Chapter Five #3
From his expression, Alan knew he wasn’t going to push, and that was what convinced him. Yes, it might be early, but it didn’t matter.
Alan hesitated for only another moment before leaning in. The scent of Matthew’s skin and his blood filled his nose. He pressed his lips to the spot where Matthew’s blood stained his skin and tentatively licked it with the tip of his tongue.
The taste of blood flooded his mouth, coppery and familiar yet not.
The more he swallowed, the more he could feel the bond with Matthew.
It was like being wrapped in a warm embrace and at the same time, like he had electricity running over his skin.
It left him gasping for air, and he let go, swallowing one last mouthful as the bond finally felt complete.
He could feel Matthew everywhere now, not just in his mind but in his very soul.
He could feel Matthew’s lust and his affection, his worry and resignation.
Alan’s lips tingled and his head spun when he met Matthew’s gaze. His mate’s gaze was soft now, filled with a warmth that made Alan’s chest ache. “How do you feel?” Matthew asked.
Alan took a moment to answer, letting the sensations wash over him. Not all of them were his, and it was slightly confusing, but he knew he’d get used to it. “Whole,” he said finally.
Matthew smiled, a slow, satisfied curve of his lips that made Alan’s stomach flip. “Good,” he murmured, pulling Alan into another kiss. This one was slower, more tender, but no less intense. It was a promise that tasted like blood—the blood they’d shared to fulfill their bond.
They started moving again. Alan’s pleasure was amplified by Matthew’s in a way that made it hard to understand who was feeling what. It didn’t matter because right now, they both wanted the same thing.
Alan touched every inch of Matthew’s body he could reach.
He could feel the strength in Matthew’s thighs as they pressed against his, the way they flexed with every movement.
He could feel Matthew’s arms around him, keeping him in place as they rutted together, both chasing a pleasure they now fully shared.
Matthew’s hands slid lower, gripping Alan’s thighs so hard he’d probably leave bruises. Good.
“You’re mine now,” Matthew murmured against Alan’s lips. “And I’m yours.”
Alan didn’t need to respond—the bond between them said it all. But as they moved together and toppled over the edge in a loop of pleasure and love, their breaths mingling as they kissed, he couldn’t help but whisper the word anyway. “Yours.”
* * * *
MATTHEW FELT BETTER now that he and Alan had bonded, and it wasn’t only because of the incredible orgasm they’d shared.
He liked feeling Alan in the back of his mind.
He liked knowing that his mate was safe.
He might not be for much longer, but as soon as something happened, Matthew would know, and he would step in.
This was what the bond with Alan gave him.
It wasn’t the only reason he’d wanted to bond, but it was definitely one of them, and he suspected the same went for Alan.
Alan wanted Matthew, but he also wanted to be protected.
He would have been anyway, but it was different to be protected by your bonded mate.
Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t linger in bed. Alan had a meeting to go to, and before then, they had to meet everyone at Rikar’s house. They’d make the point of the situation, go over any new information they might have, and get Alan as ready as he could before the meeting.
They did take their time in the shower, though.
Matthew wanted to cherish his mate, especially so soon after bonding with him.
He wanted Alan to know that he was loved.
They hadn’t said the words yet, but it was how Matthew felt.
He was just trying not to send his mate running.
Alan had more than enough things to focus on right now.
He didn’t need to worry about Matthew’s feelings, too.
As soon as they were both safe, though, Matthew would tell him.
It wasn’t a secret that he wanted to keep from his mate.
They both started getting tense again as they walked toward Rikar’s house.
When Alan reached for Matthew’s hand, linking their fingers together, Matthew squeezed as hard as he could without hurting his mate.
He hoped that the silent gesture told Alan that he wasn’t going anywhere, no matter what happened.
They were in this together—for the rest of their lives.
“How do you think he’ll react to seeing you?” he asked Alan. “Is he a violent man?”
“I would’ve said no a few days ago, but I feel like I don’t know him anymore. Anything is possible.”
Matthew could hear the pain in his mate’s voice. He desperately wished that he could help, but this was a pain that Alan would have to deal with on his own. “Some people are very good at hiding who they really are,” he offered.
