Zoe Perdita's Blog, page 4
November 7, 2016
Cover Reveal: Beta and the Black Prince (Lost Wolves Book Six)!
It's time for another cover reveal, you guys! But since this book isn't coming out until the end of December, I'm going to stagger the Manuscript Monday snippets to every other Monday. That means, the first one will be Nov. 21st instead of next Monday.
But I do think I'll do another Yuri on Ice!!! post in the meantime because I have more to say about that. ^_^
Anyhow, take a peek at the lovely cover for the last book in the Lost Wolves series!
Enjoy!
Kamil, a beta wolf, has been nothing but loyal to his alpha, Maxim, from the time they were pups. That loyalty is tested when King Lucien calls in his favor to Maxim. Lucien needs someone to hunt down the Ottoman wolf who has the power to destroy his kingdom, and Maxim sends Kamil on the mission.
Now, the beta wolf who always stood on the sidelines is now thrust into the center of a dangerous political struggle between two warring shifter kingdoms. At its heart is an alluring and dangerous wolf – Aslan, the bastard son of a Sultan, and the very wolf Kamil was sent to bring to King Lucien.
Problem is that wolf is also Kamil’s mate.
Will Kamil betray his king and his mission for a chance at love?
But I do think I'll do another Yuri on Ice!!! post in the meantime because I have more to say about that. ^_^
Anyhow, take a peek at the lovely cover for the last book in the Lost Wolves series!
Enjoy!
Kamil, a beta wolf, has been nothing but loyal to his alpha, Maxim, from the time they were pups. That loyalty is tested when King Lucien calls in his favor to Maxim. Lucien needs someone to hunt down the Ottoman wolf who has the power to destroy his kingdom, and Maxim sends Kamil on the mission.
Now, the beta wolf who always stood on the sidelines is now thrust into the center of a dangerous political struggle between two warring shifter kingdoms. At its heart is an alluring and dangerous wolf – Aslan, the bastard son of a Sultan, and the very wolf Kamil was sent to bring to King Lucien.
Problem is that wolf is also Kamil’s mate.
Will Kamil betray his king and his mission for a chance at love?
October 23, 2016
The Glorious Gayness of Yuri on Ice!!!
As you can tell from the title of this blog post it’s a little different than normal. It has nothing to do with my books, but I know a lot of you enjoy anime like I do, and that's what I want to talk about today.
It's about Yuri on Ice!!!, and I'm all kinds of obsessed with it for a variety of reasons. Plus, the show is pretty groundbreaking, and I'd like to talk about it.
Sports anime is usually kind of gay. The male leads. The heightened emotions. The rivalries that seem almost romantic in nature. The utter dearth of female characters. Yeah, most shows have 1 or 2 ladies who are there to cheer on the team/protagonist in some way.
However, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, and the sequel Eternal Summer, were the first (that I saw anyway) that took out the gay subtext and made it *almost* text. If you include the stories in the Free! character mooks as part of the series canon than the relationships do jump into the text in full force. However, the show never quite goes beyond hinting at relationships deeper than friendships. Even if we do get an entire episode of Nagisa basically flirting with Rei until he decides to join the swim team.
But Free! Iwatobi Swim Club broke new ground in that way because it was so popular, both in Japan and in the West. We all know a bunch of other sports anime with gay subtext followed. I'm not going to talk about those, but I think without Free! paving the way, we wouldn't have Yuri on Ice!!!
And that would be a damn shame.
First, let's talk about Viktor. He’s 28, and doesn't have any sort of romantic attachment at the beginning of the show, though he said to be a playboy. We know he has a lot of fans, mostly female, and he seems to soak up the attention – but we never see him flirt with a woman. In fact, the only person he gets super touchy-feely and flirty with is our hero, Yuuri.
“But what about in episode two when he talks about girlfriends?”
I can hear you asking that question even through the computer screen, and I have an answer. If you watch the show on Crunchyroll, then the translation is a little bit off. In the entire conversation about ‘girlfriends’ the Japanese word that Viktor uses is ‘koibito,’ which means ‘lover’ and not the word for ‘girlfriend,’ which is ‘kanojo.’ So, Viktor is asking Yuuri if he’s ever had a lover *not* a girlfriend. That is a very deliberate choice on the part of the anime creators.
I’m not sure if Viktor is meant to be gay or bi or pansexual, and since we’re only three episodes in we might learn more later. But for now I think it's safe to assume he's not straight. The queer is strong with this one.
Next, let's talk about the OP. Most sports anime OPs have a pretty fast and hard (for Japan) rock song. Yuri on Ice!!! goes in a different direction. Seriously. Listen to the OP and tell me it doesn't sound like a wonderful gay anthem. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Sure, I guess it's subjective. The song could just be an ‘achieve your dreams’ kind of anthem, but no other sports anime theme is this gay. That's a fact.
Yuri on Ice!!! doesn't have a whole lot of female characters (yet), but those who are there are unavailable to our hero. His childhood friend is married with kids. And Yuuri claims he has no romantic interest in his ballet teacher. Considering he goes to her for help in seducing Viktor, I’m pretty sure that's true.
On too the third episode—the gayest of all so far. For one, we have Yuuri who spends the entire episode trying to figure out how to awake his sexual side. And the conclusion he comes to – Viktor. Seriously folks. Yuuri *knows* who he is dancing for, and it's not his love of pork cutlet bowls.
And, in order for him to get in touch with his sexual side he realizes he can't be the playboy, like Viktor. Instead, he gets in touch with his femininity in order to seduce the playboy (Viktor), and it works! On Tumblr there was some pushback about Yuuri choosing his feminine side over his masculine side in order to seduce Viktor, but I honestly don't see a problem with it. It's pretty revolutionary for a male character to decide consciously to be feminine and not be shunned for it. Yuuri can be whatever he wants to be, and that's what so beautiful about it.
There is also the conversation Yuuri has with Viktor before he takes to the ice in which he asks Viktor to watch *only* him. The ‘only’ was lost in translation, unfortunately. Yuuri also calls himself a pork cutlet bowl, to which Viktor replies that he loves pork cutlet bowls. Yes. Viktor loves Yuuri. You read it here first. Or maybe you read it on Tumblr first. I'm really not sure.
Finally, there's the scene at the very end when Yuuri is accepting his award, and when they ask what he wants to do next he doesn't answer until Viktor squeezes his arm and holds him, rather close. Like Viktor stated earlier in the same episode, if Yuuri lacks confidence, it's Viktor's job to give him some.
Oh, and finally (for real) let's not forget the ending OP and the little Instagram pictures that flash across the screen. The one with Viktor combing Yuuri’s hair is pretty damn intimate. Not to mention them in their swim trunks in those public showers scrubbing each other’s hair.
As of now, Yuuri/Viktor seems solidly canon, and that's amazing. Very few non-yaoi and non-shonen-ai anime have made main characters gay and treated it like it's no big deal. The only two anime that come to mind is No. 6 and Ouran High School Host Club (which are both awesome! Go watch them!).
I really hope Yuri on Ice!!! gets even gayer from here on out and keeps breaking new gay anime ground. ^_^
It's about Yuri on Ice!!!, and I'm all kinds of obsessed with it for a variety of reasons. Plus, the show is pretty groundbreaking, and I'd like to talk about it.
Sports anime is usually kind of gay. The male leads. The heightened emotions. The rivalries that seem almost romantic in nature. The utter dearth of female characters. Yeah, most shows have 1 or 2 ladies who are there to cheer on the team/protagonist in some way.
However, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, and the sequel Eternal Summer, were the first (that I saw anyway) that took out the gay subtext and made it *almost* text. If you include the stories in the Free! character mooks as part of the series canon than the relationships do jump into the text in full force. However, the show never quite goes beyond hinting at relationships deeper than friendships. Even if we do get an entire episode of Nagisa basically flirting with Rei until he decides to join the swim team.
But Free! Iwatobi Swim Club broke new ground in that way because it was so popular, both in Japan and in the West. We all know a bunch of other sports anime with gay subtext followed. I'm not going to talk about those, but I think without Free! paving the way, we wouldn't have Yuri on Ice!!!
And that would be a damn shame.
First, let's talk about Viktor. He’s 28, and doesn't have any sort of romantic attachment at the beginning of the show, though he said to be a playboy. We know he has a lot of fans, mostly female, and he seems to soak up the attention – but we never see him flirt with a woman. In fact, the only person he gets super touchy-feely and flirty with is our hero, Yuuri.
“But what about in episode two when he talks about girlfriends?”
I can hear you asking that question even through the computer screen, and I have an answer. If you watch the show on Crunchyroll, then the translation is a little bit off. In the entire conversation about ‘girlfriends’ the Japanese word that Viktor uses is ‘koibito,’ which means ‘lover’ and not the word for ‘girlfriend,’ which is ‘kanojo.’ So, Viktor is asking Yuuri if he’s ever had a lover *not* a girlfriend. That is a very deliberate choice on the part of the anime creators.
I’m not sure if Viktor is meant to be gay or bi or pansexual, and since we’re only three episodes in we might learn more later. But for now I think it's safe to assume he's not straight. The queer is strong with this one.
Next, let's talk about the OP. Most sports anime OPs have a pretty fast and hard (for Japan) rock song. Yuri on Ice!!! goes in a different direction. Seriously. Listen to the OP and tell me it doesn't sound like a wonderful gay anthem. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Sure, I guess it's subjective. The song could just be an ‘achieve your dreams’ kind of anthem, but no other sports anime theme is this gay. That's a fact.
Yuri on Ice!!! doesn't have a whole lot of female characters (yet), but those who are there are unavailable to our hero. His childhood friend is married with kids. And Yuuri claims he has no romantic interest in his ballet teacher. Considering he goes to her for help in seducing Viktor, I’m pretty sure that's true.
On too the third episode—the gayest of all so far. For one, we have Yuuri who spends the entire episode trying to figure out how to awake his sexual side. And the conclusion he comes to – Viktor. Seriously folks. Yuuri *knows* who he is dancing for, and it's not his love of pork cutlet bowls.
And, in order for him to get in touch with his sexual side he realizes he can't be the playboy, like Viktor. Instead, he gets in touch with his femininity in order to seduce the playboy (Viktor), and it works! On Tumblr there was some pushback about Yuuri choosing his feminine side over his masculine side in order to seduce Viktor, but I honestly don't see a problem with it. It's pretty revolutionary for a male character to decide consciously to be feminine and not be shunned for it. Yuuri can be whatever he wants to be, and that's what so beautiful about it.
