Blurb
Moe Jones, aka Mojo, has finally found his mate, but it is going to take every ounce of his strength and a little help from Fate to help Rhys down the road of recovery.
Rhys was forced to drink shifter blood for months and is slowly recovering from the addiction. He is scared to claim his shifter mate for fear that he will lose control and kill him. How can he claim his mate if he can’t drink his blood?
Abigail Wright is in Arkadia on a search to find her best friend from college after an alarming Christmas card. She wasn’t planning on finding her mates, especially two such delicious ones.
Abby finds herself protecting the heart of her gentle giant shifter mate and guiding the steps of her older vampire mate. Together all three discover that they need each other desperately.
When an old enemy targets Rhys, the new triad faces the possibility that they may lose Rhys forever. It will take Moe’s physical strength, Abby’s infallible willpower and Rhys’s indomitable spirit to defeat their enemy.
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Excerpt
Moe Jones stood on the wide wooden planks outside of his bar and watched as vampire after vampire streamed by carrying boxes that held his mate’s things up to the third-floor apartment. His mate stood off to one side absently rubbing his hands up and down his arms in what Moe had come to identify as his nervous gesture. He knew that his mate was still uneasy about moving in, but they had come a long way in the past month. Rhys was the one who had told Moe that he was ready to move in. At first Moe had been ecstatic, but watching Rhys this morning gave him doubts.
“He is doing much better,” a regal voice said to his left. Moe quickly turned to his left to where the vampire prince now stood. Moe was beginning to think that the prince liked scaring the hell out of him.
“He’s still addicted to shifter blood,” Moe said quietly.
Gabriel stared at Rhys for a second longer then turned his brilliant blue eyes to him. Moe could almost feel the weight of the ages pressing down on him when the prince looked at him like this.
“He may always be addicted. The Shifter Council has him on a probationary status. No other has ever fought their way back from madness after consuming Shifted Death. This may be something that you will have to live with for the rest of your lives. He may always experience mood swings and anxiety. It may always be a roller coaster with him. Are you prepared for that?”
“You don’t have to explain withdrawal symptoms to me. All I’ve been doing for the past month has been reading about dealing with addiction, withdrawal, and how to avoid relapses. I will do whatever it takes, be whatever he needs to get him through this. He is my miracle.” Moe couldn’t keep the emotion out of his voice. Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Maybe Fate knew what she was doing after all. I had my doubts at Christmas. But he may need every ounce of your strength to overcome this.” Gabriel patted his shoulder lightly and let his hand drop.
“You know that Alpha Devon has been pressuring the Council to rule that Rhys is still a danger?”
Moe growled low under his breath.
“Yes. Roman has been keeping me updated.”
“He is saying that even though his eyes have turned back to normal, his dependency on shifter blood makes him a liability. So far, Fate’s direct intervention and the fact that he is now mated has been enough for the council to lean in our favor. I just don’t trust that damn wolf or pathetic excuse for a lawyer.” Gabriel’s voice got icy. Moe could tell he was remembering the lawyer’s insistence that Rhys be “put down” on Christmas Eve.
“They will never get near him again,” Moe said firmly. Gabriel looked to him and smiled faintly.
“They would have to be suicidal to tangle with you, my large friend.”
Moe winked at the prince. Rhys’s raised voice caught Moe’s attention.
“Wait, Daniel, what’s in that box? That’s not mine,” Moe heard Rhys ask before he grabbed Daniel by the collar of his shirt.
“Nothing.”
“Daniel,” Rhys asked again.
“Okay, okay. I packed you some of my personal favorites from my ‘video’ collection. There is one in here that especially shows different positions when dealing with ‘big boys.’ I figure you may need all the help you can get.” Daniel smiled up at his friend. Moe watched in fascination as Rhys’s eyes went from Daniel to him to the box to Daniel and back to him. Moe couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Put that box back in the truck.” Rhys grabbed at the box but Daniel nimbly danced out of the way.
“No way, they complement David’s moving in present.”
Rhys stopped chasing Daniel.
“What did he get me?”
“Triple XL butt plugs!” David yelled loudly from the third-story window, his voice carrying down the street causing more than one mid-day shopper to turn and look at them. Moe thought his poor mate would melt into a puddle on the worn wooden planks.
“David! Daniel! What did I tell you about behaving yourselves?” Roman barked, raising his eyes from his clipboard.
“Bo-o-r-r-ring,” David sang and disappeared from the window. Daniel took advantage of Rhys’s distraction and ran inside. Rhys turned to Moe.
“Are you still sure you want to mate with me? I’m all fucked up, and well, you can see how my family is.” Rhys pointed to where David was now spanking Daniel in the bar with a long double-ended dildo. There was a faintly amused expression on his mate’s face. Moe was by his side in an instant.
He pulled his mate into his arms and took advantage of his height to rub his chin over Rhys’s blond curls.
“You are not fucked up. You are recovering. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone. Fate not only chose you just for me, she literally stepped in to make sure we could be together. You are my miracle.” Moe tipped Rhys’s head back and slowly licked and nibbled his lips. He could feel the moment Rhys relaxed his muscles. Moe simply wrapped his arms around him tighter. When Rhys opened his mouth and began to suck on his tongue, Moe could feel his control start to slip.
“Tear that face up. Woot! Woot!”
Moe opened one eye to see David and Daniel begin to gyrate and thrust their hips at imaginary dance partners. Moe reluctantly pulled away. Rhys’s cheeks were pink and his lips swollen. Damn if his mate didn’t look thoroughly dazed.
“I told you.” Rhys’s eyes danced with mirth. Moe could feel his heart expand. This was his mate. In the past month between bouts of anxiety, outbursts of frustration and pain, this was the man that kept shining through, with his kind eyes and ready smile.