by Zach Collins
Twisted Time
Stratum Series
Book Three
by Zach Collins
© Copyright May 2013 JK Publishing, Inc.
All cover art and logo © Copyright May 2013 by JK Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Edited by M.L. Hill
Artwork by JK Publishing, Inc.
Published by JK Publishing, Inc.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
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Dedication
My partner Edward, who puts up with so much, I cannot believe we have been together for so many years. This year will mark our milestone as we are having a child. I am so excited to start this new venture in our life. You are my inspiration and the love of my life. After all of the adversity, you still are by my side making sure I actually eat, and make it to work on time. Even when all I want to do is bury my head in the pillows.
Jana, you have been the rock in my crazy world when I need someone to vent to, even if it is something as small as dinner being burnt. Finding you was a fluke; I loved your books and took a chance on emailing you. I cannot believe you answer all of your emails. I thank god every day that you are a part of my life. Wine and fun with Jana is a crazy experience, lol.
Michelle and Caroline, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you do for my books. The support you two give me is something no one can understand. There is no one I would rather have digging in my books, and helping me be a better author than you two.
Lily and Alexander, you are the sunshine in my day, and the day you were born was the day we became a true family.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
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
Epilogue
Books by Zach Collins
Excerpt from Meridian Warriors: Xander and Des
Excerpt from Leila's Challenge
Excerpt from Forever Levi
Prologue
Dion was going to make this plan work. So far, they had thwarted him at every turn, and it was unacceptable. They lost many men in the last squirmish, and they were ones he could not afford to lose. They were the smart ones, not the men he put in front of the Warriors from all the other Stratums, those men were stupid fuckers whom they could afford to lose.
However, the hit Dion took with the last battle was going to hurt for a while. His only course of action was to use something they had only thought about. Now, the scientists were fast at work to prepare what was needed.
Sasha was the last of the Royal family in the Wizard Stratum who had not found her mate. Granted she was not his type, Blake was more his speed, but the asshole said he found his real mate. Impossible, the man was just under the human's spell, but until Dion could get him to see the light, he had to accomplish something to gain footing.
Sasha was the key. Dion thought of the plan a few months ago, and now he was ready. The Princess would be taken, brought to the medical lab, and impregnated with his seed. Once she was with his child, they would hold her until it was born. Killing her was never a question—the contrary bitch deserved it. In the end, though, he would have the heir to the throne and no one could take it away from him.
He had one man on the inside—someone no one would suspect—and soon he would bring the bitch to him. Moving through his new headquarters, he grinned. They destroyed his previous one, but the Royals had no idea what resources he had. Now his headquarters were far away from Trivet City, on the plains of the Stratum he grew up on. It had only taken him a few weeks to find somewhere they would never look. The small compound was called Fuertes Picaro, and the Royals knew that radicals lived here, but they never dared to come and check it out. More often than not, the men were sent back with reports of fighting and general mayhem. His new building sat right in the middle of the compound, and many of the people who resided there before he came were joining the cause. Not that they really cared, more like they were bored.
When he reached his lab, he looked inside and watched to see if his captive medical personnel were ready. Dion knocked on the window and frowned. Yep, he could have them pissing in their pants before he could say ‘boo’. It was easy to make sure they were under lock and key, they were too afraid to try to escape.
Sasha stood before him with a gorgeous full-length nightgown on, her hair hung over her shoulders and he smiled at her. She had just had her hair changed back to its original color after all these years. It was a dark brown, and shimmered in the candlelight that surrounded them. He could feel his other mate standing next to him, and he turned and looked at him; he felt Zade's hand run down his back. His mate's name was Zade, Killian thought, as the other man kissed him. He could almost feel his lips as they touched, instantly dueling for control of the kiss. He felt himself pull his mate tighter and roughly kiss him harder.
His mate groaned against his mouth, and he felt the surge of power flow through him. Sasha had moved closer, ran her hands across his chest, and kissed him lightly on the neck. Killian pulled back, and Zade moved just enough so he was behind their mate. Looking at each other over the smaller woman's head, Zade grinned and then moved her hair to the side over her shoulder, tilting her head and baring her throat.
