When Diablo came to, Reese was going to have a stern talking to the guy about keeping secrets. That was no way to start their relationship. Reese demanded total honesty from the people he cared about.

  “Let me know if you need anything else,” Grey said. “I also want the names of the demons after him.”

  “Xylem and Rochester,” Reese said as he stroked Diablo’s fur. “I’ll have to find out if there are more when my mate wakes up from healing.”

  “Keep me updated,” Grey said before he hung up.

  Reese set his phone on the couch then stood and undressed. He shifted into his wolf form then curled up next to his mate. He wanted Diablo to feel safe, to see that Reese was there at his side when he woke up.

  Most importantly, Reese wanted to be close to Diablo, to the mate he never thought he would find.

  Chapter Four

  Diablo woke to find heat at his back. He remained perfectly still as he assessed the situation. He was in Reese’s apartment on the living room floor, with a solid presence pressed against him. The last thing he remembered was coming inside, injured from his fight with Rochester, and passing out.

  Slowly turning, Diablo was stunned to find a very naked Reese stretched out beside him. What exactly had happened? Diablo searched his memory and was pretty sure he’d recall having sex with his mate, but he was at a loss to remember how they’d gotten like this.

  He fully turned over and gazed down at Reese. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such a fine specimen before. Reese was lean with muscles, impressive biceps, and a fine layer of hair on his chest. Asleep, Reese looked so peaceful, and Diablo was dying to taste those lips. For two goddamn years he’d been fighting against the pull, forcing himself to ignore the fact that his mate lived in the same town, but how could he ignore a naked man cuddled up against him?

  He wasn’t that big of a saint. Not in the slightest. He kept telling himself that claiming Reese wasn’t wise, wasn’t the right thing to do. Tying the wolf shifter to an outcast would only bring the guy heartache.

  Now he lay there, fighting a war inside. Lord knew he wanted to do the right thing, but damn, that body… Finally giving in, he let his gaze drift down to Reese’s groin. He couldn’t have stopped the growl even if his life depended on it. Even soft, Reese’s cock was impressive. Now all Diablo could do was imagine those muscular thighs curled around his waist as he sank his dick deep inside of his mate.

  “It’s not polite to stare at someone’s cock while they’re asleep.”

  Diablo’s gaze swept up to Reese’s face. His mate’s eyes were still closed. “It’s not polite to curl up naked next to an unconscious guy and expect him to be polite about it.”

  Diablo’s heart did somersaults when Reese’s lips curved into a devastating smile. His eyes slowly cracked open, and Diablo was staring right at the dark orbs. Could heaven have made anyone more stunning? Fate was a rotten bastard for throwing such a temptation right in front of him, to dangle Reese like a carrot on a stick, taunting him, knowing damn well his life was cursed.

  His breath caught when Reese slid his hand up Diablo’s arm. Diablo was fully aware that his body was littered with scars, that he wasn’t anyone’s prize. His flesh was a map to the violent life he’d led, and any decent person needed to run away from him.

  But Diablo also couldn’t deny how desperately he wanted to be touched, how much he craved the connection of another person, one who wasn’t out to hurt him. He’d longed for this his entire life and was desperate to feel normal, if only for a little while to forget he had enemies after him, that he was a hellhound, that no one in their right mind would voluntarily bind their soul to his.

  “Feeling better?” Reese tucked his arm under his head while still caressing Diablo’s arm.

  Diablo couldn’t help his body’s reaction and grew hard as his mate’s fingers glided over his skin. Reese’s hand drifted from Diablo’s wrist to his hip, featherlight touches that had every nerve in his body coming to life.

  Diablo opened his mouth to answer but had to swallow first. “No more pain.”

  “Good.”

  He yelped when Reese slapped his hip so hard that it stung. “What was that for?”

  Reese lay perfectly still, studying him, then frowned. “For being a complete bastard.”

  Like Diablo hadn’t heard that word hurled at him a million times. “You’re going to have to be more specific, handsome.”

  Pushing to his elbow, Reese glared down at him. “You knew we were mates all this time and didn’t say a word to me.”

