by Marcy Jacks
A Dragon’s Growl 11
Wounded Love
For Theron, the scars of his brother’s murder still run deep, a new alpha is in charge, and he doesn’t yet trust this dragon clan. With nowhere else to live, and his former alpha doting over a wolf omega of all things, he figures he’ll stick around, if only to protect his friend.
And there’s one little fox shifter who caught his attention. Someone who sneaks out every night. Someone who smells awfully good. Someone who needs protecting.
Angel spent his whole life a slave to vampires. He’s free now, or at least told that he’s free, but he’s never allowed to leave the mansion. So he sneaks out at night, wanting to see the world, wanting to socialize, never realizing the dangerous situations he’s putting himself into.
And a stolen kiss with a dragon, one who insists Angel is his mate, isn’t going to fly. Angel was caged once before, and even a gorgeous alpha dragon won’t cage him again.
Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Cotemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 32,437 words
WOUNDED LOVE
A Dragon’s Growl 11
Marcy Jacks

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
WOUNDED LOVE
Copyright © 2017 by Marcy Jacks
ISBN: 978-1-64010-621-5
First Publication: September 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
Marcy Jacks loves writing about gorgeous guys in tricky situations. She lives in Canada and is busy thinking of more drama and angst to terrorize her characters with. :) You can reach her at [email protected]
For all titles by Marcy Jacks, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/marcy-jacks
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
Landmarks
Cover
WOUNDED LOVE
A Dragon’s Growl 11
MARCY JACKS
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
Angel was getting out of here.
The rush of opening his window, feeling the cool breeze on his face, and then hooking his leg over the edge was intense.
He never in a million years would have done this when he’d still been under Varrick’s control.
The vampires didn’t like it when their toys disobeyed them.
Angel sucked back a deep breath. He wasn’t in Varrick’s home anymore. He wasn’t Varrick’s little house slave, and he was never going to be that person ever again.
Besides, some of the other omegas, the ones who had been free longer than he had, had explained how exhilarating it was to disobey from time to time. There was a strange rush that came with it, from not doing what they were told right away, from not being where they were asked to be.
They’d spoken proudly of their exploits, of taking more food without permission, of not doing their chores to the same extent as everyone else.
Angel smirked as he stepped out onto the roof. If they only knew what he got up to at night, they’d have kittens. What Angel did was, by and large, better than simply sneaking more food.
He carefully padded his way to the edge of the roof. There were other floors above him, and even though he was only on the second floor of the mansion, he didn’t want to fall.
Angel made it to the ledge, took stock of the grass beneath him, and jumped.
He was getting more and more used to this. He was better aware of the pain to expect, even from landing on soft grass, and it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it used to.
He caught his breath, glanced up to make sure no one watched him, and then he took off running.
He did it! He was out! He was going to have fun again, and no one would know when he came back in a couple of hours!
He ran down the dark path through the woods. It would take him away from the parking lot, but after about ten minutes, he would make it to the road.
Angel pulled out the bandanna he kept in his pocket. He tied it around his head, holding his fox ears down, and then pulled the ball cap over the top so no one would see it.
That would hide his ears just fine. He’d hated it when the vampires had cut off his tail, but now he didn’t mind so much. He was kind of glad for it now because at least this way he didn’t have to think about the best way to hide it. He could blend in with the humans, and he could have fun.
* * * *
Theron watched from one of the trees, his long tail swishing around behind him.
He growled, shaking his head as the little fox omega made it to the road and held out his thumb.
Theron hissed when someone picked him up.
Theron knew it. He fucking knew it! Of course someone was leaving the mansion at night. He’d thought he’d smelled Angel, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it.
Mostly because he hadn’t wanted to get too close to the man, lest his worst fears turn out to be true.
Theron wasn’t a large dragon. He was black and speckled in some places, which made it great for night flying when the stars were out. He blended in, and his size made it easy enough for him to slip by.
But he was still a dragon, and an alpha. The only reason why he didn’t run a clan of his own was because he didn’t want the responsibility. He didn’t want the worries of knowing someone beneath him, someone he was responsible for, could end up killed if he made the wrong moves.
