by Carol Lynne
Coming November 2009 from Resplendence Publishing
Despite the healing burns on his back, Jarek was almost giddy. Refuge. He’d heard so much about the place, he couldn’t believe he’d actually see it with his own eyes in a matter of minutes.
“The first thing I’m going to do is shift into my cougar skin and take a run,” he informed Grant, the guard sitting next to him.
Grant glanced at Jarek before looking away again. Jarek tried not to take the brush-off personally, but it had been a long, boring trip. He wished Daniel was making the trek across country with him. After hearing from Mica that Daniel was healthy again, Jarek thought of nothing else but sitting and talking with his new friend. He couldn’t explain the bond he felt toward the small coyote shifter, but he knew it would last a lifetime.
Jarek once again adjusted himself in the seat. Although his back was healing nicely, it was still too tender to lean against the backrest. With his forearms resting on his thighs, his gaze once again wandered to Mica. The heavily muscled guard was breathtakingly beautiful and Jarek had found himself fantasizing about him on several occasions during the trip. He’d even tried to get a seat next to the bald, ebony-skinned man, but Mica had set his weaponry down in the available seat, making it clear he’d rather be alone. In the end, Jarek had been forced to take a seat next to Mr. Sourpuss.
“So, how much longer do ya think?” he asked Grant.
Grant glanced out the side window of the mini-bus Ryker had purchased. “About fifteen minutes or so.” Grant went back to reading a magazine about guns, leaving Jarek to twiddle his thumbs once again.
He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the home that Ryker said he could have. He wanted a big front porch, maybe even wrapping around the side. White, he decided, with dark green shutters. Jarek could picture himself sitting on the porch in the evening, watching the sun set from a swing that matched the green of the shutters. He’d have to make sure the front of his house faced west. Flowers could be planted all along the front of the house and inside the white fence he wanted to build.
Shaking his head, Jarek couldn’t help but chuckle at himself. For someone who’d never even lived in a house, he sure had specific ideas of what he wanted it to look like. He wondered if the other shifters dreamed of such things. It was a vast departure from the caves he’d called home for over a hundred years.
Grant elbowed him in the side, surprising Jarek. “We’re here,” Grant mumbled without even glancing at Jarek.
Jarek sat up straighter and peered out the window. A tall, menacing fence came into view along with what looked like some kind of guard house. Big men holding weapons were stationed around the perimeter of the fence. Jarek’s heart sank. He’d built Refuge up as a sort of Utopia in his mind, but it looked more like a prison.
The sting of tears assaulted him and he was forced to look away. What was supposed to be the happiest day of his long life had turned out disappointing. It was his own damn fault and he knew it.
He felt a pair of eyes on him and quickly glanced around. Mica was standing in the aisle staring at him. Jarek looked away, ashamed the guard had seen his tears.
The bus pulled to a stop beside in front of the gate, and Mica held a large hand out. “Come with me,” he ordered Jarek.
Jarek took a deep breath and stood, ignoring Mica’s hand. In borrowed clothing, he followed Refuge’s chief of security off the min-bus.
Mica waived to one of the guards and the security gate opened, allowing the bus to pull through. Jarek suddenly worried that his reaction had somehow ruined his chances of being invited in.
“What about me?” he asked.
“I have orders to drive you to Ryker’s house upon arrival.” Mica disappeared into the guard building and came back with a set of keys. He gestured to a small black truck with the word Security written on the side in bright yellow letters.
Jarek climbed into the vehicle and waited while Mica spoke to one of the guards. Once again, he wondered if he’d done something to upset the beautiful man. After his initial rescue, Mica had been the one to tend to Jarek’s burns. Despite being almost twice Jarek’s size, Mica’s touch was surprisingly gentle.
Although he tried to hide it from Mica, Jarek’s body reacted predictably to the man’s touch. Maybe he hadn’t hid his attraction at all and that was the reason Mica had not only pulled away, but seemed to erect a wall between them.
