Evans, Gabrielle - Fire and Ash [Midnight Matings 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  Midnight Matings 3

  Fire and Ash

  The paranormal world is in chaos. The elders are tired of their younger people playing the field, causing trouble, and fighting with each other. Everyone who attends the UPAC Conference now has twenty-four hours to claim a mate of a different species. If they don't, they will never have a mate. The spell is cast. There is no escaping the Midnight Matings.

  Ten minutes after setting eyes on the sexy little phoenix shifter, Zaiden finds himself accidently mated to the man. He doesn’t know how it happened. The last thing he remembers, they’d been trying to escape.

  Asher isn’t exactly thrilled about their mating either, but he doesn’t have a choice. Giving up his life and everything he owns in Mexico, he commits himself to Zaiden and their new relationship. Luckily, he actually kind of likes the guy. Unfortunately, someone else does, too. Someone who’s willing to do anything to remove Asher from the picture.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Fantasy, Shape-shifter

  Length: 40,561 words

  FIRE AND ASH

  Midnight Matings 3

  Gabrielle Evans

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

  FIRE AND ASH

  Copyright © 2011 by Gabrielle Evans

  E-book ISBN: 1-61034-538-X

  First E-book Publication: May 2011

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 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 Fire and Ash 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

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To the amazing and talented Joyee Flynn: Thank you for listening to me whine, pout, and complain, knowing when to push and when to back off, but most of all for believing in me. Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without you.

  FIRE AND ASH

  Midnight Matings 3

  GABRIELLE EVANS

  Copyright © 2011

  Chapter One

  “Welcome. I am Elder Burke.”

  Asher leaned back against the wall and stared down into his glass. He wished the elder would just get on with it so he could tip back a few and peruse the crowd for a little action.

  “I want to thank you all for being here tonight. This is a momentous occasion for us. It’s been twenty-five years since the Great War between all paranormals ended, taking a large portion of our population from us.”

  Yeah, that kind of sucked. Nice of the elder to bring it up.

  “I would like you all to drink a toast with me in memory of those we lost.” The elder held up his champagne glass. “May we never forget them.”

  Asher tipped back his glass, draining it one swallow and started to push away from the wall. Now that they’d gotten that out of the way, there was a cute little blond that Asher very much wanted to get better acquainted with.

  “As I have said, this is a momentous occasion for us all. In the twenty-five years since the Great War ended, the United Paranormal Alliance of Cooperation has watched and waited. We will wait no more.”

  Asher rolled his eyes and groaned as he turned around to refocus his attention on the dais where the elders stood.

  “The fighting between species must stop.” Another elder stepped up beside the first as he spoke. “We are known to the humans and they have learned to accept us in their midst. However, their tolerance will only last so long. The constant fighting among the paranormal communities has come under scrutiny. We no longer have the luxury of watching you solve your own disagreements.”

  Asher stopped listening after that. He didn’t fight with anyone, so the man was obviously talking to someone else. Scanning the room for the blond he’d misplaced, he jerked his head up when several gasps and shouts went up around the room. What was everyone’s problem?

  “Because of your continued squabbling between races, you may not claim a mate of the same race. You must claim a mate outside of your own species.” The elder looked like he was enjoying this a little too much.

  “If you fail to bring a mate before this council by the stroke of midnight tomorrow night, you will be hunted down and executed as a rogue paranormal.”

  Asher snorted. They were going to have a hell of a time enforcing this new ordinance. How did they expect to force everyone to mate outside of their species? It was ludicrous.

  “To insure that you will find a mate, something special has been added to the potion that each of you drank,” the elder continued. “It will insure that the need to mate outweighs your need to fight. It is a particular additive that induces the mating heat in each of you. You will not be able to deny the need to mate.”

  Asher stared down into his champagne flute and grimaced. Motherfucker! Man, his roommate, Colton, was going to be pissed. The man hated coming to these things, but Asher always dragged him along. Oops. Not like he knew the elders were going to shanghai all of them.

  Still, there was probably a way around it. There was always some kind of exit clause.


  “And just in case you think to try and break this spell,” Elder Burke said, “we have added a special clause.”

