Chapter Twelve:

Joey whipped around at the sound of the new voice. An old woman stood in the trees, watching them, covered by a black cowl and cloak, though her face remained visible. In one gnarled hand she held a small glass globe swirling with black/purple mist.

Joey let go of Ryou and Serenity, straightening up with a growl. Seto let go of Serenity, and the vampires let go of Ryou, each of them bristling with the instinctive hatred of this woman, sensing immediately that she was the cause of everything. And she was not to be trusted.

"Who the hell are you?" Joey demanded.

The woman raised the globe. It glowed brightly, and Joey was unconscious before he registered it.

******

Joey regained consciousness, opening his eyes and blinking at the sky above him. He seemed to still be outdoors. He sat up, rubbing his head, looking around. He didn't think he saw anything unusual, but there was the lingering feeling that he was missing something. He looked around for his lover.

"About time you woke up," Seto said, walking towards him from between the trees, arms folded.

Relieved at the sight of him, Joey got to his feet. He reached out, grabbing Seto and pulling him close, kissing his temple. Seto grumbled, but didn't pull away.

"Where are Yugi and Yami?"

"In the other cage, I guess."

"What?" Joey drew back, looking around. "We're outside."

Seto rolled his eyes, folding his arms again. "Sometimes you really are dense. Look around. See those orange markings?"

Ignoring the insult, Joey did. Now that he was looking more intently, he could see the orange markings glowing on some trees. "Yeah. What are those?"

"I don't know, but they form a square about half a mile wide. There's blue ones over there, on the other side of the orange ones. I guess Yugi and Yami are there, but I didn't see or hear them."

"Show me."

Seto growled softly at being ordered, but did as he was told, leading Joey through the brush towards the far side of the enclosure. Orange markings lit up the trunks of the trees, and sure enough, about five feet after the orange ones were blue ones. Joey started to reach his hand out, but Seto stopped him.

"Don't bother. I already tried. It's like an invisible wall."

Joey cupped his hands around his mouth and called for Yugi and Yami several times, but with no answer. He gave up, worried. "Maybe sound doesn't travel past the barrier either."

Seto said nothing. Sighing, Joey wrapped his arms around his waist and resting his cheek on Seto's shoulder. The sudden scent of the wound he'd almost forgotten about made him lift his head, turning Seto around to look at it. Seto protested, but Joey forced him to sit, kneeling beside him and removing his shirt to expose the bite. It was half-healed, but still raw and open. An angry growl rumbled through Joey's throat. Bakura...When they got back to the zombie, he'd personally tear him to pieces for daring to hurt his mate.

Joey licked the healing wound, worried. What did a zombie bite do to a werewolf? Seto's wolf blood was healing the wound far faster than human blood would, and so far he had displayed no signs of the zombie curse, but who knew how long that would last.

Seto squirmed as Joey licked at the wound. "Don't. I'm fine."

Joey wrapped his arms around him and held him closer. Seto relaxed against him after a long moment, but Joey stopped attending to the bite. Seto did seem fine, and he hoped it would stay that way. Sighing, he pressed his nose against Seto's hair and began breathing in his scent, just holding him. But even as he did so, he couldn't deny the way he felt every time he got near his lover. His body began to warm and harden as he felt Seto in his arms, smelled his scent.

Seto shifted, clearing smelling Joey's arousal. "Are you serious?"

Joey grinned, nibbling along Seto's ear. "Are you complaining?"

Seto was silent.

Grinning, Joey pushed Seto down under him. The brunette growled, trying to push Joey off, fighting his dominance. Joey held him down, foiling his attempts.

"Oh, no, Seto. Maybe one day you can be on top again, but right now, I can't get enough of having you under me."

Seto glared up at him, blue eyes narrowed. Then he relaxed slowly. Joey gave him a winning smile, then kissed him with rough passion, pushing his tongue past his lips. Seto accepted it, his own sliding intimately with Joey's as he closed his eyes. Joey cupped his face between his hands, losing himself in kissing his lover breathless. Finally, gasping, he let him go, but immediately began to add new marks to Seto's body, leaving bruises and nips as he trailed down his bare torso. Seto shifted under him, trying to hold back noises of pleasure as Joey made his way slowly down his body.

He reached the pants and had them off in seconds, making Seto hiss as the air touched his erection. Joey pulled it into his mouth, holding down Seto's hips as he sucked and teased, bobbing his head. Seto moaned softly, his hips moving against Joey's hold. The blond held him down, sucking harder and harder, Seto's quiet noises boiling his blood.

Seto came with a cry unstifled, and Joey eagerly swallowed his release, sitting back and licking his lips. As Seto lay panting on the ground, Joey stuck his fingers in his mouth, before moving them between Seto's legs and pushing them inside. His lover groaned, but was relaxed from the orgasm, taking the fingers easily. Joey stretched him, nudging at his prostate, bending down to take the limp member into his mouth. He sucked Seto back to full arousal, adjusting as he grew hard and thick again, rubbing the sensitive underside with the flat of his tongue while he squirmed on the ground.

"Joey, enough!"

