STORY EXCERPT

“See my problem? There’s no one here that I even care to look twice at. I’m doomed, my friend. Doomed.”

“Well, there are the three human friends of the new king, but you don’t do humans,” Griffon said offhandedly.

“Those humans are workers.” Shanghai frowned. He was unhappy the day he learned his brother was bringing humans onto the island. It was dangerous and could easily undermine their entire world. What would humans do if they suddenly discovered another intelligent race on the world besides themselves? They could either hunt his people into nonexistence or try to capture them and study them. No thank you. Trying to keep one as a pet lover would only endanger his people and their secrets. He wasn’t about to be the one to bring down his race that way. “He brought them in to help prepare for the wedding. Not friends.”

“They are new, and new could be a challenge for you.” Griffon shrugged.

“No, no humans. Humans are meant for food, not lovers.” As a general rule, he didn’t do humans, but Griffon was right. They were new. He looked closer at the three men huddled together. They seemed remarkably out of place, small enough to throw back if he caught them in the open sea. Two of them tried to pretend to fit in, acting tough, but they all kept to themselves as if they knew instinctively they were different. Humans were much weaker than the other animals in this room. Most of them were shape-shifters of some sort of variety, but every water-shifting species the Kingdom had made over the last century was there to honor Seoul’s union.

Michavius, a dominant vampire, seemed to be enjoying toying with them and making the smallest of the three men uncomfortable with sexual advances. Michavius had his arm over the young man’s shoulder and was whispering something into his ear, and then he dipped his head and licked the man’s neck. The pathetic human was thin as a rail and looked like a mere boy, but no, that couldn’t be right. He had to be old enough to be here. Unless he got that drink with a fake license, he was old enough to drink. He had beautiful light-brown hair that just barely covered his eyes in a shaggy skater boy kind of style. His model-gorgeous face could have been on any runway in Paris strutting the famous styles, but it was drawing the wrong kind of attention now.

How could Shanghai have ignored him up until now? Was it that haircut that seemed to cover up those beautiful crystal-blue eyes, or the way his eyes fell naturally to the floor rather than to meet his? Something about him attracted him to the human intensely, but he couldn’t say it was only a need to protect the innocent from danger.

Shanghai could be just as dangerous himself.

The baggy, silken shirt the human wore covered his chest, but short sleeves revealed his frighteningly thin forearms, and Shanghai didn’t imagine he had many muscles. He was skinny all over with a wiry frame. Shanghai would have to mention to his brother that the man needed fattening up. Although the young man was at least five foot six, he could use some more weight on his bones. In comparison to Shanghai, he was like a guppy, and he couldn’t possibly weigh much more than a hundred and twenty pounds or so.

The young man was backing up until the human noticed the vampire had him up against a wall. Suddenly he turned around, giving Shanghai his first view of that gorgeous ass. Shanghai had always been an ass man, and that man had the most full heart-shaped ass he had seen on a human.

Quickly realizing he had nowhere to run, the human turned to face Michavius once again. His human friends were no longer by his side and had vanished, leaving him to face the vampire alone.

“Looks like he’s interested in Michavius, anyways.” Griffon’s words bothered Shanghai.

“I don’t think so.” Shanghai watched the vampire Michavius put his arm over the kid’s shoulder, and the kid shuddered under the unwelcome attention. Shanghai sighed and silently swore to himself. He shouldn’t get involved.

He knew better. Shanghai wasn’t one to interfere with things that could cause wars between species. He knew Michavius well enough to stay clear of the vampire, but the young man had no knowledge of who he was, or the kind of damage he could do.

The vampire had the status of a diplomat to be invited to the wedding party, and breaking bones to protect a human was bound to be breaking some peace treaty or other, but how could he stand by and watch him get hurt?

The man looked at him and locked eyes with Shanghai. Stunning bright-blue eyes caught his immediate attention and held him there on the spot. They implored him with unspoken emotion. Help me. It was enough to take his breath away. He shouldn’t get involved, but how could he ignore that silent plea? Something deep inside of him didn’t want to see the man get hurt or drained dry as the vampire might want to do. The chair scraped the concrete floor as he pushed away from the bar. Shanghai crossed the distance in seconds. That was one of the benefits to being a great white shark-shifter. He had unnatural speed and super strength, even in his human form.

“Do we have a problem here?” Shanghai slipped between the two men and stood fully erect at his seven-foot-two-inch height, intending to intimidate the vampire.

