He didn’t know how long he sat and cried for, but some time later, he raised his head, and Alessio stroked a hand over his face, wiping away the tears.
“Sacha, my son.”
“He left. He packed a bag and left. He was angry that I hadn’t told him earlier.”
Nodding, Alessio stood, groaning and rubbing his knees. Sitting in the chair next to Sacha, he asked, “Has he been in touch since he left?”
“Nothing.”
Nodding again, Alessio said, “Give him time. I know it’s easy for me to say, but he needs time to accept what you’ve told him. Come home. Spend a few days with your mother and me. Let us take care of you.”
“I’m alright-”
“Sacha. You’re not. When was the last time you showered? Ate or fed?”
“I know I’m a mess right now, but I’m really okay. I’ll go home, shower, eat, and then feed.”
“Spend a few days with us. Let your family care for you,” Alessio said.
“Father-”
Sacha’s cell rang. He glanced at the screen and sucked in a sharp breath. Jared.
He glanced at Alessio then back at his cell. Alessio said, “Answer it. Your mate is calling.”
Sacha fumbled with his cell but managed to press the answer button. “Hello.”
“Sacha, it’s Jared.”
“Yeah, your name came up.”
“Oh yeah.” Silence, and then, “Look, er, are you free for lunch?”
Sacha looked at Alessio, his eyes widening. “You want to have lunch?” Alessio smiled and nodded his head. “Yeah, that would be good,” Sacha spoke slowly. He wasn’t sure where this was going.
“That nice little Italian near where you work. See you there at one.”
“Yeah, one.”
He hung up and stared at the cell in his hand. “Lunch at one.”
“That gives you thirty minutes to sort yourself out. Go downstairs and feed. The last thing you need is to see your mate and bite him because of the emotional stress and lack of self-care.”
“Father-”
“We keep blood here for other vampires, so make use of it.”
Nodding, Sacha stood. “Thank you, Father.”
Alessio hugged him and Sacha embraced him back. His father had always been there for him. Always.
“I’m your father, and I’m here whenever you need me and sometimes when you don’t.”
They shared a smile and Sacha left. He was meeting his mate, and for the first time in days, he felt a little ray of hope.
Walking into the restaurant, Sacha found Jared already seated and waiting for him. He paused, staring at him, his breathing increasing. They needed to talk. Sacha needed to know what Jared wanted. He swallowed and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and slowly walked over to him.
Jared gave him a tight, close-lipped smile as he sat opposite him, and the silence that developed was heavy and uncomfortable. Sacha glanced over Jared’s face, noticing his pale skin and the dark circles under his eyes.
Sacha glanced around the restaurant, seeing other people sitting down and eating their food. Tables scattered around the room with a few booths along one side and even though he was sitting with his mate, for a moment, Sacha wished he was somewhere else.
The large windows allowed diners to see out and Sacha watched people rushing past, going about their day. God, he wished he was there instead.
“So,” Jared murmured across the table.
Sacha glanced over at him. “So, how’s your arm?
“It’s fine.” Leaning his elbows on the table, Jared gave him an intense stare. “Tell me why you didn’t tell me.” He frowned at his own words and tried again. “Why did you keep it a secret?”
“Is there really any point in going over this again?” Sacha asked wearily. He didn’t have the strength to go through it all. “Are you staying or going? That’s all I need to know.”
Jared pursed his lips, glancing away then back at him. “I’ve missed you, and I don’t know if that’s because you’re my mate or my friend.”
Shrugging, Sacha said, “Maybe it’s both.”
“Is it?
Leaning on the table and closing the distance between them, Sacha whispered, “How the fuck would I know? I don’t know any mated couples.”
“I do,” Jared whispered back. “And I’ve spent the last few days with them, learning about mates and everything that goes with it.”
“What? That I’ll have to have your blood once we’re mated?” Sacha scoffed. “Thanks, but I already know that.”
