A Mate for Gideon (The Program Book 2)

by Hartnady, Charlene

  “If you’re going to insist…like others I know.” Allison looked pointedly at Gideon. “You’ll need to get in line.” She gestured to the seat next to him.

  “All I need is five minutes.” Gideon couldn’t help but to growl, he felt his muscles bunch, and his hands fist on his lap. York gave him the once over and raised his brows.

  Allison shook her head. “No can do. That goes for the both of you…” Her gaze moved back to York. “Come back in”—she typed on the keyboard, her face illuminated by the computer screen—“three days. He has a half hour slot at—”

  “Forget it,” Gideon growled. “I’ll sit right here until he sees me…in fact…” He rose to his feet. He was fucking done with waiting. “I’ll go and talk with Zane.” The male was his direct superior and much more reasonable. He should’ve saved himself the hassle and talked to him a long time ago.

  York’s nostrils flared nosily as they passed one another. His face took on a quizzical look. Gideon clenched his teeth. It was none of York’s business. “Don’t even go there. It’s not what you think.”

  York put his hands up. “I didn’t say a thing. It’s none of my business.”

  “Damn straight it’s not…” Gideon took a step towards the door.

  “What the fuck are the two of you doing here? You…” Brant half snarled the word as his eyes narrowed on him. “Fuck, Gideon…I gave you my answer yesterday. It’s not going it happen. Rules are rules. My answer is still no, so unless you are here for something else I suggest you leave.”

  His king was a mind reader. Then again, they did have carefully planned out meetings to discuss security surrounding the program. The only time they met outside of these meetings was in the case of an incident. It made sense that Brant would guess the reason he was there.

  Gideon’s jaw tensed, along with every other muscle in his body. “I was just going.” His voice was low and only just shy of a growl. Taking long, fast strides, he left the room before he said or did something that he would regret.

  He had never felt more out of control or more helpless in his whole life.

  Zane was exactly where he expected him to be at this time of the day. On the training grounds, carrying out inspections of the various practices.

  His king stood, arms folded, watching two males battle it out with swords. Both males were covered in blood. One of the two had a slice across his forehead. As Gideon watched, the wound seemed to become less deep, less wide.

  They used steel swords for such sparring sessions to avoid major injury or death. Gideon put his hand on his chest. His skin still pulled a little over the bullet wound but other than a small pink scar, there was nothing left to see. Within the next few hours, even that would be gone.

  He moved in next to Zane, who glanced across at him. The big male’s nostrils flared, then he turned back to the fight. The only male that had actually assumed the worst, was York and only because he too had been fooling around with a human female. Everyone else assumed that he reeked of human female because he spent so much time with them…protecting them.

  Gideon had seen the reports showing how York signed himself in and out of vampire territory, sometimes more than once a day. He would disappear for hours on end. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess exactly where he was going.

  Funny how guilty minds always assumed the worst. York was as guilty as fuck. He was also a male on a mission. Hopefully he would have more luck than what he had, had. Although he couldn’t keep facts away from Brant, he told the male as little as possible, not wanting to get York into trouble. Not when he could completely relate.

  “I need to have a word, my lord.” Gideon glanced at Zane, his eyes were still fixed on the fight. Things were heating up. One of the males had practically hacked the other one’s arm off. It hung from a piece of flesh. He commended the wounded male’s bravery. The youngster had yet to scream, run or forfeit the bout. His arm useless at his side, he soldiered on. His jaw was set in determination.

  “I thought you were here to select a few new recruits. We have a couple of males that would work perfectly in your division.” He nodded towards the brave fighter. The youngster grunted as his bigger opponent stabbed him in the stomach. He fell to one knee, but still refuse to give up.

  “I’m not here on business. I need to speak with you about a private matter. I would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time.”

  Zane turned his full attention on him. Dark, penetrating eyes bore into him. “Private? This would be a first.” Zane gave a jerk of the head to indicate affirmation. He turned and strolled away, expecting Gideon to follow.

  On one knee, bleeding profusely, arm still hanging, the youngster lunged up with his sword slashing the femoral artery of his opponent. Blood sprayed. The other male shrieked trying to staunch the flow. It was an immediate victory to the brave youngster who fell on his side, exhaustion clearly setting in.

  “Come and see me tomorrow.” Gideon said as he looked down at the youngster who managed a bloody grin.

  The male nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

  Gideon turned and followed Zane who was already exiting the training grounds, headed for a walkway that led to the lake. This way they would have some much needed privacy.

  Gideon broke into a jog, quickly catching up with his king. They walked in silence for a few minutes.

  “Right, what’s going on? Does this have something to do with the human females?” Zane’s eyes narrowed. “Brant and I do talk. He told me that you spoke with him yesterday. I can only guess that this has something to do with a female.” The male sighed.

  “Yes, my lord.” Gideon was sure to maintain eye contact while he spoke. “That would be correct.”

  Zane’s eyes seemed to darken. He looked to the lake for a few seconds before turning back to Gideon. “My hands are tied. There is nothing I can do to help you. You need to take Brant’s advice and stay the fuck away from her.”

