STORY EXCERPT

Licking his mate was not a very smart move. Diablo could never reveal himself, so claiming Reese was a pipe dream. He didn’t think he would see his mate so soon again, either. Diablo’s bite wasn’t from a common animal, and he didn’t have rabies.

The bite was from fighting a demon. The little bitch had bitten him before vanishing. Diablo needed to be more careful. He had to get out of there. No way he was being caged for an extended period of time. He would be easy pickings if Xylem showed up.

And damn if those stitches weren’t driving Diablo crazy already. He wanted to gnaw at them, but the good ol’ doc had already wrapped the wound.

“Come on, Diablo.” Reese curled his arms around Diablo’s body. “Let me help you down so I can show you your accommodations.”

Nope. Diablo wasn’t going into a cage. Reese was going to have to tranq him if he thought— Wait, would he really tranq him?

Diablo got off the table, but when Reese tried to go left, to the back of the clinic, Diablo sat on his ass, refusing to move. Night was normally when he shifted. Staying in his dog form for too long wasn’t ideal. The longer Diablo stayed that way, the more he worried about going feral.

It was bad enough he had to stay a dog during the day at Luke’s house. Shifters couldn’t stay in their animal form all the time. They risked their animal counterpart taking over and refusing to go back to a human. It was still early enough, but hell if he was going to be trapped.

“Diablo?” Reese patted his thigh. “Come on, boy. I’ll give you a nice treat if you follow me.”

When Diablo refused to budge, Reese rolled his beautiful eyes and went for the leash on one of the counters. He put it around Diablo’s neck and gave a gentle tug, but Diablo sat there defiantly.

“What has gotten into you?” Reese let the leash drop. “You’re usually such a good boy.”

If the doc called him that one more time, Diablo just might growl. He was far from a “good boy.” That was why he had Xylem after him. Being a half-breed meant certain people thought you were their bitch. Diablo had had to fight most of his life to prove them wrong. Xylem was just the latest bully who wanted to prove that Diablo knew how to heel.

He'd left the bastard with a nasty scar to prove otherwise. That was why Xylem had tied him outside that abandoned house. Not to kill him, but to teach Diablo to heel. Once Diablo had gotten free, thanks to Luke, he’d waited months before going after Xylem for tying him up. That was when he’d scarred the demon. 

And now Xylem, the cry baby that he was, wanted revenge. He wasn’t pulling any punches and had gotten another demon involved in a witch hunt for Diablo. The other one was a nasty piece of work who went by the name Rochester.

Diablo would rather lie down and die before he rolled over and showed his belly.

“Okay, I tell you what. Since you normally are a well-behaved dog, I’ll let you stay with me. But if you growl at anyone, in the cage you go.” Reese patted his head, and Diablo leaned into the touch, relishing it since he couldn’t shift and claim his mate.

Come tonight, Diablo would shift and make sure the clinic was secure. The last thing he wanted was for trouble to come to his mate’s business.

When Luke and Maynard had brought Diablo in for his yearly checkup, Diablo had been locked in the room, unaware of what was going on in the waiting area. Two gunmen had come in, ready to kill Maynard.

Diablo was proud of the fact that his mate had handled it so well. He’d let his wolf out and taken care of the problem. If Diablo had known what was going on, he would have torn their throats out, too.

He might have let Luke adopt him so he could hide out, but he also cared about the human. He also cared about Maynard, although the impala shifter drove him crazy because Maynard was prey.

“Let’s go see our next patient. It’s a hamster that isn’t eating or running on his wheel. You better be on your best behavior,” Reese warned. He reached into his lab coat pocket and held out a treat. Diablo sniffed it then gobbled it up.

He might not be an actual domesticated dog, but some of those treats were banging. Luke always bought the best, but right now Diablo would kill for a burger and fries, with an ice-cold beer to wash it all down.

Reese scratched Diablo under the chin and took the leash off. He followed his mate into the waiting area as Reese talked with Maggie. Diablo looked toward the front door. He didn’t like how large the windows were in the waiting area. That made him feel exposed. Diablo would rather hang out in Reese’s office until nightfall.

So he got up and walked toward the back, ignoring Reese’s call for him to come back. Diablo nudged the office door open because it had already been ajar and laid down on the carpeted floor.

Reese came into the room and stared at him. “You just want to chill in here?”

Diablo yawned and laid his head back down.

“Okay, fine with me. I’ll be back in a bit to take you out to potty.” Reese closed the door.

Diablo got up and shifted into his human form. He stretched his muscles, listening to his back pop, then sat in Reese’s chair at his desk. Diablo fired up his mate’s computer and did a search for any information on the house that had burned down last night.

ADULT EXCERPT

He stalked toward Reese, and Reese’s heart beat even faster, like he was waiting on a verdict that was seconds away from being read. He felt consumed by Diablo’s presence and wanted to go up in flames, uncaring if those flames burned down their apartment.

