I snorted. “Fuck. Talk about curveball to the convo.”
He smiled. “True.”
“Well, cheers. You’re not so bad yourself.”
His face was all serious again. “The tenshi said this was a chance for healing for the werewolves, a rebirth if you want to call it that.”
“They did.”
“Look at this way, then. You being born is the conduit of change, a new hope, a chance to shape a new world. How about that?”
“Makes me feel weird.”
“Well, I suggest not taking the easy route of blaming yourself for everything.”
“Easy?”
“Of course. It’s so easy to wallow in guilt and play the blame game. I’ve done it before. But it’s bollocks.”
“You said bollocks!”
“I did. Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks.”
Hearing G say that word in his Texan accent was a mega mood. “I love it so hard.” I couldn’t stop giggling. Then that giggle became a howl of laughter until my face was hot, and I was lost in the laughter.
“Well?” he asked through a laugh of his own.
“My tummy hurts.” I wiped tears away—actual happy tears, not the horrible ones—and tried to claw back some composure.
“Come on, Aki. What do you think?”
I laughed some more.
“I’ll say it again,” he warned.
“Please don’t. I can’t take another round.”
“Then talk.” He chuckled. “Your face is so red.”
“Your fault.” After a few breaths, and more giggling, I’d calmed down. “You’re right, G. I’m a dick.”
“You are.”
“Hey!”
“My dick.”
“Yours?”
“Yes. Mine. My Aki.”
“What am I, a shoe?”
“A really snug sneaker.”
“That’s so damn cute.” I booped his nose.
“Can’t help it.”
“Great to see you’re modest about it.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
Our lips touched, gentle, one of his hands on my face as we tasted each other. I was thirsty for more water, but not as thirsty as I was for his kisses, for his stubble brushing against mine.
“How do you always smell like Christmas?” I said into his mouth.
He paused. I opened my eyes to see a cocked eyebrow.
Giggling recommenced.
“Christmas?” he questioned.
“Have I never told you that?”
“Can’t say I remember you describing me as a holiday season.”
I snorted again. “No? Oh.” I took a deliberate pause.
He waited.
“If that eyebrow could arch any higher, it’d be on your forehead.”
“Christmas,” he said.
“Yeah. That’s what you smell like.”
“I’ll take it. Now get back to kissing me.”
The kissing intensified, heating up as tongues came out to play, as my hand slid down his chest, disappearing into his underwear. I loved to feel that moan against my lips as I stroked his shaft.
He wasn’t better enough for this stuff yet.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “We’d better stop.”
“Don’t stop.” His fingers found my nipples, teased them. I really liked nipple play. He could tweak them all day.
We carried on kissing, our touches soft. His hand slid to my rock-hard cock, stroking it through the fabric of my underwear.
“G…”
His hand teased the band of my boxers, caressing my pubic hair until he took the plunge, cupping my balls.
“Oh, Aki.”
Fuck. My body was sparking with pleasure. Every nerve was ready for ecstasy, to be taken on the journey of delight. The pressure that wanted to crush me into a small Akira cube was easing. Not leaving. Never leaving. But heat filled up my brain, all thought being burned away by his touch.
I couldn’t do to him what I wanted to. Not like this. I wanted to climb on his dick and ride the shit out him, making him scream my name as I worked him, scream myself as the yummy hardness pounded into me.
My cock throbbed, and I gasped under a nice blend of fantasy and reality.
He curled his fingers around my shaft, stroking the sensitive head with his thumb.
I worked him back, slowly at first, reading his reactions as I went. If it hurt his head to get excited, I’d stop.
Pre-cum dripped onto my fingers at the same time I leaked onto him. He liked that, releasing a deep, throaty growl. It was so werewolf, even if it wasn’t really, and super-hot, making my cock twang again.
I pulled down my boxers enough to free my dick. He did the same. I looked down to see his dark shaft in my hand, so big and scrummy. The fantasy hit me again, me penetrated on the end of it.
I kissed him harder, my lips tingling like crazy, my tongue greedy for everything. Wrestled with his tongue, licked his lips, even ran across his stubbled chin in small, cheeky licks when it slipped out of the warm sanctuary of his mouth.
G stroked me harder, building up his rhythm. Hell, yeah! I returned the favor.
“Yes,” I breathed.
The room was filled with the sound of slapping flesh, of heavy breathing and kissing until I came, letting out a cry of pleasure as I climaxed hard into his hand. Wow, that was a lot of cum! My body convulsed with each shudder of orgasm.
His turn followed seconds later.
“I love you, Aki,” he said as warm jets exploded from him.
We kissed some more, lingering in the afterglow.
“I love you too,” I whispered back when the kissing ended. “Are you okay after that?”
“Best medicine ever.”
I smiled, looking down. “Wow. Looks like you were at a bukkake party.”
There had been loads of cum from both of us. I’d sprayed him across the chest, and he’d painted his abs.
“Messy,” he said. “But hot. Especially this.” He pointed to my, erm, mess. “You’ve left your mark on me.”
“That is hot.” More kissing, then I stopped. “You are gonna wash it off, though?”
