by Jane Perky
He ran his hand down the curve of that tempting ass, thumbed Jerry’s puckered entrance with deliberate slowness, and gave Jerry’s balls a teasing pinch. Jerry groaned.
“I thought Alphas liked to get straight to the rutting,” Jerry complained.
“What’s wrong with admiring what’s mine?”
He didn’t fail to notice that Jerry didn’t correct him at all, didn’t protest. Good.
“Are you ready for me, Omega?” He circled Jerry’s asshole again, before pushing a finger in. Jerry moaned and clawed at the table.
“Aren’t you done admiring?”
He chuckled, pushing a second in and making twisting motions. Jerry’s juices had made the Omega slick, but he wanted Jerry to be prepared. Colton added a third and must have brushed against Jerry’s prostate, because Jerry cried out even louder.
“So good,” Jerry whispered.
“This is just the beginning, baby.”
“I don’t know how I feel when you call me that.”
Colton paused, but his gaze never strayed from the Omega. When he first used the word, it simply slipped out but now, it sounded perfect, just right.
“It feels good,” Jerry said, blushing. “Like I’m special.”
“You are,” Colton replied without hesitation, finally pulling his fingers out. “Ready for me?”
Jerry nodded. “I want this so badly, Colton. All memories I have of sex are unpleasant ones. Vampires only saw me and the others as food that happened to have other uses.”
Jerry clenched his jaw, and misery replaced anger. “I only wished you could have been my first.”
Anger swept through Colton in waves. Not for the first time, he wished he could resurrect the leeches who hurt Jerry, only to dish out plenty of hurt and send them back to hell.
“It doesn’t matter. You and me, we’re here now,” he said, kissing Jerry on the mouth, feeling Jerry respond.
“Yeah. Yeah okay,” Jerry murmured.
Flashing the Omega a reassuring smile, he lifted Jerry’s legs over his shoulders and guided his prick to Jerry’s entrance. Colton pushed in, grunting at the tightness of his mate. Jerry groaned beneath him, raking nails across his shoulders, but he didn’t mind if Jerry turned out to be a wild cat in bed.
“Hurts a little,” Jerry whispered.
He slowed. “Take all of me in, babe. I promise to make you see stars soon.”
Jerry smiled at him, and Colton could see nothing but their entwined bodies.
Their mouths clashed and Colton drank down Jerry’s familiar taste and heat. More, his wolf growled inside of him, and Colton agreed. Once he pushed past Jerry’s tight ring of muscle, he sheathed himself all the way to the hilt, until his balls brushed against Jerry’s ass.
“You’re so fucking tight for me,” he gritted out in wonderment. Possessiveness settled over him, but he knew he should be careful because Jerry might not be ready for a mating bond.
“Is that a good thing?” Jerry managed to ask.
“Fuck. Yes.” He began to move, starting with steady and slow strokes until Jerry became used to the size of him.
“That’s nice,” Jerry whispered, and he’d known he’d done good. Jerry nipped at his ear. “Faster please, Alpha.”
Colton complied, picking up speed, going deeper with each new thrust. Jerry held on to his biceps tightly, as if terrified to let go. Maybe Colton was the same. He’d seen a glimpse of what heaven was like, when living each day felt like hell, and he didn’t want to leave any time soon.
Jerry began to thrust his hips upward, meeting him. The Omega’s dick rubbed against his abs, thick and long, ready to explode any moment. Colton didn’t think he could last either, so he shifted the angle of his dick and with his next push, Jerry arched his back and gasped, mouth forming an O of surprise.
Grinning, Colton aimed for Jerry’s prostate again. Jerry raked his nails up and down his arms. Love marks. He liked that a lot. Colton began leaving tiny souvenirs, teeth marks, on Jerry’s chest, collarbones, too, although his wolf urged him to make that one bite that mattered.
He’s not ready. Maybe so am I. Go down that path without a plan, and I might ruin everything.
His wolf wasn’t exactly appeased. He knew the beast would keep pushing him in the days to come, but it would wait for now. A mate only came once in a lifetime, and screwing up wasn’t an option.
