Chapter 1
Blake sighed as he walked out of the front door.
He had managed to slip away from everyone; he just needed a moment to himself.
He walked halfway down the drive before turning back and looking at his house.
Could it still be called a house considering the three rulers of the paranormal world lived there?
He shook his head as he looked around. Where once there had been isolation, peace and quiet, now everywhere he looked were shifters and noise.
He saw both dragon and gargoyle guards patrolling or chatting. He saw gargoyles resting on the roof of the manor and could hear swords clashing together from the training ground.
Moving in day felt so long ago; to him, it felt like years had passed rather than weeks.
So much had happened during that time. His friends were happily mated.
Ashton was mated to a dragon, Nick to a ghost and Jason to a God.
Plus, he had his own wonderful mate who was a unicorn, and not just any unicorn; no, his Baylan was a black unicorn.
He couldn’t believe that the fates had trusted him enough to be mated to one of only two remaining black unicorns in existence.
He promised the fates that he would always love and protect his wonderful mate.
On top of this, they even had an adopted daughter, Maddy, who was the last white unicorn.
Jason also had an adopted son, Kieran, the last centaur. Plus, any number of stepchildren courtesy of his mate, Ares, God of War. Including Demi, otherwise known as Deimos, God of Fear, who was one of the sweetest men Blake had ever met.
The only other person he had met that was just as sweet was Tudor, the Gargoyle King. Tudor was a happy chatterbox who didn’t have a mean bone in his body and who was surprisingly fast on the basic training obstacle course, even beating a warrior angel.
He then thought of the dragon king, Puff and his counterpart Bob.
Puff had come so far in such a short length of time.
From arriving here as a scared homeless boy, to becoming Dragon King, surrounded by his two remaining family members, his pack mates, his personal guards and two future mates he was getting to know.
His mind then took him to all the other mates that had found each other: Demi and Brook, a new dragon shifter.
Frederick and Hades, God of the Underworld, his cousin Battle, and Zeus, King of the Gods.
To Ajax, Devon and their son Symon. Okay, so they had been mates for years, but they were happily settled into the pack.
There were more pack members, but his thoughts went to his mum.
Glad not for the first time that she was safe here, living with the pack and helping with training.
He laughed to himself; he had no idea how she had kept her fighting skills sharp, but she had.
Blake was always in awe watching her train or taking training classes.
He hoped that one day she would find her fated mate, as she and his father were only bonded mates, used to secure a pack alliance.
Next, he thought of his father, Tom Hayes. A complete madman who sold his soul to a demon, and not just any demon; oh no, his father sold his soul to Barnabus, who had killed his father and was now residing in his father’s body and who was trying to start a paranormal war.
Blake’s shoulders drooped with the thought of all the responsibilities that now lay across them.
At the end of the coronation of both the Dragon King and the Gargoyle King, Zeus had decided to change things up.
Now the Dragon King was king of the dragons and all mythical creatures.
The Gargoyle King was king of the gargoyles and all flying shifters, except those covered by the Dragon King and he, Blake Hayes, was now the Alpha King and King of all land-based shifters.
Blake had been so lost in his head that he gave a start when he felt arms come around him from behind but sighed happily when he smelt his mate's heavenly scent. He put his hands on Baylan’s arms and leant back against him for a moment.
Baylan kissed the side of his head. “You, okay?”
Blake sighed. “Yeah, I just needed a moment alone.”
Baylan moved and turned Blake to look at him, concern showing on his face. “Do you want me to leave?”
Blake shook his head. “No, I’ve had my moment. There’s too much to do for a longer one.”
Baylan raised his hand to his mate’s cheek. “No one will mind if you need longer.”
Blake rubbed his cheek on Baylan’s hand.
“No, I’m okay now. I was just thinking over everything that has happened since I moved in, of how much has changed.
I was about to start on how much will change in the future, especially if we can’t stop the war, and thinking about the defence teams. Thankfully, your arrival stopped those thoughts from starting,” he said, resting his hand on Baylan’s hip.
Baylan leant forward and gave Blake a soft, gentle kiss before pulling back. “Then I’m glad I came when I did.”
“Me too,” Blake said, wrapping his free hand around Baylan’s neck, pulling him closer and kissing the heck out of him.