by AJ Jarrett
Warriors of the Light 17
Wes’s Light
Matt Clawson’s world consisted of his family, school, and playing football. Nothing exciting ever happened until one day when he comes home to find his parents murdered and his young brother missing. Matt is learning first hand that monsters truly do exist.
The Warriors of the Light disbanded years ago, and Wes Stewart has settled into a nice and quiet life. Working as a cop serves his need to protect others. It was business as usual until the Warriors of the Dark found him and forced him to leave the life he built. All seems lost…that is until he meets Matt, his destined mate. The one person who has the power to bring the light back into his life.
Matt wants his brother back. He feels guilty for finding love with Wes and being happy. He won’t rest until his brother is found, but is Matt willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to accomplish just that?
Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 50,185 words
WES'S LIGHT
Warriors of the Light 17
AJ Jarrett

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
WES'S LIGHT
Copyright © 2017 by AJ Jarrett
ISBN: 978-1-64010-474-7
First Publication: July 2017
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. A lover of M/M romances, she has started writing her own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happily ever after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places, and a little humor along the way never hurts. To her, there’s nothing sexier than two men finding their soul mate in each other and falling in love. When she isn’t chasing around her kids, she can be found sitting on the couch with her trusted laptop, giving life to the voices in her head.
For all titles by AJ Jarrett, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/aj-jarrett
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Landmarks
Cover
WES'S LIGHT
Warriors of the Light 17
AJ JARRETT
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
“Hello, beautiful.” Matt wound his arms around Colby’s waist and lifted him up off his feet, swinging him around in a circle. Matt laughed and rubbed his sweat-soaked hair against Colby’s cheek. He loved messing with his friend like this. Colby was always washing his hands, and he hated to sweat or get dirty. Matt always teased Colby about being a germaphobe.
“Matty, that is so gross.” Colby tried to shove him away.
“Oh, you know you like it.” Matt smacked a wet kiss to Colby’s cheek.
“Not even a little.” Colby chuckled. “Now put me down.”
Matt held on for a few more seconds. He dipped his head down and took a long, deep breath of the fresh, sweet scent that always seemed to surround Colby. He didn’t want to let go, but he knew the score. Colby made it plainly clear from the day they met that he wasn’t looking for a relationship or starting one with him. Matt’s heart broke a little because he really liked Colby. He was funny, cute, and always eager to help when he could. And it didn’t hurt that Colby was gay.
Colby was just over six feet tall but lean like a swimmer and strong. He had golden blond hair that shined in the sunlight and the brightest blue eyes this side of the Mississippi river. He was smart and had an amazing sense of humor. He was the one friend Matt could go to when things got to be too much. Playing football was his passion, but at times it wore on him, his body, and his mind. Colby was truly the greatest friend anyone could have.
Matt had met Colby their freshman year at college. They both attended the University of Missouri. Matt played football for the team and was working toward a degree in sports medicine. After talking to him, Colby decided that was something he was interested in doing too so they had a lot of the same classes. It was nice. Matt always had a study partner and a friend he could ask any question no matter how stupid.
“Don’t you jocks typically shower after practice?” Colby grabbed the hem of his shirt and raised it up to wipe off the side of his face. It was hard for Matt to focus with all that smooth tan skin exposed. “Matty,” Colby said his name.
“Yes!” Matt shook his head. Even after two years of friendship, he still wished Colby would at least give him a chance. The guy was hot, and Matt genuinely liked being around him. But if friendship was all he was going to get, he’d take it. Colby was the sweetest person he knew. “Maintenance is working on the plumbing.” He shrugged. “Some of the guys were saying that a pipe burst so for the next week we have to shower at our dorms.”
“That sucks.” Colby’s button nose scrunched up. “I bet it stinks in that locker room.” He made a gagging noise in the back of his throat.
“Not any worse than usual.” Matt playfully punched Colby in the arm. “So where are you off to?”
“Lunch with the dads.” Colby smiled. “My dad finally took a day off, and my other dad is making him spend every minute with him and me.”
“Be sure to tell Ben and Miles I said hi and tell Miles to take it easy on Ben.”
“Yeah, right.” Colby rolled his eyes. “Dad’s been working over sixty hours a week, leaving my other dad bored out of his mind. Which means he’s calling to check up on me every five minutes. So annoying.”
