Carnal Hunger

by Fel Fern

  

  Devil Hills Wolves 6

  Carnal Hunger

  Jack and his family have been hunted their entire lives because of his ability to see the future. After his parents sacrificed themselves to save Jack and his brother, Jack flees to the Devil Hills wolf pack for sanctuary. Charming and sexy werewolf Max instantly gets his attention but Jack knows dancing with the lethal enforcer might just end up with Max breaking his heart.

  After seeing the other enforcers of the pack mated, Max never thought a mate was for him until he spots the human seer Jack. Jack calls to his inner wolf like no other. Sparks instantly fly but with a war about to break out in the horizon, Max isn’t sure how to divide his time between Jack and his duties to the pack.

  Jack thinks tangling with him might only lead to a broken heart but Max is intent on proving that Jack’s the only one for him.

  Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 22,997

  Carnal Hunger

  Devil Hills Wolves 6

  Fel Fern

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Carnal Hunger

  Copyright © 2018 by Fel Fern

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-266-4

  First Publication: June 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

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  To my readers, I hope you enjoy Max and Jack's story as much as I loved writing it.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Felicia Fern works as a graphic designer during the day, and loves penning M/M paranormal erotic romance at night.

  A sadist who loves watching her heroes break their backs trying to earn their happy endings, Fel likes throwing in the occasional dash of the unknown to the usual romantic concoction.

  www.felfern.com

  https://tinyletter.com/felfern

  https://www.facebook.com/author.felfern

  For all titles by Fel Fern, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/fel-fern

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Carnal Hunger

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Carnal Hunger

  Devil Hills Wolves 6

  FEL FERN

  Copyright © 2018

  Chapter One

  Jack Summers bumped onto his brother on his way up the elevator to his parents’ place. He blinked, studied his younger brother Glenn. Last time he saw Glenn had been four years ago, when he drove Glenn to his new college dorm.

  “Is that you, squirt?” Jack asked.

  Glenn scowled, but it only lasted a second before he grinned. That familiar smile took Jack back to their childhood. Glenn always knew how to use his dimpled smile to his advantage. Girls never said no to him, and the same went for adults. Jack, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He’d been awkward as a kid and as an adult.

  “Yeah, I’m taller than you now. Shocker, right?” Glenn asked.

  It was true. Glenn had filed out, too, making Jack feel he was the skinny brother. With their black hair and same brown eyes, most people mistook them for twins. A weight settled in his chest as the elevator doors opened and they both got in. Jack hadn’t seen his folks in years, too, especially after moving to a new city. He wanted a fresh start, away from all the family secrets.

  “Hold the doors,” said a voice, and Jack pressed the open button so an old man could step in.

  His brother stood a little closer to him.

  “How’s work?” Glenn asked, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his hoodie.

  “The usual.” Jack found himself at a loss for words. He warily watched his brother, waited for Glenn to get mad and demand why he kept himself away from his family all these years. Glenn didn’t, merely went for a second question.

  “You still with that guy? What’s his name, Van?”

  “Van and I broke up ages ago.” God, that had been what? Two years ago? Glenn was reaching out, trying to reestablish some kind of connection. Jack should do the same. Besides, he had to admit he missed his family. “I’m single right now. You?”

  “Me too.”

  “Really? I thought you were planning to move in with your boyfriend Rob.”

  Glenn tucked his phone away. “Yeah, well. You’d know, if you bothered picking up your phone.”

  Jack felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Yeah, he had to know that remark was coming. Glenn must have made that comment off-hand, but it still stung.

  “Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that Jack and Glenn Summers?” asked the old man.

  Jack blinked, studied the third person in the lift. “Is that you, Mr. Sanders?”

  Mr. Sanders was the old widower who lived four floors below them growing up.

  “Yup, it’s us.”

  “Came to see your folks, I’m guessing? Good for you two. My own children hardly visit me,” grumbled the old man, who got off at his floor.

  Once Mr. Sanders left, he said, “I was wondering when you’d bring that up.”

  Maybe Glenn had only been civil because of Mr. Sanders.

  “Well, what were we supposed to think? You ran off to a new city. Sure, you called Mom once a week, but you didn’t want to come to any weekend family dinners.”

  “I needed space.” Jack didn’t elaborate further.

  Glenn would understand. In a society that prized being normal, being born to a family with Esper genes was a curse, especially in New City. The Humans Matter government had only tightened their policies in sweeping the city clean of non-humans while they were growing up. As a result, his family had been extra careful about discovery. They spent so much time pretending to be normal that it was all they did.