There is also the conversation Yuuri has with Viktor before he takes to the ice in which he asks Viktor to watch *only* him. The ‘only’ was lost in translation, unfortunately. Yuuri also calls himself a pork cutlet bowl, to which Viktor replies that he loves pork cutlet bowls. Yes. Viktor loves Yuuri. You read it here first. Or maybe you read it on Tumblr first. I'm really not sure.
Finally, there's the scene at the very end when Yuuri is accepting his award, and when they ask what he wants to do next he doesn't answer until Viktor squeezes his arm and holds him, rather close. Like Viktor stated earlier in the same episode, if Yuuri lacks confidence, it's Viktor's job to give him some.
Oh, and finally (for real) let's not forget the ending OP and the little Instagram pictures that flash across the screen. The one with Viktor combing Yuuri’s hair is pretty damn intimate. Not to mention them in their swim trunks in those public showers scrubbing each other’s hair.
As of now, Yuuri/Viktor seems solidly canon, and that's amazing. Very few non-yaoi and non-shonen-ai anime have made main characters gay and treated it like it's no big deal. The only two anime that come to mind is No. 6 and Ouran High School Host Club (which are both awesome! Go watch them!).
I really hope Yuri on Ice!!! gets even gayer from here on out and keeps breaking new gay anime ground. ^_^
October 11, 2016
Trick & Treat (Broken Heroes Halloween Story) Released!
The Halloween story is out now. And it's only 99 cents!
Get it on Amazon.
Patrick Black and Calder King risk their lives every night as vigilantes looking over the corrupt city of Darkvale, but even superheroes need a night off every now and then. . . .
Year One - Patrick invites his hot jock roommate, Calder, to a Halloween party on their college campus. One caveat: they get to choose each other’s costume, and they both have something sexy in mind.
Year Two - After dating Patrick nearly a year, Calder decides it’s time to hit up a gay club. Of course, Patrick adds an extra layer of kink to their night out, including an introduction into sex toys and a costume that breaks Calder’s brain in the best way possible. Can Calder up the ante and make this a night Patrick will never forget?
Also, to celebrate, Titan in Chains is free for the next 4 days.
Get it on Amazon!
Get it on Amazon.
Patrick Black and Calder King risk their lives every night as vigilantes looking over the corrupt city of Darkvale, but even superheroes need a night off every now and then. . . .
Year One - Patrick invites his hot jock roommate, Calder, to a Halloween party on their college campus. One caveat: they get to choose each other’s costume, and they both have something sexy in mind.
Year Two - After dating Patrick nearly a year, Calder decides it’s time to hit up a gay club. Of course, Patrick adds an extra layer of kink to their night out, including an introduction into sex toys and a costume that breaks Calder’s brain in the best way possible. Can Calder up the ante and make this a night Patrick will never forget?
Also, to celebrate, Titan in Chains is free for the next 4 days.
Get it on Amazon!
October 7, 2016
So much stuff to tell you guys, and a Halloween story cover reveal!
First off, I'm sooooo sorry I haven't posted here in forever. I'm not dead (yet again), though, if I were, I'd totes be vampire dead and not zombie dead. The latter is just gross.
Second, I have news of upcoming releases!
I'm still editing the sixth Lost Wolves book (Beta and the Black Prince), but it's not going to come out until the end of December. I had originally planned for November, but with the election and everything I'm pretty sure the book would flop (and I don't want that!).
But I am going to give you guys a little something to tide you over: a Broken Heroes Halloween story! Just what everyone always wanted.
Okay, it's just something I wanted to write, and so I did.
It'll be out next week, and it's split into two parts. The first is a short about Patrick and Calder's first Halloween as roommates. The second takes place during the next Broken Heroes book, so there are spoilers for Titan Unleashed, and a few hints about what is to come. Plus, a Halloween party, sexy costumes and some kinky fun time in a gay club. You know, just what you'd expect from those two.
Take a peek at the cover:
Second, I have news of upcoming releases!
I'm still editing the sixth Lost Wolves book (Beta and the Black Prince), but it's not going to come out until the end of December. I had originally planned for November, but with the election and everything I'm pretty sure the book would flop (and I don't want that!).
But I am going to give you guys a little something to tide you over: a Broken Heroes Halloween story! Just what everyone always wanted.
Okay, it's just something I wanted to write, and so I did.
It'll be out next week, and it's split into two parts. The first is a short about Patrick and Calder's first Halloween as roommates. The second takes place during the next Broken Heroes book, so there are spoilers for Titan Unleashed, and a few hints about what is to come. Plus, a Halloween party, sexy costumes and some kinky fun time in a gay club. You know, just what you'd expect from those two.
Take a peek at the cover:
August 30, 2016
Haven City Series Super Sale!!!
Remember how I hinted at a sale yesterday?!?!
It's on right now to celebrate the release of Alpha's Cage!
Shadow Scars (Haven City Series #1) is free until September 2nd on Amazon and All Romance.
And all the other Haven City books are only 99 cents until September 6th!
Check them out here:
Amazon
All Romance
Enjoy!!!
It's on right now to celebrate the release of Alpha's Cage!
Shadow Scars (Haven City Series #1) is free until September 2nd on Amazon and All Romance.
And all the other Haven City books are only 99 cents until September 6th!
Check them out here:
Amazon
All Romance
Enjoy!!!
August 29, 2016
Alpha's Cage (Haven City Series #9) Released!
Yay! It's time for the book everyone has been waiting for for the last few years!
Okay, maybe not that long. . . or has it been? I think I started getting asked about Ari getting his own book after the first Haven City book came out, so maybe it has been years. Took me long enough to get here, huh? Well, I hope it was worth the wait!
Oh, and the book is only $2.99 until September 6th! If the book doesn't show up on sale on Amazon, just wait a few hours and it will!
Also, I have another announcement tomorrow. A sale on the Haven City Series. . . . Look out for that!
Get it here:
Amazon
All Romance
Ten years ago, Felan Cage ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. He lost his mate and his brother in the same night, and nothing has ever been the same. Since then, he’s buried himself in his work as a history professor and built a strong pack as an alpha wolf, but it’s the forgiveness of the man he loves he wants most of all. The man who now hates him.
Ari Gold is done dating shifters. They’re nothing but a bother – hence the injured ones that show up on his porch at every hour of the night. By day, he runs a quaint antique shop, and he’s a skilled healer for the shadow folk, but the last thing he wants is trouble.
Of course, trouble finds him.
When Ari buys a lot of old junk from an estate sale, he ends up with an item worth millions on the magical black market and a price on his head. Even worse, he has to ask the last man he wants to for help, his ex-boyfriend, Felan Cage.Felan will do anything to help Ari, but can the alpha convince the healer to stop living in the past and learn to love him again?
Okay, maybe not that long. . . or has it been? I think I started getting asked about Ari getting his own book after the first Haven City book came out, so maybe it has been years. Took me long enough to get here, huh? Well, I hope it was worth the wait!
Oh, and the book is only $2.99 until September 6th! If the book doesn't show up on sale on Amazon, just wait a few hours and it will!
Also, I have another announcement tomorrow. A sale on the Haven City Series. . . . Look out for that!
Get it here:
Amazon
All Romance
Ten years ago, Felan Cage ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. He lost his mate and his brother in the same night, and nothing has ever been the same. Since then, he’s buried himself in his work as a history professor and built a strong pack as an alpha wolf, but it’s the forgiveness of the man he loves he wants most of all. The man who now hates him.
Ari Gold is done dating shifters. They’re nothing but a bother – hence the injured ones that show up on his porch at every hour of the night. By day, he runs a quaint antique shop, and he’s a skilled healer for the shadow folk, but the last thing he wants is trouble.
Of course, trouble finds him.
When Ari buys a lot of old junk from an estate sale, he ends up with an item worth millions on the magical black market and a price on his head. Even worse, he has to ask the last man he wants to for help, his ex-boyfriend, Felan Cage.Felan will do anything to help Ari, but can the alpha convince the healer to stop living in the past and learn to love him again?
August 23, 2016
First Chapter Sneak Peek: Alpha's Cage (Haven City Series #9)
So, like a complete dork, I forgot what day of the week it was and didn't post this yesterday. *face palm*
It's here now!
Also, I'm working on the next Lost Wolves book as well. It should be out in November. I forgot how much I enjoyed writing the Black Prince, Aslan. He's a treat. And he keeps Kamil on his toes.
Also, if you do a google image search for 'naked yaoi' you'll find a bunch of Digimon porn. 0_0
I'm not gonna post that. Instead, more Free! pics. I pretty much ship everyone with everyone else on that show.
First chapter time! Enjoy!
1
Ari Gold stood in the middle of the haunted house and waited.
The familiar presence lingered at the top of the grand staircase carved of dark wood, which wound around in a circle to the top of the third floor. The house itself, a charming Victorian set in the historic district of Haven City, had been in the Gold family for the last three generations but the haunting—that was a recent occurrence.
Recent as in the last ten years.
And it wasn't as if it bothered Ari in the least. He’d rather have this ghost close by, hanging over his shoulder and speaking to him in those quiet whispers at night than gone for good.
Because it meant Kian might be dead, but he was still here.
A reminder of Ari’s failure on so many different levels. Staying around to keep him in check. Prevent him from making anymore dire mistakes like he had in the past. Though, he knew, losing Kian hadn’t been his own fault entirely. The wounds were too grievous to treat when the wolf arrived on his doorstep, but that sort of guilt didn’t listen to reason.
Ari could still feel him—hear him, and even on rare occasions see him, and that was all he needed, most of the time.
Unfortunately some people wouldn’t agree with that sentiment.
Or, not people, but wolves.
Well, one alpha in particular.
Felan Cage.
And he was the one wolf Ari didn’t want to deal with on the best of days, and certainly not on any of his worst.
Having an alpha as an ex-boyfriend sucked.
Kian’s presence roused, the air charging with an energy that Ari had grown accustomed to over the years. Akin to the sensation a thunderstorm puts in the air on a muggy summer’s day. It meant someone was coming, and Ari knew just who that someone was.
A moment later, a knock just shy of forceful sounded on the front door.
