Passion & Betrayal, page 1
Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords
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Copyright© 2024 Jade Marshall and Lila Fox
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0964-2
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Lisa Petrocelli
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To our husbands who put up with a lot of late hours and distracted ways.
PASSION & BETRAYAL
Sins of the Father, 3
Jade Marshall and Lila Fox
Copyright © 2024
Content Warning
Passion & Betrayal may contain triggers for some. As readers, we find trigger warnings to be spoilers, but as authors, we understand that they are sometimes necessary. Although we are not going to list each one, there are many. Please feel free to email us with your specific trigger(s), and we will let you know if that trigger is in this book.
Lila Fox jensen065@gmail.com
Jade Marshall author.jmarshall@gmail.com
For those of you who wish to go in blind, please remember that this is a work of fiction, and we do not condone any of the situations or actions of the characters.
Chapter One
Doom
The moment I saw Isabel Russo for the first time, I knew my life would never be the same. She is ethereal in her beauty, and so far out of my league, I have no idea how I will ever convince her to give me the time of day. The strapless blue dress she is wearing clings to her figure, and I have to constantly remind myself we are in a church.
I stare past my younger brother as he marries his mate, not hearing a single word of their vows. All I can focus on is Isabel’s dark hair and fair skin. She is tall and thin with small, perky breasts that I want to suck on.
Her scent seeps into my pores. Freshly baked cookies are my favorite childhood memory. I watch her like a hawk as she clutches my sister Rylee’s arm and follows the happy couple outside to have photos taken. I watch her genuine smile when she hugs Aryanna before they leave.
Rylee pulls me aside. “I need you to listen to me, Cian.”
“Okay,” I reply, never taking my eyes off of Isabel.
“Cian, I’m serious,” she says. She pulls my arm until I focus on her. “Isabel isn’t like us. She has been sheltered for most of her life. You need to be careful with her.”
“I know what I’m doing, Dutchess.” I wink and press a kiss to her cheek before handing her over to her own mate.
Isabel has disappeared into the empty church, and I follow her. I have this insane urge to make sure she’s safe at all times. Walking into the dimly lit area, I instantly zeroed in on her, kneeling in the middle of the aisle, picking up some of the rose petals that were strewn there.
“What are you doing, Beauty?” I ask once I kneel beside her.
She blushes a deep red before replying. “I’m gathering some of these for Aryanna. They left so quickly, and I’m afraid she didn’t get any for her scrapbook.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“I hope so. Ari has been my best friend my entire life.”
“Do you miss her now that she is living at the compound?” I ask, pressuring her to talk to me so I can listen to the cadence of her voice.
Isabel nods, never lifting her gaze to mine. Gently, I place my finger beneath her chin and tilt her head until I can stare into the hazel pools. I feel both lost and found with this woman before me.
“You are always welcome to visit her at the Fallen Legion compound.”
“Really?” she asks, shock clear in her voice.
“Yes, Beauty. You will always be welcome anywhere my club is,” I reply honestly. My gaze strayed to her plump lips.
“Your club?” she whispers.
I nod, leaning closer. “My father has stepped down, and I am now the president of the Fallen Legion MC.”
She closes her eyes, a shudder running through her body. I can smell the scent of her arousal around us. My cock is hard already, weeping pre-cum down the shaft. But now isn’t the time to claim her, and my cock will have to wait.
“I know you don’t know me,” I say. “But I am going to change that really soon. You’re my mate, and I won’t be kept away from you for long.”
“Cian,” she says my name softly.
“Can I kiss you, Isabel?”
“Please,” she whimpers, and I can’t wait to have her begging me for other things.
I don’t need to be given permission twice. My lips feather over hers as my hands caress her hips. Rylee was right. Isabel isn’t like us. She is so much better and needs to be treated like a queen.
Her lips spread beneath mine, and I swipe my tongue inside, fully tasting her for the first time. I am already addicted to her in every way possible. The sound she makes as she wraps her arms around my neck and threads her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer, make my knees feel weak. It takes everything I have inside me to draw away from her and the kiss.
Resting my forehead against hers, I hold her until our breathing returns to normal once more.
“I am going to do everything I can to be worthy of you, Isabel,” I say lowly.
“Cian—” she starts, but I cut her off.
“I’ll see you at the reception. Save me a dance.”
I press a quick kiss to her now-swollen lips before turning and forcing myself to walk out. I want to return to her, I want to do despicable things to her, but I know I need to take my time, or I might scare her off. In the recesses of my mind, my panther roars in outrage. I wish I could throw her over my shoulder right now and keep her forever, but I will wait.
