STORY EXCERPT

The faint sound that could have been a groan echoed through the house, which trembled on its very foundation, causing Hansel to stumble into a wall.

“What the hell was that?” he whispered.

His stomach tightened, and his energy seemed to pool there, and he let out a scream of pain.

“No.” He made for the bedroom door. “Dallan—” His voice died with the agony cutting through him.

Hansel took a few steps before his insides twisted. Gripping the door’s handle, he leaned against it, teeth clenched. His head pounded and his stomach roiled.

He slid down the wall even as the pain receded as quickly as it had started. Tears filled his eyes, and he wrapped his arms around his middle as if to stop the power from seeping from him.

“Dallan, please,” he begged softly. Dallan was the only one who could be behind this. “Don’t do this. They’ll kill me.”

Hansel struggled up and staggered into his bedroom, hoping to get up enough energy to raise some kind of shield to protect himself. The thrumming in his head increased, making him nauseous as spots danced before his eyes.

When his vision cleared, his gaze fell on a tall figure standing in the middle of the room, all sand and rock. The granite face had brown eyes the color of tree bark set in it.

A crown of olives vines wreathed his head, and he held out his hand.

Hansel backed up, Aristotle’s name on his lips. The other man had a room on the other side of the house. If Hansel could wake him, he might stand a chance.

The floor rolled, and Hansel slid right into outstretched arms that closed quickly enfolding him. Their bodies seemed to pulse and then break up and swirl.

The arms around him melded them so close he couldn’t tell where he ended, and the stone-sand man was cool against the flesh more like human skin against him.

“Light so bright, blind all to this sight.”

Sharp nails pricked the back of his neck, and it burned. Hansel’s head swam, and his energy rushed.

Hansel was certain he’d be a shell once this was all over, and he was powerless to stop it.

“Colors of power, I now combine with this offering I accept the energy as mine.”

“Please, stop,” he begged, and purple mingled with brown, and gray shot up like rocket jetting across the sky. “Don’t do this.” His tone was weak, and his limbs were weaker, making it difficult to even struggle.

“Blood to blood, might to might, the destinies entwine and power unite.” His voice was almost gravelly, his hold unyielding, and he was free.

For a moment, Hansel was floating, just hanging there, and then, he was flat on the bed, skin cooling.

“Hold on to me. I’ve got you.” The gravelly voice was almost tender in his ear. The rest of the words came through water as Hansel closed his eyes, feeling as if he was going to throw up, but everything went black.

“Hansel?” Dallan called firmly. “Hansel, open your eyes.”

His lashes fluttered up, and concerned brown eyes bored down on him.

“Are you okay?” Dallan asked urgently. “Can you talk?”

“I—” he croaked, throat dry. “What happened?”

“You’re okay,” Dallan said in a soothing tone.

“Where is the stone man?” Hansel asked.

Dallan’s lips twitched. “Here, take a sip of water.” He reached for a bottle on the nightstand and twisted off the cap.

He struggled into a sitting position with Dallan’s help and took a drink, the liquid chilly as it washed his parched throat.

Hansel pushed the bottle away and touched the back of his neck. “He scratched me, took my power.”

“Took your power?” Dallan asked.

“Where were you?” Hansel demanded in an accusatory tone.

“I was in my altar room looking over some spells. I figured I’d come up with something to keep you safe in case of another attack,” Dallan told him. “The talisman might not be enough if Gretel turns out to be behind it.”

“Did you?” Hansel moved his fingers over a faint scratch, and he brought them away finding not so much as a crust of dried blood.

Dallan stood. “I did. There was only one way, but it doesn’t obligate you to do anything. You can even walk away whenever you want to.”

“Please don’t tell me you let a demon make me his bitch?”

“Oh, get a grip. There was no demon here,” he said with a scowl.

“It was,” Hansel snarled and got to his feet. He swayed a little and Dallan steadied him with a hand so warm it almost made Hansel forget he was angry with him. “It took my powers. Now I’m helpless, but I guess that’s the way you wanted it, right?” He jerked free of Dallan’s grip.

“You didn’t lose anything,” Dallan said, taking a step away from him.

Hansel glared. “How can you say that? You let that thing violate me.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Hansel came awake to pale light on his face and silence, but the warmth next to his head brought a smile to his lips. He snuggled closer, hand going to Dallan’s chest, finding it bare, and sliding down to rest on his stomach.

