Tibo's Beginning

Phoenix Rising 3

Tibo’s Beginning Tibo suffered a heart attack at an early age. After dying briefly and being brought back by the paramedics, he had a new appreciation for life. He also had a new appreciation for his gorgeous boss, Salvatore Fernando. When their lives are threatened and they have to go on the run, Tibo is happy to go as long as he gets to stay by Sal's side. He's even more elated when Sal makes his desires known. But what doesn't thrill Tibo is discovering that he is a phoenix. Now, with danger coming at them from every turn and not knowing who they can trust, Tibo must learn to give his loyalty and understanding to his new lover, especially when Sal transforms into something only whispered about in folklore. Can Sal keep Tibo safe as they try desperately to find a place to call home, and can Tibo save Sal when he takes a bullet to save Tibo’s life? Or will their new beginning end before it's even started? Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter Length: 35,479 words

TIBO’S BEGINNING Phoenix Rising 3

Stormy Glenn and Lynn Hagen

EROTIC ROMANCE MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

TIBO’S BEGINNING Copyright © 2011 by Stormy Glenn and Lynn Hagen E-book ISBN: 1-61926-145-6 First E-book Publication: December 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 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.

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TIBO’S BEGINNING Phoenix Rising 3 STORMY GLENN AND LYNN HAGEN Copyright © 2011

Chapter 1 Sal pulled Tibo close to his side and wrapped his arm around Tibo’s shoulders. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He had almost lost the man once, and this trip wasn’t turning out to be one of his better ideas. “Are you doing okay, Tibo?” Tibo looked around the interior of the vehicle nervously. “I’m scared, Sal.” Sal ran his hand down Tibo’s back. The man had only been his bartender for two years, but he had grown on Sal to the point that he wanted to take their friendship to the next level. Hell, who was he kidding? He wanted to fuck Tibo into the mattress—for a week. Sal turned and watched out of the window as the city disappeared. He knew they were headed to the bayou, but he wasn’t too sure he wanted Tibo mixed up in this crazy voodoo crap. He wanted to take the man and run as far away as he could get. “I have you, Tibo,” Sal said as he sat back, allowing the three men in the Hummer to drive him and Tibo into the unknown. “I have you.” “Yeah”—Tibo shuddered—“but who has you?” “Huh?”

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Tibo nodded toward the other men in the vehicle, the rather large men. “What if this is another setup or something? Who’s going to protect you?” Something in Tibo’s words and the concern on his face warmed Sal right down to his toes. Could Tibo actually be worried about him? One corner of Sal’s mouth quirked up. He liked that thought. “I’m good, bebé. I’m a pretty hard guy to take down.” Tibo’s perfectly manicured strawberry-blond eyebrows drew together as he frowned. “Why did you call me bebé?” Sal swallowed hard as panic seized him. Was he ready to tell Tibo how he felt? Was he even sure how he felt? “Slip of the tongue.” Guess not. “Oh.” Tibo’s face fell, and he turned away to look out the window. Sal felt like shit. He reached over and grabbed Tibo’s chin gently in his hand, a little shocked at how much of Tibo’s face his hand actually covered. “Look at me, Tibo.” Tibo’s eyes were slow to rise, but they did, the blue-green of his irises shining brightly in the late evening sun. Sal opened his mouth to tell Tibo that he was sorry, but the sadness in the man’s eyes robbed him of speech. Going with his gut instinct instead, Sal leaned in and plastered his mouth over Tibo’s. He was surprised how good Tibo’s lips felt pressed against his. The guy tasted like sweet man and heaven. Sal pulled Tibo closer, nearly pulling the smaller man onto his lap. He was lost in the kiss, forgetting that they weren’t alone. “That good?” One of the guys chuckled, but Sal didn’t pay attention to who it was. He was more concerned with conveying his feelings through that sweet-as-sin kiss. Tibo pulled back, staring up at Sal as if he had the answers to the universe. From the way the man was praising him with his eyes, Sal

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felt he did. He grinned when Tibo licked his lips, his chest rising and falling as his eyes darted around. “Why did you kiss me?” Sal thought it had been obvious, but apparently not. He cleared his throat as he set Tibo aside. He needed to get a grip before he pulled the man that made his heart thunder in every possible way into the back of the SUV and had his wicked way with him. He couldn’t think of an answer to give the shorter man. Sal didn’t want to lie to him, but was he ready to tell all? Not really—at least not with an SUV full of witnesses. His head snapped around when the vehicle turned down a road that barely looked like a road. Sal pulled Tibo closer as they approached what looked like a run-down trailer. “I think this is it,” Tony, the detective from Portland, said. Sal looked around the area, getting a very bad feeling about this. His gut told him to grab Tibo and run. He didn’t like the way things looked. It was a ramshackle place. And what made matters worse was the fact that they were here at night. It was a scary-ass movie in the writing as the vehicles stopped a few hundred feet away from a trailer. “Is this really the place?” Tony asked as he put the SUV into park. Sal could see Tony’s lover, Kyle, shaking in the front seat. Tibo wasn’t sitting still either. He ran his hand up and down Tibo’s arm, trying to calm him, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood when an older man stepped out of the run-down trailer. He heard Glade, one of the men who had volunteered to help them, growl. Yeah, he didn’t like this bullshit either. The only reason Sal stayed quiet was because he couldn’t figure out if his unease was from the fact that they were hunting down a voodoo man to help them with the men who they had discovered to be phoenixes. It could have been the fact that Tibo was frightened. It could have been both. It shouldn’t matter why he was feeling this way, but Sal wasn’t going to ruin Kyle and Collin’s chance to get help—however asinine it seemed to him. Who went to a voodoo doctor? Better yet, who knew where to find one?

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“I guess we’re about to find out if this is the place or not,” Sal said as Glade opened the back door. “I don’t like this,” Kyle said from the front seat as he scooted closer to Tony. Sal could see Riojos getting out of the SUV in front of them. He watched his brother as he approached the older man and spoke with him, Glade joining Riojos at his side. He held his breath when Collin, Riojos’s lover, slid from the front seat of the other vehicle. Sal didn’t like this. His eyes darted around the swamp while the men talked. He stiffened when he noticed a very large alligator creeping toward the men. He grabbed the handle, pushing the door open as Tibo grabbed his arm, looking at him questioningly. “I’ll be right back. Lock the door when I get out and don’t let anyone in unless you know them.” He patted Tibo’s small hand and then slid from the truck. He slammed the door, gaining everyone’s attention. Sal wasn’t a small man and wanted the man they were coming to see to notice him. He laid his hand on the Walther 9MM at his side as he sidestepped the alligator, walking toward his brother. No one was going to fuck with his family, not while he still held a breath in his lungs. “Something wrong, Sal?” Riojos asked. “Only if a fucking twenty-foot alligator isn’t anything to worry about,” he replied as he nodded his head toward the swamp creature slowly making its way toward them. Collin gasped, inching closer to Riojos. “He will not harm you,” the stranger reassured them. Now why didn’t Sal believe the guy? Maybe because the alligator seemed to be watching Sal like he wanted to bite a large chunk out of his ass. His fingers itched to shoot first and ask questions later. They really did. He curled them in as he walked around his brother and stood behind Collin. Ghost man might not be his brother, but he was family, and Sal was fond of the little shit.

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“I understand that you have need of my services?” the creepy man asked. “And I understand you have knowledge of black spells,” Tony countered. “I do.” “How can we tell if our men have a locating spell placed on them?” Riojos asked. The man walked around Collin, assessing him. One wrong move and Sal was going to shoot Mr. Creepy and his pet. The man spanned a hand above Collin’s head as he frowned. Sal wasn’t too sure if he believed in all this mumbo jumbo, but he remained quiet as the man did his little assessment. “He has something attached to him. As does the man sitting in the other truck.” The stranger nodded toward Kyle. His gaze moved to Tibo. “Both of them.” Sal swung around and stared through the glass at Tibo. “No fucking way,” he whispered. Not his Tibo. His hands clenched as he turned to see what the others thought of the old man’s words. Riojos, Collin, and Tony stood there with their mouths hanging open as they stared at Tibo. Glade had an eyebrow raised and a speculative gleam in his eyes. The shiver that ran down Sal’s back was followed quickly by an anger so strong it nearly made Sal’s knees buckle. He stepped over, grabbed Glade around the throat, and slammed him into the nearest tree. “What the fuck do you know?” he snapped as rage swamped every cell in his body. The four men who had come with them knew something, and he wanted to know what it was, and he wanted to know now. The need to protect Tibo was riding Sal hard. He wanted to jump in the truck and drive, taking Tibo away from all of this nonsense. Sal slammed Glade into the trunk of the tree again when the man didn’t speak fast enough to appease his rage. “Sal!” Riojos shouted.

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Sal ignored his brother. “Talk or die!” “Dude, seriously.” Glade pulled at the hand Sal had wrapped around his throat. “You need to let me go now.” “And you need to answer my fucking question,” Sal snapped. “You know something about what’s going on. You’ve known the entire time. And don’t give me some shit about us not needing to know, because believe me, we need to know.” “Sal?” Sal’s anger banked, smoldering instead of burning, when he heard the frightened voice behind him. Sal turned and sent Tibo a small smile. “Get back in the car, bebé. I’ll be there in just a minute.” He waited until Tibo closed the car door again then turned back to Glade. “Now spill or I’ll rip your fucking head off.” “Salvatore!” Riojos shouted. “He knows something, Riojos,” Sal said without looking away from Glade. “You know it, and I know it. I’m tired of finding stuff out after the fact. How in the hell can I protect Tibo if I don’t know anything?” “It’s not your job to protect the phoenix,” Glade said, his jaw tightening as he glared at Sal. “It’s mine.” Sal’s grip loosened as he cocked his head at Glade. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He wasn’t too sure what the man was talking about, but Sal didn’t like it. It was his job to protect Tibo, and he didn’t appreciate anyone else trying to take over his job. Tibo belonged to him. “That’s all I can tell you,” Glade said as he shoved Sal away from him. “You can threaten all you want, but you’ll be wasting your breath.” Glade paced the patch of grass in front of a willow tree. Sal hated secrets and the unknown more than anything. He wanted to feed Glade to the alligator. He eyed the large man as he mulled over what had been said. “Why can’t you tell me about how you ended up with us?” There. Sal would use another way of phrasing his question and hopefully trick the bastard into telling him. He glanced

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at the truck, making sure Tibo was okay before glancing back at everyone standing there. Sal gritted his jaw when Glade shook his head, pressing his lips together. He’d let it go for now. This wasn’t the time or place for this. First they needed to take care of voodoo man, and then he was going to take care of Glade and his little secrets where Tibo was concerned. “Fine, but this isn’t over.” “Fine,” Glade shot back before walking over to Collin. Sal exhaled deeply before walking over to the other men. “You two done?” Tony quirked an eyebrow at Sal. “For now,” Sal groused. The creepy man walked back into the trailer and then reappeared a second later with a few items in his hands. “What’s with the jars?” Sal asked as he waved a hand toward a few clear bottles that held strange-looking liquids inside of them. “It is what we will need to counteract the spell. I never said the ceremony would be pretty.” The man smiled, winking at everyone around him. Sal growled. How could the guy be joking at a time like this? They were already in the middle of a swamp, exposed, and venturing into some shit that could probably open the gates of hell. What in the fuck was so funny about that? “Your little pretties will need to join us,” the old man said. Sal narrowed his eyes. “Our little pretties?” He so didn’t like that phrase. The man gestured toward the vehicles. “It will be extremely hard to perform this ritual without them. They kind of need to be here for it.” “They have names, you know.” “Yes.” The man’s lips twitched as if he were trying not to snicker. “I’m sure they do.” Sal rolled his eyes.

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“Look,” Riojos said, “I want to know what’s happening before I let you do anything with Collin. I won’t let you hurt him.” Sal couldn’t agree more. It seemed Tony did, too, as he was nodding his head vigorously. This time the witch doctor rolled his eyes. “If you don’t need my services, I have my soaps on the television.” He turned and started toward the trailer without another word. “No!” Glade shouted as he raced after the older man. “I apologize for them. They don’t understand.” “And we won’t if no one explains it to us,” Riojos snapped. Sal blinked in surprise at the anger shadowing Glade’s eyes when the man turned to glare at Riojos. “Shut the fuck up!” Sal’s jaw dropped. Seriously? This guy was mad at them? For what? Not going blindly into a situation that involved the men that they loved? Sal inhaled sharply when his mind caught up with himself. Had he just…He turned to look at the small strawberry blond pressed against the glass in the back of the SUV. Yep, he had. Sal wasn’t stupid, just slow on the uptake. He was in love with Tibo.

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Chapter 2 Tibo pressed his face against the glass, hoping he could hear what was going on outside. Sal, Riojos, Tony, Glade, and some stranger were talking several feet away from the vehicle, far enough away that he couldn’t hear a word that was being said. And somehow, he knew whatever they were talking about involved him. Call it a gut feeling. Call it instinct. Hell, call it the strange looks Sal kept sending him. Tibo knew his name was being mentioned. He just wished he knew why. It was all he could do to stay inside the SUV like Sal told him to do, but getting out to demand to know what was going on wasn’t an option. Tibo could still feel the remnants of the shiver that had racked his body when Sal kissed him then ordered him to stay in the SUV. Sal’s voice was deep and raspy, a whiskey voice. Tibo could sit and listen to the man all day long. He was pretty sure if Sal started talking to him at night, Tibo would be a puddle of goo. Tibo nearly ripped the door handle off in his haste when Sal motioned for him. He wanted to be next to the large, sexy bar owner, not stuck in some tin can with a guy he barely knew. Tibo scrambled out of the vehicle and made his way across the ground to Sal’s side, giving the huge-ass alligator a wide berth. That damn thing had teeth as big as his arm. He didn’t understand why everyone was standing around like it was a house pet. Where were the guns? The bazookas? He’d settle for a Sherman tank. Tibo stepped up as close to Sal as he could get without throwing himself into the man’s arms. There was something about the large, muscular man that just made Tibo feel safer, protected…and horny as

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hell. It had been that way for Tibo since the first day he laid eyes on Salvatore Fernando. “What’s going on?” Tibo whispered. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out, bebé.” Tibo nodded as he wrung his hands together, glancing from face to face to face. Several of them were angry-looking, including Sal, but Tibo didn’t think Sal was angry with him. Well, he hoped not. Tibo racked his brain to see if he had done anything he shouldn’t have but came up blank. Tibo sighed when Sal placed his very large hand on the small of his back. Even that small gesture made Tibo feel safe, knowing Sal was right there with him. He wasn’t sure what they wanted with him though. It was Kyle and Collin who needed help. Tibo glanced up at Sal, worrying his hands as he hoped to find the answer in the sexy and strong face. Sal gave him a gentle smile but nothing more. “I need the three of you to come closer.” Tibo swallowed. What three? He shook his head vigorously when Sal gave him a light push. “But I’m not a phoenix,” he said helplessly. He didn’t want to go against what Sal was asking him to do. That was the last thing Tibo wanted to do. From the moment he laid eyes on Sal, he wanted to please him in every way. But he didn’t understand what was happening here. “You may not think so, but the gods think otherwise,” the stranger said as he gestured with his long and gnarled fingers for Tibo to come to him. Tibo’s heart stared beating out of control as Kyle and Collin stepped forward. What was he going to do? He wasn’t one of those creatures that Sal told him turned into a bird. Hell, he couldn’t even stand heights. He was terrified of heights, so how could he even fly? This had to be a mistake. He began to shake his head again, but Sal gave him another light push. “Go on, bebé. I’m right here. No one is going to hurt you.”

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Yeah, right. From the looks of those weird jars, Tibo wasn’t so sure. He took a tentative step forward, looking back at Sal. The man gave a nod, his eyes telling Tibo that he was expecting him to listen without lip. Tibo looked back at Collin and Kyle, seeing how nervous they were as well. He took a deep breath for courage and then joined the other two. “But I’m not a phoenix.” The man ignored him as he began chanting. He laid the jars at his feet as he sprinkled something around Kyle and then Collin. When he came near Tibo, he wanted to scream and run, but the look on Sal’s face told him to stand still. Tibo’s entire body started shaking apart when the man sprinkled the white stuff around where he was standing. The chanting continued as the man reached for a jar and then froze. He cocked his head and then looked past everyone—which made Tibo look as well. He didn’t see anything. “They are here,” the stranger said in an eerie voice that didn’t sound human. Tibo wasn’t sure what was going on, but the other men began shouting, running toward them. Tibo panicked. He raced away from everyone. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he knew it was away from the chaos. “Tibo!” Sal shouted. Tibo’s feet wanted to stop, but his fear made him run deeper into the swamp. He heard gunfire and covered his head as he kept running. His feet tangled in a few roots, but Tibo managed to free himself. “Tibo!” This time he stopped. He hid behind a tree with very long branches, looking to make sure Sal was by himself. When he didn’t see anyone following Sal, Tibo stepped out from behind the tree. “Damn it!” Sal shouted as he tackled Tibo, taking him to the ground.

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Tibo started to scream, but Sal covered his mouth, pulling him toward some brush. He heard footsteps running toward them. Tibo stilled, his eyes darting around wildly. “Keep still and be quiet,” Sal whispered. Tibo nodded as he tried his very best to control his breathing. It wasn’t easy. If he had heard gunfire, then the men coming closer had the guns. He didn’t want to get shot, even if he was immortal. Sal wasn’t. “I saw them head this way,” one of the men said as the steps grew closer. Tibo slammed his eyes closed as Sal pulled him tighter to his large body. Tibo wanted to crawl inside of Sal. He was terrified. This couldn’t be real. “Do you see them?” “No, but they couldn’t have gone far,” the other man shouted. Tibo’s body jerked. Sal wrapped his large frame around Tibo’s when one of their pursuers shot his gun into the air repeatedly. Never in his life had he been this scared. Not even when he had a heart attack at the age of twenty-one and had been brought back to life. This was much scarier. He had accepted his fate when he thought he was going to die back then. As a matter of fact, he had. But the paramedics had brought him back to life. Tibo wasn’t sure if he could die now, but he didn’t want to find out. He could feel Sal’s fingers rubbing circles on his skin as the men started in the opposite direction, whooping and continuing to shoot their guns. “Don’t move,” Sal warned softly. Tibo nodded. Sal didn’t have to worry about that. He was pretty sure he had wet himself, too. He heard someone slowly making his way over to where they were hiding. Tibo wasn’t sure if it was the same men or a different one. “Sal?” Thank god. It was Riojos.

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“Sal. Where are you?” Tibo could hear the desperation in Sal’s brother’s voice. “Here,” Sal called as he rolled off of Tibo and stood up, reaching a hand down for him. Tibo took it like a lifeline, refusing to let go even after he got to his feet. The touch of Sal’s hand on his was the only thing keeping Tibo from wigging out. **** Samuel ran behind Glade as they took off into the swamp. Why in the hell had Tibo run into the murky unknown? And how in the fuck had they not known Tibo was a phoenix? How in the hell had they missed that? Samuel growled when he heard the gunfire. He put on a burst of speed, passing Glade as he ran to save the small man. They weren’t going to lose a phoenix. Not on his watch. He held the rifle to his shoulder as he rounded a path and found Sal and Tibo hiding under a bush. Just then Riojos rounded another path, calling out to his brother. “Where’s Collin?” he yelled at Riojos. “He’s safe,” Riojos snapped back. Samuel slammed chests with Riojos, indignation filling him. “I don’t give a fuck if Sal is your brother. Your fucking job is to protect Collin at all costs. You should have never left him!” He dropped and scissored his legs when Riojos took a swing at him. Samuel was pissed beyond words. He got the whole family thing, but the phoenixes were top priority, damn it! “Break it up!” Glade shouted as he helped Sal and Tibo climb out of the bushes. “Everyone is fine. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.” “We can’t,” Sal shouted just as loudly as everyone around him. “If we run without performing the ritual, we’ll always be running. And I’m getting damn tired of running.” Samuel almost punched Riojos in the face when the man vigorously nodded his head in agreement. “What part of this aren’t

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you getting, dickhead? The phoenixes need to be protected at all costs. If running is needed, we run. And we keep on running until we’re safe.” “With a locating curse on Collin, Kyle, and Tibo, running is all we’ll be doing,” Riojos said. “If we can get that curse off of them, then we might have a chance of hiding them from whoever is after them.” Samuel opened his mouth to argue because he still thought getting the hell out of there was the best idea, but he snapped his lips closed when Glade held up his hand. Glade was sort of the unofficial leader of their little group of protectors that had sworn to protect the phoenixes, but only because he had been doing this longer than any of them. Samuel had learned to listen to the man. “Riojos is right,” Glade said. “We need to remove the locating curse before we can move on.” He waved his hand back toward where the SUVs were parked. “You all head on back and get the old man to perform the ritual. I’m going to scout around a bit and make sure we don’t have any stragglers.” Resigned to not being able to run or punch Riojos, Samuel started herding everyone out of the swampy woods and back toward the trailer. He was glad to see Judd and Riley standing beside Kyle, Tony, and Collin when they walked out of the trees. Collin’s parents stood next to the SUV, watching everything with wide eyes. “Glade wants the ritual finished,” Samuel said as he stopped next to the old man. “Do it quick so we can get the hell out of here.” He tossed his rifle onto his shoulder as he scanned the area. He still thought they should cut their losses and go, but he was outnumbered in his opinion. The old man nodded and gestured for Collin, Kyle, and Tibo to step forward again. Collin and Kyle stepped forward easy enough. Tibo was another story. He started shaking so hard, Sal had to wrap an arm around his waist to keep him from collapsing to the ground.