And yet there was that little fox, running off, getting into the trucks of strangers he didn’t know and…
Theron squashed down his anger. Whatever. It was done, and he was going to follow now. It was the only way to find out where the hell the little fox thought he was going.
Theron spread his wings and took off. He didn’t dare let that truck out of his sight. No way in hell.
He rode the current, staying high enough that the wind was stronger and he didn’t have to flap his wings too much to keep himself in the air.
Where were they going?
Theron focused on following the truck, keeping his eyes on it as much as possible while also doing his best to make sure he didn’t fly into anything.
Just because he was high up
in the air didn’t mean he couldn’t get himself killed if he wasn’t paying attention. He could fly right into a radio tower if he wasn’t careful or a flock of birds that would end up blinding him.
The truck was definitely heading into town. Theron could hardly contain his ire, his utter fucking rage that such a thing could be happening.
How long had this been going on? Why hadn’t anyone noticed? Why hadn’t Seth noticed?
He was the alpha of the territory, the leading dragon, and the little fox’s caregiver. He had made it his responsibility to take care of all of the omegas, and here was one putting himself in the worst kind of danger.
Luckily the truck didn’t go right to the city, just the outskirts where there were some truck stops, some stores that were closed down for the night, an auto repair shop, and a bar.
It was when the truck pulled into the parking lot of that bar that Theron swooped overhead, finding a landing spot on the oversized cartoon tire of the auto shop, and he watched, his wings folding tightly against his body.
He waited with bated breath, ready to spring into action if the little fox didn’t come out of that truck right away.
The trucker could do anything to him. The man could demand a payment of some sort. The fox wouldn’t have money on him, not unless he’d stolen it from someone in the house.
Of course, that also might not be the sort of payment the trucker could want from him…
Luckily, it didn’t seem to come down to that. The little fox hopped out of the truck almost the moment it came to a stop. He had a smile on his face as he thanked the trucker, closing the door and stepping away just as the trucker drove off.
The little fox didn’t give off the vibe of someone who had been asked for sexual favors.
That was good, but it didn’t stop Theron from being utterly furious the man had put himself in that position in the first place.
The little fox wore a ball cap of all things, hiding his ears. He didn’t have a tail. Theron knew that much about him, even though he’d tried not to get too close, but even with those things either missing or hidden away, how could he simply wander into a bar like that? Was he not worried someone would see his ears?
A better question was, what was the little fox intending on doing in there?
Theron dropped down to the wet concrete beneath his feet. It had been drizzling on and off lately, and the air was damp. He shifted, his boots touching the ground before he straightened himself out and began to head for the bar.
Whatever the little fox was doing, Theron needed to make sure he didn’t get into trouble. He also had to make sure he wasn’t seen.
* * * *
Angel took in the sights and sounds and smells of the bar when he came in. He’d been here yesterday, and this was only his third time here, but every time he walked through those doors, it was a rush.
The bright lights from the game machines were off in the corner. He’d only played a couple of them, but they had been fun. Someone had given him some money so he could play with them, and yesterday someone else had invited him to play pool.
He liked those games, and he liked the humans here. They were nice.
He usually got offers for free drinks, as well, but he only ever accepted one, and so far he hadn’t ever finished even that one drink.
The drinks seemed to vary, but they were always strong, and he never liked them too much, but he’d been excited to try them, and he hadn’t wanted to be rude by denying them either.
He felt as though he was walking into his second home.
“Hey, look who’s back,” the bartender called. A man who had introduced himself as Martin Spink when they’d first met.
Angel waved at the man, coming over to sit at the bar. “Hello, Mr. Spink.”
Martin nodded. His mustache and beard appeared a little more combed today, not quite so scraggly as the last couple of times he’d been here. “How are you?”
“Very good, kid, very good.”
He had a thick accent Angel couldn’t place. Angel didn’t want to ask him why he spoke like that, it seemed rude, and he didn’t want to offend the people who were so kind to him in the first place.
“You look relaxed.” Angel glanced around, noting the lack of people, and he was disappointed by it. “It’s not so busy today.”
“It’s Sunday,” said Mr. Spink. “You came in on a Friday and Saturday. People have to go to bed early tonight, get up for work.”
