Bruce suspected nothing when Ringo invited him over to his place saying that they were going to host a study session and Klick was already there. He decided to bring some snacks over for everyone, including blood pudding for the vampires.
When he arrived at their dormitory, Bruce sensed something amiss. It was too quiet. Normally, Ringo would be a chatterbox in the company of others. However, when the door opened and Bruce stepped in, the snacks he was holding fell to the ground.
It took a while for the sight to register in his head but when it did, Ringo flinched. Klick wasn’t kidding when he said the pheromones of Bruce when his heat was triggered made him powerless and unable to move. Even if Ringo already had a mate, the pheromone from a powerful alpha in fury was something that could make him fall to his knees. Yet, the exorcist did his best to resist. He drank heat medicine earlier and it was a good decision.
Michael was nowhere in sight and Bruce glared at Ringo who hopped over to the bedroom. On the bed, Klick was bound and teased with toys. The blind bat moaned when Ringo tugged on the string of the vibrator and twitched in the exorcist’s arms. Ringo was slightly fearful of Bruce at the moment with how he looked like he wanted to tear him from limb to limb. However, Ringo continued fearlessly. Michael was nearby so if anything happened, he was counting on his mate to stop Bruce.
“We decided to take a break from studying,” Ringo laughed airily and popped Klick up in a position so that Bruce could see everything from where he stood. The shift in position made the vibrator sit directly on Klick’s sweet spot, causing the bat demon to struggle in choked sobs within Ringo’s arms.
“Why don’t you join us in a threesome?” Ringo teased and licked the shell of Klick’s ear.
Bruce held onto his anger and tried to hold back. Ringo had a mate. Ringo was an omega. Klick was not in immediate danger. Yet, he wanted to pummel the little shit who had his hands all over Klick into a paste.
“Get your hands off him before I beat the shit out of you,” Bruce growled lowly, his pheromones leaked and Klick knew the answer now. There was no denying how Bruce was his alpha. He felt his rear entrance clenching tighter as liquid dribbled out. A familiar fever was building up from his groin and spreading all over his body.
Klick’s breathing became shallower and more hurried. At the same time, Ringo felt himself shivering from the murderous intent. Michael decided that enough was enough and climbed out of his coffin.
“Stop, Bruce. You’re going to make them both pass out. Control your pheromones, we can explain.”
When Bruce heard Michael and saw him crawling out of his coffin, he was more stunned. What was going on? A small part of him calmed down when Ringo immediately ran over to Michael’s arms and hid behind the vampire aristocrat.
The shark merman didn’t wait to be told to undo Klick’s ropes but by then, he noticed something else. The sweet scent was unmistakable and Bruce felt himself growing hard, a low growl in his throat told Michael that the couple should be left alone.
“In short, this was to help Klick know if his fated mate was you or Carlos. We didn’t mean to harm him or fool around. I think you have more pressing issues to attend to for now so we’ll leave. Let us know when you’re done, we will be with Floopy and Syris next door.”
Bruce didn’t have time to give a reply but he nodded curtly before he ripped the binding from Klick’s body. The explanation was short and somewhat unclear but at least now, Bruce understood nobody was trying to take his mate away. The jealous alpha in him became somewhat more obedient but the smell of Klick going into heat made it hard for him to be gentle.
“Fuck! Where are your heat meds?”
Klick shivered in Bruce’s arms and snuggled closer to the alpha, inhaling his scent to calm down. The medicine was kicking in quickly and while he was still feeling uncomfortable because of the hard-on, Klick felt slightly better now that Bruce wasn’t trying to suffocate everyone with his anger.
“Already took them, give it a while.”
Unsure of what to do, Bruce held on and waited for Klick to calm down despite his raging boner. The alpha suppressed his desires and looked away. At the same time, Klick wanted to interrogate the shark who had been running away from him for a while now.
“Why did you make me sign the mating certificate?”
The question took Bruce by surprise and before he could reply, Klick grabbed him by the hair.
