A Mate for Gideon (16 page)

“I’m
close.” His words were almost unrecognizable. He hoped she would understand
him.

Thank
fuck, she didn’t stop. Instead, she lowered the hand on his sack and massaged
the sensitive patch of skin behind his balls and he was tickets. Gideon all out
snarled, as his seed erupted. Again he had to fight the urge to pump into her
mouth. To grip her with his thighs. Most of all, he had to stop himself from
turning her around and finishing inside of her.

Soon.

He
was going to speak with his king in the morning. Gideon only hoped that Brant
would understand. He had to. Part of him wanted to wait because he needed to be
sure of them before taking that next step and another part needed permission
somehow. He wanted to do things the right way this time.

Gideon
lay back against the headboard. He pulled Jenna into the crook of his arm,
holding her against him. In soft strokes, he caressed her back. Loving how her
satiny skin felt, how her soft breasts mashed against him.

He
inhaled her scent, so sweet, so pure. “I’ve missed you so much. Strange thing
is…” He swallowed hard. “I didn’t even realize how much until right now. You
mean so much to me.”

She
lifted up her head. Her eyes were filled with moisture. “I’m so sorry…I wish
I’d been honest with you. That I’d been brave enough to…”

Gideon
put a finger to her lips. “Shhhh. Don’t say it. You are brave. I’m the idiot, I
should’ve listened. It’s in the past now though.” He smiled at her and his
heart warmed when she smiled back.

Then
she worried on her bottom lip. A sure sign that something was bothering her.

“What
is it? I told you that those other females meant nothing to me.”

“It’s
not that.” Her eyes drifted down to his chest, before locking back with his.
“Thinking back now to those early days with Liam. I think I understand how we
went from a few dates to living together. It was like a whirlwind. Happened so
quickly. My mother and stepfather moved away around the same time.” She sucked
in a deep breath. “When I think back at how clever and deceitful he was. How
quickly and quietly he wound his way into my life. Sure, the signs of his
manipulative ways were there but I chose not to see them. I have always been a
bit of a loner, I don’t have that many friends. This fit right in with his
plans. I was an easy target.”

Gideon
kept quiet, understanding her need to talk. He just kept stroking her back,
listening to what she had to say.

“I
tried to leave him. That was the first time he beat me.” She shuddered and he
tightened his arms around her. All he wanted to do was to tuck her in and go
and find the bastard. Males like this Liam did not have any honor. He deserved
to die. If he’d been a vampire, he would be long fucking dead. Forget being
buried, his body would’ve been burned.

Gideon
longed to see the male broken, bleeding, roasting. Hell, he’d toast
marshmallows over the heat.

“I’m
sorry…” She wiped away the lone tear that had fallen. “You probably don’t want
to hear about all of this. It’s putting a damper on our night together.”

Gideon
shook his head. He reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her
ear. “We need to deal with what happened. We need to do that together. The only
way you are going to be able to put this behind you, and for us to move forward
together, is for you to talk about it. As much as you want and as often as you
want. I was doing some research today.”

“You
were?” Her eyes brightened, a wobbly smile took residence on her lips and his
heart clenched so hard that he was sure he would never recover.

“Yes,
I was. We may need to even get you a human shrink… Psychologist I believe is
the correct term. You can maybe even enroll yourself into a talk group with
other females who have been through similar experiences. I will stand by your
side every step of the way. There was one general consensus in all of the
information that I gathered, talking about it is very important in your healing
process.”

Another
tear fell and then another and another. She made a choking noise.

“What
is it? I’m so sorry. I’m not trying to make decisions for you.”

“Be
quiet, you silly man…male…vampire…whatever it is that I should call you. I’m
crying because I’m happy. Thank you.” She smiled through her tears.

“You
are most welcome. Anything for you.” He clenched his jaw for a few seconds.
“Yours…the answer you were searching for is yours.”

She
frowned, looking confused.

“You
asked what it is that you should call me…the correct answer to that question is…yours.”
It scared him shitless, but it was true. He prayed that she wasn’t hiding
anything from him. Gideon prayed even harder that his kings would understand.

The
little female had a decent set of lungs on her and she knew how to use them.
She put her hands on her hips and sucked in a deep breath. “Call whoever it is that
is in charge. This is completely unacceptable. Read this letter.” She waved a
piece of paper under the security guard’s nose.

The
young male looked completely out of his depth. His eyes were wide and his pulse
raced. “It doesn’t matter what that paper says. All the females are here and
accounted for. My king will have my—”

“What’s
going on here?” Lazarus boomed, preparing for the female to shriek or flinch or
something. They all did. This little smidge of a female would probably scream
and run away. She was one of the tiniest females he had ever seen.

“Finally,”
she said, as she turned her eyes on him. “I’m hoping you have a brain.” She
looked up at the sky. “I pray to god that you will be able to help me.”

What
sort of question was that?

A
brain.

Did
he even answer her?

He
was about to respond in the affirmative when she took a step towards him,
having to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. Her fierce, blue gaze
remained firmly on him. “Read this.” She thrust the paper into his hand. “Do it
now.” She commanded, taking another step towards him.

