Текст книги "Cry wolf"

Автор книги: Jay Ellison

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when the monster raked his savage claws along Kevin’s ribs. Kevin cringed and whined as blood poured

from his wound.

The beast recognized his moment of weakness and lashed out again, but Kevin forced himself to ignore

the pain and met his opponent head on, slashing at his opponent’s soft belly, ripping him wide open and

driving the other werewolf to the ground, panting. In seconds Kevin was upon him, his clawed hands

lashing out and ripping gouges in the creature’s furry chest, his teeth snapping down on the monster’s

throat. The creature gargled on its own blood, then fell still.

Kevin only had seconds to enjoy his victory; suddenly the others were back at him, piling him like a

football player trying to get to the end zone. He yelped as they dragged him down, snapping and biting. He

tried to fight them off using every technique he knew, but just as soon as he was able to lay a blow,

another one sank its teeth into his arm or leg. He felt like the elk he had taken down not so very long ago.

The werewolves were powerful on their own, but stronger still when they worked as a pack. There was

no escape, no mercy, as they dragged him to earth and dog piled him…

Only a deep, bass growl saved him and made the others back off. Kevin sprang up in time to see Roman

standing in full wolf form atop a deadfall. Some of the werewolves cringed; others barked aggressively. It

was obvious they didn’t know what to do, who to follow. Before Freki could issue any commands, and

before any of the werewolves could react, Roman dived at his queen, standing only a few feet away. She

swung around, ready to face him head-on, but she wasn’t as fast in her human form as Roman was in wolf

form, and his jaws lashed across her throat like two sets of sharp knives.

Freki went down on her knees, growling and spitting blood.

The rest of the werewolves tried to recoup, but without their queen they became confused, chaotic.

Shifting to full wolf form, Kevin jumped at the nearest one, knocking the creature down and savaging its

throat until it lay still. Another came at him, but Roman hit him head on. Between the two of them, they

started making short work of the bewildered remaining wolves. They were larger and stronger than the

others, and working together made them even more formidable. Kevin and Roman lashed out with flashing

teeth and claws. They dragged long gouges in soft bellies, slashed eyes, snapped steel-trap-like jaws

down on fur and bone, wrenching bleeding chunks of their enemies loose. Some of the werewolves tried

to shift to full wolf form. Some even tried to become men in their confusion.

The sounds of savage battle and screams—animal and human alike—echoed through the dark forest,

driving birds from trees and making deer scamper in every direction. Blood painted the old, whorled

trunks of trees, painted the grass and underbrush, and soaked into the forest floor. Blood got into the river

and was quickly carried downstream.

Within minutes, the few werewolves still alive started limping away into the forest. They realized there

was no way they could out-fight two Pedigrees fighting side-by side.

Kevin shifted back to human form, covered in bruises, scratches and blood, and licked his lips and

bloodstained teeth. “Should we go after them?”

Roman shifted too, but said, “No. Let them run. They are Orphans now; they have no leader, no future.

They will soon go their separate ways. If their injuries don’t kill them, trying to live without a pack will.”

“Is is over, then?” Kevin asked hopefully.

But before Roman could answer his question, someone grabbed Kevin and spun him around. It was Freki

in werewolf form. She towered over him like a rabid bear, blood bubbling from her mouth and the wound

in her throat and painting her white fur scarlet, her foaming jaws wide and snapping. She tried to go for

his throat, but Kevin lifted the Wolfsbane around his neck and stuck the medallion in her mouth and down

her throat as she lunged.

Freki screamed and her flesh burned from the inside out and bubbled. Her whole body began to convulse

with the poison inside of her, and soon her flesh and matted fur began to slough off her bones. Roman

shifted to werewolf form and leaped upon her back, burying his muzzle of teeth in the back of her neck.

His weight forced her to the ground. His teeth snapped together and there was an audible crack that

echoed through the woods as he broke Freki’s neck.

