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Redemption
ISBN # 978-1-78184-034-4
©Copyright Jambrea Jo Jones 2012
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright June 2012
Edited by Sue Meadows
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
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The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-sizzling and a sexometer of 1
This story contains 87 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 8 pages.
Seeds of Dawn
REDEMPTION
Jambrea Jo Jones
Book five in the Seeds of Dawn Series
Redemption through love is the greatest gift of all.
Ive Sheppard travelled a great distance to save a man she’d only dreamt about—her mate. Now she is journeying to Africa to save not only his life, but also his soul, without losing her heart in the process.
Djimon is lost. For centuries he locked inside his body while an evil spirit took over and controlled him. Now the spirit has been banished and Dji is lost. The horrors he witnessed won’t go away and he has no idea how to redeem himself.
Greycen Sheppard is Ive’s twin brother and when she left he followed only to find what he’d thought would never be his—a mate.
Peter Tyler has had a rough life, thrown out of his birth pack for being gay and wandering the world, searching for himself, until he finally finds the Master pack and is accepted for who he is, not whom he’s attracted to. When Grey shows up, the impossible is right in front of him, but can his heart believe that a gay man can have a mate?
Four lives will be forever changed—but will love be enough as they struggle through captivity, past prejudice and unimaginable horrors to fulfil an ancient prophecy.
Dedication
Kim and Rhonda—Peter and Grey thank you. If not for the two of you pushing, they wouldn’t exist. This book is for you. Susan, thank you for Greycen’s name, spelled a little different, but it’s for you. And Ive, you kick ass. I hope you enjoy your fictional man and the redemption of the Ice Queen.
To Sue for holding my hand through the hard parts and crying with me.
And as always—to Joy.
Chapter One
“I may be going on this trip to help out, but make no mistake about it, I’m not here for you.” Peter Tyler declared to Greycen Sheppard before stepping on to the plane.
Damn his alpha for pairing him up with Grey on this rescue mission to save the missing pack members who’d left for Africa not so long ago. The pack needed to stop with the matchmaking. Peter would never have a mate. That had been beaten into his head time and time again by his family. He was an abomination no matter what Russ—the pack leader—or the others said.
Who cared if he thought Grey was hotter than hot with his bright blue eyes and shaved head? Who cared if every time he was in touching distance of the man, he wanted to wrap himself around that thick muscular body and fuck for days?
I do. That’s who.
He desired Grey more than he really cared to admit—even to himself. But he wasn’t playing into the whole mating thing. He’d help Grey get his sister, Ive, back and that was it. He was here to protect Grey—no, not that, he was here to retrieve the other pack members. Yes, that was his goal and if he watched over Grey while doing it, that was his business and no one else’s.
“Whatever you say, man. I’ll let you have your way for now because I’m worried about Ive, but after this little trip is over, you and I will be having a serious talk.”
Peter jumped out of the seat he’d just got comfortable in to confront Grey.
“Who the hell do you think you are? I mean, really? All you want is a piece of ass and I seem to be handy. I’ve already told you—fags don’t get mates.”
“You keep telling yourself, sweetheart.”
Peter moved closer and loomed over the Grey, one of the advantages of being so freakishly tall.
“We’re gay and I’ll say it one more time so listen closely. We. Don’t. Get. Mates. Mating is for breeders. Didn’t you get the memo?”
Peter shouldn’t have been as worked up as he was, but he hated the ache in his chest when he was near Grey and it pissed him off no end that the fox shifter was so casual with his sexual orientation.
“I don’t know who screwed you over, but you have a lot of learning to do.” Grey glared up at him, not backing down an inch.
God he was sexy. Peter leant down and nipped at Grey’s lips in a show of aggression. Grey growled and opened his mouth as if expecting a kiss. The two breathed in and out, neither moving to break whatever spell they were under. Grey licked his lip and stared into Peter’s eyes.
The captain’s voice interrupted their pissing match.
“Please buckle in. We’re getting ready for take-off.”
Peter backed away and moved as far from Grey as he could get. He’d started to shake and needed to sit down. Confrontation wasn’t his thing, but something about Grey seemed to bring it out of him.
Grey cleared his throat like he was getting ready to say something. Peter glared at him. He was done talking for now. He’d focus on what Bella, the Masters’ pack seer, had told him. It wasn’t much to go on. Joy, one of the four-member team who had been sent to Africa in the first place to dispose of an evil vessel that had taken over another shifter, had magically activated a necklace, flashing out a distress call. The team consisted of Joy and her mate Zareb, along with Ive and her mate Djimon. Djimon was the one who had been infected with the Vessel. It was a long boring story that he didn’t know all the details to, just what he’d heard.
