Kendall snorted. “Again, you’re not making any sense. As big as that man is, he doesn’t have to be nice to get what he wants.” He had a point. In the three weeks since meeting the man, Stavion had never once made any type of aggressive move toward him. He hadn’t raised his voice. He didn’t growl or demand things when Jory refused to look at him or speak to him. In fact, he seemed almost sad about it.
He stopped pacing and stared at Kendall. “What do I do?”
“I can’t decide that for you. I will say this, though. You have a real shot at being happy. No one can force you. It’s something you have to want.” He rose to his feet and crossed the room to wrap Jory up in a gentle hug. “Do you want it bad enough?” He did. He wanted it more than anything, and he wanted it with Stavion. “What happens when he finds out what I am? I mean, I have to tell him, right?”
Kendall released him and cupped his cheeks in both hands. “Yes, you have to tell him, and the sooner the better, my friend.”
“What if he hates me?”
Kendall smiled and kissed his forehead. “He won’t hate you. Just tell him.”
Jory didn’t think it would be that easy. Kendall, Galen, and Aslan were the only ones who knew his secret, just as he was the only one who knew theirs. They hadn’t even confided in Willow.
“Hey, it’s going to be fine.” Kendall released his face and took a step back. “I hope one day I find my mate and can be happy. We so deserve it after the shit we’ve been through.”
“We do deserve it. You more than anyone.” He loved Kendall like a brother and hoped he would find his happy-ever-after. “I’m going to try to sleep. Do you know when everyone is supposed to be back?”
Kendall shook his head. “Cassius said they’d be back by the end of the week. He didn’t give an exact date, though. I have his number if you want to call and talk to Stavion.”
Jory shook his head. While he wanted his mate home, he still had some thinking to do and some courage to find. “Thanks for cheering me up. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” He waited for Kendall to exit the room before moving back to his bed. He ate quickly to appease his snarling stomach but didn’t really even taste the cooling food. Then he sat his tray outside his door for the staff to pick up. After stripping out of his clothes, he crawled into bed and snuggled under the blankets.
He wanted Stavion home, but part of him hoped he had a few more days to figure out what to do.
* * * *
“Damn, it’s good to be home.”
Stavion smiled and slapped Demos on the shoulder. He couldn’t agree more. The wedding had been nice. He enjoyed talking to his friends. While Malakai hadn’t worked everything out with his new mates, he’d agreed to stay and give them a chance. Stavion couldn’t be happier.
He’d missed Jory, though. Maybe the time away had allowed Jory to process and think about his new life and what he wanted from his future. Maybe he’d even missed Stavion…just a little.
“Go check on Jory.” Varik chuckled as he walked up behind them. “I know you want to, man.”
Stavion grinned. “Yeah, I do.” Jory was probably sleeping, but he needed to see his mate and make sure he was safe.
Hurrying through the hallways, he traveled the same path he’d taken a hundred times since the night he’d met Jory. Sometimes in the beginning, he’d find himself just pacing up and down the hallway in front of Jory’s door, just happy to be that close to his mate without the man jumping out of his skin. How damn pathetic was he?
He lifted his hand to knock, but a loud cry had him barging into the room, crouched low and prepared for an attack. There was no one there, though. An amber glow filled the room from the small bedside lamp, but the corners remained dark. Rising from his defense stance, Stavion darted his eyes about the room and lifted his head to sniff at the air.
He caught a lingering trace of Kendall’s scent, a smell he was becoming very familiar with. The only other scent in the room was Jory’s, and it made Stavion want to purr. His cock twitched in interest, the gums around his canines itched as his fangs threatened to elongate. He held them back by sheer will. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten his mate.
Once he was satisfied that they were alone in the room and there was no threat, his eyes focused on the bed. Jory whipped his head back and forth, his hands clenching and releasing the blankets over and over as he struggled and whimpered.
He’d probably regret it later when Jory woke up and looked at him with fear, but Stavion couldn’t stand to see his mate in distress.
Hurrying over to the bed, he eased down on the side of the mattress and gripped Jory’s shoulders, giving him a gentle shake.
The man went wild. His arms flailed, his feet kicked, and his screams rose in volume until Stavion thought they’d shatter his eardrums. “Jory! Wake up!” He shook a little harder, trying to snap Jory out of whatever nightmare he was trapped in.