Freki, now a shambling, skeletal thing, tried in vain to push herself up. She offered Kevin a look of hurt,

insult and surprise, and then collapsed to the ground and shifted back to human form as she died.

Roman stood over his longtime captor and queen, waiting until the last twitches were gone from her body.

Then he looked up at Kevin with dour wolf eyes and nodded. “Now, it’s over.”

***

Chapter Thirty

“A man’s gotta be a man,” Ron was muttering into his scotch and soda.

Kevin took his keys and hung them behind the bar on the pegboard. He picked up the phone to call the man

a cab. “Yeah, Ron, you’re right,” he said. It was just another night at the Barracuda, a normal night like so

many—pickups, spats, breakups, drunken ramblings about life—but there was something to be said for

normalcy, Kevin decided.

Three weeks had passed since they had killed Freki and had disassembled the pack. And in all that long

he hadn’t seen either Roman or Fenrir. The thought made him sad, it made him feel alone, but he was

learning that being sad and alone wasn’t the end of the world. He wanted companionship, of course.

Craved it. He was a wolf without a pack now. But he now knew that if he was forced to live on his own,

he would cope.

He was no longer the young, desperate pup, willing to cling to any hope. He’d fought and killed enemy

werewolves. He’d helped kill the queen. He’d set Roman free. He was strong and independent. If he

wasn’t an alpha yet, then he was well on his way.

And he knew that Roman had a lot of cleaning up to do. He’d had to dispose of multiple bodies, get in

touch with all kinds of mucky-mucks to ensure loose ends were tidied up and the secret of the werewolf

underworld was preserved. That was important. If the humans found out about his kind, there would be a

war, and only one side would survive. It would probably not be the werewolves.

Besides, the time apart had allowed Kevin to comfort Hannah over her loss of Matthew. She’d been an

emotional wreck in the beginning and she had needed him desperately. But Hannah, being Hannah, never

let anything get her down for long. She wasn’t a hundred percent just yet, he knew, but slowly she was

working her way back to her usual optimistic self. She was strong like he was.

Kevin was glad for the time alone they’d had to talk and sort out their feelings. It had allowed them to

bond, and Kevin knew that he would always think of Hannah as part of his own personal “pack” no matter

how many werewolves he ran with in the future. Hannah kept him ground, kept him human.

And yet…after three weeks of not seeing his lovers, Kevin couldn’t help but feel the quietly gnawing void

of their absence in his life. He knew it would not kill him, but it still hurt so much to be a lone wolf once

more. It seemed so unfair that just as soon as he’d found others of his own kind, he’d also lost them—

helped to destroy them, in fact.

“Couldn’t be helped,” he told himself as he mixed a Vampiro for a young undergrad checking him out. A

corrupt pack was no pack at all. He’d rather be alone than be the slave of some sadistic leader.

Hours later, as he was washing down the bar, he felt the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He

turned and glanced at the end of the bar where he had first encountered Roman on that now long-ago night

and saw him sitting there, prim and beautiful, just as he had the first time they’d met. Kevin sucked in a

sharp breath. Abandoning his cleaning, he rushed around the bar to Roman.

Roman jumped to his feet and the two men embraced, warmly and without words. Roman yanked Kevin’s

head forward and kissed him roughly, his tongue going in deep, his teeth playfully nipping his lower lip.

They nuzzled each other in greeting and their wolves spoke silently to each other’s hearts. When he finally

pulled back, Kevin was breathless and panting, overjoyed to see his lover after so long.

Roman slid a hand down his back to his ass, pulling him tight against the front of his body. He grinned in

his wolfish way when he felt Kevin’s hard-on. “I take it you’re happy to see me, young wolf,” he said as

the respective bulges in their trousers bumped.

“Christ, you have no idea.” Kevin was shaking. He seized Roman’s cheeks, kissed him, kissed him again.

He nuzzled the side of his lover’s throat, breathed in his warm, comforting, forest scent. “I thought you’d

never return. I thought I would be alone forever.”

