CHAPTER THREE
Theo had not awakened during their return trip. Valerian was worried, but he could feel that Theo was okay. He was simply unconscious and, according to the Master, would wake when he was ready.
“He's human, and his body and mind are coming to terms with the events of this night.
It will resolve itself, and he will come back to you, Valerian.
Just be patient." He told him. Valerian could be patient with most things; he was known for his endless patience; however, when it came to his mate, his patience was limited.
The desire to know him, to really talk to him and learn what kind of man he was, and to feel those gorgeous gray eyes on him once again was eating away at Valerian.
He understood he really did, but he desperately wanted his little human mate to wake up.
The longer it took, the more worried he became.
Valerian had seen humans disappear inside themselves after a trauma, and sometimes they didn't come back. That thought was playing havoc with his heart until the Master laid his hand on Valerian's shoulder, sensing his distress.
“He will come back to you, Valerian. Just hold him and talk to him, let him know you're waiting for him.
" One minute, the Master could be mercilessly cutting out the heart of an enemy, and in the next minute, he could be soothing the emotional fears of one of his men.
Louis DuCane was one of a kind, and his people loved him.
“Thank you, sir.”
Valerian took his mate to his home, which was on the Palace grounds.
It was called the King’s Lodge and was a large structure located within the gardens.
He was awarded the private home after saving the Master’s life on several occasions.
As a hellhound, he was impervious to many things, including dragon fire, which oddly came in handy from time to time as a bodyguard of Master Louis DuCane.
He brought his mate inside and took him to the primary bedroom on the upper floor.
Theo was still unconscious, trauma was a tricky thing with humans, and the waiting game was not something Valerian was comfortable with.
Unfortunately, there were no other options.
The doctors who came declared him to be well, except for a series of healing injuries.
They, like the Master, told him that his mate would wake up when he was ready and not a moment before.
Valerian sat next to the bed and watched over him as he slept, noticing the tension still present on his face and in the way his hands remained clenched at his sides.
The only time he seemed to relax was when Valerian was holding him.
He stripped down to just his pants and t-shirt and got onto the bed, carefully picking up Theo and placing him on his lap.
Valerian leaned against the pillows, braced against the headboard, and wrapped Theo in his arms, bringing him snug to his chest. The minute he held him, he felt Theo's breath release and his muscles begin to soften.
The relaxation was immediate, and it touched something deep within Valerian to know that he brought peace to his mate.
“Sleep, baby, I'll watch over you." Theo had his head lying on Valerian's chest and his left arm draped around his waist. The pose was natural, and Valerian found it as comforting as his mate. Valerian reached over and switched off the light, and it wasn’t long before he began to doze.
Life was edging toward perfect if only his mate would wake up.
Theo opened his eyes and looked around without moving.
He didn’t know this room, and the smells were all different from what he was used to.
His home life was all harsh cleaning chemicals and cold air.
His father gave him a room in a tenement he managed, and he was a stickler for cleanliness.
He had someone in every day to clean Theo’s apartment from top to bottom.
Theo recognized it as control, but what else did he have?
There was no privacy in his home, and there was little to no heat, even during the coldest parts of winter.
Theo’s apartment was in the basement, and it was kept at a crisp sixty-five degrees.
Theo never understood, complained, or asked for an explanation; it was just how things were. That was life in the Tuffin family.
This room was toasty warm, and the bed was super comfortable.
Theo had no idea where he was or how he’d gotten there.
His last memory was being in the basement of the Tuffin agency offices, and Justin was beating him senseless.
He vaguely remembered someone coming in and everyone running away, but he wasn't sure if that memory was real or a dream.
He took a deep breath and savored the sweet scent of pine and rainwater.
He never experienced anything so fresh and rejuvenating.
A flash of memory hit him with the realization that he’d experienced that scent before.
It was the aroma that entered the basement room; it belonged to someone, someone who saved him.
Now his mind was reeling, and he was struggling to pull together an understanding of last night.
Theo sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.
He looked down at the floor, which was a dark hardwood with wool rugs placed here and there.
It was a pleasant and homey feeling. He listened closely, trying to hear if anyone else was nearby.
He heard something —movement from a lower floor, perhaps.
He wasn't sure whether to go searching or stay put and wait for whatever was going to happen to him.
His heart told him that he was not in danger; the peace he felt was real, and he figured he wouldn’t feel so at ease if there was death waiting for him downstairs.
His shoes had been removed, but the rest of his clothing had not been touched.
His blue pullover and his khaki pants were there, and he noticed blood spots on his shirt from where Justin had hit him and bloodied his nose.
Reaching up, he touched his nose, and there was no pain.
He then looked at his chest and stomach, which had endured most of the beating.
To his surprise, it was not swollen or black and blue as it should have been, as it had been every other time he'd taken on Justin's anger.
This was like some alternate reality, and it was really playing with his mind.
Theo checked his pockets, and everything was there except his phone.
Getting off the bed, he simply stood there for a few minutes, taking in the space.
There was a window that looked out over a landscape of flowers and flowering trees.
It was quite beautiful, but it did not answer any of his questions.
The sound downstairs came again; it was someone moving around, he was sure of it.
Standing at the doorway of the bedroom, he stopped to consider his next move. But then, suddenly, someone called out to him. It was a voice that was both strange and familiar, and it beckoned him downstairs.
“Come downstairs." He said. "I'm in the kitchen, please join me." He sounded pleasant and welcoming, but Theo had been deceived before, many times actually, so he stood still and silent for another minute before slowly heading for the stairs.
He saw him as his foot hit the last step, and he looked to his right.
He was coming around the corner, which Theo assumed was the kitchen area, and he was smiling.
The man was huge and handsome as hell, actually breathtaking, and Theo stopped in his tracks, stunned by the effect.
A yearning, a need rushed through him, a feeling so stark and wild that he wrenched his gaze away and stared at the floor.
This was grossly out of character, but his body would not calm down. The man walked up to him much too close, and Theo took a step back and avoided eye contact. “Where am I?” He asked, his voice soft as a whisper.
"You're in my home. I brought you here last night after I saved you from that basement.
" The man spoke, and his voice was sure and pleasant.
“My name is Valerian Keller, and I work for Louis DuCane.
" Theo knew that name; he was the man buying the waterfront property.
Theo looked up, and the moment his eyes met Valerian's, his heart began to race. His face was magnetic, and the power radiating from him was taking Theo’s breath away.
“I don’t have any marks on my body, how can that be?” Theo’s first thought was the lack of injury. It was impossible that Justin's attack had left nothing and no pain. "I don't feel any pain, and yet I know I took a beating."
"That's going to take a little time to explain, so why don't you come with me and have something to eat first?" Theo wasn't sure if he was hungry, but denying this guy seemed impossible.
"Okay." He said, followed this gorgeous man into the kitchen, and took a seat. Valerian poured him a glass of milk and set it on the counter in front of him.
“Start with that." He said, and Theo immediately took a long drink.
Milk wasn't really his drink of choice, but again, he wasn’t going to deny Valerian.
He stood at the large range and prepared bacon and eggs.
Theo studied him, taking in the jeans, cotton shirt, and boots, and noticing how perfect those jeans encased his ass and thighs.
Again, he tried to shut down the arrant thought.
Valerian was the picture of masculine perfection and certainly wasn’t anyone who would give Theo a second look.
Maybe he was just the humanitarian type, always ready to help his fellow man.
Either way, he'd saved Theo, and he should be thankful, but the time for payment would come; it always did.
Theo had discovered that nothing ever came for free.