by Stormy Glenn
He was a monster.
“It doesn’t hurt, Dom.”
Dom lifted his eyebrows. “It doesn’t?”
How could it not?
A fascinating smile spread over Keeland’s lips. “No, not at all.”
“Then what—”
“It…uh…seems to be…when I touch it, I…uh…it’s…uh…arousing.”
Dom stared, not quite sure what to say about that. “It’s arousing to touch it?”
“Yes.” If Keeland’s cheeks got any redder, he’d go up in flames.
Dom licked a line across the bite mark. Keeland groaned and clutched at him, his entire body shuddering. Dom stared down at him, stunned by the pleasure streaking across the man’s face.
With a grin, he leaned down and nuzzled the juncture of Keeland’s neck and shoulder, a breath away from the bite mark he'd left on the man. “Did you like that, Special K?”
Keeland’s little moans were driving him insane. His cock, which had started to soften inside of Keeland, grew painfully hard. Dom slid his hand down to Keeland’s hip. Holding Keeland’s body tight to his, Dom thrust forward, sinking his cock deeper into the heaven of Keeland’s body.
“Harder!” Keeland shouted.
Dom grabbed the man’s legs and brought them up over his arms. Gripping them hard enough that his fingers dug into Keeland’s skin, Dom began to pound into Keeland. The harder he thrust, the louder Keeland’s cries became.
His panther was roaring and panting in his head, his skin prickled. He didn’t know if he was on the verge of shifting or if his cat was just letting him know he was there. His awareness of the creature inside of him was uncontrollably strong. Dom had a desperate need to mark Keeland in some manner, to let every breathing person in the world know Keeland belonged to him.
Dom’s gaze strayed to the bite mark in Keeland’s skin. A primal urge pushed him forward. Dropping Keeland’s legs, Dom grabbed a handful of Keeland’s hair and yanked his head back. He struck fast, sinking his teeth in as deep as they would go without hitting bone. Power and strength swept through him, and his heart sang with delight as Keeland’s sweet blood swept over his tongue.
Keeland screamed, filling the space between them with his release.
Dom swallowed a few times, then extracted his teeth. He showered kisses around Keeland’s lips and jaw before planting more along his shoulders, neck, and face. His hands caressed the gentle curve of Keeland’s hips, his ass.
“Keeland,” Dom roared as he yielded to the searing need building inside of him, his release coming in a great rush that consumed him until the only thing that mattered in his world was the man in his arms.
His breath came in deep, soul-drenching drafts as he exploded in a downpour of fiery sensations. Waves of ecstasy throbbed through him as he buried his cock in Keeland’s tight little ass over and over again.
Dom rested his head on Keeland’s as he attempted to get more air into his lungs. Keeland’s eyes sparkled up at him. A buzzing began in Dom’s head. Dom lifted his head, giving it a small shake, but the buzzing grew even louder.
As Dom opened his mouth to say something to Keeland, the sweetest sound in the world filled his mind. “Dom.”
“Keeland?” Dom whispered back. Keeland jerked, then dropped his head back and stared up at Dom in shocked amazement.”
“Dom,” Keeland said, “I just—”
“Just heard me in your mind?”
Keeland nodded.
“Yeah, about that…”
Chapter Nine
“What about it?” Keeland didn’t know exactly what was going on, but hearing someone else talk to him in his mind couldn’t be normal. And if it wasn’t normal, it probably wasn’t a good thing. “What’s going on here, Dom?”
Dom winced. Again, that couldn’t be good. “I think I mated you.”
Keeland knew he couldn’t have heard that right. “I’m sorry, you what?”
Dom sighed deeply before pulling free of Keeland’s body. Keeland grimaced. He knew he needed information, but he felt so incredibly empty now. He would have preferred to stay the way they were.
He started to say that, but Dom rolled out of bed. Keeland sat up, leaned back on his hands, and watched Dom walk into the bathroom. He heard the water turn on for a moment, and then Dom was back, washcloth in hand. Keeland’s face heated up when Dom leaned down and swiped the washcloth between his legs.
