by Lynn Hagen
“Why don’t you take a seat?” Reese led him to a metal folding chair. “Why’re you here if you don’t drink?”
“Stupidity and the delusion that I can have a normal life.” The stranger gave a small, wry laugh. “Thanks for not kicking me out. I’m Jude, by the way. Not that you care or it’s important.”
Jude pressed his elbows into his knees and rested his face in his hands. Reese needed to get back to work, but he couldn’t make himself leave Jude’s side. The vampire looked so hopeless.
Reese hunched down in front of him, trying to make himself seem smaller. “Why can’t you have a normal life?”
It really wasn’t any of his business, but Reese had always tried to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. Not that Jude needed protecting. The guy just seemed…lost, and not in a directional sort of way.
Jude lifted his head, and that was when Reese took a really good look at him. His eyes were as dark as the midnight sky, his lashes thick, his nose angular, and he had a soft set of lips that Reese suddenly wanted to kiss.
“I made a decision that completely screwed me over.” Jude placed his hands in his lap and stared down at them. “That’s the story of my life.”
“So you came here to drink your sorrows away?”
“No,” Jude said. “I came here thinking I could be friends with the guy I made that decision for. He said our ordeal bonded us, but now I see…” Jude gave a bitter laugh that made Reese’s heart melt for the guy. “Thank you for your kindness, but I should get out of your hair, not dump all this on you.”
With a smile, Reese patted his own shoulder. “They’re tough. You can cry on them and your problems won’t weigh them down.”
Jude opened his mouth, as though he was about to tell Reese what was wrong, when the kitchen door opened and Lacey walked in. The waitress looked at Jude before her gaze swung to Reese.
“You got that order of wings and fries ready?” she asked.
“Give me a second.” Reese stood but didn’t move away from Jude. “I’m dealing with something but will have your order ready in a jiff.”
She eyed them then walked out.
“Stay right there,” he said to Jude before he headed to the deep fryer and dropped the chicken. When Reese turned back around, Jude was gone.
Damn it. Reese hadn’t wanted the guy to leave. His skin felt too tight, and Reese had an urge to chase Jude down. He rubbed his chest and wondered why he felt that way.
Then the thought struck him of why he’d wanted to help Jude so badly, of why he’d wanted to protect the vampire, and why he’d been so attracted to him.
Jude was his mate.
Chapter Two
“Why’d you leave?” Roy asked over the phone. “I mean I know you can’t eat regular food, but I thought we were hanging out.”
Jude sat on his couch, feeling like the world’s biggest loser. He should’ve never agreed to go out with Roy.
“I wasn’t feeling well.” It wasn’t a lie. And to top off his complete failure of a night, Jude hadn’t even found someone to feed from. He was such a pathetic vampire. He might as well hand in his fangs. It wasn’t as though he used them.
“We can always reschedule.”
Jude’s mind wandered to the cook as Roy kept talking, saying something about next weekend. He wasn’t really paying attention as he thought of those stunning green eyes that had held a world of kindness and understanding in them.
If Reese only knew the trouble Jude was in he might not have been so willing to help. And why on earth was Jude ready to run back to the tavern? Because Reese had been nice to him?
“That sounds good.” Jude hung up and tossed his phone aside. Who was he kidding? A normal life just wasn’t in the cards for him. If his ex-coven leader, Ingmar, didn’t kill Jude, his mother would. He was doomed, and all he could think about was seeing Reese again.
“Somebody kill me right now,” Jude moaned and flopped over, sticking his face in one of the decorative pillows on the couch.
He jerked upward when someone knocked on his door. Who could it be at this hour? If Moose was here to accuse Jude of another crime, he just might scream. Tonight was not his night, and Jude was so over it that he started to ignore the door and go to bed.
But the knock sounded harder the second time.
Curious, and terrified it might be one of his ex-coven members here to end him, Jude tiptoed to the door and peeked out the peephole.
What the hell?
