“Maybe I’ll just wait until you come back.”
“Ro, I know you’re afraid of what people will think, but you need to trust your friends. They love you, and they want to help. Let them help you.”
“I just want it to stop. Why? Why? Why? Why?” On and on for nearly an entire minute he repeated the word like a skipping record. “Why did this happen to me?”
Cicero was having a fairly mild day. The repetitions weren’t nearly as bad as they had been during some of their previous sessions. Unfortunately, that didn’t necessarily mean he was getting better. The symptoms came and went, some days good, some days worse.
“I don’t know why this happened to you.” It broke his heart, though. If there was anyone on the planet who deserved to be happy, it was Cicero. “I want you to talk to someone while I’m gone, so choose your poison. I can call in another psychologist. You can talk to Dr. Woods.” He paused, letting Cicero absorb what he was saying. “Or you can just talk to your friends.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I’m leaving in the morning, but I’m going to check up on you. If you haven’t found someone to talk to by the end of next week, I’m going to call Dr. Woods. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Cicero answered with a tiny half smile. “Safe travels, Doc, and hurry back.”
The back door of the cabin opened quietly, and Spiro leaned back to get a better view into the kitchen. “Zuriel?” His mate never bothered him during a session, and they’d made plans to speak later in the evening. “What’s wrong?”
“Hey, Ro.” Zuriel greeted his friend with a wave when he entered the living room. “I’m sorry. I thought you’d be finished by now.”
For just a moment, Spiro thought Cicero might answer. His lips parted, he sucked in a breath, but right at the last moment, he pressed his lips together and shook his head. Then he pushed up from the cushions, hugged Zuriel, and disappeared out the same door Zuriel had just entered.
“Is he okay? Is he getting better?”
“He’s going to be okay.” It was the best answer he could give without completely violating his oath and Cicero’s trust. “Now, what are you doing here, lirimaer?”
“Oh! Right.” Showing more genuine confidence than Spiro had seen from him yet, Zuriel marched forward to stand right between his thighs and smiled down at him. “I’ve made my decision, and I want to go with you. That is, if you still want me.”
It was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I want you.”
“Mmm,” Zuriel purred as he crept closer, crawling into Spiro’s lap to straddle his thighs. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Shouldn’t you be packing?” His words held little conviction—probably because most of the blood in his body was rushing straight to swelling cock.
“I should.”
“What are you doing?”
Zuriel’s nimble fingers worked open the buttons on his shirt, parting the fabric so that he could spread his palms across Spiro’s chest. “If you don’t know, I’m obviously not doing something right.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Hell, he wasn’t sure what he’d meant, but he definitely knew that he wasn’t going to take Zuriel for the first time in some living room on a narrow armchair. His mate deserved candlelight and roses, soft music and sweetly whispered endearments. In that moment, however, Spiro would settle for a mattress and some privacy.
“This would go much better if you cooperated.” Those delicate hands skimmed over his collarbones and up the sides of his neck to tangle in his hair. “Maybe I don’t deserve it, but I need this, Spiro. Let me have just this one time where I don’t have to be anyone but myself.”
The plea in his eyes and the tremble in his voice cemented Spiro’s decision, and he pushed to his feet, clutching the little fox to his chest. “I never want you to be anything but exactly who you are.” Holding Zuriel up with an arm around his hips, he used his other hand to palm the back of his mate’s head and pull him close for a gentle kiss. “Lle naa vanima, amin lirimaer.”
“Wow.” His lips parted and curled into a cute grin. “I love when you do that. What does it mean?”
“You are beautiful,” Spiro whispered as he brushed his mouth up the smooth slope of his mate’s neck. “You don’t see your value clearly, but you will.” He’d do everything in his power to nurture Zuriel’s self-confidence and prove to him that his worth was not based on the pleasures his body could provide.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t looking forward to worshipping every inch of the little shifter’s lithe body. The pleasure he received would be from the quiet whimpers and throaty moans from his lover, though. It was all about Zuriel—what he wanted, needed, and desired.