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Samuel rolled his eyes. He was getting really tired of this shit. He stepped over and grabbed Tibo by the arm, yanking him forward. Just as Tibo stumbled past him, Samuel heard a low growl that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Before he could turn around to investigate, something large and strong crashed into Samuel from behind. He barely stopped himself from smacking into the hard ground by throwing an arm out in front of him. Samuel used his downward momentum to turn his body, crouching down low to take on whatever threat was behind him. What he found made his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. Sal stood behind him, only it didn’t look quite like Sal. Sharp fangs hung down over his lower lip, and black claws extended from his fingertips. If he had had fur, Samuel would have thought Sal was a werewolf—assuming werewolves really existed, and Samuel still debated that idea. What scared Samuel the most, and he wasn’t scared often, were the red eyes promising his death if he moved a muscle. He didn’t. Samuel froze right where he was and prayed that Glade returned before he had his throat ripped out. “Sal?” Samuel could hear the fear in Tibo’s voice as the small man spoke from behind him. He started to take a step and put himself between Tibo and Sal until the low, guttural growl coming from Sal deepened. Okay, bad move. Samuel got that. “Now, Sal, you’re scaring Tibo,” Samuel said softly. “Is that really what you want to do?” Sal’s dark red eyes flickered to Tibo then snapped back so fast Samuel wondered if the man had truly glanced away or if it had been his imagination. Still, the red started to fade, something Samuel felt was a very good sign. Maybe Sal wasn’t completely gone. ****

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Sal’s chest rose and fell rapidly with his breathing. His head felt fogged, almost as if a haze of rage covered it. Everything in him told him to kill the man standing before him. He was a danger to Tibo. Tibo! Sal’s gaze snapped over to the little man hovering beyond the man he wanted to rip to shreds. The fog in his brain slowly started to dissipate as he gazed at Tibo. He knew he was supposed to protect Tibo with his life, but he was also supposed to care for him and not scare him. Right now, Tibo looked terrified. Sal drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly. He snapped his head from side to side, feeling a few vertebrae pop. He clenched his hands then unclenched them, shaking them out until they didn’t feel so weird. Then Sal held his hand out to Tibo. “Tibo.” Tibo blinked a few times and then stepped around Samuel, beelining his way right to Sal. Sal wrapped his arms around the smaller man, inhaling his scent before walking him over to the voodoo witch doctor. “Very impressive,” the old man said and then smiled. “I thought your kind died out eons ago.” “What kind?” Sal asked because he wasn’t sure what the hell just happened. “Kidemona lykanthropos. Werewolf guardian.” Sal’s head snapped back with what the creepy man had just said. “What in the hell are you talking about?” The man must be inside his trailer sniffing wild weeds in his spare time, and from the looks of things around here, that was quite often. “Hold the hell up,” Glade said as he stepped from the dirt path. “Sal is a werewolf? How?” “He’s not a fucking werewolf,” Riojos interjected. “He’s my brother. Don’t you think I would have known this growing up and sleeping in the same room with his hairy ass?”

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Everyone started arguing all at once. Sal pulled Tibo closer as Kyle and Collin looked at him with curiosity. He wasn’t a damn werewolf. He didn’t howl at the moon, never turned furry, and Sal had never had a fucking flea in his life. The man was off his rocker. “It is not important. His denial is his own. We must finish the ritual if you are to get out of here before more come. These men are highly sought creatures,” Mr. Creepy said as he turned his back on everyone. Sal’s head was spinning, but he pushed that aside for now. The man was right. They had to lift the spell in order to get on with their lives. He was sick of running and wanted to focus his energy in exploring a relationship with Tibo, not stuff him in a car and head for the border. Enough was enough. It was time to get this shit over and done with. “Fine. But you and I need to talk when you’re done,” Sal said as he pointed a finger between his chest and the voodoo man’s. “But I’m not a phoenix,” Tibo protested softly. Sal cupped Tibo’s face, smiling down at the man whom he had fallen deeply in love with. Tibo was so small and fragile-looking that Sal wanted to stuff him into his pocket and walk away from this madness. “I know. But Mr. Chickenbones thinks you are. I’ll be right here. If he tries anything strange”—Sal cleared his throat as he glanced around at the voodoo man’s yard—“okay, stranger, then I’ll shoot his ass.” Tibo looked on the verge of tears but nodded. “Okay.” Sal leaned forward and kissed Tibo gently before releasing and patting his pert little ass. “Go on.” Tibo snorted and shook his head but joined the other two. “I still say I’m not a damn phoenix.” Sal smiled at the man’s adamancy. He’d known Tibo for a few years and knew the man could be stubborn at times. This time wasn’t

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an exception, but the ritual to remove the locating spell needed to be done. Sal wasn’t taking any chances. “Let us begin.”

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Chapter 3 Tibo glanced at Kyle and Collin. Kyle looked pissed, and Collin looked skeptical. Tibo was just downright terrified. “Let’s get this sideshow over with,” Kyle griped. “And if you even think about sprinkling that jar of whatever on me, I’ll kick your ass.” Collin and Tibo snickered. The voodoo man raised a brow as he pulled a small satchel from his pocket, opening it and pulling out what looked like black soot. “Try it, little man, and you’ll be itching your balls for the rest of your life.” “Like I don’t already fucking do that.” Kyle snorted and rolled his eyes. “Boils included.” This shut Kyle right up. Tibo curled his lips in. He liked his balls boil-free, thank you very much. He didn’t want to grow an extra arm or a third eye either. He wasn’t sure what this man could do, but he wasn’t going to antagonize him. One curse was enough, and Tibo wasn’t so sure he had a spell on him either. He wasn’t a damn phoenix! The man started to chant as he wiped that sooty stuff on all three of them. Tibo winced and recoiled when the man stood in front of him. Whether he believed in all this voodoo stuff or not, it creeped him out. There could be a chance that this man had some sort of powers, and that scared the hell out of him.

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Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, looking annoyed as Collin shoved his hands in his front pockets, throwing glances at Riojos. Tibo stole a glance at Sal, the man giving him an encouraging smile. Was Sal really a werewolf? The idea fascinated Tibo. He felt strong feelings for the man, almost a magnetic pull to be close to him. He wondered if that had anything to do with the voodoo doctor’s claim. Tibo had always felt a need to please Sal. To him, it was a bit daunting, but it was there. The need rode him hard. “I need the three of you to join hands.” “Do we need to sing ‘Kumbaya?’” Kyle asked sarcastically. Tibo grinned as Collin giggled. He could tell the voodoo man was getting irritated with Kyle. “If it makes your pansy ass feel better.” Collin grabbed Kyle when he tried to deck the guy. “I’ll give you pansy, you sideshow freak.” Tibo just stood there, the word boil running around his brain. He still wasn’t going to take any chances at pissing the man off. No thanks. They finally joined hands as the voodoo man opened one jar after another, pouring the liquid over their feet. Gross! The chanting continued as Tibo had an urge to run down to the swamp and rinse his feet off—with a scouring pad. The man lit a fire inside the circle they were surrounding. Tibo began to sweat as the flames grew higher. He blinked a few times as he swore he heard a bird screeching. He looked up but saw nothing. Flashes of his heart attack blinded him as he remembered dying and then coming back to life, the paramedic standing over him with a set of paddles. His skin felt cold and clammy as another set of images assailed him. These ones were foreign to him. It was a village in some sort of forested area. A sense of belonging washed over him as he saw small children running around, adults laughing and talking. Tibo wasn’t

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sure who they were, but his arms ached to hug the woman he saw standing next to a small child with strawberry-blond hair. Déjà vu hit him hard, as if he had been there before. Tibo watched in horror as men with guns entered the village, grabbing small children and shooting the adults. A large man grabbed him, along with a dozen other children, and ran. Tibo fell on his ass, tears streaming down his face as sweat soaked his body. “Mother!” He began to hyperventilate as the woman who had been holding his hand was shot, her body crumbling lifelessly to the ground. “No!” He reached out, but the stranger wouldn’t release him. Tibo fought to free his body as long black claws slid from his fingers. “Mother!” Fires broke out everywhere as smoke filled the village. Tibo screamed as he tried once again to free himself. He had to go back. He had to save her. Why wouldn’t the man let him save her? “You will not remember this. I promise,” the man whispered, and then Tibo screamed at the top of his lungs. “I have you.” Sal’s deep and soothing voice penetrated his nightmare as Tibo lay on the ground wailing. Tibo reached up to brush the tears from his eyes when he saw the claws. He really did have long, black claws. This only made him cry harder. If he had claws, then the images were true. Someone had killed his birth mother and stolen him away. Tibo was indeed a phoenix. **** Sal held onto Tibo as he pulled him from the ground. Seeing the man he loved writhe around, clawing at the air, had nearly given him a heart attack. Tibo had looked like he was in pain. “Is it done?” he asked the voodoo man as he pulled Tibo into his arms, holding him close to his chest.

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“It is done,” the man confirmed. Riojos and Tony were pulling Collin and Kyle from the ground as well. All three of them had reacted in almost the same way. Kyle had been the worst. Not only had he clawed at the air, he had partially shifted, howling in a language Sal hadn’t understood. Sal turned toward the SUV, ready to get Tibo the fuck out of there, when the voodoo man stopped him. “You and your brother do not share the same blood. You have different fathers. You are a werewolf, Salvatore Fernando, and your destiny is to keep Tibo Pouli safe. Guard him with your life.” Sal nodded as he chewed on his bottom lip. “Am I really a werewolf?” “Fur and all.” The man winked before disappearing into the thick brush. Okay, the man was nuttier than a fruitcake, but Sal prayed that if the men really did have a locating spell, it had been lifted. Fuck if his mundane life hadn’t been turned on its ear. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” Tony shouted as he carried Kyle to their SUV. Sal couldn’t agree more. He picked Tibo up and carried him to the waiting SUV as fast as his feet would carry him. Everyone slid into the waiting vehicles. Sal held Tibo tight to his chest as they slowly pulled out of the bayou. He had never been more relieved to leave a place in his life. Glade drove with Samuel riding shotgun as Tony and Sal held their men. Tibo seemed to be asleep now. Sal watched the scenery pass him by as he thought about the voodoo man’s claim. He shook his head at the absurdity of the claim. Wouldn’t he know if he was something other than human? He glanced down at Tibo’s sleeping form. He smiled as Tibo sighed. His chest tightened as he brushed some stray locks from the smaller man’s eyes. He really was a very handsome man. He wanted to wrap his body around Tibo and protect him from the world. “They’re amazing, aren’t they?”

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Sal looked up at Tony, seeing pure awe in his eyes as he gazed down at Kyle. He knew how the man felt. Tibo had wrapped himself around Sal’s heart, burrowing under his skin and holding on with a death grip. “They are,” he agreed. For some reason, Sal was fascinated that Tibo was a phoenix. He thought of how Collin and Kyle had died on their twenty-first birthdays and wondered if Tibo had gone through the same. His little love was twenty-two, so he had to have gone through the ordeal. It saddened him that he hadn’t been there for him. “He had a heart attack,” Sal said aloud as the thought struck him. “He died, and the paramedics brought him back to life.” Holy shit! Tibo had gone through the conversion. They just hadn’t known what it was at the time. Sal remembered being there for Tibo, rushing to the hospital, feeling as though his whole world was crumbling around him. He had thought at the time that it was because his friend had almost died. But now Sal was looking at things differently, remembering the event in a whole new light. “Makes sense,” Tony said as he nodded toward Tibo. “If he’s a phoenix, he would have had to die to be reborn.” Sal pulled Tibo closer, resting the side of his face on the smaller man’s head. He had been there for him. Relief flooded him. Tibo hadn’t gone it alone. “Where are we headed?” he asked Glade. “I want to get out of New Orleans,” Glade replied from the driver’s seat. “Go someplace where the men can rest and recoup.” Sal ran his hand over Tibo’s strawberry-blond hair as he nodded. “Thanks.” Glade grunted as they hit the highway, the other vehicle close behind them. “We’re not going to New York,” Sal announced.

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“That’s fucking asinine.” Samuel growled from the front passenger seat. “You all have to stay together. It’s not safe to split up.” “Then pick somewhere else.” Sal met his growl and raised it. He wasn’t going to take his love to a big city where anything could happen to him. They needed to find a remote place, lock it down, and then go from there. Someplace they could fortify. “We’ll discuss it when we stop. Until then, cut the fucking arguing. You two sound like an old married couple.” Glade grunted. Samuel glared at Sal and then turned back around to face the road. Tony snickered from beside him. “Want me to shoot him?” Sal grinned. “Fuck yeah.” Samuel snorted but didn’t say anything. Pity, Sal could use an outlet right about now. And the man had gotten on his nerves for some time now. He was an arrogant prick who thought his word was bond. Fucker. After hours of driving, Glade finally pulled off the highway, pulling into the parking lot of a run-down-looking motel. Thank fuck. Sal’s damn back was killing him, and his ass was numb. He wasn’t used to all this traveling, and his body was protesting it. He slid out slowly, careful not to jostle Tibo. His little man had slept the whole time. Kyle had as well. He cradled Tibo close to his chest as Glade went into the front office. He moved his torso from side to side, trying his best to stretch while keeping Tibo safe. “Here,” Glade said as he tossed a keycard at Sal. He was surprised it was a keycard and not a key dangling from a large piece of wood. It would be befitting of the place. Sal found their room and unlocked the door. He walked in, turning on the lights, and then laid Tibo down gently on the bed. Sal slipped the smaller man’s shoes off and then pulled the blanket over him. He sat on the opposite bed, exhaling. It had been one hell of a journey. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, and at the

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moment, Sal didn’t give a fuck. All he wanted was some shut-eye. He lay back, tossing his arm over his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. What a fucking hoorah adventure. **** Tibo woke seeing nothing. It was dark except for a sliver of moonlight coming through a crack in the curtains. He glanced over to his right, seeing Sal fast asleep. Tibo slipped from his bed, crawling onto Sal’s. He curled up next to the large man, trying to burrow under him. Sal grunted, wrapped his arm around Tibo, and pulled him under his large body. Tibo smiled. He liked the way Sal tried to protect him, even in his sleep. Tibo began to doze back off when he felt something very hard poke him in his back. He didn’t think Sal was awake, but he was buried under the large man and couldn’t look up to see. Tibo pressed his ass backward. He wasn’t a virgin, not by far, but he’d never been with a large man before. All his past lovers had been his height and weight. It thrilled him to think of Sal dominating him, making him follow orders. Tibo bit his bottom lip as he wiggled his ass around a little. He wanted to feel that hard cock smashed against his ass, not his back. “Keep that up, and I’m going to fuck you,” Sal’s deep and sleepfilled voice said from above him. Tibo’s heart quickened as he braved the threat and wiggled again. He gasped when Sal rolled, placing Tibo below him, grabbing his wrists and pushing them above his head. “Do you want to get fucked, bebé?” Tibo swallowed and nodded. He had wanted to get fucked by Sal from the moment he had laid eyes on him. He just hadn’t been brave enough to voice his desire. It seemed he was finally going to get his wish.

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“Stand and strip.” Sal’s voice was deep, commanding, and guttural. Tibo shivered as Sal released him. He stood, his hands shaking as he pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside, and then pushed his pants down his legs, kicking them off along with his underwear. He groaned when he bent to remove his socks and felt a hand glide over his ass. “You have a very nice body, bebé.” “T–Thank you.” Sal slid from the bed and disrobed. Tibo gulped when he saw the large cock slap Sal’s belly. His mouth watered to taste it, to take it into his mouth and suck it until Sal shouted his name. Would Sal shout his name? Sal tossed his clothes aside and then cupped Tibo’s face, rubbing their cocks together as he kissed Tibo as if he mattered, like he was really into this. Tibo moaned as Sal cupped his ass, pulling him closer, taking the kiss deeper. Had he tasted anything better than Sal’s lips? Hell no! Tibo’s skin broke out in goose bumps as Sal’s hands left his ass and glided over his back. He wanted to climb the large man and beg to be fucked. Somehow, Tibo knew to wait until Sal told him what to do. And that was fine by Tibo. “You’re mine, Tibo. I won’t share you with anyone else. Do I make myself clear?” Tibo nodded. “Yes, sir.” A low and undistinguished sound left Sal’s lips at Tibo’s answer. Tibo knew it was because he had called Sal sir. He smiled to himself as Sal walked Tibo backward, the back of his legs hitting the bed behind him. “Get onto the bed and lay on your back,” Sal commanded. Tibo twisted around, scrambling to do as the larger man commanded. His skin buzzed with excitement at the knowledge that

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Sal was finally going to take him. Tibo lay on his back and spread his legs wide, inviting the larger man to have his wicked way with him. “Very good, bebé.” Tibo thrilled at the praise. He fisted the sheets as Sal crawled onto the bed, smoothing his hands over Tibo’s legs. He was dying to move, to wiggle around and beg Sal to fuck him already, but he bit back his urges. “Nice tattoo, bebé,” Sal said as his hand stroked over Tibo’s left shoulder blade. “I guess I should call you gatito instead of bebé.” “Why?” “Because you remind me of a kitten, all soft and cuddly but cute as hell. This tattoo of a kitten on your shoulder just reaffirms my belief.” “Okay.” Tibo shuddered as Sal’s hand stroked over him again. Sal could call him whatever he wanted as long as he never stopped doing that. “Is this your first time, Tibo?” Disappointment filled him that he couldn’t tell Sal yes. He wanted to badly but wasn’t going to lie to the man who owned his heart. “No, sir.” Sal nodded. He didn’t look disappointed, so Tibo relaxed. His eyes damn near rolled to the back of his head as Sal’s fingertips played over his skin, slowly making their way toward his hardened shaft. Tibo almost whined at the slow pace. “Are you very experienced?” Tibo didn’t want to discuss his past lovers. This wasn’t the time to go over scorecards! He shook his head as he felt his entire body flush. “I’ve had a handful,” he confessed. Sal smiled. He wasn’t sure how to take that smile. He knew Sal pretty well from working with him, but he’d never slept with the guy, so his bedroom body language was unknown to him. Sal wrapped his large hand around Tibo’s cock. This time he couldn’t stop the moan. His legs spread wider as Sal stroked his cock.

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The other hand cupped his balls, massaging them as Sal watched him intently. “We don’t have lube. You’re going to come for me so we can use that as lube.” It wasn’t a request. Tibo nodded, his eyes locking onto Sal’s as the larger man began to jack him off. “You have permission to move, gatito.” Tibo didn’t need to be told twice. He writhed, squirmed, and moaned as he succumbed to the waves of ecstasy that tried to pull him under. He lay there, drowned in a flood tide of exquisite rapture as Sal took him to another place, a place where Tibo was no longer his own person, a place where Sal owned him, mind, body, and soul. “Come for me.” Tibo’s back left the bed as he cried out, hot jets of cum shooting from his cock as Sal rode him through his orgasm. The pleasure was pure and explosive as Tibo shouted Sal’s name, his head thrashing from side to side. He panted as Sal milked his cock, pulling every last drop from his balls. “Very good, gatito. You’re beautiful when you come.” Tibo licked his lips as he gazed at Sal, wonderment filling him. He watched as Sal swiped his fingers through his cooling seed and then reached below him, circling his hole with his large finger. “Pull your legs back.” Tibo hitched his hands under his knees and pulled them to his chest. Sal leaned forward, taking one of Tibo’s nipples into his mouth as he breached his hole. Tibo’s hand landed on Sal’s head, grabbing at his hair as Sal stretched him. Sal slid another finger inside of Tibo’s body as he sucked at his nipple, bringing it to a taut peak. Tibo begged with his body for some sort of release even though he had just come moments ago. His dick didn’t care about that fact. It wanted more.

