Holy Stockings

Who Needs Christmas? 4

Holy Stockings Twelve elves left the North Pole to be free of all things Christmas and have been living together for decades. All this time they have gone without their mates, but when the first of the twelve finds his, the others have hope for finding theirs. Surprise is an elf who dislikes stockings and that he has not yet found the mate he has always longed for. Meeting Benjii turns his world upside down in more ways than he expected. Benjii Kepper is a cowboy from Texas whose past has made him wary of relinquishing his dominance when it comes to the bedroom, even when he meets Surprise, a man he so clearly wants to let take control. As Surprise and Benjii learn more about each other, will Surprise be able to help Benjii fight the battles in his head, or will Benjii’s problems be too much for them to overcome? Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal Length: 35,686 words

HOLY STOCKINGS Who Needs Christmas? 4

Joyee Flynn

EROTIC ROMANCE MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

HOLY STOCKINGS Copyright © 2011 by Joyee Flynn E-book ISBN: 1-61034-902-4 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.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Holy Stockings by Joyee Flynn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Joyee Flynn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Flynn’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION For those of us who’ve dreamed about our own cowboy…even when we grew up in the city!

HOLY STOCKINGS Who Needs Christmas? 4 JOYEE FLYNN Copyright © 2011

Chapter 1 I was walking to the bar during a Halloween party, just having seen some moron wearing nothing but mistletoe, when I spotted a bigger dumbass dressed as an elf. Oh, for heaven sakes! And that was not the attire I’d ever seen in the North Pole. The guy had on friggin stockings that someone would hang on the fireplace, a bright green thong, and nothing else. “Any elf would be humiliated on that guy’s part,” I grumbled under my breath as I signaled to the bartender. “You think any cowboy wouldn’t be saying the same thing about your outfit?” a deep whiskey drawl said with a chuckle from next to me. “Yeah, but I pull it off,” I replied with a pout as I glanced down at myself. Okay, so maybe the cowboy boots, belt with large rodeo buckle, and Stetson didn’t go with the leather boy shorts I had on. I looked up at the man and saw the most gorgeous, dark chocolatebrown eyes shining down at me with mirth. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone.” “And the guy dressed as a mythical creature did?” If he only knew who or what he was talking to.

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“Probably not, but he still looks stupid,” I answered and stuck out my bottom lip. “I think I look good.” I wanted him already after just having met him, and I tended to get what I wanted. I turned and stuck out my ass, the boy shorts forming to it perfectly and letting the cheeks stick out the bottom. “Don’t you like?” “You’re playing with fire, sub,” he growled as he moved his free hand not holding a drink and started rubbing my butt. His hand felt good there. And he knew how to use his hands obviously. He was groping, not being too gentle but not trying to take my ass home by pulling it off either. I reached behind me, grabbing his shirt, and pulled him forward, molding him to my back. Once he was bent over me and his face by my cheek, I turned my head enough so our lips brushed slightly. “I’m not a sub. I’m a top, and if you didn’t notice what I’ve got in these shorts, it’s big enough to please any man.” I heard his thoughts spinning out of control as he put his beer on the bar and used both hands to check out my claim. He groaned in delight when he felt my eight inches…and I wasn’t even hard yet. Well, I was getting there as he touched me. The subtle hint of his cologne and a scent that was all him hitting my nose helped me along as well. He wanted me. He wanted me to show him everything he’d missed by never letting someone top him. But he was very, very worried that I wouldn’t be discreet and would blab he wasn’t a real man and liked to take it up the ass. Normally that thought would have had me ditching him in a heartbeat. I didn’t do head cases. I couldn’t seem to make my body move away from him though. He fit so perfectly against me, and everything inside of me was screaming that I needed to take him home and fuck him until that stupid thought left his mind for good. “Being with me is like going to Vegas,” I purred and rubbed my cock against his hands. I could hear the confusion in his thoughts and

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decided not to wait until he asked. “What happens with me stays with me, and I expect you to leave after the fun is over.” “But real men don’t take it up the ass,” he whispered, and I seriously thought he didn’t mean to say that out loud. Unfortunately I couldn’t let it go either. I pulled away from him and gave him my best pissed-off look. Hell, I didn’t have to work hard as my face flamed with anger. “I’ve never been a bottom, but I also have never, ever judged someone as not being a real man that I’ve fucked. So according to you, I’d be a fake man if you fucked me? Or would that just make me a woman?” “I’m sorry,” he sputtered, looking properly chastised. “I didn’t mean it like that. It was just something my daddy always said when he found out I was gay. He didn’t seem to mind where I stuck my dick as long as no one put one in me.” “Fine,” I said after a moment of scanning his thoughts. He was sincerely apologetic and didn’t mean it as an insult. It was just so pounded into his head by family and friends that he was delusional enough to start to believe it. I could fix that. “You want to get out of here or what?” “Do you always skip the foreplay?” he asked, his eyes wide with surprise. He was young, maybe midtwenties, and that was a time when most humans still listened to the people they cared about, thinking what they said was law instead of opinion. The older a person got, the more they started to think for themselves. “There will be lots of foreplay,” I purred and ran my hand up his inner thigh as my other one tweaked his nipple. “I just don’t believe in beating around the bush, and I know what I want.” “And that’s me?” He hissed as I pinched harder. “Don’t you want me?” “Yes,” he whimpered. “What’s your name?” “Joe Smith. You?” “That sounds like an alias. I’m Benjii Kepper, and I’m just visiting for the horse auction this week.” I thought about that as I told

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the bartender to put our drinks on my tab and started to drag tonight’s fun out the door. He probably thought I was just giving him a fake name for tonight…If only he knew. “There are horse auctions in Chicago?” I asked as we left the club when that part sank in. “Seriously?” “Yeah.” He chuckled as he pulled me back against him. “You’ve got a lot of stables here with great lineage and bloodlines.” His lips brushed my neck as he rubbed his jeans-covered dick against my lower back. “So you’re going to top, but do you still suck cock? Your full lips would look great wrapped around me.” “We’ll see if you play your cards right,” I answered with a moan. I didn’t normally get on my knees for my conquests, but something about Benjii made me want to do anything and everything to make him happy. What was up with that? He teased me for a few more moments before letting me go so he could hop in his truck. We decided he would follow me home instead of going to his hotel. He hadn’t wanted to, but when I mentioned our play room, he changed his tune as long as he had a way to leave on his own. I could deal with him being safe. After we got into our vehicles and he was following me, I had a moment to collect my thoughts. What was up with this guy? Why was I drawn to him like a fly on syrup? I mean of all my friends, all twelve of us, I was the pickiest. It was a normal night that they brought someone home to get their rocks off with and I simply watched because no one tickled my fancy that night. So with this guy? Why now? And I definitely didn’t deal with guys who had issues…even for a night. But something about this man called to me, and I wondered if it was simple loneliness? Though, if it was that, then why bring a guy home that was closed off and didn’t live here? By the time I got home, I had no answers and more questions thunking around in my brain. For now, I was just going to enjoy

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showing Benjii the fun of opening himself up to new experiences and being penetrated. At least more than once, if I had my way. “Nice digs,” Benjii said with a whistle as we got out of our vehicles on the side of the house. I couldn’t help but smile at him. We were all very proud of our house. We took a lot of time to pick it out and convert it to our perfect sanctuary. “I’d love to give you a tour, but if we don’t get to the fun right away, I might explode.” “Between rounds of hot sex then,” he growled and lifted me into his arms after I opened the door. “Where am I going?” “I know you won’t want an audience if discretion is so important to you, but none of my friends should be home yet.” He nodded as if leaving the decision up to me, so I guided him to the play room. I couldn’t help but sigh with content and snuggled into his strong body. This felt so right that part of me never wanted to leave. Ever. And that was a problem. “You’re so fucking fine,” I purred and sucked up a mark on his exposed throat. Okay, I wasn’t into hickeys and being all possessive. Again, why him? “What do you like best?” Benjii asked as he followed my directions to our destination. I read in his thoughts that he’d been picked on for being scrawny and weak all of his life, and he liked that someone thought he was hot. Scrawny? Really? What, did they only turn out giants in the South? Benjii was six-four, muscular and not from lifting weights in the gym, and at least a good two hundred and eighty pounds of fatless body. I wanted to smack the people who’d fucked with his head. I glanced down at my own body quickly. I wasn’t bad looking, but if someone wanted big and buff, they’d jump right over me. I was more lean and compact. I wasn’t just stick figure though! I had ripped abs and toned muscles, so I wasn’t like most twinky-looking guys who were skinny with only flab.

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“All your lovely muscles,” I answered honestly. “I want to run my tongue over every single one.” Benjii stumbled and almost dropped me before he recovered. He stared down at me with such lust I felt it warm my heart like nothing ever had. Plus, his thoughts let me know he’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted me. And while that scared him for obvious reasons, he was willing to throw caution to the wind and enjoy tonight. “I like the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh and express what you’re feeling.” “What am I feeling right now?” He lowered my feet to the floor, and I rubbed against him like a cat in heat. “Horny and wanting more than life has given you.” He closed his eyes and sighed in relief as if my saying it out loud meant he didn’t have to. I didn’t say anything else, not wanting to rip off all the BandAids on old wounds in one night. “Then let me take care of you, Benjii. Submit to me now, and I will show you things you never thought possible.” “Yes, I’m yours,” he replied softly, and then his eyes snapped open. “For tonight.” “Of course,” I said immediately, but my heart screamed at the idea of only getting him temporarily. I reached up and grabbed his neck, pulling him down to me. Instead he lifted me up by my hips and plopped me down on one of the tables in the play room. He smiled as he inserted himself between my spread thighs and slid his hand into my spiky, dark brown hair. It was short, as was his, so there wasn’t much to hold on to as he lowered his lips to mine. The kiss started soft, just a slight brushing of our mouths. He leaned back and gazed into my eyes, and I saw several things. Desire, confusion, pain, and the promise of things to come. “You feel that, too, don’t you?”

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“Yes,” I whispered as my eyes never left his beautiful brown ones or faltered. There was no reason to deny the shock of electricity I felt from our kiss. My body felt ready to go off like the Fourth of July and he’d not even had his tongue in my mouth yet. “I want more.” “Me, too,” he groaned and then mashed his mouth down to mine. This time wasn’t sweet or gentle. Benjii threw all of his passion and feelings into the kiss, using his tongue and teeth until I felt like a pile of goo on that table. I was able to give back as good as I got though, and when we couldn’t hold off air any longer, we broke apart. He stared at me as he gasped for breath, and I could hear in his mind that he’d never felt anything remotely like this passion before. “Get naked,” I ordered and was surprised when he shivered at the command instead of bucking against my authority. He started slowly pulling off his shirt, but I was done with the foreplay. I wanted in him right fucking now. “If you like your clothes and don’t want to walk out of here naked because I tore them to shreds, I suggest you move faster.” “Oh fuck,” he groaned and raced to undress. I did the same, but since there wasn’t much to my costume, it took me only seconds. As soon as we were both gloriously naked, I moved faster than any human could, which just showed how much control Benjii took from me. I’d never slipped up like that before. I spun him around and bent him over the table, securing his wrists at the top. It wasn’t really a table like one used for the dining room. It was more like a padded X with a headrest. But it put all his assets on display for me to play with as I wanted. “Why are you restraining me?” he asked, and I heard the panic in his voice. That was the last thing I wanted. “So you let go and allow me to be in charge,” I answered honestly as I moved to squat down in front of his face. “There’s a catch on the cuffs so you can release yourself if I do anything you don’t like, but I promise you that you’ll enjoy this, Benjii.”

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“Okay, just don’t hurt me too bad,” he whispered and then swallowed loudly with nerves. “I know my first time taking it up the ass will hurt, but please at least prepare me.” “Of course,” I said and blinked rapidly at him in shock. “I’d never be cruel. I like to spank, but I’m not into straight pain.” “You’d spank me?” His eyes glazed over with desire and his mind told me that was something he was very, very interested in. “Maybe if we ever play again after tonight,” I said trying to entice him. “I don’t spank on the first date.” He snickered as I kissed his nose before moving between his legs. Benjii groaned as I pulled the cheeks of his ass apart and stared at his glorious pink hole. I shivered in delight at being the first to go where no man had before. Deciding to make this the best experience of his life so he’d want to come back, I leaned over and licked it. “Oh fuck, that’s good,” he cried out softly. “I never knew why people liked that until now.” “No one’s ever rimmed you?” “No way,” Benjii growled as if I’d insulted him but then settled down. “I never let anyone breach me in any way.” “Baby, I’m going to make you see the stars tonight,” I said seductively before diving in like a starving man seeing his favorite meal. I twirled my tongue around his tight rosette before dipping it in quickly. Then I took it further and tongue-fucked him, using my teeth to nibble so he’d open up. I must have tortured him for about ten minutes before I said what he’d been waiting for, according his thoughts. “Come for me.” “Joe!” He screamed and shot his load all over the floor. His ass thrust up in my face as if seeking more attention. That or his instinct was simply to move his hips when he came. Either way, it was fucking hot. While he was riding the waves of his orgasm, I used my magic to stretch him completely so he wouldn’t feel any pain when I entered him. His peak was just starting to ebb when I climbed up on the table

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and sprawled over him. It was set up more for me to stay standing as I fucked him, but I wanted more contact than that. “Say yes, Benjii,” I whispered in his ear as I kissed his shoulder. His sweet, sweet-smelling skin simply called to me. It was like fresh apples and caramel. “Yes,” he hissed, grinding his ass against my groin. “Fuck me before I change my mind.” I didn’t hesitate. I thrust inside of him, and we both moaned in pleasure. Something snapped inside of me, and for the first time in my life, I felt whole as if Benjii was what I’d been missing in my life. I didn’t start slow. I fucked him hard and fast until my fangs popped out and one word entered my mind, and then I faltered and almost fell off of him. Mine. That was the part I’d been missing. This issue-laced man was my mate. Fuck. Couldn’t I have gotten an easy one like Horse? But I wasn’t about to question or doubt fate. Instead I would accept the gift given me. I licked his neck, reaching up because of the height difference, and bit him. “Fuck!” He cried out and climaxed as I drank down his very tasty life essence. His ass clamped down on my cock, and it caused me to follow him right over the edge. I lifted my head, roaring out my release as I pumped my seed deep within my mate. When we were both spent, I slumped over him, gasping for breath. Holy shit! “What the fuck are you?” he asked evenly, but I could hear his thoughts racing that vampires were real. “Remember how the guy dressed as an elf insulted me?” “You’re kidding,” Benjii whispered and there was panic in his voice. “No. I am one.”

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Chapter 2 “Get off me,” he said calmly, but even his body language said everything but. “No,” I replied firmly, and in a flash, teleported us up to my room. “You promised to submit to me tonight.” “Where are we?” Now he was starting to shake. I pulled out of him, rolled him onto his back, and rotated his hips so they were more like he was on his side. I moved my leg in between his and shoved my cock right back in as I stared down into his eyes. I let my ears go back to their normal shape, pointy tips and all, as I bared my fangs at him. “You fucked me bareback.” “I’d never hurt you, my mate,” I purred as I thrust forward, hitting his prostate. “I’m an elf, a purely magical being, who can’t get or give human diseases. You’re always safe with me, Benjii.” “Let me go,” he whispered and then moaned as I started to pull out of him before slamming right back in. I wouldn’t have pulled this shit if I didn’t know his thoughts betrayed his words, and he didn’t want to leave. “No,” I said again. “You love what I’m doing to you. I can hear it in your head. You want my fat cock to fuck you for the rest of our lives.” “I don’t.” He was lying, not only to me, but himself as well. And even if I couldn’t hear it from his mind, his lack of conviction or the way he wouldn’t look at me would have told me the same thing. “Liar,” I snarled and fucked him harder. “Admit you love my cock in your ass. Tell me the truth!”

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“No,” he cried out as I reached down and rapidly stroked his leaking and very hard dick. “Tell me now, Benjii, or I’ll stop and never see you again.” It was an empty threat, but he needed to know lying wasn’t allowed. I kind of felt like a hypocrite or one of those parents who tells their children do as I say, not as I do. But there was a bigger goal here. “You love what I’m doing to your body.” “Yes,” he admitted, his eyes filled with shame. Gods! What had someone said or done to him that he was ashamed of liking something so beautiful? “You love the way I touch you and slam my dick into you.” “Yes,” Benjii screamed as I pushed the tip of my finger in the slick of his cock. “I love all of it! I shouldn’t, but god help me, I do.” “There’s nothing wrong with that, baby,” I said gently and kissed him. My fangs nicked his lip, and I used my tongue to close the cut. “Let me take care of you. Give in to me, Benjii. I could please you like this forever.” “I can’t.” He shook his head rapidly as if denying what he wanted would make all this go away. I decided to leave it alone for now. He’d already admitted he liked me fucking him, and I considered that a win for right now. I pulled his turned leg up to his chest and pounded into his sweet ass with everything I had. He moaned like a slut, thrashing in bliss under me. “Oh, my baby likes it hard,” I cooed and thrust into him with enough force to move him up the bed. “You’re my mate, Benjii. There will be no running from me. I will fuck you into submission like I know you want, if that what it takes.” “Joe,” he whispered as his eyes filled with tears. “I can’t.” “My real name is Surprise, baby. And yes you can. I can make you happy.” He turned his head away but not before I saw the first tear fall. This wasn’t the time for that, and if he could be this worried about liking the sex between us or what I was, then I wasn’t doing my job. I

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stopped talking and took him to new heights. Twice more and then sucked his cock when he started thinking again. That night we fell into a peaceful sleep, my dick still in his worn ass, our bodies wrapped around each other. I thought we had made some headway. I’d really believed I’d shown Benjii how wonderful it could be between us and we could overcome his issues. Fuck, had I been wrong. When I woke alone the next morning, my heart shattered into a million pieces. There was no note, no phone number, and no mention of the hotel he was staying at. Nothing. Oh, this so wasn’t over. I quickly got up, showered, and dressed. I was pissed and a little snarky about the fact he thought he could run from me. He’d see just how well that worked and the full span of my power. I thought about him and was teleported to where he was. Funny thing about our powers…they weren’t very limited. I could ‘port to a place or to a person without even blinking an eye or concentrating hard. And with the magic came in fail-safes. Like the fact that I appeared at a crowded auction but ’ported somewhere out of the way so no one saw me. My mate called to me like a homing beacon, and I followed my gut right into an even greater hell. I found Benjii leaning against a rail of a horse-viewing pen, flirting his tight ass off with some twink. I snarled and had to take a moment to get my rage under control. Yeah, that would almost happen. But at least I needed to handle myself enough not to kill the twink. It wasn’t the guy’s fault after all. It was all Benjii. “So I’ll come to your hotel tonight?” the twink asked with a whimper. “I’m willing to do anything and everything with you, Benjii.” “Sorry, he’s spoken for,” I growled as I grabbed my mate’s arm and dragged him away. “What the fuck, Joe?” he shouted in shock and tried to get away. “I’ll out you in a second if you don’t let me go!”