“Well, Victor is definitely one of those people. I never would’ve thought that he could betray people the way he did. I definitely would never have thought he would try to kill me.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through this, but I’m glad you found out before you got hurt.”
* * * *
“HE WOULD’VE HURT ME eventually, wouldn’t he?”
“We can’t know for sure.” But since Victor had clearly been using Alan, Matthew suspected he would have.
For now, Victor was happy with what he was doing.
He was being paid to provide names he’d obtained through Alan—he didn’t even do the work himself.
Matthew couldn’t imagine that the Glass Research Company was happy to give Victor all of that money, though.
If it was him, he’d be trying to find someone else to provide names, even though Victor was in a unique position to do so. He was becoming too greedy.
But that was okay. They were about to stop him, and once they did, Victor would never be able to hurt anyone else ever again. As much as Matthew hated that his mate was hurting, he was glad this was happening. If it wasn’t for Alan, they never would’ve discovered what kind of man Victor really was.
The tension was high in the house when they reached it. Everyone wasn’t there yet, but the people who were had gathered in Rikar’s office. Alan disappeared for a few minutes, coming back with two cups of coffee and handing one over to Matthew, who took it gratefully.
“You’re ready?” Moore asked as he stopped in front of Alan.
Alan hesitated, then shrugged. “As ready as I ever will be.”
“You’ll be safe. I know it feels like we’re just saying that, but I promise that we’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you.”
“I know. I’m Matthew’s mate.”
“And Matthew is like an annoying little brother to me. I never want him to be hurt, and losing you would destroy him.”
Alan’s gaze flickered to Matthew, who nodded to confirm. He couldn’t imagine life without Alan, even though they’d just recently met.
“I know,” Alan murmured.
“Do we have any more information on Victor and what he might do?” Matthew asked because he could tell that Alan was uncomfortable.
Thankfully, Moore got the message and turned to Matthew. “We’re still waiting for Dante, but I bet he’ll have something to tell us.” He didn’t look happy about that, but he wouldn’t fight Dante’s involvement. He knew it was the best option they had to keep Alan safe.
Things went quickly after that—too quickly for Matthew’s taste.
When he arrived, Dante confirmed that they already had people waiting at the coffee shop and others keeping an eye on Victor.
Apparently, he’d been behaving completely normal, as if he wasn’t about to threaten and possibly try to kill Alan again.
He’d continued living his life even after trying to drive Alan off the road. Everything was routine for him.
Matthew hated the guy. He would have hated Victor anyway because of what he’d done, but the way he’d treated Alan and had deceived him made Matthew want to scream. His mate didn’t deserve this.
Alan deserved a friend who would truly be a friend.
He deserved people who would always be there for him.
Victor hadn’t been one of those people, but thankfully, Alan had Matthew and his family now.
Even if something were to happen to Matthew, he would die with the knowledge that Alan would always be taken care of.
It gave him a sense of peace he hadn’t expected. He wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon, but no one ever did. He’d try as hard as he could to come back to his mate if anything happened, but even if he couldn’t, Alan would be fine, and in the end, that was what mattered most.
He wasn’t sure Alan would see it the same way, so he didn’t say anything. Now wasn’t the time, anyway.
It felt like now wasn’t the time for a lot of things in Matthew’s relationship with Alan.
They were out of sync, having to focus on more important things than their bond, and Matthew didn’t like it.
Once all of this was over, he was grabbing Alan and locking his front door.
The world outside of it would have to wait.
Matthew would fully focus on his mate and on making sure that Alan knew how much he was cherished.
Eventually, they had to go. Matthew had grown more uneasy as the time passed, but at least things were nearly over. He wasn’t even allowed to shimmer with his mate, just in case. Alan would be shimmering with the Nix enforcer, while Matthew was stuck with Teddy.
There were worse people to be stuck with.
“I’ll be fine,” Alan promised.
They both knew it might be an empty promise, but neither of them said anything about it. “I know you will be.”
Matthew squeezed Alan’s hand one last time before stepping away. It would be useless to prolong the inevitable, so he quickly made his way towards Teddy, who was patiently waiting. He looked Matthew up and down with an understanding expression on his face. “How are you coping?”
“I don’t think that I am.”
“They’ll keep him safe,” Teddy promised.