Mine to Keep Read online

  Troy dropped his head into his hands when his eyes itched and burned. No, he wasn’t going to cry about it. Not over Ale. He didn’t deserve his tears. Troy needed to pick himself up and move on. Someone else would want him.

  He heard footsteps approaching and he blinked a few times to make sure there were no tears and he lifted his head, smiling when he saw it was his roommate, Adan.

  “Man, that professor’s a dick!” Adan said as he dropped his bag to the floor.

  “I know. I’m trying to do his assignment now.”

  Adan stared intently at him, before asking, “Have you fed?”

  Troy was lucky that Adan had no problem sharing a dorm room with a vampire. Even in this day and age, some humans were leery about it. Adan's best friend was also a vampire, so he was well aware of the needs vampires had.

  “I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look it, man. You’re pale as fuck. There’s blood back at our room. Make sure you have some when you get back.”

  “Worried I’ll chomp on your neck?” Troy asked with a grin on his face.

  Adan waved his hand at him. “I’ve been fed on before when Dylan was injured. It’s biology, but you’re taking it too far. Don’t think I haven’t noticed, man.”

  Troy sighed. “Adan.”

  “Troy,” Adan said in a whiny voice.

  They both grinned and then chuckled. “Okay, I’ll feed when I get back.”

  “Good.” Adan poked at the papers in front of Troy. “Now this piece of shit assignment.”

  “I found the books we need for it.”

  For the next ten minutes, they worked together until Troy broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced down at his body, listening to it, feeling the emotions coursing through it, but then realized it wasn’t him. It was Ale. Something was happening to Ale. Something bad.

  He knew Ale was out in the field on a rescue mission. Silas had told him about it the day before when they’d spoken. Something must have gone wrong for Ale to feel this way.

  They never tried to reach out for each other, so Troy didn’t know what to do. Should he try to send positive vibes through their bond, to show his mate his support? What if he did it and it was the wrong thing to do or he pissed Ale off?

  Shit, he didn’t even know what to do and he had no one to talk to about it. Fuck it, he’d send him what he needed, even if he didn’t want it.

  Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the bond they shared and sent him positive emotions. He knew Ale received them. He felt his shock and surprise come through to him, and then suddenly, Ale cut him off. Cut the connection, like he’d slammed a door in his face.

  Troy gasped and stood, stumbling away from Adan, who called out his name in surprise as he managed to stumble to the bathroom, slamming into an empty cubicle before collapsing on the floor and breaking down. The tears streamed from his eyes, running down his face, and Troy whimpered, trying to keep quiet. He didn’t want anyone to know he was there.

  His chest ached, actually physically ached, as his body shook with emotion.

  He sat on the cold floor, leaning back against the door, and did nothing to stop the tears from falling. His mate had rejected him… again and the pain was just too much to bear. Troy knew in that moment that he would never try to help Ale again. He needed to learn to keep the connection between them silent.

  He needed to move on and forget about him because his mate wanted nothing to do with him and he’d have to learn to live with it.

  Chapter Three

  Dropping his bag by the door, Ale walked into the kitchen and took the coffee Silas gave him.

  “Thanks, man.”

  Chester had his arms wrapped around Silas, and from the expression on both their faces, Ale knew they were talking silently to each other.

  “I’m doing steak tonight.”

  Ale nodded at Silas. “You okay with me staying?”

  “The spare bed’s made for you. Not a night you want to be on your own.”

  Ale nodded and collapsed on the nearest chair, exhaustion pulling at him. Both boys had been found but were in critical condition, and Ale had asked to be kept updated.

  There were no words to describe his feelings when news had reached them that the boys had been located. Now, they were in the best place and hopefully they would recover from the hypothermia and injuries they’d sustained.

  Finding them had been a lucky fluke. No one knew about the old abandoned mines and if a team hadn’t stumbled across a hole in the ground, the boys might never have been discovered. They’d been playing when the ground had given way beneath them and they had fallen in, trapping them below ground and out of sight.