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“Then I’d end up having to bust you out of a mental ward as opposed to just dragging your cheating ass away from jailbait over there.” I pushed into his mind. This was not a conversation to have in front of people who were pretending not to listen but sooo were. “We can do this the hard way and have it out in front of all these people, or you can be a gentleman and take our private business someplace private.” “How the fuck did he even find me?” he asked himself as he nodded to what I said. Benjii was looking a little pale and shellshocked, which normally might have made me laugh, but I was fuming that he’d left and was making plans to fuck someone else tonight. “I AM MAGIC!” I shouted in frustration in his head. “All I had to do was teleport to where you were after you snuck out of my fucking bed this morning. And you’re already planning your next conquest! Did you not hear the part where we were mates or that I’d find you if you ran? How could you run from me after what we shared?” “Aaaw, shit,” I hissed under my breath when I realized something major had happened while I’d been rambling. Benjii had fainted. I wonder which part he’d had issue with? Okay, so maaaybe I hadn’t been thinking of how he’d react, or maybe fear had him running as my anger clouded my judgment. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching before lifting my mate up into my arms. I found a nice secluded place behind a tent and sat him down. Then I conjured up some water and smelling salts, waving those under his nose. He came back around gradually, and I cringed at what his reaction might be at fainting. “No more shouting in my head,” he whispered after taking a sip of the water. “I’m not used to any of this, and just the normal talking started to make me dizzy. But then you yelled, and it was like the lights just went out.” “Right, sorry about that,” I said gently and ran my fingers through his short brown hair that was as soft as it looked.

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“Good. Now you can leave. I didn’t give you my information for a reason, and I’m taking that twink home tonight to fuck every which way I can.” “What?” I gasped as my eyes started to burn. “You’d really cheat on me like that?” “Cheat?” he exclaimed and pulled away from me. “How would that be cheating? We said we’d spend last night together, Joe. That’s it. There were no other promises made!” “My name is Surprise.” “No, to me you’re Joe. I can’t even begin to deal with what you are,” he sneered, and if I thought he’d broken my heart before, it now shattered into a million extra pieces. “You didn’t even give me a chance to explain. There are so many good things about being mated to an elf you don’t understand.” I was begging. Gods help me, I was pathetically begging, going as far to crawl closer to him on my knees when he stood up. I grabbed his pants and held on as if he might disappear from me. “Please, Benjii. I’ll do anything. You know I can do more than that twink can for you. Give me the chance to show you.” “You won’t even let me fuck you.” He tried to pull away and I held on tighter, staring right up into his eyes. “I saved myself for my mate. You are my mate. I’d let you take me right here in front of everyone, center ring if you want. That’s what it is being mated to an elf. I’m basically incapable of denying you anything that wouldn’t hurt you. You are my first and only priority in this world.” “Prove it,” Benjii said, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. “How? Time normally would show my dedication to you.” “You said I could fuck you in the middle of the auction if I wanted it.” Oh shit. Would he really make me do that? I swallowed loudly and nodded. “Suck my cock right now and promise that I get to dominate you tonight, and I’ll believe you’re sincere and listen to what you have to say.”

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“Done,” I replied immediately and unzipped his fly. I was several centuries old and a world-class cocksucker. I’d also done it to him last night and knew a few tricks he liked. Starting with deep-throating. I swallowed him right down, rubbing my nose in his short hairs as I relaxed my throat to take him. “You like sucking my cock, don’t you, baby?” I made an approving hum in agreement. “I don’t know about this forever stuff or you being an elf, but I like playing with you. I’m willing to give you the week I’m here to change my mind. But I am the man in this relationship and will do the fucking. If you can convince me, I’ll take you back to Texas with me.” That had me choking on him in shock. Leave Illinois? I loved it here! Benjii helped me find my rhythm again by thrusting down my throat. His eyes betrayed his harsh words, and so did his mind. “I can’t be weak with someone as powerful as he is. He’ll walk all over me, and I’ll be begging for him if I’m not careful. Taking charge of this is showing no fear.” If only he knew how a loving, mated relationship was really supposed to be. But maybe if I just complied with what he thought he needed, then he’d understand the rest later and open up. It was a splitsecond plan and needed to be thought out more later, but it gave me a sliver of hope for now at least. Benjii came down my throat with a moan, and from the way he was shaking, I knew it was a good orgasm. I’d bet he was having trouble being quiet, and that gave me a smirk of pride at least. When he was spent and licked clean, I tucked him back into his pants and sat back on my heels. “I have one request to your demands,” I said quietly as he knelt down, breathing heavily from the intensity of his climax. He raised a suspicious eyebrow but nodded. “No more twinks. No one else while we give this a go and I prove to you how wonderful it would be between us.”

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“I don’t believe in monogamy,” he replied, shaking his head. “People aren’t faithful to each other. Humans just aren’t built that way.” “How sad for you that you actually believe that,” I said without thinking. I wanted to smack myself in the head at the murderous glare I got from my mate. “I know lots of humans who are not only faithful but would never even consider straying from their relationship. I can be patient and prove it to you, but you said you’d give me a week. You can keep your hands off other people for one week, Benjii.” He eyed me over for a moment and then sighed. “Fine, but I won’t stop flirting. I like flirting, and it’s a part of who I am.” “Fine, as long as it’s harmless flirting with no intent, I don’t have a problem with it.” Okay, I knew elves were really possessive and jealous with their mates, so I probably would have an issue with it, but there wasn’t anything wrong with harmless flirting…logically. “Deal. Now I’ll see you tonight,” he said firmly as he got to his feet. He might have talked a tough game, but my mate was a gentleman at least. Benjii held out his hand and helped me to my feet. He cupped my cheek gently, and I could see warring emotions swimming in his eyes. “That was the best blow job I’ve ever gotten, Surprise. You’re an amazing man.” “I want to be amazing for you,” I replied honestly, rubbing my face into his tender gesture. “Why do I have to leave? Can’t I see the horse auction?” His eyebrows shot up with shock, and he bit his lip for a second, and then shrugged. “I guess you can stay. I assumed it would be boring for you.” “You’re my mate, Benjii,” I said softly as he took my hand, and we turned to head back towards the viewing pens. “I know you don’t get what that means yet, but if something interests you, I want to know more about it. I mean I know your job must involve horses, but I want to see you in action.” And then a thought hit me. It was sneaky

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and underhanded, but maybe it would show him my dedication to him. “Help you if I can.” “How could you help me?” I could hear the disbelief in his voice. “There are lots of ways, I’m sure, but until I know what you do, I can’t come up with any.” “Okay,” he drawled as we got back to where I’d found him. He hitched his hip against a railing and gestured to the horses. “I get called in when clients want something from a certain auction but can’t make it themselves or can simply pay not to have to make it. I’m here this week for a rich guy who wants the best but can’t be bothered to buy his animals and arrange for their shipment himself.” “So you’re like a horse courier?” He thought about that for a moment, tipping back his Stetson and scratching his head. It was such a simple, unconscious gesture that I found so sexy I had to bite back a groan. Gods, my own real cowboy! He had the tight Levi’s jeans, black cowboy boots to match his hat…complete with huge belt buckle. “Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it, but it’s more like a scout for a sports team. I was raised around horses and know what to look for to make sure that it looks as good as it does on paper. I get a list of which to check out, max bidding prices, and even second choices if the bidding goes over their limit.” “That’s a really cool job,” I said in disbelief. I hadn’t even known there were jobs out there like that. “So do you have to live in Texas to do it? I mean you travel a lot, right?” I wanted to smack myself again, but Benjii didn’t get the correlation to my question. “Most of my clients are in Texas, but those auctions they can attend themselves. So no, I can live anywhere now that I’ve built up a name for myself.” “At twenty-something?” “I just turned thirty, but my daddy’s got one of the best breeding ranches in the South. Our family’s been in horses for generations. The ranch will go to my eldest brother when the old man dies, so the rest

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of us had to go out and make our own way in life. But Kepper is a name people know and trust when it comes to equine.” “That’s so cool,” I whispered in awe. “My family’s known for taking care of reindeer for Santa. I’d so prefer yours.” “No you wouldn’t,” he replied in a hard tone and then did a double take. “Did you just say reindeer?” “Um, yeah, I’m from the North Pole originally,” I said quietly as I stared down at my suddenly very interesting feet. “But I’m not sure we should talk about this here with so many people around.” “Fair enough, but we will be talking about it later. I might not be able to deal with what you are, but I have a feeling I should at least try.” I don’t think he meant to admit that out loud because he suddenly went rigid and faced away from me towards the animals. “Number thirteen there is who I’m here for today.” “She’s pretty,” I said, willing to ignore the awkwardness and go back to talking about things he was comfortable with. “You know it’s a mare?” He sounded pleasantly surprised, and there was even a hint of pride in his voice. “I can read minds, and while animals don’t think like humans do, I can get a reading for them. Plus, I didn’t see a dick, and I figured hung like a horse meant I couldn’t really miss it if it had one.” He nodded, quietly thinking for a moment before leaning in closer to me. “Can you tell if the horse is hurt or if the owners are hiding something I should know? If I buy a horse and there ends up being something wrong with it, I have to give back my fee, so I do my best to avoid that. Plus it’s bad for business.” “I can scan her body if you want to see if anything’s out of place.” I shrugged and did just that as he stood staring at me with his mouth agape. The horse looked fine though I wasn’t a vet or anything, but if she had been in pain, I would have known. “Nope, she’s all good. No pain, her body seems to be in working order, and I didn’t see anything scary that even a layperson like me would notice. I assume your clients want her for breeding?”

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Benjii didn’t answer right away but then seemed to shake himself out of it. “Yeah, and there are a lot of people who want her.” He chuckled and patted me on the back, giving me a devilishly delicious smile. “You couldn’t make everyone else not bid on her, could you?” “I was already thinking of doing that so you might like me,” I admitted sheepishly as I ran my hands over the fence, not looking at him. “I just didn’t know if it mattered if you got the horse or not or if you were here as part of the auction and would frown upon that.” “You’re shitting me!” he gasped. I wasn’t sure if his jaw hanging open like that was good shock or the he was ready to crap his pants kind. “You could really make everyone here not bid?” “It depends on how many people we’re talking, but probably.” I shrugged and glanced over at him from under my long lashes. He was watching me interestedly, as if I was one of the horses he was sent to inspect. “You know I get paid for my time here only if I bring back the horses they want. But also, if I get it for under their set price, I get a bonus percentage.” “I didn’t know that,” I replied and turned to face him. “I don’t want you to think I’m some immoral asshole that fucks with people when I want something, Benjii. This also isn’t something life-ordeath, and I have a feeling everyone here would rig the auction if they could. So if you want my help, it’s yours, but I just don’t want this to count as a strike against me.” He let out a huge, full belly laugh when I was done, and I wasn’t sure what was so funny. I stood there, frozen in fear that I’d royally screwed up until I saw his smile. It was dazzling and pointed at me. Benjii wiped tears from his eyes as he calmed back down. “You got that right about the people here.” He chuckled. “There have been bidders that drugged horses so that something appears wrong and people don’t go for it when in high demand. Then the drug wears off and the animal’s fine and we all got screwed. Horses are a competitive profession as are any sports dealing with them. People

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won’t hesitate to stab each other in the back to get what they want. And I’ve been to several auctions that have been rigged.” “So is that a yes or no to my helping you?” I eyed him over as I tried to decide how I’d feel if my mate was devious enough to ask me to do this for him. But, then again, it was just bidding on a horse, not rigging a presidential election. “That’s a yes,” he answered slowly as he studied me as I did him. “But I don’t want to win and way undercut the price. This isn’t about the money. I’ve been trying to get the client for months, and they’re giving me this trial knowing full well I’ll probably fail. Plus it turns out that this horse descends from one that was stolen from my client’s mother years ago, and they’ve been trying to get back a horse with the lineage since.” “Okay, that’s fair,” I said with a smile. He returned the expression, and it lit up his whole face. I was so enamored with him that I stood on my toes and practically jumped to reach his lips. My mate was fucking tall. Fine, in reality I was a short, but he was kinda tall for a man, too. I mean I was pretty sure the average height for an American human male wasn’t six-four. “You get me this horse and I might even buy you dinner before I fuck your brains out tonight,” he growled against my lips. Benjii lifted me against the railings of the fence and pressed his hard body to mine. “Can I just be your dinner?” I moaned. “I taste great with whipped cream, I hear.” “Are all you elves so dirty?” he asked with a smirk. “Just those of us who ran away from the North Pole.” I giggled and threw my arms around his neck. He raised an eyebrow at me as if saying he wasn’t buying it. “Dude, you saw our play room, and that wasn’t even the half of it.” Then I had a thought. “Oh gods, there’s a machine in there that I would fucking pay to see you ride. It would be so hot.” “Machine, huh?” Benjii wiggled his eyebrows at me and I knew I had him intrigued. Nice! Maybe we had a chance after all.

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Chapter 3 Benjii and I went over to the concessions stand and he bought us a couple of pops as he explained how the auction would go. I’d been to an auction before, just not a horse one. But I wasn’t about to tell him that and risk annoying him that I wouldn’t listen to him. Plus, there could be lots of things different in how things were run here. When it was time for the fun to start, he found us seats right up front. We had a great outlook on the viewing corral and the auctioneer’s stand. And of course, who sits right by us? The stupid twink that thought he probably still had a chance with my mate. Oh hell no! I gave him a wide smile when Benjii wasn’t looking and most other people were looking at the first horse up for auction. I just happened to flash him my fangs, and I saw him pale. He rubbed his eyes and I had already retracted them and was giving the twink my most innocent look. Bitch move? Me? He better fucking believe it, and the lengths I was willing to go to keep him away from my mate. Then I had a thought. “If you were buying for yourself, which horse would you want?” I asked, already forming a plan. Where my friends and I lived, we were zoned to have personal horses if we wanted. We just couldn’t have more than twelve, I think, and couldn’t run a business. I’d have to have our lawyer check, but I knew for sure I could get a few with no problems. “This one up next,” he answered and nodded to the gorgeous horse. There was a twinkle of longing in his eyes. I knew that look.

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He was tired of traveling and wanted to set down roots of his own. Plus, his mind told me that he was sick of living in his old man’s shadow and wanted to start having fun in life. The way he lived now had him sad and not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. “He’s a handsome stallion. Or is that not the right term? I’ll be honest. I have trouble figuring out which horse is what.” “Yes, he’s a stallion,” Benjii said with a kind smile. “His momma was a great racer and some people might want to break him for the same thing, but I like that he’s a little wild. He’s got great spirit, and I’ve seen him run. He does it for the free feeling of running full speed, not to win stupid races.” I went to ask what he’d do if he had that stallion, but they were about to start the bidding on Benjii’s horse. I dipped into the mind of one of the workers and had him come over and bring me a numbered paddle. He asked me a few questions, and I produced the necessary information to show I was more than capable of not only buying any horse I wanted but all of them. “Yes, sir, Mr. Smith. You’re all set. Here you go,” he said after everything checked out and gave me my paddle. “What are you doing?” Benjii asked with wide eyes when we were alone again. “Maybe nothing, but I’ve learned never to pass up an opportunity if one arises, and it’s best to be prepared.” “I have the same theory,” he replied as he eyed me over appreciatively. I think my mate was understanding that there was more to me than a nice body and killer moves in bed. Mission accomplished. Everyone went silent when the bidding on the stallion started. I almost swallowed my tongue when the opening bid was twenty thousand dollars. Holy shit! Horses were really expensive fucking pets.

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I snapped out of it and raised my paddle. Benjii’s jaw dropped open, and while I saw the green-eyed monster of jealousy arise in his gaze, there wasn’t any anger. Good. I wasn’t willing to stop everyone else from bidding for my own personal reasons. It wasn’t like I didn’t have the money. But, then again, it let Benjii see what kind of capital I had if I could just buy the stallion on a whim. Unfortunately though, I wasn’t the only one who wanted this beauty. “Fifty thousand,” some older guy called out as he shot me daggers. I gave him an air-kiss and was done playing nice. “Seventy-five,” I called out. “Be careful,” Benjii hissed in my ear. “That horse isn’t worth more than a hundred and twenty thousand.” “If you had all the money in the world, would you stop there?” He stared at me a moment as someone else called out a higher bid. His rapidly blinking eyes let me know how confused and shocked he was. “No. Some things you can’t put a price tag on.” “I couldn’t agree more,” I replied and then turned to the auctioneer. “One-fifty.” “Stupid fag,” the old man snarled and tossed his paddle on the floor. He jumped to his feet and stormed over to one of the officials. “We let his kind in now?” “My kind?” I growled and moved in a flash to get in the fight. Benjii had been too late to stop me, but I was good and pissed. “What, my money isn’t as green as yours?” “Are you sure you didn’t paint it all pink?” he asked with a lisp and limp-wrist wave. Oh please! “I’m sorry, I thought this was an auction, not a political rally,” I said, glancing from the auctioneer to the official. They both nodded as they tried to hide their smiles. I turned back to the old bigot and eyed him over as if I found him lacking, which I did. “Then put your biggirl panties on and suck it up when you lose. It’s not my fault you don’t have as much money as I do.”

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“Right, like you could afford that horse anyways. I bet you gave the poor official here some false information.” The guy snickered and shook his head, taking a step back. “He’s one of the twelve Smith brothers who control Smith Enterprises, Chuck.” “Shit,” old Chuck hissed and stared down at his boots with his hands on his hips. Then he looked up at my mate, which I didn’t like since the guy still looked pissed. “You with this guy, Benjii?” “Not that it’s any of your damn business, Chuck,” my mate practically growled. Oh shit. “But from what I’m hearing, I think he can more than handle himself.” I glanced down at my paddle, giving my best bored expression as I hoped my rash actions didn’t hurt Benjii professionally. “Can we get back to the bidding now? This is supposed to be my day off. And I’ve asked Mr. Kepper, who’s a dear friend of the family, to help me pick out a few horses that don’t interfere with his other clients.” “Of course,” the auctioneer said and then turned on Chuck. “Take your seat or leave. We don’t all buy into your bigotry here, Chuck. You may get away with that shit in the South, but you’re up in Yankee territory, and we don’t stand for that.” The guy stormed out of the auction with a huff, and I leaned in to my sort-of hero. “Do we still call ourselves Yankees here?” “God no.” He snickered. “Just some of the old-timers from the Deep South still act like the Civil War’s still going on or that they were ever a part of it. It’s just fun to fuck with them.” “Nice.” I giggled and then went back to my seat. “Thank you for the save, but you didn’t have to cover me like that,” Benjii whispered in my ear after I won the horse and that part of the bidding was over. “I’m out in the open, and Chuck can kiss my ass. I don’t hide who I am or who I associate with.” “That’s good to know, but I wasn’t sure when it was going down. Plus, it was my fight, no reason to drag you into it when your business is one of public relations in a way.”

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I think he had more to say as he looked lost in thought. That, and the horse that he needed to buy for his client was coming up. And I needed to concentrate if I was going to help him. Fifteen people of the forty-something there were planning on bidding on the horse. I could handle fifteen people in my sleep. Benjii had told me that his max bid was half a million, so if I could get it a few thousand dollars underneath that, he’d be a happy camper. I figured for four seventy-five was safe and wouldn’t draw too much suspicion. We had set up the plan that he would give an initial bid, let someone counterbid, and then raise it to extreme, so it looked like everybody else dropped out, and he had simply raised over their price limit. I didn’t know much about horses, but I had seen that tactic used quite often at an auction. “Fifteen thousand,” one woman called out when the bidding opened. Well, so much for plan. We could still make this work though. “Twenty thousand,” Benjii countered, giving me a wink. I used my magic to give all the other bidders a visual of the horse, showing it lame and sick. It worked better than trying to dissuade them from their original purpose of being there. Sometimes it scared me how easily people’s minds were able to be manipulated. Granted, me or any of my friends could alter someone’s thoughts, but for strong-minded individuals, it took a lot of magic. Then there were people who I barely whispered to, not putting much power behind my voice, and they folded like a cheap deck of cards. Horse had a theory that it wasn’t so much that people were weaker minded nowadays, that it was really how much they already had on their minds. That their, human and paranormal alike, split focus made our influence easy to achieve. I wasn’t sure I was buying that, but then again, he was the eldest of all of us, and we trusted him. And when it came down to it, I didn’t really care. It just ended up making my job easier.

