by M. D. Grimm
Nordik dragged his tongue over that small hole. Poe jerked with a moan.
“Yes, please. More.” Poe’s demands amused and aroused Nordik. His tongue worshipped that sensitive hole before his own need could no longer be denied. He slicked his cock with more saliva.
“Uh, go slow, dude. Okay? Haven’t done it this way in years.”
Nordik nuzzled Poe at the base of his spine. “I won’t hurt you. Both of us have had enough of pain.”
“I hear that.”
Nordik fingered him first, trying to slick him as much as possible. Poe moaned and road his fingers, sucking in his digits greedily.
“Okay, okay, now bear.”
Nordik growled as he slicked his cock before spreading Poe’s legs farther apart and inching his way inside. They both panted harshly as he gradually seated himself fully inside his mate. Poe gasped and trembled before backing up against him, silently demanding more. Love bursting from his heart, Nordik gripped Poe’s hips and gave one full but gently-measured thrust after another. He was conscious of both of their battered bodies, and he didn’t want to hurt his mate. He would never harm his mate. Poe cried out with each thrust and met him with an eagerness unparalleled by any of Nordik’s other lovers. Amazing. And right.
When Poe reached under himself to grab his own erection, Nordik swatted his hand away and stroked it himself. He bent over and nipped the back of Poe’s neck when his head fell forward.
“Mine,” he growled.
Poe seemed to have trouble getting enough air, he was gasping so hard. Then his cries turned into sobs when Nordik hit his prostate. Nordik grinned and closed his eyes a moment, drinking those sounds in.
“Fuck!”
Nordik pulled harder at Poe’s erection, consistently hitting that spot, and covered Poe completely. He pulled his mate’s head back to kiss his mouth. They came at the same time, Poe’s seed spilling onto the ground and Nordik’s spilling inside his mate. They both collapsed, and Nordik rolled to his side, holding Poe tightly against him.
“Tell me you’re with me, Poe. Tell me.” He tightened his hold on Poe and planned to never let him go until Poe said he was.
Poe sighed heavily. “Nordik.”
“Tell me.” Nordik heart pounded in his ears.
“Of course I’m with you, you big idiot.”
Nordik gave a sigh of relief. Poe rolled over tenderly to face Nordik, wearing an amused smile.
“But this makes things a hellava lot more complicated,” he said.
“Because you’re an agent.”
“Yeah. But who knows? Maybe finding the traitor in the Agency gives me some leverage.” Sadness replaced Poe’s smile. “I really love being an agent. I don’t want to give that up.”
Nordik nodded, understanding Poe’s commitment to the Agency. It was his tribe. Loyalty was something to be admired. But he hoped that loyalty wouldn’t stop them from being together. Not after everything.
“But I love you as well,” Poe said quietly, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to give you up.”
“I won’t let you give me up.”
Poe smiled again and met his gaze. “Yeah, I figured.”
“I love you, mate,” Nordik whispered and kissed Poe gently. Poe moaned and pulled him closer. Nordik’s life become as bright and as joyous as the sun, and a large grin touched his face. Nordik rolled on top of his mate and prepared to love him again.
And again and again until the end of the world.
Chapter Fourteen
“I’ll be back, Nordik.” Poe finished tying his bootlaces while Nordik watched him through narrowed eyes. “I promise.” He touched Nordik’s face. “We’re mates, you and I. I’ll come back.”
“When?” Nordik asked, gripping his hand.
“I don’t know.” He’d honestly hoped to return to the Agency and explain everything to the new chief, whoever that might be, and to Captain Odin. But the cat was out of the bag now. When a fucking nearly naked master shifter turns into a caveman and flings you over his shoulder, it isn’t to say goodbye.
It’s to make passionate love and shoot you to the moon.
So, the entire Agency probably knew by now, and they would be waiting for him to come back and face his punishment. Oddly, he didn’t regret anything he’d done. Yes, he might be exiled from the Agency, but Nordik had been right. He could still help shifters even without the title of “Agent.” He had a master shifter for a mate, for heaven’s sake.
