Together Bound

by Elizabeth Noble

  Tilting his head to one side, Nick nudged Todd’s head back far enough he could run his tongue across Todd’s jaw and down his master’s neck.

  “Let me, please, sorry, I didn’t—” Nick’s words were cut off when he pressed kisses to Todd’s neck, hands, and mouth, covering Todd in short, frantic movements, as if he were trying to touch all of Todd everywhere at once.

  “Don’t be sorry.” Todd groaned and let his head drop back. Hot water pelted down on his even hotter skin. Nick’s hands held his head while he leaned against the wall, confused and not processing much beyond the desire building through him.

  Nick bent and worked his mouth over Todd’s collarbone, down one of Todd’s pecs to cover a nipple. He suckled softly and rocked his body into Todd with a force and urgency that drove Todd insane. Nick had long since gotten over his shyness and hesitancy over asking for sex or making his own wants and needs known, but he’d never been so frenzied, almost panicked.

  Sexual predator. Attacks with pheromones.

  Moving down his body, Nick flicked his tongue against Todd’s overheated skin and sucked Todd’s flesh between his lips, mouthing softly before sliding to another spot. Hot water covered them, steam rising from the floor and their bodies. The smell of Nick surrounded him, heady, musky, and intense, making Todd’s senses swirl, his head spin. Animal lust shot through his veins, making him so hard so fast it took him by surprise.

  Todd grabbed a handful of Nick’s hair, tugged him to his feet and, in one quick, fluid move, reversed their positions. Todd shoved Nick into the wall, jerked Nick’s head back, and pressed his mouth down on Nick’s throat. Todd closed his teeth on the tender flesh, moving from Nick’s jaw to just above his mate’s collar. Free arm around Nick, Todd pulled Nick tight to his chest, trapping Nick between the shower wall and himself.

  “God, rain makes you smell good.” Todd pulled Nick’s head to the side, slanted his own, and captured his mate in a kiss, He thrust his tongue into Nick’s mouth and skimmed around the roof of it. For the briefest second, he thought he tasted something bitter. It stung. Starting at the very tip of his tongue, every nerve ending came even more alive, shot through with pure want…Todd needed. Primal animal hunger coursed through his veins and mixed with something else, something foreign. “Mine.” He snarled, pulled his mouth from Nick’s, and bent his head to bite a mark into Nick’s shoulder. “No one else. Mine.”

  He wasn’t simply hard; Todd was engorged like he’d never been before in his life.

  Something else. Something was there that shouldn’t be, some feeling. A tingling along Nick’s skin as it quivered against Todd’s transmitted straight to Todd’s cock. Something that threatened. Something that drove Todd to claim, mark, take, and shoved every other emotion and thought away. Nick’s head fell to the side, his fingers pressed into the muscle over Todd’s shoulder, his chest heaved, and words Todd barely paid attention to babbled out of his mouth.

  Attacks with pheromones.

  Mouth pressed to Nick’s collarbone, Todd sucked blood to the surface of his skin, leaving a trail of small red marks. He rutted against Nick harder and harder, consumed with the fire igniting between them at every point their skin touched. Todd skimmed the fingers of one hand up and down the long line of Nick’s throat, curling around, owning, claiming, gripping with enough pressure Nick would have marks from that, too. Todd’s brain was on fire, consumed with the desire to mark Nick as much as possible, stake his claim, take what was his. He couldn’t get teeth, mouth, and hands enough places at once to satisfy his craving.

  Shoving his hips against Nick’s, Todd came, hard and sudden, to a litany of Nick’s voice, words tumbling out of him. “Yours…sorry…Todd…Todd…master…don’t leave…I didn’t…” None of it made sense, and Todd cared for nothing beyond the feel of Nick in his arms, trembling, panting, begging.

  Sexual predator.

  Todd swiped his tongue over Nick’s ear, bit down on it, fisted Nick’s cock hard, then breathed out, “Come.” Grip tightening on Nick, Todd didn’t miss a beat, working himself through his own orgasm as Nick made some odd, choking sound, shuddered in his grip, and slumped against Todd’s still-twitching body.