His heart thundered and his palms became wet as he opened the door to find Reese standing on the other side. The guy had one arm propped against the doorframe, the other hand tucked into the front pocket of his jeans.
He looked like a wet dream standing there. God, he wanted to lick Reese from head to toe. The man exuded power and authority, and that turned Jude on.
“How did you know where I lived?” Jude held on to the doorknob, his breathing shallow as he stared into those gorgeous green eyes.
Reese pulled his hand from his pocket and tapped the side of his nose. “Followed your scent.”
“But…why?” Jude looked behind Reese to make sure no one else was outside. That was all he needed, for Ingmar to send an assassin and the assassin to show up just as Reese did.
Jude mentally rolled his eyes at his imagination. Then again, it wasn’t far from the truth. It wasn’t a matter of if Ingmar would send someone. It was a matter of when.
“You don’t feel it?” Reese tapped Jude in the middle of his chest. “Right there.” He pulled his arm off the doorframe and crossed them. “Just chill for a second and let all the bullshit going on around you fade away.”
That was easy for Reese to say. He didn’t have to worry about anyone coming after him like Jude did. “Feel what?”
Reese groaned and rolled his eyes. “The pull, Jude. Tell me you don’t feel it.”
Now that Reese had drawn Jude’s attention to the fact, Jude did feel the need to crawl into Reese’s arms and never come up for air. He stared wide-eyed at Reese as he sucked in a breath.
Reese walked into Jude’s house without an invitation. He turned and stared down at Jude. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
Jude closed the door. He opened his mouth to tell Reese this was none of his business, but the truth flowed like a dam had broken. “I killed my uncle, and now I’m afraid my ex-coven leader will send someone to kill me. My mom is up in arms that I tore Merk’s heart out, who, by the way, was her brother. As pissed as she is, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the one who comes after me.”
“And?” Reese asked.
“And what?”
“I thought there would be more to the story,” Reese said. “I can handle a vampire coming after you, though it might get complicated if it’s your mom.”
Jude pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering how many marbles Reese had lost. This was some serious shit, and the guy was acting as though a deadly vampire was no big deal.
It was to Jude.
“You don’t have to sound so blasé about my situation,” Jude argued. “It might sound like a cakewalk to you, but you’re not the one who has to constantly look over his shoulder.”
Reese dropped his heavy weight onto Jude’s couch. “I wasn’t trying to downplay what you’re going through. I was just stating that you have me to protect you now.”
Why did that statement infuriate Jude? Was he expecting Reese to go into a full-blown panic like Jude was? Why did he want a more extreme reaction from his mate?
His mate. Jude felt dizzy at the thought. Fate might’ve paired them, but that didn’t mean they instantly fell in love or even liked each other. Reese’s relaxed pose grated on Jude’s last nerve.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Jude asked. “That I have you now, so I can chill?”
Reese looked as though he was mulling the thought over. “Yeah, I guess.”
Wrong answer. Jude shot his arm out and pointed at the door. “Get out.”
&nbs
p; Reese’s brows dipped. “You’re kicking me out?”
“I’m asking you to leave so I can sort things out in my head,” Jude replied. “I need time to myself, so yes, I’m kicking you out.”
This was the opposite of what Jude should be doing. He needed to surround himself with as much preternatural muscle as he could find, not isolate himself.
But he just couldn’t deal with Reese right now. Jude was too overwhelmed and the… He sniffed the air but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what Reese was.
“What are you?” he asked. The guy was a shifter, but what kind?
Reese pushed from the couch and glared at Jude. “Sorry, you’re kicking me out, so you don’t get to ask me any more questions.”
Jude opened his mouth to offer an apology for letting the powerful weight of his fear take over, but Reese stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
* * * *
Reese had gone home, showered, and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He drank it more for taste than thinking he could get drunk from it. His mate had rejected him, and Reese wasn’t sure how to handle it.
He felt numb inside as he sat on his couch, staring at the blank television, seeing his own reflection staring back. He also thought about what Jude had said about his situation. Had Reese really been that blasé about it, as his mate had claimed?
