Garridan took that as a sign he had permission to do the same. Garridan moved so quickly Sage didn’t even know what had hit him until he was against the wall and Garridan was sniffing his neck. Sage held up a hand for Lucas and Bennett to stay back.
Sage tried to get his breathing under control and not picture the vampires who’d hurt him. Sage took a deep breath and smelled Garridan, that chocolate chip cookie scent. He did it repeatedly until he felt the panic ease just a bit. Garridan sniffed his hair, rubbing his face all over Sage.
“Don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me,” Sage said as if he were talking to a dangerous animal. He didn’t realize he was even saying it at first, not until Garridan brought a finger up to his mouth, covering his lips.
“You are my mate,” Garridan said to him as if that explained the reason why he wouldn’t hurt Sage. Sage felt Garridan move down and then kiss the place where his neck and shoulders met.
“Don’t bite me!” Sage yelled.
Garridan pulled away from him, scowling at him. “You are my mate.”
“I know.” Sage should’ve wanted the bite. Garridan was right about that. He was so fucking messed up. It was an instinct all shifters had. He was supposed to want to tilt his head and let his mate bite him. What scared him the most was that he would never want it. He might always be stuck between needing to be near his mate and never wanting to bond.
He was broken. The vampires had broken him and there was nothing left to give.
Sage felt teeth on his neck. “No! Oh God, you won’t want me after you find out how fucked up I am. Please, Garridan.” There it was, the reason he didn’t want those teeth to sink in. He didn’t even know that was the problem until the words were out of his mouth.
“Mate.”
Sage knew Garridan wasn’t listening. Nothing he said registered.
“Lucas!” Sage yelled.
All of a sudden, Garridan’s muscles tensed and he stopped moving. Sage knew that Lucas had frozen Garridan, successfully stopping him from biting Sage.
Sage shifted and moved along the bedroom floor, stopping when he was under the dresser.
Lucas was the one who spoke. “Garridan, you’ll come live with us. Just until you and Sage work things out. Sage, you’ll stay here with Mother Estelle.”
He heard some shuffling around the room and more people came in.
Sage moved from his spot when he heard Garridan roar again. Sage shifted and ran out of the room. He saw Bennett and Ramsey carrying a very angry Garridan. Their eyes met and Garridan started struggling.
“Don’t hurt him!” Sage yelled after them. He reached out and started toward Garridan.
Garridan’s green eyes changed to his dragon and his teeth dropped. He roared, “Mine.” Sage didn’t understand why Garridan was acting like that until Lucas scowled at him. Only then did he realize he was standing there naked and Garridan reacted to his body.
Sage turned and ran into the bedroom, dressing before racing from the room. He was just in time to see Bennett, Ramsey, and Lucas drive away with his very pissed-off mate.
Sage’s arms came around his middle, and he bent at the waist, falling to his knees. The sobbing made his stomach hurt.
He felt a hand on his back and flinched. “I know what it’s like to long for someone,” Jules said, removing his hand.
Sage knew Jules understood. Jules knew his mates were a vampire and a warlock who had left him behind at the Stavros mansion. Before Fate had given him those two mates, she had given him Stavros himself, one of the meanest, most vicious vampires around.
Poor Jules couldn’t win in the mate department no matter what he did.
Then again, neither could Garridan.
“He’ll get well again. You’ll see,” Jules said.
“It’s not just him that’s unwell,” Sage said when he calmed down enough to speak.
“I talk to Dr. Tucker once a week. He’s helping me through all the shit Nicolono did,” Jules said.
Sage rolled onto his side, hugging his legs until he lay in the fetal position. “Do you want me to get a pillow for your head?”
“No. I don’t deserve one after I let Garridan down like that.”