Shifting him higher for a more secure hold, Spiro carried his treasure from the room and down the hallway to his bedroom, closing the door behind him with his shoulder. “It’s been a long time.” The words were spoken without conscious decision, and he wasn’t even sure why he’d said them.
“Don’t worry.” Tightening his grip around Spiro’s neck, Zuriel pulled him closer to nibble at his mouth. “I know what to do.”
That wasn’t exactly what he’d meant, and if he were a lesser man, the reassurance might have irked his pride. True, it had been nearly a decade since he’d taken someone to his bed, but he was no inexperienced virgin. Secure in his sexual prowess, however, he took Zuriel’s words in stride and silently promised to rise above the man’s expectations.
Their mouths met and their tongues tangled, sliding together in languid, sensual movements. Without breaking the kiss, he lowered Zuriel to the floor and walked him backward until they stood directly at the foot of the bed. Taking his time, he carefully removed his mate’s clothing piece by piece, exploring every inch of skin as it was revealed.
From the tips of his golden locks, to the soles of his feet, Zuriel was breathtaking. Creamy skin stretched taut over lean muscles, silky to the touch as it quivered beneath Spiro’s palms. When he’d finished unwrapping his prize, he urged Zuriel onto the mattress, stretching him out over the dark purple comforter.
The natural highlights in his hair gleamed in the waning afternoon sunlight that trickled in through the part in the curtains, contrasting beautifully with the shadowy fabric beneath him. Though his cock ached, straining against his zipper in a valiant attempt at freedom, Spiro continued his cautious pace, determined to treat Zuriel with care and respect.
It was becoming increasingly clear, however, that Zuriel had never experienced the type of intimacy Spiro was trying to give him. He squirmed impatiently, reaching for Spiro several times and growling in frustration when his attempts to speed things along were ignored.
“You are ever impatient, lirimaer. Relax and let me take care of you.”
“How am I supposed to relax when my dick is so hard it’s going to fall off?” Zuriel growled again and thrust his hips up, rubbing his swollen length against Spiro’s abs. “Just lube up and fuck me. You don’t even have to stretch me first. I’m used to it.”
Rage simmered in his gut, but he kept his expression neutral, reminding himself that Zuriel had been conditioned to think that way, and it wasn’t his fault. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, he stilled his wandering hands and allowed his mate’s scent to calm him. “There’s lube in the drawer of the nightstand.” Ten years of celibacy had made him very familiar with his own hand.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Zuriel groaned as he rolled to his stomach and dove for the small table beside the bed.
While he rummaged around for the small plastic bottle, Spiro stood, undressing quickly as he watched Zuriel’s wiggling ass in appreciation. Gods, it really was a great ass—small, round, and firm with a single freckle just above the swell of his left cheek. Spinning around before he pounced on his mate like a wild animal, Spiro finished undressing, keeping his back to the bed until he’d dropped the last stitch of clothing to the floor.
A
pparently, Zuriel had wasted no time procuring the lube and coating his fingers with the slick gel. Spiro nearly came right there in his hand when he turned back to find his mate sprawled in the center of the mattress with his knees pulled to his chest and two fingers pumping into his clenching hole.
The pink starburst stretched tight around his digits, sucking them in deeper. His free hand wrapped around his weeping cock, stroking temptingly while his skin flushed with arousal. Both hands paused in their tasks when Zuriel blinked open his eyes to find him watching.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just didn’t want to be sore on the plane tomorrow.”
He released his engorged erection and began easing his fingers from his entrance, but Spiro held a hand up and advanced toward the bed. “Don’t stop.” He’d every intention of stretching Zuriel himself, but he’d be a fool to pass on this.
The ambiguity vanished from Zuriel’s expression, replaced by a sly, knowing smirk. “You want to watch.”
Oh, he planned to do much more than watch, but it was a good place to start. “Touch yourself.” Kneeling at the foot of the mattress, Spiro skimmed his hands up the insides of Zuriel’s thighs, chuckling when the action pulled a sexy little shiver from his mate.
“Feels good.”
