Star-Crossed Mates
Spirit Wolves 5
Star-Crossed Mates
Klaus and Clay are mates, but their relationship is strained by Klaus's duty toward Wolfram. For over ten years, Clay waits for Klaus to come to him, to leave The Magistrate's side and complete their bond. When Wolfram finds his mates, Clay dares to hope once again, but Klaus still rejects him. Unable to compete with Wolfram, Clay flees Klaus's side, only to find his other mate, Ross.
Having been tormented by the feral Joseph, Ross is forced to betray his rescuers, the spirit wolves. He doesn't expect meeting Clay or receiving another chance, but Clay helps him escape. Now on the run from both spirit wolves and ferals, Ross risks losing his mind to the feral virus.
It is up to Klaus to save his two mates. Three star-crossed mates are separated by distrust, sorrow, and dark secrets. Can Klaus make the right choice before it is too late?
Genre:
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Vampires/Werewolves
Length:
29,592 words
STAR-CROSSED MATES
Spirit Wolves 5
Scarlet Hyacinth
MENAGE AMOUR
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour ManLove
STAR-CROSSED MATES
Copyright © 2011 by Scarlet Hyacinth
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-654-8
First E-book Publication: August 2011
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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Star-Crossed Mates
by Scarlet Hyacinth from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
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Lots of hugs to all the readers who've been with me through this journey. In the name of Drew, Val, Trent, Dan, Linden, Ash, Wolfram, Fritz, Dietrich, Paulie, Sebastian, Marcus, Klaus, Ross and Clay (phew, that's a lot of them), I thank you.
STAR-CROSSED MATES
Spirit Wolves 5
SCARLET HYACINTH
Copyright © 2011
“Would you like some cookies, sir?”
The tall man in front of him turned and looked down at Ross.
“Cookies? I’m not much for sweets, but I’ll try one, for your sake.”
Ross offered his prospective client a sample and waited as the
man munched on the sweet. He found the way the stranger ate very
strange. It reminded Ross of the shows he glimpsed on the Discovery
Channel, with predators jumping on unsuspecting prey—a very odd
analogy given, in this case, the prey was a cookie. But Ross couldn’t
help it. The man gave him the creeps, with his black hair and black
clothes, and an all-around dark feel. Every cell in Ross’s being
screamed to get away.
Ross would have preferred to avoid the stranger altogether, but
tourists were rare in their small town, and he needed to get money
somehow. So he sold cookies baked by his adoptive mother to
whoever seemed to have enough money to buy. Still, he might have
dodged the need to engage the dark man in conversation if not for his
sister’s presence. She’d been the one forcing him to talk to the
enigmatic stranger. Damn Bitch. That’s what he called her. Bitch. He
didn’t even bother remembering the names of his numerous adoptive
families these days. He’d jumped through so many he’d lost count.
Star-Crossed Mates
9
Ross hoped to get this damn thing over with as soon as possible
and run away to hide somewhere neither his adoptive family nor any
weird customers could reach him. So he did his best to smile and
willed the man to pay for the cookies. The stranger arched a brow at
him, then grinned. “You’re an odd one, aren’t you?”
The knowing look in the man’s dark eyes scared Ross. He couldn’t
know, could he? The only ones who realized the truth about his
abilities were his adoptive parents and siblings, and even they didn’t
fully understand it. They’d figured out Ross had an uncanny knack to
convince people to do what they didn’t need or want to do. Ross
himself didn’t grasp the extent of it. He just remembered what his
real, birth parents always told him before their mysterious
disappearance. “Never show your talent to anyone. It’s dangerous
and people might hurt you if they know about it.”
In his heart, Ross knew they were dead. They wouldn’t have left
him otherwise. But it was too late for regrets now. Ross needed to
learn how to survive on his own. He counted the days until his
eighteenth birthday, until he could leave this place and build his own
home. He had exactly six years, five months, and ten days left to go.
So Ross armed himself with patience and tried to mask the
increasing fear. He ignored the man’s question and offered one of his
own in place of a reply. “Do you like the cookies?”
“Oh, yes.” The stranger chuckled. “I’ll take them all.”
Ross gaped. For a few moments, he even forgot about his fear, too
enthusiastic about the sale to care. “A–All of them?” He waved his
sister closer, and she approached carrying the rest of the packages.
“We have lots.”
The man shrugged and retrieved his wallet. “How much?”
“Five hundred dollars, sir,” Ross’s sister answered.
The outrageous sum made Ross choke. No way were the cookies
worth that much. But the stranger didn’t comment. He just paid for
the sweets, took the packages, and walked away.
10
Scarlet Hyacinth
Ross would have been happy about it, if he hadn’t caught the
dangerous gleam in the man’s eyes as he walked away. He
unwillingly shuddered. “What’s wrong with you?” Bitch asked. She
didn’t even wait for an answer. “Come on, let’s go. Mom’s going to
be so pleased with us.”
Ross obeyed in silence. He ignored all of her jabs, which only got
worse once they reached their so-called home. He didn’t comment on
any of the Senior Bitch’s insults, and fled as soon as he managed to
escape them. He had a little hideout in the shrubbery behind the
house. No one ever came there because no one ever bothered to look
for him when they didn’t need him to work.
He climbed into a tree and leaned against it, feeling life buzzing
around him, the rough bark strangely comforting. He didn’t know
how long he just sat there, enjoying the simple pleasure of the wind
caressing his face. All of a sudden, an odd dark sensation niggled at
his brain. He jumped out of the tree, intending to retreat into the
house, but he didn’t get the chance.
A strong hand grabbed him and pulled him into the bushes. Ross
tried to cry out, but a heavy palm covered his mouth before he could
do so. “Shh,” the familiar voice whispered. “Wouldn’t want anyone
in the house to hear.”
Ross gulped. It was the stranger from before. Oh, God. He’d just
known something like this might happen. He should have run. He
should have never tried to use his talents. But in truth, he didn’t have
any real control over them. More often than not, they were erratic. He
attempted to will the man to let him go, but his captor just chuckled.
“I’m afraid your power doesn’t work with me, child. But you have
great potential. Don’t worry. I’m going to teach you everything you
need to know.”
Ross began to struggle. He managed to land a hard blow into the
man’s belly. It had no effect, though, other than irritating his captor.
“It would seem you won’t come willingly, little Ross. Not to worry.
You’ll learn to obey me in time.”
Star-Crossed Mates
11
Ross tasted fear in his mouth at the dark promise. One last word
registered in his mind before a sharp blow to the back of his head sent
him into unconsciousness. “Joseph.” Even as the world dimmed
around him, he knew he’d fear that name for all time.
12
Scarlet Hyacinth
Ten years later
Clay waited on the bed, nervous butterflies fluttering in his stomach. This was it, the moment he’d been waiting for. Ten long years, he’d waited patiently. Ten years, during which he’d watched Klaus from afar, knowing another man occupied his rightful place and had stolen his mate from him. Had things been different, Clay would have fought it with all his might. But he couldn’t compare to his opponent. He didn’t have a chance against the Magistrate.