Page 36

Jay

T he next week of waiting—waiting for news from Wolfe, waiting for potential threats from the den—should have been stressful. And it was. Kind of. Because it would be weird not to be stressed about it, right?

But also, it was really, really nice.

Jay had a mate . A person just for him. And he was living in Jay’s apartment, wanting him all the time.

How could that be anything but the nicest?

And if Jay was being honest, he had to admit he’d always been a little scared of the mate bond.

It had always sounded magical, yes, but he’d also imagined how painful it could be for someone to feel every time their partner was angry at or disappointed in them.

How badly it would hurt his feelings to know for sure he was letting his mate down.

But it was turning out Jay didn’t have to fear that at all with Alexei. Or at least not over the little things that had once made Vee so angry.

If Jay was messy, or too talkative, or emotionally needy, or wanted to be held all the time, all he felt from Alexei were these warm, delightful washes of affection. It was the nicest, most comforting thing Jay had ever experienced in all his life.

Who knew love could feel so good? Who knew it didn’t have to hurt? That you didn’t have to push down parts of yourself just to be accepted?

He’d seen it, of course, with his friends and their mates—he’d technically seen what acceptance could look like—but it was different being inside it. A warm cocoon where Jay felt safe to grow and explore and feel all the things he’d never gotten to before.

And then sometimes it was almost…sharp, Alexei’s love for Jay.

A little dark, a little possessive, a little obsessive, even.

But that felt just as good as the warm, soft love.

To know he inspired that kind of devotion in Alexei…

Jay couldn’t help but be pleased. Because Jay really was an endless pit of need, and he was realizing for the first time how truthful Alexei had been, when he’d said he was hungry to give Jay affection.

Nonetheless, sitting down to their first movie together, Jay felt it best to warn Alexei what was coming.

He queued up the movie they’d selected—Alexei had described it as sci-fi horror, and wasn’t that an exciting concept?

—and turned to Alexei, who was sprawled back on the couch. “Um, I can be a little…loud.”

Alexei gave him a lazy, heated look. “Mm. I know, kotyonok. You moan with the best of them.”

Jay’s cheeks grew warm. “I’m not talking about that . Watching movies. I had to stop going to the theaters because I kept getting shushed by everyone.” Jay hadn’t even known how loud he was being until the other audience members got mad at him. He’d been afraid to go back after that.

Jay could feel a pulse of anger coming from his mate, but Alexei’s face didn’t show it. Instead, he cocked his head. “You think I’d mind? You can talk through the entire movie if you like, sweetheart. You can yodel for all I care.”

Jay giggled at that. “Why would I yodel?”

Alexei shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “I’m just saying. I’ll enjoy myself because I’m with you.”

“You’re the nicest hum—” Jay paused, feeling unaccountably horrified. “Oh my God. Alexei. I can’t—I can’t call you the nicest human anymore.”

“Why not?” Alexei teased. “Finally changed your mind?”

“But…you’re a vampire now.”

“You can still call me that if you want, kitten. I’m afraid it was never a very accurate moniker anyway. I hate to break it to you, but I’ve never been very nice. Not before I met you.”

Jay huffed, pressing play on the movie. For all his experience, sometimes Alexei really had no idea what he was talking about. He was the nicest human. Nicest vampire. Nicest mate.

Jay settled in on the couch, close enough that his and Alexei’s thighs were touching.

And then, because Jay and his beastie both agreed that sitting next to each other wasn’t actually close enough, he lifted Alexei’s arm to tuck himself under.

He waited a moment for potential admonishment (such as, Can’t you sit by yourself for one movie, Johann?

), but there was only warm satisfaction pulsing through the bond, so he snuggled in closer, draping himself over Alexei’s chest.

That was better.

Jay still tried, at first, to keep his thoughts and exclamations to himself. But he had so many of them. They were watching a movie called Alien , and the premise alone brought up so many questions that Jay’s brain was overflowing with them.

The alien creature was clearly much stronger than the humans, but would it still be stronger than a vampire? How would one of their kind fare against a creature with acid for blood? If a vampire was jettisoned into space, would they still live forever, just floating into the abyss?

Jay couldn’t help voicing the questions out loud, which he knew had to be annoying.

But it was like everything else with Alexei. There was no annoyance, no frisson of irritation through the bond. There was only amusement (the nice kind), acceptance, love.