Bella had said Ive and Djimon had been separated from Joy and Zareb. They were being sent to the location Bella had pinpointed from the images. Ive and Djimon had gone off map. Bella had said it was as if they had disappeared, but weren’t dead because somehow she would have known. He really should have paid more attention.
Peter had no idea what they would find when they got there. He hoped it wasn’t the corpses of pack mates. He could handle just about anything, but not dead bodies. He’d seen enough of those to last him a lifetime.
Not wanting to think about his past, he moved his gaze to Grey—the one thing he could look at for days. The man was built with muscles everywhere. His reddish hair had been buzzed close to his head and Peter thought he’d glimpsed a tattoo or two when they’d shifted for their last run.
Looking wasn’t the problem. Taking action was. Hell, he knew what to do. He’d just never had the chance to experience it. Sex wasn’t an option for him. When he’d first figured out he was gay, he’d been scared shitless. Fifteen and knowing he wanted cock not pussy wasn’t something he’d relished figuri
ng out when people were killed for less in his pack.
And now he was back to thinking about things better left buried. Until Grey had shown up he’d been able to lead a pretty normal life. Russ, the pack Master, had accepted him when he’d asked to join the pack. He was never left to feel unwanted. His hand was a perfect companion. He didn’t need sex, not when he had a family again. One who seemed to love him for just being him.
“Are you going to sit there and brood the whole way to Africa? If so, it’s going to be a long trip.”
“I’m not here for your amusement,” Peter huffed.
“I know. If you were, I’d have your lips wrapped around my cock right now and you’d let me mark you.”
Peter’s jaw dropped in astonishment. He did not just say that. Who was he kidding? Grey had said it and meant it. If Peter was man enough he’d go take what he wanted and damn the consequences, but there was no way he’d risk Grey’s life for a quick fuck or suck.
He’d seen what had happened to other gay shifters and it wasn’t pretty. He was lucky to be alive. Nope—he’d stick with his palm. People didn’t get killed for jackin’ off.
The plane started its assent and Peter did his best to ignore Grey.
“I can’t believe my sister went off half-cocked to follow some guy all the way across the planet.” Grey knew his disgust was coming through loud and clear, but he was jealous of the fact that his sister had a mate that might just love her back, once he’d come out of his possessed fog, while Grey was stuck with someone who fought him every step of the way.
He enjoyed a good fight and makeup sex as much as the next guy, but Peter took things to the extreme. Maybe he needed to ask Russ, the Master’s alpha, what Peter’s story was. Peter wasn’t talking. Every time Grey tried to get him alone, Peter would bolt.
“Why wouldn’t she? I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to follow their mate if they were allowed to have one?”
Peter’s wistful tone gave Grey pause. Why couldn’t the other man see that it was possible and that his mate was standing right here beside him ready to start their lives together? But no, Peter pushed him away again and again.
* * * *
The two disembarked the plane. Africa was beautiful, so lush and brilliant. The sun was setting and the scenery was bathed in gold and orange through the green of the jungle. Grey didn’t think they had a name for where they had landed. At least not that he saw on any maps. He stretched to get the kinks out. The flight had been uncomfortable for many reasons. One being that Peter had refused to talk to him after their encounter. Damn the pilot for interrupting. Things could have got interesting. Peter needed to loosen up. Or Grey should get them locked in a room together somewhere. That could be an idea for when they were finished here.
When Russ had told them they needed to come to Africa, Grey had been ecstatic thinking of all the time he and Peter would have to talk so they could figure out where they should go from here, but Peter had read or slept the whole way, completely ignoring Grey.
He was all for staying in Peter’s pack. He had no desire to go back with the other foxes. He’d be happier with the wolves and he figured that’s where his sister would want to be as well. Or, hell, they could all go start their own tribe somewhere. Not that Vivian would come. Her mate was the Master’s alpha. Who’d known when he was sent to follow the princess of the fox’s den that he’d be leaving his home for good, but good riddance. He only stayed there because his sister, Ive, and his charge, Vivian the princess, were content at home. Once Ive and Vivian had sneaked away, he knew the time for change was upon him. Now, both the women had mates and so did he. It should be a happy time in his life, not a frustrating one. And to top it all off—first they had to go save the day.
They’d have to sleep in the plane tonight—it was getting dark and there was no way Grey wanted to traipse through the jungle at night. His fox form was small and compact, like his human form, and he didn’t want to risk unknown predators.
“We should sleep—get a good start in the morning.”
“I agree. The pilot said we’re about a day’s walk from the coordinates Bella gave him. Not that we’ll be able to pick anything up. Why the hell didn’t Russ send a magic user?”