He could see Zade lick the area where her pulse was throbbing. His cock went rock hard as he felt Sasha become bolder and run her tongue around his nipple, teasing it with her mouth. Zade kissed his way up the side of her neck until he reached her ear. Killian couldn't hold back anymore and he reached down and pulled her chin up to look at him. Grinning down at her lust-filled eyes, he knew she was going to beg for them soon.
"Bed," he ordered. Zade moved them both closer to the edge of the large bed without breaking contact at all. Killian lifted the silky gown over their mate's head and she stood before them gloriously naked. He took her full breasts in his hands and kissed her. He felt Zade reach around and put his hands over his. Together they teased and plucked at their mate's nipples until she was moving restlessly between them.
Zade moved them all until they were against the side of the bed, then he laid their mate on the bed and moved her until she was in the middle. Before he followed and crawled to one side, Zade once again kissed Killian with a passion that was almost his undoing. Killian f
elt the need to throw his mate on the bed and pound into both of them until they cried out their release. But he held back.
This moment was somehow special. He wasn't sure why, for some reason, he couldn't tell that. But he forced himself to be gentle and patient, and both of them laid on each side of their mate. Zade slowly moved his lips down her face and neck until his mouth rested against her breast, kissing and licking until she was writhing beneath him. Killian grinned and moved lower. This was the bonus of having two mates; one could take one area while the other focused on another.
He could feel that somehow he had been in the middle before, as had Zade. His mates were amazing when it came to giving. Once again, he felt his cock grow harder as he thought about what both of their mouths had felt like on him. But now was Sasha's turn, she deserved all of his attention.
Moving slowly, he kissed her stomach, and her smooth mound. Then he moved to her legs, avoiding kissing her where she wanted him the most. It wasn't time for him to give her that pleasure—he wanted her begging.
Teasing her, he brushed his hand across her mound again, loving the feel of her skin. "Please," she whispered, and Killian smiled. Not yet, he thought, and continued his kisses. He moved up her inner thigh on one side and then the other, running his tongue slowly until he reached her apex, then backed off, and did the same thing over and over until she tried to grab his head and move him to where she wanted. Zade's hand joined his and they teased her slit, running a finger slowly up until it brushed her engorged clit.
Finally, he knew she was ready when she began to make those sweet noises of pleasure that he knew so well. Zade spread her pussy lips for him and he licked her juices that were coating her already. Heaven, he thought, before...
His eyes flew opened. He had been told the history of his people so many times over the years. Could it finally be in reach and waiting for him in another Stratum—his future. It looked like he would be staying a while in the Wizard Stratum. Even with the knowledge that it wouldn't fall into place for three more moons—he smiled.
Killian looked at Logan, “We have no problem helping you. We just want to be clear, the Fae need to be able to move freely to and from our Stratum. It is mating season soon and all the unmated males will only have a twenty-four hour window to find their mates, or we have to wait another year.”
It was a fact of their world, they had so little time to find their mates, that when the time came the Fae thought of nothing else. It had led to a lot of turmoil in their Stratum, along with everything else that was going on, they didn’t need this, too.
Blake looked confused, “When is the twenty-four hours?”
“Three moons from now. I am interested in your assumption our mates may not be from our Stratum. Possibly we have been missing out also,” the Fae King said.
“Killian, you may stay here or go back, we will accommodate you in any way possible,” Blake said and the Fae King nodded.
Zade shifted in his chair, he was feeling worse and worse as the night wore on. It was a fucking full moon, his cat wanted out, but for some reason he was not able to shift. There was something suffocating him.
He picked up the phone and called Bria, “Ma’am, I am sorry to bother you, but there is something wrong!”
“We are having an incident, please come to my office, I am calling everyone to the hospital wing,” Bria said and Zade took a deep breath, he could make it.
“I am on my way,” Zade said and hung up. He could call his Alpha, but he was not ready to cause concern. He was certain it had to be something he ate, or possibly, maybe a plant he ran through.
Standing, his legs felt shaky and he was a little dizzy. His tiger growled inside, he was pissed from being held down. During a full moon, they usually shifted and remained in their animal form if they were unmated.
Making his way to the hallway he opened the door, a bright shining light was coming from down the hallway, it was from where the Faes' rooms were. That must be what Bria was talking about. Weird shit was going on around here.
