Before jumping into this short story, you should have read Winter’s book so you get the background on his family and how he found his wonderful mate.
Here is the reading order for the Lords of Discord:
Winter woke to a loud bang.
No, a boom.
A deep, earth-shaking boom. Like an explosion.
He instantly reached across the bed for his mate to find Fox’s side of the bed empty and the sheets cool to the touch. Where was his mate? Had he caused that explosion with his magic?
Winter was out of their bed in a flash, his heart pounding. He paused only long enough to pull on a pair of jeans from the floor and snatch up his cell phone.
It took less than a minute to confirm that Fox was not in the house. He tried calling his mate’s cell as he searched, but there was no answer. Panic rose in Winter with every step. Where was his mate? Fox was still human and so very fragile. If something happened to him and Winter couldn’t reach him in time, he’d die. Winter would lose him forever.
Not in the house.
All the cars in the garage.
Fox was outside with the explosion.
Winter raced to the back door and flung it open, only to recoil with a pained cry. The sun hadn’t set yet. The sky was still bright blue with golden light gilding every step between him and Fox. He was trapped.
“Fox!” he screamed. His hands gripped the door and frame so tight his arms shook, and his knuckles ached. “Fox!”
His knees threatened to give out as terror tightened his chest. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed Wyatt’s number. The wolf belonged to his brother Bel and wasn’t far. He and his other mate, River, would be able to go outside and search for Fox.
The phone rang and rang. Winter paced, mentally debating his options for running out into the sunlight. He wouldn’t get far. He’d need layers. So many layers to search for Fox.
“Hello?” Wyatt greeted in a groggy voice.
“Fox. Is Fox there?”
“What? No, he’s not. We’re still in bed. What’s wrong?” Wyatt’s voice grew clearer and more awake with every word.
“Not in the house. He—I can’t find him. There was an explosion. I can’t find him, and the sun is up.” The words were pouring out and he wasn’t sure if he was making any sense.
“He said something about the gardeners removing an old stump today. That was probably the explosion. We’ll come over and look for him, okay? You stay in the house.” Wyatt sounded so very calm and rational, but overwhelming panic and fear had obliterated Winter’s ability to be rational. Too much time had passed. Where was his Fox?
Winter turned to the open doorway, debating his options. He couldn’t remain inside. If he slipped into the dead world, would the sunlight still reach him? He’d never been brave enough to try it, but he’d risk it for Fox.
“Winter?”
He didn’t hear Wyatt because he spotted a familiar figure crossing the back lawn toward the house. He was jogging slowly.
Winter lunged for the open doorway and stepped onto the patio, his toes just shy of the line of sunlight. He was close enough to feel the sting and burn, sending hot needles into his bare chest, but he didn’t care. Fox was alive.
“Fox!” he screamed.
Fox’s jog turned into a dead run. “Winter, get in the house!” he shouted, and his voice was the best thing he’d ever heard.
“I found him,” Winter choked out to Wyatt before ending the call and dropping the phone where he stood.
Winter took a heedless step forward, not caring about the burning sun, but Fox did. He slammed into Winter, using all his strength and body weight to manhandle the vampire into the safety of the house.
“What the hell are you doing?” Fox snarled, kicking the door shut behind him. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
The words weren’t making any sense. There was only crushing relief that left Winter’s entire body trembling. He wrapped his arms around Fox, holding him as tightly as he dared while burying his face into his neck, breathing in his scent. Fox smelled of sweat, cut grass, dirt, and fresh air.
“Explosion. I couldn’t find you,” Winter managed to say through clenched teeth.
“Oh, God!” Fox’s arms tightened. “It was the gardeners, baby. They couldn’t pull or dig out that old stump, so they used a tiny bit of dynamite. I was a safe distance away, I promise. I wasn’t in any danger.”
“I couldn’t find you. Couldn’t reach you. If something happened…” Winter couldn’t even finish that thought. The cold empty void that opened up in his heart threatened to swallow him whole. There was no Winter without his Fox.
Fox shoved at him to put a little space between them, forcing Winter to meet his tear-filled gaze. “Look at me. I’m fine. I’m safe. I will always take care of myself for you.”
Winter’s panic started to ebb as he looked over Fox to find that he was completely intact and unharmed. But the panic was being replaced by stinging pain. He knew better than to step into the sunlight, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself.
“You’re a mess,” Fox said with a mix of disgust and worry. “I need to find the burn ointment until your body can heal this.” He tried to let go of Winter and step away, but Winter wasn’t ready to let more than an inch of space separate them.
“No, I’m fine,” Winter mumbled, pulling Fox in close again.