****
Isabel
God, I can feel his eyes on me. They follow me around the room, and the heat of his gaze burns into my pores. I do my best to listen to the vows my best friend gives her mate.
I hold back my tears as I watch the newly married couple leave the church. They are mostly happy tears because I love seeing Aryanna so happy. She deserves it. But some of my tears are sad that I’ll hardly ever see Aryanna because she’s so busy with her husband and their first child on the way.
I wave as their car pulls away. I stand and watch until I can’t see them any longer. The rest of the group started heading to their cars to drive to the reception, but I stood briefly in a daze before thinking of the flower petals they’d used down the aisle. I know Aryanna would like to have some.
I pick up some of the petals when I feel the air around me sizzle and his scent wraps around me. I have to concentrate on settling my breathing, which is fast and deep, and my heart feels like it will burst from my chest.
When he crouches beside me and helps me pick up the petals, I feel the heat of a blush cover my face, and I think I might faint if he gets much closer. I have a hard time concentrating on my task. I know if I look at him, I will stare like a lovesick puppy. He is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. His masculinity and alpha personality are what I noticed first.
“What are you doing, Beauty?”
God, I love that he calls me Beauty. It makes me feel special. I explain about the petals. I know he couldn’t care less, but I like how attentive he is.
I have a hard time keeping up with our conversation. I only want to crawl onto his lap because I know he’ll keep me safe. Or spread me out on the nearest flat surface and fuck me until I’m unconscious.
It is funny and a little weird how many dreams I’ve had with a faceless person, both of us naked, and he is between my thighs, pistoning into my cunt so many times I become raw. I vaguely guessed that Cian was my mate a few months before, but I let him make the first move.
I put Cian’s face on the faceless person in my dreams. It makes the heat of desire grow inside me. It’s a sensation I’ve never felt before. My first inclination is to be afraid of the magnitude of my desire, but the heat inside me makes thinking nearly impossible.
I suck in a breath when he tips my head up. Looking into his eyes makes the searing heat expand.
He mentions that I’m always welcome in his home to visit Aryanna. As much as I want to see my friend, I also need to give her and her husband space because I don’t want to intrude. Besides, when I visited Aryanna, I had to deal with the way Cian made me feel. Just thinking about him would make my body hum, but being close like this made it impossible for me to think.
A sigh escapes when he leans forward and takes my lips in a kiss so blatantly erotic it feels like my blood has turned to molten lava in my veins. Hell, I want him to fuck me so badly I ache. It takes me a moment to remember that we are in a church and out in the open.
I know the two of us are a mated couple. But for some reason I can’t explain, I know something is missing. Am I not supposed to feel complete when I’m with my mate? It’s something I’d talk to Aryanna about.
****
He keeps me on the dance floor at the reception and in his arms for most of the night. My feet ache, and my cheeks are sore from smiling so much.
When the party starts to shut down, Cian takes me to my father.
I was thankful Cian didn’t broach the su
My father stands against the wall with his hands clasped behind his back. I can tell he isn’t pleased about us being a mated pair, not with one but two mates, but no one can fight the universe.
Cian stands tall, looking my father in the eyes. The challenge in Cian’s expression is apparent. I don’t feel intimidated by these two oversized men because I know either would set their lives down for me.
“You know we’re a mated pair.”
My father nods, but I can see the muscle in his jaw throb, telling me he is not at all happy, but there is little he can do.
“Yes, I do know. I want you to give her time to get to know you. I also want to warn you that I’ve been very protective of my daughter, and that will never stop.”
Cian nods. “I get it. I will come for your daughter tomorrow afternoon. We’ll go out on a short date.”
My father glances down at me. I can feel myself silently begging him to let me go. My father sighs. “All right, but you’ll bring her back home.”
Cian smiles. “Yes.” Cian turns to me and pulls me a few feet away from my father. “I will see you tomorrow.” He kisses me so sweetly it brings tears to my eyes. “We will talk about the tiger shifter then.”
As nervous as I am to tell him I have another mate besides him, I know it must be done.
Cian kisses my knuckles. “Dream of me,” he whispers.
A few hours later, I was sleeping and did indeed dream of Cian. A hot erotic one that made cum slide from my body and my nipples harden to little pebbles. Before, I couldn’t help feeling like something was missing. In my dreams, there is a dark silhouette watching from the shadows as Cian and I fuck. After meeting Sypher earlier that night, I finally understood. I now know that Sypher was the silhouette of the mysterious person I instinctively felt was a part of me, like Cian.
****
Sypher
I have been having the most vivid dreams. Dreams where I’m standing against a wall watching a man and a woman make love. I can never see their faces, but the amount of passion between them is indescribable. My heart cries for me to join them, but I am fused to my spot, watching from a distance, always an outsider.
