Caution: Contents Under Pressure

STORY EXCERPT

Huddling on the bed, Jory drew his knees up to his chest and pressed as far into the headboard as he could go. No one had tried to hurt him or force him to do anything he didn’t want to do, but they were just so damn big! He’d never seen men so big before.

He was free of his dark, cold, and terrifying prison. He’d been given his own room with a comfortable bed and real food to eat. They’d even allowed him to bathe and given him clean clothes to wear.

He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

While he hadn’t had the greatest life growing up, he’d always thought his parents loved him. And maybe they did. Apparently, they loved money more, though. He hadn’t always been a slave, forced to do the bidding of his “masters” or risk severe punishment. His parents had sold him when he was fourteen—on his birthday. He dared anyone to name a shittier birthday gift. 

His bedroom door creaked open, and a big man he hadn’t seen before stepped into his room. Jory’s entire body shook violently, and he tightened his arms around his knees. This was it. This was where they forced him into the basement or chained him up outside like a dog.

“Hello, little one.” The man’s voice was deep, rich, and silky smooth. He spoke softly, gently, and didn’t move any farther into the room. “I’m Stavion, leader here for all intents and purposes.”

Jory couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. His heart hammered loudly, and the air caught in his constricted airway. Moving his mouth, he tried to force sound through his lips, knowing the consequences for disobedience and rudeness.

Stavion took a step toward the bed, and Jory finally made a sound. He whimpered. Panic clawed at his insides, but fear paralyzed him. He didn’t like this. How was he supposed to keep himself out of trouble if they didn’t tell him what they expected from him? Why were they pretending to be so nice to him?

“Do you have a name?” Stavion still spoke quietly, his voice steady and even.

“J–Jory, sir.”

“You can call me Stavion, not sir. You are free now, Jory. You have no master and can do as you like. Do you have family? I could call them for you.”

Stavion took another step forward, slow and deliberate in his movement, but it didn’t scare Jory quite so much this time. “No. My family doesn’t want me.”

A look passed over the big vampire’s face that Jory couldn’t name, and he was terrified that he’d said something wrong. Lifting his head, staring into Stavion’s eyes, he opened his mouth to plead for mercy when the most intoxicating scent hit him like a Mack truck.

His stomach tightened, his cock swelled, and his head swam from the warm, welcoming smell. Sniffing at the air, he leaned toward Stavion slightly without realizing he was doing it.

A deep rumble echoed around the room, emanating from Stavion’s curled lips. “Mine,” he growled, taking another jerky step forward.

The growl, the snarl on his lips broke the trance, and Jory yelped, scrambling backward until he felt nothing but air and somersaulted head over ass off the side of the mattress.

“Jory!” Stavion rushed around the bed, dropping to his knees and reaching out to touch him.

Crying out, Jory rolled away from the descending hand until he was scrunched beneath the high bed. Stavion didn’t yell or try to reach for him like Jory expected him to do. He just sat there, his face hidden from view for a long time. Then, very slowly, he rose to his feet and shuffled across the room.

“I would never hurt you, Jory,” Stavion said softly. “The sun is almost up, but I will come see you tonight. Please try to eat something and get some rest.”

Jory watched Stavion’s boots travel the rest of the way toward the door and disappear out of it before he finally released the breath he’d been holding. Curling up on his side, he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he thought over what had just happened.

ADULT EXCERPT

Though Stavion’s brain still rebelled, his body apparently had a mind of its own and no qualms about what was happening. His hands roamed Jory’s body, his tongue pillaged the sweet depths of his mate’s mouth, and his cock swelled to the point of pain—all without his consent.

The sweet, throaty moans slipping past Jory’s lips spurred him on until the line between what he wanted and what he felt to be right blurred then faded away altogether. 

Lost in the delicious taste and heavenly scent of his mate, Stavion didn’t immediately realize that his weren’t the only hands that were roaming. Jory was sneaky, not to mention quick, and had his jeans undone and Stavion’s cock out before he could even think to form a protest. When those soft, slender fingers wrapped around his throbbing length and gave him a nice, long stroke, he knew he was done for.

“You need to get me ready,” Jory mumbled against the sensitive skin of his throat.

“Okay.” Stavion’s brain shut down, and his body took complete control, moving on instinct as he pulled out the desk drawer beside him and extracted a small bottle of lube.

