Page 9 of Unwanted
I know you’re there. Come play with me.
It took Fen a second to realize Kyrie spoke to him. Kyrie had to turn his head and focus on Fen for him to see the truth.Only if it’s okay for me to disturb your peace.
Actually, I find your company very soothing.
Fen sat in the snow next to Kyrie. Without thinking, he ran his fingers through Kyrie’s white fur. It was thick and fluffy.
I’m an Artic wolf. This is my happy place, but I also love the sun. Oh, and the beach. And the sea. The water is so much fun, but not so much when I’m a wolf. The fur gets kind of heavy in the ocean.
Fen loved the purity of Kyrie’s thoughts. He was nothing like the warriors that had surrounded Fen his entire life. The quiet that settled into Fen’s soul was comforting as hell. Kyrie was very much a soft place to land.
You probably wish you had some of my fur on your butt right about now.
A loud bark of laughter burst from Fen. His face hurt from how big his smile had grown. Just the way Kyrie held his head with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth was too cute. It was the most adorable of wolfy smiles. Fen felt good on the inside. “My plaid keeps me warm. Plus, it’s nae likely to bother me too much in a dream. I could probably just picture having a hairy arse.”
Kyrie turned human. The transformation happened in a blink. The happiness had gone from his expression. He wasn’t laughing. “Do you think you can’t hurt in a dream?”
“Holy fuck.” Fen reacted on total instinct. He scooped the very nude Kyrie from the ground and used as much of his body as he could to protect Kyrie from the cold.
Kyrie’s serious expression never wavered. His gaze moved over Fen, as if searching for something only he knew. “Do you want this? Are you mad you got stuck with me? I saw your face when I told you my age. I’m not who you wanted. What’s he like?”
Fen was confused as fuck. He felt the heavy sadness inside Kyrie. Kyrie truly believed Fen wouldn’t have chosen him if given the chance. That there was someone else out there Fen longed to have.
I can only hear the thoughts you give me, but I can feel your disappointment.
As the thought brushed Fen’s mind, he remembered a crucial detail. Fen had claimed Kyrie. He saw and felt everything Kyrie did. Fen could reassure himself with a single dip into Kyrie’s mind. Kyrie hadn’t claimed him. He couldn’t do the same. Fen kept forgetting that, and he was hurting Kyrie. “Wake up. Take my blood. I want you to have the ability to run through my mind and see how blessed I feel.”
Kyrie slowly shook his head. Deep sadness filled every corner inside him and the pressure of his misery nearly choked Fen.“Something isn’t right. Something feels forced. If I claim you and feel a single ounce of rejection from you.” Kyrie shook his head again. “Being unwanted by you might be the thing that finally stops this heart for good. I feel weak all the time anymore. Weary. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I know I can’t carry the weight of your discontent. That’s too much. Having a mate for all eternity who would’ve chosen anyone but me, you can’t ask that of me.”
Fen was beyond devastated. He was in Kyrie’s head. Kyrie believed every word he said with his entire being. Fen’s reaction to his age had been a blow at just the right time. The perfect storm of a day. He couldn’t see what happened, but he felt every ounce of emotion attached. Kyrie was defeated inside. Fen had just found his mate, and already he failed him.
Chapter Five
WhenKyrieopenedhiseyes, he wasn’t surprised to see Fen staring at him. On their sides, face to face, life turned intimate. It felt like everything else vanished, leaving them in a bubble that belonged only to them—like they couldn’t be disturbed. Fen had claimed him. By accident or not, Kyrie felt so much, he thought he might explode. It was unnatural for only one of them to be tied to the other. Maybe that was all the heavy feelings crushing him were all about. Kyrie didn’t know how much of what he felt was real. Hope was a damnable thing. That pesky emotion didn’t give a shit about common sense. Kyrie couldn’t stop crashing himself against the rocks, hoping just one love would stick.
He couldn’t have stopped himself from moving if he tried. Fen’s eyes silently begged Kyrie to help him. Kyrie stopped thinking about himself and what he couldn’t survive. His mate hurt, and it was Kyrie’s job to soothe him… no matter how temporary life might be.
“Please?”
The quiet plea broke Kyrie. He couldn’t listen to Fen beg. Mates went deeper than regular relationships. It was a life bond he couldn’t walk away from, no matter how much he feared the future. It would be the same for Fen.
Kyrie urged Fen onto his back before straddling his body. He slowly lowered his head and swiped his lips across Fen’s. It wasn’t enough. Kyrie deepened their kiss. Fen matched him, staying at Kyrie’s pace. Kyrie appreciated that more than Fen could ever know. He supposed that wasn’t true now. Fen could see inside his head anytime he liked and know exactly how much Kyrie needed his patience.
Kyrie kissed a path from Fen’s mouth to his neck. The dark thoughts that kept undermining him sneaked in as he kissed the spot inches below Fen’s ear. Maybe he should choose a less visible spot. Fen might not want a mated mark where anyone could see at first glance. Then again, Fen was a vampire. Maybe he wouldn’t scar at all. It was possible he could just pretend they weren’t a set. Did Audor have a mark? Damn it. He couldn’t recall.
A shaky-sounding breath escaped Fen as Kyrie licked the spot he kissed. Fen writhed beneath him. He grabbed the back of Kyrie’s head and gently held him in place. “Yes. Right there. I want it.”
With that sexy tone, Kyrie would give him anything. He bit. His fangs took over, tearing into Fen’s throat. Blood filled his mouth. Kyrie swallowed. The orgasm that hit him had Kyrie prayingthe feeling never ended. Something invisible tugged at his chest. He felt the laces stitching them together as one. He was too overwhelmed to be terrified.
The moment Kyrie removed his fangs, Fen healed. Kyrie watched the marks form with lust and love clouding his vision. He had a mark. Everyone would know Fen was off limits.
“I need that too.”
Kyrie’s back hit the bed before he could decipher Fen’s words. A starved vampire was on him. Kyrie’s clothes were ripped away. “I need the world to know you belong to me and only me.” His gaze met Kyrie’s. Fen’s stare looked crazed. “Don’t worry. I’d never let you hurt.”
With only that as his warning, Fen vanished into thin air. Before Kyrie could form a thought to wonder what happened, Fen was back. “What—”
Fen impaled him.