He
caught a nose-full of her scent. Chili and chocolate. Lazarus found himself
leaning slightly forward as his nostrils flared for a second time. Decadent,
smooth as silk.

“Hello…big
guy…I’m talking to you.” She actually gave his arm a slap to draw his attention.
Beneath all that decadence was a hot firecracker. “Take it. Read it, damn it.”
She tapped the documents in his hand.

With
extreme reluctance, Lazarus broke eye contact and looked down at the piece of
paper. It was an acceptance letter, for a Miss Alexandra Stone. Wait a minute.
This didn’t make sense. It said that Alexandra had been accepted into the
program.

Then
it dawned on him. This female was more than likely an imposter. She had somehow
gotten her hands on one of the accepted human female’s letters, and here she
was now claiming to be that female. She was a sly one.

“Nice
try.” Gideon grunted, giving the letter back to the female.

“Not
you too.” She snorted and even rolled her eyes. “Another brainless idiot.”

“Excuse
me?” Lazarus couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. No one, not a vampire
or otherwise had ever spoken to him like this.

“Deaf
too I see. What does a girl have to do to get some help around here? I want to
speak to someone of authority, ideally one of the kings. You two are complete
morons.”

“Well
that’s not going to happen.” Lazarus growled, knowing for sure that she would
become fearful at the terrifying noise but instead she poked her finger into
his chest.

“Yes”—
Poke
—“It”—
Poke
—“Is”—
Poke
—“I’m
done”—
Poke
—“Waiting”—
A really hard poke
—“I’m about to seriously
lose my patience.” She smiled, looking anything but happy. “You don’t want to
see bitch Alex. Bitch Alex will tear you apart and laugh while doing it.”

“Do
you seriously expect us to believe that you are Alexandra Stone?” Lazarus
narrowed his eyes at the little female, noticing how her hair that a reddish
tinge in the sun and how plump her…

“Eyes
up here, buster. Trust a man to think of sex at a time like this…”

“I
wasn’t thinking about sex…yet, I was checking out your—”

“Well
stop, dammit. I will be forced to burn your eyes out with a hot poker if you
put them on my boobs again. Do you hear me?” Without giving him a chance to
respond, she dug into the really large bag on her shoulder and pulled out her
identity document. “Look at this instead.” She waved it in front of him. “It
clearly states that
I am
Alexandra.” She tapped her chest. Damn fine
chest at that.

The
guard let out an exasperated sigh. “It looks like she is who she says she is.
Maybe she’s telling the truth.”

“Yeah.”
Lazarus gave her the once over, keeping his eyes narrowed. Small, curvy with
long blondish/reddish hair that cascaded down her back. It was wavy. He
wondered if her fur patch would be colored the same. His cock twitched at the
thought.

Not
right now.

Fighting
the urge to readjust his dick, he looked back up at her face. Her eyes were a
bright blue, her lips a deep pink. There was a splatter of light orange
freckles across her, cute, little nose. Her skin was pale. It was too soon to
end the fun. “And maybe she’s just really good at talking bullshit. I don’t buy
it. You thought you could come here dressed like that and think you would get
away with it? That we would just let you right in?”

“Shorts
and a t-shirt. What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” She raised her brows.

“Shorts
that barely cover your plump ass and a tight shirt that showcases those.” He
pointed at her mammary glands, feeling his dick twitch yet again.

“What
did you just say?” She growled. An honest to god growl. From a human.

Lazarus
ignored the urge to throw her over his shoulder and smirked at her instead.
“Who’s deaf now? You can take your sexy ass back to the gate, human.”

“Human?”
She shrieked. “Who’s your damned human? My ass and I aren’t going anywhere,
thank you. I am Alexandra Stone. It says so right here. You are the one that’s
deaf and an idiot.” She waved her ID document at him.

“That
could be fake.” He didn’t know why he was goading her. Maybe because she looked
so damned cute with her cheeks all flushed and her eyes blazing. He was really
enjoying himself.

“Do
you really think it’s fake?” The guard asked, but Lazarus ignored him.

“It’s
not damn well fake.” She shouted at the guard before turning her stunning fury
back on him. “Just because you have big muscles and can growl like a bear
doesn’t mean that you can intimidate me.” She put her chest almost flush
against his. Her breasts were so close that he could almost feel them. Her
delicious scent enveloped him.

He
felt alive and exhilarated for the first time in a long time. This was almost
better than sparring. Who was he kidding? It was better. At least with this
little firecracker it was. “It’s fake.” He growled, loving the snort of fury
she produced.

“Fine,”
the guard growled. “I will escort her out.” He gripped her elbow and pulled her
along with him for a few strides.

Lazarus
couldn’t help the deep rumble that erupted at the interruption. He wasn’t done
playing with the human.

The
female reacted instantly by yanking her arm away. When the male tried to grab
her again, she smashed her elbow into his side. The guard made a grunting noise
and lunged for her again, grabbing her against him with both his arms.

“Leave
me”—she yelled—“alone!” She shouted, kicking. She nailed the guard on the shin.
The male growled.

For
whatever reason, Lazarus hated the male’s hands on her. Hated her sounds of
distress even more.