“You keep lube in your office?” There was surprise, and maybe a little amusement, in Jory’s voice.

Stavion didn’t even have enough operating brain cells left to be embarrassed. “I find myself thinking about you a lot lately,” he explained distractedly. “I can’t always get away from my office.”

“Oh, I like that,” Jory purred. Leaning back on the desk, he propped himself up on his elbows and smirked. Then his feet came up to rest beside his pert ass on the desktop, opening him to Stavion’s hungry gaze.

When Jory spread his knees wide, his cheeks parting to reveal his fluttering pink entrance, Stavion whimpered pathetically. How was he supposed to be strong against such blatant invitation? How could he turn away from a sight so beautiful? “You’re going to kill me.”

“Stavion, I need you to stop thinking now.” There was hesitancy in Jory’s voice that had Stavion’s eyes snapping up to meet his mate’s.

Jory might be acting all bold and slutty, but that was all it was—an act. The uncertainty in his eyes, the quiet quivering of his body, even the way he chewed on his lower lip, told Stavion that his little man was just as nervous as he was. It was time for Stavion to man up and take control of the situation.

“I won’t let you fall,” he promised quietly as he slicked his fingers. “Just tell me if it’s too much, and we’ll stop any time, no questions asked.”

After sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Jory nodded. “I’m ready for this.”

Tenderly, with more care than he’d ever shown to a lover, Stavion caressed the tight pucker, ringing the muscles and coaxing them to relax for him. Watching Jory’s eyes for any signs of discomfort or distress, he inserted the tip of one finger, slowly easing it into his mate’s heated passage.

Jory’s skin flushed beautifully, a soft pink tinge peeking out from under the glistening sheen of sweat that coated him. His head dropped back to the table, his fingers dug into the back of his thighs, and his muscles jumped and flexed. His blond curls floated around his face like a halo, his nipples stood erect, and the hard cock between his legs jerked with each lazy glide of Stavion’s finger.

Stavion’s own cock pulsed and wept, his skin tingled, and his heart raced frantically inside his chest. Grabbing his own desire by the throat and body-slamming it to the back burner, he focused on Jory and bringing him as much pleasure as possible.

When the clenching sphincter began to loosen, yielding its grasp on Stavion’s finger, he carefully inserted a second. Jory whimpered and mewled, tossing his head back and forth against the gleaming mahogany of the desk. “Please, Stavion!”

“You’re not ready yet, sweetheart.” Stavion’s body began to vibrate with the effort he exerted to hold himself back. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt or frighten his lover, though.

By the time he had three fingers pumping into Jory’s snug hole, his little mate was making the most delectable sounds. With a bit of coordination, Stavion managed to grab the lube and slick his aching cock with one hand. Once he had the turgid flesh coated from root to crown, he eased his fingers from Jory’s twitching channel.

Leaning forward to cover Jory’s body, he urged his lover’s legs around his waist as he slid one hand beneath Jory’s slim body and the other came up to caress his face. The tip of his cock nudged against Jory’s opening, finding its way without any guidance from Stavion.

“Are you ready, baby?”

Jory’s eyelids fluttered open, and a serene smile danced over his lips. “Make me yours.”

“You were always mine.” Then Stavion pushed inside, inching forward and sheathing his dick in the tight heat of Jory’s body.

The connection was instant, the pleasure overwhelming, and loud, feral growls erupted from his heaving chest. Nothing he’d ever faced had prepared him for the feelings that exploded inside him at finally being joined with his mate.

Unfortunately, they all seemed to have a direct line to his cock.

“This isn’t going to last long,” he said by way of apology.

“Almost there now,” Jory agreed. “Fuck, you feel amazing.”

Sweet heavens, that was an understatement. Stavion didn’t even have words for what he was feeling. His thrusts began erratically, jerky and off rhythm. It never got any better, either. Jory seemed to be right there with him, though, writhing and moaning, his head thrashing from side to side against the desktop.

“Please, please, please,” Jory begged. His small hand fisted in Stavion’s hair and jerked his head down, urging his mouth to Jory’s throat. “I want this.”

Faith, Trust, and Stardust

STORY EXCERPT

“Cassius!” Kendall’s heart pounded so hard he could barely hear his own voice as he sprinted behind Jory to the battle near the gate. They’d rounded up everyone they could find who was willing to fight. He was a little surprised at how many people had risen to the challenge.