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“Thirty thousand,” the same lady called out. Then I put it into her head that fifty thousand was her max as opposed to the three hundred thousand she had originally been thinking. “Four hundred and fifty thousand,” Benjii said loudly and firmly. There were a few gasps and several people thinking that he was insane. But, then again, those were the same people who saw the horse as lame. So it was logical for them to think he was a little nuts for paying that much for a sick horse. “Do I hear four hundred and seventy-five thousand?” The auctioneer looked appalled when nobody raised their paddles. “Going once?” Again he paused to see if anybody snapped out of it. “Going twice?” He shook his head, obviously upset the horse didn’t go for more. “Sold to Mr. Kepper for four hundred fifty thousand dollars.” “Oh yeah, you deserve a steak dinner for that,” Benjii whispered in my ear as everyone applauded politely at his purchase. I gave him a seductive leer and my best promising smile as I ran my fingers down his thigh, knowing no one could see us. “I do like…steak,” I said with a wink. “Maybe this whole dating thing isn’t about who the man of the relationship is,” I heard him think as he chuckled at my pun. “God! If I could just get my daddy’s voice out of my head saying I’m being weak for liking him and taking it up the ass. But he’s smart, funny, sexy as sin, won’t leech off me if he’s got money…and an elf. What the fuck was I just thinking!” Damn. And at first the stream of thought was going so well! But he was right…I wasn’t human. I couldn’t be human for him, nor would I try to be. Even for my mate. So instead, I tried changing the topic in his mind. “So are you done working for the day, cowboy?” “I’m not really a cowboy anymore.” He chuckled as we ducked out of the auction without interrupting it. “Cowboys shovel shit and mend fences and wrangle cattle. I haven’t done any of that in several years.”

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“Don’t kill my fantasy of you riding me with your boots and hat on yelling cowboy phrases at me,” I said with a pout. He glanced down at me to see if I was serious, and I batted my eyelashes at him. “You are something else, Joe.” “You have no idea,” I purred as I slid my hand in his. We quickly made arrangements with our horses. Benjii set up the transportation for the one he bought back to his client and mine to be stabled for a while until I had something suitable built on the property. It took maybe half an hour and more forms than I would ever have thought possible when buying a pet. “They have to cover their asses when it comes to fine animals like these,” Benjii said gently when he saw I was getting a little overwhelmed by all the paperwork. “This is what I have an attorney for though,” I grumbled and signed my human name yet again. He gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and went back to his own forms. I groaned and flexed my hand when we were finally done. Then I heard in Benjii’s mind that he was thinking of checking out Chicago and seeing where he might be able to pick up some more clients. And then I smiled widely. “You know I can hear your thoughts, right?” I asked as we walked over to his truck. “Stop listening in my head,” he said fiercely and pushed me up against the passenger’s door hard. I winced as the metal bit into my back but more at his one-eighty in attitude. “My thoughts are my own, and you have no right to them.” “Okay, I’m sorry,” I whispered as he stared at me with hate. It took everything I had to keep the tears forming at bay. Dealing with Benjii was like dealing with a minefield that was just wearing me the fuck out. “We are not married or friends where I want you knowing what I think. You’re a hot piece of ass even if you’re an elf, and we’re just fucking. Don’t make this into anything more.”

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“Who are you trying to convince of that, Benjii?” I said gently. Big mistake. He pulled back his fist as if to punch me, but at the last second, he hit the door of the truck by my head. “Just stay the fuck out of my head,” he growled in my face. I nodded and couldn’t look at him. “Now go zap back to wherever you came from, and maybe I’ll still take you out to dinner tonight.” Yeah, that so wasn’t happening. And I wasn’t staying out of his thoughts either…I just wouldn’t mention them again. Otherwise I had no hope of figuring out my mate’s moods or countering his crazy thoughts from his father. “Can I tell you what I was going to say before you almost hit me?” I asked quietly as I stared at his chest so I didn’t meet his eyes. My mate went rigid and then started to shake. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and pulled me into his arms. Benjii moved his hands under my ass, and I jumped up, wrapping my limbs around him as he gently pressed me against the truck. “I shouldn’t have gotten that angry with you, Joe. I just—” “Please call me by my name,” I begged. It was probably stupid when he was apologizing, but it was killing me that he kept using the human name that strangers did. And then I heard in his mind why he wasn’t using it. He thought I was pulling his leg that Surprise was my real name. There we go! “I’ve got so much flying around in my head,” he mumbled in my neck as he ran his hands over my ass. “My daddy’s voice is in there and I can’t get it out and I just doubt myself all the time. I can’t have someone else in there. I just can’t. And I shouldn’t have freaked out like that, but I wasn’t going to hit you.” “I didn’t need to hear your thoughts to know you wanted to smash my face in, Benjii. I saw it written all over your face,” I said with a sniffle, letting the tears finally come. “I’m not the bad guy here! I’m your mate. All I want is to love you, take care of you, and for us to be together. Is that really so wrong that you heard I was hearing your thoughts and wanted to hit me?”

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“No.” And that one word started to give me hope. I know he’d given me some before and then snatched it away, but Benjii was my mate, and it wasn’t like I was going to give up on him anytime soon. I could no more do that than tear out my own eyes or cut off a limb. He was part of me. Good, bad, ugly, or violent…he was mine, and I was his. “I don’t listen to your mind to be sneaky or a jerk, Benjii. I’m trying to figure out what to say or do not to piss you off. I’ve known for centuries about mates and what I am, so I take certain aspects of the normal mating relationship for granted. A few of my friends who I consider my brothers found their mates and made things harder because they just assumed their mate would accept things and—” “Breathe, baby,” he said gently as he opened the truck door. I took a few deep breaths but I couldn’t stop the tears. “I could make you so happy if you’d let me, Benjii,” I whimpered as he sat me on the seat and moved between my legs. “I’ve waited centuries to find you, and now that I have, you want nothing more than to run from me!” “Okay, I think I need to start listening to you and have you tell me everything from the beginning,” he whispered, going a little pale. “I didn’t know you were that old.” “Is that going to be another strike against me?” I asked with a tired sigh. “I’ll try not to let it be, but that’s the best I can do.” “Let’s go take a walk in Grant Park downtown, and I’ll show you Buckingham Fountain. It’ll be a little chilly by the lakefront, but I can use my magic to keep us warm.” He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and did his sexy head scratch again. Benjii nodded his agreement and gave me a soft smile. “I do like that you’re kinda like my own personal genie. It’s definitely different.” “I’ll take anything I can get at this point,” I replied, not all that happy about it. I didn’t want to feel like his sideshow freak, and I

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knew he didn’t mean it like that, but it was kind of how he was making it sound. He closed me in his truck and jogged around front. I wanted to cry in relief when he slid his hand in mine after starting the truck up. Baby steps. We could take baby steps and make this work if he kept being willing. “Surprise is my real name,” I said quietly after taking a deep breath. “Elves have a tradition of naming themselves when they’re baptized with magic at the age of five.” “So you named yourself Surprise? Why on earth?” “I was five.” I giggled and raised his hand to my lips. “I’d heard my parents refer to me as their little surprise to family when they thought I wasn’t around.” “You were an ‘oops’ baby.” He chuckled and squeezed my hand. “And at five you had no clue what that meant.” “Nope! I thought it was the name they hoped I’d pick. They were mortified when it was the one I chose.” “I can imagine.” He was quiet a few moments as if lost in thought before speaking again. “So you’re several centuries old.” “Just three and some change,” I replied sheepishly. “I’m actually really young for an elf. But if we mate, you’ll become immortal, too, so it’s not like I get more than one mate or something. You’re it for me, and we’ll be together forever.” “Yeah, no pressure,” he said in a panicked voice. “You might want to back off the forevers and whatnot until I learn to deal with the rest. Otherwise you’ll see a Benjii shadow running away really fast soon.” “Right, okay, good to know.” I undid my seat belt and slid over the bench seat, wrapping his arm around my shoulders when I got next to him. “You need to wear your seat belt, Surprise,” Benjii chastised gently though he made no attempt to push me away. “What happens if

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I get in an accident? You’ll go flying through the front windshield and die.” “I can’t die, Benjii,” I said quietly, hoping and praying to the gods that this didn’t make him freak out. “If I was to be run over by a semi, my body would simply dissipate and re-form somewhere safe. The only way I can be killed is if our elf Council decrees me rogue for breaking some of our laws and ends my immortal existence.” “So I’d never risk losing you if we mated?” But inside his mind I also heard, “He’d never die and leave me like Momma did.” Bingo! I just learned half of his commitment-phobe issues. “Nope, and I could never cheat on you or betray you in any way,” I said, deciding to go that route since he already believed people weren’t faithful. “It’s against our laws set forth by the gods that gave us our magic. Fate gives us one mate to love and cherish, and if we abuse that gift, the gods take away our magic, which is a part of us, and we die.” “Holy shit,” he whispered, and I think it was finally sinking in that I, and this between us, was the real deal.

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Chapter 4 “You okay?” I asked when the silence dragged on. It was strange that as soon we left the stable grounds the auction was held at, we were right back in suburbia. I could only imagine how pretty and quiet everything had been when the owners’ ancestors set down roots. Sometimes, progress and a Walgreens on every other corner doesn’t make up for what’s been taken away. “Yeah, I don’t think you’re lying to me, but you have to admit this is a lot to take in.” “No, I get that.” I snickered. “That’s why I was hoping we would have done this in bed during the afterglow of a night of hot sex. You have to know that you were the best I’ve ever had.” “You’ve had centuries of men, Surprise,” he replied, his tone disbelieving. “Doesn’t matter,” I said firmly as I moved my hand under his shirt and rubbed his firm, toned abs. “Being with you was amazing. You were so open and expressive, and watching you come was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” “I liked it, too,” Benjii admitted. It should have been a happy thing to say, but my mate sounded like he’d just confessed to killing a bus full of people. We had a lot of work to do to get him to understand there was nothing wrong with enjoying the pleasure I gave him. And I wasn’t less of a man because I’d like him taking me tonight. Well, at least I hoped I did. We found a place to park, which in downtown Chicago is normally the hardest part of any outing. His big ol’ truck didn’t make

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it any worse though since ninety percent of parking, when not in one of those rip-off garages, was just on the street. He met me on my side of the truck but didn’t take my hand. Gods! My mate looked so lost, like someone kicked his puppy, and I didn’t know how to fix it. “If you get cold, just wrap your arm around me and you’ll warm right up,” I said quietly and without any hint of suggesting something more. He nodded but looked out to the lakefront absently. “What am I going to do?” he whispered in his mind, his tone full of sadness. “He seems to be handing me everything I’ve ever wanted on a silver platter. So what’s stopping me? Am I really so screwed up in the head that I can’t let someone who wants me into my life?” Instead of commenting on that and getting myself in trouble, I decided to ramble about my fair city. I also slipped in that I was a member of the Chicago Polo Club and would gladly take him there and introduce him around if that might help his business. As silly, and maybe wasteful, as it sounds, we were members of everything. Playing in video game tournaments just wasn’t enough meat to make life exciting. When one lives as long as we did, finding things to do is a must. Mentioning the Chicago Polo Club kind of backfired on me though. “Why do you care if I’m successful?” he blurted out, interrupting my pointing out all the improvements the former Mayor Daley had made. “Because I want you to be happy, Benjii,” I answered gently as I took his hand in mine. He didn’t pull away and I took that as a win. “A mate is something sacred to my kind. You’re my soul mate, the other half of me. I’ve never felt as complete in all my years as when I’m with you.” “I feel something, too, but I’m not sure if that’s what it is or just not wanting to be lonely anymore.”

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“Let me ask you something?” I paused and waited for him to nod before I continued. “That twink you were flirting with. Did you feel that when you were talking and flirting with him?” “No, it felt empty. Just like all the others,” he answered quietly, and I could almost see the lightbulb turn on over his head. “So it’s not just me wanting more from life and from someone. It’s you.” “I don’t know exactly what you’re feeling, but I’m pretty sure. It would make sense you’re feeling the same thing I am. But I know there’s nothing wrong with what we’ve done and enjoying it.” “You don’t know that,” he growled and tried to pull away from me. “Yes I do,” I said firmly, not releasing his hand. “I’ve seen so much more than your father has in this world. I know true evil, Benjii. Being gay isn’t evil. How can something as beautiful as what we shared last night be wrong?” “I–I didn’t say it was,” he stuttered, and I could tell I was pushing him to his limits. “You’re confusing me.” “And that’s the last thing I wanted.” I sighed. I led him over to sit by the fountain, which would be turned off soon so the pipes didn’t freeze with the cold Chicago weather. “Are you attracted to me?” “You know I am.” “Do you want me?” “Yes,” he hissed in my ear as he leaned over and wrapped his arms around me. “Have you had fun simply hanging out with me today?” He froze, but didn’t pull away. I could hear his mind spinning as he thought my question over. Then he came to the answer I wanted, but I wasn’t sure he’d admit it. “Will you submit to me if we go back to your house?” “You know I will,” I panted as he sucked the sensitive part of my neck below my ear. “I want you any way I can get you, Benjii. I’ll be as patient as you need if you don’t close me out. You had fun today, didn’t you?”

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“Yes I did. I liked spending time with you and not feeling pressured to be your boyfriend or mate or whatever.” He nipped my skin, and I groaned as I practically melted. In a flash I was on him, straddling his lap and rubbing my ass against his hard-on. “Then there’s no pressure.” I gasped as he got even more erect under me. “We’re just getting to know each other in every way. Please let me teleport us and your truck home. I want you inside of me so badly, and I’ve never wanted that before.” “Seriously?” He growled, and I took that as a turned-on noise as he grabbed my ass roughly and thrust his hips against mine. “I’d be in charge?” “Whatever you want, Benjii,” I whimpered. I didn’t care right then who was in charge or did what. I just wanted him. “Yes. Get us out of here,” he moaned and pushed his hands in the back of my jeans. I checked no one was around watching us, and when the coast was clear, I ’ported us to my bedroom and his truck to the driveway. “That’s so fucking cool.” “You should see what I can do with my cock.” I snickered as I tore off his sweater. “What can you do with your dick, baby?” He undid my jeans and freed my erection. “Show me.” I smiled wickedly at him, licking his lips before leaning back so he had a perfect view of my groin. I enlarged my eight and a half inches to ten, giving myself lots of girth as I did it. “Oh my god!” He gasped, and I kept going until it was over a foot. Short guys did not have thirteen-inch cocks. Or none I’d ever seen. “You can control it like that?” “Yes I can,” I purred as he ran his fingers along my dick. “I can stretch your perfect ass magically and make it seem like I’m sucking you while I’m inside of you. I can make you come anytime I want. I can be your every fantasy if you let me, Benjii.”

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“I want inside of you,” he snarled and rolled us so I was on my back. I waved away our clothes and cried out as I stretched myself for him…all using magic. “I’m prepared,” I moaned and pulled my legs to my chest. “Fuck me, my mate.” “My own little genie,” he whispered in awe as he stared at my stretched and slicked-up hole. Then he glanced up at my eyes. “Are you sure about this?” “Yes, I’m yours,” I said seductively, spreading myself wider like some paid wanton. I hadn’t liked when he called me his genie earlier because it made me feel like a freak. This time he said it was affection and almost admiration. I could so get into being talked to like that! “Take me as you want. Any way you want!” “Any way?” he asked, freezing as he moved to line up his dick with my tight hole. “Seriously? There’s nothing you’re not into?” Yeah, there was lots I wasn’t into, but from what I’d heard in Benjii’s mind, he wasn’t into any of that either. I had a feeling he simply needed to feel free to do what he wanted and that someone trusted him to say he could let go of his restraint. “Yes, any way you want. My body is yours to do with as you wish, my mate.” “Okay,” he said and then swallowed loudly. He moved faster than I thought a human could, and suddenly I was off the bed and facing the wall by the door. “I’ve always wanted to do this.” “Do it, fuck me,” I moaned and pushed my ass back against his groin. So maybe this wasn’t what I imagined for my first time bottoming and being with my mate, but then again, I was giving him one of his fantasies. That meant more to me, and we would get to slow and loving…eventually. “Oh shit, I’m going to blow,” he groaned as he thrust into me hard. I was really, really grateful I’d used my magic to get me ready right then because nothing hurt. Yeah, I could feel how much I was

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being stretched out and there was a slight burn, but I had a feeling it should have hurt a lot with the force he was using. “Yeah, come in my ass!” I pushed back to take more of him, and instead he used his hips and body to shove me into the wall. Okay, so he wanted some rough play. I could get into that. “I want him to say he belongs to me. Why do I want that? I’ve never wanted to claim someone as mine before. Maybe it’s how fantastic his ass is. Best ass I’ve ever fucked, but him inside of me was just as good, maybe even better.” Gods, I wanted that, too, but I was scrambling for a way to say what he wanted without him asking for it or letting him know I was listening again. Thankfully I was a kinky bastard. “Yes, harder,” I screamed and leaned my head back on his chest. “I’m yours, sir! I won’t ever be a bad slave again. Punish what’s yours.” “We can role-play,” he growled and picked me up around the waist. He fucked me as he walked us the few steps back to the bed and threw me onto it. It was fucking hot how strong my cowboy was. He moved me so my knees were under my chest and slapped my ass hard enough that I yelped. “Who does this ass belong to?” “You, Benjii! I’m yours,” I cried out, losing the act as if I forgot from the pleasure. I lifted my ass for more. “Harder!” “I’m the man and you belong to me,” he roared and smacked my butt again. I moaned and spread my legs farther. He let me have it several more times, and I knew my ass was going to be tender, but my mate needed to work out some of his demons. And it wasn’t like he was going too far and there was only pain and no pleasure. There was lots of pleasure. “Say it!” “You’re my man,” I whimpered as he kept spanking me. “And I belong to only you. Only you have had my ass or ever will, Benjii.” “Damn right,” he growled and slammed back into me. I screamed in pleasure as he wrapped his arms around my chest and pulled me up

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against his so we were on our knees. His thick cock pistoned into me, and I was in heaven. “You’re mine now, Surprise.” “Yes!” I cried out and came suddenly. I tilted my neck to the side. “Mark me.” “Yes,” he hissed as my ass clamped down on him. He kept pumping into me as he bit me hard enough to leave marks but not enough to break skin. I wailed in bliss as he peaked and filled me with his seed. He grunted around my flesh but didn’t let go. When we were both spent, we fell to the bed, tangled together with him still hard inside of me. “I want more.” “You’re fucking insatiable,” he panted and then chuckled. “Give me a minute to recover.” “Let me eat your ass,” I purred, and I felt his cock twitch inside of me. “You tasted so good yesterday, and I need more.” “Okay, but just until I get hard, and then I’m fucking your tight hole again.” “As my mate wants.” We both moaned as I moved away and he slipped out of me. He rolled onto his stomach and I positioned myself between his spread thighs. I pulled back the cheeks of his ass, growling as his pink starburst twitched with anticipation. I dove right in without any hesitation. I licked, sucked, and nibbled at his flesh in between spearing my tongue into him. “Fuck, that’s good,” he whimpered into the bedspread as he fisted it in his hands and lifted his hips. “You said you could use your magic to make me come?” “Yes. Yes, I can,” I said firmly. I used it to make it feel like I was sucking his cock and rubbing his prostate as I ate his ass. Benjii screamed in delight and shot his load all over the bed. I smiled widely at his reaction and how good it had been for him. He’d want more of that. I was sure of it. “Jesus, Surprise,” Benjii gasped when he was done climaxing, and I rolled him over so he wasn’t lying in his wet spot. I snuggled up to his side, throwing an arm and a leg over him. He pulled me closer and

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then reached down with one hand to finger my hole…and groaned. “My cum is leaking out of your ass.” “Want me to put a plug in to keep it in there until you’re ready to fuck me again?” “Holy shit, Surprise,” he whimpered, and I ’ported one of my butt plugs out of my nightstand into my hand. I gave it to him, and he did exactly as I suggested, wiggling it around and teasing me. “Is it always going to be like this between us? The sex I mean.” “Horse and Bren have been mated for a few weeks, and he was the first of my friends, but I think their sex life has gotten better,” I answered with a giggle. “I swear I walk in on them fucking somewhere random at least once a day. The other day it was in the garage over one of the classic muscle cars. I guess Bren always wanted to have sex on one.” “And your elf friend was okay with it?” “Oh yeah.” I snickered. “He was all about bending his mate over the hood of the car.” “The human doesn’t top?” He sounded shocked and moved his head so he could see me. “I thought you guys were all small like you.” “Yeah, but we’re pretty dominant. Bren’s a big guy like you, but he has a lot of stress being a detective and always being in charge. He likes letting go with his mate and Horse likes being in charge. It’s not always one topping over the other. Though I’d say Bren normally likes to bottom.” “He’s a police detective and will take it up the ass?” Now that pissed me off. “Don’t you dare judge, Benjii!” I exclaimed and sat up. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to bottom or relinquish control sometimes. Do you think less of me because I let you fuck me? I loved you fucking my ass. I want more of your big cock slamming into me, taking it up the ass, as you put it. Does that make me less of a man?”