Ari stood to the side of the entryway in the formal sitting room (that hadn’t seen actual use in ages), fists clenched at his sides and heard the knock echoed on the wall at the top of the stairs, a hollow sound.
“I don’t have to answer it,” Ari said under his breath.
He knew it was Cage because the alpha had the sense to call first, and even if Ari told Cage he was heading out to open his shop and run some very important errands, did the wolf listen?
No.
Never did.
It had to be an alpha thing, because not all wolves were that dense.
Usually.
Ari wished his front door didn't have the frosted glass panel that made it far too easy to see in and out. The morning sunlight framed Cage’s silhouette, and his six foot something frame look larger than normal.
When Ari glanced to the top of the staircase, he saw a ghostly shadow similar to Cage’s there. Only there was no way that shadow could travel up three flights of stairs.
Kian was playing tricks on him again.
“Does that mean you want me to answer it or not?”Ari asked in a hushed whisper. Not that it would do any good. Shifter hearing was much better than his own human abilities.
Though, Ari did have skills above and beyond a normal human as a healer, the shadow folk version of a medical doctor, really, but it’s not like it came with many special powers. He knew how to bring out the medical properties of herbs with a bit of latent magic. When to harvest them and pick them, all of that was innate. But the potions he made were learned through years of practice from his grandmother, who’d served both Haven’s shadow folk and regular folk for years before her death.
Ari had enough of one kind of folk for his own liking, thank you very much.
Not to mention, being a healer didn’t pay well.
He had more than enough bloody shifters and mages showing up on his stoop at all hours of the night with everything from a simple sprain to a bullet wound (those were some of the worst), but it’s not like he could magic them away with a puff of smoke.
That’s not how his power worked.
It took time to collect herbs for his work and money to buy them if he didn’t have the time. At least shifters healed quicker than humans.
In order to run his own private healing clinic, he needed to have a side job as well. In Ari’s case he ran a high end antique shop over on 20th that specialized in magical objects. Which is where he needed to be now, not trapped in his own house caught between a ghost and an alpha, both of whom were on his very last nerve.
“Ari, I said I’d buy you coffee. If you go out the back, I’ll hear you,” Cage said through the door, and Ari gritted his teeth and watched the shadow at the top of the stairs dissipate in a way a normal shadow had no business doing. Kian’s presence faded with it until it was nothing more than a vague pressure, something that watched from the walls and didn’t speak.
Fine.
If Kian wasn’t going to be of any help, Ari would handle this on his own.
He righted his dark brown hair, brushing the loose strands off his forehead. His shirt was tucked in and fit his smallish frame well. The green matched his eyes, and the gray slacks were professional and well-fitted. He didn’t bother with a tie, but he had a sweater to keep the chill off. Even the summers in Haven City were changeable. A warm day could turn into a cold one with a bit of cloud cover and a rainstorm.
He made a show of checking his pockets for his wallet and keys and cell phone before he finally answered the door with an exaggerated frown.
Cage, the tall handsome alpha with a crook in his nose and those keen dark eyes, smirked at him. He was dressed much like Ari himself, save his button up was checkered neutrals instead of green. For those who didn’t know him, he looked every bit the middle aged history professor, with those copper wire-framed glasses and his gently mussed brown hair. Most shifters had excellent vision, but an accident as a child left Cage with poor eyesight that could only be fixed by human means, hence the glasses.
Which Ari didn’t find charming at all.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
At least, that’s what he told himself as he stared up at the smirking alpha and counted backwards from ten to keep from raising his voice. While also reminding his traitorous body that, while attractive, dating Cage was the most disastrous thing that had ever happened to him.
And it killed Kian.
He didn’t know why it took so many years for it to understand that simple fact.
“I don’t need coffee,” Ari managed and brushed out the door, turning to lock it before Cage could say a thing.
“You look like you need coffee. One cup on the way to the shop won’t hurt you.”
Not having an actual excuse, Ari scoffed instead and marched down the twisting cement path that led to the sidewalk, past the roses and hydrangea in his front yard, both in full bloom. The heady scent filled his nose. Not what he needed with Cage so close.
“Maybe not, but I can buy my own coffee,” Ari said and didn’t bother to check if Cage followed. There’s no way he wouldn’t. “Don’t you have a class to teach?”
“I’m not teaching this summer. Research only,” Cage said and sighed.
He did that when he had something to say but didn't want to actually say it without prompting. No way in hell was Ari prompting him to say anything.
He changed the subject instead. “How's Tyler?”
Tyler Harrison. Cage was his NA sponsor.
Cage stepped next to Ari. “Quite well, actually. He’s made a lot of progress since Quinn came along. Who knew having a mate would do a wolf so much good?”
Shit.
Ari forgot about that.
Wolves and their mates.
To think he’d almost bought into the whole notion back when he was young and stupid and oh so naive. Not only that, but talking about Tyler should’ve been labeled ‘off limits’ in his brain too. How Cage and Tyler were acquainted was a delicate issue.
“I forgot about that,” Ari said and paused to wait for a stoplight to change. He had a car, but his shop was only twenty blocks away, and unless it was pouring there was no reason not to walk. “How’s his tattoo shop?”
Ari swore he felt Cage’s eyes boring into his skull, but he refused to look. “Are you thinking of getting a little ink?”
“No.”
Cage chuckled. “His shop is doing well enough that he doesn’t have to worry. You know how the Chinatown gangs are with their tattoos. He hasn’t missed a meeting in ages either. And he’s even getting along with Davis, for once. I think he might be on his way to forgiving him, if he hasn’t already.”
Ari snorted. He wasn’t one to gossip, but he knew the basics of what Tyler’s older brother had done to lose Tyler’s trust. Still nothing compared to what Felan Cage himself had done, and if he wanted forgiveness for that, he could search elsewhere because Ari wasn’t offering it.
“Well, at least Tyler is alive to give it,” Ari said and bit the inside of his lip after the words spilled out. He definitely wasn’t going to look at Cage now.
“That he is,” Cage said heavily. “I don’t expect you to forgive me for that.”
“Good, because it’s never happening so you should stop trying to—”
“To what?” Cage asked, and Ari’s eyes betrayed his internal command and glanced over.
His heart seized up at the pain in Cage’s brown eyes, pinched at the edges and showing his age, alpha or not. He was older than Ari by several years, forty-two this past May. Not that Ari kept Cage’s birthday written down on a calendar or anything, but there were some things his mind wouldn’t let him forget.
It was far too much like the look he had the night he carried a broken Kian to Ari’s door, rambling incoherently about blood loss and not knowing what had happened.
Ari shook the memory away the pointed at the café. “Here. Buy me the coffee if you insist, but I’ll need breakfast too, and I’m not cheap.”
The expression cleared, and the corner of Cage’s mouth quirked. “Don’t I know it.”
Ari ignored that.
After he was weighed down with a large latte and a blueberry muffin as big as his fist, he turned toward his shop, fully expecting Cage to go his own way.
The alpha didn’t. He followed Ari right up to the front of Gold’s Curios and stepped inside.
“I told you I have errands to run, and I can’t be bothered to entertain a stray dog today,” Ari said as he set his load on the counter, then plucked out a blueberry and ate it. He didn’t open until eleven a.m. and it was just after six now.
Did Cage really get up at the crack of dawn to meet him? No. From the smudges under the alpha’s eyes, he’d probably pulled an all nighter in his office.
“You can’t use company on your errand?” Cage asked as his eyes wandered over the shop. “I can carry your bags.”
“I’m not grocery shopping. It’s an estate sale out at Lake Orlando, and I don’t need anyone to escort me. They probably wouldn’t like a shifter sitting in anyway. They have wards against your kind up there.”
The words felt like fire in his throat, no matter how true they might be. The tightening of Cage’s jaw told him they hit their mark.
“Who died?”
“That’s confidential as of this moment. But the fact that I got an invitation means I have to be on time if I want to get the prime valuables.”
Cage smiled at that. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you picking the bones from the dead, Goldie.”
Ari’s spine tingled at the use of his old nickname—the one he’d hated since as far back as he could remember. “Oh? Says the man who makes up stories about dead people. At least I have something to show for my line of work.”
Cage laughed.
It was an old argument and, grudgingly, Ari knew they had nothing against what each other did. They were, in a way, joined by their love of the past, though they went about it in different ways. But making a living as a professor wasn’t easy: case in point Cage. And Ari had more than himself to think about—he had a legion of shadow folk who depended on him as well.
Cage might be the alpha of his own pack, but he didn’t support them all monetarily. Not anymore, at least. Now they all had jobs and families of their own while their alpha was alone.
Not that Ari felt bad about it. It wasn’t his fault Cage ruined everything.
“I have written a few books about folklore and magic if you're interested,” Cage said, his voice light. “Did you write about how magic is real and that you can turn into a giant wolf at will?”
Cage’s eyes crinkled. “I neglected to mention that part. You know how humans can get.”
Ari nodded. So did all shadow folk, which is why their world was kept secret from regular humans. “Look at what they do to each other. I can't imagine what they’d do to us.”
Cage smiled sadly. “You don't have to imagine. We have history to back it up.”
The alpha was talking about the witch trials in Europe which had affected the shadow folk primarily.“Let's hope nothing like that happens again,” Ari said and chomped on his muffin.
“Don't you need to drive to Lake Orlando?” Cage asked and sipped his coffee. Black with two sugars. Why did Ari remember that?
“They're sending a car, but I'd rather not be covered in crumbs when it arrives.”
“Or seen keeping company with a wolf,” Cage said and his smile sharpened, showing his canines.“I don't care if they know who I associate with. I'm just a healer, after all.”
And healers weren't high on the totem pole of magic users in the eyes of the old families. They valued power and prestige over everything else. The only reason they came to Ari in the first place was because he was the only member of the shadow folk with an antique shop in Haven City, and the only one who even sold magic antiques in a hundred mile radius (not a large market for his wares but a loyal one). Though he wasn't fooling himself; there would be other bidders there as well. Probably ones with deeper pockets than he had.
Still he wasn't going to turn down the opportunity.
“Don't underestimate yourself,” Cage said, eyes wandering the depths of the shop.