Joey drew back, licking his lips, grinning. He took off his clothing, glad to be free of the constriction against his erection. But he wasn't done teasing Seto yet. He merely knelt between his lover's legs, then reached down, and began to stroke himself, groaning at the friction of his hand. Seto's eyes widened slightly as he realized what he was doing. He sat up a little to watch, his eyes darkening impossibly as Joey stroked himself harder, breathing growing ragged as the pleasure built.

He reached down, hauling Seto up into a sitting position, kissing him, grunting into his mouth as he came. Trembling with aftershocks, he shoved Seto back down roughly, grinning at the irritated expression on his face. Using his own release, Joey coated his member, stroking himself again until he was finally erect again. He reached down, spreading Seto's legs a little wider before positioning himself and sliding inside.

Seto growled, legs locking around Joey's waist as the blond seated himself to the hilt. He waited, kissing Seto's forehead as he paused until the brunette was adjusted. Seto squeezed his legs, his hands gripping Joey's shoulders.

Joey began to thrust, but gently this time. He kept the pace deep, but slow, making Seto moan when he struck his prostate, but not enough to send either of them over the edge. He drew the lovemaking out, kissing and nibbling every inch of Seto he could easily reach. His mate met his every thrust, kissing and biting him back, clutching at him in a passionate loss.

"Joey!"

Joey reached down, taking Seto's erection into his hand, stroking firmly. Seto bucked under him, gritting his teeth against louder noises, his thighs squeezing Joey's hips. The blond began to move harder against him, his body demanding release. He increased his pace gradually, wanting to make this as long as possible.

Their mouths met in a feverent kiss, panting against each other's lips, Joey's groans louder than Seto's, but he didn't mind. He increased his pace again, slamming into Seto now, working on their orgasms. He kneaded and rubbed Seto's erection, striking his prostate roughly. The expression on Seto's face was something he wanted to remember forever, fighting his own instinct to close his eyes just to watch him.

As his orgasm prickled around the base of his spine, he bent his head, biting at the mark he'd given Seto earlier during their first full mating. Seto gave in, howling at the sky over their heads as he came, his seed spilling over his stomach and Joey's hand. Joey gasped, then threw his head back in an echoing howl as he slammed into Seto once more before coming. He collaspsed on Seto, panting heavily, exhausted from two orgasms, knowing that Seto was in the same condition. The brunette's breath stirred his hair.

Joey pulled out carefully, then rolled off of Seto, laying on his back beside him. They lay like that for a few seconds, before getting back into their clothes. Then, as one, turned to each other, becoming wolves at the same time. Seto lay on his stomach, resting his head on his paws while Joey groomed him lazily, licking his fur with slow swipes of his tongue. Seto raised his head after a few moments, licking Joey under the chin. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes as Seto began to groom him. He lay down next to him, tilting his head towards him as Seto's tongue lapped at his ears. Seto nipped at his ears and neck, making Joey do the same to him, the both of them nibbling and nipping at each other, getting to their paws as they finally recovered from their lovemaking session. They wrestled with each other, each trying to knock the other down, biting playfully but carefully as they reared and pawed at each other, growling and bearing their fangs.

It was weird to see Seto Kaiba playful like this, but Joey enjoyed it immensely. He pulled a trick on him and knocked his legs out from under him, hastily jumping onto his back to hold him down. Seto twisted under him, then stilled as Joey took the scruff of his neck between his teeth, biting just hard enough to sting a little, the classic wolfish dominance hold. Seto continued to backtalk him with bared fangs and low growls and grumbles, but Joey let him, knowing his mate's tough spirit demanded not giving in entirely. He held the pose for a moment or two, then let go, licking the spot he had bitten, grooming the fur back into place.

He got off his back and laid down against his side, the two of them leaning against each other. They lay their heads on their paws, muzzles touching as they rested.

Joey was starting to doze when a noise made him lift his head, ears up and listening. He got to his paws as Seto lifted his head questioningly. He got up as well, turning his head this way and that as they listened. Joey realized he was hearing Yugi and Yami's voices. He turned and ran towards the far end of their cage, Seto as his side.

There they were. Inside their enclosure were the two vampires, running towards them. They met up, stopping. Joey and Seto changed back into their human forms, looking down at the two vampires.

"What happened?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know. We woke up in here. Where were you?"

Yami pointed off to the side. "Over there, somewhere. In the woods. Then we were suddenly in here. That woman put us in here for a reason."

"There's a second...cage-thing...over there," Joey said, pointing back the way they had come. "That must hold Ryou and Serenity."

"You're not the only ones here," the woman said, appearing suddenly.

They all hissed or growled at her. She only chuckled, holding up the glowing glass ball. "Don't bother trying to attack me. I hold your very lives in my hand. And as I was saying, you're not the only ones here. Serenity and Ryou, of course. Also Bakura, Tristan, Duke, and Mokuba. Everyone I changed."

"Why are we here?" Yami demanded.

The woman threw back her cowl. As she did so, she changed from old to young. Her hair turned glossy and black, hanging down to her waist, while her skin grew smooth and dark. Her dark brown eyes stared at them.

Yami's scarlet eyes widened. "Altena-su-ret!"