Pride and Joey
By Devon Rhodes
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About this ebook
Vance thought his pride meant everything to him...until fate sent Joey into his lair and into his heart.
Vance has grown up the odd one out in a macho and very insular pride of lion shifters. Differences like enjoying the cool fall weather are bad enough—his pridemates would kill him if they learned he was gay. Still, his pride is all he knows. He's never even met a shifter of another type...until he discovers an unconscious cougar male in his lair.
Joey is on the run and wants to keep Vance at arm's length, especially since someone very close to the lion is at the root of all his troubles. But there is something irresistible about Vance, something that has Joey wanting more than he has ever dared to dream.
When their lives are threatened, Joey must choose whether to sacrifice himself, or try to live and keep Vance close...for the very short remainder of his life.
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Pride and Joey - Devon Rhodes
Page
Pride and Joey
ISBN # 978-1-78651-494-3
©Copyright Devon Rhodes 2016
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright August 2016
Edited by Jess Bimberg and Rebecca Scott
Pride Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2016 by Pride Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Pride Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
PRIDE AND JOEY
Devon Rhodes
Vance thought his pride meant everything to him…until fate sent Joey into his lair and into his heart.
Vance has grown up the odd one out in a macho and very insular pride of lion shifters. Differences like enjoying the cool fall weather are bad enough—his pridemates would kill him if they learned he was gay. Still, his pride is all he knows. He’s never even met a shifter of another type…until he discovers an unconscious cougar male in his lair.
Joey is on the run and wants to keep Vance at arm’s length, especially since someone very close to the lion is at the root of all his troubles. But there is something irresistible about Vance, something that has Joey wanting more than he has ever dared to dream.
When their lives are threatened, Joey must choose whether to sacrifice himself, or try to live and keep Vance close…for the very short remainder of his life.
Dedication
For all my readers who enjoy their stories with a side of wild—Rowr.
Trademarks Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:
Photoshop: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Chapter One
Joey slid into his favorite clubbing pants, wincing at how loose they hung once he fastened them around his hips. He remembered having to go through a lot of effort to wiggle into them in the spring. He would have to pay attention to how low his pants slipped now that they weren’t skin tight. Angling to the side, he checked out his ass in the mirror, relieved that he still had a booty, just not as nice as before.
Good thing, since he was going out to shake what his mama gave him for the first time in forever.
He put on his low boots and snorted at the thought of his mom in conjunction with dancing. They weren’t close—few cougars were. She was different from most females, though, in that she was very career-minded and had only one offspring. Typically cougar shifters had many half-siblings, which helped to alleviate the fact that their parents usually had territorial issues with staying close to their children. Indeed, Joey had no idea who had fathered him and if his mom knew, she hadn’t ever said. It probably wouldn’t have occurred to her that he would even want to know.
After gathering his wallet and phone, he let himself out of his simple apartment and locked up behind him. From experience, he paused at the top of the stairs to make sure he had his balance before starting down. He’d developed vertigo of late. So he had a firm grip on the handrail, even though he really felt good today, which was why he’d decided to go out this evening.
That grip was what gave him a fighting chance when a large man vaulted up and over the edge of the stairway from the darkness below. Reacting on instinct, which was screaming that the man meant him harm, Joey followed suit in reverse. He swung himself up and over, dropping to the sidewalk below, gravity ripping him free of the other shifter’s grip.
Hello there.
Out of the frying pan…
Thanks for coming out of your den and making this easy.
The other, even larger shifter—lion, maybe?—had been waiting for him below, and this time Joey didn’t have anywhere to retreat. He braced himself to fight, but a third, unseen assailant slapped a noxious cloth over his mouth and nose and held it there.
Joey stared at the huge blond lion in front of him, burning the smirk into his memory as the first guy rejoined his friends. He felt the prick of a needle in his arm and the lights began to go out.
* * * *
He really felt like crap today. Joey let out a groan as he began to turn over. Good thing he hadn’t gone out dancing like he’d—
He reached the limits of something bound around his wrist and ankle, which halted his progress, and he abruptly recalled his circumstances. He had left his apartment and had been—what? Abducted? Really?
Not raped, thankfully. His pants were still on, though they’d stripped off his shirt and boots. Not beaten either, though he was super sore. He really had to pee and now that he was awake and