  Now the local authority was aware of them, they’d been busy searching for more openings to make them safe so this never happened again. Once was one time too many.

  Ale closed his eyes and opened them when he felt a hand shake his shoulder. Staring up at Silas, he furrowed his brow, asking, “Is everything okay?”

  Silas smiled at him. “You’ve been asleep for an hour. Why don’t you come outside, eat, and then go to bed?”

  “Shit, an hour? Really?” Ale sat up in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

  “Chester nodded off for a bit too. Come on and eat.”

  After Ale had eaten, he thanked both Silas and Chester, he went upstairs to the guest bedroom. As he passed Troy’s room, he paused and quietly opened the door. He stepped in and stared at the bed that had changed both of their lives.

  He walked over and sat on it, his hand running over the covers. He could see it clearly in his mind, the events of that day. Troy biting him and the sex that had followed.

  Rubbing a hand over his face, Ale glanced around the room, picturing where his clothes had fallen. Even now he couldn’t remember how he’d stripped, or how he’d suddenly been naked.

  He vaguely remembered a little about the sex, but he did remember how amazing it had felt. Troy’s body had been so responsive, so hot and deliciously tight.

  “Shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his long black hair.

  What the fuck were they going to do? He couldn’t keep sending him his blood. At some point, their relationship would have to change. Troy deserved better than what Ale could give him. Ale was twice Troy’s age and had seen too much to be the mate Troy deserved.

  War had changed something in him. Made him emotionally harder than the man he had been before. Troy had suffered enough in his young life that Ale knew he wasn’t the mate for him, but there was nothing either of them could do about it now.

  Troy had sealed their fate that day.

  Ale knew he’d handled the situation poorly. Shocked at what had happened, he’d been disgusted by the fact that he’d had sex with Silas’ son. Troy had picked up on how revolted he was with himself and misunderstood that feeling, assuming he was revolted by him.

  Lost for words, he’d ended up leaving and they’d had only communicated by text since. Blunt and direct to the point messages.

  A noise at the door caused Ale to glance up. Silas was staring at him.

  “How does the house feel with Troy not being here?”

  “Strange.” Silas sighed and walked into the room. “I know he can be a pain in my ass, but damn, I miss him.”

  “Quieter though.”

  “God, yes, but now he’s gone, I miss the noise.” Silas grinned. “Miss him stomping across the floor like he’s about to come through the damn ceiling, but he’s doing what he wants to do.”

  Ale stood and walked towards the bedroom door. When he reached it, he asked, “He’ll be back for break, right?”

  Silas frowned and gave a subtle shake of his head. “I really don’t know what’s going on with him recently. He’s… distracted and his grades are falling. He won’t talk to me about it.”

  “He’s probably out partying. He’s at college having fun. I’m sure you were the same at that age.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Silas didn’t sound convinced.

  Shit. Ale
knew it was because of him and their bond just like he knew Troy needed more of his blood but was stubbornly refusing to ask for it and it wasn’t like Ale could speak to him about it. He’d set down rules before Troy had left for college, but one of them had been that he should contact Ale if he needed more and Troy hadn’t.

  Fuck, what did he do? He stared at Silas, gave him a small smile, and left him in Troy’s bedroom. He needed to be alone at that moment and think about what they were going to do.

  Once there, Ale sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the carpet beneath his feet. He clasped his hands together and let them rest between his spread legs. The situation was a mess. It didn’t matter how many times he’d looked at it or how he thought he could do something different. The end result was always the same. He and Troy had mated. They were bound together until one of them died.

  He actually researched if the fabled mate bond could be broken, not because he didn’t want Troy, but because he felt Troy could do so much better than him. All he’d found was rumor and speculation. Nothing concrete.

  He lay on the bed and closed his eyes and immediately he saw the image that always haunted him. Troy’s face in that second when he’d come. It was like the image had been imprinted on his mind, playing the same clip over and over again.

