by M. D. Grimm
Gregor fell silent and simply stared at his leader, drinking in the sight of him like a dying man drinks in water. It had been far too long since they were in each other’s presence. It was all he could do not to leap at Arcas and devour him. To offer himself, to worship him as he deserved to be worshipped. Gregor focused on his breathing, controlling his base desires.
A faint breeze blew in from an open window, filling the small hotel room with its spicy scent. Gregor liked the feel of India but hoped he wouldn’t be staying long. There were still important missions that needed to be completed in the US, and he didn’t want to be away from his captains for longer than necessary. They were at a critical stage in operations, and one slip could ruin everything. His lord and master had flown him to India by private jet. It made life so much simpler to have a leader who had all manner of resources at his disposal.
“It seems we’re in luck, Gregor,” Arcas said. Gregor came back to himself and stepped closer, looking at the two open scrolls set reverently on the table. Arcas’s blood was needed to open the leather tubes protecting the scrolls. Now all their secrets were bare.
But Gregor could only gaze in confusion at the strange marks and squiggles on the parchments.
“Why are we in luck, my lord?” he asked.
Arcas slid a hand around Gregor’s waist, and Gregor nearly purred. Arcas’s touch was electrifying, and he greedily wanted more.
“Well, my dear, the two scrolls we have are those that list the ingredients we need.”
Gregor eyed the scrolls before looking at Arcas’s perfect face. “Ingredients for the spell?”
“Yes. Now we have two scrolls left to possess. One will hold the incantation for the spell, and the other the location of the cage. You see, the cage moves around. It’s in a different dimension parallel to ours, making it impossible to find without assistance. The location scroll will tell us when and where to open it. Then I can finally attain my goal.”
Gregor’s heart pounded in excitement. Arcas’s voice had taken on a triumphant quality that was sorely lacking during their separation. Gregor had wanted to reach through the screen and caress Arcas’s face, to give him hope.
“What language is this written in? I’ve never seen it,” he asked, looking closer.
“Not many have. There are only three alive now who have ever seen it, and only two who have written in it.”
“You would be one.”
Arcas smiled in approval and stroked Gregor’s hip. “Is it any wonder you are my favorite?”
Gregor blushed with pride and couldn’t completely hide the desire in his eyes.
Arcas’s smile deepened. “Patience, my dear. Trust me, you won’t be leaving until we make good on our reunion.”
Gregor’s stomach fluttered in anticipation. But Arcas seemed to be in a rare chatty mood, so he took advantage of it. “Who would be the other two? Merlin?”
At the mention of his name, Arcas scowled. Gregor stiffened. Dammit! Why must he be so nosy?
“I’m sorry, my lord,” he said, instantly backtracking. “Forgive me, I didn’t—”
“Hush.” Arcas stroked his hair. “I am not angry with you. Just the mere mention of that bastard puts my teeth on edge. Yes, Merlin is another who can read this.”
“And the third?” Gregor dared to ask.
Arcas smiled again, his expression turning devious. “Well, darling, the third is who we’re trying to find.”
Gregor frowned. “I thought we were trying to find a beast.” What had he missed?
“Yes, and so we are. The beast was not always a beast.”
Gregor shook his head, hating that he felt like a simpleton.
Arcas chuckled. “All in good time, darling. Rest assured, you will be the first to know the full extent of what I have planned for our furry enemies. But for now, when you return to the US, you will handpick the most loyal and devoted knights—be sure of their devotion, Gregor—and give them the task of hunting for certain types of blood.”
Gregor thought back to when Arcas had collected his own blood as well as Nordik’s. “You told me once we needed the blood of different shifters.”
“Yes, and I was right. But not just shifters. It says right here on both parchments. We need the blood of two master shifters—Nordik has already contributed to that. Now we need the blood of a female. Then we need the blood of a pure human, one untouched by fae blood.”
Gregor’s eyes widened. “Is that even possible?”
Arcas’s eyes glinted. “Yes. Don’t think I’ve been idle or simply looking for the scrolls since I’ve been away, Gregor.”
“No, my lord. I would never think that.”
“We need the blood of a fae descendant, which you have already provided for us.” Arcas slipped both arms around Gregor’s waist, pulling him close. Gregor gazed at Arcas’s face, a manic love filling his chest.
“Then there’s the blood of the offspring of an animal and a shifter, and the blood of the offspring of a human and a shifter.”
Gregor frowned. “Aren’t such matings impossible?” But even as he said it, he remembered a certain bull named Whirlwind who was born of a cow and a bull shifter.
“Nothing is impossible,” Arcas said with a smirk. “Then finally we need the blood of four different bird shifters. The same species of bird shifters as those who were the first scroll guardians—eagle, owl, hawk, and raven. There are a few other items to collect, but the blood types are the most critical and the most dangerous. We must stay in the shadows during this mission, Gregor. Stealth is everything. The Agency can’t know about any of this.”
“You know you can trust me, my lord.”
Arcas cupped Gregor’s face, looked deeply into his eyes. “I know. I missed you.”