The driver’s door opened and Mica got behind the wheel without a word. Despite his earlier resolve to allow Mica his space, Jarek couldn’t handle the silence for another moment.
“Are you mad at me for something?”
Mica started the small truck and pulled through the open gate. “No.”
Jarek waited for more, but nothing came. The wind blowing in from the open windows had his long hair whipping across his face as the vehicle’s speed increased. Jarek gathered the long tawny strands at the nape of his neck and leaned an elbow on the passenger door. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“If this place is supposed to be so ideal, why do they have the fences to keep us in? Will we ever be allowed to travel outside the gate?”
Mica slowed the truck and pulled to the side of the road. “The fence is there to protect you, not hold you prisoner.”
“But The Hunters are dead, so why the armed guards?”
“Because you’re special. And there are people on the outside who don’t want you to be.”
“What about you? You’re special.” God, he couldn’t believe he’d just said that.
Mica shook his head and put the truck in gear. “There’s nothing special about me.”
Jarek wanted to argue that point, but Mica’s closed expression kept him silent. Instead he turned his attention to the view out the passenger window. Everything was so incredibly green and lush. They passed several houses under construction, and Jarek sighed.
“Do they tell you where you can build, or can you just pick out a spot of your own?”
Mica shook his head. “I don’t know. You’ll have to talk to Ryker about that.”
“He said I could have a bungalow,” Jarek informed him with a bit of pride in his voice.
Mica turned off the main road and headed up a rather steep incline. “I don’t know what that is,” the big man admitted.
The subject of houses always got Jarek excited. He reached out and laid a hand on Mica’s strong forearm. “Oh, they’re beautiful houses. Nothing fancy, or big, but they have these great front porches. I want mine to wrap around the side of the house. Do you think Ryker will have them do that?”
Mica didn’t react right away, instead he was staring at the hold Jarek still had on his arm. Jarek dropped his hand and shrugged. “Sorry. I tend to get a little excited sometimes.”
“I noticed,” Mica chuckled.
It was the first time Jarek had heard the stoic man laugh, and the sound warmed him to the bone. He inwardly sighed. “So we’re going to see The Guardians?”
“Yes,” Mica answered and pointed toward a large house peeking through the trees.
“Damn.” Jarek had never seen such a big house. “I don’t want anything that big. I figure two bedrooms will be plenty. Hey, have you ever slept in a bed?”
“Yep.”
“What’s it like?” A brief thought of sharing a bed with Mica flitted through his mind. Yeah. He was horny, but for Jarek, that was a pretty natural state of being.
“I don’t know. It’s a bed. Softer than the ground, but it doesn’t smell as good as sleeping on a nice bed of grass in the shade.”
Jarek smiled at the image. “You like that? Sleeping outside in the shade?”
He was almost positive he witnessed a brief rosy glow under Mica’s beautiful skin tone. It made him want the chief of security even more.
“Yeah. It’s probably one of my favorite things to do when I’m not working.” Mica pulled the truck behind the other vehicles in the drive and turned off the engine.
&
nbsp; Before the spell between them was broken, Jarek took the opportunity to lean over and plant a kiss on Mica’s cheek. “Thanks for talking to me.”
Mica looked shocked at the gesture. “You’re welcome.”
Jarek started to open his door. “Are you coming?”
Mica shook his head. “They only asked that I drive you up here, not that I come in.”
Jarek rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so literal. Come on. I’m sure they’ll want to see you.” He tugged at Mica’s arm for several moments until the big man chuckled and opened his door.
“If you get me into trouble…”
“I won’t,” Jarek said with a wink.
Before they could reach the front steps, the big double doors opened and Daniel, Ryker and Hakan stood before them.
“Jarek!” Daniel squealed and wrapped his arms around Jarek.
The contact to his back made Jarek flinch. Mica stepped forward just as Daniel pulled back.
