It was a day like any other in Gatesville, quiet and peaceful, and that's likely why the first people to spot a massive cat only gawked, frozen in whatever they were doing when it – the ink-black beast – broke the edge of the trees and calmly headed down the main road of their town.
In a size that definitely set it apart from the animal kingdom, it seemed to look about curiously with incredibly pale, blue eyes and, without a hint of fear, looked at the passerby, seeming to be carrying something in its muzzle and some would even dare say its long, as black tail swiveled behind it almost… excitably.
While some called the sheriff's office, others somewhat hesitantly followed the beast's 'walk,' at a safe distance observing its behavior. Unsure what to do, since though all knew not to approach the specific part of the forest, none could remember a rule that denied their 'neighbors' visits… most relaxed only when arriving at the main crossroad of their small town, the big cat was met with the tall figure of the white-haired sheriff.
Thancred Waters, though quite young for the position at twenty-five, looked more excited than nervous as he barred the way, even smiling pleasantly when the beast stopped, looked him over, and dropped the package it was carrying in front of its paws. Dared by it, some of the townspeople approached the display enough to overhear the exchange.
"May I help you…?" their sheriff asked politely, hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, far more relaxed apparently than anyone else felt.
And though they knew what it had to be… it was still a shock when a human voice sounded in the feline muzzle – even if none who heard it could understand what it said. Not that surprisingly, apparently, the beast spoke in a different language – none of the witnesses could even place. A tad throaty and nearly musical speech sounded like nothing they ever heard before… and even their confident sheriff blinked, looking uncertain about what to do.
…until a teenager with a very long red braid and cyan eyes ashine with delight broke out from the crowd and, with a ridiculously wide grin, approached the spectacle.
"He's speaking Egyptian," the teen, Damon, announced, stopping by the sheriff, who regarded him with surprise, then though somewhat hesitantly, he said something in that strange language toward the feline – who seemed to stare at him with wide-open, ice-blue eyes. The exchange lasted a moment, and the seventeen-year-old looked increasingly surprised before he cleared his throat and looked toward the tall sheriff with an unreadable expression. "He's… ah, looking for someone."
"…who?" Thancred asked, looking between them with a somewhat suspicious expression.
"My brother," the redhead said, then ignored his surprise, saying something toward the big cat, then turned and motioned for it to follow as he headed down the road. The beast picked up its package and, ignoring the growing audience, with that excitement in the movements of its tail, followed the teen.
…and so did the crowd, since this definitely was an event that was one to turn into the 'story' to liven up their town for months to come!
Raha could only blame his distraction on yesterday's encounter in the forest – and he did – when he stupidly didn't manage to avoid his archenemy and got shoved against the wall behind the school.
"Thought you are going sneak off again, freak?" the much taller boy, Brett Foster, sneered, and his ever-present cronies, Matt and Jim, laughed, moving to the sides to bar any route of escape for him to dart toward.
Thanking in thought the fact that he annoyed his twin enough for Damon to leave ahead of him, Raha put on a defiant expression on his face even while mentally he prepared himself for the customary beating. His twin usually, in those situations, managed to either confuse the fuck out Raha's bullies with his veiled insults or shamelessly straight off announced he was going to tell on them… and the last time, he got no less of a beating than he did. And that was harder to watch than experience it himself.
But they could hardly help it, as even though Brett and his cronies were in the same class, they – all three – were at least a head taller than the twins and, due to playing in the school's football team: far more muscular.
And especially Brett, looking twice his size, loved to take out his frustrations on the freak-eyed, dumber twin. A blonde with green eyes now grinned toothily as he fisted his big hand in the front of Raha's shirt and forced him up to his toes.
"Don't think we didn't see you scamper off Friday, asshole," he hissed before again painfully shoving him against the wall behind him, and Raha gasped when the air was pushed out of his lungs.
Refusing to give him the satisfaction of showing fear, the redhead glared daggers up into the other teen's face, thinning his lips to stop any sound from escaping… and blinked when for a moment, it seemed like Brett's eyes darted toward his mouth, then despite the tan his quite handsome face grew darker. And the brief look in his eyes… he knew if he was used to seeing it only in his dreams and in pale, vertically slit eyes…
Oh, fuck… Was that why he was picking on him with such determination…? He grimaced involuntarily, earning another painful shove against the wall.