It was filled with antiques from all over the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the world. Some highly polished furniture in dark exotic woods. The walls were hung with tapestries and paintings and a surprising number of weapons, mostly swords and spears. Odd knickknacks of every conceivable type, from a stuffed raven (a necromancer’s familiar) to a supposedly cursed deck of playing cards dotted with blood, were organized and displayed tastefully. As far as Ari knew there wasn't a mote dust on any surface. He liked to keep it that way.
It looked almost as haunted as his home.
“I never have. I know exactly what I'm capable of and what I'm not. Maybe you shouldn’t overestimate their abilities, alpha,” Ari said and polished off his muffin.
“Perhaps I’ve overestimated my ability to win you back,” Cage said into his coffee.
Ari narrowed his eyes into sharp green slits. “I'm not a prize, and yeah you have overestimated your ability to ever call me anything more than an acquaintance again.”
Outside the shop, a black Aston Martin pulled to a stop and honked on the horn.
“Your ride?” Cage asked, and kept his face turned away from Ari.
He wasn't going to feel bad for what he said. It was best to get the truth out and not let Cage think he stood a chance. As far as Ari was concerned, he wasn't anybody’s mate. Especially not that alpha’s. Ari moved to the door and held it open. “Looks like it. Get some sleep. You need it.”
Cage started. Stared at him for long moment. “You do care.”
Ari shook his head. “No, but you look like shit. You can't run your pack if you don't take care of yourself.”
“I suppose not. I'll see you tonight. Dinner,” he said and turned.
“Stop threatening me,” Ari called after him, but Cage didn’t stop or make any sound that he’d heard.
Asshole.
Still, Ari had more important things to do than stroke the ego of an alpha wolf.
He climbed into the backseat of the Aston Martin and settled in for the ride. The driver didn't say anything as they wound up into the hills, through Forest Park and toward the lake. The trees were nothing but a blur of green and brown, and every glimpse he caught of the lake itself felt like seeing a blue-green jewel glimmering in the distance. The area was almost exclusively owned by the old families and one dragon, as far as he knew. But that was a dragon not even sorcerers wanted to mess with. Ari didn’t blame them. He didn’t want to get on Jin Yue’s bad side either. Not only due to the dragon bit. But Jin Yue also ran every criminal enterprise throughout Haven, including all the Chinese shifter gangs.
In short, not someone to mess with.
The car pulled up a long drive lined with towering fir trees on either side and surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. The house was a massive sprawling thing with too many columns to be Victorian and too many balconies to be colonial. It was made from red and brown brick, and looked like it could be a castle if it had a turret or two.
The Montgomery family had owned it, though now it was in the hands of the attorney since they had no living relatives any longer. That’s what the old families got for being so damn picky about who they allowed their offspring to marry. Not that anyone would have wanted to marry Bradley Montgomery anyway. He’d been in his prime, but from what Ari had heard, he was a terrible bastard who deserved to have a sudden heart attack in Forest Park on a night that just happened to be a full moon. Normal humans didn’t understand that significance, and the shadow folk police on the force weren’t going to attempt to prosecute the shifter responsible for a variety of reasons. One being that shifter in question had been wrongfully held captive and abused for nearly twenty years.
Still, it had taken long enough for the lawyer to get everything put on the market considering Bradley had died well over a month before.
Ari considered that as he stepped out of the car and across the drive.
There were a few other cars present, but it looked like Ari was the only one who’d been offered a ride. Unless, of course, they had a whole garage full of Aston Martins on their way. With the old families you could never tell.
Being a human magic user meant Ari couldn't smell magic the way shifters could, but he felt the shimmer on his skin as he stepped into the house, and he saw the pale glow of wards that covered the place, though some of them had been broken already. The underlying power pulled with a revolting sensation that made him wish he’d never finished that muffin. Wasn’t Bradley a light mage and not a necromancer? It felt like the latter more than the former, but that sort of dark magic was never associated with the old families.
That didn’t mean their magic was all light and goodness—far from it.
Mrs. Barnes, the attorney running the sale, approached as Ari glanced around the empty entryway. He hoped they gathered all the interesting artifacts into a few rooms or this trip wouldn’t have been worth it.
“Good. You're here. Now we can start,” she said and led the way into what would’ve been a formal living room, Ari guessed.
His loafers echoed hollowly on the smooth wooden floors.
The lot in question was smaller than he thought it’d be, and Ari felt that twinge of annoyance raking up his spine. Of course they wouldn’t keep the good stuff for him. They probably sold it as soon as Montgomery keeled over to pay their bill.
Typical.
And what was left didn’t hold any particular interest to him in the first place. He specialized in curios. Meaning rare items. Not things a normal antique shop carried. He might have some furniture, but it was all carefully selected and, to the discerning eye, unique. Not typical cherrywood side tables with inlaid rosewood.
He almost turned to go, but the mood in the room, and the two over-sized men who loomed in the corner watching him, changed his mind. The lawyer stood at the front of the room and gave her spiel about the history of the estate (she was wrong about most of it, from Ari’s research) and what was for sale (everything).
“We’re selling things by the room only. We have them organized that way and found it might be easiest for the buyers as well. No cherry picking. Take all of it or none of it,” she said and shot a look at Ari.
He rolled his eyes. He’d never dealt with Mrs. Barnes before, but her firm handled a lot of wealthy estates. Maybe he was earning a reputation in Haven for his shrewdness. Good. Couldn’t hurt. Ari glanced at the other buyers. One was Margaret Benson, a normal human who owned another antique shop in town. She had frizzy brown and gray hair in a braid down her back and wore a long floral dress. He’d seen her plenty and would often recommend her shop if his customers wanted something a little more mainstream. She smiled at him, fire in her eyes, and he knew he’d have to move quickly if he wanted the impressive stuff.
It was clear from Mrs. Barnes speech they’d moved it out of sight for whatever reason. Hopefully, the things that remained in the room were just rejects and not a hint of what the Montgomery family had. There were a few other buyers there that he didn’t recognize. Probably from outside of Haven somewhere. One pair was a man and a woman in slick black leather jackets. Not the weather for those, but maybe they came on motorcycles. The oppressive nature of the house and whatever wards were worked into the walls kept him from sensing if they had magic as well.
He wondered if Cage could’ve done a better job and scowled at himself for even daring to consider that.
Finally, Mrs. Barnes pointed at the doors with the guards, and everyone stood up and shuffled through them.
Ari was small and quick, so he made it through first.
That room was all furniture and a few lamps. Nothing that caught his interest, so he passed to the next one.
More furniture.
Some family portraits.
No one would buy those.
He moved on.
And on.
Past more antique furniture that every old family seemed to own. Sure, it would catch a good price, but it didn’t interest him. And Ari’s shop didn’t specialize in that.
He was ready to call it a day when he arrived at the final room.
This is what he came here for.
It bristled against his skin as he stepped inside, a distinct buzzing that told him several of the objects were imbued with magic. A faint glimmer of power covered nearly everything. Ari smiled and closed the door behind him, doing a quick mental sweep of the room and what it held. A golden hourglass with lapis lazuli colored sand. The stuffed head of a badger—gruesome, but he knew a collector who’d be more than interested. A lantern with a dim blue flame flickering inside (definitely strange). And a jewelry box full of amulets that nearly made his hand numb when he touched them.
The set that caught his eye sparkled with rubies, inlaid in an intricate golden necklace with a pair of matching earrings. That would fetch a pretty penny once he figured out why they were so charged with power they put his hand to sleep.
Tucked in the back of the lot was a dull dagger, holes in the hilt that must’ve held jewels at some point. They were missing now. It looked like nothing more than junk, but touching it sent a cold jolt up Ari’s arm. He’d have to keep an eye on that one.
He smiled and sent a text to Mrs. Barnes with his bid for the room. He didn’t bother going low, offering what he actually thought the wholesale value was. He’d double his money, no problem, but paying the fee would put him in a tight spot for a few months.
Still, it was worth it.
Sure, there was some junk in there too, but he’d find other shops to unload it on. The prime stuff he’d keep for his own.
He got an immediate response.
Accepted. Want it sent to your shop or your home?
Home. Ari replied.
He did all his sorting there since it had more room than the shop.
Perhaps even after his meeting with Cage this morning today wouldn’t be so bad after all. Or he might even rope the alpha into helping him after dinner. Though, ugh.
No.
No, he wouldn’t.
Because there wouldn’t be dinner. It was just another one of Cage’s empty threats he never followed through on. Like all the times he said he’d take Ari out for a drink.
That was his brain betraying him again.
It really needed to stop doing that.
Ari bought from too many estate sales to trust them to pack it up for him, so he assisted the large guards (he was pretty sure they were bears) in packing the lot into crates. Once it was all put into the truck, Ari climbed next to the driver and nodded.
“You’re not going in the car?” the man asked, his voice a deep rumble.
“I’d rather make sure my assets are secure, if you don’t mind. I’m near Burnside and thirtieth.”The driver shrugged and pulled away.
Ari glanced outside and swore a few of his fellow buyers glared at him. Most notably, the man in leather.
He ignored it and focused on the time. If he didn’t hurry, he’d be late opening shop. Which meant he had to put off sorting until tonight.
That brought Cage back into Ari’s mind and he scowled at the way his gut clenched.
Maybe the alpha could be useful for something after all.
It's here now!
Also, I'm working on the next Lost Wolves book as well. It should be out in November. I forgot how much I enjoyed writing the Black Prince, Aslan. He's a treat. And he keeps Kamil on his toes.
Also, if you do a google image search for 'naked yaoi' you'll find a bunch of Digimon porn. 0_0
I'm not gonna post that. Instead, more Free! pics. I pretty much ship everyone with everyone else on that show.
First chapter time! Enjoy!
1
Ari Gold stood in the middle of the haunted house and waited.
The familiar presence lingered at the top of the grand staircase carved of dark wood, which wound around in a circle to the top of the third floor. The house itself, a charming Victorian set in the historic district of Haven City, had been in the Gold family for the last three generations but the haunting—that was a recent occurrence.
Recent as in the last ten years.
And it wasn't as if it bothered Ari in the least. He’d rather have this ghost close by, hanging over his shoulder and speaking to him in those quiet whispers at night than gone for good.
Because it meant Kian might be dead, but he was still here.
A reminder of Ari’s failure on so many different levels. Staying around to keep him in check. Prevent him from making anymore dire mistakes like he had in the past. Though, he knew, losing Kian hadn’t been his own fault entirely. The wounds were too grievous to treat when the wolf arrived on his doorstep, but that sort of guilt didn’t listen to reason.