  He’d looked glorious. That was the one word that sprang to mind whenever he remembered it.

  Black hair, damp with sweat, red eyes shining bright, and pale skin flushed with heat. Pleasure written clearly on his features. So incredibly beautiful in his passion.

  Automatically, Ale’s hand moved down his chest and rubbed his hard dick, groaning at the touch. His dick pulsed with need and he knew only being inside Troy would bring him the relief he craved. His hand certainly wasn’t doing the job.

  Why did Troy have to be so attractive? He felt like a fucking pervert every time he came shouting Troy’s name. He had to find a way to break their bond, even though, deep down, part of him didn’t want to. It was what was best for Troy though. That was all that mattered.

  ❊❊❊

  Troy shot up from his bed, his skin pebbling in the cool air. A dream had woken him, one of him and Ale together. It was always the same fucking dream. Their mating, their bodies touching and sliding together. The fullness in his body as he rode Ale, taking what his body demanded.

  He swallowed, his throat dry and he tiptoed over to his fridge. Opening it, he stared at the blood he had left that Ale had sent him. It wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t going to beg for more. Not from that fucker. That fit fucker.

  Groaning, Troy grabbed the bag and went into the bathroom, shutting the door gently behind him. He didn’t bother to warm it up, but drank straight from the bag, gagging as the cold, thick liquid filled his mouth. A few mouthfuls were all he could afford to take. Ale wouldn’t be sending him anymore for another week or so.

  He sat on the toilet and closed his eyes, remembering that night from so long ago. Sinking his fangs into Ale’s neck, piercing his bronzed skin, and drinking his sweet, warm blood. The only time he’d ever drank from a human and it was his mate, so of course the blood had tasted phenomenal, and the sex? Yeah, he didn’t want to think about his one and only time, so he dreamed about it instead.

  And now he was left to drink this shit version from a sterile plastic bag.

  Why him? Why Ale?

  Okay, so he was hot to look at with his long, dark hair and tanned skin, and from what Troy could remember, his dick had been great too. Ale certainly knew what he was doing when they’d been fucking, knew how to make him feel good, like his whole body was alive.

  Right on cue, his dick hardened, and Troy stared down at it in disgust. He could stroke one off, but his orgasms had been pathetic since his mating to Ale. It was like his body knew there was better out there and refused to give him what he desperately needed.

  He wrapped his arms around his stomach and gently rocked on the seat, trying to calm down. He took several shaky breaths as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him again. Every time he thought about his mate he reacted in one of two ways: being aroused or devastated.

  What was he going to do? He couldn’t live the rest of his life in this condition. He wasn’t really living, just going through the motions and trying to hide shit from Ale. Couldn’t leak any of that shit to the one person who was meant for him. Couldn’t have Ale know how deeply his actions hurt.

  “Why?” he whispered brokenly.

  The dam burst, and he bit his fist and sobbed. Tears ran down his face and his chest heaved as Troy tried to hold the emotions back, but that wasn’t going to happen now. Now the emotions had been let out, they had to run their course.

  Why him? God, he was so tired of fighting the emotions, the need to be with his mate. He was a vampire and his vampire nature wanted its mate, even if his mate didn’t want him. He didn’t know how long he could fight it for. The daily struggle just to get through college and coursework was getting too much. Pretending to be happy, smiley, and friendly drained him constantly.

  He needed more of Ale’s blood. He always needed more. The demands he was making on his body was the reason why. Too much stress, too much fighting with himself, made the hunger stronger, the need greater.

  Yet again he thought back to that day when he was at home. The BBQ that changed his life. He should have talked more to his pops when he wanted to explain mates to him, but that was just too embarrassing. Like the birds and the bees talk. No chance was he sitting through that hell. But look where he was now, all because he’d rolled his eyes and refused to listen.

  Ale was right. He was just a kid who couldn’t handle adult situations, except he was now smack bang in the middle of one.

