Publisher: Changeling Press
Cover Artist: Angela Knight
Captured by the Dark Fae Dirian and kept in a spelled cage, wolf shifter Navarro wonders if he’ll ever see freedom again. Being imprisoned takes an interesting turn when his mate steps through the door at Dirian’s side, his torso and back scarred from years of abuse. Navarro wants nothing more than to save the both of them, but he doesn’t know how.
When the Wood Elf Tabor first touches the red wolf in the cage, he knows the two of them share a special connection. Dirian gives Navarro to him as a pet, but the shifter is so much more. For the first time in three hundred years, Tabor wants to bind someone to him with Fae magick, a commitment not taken lightly by his kind.
The two make the best of their captivity, but when an opportunity to escape presents itself, Navarro knows they must take it — and in doing so, free everyone Dirian has enslaved.
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EXCERPT
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2017 Dulce Dennison
The door at the end of the corridor opened, and two Fae stepped into the room. The one in front wore tattered pants and had faint scarring across his rather impressive chest and his abs. The smaller Fae behind him wielded a whip, his clothes screaming obscene wealth. It seemed his master had made an appearance, but he wondered about the other Fae, the one who seemed just as fucked as the rest of them.
The fully clothed Fae stopped at each cage, as if inspecting his possessions. The other Fae trailed along with him. A lioness four cages down swiped at them through the bars, but the asshole only laughed.
“I like them feisty,” the Fae said. “Maybe I’ll make you part of my special harem. Would you like to come out of the cage?”
She hissed at him in response. Navarro didn’t even want to contemplate what being part of his “special harem” would entail. With some luck this Fae only liked females, but he’d heard most were bisexual. They drew nearer to his cage and Navarro finally could smell them over the other scents in the room. The rich one reeked of cruelty and spices. It made him sneeze.
But the other one… the Fae who seemed to be in just as much trouble as he was… that one held his attention. Silver hoops graced the top of a pointed ear and the closer he came the more certain Navarro was certain he was facing his true mate. It wasn’t uncommon for shifters and Fae to mate, but he’d always thought his mate would be another wolf. He studied the Fae, taking in his emerald green eyes and long, black hair. Despite the scars, he seemed to be in good shape, his muscles well-defined and on display.
“Ah,” said the rich Fae. “My latest acquisition. You were a tricky one to capture. I consider myself lucky you weren’t running with your pack last night. It made things much easier for me.”
Navarro growled.
“Now, now. None of that. I have a present for you.” He hit Navarro’s mate with the whip. “Give him his prize, Tabor. I swear you’re the dumbest Fae I’ve ever met.”
Tabor gritted his teeth and knelt near the cage. Navarro moved closer, poking his nose through the bars to nuzzle his mate. Tabor smiled faintly and reached out a hand to stroke his fur. In his other hand, was a hunk of raw steak. Navarro looked from the offered meat to his mate, trying to decide if it was poisoned.
“It’s all right,” Tabor said. “It’s safe to eat.”
Navarro gently took the treat, keeping an eye on his mate and wishing bars didn’t separate them. When he was finished, he tried to reach his mate again, sticking out a paw. Tabor reached into the cage and stroked his fur some more.
“Interesting,” the nasty Fae said. “Tabor, how would you like to have a pet?”
“A pet?” his mate asked.
“I’ll gift the wolf to you, as long as he wears a spelled collar to keep him in wolf form whenever he’s not in your quarters.”
“I don’t have quarters,” Tabor said with narrowed eyes. “I have a cage much like this one with a cot in the corner.”
“His attraction to you amuses me. I do believe he might be inclined to mate claim you. Watching this play out could be most entertaining. I’ll give you a simple room where the two of you may stay. But if I ever see him on the grounds in human form, the consequences will be dire.”
“Thank you, Master Dirian.” Tabor bowed his head, but his hand tightened on Navarro’s fur.
When his mate stood, Dirian motioned for him to follow. “I’ll get a collar and leash for you, then you may return and claim your pet. What you do with him is entirely up to you. I would suggest the connection you share with the beast continue to amuse me, otherwise I’ll throw him back in the cage.”
“Yes, Master Dirian,” Tabor said.
His mate cast a look over his shoulder at Navarro before disappearing through the door. Navarro didn’t understand why Dirian would give them this gift, but he wasn’t going to question it. If he could be with his mate without bars separating them, then he would take it. Maybe the two of them together could figure out how to escape this prison. Navarro didn’t doubt for a minute that security was high, and there were probably other spells and wards in place around the property and home. If they did manage to escape, it wouldn’t be easy.