“Was it out of pity? If you didn’t want me as a mate, why the fuck would you make me sign such a thing? Not treat me any differently? Do you think I’ll be happy just being friends after what you did to me?! See it for yourself!” he hissed and grabbed one of those webbed hands to place it at his wet entrance.
“This is what you do to me, you fucking moron! Just be friends? Don’t lie to me.”
The cold voice cut like a knife and Bruce flinched. He swallowed hard when he felt the sweet liquid on his fingers as Klick twitched at his touch. He was still wet and Bruce felt his brain short-circuit.
“I-I didn’t mean that,” he explained nervously in a small voice. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just didn’t know if you liked me enough and I didn’t want to force you… not after… not after what Carlos did to you. I thought you needed more time to recover mentally.”
The confession took some time to settle in and when it did, Klick flushed. Bruce must have thought that he was raped by Carlos. No wonder he was being so careful around Klick and treating him like a porcelain glass doll!
“Come with me,” he pulled Bruce along and out of the apartment. Klick yelled at the vampire couple to inform them that they were heading out. Bruce fussed over how improperly dressed Klick was but the blind assassin had more urgent matters to settle than worry about his lack of clothing.
They walked to a familiar forest patch and without a word, Klick started attacking Bruce the moment he let the webbed hand go.
Bruce wasn’t prepared for the attack and dodged it poorly but he didn’t have time to ask questions. Klick was already swinging out a kick that Bruce narrowly dodged. The sparring session was on, fiercer than Bruce remembered it to be. He’d never seen Klick so bloodthirsty in their sparring and it reminded the shark merman that Klick was an actual assassin.
“Am I weak?” Klick asked as he stabbed the tree where Bruce previously stood with his hand. There was a hole where his hand had been and Klick took off again, lunging at Bruce who failed to answer.
“Do you pity me? I failed to assassinate Carlos.”
Again, Bruce did not answer. He started to retaliate seriously just to keep up with Klick. The blind assassin wasn’t fooling around now. He wasn’t the same person Bruce knew and honestly, the shark merman didn’t understand why Klick was so angry.
“Do you hate me? I’m filthy enough to sleep with him so that I could complete my mission. Do you regret it now?”
Bruce growled. He couldn’t get a word in and the hits were getting stronger as if Klick was burning the candle of life away just to bring him down. Bruce knew that he was stronger if they fought normally. He was a trained professional and Klick didn’t have much combat experience or skills. However, what he lacked in skills, Klick made up for it with his ferociousness and bloodthirst.
“I don’t!” Bruce took a hit to the chest and flew back but he managed to force those words out just before he crashed onto a tree and fell to the ground.
Covered in leaves, Bruce coughed and looked up. Klick was right in front of him and the bat demon had tears in his eyes that couldn’t see.
“If you only see me as a friend who needs your help then please just let me get expelled. Why did you have to sign a mating certificate if you don’t want me as your mate?”
The tongue in his mouth felt heavy and Bruce didn’t know how to apologise. His actions must have hurt Klick very badly. However, Klick was wrong about his feelings.
“No. I don’t want to do that. You’re finally mine even if everything is fucked up. You’re strong, intelligent and loyal. You don’t take shit from others and stand your ground even if you know you won’t win. I was seriously pissed and childishly jealous when you dated Carlos. I lost it when I saw him attacking you. If we’re not mates, if this isn’t love… then I don’t think it exists. I’m sorry but I won't let you go. Let’s do this seriously now, you and me. Let’s stop being friends and start being lovers.”
Klick cried and hit Bruce in the chest again as the shark merman stood up but without force backing the action. It still hurt and Bruce coughed but there was a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Damn, you’re ugly when you cry.”
Klick frowned and smacked the asshole with more force enough to hurt but not kill. He was about to yell at Bruce for being an idiot when the shark merman kissed him deeply.
Klick didn’t resist and simply melted into the kiss, holding tightly onto Bruce for his promise.
Finally, they were more than friends and on the way to becoming lovers.