Chapter 25 The Enemy
The Enemy
Davidson
Leo’s recovery had been mild, with none of the touch aversion some omegas experienced.
We didn’t fuck, of course—he needed to heal—but he still clung to me in that endearing way of his, staying close, touching me casually, and sitting in my lap whenever he could.
In the evening, he politely asked to suck my cock, and when he knelt for me, making love to my erection with his sweet mouth, he stroked his belly with both hands.
Pregnant.
My Leo was definitely pregnant. Of course, no test would show it yet, and the subtle roundness of his belly was simply the waning heat and bonding symptoms. But we both knew.
He was a dragon mate after all, and with how many times I’d bred him during the heat, it wouldn’t have surprised me if he gave birth to quadruplets.
I knew it didn’t quite work that way, but the idea entertained me as I rested on the sofa with my mate in my lap, palming the tiny cushion underneath his bellybutton.
He nuzzled my beard and kissed my cheek. I felt his gaze on me, so I turned to check his expression.
He looked at me curiously, his clever eyes thoughtful.
“What is it, darling?”
His lips quirked into a crooked smile. “Nothing. Silly thoughts.”
“Tell me.”
He shrugged, blushing a little. “I’m just happy.”
That sounded suspiciously evasive. “Please, do elaborate.”
Biting his lip, he blushed harder. “I was thinking of how attracted I am to you.”
Shaking my head, I pointed a finger at him. “Not buying it.”
“I was thinking about your cock, okay?”
I laughed. “That’s more like you.”
“I can’t help it,” he cried, chuckling with me. “I’m sitting right on top of it. And I’m looking forward to us having sex again when I’m recovered. I’m curious how it will feel now that I’m pregnant.”
Still, his eyes flitted around, restless. “But what is it you’re not telling me?”
He grinned, his tongue peeking between his teeth. “I won’t be able to hide anything from you.”
“Speak, omega.” I used my strict tone, and Leo sucked in a breath. It was incredible how powerful and immediate his reaction was to the merest hint of discipline.
“I love it when we play,” Leo said, getting serious. “I hope we won’t stop even though I’m pregnant. I was imagining how hot it’d be when you do unspeakable things to me again.”
I could have replied by teasing him or playfully threatening to punish him. But we needed to be explicit in our wishes. I didn’t want him to hesitate or be ashamed with me.
“It makes you happy, and I love doing it. We’re not stopping. There are so many safe ways for us to keep playing.”
“I think that with the pregnancy, I might like it even more. I want to explore how far I could go.” He smiled sweetly, looking absurdly innocent talking kink with me. “Because I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t like when it’s with you.”
“You already had to say stop once, remember?”
“Yes. But that was because I got oversensitive during heat. Not because you’d done anything to hurt me.”
“And when you say going far, you don’t mean more pain, do you?”
“No.”
“I want you to say it.”
He swallowed, his expression hopeful and nervous. “Once I’m fully recovered, I’d like to try more of what we did before the heat. Shame. Utter and complete humiliation. I want to feel like a thing.” His eyebrows scrunched up. “God, that sounds terrible.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
He looked younger and more vulnerable than ever. His heartbeat accelerated. “Is it because I don’t know how to love myself, Davidson? Is that why I desire those things?”
“Maybe for some people it’s like that. Maybe you felt like that before. But I don’t think that’s why you want it with me. Don’t be afraid to look into yourself, Leo. You won’t find anything bad, I promise.”
Sucking in a breath, he stared at me with wonder. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. You used to be afraid to listen to yourself, to look inside your heart because you thought you weren’t a good person. But take a look. Don’t be scared.”
I hugged him to me, and he relaxed, breathing deeply. After a while, he sighed.
“You make me better.”
“No, Leo. You’re becoming whoever you want to be by yourself. I’m just lucky to be here for the ride. Now tell me why you want to do humiliation play with me.”
It took him a while to gather his thoughts, but when he finally spoke, he sounded clear and sure.
“I want all the layers of bullshit stripped away. Because dignity is just pretense, isn’t it?
We’re all bags of meat on wet bones, dirty, oftentimes stupid, driven by selfish desires.
