Suffer The Knight: Dragon's Blood M.C.

by B. A. Stretke

  "I hear you, Jude and I agree, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept and get along with people who would gladly end us if they had the power and the opportunity to do so," Grey stated emphatically and then went back to staring out at the trees.

  “True, very true.” Jude agreed.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The shower helped, but the knawing desire to search out his mate did not go away. The heat had subsided, and he was now preparing dinner when there came a knock to his door. At first, he stiffened fearful that Jude had returned and also excited by the prospect, but the scent was not dragon at his door; it was Alpha wolf.

  Eli Jackman, leader of all packs and every wolf west of the Mississippi River and Kai's Alpha, stood at his door. He was an impressive leader tall, broad, and handsome - like all Alphas, but Eli had an added attraction of being a good and decent man. He'd made life easier for Kai and his father by taking them under his wing and not requiring them to join a pack.

  They'd left the pack in Laramie shortly after Kai's mother had taken off. The membership there had been cruel to his father, and their treatment of Kai and his father had not changed over the years. Even after the dragons had cleared out the worst of the lot, the others held onto their prejudice and their hatred. Kai was careful when in town and avoided contact when possible.

  He wasn’t a small wolf and could handle himself against one or two, but they never attacked unless they were a group of at least four or more. Kai had experienced more than one beat down by them as had his father.

  Alpha Jackman understood what was happening in the area and was dealing with it, but change took time. Unlike dragons who simply incinerate anything that gets in their way, wolves had to follow the rules. As he stood there looking at the man he had idolized for so long, he suddenly had the vision of Jude before him and realized Alpha Jackman was not even half as gorgeous as Kai's mate, Jude Adair.

  “May I come in Kai?” He asked and forced Kai from his thoughts.

  "Yes, of course, I'm sorry." He stood back and waved him inside. Kai had assumed the Alpha being a high standing dignitary would stay in town at a posh hotel so Kai was surprised when he asked where to take his bag.

  "Guest room is straight through the living room to the right," Kai instructed. "I'm starting dinner, and it should be ready in a few minutes."

  "I'll wash up, get settled, and be right back." Alpha Jackman smiled and walked off in the direction Kai had indicated. Kai watched him walk away and disappear into the guest room before turning and heading back to the kitchen. He was suddenly filled with great pride at the fact that the Alpha Premier was staying with him. On his way back to the kitchen, he did a quick tidying of the area. He always kept a clean house, but clutter seemed to gather no matter how hard you fought against it.

  Dinner was ready, and he was pouring the coffee when Alpha Jackman came into the kitchen freshened up from the journey. Kai always thought that a plain tight t-shirt and jeans could not look any better than how they looked on Alpha Jackman until he met Jude. Damn, that dragon would not leave his mind for a second. The kiss had made the longing so much more intense.

  "Looks good Kai, thank you," Eli said as he took his seat and waited for Kai to sit.

  “You’re welcome, sir.” Kai nodded and sat down across from him.

  The conversation remained light and minimal until the meal was over, and they were having a couple of beers on the back porch. Kai usually enjoyed the night air but found as he sat down that he could still scent the light aroma of his mate on the soft winds coming down from the top of the mountain. His wolf leaned into it and savored the aroma. He was quieter now that the Alpha was present.

  "So, I want you to tell me what's really going on here." The Alpha opened with a pointed stare. Kai began an explanation that was not satisfying, and the Alpha stopped him before he could finish.

  "I know all of that, Kai. What I don't know is why you're denying your mate." The pointed stare did not waver, and Kai could feel it piercing through him. He'd only been in the Alpha's presence a handful of times and was not fully aware of the power that the man could wield with just a look.

  "How did you know?" Kai asked, thoroughly taken aback.

  "I am your Alpha, the moment you recognized your mate, I felt it just as you did. It is the way with wolves and their Alphas, didn't your father tell you," He answered and then circled back to his original question. "Now, tell me your reasons for denying him."

  "He's a dragon," Kai stated as if no other reason was necessary.

