The Coterie (Clearnight Haven Book 1) Read online

Raven loved when his mates ganged up on him and woke him with their sexual delights. It was the perfect way to start the day. He loved each of his mates with all his heart and couldn’t imagine a life without any of them. His thoughts turned to their last mate, the human they had hoped to find across the bay in America. He wondered what his last mate looked like, what he smelled like, and what he tasted like.

  When Raven had had his dream of he and his mates making love, he also dreamt of their sixth mate being there with them. He couldn’t see his face, but he could feel his presence. He knew that their human mate was with them in the dream and he had felt whole for the first time in his life. He couldn’t wait until they could go into the small town and find their last mate. He needed to know who he was and if he would accept them. Raven prayed to the Gods and his six grandfathers that their human mate wouldn’t reject them. Not just because if he did then Raven and the others would be banished from the throne forever, but because Raven was finally close to finding his last mate and completing his Coterie. Completing his heart and finally being one.

  Jareth cried out above him and Raven opened his eyes. Ash had moved in close behind him and was now fucking their little wolf mate. Without releasing Jareth’s cock, he shifted his eyes and looked down his body. Ciro was licking and sucking his cock and Lorcan was fucking Ciro as if his life depended on it. His eyes were closed and his head thrown back, and Raven knew that Lorcan was lost in the moment. He wasn’t thinking, just feeling, and was soon to lose all control. He smiled around the cock in his mouth and looked back up at Jareth’s face. His eyes were also closed. His mouth hung open on a silent moan, then Jareth dropped his head back to rest on Ash’s shoulder.

  Ash had his arms wrapped around Jareth’s chest and he was caressing Jareth’s smooth skin. They were all together and connected. This is what Raven loved most in his life. The five of them coming together and giving themselves completely to the others.

  Raven closed his eyes and doubled his efforts on Jareth’s cock as he thought of their sixth mate joining them. Soon he would be with them. No matter what Raven had to do, he would do it to get their last mate to accept them and complete them. Tomorrow they would move into the small town of Clearnight Haven and their hunt to find their mate would begin.

  CHAPTER 1

  “Why am I here again?” Joel asked himself. “Oh, yeah. Because I’m a stupid turd.” Joel sighed and looked down the alley at the back door to “The Raven” club. He just needed one damn picture to go with his story. If he could get this story, his boss promised him a promotion to reporter for the newspaper he worked for. He had been stuck as a research clerk for five years now and he was tired of getting passed over time and again. He knew Mr. Devlin didn’t think he could get the scoop on the new hotshot in town, but he was hungry for this promotion. So, he would do whatever he had to do to get it.

  The back door to the club opened and Joel held his breath. He raised his camera and got ready. Please let it be Raven Scott. Nobody had been able to get a good shot of the newest mega millionaire to the area since he arrived six months ago. The guy remained a mystery to most people around here. He stayed to himself and never did any interviews. Every paper and news station within a hundred-mile radius was scrambling to get the scoop on him.

  Not that having a rich businessman to the area was new, but the details of Raven Scott’s appearance raised suspicion. Previously the small city of Clearnight Haven, in one of the uppermost parts of Washington State, was basically owned by Malcolm Dean. The man owned about eighty percent of the businesses in and around the area. He was a powerful force around here and everyone feared him. Then one day he just disappeared. No one knows what happened to him and only the city officials seemed to care.

  He was a ruthless prick who thought he was better than everyone else and thought he was above the law. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and spread his money around to make things disappear that could cause trouble for him and his associates. People got out of his way when he walked down the street, afraid he would zero in on them and bring trouble to their lives.

  So, when the man just dropped off the face of the planet, the residents of Clearnight breathed a sigh of relief. Life had been better here since the prick left. That was until a month later when all his properties were bought up by Scott enterprises.

  Very few people in Clearnight Haven even knew what Raven Scott looked like. He was never seen out in public during the day and very rarely at night. From what Joel had heard, the man was a recluse that stayed mostly to his mansion over near Slip Point. It was very secluded and surrounded by a brick wall about ten feet high. The only glimpse you could get of the place was passing the huge main gates. Even then you couldn't really see the house. One could also go out onto the Strait of Juan de Fuca and drive past with a boat, but Joel didn’t have a boat. So, he was stuck here trying to follow the guy.

  The door swung open and four men stepped out into the alley. Three of them were huge with bulging muscles. They all wore black suits, shiny black shoes, and black sunglasses. It reminded Joel of ‘The Men in Black’. They must be bodyguards. But why would they be wearing sunglasses at two in the morning? That wasn’t all that caught his attention. The big dudes looked around as if trying to make sure the coast was clear. They surrounded the fourth man and waited. What were they waiting for? As soon as the thought entered his mind, a long black limousine came toward the group from the far end of the alley.

  “Come on you big blockheads, move so I can get a shot,” Joel whispered under his breath as he aimed the camera at the group. Through the viewfinder of the camera it looked like the man in the middle turned his head in Joel’s direction as if he had heard Joel’s whispered words. But he didn’t turn his head completely, so no clear shot yet. The car pulled to a stop in front of them and one of the guards opened the back door and stepped aside, allowing the guy in the middle to step forward and enter the car. Just before the man entered, his head snapped in Joel’s direction and his eyes stared right at Joel through the camera lens.

