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wondering what his Magistrate would do.

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Chapter Three
A few days later

    Ross’s mind whirled. The night in Ireland had done a lot to put things into perspective. He’d always sensed the pain hidden inside Clay, a pain he himself stirred, but didn’t realize the root cause until now. Beyond the obvious chemistry between Klaus and Clay, the man represented an enigma. Oddly, Ross believed his explanation, but at the same time, he remained concerned.
    He couldn’t understand Klaus’s insistence to return to the Magistrate’s side, and it frustrated him. How could Klaus just leave them to their own devices and run back like a loyal puppy to Wolfram’s side?
    Ross had never met Wolfram, but so far, he didn’t have a very good impression of the man. He sounded selfish and self-centered.
    Ross might not have an excellent history with the spirit wolves, but at least he hadn’t stolen a man away from his mate.
    Still, he supposed he should be thankful they’d avoided capture so far. They’d left Ireland posthaste and found refuge in a small village in France. No one paid any heed to them, since tourists were apparently quite common.
    Now, the day of their established contact with Klaus had come.
    Ross threw a look toward Clay. “Well? Aren’t we going to call?”
    Clay didn’t answer. He just stared outside the window with an absent expression. Ross crossed the room and reached out for the young spirit wolf. “Clay, come on.” Ross wrapped an arm around Clay’s shoulders. “Talk to me. What’s the matter?”

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    Scarlet Hyacinth
    He could feel the anxiety coursing through his mate, but didn’t have the courage to fully reach out. “It’s just that… No matter what we do, the Magistrate is always going to be more important to Klaus.
    Even if one day, everything turns out the way we want it to, I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive him.”
    Ross could understand Clay’s pain, but chose to play devil’s advocate. “Why not? You forgave me.”
    Clay sighed. “It’s not the same. I don’t blame you for what happened at the compound. That was all Joseph. But Klaus… He does what he wants to. No one forced his hand to leave me and humiliate me like he did.”
    Ross didn’t manage to find anything to say to that. He just turned Clay and pressed his lips to the other man’s. Their bodies fit perfectly against each other, with Clay’s just a little more muscular than his.
    Beautiful and delicious, just like Ross remembered it.
    At first, Clay seemed surprised, but then, he took charge of the kiss. Ross melted against his mate, allowing Clay to devour him. He didn’t know much about kissing. Clay was the only person he’d ever kissed, other than a few chaste pecks during his time with his adoptive families. But for once, Ross didn’t feel bad about his inexperience. He knew anything would fall short in front of Clay’s passion.
    Clay’s tongue invaded Ross’s mouth, massaging, tasting, taking no prisoners. Ross pushed closer to his mate, rubbing against the other man. He could feel Clay’s erection against his thigh, and he found himself yearning to touch it, to taste it.
    As their kiss broke, Ross licked across Clay’s jaw and sucked on his mate’s Adam’s apple. He smiled to himself when Clay groaned out his name. Apparently, he’d found a sensitive spot. Taking advantage of his mate’s distraction, Ross pushed Clay against the wall. Before he could change his mind or chicken out, he knelt at the spirit wolf’s feet.
    The new position changed their dynamic tremendously. As he struggled to work his mate’s pants open, Ross experienced a Star-Crossed Mates
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    flashback of panic. Joseph had asked him to do this exact same thing.
    True, Ross refused, but he’d earned himself a horrible beating and near-death for his disobedience.
    Clay’s gentle hands pet his hair. “Hey, it’s okay,” his mate said in a gentle voice. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t