Midnight Matings 13 Splash and Elegance (2 page)

“My son would like to record his mating.”

“Name?” an elder asked, looking up at them with a bored expression.

Whitley moved closer to the platform so he could hear, but checked over his shoulder for Shane. Breathing a sigh of relief when he found the man back on his feet and making his way toward them like a charging rhino, Whitley turned back to the couple in front of him.

“Jude Chambers,” Jude ground out through his clenched teeth.

“And your name?” the elder asked Melody.

She winced when Jude’s father’s fingers tightened around her arm, digging into her skin. He apparently knew her because he opened his mouth to say something, but Melody cut him off by jerking out of his hold and shoving him roughly. “I can speak for myself,” she said with a slight growl.

Whitley didn’t know what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t what happened next. Melody looked right into the elder’s eyes, and lied like a fucking bitch. “Whitley Turner.”

“No!” the older man roared, but it was too late.

The elder bobbed his head and went to scribbling in the book sitting in front of him before anyone could do anything to stop it.

White-hot pain lanced across the back of Whitley’s neck, causing him to scream in agony.

Jude and his father spun around to stare at him with their mouths hanging open while Melody silently pleaded with her eyes for his forgiveness. Jude rubbed absently at his left thigh, and Whitley could only assume that’s where his mating seal had been branded into his skin.

“No!” Mr. Chambers roared again. “You lying little bitch.”
“That’s enough,” a deep, angry voice said from Whitley’s right.

Shane leapt up onto the dais and pulled Melody away from the irate older man. “Leave her alone.”

“Melody Eck and Shane White,” Melody said quickly to the elder.

“Please record our mating.”

The elder simply shrugged and began writing in his book again.

Shane growled as his muscles tensed, and Melody cried out, clutching at her stomach. It was all over a moment later, and they both grinned at each other. Shane snatched up the envelope the elder was holding out to him, jumped down from the stage, and pulled Melody into his arms to whisk her away.

It was the most romantic thing Whitley had ever witnessed, and he found he couldn’t be mad at the crafty female. She’d done what she had to do to save herself from a lifetime of misery. He could respect that, even if it left his ass in the frying pan.

“I demand that you do something,” Mr. Chambers snarled, slamming his fist down on the table between him and the elders. “She deceived my son. Not only should the mating be void, but she should be punished.”

“Father, just leave it alone,” Jude said quietly. “You wanted me mated, and I am.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass, Jude. This is not what I wanted, and you know it. My son is no queer!” Mr. Chambers whipped his head back to the elders. “Why are you just sitting there?”

“Sir, I suggest that you calm yourself, or I will have you removed from the castle. The mating has been recorded, and it will stand unless we find out that one or more parties are being abused.” The elder rose to his feet, towering over Jude’s father, and smirked. “Any questions?”

Instead of arguing with the elder, Mr. Chambers spun around and stared daggers at Whitley. His face mottled an angry red, his eyes took on a crazed look, and his hands fisted at his sides. Then without
warning, he launched himself off the platform, his fist aiming straight for Whitley’s head.

“Oh, shit.” Whitley’s eyes rounded, his heart hammered, and his throat constricted, making it difficult to breathe. There was nowhere to run, no place to hide, so he did the only thing that made sense.

He dropped to the ground, threw his arms over his head, and didn’t move a muscle.

His strange and unconventional behavior did the trick, though.

Jude’s father stumbled to a stop, dropped his hand, and stared down at Whitley’s unmoving form with a strange look on his face.

“I never touched him.” There were several gasps and lots of hurried footsteps as a small crowd gathered around him to form a loose circle. “I never touched him,” Mr. Chambers repeated, and he sounded a little afraid.

“Move,” Jude growled at his father. He pushed the man aside roughly and knelt down on one knee near Whitley’s head. A little smile tugged at the corners of his full lips. “Hello, there.” Whitley was still too terrified to tell his body that the threat had passed, and he could stop lying on the floor like an idiot. Jude began stroking the column of his neck with feather-light touches, and the longer he did it, the more Whitley began to relax.

“No one is going to hurt you,” Jude assured him quietly. “It’s okay now.”