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It was written all over his face. One word crystal clear as if he’d said it aloud. Yes. “I’m just as much of a man as you are,” I whispered as tears burned in my eyes. I wasn’t about to cry in front of him and give him more reason to think I wasn’t a real man. I leaped from the bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I took a hot shower, letting the water wash away my whirlwind of fierce emotions. I needed to get myself under control. Otherwise I’d never figure out how to handle this shit with Benjii and end up pushing him away. We needed to deal with this together if he was going to get over his demons and his daddy’s voice out of his head. When I was done and all dried off, with nothing but a towel around my waist, I stepped back out into my bedroom. I noticed my mate wasn’t there…but there was a note on the pillow. Fuck! I stomped over to the bed and picked it up. This isn’t going to work, Surprise. We’re just too different. Please don’t track me down again. It’s what’s best for both of us. –Benjii Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! This so wasn’t good. And even worse? I had no clue how to fix it. And while part of me was screaming to let him go, that he was too fucked up to help, the other part of me was dying on the inside that my mate had left…again. So I decided to do what anyone would do in this situation. I got piss ass drunk. Which doesn’t sound hard, but since I’m an elf and my body immediately heals all ails or foreign substances like alcohol, it’s quite difficult to tie one off. After I got dressed and headed downstairs, I decided even though it was dinnertime to use my foolproof way to get drunk. Booze cereal. If the alcohol was soaked up into food, for some reason my body took longer to break it down. Don’t ask me how it worked because I didn’t know nor care. It started as a practical joke Button pulled on me, but I did get drunk from it!

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I was on my fifth or sixth bowl of vodka-covered Lucky Charms when Horse and Bren walked into the kitchen. Horse started cussing up a storm as his mate came over and sniffed my meal. “Is that?” Bren asked, his eyebrows drawing together. “Yeah,” Horse sighed and sat down across the counter from me. “Surprise figured out it’s the best way for one of us to get drunk.” He reached across the space and went to take my hand, but I quickly pulled away. “Why are you getting drunk, brother?” “I dunno,” I slurred and went back to my eating or drinking or whatever. “Is this because Idiot found his mate and you haven’t?” he asked gently, no judgment in his voice. While most of my friends were dominant, they also didn’t seem to be able to admit how much they longed for the other half of their soul. I, on the other hand, had always verbalized how much I wanted to find mine. “Nope! I didn’t even know he found his,” I said and then burst out in a hysterical laugh. “I hope his mating is going better than mine.” “Oh shit. What happened?” Bren asked, worry in his voice as he sat down next to his mate. I stared at them a moment, wiping my eyes of the tears I didn’t even realize that had formed. “Did you know a real man doesn’t like to take it up the ass?” I replied instead of answering. “I’m a real fucking man and—” Bren started to growl, but Horse cut him off by putting his hand on his mate’s flexing arm. “Your mate believes that?” my very wise friend surmised. “Oh yeah, and being gay is okay as long as he’s not the one taking it up the ass. But the truth of it is that he loved it. I heard it all in his head. He fucking loved it more than any time he’d ever topped. He felt free and liberated and was able to let go. But every time he tells me that real men don’t take it up the ass, it’s not his voice I hear in his head. I assume it’s his daddy’s.”

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“His daddy’s?” Bren asked and I knew what he meant. Where we were from no grown man called his dad or father his “daddy” unless he wanted to get his ass kicked. “Yup, his daddy. The good ol’ boy rancher from Texas who’s leaving the ranch to his eldest son like tradition dictates so Benjii had to make his own way. He travels the country going to horse auctions for rich people who can’t be bothered to buy their own pets. So they send him. My cowboy mate who’s so fucked in the head it’s like a minefield trying to talk to him.” “Okay, slow down, Surprise,” Horse said gently, and I could see by the expressions on their faces that I’d lost both of them. “Think if I killed the old bigot who fucked up my mate’s mind that it would get better?” Both their jaws dropped because I, of all of us, was the least aggressive or violent. “No, maybe I should seduce him and then fuck him. He’d change his tune real fast once he had a fat cock up his ass. I bet he’s a closet case or some shit. And now he’s taught my mate that real men do the fucking, never to be fucked.” “You don’t want to screw your mate’s father, Surprise,” Bren replied, his eyes wide with shock and a little panic. Because if that’s what I decided to do, there wasn’t a damn thing Bren could do to stop me. And he knew it. “Why not?” I hollered and stood so fast I knocked my bowl and the bottle of vodka to the ground. “He’s screwed up my chances at a real mating. I was willing to let Benjii top me for the rest of our lives if that’s what he needed even though we both preferred it the other way around. But guess what? My mate looks at me as if I’m not a real man because I took his cock in my ass. So I sacrifice what I want for his needs, and I’m still the asshole.” “What happened today that you started drinking?” “He left,” I whispered and picked up the bottle, grateful it didn’t break. I took several shots by chugging straight from the bottle. “He left again while I was in the shower after I blew up at him for thinking

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I wasn’t a real man. I was going to cry because it hurt so bad, and I didn’t want to give him another reason to say I was a fake man.” “We’re so going to kick his ass,” Maze growled from the doorway of the kitchen. I’d been so lost in my rant that I didn’t even see him there. Oh goodie! Now everyone in the world could know about my mate rejecting me. Fun times.

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Chapter 5 “Touch my mate and I will feed you your entrails, pup,” I snarled. Okay, so by elf standards I was a pup, too, at a little over three centuries old, but Maze was really one at barely a hundred years old. “Well, someone needs to pull your mate’s head out of his ass,” my brother said exasperatedly and threw his hands in the air. “Well, it’s not going to be you, and if you—” “Stop this,” Horse growled, and instantly we both shut up. “Now, let’s calmly come up with some ideas of how to help our brother.” “Have you thought of showing him just how much a man you really are?” Bren asked and I raised an eyebrow at him. Then I moved around the counter and went to unzip my jeans. “Surprise! Not like that!” “Oh, then what do you mean?” I asked in my drunken haze. But honestly it was clearing up fast since we were talking about something so serious and heartbreaking. “You guys are powerful. Really fucking powerful,” Bren answered and then shot a glance at Horse. “It can be kind of emasculating at times.” Horse gasped in shock, but Bren kept going. “I know I’m a strong man, but any one of you guys makes me seem as weak as a fly. I’m not saying I see myself or Horse as the man in the relationship because we’re both a man in the relationship. It’s just hard sometimes when your mate is twenty times stronger than you.” “Oh, baby,” Horse whispered and pulled his mate into his arms. “How come you never told me you felt this way?” “We’ve only been mated for a few weeks, Horse.” He chuckled and kissed the tip of my friend’s nose. “Besides, you don’t flaunt your

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strength or powers in my face, and it’s part of who you are. I love who you are, honey. I’m just giving a perspective as a human mate who’s walked smack into this world and had to wrap my head around it.” “Okay, I’m confused though.” I sighed and rubbed my temples. “You want me to show him how much of a man and how powerful I am?” I waited until Bren nodded. “But you just said that makes you feel weak sometimes, and why would I want to point that out to Benjii?” “He’s got a point,” Maze said with a nod as he grabbed some cookies out of the pantry. “It seems like a double-edged sword.” “Right, and I’m not saying make him feel weak, but I was warning you of the potential downside of the plan.” “What plan?” I hollered and threw my hands in the air in frustration. I was missing a vital part of this, but I didn’t think it was just because of the booze. “I’m so fucking confused.” “I get it,” Horse said with a smile and kissed his mate. “You’re a genius.” “I try.” Bren chuckled and smacked my friend’s ass. “That should be worth getting head later.” “Oh, baby, you know it.” He purred and rubbed against his mate. “Can we focus here?” They both turned to me and sheepishly apologized. “Now someone fill in the gaps for me, please?” “Your main issue is that your mate thinks guys who like to be fucked in the ass aren’t real men,” Horse surmised and waited for me to agree, which I did. “So show your mate how much of a scary ass powerful man you are and that could disprove his daddy’s theory. Bren’s right, Surprise. You can do what no human man’s man could ever do in their wildest dreams. Show your mate that side of you.” “He knows I can read minds, and I helped him win the auction he wanted,” I said more to myself than them, trying to figure out why the powers I showed weren’t cutting it. “Oh, and I used some of the sexual magic you taught us.”

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“Yeah, but those are more parlor tricks to some people,” Maze replied with a mouthful of cookies, and it took me a minute to understand what he’d said. “You gotta think strong in the rough and tough cowboy way. Lift a horse with your pinky or wrestle a couple of bulls. Oh! Shoe a horse with your flames instead of how they do it.” “You’re an idiot.” Horse snickered and cuffed our friend upside the head. “He’s right in the physical strength aspect, but you’ll figure something better out. Also, let him see you get taller and beefier. Give him a big ass man and then let him fuck you.” I thought about it while they all stared at me. It was the best and only plan I had at this point, but there was one thing that still worried me. “What if it doesn’t work?” “Then we come up with another plan and another plan until your mate realizes you’re not giving up and fate can’t be wrong when it comes to mates,” Maze stated as Horse and Bren agreed. I felt my eyes start to burn again as I hugged each of them, showing my thanks. Wow. Give me a mating emotional roller coaster, and I turned into every Tom, Dick, and Cryie. I didn’t give them time to wish me luck because that would have just made me more nervous, and ’ported into my mate’s hotel room in Rosemont. It wasn’t far, maybe twenty minutes, but I might talk myself out of going during the drive. Well, I teleported to him and he was in his room. Alone. Praise Zeus! Seeing him lying there, fast asleep, I was hesitant to wake him up. Everything in me was itching to touch his soft, tanned skin. He was shirtless and the sheets pooled around his waist. I didn’t know if I wanted to yank them off to expose all of him or tuck him in better and take care of him. My mate took the decision out of my hands. “Surprise,” Benjii moaned as he tossed and turned in his sleep. Even better! “I miss you, baby. Come give me some sugar.” Fuck yeah! Okay, I know he was sleeping, but a request is a request. I used my magic to get rid of my clothes and his boxers as I

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practically dove into bed on top of him. I stretched myself as I licked and nibbled his firm pecs. Then before he could even wake up, I lowered myself onto his cock. “Fuck!” He gasped as his eyes snapped open. “What are you doing here?” “I came to talk and you said to give you some sugar.” I groaned and moved my hips faster. I knew he was watching and decided to still use part of the plan I’d come here to put into place. I grew in size until I was taller than Benjii, never losing my rhythm. Then I leaned forward until our noses were touching and hissed as my fangs popped out. “You want to find out just how much of a man I am?” I snarled as I grabbed his wrists and held them over his head. He instinctively struggled but didn’t even remotely budge me. “I’m stronger than you, Benjii. I’m faster, more powerful, and could take you anytime and any way I wanted. Is that what you call being a real man?” “Yes. No! I don’t know,” he cried out as he thrust his hard cock up into me as I moved. Then he froze. “That’s the answer.” “What is?” I asked, so confused I stopped moving. “Don’t let me say yes or no to you fucking me. Then it’s not my decision, and I won’t feel bad. Take the choice away from me.” “That’s called rape, Benjii.” I spit out the word as the vile thing it was. I moved off of him, both of us groaning as his dick slid out of me. “I won’t rape my mate.” “We both know what’s in my head and wanting isn’t rape, Surprise.” “This is wrong,” I whispered. This was so not where I saw this conversation going. “I wanted to show you how strong I was and prove I was just as much of a man as you are. That’s not the same thing as taking you without asking just so you don’t have to admit you like it.”

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“I’m not saying you always have to do that or I won’t come to terms with it, but for now I won’t feel the guilt eating at me that I liked it and asked for it.” I thought about it a minute and listened in to his thoughts. He truly thought this plan would work, and as much as it pained me, according to Benjii, it was something he needed. And I couldn’t seem to deny him anything he needed or wanted. I moved lightning fast before I changed my mind. Stretching him magically and making handcuffs appear out of thin air, I restrained him to the headboard. He grunted in shock, but before he could say anything, I slammed my dick into him. My mate moaned like a slut with delight, and I heard in his thoughts how much he wanted this. This was so fucked up. I pounded into him faster than any human could without giving him time to adjust to my larger size and my big body. I grabbed his hips hard and fucked his brains out. When he got close, I leaned over and sank my fangs into his neck, snarling in frustration that the sex was good, but my heart just wasn’t into this. He screamed out my name and came, thanking me in his head for giving him what he needed. I followed him right over and filled his ass with my seed. When we were spent, I released his hands and we fell to the bed in a heap on our sides. Benjii snuggled back against me and sighed with content. I ignored it and the bite that was still open on his neck and bleeding. I didn’t care enough right then to close it or clean him up. Benjii had gotten what he wanted, but a little piece of my soul seemed to die in that moment. I got that it wasn’t rape, and he obviously wanted it, but not enough to be able to admit it. How fucked up was that? My mate fell asleep in my arms, happy and sated, and I wanted to be anywhere but there. I didn’t know if I could help Benjii embrace us, what he wanted, or even himself. But if this was the way we had to go about achieving that, I’d lose myself.

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**** The next morning we did the same thing. I jumped Benjii, and he didn’t say he wanted it, though I knew he did, and he didn’t stop me. But it was just fucking. There was no kissing or loving gestures. Hell, there wasn’t even any foreplay. Then we took separate showers, and I went with him to the horse auction again because he had another client who wanted a horse that day. I sat there, lost in my thoughts, and felt practically numb. After he got the first horse, there was a break between what he needed to bid on, so we had sex in his truck. Then we went back to get the other horse, had lunch, and went back to his hotel room. Where I proceeded to fuck him the rest of the day and all night long, besides our break for dinner and room service. Benjii fell asleep happy as a pig in mud again, and I felt even worse. I was giving him what he said he wanted, no matter how unhealthy it seemed in the long run. And all it seemed to do was drive a bigger wedge between us. We weren’t getting to know each other any better or growing as a couple. We were just fucking. Plain and simple. And it felt wrong and dirty and like I was losing my soul. The next morning, when he got up and wanted sex, I couldn’t get it up. I know most men freak out and blab about how it’s never happened to them before, but really I was shocked it took that long for my body to catch up to my head and heart. “Did I break you?” Benjii teased as he stroked my limp cock. “Yes,” I whispered and pushed him away. I got dressed as he sat there and stared at me. I could almost see his confused look watching my back. “Go back to Texas, Benjii. This isn’t going to work, and I’m dying inside.”

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“What?” he shouted and grabbed my arm. I could see the rage on his face as he searched my eyes. “What are you talking about? We’ve been having a great time.” “You’ve been having a great time,” I cried out and pulled away from him. “You’ve been getting everything you wanted. You get to bottom without being the instigator and leaving me to blame for it happening. You think because you don’t ask for the cock in your ass that you’re blameless when you enjoy it. What do you think that makes me? Turn the tables around and ask yourself if that sounds like fun from my position. I need more than this to be happy!” “You’re really upset by all of this,” he said quietly and sat back on his heels. “Yes, I’m upset!” I yelled and threw up my hands in the air. “I’m fucking numb inside, and I feel like I’ve killed my soul. You want what you think is wrong and makes me a jerk to take or I’m not a real man for letting you fuck me. Either way I’m screwed, and not in a good way. And I fuck you knowing you don’t think you should want it, and that’s so not the same as wanting to be with me.” “Surprise—” he sighed, but I cut him off. “No! No more! Either you want to be with me, fuck me, get fucked by me for real, or this is done. We didn’t even kiss yesterday or make out. You’ve turned what should be a beautiful, loving mating into role-playing forced sex or some shit with no affection or tenderness. I can’t do that. I’m not programmed that way inside, Benjii. I want to love my mate and show how I feel about him without constant hang-ups, placing blame for what we want, or feeling empty inside.” “I don’t know what to say,” Benjii whispered as he shook his head. I didn’t know what that meant, but I didn’t want to know either. I was done. I was tired. I was hurt. I was just fucking exhausted and couldn’t take any more. I had seen the limit I could take and went miles past it. No more.

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“Good-bye, Benjii. I wish it hadn’t been this way between us, but I don’t know what else to do. I would have loved you forever if you’d just let me.” And with that, I ’ported to my room at home. I also made a case of the strongest vodka on earth and box upon box of my favorite cereal appear. It was time to get really, really, really fucked up. And I didn’t simply mean how my head and heart felt right then. It was two days of drinking and crying and heart-wrenching onesided conversations with the gods and fate before anyone found me. My room was the last down the long hallway, farthest from the stairs, so it wasn’t like anyone would walk by and accidentally hear what was going on. And if I were them, I would have thought I was still with my mate trying to straighten things out. Apparently, I found out later, I’d missed some good fun with witches and a great brawl. Fuck! I really needed to kick a little ass. But even worse…I missed a mating party. Not that I would have gone since fate decided to basically flip me off anyways, but I was too drunk to even register a party in my own house. “What do you mean he’s not been with you the past couple of days?” I heard Horse roar from the hallway. “He teleported from my hotel room three days ago, and I’ve not seen him since,” Benjii shouted right back. Three days? Whoops! Seems my counting was off in my drunken stupor as well. Shit, I had to stink. “He hasn’t been here,” Horse said as he opened the door to my room. “Oh fuck!” He raced over towards me, and I threw an empty bottle of vodka at him. I wasn’t trying to hurt him, and I intentionally missed. It was more like a warning shot to stay away. “Surprise, don’t do this.” “Get out of here,” I replied with a hiccup and then raised my drunken stare to all three of my mates standing before me. Wait, I had just one though. “Both of you get out.”

