Alessio's Fall

STORY EXCERPT

Feeling wary and worn-out, Alessio settled himself at the bar. A body warming his bed for the night sounded the kind of thing Alessio needed to lift the gloom settling over him, but where would that leave him? Meaningless sex was exactly that. It left him numb after. Made Alessio wonder what it would be like, to wake up to the same face each day, and to have someone to share his stories of the day with. A mate.

“This seat taken, handsome?” a voice asked, startling Alessio from his thoughts.

“Be my guest.” Alessio regarded the stranger.

He was tall, well-built, dark skinned, dark haired and certainly not from around these parts. After ordering whiskey, straight up, the young man gave him an easy smile. A closer inspection awakened something dormant in Alessio. Strange green-yellow eyes, reminding Alessio of a feline, stared back from a face more pretty than handsome. Bait would be a word Alessio would attach to the guy, except the hard body underneath his leather jacket and tight black shirt told him this guy knew his way around a fight. By reflex, Alessio scented him, and took a lungful of something exotic. Not human, but not shifter either.

“Do you have a habit of scenting strangers?” the stranger asked in an amused voice.

Most men were intimated by Alessio’s size and reputation, but this guy didn’t seem afraid. Curious indeed. Worse, Alessio possessed a burning need to see what he looked like underneath his clothes.

“Only suspicious ones. You aren’t from Darkfall,” Alessio pointed out.

He grinned. This bastard clearly knew how to use his looks as a weapon. Faint danger bells rang in Alessio’s head. He talked to another predator, but for some reason Alessio didn’t feel threatened. Intrigued more like, which was fucking strange.

“I heard the local werewolf pack are leery of outsiders, even strangers who don’t mean them harm.”

“We have a reputation to uphold,” Alessio curtly said.

For some reason, the guy seemed to take his words as an invitation to come closer. What the hell was wrong with this bastard? Still, eliminating that bit of distance between them made it harder to think. Alessio’s wolf woke inside him, smelling something unbelievably tasty. The guy, being some kind of paranormal, should know Alessio’s spiritual wolf was interested, but he didn’t back off, only wisely stayed his ground. Why did Alessio have a feeling this guy would rather go near to a burning fire than back away?

“Kelias Cervantes.” Kelias held out his hand.

Alessio raised an eyebrow. They were exchanging names now? Did he somehow blank out, and lost track of a huge portion of the conversation? “Alessio Esteban. That’s a curious name.”

Kelias lifted his shoulders to shrug. “I’m half demon, practically human, although I never knew my parents. You though…so you’re the rumored cold- hearted Beta of the Darkfall Mountain Pack?”

“That’s what they say?” Alessio asked.

What the fuck?

Was he actually flirting with Kelias, someone who he should be digging information about? It didn’t seem like it, but they took account of every outsider who entered their territory. They kept an eye on shady figures or potential players, because they had a duty to protect the mortals living in their land. “You’re not intimidated?”

“I thought you’d be scarier. Certainly not, well.” Kelias licked his lips, drawing Alessio’s attention to Kelias’s very kissable mouth. It didn’t hurt that Alessio spotted the bulge in Kelias’s jeans. Clearly, his attraction hadn’t been one-sided.

“Not what?” Alessio prodded, taking a pull of his beer. Shit. This wasn’t good. At the rate this was going, he was going to wound up taking Kelias home, and it didn’t look like Kelias would need much persuading either.

“Funny and sexy as hell,” Kelias finished, not embarrassed to say the words out loud.

Unable to help himself, Alessio laughed. Kelias’s grin faltered a little, showing Alessio a little bit of hesitation. Poor half-demon. Did Kelias think Alessio would actually refuse him? With those looks and smooth charm, Alessio doubted Kelias suffered many rejections in his life. He explained, “Not the two adjectives most of my wolves would describe me.”

Looking relieved, Kelias asked, “How would they describe you?”

“Mean, old, and ruthless,” Alessio said.

It was Kelias’s turn to laugh. Damn, the sound tightened things inside Alessio. “You’re certainly not old, or mean.”

The half-demon finished his drink, then surprised Alessio by getting straight to the point. “Why don’t you say we get out of here? Go somewhere private?”

Kelias showed Alessio exactly what he thought of him, his smile slipping when Alessio showed him teeth. The hungry look in his gaze. Kelias shuddered, and that one gesture told Alessio volumes. That Kelias had needs Alessio could provide, that Kelias, despite his strength, was the kind of guy who’d welcome a dominant male in bed to take control.

“I know just the place, little demon.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Alessio caught his bottom lip with his teeth, halting Kelias from lifting the hem of his shirt. He bit down, wrangling a cry from Kelias. “I run the show here, Kelias. Remember that?”