And perhaps because he didn't sleep last night and was fucking exhausted, and the thought alone that this asshole was… punishing him for something like that… Raha bared his teeth in outrage and uselessly shoved his hands against the taller teen's chest.
"Get off me, fucker!" he hissed, struggling, but he could as well try to move a mountain!
"Aww… getting a big mouth, freak?" the blonde sneered, then raised his free hand and rolled it into a fist. "I guess we must remind you of your place, hm?"
Too pissed off to care about the upcoming hit, while the other boys laughed, closing in on them, and as he struggled to pry the material of his shirt free, he still froze no less than them at the sound of the deafening, animalistic snarl.
"I would really leave him alone if I were you," his twin's cold voice coming from the alley leading to the small backyard behind the school, had his bullies turn to look toward him and visibly pale, gawking at the massive feline beast standing at Damon's side and very much looking ready to pounce as it leaned in on its front paws. Looking around the taller boys with astonishment, Raha's eyes got stuck on the enraged, too-familiar ice-blue eyes in the feline muzzle. It looked exactly like the beast he met at the border yesterday morning – seemingly up to its intimidating size – but those eyes…
"What the fuck is that…?" Brett gasped, pointing his shaky finger toward the feline, but at least he finally let go of Raha's shirt.
"A shapeshifter," Damon answered pleasantly, then grinned meanly and said something in an unfamiliar language toward the big cat. Its pale eyes swiveled toward him, then back to Brett, narrowing with intent. The redhead wasn't sure what happened next – it was too fast – but the next he knew, the feline moved, and suddenly the tall blonde was on the ground, pinned down by the massive, ink-black paws. The other boys screamed and run around Damon… right into the sheriff, Thancred, who seamlessly caught their collars and stopped their escape. Not that he noticed, caught into the snare of the pale eyes that seemed to stare toward him… expectantly?... while the ink-black maw parted, revealing row after row of incredibly sharp fangs, and the beast seemed to say something… he couldn't understand. "He's asking if you want his… Brett's, I mean… head, Raha," he heard his twin and his shell-shocked gaze moved toward him before going back to the massive cat, that still… stared intently.
…with those pale, ice-like eyes…
"I… n-no," he managed, leaning back against the wall's surface and looking between his brother and the beast. "What… language is that?"
"Egyptian," Damon replied, and he almost rolled his eyes in reflex at his smug tone. His twin sighed, then folded his arms over his chest, wrinkling his nose slightly. "Since most of the… lore available connects them to ancient Egypt, I have learned a bit of it… if his dialect is a tad… unique, I think. Hard to understand at times… but apparently, he doesn't know English since – if I got it right – he never before left their lair. And that's – Egyptian – is what they use there to communicate. And he did… sneak away to find you, specifically," his cyan eyes narrowed at him intently, but Raha swallowed thickly and looked back toward the shapeshifter.
The massive beast still had the blonde teenager pinned down to the concrete of the yard, and even if it appeared that Brett passed out – he couldn't blame him for that, though! – it… he?... stared at him intently, and its black tail – a familiar one – swiveled slowly behind him. Raha took a deep, steadying breath and pointedly shook his head. To his astonishment, the cat seemed… disappointed as it huffed toward its… his prey and stepped off him, then tossing him another look, gracefully headed toward Damon, picked something up from the ground by his twin's feet, and keeping it in his maw, moved toward Raha. Gawking at the huge cat when it dropped… a package?... by his feet, then sat back at his haunches, staring at him expectantly… he looked toward his twin and back, then toward the package apparently wrapped in red paper.
Like this, the beast's head was at level with his – and seeming to notice his uncertainty – the cat looked toward his twin and said something in that deep voice and musical language that had his brother gasp slightly, then grin toothily when Raha looked at him with confusion.
"…what?" he asked suspiciously, then looked back toward the feline when it nudged the red package with its big paw toward him, then looked toward his twin again, now again expectantly.