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Sal nipped his skin, telling Tibo without words to behave. Tibo released Sal’s hair, trying to focus as Sal inserted a third finger. It was hard. Tibo tried but couldn’t focus to save his life. “Stop fighting it and give yourself to me,” Sal commanded. Tibo hadn’t even realized he was going against anything. He felt his body relax at the command. “That’s better,” Sal said as he rose up, pushing Tibo’s legs farther back as he lined his cock up. Tibo held his breath. Sal shook his head. “Breathe, gatito.” Tibo exhaled in a whoosh as Sal entered him. Holy fuck! The man was huge. Tibo panted as the sting and bite coursed through his backside. Sal ran his hand over Tibo’s chest, his other hand curled around Tibo’s cock. “Look at me. Concentrate on me.” Tibo looked up at Sal, losing himself in those beautiful brown eyes. The wave of pain morphed into pleasure as Sal pulled back and then slammed into his ass, his large cock grazing his prostrate as he repeated the move a few more times. Sal tucked his body neatly into Tibo’s as he grabbed his ankles and lifted his lower body high into the air, assaulting his ass with his huge cock. “This is mine!” Tibo squirmed and cried out. He was being pulled into the depths of pleasure as Sal fucked him like an expert lover. “Say it, gatito.” “Yours!” Sal growled as he fucked Tibo harder, deeper, and with more aggression than Tibo had ever felt. There was no doubt in his mind that Sal was claiming him, placing his ownership over Tibo. He was losing his damn mind and loving it all at the same time. Sweat trickled down Sal’s flawless skin as he hammered into Tibo’s channel. He reached up, pulling at Sal. He knew he shouldn’t be demanding a damn thing, but Tibo was going to die if he didn’t get to

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taste Sal in the next five seconds. Sal growled his disapproval but dropped to his arms, taking Tibo’s lips in a mind-altering kiss. Tibo wrapped his legs around Sal’s waist. They didn’t even fit around the man’s large waist! Sal snapped his hips, his cock stretching Tibo’s ass to the limits as Tibo spun out of control. He shouted as his seed was forced from his body when Sal sank his teeth into Tibo’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but Tibo prayed Sal didn’t stop. He would die if Sal stopped. “Mine!” Sal growled around Tibo’s shoulder. “Yours,” Tibo cried as Sal thundered into his ass. He was lost, so damn lost in the feel of Sal taking him over, dominating him with his body. Tibo’s entire body shuddered when Sal released his shoulder and threw his head back, howling as hot spurts of seed bathed his ass. The man actually howled! Tibo drew in ragged breaths as Sal licked over the bite mark, whimpering as he did so. There was no mistake about it. Sal was indeed a werewolf. He was acting just like one, and Tibo loved it! Sal buried his nose in Tibo’s neck, inhaling deeply as his tongue played over Tibo’s skin. He shivered at the contact. “What the hell was that?” Sal asked into his neck. “Did I really just howl?” Tibo giggled as he nodded. Sal was still buried deep in his ass, and Tibo hoped Sal didn’t move for a very long time. The man was still half hard! “Well, damn.” Sal chuckled. “That was weird.” “I thought it was sexy.” Sal pulled back, staring down at Tibo. “Really?” Tibo nodded his head vigorously. “What if I really am a werewolf like the creepy man claims?” “Then I have the best watchdog ever,” Tibo teased.

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Sal growled and nipped Tibo’s shoulder and then licked it. “Mine.” He purred this time. Tibo cupped Sal’s face, staring him straight into his eyes, letting the man know how serious he was. “You don’t have to keep saying that. I’m not going anywhere, Sal.” Sal nodded and then kissed Tibo, making him forget what they were even talking about. He groaned in protest when Sal pulled his cock free. His body felt so empty now. Sal chuckled as he rolled to his side. “Come on, gatito. We need a shower.” Tibo grabbed Sal’s hand as he padded across the room, happily walking into the bathroom behind Sal’s large frame. He’d follow Sal anywhere.

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Chapter 4 “What the fuck do you mean you’re not going to New York?” Riojos boomed as they stood out by the SUVs. “It’s suicide to split up.” “I didn’t say we had to split up. All I’m saying is that we need to reconsider where we’re taking our men. I think it would be safer to find somewhere remote to hide them,” Sal countered. “I don’t like it.” Riojos exhaled. “If we were in the big city, we could blend in.” “And it would be harder to watch everything around us. Think about it, bro.” “He has a point,” Tony interpolated. “Going someplace remote will help us to see if anyone is coming.” Riojos didn’t like it. Collin was his entire world. If anything happened to his angel, he wouldn’t survive. He was ready to end it all the first time when he thought Collin had died. There was no way he was going to go through that pain and anguish again. “Do you have a place in mind?” he asked Sal. Sal shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Someplace remote, woodsy. I was thinking about Florida. They have a large forested area, and it’s across the country from Oregon. It’s about as far from Mr. Donahue as possible without actually leaving the country.” Tony kicked at the ground as he placed his hands on his hips. “It sounds good to me. I’m out of ideas, and I’m tired of running.” “Me, too,” Sal said. Riojos threw his hands into the air. “Florida it is then.”

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He had to admit, it was a pretty good idea the more he thought about it. He wasn’t too thrilled at the idea of a big city anyways. Riojos’s lips thinned as he narrowed his eyes. That was the second time he had seen that particular red Explorer pass the motel. He glanced over at Glade, who nodded at him. The man had noticed it, too. “We need to get back on the road,” he said as he headed toward his room where his lover was showering. “We may be old by age, but Florida is a place where old folks go to retire,” Claire, Collin’s mom, huffed. “I have a new lease on life.” “I agree,” Lawrence, Collin’s dad, added. “I think this may be where we part company.” Riojos didn’t like it. They were his family. “I think you should reconsider.” Lawrence shook his head. “No, son. It’s time. We’re only extra baggage that you men don’t need right now. Go, take care of my son.” Riojos exhaled as he stared at the man who was more of a father to him than his very own. “You know I’m going to miss the hell out of both of you?” Lawrence chuckled as he pulled Riojos into his arms. “Ditto, kid.” Claire smiled, unshed tears in her eyes as she splayed her arms wide. Riojos fell into them, soaking up the motherly affection. “Madre.” “Riojos.” She sniffed as she hugged him tight. “Take care of Collin for us, sweetheart.” “With my life,” he assured her. He didn’t want to let her go. Sal hugged Lawrence and then Claire. “I’ll miss both of you.” “Same here,” Claire said and then pulled away. “Now let me go see Collin.” Sal nodded, wiping his eyes as he took a step back. Riojos knew how his brother felt. He knew for a fact that this was the last time they would see the couple for a very long time. He manned up, suppressing the urge to beg them to stay.

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“Gather your things. We need to get moving,” Glade said, giving Riojos a conspiratorial nod. “On it,” Riojos said as the men split up, going to their rooms to gather their men and their overnight bags. **** Tibo curled into Sal’s lap as they crossed into Florida. He was sick of being in the SUV. He was ready to finally settle down somewhere. His nerves were shot from all this running. Florida was hot. And it had bugs. And…and he was horny as hell. Tibo couldn’t stop thinking about the previous night. His ass still ached from being pounded into the mattress by Sal’s massive cock, but the ache was wearing off. Tibo knew logically that was a good thing, but he liked feeling the ache. It reminded him that Sal had fucked him. Tibo wiggled around in his seat until a large arm clamped around him, holding him still. Tibo’s eyes widened when he felt hot breath blow across his neck then he felt the brush of Sal’s lips on his skin. “What are you doing, gatito?” Sal whispered into his ear. “You’re awfully antsy.” “I…err…” “You need to relax.” Tibo frowned, a small pout coming out. “I can’t. I’m bored out of my mind.” Sal chuckled. “Let me see if I can relieve your boredom.” Tibo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he felt Sal’s hands slide down his stomach and under the waistband of his pants. He quickly shot a look to the other occupants in the vehicle. Glade and Samuel were talking quietly in the front seat. Kyle was sound asleep in Tony’s arms, and even Tony looked like he was dozing. But still…

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“Sal, they’ll see,” Tibo halfheartedly protested. As Sal’s hand moved closer to his aching cock, he was caring less and less that anyone might see them. “Then I suggest my gatito stays very quiet so no one knows what we’re doing.” Sal added to that statement by tossing a coat over Tibo’s lap. He scooted around then pulled Tibo back against his chest. “Not a sound, Tibo.” “Yes, sir.” Tibo’s mind fragmented when Sal unzipped his pants and grabbed his cock. He just barely kept his long moan behind his lips as Sal started moving his hand up and down Tibo’s rigid cock. Tibo spread his legs as far as he could then leaned back against Sal, turning his face into the man’s chest. “I wish we were alone,” Tibo whispered as he pushed his hands behind his back and rubbed them over the hard bulge in Sal’s pants. Sal sucked breath in between his teeth as Tibo’s fingers played over the head of Sal’s cock. Tibo’s hole ached to be filled by this enormous shaft. He teased his fingers down the length, giving it a light squeeze. Tibo quickly glanced around as Sal reached between them and unsnapped his pants, guiding Tibo’s hand down the front of his jeans. Tibo’s mouth watered for a taste as he felt the pre-cum leaking like a river from Sal’s cock. He licked his lips, glancing up at Sal. “Not here.” Sal looked just as disappointed as Tibo felt. He gave Sal his best pouty look as he curled his fingers around the shaft and began to stroke it. Tibo bit his bottom lip as Sal’s fingers tightened around his cock, stroking it faster as Tibo tried to keep up stroke for stroke. It had become a contest to see who could make the other come first. Tibo scooted farther up Sal’s lap, reaching up for a kiss. Sal leaned forward, swiping his tongue into Tibo’s mouth as his lips parted, devouring Sal’s tongue.

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Sal was someone Tibo had never expected. Sure, they had been friends, and Tibo had lusted after him for years, but as a lover, Sal consumed him. Tibo was willing to do anything and everything for this man. Tibo bit Sal’s lower lip when his body exploded. He whimpered, his hips bucking as he came. Sal growled as Tibo’s hand clamped around his cock like a vise-grip, jerking it feverishly. Tibo panted heavily as he felt his hand fill with Sal’s seed. Tibo rested his head against Sal’s chest, basking in the afterglow. His body was a pile of goo as he started to doze off. He smiled when Sal began to kiss him down his neck. Sal was groaning and nipping, telling Tibo with his tongue that he wanted to fuck him. Tibo knew how he felt. “Where are we going?” Sal asked when they turned off of the main road and the SUV started bouncing everyone inside. Kyle and Tony even woke from the shaking. “I wanted to get off of the main road just in case someone was following us,” Glade replied. “It’s going to be a bit bumpy.” A bit? Tibo was being bounced around like popcorn being popped. He grabbed onto Sal as the truck hit a large hole, making Tibo bounce in Sal’s lap. As enjoyable as the feeling was—and god was it enjoyable—it was making his teeth rattle. “I think you missed a few chuck holes,” Tony complained as he pulled Kyle closer. Tibo grinned when he saw Kyle glare at the front passengers. “No problem. I’ll make sure I get them all from here on out,” Glade retorted. Tibo giggled when Samuel laughed. “Dickhead,” Sal grumbled. “I heard that,” Glade shot, glaring at them from the rearview mirror.

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With the way the SUV was bouncing, sleep eluded Tibo. There was no way he could get any shut-eye. He sat up and looked out the window, curious as to where they were going. They were obviously entering a forest of some kind. There were trees and bushes everywhere. The farther down the dirt road they drove, the thicker the trees became until they almost blocked out the fading sunlight. Tibo shivered and moved closer to Sal. It was actually kind of creepy how dark it was getting just from driving into the woods. “Where are we going?” Tibo whispered. “I don’t know, gatito,” Sal replied. “I’m hoping Glade does.” “Can we pull over? I gotta pee.” Tibo’s face flushed when Sal chuckled. “Hey, Glade, we need a rest stop pretty soon. Find a bush.” “A bush?” Tibo squeaked as he glanced up at Sal. “Really?” “I’m afraid there are no flushing toilets out here, gatito.” “Damn!” **** Sal chuckled as he watched Tibo eye the bushes as if they might jump out and bite him at any moment. Apparently, his little baby hadn’t spent a lot of time in the great outdoors. Sal wasn’t exactly an outdoorsman either, but he could pee on a bush. “Tibo,” he said, using a commanding tone as he crossed his arms over his chest, “go find a bush and do your business. We need to get back on the road.” “In there?” Tibo waved his hand toward the darkening woods. “Come on, Tibo,” Kyle said as he looped his arm through Tibo’s. “I’ll go with you.” Sal shook his head with amusement as Kyle led Tibo off into the woods. “Wait for me!” Collin called out as he rushed after the two men.

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“And they say women have to pee in crowds.” Sal turned to see his brother watching the three men disappear into the forest, a wide grin on his face. “Well, they’re pretty enough to be women, all three of them.” Riojos’s nose wrinkled. “Yeah, but eeewww.” He shuddered. Sal chuckled. “I know how you feel. I couldn’t imagine Tibo without all of those extra bits and pieces. Kind of gives you nightmares.” “So…” Riojos’s lips twisted together for a moment. “You and Tibo, huh?” Sal felt his face heat up as he shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose.” “Is this something that has been coming for a while or just kind of happened?” Sal scratched the side of his head as he considered his brother’s words. “Both, I guess. I’ve always wanted Tibo. I just never really pursued it until now.” “Do you think it has anything to do with that Kidemona lykanthropos thing the voodoo man told us about?” Sal stiffened at the mention of what the voodoo doctor had told him. He hadn’t really had time to think about it a lot. He didn’t really want to start now. “You don’t think he was telling the truth, do you? You know, about us having different fathers?” “Hell if I know,” Riojos replied as he looked off into the woods. “Mom wasn’t the best of moms, but she loved us. I’d think she would have mentioned if we had different fathers.” Riojos’s eyes swung back to Sal. “Don’t you think?” “Maybe.” Sal didn’t necessarily have the same fond memories of their mother that Riojos did. Riojos had been the smart one and got away as fast as he could. Sal had stayed. It hadn’t been a pleasant time. Their mother wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type even when she had been sober. “Damn, how long does it take to pee?” Riojos asked as he glanced down at his watch.

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Sal swung around to stare at the thick trees. He refused to let loose the panic threatening to overwhelm him. Tibo was safe. Sal knew that. Tibo was just off taking a leak. He’d walk out of the woods at any moment. “I’ll go check on them,” Judd said as he started to amble toward the woods. It took everything inside of Sal to stay rooted to where he stood. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to run into the trees after Tibo. Sal turned to look at the others, frowning deeply when he saw a peculiar expression on Glade’s face. “What?” he asked. Glade glanced over at Sal. “Nothing.” Sal growled low in his throat. “What?” he demanded again. “It’s nothing, I swear.” “Then why do you look so concerned?” “I’m not concerned.” Glade shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and looked toward the trees once again. “I’m surprised. Judd isn’t exactly known for his sweet disposition.” “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sal snapped, his hands clenching. “He doesn’t volunteer for shit!” Riley quipped as he turned to glare at Glade. Glade shrugged. “Maybe he had to pee, too?” Sal started toward the woods after his baby. “And maybe not.” **** Tibo shook himself off then tucked his dick back into his pants and zipped them up. He would have given pretty much anything to have a sink or at least a baby wipe right at that moment. It was disgusting not being able to clean his hands off after taking a leak.

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This would explain why he didn’t do the great outdoors. Call him prissy. Call him high maintenance. Call him spoiled. He didn’t care. Clean hands were clean hands. He turned back toward the direction he had come and realized he had absolutely no idea which way he had come. It all looked like trees. Everything was green. “Uh, Collin, do you remember which way the vehicles are?” “Don’t you?” Collin asked as he walked up beside Tibo. “No, I was hoping you did.” “Sorry, dude, I was too busy doing the pee-pee dance to pay attention.” “Kyle?” Tibo called out to the other man, who was hidden in the bushes several feet away. “Do you remember which way we came?” “Busy,” Kyle called out. Tibo snickered. “Pinch it off, man, we’re lost.” Tibo heard Kyle groan, then rustling in the bushes. A moment later, Kyle broke through the bushes. “What do you mean lost?” Kyle asked as he zipped up his pants. “We came through there.” Kyle pointed to a section of trees. He frowned and turned, pointing to some more trees. “Maybe it was there.” “Should we call out for help?” Collin asked. “You do realize these are the woods of Florida, right?” Tibo asked as he waved his hands around them. Collin and Kyle just blinked at him. Tibo rolled his eyes. “Haven’t you guys ever seen Deliverance or The Hills Have Eyes? These woods could be crawling with inbred, backwoods, psychotic killers. One scream out of us, and they’ll come out of the woodwork. You never call out for help when you’re lost. Never!” Kyle shuddered and glanced quickly around. “I’m too cute to be a hillbilly sacrifice.” “Dude.” Tibo snickered. “You’re a phoenix. You can’t die.”

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Kyle’s eyes were huge when he looked back at Tibo. “Neither can you, but I’ll bet you bleed just fine.” “Good point.” Tibo chewed on the end of his thumb for a moment as he looked around the dark forest. He remembered his unclean hands and quickly pulled his finger from his mouth. That was gross. The sun had set sometime between when they left the SUVs and now. It was dark. The sky was dark. The woods were dark. Everything was dark. “Anyone got a flashlight?” “I have a lighter,” Collin said as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a Zippo. He flicked it on, and light illuminated just enough area so that Tibo could see that they were in a lot of trouble. “I hate the woods,” Tibo grumbled as he smacked a mosquito that had landed on his face...and then remembered his unclean hands again. Collin suddenly started laughing. Tibo frowned over at him. “You have something to add, red?” “We’re fucking phoenixes, man,” Collin said. “Why don’t we just shift into birds and fly out of here?” Tibo blinked. “Can we do that?” He never would have thought of that possibility. He wasn’t looking forward to the height aspect of shifting, but he wasn’t looking forward to starring in his own version of Wrong Turn either. Collin shrugged. “Got me.” “So, shift already.” Collin frowned. “You shift.” “You first,” Tibo insisted. “I’ve never shifted before. Hell, I’m not even sure I can.” “You can,” Collin said. “But—” “Just do it.” “Fine!” Tibo rubbed the back of his neck as his face heated up. “I don’t do heights.” “That actually could be a problem,” Kyle said.

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Collin sighed deeply. “Okay, look, I’ll shift and fly up. You two follow me.” Tibo grinned. “That works for me.” “It better,” Collin said as he began stripping his clothes off, “because next time, you get to play pretty fire birdy.” Tibo’s eyebrows drew down in a thoughtful frown as he watched Collin undress, then glanced over at Kyle. “Does it seem strange to you that we all have some shade of red hair? Is it just a coincidence or what?” Kyle shrugged. “I’m a natural redhead. What about you?” Tibo chuckled. “I’d ask you to prove it, but Tony would probably kill me.” “Wouldn’t matter anyway. I shave.” Kyle’s face turned almost as red as his hair. “Tony likes it better that way.” “Really?” Tibo moved closer to Kyle. “Do you use a straight razor or disposable because mine broke last week and—” “Guys!” Collin slapped his hands together. “Less nudity and more fear of being lost in the woods.” Tibo rolled his eyes and waved his hand at Collin’s naked body. “So says the man proving he is a natural redhead.” Collin’s eyes narrowed, and he shoved his pile of clothes into Tibo’s hands. “Just hold onto these. I’m going to need them when I’m done. No one but us needs to know just how natural I am.” Tibo grinned when Kyle giggled. He grabbed the clothes and stepped back, not sure how much room Collin needed in order to shift. The grin fell off his face as his mouth dropped open when the air around Collin began to shimmer. Before he knew it, a beautiful feathered phoenix stood where Collin had been only moments before. “That is so freaking cool,” Tibo whispered. “Thanks.” Tibo blinked then glanced over at Kyle only to find him with his mouth hanging open. “You heard that, too?” Kyle nodded, his mouth still hanging open.

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“Heard what?” “You.” Tibo looked back at Collin…err…the bird. “We can hear you talking in our heads.” “Really?” The phoenix blinked rapidly. Tibo just nodded. “That actually might make things a little easier.” “I’ll say,” Tibo whispered. Tibo jumped back, clutching the clothes to his chest as Collin suddenly flapped his wings and flew off into the air. He craned his neck, tilting his head back as he watched Collin fly higher and higher, circling the tips of the trees. “That is so cool.” “Right?” Kyle asked. “And we can do that?” “I guess,” Kyle replied as he shrugged. “I don’t quite understand all of this yet and neither does Collin. We’re kind of playing it by ear and learning as we go along.” Tibo looked away from the night sky and over at Kyle. He didn’t understand any of this, and he was beginning to suspect that no one else did either. And didn’t that totally suck? “Have you asked one of the guys?” “Like who?” Kyle asked. “Tony knows about as much as I do.” “Like Glade. He seems to know a whole hell of a lot about what’s going on with us.” “Yeah, but he isn’t talking.” Kyle wiggled his fingers in the air. “It’s ‘need to know’ only.” “Well, we fucking need to know!” Tibo snapped. “I’d think we’d be the first ones he’d talk to.” “You try getting him to talk then, ’cause I’ve tried, and that man is more tight-lipped than a virgin’s ass.” “Would you two stop fooling around and follow me?” Collin called out from above them. “I’m not sure how long I can keep this up. It’s not easy, you know.”

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Tibo chuckled as he and Kyle started following the red-feathered bird through the woods. Every once in a while they had to stop and wait for Collin to circle around a bit, and then he’d start flying off in one direction again. Tibo knew they were in deep shit right away. For one, they seemed to be walking farther into the woods, not out of them. For two, it shouldn’t have taken them that long to get back to the vehicles. They hadn’t gone that far into the woods to pee. “You guys have got to see this.” Tibo and Kyle ran forward, trying their best to keep up with Collin. It wasn’t easy. The woods were pitch-black, the only light was from the moon, and it kept hiding behind clusters of clouds. “Wait up,” Kyle panted as he raced to Tibo’s side. Tibo slowed, slightly, as he kept looking up to see where Collin was. He stumbled and then righted himself just as they walked into a clearing. “Holy mother of pearl.” Kyle gasped as he stopped walking. Tibo spun around to see what all the fuss was about. He gaped at the stone structure in front of them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it looked old and out of commission for many years. There were weeds and plants growing around the concrete building. “What is that?” Collin asked from above. “You’re the one with the bird’s-eye view. You tell us,” Tibo said as he stepped closer. Kyle grabbed his arm, shaking his head back and forth rapidly. “Dude, there could be homeless people or backwoods brothers living in there. We should find our way back to our men.” Tibo agreed, but he also wanted to check the place out. He wasn’t a brave man, not by a long shot, but the place fascinated him. “We’ll be okay. If anyone jumps out at us with a chainsaw, Collin will peck their eyes out.” “That’s not funny. Seriously, Tibo, I don’t like this,” Kyle protested. “I’m not a chickenshit, but this place creeps me out.”