At least the man was polite after sex.
Dom tossed the washcloth toward the bathroom, then climbed back onto the bed. He scooted back against the headboard and then stared down at his hands for several moments.
“Dom?”
Dom sighed again as he raised his head to look at Keeland. “Look, you have to understand that I’ve only known about being a shifter for a couple of weeks. I’m kind of learning things as I go along.”
“And?” There was always an and.
“You know I’m interested in you. I suspected you might be my mate with the way my cat went crazy every time you were around, but—” Dom swallowed hard. “But I wasn’t positive. I don’t know how this mate thing works. Hell, the only reason I know about it at all is because Chay and Gabriel are mates.”
“Chay and Gabriel are mates?”
Dom nodded.
“And what exactly does being mates mean?”
“Well…uh…”
Keeland’s eyebrows peaked as he watched the hottest man he’d ever encountered become unsure and hesitant. Keeland knew he was the shy one of the two of them, so it was kind of mind-boggling to watch Dom unravel.
“Dom.” Keeland scooted close enough to grab Dom’s hand. “Surely it can’t be that bad. Just tell me.”
Dom drew in a deep breath and then started talking so fast Keeland could barely understand him.
“Ibityouandnowwe’rematedandthat’sliketheshifterversionofamarriage. Wecanneverbewithanyoneelseanditsabondthatstaysinplaceforlife. There’snowaytobreakit.”
Keeland blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”
Dom huffed. “I bit you and I think I bonded us together. For shifters, it’s like a marriage, and there is no divorce. It’s for life.”
Oh.
Dom winced. “I’m sorry.”
Keeland sat back and tried to make sense of Dom’s words. Logically, he understood them, but beyond that, nada. “We’re mated?”
What exactly did that mean?
“I think so.”
“You think so?” Keeland asked, trying not to let his voice rise with his panic. “You’re not sure?”
“Well, I know Chay and Gabriel bit each other and they’re mated, but I don’t know if there’s more involved than that.”
“Then maybe you can call one of them in here and ask them.” Keeland damn well wanted to know if he was mated or married or whatever. He still wasn’t sure if he believed it, but there was no way to dismiss the fact that he’d heard Dom talking to him in his head.
He was surprised by the growl that rumbled out of Dom, but strangely enough, he wasn’t scared. “You have something to say?”
Dom’s face flushed as he glanced away. “Could you put some clothes on first? My panther doesn’t like the idea of others seeing you naked.”
“I can say the same about my human.” God, this was weird. Keeland felt a knot tightening in his gut just thinking about anyone seeing Dom naked. “Maybe you could put some clothes on too.”
Dom’s grin made any discomfort he was feeling worth it. “I can do that.”
It took a little longer to get cleaned up and dressed because Keeland kept getting distracted looking at Dom’s body. The man was toned, muscular in a way Keeland could never be, and he wore it well too.
Keeland almost said to hell with it and dragged Dom back into bed, but he knew he needed answers. He liked Dom a lot and he could easily see his feelings for the man growing into something more substantial, but he wasn’t there yet.
Regretfully, Keeland finished pulling his clothes on and then followed Dom out
of the bedroom. He was a little surprised to find Gabe and Chay both waiting for them in the kitchen. He would have thought the two men had to work at some point.
Dom went right for the coffee pot.
Keeland slid into one of the chairs at the small breakfast nook. He wasn’t sure what to say as he stared across at Gabe and Chay. He had so many questions, but at the moment he couldn’t think of a damn one.
“That’s an interesting bite you have there,” Gabe said.
Keeland reached up and ghosted his fingers over the mark Dom had left in his neck. There wasn’t a power on earth strong enough to prevent him from shivering at the delicate touch. He could feel a definite connection between that bite mark and every nerve ending in his body.
“We call them Twin Flames,” Chay said, “and they’re different from anything you’ve ever encountered. They’re very rare.”
