by Fel Fern
“What?”
“That I was just his flavor of the month,” he whispered. “Nothing held his interest for long, except I lasted longer than the others he put in his cage.”
“Cage?”
He tasted nothing but pure, undiluted rage on the other man’s voice. Anger, he realized, for his sake. The rest didn’t take long to say. “Our multi-million wedding had been in the news. After that, he took me to his large house, except during dinner, he drugged me. The next time I woke, I was in the cage.”
He whispered at the memory, recalling the first few days in captivity, how he kept hoping it was all some kind of twisted nightmare, that someday he’d wake from it. Asher pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his neck.
“Brave little cat. I’m so damn proud of you.”
Those words shot through him like an addictive drug. No one ever told him those words before, never called him a survivor, either. He blushed, glad Asher couldn’t see his face.
“Would you reward me for being brave?” he asked in a small voice, stunned he managed to utter that request despite being so broken.
Despite Asher’s reassurances, he knew deep down that Chris managed to splinter and rip at all his good parts. Would Asher accept him once he saw Dan was full of flaws? His scars went beyond flesh and bone. Chis has carved a part of himself in Dan, left him numb and empty. Dan wanted to fill that hole, replace all those horrible memories Chris forever engraved in his head with better ones, ones with Asher.
“What exactly are you asking for, little cat?” Asher whispered in his ear.
Then the doorbell rang, frustrating him to no end.
“Must be the delivery guy, hold on tight, little cat. We haven’t finished this discussion. Don’t go anywhere.”
Where would Dan go? He didn’t want to be anywhere else but here. Asher paid the man, took the bags of food and shut the door behind him.
“Need any help?” he asked, still shy he actually uttered that earlier question.
“I’m good.” Asher set the food down, returned to the bed, this time sitting in front of him. “Where were we?”
“Please, don’t make me say it again.”
“Please. I like that word.” Asher grinned. “My little cat wanted a reward? Tell me. If you don’t, I won’t know what to do.”
“You’re teasing me,” he blurted.
“How can I not try flirting with the gorgeous cat in front of me, within touching distance?”
“Touch me,” he breathed, wondering what Asher would think of him being so forward, but Dan had been starved of touch for too long. In his cage, he only had the dark for company, and even as a stray cat, he lived in his own isolated little world in his niche in the park.
“I want to do plenty of things to you, little cat, but the last thing I want is to scare you away.”
“I want you, too,” he admitted. “That’s what drew me back to this form, because I wanted to find out what it’s like to talk with you, be with you.”
“You have no idea how much those words please me. I’ve been going insane, thinking I made a mistake.”
“I’m a mistake?” he had to ask, uncertain.
Asher shook his head. “My wolf branded you as my mate the moment I realized you weren’t a normal tabby cat. My soul wept at the knowledge that I’d lost you just as I’d found you.”
“That’s no longer the case.”
Mate. That word felt different on Asher’s lips. Special, the way it was always meant to be. He pressed a hand on Asher’s heart, felt the steady, confident beat there with a smile. Asher placed his bigger palm over his, squeezed his fingers gently, smile on his lips.
“Like what you hear?” Asher asked.
“I’d like it better if you kissed me again.”
Who this new and bold Dan was, he didn’t know. Back before Chris, he grew up as an awkward and shy young man, never initiating things when it came to the relationship department. Now, after tasting hell, he wanted to take every advantage of every second with Asher, to seize opportunities before they were gone.
“Demanding, little cat. Let me remind you who’s the boss.”
Asher gripped the back of his neck. He liked Asher’s touch, connected it with possessive tenderness, knowing Asher would kill himself before bringing him hurt. Dan leaned in close, shut his eyes, and enjoyed the sensation of Asher claiming his lips. Hunger sparked in him. He kissed back furiously, wanting more. He dared to slip his hands under Asher’s shirt, feeling nothing but planes of hard muscles.
God, but his man was a yummy treat. Cats were curious, liked to explore, and he’d like to spend one entire afternoon memorizing every inch of this glorious shifter’s body. He patted the brickwork of Asher’s six-pack abs, fingers hovering on the zipper of Asher’s jeans.