“You must have faith, my golden-eyed beauty,” he said. He stroked Kevin’s hair lovingly, whisked his

long fingers through it. “I was sorting out pack business, but I was also working on arranging a more

permanent residence in this city.” He pulled loose a key on a long red ribbon. “For you.”

Kevin looked at the key in confusion. “I don’t understand.” Kevin smiled. “Did you buy a new house?”

“Quite the opposite. I disposed of the mansion. It suited Anya. It does not suit me.” Roman indicated the

room. “I purchased this club from your employer just today. It turns out she had planned to retire soon and

was looking to sell. You didn’t know?”

Kevin shook his head. “She never told me.” He took the key from Roman and looked at it. “You’re making

me the manager?” The idea filled him with insane pride and not a little fear. He’d never really been in

charge of anything before.

“No.”

Kevin gave his alpha a bemused look and Roman smiled a little dubiously. “Not the manager. The coowner.”

He whipped out some sheets of paper from under his coat and handed them to Kevin. It was the

deed to the club. “There are papers we have to sort out, of course, but that’s all a formality.”

“Roman,” Kevin said. He was shaking again. “I can’t just take this place like some kind of…of gift.”

Roman raised his finger. “Not a gift. An investment. You’re now my business partner in this

establishment.” He laid the finger to Kevin’s lips. “And I expect you to be a good one and turn a profit.

I’ll be watching very carefully.”

Kevin was speechless. He shook his head. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes. I’m better at investing than I am at running a club, so I plan to leave the day to day operations to

you.” He looked around the darkened club. “Do you have any ideas about how we might improve?”

“Y-yes,” Kevin stammered. “A lot of them.”

“Good.” Roman nodded. “I plan to stay in the States, at least for the next century or so, and I want good

investments.” He gave Kevin a shrewd look. “I have very expensive tastes, as you can well imagine.”

Kevin burst out in laughter. “Yes, I’ve noticed.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“No, it’s a hell yes.”

Roman, looking pleased, offered his hand to Kevin. “And now…another surprise, my love.”

“Another?” Kevin croaked. “You shouldn’t be doing this…”

“I owe you much for freeing me from Freki, Kevin; this is my way of thanking you. Let me.”

Kevin swallowed and took Roman’s hand.

“This surprise will take a bit to get to, so we should be off now.” Roman steered him to the employees’

exit.

Kevin locked up the club—their club, how exciting was that?—and followed Roman to his town car

parked behind the building. They got in and Roman immediately pulled Kevin close and planted a hand

between his legs.

“You really are eager, aren’t you?” he chucked against Kevin’s lips.

Kevin groaned a response and sat back in the seat, letting Roman do anything he wanted to him. And, oh,

the things he did. As they headed out of the city, Roman held him and kissed him and fondled him until he

was dizzy with need. He undid Kevin’s trousers and cupped his cock and balls, giving them sharp

squeezes while whispering the most beautifully perverse things in Kevin’s ear. He said they would be

together forever and told them about the life they would soon be leading, the wonders that Roman would

show him.

It felt so good to be back in Roman’s arms. It felt like coming home. Roman licked along the side of

Kevin’s neck, made soft, growling noises against his skin that sent an electric trill down Kevin’s back. He

licked and nibbled and kissed Kevin so that he quickly lost track of time. Sometime later—how long, he

didn’t know—the limo finally slowed as they crunched over a familiar gravel road.

Sitting up with his hands nested in Roman’s luxurious black hair while Roman busily licked his balls and

asshole, Kevin finally glanced out the window. They were coming upon the lodge.

There were good memories here, but also a few bad ones. Kevin didn’t think they would ever return here.

Roman looked up at him with his wolf eyes, saw his concern, and said, “Stay with me the weekend. We

have much to experience.”

“You’re my alpha, Roman. You know I’ll do anything you ask of me.”

“You’re my alpha mate, Kevin. We live to serve each other.”

