by Serena Yates
Yep, this must be another guardian. They'd been getting less helpful with each new chamber Elryk and he entered, but this one was positively unfriendly. He hadn't even shown himself. Another distant flash of lightning briefly brightened the doom and Kaythan shuddered.
"So, what will help us find the last piece?” Elryk closed his eyes as he balled his fists.
"Nothing.” The cackling made Kaythan's head hurt. “You're far too late. The Xoh'kas were here a long time before you, and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I released the last piece of the Muyd'Zel to them and they've taken it to a very safe place. Or they may have destroyed it. Not that I could care less."
"Shit! I can't believe they managed to get in here.” Elryk's eyes flew open. “That's the second time we know of that they've managed to breach a chamber without following the rules. I guess it's not impossible with the power of the entire Magic Council behind them, but still."
"So how do we make up for the missing bit of the Magic Key?” Kaythan shivered when another thunder-like chortle rent the air. If he'd been able to see this guardian so he could get his hands on him, he would have strangled him.
"I'm not sure what we even can do.” Elryk's shoulders drooped. “Without the missing piece I have no idea how to get my full power back, never mind how to find the Muyd'Othar. And obviously the Xoh'kas are using the Magic Key as a weapon, even though it was never intended to be used like that. It does explain the desolation around us. Everything is out of balance, resulting in the destruction of what must have once been a very lush environment."
Gleeful laughter seemed to accompany another flash in the distant west. Kaythan's unease grew. The thunderstorm that had been on the horizon when they first awoke was either getting a lot stronger or moving closer more quickly than he'd thought possible. Yep, they were in deep shit.
"Don't worry, that lack of balance will be fixed soon.” The guardian's voice changed into a shriek. “When the thunderstorm gets here it will kill both of you and once your life force is released, it will restore the balance of this chamber. Not that I really care, I'm finally leaving. Knowing that you are stuck here, well, until you die, at least, makes me extremely happy."
"I don't like the sound of that.” Kaythan fisted his hands.
"I bet you don't. But without lightning magic, there is no way out of here for you. This fifth chamber works just like the others. Once Elryk absorbs the new type of magic, you're sent to the next chamber. With no magic left to absorb, you're stuck here.” More cackling made his ears hurt. “I'll leave you to it, then. Enjoy the last few minutes of your miserable lives."
With a flash of lightning from straight above them, the immediate sense of tension stopped. The guardian seemed to have left. What a relief.
"I'm glad he's gone. He didn't sound like he was going to help us anyway, so I think we're better off without him.” Kaythan rubbed his arms. “Even if he comes back later, which it didn't sound like, I'll take what rest from his obnoxious presence I can. Why is he invisible anyway?"
"Lightning can't be seen most of the time, so this guardian apparently doesn't have a visible body, either.” Elryk's brow furrowed.
"What are you thinking?” Kaythan scanned the darkening sky. “I hope you're about to figure out how to get us away from here. I don't like the look of that thunderstorm one bit. I'm pretty sure that we need to leave before it gets here or we may be in serious trouble."
"I have no idea how to get us out of this chamber without lightning magic.” Elryk rubbed his temples, then looked at the thunderstorm approaching from the horizon. “I think we need to get out of here or at the very least find shelter pretty quickly if we want to stand a chance at surviving the approaching threat."
"It doesn't look like we can get out of the chamber for now. Finding shelter is a sensible alternative, though.” He looked around them. Everything was flat and out in the open around them. Much too exposed if the thunderstorm did hit them. “I guess the hills and mountains are our best bet?"
"I agree.” Elryk nodded and got up, looking towards the approaching thunderstorm as if to check its progress, then to the east to scout out the most likely place to search for shelter.
Kaythan followed his mate's lead and they walked at a fast pace, the hills coming closer more quickly than he'd expected. They kept going until they reached the foot of the mountains maybe an hour later. The thunderstorm had come closer, but not by as much as he'd first feared. It looked as if they were in luck.