Ari could still feel him—hear him, and even on rare occasions see him, and that was all he needed, most of the time.
Unfortunately some people wouldn’t agree with that sentiment.
Or, not people, but wolves.
Well, one alpha in particular.
Felan Cage.
And he was the one wolf Ari didn’t want to deal with on the best of days, and certainly not on any of his worst.
Having an alpha as an ex-boyfriend sucked.
Kian’s presence roused, the air charging with an energy that Ari had grown accustomed to over the years. Akin to the sensation a thunderstorm puts in the air on a muggy summer’s day. It meant someone was coming, and Ari knew just who that someone was.
A moment later, a knock just shy of forceful sounded on the front door.
Ari stood to the side of the entryway in the formal sitting room (that hadn’t seen actual use in ages), fists clenched at his sides and heard the knock echoed on the wall at the top of the stairs, a hollow sound.
“I don’t have to answer it,” Ari said under his breath.
He knew it was Cage because the alpha had the sense to call first, and even if Ari told Cage he was heading out to open his shop and run some very important errands, did the wolf listen?
No.
Never did.
It had to be an alpha thing, because not all wolves were that dense.
Usually.
Ari wished his front door didn't have the frosted glass panel that made it far too easy to see in and out. The morning sunlight framed Cage’s silhouette, and his six foot something frame look larger than normal.
When Ari glanced to the top of the staircase, he saw a ghostly shadow similar to Cage’s there. Only there was no way that shadow could travel up three flights of stairs.
Kian was playing tricks on him again.
“Does that mean you want me to answer it or not?”Ari asked in a hushed whisper. Not that it would do any good. Shifter hearing was much better than his own human abilities.
Though, Ari did have skills above and beyond a normal human as a healer, the shadow folk version of a medical doctor, really, but it’s not like it came with many special powers. He knew how to bring out the medical properties of herbs with a bit of latent magic. When to harvest them and pick them, all of that was innate. But the potions he made were learned through years of practice from his grandmother, who’d served both Haven’s shadow folk and regular folk for years before her death.
Ari had enough of one kind of folk for his own liking, thank you very much.
Not to mention, being a healer didn’t pay well.
He had more than enough bloody shifters and mages showing up on his stoop at all hours of the night with everything from a simple sprain to a bullet wound (those were some of the worst), but it’s not like he could magic them away with a puff of smoke.
That’s not how his power worked.
It took time to collect herbs for his work and money to buy them if he didn’t have the time. At least shifters healed quicker than humans.
In order to run his own private healing clinic, he needed to have a side job as well. In Ari’s case he ran a high end antique shop over on 20th that specialized in magical objects. Which is where he needed to be now, not trapped in his own house caught between a ghost and an alpha, both of whom were on his very last nerve.
“Ari, I said I’d buy you coffee. If you go out the back, I’ll hear you,” Cage said through the door, and Ari gritted his teeth and watched the shadow at the top of the stairs dissipate in a way a normal shadow had no business doing. Kian’s presence faded with it until it was nothing more than a vague pressure, something that watched from the walls and didn’t speak.
Fine.
If Kian wasn’t going to be of any help, Ari would handle this on his own.
He righted his dark brown hair, brushing the loose strands off his forehead. His shirt was tucked in and fit his smallish frame well. The green matched his eyes, and the gray slacks were professional and well-fitted. He didn’t bother with a tie, but he had a sweater to keep the chill off. Even the summers in Haven City were changeable. A warm day could turn into a cold one with a bit of cloud cover and a rainstorm.
He made a show of checking his pockets for his wallet and keys and cell phone before he finally answered the door with an exaggerated frown.
Cage, the tall handsome alpha with a crook in his nose and those keen dark eyes, smirked at him. He was dressed much like Ari himself, save his button up was checkered neutrals instead of green. For those who didn’t know him, he looked every bit the middle aged history professor, with those copper wire-framed glasses and his gently mussed brown hair. Most shifters had excellent vision, but an accident as a child left Cage with poor eyesight that could only be fixed by human means, hence the glasses.
Which Ari didn’t find charming at all.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
At least, that’s what he told himself as he stared up at the smirking alpha and counted backwards from ten to keep from raising his voice. While also reminding his traitorous body that, while attractive, dating Cage was the most disastrous thing that had ever happened to him.
And it killed Kian.
He didn’t know why it took so many years for it to understand that simple fact.
“I don’t need coffee,” Ari managed and brushed out the door, turning to lock it before Cage could say a thing.
“You look like you need coffee. One cup on the way to the shop won’t hurt you.”
Not having an actual excuse, Ari scoffed instead and marched down the twisting cement path that led to the sidewalk, past the roses and hydrangea in his front yard, both in full bloom. The heady scent filled his nose. Not what he needed with Cage so close.
“Maybe not, but I can buy my own coffee,” Ari said and didn’t bother to check if Cage followed. There’s no way he wouldn’t. “Don’t you have a class to teach?”
“I’m not teaching this summer. Research only,” Cage said and sighed.
He did that when he had something to say but didn't want to actually say it without prompting. No way in hell was Ari prompting him to say anything.
He changed the subject instead. “How's Tyler?”
Tyler Harrison. Cage was his NA sponsor.
Cage stepped next to Ari. “Quite well, actually. He’s made a lot of progress since Quinn came along. Who knew having a mate would do a wolf so much good?”
Shit.
Ari forgot about that.
Wolves and their mates.
To think he’d almost bought into the whole notion back when he was young and stupid and oh so naive. Not only that, but talking about Tyler should’ve been labeled ‘off limits’ in his brain too. How Cage and Tyler were acquainted was a delicate issue.
“I forgot about that,” Ari said and paused to wait for a stoplight to change. He had a car, but his shop was only twenty blocks away, and unless it was pouring there was no reason not to walk. “How’s his tattoo shop?”
Ari swore he felt Cage’s eyes boring into his skull, but he refused to look. “Are you thinking of getting a little ink?”
“No.”
Cage chuckled. “His shop is doing well enough that he doesn’t have to worry. You know how the Chinatown gangs are with their tattoos. He hasn’t missed a meeting in ages either. And he’s even getting along with Davis, for once. I think he might be on his way to forgiving him, if he hasn’t already.”
Ari snorted. He wasn’t one to gossip, but he knew the basics of what Tyler’s older brother had done to lose Tyler’s trust. Still nothing compared to what Felan Cage himself had done, and if he wanted forgiveness for that, he could search elsewhere because Ari wasn’t offering it.
“Well, at least Tyler is alive to give it,” Ari said and bit the inside of his lip after the words spilled out. He definitely wasn’t going to look at Cage now.
“That he is,” Cage said heavily. “I don’t expect you to forgive me for that.”
“Good, because it’s never happening so you should stop trying to—”
“To what?” Cage asked, and Ari’s eyes betrayed his internal command and glanced over.
His heart seized up at the pain in Cage’s brown eyes, pinched at the edges and showing his age, alpha or not. He was older than Ari by several years, forty-two this past May. Not that Ari kept Cage’s birthday written down on a calendar or anything, but there were some things his mind wouldn’t let him forget.
It was far too much like the look he had the night he carried a broken Kian to Ari’s door, rambling incoherently about blood loss and not knowing what had happened.
Ari shook the memory away the pointed at the café. “Here. Buy me the coffee if you insist, but I’ll need breakfast too, and I’m not cheap.”
The expression cleared, and the corner of Cage’s mouth quirked. “Don’t I know it.”
Ari ignored that.
After he was weighed down with a large latte and a blueberry muffin as big as his fist, he turned toward his shop, fully expecting Cage to go his own way.
The alpha didn’t. He followed Ari right up to the front of Gold’s Curios and stepped inside.
“I told you I have errands to run, and I can’t be bothered to entertain a stray dog today,” Ari said as he set his load on the counter, then plucked out a blueberry and ate it. He didn’t open until eleven a.m. and it was just after six now.
Did Cage really get up at the crack of dawn to meet him? No. From the smudges under the alpha’s eyes, he’d probably pulled an all nighter in his office.
“You can’t use company on your errand?” Cage asked as his eyes wandered over the shop. “I can carry your bags.”
“I’m not grocery shopping. It’s an estate sale out at Lake Orlando, and I don’t need anyone to escort me. They probably wouldn’t like a shifter sitting in anyway. They have wards against your kind up there.”
The words felt like fire in his throat, no matter how true they might be. The tightening of Cage’s jaw told him they hit their mark.
“Who died?”
“That’s confidential as of this moment. But the fact that I got an invitation means I have to be on time if I want to get the prime valuables.”
Cage smiled at that. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you picking the bones from the dead, Goldie.”
Ari’s spine tingled at the use of his old nickname—the one he’d hated since as far back as he could remember. “Oh? Says the man who makes up stories about dead people. At least I have something to show for my line of work.”
Cage laughed.
It was an old argument and, grudgingly, Ari knew they had nothing against what each other did. They were, in a way, joined by their love of the past, though they went about it in different ways. But making a living as a professor wasn’t easy: case in point Cage. And Ari had more than himself to think about—he had a legion of shadow folk who depended on him as well.
Cage might be the alpha of his own pack, but he didn’t support them all monetarily. Not anymore, at least. Now they all had jobs and families of their own while their alpha was alone.
Not that Ari felt bad about it. It wasn’t his fault Cage ruined everything.
“I have written a few books about folklore and magic if you're interested,” Cage said, his voice light. “Did you write about how magic is real and that you can turn into a giant wolf at will?”
Cage’s eyes crinkled. “I neglected to mention that part. You know how humans can get.”
Ari nodded. So did all shadow folk, which is why their world was kept secret from regular humans. “Look at what they do to each other. I can't imagine what they’d do to us.”
Cage smiled sadly. “You don't have to imagine. We have history to back it up.”
The alpha was talking about the witch trials in Europe which had affected the shadow folk primarily.“Let's hope nothing like that happens again,” Ari said and chomped on his muffin.
“Don't you need to drive to Lake Orlando?” Cage asked and sipped his coffee. Black with two sugars. Why did Ari remember that?
“They're sending a car, but I'd rather not be covered in crumbs when it arrives.”
“Or seen keeping company with a wolf,” Cage said and his smile sharpened, showing his canines.“I don't care if they know who I associate with. I'm just a healer, after all.”
