Luis followed Gerome through the door, closing it behind him, then stopping in the middle of the room. Without any fuss, Gerome unbuckled his trousers and strode over to the bed. Best to get over with it quickly. He didn’t want to draw this out, didn’t want it to hurt any more than it would no matter what. Right now, focusing on the task was the only thing keeping him from running away or getting sick. He dreaded the thought of what he was going to do, but he didn’t see another way. Raping Luis would not happen, so he had to offer himself, no matter how much he hated it.
With much more strength than he had, he sat down and pulled his shoes off, his pants following. “Come on, let’s get it over with.”
Luis still stood, not making one move to join Gerome, in the middle of the room. Didn’t he realize they had to go on, no matter how much he resisted?
“Are you really going to force me to have sex with you?”
Gerome barely understood his low voice. Carefully schooling his features, he looked up at Luis. “There is no forcing here. We’re mated. You are mine, and you’d better get used to the idea. I have urgent things to do, and I can’t deal with the problems you have. We’re going to do this now, no matter how you feel about it. So you better get moving, before I make you.” He just didn’t have the patience to coerce Luis gently. A steady pounding behind his left temple started a couple of minutes ago. He needed to get some sleep. Now.
“I won’t let you rape me!” Luis yelled.
“Fucking shit! Keep yourself in check! I won’t rape you, for God’s sake! We are mated! It’s my damn right to take you, and you know it.” His voice dropped lower. “I have to find the man I impregnated and my unborn child before something happens to either of them. I couldn’t care less about you and your fucking problems, but I won’t rape you.” He was not going to rape anyone, and he wouldn’t allow Luis to accuse him of it.
“I don’t see any way around you raping me if we have to have sex. And if I understand things, we have to have sex now.” The man still stood in the middle of the room.
“Yes, we have to have sex now. And just to be clear, you are fucking mine, and you will do what I say.” Gerome stood up, pulled up his pants, and stalked over to Luis. Who did the man think he was?
His voice barely above a growl, he forced the words out. “You. Are. Mine. I can do what I want to you. It won’t be rape because you’re my mate. Don’t you get it? It’s over. You don’t have a say anymore. Now get the fuck on the bed so we can get this done.” His fangs dropped to emphasize the point.
“You’re really serious?” Luis stared wide-eyed at him.
Gerome retracted his fangs. “Yes, I am serious. Believe me, if I could’ve found a way to prevent this, I would’ve done it. But I have a child to think of, not to mention his or her father. And if mating you ensures the help of my king, I will do it. Now, strip. I want to see you.”
Luis’ look of disbelief would’ve been funny if this situation resembled anything with fun in it. It didn’t, though.
Gerome walked over to the bed again, stepped out of his trousers, and sat down in his boxers. His mind raced, none of the thoughts staying longer than a second. This whole scene aroused him as much as dentist appointment—without the pain meds.
He didn’t want to force Luis to have sex with him. Yes, Luis was his, and it was his right to demand it from him. He didn’t have much of a problem with the owning-stuff. Their society simply worked this way. But to rape someone? He wasn’t going to do that.
Luis would do the fucking. It didn’t stop the nausea in Gerome’s gut, but, at least, he wouldn’t force himself on Luis. He preferred to have willing bed partners, but it didn’t look like Luis would be willing anytime soon.
Time, though, was the last thing they had. He needed to find Alex and their baby. He couldn’t lose them. He liked Alex very much, and he would’ve loved to date him, maybe see if they might be a good couple. But from the moment he’d met Sam all those months ago in Alex’s hallway, he knew there’d be no place in Alex’s heart for him. Sam’s look at Alex had given away everything, and Gerome had stepped back. He wouldn’t come between Sam and Alex. Just a few months into the pregnancy, they’d found a home together, leaving Gerome out and most likely never even stopping to think about him. His place in their life was as the biological sire of the child Alex carried, nothing more. Sam was the baby’s dad. Gerome would remain the uncle.
Of course, he loved his baby, but he wouldn’t have a relationship with Alex, and he wouldn’t be as welcome in the baby’s life as much as he wanted. He had his own life, which brought him back to the current task. It was time to get this damn mating over and done with so he could get some sleep and then focus on finding Alex. No matter how many men were on Alex’s trail, he wanted to see what they were doing, what they were finding.
He simply refused to do nothing but wait.
Gerome looked up to his mate. Luis stood in the middle of the room and watched him. He still hadn’t moved or started to strip.
Gerome closed his eyes and rubbed over them with his fingertips. Damn, his head hurt. He needed some rest. But no, he had to mate a man he had zero feelings for. By now, he’d been awake for more than forty hours, and a nap would do wonders. It hadn’t been a lie when he’d told his father he needed some sleep. But no, his father wouldn’t listen. He never listened.