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“What did you do to him?” Cave hollered and went to launch himself at my mate and his doubles, but Justice grabbed him in time. “What have you done to our brother?” “I don’t know,” Benjii whispered and then knelt in front of me. I giggled when Cheerios rained all around him from the open box I threw at him. “Baby, you in there?” “I’m not your fucking baby,” I snarled, no longer finding any of this funny. “You’re being nice, so I know you’re a hallucination. My real mate hates me and himself. Fate hates me. She fucked me good this time. Now get out of my head, you fuck nut.” “I will break every bone in your body for this, Benjii,” Maze said in that cold, distant, scary tone he could get. “You’ve broken our sweet Surprise.” “Glad we got that settled. Now get the fuck out of my room so I can find out how much more I can drink before I explode.” “Are you trying to kill yourself?” Benjii asked, his eyes wide with shock. “No,” I huffed, exasperated. “We can’t die. Good to know you were ever listening to me. I’ll re-form after I explode, but I want to see if I can. I have nothing else to live for.” “Live for me, baby,” he begged and ducked another cereal box as I threw it at him. Next I would start throwing bowls or spoons if he wasn’t careful. “Please, Surprise? I came to apologize. I was wrong. So very, very wrong, and I pulled my head out of my ass. I want my mate.” “Why, so you can make me rape you again?” I sneered and ignored the several gasps in the room. “Fine, it wasn’t rape, but it wasn’t having sex with my mate either. It was cold, and it killed me inside, and then it hurt even worse to deny my mate what he wanted. So fine, I’m dead inside and fucked in the head. You must be thrilled that you were right and I would walk away. Now get the fuck out.” “No,” he whispered and pulled the bowl and bottle out of my hands. Then he took my face in his hands and shook me. “No! I won’t

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leave. Not until you give me a chance to fix this and help you. I did this. I didn’t mean to, but I did, and I can’t stand to see you like this.” “Fine, then leave. You won’t have to see me then,” I replied with a slur and a smirk. Hard to be sassy and on my high horse when piss ass drunk. “No,” he said firmly and lifted me into his arms. I fought him, but I was completely sloshed and seeing three of him, so it was nowhere near effective. He faced my friends, and I was pretty sure they were all there. Great. Now my humiliation was fucking complete. “I’ve got it from here, thanks. I’ll take care of him.” “How? By making this even worse?” Idiot growled. “Can this get any worse?” Maze asked. “I say we kill him now for hurting Surprise. Do we think he’s even changed?” Part of me wanted to side with Button on that one. “At least we’re not leaving them alone,” Chiquita said firmly. “Everyone out,” Horse ordered. “Good, take my fake mate with you,” I replied with a smirk that I’d won. “He stays,” Horse said firmly as he stared at my mate. “You’ve got one shot, one day, to fix this or we bury you. Are we crystal fucking clear?” “Yes,” Benjii replied hoarsely and then cleared his throat loudly. “Thank you.” “Don’t thank me,” Horse growled, shaking his head in disgust. “Fix this and heal our brother from the damage you’ve done. Or there won’t be a place on this earth you can hide from us, Benjii.” And, with that, they all filed out of my room. I wasn’t happy that I didn’t seem to get a vote in any of this. But as I looked at the floor from Benjii’s arms, I saw at least two dozen empty bottles of booze and boxes of cereal. I’m not sure I would have let myself decide on anything right then either. “Let’s get you cleaned up, Surprise,” my mate said gently as he walked us into the bathroom.

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“Damn you,” I cried out and started bawling on his shirt. “I’m pretty sure I already am,” he mumbled under his breath. Guess he also forgot the part where we had really good hearing. “Why couldn’t you just have left me be? Now I’m going to have to start the whole grieving process again when you leave me or give me some outrageous demands I can’t accept and not lose my soul!” “Oh, baby,” he whispered in my hair as he leaned over and ran the tub for my stinky ass, checking the temperature as it filled up. “I’m not leaving or pushing you away again. I called my aunt, who’s the closest thing I had to a momma growing up, and the woman whipped me into shape over the phone.” “So it wasn’t that you missed me,” I growled and pushed at him. Which was counterproductive since I ended up falling into the tub and was trapped by his body anyways. “And it wasn’t that your mate’s heart breaking had any effect on you. Your aunt calls and all of a sudden you pull your head out of your ass. Did you tell her what I was? Does she know I’m an elf?” “What? No! Of course I didn’t tell her that,” he answered defensively as he tugged off my rancid shirt. “And yes, I missed you! I wasn’t in much better shape than you are now until I called her and bawled my heart out about how badly I fucked up, and I didn’t know how to fix it!” I froze and stopped fighting him. Benjii seemed to notice the change in my demeanor but didn’t say anything as he finished getting me undressed. Then the extra shocker was when he did, too, and slid behind me in the tub. We were quiet for several minutes as he started bathing me. I didn’t know what to say or do. I was really and truly in shock. “Say something, baby,” he whispered in my ear and I shivered from him being so close, wrapped around me. “What can I do to fix this?” I didn’t have an answer that was helpful. And wasn’t that just a fucking shame.

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Chapter 6 “Fix what? You denied me and our mating. There’s nothing to fix. It doesn’t exist.” “You don’t mean that,” he replied, and I could hear the hurt in his voice. “You told me mates were forever and you only got—” “That was before you crushed my heart,” I said angrily and spun around. “Don’t you dare throw my words in my face when I tried everything to get you to be my mate. You didn’t want me!” “You’re right. I’m sorry.” “Oh, well you’re sorry. It’s all better now,” I scoffed and finished washing myself and got out of the tub. “Why do people think that saying sorry just miraculously fixes everything?” “I don’t,” he yelled after me as I stormed into my room. I heard water sloshing, and a second later he came running out after me in a towel. “I want you to make love to me.” “What?” I gasped, my eyes going wide. “I want you to make love to me,” Benjii answered as he approached me slowly with his hands held up in surrender. “I love the feeling of you inside of me and there ain’t no shame in that. I love how you take me and kiss me and then bite me as if I’m the only thing in the world you’ve ever wanted. If I never top you again, I’ll be just fine with that if you’ll still be with me.” “You’re serious?” I whispered. “I am.” I watched with my mouth hanging open as he dropped his towel and got on the bed. He lay parallel to the headboard so his spread legs were facing me as he propped himself up on his elbows. “Please make love to me. I want you to take me, Surprise. I want you

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to do all those things that only you have ever done to me and made me feel.” “No,” I said and closed my eyes from the erotic sight of my mate, the only person I wanted, spread out before me like a buffet. “You’ll just change your mind later and say that real men don’t take it up the ass.” “I won’t. I promise you I won’t do that to you again. What can I do to make you believe me?” I didn’t know, but the fact that he hadn’t changed his tune yet or tried to manipulate me into taking away his choice gave me hope. I shook my head, trying to fight what every part of me wanted, but it was no use. I was moving towards him like a moth to a flame. I climbed up the bed, in between his legs, and mashed my mouth down to his. Benjii moaned and instantly opened for me. He cried out in pleasure as our hard dicks came into contact and wrapped his legs around me to keep me there. I ground my hips against his as I grabbed on to his short hair and consumed him. Not kissed him—consumed him with my mouth. It felt like forever that I used my tongue to access every inch of him as my mate submitted to me. Benjii didn’t just lie there limp or anything. Oh no, he gave back as good as he got. Licking and sucking on my tongue. When we parted for much-needed air, he reached up and touched my fangs that had dropped. “Make me yours forever,” he panted and tilted his neck. We’d not gotten to the claiming ceremony yet, and I didn’t want to ruin the moment by saying I couldn’t just yet. Instead I took what he gave freely and finally offered. I struck hard and fast as I used my magic to stretch his tight hole. My mate went wild under me, bucking and moaning like a horny slut. He cried out as he came, and once again, I thought how he made the prettiest noises during sex. Benjii wasn’t even done with his orgasm when I grabbed my cock and pushed it into his hole. My mate experienced his first multiple orgasms then.

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Because he screamed with bliss and peaked all over again. Fuck, he was hot! I didn’t start off slow or gentle. I needed to show him when words couldn’t how much he’d hurt me. I set a punishing pace, pounding into his sweet ass as hard as I could. I pulled out my fangs and licked the bite closed. “A real man can take it in the ass,” he grunted under my rapid onslaught. “Yes. Yes he can,” I replied with an evil smile on my face. I twisted my hips and nailed his prostate, trying not to laugh when he screamed in pleasure, and I felt his dick try and recover. The old adage about drunk men not lasting as long during sex seemed to be true. I moaned as I came, not living up to my normal stamina. But it wasn’t like I was a three-pump chump either. I just didn’t excel in the duration aspect. Benjii whimpered as I filled him with my cum. Hell, I’d had enough pent-up sexual frustration and need that it started to run back out of his hole. I conjured up a butt plug, and the second I pulled out, I pushed it in. “That stays in there to remind you that I loved on you and you enjoyed every goddamn moment,” I ordered, and he nodded rapidly. “Anything you want, baby,” he whispered and pulled me into his arms. I didn’t fight him, sighing when we were snuggled together, wrapped around each other with my head on his muscular shoulder. “What changed your mind?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I think I had to if I was going to even try to believe him or forgive him for the shit he put me through. “My aunt said if I was feeling strongly enough about you that it scared me and made me want to run, it was the real thing and worth fighting for. She said a real man can have sex any way he wants with whomever he wants. But only a yellow-bellied rat bastard runs from a good thing that’s rare in this world.” “Smart woman.” I chuckled and pinched his side. “You yellowbellied rat bastard.” I tried to use my best Southern drawl but failed

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miserably. My mate laughed and hugged me closer. I ’ported us in the bed with the covers over us so we could snuggle the right way. We had the heat on in the house, but it was still November in Chicago. I didn’t want our bits and pieces falling off. “Yeah, she’s the best, and I honestly wished I’d grown up with her instead of my daddy.” I could hear the pain in his voice but decided to let him get it out in his own time and not push. I rubbed his chest in small, comforting circles. “I know it was wrong what I said about being a real man and that I didn’t think of you as one for being the bottom. My heart was screaming it was an evil thing to think or say, but I just couldn’t seem to turn it off.” “I know, I heard it in your head.” “I’m glad you didn’t stop listening when I told you to,” he whispered after a few moments. Wow! Was that a load off my back. I was worried he’d kick me to the curb for pulling that shit. “It helped me understand what I’d put you through when you yelled at me and left because you could hear inside my noggin.” “It wasn’t your voice I heard when you said real men didn’t take it up the ass. It was someone else. I’ve never known that to happen in all my years. It was almost like you had a brain implant or something.” “Or thirty years of that phrase being drilled into me by my daddy,” he replied with a bitter chuckle. “That stops today. I’m my own man, and I want the hot little elf that was dressed like a dirty cowboy on Halloween. If you’ll still have me, that is.” “I’m willing to try since you sound sincere, and now that I’m sobering up, I can hear the thoughts in your head again. But just because I say yes to this doesn’t mean all is forgiven, Benjii. You crushed me, and I’ve been drunkenly sobbing for days, okay? I feel like my emotions are all over the place, my brain is fried, and my heart hurts.” “I’ll fix it, I promise.” He sounded so sure, so confident about that that I found myself hoping he could really pull it off. Wouldn’t that be

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nice? To feel whole again and have a loving relationship with my mate. Before anyone starts accusing me of being a pussy, I have two words. Don’t judge. No one knows or understands what a person lives through unless they go through it. I’d seen a lot in all my years and I’d never broken down into a sobbing mess who turned to booze. Imagine living a life, centuries, feeling a part is missing. Then I find that part, the other half of my soul, and he puts me through the motherfucking wringer. And then leaves. Twice. And then I can’t be what he wants me to be, and I have to choose between him or what’s left of my heart and very soul. So part of me is missing again. I had a brief, though fucked-up, time with that part of me and then was looking at an eternity of knowing what I’d lost and forever being alone. Yeah, anyone would be a sobbing mess that wanted to crawl into a bottle of vodka. “Where do we start?” I asked evenly, not wanting to seem as if I didn’t believe him but simply needing to know the plan. “Food.” He chuckled as he sat up with me and then got off the bed. I followed along, using my magic to get dressed and then clean up my mess when he started to. “I would have done that.” “You’re not my maid, Benjii. You’re my mate.” He nodded and gave me a soft smile before retrieving his clothes and putting them on. I think I’d given him the right answer. I wasn’t going to be mean to him or try and punish him for what happened. I wasn’t that person. I just needed him to prove he was serious, restore my faith and trust in him. Not bully him or make him jump through stupid hoops like cleaning up my crap. When we were ready, I opened the door and stepped out into the hall and gave a surprised yelp. Benjii swung me up into his arms, and while I felt a little girly, like the chick from some cheesy romance novel, I snuggled against him and liked it. I felt loved, safe, and that

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everything would be okay. Plus Benjii had made the move all on his own, claiming me as his as he walked into the lion’s den. And the lion’s den it was. We walked into the kitchen, and eleven elves and three humans, one of which I’d never met, stared at my mate with hate. Seriously, if looks could kill, my mate would have been dead the moment he hit the door. “Enough,” I said quietly as he set me on my feet. “Everyone back off. I love you all like brothers, and I don’t even know you, but welcome to our family.” I pointed to the man I assumed was Idiot’s mate and gave him a nod. “Benjii and I are working things out, and I expect you to understand that everyone screws up. He does it again and you can eat him, but since I don’t expect that to happen, everyone just play nice in the sandbox.” “Fine, but he fucks up again, and we eat him,” Maze said coldly, and I saw Justice and Bren go stiff. I showed Benjii where the coffee was and tried not to laugh when I heard something with my sensitive hearing that my mate couldn’t. “You guys would never really eat a human, right?” Bren asked with apprehension in his voice. “Of course not, but we would rip him to shreds,” Horse whispered, and I could practically hear the evil laugh in his tone. Dork. “Good to know. Never fuck up around here.” Justice snickered nervously. “You’re safe, honey,” Cave purred. “You belong to me, and everyone knows that I have been punishing you when you’re bad.” “How about now?” His mate moaned, and I heard some nice kissy noises. I glanced over at Benjii as he popped a bagel in the toaster. Would we ever have that type of relationship? Secure. Easy. Loving. Gods, I hoped so, or I think I’d lose my mother-friggin mind. I knew Justice and Cave hadn’t had it easy, though maybe easier than

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others who get thrown into mating. But any relationship took work to have such results. Benjii and I would work at it. I felt better after having come to that conclusion as we sat down at the massive table. The kitchen had been originally built in mind for a full staff of maids and cooks and butlers and blah, blah, blah. We converted it for what we needed and put in a large, comfortable table unlike the stuffy, formal one in the fancy dining room. It was the type of table that we could kick our feet up on if we wanted, not needing to worry about coasters, and a little worn from us using it. It was comfortable, well loved, and had the nicks and scratches to prove it. We all were staring at it and busted out laughing. “We need to get a bigger table,” Horse said when we started calming down. It was true. It fit fourteen, and when we were just the twelve friends, we had two extra seats. But now that we had four mates in the family, we were growing too fast for our poor table. “I can arrange for the donation when we get another one,” Button piped up quickly. He was always ready to give to charity or a project. “Y’all are going to donate this?” Benjii asked as he eyed over the table. “It’s a custom job and expensive. They don’t make most tables like this anymore. The detail and craftsmanship is amazing.” “We believe in giving back,” I answered before anyone else could, in case they still had some snarky comments for my mate. “You know we have human names and documentation. With the help of a very nice older werewolf who runs a shelter, we set up our paper trail of being foster kids and orphans. When we all met up one by one and decided to live together, we filed paperwork saying we were all changing our names and legally becoming brothers.” “Every year we host a huge New Year’s Eve charity ball for the shelter,” Button said proudly. The event was his baby after all. “And we give to Toys for Tots along with several other charities. It’s in most elves’ nature to give and want to make others happy. Not to say it’s not in humans’,” he finished quickly.

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“No, most humans are selfish in my experience,” Benjii replied quietly. “My daddy has money, but he doesn’t ever donate unless it benefits him. He doesn’t believe in helping anyone and everyone should only get what they work for.” “Even poor orphaned children?” Button seemed appalled by the idea as I was sure most of us were. “It’s not their fault they got a rotten hand in life. Those more fortunate have a responsibility to help those that aren’t. What type of society would we have if we just left them to their own devices without helping?” “I agree with you,” my mate answered with a soft smile. “I used to help teach autistic kids how to ride horses when I could get away from the ranch growing up. It helps those poor kids with their mobility and adapting to others. Animals are a better judge of character than people are and know how to help a kid who can’t react to the world like we can.” “Your dad was okay with that?” I had a feeling I knew the answer but had to hear it from my mate. “No.” Benjii laughed bitterly. “My daddy was most certainly not okay with it. When he found out, he beat me with a horse whip so I could barely walk the next week. Then he still made me do all my normal chores. And if that wasn’t enough, he used his influence to run the director of the place out of town.” “Your dad’s a dick,” Champ blurted out and then blushed sheepishly. “Yeah he is.” Benjii looked down at his coffee before reaching over and taking my hand and turning to me. “I called him before I came here and told him I wasn’t coming home. He disowned me when I said why.” “What?” I gasped and felt the world turn on a different axis. “Why would you do that?” “Because I found a man who was worth breaking away from my old life for. I wasn’t happy, Surprise. I mean, I love working with horses, but I hate traveling. I hate going to auctions for some rich,

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entitled asshole that can’t be bothered to check out their own horses. But I needed a job. My daddy doesn’t believe in college or higher education, so what was I qualified for besides what I grew up doing?” “And your dad’s rich?” Bren asked with wide eyes. “Most would think he’d push for you to make something of yourself when you wouldn’t be the one inheriting the ranch.” “A man who doesn’t make a name or life for himself ain’t a man at all,” Benjii replied, obviously quoting his father. Shit. The more I learned about this man, the more I wanted to beat him senseless. “So he was a self-made man?” Champ’s question was a good one, but I knew that answer already. “Oh hell no.” My mate snickered. “He was the eldest and inherited the ranch from my granddaddy. That ranch has been in our family since Texas was taken over by settlers. The kicker is that my granddaddy believed in college, but I guess my daddy flunked out. I think that was the start of making him so jaded and full of hate.” “What other family do you have besides your aunt?” We hadn’t talked much about family or our pasts yet, and I found myself sad at his but riveted at the same time. “My grandmomma is still alive,” he answered with a soft smile, and I knew that woman had a special place in his heart just from his reaction. “My granddaddy passed several years ago, and he did try to send me to college, but school wasn’t my thing. It wasn’t that I was bad at it or didn’t like learning. I just had trouble being cooped up all day. I like the outdoors and working with my hands. But I read all the time because I do like learning.” “Me, too,” Cave said happily as if he’d found a new friend. “You’re more than welcome to anything in my library you want. I’m very eclectic in my reading. Sometimes I like a good mystery or gay romance that gets me hot.” “I’m partial to when he reads those.” Justice snickered and wiggled his eyebrows. “He comes racing to me hard and wanting to try something inventive.”

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“But I also like an autobiography here and there.” Cave rolled his eyes at his mate’s antics. “And I love any history books.” “Those are my favorite, too,” Benjii said with a wink. I wasn’t jealous. It wasn’t the kind of wink I saw him give that stupid twink at the horse auction. It was innocent. “Y’all have hobbies like that? I mean I’d figure it would be really hard for you to have straight jobs where you had to hide what you are day in and day out.” “Yeah, it can be very taxing when we go out.” Horse looked a little sad at that, and I knew how he felt. It was hard to constantly alter our appearance or act differently. “That’s why we do as much as we can to make our home a safe haven. I have a studio because I like to draw and paint. You’ve seen our play room but we also have a killer media room.” “I guess I never thought getting bored could be a potential downfall of being immortal.” Benjii mused and then nervously glanced around the table. “I’m not trying to be a dick, but when you see immortals in the movies or read about them in fiction, they don’t mention that, and I’ve never thought about it. But it makes sense. I mean if you’re not careful, there are only so many puzzles you can do or video games you can play before you go nuts.” “There’s a little more to immortality than that, but I think we get your drift,” Horse replied with a grin. “But it is important to have certain outlets and hobbies until we find our mates and they become the center of our world.” “Even then, having a hobby is best for them because otherwise they tend to check up on you constantly,” Bren teased, and Horse looked properly chastised as he turned a deep shade of red. “Someone called me about thirty times my first day back to work after he claimed me.” “It wasn’t that many,” Horse mumbled and crossed his arms over his chest as he pouted.