“What are they?” Keeland asked.
“The belief is that Twin Flames are two people in two separate bodies that share the same soul. When someone finds the one who holds the other half of their soul, their bond is unbreakable. They will complement each other in every way, and it’s a hardship for them to be apart. They also often have telepathy with each other.”
Keeland swallowed hard as he turned to Dom.
The man winced. “Sorry.”
“You two have mated, then?” Chay asked.
“It would seem so,” Keeland replied.
Chay grinned. “Congratulations.”
Keeland crossed his arms and looked back at Chay and Gabe. “It wasn’t exactly planned.”
Chay’s brows snapped together as his gaze went to Dom. “You didn’t—”
“My panther got away from me,” Dom said in a quiet voice that Keeland barely heard. “I bit him before I could stop it.”
“Shit!” Chay dragged a hand over his mouth and chin. “Dom, you can’t—”
A low, rumbling growl came from behind Keeland. He knew that growl. He’d heard it before. Chay and Gabe had gone completely still, their faces paling.
The tension in the room had risen to almost oppressive levels. Keeland didn’t understand why. Dom made that sound all the time. “Do you think I could get some coffee?” Keeland asked without turning around. He needed to defuse the situation somehow.
The hostility in the air didn’t lessen until a cup of coffee was placed in front of him. At the same time, Keeland felt Dom’s hand settle on his shoulder. He reached up to pat Dom’s hand, then grabbed his coffee.
Smiling at Chay and Gabe, he said, “So, tell me more about sharing a soul with a shifter.”
“Oh, uh, well, mates can talk telepathically to each other.”
“Yep.” Keeland nodded. “We already have that part. What else?”
“Well, you’ll live as long as Dom does.”
“Explain,” Keeland said.
“Shifters live longer than humans do. It’s different with different shifter species, but the average is about two hundred and fifty years. Now that you’ve mated, your life span will extend to Dom’s. The downside of that is if he dies, so do you, and vice versa.”
The knot in Keeland's stomach tightened even more, and he hadn’t thought that was possible. “I’ll die if Dom dies?”
“Once bonded, mates can’t live without each other. My people believe because we live so long, our mate’s life span matches our own so that we don’t have to spend all those long years alone.”
“What about your family?” Keeland asked. “If they’re shifters too, won’t you have them?”
Chay drew in a heavy breath. “That’s not always an option. A lot of the shifter groups have an aversion to gay men. In my own case, I was banished because of my preference for men.”
Gabe growled. Chay chuckled as he hauled his mate close to his side. After planting a kiss on Gabe’s lips hot enough to peel the paint off the walls, he looked back at Keeland. “That’s another delightful facet of being mated to a shifter. They’re possessive as hell.”
And that would explain Dom’s growling.
“There’s a few other things you need to know, Keeland,” Gabe said as his gaze shot to his brother for a brief moment before coming back. “I’m not sure how much Dom has told you, but hanging out with us isn’t the safest thing you could do.”
“I explained some and so did you,” Dom said, sitting down and scooting his chair so close their thighs rubbed together. “I don’t think he believed us, though.”
“I may have been a little hasty in my disbelief,” Keeland said. “Explain it to me again.”
This time, when Gabe and Dom explained who they were and how someone was trying to eliminate their family, Keeland listened with more of an open mind. Dom had already proved he wasn’t full of shit. He hoped Chay and Gabe weren’t either. Their tale was pretty outlandish, but the proof they had to back it up was undeniable…and furry.
Keeland believed they were telling the truth, but with each new thing they told him, his concept of the world changed. As much as he wanted to get to know Dom better and see if they could build something together, he was afraid there was no place for him in this crazy world they were telling him about.
By the time Chay and Gabe went silent, Keeland didn’t know how to put what he was thinking into words. This was freaking crazy. Panther shifters. Crazy men trying to kill them because they were from a ruling family. Who dreamed up this shit? It would make a great movie.
“Look, I need a little time to wrap my brain around all of this.”
