Despite waiting for them confrontation with the despair incarnate, at the moment, T'senri was hardly concerned about that – or anything else, really – as the only way he could describe how he felt would be: heaven.

Splayed on his back between his lover's legs and with the back of his head on top of Raha's thigh, while his mate purred his pleasure in soft notes and fed him some of the tastiest grapes he had eaten in his life… could not be called otherwise.

"Happy?" Raha chuckled fondly at his near-deafening purrs, running the fingers of his free hand through T'senri's hair.

"Verrry," he rasped lazily, so relaxed he didn't bother hiding his fangs or claws. Alone atop a massive, dark blanket and aside from the clearing he first heard that soothing voice – so funnily cocky back then – in the spot where the sun broke through the thick foliage overhead; he felt ready to melt. Between the warm rays of sunlight and his mate's loving enjoyment in spoiling him… he honestly couldn't remember when the last time he felt so at peace and relaxed – other than after sex, obviously… That thought had him chuckle, smoothing his clawed hand up and down his lover's thigh next to his shoulder.

"Hmm?" his mate hummed in question, trailing a grape delicately against his lower lip.

"Just silly musing," he peered through his lashes and sent his lover a crooked, sly grin before catching the fruit between his lips, then letting his hand shoot up and curl around the back of Raha's neck, pulling him down and raising at the same time on his elbow to offer him the grape with loud, inviting purrs. His lover growled softly and took the bait, and as the juice dripped along his lips, T'senri swallowed his half before shifting slowly and crawling up his lover's body, enjoying Raha's quiet, raspy laugh as he pinned his down into the blanket. "I was just thinking that I feel almost like afterrr sex…" he cooed shamelessly, settling between his mate's thighs, just the perfect way to align his clothed erection against his lover's while trailing gentle bites along his jaw. "Almost," he accentuated with amusement, smiling against his mate's skin when Raha wrapped his arms around him possessively. At the same time, his breath stuttered slightly, and the flesh under his dick swelled swiftly with interest.

After their… playtime at the library, he should be more than sated, the way his mate fed his ears with his addictive sounds – then his stomach with a selection of delicious food and snacks – yet he couldn't help but feel another hunger raising.

"Is that so?" his lover purred, running his hands over his back while T'senri nuzzled against his throat, occasionally nipping on the heated skin while carefully pulling his shirt open. Raha sighed blissfully, wrapping his arms around his shoulders loosely and nuzzling against his throat tenderly. "If you aren't hungry anymore, my Snark, there's something I've been wanting to show you…?" he said with more than a hint of amusement, running his fingers through his hair lazily.

"Mhmm?" he hummed with interest, almost drunk on their mixed scents.

"Close your eyes," his lover whispered, pulling his head tighter against his shoulder and placing a sweet kiss on his, nearly perfect at his mark on T'senri's skin. "Relax, my heart, and let me in," he cooed in an almost hypnotizing note, and the Warrior complied without a thought – trusting and open – as the connection between their souls expanded, and his mate caught his soul in a sweet, secure embrace. Purring near-deafeningly at the sensation, T'senri melted into his heat – body, and soul – letting his lover claim him to the deepest fiber of his being.

When vision started to play below his eyelids, outside of it, his lips tilted in a smile, recognizing it instantly…

He strode into the clearing, instantly spotting the dawned hog with a few arrows piercing its hide, and looked around suspiciously before unsummoning his sword and shield. Making careful steps through the shallow pound filling the Urth's Gift, he headed toward the beast… when sudden noise caught him off guard and his gaze shot toward the line of trees.

T'senri's eyes widened impossibly, and his jaw dropped when out of nowhere, an unfamiliar, redheaded Seeker promptly landed squarely on his ass right below one of the trees…

He couldn't help but snicker, shaking all over while gentle fingers ran through his hair, accompanied by a quiet, mischievous chuckle.

...Gawking at the stranger, the Warrior tilted his head curiously and felt his tail wave with a live interest when the Seeker scrambled to his feet. A pair of unusual, red-cyan eyes stared at him open as wide while the redhead smiled sheepishly and awkwardly rubbed his neck.

'That.. wasn't supposed to happen,' he said, slightly wrinkling his adorable nose, and T'senri couldn't take it, snorting inelegantly. To that, the redhead's eyes sparkled, and he grinned triumphantly, resting his hands on his hips and waving his tail playfully. Then he cleared his throat and, theatrically, put his hand over his heart and boomed: "I've been merely blown away by your beauty, stranger!"

T'senri positively died at that absurd image, laughing so hard he felt tears slip his eyelids.

"You wouldn't say that," he choked out, trying to catch his breath.

"I was… very dramatic back then," his mate snickered, tightening his arms around his neck. "But… shhh," he hissed, and T'senri fought to focus on the vision again.

Baffled by the statement, the Warrior fought to contain his amusement, looking the strange Seeker over carefully, wondering if perhaps that fall affected his sanity…

"Nah… too cute," he chuckled, pressing an affectionate kiss on his lover's throat, and grinned when Raha flicked his ear in delicate reprimand. "Okay, okay… I'll be quiet," he promised in a whisper, curling harder into his embrace.

