Downstairs, he walked into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. He rubbed his chest, feeling Troy's pain and misery, and closed his eyes. Shit, a fucking kid. He was mated to a fucking kid, and he was the son of one of his closest friends. How the fuck did this happen? Why on Earth would they end up as mates?
And more importantly: What the fuck were they going to do?
Prologue
Ale walked into the kitchen, laughing at Chester and Silas. It was great to see them both happy and at ease with their mating. They'd had a few bumps along the way, but now that everything had settled, they were great together.
Troy was leaving for college in a few days, so they’d thrown a party for him. Ale had yet to meet him because, as soon as Troy had seen him for the first time, he’d disappeared.
He stumbled a little and grinned. Maybe he should have stopped a beer or two ago, but he was having a great time and hadn’t realized quite how much he’d had to drink. Now all that drinking was catching up with him and he really needed to go. Finally finding the bathroom door, he turned the handle, but it didn't open. Frowning, he tried again, turning the handle several times.
“Five minutes,” came a muffled voice from inside. Sacha.
“More like ten, Sach,” Jared replied.
A loud moan came through the door, followed by a harsh groan. For fuck’s sake, couldn’t they keep their hands off each other for two seconds? Ale shook his head and walked up the stairs, opening the first door on the left. He knew the door on the right lead to Silas and Chester's room.
Not paying attention, he staggered into the bathroom to take a piss and moaned with relief as he emptied his bladder, leaning against the wall when he stumbled to the side.
Flushing the toilet, he washed his hands and walked back into the bedroom, stopping when he saw Troy sat on the bed.
"Hey, kid. What's up?"
Troy didn't say anything but stood and stepped closer until they almost touched.
"Why do you smell so good?" he asked, leaning closer to sniff at Ale's neck.
Ale pushed him back. "Hey, stop that kid."
"I'm not a kid. I'm a man." Grabbing Ale's hand, he pushed it down onto his hard dick.
Ale snatched his hand back. "What the fuck are you playing at?"
Troy opened his eyes, and Ale took a step back. His eyes glowed red with emotion and Ale couldn't look away.
Without warning, his back slammed into the wall behind him, causing him to instinctively reach out and grab Troy by the shoulders in an attempt to push him away.
Troy knocked his hands off and leaned against him, their bodies touching as Ale tried desperately to move away.
"Stop it, kid. I'm too old, and your dad would kill me."
Troy ignored him and sniffed along his neck again. "Smell good."
"If you need to feed, I'm sure there's blood somewhere." Troy fisted his hair, tilting his head to one side, and Ale struggled to get free. "No, Troy."
"Can't stop. Got to-"
Ale jerked as Troy's fangs sank into his neck and his vision faded out. Reality disappeared, and he felt like he was standing over himself, watching it happen, hearing his own moans followed by the sounds of their clothes tearing.
Their bodies moved together, desperate for a connection, desperate to become one. He cried out as a tight heat wrapped around him, tipping him ever closer to the edge, and closer to what he needed.
In what felt like seconds, the most powerful orgasm he'd ever had flooded through his body, causing him to buck up into the weight on top of him, trying to get closer, wanting to prolong the deep, intense connection for as long as possible.
Reality soon began to creep in though and Ale became aware of sunlight filtering in through the blinds, and he blinked, turning his head away. The weight on top of him moved, sliding off, and he looked at the person who lay next to him.
"Troy," he whispered in disbelief.
Troy lay curled on his side, his body shuddering, and Ale could feel his pain like it was his own.
Sitting up, he gripped his shoulder, pulling him over and staring into his tear-streaked face.
Troy blinked up at him, then whispered, "I'm sorry."
Ale straightened and finally glanced around the room and then back at them.
Their clothes were strewn everywhere, and they were both naked. Ale's heart pounded in his chest, sweat breaking out over his body, and he swallowed hard.
"Did I-"
"No, you didn't."
"But, we had sex, yeah?"
Troy nodded.
"Fuck, I don't... shit. Fuck, Troy, I'm sorry."
"You don't feel it, but you will," he muttered brokenly.
Ale opened his mouth then closed it slowly when he realized what had happened. "Mates?" he whispered, incredulously.
"I didn't know. I just knew I had to feed from you and... have... you."
Ale sat there unable to say a word. His mind was a chaotic mess as images of them together flooded his head along with Troy’s despair and pain. Fuck, he didn't want this.
He shook his head and moved further away. "Troy..."
"I know you don't want me," Troy muttered. "I can feel how revolted you are about it."
"It's not that. I'm almost as old as your dad! We can't be mates. I'm no fucking good for you."
"We are." Troy moved off the bed and stood naked with his back to Ale. "I'm sorry you feel this way, and I wish it could be anyone but you." Troy straightened his shoulders. "Get dressed and get out. We can forget this happened and we don't have to see each other again."
Ale shook his head. "I'm not stupid, Troy. I know you need my blood-"
"Ship it to the college."
"What about sex, Troy?"
Troy shrugged, still facing away. "I'll figure something out."
"Troy-"
Troy spun around and glared at him, his eyes flashing red with anger. "I know you don't want me, okay. I know this is a huge fucking inconvenience to you. I can feel it—" Troy punched his chest "—here. So, get dressed and fuck off."
