he‟d first flown through. The sight that met his eyes astounded him. Sure, he‟d been distantly aware of the chaos surrounding him when Ocypete had taken hold of his body, but the knowledge did nothing to prepare him for the carnage.

Very few assassins were left alive in the cavernous room. Those smart enough to know they didn‟t have a chance against the creatures scattered around, trying to find shelter. Lysander didn‟t blame them one bit. They‟d need a nuclear weapon or something along that line to kill those monsters—not that he wanted to. Lysander‟s mother, Flame‟s friends, and his family were trapped inside those beasts. Just as those thoughts flashed through his mind, a spear of pain penetrated his consciousness. Lysander had the time to land them both on the floor before he once again became imprisoned inside his own body. **** When Lysander‟s flying became unstable, Flame knew what had happened. The eagle managed to get him safely down on the ground, and Flame watched helplessly as his mate‟s body was once again possessed by the harpy woman. Lysander had told him that she would soon break free, yes, but that didn‟t help Flame any. It didn‟t help prepare him for the moment when he met Lysander‟s eyes, which were now burning with Ocypete‟s spirit. “Well, well,” Ocypete chuckled. “It would seem that you‟ve survived.” Flame gritted his teeth, all too aware of his impotence. He wanted to attack her, but he couldn‟t without hurting Lysander. All the while, the battle—or rather, the massacre—raged on behind him, with the creatures still hunting the remaining assassins. He tried to detect Maya and Jared, but he didn‟t have a chance of finding them and keeping an eye on Ocypete at the same time. “As you can imagine,” Ocypete continued, “I‟m not happy with Lysander‟s rebellion. Who knew the little boy had so much fire inside him?” Ocypete swept a hand over Lysander‟s body, laughing maniacally. Flame couldn‟t take it any longer. “Leave him the hell alone,” he snarled. “I‟ll do whatever you like, just leave him alone.”

“Aw, that‟s so sweet,” Ocypete snickered. “Sacrificing yourself for your lover. You shouldn‟t tempt me, my dear Flame. I‟m Greek. I love tragedy.” “Stop mocking me. You can go ahead and take my body, invade my mind, or whatever it is that you want. Just…leave Lysander alone.” To Flame‟s surprise, Ocypete‟s expression changed into an unreadable mask. “It doesn‟t work like that. We can only possess the minds of those in our direct bloodlines. Either way, I‟ve lost interest in you or anything you have to offer.” Flame didn‟t know what to say or do. If Ocypete didn‟t want him, how would he free Lysander from her? Not to mention he still needed to find a way to reach out to his little brother. God, he couldn‟t even come up with an idea to approach Loren. “I am, however, impressed. I usually dislike men, but for this one time, I‟m going to help you out.” Flame gaped at her in disbelief. “Help?” he repeated. He didn‟t believe her for a second. Ocypete nodded and shifted into harpy form. Before Flame could even ask what she had planned, she flew away. Flame looked up to see her meet up with the other harpy, Lysander‟s mother. They starting speaking, but Flame couldn‟t hear their words over the ruckus in the room. His heart heavy with the knowledge that he couldn‟t help his mate, Flame looked around to find his siblings. The eagle had landed Flame at the west corner of the large hall. In front of him loomed the grotesque form of the huge spider. He detected Maya and Jared hidden in the north corner, just out of reach of the Hydra. At some point, some of the walls crumbled, allowing the survivors to find spots to shelter themselves from the creatures‟ fury. Ian Montgomery had also chosen this method, having obviously realized his plan hadn‟t gone as expected. There were maybe one hundred feet between Flame and his brothers, but with Arachne and the Hydra occupying that space, it could have very well been a continent. If Flame tried to reach Maya and Jared, he‟d just draw attention to the three of them. Before Flame could come up with anything that would at least resemble a plan, a harpy‟s screech sounded from above him. Flame

covered his ears, the deafening noise yet again threatening to overcome his senses. This time, it seemed even stronger and louder than before, and Flame gritted his teeth against the pain that started to engulf his body. His mind became dazed, and his vision darkened. He lost sight of his siblings and the chaos around him. The only thing that anchored him, that kept him from surrendering to the pain, was the knowledge that his mate still needed him, that somehow he needed to force Ocypete out of Lysander‟s body. Just as abruptly as it started, the loud shriek ended, leaving behind an almost eerie silence. Flame opened his eyes, afraid of what he would see but knowing he had to do it regardless. He expected complete and utter destruction, but what he got turned out to be very different. For some reason, the monsters stopped attacking every living being around and just stood in silence, looking up toward the flying harpies. Everyone else remained motionless, and Flame himself was afraid to breathe lest he provoke another frenzy of killing. He froze in his tracks and watched the events unfold, knowing at this point that he was out of his depth and helpless. The harpies seemed to be scanning the room and finally found what, or rather, who, they were looking for. Together, the two winged creatures swept down on Ian Montgomery, and screams filled the room again as their talons tore his flesh apart cruelly. Flame looked away from the gruesome sight. As a wolf, he was accustomed to the sight of blood, but Montgomery‟s torture couldn‟t compare to anything he‟d seen or done before. The harpies took their time with the assassin, and the beasts started to stir, restless. A low growl from the Cerberus finally marked the ending of Montgomery‟s life and his agony. With no hesitation, Ocypete ripped into the man‟s chest, retrieved the still-beating heart of the assassin and tossed it to the three-headed canine. Then he slowly made his way to stand in front of the huge spider and grinned at Flame. “I told you I would help,” that eerie female voice said. Still smiling, Lysander headed toward the Hydra. Flame couldn‟t contain a choked sound when his mate reached out to pet the huge reptilian monster. The spider in front of him turned, obviously intending to do away with Flame, but before it could do anything, the