He chuckled. “I’ll never wash that spot again.
“Gross.”
“Well, I’ll wash it because there will be plenty more of you marking my body in the future.”
“Damn right, there will be.”
A knock at the door, then it opened.
“Shit!”
I got off the bed, pulling up my boxers as a fair Japanese woman in a doctor’s coat came in, her dark hair tied up into a messy bun.
“Sorry!” I yelped. Had she seen my dick? Fuck! It was still hard in my underwear, a real tent pole.
G laughed as he pulled the sheets back over him. “Hello, Dr. Beppu. Look who decided to wake up.”
She blushed, but also grinned. “Wonderful news.”
I was flushed, probably beetroot, as I slipped back into bed. Didn’t need to think unsexy thoughts. I was proper soft again.
Ugh. Why me?
The doc came over, the blushing gone. “How are you feeling, Mr. Murakami?”
“I’m fine. Bit groggy, but think that’s from all the sleep.”
She nodded and checked me over, shining a light in the eyes, inside my mouth, listened to my heartbeat. “Everything seems good. Are you in any pain?”
“No. I’m okay.”
A female nurse entered the room and scanned me with some machine on wheels. Looked like a defibrillator. There were two pads attached to it, which she fixed to my chest. It beeped four times, and it was done. The monitor flashed with a green tick.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It is to confirm you are clear of any residual elven magic. That is what made you sick when you cleaved Mama Rita in half. It struck you, infecting your chest and nervous system. We managed to treat it with some anti-magical serum we injected into your arm. You may not remember that, though you did wake up a few times when the drug was a
dministered.”
“I don’t remember.” I needed to check my katanas to see if they got some elvish magic in the slicing.
She nodded. “Apologies for the dry mouth you’re probably experiencing. I see you’ve had some water.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“We couldn’t give you fluids intravenously with the drug in your system—other than the first, intense round we gave you to see you through. You had to wake up to hydrate further. Now we can get more into you. I’ll have a meal prepared for you too.”
I was pretty famished. “That’d be awesome.”
“Excellent. We also have fresh clothes for you. I will have the nurse bring them in. We were able to prepare in time before…” She trailed off.
“The silver moon,” I said. “I know it’s out.”
She nodded. “Feel free to use the bathroom facilities. They are to the left once you step into the corridor outside this room. When you’re ready, please join us in the living quarters for food and further rest. Your father has asked that you await further instruction. I will be contacting him now to tell him of your waking.”
“Okay. Are those SCU agents who brought us in here? I’d really like to thank them.”
“I’m afraid not. They are back out in the field. The mazoku threat level has been set as Critical, especially with the werewolves now unable to venture out.”
The mazoku threat level had three stages—Low, Dangerous, Critical. After Mama Rita’s stunt, it’d moved from Low to Dangerous. Even that was unheard of since the defeat of the last mazoku queen. Critical? Well, yeah. It was.
“Doc?”
“Yes, Mr. Murakami?”
“Is Zach okay?”
“I’m pleased to say he is. He’s in the living space.”
“Thanks so much.”
“You are very welcome.”
She checked G over, then said, “I’m pleased with the progress you have both made.”
“Cool.”
“Would you like some more painkillers, Mr. Dawson?”
“I’m fine. Thank you,” G replied.
She smiled a knowing smile. “I shall leave you to prepare. A nurse will bring you the clothes and towels. You’ll find toiletries in the bathrooms.”
“Awesome,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Before I do go, however, I must advise against indulging in too much physical activity for the time being. A little is fine, but nothing too…heavy.”
“Absolutely, doctor.”
Face-flush again.
* * *
Cleaned up, dressed in the black clothes provided, including the trainers, me and G went to the living quarters. He was up and walking. Slow, yeah, but didn’t need me to lean on or anything.
Thank the tenshi for that. Him walking like that meant he was getting better, and that made my heart so happy.
I’d checked my katanas, carrying them with me. No way was I leaving them out of my sight. Yep, there was elven energy inside them. Nothing mind-blowing, just a trace for me to use. Didn’t feel like it would do much, drowned out by the power of death.
The living quarters was a big space with slightly cracked white walls, brown carpet, and three blue three-seater sofas positioned around a TV bracketed to the wall. There was a pool table over on the left, and a dining table on the right.
Zach was sat at the table, an empty bowl in front of him. He had his head over a sketch pad. Looked like he was drawing something.
As I approached, he looked up and smiled. He was still pretty thin, emaciated, but must have got himself a meal in his belly ‘cos he wasn’t such a sickly thing like when he was stuck to his mother.
Still had the eyepatch, though.
He nodded as I sat down, G next to me.
“How are you?” I asked.
He read my lips and gave me the thumbs up.
I leaned closer, checking out what he’d been doing on the paper. He’d drawn a picture of Phi, his elf girlfriend. Man, it was awesome.
“I wish I could draw like that.”
He smiled then turned the page on the sketch pad.
He started writing. I watched as he scrawled across the paper. When I really looked at him, I could see my dad there in his jawline, even his nose. Mama Rita too. A real blend of the two. But his solitary eye was the same brown as mine, minus the fleck of gold. Even the same shape.