And healers weren't high on the totem pole of magic users in the eyes of the old families. They valued power and prestige over everything else. The only reason they came to Ari in the first place was because he was the only member of the shadow folk with an antique shop in Haven City, and the only one who even sold magic antiques in a hundred mile radius (not a large market for his wares but a loyal one). Though he wasn't fooling himself; there would be other bidders there as well. Probably ones with deeper pockets than he had.
Still he wasn't going to turn down the opportunity.
“Don't underestimate yourself,” Cage said, eyes wandering the depths of the shop.
It was filled with antiques from all over the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the world. Some highly polished furniture in dark exotic woods. The walls were hung with tapestries and paintings and a surprising number of weapons, mostly swords and spears. Odd knickknacks of every conceivable type, from a stuffed raven (a necromancer’s familiar) to a supposedly cursed deck of playing cards dotted with blood, were organized and displayed tastefully. As far as Ari knew there wasn't a mote dust on any surface. He liked to keep it that way.
It looked almost as haunted as his home.
“I never have. I know exactly what I'm capable of and what I'm not. Maybe you shouldn’t overestimate their abilities, alpha,” Ari said and polished off his muffin.
“Perhaps I’ve overestimated my ability to win you back,” Cage said into his coffee.
Ari narrowed his eyes into sharp green slits. “I'm not a prize, and yeah you have overestimated your ability to ever call me anything more than an acquaintance again.”
Outside the shop, a black Aston Martin pulled to a stop and honked on the horn.
“Your ride?” Cage asked, and kept his face turned away from Ari.
He wasn't going to feel bad for what he said. It was best to get the truth out and not let Cage think he stood a chance. As far as Ari was concerned, he wasn't anybody’s mate. Especially not that alpha’s. Ari moved to the door and held it open. “Looks like it. Get some sleep. You need it.”
Cage started. Stared at him for long moment. “You do care.”
Ari shook his head. “No, but you look like shit. You can't run your pack if you don't take care of yourself.”
“I suppose not. I'll see you tonight. Dinner,” he said and turned.
“Stop threatening me,” Ari called after him, but Cage didn’t stop or make any sound that he’d heard.
Asshole.
Still, Ari had more important things to do than stroke the ego of an alpha wolf.
He climbed into the backseat of the Aston Martin and settled in for the ride. The driver didn't say anything as they wound up into the hills, through Forest Park and toward the lake. The trees were nothing but a blur of green and brown, and every glimpse he caught of the lake itself felt like seeing a blue-green jewel glimmering in the distance. The area was almost exclusively owned by the old families and one dragon, as far as he knew. But that was a dragon not even sorcerers wanted to mess with. Ari didn’t blame them. He didn’t want to get on Jin Yue’s bad side either. Not only due to the dragon bit. But Jin Yue also ran every criminal enterprise throughout Haven, including all the Chinese shifter gangs.
In short, not someone to mess with.
The car pulled up a long drive lined with towering fir trees on either side and surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. The house was a massive sprawling thing with too many columns to be Victorian and too many balconies to be colonial. It was made from red and brown brick, and looked like it could be a castle if it had a turret or two.
The Montgomery family had owned it, though now it was in the hands of the attorney since they had no living relatives any longer. That’s what the old families got for being so damn picky about who they allowed their offspring to marry. Not that anyone would have wanted to marry Bradley Montgomery anyway. He’d been in his prime, but from what Ari had heard, he was a terrible bastard who deserved to have a sudden heart attack in Forest Park on a night that just happened to be a full moon. Normal humans didn’t understand that significance, and the shadow folk police on the force weren’t going to attempt to prosecute the shifter responsible for a variety of reasons. One being that shifter in question had been wrongfully held captive and abused for nearly twenty years.
Still, it had taken long enough for the lawyer to get everything put on the market considering Bradley had died well over a month before.
Ari considered that as he stepped out of the car and across the drive.
There were a few other cars present, but it looked like Ari was the only one who’d been offered a ride. Unless, of course, they had a whole garage full of Aston Martins on their way. With the old families you could never tell.
Being a human magic user meant Ari couldn't smell magic the way shifters could, but he felt the shimmer on his skin as he stepped into the house, and he saw the pale glow of wards that covered the place, though some of them had been broken already. The underlying power pulled with a revolting sensation that made him wish he’d never finished that muffin. Wasn’t Bradley a light mage and not a necromancer? It felt like the latter more than the former, but that sort of dark magic was never associated with the old families.
That didn’t mean their magic was all light and goodness—far from it.
Mrs. Barnes, the attorney running the sale, approached as Ari glanced around the empty entryway. He hoped they gathered all the interesting artifacts into a few rooms or this trip wouldn’t have been worth it.
“Good. You're here. Now we can start,” she said and led the way into what would’ve been a formal living room, Ari guessed.
His loafers echoed hollowly on the smooth wooden floors.
The lot in question was smaller than he thought it’d be, and Ari felt that twinge of annoyance raking up his spine. Of course they wouldn’t keep the good stuff for him. They probably sold it as soon as Montgomery keeled over to pay their bill.
Typical.
And what was left didn’t hold any particular interest to him in the first place. He specialized in curios. Meaning rare items. Not things a normal antique shop carried. He might have some furniture, but it was all carefully selected and, to the discerning eye, unique. Not typical cherrywood side tables with inlaid rosewood.
He almost turned to go, but the mood in the room, and the two over-sized men who loomed in the corner watching him, changed his mind. The lawyer stood at the front of the room and gave her spiel about the history of the estate (she was wrong about most of it, from Ari’s research) and what was for sale (everything).
“We’re selling things by the room only. We have them organized that way and found it might be easiest for the buyers as well. No cherry picking. Take all of it or none of it,” she said and shot a look at Ari.
He rolled his eyes. He’d never dealt with Mrs. Barnes before, but her firm handled a lot of wealthy estates. Maybe he was earning a reputation in Haven for his shrewdness. Good. Couldn’t hurt. Ari glanced at the other buyers. One was Margaret Benson, a normal human who owned another antique shop in town. She had frizzy brown and gray hair in a braid down her back and wore a long floral dress. He’d seen her plenty and would often recommend her shop if his customers wanted something a little more mainstream. She smiled at him, fire in her eyes, and he knew he’d have to move quickly if he wanted the impressive stuff.
It was clear from Mrs. Barnes speech they’d moved it out of sight for whatever reason. Hopefully, the things that remained in the room were just rejects and not a hint of what the Montgomery family had. There were a few other buyers there that he didn’t recognize. Probably from outside of Haven somewhere. One pair was a man and a woman in slick black leather jackets. Not the weather for those, but maybe they came on motorcycles. The oppressive nature of the house and whatever wards were worked into the walls kept him from sensing if they had magic as well.
He wondered if Cage could’ve done a better job and scowled at himself for even daring to consider that.
Finally, Mrs. Barnes pointed at the doors with the guards, and everyone stood up and shuffled through them.
Ari was small and quick, so he made it through first.
That room was all furniture and a few lamps. Nothing that caught his interest, so he passed to the next one.
More furniture.
Some family portraits.
No one would buy those.
He moved on.
And on.
Past more antique furniture that every old family seemed to own. Sure, it would catch a good price, but it didn’t interest him. And Ari’s shop didn’t specialize in that.
He was ready to call it a day when he arrived at the final room.
This is what he came here for.
It bristled against his skin as he stepped inside, a distinct buzzing that told him several of the objects were imbued with magic. A faint glimmer of power covered nearly everything. Ari smiled and closed the door behind him, doing a quick mental sweep of the room and what it held. A golden hourglass with lapis lazuli colored sand. The stuffed head of a badger—gruesome, but he knew a collector who’d be more than interested. A lantern with a dim blue flame flickering inside (definitely strange). And a jewelry box full of amulets that nearly made his hand numb when he touched them.
The set that caught his eye sparkled with rubies, inlaid in an intricate golden necklace with a pair of matching earrings. That would fetch a pretty penny once he figured out why they were so charged with power they put his hand to sleep.
Tucked in the back of the lot was a dull dagger, holes in the hilt that must’ve held jewels at some point. They were missing now. It looked like nothing more than junk, but touching it sent a cold jolt up Ari’s arm. He’d have to keep an eye on that one.
He smiled and sent a text to Mrs. Barnes with his bid for the room. He didn’t bother going low, offering what he actually thought the wholesale value was. He’d double his money, no problem, but paying the fee would put him in a tight spot for a few months.
Still, it was worth it.
Sure, there was some junk in there too, but he’d find other shops to unload it on. The prime stuff he’d keep for his own.
He got an immediate response.
Accepted. Want it sent to your shop or your home?
Home. Ari replied.
He did all his sorting there since it had more room than the shop.
Perhaps even after his meeting with Cage this morning today wouldn’t be so bad after all. Or he might even rope the alpha into helping him after dinner. Though, ugh.
No.
No, he wouldn’t.
Because there wouldn’t be dinner. It was just another one of Cage’s empty threats he never followed through on. Like all the times he said he’d take Ari out for a drink.
That was his brain betraying him again.
It really needed to stop doing that.
Ari bought from too many estate sales to trust them to pack it up for him, so he assisted the large guards (he was pretty sure they were bears) in packing the lot into crates. Once it was all put into the truck, Ari climbed next to the driver and nodded.
“You’re not going in the car?” the man asked, his voice a deep rumble.
“I’d rather make sure my assets are secure, if you don’t mind. I’m near Burnside and thirtieth.”The driver shrugged and pulled away.
Ari glanced outside and swore a few of his fellow buyers glared at him. Most notably, the man in leather.
He ignored it and focused on the time. If he didn’t hurry, he’d be late opening shop. Which meant he had to put off sorting until tonight.
That brought Cage back into Ari’s mind and he scowled at the way his gut clenched.
Maybe the alpha could be useful for something after all.
August 15, 2016
Manuscript Monday: Why is Ari naked? Find out now!
I'm so close to done editing Alpha's Cage I can taste it. If, you know, I could taste books. I'm guessing they're a bit dry and papery. Maybe digital is better, taste-wise. Okay, this got weird. . . .
Anyone else in the mood to watch sports anime because of the Olympics? It can't just be me! Or maybe I just want to see the hot Free! boys doing stuff like this:
*pervy smile*
Okay, now on the snippet from Alpha's Cage (Haven City Series #9)! Ari is sort of mercurial, but I hope his moods make sense in context. I think they do.