"Ah…" Damon cleared his throat, then took on a far, far too innocent expression… for someone who knew him and his usual humor. "That's the reason why he was looking for you, Raha. If I'm not wrong…" he trailed off and asked something – by his tone – toward the feline and it.. he appeared to nod as he answered, then those too-familiar pale eyes focused on him again. "…I see. Well, apparently, he… smelled you yesterday, and it's… custom for them to offer a gift to one they wish to… court."
"…court?" he asked with confusion, wondering if it was some convoluted… prank as he looked toward his brother. Seeing that, Damon rolled his cyan eyes and scoffed before answering.
"Date, brother. Basically: he's asking you out on a date," and the bastard laughed at his expression when Raha blinked stupidly, then flushed up to his hairline as his wide-open eyes turned back to the pale blue, still watching him intently and apparently waiting. "Accepting the gift… means you're promising to consider him for a… mate, and not… date anyone else while he's courting you… Again, if I'm getting all of that right."
"But…" he swallowed thickly, giving the massive feline a quick once-over before looking back to Damon. Who snickered and then said something toward the beast what had the cat grow a tad sheepish expression on his muzzle… and the next thing he knew, that fucking boy from his dreams stood before him!
"Oh… my…" gawking in astonishment at the tall teen that haunted his imagination for over a year – he barely heard the awe in his twin's voice. He didn't blame him because the brunette looked exactly like in his fantasies – including the fact that he was naked and seemingly unbothered by it! – and as impossibly gorgeous as in each of his dreams. Longish ink-black hair surrounded the slightly triangular face that could be called only beautiful, and the frame of the thick, black lashes around those pale blue eyes gave them charm… that had his stupid heart triple its rhythm instantly. More than a head taller than him (likely somewhere above six feet, easily), the cat-like teenager looked slightly older than him, and his body… God, he was really, really trying not to stare… too obviously, but… yeah, exactly how he looked in his dreams… Especially when his nostrils flared delicately, and he leaned in slightly from his impressive height, growing a tad… dazed look in his pale eyes as he audibly took a deeper breath... sniffing him? The movement had his eyes dart toward the brunette's big hands, seeing that he rolled them tightly into fists at his sides. His long, ink-black tail swished with something like… agitation when he leaned in suddenly, picked up the package still on the ground between them, and with his black ears pressed tightly against his head and… pleading whine, he offered it to him again.
Feeling like his face is going to burn away, Raha swallowed thickly and bit his lower lip with uncertainty, looking briefly toward the almost too-beautiful face… then shakily lifted his hand and curled his fingers over the red paper. And when doing that, his fingertips brushed – and felt! – the heat of the brunette's skin…
"O-okay…" he breathed, unable to look away from the ice-blue eyes when their vertical pupils dilated and shivered when the male growled at him, showing off that impossibly tantalizing hint of fangs between the almost too-pretty lips. He blushed hotter, realizing his fingers unconsciously (yeah, sure!) slid the paper, and followed the radiating warmth of the pale skin up to the brunette's forearm before he caught himself. But when he lowered his gaze to the package and pulled his hand back to it… The male's free hand rose and, like in his last dream of him… pressed against his cheek tenderly, but this time Raha felt the heat of his skin and heard the deep, rumbling sound of… purring?... when the gorgeous male leaned in harder, whispering something he couldn't understand when the tip of his nose brushed his.
Gasping at the mind-numbing heat – literally – he swallowed down a greedy whiff of sweet scent – something very, very reminiscent of apple, that surely was going to be his new favorite – and shuddered helplessly when the male's fingers wrapped around his chin, tilting his head. His slightly glassy gaze held him captive when a hot, quick breath fanned his lips.