  “He’s your mate.” The Alpha countered.

  "My father told me about mates. He said they cannot be trusted and that the romance surrounding it all is just a myth. I can't be tied to a dragon. I will lose myself and become nothing but his slave or, at best, his pet." Kai drank half of his can of beer before continuing. Keeping anything from his Alpha was proving impossible as the words and beliefs and feelings poured from his lips.

  "This medallion that your father gave you were you wearing it when Jude met you for the first time?" Kai nodded embarrassment, coloring the gesture. "Your dragon is not aware that he has met his mate." Again, Kai nodded. "Do you think that's fair?"

  "I'm not strong enough to resist Jude Adair, and I will not live a life like my father. He was reduced to a shell by my mother." He spat out. "As his mate, she should have loved and supported him, and instead, she ran off with the first man she considered to be a better deal than my father. I will not allow anyone to destroy me the way she destroyed him." Alpha Jackman watched him and studied the words he said and every nuance of his demeanor. Kai felt as if he were being dissected.

  After a short pause, the Alpha spoke, and his words shook Kai to his core. "I'm sorry, Kai. I never realized that you didn't know the truth." He sat back in his chair and looked out towards the top of the mountain. "Kathleen was not your father's mate. They bonded, but it was a civil bond, not a mate bond. You were born, and they intended to stay together, as some wolves do. Some never find their mates and settle for someone to share their lives with who are not their Fated mate." He turned his gaze back on Kai, who was struggling to take in this new information.

  "He told me she was his mate, his Fated mate and that she cheated on him and ran off, leaving him to raise me on his own. He said mates were a myth and to avoid the lie because the connection will bring me nothing but pain and suffering." Kai repeated the words his father had told him almost daily.

  "Mates are sacred and honored by our people. Your father did you a severe disservice by telling you these lies. Your mother left because she met her true mate. She let your father keep custody of you, and I can see that was probably a mistake but water under the bridge now. She couldn't stay once she found her mate, it would have been impossible, and your father knew that."

  "I never saw her again. She left with her new man, and I was nothing to her." Kai's rage began to show itself, and the truth of his feelings were being exposed with it. Alpha Jackman reached over and covered Kai's hand with his own.

  "She hurt you, Kai, selfishly hurt you and for that, there is no excuse. She was young and overwhelmed by the events of her life, but she should have taken proper care of you and that is her disgrace, not yours. Again, I am sorry for not being there for you when you obviously needed the direction of your Alpha." He squeezed Kai's hand, sensing that he was retreating inside himself.

  "Now is not the time to hide." He chastised gently. "Fate has presented you with an opportunity to live, love, and grow to your full potential, don't lose it. You have a mate, and he has the right to know the truth. Don't hide, he won’t hurt you. It is impossible for one mate to hurt another. He is a dragon and a fierce warrior, I'm told, but with you, he will be your lover, protector, and adore you above all others."

  Kai was thrown and confused beyond comprehension. Did his father lie to him to protect or to punish him? Was the Alpha correct, or was he reading it wrong? His mind began to spin as Alpha Jackman reached over and once again took his ha
nd, and the calm he felt was immediate. "I can't be his pet. Jude Adair is Second Knight to the Dragon King. He is powerful, more powerful than I could ever be. He will crush me."

  "He will cherish and adore you because you are Fated to be his. It is the way of the paranormal." Alpha Jackman said and then added. "Sleep on it, Kai, let your wolf tell you what the truth is. Don't block him; let him thrive and he will show you the way."

  "I will, sir," Kai told him, but in his heart, he wanted to push it all away and forget everything that he was just told. His life had been lived with one firm belief, and that was to trust no one and especially anyone you perceive as being your mate. His father was a good man, damaged but good, and he wouldn't have told him blatant lies.

  “Your father lied to you, Kai, accept that and everything else will start to make sense.” The Alpha knew his every thought. Kai nodded but did not respond. He had so damned much to think about.

