9. Sandro #2
I had assumed this question would come up at some point this morning. “Because it wasn’t the right time,” I said. “We haven’t discussed last night, nor have we talked about what it is that you want from me.”
“What do you mean? About wanting from you, that is. I understand the last night thing. But we did some things already. Why not go ahead and claim me?”
“Yes and no,” I told him. “I’m concerned that I lashed out at you as I did.
I don’t recall ever doing that before, and it worries me.
” I was grateful that he was able to defend himself, but that wasn’t what he should have to do with his mate.
I shouldn’t ever be a threat to him. What if I did that in the future and he was pregnant and couldn’t shift?
“You didn’t hurt me though,” Leo said as he stepped into the shower.
“Not this time. But what if it happens again? What if you can’t shift? I would never be able to live with myself if I were to harm you, even unintentionally.”
Leo shook his head. “You didn’t hurt me, Sandro. And why wouldn’t I be able to shift? I did last night without any issues. I’m usually a fast shifter, and I was able to get away from you, so it’s not something to worry about as far as I’m concerned.”
I joined him in the shower and pulled him close, thinking about everything he’d been through in the last twenty-four hours.
It had been more than what most people could handle.
But not my beloved. I reached up with one hand and ran my fingers through his wet hair.
“Leo, if you become pregnant, you won’t be able to shift. You know that, right?”
Leo blinked at me several times. “Okay, but you didn’t hurt me. Even before I shifted, you hesitated. It seemed as if you recognized that I wasn’t a threat to you. That I was someone else there to maybe help.”
“Did you not know that about pregnant omegas?” I asked. He seemed to dodge that entirely, and I was left wondering if he knew anything about omegas and how everything worked when they were pregnant.
“Maybe? There weren’t a whole lot of omegas in the pride.
It’s mostly alphas. There were a few mated couples, but only one was with a male mate, and they didn’t seem to stay with the pride for too long after they found each other.
There are a few other male omegas, but I wasn’t exactly best friends with them. ”
Most everything about what he’d just shared was concerning. “Why aren’t you friendly with the other omegas?” Did he simply not get along with others? Was it going to be an issue with Abel and Mazzi?
“Because they didn’t like me. They were worried that if they were caught associating with me, they would also become the pride’s servants.
I cleaned, Sandro. Every day, I was tasked with something new that needed to be done.
I scrubbed floors, toilets, did dishes, cleaned the ugly figurines.
I did it all. I changed bedding, vacuumed everything.
You name it, I did it. That was how I was allowed to continue living there.
I didn’t want to be homeless on the streets of Rome, because I know what that would have meant for me. ”
I closed my eyes briefly. I understood as well.
Rome was gorgeous, but it had a dark side, just as any larger city did.
Leo would have been hunted by those that weren’t kind.
Those like me. If he’d been caught and was one of the lucky ones, he would have been held captive and kept for blood and sex.
But it wasn’t just vampires. There was a dark paranormal underground in many cities across Europe.
I would question him about why he immediately trusted me, but I knew.
He could scent me, and his leopard told him that I was his mate.
Characteristically, our first instinct toward our fated mate was protection, not harm. That clicked suddenly.
“You said I seemed to withdraw, that I didn’t harm you last night,” I said, changing the subject. Did I withdraw because he was my beloved? Even in that state, did I know he meant me no harm?
Leo smiled up at me. I ran my hand back into his hair and rubbed the base of his skull.
Leo smiled at me, and I didn’t know if it was because he was enjoying the attention from me or because I’d changed the subject.
“Yeah. You did reach out, at first—right after I touched your shoulder. But you seemed to hesitate. My leopard was well on his way to coming out at that point though, and I shifted anyway. I backed away, I hissed and growled at you, and eventually, you seemed to come out of it. Then you grabbed me and immediately started apologizing. You did that over and over.”
I would never be able to apologize enough to make up for what I’d done to him.
“I know I already said as much, but I don’t recall ever lashing out at someone like that before.
If I did, it would have been Rio, but he’s not ever said anything about it.
He’s seen to all of my care since I was rescued. ”
“I don’t know the guy. You could always ask him, but I would think he would mention it to you instead of keeping something like that a secret.”
I nodded in agreement. What was different about last night? Why had I reacted the way I had?
“You’re thinking too hard about it,” Leo said.
He pulled away, and I let him go. He poured shampoo into his hand and then replaced the bottle on the built-in shelf.
When he started lathering his hair, I realized then that he’d already managed to wet his hair and start his shower routine while I’d been thinking about anything else.
While Leo was out of the water, scrubbing his scalp, I stood under it and started rubbing at the mess on my stomach and leg.
I needed a good cleaning, which was a pity because I enjoyed scenting of my beloved.
“Can I ask you another question?” Leo asked once he’d finished scrubbing and rinsing his hair.
“Yes. Again, you can ask anything anytime.”
He sighed deeply. “Yeah, I get that you said that, but I wanted to know when you were going to claim me? Don’t you think it’ll be okay? You said you were attracted to me, and I think it’s safe to say that’s been proven more than once.”
I wanted to say that I’d claim him as soon as we finished the shower, but I was still hesitating because of my reaction to him while I was sleeping.
Also, the possibility of him not being able to shift and protect himself.
“Please try to understand my side of it. I would like nothing other than to already be able to call you mine, but I wish to talk to Rio first. I want to know if I’ve ever tried to attack him while I was recovering.
” I would think that he would have mentioned that to me, but possibly not.
Leo’s face fell. I’d disappointed him, and I wasn’t exactly surprised that I had. “So we have to wait a month, huh? Since that’s when we’ll be leaving here, right? That’s what Rio said? He’d come for us in a month?”
I reached out and gently cupped Leo’s face.
“Kitten, I’ll call Rio and have him come here as soon as he’s available.
But as far as I’m concerned, once I talk to him and get a better idea about how to best protect you from me, I’ll be claiming you before we go to sleep again.
” The words were out there, and now that they were, a sense of peace settled over me.
Leo was, without a doubt, exactly who I’d needed in my life.
The real question though: was I the same for him?