…and he so, so many times wondered what would those pretty lips taste like… feel like…
Someone cleared his throat loudly behind his beast's back, but the male looked unfazed, only those deep purrs sounded louder, and Raha knew he should care… but his head felt stuffed with cotton, and his skin felt so impossibly tight and hot… He almost whimpered with disappointment when the brunette suddenly blinked those cat-like, gorgeous eyes and pulled back suddenly, looking almost… apologetic as he licked his lips and looked toward Damon, saying something in that throaty language. And by the stupid grin on his twin's face… Raha pushed his back into the wall behind him, trying to catch his breath and clear his head, and not… beg the gorgeous male to kiss him…
"He says… he's very happy about you accepting his claim," his brother said far too innocently, pointing toward Raha's hand, and only then did he really notice that his fingers were still wrapped around the red paper. He blinked toward it numbly, feeling his face grow impossibly hotter before he dared to look up into that beautiful face… but the brunette looked toward his brother, saying something that had Damon slightly wrinkle his nose, mulling something over before continuing translation. "Apparently… he needs to go before his… brothers?... notice he sneaked off. But he would like to… invite you?... to meet him tomorrow at… dusk?... in the place where you met his brother yesterday," he said, then sighed. "I hope I got it right, but his dialect is really… strange."
"I… ah…" he trailed off, again caught in the snare of pale eyes, giving him that intent and somewhat pleading look. Raha swallowed thickly and involuntarily took a deeper breath of that impossibly sweet scent… and nodded slowly, feeling like his face was going to burn away at any moment now, then lost his breath, and his stupid heart vaulted wildly when he was rewarded with a downright blinding, gorgeous if a tad adorably goofy grin. Staring in dumbstruck awe, he didn't even manage to keep himself from gasping when the male moved in quickly and did that again: brushed the tip of his nose against his, rumbling on loud… happy?... purrs before moving back before he could gather his bearings. In less than a blink, that massive, ink-black feline took the place of the male, and the beast, with a last, longing look of pale eyes toward him and… excited… wave of its tail, darted out of the alley his twin still stood in… passing a fucking crowd of townspeople gawking in astonishment after it… him when the big cat disappeared behind the corner.
Feeling all the blood drain from his face at the sheer number of people who apparently he had missed spotting earlier at the mouth of the alley, he barely registered his twin closing in on him.
"So… what is it?" Damon asked, snapping his fingers in front of his face. When he blinked toward him numbly, his brother snickered, then pointed toward his hand. "The gift, I mean, silly. What is it?"
Raha swallowed thickly, then taking it as an excuse not to look at too many curious expressions, he lifted his hand with the package and, ignoring his twin's impatient hiss slowly and carefully unfolded the red paper without breaking it… if they both gasped, staring when they saw what it contained.
A glorious ruby, the exact shade of his eyes, and the biggest one he had ever seen… not that he saw many of them, obviously, but this one was easily bigger than his fist.
"Oh, my…" his brother breathed, then laughed softly when Raha looked up at him with a shell-shocked gaze. "I'm not a specialist in jewels, obviously… but it must be worth a fortune, bro. Ah… and when you do meet him, ask if any of those brothers he mentioned is available?"
And Raha could only send him a deadpan stare to cover how his heart fluttered madly when he wrapped his hands around the red stone with reverence.
"Where were you, kit?" his eldest brother hissed when Senri snuck into the lair, and he froze, swallowing thickly at the sight of the mix of worry and anger on his brother's muzzle.
Busted.
…still worth it, though…
"Out," he stated defiantly, then tried to sneak past him.
"Sen…" Ares started with outrage, then froze and moved in, sniffing him intently. "…what is that?"
"Huh?" he hesitated, looking between him and the far end of the corridor leading deeper into the lair with apprehension. If Hades also noticed him missing… he was sooo fucked. He adored both of his older brothers, but Ares was always more easy-going and… pliant when it came to him and his ideas. When none of the clanmates was looking, anyway. Hades was stricter, especially considering that he spent most of the time doing his best to keep him alive… and for that, Senri would never dare to defy him… in normal circumstances.
…and not when he found that the impossibly cute redhead that haunted his dreams for more than a year was actually real! And, Bast be praised, smelled like sin incarnate, like a deliciously blended mix of cinnamon and almonds. He was already intrigued by that scent when it assaulted his sensitive nose from Ares's fur yesterday, but to know it came from the gorgeous boy that for so fucking long he was dying to touch…?