Colton slammed his lips over Jerry, his last push sending Jerry over the edge. He pulled his mouth away just to hear Jerry’s sweet moan. Jerry spilled strings of his cum over his abdomen and ribs.
“I’m close, too,” he admitted, and after several strokes, he buried his dick inside Jerry’s ass one more time. The pressure building inside him burst open, and he filled Jerry’s ass with seed. Mind still filled with a haze of pleasure, he rolled to Jerry’s side, not wanting to crush the smaller man. He shut his eyes, savoring the tender moment they just shared.
When he opened them, he saw the spread of stars above them, scattered like a net, and beyond them, the moon. A good luck sign or an ominous one? He was pulled away from his thoughts when Jerry reached out, hesitant at first, but Colton twined their fingers together.
“This is nice,” Jerry said.
“It is.”
“Best sex of my life,” the Omega declared, making Colton laugh.
“I don’t know about that.” Before Jerry could misinterpret, he continued, “We should experiment a little more and decide.”
“Really?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I don’t know.” Jerry hesitated. “Okay, I do. I have this fear that you’ll somehow wake up from this spell and decide I’m not worth it.”
Growling, Colton raised himself from the table and looked at Jerry. “Don’t say shit like that anymore. I want you, only you. What we just experienced together, it’s special. My wolf knows it, so does yours. Don’t let human insecurities get in the way.”
Jerry reluctantly rose from the table, too. “I spent the last five years as a vampire’s blood slave, Colton, as nothing better than food.”
“I know, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not proud of my past either. Plenty of good soldiers, better men, died but I’m still alive. I’m given this second chance to live and I’ve always wondered why. Now I know.”
“You do?”
Colton laughed. “It’s to meet you, baby. I exist for you, so stop thinking I’m going to get sick of you and walk away.”
Jerry swallowed. “That’s—what do you expect me to say to something like that?”
“Nothing. Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t run on me when shit gets hard. We’ll figure out this relationship together.”
Jerry looked baffled. “I’m not going to run.”
“Good.”
“We’re in a relationship then?” Jerry asked, eagerly.
“The start of something good.”
Chapter Seven
Colton glanced at his watch and growled under his breath. Thirty more minutes until he could knock off. According to the dating book, he should wait a few days to ask Jerry out on a date, but damn those rules. Three days passed since they had sex and the mind-blowing revelation that they were mates, and he was going insane.
Colton wanted to see his Omega. Touch Jerry. Fuck his mate senseless, until Jerry screamed out his name again. It didn’t help it was so close to full moon, mating season. Shifters were not surprisingly extra horny during this time. Colton always sated his needs through hook-ups, but this time, he was looking forward to spending it with Jerry.
He already began making plans in his head.
“Colton, the guys and I are heading out for some beer. Interested?” asked Johnson, fellow coworker and a grizzly shifter.
When Colton arrived in Emerald Valley, he hadn’t planned on staying. After resolving the threads surrounding a murder, he’d remained here with his friends and decided he needed to do something in his
free time. Colton had some money stashed in the bank, because being in the military most of the time, he hardly spent anything and he had no spouse or family to send it to either.
Being idle never suited him though. He met Johnson at King’s, trying to split up a bar fight. Johnson helped him land this job, and Colton had more than the required skill set to be a bodyguard anymore. He enjoyed the work, even though it wasn’t exciting as his previous job.
“Pass this time.”
Johnson raised his eyebrows. “You’ve had that goofy-looking expression on your face for three days. What, you found someone cute?”
Colton said nothing, which Johnson took as a ‘yes’ anyway.
“No way. Didn’t you say you don’t do long-term?”
“That was before I met Jerry,” Colton corrected.
“Oh, so this mystery guy has a name.”
“Fuck off,” he mumbled. They worked on jobs together, but they didn’t discuss personal life. Well, at least he didn’t. One look at Johnson and people stayed clear of the enormous, scarred grizzly shifter, but given a chance, Johnson liked to talk about his mate and cub.
