Flawless Read online

  Haven 6

  Flawless

  Being mauled by a werewolf and claimed in front of an audience is not the romantic experience Lynk Braddock envisioned for his mating. Strong and dominant Kieran is everything he craves in a partner, but the man is also kind—something Lynk fears his dark past will destroy.

  Kieran Delaney can see the need for surrender in Lynk’s eyes, and all he wants is to wrap him up and protect him from the world.

  Still, while Lynk’s submission soothes his wolf, Kieran wants a partner, not a doormat.

  The race is on to find the remaining Braddock witches, and an allying coven suddenly becomes their enemy. With a vampire convinced Lynk is his mate—going so far as to bite him—the Council steps in to find the truth. Will Kieran and Lynk’s relationship crumble under the politics? Or can they prove their love is meant to last for eternity?

  Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 44,219 words

  FLAWLESS

  Haven 6

  Gabrielle Evans

  EVERLASTING CLASSIC

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

  FLAWLESS

  Copyright © 2012 by Gabrielle Evans

  E-book ISBN: 1-61926-493-5

  First E-book Publication: February 2012

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Flawless by Gabrielle Evans from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Gabrielle Evans’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Evans’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  FLAWLESS

  Haven 6

  GABRIELLE EVANS

  Copyright © 2012

  Prologue

  “Don’t cheat,” Lynk warned the little runt as he paused the game and went to answer the doorbell.

  Wren resumed the game the minute he turned his back and giggled like a loon as he raced his car across the finish line. “I won!”

  “Cheater!” Lynk called, laughing just as enthusiastically as Wren.

  The five-year-old pixie was about the cutest damn thing he’d ever seen in his life. He was young, so full of life, and everything was magical and exciting for him.

  He’d never been around kids much before, didn’t know the first thing about them, but it had taken approximately ten minutes for him to fall in love with Wren. He knew he wasn’t as lost as his brother, Torren, though. Hopefully, with a little luck, Torren and his mate, Aslan, would be able to adopt Wren and give him a real home.

  Still chuckling, he reached the front door and pulled it open. The laughter died in his throat, and he felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. The most stunning man he’d ever seen stood on the doorstep, his black hair cut short, just barely curling over his ears.

  Tall, much taller than Lynk, with muscles that looked to be sculpted from marble at the hands of an expert artist.

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  Smooth, creamy skin, with just the hint of sun, pulled tight over high cheekbones that highlighted gorgeous, mesmerizing, blue eyes.

  Lynk would have continued his leisurely exploration of the stranger, but he found himself lost in those cerulean eyes, unable to look away, move, or even breathe.

  The stranger stared back at him, a low growl rumbling in his chest like rolling thunder. The heat of desire flashed in his eyes, turning them a darker shade of blue. Leaning forward slightly, his nostrils flared as he sniffed at Lynk’s neck.

  The sound of ripping fabric snapped Lynk out of his hypnosis, but not before he got a good look at the huge, russet-colored werewolf lunging for him. Not afraid for himself, but for Wren’s safety, Lynk backpedalled, intent on slamming the door in the beast’s face.

  The wolf was faster, though, blocking the door with one hairy arm as he prowled closer, his gaze locked on the pulsing vein on Lynk’s throat. His other arm shot out, looping around Lynk’s waist and crushing him to the broad expanse of a chiseled chest.

  Footsteps pounded behind him as the werewolf carried him farther into the house, and several loud gasps sounded. “What the fuck?” Raith yelled, snatching Wren up from the sofa and holding him protectively.

  Enforcer Bannon Murphy looked on curiously, his eyes creasing at the corners while he studied the scene before him. “Kieran?” The werewolf snapped his head up and snarled, tightening his grip until Lynk could barely breathe. Lynk struggled, trying to get away from the big brute, but he knew it was hopeless before he even began.

  The man had been much bigger than him before his shift, but now he was positively enormous.

  “Kieran?” Galen stepped up beside Bannon and cocked his head to the side. “What has gotten into you? Put him down.” Kieran’s nose began to nuzzle the side of Lynk’s neck, and the rumble in his chest sped until it was almost a purr. His tongue snaked Flawless 9

  out, licking a slow, wet path that made Lynk’s bones melt. He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what was going on.

  Kieran was his Infinity—literally the missing half of his torn soul.