“That we will live longer. Decades longer.” Sacha blinked, surprised. “That I’ll get stronger, faster. We’ll be able to communicate telepathically. You know about the physical shit already.”
“Decades?” Sacha sat back, his eyes widening. He opened his mouth and then closed it. “Decades,” he said in a quieter voice.
“Yes, decades.” Jared paused, and then asked, “Have you fed?”
Sacha sat up straight. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look it. I can see how thin you are. Have you been eating?” Then in a lower voice, “Feeding?”
“I really don’t think that’s any of your business now, do you?”
“You’re still my friend.”
Sacha snorted, shaking his head. “Am I? After everything, I’m still your friend.”
“Sacha, please. I haven’t come here to argue-”
“Can I get you some drinks?”
Both men looked up at the waitress and ordered, and when she left, Jared continued. “I’m not here to argue, Sacha. I only want answers.”
Sacha said nothing, avoiding Jared’s intense stare and looking around the restaurant again, staring at the pictures hanging on the walls.
“Sacha, why didn’t you tell me?” Jared asked softly.
Sacha closed his eyes and breathed in, feeling his shoulders slump. He opened them and looked into Jared’s eyes. “I was scared.”
“Ten years, Sacha.”
“I’m sorry.”
Jared didn’t respond, and they sat in silence. The waitress came with their drinks and Sacha hastily sipped his coffee. He needed to be doing something with his hands. He needed some form of distraction from the heaviness around them.
“What now?”
Sacha slowly raised his eyes to Jared’s. “I don’t know.” He swallowed, and then added, “I love you. It might not be what you want to hear, but I do. I’ve loved you for years...” Trailing off, Sacha squeezed his eyes shut, feeling them itch and burn, tears threatening to fall. He refused to let them fall. He’d cried enough over Jared.
“You should have told me,” Jared said softly, his hand reaching out to touch Sacha.
Sacha snatched his hand away and turned his head to the side, facing the wall, struggling to control his emotions. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to lose you. You love women.”
“I know what I like, Sacha, you don’t have to tell me. Shit, all those years watching me-”
“Are you ready to order?”
Jared coughed and answered, “Yes, thanks. Two steaks, one rare, the other medium rare, fries and the greens, please.”
Sacha sat and said nothing, letting Jared order for them. When the waitress left, the silence descended again.
“You need to eat and feed.”
Ignoring the statement, Sacha asked, “What now?”
“I don’t know. You lied to me, Sacha. For years. It might not have been an outright lie, but you kept something important a secret. I had a right to know that I’m your mate. Seeing Donnie and Jeremy together made me realize just how important mates are. The connection between them is almost visible-”
“I know.”
“- that’s how you always know when I’m injured. What about other emotions?”
“You mean sex.”
Jared blushed but nodded. “Yeah.”
“No, I can’t. Pain. Happiness. Like when you’ve completed a mission suc
cessfully.”
“But we haven’t bonded.” Jared frowned. “How can you feel them?”
Sacha sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. “Remember that time I fell and hit my head?”
Jared’s eyes widened. “Yeah. Shit. You drank my blood.”
Sacha glared at him. “I didn’t want to, remember.”
“And now I know why. What, it deepened things between us?”
Sacha sat back, folding his arms across his chest. “We’re not mated, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“What if I want to be?”
Sacha stared at him. “What?”
“What if I want us to be mated?”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“Not yet.” Jared smirked. Leaning back, he added, “I’ve fucked men, Sacha. I have leaned more towards women in recent years, and I think that was because I was your mate and the bond was doing something. Women were easier, but something was always missing and that something was you.”
Their food arrived at that moment, and Sacha sat in surprised silence. Jared had fucked men? Why didn’t he know this? Why hadn’t Jared said anything to him?
“Eat your food, Sacha.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Yeah, you are. We need to sort things out between us but...”
Sacha looked up when he trailed off. “But?”