After they put themselves back together, Roman took Kevin’s hand and led him down the path and up the

stairs to the lodge. Inside, the receiving hall had changed. Roman had redecorated it. The furniture was

more rustic, and the lighting warm and subtle. The place felt more like home and less like the pleasure

hive the former pack had turned it into. Kevin felt infinitely more comfortable with the changes.

Fenrir was waiting for them. “Well, it’s about time,” he complained with a smirk, crossing his arms

across his burly Nordic chest. He quickly joined Roman and Kevin and all three of the werewolves

greeted each other with licks and kisses.

“It feels empty in here,” Kevin said when they came up for air.

“We’ll remedy that soon enough,” Roman said, bringing Kevin’s hand to his lips to kiss in a courtly

manner that belonged to another century. “In time, we’ll make other werewolves, expand the pack. We’ll

be strong again. For now, though, it’s time for your surprise.” He looked at Fenrir, who grinned

mischievously.

They led him through to the common room. Like the receiving hall, it had been redecorated. It felt warmer

and more intimate. Besides the new, more comfortable furnishings, they had also installed a giant, humansized

mobile in the ceiling from which hung a myriad of chains and fur-lined manacles. Kevin gazed up at

it with concern.

“Fenrir helped me install it,” Roman explained. “It’s for new companions who fear they could hurt others

or themselves when the shift is upon them.”

“Why not use a cage?” Kevin asked and then regretted his words at the look on Roman’s face.

“A cage would only aggravate the wolf, make it feel trapped and helpless. This method will keep a new

werewolf safe with its pack but without damaging its spirit. Tonight I was hoping to test it out.” He

played with a long, thick, stainless steel chain. “We should see how much it can endure.” He looked at

Kevin with a combination of lust and challenge.

“You want me to test it?”

“Unless you’re afraid,” Fenrir said with a smirk. “Or you don’t trust us.”

Kevin’s heart was beating rapidly like a little bird in his chest, but it wasn’t fear. It was excitement.

Arousal. He shook his head. “I’m not afraid.” He looked between Roman and Fenrir. “I do trust you. And

I want to be yours tonight,” he admitted more shyly. It had been so long, too long. He bit his lip as he

thought about what he wanted, what he needed. He added in a bolder voice, “I want you both to use me

tonight, to use me hard.”

Fenrir raised his eyebrows at that, but neither of them complained about Kevin’s request. All three

disrobed just as they normally did when they were preparing to go for a run, but instead of Roman leading

the others outside, they moved to the chains hanging from the ceiling.

Roman took Kevin’s wrist in his hand, looking him over with unabashed lust. “Are you certain, Golden

Eyes? You may say no at anytime.”

Kevin held Roman’s eyes. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying yes.” He looked over at Fenrir. “And yes,

Fenrir, I like it rough too.”

Roman kissed his wrist tenderly before binding it in a thick, fur-lined manacle, then the other. Kevin gave

the manacles an experimental yank, but they held fast to the giant mobile anchored to the ceiling.

“Are you all right?” Roman asked and Kevin nodded.

“I want this,” he told them as he hung from the chains.

Roman sank one big hand into the thick auburn hair on the back of Kevin’s head, kissed him with savage

intensity, the roughness of his chin scratching him. He slid a hand down over his ass, gripped the firm

flesh there and yanked Kevin tight against him. He rubbed his cock between his legs and Kevin moaned

into his lover’s mouth. Fenrir pushed tight against his back, embracing Roman with Kevin trapped

between them. He kissed the back of Kevin’s neck, his big teeth nibbling his flesh there, his huge cock

bumping the small of Kevin’s back.

It felt good to rub himself against his two pack mates…his two lovers. He jutted his ass against Fenrir and

said, “I want to feel you penetrate me.”

“I’m happy to oblige, little wolf,” Fenrir said, using his knee to force Kevin’s legs apart. He spat into his

hand, spread Kevin’s ass cheeks, and swirled his fingers teasingly over his hole, lubing him up. Sparks of

pleasure made Kevin whimper and beg until Fenrir sank two fingers deep inside him. Kevin whimpered

and began writhing in the chain. Fenrir curled them and started rubbing at the tight, spasming walls of his

body.

