Justice shifted. He stood stark naked in the middle of the woods in front of Mother Nature herself with his enigma of a mate. Who happened to not only be a vampire but a shifter no one had seen before. There were plenty more species in the world but as far as Justice knew, the only shifters were wolves. Justice was trying to put it all together, trying to understand the bigger meaning of it all.

“You look skeptical, dear.”

Justice thought he heard mild amusement in her voice but he failed to see the humor in any of this. Serious times were upon them, Justice could feel it. How was he to properly care for his mate? It would damage his animal, the alpha in him, if his mate was in need. Justice knew she could read his mind. He tried to hone in on the details of her face but she glowed too brightly for him to stare, he could only see her figure.

“I knew the time would come when the two of you were needed again.” She walked – more like glided – further up the mountain and turned to speak to him.

Justice didn’t know when he’d moved closer to the resting tiger, but he found himself stroking the thick tuft of hair on top of his head. It appeared to soothe them booth while his mate continued to make soft purring noises. Justice listened as she explained.

“The Vampire King and the Alpha Zenith were mates in another lifetime. Centuries ago. They brought peace after the first and the last species war. But this time you won’t be fighting each other. You’ll be fighting a common enemy. You’ll need to unite your kinds, and the only way for that to happen is for them to see their leaders united in a bond never imagined. No one can refute the true mate bond.  It was meant for a purpose. Your road will not be easy, but I gave you exactly what you need to prevail. You’ll never be stronger than when you’re with your mate, Justice. His beast is here to protect you, nothing more. He is not a new shifting species of vampire. Fate has combined the battle warrior with the bringer of justice. Together you will make things right.”

Justice heard what she was saying and he’d heard the myth of their species mating before, but there was no confirmation of any of it. Until now. Justice heard it from the source herself.

“Wick is very special, Justice. I placed that gift inside of him when he was young. He used to venture into the woods for days at a time, searching for any trace of me. He played and chased my small critters, but he never hurt them or fed from them. He had too much respect to do that. Those animals called to him, they didn’t fear him, and I knew he was the one.”

“He is the one,” Justice whispered. “He brought me my wolves.”

“He came up with that gift on his own.” She sounded so pleased, Justice knew he’d found the validation he’d needed.

Justice looked down at Wick’s tired eyes. “His eyes are blue.”

“Only white tigers have them.” She laughed lightly and the sound made Justice’s chest loosen. “You should know. You were always fascinated with them. Remember?”

“Yes, I do. They’re fearless alphas.” Justice smiled for the first time in days.

“Your animals will coexist peacefully,” she assured Justice, but he could already feel that. “Wick’s beast wants to protect you, not challenge you.”

“I will protect him.” Justice clenched one fist while he comforted his mate with his other hand.

There was a long period of silence, only the skittering of small game and the sounds of nature. The Mother didn’t vanish, it seemed there was more she needed to say but wasn’t sure how.

Justice was about to speak again but stopped suddenly when Wick’s head bounded up from his relaxed position. He released a menacing growl as he got on four legs, looking further up the mountain where the Mother no longer stood.

“Do you hear that?” Wick sent to him.

“I don’t hear any—”

His mate’s deafening roar shook the ground beneath his feet. Justice shifted as the sound of nervous breathing reached him right before the stench of chemicals. Threat. Mate. Justice didn’t have the chance to charge first after the lone figure trying to camouflage himself in with the foliage, because his mate darted by him in a blur of white and black fur. His strong back muscles moved in sinewy precision, his huge paws eating up the distance. There was no more stumbling, his mate was moving on the tiger’s natural instinct and headfirst into combat. Justice howled, not liking his mate charging into danger.