Hell. As if Kelias would forget. He wanted Alessio to take control, to lead the dance, despite trusting himself this much to a stranger, to his target, was suicidal. In his day-to-day life, Kelias always examined his every decision. Always careful and second thinking himself, Kelias knew that was the only way he’d keep himself alive in all his missions. This time, he didn’t bother. Overthinking got him nowhere. He trusted his gut instincts, and to some surprise, he trusted Alessio.

Screw what the reports said. Alessio wasn’t cold hearted and dangerous. He was amazing, especially those hands and lips.

“Yes, sir,” Kelias said tartly, wondering where this bratty and wanton side of him came from.

Alessio grinned. “Strip.”

One word, the authority there enough to make Kelias heady and ready to obey. Alessio helped him out of his jacket, his shirt, jeans and boxers, and he helped Alessio out of his clothes until they both stood, naked and exposed. Kelias’s gaze dropped from Alessio’s face, and took in his massive shoulders, broad chest, narrowing to a “V” down his ribs and abs, to the fine line of hair leading to his impressive jutting cock.

Holy shit. Kelias had never had anything so big inside him.

A low sound came from Alessio’s throat. Yellow eyes took stock of him again, looking at him from top to bottom, apparently liking what he found, because Alessio grabbed Kelias’s wrists one-handed, and pinned them above his head. The wood of the door dug against his back.

“You’re going to fuck me against the door? How romantic.” The words slipped out before Kelias could stop himself.

“Here, because I’ll go mad if I don’t have you now. Next, I’ll take you in the bedroom.”

“Arrogant bastard, do you think you’re going to get that lucky?”

Alessio shut him up by kissing him again, rough and full of need. The motion drew their bodies together once again. Skin on skin. Alessio’s hardness collided with his sweat-slick lean frame, and Kelias could feel his member, pressing up his belly, so needy, like his own. Alessio let him go, and he groaned, straining for more.

“I’m pretty sure,” Alessio had the gall to say. He used his other hand to reach for Kelias’s member. Already at half-mast, his aching cock pulsed when Alessio curled his big callused fingers around the length, and began stroking him. Root to tip, fast and faster, he wrangled cries from Kelias, working Kelias until he was close to bursting. Then Alessio withdrew, and Kelias let out a hiss of frustration.

“Not yet,” Alessio said, voice harsh, his own prick thick and erect. He loosened his grip against Kelias’s wrists, and Kelias took that opportunity to free one hand. Feeling playful, he flicked the pre-cum gathered at Alessio’s cock head with his fingertips. A growl tickled out of Alessio’s lips when Kelias put his wet fingers into his mouth and sucked.

“You’re going to be the death of me, demon,” he hissed.

Right. The reminder of death jolted Kelias slightly awake. His stomach churned. How could the order expect him to end this man’s life? Alessio was unlike anything he expected. Remember your dead comrades, said a voice in his head. Ripped to shreds, like animals. The fallen deserved better. Given the chance, if Alessio knew what Kelias was, would he do the same? Turn into an animal and do Kelias the same honors?

“You’re having second thoughts again,” Alessio said in a disapproving voice. “I’m not doing my job.”

“No, you are. It’s just,” Kelias faltered. Time to lie and play the poor demon card. “I know it’s stupid bringing this up, but I’ve never really done anything like this.”

“Like this?” Alessio asked skeptically. He kissed the side of Kelias’s neck. “Don’t make it complicated. One night. No rules. Easy enough?”

That did make it easy. He nodded. Alessio spun him, so Kelias faced the door.

“What if your neighbors hear us?” Kelias asked, although shamefully, the thought excited him.

“I can smell your arousal, little demon. This is turning you on,” Alessio remarked unhelpfully. “Hands flat on the door.”

“You’re turning me on,” Kelias corrected, pressing his palms against the wood. Damn it, he’d never had sex in this position, but he couldn’t deny Alessio’s words. Quick and dirty sex for round one, and round two in the bedroom—hell, he was looking forward to both rides.

“Wait, I need to get some lube. Stay there. If you move an inch, I’ll bend you over my knee and punish you.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kelias muttered, gasping when Alessio tilted his head and stole another kiss.

“No, I’m completely serious.”

Kelias heard Alessio’s fading footsteps. He wasn’t gone long, only a couple of seconds. When he returned, Kelias felt a sudden smack on his left ass cheek. He jumped, not in shock of the slap, but how arousing it was.

Alessio let out an evil chuckle, and used his foot to spread Kelias’s legs further. “My good horny little demon.”

He felt Alessio’s wet fingers on his puckered hole seconds later. A moan slipped from Kelias when Alessio inserted a digit in, finger fucking him, before placing a second.

“Don’t tease,” Kelias whispered.

“Hush. Be patient, pet. I need you to be ready to be able to take me. I’m not exactly small.”