Kevin moaned and snapped at Roman’s mouth. Roman’s hands roamed down over the front of his body.

He snagged Kevin’s nipples in his fingers, applying a heavenly amount of pressure before moving to the

ready, quivering cock between his legs. He stroked Kevin’s foreskin back, gently, teasingly, stroked his

shaft until Kevin felt his balls tighten almost painfully. Each time Fenrir thrust inward, Kevin jerked his

hips, and Roman’s beautiful cock rubbed harder, wetter, between his legs, creating a sublime friction.

“Fuck, you’re hot,” Fenrir growled. “How much can you take, young wolf?” He playfully swirled his

fingers, fucking Kevin hard with a couple of deep strokes. Precum poured from the slit in his head and

Roman knelt to lap at the creamy fluid.

“Oh god,” Kevin said, arching his back. His hands fisted in the chains and his legs trembled from the

thrusts of Fenrir’s meaty fingers, the sucking of Roman’s wicked mouth. He threw his head back, yelped

when Fenrir forced a third finger inside, stretching his ass almost uncomfortably as he plundered him by

hand and rubbed with a searing combination of pleasure and pain against his prostate.

Roman kissed his way up Kevin’s body, his throat, sucked his Adam’s apple deep into his mouth. Then he

sank down again, swirling his tongue over Kevin’s chest and peaked nipples, taking each in his mouth and

gnawing gently upon them. He licked over Kevin’s ribs and whorled his tongue over his navel. He kissed

over his lower belly and lapped with excitement over the matting of dark, auburn hair between his legs

where so much precum was gathering. Finally, he teased his tongue over the underside of the perfectly

stiff cock lying against the front of his lover's body.

Their torture was like heaven on earth. Kevin whimpered and bucked between his two lovers. Fenrir bit

his shoulder and thrust steadily in and out of his hole. Roman spiraled his long, canine tongue around the

base of his cock and licked up and down before burying his face in Kevin’s groin and licking the soft,

sensitive skin of his sac until it was wet and shiny with his spit. Kevin growled with pleasure, then let out

a howl of surprise and excitement as Fenrir forced another finger inside him. The penetration forced his

climax and a thick volley of come spurted from the head of his cock.

Roman growled with displeasure. “I want his ass tight when I plow it.”

“Sorry, Roman,” Fenrir said. “I can’t help myself. He’s my kind of man.”

“You can use him after I’m done with him.”

“Yes, sir,” Fenrir said, sounding dully reprimanded as he slid his fingers loose and gave Kevin’s ass a

fierce slap. Kevin moaned in response.

They changed positions. Fenrir went to his knees before Kevin while Roman mounted him from behind.

He massaged Kevin’s ass, kissed his neck tenderly. “Did he hurt you, Golden Eyes?”

“No, sir,” Kevin confessed. “I told you. I want you to use me. I want you to fuck me hard.”

Roman slapped his ass, slapped it again, even harder. The impacts just made Kevin hard again. Roman

looped an arm around his waist, embracing him and rubbing his dripping cock between his legs,

pleasuring him, but also marking him with his scent. “Do you like that?”

“Yes,” Kevin admitted. “I like it rough.”

Fenrir grinned, took his hard-on in hand and guided the firm, swollen head into his mouth. He sucked upon

him, slowly at first but with increasing vigor until Kevin was left panting with the bliss shooting through

his cock and into his body. Fenrir set his sharp teeth in the base. His eyes rolled up, begging Kevin’s

permission.

Kevin undulated against Roman, biting his lip to keep from screaming. “Bite me…” he managed to warble

out. “I want you to.”

Fenrir bit his hard enough to draw blood.