Asher paused, met his gaze with his golden ones, a sign it wasn’t just Asher looking back at him, but also Asher’s wolf. “Is this too fast? Did Chris,” Asher hesitated, as if unsure to bring the topic up.
“Only once,” he said, telling Asher the truth. “Sex doesn’t interest him, only violence.”
For once, he liked that Chris only tainted him once, but he remembered how mad Asher become after realizing he’d been mated.
Chris’s ugly words echoed in his head.
I’m going to ruin you so much that no other man would ever look at you and see desire. Not that anyone will ever find you in my basement.
A gentle shake from Asher stirred him back to reality.
“Dan, we have all the time in the world to get to know each other.”
“No.” His adamant reply left them both stunned, but he had to put his point across. “Please. Give me good memories to replace the bad.”
Chapter Six
His little cat held his breath, as if terrified Asher would reject him. As if that would ever happen. How could he explain to his mate, for he was certain of that truth now, that his control was about to snap?
Dan’s ex took advantage of Dan only once, but still, it made him furious. No doubt that one time had tainted Dan’s view of sex. It enraged him to think someone would dare take a sweet, strong guy like Dan and break him down. Fuck, once learning who Dan’s ex-mate was, he immediately wanted to hunt the fucker down.
Asher knew he couldn’t make any sudden moves, though, knew eliminating an important asshole like that would have severe repercussions. It wasn’t just Dan he was putting at risk but also those closest to him. Despite the wolf urging him to rip out this fucker’s throat, he needed to be patient, take time to plan and strategize.
For now, he focused on the present, on his sexy little mate. “Clothes off.”
Dan fumbled for the shirt and Asher assisted in helping his little cat take it off. It had been awhile for Dan, he understood, so he decided to take things slow, to make Dan purr for him.
“What about you? No fair,” Dan stated.
Laughing, he stood. “You want to see a little strip show?”
At Dan’s nod, he pulled off his shirt, aware of Dan drinking him up with his eyes. Hmm, those sessions at the gym certainly paid off if his mate looked at him that way every time. He hurriedly took off his jeans, boxers, then kicked off his shoes, until he finally stood fully nude in front of his mate.
Dan gasped. “You’re certainly built in proportion.”
“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment.”
“It is.” Dan bit his lip. “Can you really fit in me?”
“Leave that thought for later. Lie down on your back.” Once Dan did that, he rolled on top of his mate, making sure to keep his weight off Dan. Then he took Dan’s lips again, this time kissing his little cat slowly, tenderly, showing Dan he wasn’t just capable of roughness, but gentle loving, too.
He planted more kisses down the side of Dan’s neck, pausing at the faded mate mark. One day, when they were both ready, he’d take that final step, because he was certain down to his bones, to his heart, Dan was made to be his. His only regret was not being able to save D
an earlier from the crutches of a monster like Chris Roman.
Asher didn’t know Dan existed then. It didn’t matter. He could change nothing about the past, but the present, however, was a start.
Asher took one nipple into his mouth, toughing the bud, before deciding to bite down. He studied his teeth mark there, smiled to see Dan above him, eyes alit with hunger. His little cat liked that. He filed that in his mind, that Dan didn’t mind a little wildness in bed, but at the same time, he had to be careful.
Oh, he knew his mate wasn’t fragile, but this thing, their growing relationship, still was. Screwing up wasn’t an option, because he planned on claiming Dan, body and heart.
He nipped and kissed his way down the length of Dan’s body, loving the taste of Dan, liking the sight of his mate wearing his marks, which told the world Dan was his. He moved lower, holding down Dan’s thighs, preventing movement as he nuzzled Dan’s dick. Flicking a tongue out, he swiped the pre-cum gathered at the tip, tongued the slit, and focused on the sensitive spot under Dan’s cockhead.
Dan groaned above him, fisting his sheets. Wanting more, he dragged his tongue down the veined length of Dan’s prick, exploring every ridge and bump. Dan’s balls, he didn’t neglect. He sucked them into his mouth, hearing Dan cry out above him. Asher finally took Dan’s prick between his lips and began bobbing his head up and down.
