by
Deputy Joe of the Arrowtown Sheriff's department has tried to hold his head up high his entire life, even though it's never been easy. Carrying the Quincy name has been a curse he's worked hard to put behind him, but when his two uncles get thrown out of Arrowtown because of their nefarious dealings, Joe found the courage to turn to the one man he thought would stand by his side. Being told he was "too young, too dumb and too well-hung" were not the words he expected to hear when his true mate rejected him to his face. As the man in question was the town doctor, it's not surprising that when Joe gets hurt, turning up at the man's surgery was the last thing on his to-do list.
Doctor Nathan Farriday (known locally as "Doc") has lived a long life, and not always on his own. A long time Arrowtown local, Doc has watched Joe grow into a kind, decent, hardworking man - too good for him in other words. If asked, Doc could spout a long list of reasons why taking the man as his fated mate was a bad idea. Age and inexperience were just the easiest reasons to explain. The danger from his animal half was something he preferred to keep to himself. But when Joe's family come calling and Joe is left badly hurt, Doc has to reassess a lifetime of bad choices.
Rampaging buffalo shifters and a bomb blast have the potential to splinter the tiny shifter town apart. In the ashes of the aftermath, the sheriff's department work furiously to keep their population safe. But will Joe and Doc's relationship survive the revelation of Doc's biggest secret or will they be forced to leave the town they both call home?
This is a true mate paranormal (shifter) MM story that includes depictions of intimacies between men and some violence. The story includes Mpreg although it is not the main focus of the story line. Due to adult content, readers 18+ only.
- 2 To Be Read lists
- 4 Read lists
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 5
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Protagonist 2 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Tropes: Fated Mates / Soul Mates, Mpreg
Setting: USA
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Same Universe / Various Characters
Fuck. Joe rubbed his chest. Those words still hurt, months later,
and it wasn’t the sort of sentiment he could just shrug off and
ignore, like he could when he got similar comments from his family
when he was younger. He considered himself an honorable man.
He would not push himself where he wasn’t wanted, and Doc had
made his sentiments very clear.
Which led to his current predicament. Prior to his chat with Liam,
and lord knows why he confided in the young lion of all people, he
used to patrol the streets, keeping a close eye on the Doc’s house.
But now the words “he’s my mate” were out there – had actually
been spoken to another person, the pain he felt at being separate
from the sexy older man increased. What was worse, he now felt
like a pervert for all the times he’d kept the Doc and his house
under surveillance.
It felt wrong to do it now, even though his
animal demanded no less, and in fact wanted a whole lot more.
“Damn it, fuck it all to hell!” Joe grabbed the night stick laying on
his desk and threw it across the room, lodging it into the wall. “Oh,
fucking brilliant,” he announced to the empty room. “Now Rocky’s
going to take the cost of repairing that hole from my wages.”
Striding over, he pulled his night stick from where it was sticking
out from the wall and rubbed his hand over the hole. It was
noticeable. There was nothing he could do about that. Although,
he thought as an idea came to mind. I’ve got some plaster at home.
It’s going to be a different color than the wall, but a patch job is
better than the hole.
Pleased he had something to do, even if it meant getting teased by
Rocky and Mal in the morning, Joe grabbed his keys, diverted the
office phone to his cellphone and headed out the door. It was only
a twenty-minute walk from the precinct to his home, but Joe took
the patrol car. If he got called out, he didn’t want to get hell from
Rocky for being late to an incident, on top of the damage he’d
caused. It was definitely preferable to shifting. Joe didn’t dare shift;
hadn’t done in months. His animal half thought his horns and solid
head would make a useful battering ram against the Doc’s door.
The drive was quick, and Joe was back at the Sheriff’s Office before
anyone noticed he’d gone. Stuffing paper into the hole, to give the
plaster something to stick to, Joe was mixing the plaster into a
smooth consistency when his phone rang. Cursing, because the
plaster was the type to harden quickly, Joe put on his professional
tone as he answered the call. “Arrowtown Sheriff’s Office, Deputy
Joe speaking.”
“Joe, thank goodness I caught you.” It was Mal, and he sounded
rushed. “Are you still in the office?”
Joe looked at the paper stuffed hole in the wall. “Yep.”
“Get over to old man Forest’s place on the edge of town. He claims
he’s got a buffalo terrorizing his sheep.”
“Shifter?” Joe was already moving.
“Has to be. No natural buffalo would chase down sheep. There
isn’t…you are….” Mal trailed off.
“I’m the only buffalo shifter currently allowed to live in Arrowtown
if that’s what you’re asking. But you know that sheriff Quincy had
a big family and none of them took too kindly to being kicked out
or losing everything they owned.”
“Damn it. I should have known something like this would happen.”
Mal sighed. “I’ll drag Rocky out of here and we’ll back you up,
but….”
“Bring guns,” Joe said shortly as he got in the car and turned the
key. “You know darn well this is a trap to pull us out there. No
shifter in his right mind would tamper with natural sheep. If I can’t
run this guy off, then there’s no way two wolves can, even a madhouse
like Rocky. Bring guns and be prepared to use them. I’m on
my way."