"At least tell me you've had sex."
Troy snorted. "Well, I have now. Thanks for that."
Ale dropped his head into his hands. Fuck, a virgin. "Troy-"
Troy got in his face and growled, "Get the fuck out." His eyes continued to glow red as he spoke, and Ale finally nodded.
"Okay, but we need to sort out blood-"
"I'll message you and let you know when I need it. I can supplement from other blood sources. Get it bagged and sent to me."
Ale nodded and dressed quickly. When he reached the bedroom door, he turned to Troy. "Troy, I'm-"
"If you say you're sorry, I'm gonna lose my shit."
Ale stared at him for a long time, but neither spoke, and finally conceding defeat, he nodded once more and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Downstairs, he walked into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. He rubbed his chest, feeling Troy's pain and misery, and closed his eyes. Shit, a fucking kid. He was mated to a fucking kid, and he was the son of one of his closest friends. How the fuck did this happen? Why on Earth would they end up as mates?
And more importantly: What the fuck were they going to do now?
Chapter One
Eight Months Later…
Alejandro Martin was sitting in the command center, monitoring the teams out in the field. They were on another urban search and rescue for two missing boys. Two young boys.
When the frantic call had come through to them to ask for their help, they had dropped everything, flying to the scene and offering any assistance they could. Ale had set up his equipment in the room being used as the command center and every piece of information that came his way, no matter how small, was being passed on to his team out in the field.
Aged five and six, the boys had been playing in a local park when they’d disappeared. Their moms, who were nearby, had only taken their eyes off them for a few minutes whilst they caught up with the local go
ssip and they were gone.
The initial report came in from the moms themselves and despite the local law enforcement searching the area where they’d last been seen, they had found nothing. The search area was then widened and BOLOs — Be On the Look Out — had been sent out to all law enforcement in the surrounding areas. Door to door canvassing had taken place, along with a search of nearby yards, empty buildings, outhouses, as well as the standard institutional checks like hospitals, shelters and other such places.
Places the boys were known to play, friends they knew: the police searched everywhere and had come up empty-handed. It was like they’d simply vanished into thin air, no trace of them to be found.
By the time Rescue Inc had become involved, the NCIC, or National Crime Information Center, and the media had been alerted. Search teams were deployed with dog handlers and a helicopter was also in attendance. They needed to find those two small boys, and fast.
The media pestered everyone with questions, shouting out to them whenever anyone stepped outside. What were they doing? Why hadn’t they found the boys yet? Who was involved? Did they have any suspects?
The center was buzzing with officers from around the region coming and going. New search teams were set up and locations passed out for them to investigate. The fathers of the two missing boys had been allowed to stay in the room, something Ale wouldn’t have allowed in case news came in about the missing boys’ location and condition.
He wasn’t in charge so could do nothing about it. All he could do was pass on all relevant information to his teams out in the field. Any new information that could lead to the missing boys, Ale sought, sifted through and passed on.
The weather conditions were also changing, and Ale was conscious of the fact that if temperatures dropped, then the boys were in serious danger of hypothermia or worse. They needed to be found… now.
When he heard the chief call the search off, he updated Chester, who was understandably pissed off at being called back. As Ale was talking to him, he heard a scuffle behind him followed by screaming. Quickly spinning around on his chair, he froze at the sight before him. One of the missing boys’ fathers had a gun and was waving it around, pointing it at both him and the officers.
“Keep looking for my son!” he screamed. “Don’t fucking leave him out there.”
“Chester, we have a situation,” Ale murmured into his cell.
“I heard. We’ll be there as soon as possible. Be safe.”
Ale slowly lowered the cell onto the desk, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the father. He waved the gun around and Ale stared at it, seeing the overhead lights glint off the metal. The air was heavy and filled with tension, everyone on high alert and staring at one man. If he had a chance, he was taking the weapon. The man could accidentally discharge it, and someone could get hurt.
He watched and waited as the other father tried to calm him down and make him see sense. After several tense-filled seconds, the gun lowered. The officer closest to him tried to snatch it away and the gun went off. Ale broke out in a cold sweat, watching in what felt like slow motion as the officer slumped to the ground. The father was shocked and horrified, dropping the gun like it was on fire, a hand covering his mouth as he shook his head in disbelief, the blood draining from his face.
“I didn’t mean… I never meant…” He stuttered, the words jumbled together.
The adrenaline was coursing through Ale, despite the danger having passed, when out a nowhere a wave of positive emotions flooded through him and for a split second the feelings confused him before he realized what had happened. The tight control he always kept on his emotions had slipped for a moment when his defenses were down and Troy had felt them. He slammed a lid on the connection. He couldn’t afford the distraction right now even though he desperately needed it, needed Troy, even if he wasn’t prepared to admit it.
Snapping back into the present, he watched another officer quickly cuff him, the man offering no resistance. His eyes were glued to the injured officer and even as he was dragged away he couldn’t take his eyes off him, shaking his head and muttering, ‘I’m sorry’ repeatedly.
