Rise to Love [Rise of the Changelings 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Lynn Hagen

  Dorian bit his lower lip as Rick reached behind him and guided the head of his cock into Dorian’s body. Rick began to tease Dorian’s ear with his tongue as he let Dorian’s body become accustomed to the invasion.

  “Do you feel it, gatito?” Rick’s voice was rough, as if unnamed emotions were trying to break free.

  “Your cock? All the way to my toes.”

  Rick shook his head, burying his face deeper into Dorian’s neck. “No, the connection. Do you feel it trying to pull us under, trying to consume us?”

  Dorian felt it. He just hadn’t known what it was. The need to be in Rick’s arms was a constant now. The need to feel the man’s lips, his voice, or his hands made Dorian’s skin ache all the time. “Yes.”

  Rick pulled Dorian closer, thrusting deep inside his body, reminding Dorian that Rick was not a small man. His bottom ached, but it was a damn good ache that Dorian never wanted to stop.

  “Rick.” Dorian held on tighter as the man picked up his pace, sending Dorian to the edge in a heated rush, his body burning alive for the man holding him, loving him. “I love you, Rick.”

  Rick’s movements faltered, and then he fucked Dorian to within an inch of his life. “I love you, too, gatito.” As Rick thrust forward, he pushed Dorian down onto his cock. Within seconds Dorian was crying out his mate’s name, his seed spilling between their bodies.

  Rick wasn’t too far behind. A few more well-placed thrusts and he was growling out his release, his canines sinking deep into Dorian’s shoulder. It was a strange feeling that Dorian was beginning to crave as much as air.

  It was going to take some time for it to heal, but Dorian was finding the bite mark that was repeatedly opened didn’t hurt. No, it was more like every time Rick brushed his teeth, lips, or anything else over the mark, Dorian felt instantly needy for Rick.

  The spot was tender, but not sore.

  Rick released him, licking at Dorian’s shoulder.

  Dorian laughed. “That tickles.”

  “What, this?” Rick licked a long path from his shoulder to his neck. Dorian laughed louder. “Yes, that.”

  Rick gave him a quick kiss and then pulled his flaccid cock free. “We better get a shower before the water turns cold.” He set Dorian on his feet, grabbed a washcloth, and began to scrub Dorian down. He never had anyone wash him before. It felt kind of strange standing there letting Rick do what Dorian had done for himself his entire life.

  “Open.”

  Dorian opened his legs, the cloth skimming over his aching hole and then his balls. He should be embarrassed, but he wasn’t.

  Once Rick was done with Dorian, he washed up quickly and then turned the water off, stepping out of the tub. He held a towel out for Dorian.

  “What’s with the royalty treatment?” Dorian asked as he stepped out and then lifted his arms up so Rick could dry him off. It was kind of nice being pampered, but Dorian knew he wouldn’t want this full time.

  “You are my mate. You will want for nothing.” It was more like an automatic response more than Rick speaking what he really thought.

  “Why?”

  Rick paused in wiping Dorian dry. “I sometimes forget that you are not changeling. When mated, as the bond grows, there is a compulsive need inside to take care of your mate, to tend to his or her every need. My job is to protect you and to make you happy.”

  Dorian chewed on that for a minute. “And what is my job as your mate?”

  Rick smiled and Dorian’s heart melted. “To be happy.”

  “Well, that doesn’t seem fair.”

  Rick finished drying Dorian off and then wrapped the towel around his lean waist. “I will let you know when I think things are becoming unfair.” He turned Dorian, patted his ass, and waved him from the bathroom.

  Dorian looked over his shoulder, glowering at Rick. “I don’t need someone pampering me. Although I enjoyed you washing me, I can do that myself.”

  Rick sighed as he sat on the side of the bed. “You are going to make this mating very difficult, aren’t you?”

  Dorian sat down beside Rick, giving him the shittiest grin he could muster. “And you know it.” He scooted back on the bed and then crawled under the sheet. “You wouldn’t be happy any other way.”