  They acted like a normal human family in front of neighbors but didn’t make any close connections to anyone else. Glenn and he had been taught that trusting the wrong people could lead to disastrous results. If their friends ever found out about their heritage, they’d tell on the authorities and the entire Summers family would just disappear one day.

  The only bonds they made were to other Esper families like them, who hid from the Discipline Squad, the government’s death squad. All Jack wanted was to be like everyone else, have normal friends, a caring boyfriend, a home. He was more like his dad, his abilities practically useless compared to his mother’s or his brother’s.

  People fear what they don’t understand, his mother once told him when he demanded to know why Espers were hunted down. They were humans,
too, he had argued, not like the scary shifters or vampires. Just because they had some psychic abilities didn’t mean they were dangerous.

  Glenn snorted. “Family should always stick together. I guess you forgot that.”

  They glared at each other all the way to the front door of their parents’ apartment. Jack raised his hand to knock, only for the door to open.

  “Thanks again, Linda,” the stranger said, a woman in her late fifties. Both Glenn and he stepped aside, letting her past. He balled his hands into fists as they went inside and Glenn shut the door behind him.

  Jack didn’t need to know the woman’s name.

  “I thought Mom stopped trying to see the future for other Espers,” he said in a low voice.

  “Well, in case you haven’t heard the news, the Discipline Squad’s been rounding up more and more Espers lately. Seers like us are the only ones who can predict which family’s in danger,” Glenn said.

  “You know, I’m getting sick of your attitude,” he began.

  “Boys, are you fighting?” said their mom, Linda. She had an apron on and held out a spatula, frown on her lips. In the living room, he spotted his dad in his usual spot in front of the TV. Seeing them, he rose to greet them.

  His mom held her arms open for him. “Jack, give me a hug. It’s been so long.”

  Part of him had been scared she’d be like Glenn, rebuking him for staying away too long, but he’d forgotten. Of course she wouldn’t be mad. He gave her a hug and nodded to his dad.

  “You said you saw something important on the phone a few days ago?” he asked.

  “Lunch first, then talk,” she said, returning to the kitchen. His father returned to his show.

  “Why, have important plans?” Glenn asked, lowering his voice.

  “Why are you being such an asshole?” he demanded.

  “Because, I don’t know, I thought you’d change somehow. Instead, you’re the same selfish prick.”

  “Wanting to be normal is selfish?”

  “Not being there when your family needs you is.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Jack, Glenn, do your mother a favor and get along for one meal,” their father grumbled from the living room.

  “Fine,” he muttered. Jack killed the time by taking a seat in the living room. He’d offer to help his mom, but knowing her, the kitchen was her domain and she didn’t like anyone else assisting her.

  He and his father, as usual, said little. His dad asked him a few questions about his life and he did the same. Finally, his mom called all of them to the table.

  “Food looks great,” he said, eying the grilled pork chops and mashed potatoes. It struck him that she made all his favorites. His guilt intensified. Conversation was pleasant, normal almost except he could sense a little strain there, too.

  “I’ll get dessert,” his mom announced, but he placed a gentle hand on her arm.

  “Mom, please. Tell us why you called us here.”

  She leaned back against her chair, closing her eyes. Jack traded worried looks with Glenn. They might not get along now, had issues they needed to work out, but if the situation called for it, they always had each others’ back. His mom only had that intense look of concentration, her brows furrowed and her lips pursed when she had a vision.

  “I’ll get you something to drink,” his dad said, rising from the table.

  “Wait,” she said, opening her eyes, looking like she had a headache. She and Glenn always looked like that, especially when it was a serious one. “Glenn, Jack, can you head to the store across the street and get us some ice?”

  “What? Now?” he asked.

  Glenn looked puzzled, too.

  “Please.”

  At that, they both rose. Maybe it was a vision concerning her and his dad. They left the apartment, not speaking until they reached the store.

  “She’s been having more of those lately. I’m the same,” Glenn finally said as they headed toward the chiller section.

  “How bad?” he asked. Unlike his mom or brother, Jack couldn’t ‘see’ far, only a few minutes ahead of time. It was a pretty useless ability. The only time he used it was to avoid bullies in high school. Since his powers were on a small scale, his headaches were mild compared to the migraines his mom and brother got.

  “Very.” Glenn let out a breath. “Sorry I got all mad at you. It’s just, Mom and Dad have been telling me to come home more often. It’s my last year, too. If I want to graduate, I need to put in more work, but lately, I’ve sensed something bad is going to happen.”

  Jack felt more of a dick now than ever. “What do you mean?”

