Jaded [The Moonlight Breed 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Gabrielle Evans (the read aloud family TXT) 📖

from rejection. The other option was to take a chance, trust in Jacobi, and possibly gain something many only dreamed of having.

Lifting his gaze to those bright blue eyes, the answer suddenly seemed very clear, and he didn’t know why he’d ever tried fighting it in the first place.

“Hello, Zuriel.”

* * * *

His skin felt too tight and tingled with electrical currents like a thousand tiny ants crawling across his body. It was impossible to stand so close to Spiro and not feel intimidated. The guy exuded a level of power and sophistication that Zuriel could never hope to imitate.

Flirting with the other men that roamed the grounds of Haven was easy. He wanted nothing more from them than attention, and they expected nothing from him in return. It was unclear exactly what the resident shrink wanted from him, but Zuriel doubted he’d be able to provide it.

“So…” He clapped his hands together in front of him as he rocked back on his heels. He had no idea what to say next, and he was going to freaking kill Jacobi for putting him in this position.

“How are you?” Spiro asked with genuine concern in his dazzling green eyes. “Were you hurt?”

“No.” He’s been scared out of his mind when those goblins had come crashing into the house, but neither of them had touched him. “I’m not hurt.”

Watching Spiro lean back against the railing of the porch, Zuriel was momentarily stunned speechless, rendered immobile by the mere sight of the man before him. Pale beams from the moon illuminated his ivory skin, casting the angles of his cheeks and jawline into shadows.

Silvery-blond strands cascaded over Spiro’s broad shoulders, ending just below his pectorals, and Zuriel wondered silently if the locks were as silky as they looked. His body ached, his chest felt too tight, and some buried instinct inside him screamed for him to cross the short distance and rub against Spiro until he was drenched in Zuriel’s scent.

He did none of those things of course, didn’t even understand where the urge came from. A voice in his head chanted, growing more agitated the longer Zuriel ignored it. “Mine, mine, mine.” That was ridiculous, though. Spiro didn’t belong to him, and he never would.

Normally, he tried like hell to keep out of other people’s heads. It was a never-ending battle, and oftentimes he cursed his gift. It would be so easy to slip into Spiro’s mind and ferret out his secrets, but Zuriel wasn’t sure that he really wanted to know.

When they’d first met, he’d been overwhelmed by Spiro’s thoughts. Never had he heard someone think so loudly. There had been something about a “chosen,” and while he didn’t know what that meant, it sounded rather ominous to him. So when Spiro had attempted to strike up a conversation, Zuriel had flipped his hair, batted his lashes, and informed the good doctor that he was not his type.

Then he’d run like hell.

“I think I understand now.” Pushing away from the railing, Spiro took a step closer, tilting his head to the side when Zuriel retreated. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Don’t know what?”

“Who you are. Who I am.”

“You’re not making any sense.” Gods, he was no good at this stuff, and Spiro’s cryptic statement was beginning to make his head hurt. “I know who you are.”

“Your heart is beating so fast, pounding so hard,” Spiro whispered. “Tell me something. Is it driving you insane that I don’t carry your scent right now?”

“How? I…don’t…” He took another step back when Spiro came closer.

“You feel like you’re about to crawl out of your skin. Am I right? There might be a bit of tightness in your chest and stomach. Do your gums itch? Do they ache around your canines, Zuriel?”

Running his tongue over his teeth, Zuriel frowned. His gums didn’t hurt really, but there was an uncomfortable sensation around his canines, just as Spiro described. It was almost like when he shifted, but not quite. “How do you know this?”

Spiro came even closer, and Zuriel tried to retreat again, but he’d backed himself into the corner, trapped by the side of the house and the wood railing. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Spiro vowed, but he didn’t stop his forward progress until he was mere inches away. “I want to help you.”

Zuriel didn’t think the guy was doing it on purpose, but the deep, smooth cadence of his voice held a sensual quality that sent a shiver from Zuriel’s nape, clear down to his calves. His dick swelled instantly, straining against his zipper and embarrassing him.

“Easy,” Spiro whispered. “Take a deep breath, Zuriel. Everything is going to be fine.”

Unthinking of his actions, Zuriel did as instructed, sucking in a huge breath through his nose. The scent that hit him nearly dropped him to his knees, and he moaned loudly when his dick jerked in interest. “What is that?” he panted. He’d never smelled anything like it, and he wanted to fucking bathe in that scent.

“It’s me,” Spiro answered, shuffling just a little closer. “Well, it’s what my scent is to you.”

Zuriel opened his mouth to argue, but a startled gasp was all that escaped when his canines punched through his gums. Slapping a hand over his lips, he stared up at Spiro and shook his head frantically.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Maybe he didn’t know much about life outside of The Hive, but common sense told him it wasn’t good manners to bare his fangs at someone during civilized conversation.

“It’s okay. It’s natural.” Tilting his head back, Spiro opened his mouth to reveal his own lengthened canines. “See?”

Giving up on figuring out what was happening on his own, Zuriel finally admitted defeat and turned to Spiro for answers. “I don’t understand. Can you just tell me straight? Please?”

“Can I try one thing first?”

“O–okay.”

Spiro’s hand slipped under the hem of Zuriel’s shirt and around his hip to press against the small of his back. His palm was surprisingly warm considering