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“Fine, twenty-eight.” Bren snickered and kissed his mate’s neck. Horse was already sitting on Bren’s lap since we had sixteen people there and fourteen seats. “Idiot and I are exploring hobbies together now that I’m retired,” the man my friend had introduced me to a little earlier, Shely, said. “But I’m open to exploring.” “Flower makes all the contraptions in our play room and some he’s patented and sold to companies.” We were all proud of our inventive friend, especially since he had kept our sex lives interesting. “Those I really want to explore.” Shely chuckled, and we all shared a laugh. “I do glassblowing and have worked on several windows for churches.” I’d seen Button’s work, and it was amazing, to put it mildly. “I play with our computers and security system,” Box said slyly. “You have me to thank for all the video cameras everywhere. If you want a DVD of your greatest hits from your sex life, just let me know.” Horse cuffed him upside the head for that of course. “You thought about what you’re going to do now that you’re retired?” Shely asked my mate. All the blood drained from Benjii’s face, and if he hadn’t been sitting, I would have been worried he was going to faint. “I have no fucking clue,” he whispered and then started hyperventilating. “I won’t have a job now that my daddy disowned me.” Oh fuck!

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Chapter 7 “Breathe, baby,” I said gently as I pushed his head between his knees. “Nice deep breaths.” He nodded and did as I told him while I rubbed his back. It seemed my mate hadn’t thought about the next step in his life yet. I mean, knowing you hated your job and wanting a change was very, very different than suddenly realizing you were without one. “I’m okay,” Benjii whispered a few minutes later when he calmed down. He sat up and instantly I handed him a glass of water Champ had been kind enough to get for him. He took several sips and then set it down on the table. I could see he was still freaked out, and I slid from my chair onto his lap. I took his face in my hands as I straddled his lap and felt my heart warm when he immediately wrapped his arms around me. “We will figure this out, okay?” I waited until he nodded and then went on. “You don’t have to worry about money. I’ve got boatloads of it. And I just bought that horse for you, so we need to get another one for me if I’m going to learn how to ride when I hang out with my mate.” “You bought that for me?” His eyes went wide, and I wanted to smack myself. Great, now he was going to start panicking again. “Of course I did, baby,” I answered gently and brushed my lips over his. He relaxed then and melted against my body. That worked for me! “So we need to build him a barn or whatever on the property, so that will keep you busy overseeing that. We can find that pretty stallion a friend or two and get them set up. After that, we can find a

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hobby or job for you. Some of us turn our hobbies into fun businesses, like Button’s glassblowing.” “Justice is going to start doing mosaics and help Button grow his business because that’s what he loves to do,” Cave said proudly, but then I realized my friend had a plan. “I noticed you knew a lot about the craftsmanship of the table. Have you ever dabbled in woodwork?” “A little, yeah,” my mate answered as he stared down at my chest, seeming embarrassed. “I’m not really good at it or have any training, but my grandmomma loves the patio furniture I made for her and won’t trade it in even though it’s over ten years old and starting to fall apart.” “Maybe we should add a workshop onto the stable for the horses.” I raised his face to mine so he’d see the bright smile I had. “I do love a man who knows how to use his hands.” “Really?” “Oh yeah, that’s hot,” Chiquita groaned from behind me. Glancing around, I saw several of my friends nodding as well. “I’d be willing to help with the staining or painting,” Shely added. “I didn’t like building that model boat yesterday, but I had a blast painting it and making sure all the strokes were even.” “Really? You didn’t like putting it together?” Idiot snickered, and I could see he was biting back a bigger laugh. “You only threw the instructions and glue like six times as you cussed enough to make most of your previous shipmates blush.” “I kept supergluing my damn fingers together,” Shely growled. Yeah, we all laughed at that one. How could we not? “I’d like that, but we can’t be building a barn during November in Chicago,” Benjii said wistfully. “Are you kidding?” Bren snorted and shook his head. “These guys could make one appear out of thin air. I missed the fight with the witches, but from what I heard, I won’t ever doubt that they can do anything if they join forces.”

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“I’m sorry you missed it,” Horse playfully cooed. “I’ll see if there’s another paranormal group that’s available to get their asses kicked anytime soon.” “You do that,” he replied with a fake pout. At least life was never boring with the new mates we were finding! “Let’s take a tour of our house,” I said when Benjii and I were finished eating. “Our house?” he asked, and I just about fell over as I was getting off his lap. “You’re not moving in?” I exclaimed, ready to tear into him. “Sure, if I was asked to,” he replied quietly, looking hurt. Oh damn. Yeah, kind of skipped that step. I gracefully dropped to one knee and took my mate’s hands in mine. “Benjii Kepper, will you move in with me?” He smiled but then it turned into a frown. “I don’t think I’m a Kepper if my daddy disowned me.” “Then be a Smith!” I liked that idea. Even if it was just my human last name, I liked the idea of my mate carrying it. “I’d like that,” he purred and kissed our joined hands. “Yes, I’ll move in with you, too.” “Yeah!” Why shouted with joy as if he’d just won the lottery. I guess I wasn’t the only one looking at him with confusion because he explained. “Now I have a reason to contact the hot lawyer. We need forms to change Benjii’s last name and permits for the barn or whatever.” “You’ve still not tapped that?” Horse asked and gave our friend a wink. “He has some stupid hang-up about not being into casual sex,” he grumbled and then raced off. I was assuming he was going to call the attorney I had no clue about. “Did we switch lawyers?” “Yeah, our other one is retiring, so we needed to find a new one anyways and Cave stumbled onto this one. He seems like a good guy,

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and he helped us with the witches.” Horse looked confident about the choice and that was good enough for me. “We’ll talk again after the guy finds out what permits we need to build a place for the horses and Benjii’s shop.” “Just like that?” my mate asked in shock as he stared at everyone around the table. I wasn’t sure what he meant, so I was glad when he elaborated. “Y’all just accept me and set to building me a barn big enough for me to work on a hobby?” “Welcome to being mated to an elf.” Justice chuckled. “The mates are precious to them even if it’s not their mate.” He waved over to Horse. “His first priority will always be Bren. After that it’s making sure all of the human mates are happy and have anything they need. Then his friends. We rate first always with all of them except for their own mate. It takes some getting used to, and I’ve not gotten that far. But I kinda like being spoiled rotten.” “You’re more than worth it,” Cave purred and kissed his mate passionately. Justice moaned and then suddenly they were gone. It was like knocking down the first domino though because Bren and Horse started making out as Idiot and Shely did. “It’s starting to get to be like we adopted the horny version of the Village People,” Shadow groaned. “Huh?” Maze asked, and I seconded that one. “We’ve got a cop,” he answered, ticking off fingers as he went. “We’ve got the Navy sailor, construction worker”—then he pointed to my mate—“and now a cowboy. All we need is a damn Indian Chief and we’re set.” “Well then go find one,” Horse growled as his mate reached into his pants. In a flash Bren and Horse were gone as well. “Didn’t you mention some contraptions in the play room you thought I’d like?” Benjii whispered in my ear as he squeezed my ass. “I’ve got some making up to do with my mate, and I think I need to be punished.” “I can spank you?” I moaned and pushed my butt into his hands.

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“Anything my little elf wants.” Oh, he really liked that idea, but I had something else in mind for right now. I teleported us to the play room and our clothes to our bedroom. “I’m never going to get used to that, but it’s awful handy.” He chuckled before mashing his mouth down to mine. I jumped up and wrapped my arms and legs around him. He grunted under the extra weight but caught me easily. “I am sorry I ever hurt you, Surprise.” “I know you are,” I whispered and buried my face in his neck as I tried to get my emotions under control. And it was the truth. I could hear his remorse and pain in his mind from the moment I sobered up. He honestly never had a clue how everything affected me until I blew up at him. Oblivious? Probably, but never malicious. I could forgive one but not the latter. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you.” He ran his fingers over my hole, and while I had plans for him, we could hold that off. “What can I do?” “I want to mark you with my cum and have you wear my fang marks all day,” I growled, loving the idea that just hit me. His eyes glazed over with lust and he nodded. I used my magic to slick up his hand as I stared into his eyes. “Finger-fuck me and make me come just from that. I want you to please me without getting anything in return as you watch my pleasure.” “Pleasing you ain’t not getting anything in return,” he said firmly, and it warmed my heart to hear. I nodded my understanding as he pushed two fingers inside my ass and immediately stroked my prostate. I moaned and humped my hips against his like a wanton slut, which seemed to turn my mate on. He pushed me up against the nearest wall and slammed his digits inside of me as he thrust his tongue in my mouth. Holy hell, that was hot! He was being aggressive in taking care of my needs, showing me how much he wanted to, and it was exactly what I needed right then. When I was getting close and he had four fingers in my ass, I broke the kiss and leaned my shoulders back

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against the wall. He braced my weight so I could reach down and stroke my dick. I shouted his name as I came and painted his chest with my seed. The sight of the first drops landing had me peaking so hard that I even shot some all the way up to his neck. Nice! My mate moaned and kept playing with my ass as I rode out my orgasm. I thought that was a funny pun, considering what I had in store for him. “That’s what you’re going to be doing next.” I panted as I pointed to the mechanical saddle. “Well, that be a bull ride like I’ve never seen.” He chuckled, but I could see how much he wanted to use it. “Will you be riding me while I ride it?” “Not this time, but I like that idea for the future.” I moaned at the visual because it was sexy. Benjii pulled his fingers out of me and lowered me onto shaky legs. Then I pulled out the butt plug that I’d put in earlier before he hopped up on the contraption. I changed out the dildo for one of the extra-large ones we had since I wanted to make sure he felt it for a while. “Are you sure that will fit?” My mate looked a little nervous as he eyed over the toy I was about to insert into him. “I’m sure,” I purred and pushed on his thigh so he’d sit back in the saddle. We went slow, and I could see Benjii wasn’t used to something that size penetrating him, but he didn’t complain or say stop. He moaned as it bottomed out inside of him and then watched me as I ran my finger over his leaking cock. “You ready for more, baby?” “Yes,” he hissed and started to squirm. I turned on Flower’s machine, and it started rocking the saddle back and forth as the dildo vibrated. “Sweet mother of mercy.” “Good?” “Like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” Benjii softly cried out as I turned up the controls and started moving his hips like a pro. “Is this what good mates get as a reward?”

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I knew he was only kidding, but I could also see the desire for me to agree to that in his eyes. I gave him an evil smile and shrugged before turning it up several levels. My mate went wild! I’d forgotten to restrain his hands, so I ordered for him to raise them, which he immediately did. Once they were in the cuffs, he let go of everything and rode the pleasure…and the toy. “So full,” he groaned. I was riveted watching him. His hard cock slapping his stomach, leaving trails of pre-cum. The muscles in his thighs bunching and flexing as he used them to stay in the saddle. All the while his perfectly toned arms, shoulders, and back on display from his wrists being restrained above his head. “You’re breathtaking,” I cooed as I stroked my dick with my free hand. “W–Want to suck th–that later.” Benjii babbled as he gazed at me pleasing myself. “My mate wants to get on his knees and suck me off?” I growled my approval, letting him see my fangs. He shivered in delight, and that’s when the light caught the cum still on his chest. Damn, that was hot! I might have skipped a few levels on the remote and cranked it up. I wanted to see him climax so hard he passed out from the pleasure. “Oh shit!” He screamed as his hips bucked of their own accord. It didn’t take long for him to finish. A toy that big had to be riding his prostate at every little move. His dick exploded, shooting white streams of spunk everywhere. My mate hollered my name until he was hoarse. When he was done coming, I quickly shut off the machine, released his hands magically, and caught him as he fell off the saddle. He was gasping for air as his eyelids fluttered. His thoughts were all fuzzy and jumbled, and I was pretty sure he was going to pass out. “You,” he said but couldn’t get enough air to finish. He waited a bit, licking his lips and swallowing loudly. “You spoil me, Surprise.”

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“It’s my job as your mate,” I whispered as I nuzzled his neck. I laid him down on the couch we had in the play room and joined him, plastered to his side. I ran my fingers over his cock and it spurted just a little bit more seed. My man was still having mini waves of his orgasm. I couldn’t help the smile of pride if I’d wanted to. “If you ever can’t find me, I’ll be playing with that thing,” he mumbled as he turned on his side so we were lying face-to-face. “Oh no!” I snarled and took his chin in my hand roughly. “You won’t be playing with any of this shit in here without me. You’re not even allowed to jerk off unless I’m around. I’ll fulfill your every need, Benjii. If there’s something I’m not giving you, then you tell me, and I will. There’s no reason for you to need more.” “I was teasing, my little elf,” he said gently and kissed the tip of my nose. “Half of the reason that was so hot was because you were watching me. I want you around any naked fun always.” “Okay then,” I replied quietly. Well, he didn’t pass out and seemed to have gotten a second wind because he shimmied down the couch and licked the head of my dick. “I want to please you, Surprise.” “You have been today, baby.” I moaned as I rolled onto my back, spreading my legs wide like a slut so he had access to whatever he wanted. “I want to please you always,” he whispered in between licks. “Tell me what your favorite is and what makes you come.” “You do, Benjii,” I said tenderly but firmly. “All I want is you.” “You have me.” He quickly swallowed me down then, but not before I saw tears glistening in his eyes. My mate had fucked up. He knew that. But he was also willing to do whatever it took to make things right, and that went a long way in my book. And it took a strong man to go against decades of family influence and things being drilled into his head. Not only that but to tell his dad he was done and living the life he wanted…because of me.

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Yeah, I could forgive him and try again. Benjii didn’t even need any guidance on how to give a blow job. I wasn’t sure if it was natural talent or lots of practice. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know either. I moaned his name as I came down his throat. He greedily drank it down and licked every drop, even sticking his tongue in the slit to see if he could get more. When I was spent, we lay there collecting ourselves, Benjii with his head on my thigh. He was tracing my leg with his fingers absently, but I felt the gentleness in the caress and relished it. “What now?” he asked hesitantly. “What do you mean, baby?” “Well, I’m moving in, right? I need to get my stuff out of my apartment before my daddy sends some of his hands to go trash my stuff. God only knows if they have already. And no, they don’t have a key, but that doesn’t stop men like them.” “Your dad would do that?” I couldn’t fathom a parent being so mean to their own child. “My daddy has a mean, vindictive streak a mile long.” He gave a sad sigh that practically broke my heart. I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time Kepper Senior mistreated his son. Asshole. “Then we go get your stuff before someone else does.” I gave a shrug to show it was no big deal, but inside I knew that there would probably be trouble. “We’ll get some of my friends, box everything up, teleport it back, and get the hell out of Dodge. Easy peasy.” “I think we both know it’s not going to be easy.” “We don’t know that, and let’s not buy trouble we don’t need.” He nodded, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes. I got up off the couch first, holding out my hand for him, and pulled him to his feet. I didn’t ’port us upstairs to our room because I figured he should start learning how to get places in the house. But then I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about walking naked through the house.

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It seemed I had a concern for no reason. Benjii strutted his stuff as if he was fully clothed and not in his birthday suit. Maybe it was a Texas thing because most humans I knew weren’t that comfortable with being naked. Not that I was complaining since I found it sexy that he was so confident with his body. And what a body it was! I pointed out a few things here and there so he learned the layout of the house on the way to our room. We took a quick shower together, actually behaving and keeping our hands to ourselves. And twenty minutes later we were dressed and ready to go. We headed downstairs, and I could practically feel the tension vibrating off my mate. The first people we came across were Shadow and Maze, who would probably be the best choice to bring anyways if there was a fight to be had. We all could hold our own but hadn’t had much experience. The two youngest of us were the ones that had the most trouble after they left the North Pole. Granted I didn’t know all the details, but I’d seen them both fight before with skills that didn’t come inherently. If I had to guess, I’d say one or both of them had either boxed or wrestled in their weight class to get by. Most of us have lived long enough to accumulate wealth or our families did not bear us ill will when we left, and we received the typical elf legacy. The legacy could vary from family to family, but in general, it was enough to live off. It was like a human inheritance, but instead of bank accounts and trust funds, it was normally a sack full of gems. But not every family was like that, just like with humans, and even Benjii, for example, the child could be cut off from the parents with nothing. Shadow and Maze never talked about it and all of us knew it was a subject to leave alone. I did have a feeling that Horse had at least listened in to their minds. It was taboo for any paranormal creatures to listen to each other if they had the ability, and we respected that rule…in general. But when we met them, they were both very rough around the edges

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and none of us had known them. They came with barely any money, and we were just about to buy our house. So did I blame Horse for breaking the rules and listening in? Hell no! If I wasn’t pretty sure he had, I’d have done it. One could never be too careful, and we all knew that someday our mates would be here with us. We had to know for sure that Shadow and Maze were people we could trust. Like humans, just because elves were generally good people didn’t mean we all were and there weren’t bad apples here and there. “Why do you guys look like you’re about to walk in front of a firing range?” Shadow asked, always very intuitive. “We’re going to get Benjii’s stuff right away and not go through normal channels of having it shipped here.” I gave my friend a meaningful look that he caught on to without saying a word. “You guys want some help?” Maze offered, having picked up on my implication. “We were bored actually.” “Yeah, that’d be great, brother.” “My daddy might send some trouble.” I figured Benjii understood that they knew what I’d been getting at, but I could hear in his thoughts that he didn’t want anyone getting hurt. He was a straight shooter and thought it only fair they knew the potential issues we could be facing. “We live for trouble, mate to our brother,” Shadow said with glee and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s do this.” “Okay, now it can be tricky teleporting to a place we’ve never been before,” I explained to our mate. It wasn’t really too hard, but it was always better to not take chances. “So I want you to picture your living room very clearly, even the slightest detail, and I’ll see it in your mind and take us there.” “I can do that.” He closed his eyes, and I could see just how sharp my mate’s mind was. The image was crystal clear down to his favorite afghan his grandma had knitted for him. I ’ported us there, and that’s when all hell broke loose.

