by Stormy Glenn
That would be bad.
* * * *
Taylor felt like biting his nails by the time the prince stopped in front of large wooden door and then raised his hand to knock.
“Is he in there?” Taylor asked.
“He is.”
Taylor pulled his hand from Chase’s and opened the door, walking right in. He didn’t have to knock. Justin was his, and by golly he was going to gather his lover and take him home. He stopped short when he saw Justin talking with another man. And the man was sitting comfortably on the bed with his lover.
“What in the hell is going on in here?” Taylor shouted, heading straight for the bed. He was going to teach the stranger about trying to poach his lover. All Taylor saw was red as he glimpsed the surprised look on Justin’s face. His damn heart felt like it was being torn from his chest, but he wasn’t going to just walk away.
“Taylor, no!” Justin shouted as he jumped up. But before Taylor could get his hands on the guy flirting, or worse, with his mate, Chase grabbed him around his waist and hauled him off of his feet.
“Let me go!”
“It’s not what it looks like!” Justin screeched. “He says that he’s my brother.”
Taylor stilled. Damn, didn’t he feel like seven kinds of stupid? A thought suddenly hit Taylor, and he winced as he glanced around Chase to see the prince standing there with a murderous glare in his eyes.
Shit. This must be the prince’s mate.
“I…uh…sorry?” He cringed back when he heard a low growl rumpling in the prince’s chest. That wasn’t a good sign.
“He didn’t know,” Justin said as he pushed from the bed and walked over to the prince. “I swear Taylor didn’t know.”
Taylor watched as the prince’s features marginally relaxed, and then he dipped his head at Justin. “I will allow him this one time for his error.”
Thank fuck.
Taylor was so not looking forward to getting his throat ripped out. Danny scooted from the bed and walked over to the prince, staring up at him. Taylor had seen that look before. He had used it with Justin. The two were communicating silently. He just hoped they weren’t discussing his demise.
“What are you doing here?”
Taylor’s head snapped back around to Justin. Seriously? He wanted to know what they were doing there? “You left me,” Taylor ground out between his clenched teeth. Was there anything else to say?
“Taylor—” Justin nibbled on his lower lip and then glanced down at his hands as if they were the most important discovery in centuries. “You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t,” Taylor snapped. “I thought you loved me.”
Justin’s head snapped up. “I do love you.”
“Then why did you leave me?”
“I had to, Taylor. I wanted you to—” Justin’s lips pressed together as he glanced past Taylor. He seemed nervous, even to the point that he was twisting his fingers together until they turned white.
Taylor knew Justin was looking at Chase from the way his eyes kept darting away and then coming back to look beyond Taylor. He just couldn’t figure out why. What did Chase have to do with Justin leaving?
“You wanted what, Justin?” Taylor asked softly.
“I wanted”—Justin licked his lips—”I wanted you to be happy.”
“I was happy, Justin, with you.”
“But you weren’t safe!”
Taylor’s eyes bugged as realization of Justin’s motives suddenly hit him. “You left so that Chase and I would mate?”
Justin at least had the decency to flush and look away. But Taylor knew he was right in the conclusion he had come to. His lover, the man he had sacrificed so much for, had left him so that Chase would finally claim him.
Taylor didn’t know whether to be pissed that Justin had left him in the first place or thankful that his lover had cared enough to try and put Taylor’s happiness ahead of his own. He was overwhelmed by both emotions. But it did tick Taylor off to know that Justin could walk away so easily.
“Well, you got what you wanted then,” Taylor said, watching Justin’s face carefully for his reaction. He knew Justin wanted Chase just as much as he did, maybe even more so. The strength in Chase called to both of them, but the safety the wolf-shifter offered meant even more to Justin. “Chase claimed me last night.”
For a moment, Justin looked like he was going to cry. Tears welled up in his eyes and his face drained of color. But then he blinked rapidly until the tears were a distant memory and his lips thinned out.
“Well, good then,” Justin said. “He’ll take good care of you, Taylor.”
“And what about you, Justin?” Chase asked as he stepped up beside Taylor. “Who’s going to take care of you?”
“Oh…” A flat little smile moved across Justin’s lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be okay. I’m always okay. Besides”—Justin glanced at Danny and the prince—”it seems that I might have family here. Maybe I’ll just stick around and get to know them.”
“You are, of course, welcome to stay here, Justin,” the prince said. “For as long as you like.”
“Thank you, I—”
“And us, prince?” Chase asked, interrupting Justin as he turned to face the prince. “Are we welcome as well?”
The prince tilted his head, arching one dark eyebrow. “You wish to stay in a vampire coven?”
Chase smirked, a look that Taylor found vastly amusing. “I’d stay in hell to be near my mate.”
“Wait!” Justin said as he quickly stepped between the two men. He looked up at Chase like the man had lost his mind. Taylor wasn’t so sure he hadn’t. “You want to stay in a vampire coven? I thought wolf-shifters and vampires didn’t like each other.”
Chase stroked his fingers over the side of Justin’s face. “I like you.”
