Sevin: Mythical Ink Series (Book 2): Paranormal Shifter Romance Read online

  Copyright © 2018 by LS Anders

  Sevin: Mythical Ink Series (book 2)

  All rights reserved.

  Please respect the work of this author. No part of this eBook/book publication may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Use your own judgment to determine if the content of this novel is appropriate for you.

  This romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgments

  Editing: Sandy Ebel- Personal Touch Editing

  www.facebook.com/PersonalTouchEditing

  Font: Apostrophic Labs and WolfbainX

  Proofreading and Edits: Jenny Wootton and Judy Halloran.

  Photograph copyrights: chic2view, jenesesmine, Aleksej Kostin, okfoto and rabbit75_fot @ www.Fotolia.com

  Dedication

  My son, who I used as my muse for young Sevin’s dialogue.

  Special Thanks

  As always, to my readers. Without you, there would be no reason to write.

  To my eagle eyes, Jenny, Judy and Sandy, who find all the goofy mistakes I make.

  Table of Contents:

  Copyright © 2018 by LS Anders

  Acknowledgments

  Reading Order

  About the book

  Note From the Author

  Follow Me Links

  Reading Order

  All of my books can read as standalones!

  The Exotic Ink Series are contemporary romances

  with a touch of paranormal.

  Mythical Ink is the paranormal

  spin-off of the Exotic Ink Series where you first

  get a taste of these characters. It is not necessary

  to read the Exotic Ink Series before beginning

  the Mythical Ink Series.

  Exotic Ink Series

  Vehn (Book One)

  www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZFKIJG

  Tegan (Book Two)

  www.amazon.com/dp/B074G39X9S

  Jason (Book Three)

  www.amazon.com/dp/B0776H3XBZ

  Mythical Ink Series

  Vex (book 1)

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BJLPD7D

  Sevin (book 2)

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G6WW57J

  Cael (book 3)

  Future book

  Avie

  Lucian

  Gabriel

  More Mythical Ink to come!

  About the book

  So, this was it. The human blood Sevin had inherited from his mother was finally going to get him killed. He’d come to terms with the fact he’d be ridiculed and harassed for the rest of his life. He just never thought his days of living would be limited to that of eight-hundred-twenty-one sunrises.

  Micah, the eldest of the next generation of wolf-shifters in his pack, was right on his tail, snarling and nipping at his heels. The purebred was so close to catching him, he could feel the rush of wind across the tip of his tail from the male’s snapping jaws. The other two wolf-shifters followed close behind the leader.

  Sticking to the back alleys in lower Manhattan, Sevin’s short puppy legs were a blur beneath his small body as he careened around the corner. His forward momentum was such, his rear end kept going straight as he made the turn, his back legs sliding to the side, nearly toppling him over. But that wasn’t what slowed him down. The end of the alley he’d just rounded into was coming to an abrupt end in the form of a brick wall in about twenty feet.

  Quickly scanning high and low, his silvery eyes found no other way out.

  He was going to have to stand and fight.

  Sliding to a halt, he bumped the sensitive end of his nose against the coarse surface of the building before turning to meet the three wolf-shifters determined to rid him from their pack.

  Micah and his cohorts slowed, snarling as they stalked toward him. All youths ranging from five to seven years of age, they were still holding onto that puppy visage with their soft, fuzzy coats and long, lanky legs. They would have been considered cute if they weren’t baring their teeth looking as if they were ready to take a bite out of him.

  Standing his ground as he turned to face them, he held most of his trembling at bay while making his little body as tall as possible. Not only was he the youngest but also the smallest in the pack—because he was half-human, he was smaller than he would be if he were of pure wolf-shifter blood. That wasn’t going to stop him from fighting for his life.

  Keeping his eyes trained on every muscle twitch of the trio preparing to attack, he caught a glimpse of two huge figures running toward them. At first glance, he assumed they were humans who could prove to be just as dangerous as the rivals in front of him.

  Maybe he could use the newcomers as a distraction to escape what was sure to be a fight to his death. As their scents invaded his lungs, he pulled more of their unfamiliar essence inside. They were definitely not of the Homo sapiens variety.

  The smaller of the two males running toward them was waving his arms around and clapping his hands, successfully chasing away two of the snarling pack.

  However, Micah didn’t give up so easily. Turning on the male making all the noise, he lunged forward only to be pushed back, landing hard on his rump. Snapping his teeth with his fuzzy scruff standing on end, Micah started to attack again. As the male assumed a defensive posture, the purebred thought better of it and turned, running away.

  The larger of the two males reached down and scooped Sevin up in his huge arms. Biting down hard on the male’s thumb, the blood that flowed out was hot, nearly burning his mouth. Being up close and personal with the male’s scent, his nose had not failed him. This was definitely not a human or a shifter.

  He had no idea what this male… thing was that was holding him.

  Soothing words were spoken even with his sharp-as-needles puppy teeth embedded in the male’s thumb.

