Zed's Dishonest Mate (5 page)

Luka moved from his body. Instantly, the warmth was gone. Vampires were always cold, but having his mate so close warmed his skin. The warmth had filled him, chasing the cold away. He closely watched as the small elf looked around the living room.

Zed had owned the building for over a hundred years. He converted the top floors into apartments for his adopted sons, Jacob and Sage, and his most trusted associates. A good thing now that his mate was moving in.

Luka would piss off a lot of vampires as Zed helped him become a better person. The hostility between vampires and elves didn’t help. Other vampires might feel justified hurting Luka for being an elf, but he trusted the people living in this building. He didn’t trust them to treat the elf with respect, but he trusted them not to kill the young prince. Of course, if Luka acted too much like a spoiled brat, all bets were off.

Luka looked around the living room. The smaller man couldn’t hide his distaste for the furniture and the basic features of the room. As his eyes darted around, his expression soured.

“I’m sorry if the room isn’t up to the normal standards that the elf prince is accustomed to. I hope it’s not too shabby,” Zed said sarcastically.

“No, it’s fine,” Luka said. “It’s just I thought there would be more colors. Everything is black, white or a dull gray. Imagine yellows, greens and blues. The place would shine.” Luka smiled at the mention of adding brightness to the room.

Zed wanted to smile. Luka’s face had lightened up thinking about making this room more of a home. Without the guarded expression, Luka looked younger and more innocent. His mate’s smile was breathtaking, but Zed needed to be firm. He wouldn’t spoil the elf prince by ignoring the rude behavior. His mate needed to learn proper etiquette.

“When you enter someone’s home, you should be honest, but if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything. You might also try to thank them for having you as a guest. That’s common courtesy. Your response was inappropriate,” Zed informed Luka. The vampire prince almost backed off when the relaxed expression changed back into the guarded one Zed now hated. He wouldn’t waver. It was his job to teach his mate. He, too, was a prince, the ruler of a territory. He wanted an equal and loving relationship and no matter how much he wanted to strip Luka of his clothes and see every inch of the beautiful skin, his elf mate needed to learn the basics of diplomacy.

“I don’t need you to lecture me. I’m not visiting a stranger’s home. I am in my mate’s home. Do you want me to treat you formally and never speak the truth? We can have that type of relationship.” The anger blazed in Luka’s violet-blue eyes.

“In the beginning, that’s the way it must be. At least until I know you won’t disgrace the territory with your selfishness.” Zed almost backed down after seeing the life leave Luka’s eyes. The anger disappeared into a blank stare. Zed needed to be strong for the both of them. The elf prince wouldn’t be warmly welcomed in his territory, but a selfish elf prince wouldn’t be welcomed at all.

“Fine. What do you expect?” Luka asked. His violet-blue eyes held little emotion as though the small elf just shut off his feelings.

“I’ll prepare a list of chores for around the building. You can show the rest of the vampires your willingness to help. It’s important they don’t see the selfishness that’s rotting your soul. Try to show them that you care about something other than yourself.”

“Chores?” Luka asked.

“Yes, it will help build character.” Zed sighed. The idea of chores seemed completely alien to the beautiful elf.

Luka clenched his fist. “Tell me, Prince Zed, what’s wrong with my character? Before you pass judgment, it’s important that you get to know me,” Luka said in a harsh tone.

“Your temper, for one thing. It’s out of control. Plus your emotions are all over the place. One moment you’re angry the next moment you’re depressed. There is no balance. You need to learn control.” Zed stood and started to walk to his bedroom. “Follow me, or do you need a formal invitation?”

Luka slowly moved in his direction. Zed watched as his mate took small steps. There was something off about the way he moved. It was slow and he focused too much on walking. Zed shrugged. It was probably a way to seem more dignified. He asked anyway. “Are you having problems walking?”

Luka stopped. He forced his head down. “We walked a lot today. That’s all.” His mate wrapped both arms in front of his chest. Something was off, but he’d follow up later.

“To be my mate, your sleep schedule needs to change. We’re night creatures, so you need to prepare yourself to sleep during the day. Since you walked a long way and look tired, I will allow a short nap tonight, but starting tomorrow you will remain awake to about noon. Then you can sleep until sunset. Soon your body should be able to handle an all-night schedule. Also, I’ll add stamina training to your daily chores. Short walks and stair climbing shouldn’t make your body tired. Do you understand?”