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“Sounds like a chickenshit to me,” Collin said as he swooped down at them and then landed by Tibo. Once again he was amazed as he watched bird transform into man. Tibo jumped when he heard rustling in the bushes they had just come from. He scanned the area with his eyes, trying his best to see in the dark. Maybe Kyle’s protests shouldn’t be ignored. “What is it?” Kyle asked as Collin quickly dressed. The three of them stood there for a moment, gazing off into the forest. “Boo.” Kyle and Tibo jumped and screamed at the same time as Collin laughed his ass off. “You two should have seen your faces. It’s probably a skunk or something.” A skunk was not a better alternative. Tibo was feeling itchy and dirty. Their traipse through the woods to grandma’s house left him feeling as though he could scrub for three days under the hot spray of a shower. He was definitely not an outdoors person. “Come on, let’s go check it out.” Collin waved them on as he walked toward the old, crumbling, and abandoned building. “When we all die, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Kyle whispered from behind. “Dude, we can’t die,” Tibo reminded him. “But we can suffer, same difference to me.” Kyle had a point, but it was too late now. Collin was already halfway there. “I’m hungry,” Tibo said when his stomach started rumbling. “I can’t remember the last time we ate.” “I could use a Krabby Patty,” Kyle mumbled as he rubbed his stomach. “They make them look so good on television.” “You ever notice that?” Tibo asked. “The fast food always looks like a god cooked it, but then when you go the joint to order it, it looks like a five-year-old assembled it.” “Will you two shut up and get up here?” Collin shouted from over their heads. Tibo looked up to see Collin standing on top of some sort of hill.

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“How’d you get up there?” “There are steps off to the side, hidden by overgrown weeds.” Collin pointed to where he had ascended to the top of the hill. Tibo and Kyle walked around until they found the steps and then climbed them. Tibo was amazed at his surroundings once he stood on top. “Wow, you can see pretty far from here,” Tibo whispered. “This would make a good hideout.” “It would, wouldn’t it?” Collin grinned from ear to ear. “I think we found someplace we can chill for a couple of days. The spell is gone, and staying here should get rid of any lingerers.” The three spun around when they heard a low growl coming from the woods. “Still think it’s a skunk?” Tibo asked as he swallowed hard.

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Chapter 5 Sal sniffed the ground as he tried his best to pick up Tibo’s scent. It wasn’t like he was an expert at this. Hell, this was the first time he had shifted. Hell if he knew what he was doing. But one thing he did know for sure, that was Tibo’s scent he smelled. “What the fuck?” Glade asked from behind Sal. Sal snapped his head up to see Judd walking toward them. He gave a low growl when he didn’t see any of the phoenixes with him. Judd had gone after them. So why was he standing here alone? “Sorry, Glade. I tried to find them, but it’s impossible in the dark,” Judd said as he slipped a cell phone into his back pocket. Sal leapt, knocking Judd to the ground with his weight as he growled and snapped his jaw. The fucker was lying. Sal didn’t know how he knew, but he just knew Judd wasn’t telling the truth. The guy reeked of sneakiness. “So you traveled all the way out here to find them?” Glade asked, eyeing Judd as if he didn’t believe him. Good. Sal was glad Glade didn’t just blindly trust his men. Sal didn’t trust any of them, not when it came to Tibo’s safety. They were all hiding something, and he knew it. And Judd just plain reeked. Sal wondered if a lie had a smell, because that would explain a lot. Sal held Judd down to the ground by placing his large paw in the middle of the man’s chest then rooted around at the man’s pocket, tearing it until his cell phone fell free. Judd struggled against him the entire time. “Hey, knock that shit off, man. I’m not your fucking type,” Judd shouted. “Get the hell off of me.”

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Sal turned and bared his teeth, growling low in his throat until Judd lay back against the ground and held his hands up in surrender. Sal had no guilty feelings whatsoever about ripping Judd’s throat out to save Tibo. Judd needed to know that. Sal growled down at Judd one more time then turned to pick up the cell phone between his teeth. He pushed down hard on Judd’s chest as he moved away, wanting desperately to smile when the man grunted and grabbed his chest. He carried the phone over to his brother and dropped it on the ground before sitting back on his haunches. Riojos cocked an eyebrow but bent over and picked up the phone. His eyebrow shot higher as he started going through the phone. Sal started to growl when Riojos looked down at him. He knew that look. Riojos wasn’t a police detective for nothing. He was smart. He put puzzles together for a living. Sal didn’t like the puzzle he could see Riojos putting together. “Seems you’ve been a busy boy, Judd,” Riojos said. “You keep calling the same number over and over again. Sick mother?” “His mother is dead,” Glade said. “Younger sister?” “He’s an only child.” “Wife?” “He doesn’t have one. None of us do,” Glade said. “It’s kind of a requirement for the job. No attachments.” Sal turned and hunched low, starting to growl as he stared at Judd. The fucker was up to something, and Sal knew without a doubt that it had something to do with his Tibo. Judd was going to die if anything happened to the gorgeous little man because of him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Judd said quickly as he climbed to his feet. “Really?” Riojos said. “That’s what you’re going with? Do you know how many times I hear that in my line of work? It’s seriously cliché.”

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“Give me my fucking phone,” Judd said. He smoothed his shirt down then held his hand out. “It’s my phone, and you have no right to take it from me.” “Who are you calling, Judd?” Riojos snapped. “None of your fucking business!” “Maybe not, but tell me anyway.” “No!” Judd shouted. “I’m a guardian. I don’t answer to you.” “But you do answer to me,” Glade said. Sal swung around to look at Glade at the deep tone of his voice. The man was seriously pissed. Sal liked it. Maybe, just maybe, it meant that Glade was on their side, because he damned well knew Judd wasn’t. “Who were you calling, Judd?” This time, it was Glade asking as he slowly started toward Judd. When Sal swung back around, Judd was backing away. He had a slightly panicked look in his eyes as if he knew the jig was up. Yeah, the fucker knew his ass was cooked. Samuel and Riley were closing in on him from either side, Glade advancing on him from the front. Sal rolled his eyes, as best a werewolf could, when Judd suddenly took off running into the woods. He growled loudly and took off after him. Sal could hear everyone else following behind him. Judd was going down. “Don’t kill him, Sal,” Riojos called out as he chased after them. “We need to question him before he dies.” Good, at least Riojos realized that the man was going to die. Sal could hear Judd running through the underbrush ahead of him. Judd wasn’t quiet about where he was headed. But more than that, Sal could smell him. And Judd stunk to high heaven. Judd was fast, but Sal was faster. He was gaining on Judd. Just as Judd pushed through some branches, Sal leapt at him. Judd tumbled to the ground, rolling over until he was crouched on his hands and knees. Sal bared his teeth again and slowly crept forward, his paws

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smashing into the earth as he moved closer. He wanted Judd to see his death coming. “They’re going to die.” Judd chuckled menacingly, his eyes darting around and then settling on Sal. “Every damn last one of those little freaks.” Sal snapped his jaw, barking at Judd as his nose crinkled with his threat. “You don’t scare me,” Judd said. “I answer to a much higher power than you, a power you would never understand.” Sal cocked his head to one side. Now, that was a curious statement to make. What exactly did Judd mean by it? Sal was even more confused when Judd stood up and glanced behind him. There was a wicked smile on his face when he looked back at Sal. He didn’t trust that look. “My master will have what he wants, one way or another, and there is nothing you can do to stop him.” Judd laughed hysterically. “He will have the phoenixes, and you can’t stop what is coming.” Sal’s head reared back. Master? What in the hell was this guy into? Sal’s jaw dropped open as Judd turned and leapt off the side of cliff behind him. Sal sat there, stunned for a moment, then ran over and looked over the side. The river at the bottom was a long ways down. There was no way the guy could have survived it. Right? Sal howled to let everyone know where he was then shifted back into his human form. He shivered as the cold night air blew across his skin. Damn, it was cold. He was grateful when Riojos broke through the trees and handed his clothes over. “Where’d he go?” Yeah, right, about that. Sal nodded toward the edge of the cliff as he pulled his clothes on. Riojos walked over and looked over the side. “Damn.”

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Sal was buttoning up his shirt when Glade and Riley came through the thick trees. Glade glanced at Sal then Riojos then to the edge of the cliff. “Did he go over?” “The fucker jumped”—Sal growled—“right after he told me ‘his master’ would get what he wanted in the end.” Sal wondered if the guy was telling the truth or if he had been delusional. From the mad look in Judd’s eyes before he jumped, he was leaning toward delusional, but he had a feeling Judd was telling the truth, which sucked. Glade’s eyebrows shot up as he gaped at Sal. “His master?” Sal waved his hand toward the edge of the cliff. “His words, not mine.” Glade’s eyes narrowed as he looked out over the cliff again. “We need to find the phoenixes. I suspect that Judd has been helping someone track our movements.” “No shit!” Riojos snapped, his hands landing on hips. “Ya think?” “Sarcasm is not needed,” Glade replied. “Oh, yes it is.” Sal’s jaw clenched as he pointed to Glade. “You and your little crew here have kept things from us long enough. Either you tell us everything you know, or we leave your asses stranded in these woods.” **** Tibo crept along behind Collin and Kyle. He didn’t like this investigating stuff. He was better suited as a chicken. He may be cowardly, but it kept his butt out of trouble. What had been so wrong with staying on top of that hill? It was nice and safe up there. Tibo pushed the branches out of his face as he tried his best to stay quiet. Why exactly were they hunting down the animal that howled? It seemed kinda stupid to him. Shouldn’t they be running? Preferably in the opposite direction? “He can’t be too far,” Kyle whispered.

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Tibo sure hoped the howling creature was miles away. He may be able to shift and fly, but he hadn’t gotten that far in his lessons. The most he could do right now was run like hell. Tibo winced when he stepped on a branch, and then another. He wasn’t very good at creeping along either. He was noisy as hell. Collin and Kyle stopped in their progress to look back at Tibo, exasperated looks on their faces. Tibo shrugged and held his arms up. What was he supposed to do, float along? He couldn’t help that he was alerting every creature in a ten-mile radius that they were coming. The three screamed, Collin shifting, when shadows emerged from behind some trees. Tibo took off, running back the way they came, his arms stuck out in front of him. He was being noisy as hell, but at the moment, he didn’t care. His only concern was getting away from the shadows. He looked over his shoulder to see if he was being followed, and—wham, he hit the ground. Where the hell had that tree come from? “Are you all right?” Sal asked as he caught up to Tibo and dropped to the ground. Tibo shook his head around, praying that he didn’t hear any rattling. “I think so,” he said as he massaged his temples. His head was pounding now. “Let me take a look,” Sal said as he began to probe at Tibo’s head. He winced when Sal touched a rather tender spot on the front of his skull. “You have a goose egg on your forehead.” Tibo blinked a few times and then tried to stand, feeling a mite dizzy with the action. “Whoa, let me carry you.” Sal picked Tibo up, cradling him against his strong chest as he walked back toward the woods. “Don’t,” Tibo protested as he lightly touched the big knot on his head. “We heard howling. There’s a dog or wolf or something out there.” Sal’s chest rumbled as he laughed. “That was me, babe.”

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Tibo’s eyes widened as he looked up at his lover. “You made that scary noise?” “Yep. I even turned into a furry wolf with teeth and everything,” Sal said proudly. “If you’re real good later, I’ll show you.” Tibo shook his head, regretting it as soon as he became nauseous. “I’d rather you not.” Tibo was relieved when he saw that the other phoenixes were safe. “I found him,” Sal called out. “Will you stop running away?” Samuel asked as he glared at Tibo. Tibo could feel his body flush with embarrassment as Sal brought him closer to the circle of men. They were all looking at him. Well, Samuel was kind of glaring. “I swear I’m going to put a locater on you,” Samuel snapped. Sal growled at Samuel, impressing Tibo. In the few years that he had worked for the guy, Sal had gotten grumpy with quite a few outof-hand customers, but he never sounded like this. Tibo was becoming turned-on. He may not want to see the furry side of his lover, but the growl was hot! “Sorry,” Tibo said. “Don’t talk to him that way!” Sal shouted as he glared at Samuel. “I have sharp teeth, and I know how to use them.” Samuel rolled his eyes as he turned back to face Collin and Kyle. “Show us this bunker you were talking about.” “You can put me down now,” Tibo said to Sal, although that was the last thing he wanted the man to do. The only reason he said it was because he already looked like a wuss in front of everyone else. He didn’t want to seem like a total loser by having to be carried. Sal set him on his feet, and Tibo immediately began to sway. “That’s what I thought,” Sal said as he swung Tibo back up into his strong arms. “My hero.” Tibo batted his eyes, making the big man carrying him laugh.

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“I’ll show you hero when we’re alone,” he said as he winked down at Tibo. Hot damn! Tibo was going to hold him to that. His lover looked over at the other men. “What bunker?” “The phoenixes found an old bunker. If it’s how Collin and Kyle described it to be, then we can use it to camp out in for a little while. I’m beat,” Glade said as he began to walk away, following behind Collin and Riojos. “A bunker?” He looked down at Tibo questioningly. “You have to see it.” Tibo could feel excitement start coursing through his veins. “It’s so cool. It’s all made of concrete, and it has hundreds of rooms. You wouldn’t even know it was there unless you specifically looked for it.” “Sounds interesting,” Sal said as he followed the men toward their hideout. Tibo was actually looking forward to seeing it again. He hadn’t had a chance to explore the strange place before being scared out of his mind. He still wanted to explore. Tibo pointed toward the hillside as they walked out of the forest. “There it is,” he said excitedly. “Isn’t it wonderful?” Sal chuckled. “I can’t even see it yet, babe.” Tibo bounced in Sal’s arms. “You will. Just wait.” He snickered when Riojos pulled the overgrowth aside, the men oohing in wonder. He knew they would like it. “Isn’t it great?” **** Sal couldn’t believe what he was staring at. Hidden behind trees and bushes and darkened vines was some sort of cement structure that seemed to be built right into the side of a hill. “I think it’s some sort of military installation.” “From this century?” Riojos asked. “I’m guessing not.” From what Sal could see, the place hadn’t seen real sunlight in ages. The cement was old, crumbled, and faded.

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While the building might still be standing, Sal wasn’t too positive it would stay that way. He slowly lowered Tibo to his feet. “You stay here, gatito.” “What?” Tibo exclaimed. “No, I wanna go in.” “I just need to take a look first, Tibo, and make sure the place is safe.” Tibo grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest. “Promise me I can see the inside?” Sal smiled and rubbed his thumb along the curve of Tibo’s cheek. “I promise, gatito. I just need to make sure it’s safe in there.” Tibo’s jaw dropped, and then he waved his hand around. “It’s not safe out here.” “Tibo—” Tibo held up his hand. “I get it. I’ll wait here like a good little boy.” Sal chuckled. When his thumb reached the bottom of Tibo’s face, he gripped his chin and pulled him closer. “Just remember that you’re my good little boy.” Sal leaned down and kissed Tibo until he felt the man slump against him. He stood straight then patted Tibo on the cheek. “Stay here, gatito.” Sal didn’t like leaving Tibo outside, but he liked taking him into the building even less. He had no idea what could possibly be inside—wild animals, snakes, bugs, booby traps. Sal was ready for anything. Maybe. “Riojos, can you stay out here with Tibo?” Riojos nodded. “Anyone have a flashlight?” He rolled his eyes when Glade instantly held one out. “Boy Scout.” He then stuck his nose in the air. It was a little musty, but nothing seemed out of place. He inhaled deeply and then wondered what the hell he was doing. Sal was acting as though he’d been a wolf for years. He wouldn’t know what the strange smells were anyway.

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“I’ll go with you,” Glade said. Sal didn’t like it. He didn’t trust Glade, not after what just happened. But what choice did he have? He’d prefer Tony stay behind with Riojos to protect Tibo, Collin, and Kyle. “All right, let’s go.” Sal grinned wickedly. “You first.” Glade rolled his eyes, pulled out another flashlight, and walked through the crumbling doorway. Sal chuckled and followed him inside, turning on his own flashlight. The first room they came to was just that, a room. There was nothing special about it. It was just a room with absolutely nothing in it, not even leaves. The next room was more interesting. It was windowless but had what looked like an old brick fireplace at one end and a staircase leading up at the other. It was also twice the size of the last room. “What do you think this was?” Sal asked, blinking a little when his voice echoed through the concrete room. “My guess would be an old Civil War bunker of some sort,” Glade replied as he placed a hand on one of the walls. Sal did the same, running his hand over some of the cracks in the cement wall. “It certainly looks old enough.” “There’s a lot of them down this way,” Glade replied as he pointed his flashlight down the hall. “After the South lost the war, they were simply abandoned as people went back to their homes and tried to rebuild. The ones closer to the cities were used as new military forts for the Union soldiers. The ones further out, like this one, were left to the elements.” Glade flashed the flashlight around the room. “I’d bet no one’s been here since the war ended.” “Someone had to have been,” Sal insisted. “It just doesn’t seem possible for the place to be abandoned that long.” Glade chuckled quietly. “Well, I’m not saying kids from town didn’t find their way down here to party a little, but I don’t think the place has been used for anything significant in years. It’s too well hidden.” Sal grinned. “Hidden is good.”

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“No, hidden is freaking fantastic.” Glade moved the flashlight up and down the walls and along the floor as they walked. “If I’m right about this place, we might be able to set up camp here and hunker down for quite some time. It won’t be a suite at the Bellagio, but it will be damn close.” “What about the vehicles?” Sal asked. “Won’t someone see them?” “We’ll hide them in the bushes.” “Do you think we can build fires in here?” “We can have fires at nighttime and only inside. The smoke can be seen during the day.” Sal arched an eyebrow as he glared at Glade. This all seemed a little too easy to him. “Food then.” “We have some stuff in the SUVs. What we don’t have with us we can hunt. I’ve been camping a few times. I’m sure I can rig up some sort of trap.” Glade shrugged as he glanced at Sal. “Or we could just make a quick trip into the nearest town and go grocery shopping.” The deep need Sal felt to punch Glade right in the mouth was getting stronger the longer he knew the guy. Glade was a real asshole. Unfortunately, he also seemed to be the only asshole that really knew what was going on. Sal was pretty much clueless, and he knew Riojos and Tony were as well. “Let’s check the rest of this place out before we make any decisions.” Glade nodded and started for the next room. Sal followed behind him, sniffing the air every few steps. By the time they came out the other side of the building, they had discovered that the main room with the fireplace was the central room leading to just about everything else. Several smaller rooms led off of that one, each with a brick fireplace. Glade seemed to think they were officers’ rooms with the main room being a dining hall. Again, there were no windows in the smaller rooms. There didn’t seem to be any windows in any of the

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interior rooms. Sal was fascinated when he came across a room marked “Shell Room.” Now he knew this had been a military bunker. There was a room that was supposed to be a kitchen off of the dining hall, but it was unlike any kitchen Sal had ever seen. The large fireplace had brick shelves built inside of it. An old, rusted pump that no longer worked sat on the far side of the room. They did discover that the stairs in the main room led up to a lookout tower that was, surprisingly, also made of cement. It sat directly above the dining hall and had a hallway on each side that led to lookout towers on either end of the complex. It was the perfect setup. It would allow them all to huddle down and get some rest in one place for more than a night. Besides the fact that the entire place was covered in almost a hundred and fifty years of undergrowth, bushes, and trees, the walls were so thick that not even infrared sensors could get through. Sal doubted the place could even been seen from the air. “All right,” Sal said as they headed back toward the entrance, “let’s go get everyone and show them around. We need to figure out how to light this place up enough for us to see. We can clean it out tomorrow, but for now, I’m pretty sure everyone could use a good night’s rest.” “Riley, Samuel, and I will take turns on guard duty tonight. We can set up some sort of schedule tomorrow, but I want someone in one of the guard towers at all times. Even if this place is pretty much hidden from the world, we can’t afford to let our guard down, not with the phoenixes here.” Sal paused and looked at Glade for a moment, thinking hard. “And maybe once we get everyone settled, you can fill the rest of us in on what in the hell is going on, because I’m getting damn tired of scratching my balls and getting no relief.” “Maybe you need to talk to Tibo about that.” Glade snickered. “Or a doctor.”