  Now Diablo’s heart was pounding for a different reason. Reese knew. How? Had the elixir worn off already? If it had, the time between doses was growing shorter. Diablo had been warned this might happened, but he’d been careless, and now the truth was out there.

  If Reese knew they were mates, then he had to have figured out that Diablo was part hellhound, too. Only, Reese didn’t look at him with disgust. Ire, yes, but not repulsion. “I wanted to spare you.”

  “From what exactly?” Reese moved so fast that Diablo wasn’t able to stop him. He shoved Diablo to his back and straddled his hips. Reese pinned Diablo’s arms to the floor. “Because you’re half hellhound? Because you have enemies after you? Because you thought I was such a jerk that I would reject you because of what you are?”

  “All of the above?” Never in his life had Diablo felt so vulnerable, all his secrets laid bare. Whether Reese knew it or not, he had the power to cripple Diablo in ways no one else had been able to. Diablo was a fighter, a surly bastard who’d taken down many men.

  But he lay there pinned under his mate, and a large part of him was enjoying this. Another part was scared shitless that Reese would still reject him. No, that Reese would accept him and Diablo would ruin his life.

  “You must have a very low opinion of me.”

  “Not at all,” Diablo said. “The opposite. You’re too fucking good for me, Reese.”

  That made his mate frown. “Why would you say that?”

  In one swift move, Diablo put Reese on his back, locking his knees on either side of his mate’s hips. “You have no idea what my life has been like. Because I’m a half-breed, part hellhound, everyone who has a need to prove themselves comes after me. Best a hellhound and you win a stuffed animal. How do you think I got so scarred? My own fucking mother fed me to the wolves. Figuratively, but you get what I’m saying. My father didn’t even stick around long enough to see me born. My life has been one nightmare after another, and you think I want to pull a sweet guy like you into my world?”

  Diablo wanted to shoot himself for telling Reese about his past. He had never told anyone. It made him feel ashamed and angry that someone knew about his cruel and sadistic mother, his absent father. He usually kept his personal life very personal. If anyone knew anything about his past, they could use it against him. He knew this. Hell, he was a living target for those who’d found out. Yet, as soon as Reese had opened his mouth, Diablo had opened his.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  “What do you think mates are for?” Reese snarled as he bucked. Diablo’s body pulsed with the reminder that they were both naked, that his dick was so hard it hurt. “We’re there for each other, shelter in a storm. A security blanket when the world is beating the shit out of one of us. Mates exist to bring each other happiness, even when one of us doesn’t feel like he deserves it.”

  With a growl, Diablo got up and sat on the couch, roughly carding a hand through his hair. “Fine talk for someone who’s never experienced enemies coming at you from all directions.”

  Reese got up and sat next to him, their bodies touching, making Diablo’s brain all twisted up, making it hard to think. “I might not have enemies after me, but that doesn’t mean I’ve led a sheltered life, Diablo. Sure, I have great parents, but I’ve been on my own for a few hundred years, and life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.”

  “Your life hasn’t been anywhere near as hard as mine has been.”

  “Will you stop trivializing my existence? You know nothing about me. No, my life isn’t like yours, but we all have our own crosses to bear. Not all scars can be seen.”

  The thought of anyone hurting Reese made Diablo see red. The guy was too kindhearted, but Diablo also knew there were plenty of people out there who would take advantage of that.

  “I’ve lost people I care about, have been involved in many fights to save a friend’s life, and have seen the scourge of society. Life isn’t pretty, and sometimes it hurts, but it’s what you do in those moments that define who you are.” He tapped Diablo’s bare chest. “You’re a decent man. You’ve just been dealt a shitty hand. You don’t drain anyone’s happiness like hellhounds normally do, so that alone sets you apart from the rest.”

  Diablo wanted to desperately believe that, to wipe away centuries of disparagement. To feel like he was worth something. Luke had been the first person who’d ever shown him kindness. It had taken over a year for Diablo to fully trust him, to feel as if Luke wouldn’t turn on him.

  Even past lovers had been callous toward him. Men who either wanted to brag that they’d slept with a hellhound or tried to find a weakness while they fucked. And people wondered why Diablo had so little faith in the world. Even now, hearing Reese say all those things about him, his head refused to believe that he could finally find solace in someone. That he could let his guard down and be himself without fear of ridicule or pain.

