Justin thanked Flo for the meal, paid, and then headed for the door.
“Come back again,” Flo called out.
Not on your life. Justin waved to her as he stepped out into the night air. The sky was blanketed in stars, and the clouds were far a few. Justin leaned his head back, wondering what he was going to do. He missed Taylor with every breath that he took. And he even missed Chase.
Just the thought of the two had his heart hurting. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but knew it was the right choice. They were better off without him. Taylor wouldn’t have to worry about Justin’s sickness, and Chase could claim Taylor now that Justin wasn’t there as a hindrance. He had to keep that in mind. Justin had to remind himself of the reason he was so far from home.
It wouldn’t do any good for Taylor and Chase if Justin ran back to his lover. He had to strike out on his own and give the two a chance to find happiness together.
Justin sighed as he headed down the street. He needed to find a place to sleep for the night, maybe a cheap hotel or something.
“You little shit!”
Justin yelped when he was pulled up by the back of his collar and dragged down the alley next to the diner. He kicked and swung his arms out, trying his best to get free. It wasn’t until he saw Rufus’s face that pure panic set in. The man looked like he was about to make Justin’s life even more miserable than it already was.
“You’re gonna pay for what ya did back in the diner.” Rufus’s words were growled out as he slammed Justin into the brick wall. “Flo’s mine.”
“There’s been a mistake,” Justin squeaked out. “I don’t want Flo.”
Rufus pulled Justin forward and then slammed him back into the brick wall, making Justin see his own set of stars.
“You sayin’ she ain’t good enough for you?”
Justin knew that no matter what he said, Rufus would take offense. It was a no-win situation.
“I’m saying leave me out of your screwed-up obsession,” he shouted right before Rufus slammed Justin’s head into the wall. His head throbbed as his vision blurred. The only thing going through Justin’s mind was that he was about to die.
A loud roar ripped through the alleyway, but Justin couldn’t focus. Rufus had knocked something loose in his head. He had to have. Justin couldn’t even think straight. Everything around him was a blur, but the pressure around his collar was gone, and Justin felt his body dropping to the ground.
“Are you all right?”
Justin blinked a few times, trying to focus on the man kneeling in front of him. The guy snapped his fingers a few times in front of Justin’s face, but Justin was still having difficulties with his vision.
“Do you need to feed?” the man asked.
Did he need to do what? Justin rubbed at his eyes, and was thankful when his vision started to clear. Whoa! Big dude. Big fucking dude. “I…huh…” Justin frowned. “What did you ask me?”
“Do you need to feed?”
“No, I just—” Justin waved his hand back toward the front of the diner. “I just had a turkey sandwich.”
The dark-haired man chuckled. “Funny.” The man stood and then held out his hand. “Well, come on, let’s get you on your feet.”
“Feet, yeah, that would be good.” Justin took the hand that the man held out to him, letting out a very unmanly like yelp when he was suddenly yanked up. He weaved just a bit, reached for the man’s arm to settle himself.
He must have hit his head harder than he thought because he could have sworn the man had fangs in his mouth when he smiled. “What happened?”
“I was just going to ask you that.”
Justin frowned and ran his hand over the back of his head. His fingers came away wet. Oh, that couldn’t be good. “I think…I think I hit my head,” Justin whispered right before his vision started to fade and his legs gave out.
The last thing he saw was the man’s face as he bent over him and his words. “Well, shit! Dominic is going to shoot me for sure after this.”
* * * *
Chase blinked as his eyes fluttered open. Something had woke him up. He just couldn’t figure out what. To top it off, he couldn’t immediately figure out where he was. His ceiling was not mustard yellow.
A soft muffled sound to one side of him caught Chase’s attention. He turned his head, suddenly remembering where he was and why when he saw the brown-haired man in the bed next to him.
Taylor.
His mate.
And yet, not his mate. Chase sighed deeply as he turned to stare up at the ceiling again. At the rate he was going, he would never have a mate, no matter how much he wanted Taylor and Justin.
Chase heard another muffled sound. As he turned to look at Taylor, he realized that the man’s shoulders were shaking. Christ, he was crying. Chase flipped the sheet off his body and took the single step to Taylor’s bed, sitting down on the edge.
“Taylor?”
Taylor sniffled, but didn’t turn around. Chase laid a hand on the man’s slim shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Do you want to talk about it?” He wasn’t sure what Taylor was crying for. Sure, he knew Taylor was going ape-shit with worry over Justin, but Chase wasn’t too sure that was all of it. He wanted to make sure there was no other problem Taylor was dealing with.
“I failed him, Chase. For so long I kept him safe. I even sacrificed myself and what people thought of me just to keep the Teacher away from Justin, and now he’s gone.”
Chase sighed, stretching out in the bed next to Taylor. His mate stiffened, but didn’t pull away. He wasn’t sure if that was a sign that Taylor welcomed his company,