other harpy landed in front of it and whispered something in what sounded like Greek. Just like that, Arachne‟s eight eyes left Flame, returning to stare at Lysander. “You‟re surprised,” Lysander‟s mother—or whoever inhabited her body—said. “I admit, I am surprised as well. I did not expect Ocypete to be merciful.” “What is she doing?” Flame asked, keeping his voice low and as respectful as possible. “How is this possible?” Lysander‟s mother laughed. “Did you think the connection of the bloodlines didn‟t have any effect on the actual heirs? We can speak to each other, even to our more beastly siblings.” Flame just stared at her. “What do you mean? They‟ll obey you?” The woman shook her head. “They have their own minds and will, so it‟s not about obeying. Rather, it‟s more about reaching out to the reasonable part of them.” Flame didn‟t understand one bit. What did she mean by that? What could possibly convince the beasts to stop killing them all? Lysander‟s mother smirked, obviously understanding his dilemma. “Not to worry. You‟ll find out our reasons soon enough. For now, it‟s sufficient to say that we still have use for you. Destroying the bodies and minds of our hosts would be counterproductive in the long run.” To Flame, that didn‟t sound too promising. Lysander, Loren, and everyone else was a person in his own right, not mere hosts for these mythological beings. He didn‟t have the chance to utter a protest. The ground shook, and the monstrous forms of the beasts started to melt, blurring until they left behind naked and trembling people. Flame‟s mind instantly shot into action. With his way now clear of arachnid infestation, he could reach Lysander, he could check on Loren, Maya, and Jared and see how Viktor and Kaiden felt, too. Unfortunately, just as he thought this, a powerful explosion shook the building. By his side, Lysander‟s mother frowned and took off. Almost as a second thought, she grabbed the naked woman who‟d been Arachne before flying away. She disappeared outside just as a second explosion turned the world into a fiery blaze. Flame didn‟t know who‟d attacked the building, and he didn‟t have time to find out. As he made his way through the room, he dimly

registered some assassins moving toward Montgomery‟s body and rummaging through his tattered clothing. He ignored them in favor of getting to Maya, Jared, and Lysander. His siblings gave him twin looks of relief as he approached. “This place is crashing down. We have to get Loren and the guys and find a way out,” Flame told them. Ocypete snorted. “You think?” Flame ignored her. He gestured his brothers toward Viktor and Kaiden, who seemed to be slowly recovering. “What‟s going on?” Viktor asked, rubbing at his eyes in confusion. “What happened?” Kaiden tried to get up but swooned and would have hit the floor if not for Flame‟s catching him. “Long story.” He handed Kaiden to Viktor and shifted to animal form. He would move faster like this. Loren was furthest away from them. More than ever, Flame knew he had to hurry, or else they‟d all be trapped here. Flame made his way through the burning building, dodging falling beams and mentally wincing whenever another explosion sounded. Just a few more feet and he‟d get there. In front of him, Loren was just recovering and looking around, confused. Flame scented the smell of fur burning and realized the fire had closed in on him. Time was running out. He struggled to move faster as he watched Loren get up and start to head toward him on wobbly feet. But then, yet another blast shook the building, and the wall right next to them collapsed in itself. An avalanche of rock took Flame by surprise, and he barely managed to catch sight of Loren being swallowed by it before the hard stones buried him under their weight as well. Panic swelled inside him as the image of his brother going down under the collapsed wall filled his mind. His entire body hurt, having taken too much abuse in the past twenty-four hours. He suspected the avalanche had broken his front right leg or something along that line, and he couldn‟t breathe adequately. Even so, he struggled to free himself from the weight holding him down, using his claws to try to dig himself a path through the rocks. Thankfully, his fur protected him from the jagged stones, and he wasn‟t covered too deeply in them, either. Already, he could hear someone else working to free him.