“No clue, but it was his call and we go with it. We can shift if we have to and track that way. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Whatever, man. I’m really not tired, but we should try to rest up. I want to leave at first light. Maybe eat something.”
Grey looked back at where Peter stood at the base of the steps leading to the plane. He was so tall and lean and—yeah—Grey needed to stop thinking sexual thoughts or he’d embarrass himself. He was surprised Peter was talking and it must have shown on his face.
“What?” Peter put his hands on his hips and glared.
He wanted to climb Peter like a monkey and do dirty things. He was getting hard.
Peter sniffed the air and his face turned a brilliant red.
Fuck.
Stupid pheromones.
Peter didn’t wait for an answer. He turned and marched up the steps leading to the aeroplane. Great, he’d fucked up again, but he couldn’t help the way his body responded to his mate’s. They were meant to be together and his fox couldn’t understand the separation. Grey growled and followed Peter into the plane. He was unsettled. Something about this place had him on edge, on top of his personal problems. They needed to find the other shifters and get out of there.
He knew Ive had to be fine. They were bonded and if she died or were hurt he’d feel it deep in his soul. He already had one hole there, he didn’t need another one.
“We’ll find them.” Peter assured him from his seat.
Grey had no idea how Peter did that. It was like the wolf could read his mind. It was a little disconcerting. He nodded and continued on to a seat across the way. No matter how friendly Peter might act at times, Grey didn’t think he’d appreciate him sitting down next to him.
He had to prove that he didn’t just want to fuck Peter. That was going to be hard because he wanted his mate in the worst way. It was almost painful for him not to complete the bond.
Shit. Things couldn’t get worse—could they?
Chapter Two
All hell broke loose. Ive Sheppard didn’t know what was going on. One minute she was taking a break from the heat, watching her companions do some magic thing, and the next she was surrounded by natives yelling at her. She was getting soft. She should have heard something before they were overtaken. She was a shifter and a protector. Good thing her friend and charge wasn’t here.
It wasn’t like she expected the plane flying her, Zareb, Joy Rockwell and Djimon to crash. Or the pilot to die. Or to be lost in an African jungle. It should’ve been a cake walk. Get rid of the Vessel, that evil soul-sucking abomination that had caused so much trouble in the Master’s pack house and the thing that had taken over her mate, causing him to do unspeakable things without his knowledge. Then they were to go back to the Master’s pack house where she would get to know her mate, Djimon. Help him heal from being possessed by the evil Dmitri. The Vessel was the cause of it all. It possessed dark magics that suppressed a body’s soul so another entity could take over. They hadn’t discovered if the creature Dmitri was a demon or just a spirit gone bad. They might never know.
Now she was being hauled away.
“Let me go. What are you doing?” Ive screamed.
She struggled when she saw Zareb and Joy go down. They couldn’t be dead. Oh, God. Dji, her mate—he had to be okay, right? Fate couldn’t be that much of a bitch. The man was so weak from the fight to gain control of his body and there was no way he could withstand this onslaught. She looked over and she was right. Dji screamed something in a foreign language and passed out.
Why were they taking her and leaving Joy and Zareb? It didn’t make any sense. Nothing did. They picked up three packs and headed into the jungle. Ive continued to make a racket.
She didn’t know why. It wa
sn’t like anyone could help her now. It was her duty to be strong. If need be she would put herself in the line of fire. The most important things were the survival of her mate and the destruction of the Vessel.
Ive needed to pay attention to her surroundings. It wasn’t like she had any magic. The other three would have been more suited to be the saviour of this little operation, but it was up to her.
In her heart of hearts, she might wish her brother was there to help, but she was happy Grey was far, far away because if she had to die Ive didn’t want him to feel it. She dug her feet into the ground, making a small trail, but she stopped fighting. For now.
She couldn’t understand a word being spoken. It had to be Afrikaans. She really needed to learn the language. If she’d known more about her mate before her and Vivian—her friend and the princess of the fox den—had run to the wolf compound, she would have taken the time to learn the language.
As it was, the vision had caused her and Viv to run before they were ready. Then Viv had got hurt and their lives had been go, go, go. Nothing was certain and, for an orderly anal person such as herself, it was pure hell.
Ive lost focus, everything looked the same. She would never be able to get back to Joy and Zareb. She and Dji were on their own and, right now, he wasn’t going to be of any help. Just who were these people? Shit. Were they just locals pissed off because the group was on their turf or was it more than that? Could the evil that was Dmitri have come back to take over Dji again? Wouldn’t Dji be more powerful in his homeland? Was Dmitri from here too? There were too many unanswered questions for her liking.
Redemption Page 1