Kevin moaned, jerked his hips. He tried to plunge his cock all the way past Fenrir’s talented mouth and

down his throat, but Roman grabbed him by the balls, held him back. They worked in tangent now, Fenrir

suckling at the little wound he’d made, Roman squeezing and alternately massaging his balls. They were

rough and demanding. Pain and pleasure bolted through Kevin, bringing him panting to the top of his

second orgasm. Soon he was rocking forward into Fenrir’s mouth and back against Roman’s eager,

quivering cock.

“Christ, you’re an amazing wolf, Golden Eyes,” Roman said. His voice was guttural, and Kevin was

suddenly aware of the changes in him. His strength was increasing and his claws had sharpened. His cock

felt almost twice its girth as Roman lazily seesawed it between Kevin’s aching balls. He was shifting in

small, subtle ways.

As the friction increased, Kevin groaned and moved his hips, welcoming Roman’s penetration—his

alpha’s domination. He remembered all too well what it felt like to be fucked by Roman in werewolf

form, the sheer, frightening strength and trembling power and pleasure of him. He rubbed himself faster

and harder against Roman in frustration.

Roman slapped his ass so hard Kevin yelped in response to the real pain of it. “I am alpha,” he growled

out in a voice barely human. “Patience. You’ll take your fucking when I give it, pup.”

“Now,” Kevin growled back, suddenly afraid that he, too, would shift along with his impending orgasm.

“I want you now.”

“Your ass is his when your alpha demands it, wolf,” Fenrir reminded him. “Not before.”

Roman nipped at the side of Kevin’s neck until he humbly lowered his head and stopped fighting. “Beg

me to fill you.”

“Please, Roman,” Kevin whimpered out. “Please…now…”

“Soon,” Roman chuckled in a sinister voice in his ear. His nibbled his way to the base of Kevin’s neck

before giving him a sharp, unmerciful bite with his elongated canine teeth. Kevin squealed in response.

The purpose of it was pleasure, but also to show Kevin that Roman was still alpha, still in charge. The

sudden, unexpected pain made Kevin jerk and thrust deeper into Fenrir’s teethy mouth. He grabbed Kevin

by the hips to steady him, his claws digging in, and dragged him closer so he could gobble him down to

the balls, the heat of his throat, the ferocity of his lust, making Kevin jerk spastically in the chains.

Roman shoved his knee between Kevin’s legs, driving his legs further apart. He rubbed the head of his

cock against Kevin’s hole until it was dripping with his precum. Then, with no further warning, he

rammed his huge, bone-hard cock inside and began to fuck Kevin like the wild animal he was. Kevin

grunted from the force of the impacts, barely able to withstand Roman’s girth. He felt drips of saliva on

his shoulder and listened to the feral grunts of pleasure coming from their alpha. He pushed his ass back

against Roman’s savage thrusts, welcoming him deep, as deep as he wanted to go, aware of Roman’s

hugely swollen testicles swinging and spanking his ass each time he thumped his hole.

A part of him tried to move as any captured animal will, but Roman had him in his teeth and he wouldn’t

let go. He wanted his obedience and his loyalty. Kevin lowered his head in submission and whined,

allowing Roman to wrench all the pleasure he could from his body.

Roman whuffed and rammed Kevin over and over, almost driving him to his knees despite Fenrir’s

support, then howled in victory as he came, shooting his heat and seed deep inside Kevin’s body. Kevin

came immediately after in a lunge in Fenrir’s mouth. Fenrir licked up every drop, sucked the remaining

spunk from his cock, then he and Roman changed positions and Fenrir took up where Roman had left off.

Kevin tried to relax in his bonds, but Fenrir was a harsh taskmaster. He dry humped Kevin a few times

before finding the right angle and plowing into him. He sank his claws into Kevin’s hips, rode his ass

hard. Kevin twisted in his manacles. Together they growled and bit and scratched at each other like a pair

of wild dogs locked together in combat rather than coitus. Roman watched from his kneeling position on

the floor, periodically licking his lips with unabashed animal lust as he watched them get off on each

other.

“You really are beautiful, Golden Eyes,” he said and buried himself between Kevin’s legs once more.

