Star-Crossed Mates Read Online Free Page B

never been so easy. Mate or no mate, Klaus abandoned him in favor of another man. So Clay surmised there must be more to it than that.
    Clay saw something inside Ross, a hidden sorrow his mate refused to share. Ross always claimed he couldn’t remember a thing from his past, but Clay had known it was a lie even before the fire at the compound. At the same time, he sensed gentleness beyond Ross’s mask of deception, sweetness and a genuine desire for affection. Clay didn’t know if he could give his mate all that, but he wanted to try.
    “Because I always follow my heart,” he replied, almost wincing at the corniness.
    Ross didn’t laugh but gave him a sad look. “You shouldn’t. It will get you hurt.”
    Clay wondered if he should tell Ross about his time at Klaus’s side. He’d refrained from doing so in the hope that, one day, Ross might meet Klaus and they could have the perfect bond Trent and Ash built with their own mates. A dream, and nothing more. One couldn’t force a person to love you. And besides, Ross himself didn’t seem to show any particular attraction to Clay. Beyond the gratitude and the occasional smile, Clay could have very well been traveling at a Star-Crossed Mates
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    stranger’s side. He contented himself with the few kisses they’d shared at the compound and didn’t ask for more.
    Still, it was not the moment to burden Ross with his own frustrations. “Maybe,” he replied. “Come on. It’s late, and we should get some sleep.”
    “I guess your contact isn’t coming, huh?” Ross said with a sigh.
    “Oh, well. I suppose I should have—”
    A heavy groan interrupted Ross’s words. Clay would have panicked if at the same time he didn’t feel the overwhelming heat that marked the presence of his mate. So Klaus had come. Thank the Spirit Mother.
    Klaus’s large form emerged from the shadows, rushing toward them. “Hurry inside,” Klaus whispered as soon as he reached their side. “I might’ve been followed. I think I dodged my pursuers, but I can’t be sure.”
    For a few moments, Clay stared at the familiar features of Klaus’s face in disbelief. He realized he’d never actually expected Klaus would show up. Ross seemed just as gobsmacked, but then he let out a moan and swooned. Clay caught him just before he hit the ground and cursed as his mate started seizing. “Fucking hell. Help me.”
    They rushed to carry Ross to the small room Clay rented for them to stay in. As soon as they deposited Ross on the bed, Klaus retrieved a small bag disguised under his coat and took a syringe and some vials out of it.
    Clay frowned at his mate, insofar as he could while still holding Ross down. “What’s that?”
    “Some of Blunt’s serum,” Klaus replied as he filled a syringe with the liquid. “The doctors made another batch deposited at the Magistrate’s Den. I managed to steal a couple.”
    Clay was torn between relief and disappointment. Sure, he should have realized Klaus wouldn’t offer to claim Ross just like that. Clay himself didn’t mention it on the phone, for crying out loud. And after all, why wouldn’t Klaus’s persistent refusal to claim Clay extend over 28
    Scarlet Hyacinth
    Ross? He should be happy Klaus risked his position at the Den to steal the valuable serum for them.
    “Okay,” he said simply. “Inject it.”
    Klaus found a vein on Ross’s arm, while Clay held the young man as still as possible. It wasn’t easy, and Clay earned a good measure of painful bites and scratches for his efforts. Even so, a few seconds after the serum entered Ross’s system, it began to take effect. Even if at first the convulsions increased, it lasted only a couple of seconds and then Ross’s breath and pulse began to become steadier. In a couple of minutes, Ross had regained a healthier color and look. The only sign of the seizure was the blood still lingering on his red, swollen lips.
    Clay breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d have done