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Love with Sparkles Added

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by Lynn Stark




  

  White Horse Clan 10

  Love with Sparkles Added

  Coven leader Cain Windgate was aware he had a mate on the farm where members of his coven wanted to relocate. He didn’t know how a mate would fit into his orderly life. And if there was more than one? All he could envision was a future of chaos. When he arrived on the farm to discuss members of his coven desiring to move there, he finally learned their numbers and their identities. There were three of them. Three mates with distinctly different personalities. Not one of them was a vampire, someone who would know that vampires were governed by strict rules, none of which included adding sparkles to anything. There was Chance Harding, a werewolf that had once been human. Then there was Larson Brekken, a brown bear shifter who loved to stir up trouble. And, lastly, there was Pebin Xavier Muldoon, a fairy with a love for all things shiny. Nope, not a vampire among them.

  Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 52,000

  LOVE WITH SPARKLES ADDED

  White Horse Clan 10

  Lynn Stark

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Love with Sparkles Added

  Copyright © 2018 by Lynn Stark

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-531-3

  First Publication: November 2018

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2018 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.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at legal@sirenbookstrand.com

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  The Trevor Project, helping LGBTQ teens 1-866-488-7386

  Trevor Text…text START to 678678

  https://www.thetrevorproject.org/#sm.00012obsxjx7peo1xpa132fh4a9fl

  National Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255

  https://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/help-for-men-who-are-being-abused.htm

  https://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/getting-out-of-an-abusive-relationship.htm

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lynn Stark lives with her husband in Ohio, which is in the Midwestern section of the United States. Creating colorful characters, with depth and the capacity to love without reserve, is something she never tires of doing. While writing and reading are two of her passions, she travels when time and schedules allow. She loves to meet people and discover new things

  For all titles by Lynn Stark, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lynn-stark

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  LOVE WITH SPARKLES ADDED

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  LOVE WITH SPARKLES ADDED

  White Horse Clan 10

  LYNN STARK

  Copyright © 2018

  Chapter One

  Cain leaned back in his chair, his fingers forming a steeple as he stared sightlessly across the room. He tapped his nose with the tips of fingers as he wondered what he was to do. Cain was to meet with Ian MacLauchlan, on the farm where the warhorse shifter and his mates had established an extensive community. Paranormals of all kinds were drawn to the energy there. There were even magical and mythical beasts living and thriving there. Even as a vampire, something the majority of humans didn’t believe existed, Cain sometimes had a difficult time believing in unicorns and fairies.

  What Cain needed to decide was whether he would try to put off the meeting. The problem was Cain knew he had mates living on the farm. What he didn’t know was how many there were and their identities. He didn’t even know their sexes. Not that it mattered. Cain had enjoyed sexual encounters with both men and women over the centuries he’d been alive. He had no preference. The only thing he could hope for was that his mates would be able to accept each other. There was the slightest of chances that they would not be drawn to each other, as they would be to Cain. It was unusual for it to happen, but it occasionally did so.

  Unlike others of his kind, Cain was not thrilled to know he had mates. They would interfere with his complicated life. The life of a vampire leader was not a simple one. Politics sucked at the best of times. It took all of his attention to keep his coven safe, although more and more of its members were requesting to move to the farm so they, too, could enjoy a simpler, less chaotic life. It was something he hadn’t expected. Female and male vampires were giving up successful careers as lawyers, doctors, and running various businesses, to live completely different lives. Others, who had less to give up, were also going. Especially the younger vampires. Those just reaching their adulthood wanted to get away from the city. Cain had to admit that Boston wasn’t the town it used to be. It was still a great city, but not for vampires. With the ever-increasing human population in and around the city, there was a greater risk of vampires being exposed.

  Perhaps it was a good thing that some were leaving to begin new lives elsewhere. Ian MacLauchlan had been buying more land in the mountains as it became available. The shifter was extremely wealthy, wealth he had acquired over many centuries. The town of New Vista was not far from it, and many of the residents of the town were now paranormals. They were mostly shifters and vampires. Whenever a human put their house up for sale, it was purchased by a non-human. Cain knew it wouldn’t take many more years before there were no humans whatsoever living in the town, unless they were a mate. This gave the residents a sense of freedom they hadn’t had where they lived previously.

  But none of that mattered at the moment. Cain had no intention of moving. There were still many vampires planning to continue to live in Boston. He was their leader, and he had to be there for their protection and support. A weakness or a lack of attention could invite another coven to come in and take over, something he would do everything to prevent.

  What he had to decide was whether or not he could go to the farm and be prepared to potentially meet his mates. While he didn’t want to be mated, he was aware that it wasn’t something he could avoid forever. After all, he wasn’t heartless. There were mates waiting for him. They needed him.