  "I'm scheduled to meet with the Dragon King tomorrow morning. Since the original incident that brought me here has been resolved to your satisfaction, I intend to attempt to discuss improving the relationship between the wolves in this area and the new dragon circle." Alpha Jackman stretched and then stood up and looked down at Kai, who was so lost in his own head at the moment.

  "Having one of my wolves mated to a dragon knight would go far with interspecies relations. I'm just throwing that out there for your consideration." He smiled. "Keep in mind that Fate makes her own designs and destinies, and if she wants you with Jude, it is because both of your lives will be improved by the union. I'll leave it there and say goodnight." He turned towards the door but paused when Kai spoke.

  "I'll think about it, sir, I will," Kai said with an earnestness that he truly felt. He wanted that damned dragon more than he wanted his next breath, but he had to think and he had to be smart about it.

  “Don’t think about it too long for Fate is not a patient woman. Goodnight, Kai.” He repeated and walked inside.

  “Goodnight, sir.”

  …

  Jude sat at the bar of the Red Lion, wondering why he couldn't seem to get inspired by any of the gorgeous young men who had approached him. They were seeking a hookup, and he was after the same, yet no one was right.

  He'd come to the bar tonight with Grey, who had already disappeared into the back with a blond and a redhead, one under each arm. Jude's expressed intent in being here was to sink his cock into a nice piece of ass and settle the burn that was engulfing him. But so far, all he managed to do was drink several beers and eat some pretzels. His dragon was unsettled, unhappy, and dissatisfied. His dragon wanted the wolf, and the wolf wanted nothing to do with him.

  "You swearing off men or something?" Bryn of Clan Keith, the dragons who settled this area and resided at the Lodge in town, came up to sit beside him. "That last one I sent over here was drop-dead beautiful, and you just sent him on his way with barely a glance."

  "You trying to set me up, Bryn?" Jude grinned and downed another beer.

  "I was trying, but you seem impossible to please. Those guys over there at the table in the corner have been eyeing you since you walked in, and three have already come over and been shot down. So, what's the issue, not pretty enough for you?" Bryn joked.

  "You know when I first walked in, I thought if I just found someone for a quick fuck, my dragon would settle down, but he doesn't seem to like anyone here, and neither do I." Jude shrugged his shoulders. "Just an off night, I guess."

  "I hate to break it to you friend, but there are many fine-looking men here. None as fine as my gorgeous mate Cameron but still fine-looking men all the same." He carefully qualified his statement. Jude smiled at the way Bryn glanced across the room to where his mate was seated with several of the other Clan mates. The pride and adoration shone brightly in Bryn's eyes, and it made Jude long for the day he too would hold his mate close.

  It seemed many of his brothers were finding their bonds, but that didn't mean it would happen for him any day soon. The seer had prophesized that they would all find their bonds in this land, but there was no timetable. He may have to wait lifetimes before his love came to him.

  In the meantime, he would find a willing body and appease his needs. He wasn’t about to become a celibate simply because some fucking wolf considered dragons beneath him. If Kai didn’t want him, he would find someone who did. “You’re right Bryn, I need to loosen up and see what the night brings me.”

  He turned in his seat and looked back over his shoulder at the handsome young men seated at the table in the back of the room. A smile and a wink had two of them jumping to their feet and hurrying towards him. They acted as if it were a race, and their blatant interest soothed Jude's wounded ego.

  …

  Kai tossed and turned unable once again to find meaningful sleep the intrusive thoughts of his mate and the information from his Alpha were making it impossible for him or his wolf to settle down for the night. He walked out onto his front porch and looked down upon the city. His location gave him a clear view of downtown Laramie at night. The lights and the activity at times called to him, but he rarely answered.

  Tonight, there was something else on the air, and it was urging him to go. It was an intensity of emotion that began in his gut and then invaded his mind. The fixation grew, and he was powerless to resist as his wolf howled in the back of his mind. He had to go to town, and he knew instinctively exactly where he needed to go.

