STORY EXCERPT

Night held Akira up with obvious ease. He held him firmly until Akira could get his footing again. They were face-to-face for the second time tonight.

“Be careful. I wouldn’t want you getting hurt,” Night whispered before releasing his hold on him. Akira could feel himself hardening as the Hunter’s penetrating stare bore into his eyes. He needed a distraction and quick. Luckily Night provided one.

“I guess I just wanted to know what it was like to be something other than a Hunter…I’ve never really spoken with anyone other than those I’m hunting. I just wanted to understand more about your life.” The words were sincere. Akira could tell the Hunter was searching for some kind of understanding.

“Life’s rough, but I get by. The full moon runs are something my kind looks forward to. It’s the only time we can truly let loose and allow our animal form the freedom it yearns for since it’s become too dangerous to shift any other time of the month.” Thanks to the Hunters, he wanted to add but refrained. He didn’t want to insult the man even if it was truth.

“I hate hunting. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be free from this life.” Night’s admission was followed by a tension in his muscles. His eyes narrowed on something in the distant, and Akira could tell he meant the words he spoke.

“If you hate it so much, why do you do it?” Akira asked curiously. He moved closer to the Hunter.

“It’s what I’m trained to do. It’s what I am. I’ve never known any different, and anyone that’s tried to leave the Hunter way of life has either disappeared altogether or ended up at the wrong end of a blade. I thought if I left my family home and lived on my own, I would understand why it is I am a Hunter, but so far all I’ve seen is the cruelty and anguish we cause.”

The Hunter had a faraway look on his face as though he’d forgotten where he was and who he was with. Akira splashed him with some water, snapping him out of his reverie. Night raised an eyebrow at the Were.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never been anyone else,” Akira said with a laugh. The Hunter sure had strange values. “It doesn’t matter if I know who I am. Everyone else doesn’t. In fact, no one else cares. You at least get respect simply by existing. I’m constantly having to prove my worth.” Akira cupped the warm water in his hands and threw it on the bigger man once again. He sunk down until nothing but his nose and eyes were visible in the steaming water.

He considered tackling the other man as he abruptly stood to avoid Akira’s further attacks, but then Night turned just right and the candlelight caught the brand at his hip. The ring of Celtic knots surrounding the bold snake curved in the shape of an S was a symbol Akira knew all too well. The color drained from his face. Bloody memories brought horror to the surface of his consciousness.

No! Flash. His brother thrashed against the side of the building as a Stragorri held him by his throat, Akira pulling at the Hunter’s leg. “Please.”

Akira came back to himself in an instant, his breath coming out in hard, panting breaths. He paddled backward, splashing like a flailing duck as he powered away from his enemy. He fell and then came up, coughing and sputtering as he swallowed the warm, sulfuric water.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck…” he whispered. He stared at the Hunter, his eyes seeing another of his line instead. He was caught in the flashback of his past.

Akira was vaguely aware of the Hunter’s grip on him as he struggled in the water. “Easy, Were.” Night’s soothing voice did little to calm the horrors flashing before him. “Akira! Talk to me!”

“Lemme go,” Akira whispered in a panic-stricken voice. “Please…” He sounded near tears. His animal rose to the surface as it often did when he was distressed. His fingertips turned into claws that cut into the Hunter’s chest as he pushed him away. The Hunter’s grip did not waver.

“Calm down, Akira. It’s me, Night. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Stragorri” was all Akira could muster in reply. His senses sharpened almost painfully, and the Hunter’s intoxicating scent surrounded him, comforting him with every breath. His struggles became less severe until the man before him transformed from the horror in his memories back into the man he’d been attracted to only moments ago.

“N–night?” Akira asked, recognition finally entering his eyes. His claws retracted almost instantly from Night’s flesh. The horror slowly faded as he let the Hunter’s scent console him.

Night pulled him to his chest and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m here,” he whispered into Akira’s ear. “If you want me to be.” Those last words were all the reassurance Akira needed from the Hunter. It was his choice to be here tonight. It was his choice to be comforted by this Hunter, and at this moment he wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world so long as he never had to relive that horrible night. Night wasn’t the enemy. He’d never tried to hurt him. He’d only shown him kindness since their first meeting and now…now he needed to feel him. He needed to know that this attraction was real despite their differences. It wasn’t Night that had killed his brother, but it was Night who had brought an end to the flashback. Something not even his Packmates could do. There was something about this man that made his animal yearn to claim him.

Akira blinked, his soul numb as he came out of his post-traumatic moment. He looked up at Night with tear-filled eyes.