  The inevitability factor was what finally brought Cain to a decision. He would travel to the farm for the meeting, and while he was there, he would search out his mates. Hopefully there would not be more than two. Aware that some of the men and women on the farm had as many as six mates, a shudder of something akin to fear went through him. One would be perfect. Two would be okay. Three would be manageable. But more than three? That would simply be horrifying and something he wouldn’t want to deal with. His life was orderly. It wasn’t messy or disorganized in any way. There was rarely any chaos. What would happen to him, his life, if he discovered more tha
n two mates?

  Finally coming to his senses, Cain decided not to go looking for trouble. He would deal with it if and when it happened.

  Leaning forward, he reached for the phone and punched in the number for the alpha of the White Horse Clan. Less than five minutes later Cain was committed to visiting the farm for the meeting with Ian’s mate, Malcolm MacNair, the leader of a coven that had left Boston completely a few years before, Bannock, the elven leader, and Garth Danvers, an alpha wolf shifter and the sheriff from the town of New Vista. He and his department did all they could to keep the peace between so many different paranormals. Most got along well enough. They were like humans, in some ways. There was always a troublemaker or two that had to be dealt with on a regular basis.

  Cain rose to his feet with a sigh. At that moment, he believed he could feel every one of his four hundred and eighty-six years. The years, the centuries, didn’t transpire in the same way for vampires and similar creatures, such as shifters. They didn’t feel the drag of time the way humans did. Cain could never understand why a healthy middle-aged human whined about getting old or the passage of time. Humans were evidently delicate, and Cain had never had any use for them, other than a source for blood. If he’d been asked for his opinion about humans, he couldn’t say if he felt anything in particular about them, although he knew other vampires ranged from loving them as mates to hating them as mortal enemies.

  He had done his share of defending his people and himself against humans many times in the past. As years passed, however, things changed. At the moment, it was for the positive. Vampires were not known as they had been in the past. No one was searching for them. Cain and the members of his coven would continue to live harmoniously with humans, until something changed and they needed to defend themselves once again against fear-fueled hatred and ignorance.

  With his decision to attend the meeting made, Cain informed his butler. His butler would then inform Cain’s valet. Between the two men, his trip would go smoothly. Cain could have simply disseminated his person and belongings to the farm. No muss, no fuss. Although he rarely traveled these days, he enjoyed road trips, seeing the sights as his car passed through the countryside and towns and cities of various sizes. They would drive this trip. The farm was a few hundred miles away and taking a plane was not that convenient. It was also uninteresting.

  Cain put thoughts of traveling to a distant farm in the Appalachian Mountains out of his mind as he conducted his daily business, up until the morning of his departure arrived. Routine was good. There were no surprises. It was the way he liked his life. Knowing that his life was about to undergo major changes, Cain mentally prepared himself for it. At least as much as he could do so. Not knowing the number of mates he had, and their personalities, didn’t make it an easy process. He had the feeling that there were going to be a lot of surprises for him, and not all of them would be pleasant ones.

  At Cain’s request, the driver turned off several times, whenever Cain saw something of interest. It never failed to amaze him the things mainly humans had created over the centuries, and he wanted a closer look. They ate their midday meal at a restaurant offering home-cooked food. It was fair, but nothing close to as good as what his mother used to cook for him when he was a child.

  When his phone chirped quietly in his jacket pocket, Cain reached inside and removed it. He smiled when he saw that it was the woman he admired above all others. His driver showed no interest as he continued to eat. “Hello, Mother. How are you?” Not wanting to bother other diners, despite the number on their own phones, he stood and walked away from the table.

  “Hello, my darling. I understand you are going to Ian MacLauchlan’s farm. Are you finally claiming your mates while you’re there?”

  It didn’t surprise Cain that his mother knew what was happening in his life. She probably watched him as closely now as she did when he was a toddler. Life had been quite primitive back then and much more difficult. He had been born in England. His father had been a mason. His mother earned money as a seamstress. They had more than most, but a lot less than others. They definitely hadn’t been part of the privileged few. When the time came, they had come to America to begin new lives as many others were doing.

  His dear mother had people living in his house that would always show her their loyalty. It didn’t bother him that they kept her apprised of his activities.

  “Yes, I believe I will,” Cain told her, but somewhat reluctantly. “Don’t get your hopes up. I have no idea who they are. I don’t know if they’re male or female. I’ve only sensed that they are there on the farm.”

  “Ah, you worry too much. It will be fine. I want to meet them as soon as possible.”

  Cain chuckled. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll call you with all of the gory details, once I have them myself.”