Colby’s dads owned a construction company. Miles had a degree in architecture and designed expensive artistic looking homes. Ben was the workhorse that made M&B Construction profitable. M&B had other offices across the US ran by some of their frien
ds. Matt had met a few of the other partners in the company, and he had to say Colby came from a really nice family with a lot of gay men in it. Matt wasn’t judging, but he thought it was odd. He couldn’t get over how good looking some of the men were. Hell, even Ben and Miles caused him to get a stiffy at times.
“I can totally feel your pain.” Matt followed as Colby walked toward the parking lot. “My mom calls to check up on me every night. Not that I’m complaining but, dude, my folks only live fifteen minutes from the college. I go home most nights for dinner.”
Matt grew up in Columbia, Missouri, and from the time he could walk he knew he was going to go to school here and become a Tiger. There was no other game plan for him, so he was lucky he was an amazing running back. He was offered a full scholarship to attend the college, and Matt accepted on the spot. He was where he wanted to be and doing what he wanted to do. It didn’t hurt that he was close to his parents and younger brother Kevin.
“Shut up.” Colby laughed. “You love having your parents so close just like I do. They baby us, and we let them.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Matt put his arm around Colby’s shoulders. His shirt was hot from the afternoon sun shining down on him. “I still can’t figure out how Mom gets the funk out of my clothes.”
“She’s still doing your laundry for you?” Colby sounded appalled. Matt nodded and grinned. “I need to have a talk with Shelly because that’s bullshit.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” Matt spun Colby around and bent over to pick him up. He tossed him over his shoulder and carried him the rest of the way to his car in the lot.
“Matty, put me down right now.” Colby banged his fists against Matt’s butt. “I’ll bite you. I swear it,” Colby threatened.
“Do it.” Matt bit his lip to suppress his laughter. “I dare you.”
“Oh no. You’d like it too much.” Colby swatted his bottom. “Freak.” Colby relaxed and let Matt carry him the rest of the way to his car without a fight.
“Here you are, princess.” Matt set Colby down. “Tell the dads I said hi.”
“I will.” Colby opened the car door. “Hey, do you want to come with?”
“Nah.” Matt grumbled. “I’m still working on that anatomy paper for Professor Fritz’s. I need to get that shit done.”
“That you do.” Colby pointed a finger at him. “I’ll call you later—” Colby stopped midsentence. His eyes went wide, and he looked over Matt’s shoulder. He was staring at something, but Matt couldn’t see what it was. He waved his hand in front of Colby’s face.
“Dude, you all right?” Matt asked.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry.” Colby beamed that thousand-watt smile and whatever that look was faded from his handsome face. “Thought I saw someone I knew, but I was mistaken.” Colby pursed his lips and then shook his head. “Okay, I’m off. Call me later.”
“Will do.” Matt leaned in for a hug and squeezed Colby tight around the waist. “Have fun.”
Matt waved as Colby drove away then turned around and headed for his dorm room. He smiled and said hello to people he knew as he walked past which was pretty much everyone he saw. Matt was friendly and made friends wherever he went. He considered himself lucky while growing up. No one ever gave him crap about being gay. His folks accepted it and never once tried to change him, and his friends were all cool with it. Matt had a good life. Everything was perfect, and he had no complaints.
A strong wind picked up and sent a chill down Matt’s sweat-slicked back. He shivered and looked up to see the sky was quickly turning gray. It wasn’t supposed to rain today, but the weatherman must have been wrong.
Matt was a hundred yards from his dorm when an eerie feeling crept over him. Goose bumps pebbled up along his skin, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt as if he was being watched. He walked a little faster to his dorm before the rain poured down. Once there, he turned around to see if anyone was behind him, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People were walking fast trying to avoid being caught in a downpour.
Matt stared out the glass door one more time but still saw nothing. It was an odd feeling. He’d heard people in movies talk about that odd feeling one would get when being watched and Matt could honestly say he was experiencing that right now.
A clack of thunder rang so loud it felt as if it shook the building. Lightning flashed, and then the rain came. Big fat drops splattered to the ground, washing away what was left of this sunshiny day.
Just as Matt was about to turn around, something caught his eye. A man all in black, his back to him. His head was down as he walked against the force of the wind and rain. Matt didn’t think anything of it.
