Chapter 4
4
K ael wanted another kiss.
From this stranger.
This vampire.
His mate.
He could scent who Anatoly was to him, and it made his wolf want to roll around in Anatoly’s scent and cover himself in it, but he had to hold back.
He’d been bought by an alpha, like the piece of meat he was.
To be fucked and have pups, then fucked again.
Only here was his mate, and he didn’t want to let him go.
He wanted another kiss, a longer one this time, to wipe away the sour taste Nigel had left behind.
He clenched his ass, remembering what else Nigel had tried to do to him.
Nigel would have touched him had Sylvester not stopped him.
His eyes burned again, and Kael held back his tears.
He didn’t want to cry anymore, because now he might have a chance…
No, he didn’t.
It would come back on his family, and he didn’t want them to suffer because he was being selfish.
He had to put them first, so he would mate Nigel and try to forget his actual mate.
Pushing away from Anatoly, Kael stood and brushed the dirt from his jeans.
“I’m glad I got to meet you.”
Anatoly rose to his feet and stood a good few inches above Kael’s own five feet eight.
Not surprising, as most stood taller than him.
“Are you ready to return home?”
“I think I should. I don’t want my family to worry. We have a lot to prepare for.”
Anatoly stepped closer, and Kael raised his head so he could look into his eyes, not that he could really see them in the darkness.
A hand touched his face, and Kael turned his face so he could kiss the palm, and that move forced him to take a step back.
He couldn’t give in to his deep need to touch Anatoly, even when he wanted to kiss the vampire who made his body hum.
“Kael.”
“Please, don’t,” he whispered.
“Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“You have to know I won’t willingly walk away.” Anatoly framed Kael’s face with his hands.
“I can’t now that I’ve finally found you.”
“I have so much going on in my head.” Kael closed his eyes, his breath shuddering as he trembled in Anatoly’s hands.
“I knew what was going to happen to me, and now you’re here.”
“Shh. I’ll protect you and your family.”
“I’m scared.”
“I will protect you.” Kael opened his eyes and didn’t fight the need to kiss Anatoly.
Standing on tiptoe, he reached up and pressed his lips against Anatoly’s, then moved back.
“Again,” Anatoly whispered.
Licking his lips, Kael reached up and kissed him again, then pressed another one to the vampire’s lips.
They felt colder than his, but soft, and Kael didn’t resist the urge to press another kiss to them.
When Anatoly licked Kael’s lips, he gasped softly but didn’t move away.
He wanted Anatoly to kiss him, to wipe away the memory of what Nigel had done to him.
Another soft lick and Kael parted his lips, letting the tip of his tongue touch Anatoly’s.
Anatoly held Kael’s arms, holding him close, and Kael leaned into his taller, broader body, knowing Anatoly would support him.
Their tongues touched, caressed, and Anatoly swept inside, licking the roof of his mouth before his tongue danced with Kael’s.
Kael whimpered, his body trembling, his cock hard, and he arched into Anatoly when the vampire sucked Kael’s tongue into his mouth.
Kael had never been kissed this way before, and he shuddered with the need for more.
“Anatoly,” he mumbled between kisses.
“Soon, my young mate. Soon, we’ll be together, and no one will be able to tear us apart. I’ll figure this out, Kael. Trust me like your wolf does.”
“I’m worried about my family.” He leaned back, his head falling to one side when Anatoly nuzzled him there.
He wanted to feel his mate’s bite, feel his fangs pierce his skin.
He growled, his wolf rushing forward, and Anatoly held him at arm’s length.
“Sorry,” he murmured, ducking his head.
“Your wolf wants its mate, as do I.” Anatoly looked up.
“It’s late. You should return home. Let me walk you back.”
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to disappoint them.”
“Why would they be disappointed? You found your mate, so they should be happy for you, or is it because of what I am?”
“They don’t say much against vampires…”
“But the feelings are there. Understandable, but I’ll win them over.” Anatoly held out his hand, and Kael took it, then smiled up at his mate.
“Lead the way.”
Kael nodded and tugged Anatoly’s hand, leading them through the trees toward his home.
It was late, and his parents would be concerned.
He should have been back by now; they’d be thinking the worst: Sylvester had let Nigel take him before the mating ceremony.
“Have you lived here all your life?”
Kael glanced at Anatoly and nodded.
“Yes. It’s the only place I know. You must have seen many things over the years.”
“I have; some of it was wonderful, but some wasn’t. The weapons we have created could devastate the planet. That concerns me, but we’ve developed medicines that cure illnesses. When I was young, those illnesses killed. We have so much potential, but we can be so destructive at the same time.” Anatoly smiled at Kael.
“There is no place like home.”
Kael nodded in agreement and continued to walk through the trees.
He caught sight of the wolves as they trailed them, and knowing they were there helped to ease the last few niggles he had where Anatoly was concerned.
This was his mate, and Kael could feel the need to be with Anatoly building inside.
His body thrummed with arousal, and he knew Anatoly would be able to scent him, but then again, Kael could scent Anatoly’s desires, too, and it inflamed his own.
Releasing his hand, Kael slowed, then stopped.
“Erm, you know. I can scent…” He licked his lips when Anatoly faced him, his eyes glowing briefly.
It was the first time he’d seen it happen.