  Dorian turned over and closed his eyes before Rick could argue his point. But what could the man argue? Dorian was right, and he knew it. Rick wouldn’t be happy with an obedient, passive mate. The guy loved Dorian just the way he was.

  Rick must have fallen and bumped his head.

  That had to be the explanation.

  There really wasn’t any other logical reason for his behavior.

  There just wasn’t.

  He felt like he was himself, but after what had happened in the bathroom last night, he wasn’t so sure. Was the mating bond that deep that he had waited on Dorian hand and foot? He was a damn alpha for fuck’s sake. He waited on no one.

  “Are we ready to head out?” Miguel asked.

  Rick nodded, trying his best not to look Dorian’s way. He had picked up the morning paper and found the ad he needed. Once he called “Ernie,” Rick had their next location.

  But hell if he couldn’t stop thinking about Dorian. It was driving him nuts. He had thought back to the first time he and Dorian had talked. Rick had been so adamant about not wanting to be mated. He had made up his mind to find a way out of this.

  Now he was fully mated, and for the life of him, Rick couldn’t get Dorian’s scent out of his mouth or his mind.

  “You okay?” Dorian asked as he walked to Rick’s side of the truck.

  “Yes. Why do you ask?” he asked a little too quickly, a little too defensively. Dorian stood there staring at him, his face contemplative.

  “No reason other than you look like you are about to be sick.”

  Rick was saved from telling Dorian the truth about how soft he had become when his hip vibrated. He grabbed the disposable cell phone and pressed it to his ear. “Richard Carson.” He was going to kill Nate for the ridiculous alias.

  “It’s Ross.” The man sounded panicked, which put Rick on full alert. He glanced around nervously as he walked away from the truck.

  “Talk to me.”

  “Not too long after you left, my cousin’s home was burned to the ground. Tell me you didn’t do it. Tell me you didn’t spit in our faces after we offered you our help.” As Ross spoke, he could hear the man’s tone going through a metamorphosis from worried to downright livid.

  “I swear to you, Ross, that I didn’t set that fire. I don’t know who did.” What in the hell was Ross talking about? Did he really think Rick was that coldblooded? No matter how helpful a human wanted to be, or how honest their intentions were, Rick knew that they would always hold an ounce of fear for the nonhumans. It was natural to fear the unknown, but it was how you handled your fears that determined your character.

  Rick was waiting to see what kind of character Ross had. Closing his eyes, Rick gripped the phone tighter. There were a handful of days that he wished things were different, he were different. That he had been born human so he wouldn’t have the responsibility of a pack, or running for his life while trying to keep not only his mate alive, but two juveniles who had been sent into his care.

  Yet, contradictory to what he was feeling, Rick was proud of who he was. His hands may not be clean, but neither were a hell of a lot of humans’. But, in his defense, Rick did what he had to do to ensure the safety of his pack. That was something he would never regret. He felt he still retained his soul, although he had taken lives. His humanity was strong as iron, and no one was going to make him out to be a monster.

  “Then the Death Squad is hot on your trail. I don’t know who they are, or their backgrounds, but they are coming at you with everything that they have. Watch your back.”

  Ross was of sound character. That took a weight off of his shoulders. Rick paced in front of the truck, feeling rage building inside of him at the callousness of the people after them. Had the D
eath Squad thought them still in the house? Were they that vicious to burn them alive? A cold lump formed in Rick’s gut. He was starting to really wonder if he could beat these people. They weren’t going to stop until Rick and Dorian were dead.

  They had made that point by burning the farmhouse to smoldering ashes. But the means they had used to try to kill them was downright frightening. What if they had still been in that house?

  “I’m sorry we brought trouble your way, Ross. And I’m sorry about the house.” Rick wasn’t sure what else he could say. He hadn’t known things would get this out of control, or had he? He knew this fight was going to get downright dirty, but burning them alive?

  “You at your next location?” Ross asked.

  “Not yet. We’re heading that way.”

  “Then you better get moving. Don’t stay in one spot for too long. Someone is tipping them off. Are you sure you can trust the men with you?”

  Rick growled. “How do I know it wasn’t one of your men who called us in?”