The human intruder was on his feet and running a couple hundred yards away. He wore a hunting jumpsuit like he was scoping for deer, but when he turned back, his rifle was pointed at Justice. He fired once out of fear, and a dart – not a bullet – sliced through the air and lodged in the tree, missing Justice by inches. The human ran as fast as he could but of course he was no match for either of them. Justice saw Wick leap up into the trees and disappear. The huge tree canopy was thick with vines, twisted branches, and thick leaves to provide perfect cover. His mate was moving through the air like he wasn’t a hulking cat, leaping off surfaces before his paws hardly touched down. Justice no longer had to use their link to know exactly where his mate was.

Justice growled a warning. He was close enough to the human to jump and land on his back, but Wick dropped down out the trees, his canines bared and claws extended. He knocked the man to the ground, just as Justice went in for the capture. Their timing was flawless. Justice sunk his teeth into the human’s neck, but he didn’t have a chance to growl his warning, the man and his rifle vanished into the air. Justice shifted, looking around. What the hell just happened? Where’d he go?

“Justice, what—?”

“I don’t know, Wick.”

“That was the two of you working together on natural instinct alone. Imagine the force you’ll be when you’ve connected.”

Justice sighed and sank down to the dirt next to his mate. Did the Mother really just rig up a mock battle? She almost gave him a heart attack. He was not even close to ready to fight beside his mate yet. He didn’t feel an ounce of fear or doubt when they’d been in the thick of it – Justice felt even braver to be honest. But that wasn’t the point.

“This is your real enemy.” She waved her hand and the dart appeared in Justice’s palm. “Unite my children. All of them. Protect them.”

Justice watched her light fade away, leaving them in darkness. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were radiant, but not much could get through the thick halo of leaves and branches above them. Wick made another chuffing noise, his heavy head lying in the soft soil beneath them. Justice gazed down at his wonderful mate. A vampire king that could shift into one of the most amazing creatures Justice had ever studied. She said they’d ruled together in another life. He didn’t know why he couldn’t remember. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to. While he held the sleeping animal, contemplating the rest of his life, a loud, rumbling snore broke the peacefulness. It was so abrupt and booming it startled him out of his musings. Justice chuckled, stroking the thick ruff of fur around Wick’s neck.

He waited for Wick to slowly crack open one eye. “Hey. You ready to shift back?”

Wick snorted and turned away. “No. I’m comfortable like this.”

Oh no. Justice had seen this before. Everything felt so exceptional and brilliant when you shifted that first time that sometimes you didn’t want to go back. Life could seem easier as an animal.

“Wick. Shift back. Think of yourself as a man, walking on two legs. That’s all you have to do.”

Wick didn’t move except to turn over in a different position.

“Well, I do remember reading how lazy big cats are.”

Wick made a low moaning noise but was unfazed by the insult.

Justice stood and stretched his back. They’d been out there for hours. He sent another message to his brother letting him know they were still okay. Alek would know if Justice was in trouble without him having to message him.

“Chadwick. Get up,” Justice said a bit more forcefully.

Wick ambled his big body off the ground. He shook his fur out and began to lick at the long, plush white hair along his breastbone. Wick stopped suddenly like he’d realized what he was doing. Justice kneeled and brought his wolf to the surface. He didn’t fully shift, only his eyes. He focused on the narrow slits in Wick’s and let their animals connect.

“Shift back now,” Justice commanded.

 

 

That’s quite a trick he can do.

The command in his Beloved’s voice had Wick crouching on his knees, staring at his human hands. He was human again, and butt-ass naked in the woods. His clothes in a pile somewhere back there. Wick threw his hands over his genitals, making Justice burst out with laughter.

“I guess you’re not as used to it as I am.” Justice’s leer was not hiding his want. “There’s no one around but me.”

He was a lot paler than Justice’s honey-bronzed skin. And more on the lithe side than bulky. Justice had muscles and ridges all over him, so many that Wick could spend hours exploring each groove and valley.

“I guess I’m not,” Wick sighed, standing up. He felt a bit woozy and swayed to the left when strong arms encased him, holding him stable.

“Whoa. Easy. Take your time.” Justice’s deep, raspy voice was a comfort. Wick unconsciously turned in to Justice’s scent and began to rub his cheek across the prickly stubble on his Beloved’s jaw. He wanted their scents combined. Needed it.