Whitley blinked several times and melted into the floor as his muscles relaxed and his joints unlocked. Jude should be furious with him, though. His dad sure as hell was. So, why was the man being so nice to him?

“Your name is Whitley, right?”

Whitley nodded dazedly. “Yes. Whitley Turner.”

“I’m Jude.”

“I know.” Feeling vulnerable sprawled there on the floor, Whitley quickly scrambled into a sitting position and finally up to his feet.
Jude stood as well, never taking his eyes from Whitley’s. “Umm, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Mr. Chambers made a threatening move toward Whitley again, but Jude was there to block his father’s advance. “It’s over,” he growled. “Go home and leave him alone. He didn’t ask for this any more than I did.”

“Jude, you can’t be mated to a man. I won’t allow it. Surely you want this reversed.”

Whitley started easing backward, hoping to slip into the crowd and disappear unnoticed by his new mate and the man’s belligerent father. He made it no more than half a step before Jude’s hand shot out behind him, caught Whitley by the wrist, and tugged him so that he bumped up against Jude’s back. “Don’t move,” he whispered over his shoulder.

Like he had a choice. The man was still holding on to his wrist to prevent his escape as he argued with his father. Becoming uncomfortable with the attention they were garnering, Whitley moved in closer and hid his face in the soft cotton of Jude’s shirt.

This close, he realized, the man wasn’t much taller than him. He was definitely broader and probably had a good thirty pounds on him, but there couldn’t be more than a four-inch height difference between them.

God, the man smelled amazing. Molten lava swirled in his belly, and his cock went rock hard in the span of seconds. Shifting uncomfortably, he reached down to readjust the straining bulge behind his zipper, and a soft moan burst from his mouth from the intense pleasure that little bit of pressure gave him.

Beads of sweat popped out over his forehead, and his breathing accelerated until only short, choppy pants passed in and out through his trembling lips. Jude’s thumb caressed back and forth against the skin on his wrist, obviously trying to soothe him. All it was doing was making him fucking horny, though.
“This isn’t the end of this,” Mr. Chambers warned. “If you insist on going—” He cut himself off and gave his son one last withering glare. “Did you say Turner?”

“Good evening, Father,” Jude responded, and Whitley could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Don’t push me, Jude.” Then the older Chambers turned on his heels and marched off through the crowd.

Whitley felt Jude’s shoulders rise and fall as the man sighed heavily before turning to face him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but what else was he supposed to say? Up close, Jude was even more gorgeous, and his dark green eyes held Whitley mesmerized. “I’m sorry about what happened. I swear I didn’t know she would do that.”

“I believe you.” Jude looked sad as he pushed a hand through his short, dark hair and sighed again. “What do we do now?” With his dick throbbing in his jeans, the only answer Whitley could give to that question was to engage in a good hard fuck. He doubted that would be a welcomed reply, however. So, he pressed his lips together and shook his head slowly while he shrugged his shoulders. The universal sign for, “How the hell should I know?”

“Before I forget,” the elder who’d recorded their mating said from beside them. He passed an envelope over to Jude and dipped his head.

“Your mating instructions. Read them and follow them carefully.

Congratulations on your mating.” Then he walked away as though he’d handed them nothing more than an after-dinner mint.

Jude tapped the envelope against his palm for several seconds before he spoke again. “Let’s find someplace quiet and talk. I guess that would be a good place to start.” Since Whitley didn’t have any better options, he simply nodded and allowed Jude to lead him through the throng of people to the double doors on the other side of the room. This was either going to be the best or worst thing that ever happened to him.

Who could have known that one little lie would define the rest of his very long future?

Chapter Two

His new mate followed along behind him with his chin tucked against his chest, watching the floor as they moved down the long corridor. Jude knew the man was scared, but he didn’t know what to say to soothe him. Other than his name, the fact that he was breathtaking, and he had something Jude wanted very much, he didn’t know anything about him.

He was hoping to remedy that soon, though. Checking the first door he came to, he found what appeared to be a sitting room of some sort. It was blissfully unoccupied, which suited his needs at the moment, so he took Whitley’s hand and pulled him inside. Closing the door behind them, he crossed the room and settled into a squashy armchair, motioning for Whitley to do the same.

