STORY EXCERPT

He remembered…sharp teeth…claws…growling.

And pain, lots of pain.

Blood…rivers of it.

Startled by the horrific scenes that flashed through his mind, Salvador quickly banished those thoughts. He was being ridiculous. There had been no teeth. There couldn’t have been. He was probably hallucinating.

Maybe it was the drugs he was sure he was on.

Fatigue settled in pockets of his eyes. He was so tired his nerves throbbed. He felt achy and exhausted like he had been cave climbing for days, and maybe he had indeed fallen. It was the only thing he could think of that would explain why he felt like his muscles were stretched over his bones near to breaking.

Hell, even his bones felt achy.

Subconsciously aware of the dull pain at the memories that were trying to break through his fogged mind, Salvador turned his head and looked around. This was definitely not his room. His room didn’t look this…white.

Every inch of the room was a bright, pristine white—white walls, white furniture, white carpet. A white lampshade sat on a white wooden nightstand next to the bed. Plump white pillows, a white comforter, and white uncluttered surfaces gleamed in their whiteness. At the window, thick white curtains carefully sealed the room in and any color out.

A niggle of unease shot through Salvador, and he couldn’t help but think the only thing missing was white padded walls and a straitjacket. He searched for a plausible explanation for why he was where he was, but nothing came to mind. His thoughts were scattered, foggy, eluding him.

Salvador swallowed, but his mouth had gone bone-dry, panic starting to overwhelm him.

He hurtled back to the earth as reality struck in the form of the bedroom door opening up. A man he knew he had never met before walked in, shutting the door behind him.

“Ah, good, you’re awake.”

Duh.

“We were worried,” the tall man said as he walked over to the side of the bed, crossing his sinewy arms over his broad chest. His stance emphasized the force of his thighs and the thickness of his muscles. “For a while, it was touch and go. We didn’t know if you would make it or not.”

We?

Who is we?

As casually as he could manage, Salvador asked, “Where am I?”

“You’re safe.”

That wasn’t exactly what he had asked.

And that alone set the alarm bells ringing in Salvador’s head. The need to escape was almost paralyzing. He felt like there was a heavy weight on his chest, something holding him in place and keeping him from running for his life.

“Did I fall?” It sure as hell felt like it. Even now, every movement was met with a sharp twinge of pain. Breathing seemed really overrated.

“Not exactly.”

Salvador didn’t know what to think when the man grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the side of the bed, sitting down. The guy folded his hands together and let them dangle between his legs as he stared at Salvador with a glint of something in his eyes that sent chills down his back.

“My name is Thiago.”

“Salvador.”

An odd quirk curved up one side of the man’s lips. “It’s nice to meet you, Salvador.”

“Uh, yeah.”

There was a pensive shimmer in the shadow of Thiago’s nutmeg-brown eyes. “I know you’re scared and confused, but I want you to know that you are safe. No one will hurt you. We’re all here to ensure that nothing happens to you.”

Yeah, that wasn’t reassuring Salvador one damn bit. If anything, it was causing more unease, especially since he still didn’t know who we was. “Where am I?” he asked again, hoping to get an answer this time.

“Like I said, you are safe.”

Salvador chose his words carefully, since he wasn’t sure he’d get an honest answer. “If I didn’t fall, how did I get hurt?”

Something flickered far back in Thiago’s eyes, but his face closed, as if guarding a secret. “Can you tell me what you remember?”

That question brought on another round of painful memories, memories that Salvador was positive couldn’t be real. His eyes darted nervously back and forth as he tried to put into words the nightmare that he saw in his head.

“I was spelunking and—”

“Excuse me, spelunking?”

Salvador raised his eyes to find Thiago watching him with an intensity that belied the casual conversation they were having. “I was exploring a cave or caving—also occasionally known as spelunking. It’s basically exploring wild cave systems.”

“Okay, so you were exploring a cave.”

“Right. I was beginning my rope descent into a vertical shaft using an abseil rack when I must havescraped my head against the wall or something. Anyway, my hard hat fell off my head, and everything went dark.”

Salvador swallowed as more memories assailed him.

“Something snapped above me,” he whispered as he stared off into space, reliving his nightmare, “a twig maybe. I froze, pressing myself against the cold, stone wall. I couldn’t see anything in the darkness of the cave. I heard the scratch of paws on the ground above me, a snuffling noise as if something was rooting for a scent, for me.”

Salvador frowned as he searched his memories, trying to bring all of the fragmented pieces back together. “There was this…this growl and…” Salvador shook his head. There was no way he could explain what he thought he heard. It couldn’t have been real. “I don’t remember much after that.”