  Esmerelda Windgate laughed. It was a musical sound that warmed him all the way to his toes. “You do that. I’ll be waiting. Good luck, son.”

  “Thank you.”

  He ended the call and returned to the table to finish his meal. His driver took the drinks and snacks he’d ordered to take with them. Then he visited the gift shop. Novelty items intrigued him. Before he left the store, he’d purchased a small spoon with the state’s emblem on it, a package of lavender incense, and an incense holder. Lavender was calming, and Cain was willing to give it a try, once they reached their destination.

  It was late evening when they arrived. Chester stopped the car in front of the alpha’s house and got out to come around to open his door. Cain exited the car, standing there as he straightened his jacket. The door to the alpha’s house opened, and Ian and his vampire mate, Malcolm, walked out onto the porch. Friendly smiles spread across their faces as they came down the stairs to greet him. Malcolm looked much like he had when Cain was a child, with long, wild red hair, a white linen shirt that laced up the front, a kilt made from his family’s plaid, and sturdy boots on his feet. He’d been impressive to Cain as a child hundreds of years ago and he was no less impressive now.

  “You’re finally here! We thought we might have to send a search party out,” Ian told him as they shook hands.

  Cain chuckled, amused by the comment. “I’m rarely in a hurry. I like to see the countryside as we drive along. It’s much better than seeing it from the air. Or not stopping to get out and enjoy things from time to time.” He turned to his driver. “Chester, why don’t you take the luggage to…” Realizing he didn’t know where he would be staying, he turned back to Ian.

  “We have a new settlement on the farm. It’s not far from here. Since you’re in no hurry, it’s within walking distance. It takes about fifteen minutes to walk there from here. Anyway, we’ve built new houses. One of them is for your use, when you’re here. Your driver can backtrack to the lane that cuts off to the left. It’s not difficult to find.”

  Surprised, Cain’s eyebrows shot upward. “That’s quite generous of you. Thank you.”

  “I’ll have someone ride with Chester, to show him exactly which house it is. Now, come on in and continue relaxing. The kids can’t wait to see you.”

  As he was ushered forward toward the steps leading to the house, Cain wondered if he would be able to deal with the children better than he had last time. There were quite a number of them. While he supposed they were as well behaved as most children their ages, he wasn’t used to being around young ones, despite the fact that his brother had them. There weren’t any in his household and he’d liked it that way.

  That brought another point of mating to mind. He would likely have children of his own. The thought both pleased and terrified him.

  Upon entering the large living room, Cain saw that it was orderly and that worn furniture and flooring had been updated. The children were waiting there. Each of them introduced themselves politely, before they filed out of the house in an orderly manner. He wasn’t surprised in the least when he heard an eruption of shouting from the group and stomping feet as they ran off the wide porch.
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br />   Laughing, Cain sat down in the chair offered to him and accepted a drink from Danny, Ian and Malcolm’s gibbon shifter mate. Danny was adorable and pleasant to be around, although he suspected the man had a mischievous side. Cain hoped at least one of his mates was similar in character. It would certainly make his life much more pleasant. He also hoped neither of his mates was an alpha. A continual power struggle would not be a good thing.

  It wouldn’t make for a peaceful life, something he wanted for his personal home life.

  The evening progressed nicely. Cain was always surprised by how much he enjoyed coming to the farm and spending time with Malcolm and Ian. It was a relaxed atmosphere, unlike living in Boston with his coven, where they were strictly bound by the burden of complex rules.

  While Ian was without a doubt a powerful leader, he lost no respect by being a gentle and loving person with those he led. When compared to the warhorse shifter, Cain was certainly a very uptight vampire. Rules. Rules. Rules. He didn’t break them, and he rarely allowed anyone to even bend them. Was that why so many of his people were requesting to move away from the city, choosing to live under Malcolm and Ian’s leadership instead of his? The thought stung, but he had to consider it. Maybe it was time to make some changes. He and the members of his coven might appear to be modern, and in many ways they were, but they were following laws that, in some instances, were almost as old as Boston. Some laws had been created centuries before.

  “How are things in the city?” Malcolm asked. “It has been a long time since I was back there.”

  “The city doesn’t change much. You should visit more often.” Cain laughed softly. “It certainly has been more peaceful since the young ones were split up. No more competitions to see who claims the challis.” The challis had been a cheap piece of Victorian-era metalwork, of no significant value. It had, however, been the center of the game the teenage vampires from the two covens enjoyed playing. Too bad it had caused so much trouble for all involved. It was part of the reason why Malcolm had finally moved his coven to the farm. That, and so that he could be with his mates.

 

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