Justin’s eyebrows shot up, peeking near his hairline. “Since when?” Justin snapped, and Taylor could see the first glint of anger form in Justin’s green eyes. He knew that look well, and it did not bode well for Chase. “The last I remember, you didn’t want anything to do with either me or Taylor.”
“Things change, Justin.”
“Uh-uh.” Justin shook his head rapidly, stepping back from Chase. “Not that fast, they don’t.”
Chase looked grim as he watched Justin back away from him. “There are things at work here that you do not understand, Justin.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” Justin spit out. “I’m not buying whatever you’re trying to sell, Chase.” Justin waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “You can leave”—his eyes shot to Taylor—”and take your mate with you.”
Chapter 9
Justin felt like his heart was being torn from his chest. There was actually pain in his chest. He had the absurd need to rub his chest and make the ache go away, but he didn’t think it would help.
Chase had claimed Taylor, just as Justin had planned. Only, he didn’t realize how much it would hurt to witness the bond between the two men until he saw it for himself. It was like an invisible thread between them, one that vibrated with life. Justin was pretty sure if he reached out with his hand, he could actually feel the link between Chase and Taylor.
It seemed his plan had worked a little too well. The only problem with his plan was that Justin hadn’t thought he would actually see the happily mated couple standing in front of him.
Of course, he was happy for Taylor. His lover had worked so hard to keep Justin safe over the years. He deserved a bit of happiness. Maybe with Chase by his side, those that had turned their noses up at Taylor wouldn’t do so any more.
But, despite all of that, Justin still couldn’t help but feel sorry for himself. His fantasies of having both his lover and his mate at his side would forever have to remain fantasies. Whether he had diabetes or was a vampire, he didn’t fit into their lives.
And that left him with only himself to depend on.
Justin sighed and turned away as Taylor moved close
r to Chase. He knew the two men would be happy together, and that was all he wanted for them. He just wished there had been some way that he could have been included in that little circle of two.
A loud, very unmanly yelp burst from Justin’s lips when he was suddenly grabbed and swung around. His eyes widened, a sliver of fear shooting through him when he was grabbed by his arms and shaken.
“I’m getting damn tired of not being consulted when you decide something that changes my life, Justin.” Chase gave Justin another shake, one hard enough to make his teeth rattle. “I was trying to save both you and Taylor, trying to keep you safe, but your actions changed that and now I will not be tossed away like I do not matter.”
“Chase, wha—aahhh!” Justin screamed as Chase fisted Justin’s hair, jerked his head to one side, and leaned forward to sink his teeth into Justin’s throat. The sharp pain was instantaneous, but so was the pleasure that washed away the pain of Chase’s teeth sinking into his flesh.
Justin went from scared and confused to hornier than he had ever been in his life in a split second. He wouldn’t have known what to do if he hadn’t felt Chase’s leg push between his thighs, pressing against the unbelievably hard cock he suddenly had.
Justin groaned and started thrusting his hips forward, riding Chase’s leg like his very life depended on it. And it just might. He felt like his head was going to spin right off of his shoulders as pleasure swamped him. He shuddered as his cock felt like it suddenly exploded, shooting cum all over the inside of his pants.
He felt Chase’s arms tighten around him as his body melted, becoming almost liquid. Justin buried his face in Chase’s shirt, refusing to look at the other people in the room. He was so fucking embarrassed. He had come in his pants with a room full of people staring at him. He’d never be able to look any of them in the face again.
Justin even refused to look up when he felt Chase withdraw his teeth and lick at the new bite mark on his neck.
“Mine,” Chase growled in his ear as he slowly raised his head.
Justin gulped.
There was no denying it now, no matter how much he wanted to pretend it had never happened or how much he wanted to jump for joy that Chase had finally claimed him. Both emotions were fighting each other inside of Justin, and he didn’t know which one to go with first.
Chase grabbing his jaw and tilting his head back decided it for him.
“You are mine now, Justin.” Chase’s voice hardened ruthlessly. “Just like Taylor is, and I am not giving either of you up.”
Justin couldn’t have said a word if his life depended on it. He had spent months waiting for Chase to claim him and Taylor, wondering what was wrong with them that their mate avoided them so much.
And then he had come to the conclusion that it was his sickness that was keeping Chase from claiming him. Even though it broke his heart to do so, Justin had walked away so that Taylor would have a chance at happiness.
And it had all been for nothing.
Chase was here and Taylor was here, and everyone was claimed. What had all of his heartache been for?
Justin’s eyes widened as he inhaled sharply and pushed away from Chase. As he glanced around the room, realization suddenly filled him. There was a part of him, a small part, that hated Chase in that moment.
“You claimed me because you think I’m a vampire, didn’t you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Justin,” Chase replied sharply. “I claimed you because you are my mate.”
“I was your mate before,” Justin whispered, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that Chase was lying through his teeth. “But I was sick before. Now I’m a vampire, so that makes it more acceptable to claim me, doesn’t it?”
Chase grimaced as if he didn’t want to admit to what Justin already knew. “I’ll give you that you being a vampire instead of sick makes things a little easier, but—”
Justin tuned out the rest of Chase’s response as he turned away. He didn’t want to hear anything else the man had to say. He had heard enough. He always knew that Chase had never claimed him because he was sick, but to have it thrown into his face so blatantly hurt far worse than Justin thought it would.