Wick’s chest rumbled with pleasure when Justice tilted his head back to allow Wick more room to push his nose against his throat. Wick swallowed thickly, his mouth dry, his throat stinging. He needed to feed. He’d had a feeling that the moment he shifted back, the hunger would return. He didn’t want it. It’d been two whole days, he was starving. He fought his impulse to sink his fangs in and end his torment. Justice wasn’t ready for that and Wick had no choice but to give him the space he asked for. The thought was crippling. He could go maybe another week without eating but it would start to take its toll on his appearance after another forty-eight hours.

They were both hard as tree trunks, their chests pressed together, rising and falling in unison. Justice squeezed him tight and moaned against Wick’s cheek. This was the worst kind of torture. Wick pulled out of Justice’s grip, it was too difficult to smell his Beloved’s blood and not be able to taste.

“Yes, I do. I have to go.” Wick huffed, his heart rate picking up the farther he backed away. Justice looked so damn appetizing he knew he couldn’t continue to stay around him. He was high on adrenaline from meeting his beast, not to mention the mock fight they’d just had. Wick was ravenous. He wasn’t sure he could continue to control himself the hungrier he got. He’d never had this kind of dilemma. “I know you still aren’t ready and I’m not sure I can keep… keep off you.”

Justice eyed him boldly, his labored breaths soon turning to gasping. His veins throbbed in his neck, his forehead, his huge biceps, thighs, everywhere, Justice leaned his back against the base of a tall redwood, repeatedly clenching his fists.

Wick had to get the fuck away, now. He couldn’t attack his Beloved. He turned to look up the mountain, his rental home was just a little farther up. 

“Bloody hell.”

“That accent makes me want to kiss you. Come here, Wick. I am ready to feed my mate.” Justice’s eyes were back. Wick knew the man was in charge and he wanted Wick’s bite just as much as his wolf did.

“Are you sure? I don’t desire to pressure you. I understand—” Wick shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Alphas didn’t bare their throats. How was he supposed to do this?

Wick swallowed roughly. “Why?”

“Because if I move I won’t stop until I have you pinned under me, releasing everything I have inside of you while you take my mark.” Justice’s throaty voice made the threat a sexy promise that Wick wanted Justice to keep. For now, though, he needed to feed or he’d be too weak to take Justice’s mating. 

Wick instinctively used his flash speed, appearing against Justice’s body in the blink of an eye. Pressing his cool chest against that warm, solid one. He didn’t pounce, pausing instead to savor this moment. Justice licked his lips, their similar heights allowing them to look each other dead in the eye.

“I’m going to have to get used to that.” Justice slowly brought his hand up and pushed a few pieces of jet-black hair behind Wick’s ear. “You’re very fast.”

“You’re faster.” Wick was marveling, staring back at Justice. His voice only gust of breath when he answered.

“I’m fast on four legs, not two.”

That was all Justice said before he leaned in and claimed Wick’s lips. A dominating, wide mouth covered his own, Justice’s thick tongue pushing inside for his first taste. They both moaned loud enough to send things scurrying as Wick pressed in close, craving more of that intense heat.

“Open,” Justice growled against Wick’s mouth, demanding he let more of him in.

Wick did as he was told. Wanting to receive as much as his Beloved would give him and more. Their mouths paired seamlessly, just like everything else. Wick clutched at Justice like a drowning man reaching for a raft, his mate was so delicious. Groaning and licking at every crevice of each other, Wick’s cock started to leak onto the forest floor. All parts of him wanted to connect with the big shifter. Wick couldn’t refuse Justice and it appeared his mate couldn’t refuse him either, because Justice’s blood was pumping so strong now, Wick could hear it. Flowing, pounding.

“I will make this amazing for you. Just like you made my first shift amazing for me.” Wick’s gums burned as his fangs descended dramatically.