Spiro caressed the taut muscles of Zuriel’s entrance, coating his finger with the excess lube. “Faster,” he coached, watching Zuriel’s hand fly over his cock from root to tip. When his partner was moaning, writhing, and shaking, rolling from side to side with need, Spiro pushed a single digit into his channel alongside the other fingers.
Spiro moaned at the slick heat, and Zuriel’s hips arched up off the mattress as he cried out to the ceiling. “Please!”
His own cock rested heavily against his thigh, the swollen length throbbing angrily with his rapid pulse, but Spiro wouldn’t be rushed. He’d waited a long damn time to share this experience with someone he actually cared about, and he planned to savor it.
“Keep going,” he ordered, turning his wrist and pumping in tandem to Zuriel’s fingers.
“I can’t,” Zuriel whined. “Please, Spiro!”
“Then come. I’m not stopping you.”
“No.” He shook his head firmly, rolling it against the pillow. “Not without you.”
“Shh, easy, Zuri.” There was a note of desperation to Zuriel’s voice that Spiro couldn’t ignore. “Okay, okay.”
He eased his finger from Zuriel’s entrance and reached for the lube where it had been discarded near the corner of the bed. In turn, Zuriel flipped over to his stomach so fast that Spiro nearly missed the movement. Then he tucked his knees under him and pushed his ass into the air, displaying the rounded globes to perfection.
“What are you doing?”
“What?” Zuriel asked, lifting his head to peek over his shoulder. “I thought you wanted…”
He wanted, but not like this. “Roll over, baby.”
“But.” His eyebrows drew together, and the look of anxiety from earlier returned. “I don’t understand. Isn’t this what you want?”
Placing a hand on his mate’s hip, Spiro urged him to his back and crawled up his body until they were eye to eye. “I want to see you. This first time, I want to look into your eyes and know that you see me.”
“But,” Zuriel repeated, his bottom lip trembling, “I’ve never.”
Spiro didn’t think anything could surprise him, but he’d been wrong. Instead of commenting, however, he decided that actions spoke louder than words. “Then let me show you.”
Sliding one arm beneath his mate, Spiro lifted him close, pressing their chests together and positioning the head of his lubed cock at Zuriel’s entrance. Then he surged forward, flexing his hips to encase himself to the base inside his lover’s heated channel.
Their moans mingled and bounced around the room, and Spiro clutched more tightly to Zuriel when the sensations threatened to overwhelm him. His balls ached, drawing closer to his body and reminding him exactly how long it had been since he’d had a warm willing body beneath him.
Zuriel’s slender fingers dug into his shoulder blades, and his heated breath panted against the side of Spiro’s neck while his inner walls contracted in waves. “Oh, gods, please. Please, please, please.”
He didn’t know what his mate begged for, and he wasn’t completely sure that Zuriel knew, either. Every cell in body buzzed, and Spiro’s brain short-circuited. Growling and groaning, he increased his pace, rocking more forcefully into Zuriel’s lithe body. Electricity zipped up his spine, his skin tingled, and his stomach began to clench, signaling his impending climax.
Zuriel’s thick cock rubbed against his abs, painting his skin with increasing amounts of pre-cum. Releasing his mate, he braced himself with one hand on the mattress, and insinuated the other between their sweat-dampened bodies to fist Zuriel’s pulsing length.
Harder and faster, he snapped his hips with primal intensity, forcing Zuriel up the mattress toward the headboard with each demanding thrust. Jerking in quick, erratic movements, he stroked his mate’s dick, rubbing his thumb over the engorged crown.
“Come for me, Zuri. Come on my cock.”
Sweat beaded over his brow and rolled down his nape. His heart pounded against his sternum. His lower abs clenched, his muscles bunched, and the pressure in his sac built to excruciating levels. Fuck, he wasn’t going to last, and he needed Zuriel to fall over the edge first.
“Touch yourself.” Leaving the task to his lover, Spiro pressed one palm flat against the headboard and looped his other arm under Zuriel’s right knee, spreading him wide and opening him to deeper penetration.
