by
Rudy and Clay are deeply in love and expecting the birth of their boys thanks to Clay’s twin sister, Clarice. Tragedy strikes, and Rudy and Clay become parents to not just their twins, but Clarice and Patrick’s three little girls as well.
They desperately need help with the five kids so Rudy hires a ‘manny’, Jackson Frost. But Frost comes with a horrible past. Guilty of betrayal, and for almost killing Clay while they were in the military, he is freshly released from prison and desperate for work. The man is definitely not Clay’s first choice as a caregiver for his children.
Strange things begin to happen, leading them to think that Patrick and Clarice were not just a random attack. Then Rudy is suddenly kidnapped.
The clock is ticking and despite their past, Jackson and Clay must join forces to find Rudy before he is killed, or worse…
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 3 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Adopted Child, Families/Raising Kids, Fated Mates / Soul Mates, Rescue
Word Count: 57,000
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Jackson glanced around the table once more before adding, “and…he cleverly changes the subject. Is your nose really that red in reindeer form?”
“Sure is,” Jillian piped up. “Like a red glow stick.”
Rudy ruffled her hair. “Thanks a lot, Jillybean.” Rudy put the back of his hand against his forehead and pretended to swoon. “Story of my life, I’m known far and wide for being a red-nosed reindeer instead of my genius software, tech and games.”
Jackson laughed. “I feel for you, man. At least you inherited something interesting. My dad was part Fae and I got gypped in the gift department.”
One day, if things with Jackson worked out, and Rudy had a feeling it would and that they would become good friends, Rudy would tell him about his other gift, the dangerous one.
“Yeah, having a red nose is such a great gift. My mom could have kept it, really. Did you inherit anything?”
READ MOREWordlessly, Jackson reached for his glass of water. In seconds, the outside of the glass was covered in frost and the water inside the glass was solid ice.
“Ooh, that’s cool.” Elizabeth peered at the glass, reaching out a small hand and tapping the ice with a finger.
“Wow, neat,” Elizabeth added as Jillian ooh’d.
Jackson bowed his head. “Pretty much all it’s good for is making slushies or cooling drinks.”
“Well, you’d certainly be handy at parties,” Rudy observed, impressed nonetheless. Real magic users were almost as rare as True Mates.
“Uh-huh, and I bet you’ve never gotten lost in the dark.” Jackson laughed.
“Wouldn’t anyway. Reindeer remember? We come with amazing night vision along with sharp daggers on our heads.”
“I did not know that. Is your husband a reindeer too?”
“No. Clay’s an engineer and a snow leopard. The military used his shifting talents up in the mountains of Afghanistan when they didn’t have him working on engineering projects.”
The interest suddenly left Jackson’s eyes, his face paled, and his already fair complexion turned nearly as white as his hair. “I, um, have to go.” He jerked to his feet, knocking over his chair. The girls all giggled as he scrambled to pick the chair up. “Sorry. Thanks for supper.”
Confused, Rudy watched him rush towards the door. For a moment, Rudy could have sworn he saw fear flash across Jackson’s face when he told him about Clay. Jackson reached for his backpack and jacket just as the door clicked and opened. Jackson froze in his bent over position like a deer in headlights, staring up in horror at the man who stood there.
Clay stopped cold, hand still on the doorknob, his gaze fixed on the man crouched before him. His face morphed into one of pure fury. “You!” Clay lunged for him, grabbed Jackson by the throat, and slammed him bodily into the wall.
The girls screamed. Without thinking, Rudy blinked himself over to Clay’s side and gripped his bicep, trying to pull him off Jackson. “Let him go, Clay!”
Jackson wasn’t struggling. In fact, he hung there with Clay’s clawed hand around his throat, looking resigned to his fate. His eyes were closed and his head hung to the side, ready and accepting of whatever punishment Clay was going to dish out. Why?
Rudy tried to push his way between the two. He could feel Clay’s emotions all over the place through the bond. “Clay, you’re scaring the girls. They don’t need this right now. You don’t need this right now. Calm down. Please.”
His gaze firmly fixed on Jackson, Clay spoke to Rudy in a low angry tone. “You don’t understand what this man has done. He is a monster.”
COLLAPSE