“Shit. I’m sorry. I was so excited to see you, I forgot. How’re the burns?” Daniel asked.
“Healing,” Jarek informed his friend.
Daniel glanced over his shoulder at Ryker and Hakan. “Why don’t you keep Mica company while I take Jarek to the spring?”
Both men nodded and Daniel held out his hand. “Come on. I’ve got something special to show you.”
Jarek took Daniel’s hand and was led off the porch and down a dirt path. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
Daniel grinned. “Amazing, isn’t it?” Daniel stopped and pointed toward a pool of white water.
“Milk?” Jarek asked.
Daniel shook his head. “Healing waters.” Daniel started to disrobe before gesturing to Jarek. “Off with them. We’re taking a soak together.”
Jarek was surprised, to say the least, but he followed Daniel’s lead and soon stood before the Coyote King completely naked.
“You are a beautiful man,” Daniel commented as he stepped over the mossy rocks to lower himself in the water.
Jarek stood, completely dumbfounded by Daniel’s appraisal.
“It’s okay,” Daniel chuckled. “I may look, but I won’t touch.” He splashed his hand in the water. “In with you.”
Jarek followed the impression Daniel’s feet had made on the shore and submerged his lower-half into the white water. Daniel walked around behind him and began dripping water over Jarek’s back. With every drop, he could actually feel the burns fading.
“So tell me about you and Mica?” Daniel asked.
The question startled him. Was his attraction to the big man that noticeable? Damn. He’d need to be more careful. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
Daniel giggled and reached around Jarek to take hold of his erection. “This tells me that you do. You’ve been in a constant state of arousal since you arrived.”
Jarek felt self-conscious about his condition and brushed Daniel’s hand away. “He’s a good-looking man,” he admitted.
“And?” Daniel prompted, going back to washing Jarek’s back.
“And nothing.”
“Bullshit. I saw the way he lurched for me when he saw you flinch earlier.”
Jarek had noticed Mica’s reaction, but didn’t think anything about it at the time. “What’re you saying? You think he likes me?” Jarek shook his head. “He barely speaks to me.”
Daniel gripped Jarek’s shoulders and turned him around. “Mica’s special.”
“He told me he wasn’t special. I thought that meant he wasn’t a shifter.”
“He’s not. Well, not really. Earth Mother made him and the other guards out of the stones that have been on this piece of land for thousands of years.”
“I didn’t know she could do that.”
Daniel chuckled. “You’d be surprised at what Mother can do when she sets her mind to something. Anyway, although Mica and his men have been transformed, they don’t have the ability to shift.”
“So they’ll always be men,” Jarek surmised.
“Yes. And with their new-found life, comes problems. They’re experiencing emotions for the first time. My guess is that Mica doesn’t really know what to think about you.”
“So what should I do?”
“Give him time and space. We’ve got a behavioral psychologist coming in. Jon will be able to help all the shifters adjust to their new lives, but most especially, he’ll be able to help Mica and his men deal with their emotions.”
Jarek followed Daniel’s lead and sat on one of the rocks in the shallow end of the pool. The water was serving to not only heal him, but if he wasn’t mistaken, it was doing odd things to the rest of his anatomy as well. “So what’s with this water?”
Daniel grinned. “A gift from my men and me.”
Jarek didn’t understand. Daniel must’ve seen his confusion. The smaller man reached out and ruffled Jarek’s long hair. “Doesn’t matter. Just enjoy it.”
Jarek stood and dove into the deeper water, completely submerging himself. As the silken water caressed his skin, he began to feel rejuvenated. He came up out of the water harder than he’d ever been.
He looked around for a place to jerk off. Although he’d done it in front of Daniel many times, it had always been dark. In the light of day, he suddenly felt shy. “I’m gonna go…” he mumbled, climbing out of the water and heading for the dense forest beyond the pool.
Daniel’s laughter followed him. “I’m gonna head back. Come up to the house when you’re finished.”
