Whispers in the Night: Moonlit, Book 3
M/M Paranormal Romance | Fated Mates | Guaranteed HEA
50K Words
50K Words
Available to Read with Kindle Unlimited
At just fourteen years old, Jackson Cunningham quickly learned his place in the world when he was shot and left for dead on the side of the road. He didn’t expect to be rescued, and he never imagined his savior would turn out to be his own mate.
For the next four years, he waits patiently, eagerly looking forward to his eighteenth birthday, to the day that his mate will finally claim him. Only, that day never came, and now, at twenty-one, he’s done waiting for Talon to want him.
Talon Cartwright doesn’t exactly have a reputation for possessing a kind and gentle nature. There are very few things in life he cares about, and Jackson is right at the top of that list. Claiming him, however, binding them—body, heart, and soul—isn’t an option.
Cursed by a rare genetic disease, he knows his days are numbered, and he refuses to allow Jackson to suffer the same fate that awaits him.
When dreams of a brother he left behind begin to plague Jackson, it doesn’t take long for him to realize they aren’t dreams. They’re calls for help. Can he save his brother and convince his stubborn mate to claim him? Or is he destined to lose them both forever?
For the next four years, he waits patiently, eagerly looking forward to his eighteenth birthday, to the day that his mate will finally claim him. Only, that day never came, and now, at twenty-one, he’s done waiting for Talon to want him.
Talon Cartwright doesn’t exactly have a reputation for possessing a kind and gentle nature. There are very few things in life he cares about, and Jackson is right at the top of that list. Claiming him, however, binding them—body, heart, and soul—isn’t an option.
Cursed by a rare genetic disease, he knows his days are numbered, and he refuses to allow Jackson to suffer the same fate that awaits him.
When dreams of a brother he left behind begin to plague Jackson, it doesn’t take long for him to realize they aren’t dreams. They’re calls for help. Can he save his brother and convince his stubborn mate to claim him? Or is he destined to lose them both forever?
**NOTE** Whispers in the Night was originally released in 2011 by a different publisher as the third book of The Moonlight Breed series. This new version has been revised and updated, but it does not contain any meaningful changes to the characters or the storyline.
Excerpt
Fifteen minutes later, he turned onto the long, gravel drive that led to the cabin he shared with his pack. Well, they called it a cabin. In reality, it looked more like a ski lodge, or maybe even a bed and breakfast.
Instead of regular bedrooms, the house boasted five suites, each complete with their own private bathrooms. They also had a study, a den, and a couple of rooms they didn’t even use. Despite its enormity, it still felt claustrophobic some days.
With seven grown men sharing the space, privacy was more of a luxury than a right. Add in their supernatural senses, and secrets weren’t really a thing, either. Yet, he had somehow managed to keep a pretty damn big one for seven years now.
As he pulled to a stop, his gaze immediately went to the corner of the house and the man waiting for him in the shadows.
Turning off the engine, he climbed out of his car with a sigh. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Talon, but he didn’t exactly have a choice. It had become as routine as the setting sun, and he hated these follow-up reports even more than he did the actual dates.
Talon would hound him for the details until he eventually gave in, so he figured he might as well get it over with instead of trying to fight it. Stuffing his fists into the pockets of his jeans, he took a deep breath and strode toward the shifter.
“I didn’t kiss him, and I didn’t fuck him,” he said without preamble. “I didn’t so much as let him breathe on me. He was an arrogant prick, and I’ve had more fun clipping my toenails.” He went down the list of the usual questions Talon asked. “The food was good. I paid for myself. I didn’t eat dessert.” Pausing, he ran a hand through his shaggy curls. He needed a haircut. “He was decent looking, around thirty, and I won’t be seeing him again.”
Talon’s dark hair hung loosely around his face, the tips brushing the tops of his broad shoulders. Though a shadow on the wrong side of five o’clock covered his jaw, Jackson could still see the muscles twitch beneath the stubble.
Trying to ignore the way those icy blue eyes made his heart flutter and his cock ache, he lowered his head and rubbed the tense muscles in the back of his neck. “Is there anything else? I’m tired, and I just want to go to bed.”
“Come here.” Though dressed in only a pair of tight jeans and a simple black tee, he appeared unaffected by the cold wind that whipped through the surrounding trees.
“Talon, please, just ask me whatever you want to ask me so I can go inside.”
“I said come here, pup.” Talon spoke with a quiet authority that invited no argument.
Unable to resist, Jackson sighed and took a step forward with a shiver that had nothing to do with the weather. “What?”
“Turn around.” Without waiting for a response, Talon gripped his arms and urged him to face the opposite direction. His hands came to rest on the tops of Jackson’s shoulders, and he began kneading the knotted muscles. “Feels good?”
“Gods, yes.” Letting his head loll forward, he closed his eyes and groaned. “Don’t stop.”
