"You're beautiful, Kai." He whispered and kissed him softly this time, taking special care to feel everything and open his senses to the wonder of his mate. The very idea that he'd found his mate was so incredible it was difficult to comprehend in its entirety all that it inferred and all that would come. The future was full and wonderful because this man who belonged to Jude Adair was in it. This wolf, who he thought so many unkind and ungracious things about, was the most precious person in his life.
"I need you," Kai said the words before his mind had processed what it would mean, but it was true, he needed Jude inside him filling him, loving him, owning him. His ecstasy was building under Jude's masterful hand. His touch and his tenderness, combined with Kai's explosive demand for more, sent him over the edge in a burst of sensations and emotions that filled every corner of Kai’s awareness.
"I need you too, Kai," Jude said and moved his hand that was now covered in Kai's warm seed to the object of his sudden obsession. He found Kai's hole and used Kai's own warm sticky essence as lubrication to breach and enter with first his thumb and slowly working the muscle looser added another finger and then another. All the while, he kissed and admired his beautiful mate assuring his happiness and pleasure throughout.
The feel of his mate's warm tight channel surrounding his fingers was causing the urgency to return, and his dragon pushed for completion, coming forward and recognizing their mate several times as Jude prepared Kai's body to take him inside. He would not hurt this man for the world.
He positioned himself between Kai muscled thighs using one arm to hike Kai's left leg a little higher so as to open him completely to Jude's invasion. "Just relax, I'll take it slow, and I promise you will enjoy every minute." He said and dropped a lovely kiss to Kai's already swollen lips.
The minute Jude pressed forward entering his mate, Kai wrapped his legs around his waist and moved to pull him further and faster inside filling him and gasping as Jude rapidly seated himself completely encased in Kai's tight warmth. "That was perfect, so perfect. Your body was made for me Kai, just as mine was made for you."
Jude began a slow thrust that built in speed and pressure as they both held on and worked to get every ounce of pleasure and substance out of the act. It was marvelous in a way that Jude could not describe. It was a blending of mind and body as the thrusting and sensitivity built to an impossible level, and they were both there both aware and feeling beyond themselves.
Kai was losing himself in the sensations and emotions evoked, and hesitation began to move in from the corner of his mind. The claiming was eminent as Jude thrust deep and filled him with a warmth that touched every nerve in his body. Kai lost control and came once more pumping stream after stream of warm seed between them. His mind was reeling as Jude's face shifted from handsome warrior to fierce dragon and then back, and his teeth dropped, indicating the claim was upon him.
Kai felt his own wolf slamming against the walls of his mind demanding release as his own canines dropped in preparation of claiming his dragon. But his fear shattered the moment, and everything was destroyed.
Jude came so hard he felt it in the marrow of his bones; the intensity of the act was unbelievable, and his dragon was taking over as he prepared to claim his mate. He saw the wolf show itself, and he was stunning. In that instant, he dropped ready to pierce the tender flesh of Kai's shoulder and mark him for all time as the mate of the Dragon Knight. But the moment suddenly fragmented and was gone as Kai shifted and pulled away, denying Jude and his dragon refusing the bite, the mark, the mating.
Jude was stunned, devastated, and frozen in despair for what seemed like an eternity as he stared down at his mate, who was struggling to get away from him. He pushed up on his elbows and pulled out, moving back slightly while catching his breath and trying to take in the events of the last few seconds. He wanted to speak, but no words would form as he watched his mate grab his clothing and quickly and haphazardly get dressed.
"You deny me." He finally forced out, his tone flat and cold. It was the only way to keep from falling completely apart. His dragon was in a rage and wanted to force his mate to submit, but he couldn't allow that.
"I won't bind myself to you." Kai's words were harsh, but they held a tone of regret that Jude chose to ignore, nothing to be gained by holding onto hope in a hopeless situation. He watched Kai stand and move a few feet away from him as if deciding whether or not he needed to run again. Jude looked up at him from his crouched position, a look of cold betrayal in his vibrant green eyes.