“God,” Dan whispered.
Desire hummed in his veins. Blood surged to his dick. Not wanting Dan to explode yet, he pulled his mouth away. Dan hissed at him in frustration. How very like a cat. He smirked. “Not yet, baby, I’m not done.” He rubbed at Dan’s belly, before continuing his task.
He placed a kiss on the crease between Dan’s privates and asshole, pushed Dan’s legs apart, lifting Dan’s knees so he could tongue his mate’s puckered entrance.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Something wrong?” he teased.
“No one has ever, I mean, there,” Dan murmured, looked flustered, but he didn’t complain when Asher stuck a mouth into the inner muscles of Dan’s hole, tracing it.
He closed his fist over Dan’s prick, beginning to stroke. He pulled his face back, aware of how thick Dan had become. This, his mate becoming undone, Asher wanted to see, remember in his head. He moved his hand faster, until Dan cried out. Pinching Dan’s tip did the trick. Dan gasped as strings of his cum coated Asher’s stomach and abs. He smiled at the sight of Dan fluttering his eyes, mouth slightly parted.
His wolf liked the image, too, wanted very much to see Dan happy, in throes of passion.
“That was, wow. Give me a second,” Dan murmured.
“Take all the time you need.”
“I want to take care of you, too,” Dan said, gaze lingering on Asher’s still erect dick.
“Good, because I’m about to burst.”
“How do you want to do this?”
So hesitant, Asher realized.
“When you’re with me,” Asher told his mate, giving Dan’s softening prick a squeeze, “never be afraid to tell me what you want. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Mates never keep secrets from each other.”
“Am I really your mate?” Dan asked in wonder. “I mean, look at you, then me.”
Asher frowned. Dan clearly had some self-esteem issues. Not surprising after what he’d been through, but he planned on helping his mate become more confident, be proud of himself.
“You’re perfect,” he stated, but Dan didn’t seem to quite believe him yet. It didn’t matter. He rolled off the bed. “I’m getting the lube.”
Shifters didn’t catch anything, eliminating the need for condoms, which was good because he wanted to ride his mate bareback with no annoying piece of plastic between them.
“Wait.”
At that, he turned, painfully aware of his erection, but if Dan wanted to do this another time, then he’d deal with it. It turned out he had nothing to worry about.
Dan blushed. “We Omega cat shifters are like Omega wolves.”
He understood what Dan implied, that he was self-lubricating. “Fuck, but that’s convenient. Come to the edge of the bed.”
Dan obeyed, and he positioned himself between Dan’s legs, hefting them above his shoulders. Like this, Dan was splayed to him. He noticed his little cat’s prick was ready for round two. Smiling, he gave Dan’s shaft a teasing squeeze, before sliding a finger inside Dan’s ass. The tabby shifter groaned. True to his word, Dan was slick and ready for him.
Still, he refused to pound his mate against the mattress like a brute. Asher was well aware of his size, and the last thing he wanted was for Dan to associate pain with their first time. He added a second finger and began making twisting motions, prepping Dan for penetration.
Asher must have brushed his fingers against Dan’s sweet spot, because his little cat mewled. He did it again, just to hear his mate make that delicious sound for him again. “You’re ready,” he decided, extracting his digits.
Asher poised his dick at Dan’s entrance, rubbing the puckered flesh, marking it with his pre-cum. He was so hard by now, he knew he wouldn’t last, but he’d make sure this ride would be pleasurable for both of them. He locked gazes with Dan. “You ready for me, little cat?”
* * * *
“Yes,” Dan answered without hesitation, gasping when Asher pushed in the first few inches.
His mate didn’t exaggerate. Asher was big.
“Asher,” he whispered, gripping Asher’s arm, nails digging into skin. Asher didn’t seem to mind the pain. “You’re too big.”
“Breathe in and out for me, baby.” At those soothing words, he obeyed, relaxing his ass muscles. Asher continued, “You can take me in you.”