Soon enough, he saw the proverbial light, and the scent of his mate guided him outside. Lysander pulled him out of the hole and gave him a concerned look. “Are you all right?” Flame shifted, wincing as the change pushed the bone of his leg back in place. Unwilling to allow that little thing get in his way, he looked around to detect his brother. Nothing but smoke and rock surrounded him. “I‟m fine,” he told Lysander. “Loren?” Lysander looked away. “The fire spread too fast. We can‟t get to him from here. There‟s a doorway just next to where he is, but I don‟t think we can reach it in time.” “We can‟t just leave him!” Flame said angrily. “He‟s my brother.” Even as he spoke, he knew Lysander was right. The fire already blocked the path to Loren‟s location. Even in shifted form, neither of them could go through and come back out alive. Ocypete‟s voice snapped him out of his pain, and it was only then that Flame realized he‟d spoken to the real Lysander before. “This fire isn‟t natural, Flame. It‟s coming from the pool, the one Montgomery poured the blood into. Not even I could make my way into that blaze.” She sounded almost sorry about the whole thing, and Flame knew they really had no way of rescuing Loren. To make things worse, Maya joined the conversation. “Flame? What are we going to do?” He was saved from replying by Jared. “There isn‟t anything we can do.” Flame gave Jared a glum look. “Come on. We have to make haste, or we‟ll be stuck here as well.” The entire conversation had taken maybe one minute, but it was already too much. Flame handed Maya to Lysander, indicating that he fly her out. Wordlessly, Lysander complied and took off, Maya in his hold. They moved swiftly and efficiently, but Flame still rejoiced when the other harpy showed up and took Jared, too. Only Viktor, Kaiden, and he were left inside. Flame hastened to his friends, knowing that, at this point, the harpies would probably be unable to enter the building again. His heart heavy, he supported Viktor and Kaiden as he found the one corridor left clear. Behind him, fire engulfed the entire room, taking away Flame‟s last hope of saving Loren. When he finally managed to get out

of the assassins‟ building, Flame collapsed on the ground, tears flowing down his cheeks. His brother was dead. He‟d failed them all. Warm arms wrapped around him, holding him in a tight embrace. Lysander didn‟t say anything, just held him, providing silent comfort. He felt ashamed to admit that it cast away at least some of the pain. It even dulled the agony Maya‟s sobs tore in his heart. Angrily, Flame pushed Lysander away. He should be mourning, damn it! He had to feel the pain. Loren deserved that much. **** Yet again, Lysander stood there helpless, not knowing how to help. He understood Flame‟s pain, or at least some of it. Losing a member of one‟s family was never easy. Lysander still wondered and ached about his father‟s disappearance, and he didn‟t even know for sure that the man was dead. Just as he debated the merits of reaching for Flame again, Lysander registered a soft moan behind him and a shocked gasp from Maya. He turned, his talons already poised to take care of any possible threat. His eyes widened as he realized the source of the noise. An unknown man approached, but it was not him who‟d caused Maya‟s gasp and Lysander‟s own astonishment. To their shock, the man held Loren in his arms. Flame‟s brother was unconscious but obviously still alive. He‟d most likely been the source of the moan Lysander heard. It concerned Lysander somewhat that he‟d not felt Loren‟s rescuer approach, but he would have to worry about that later. Flame got up, having seemingly realized something happened as well. For a brief moment, Flame remained frozen in his spot before taking off to meet his brother‟s rescuer halfway. Lysander followed after Flame, taking in the details of the stranger. The man‟s muscled build rivaled Flame‟s, even if they were incredibly different in every other way. Deep blue eyes stared at them, full of suspicion and maybe even hostility. A long mane of blond hair fell on his shoulders, rich and wild, untamable. Lysander had the feeling this was a very dangerous man and they needed to tread lightly around him.

Unfortunately, Flame didn‟t seem to care about that and actually attempted to snatch Loren out of the man‟s arms. Confirming Lysander‟s guess, Loren‟s rescuer snarled at Flame. “Stay back.” Flame snarled right back. “Let go of him.” Lysander rushed to stop Flame before his lover did something they‟d all regret. After all, whoever this man was, he‟d rescued Loren. “What he means is, you have our thanks for getting Loren out of the fire. Flame is just worried about his brother, you see, and he wants to…” The man interrupted Lysander before he could finish his “diplomatic intervention”. “Brother? You‟re nothing alike.” Flame let out a low growl. “Adopted brother.” “Oh,” the stranger said. “Well, then, I guess I can allow you to approach.” He said it quietly, almost grudgingly, as if he didn‟t truly believe Flame but really had no choice of doing otherwise. They were saved from further awkwardness when Maya reached them and, completely ignoring the stranger, rushed to check on her brother. This time, Loren‟s rescuer didn‟t say anything, and it occurred to Lysander that, on certain occasions, it really paid to be a woman. Behind her, Jared followed. “This is Maya, and I‟m Jared. We‟re Loren and Flame‟s brothers.” He shot an uncertain look toward Lysander. “Like, umm…he said, we‟re very thankful for you saving Loren‟s life. But who are you, exactly?” Lysander almost laughed at Jared‟s hesitation. He realized for the first time Jared had no idea who Lysander actually was. He suppressed his amusement in favor of waiting for the stranger to reply. The mysterious man just handed Loren to Jared. “A friend,” he said simply. He brushed a kiss on Loren‟s forehead, hesitating for a second before finally stepping back. Lysander frowned, but he didn‟t get the chance to ask any of the questions now invading his mind. The stranger shifted into a large lion and, with a final glance in their direction, disappeared into the night. “What was that?” Jared asked, gaping. “Nemean Lion,” Ocypete whispered in Lysander‟s mind. Lysander jumped, startled by her sudden presence. After landing Maya outside,

she‟d allowed him control and had been strangely quiet. Would she want to take over again now? “I have a feeling we‟ll find out soon enough,” Flame replied, and for a second Lysander didn‟t realize the answer was for Jared. “For now, let‟s get off this mountain. It‟s not safe.” Lysander nodded, but he couldn‟t help but feel that, no matter what they did from then on, the events of the day would continue to haunt them. Would they ever be safe again?