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Chapter 8 “Shit,” Maze hissed as we appeared in the middle of four large men and a man who I guessed was Benjii’s dad. And, surprisingly, a woman who’d been chewing out Mr. Kepper. “Wipe their minds,” I ordered as I dragged my mate to the door. Maze and Shadow immediately helped me so the humans would think we simply walked in through the front door instead of showing up out of thin air. “How the fuck did you get here so quickly?” The older Kepper snarled as we released them from their mental hold. It would have just been easier to freeze them and go about our business, but then we’d have to rewipe their minds as to why things were missing. Then the police could get involved if they thought there was a burglary and on, and on. Sometimes it was just better to face the problem head-on. “Private jet,” I answered for my mate who was shaking with anger. “You don’t have a key to my apartment, Daddy.” “I don’t need a key to get into my own rental,” he sneered and eyed us all over like we were trash. “Dude, your dad rents your apartment for you?” Maze asked, and I could hear he was trying to not laugh at my mate. Thirty and having your parents pay for your place was pretty bad though. “No,” Benjii answered with a snort. “My daddy thinks that since I’m his son, anything I have is an extension of his.” “What country do you live in, dumbass?” Yeah, Shadow wasn’t always the most subtle of people and never ever dared to beat around

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the bush. “He’s a grown man! How the fuck does that work out in your head?” “I will not lower myself to speak to little boy toys who take it up the ass.” Oh yeah, that was a mistake. “Fuck you, old man,” Shadow growled and took a step forward. “Actually I am a top, not that it’s any of your business, and I’m no boy. Whip it out and I bet you my portfolio that I’m packing more than your little shriveled dick.” “Oh, I like him.” The woman chuckled and turned to my mate. “Which one is your young man you were telling me about?” “This is my partner, Joe Smith, Aunt Petunia.” Okay, I’d let that name go without comment because I already liked her. “These are his brothers, Carl and John.” And I was impressed that he remembered their human names since I’d only told them to him once. Hell, it had taken me a decade to remember. “What’s going on here?” “I got wind that your daddy was fixing to come here and trash your place, so I hightailed it over here. They showed up about three minutes ago, and I threatened to call the police.” “Which we both know wouldn’t do any good.” I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. Gods, I really wanted to and then beat that old bastard to a pulp. “Yeah, yeah, you got the Sheriff in your pocket just like these goons,” she said and rolled her eyes. She ignored them all as she closed the gap between us and hugged Benjii. “You look happy, child.” “I am,” he whispered in her ear as he stared at me. I saw it and gave him a wink. “Okay, can we cut through the foreplay?” Maze asked, giving his best bored expression. “Us Yankees don’t do pistols at dawn, and you can’t believe we’re just going to let you trash his stuff. So you guys want to leave or get your asses kicked?” The four goons or ranch hands, I’m sure they were technically called, looked at each other and burst out laughing.

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“I think we should be insulted,” Shadow said dismissively as he gestured to the bunch. I was waiting for one of them to pee themselves they were laughing so hard. “Pleeease tell me I get to beat at least one of them,” Maze begged as he stuck out his bottom lip. “Y’all can take them?” Benjii’s aunt asked, looking skeptical. “Ma’am, we were raised in the Chicago foster system and group homes most of our lives.” Shadow chuckled as he stretched and cracked his knuckles. “I could eat them for breakfast without backup. But it will really be boring with four on five.” He raised an eyebrow at Kepper Senior in a challenge. “Unless limp dick here doesn’t fight his own battles.” “I’ll show you limp dick, you little—” “Oh please don’t,” Maze replied, making gagging noises. “That would scar me for life!” I wanted to laugh at my friends’ antics, but I could see the torn expression on my mate’s face. Plus the goons had stopped laughing and were paying attention now. Laughing would distract us, and I didn’t think these guys played fair. “No, we won’t fight.” Both my friends started to whine, and I held up a hand to cut them off. “The old guy might have cut off Benjii, but my mate isn’t as heartless as that. He won’t want his dad getting hurt.” “You always were soft,” Mr. Kepper scoffed. “That’s not why I was worried,” Benjii said, ignoring his dad as he released his aunt and took me into his arms. He leaned in to whisper in my ear, barely breathing the words, knowing I could still hear them. “I don’t want to out you guys or get my aunt hurt.” “I’m starting to forgive him.” Maze was just as quiet as Benjii, so my mate didn’t hear him either. Yeah, I agreed with my brother. Benjii had pulled his head out of his ass and realized just because his dad was blood didn’t mean the man knew who he should listen to or had Benjii’s best interests at heart. Because clearly he didn’t.

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“Can we beat them all up if we promise to keep your aunt safe and not get a scratch on us?” “Really? Not even a scratch?” He snickered as he leaned back and stared into my eyes. “Okay, so maybe a few scratches,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “But no real damage.” “Like you fucking pussies could take on my boys,” Mr. Kepper sneered. “Language!” Aunt Petunia chastised. Yeah, because fighting was okay, but calling someone a pussy pushed the line for her. Okaaay then. Good to know. “Oh, go blow it out your ass, Petunia,” her brother shouted. “You’ve been a pain in my butt since my wife died. And you’re such a pathetic spinster that you knew you’d never have any children of your own and decided to baby my youngest.” “You want to start shit with me, that’s fine,” Benjii said in a calm, cold voice as he pushed me behind him. “But you leave Aunt Petunia alone. She was a great mother to me after Momma died and the only reason we didn’t all kill you in your sleep. You should be grateful she stepped in when you wouldn’t to love your children.” “And what kind of a douche bag uses words like spinster anymore?” Shadow asked, shaking his head in dismay. “I mean seriously? A guy goes past his prime and he’s something cool like a bachelor or player for life. But a woman? She becomes a spinster. Gag me!” He glanced over at Petunia. “I think she should be bachelorette extraordinaire for fighting the many men who must want her off this long.” “Sweet talker,” she replied, but I saw the way her cheeks heated up at the praise. She was a gorgeous woman even in her mid- to late sixties. I did wonder why she never got married, but that wasn’t for me to ask. As if she knew what we wanted to ask, she answered, “I bat for the other team just as Benjii does.”

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“What!” Kepper roared and lunged for his sister, but two of his ranch hands grabbed him in time. Even they had better manners than to let someone beat on an older woman. “You made Benjii into this! He wants ass as opposed to pussy, that’s fine, but you keep that quiet and on the side. Now he’s committing himself to some obvious fag and declared he likes it up the ass.” “You said that?” Petunia and I both asked. “Well, yeah, it just kind of came out when he said I wasn’t a real man,” Benjii admitted sheepishly. I could tell in his thoughts that he no longer was ashamed of liking it but rather it wasn’t something one discussed with his dad or in front of his aunt. I could live with that. “I told him you were a real man, all man, and twice the man he’d ever be and you liked my dick in you. Then I blurted it out I liked it better when you fucked me.” “Good to know for later,” I purred and gave him a leer that let him know I was thinking about him naked. “You disgust me,” Benjii’s father said and spat in my mate’s face. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Or my temper, in this case. “Mother fucker!” I bellowed and launched myself at the man. I ended up knocking down Kepper Senior and the two guys holding him. And I got out four successive punches before one of the goons decked me. I fell off Kepper and rolled to my feet. Shadow had already knocked one guy out and was dealing with the next while Maze was having way too much fun dancing around one buffoon. We were so much faster than them that every time the guy tried to land a blow, my friend was on the other side of him. I was brought back to my own fight when Benjii’s dad grabbed for my leg, and I quickly kicked out and nailed him in the face. The ranch hand jumped me, taking us both to the floor…through Benjii’s coffee table. That might leave more than a scratch.

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He started to move, and I was able to bring both my knees to my chest and kick out. The guy went flying and hit the wall so hard he broke the drywall. “There goes your security deposit on the place.” Aunt Petunia chuckled. Whoops! “On the bright side he’s unconscious,” I said sheepishly as I gave my mate a pathetic pout look. “I think I have a boo-boo on my butt now.” “Yeah, from breaking my coffee table,” he replied, trying to be mad, but I could tell it wasn’t working well from the way his lips were twitching. “Fighting for what your daddy did to you,” Aunt Petunia chastised and cuffed my mate upside the head. “Go kiss the boy’s boo-boo.” I looked at her with wide, shocked eyes, and she gave me a wink. I couldn’t help it. I busted out laughing and went over to hug her. “If you ever get tired of Texas, you’re always welcome at our place in Illinois.” “Well, thank you,” she said and then lowered her voice and put her lips to my ear. “You’re not human, are you, son?” “No, ma’am,” I answered, seeing no reason to lie if she knew there was more in the world than humans. “Is that a problem?” “As long as you’re not a witch and not planning on hurting my Benjii. I dated a werecat several decades ago and she told me witches are nasty things.” She paused when she said dated as if she was really thinking fucked like rabbits with. “I have magic much stronger than a witch, but I’m an elf.” “No shit?” she exclaimed as we parted. I saw Benjii’s eyebrows shoot up, and I guessed Petunia wasn’t much for cussing. “Umm, I hate to interrupt,” Shadow drawled from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw that they had all the goons tied up and Kepper on his knees between him and Maze. “Fight’s over and now I’m bored.”

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“And I’m hungry,” Maze added. Then again, he was always hungry. “What are we doing with these guys?” “Leave them,” Benjii answered as he stepped towards his father and squatted down. “Someone will find them eventually.” “I knew you didn’t have the balls to kill us.” “You’re not worth killing,” Benjii threw right back at his old man. And then I noticed something…When my mate got pissed, his Southern drawl came out in full force. “I ain’t about to besmirch my soul with your blood and death. Ya ain’t worth that, old man. Ya disowned me, and I be fine with that. I ain’t gonna have your name soon either. After today, ya dead to me.” And with that my sexy man pulled back his arm and punched his dad in the face. Kepper immediately went down like a ton of bricks, knocked out. I took my mate’s hand in mine and brought his bruised knuckles to my lips. “Is it wrong that I’m turned on?” Shadow asked. “Yes,” I hissed and placed my other hand on my mate’s groin. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the fight or the feeling that Benjii wasn’t fully mine and claimed yet. But whatever it was, I went all caveman on my mate. I massaged his cock right there and stared daggers at my friend. “Benjii is mine!” And with that, I sank my fangs in Benjii’s chest, right over his heart. “Fuck,” my mate groaned and came in his pants. I stroked him to completion as I used my other hand to tear off his shirt. When he was done, I retracted my fangs and licked the bite closed. “Okay then.” Shadow chuckled and dragged Maze, who was standing there adjusting his own dick, off to the bedroom. I assumed it was to pack, but I didn’t really care right then since I was focused on my mate. “Sorry,” I whispered against Benjii’s lips as he slumped into my arms.

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“S’okay,” he mumbled, and I helped him sit in the chair. I smiled when he pulled me onto his lap and snuggled me close. “Bite me any time you want, sweet thang. I’m all yours.” “Will you let me claim you in the way of my people when we get home?” I blurted out. For us it was like proposing marriage, and I had planned something a little smoother. But my antics had shown me that while Benjii was singing a different tune about our relationship, I obviously wasn’t secure in it. “I’d be honored.” Benjii smashed his mouth down to mine, and I knew I’d made the right decision. I turned in his lap and started thrusting my hips against his as I sucked on his tongue. Petunia cleared her throat loudly and I felt my cheeks flush. “Umm, old lady here.” “Sorry, Aunt Petunia,” we said together and then burst out laughing. I hugged my mate tightly, happy he returned the embrace. After a moment, we got up and I used my magic to make some boxes and wrapping materials appear. It ended up Shadow and Maze were grabbing armfuls of clothes on hangers and ’porting right back to my room to drop them off. It made sense since it would waste time to pack them just to unpack them again. Benjii went to deal with his landlord and get the stuff out of his storage unit. Which left me in the kitchen with Petunia. I kind of felt awkward after my little display with her nephew, but she didn’t bring it up. Well, not directly, and we got a good hour’s worth of work done before she did. “So elves have fangs?” she asked politely as if wondering where I got my shoes. That was a woman with manners! “Yes, ma’am, but we don’t drink from people like vampires,” I clarified as I wrapped up Benjii’s coffee mugs. By the sheer amount of them I’d guess my mate was a coffee addict. Good to know. “We only bite and drink from our mate to solidify our bond. When we meet our mate our fangs pop out for the first time and that’s how we know.”

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“Interesting,” she replied slowly, and I could practically hear the wheels in her head turning. “Forgive me for being crass, but I saw my nephew enjoyed it.” “It was crass of me to do that in front of you.” I chuckled and shook my head. “Not your asking about it. But yes, it’s pleasurable for our mate.” “You’ll take good care of him? Benjii’s had a hard life with my brother being his daddy.” “Did your werecat friend ever tell you about elves?” I asked instead. She shook her head, and I gave her a quick rundown. “A mate is sacred to an elf even more than any other paranormal. We are baptized in our magic, and if I was to ever betray him or cheat on Benjii, I would lose it, along with my life. Your nephew is the most important thing in my life, Petunia. Never doubt that. I will make him blissfully happy.” “If he lets you.” “I’m coming around,” Benjii said from the doorway. I looked over my shoulder and saw him leaning against the frame with a bright smile on his face. “I’m learning to appreciate what Surprise offers me and his desire to spoil me rotten.” “Surprise?” She raised an eyebrow in wonder. “Elves name themselves when we’re five.” I shrugged in an it is what it is gesture and sauntered over to my mate. He watched me as I ran my hands up his chest and around his neck. “You were gone too long. I missed you.” “Did ya now?” he asked in his deep, whiskey drawl that made me shiver and my cock twitch. “I did,” I whispered and turned so he could feel my hard-on against his thigh. “We can’t have that.” I knew what he meant, and I had a feeling Petunia did as well. In a flash he scooped me up into his arms and spun out of the room. “We’ll be right back.” “Take your time.” She chuckled.

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“No, hurry,” I moaned as I kissed his neck. “I need my mate.” “I need you, too, Surprise.” And I knew he didn’t just mean right then and sex. That warmed my heart like I never thought something could. In a flash we were in the bathroom, door locked, and me sitting on the counter. My mate unzipped my jeans as he dropped to his knees. He glanced up at me as if asking for permission, which had my cock leaking at his sign of submission. “Suck your mate off,” I ordered with a groan. I leaned back against the mirror as he took my cock into his mouth. “Take out your dick and stroke yourself, Benjii. I want to hear you come while you please me.” He moaned loudly and took me deeper into his throat. I heard his zipper and then the smacking of skin as he jerked himself off. It was kinky and hot, and I fucking loved it. We both had been primed, it seemed, because minutes later we were both coming. I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming in pleasure as I shot down his throat. Benjii swallowed every drop as he grunted, signaling his own release. After we were both spent and he licked me clean, I slid off the counter and pushed him to sit on the floor. Then I moved to straddle his lap, and Benjii wrapped his arms around me. “I–I love y–you, Surprise.” My heart soared at the declaration and for the first time I knew, without a doubt, we’d make it. We were each other’s forever. “I love you, too, Benjii. You’re mine and I’m keeping you, so don’t ever try to run again, or I’ll chain you to our bed and paddle your ass for weeks.” “Promises, promises.” He snickered. I let out a moan. Damn. I was already primed and ready for sex with my mate around. And I really didn’t see a problem with that.

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Chapter 9 After a few moments reveling in admitting our love for each other, we straightened our clothes and went back to packing. It was funny, moving around five unconscious men to pack Benjii’s apartment. I guess a couple had woken back up and Shadow had had fun knocking them right back out. When we were done a few hours later and everything was back to my place, Petunia promised to have the rest donated to charity and hand in the keys to the landlord. We said our good-byes, and we teleported home. “I’ve got a present for you,” Why practically sang as we appeared in our room. “Well, hello to you, too.” I snickered and took the envelope from his outstretched hand. I smiled when I opened it up and saw what was inside. Handing it to my mate, I turned back to my friend. “And how is the hot lawyer?” “I finally talked him into a date tomorrow night,” he answered, looking relieved and just a little proud of himself. “I knew I could wear him down.” “Did you show him the size of your dick?” Yeah, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at that one. “No,” he huffed and rolled his eyes. “But the thought crossed my mind.” “Of course it did.” “So we can build the barn for the horses?” Benjii asked as he glanced from the paper to us. I knew he was asking out of shock at

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how quickly everything was progressing and not because he didn’t understand what the permit was, but it was still cute. “I’ve got everyone assembled, and Horse, Cave, Button, and Justice already got all the supplies since Justice used to do construction. He knew what we’d need. They already got the spot cleared out and we were just waiting on you guys to get back.” “Seriously?” We laughed as we dragged along a very shocked Benjii. That man needed to learn that we didn’t mess around! “Barn time?” Maze asked around the mouthful of food as we raced through kitchen towards the back door. “Yes, but bring a bunch of sandwiches and pops,” I called over my shoulder. Now that I saw him eating, I realized I was hungry, too. Which meant my mate was, and I wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy the fun knowing he needed to eat. I froze in my tracks when we got to everyone else outside and Justice was wearing only jeans, work boots, and a tool belt. “I’m right here,” Benjii growled from behind me, noticing my obvious lust. “You misunderstand, baby,” I purred as I turned around and rubbed against him suggestively. “All I’m thinking is if you’d wear that for me and how you’d look.” “Guess I can be possessive, too,” he replied with a blush even as his eyes glazed over with lust. “You can dress me like that.” I did in a flash with my magic. He looked even better than I had fantasized. Benjii was still slightly tanned from the summer and all his bronzed muscles made my mouth water. He was tall, dark, built, and handsome. My favorite combination! “Will you use your tool on me later? I’ve got a part of me that needs to be filled.” “Fuck, Surprise,” he groaned before kissing me. I practically climbed up his body like a monkey and latched my limbs around him. “Yeah, I did the same thing when Justice took off his shirt and started sweating.” I could hear the mirth and lust in Cave’s tone.

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“Ogle all you want, my sexy mate. I’ll walk around naked if you attack me like that again,” Justice yelled over with a moan. “I can still practically feel you inside of me from the pounding you gave my ass. And I’ve never worked with a butt plug in before, so I’m fucking horny.” “You guys suck. My mate’s at work.” Horse pouted and stomped his foot. We all chuckled at his antics as Benjii set me on my feet. “You have to admit it was hot the way Cave jumped him right here though,” Button said with a giggle. “Here?” Benjii gasped as he glanced around. “In front of you guys?” “We’re exhibitionists.” Cave shrugged as if it was no big deal. “It gets me off knowing my mate is so hot he gets my friends hard.” “You?” Benjii asked as he looked down at me. I wasn’t sure he’d like my answer, but I wasn’t about to lie about it. “Yes, but not all the time. Sometimes I like privacy, but the claiming ceremony has to have witnesses.” He swallowed loudly and nodded. I didn’t know how to take that, and I started to worry until he licked his lips and eyed me over. “I think I like the idea of you fucking me hard and fast while others watch.” “And that’s why you’re the perfect mate for me,” I purred and licked his nipple. “You’ve agreed to be claimed?” The smile on Horse’s face was so big I was surprised it didn’t crack. “I asked him earlier,” I answered with big grin of my own. My friends gave me formal congratulations in our native tongue, and I explained what they’d said to my mate. He was so polite! Benjii smiled and thanked them, shaking each of their hands for their wellwishes. “Okay, this barn isn’t going to raise itself!” Justice hollered when we started to stray from the project. Maze and Shadow came out with a cooler of food each as Cave’s mate laid out his rough draft of the

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plans. He and my mate quickly altered a few things as we all ate, and by the time we were done, they were ready. “Where’s Harrison Ford when you need him?” Button sighed as we put everything away. “I did always like Witness, but don’t tell Bren. He thinks I’m obsessed with Indiana Jones,” he said in a mock whisper. I figured it out when I saw Bren joining us, dressed in his normal work clothes of a suit and tie. “You are.” Bren snickered and greeted my friend with a deep kiss. “Missed you.” “Missed you more, baby,” Horse purred and moved Bren’s hand over his groin. “Cave and Justice were fucking in front of us again!” “Oh, my poor elf,” Bren cooed as he got hard in his own slacks. “We’ll be back in ten minutes.” “Make it fifteen. I don’t think once will be enough,” Horse informed us before they ’ported away. “Nice to know you’re not the only sex-crazed one of the group,” Benjii said with a snicker as he shook his head. “You complaining?” I raised an eyebrow to let him know there was only one answer I expected. Horse and Bren came back from the play room just then as my mate was about to answer. “Fuck no!” Right answer. “I love my little nympho elf.” Even better! That was a gold-star answer if I ever heard one. I gave him a quick kiss and a look that implied lots more for later. “Shely asked that everyone give them the play room tonight starting at ten. But that should give you guys more than enough time to have your claiming ceremony and fun first.” Horse rubbed his hands together in glee. From the moment he met Bren, he was all about the rest of us finding our mates as well. He kept saying we’d all fall like dominoes now that the first mate had been found. I wasn’t sure what that had meant, but considering four of us had found ours in as many weeks, I was starting to get it. Whether it was