Salvador hoped Thiago would tell him what happened after that, or at least how he had ended up in pristine white hell. The cautious way that Thiago looked down at his clasped hands didn’t reassure Salvador that he was going to get the answers he wanted.

A shadow of alarm touched Thiago’s face. “What I have to tell you is going to seem outlandish, but I swear I am telling you the truth.”

Right…like Salvador believed that. His eyes narrowed, and his back became ramrod straight. Despite the coolness in the room, he felt a trickle of sweat run down his neck. “Just tell me when I can go home and we’ll call it good.”

“I’m afraid you can’t go home, Salvador.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Davi had his head tilted back under the shower spray, rinsing his hair when he heard the shower door open. For a brief second, his heart fluttered in fear, and then he felt strong muscular arms wrap around him, and deep growl vibrated through the air. Davi melted against the large man that held him, content in the knowledge that he was safe.

Davi turned his head submissively as he felt Salvador’s erection brush against him.

“My mate,” Salvador whispered as he leaned in and rubbed his face against Davi’s bare shoulder. Salvador leaned in and sniffed at Davi’s neck. When he leaned back, the tip of his canines appeared through his lips. His deep onyx eyes looked at Davi like he was prey, ready to be chased down and devoured.

Davi’s wolf wanted to bare its belly and let the more powerful wolf take a bite. Taking a deep breath, Davi tilted his head back, exposing his throat. He shivered as he felt Salvador sniffing and pressing his nose into the crease of his neck, licking and growling as he pressed closer.

Salvador nipped the skin of Davi’s neck with his teeth before plunging his fangs in. Davi cried out, pure pleasure combined with a bit of pain flooding every nerve ending in his body. His cock hardened to hard steel in a millisecond.

When Salvador withdrew his teeth and raised his head, he rubbed his thumb over the base of Davi’s neck, seemingly pleased with himself. Davi yelped as Salvador suddenly picked him up and pinned him against the shower wall. Salvador reached down and grabbed Davi’s ass, pressing his fingers into Davi’s tight hole.

“Are you going to fuck me in the shower, Salvador?” Davi asked when he felt a finger rim around his asshole.

“There’s something else you need to know about Magi, Davi.”

“Yeah?” Davi panted softly. A sudden warmth filled him, and he felt a slight pressure around his tight ring of muscles. Davi cried out, his eyes rolling back as he was suddenly stretched out. He panted, wanting to feel more but needing a minute to adjust to the unusual sensation. He had never felt anything like it in his life.

“That was…that was…” Davi licked his lips. “How...?”

Salvador chuckled. “Being Magi does have its advantages, gatito.”

“Yeah.”

Davi reached up and grabbed Salvador’s shoulders as he felt the blunt head of the man’s cock pushing at his entrance. Davi was wired so tight that he plunged back, impaling his body on Salvador’s cock.

Shivers broke out all over Davi’s body when Salvador’s hand snaked up his neck and over his scalp, Salvador grabbing a fistful of Davi’s hair and giving a light tug. Davi lifted his ass higher as he shouted out his pleasure.

“Salvador,” Davi groaned as he started riding Salvador’s cock hard and fast.

Salvador gripped Davi’s ass tightly in his hands and pounded into him. Davi’s head fell back against the shower wall, and loud groans filled the enclosed space. Davi wasn’t sure if they came from him or from his mate, and he didn’t really care. The pleasure Salvador was giving him was beyond anything he had ever experienced except when he was in this man’s arms.

Davi wrapped his legs around Salvador’s waist. It changed the angle of Salvador thrusts, the man’s cock hitting Davi’s sweet spot every time. Davi went crazy, crying out as his cock exploded, pulling his balls tight to his body.

That seemed to be all Salvador was waiting for. He groaned and shoved his cock deep into Davi’s ass. He stiffened, and his cock pulsed out his release, flooding Davi with his scent and reinforcing his mating claim.

He was in awe of the pleasure clearly displayed on Salvador’s face. He couldn’t look away. He doubted there was another soul on the earth that was as sexy as his mate when the man was aroused.

“Mine,” Salvador whispered harshly.

Davi whimpered when he felt the knot extend and take hold inside of him. That was something he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to.

“Yours,” Davi murmured. The connection between them jolted him. He’d heard of shifters who bonded together on a deeper soul-bonding level, but he never thought he’d be one of them.

Davi leaned in and claimed Salvador’s lips. He was hungry for every taste of the man he could get, every feel. The alpha was perfect for him. He was strong and fierce, but gentle and loving. He was everything Davi could have even dreamed of in a mate and more.

“I love you, Salvador.”

“Love you, gatito.”