  Joel was frozen when those eyes looked at him. His breath caught in his throat and his heart began to beat faster. He was the most stunningly beautiful man that Joel had ever seen. His shoulder length straight black hair was so dark it looked like he had blue highlights running through it. A strong, square jaw with just a slight stubble of dark hair, that surrounded full, pink, kissable lips. A sleek nose that went up to two amazingly beautiful deep cobalt blue eyes, and the longest, thickest, black lashes he had ever seen on a man.

  Joel’s eyes scanned down what he could see of the man's body and what he saw was wide shoulders and maybe a strong chest. He really couldn’t tell under the black dress shirt the man wore under his black suit. Movement through the camera drew his attention back to the man's face and the hottie was still looking at him. But now he wore a smirk on those delicious looking lips and his eyes shone with amusement. Joel’s cock went granite hard in zero point one seconds.

  When the man started to bend to get in the car, Joel quickly snapped off a picture. All heads then turned in his direction. He closed his eyes and cursed his stupidity. He forgot to shut off the damn flash. When he opened his eyes, he saw two of the large men turn and take a step in his direction. He swallowed hard as sweat broke out on his brow. Run, you stupid ass. But Mr. Hot-as-hell’s lips moved and the two guards stopped and turned back. The hottie flashed Joel one more sexy grin and then disappeared into the back of the limousine. The three brutes followed and the door closed. The car headed in his direction and Joel quickly jumped around the corner of the building and pressed his back to the bricks, hoping they wouldn’t see him.

  The car came out of the alley and stopped at the corner, but it didn’t move on. Joel stared at the rear blackout window and he could swear he felt the man’s eyes on him, boring into his soul. A heat started within his chest and his foot moved, taking a step forward. Joel felt like he was being pulled toward the car by an invisible force. Just as his foot was about to hit the pavement he pulled it back and shook the dizzying sensation from his head. Air rushed back into his lungs and he gulped the salty air. The car rolled forward and turned left. Joel stood motionless as he watched the taillights disappear.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  Running into his apartment, Joel engaged the six locks he had on his door. Not that crime was out of hand in this small, podunk city, but it made Joel feel better. He had been living on his own for the past six years, since he was seventeen, and his dad had died of cancer. Before that, he and his dad lived near Tacoma in a nice quiet residential neighborhood. His mom had died in an industrial accident at the manufacturing plant she worked at on the day she went back to work after her three-month family leave after giving birth to him. If she had only gone back a day later, or if the explosion happened a day sooner, she would be alive.

  So, it was just him and his dad. He was lucky though, he had had the greatest dad in the world. He always told Joel stories of how amazing and loving his mom was. Dad never let him forget her even though he couldn’t remember her from his own memories. He and his dad did everything together. After his dad got off work from his job as an electrical engineer for Boeing they would make dinner together, work on his homework, watch a movie, or play a game, and then dad would tuck him in with a story. Well, until he got too old for the story. But right now, he would give anything to have his dad here for just one more day, reading him a story.

  Dad had been his best friend. On the weekends, they would go camping, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, and occasionally, his dad would rent a boat for the weekend and they would go out onto Commencement Bay, head over to Fox Island or Vashon Island to visit the Aquatic Reserve. He loved those trips.

  Then when he turned fourteen he realized he was g
ay. He tried to fight it and ignore the urges he was having, but they just wouldn’t go away. When he got a look at Tommy Martin in full frontal nudity in the locker room one day, he knew what he was. He was so afraid to come out and tell his dad. Not because he thought the man would stop loving him, but because he had heard so many horror stories about people coming out of the closet to their parents. These kids also thought they had a great relationship with their parents, maybe even looked at them as their best friends, too. But when they said they were gay, it all changed, and he couldn’t bear to lose his dad like that. He never understood how parents could love their child so much, so unconditionally, until one small sentence came from their lips, and then their world got blown to bits. How could you love someone so much one second and literally the next second, not?

  He kept it from his dad for months after he had figured it out, until one day he came home from school and found his dad already home. His dad sat at the table in the kitchen with a beer in front of him and his eyes looked blank, like he was a million miles away, and he could see moisture pooled in them. Joel cautiously went and sat down across from his dad as his stomach began to twist. Dread weaved its way into his soul and he felt like his whole world was about to be thrown off its axis. One, because his dad never drank unless he was relaxing on vacation or at a party. Two, because his dad was never home during a work day unless Joel was sick. And three, he had never seen his dad cry before.

  He had been right his life was thrown into a tornado that day and sometimes he still felt like he was inside it. Dad had found out that he had brain cancer. He went through the surgery for the biopsy, he started chemo and radiation, and he just got worse. Joel did everything he could do to help his dad through it and to fight it, but nothing they did mattered, the cancer still won. Joel took over all the chores and errands, he drove his dad to all his appointments. Joel fed him, bathed him, and even helped him in the bathroom. But he didn’t mind. He would do anything for his dad.