“Are you…Are you going to kiss me?” he whispered, licking his lips. His beast growled in answer. Yes. Kiss. Take. Mate. Oh fuck. Akira was instantly hard as the realization dawned on him. This Hunter was his mate.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Did you at least grab my pants off the ground?” he teased. His beast purred as he stared at his mate. He didn’t realize that an actual purr made its way out of his throat and filled the air. His fangs elongated. Man he felt sexy. Night stood there watching him with those lust-filled green eyes, too focused on his every movement to reply.

Akira’s gait became sultry as his hips began swinging lightly in an age-old method of attraction. The Hunter might’ve been oblivious, but the choice of location made Akira’s beast closer to the surface than usual as his mate’s scent filled his nostrils with every breath. It was intoxicating. He slinked up to Night until he was within touching distance.

“So, did you grab those pants?” he asked again as he resisted the urge to preen for the Hunter. He licked his lips instead. Kiss me. Kiss me and I’ll forgive you anything.

“Sorry,” Night muttered as he shook his head no. He looked Akira up and down before setting the empty bottle on the only table in the small space. The apartment wasn’t much. Other than the mattress on the floor, the rest of the furniture consisted of a dresser in the corner and a table with two chairs that looked as though they’d been pulled from a Dumpster. The one thing that seemed out of place was the stainless steel mini-fridge sitting on the countertop in the kitchen area.

“But you’re welcome to take a pair of mine,” Night offered. Akira watched as the Hunter moved toward his dresser and began shuffling through the drawers until he found what he was looking for. He held up a pair of ripped blue jeans.

“I’ll give them to you on one condition though.” Night gazed down at Akira, holding the pants just out of his reach.

“Does it involve you naked, me on my knees, and a stiffness in my walk tomorrow that will make me wince with every step?” Akira fired back. He knew he probably shouldn’t be encouraging the chemistry between them. There were so many questions left unanswered, so many obstacles to overcome before they could even contemplate starting any kind of relationship, but after his run in the forest, he was feeling wild. He didn’t care that Night was a Hunter now, all that mattered was he was his mate and Akira had finally found him.

Night appeared to be seriously considering his proposition. “I’ve tried being a gentleman in the only way I know how, but it seems pointless since apparently you and I want the same thing.” Night’s eyes seemed to darken with lust, and the raw look on his face as he stared into Akira’s eyes sent a shiver through his body.

“On your knees then, Were,” Night demanded as he removed his clothing in one swift motion, freeing his already hard cock from the confines of the thin material.

Akira obeyed. He whimpered as he dropped to his knees so fast that they cracked against the hardwood floor as he fell. He didn’t even blink as pain assaulted his nerve endings. Night was still out of reach, so he dropped lower, onto his hands, and crawled to the Hunter, his eyes never leaving Night’s gaze. His eyes dropped to the Hunter’s erection for an instant, and he licked his lips.

“Yummy,” he whispered, his voice gone husky with lust. “Is that for me?”

“Say please.” Night grinned.

“Pleassseee,” Akira whimpered, gripping Night’s firm thighs and scenting the air. He smelled so good.

Night entwined his fingers in Akira’s hair, pulling him closer. “Show me how much you want me, Were,” he commanded, giving him the permission Akira was seeking.

Akira murmured a whisper of praise before wrapping his hand around the base of Night’s arousal. He was thick in his hand, and Akira longed to know how he would feel buried deep inside him. He licked his lips, his mouth literally watering for a taste. He looked up into Night’s eyes and took his first long, luxurious lick.

Night growled in response. “More,” he demanded of Akira. “Show me you need me.” His hands tightened on Akira’s loose strands of hair almost to the point of pain.

Thank god. Akira leaned forward to swallow the entire length down his mouth so that it bruised the back of his throat. He worked the hardened shaft with his tongue, throat, and just an edge of teeth. His hands massaged the soft sac nestled below the dick that he was currently licking like a lollipop.

“So good,” he mumbled between deep, rhythmic pulls of his mouth. “Want you so bad.” He felt like he had some kind of fever. He was delirious with passion. He’d never felt like this while touching another male. His beast shimmered beneath the surface of his flesh. His knew his eyes were glowing a bright purple, lit up with their own internal light.

Please, he thought deliriously. Please, don’t let this ever stop. Distantly he felt his Alpha’s voice along the Pack pathway, calling his name. It didn’t matter though. Nothing mattered. Nothing but Night’s dick in his mouth and those strong hands anchored in his hair.