  “I’m not gonna hurt you, little one,” the male gently cooed. “You’re safe with us. Now, can you turn loose of my thumb? That’s quite a grip you’ve got going on.”

  His fear quickly turned to longing. A desire for comfort and care where none had ever existed. Releasing the male’s thumb, he licked at the wound he’d created before shifting back into his human form. Letting go of the thin restraint he had on his trembling, he wrapped his arms around the thick neck of the huge male and held on tight.

  The male stroked over his silvery hair and down his small back, continuing with the comforting words that made him feel like he mattered to someone even though he was a complete stranger.

  “Damn, Vex, he’s cute as shit,” the smaller male said.

  Peering over the shoulder of the stranger who held him, he got a look at the other male. With longish mahogany hair and kind blue eyes, Sevin couldn’t help the grin that touched his face. The male smiled back with a lightness that eased him further.

  “Watch out, he bites,” the one named Vex remarked.

  “He’s just scared,” the long-haired one reasoned. “Aren’t you, buddy?”

  Nodding his head against Vex’s shoulder, he snuggled in deeper.

  “You have nothing to fear from us. I’m Lucian, by the way, and that’s Vex,” the long-haired male said. “Where do you live, so we can take you home?”

  “Can’t go back there.” Sevin shivered.

  Vex opened his jacket and wrapped the two halves of heavy leather around his little body. Small for a toddler, he was instantly warmed from the heat the male was throwing, soothing away his trembles.

  “Were those three shifters part of your pack?” Vex asked.

  Nodding, he wasn’t sure how much he should say.

  “Why were they chasing you?” Vex asked.

  How to answer that one? Telling these males of his inadequacy might cause him more trouble. Convinced they wouldn’t help him if they knew he was a half-breed, he kept his lips tightly closed.

  Lucian came around to stand behind Vex. Locking eyes with the male, from out of nowhere, he was suddenly infused with trust. His voice found, the desire to tell his story was imperative.

  “Mom was human,” he began. “My pack don’t want me.”

  “What about your sire?” Lucian asked.

  “He don’t care. He let them chase me.”

  “Where’s your mother?” Lucian asked.

  “Her died,” he said in a small voice.

  “Jesus-fucking-Christ,” Vex swore.

  “What’s your name, tiny shifter?” Lucian asked, his words as soft as a caress.

  “Sewin.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t catch that.”

  Speaking slower, he tried but failed to keep the lisp from his speech. “Se-win. With an “i” instead of an “e.”

  He huffed out a breath, aggravated he could never make that “v” sound right.

  The male looked at him for a long moment, his eyes studying his face as if trying to decipher what he had just said. “Do you mean like the number, but spelled differently? Do you mean Sevin?”

  “Yes,” he nodded excitedly. It was so nice to be understood.

  “How old ar
e you?”

  “Two olds.”

  “You’re only two years old?” Lucian held up two fingers as he spoke.

  He nodded.

  “You don’t have any other place you can go where you’ll be safe and cared for?” Lucian asked.

  He shook his head sadly.

  “We can’t just leave him on the street,” Vex said. “He can come home with me.”

  “Are you prepared to become a parent, Vex, because he’s just a little boy,” Lucian remarked.

  “You heard what he said, hippie,” Vex retorted. “He’s half-human. They will eventually kill him. His own sire won’t even protect him. If he has no place else to go, I’ll take him in.”

  The words were spoken with such conviction, they warmed him from the inside out.

  “You can count me in,” Lucian said to Vex. His attention shifting back to Sevin. “What you think, Sevin? Want to come live with a demon and an angel?”

  Otherworldlies!

  He wouldn’t have guessed that. Stunned at the announcement, his eyes grew wide. Talk about protection. No one, not even his sire who was alpha of his pack, would go up against these guys.

  And, they wanted to adopt him?

  Nodding vigorously, he wondered which one was the demon and who was the angel. He’d only heard stories about their kind, he’d never actually seen them with his own eyes until now.

  Going by the heat of the blood he’d tasted, he’d venture to guess the one holding him, Vex to be the demon. Besides, the one with the long hair was too beautiful to be anything but an angel.

  “That settles it,” Vex said, carrying him out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. “He comes home with me.”

  “Us,” Lucian corrected. “He comes home with us.”

  “He’s lighter than a feather,” Vex mumbled. “Are you hungry, little guy?”

  He nodded, just the thought of food making him salivate. How long had it been since he’d last managed to sneak some crumbs leftover from the purebred puppies in the pack?

  After his mom had died soon after giving birth to him, he’d been retrieved by his sire who was no doubt shocked he had even been conceived at all, then he’d been unceremoniously dumped off on the females of the pack. They hadn’t wanted to deal with a half-human reject either.

  Given just enough sustenance, so he didn’t perish, he’d been left on his own to mostly fend for himself. The other pups were allowed to abuse him any way they had seen fit, but after two years of him living off the edge of the pack, they had decided to be finished with him.

  That was what all the running for his life had been about.