  He ran for his Jeep, and without a thought of the Alpha asleep in his spare room, he headed for town and for the Red Lion bar.

  …

  Jude stood and raised his arms to accommodate the two lovely men who cuddled up on either side of him. He held them close and scented their combined arousal as it filled the air. They were eager and ready, and Jude tried to force himself to be interested.

  His dragon was not attracted to them in the least, and as Jude pushed forward with the interaction, his dragon became irritated at first but then fell to the back of his mind leaving the situation to Jude for he wanted no part in it.

  His dragon, the infuriating fickle beast, wanted the wolf and no one else. His dragon must have taken the wolf's refusal as a challenge and now demanded to prove himself. But there was nothing Jude could do about it short of forcing himself on the guy, and he'd never do that.

  "Let's dance," Jude said with a welcoming smile as he pushed thoughts of Kai to the back of his mind. He held both men close as they took to the dance floor. He didn't have to do much as the two men ground and swayed to the music, nearly fucking him right there in the middle of the room.

  One of them was a little taller than the other, and he was able to press his hardening cock against Jude's thigh as his smaller friend used his hands to investigate Jude's body. The men were skilled in lovemaking, and any other time Jude would make use of their skills for the night and perhaps longer.

  But the world today was different, and Jude had no answer as to why he failed to appreciate what was being offered right there in front of him. He went through the motions trying to feel something, but in the end, it was useless. He was about to call a halt to their sexual dance when a familiar face entered the bar.

  Kai's gaze searched the room and landed on Jude with a raging fire that burned into him and awakened his bored and angry dragon. Jude stared back, forcing himself to remain still. God, he wanted that man so bad he shook, but he refused to be rejected once again. He turned away with great effort and focus on the two men currently mapping the topography of his lower regions with their firm yet delicate hands.

  "Jordy and I aren't averse to sharing." The tall one whispered seductively. "There's a motel just up the street. We can get a room for the night, and we'll show you a real good time. You're so big and rough looking. Your hair, your tattoos, I want to eat you up." He moaned against Jude's shoulder.

  Jude tried to listen, but his dragon was roaring in his mind to get away from the humans and go to the wolf. His dragon didn't understand that the wolf
wanted nothing to do with them, so he pushed the impulse down and gathered the two men close.

  "You two think you can handle me?" He teased as he kissed the side of the tall one's head. The act felt wrong and he had to fight the urge to recoil. What the hell was happening to him? Two beautiful willing bodies in his arms, and he stood there flaccid and cold. He had to stop; this wasn't right.

  "We want you." The little one spoke up as his little hand tried to slip inside Jude's jeans. Jude grabbed his wrist, stopping his descent but then the tall one cupped Jude's ass and started rubbing up against his thigh again. They were all hands and getting himself out of their grip was proving to be more difficult than imagined.

  Jude saw the pain in Kai's eyes as he suddenly looked away and headed back towards the door, and he had to get to him. The fire he understood the pain seemed out of place for someone who just hours ago basically told him to go fuck himself. He began to peel himself away from the two young men, but they were not willingly letting go.

  "Don't go." They pleaded and attempted to pursue, but Jude pulled away and without a word, hurried towards the door intent on catching Kai before he left. He was at the door and about to leave when Jude took him by the upper arm and stopped him.

  Kai was enraged when he walked in and witnessed those two men fondling his mate and his mate welcoming their interest. His wolf instantly wanted to attack and destroy the men garnering Jude's attention. He wanted to shed blood for the slight that was given, but Jude was not aware that he was Kai's mate, so the slight only existed in Kai's heart.

  The pain was real, though and the sense of abandonment and betrayal filled his mind and wounded his beast. This was the reason his wolf demanded they go to town. His wolf knew what was happening because even though Kai and Jude weren't communicating, the wolf and the dragon were.

  Never had he felt so low and so angry and yet lacked any right or privilege to object because he was too much of a coward and too afraid of being hurt to claim his mate. His only recourse was to leave before he or his wolf did something drastic and irreversible.