We dress ourselves in dignity to feel better about ourselves.
But I don’t have to pretend anything with you.
I want to be as raw and as exposed as I can with you. ”
I hummed, cuddling him to me. He was breathtakingly beautiful, sure, and that’s what he’d always received compliments for. But his complicated mind was a true gem, the most beautiful thing about him.
I didn’t like taking Leo out so early after the heat, but he claimed he felt good.
Our first public appearance had made tabloid headlines in both Dalton City and Ardaine and blazed through social media.
Devon Hassel deemed it wise to keep confirming the news.
Altera was allegedly back in Dalton City, and there were no signs of any activity here in Ardaine.
The annual fundraiser was organized by the governor’s husband, Felix Figueroa. The guest list included several big names, and the security would be over the top. Taking all the precautions we could, we went.
We were intercepted by Ernest and Lawrence by the entrance, and my assistant was all over Leo.
His eyes got big when Leo refused alcoholic champagne and instead took a soda.
But he got over it soon, smiling like the sun and chatting to Leo with his usual unstoppable energy.
Initially, my mate seemed uncomfortable, but then he relaxed, even slipping in a careful joke here and there—when Lawrence let him put in a word.
I never enjoyed these shindigs, but having Leo on my arm made the proceedings bearable. Close to nine in the evening, there came a lull in the incessant chatter, and we found ourselves alone in the crowd for a few precious minutes.
“Do we have to stay much longer?” Leo asked quietly, close to my ear.
“No. Felix is giving a speech in ten minutes. After that, we can leave.”
“Okay.”
“Are you tired?”
“A little. I forget I’m still recovering.”
“We should have stayed at home.”
“No. It’s been interesting. Ernest’s brothers are fascinating, and I’m starting to like Lawrence.”
I was about to reply but never got to it. A strong scent of cologne assaulted us, and Leo froze next to me. His heartbeat skyrocketed.
Before I could ask what the matter was, a man stood in front of us. Tall, tanned, with an ageless, polished face that seemed to bear traces of recent cosmetic procedures. His piercing blue eyes made me think he wore tinted contacts. He smiled, flashing teeth so white they all but shone neon.
“Leonard, it’s been such a long time. Will you introduce me?”
Leo took a step back, gluing himself to me. When he didn’t say anything, the alpha offered his hand to me.
“Fabio Altera. You must be Davidson Sullivan.”
I went into fight mode in an instant. Danger? Yes. Immediate? No. Protect Leo. Eliminate danger. My spine prickled.
But we were in public, surrounded by security detail. There was no way Altera could try anything now.
Easy. Be smart. Wait him out.
“What do you want?” It took everything I had to keep my tone somewhat neutral.
Altera lifted his palms in an appeasing gesture. “I only wish to apologize. And explain.”
His smile got tense, his gaze calculating. He waited for me to say something, but I refused to play games with him. He turned to Leo, and I hugged my mate tighter to my body, positioning myself between Altera and him.
“I heard about the incident, Leonard. What happened to you was dreadful, and I can’t even begin to say how sorry I am.”
Leo spluttered with disbelief. “You sent your goons to kidnap me.”
“No,” Altera said. His face hardened. “No, I did not. We both know you have a fiery temper, dearest, and I was hoping you’d calm down and miss me.
But I was worried about you and told my men to keep an eye on you.
See that you were safe until I could come and see you.
Those idiots thought they were reading my instructions between the lines.
” He made a mocking sound, painting quotation marks in the air and shaking his head.
“They’ve watched too many action movies, brainless apes.
I was furious with my men for what they’d attempted.
Needless to say, I reported them to the police.
All three responsible are in Dalton City jail right now.
I wouldn’t have knowingly scared you like that, Leonard. ”
Clinging to my arm, Leo inched forward. “They claimed to have a specific list of injuries they were allowed to inflict on me.”
Altera gasped. “Porca miseria! They said that? That’s horrendous. I’m so sorry. So sorry. That’s what I get for not vetting my personnel properly. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. Even so, I understand you never want to see me again, Leonard.”