How was Reese supposed to have reacted? Become a hothead? He took a sip of the beer before sinking back into the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. He’d been plenty hotheaded back in the day. Reese had always reacted before he thought things through.
That was how Thomas had died. Because Reese had used brawn instead of brain and his little brother had gotten caught in the middle of the fight. All Reese had seen was red, and by the time the dust had settled, it had been too late to save him.
Reese should hate vampires for what had happened to his little brother. But it had been just as much his fault for not taking Thomas home instead of allowing the vampire to get the upper hand. That deadly swipe had been meant for Reese, but it had made contact with Thomas instead.
He swallowed the rest of the beer down, wishing he had a fifth of Red Spanking instead. How poetic was it that fate had given him a vampire mate? Reese’s hand tightened on the empty bottle, and before he knew what he was doing, he threw the beer bottle across the room, watching it shatter, just like his heart was doing all over again.
It had been a decade since Thomas had died, and the pain was still too damn real. Jude’s rejection brought that horrific night back to the forefront of Reese’s brain.
A vampire mate. He laughed at the irony. The goddamn fucking irony. Maybe it was best Jude had kicked him out. His mate would only serve to remind Reese of what he’d lost.
With a groan, Reese went to the kitchen to retrieve the broom and dustpan. It had felt good to throw the bottle, but now he had to clean up his mess.
The doorbell rang.
Reese looked at the clock above the fireplace. It was three in the morning. Who would visit him at that hour? He was in nothing but his boxer briefs when he answered the door.
“Put some damn clothes on before I go blind,” Aiden said as he brushed past Reese and entered.
“Which would be your own fault since I didn’t invite you over.” Reese grabbed the broom where he’d laid it and swept the glass into a neat pile.
“You got anything to eat?” Aiden headed for the kitchen while Reese cleaned up his mess. When he was done, he took the dustpan to the kitchen and emptied it.
“Why’re you here so late?” Reese asked as he stored the broom and dustpan in the closet. “You came here at this hour to raid my fridge?”
“I forgot to go shopping,” Aiden said. The bear shifter opened the fridge and scrounged around as Reese leaned against his counter, crossing his arms as he thought of Jude.
As much as he wanted to keep the vampire at arm’s length, his rhino argued otherwise. It was a stubborn creature that wouldn’t let Reese ignore his mate. Maybe tomorrow night he would go back to Jude’s and see if the guy was in a better mood.
Then he thought about what Jude had told him. His mate feared retaliation for what he’d been forced to do. What if someone came while Reese wasn’t there and tried to kill Jude? What if Reese allowed his wounded pride to interfere with protecting his mate?
“Did you hear me?” Aiden asked. “You seem zoned out.”
“It’s late, and you’re raiding my fridge. I’m a bit grumpy when I don’t get my beauty sleep.”
Aiden’s brows drew down. “But you’re the most even-tempered guy I know. Who pissed in your cereal?”
Reese grunted. “Clean up and turn the light off when you’re done. Don’t forget to lock my front door.”
He left his best friend in the kitchen as he went to his bedroom. Reese closed the door and stilled. He sniffed the air as he looked around. “Why are you hiding in my bedroom?”
From the shadowed corner, Jude emerged. He had his hands clasped in front of him, seeming smaller than he already was. “I didn’t mean to break into your house.”
“The doorbell works.” Reese sat on his bed and searched for the remote on his cluttered nightstand. He really needed to clean it off, but that was something he would worry about another time.
“You’re mad at me.”
“For kicking me out?” Reese hadn’t meant to sound so bitter, but damn it, Jude’s rejection had hurt. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about being mated to a vampire, but he reminded himself that it wasn’t Jude who’d cost Thomas his life.
Jude took a step toward the bed, as if he wanted to sit down, but remained standing. “I’m sorry about that. I can get testy when I’m afraid for my life.”