“Where are my things?” he asked.
“Where you left them when the Agency came, remember?”
Poe nodded before leaning over and kissing Nordik lightly. “Wait for me.”
“Until the end.”
Poe smiled and decided to tell Nordik something he’d never told anyone before. Not Odin, not Genii. No one.
“You know what, Nordik? Agents, when they become fully-fledged and independent agents, choose a different name to go by. Some choose a name that connects to their ability or one that is from mythology. Poe isn’t my birth name.”
Nordik looked puzzled. “Then what is?”
He took a deep breath. “Byron.”
Nordik blinked, and a slow smile graced his face. “Byron,” he said slowly. “I like it.”
He grinned. “Why does that not surprise me?”
“So why did you choose Poe?” Nordik asked.
“I like Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry better than Lord Byron’s.”
Nordik laughed and Poe stood. He turned around and walked away. His mate’s laughter followed him as he left with a heavy heart.
Poe stepped into Agency HQ and didn’t look anyone in the eye. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his love for Nordik or what he’d done, but he didn’t want to see what the others thought of him. He’d been the top agent here, the one who followed the book and was exactly what an agent should be. And now he was fallen, in their eyes at least. Number one rule: never have relations with a shifter or another agent.
Well, he’d broken that first rule and burned it afterward.
Poe walked straight into the chief’s office and stared into the piercing green eyes of a sturdily-built redhead with a statuesque figure. She could pass for Genii’s older sister, though he knew her to be related to a civilian by the name of Mandy O’Connell.
Damn. The former Captain Hera had made chief. It was fitting and made him wonder why she hadn’t been promoted in the first place. Captain Odin stood off to one side, nearly unseen if Poe hadn’t expected him to be there.
“Good morning, Agent Poe,” she said respectfully. “Please shut the door.”
Feeling a horrible sense of déjà vu, he shut the door before standing at ease with his hands behind his back. He inclined his head to both of them.
“Good morning, Chief Hera. Captain Odin.”
She gave him a small smile, which puzzled him, and leaned back in her chair. The office was completely redone. It held an air of femininity without being prissy. She was a hard woman with a badass reputation, and Poe had always respected her, even feared her a little.
“First off,” Chief Hera began. “I wish to congratulate you on your superb work. You not only made contact with a master shifter, but you found the traitor in the Agency.”
Poe was staggered by the compliment, though he didn’t show it. “Thank you.”
Chief Hera nodded. “You should know that Chief Anu is talking. He’s blaming everything on mind control, but we’re not convinced.”
As well you shouldn’t be.
“He also says that he was told by Arcas that the blood of a master shifter would grant him immortality.”
Poe raised an eyebrow even as his stomach clenched. “And he believed that?”
“Apparently.”
“Did we ever recover the vial of Nordik’s blood?”
“No,” Captain Odin said. Poe didn’t know why that should put a pit in his stomach, but it did. Even Odin looked disturbed. His face was blank, but Poe knew his friend well. It wasn’t someth
ing they could ignore.
“The magic or sorcery Arcas used to cloak the knights’ presence is concerning,” Hera said.
Poe nodded. “That magic even cloaked them from Nordik’s great senses. In his own home.”
An uneasy silence fell.
“Anu offers no explanations,” Hera said softly, her voice edgy. “He claims not to know where Arcas got such things. He claims Arcas made them himself.”
“He’s telling the truth.” Odin’s voice was confident and Poe didn’t want to think about what his old friend had done to ensure Anu’s sincerity.
Hera glanced at Odin. “Just one more thing to worry about, now.” She met Poe’s gaze and pressed the tips of her fingers together. “I’ve been hearing rumors, Agent Poe, and I wish to know the truth of them.”
Here we go. “What sort of rumors, Chief Hera?”
“That you have had relations with Master Shifter Nordik.”
Poe swallowed hard and refused to look at Odin. “They are correct.”
