Guardian's Flame [Guardian City 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  Guardian City 2

  Guardian’s Flame

  High Prince Demend, an Elf and changeling, and his mate Nathan Summers are doing their best to run the Guardian City. With the pair trying to keep Demend from dying from his own magic and a summons from the Higher Council, the newly mated couple is in over their heads.

  Jason Johnson is a Phoenix with a serious problem. He’s a phoenix trapped as a dog, living on the fringe of the Guardian City. His mates live in the city, but fear prevents him from going to them. Can he figure out a way to let his mates see him as he really is, instead of the dog he was forced to become?

  Zoey is a Dark Elf, trapped in a cell within an Incubi trading Post. She is a trained warrior and has tried everything to get herself free, but nothing seems to work. Can she escape the clutches of the Incubi, or will she be stuck forever as a POW?

  Note: This book contains double vaginal penetration.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 22,420 words

  GUARDIAN'S FLAME

  Guardian City 2

  Grace Lynn

  MENAGE AMOUR

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

  Guardian's Flame

  Copyright © 2013 by Grace Lynn

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-684-0

  First E-book Publication: November 2013

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 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 Guardian's Flame by Grace Lynn 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 Grace Lynn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Lynn’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For my mother.

  Thank you for reading me all those books when I was a child.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  GUARDIAN'S FLAME

  Guardian City 2

  GRACE LYNN

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  The porcupine scuttled away from Jason’s still form with a sense of pride. Jason couldn’t argue that he had lost the battle against the needled terrorist. Hunger drove him to the brink of insanity, and the porcupine was the only creature he could manage to catch. That was only because he previously lost a fight with a rabbit and a bear. The bear hadn’t been his fault, but it was because of the rabbit. The rabbit looked like such an easy catch, but apparently Hopper decided to prove to his buddies he could kick a dog around and then run away. Jason hadn’t given up after taking a butt full of fur and a foot to the face. Instead, he decided to run down Peter Cottontail. The rabbit had other ideas, and led them both straight past a mother bear with babies. Jason barely limped away from that battle and didn’t get a bite to eat, except a mouthful of fur. He would be picking fur out of his teeth from the cottontail for weeks.

  He wasn’t accustomed to this form, even though he had lived as a dog for so long he barely remembered the feel of the wind against his parchment-paper wings. Living in the wild had become a learning experience, and more than once he’d considered crawling back into the Elvin City. He just wasn’t sure how to handle being around people and both his mates. Mates that didn’t know him, that didn’t even acknowledge him beyond some poor mangled mutt that should be pitied. If he had a pittance of pride left, he would try to at least catch a decent meal. Instead, he considered how pathetic he would look crawling back to his mates, begging for scraps from people’s homes.

  He wasn’t even completely sure when his life had spiraled toward this fate. It was sometime between ex number one and ex number two. Both of those had left him feeling used, and his heart shattered from the delusion of the people he had thought they were. Well, actually, it had ended completely with ex number two, but it had started before he had even met ex number two. Number two had been charming at first, sweet even. He held doors open, and though Jason had never been into dating only males, there was something about the man that had called to him. Now, as he lay on the forest floor with needles sticking out of his face, Jason had to admit he had fallen into a hole too deep to climb out of. He used his paw to try and work the needles out, but only succeeded in pushing them deeper into his skin, and he yelped at the pain.

  Clint had been a jerk in the end. Leaving Jason flying from the man’s controlling habits, fearing for his life from the man’s fists. He had finally landed in a midsize city, in a shelter with other homeless people. He had worked so hard to blend in with the humans, even going as far as getting a job washing dishes. He had saved up his first two paychecks and rented an apartment in a seedy building in a bad neighborhood. For a while, things went as planned. He had saved every dime he could, but in the end no amount of money could save him. Clint had broken into his apartment with a creatur
e that had to be related to the devil. Clint had wrapped his hands around Jason’s neck, and as the lights faded away Jason knew he was dead. Instead, he woke up as a mangy mutt, tied in a kitchen surrounded by Werewolves that liked to kick him.