  Glenn smiled grimly at him. “I’ve blacked out once or twice in my dorm room. You know how these visions work. Random. I tried focusing on our family’s future, though, because Mom’s been telling me how the Squad’s been vigorously rounding up Espers. Jack, all I see is a black space.”

  “That’s never happened before,” he said, then gripped the glass of the freezer.

  Jack hadn’t had a vision in months, until now. His head swirled and he began to feel nauseous. He shut his eyes, heard the sound of screeching tires on asphalt, saw a white van rolling on a familiar street. Dangerous men dressed in white emerged from the van doors. He heard growling from the back. All the hairs on his arms rose.

  “Jack,” Glenn asked in the present, not touching him, probably knowing that would interrupt what he saw.

  He opened his eyes, heart hammering. Jack recognized that street. He grabbed Glenn and slowly edged toward the shop windows. The street was empty.

  “What did you see?” Glenn asked.

  “Glenn, we got to go back. Warn Mom and Dad. Our worst fears are about to come true,” he said, not caring who heard them. Jack ran out the shop, about to cross the street when he heard the tires squealing on the room. A van would have run him over if not for Glenn jerking back to the sidewalk.

  “It’s too late,” Glenn said, pale turning pale. “Mom saw it, that’s why she wanted us gone. If we go back in there, then we’ll be taken or killed, too.”

  “We can’t just leave them in there,” he said, panicked. His heart felt like it would burst out of his chest.

  “Remember the plan,” Glenn said against his ear.

  “What plan? That crazy-ass precaution they drilled into our head when I was twelve and you were nine? Shit, Glenn. We could do something.”

  Then he heard it, the growl of a wild animal, rattling from the van.

  “What is that?” Glenn whispered, then shook his head. “Car keys. Where are they?”

  Jack reached for his back pocket, halted. No way in hell would he leave his parents at the mercy of the Squad, but Glenn snatched the keys and, the next thing he knew, punched him in the face. His head spun, distinctively aware of Glenn dragging him to his car. He still drove the old Buick his father gave him after college, so Glenn easily found it.

  “Wait,” he protested as Glenn jerked the door to the backseat opened. His brother was a lot stronger than he thought, because Glenn shoved him inside.

  A loud howl pierced the street and he scrambled to sit up, looking outside the window. One of the men in white opened the back doors of the van and grabbed what looked like a thick chain. Every muscle in his body froze as he spied something huge, its fur all scarred up and matted, jumping down from the van.

  “Shit,” Glenn said as the monster—because he’d never seen a wolf that big—turned its yellow gaze at them. The Squad member holding the beast’s leash turned toward their direction and raised his gun.

  “Glenn!” he yelled. His brother got behind the wheel just as the guy fired. Glass shattered. Glenn screamed but managed to start the engine. They began to roll out of the spot and down the street. He ducked his head as the glass in the back shattered.

  Glenn drove faster.

  Chapter Two

  “Glenn, stop the car, you’re shot,” Jack said.

  “No, we need to keep going,” his brot
her said. “God.”

  Jack began to climb into the seat next to Glenn, but his brother shoved him back, keeping one hand on the wheel.

  “Fuck, are you trying to get yourself killed?” Glenn practically yelled.

  Jack culled his temper. He knew Glenn was panicking, knew Glenn only raised his voice like that when he was scared. Hell, he was frightened, too, but he was the big brother here. His dad told him to look after Glenn, because while he could pass for human, Glenn had a hard time playing pretend.

  “I heard you, Glenn. Hell, I can smell the blood. You’re hurt.” Jack couldn’t think about the parents they left behind, because Glenn was right.

  He was the older brother but he’d acted irrationally. When a family member was comprised, the rest had to run. That was the rule drilled into their heads when they were kids. The Squad only used to take those who displayed Esper abilities but left the other human members of their family alone. That was what they were taught in school anyway, but Glenn and he knew better.

  “There’s a first aid kit in the trunk,” Jack said, glad his voice sounded calm.

  “We can’t stop yet,” Glenn whispered. “We got to get out of New City.”

  “Okay. You’re right. Once we do that, we’ll take a look at your wound,” he said. Since Glenn was still talking, he guessed the bullet didn’t hit a vital spot. “Then we’ll switch places.”

  “Always so bossy,” Glenn muttered. “Then and now.”

  “Hey, who’s the one who got shot? Besides, my car, my rules.”

  Glenn let out a laugh. “Shit, did you see that thing, that monster that looked at us?”

  He shivered, remembering those dirty yellow eyes and that huge muzzle he bet hid sharp fangs. “That’s no normal animal.”