“Your eyes.”
“The longer I’m with you, the harder it is to fight my need to claim you.”
“I feel it. Inside.” Kael rubbed his chest, then the next thing he knew, his lips were in a kiss that dominated his senses and had him moaning as he rubbed against Anatoly.
Anatoly’s hands grabbed Kael’s ass, yanking him closer as their tongues tangled.
Kael’s hands gripped Anatoly’s hair, pulling him closer as he moaned and gasped.
His dick jerked in his jeans, and he rubbed it against Anatoly’s hips, needing the friction.
“Kael.” The way Anatoly whispered his name had Kael’s wolf howling in pleasure.
Anatoly nipped Kael’s bottom lip, then licked over it before sucking it into his mouth.
Kael growled low, his body arching.
“I want you.”
“Yes,” Kael whimpered, his body rocketing toward something he desperately wanted.
“Please. Touch me.”
“I can feel how much you want me.” Anatoly’s hand cupped Kael’s rock-hard dick, and Kael cried out, pushing up into Anatoly’s hand.
“Yes. Take what you want, what you need.” Anatoly rubbed his dick, and Kael whimpered as his dick swelled.
“I need to taste you.”
“Yes!” Kael shouted, then cried out when his jeans were yanked down and his dick encased in wet heat.
He came seconds later, shooting into Anatoly’s mouth who kept sucking and licking until Kael staggered back, his back hitting a tree trunk.
Panting, he watched Anatoly stand, the vampire’s eyes blazing, and he came over and kissed him.
Kael groaned, his body slowly coming down from its ecstatic high.
“You taste magnificent.” Anatoly kissed him again.
“When the time is right, we’ll be together.”
“I can…you know…for you.”
“No. I wanted to do that for you. To give you something and it gives me pleasure to see you this way.”
“Can we make this work?”
“Yes, we can.” Anatoly kissed Kael’s forehead.
“Even if I must move you and your family to my childhood home, I’ll make sure we are together, and they are safe. I know it isn’t ideal. You don’t want to leave the pack you were born into, but if your alpha will not follow mating law, then we will have to go.”
“He’ll be thinking about all the money Nigel will bring to the pack.” Kael redressed, then sighed as he wrapped his arms around Anatoly’s waist.
He’d only just met the vampire, but he didn’t want to leave him.
He wanted to stay with him.
“I don’t want to go.”
“I feel the same way, but we have to get you home, and you have to introduce me to your parents before I arrange to meet the alpha.”
“Can I hold off you meeting my parents? I want to talk to them first, so you walking in isn’t a huge surprise to them.”
“And you need to soften them up to having a vampire in their home.”
Kael felt his cheeks flushed.
“Maybe.”
“Let’s get you home then. We can meet tomorrow.”
“I’d like that.” Taking Anatoly’s hand in his, Kael walked the rest of the way home, and once they left the shelter of the trees, he turned to get his first real look at the vampire who was his mate.
Taller than him, Anatoly had to be six feet three or four.
He was broad across the shoulders, his waist slim, and his skin had an olive tint to it.
His dark blue eyes held Kael’s, and his short, light brown hair moved in the light breeze.
“I am a lucky vampire,” Anatoly whispered.
“You are beautiful.”
“You’re so much taller than me.” Anatoly smiled and bent to kiss him, then pulled Kael into his arms.
“I like it,” Kael murmured.
It made him feel protected when he stood in Anatoly’s arms, and right then, he needed to feel that way.
Tomorrow, he would have to talk to his family and explain what had happened.
He knew how they would react when he revealed he’d found his mate, and he was a vampire.
They wouldn’t be happy.
Not at all, but then again, maybe a vampire would be better than Nigel, and Kael felt awful thinking that way.
He snuggled closer into Anatoly, then yawned.
“Let’s get you home.”
“Not for long, though, right? I’ll be leaving with you soon.”
“Yes, and we’ll deal with the situation with your pack tomorrow.”
Kael closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling how tired his body felt.
He’d gone through a lot in a few hours, and now, he had a mate.
An actual real-life mate.
Anatoly kissed him again, then nudged Kael forward.
Kael smiled and walked the rest of the way home, pointing places out to Anatoly.
The park he played in as a child.
The home his best friend lived in with his family.
The small stream that ran behind some of the houses.
Anatoly asked questions that showed he was listening and interested in what Kael was showing him.
By the time they reached his home, Kael knew he didn’t want to leave, but he also knew he had no choice.
Not right then, but that would change soon.
Anatoly stood on the sidewalk, then palmed Kael’s face.
“You have my number.”
Kael nodded.
On the walk back, they’d exchange phone numbers so Kael could reach him anytime he needed to.
“I’ll message you later.”
“If you need me, all you have to do is call, and I’ll be here.”
“Because you can teleport. I can’t wait to go to places with you.”
“We can do that when you’ve finished high school.”
“I only have a few more months, then it’s exams, then freedom.” Kael grinned.
He liked the idea of being able to finish his education and, with Anatoly, he now had that chance.
He hadn’t been certain with Nigel, but considering the things the alpha had said, there would have been little chance of him going back to school once they’d mated.
“Go inside. Message me later.” Anatoly kissed him.
“I am so happy to have found you.”
Smiling, Kael murmured, “Me too.”