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Sal growled and leapt at Glade, shoving him into the nearest wall. He moved in until they were almost nose to nose. “I don’t like you.” “I don’t care,” Glade said. He didn’t look the least bit scared that Sal had an arm pressed against his throat. “I’m not here for you to like.” “Then you’re doing an excellent job.” “You need to let me go, Sal.” “And you need to tell me what in the hell is going on with Tibo before I kick your hairy ass off that cliff with Judd.” “I’m warning you, Sal, you don’t want to go there.” “The hell I don’t!” Sal snapped. “You know something, and I want to know what it is. I’m tired of chasing my fucking tail. I can’t protect Tibo if I don’t know what sort of danger he is in.” “You need to decide if you’re in this for the long haul or not before I say anything.” Glade’s lips thinned as he pressed them together for a moment. “Tibo will always be in danger, always need protection. I’ve dedicated my life to keeping him and the others alive. Can you say the same?” Sal frowned and slowly leaned away from Glade, letting him go. “I love Tibo. I’d do anything for him.” “You love me?” a soft voice whispered from behind him.

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Chapter 6 Tibo wrung his hands together as he stood in the crumbling doorway, waiting for Sal to respond. His heart had started thundering in his chest the moment he walked in to find Sal pinning Glade to the wall. Hearing that Sal loved him nearly gave him a heart attack. When Sal stiffened then slowly started to turn around, Tibo almost turned and ran right back out of the building. Maybe Sal didn’t mean it? Maybe he had just said it to get Glade to talk? Maybe— “I thought I told you to wait for me outside, Tibo,” Sal said. Tibo quickly dropped his eyes. Okay, Sal hadn’t meant it. He could handle this. Sal cared about him and protected him. That could be enough. Really. He could…he could…Tibo chickened out and ran back out the door as fast as he could. He couldn’t stand there and hear Sal admit he didn’t really mean his words. He heard Riojos call out to him as he ran past the small group standing outside the hidden complex. Tibo ignored him and kept on running. He could feel tears starting to trickle down his face, but Tibo didn’t know if they came from Sal, running through the brush, or because it was freezing-ass cold outside. Maybe it was because his life seemed so screwed up right now. Something hard and heavy suddenly hit Tibo from behind. He cried out as he crashed to the ground, his face scraping against the unforgiving dirt, rocks, and twigs. Terrified that it was one of the men trying to get him, Tibo scrambled to his hands and knees and started crawling away as fast as he could. He froze when he heard a low growl. Tibo licked his lips then glanced over his shoulder. Oh shit! Crouched behind him was the

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biggest damn gray wolf Tibo had ever seen. “Sal, please tell me that’s you,” he whispered desperately. Tibo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when the wolf leaned forward and grabbed onto his pant leg with his teeth and started dragging him back toward the complex. Tibo floundered around on the ground for a moment as he was dragged through the bushes until his hand caught on a broken tree limb. Tibo grabbed onto it with both hands and lifted it into the air. “I swear, if you don’t prove to me that you’re Sal I’m going to hit you!” The second his leg was dropped, Tibo scooted back until he felt a tree at his back. He held the tree branch with both hands and waved it back and forth in front of him. “Stay back.” Tibo’s eyes widened and the tree branch shook in his hands as the air shimmered around the wolf and a naked man appeared. “Sal?” he whispered. “Well, I’m sure as hell not the Easter Bunny,” Sal snapped as he stood up. Tibo jumped and leaned back when Sal walked over and ripped the broken branch out of his hand, tossing it into the trees. A small whimper escaped his lips when Sal reached down for him. Tibo feared Sal was going to toss him into the trees next. He didn’t look happy. Sal paused and stood back up. “Are you afraid of me, Tibo?” Tibo frowned, not really sure how to answer that. Sal turned and took several steps away, rubbing the back of his neck. Tibo could tell he was frustrated. When Sal turned back around, he seemed almost hurt. He walked over and squatted down in front of Tibo. “Gatito, I would never hurt you,” Sal said. “You have to know that. I’d rather cut off my own arm than hurt a hair on your beautiful head.” Tibo stared down at his hands, wringing them together again out of nervous habit. “You’re being kind of scary,” he whispered.

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“I don’t mean to be.” Tibo glanced up at Sal through his eyelashes. “Do you know who I am when you’re like that?” “When I’m a wolf, you mean?” Tibo nodded. One corner of Sal’s mouth lifted. “Yes, I know who you are.” Tibo blew out a deep breath. “Thank the gods. I thought you were going to rip my leg off.” “No.” Sal chuckled. “I was trying to get you back where everyone else is, where it’s safe.” “You could have just asked.” “I suppose I could have done a lot of things, Tibo, but I didn’t, now did I?” Tibo didn’t know if Sal was making fun of him or not. So he was afraid of a huge wolf flashing sharp teeth at him. Sue him. Tibo frowned and glanced down at his hands again as anger started filling him, anger and hurt. “On the other hand,” Sal said. “It’s just you and me out here in these woods right now. And one of us has way too many clothes on.” Tibo’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he looked up at Sal. “Are you freaking serious?” “Perfectly.” Sal crossed his arms over his chest. “Strip, gatito. Your wolf is horny.” Tibo forgot about his anger as he blinked up at Sal. The man had to be nuts! They were out in the freaking woods, and it was cold. “Your cock may be bigger than mine, but it will be even smaller if I strip. It’s freezing!” Sal knelt once again, and Tibo’s eyes went straight to the hard cock between Sal’s legs. He licked his lips, wondering if he was nuts, too, because he was seriously considering obeying the command. “I’ll keep you warm, Tibo. Now do as I said and strip.”

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That overwhelming urge to please Sal surfaced, making Tibo get to his feet. His hands shook as he unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it away. Next he bent over, removing his shoes and then his pants. “Underwear, too,” Sal said from behind him, using his commanding voice to get his point across. Tibo swallowed and then bent over, taking his underwear to his ankles, when he felt a warm and strong hand glide over his butt. He shivered as he removed the rest of his clothing. Tibo straightened and then turned, shivering from the cold. Sal appraised him and then opened his arms. “Come here, gatito.” Tibo practically jumped into his arms as he wrapped his legs around Sal’s large waist. Sal groaned and took them down to the earthen floor. He wet his fingers and then inserted them one at a time inside Tibo until Tibo felt like he was going to tear in half. Sal had some big-ass fingers. Sal grabbed his cock, lining it up, and then pressed forward, breaching Tibo’s ring of muscle. Tibo cried out with pleasure as Sal eased into him. Even if Sal didn’t love him, Tibo knew he would do whatever it took to stay with the big, strong man. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Sal. “My gatito,” Sal whispered against his temple as he began to rock in and out of Tibo’s ass. He groaned as he held onto his lover, his back arching as his skin hummed. He clawed at Sal’s back as he writhed under the large man. “That’s it, Tibo. Feel me,” Sal crooned as he snapped his hips. Tibo was lost in the tidal wave of pleasure, rocking his hips back and forth as he tried his best to hold on to his sanity. Sal was quickly removing that, stripping it away. Tibo grabbed his cock, yanking it as Sal made him forget that the world existed around them. He forgot the cold, the running, the words that Sal hadn’t meant. Tibo forgot it all as he lost himself in his lover. “Come for me, gatito,” Sal commanded, and Tibo obeyed. He shouted out Sal’s name as ribbons of seed shot from his cock. His

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body spasmed. Sal grunted, thrusting harder, and then howled, filling Tibo’s ass with his seed. Tibo panted as he floated back down to the planes of reality. “Come on, Tibo. We need to get back to the others.” Tibo didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay right where he was, in Sal’s strong arms. He pouted as his lover helped him to his feet. He looked around, gathering his clothes up and putting them on, giving Sal his back. Now that his cock wasn’t thinking for him, Tibo remembered why he was hurt. Sal didn’t love him. Sal didn’t seem to notice Tibo’s mood as he led him back to the others. Collin and Kyle snickered as they cleared the woods, but Tibo couldn’t find it in him to care. He pulled his hand free of Sal’s and plopped down on the ground with the other phoenixes as he watched Sal throw some clothes on, talking with his brother. “You’re loud.” Collin chuckled. Okay, maybe he did care. Tibo could feel his face heat up as he glanced away. Tears stung at his eyes, and he cursed himself for his weakness. This wasn’t fair. He’d been in love with Sal since…forever. Why couldn’t the big guy love him back? “All right, everyone. Let’s get inside and get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow,” Glade called out. Tibo pushed to his feet, obediently following behind Sal like a good little boy. He growled. Tibo was tired of being a good little boy. It was getting him nowhere. He was going to start being brave like Kyle and Collin. Enough with the running, and enough with following Sal blindly. Maybe if he rebelled, Sal would love him then. **** Riley scanned the area as the two trucks were unloaded. He didn’t like the fact that they were in town, even if it was to load up on provisions. It wasn’t safe. He watched every car that passed by,

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scanned every face that walked by him. His body was coiled, ready for a fight should one occur, which made him twitchy as hell. He usually wasn’t like this and couldn’t figure out why he was feeling this way. Riley walked over to Glade, watching as the men and the phoenixes walked into the small town’s local grocery store. Riley didn’t like the fact that this was a small town either. Their faces would be remembered in a tight community. He stayed outside, trying his best to look inconspicuous. That wasn’t easy. Riley had been told he had the look of a military man. His sandy-blond hair was cut short but not as short as when he was in the service. Even now he could feel the cold metal of his dog tags lying against his chest. He stood straight, rigid, and with his feet spaced apart to match his shoulders. Riley pulled his hands from behind his back, trying his best to blend in, however well that was working. “Excuse me,” a small man with red hair said as he stood in front of Riley, making his heart beat out of control. “You’re blocking the doorway.” Riley looked behind him, noticing that he was indeed blocking the doorway. He stepped aside, allowing the smaller man to pass by him. Riley watched as the small redhead walked into the grocery store. Fuck, his cock was hard. He snapped his head back around when he noticed the guy watching him. He needed to knock it the fuck off. He was on duty. His eyes widened when Tibo walked out of the store, and no one else. “Where do you think you’re going?” Riley asked as he shot a look over his shoulder to see where the hell Sal was. “Stretching my legs,” Tibo replied in a bratty tone. Riley was stunned the small man was acting this way. Tibo usually stayed glued to Sal’s side, quiet as ever. This was something he hadn’t expected. “I think you need to get back inside.” “Make me.” Tibo pouted as he walked toward the truck.

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Riley rolled his eyes as he went after the brat. “Get back inside.” He growled as he pointed a finger at the store. He wasn’t sure what to do with the phoenix. Tibo danced out of Riley’s way, running around to the other side of the truck. “No,” he said spoiled-like as he smirked at Riley. Riley wanted to go get Sal, but he didn’t want Tibo to be left out here all alone. “What the hell is going on out here?” Sal asked as he came barreling out of the store, looking from Riley to Tibo. “Ask him,” Riley said as he nodded toward Tibo. “He refuses to go back inside.” “Tibo?” Sal asked as he walked around to the other side of the truck. “Is that true?” Tibo looked like he was going to fold for a minute, and then consternation marred his face. Riley was confused as hell. His focus was pulled away when he spotted the little redhead coming out of the store, stopping for a moment as he watched Sal and Tibo. Great, that was all they needed, a witness. The man shrugged and then began to walk again, his small hips swaying back and forth as he journeyed down the street. Riley was panting by the time the man cut the corner. Sweet mercy. **** Sal stood there, waiting for an answer. Tibo jutted out his jaw as he hitched his hip to the side. “I was stretching.” “Not good enough, gatito.” Sal growled as he grabbed Tibo around his waist and hauled him over his shoulder, smacking his ass. “You do not walk away from the group.” Tibo squawked. “What am I, a toddler? Is this a damn field trip to the market?” Sal couldn’t understand why his lover was acting this way. It wasn’t like Tibo. Maybe the stress was fracturing his little man’s

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brain. There was no other reason Sal could think of for Tibo to be acting this way. He’d known him for some years now, and Tibo had never acted this way before. It had to be stress-induced brattiness. “Put me down, Sal, now!” Tibo cried out, pounding his fists into Sal’s back. There was no way he was going to let Tibo run around outside with only Riley as protection, especially since he didn’t fully trust Riley. The guy was just going to have to deal with being hauled around like a sack of potatoes. Sal reached up and smacked Tibo’s ass again. “Behave.” Tibo fell silent. This worried Sal even more. He tamped down the need to check on his man as he walked back into the store. He knew they made quite the scene, but Sal didn’t feel like chasing Tibo down. And he knew Tibo would run right back outside if he put him on his feet. Something had gotten into the small man, but Sal hadn’t a clue what it was. Sal slowed when he walked past the pet aisle and saw the leashes. He was almost angry enough to buy one. He shook his head and kept walking. He loved Tibo. He could never do that to him, no matter how angry and confused he was. He just wished he knew what was going on with his little bird. “Will you stay put if I set you down?” “Whatever,” Tibo grumbled. Now Sal was really starting to get worried. Tibo had never talked to him like that, not since the day they met. It just wasn’t in his personality. Maybe—Sal inhaled suddenly. His chest hurt. It felt like a thousand pounds of lumber sat on his chest. He could barely breathe. Maybe Tibo was acting this way because he no longer wanted to be with him. Sal had never entertained the idea that Tibo would want to fly the coop after becoming a bird, but maybe he wanted to. Things had been thrown at Tibo so fast in the last few days. And Sal had been

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sucking at protecting him. He wouldn’t blame the guy for wanting to take off. Sal slowly lowered Tibo to his feet. His gaze wavered for a moment then looked down to meet Tibo’s. Tibo’s eyes immediately darted away. Sal reached over and cupped his hand around the side of Tibo’s cheek. “Look at me, gatito.” Tibo’s eyes were slow to rise, and they were filled with apprehension when they met Sal’s. He looked like he was afraid again. Sal frowned and glanced over the top of Tibo’s head. He was tired of seeing fear in Tibo’s eyes whenever the man looked at him. He wished, just once, that Tibo would look at him with love in his eyes. But maybe that wasn’t meant to be. “Tibo, do you want me to let you go?” Sal whispered. He hated doing this in the middle of a supermarket, but he needed to know what was going on in his baby’s head. If Tibo truly wanted his freedom, Sal would give it to him. “If that’s what you want.” Sal closed his eyes for a moment as anguish filled him. He opened them again and scanned the store as he tried to pick the words he needed to tell Tibo he would let him go if that was what he really wanted. “Tibo, I—” Whatever Sal had been about to say was stolen right out of his mouth when he saw four men dressed in black military gear walk into the store. Sal wasn’t military. He wasn’t even a cop. But even he could pick out a hit squad when he saw one. Sal grabbed Tibo’s hand and pulled him down behind a rack of potato chips. He placed his fingers over Tibo’s lips and pointed down the aisle. Tibo, thank god, nodded and started creeping down the aisle, keeping his head low. Sal followed after him, digging his cell phone out of his pocket as he did. He quickly dialed his brother, hoping that Riojos kept his

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voice down when he answered. The men that had come into the store were hunting them. They needed to get the hell out of town. “Yo?” “Keep your fucking voice down, you moron,” Sal snapped quietly. “Four men, dressed in black fatigues, just walked through the front door of the store. Tibo and I are headed to the back of the store through the produce department. I suggest you do the same.” “Fuck!” “Exactly.” Sal could hear Riojos whispering to someone and knew he was talking to the others. “We’ll meet you in the back,” Riojos finally said. “Riley is already outside. He’s going to bring the SUV around back and meet us there. Glade is going to check out with the groceries and take the other SUV. He’ll lead them away if he can.” “Got it.” Sal pressed his lips together for a moment. “Stay safe, bro.” “Same for you, Sal.” Sal snapped his phone closed and shoved it back into his pocket. He placed his hand on the middle of Tibo’s back and edged him closer to the back of the store, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that they hadn’t been spotted. “Through those double doors, gatito.” Sal pointed to the solidbrown double doors between the avocadoes and the bagged lettuce. Sal hated the fact that they had to go out into an open area to get from the aisle to the doors, but there was no other way. He did, however, make sure that his body was between Tibo’s and everyone else’s. Sal felt something searing hot hit him in the back just as they reached the double doors. Pain flared, stealing the breath from his body. Sal shoved Tibo through the double doors as hard as he could, hoping the little man would keep going. “Run, Tibo.”

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Chapter 7 Tibo threw his hands out in front of him to stop his fall to the hard cement floor. It didn’t work. He landed hard, scraping the palms of his hands on the floor. He turned to say something to Sal about pushing him around, but all he saw was two brown doors swinging closed. “Sal?” Where was he? Tibo climbed to his feet and stepped over to the double doors. His heart thundered in his chest as he pushed the doors open just enough that he could see through the crack. He didn’t see anything. And then he looked down. Tibo cried out when he spotted Sal lying on the floor, a blossom of red covering his left shoulder. Forgetting that someone was hunting them, and not really caring, Tibo pushed through the doors and grabbed Sal by the arms. It took all of his strength, but he was able to pull Sal through the doors to the storage area. Tibo cast a quick look around, unsure of where to go from there. Whoever had shot Sal would be looking for them. The trail of blood led right into the storage area. Tibo had to get them somewhere safe, somewhere he could check Sal over and treat his injury. Tibo felt tears start to prickle the corners of his eyes as helplessness filled him. He wanted Sal. He wanted Sal alive and whole and making the decisions. He wasn’t good at this stuff. He couldn’t even take care of a goldfish. A loud crash suddenly came from beyond the double doors. Tibo sucked in his bottom lip and started chewing on it as he bounced from

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foot to foot, wringing his hands together. Oh, this wasn’t good. He could hear people yelling and things crashing to the floor. He quickly glanced around the storage room they were in. There were wooden pallets everywhere, filled with food items wrapped in plastic. Large metal shelves lined each wall all of the way up to the ceiling. They were stacked with more plastic-wrapped pallets of food. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to hide. And then Tibo spotted a large metal door. He grabbed Sal and dragged him across the floor to the door. He dropped Sal’s hand and pulled the heavy door open, shivering as a blast of cold air blew past him. Cold storage. Okay, this might not be his brightest idea. Another loud crash from beyond the double doors cemented things in Tibo’s mind. He pulled Sal into the cold-storage room and let the door close behind them. As he looked around, Tibo was thankful that there wasn’t any ice forming or snow on the ground. But it was still damn cold. He pulled Sal over to a stack of boxes and pushed him back to lean against them. He really didn’t like it when Sal’s head flopped around on his shoulders. Tibo quickly reached over and pressed Sal’s head back against the boxes. “Sal, open your eyes, please?” Nothing. Not even a flutter. Damn. Tibo’s shoulders slumped as he looked around the small room they were in. He had to stop the bleeding in Sal’s shoulder somehow. Eggs and milk were not going to help them. Well, not unless Tibo started throwing them. Resigned to freezing his ass off, Tibo pulled his shirt over his head. He balled it up then pressed it against the bleeding wound. The hard pressure earned Tibo a small groan. It wasn’t much, but it did let him know Sal was still breathing. “Sal?”

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“Tibo?” Sal’s eyes fluttered and slowly opened. He glanced around, his eyebrows drawing down deep over his face. “Where in the hell are we?” Tibo shivered. “Cold storage.” Sal looked up at him. “Why are we in cold storage?” “Because you got shot, and I didn’t know where else to take you. It’s not like you’re easy to pull around, you know.” Sal’s frowned deepened even more. “I got shot?” Tibo nodded toward where he was pressing his shirt against Sal’s shoulder. “Damn.” Sal’s eyebrows shot up. “I did get shot.” “No shit!” Tibo said a little too harshly. He couldn’t help it. Sal had scared the hell out of him. All the bratty behavior and rebellion in him was forgotten as he stared at his lover. Tibo had been terrified that he was going to lose Sal. “What do I do, Sal? Tell me, please.” Sal grunted as he tried to sit up and then let out a string of curses as he slumped back. “First of all, we need to get out of here before we turn into Popsicles,” Sal said as he reached up and grabbed the shirt Tibo was pressing into his shoulder. “But there are men out there with guns,” Tibo reminded Sal as he began to pace the cold-storage unit. “We’re better off in here.” Where there were no guns and no bad guys. Tibo was a chicken through and through. He wasn’t afraid to admit that. “No, gatito.” Sal shook his head. “We don’t have a chance if we stay in here. We’ll freeze to death. Come here and help me up.” Tibo eyed Sal. He’d barely pulled him in there. How was he supposed to pull Sal’s large frame from the floor? He quickly ran back over to Sal, trying his best not to let his knees buckle as he squatted down and pulled on Sal’s good arm. When Sal grabbed Tibo’s shoulder and pulled, Tibo landed against Sal. “That didn’t work out too well,” he said as he pushed himself to his feet. “Let me get behind you and push.”

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Sal nodded. Even though it was freezing in here, Sal was still sweating. That wasn’t a good sign to Tibo. As a matter of fact, it worried him. He didn’t like the pain he saw on Sal’s face. His lover and boss needed to get to a hospital. He needed medical attention. Tibo pushed with all his might, barely making a dent in his progress when Sal lunged to his feet, making Tibo fall forward and sprawl out on the floor. “Sorry,” Sal said as he reached down and pulled Tibo to his feet. The guy made it look so easy. But Tibo wasn’t fooled. Sal swayed a little. He prayed the large man didn’t fall. There was no way he would be able to catch him without being crushed under the massive weight. He was a toothpick in comparison to Sal. “Let me go check to see if we have company. Stay here,” Sal said as he walked toward the door. Tibo didn’t want Sal to go check. He was the phoenix, after all. He was supposed to be the brave one. Tibo needed to start acting the part of a mystical creature instead of running every time he freaked out. “No, let me handle this.” Tibo tucked his fingers into his waistband and hiked them up high before stepping to the door. “If you think I’m going to let you walk out there unarmed and face those men, then you still have a concussion.” Sal growled. “I’m a phoenix. I can’t be killed.” “Maybe not, but it will still hurt like hell.” Sal had a point. “Then we go together.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to invest in this whole bravery thing, but for Sal, he would at least rent some. Tibo pressed his hands into Sal’s back as his lover cracked the door open. Warm air instantly swirled around them as they walked back into the stock part of the grocery store. Tibo listened but didn’t hear anything. They walked toward the exit sign, Tibo praying the whole way that they made it out of there without getting shot at again. He yelped when he was grabbed from behind. “Let him go!” Sal shouted as he spun around.