“Well, good luck,” Johnson said, grinning, before moving on.
Stacking the messy paperwork on his desk, Colton made up his mind to go surprise Jerry at work. Maybe he should text first, because he remembered Jerry accusing him of causing a scene when he first picked up Jerry for that date. He didn’t know what the hell the fuss was about, but this was one relationship he couldn’t afford to screw up.
He and Dante always made fun of Crash, Atlas, and Lee for turning soft because of their mates. Maybe Dante and he never admitted it out loud, but they were jealous because all their friends found mates. What singled them out? Those questions used to bother Colton before, but he’d learned to live with the fact a mate wasn’t for him.
Until Jerry that was.
Fuck, but was it normal to keep thinking of Jerry this much?
After their first date, they started texting each other a lot. Jerry even showed him how to use emoticons. Colton grabbed his coat and headed out. Since the burger joint wasn’t far, he decided to give his legs a stretch and walk.
Johnson wasn’t the first to notice he was changing. Yesterday, during lunch with his friends at King’s, Dante commented he was less intense. Colton saw that as a good thing, because it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder. Jerry didn’t care about the luggage he had with him, but accepted it.
That took a rare kind of individual, a special one.
The spot between his shoulder blades tingled. He halted, narrowing his eyes, but he was in a good neighborhood. Still, his wolf sensed another predator within the vicinity. Not a shifter, but something else. He continued walking, pretending to shrug off the unpleasant sensation despite knowing his secret watcher followed him at a discreet pace.
Colton took a sharp turn into a small alley and another. Disappearing wasn’t his intent, but he needed to find out who was stalking him. A pale tall figure paused by the alleyway. A vampire. He slid out of his hiding place and, in seconds, slammed the vampire against the alleyway, baring his teeth.
Most people underestimated his size, never thinking he could be fast, too, but Colton had been training his body to become a weapon all his life. The vampire’s eyes widened slightly but didn’t look all that shocked.
The vampire looked familiar.
“You’re one of Magnus’ vamps. Why are you following me?” Colton demanded.
He took a step back, giving the vampire some space but not enough to flee.
“Because my king asked me to.”
That made him pause. Did that mean Magnus knew he’d been seeing Jerry?
“What else did Magnus ask you to do?”
“That if you catch me, he wants to see you back at the coven house.”
“What makes you think I’ll enter a coven house alone?”
Colton might be an Alpha werewolf, but Magnus had maybe twenty vampires under him. Although Magnus was Lee’s mate, Lee never interfered in Magnus’ business. Most of the time, Magnus joined their group of friends for dinner and was pleasant to talk with, but Colton had a feeling Magnus was going to play the role of vampire king tonight.
Refusing wasn’t an option. Colton had his pride, too, and werewolf Alphas didn’t run away at the first sign of trouble. Besides, he knew something like this would happen sooner or later. Jerry didn’t come as a single package. He had a vampire king and werewolf Alpha for guardians. Despite all that, Jerry had been stubborn enough not to tell either Lee or Magnus about the wolves who’d harassed him.
Colton understood. Jerry wanted to handle the problem on his own and didn’t want either vampire or werewolf to step in, but Colton wasn’t just a friend or a brother. Colton was Jerry’s mate, and he couldn’t let those wolves off easily.
One problem at a time, he told himself. Dealing with vampires was always tricky, and he needed to be at a hundred percent to deal with Magnus. Lee, he could imagine trading punches, but Magnus would want to talk first. Shit. His plan to surprise Jerry at work would have to be delayed. Maybe he could text Jerry later on to see if the Omega wanted to hang out.
“Alpha? Did you hear what I said?” the vampire asked politely.
“What?”
“I said my king promises you safe passage to the coven house and guest rights.”
Meaning no one would bite him by accident, not that Colton was easy prey. He’d rather want to avoid killing one of Magnus’ vampires by accident though. Enough stalling, it was time to face the music.
“Fine. I’ll meet Magnus.”
The vampire looked relieved and nodded. “This way, please.”