  “True, but I highly doubt it.”

  “I don’t know your people well enough to make that same assumption.” Who would turn them in if not Ross’s men? Who would know where they—Rick cursed when he thought about the Mãos da Morte. Kraven may not have known where Rick and the others where, but a boogeyman only needed a name, and they could find anyone, anywhere, any time of day or night.

  Kraven must have used that to his advantage to find out where Rick was hiding. “Look, Ross. I appreciate the help you extended us, and I’m really sorry about the house, but I’ve got to get moving.”

  “Call me if you need my help again, Richard.”

  Rick paused in his manic pacing. “You would help us, even after your cousin’s house was burned down?” Rick managed to keep back the shock.

  “It’s a war, Richard. I didn’t expect the government to send candy and flowers.”

  Rick smiled. He really did like the human. “Thanks.”

  Ross hung up.

  Before Rick could tuck his phone away, it vibrated again.

  “Forget to tell me something?” Rick was still smiling.

  “The Death Squad is in Kansas. Tell your boyfriend to stop calling his dad if you don’t want to be found.” The caller hung up.

  Rick stood there stunned, working the caller’s voice around in his mind until he knew who it was. It was the same person who had warned him when Dorian was shot. The man had said he wouldn’t call again, but apparently he had a change of heart.

  Dorian wasn’t going to like this, but if they were going to survive, they had to cut all ties to Shelton until they could safely get into contact with the people taking care of the home front.

  “Who was that?” Dorian asked.

  Rick turned to his mate as he shoved his cell phone back into the small case. “If my gut is steering me right, an ally.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Rick slid from the truck, looking over the apartment complex. This was where he was supposed to meet his next contact. From what he had been told, a group of changelings, bear if he remembered correctly, wanted to talk to him, to meet with him to discuss the next steps in this quiet, impending war.

  His eyes snapped over to Dorian when his mate got out of the truck. Miguel and Benito soon followed. He was expecting to be hurried into an apartment, or one of the close buildings, but the night was eerily quiet. Not even the crickets were chirping.

  “I think they forgot about our meeting,” Miguel said as he sidled up next to Rick. “Maybe you should call that number again.”

  The meeting hadn’t been forgotten. Rick was sure of that. Tilting his head back, Rick sniffed the air. There was definitely bear in the area, but he wasn’t sure how long ago. The scent was faint, lingering, but not fresh enough to be recent.

  Before Rick could open his mouth to shout a warning, a blur crossed his vision, and then Dorian was being held by Calico.

  “Thought I forgot about you?” he asked Dorian, his hand gripped tightly around Dorian’s neck. Long, lethal talons lay at his mate’s soft and smooth neck. “You fucking shot me, human. So now, I ask you, what should be your punishment?”

  Raw anger pulsated through Rick’s body. He drew strength from it, knowing he was going to kill the vampire before the night was over. When a bluish tinge began to form at Dorian’s lips, Rick released his werewolf, feeling it transform him into the beast the humans feared the most.

  A strange catharsis began to slowly work its way through Rick’s body. In a matter of seconds, all his worries about leading a rebellion, all his fears about keeping Dorian safe, and all his doubts about whether he would win slowly melted away.

  He stared at the vampire who seemed gleeful that he had finally caught up with Dorian and let that single emotion on the dead man’s face guide him. “Release my mate.”

  “Or what?” Calico asked. “You are a highly sought man, Rick. What reward do you think I would get for turning the two of you in?”

  Rick felt the hairs sprouting all over his body as his muzzle formed. His head doubled in size as his body grew. “A beheading,” Rick answered in a deadpan voice. “Do you think the humans will reward you when your extermination isn’t so far off?”

  Calico took a step back, taking Dorian unwillingly along. His mate’s brown eyes stayed focused on Rick, as if he were using him as an anchor. “We have measures in place to make sure we survive.”

  The vampire had only confirmed what Rick already knew. Kraven was a coward and had made some sort of deal with the government. But Kraven was only one master vampire of many. That only meant that the bastard had bartered for his own coven, and nothing more.

