The Moonlight Breed 9
Jaded
Zuriel knows what people think about him. Hell, he’d made it his mission to give them the impression he cared about nothing more than sex. It wasn’t the best reputation to have, but it was a lot better than getting his heart broken.
Then Dr. Spiro Araceli swept into his life and changed everything. Spiro looked right past his outward façade, saw through all of his insecurities, and offered him a chance that no one else had ever given him—a chance to be normal.
Spiro never wanted to lead his people, but when a curse takes him back to his family’s home, he’ll have no choice. With tragedy around every corner, his instincts tell him to grab his mate and run, but he has a responsibility to protect his people. When death comes knocking at his own doorstep, however, how will he choose between love and duty?
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 39,297 words
JADED
The Moonlight Breed 9
Gabrielle Evans
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove
JADED
Copyright © 2013 by Gabrielle Evans
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-538-9
First E-book Publication: March 2013
Cover design by Sloan Winters
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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JADED
The Moonlight Breed 9
GABRIELLE EVANS
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“Look, Rissian, I don’t have time for this. You’re an elf. Heal him.” Spiro glanced at his watch and sighed. “I have to go.”
“Do you think we haven’t tried to heal him? Nothing is working. Spiro, Father is going to die.”
“Then the world will be a better place.” A small voice argued that he was being too harsh, but there was no love between him and his father. The man was a sadistic, psychotic bastard who ruled his people and his children with fear and manipulation.
“I’m not arguing that.” His brother had lived through his share of painful injustice at their father’s hands, and part of Spiro felt guilty for abandoning his siblings to the man’s cruelty. “You know what happens if he dies, though.”
Yes, he knew, but he didn’t think it would come to that. Whatever plagued his father would pass, and life would go on exactly as it had been. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” He glanced at his watch again as he hurried along the dirt path that would lead to the pack cabins near the pond. “Look, I really have to go. I have an appointment.”
“Fine.” Rissian sighed over the line. “I’ll keep you posted.”
“Right. Take care, Rissian.” Spiro disconnected the call, stuck his phone in his pocket, and exhaled slowly, releasing his irritation on the breath.
As he continued toward his destination, the most alluring scent he’d ever encountered hit him, sending shivers down his spine. His gums itched and ached, his fangs elongated, and he suddenly couldn’t remember why he was walking along that stretch of muddy road.
Walking toward him, practically bouncing along the path, was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen. His sandy-blond hair flowed behind him like a hero on a romance novel cover, and the smile on his lips surely lit the clearing, brighter than even the sun. He wasn’t alone, either, but Spiro barely noticed the other man with him except for the vividly pink hair.
“Oh, hello.” The little blond tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and smiled shyly. “You must be Dr. Araceli. I’ve seen you with Cicero. You’re his psychologist, right?”
Clearing his throat, Spiro tried to force his canines to retract with no success. “Yes, but please, call me Spiro.”
“I’m Zuriel.”
Chosen.
Oh, yes, Spiro finally understood. After so many years of searching, he’d finally found his chosen, his sienota. Gods, he couldn’t have handpicked a more suitable mate. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Mmm, you are delicious.” Sauntering forward, the shyness completely faded, and a lascivious look came into Zuriel’s eyes as he dragged a fingertip down Spiro’s chest. “Maybe we could get to know each other better.”
Spiro didn’t know what the hell was happening, but he wasn’t opposed to what the guy suggested. “I’m on my way to meet Cicero, but maybe we could meet afterward? Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
Zuriel licked at his top teeth and winced, clearly feeling the same burn in his gums that Spiro did. “Oh, honey, I don’t date. You can meet me in my room, though.”
This was not going how Spiro had anticipated, and he was having the damnedest time reading the shifter. Beautiful and so sad. His chosen’s eyes held a world of hurt, and Spiro didn’t know where to begin to heal that heartache. “Fine, we can have dinner in your room.”
Flicking a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, Zuriel seemed to retreat into himself
, pulling away from Spiro. “On second thought, you’re really not my type.” He wiggled his fingers, grabbed his pink-haired companion by the wrist, and darted away. “Laters, Doc.”
