More Than Pride Read online

  A Total-E-Bound Publication

  www.total-e-bound.com

  More Than Pride

  ISBN # 978-1-78184-001-6

  ©Copyright Amber Kell 2012

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright May 2012

  Edited by Stacey Birkel

  Total-E-Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.

  This story contains 59 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 7 pages.

  Supernatural Mates

  MORE THAN PRIDE

  Amber Kell

  Book six in the Supernatural Mates Series

  Some lions need two mates to soothe the savage beast.

  After watching the happiness his fellow pride mates found with their matches, Dillon longs for a mate of his own. Unfortunately the perfect mate doesn’t just fall from the sky…or does he? Trouble gets stirred up when bird and feline breeds mix together. Chester came to the pride house to infiltrate their tight-knit group. Will he endanger his life and that of his family in the name of love? And will Evin be able to leave the owl shifters in his crazy brother’s hands as the owls seek to take over pride territory?

  Intrigue, betrayal and hot men finding true love—when lovers cast aside their personal problems they find they have more than pride to keep them together.

  Dedication

  For my shifter-loving fans who wanted something a little different.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Hummer: General Motors

  The Exorcist: Warner Brothers

  Chapter One

  Dillon sat on the back porch enjoying the cool evening breeze with a cold Mason jar of sun tea in his hand. He yawned, tired after his long day of helping clear out the west garden for spring planting. He generally didn’t mind pitching in—a pride was only as strong as its weakest member and Dillon had decided long ago that he wouldn’t be the weakest. He might have been born the runt of the litter but time dedicated to building up his body and a late growth spurt had helped him rise to the second strongest of the pride. Now only the alpha pair was stronger than him…and Adrian didn’t really count because Dillon had met few people as vicious as Talan’s sweet wolf mate.

  Sighing, Dillon pushed at the deck with his foot, sending the wooden swing tilting higher.

  His life should’ve been just about fucking perfect. He had a good job as overseer of the pride’s work teams and sometimes as a representative for their alpha. Talan trusted him to negotiate treaties and represent him when he couldn’t get away. Why, then, did he feel hollow inside? The last few days it had taken effort to even drag himself out of bed. Nothing seemed to bring him joy anymore. Not even the cubs running around the house could bring out his usual smile. Now that both Kevin and Talan had mates, he longed for one of his own.

  A sigh ripped through his chest. None of the local lions appealed to him, and although he’d started to take a look at Adrian’s pack for potential mates, he hadn’t found a wolf partner who appealed to him either. Was it too much to hope to find one perfect man? Hell, he’d even take a woman if she made his heart beat faster.

  “Meow.”

  The tiny sound caught Dillon’s attention. He stopped the sway of the swing to peer into the darkness. A large tabby cat pranced through the high grasses, attacking dandelions as he crossed the field.

  Walk. Walk. Pounce.

  The animal followed that pattern over and over as it approached. Dozens of hapless dandelions lost their fluff as it moved closer. “Hey there, little fella,” Dillon said, keeping his voice low and soothing. What a cute cat. However, Dillon needed to get the small creature off the pride lands before he became a lion snack. “Come here,” he cooed to the pretty cat.

  An owl’s screech made the hairs on the back of Dillon’s neck stand up straight. He leapt off the porch and ran towards the tabby as a great horned owl launched off a nearby tree.

  The bird zeroed in on the cat, and, before Dillon’s horrified gaze, swooped down and grabbed the feline in its claws.

  “No!” Dillon screamed. He scooped up a rock off the ground and threw it at the bird.

  His stone hit its mark, striking the avian on the wing.

  The owl screeched, releasing its grip on the small animal. To Dillon’s surprise, the tabby flipped midair and transformed. Fur changed to smooth, muscled skin and red-gold hair flowed across a well-shaped skull. Instead of a fluffy cat, a naked man landed on his feet in the grass. The cat shifter crouched down like a feral creature afraid to be out in the wide open. His brilliant hair shone in the moonlight and even in human form the man’s eyes shimmered reflectively.

  Another cry came from the owl. It landed several feet away and transformed into a tall muscular man with brown and white speckled hair. Bruises covered him from face to torso.

  His ribs stood out in sharp relief against his battered mocha-coloured skin.

  The owl man swayed for a moment before his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed onto the ground.

  Why the hell were a cat and an owl intruding on lion land? Concern for the injured shifter had Dillon moving towards the avian first.

  “I hope you two have a good reason for being on our land. I’d hate to have to kill you,”

  Dillon muttered as he reached the owl shifter’s side. He brushed the stranger’s bruised skin with gentle fingers, carefully feeling around for any deeper injuries. As far as he could see, all the bad wounds were on the surface, nothing broken. He didn’t know if it was because the man had shifted several times already or because there truly wasn’t more damage—though the fact that the bruises had survived the shift told Dillon they must’ve started out quite severe. He hoped the owl shifter woke up with a good excuse, or Talan was going to have puppies at this show of such blatant disrespect. Any proper shifter should know better than to intrude on a lion’s pride land and expect to survive the encounter.