Silence fell in the office as he confirmed his guilt.
“I see,” Chief Hera said slowly. Then she turned to Captain Odin, and he gave a nod. She focused on Poe, who waited with anxiety.
“Well, that actually works well for us, I think,” she said cheerfully.
Poe gaped. He couldn’t help it. “Uh, what? Ma’am?”
Chief Hera chuckled. “Well, not that I condone rule breaking, but I plan on taking this Agency in a different direction than the former chiefs have done.”
“I should hope so, considering the last one was a traitor,” Poe blurted.
“Indeed,” Chief Hera said with a raised eyebrow. “Too many things have been mishandled, too many things have fallen through the cracks. We have a problem, Agent Poe, as you well know. The scattered knights.”
“I know.”
“Well, I am taking an unusual step concerning that matter.” Chief Hera straightened in her chair and rested her elbows on the table.
“I am sending some of our agents to become ambassadors to the different shifter packs, herds, and other family groups. And to Haven. We are to create a network of communication. We are going to spread out our resources, create allies, and welcome the shifters into this war.”
Poe was floored. That was exactly what he thought the Agency should do. And here they were, doing just that. His mind was officially blown.
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“I knew you’d think so,” Chief Hera said. “And you have a place in this new network, Poe.”
Poe’s heart drummed in his ears. “I do?”
“Yes.” Chief Hera leaned back in her chair. “You are to become the ambassador to the bear shifters. I believe you are well acquainted with their leader.”
It seemed inappropriate to punch a fist in the air and shout hallelujah, so Poe only gave a solemn nod and said with dignity, “Thank you for this opportunity, Chief Hera.”
Chief Hera’s mouth twitched, but she returned his nod.
Poe was absolutely delighted. He would be Nordik’s mate while still being an agent. Was this a dream?
“Captain Odin will be your main contact,” Chief Hera said. “Now, I believe you have some vacation time scheduled, yes? I suggest you take it and then get back to work. We will send any correspondence to Haven. Make sure you check in regularly. Captain Odin will work out the details when you come back.”
Poe took a deep breath and whispered, “Thank you.”
Chief Hera nodded, her eyes showing more than what she could say. He and Hera had always had a good working relationship, and he was glad that she’d taken up the mantel of chief.
Poe stepped out of the office in a daze and into a hail of cheers and a sea of smiles. Apparently the entire building knew about his promotion. Poe laughed as he was mobbed by his friends. Genii was the first to give him a tight squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. His hand was shaken, his back was patted, and he couldn’t answer a single damn question because everyone was talking at once. But it felt good. It really felt good to be home, to be welcomed, and to know that he would be coming back.
“Hey, where’s Lila?” Poe shouted over the loud voices. The petite woman came charging through the dancing bodies. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes bright.
“I’m here, I’m here!”
Poe held up his hand. “Think you can do anything for it?”
She grabbed his wrist. “What happened?”
“Bullet, right through the middle.”
Lila winced. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.”
Poe opted against camping with his parents. He needed a break from nature. Instead, he hung out at their house and they were so delighted he was home they didn’t make much of an issue about it.
His hand was still crippled, and his grasp was weak, but at least there was no pain when he moved it. There was only stiffness, he’d take that over pain any day. Besides, he could strengthen his hand with some PT and have it working maybe at eighty percent. His other bruises and aches healed quickly between Lila and his mother. He almost felt like his old self again. Almost.
He slept in his old room, he ate what his mother cooked, and he watched football with his father (who he still had to explain the rules to). It was a little slice of paradise, but there was a constant ache in his heart. And that ache was Nordik.
Poe told them everything: about Anu, about Nordik, about his promotion. He hadn’t talked so much with them in years. They listened, hanging on his every word, loving him in all their glances.
“But it’s so strange,” Poe said. They sat in the living room, him on the couch and his parents in their chairs by their hearth. “How can I be in love with someone I’ve known for, Jesus, barely three days?”