  He had been set upon by the three youngest and strongest in the pack. Micah was leader material and had been encouraged by his sire to initiate a brawl. He’d gained his usual two friends as backup with a simple look and a sneer.

  Sevin had been cowering in his usual corner when the three approached. Moving out into the open, he would have a better fighting chance rather than his back already up against a wall.

  The three began circling him. Looked like he was to be tonight’s entertainment—a fight to the death.

  His death.

  The three were given permission by his own sire to make sport of him before tearing him to pieces. Just as the festivities began, the pack’s drunk had tripped over his own feet, creating the distraction he needed to make a run for it.

  Pushing through the door of the run-down apartment building the pack inhabited, Sevin hit the sidewalk at a dead run, his legs pumping out the blocks at the fastest clip he had never thought possible. Hearing the harsh pants and skittering nails on the concrete too close behind him, he had tapped into a boost of adrenaline that hit his veins like a shot of nitrous in a street racer that pulled him ahead of his pursuers. As weak as he was from lack of food and proper care, it was a wonder he had pulled it off, giving him a smidge more distance in an attempt to lose them in the maze of city streets. He’d made a critical error in the form of a wrong turn, landing him in a dead-end alley with no place to go.

  Except, his wrong turn had turned out right. He was now warm, safe, and enveloped in the strong arms of a demon who was walking along at a fast clip, the male’s heavy gait a gentle jostling equal to that of a mother bouncing her baby to sleep. Coupled with the heat radiating off the broad chest he was held against, he was soon hooked with the lure of sleep.

  The scent of roast beef lit up his nose, a bomb of sensory overload jarring him awake. Opening his eyes, he found himself being held like an infant in the arms of the one named Lucian. Covered in a blanket, he was warm and comfy.

  And really freaking hungry!

  As Vex held up a savory slice of roast beef he’d peeled from a deli sandwich, Sevin lunged toward the bit of food offered.

  “Poor little guy is starving,” Lucian uttered sadly. “He can have my ham and cheese, too, if he wants it.”

  “Slow down, Sevin, or you’ll get a stomach ache,” Vex gently scolded, handing him another bite. “You can eat as much as you want. We won’t ever take your food away.”

  Tears welled and spilled down his face—he couldn’t believe his fortune. He had gone from facing his own demise to scoring a new home with two males who already seemed to care about him in the bat of an eye. Not only that, they would also be his protectors, watching after him as if he were from their own flesh and blood. He could see it in the clear, blue depths of the angel’s eyes and the set of the demon’s sharp jaw—he had found a family to call his own.

  Vex swept the tears from his hollow cheeks, cooing, “Don’t cry puppy, you’re gonna be okay now.”

  “Yeah, we’re your new dads,” Lucian chimed in. “We’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”

  “Thanks, Luswin,” he said, embarrassed he had mispronounced the male’s name.

  “Loo. Shh. An.” The angel broke it down for him.

  “Loo. Shh. Sween,” he stuttered out, growing irritated with himself he couldn’t get it right.

  “Why don’t you just call me Lu,” Lucian grinned.

  Nodding, he returned the kind smile. Looking to the other male, he said, “Thanks, Wex,” and frowned.

  The corner of the brutish male’s lips twitched upwards in an awkward, one-sided grin, his interpretation of a smile. The demon didn’t appear to be in the habit of performing that particular facial expression.

  Giving his silvery hair a tousle, Vex said, “Wex is fine, puppy. Wex will be just fine.”

  As Sevin tore out around the corner of the building, memories from his past came barreling down on him nearly as fast as the purebreds on his tail. Just twenty-two years ago, he’d been doing this very same thing.

  Now, he was running for his fucking life with a now full-grown Micah in the lead, gaining on him with every step.

  Now, he had five chasing after him instead of three. As time had passed and new shifters had been born into his former pack, so added to his list of enemies. The youngest of the purebreds he had never formally met, only had seen them from a pack perspective as Micah led the group of degenerates around with an imaginary leash to do his bidding.

  Why had he left his apartment?

  Lucian, or Lu as he had always called him ever since he was a pup, had just walked him home. He had been safe inside and could be still had he stayed put. He should be lounged out on his sofa in front of the television, watching some mindless show with a bowl of popcorn, still warm from the microwave.

  But, noooooo.

  He’d gotten a wild hair up his ass to go out prowling the city streets. The urge to roam wouldn’t leave him alone. Already keyed up and aggravated after the fuckers chasing him had shown their ugly mugs at the diner where he had shared a late dinner with his dads and Alea—Mythical Ink’s receptionist slash Vex’s new love interest—he’d been itching to put an end to the constant bullying, to stand his ground once again, and end the escalating drama dogging his every step.

  Micah and his curs had been stalking him for years, never doing much more than a cat-and-mouse routine. Being outnumbered five to one, he had always made a run for it, successfully losing them in the maze that was the city. That was until a few nights ago when he’d decided to stand up to Micah, instead of bolting.