  Dillon leant down and picked up the collapsed shifter, even though he had at least an inch on Dillon in height. The owl’s human mass wasn’t anything near a lion’s weight.

  Turning back towards the pride house, Dillon almost ran into the cat shifter.

  “What are you doing here?” Dillon glared at the stranger. It was difficult to keep his gaze above the man’s neck when a quick downward flick of his eyes revealed the man was golden everywhere. Dillon tried to keep his look steady. Shifters might be comfortable with nudity but it was still considered rude to stare.

  “I-I’m s-sorry to be on your territory,” the c
at shifter stuttered.

  Dillon could smell the terror rolling off the smaller man. A long scratch crossed his right arm from where the owl’s claws had grabbed him.

  “Who are you?”

  “Chester.”

  Dillon waited for more but the stranger stood there staring at him without speaking.

  Deciding he needed to get the owl shifter inside, Dillon brushed past Chester and trudged towards the house.

  “And you’re from?” he asked without glancing at the other man.

  The sudden silence had Dillon breaking his determination not to look at the pretty man.

  Chester stood two feet away nibbling on his bottom lip. Dillon strove to ignore the urge to bite Chester’s mouth himself and see if he tasted as sweet as he looked.

  “I’m not really from anywhere,” he said at last.

  Before Dillon could comment on that strange statement, the cat man draped across his shoulder spoke.

  “Sorry about trying to eat you—my owl was just really hungry,” the bird shifter interrupted.

  Rough and deep, his tone settled in Dillon’s balls and made his cock rise up to pay attention.

  “You can set me down now.” Chester gave the birdman a quick look from beneath his long, golden lashes. “That’s okay.” He rubbed his quickly healing wound and took a baby step away from the other shifters.

  Dillon carefully placed the man on his feet, keeping an arm around his waist for support. Despite the strength in his voice, the owl shifter swayed a bit.

  “Thank you.”

  Between the pretty kitty and the sexy bird, his dick wanted to come out and visit. After all, the other two were naked…why didn’t it get to play? Dillon shook his head to banish his inappropriate thoughts. He needed to represent the pack, not indulge in a quick three-way.

  “I’m Evin.” The owl’s gaze challenged him, but Dillon didn’t look away from anyone except his alpha. He let a low growl roll up his throat until Evin broke his stare.

  “Sorry.” Evin examined the ground with great interest.

  “Uh-huh. So why are you two here?” He folded his arms across his chest as he waited for their answers.

  “I’m lost,” Chester blurted out. He hung his head as if he were confessing a great sin.

  Dillon felt a strange urge to cuddle the lean man to his chest and keep him close, but he resisted because he could hear a thread of a lie in the kitty’s words.

  “I need to meet with Talan,” Evin stated. His cool tone and powerful presence made Dillon’s inner cat want to purr and roll over for a belly scratch.

  “Why?” Dillon didn’t budge. Just because someone showed up and wished to speak to their alpha didn’t give them automatic access.

  The back door opened. “Hey, Dillon, you want a cookie?”

  Dillon’s heart skipped a beat as Adrian sauntered out onto the porch. With a powerful bound, he leapt in front of the alpha mate, protecting Adrian with his body.

  Adrian peered up at him. “What’s going on?”

  To Dillon’s surprise, Evin gave Adrian a low bow. “I have important information I need to share with you and your mate.”

  “Oh?”

  Dillon watched with amusement as Adrian gave the intruder a careful examination.

  Adrian may come across as a nice man without an ounce of malice in his body, but Dillon had seen the colder side of the alpha mate and did his best to make sure Adrian’s ruthless 1 wolf half rarely needed to come out and play. Adrian’s baking skills might have won him the pride’s affections, but it was his more lethal abilities that had earned him the pride’s respect.

  Dillon had no doubt that, if someone tried to attack, they’d only get halfway through a shift before Adrian killed them with his poison-tipped claws.

  Still, his lion instincts urged him to protect the smaller member of his pride.

  Adrian bit into a snickerdoodle as he regarded Evin with a cool assessing gaze. A delicious-smelling assortment of cookies covered the tray that Adrian balanced easily in one hand. Dillon resisted the urge to grab a pastry, waiting until the alpha mate’s safety was assured.

  “Why do you need to talk to him and how do you know who I am?” Adrian asked.

  Dillon shook his head. “Everyone knows who you are, Adrian. Talan’s the only lion alpha without a lion mate.”

  “Really?” Adrian’s surprise made Dillon laugh despite the odd situation. Sometimes the wolf had no clue of politics outside of a pack.

  “Yes, really.”