  Jason had tried everything to escape, but the chain that held him to the wall wouldn’t budge. To make matters worse, he had to stand by and watch his mates pass by him. They were kind to him. The smaller one even scratched his head. Jason had almost lost his mind at the feel of those delicate fingers scratching the fleas that wouldn’t relent in their attack. It was only when the kinder Werewolves came and removed him that he finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. They had even allowed him to feel the wind in his face as they rode a Dragon to bring them all here. Jason had missed the feel of the wind, and the Phoenix inside wanted nothing more than to shift. But every time he called, the Phoenix couldn’t answer. The bird in him had given up its fight, resigned to live as a dog.

  He honestly had no idea how long he had been chained to the wall, but it seemed like an eternity. He was grateful the kinder Werewolves had allowed him to go free. He had a feeling that it had been his mates that had a hand in that. Even though he was free, his soul was still locked within its prison, and he wanted nothing more than to curl inside his mate’s arms. He had tried to eat things, but the only nourishment he had managed were bugs, until he happened upon the rabbit. The rabbit wasn’t worth the effort. He had planned on sneaking back to the city to watch his mates, but the hunger was driving him to continue hunting. He could search around the city for anything thrown out, and at the same time see his mates. Jason didn’t want his two strong mates to see him starving and bleeding, so he would have to stay out of sight.

  With his mind made up, Jason forced his battered body to obey his command. He stood on his shaky four legs, and slowly limped toward the sounds of the city. He stopped and munched on anything his nose said was eatable, cringing with each crunch. It took him longer than he thought to reach the outskirts of the bubbling city, since he had to stop and rest more and more often. He fell down at the fringe of the foliage and slung his head on his paws in comfort. His legs refused to move, and Jason agreed that rest was the only way to gain any strength to continue on. He only needed to sleep for a bit, but as he struggled to keep his eyes partly open, he knew he wouldn’t wake. His eyes closed of their own accord, and Jason drifted off as air became harder to come by.

  * * * *

  Zoey glared at the wall in her cell, waiting for the guard to drop off her daily lunch of slop. She wasn’t sure what all was in it, with the exception of meat that made her sick. She needed all the energy she could get, as her time was ticking slowly by. Pretty soon, the Incubi would tire of the games and would put her up as a prize in one of their nightly pleasure games. That would leave her going home with whoever won that night’s round. Zoey kicked the wall in frustration.

  The walls had long ago faded from whatever paint had been put on the concrete. Spider-web cracks spiraled across the wall in a pattern that seemed to hold the universe’s secrets. When it rained, precious water would drip through the cracks, offering little dewdrops of life. Zoey waited for those downpours, stealing an extra drink whenever she could. It didn’t make her living arrangements any more comfortable. The rain would slowly ease down the walls, and sit in pools on the concrete slab that posed as a bed in the small cell. Only when the water reached the small drain did it disappear. It also served as her toilet.

  The slot on the door slid open, skidding a bowl of what once was soup in the cell. Zoey hopped toward the disgusting mixture, drinking every ounce of the liquid that came three times a day. She picked through the remains, eating only the vegetables. It only took a few minutes to eat the measly meal, and she pushed the bowl back toward the slot. Normally she kept the bowl and made them come in and get it. Today, she didn’t feel up to the fight. She crawled onto the slab of concrete, curling into a ball. She counted slowly to herself, picking up where she had left off before she had allowed herself to rant.

  Chapter Two

  “Dody!” The young toddler cried. Nathan eyed the girl curiously, before searching the men around him for a clue what she was talking about. Cole and Leif appeared as confused as he felt, but Bentley smirked as if he could speak baby-fox talk.

  “Anyone want to tell me what the fox pup said?” Nathan asked his friends. Demend smirked at him in amusement, and Nathan knew one of his smart remarks was coming. In fact, they were coming out more and more the longer they knew each other. They had only been mated for two weeks, but the bond they shared was strong. The Elvin magic was the only thing between the two of them that stood on a crumbling foundation. “Fox pup? How come every Shifter child is a pup? Foxes call their children kits, not pups. Pups are baby wolves. Kits are baby foxes.” Nathan glared at Demend’s smart remarks.

  “She said ‘doggy,’” Bentley said after a moment of interest in Demend’s smart remarks. Demend and Bentley had become close friends in the last two weeks, and Nathan was worried they were rubbing off on each other too much. Bentley had become mouthier, and Rain had been at his wits’ end with the omega. Nathan was just grateful the third wheel in their trio was not present, because Angel was the mouthiest of them all.