…if that wasn't Bastet's will, he didn't know what else to call it! And the way his skin felt under his palm… The gorgeous flush on his face and the dazed shine of crimson eyes… Not to mention how his spice-like scent spiked when he almost caved into the temptation of those impossibly soft-looking, pretty lips.
Enough said: he wanted him, and he wanted him bad. Really, really bad… but as much as his self-control always just… sucked, he wanted those glorious ruby eyes to look at him with that… sweet affection far, far from the agglomerated scents of humans. And he needed to be able to tell him how pretty he was… how sweet. How for all this fucking time, with every maddeningly frustrating dream, he… wanted him. So badly it hurt.
"That scent on your fur, baby brother…." Ares's confused voice tore him out of the reverie. Senri wrinkled his nose, sitting back on his haunches, and laughed involuntarily when his eldest brother's nose followed, burying in the fur at his neck and sniffing intently.
"What…?" he trailed off, remembering the way the other boy, the kindly smiling redhead looking impossibly similar to his, if not for his cyan eyes and much longer hair, a few times set his hand on his neck while leading him toward his prize. "Ah… citrus, you mean? The scent..?"
"Mhmm…" his brother hummed with apparent delight, still sniffing him insistently for a moment before pulling back and sitting, too, tilting his head curiously. "What is that? And where were you? You're lucky I noticed before Hades did, Sen… You know he worries, even if our uncle is long gone, baby brother."
"I know… and I didn't want to worry him… or you, Ares, but…" he hesitated, then sighed and lowered his head before him submissively, laying flat on his belly. "…I think… I think Bast blessed me with a soulmate, brother. And I think… that the boy you found yesterday… That he's mine."
He closed his eyes so he didn't see his brother's expression but heard his sigh.
"Senri… He's a human," Ares said softly, nudging him with his paw to get up, but he refused. "I know you love the old stories, but… Allag are long gone, brother. And we can't bond with humans. Not really, anyway. And believe me, Sen, you don't want to mate to a human. I know you and your nature, baby brother, and that… one-sided bond would break your soul… and that I can't allow."
"I dreamed of him," he admitted without opening his eyes and heard his brother's breath hitch. "For over a year… every night, Ares. And his eyes… Allag were able to bond with humans, you told me. Isn't it possible… some hybrids survived the massacre? In mixed with humans… and survived to this day?"
He finally dared to look up and saw his brother's sky-blue eyes focused on him intently, clear consideration behind them as his tail swiveled slowly.
"And…" he added softly. "…he has a litter-mate whose scent got you so interested, brother. His eyes are cyan, not crimson… but by the similarity, I would dare say they must be twins. And if one is of Allag descent, by chance…" he trailed off, carefully raising to all fours.
A wholly new interest bloomed on his brother's ink-black muzzle as he stood up, then looked toward the exit of the lair.
"If it's Bastet's will…." Senri said carefully, moving forward and rubbing his head against his eldest brother's shoulder. "…a chance to regain her favor, Ares...? After all you did for our people, for them to be here, right under your wing… don't you think that's a sign? Perhaps She's ready to forgive us, hm? If we prove worthy…."
"Enough…" his brother sighed but nudged his head against his, then looked back to the exit and twitched his whiskers. "So… you went off to track him down, Sen? I know your nose is sharp, but it rained last night…."
"Well… not exactly," he admitted sheepishly, then sat down next to his brother and leaned against him. "And don't be mad… but I entered the human lair. I figured… I'll sniff him out."
"You…" Ares laughed helplessly, flicking his tail with amusement. "…and they didn't chase you off?"
"Ah… they looked pretty excited, to be honest," he wrinkled his nose, then twitched his whiskers with annoyance. "But I couldn't understand them!"
"Figures… they would speak English, baby brother," he shifted, standing up, then nudged him into the lair.
"Ah… can you teach me?" he asked, joining him obediently. "At least… some basics? And before… tomorrow?"
"…oh?" his brother sent him a suspicious look. "What did you actually do, Sen?"
