The Link That Binds

by Dawn H. Hawkes

  Thinking about it, he decided that even he, himself, might deserve a little happiness, but the closest he’d gotten lately was by getting banged by a fucking drug dealer on top of a bar, which had been great up until the point where the bastard drugged him right after he’d gotten his rocks off.

  Wow, his life really was peachy…

  Jace groaned as he fell back into his chair, defeated, and glared at the paperwork. Fuck it, he thought after a while as he hauled himself out of the chair; he was going to bed.

  * * * *

  Jace knew if he didn’t get out of bed soon he’d start getting bed sores, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to care. The thoughts of paperwork were long gone and all he cared about was getting in as many catnaps as he could.

  He’d been in bed for almost two days now and he pretty much ignored whoever dared to enter his room, even going so far as to snap at them when they did. He knew it wasn’t fair, but he kept getting grumpier by the minute and had developed a mind numbing headache that just wouldn’t leave him alone. Even Kett had stopped coming by.

  It wasn’t until Solomon came through the door and yanked the sheets off his half-naked ass that he really reacted.

  “Sol, what the FUCK, man?!” Jace hissed as he tried to grab the sheets, but his Sorena pulled them out of his grasp and almost dragged him on the floor with them.

  “I forbid you from continuing this pity-fest of yours,” Sol told him in an annoyed tone, telling him that he’d grown far too tired of Jace’s hiding-under-the-covers phase.

  “I’m not having a pity-fest, Sol,” Jace argued.

  “Oh, really?” His friend and leader snorted. “So not eating and not getting out of bed while snapping at every last one of us that comes into your room is just your normal response then? I hate to break it to you, Jace, but only the ladies get PMS.”

  “Oh, fuck you, Sol,” Jace muttered as he lay back down on the bed, ignoring the absence of the sheet.

  “If this Link is your mate, you shouldn’t ignore it,” Sol stated.

  Jace felt as if his eyes were going to pop out of his skull. “How the…?” he started.

  “Please, you reeked of the man when we first got you back and ever since, you’ve been looking more and more miserable. And if I’m not mistaken, you’ve started to develop a slight fever.” Sol told him as he made eye contact with him.

  Jace tried to deny it, but his body had started to slowly heat up, telling him he was about to go into heat. Still, even if Link was, for some messed up reason, his mate, “Doesn’t matter.” Jace sighed as he turned his back to Sol, really not wanting to have this conversation anymore or ever for that matter.

  “Of course, it does,” Sol insisted as he went around the bed to scowl at him.

  “Look, Sol… you just don’t…” Jace tried, searching for words.

  “Don’t get it?” Solomon cut him off. “What I don’t get is why you’re still sitting on your ass… well, hell, you’re not even doing that, you’re lying flat out. Now get off your ass and do something already.”

  “The guy locked me in a fucking cage!” Jace snapped.

  “So? The man is still your mate, your Keefe, you can’t just ignore that. Fate won’t allow it,” Sol reasoned.

  “I don’t want an evil mate, Sol. He is mean and cruel and works for vampires and I hope his dick grows boils and falls off,” Jace sulked as he buried his face in his pillow. “Besides, if I did go to see him, he’d probably just chuck me back in the cage so he can do his little experiments on me again.”

  “Then you kidnap the moron and lock him in the cage we’ve got stored down in the basement.” Sol said as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

  Looking back at his Sorena as if the tiger had gone deranged, Jace snorted. “I am not going to kidnap my own damn mate and I’m sure as hell not gonna stuff him in a cage.”

  “Why not?” Solomon asked. “Turnabout is fair play, Jace, and frankly, anything is better than seeing you waste your life away moping.”

  “I’m not moping,” Jace muttered with a pout… it wasn’t really denial… he’d simply been contemplating the evil of man and it depressed him somewhat.

  “Yes, you are,” his Sorena said with a stern voice. “And you know as well as me that this isn’t why I brought you with me when I left home.”