He leaned against the wall and began to walk toward the light. He had to pass the Faes' suite before he could make it to the stairs. Maybe one of them could help him if they weren’t too busy with the whole light thing. As he reached the doorway he sucked in his breath, the feeling became unbearable as he sank to the floor. Damn it, he should have called his Alpha.
“Killian, what is wrong?”
Zade heard a man ask as he felt someone move close to the entryway.
“We have to go, someone has tried to kill Sasha, and she is my mate. I was waiting until the morning to talk to her!”
Zade heard a man yell.
“Sir, we will get the Guards called,” another man said.
Zade felt a presence in the hallway with him. He wanted to lift up his hand and ask for help, but he was too weak.
“Sir, there is someone collapsed in the hallway.”
Someone knelt next to him and he felt a hand touch him softly.
“It is my mate. Holy shit, another mate.”
Zade heard the man beside him say and then nothing.
Chapter One
Damn, they had no choice now with the moon not far off them now, and still they were unable to open a portal without endangering the people of this Stratum and theirs. It looked like he was to at least be one of the lucky ones this year.
“We will need to make do, explain to the rest of the men, and hope that some find their mates here. You have seen what the Rebels can do, we can't chance letting them loose on our people, or any of the others. It is decided,” Killian said to his Second, Bortant.
The Fae had been with him since last year. His previous Second had been challenged and killed by the man, even though Killian was not particularly fond of him—until he met his mate, he was stuck with him. Soon though, Killian knew his mate was here, he felt it—he dreamed it. The sister of the Wizard Stratum King was his mate, when he touched her—he could feel it.
She denied him, but Killian was willing to play the woman’s game for now, he was ready to win her hand and her heart.
Bortant looked at his King closely, “You know something?”
Killian stood tall and faced down the man he would be replacing before the end of the night. He would be pissed, since he was power hungry, but Killian was following the Fae laws, like he had when the asshole killed his friend and his Guard had held Killian back from taking Bortant's life like he wanted to at the time. The elders had reminded him often enough over the last year, that as soon as he found a mate, the slimy bastard would be gone.
“Get him to the hospital wing, I have to go and help the others. Sasha was the target of this attack, I have to find her.” Killian ordered Bortant.
Chapter Two
“Where is my daughter?” Bria called out as she tried to help move the large tiger shifter to the table.
“We are waiting to hear, there is a battle raging in the front hall,” the Warrior said and went to the door and locked it. “I was instructed to lock us down until we are notified.
Zade could hear everything they were saying, just as he had heard the man in the hall call him ‘mate.’ As he fought his way back from the darkness, he could feel his hair beginning to grow. His cat knew that Sasha was his mate, and knowing he had two unclaimed mates now, was making his skin crawl. Damn, he could appreciate what Crispin went through before claiming Chase. This shit sucked.
No matter how sick he felt though, he would not allow his mate to be out there in danger without him. Bria must have felt his power rising.
“Zade?” Bria warned.
“I need to be out there. I am fine. Open the door before I rip it open,” Zade growled and focused on the Warrior and waited while the man looked around for guidance.
With a loud sigh Bria said, “Open the door.”
The Warrior nodded and opened the door quickly; Zade shifted into his tiger and quickly ran down the hall toward the sounds of fighting.
When he entered th
e hall, he quickly searched for his mates. His tiger focused on a tall handsome man who was fighting in the corner with another Fae, while Crispin, in his lion form, along with Chase, Blake, and Logan were all spread out fighting Rebels who were throwing spells around the hall. When a piece of the wall he was standing next to exploded, Zade leapt without flinching at the Wizard who threw the spell, ripped out his throat and then moved on.
Where was she? Sasha, his mate, was nowhere to be found. He growled and then made his way to where the man stood, and he knew him. Well fuck, the Fae King was his mate, too, what the hell was going on here? His tiger helped the Fae with the men they were fighting and then Zade shifted, thank goodness, he had learned to shift with clothes back on a long time ago.
“Where is she?” Zade asked, not bothering to get into a discussion with King Killian. He would know who Zade was asking about.
“I don’t know, I have been a little too busy, we have to find her,” Killian yelled at Blake, who had just finished off the Wizard he was fighting. “Where is Sasha?”