There were shape-shifters of all species, vampires, demons, and Jory had even convinced the werewolves living at the coven to support their plight.

Jory’s bloodcurdling scream jerked him out of his thoughts, and he looked up just in time to see Jory’s mate, Stavion, go down and three enemy werewolves begin biting and clawing at him. His heart broke for his best friend, it really did, but he was desperate to find his own mate.

Incorporating the four Ds—dipping, ducking, diving, and dodging—Kendall made his way through flying bodies, snapping teeth, and razor-sharp claws. He screamed his mate’s name over the cacophony of noise. Still, he couldn’t find him.

A massive furry arm came out of nowhere, wrapping around his waist and snatching him off his feet. Kendall didn’t have time for this shit. Steeling himself against the pain he knew would come, he threw his head back, connecting a solid head-butt to the asshole’s face. Fuck, that hurt!

The werewolf must have thought so as well, because he dropped Kendall to the ground as he grabbed at his face and howled in pain. Kendall wasn’t really paying attention, though. He’d finally found the man he’d been searching for.

Cassius was magnificent. Kendall had never seen anyone move so swiftly or with such fluidity. Spinning, arching, and contorting his body, one movement flowed into another in a deadly dance as Cassius battled against two of the invading werewolves. His raven hair whipped around his face, blowing out behind him when the wind picked up. The moonlight glimmered over the blade of his dagger as he sliced through the air.

It was beautiful and terrifying all at once.

One of the werewolves Raven was fighting broke away and launched himself at Cassius’s back. Before Kendall could even call out a warning, Cassius dropped to one knee, spinning in a tight circle and kicking his other foot out to knock his attacker to the ground. It all happened so quickly that Kendall was still trying to force words through the constriction in his throat by the time it was all over.

Some of their enemies were sprawled unconscious on the ground. Some were on their knees with their heads bent. None of them were fighting back any longer, though. Rising gracefully to his feet, Cassius sheathed his dagger and dusted his hands on his pants. The act was so casual he could have been doing nothing more than trimming the hedges.

Kendall didn’t stop to think about it. He took off at a run, leaping over falling bodies as he sprinted toward his mate. Cassius must have heard him coming because he turned just as Kendall jumped and caught him in his arms.

“You could have been hurt!” Cassius’s hands roamed over Kendall’s face and down his arm, obviously checking for signs of injury. “What are you doing here?”

Kendall smiled as he looked into Cassius’s deep blue eyes. “Saving your ass.” Then he leaned in and pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss. With Cassius covered in blood and a crowd of people gathered around them, it wasn’t the most romantic first kiss.

Apparently, Cassius was of the same mind, because he grabbed the back of Kendall’s neck and jerked him closer when he tried to move away. “I think we can do better than that.”

Then his mouth was on Kendall’s, rough and demanding, needy and passionate. His tongue didn’t coax but forced Kendall’s lips apart before thrusting inside his mouth and exploring every inch of it.

Kendall clutched at his mate’s shoulders, holding on for dear life when the kiss went deeper still and his head began to spin from lack of oxygen. It was so damn good, he didn’t even think about pulling away. Who really needed to breathe anyway?

Despite their current location, his dick swelled inside his jeans, hardening to the point of pain as he rocked against Cassius’s midsection, desperately seeking that sweet friction he needed.

“Easy,” Cassius panted as he pulled away from Kendall’s mouth and trailed kisses along his jawline. “Now is not the time or the place.”

Kendall whimpered in protest. Here and now seemed like an excellent idea to him. They’d been dancing around each other for almost six months—each afraid to do anything to make the other uncomfortable. Now that they’d finally taken the next step—or dove into the deep end without floaties—Kendall wanted more, and he wanted it right fucking now.

Cassius nose skimmed up the side of Kendall’s throat, pulling a full-body shiver from him. “God, you smell so good.”

Reason returned, and it was like being submerged in a pool of shark-infested ice water. Every reason he couldn’t be with Cassius came crashing down on him, smothering him until he couldn’t breathe.

When Cassius’s hand moved over his lower back and started an upward trek along his spine, Kendall started to squirm as panic settled in. “No, no, you’re right. We can’t do this here.” He looked around frantically, searching for a distraction. “Stavion! Stavion needs your help.” It wasn’t a lie. The man’s eyes were open, but he looked in bad shape.

Cassius sighed as he set Kendall on his feet. “We’ll talk later.”