“When we leave here, we’re going home, and we are going to fuck, and you are going to bite me.”
“You want us to bond?”
“Yes, so you need your strength.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ve decided, mate. Now, eat.”
Chapter Seven
Sacha ate in a daze and followed Jared home. He had no idea what the hell was going on. He thought Jared had planned to tell him to fuck off, not actually fuck him and bond with him.
He walked into the house they shared and winced at the mess it was in.
“Gonna take a while to clean up.” Jared’s amused voice said behind him. “Shower?”
Not waiting for Sacha to answer, Jared grabbed his hand and dragged him along until they reached Jared’s room. He pulled Sacha into the bathroom and immediately stripped. Sacha stared at all the naked flesh Jared revealed, and his fangs lengthened.
“Sacha. Naked now.”
Sacha looked up from where he’d been staring at Jared’s body. “Huh?”
“I want you naked, Sacha. I want to touch you-”
“I don’t understand.”
“What’s to understand?” Sacha blinked when Jared stepped closer and stroked his face, smiling at him. “We’re mates, Sacha.”
“But, you left.” Sacha stepped back, breaking the contact. “You left me.”
“And now I’m here standing in front of you. I’ve seen mates together, and I want that for us. Neither of us has had a relationship with another person, and now I know why. Take me, Sacha.”
It took Sacha a split second to decide, and then he lunged forward, grabbing the back of Jared’s head, pulling it down to his and crashing their lips together.
Jared’s arms closed around him and pulled them together, making Sacha groan at the contact. He’d waited years for this moment. Years to feel Jared’s skin on his.
Jared’s tongue licked his lips, and on a moan, Sacha opened them.
Their first real kiss.
Sacha was swept away as emotions he never thought he’d feel rushed over him.
He could hear Jared whispering to him, and he pulled back when Jared’s thumbs wiped the tears from his cheeks.
They kissed softly, staring into each other’s eyes until Jared deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping into Sacha’s mouth, and Sacha closed his eyes, letting their tongues touch and caress.
Jared moved them slowly over to the shower, and Sacha jumped when the warm water hit him. Jared stepped back and grabbed the washcloth and gel while Sacha stood there letting Jared clean him, loving the attention his mate was giving him.
More tears slid free, and Jared leaned forward to kiss them away. Sacha smiled at him, and Jared kissed his lips.
“I love you.”
Jared kissed him again. “I know.”
Once Jared had cleaned him, he turned the shower off and helped Sacha out, reaching for a towel to dry them both.
He followed Jared when he pulled him from the bathroom and let him push him onto the bed. He stared up at him, marveling at the fact that they were naked together and that he was finally going to be with his mate.
Jared dropped something on the bed next to him, and Sacha turned his head to see a bottle of lube. They were actually going to do this.
Jared crawled up between his legs and slowly lay down on top of him until there was no space between them. He stared up in wonder into Jared’s deep blue eyes.
He lifted his hand and traced Jared’s face, enjoying the sensation of his skin under his fingers. “I never thought-”
“Mate,” Jared whispered before closing the final few inches between them and kissing him.
Sacha closed his eyes, opening his mouth, letting their tongues tangle together. Within seconds, the kiss changed from soft and gentle to hard and deep. Jared’s tongue thrust into his mouth and Sacha gave up all control, letting Jared own him body and soul.
Because Jared did own him. He always had from the first moment Sacha had met him.
They lay kissing for several long minutes until Jared broke it and kissed over Sacha’s jaw and further down. When he licked across Sacha’s beating pulse, he whispered, “Here. You’ll bite me here and make me yours.”
Sacha whimpered and Jared kissed his neck before moving down his chest. Once he reached his nipples, he paused, then kissed the skin. Taking one in his mouth, Jared sucked hard, and Sacha cried out, his hands gripping Jared’s hair.
“Jared,” he whimpered.
“Shh, Sacha. I’ve got you.”