  Reese took Diablo’s hand in his. “It’s time to stop running and start living.”

  Diablo snarled and snatched his hand away.

  Reese growled and yanked it back to him. “I’m not going to let you push me away. If I have to, I’ll duct tape you to me, because you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  Diablo stared at their joined hands. God, how he wanted to believe things could be that easy. “I don’t know how to trust, Reese.”

  “I know.” Reese cupped Diablo’s scruffy jaw. “That will take time, and I’m more than willing to show you that you can trust me.”

  He glanced at his mate’s face, his heart pounding heavily. “I never meant to deceive you. It was killing me not to tell you the truth.”

  “Now that I know everything, I understand why you did what you did. No more secrets, Diablo. Not with me, not with the one guy who will proudly stand by your side.”

  Diablo snorted. “You’re insane.”

  Reese grinned. “Possibly. I’ve been known to not only talk to myself but occasionally answer myself, too.”

  Diablo chuckled. “You’re too damn good for me.”

  “I’m perfect for you.” Reese leaned forward and brushed his lips over Diablo’s, a soft touch that made Diablo’s heart hurt. Such tenderness, so much care. But that wasn’t what Diablo wanted. It felt too much like pity.

  With a deep growl, he spun Reese until his mate was flat on his back. Reese smiled up at him, a seductive look that drove Diablo wild. Even after all of Reese’s pretty words, Diablo still held doubt in his heart, but he didn’t have it in him to walk away. Not when the truth was finally out there and his mate hadn’t rejected him. Not when Reese looked so fucking good lying under him.

  “I can handle you,” Reese said.

  Diablo had no idea what the guy was talking about.

  “If you need rough, I can handle it.” Reese tucked strands of Diablo’s hair behind his ear. “If you need gentle, I can do that too. Whatever you need.”

  “What I need is for you to stop talking.” Diablo already knew Reese could handle anything he dished out. His mate was a silent warrior, and Diablo couldn’t have been more attracted to him. Reese was the kind of strength Diablo needed, and although his head was screaming not to bind Reese to him, his animal counterparts were snarling to do it, to take up the offer of solace, the chance of possibly finding happiness for once in his cursed life. The kind of joy only a mate could bring.

  Diablo slammed his lips over Reese’s, devouring him as Reese wrapped his arms around Diablo’s neck, yanking him impossibly closer as their cocks slid against each other’s. Diablo loved that feeling, of having a hard body under him, of Reese’s unshaven jaw gliding over his. That abrasion that told Diablo that he had a male beneath him, willing to give him what he needed, the other person happy to take what he wanted.

  Their hands were everywhere, touching, caressing, pinching, and driving each other mad. They were so lost in what they were doing that Diablo was too late to stop them from hitting the floor.

  Reese burst out laughing, still clinging to Diablo. “Should we invest in mats to cushion our falls?”

  “We’d only roll off of them.” Diablo moved lower after he untangled Reese’s arms from around his neck and kissed his way around his mate’s jaw, licking the hairs of his low-trimmed beard. Diablo nipped him, smiling when Reese groaned, then mouthed his Adam’s apple as he rested one arm by his mate’s head, using his free hand to map Reese’s side and hip.

  Then Diablo moved even lower, brushing his chin over his mate’s chest hair, attacking his lips to one of Reese’s nipples until it was a hard peak. Reese writhed under him, skimming his hands down Diablo’s back before he cupped Diablo’s ass, bringing their cocks closer together.

  Diablo kissed Reese’s chest, his belly, and worked his way down to that gorgeous V on either side of Reese’s hips. He mouthed his mate’s skin, worshipped it, nipping along the way. The head of Reese’s cock tapped Diablo under his chin, leaving behind a wet smear of pre-cum.

