The Lynx Who Claimed the Sun

Mate or Meal 4

The Lynx Who Claimed the Sun

Heartthrob or hot wings? For lynx-shifter Garth Mckenna, hummingbird Nicolas is both. Without a doubt, Nicolas couldn’t be hotter if he tried. He is Garth’s sun, his love, and his unexpected mate.

Between such different men, finding a middle ground is never easy. When Garth’s two sons reject Nicolas, Garth is torn between his boys and his mate. He does not know what to do and what to believe.

Nicolas doesn’t remember his past, and he has kept what little he does know a secret from his new friends. Garth brings love to his life, and he is hurt when Garth’s sons refuse his affection.

However, sometimes, the sun is too scorching even for its children. Nicolas’s mysterious past emerges to threaten his loved ones, and it might eclipse all his hopes for the future. It is up to Garth to save them from perpetual darkness.

Genre:
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length:
39,731 words

THE LYNX WHO

CLAIMED THE SUN

Mate or Meal 4

Scarlet Hyacinth

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

THE LYNX WHO CLAIMED THE SUN

Copyright © 2011 by Scarlet Hyacinth

E-book ISBN: 1-61926-127-8

First E-book Publication: December 2011

Cover design by Jinger Heaston

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

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Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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The Lynx Who Claimed the Sun
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For everyone who’s ever felt different. There’s someone out there to love us all.

THE LYNX WHO

CLAIMED THE SUN

Mate or Meal 4

SCARLET HYACINTH

Copyright © 2011

Nico-Chi…

Nico-Chi…

A voice summoned him from the darkness, reaching out to him.

Confusing images created an erratic slideshow in his mind.

Nico-Chi…

Nico-Chi…

On and on, the voice went, until he could no longer resist it. He opened his eyes, groaning as a monstrous headache hit him with full force. He took a deep breath, focusing on ignoring the pain. He had experience with that. Did he?

Shock coursed through him as he realized he didn’t know whether or not he’d suffered from a heavy migraine in his life. In fact, he couldn’t remember anything at all. He looked around himself desperately, his gaze trying to identify the source of the mysterious voice. Much to his dismay, he found himself alone, completely alone.

He’d woken up in a clearing of sorts, somewhere in the wild. Even so, not even a bird or a beast seemed to be around.

It was twilight, the last rays of the sun already saying good-bye to the world. At this time of the day, there should still be critters buzzing
The Lynx Who Claimed the Sun

9

all around, night birds exiting their nests, and predators coming out to feed. The utter stillness made him even more nervous, and the only knowledge he had of himself was his name—Nico-Chi. The forest looked completely unfamiliar, and every other memory felt shrouded in a thick veil. Fuck.

Still, the thought of a possible watching predator made him realize the extent of his predicament. He was helpless and vulnerable here.

He needed to get his act together and, preferably, find a safe place to spend the night.

He struggled to his feet and promptly fell in the grass. It was only then that he noticed he didn’t have a stitch of clothing on. Jesus Christ. How had he ended up in the middle of nowhere naked as a jaybird?

Not jaybird. Hummingbird, his mind provided. Nico-Chi blinked as he sensed the force inside him, the wild, erratic freedom of the tiny creature. He was a shape-shifter. Well, that might explain his nakedness. If he’d gotten here by flying, he wouldn’t have been able to have any clothes.

As he registered this, he also noticed a pit just within his reach. He peeked inside and his keen eyesight took in the gruesome sight of a dead ocelot, impaled on thick, sharp poles. Nico-Chi must have been a hair’s breadth away from sharing the creature’s fate.

For whatever reason, the knowledge gave him strength. His headache even started to fade, although the cause for the pain relief might have been his shape-shifter abilities. Nico-Chi got up and this time didn’t trip or fall. Through the thick canopy of the trees, he spotted dim lights in the distance. A settlement, probably human.

Nico-Chi took one more look around the dark forest and made his decision. He allowed the shift to flow over him, turned into his tinier, bird equivalent, and launched himself into the air. Perhaps with those people, Nico-Chi could find the answers he needed so badly.

10

Scarlet Hyacinth

Nicolas fretted around the house, making last-minute preparations for the arrival of his friend, Skylar Pierce. Skylar would be bringing another man with him, a carnivore named Garth Mckenna. It made Nicolas more nervous than he’d have liked to admit, since he’d always been wary of meat-eaters.

“Are you sure you don’t need any assistance?” one of his best friends, Daniel Gardner-Boyd, asked. Daniel was the reason behind the entire meeting.

Daniel Gardner-Boyd had been Nicolas’s friend for many years now. A somewhat reclusive squirrel, Daniel had just recently found his other half, werewolf Soren Wade. Unfortunately, many were displeased with the union.

Nicolas was glad he’d been included in the plan meant to find out who’d killed Soren’s beta, Carlie. Simply the thought that someone had murdered the woman and planned to blame it on Daniel made anger course through him. More importantly, Daniel had almost been killed, as had Soren and Daniel’s pups. Nicolas would not stand for it.

Nicolas had his own part of the blame in the issue, since he’d insisted in having Daniel take a silver-bullet gun with him, making his friend look suspicious in front of the wolf pack. But this wasn’t about Nicolas’s guilt. They needed to find out who was trying to hurt Daniel and the pups.

The Lynx Who Claimed the Sun

11

He thanked Daniel for his offer, but refused it. He moved from the kitchen to the living room with the plates of snacks he’d readied beforehand.

After what seemed like forever, the sense of predator approaching hit Nicolas. The doorbell rang, and he rushed to greet his guests.

When he opened the door, the first figure he saw was that of Skylar. He’d befriended Skylar later than Daniel and their common friends, Shiloh and Carson. However, Skylar managed to gain his trust, quite a feat given that Nicolas always had trouble trusting people.

Daniel and Soren also appeared, and they shared greetings with Skylar. In that moment, Nicolas’s eyes fell on the second, taller figure standing in the doorway. A drop-dead gorgeous blond man analyzed him with eyes the color of the sea. Their gazes met and held, and Nicolas forgot to breathe. His heart beat so fast he could hear his pulse thrumming in his ears.

He might have completely embarrassed himself if not for Skylar’s opportune intervention. “Where are my manners?” his friend said.

“Garth, I’d like to introduce you to Nicolas Shields, Daniel Gardner-Boyd, and his mate, Soren Wade. Everyone, this is my friend, Garth Mckenna.”

Nicolas managed to regain his composure. “A pleasure to meet you. Please come in.”

“Thank you,” Garth replied. His voice sounded husky, almost hoarse, and it sent shivers down Nicolas’s spine. “I’m glad to meet you, too.”

They all returned to the living room where the talk regarding Daniel’s problem began. Soren was investigating the club The Grinder, their only lead in finding out who’d killed Carlie Denning, linked to a certain mysterious individual going by the name of

“Cunning.” Apparently, they’d gone to the right person because in minutes, Garth had explained “Cunning” belonged to the Cunningham family, a paranormal mafia with a strong hold over the LA
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underground, for whom Garth had worked in the past. It should have unsettled Nicolas more than it did, but then again, he was the one with the weapons collection in the house. He had enough oddities so that he couldn’t in good conscience blame Garth for whatever the man had done.

“Okay,” he said. “So can you help Dani figure out who hurt his friend?”

“I can try.” Garth seemed a touch hesitant. “Mind you, I haven’t talked to this guy in years, so he might tell me to go fuck myself.”