“He ran down the hallway toward the back, this guy’s friend was behind him. I thought you would want this one though.”
“Baptista, can you escort this gentleman and our sleeping friend downstairs,” Gabriel said, as he and Mikhail moved past the shifter in a blur heading toward the back of the club.
They slowed down as each warrior started edging close to the opened storage-room door. Mikhail held up his hand, indicating to Gabriel he would go first. Gabriel nodded. Mikhail turned and darted into the large storage room. Gabriel quickly followed. Slowly they made their way along the left side of the room next to the open shelves. Gabriel felt his patience running out. He had to find Ashby. He had to see him with his own eyes and hold him in his arms to know that he was safe, this was taking too long. He tapped Mikhail on the shoulder as the only warning before he walked blatantly out into the open under the single light in the room.
“Ashby, are you in here?” he asked, hoping he sounded pitiful. Mikhail was going to throttle him for deliberately putting his life in danger. They didn’t have a long wait. A single shot was heard before Gabriel felt the slug graze his arm as he turned his body to avoid the fatal heart shot. He heard growls behind him, then the distinct sound of bones breaking and a man’s scream. Mikhail dragged a struggling form into the circle of light where Gabriel stood waiting.
“Why have you come after my mate?” Gabriel demanded, pulling the vampire’s chin up to face him.
“You should have backed off, we warned what would happen if you kept investigating.” The man hissed.
“The first note was from them, the second one on vellum was from the stalker. Only you could be wrapped up in this much shit at once.” Mikhail shook his head.
“I will not be intimidated and I will not back down. I will find every one of you and destroy this drug ring, if it’s the last thing I do. You cemented your fate the second you came after my mate.” Gabriel felt his teeth grind together as he stared down at the defiant attacker. He then looked up at Mikhail and smiled frostily.
“And you say I never give you anything nice,” he said, before turning his back and walking out of the room. He was down the hallway when he heard scream after scream, the last one ending in a gurgling sound. Mikhail caught up to him by the time he reached the empty dance floor.
“Sir, the feral is downstairs in the dungeon,” Baptista said.
“Good. Is everyone searching?” Gabriel asked. Baptista nodded.
“I’m about to join Kurt and Lauri, we’re searching the surrounding property in case there were more than two,” Baptista said and headed out the front.
Gabriel headed up the stairs two at a time to his office. Mikhail moved next to him at the wall of monitors scanning each screen.
“We’ll find him. We’ll find Ashby then have fun with the feral.” Mikhail met Gabriel’s eyes and they shared a moment of perfect understanding.
They both turned to watch the monitors. Gabriel prayed he would see his mate walk across the club floor. When this was over he was moving everyone to Arkadia as soon as possible.
“You may want to tell David or Daniel this one is broken, it keeps blinking,” Mikhail said, pointing to one of the monitor screens.
“I’ll let them know,” Gabriel said, distracted.
“Though why they put a camera in the freezer is beyond me.” Mikhail shrugged and Gabriel froze.
“What did you say?” he demanded, spinning Mikhail around.
“The camera in the freezer is on the fritz. It keeps blinking in and out,” Mikhail said, confused, pointing to the monitor. Gabriel spun around to the video feed from the freezer flashing on, then off.
“The camera isn’t on the fritz. Someone is turning the light on and off.” He broke out into a wide smile and ran for the door. He passed several coven members.
“I know where he is!” he shouted and headed toward the kitchen.
When he got to the freezer he flung the door open. He looked around and didn’t see Ashby. He heard a yip and looked down. There in his shifted fox form, his mate stood tiny, perfect and very alive. He scooped him up and gasped as Ashby burrowed himself under his shirt, his tiny paw pads ice cold. His poor mate was shivering. Smiling, he made his way to the dance floor and the stairs that lead to his apartments.
“Sir! Where is he? Is he OK?” David asked. Most of the coven looked on concerned.