Jory’s soft green eyes flew open, locking with Stavion’s, and his body stilled and tensed beneath Stavion’s hands. His mouth worked, opening and closing, but he emitted no sound.
Pulling his hands away slowly, Stavion didn’t have a clue what to do next. Every cell in his body ached to pull the man into his arms and comfort him. From the look of terror on Jory’s face, he knew it wasn’t a possibility, though.
“It was just a dream. You’re safe here.” He spoke softly, just barely more than a whisper.
Jory’s eyes widened, shimmering in the light with unshed tears.
His lower lip began to tremble, his breathing sped, and his small frame started to shake violently. Stavion couldn’t bear to see the look directed at him for another second.
He went to rise from the bed, but before he could move, he found himself with a lapful of his very naked mate. Jory’s arms went around his neck, clinging to him tightly. He wiggled around in Stavion’s lap, pressing himself closer and burying his face in Stavion’s neck. “You came back,” he whispered.
Stavion’s chest swelled and his heart soared. He wrapped Jory up in his arms, pulling him even closer, and kissed the top of his blond head. “Of course I came back. Where else would I go, little one?” Jory just shook his head and pressed his face more firmly into Stavion’s throat as he continued to shudder.
Though he didn’t think the shivering had anything to do with the temperature in the room, Stavion stood with Jory still wrapped around him, and pulled the top blanket from the bed to cover his mate. Then he eased back to the mattress and tucked the corners around Jory’s shoulders as he rocked him side to side.
“You came back,” Jory repeated after several minutes of silence.
Stavion didn’t know why the man sounded so shocked, and just then, he didn’t care. He finally had his mate in his arms. Jory fit so perfectly, as though he was made to be there. Resting his cheek against the top of Jory’s head, Stavion stroked his silky locks and began to hum a made-up tune.
He didn’t know what possessed him to do it, but it seemed to work. It took only minutes for Jory’s tense muscles to relax and his breathing to even out. His arms slipped from around Stavion’s neck and down to his chest where they fisted in his cotton shirt.
Stavion continued to rock his mate for a long time after Jory had fallen asleep. He didn’t want to let go, but the sun would be up soon.
He also wasn’t sure what to expect when Jory woke up. Had he sought Stavion’s comfort because of his nightmare? Did he even know that he’d done it?
With a heavy heart, he eased Jory from his lap and down to the mattress, careful not to wake his sleeping mate. When he tried to pry Jory’s hands from his shirt, though, the man clutched at him tighter.
“Don’t go,” Jory whispered, not opening his eyes. “Please, stay with me.”
Stavion knew he’d probably hate himself for it later, but it was exactly what he wanted to do. He never wanted to be away from Jory.
Besides, how could he resist such pleading?
“Let me get my boots off, baby.” The endearment slipped past his lips without thought, and Stavion tensed, waiting for Jory’s reaction.
He didn’t expect the soft smile that tilted the corner of the man’s lips, but it gave him hope. Jory released his shirt, though hesitantly, and Stavion set about removing his boots and his clothes. He left his boxers on and crawled under the blankets, almost choking when Jory immediately moved to snuggle against his chest.
“You came back,” Jory said for the third time. “I missed you, Stavion. I’m so glad you’re home.”
Gathering his mate in his arms, Stavion held him tightly as tears stung the corners of his eyes. He didn’t know what had changed in his absence, but he’d be forever grateful for it. “I missed you, too, Jory.” Stavion sighed, kissed the top of Jory’s head, and closed his eyes.
He heard the steel plates slide over the windows just before he drifted off into the first peaceful sleep he’d had in weeks.
* * * *
The grinding of the metal over the windows woke him.
Jory blinked open his eyes and smiled as the moonlight bathed his face in a white glow. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept for so long and without nightmares. He imagined the warm body pressed against his back had something to do with it.
Turning slowly, he wiggled around until he was facing his mate and snuggled against his chest, inhaling deeply. Sweet mercy, the man smelled like heaven. Doubts, reservations, and uncertainty crept in on his happiness, but he beat them back ruthlessly. It might not work out.
It might end in disaster. He’d never know for sure unless he gave them a chance.