Chapter Eight Flame stared at the broken frame on the floor in a sort of hypnotized daze. He knew without even thinking it was a picture of the Graysons, taken shortly before they‟d died. Even if the support holding it had been destroyed, the photo somehow survived. Flame cleared away the glass shards, not paying the slightest attention to possible cuts. As he retrieved the photo, he looked at his parents‟ smiling faces without really seeing them. Everyone had just returned from the mountain, having decided against going to a medic. Loren had regained consciousness on the way, and Flame knew his brother would be just fine. The best indicator of health for shifters was whether or not they could withstand being in their human form. Loren didn‟t have any problem with that and seemed to be recovering more and more of his strength. They‟d also taken in the woman who‟d been Arachne. Her name was Julie, and upon first impression, Flame thought she was a normal girl, other than the spider shifter thing, of course. Now they were trying to sort through the mess in his home. Many of the belongings they‟d treasured their whole lives had been trashed, precious memories torn into shreds. It made Flame angry that people would engage in such senseless destruction. And yet, beyond the chaos of the wrecked furniture, Flame didn‟t know what he would do about his life. They‟d just barely escaped the assassins‟ plot, but the beasts inside Viktor, Kaiden, Loren, and Lysander had been awakened. Ocypete had given them a way out of the compound, but what would be the price? “So now what?” Lysander asked, echoing Flame‟s own dilemma. Kaiden spoke for the first time in many hours. “Now I‟d like to know how in the world Ian managed to summon those things out of us.” His voice gradually increased in volume, from a near whisper to practically shouting. “And no more secrecy from you either,” he said

while glaring at Lysander and his mother. “And who the hell is this woman?” “Calm down, Kai,” Viktor said soothingly. “It‟s all right.” “It‟s not fucking all right, and you know it! Stop trying to make me feel better. I‟m not a child.” “If you please, Mr. Hearne,” Lysander‟s mother said suddenly. “I‟m going to answer all of your questions.” Kaiden just crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Flame watched Lysander fidget next to his mother and, on impulse, walked forward to his mate. He didn‟t know if his support would be welcome, but he had to try. He felt both surprised and lucky when Lysander instantly leaned into his embrace, allowing Flame to hold him. They remained like that, holding each other, as Lysander‟s mother started speaking. “My name is Rhea, and I‟m the queen of the harpies. Lysander is my son.” “Gee, thanks for telling me that,” Kaiden said snappishly. “I would have never guessed.” Rhea let out a sigh of irritation. “And I would have you be respectful of me. I am royalty, Mr. Hearne. I don‟t have any obligation to explain anything.” Kaiden glared at her, but it was Lysander who jumped in to calm the conflicting tempers. “My Queen, I‟m sure all of us here would be very appreciative if you could give us your valuable input.” Rhea turned and arched a brow at Lysander. “Really, child? I suppose you‟ll explain to me why you didn‟t go through with your task and ended up in this man‟s bed instead?” Lysander‟s body tensed and started trembling in Flame‟s arms. “I…I failed and was injured in my initial attack. When I recovered, I started to suspect something more was going on. Then, the whole thing with the assassin compound happened.” “That doesn‟t answer my question,” Rhea pointed out. “However, we will deal with private matters later.” She turned to Kaiden and Viktor again. “I am queen of the harpies. I sent my son, Lysander, here to kill you after you hypnotized one of my most trusted lieutenants. As it turned out, she betrayed me in the end. Whether you knew it or not, Hearne, your power did affect my people, and my life. That‟s how I ended up trapped by Montgomery.”

Kaiden didn‟t seem fazed by Rhea‟s accusation. “Your own fault for trusting someone you shouldn‟t have.” Rhea didn‟t find a reply for that. Flame almost thought she would get angry and stomp away, but instead, she waved her hand regally. “That is quite true. At any rate, it is clear by now that Montgomery summoned our ancestors from our bloodlines. However, what you don‟t know is that he was not the one to orchestrate this plan. Someone else did it, and someone provided him with the magic necessary to create the pool you saw in the assassin headquarters.” “Who?” Flame couldn‟t help but ask. “Who was it if not Montgomery?” “I don‟t know yet, but whoever it is, he or she is still out there. Other than us, there are many people with the same potential. You met one of them tonight. The boy‟s rescuer. He has the blood of the Nemean lion. He was the only one out of us who managed to escape from our joined captivity.” Flame arched a brow. “Oh? I take he killed all those guards on the way out?” Rhea nodded. “Mr. Hearne and Mr. Petrovic were injured at that time and somehow, that man found an opening and just dashed out.” “That‟s strange,” Kaiden mused. “Why did he go back, then?” Flame suspected he knew exactly why the man returned, and he didn‟t particularly like it. In fact, he hated the mere thought that the stranger might be Loren‟s mate. His brother and a feline? Granted, stranger things had happened, but Flame still hoped it wouldn‟t be the case. “The point is that this thing tonight is only an experiment,” Rhea continued. “We have to be ready when this person attacks again. More than anything, we have to find these people and warn them before it‟s too late.” Silence stretched out in the room for a few seconds. “All right. I get that,” Kaiden finally answered. “But tell me this, how exactly do I keep myself from going snake and sprouting nine heads all of a sudden?” A different voice answered from Rhea‟s mouth, taking Flame by surprise. “Not to worry. Like I told Mr. Grayson here, we have no intention of damaging our hosts.”