It has bothered me for weeks, and my irritation is so high everyone avoids being near me. But as I ride through town on my motorcycle, the wind whipping through my hair, I am drawn to a small church. The feeling of being pulled is powerful. I considered turning away and continuing on my path, but something had ahold of me, and I allowed it to lead me.
Stopping my ride about a block from the church, I set out on foot, slowly closing the distance. When I reach the black wrought-iron gate in the low wall, I know what the phantom pull is. My mate is here. I can scent her all the way from here, and my tiger roars in the recesses of my mind, begging to be allowed free reign to hunt her down.
But there is a wedding celebration happening here, and it takes me a moment to realize that Fallen Legion MC are roaming around. I let my mind think through their members as I try to figure out which female could possibly be my mate, but none come to mind.
Pulling my cell phone from my jean pocket, I call my second in command.
“Prez. What can I do for you?”
“I need to know how many available females are attached to the Fallen Legion MC,” I say.
“Why?” Kris asks cautiously.
“I’m standing in town, and there’s a wedding,” I explain, knowing he needs the information. “My mate is here, but I don’t know where. I can’t just go barrelling in. There are FLMC guys all over the place.”
Kris is silent for a moment as he takes in everything I’ve just said. “The wedding is for Draven. He married the Esposito mafia princess, so your mate could be from either side.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I grumble.
“Sorry, man, I wish I had better news,” he says before hanging up.
I stand behind a tree, surveying everything around me. I am hoping if I stay here long enough, I will be able to see something that points me in the wrong direction. Luck is on my side, and it doesn’t take long for me to find her. A willowy woman with long dark hair and pretty little breasts exits the tent where the reception is held, stepping into the moonlight. My heartbeat accelerates as I watch her. My tiger roars thunderously in my head as I watch that asshole Doom lower his head and press his lips to hers.
Can she not sense me? Has she already chosen another mate out of convenience, choosing not to wait for her fated mate? Is this part of the Fallen Legion MC and the Esposito crime family coming together?
A million questions filter through my mind rapidly, but I have none of the answers. I watch her slide into a black town car with an older man before pulling out of the church grounds. I try to remain calm and think clearly, but I have never been known for my composure. Allowing my animal to overtake me, I shift into my tiger and set off after the car, keeping to the woodland area around town to avoid starting a panic. It’s not like a Bengal tiger is commonly found around these parts.
It takes ten minutes before we are secluded enough for me to make my move. I head off the vehicle before charging it head-on and leaping onto the hood. The vehicle skids to a stop, and I hear the pounding of my mate’s heart as a scream leaves her. I know this is bound to scare her, but I need to get to her. Now. I need to give us both a chance to make it work.
The driver and the older man exit the vehicle, both drawing guns at me. My tiger remains passive, waiting for my mate to realize what is happening. The tension is thick and heavy, cloaking us all in its presence. It only takes a minute or two for her heart rate to calm before she exits the vehicle. Everyone’s attention is drawn to her.
“Isabel, get back in the car,” the older man orders and my tiger snarls at him.
My mate, Isabel, ignores the man, stepping around the vehicle until she is beside me.
“Isabel!” The man is grating on my nerves. “Get away.”
“He won’t hurt me, Father,” she breathes lowly. “He is the missing piece.”
She touches my tiger behind the ear, and the bastard basically shows his belly, a loud purr rumbling from deep within. In my entire thirty-three years, I have never felt this much contentment.
“Who are you?” her melodious voice whispers beside my face.
“What is happening, Isabel?”
“He’s my mate.”
“Another one?” Her father sounds as shocked as I feel, the revelation rocking me to my core.
Isabel nods while she continues to work her fingers through my thick fur. I allow the shimmer of the change to sweep over me, and Isabel steps away to allow my space. I roll off the hood of the vehicle before standing to my full length. Isabel’s heart rate accelerates as she takes in my naked form.
“Mate.” The word leaves me with a low growl.
Isabel smiles sweetly, blushing.
Chapter Two
Isabel
I must be dreaming. There’s no other explanation for why I have two mates. No one I know has two. I always thought one would be overwhelming for me.
It also boggled my mind when I thought about finding both my mates on the same night. What is the universe trying to tell me?
My cunt still hadn’t calmed from being close to Cian, but now it flooded with my sweet juices, and a terrible constricting sensation started growing inside me. When I was with Cian, I’d felt the need in my womb to fuck, but I knew something was not quite right at the time.
The fact that I had two mates kept running through my head, but I pushed it away until I was alone so no one would see me panic. I’m a small lynx, Cian is a panther, and Sypher is a tiger. Those three things don’t fit together, especially at the same time.