Zach. My brother. Family. A potential future spread out before me, a wonderful sight in my imagination. Maybe that’s all it ever would be. Imagined. We weren’t out of the woods but hopping in the fire below the frying pan. Up against so much with a shed load of potential to get killed, for the future to be snuffed out before any chance of one was possible.
He was also facing a massive change is his life now. Once half-wolf, half-elf, he was now human, everything about his existence changed.
My power had taken that away.
Mama Rita did…
Needed to start taking G’s advice and not put this on me.
Zach finished, gesturing for me to read.
Hey.
Thanks for saving my arse. I thought I was done for stuck with her. Every day was agony, like my lifeforce was being sucked out of me but without the dying part. She was a leech, and I was helpless. All this was about was me being her son. Always at her side—her son and no one else’s. Talk about overkill from a parent! Every action she took was against my will. I couldn’t do anything about it but watch. And she knew about you, about that tenshi blood. The mazoku told her, whispered it to me as if I was going to submit and join them. That’s what she wanted, took my eye when I didn’t commit.
Some mother.
I’ve seen too much in this short space of time, Akira. Bad things. I don’t know how to deal with them. My life was always so laid back, just me and Phi and our caravan. Never anything like this. Maybe I had a really sheltered life, and I was happy with that. Now the rug’s been pulled out from under me, and I’m so lost.
I need to speak to Phi. I miss her so much.
Damn. The poor guy.
I tapped the last part and took his pen to tell him there was no way of contacting Phi or what side she was on.
He told me he’d seen the replay of The Chief’s address. He was proper stunned by the new guy in that position.
He wrote some more: How are you holding up?
I scribbled I was okay, itching to get this done with.
Zach turned the paper over and added: I think my heart broke when I thought you were dead. I’d found you and lost you.
I met his gaze. He reached out, grabbing my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
I did the same. A brother I’d never known about, as well as an uncle. Talk about a running family theme.
I wrote down about Uncle Ryoka. He was his uncle too.
I hope he’s okay, he wrote back.
I nodded, then put some more words to paper: The tenshi told me something about blood. They said to always remember it is as powerful a force as any magic. Don’t know what it means, but I think they were talking about us, about our family.
We locked eyes again, his one eye glistening, then he wrote: Family.
I pointed to him, then to me, and added: You’re my blood.
“That’s beautiful,” G said, “and cryptic. The tenshi said that?”
“Yeah. They did. Gotta mean something, right?”
“With the way things have gone lately, I would say so.”
I called up Bob and Rose. They were almost ready to go check on my uncle. Almost. Maybe after some grub I’d be strong enough to send them out.
An olive-skinned Japanese guy came into the room, dressed like a chef with blue hair poking out from under his hat.
He bowed in greeting. “Hello, Mr. Murakami, Mr. Dawson. I am Kaito. Would you like some miso soup to begin with?”
“Sounds great,” G replied.
“We also have some Teriyaki chicken, rice, noodles, edamame beans, and mochi for dessert.”
“Sign me up, pleas
e,” I added.
“I can’t wait,” G said.
“Very good. I shall return. Mr. Jackson?” he said to Zach. “Would you like anything else?”
Jackson. The name of the parents who raised him, who he believed were his blood up until now.
“Just some water, please,” my brother wrote down.
Kaito nodded and left the room.
“Blimey,” I said, “feels weird to be waited on under these circumstances.”
G nodded. “Your dad’s reach is in everything.”
“Think I should go and help?”
“No, Aki. I think that might insult them.”
“Okay. I’ll refrain.”
He patted my thigh, shifting his chair closer. Zach noticed, smiling sadly. He didn’t have Phi. That’d be tearing him up inside. I knew it would me if the script was flipped and that was G somewhere out there in the city.
It’d happened in the dead place.
I wanted to say something reassuring. Nothing floated to the surface. What was there to say? We’d make contact somehow? How? And like fuck was I reaching out to any elf. Even thinking about the faces of my supposed friends was simmering my blood.
As much as I felt for Zach, I let his sadness drift past me. Sucked, yeah, but so did elf terrorists.
* * *
After the delicious meal, I sat watching the news report, drinking a blueberry ramune—a fizzy drink in a super-cool bottle.
Zach and G were playing pool, not wanting to look at the screen, both needing a bit of distraction. Guess losing their power had bonded them a bit. We’d talked about it over food.
Me, I had to fill myself up with the news, getting proper fidgety once again. I wanted out, to hunt the streets for Mama Rita, maybe an elf or two, and to get my uncle back from whoever had him over in Imperial Palace. My hand job moment with G had been a sweet distraction. A placebo to cover up the cracks. Now the grim stuff was back to remind me sweet moments weren’t forever, that there was a fucked-up world out there. Playing pool would just piss me off. I didn’t even wanna go and ask if I could bake something. Stress baking normally saw me through, but the thought of it now just wound me up. It was the last thing on my mind.
Four Moons: The Complete Collection: (Books 1 - 4) Page 68