  Gideon sucked in a deep breath. “It’s more complicated than that. I love her.”

  Zane frowned, his nostrils flared again. “You are willing to risk everything for a female without first testing compatibility? That’s fucking insane and you know it. I realize that there is a good chance that if you are sufficiently attracted to one another, that you will be compatible. There is a risk though.”

  He needed to come clean. It might buy him time in the dungeon or a hundred fucking lashings, but it was worth it. “We are compatible,” Gideon growled. “Very fucking compatible.”

  Zane smiled. “Even if you used human coverings, I would still be able to scent if you rutted her. You did not.” His frown deepened. “Why are you lying to me about this?”

  “Before I can answer the question, I need to understand what it is that you are asking? What is a human covering?” He felt himself frown.

  “Humans are strange.” A low rumble emerged from deep in his chest. “They use a rubber covering over their dicks to prevent seed from entering the female and to prevent the spreading of disease. I am very glad that we are able to scent when a female goes into heat, making these coverings unnecessary. I would hate for my dick to be covered during sex.”

  Gideon shook his head. “Oh, you mean condoms. No…it would be terrible. To not be able to feel my female’s warm…” He cleared his throat. “I have tested compatibility and have rutted with this female on many occasions but not since she’s been on our soil.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? How is that possible?” Zane growled. “And it better not mean what I think it does.” Then he took a deep breath and unclenched his fists, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “About a year and half ago…”

  Zane cursed and shook his head. With a stoney expression on his face, he gestured for Gideon to continue. “Brant and I had a big fall out. I was the best trainee at the time and had applied to be accepted into the elite team. A lesser male was awarded the position. Brant said that I was too rigid, that I failed to think outside the
box and for that reason my application was declined. He told me to try again in a few months” Gideon could still remember the bitter disappointment. The anger that burned holes in him. He couldn’t go on training day by day, taking orders from Brant and his superiors without feeling cheated. The male that was awarded the position immediately became one of his commanders. It sucked big time. He got into fights all the time.

  “I was angry.” He finally said, downplaying his emotional state by a mile. “I ended up packing my bags and leaving. I went to reside in Sweetwater. I stayed at the local hotel. I wasn’t really sure what to do. There was a part of me that wanted to leave and never come back and a bigger part that loved my species too damn much to turn my back on them.” He huffed out a breath. “The problem was, I couldn’t go back. I didn’t want to at that stage. So, I hung out in Sweetwater. I met Jenna within a week of my being there. She drew me in like no female ever had or has since.”

  “Fuck,” Zane declared, in an even tone. Thankfully he didn’t look nearly as angry as Gideon had expected. Brant would’ve had his nuts by now. He didn’t say anything further, just kept his eyes on Gideon waiting for him to continue.

  “We were together for seven weeks. It was serious, Zane. I saw her as my mate. I loved her…I never stopped loving her.”

  “This is fucking serious,” Zane growled. “I take it you left because a relationship would’ve been forbidden…still fucking is.”

  Gideon shook his head. “No, I had planned to meet with Brant. To make him somehow understand. Failing that, I would’ve left our species for good. Lived out the rest of my days with my female…with Jenna. We would’ve been happy.” Gideon thought back on all the time they had spent together. All the special moments they had shared.

  Zane sighed loudly. “What happened?” He finally prompted, bringing Gideon back from his thoughts.

  “I found out that she was already mated…or had been mated. It’s complicated.” He sucked in a deep breath. “She was still mated when we first started seeing each other.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” Zane ground out. “And you still want this female…why?”

  “She and the male had gone their separate ways prior to our meeting. I did not understand at the time that this was normal for humans. They were in the process of cutting ties. The legal paperwork was being processed. I thought that she was cheating on him with me. I felt that she must be highly deceptive, a female with no honor. She tried to explain to me the normality of the situation…I did not understand human terms back then. I was too hurt to hear her out.”

  Zane nodded. “Yes, they are different to us in this regard. We have several females within the program that were previously mated.” He shrugged. “Tanya has explained this in great detail…I am starting to gain some understanding. It is strange to me as well.”

  “I should’ve listened to her when she tried to explain. I was just too hurt. Too angry. It was months before I finally realized that I had made a grave mistake. Nine long months without the female that I loved. Without my mate. I was unable to move on or to even look at another female. I decided to go back, to try and see if we could make it work. To try and understand this concept of broken matings amongst the humans. Being without her was just too difficult. I was sure that she felt the same way.”

  Zane took a step towards him, his brows were raised. “And? I take it that it didn’t work out very well considering you are only approaching us now with this. Could you not find her? Had she moved away?” Gideon had never seen Zane this animated.

  Gideon ran a hand through his hair. “She was with another male…pregnant with his baby.”

  Zane’s jaw clenched. His eyes became as dark as a midnight, moonless night. “Why are you wasting your time on a female like this?”