  Aha! Asher knew it. The elder had his full attention now as he waited eagerly to find out how he was going to get out of this mess.

  “Anyone that attempts to negate the covenants of this spell will instantly be cursed as befitting their race. Vampires will no longer be able to drink blood. Shifters will no longer be able to shift. Magic user will have no magic, and so on. I’m sure you get my point.”

  Yeah, Asher got the point, and he wanted to punch the old bag right in his smirking face. Who the fuck did the elders think they were? They couldn’t do this to them!

  “Now, children, good luck. We expect to see each of you in twenty-four hours. May your hunt be successful.”

  The elder barely got the last sentence out of his mouth when the room erupted into total chaos, the noise level reaching deafening volumes within seconds as people yelled, snarled, hissed, growled, and roared. Asher pressed himself against the wall, trying to become invisible as the elders filed through the door beside him.

  Some huge blond guy came sprinting directly at him, and Asher closed his eyes and gulped. He didn’t know exactly what kind of shifter the man was, but he smelled like a big cat, and cats had some wickedly sharp teeth.

  “What the fuck is this shit? Why include me? I don’t fight with anyone!”

  Asher’s eyes snapped open as he watched the shifter grab one of the elders by his elbow and snarl in his face. Oh, this couldn’t be good.

  Before he could hear the elders reply, strong fingers wrapped around his forearm and spun him around. Great, a fucking vampire. Just what he needed. Smirking up at the guy, Asher felt the fire flow through him, heating his skin until half-inch orange flames leapt merrily along his arm.

  The vampire hissed, jerking his hand away and glaring. Before he could retaliate, some guy sprinted past them, brushing against Asher and sending him tumbling backward to land on his ass.

  “Fuck this,” Asher grumbled as he climbed to his feet. He didn’t want a mate, and he damn sure didn’t want to be saddled with someone he’d known for like five freakin’ minutes. They could hunt him down if they wanted, but good luck catching him. Half the damn population thought he was nuts already. So what if he went a little crazier because he didn’t claim a mate?

  Dipping, ducking, spinning, and dodging attacks and advances, he made his way toward the double doors on the other side of the ballroom. He was getting the fuck out before the entire place imploded upon itself.

  He ducked again as some guy came flying through the air and sailed over his head. Whipping around to see who had thrown the human cannonball, Asher’s eyes landed on the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. Well, what he could see of him anyway. Three men surrounded the guy, pawing at him from all directions.

  Long golden hair flew around the stranger’s lean face, and his green eyes flashed with a ferocious light as he sent another of his would-be suitors hurling across the ballroom. Damn, he packed a hell of a punch.

  Shaking his head, Asher continued toward the doors. Yeah, the guy was hot, but he could obviously take care of himself. Before he could escape, a heavily muscled arm lifted him off of his feet, and Asher found himself tossed over some dude’s massive shoulder.

  “You’re as good as any,” the man growled.

  “Yeah, not happening, buddy.” Asher took a deep breath, reaching deep to find his fire, stoking and building it until his entire upper body burst into orange flames.

  The man carrying him screamed and dropped Asher to the floor where he landed heavily on his already sore ass. Groaning as he rubbed his abused backside, Asher ran his other hand over his now nude torso. Damn, he’d really liked that shirt, too. Now, it was nothing more than a few smoldering ashes.

  Shaking his head, Asher started to push to his feet when a pale hand with long fingers reached out to help him. Following the hand up, Asher let his eyes roam over the corded muscles in the man’s arm before moving on to the broad expanse of his chest, then following the line up the column of his throat. His eyes rounded, and his heart jumped inside his chest, beating frantically against his sternum.

  Much taller and much sexier up close, the man he’d seen moments before had apparently dispatched his crowd of admirers. Taking his hand cautiously, Asher allowed the man to help him to his feet, then took several hasty steps in retreat.

  “Don’t worry,” the guy said. “I’m not going to try to mate you.”

  Well, thank fuck for small miracles. “Can you believe this shit?” Asher stretched his arms out to encompass the chaos surrounding them.

  “Look at the women.” Mr. Hotness nodded toward a group of giggling girls huddled together in the middle of the ballroom. “They’re eating this up.”