Diablo’s gaze dropped from Reese’s eyes to his lips. Reese stopped moving backward, bracing himself for the storm that looked as though it was closing in. Only, when Diablo finally reached him, the kiss was the softest Reese had ever had. Yet it still held such heat that the flame Reese felt coming ignited with warm breath, silken lips, and a groan from his mate that stole the air from Reese’s lungs.

Until Reese tumbled onto the couch, he hadn’t been aware they’d been moving backward. They were a pile of muscles and limbs, Diablo on his back, Reese straddling him, as their tongues danced and Reese’s wolf snarled for more.

Hand to god, Reese was addicted to Diablo, from the first moment he’d seen the guy standing naked on his balcony. He was all sinewy muscles and hard looks, like a fallen angel.

A dark, fallen angel, because Diablo was all dark looks, from his black hair to his mood. Reese skimmed his hands up his mate’s chest and rocked forward, still tasting Diablo’s lips as his knees locked at Diablo’s sides. His mate’s hands were on Reese’s waist, moving slowly downward, and then they cupped Reese’s ass before Diablo squeezed.

It hadn’t gone unnoticed how hard Diablo was, his erection pressing into Reese’s ass before he’d leaned forward. Now Diablo was staring up at him with a heart-stopping gaze, eating Reese up with that one fierce look. 

“How do we keep ending up on this lumpy couch?” Diablo brushed the tips of his fingers over Reese’s jaw. “We barely fit.”

Feeling devilish, Reese jerked them sideways. They landed on the floor, and Reese whacked his elbow. Maybe not the best-laid plan, but now they had plenty of room.

“Not exactly what I had in mind.” Diablo chuckled as he rolled to his feet and held out a hand for Reese to take. “I was opting for something softer.”

Reese was in a daze as Diablo pulled them to the bedroom, losing their clothes along the way. Diablo stumbled into the wall trying to take his pants off, and Reese had to bite his lip not to laugh. His mate was trying to be all smooth about it, but the pant leg had caught on his ankle and sent him sideways.

“Forget you saw that.” Diablo gave him a teasing glare.

“Saw what?” Reese breezed past him then yelped when Diablo smacked him on the ass. He couldn’t recall the last time someone had slapped his ass. The spot tingled as Reese crawled onto the bed, resting back on his elbows.

Diablo stood over him, staring down, a concentrated look in his hazel eyes.

“What?”

“Just let me take you in,” Diablo said. “Let my eyes feast on you.”

He slid his fingers up Reese’s calf then circled his index finger around Reese’s ankle. It wasn’t a particularly sexual gesture, but Reese’s heart skipped a few beats, nonetheless. Any kind of touch had his skin burning for more.

Diablo had Reese hooked even before something started with the way his mate gave him such a powerful look. The look said he knew exactly what kind of havoc he was wreaking in Reese’s heart and mind.

Diablo finally pulled his gaze away and grabbed the lube from the nightstand before he tossed the bottle on the bed, as if throwing down a gauntlet. The side of his mouth curved upward in a dirty, knowing smile as he stood there.

Reese knew exactly what his mate was looking for. He rolled over to his hands and knees, Diablo’s cock inches from his face. “Why are you just standing there?”

Diablo’s eyes were twin orbs of need while he curled his fingers into Reese’s hair. A gentle yank pulled Reese closer to the man’s cock. “Suck.”

That single word sent shivers through Reese. He parted his lips, engulfing Diablo’s length, taking him down to the root before backing off. Diablo rolled his hips forward, gutturally groaning as Reese took him down his throat again, using the flat of his tongue for added pleasure.

“You fucking wreck me,” Diablo said in a strangled voice. “Pure honey runs through my veins when I’m with you.”

Reese moaned, knowing he was sending vibrations through his mate’s cock, and he smiled when Diablo hissed. He grunted, his fingers strangling Reese’s hair before he jerked back, taking his erection with him.

“What the hell?” Reese grinned up at Diablo. “Didn’t like what I was doing?”

“Too much. Turn around and give me that sweet ass.” Diablo grabbed the lube and wet his fingers as Reese turned, his breath hitching. He lowered his shoulders, anticipation thick in his blood. He shuddered when he felt Diablo’s finger slide over his hole. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out everything else.

Diablo ran his tongue over Reese’s tight ring of muscles then pushed his tongue and finger inside Reese.

“Oh god.” Reese curled his fingers into the bedding, moaning as he rocked back. Reese gasped and trembled as another finger was added, stretching him even more. A thunderstorm was building inside of him, whipping his senses around. Reese felt Diablo’s beard scraping over his inner thighs, adding so much more pleasure, so much roughness against his sensitive skin.

Just as Reese thought he couldn’t take anymore, Diablo’s fingers and tongue were gone, replaced by the head of his cock. His fingers sank into Reese’s hips, steading him as he inched his way inside.