Spiro stood rooted to the spot, frowning at his mate’s back and wondering exactly where in the brief conversation everything had gone to hell.
* * * *
“Feel free to roam the sectioned area,” Logan explained, outlining the rules for the full moon run. “No one goes off on their own, though. Treat this like kindergarten and stick with the buddy system.”
Spiro had joined the pack in an effort to get closer to his mate, not that it did him any good. Zuriel practically ran in the opposite direction when he saw Spiro approaching. It was frustrating to say the least, especially when Zuriel was still chasing every available guy in the coven.
“I call dibs on the doc!” With a swagger in his step, Jacobi crossed the room, linked his fingers with Spiro’s, and pressed up against his side with a purr. “Isn’t he delicious?”
Spiro had nothing against the flamboyant shifter, but he had been hoping to spend some time with his mate during the night. Too bad Zuriel looked less than interested. Hell, the guy wouldn’t even glance in his direction. “Um, yes, I suppose that would be okay.” He’d just have to let Jacobi know up front that nothing could ever happen between them.
Suddenly, the front door flew open, drawing everyone’s attention as the vampire Enforcer, Raven, swaggered into the room with a smirk on his lips.
“Okay, I’m here. The party can now begin. Now, who am I babysitting?” He surveyed the room, rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist. Then his gaze landed on Zuriel, the smug grin vanished, and the big, bad vampire actually stumbled backward. “Please tell me that one is going with you.”
Yes, Zuriel was going whether he liked it or not. No way on heaven or earth was Spiro about to leave his chosen alone with the playboy.
“He’s just playing hard to get,” Zuriel said in stage whisper to Jacobi. “He secretly wants in my pants.”
“You grabbed my dick!” Raven exclaimed.
“And you loved it.”
Spiro grinded his teeth together until his jaw ached, trying desperately not to growl or show any other kind of emotion. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, especially since he wanted to shove his fist down Raven’s throat and rip his dick out through his mouth.
“Okay,” Braxton called, “everyone get out of here and wipe your paws before you come home.”
No one needed to tell Spiro twice. He could already feel the magic washing over him, drawing him to the moon and demanding his transformation. Besides, if he didn’t get out of there, he was going to do something he regretted—like shove Raven’s head up his arrogant ass while he laughed about it.
* * * *
Despite his agitation at the beginning of the night, the full moon run was fairly uneventful. He stuck closer to Jacobi as he’d promised per the buddy system, but he was never too far away from Zuriel. His little fox was adorable, and he made Spiro laugh internally. Zuriel prowled over the forest floor with his chest pressed to the ground and his little butt in the air, his white tail waving in the breeze like a flag of surrender.
Spiro ran and hunted, but he and his lion were in agreement that they’d much rather watch Zuriel. Sure, he felt like a bit of a stalker, but if this was the only way to be close to his mate, he’d take it.
As the sun began to crest over the horizon, the pack made its way back to the cabins. Shaking out his mane, Spiro chuffed a few times, crouched down on the ground, and groaned as he made the transition back to his human skin. His clothes were folded neatly on the porch where he’d left them, but when he went to retrieve them, he found his way blocked by a very naked Jacobi.
“He’s scared,” the shifter announced without preamble. “I mean, after all the things they did to us in that lab, how could anyone possibly want us, let alone love us? Don’t let him run, Doc. He needs you more than you know.”
Before Spiro could respond to the advice, a loud wail cut through the air, growing louder as the sirens droned on. “What the hell is that?” Jacobi slapped both hands over his ears and turned his face toward the treetops. “That’s horrible.”
“It’s the perimeter alarm,” Xander informed him. “There’s an incursion at the front gate.”
“What does that mean?” Jacobi asked, shouting to be heard over the sirens. “Can you speak English?”
“The bad guys are here to kick our ass, and they’ve found a way inside. Is that plain enough for you?”
After ordering the smaller shifters into the house and gathering the support of the visiting wolf Enforcers, Xander turned to the rest of the pack, his lips pressed together in a grim line. “Jacobi, Mihail, and Nikola, you guys have a choice. You can stay here where it’s safe, or you can fight.”