Jared's Heart

STORY EXCERPT

“So, tourist or visiting friends or family?” the human beside him asked, curiously peeking at the letters Matthias clutched to him. Stuffing back in his backpack, Matt decided to answer him.

“I’m seeing a very close…friend.” Was friend the right word? Jared would certainly scoff at Matthias’s label, but what else would Matthias call Jared? Normal folks didn’t usually bare the contents of their souls to random strangers. Not especially the guy who murdered their parents.

Catching sight of the “Welcome to Darkfall” sign, Matthias’s heart started beating rapidly. When the bus stopped at the station, Matt suddenly hesitated, old fears creeping back. He wasn’t afraid to die, that much was certain, but seeing Jared made him apprehensive. What the fuck? Matthias shouldn’t be acting like some nervous kid on his first date, yet that was exactly the way he felt. He headed down the bus, and took a good look around Darkfall. The bus stopped at what looked like the town proper.

Darkfall had a typical small town feel to it. Charming single-story shops lined the street Matthias disembarked on. He spotted a local grocer, an independently owned bookshop and a couple of antique shops. Matthias’s bear told me the residents were a mix of human and supernatural. His spine tingled, telling Matthias the paranormal locals were checking him out. Remembering Jared telling him about the town’s recent troubles and tangles with a fanatic group of human hunters, and before that, with a killer and another animal group, Matthias understood why security was tight.

Still, it wasn’t hard to imagine, strolling these streets, his pup by his side. When the season turned cold, Jared would lean close to his warmth, and Matthias would happily share his heat.

“What the fuck am I thinking?” Matthias muttered out loud, drawing some curious passersby.

He didn’t need unwanted attention. Jared knowing he was here was one thing. The leaders of the Darkfall pack, the werewolf siblings that raised Jared and his sister would no doubt, kill him on sight, because not all rumors were baseless. Matthias’s bear warned him then, not of danger, but something else. Catching wind of a delicious scent, Matthias sniffed the air, looking for the source. Jared, Matthias mused, was nearby. Hell, he knew it, deep in his bones. What else explained the interest of his bear?

Turning, Matthias’s gaze ignored the other passerby, solely focusing on the lean young man crossing the road. Same blond hair and dark eyes as the man in the photograph, but seeing Jared in the flesh shook Matthias up. Spurred his bear, who seldom showed interest in any other human being after Marie, his first wife. Their gazes locked and he saw Jared stumble, staring at him, knowing like he did. A strange magnetism connected them, and Matthias didn’t resist the pull.

He walked, waiting for the moment for surprise to change to something else. Fury. Jared’s tempting lips twisted, a strange smile that felt out of place. A predator’s smile, reminding Matthias it wasn’t a lost human boy he looked at, but a young wolf raised on hate. They stopped, inches from each other.

“Matthias, you look exactly like your picture.”

Matthias couldn’t process the words immediately. Everything felt and seemed so surreal, especially the sound of Jared’s voice. He still heard it sometimes, Jared’s child-like accusatory voice, condemning Matthias as a coward.

“You too,” Matthias said, voice harsh, still unused to conversing with another human being.

He couldn’t sleep on the bus, plagued by thoughts of what he would say and how Jared would react. Now, he stood there, paralyzed and speechless. The longer they stood staring at each other, taking measure, the more Matthias sensed the anger in Jared. Not hot enough to burn, but the cold lasting kind, one that lasted Jared through the years.

You fucked me up so badly, I can’t enjoy a normal relationship with another man, Jared once wrote. The selfish part of Matthias liked that, and savored the fact Jared was in some perverted way, irrevocably his. That the fates bound their lives together the moment his truck crashed into their car.

Silently, Matthias willed Jared to finish the deed. Would Jared pull out his weapon of choice, and end him here on the street? Would he lure Matthias to some dark alleyway, and then slit his throat, making sure no one would ever find his corpse? What’s your next move, Jared?

The twisted part of Matthias didn’t want to die though. He wanted to find out more, to learn what made Jared tick. Jared could have done the deed any moment, but he didn’t. He waited, maybe for Matthias to make the first move, to rewrite the script that damned both of their souls from the start.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Jared demanded. There was an edge to his words. His pupils gleamed amber, wrestling control with his beast. Matthias took a step forward. Jared hesitantly took a step back. This dancing back and forth seemed ridiculous really.

“Only this.” Matthias moved, too fast for Jared to anticipate.

He saw Jared tense when Matthias closed his hand over the back of his neck, drawing him near. One second of hesitation might make Matthias lose his momentum and his recklessness. Christ, he couldn’t remember the last time he kissed anyone. He claimed Jared’s lips, all hunger and need. Matthias bit and nipped, kissed like he fucked, rough and without care. Heat flooded between them. Electricity sparked between their bodies and their animals knew with certainty, one damning truth. Mine. Yours. No one else’s.