  “The hunters are heading this way,” Evin said. “My brother, Tilden, made a deal with them in exchange for the pride lands when they take out the lions. Tilden is crazy. After the wildfires last month destroyed our habitat, the owl shifters are becoming increasingly displeased with Tilden’s handling of the crisis. When I protested, he had me starved and beaten. They only left me alone because they thought I was too injured to fly.”

  Dillon gave the man his full attention. “What hunters?”

  “I don’t know where they came from. When they first arrived they spoke about the lions stealing their experiments, but once I voiced my objections to hurting other shifters, they didn’t let me attend the rest of the meetings. They’re the ones who attacked me, so they are evidently following my brother’s orders, at least until they get what they want. They wear a lot of camo and carry big guns.”

  “Well, they can’t have their experiments back,” Adrian growled. “The ones that chose to stay are part of my pride now.”

  Dillon watched uneasily as the wolf slid behind Adrian’s eyes, a frightening transformation. 1 “I came to tell Talan what I know,” Evin said. “I don’t support shifters turning on each other. If we don’t protect other shifters, we might as well be humans.”

  “Ahh…you’re one of the safety lieutenants, aren’t you?” Adrian asked.

  “Yeah.” Evin nodded. “May I come in?”

  More years ago than Dillon could remember, the shifter council had set up a safety net for shifters. When there was a concern for shifter safety, a shifter could go to any lieutenant to seek help. That person would look into the charges and report back to the council. To have his own brother go rogue had to be a blow for the stalwart-looking man.

  “Sure, Talan is in the living room. Some sort of vampire show is on.” Adrian rolled his eyes and made a disgusted sound. “I don’t know why he watches that crap. Like there are any vampires.”

  Dillon watched the look of relief cross Evin’s face. “Thank you. I promised myself if I survived I’d warn the lions.”

  “Afterwards we’ll get you something to eat. You’ve got to be hungry after your flight.”

  Dillon noticed Adrian diplomatically didn’t mention Evin’s appearance. The wolf made a damn fine pride alpha mate.

  Stepping aside, Dillon let the owl shifter pass. The man didn’t smell of deceit or anger but he did smell deliciously tantalising. Dillon’s fangs pushed through his gums and pricked his bottom lip as Evin’s scent filled his nose. Shaking his head, he tried to dispel the odd attraction. He’d always admired owls but he didn’t have a fetish about them.

  Once Adrian and Evin had disappeared inside, he turned his attention back to the cat shifter. He’d all but forgotten Chester in his urge to see Evin settled.

  Chester stood there silently, watching Dillon, as motionless as a cat about to pounce.

  “Do you have a home, little cat?”

  Chester ducked his head, avoiding Dillon’s eyes. “No.”

  “Where’s your family?”

  “Dead.” Chester swallowed as if trying to keep down the tears.

  Whenever his family had died, it was apparent that Chester still hadn’t got over their deaths. Dillon’s heart ached for the pretty shifter. 1 “Come here.” Dillon held out his arms. Chester leapt into them as if he had been just waiting for the invitation. The younger man trembled in his arms. “Where have you been living?”

  Chester mumbled into Dillon’s chest. “Nowhere and everywher
e. I’ve travelled around trying to avoid animal control, dogs and cars. I didn’t mean to intrude on your territory.

  Damn you smell good.” A low purr rolled through Chester’s thin chest. Dillon could damn near feel all the younger man’s ribs with his fingers.

  “You need to eat something. Come inside—we can at least give you a meal.”

  Chester removed himself from Dillon’s arms and scooted out of reach. Dillon snarled at the separation. The shaking man held his ground even if he couldn’t meet Dillon’s eyes.

  Apparently the wooden porch held a previously undiscovered fascination. “I’m not a charity case.”

  “Get into the house.” Dillon made it an order instead of a request. Obviously the man needed someone to save him from himself. Dillon opened the door and pointed inside.

  Obediently, Chester shuffled past him. He politely waited until Dillon joined him before entering any further. Dillon wrapped his hand around the back of Chester’s neck in an unbreakable hold, like he would scruff a cat. Moving them both forward, he headed towards the kitchen.

  They found Adrian scooting cookies from a hot baking sheet onto a cooling rack. The entire place smelt like Christmas.

  Dillon tilted his head. “Is there a particular reason you’re making sugar cookies in May?”

  Adrian’s luminous smile brightened the room. “There’s never a bad time to make cookies.”

  “True.” Dillon couldn’t argue with that kind of logic. “This is Chester. Do you have something more substantial he can eat?”

  “Sure. I think there’s some venison stew in the fridge.” Adrian set down his bakeware, opened the refrigerator and pulled out a large container. After putting several scoops in a soup bowl, he popped it into the microwave. “That should be ready in two minutes. I’m going to go get some work done while the cookies are cooling. Eat whatever you want, Chester. Let us know if you need anything.” 1 With a final smile at the pair of them, Adrian left the room.