"I, ah…" he flustered slightly, staring under his paws. "…I delivered a courting gift… and he accepted," he admitted and cringed slightly when his brother froze, staying behind. "The other one… the one with the cyan eyes can speak our language… mostly, at least… so he translated and… I made sure he knew what he was agreeing to, I swear!" he added hastily, and Ares relaxed if sending him a narrowed look of sky-blue eyes.
"And you're seeing him again… tomorrow?" he asked, moving to his side again.
"I hope so…" he breathed under his nose. The human – if he really was fully one – could still balk and not show up… And he could only wish it wasn't the case because after scenting him… he wasn't sure he could stop himself from tracking him down again… and begging.
"I guess… I'll have to teach you, then," his brother sighed, then his voice grew quieter as they approached the living quarters. "But… don't mention it – and your theory to anyone, okay? And… I'll teach you to ask if his brother is dating anyone, okay?"
"…dating?" he repeated with confusion, looking toward him without understanding.
"That's what humans call courting, baby brother," Ares chortled, nudging his side. "If theirs… is a tad different than ours, so I guess I'll tell you what to expect, hm?"
"Did you… date any humans before, though?" he asked suspiciously. He knew that being the leader of their Clan – not to mention his role in making their existence known among their neighbors – Ares traveled a lot, often leaving their lair in Hades's care for the duration of that. But he didn't think that was ever that… long. A few days at the very most, as long as he could remember.
"No," his brother replied cheerfully, and he frowned, twitching his whiskers. "But I've heard plenty of stories."
Praying to Bast, it wasn't some sort of a prank, Senri nodded in agreement. He did want to make the best impression possible… and perhaps having the cyan-eyed twin in mind, his brother wouldn't make him embarrass himself so much his potential mate wouldn't want to see him again…
This time the dream was different, perhaps due to his exhaustion or the events of the day… but when Raha 'woke up' in the soft, black nest, he could feel the material under his back. His head filled instantly with that maddeningly sweet scent of apple, thick and sooo tasty, he moaned weakly as his gut tightened with painful arousal. Staring at the jewel-encrusted ceiling of the cave above the nest, he felt the radiating heat before the impossibly gorgeous male pressed against him, purring so loudly and happily… Whispering something in that musical language against his ear as his trembling fingertips trailed along his hip.
He couldn't resist rising his shaky hand and drowning his fingers in the fur-like silk of the ink-black hair, gingerly smoothing his thumb over the shell of the cat-like ear… and was rewarded with those deep purrs growing louder as the male cooed something in that deep voice, nuzzling against his throat insistently.
Drunk on his heat, on feeling him for once – even if this time it truly was a fantasy… he didn't care, squirming under his weight until he could raise his legs around his hips, nearly losing it at the sensation of rock-hard flesh pressing insistently against his stomach. As massive as the rest of him, it should be intimidating, but when the male growled softly and shifted on top of him, hooking his big hand under his thigh as he aligned his dick perfectly against his and painfully slowly rubbed against him… Raha choked on a groan, hooking his free hand around the brunette's shoulder, and then whimpered breathlessly when the male repeated the movement as agonizingly slowly.
Whispering right into his ear in that deep voice, raspy with desire and rumbling with purrs… he didn't need to understand, could barely hear it over the wild staccato of his heartbeat. A few more slow strokes of the heated skin over his achingly hard flesh and he shook – already so embarrassingly close to orgasm… he would maybe mind it if not for the fact that he couldn't care about anything else but that mad heat surrounding him. And the impossibly thick and sweet scent of apple that filled his lungs with every rapid, shaky breath.
…until his male pulled back, swiftly claiming his mouth with a nearly animalistic snarl, and when the distinctively rough-feeling tongue pushed into his mouth, filling them with a downright addictive, delicious flavor, he whimpered needily, letting go of the brunette's hair in favor of wrapping his arms tightly around his neck, trying to pull him closer as his tongue hesitantly met the one invading his mouth. He didn't really register when his legs wrapped around the male, too, losing himself in the taste and the aggressive rhythm of too-pretty lips trying to eat him alive.