Later was good. Later would give him time to think. Later could wait forever.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Off,” he growled. He sounded more animal than man, even to himself, but he couldn’t think past the throbbing of his cock and the overwhelming need to finally claim Kendall as his own.

Luckily, Kendall appeared to be on the same page. Squirming and contorting his body on the bed, Kendall shucked his clothing in record time, sending them flying all over the room. Cassius grunted when one of his lover’s shoes caught him in the chest but ignored it just as quickly.

When his clothes were basically shreds of fabric at his feet, Cassius dove onto the bed, attacking his lover’s mouth with a savage intensity. “Please, don’t say no. You can’t say no.”

“Fuck me, Cass. Claim me and make me yours.”

Needing no more encouragement, Cassius kept one arm securely around Kendall’s waist as he rolled them across the mattress until he could reach the drawer of his nightstand. There was no fumbling or searching. He’d used the bottle of lube enough times in the last several months to know exactly where it was located.

Once he had the plastic treasure in his hand, he rolled them again until he hovered over his mate. Their lips met in another passion-fueled duel, their tongues twining, twisting, and gliding together. Without breaking the kiss, Cassius popped the lid on the bottle with one hand and flipped the end up to pour a generous amount into his palm.

Letting the lube fall to the mattress, he reached between their flushed bodies and slicked his aching cock, groaning into Kendall’s mouth as he stroked his hard length. Using the excess, he skimmed his index finger along Kendall’s crease, pushed between the muscled hills, and zeroed in on the tight, fluttering muscles of his entrance.

Kendall moaned and whimpered, arching his hips and snaking his legs around Cassius’s hips. Using every bit of self-control he could grab on to, Cassius slowly worked the tip of his digit past the guarding ring and pumped gently, inserting a little more with each inward glide.

He used his other hand to brace himself above his mate, staring into Kendall’s eyes, searching for any sign of discomfort. Kendall’s eyes were squeezed tight, his head whipped back and forth against the sheets, and the cords in his neck strained. “More, Cass. Please!”

Though he felt like he’d implode, Cassius took his time, stretching and loosening his mate until he had three fingers sawing in and out of Kendall’s velvet-lined tunnel. His lover’s fingers dug into the muscles of his shoulders hard enough to leave bruises, and Cassius knew he’d cherish every one of them.

“Now!” Kendall’s eyes snapped open, and he growled vehemently as he began rocking his hips, fucking himself on Cassius’s fingers. “Fuck me!”

His body on fire, his cock pulsing, and his entire world zeroed in on the fiery heat surrounding his fingers, Cassius had no choice but to obey. Extracting his fingers, he lined up the weeping tip of his cock, took a deep breath, and pushed in slowly, inch by torturous inch. When he finally bottomed out and was buried balls deep in the tightest, most perfect warmth he’d ever felt, he blinked open his eyes and just stared at the gorgeous creature beneath him.

Suddenly, all urgency melted from his body. Looking into those hazel depths, Cassius saw his entire future laid out before him like an offering. And he wanted it. He wanted it like nothing else on earth. He’d worked hard, pushed his body past its breaking point because of his intense desire to become an Enforcer.

It was nothing compared to how much he wanted the man writhing beneath him. He’d do anything—be anything—for Kendall. All the months of tiptoeing around each other, of walking on eggshells, terrified he’d scare his mate—it was all worth it. He’d do it again in a heartbeat if it led him to this moment.

Slipping his arm beneath Kendall’s back, Cassius lifted him gently, pressing their chests together as he began a slow, sensual rhythm. Again and again, he sank and retreated into Kendall’s welcoming heat, groaning as his lover’s inner walls convulsed around him, massaging his cock and sucking him in further with each thrust.

Kendall’s continuous cries of ecstasy were music to his ears, and they settled into his heart and soul, warming him from the inside out. As the tempo increased, so did the intensity of his emotions. Using his body as a conduit, Cassius poured every ounce of himself into their mating until he wasn’t sure where he ended and Kendall began.

In the ultimate act of sweet surrender, Kendall tilted his head to the side, baring his neck and palming the back of Cassius’s head. “Make me yours.”

Dipping his head as he continued to surge into his lover’s body, Cassius licked at the pulsing vein that snaked up the soft, smooth column of Kendall’s throat. “You always were,” he whispered before sinking his teeth through Kendall’s flesh.