Elryk had been quiet the whole time. He looked pale and exhausted.
"Are you okay?” Kaythan paused with his examination of the rock face ahead of them to take a closer look at his over-tired lover.
"Just tired.” Elryk's voice trembled, as did his hands.
"Uh-huh.” He took Elryk's hand, intending to give the other man some support. Touching each other had seemed to work well before.
A bolt of energy shook him to his core. Something was definitely anything but all right. They needed to get to shelter as quickly as possible, so he could check out his mate, find out what was wrong with him.
Elryk tried to smile, but his eyes rolled back in his head. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into Kaythan's arms. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by thunder only moments later. Kaythan turned around and his eyes widened. The darkest clouds had come closer in the last few minutes than they had during the last half hour.
Crap! Elryk had probably used air magic to keep the thunderstorm at bay, expending all his energy on trying to protect them. No wonder the man had collapsed! He pulled Elryk's arm over his shoulder, put his other arm around Elryk's middle and half carried, half dragged his limp body towards the first hole in the rock that looked as if it might be a cave.
The approaching thunderstorm at his back motivated him to hurry, but the first cave was too shallow to be useful. The second had too tight an entrance and the third was filled with sediment. Fuck!
Lightning and thunder were now mere seconds apart and it had started raining. Little droplets at first, but it wasn't long before the rain became substantial. He trudged along, hoping he could make it to the fourth cave he'd seen not too far to his right. He could only hope that it was accessible and deep enough, or they'd be in even deeper shit.
Stumbling into the opening, which was just large enough to let himself and Elryk enter, he was relieved to see that this cave was all he could have wished for. There wasn't much light, but it seemed deep enough to offer them protection. He used the flashes of lightning to orient himself. This cave would do.
He kept Elryk to his left, and his right shoulder to the wall to help orient himself in the dark as he slid inside. He'd made it maybe ten paces when the rain started falling in earnest. Thunder and lightning were almost simultaneous and he was more than grateful that they were protected. He went another few paces before sliding down to sit with his back to the wall. He'd been careful to take Elryk with him. He cradled his mate in his arms and rocked him back and forth. How was he going to help him recover?
He kissed him because he needed to feel his lips, and Elryk took a deep breath. He kissed him again, this time lingering on the other man's mouth, and Elryk sighed, opening his eyes. Kaythan was overjoyed and kept kissing the other man until he sat up.
"Thank you, I needed that.” Elryk waved a hand, and a small fire started burning not too far from them, giving off warmth and light.
"You mean that my kisses brought your energy back?” That was something he could live with.
"Yeah, them and the mate bond in action.” Elryk smiled, moving closer. “Thank you for taking good care of me while I was out."
"I think you took an awful risk using magic to keep the thunderstorm from catching up with us.” He tightened his embrace, wanting to be as close as possible to his lover. “I mean, I'm grateful you did, but I don't like what it did to you."
"You figured that out, huh?” Elryk grinned. “Yes, I used air magic to hold back the clouds. I didn't have a choice, you
know? I'm sorry I worried you, but I don't think it'll be the last time I use magic and scare you a little."
"Probably not.” He sighed. “So, how do we get out of this chamber? Ideally how to get your lightning magic back while we're at it?"
"Well, I've been thinking about that...” Elryk turned around in Kaythan's arms to make eye contact. “This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but—remember how Arith explained that lightning wizards have a bit of all the other types of magic inside them? And how I would gain my magic back by absorbing all the other types first?"
"Yes...” Kaythan got hard just from watching Elryk think. It was sexy as hell when his mate used his brain.
"Well, I've got all the other types back now and have used them successfully already.” Elryk ran a hand through his tousled hair. “And it's not like I haven't got any lightning magic at all. The potential is still inside me, it just isn't active right now. All it needs is a kick-start."
"Ah, I can see where you're going with this.” Kaythan grinned. “You're thinking that you can use the other types of magic to coax the missing one back to life, right?"