The officer quickly received treatment for a gunshot wound to his shoulder and was led away by paramedics. The other father was also removed, and Ale turned away, getting straight back on his cell to update Chester.
“All clear. Situation dealt with.”
“What happened?”
Ale sighed. “One of the fathers took an officer’s weapon when he realized the search was being called off.”
“Poor guy.”
“Yeah, but now he’s landed up in jail with potential charges hanging over him.”
“Shit. Look, we’re ten minutes out.”
“Okay. I’ll update you when you get here.”
Ale hung up and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and searching for the connection between him and Troy. Even though he was aware of it, he couldn’t access it and he realized that Troy had shut it down from his end.
Sighing, he ran a weary hand over his eyes, rubbing them. He had no idea what to do and the one person he would have gone to talk to about it with was mated to Troy’s father. Complicated didn’t even begin to cover the situation.
Ale didn’t have relationships, he had one or two-night stands. Nothing permanent. He didn’t want or need the hassle that went with it, but now he had a mate. A kid who was still learning about life and Ale didn’t have a fucking clue what to do.
He’d unintentionally hurt Troy, that much he knew, but he had no idea how to fix it.
Sighing again, Ale grabbed the printouts handed to him. It wasn’t something he could deal with right now. He had two little boys to find.
* * *
Troy sat in the college library trying to research material on an assignment he had due, but he was struggling. The words jumped around the page and he sighed, leaning back in his chair and staring at the wall opposite.
He swallowed, his throat itching, and he knew he was cutting it close. He needed to feed, the thirst clawed at him, but not just any blood would do. He’d been trying to go for as long as he could before he had to contact his mate.
He had precious little left and he refused to contact him for more. He didn’t want to be tied to a man who didn’t want him. Not that he could do anything about it.
If only he’d known what he’d been feeling that day, then everything would be different. He’d never experienced a feeling like that before or the way Ale’s scent had pulled at him. And as for his blood? It was like it had been calling him and he’d been unable to resist it.
As soon as Ale had been close enough, his scent and the sound of his blood pulsing through his veins had overwhelmed Troy and he stepped closer instead of stepping away.
He could remember it, the need clawing at him to be closer, to feed from him and to feel his body on and in his. His body had buzzed with arousal and as soon as he had stepped closer he’d been unable to resist the needs pulsing through him.
It didn’t matter what Ale had said, Troy couldn’t stop himself from piercing his skin and drinking his sweet blood. He didn’t know who had stripped first, or if they had simply ripped the clothes from each other’s bodies, but he remembered the feeling of fullness and rightness. The orgasm that had ripped through him was one he’d never experienced before or since, but then, his own hand was a poor substitute.
That one reckless move had tied them together because Ale was his mate and that was what Troy had been feeling. The mate pull.
No one knew. Troy couldn’t talk to anyone about it and he knew Ale hadn’t either. Silas, his pops, would lose his shit over it. Troy was nineteen and mated. At least, he’d lost his virginity to his mate. Was that actually a good thing? He’d never get the chance to play the field, to be with other men and women.
So now he had tied himself to a man, a mate who didn’t want him, and he was struggling to be around others. Here, at college, where he should be out fucking at every opportunity.
> Troy dropped his head into his hands when his eyes itched and burned. No, he wasn’t going to cry about it. Not over Ale. He didn’t deserve his tears. Troy needed to pick himself up and move on. Someone else would want him.
He heard footsteps approaching and he blinked a few times to make sure there were no tears and he lifted his head, smiling when he saw it was his roommate, Adan.
“Man, that professor’s a dick!” Adan said as he dropped his bag to the floor.
“I know. I’m trying to do his assignment now.”
Adan stared intently at him, before asking, “Have you fed?”
Troy was lucky that Adan had no problem sharing a dorm room with a vampire. Even in this day and age, some humans were leery about it. Adan's best friend was also a vampire, so he was well aware of the needs vampires had.
“I’m okay.”
“You don’t look it, man. You’re pale as fuck. There’s blood back at our room. Make sure you have some when you get back.”
“Worried I’ll chomp on your neck?” Troy asked with a grin on his face.
Adan waved his hand at him. “I’ve been fed on before when Dylan was injured. It’s biology, but you’re taking it too far. Don’t think I haven’t noticed, man.”
Troy sighed. “Adan.”
“Troy,” Adan said in a whiny voice.
They both grinned and then chuckled. “Okay, I’ll feed when I get back.”
“Good.” Adan poked at the papers in front of Troy. “Now this piece of shit assignment.”
“I found the books we need for it.”
For the next ten minutes, they worked together until Troy broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced down at his body, listening to it, feeling the emotions coursing through it, but then realized it wasn’t him. It was Ale. Something was happening to Ale. Something bad.
He knew Ale was out in the field on a rescue mission. Silas had told him about it the day before when they’d spoken. Something must have gone wrong for Ale to feel this way.
They never tried to reach out for each other, so Troy didn’t know what to do. Should he try to send positive vibes through their bond, to show his mate his support? What if he did it and it was the wrong thing to do or he pissed Ale off?
Rescue Inc Collection Vol 2: Mine to Protect & Mine to Keep Page 11