“Didn’t your Pops tell you not to eat with your mouth full?” Ale said, grinning.
“Meh, he’s not here.”
“Which I’m grateful for considering the noises you were making last night.” Ale arched a brow and grinned again when Troy blushed.
“Your tongue…” Troy’s blush deepened.
“It does seem to like certain parts of your body.” Ale winked and Troy almost choked on the food he was eating.
“God, stop. Please.”
Laughing, Ale kissed him. “Okay. Eat up. We need to go shopping. When do you have to go back to college?”
“Er, several days ago?”
“Are you going to miss too much?” The last thing Ale wanted was for Troy to fall behind.
“No, I’m up to date with all my assignments and I’ve been able to do some here, but I need to be back for Monday.”
“So, we have three more days together. We definitely need to buy more food then. Eat up and then we can go grocery shopping. Wanna go hiking after?”
Troy nodded while stuffing his mouth full of more food. Ale furrowed his brow, shaking his head as he watched Troy eat. He had no idea where he put all the food he ate.
After they’d finished eating and had a shower, which naturally led to lots of naughty fun, they got into Ale’s truck and drove to the nearest grocery shops. Ale couldn’t help but grin at the look on Troy’s face. He was happy, and not only could Ale see it, he could feel it too. He’d spent so much time and effort trying to ignore the connection and Troy’s emotions to fully appreciate it.
He reached over and held Troy’s hand, smiling when he felt Troy squeeze it. He didn’t need to say anything, the bond, their connection did all the speaking for him.
When they pulled up outside the grocery store, they both got out and walked over. The limo parked at the side of the store caused Ale to furrow his brow. It was out of place, but he shrugged off his feelings and followed Troy inside.
He shivered when the cold air hit his skin and rubbed his arms as he scanned the shelves. Ale walked down the aisle, grabbing what they needed, and when he had everything, he turned to look for Troy but couldn’t find him.
Furrowing his brow, he checked all the aisles, but Troy was nowhere to be seen.
Troy. Where are you?
Getting no response, he tried again. Maybe he’d done it wrong.
Troy.
There was still no response and Ale walked outside quickly searching the area.
Troy.
Oh fuck, Ale. Graham.
It was faint, but it was definitely Troy.
Where are you? Ale asked, rubbing his head as pain radiated through it.
Whatever Troy was going to say faded out and Ale sucked in a lungful of air. He broke out in a sweat and then he felt it. Fear. Not his, but Troy’s.
Troy.
Nothing.
Troy!
Still nothing. Grabbing his cell from his pocket he quickly dialed Troy’s number. When he heard ringing, he spun in a circle until he saw it. Troy’s cell phone was on the floor between the gas pumps.
He lowered his slowly, walking over to the cell and squatting next to it, watching the screen darken. He picked it up and checked it over then pocketed it.
He didn’t know who Graham was, but he knew who would.
Ale paced the area as he waited for Chester to answer.
“Ale. What’s-”
“Who is Graham?” Ale interrupted.
“Graham. I’m not… hang on.” Ale could hear muffled voices then Chester came back on the line. “Graham is Troy’s grandfather. Why are you asking?”
“Troy’s gone, but he contacted me telepathically. All he said was Graham, then he kinda faded away.”
“Shit. Graham has him?”
“His cell was on the ground outside the store we stopped at. Why would he want Troy? I thought Troy had nothing to do with them?”
“He thinks Troy should be with him, learning how to be a true vampire. Look, where are you?”
Ale gave Chester the directions, and asked, “Is he in any danger?”
“I don’t know. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Ale dropped the cell to his side when Chester hung up. Why would Graham want Troy now? What was going to do with his mate?
❊❊❊
Troy sat in the back of the limo staring out of the window. His head hurt from trying to reach out to Ale. At least he’d been able to pass on some sort of message to him.
“I’ve been trying to talk to you for some time, Troy.”