“Beautiful and all ours.”

Kevin cried out at the way Fenrir was biting him, the harsh way he was using him. He tried to squirm

loose, but Fenrir didn’t let go until he shuddered and fully emptied his balls deep inside his body. Then he

pulled out and tenderly licked the wounds he had inflicted. Already they were healing, leaving behind

shallow streaks of blood. Together, Roman and Fenrir licked the blood and spunk from Kevin’s body.

Kevin was exhausted, the sweat dripping from his face, when Roman finally undid his bonds. He felt full

and satisfied as he dropped down and rubbed himself between his two lovers. The three lovers licked at

each other’s mouths, then Roman shifted to his full wolf form and barked for the two of them to follow.

The three werewolves raced out into the twilight forest to hunt as one pack, and somewhere along the

way, Kevin thought, Finally, I’ve come home.

***

About the Author

Jay Ellison lives in the big city with his partner and several rescue dogs. He writes m/m romantic erotica.

To see all of the Courtesan Press titles, visit http://courtesanpress.wordpress.com.

***

Read an excerpt from The Dollhouse Society: Stefan by Jay Ellison:

Isabelle put her Xbox controller down and said, “I love you, Stefan, but you’re a tard!”

Since we were both in the middle of a controlled, piggyback jump in Call of Duty, I figured we were both

doomed and just put mine down as well. “That’s not politically correct, Izzy Pop,” I pointed out.

She scrunched up her face in that way she had when she was good and pissed. “I don’t care. It’s true. I

mean, a body auction? Really?”

I waited until we both made a loud splat in the silence of my dorm room, then shrugged. “Hey, your

people in the Society set it up. I just figured I’d help them out, you know?”

“They’re not ‘my people,’ I just know some of them.”

Iz and I had grown up together. We were more like siblings than best friends, and I loved to go on double

dates with her. That’s how I’d met her circle of friends in the Society.

She narrowed her eyes. “Did Damian talk you into this?”

Damian Michaels was Izzy’s gentleman. Well, one of two of them. He had a twin brother, and both were

hot as hell itself, but they were strictly off the menu, as far as I was concerned. For one thing, they

belonged to Izzy, and as a rule of thumb, we never did each other’s guys. For another, they were straight

as fucking arrows, which was a hell of a bummer.

I made my face innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She sighed and stood up, reaching for her jacket. “Wait till I get home. I think I need to have a long talk

with those two about forcing my best friend to auction himself!”

“Izzy!” I threw my controller aside and sprang to my feet, managing to maneuver between her and the door

of my dorm. I raised my hands to ward her back. “They did not force me to do anything. If you want to

blame anyone, blame Devon. He suggested that I might be interested in the Dollhouse auction, and I was.”

She didn’t look convinced, so I added, “Look, it’s for a good cause, okay? The money’s going to The

Good Samaritan Foundation.”

Izzy Pop still looked bemused, so I added, “It helps kids like me—those who need surgery for accidents

or birth defects. It’s a real organization, promise! Dorian’s on the board, so ask him if you don’t believe

me!”

She rolled her eyes. “What is it with those two and their charities?”

I crossed my arms with irritation. “The Michaels brothers are great guys. The American Cancer Society,

Good Samaritan…how many billionaires do you know give that much of a shit about the rest of us? You

should be proud of them.” I didn’t want to have to play my trump card, but she continued to look dubious.

“Dorian fixed my face, remember. Made me the gorgeous stud I am today. I kind of owe it to them.”

That made Iz roll her eyes. “Isn’t that the point of charity? You don’t expect to be paid back?”

“Maybe. But you know how bad things were for me.”

When I was in my late teens, my mom and I were hit head-on by a bus while driving on the highway. My

mom wasn’t seriously injured, but the impact broke almost every bone in my face. Dr. Dorian Michaels

had put me back together pro bono. After a few years of physical therapy, it was almost like it never

happened. I really did owe them something. Besides, the idea of being auctioned off to a hot, single,