Whitley walked slowly, every movement swimming with dejection as he eased onto the edge of the sofa and stared down at his hands where they fisted together in his lap. Everything about his demeanor broke Jude’s heart.

“Can you look at me, please?”

After a moment of hesitation, Whitley lifted his head as though he was about to face a firing squad. He glanced at Jude only briefly before averting his eyes once more. “So, what would you like to know about me?”

It was usually considered poor taste to bluntly come out and ask someone what type of paranormal they were, but Jude figured the circumstances called for a little bend in social etiquette. “Are you a shifter?”

Whitley bobbed his head. “A swan shifter, to be precise.”
Jude nodded slowly. So far, so good. Everything was falling into place and adding up. Whitley wasn’t like what he imagined the son of Seymour Turner to be like, though. The man appeared to have very little self-confidence, while his father had arrogance pouring out of his ears. Turner was a pretty common name. Maybe the two weren’t related at all. Jude might have believed that if Whitley wasn’t the spitting image of his father.

“Well, I’m a shifter as well,” Jude offered when his mate said nothing further. “An orca, or k—”

“A killer whale?” Whitley’s eyes rounded, and he scrambled up on the sofa, pressing into the cushions and practically climbing the back of it.

Jude knew it was going to happen a split second before it did, and he jumped up quickly to catch the man from falling over the back of the couch. His unannounced movement only seemed to startle Whitley more, though, and he yelped loudly before falling to the floor with a loud thud and louder groan.

“Whitley!”

Hurrying to his mate’s side, Jude crouched down beside him and gently stroked his back. “We really have to stop meeting this way,” he teased.

Whitley’s quiet chuckle turned into another groan as he carefully levered himself off the floor. “I’m sorry. You seem like a really nice guy. I don’t know why I reacted that way.” Jude shrugged as he helped the smaller man to his feet. It was a common reaction when people found out exactly what kind of shifter he was. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

“That’s no excuse.” Whitley shook his head firmly and brushed off his backside. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like that. I guess I’m just kind of nervous because I don’t know what the hell is going on.

One minute I’m chilling by the wall, and the next I’m mated.”
Jude sat back in his seat and waited for Whitley to do the same. “I understand. It’s a little disconcerting for me as well.” Not a total lie, but not the complete truth, either.

“Are you gay?” Whitley blurted then blushed the most becoming shade of red as he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and chewed it vigorously. The splash of color against his flawlessly tan skin was beautiful, and Jude found himself smiling softly. He didn’t think he’d ever met anyone quite like Whitley Turner.

“I prefer to stay away from labels. I don’t think in terms of gender. I like people. They don’t have to have certain equipment between their legs for me to find them attractive.”

“Do you find me attractive?” Whitley sounded hopeful, but as though he wasn’t expecting a positive response.

“Very much so,” Jude answered honestly. “You are a very attractive man.”

Whitley nodded his head absently as if he was working over the information in his mind. “I was watching you,” he admitted. “When you were arguing with your dad, I couldn’t stop watching you.”

“Does that mean you find me attractive as well?” Jude couldn’t resist a little teasing. The man was wound so tight, he looked like a gentle wind would shatter him into a million pieces.

“Are you kidding? You’re freaking hot!” Jude laughed when Whitley’s eyes rounded, and he slapped a hand over his mouth like he’d been caught uttering a swear word by his mother. “Thank you, Whitley.”

“You’re welcome,” Whitley returned with a shy smile as he dropped his hand back to his lap. “What was in that envelope the elder gave you?”

“That’s a good question. He said something about mating instructions.” Jude frowned, pulling the envelope out of his pocket and studying the seal on it intently. Since when did a mating come with a how-to guide? It wasn’t like putting together a bookshelf.
Tearing off the end of the envelope, he extracted the thick piece of parchment inside and unfolded it, smoothing the page on his thigh as he began to read.

“Well? What does it say?” Whitley chewed nervously at his thumbnail and his knee bounced up and down.