  Todd let go of Nick with one hand and moved so that hand was braced firmly against the wall holding them up and shivered, this time because he realized the water from the showerhead was ice cold. Nick’s arms were wound around him, face pressed to Todd’s shoulder. He was jerking in breaths, and moaning, panting in time with Todd.

  “Christ, Nick, I’m—are you—?”

  Pheromones. Predator.

  “Don’t…dare…say…sorry…liked.” Nick’s words stuttered out.

  Todd finally got his head working well enough to crank the water off and stumble from the shower, Nick still latched onto him. Nick reached out for a towel with shaking fingers, pulled one close, and tried to dry them both off.

  “Nick, stop. Stop.” Todd took the towel, more roughly than he’d intended, and wrapped it around Nick’s trembling shoulders. He pulled Nick against him and rubbed his hands over the soft material, not sure whose tremors he was trying so desperately to quiet, his or Nick’s. His mind spun, still on some odd sort of overdrive, wanting Nick close, needing to prove Nick belonged to him and him alone.

  The words Nick had kept repeating in the shower danced around the edges of his mind, never coming close enough for Todd to grasp completely. Nick’s scent was overpowering. His mate’s taste made Todd’s mind and emotions reel, sending continuous messages through him to claim, own, protect, and dominate. In the next instant, Todd was so exhausted he wasn’t sure he’d be standing in another minute. “Bed,” he mumbled, and he tripped from the bath, Nick in tow.

  They were barely wrapped up together in the bed before Todd more lost consciousness than fell asleep, Nick’s warmth tucked against his side, Nick’s head on Todd’s chest.

  Light flashed across Todd’s eyelids, and sound crashed around him, making him jump. Nick winced beside him, a small noise coming from his mate’s throat. Nick pushed his leg between Todd’s and tightened his arms around Todd’s waist.

  “No…please, don’t…not yours…no…don’t…”

  Sexual predator. Attacks with pheromones.

  Todd groaned and jumped from the loud thunder ricocheting through the air. He rolled onto his side, blocking the window from Nick’s view, too tired to get up and shut the drapes or the window. “N’kky, wake up, s’okay.” The arm Nick leaned against tingled, and Todd shifted, trying to pull it free and wake Nick all at the same time.

  Only my master, don’t leave, not yours, don’t…please stop…no…The words Nick had babbled in the shower earlier banged around in Todd’s head. Not you…no…please…don’t. Todd’s head cleared. He shook Nick’s shoulder gently. “Hey, buddy, wake up, bad dream, bad storm, is all.”

  Nick squirmed closer, clueing Todd in to the fact he was at least somewhat awake.

  “Nicky, what’s going on, tell me, why did you say those things? Did something happen at the school?” Todd squinted his eyes shut and opened them again, trying to clear the haze and cobwebs from his brain.

  “Umhummmm…” was Nick’s drowsy answer. “Told kids a story ‘bout a sexy, incredibly strong, and smart sentry with beautiful green eyes and broad shoulders who could make a guy forget his name with just a kiss.” Nick’s words slurred slightly. He really was more asleep than awake, Todd realized.

  That made Todd chuckle. “Bet that’ll go over well with their parents.”

  “Okay, maybe I left out the sexy part and the kiss, and…” Nick’s voice trailed off. He twitched and cracked open his eyes. “Not the smart, strong part. Think there’s a few of them with a crush on you now.”

  Todd smiled softly, trying to remember what had seemed so important a few minutes ago. The feeling of Nick in his arms comforted and calmed him. Running one hand through Nick’s silky hair, he bent his head to kiss Nick’s temple. “You got some competition.”

  “Naw, I�
��m way bigger than them.” Nick’s words drawled out and ran together. “I can take them.” Nick sighed, wiggled around to be more under Todd than next to him, and blew soft, warm breaths against him.

  Another minute later, Todd followed Nick back into sleep, barely able to remember the fear and tension that niggled at the edges of his brain.

  Something…not right…something…

  Sexual predator. Attacks with pheromones.

  Chapter 7

  Todd eased into the chair, leaned both elbows on the table, and covered his face with his hands. He picked up his head long enough to scowl at the sun streaming through the windows and to watch Nick cross the room.

  After setting two tablets and a glass of water on the table beside Todd, Nick laid a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “You okay?”