Lysander shifted in Flame‟s arms and smirked. Flame could immediately tell Ocypete was now in control of his mate‟s body. “Don‟t look so glum, handsome. You‟ll have your little lover all to yourself soon, good as new, and improved.” The only thing keeping Flame from slapping that smirk away was that such a thing would imply hurting Lysander. Ocypete chuckled, obviously enjoying his discontent. Rhea grimaced. “All right, enough of this playing. We‟ve all agreed to let you have your independence, as long as you find out who disturbed the balance of reality and myth. If you need it, you will be able to summon our power. But make no mistake, if you don‟t take this task seriously, you‟ll find yourself in quite a predicament.” Kaiden wordlessly nodded, even as his body started trembling and sprouting scales. Flame guessed it was the Hydra giving him a little example of what would happen if they didn‟t obey. “Okay, we get it,” Viktor snapped. “We‟ll figure things out.” Rhea didn‟t say anything else. Her eyes rolled in her head and then her form went limp and swooned. Viktor swiftly shot forward and caught her, preventing her from falling to the ground. At the same time, Lysander became a dead weight in Flame‟s arms, and Flame knew that, at least temporarily, they were free of Ocypete. Nodding to Viktor and Kaiden, he turned on his heel and headed toward his bedroom. They all needed some well-deserved rest after the ordeal. **** Lysander cracked his eyes open just as Flame deposited him on the bed. He realized he‟d blacked out during the conversation, most likely due to Ocypete. She‟d even managed to block him out completely since he‟d been too tired to even attempt to fight her. Would that happen every time she wanted to play with him or Flame? For a second, fury clouded his mind. Flame‟s presence anchored him, giving him the ability to push back the anger. “Babe? Are you okay?”

Lysander took a deep breath and forced himself to smile. Just as he prepared himself to give Flame an encouraging answer, he realized something felt different. He was different. He didn‟t know how he‟d missed it at first, but now it looked crystal clear to him. She was gone. Ocypete‟s presence no longer haunted him. “How?” he asked Flame. “Why did she leave?” Flame grinned, apparently unable to hold back his relief. “They said they‟d free you as long as we found out who is behind all this.” Lysander leaned against the headboard as he contemplated the new information. “I see.” He was so happy to be free of her, he couldn‟t say anything else. Flame leaned over and pecked his lips. “Be right back. I have to give Viktor and your mother someplace to crash.” He got up and, with another look toward Lysander, left the room. The brief kiss brought to mind an entirely different issue. He still remembered Maya‟s words from the forest. According to her, he was Flame‟s mate. What did being a mate imply? Was it anything like the relationships in harpy society? Lysander strongly doubted it. He did, however, know that Flame had a lot of explaining to do. Whatever happened the night before— and God, had it only been a day since then?—was more than just sex. Lysander wasn‟t stupid. The very essence of the word implied a connection. But where did that connection start, and where did it end? Other than what he‟d learned during his stay here, he didn‟t really know that much about werewolves. To what extent were they similar to their animal counterparts? Yet another dilemma, and something that would influence his future. He didn‟t know how much time he had spent lost in his thoughts when Flame finally returned. “There. I had Viktor and Kaiden sleep in Jared‟s room. Maya and Julie are temporarily rooming together, and your mother took the one guest room we have.” Lysander arched a brow. “To be expected, don‟t you think?” Flame sighed as he sat back on the bed. “True. So you‟re a prince, huh?” Lysander nodded, not really knowing how to explain his situation to Flame or broach the topic of the mating. “Yes, I am, but since I‟m a