He's naked. Felan is turned on, but also confused. Enjoy! Also, this isn't the final edit. There may be typos.
When he got back inside, Ari sat on the bed, his shirt strung over one of the chairs along with his pants and his boxers.
Nude.
Felan blinked. Maybe the silver had messed with his mind and he was seeing things. No, Ari was still there. Still naked and looking at him with bright green eyes, like the moss that grew outside.
“The kit?” Ari asked and pointed at his side and Felan’s leg.
Felan held it up.
“The bathroom doesn’t have hot water, and it’s only a pump that goes into a metal bin. I think we can heat it on that stove,” he said and nodded toward the kitchen. A large pot sat there, but Felan didn’t bother to look at it.
Hell, he wasn’t sure he could’ve torn his eyes away from Ari unless something was on fire. Even then, it was debatable.
“You’re naked,” Felan said as Ari grabbed the kit from him.
“And you’re a regular Sherlock, aren’t you? Take your pants off.”
Felan didn’t need to think about it to comply. The alpha was pacing now, eager, but he told the beast it had to do with the wound and nothing more. Only, Ari needn’t have stripped for the gash on his side.
But he had.
The alpha undid his pants and let them pool on the ground as he toed off his loafers (not hiking shoes, but he didn’t know this is where they’d be going), and stepped out of them.
Ari watched.
Licked his lips, and the way that pink tip of his tongue darted over them set Felan’s blood on fire.
“Shirt too,” Ari said.
Felan carefully picked at each button, managing not to rip it off. He wasn’t sure where he found the patience. Probably from years of dealing with Ari not wanting him. He tossed it on the chair with the clothes Ari had borrowed.
“Why are you naked?” he managed to ask, his voice a rough growl. All alpha.
Ari leaned forward, his body taut and firm, if a little thicker in the middle. He’d been quite thin when he was younger, now he wasn’t all skin and bones. Either way suited Felan fine, because Ari was beautiful no matter what. His dark lashes fluttered as he yanked the bandage off the alpha’s wound with those tapered fingers, deft as ever. “It looks good. No silver pieces came off in the wound, and I saw to it before it could fester, no thanks to you being a stubborn asshole.”
“Ari, why are you naked?” Felan repeated, because if he didn’t find out soon, he wasn’t sure what he might do. “If you want to take a bath—”
“Check my wound. Tell me how it looks,” Ari said, cutting him off and peeling back his own bandages with a slight flinch.
Felan leaned in. Sucked in Ari’s musk, the smell of green things and herbs mixed with his sweat.
“No red streaks. It's scabbing over nicely. Looks a bit sore, but that’s it. The stitches are holding,” Felan said, and didn’t let his fingers wander too near, no matter how badly he wanted to trace every inch of Ari’s body.
Ari glanced at it. “We can let them breathe for a bit before we apply more salve.”
Then he did the last thing Felan expected and scooted back onto the bed, not bothering to put anything on.
“Are you trying to drive me insane?” Felan growled and pressed a knee into the mattress. It was firm, but comfortable enough to live with for a few days.
“I’m trying to relax. Why? Does seeing me naked make the alpha inconsolable?” Ari asked, his voice on the edge of either humor or scorn, and at that point, Felan found it impossible to decide which it was.
The blood rushed from his brain to his cock, and that was the only thing that seemed up to functioning properly at the moment.
“More like insatiable,” he grumbled and crawled across the bed toward Ari, who eyed him with a heat Felan hadn’t seen in years. He caught a hint of it the other night, but he was sure that it was only a faint glimmer.
This was more like an inferno, ready to scorch them both to the very soul, and he was fine with that as long as he got to be with Ari again. Hear him moan and see him squirm for more pleasure—another release. He’d give his mate everything he wanted, if only Felan got that much from him in return.
Ari didn’t scoot away. He spread his legs putting his cock and dark pubes, trimmed short, on full display. “And how can I help with that?”
Felan growled, the alpha so close to the surface it would be impossible to leash now. At least Ari didn’t look like he was going to get up and bolt. Or change his mind.
Please, don’t let him change his mind.
Anyone else in the mood to watch sports anime because of the Olympics? It can't just be me! Or maybe I just want to see the hot Free! boys doing stuff like this:
*pervy smile*
Okay, now on the snippet from Alpha's Cage (Haven City Series #9)! Ari is sort of mercurial, but I hope his moods make sense in context. I think they do.
He's naked. Felan is turned on, but also confused. Enjoy! Also, this isn't the final edit. There may be typos.
When he got back inside, Ari sat on the bed, his shirt strung over one of the chairs along with his pants and his boxers.
Nude.
Felan blinked. Maybe the silver had messed with his mind and he was seeing things. No, Ari was still there. Still naked and looking at him with bright green eyes, like the moss that grew outside.
“The kit?” Ari asked and pointed at his side and Felan’s leg.
Felan held it up.
“The bathroom doesn’t have hot water, and it’s only a pump that goes into a metal bin. I think we can heat it on that stove,” he said and nodded toward the kitchen. A large pot sat there, but Felan didn’t bother to look at it.
Hell, he wasn’t sure he could’ve torn his eyes away from Ari unless something was on fire. Even then, it was debatable.
“You’re naked,” Felan said as Ari grabbed the kit from him.
“And you’re a regular Sherlock, aren’t you? Take your pants off.”
Felan didn’t need to think about it to comply. The alpha was pacing now, eager, but he told the beast it had to do with the wound and nothing more. Only, Ari needn’t have stripped for the gash on his side.
But he had.
The alpha undid his pants and let them pool on the ground as he toed off his loafers (not hiking shoes, but he didn’t know this is where they’d be going), and stepped out of them.
Ari watched.
Licked his lips, and the way that pink tip of his tongue darted over them set Felan’s blood on fire.
“Shirt too,” Ari said.
Felan carefully picked at each button, managing not to rip it off. He wasn’t sure where he found the patience. Probably from years of dealing with Ari not wanting him. He tossed it on the chair with the clothes Ari had borrowed.
“Why are you naked?” he managed to ask, his voice a rough growl. All alpha.
Ari leaned forward, his body taut and firm, if a little thicker in the middle. He’d been quite thin when he was younger, now he wasn’t all skin and bones. Either way suited Felan fine, because Ari was beautiful no matter what. His dark lashes fluttered as he yanked the bandage off the alpha’s wound with those tapered fingers, deft as ever. “It looks good. No silver pieces came off in the wound, and I saw to it before it could fester, no thanks to you being a stubborn asshole.”
“Ari, why are you naked?” Felan repeated, because if he didn’t find out soon, he wasn’t sure what he might do. “If you want to take a bath—”
“Check my wound. Tell me how it looks,” Ari said, cutting him off and peeling back his own bandages with a slight flinch.
Felan leaned in. Sucked in Ari’s musk, the smell of green things and herbs mixed with his sweat.
“No red streaks. It's scabbing over nicely. Looks a bit sore, but that’s it. The stitches are holding,” Felan said, and didn’t let his fingers wander too near, no matter how badly he wanted to trace every inch of Ari’s body.
Ari glanced at it. “We can let them breathe for a bit before we apply more salve.”
Then he did the last thing Felan expected and scooted back onto the bed, not bothering to put anything on.
“Are you trying to drive me insane?” Felan growled and pressed a knee into the mattress. It was firm, but comfortable enough to live with for a few days.
“I’m trying to relax. Why? Does seeing me naked make the alpha inconsolable?” Ari asked, his voice on the edge of either humor or scorn, and at that point, Felan found it impossible to decide which it was.
The blood rushed from his brain to his cock, and that was the only thing that seemed up to functioning properly at the moment.
“More like insatiable,” he grumbled and crawled across the bed toward Ari, who eyed him with a heat Felan hadn’t seen in years. He caught a hint of it the other night, but he was sure that it was only a faint glimmer.
This was more like an inferno, ready to scorch them both to the very soul, and he was fine with that as long as he got to be with Ari again. Hear him moan and see him squirm for more pleasure—another release. He’d give his mate everything he wanted, if only Felan got that much from him in return.
Ari didn’t scoot away. He spread his legs putting his cock and dark pubes, trimmed short, on full display. “And how can I help with that?”
Felan growled, the alpha so close to the surface it would be impossible to leash now. At least Ari didn’t look like he was going to get up and bolt. Or change his mind.
Please, don’t let him change his mind.
August 8, 2016
Manuscript Monday: Making out with your ex is never a good idea, except when it is.
The book is done and in the final stages of editing! Wooh-hoo! It's up for pre-order on Amazon, if anyone is interested.
And that means it's time for Manuscript Mondays to commence. Double wooh-hoo! I'm not sure if I'm spelling wooh-hoo correctly. Oh well.
Also, I've been re-watching Natsume Yuujinchou, and that has to be one of the gayest non-yaoi or shonen ai shows out there, you know, besides all the newer sports anime. And I mean that in the best way imaginable.
Natsume, our lead, shows no romantic interest in any girl, and he only blushes around dudes. Especially Tanuma and Natori. I'm just saying. . . .
Actual scene in the show.
By Zerochan
And now for the snippet! Ari should know better than to make out with his ex. He does, but his body doesn't listen. Oops.
Enjoy!
Note: this is still being edited and is subject to typos and changes.