  Taking the pills and downing the water in one gulp, Todd rubbed at the spot between his eyes for a few seconds before looking up. “Yeah,” he croaked. “Are you…? Last night—”

  Leaning down, Nick kissed the side of Todd’s neck. “I’m fine.”

  “Last night you kept saying something about not wanting someone to do something, and when I got to your dorm room you were having a nightmare, and then again during the night, it woke me up. The headaches and fear of storms coming back, the nightmares.”

  He reached out and firmly took hold of Nick’s wrist. “Nicky, is there something going on I need to know about? Are you okay when I’m not around?” His biggest fear and suspicion was Nick feeling vulnerable and unsafe in the dorms. Not that Todd could blame Nick after what he’d found.

  Nick dropped to his knees and pushed against Todd’s hip with enough pressure to make Todd swivel around, legs falling open. At once, Nick shimmied between Todd’s thighs, hands pressed flat, fingers splayed out. “This place is getting to me. I’m sorry.”

  Todd gazed down for a moment before taking Nick’s face in his hands and stroking his thumb softly across Nick’s cheek. “Don’t be sorry. I’m the one who got us into this. Don’t you ever be sorry. Has anyone hurt you, in any way?” He swallowed the threats of violence against anyone intimidating his mate, knowing if Nick felt hesitant to talk for any reason, it was going to bring Todd nothing but silence.

  “I don’t like how some of them look at me, especially the chancellor. I think he at least senses something.” Nick’s words weren’t the complete truth, Todd knew that at once. The real issue was why Nick thought he had to cover something up.

  Nodding, Todd stroked Nick’s hair, not in the least bit ashamed to admit, if only to himself, how that act calmed and centered him. “I’m pretty sure I found where it nests. There was some kind of cocoon there, human-sized. We need to get down there this morning and find out who it is—was.”

  “I got some reading done yesterday at the school. If we do anything to it’s host, it could feel it.”

  “It’ll probably be looking for a new one pretty soon.” Todd watched Nick’s gaze skitter away, felt how he suddenly tensed. “I didn’t get too good a look at what I found, but that thing looked pretty well cooked. We’re going to have to trap the kelbit before it jumps hosts. Have you seen any others, or just Shaffer?”

  “So far only Shaffer.”

  “Well, that’s something in our favor. Nicky, if there’s anything—”

  Nick stood suddenly and pushed away from Todd. “Can we get this done and leave?”

  Todd’s resolve solidified. There was something more, something just out of his grasp, but he knew it was there. Something Nick wasn’t telling him, and somehow Todd felt he should know what that something was, but it danced away. Maybe if they ended this creature and left, they’d be all right. If not, he fully intended to invoke his authority and order Nick to tell him what was eating his mate from the inside out and why it had seemed to happen overnight.

  They ate in silence and readied weapons they’d need. Nick wasn’t permitted to carry a weapon, so a gun was out of the question. He was able to conceal a knife under his tunic in such a way that, if he was discovered by the wrong person, he could get rid of it quickly and without drawing attention to himself. All the while, Todd’s mind churned over what they’d learned about the kelbit.

  “It’s a sexual predator, hunts using scent, specifically pheromones,” Todd stated. The effort it took to keep his voice flat and his face neutral pressed down on him like a brick wall. If Nick felt Shaffer suspected they were hunting him, then possibly he’d picked out his next victim and was tracking him or her, or most likely them. The way Nick’s shoulders stiffened and his gaze slipped for a few seconds to Todd and then away spoke volumes. Shaffer had more interaction with Nick than what Todd had seen. Todd was positive. It gnawed viciously at Todd that Nick wouldn’t say what had him so spooked. Todd knew damn well it was more than the feeling Shaffer knew he was being hunted. They’d encountered that sort of thing plenty of times, and Nick had never been this edgy—afraid—before. Todd was going to enjoy killing this thing.

  The suddenness and sheer viciousness of his thoughts shocked him.

  As they walked, Todd kept an eye on his mate. That was it. Nick was afraid, and not only of the chancellor. The feeling kept niggling at the back of Todd’s mind. Nick’s fear was because of Todd. Yet not once in the entire time Nick had been with him had Todd ever given Nick a reason to fear him. It wasn’t that simple, and again he had the feeling he should know more details. Todd couldn’t tell if that fear was of him or for him, and being unable to read Nick as he’d always been able to do was disturbing in multiple ways.

