Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
“Precisely,” Bel confirmed with a nod.
“I promise we’ll be along shortly. I won’t allow Rafe to be late.”
The black wolf bumped Bel’s hand as if giving him the nudge he needed. With another nod, Bel turned and walked through the park, the wolves trotting along beside him. A caw cut through the silence as a large black raven dove from a tree branch to settle on Bel’s shoulder. Bloody spying bird.
The hand covering his mouth slid away, and Rafe turned his attention to the loveliest green eyes he’d ever stared into. A wonderful smile played on Philippe’s lips, washing away the last bit of irritation caused by his brother and wrapping him in a warmth only his mate could create.
“Now, where were we?” Philippe purred.
“I think I was about to punish you for calling me a horrible mate.” Rafe tipped his head up to place a lingering kiss on the corner of Philippe’s mouth.
“And would this punishment involve making love to me on this park bench until I scream your name loud enough for all the city to hear?”
“Yes, most definitely.”
Philippe hummed as he captured Rafe’s mouth in a slow, draining kiss that was stealing away the last bits of his willpower. Rafe wrapped his hand around Philippe’s throat, his thumb caressing that frantic pulse. He wanted more, all that he could get from Philippe. Never in his long existence had he thought he’d find a love like he had with this man. Philippe was his everything. His perfect match in every way.
But his lover ended the kiss too soon.
“It will have to wait, my darling,” Philippe murmured, his lips brushing against Rafe’s tantalizingly with every word he spoke.
“What?”
“We’re expected.”
“But—”
“I promised to have you there on time.”
“But—”
“You wouldn’t make me into a liar, would you?”
Evil.
Wicked, evil mate.
Cruel, evil brother.
They were all conspiring against him when all he wanted was to see Philippe’s perfect white skin gilded by the lamplight while he writhed under him. Was it too much to ask?
But a different, more enticing idea was already forming in his mind.
“Fine. We should go now,” Rafe suddenly agreed.
Philippe didn’t budge from where he sat on Rafe’s lap, his eyes narrowed in sudden skepticism. “You’re plotting to drag me away and fuck me in the bathroom again, aren’t you?”
Rafe’s grin grew on his face as he bumped his nose into Philippe’s. “Or you can fuck me in my brother’s bed,” he suggested. “It depends on how adventurous you’re feeling.”
Shoving to his feet, Philippe turned and extended a hand to him. “I’ll let you surprise me.”
After closing and snagging his violin case, Rafe threaded his fingers through his lover’s. “Let’s grab a bite on the way to my brother’s. That will give me ample time to think up some delightful surprises.”
Philippe smiled up at Rafe, his fangs pressing into his perfect bottom lip. “Anything you wish, my dearest love. Anything for you.”
Gideon’s Ghost Story
A LORDS OF DISCORD NOVELLA
Chapter 1
Gideon
Gideon swayed and writhed in his gilded cage, each movement in time to the throbbing music that flooded the nightclub. While expressionless toward the crowd that shouted and cheered for him, he grinned on the inside. After all this time, dancing continued to give him joy. He sipped their adoration like hot blood straight from the vein.
That bastard who’d turned him had tried to steal this joy, but Rafe Varik had saved him.
Rafe had returned his love of dancing.
The DJ below him changed up the tempo, slowing things from a racing herd of horses to a sinewy slide that left the partygoers grinding on each other. They grabbed, thrust, and shimmied, lost in the sexy vibe created by the intoxicating combination of music, alcohol, and the rub of bare skin.
Eight professional dancers dotted pedestals and various stages around Phoenix, but Gideon was the only one dancing in a cage. And not just any cage: a gold cage with diamond accents that sparkled brighter than a fucking disco ball. Rafe made it clear to the people who visited the club that Gideon was his most precious treasure.
All eyes in the massive red-walled room with circular black leather banquettes found their way to his cage. They admired his slender, muscular body in tiny sequined shorts and the way he danced so easily to the music.
He’d grown numb to the eyes and stares long ago. His mind would drown in the music, leaving him alone in the world.
That was, until one set of eyes fell on him.
Ryder.
Ryder’s gaze settled on his cage, and a tingle ran through every nerve ending. The man had served as a bouncer for Rafe’s nightclubs for roughly a century. There was little he hadn’t seen in this world, and even less that he couldn’t handle, thanks to his amazing physique.
Gideon tried to tell himself that Ryder was only doing his job, which included protecting all the dancers, as well as the servers and bartenders, from anyone who got too rowdy. But something in his brain argued that Ryder’s eyes strayed to his cage more frequently than to the other dancers…and stayed there longer, too.