The male swallowed his gasps and moans greedily, and his hand moved over his thigh, climbing up around his hip as he rutted into him insistently, with growing aggression matching the way he claimed his mouth. He didn't really follow its path until his fingers pushed under his ass and between his buttocks, not in, but massaging the tight ring of muscles insistently as his growl filled Raha's mouth. And that should freak him out – he wasn't stupid after all – but instead, his body took that for permission to release the painful pressure, and he came with a downright shocking intensity. Mewling incoherently under the devouring mouth as wave after wave of bliss shook his body, he then choked on a surprised whine when one of these fingers pushed inside him, and it… really had no right to feel like that…
The male pulled back, leaving him panting raggedly as he watched his face intently with pale eyes. And considering how much it burned… he instinctively went to cover it with his palms, even as an embarrassingly loud moan left his mouth at the sensation of that long finger pumping into him slowly, matching the rhythm of the almost too-hot dick sliding in the mess of the cum covering his abdomen. His brunette growled aggressively and shifted, swiftly catching his hands by his wrists one after another, then together, he pinned them down above his head. Forcing him to arch with the movement, Raha couldn't take his eyes off the nearly feral shine of the ice-like irises when his… lover bared his fangs at him, and something inside him trembled, dying to submit as his cock swiftly swelled with renewed interest. Feeling that seemed to pacify his beautiful beast and the male cooed something that sounded like praise, again rumbling on these deep, deep purrs.
He bit his lower lip to choke down an embarrassingly desperate whine when another finger pushed up into him, earning another warning growl that had his insides clench with arousal. Soon whimpering breathlessly, he rolled with him, caught between the two maddening sensations. Still holding his hands down effortlessly, the male claimed his mouth into another intoxicating kiss, feeding him his deliciously aggressive growls as his rhythm above him and the press of his fingers into him grew almost brutal, impatiently pushing his helplessly shuddering body up to another edge. He tightened his thighs into a vice around his sides as the pressure grew painful and too insistent. Whimpered needily under his mouth until the male groaned hoarsely – the sound so tasty – and pulled his hand back, curled it around his thigh, and nearly folded him in half, whispering something that sounded almost apologetic against his ear as something much, much hotter and harder pressed against his opening insistently. Purring near-deafeningly in his ear, tightening his hand around his wrists, the male shifted…
…and he woke up, fighting to catch his breath and gather his bearings when something… or rather someone shook his shoulder.
"Raha, are you okay?" his twin leaned over him with a worried frown. "It looked like you were having a nightmare…?"
Nightmare…? He gasped, then pulled his pillow over his head, growling quietly into the material with annoyance at his brother's… interference. Even if that was a dream… Fucking the hottest, most intense wet dream in his entire life… He had a feeling it was just getting to… the really good part…
"Leave me be," he grumbled barely coherently into the pillow, cringing at the still very, very real arousal of his body. And… telltale dampness between his legs. Considering they shared a bedroom, he hoped his twin would go back to sleep and let him keep his dignity intact, giving him a chance to wash and change.
"Or… perhaps quite the opposite," his brother snickered, and he growled louder, feeling his face burn like an inferno under the material. But despite his insistent prodding yesterday, he played dumb – refusing even to mention his dreams. And this one… well, he definitely didn't plan to discuss that with him!
…but was it how it could be…? Or was it the effect of his imagination…? Had to be… otherwise, why would his dream suddenly let them touch…?
"Eh, we still have a few hours before school," his brother said, and he heard him get back in his bed on the other side of their bedroom. "Do try… to contain your moaning, though?"
"Shut up!" he hissed, sitting up and tossing his pillow at him. His twin snickered, then tossed the pillow back and glaring daggers at his grin… only after a moment Raha realized that it seemed to be… strangely light inside their bedroom. Frowning, he soon shook his head, putting it off as a figment of his imagination before he flopped back on the bed, covering his face with his forearms and waiting for his twin to fall asleep.
Senri snarled with frustration as he woke up, panting harshly as his whole fucking body throbbed with painful arousal. Rolling over to his back, he wrapped his hand around his cock and came with a mere two strokes… if his arousal barely lessened some as he growled toward the ceiling of his nook, tightening his fingers around the flesh as it knotted.