  The bond was more intense than that of a normal fated pair, and Kieran’s animal was reacting to that connection. It was all very logical and rational when put that way, but that didn’t mean that Lynk enjoyed being handled like a piece of property.

 
“Put me down,” he ordered.

  Something whistled through the air a split second before it smacked against Kieran’s nose. Galen was dancing around the werewolf, whacking him with a rolled up newspaper while spouting commands for him to release Lynk. Since that was exactly what he wanted, Lynk didn’t argue, but anger welled up in him that Galen had struck his mate.

  Torn between wanting to remain in Kieran’s arms forever and beating the crap out of the Neanderthal, Lynk had a bad feeling it was going to be a recurring theme to the future of their relationship.

  * * * *

  “Put him down.” Galen glared at him and stomped his foot. “Right now, Kieran. I mean it!” Something smacked against his nose again.

  “Now!”

  Kieran gave the smaller man a fleeting glance and huffed out an annoyed breath. He hadn’t been expecting to find his mate when he’d hopped in his truck and driven to Casper to talk to Torren. After the initial shock wore off, the attraction, the need was too intense to be ignored.

  Nothing in life had prepared him for the aching desire to curl himself around the man in his arms and never, ever let go. He told himself he should set the guy on his feet and leave him be, but he couldn’t. He was almost afraid, as though the world would cease to 10 Gabrielle

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  exist and his soul would bleed if he couldn’t hold the man, touch him, smell him, taste him.

  “Let me go, you stupid, overgrown, idiotic fur ball!” His mate struggled against him, but that only excited Kieran’s wolf. Even when a solid kick connected with his knee, his brain barely registered the pain. Everything that he was revolved around this one man. Before he’d found his mate, he’d been wandering through life without purpose, waiting for something to bring meaning to an otherwise ordinary existence.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Torren stomped into the room, obviously in a temper, but he stumbled to a stop when his eyes landed on Kieran. Fine by him. He wanted everyone as far away from his mate as they could get.

  “Umm, I’m going to guess that Lynk is Kieran’s mate.” Torren’s lover, Aslan, tried to explain. His voice sounded a little shaky, but Kieran wasn’t sure if it was from fear or amusement. “And he doesn’t look like he’ll be letting go any time soon.” His mate’s name was Lynk. Kieran liked that. It fit his little man.

  “Kieran Delaney, I’m going to call your sister.” Galen could do whatever the hell he wanted if he’d just go away and leave Kieran alone with his mate. Apparently the pipsqueak didn’t like being ignored, though, because the rolled up newspaper arched through the air again. Galen missed him this time, though, striking Lynk on the shoulder instead.

  The fury came swiftly, washing over him like a red haze until he was more animal than man, driven purely by instinct. Dropping Lynk to his feet and pushing the man behind him, he roared loud enough to vibrate every window in the house.

  Bannon was just as fast, grabbing Galen around the waist and yanking him backward as he snarled right back at Kieran. There was a lot of yelling, shouting, and name-calling as Bannon and Torren advanced on him, but Kieran didn’t care. What kind of man would he be if he didn’t protect what was most important to him?

  Flawless 11

  “Oh, for the love of Christmas.” Lynk sounded irritated as he rounded Kieran and shoved him in the chest. The sound of his voice was enough to calm Kieran, but Lynk’s amazing scent pushed him into a frenzy for an entirely different reason. “Would you knock it off already?” When he didn’t respond to the words, Lynk grabbed a handful of fur on Kieran’s chest and jerked him forward as he bared his throat in the ultimate act of surrender. “Just get it over with.” He didn’t even pause to think about it before crushing Lynk close once more and sinking his canines into the soft, fragrant skin just above his collarbone. The bite went deep, but Kieran wanted to be sure that it remained, didn’t fade, and would ache for days, letting Lynk know exactly who he belonged to.

  Lynk bucked in his arms, arching against him so that his trapped erection rubbed against Kieran’s hip, driving him crazy with lust. The smell of freshly spilled seed hit his nose, and Kieran’s eyes rolled back in his head as he released Lynk’s neck and licked lazily at his mating mark in satisfaction.

  As he rubbed his head over Lynk’s face, his neck, and every part of him he could reach, effectively marking the man with his scent, he felt his body shrinking, returning to his normal six-foot-four. When he could see in color again, his heart kicked hard against his sternum as he took in just how heartbreakingly beautiful Lynk really was.

