Mates in Life and Death

Spirit Wolves 2

Mates in Life and Death

A hundred years ago, Caesar lost Linden to death and the feral

virus. Now, finally recovering his memory in his new life as Daniel

Lawson, he is overjoyed when he senses his mate once again. But

upon their reunion, he runs into an unexpected surprise—their

other mate, Ash.

A hunter of ferals, Ash doesn't know what to believe when he finds

a human mate. Hearing about his brother Trent's mating gives

him hope, but his world is shaken when Dan appears. Sorrows of

the past linger between the three, straining a connection that is

already difficult to understand.

But when dangerous revelations shatter every notion of their

reality, Ash and Dan find themselves fighting side by side in a

desperate attempt to keep Linden safe. Will they get a chance for

a new life, or will death win the battle again?

Genre:
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Ménage a Trois/Quatre,

Vampires/Werewolves

Length:
27,947 words

MATES IN LIFE AND DEATH

Spirit Wolves 2

Scarlet Hyacinth

MENAGE AMOUR

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRIN T: Ménage Amour ManLove

MATES IN LIFE AND DEATH

Copyright © 2011 by Scarlet Hyacinth

E-book ISBN : 1-61034-651-3

First E-book Publication: July 2011

Cover design by Jinger Heaston

All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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Mates in Life and Death
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DEDICATION

For everyone who believes true love can overcome all barriers, even

that of death.

MATES IN LIFE AND DEATH

Spirit Wolves 2

SCARLET HYACINTH

Copyright © 2011

Prologue

Linden writhed on the bed, eyes shadowed by the feral insanity.

He pulled at his bindings with a strength impossible for a human. “Let

me go,” he snarled at Caesar. “Let me out, spirit wolf.”

He sounded nothing like the sweet mate Caesar had fallen in love

with. Caesar’s heart constricted. He’d destroyed his mate. If only he’d

been able to control his impulses, this never would have happened.

The spirit wolf medic shook his head at Caesar. “There’s nothing

more I can do for him now. You know there’s no treatment for the

ferals.”

Caesar knew all that, of course, but for whatever reason, he’d

thought things would work out with them. They’d been so happy

together. Caesar could still remember the day he’d met Linden. The

young human had been stumbling through the forest, looking for

mushrooms to feed his family. He’d tripped against a root and fallen

right in front of Caesar’s horse. One look, and Caesar had known he’d

found his mate, and he could never let Linden go.

Even with all the superstition abounding in their world, Linden

accepted him with an open heart and an ever-present smile. But their

bliss vanished when Caesar bit his mate, following his urge to claim.

Mates in Life and Death

9

From the beautiful, carefree human, Linden turned into a monstrous

feral.

Caesar led the doctor out, knowing the man was right. Their

medicine could cure many afflictions but not the worst disease of all.

And what frightened Caesar the most was that this particular infection

corrupted not only the body, but also the soul. He feared for Linden’s

spirit, for his mate’s immortal essence.

So far, he’d managed to keep Linden from breaking free and

hurting humans. A killing spree would have made things even worse.

But the years in confinement had not helped Linden’s state of mind,

and his mate slowly slipped more into the feral madness.

As he returned to the room, he looked at his mate once again, then

at his brother. Valerius supported him every step of the way, ever

since he’d chosen to pursue his relationship with Linden. Even after

Linden had become feral, Valerius helped maintain the secrecy of

their location from their strict father. However, not even his brother

could stop the progress of the disease through Linden.

“What do we do, Caesar?” Valerius asked.

Taking in Linden’s beautiful features now contorted by hatred,

Caesar knew he didn’t have any choice. He needed to end this, end his

mate’s suffering. With a sigh, Caesar knelt to the bed.

“I love you,” he whispered to his mate. “I’m so sorry.”

“Fuck you,” Linden spat back. “I hope you die and rot in hell.”

Caesar ignored Linden’s hateful words and pressed a brief kiss on

his mate’s lips. Linden bit him, and Caesar realized in dismay that his

lip throbbed where his mate’s fangs had torn into his flesh. They

couldn’t wait anymore.

Caesar retrieved the remaining wolfsbane leaves the doctor left

them. Treated with silver, they could temporarily knock a feral out. It

was hardly a cure, but they hadn’t been able to come up with anything

better.

10

Scarlet Hyacinth

With his brother’s help, he crushed the leaves against Linden’s

lips and nostrils. As he inhaled the plant, Linden began to still, until

he finally went limp altogether.

“I need a favor,” Caesar asked as soon as he ensured his mate was

out. “Go. Lock us inside the house, and burn it down.”

Valerius’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You cannot be serious.”

“Please, brother. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but there isn’t

any other way. His soul will not long survive the evil of the disease,

and I cannot live without him.” Caesar acknowledged his own

selfishness, and he would have done anything in his power to save his

beloved brother from this pain. But truly, he didn’t have anyone else

he could count on.

“We will be reunited one day, brother,” he said. “I promise you.”

Valerius hugged him tightly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

They held onto each other for a while, reluctant to give up. Even

so, the effect of the plant wouldn’t last forever, and Caesar knew they

didn’t have any other way out of this. Linden’s soul would not resist

the feral insanity for much longer, and Caesar simply couldn’t live

without his mate.

Valerius broke the embrace and got up. “You come back to us,

brother.”

Caesar nodded and watched Valerius leave the room. He shifted in

his wolf form and curled against his mate.

As flames began to engulf the cottage, his survival instinct told

him to get out and save his mate, but his heart prevailed. The only

way to save his mate was to kill him. What a cruel fate. Caesar clung

to his one lingering hope, his belief that their souls would find each

other once more.

At last, when fire burst into the room, scorching everything in its

path, Caesar took one more look at his sleeping mate and then chewed

on the remaining wolfsbane. He sent a prayer toward the Spirit

Mother to help them as he fell into eternal slumber.

Mates in Life and Death

11

Chapter One

Two hundred years later

“You’re going with him, and that’s final.”

Drew’s voice reached all the way to Dan, making him wince. His

best friend never fought with his two mates, Trent and Valerius. Dan

felt guilty for causing their first argument, since, essentially, the entire thing was his fault.

A few days before, Valerius D’Averam, his best friend’s mate,

insisted Dan was his brother. As odd as it seemed, Dan knew—or

rather—felt, the other man was right.

Dan had always felt just a bit different. Growing up as an

abandoned child, he used to dream about flames engulfing his body,