After Asher passed the thick ring of muscles, it was easier. It still burned, but he was certain Asher would replace that with ecstasy. Finally, he could feel Asher’s balls bush against his ass. He was all too aware of Asher stretching him to his limits, filling him completely.
Asher took his mouth, the kiss obliterating him completely. Then the dominant werewolf began to move, disabling his ability to think. Asher started with slow, luxurious strokes, before picking up speed. Bolts of electricity started from his insides and went right to his half-mast dick and then the rest of him.
“It feels good,” he whispered. Good to be with someone who cared for him, would protect him in a heartbeat, who loved him.
Did Asher love him?
Because he certainly did. Without realizing it, he started falling hard and fast for this patient and protective werewolf. Dan couldn’t utter the words yet, not now, because it might scare his mate away. It wasn’t the right moment yet, but he knew when it would happen.
Asher’s hard muscles felt like a lovely contrast against his lean ones, their clash of bodies turning into an intimate dance. Eventually, Asher reduced them both to panting messes. He raked his nails down the broad muscles of Asher’s back, liked hearing Asher’s growl.
Dan’s mate wasn’t angry. In fact, Asher seemed more riled up, evidenced by Asher taking him faster, deeper. He gasped, tore at the sheets, but nonetheless leaned forward to steal a kiss. Asher thrust his tongue down his throat, and he greedily sucked it down, wanting to forever the taste of his gorgeous mate.
Asher must have shifted angle, because his next thrust nearly sent Dan over the edge. He whimpered, but Asher aimed for the spot again.
“I’m close,” he managed to admit once Asher withdrew his lips.
Asher grazed the side of his neck with his teeth, the spot between shoulder and neck. Even though his mind was in a haze of pleasure, he understood the significance of that act. He waited for Asher to unsheathe his fangs, silently willed Asher complete the dance, relieved when Asher bit down. Not hard enough to pierce flesh, he realized, but to bruise.
It was a promise, good enough for now. He smiled. Dan wasn’t fully ready, either. He knew for a dominant male it must have been hard for Asher to control his animal from taking over. Then his train of thought vanished
as Asher continued to wreck him, each time ramming into his prostate.
Asher curled fingers around his shaft, gave it a squeeze. That did the trick. Crying out, he clawed at Asher’s shoulders, screaming out his orgasm as the pressure building inside him broke. Asher came seconds later after several thrusts, growling out his triumph and filling Dan’s ass with warmth.
I’m claimed. I’m yours, had been Dan’s last thought before his mind went flying twenty-thousand feet in the air.
Chapter Seven
Asher’s alarm, buzzing from his cellphone, which he usually tucked under his pillow, woke him up. On most days, he followed a certain routine, woke up without complaints, because after all, he had the best job in the world. Being a PI meant some flexible hours, but he had another job now, one that held more importance.
Wondering if last night had simply been a dream, he opened his eyes, but nope. Dan remained snuggled next to him, head on his chest, his thigh over Asher’s. The wolf inside him lay content, sated.
Dan opened his eyes, woken by the vibration, too, to peer at him. Then yelped.
“You’re real,” Dan whispered, reaching out to touch his face, then hesitated. “I thought it had been a wonderful fantasy I didn’t want to wake up from.”
He took Dan’s fingers, placed them to his mouth, and kissed them, then tugged his mate close, claiming Dan’s lips and enjoying the taste of Dan, the way his little cat responded with equal passion. He pulled away, smirking. “Still doesn’t feel real?”
Asher nipped at Dan’s neck, over his hickey. A poor substitute for a mate mark, but soon enough.
“Oh!” Dan sat up, glanced at the wall clock above the bed. “You’re late for work.”
“Oh that? I’m taking a couple of days off.”
Dan’s eyes widened. “How come?”
“To be with you, is that a crime?” Besides, Asher didn’t want to leave Dan all alone. True, it wasn’t the first time, but Dan was back to human form now, and with that came human doubts and anxiety. Dan was bound to explore, to head out and be among people, not as a cat. At least if Dan got overwhelmed, he’d be right by Dan’s side.