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“Not likely,” the man sneered at Sal as he tightened his hold on Tibo’s collar. He wasn’t sure what to do. His first instinct was to run, but that was impossible with his shirt being pulled tight around his neck. He looked at Sal for guidance. High-stress situations were not his strong point. “He is highly sought. There isn’t anything you could offer me,” the man said as he raised his gun to Sal. Tibo panicked. He may not be able to die, but Sal could. He threw his hands out in front of him, screeching a high-pitched sound, and then the room seemed to grow, or he shrank. Tibo fought to free himself, and that was when he noticed the feathers flapping around. He did it! He was a phoenix! Tibo didn’t have long to bask in his accomplishment. The gunman only stayed stunned for a minute. Tibo flapped his wings, lifting off from the ground. He circled around the gunman’s head, wondering what he should do. When the gunman raised his gun, Tibo did the first thing to come to his mind. He swooped down, clawing at the man’s eyes. Then he flew over to Sal, grabbing his shoulders in his talons, and then pulled him up with him. Boy, even in phoenix form, Sal was heavy. Tibo flew straight for the exit sign. He heard shouts coming their way, but he pressed on. Once they were at the back door, he released Sal. His lover grabbed the push bar and flooded the storage room with sunlight as he waited for Tibo to fly through. Tibo didn’t hesitate. He flew through the exit and then waited on Sal to join him. There was one SUV parked out back. Tibo landed on his feet and then began to flap his wings around. He didn’t know how to change back to his human form. He was panicking, and he knew it. “I have you, gatito,” Sal said as he picked Tibo up and deposited him in the backseat. Tibo flapped around and then settled down, blinking at the driver and passenger in the front seat. “He’s beautiful,” Glade said as he smiled at Tibo. Tibo squawked. No one got to call him beautiful but Sal! He flapped his wings, snapping his beak at Glade.

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“Okay, you’re ugly then, feel better?” Glade chuckled as he drove off down the road. Tibo was about to peck at Glade until he felt a strong hand stroke down his back. He rolled his eyes as Sal petted him. Damn, it felt good. “Think about your human body, baby,” Sal said softly. Tibo concentrated on what Sal had told him to. He yelped when he transformed into his human form, and he was naked! Sal growled as he reached behind the seat and pulled a blanket out, covering Tibo’s form. Tibo pushed the blanket around his shoulders as he leaned against his lover. “It’s freezing in here,” he said as his teeth chattered. “On it,” Glade said, and then Tibo heard the heating fans blowing strongly. **** Sal moved his shoulder around, wincing when a pain shot down his arm and around his back. He knew the bullet shot clean through, but it still hurt like a bitch, and he was still bleeding. He didn’t want to worry Tibo. His little lover seemed to panic at the drop of a hat. “Warm now?” he asked as he lifted his good arm and wrapped it around Tibo’s smaller frame. “I’m getting there,” Tibo said as he pushed in closer. “Good. Now tell me why you were acting like a brat.” Tibo stiffened beside him, shaking his head. “Yes, Tibo. Tell me why.” Sal’s voice was stern as he looked down at his lover. He fought the smile when Tibo looked up at him and then swallowed. His lover was truly adorable. “I thought you would want someone who didn’t follow your every word.” This shocked Sal. He never thought Tibo followed his every word. But the longer he sat there, the harder he thought about it, Tibo was

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right. “Why does that bother you?” He liked that his lover listened to him. Sal loved the fact that Tibo came to him for guidance. What was so wrong about that? “Y–You…Never mind.” Sal shook his head as he lifted his injured arm, hiding the wince when a shot of pain flared in his arm. He gently grabbed Tibo’s chin, turning his face around. “Finish your sentence.” Tibo blinked up at him as tears filled his eyes. Was it that bad? Did Tibo resent him for wanting an obedient lover? Sal sighed as he released Tibo’s chin. His thoughts once again touched on the fact that Tibo might have changed his mind and wanted his freedom. If that was what his lover still wanted, Sal would give him this. “You didn’t say you loved me.” The words were whispered so low that Sal almost missed them. He sat there stunned, going through his memory to try and figure out what Tibo was talking about. Of course he had told the guy he loved him. Hadn’t he? Damn! Sal didn’t have a comeback. He sat there, feeling foolish for not telling the man who meant the world to him that he loved him. How could he have overlooked that fact? He swallowed hard as he smiled down at his baby. “I do love you, Tibo. I’ve loved you for a very long time.” Tibo looked skeptical at first, but when Sal held his lover’s gaze, Tibo’s began to waver. “Really? Are you serious? Do you really love me?” Sal chuckled as he pulled Tibo onto his lap. “With every breath in me.” He heard a grunt from the driver’s seat and glared at Glade. The man was beginning to make him have thoughts of shooting him, right in the foot. He still had a qualm to settle with the man, but he wasn’t going to allow him to ruin their special moment. He ignored Glade as he gazed back down at Tibo.

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“I love you, too, Sal,” Tibo said as he hugged Sal around his waist. When Sal winced, Tibo’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry,” he said as his hands fluttered around Sal’s shoulder. Sal grinned tightly as he breathed through the pain. He was amazed he was still conscious. “Sal’s been shot. We need to get him to a doctor,” Tibo yelled at Glade. Sal knew the answer before Glade shook his head. Gunshot wounds were reported to the local authorities. There was no way Sal could go to the hospital. He lay back and closed his eyes. “What the hell do you mean no!” Tibo shouted as he left Sal’s arms. Sal opened his eyes to see his lover sitting forward, blanket on his lap as he glared at Glade. “Get him there now!” Sal reached forward and pulled his feisty little lover back. “He can’t, gatito.” “But why?” Tibo asked as he looked up at Sal with fear in his eyes. “You need to get that taken care of.” “Because the doctors would have to call the cops. I’ve been shot. That’s the law.” Tibo shook his head as tears gathered in his beautiful green eyes. “I don’t care. You have to see a doctor.” Tibo placed his hands on Sal’s stomach and leaned in closer, a look of being totally lost dancing in his eyes. “Please, Sal.” Sal closed his eyes, wondering how he was going to explain this to Tibo, when everything went black. **** “Did it work?” “You have to give it time, Tibo.” “To hell with that. It’s been like, ten hours.” Sal heard a chuckle and knew it was Glade. “No, it’s only been one hour.”

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Sal slowly opened his eyes to the most handsome man on the planet. Tibo smiled widely when he saw Sal watching him. “You’re awake!” He threw his body over Sal’s as he squealed, making Sal’s ears feel as though they were going to burst with the high-pitched frequency. “I don’t think you should be doing that,” Samuel said as he came into view. “It may be too soon.” Tibo jumped back, looking worriedly down at Sal. “Did I hurt you?” Sal cupped Tibo’s face and then groaned. His entire body was stiff. “I’m okay, gatito. I’m just a sore as hell.” Tibo glared up at Glade. “That’s because Mr. Brilliant grabbed you from the back of the truck and slammed you to the ground when you weren’t breathing.” Somehow Sal knew Glade used more force than necessary. “Did he now?” Glade smiled and winked at him. “And then Tibo turned you immortal.” “Glade!” Tibo huffed and then looked at Sal hesitantly. “I wanted to tell him.” “Cat’s out of the bag now, or should I say wolf.” Glade chuckled as he walked away. “Mind telling me what’s going on?” Sal asked as he tried to sit up. Tibo pressed his hands into Sal’s chest to still him. “You stopped breathing, so Glade pulled the SUV over, yanked you out, and tossed you onto the ground. He told me to cry into your shoulder, so I did. And then you changed into a wolf, growled at everyone, and then passed out. You just now changed back into your human form.” Sal looked down to notice a small blanket over his groin. He was naked other than that. He needed a damn drink. This was getting more and more bizarre by the day. Hell, it was getting crazier by the hour. Sal had never been shot at more in his life than when his brother’s lover, Collin, came back from the dead. Now he was dodging bullets

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like it was an everyday occurrence. Which it was. He pushed to his feet, feeling grumpy as hell. “How are you feeling?” Tibo asked as he wrung his hands together. Sal let out a long breath. He couldn’t stay mad at Tibo. It wasn’t his lover’s fault all of this was happening. Well, it was, but it wasn’t like Tibo had planned any of it. Sal pulled Tibo into his arm, holding him tightly as he glanced over at Glade and Samuel. “We need to get back on the road. “Agreed,” Glade said as he climbed into the driver’s side. He wasn’t going to ask where the other SUV was. Sal knew that they couldn’t risk all of the phoenixes. Riojos had taken the others to the bunkers. Twenty minutes later, and after driving down numerous back roads to make sure they weren’t being followed, Glade pulled into the makeshift campground where they were living for the moment. He slid out, pulling Tibo along with him. “Glad you made it,” Riojos said as he hugged Sal. “But I’d be even more glad if you put some clothes on that hairy ass of yours.” Tibo gave a little growl as he reached back into the SUV for the blanket that had been covering Sal before and wrapped it around Sal’s waist. “Better. No one should see your wanker except me.” “Wanker?” Sal laughed as he shook his head, wrapping an arm around his lover. He began to walk toward the bunker when he noticed an unfamiliar face. He stopped, staring down at the smaller man. “Who are you?” Riley jumped up, placing his body between the stranger’s and Sal’s. “He’s a phoenix.” Sal looked around Riley to see the man looking just as skeptical as Sal felt. He looked back up at Riley. “And how do you know this? Do you have a supersonic phoenix radar?” Riley snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest, not looking the least bit amused. “He had red hair.”

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“So does a large population of America. What makes you think he is a phoenix?” Sal was pissed. They were once again running for their lives, and he brought a stranger into their midst? That didn’t set well with him at all. “No, smartass. He also has the birthmark on his hand.” Riley pointed down to a small strawberry patch on the back of the guy’s hand. The stranger pulled his hand away, tucking it between his knees. He looked confused as hell. Sal knew how he felt. “And,” Riley continued, but this time he glanced down at the stranger with regret in his eyes. Sal wasn’t sure what that look was about. “Mica will be twenty-one in two days.”

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Chapter 8 “Fuck.” Sal ran his hand down the back of his head and kneaded the tense muscles on the back of his neck. “I’m getting too old for this shit.” Tibo frowned. “No, no.” He grabbed Sal’s arm as he stepped around in front of him. “You can’t get old anymore. Remember? You’re immortal now.” And Tibo prayed to god that Sal wouldn’t be angry at him for that. While he was sorry about the circumstances, he wasn’t sorry Sal was now immortal. Tibo would do anything to keep Sal safe. “Any idea how they found us this time?” Sal asked as he looked from Glade to Samuel then to Riley. “I’m getting really tired of these guys being two steps ahead of us.” “I think it was Judd’s phone calls,” Glade said. “That being said, I also think we might be safe for a little while.” “How’s that?” Sal snapped. “We haven’t been safe since day one.” “Because in the past, whenever you all have run into these guys, you hightailed it out of the area. Hopefully, they will think the very same thing this time.” Glade shrugged. “Maybe it will give us a few days.” Sal sighed deeply. “Okay, I can go with that.” “Uh, this has been fun and all, but I need to get home before I get into trouble.” Tibo turned to look at the new stranger in their midst. He felt bad for the guy, knowing he was going to die in the next two days. His life

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after that was going to be fucking nuts. Tibo leaned up and kissed Sal on the cheek. “Go get some rest,” he said. “The guys and I have some explaining to do.” Tibo nodded to Collin and Kyle then walked over to the new guy, holding his hand out. “Hi, my name is Tibo. This is Collin and Kyle, and we need to talk.” Tibo could tell that the guy was scared. He would be. “Relax, it’s not all bad. Promise.” The man’s hand shook a little as he reached and shook Tibo’s hand. “Mica.” “Have you ever been out here before, Mica?” Mica glanced around then shook his head. “No.” His face flushed furiously as he looked back at Tibo then quickly down at the ground. “I’m not allowed to go out very often. I’m needed at home.” Mica’s statement about not being allowed to leave very often intrigued Tibo more than his words of being needed at home. He wanted to know who was trying to keep Mica a prisoner and why. “Why aren’t you allowed to leave home?” Mica shrugged. “I’m just not.” Well, that wasn’t a reason. He glanced over at Kyle and Collin to find both of them watching Mica with speculation as well. Tibo caught their attention and nodded toward the bunker. They both nodded. “Hey, Mica, since you’ve never been out here, why don’t you let us show you around?” Tibo asked. “This place is really cool.” Mica glanced toward the barely visible bunker. “I guess that would be okay.” When he looked back at Tibo, there was a hint of curiosity in his moss-green eyes. “What is this place, anyway?” “Glade seems to think it’s an old Civil War bunker,” Tibo said as he led Mica inside. He glanced sideways at Mica as they walked through the hallway. “Are you from around here?” “No.” Mica shook his head. “I’m not sure I’m really from anywhere. We move around a lot.”

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“Who’s we?” “My uncle and me.” Mica’s eyes widened when he saw the large main room. “This is cool.” “What happened to your parents?” “Oh, they died when I was a baby.” Tibo glanced beyond Mica to look at Collin and Kyle. They had the same astonished expression on their faces that he assumed was on his own. “Sorry to hear that,” Tibo said. “My parents died when I was a baby, too. So did Kyle and Collin’s parents.” “Oh?” Mica looked over his shoulder at Tibo. His face suddenly scrunched up. “Do you remember them?” “Only bits and pieces. I was pretty young when it happened.” Mica glanced down at his hands. He seemed to be picking the dirt out from under one of his fingernails. “How’d they die?” Tibo glanced at Collin and Kyle again. Collin nodded. “They were murdered. Someone wanted to kidnap me. My parents died protecting me. A friend of the family saved me, took me away, and gave me to another family to be raised.” “Really?” Mica asked as he looked up. “I don’t remember how my parents died.” “You will,” Collin said. “Give it a couple of days.” Mica looked as confused as hell at that statement. Tibo didn’t know how much to actually tell the guy, but he wanted to tell him everything. He wished someone had told him everything right from the beginning. He hated not knowing. “Look, Mica, we have something we need to tell you,” Tibo began. Mica’s eyes widened, and he took a step back. “You’re not some sort of cult, are you?” Tibo chuckled. “Not exactly. We’re more like a…” Tibo turned to look at Collin. “What are we?” “A family,” Collin answered simply.

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Tibo grinned. Yeah. That worked for him. He was smiling when he looked back at Mica. “We’re a family. Granted, we’re a family of misfits, but we’re still a family.” “That’s cool,” Mica said. “We became a family because we’re a little different,” Tibo said slowly. “Kind of like you.” “Me?” Mica’s face drained of color. “What do you mean?” Tibo wracked his brain, trying to figure out how to tell him everything but not scare the hell out of him. It wasn’t an easy order. He scratched his head, looking at the other two phoenixes for help. “You’re gonna die in two days, dude,” Kyle blurted out. Tibo’s jaw dropped as Mica raced for the exit. “Way to go, dummy.” Tibo took off after Mica. He hadn’t planned on telling him that part. Who wanted to know they were about to die? He caught up with Mica right outside the bunker. “I knew you were a cult!” Mica shouted as he backed away, fear evident in his eyes. “What’s going on?” Riley asked as he walked from around the SUV. “You’re wackos that want to kill me!” Mica screamed before taking off for the woods. “Damn it!” Riley shouted as he took off after Mica. This had gone so well. Kyle needed to be a damn counselor or something. The guy was so damn graceful with bad news. He spun on his heel, storming back into the bunker. “Why’d you have to go and tell him that?” Tibo waved a hand toward the exit. “Now he’s running around out there scared for his life. He thinks we’re wackos out to kill him.” “Damn, sucks to be him,” Kyle said as he leaned against a wall. Tibo narrowed his eyes as he stomped toward Kyle. “What is your problem? What if someone had told you that you were about to be stabbed to death? How would you have reacted?”

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Kyle snarled as he pushed away from the wall, slapping the palms of his hands into Tibo’s chest. “That’s not funny! My own mother sold me out!” “She wasn’t your mother!” Tibo shouted back and then pushed Kyle into the wall. “Your mother died, just like mine. We’re phoenixes. Accept that.” Kyle threw the first punch, decking Tibo right on his jaw. He growled and then tackled Kyle, trying his best to fight. Tibo had never fought in his life, besides trying to get away from the bad guys, and he hadn’t been too successful with that. “Knock it off,” Collin yelled as he tried to break them up. Tibo landed on his ass when Kyle pushed him off of him. “Fuck all of you,” he snapped as he wiped his mouth and walked out of the bunker. Tibo watched as Collin ran after Kyle. What a damn night. All he had wanted to do was help Mica. Everything had gotten blown out of proportion. “Gatito?” Sal said as he walked into the concrete room. His eyes widened when he looked at Tibo’s disheveled appearance. “What the hell happened?” Tibo wiped himself off as he looked back toward the exit. “Kyle and I had a disagreement.” “Disagreement, hell,” Sal snapped as he headed outside. Tibo rolled his eyes. This was turning into a night from hell. He ran after his lover, hoping more fighting wasn’t about to ensue. Tibo was tired, hungry, and irritable. One more argument from Kyle and he was liable to really get mad. Tibo walked out into total chaos. Riley held Mica’s hand, yelling at Tony. Sal walked out and began to yell at Tony as well. Riojos was trying his best to calm everyone down, and when that didn’t work, he began to shout as well. Poor Mica was standing there looking totally lost.

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Collin leaned against the truck. He was the smart one. He stayed out of the craziness. “Mind telling me what’s going on?” Glade asked as he stepped beside Tibo. He gave the large man the rundown, explaining everything that had happened. “I was wondering when one of you was going to snap,” Glade said as he sighed. “You knew this was coming?” Tibo asked as he pointed to the arguing crowd who seemed to be getting louder by the second. “I didn’t think all of you would crack at once. This is a damn mess,” Glade said before placing his fingers into his mouth and giving off a loud whistle. Tibo had to cover his ears. That was how loud it was. “Shut the hell up, everyone. I know this is a stressful situation, but arguing won’t solve a damn thing.” “Fuck you,” Sal shouted back. “You haven’t told us shit about what’s going on. Why should we listen to you now?” Tibo rolled his eyes when Glade joined in on the happy family picnic. He spun on his heels, tired of listening to all the fighting. They were grown men! They should be sitting down having a rational discussion not a shouting match. The farther Tibo walked into the bunker, the more turned around he became. It was dark, and it was hard to see without a flashlight. He placed his hand against the wall, feeling his way around, trying to get a bearing on where he was. “Are you lost?” Tibo froze at the unfamiliar voice. He couldn’t see who it was, but he knew the guy wasn’t there to help him find his way back to Sal. He flattened his back against the wall, wondering how the man could see him. “I’m tired of sending men in and getting no results. I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands.” That didn’t sound promising.

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**** “Where’s Tibo?” Sal looked around, suddenly realizing that his lover wasn’t anywhere in sight. A shiver of apprehension slid down his back. Something wasn’t right. “Has anyone seen Tibo?” “He went inside the bunker a few minutes ago,” Collin said as he glared. “He’s just about as tired of listening to you all bicker as I am.” “Now, hold on a minute,” Riley snapped. “If you three hadn’t decided to scare the crap out of Mica, none of this would have happened. He’s—” “A phoenix, just like I am,” Collin said. “And from experience, I can tell you it would be a lot easier to have everything explained to him before he dies rather than after. You have no idea what it’s like waking up alone and scared inside of a morgue.” “You’re all nuts,” Mica whispered. Horror laced the frown on his face. “I’ve been kidnapped by madmen.” “No,” Kyle snapped. “You’ve been kidnapped by shape-shifting phoenixes.” Sal huffed when Mica’s eyes started to roll back in his head and his body started to slump as he passed out. Riley caught him just before his body hit the ground and then swung the little redhead up into his arms. “Kyle.” Sal rubbed his hand down his face. What a fucking mess. “You have really got to learn to filter that mouth of yours.” “Filter this.” Kyle flipped Sal his middle finger. “Tony, I swear to god, if you don’t do something about him, I’m gonna—” “You’re not going to do anything,” Tony said as he stepped up beside Kyle. “He may be a little unconventional, but I love Kyle just the way he is. He doesn’t take shit off of anyone.” “That may be true, but he doesn’t give a shit about anyone either.” “That’s not true,” Kyle protested.