“What’s not to understand? You want to control when I sleep, and when I’m not sleeping you still want to control me. Do you want to schedule my bathroom breaks too? Maybe we can create a detailed list with the specific times for me to shit or piss. Is it too undignified to do them both at once?”

Zed moved in. He pushed his mate onto the bed. Since their electronic meeting, the vampire dreamed of having his way with Luka. He even started to picture the small elf in his mind. It was like Luka called out to him. At one point, he saw Luka’s location in his head. That’s how he’d found the elf prince. The address appeared in his thoughts. The fates had a funny way of bringing them together.

Maybe after a hard fuck, the elf would start to relax and Zed would stop craving him. Besides, sex would be part of a mate’s responsibilities. It was time for Luka to give back. Zed reached down to caress Luka’s face, but stopped when his mate looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. Zed pulled his hand away.

“Don’t push me, Luka. You won’t like the outcome.”

“And what would that be? Tell me what I can expect from my mate besides demands and criticism.” Luka sighed. He tried to hide the slight tremble, but Zed’s vampire senses saw the slight shake. “Get to know me. Give me a chance,” Luka pleaded.

Zed shook his head. He almost relented, but instead strengthened his resolve. From the first teleconference meeting, he’d seen all that was necessary to form an opinion. Maybe the younger man failed to understand his own bratty behavior and spoiled life. Zed had his work cut out for him. “Sleep for now. When you wake up, I’ll have a list of tasks.” Zed turned and walked out the door, leaving his mate alone.

* * * *

Anger was an emotion Luka was familiar with. The world was angry. The people around him were angry. He watched Zed walk out of the room with a heavy stride and tightly balled fists. His hand reached out to stop his mate, but when he opened his mouth to call out, nothing came out. He didn’t know what to say. Everything he’d said came out all wrong. The evening was filled with one mistake after another.

He rubbed the parts of his body that Zed’s large hands had touched. When Zed pushed him down on the bed, a part of him had hoped for more and another part had feared his mate would take things too far. He wanted soft touches and gentle kisses, but Zed hated him too much to care about his comfort. He would be a warm body for Zed to use and fill. He shuddered, imagining the disgusted look on Zed’s face when it was over. Maybe they wouldn’t get that far. The first sight of the dark purple bruises might disgust Zed too much for sex to even happen.

It no longer mattered. Zed was gone. The ugly bruises that covered his skin were still hidden. He was relieved that his mate didn’t know about the marks marring his body. What if Zed approved of the violence done to him? What if he decided to try it out? One thing was certain. Zed didn’t know he could easily break Luka’s heart into thousands of tiny pieces. The first time Zed hit him or selfishly used him for sexual release would crush any hope he had of being whole and healed.

He wanted the man from his visions, the person that held and protected him, but the vampire prince hated him. How were they supposed to have that kind of relationship when Zed barely tolerated him?

Luka yawned. A nap sounded good. It was around midnight. Normally he’d be sleeping and his body knew it. He removed his shoes and tried to get comfortable on top of the bed. The firm mattress dug into the sensitive, battered areas on his body. He tried to push more of his healing magic into his leg, but it wasn’t working. After a nap, it should be better. He needed to rest for his magic to return. It would come back after a nap. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * * *

Small hands mixed food coloring into the icing. Each of the seven bowls held a different bright color.

“That’s it. Mix it all together,” his dad said. Not the cold-hearted king, but his real dad.

Luka looked up and smiled. He pushed back his bangs. Fingers stuck to the strawberry-blond hair. He scrunched his nose.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll take a bath later.”

He nodded. Luka loved baths. He got to splash and play until the water turned cold. He looked at his hands. They were an interesting green.

“Are you ready to spread the icing?”

Luka giggled. “The cupcakes will make a rainbow.”

“Yes, it will. My sweet boy loves colors.” His dad leaned in and hugged Luka.

“Daddy, stop it. I’m almost five. That’s too big for kisses.” He patted down the red hair and pouted.