…seeing that the redheaded Seeker flustered visibly, clearing his throat and blushing darkly…

"That's more like it," he couldn't help but snicker, causing his mate's patient sigh and another flick on his ear.

…then, as if gathering his courage, he took a deep breath and grinned toothily, pointing above his head toward the branches.

"Here I was, resting after a tough battle," he stated dramatically, motioning toward the dawned hog. "When you strode in and took my breath away… alongside my balance," he sighed loudly, imitating fall with his hands, then fluttered his lashes at the snickering Warrior. "That leaves me no choice, but to demand recompense, sir," he added petulantly while funnily wiggling his dark-red eyebrows.

"What recompense that would be?" asked the black-haired Seeker, striving to sound serious.

"Ah… a kiss!" the red-cyan eyes shone toward the Warrior in an obvious challenge… and who could resist that? Not him, definitely…

"As you command," he chuckled, again grinning when the redhead blushed even darker but sent him a sweet, shy smile when he approached him. Putting his finger under his chin delicately, he leaned in and tilted his head, placing a sweet, gentle kiss on those pretty, plush lips…

"How are you doing this?" he asked, unable to stop wide, more than a bit lovesick grin from his expression as he shifted and rose above his lover just enough to set the same kiss on his gorgeous mouth as inside the fantasy.

"Ah…" Raha chuckled sheepishly. "I remembered how Damon spun dreams for him to enjoy when Ares was recovering back on the First. When awake, it is a tad different, but the principle is the same."

"I see…" he hummed with consideration, then, in thought, ran back in time to that and smiled, moving up slightly to brace his elbows around his mate's head and rest his forehead against his while he closed his eyes. "Let me try…" he added, trying to focus.

He looked up just in time to see an unfamiliar Seeker jump and moved without a thought, rushing forward, and stretching his arms out for the adorable redhead with mismatched irises to fall into them. Hugging him against his chest while the male blinked at him owlishly with his pretty lips parted in surprise, T'senri turned toward one of his friends and grinned in glee.

"Look, Cid," he said while waving his tail enthusiastically. "Seems I already caught myself the most precious thing this expedition has to offer!"

"No, you wouldn't," his mate laughed, smoothing his hands down T'senri's sides to curl them over his ass.

"Shhh!" he hissed with another grin without opening his eyes.

"Put me down!" the redhead pouted at him with a fierce blush, and Warrior gushed at the utter cuteness of it shamelessly, then unceremoniously tossed his 'catch' over his shoulder and with a visible bounce in his step headed toward the gate leading out of the camp…

"Huh?" his lover hummed with confusion.

"Yeah… right to the altar of the Twelve," he opened his eyes and lifted his head, grinning at his lover's blush, as cute as inside the fantasy.

"You are impossible," Raha laughed helplessly, but his hands tightened on his body in a silent but confident claim. And he rewarded it with a deep, languid kiss, swallowing his mate's pleased moan when he slowly rolled his hips, letting him feel his growing arousal. Raha returned the kiss fervently, sneaking one hand under the edge of his shirt and delicately wrapping it around the base of T'senri's tail, making the Warrior feed him a rumbling groan.

Soon more than drunk on his flavor, T'senri barely registered when his lover's lips tilted into a devious smirk under his mouth but gasped with a needy whine when another vision started to play under his eyelids… this one much, much less innocent than the previous one.

He was surrounded by stacks of old books and scraps of papers containing his historian's notes, in distraction admiring the tempting curve of his silent, reading companion's downright edible ass instead of even pretending to read the tome open between his crossed legs. But this time, when the redhead looked up and caught his heated stare, he didn't balk and run but did what he had been busy fantasizing about. Putting the book aside carelessly, he crawled across the small, crowded by tomes tent and, chased by the scorching look in mismatched irises, covered the other male with his bigger frame. With a quiet growl, he pinned him down with a sharp bite at the junction of his neck and shoulder to mark his undeniable dominance.

His historian uttered a maddening, wanton mewl of arousal, coiling his tail around T'senri's waist and purred near-deafeningly – with an open, eager invitation – as he fisted his hands in the blankets of his bedroll. And the Warrior gladly complied to that not-so-subtle demand, roughly pushing his thighs apart while forcing him to climb back to his knees. Without breaking his bite, he shoved one hand under his historian's body and curled his palm over his clothed erection while rutting his against his ass meaningfully and growled when….

The distant roar of the beast tore into the deafening sound of the heartbeat between T'senri's ears, and he whined with frustration when the vision melted away too quickly. Then he caught himself, breaking the kiss to chuckle sheepishly while trailing his lips along his lover's jaw.

"I was so transparent?" he snarked with humor.

"Oh, no, my beast…" Raha purred, tilting his head to grant him greater access while drowning his right hand in his hair. "That was what I imagined when I caught that stare," he said with a quiet laugh, then moaned softly when T'senri set a delicate bite right in the middle of his Archon's mark. "I scarcely knew how it worked between males… but, gods, how I wanted you…" he trailed off to a groan when the Warrior bit him while with premeditation letting his fangs extend. Lifting just enough to open his shirt wider, T'senri pulled back to swipe his tongue over the bite mark while allowing the tips of his claws to brush his mate's side teasingly.