Nuzzling against Stavion’s warm throat, he sniffed over and over, loving the sweet smell. It reminded him of the vanilla bean ice cream he’d been fond of as a child—cold and sugary.
Hesitantly, he reached up with shaking hands, pressing just his fingertips to Stavion’s chest and skimming them over the man’s pectorals. Oh, the skin was so soft. Jory couldn’t find one single imperfection, and it was incredibly smooth—no hair at all. Curiosity had him brushing his hand lower until he reached the waistband of Stavion’s boxers. He wondered if the big vampire was bare all over.
Sucking his bottom lip between his teeth, he traced one finger back and forth along the top ridge of the waistband, unsure of how to proceed. Stavion was his mate, so surely that meant he was free to explore as he wanted, right? Then again, maybe it would be rude to do it without permission. Jory had never initiated sexual contact, and he certainly never had a mate. He was unclear on the rules and boundaries.
He didn’t want to wake Stavion to ask, though. The man still made him nervous, and he was enjoying learning his mate’s body without anxiety that he would do something wrong. If Stavion was sleeping, he couldn’t be disappointed.
With a shaky breath, he dipped two fingers into the waistband to brush over the skin on Stavion’s lower abdomen. Just as he’d expected, it was as smooth as the rest of the vampire’s body. He paused and bit his lip again. Should he continue?
Jory pushed his fingers just a bit lower until the tips brushed over the base of Stavion’s cock. He sucked in a deep breath and choked down a groan when he found it hard and warm to the touch. His own dick responded, filling and swelling in record time to press against Stavion’s belly.
Ghosting his fingers along the engorged length of Stavion’s cock, Jory swallowed hard when it seemed to go on forever. The man was hung like a damn horse, and Jory wanted to see it. He didn’t want to move, though. So, instead, he settled for tracing the pulsing vein that snaked along the top of the shaft then ran his finger around the slight ridge of the mushroom-shaped crown.
Tentatively, he moved farther along the head, squeezing it very lightly between his thumb and forefinger. His thumb moved closer to the tip, barely skimming the smooth skin, and he gasped when he encountered wetness. Rubbing his thumb over the leaking slit and smearing the pre-cum over Stavion’s cockhead, Jory wondered if the man tasted as good as he smelled.
He was still debating wrapping his lips around the monster cock when a deep groan rumbled up from Stavion’s chest. Jory froze, unable to move as fear paralyzed him. His fingers stilled in their exploration, his spine stiffened, and his muscles locked down. Would Stavion be pissed? Would he send him away now?
Stavion moved his head, nuzzling his cheek over the top of Jory’s head. “Feels good, baby.”
Jory leaned back, but couldn’t force his eyes up, so he stared at Stavion’s chest as he spoke. “You’re not mad?” Long fingers slid under his chin and tilted his head up with gentle pressure. He was surprised to find Stavion smiling. “I woke up to a gorgeous man in my arms. Why would I be angry?”
“You think I look okay?” Jory blurted as his eyes rounded. He knew he was as naked as the day he was born, but maybe Stavion hadn’t been able to really see his body in the dim light.
Stavion bent very slowly and brushed his lips over Jory’s. The simple contact had his cock throbbing and a needy whimper escaping his parted lips. “Wow,” he breathed when Stavion pulled away. He’d had his body used in a number of ways, but no one had ever kissed him before. He liked it. He liked it a lot, and hoped he’d be getting a lot more of those soft kisses.
Chuckling under his breath, Stavion pressed their lips together again, a little more insistently this time, and Jory’s body ignited and his skin burned. “You are much more than okay,” Stavion whispered against Jory’s lips. “You are so beautiful that you take my breath away.”
No one had said anything so sweet to him. He’d been told he was “hot.” Some had commented on his firm ass. No one had ever told him he was beautiful, though. “It’s okay for guys to be beautiful, right?”
Stavion’s lips whispered over his cheeks, his eyes, and up to brush over his forehead. “Yes, baby. It’s definitely okay.”
Jory melted even as his heart kick-started and tripped into overdrive. Why had he been so afraid? Stavion was the kindest, most perfect man he’d ever met. His insides felt all gooey when Stavion called him “baby.” The large hand that rested on his hip made him feel safe. It also made his skin burn and his cock throb. He didn’t think Stavion would ever hurt him, but then again, he hadn’t screwed up yet.