“Sometimes you just know,” Bronach said as she took his father’s hand. She gazed lovingly at her partner. “For your father and me, it was immediate. It was fate, that day at ComicCon.”
Poe smirked as his parents stared into each other’s eyes. He knew that story―how his parents first met. It was still hard to believe.
“You dressed like Eowyn,” Thorgold said.
“And you as Gimli,” Bronach said wistfully.
“And your eyes met,” Poe said. “And yadda yadda. But I live on planet earth.”
Bronach rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, Byron, you’re lucky enough to find a kindred spirit, and you can’t let them go.”
“Oh, trust me,” Poe said. “I don’t plan on letting Nordik go.”
“Good,” she said with a happy smile.
Poe glanced at his father. “You okay with this, Dad?”
His father had always been open-minded when it came to his son’s sexuality. But Poe always liked to make sure there weren’t any dark thoughts buried in his father’s head.
“Does he respect you? Does he love you?” Thorgold asked.
“Yes.”
“Then why wouldn’t I be okay with it?” Thorgold said gruffly.
Poe smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”
Thorgold cleared his throat and stroked his beard. Poe always found his father’s discomfort amusing.
“Nordik’s my kindred spirit,” Poe said.
Bronach’s eyes were wet. “I’m so happy for you, Poe.”
“Geez, Mom.” Poe fidgeted in his seat. “No need to get blubbery.”
She laughed. “I’m your mother. That’s my job.”
“So,” Thorgold said. “When do we meet him?”
“Er,” Poe said, hedging. Really? Was he really going to have to go through that humiliation? How old was he, seventeen?
“You know the family will want to meet him,” his mother added.
The family? Heaven help him. His parents looked at him expectantly.
“Um,” Poe said, hesitantly. “Rain check?”
Nordik knew Poe would keep his promise. But when weeks went by without word, he fell into a dark mood. He barely ate or drank. He simply lay as a bear next to the waterfall where he’d
taken Poe. Where he’d shared a sacred place with Poe. Did his mate remember that? Did Poe remember him? Nordik stared across the pool, sullen and depressed. The forest held no joy without his mate. He would die if Poe didn’t come back.
Sound met his ears, but he didn’t move. Probably just another bear coming to get a drink.
“Ouch! Son of a―Nordik! There you are. Knew I’d find you.”
Nordik jerked and swung his head around. Poe stumbled out of the forest, the same backpack on his back as before. Twigs were sticking out of his hair, and he was brushing dirt off his jeans.
“I fell, can you believe it?” Poe said. “Damn root.”
Nordik charged Poe and knocked him down on the ground. He licked his face, and Poe laughed, pushing him away.
“Either shift or get off me!”
Nordik shifted and kissed Poe deeply, running his hands all over his mate.
“You came back,” Nordik whispered, kissing Poe’s face, then his hands. He noted the small scar on Poe’s, remembered how he got it. He kissed it gently.
“Of course I did. I promised.” Poe sat up, taking off his pack.
“You were gone so long―”
“I’m sorry,” Poe said instantly. “But I wanted to see my parents, and it’s not like you have a phone or mailbox out here―”
“I forgive you,” Nordik said and kissed Poe again. “You’re staying with me now, right?”
Poe grinned. “Yes, now I’m staying with you. In fact, I am now the official ambassador to the bear shifters.”
Nordik was confused until Poe explained to him about the Agency’s new policy.
“I’m impressed,” Nordik said. “And thrilled.”
“You and me both,” Poe said before tackling Nordik to the ground.
“Remember our last romp together?”
Nordik grinned smugly. “How could I forget?”
“Well, it’s my turn,” Poe said, his pale blue eyes bright. “This time, you’re my bitch.”
Nordik laughed and held Poe close, looking forward to many years of such play.
Epilogue
Gregor stood in the cheap hotel room, wrinkling his nose at his surroundings. He knew they needed to keep their heads down and keep off the radar, but everyone had their limits. He didn’t even want to imagine who’d used the room last and how often those sheets were washed.