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just his hope or he’d had a vision, which was rare for an elf to have, I didn’t know. We stopped goofing around and got to work. Benjii stood there a moment and glanced from the materials to where the barn was going. “We might need more tools.” “Silly human.” Button giggled and used his magic to move the first huge wood beam. “Dig the holes where they go, and we’ll put them there.” “Then we pour the concrete and put up supports,” Justice added with a smile. Benjii laughed as Button set the beam down since nothing was ready, and they got to digging. We got stuck mixing the concrete. “So we do this in the wheelbarrow?” Shadow asked with a confused grimace as he lifted one bag and got dust all over his nice clothes. “Guess we need to change.” We all did magically and that was about the only thing we did right for the next twenty minutes. The first bag Cave opened we spilled all over the grass. Then we knocked over the wheelbarrow. And then there was no water to mix the concrete with since we had a sprinkler system, and it was November. “Can’t we just do this magically?” Maze whined as he dumped a bag into the wheelbarrow finally. “Have you ever made concrete magically?” I asked with a raised brow. We could make just about anything we wanted if we knew the ingredients and how to mix them. “No.” He stuck out his bottom lip and used the box cutter on the next bag. “We can do this. We’re smart,” Shadow said without much conviction. “All we have to do is add water and then we can mix it with magic.” That seemed to make everyone feel better. I was just getting cranky because I was covered in scratchy dust that Cave got all over us when he dropped the first bag. It seemed like something to remove

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magically, but I was too chicken because I didn’t want to look like a weenie in front of my manly mate. Ten minutes later, we added the water and used one of the shovels in a Fantasia move to stir it. By that time, Benjii and Justice had gotten a bunch of the holes done and we started putting beams into them. It was then Horse, Bren, and most of our other friends joined us outside. “Concrete issues?” Bren asked, trying not to laugh as he saw the mess we made. “Bite me,” Cave grumbled and took the mixing shovel out. “We’re elves, not handymen.” Everyone had a laugh at that. Benjii showed Chiquita, Horse, Button, and Flower how the holes were supposed to go, and they started digging. It took a whole five minutes until they were doing it magically instead. Yeah, okay, so maybe we weren’t the best at manual labor, but at least we were helping. The rest of us were moving beams while Justice poured the concrete and Benjii set the supports. An hour later we had a foundation built for our barn. It was amazing what could be accomplished with fourteen people, since Shely and Idiot were conveniently missing, and lots of magic. “Can the next one of us to find a mate pick someone who cooks?” Champ asked sarcastically as we all trudged inside for an early dinner. “I mean seriously. We need someone to start being in charge of food or we’re just always going have to make shit appear since none of us even like to shop. It’s a stupid way to waste magic since it’s so much more taxing than just ’porting.” “We can just pick up more food trays,” Horse replied as he made dozens of cartons of Chinese appear. “I’ll work up a schedule. We’ll switch off who’s in charge of lunch and dinner.” “I can make chili,” Benjii offered with a wince, “but that’s about it.”

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“I’ve never had real Texas chili,” Button said excitedly. “Will it give me chest hair?” My mate choked on his pop and sprayed it all over the counter. Which sent most of us into peals of laughter. Once we were all fed again, everyone agreed to quickly get cleaned up and meet in the play room. “You ready for this?” I asked as Benjii and I stepped into the shower in our attached bathroom. “Yes, I want this,” he replied hesitantly, and I could basically hear the but coming. “But if I end up not liking everyone watching, does being an exhibitionist mean enough to you that you’ll feel like I’m cheating you?” “Oh, Benjii,” I whispered and hugged him. “No, baby. I liked the idea of showing you off. You’re so gorgeous when you’re lost in passion and enjoying what I can do to you. If you don’t like doing it in front of people, I won’t be upset. I can show you off in other ways.” “Thank you,” he replied, and I could hear the relief in his voice. We ended up having lots of foreplay in the shower as we slowly washed each other and traded soft kisses. “I love you, Surprise.” “I love you, too, Benjii,” I said with a smile as I turned off the water when we were done. “I love you for who you are and being the strong man to overcome everything you went through.” “It’s not a switch I flipped inside myself, but the more time we spend together, the more I can keep my daddy’s voice out of my head. Soon I won’t even feel guilty for liking when you dominate me. But I do love submitting to you, Surprise. Never doubt that.” “I won’t, baby.” I gave him a wide, confident smile as we left my room after we dried off. I really didn’t think he’d have a problem with others being around when we fucked. No man that comfortable with being naked would be embarrassed that people were watching. Once we were in the play room, Benjii decided he wanted to try one of the swings. And I wanted him to be happy, not that I didn’t

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want to do it on the swings, but I simply and truly wanted what he did. He lay back in it so we were facing each other, and I stretched him magically. “I’m going to bite you and you’re going to repeat what Horse says as I drink from you. Then we’re going to switch,” I explained as I moved between his spread legs and lined up my cock. “Last chance, Benjii. You sure you want me to claim you?” “Never been so sure of anything in my life.” I saw the truth in his eyes and heard it in his head, so I didn’t hesitate anymore. I pushed inside of my mate’s tight ass and leaned over him. “I love you.” “Love you, too.” I let my fangs pop out and sank them in his neck. Benjii moaned and moved his hands down my back as I drank. “I, Benjii Kepper, give you my very life essence and blood freely,” Horse said and Benjii repeated it back with a moan. We’d decided to use Kepper since he’d not changed his name legally to Smith yet. “My life, my heart, and my soul now belong to you and have never been claimed before. I swear on my life that there will never be any other for me and you will always come first. I accept you as my mate and pray to the gods that our binding be blessed so that I may live to love you forever.” I lifted my head and roared out my release as my orgasm sideswiped me like a tsunami when he spoke the last word. I filled him to the brink with seed and moaned as I felt it leak back out of him and down our legs. Holy shit! I could barely move and gave up trying as I slumped over him. I had just enough time to cut my neck magically before I lay limp over him like a wet noodle. “Drink, my mate,” I whispered. Benjii didn’t hesitate. He put his lips to the wound, and I felt an instant renewed vigor the first sip he took. I started thrusting gently into him as I spoke. “I, Surprise, give you my very life essence and blood freely. “My life, my heart, and my soul now belong to you and have never been claimed before.” He moaned and held me tighter as I

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changed the angle of my thrusts and nailed his prostate. “I swear on my life that there will never be any other for me and you will always come first. I accept you as my mate and pray to the gods that our binding be blessed so that I may live to love you forever.” The second I was done, we both screamed as we came. Hell, I don’t even think orgasm could cover what happened. Benjii pulled my head to his and kissed me with every ounce of passion he had, and I did the same. I felt my soul leave my body and swirl into his as Benjii’s soul did the same to my body. They circled in and out of us until our heartbeats regulated together and we finished climaxing. Then when they settled, it was like a magical explosion. I felt raw power blast out from us like a tornado wind and several of my friends cried out. I remembered how the insta-orgasm felt when I’d witnessed my friends’ claiming ceremonies. It was like a great peak combined with sticking a finger in the electrical socket. We were still shaking from the force of it all and our overrun emotions when Horse tapped us. “Blink twice if you’re still alive, Benjii.” My mate lifted his hand, flicked off my friend, and went back to nuzzling my neck. “I’ll take that as a yes.” “That might be wise.” I snickered. “Thanks for playing, now get out so I can cuddle with my hot mate.” “They can watch all they want,” Benjii whispered in my ear. I lifted my head in shock and returned the bright smile he gave me. “I liked all the pervs watching.” “That makes you a perv like us, too,” Button said and stuck out his tongue. “I’ll forgive you and not take offense since that was a fucking awesome orgasm I just had, and I’m like bouncing around with the magic you guys put off.” “It was fucking awesome.” I brushed my lips against my man’s and he moaned as it moved my dick inside of him. “Does that thing ever go down?” “Are you complaining?”

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“Fuck no.” He chuckled and wrapped his legs around my hips. “I love my little, blood-drinking, horny, hot, sweet, Dom, nympho, badass elf.” “Damn straight, you do,” I replied with a wink. “Just as I love my hot cowboy who’s got the best ass and the biggest heart on this side of the Mississippi.” “Then good thing we just promised to be together forever.” I could see the emotions shining in his bright eyes, mostly love but there was some relief in there, too. He’d been worried I’d changed my mind. Silly Benjii. “I’m still going to find a reason to chain you to our bed and spank you until my hand hurts.” “Promises, promises.” He laughed. I joined right in and then we traded places on the swing. Hey, we were mates. It was all about experiencing everything together, always.

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Epilogue: Idiot “I’m waiting, Shely,” I called out, tapping my foot impatiently. The man wanted us to have the play room all to ourselves. Which had me owing several of my friends favors so they’d stay out of it. But he’d also asked Box to set up extra cameras besides the surveillance ones. What the fuck was going on? “Keep your panties on.” He chuckled. “And don’t you dare take off that blindfold.” Oh yeah, and I was standing in our room naked with a blindfold on. Seriously? Whatever was going to happen better be awesome because otherwise there would be a huge buildup for nothing. Surprises weren’t normally my thing and disappointing surprises were the worst. “Okay, I’m ready,” Shely said as I heard the bathroom door open. I turned towards him, though still not able to see him. He’d also made me promise not to read his mind so I wouldn’t get a peek at what was going on that way. He slid his hand into mine and I ’ported us down to the play room. “Can I peek now?” I asked impatiently. “Yes,” he purred as he stepped away. What did my mate have planned for me? I was practically giddy as I pulled off the blindfold…and then I just about swallowed my tongue. He was covered from neck to ankle in red and green body paint. Bright mistletoe adorned his body.

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“Who? How? What? Edible?” I stuttered as I reached out to touch him and then dropped my hand. “I hate mistletoe.” “Yes, because your older brothers used to make you eat it, and it’s gross to eat and made you sick to your stomach.” Shely explained gently, not that I didn’t know this already, of course. “But I’m not going to force you to do anything, honey. It’s not real mistletoe, it’s body paint. And I promise you that it tastes delicious.” “Horse painted your naked body? He touched you?” I growled, having realized how he got his strange adornments. “Horse didn’t touch me, his brush did.” Shely’s face fell in regret. “And he’s seen me naked before. I couldn’t do this myself, Idiot.” Now I felt like a world-class asshole. He’d gone to all this trouble, hours and hours of holding still probably to get this done. “Right, of course you couldn’t.” “I’ll go wash it off.” Oh gods, he looked so dejected. His head hung down in disappointment, and I did the only thing I could think of to wipe that expression off his face. I dropped to my knees in front of him and licked his thigh. “You do taste good.” I hummed my approval and did it again. “Thank you, Shely.” “I swear no one else touched me, my mate. I’d never let another man touch me like you do. I wouldn’t want anyone else to.” “I know that.” And I did. Shely was nothing if not loyal. I gave another few licks. “Mmm, cherry, my favorite.” “You’re not mad?” His legs started to shake as I licked closer to his groin and then I noticed something else. He was hairless. I moaned in delight and kissed his sensitive skin. “No, but I might want you to always be waxed there from now on. It’s fucking hot.” “I shaved it. I could get into waxing if you did it, and I got this kind of attention for my trouble.” “Spread your legs,” I ordered and didn’t miss the shiver of delight at my commanding tone. My baby was the best at listening to orders

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when it was playtime. He did as I wanted, and I practically attacked his hanging sac. “Fuck, you taste so good. I love my present, Shely.” “I wanted you to get over your issues with mistletoe.” “Why?” It was the main question I had as soon as my head had cleared from jealousy. “Why is that so important to you?” “Because I’ve always wanted to kiss the man I love under the mistletoe,” he answered quietly. I tilted my neck and saw that his cheeks had heated up with embarrassment. “I think it’s romantic, and I’ve never had anyone to experience it with. It’s like my perfect Christmas fantasy. And I want it with you.” “And the cameras?” “So we could relive this again and again.” Shely ran his fingers though my hair tenderly, and I could see the love shining in his eyes. “I thought we could watch the DVD in bed, and I could lick you everywhere to reenact tonight.” “I like that idea,” I moaned and took one of his round orbs into my mouth. Shely gasped in shock at how hard I sucked on him. And I could tell he really liked it by the pre-cum leaking on my face. When that one was clean of the edible paint, I moved on to the other one. I knew when he wanted more by the way both hands went into my hair and he whimpered beautifully. I wasn’t about to give in just yet though. I wanted to tease him until he was begging to come. Besides, he took a lot of time arranging this for me. I meant to appreciate my gift slowly. He cried out softly when I moved from his sac to his cock. I gave one long lick on the underside of it. Shely’s hips moved of their own accord as if trying to get his cock in my mouth. Instead I cleaned off his thighs enough so that I could move my hands there, and then I went back to work on his dick now that I could brace myself. “Fuck, Idiot! That feels amazing.” He moaned as I ran my tongue up and down his cock. “Please, I need more. I’ve been primed since Horse started painting me.” I froze and he must have realized even in

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his lust-induced haze how that sounded. “I knew you’d lick me from head to toe after he was done, and I couldn’t wait to show you.” “Right answer,” I purred and swallowed him down. Okay, so I could give him a quick release and build him right back up. We did have all night after all. I bobbed my head fast right off the bat and Shely went wild. He pulled on my hair hard and thrust in my mouth as I sucked him off. “I’m coming, my love,” he cried out seconds before spilling his seed down my throat. I swallowed it all down hungrily, loving the fact I’d gotten him off so fast and he’d been this excited to do this for me. The moment he was spent, I quickly led him over to some shackles hanging from the ceiling and locked his wrists. I don’t think he even realized what was going on until I moved one of the video cameras on a tripod closer to his ass. “What are you doing?” I dropped to my knees behind him with a feral smile. “Snacking on your ass,” I growled and then sank my teeth into the flesh of his left butt cheek. My mate gasped in delight and then moaned as I licked the sting of the bite away. I didn’t use my fangs, but the idea of trying that later on parts other than his neck did seem promising. After his ass was free of the body paint, I pulled back the cheek of his firm butt and licked his hole. I licked, sucked, nibbled, and tongued his hole until he was nice and stretched. “Don’t stop,” he begged when I stood back up. “I was loving that!” “I love you,” I whispered in his back. “And I have something better for my sexy mate. Do you know what it does to me when I see you restrained like this? You’re completely helpless for whatever I want to do to you.” “I’m all yours.” I smiled at the sentiment because I knew it to be true. Shely was mine and I was his. I lined up my cock after I slicked it up, angling us just right for the camera, and slammed into my mate.

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“Fuck!” Shely hollered and pushed his ass back to meet me. “You really do like this.” “Oh yeah,” I moaned as his tight hole flexed around my cock, massaging it perfectly. “Shit, you feel so good I can’t go slow. I wanted to lick off the paint and not mess it up until I did.” “You can still lick it off me if you swirl it around,” he whined as if I was thinking too hard and delaying the fun. Which I was though. “Good point,” I growled and thrust hard into him. Shely grunted under the force of it. With both of us standing, he was incredibly tight. I adjusted my height so we were the same size because I wanted access to everything. He shivered when I licked along his raised tricep. I reached around him and placed one hand on his hip with the other torturing his nipple. “You know I love how you look and how you fit in my arms,” he muttered as I rubbed my hips against his ass. Not taking him, more teasing him. “But sometimes I’m grateful you can change your height because I’d be missing out on this closeness if you were still pintsize.” “Parts of me are never small.” I accented each word with a hard thrust. “No, now that’s never anything but huge,” Shely panted. I couldn’t help the smirk on my face at his declaration. Every man wants to hear that their partner likes their cock. It’s some primal bullshit thing, I’m sure, but it was still the truth. “It’s still fun when you make it massive and I feel the burn.” I could take a hint. I wasn’t that dense. Using my magic, I enlarged my cock to almost twelve inches and lots of girth. “Yes,” he hissed and started fucking himself on my dick. “So good. I love you, Idiot. I love you so fucking much. I want to be everything for you always. You’re more than I could ever have dreamed of in a partner and you always want to spoil me! Fuck, I love your cock. Fuck your mate. Fuck my ass. Make me feel you for a week!”

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Gods, I loved when he was so turned on he rambled and started talking dirty. “Will you scream for me if I pound my fat cock in your tight ass?” I stilled his hips, teasing him more. He struggled against me, wanting it as much as I did, but I wanted to hear him. “Yes!” He howled. “Fuck me! Please, fuck my ass. I’m begging you to slam your cock into me over and over again.” “How could I resist that?” I asked more to myself and started fucking him with everything I had. My mate screamed in delight, trying to form words but not being able to make his brain work. “Idiot, I need,” he gasped, and I knew what my baby needed. I reached down with the hand that had been on his hip and squeezed his sac hard, at the same time twisting his nipple. We’d explored sex enough that Shely had found out he liked some pain when he was close to coming. Not anything drastic, just to mix the line between pleasure and pain. He cried out as he came, and it was a strong enough orgasm that his whole body shook. I kept thrusting into him even though his tight ass clamped down on my cock. And just when he started coming down from his peak, I sank my fangs into his neck. Shely roared and climaxed all over again. This time I followed him right over and filled his ass with my seed. “Yes,” he moaned as the first of my cum entered his body. We’d also found that part of the fun of bottoming for him was the feeling of me pouring myself into his body. My kinky mate. As soon as I was done, I released his hands and lowered him to the ground. And realized I wasn’t done. “I need more,” I growled and spread his legs wide in the air. Before he could say a word, I slammed back into him, still hard, and started fucking him with enough force to move him across the floor. “Harder!” And I gave my mate what he wanted. I stared into his eyes as I licked the paint off his calves. He moaned as his cock tried

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to recover, but I wasn’t sure it was going to. Shely’s eyes practically rolled up into his head from the sensations I was causing in his body. “I love you,” I whispered before screaming his name and flooding his body again. Fuck! I swear my orgasm was so forceful I was surprised he didn’t fly off my dick. When I was spent, I dropped his legs and flopped down onto him. Shely immediately wrapped his body around me as I nuzzled his neck. We lay there for a few moments, gasping for air and letting our racing hearts slow back down. “You’re covered in edible paint, my sexy mate.” He cooed in my ear. “Guess you’ll just have to lick it off me.” I chuckled, knowing that’s exactly what he’d meant. “If I must,” he said with a fake annoyed sigh. We laughed as he rolled me over and lapped at my nipples. “I love you, Shely. Thank you for doing this for me.” “I’d do anything for you, Idiot,” he replied tenderly, and I could see the truth in his eyes. “Me, too, baby.” And I meant it with all my heart. For all eternity. I’d do anything and everything for my wonderful mate. Even eat real mistletoe off of him if that made him happy. Not that I was going to suggest that. Ever.

THE END WWW.JOYEEFLYNN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joyee Flynn grew up in Chicago living in the same house all her life until she left for college. Though she has a great life, she loves to get lost in fantasy that only books could bring. Her wide interest in reading was reflected in her writings. Currently Joyee lives with her dog, Marius, named after a vampire from Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire series. She dreams of one day living out in Montana, enough land to have a few horses, and find a couple of cowboys of her own. A lover of men, Joyee’s all about them in any form in her books. Vampire, werewolf, military, doesn’t matter at all as long as they are hot, hard, and sex fiends!

Also by Joyee Flynn Siren Classic ManLove: Who Needs Christmas? 1: Screw Santa Siren Classic ManLove: Who Needs Christmas? 2: Hell’s Bells Siren Classic ManLove: Who Needs Christmas? 3: Stupid Mistletoe

For all other titles, please visit www.bookstrand.com/joyee-flynn

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com