“Oh, right,” Angel said, feeling stupid for not knowing that. “I guess I forgot the time.”
He just hadn’t known how people worked. He was going to have to learn these things, but this was the reason why he liked coming here. He liked being in this bar because, aside from the nice people and the free things he got, he learned about the humans.
He learned who they were, what their dreams and hopes were, their plans for the future.
It seemed a better way about learning of the real world than focusing on his alphabet.
“Anything to drink today?”
Angel glanced around. There was a small cluster of people in the back corner, a few people sitting alone in the booths. Two men played pool together, but that was about it. Otherwise it was quiet.
No one was someone he recognized. It seemed the people who came to this bar either never came back to it, or they just had yet to return on the days when he was here.
Which was fine. There was something nice about making new friends and bittersweet about knowing he was never going to see them again.
“I’ll wait, see if anyone wants me to join them.”
Mr. Spink snorted, pulling up a glass and pouring water in it. He slid it across the bar to Angel. “You be very careful playing that game, boy. Not everyone plays it the way you want.”
Angel didn’t understand. He just smiled at Mr. Spink, shaking his head and filing the information away for later.
“Thank you, Mr. Spink.”
He hated looking stupid, and he didn’t want to ask what the man had really meant. Half the time when he asked questions, they were usually met with strange looks. Angel didn’t like that. It was better to learn through observation and listening. That way he could figure out what people were talking about without making himself appear uneducated.
Still, as Mr. Spink walked away, mumbling something under his breath, Angel couldn’t help but wonder what the man had meant.
Everyone didn’t always play the way he wanted them to? But if it was a game, then that could only be a good thing. Games were fun, and if someone cheated at the game, well, then it was just a game and no harm done.
Maybe humans took their games more seriously than Angel thought they did.
Well, either way, he was glad to just be here, and as he turned in his stool, water in hand so he could watch the people, the guys at the pool table took notice of him.
They pointed, and the others in the corner stepped forward.
Angel smiled. He was going to make some new friends tonight.
Chapter Two
Theron managed to slip into the bar before the little fox noticed he was there. Which was good. He sat quietly in one of the booths. It was dark enough that he could keep his face hidden. This place was shady as all fuck. It could almost be the bar from that movie The Accused. He wanted to get the hell out of here, and he sure as hell wanted to take his fox with him.
Theron kept his eyes open, watching as a group of men who had been by the arcade machine and pool table walked over to his fox. “Hey, you want to join us?”
“I don’t have money to play,” said the little fox.
Theron nearly conked his head on the table in front of him.
“Hey, don’t worry, we got you covered. Hey, bartender, can we get our friend here a drink?”
Theron used the greasy menu on the table to hide his face a bit more as he watched what unfolded.
The omega grinned as though he’d just won the lottery. The bartender nodded, playing dumb. He had to know what was going
on here.
“Any requests?” he asked, his Russian accent thick.
“Sure, uh, what do you like?” one of the men asked.
“I liked the peach daiquiri,” said the omega.
Once again, Theron nearly smacked his head on the table in front of him.
Well, at least it was a good thing that the omega was ordering what had to be the tamest drink on the damned menu.
Though, it was possibly telling that the omega only ordered it because the damned thing was basically a children’s slushy drink with a touch of alcohol in it. Theron could have handled a drink like that when he was ten years old.
The bartender nodded, made up the drink, and handed it over to the omega with an actual curly straw.
The omega smiled, took the drink, and walked with the men. “What game are we going to play?”
“What game do you like?”
The omega seemed to think on it for a minute, never noticing that one of the men had put his arm around his shoulder. “I like the video game!”
That was what he wanted to play? He’d come all the way out here, risking his life if he got caught from the vampire slavers, risking his safety with a bunch of humans he didn’t know, so he could play an arcade video game from the nineties and get a couple of free drinks?
Jesus Christ, there were video games everywhere back at the mansion, and if he wanted some lame-ass drink like that, then Theron would have volunteered to make him one to keep him from doing anything as stupid as this.
He gritted his teeth.
The only reason why Theron didn’t go over there and bash some heads in, grabbing the omega’s hand and dragging him out of here, was because he didn’t want to embarrass the man.