  Jace winced, he was well aware of the sacrifices Solomon had to make when he brought him along when he left for the states to start a new life and to form a new pride.

  As a snow leopard, Jace wasn’t exactly considered an equal amongst the mighty tigers of the Dramadium court. Not with his more slender, weaker build.

  Solomon was of the rarest kind of felines there was, as the only male white tiger of the court in over five hundred years. Being a prince of the court, they expected him to rise to the occasion and be their great leader, but Jace, as a snow leopard, was, even with his medical degree and snow-colored fur, barely considered worthy to be used as a doormat. Though they actually did use him as a doormat, literally, on a few occasions.

  Still, when Jace stumbled over Sol’s not so little secret, one that they both shared, they became fast friends. Sol was gay, which was a very non-prince-like quality of his and Jace had on occasions found himself in the white tiger’s bed, though they had never become more than friends during the years… friends in need of a little something-something every once in a while.

  Solomon coming out to his parents had been a horrid ordeal for both Solomon and Jace. To Solomon, because he was a prince and immediately ordered to be married to a fertile female and for Jace, because he apparently was the one to blame for turning the prince into a damn fairy as they called him. Not that anything about the Sorena could be called fairy-like… sure, the man had the humor of a damn pixie, but still…

  The two of them had been through a lot together and as Jace faced the death sentence, Solomon finally decided he’d had enough.

  Making an arrangement with a dear friend of his grandfather, who just happened to be the leader of the council who controlled most of the northern hemisphere’s pride and pack business, they were allowed passage to the States.

  Solomon was still a leader at heart and a prince in his own right. Not even his parents could deny him that, no matter how much they wanted to, so he gladly accepted the Council’s offer for him to become Sorena of his own pride, with members of his own choosing.

  “Still, I won’t kidnap him… even for you that’s a stupid suggestion,” Jace muttered.

  “You’re still going to have to talk to him and soon. You with your fancy medical degree should know all about what happens when you go into heat without the assistance of your mate to take the edge off.”

  Jace twisted uncomfortably as he thought of the few instances where he’d actually had to sedate shifters when their mates were separated from them while they went into heat. The pain the needing caused.

  Jace frowned when Sol went over to his wardrobe and started pulling out clothes, “Sol? What exactly are you doing? Those won’t fit you.”

  Sol threw him a black shirt and a pair of dark jeans. “I’m kicking you out of the house and thought it might be perceived as an act of cruelty if I did so when you’re practically in the nude.”

  Jace’s jaw dropped. “You’re kicking me out? Why?”

  Sol chuckled, “Relax, it’s only for the day. You can come back after you’ve talked to Link.”

  Gritting his teeth, Jace reluctantly pulled on the pair of pants. “And if Mika’s there? Or what if some other vampires finds out I’m paying him friendly little visits after what I’ve been through? Did you even think of that?” he hissed at his Sorena.

  “Jace,” Sol sighed, “you have to do this. He’s your mate and you need him, as much as it must kill you to admit it.”

  “I don’t. Besides,” Jace let his hand travel across Solomon’s wide chest, “if I go into heat, you can always help me out with that,” he hinted. Wasn’t like they hadn’t had sex before, but S
ol took his hand and removed it from his chest.

  “Sorry Jace. In the past… it would have been a different matter, but now, as far as I’m concerned, you’re claimed,” Solomon told him. “Now go find your mate, Jace. Stick to the shadows and bring a gun, then come tell me what you want to do.”

  Chapter 6

  Agitated, Link ended up breaking one of the beer glasses he’d been cleaning and cussed. Mika still hadn’t let up on the whole virus thing, even though Link kept telling him the same thing as he’d said before.

  It couldn’t be done.

  Whether it was true or not, well, that was a different story, but Link didn’t start his business to eliminate entire species. His drugs were meant for non-humans and provided him a nifty little profit his bar couldn’t.

  Of course, having bills to pay was a poor excuse.

  Lately though, customers aside, the quiet of the place had started to get to him. He didn’t exactly consider himself the most social person, but despite the situation they were in, having Jace there hadn’t been all bad.

