STORY EXCERPT

"The humans were all right,” Mark said snappishly.

Kaiden pressed his hand to his hurting stomach.

“How do you know that?” Alex snapped back. “They’re human. They hide their injuries. They barely trust us to tell us if something’s wrong, and Cody had a bruise at his lower back, right where I punched Ian.”

Kaiden’s breath caught.

Cody had a bruise? He hadn’t known that.

Kaiden thought it was just him, but if the others were still feeling the effects of being mated to that damn monster…

Mark grumbled. “Not my problem.”

Kaiden flinched. He’d known the guy hadn’t liked any of them, but that was…that hurt.

He’d thought Mark…that he maybe…

Whatever. Mark was a dragon, and Kaiden was a human. It didn’t matter what he thought.

They’d barely spoken a full sentence to each other since Alex took over this place, and it was only a couple of days ago.

If Kaiden was sad because Mark didn’t want or like him, then it was his own fault for getting his hopes up when they barely knew each other.

Whatever else the dragon males spoke of, Kaiden didn’t hear any of it. He was too caught up in his own thoughts, so he jumped when Mark himself turned around the corner, stopping short when he spotted Kaiden standing there.

His dark eyes were wide for a fraction of a second before his expression turned into something closer to a sneer.

“Were you spying on us?”

Kaiden backed off a step, shaking his head. “No! No, I—”

“Don’t ever do that again!” Mark yelled.

Fuck. He was pissed.

“What we talk about is none of your business!”

Kaiden felt a righteous anger burning inside him. His stomach hurt. Everything was so different from what he was used to, and now this asshole was standing in front of him, giving him the third degree.

He’d normally never mouth off to a dragon, but a couple of days of not getting beaten or threatened had apparently made him a little brave.

“Screw you.”

Mark blinked. “What? What did you say to me?”

He knew that tone when he heard it. It was the shut the hell up before I do something nasty to you tone.

Kaiden clenched his hands into fists. He didn’t care. He didn’t care if this asshole threatened him or hit him or hated him. He was done caring about these dragons and waiting for their punishment.

At least this way, when one of them finally hurt him, he would know their nice-guy bullshit was really an act.

“I said screw you,” Kaiden said, slower this time. “You deaf or something?”

Mark stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Kaiden was pretty sure he saw the little muscle beneath his eye twitching.

Kaiden wouldn’t look away from him, but from the corner of his eye, he could see the other dragons Mark had been talking with stepping around the corner, seeing what was going on, what the issue was.

He started to get a little afraid.

It was one thing to mouth off to one dragon, and one of the nice ones, but all of them?

If they all decided to beat him, he might not walk again for a good, long while.

“Mark,” Alex said. “Don’t.”

Kaiden was shocked by that.

Really? The dragon in charge of this place was telling Mark not to hit him?

Mark also seemed shocked, spinning around on the other man, his face twisted, disgusted. “What the fuck are you talking about? You seriously think I was gonna do something to him?”

ADULT EXCERPT

You like me?”

Mark had specifically chosen that word because it seemed easier, safer, than telling Kaiden he loved him.

Because he definitely didn’t. No way. Just because he thought about how handsome Kaiden was, admired his bravery, and even thought the word from time to time did not make it true.

But Kaiden looked at him as though he really had used that particular L word.

Perhaps being told by someone that he was liked was a momentous occasion for him.

“I do.” It was the truth. He might as well admit it. “I would not offer to give someone my bite, even temporarily, if I did not like them.”

Kaiden’s eyes softened. He swallowed hard, his throat thick. “Thank you. I…I really like you, too.”

What was happening here? Why did it feel as though they were having a deeper discussion than they actually were?

And why did it make Mark’s heart flutter?

Focus. He had to focus. Kaiden was still Ian’s mate, still had his bite, and he would be taking Ian’s pain, and even some of his injuries, until Mark stole him away.

He lifted Kaiden’s shirt again, getting another look at the bruising that was there.

“Never hide your pain from me again,” he said, leaning in and pressing his lips to the tender flesh before Kaiden could respond.

Kaiden inhaled a wobbly breath, his hands touching and pulling away from Mark’s hair, as though he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with his hands.

Mark made the decision for him, taking his wrists and pulling his hands to Mark’s hair.

“Grip as tight as you need to. I don’t mind a little pain,” he said, smiling up at the man in what he hoped was a dashing, comforting look.

Kaiden wet his pink, sinful lips, nodding.

“You must tell me to stop when I do something you don’t like. I can sniff out some things about you, but I do not wish to make any mistakes.”

Scent could only go so far, and he did not want to make any errors. Not with this.

“All right,” Kaiden said, his voice a soft whisper that caressed Mark’s heart.

So, he went back to work. Kaiden hadn’t managed to pull his pants back up all the way, so it was just a matter of kissing around his stomach then his groin, letting his hand touch and tease the shaft of Kaiden’s prick.

It jumped in his hand, was hot to the touch. Not as big as Mark’s dick was but a nice handful, to be sure.

He stroked Kaiden, luxuriating in the heavy sighs that came from him, the way Kaiden arched his back, and how he slowly began thrusting into his hand.

“That’s so…that feels nice.”

“Good.” Mark kissed the base of his dick, sliding his lips and his tongue up to the head.

There was a bitter, salty taste of skin. He’d almost forgotten about that. It had been so long since he’d had another male’s cock on his tongue, and never a human, but Mark fell into his old habit quickly.

It was easy enough, relying on memory, what he himself liked as far as teasing went and then performing those actions in a slow, teasing motion.

Kaiden gasped and puffed for breath, which was wonderful because Mark was hardly doing a thing.

He let his tongue play with the head of Kaiden’s dick, enjoying the pleasant shiver that came from his body.

“When was the last time you touched yourself?”

“Wh-what?” Kaiden asked then seemed to sober up. “Never.”

Mark gave him a look. “Yes, you have. Now, when was the last time?”

Kaiden couldn’t seem to stop blushing.

“It was…the day of the attack. Before it happened.” Kaiden rubbed at the back of his neck. “Josh wasn’t there, and I had the room to myself, and I was…I was thinking…but then it didn’t matter and we had everything else to focus on.”

So a few days ago. “Were you thinking about me? When you touched yourself?”

Kaiden pressed his lips together, his eyes widening just a fraction, but he nodded.

Mark twisted his fist just enough to bring about a moan from Kaiden.

“I would like you to answer me,” he said, keeping his voice firm, yet just soft enough to be non-threatening.

“I…I was,” Kaiden gasped. “Thinking about you.”

Mark released a pleased hum. He put his whole mouth around the head, sliding down Kaiden’s cock once as far as he could go, which was all the way.

He held his position for a few seconds before pulling back.

Kaiden moaned long and loud, his fingers gripping tightly to Mark’s hair.

He’d tried thrusting up and into Mark’s mouth, but Mark pulled back before he could.

Not that he needed to. Mark was able to take him all the way, as though Kaiden’s cock was the perfect size for his mouth.

A perfect fit.