Troy turned to look at the vampire sat next to him, trying to see Tina in him. He was her father after all. This vampire was his grandfather.
“You could have just called.”
“Silas won’t let me speak to you, so I had to resort to this,” Graham spat the word out. “Pathetic human.”
“That pathetic human is my father.”
“We need to arrange your education, Troy. You need to learn what it is to be the member of a superior species.”
Troy’s eyebrows shot up and he stared incredulously at Graham. “What the actual… superior species? Where the fuck did you come up with that shit from?”
Troy’s head shot to the side from the blow Graham gave him. “You will watch what you say to me, Troy. I have no problem punishing you.”
Troy touched his jaw, feeling the pain blossom under his fingers. “Stop the car now.”
“It’s a limousine, and no, I won’t. You will learn your place, Troy, or I’ll force you to. Do you understand me?”
Troy swallowed when he saw the red in Graham’s eyes and nodded slowly. The last thing he wanted was for Graham to lose his shit in the limo. Troy didn’t know him, didn’t know what he was capable of.
Graham was someone he’d heard of but had never actually spent any time with. He knew Graham had refused to speak to Tina after she had married his pops, and now, he was sat in this long black dick extension of a car going fuck knows where.
“You’ll like living with other vampires, Troy. It will teach you everything you need to know about us as a species. We are stronger, faster, our senses are far more superior to those humans you’ve been forced to spend time with, but don’t worry, Troy, we’ll fix all of that.”
“Where are we going, Graham?”
Troy winced when another blow landed. What was up with this dick?
“I am your grandfather and you will address me as such, and to answer your question, we are going home. To my estate.”
“Estate?”
Graham glanced at him, waiting.
“Grandfather,” Troy added through gritted teeth.
“Better, but still not good enough.”
Troy shot backward and Graham grinned maliciously at him. “You will learn to obey me, Troy. I think we’ll change your name. So—” Graham waved his hand in the air, the disdain evident in his voice “—American.”
“I kinda like my name, Grandfather, and Ti- mother chose it for me.”
“Against my wishes, George.”
“George?”
Graham nodded. “Much better than Troy.”
Troy stared incredulously at Graham. “I would prefer Troy, please, Grandfather.” He knew he had to speak respectfully or suffer the consequences. He already knew that Graham had no problem hitting him.
“I’ve made my decision, George.”
Troy sat in silence and stared out of the window. If only he had his cell on him, but he knew that wouldn’t help. He needed to try to contact Ale again even if it meant one nasty ass headache.
Ale.
Troy winced and rubbed his forehead. Why hadn’t they practiced this when they were together?
Troy, where are you?
Going to Graham’s estate.
Troy broke off as the pounding in his head worsened.
“It won’t be long till we arrive and you can start your new life, George. I’m looking forward to showing you how we plan to take over and r
ule this planet the way we should be.”
Troy gaped at Graham. “Are you fucking insane?”
The blow caused his head to bounce off the window frame and he groaned as pain ricocheted through his face and head.
“It looks like I’m going to have to teach you some manners, George.” Graham sat back in his seat and shook his head. “It’s no surprise that human didn’t. He let you run wild and do whatever you wanted, but no more. You will learn our ways and take your rightful place.”
Troy held his face in his hands feeling the blood trickle from the cut in his eyebrow. A tissue appeared in front of him and when he reached for it, Graham grabbed his hand. Slowly, Troy raised his eyes to Graham’s and gulped when he saw the red in them.
Graham pulled him closer and grabbed his jaw, twisting his head closer to him. Troy shuddered when he felt Graham’s tongue lick over the cut, and as soon as Graham released him, he moved as far away as he could.
As they drew closer to Graham’s estate, Troy was certain of one thing: he was never going to be like Graham. Never.
Chapter Fifteen
Ale gripped the sides of his head when Troy’s voice faded out.
“You need to practice more,” Chester told him.
“Graham’s estate,” Ale muttered, breathing deeply.