“Shouldn’t you get some sleep?” Cage asked. Ari started and turned toward the backroom. The hallway was narrow in that part of the house. Those rooms had been used for servants in the past so they wouldn’t have to bother the polite company in the front of the house. The wallpaper had darkened with age, and was plain and less ornate than that in the formal sitting and dining rooms. It made it difficult to see with only the dim outline of light from the closed door behind the alpha. “I have to kick you out before I can do that,” Ari said and moved toward Cage, swallowing the lump in his throat as he did. “You could’ve turned off the light in the room to make my life easier.”Cage’s teeth glinted in the low light, and he did as Ari asked. Perhaps that wasn’t the best idea, because now they were in near total darkness and Ari still had to lock the damn door to the backroom an alpha looming over him and showing off those sharp canines. He didn’t like to leave it open just in case a patient got sticky fingers while they were waiting to see him. So he wasn’t the most trustworthy healer in Haven. At least he was alive and still had a decent business to show for it. Cage didn’t bother moving as Ari leaned around him to lock the door, but his strong fingers did help Ari glide the key into the lock and turn it. “You could’ve turned on a hall light,” Cage said, his breath brushing across Ari’s clean shaven cheek. “Went out last week, and I haven’t fixed it yet,” Ari grumbled and took a measured step backwards, even when his body begged him to move closer instead. He didn’t mention that the other reason he hadn’t changed it had to do with the tall ceilings and how annoying it was to dig up the stepladder that allowed him to reach the hall light. Or that Kian seemed to like the shadows anyway, so why not have a few extra ones for him to hide in? “And you aren’t going to bully me into it?” Cage asked, and Ari swore the damn alpha smiled at that. “Like a healer could bully a fucking alpha. Are you going to leave or—”“Ask me to stay the night,” Cage said, cutting him off and trapping Ari against the locked door. Ari frowned. “Why the hell would I do that?”Then Cage leaned closer, and Ari sucked in his scent, his presence, and couldn’t have forced himself to move if he tried. It’d been far too long since he’d been this close to anyone who wasn’t a patient (and that was never in a sexy way either since he was a professional). Casual dating wasn’t his thing—never had been—and after what happened with Cage and Kian, well, he’d all but given up. Now this. “I don’t forgive you,” Ari managed, like that might get Cage to take a step back. Give him some room to think and breathe and say ‘no.’But the alpha didn’t, and the word never quite reached Ari’s lips. “I know. I don’t need you to forgive me. . . . I need—” His mouth brushed Ari’s, and Ari bit back the sound that wanted to claw its way out of his throat, a desperate needy sound that had to be the fucking alcohol talking and not his actual thoughts. Giving into the kiss was the worst idea he’d ever had, but his body melted into the touch like he was made of butter and Cage’s fingers were a sizzling skillet. They felt nearly as hot as one as they wrapped around his shoulders and held him close. Ari’s teeth snagged at Cage’s bottom lip, sucked it into his mouth and the alpha groaned. Shit. Kian needed to help him end this. Tip over another box. Knock on the wall. Something!The house stayed quiet around them, however, and Ari’s chest heaved and his groin ached. Well, maybe this wasn’t so bad. He didn’t need it to mean anything. Not like he was taking Cage back. Getting his rocks off once in a while would do wonders for his mood, he guessed. Not to mention his blood pressure. “This doesn’t mean shit. I’m not taking you back. We’re not going upstairs, and you aren’t staying all night,” Ari grumbled and let his lips trail over Cage’s jaw. It stiffened under the touch, and Cage’s heart beat beneath that plaid button up like he was running a marathon. To get that shirt off and—no! Not going that far. “That sounds like a lot of rules. I hate rules,” Cage growled, and his palms trailed down Ari’s chest, toward the buttons of his slacks. And, shit, Ari didn’t stop him. His hips rocked forward. His body fucking sang with every touch, and that devious part of his brain that he wished he could squash most of the time—the part that missed Cage’s presence—took over. Let this happen. Wanted this to happen. At least, that’s what Ari told himself as his fingers snagged on Cage’s pants and undid the button, slid down the zipper. His mouth wandered over the alpha’s neck, kissing and sucking on the day old stubble and damn near licking him raw. Had he always tasted like this or was he really that pent up? Maybe it was just the booze. Yeah. Best to blame it on that.
And that means it's time for Manuscript Mondays to commence. Double wooh-hoo! I'm not sure if I'm spelling wooh-hoo correctly. Oh well.
Also, I've been re-watching Natsume Yuujinchou, and that has to be one of the gayest non-yaoi or shonen ai shows out there, you know, besides all the newer sports anime. And I mean that in the best way imaginable.
Natsume, our lead, shows no romantic interest in any girl, and he only blushes around dudes. Especially Tanuma and Natori. I'm just saying. . . .
Actual scene in the show. 
By Zerochan
And now for the snippet! Ari should know better than to make out with his ex. He does, but his body doesn't listen. Oops.
Enjoy!
Note: this is still being edited and is subject to typos and changes.
“Shouldn’t you get some sleep?” Cage asked. Ari started and turned toward the backroom. The hallway was narrow in that part of the house. Those rooms had been used for servants in the past so they wouldn’t have to bother the polite company in the front of the house. The wallpaper had darkened with age, and was plain and less ornate than that in the formal sitting and dining rooms. It made it difficult to see with only the dim outline of light from the closed door behind the alpha. “I have to kick you out before I can do that,” Ari said and moved toward Cage, swallowing the lump in his throat as he did. “You could’ve turned off the light in the room to make my life easier.”Cage’s teeth glinted in the low light, and he did as Ari asked. Perhaps that wasn’t the best idea, because now they were in near total darkness and Ari still had to lock the damn door to the backroom an alpha looming over him and showing off those sharp canines. He didn’t like to leave it open just in case a patient got sticky fingers while they were waiting to see him. So he wasn’t the most trustworthy healer in Haven. At least he was alive and still had a decent business to show for it. Cage didn’t bother moving as Ari leaned around him to lock the door, but his strong fingers did help Ari glide the key into the lock and turn it. “You could’ve turned on a hall light,” Cage said, his breath brushing across Ari’s clean shaven cheek. “Went out last week, and I haven’t fixed it yet,” Ari grumbled and took a measured step backwards, even when his body begged him to move closer instead. He didn’t mention that the other reason he hadn’t changed it had to do with the tall ceilings and how annoying it was to dig up the stepladder that allowed him to reach the hall light. Or that Kian seemed to like the shadows anyway, so why not have a few extra ones for him to hide in? “And you aren’t going to bully me into it?” Cage asked, and Ari swore the damn alpha smiled at that. “Like a healer could bully a fucking alpha. Are you going to leave or—”“Ask me to stay the night,” Cage said, cutting him off and trapping Ari against the locked door. Ari frowned. “Why the hell would I do that?”Then Cage leaned closer, and Ari sucked in his scent, his presence, and couldn’t have forced himself to move if he tried. It’d been far too long since he’d been this close to anyone who wasn’t a patient (and that was never in a sexy way either since he was a professional). Casual dating wasn’t his thing—never had been—and after what happened with Cage and Kian, well, he’d all but given up. Now this. “I don’t forgive you,” Ari managed, like that might get Cage to take a step back. Give him some room to think and breathe and say ‘no.’But the alpha didn’t, and the word never quite reached Ari’s lips. “I know. I don’t need you to forgive me. . . . I need—” His mouth brushed Ari’s, and Ari bit back the sound that wanted to claw its way out of his throat, a desperate needy sound that had to be the fucking alcohol talking and not his actual thoughts. Giving into the kiss was the worst idea he’d ever had, but his body melted into the touch like he was made of butter and Cage’s fingers were a sizzling skillet. They felt nearly as hot as one as they wrapped around his shoulders and held him close. Ari’s teeth snagged at Cage’s bottom lip, sucked it into his mouth and the alpha groaned. Shit. Kian needed to help him end this. Tip over another box. Knock on the wall. Something!The house stayed quiet around them, however, and Ari’s chest heaved and his groin ached. Well, maybe this wasn’t so bad. He didn’t need it to mean anything. Not like he was taking Cage back. Getting his rocks off once in a while would do wonders for his mood, he guessed. Not to mention his blood pressure. “This doesn’t mean shit. I’m not taking you back. We’re not going upstairs, and you aren’t staying all night,” Ari grumbled and let his lips trail over Cage’s jaw. It stiffened under the touch, and Cage’s heart beat beneath that plaid button up like he was running a marathon. To get that shirt off and—no! Not going that far. “That sounds like a lot of rules. I hate rules,” Cage growled, and his palms trailed down Ari’s chest, toward the buttons of his slacks. And, shit, Ari didn’t stop him. His hips rocked forward. His body fucking sang with every touch, and that devious part of his brain that he wished he could squash most of the time—the part that missed Cage’s presence—took over. Let this happen. Wanted this to happen. At least, that’s what Ari told himself as his fingers snagged on Cage’s pants and undid the button, slid down the zipper. His mouth wandered over the alpha’s neck, kissing and sucking on the day old stubble and damn near licking him raw. Had he always tasted like this or was he really that pent up? Maybe it was just the booze. Yeah. Best to blame it on that.
August 1, 2016
Cover Reveal: Alpha's Cage (Haven City Series #9)!
It's finally time for another Haven City book! I've finished writing it, and I'm working on the revisions/edits now. It'll come out on August 29th!
Finally, you guys get to read Ari Gold and Felan Cage's story! It's probably the most requested book I have. I hope you like it. ^_^
Check out the cover:
Ten years ago, Felan Cage ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. He lost his mate and his brother in the same night, and nothing has ever been the same. Since then, he’s buried himself in his work as a history professor and built a strong pack as an alpha wolf, but it’s the forgiveness of the man he loves he wants most of all. The man who now hates him.
Ari Gold is done dating shifters. They’re nothing but a bother – hence the injured ones that show up on his porch at every hour of the night. By day, he runs a quaint antique shop, and he’s a skilled healer for the shadow folk, but the last thing he wants is trouble.
Of course, trouble finds him.
When Ari buys a lot of old junk from an estate sale, he ends up with an item worth millions on the magical black market and a price on his head. Even worse, he has to ask the last man he wants to for help, his ex-boyfriend, Felan Cage.
Felan will do anything to help Ari, but can the alpha convince the healer to stop living in the past and learn to love him again?
Finally, you guys get to read Ari Gold and Felan Cage's story! It's probably the most requested book I have. I hope you like it. ^_^
Check out the cover:
Ten years ago, Felan Cage ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. He lost his mate and his brother in the same night, and nothing has ever been the same. Since then, he’s buried himself in his work as a history professor and built a strong pack as an alpha wolf, but it’s the forgiveness of the man he loves he wants most of all. The man who now hates him.
Ari Gold is done dating shifters. They’re nothing but a bother – hence the injured ones that show up on his porch at every hour of the night. By day, he runs a quaint antique shop, and he’s a skilled healer for the shadow folk, but the last thing he wants is trouble.
Of course, trouble finds him.
When Ari buys a lot of old junk from an estate sale, he ends up with an item worth millions on the magical black market and a price on his head. Even worse, he has to ask the last man he wants to for help, his ex-boyfriend, Felan Cage.
Felan will do anything to help Ari, but can the alpha convince the healer to stop living in the past and learn to love him again?