"If I knew then what I know now," he rasped, lowering that hand and catching his lover's tail delicately, letting it wrap around his forearm as he lifted to set a small bite at Raha's chin. As their quick breaths mixed, he sent his mate a playful wink, then closed his eyes and smoothly dove into their bond, spinning another vision.

"G'raha, are you awake?" he called, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

His sensitive ears twitched at the noise coming from inside the tent – a thud as if something fell – then the flap was pushed open, and a pair of huge, red-cyan eyes peered up at him quite… owlishly from under the red fringe. His historian's hair was a mess, loose and looking as if he ran his fingers through them too much, and there was a smudge of ink on his cheek he didn't seem aware of as his jaw slightly… dropped.

Cute, T'senri thought involuntarily as his heart swelled with adoration. He grinned and saw the mismatched eyes widen even more.

"…Warrior?" the historian murmured, then cleared his throat more than a bit awkwardly, then straightened and stepped outside the tent. "May I help you?"

Feeling the eyes of people around them staring in their direction, T'senri's grin tilted with a purely predatory glee, and he caught his prey by putting his hand at the back of his neck, pulling him close as he claimed his mouth in a devouring kiss. Shoving one hand behind the waistband of his pants, he curled it possessively around his buttock, with relish swallowing his moan as he forced the redhead to rut into him. He purred his approval when the historian fisted both hands in his hair and returned the kiss with equal fervor – claiming him and letting all see to whom he belonged….

He opened his eyes and caught his lover's dazed, crimson gaze as he lowered his head until their mouth were but a breath apart.

"I'm yours, my prrrince," he rasped with a deep, throaty purr, watching his mate's irises grow glassy and fill to the brim with nearly feral lust. While baring his fangs at him in a silent challenge, T'senri tilted his head in an invitation, tossing his lover a daring, heated look from under his thick lashes. "Claim me, Rrraha…" he barely managed to finish saying it before his mate snarled with a warning note and brutally rolled them over, pinning him down as he sat astride his waist.

"Want to play, Snark?" he cooed with a maddeningly raspy quality to his musical voice that had the Warrior downright shudder in painful arousal.

"Always," he chuckled, then untangled his arm from his mate's tail and eagerly helped him get rid of his black, sleeveless shirt. Bare waist up, he arched under his lover's fiery gaze with premeditation, preening for his pleasure. He was rewarded by Raha's rumbling growl when the redhead greedily smoothed his hands over his skin, from his stomach up to his shoulders, bracing them around his head on the blanket as he leaned in. Holding his enamored gaze, T'senri wrapped his hands around his lover's thighs, keeping him still tight against his body when he rolled his hips meaningfully, groaning shamelessly at the delicious friction on his aching flesh and the noticeable spike of arousal in his mate's intoxicating scent. Busy admiring his tanned skin peeking through the open shirt, he almost missed the devious smirk that bloomed on Raha's plush lips.

Almost… as it was his only warning before those pretty, pretty mouth moved in a barely audible spell and goosebumps broke out on his skin when a slight, delicate vibration settled inside him… and his back bowed almost violently while a choked whimper tore from his throat.

"Marvelous," he barely heard his lover purr through the mad thrumming of his heartbeat between his ears when Raha placed a sweet, innocent kiss on his burning cheek. "Then hold on, my Snark… It's going to get rough," he warned with a playful chuckle against his skin.

"Brrring it on," he dared, again baring his fangs at him in a challenge, even as the vibration increased and he fought to catch his breath.

"As you wish," his lover cooed, and T'senri's world drowned in his flame.

Getting his insatiable lover… well, sated, was hard work. Still, when Senri passed out, Raha chuckled fondly, despite the place, melting into the heap of the boneless bliss against his back and lazily nuzzling his cheek against his lover's shoulder. Smoothing his hand along his mate's arm, he laced his fingers around Senri's and, with closed eyes, pulled his hand against his mouth, placing an affectionate kiss in the middle of his palm. Then his lips tilted into a sad smile as he pressed his lover's hand over his cheek and nuzzled into it.

"I'm sorry, my heart," he mouthed without uttering a sound.

A perfect day for his mate – to celebrate their love… before he has to break his trust and possibly lose his heart.

Raha… Damon whispered sadly.

It's okay, he replied smoothly, even as he pressed his lover's hand over his cheek tighter, squeezing his eyes shut as they started to burn. I know the stakes, Damon. I won't hesitate.

I know, his immortal sighed, then pulled back, and Raha forced himself not to let his body tense or otherwise show anything – knowing if he grew suspicious, Ares would be no less enraged at his husband than his host at him. So, instead of thinking about tomorrow and the price he had to pay to keep his beloved Warrior and all they cared about safe, he focused on his plans for the evening. That helped him to keep the tears back and instead consider ways to make this day even more perfect.

For Senri and for himself, to remember and engrave in his soul his beast's devotion…

…his price for their salvation.