  The bite on his neck had mostly healed, but had left behind a very visible scar. Link couldn’t help but shiver as he remembered how he’d gotten it. The thing even kept him up at night sometimes, itching and burning whenever he tried to sleep. Making him grow hard.

  Even now, when he picked up the shards of glass, the scar started acting up again, a tingle spreading through the edges of the marks giving off a slight burn. Maybe it had gotten infected or something.

  * * * *

  Jace hated wearing a cap. But Solomon had sent him on his way, and he still didn’t think it was entirely safe to wander about. He’d borrowed a gun too, just in case, and had it strapped to his right calf. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to pull the trigger anytime soon… with his luck he’d probably end up shooting himself.

  He wasn’t entirely unaware of how his fever seemed to get worse the closer he got to Link’s bar, but he tried to ignore it. Thank god he hadn’t worn a jacket though, ‘cause the heat would have killed him.

  He stood outside in the shadows for a while, watching the people coming and going, and sniffing the air for the scent of vampires. Seemed he was in luck. It being a weekday, there weren’t too many people there and Jace could only pick up a faint trace of a couple of vampires that’d been there from a couple of nights back.

  Feeling flustered with his fever, he got hard at the alluring scent of Link in the air. The man had this earthy tone he’d never scented on a human before, almost as if he the guy was part Fey or something, only his scent was distinctly human.

  The scent was made to drive Jace crazy, but then again, that was part of the whole mate thing, though he still hadn’t completely accepted it yet.

  Jace paced for a while, trying to figure out what to do and how to approach this. Solomon had practically ordered him to see Link, but now that he’d finally shown, he wasn’t all too sure if he’d be able to leave after seeing the man.

  Maybe Solomon’s kidnapping idea wasn’t such a bad idea after all. As he’d said, turnabout would be fair play and while Link hadn’t technically been the one who kidnapped him, he had been his captor for over three days.

  Fuck!

  Why did things always have to be so damn complicated? Taking a deep breath, Jace shook himself. He needed to see Link, who, in his mind, was still a bastard, but at least he was a sexy bastard.

  There were about five or six people in the small bar when Jace finally got in the door and his breath caught as he saw the firm backside of his mate as he bent over to pick up some pieces of broken glass.

  Hallelujah for tight jeans. Jace groaned and was glad his shirt went down past his restrained erection. Wonder if Solomon had anticipated that when he’d picked out his shirt.

  Evil or not, his mate was one fine piece of ass. His leopard tried hard to get him to pounce the man; after all, Link was their mate, but Jace kept it at bay. They were out in public, for Christ sake. But man if his beast didn’t want to mount Link, right then and there.

  Making a decision, Jace strolled over to his mate and leaned against the bar as he took in the beautiful sight of his bent-over mate. He couldn’t help but wonder if he went both ways when it came to sex. Jace might prefer to stay on the bottom, but an ass that fine truly deserved a trial run.

  Jace cleared his throat and he could see Link tense.

  Link slowly turned towards him as he got up off the floor, leaving the shards of glass behind in a neat little pile. He did not look happy to see him.

  Ouch.

  “So what kind of tests does an average Joe have to get done to get a drink around here?” Jace quipped as he tried to hide his nerves. His hands were literally shaking at the close proximity to his mate. Even the scent was too intoxicating for him to breathe properly through his nose. The bigger problem though—when he tried breathing through his mouth, he could have sworn he could taste Link on the tip of his tongue. And he tasted good; fucking fantastic.

  Link merely stared at him with a tight jaw and an icy glare.

  Well, this is going well. Jace thought as the uncomfortable silence went on. He had no idea how to proceed. Not that his mind worked properly, what with his blood having drained to another part of his anatomy.

  “What do you want?” Link asked in his characteristically cold voice.

  Despite the hostility in Link’s tone, a shiver went through Jace’s body and his dick throbbed. “Well, personally I’ve always wanted a puppy…” Jace muttered.