"Basically, yes. But I don't think that's going to work on its own. If it did, the lightning magic would have already come back and we wouldn't be sitting here anymore. No, I think it'll need an external spark, some extra energy to work.” Elryk blushed.
Oh, that blush was cute. He grinned when he realised what Elryk was thinking. His grin made Elryk's cheeks even darker.
"So you're suggesting...” Kaythan was going to make his mate say it. He decided he liked him even more when he was all flustered.
"I'm suggesting...” Elryk swallowed. “You're going to make me say the words, aren't you?"
"I just want to make sure there are no misunderstandings about this, dearling.” Kaythan couldn't resist any longer. He cupped his mate's face between his hands and kissed him.
"That's what I mean.” Elryk closed his eyes and brought their lips back together, sinking into the kiss with obvious abandon.
It made Kaythan forget all about his intention to make Elryk say what he wanted. His mate's body melted against him as they deepened the kiss. He was already getting hard and, by the feel of it, so was Elryk.
It was a good thing they were sitting down. The harsh gasps and little moans Elryk made as Kaythan slid his tongue inside the other man's mouth drove his arousal higher by the second. The thunderstorm outside raging unabated and all their other issues were quickly forgotten as he slid his arm around Elryk's shoulder and lowered them to the cave's floor so he could take his time.
A sharp rock poking him in his side, and another stabbing his hip, brought him back to reality. Crap. They were in the middle of the wilderness, not a soft surface in sight. And for what he had in mind, a soft surface would have been preferable.
"This won't do.” Elryk opened his eyes and frowned.
With a quick movement of his hands there was a soft bed underneath them. Sheets, blankets and pillows included.
"Huh.” He grinned at Elryk's smug expression. “How did you know? Did you read my mind?"
"No, I assumed that you flinched because little stones were poking you in places they had no right to go.” Elryk rubbed his ass in an exaggerated gesture as he waggled his eyebrows.
Kaythan laughed, liking his lover's sense of humour, which was apparently very close to his own. A bright flash outside and a booming clap of thunder startled him. He glanced towards the cave entrance. It was too dark to see anything outside the cave unless there was a flash of lightning, but from the sounds he heard, the rain was still falling in sheets.
When he looked back at Elryk, his mate grinned and wordlessly bent over to take off his boots, followed by the rest of his clothes. The sight of the other man removing his clothes, revealing white skin with a hue of orange and red from the flickering fire, was too beautiful not to pay complete attention. When Elryk was naked, he lay down on the bed and looked at Kaythan expectantly.
Kaythan's eyes were still riveted on Elryk's gorgeous body. Lightly muscled all over and well toned, Elryk attracted Kaythan like no other man ever had. His chest was almost hairless, his large red-brown nipples already erect. His gorgeous cock was hard and lay heavy on his flat belly, the dark, red head starting to leak pre-cum while Kaythan kept staring.
Elryk grinned and lifted a hand, crooking his index finger at him in an unmistakable come-hither gesture. Kaythan had never shed his clothes so quickly. When he lay down next to his mate, he pulled him close so they were skin to skin. Elryk's arms slid around him in welcome and they kissed as if they'd never kissed before. The passion that flared low in his belly grew into an overwhelming feeling of need to be as close to the other man as possible.
Kaythan tingled from the top of his head to his curling toes from the tongue fucking his mate gave him. Intense, demanding and unbelievably arousing, Elryk's tongue explored every part of his mouth. Elryk's hands roamed across his back, stroking his flanks, then his ass cheeks, then returning along his spine to start their delicious journey all over again. The caresses went straight to his swollen cock and his balls started pulling up way too soon.
Kaythan looked into Elryk's midnight-black eyes. More than passion shone back at him and he tried to swallow past the lump of emotion in his throat. He knew that his own eyes were in a very similar state. His feelings for this man were deepening by the hour.
"I want you to take me, Kaythan.” Elryk's voice was deep and husky from desire. “I want you to make me yours."
