STORY EXCERPT

I was standing at my favorite place in the world, watching a couple of tigers wander around their habitat, which consisted of a number of carefully placed rocks and trees. They also had a sizeable body of water to play in. Their fur looked so soft, but I wasn’t stupid enough to go find out for real. I liked my hands where they were. Those tigers had wicked teeth and such power in their bodies I wasn’t sure I’d be able to even teleport out of there before they got me in some way. I was fine with watching at a safe distance.

Most people would think I was someone crazy who liked to spend time at Lincoln Park Zoo in December, but I wasn’t like everyone else. Being an elf had its perks. I didn’t get cold as fast as humans so a parka jacket and ski cap kept me toasty warm even though it was below freezing and there was snow on the ground.

I stood there watching them pacing around and couldn’t help but feel bad for them. Sure they didn’t have to worry about going hungry or getting sick living in the zoo. And they might even feel real love from the staff that tends to them. At least I hoped that was true. Everyone deserved to be loved even it was only a pet-owner relationship.

But they were far from living it up in the wild. Then again, if they were in the wild, then I’d have no place to come when I needed time to think. There’d be no zoo. Nice catch-22. Next I’d be wondering if the chicken or the egg came first. My current theory was the egg because of a mutated gene sequence that turned it from another species into… Right, back on to what I was saying.

Lincoln Park Zoo also had a great breeding program and took in injured animals that they cared for and then sent back into the wild. They were the good guys.

I should know, I’d been coming there since I met everyone else and we bought the house. It was my place of solace when the world confused me.

Unfortunately, that was quite often. Animals I got. They were simple for me to figure out. They were hungry, they ate. They wanted something, they went after it. Basic instincts were ingrained in them, and it was never complicated.

It was people I didn’t understand. They said one thing but meant something else. They looked at me as if I was insane for saying what was on my mind. But they asked a question and I gave them an answer. If they didn’t want to know, why ask? Or would they prefer to be lied to? Most people got upset about that so I didn’t think so.

Some people put themselves down but don’t really mean it. They just want the validation that they weren’t what they said. Their confidence levels factored into that as well, which I never comprehended. People were what they were, and most times it was never good or bad. It just was.

Saying the truth didn’t make it an insult. It was fact. It may be subjective sometimes though. And people seemed to pick and choose which rules of politeness they followed, which was even more confusing. It was rude of me to point out when they whined, but wasn’t whining rude? So why did I end up being the bad guy most of the time?

I understood rules, rules I was good with. But when they didn’t make sense it was as if people couldn’t explain them to me. I needed straight logic to comprehend stuff.

And people weren’t always logical.

“Hey, the zoo is closed,” a voice called out. I turned to see tall, yummy goodness heading my way. He had short, dark hair and dark green eyes that looked to have dark specks of brown in them. And I wasn’t kidding on the tall. He had to have a foot on my five-four with a hell of a lot more muscle.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” I lied through my teeth. “I just figured it was too cold for most people.”

“Well, that’s true, too,” he replied with a lopsided grin. “But the zoo closes at five.” And I looked down at my watch to see it was already half-past.

“I was lost in thought,” I mumbled. I glanced down at my feet. “I didn’t mean any harm. I’ll go.”

“I have to let you out through the employees gate since the public ones are locked already.”

I’ll follow you anywhere, baby, I thought and nodded. He started walking in the other direction and I trailed after him. “So what do you do here?”

“I’m a zookeeper. I’m in charge of all the large cats,” he answered with that same smile. “I oversee their diets and habitat and make sure they see the vet on a regular basis. I keep them happy.”

“That sounds like a sweet job. I love the zoo. It’s my place of solace.” I was shocked that I was telling him all of this. I’d not even told any of my brothers this, even though I guessed Horse knew because he knew where all of us went when we needed to think.

“So you were here because you were upset?” he asked hesitantly. I glanced over at him and he blushed sheepishly, which I could only tell with my heightened senses. “I didn’t mean to be nosy, but you look like a nice guy. It’s a shame for you to be sad.”

“Not sad really,” I admitted, shrugging my shoulders. “People just confuse me a lot of the time. My brothers say I’m one of those really smart people who’s really dense when it comes to street smarts or interacting with people.”