Jay didn’t care what Alexei said. He was the nicest human in the world.

So Jay let go of his hesitations and allowed himself to enjoy the movie like he would if he were alone.

Except it was all better than when he was alone because he was tucked under Alexei’s arm, feeling so warm and cozy and safe, and also Alexei had brought them both so many types of candy (even though Jay seemed to be the only one eating it) and Jay wasn’t losing any time at all (hadn’t lost a moment of time since Alexei had turned, as a matter of fact).

But just over midway into the movie, Jay began to have a different kind of problem.

He was trying to stay focused. He really was. But the thing was his beastie was all keyed up at the thought of fighting an alien (his beastie was convinced they could win against one, even if Jay wasn’t), and there was Alexei, smelling so freaking amazing.

And so Jay maybe got a little squirmy and horny and also maybe started to have a hard time keeping his breaths regular.

And even without the bond, Alexei probably would have noticed, but with the bond, it was only a few minutes before he was watching Jay more than the movie, and Jay could feel amusement (still the nice kind) and lust both pulsing through their connection.

“Getting a little distracted, are we?” Alexei murmured into Jay’s hair. And oh, it wasn’t fair when he made his voice all low and rumbly and teasing like that. “Do eight-feet-tall exoskeleton alien monsters turn you on, kotyonok?”

Jay’s cheeks burned with horny embarrassment. He hadn’t even known before Alexei that horny embarrassment was a thing. But it was. It really was. Jay kept his eyes on the TV though. “No, they don’t.”

“Oh? Then why can I smell desire on you, sweetheart?”

Jay shivered as Alexei nosed at his neck. “You can’t smell it,” he protested. “You’re just—you’re cheating.” Jay wasn’t sure if reading his desire through the bond counted as cheating, but he felt like it did. He could have pretended to still be focused on the movie otherwise. Maybe. Probably not.

Alexei huffed a laugh, and his warm breath on Jay’s neck had another shiver rushing down his spine. “You still want to finish your movie, kotyonok?”

“Um. Yes.” Jay wasn’t sure he did, but the whole thing had been his idea, and Alexei had gone through all the trouble with the snacks, so he should, shouldn’t he?

Alexei’s breath was hot on Jay’s ear now. “Well, would you like to finish the movie with my mouth on your cock?”

Before Jay’s brain could even process the question, he was scrambling out from under Alexei’s arm and plopping onto his back on the couch because yes, yes, he did want that.

Very, very much. He always wanted Alexei to be touching him, and maybe he’d find it in himself to be even more hornily embarrassed about that fact if Alexei didn’t seem to want that very same thing.

If Alexei didn’t seem to like nothing more than just…

loving on Jay. Kissing and stroking and teasing him until he was an absolute puddle of goo.

Jay watched with wide eyes as Alexei tugged down his sweats, revealing Jay’s bobbing erection. His mate was so handsome, especially with those pretty eyes all heavy-lidded and intense, looking at Jay’s cock like it was a piece of delicious candy.

And then Alexei was looming over him, gently turning Jay’s head to the side with two fingers so that he was facing the TV again. “Watch your movie, sweetheart.”

Jay tried. He really did. He was even sort of successful at first because Alexei took it kind of easy on him.

He started with licking and nibbling at the skin along Jay’s hips, which had Jay giggling a little because it sort of tickled.

He then turned his attention to the inside of Jay’s thighs, a place he’d bitten and drunk from more than once.

Jay expected Alexei to do the same now, but he kept going with those gentle nibbles and warm kisses, not a hint of fangs.

It was…maddening. But also, Jay kept his eyes open and was vaguely aware of movie things happening, and that meant he was being good and following Alexei’s request, right?

Alexei confirmed it with his words, pouring out praise between presses of his lips on Jay’s tender skin.

“So good for me, sweetheart. Look at you, trembling like a little leaf. And still so focused. How perfect you are.”

And that wasn’t quite fair because Alexei knew how much being told he was good turned Jay on. And Jay’s cock was jerking and leaking without Alexei even touching it with his mouth yet.

But then it was even more unfair because of course all that was just the warm-up. And apparently Alexei was done teasing. Jay’s back arched up off the couch with a breathless gasp as Alexei just gulped him down, sucking hard and mercilessly. “Oh God. Oh fu—goodness.”