“I’m sorry you had such a bad night, baby.” He used his thumbs to massage a particularly painful spot at the base of Jackson’s skull. “I’m sure next time will be better.”
Jackson shivered and squeezed his eyes shut. He both loved and hated when Talon called him that. Just as he both loved and hated these stolen moments.
“There’s not going to be a next time. I’m done.” Bitterness tinted his words, but it couldn’t completely hide his pain and frustration. “If you don’t want me, fine, but I’m not doing this anymore.”
“You know that it’s not because I don’t want you.” Talon continued to speak calmly, but with a thread of steel beneath the dispassion. “You agreed to this—”
“When I was fourteen!” Spinning around, Jackson bared his teeth and growled.
“Look, kid—”
“I’m not a damn kid anymore, Talon. I stopped being a kid a long time ago.” As quickly as it had flared, all the anger and fight drained away, leaving him exhausted down to his soul. “I don’t know who I pissed off to deserve such an asshole for a mate, but I can’t do this anymore.”
“Jackson.”
Ignoring him, Jackson pushed past the man he loved more than his life and stalked toward the front door. He didn’t know where he would go, but he refused to stay where he wasn’t wanted and continue to be a burden.
Instead of regular bedrooms, the house boasted five suites, each complete with their own private bathrooms. They also had a study, a den, and a couple of rooms they didn’t even use. Despite its enormity, it still felt claustrophobic some days.
With seven grown men sharing the space, privacy was more of a luxury than a right. Add in their supernatural senses, and secrets weren’t really a thing, either. Yet, he had somehow managed to keep a pretty damn big one for seven years now.
As he pulled to a stop, his gaze immediately went to the corner of the house and the man waiting for him in the shadows.
Turning off the engine, he climbed out of his car with a sigh. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Talon, but he didn’t exactly have a choice. It had become as routine as the setting sun, and he hated these follow-up reports even more than he did the actual dates.
Talon would hound him for the details until he eventually gave in, so he figured he might as well get it over with instead of trying to fight it. Stuffing his fists into the pockets of his jeans, he took a deep breath and strode toward the shifter.
“I didn’t kiss him, and I didn’t fuck him,” he said without preamble. “I didn’t so much as let him breathe on me. He was an arrogant prick, and I’ve had more fun clipping my toenails.” He went down the list of the usual questions Talon asked. “The food was good. I paid for myself. I didn’t eat dessert.” Pausing, he ran a hand through his shaggy curls. He needed a haircut. “He was decent looking, around thirty, and I won’t be seeing him again.”
Talon’s dark hair hung loosely around his face, the tips brushing the tops of his broad shoulders. Though a shadow on the wrong side of five o’clock covered his jaw, Jackson could still see the muscles twitch beneath the stubble.
Trying to ignore the way those icy blue eyes made his heart flutter and his cock ache, he lowered his head and rubbed the tense muscles in the back of his neck. “Is there anything else? I’m tired, and I just want to go to bed.”
“Come here.” Though dressed in only a pair of tight jeans and a simple black tee, he appeared unaffected by the cold wind that whipped through the surrounding trees.
“Talon, please, just ask me whatever you want to ask me so I can go inside.”
“I said come here, pup.” Talon spoke with a quiet authority that invited no argument.
Unable to resist, Jackson sighed and took a step forward with a shiver that had nothing to do with the weather. “What?”
“Turn around.” Without waiting for a response, Talon gripped his arms and urged him to face the opposite direction. His hands came to rest on the tops of Jackson’s shoulders, and he began kneading the knotted muscles. “Feels good?”
“Gods, yes.” Letting his head loll forward, he closed his eyes and groaned. “Don’t stop.”
“I’m sorry you had such a bad night, baby.” He used his thumbs to massage a particularly painful spot at the base of Jackson’s skull. “I’m sure next time will be better.”
Jackson shivered and squeezed his eyes shut. He both loved and hated when Talon called him that. Just as he both loved and hated these stolen moments.
“There’s not going to be a next time. I’m done.” Bitterness tinted his words, but it couldn’t completely hide his pain and frustration. “If you don’t want me, fine, but I’m not doing this anymore.”
“You know that it’s not because I don’t want you.” Talon continued to speak calmly, but with a thread of steel beneath the dispassion. “You agreed to this—”
“When I was fourteen!” Spinning around, Jackson bared his teeth and growled.
“Look, kid—”
“I’m not a damn kid anymore, Talon. I stopped being a kid a long time ago.” As quickly as it had flared, all the anger and fight drained away, leaving him exhausted down to his soul. “I don’t know who I pissed off to deserve such an asshole for a mate, but I can’t do this anymore.”
“Jackson.”
Ignoring him, Jackson pushed past the man he loved more than his life and stalked toward the front door. He didn’t know where he would go, but he refused to stay where he wasn’t wanted and continue to be a burden.