man, my position is quite precarious. Harpy society is very matriarchal, you see.” “I guess that makes sense,” Flame said. “I‟ve always thought harpies were all women.” “Common misconception. Men just can‟t shift in middle form.” Silence stretched between them, a heavy awkwardness building around the proverbial elephant in the room. “What does it mean that I‟m your mate?” Lysander finally blurted out. The words came out rougher than they should have, and Flame actually winced. “I guess I never really got to explaining that to you.” Lysander didn‟t say anything, choosing to just look at Flame. In fact, he didn‟t really know what to say. They‟d not spoken too much, and it was partially Lysander‟s fault. He didn‟t want to get into a blame game. He just needed the answers and then he‟d panic, or rejoice, or take whatever measures needed to be taken. Flame took a deep breath, as if preparing for something very difficult. “The moment I saw you, when you were still in shifted form, I knew you were my mate. Unlike wolves in the wild, we werewolves mate for life, and our mates practically complete us.” He paused, a dark shadow sweeping over his eyes. “Go on. Say whatever you have to say. Don‟t worry.” Flame nodded. “A little over a year ago, I was forced into mating with someone I didn‟t love. Viktor broke that bond when he took over the pack, but ever since then, I‟d been feeling…lost. It all changed when I met you.” Lysander felt humbled at the emotion in Flame‟s tone. What had he done to deserve that affection? They‟d first seen each other when Lysander attempted to assassinate the lover of Flame‟s best friend. Then Lysander ran off without a word just after sleeping with Flame and had been so eager to get away he‟d almost killed Flame. Doubt clouded Lysander‟s heart. How much of Flame‟s affection was genuine and how much pure instinct? “How can you care about me? You know next to nothing about me, and I‟ve wronged you in so many ways…” Flame took Lysander‟s hand and squeezed it. “That‟s not true. I know everything I need to know. You saved my life twice. You‟re

loyal and strong and so beautiful it hurts. The rest will come in time—if you want it to.” Lysander rubbed his eyes tiredly. Something still weighed upon his mind, a question he didn‟t know how to ask. “That first night,” he began, “you did something…I didn‟t want to admit it at first, but I can practically feel it now.” Flame recoiled as if he‟d been burned. “Yes,” he replied, almost inaudibly. “I claimed you as my mate. I know I didn‟t give you a choice…but I just…God…I can‟t say I‟m sorry because I don‟t even know if I am…I just—” Lysander didn‟t need to hear anything more. He thought that maybe he‟d known everything from the very beginning. He could trust what he felt, the thread that united their hearts. He would leave doubts and fears for when they were justified. Not even giving Flame a chance to finish, Lysander jumped his lover and pressed his lips to Flame‟s. Flame‟s eyes went wide with surprise, but it didn‟t last. In mere seconds, those same eyes drifted shut, and Lysander found himself under Flame‟s sensual assault. Lysander gladly surrendered to Flame‟s exploration, moaning when his lover‟s tongue tangled with his. They‟d slept together just the night before, yet it seemed so much time had passed. Too long since he‟d touched Flame, too long since Flame had held him like this. Flame pushed Lysander down on the bed, covering Lysander‟s body with his larger one. Lysander didn‟t mind in the slightest. Flame‟s weight above him felt intoxicating, more so when Flame‟s hands tore at his clothes, effectively ripping off the large T-shirt and sweats. Why had he put them on in the first place? Oh, yeah, they‟d needed to talk to Viktor and Kaiden. About what? Lysander really couldn‟t remember anymore. Even the memory of the traumatic experience of the night had vanished. The desire to be skin-to-skin with his lover—no, his mate—overwhelmed everything. Flame seemed to have that exact same thought. A flurry of material and they were naked, rubbing against each other in almost desperate need. They briefly separated as Flame shifted on the bed to rummage through the nightstand. When he came back, victoriously holding a bottle of lube, he swept a predatory gaze over Lysander. “God, babe…I want you. I want you so bad.”

Lysander just nodded, lifting his legs and holding them up to allow Flame access to his nether regions. Flame growled, his nostrils flaring, and Lysander‟s dick throbbed at the sheer power and possessiveness in that animalistic sound. A click, a snap, and a squirt signaled Flame‟s swift preparations. He moved so fast Lysander almost didn‟t see him. A slick finger penetrated his opening, and Lysander‟s body actually started trembling. It was so weird. The night before, he‟d basically taken the lead and almost turned the whole thing into something it shouldn‟t have been. He‟d been too afraid to admit the emerging feelings that bonded him to Flame. Now that he did admit them, though, he felt inadequate, uncertain, not knowing what to do. Where did they go from here? “Don‟t worry, babe,” Flame crooned. “I‟ll take care of you.” Another finger followed the first, and the frenzy of passion turned into a lazy exploration. The two digits thrust into Lysander slowly, preparing him with such gentle care that it brought tears to his eyes. He gasped when they hit and rubbed his special spot. The need to be filled escalated to an almost painful extent. Flame placed tender kisses on Lysander‟s chest, and Lysander thought his heart would surely burst. It beat so fast that even for a bird, it was unnatural. When Flame licked at his nipples, Lysander felt rays of electricity shoot through his body. His dick pulsed, begging for attention, agonizingly hard. Flame continued his slow torture, now supporting Lysander‟s legs with his shoulders. He blew a puff of hot air through the slight smattering of feathers forming across Lysander‟s collarbone. Lysander gasped. He was always most sensitive in areas where his real nature came out. Unfortunately, Flame couldn‟t exactly lick that particular spot. Getting feathers in one‟s mouth was quite unpleasant, as Lysander could well testify. Even so, Flame found the perfect way to compensate. He pressed his nose against Lysander, growling softly. The rumbling vibration sent ripples of pleasure through Lysander, and he reached down to rub his fingers across Flame‟s scalp. The feel of his lover‟s stubbly skin under his fingertips just made it even better. All the while, Flame‟s own digits continued to fuck Lysander lazily, until Lysander practically melted on the bed. His mind whirled,