“Come out, Ashby, everyone is worried,” Gabriel said and Ashby poked his head out of the top of Gabriel’s shirt before climbing out to sit on his mate’s forearm. The entire coven collectively sucked in their breaths. Gabriel hid a smile at the way his jaded, cynical group of world weary vampires melted on the spot.
“I’ll be upstairs warming him up,” Gabriel said and headed up the stairs. When he reached the top Ashby shifted. He suddenly had his arms filled with naked man.
“In our new house I want a hot tub. And a sauna. And hot chocolate on tap and my own collection of fuzzy blankies!” Ashby demanded, looking around as they entered their apartment.
“Where is the baby penguin blankie you got me?” he asked. Gabriel ignored him and headed for the bathroom. He walked right into the stone shower and turned on the jets, keeping his back to the water while it heated so that Ashby wouldn’t get any colder.
“Are they gone?” Ashby asked in a small voice. Gabriel nodded.
“With the move to Arkadia you will be beyond their reach,” Gabriel said, rubbing his chin over Ashby’s head.
He set Ashby down when the water warmed and stripped off his sodden clothes. Ashby returned to his arms but instead of facing his lover Ashby pushed his back against Gabriel’s chest and reached behind him to pull Gabriel’s arms around his waist. Gabriel could feel his dick begin to harden as he felt his mate’s soft skin against his body.
“I want you too,” Ashby said, shaking his ass from side to side and causing friction between their bodies.
Gabriel reached around Ashby’s body to stroke his mate’s cock. Ashby began to whimper and thrust up into his hand. Gabriel stepped forward, pumped some waterproof lube into his hand from the shower dispenser and slipped his fingers between the crease of his lover’s ass, fingering his hole. Gently he eased in one finger but quickly added a second then a third.
“Yes! I like the burn sometimes.” Ashby hissed, thrusting forward into Gabriel’s fist and then backward onto his fingers.
“Fuck yourself, my angel,” Gabriel said and pushed deeper into Ashby’s body until he grazed that small walnut-sized gland he was looking for.
Ashby cried out and came, shooting his load onto the shower walls. Gabriel pulled his fingers free and Ashby moaned. He swept up his mate, the both of them dripping water, and placed his angel on the bed before climbing up behind him. He grabbed his cock and pushed into Ashby’s stretched entrance. He watched as his mate’s greedy hole pulled him in. He snapped his hips forward and drove deep into his fox.
“Never. No one is ever taking you from me.” He growled out and let his fangs drop. He leaned forward until his larger frame completely covered Ashby’s smaller one and pounded into him mercilessly.
“I’ll be with you, always,” Ashby said, too tired to do more than accept the thorough fucking his mate was giving him.
“Always.” Gabriel grunted and buried his fangs into Ashby’s neck. They both cried out as they came together. Ashby collapsed under him, pulling his dick free, they both groaned.
Gabriel dropped to one side and pulled Ashby into his arms.
“We need to change the sheets,” Ashby said tiredly before yawning.
“Later. We can do it later, mon ange,” Gabriel whispered as they both fell asleep.
* * * *
Gabriel and Mikhail looked down at the struggling man they had strapped to the table. Mikhail grinned down at him evilly.
“Let’s make sure that you understand the situation. I am going to remove your legs, followed by your arms. Escape will be impossible. I will then lock you in that coffin over there
for several weeks before coming back here to ask you a few questions about who you work for. We will repeat this several times until I am sure you have told me everything you know. The only thing that is a variable is how I will kill you. If you cooperate and give me as much information as you can I will kill you quickly and send your severed head to your associates. If you don’t cooperate, well, let’s just say at that point things will start to get very unpleasant for you. Then I’ll kill you and send your severed head to your associates. Any questions?” Mikhail asked. The man on the table began to froth at the mouth and scream from around the wide leather strap in his mouth.
“Oh good, you’re going to make this fun.” Mikhail turned to Gabriel.