They walked in silence. The Nightshade coven house was located on a vast property on the outskirts of town. His guide led him past the guards and inside the newly restored Victorian house. Magnus waited for him inside one of the house’s receiving rooms. As usual, Magnus wore a tailored suit and not a hair was out of place. The vampire king looked like modern-day wealthy businessman. Colton didn’t think he ever saw Magnus dress down, even during dinner.
Most of his friends had found their mates. Atlas and Crash took Omegas for their mates, but Mark and Joe were easy to get along with. Magnus, on the other hand, was always reserved and polite, and Colton was wary of people like that.
“Colton, please have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?” Magnus seemed pleasant enough.
“No thanks. Don’t plan on staying long.” Colton did take the armchair opposite the couch Magnus sat. “No offense, but my wolf doesn’t like being in a nest filled with vampires.”
Magnus shrugged. “None taken. Let’s get the point then.”
Colton wasn’t surprised. Most vampires liked to run around in circles, but Magnus has shown he was practical than his peers.
“You're concerned about Jerry and me.” Colton didn’t want to play games either.
Magnus regarded him a moment. If it were Lee, his friend would have gone for his throat instantly, but vampires were patient predators. However, he could sense a little anger from the vampire, too, but Magnus might just be good at hiding it.
“You know what Jerry has gone through,” Magnus said carefully. “As I understand it, you aren’t interested in relationships, according to Lee at least.”
“Yeah, I know Jerry has gone through hell, but rest assured, Jerry isn’t a game to me, vampire.”
Magnus raised one graceful, golden brow. “What is he to you, then?”
Colton knew he treaded on dangerous ground. That was the problem with vampires—they didn’t show emotion easily like shifters. He wondered if Magnus always appeared this cool and calm behind closed doors with Lee. Colton didn’t want to know. If he wanted to get out of the coven house alive, he was going to be blunt and honest with Magnus.
“Jerry is my mate.” Colton was certain of it now. The vampire king grew so still, Colton wasn’t sure if Magnus moved at all. He continued, “I know a man
like me doesn’t deserve someone as caring and sweet as Jerry, but like Lee, I stayed in Emerald Valley for a reason.”
“And you believe that reason is Jerry?” Magnus asked softly.
“I know,” he corrected. “Magnus, I’ve been barely getting by this entire time, weighed down by PTSD, by deeds I’ve done when I was in service, but Jerry’s like the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m not going to let anything or anyone come between us.”
Magnus didn’t speak for a moment. “That was quite a speech, one I least expected to come from you. Among Lee’s friends, you puzzled me the most. A mystery. That is why I was worried for Jerry.”
“I don’t think we’ve strung more than a few sentences since we met,” Colton observed out loud. “Wait. ‘Was worried’? Past tense?”
“I like you, Colton. You’re up-front at least, but remember this: hurt Jerry and I won’t hesitate to drink all the blood from your body.”
He returned Magnus’ threat with a toothy grin. Magnus was simply looking out for Jerry, the way Lee did. “I’ll remember that. We done here?”
“Yes. And Colton?” Magnus ventured as Colton was halfway out of the room.
“Yeah?”
“It isn’t me you should be worried about.”
Colton knew Magnus was talking about Lee. He knew how losing Jerry to the vampires had devastated his friend, and Lee was overprotective of Jerry. At the start, Jerry had lived with Lee but soon got his own place and a job. Colton was proud of his little Omega for coming so far.
“Then it’s time Lee let Jerry spread his own wings,” he answered.
Chapter Eight
Jerry used to dread waking up each morning and heading to work. When it was no longer peak hours, he’d wonder about where his life was going and if it was no different than being a blood slave. He might no longer be confined but there were different kinds of cages. These days, though, he felt different, better—lighter, even.
His phone vibrated under his bed—his alarm. He fumbled for it, glanced at the single event on his phone. Dinner with Colton, although sometimes, Colton swung by during lunch to surprise. He found himself smiling as he settled into his morning routine. After his usual breakfast of toast and coffee, he took a shower and dressed for work.