He wanted… No… He needed that impossibly snug heat of his mate's gorgeous body, like… right now! He craved to hear that soothing voice hoarse with want, singing his name as he took him.
Bast… what did it mean that he could touch him now? Was She letting him know that his guess was a correct one…? Or was it something else…?
He had no clue – and didn't really care, anyway – as soon as his body settled some, jumping out of his nest and Shifting to his real form.
He still had far too many hours to the meeting… and he didn't want to seem too intrusive, but after how he found his cute kitten yesterday – after explaining it to Ares – his eldest brother agreed that if his redhead – both of them – were truly of the Allagan descent… Well, that made them far, far too precious to leave them among humans without one of them watching. Ares had his responsibilities in the lair, obviously, and they wanted to keep this… possibility a secret, for now at least, but he gave him a task that Senri was more than happy with: watch over his cutie from afar and make sure he – and his brother – are safe and well cared for.
Deciding that he's going to run to the edge of the forest in his natural shape for speed, then Shift into something smaller and less suspicious for humans, he left his nook with a ridiculously wide grin on his muzzle.
"One of them showed up yesterday, apparently," Alisaie Levellieur announced, stepping into the room of their 'patron' after knocking. "The whole town is abuzz with gossip about how one of these shapeshifters came in town and apparently decided to… 'court' one of the teenagers here," she added, making quote marks in the air when the man sitting on the edge of his bed looked toward her with apparent surprise.
"…court a human?" the man with reddish hair and eyes repeated, frowning, which made the ugly scar running across his, perhaps before getting it, handsome face, scrunch up.
"That's what they're saying," she shrugged somewhat helplessly, tossing her braid back over her shoulder. "What's our plan of action, sir?"
The man stood up to his massive height and moved toward the window, looking out briefly at the street below before turning his eyes back to her.
"Observe, and gather any information you can about that… teenager," he finally said, and she nodded, then turned to leave the room. "Alisaie… Did they say how did he look like?"
"Ah… completely black," she tossed over her shoulder, setting her hand on the handle. "Very big and with very pale, blue eyes. Does that matter…?"
"No," the man replied, and his reddish eyes grew impossibly cold, and an ugly smirk tilted his lips, making that scar running across his face even more pronounced. "But do be careful, girl, they're more dangerous than people here appear to believe, I promise you that."
She only nodded and left the room, carefully not slamming the door behind her as she clenched her jaw. She took a deep breath and headed toward the bedroom she shared with her twin brother, Alphinaud, not that surprised to see the others gathered in there, sitting on the floor between the two beds.
"And…?" her twin asked softly, looking toward her with identical to her blue eyes. As calm as ever – despite their fucked up circumstances.
"Observe, and gather information about that kid the shapeshifter picked," Alisaie huffed, then dropped to the bed beside him, looking about the present. She and Alphinaud were the oldest, nearing eighteen. And the only real humans in their group, hence they were mostly responsible for interrogating the townsfolk. She didn't know how their 'patron' found the others or what he used to threaten them into compliance… only had her suspicions because they didn't dare to discuss anything untoward in that man's earshot – that they had a good idea was far, far from anything close to human's.
She got dragged into it because her twin was a famous prodigy in their city, at sixteen helping the police solve the most difficult cases… and after threatening their family to get him on the road, she refused to let him leave without her. Only later they realized that there was something off about how none of them thought to inform the authorities about that asshole and have him arrested… It was subtle and barely noticeable, but he seemed to have some uncanny skill at manipulation.
And the way he refused to leave the inn since their arrival… gave her twin some ideas about the man. And the possible goals in bringing them here… Whatever that was, had to have something to do with the nearby lair of shapeshifters. And though they weren't free to discuss it now, she was dying to go out, find that shapeshifter and sic him on their 'patron.'
"That's what we do, then," her twin said calmly, standing up while sending about the room a meaningful glance. The three other kids nodded when she followed him, and Alisaie sent them a far more confident smile than she felt. And seeing them relax slightly, she swore internally that whatever happens, she would find a way to free them all from their caregiver… soon and preferably in the most painful – for him – way possible!
