STORY EXCERPT

Cris sent a text on his throwaway phone. A moment later, Mika took a phone out of the pocket of his gray jeans. After reading the message, he hurried straight to where Cris sat outside a café. Standing, Cris pulled out a chair for Mika.

“Hi, Cris.” Mika’s smile was fake, and before sitting, he checked over his shoulder. “Do you have the painting?”

Obviously, something was going on. “Hello, Mika. I have the painting and the relic you wanted.”

“Great! Can I see the painting?”

Cris was more wary now. Mika wasn’t a good actor. Under the table, his leg was twitching. He looked around constantly, and his smile was weak. Usually, Mika was keen to see whatever it was he commissioned Cris to get for him, but there was always a lot more chatting. Mika’s scowl could terrify people and send them scurrying away, and his smile made people feel worthwhile and liked, wanting to be near the seer.

Cris studied Mika while placing the cylinder containing the painting onto the table. Average height, approximately five feet eight or nine, slim but fit build, the man worked out but not with weights in a gym. Maybe he ran or did Pilates. His hair was a mix of blond and brown with sun-streaked ends and looked soft and absently kept. His features were put together in a way that made him nice-looking. The eyes stood out, as did the tiny tattoo on his left cheek.

What was the tattoo design? A language? A symbol? Cris’s instincts told him it was important and to be careful. A little crease formed between Mika’s bright blue eyes. He was reading something about Cris. Though he didn’t know what, Cris knew he was being evaluated.

His instincts were going haywire. He didn’t know yet if that meant his plans were going to be skewed or if it had to do with whatever was making Mika nervous. Whatever, he was prepared. There was no way Mika was leaving here without Cris. He was going to make it as difficult as possible to ignore him.

Realizing he was staring, Cris straightened in his seat and got on with the job.

“Are you okay, Mika?”

“Umm? Oh, sure, yeah. Ah, the painting?”

Cris tapped the cylinder he had placed on the table. “Right here.”

“Great! Do you have the relic?”

Cris retrieved an old wooden box from the pocket of his jacket and held it in the palm of his hand on display. When Mika’s amazing bright blue eyes widened, and he instinctively jerked back, Cris knew for certain the edginess and checking over his shoulder had to do with the small medallion resting on purple velvet inside the box he held that, reportedly, caused wars. He placed it on the table.

“This was hard to find. I had to do a lot of digging and searching to uncover what it is. I couldn’t locate records in the normal places and may have traversed a few laws and snuck into ancient archives to find more information. A dangerous tool in anyone’s hand. That’s why it was hidden away. I’m curious how you knew where to find it? A vision?”

“What?” Blinking those big bright eyes, Mika fumbled in his hoodie pocket and took out a small container. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he denied, eyes far too wide to convey trustworthiness. “It’s just an old medallion—”

“That’s a lie,” Cris cut in quietly but firmly, trying to be gentle yet direct.

“W-what?”

“Here’s the deal. This.” He tapped the box, Mika gasping. “Is wanted by your clan – what the hell is that?” Cris batted the little container out of Mika’s hand that the man had been about to pour the contents of on Cris’s arm. “Did you just try to drug me?”

“No!” Mika exclaimed in a whisper, face shocked. “No, not drug. It was a potion—”

ADULT EXCERPT

“I want to see you.” Mika removed the hand on Cris’s chest and caressed his abdomen.

“Same.” Cris lifted his mate up off the bed, moving off at the same time and standing them both up. “Supplies?”

No further words were said. Mika hurried over to a bedside table and, opening the drawer, removed a bottle and wipes. Cris would investigate the drawer later to see if his mate had any toys. He wasn’t much into a lot of the stuff on the market, though understood the appeal. He did like a few, though, like warm and flavored lube. Handcuffs could be fun and vibrators.

With his shoes off, he bent and took off his socks and, because he could tell his mate liked his room tidy, placed his socks in his shoes and tucked them at the end of the bed neatly. Straightening and turning back, he saw that Mika had taken off his own shoes, a pair of loafers and left them haphazardly. It made Cris chuckle.

Stripping off his shirt, he tossed it on Mika’s loafers. His attention became fixed on what his mate was doing in a slow and precise way. Undoing each button of his shirt, Mika watched Cris watching him, his pink tongue darting out and moistening his lips.

Groaning, Cris undid his jeans and shucked them off along with his underwear, freeing his aching cock. He glanced down briefly to check if his balls had turned blue. No, but his cock was red and leaking.

Mika drew in sharply, and with his eyes wide on Cris’s cock, moved toward him. Cris held up a hand and pointed at Mika’s pressed pants. Nodding, Mika unsnapped the button and let them drop.

His mate did not wear underwear. Grunting a growl, Cris stepped over his jeans and, picking up Mika, turned and deposited him on the soft as a cloud bed, then climbed up after his mate. Taking hold of the pants that were around Mika’s ankles, Cris removed them hastily, though with care, always with care of his Mika, then flung them away.

Mika was sexy. Lean and toned, his complexion, while fair, was warmly sun-kissed all over, and his chest and groin were sprinkled with light brown hair. Cris was built differently, much bigger at six feet two, wide shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist. His skin was as dark as midnight, and eyes a light brown. The hair over his chest and groin was wiry, tightly curled and black, as was the hair on his head, which he kept shortly trimmed. He worked out a lot, so he was well muscled.

“You are so sexy.” Mika reached up and drew Cris down, both groaning at the feel of skin-to-skin contact. “I love how you kiss.”

Cris loved how Mika kissed him, a mix of heat and passion and intimacy that drove him almost crazed with need. He was so on edge now. Their day of nearly being shot, of protecting his mate and dealing with the Visione family while trying to convince Mika they were mates had frayed his restraint.

Their kisses were unrestrained and demanding, their hands seeking and finding all the places that brought pleasure to each other. Cris wanted to learn everything immediately now that he had Mika finally in his arms, naked and panting. He explored his mate’s mouth while his hands caressed Mika’s body as they embraced and moved across the bed, bodies straining and sliding against one another.

He loved the hitch in Mika’s breathing whenever he encountered a particular spot. The right side of Mika’s neck just below his ear when kissed, nibbled or even simply breathed upon caused ripples of pleasure through his mate’s body, Mika’s breath hitching and his body tensing before shifting under Cris. Running his fingertips along the inside of Mika’s arm had him gasping in delight, and taking his lovely cock into his mouth had Mika nearly launching off the bed.

Reaching out and grasping the bottle of lube on the bedside table with the tips of his fingers, he flicked the lid and poured a good amount. All the while, he continued with the slightest pressure, sliding along the thick cock in his mouth, taking his time to press his tongue into the little slit and tasting, then sucking in deeper.

Dribbling a little lube between Mika’s toned ass cheeks, Cris carefully, but with eager vigor, rubbed a lube-coated finger back and forth over the puckered star. He used caution not to suck Mika too far into his mouth and not to apply too much pressure. He wanted his mate on edge and ready but not coming yet.

He wanted to come together their first time. While having heard that paranormals were remarkably fast in their recovery time, and he was keen to see if that were true for seers, he had waited a long time to be with Mika. But right now, Cris was pulsing with need and wouldn’t be able to sustain a long session and wanted to enjoy their climax jointly.

Mika murmured for Cris to please stop teasing him. Releasing Mika’s cock and moving into a sitting position, Cris spread Mika’s legs on either side of his body. Mika blinked up at him.

“I can’t reach you.”

“That’s good, sexy, really good. Let me?” He slid a finger into Mika’s tight channel.

Groaning, Mika nodded, eyes closing.