one side screaming at him to get Flame to fuck him, the other enjoying this far too much. In the end, his lover made the decision for him. That talented mouth abandoned Lysander‟s chest and went down, down over his abdomen. A naughty tongue licked at Lysander‟s six-pack, tracing each ridge and then following the treasure trail even lower. Lysander could barely breathe as he waited for Flame‟s tongue to reach the spot where he wanted it most. This time, Flame didn‟t delay too much. He held Lysander open to his exploration, buried his face in Lysander‟s pubic hair, and inhaled. His tongue snaked around Lysander‟s testicles, teasing and playing with the sac. Lysander both loved and hated it. Loved it because of the pleasure it gave him and hated it because it just held him on the brink. Sexual tension crackled inside him, and Lysander moaned, arching toward his mate. Flame took the cue and his mouth went up from Lysander‟s testicles. When his mate reached his dick, Lysander found himself under a whole new degree of sensual assault. At first, Flame swept his tongue over Lysander‟s length, but then he seemed to become fascinated with the glans, just like in their first night together. He licked across Lysander‟s foreskin, massaging it, making it glide over his shaft, and then closed his mouth around the head. Fastening his lips on the foreskin, Flame dragged it down, gently sucking it before letting it go and returning his mouth to the leaking tip. Each motion made the pleasure escalate, almost as if it was orchestrated for that particular purpose. Fondling, teasing, tormenting, driving Lysander mad, it turned into an onslaught of sensation. Flame‟s fingers in his ass, his lover‟s tongue torturing his cock. Soon the gentleness could no longer satisfy him, and he wanted more. “Parakalo,” he begged. “Flame…I need…” Even if, at this point, Lysander was slightly incoherent, Flame seemed to understand him. Or, at least, that‟s what Lysander thought. Indeed, Flame withdrew his fingers, and something larger nudged at Lysander‟s hole. As Flame pushed inside of him, Lysander dug his fingernails in Flame‟s back and pulled his lover down for a kiss. Their mouths met, and their tongues dueled even as Flame started thrusting.

When Flame‟s dick hit his prostate, Lysander couldn‟t even keep enough control to hold himself up. He went limp, his mind only managing to focus on the pleasure he felt. Flame somehow found a way to support him, and as their mouths separated, their groans filled the room, entwined just like their bodies were. At first Flame moved slowly, but then his motions started speeding up, pushing inside Lysander‟s channel with rapid thrusts. Lysander distantly realized he‟d started spouting vulgar Greek words, but he couldn‟t care less. “Gamiseme tora!” he begged. “Fuck me! Harder!” He didn‟t know how much Flame understood out of it, but it must‟ve been quite a bit, since they actually had a visible effect. Flame snarled, and it seemed to Lysander that something snapped inside his mate. The next thing he knew, Flame was plowing his ass, face twisted into an almost-grimace, teeth gritted, and claws digging into Lysander‟s hips. Lysander‟s eyes rolled in his head, and he simply lost all contact with reality. The strength, the fire, the passion…Flame certainly had an adequate name because he burned Lysander alive, inside out. Lysander felt like he was flying beyond the limits of time and space, where he‟d never been able to go. Oxygen deprivation no longer held him back, and he could fly higher and higher, up until he reached the sun. He wondered if firebirds felt like this before imploding to come to life again. It was just too much energy and ecstasy for one person to withstand. Then Flame dug his fangs in Lysander‟s throat, and the world exploded into a myriad of colors. Memories assaulted him, flashes of the past, of Flame‟s life and his own. The same thing had happened the day before, but Lysander still wasn‟t ready for the intensity of the emotions. How could he have ever thought this meant just fucking? How could he have been so blind? How did he even manage to convince himself to leave Flame‟s side? He remembered all too well what he‟d almost done their first time together. Yet even back then, he‟d somehow known, he‟d understood at a visceral level what his conscious mind could not accept. He belonged to Flame, forever.

The thought didn‟t scare him any longer. Instead, it felt like all the pieces came together, like all his life Lysander had been looking for this one thing, and he‟d finally found it. Tears in his eyes, Lysander came, crying out Flame‟s name. He just barely managed to cling to consciousness, refusing to lose even one second of his time with Flame. He wasn‟t disappointed. As he came down from the orgasmic high, Flame took his mouth in a hard kiss. When their lips separated, a soft murmur made Lysander‟s heart leap in his chest. “God, I love you.” Squeezing Flame hard in his arms, Lysander replied, “Se agapo, Flame. I love you, too.” He didn‟t care about how corny it sounded, or even if it didn‟t match anything he was taught as a child. The connection between them, the golden thread binding their souls together, represented Lysander‟s reality now. Everything else could wait.