“Then get out of my sight!” Leo hissed.
“I should say goodbye.” Altera exhaled, giving Leo a sad smile.
“You remain the most precious thing I’ve ever lost, dearest. But I see that you’ve moved on, and I’m very happy for you.
” His icy gaze flicked from Leo to me and back.
“You won’t have any problems from me, either of you.
I wish you a long, happy life, Leonard.”
The way he kept saying Leo’s full name sounded vaguely ominous.
I didn’t believe a word he said. He slapped my shoulder as if we were old buddies, and I restrained from ripping his arm off.
It wouldn’t be a good idea with so many eyes on us.
Which was, of course, why Altera had approached us here.
He walked away, leaving us shrouded in the overpowering cloud of his nasty cologne.
Leo slumped against my side, and I quickly caught him with both arms around his waist.
“I don’t want to get sick,” he muttered.
Shit.
Hassel materialized next to us, supporting Leo from the other side. How come he hadn’t known Altera would be here? I itched to yell at him, but that wouldn’t solve anything. We had to get Leo out of here.
As we shuffled toward the exit, my omega straightened, walking more steadily. He breathed slowly, exhaling through his mouth.
“I’m okay,” he said. “Slow down. I’m okay.”
Hassel and I looked at each other over Leo’s head. He grimaced apologetically.
“Not now,” I mouthed, and he nodded.
Leo glanced up at me. “I’m okay. I’m not panicking.” He was pale but looked composed.
“But we’re going home. Now.”
Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Gladly.”
“I’ll be right behind you in my car,” Hassel said. “We need to talk.”
“Yes, we do.” This time, I didn’t keep the irritation out of my tone.
My driver and another one of my men waited in the lobby. I cuddled Leo to me in the backseat of the car, and we took off.
Back at my house, we recapped the conversation with Altera to Hassel. I expected some reaction. Disbelief, outrage, ridicule. Anything. But Devon Hassel listened with focus, his face impassive.
“He arrived alone, at the very last minute,” he said when we were finished. “I didn’t find out he was in Ardaine before I saw him at the party. Sadly, he still has political contacts that deem him trustworthy. He must have acquired the invitation somehow.”
“He was lucky I didn’t rip his head off.”
“That was why he approached you in public, of course.”
“What for? He was lying his ass off.”
“Yes, he was lying. At least about the kidnapping attempt. But he could still be serious in letting you know he was backing off. I’m certain he doesn’t appreciate you looking into his businesses.”
“I’m not leaving anything to chance.”
“I’m not saying you should, but—”
“Listen, you encouraged us to go there, and because of that, Leo—”
Leo placed a hand on my arm, and I bit my tongue.
“He enjoys making me feel afraid,” my mate said, voice strong and steady.
“That’s his revenge. He wants me to fear him forever.
He wants me to hide and shiver, expect him to attack any day even though he might never do it. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.”
“We still need to be careful, love.”
“Davidson is right, Leo,” Hassel said. “The same security measures apply.”
“What if he never does anything?” Leo cried. “Are we supposed to adjust our lives to his threats for eternity?”
Hassel scratched his neck, and for the first time, he seemed at a loss. “That’s how it is for some people, Leo. I’ve worked for a human rights activist who received at least one death threat a week for years. He took the precautions and learned to live with it.”
“So we sit around and do nothing?”
“I’ll check if he’s lying about putting his own men in jail. Maybe there’s something there.”
Leo shook his head. “I don’t want to waste my time wondering whether he’s still after me or not.”
“I’m sorry, Leo.” Hassel shrugged, making it painfully obvious he had no better advice.
When Hassel left, Leo slumped against the sofa.
“I’m ashamed.”
“Why?”
“You saw him. I lived with him. Voluntarily. That man.”
“You didn’t know him.”
“I was such a fool.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t agree, but there seemed to be no point arguing. “I love you, Leo.”
That made him smile a little. He gripped my hand in both of his. “I don’t think about him when I’m with you.”
“Good. Then I’m going to keep you distracted.”
Leo didn’t laugh, but he put his head on my shoulder and let me hold him.