“Let
her go,” he snarled. When the male didn’t respond, he took ahold of his arm and
yanked. “Let her fucking go,” an even louder snarl that had his chest
vibrating.

“Would
somebody be so kind as to tell me what the fuck is going on?” King Brant
rounded the corner. Gideon was at his side. The male looked stoney faced.

Thank
fuck, the guard released the female. Lazarus pulled her behind him, the urge to
protect surged and for no apparent reason. It wouldn’t do to have spilled human
blood. The program would be affected. Their very existence could be affected. That
must be it.

“I
asked what the fuck was going on? What is this human female doing on vampire territory?”
He turned to the guard. “Escort her out.”

“Wait.”
Lazarus growled, he even bared his fangs. The guard had the good sense to look
down.

“Explain
and make it quick.” Brant kept his eyes on Lazarus.

The
little female tried to move out from behind him but Lazarus kept ahold of her
waist, making sure she stayed put. “This female, Alexandra Stone, has an
acceptance letter stating that she is one of the females permitted to take part
in the first phase of the program.”

Brant
frowned. “That can’t be.” Then he looked confused. “Her name is familiar though.
Let me see the letter.”

“I
thought you didn’t believe me,” she whispered from behind him.

Lazarus
couldn’t help but to smile. “I was teasing you.”

She
made a small snorting noise that he found endearing. Then she gave him a sharp
smack on the arm. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners?”

Lazarus
had to chuckle. He could hear that she was smiling. It made him grin even
wider. Even the smack to his arm had been enjoyable. This female was a treat.

The
paper crinkled in Brant’s hand while he read the document. His frown deepened.
His king looked up at the female and then back down at the document, and then
back up again. “This looks authentic.”

“She
has an identity document that proves that she is Alexandra Stone. It looks
legit.” The female squirmed behind him, so Lazarus released his hold on her.

“That’s
what I’ve been trying to tell you morons all along.” She gave the guard, and
then Lazarus a really filthy look.

“Apologies,
for whatever reason you were not informed that the program has started. We have
twenty five females present, so someone must’ve been called accidentally in
your place.” Brant shrugged. “I will have someone escort you out. We could even
give you a lift back home.” He raised his brows.

“Excuse
me?” Alexander lifted her finger and pointed it at Brant. “If you think I’m
just going to turn around and walk away, you’re delusional.”

Brant
frowned. “I understand that you’re upset, but there is nothing I can do. The
males are about to choose who they wish to keep on seeing in the next round.
There is no way that any of them would pick you at this late stage of the game.
Go back home, we will call you in the next heat.”

“What
the hell is the next heat?” She adjusted the big, clunky purse on her shoulder.

“Any
unmated males will go into the next heat. New human females will then be
introduced. I will personally make sure that you are included in that batch. My
apologies for any inconvenience. I would be happy to write you out a check if
it would make you feel better. Heat two will start in a few weeks time so you
will not need to wait very long.”

“You
can’t buy me and I’m not interested in joining the next heat.” She shook her
head and her hair flew about her face. “I want to stay.”

She
was a sight to behold and behold her Lazarus did. His eyes slid down to her
narrow waist. Alexandra had hips made for holding and an ass that could make a
grown man weep. The good news was that they would be tears of joy.

He
didn’t realize that the female had turned around. “Eyes up here…big guy…stay
with me. Tell, King Brant, to please let me stay.”

By
the way all of them were looking at him expectantly, Lazarus realized that he
had missed something. “What?” He growled.

“The
only way I’m going to let this female into the first heat, at this ridiculously
late stage of the game, is if someone were to guarantee that they would choose
her to go into the next round.” Brant smiled, his fangs gleamed and his eyes
shone. “Do you know of anyone, Lazarus?”

Lazarus
swallowed hard.
Fuck!

The
female crossed her arms across her chest. For the first time, worry clouded her
features. She licked her lips, before chewing on her bottom lip. “You’re one of
them aren’t you? One of the vampires from the program?”

Lazarus
nodded once.

“Surely
we should have her meet with all the males.” Gideon blurted, speaking for the
first time. “You never know, maybe one of them would choose her.” Fuck! This
was a dilemma.

Lazarus
locked gazes with Gideon, the other male’s eyes were hard. He gave the smallest
shake of the head. Gideon wanted Lazarus to choose Jenna so that she could stay
in the program until they figured things out.

“I
don’t think she should be allowed in on this round. Period,” Brant growled. “I
have a feeling it would cause shit.” He turned his eyes to Lazarus. “According
to the feedback I’ve received, you don’t plan on choosing anyone in this heat.
Is this true?”

“He
spent the night with a female last night,” Gideon growled. Talk about being put
on the spot.

“Maybe
he will choose her. You plan to don’t you?” His eyes were so dark that they
looked black. Gideon spoke through clenched teeth.

“Shit!”
Alexandra took a step towards Lazarus. She huffed out a breath. “Sorry I called
you an idiot and a moron.” She swallowed hard. “I know you’re not deaf or brainless.
I’m really hoping you’re not spineless.”

What
did that have to do with anything?