STORY EXCERPT

"Whoever's in there, step out now. This is the Blue Rock Police Department. You have one chance to show yourself before I come down there."

He didn't want to go down there. If there was a perp down there with a weapon and Jackson's dick was getting hard…God, whatever else was in there, he just did not want to go down there.

"You have until the count of three. One. Two—"

"Wait!"

The voice was small. A man stood up, revealing himself to have been hiding in the mud and filth of the ditch. His hands were up, silver eyes wide and glinting bright in the light of Nick's flashlight.

"D-Don't shoot me."

A human. Jackson could tell that right away now that the man was in front of him. This guy was a human, thin, ragged. His clothes were torn in some places, and they looked like shit.

Not entirely because he'd been lying in filth to hide himself from the police.

"All right, step forward and nothing will happen. Keep your hands in the air. Do you have any weapons on you?"

Nick's cold voice snapped Jackson out of it. He clenched his teeth, but he couldn't stop from growling.

Growling at his friend.

Nick looked at him. "What?" He looked back at the human. "You getting something on him?"

The young man shook his head, terror in those eyes. God, he'd never seen a shade of gray like that in eyes before.

It was more like silver.

"P-please, I'm not…I didn't do anything. I just…don't hurt me."

"This guy is a human."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, okay?"

Jackson growled again. "He had nothing to do with what happened here."

He could feel Nick's eyes on him, but Jackson refused to look away from the vision in front of him.

"You know it's possible for humans to break the law like this, right? Asshole," Nick muttered.

This time Jackson turned his attention to his friend as he growled at him. "Say that to me again, and I'll make you regret it."

Nick frowned at him, stepping back. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Right now? You are."

Jackson moved toward the other man, wanting to get near him, to smell him and see for himself how much of that scent really had to do with him.

Nick grabbed him by the arm, stopping him short. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Something snapped, something Jackson hadn't even been aware was struggling for control. He reached out, grabbing Nick by the throat and pulling him entirely off his feet.

Nick sucked back a short breath before his airway was cut off, his hands gripping Jackson's wrists tight, his eyes bulging.

Jackson would destroy him. Any male that attempted to get between him and what was rightfully his would suffer. He would destroy. He would kill anyone who tried to hurt the silver-eyed man.

"Stop! Please stop it!"

The young man ran up next to Jackson, his hands gripping his forearm.

"Let him go! Please! I'm sorry, I'll surrender."

Jackson blinked, coming out of his trance. He looked at Nick, noted the way his face was going blue.

And how one of Nick's hands had clenched tightly around the handle of his still holstered Glock.

"Jesus." Jackson dropped his friend.

On instinct, Nick took his hand off his weapon as he fell.

Nick stayed on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Nicky, you all right?"

Jackson reached for him. Nick slapped his hand away, his voice hoarse. "Don't touch me."

Jackson yanked his hands back as though burned while Nick rolled to his knees. He continued to clutch at his throat, rubbing it, his breathing heavy.

Jackson looked down at the silver-eyed male. His hair was even an interesting shade of platinum blond, a little on the long side. The man no longer held on to Jackson's arm, but it was clear to him what had just happened.

The young male saw Nick's hand move to his weapon, and he'd rushed forward before Nick would have to unholster the gun.

As though he'd been protecting him.

Jackson glanced down at Nick, who had caught his breath and glared murder up at him.

"Would you really have shot me?"

Nick barely managed to push himself to his feet. "If my tunnel vision got any smaller, I guess I would've had to, you asshole. What the fuck!"

Nick accented his angry, justified question with a hard shove on Jackson's chest.

He fell back a step. He couldn't keep his guard up around Nick. Not after what he'd almost done.

"I'm sorry. Christ, if you want, I'll let you get one good shot on me. Right on the face if you want. You could punch me more than once if you wanted."

Nick stared at him as though he was debating it. "I'd rather break your stupid nose."

"You can do that."

Nick snorted. "Whatever. We'll work that out later, when we're not on the clock and I won't get suspended, or arrested, for hitting a dragon." Nick turned his attention back to their guest. "You want to tell me why you nearly killed me for him?"

Even now, Jackson struggled to keep his protective instincts from going completely wild.

He looked at the young man, who cringed and seemed to be doing his level best to keep from looking at either of them.

What Jackson said shocked himself, the silver-eyed male, and his best friend.

"I think this is my mate."

ADULT EXCERPT

Danny opened the door. He was stunned to see Jackson awake, sitting up in bed, in the dark. That part was a little strange until Danny realized he had earbuds in. Maybe listening to a book or a podcast. Something.

Better still, his chest was bare. His muscles were exposed and gleaming with a thin layer of sweat, even in the darkness.

It wasn’t perfect darkness inside. Through the window, there was a sliver of moonlight outside, though it seemed to be getting cloudy as a lot of that light was hidden away.

Not enough that Danny couldn’t make out each perfect curves and dips of the man’s abdomen.