Dom growled.
Keeland rolled his eyes and smacked him on the arm. “Knock it off. I didn’t say I wouldn’t be back. Just that I needed some time to think.” A small chuckle drew his attention across the table to Gabe’s smiling face. “What?”
“You just smacked a guy who can eat you if he wants to.”
“Dom wouldn’t hurt me,” Keeland protested, then realized what he'd said. He slowly turned to look at the man in question. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Never,” Dom whispered.
Keeland smiled as he leaned into the big man. He wasn’t too sure about this whole shifter business, but the knowledge that Dom would never hurt him went a long way toward alleviating his fears. Being a small man, Keeland had run into his fair share of big men who thought they should rule the world and used their size to do it. He was pretty sure his heart would break if Dom was that way.
Keeland leaned back so he could look up at Dom. “I need to go by the clinic and check on the kenneled animals. I also need time to think things over. Why don’t you”—he held up his hand when Dom opened his mouth—“come by my house this evening for dinner?”
Dom’s grin was almost feral in its intensity. “I could do that.”
Keeland stood. Before stepping away, he leaned down, brushed his lips over Dom’s ear, and whispered, “Bring Henrietta and an overnight bag.”
Dom’s deep growl followed him out of the room.
Chapter Ten
“Your mate is a very interesting man, Dom.”
Dom snorted. Chay had no idea. Keeland was the most interesting man in the world, hands down. Dom knew he was probably biased because the man was his mate, but Keeland was interesting. He was smart and beautiful and kind. How could that not be interesting?
“He didn’t run from you,” Gabe said, “so that’s something.”
He might not have run, but he sure walked out fast enough. Only the knowledge that Keeland had invited him over for dinner, and told him to bring the kitten and an overnight bag, kept Dom from chasing after the man.
“I had every intention of mating him, but not like this.” Dom was still angry with himself.
“How did it happen, Dom?” Chay asked. “You’re usually very controlled.”
“We were…uh…busy, and I was kissing him and he tilted his head back and told me to bite him. I couldn’t stop it.”
Chay chuckled. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have been able to stop either. He practically invited you to clai
m him.”
“But he didn’t know what biting him would mean.” Dom still wasn’t sure he did. “I feel like he had no choice.”
That was probably what was bothering him the most. He wanted Keeland to choose him, not accept him because he had to.
“He should have had a choice.”
“You’re right,” Gabe said. “He should have. But that ship has sailed, and you need to work on the here and now. Keeland knows you two are mated, and he hasn’t run screaming for the hills. He needs a little time to wrap his brain around this, and who wouldn’t?”
“You did when you found out you were a shifter,” Chay pointed out. “It’s only fair that Keeland be given the same time to think things over.”
Dom couldn’t argue with that, no matter how much he wanted to. His anxiousness at Keeland leaving made his chest ache as if he had an elephant sitting on it. He reached down and rubbed it, grimacing. He didn’t like this feeling. He was positive it came from not knowing if Keeland would fully accept him, and it sucked.
“You okay there, bro?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah.” Dom dropped his hand. “I just wish this was a little easier.”
“You want some of Aldrik’s special tea?”
Dom shook his head. He hated tea. Granted, he'd grown used to drinking it over the last couple of months, but he’d much rather have a good shot of whiskey. “No, I think I’m going to take a shower, then head on over to the shop. Sitting here worrying isn’t going to do me any good.”
“The shop isn’t due to open for a few more hours, Dom,” Chay pointed out.
“No, I know. I figure I can get some paperwork done or something. We do have those two bikes that need to be done by the end of the week. I can always work on them.”
“Okay.” Chay nodded. “I’m going to get dressed and come with you. I don’t think you need to be alone right now.”
That’s exactly what Dom needed.
Chay quickly held up his hand. “Before you say anything, you need to know that your panther is going to be a little unstable until your bond with Keeland is cemented. If you think you feel crazy possessive right now, just wait. It’ll get worse the longer Keeland is out of your sight.”