The change in the angle must have done something good for the shifter, because he practically howled as he threw his head back and stiffened from neck to toes. Pearly seed erupted from the tip of his cock, arching into the air and falling to splash against his chest and belly.
His snug channel clamped tighter, squeezing Spiro’s cock in a vise grip and ripping his orgasm from him. Driving in to the hilt, he stilled completely and groaned his lover’s name as he filled Zuriel’s depths with endless amounts of heated cream.
He wasn’t sure exactly how long it took for the blood to return to his brain, but when he could finally think again, the soft sounds of snoring were the first thing he heard. Glancing down, Spiro smiled softly and dipped his head to brush his lips over Zuriel’s forehead.
They had so much to do before their departure, and the sun was already beginning to set. As he stared down at his lover, however, he couldn’t bring himself to wake the exhausted angel. In fact, a quick nap sounded very appealing.
Having Zuriel tucked next to his side, wrapped securely in his arms, sounded even better. Their problems were just beginning, and once they reached his family’s home, it was only going to get worse. So for a few minutes, just for a little while, he’d soak up the peace Zuriel gave him and worry about his troubles in the morning.
Chapter Six
After traveling for nearly twenty-four hours, including a four-hour layover in London, Zuriel was dead on his feet by the time they landed at the small airstrip in northern Norway. Between jumping several time zones and the fact that he hadn’t been able to sleep at all on the plane, he was ready for a soft, warm bed where he could curl up and sleep for the rest of the week.
“We’re almost there, Zuri.” Spiro wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer to his side as they exited the tarmac. “Just a few more hours.”
He’d tried to bite back his groan, but he was just too damn exhausted to hold it in where it belonged. “How are we getting there?”
“Rissian should be waiting for us. It’s a twenty-minute drive to the docks, an hour boat ride to the island, and then another hour drive to the palace.” There was a hint of apology in his tone. “I promise a hot shower and warm bed the minute we arrive, though.”
“Can we walk faster?” Jacobi whined. “I’m freezing all my bits and pieces off. How the hell do people live here?”<
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“I like it. It’s so open here.” Their last-minute guest had been all smiles from the moment he’d stepped on the plane.
Zuriel had only met Aspen once, but he liked the little demon. The guy was always so damn optimistic, and it was hard to feel unhappy when he was around. While Aspen had also come to Haven from The Hive, no one had ever seen him within the confines of the lab. Since arriving in Wyoming, he’d been living in the main house of the coven while he acclimated to his new life of freedom.
“I’m excited, too,” Nikola agreed, bumping his shoulder against Aspen’s. “I can’t wait for the full moon.”
Normally, Zuriel looked forward to the full moon as well, and his fox was definitely going to love the climate on the island. This time was different, though. The following night, Spiro would have to complete some ritual, a tradition of his people, and if he didn’t do it, he would die. His mate had assured him that there was no chance for anything to go wrong, but Zuriel couldn’t help but worry.
“You’re thinking very loudly,” Spiro teased him. “Don’t stress so much, lirimaer. Tomorrow will go exactly as planned, and then the following night, we’ll run in the forest.
Zuriel bobbed his head because that was what was expected of him, but until this mess was over, he didn’t think he’d be getting much of that sleep he so desperately needed. “What about our luggage?”
“Someone will get it and bring it to the palace. Relax.” Spiro lifted his arm and waved a hand in greeting when they stepped into the small terminal. “There’s my brother, Rissian.”
There was such a striking family resemblance that Zuriel blinked twice. Tall and thin with flowing white-blond hair and delicate features, the man waiting for them near the entrance was almost an exact clone of his mate. He was broader in the shoulders, and his nose was a little narrower, but from a distance, Zuriel doubted anyone would be able to tell them apart.
Being confronted with Spiro’s family suddenly made everything very real, and it was all he could do to put one foot in front of the other on his shaking legs. His mate may not be the king yet, but he was still a prince, and Zuriel had no idea how he was supposed to act.
Jaded [The Moonlight Breed 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 5
