STORY EXCERPT

Taking a deep breath, he opened the small aluminum box, and smelled the food. He’d never tried chicken, since they didn’t have those animals in Marmon. Hopefully, the meat would be tasty. One joy in his miserable life was most welcome.

Moments later, the bushes behind the bench rustled, startling Oliver. He quickly stood and turned around. “Who’s there?” Oliver asked with his hand open, ready to bring out his spear if he had to.

A large form came from the bushes, a cat in the person’s arms. “Ah, sorry if I scared you. I was asking around if someone saw my neighbor’s cat. They said they’d seen one coming to this park.”

Oliver gulped. The same guy from the restaurant was right in front him. “I’m glad you found the cat…but don’t scare people like that,” he muttered, and sat back on the bench. Oliver jumped when the man sat next to him, petting the black cat. He slid to the edge so they wouldn’t be too close. “Aren’t you going to return the animal to your neighbor?”

“I wonder…” The man paused, looking down at the cat. “Why are you eating your dinner in a park? Did you have an argument with your wife or girlfriend?”

Oliver shot him a sideways glance. What should he do? This guy could be up to something. “You know, that has nothing to do with you,” he said, standing. “I’ll eat somewhere else. You can keep the bench.”

“Are you homeless, Mr. Elf?”

Oliver froze, wide-eyed. How did he know? Instead of answering, Oliver continued his way out of the park. He had to get away without looking guilty. That’s right. That question wasn’t for him. He could just ignore it.

Oliver put the box back in the bag. Since he had to look down, he noticed the pair of shoes a step away from him.

“My name’s Trevor, by the way. If you need a place to stay for tonight, my apartment is big enough for both of us,” he said.

Shaking his head, Oliver walked past the stud. “Your generosity is suspicious. I’m not going to fall for that one.“

Trevor chuckled, drawing Oliver’s attention. “Aren’t you going to ask how I know that you’re an elf?”

“Leave me alone,” Oliver demanded, running away. Only a few steps away from the exit and Trevor landed in front of him. Oliver clenched his hand on the bag. “You’re not a human, are you?”

“I’m not a shape-shifter either,” Trevor answered. “Now, don’t behave like a cornered cat. The doors in my apartment have locks, so I assure you that I’m not plotting anything.”

Oliver frowned. “Why would you help a stranger?” he asked. The other man approached him, making Oliver take a step back.

Trevor sighed. “I know that you’re an elf because you looked up when we first met,” he said. “I can see the white hair and pointy ears from under the hoodie.” He held the cat with both hands and waved the animal carefully in front of Oliver. “Come on, Mr. Elf. My neighbor is worried about this little kitten.”

That didn’t answer his question. No way would he set foot in this guy’s apartment. However, Oliver hated the cold. “How strong are the locks in your apartment?” he asked quietly. If not a shifter, what kind of creature was Trevor?

“Pretty strong,” Trevor said, motioning Oliver after him. “You know my name now. Can you tell me yours?”

“Oliver,” he said almost inaudibly as he followed the other man. They crossed the street and Trevor pulled his keys from his pocket. “Wait, you live here?” Besides being relatively close, the apartment looked fancy for one person.

Trevor led them inside and went to the elevator. “I live up there.” He pressed on the button to the eighth floor. “So, you must be from Marmon, right?” he asked, and Oliver nodded. “Did something happen for you to come to Earth?”

Oliver took a step back, toward the exit. “I’m not…I wasn’t a good person.” Before he could take another step, Trevor grabbed his wrist, letting the cat jump to the floor. “I kidnapped humans and auctioned them to shape-shifters, but that’s in the past. It became a shady business and I went to prison for a while,” he said quickly.

“To prison? For how long?”

“Six months, since the auctions continued for only two weeks,” Oliver blurted out. The surprised expression on Trevor’s face managed to hurt his feelings. He didn’t want to be seen as a criminal, even if that reaction came from someone he didn’t know. “I regret it, okay? Stop looking at me like that.”

The elevator opened, catching Trevor’s attention. He picked the cat up and stepped into the elevator, leaving Oliver to stare at him. “Are you coming or not?” Trevor asked the elf.