“That fucker! He has nothing to do with Troy for years and he thinks he can turn up and take my son away from me? I’m going to break the motherfucker’s neck!”
Chester grabbed Silas by the shoulders. “Troy is our priority. We get him first and then you can have Graham.”
“I want him,” Silas said through gritted teeth. “He touched my son, Chester. The fucker’s gonna pay.” Silas spun around and glared at Ale. “And you—” He pointed his finger at him— “I’ll speak to you later.”
“I’m sorry, Silas. I never thought this Graham would come after Troy.”
“Not that. You’ve been having sex with my son!”
“We’re mates, Silas. I love him.”
Silas worked his jaw from side to side. “You love him, do you? Where have you been all those months after you mated with him? Nowhere! You left him to cope with all this shit on his own and now you love him? Fuck you, Ale.”
“Silas, this isn’t helping us.”
Silas stormed across the parking lot, stopping by Ale’s truck. Ale could see his shoulders moving with every breath he took. “He gonna be okay?” he asked Chester.
“Give him a few minutes. This hasn’t been easy on him. Troy’s his son and he wasn’t expecting any of this for a few more years.”
Ale sighed and stood waiting next to Chester. About five minutes later, another truck pulled up and Jared, Donnie and Miguel got out.
“What’s the situation?” Donnie asked when they approached.
“Looks like Graham has taken Troy back to the family estate. Silas will know more about that than me.”
“Graham?” Miguel asked.
“Troy’s grandfather. He hasn’t shown any interest in Troy. He turned up once, not long after me and Silas mated, but nothing since.”
“And now this?” Miguel frowned. “Why now then?”
“That’s the question.”
“Er, look, guys, you should know something,” Ale muttered. Sighing, he added, “I’m mated to Troy.”
Donnie’s mouth fell open as Jared chuckled, shaking his head. Miguel stared blankly at him.
“You’re funny, man.” Jared said, grinning. When he saw the look on Ale’s face, his grin faded. “Seriously? You’re mated to Troy?” When Ale nodded, he asked, “Since when? Why haven’t you told us? Shit, Troy’s a kid!”
“And that’s the reason why. He’s young and we were both drunk when it happened.”
“The barbecue before he left for college,” Donnie said. “You were different later and Troy disappeared.”
“Okay, we can sort it out later, but right now, we need to get Troy back,” Miguel said. “What’s the plan?”
“He’s at the estate. Silas knows where it is. We’re going there to bring Troy home and deal with Graham.”
“I’ve gotta ask, but did he go willingly?” Miguel asked Ale.
“I don’t think so. His cell was on the ground and he tried to tell me where he was going.”
“Tell you?” Donnie pointed to his head.
“Yeah. Hurts.”
“It’ll get easier.”
Silas walked over to join, and after glaring at Ale, said, “We’re an hour away from Graham’s place. He believes vampires should be in charge and that humans are cattle.”
“Wow, that’s really gonna work. What a dick,” Donnie said, shaking his head. “I can see humans following along with that. Jeremy would punch me and tell me to go fuck myself if I tried any of that shit on him.”
Jared chuckled. “Yeah, Sacha would just shake his head. He tells me it’s hard enough with me in the house.”
“So,” Ale interrupted. “Let’s go and get my mate.”
“My son.”
“Silas, please. We can sort this out later.” Silas growled at Ale and walked away, flipping Ale off over his shoulder. “I thought you said you’d talk to him.”
Chester grimaced. “It’s not going too well.”
“No shit, C. I think we all got that,” Donnie muttered.
“Well, I’m not riding with him,” Miguel muttered before walking over to the other truck.
Jared waved, gave them all a smirk and followed Miguel with Donnie trailing after.
“Great. So, it’s me. You and the man that wants to kill me. Thanks, Chester. Totally awesome.”
“Totally?” Chester snorted. “Come on, let’s go and get my son… and your mate.”