  “Where is the doggy?” Nathan asked the small girl as he made a mental note about her being called a kit. It really wasn’t his fault, as he was raised by wolves, which Demend pointed out on a regular basis. In the last two weeks, refuges had started showing up, asking to stay in the Guardian City. Demend tended to allow the groups to stay as long as he sensed no deception. He sniffed the air in an attempt to smell out the creature, but all he could smell was the overpowering scent of Rain. In fact, anytime the Dragon was near it was all Nathan’s nose could pick up. The small girl mumbled about something and pointed toward the forest. The wind changed directions and Rain’s smell faded slightly.

  “It’s the stray, and there’s blood.” Demend had a serious expression on his face, and Nathan reached through their bond to get a sense of what was going on beneath the surface. Concern and desire flowed through the bond, and Nathan adjusted his jeans as he followed his sexy mate in the direction of the smell. Demend moved the foliage away, making sure Nathan was able to cross before letting the overgrowth fall back. Nathan smiled at his mate’s back, thankful he was able to know the complex man. He couldn’t imagine his life without him, and now they were struggling with finding a second mate. Nathan didn’t even know how to go about finding Fate’s chosen mate for them, and Demend didn’t seem too concerned about it. Whenever Nathan brought it up, Demend would always say Fate would bring him or her to them. Nathan wasn’t so sure it was Fate or destiny, but maybe more based off luck.

  Oh, Mother Earth, Demend said through their mental link. Nathan eased to the side of Demend to look at the mutt from the Wolf Compound’s kitchen. Needles were lodged in the poor dog’s snout, and he looked way worse than he had in the kitchen. Nathan felt Demend’s unease as he slowly approached the pooch. Nathan remembered the distrust that had been in the dog’s eyes weeks before. Demend talked softly to the dog, and Nathan readied himself to save his mate if the sleeping dog woke and attacked. The dog didn’t move as Demend ran his fingers through its fur, and Nathan approached the starving mass. Nathan ran his fingers through the rough coat, at least what was left. Chunks of hair came out easily, telling Nathan the dog had been beyond stressed. Nathan stroked the dog slightly, leaving his fingers twisted in the coarse fur.

  There is magic tied to the dog from the collar. I’m going to remove the collar and sever the magic flow. I don’t know what it will do, honestly it might kill him. But no animal should live with Demon magic tying them to something.

  Why would a Demon bond the dog to the collar? Nathan asked curiously. He could think of a number of reasons why the animal would be forced into something magical, and none of them were good. Nathan felt sick at the thought of what this animal was made to endure.

  I don’t know.
I can say the magic is only dark strands, which isn’t a good sign. Most magic uses a collection of elements, mixed with light and dark magic. Nothing is completely pure light, but the few things that are purely dark magic are always evil, Demend answered as he undid the chain collar that was biting into the skin. Nathan turned his head away as he felt his mate using magic to get the collar away from the skin painlessly. Nathan cringed even though he wasn’t watching it. The dog collar came loose, and Nathan breathed easier, but still didn’t look at the wound.

  Nathan felt a surge to the amount of magic Demend was using, and Nathan grew more concerned. Lately, his mate’s magic had become more unstable with the missing link of their fated trio. Nathan kept his hand locked loosely in the dog’s fur, but moved to hold Demend as the power flared beyond control. A torrent of sparked fog surrounded them, and Nathan felt himself drowning in the power that wasn’t meant for his kind. He tried to breathe, but the air was too heavy to travel into his lungs. Nathan reached through his bond, trying to assure himself Demend was alive, but the air crackled with lightening before exploding into nothingness.

  Chapter Three

  A loud pounding woke D up, and D realized it was coming from his own head. He groaned at the jackhammer digging at the base of his skull. He opened his eyes, and immediately slammed them shut as tears leaked down his face. Daggers shot through his eyes, and D struggled to sit up, but gave up against the pain. Hands helped him move to a sitting position, and D was surprised to feel a small man behind him rather than Nathan. His heart thumped against the beat of the jackhammer, but D reached out to feel the bond still firmly in place. “Nathan?” D croaked against the razor blades that lined his throat.