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“Certainly seems that way to me.” He waved his hand toward Riley and Mica. “Did you think, just once, that maybe you should have used a little tact when explaining things to Mica? Or did you just open your mouth and blurt out the first thing to come to mind?” Kyle frowned and kicked at the dirt with the toe of his shoe. “I was just telling him the truth.” “No, Kyle, you were scaring the crap out of him. He passed out, man.” Sal threw his hands up into the air. “You know, I’m tired of dealing with this shit. I’m going to go find Tibo.” Sal heard everyone start bickering again as he walked into the bunker. This shit was nuts, and it was getting worse with every passing second. They were being hunted by a madman, half of them could shift into mythical creatures, and they were living in a Civil War bunker. They all had to be off their rockers. “Tibo, gatito, where are you?” Sal called out as he walked farther into the bunker. Again, he felt a cold shiver of apprehension slide down his back. Sal lifted his nose into the air and drew in a deep breath. He could smell the musty scent from the bunker, the lingering scent from the fire the night before, and something else. Sal couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, but he knew he had smelled it before. And he knew he didn’t like it. It made him wanted to howl and tear at something. Sal walked farther into the bunker, past where they had set up camp. He was growing more concerned by the minute that he hadn’t found Tibo. He knew the man was upset, but Tibo knew the dangers of running off—he hoped. The farther into the bunker that he went, the stronger the musty scent became. It started playing havoc with his senses. Sal shook his head to clear it. He slapped a hand against the cold stone wall to keep himself up when his head began to swim. Something was definitely wrong.

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Sal felt his knees start to shake when he walked around a corner. He frowned when he saw Tibo sitting against the wall. His hands were tied together in front of him, a gag tied around his mouth. “Tibo?” Tibo’s eyes filled with tears, and he frantically shook his head. Sal turned when he heard a noise. He saw something flash right before a blinding pain exploded on the back of his head. And then he saw nothing. **** Tibo cried out through the cloth in his mouth as he watched Sal get smacked on the back of his head with the butt of a gun and fall to the ground. He watched for several moments, praying that Sal would get back up. He didn’t move. Tibo began to cry and struggle to get free when the man that captured him began walking toward him. He knew he couldn’t die, but he could be hurt. Tibo didn’t like pain much. In fact, he nearly had a coronary if he stubbed his toe. He wasn’t going to be able to survive this, immortality or not. “So, my young phoenix,” the man dressed in white said as he squatted down in front of Tibo, “how about you shift into the pretty red bird I know you are.” Tibo spit out something he meant to be fuck you. It just didn’t come out that way. It didn’t come out as anything more than a couple of mumbled words. He rolled his eyes when the man arched an eyebrow. Moron. “No matter. I have my ways of making you shift. We’ll sit tight, let the other three phoenixes join us, and then we can go home,” the madman said as he pushed a toe into Sal’s head. Tibo cried out once more when it lolled back and forth, but Sal didn’t move. “You see, your feathers are very valuable. When a phoenix is born, as you were not so long ago, their feathers can amplify a spell,

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incantation, or even a ritual one hundred fold. For the first five years after you are born, you are powerful,” the man said. “Your parents’ feathers were valuable but nothing compared to young phoenixes’.” Tibo struggled against the binds. He wanted to hurt the man who had his parents murdered. He shouldn’t be allowed to breathe. He worked his hands, trying to get them free, but it seemed the more he struggled, the tighter they became. “Those binds have a little added touch to them. If you continue to struggle, eventually, they will sever your hands. I’d sit very still if I were you.” Tibo stilled instantly. How the hell was he going to get out of this?

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Chapter 9 Glade stilled. Something wasn’t right. He slowly filtered out all the noise around him and listened carefully for anything out of place. There was a presence that didn’t belong, a presence that spoke of evil and damnation. He gasped, inhaling a sharp intake of breath when he realized who it was. Mr. Donahue was here. He felt one of the phoenixes close to that source of evil. Glade cursed as he whipped around, gaining Riley and Samuel’s attention. He thrust the image into their heads, making them feel and see what he was seeing. The image was dark, but he could make out a small figure huddling, bound. He could also make out an ominous presence pacing by the huddled figure. The bastard had Tibo. Riley and Samuel stood there stone-faced, waiting on Glade’s instructions. “Get the phoenixes to a safe location,” he commanded Riojos and Tony. “He has come for them.” “Who?” Tony asked as he grabbed Kyle around his waist, hauling him closer. “The one who seeks to imprison them,” Glade replied. “What the fuck?” Riojos asked. “Your eyes, they’re white…all white.” Glade lowered his head, looking directly at Riojos. “I am the one who protects the phoenixes. You must obey, or all is lost.” Tony and Riojos grabbed Collin, Mica, and Kyle, shoving them into one of the SUVs. Glade spun around, feeling the change come upon him. As he walked toward the mouth of the bunker, his skin buzzed, swirling with the glow of colors of the being he truly was.

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Claws unsheathed at his hands as canines grew until they were past his chin. His eyes shifted, allowing him to see perfectly in the darkness. “I can smell him,” Samuel said from behind Glade. “He stinks of sulfur and ash.” Glade nodded as they walked inside the bunker. He knew Mica was Riley’s mate. It was rare a Zardozian mated a phoenix, but it had happened in the past. He knew Riley would die to protect Mica. They would all die to protect every last phoenix. If the vile creature posing as a human, calling himself Mr. Donahue, actually got a hold of the phoenixes, life on this planet would cease to be a functional society. Chaos would reign, and disorder would become the familiarity. Glade scraped the tips of his claws against the concrete as he walked along the corridor, sharpening them, readying them. As they rounded the corner, his nose was filled with the brimstone of hell. Phoenixes represented purity, goodness, and Glade would be damned if he allowed one of them to fall into Mzenhar’s hands, or, as he liked to be called, Mr. Donahue. “I know you are here,” Mzenhar called out. “Come find me, Glade, son of Hymthane. Come join your friends.” Glade inhaled, following the scent to its strongest point, his foot hitting something solid. He looked down to see Sal lying on the concrete floor, looking up at him with terror in his eyes. The man shifted into his wolf form, growling and snapping at Glade. “Silence.” He pushed the message into Sal’s head. “We are not the enemy.” Sal snapped his jaws one more time before spinning around, snuffling at the ground. He gave off a low growl as he began to follow after his mate. Glade and the others used Sal as a guide. A small luminescent light glowed from one of the rooms up ahead, and Glade knew they only had seconds before Mzenhar took Tibo from this place. All three Zardoz linked their minds together.

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Glade prayed it was enough. Four would have been better, but Judd had fallen to the call of evil—something else that was rare amongst their people. Glade felt the power building to the fullest it was going to become and then thrust the energy toward Mzenhar. He heard a shriek, and then the light from the room ahead of them faded. He wasn’t sure if they had gotten to Tibo in time or if Mzenhar had vanished, taking Tibo with him. They raced to the room that had glowed, to find Tibo crying, curled into a small ball in the corner of the room. Glade dispatched Riley to bring the others back as he knelt in front of the phoenix, shushing him. “He is gone, Tibo.” “Get the hell away from him!” Sal shouted as he raced across the room and dropped to his knees, pulling Tibo into his arms. When he began to remove the binding, Glade stopped him. “That is no ordinary rope, Sal. You will sever his hands if you try to remove it.” “Then what the fuck do I do?” Sal asked as he abandoned his task. Glade reached out and, using the tip of one of his claws, snapped the cursed rope and freed Tibo’s hands. He started to stand up until Sal pointed a finger at him. “You are not going anywhere until I find out what in the hell is going on,” Sal snapped as he pulled the gag from Tibo’s mouth and then hauled his small phoenix into his arms. Glade nodded. “It is time you learned.” “You’re damn right it is,” Sal retorted as he walked out of the bunker with Tibo held tightly to his chest. Just as Glade exited the bunker, the SUV pulled to a stop. He didn’t bother changing back into his human form. They needed to see him. They needed to know. It was time. ****

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Tibo curled up into Sal’s arms. He didn’t know what was going on, but he never wanted to go through something like that again. It was downright terrifying. He could feel his body shaking as Sal wrapped his strong arms around him, cocooning him in and making him feel safe once more. “What the hell?” Riojos asked in a low voice as he climbed out of the SUV. Tibo knew how he felt. Glade didn’t look like Glade. Neither did Samuel or Riley. They looked creepy. Their skin swirled with multitudes of color, and their fingernails needed a serious trim job, with a carbide-tipped blade. Glade motioned for the others to join Sal and Tibo as Riley stepped closer to Mica. Tibo didn’t know what the hell was going on. He was tired and hungry and confused as all hell. He wished someone would say something. “Dude, what the hell is that?” Collin asked. Tibo jumped when he heard Collin talking to him inside his head. He had totally forgotten that they could do that. If he had remembered, he would have shouted his head off when Mr. Creepy Man had kidnapped him. “That’s Glade, Samuel, and Riley,” Tibo answered. Collin turned toward Tibo, his mouth hanging wide open. “Remind me not to piss them off, ever.” Tibo smiled as he cuddled closer to Sal. He felt the same way. Glade was just plain ass scary. “We are Zardozians, a race of beings born to guard the phoenixes. The man you know as Mr. Donahue is a creature from the depths of hell. He poses as human, but he is not. His one quest is to capture all the phoenixes. The phoenixes’ feathers are magical, enhancing any magical spell, incantation…” Tibo sat there and listened in disbelief. His feathers were what got him into this mess? If he didn’t think it would hurt, he’d pluck

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himself bald. Scratch that. He wouldn’t look good bald. And he didn’t do pain. Maybe he could shave? “The older a phoenix becomes,” Glade continued, “the weaker their feathers become. By harvesting them early, the feathers retain the most power.” “That’s what the guy in white said,” Tibo piped up. “He said that our feathers are at their most potent for the first five years after our birth.” “Um, dude,” Kyle said, casting a quick glance around. “I don’t mean to be insensitive here, really I don’t, but you are way older than five years old. You’re practically ancient.” Tibo stuck his tongue out at Kyle. “Just saying, dude.” “I think he meant five years after we died and came back as phoenixes,” Tibo said. “At least, that’s what I think he meant. I could be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.” “No, you are correct, Tibo,” Glade said. “The five years after—” “Wait.” Tibo held up his hand. “I get the whole showing us what you are thing, but it’s a bit creepy. Do you think you can turn back into the real Glade now?” Glade held his clawed hands out to his sides. “This is the real me, Tibo.” “Fine.” Tibo rolled his eyes. “Then turn back into the fake you.” “And put some damn clothes on,” Collin added as he waved his hand at Glade. “You’re hanging out all over the place.” Tibo laughed as Glade, Riley, and Samuel shifted back to their human forms and got dressed. He laughed even harder when Sal covered his eyes as soon as the three men were in human form—and naked. Once Glade and the rest of the guys were dressed, Glade walked over and sat down on a fallen log. Samuel sat down next to him. Riley guided Mica over to another log and sat down with him, pulling Mica

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close to his side. Mica looked confused, but he didn’t protest the movement. Tibo found that very interesting. He could tell that Collin and Kyle did as well when they frowned in Mica’s direction. He was beginning to suspect that Mica would have the same bond with Riley that he had with Sal. As Mica was a phoenix, too, Tibo could only hope. It helped having a big man in his corner. “What’s that all about?” Collin asked silently as he nodded his head toward the pair. Tibo shrugged. “I think they are meant to be together like we are.” Collin’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” Tibo started to respond when he noticed Mica watching them intently. He turned to give Mica his full attention, a sudden thought occurring to him. “You can hear us, can’t you, Mica?” Mica tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowing together, but he gave no response. Maybe he wasn’t a phoenix? Tibo walked over and sat down next to Mica, leaning over to whisper to him. “Can you hear us talking?” “Of course I can hear you talking,” Mica said indignantly. “I’m not deaf.” “No, I mean can you hear us talking in your head?” Mica blinked. “Uh, no.” “But you hear something, don’t you?” Tibo just knew he did. Mica frowned. “Sort of. I hear a buzzing sound. It’s like white noise from the television. I hear it every time you and Collin and Kyle start looking at each other.” Mica shrugged. “I assume that’s when you’re talking to each other.” Tibo whooped and jumped up, dancing around. “You’re one of us! You’re one of us!” “Enough, gatito.” Sal chuckled as he snaked an arm around Tibo and stopped him from jumping around. “You’re scaring the natives.” “But Mica is a phoenix,” Tibo insisted.

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“We know, gatito.” “But—” “I think Mica is about as confused and scared as he could possibly be right now. We need to sit down and explain to him what being a phoenix is all about. He’s just coming into this.” “No, I’m not,” Mica said. “I’ve known I was a phoenix since I was a small child.” **** Mica fidgeted on the fallen log he sat on when everyone standing there turned to stare at him. He didn’t like people staring at him. It made him feel like a freak, something he had felt like his entire life. “Mica,” Riley said softly from beside him, “what do you mean you’ve known you’re a phoenix most of your life?” Mica shrugged. “Just what I said. My uncle told me when I was five.” “Your uncle?” Riley asked. Mica nodded. “Tell me about your uncle.” “Why?” Mica didn’t much like talking about his uncle. Vashtu wasn’t a nice man, and he seemed to get worse with each passing day. Mica preferred to keep that part of his life private. There was no sense in making himself look like an even bigger freak by divulging his home life. “Can’t we just talk about the phoenix thing?” Riley glanced at Glade, who nodded back. “We can,” Riley said as he looked back at Mica. “What would you like to know?” Mica liked Riley. He smelled nice. “I know a lot. My uncle explained it all to me when I was younger. He’s been training me ever since.” “Training you for what?” Riley growled. “To be a phoenix.” What part of this weren’t they getting? “Uncle said that I would turn into a phoenix on my twenty-first birthday.”

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“Uh, there’s a little more to it than that,” Glade said. “You have to die before you can transform into a phoenix.” Mica inhaled sharply. They were bringing up the whole dying thing again. He quickly glanced at every person sitting around the small area, wondering which one of them planned to kill him. He wanted to go home. “I was hit by a car. It killed me within seconds,” Collin said from across the circle they had seated themselves in. “I woke up in the morgue three days later.” “I got stabbed to death in an alley,” Kyle added. He smiled at the man beside him. “Tony came and saved me.” Tibo pointed to himself. “I had a heart attack and died, but they brought me back with the paddles.” “So…” Mica licked his dry lips. He was liking this less and less. “I really have to die?” Tibo, Collin, and Kyle all nodded. Mica felt the blood drain from his face. “Will it hurt?” “I suppose it depends on how you die,” Collin said. “Getting crushed by a car hurt like hell but only for a few seconds, and then I didn’t feel anything until I woke up in the morgue.” “Getting stabbed sucks,” Kyle said. Mica glanced at Tibo. “What about you? Your death seemed a little more natural, although you were pretty young to have a heart attack, weren’t you?” Tibo shrugged. “Bad ticker, I guess.” “But did it hurt?” Tibo nodded. “Yeah, it did. Sorry.” “Can I choose not to die?” Mica asked. “Do I have to become a phoenix?” “It’s not that bad, Mica, really it’s not.” Tibo hurried over to sit down next to him again. “For one, once you become a phoenix, you’re immortal. You can’t die. Granted, you can be hurt just like normal, but you can’t die.”

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“And you can talk with the other phoenixes in your head like we do,” Collin added as he started to walk over. “That’s pretty cool. It’s like belonging to an exclusive club or something.” That wasn’t a selling point in Mica’s mind, not when he was facing his own death in two days. He didn’t want to die. “Wait!” Glade said as he jumped up. “You all can talk to each other in your heads?” “Yeah.” Tibo frowned as he looked up at Glade. “You’re supposed to be the phoenix expert. How come you didn’t know that?” “Because it’s never happened before, damn it!” Glade snapped. “In the entire history of the phoenixes, none of them have been able to talk to each other telepathically.” “Maybe they could and they just didn’t tell anyone,” Kyle said. “I know I wouldn’t want everyone to know if I had that power.” “Well, the cat…er…bird”—Tibo snickered—“is out of the bag now.” “Can you all talk to each other and hear each other?” Samuel asked. Tibo, Collin, and Kyle all nodded. “Fuck!” Glade said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He looked pissed as hell. Mica frowned as he looked at Glade. He didn’t understand why the big man was so upset that the phoenixes could talk mentally to each other. “Why does that bother you so much? I’d think that would be a plus. They can help protect each other.” “I’m upset because that means that even we don’t know everything about phoenixes, damn it!” Glade shouted as he started to pace back and forth in front of the fallen log he had been sitting on. “We’re supposed to be the guardians of the phoenixes. How can we adequately guard them if we don’t know everything?” Sal chuckled. “Welcome to our world.”

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Chapter 10 Tibo gasped as Sal licked his way up his thighs. His legs shook as his hands glided through Sal’s hair. They were spending one last night in the bunker and then leaving to go farther into the forest at first light. Sal had said he wanted to make the most of tonight. And boy was he ever. Tibo’s legs fell farther apart as his wolf licked his way to Tibo’s balls. He could feel them drawing closer to his body the closer Sal came to them. “Hmm, someone’s close,” Sal murmured as his tongue snaked out and licked Tibo. He hissed, trying his best not to come all over himself. He wanted this to last. His skin felt like tiny ants were crawling all over him. “You taste so good, gatito.” Sal almost purred as he said the words. Could wolves purr? Oh hell, who cared, just as long as Sal didn’t stop. Tibo groaned when Sal took his cock into his mouth. He was going to come, and soon, if Sal kept sucking him. Tibo bit his bottom lip when Sal’s spit-laden fingers breached him. Had anything ever felt this wonderful? Tibo’s lips parted as his eyes rolled to the old and worn ceiling, trying his best to stave off his orgasm. “S–Sal,” Tibo said with a shaky voice, “I’m too close for you to keep doing that.” Sal growled as he released Tibo’s cock. He looked disappointed but smiled as he crawled up Tibo’s body. “I’m going to have to teach you stamina, gatito.”

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Tibo was all for that but not right now. Right now he was ready to explode just by looking into Sal’s beautiful chestnut-brown eyes. The man was gorgeous. “I’m going to teach you a lot of things, Tibo. I’m going to teach you how to scream my name as I fuck that tight little ass of yours.” “That isn’t helping,” Tibo said as he swallowed, concentrating on keeping his seed from bursting from his balls. Good god! Didn’t the man understand what talking dirty to him did to Tibo? Well, maybe he did. Sal gave him a low and thickly laced chuckle, making Tibo fall deeper in love with him. Sal bent forward, lapping at one of his nipples, making it shrink and peak under his wet tongue. Tibo’s hips shot forward as Sal reached a hand underneath Tibo, playing at the opening to his entrance. “I’m also going to teach you how to come when I command you to do so.” Tibo slammed his eyes closed, fighting with all his might not to come just by Sal’s words alone. He took in deep and ragged breaths, biting hard into his bottom lip. Sal lapped at his other nipple, making Tibo whimper. “You’re not allowed to come, gatito. If you do, I’ll stop.” Like that was going to stop him! Tibo was on the verge, so close to the edge that he could see the jagged rocks at the bottom. He reached down, circling the base of his cock with his hand and squeezing hard. Real hard. “That’s right, gatito.” Sal’s deep and commanding voice filtered through the haze Tibo’s mind had sunk into. Tibo lifted his legs to his chest, praying that got Sal moving. Sal only kissed each knee. Damn it! “I’ll fuck you when I’m ready and not a minute before.” Tibo whimpered again. Sal’s hand slid down his thighs and then tucked neatly under his ass. His fingers massaged Tibo’s butt, making Tibo pant. He wanted.

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He wanted desperately. Sal pushed Tibo’s legs apart, situating his very large frame between Tibo’s legs as he nibbled his way down Tibo’s neck. His lover’s hot breath felt like tiny little puffs on his skin. Tibo writhed below Sal, his body needing to be filled. “P–Please,” he begged, but Sal acted as though he hadn’t heard Tibo. It was maddening. His body shivered with his lover’s touch, his kiss, and his very presence. Tibo wanted to sink inside of Sal and never resurface. Sal leaned back, nipping Tibo’s bottom lip before kneeling before him. His mate was a wondrous sight. He was strong, powerful, the epitome of manliness. Tibo wanted to be the one kneeling in front of Sal. He deserved it. Tibo shuddered as Sal grabbed his bottom, separating his mounds as if inspecting him before lining his cock up and slowly, too damn slowly, inching his way in. Tibo moaned as Sal sank deeply into his body. It was the greatest feeling ever. “My gatito,” Sal crooned as he seated himself. “Your body is my playground.” Those words only added to Tibo’s already hard cock, making it harder, if that were possible. “Play with yourself, gatito.” Tibo curled his fingers around his shaft, tugging at it lightly. If he stroked it any harder, he was done for. He smoothed the pre-cum around the head and then lifted his fingers, inserting them into his mouth. He could feel the blush surfacing on his face as Sal’s nostrils flared and his eyes darkened. Tibo repeated the action until Sal began to move inside of him, making him forget what damn planet he was on. Tibo’s hand fell to his cock again, but it was secondary compared to what his lover was doing to his body. Sal’s touch was so much better. “Stroke yourself harder, gatito. I want to watch you come all over my cock.”