  Link got straight up in Jace’s face and nearly growled. “If you and your pussycats are here to settle a score, you should know I’ve got this entire place rigged with explosives. You know, for special occasions.”

  Jace barely registered the death threat, focusing more on the heat of his mate’s body standing so close to him and trying really hard not to press himself against Link’s body and purr. The desire to purr was an odd one, but right now, Jace could really use a nice scratch behind the ears.

  * * * *

  Link saw the glazed look in the cat’s eyes and frowned. The cat seemed almost as if he was still drugged from the last dose he’d gotten. The effects would have worn off long ago, but something had obviously gone awry. Jace seemed to be nearly vibrating and he had a tight grip on the bar as if afraid he’d fall if he let go.

  “Is everything cool?” Trey asked as he took his place behind the bar when a small crowd of thirsty drinkers gathered.

  With an audience there, Jace seemed to snap out of it and suddenly stiffen. His lips were pressed together in a thin line that didn’t really suit his face. His lips looked better plump… like they were after they’d been kissed.

  Link gave Jace a once over before turning to his bouncer. “Yeah, we’re fine.” Looking back again though, he saw Jace taking off out the back door. He never even noticed him move. Link took off after him, not really expecting to catch up, but ended up almost running straight into him when he got through the door.

  Jace was pacing and biting his nails. Something was definitely up. “Jace? Why are you here?” he tried in a calmer voice, starting to worry now.

  Jace stopped and looked at him for a while before he spoke. “I need you to fuck me.”

  Did he just…? “What?”

  “Look, let’s not make a big deal out of this.” Jace said as he started pacing again. “It’s just sex.”

  The way he spoke didn’t really sound right… besides, Jace had to be out of his mind to return here after what had happened to him the last time. “If you’re after more drugs, you’re out of luck,” Link sneered.

  Looking like he’d been slapped in the face, Jace hissed. “Oh, fuck you, shitface! Just forget I said anything in the first place!”

  Link was starting to suspect Jace really had wanted to have sex with him after all; the knuckle sandwich that nearly broke his nose pretty much confirmed it.

  He barely got the chance to feel the devastating beginnings of a skull crushing migraine before the cat mol
ded himself into his body and sealed his lips to his.

  Those lips tasted better than he remembered and he could have sworn Jace had been eating cherries sometime that day.

  Jace’s tongue found its way into his mouth and dueled his. Link could feel the scar burn as they fought to dominate the kiss. Just when he started pulling Jace closer to his body and grinding their erections together, Jace pulled back, slightly out of breath and jammed his knee straight in his groin.

  “FUCK!” Link ground out as he fell down on his knees to the asphalt.

  “That’s for drugging me after we had sex…” Jace panted and seemed to fidget a bit, “See ya,” he said before taking off at a run, leaving Link behind to groan in pain at the forceful impact that threatened to bruise his entire penis.

  Well… wasn’t like I didn’t have it coming…

  Chapter 7

  “His scent is on you at least, what happened?” Solomon asked when he met him at the other side of the gate, where Jace hadn’t been granted his access yet.

  Hell, when he got there, Kett had strict orders not to let him in without notifying Sol first.

  “I hit him, now let me in,” Jace hissed when Solomon didn’t open the gate for him straight away.

  “I met up with him, things got fucked… in the bad sense of the word, but I saw him and even had a nice little talk with him. So for the love of Bast, let me the hell in already.”

  Solomon frowned suspiciously, “What else happened?”

  “We made out…” Jace started.

  “Well that’s good,” Sol smiled, probably thinking there was an upside to the whole thing.

  “Yeah, well, I also jammed my knee in his fun parts and left him in a painful, heaving, groaning mess on the ground in an alley behind his bar. Then I told him toodeloo and went on my merry way.”

  “Jace… how the hell are you supposed to mate the guy if he’s afraid you’ll rip his balls off?” Sol groaned as he reluctantly opened the gate. “That is not a good thing to do, Jace.”