So, what was he going to do now with this man in front of him? Sitting around in his boxers wasn’t going to cut it. It also didn’t bring them any closer to finishing the mating. “Come here, Luis. Sit down,” he said and tried to get his lips into something resembling an inviting smile. The man hesitated, though, and Gerome patted the spot next to him. Why had he stripped already? He should have waited. Luis made no move to undress, so he sat there, nearly naked, feeling out of place and stupid.
Luis shook his head.
What the hell? Was he going to defy him? Now, after everything was almost finished? After they’d discussed things for what seemed like hours?
Gerome silently counted to ten. He wouldn’t hurt this man. “You understand the part about having to do it?” Gerome asked with much more patience in his voice than he thought he could bring up.
“I won’t do it, no matter what you do. I will not fuck you. I’d rather die.” Luis raised his chin, his eyes glistening.
“We have to. We’re mated. It’s my right to take you to bed to complete the mating. I already told you that, and I won’t say it again. I will simply put you in this bed if you don’t get over here now. And if you’d rather die, you do realize my father will kill you if we don’t do it? He mated us. We have to complete this.”
Luis paled visibly. Hadn’t he known? As the crown prince, Gerome wouldn’t be killed, but Luis wouldn’t survive if he didn’t finish the mating. Apparently, no one had bothered to tell him this.
Meanwhile, Luis still stood in the middle of the room, a stricken expression on his face now. Gerome got up and slowly walked over to him. Every other vampire would’ve had his mate in bed already, taking what was rightfully theirs, but Gerome didn’t want to go that route if he could avoid it.
With a quiet, controlled movement, he raised his hand and touched Luis’ chin. His skin was cool, much cooler than Gerome had anticipated. Were humans supposed to be this cold? He didn’t think so. The ones he’d had contact with weren’t. Maybe it was shock? Or did it come from the mating bond?
Luis allowed the touch, his eyes fluttering over to Gerome’s before he quickly looked away again. Gerome traced the strong chin with the tips of his fingers. The beard stubble scratched his fingers as he turned Luis’ head with much more tenderness than he thought he had. As he looked at him, Luis’ eyes darted around as if he were trying to find a way out. But there was none. The only way was to mate. Now. They didn’t have much time. Gerome needed to do more important things than play games with this man.
“Look at me,” he said softly. “I know you don’t like this. I wish we could do something else, but we can’t. I need to find Alex soon, and I need to sleep first. We will get this done and then work from there. You can’t break the mating bond unless you want the king to kill you. So we’ll go over to the bed now, you will strip, and then we’ll have sex. It’s as simple as that. I won’t touch you again after this, so you don’t have to worry about me wanting you again. See it as a business deal. We have to do this, regardless of whether or not we want it.” Where he found the patience from, he didn’t know.
Luis’ gaze met his. Very slowly, he nodded.
“Good.” Gerome released his mate and stepped back so Luis could strip. Finally, he did what he’d been told and shoved his jeans down.
What he’d just told Luis was true. Once they were finished here, he wouldn’t force Luis into his bed again. This instance was a one-time deal. Afterward, they could go on with their lives as if nothing had happened.
A nearly naked, shivering Luis waited next to the bed. Was it really that cold in the room? Gerome made a mental note to turn on the heat, then he studied his mate. Without his clothes, Luis was even more handsome. Slender and lean, he was the kind of man Gerome liked to take home. But he hadn’t discovered Luis on his own and taken him home because he wanted him.
With a silent sigh, Gerome raised his hand and laid it on Luis’ shoulder. The man needed to get under the covers so he’d stop shivering. “Come on, get in bed. You need to get warm.”
Again, the man did as directed, slipping under the covers and hiding his body from sight. Without hesitation, Gerome followed him under the crisp sheets. And now? Without touching Luis, he left a few centimeters between them. If this were a one-night stand, he’d be all over the guy by now, kissing him, getting him hard and ready. With Luis, he didn’t know what to do or how to proceed.
But they wouldn’t get this mating done by lying next to each other and doing nothing. Luis had to fuck him at some point so the mating marks would appear.
Gerome looked at Luis’ face and caught his gaze. “I’m going to start, okay?”
“You don’t have to ask. Just do what you need to do. It’s not like anything I want matters.” Luis closed his eyes, and his face fell. Yeah, he was hurting. Gerome was as well.
It matters, Gerome wanted to say. I don’t want this either. I’m hurting as much as you are. But Luis was right. It didn’t matter. What Luis wanted was a thing of the past. It had ended when his parents sold him. And now they had to make it through this shit together. Somehow.