❊❊❊
Troy stared at the mansion as the limo pulled up outside. It was huge! Like the ones he’d seen on TV. Graham sat waiting until the door opened and left Troy in the car. Snorting, Troy got out and stood staring at the place.
“Come on, George. Time to meet everyone and begin your education.”
Troy rolled his eyes and followed Graham up the steps that led into the mansion. Once inside, he stared at all the marble. Marble floors, expensive paintings hung from walls, vases on pedestals, and a huge staircase leading straight up to the next floor.
Servants came over, helping Graham to take his coat off, and Graham waved a hand at Troy to follow him to a doorway on the left of the grand foyer.
Walking behind him, Troy suddenly stopped at the doorway when he saw inside the room. A young naked man, no, a male vampire, knelt on the floor with his wrist raised in the air.
Graham sat on the sofa next to him and took the wrist, biting into it, and began to feed. The young man flinched along with Troy.
“What are you doing?” Troy asked, even though it was plainly obvious.
He looked the vampire over, seeing the dirt, bruises, and healing bite marks. He was skinny, clearly undernourished.
Graham paused feeding and threw an irritated look in Troy’s direction. “What does it look like, George?”
“Is he your mate?”
Graham scoffed. “Of course, he isn’t. He’s a blood slave. I bought him six months ago. We all enjoy him.”
“You all enjoy him? So, there are more vampires here?”
“And the human blood slaves that feed us. This is the way it should be.”
“So why is he a blood slave? He’s a vampire?”
“His father sold him to me. We enjoy everything he has to offer.”
Troy swallowed hard at the hidden implication. “Everything?”
Graham sighed and dropped the wrist. Twisting on the sofa, he patted a spot next to him. “Sit here, George. I can see you need education more than I had thought. Jacques was sold to me by his family. They didn’t want him because he took up with a human. A male human. So now he feeds us and satisfies a few of the vampires here who like to have sex with males as well as females.”
“And he gives you permission to do these thing
s to him?”
Graham stared at Troy and then laughed. “Of course not, George. I own him, like all the other blood slaves.” He leaned forward and patted Troy’s cheek. “Give it time, George. You’ll learn.”
The door opened, and Graham glanced over and then nodded. He stood and brushed off his slacks then said to Troy, “I have to attend a meeting. Enjoy Jacques here, his blood is exquisite.”
Troy watched Graham leave, and once the door closed, he stood and stared around the room, looking for a phone. Jacques didn’t move from his position on the floor as Troy searched, and eventually Troy squatted in front of him and asked, “Where’s the phone?”
Jacques didn’t look up but pointed to a side board that Troy had somehow missed. He jogged up to it, but before he picked it up, Jacques spoke.
“You can’t ring outside. You need the code.”
“Fuck! I need to call my…” Troy stopped and looked at Jacques. The long blond hair and startling green eyes that stared at him. Swallowing, he asked, “Do you want to leave here? Do you want to be free?”
Jacques nodded, a sob escaping. “Yes,” he whispered.
“I need a phone or a cell or…”
“Or?”
“My mate,” Troy whispered.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on Ale, trying to bridge the distance between them. When he thought they had it, he spoke to him.
Ale
Troy. Where are you?
Graham’s estate. Pops knows where. He has blood slaves.
What?
Sorry. Gotta stop. Hurts.
We’re on our way. Love you.
Troy winced and rubbed his head, the sudden pounding making him want to vomit. He collapsed on the sofa, breathing harshly, waiting for the pain to subside.
“Are you okay, George?”
“Troy. My name’s Troy, but he doesn’t like it.”
Jacques nodded. “He doesn’t like a lot of things.”
“Where are the others held?”
“Basement.”
Troy nodded and stared out of the window. No wonder Tina had been the way she was. Growing up here, with this?
“My dad’s the local sheriff,” he muttered.
“Can he help us?” Jacques asked, hope evident in his eyes.
Mine to Keep Page 9