"How long have you known?" He accused, and he saw Kai flinch a sure sign he'd been right. The answer didn't come immediately as Kai obviously struggled to find a proper response.
"Since our first meeting." He was honest at least Jude had to give him that much. Jude stood and tucked himself in and straightened his clothes before stepping past Kai and heading for the door. "I can't be bound to a dragon," Kai said as he rushed, trying to further his explanation and making the situation so much worse in the process.
Jude stopped at the door and turned back to regard him for a moment before stating in a deadly cold and decisive voice. “You won’t be.” He left and slammed the door behind him.
Kai stood there, unable to move or think as he considered everything that had just happened. The actions were his own, and yet he couldn't understand them. The connection he'd felt with Jude and the purity of the moment and the act were still tingling along his nerves, and yet he stood there desperate and alone as his mate walked away. This isn't how it was supposed to feel. The mate bond was a romantic myth, but then why was he dying inside.
His wolf had now retreated deep within his mind so despondent that Kai couldn’t even feel him anymore. The connection with his wolf was strained and cracking as the connection with his mate had been broken. The pain that shot through him was unbearable. He reached up and gripped the gold medallion hanging around his neck and jerked it off and threw it aside. He didn’t know what to do, he had to go and had to find out what this was he was feeling and why he hurt so damn fucking bad.
…
Jude walked to his vehicle like a man in a nightmare, unaware of his surroundings and even his own existence, just an empty shell moving through space. This was unthinkable, but it was real, and Kai did not want him, he did not want a dragon as his mate. He hid from him, ran from him, and in the end, denied him. The drive up the mountain was long, and the silence was so cruel. His mind returned again and again to replay the devastating words that ended his life as he knew it. So much joy and expectation snuffed out with a handful of words.
His mate had rejected him, had looked him in the eyes, and refused to bond with him. His dragon was quiet for the moment, in mourning for the loss of their mate. But he wouldn't stay that way, dragons didn't take loss well or quietly. He had to focus and get through the next few hours in order to prepare for what was to come. Never in his long life had he considered that his end would come like this and at the hands of his Fated mate, so quick and so final.
He was a Dragon Knight; he could hold it together long enough to ensure the safety of others, he told himself as he struggled to stay present. This was something that would affect the entire Circle, and for that, he was deeply sorry. His inability to garner the acceptance of his mate would cause the Circle to experience his loss from their number, and his brothers would feel it most acutely. But there was nothing to be done about it now, only prepare and get through it as best as everyone could.
…
Kai made it home, although his mind was a tumultuous mess full of thoughts and feelings and a crawling sense of panic that was invading every corner. His heart was demanding that he go to Jude and beg for him to come back, but that was impossible now. He'd made his choice, and Jude had left. He wouldn't come back; he would never come back.
He made his way up the steps to his porch and noticed he wasn't alone. He turned to the far end of the porch, and Alpha Jackman sat there with a drink regarding him speculatively. Kai
wanted to just hurry inside and hide his humiliation, but he was sure that the Alpha already knew what had happened.
"Come and sit with me, Kai." He said casually as if Kai's world hadn't just ended. Kai moved slowly, walking over and taking a seat to the Alpha's left. He didn't sit in front of him, he couldn't bear to have to look him in the eyes.
“Tell me what happened.” He said, again in that same casual tone. “I felt your pain.” He sipped his drink and waited as they sat there in the dark.
“I destroyed everything. My self-centered stupidity ruined it all.” Kai said and dropped his head to stare at the wooden planks of the porch. “I rejected my mate to his face, and he left me.”
“How are you going to fix it?” he asked as if Kai could answer that question.
"I don't know, I don't know how to fix it. He's gone; he knows that I hid the truth from him, and he believes that I don't want him. I pulled away and denied him as he was about to claim me. I picked the most horrible moment to tell him I wasn't ready to be claimed." Kai felt the emotion bubbling up and he refused to cry in front of his Alpha; that would be too much for a day that was already too much.