Epilogue One month later “Viktor! Oh, God, Viktor!” Flame froze in his tracks as he heard the unmistakable sound of his friend‟s mate moaning. Ah, geez. Not that he didn‟t understand Viktor, but they did have plans for the night, and he couldn‟t exactly go into his friend‟s office and pull him off Kaiden. “Perhaps we shouldn‟t have let ourselves in.” Lysander chuckled behind him. They‟d come to Viktor and Kaiden‟s house to pick their friends up and drive them back to the Graysons‟ house. Viktor‟s car had suffered a small accident—which Flame strongly suspected had something to do with Kaiden‟s insatiable libido—so Viktor now relied on Flame for transportation. Since Viktor pretty much allowed Flame to come and go as he pleased, they‟d decided today to just go inside the house. Unfortunately, they‟d not counted on receiving a vocal assault of Kaiden being fucked. “Yes, there! Oh, God!” Flame sighed as he doubled back to the door. “Guess that‟s it for our little movie night.” “Stop pouting, Flame,” Lysander said, grinning. “I‟ll still be there, and your brothers. We‟ll be fine.” “I suppose you‟re right.” From the direction of the office, another loud moan sounded. “Wow, he really is quite vocal. At least we had that for a warning.” Lysander didn‟t reply but just stared at Flame. “What?” Flame asked, now accustomed to Lysander‟s inscrutable looks. “What are you thinking?” Lysander looked away and actually blushed. “Just wondering,” he muttered, “wondering if people run into us like this.” The soft reply made Flame‟s dick go rock hard. “Want to try and find out?”

Lysander‟s eyes widened as Flame picked him up and draped him over his shoulder. Flame grinned. Maybe their movie night could be delayed for an hour or so. **** Three hours later, Lysander burst into laughter as the goat on the screen started yodeling in panic. He couldn‟t help it. Something about the singing animal inHoodwinked drew out the child in him, and he didn‟t care that he was making a fool of himself in front of everyone present. In fact, Lysander thought that maybe more than the goat, the people around him made him feel relaxed, happy. Who‟d have thought a few months ago that he‟d be watching an animated movie in the same room with Kaiden Hearne and Viktor Petrovic? More importantly, who‟d have thought that Lysander would have a lover who laughed at the goat‟s antics with him—the same lover who‟d fucked him into the mattress just hours before? It was amazing, the four of them and Flame‟s three siblings having a sort of family night together. Such a simple thing, but it meant the world for Lysander. He loved his mother dearly, but he‟d never really had a family life. Their society didn‟t allow for anything like that. Lysander suspected Kaiden appreciated it as well even if he just sat there next to Viktor, staring gloomily at the screen. In the end, the man was a snake, and he couldn‟t be expected to gain amusement so easily. Still, not even Kaiden would be able to deny that these evenings spent together gave them all a sense of belonging, something they‟d never really had before. Ever since the battle at the assassins‟ headquarters, things started to settle into this comfortable routine. They were still looking for Loren‟s mysterious savior and trying to figure out who‟d really orchestrated Ian Montgomery‟s plan. Thankfully, the summoned mythological creatures remained silent, going dormant again shortly after their appearance, just like the harpies promised. Lysander knew, however, that Ocypete was still there, inside of him. She would not invade him, but she‟d given him her power, and

that didn‟t come without a price. He suspected his friends felt it as well. Loren in particular had been quite thoughtful and quiet, according to Flame, more so than his usual nature. Lysander suspected at least half of that attitude was caused by the strange cat shifter, but he couldn‟t know for sure. These days, he didn‟t know anything for sure. Lysander‟s mother had now left for Greece. She‟d taken his relationship with Flame surprisingly well. Lysander suspected she‟d, in fact, known about his proclivities. He spoke to her occasionally, but he feared that distance would make them grow apart. He sometimes wondered how the other harpies had taken his absence. Rhea seemed to be doing just fine, but she was a strong woman and she‟d never ask for help, even if she needed it. He only realized he‟d tensed at the thought when Flame hugged him tighter and whispered in his ear, “What‟s wrong, babe?” Flame‟s voice cast away the shadows clouding his mind. His mother realized the importance of their quest. She wouldn‟t keep things from him. The most important thing was that she still loved and accepted Lysander. And now, he had Flame and all his friends, as well. Lysander turned a little to smile at his mate. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” On the couch behind them, Kaiden huffed in disdain as he took in the schemes of the evil bunny genius. Viktor cuddled his frustrated mate closer, a warm smile on his face. Sitting on the floor, Jared and Maya threw popcorn at each other, giggling madly. When Loren didn‟t participate, they jumped their littermate and started scuffling on the floor. As he took in the scene, Lysander suddenly felt much, much better. He may not know who was after them, but he could bet his life that he‟d found his home now. Whatever enemies would come at them in the future, they‟d be able to face them together.

THE END http://scarlethyacinth.webs.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure. Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother‟s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto romance. As a writer, though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—proposed they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

Also by Scarlet Hyacinth Siren Classic: Kaldor Saga 1: Enraptured Ménage Amour: The Three Horsemen of the Black Forest Siren Allure: Truth and Deception Siren Classic: Reborn (sequel to Truth and Deception) Siren Classic: Deadly Mates 1: Moon’s Sweet Poison Available at BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com