  Sure enough, Asher could see them pointing and whispering, hand-picking which man to lure into their web. He shook his head and sighed. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not exactly dancing a jig about it either.” He looked over Asher’s shoulder as his eyes narrowed. “The elders have returned.”

  Asher spun around and shook his head again. “I’m leaving.”

  “Lead the way.”

  * * * *

  Zaiden bit the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning as his eyes locked on the tight little ass he followed. The man’s bare back glistened with a fine sheen of sweat, the muscles bunching and flexing as he swung his arms. It had taken Zaiden a full minute to realize the person heaped on the floor had been a man. That was one hot little birdy.

  “So, you’re a phoenix, right? I’ve heard of your kind, but I’ve never met one.”

  “Yeah, we’re rare, and most of us went into hiding when the Great War started.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I’m Asher by the way, Asher Deacon.”

  “Zaiden Reed.”

  Asher led the way down a long stone hallway, presumably heading toward the exit. Hell, the castle was so huge, and even though this wasn’t his first gathering, Zaiden still got lost more times than not.

  The front door came into view as they rounded the corner, and two guards stepped forward as they approached. “You’ve mated?”

  “Uh, sure,” Asher said with a bright smile.

  “I need to see your mating mark.”

  “Uh, it’s on my ass,” Asher countered, still smiling.

  “Then drop your pants.”

  “That’s my mate you’re talking to,” Zaiden sneered as he stepped forward and pushed Asher behind him. If they were going to play this game, he might as well go all out.

  “Rules are rules.” The guard shrugged. “I need to see a mating mark.”

  Before Zaiden could speak again, a ball of fire flew past him and hit the first guard in the chest, crumpling him to the floor. The other guard advanced, and Zaiden swung out, connecting solidly with his jaw and sending the man to the ground beside his partner.

  Whirling around, he poked a finger in Asher’s chest. “Warn a guy next time, would ya?”

  Asher just shrugged and winked before pushing past him and running toward the door. The next thing, Zaiden knew, the little man was flung backward, rolling ass over head until he sprawled at Zaiden’s feet.

  “Well, fuck me sideways,” Asher groaned as he sat up. “A damn barrier enchantment.”

  “So, we have to have the mating seal before we can pass through it.” Zaiden nodded. He didn’t like it, but it made sense. The elders were smart.

  “So, now what?”

  Zaiden shook his head as he helped Asher to his feet. “You’ve got me.” A tingle started where their hands met, racing up his arm, and spreading throughout his body. “I can feel the mating heat starting, though.”

  Asher reached down to readjust the impressive bulge behind his zipper and groaned. “Yeah, same here.”

  “So, as you said—what now?”

  Asher looked him up and down as he smirked. “Nice shoes. Wanna fuck?
”

  Zaiden echoed Asher’s earlier groan as he grabbed the man around the wrist and practically dragged him down the hall and toward his room in the wing the elders had designated for the fae.

  Asher chuckled breathlessly as he jogged along behind Zaiden. “Do you even know where you’re going?”

  Zaiden came to a sudden stop as he reached a four-way intersection. He looked right, then left, then right again. He didn’t have a clue which way to go. His cock throbbed inside his jeans, pressing against his zipper and begging for a little playtime with the delectable morsel still clutched in his hand.

  Crap! He didn’t recognize anything, didn’t know how many turns they’d made on the way toward the front doors. “Point the way,” he growled. His skin felt itchy and heated, beads of sweat broke out across his forehead, and lightning bolts of pure lust slammed into him with every breath he took.

  “Do I look like a fucking bloodhound to you?” Asher scoffed, arching an eyebrow and jerking his hand away.

  “I could care less if you were a purple reindeer. I intend to have you naked and screaming my name in about three minutes. If you want to do that in the middle of this hallway, that’s fine by me.” Zaiden’s voice flowed harsh and feral. The mating heat overwhelmed him, and his mind swirled with a lusty haze he couldn’t shake off.

  Saliva pooled in his mouth as he watched Asher’s lithe body tremble before him. Long black hair with pure white streaks, pale creamy skin, and the most gorgeous amber eyes Zaiden had ever seen—Asher was his every fantasy come to life.