“I’m fighting.” Mihail stepped forward with confidence. His courage apparently spurred his friends into action, because Nikola and Jacobi joined him, ready and willing to fight for the people they loved.
“Anyone else want to stay?” Xander asked. “No one will hold it against you.”
“This is our home,” Spiro announced as he waved a hand to encompass their pack. “We all want to protect it.” It was more than that, though. No matter if Zuriel wanted him or not, no matter if he bolted like a startled jackrabbit, Spiro would give his life to make sure his chosen was safe.
Chapter Two
Jacobi winced as he swept the broken glass from the window into a pile on the front porch. “This blows.”
His usual perkiness was absent, indicating the level of pain he was in, but he hadn’t complained once, voicing his displeasure only about the manual work. Spiro was impressed. “Go sit down and rest. We can handle this.”
There wasn’t an enormous amount of work to do, but after facing down an entire horde of goblins, everyone was tired, and tempers were flaring. Still, they needed to clean up and get boards over the window before they could retire for the night.
“I’m fine,” Jacobi argued, clutching his side as he bent to sweep the glass into a dustpan.
“No, you’re not.” The skin along his back and left side was better, but there were still angry red welts where the goblins had ripped him open with their talons. His body would heal itself by morning, but right then, the shifter needed to be resting. “You are infuriatingly stubborn.”
He’d only really met Jacobi the night before when they’d partnered for the full moon run, but he’d learned that much already. Spiro had been completely taken aback when Jacobi had sauntered over to him in the living room, looked him up and down, and proclaimed they’d be running together for the evening.
Jacobi was likeable, and he was definitely pretty to look at, but he wasn’t Spiro’s chosen. As a psychologist, however, he understood the man’s personality and driving need for acceptance. Much like the other residents seeking refuge in Haven, he was lost and hurt, in need of a home and a bit of kindness.
For these reasons, Spiro had been unable to maintain his usual aloofness when it came to the broken shifter. To his surprise, however, Jacobi had not kept up his advances once they’d entered the woods to begin their hunt. It hadn’t made sense at first, not until the next morning when they’d all been standing around in the front lawn—just before the alarms had sounded.
“He’s scared. I mean, after all the things they did to us in that lab, how could anyone possibly want us, let alone love us? Don’t let him run, Doc. He needs you more than you know.”
To the others, the statement probably sounded vague and random, but Spiro had known exactly who Jacobi meant. Not only did he understand what the guy was saying, but it made sense. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. No was no, and Spiro couldn’t and wouldn’t force himself where he wasn’t wanted.
“Would you please pull your head out of that very sexy ass and go get him?”
“I thought Zuriel was the one who could hear people’s thoughts?”
Arching an eyebrow, he dropped his hammer to the wood planks under his feet and folded his arms over his chest. “Why is it so important to you?”
“No, I can’t read minds, but I don’t have to. It’s written all over your face.” Propping the broom against the side of the house, Jacobi rested his hands on his hips and shrugged. “Look, I’m not very good at this whole serious discussion thing. So, can we just cut the bullshit and say I’m right? You want him. He wants you. Go get him.”
“Just like that?” Somehow, Spiro didn’t think it would be that easy.
“You know, for a head doctor, you’re not very smart sometimes. Yes! Just like that!” Jacobi threw his hands into the air but dropped them quickly with a groan. “This is grossly unsexy,” he whined as he examined his injuries. “Go away. You’re aggravating my condition.” Then he turned his nose to the sky, sniffed once, and marched into the house without a backward glance.
Spiro stood on the porch for another few minutes, contemplating his choices. He could go after what he wanted, take a chance at being happy for once in a very, very long time. Or he could play it safe, accept that his mate didn’t want him, and go on as he had been.
The decision was taken out of his hands, however, when the front door opened again, and Jacobi shoved his friend out onto the porch with a wicked grin. “You guys have fun,” he called before slamming the door. Spiro was pretty sure he’d even heard it lock.
They stood there, just staring at each other for the longest time, and neither of them uttering a word. It shouldn’t be so uncomfortable to stand this close to his destined mate. Their interactions shouldn’t be so incredibly awkward.
Jaded [The Moonlight Breed 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 1