ADULT EXCERPT

It was just a kiss.

Not meant to be anything more, but when his lips met Cain’s and he heard the other man groan and felt him soften in his arms, he had to have more than a brief meeting of the lips. His kiss grew deeper, more urgent, and Shanghai’s tongue invaded and pilfered, destroying the last of his mate’s resistance. It was sweet agony to slow things down, but the claiming could wait until after their first joining, and he couldn’t claim his mate without him fully understanding the consequences. If he claimed him, he may not survive the transformation. It could mean the end of his humanity. If Cain failed to be able to learn to shape-shift, the transition could mean his death or he could become eternally trapped in his shifter form. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how it would affect him yet. It had been centuries since a human had undergone a transformation like that.

Shanghai couldn’t force his world on Cain like that. Not without asking how he felt about it, and for right now, this physical connection between them had to be enough.

“I want to make love to you, Shanghai,” Cain admitted, bashfully turning his head away so he wouldn’t make eye contact.

“And I”—the breath hissed between Shanghai’s teeth at his mate’s admission—“would like nothing more than to do that. I want to fuck you until you forget every man you’ve ever been with. I want to make you scream out my name as I slide in and out of here.”

Cain whimpered as Shanghai pulled him up in his lap and felt under between his butt cheeks. The thin material of his shorts offered little protection from Shanghai’s pretty large hard-on. He knew Cain could feel every powerful inch of him under him. “I want to hear the way my name sounds on your tongue when I make love to you and the sweet sounds you make when you are in the middle of being pleasured.”

Shanghai watched a lump rise and fall on Cain’s throat. “I want to own every inch of your flesh, Cain.”

“You already do. Make love to me, mate.” Cain sighed and cuddled against Shanghai’s chest.

“It will be my pleasure. Let me help undress you.” Shanghai lifted the thin T-shirt up and over his mate’s head. It revealed his shaved chest, which only had a smattering of hair to begin with. Throughout his days of taking care of Cain and the doctor running his tests, Cain had to be hooked up to machines and Shanghai didn’t want him any more uncomfortable than he already was. Shaving seemed to be the quickest solution. After that, he had seen him naked many times as he changed the bedsheets and gave him sponge baths to help keep him clean and cool. Shanghai helped to ease the shorts off his hips and down off his ankles. The sight of his mate, naked and willing to experience his touch, took his breath away.

Cain came alive under his touch, shivering under the stroke of his tongue or the whisper of his breath. Long capable fingers caressed his flesh. Goose bumps formed on Cain’s arms after he slid his hands over the soft flesh of his lover. It pleased Shanghai deeply to have Cain be so responsive to his touch.

“You are so beautiful, mate. You take my breath away.”

“I was going to say the same thing about you, Shanghai. Do you know how many times I dreamed what it would be like to touch you? To see you naked? I was attracted to you the moment I laid eyes on you and now…” Cain’s hands spread wide over Shanghai’s chest and strayed across his ribs and down his lean stomach muscles.

“Now it’s a reality.” Shanghai caught his wrists in his hands and gave him a lingering kiss. The warmth in his stomach grew and intensified. His cock was growing in size and power. Thick and long, it wanted one thing and one thing alone—to be planted deep inside his mate’s fine ass. He needed his mate and longed to feel his cock inside of him.

Shanghai eased Cain down on his back and spread his legs apart with the palms of his hands. He made his way down his body, leaving a trail of kisses on Cain’s lips, down the side of his neck, to his chest and still lower until he reached his erect mushroom-shaped cock. Cain had been circumcised, and he had clean lines and a perfect cock. He was fully aroused, and a drop of cum pooled at the tip.

Shanghai ached to taste his mate ever since he first laid eyes on his naked flesh. On a whim, he licked the tip, tasting the salty brine of his lover. It was like honey on his lips. It was the perfect harmony of flavors on his taste buds.

“You taste so good, mate.” Shanghai licked his mate’s cock, milking him for more.

“Can’t wait much longer,” Cain groaned in response, and he answered Shanghai’s passion with one of his own as he thrust his hips upward. Shanghai spread his fingers wide across his hips and pushed him back into the mattress.

He chuckled softly. “It’s okay. We can take all night long to get this right.”

Cain trembled beneath Shanghai’s body. “Oh, Shanghai. Please fuck me.”

“All in good time, Cain.”