Gregor melted against Arcas, his gaze turning dreamy. “I missed you as well.”
Their lips connected, and Gregor closed his eyes, not caring about anything but his god’s touch.
More from M.D. Grimm
The Shifters: Book One
Humane Officer Derek Wiliams has been toying with the idea of asking out Brian O’Donogue since the veterinarian started working at the Pet Rescue Center two years ago. So why hasn’t he made his move? It’s complicated… but it has something to do with the fact that Derek occasionally likes to run around on four legs instead of two.
Recovering from an abusive relationship and hiding supernatural abilities of his own, Brian takes a chance and agrees to go on a date with Derek. The ensuing relationship is better than either of them could have hoped—until a rogue wolf shifter attacks Brian while he’s walking his dogs. The abrupt attack forces Derek to confront his feelings, but the danger isn’t over. The rogue shifter is out there, and he’s hunting them.
The Shifters: Book Two
Ryan and Caleb became the best of friends while Caleb taught Ryan as best he could about being human. Born a bull shifter named Whirlwind, Ryan was taken in by Caleb’s mother, who wanted to protect him—just as Caleb did. Their time together leads to deeper feelings… and now they’ve decided to give a relationship a chance. Unfortunately, Ryan is kidnapped, and Caleb has to call in the Agency—an organization that protects shifters—or their new life together will end before it ever starts.
The Shifters: Book Three
In Haven, Montana, the shifters and their human allies are safe—for now. But that safety hinges on the town’s location remaining a secret, and it’s about to be compromised.
Cougar shifter Travis Kuger spent the past ten years alternating between craving revenge and wishing he could forget his painful past. Ever since the shifter-hating Knights blinded him and killed his family, Haven—and Sheriff Jack Ulger—have been Travis’s refuge.
Travis and Jack know their friendship could be much more, but Jack is part of Haven’s ruling wolf shifter pack. If he takes a non-wolf mate, he’ll be banished forever. But when one of the Knights infiltrates Haven, love becomes the least of their problems.
The Shifters: Book Fo
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Orphan Hunter Landon craves a family who will love him unconditionally. When he’s adopted by the Knights, an organization dedicated to destroying shifters, Hunter is grateful, but their ideology never sits right. Finally, on a rite of passage during which he’s supposed to kill his first shifter, Hunter discovers the truth: he meets Glenn Lightfoot, a deer shifter, and asks a lot of questions.
Glenn hates the Knights and worries about the safety of his herd with one in their midst. After all, the Knights have hurt his family before. On the other hand, this is his chance to convert an enemy, and some instinct tells him Hunter won’t betray him.
Soon Hunter sees the Knights for the monsters they are. When his time is up, he leaves the herd to protect Glenn. But Glenn is determined not to lose the man he has come to love and respect to the Knights’ cruel campaign.
The Shifters: Book Five
Josh McPhee always wanted to be an agent. To keep from going crazy at the Agency’s New Mexico substation, he talks to the imprisoned wolf shifter—or tries to. Their one-sided conversations only prove the shifter is not getting the help he needs. After all, he is a victim too.
Wolf shifter Xavier doesn’t remember much before his time with the Knights or the time under their control, where he was brainwashed and used to kill innocent shifters. He wants to recover his memories, and yet he fears what he might find. He would escape were it not for the aide whose voice quiets Xavier’s implanted urges.
Late one night the Knights attack the station to retrieve what’s theirs. Overpowered, Josh cannot stop them before they unlock Xavier’s cage. But Xavier rushes to Josh’s rescue and, sensing his opportunity, escapes, taking Josh with him. When Josh wakes up on the road, they strike a bargain: Josh offers Xavier one month of freedom before he calls in the Agency. Both doubt he can be cured, but something about Josh makes Xavier better. They just have to figure out what before the past catches up to them.
M.D. GRIMM has wanted to write stories since second grade (kind of young to make life decisions, but whatever) and nothing has changed since then (well, plenty of things, actually, but not that!). Thankfully, she has indulgent parents who let her dream, but also made sure she understood she’d need a steady job to pay the bills (they never let her forget it!). After graduating from the University of Oregon and majoring in English (let’s be honest: useless degree, what else was she going to do with it?), she started on her writing career and couldn’t be happier. Working by day and writing by night (or any spare time she can carve out), she enjoys embarking on romantic quests and daring adventures (living vicariously, you could say) and creating characters that always triumph against the villain (or else what’s the point?), finding their soul mate in the process.
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Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mdgrimmwrites.com
By M.D. Grimm
On Wings of Thunder
THE SHIFTERS
Psychic Moon • Celtic Warrior & Wolf Spirit
Love Is a Whirlwind
Blind Devotion • Ghosts of Halloween Past
Hunter and Hunted
Healing Minds • Hearts and Minds
Master’s Blood
Hunted Guardian
The Serpent and the Angel
Predator and Prey
Shifting Moon
Feather and Scroll
Kindred Truths
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Kindred Truths
© 2017 M.D. Grimm.
Cover Art
© 2017 Catt Ford.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-843-0
Published October 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