  Gideon clenched his hands at his sides reminding himself that this was a normal reaction. Very much in line with his own. “Again, in this, humans can be different from us. Where I struggled to even look at another female, it was easier for Jenna to try and get over me by being with another male. I believe the term is called a rebound fuck. She only planned on seeing him a few times. Unfortunately, the male took advantage of her weakened state. She was greatly hurt when I left. He took over her life, alienated her from her family and friends. Before long he was beating her, threatening to kill her if she tried to leave him. She had no option but to stay. Jenna was always careful with birth control.” Gideon took a few deep breaths. Wishing so badly all over again that he had killed the bastard. “She was on the pill to prevent pregnancy. That bastard male refused to use those human coverings of which you talked of earlier. Even when she fell ill and had to take medication that worked against the anti-pregnancy drugs, that bastard refused to use condoms. Jenna was too afraid to stand up to him and became pregnant.”

  There was a tick in Zane’s jaw.

  Gideon shoved his own hands into his pockets, mirroring Zane. “That bastard continued to beat her, even though she was pregnant. He would hit her for things like not answering her phone quickly enough or if another male looked at her with interest.”

  “The fucker,” Zane growled, the big male bristled. “A person has no control over others. That’s crazy.”

  Gideon nodded. His chest tightened. “A male like that looks for any excuse. He enjoyed hurting her. He beat her so badly that she lost the child. Jenna was already seven months pregnant. It cut her up inside.”

  Zane growled loudly, baring the full length of his fangs.

  Gideon had to pause to gain control of his emotions and by the way Zane’s chest heaved, he could tell that the male was trying to do the same.

  Gideon scrubbed a hand over his face. “It took time for her to recover after she lost her baby. She also needed to save enough money to be able to leave. She snuck around, risked her neck to go to the interviews so that she could join the program. By some miracle, she was accepted. It’s how she came to be here. She is mine, Zane. Mine.” He growled. “I was a fool. We both made mistakes but it does not change how we feel about each other.”

  Zane’s phone rang. He pulled the device from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. His face took on an apologetic look. “I need to get this.”

  Gideon nodded even though Zane wasn’t looking for his permission.

  “Yeah,” his king growled into the phone in his hand.

  Gideon could hear that it was Brant on the other end of the line. The male sounded pissed. No fucking wonder. Although Gideon wasn’t trying to listen in, he couldn’t help it. So York had been rather busy this last week, just as he had suspected. He too was in love with a human female. One that he wasn’t allowed to touch. It turned out that the male had asked permission to be able to mate the female. Brant asked Zane’s opinion on the matter.

  “I’m kind of busy dealing with an issue,” Zane said. “Whatever you decide is fine with me.”

  “Fine.” Brant ended the call. Zane looked pointedly at the phone before shoving it in to his pocket. “You do realize that this complicates things even more.” The male said while palming the device in his pocket to show that he was referring to the conversation.

  Gideon sighed loudly. “Send me to the dungeon. Fucking beat me. Do what you have to do. I don’t care. Please just make sure that Jenna stays on our territory until you’re done with me. If anything were to happen to her.”

  Zane looked at him, not giving away anything. Not a single emotion was evident.

  “I want to stay…be a part of the program. I want my mate at my side. If this is not possible, then we will leave. You will never see me again.”

  “Are you sure she is worth it?” Zane narrowed his eyes. “That she speaks the truth?”

  “I went and visited with the male. He is exactly as she described him. I do trust her. I didn’t go see the male to verify what she had said. I visited with the prick in order to threaten him…unfortunately, Jenna made me promise not to kill him.” Gideon growled the last.

  “Your female is right. We cann
ot go around killing humans. It would be a surefire way to bring down their wrath. After so many years of living in peace. It is not something that you want to have happen. Our grandfathers can still recall the days when vampires were hunted, staked and burned. They were dark days.”

  Gideon could only clench his jaw.

  “You have put me on the spot,” Zane growled. “Your female will not be banished from vampire territory. I can’t just agree to a mating. There are no places in the program.” Zane shook his head.

  A weight was lifted off of Gideon’s shoulders. Regardless of what happened next. Of what battle they would need to fight, Jenna would at least be safe.

  “What about the next heat? I will ensure myself a place in the program. You know that I am worthy.”

  Zane shook his head. “You are definitely worthy but all females not picked during this heat will be sent home. A new batch of females will arrive. I am not sure how we are going to get around this. Jenna will no longer be eligible for the program once she is sent home…not that we will send her home.”

  “Did you and Brant not realize that there would be anomalies?” Frustration ate at him. Gideon swallowed hard. “There needs to be allowances for the exceptions to the rule. You are a king, my lord. Surely if it is your decision then it will need to be respected. I am a security leader…one of the elite. A top warrior…I have earned the right to a human female of my choice. I choose Jenna…I will always choose her…there will never be another for me.”

  Zane cursed. He clenched his jaw for a few beats. “I realize that. The last thing we want is for the males in the general population to think that if they are compatible in all ways with a female, then they can have her. It won’t work. We’ll have mayhem. There are cultural differences…misunderstandings could arise. There is also bloodlust to contend with. You are lucky that you do not suffer from the affliction or Jenna would be dead today.”

  “I never once thought about that side of it.”