“I’ll send you updates on anything I uncover,” Mikhail said. Gabriel nodded.
He almost felt sorry for the prisoner before he remembered that the man on the table had killed to lose his soul and wanted to take his angel away from him. By the time he walked away he felt nothing for the nameless man or what he would endure.
Chapter 19
“No, no, no! The piano goes into the front sitting room. You there! Muscle head with the perfect ass in the tight jeans, don’t you dare set that metal TV stand on my freshly redone wooden floors. You! What’s your name? Nevermind. That is obviously a grill, walk that shit around the house to the back, do not carry it through the house!” Ashby watched in fascination as his friend ran from room to room supervising the move of the decade. Rian nearly cried tears of joy when Ashby approached him about restoring the plantation house to its former glory. For weeks Rian had spent every waking second making sure that the house was ready to receive its princes. He was now reveling in his moment of glory.
“Do you think he’d calm down if I faked labor pains?” Rebecca asked as she, Ashby, Kate, and Nic watched Rian yell at yet another shifter.
Ashby was about to answer her when a loud crash was heard from the kitchen. Rian ran to the back of the house, his friends close on his heels.
“We got it! Our bad! Everything is cool. Accidently bumped into the highchair,” David yelled and righted the highchair that had fallen over. He then took Landon from Daniel, who was holding both twins, and deposited him in the chair. Daniel put Lucas in the highchair next to his brother. Behind them shaking and looking like a nervous wreck, Roman looked on.
“Careful with the floors, boys. It was hard enough getting the tiles through customs much less here to Arkadia.” Rian huffed. Roman looked up at the group standing in the doorway.
“Alpha Kate, wonderful, you’re here. Maybe you could stay and feed the boys their lunch?” Roman asked, his voice timorous and quaking.
“Nonsense, David and Daniel have this covered, don’t you?” Kate asked. David’s and Daniel’s heads popped up and nodded.
“We totally got this covered,” David said and Daniel gave a thumbs-up sign. Smiling, Kate nodded to her head and the small group walked back to the front of the house.
“Is Roman always that tweaky?” Rebecca asked. Ashby shook his head, looking at Kate who was trying not to laugh.
“What did you do, Kate?” Ashby asked curiously.
“I told him he was responsible for Landon and Lucas.” She snort laughed, holding onto the banister to stay upright. Ashby gasped. He turned back to stare at the hallway heading back to the kitchen, then shrugged.
“We’ll bail him out later.” Ashby watched as his friends turned out to help his coven move in. He never realized how much people truly cared.
“Oh my, it’s getting hot outside, do you think the men would like to cool off in the pool?” Rebecca asked innocently.
“We can always ask,” Kate said, smirking at her friend. Low growls filled the air as Aleks, Caleb, and Bran stood, arms crossed over their chests, in the foyer. Rebecca looked up whistling and tapping her foot.
“First of all it’s only fifty five degrees outside. Second of all the pool is still closed. Lastly you will never be over here when men are in that damn pool!” Aleks fumed.
“Of course she can come over here to enjoy the pool Aleksander. She will be in the middle of her pregnancy during the hottest months of the year. As her mate you must think of her comfort,” Gabriel said, smoothly gliding up to kiss Rebecca on the cheek. When he stepped back he winked and she giggled.
“We have a huge bathtub at home she can enjoy,” Aleks grumbled.
“Ahhhh! Oh my God, my silk chaise lounge. Away from the windows, away!” Rian screeched dramatically and ran to the parlor.
“Best. Moving. Day. Ever!” Kate laughed.
“I’m going to go check on the twins…both sets of them,” Nic said, grinning and headed back toward the kitchen.
Ashby hooked his arm into Gabriel’s as they walked out of the large front doors.
“Thank you for not painting over Caleb’s murals,” Ashby said softly.
“They were exquisite, I couldn’t bear to see them covered,” Gabriel said as they walked slowly around chaos ensuing all around them. All Ashby could see was that his friends were finally together as he smelled the first hints of spring. It was too bad that most of the townspeople were still reluctant to welcome the vampires. Ashby could only hope that time would reinforce how trustworthy they were.
