STORY EXCERPT

The faint chatter of the cafe patrons mingled with the sound of Zavian’s own heavy sighs, creating a backdrop of white noise he easily tuned out.

Stepping into line, Zavian glanced at the chalkboard with the day’s specials. Of course nothing piqued his interest except for his coffee. 

Maybe he would get a slice of lemon loaf just to see if— 

He pulled his phone out when it buzzed in his pocket. Now what did Aldrin want? 

Not today.

He wasn’t answering. Call it petty, but he was still pissed at Aldrin. Panahasi—Life—had once again interfered with one of Zavian’s decrees. And instead of backing Zavian, Aldrin had coddled Panahasi.

And Zavian had every right to punish Life for what the guy had done.

Screw both of them. 

A smile curled his lips. He saw everyone’s destiny, even the most powerful beings. Aldrin would shit kittens if he knew “Fate” was able to see how it all ended. 

The primal source prided himself on being the omnipotent who had created the universe, which he was, with help, but Zavian was Fate, so not even Aldrin’s future was hidden from him. 

He’d had the perfect opportunity to rub that in the man’s face, but Zavian was trying to turn over a new leaf. He inhaled a few breaths and let them out slowly, quietly reciting his new mantra. 

“Grant me the patience for the things I can’t kill, the happiness to kill the things I can, and the wisdom to actually give a shit about the first one.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it goes.” The stranger’s voice was smoky, like embers glowing in the dark—soft and dangerous, each word curling through the air like a tendril of heat that refused to dissipate. 

As the lion shifter turned, Zavian’s breath caught at the sight of his striking appearance. Silken brown hair framed a chiseled jaw, his neatly groomed beard adding a rugged, refined edge. Zavian imagined running his hand through those strands, feeling their softness against his fingers.

His gaze lingered on the sharp angles of the stranger’s features, taking in every detail with fascination. 

Shaking himself mentally, Zavian tried to focus on anything else other than the handsome lion shifter who held a commanding presence. 

“That’s how I recite it,” Zavian retorted, trying to brush off the nosy Nelly in front of him who needed to mind his own… A rare flicker of confusion filled him. He was used to seeing everyone’s destiny at a glance, but with this shifter...nothing. 

A subtle tension coiled in his gut, and the familiar hum of destiny’s tapestry—the constant whisper in his mind—fell silent. It was an unnerving quiet, something that had never happened before. 

Now, he stood in an emptiness of knowledge, his usual certainty shredded. As Fate itself, not being able to see this man’s future left Zavian feeling unsettled and unsure. What did it mean?

“Is it really that bad?” 

There was something magnetic in his tone. It wasn’t loud or overbearing, but it drew Zavian in, as if he’d fall apart if he missed even a single word.

Pull your shit together. 

“You’re next at the counter.” Zavian crossed his arms, refusing to allow Mr. Dark and Smoky to see the crack in his armor. He tried one more time to read the shifter’s future, and once again, he was met with nothing. 

A slow smile curled the stranger’s lips, but it wasn’t just the smile that drew Zavian in. It was the way his gaze lingered, sharp and heated, as though he was imagining every inch of Zavian unraveling under his hands. “Classic evasion.”

“Classic disinterest.” He pressed his lips together and folded his arms, clenching and unclenching his fists.  

“You’re up, Doc,” Ajax called out. 

It dawned on Zavian that, for the first time ever, he didn’t instantly know someone’s name. Mr. Dark and Smoky was a complete mystery to him. 

Which was just as unsettling. Zavian had a deep sense of duty to maintain universal order, and his inability to read the lion shifter threatened that balance. 

You just want an excuse to follow him so you can unravel more than just his mystery. 

The thought froze Zavian, and for a moment, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. 

The lion shifter is not Melric. 

Zavian didn’t just slam the lid on that thought. He soldered it closed and buried it in the deepest part of the ocean. 

“Hendrix Baldwin, by the way.” 

Glancing up, Zavian saw Mr. Dark and Smoky—Hendrix, standing next to him, coffee in hand, eyes the color of melted chocolate gazing at him.

For a brief moment, Zavian stared at the outstretched hand and knew it would be soft despite how strong it appeared. He hesitated, filled with a sudden urge to learn more, to test this anomaly, maybe even to take that offered hand. But panic and pride squeezed his chest, forcing him to pivot on his heel.

He walked out of the café, no longer interested in his drink. No one got under his skin. He was an ancient, cosmic-level arbiter who enforced destiny and ensured decrees and bonds unfolded as intended. He would get to the bottom of why he couldn’t see Hendrix’s destiny. 

And then balance would be restored. Even if that meant wiping Hendrix Baldwin from existence. 

ADULT EXCERPT

Hendrix hadn’t thought about another man since Michael, hadn’t felt even a flicker of desire, until now. Zavian’s wild, musky scent wrapped around him, igniting a need so intense it burned through his restraint. He dragged his tongue up one side of his mate’s cock then down the other, loving how Zavian’s legs trembled beneath his touch. Without hesitation, Hendrix took the head into his mouth, the warmth and taste sending a bolt of heat straight through him.