"That's serious, but perhaps not irreparable." The Alpha told him with a glance that said it all. "You rejected him at the moment of claiming, but the bonding would have already begun. I must be honest with you, there isn't much that is worse than that in the paranormal world." Alpha Jackman turned his head and looked out at the darkness before turning back to regard Kai with a solemn look of sympathy.
“Is it possible for you to go to him, talk to him and try to explain yourself? Your pain and regret are apparent, he will see that.” He suggested.
Kai shook his head. “He’s finished with me, cold and cut off. He wants nothing more to do with me. I have no excuse for what I did or how I’ve hurt him except years of believing the lies of my father. How do I even begin to explain myself?”
“I’m meeting with the Dragon King tomorrow; I’ll see if anything can be done.”
“Thank you, sir, but I know that nothing can be done.”
…
Jude pulled up close to the large garage near the back of the property. He couldn’t be around the others right now. He would go to the large clearing to the north and wait there. His dragon would become too unpredictable to trust inside the Gatehouse. The clearing would allow him space and cover to act out if things got bad. Duncan would come to him in the clearing.
It was nearing sunrise when Jude arrived at the clearing and seated himself in the center. Focusing his calm and control was the only thing keeping him from losing his tenuous hold on his dragon. Thoughts of Kai kept invading his mind, but he blocked them out, for now. Soon he wouldn't be able to, and that's when things would get bad.
He felt his King approaching before he heard him, and his presence brought Jude a modicum of relief. "I'm here, Duncan." He called out but did not move.
"Your dragon is raging, Jude." He commented as he came close and took a seat on the ground directly in front of Jude. Jude could feel several of his brothers in the surrounding area keeping watch. Their energy and support helped him center himself.
Jude explained the events of the evening as clear and concise as his shredded emotions would allow. Duncan listened and empathized. "Your dragon could force the issue. It doesn't have to be this way. It's not the most ideal of approaches, but at least you would live." Jude looked over at him and understood that to simply take Kai, against his will, was an option, but it was an option he could not take. Kai refused him from the very beginning, and he didn't have the right to force Kai into a relationship that he did not want.
Jude shook his head. "He hid himself from the very beginning, he hid from me. He knew I was his mate at our first meeting. It was why my dragon was so on edge and confused. The inhibitor he used suppressed the scent just enough that I could not detect it, but my dragon recognized him. I discovered the truth last night when I tasted his blood." Jude closed his eyes at the memory of last night and pushed hard on his dragon to keep him down. "He was never going to accept me, and I can't force him. The union would never be right or whole if I did."
"It surprises me that his wolf is not tearing him apart over this slight. Wolves can be as single-mindedly possessive and demanding as dragons at times." Duncan reached out and placed his hand on Jude's, obviously sensing the growing tension within him.
"His wolf was not the problem." Jude gave a half-grin. "His wolf adored me. It was the man who can't stand the sight of me."
"How do you wish to handle this, Jude?" Duncan asked, his usual stoicism slipping away and pain becoming evident in his expression as he dealt with his brother, his Knight, and one of his best friends.
"There are only two choices Duncan, and we both know that." He answered lightly as if his life did not hang in the balance. "Kill me or lock me away. A Dragon Knight out of control cannot be tolerated. The damage and death, and even the threat to our anonymity; you can't let it happen."
"I can't kill you; I won't kill you." For the first time in his life, Jude heard a tremble in his King's voice, and it shook him to his core. "There may still be a way out of this. As our birth father often told us, do not give up hope until all hope is gone and then pray for a miracle." Jude couldn't help the smile that touched his lips at the memory, but in his heart, he saw no escape. As each day passed, he would lose more and more of his humanity.
CHAPTER SEVEN
There were mountains to the North, the Grand Tetons they were called. They were tall, craggy spires with parts inaccessible to humans. It was determined that Jude would be held there cut off from civilization and guarded by a gatekeeper until such time there presented a solution.