  One day, a week before his dad died, he pulled Joel close and gave him a hug. He told him how proud he was of Joel and the man that he had become. He said that he was sorry for Joel having to go through this at such a young age. And then he said that he knew. Joel was confused at first, but then his dad explained that he had known since Joel was about thirteen, that Joel was gay and it didn’t change the way he felt about him. He loved him no matter what, and even after he died he would still love Joel and be proud of him.

  They talked for hours that day about everything. Joel felt like such a bad son for not giving his dad more credit and just telling him years ago that he was gay. But dad said he understood why Joel didn’t and he was just waiting for him to say the words. He lost his dad a week later.

  His dad left everything to him, the house, the car, his life insurance, and the settlement that they received from the lawsuit against his mom’s company. Dad never touched a dime of it. He left it in a trust fund in Joel’s name until he was eighteen. After that, the money was all his. But he didn’t want it, he didn’t know what to do with it. So, he just kept it in the bank until he figured it out. He and his dad had discussed what to do with everything else. He stayed in the house until he graduated high school and a month later turned eighteen. Then he sold the house and moved to Los Angeles to go to college. He used the money from the house and his dad’s life insurance to move and pay for his tuition. Then he gave all the money from his trust fund to the college to set up a scholarship in his mom’s name.

  By the time he graduated he just wanted to get away from the busy city and go somewhere quiet. He was offered a job as a research clerk with room for promotion at a newspaper in Clearnight Haven, Washington. He jumped at the chance not only to be a journalist, but to go back home to Washington. He loved it there and he loved the smaller towns and fresh air. He used the small amount of money left from his dad’s insurance to move, buy a car, and get an apartment.

  So here he was, sitting in his small studio apartment, just making ends meet, and fighting to get that promotion. At times when he had hardly any food in the house and he wondered how he was going to pay his rent, he thought about all the money he gave away, but he never once regretted it. He knew he did the right thing, and he knew his dad would have been proud. That was all that counted.

  He waited for his laptop to come on and then inserted the USB card. Tapping away at the keys he opened the file and his breath caught. Raven Scott’s face appeared on his screen and the man was even more beautiful than he had originally thought. Joel stared at those cobalt eyes and just wanted to swim in them. What would it feel like to have a man like Raven Scott look at you passionately with those eyes? What would those lips feel like pressed against his? He didn’t even know if the man was gay. Hell, no one knew anything about the man, but he was going to do whatever it took to find out.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  The door to the outer room flung open and the sound of four sets of feet rushed in. Raven smiled as he dried his hands on the towel and exited the bathroom. He was met with four sets of excited, hopeful eyes.

  “So, was it really him?” Ciro asked in excitement.

  “Did you talk to him?” Jareth asked.

  “Where is he?” The question came from Ash. Raven smiled and looked over at the fourth man, waiting for his question, but none came. As always, Lorcan was quiet, but listened to everything.

  “No, I didn’t talk to him. He’s at his home. I have Vapor watching him, and...yes, it was really him,” Raven answered all their questions and smiled. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed as he started unbuttoning his shirt. Ciro came to him and climbed on his lap, straddling Raven. Ciro gently removed Raven’s hands from his shirt and began undressing the man. Raven placed his hands on Ciro’s hips and inhaled his scent deeply through his nose. His eyes closed and a small moan came from his throat. “You smell so good, amato.”

  Ciro gave him a smirk. “I love when you speak in Italian. Are you looking to get lucky, love? Because you know that heats my blood.” Ciro leaned forward and licked a line up the side of Raven’s neck to his ear, then drew the lobe into his mouth and nipped it. Causing Raven to growl and his fingers to tighten on Ciro’s hips.

  “Do you not want my cock inside you, amato?” Raven purred the endearment.

  “You know I do,” Ciro answered in a husky voice.

  Raven grabbed the back of Ciro’s head with one hand and mashed their lips together fiercely. Ciro opened his lips, inviting Raven’s tongue to duel with his own. Ciro’s hands slid inside Raven’s shirt onto his bare skin and dug his nails into the muscled chest. The motion caused another sexy growl to come from Raven and Ciro swallowed the sound.

  “Now that those two have started we’re never going to get any answers about our compagno,” Ash said in amusement.

  Ciro pulled away from the kiss with Raven and looked at Ash, giving him a sad puppy pout, with his bottom lip sticking out and sad eyes. “You could always join us.”

  Ash smirked as he took a step closer. “Don’t think those eyes are going to work on me this time, little love. Although I would love to join you and Raven, I want to hear about our heart.”

  “Me, too,” Lorcan chimed in. He stood across the room with his thick arms crossed over his chest. Raven looked to him and saw the tense way his jaw was set. Although Lorcan was showing no outward emotion, Raven knew he was just as excited as the rest of them to have found the one who would complete their circle. Their last mate would bring them closer and bind them together forever. Even death would not separate them once they completed their circle. And the human, Joel, was the one.