"Tah', what you do to me.” Kaythan's hips bucked involuntarily, his arousal almost painful.
"It's totally mutual.” Elryk smiled and turned onto his back, pulling Kaythan on top of him, pushing their cocks closer together.
Kaythan moaned.
When Elryk slowly spread and lifted his legs Kaythan put his hands next to his mate's shoulders and raised his hips a little. His cock slid past Elryk's heavy balls and along his crack. It opened as his mate rested his lower back on a cushion that had magically appeared out of thin air. The new position let him slide his swollen cock between the spread ass cheeks.
"Very cool.” Kaythan grinned. “I can see how making love to a wizard has its advantages."
Elryk slid his arms around Kaythan's upper body, placing his hands on his shoulder blades to pull him back down. Open lips and hot breath greeted him when he lowered his head. His cock head touched Elryk's opening and they both moaned into the kiss.
"Take me, please.” Elryk lifted his hips a little more and pushed up. “I'm so ready for you."
With a sigh Kaythan thrust inside the tightest, hottest space his cock had ever been in. It was probably magic lube that made entry so easy. Not that he really cared at this point, it just felt fantastic. Elryk's muscles hugged and massaged his cock as he kept pushing more deeply inside.
Elryk's eyes widened but didn't show any pain as Kaythan continued until he was balls deep inside his mate for the first time. He stopped to try and get his raging lust under control. His arms trembled with the effort of holding himself up. His legs weren't much better off. His entire body was tense from the strain of trying not to move before Elryk was ready for him.
"Fuck.” He wasn't going to last very long.
"Please!” Elryk nodded and clenched his muscles around Kaythan's already aching cock, making him want to thrust with everything he had.
With a deep groan he pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in. The air left his lungs in a rush. He was sure that he was going to fly apart into a million pieces.
"Oh, yes.” Elryk panted, trying to get him closer. “Just like that."
Kaythan moved to his elbows so he could hold Elryk's face between his hands and started to move. He fused their lips in a kiss, his tongue imitating the thrusts of his lower body. The pressure around his cock was incredible as he pushed inside Elryk's body again and again.
His mate met him thrust for thrust and he could feel his orgasm approach, sliding up his spine, even a
s he was beginning to lose his rhythm. His arousal went higher and higher, the tension palpable in the air as lightning lit up the murky night, thunder rolling overhead.
Finally, it was simply too much. Tingling all over his body, he thrust deeply one last time, pulled back his head and howled with the power of the orgasm shaking his entire body. Spurting his release into Elryk's channel in pulse after pulse, he felt Elryk spray their chests and stomachs with hot sperm in response.
Still spasming with pleasure, he saw a bright flash in Elryk's eyes before his mate closed them and smiled. It seemed that they'd been successful on more than one front.
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Chapter Nine
* * * *
Elryk tingled with excitement. Little sparks danced across his skin. Deep inside him, there was a well of energy that felt inexhaustible. His thoughts were clearer, and his determination and strength had grown. He grinned, keeping his eyes closed as he savoured what had just happened. Kaythan's cock was still inside him, causing delicious little aftershocks as it moved with his mate's final spurts. The man in his arms had already started to become more important to Elryk than he'd ever thought possible, but this coupling had confirmed their bond somehow.
Not only had he had the best orgasm of his life while his mate's deep-blue eyes stared into his soul, but also his magic was finally back. Full force, better than ever, and completely back. Kaythan had played a major role in restoring him to his former self. Just like the other man had selflessly helped him so far, he suspected their cooperation would remain critical if they wanted to defeat the magic thieves by finding and using the Muyd'Othar. Eventually that would hopefully also enable them to overthrow the cruel Xoh'kas government. He was certainly glad he had Kaythan's support for this. Having to do this alone would have been daunting.
"Are you okay, dearling?” Kaythan's voice rumbled in his ear as his mate nuzzled his jawline, then burrowed his face into the sensitive space between his neck and his shoulder.