“Poor bastard.” Matt shook his head as he watched the man walk away. It sucked to be caught in a thunderstorm without an umbrella. Matt might be a man, but he hated when his clothes got all wet.
Matt jogged up the steps to the second floor, pulled out his key, and slipped inside. He tossed his gym bag in the corner then grabbed his shower caddy and headed down the hall to the bathrooms. The weird feeling from just ten minutes earlier was long gone, and Matt put all his attention on getting cleaned up than working on his anatomy paper. He knew if he didn’t get it done Colby would give him shit about it. And the last thing he wanted to do was to let his best friend down.
Chapter Two
Wes was standing outside his squad car, shooting radar. He was just under an overpass and knew he’d catch at least ten drivers going over the speed limit. Wes shook his head. Some humans weren’t very bright. They only got one life to live, and they’d blow it away by speeding and causing an accident.
“Idiots,” Wes said around a yawn.
It had been ten years since the battle in Texas that left the Warriors of the Light scattered in the wind. Wes never thought there’d be anyone strong enough to scare off the Warriors, but he was wrong. Athena, a powerful witch, was gunning for them. She wanted a world where she and the Warriors of the Dark had total control. The human population would be treated like cattle for Athena to torture and ultimately destroy. It made Wes sick. He might think humans were careless drivers but never would he wish a complete extinction of a total race.
The sun had already set, and Wes had a good spot where drivers wouldn’t see him until it was too late. A car sped past doing ninety, sending his radar gun into a tizzy. Wes jumped into his car and took off after the suspect. His sirens were wailing and the lights flashing, and after about fifteen minutes the car pulled over.
After leaving Texas, Wes had decided to move to Chicago. He needed a change from living in a small town, or so he thought. He missed small-town living and loathed big cities. In larger cities, he’d noticed people were less friendly and quick to shoot off at the mouth with a witty or insulting comment. Basically, everyone was rude in Wes’s opinion. He hated to generalize people, but it was hard not to when he was a cop working in a large city where people hated the police.
With the Warriors of the Dark and Athena looking to wipe out the Warriors of the Light, their leader, Ben, thought it best for everyone to live a normal human life. To stay under the radar as it was put. Wes was okay with that and jumped at the opportunity of getting a regular job and living a quiet life.
For so many years he’d been his alpha’s, Garrett, second in command. Wes was a wolf shifter. He grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri. He’d never left home until he followed Garrett and his mate. Wes was a loyal wolf and friend and was happy to be a Warrior of the Light.
But that was a long time ago. Wes stayed in contact with Garrett and the rest of the Warriors but his days of fighting evil in the paranormal world were over, for now at least.
The car pulled off onto the shoulder, and before getting out, Wes called in the license plate. When all came back clear, he got out of the car. He had his flashlight out and walked up to the driver’s side door.
“License and registration please.” It was two younger men in the car. Wes with his enhanced smelling ability could sniff out
marijuana. The driver looked nervous as hell but not the passenger. His face was set into a hard scowl, and he glared up at Wes. Wes didn’t like that one bit and had a bad feeling about it.
“Yes, sure officer.” The driver pulled out his license and reached across the seats toward the glove box to get his registration.
“What’s the problem, officer?” the passenger all but sneered. “We too young and hood looking to be driving this nice car?”
Wes had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. Hood looking? That was a new one. This kid looked like he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Both men were dressed real nice in clothes that probably cost more than his weekly paycheck, and the car was worth more than Wes made in a year.
“Brody, shut up,” the driver, Shawn, snapped.
“What? Why?” Brody shouted. “He’s the one who should be showing some respect. Do you know who we are?”
And there it was. Wes smiled. The entitled youth of America.
“Listen here, son.” Wes leaned in close and took the offered papers from Shawn. “I don’t care who your mommy and daddy are. You were doing ninety in a sixty-five. My job is to make sure people are safe not going home in body bags.”
“Yes, sir,” Shawn said.
“Yeah right.” Brody sneered. “More like killing innocent people. You and your kind are the enemy.”
Wes straightened his shoulders and stood up tall. There was a time those words held a different meaning because of what Wes was. Paranormal beings were feared, and they had to keep their secret safe for fear of prosecution, but this punk wasn’t talking about that. No, this kid wanted to degrade him for being a cop. Well, it wasn’t the first time he’d heard this song and dance.