  “And how honorable do you think the government is, Calico?” Rick asked as he kept his eyes on Dorian. His mate’s coloring had returned, telling Rick that the vampire had eased his grip.

  Too bad Rick was still going to kill him for laying a hand on Dorian. No matter what happened, Calico had seen his last night on earth.

  Let the dance begin.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Calico spat. “We can beat the humans hands down. They are weak creatures. Offer them enough money and they quietly crawl back into the vermin-infested hole they crawled out of.”

  “Money?” Rick taunted. “I have a feeling whoever is heading up this debacle wants something other than money, Calico. They are too determined. Humans are being slaughtered and changelings blamed for the murders. Open your greedy eyes to what is happening around you.”

  “Shut up!” Calico shouted, his emotions betraying him. The man didn’t have a whole lot of patience.

  “Why? The truth hard to swallow? Don’t you like to hear how the humans are using you?” Rick took a step closer, his voice barely a whisper, but he knew the vampire could hear him just fine. “They’ll come for you, Calico. They’ll burn your coven to the ground, exposing you to sunlight, and severing their ties with the dead. They’ll remove your heads, tear out your hearts, and dance on your unanimated bodies. No amount of money will keep you safe from the real creatures of terror.”

  Calico’s dark eyes snapped back and forth, bouncing from Rick’s face to Miguel and Benito who were now standing next to Rick in their changeling form. “Th–They won’t do that,” Calico stammered. “We are stronger than them. Our numbers are even greater than yours.”

  What a complete and utter idiot.

  “Give me back my mate, Calico. This is your only warning.” Rick was still lucidly calm. The catharsis still enveloped him as his arm extended, reaching for his mate.

  Calico seemed to gather his wits, because he jumped back, taking Dorian with him.

  Rick howled.

  Calico hissed.

  Dorian cursed.

  And a stranger walked from behind the building, four bears at his flank. “Release the human.”

  Calico spun around, and Rick used that distraction to his advantage, moving so fast the vampire didn’t have time to react. He grabbed Dorian, pulling him from Calico’s gr
ip. Handing his mate off to Miguel and Benito, Rick did as he had sworn to himself he would do.

  He tore out Calico’s throat and then slammed his claws into the man’s chest, ripping out his dead heart. The vampire crumbled to the ground as Rick tossed aside the useless muscle. He reached for Dorian, pulling his mate into his arms.

  “Dude, you smell like rotting flesh.” Dorian tried to push away, but Rick held him tighter. He could feel the uneasiness coming off of his mate as he tried to play it off with jokes.

  “It’ll wear off in an hour or two.”

  Dorian groaned. Rick turned his attention to the stranger. “You Ernie?”

  “For all intents and purposes…hell no.” The man smiled. “My name is Clyde. I’m not hiding behind a pseudonym. I’m proud to fight by your side.”

  Rick was relieved.

  Miguel stepped forward, a small snarl on his wolfish lips. “But you are our contact, right?”

  Clyde nodded. “I am, little warrior.”

  This time Miguel snarled a little louder. “There is nothing little about me.” Whoa, Miguel was a defensive little juvenile, wasn’t he? Rick inwardly smiled at calling him little. It was just a fact. Miguel was short for a man, but hated when that was pointed out.

  Rick and Clyde stared at each other, and then Rick gave him a look that told him not to push it. Just leave it alone.

  “But you have to come inside. For one, someone might see you.” Clyde waved his arm toward an open door Rick hadn’t noticed. “And two, there is something you need to see.”

  Rick grabbed his mate’s hand, half expecting Dorian to protest holding a furry hand, but his mate didn’t pull away as they followed Clyde and his bears. Rick’s gaze continually wandered, looking for anyone else who might pose a threat. His nerves were on edge, and the calm he had been recently shrouded in was now gone. Rick tried to quell his fears, but it seemed Calico’s little stunt had affected Rick more than he had thought. He never wanted to let Dorian go again.

  His mate had been through enough in just a short time, and Rick was sick and tired of Dorian being hurt. The man had gone from a mundane life to being shot, threatened, mated, on the run, and killing to survive.