In that moment, he almost wished that the Teacher had killed him as he had threatened to do so many times. Taylor didn’t even know about the nightmare Justin had lived through on a daily basis, the threat of death hanging over his head if he even considered stepping out of line or not obeying the Teacher. Justin had never wanted Taylor to know, so he kept that horror secret.
Justin knew how much Taylor had given up to keep him safe. If he ever knew that the Teacher was telling him one thing, and making deals with Taylor, and then turning around and threatening Justin, Taylor would have lost his mind.
Now, it just didn’t seem to matter. Nothing did. Whether he was sick or a vampire, he still wasn’t really wanted. Sure, Taylor wanted him, but Justin often wondered if it was a love of convenience. Taylor was so used to caring for him, protecting him, that Justin didn’t think Taylor knew how to do anything else.
That was why he had wanted Chase to claim Taylor. He knew, once Taylor belonged to Chase, that both men would find happiness together. They were both strong men with a deep need to protect those that they cared about. They were more alike than either of them wanted to admit. They were perfect for each other.
And, vampire or diabetic, Justin knew he just didn’t fit into their perfect little world. No matter what he was, he was different from them. His needs may have changed a bit if he was indeed a vampire, but he still had them. He would need blood instead of insulin. His diet would have to be carefully watched just like before. Justin didn’t even want to think about the whole garlic and no sunlight thing.
He was already a freak.
Justin turned and looked over at Danny and his mate, avoiding Taylor and Chase, who he could see staring at him with twin expressions of exasperation on their faces. “Is there somewhere that I can lie down? I’m feeling rather tired at the moment.”
The prince frowned as his eyes danced between Justin, Taylor, and Chase, and then back to Justin. He sighed deeply as Danny nudged him with his elbow, glaring down at his mate for a brief moment.
“I told you that you could stay as long as you wished, Justin. Please consider this your room for as long as you want it.”
Justin glanced at Taylor and Chase out of the corner of his eyes. “Somewhere private?”
Dominic’s eyes cut to Chase and Taylor, and then he frowned. “I suppose that can be arranged.”
“No, it cannot!” Taylor shouted as he rushed across the room to grab Justin’s arm and swung him around. He started jabbing his finger at Justin, his nostrils flaring with anger. “I don’t know what in the hell is wrong with you, Justin, but enough is enough. I didn’t go through all of that shit with the Teacher just to give you up because you have a fucking stick up your ass.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Justin pushed away from Taylor, feeling like the man was jumping up and down on the last thread holding his nerves together. Too much more, and he would be a blithering idiot.
“Damn it, Justin.” Taylor’s fists clenched at his sides.
“Vampire or diabetic doesn’t matter, Justin,” Chase said. “I’ve already claimed you. There is no going back now.”
Justin’s shoulders slumped. He walked over and sat down on the side of the bed, staring down at his hands. He refused to look up when someone sat beside him and the bed dipped. He knew it was Chase from the faded color of his denim jeans. Taylor was wearing dark denim jeans.
“Is being mated to me so bad, Justin?” Chase asked.
“No, but…” Justin just didn’t have an answer for Chase, not now.
“I thought you wanted to be my mate.”
“I did, but…” Again, Justin didn’t have an answer. It seemed like everything he wanted was mixed up with everything he had given up. He just didn’t know what the right answer was, or even if there was one. “Y
ou don’t understand.”
Justin instantly realized what he had said and how it might have sounded when Taylor started snickering. He rolled his eyes and then raised his head to glare at Taylor. The man quickly pressed his lips and then covered his mouth with his hand. It didn’t make Justin feel any better.
Neither did Chase’s response.
“So, explain it to me.”
Justin shot Chase a deadpan look. “You first.”
* * * *
Chase dreaded this moment and had prayed that it would never come. But here it was, and he had no way out of it. If he wanted Justin to understand that it hadn’t been his sickness that kept him away, Chase had some explaining to do.
“Would you excuse us?” Chase asked the prince and his mate.
He watched as the prince nodded and the two men left the room, leaving only Taylor and Justin to hear what Chase never wanted anyone to know, what he had only shared with a few men in his entire life.
He ran his hand down his face, glancing up at the ceiling as the memories began to fill his mind. “I’m a mercenary, or was.” Yeah, that was straight to the point. It was the best way Chase could think of to start the conversation off.
“Like ‘gun for hire’ kind of mercenary?” Taylor asked as he sat on the carpeted floor in front of Chase and Justin.
As badly as he wanted to say no, Chase wouldn’t lie to his mates. He just prayed they didn’t hate him when all of this was over. “Yes.”
“Wow,” Justin breathed out slowly.
Chase wasn’t sure if that was a good wow or bad wow. “A few years back a man approached me. He said I had a special talent that he could put to good use.”
“So you just went?” Justin asked, seeming enthralled with what Chase was revealing to is mates. Maybe he didn’t truly understand what Chase was saying.