It was kind of annoying to look at. Mostly because it made Danny so much hornier but also because he wished he looked like that.

Wished he was worthy of having that.

Then he looked into Jackson’s eyes, and he noted the way the other man was looking right back at him.

Danny froze. He swallowed hard.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

Danny steeled himself. He stepped into the room. He felt no courage, but there was something else. Something he couldn’t ignore.

Something that felt almost like an instinct.

He was human. He shouldn’t have instinct. Not like this, but he felt it here right now. And it pulled him to Jackson. To Jackson’s bed.

He put his knee in the bed then his hands, climbing on and keeping his eyes focused solely on the other man, making sure he was correct in this, that this was what he was supposed to be doing.

Jackson didn’t tell him to stop. He allowed Danny to get close, and it felt so right. Even before Danny came to sit next to him, without their skin touching, it felt right.

Why?

Danny pressed his lips together. He shook his head, gritting his teeth.

“If you’re fighting it so hard, then you shouldn’t be here.”

Danny snapped his attention back to the other man’s eyes, away from his abdomen. “I’m not fighting anything.”

Jackson looked at him a little too calmly. “Yes, you are.” He straightened, his body highlighted in the glow of the moon. His eyes were like diamonds. Dragon eyes.

“You’ve been through something hard. Something you’ll need time to recover from. I don’t even think I can help you that much. Not without getting you a therapist.”

“I don’t want a therapist.”

Jackson looked at him with his head cocked just a little. “If I asked you to anyway, would you do it?”

That was so not fair. Danny wanted to give this man everything he wanted. That had to be the mating doing that to him.

“Don’t manipulate me.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Danny glared at the man. “Don’t try to manipulate me, even when you think you’re doing it for my own good. I don’t like that shit now, and I never will.”

Again, Jackson just looked at him, as though he were trying to see through Danny. Maybe he could.

“All right, fair enough.”

That was it? There was no way Jackson was letting go of the therapy idea. It was too perfect. Too easy. If anything, Danny suspected Jackson was going to hit him with this later on down the road.

Which was fine, so long as he got what he wanted out of this.

A quick glance down and Danny could see Jackson’s erection. He could see the proof this man wanted him.

Others had wanted him, too. This felt so much different.

“Are you scared?”

Danny shook his head, and he didn’t have to lie. “No.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

Yes, he did. Danny put his hands onto Jackson’s body, the heat of him shooting right up Danny’s arms. He clenched his teeth. The shock of pleasure hit him hard, pleasure he hadn’t felt in a while, and it was so unbelievably good.

Even touching himself in the shower hadn’t felt so good. Danny expected to feel something else, maybe a hint of revulsion, because this was a dragon he was touching, but there was nothing else except for the extreme desire.

Looking back into Jackson’s eyes, he could see the heat in them, and it made his pleasure spike even more. His cock throbbed, his heart raced, and God, he wanted this so badly it hurt.

Then he yanked his hands back. “I’m sorry.”

Jackson exhaled a hard breath. “What for?”

Danny felt shame and heat welling up within him. “I didn’t ask. I didn’t…”

He was so used to seeing dragons take things they hadn’t asked for, to seeing them ignore the pleas of the people he’d bunked with. Danny should have known better. He shouldn’t have touched.

Jackson reached for Danny’s wrists. He took hold of them, brought them forward, and settled Danny’s fingers on his chest one more time.

Danny gasped, overcome with sensation. He never in a million years would have thought he would feel so amazing. Danny shivered from the pleasure, trying to hold himself back even as his dick jerked in the borrowed, oversized joggers he wore.

“You’re my mate. You can touch me whenever you want. I’m giving you full permission for that right now.”

“But—”

“Whenever you want,” Jackson said again, his tone firm without being threatening.

And Danny was so happy. He was happy he didn’t have to worry about hurting the other man. It didn’t appear as though much of anything could hurt Jackson, but the risk was too much for him to bear.

“Can I touch you?”

Danny nodded.

Jackson adjusted himself. He moved, a little faster than Danny anticipated, which was both good and kind of scary, but then the other man had Danny’s face in his hands, and his mouth was on Danny’s lips.

A kiss! A good kiss, too. Jackson’s mouth was nice. His breath wasn’t gross, and he didn’t go shoving his tongue in a way that made Danny want to be sick.

This was pleasant. Jackson had good teeth, as well, which was nice. Danny had made sure to. Look at the man’s mouth every time he smiled and when they’d eaten.

Danny moaned, leaning into it, and when Jackson did slide his tongue forward, Danny groaned, his dick jumping, stomach tightening, and he opened his mouth to let the other man’s tongue inside and—

Jackson pulled back, which was a massive shame, but then he smiled. “I’m going to hell for this.”

Danny wanted to ask what for, but then Jackson had him on his back, legs spread, and Jackson was suddenly off the bed, face between his legs.

Danny thought he’d died and gone to heaven when that same warm mouth and wet tongue slid around the head of his prick and then the entire length of his cock was engulfed.