Jarek shouted back, “Don’t worry, this won’t take long.”
About the Author
An avid reader for years, one day Carol Lynne decided to write her own brand of erotic romance. Carol juggles life as a full-time mom and a full-time writer. These days, you can usually find her either cleaning jelly out of the carpet or nestled in her favorite chair writing steamy love scenes.
Thank You!
We appreciate your purchase of this Resplendence Publishing title. We hope your reading experience was a pleasurable one, and invite you to take 10% off your next electronic book purchase from Resplendence.
Visit www.ResplendencePublishing.com, select any title, and enter the following code when you check out: ReadRP10. This code is valid only at www.ResplendencePublishing.com, for electronic book purchases only.
During your visit to www.ResplendencePublishing.com, you can enjoy Free Reads from RP’s hottest authors, obtain information on our Read Green charitable donation program, or sign up for our quarterly newsletter and our RP Reader Rewards program, which awards loyal readers a $10.00 gift certificate for every $100.00 spent.
You can also join us on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter (look for rp_leigh.) You will find regular updates, information on upcoming releases and appearances, as well as contests for free RP titles. We love to hear from our readers, and hope to see you there.
Thank you again for your purchase, and we look forward to becoming your number one resource for high quality electronic fiction.
Best,
The RP Team
Also Available from
Resplendence Publishing
Extinction by Carol Lynne
Professor of Environmental Science/Wildlife studies at UNLV, Jack McBain has spent his adult life trying to track a legend overheard during his youth. Born and raised in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland, Jack remembers his grandparents telling stories of a race of people eradicated by European settlers in 1829. According to the legend, the Beothuk people didn’t die out as first thought, but were transformed into wolf shifters.
When Newfoundland wolves began to appear in great numbers, the European settlers began killing them under the guise of population control. In 1910, the last of the Newfoundland wolves was shot, making them one of the few extinct species of wolves in the world.
Following spotty leads, Jack begins to track what he believes are Beothuk/Newfoundland shifter wolves. His search leads him to the Lake Mead National Recreational Area outside of
Las Vegas. There, on Spirit Mountain, he finally comes face to face with not only the shifter he’s been looking for, but the man of his dreams he didn’t know he needed.
In For a Penny by Carol Lynne
What’s the old saying…you can never go home again? Raven Black resigned himself to never returning after being ordered from the only real home he’d ever known. Now, seven years later, Raven is back to face the man who sent him away.
Zane Conner is not only Raven’s foster brother but the only man Raven ever loved. Despite his mixed feelings about the situation, Raven can’t deny Zane when the older man asks for his help in saving the Lazy C Bar Ranch. A boy found dead on the ranch clinches Raven’s decision.
Why did the young boy look so much like he had at that age—the same age he’d been when his own father had beaten him and left him for dead?
Nuit Aux Trois by Melinda Barron
Quinn’s two roommates, lovers Fletcher Covair and Devlin St. Giles, have the perfect idea: Quinn will accompany them on a Halloween ghost hunt at a haunted plantation. Quinn agrees, knowing there’s no such thing as ghosts and thinking the time away will give her time to assess her future job prospects, and if nothing else, a chance to relax.
But the plantation’s resident ghost, Alison, has other ideas. She wants help in righting a long-time wrong, and it seems that the ghost has chosen Quinn, Dev, and Fletch to assist her. While Quinn’s mind is reeling from the knowledge that there are really ghosts, she comes to another shocking realization: Dev and Fletch have more on their minds than ghost hunting, and Alison isn’t the only restless spirit who wants to make contact.
The Resurrection of Josephine by Melinda Barron
Martin Vandreen avoids graveside funerals at all costs—for good reason. As a spiritual medium with the ability to communicate with the dead, cemeteries tend to be filled with restless souls that want to chat with him. But when Martin makes an exception and attends the burial ceremony of his dear friend’s departed father, he encounters a powerful entity that nearly kills him.