  His hands came up to cradle the masterpiece of Lynk’s face, and he was sure he wore the smile of a lovesick idiot. Then hard knuckles connected with his jaw, sending him back a couple of steps to stare at Lynk in confusion. What the hell had just happened?

  “Now go away.” Lynk’s tone was so frigid, Kieran was surprised that icicles didn’t form on the light fixtures. Without giving Kieran a chance to retaliate, he spun on his heels and stormed out of the room as though the hounds of hell were chasing after him.

  Kieran wasn’t hurt or angry, though. Beneath that carefully constructed anger, he’d seen the fear in Lynk’s eyes, the fear of a man 12 Gabrielle

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  who’d been hurt once too many. And come hell or high water, he’d prove to Lynk that he could be the one to take it all away.

  Flawless 13

  Chapter One

  Though he’d placed himself on the opposite side of the library, sitting in the same room with Kieran was pure torture. Lynk hadn’t slept a wink since the man had claimed him in the living room of the house he shared with his brothers. Every time he even attempted to close his eyes, images of Kieran’s stunning face appeared, his heart thrummed erratically, and his cock swelled in record time.

  He’d managed to distance himself during the meeting and the gathering in the field that followed, always disappearing each time Kieran got too close. Did the werewolf know how sexy he’d looked prowling around the campfire? The glow of the flames had brushed his hair, his body, giving off the illusion that it was Kieran who lit up the clearing.

  When shit hit the fan, Lynk had willingly pushed his personal issues aside to help in any way he could. He’d had the sense of being watched for most of the night and felt that something sinister hung on the air. So when Torren had ordered him to the main house to protect the residence within, he’d sprinted the entire way without question.

  Now that everyone was safe, the threat had passed for the time being, and they had a plan to begin searching for the remainder of their missing brethren, the exhaustion was finally catching up to him.

  His magic was strong—though not as powerful as Torren’s—but it was still draining to hold a protective spell for that long. Add that on top of his weary mind and sleep-deprived body, and Lynk thought he could probably sleep for the next week.

  Unfortunately, he’d be leaving for Snake River as soon as the sun set the next evening. Torren had reason to believe that they’d find 14 Gabrielle

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  their brother, Thane, there, and Lynk had learned long ago that Torren was usually right. Not that he’d tell the arrogant bastard that, but still, he knew.

  Curled up in one of the armchairs in the back corner of the room, he watched Wren wrap his arms around Torren’s neck and squeeze him tightly. “I love you, Daddy.”

  The words were quiet, just barely reaching Lynk. It caused a lump to form in his throat, and his eyes stung when he saw the emotions playing across Torren’s face. Despite his many faults, Torren deserved to be happy, to have someone love him unconditionally.

  Lynk had no doubts that Torren would be an amazing father.

  He must have nodded off after that, because when he came to again, people were murmuring their good-byes and trickling out of the library. Lynk couldn’t make his tired limbs move to haul him up from his resting place, though. His eyelids began to droop again, his head feeling much too heavy for him to lift it.

 
Jerking awake when he felt strong arms slide under him and lift him out of the chair, he started to protest, but Kieran was already sitting, settling Lynk securely in his lap. Gods, he was so warm. And Lynk was weak. He knew he needed to get up and walk away, but how could he when it was exactly where he’d wanted to be all night?

  “Hush now,” Kieran whispered to him, stroking Lynk’s shoulder-length hair, digging his fingers in to massage the back of his scalp.

  “Just rest, sugar. I’ve got you.”

  “I shouldn’t want this.”

  Kieran didn’t argue with him, didn’t say anything as he continued petting him, soothing him in a way he hadn’t felt in such a long time.

  His brain began to shut down, giving him the first measure of peace he’d had in weeks. His eyelids wouldn’t stay open, succumbing to gravity and plunging him into darkness.

  His mate.

  His Infinity.

  Flawless 15

  The missing half of his soul that had been ripped from the core of his being and given a home in the one person that would forever be by his side to understand him, defend him, cherish him…love him.

  Lynk’s beginning and end.

  Kieran was his answer, but what was the question? And if Kieran was the question, what could possibly be the answer?

  The endless riddles continued churning, rolling, swirling inside his brain, over and over until he thought he’d go mad from them.

  Kieran was the light to his darkness, given to Lynk to balance his self-destructive behavior. How could he in good conscience allow the coldness within him to seep over and pollute his mate?