Reese felt his anger dwindling. Jude stood there looking so damn lost. But he wasn’t going to let Jude get off that easily. His mate needed to learn upfront that treating him like a throwaway mate wasn’t acceptable, even if the guy was scared.
Jude’s head snapped toward the door when they heard the television in the living room cut on. Goddamn Aiden. He treated Reese’s house like his own, and normally that didn’t bother Reese. Tonight it did.
“You have company?”
Was that jealousy Reese detected in Jude? “I told you, you lost the privilege to ask questions when you kicked me out.”
Reese flipped through the channels but watched Jude from a side-glance. His mate slowly moved toward the bed then took a seat on the edge. He kept his hands tucked between his knees, his eyes on the television.
Reese fought the smile that was struggling to emerge. “Do you break into people’s homes often?”
“Only when that person turns out to be my mate and I’ve acted like a complete ass toward him,” Jude said. “Crawling through windows helps to break the ice.”
Reese couldn’t stop the chuckle that rumbled through his chest. He also felt an inexplicable need to draw Jude closer, to brush his fingers through his mate’s thick black hair, and to kiss his lush lips. It was the pull. Reese knew that, but that didn’t stop his body from wanting Jude’s.
He patted the spot next to him. Jude hesitated then scooted closer. “So, are you ever going to tell me what kind of shifter you are?”
Reese’s gaze dropped to Jude’s lips. “If you kiss me, I might tell you whatever you want to know.”
He cupped Jude’s face with both his hands and felt a sort of electrical buzz throughout his body. As upset as Reese had been, as conflicted as he felt, there was no denying the intense attraction between them.
Their lips touched, and that was all it took to remove the awkwardness clinging in the air. Jude gave himself fully over, moaning into Reese’s mouth, sucking in Reese’s tongue, slowly crawling into his lap.
Reese massaged Jude’s ass then worked his hands upward until he was pulling Jude’s shirt off.
“Okay, I kissed you,” Jude panted as he licked his lips. “Now tell me what you are.”
Reese spun them and placed Jude on his back. He worked the re
st of his mate’s clothes off then spread his hand over Jude’s chest, amazed at how perfect he was.
“I’m going to claim you.” Reese stood, keeping his gaze locked on Jude as he stripped his boxer briefs off. He cock sprung upward, slapping his stomach as he reached into the nightstand drawer and grabbed the bottle of lube.
Jude palmed his cock and gave the heated, hard flesh a few strokes.
Reese didn’t do a damn thing but watch.
Jude got up, shoved Reese onto the bed, and sucked his cock down to the root. Reese shouted as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His hips bucked, driving his cock farther into his mate’s hot mouth.
God, the man was sucking him so hard that Reese was mindless. He threw his legs onto the bed, spreading them farther apart as he began to fuck Jude’s mouth.
But his mate wasn’t having that. Jude pressed Reese’s hips down, keeping them in place as he ran his tongue around the head, pulling the pre-cum out like honey, and then he dove right back down onto Reese’s cock.
“Damn, Jude…fuck!” Reese shouted and then gritted his teeth, staving off his orgasm. He wasn’t about to let this moment end so soon, but if Jude kept up at his current pace, Reese was a goner.
His damn legs were wobbling as Jude rode Reese’s cock with his lips, sliding them up and down his shaft, faster and faster. His head was bobbing, the suction tight, and Reese felt like his damn brain was melting into the side of his head.
“Jude…please…god!” Reese threw his head back and ground his back molars, curling his fingers into the bed. He wasn’t going to be able to hold off. Not when Jude was sucking him so damn good.
Reese began to rock his head back and forth as jolts of pure pleasure pulsed through his body. The man was out to kill him. Jude had to be because Reese’s heart was beating so fast he feared it would burst from his chest.
And then Jude slid a finger into Reese’s ass.
His eyes crossed.
“Motherfuck!” Reese howled as his body unraveled right there. His hips shot up, and his seed was being ripped from his very balls. Stars began to form behind his eyelids. It took concentrated effort to breathe.