  Settling between Reese’s legs, Diablo nuzzled the man’s balls, inhaling his scent. It was like breaking open the gates to heaven. He was intoxicated by the aroma, drowning in it, still feeling as if this moment was unreal. Reese was about to be his, and Diablo had to tamp down the feeling of being unworthy. Reese didn’t think so. He hadn’t shoved Diablo away, yelling for him to get out. He’d accepted him, was willing to bind their souls, so Diablo needed to stop thinking he was nothing more than a piece of shit.

  Reese slid his fingers through Diablo’s hair, distracting him from his thoughts. He groaned as he spread his legs farther apart, encouraging Diablo to get on with it. Diablo mouthed Reese’s balls, sliding his tongue over the wrinkled sac, moaning at how good the man tasted.

  His mate rocked his hips upward. Diablo grinned at how obvious Reese was in his plea to get his dick sucked. He teased Reese’s inner thighs, licking and nipping but didn’t move any higher.

  “You’re killing me,” Reese said in a deep voice. “Stop fucking playing with me, Diablo.”

  Diablo suppressed a chuckle. “What? I’m just enjoying your body. Was there something specific you wanted?”

  Lifting his head, Reese glared down at him. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

  “I hope so.” Diablo smirked.

  “That’s not what I meant. Get busy sucking me off, asshole.” Reese dropped his head back down then gripped the base of his erection and guided the head toward Diablo’s face. “Now.”

  Diablo gave a single lick, enjoying the playfulness between them. Something that was foreign to him. “Happy?”

  “Murderous,” Reese growled. “Do I need to beg? Is that what you want? Because I’m on the verge of begging.”

  “You never have to beg me to enjoy your sweet body.” Diablo took Reese’s cock into his mouth, sliding his lips down the length. Reese let out a strangled noise as Diablo used his throat muscles to grip the hard, heated flesh. His mate bucked, clamping his hands down on Diablo’s head, tossing his own back as he let out a long hiss.

  Reese in the throes of passion was a sight to behold, a sight Diablo wanted to see often. The sounds were driving Diablo wild. He stroked Reese’s cock as he suckled at the head, knowing that was the most sensitive part of a dick.

  “Diablo.” Reese stiffened, and Diablo knew he was close. He doubled his efforts, swallowing Reese down to the root. “Fuck!”

  Ropes of cum hit the back of Diablo’s throat when he eased off slightly. He swallowed the load, licking the head clean. “You were saying?”

  Reese lay there struggling to breathe. Then he grinned, and Diablo’s heart lit up. “Nothing. I wasn’t saying a damn thing except how fucking good you are at that.”

  Diablo crawled back up his mate’s body, stopping here and there to whisper kisses along his mate’s soft skin. He reached Reese’s face and gave him a slow kiss, no tongue involved, exploring how good those lips felt against his.

  “Lube?”

  Reese cracked one eye open. “Closest bottle is in the side table next to the couch.”

  “Closest bottle? How many do you have stashed around here?”

  “In every room. You never know when the urge will hit you, and sometimes, I’m too tired to get up.”

  Diablo chuckled. “But not too tired to jack off.”

  “Never.”

  Getting to his feet, Diablo retrieved the well-used bottle. He turned and saw Reese getting to his feet, and Diablo, for a second, thought that maybe Reese had changed his mind. It wouldn’t be the first time Diablo had gotten someone off and the fucker ditched him.

  “I think my bed would be a lot more comfortable.” Reese held out his hand, and Diablo took it, trailing behind his mate.

  Chapter Five

  The way his mate looked at him earlier made Diablo pause. He felt like a decent being. Reese looked at him with understanding, like Diablo wasn’t fucking everything up.

  Diablo was clueless about what he was doing and wasn’t even sure he was doing the right thing by claiming Reese. It was daunting to know his mate thought so highly of him and that Reese just knew Diablo was a good person. He wasn’t even sure of that himself.

  When they reached the room, they collapsed onto the bed, but they didn’t attack each other. They curled into each other’s arms, as if they had all the time in the world.

  Diablo leaned down, placed a kiss on his mate’s forehead, and then tightened his hold, giving the man a hug. Diablo’s world was changing, and it was a place he was no longer sure of, but there was one thing he was very sure of. He took refuge in this quiet moment, with his mate cuddled in his arms. It was a reprieve he would always crave and treasure.