Fox sighed angrily. “No, you’re not! If you won’t release me, you’re feeding now.”
Winter knew he should argue. He didn’t need to feed from Fox that often. Just once every two weeks and he’d last fed from Fox two nights ago. He wouldn’t do anything to risk Fox’s life, but he hated to admit that he needed this right now. Needed the closeness to reassure himself that his sweet Fox was really okay.
He allowed his sometimes-bossy mate to push him down onto the couch. Fox paused long enough to pull his shirt over his head and toss it aside before straddling his lap. Winter pulled him close, kissing across his chest and up to his neck while running his hands across his warm, sweaty back.
Fox huffed out a breathless laugh. “No nuzzling. You need this. Bite me, Winter.” A hand shoved into the thick tangle of Winter’s hair, trying to force him to the main artery in his neck. “Do it. Bite me.” But the command was soft and desperate this time.
Winter licked across the tender skin and Fox moaned, thrusting his hips forward to rub his hardening cock against Winter’s. He licked again slowly, dragging out the moment. Winter loved when his mate was needy like this, as if he were the only thing in the world Fox could ever want.
“Winter,” Fox whined. He sneaked one hand between them, pulling at the button and zipper of Winter’s jeans. Wicked man.
As Fox’s fingers brushed his cock, Winter sank his fangs in deep. Warm, liquid life gushed into his throat and Winter swallowed Fox down. Pain immediately receded and a different hunger rushed in. His mind and heart were happy to have Fox safe, but now his body needed to make its claim.
A low groan of pleasure rose from Fox’s lips as he stroked Winter with trembling fingers. Fox tasted wonderful, strengthening their bond even more, but Winter needed more than blood right now.
Lifting his mouth after just a couple of swallows, Winter licked across the wound, willing it to heal. Fox whimpered and tried to force his mouth back to his skin, but Winter wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he rolled them, pressing Fox into the cushions and covering Fox’s mouth with his own. His sweet mate didn’t seem to notice the taste of blood as they ripped at their clothes, shoving them out of the way.
All conscious thought stopped as they rutted against each other. Fingers bit into flesh and sweat eased the desperate slide. Fox’s broken pants and little cries of pleasure were balms for Winter’s ragged soul. He would never get enough of this man, never feel complete without the brush of Fox’s soul along his own.
His orgasm barreled down out of nowhere and Winter shouted, coming hard on Fox’s stomach. His lover followed close behind, blunt fingernails scoring his back as if he needed Winter even closer.
Winter nuzzled his face into the hollow of Fox’s neck again, kissing the still healing wound he’d created. “I love you.”
Fox’s arms tightened around him. “I love you too. I’m sorry I scared you. I should have known the explosion would wake you.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” Fox snapped. “You nearly walked out into the sun. What were you thinking? How would you have saved me if you were burned to a crisp?”
“I called Wyatt for help,” he mumbled against Fox’s throat. “It was just when I saw you…”
Fox sighed heavily. “Winter, look at me.”
He reluctantly lifted his head from Fox’s body to meet his worried gaze. “I’m sorry I’m so overprotective. You’re fragile.”
His mate’s expression cracked into a small smile. “Not that fragile. You need to remember that I want to be a vampire. I want to spend centuries with you. I just need a little more time as a human. Maybe a decade. And during that time, I’m going to be extremely careful so that we can have our centuries together.”
“I know. I panicked.” Winter turned his head to kiss the center of Fox’s palm where it had been resting against his cheek. When he met Fox’s eyes again, the worry was still there, creating a churning of guilt in Winter’s stomach.
“I love you more than magic, Winter Varik. If my staying human even for a decade is going to leave you existing on the edge of panic, change me now.”
Winter lurched backward, rising to his knees to stare speechless at his lover. Fox had finally uttered the three words he’d been longing to hear since he’d realized Fox was his mate. He’d been dying a little every day in this torturous wait to make Fox a vampire, to make him more resilient and stronger.
But not like this. Fox was a witch. He’d been waiting his entire life to learn magic, and he had one of the best teachers in the world. He deserved to have this time. Winter could wait ten years.
“No,” he said firmly, inwardly proud that he didn’t choke on the word.
“What?” Fox shoved into a sitting position, his hand wrapping around Winter’s biceps. “I thought—”
“I can wait. I trust you to be careful with your life.”
Fox smiled brilliantly up at him. Winter’s personal shining sun. “My life belongs to you.”
“And I want that life filled with the happiness that comes from doing magic. Stay human a while longer, my perfect mate.” He brought his lips down for a kiss to the tip of Fox’s nose. “When the time is right, I’ll be there waiting for you.”