“Is that what you think?”

ADULT EXCERPT

“You’re so sexy when you wiggle from my touch,” I cooed as I slid in a third finger. “So beautiful.”

“I’m so scarred.” I knew he didn’t mean physically because all I’d seen was the one on his chest.

“We all are a little bit, Cadan. I am as well and not just a little.”

“So we’re perfectly screwed up for each other?”

“Oh yeah.” I chuckled as I pushed in a fourth finger. “I know another way we’re going to fit perfectly.”

“I hope I can take that monster you call a dick.” He licked his lips as he stared down at me, his eyes glazing over with lust.

“You will.” I scissored my fingers as I rubbed his thigh, lost in the moment. Words couldn’t fully describe how magical this instant was, and I knew a lot about magic. I mean I had been practicing it for centuries after all. When he was loose enough, I pulled them out of his hole. “Ready?”

“Oh yeah,” he moaned as he knocked me back to the bed. He moved his hips over mine, and I grabbed my cock, holding it in place.

“Go as slow as you need, baby. I don’t want to rush you.”

“I know you don’t,” he whispered with a smile. His hips moved down until the head of my dick breached his hole. He gasped in surprise, his eyes going wide. “Fuck, you are huge.”

“Does it hurt?” I asked in concern.

“No, I just already feel so full and you’re barely in me.” Cadan lowered himself more until he took about half of me in him. It took every ounce of self-control for me not to thrust up into him. Since I was so focused on not slamming into him, I wasn’t paying attention to everything else. My fangs slid out, and I didn’t have time to hide it since my mouth was open. “Y–You have f–fangs.”

“I’m not going to harm you,” I said firmly as I sat up. I ended up pushing my cock further into him, which hadn’t been the goal, but it felt fantastic. We both moaned at the sensations it caused. We adjusted so he was on his knees and I was sitting all the way up. I moved the pillows behind me and cupped Cadan’s cheek. “It just means that we’re mates, baby. You’re the other half to my soul.”

“Are you human?”

“No,” I whispered, closing my eyes as I moved my hand over my mouth to hide my fangs.

“Don’t,” he ordered gently as he covered my hand and lowered it to his chest. He held it there until I opened my eyes and looked at him. I gasped when I saw him smiling. “I don’t care what you are, Button. You’re sweet, kind, smart, and the fireworks between us are almost scary they are so intense. You’re obviously not some kind of monster and gods help me, but I think the fangs are kinda sexy.” He paused for a second before asking, “Are you going to bite me?”

“You’re fucking amazing,” I replied instead, shocked down to my core. My brothers had all talked about how freaked their mates had been and the issues some of them had had explaining what we were to our human mates. But mine was cool as a cucumber.

Sweet!

“I try.” He chuckled and then moaned when he started moving. I pinched his nipples and decided to push my luck.

“Do you want me to bite you?”

“Will it hurt?” He stared deeply into my eyes. “I don’t care if it does. If he needs to drink my blood to survive, then a little pain is nothing for me.”

“I don’t need blood to survive,” I whispered. His eyebrows shot up and he jerked in response. I grabbed onto his hips to keep him steady. “I’m an elf. Our fangs only come out when we meet our mates. I’ve never bitten anyone before and never will besides you. It’s our way of strengthening the bond between our mates. It might hurt a bit, but it will turn into so much pleasure you come.”

“Then yes, I want you to bite me,” he replied with a smile, answering my earlier question. “I want to be yours. This whole thing is confusing, but if you say we’re destined to be together, then that explains how relaxed I am with you when I should be freaking out. You’re only the second man I’ve ever been with, and I told you how the first ended.”

“I know, my mate. I won’t ever let anyone or anything hurt you ever again.”

“I believe you.” Cadan started moving his hips again, and I knew we were done with any serious talk for now. I steadied him with one hand as I used the other to pull his head down to mine. I didn’t do the best job propping my back up with the pillows because they fell to the side and I landed on the bed. Cadan moved both hands on either side of my head and snapped his hips faster. “I’m not going to last. Do it. Bite me.”