  Should he call his pops and tell him the truth? Troy furrowed his brow. No, he knew exactly how he would react. He’d hunt Ale down and strangle him. Chester would probably help too. He might not be his real parent, but Chester treated him like a son.

  When he was in his bed at night, he could feel an echo of what Ale was feeling. He knew Ale was doing everything he could to block his emotions from Troy, but occasionally some slipped through, and even though Troy hated it, he loved it too. He was plain fucked up.

  He stumbled when he finally stood up, shivering as he realized how cold he was. He walked quietly back to bed, making sure Adan was still asleep, and pulled the covers up to his chin.

  Cold. Another sign he needed to feed and only Ale’s blood would help. The other blood wasn’t doing much for him now. He wouldn’t ask. He’d find a way through this until Ale sent him more. They had an arrangement and Troy wasn’t going to break it.

  He curled on to his side and stared at the wall in front of him. Why? Why Ale?

  Chapter Four

  Troy slammed in, the door banging off the wall, and stormed over to the refrigerator. Pulling the door open, he grabbed a bag of blood and went to the bathroom, slamming that door shut behind him.

  He bit into it, and drank, ignoring the cold, thickness of the liquid the bag contained. It didn’t take him long to finish. Throwing the bag in the trash can he kept for them, he leaned on the sink and glared at his reflection.

  His eyes glowed red and he hissed in a breath, gripping the cold sink in his hands. Why him? Hadn’t he gone through enough? First Tina, that bitch of a mom, and now this shit?

  Why Alejandro? Why him? Why couldn’t he have someone who was closer to his age and who, yeah, like, wanted to be him?

  He dropped down and squatted on the floor, breathing deeply. His dick was constantly hard and no amount of jacking off helped. He needed to get laid but only his mate would do. A mate who didn’t want him.

  Twisting on the floor, he leaned back against the wall and gently banged his head on it. Staring at the ceiling, Troy sighed deeply. His life was fucked up. He would only have one mate and his had disappeared.

  Yes, Ale saw to his basic need: his blood, but other than that he wasn’t there. Troy wanted him, no, needed him, but that was never going t
o happen. They were never going to be in a relationship.

  He dropped his head into his hands and groaned. Shit, with Chester living at home, Ale would be there too. How was Troy supposed to act around his mate when no one knew the truth?

  A knock on the door caused Troy to raise his head. “Yeah.”

  “Are you okay?” Adan asked.

  Try closed his eyes. Of course, Adan would be concerned. Adan’s friend was a vampire, so he would know the signs.

  “I am now. Just left it a little too long. Got caught up in revision. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Sure, okay.”

  Troy stood and looked in the mirror again. He could see the thinness in his face, the weight he’d lost. The dark shadows under his eyes, and the paleness to his skin.

  Shaking his head, he pushed away and opened the bathroom door, finding Adan waiting for him outside.

  “Look, Troy, I’m worried. Dylan will be here soon, so maybe you should talk to him.”

  Troy grimaced, shaking his head. “Nah, there’s no need. I’ll be fine.”

  “You know he’s a vampire. He can help. Maybe you need more blood. We could go and get some.”

  Troy smiled at Adan. He needed to contact his mate and ask for more blood. That’s what he needed to do. He was going through it too fast.

  “I’ll be fine.” Needing to change the subject, Troy asked, “So, where are you taking Dylan tonight?”

  “You should come. You need a night out.”

  Shaking his head, Troy said, “Going home. I think I need a break from college. Too much partying and homework.”

  “Partying? You?” Adan laughed. “It’s you who needs to go out. When was the last time you had sex? Me, I’m out as often as I can and, man, some of the girls here.” Adan licked his lips. “Fucking fine.”

  Troy grinned. “And you’re fucking your way through them.”

  Adan shrugged. “I’m young and-”

  Someone knocked on the door and Adan grinned again. “Dylan!” he shouted, springing up from his bed and throwing the door open.