The effect of Jude’s condition, his pain, and loss reverberated through the circle and the first to respond from outside the Gatehouse was Calum Keith, Chieftain of Clan Keith. He offered the King anything he needed in support of Jude and the Circle.
"I need a Dragon Knight, Calum," Duncan told him. "Jude is in isolation, and Grey has taken the position of GateKeeper to watch over his brother. There is no telling how long they will be gone, and I need to secure that the Circle is protected. Do you have a warrior who you would release, and who would accept a new life here as one of my Dragon Knights?"
"Alrick, my Second," Calum told him without hesitation. "He is my finest and my best friend, and he will serve you with honor."
“Thank you Calum, I will await his arrival.”
..
Kai watched as Alpha Jackman prepared for his meeting with the Dragon King. This was a stately meeting and as such, all protocol had to be met. The Alpha was in his trademark black suit, expensive, superbly cut, and the quality exquisite. Wolves were the one species of paranormal that had assimilated best within the human world and had taken on some of their tastes and decorum, including the love of fine clothing.
But they were still wolves, and tradition remained sacred as was evident in the ceremonial cloak he wore which had been handed down for centuries and generations. It was made of fine black wool edged with the fur of their ancestors and held the gold insignia of each past Premier or Alpha Prime as they had been known in the ancient times. Along with this, Alpha Jackman wore his own personal Alpha ring made of gold and depicting his own seal. At his passing, this ring would be pressed and attached to the cloak and passed to the next Alpha Premier.
He stood at the door of the cottage and looked back at Kai, where he sat and just held him in his gaze for a few moments. "Reach out with your mind and find him, Kai, try to touch him. Your bond has begun; there may be a connection strong enough for you to reach him with your mind."
"I can't feel my wolf. He's hiding from me. I have no access to our connection without him." Kai admitted sadly and knotted his hands together in his lap so overcome with grief that he just sat there, not making eye contact.
"Keep trying, don't give up." Was all the Alpha said as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Kai went deep and sear
ched for his wolf. The feeling of intense loss was unbelievable; never did he think the power of a mate was this extreme. The things his father said, the fear he instilled, the push to be shuttered, and unto himself were coming back to annihilate him from the inside out. His father never knew the effects of a true mate, if he had, he wouldn't have behaved as he did.
All these truths and revelations were coming to Kai at a time that they no longer held any value. The damage was done and irreversible. He moved out onto the front porch once the Alpha had left and tried to feel for his wolf, and finally, he sensed a stirring. It was vague, yet it was something. His wolf was pissed and resisting, but Kai vowed not to give up.
…
The Alpha was welcomed through the main doors that lead directly to the Dragon King’s throne room. It was a room reserved for ceremonies, rituals, celebrations, and varied acts of diplomacy along with anything that required a show of pomp and circumstance. It was adorned with rich fabrics, vibrant colors, jewels of the finest quality and saturation, gold, and precious metals. The floor was a hardwood polished to perfection, and at the far end of the room stood the throne of the Dragon King. It was not artful or beautiful, it was sturdy roughhewn steel of an age going back many millennia.
This throne was meant to intimidate not amaze the onlooker. Only a King, a Dragon King, could occupy such a fierce and terrifying edifice. The King sat upon it in his full regalia, looking just as fierce and deadly as the chair he sat upon. He wore a cloak of vibrant red trimmed in creamy white ermine. Across the front was a sash of golden, jewel-encrusted brocade and on his head, an intricate, although minimal golden crown. It set among the raven locks of hair that appeared almost iridescent in the light of the room harkening to what this man personified in case anyone forgot.
The Dragon Knights, Rafe, and Locke remained in the room with the King and the Alpha while several soldiers were posted outside the door. After the usual greetings and introductions, the meeting began in earnest.
Suffer The Knight: Dragon's Blood M.C. Page 6