A Mate Beyond Their Reach by Scarlet Hyacinth Read Free Book Online

recalled reading about the child in Andrew’s file. Paul Blunt, age fifteen. Mother Paula Turner, deceased. Lived with his remaining parent, the respectable Doctor Blunt. Great, just fucking great. He hadn’t read anywhere about the other man, however.
    “This is my son, Paul, and my friend, Daniel Lawson,” Andrew said, as if sensing his confusion. “And I do have to agree with Paulie.
    We’d be very thankful if someone actually gave us an explanation instead of pretending we’re not here.”
    By some miracle, Valerius didn’t break down right then and there.
    “I assure you, Dr. Blunt, you’ll find out everything in due time.”
    They couldn’t exactly stand around in the middle of the forest and argue about this, so Valerius made a flash decision. “Follow me.”
    He turned on his heel and headed back toward the helicopter. The four men must have understood the seriousness of the situation as they obeyed without protest. As he reached the aircraft, Valerius opened the door and gestured for his guard to get out. He needed space inside the chopper. They’d just have to find their own way back.
    “Inside,” he told the four men.
    “Now wait just a minute,” Daniel protested. “This is getting to be too much. First, some werewolf shows up and tells us we’re supposed to leave our homes because supposedly we’re in danger. Now, another stranger wants us to go with him in a helicopter. I think not.”
    Paul’s eyes widened. “Werewolf?”
    So the teenager did not know. That was good news. It would be easier to wipe away memories that didn’t have any visual basis.
    Valerius turned his gaze toward Daniel and frowned. Something about the other man didn’t feel right. He couldn’t figure out the reason for his unease, so he resolved to deal with it later, when he could think more clearly. “Please, follow me,” he said once again, stressing the “please.” He didn’t want to give any explanation in front of Paul, and he intended to talk to Trent before he decided on anything.
    “But my car…” Daniel protested.
    “My men can bring it to you.”
    Daniel stared at him, looking conflicted. Truly, the human didn’t have much choice. Valerius could very well force them to come if they refused to go willingly, but he didn’t want to resort to that sort of thing.
    Daniel tossed the keys to his car to one of Valerius’s guards. “At least can we get our stuff?” he said bitingly.
    “Certainly,” Valerius replied. He nodded to his men, who rushed off toward the car. Paul didn’t see them move faster than humanly possible. Valerius ushered the humans inside the helicopter. Once all the passengers were loaded and secure, his men returned with the bags and tossed them in the back.
    “I trust that’s everything,” Valerius said.
    When Andrew nodded, Valerius closed the door to the helicopter and directed the pilot to head home. He still had no clue how he’d deal with this, but perhaps once they reached a safer, more familiar setting, he’d figure it out.

Chapter Four
    A few hours passed since leaving Tennington, and Drew wondered how he’d managed to get himself into this mess. He’d thought he’d left his adventuring days behind when he’d abandoned his pathologist career, but instead, he’d somehow jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
    Meeting Valerius D’Averam shook him greatly. The man awoke the same feelings inside him as Trent did. His piercing gray gaze made Drew dizzy, and those full lips begged to be kissed. While Trent’s handsomeness reminded Drew of a modern Hollywood actor, Valerius looked like an elegant noble of old. Everything about him screamed refinement, from his stance to the way he bound his black hair back. Drew had not even managed to wrap his mind around his conflicting emotions for the first wolfman, and another one appeared, bombarding him with a second set of sensations.
    With so much on his mind and heart, he couldn’t bring himself to make any