  Once they reached the hidden access door in the slave dorm, Todd kicked aside the brace he’d put there and slid the door open. Holding a lantern high, he stepped inside the space and watched as Nick followed and pushed against the door, closing it but making sure it didn’t catch. Todd nodded at the narrow set of steps and headed down. “Careful, it’s slippery.” He put a hand out, feeling the need to make contact with Nick, reassure Nick—or maybe himself. His fingertips touched Nick’s arm and rubbed lightly. He was unreasonably pleased when Nick didn’t move away from his touch.

  Nick did as Todd did, using his free hand against the wall to guide and steady his steps. Todd led the way and checked over his shoulder every few feet, even though he could feel Nick’s breath and the heat from his mate’s body against his back. Todd went straight to where he’d seen the cocoon. The soft gasp and Nick’s swearing, voice so low that if Todd had been a foot farther away he wouldn’t have heard it, drew Todd’s attention behind him.

  “Lovely, huh? I think it was in better shape yesterday.” Todd turned his head far enough to make eye contact with Nick for a few seconds.

  Kneeling next to the shimmering blob, Todd held the lantern close. Nick stood behind him, leaning over his shoulder and peering at the thing. The cocoon was a light, pearlescent gray, and on closer inspection Todd saw it wasn’t one solid piece but a series of thin strips woven together to create the whole. It was translucent enough they saw the outline of a person—a man, Todd judged by the general size and shape.

  The heady scent Nick gave off, combined with the closeness of the tunnels, filled Todd’s nostrils, making his body warm and his skin tighten down, and a razor-sharp pang of want uncoiled from his belly to slither a path to his balls, wrapping around and pressing in firmly. He shoved thoughts of mine…take…now…to the back of his mind.

  “Look there.” Nick reached across Todd’s shoulder, fingers nearing the cocoon, pointing something out, about to touch it. “Is that a face?”

  Panic flitted along every one of Todd’s nerve endings at the mere thought of Nick touching that thing. He jerked his free arm up, pushed Nick’s arm away, and snapped, “Don’t get near it.” He twisted on his heels to look up at Nick.

  Blinking at Todd a few times, Nick dropped his gaze and stepped back, his shoulders drooping. “I’m sorry.”

  Todd dropped so his chin rested on his chest for a few beats. “Nicky, I’m sorry.” He pushed to his feet, reached out, and rubbe
d a hand up and down Nick’s arm. “This place is getting to me, too.” When his fingers skimmed the bare skin of Nick’s hand, a tingling ignited, coursed up Todd’s arm, and flashed across his chest. For another few seconds, pure lust assaulted his brain and body.

  “Are you all right?”

  Coughing, turning back to the cocoon, Todd nodded. “Ye-yeah.” His voice sounded shaky and weak. “Gimme your knife.”

  Nick handed the weapon over at once.

  “We need to find out who this is, or was. I’m betting it’s the real chancellor, but we need proof. We need to see. What did you say about the kelbit knowing if this was messed with?”

  “It can connect with the host, feel what he or she feels, use their memories and emotions. So anything we do to whoever is in there, the kelbit is going to know.”

  Todd nodded and used the very tip of the knife to ease a few of the strands apart, giving them a closer look. “Can you hold the light closer?”

  Nick shuffled nearer and leaned over Todd, taking the lantern, holding it so it was dangling from his fingers.

  As Todd moved more of the cocoon to the side, the chancellor’s face was revealed, the eyes blinking at them, Todd gasped and shoved away from the cocoon so quickly he ended up slamming down hard on his ass. Todd felt Nick jump.

  “Shit.” Nick exhaled. “Is he—?”

  “I-I don’t know.” Leaning in, Todd peered at it again. Pieces of the cocoon wrapped snugly around the Chancellor’s body. Bits of it looked stuck to his neck, arms, and legs. Smaller shoots branched off the main ones, creating a series of veins across his skin. Small flecks of red along the line of veins made Todd think they were embedded in the man’s flesh somehow. “Chancellor?” Todd asked, then repeated his words, only louder.

  A glance back at Nick, who shrugged.

  “No real reaction.”