“I don’t drink.”
“I do.” He flashed a brilliantly white smile, then stuck out a hand. Gabriel looked at it for a moment before gripping it in a shake. His grip was firm and cool to the touch, but not cold, not anything like Jeremie. “Urban Winters, striptease extraordinaire. And you?”
“Just Gabriel.”
“Well then, Gabe-babe, whaddaya say we slip behind closed doors and get the party started?”
The bouncer rolled his eyes with a grunt. “At least you’re going behind closed doors this time,” he muttered, waving one of his many hands and ambling towards the bar.
“Love you too, babe!” Urban called after him with a whistle. Gabriel’s stomach did a nervous flop. He was so…out there. Outrageous. Exuberant and carefree, like a child who’d never been scolded before in his life.
He slid his gaze across Urban’s torso, tracing the glimmer of scales lying across his skin. Sure, he was aware of the Shifters—Jeremie had kept a few of them as slaves—but what was Urban? Snake? Wyvern? His gaze skimmed downwards, to the low cut of his too-tight pants, to the trail of pale hair disappearing beneath the hemline.
Urban’s pallid grey eyes met his, amused. “White viper, baby,” he said, one hand sliding down his hip and the other reaching out to Gabriel. “One hundred percent natural, no bio-genetic mutations involved.” His palm stretched toward him, slender fingers waiting. “Don’t you trust me?” His voice was nearly a whisper.
“I don’t trust anyone,” Gabriel said just as softly, his heart doing double-time as he watched the other man smirk. Anger boiled in his gut at Urban’s silent laughter and he all but slapped his hand into the man’s waiting palm. Giving the snake’s fingers a squeeze for good measure, he said, “Let’s get this over with.”
Thanks for reading!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Acknowledgements
About the Author
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Excerpt: Bonedust by Xoe Xanders
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