Title: Spiritori
Author: Mychael Black
Cover Art: Bryan Keller
Genres: Action Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Mystery /Suspense /Intrigue, New Releases, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Themes: Dark Romance, LGBTQ+ Gay, LGBTQ+ Sex & Gender Shifters, MPreg, Vampires
Series: Splintered Bloodlines (#4)
Book Length: Novella
Page Count: 71
Description
A death mage turns out to be the perfect mate for a human omega.
Lucas Krauss is getting used to being out of a nightmare and acclimating to life with Saridan Tower. His mate is a death mage, one of the deadliest kinds of vamps, and now they are sorting out their lives as a family.
Raphael Santos isn’t fazed by the looks and whispers he gets from passers-by. His status is unmistakable due to his pale skin and the aura that surrounds him. He never thought he’d find his mate, yet a sweet human omega is more than happy to touch him, unafraid of Raphael’s true nature.
But not all is well. House Lorthaen makes it clear that they are not going to leave House Saridan alone, and Raphael vows to protect his family, no matter what.
WARNING: Mpreg, Alpha/omega, Fated Mates, Hurt/Comfort.
Spiritori (Splintered Bloodlines 4)
Mychael Black
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2026 Mychael Black
To say I was proud would’ve been an understatement. Not only was my infatuation mutual, but Lucas was also venturing out of the apartment for the first time since we’d brought him here about two weeks ago. I’d known what he was to me the moment I’d seen him at the hospital. My magic gave me the ability to detect things like that without the need for blood. Despite what folks thought, not all of my magic was relegated to death. It was why I’d moved him from his own small room to my apartment. I could take care of him and the baby without worrying so much.
The idea that I was finally going to be able to have a child thrilled me to no end. It didn’t matter to me who the biological father was, and I’d hoped Lucas would want to keep the baby. We sat at a table in the dining room, and one of the servers walked over to us, his smile genuine. Out of all the guys in here, he was my favorite. He never acted like I was some kind of pariah. I didn’t ask to be a Spiritori, but I also didn’t regret it.
“Hey, stranger,” Dale said to me as he handed us our menus. “How have you been? And… who’s the cutie?”
Lucas blushed and chuckled softly, lowering his gaze. I smiled at him, then up at Dale.
“Doing quite well. Dale, this is my mate, Lucas. Lucas, this is Dale, one of the best servers here.”
They shook hands, and Dale shot me a wink. “It’s great to meet you, Lucas. What can I get you both to drink?”
“Usual for me,” I replied, referring to lemon water with a sprig of mint. “Lucas?”
“Um… do you have unsweet tea?”
“We sure do,” Dale said. “I’ll have those out in a moment.”
He left, and I reached over the table to touch Lucas’ hand. He turned it palm up and linked our fingers together. It felt amazing.
“How are you feeling?”
“Sore, like I said, but getting better. I don’t know what sort of docs your boss has employed here, but they’re damn good.”
I nodded. “That they are. I’ve had a few bumps and scrapes from work over the years.”
Lucas tilted his head slightly, his gaze questioning. “Have people always treated you like you’re contagious?”
I laughed. “For the most part, yes. You sure it doesn’t bother you?”
“Doesn’t faze me at all,” Lucas said with a slight shrug. “It’s who you are. Besides, death mage stuff aside, I’ve seen the real you in private.”
This time, I swear I felt myself blush, if that was possible. I’m sure my pale face was certainly a bit pinker. “Believe it or not, I much prefer diplomacy when presented with the option. Unlike my coworkers, namely the Venari, I’m not a violent person. Not inherently a pacifist, mind you, but I try my best to avoid fights.”
“Do you enjoy being a Spiritori?”
Dale returned with our drinks, and we ordered our food. I waited until he left again before replying to the question many folks have asked me over the majority of my life. I took a sip of my lemon water and sighed.
“As a child, I often wished I’d been born something else, to be completely honest.” I gestured to myself. “No matter where I went, people knew what I was. Same thing happened to my alpha father. It’s useful in many circumstances, but the stigma is incredibly prevalent. It’s why my folks divorced. My omega dad got tired of the looks, whispers, what have you, whenever they went somewhere.”
“Damn,” Lucas muttered. He reached across the table and gripped my fingers gently. “I’m sorry.”
I smiled. “Thanks. But enough about me. I want to hear all about you. The past couple of weeks have been a bit nuts, between you healing and Deacon’s ongoing issues with Lorthaen. We haven’t had a lot of time together.”
“Not much to tell, really,” Lucas said. “I had an older brother, but he died in a car accident when I was twelve. My dads are still alive, though my omega father isn’t doing too well. We think it’s dementia.”
“Wow. That has to be hard on them both.”
Lucas nodded. “My alpha dad is his primary caregiver now, utterly devoted. I moved out about four years ago, but I still visit.”
“Dare I ask how you ended up working for Boone?”
He grimaced and visibly shuddered. “A ‘friend,’” he replied, using air quotes with his free hand. “Needless to say, dude is no longer anyone I speak to. Hell, Boone had me blindfolded anytime he whored me out, so my ex-friend could’ve been one of the assholes to use me.”
I wanted to erase the pain from that entire situation, but I couldn’t. Before I could answer, Dale came by with our food. We tucked into it, and I couldn’t help but grin when Lucas moaned in appreciation.
“Told you,” I said. “Deacon spares no expense.”
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Mychael Black has been writing professionally since 2005. He writes gay romance and erotica, but also het romance as Carys Seraphine and queer fantasy as Katherine Cook.
He’s an avid PC gamer with a love for RPGs, a horror fanatic, and a fantasy nut. He also has a weakness for anything relating to skulls, dogs, and Spongebob Squarepants.
Mychael lives on the Eastern Shore of the US with his family. He loves to hear from readers, be it via email or Facebook.
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