ADULT EXCERPT

When Jared pulled back, his eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted. His wolf wanted more, and according to his hard dick, so did his human half. “Stop fighting this.”

“What is this, Jared, a last fuck or a final hurrah before the end?” Matthias asked.

Would Matthias refuse Jared again, if he said he no longer knew what to do? Fuck that. Jared lied through his teeth. “Yes. You owe it to me, to us.”

Matthias gave him a shaky laugh. “I paid my dues, and did my time, pup.”

“But you wrote back. You fucking flirted with me though those letters. We’re like druggies, unable to shake off our addiction. One fuck, Matthias. Cure us both of this obsession.”

Another lie. Jared seemed to be able to come up with them without effort. He didn’t want this, his bantering with Matthias to end. Weren’t hate and love the same side of the same coin? Part of Matthias’s reasoning made sense, but Jared didn’t care about the right thing anymore.

“I hope you don’t regret this, pup,” Matthias warned. The werebear didn’t need any more convincing. The next thing Jared knew, Matthias switched their places. Jared’s back dug against grass and ground, and Jared became aware of the delicious press of Matthias’s body above him, straddling him.

“Don’t back out now, bear,” Jared said.

Matthias barked out a harsh laugh. “Fuck, pup. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this. How often I imagine you beneath me, just like this, but—”

“But nothing, bear.” Jared reached for Matthias’s dick between their bodies. Christ, Matthias’s cock was massive. He didn’t think he had anything so large in him. Then again, sex had only been distraction to Jared. A convenient way to forget about the only man he wanted, but Matthias was right in front of him now. Pulse racing, Jared gazed at the wounded man in front of him. Matthias’s eyes showed a soul, cracked and broken, same as his. Nothing ever felt so fucking right and perfect.

Matthias groaned as Jared glided his fist up and down, cock head to base with slow halting motions, designed to torment.

“Did you imagine taming me, and the moment I’d choose to yield?” Jared whispered against his ear, making Matthias growl.

“Fuck, Jared.” That was all Matthias said. His assent. Matthias closed a large hand over Jared’s wrist, lifting Jared’s fingers, licking each one, tasting himself on Jared. Staring, Jared became stunned at the gesture, and by how fucking aroused he got at the sight. One handed, Matthias restrained Jared’s wrists and tugged them above his head, effective as any restraint.

“What are you doing?” Jared asked, losing his composure.

Matthias silenced him with another rough kiss, his mouth a hot vacuum against the side of Jared’s neck. Fixated on the spot between shoulder and neck, Matthias licked at the tiny bit of flesh. Any shifter knew what that place meant—the perfect spot to put a mating mark. Heart thudding, Jared didn’t protest. He held his breath, half dreading, half daring Matthias to make the decision for them. That way, Jared didn’t need to feel guilty for wanting his parents’ murderer, for the man responsible for turning Jane and he from human to monster.

Looking pained, Matthias lifted his head from the spot to answer him. “You said I can do whatever I want.”

“I did,” Jared whispered, frightened now of his attraction to Matthias and what it implied.

He knew with some shame, he’d take whatever Matthias wanted to give. Worse, he’d beg for more. Matthias continued pelting hot kisses down his throat, releasing his hands. Jared threaded his fingers into Matthias’s short hair, tugging, but the werebear didn’t seem to mind. Closing his mouth over Jared’s left nipple, Matthias sealed the hardening bud with heat. Matthias’s gaze pinned his, devouring Jared’s every reaction. Fuck, but that was hot.

Feeling the slight edge of teeth, Jared groaned when Matthias bit down, leaving an imprint of his teeth on the nipple. Matthias moved on to his right, leaving an identical souvenir. It didn’t take for Jared to become aware of Matthias’s impressive dick, pressing up against his belly. Noticing Jared’s gaze, Matthias flashed him a lazy smile.

“You want my cock, pup?”

Jared could imagine wrapping his mouth around that meaty dick even before Matthias lifted himself and straddled his face. He saw the careful way Matthias positioned himself those, nudging his glistening cock head between Jared’s lips. Opening his jaws wider, Jared accepted his length. He gagged at first, unused to the size, but Matthias patiently waited for Jared. Sucking softly, Jared took Matthias’s dick in, marveling at the way Matthias groaned, the silky texture of his groin stretched over hard steel.

“Your mouth feels unbelievably good, pup,” Matthias muttered, eyes shining with appreciation. Then he took control, fucking Jared’s mouth with relish. The sight of Matthias’s rough face tensing, filled with ecstasy made his own cock rock hard. Matthias rode his mouth, faster, and Jared imagined how that enormous dick felt like, pushing into his tight puckered hole.