Oliver looked down and entered the elevator. How unexpected of Trevor to still accept him. Silence fell between them. Oliver liked the comfortable silence. At least he didn’t have to speak. He still found Trevor handsome and a great option as a mate, but he wasn’t sure where their relationship could lead them.

ADULT EXCERPT

“One year ago, some guy stole my grandmother’s purse when she went shopping,” she started. “I was at work, so I couldn’t do anything, obviously.” Marla took a deep breath. “We became friends with Trevor from day one, so he knew my grandmother. He was coming out of a restaurant or something and saw it happening.”

“Then what?” Oliver asked, staring at her. He disregarded the diaper-changing completely.

She cleared her throat. “This is what my grandmother told me. He went after the guy and caught up with him in a second. Trevor just…slammed the man’s head through a store window.”

Oliver gasped. Now that he remembered, Trevor had slashed off a vampire’s arm when they were inside that mansion. “Did the man live?” he asked and Marla nodded. It seemed that Trevor hurt them, but he knew he wasn’t going to kill anyone. Was his mate almost as evil as him? That twisted thought made his cock painfully hard. “I’ll be right back. Can you wait here?” Instead of waiting for a reply, he handed her the toy baby, and went to the bedroom.

The door opened. “I’m almost done,” Trevor said. “Do you know how to change a diaper already?” He looked over his shoulder at Oliver. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” Oliver shrugged and approached his mate. “I need to talk to you.” He held Trevor’s hand. The weretiger followed him to the other side of the hallway and into the bathroom. “Marla told me about you helping her grandmother one year ago.”

Trevor looked away and back at Oliver. “I was a bit angry at the time. As you might already know, attacking an old lady must be severely punishable,” he mumbled. “Why is there a wave of pheromones around you?”

Oliver closed the door and pinned his mate on it. “Who knows? I want you. Now, Trevor.” He leaned on the weretiger and nuzzled his strong chest. “You’re still in heat, right? Do you want to decompress again?”

Trevor switched their places swiftly, his hands gripping Oliver’s shoulders. “And here I thought I could hide that part of me from you,” he whispered, and let out a sigh. “We could, if we didn’t have to pick up Micah. Let’s talk better about this when the dust settles. For now, I’ll take care of you.”

When Trevor dropped to his knees, Oliver sucked in his bottom lip. He knew it. Trevor was wilder than he appeared. He watched as the weretiger unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants down, underwear going with it.

Oliver felt his throat dry, his eyes half-closed in lust. He desired Trevor even more now. His mate had a similar side of him. As it turned out, it seemed like they had to go to a couple’s therapy session. At least Trevor knew to not kill someone.

Trevor held his mate’s cock in his hand and slid his tongue along the tip, earning a moan from Oliver. He then turned it to the side and brushed his lips against the shaft before he took it into his mouth.

Shaking under Trevor’s touch, Oliver leaned his head on the door. He tried not to moan too loudly or Marla could hear them. He turned his eyes down when the weretiger held his thigh, his hand warm and gentle. He didn’t want the gentleness, though. “I want more,” he demanded.

He looked up at the elf, his dark eyes enticing. Trevor sucked on his shaft quicker, his hand stroking it at the same time. So Oliver wouldn’t thrust his hips, Trevor held the elf’s thigh still. “I love your expression while I’m doing this,” he whispered before he continued.

Oliver rested his hands on Trevor’s head as it bobbed with a steady pace. “And I love yours. You seem so committed, I must say,” he said in one breath. His legs shook, about to give out, so he put his hands on his mate’s broad shoulders for support. But he couldn’t keep himself up. Oliver slid down the door and sat on the cold tile floor, Trevor never stopping.

“I am,” Trevor replied, focused on what he was doing. He slid his hot tongue from the base to the tip of the shaft. “I’m enjoying this almost as much as you. I mean, you could do the same to me, but we have other things to do. Now, let’s finish this.”

He nodded, gazing at his lover. Trevor took a breath and engulfed the elf’s cock again, sucking it eagerly. Oliver let his mouth fall open, bliss coming closer and closer to the surface, so much so that he had to hold back from tackling Trevor and fucking himself to his heart’s content.

In a matter of seconds, Oliver reached his limit.