The older man laughed. “Tomorrow you’ll be five. Then we’ll talk about too old for kisses and hugs.” He gave Luka one more hug.

Luka laughed. “Deal. Tomorrow we’ll talk about it.”

The room darkened. The walls were covered in blood and the unnatural silence left the small child shaking. Hands pulled him toward the dark wall.

Luka’s eyes shot open. The dim light burned, but it was a relief. The dream—no, the memories—no longer invaded his sleep.

“Get up,” Zed ordered.

Luka turned toward his vampire mate. Didn’t Zed say he could sleep? He felt so heavy. “What about my nap?”

“You’ve been sleeping for an hour. That should be enough. Here’s a list of the things you need to do.”

Zed handed the paper to Luka. The writing was beautiful, but he couldn’t read it. Would Zed hold that against him?

“Most of the things are for you. Like creating shopping lists for food. You have a budget. It’s more than you’ll normally receive.”

He looked at the paper and then back up at Zed.

“If you follow that list, you eat. Stay in bed all day and then you starve. In order to survive, you have to do things for yourself.”

Luka focused on his mate. His body ached. He reached for his leg and pushed magic into it, but nothing. He felt the magic flow into his body, but it wasn’t working. He looked at Zed. He couldn’t keep the panic out of his voice as he said, “Zed.”

“Having a budget isn’t something bad. You’ll learn that expensive clothes aren’t important. Now get up, we have a lot to prepare.” Zed turned, leaving Luka alone in the bedroom.

He should’ve been more honest. He reached down, trying to push healing magic into his leg. The relief wasn’t there. He grabbed his knee and pushed everything into it. He started panting from the exertion. His head ached, but nothing. He tried to move his leg but the pain from his knee made moving it unbearable. He knew the damage was extensive, but slowly he was healing it and using magic to walk. If he couldn’t do that, then he was stuck. His body shook. He needed magic to heal and take away the pain.

“Zed,” Luka yelled. After a couple of minutes passed, no one had come. Luka pulled himself to lean his back against the headboard. There was no more pretending to be whole. He needed a doctor. No, he needed an elf doctor.

“I don’t have time for games,” Zed said as he walked back into the room with Bishop following him.

“Zed, I’m not feeling well. Can you call a doctor?” Luka’s body continued to shake. Little bumps formed on his skin as he fought to hide his teeth chattering. The fear pushed out and he couldn’t push it back in. He couldn’t be damaged. Zed would send him back.

The vampire prince studied him. He moved over to the bed and for the first time since they met, he gently placed a hand on his forehead. “Your skin is deathly pale, but there’s no fever and you’re shaking.”

Luka stared, unable to talk or move. He felt like a doll that sat on a shelf looking pretty.

“Listen, Luka, things are going to change. It can be scary, but you need to learn to move with the changes. Chores are a part of it. It’s wrong to stay in bed all day and let others take care of you.”

The panic sucked up the air. He struggled to breath. No one was going to get help. “I don’t care about your chores. I need a doctor.” Luka’s eyes watered. He wouldn’t cry. “Please, Zed, there’s something wrong.”

Zed pulled his strawberry-blond hair back and forced Luka to look directly into his eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong,” Zed ordered.

“There’s something wrong with my magic.”

Zed sighed like he couldn’t believe he had to deal with the situation.

“Fine, get up. I’ll bring you to a doctor.” Zed turned to leave.

“Wait,” Luka said. He was going to seem so ungrateful after Zed offered to help him. “I am having problems walking. Can the doctor come here?”

Zed stopped. “Enough is enough.” He moved in to grab Luka’s arm.

Luka pushed his body away. He almost fell off the other side of the bed, trying to get away from Zed’s grasp.

“Please,” he begged. He covered his body with both hands to prepare for the blow. After it didn’t happen, he lowered his arms. Zed and Bishop both stared at him with wide, shocked eyes. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what he was apologizing for.

“Bishop, call Roman and ask for Avery to come over. Explain the situation. Then have Yavin pick the doctor up. I need you to start working on the chore list. Until the doctor looks at Luka, he’ll stay in bed.” Zed handed the list to Bishop. “Start with ordering food to fill the kitchen. Then clothes and other personal items.”