His to Claim (11 page)

Authors: Alice Cain

Tags: #MM Gay Erotic Shifter Romance

But Kyle took that as a challenge, working hard
to relax every muscle in Alex's body before reaching for the lube. By the time
Kyle filled him, Alex was putty in the man's hands. He groaned in sensual agony
as Kyle fucked him slowly, every inch of his cock sliding all the way in over
and over until Alex was writhing and begging for his lover to bite him. He was
so aroused that he couldn't even feel the aches and pains anymore.

Despite Alex's best efforts Kyle remained
true to his word, and stayed the controlled and gentle lover he'd promised he'd
be.

When he finally opened his mouth over Alex's
shoulder his rhythm faltered and he groaned softly before biting into Alex's
flesh. Orgasm rushed through Alex unexpectedly, the sensation of being
intimately connected to his lover in every way possible sending him over the
edge, his cum splattering between them even as his ass clenched on the cock
inside him and forced Kyle into his own climax.

"
With
this bite I claim you as my mate
," he said through their link. "
I love you, Alex
."

Alex grinned, lifted a hand to his mate's
head and held him against him even as a strange tingling sensation wound
through his entire body.

"I love you, Kyle, and I claim you as
well."

Epilogue

"Do we know anything more?" Alex
asked the moment Adrian and Tyler were in earshot and the young hyena shifter
wasn't.

"Some," Adrian said with a nod.
"Kelly doesn't seem to remember anything before her shift into hyena
form—her first by the way."

"Do you think she's lying?" Kyle
asked suspiciously. Temporary amnesia sounded like a great excuse for trying to
kill somebody without taking any responsibility.

"I think she's being honest,"
Tyler said, watching the young girl as she sat on the back veranda quietly
reading a book on an e-reader. "And she really doesn't seem the
type."

Kyle had a sarcastic comeback for that
comment—killers came in all types—but he knew his mate didn't feel the same
way.

"This might be a stupid question,"
Alex said with a slightly embarrassed laugh, "but is there such thing as
possession? As in, you
know,
ghosts or spirit
walking." Kyle could sense his mate's determination to understand what was
going on and simply loved the man even more. Kyle was having a hard time
getting past the idea that they were protecting someone who'd tried to kill his
mate, but Alex had no such qualms. He didn't see a potential killer. He saw a
vulnerable child who'd been taken advantage of. "When she pressed the gun
to my heart it was like dealing with an experienced hit man. There was no
emotion or nerves, just determination to get the job done."

Kyle had seen the memory in his mate's mind
several times and he had to agree.

"I'm honestly not sure if possession is
possible," Adrian said. "The paranormals humans call 'ghosts' are
nothing more than a race of tiny shifters with big voices and wild
imaginations. More often than not their behavior is the result of pranks rather
than anything malicious. It's humans willing to believe in an afterlife who
refer to such things as
hauntings
."

"What about
kitsunes
?"
Alex asked, even as he mentally recoiled from the idea. Kyle knew the man truly
cared about the
kitsune
they'd rescued the night they'd
met, but since illusion was supposed to be part of their abilities, it made
sense that they explore the possibility of their involvement.

"I don't think they have the ability to
erase her memory," Derek said as he joined the conversation. He held his
hand out to Alex. "Welcome to the family."

Alex shook his hand, smiled and nodded.
"Thanks."

Derek hugged Kyle quickly, congratulated him
on his mating, and then went back to the conversation. "I find myself
wondering if the answer is more human than paranormal." Tyler raised an
eyebrow, perhaps planning to defend the human community he'd so recently been a
part of. "Have you ever seen a hypnotist's stage show?" Derek asked.

None of them were slow on the uptake.

"It would explain why she doesn't
remember," Tyler said slowly, "and why her personality changed in an
instant."

"It's even possible that her change
into hyena form was what broke the hold. If somebody did program her to kill
Alex, it's very possible they chose a child so young simply because they didn't
expect her to be able to change forms."

"But I thought hypnotism didn't really
work on a person who's not willing to be hypnotized," Tyler said.

Derek shrugged. "A young
child—especially one as quiet and introverted as Kelly—probably didn't even
realize what was happening."

"And anyone who has read some of the
information and conspiracy theories around government experiments in the
nineteen-forties and fifties," Adrian added, "knows that there were
all sorts of people working on ways to reduce free will."

Kyle really didn't like where this
discussion was going.

"Okay," Alex said, "assuming
for the moment that this was all possible, why send her after me? What do they
think I know that made it worth the risk to send Kelly to kill me?"

"You said the hyenas were after a
recently changed
kitsune
that night," Tyler said
with a grimace. "What if they wanted her for reasons other than her
illusion abilities?"

"As in paranormal
trafficking?"
Kyle asked, his stomach
twisting with dread.

No one said a word as they silently
considered the possibility.

Kyle knew, absolutely knew, that his mate
would not allow himself to be relegated to the sidelines on this investigation,
and despite his own fear for his lover's life, he was also incredibly proud of
the man. Alex truly was a modern-day hero.

"
We
knew right from the start that we were a lot alike
," Alex whispered in
Kyle's mind as he slid an arm around his middle. "
You're my hero too, big guy
."

Kyle pulled his lover closer and didn't even
need to think the words for Alex to understand what he was feeling.

"I love you too," Alex replied
with a sweet smile.
"Ready to go to work?"

Kyle nodded, turned his attention back to
his brothers, and listened calmly as Alex laid out his proposed ideas for an
investigation that would likely put him in the middle of danger.

Goddess, help him.

Loving this man was going to be the hardest,
most amazing, most grueling challenge of his life, but Alex was more than worth
it and Kyle wouldn't wish to have it any other way.

THE END

http://alicecainromance.blogspot.com

About the Author

Alice Cain is a pen name for an experienced
romance author who decided to try something a little different. Alice writes
gay erotic romance in several genres including contemporary, BDSM, paranormal,
and science fiction.

For the latest news and upcoming releases
please visit
Alice
at:

http://alicecainromance.blogspot.com

Other Books by Alice Cain