Page 120 of Night Call

Without even acknowledging the dried remnants of slick and come that clung to his skin, Pember rummaged around in the bag, pulled a T-shirt from the bottom and slipped it on. It was for a band he didn’t recognise, but he quite liked the skull with wings printed on one of the arms.

Running a hand through his hair, he cringed, realising that he was crusty literally everywhere. Although Blake had cleaned him up at some point, he needed a shower. Badly. But first he needed to find Blake.

Pushing himself to his feet, he wobbled across the landing. His head was pounding and he was fairly certain his nipples were chapped to within an inch of their lives, but that didn’t stop him. Gripping the handrail, he carefully navigated the stairs, making sure to take the steps one at a time. As he neared the bottom, he heard Blake’s voice.

Pember found him standing in the kitchen in nothing but his black boxers, phone in one hand, teacup in the other. His head jerked around when Pember stepped into the living room, and he uttered a few words into the phone before hanging up.

“What’re you doing up?” he said softly, putting down the cup and guiding Pember over to the kitchen table. His eyes flicked over Pember’s body as he sat down, nostrils flaring when he saw the T-shirt hanging almost to his knees.

Pember swallowed, throat like sandpaper. “You didn’t… I wasn’t… Sorry, I thought you’d gone.”

Blake cocked an eyebrow. “Do you want me to go?”

“N-no, obviously not. Doyouwant to go?”

Blake frowned. “Obviously not. Coffee?” He jabbed a thumb towards Pember’s coffee machine. A pot sat half-filled beneath the filter. “I’m not sure I understood all the settings, so it might taste terrible.”

Pember huffed out a laugh and nodded, relief washing over him. He watched as the alpha moved around the kitchen—pouring coffee, making toast, putting away all the washing up that Pember hadn’t got to when his heat struck.

Blake didn’t seem like himself—his movements were awkward and he was doing his best not to look at Pember.

Pember was about to make a joke about him needing the joint cream after all, when he noticed a white dressing on the inside of Blake’s bicep. Rising from the chair, Pember shuffled around the table and pressed himself against Blake’s side.

“What’s that?” he said, linking their arms so he couldn’t pull away.

Blake still didn’t look at him, instead choosing to make it evenmoreobvious by turning his head to the side. “I… George nipped me when I went to get my things. He got overexcited, and?—”

“Well, that’s bullshit if I ever heard it.” Pember sniffed. “George is soft as a brush. I’ve never seen him nip anyone.”

Running a hand through his hair, Blake sighed. When he didn’t say anything further, Pember shoved himself between the countertop and the alpha and began peeling off the dressing.

“What’re you—” Blake went to grab his hand, but Pember brushed it away.

“I have about a thousand more dressings in my first aid kit. If you aren’t going to be honest I’ll just have to see for myself.”

Blake huffed and gripped his shoulders. “Fine,” he sighed, taking half a step back and finally meeting Pember’s gaze. “I… uh… last night… there was a moment where I… I thought I was going to bite you. As in, a mating bite. So I… bit… myself.Instead. But now I feel like a total piece of shit after everything I said. You shouldn’t?—”

Pember pressed up on the balls of his feet and kissed him. Blake didn’t pull away, but he didn’t exactly kiss him back either.

“Did you want to bite me?” Pember asked, lowering himself back down.

Blake let out a shaky breath. “Last night? Yes.”

Pember flushed. “And now? Now the heat is over?” Blake’s jaw tensed and his gaze flicked out the window. When he didn’t answer, Pember’s chin began to quiver. “I see.”

He didn’t know why he was upset. What right did he have to expect that of Blake? He wasn’t even sure if he wanted it himself, so why did he feel like he’d just been punched in the gut?

Dropping his head, Pember went to step away but Blake grabbed his wrist and tucked him back in between his arms.

“You know how shit it was when I broke the bond with Rebecca.” Blake opened his mouth and touched one of his canines. Pember nodded. “It wasn’t just the physical symptoms. For a good six months afterwards I… I fell into quite a deep depression. Some of my old self-destructive ways started to creep back in, and I?—”

Pember wrapped his arms around Blake’s waist and pulled him closer.

Blake shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, the medication I was ondid nothelp one bit. I was just starting to rebuild my relationship with my parents, but all that went to shit and we ended up falling out again. After that, I told myself that I’dneverget into that situation again, I… I swore that I’d never give anyone else the bite. Ever. But then I…”

The words trailed off and Pember’s eyes were beginning to sting. Blake’s eyebrows pulled tighter and tighter together.

“But then I met you,” he finally said, voice cracking as he looked at Pember. “And I thought, if it was somethingyouwanted, then I’d do it. So you’d never feel alone again.”

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