“One moment, my angel, I need to ask Baptista about the security patrol.” Gabriel leaned forward to kiss Ashby’s temple.
“There you are, pretty little Ashby. Think you’re hot shit now, mated to a vampire? Too good for a shifter huh?” Ashby turned around to face Marcus Evans. After being poisoned, facing down his feral mate, standing up to Coven leaders and outwitting drug ring assassins, Marcus no longer scared him. In fact, not much scared him anymore.
“Fuck off. And that’s Prince Ashby to you, not that you’ll have many opportunities to address me properly since I’m telling you here and now to leave me alone. Never come near me again,” Ashby said sounding bored.
Marcus turned red as his face contorted in rage.
“You!” He reached his hand out as if to grab Ashby only to be brought up short by a scowling Montana.
“I know you weren’t about to grab our prince?” he asked, twisting Marcus’s arm behind him.
“Is that asshole bothering you again, Ashby?” Mojo asked, putting down the dresser he and Lauri were carrying. They both walked over.
“Again?” a dark voice demanded from behind them. Gabriel walked up as wave after wave of power washed over them. Marcus began to shake.
“I never–I mean he didn’t…” Marcus stuttered.
“If I ever hear of you hurting my mate…” Gabriel trailed off as he stared the terrified man down, his eyes shifting to a dull red glow. Montana released him, cussing as Marcus lost control of his bladder.
“Go” was the single-word command. Marcus took off sobbing and babbling to himself. Mojo bent over laughing and slapping his thigh.
“I like the way you do things Prince Gabriel,” Mojo said.
Gabriel grinned, his eyes returning to their normal blue.
“Come on, Mojo, that dresser won’t move itself,” Lauri said.
He gave a nod to his prince and the two large men headed back to where they left the dresser. Montana followed, shaking his shoes trying to get the piss off them. When Ashby turned back to look at the house he smiled. Rian was beating Duncan with his clipboard. Kate and Rebecca were egging on Daniel and David who decided to do an impromptu striptease on the front lawn. Roman and Nic like two conservative peas in a pod held Lucas and Landon. Mojo was flexing his biceps while Lauri and Montana were striking poses showing off their own muscles. The lions had started a furniture-carrying contest. They were timing the wolves and vampires as they carted stuff toward the house. Ma and Noel had the Arkadion boys setting up long buffet tables and Peyton scrambled from person to person offering something to drink.
“My angel, aren’t you glad we were fated to be together?” Gabriel murmured kissing the side of Ashby’s neck. Ashby looked up and smiled at his prince.
> “I’m glad we’re fated for forever.” Ashby didn’t wait and captured his mate’s lips. Right now, forever didn’t look too bad.
Epilogue
The gentleman clenched and unclenched his fists as he stood at his window. The normally tranquil view was disturbed by the incessant cackling of the hyenas being tortured below. At first the sounds were nostalgic, taking him back to simpler, happier times. Now they grated on every nerve. He would just have to kill them all. He shook his head. No. They played a part in his plans.
“Payne.” He called out and a tall figure stepped into the room.
“Please tell the torturer to only service one hyena at a time. I know he has a plethora of machines down there but the constant begging is starting to get to me. Bludgeon the others until they lose consciousness and work through them one at a time. Oh. Also send for my Alpha puppy. He owes me an explanation about my missing hybrids.” Soon the next phase of his plan would begin.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alanea loves reading almost as much as she loves writing and can be found at any given moment either in front of the computer lost in her own world or on the couch with her iPad reading some of her favorite authors. She believes that love truly conquers all and that everyone no matter what, deserves a chance at that love and a place they can call home.
For all titles by Alanea Alder, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/alanea-alder
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Alanea Alder, Fated for Forever
(Series: Kindred of Arkadia # 3)
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