“Don’t let me go,” Sacha pleaded.
“Never again.”
Jared moved to his other nipple and Sacha groaned when he nipped it. Licking across the flesh, Jared raised his eyes, and they stared at each other as Jared’s tongue flicked Sacha’s nipple.
He moaned, his hips arching up and Jared moved his hands down, grabbing hold of them and keeping them on the bed.
“Your arm,” Sacha gasped.
“It’s fine.”
Jared kept eye contact, flicking Sacha’s nipple and licking the hard nub.
He opened his mouth and sucked it in, and Sacha shuddered, watching him work the flesh. Releasing it, Jared moved back to his other nipple and kissed it, then kissed a path down his chest and abs until he was above his hard, leaking dick.
He blew across the head, causing Sacha to shiver. Keeping eye contact, Sacha watched as Jared slowly let his tongue lick across the head.
Sacha cried out, his body shaking, sweat breaking out over his skin. So long he’d dreamed of this moment, and now it was finally here, he was going to fuck it up by coming too soon.
Sacha’s orgasm caught him by surprise. His balls tightened, and the tingle rolled through him. He barely had time to tell Jared to move when the first pulse of come spurted free.
“Fuck, Sacha.”
Sacha barely heard him, his orgasm so intense that all he could hear was a loud roar in his ears. His body arched up, and he cried out again as more come erupted.
Jared stroked his dick, keeping his orgasm flowing until finally he slumped back onto the bed and lay there gasping, sweat running down the sides of his body and face.
Jared moved up and leaned over him. “Beautiful,” he whispered, kissing him deeply.
Sacha sighed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Jared’s shoulders, holding him, his body relaxing.
“I haven’t finished yet.”
Sacha smiled up at him. “I have great recovery time.”
“Do you now?” Jared grinned. “That’s good to know.”
They continued kissing, then Jar
ed moved down and hovered over Sacha’s dick again. “Hope you’re ready now.”
He licked the head, and Sacha closed his eyes. After a few licks, Jared sucked in the head, and Sacha moaned loudly as hot, wet heat covered it. Jared lavished it with attention. He sucked and licked and rubbed until Sacha was a sweaty mess again.
“Hold your legs up for me.”
Sacha slowly moved his hands and pulled his legs up and out and watched Jared lick down his shaft. He nuzzled his balls, and with their eyes locked again, Jared sucked one into his mouth.
“Shit,” Sacha cried, his hips shuddering.
Jared’s tongue swirled around, and he then released it and sucked on the skin, pulling it away from Sacha’s ball.
Sacha gasped. No one had paid attention to his balls before, and it seemed that Jared was out to torment him. He could feel them tighten again and moaned when the tingle started.
“Stop, Jared. So close.”
“Then come again.”
Jared moved to Sacha’s other nut and suckled the skin and Sacha groaned loudly, his hips humping the air. The tingling intensified when Jared’s mouth closed around his ball.
“Oh, Jared!”
He arched back, shooting again, come coating his abs. His orgasm didn’t last as long as his first but was no less intense. He slumped back down on the bed, breathing heavily and moaned quietly when Jared licked down his perineum.
How he still had hold of his legs and kept them in the air, Sacha didn’t know, but he lay there feeling Jared’s tongue slowly work its way closer to his hole.
“Have you ever?”
“Once,” Jared answered. “Didn’t think I’d do it again but I want to with you.”
“Are you sure?” The ‘sure’ came out high pitched when Jared circled his hole.
Chuckling, Jared continued, his wet tongue sliding over Sacha’s wrinkled flesh. He didn’t move quickly but kept swirling around and around it, getting it nice and wet.
Sacha tensed when he felt a finger probe his hole, and he tried to relax. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had sex. Once he’d met Jared, that was it. He only wanted his mate.
“How long?”
Sacha whimpered. “Years.”
Rescue Inc Collection Vol 1 Page 14