“Are you okay?”

“What happened?” Hansel asked. “How did I end up down for the count?”

“He knocked you out,” Dallan remarked.

“Did you do to him what you did to Jox?”

“Unfortunately not,” he said. “But we’ll get him. Your father called last night to set things up for this morning.”

“What time?”

“Nine. He said your stepmother would be out of the house, and he’d figured out a way to jump-start things. Gretel would come over along with Jox.”

“Are you good with that?” Hansel pushed his hair out of his eyes and tucked the strands behind his ear.

“I’ll be fine. We got the book, and Dawn is safe.”

“She still had it?” he asked with a frown. “My father mentioned it yesterday, but I assumed Gretel had just lied about it. How did you get her to come with you?”

“She was under attack when Aristotle found him at her at the motel. She was more than willing to get away from the jackals the demon sent after her.”

“When you say jackals, do you mean the actual animal?”

“That’s what I mean,” Dallan replied. “He used them to track her. She’d been bitten which decreased her chances of escape even with her magick. She was having trouble focusing enough to maintain any kind of shield as it was.”

“I hate that for her,” he said. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Her arm was crushed, but it’ll heal,” Dallan assured him.

Hansel sighed and kissed Dallan’s shoulder. “Thanks. She used to be a really good kid.”

“She probably is a good young woman,” Dallan replied.

Hansel kissed Dallan’s jaw and stroked his stomach. Dallan turned and captured his lips, the kiss soft, but it quickly increased in urgency. Hansel climbed on top of him and moved sinuously against him, cock brushing Dallan’s.

Dallan moaned as he sat up and pushed his hands beneath Hansel’s tank. Hansel broke the kiss long enough for Dallan to shove it off and toss it aside. Then, he was kissing him again, trailing his lips over warm skin.

Dallan stroked his fingers through Hansel’s hair, and Hansel moved against him, his dick hard and his blood hot, heart pumping fast.

“I want you,” he said roughly. “Now.”

Dallan opened his hand, and a tube of lube appeared. Hansel took it and flipped up the cap before squeezing some into his palm. He rubbed them together only a little before reaching into Dallan’s boxer briefs and pulling his cock free.

Hansel slathered the hard flesh with the slippery liquid as their mouths met. Tongues tangled, and Dallan tugged the waistband of Hansel’s briefs. Hansel leaned forward without breaking the kiss.

Dallan jerked Hansel’s underwear down farther, allowing Hansel to guide Dallan’s dick to the entrance of his ass. Hansel slowly lowered himself on the thick stalk and groaned as it parted him, filled him.

“Oh yes,” Hansel whispered. “I wouldn’t mind a few mornings a week like this.”

“Like what?” Dallan teased.

Hansel lifted and lowered himself. “Are you getting the gist now?”

Dallan laughed and rolled them so Hansel was on his back. He lifted Hansel’s leg onto his shoulder and began to stroke into him slow and easy at first and then faster.

“Shit, that feels good,” Hansel cried and caught his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Yeah,” Dallan groaned roughly and drove into him, fingers tight on his hips. “So fucking good.”

“Yes!”

Dallan lowered Hansel’s leg though he remained on his knees as he rode him hard and fast. Hansel raked his nails down Dallan’s back to grip his ass as he braced his feet on the mattress and thrust up to meet the driving strokes.

“Oh, God,” Hansel screamed. “Dallan. Dallan!” His body tightened, and his orgasm washed over him, pleasure shooting through him as Dallan’s cum spurted into his ass.

Dallan shuddered above him, and Hansel breathed hard as he held on tight ignoring the sweat coating their bodies.

“God, I love you, Hans.”

“I love you too, Dall,” he whispered, knowing in his heart he meant it, and this time he had no intentions of pulling back emotionally or doubting where this might lead.

Dallan dropped onto the bed next to him, and Hansel turned to look at him.

Last night seeing Dallan—as well as he could—seeing him attack that demon had driven home to him that this was real, and Dallan truly was his forever love.

“Let’s get cleaned up, or we won’t be able to get any coffee before we leave,” Dallan said, giving him a wicked look.

Hansel laughed, knowing exactly what he meant.