But he jerked back as a spurt of fluid shot from Zavian’s cock. Pre-cum? He’d never experienced anything like it before. Licking the fluid from his lips, he moaned at the unexpected, spicy taste.

Opening wide, he took Zavian back into his mouth, drawing a guttural grunt from his mate that shattered the stillness of the room. A shiver coursed through Hendrix as he dragged his tongue over the sensitive skin just below the head, savoring every drop as he drew the pre-cum into his mouth. He kinda hoped Zavian’s cock would do that neat little trick again.

When Zavian’s fingers brushed down Hendrix’s cheek, another wave of warmth shot through him. His mate’s touch was tender, almost reverent, and Hendrix couldn’t look away from the heavy-lidded gaze fixed on him. Zavian’s expression, a mix of awe and raw desire, squeezed every part of Hendrix from the inside out. The way his mate watched him so intently, like Hendrix was the only thing in his world, was potent.

Hendrix’s eyes drifted shut as he drew in the heady, musky scent of his mate’s skin. The heat of Zavian’s flesh filled his palm, hard and unyielding beneath the satin-like smoothness of his skin. His fist tightened, savoring the contrast, each stroke sending a pulse of desire straight through him.

Zavian’s fingers threaded through Hendrix’s hair, the gentle tugging a sharp counterpoint to the raw intensity of the moment. Hendrix let himself sink deeper, his tongue tracing the contours of his mate’s cock as he continued to taste, each touch of his mate’s hand spurring him on. 

God, Zavian tasted incredible, every moment only making Hendrix crave more on his tongue. The way his mate’s hands caressed him sent a pulse of arousal straight to his groin, thickening his cock against the restraint of his slacks.

His free hand tugged at Zavian’s pants, pushing them lower to reveal the lean, sculpted muscles that seemed to glow in the dim light. Long and perfectly shaped, Zavian’s legs were nothing short of breathtaking.

A sharp hiss escaped Zavian when Hendrix took him in all the way to the base, his lips stretching around the impressive girth, larger than Michael had been, but Hendrix didn’t care. He was up for the challenge, his determination driving him deeper.

His tongue mapped every ridge and vein as Hendrix fought against the instinct to let his teeth lengthen, refusing to risk even the smallest chance of hurting his mate. All he wanted was to bring Zavian the kind of pleasure that would unravel him completely.

Zavian leaned back against the door, his strong hands cradling Hendrix’s face, raw hunger swirling in his gaze and sending a shudder through Hendrix’s body. This man, his mate, was going to own him, heart and body, and Hendrix wasn’t going to fight it.

“Hendrix, what are you doing to me?” The words came as a strained moan, Zavian’s fingers brushing over every inch of his face, gentle yet driving him to the brink of madness.

He cupped Zavian’s sac, feeling the heavy weight in his palm. The subtle motion made the guy groan. With a soft rustle, Zavian shoved his pants down to his ankles, spreading his legs wider to give Hendrix more room to play.

“Worshiping you the way you deserve.” Hendrix’s voice was a murmur, reverent yet laced with hunger. Leaning forward, he mouthed the soft skin of Zavian’s sac, the musky scent strongest here, right at the center of his mate’s body. His tongue slid over each orb slowly, while his hand continued stroking Zavian’s cock in a measured rhythm that left nothing untouched.

“You don’t have to do this.” Zavian’s protest was halfhearted as his fingers tugged at Hendrix’s hair, each pull sending a jolt of heat through his body.

Hendrix’s tongue dragged a long, wet path up the inside of Zavian’s thigh before he nipped gently at the sensitive skin of his sac. “I know.”

“Then why…” The words dissolved into a groan as Hendrix’s hand tightened around him.

“I’ll stop in a minute,” he murmured before taking Zavian’s cock back into his mouth, swallowing him to the base. The hard length pushed against the back of his throat, and Hendrix moaned softly around it, savoring the hardness filling his mouth.

His own cock throbbed painfully against the confines of his pants, the need to free himself almost overwhelming. But he forced himself to hold back, his focus entirely on Zavian. If he gave in to his own desires, he risked breaking the moment, and there was no way he’d let that happen.

Lightning-hot desire tore through Hendrix as another spurt shot from the head of Zavian’s cock. The dark, spicy scent filled his lungs, clinging to every cell in his body and fueling the fire burning inside of him. A soft growl rumbled in his chest as he gripped Zavian’s solid thighs, grounding him while pulling him closer. He wanted more, needed Zavian deeper, closer, until nothing else existed between them.

He had his mate, willing, trembling, and entirely at his mercy. This was his chance to show Zavian exactly what could be between them.

Hendrix wasn’t walking away.

He wasn’t giving up.

Zavian belonged to him, no matter how much the man protested. Hendrix would fight for him every step of the way if that was what it took.