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Tibo’s grip on his cock tightened as he stroked it faster. His need to please Sal was riding him hard. Sal’s shaft plunged in and out of his ass faster, matching Tibo stroke for stroke. The faster he masturbated, the faster Sal fucked him. It was a win-win situation in Tibo’s book. It only took a minute before Tibo cried out, his seed spurting from his cock. Sal growled and fucked him harder, sweat trickling down his body as Sal stiffened and then howled. Tibo fell back against the earth, his breathing labored as Sal pulled free and then laid down next to him. His lover pulled him to his chest, covering them both as he drifted off to sleep. **** Sal tossed the bag of personal items into the back of the SUV, closing it before looking back at the bunker one last time. He stilled when a thought struck him from out of the blue. “Holy crap!” “What?” Riojos asked as he walked over to Sal. “Did you forget something?” Sal shook his head as his gaze wandered over to Mica. “He still has the locating spell on him. Doesn’t he? I mean, he didn’t come from Oregon with us, but what if the locating spell was cast on all the phoenixes? Do we know how many there are?” Riojos cursed as he placed his hands on his hips, staring at Mica getting into the first SUV. “No one knows. But I’m not going back to that fruitcake. We have to figure out another way to lift it.” Sal scratched at the stubble growing from his chin. “I agree. Mr. Chickenbones is too far away for one. And he also gave me the heebie-jeebies. That guy is seriously warped.” Riojos nodded. “Then we have to figure something out. Our men are getting road weary. And I am as well.” “Me, too.” Sal was sick of running. He wanted to settle down somewhere with Tibo and build a life with him. This living out of the

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SUVs was getting on his last nerve. If he never saw the road again, it would be too soon. “We’ll figure it out,” Riojos said as he clapped Sal on his back. “But until then, we need to get moving.” “Do you have any idea where we’re going?” Riojos shrugged. “Glade just wants to get the phoenixes deeper into the forest, out of the public eye. The little incident at the market has got him spooked.” “Him and me both,” Sal said. His shoulder was almost all of the way healed thanks to Tibo’s tears, but he still felt a twinge every now and again. Getting shot was another thing he wanted to see the end of. It sucked big time. Sal watched his brother head for the other SUV. He wasn’t sure what they were going to do, but he knew Glade was right. They needed to get out of the public eye. He climbed into the backseat, pulling Tibo close to his side as the vehicles started moving. “How are you doing, gatito?” Sal asked when Tibo let out a big yawn. Tibo chuckled. “Tired. Someone kept me up late last night.” “Well, if you hadn’t have kept me up, then you would have gotten more sleep.” “Oh, so this is my fault?” Sal grinned. “Yep, totally.” Tibo rolled his eyes, but Sal could see a small twinkle in their teal-green depths. Tibo patted his chest and burrowed in. “I’ll strive to be less sexy in the future.” “Yeah.” Sal snorted. “Like that’s going to happen. You couldn’t be less sexy if you tried.” Tibo tilted his head back to look up at Sal. “Really?” Sal smiled down at his love. “Really.” Tibo grinned and tucked his head again. “I guess I’ll just have to suffer through sleepless nights then.” “Yeah.” Sal chuckled. “You suffer so.”

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Tibo laughed. Sal held Tibo in his arms, smiling when he heard a small snore come from the man a few minutes later. Maybe he shouldn’t have kept Tibo up so late last night? But he hadn’t been lying. Tibo was drop-dead gorgeous, and Sal didn’t have any plans on keeping his hands off the man. “We need to talk about a few things, Sal,” Glade said from the front seat. “We didn’t have a chance to discuss it earlier, but this Kidemona lykanthropos thing, do you know what it means?” “Well, the chicken man said I was some sort of werewolf guardian for Tibo, and I already know I can shift into a wolf.” Sal frowned. “What else is there?” “Well, for one, the whole being a guardian for Tibo thing, and that’s something you need to take very seriously. You only get one shot at this.” “I thought we were immortal.” “You are, but you can still be hurt or separated, and if you’re separated from Tibo, you’ll go insane. You’ve bonded with him.” Sal’s eyebrows shot up. “I’ve what?” “You’ve bonded with Tibo, or your wolf has. It’s decided that Tibo is your mate, and you will never have another one for as long as you live.” Glade snickered as he shook his head. “Hell, man, you’ll never get another piece of ass as long as you live. You’d better hope Tibo never makes you sleep in the doghouse. You’ll want to chew off your paw.” Sal glanced down at his sleeping lover. “I am so far up shit creek.” **** Tibo groaned as a sudden jostling woke him. He opened his eyes, quickly figuring out by the darkness outside that it was nighttime out. He tilted his head back and looked up at Sal. The man’s head rested back against the seat. His eyes were firmly closed.

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Tibo sat up and looked around the SUV. Besides Glade, who was driving, he seemed to be the only one awake. Samuel was passed out in the passenger seat in the front next to Glade. Everyone else had ridden in the other SUV. “Where are we?” Tibo asked as he leaned forward and looked at Glade. “Somewhere in Florida.” Tibo chuckled. “We were in Florida when I went to sleep.” “Well, we’re still in Florida.” “Okay, where exactly in Florida are we?” “I have no fucking clue.” Tibo’s eyebrows shot up. “We’re lost?” “We’re not lost exactly,” Glade said slowly. “I’m just not exactly sure where we are right now.” “In other words, we’re lost.” “We are not lost!” “Riiight.” Tibo rolled his eyes. They were lost. He would never understand why some grown men couldn’t admit when they got lost. It was like it attacked their masculinity or something. They should try shifting into little red birds. That was daunting. Getting lost was easy. Glade huffed. “We are not lost. We are just a little off the main road.” “How far off the main road?” Glade shook his head. “I have no fucking clue.” “Okay.” Tibo sat back in the seat. Apparently, Glade was really insecure about his masculinity. He glanced out the window but couldn’t see anything in the darkness. “I need to pee, Glade.” “Oh hell, no. I remember what happened the last time you needed to pee. Find a bottle or something.” Tibo grunted as he looked around in the backseat and on the floor. There was absolutely nothing he could use. He sighed and sat back, but his full bladder reminded him that he really had to go. “There’s nothing back here, Glade.”

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“Then use the window.” Eww. Tibo was not going to pee out of a window. The man was nuts. “Please stop.” Glade sighed as he pulled the vehicle to a stop. “You have two seconds. And don’t leave the truck. Just open the door and stand.” Tibo never knew it was so hard just to go potty. He thought men had it easy but apparently not. He quickly unsnapped his pants and turned his back to Glade. This was so damn embarrassing. What made it worse was the fact that the other SUV had stopped. Tibo quickly finished and then closed the door. “Thanks,” he muttered as he sat back. “No problem,” Glade replied. About an hour later, and bored out of his skull, Tibo saw a clearing up ahead. He frowned when he saw lights as well. Since when did the middle of the forest have lights? The trucks slowly came to a halt just as they cleared the forest. “What is it?” he asked Glade as Sal roused from his sleep. “I’m not sure. It looks like an old mansion,” Glade said as he woke Samuel. The other guardian yawned and stretched, blinking his eyes a few times, and then looked out of the windshield. “What’s that?” Samuel asked. “I’m going to check it out,” Glade replied as he turned off the engine. “I need you to watch everyone until I get back.” “Oh no,” Tibo cried. “I’ve seen this in the movies. You won’t come back, Glade. They never come back!” Glade looked over at Tibo, his eyebrows pulled down in a frown. “What movie?” Tibo waved a hand at the scary looking mansion. “The ones where people say they’ll be right back, duh.” Glade shook his head as he looked over at Samuel. “I’ll be back. Watch them.” Samuel nodded and then looked into the back seat. “He won’t be back.”

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“Samuel!” Tibo cried. It wasn’t funny, even if Samuel was in the front seat snickering. Tibo crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back. Sal pulled him close, a twinkle in his eyes. “He’ll be back. He may not have his head attached, but he’ll be back, gatito.” Tibo huffed. Now his lover was making fun of him as well. Why didn’t anyone take him seriously? “What’s going on?” Collin asked, speaking to Tibo using telepathy. “Glade went to investigate the big scary house. He said he’d be back.” “Dude, they never come back!” Tibo sighed. “I tried to tell him that. But did he listen? Noooo.” When a half hour passed and Tibo didn’t see any sign of Glade, he really began to panic. “He should have been back by now. I told you he wouldn’t be back!” “Relax, Tibo,” Samuel said as he chuckled. “He’ll be back.” Just then Tibo spotted a figure heading toward them. The figure was still too far away to make out who it was. For all they knew, it could be the killer coming to cut them up with his chainsaw. He cringed back into Sal’s chest as he covered his eyes. If he tried to warn them, Sal and Samuel wouldn’t believe him. So he just curled up and prayed he could survive being diced into tiny cheese cubes. “Here he comes. I told you he would be back,” Samuel said as Sal rubbed Tibo’s back and arms. “Are you okay, gatito?” Sal bent low and whispered in his ear. “Is it really Glade?” Sal chuckled. “Yes, it’s really Glade.” Tibo lifted his head. It really was Glade. Thank god. He watched the guardian slide into his seat and close the door. Tibo held his breath, waiting for the man to tell them that there were ghosts in there and they had to get the hell out of there. “We’re heading in.”

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“What!” Tibo cried as the vehicles started moving once again. Was he insane? “Some guy owns the place. He’s been trying to unload it. He’s says it’s too much for him to handle.” “More like it’s haunted and he just doesn’t want to tell you,” Tibo mumbled from the backseat. Glade ignored him. Figures. “He inherited the place from his grandfather, but the maintenance costs are killing him.” Tibo just bet that’s what was killing the guy. His eyes widened the closer they drove to the old-looking mansion. The shrubs and greenery were overgrown, and the place looked like it was standing on its last leg, and that leg was broken. Tibo wasn’t too sure going inside was the brightest idea. Tibo became even more apprehensive when the SUVs came to a stop. He wasn’t getting out, and no one could make him!

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Chapter 11 Sal tugged Tibo along as they climbed the old staircase to the front porch. He couldn’t understand why Tibo was acting so bratty again. He thought about Glade’s words about Tibo being his only shot at happiness. From the way his little phoenix was acting, he was screwed. “I’m not going in!” Tibo protested loudly as they approached the large wood-framed doors with huge knockers. The place looked like it was pulled right out of a horror movie. The setting was perfect. Sal was excited. He wanted to explore every hidden room and hoped there were ghosts. “Yes, you are, gatito.” “No, I’m not, and you can’t make me.” Tibo crossed his arms over his chest and hitched his head high. Sal shook his head and looked back at the door as it slowly opened. He was surprised to see such a small man standing there staring up at them with a smile on his face. What shocked him was the strawberry patch right under his left eye in the shape of a bird. “Not another one,” Collin groaned from behind him. “Boy, is he in for a shocker,” Mica mumbled. Sal agreed. He wondered if the short man knew his fate— probably not. They all seemed ignorant when it came to their deaths. If he was a phoenix about to turn twenty-one, Sal would shoot whoever told him he was about to die. “Hi,” the man said as he stepped aside. “Come on in.” Okay, so he wasn’t ghoulish with his skin peeling, but the place still felt like they were entering Count Dracula’s home.

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“No way!” Tibo protested louder. He screamed when Kyle shoved him through the door. Tibo clung to Sal as they walked farther into the belly of the beast. Tibo looked past Sal, shooting a glare at Kyle. “Whatever. You’re in now, so get your holy water ready,” Kyle teased. “Holy water?” the man asked as he led them to a large library. “Never mind,” Collin said. “We’re all gonna die!” Tibo whispered loudly. “Been there, done that,” Kyle replied. “Duh.” “Done what?” the stranger asked over his shoulder. Sal’s eyes widened as Kyle opened his mouth to reply. Tony quickly covered Kyle’s mouth with his hand. “Nothing, nothing at all,” Tony quickly said, giving Kyle a deep glare. Kyle just rolled his eyes. “Please, have a seat.” The man smiled as he waved his hands to the chairs and couches in the large room. “Can I get anyone anything?” “Yeah,” Glade grumbled, “a really large drink.” “There’s a liquor cabinet on the sideboard.” “Ah, thanks. Maybe later.” Sal stayed close to Tibo as he escorted him across the room to sit down on one of the sofas. Sal sat down. Tibo sat down and then scooted closer. Sal took in the large library. Books filled the shelves from floor to ceiling. The place was massive. “Just how many books do you have in here?” Sal asked with a bit of awe. He wasn’t a huge book reader, but he did read on occasion. It would take his entire immortal life to read all of the books stacked on the shelves. “I’m actually not sure,” the man said. “These belonged to my grandfather, and he had been collecting books from all over the world his entire life. He loved to read.” “Oh, I’m sorry.” Sal felt like shit when he saw the stranger wring his hands together.

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**** “How did he die?” “Tibo!” Sal admonished. “No, no, it’s okay,” the man said, smiling sadly. “Grandfather was trying to repair the roof and caught a cold, which turned into pneumonia. He refused to go see a doctor, didn’t like them. It was kind of downhill from there. I received the call a couple of months ago that he was sick, and came right home. He passed away right after I got here.” “You don’t live here then…err…” Tibo frowned. “I’m sorry, I never got your name.” “Percival.” The man smiled. “Percival Montgomery.” “Hi, Percival. I’m Tibo Pouli.” Tibo gestured to the man sitting next to him. “This is Sal, my boyfriend.” Sal growled. Tibo chuckled. “This is Sal, my everything.” “Better.” Sal grinned down at Tibo. “You’re…lovers?” Tibo’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, is that a problem?” “No, of course not,” Percival said quickly. But his face flushed as he glanced away, and Tibo couldn’t help but wonder if he spoke the truth. Tibo had fought bigots most of his life. He didn’t like the idea that he might be sitting in the same room with one. Tibo stood to his feet then grabbed Sal’s hand to pull him to his feet. “I’ve been hunted, shot at, kidnapped by a madman, had to leave my home, died of a heart attack, come back as a fucking bird, and had a voodoo ritual performed by a crazy chickenbone man on the bayou. I refuse to be in the room with someone that won’t respect my love for another man.” His piece said, Tibo started to storm from the room, tugging a stunned Sal behind him. Kyle and Collin jumped to their feet and

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started to walk with them. It felt good to have friends who would stand by his side. Too bad they couldn’t add another friend. “Wait, please,” Percival said as he raced over to stand in front of Tibo. “I meant what I said. It doesn’t bother me. I promise. I’m just not—I’m not used to people being so open about things like this. It’s kind of frowned upon where I am from.” “Where do you come from?” “I’ve been attending school in a private university in England.” Percival shrugged. “Grandfather insisted. He said I would receive the best education there. He did, and he was a great man in his time.” “Sounds boring as hell.” Kyle snickered. “It certainly had its moments.” Percival smiled weakly. “I truly apologize if I have offended you in any way. That was not my intention. How you conduct your life is none of my affair.” “Dude.” Kyle laughed. “Are you for real?” Percival frowned, tilting his head slightly as if he was confused by Kyle’s question as well as his words. “I believe so, yes.” “You’re a riot, Percy.” Kyle laughed again as he slapped Percival on the shoulder. “Percival.” The man looked so confused. “Whatever.” Tibo pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. While he was glad that Kyle wasn’t currently aimed in his direction, he felt bad for Percival. It was clear that the man didn’t know what to make of Kyle. No one except Tony did, and Tony adored the man. Everyone else was just confused or offended. “Did you grow up here, Percival?” Tibo asked to get the conversation away from Kyle’s mouth. “Yes, I did.” Percival smiled when he turned to face Tibo, but he kept casting Kyle cautious looks. Smart man. “My grandfather took me in after my parents died. I was just a small child at the time. He raised me.”

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Tibo glanced at Glade and arched an eyebrow. Glade nodded. Tibo sighed and looked back at Percival. “How did your parents die?” “Grandfather said that they were killed in an automobile accident.” “Not likely,” Kyle said quietly. “Excuse me?” Percival asked as his head snapped around to gawk at Kyle. Kyle smiled broadly. “Nothing.” “Glade said that you’re wanting to sell the place?” “Yes.” Percival folded his hands together in front of him. “She was a grand ol’ house at one time, but she’s lost her luster, and I do not have the funds to make her shine again. I’d like to see her go to someone that can give her back the luster of her younger years, someone that will truly love the old girl.” Tibo blinked. Percival looked around the room as if the house was a living, breathing entity, one that he truly cared about. He suddenly wondered if selling the place was really what Percival wanted to do. “You don’t want to sell the house, do you?” “I don’t, but I must.” Percival started wringing his hands together again. “I’m just one man, and while grandfather left the house to me, his fortune was given to charity. I don’t have the funds to keep the house in even the condition it is currently in, and that is deplorable. If something is not done soon, I’m afraid that she will just fall down one day.” “Percival,” Glade said as he waved his hand back toward the couches, “why don’t you come sit down, and you can tell me about the house. Maybe we can work something out.” Percival smiled again and walked over to sit down in a chair next to Glade. Tibo walked over to sit down on the sofa again, Sal sitting next to him. Collin went to sit next to Riojos. Kyle just stood behind Tony’s chair. “You would be interested in the house?” Percival asked. “That depends on what you can tell me about her.”

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“Well”—Percival folded his hands together and rested them in his lap—“the house sits on a little under twenty thousand acres, but most of that is forest land. I would have to insist that it stay that way. Grandfather was adamant about the woods not being cut down in his will. It’s a private wildlife refuge.” Tibo’s eyes widened. “Even the house?” Percival smiled again. “Of course not. The house itself sits on a hundred workable acres. It’s the land surrounding those hundred acres that are part of the wildlife refuge.” “Couldn’t you just sell us the hundred acres with the house on it?” Tibo asked. That made more sense to him than buying an entire wildlife refuge. “I’m afraid not. The refuge is legally tied in to the house and vice versa. However, you don’t need to worry about the refuge. The money that grandfather donated went to pay for a park ranger and an animal medical facility on the edge of the refuge. Grandfather’s entire fortune went to the refuge. With careful management, it will sustain itself for another hundred years.” Tibo’s jaw dropped. “Your grandfather was a hundred years old?” “A hundred and one, actually. My family members tend to live a long time.” “They’re not the only ones,” Kyle said. Tibo glanced over just in time to see Tony’s hand slap over Kyle’s mouth. Really, someone needed to put a muzzle on the guy. When Tibo glanced back at Percival, he was giving Kyle a bewildered look. He had no idea. “So, the refuge is off-limits but not the hundred acres surrounding the house?” Glade asked. “Well, as owners, you would certainly have the right to wander about the refuge. You just can’t destroy it. The refuge land is in a trust, and it can’t be broken. The hundred acres surrounding the house are up for grabs to the owner to do what he wants with them.” “Tell us about the house itself,” Tibo suggested.

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“It’s a large house but in need of a lot of repair. I won’t lie to you about that. The electrical system and the plumbing all need to be updated. The roof needs to be repaired.” Percival waved his hand around the room. “And as you may see, the inside could use care and attention as well.” “How many bedrooms?” Tibo asked. That was the important question. Tibo didn’t want to share with anyone but Sal. “There are two wings to the house, each with three floors. The east wing has ten bedroom suites with their own bathrooms, parlors, and balconies, and all on the second floor. That is the family wing. The west wing is the guest wing. It has five bedroom suites with bathrooms and parlors, but only a few have balconies. Again, these are all on the second floor. The remaining ten bedrooms are on the third floor.” “Kitchen?” Tibo asked. “There is a full kitchen as well as a walk-in pantry and servants’ quarters on the first floor. There is also this library, two studies, a game room, and a ballroom, plus a formal and informal dining room.” “Now for the big question,” Glade said. “How much do you want for it?” **** Sal snickered when Percival gave his price. Hell, they had that amount in one of the duffle bags out in the SUV. He could see that the small phoenix didn’t want to sell the place. There had to be a way to let the smaller man keep his family home, and let them set up headquarters here. And Sal had no doubt that this would be their new headquarters. He liked the place. It had character and history. It was also in the middle of nowhere. It would be a great place to call home. “Ah, is there a way that I can speak to my guys privately for a moment?” Sal asked Percival.

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“Why certainly. I’ll go make some snacks for everyone whilst you confer.” “Confer?” Kyle asked as he scratched his head. “It means talk,” Collin offered. “I know what it means!” Kyle snapped. “I just never heard anyone use the damn word in a sentence before.” Sal chuckled as Percival closed the library doors. “Okay. I really will feel like a heel if we buy this place from him.” “Me, too,” Tibo said. “Then what do you suggest?” Glade asked. “We rent it. It’ll give him the money he needs for the upkeep and give us a place to live. We could set up cameras around the perimeter, and we could rotate watch duty so the place has eyes twenty-four seven. I don’t see how he could refuse such an offer.” “Don’t say the place has eyes,” Tibo said and then gulped. “I really don’t want to think of this place as alive.” Sal cupped Tibo’s face, laying a light kiss on his lips. “You know I’ll protect you with my life.” Tibo smiled up at him, gifting Sal with a devastating smile. “And I will protect you with my life.” “Then it’s settled,” Glade said as they looked around the library. “Welcome to our new home.”

THE END WWW.STORMYGLENN.COM WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul Mates, true love, and happy endings. You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart. You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

Also by Stormy Glenn and Lynn Hagen Siren Classic ManLove: Phoenix Rising 1: Collin’s Awakening Siren Classic ManLove: Phoenix Rising 2: Kyle’s Return

For all other titles, please visit www.bookstrand.com/stormy-glenn www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen

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