Ryan would sacrifice live chickens on the courthouse steps if it meant avoiding the knife, but Elliguard's tone warned him he might not like the man's methods. Ryan wet his dry lips. "What did you have in mind?"
"A blood transfusion straight from the vein of one of our people," Elliguard said. "Shifter blood has twenty times the healing properties of human blood. I'd be willing to bet your leg will be even stronger afterward than it was before you played the hero this night."
It was an incredible offer, but Ryan's doubts overrode the immediate temptation. "Would I...would I become like you?"
"Most assuredly not." Elliguard smiled. "You're either born a shifter or you aren't, Dr. Hightower. No need to worry about joining the fangs and fur set." His smile faded. "You should know, though, that there could be side effects if you agree to this procedure."
Ryan sighed. There was always a catch. Pushing away the penetrating throb of his leg muscles, he said, "What are we talking about?"
"Enhanced hearing, possibly a temporary increase in heart rate and metabolism." Elliguard leaned forward. "For you the most startling result may be an intensifying of the psychic bond you share with Soren."
Ryan couldn't imagine the bond between the two of them being any stronger than it was now. He rolled his head to the side and looked up at Soren.
"What do you think?"
"If those are the only risks," Soren said with a squeeze to Ryan's fingers, "then I'd say they're well worth it." He brushed his thumb over Ryan's palm. "It has to be your decision."
The pain was making it hard to think, all the more reason for Ryan to do whatever it took to make the numbing agony go away. "Do it."
"Since blood type and disease risk don't factor into the shifter-human equation, I should have no problem finding a suitable donor." Elliguard rose to his feet. "If you'll but give me a moment..."
"Not a chance in hell," Soren said. "If Ryan needs blood, I'll be the one to give it to him."
Elliguard shook his head. "I don't believe that's advisable. As I said before, the bond--"
"Is there for a reason." Soren pushed up his sleeve, then sat down next to Ryan. "It's going to intensify, anyway. Might as well help it along."
Ryan had no idea what Soren was talking about, but Elliguard seemed to understand. "You've decided to stop fighting it, then?"
"Oh yeah." Soren looked down at Ryan with something like a smile playing across his lips. "You ready?"
"Your injuries..." Ryan wasn't going to lie there quietly while Soren endangered himself. "You shouldn't be giving blood so soon after almost bleeding out."
"I examined Soren just after I got here," Elliguard said. "I assure you, Dr. Hightower, he's well able to supply you with what you need." He picked up his case, placed it at the foot of the bed, and began removing his supplies.
Soren stretched full out on the bed beside Ryan, their arms touching. "Won't be long now, and then it'll be all better."
Ryan wasn't certain which he found more reassuring: Soren's promise or the solid weight of the man himself lying next to him.
***
The transfusion went off without a hitch. Elliguard made quick work of leeching the blood from Soren's veins, and within moments he was done. Five minutes after Elliguard removed the needles, Ryan fell into a coma-like sleep.
Soren propped on one elbow, eyeing Ryan with concern. "Is that normal?"
Elliguard nodded, closing his case with a snap. "Dr. Hightower's body needs time to assimilate the blood." He narrowed his eyes. "You should rest, as well. Give yourself a chance to remake the blood you so generously donated."
"Generosity had nothing to do with it." Soren settled back against the pillows, his head so close to Ryan's he could feel the other man's warm breath on his cheek. "What's mine is his."
"You owe it to him to tell him the truth as soon as possible, Soren." Elliguard picked up the case. "Dr. Hightower must understand the full implications of what's happening between you."
Soren swallowed. He knew Elliguard was right, but the fear that Ryan might not accept him--accept the truth of what they were--made him dizzy. He closed his eyes as Elliguard left, praying Ryan was more open minded than Soren gave him credit for.
He must've dozed off, because the next time he opened his eyes it was to find a very sexy human leaning over him.
Soren looked up into those bottomless eyes and smiled. "Hi there."
Ryan grinned. "Hi, yourself."
"How do you feel?"
"There's no pain, but I haven't tried to walk on it yet, either." Ryan breathed deep, then rolled away and sat up. "Guess there's no sense putting it off."
Soren watched, the air frozen in his lungs, as Ryan came to his feet, allowing his full weight to fall on his bum leg.
His eyes went wide. "It doesn't hurt." He took one cautious step, and then another. "My God, Soren. It feels like it did before the accident."
Soren hardly dared believe. "Are you certain?"
"Damn straight." Ryan took long strides across the room, then back again. "I'm not even limping."
The constriction on Soren's heart and lungs dissolved. "Thank God it worked."
"God and you." Ryan took two steps back, and before Soren could guess what he meant to do, got a running start and made for the bed.
Soren had no time to prepare before Ryan pounced. He just opened his arms and pulled Ryan against his chest. "Careful, idiot, or you'll be right back where you started."
"Then I'll just have to take in some more of that magic blood of yours." Ryan flopped backwards against the pillows. "I hope humanity at large never finds out how potent werewolf blood is. You guys will be hunted down like rats."
"About that..." Soren cleared his throat, knowing it was time for full disclosure. "There's something you need to know."
"Yeah?" Ryan turned on his side. "I'm listening."
Soren sat up, needing to put some distance between them. "Ryan..." He wet his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. "I need a drink."
Ryan rose up on his knees in front of Soren so that the two of them were facing. "Whatever it is can't be that bad."
"Not bad, but... damn this is hard." Soren screwed up his courage. "Shifter blood has powerful healing properties--the very reason shifters are immune to human diseases--but the healing you experienced ... it goes beyond the norm."
"Why?"
It was now or never. "Ryan, you and I...we're mates."
Ryan sat back on his heels. "Come again?"
"The human-shifter mind-speak, the power of my blood inside your body--none of that could have happened unless you were my true soul mate," he said. "I knew it the moment I put out a call for help and you were the one who answered." Soren went hot. "And then there were the dreams."
"What dreams?"
"We'll talk about that later. Right now, all you need to know is that you and I were fated to be together."
Ryan blinked. "Is this like the whole wolves-mate-for-life thing?"
"Not exactly," Soren said. "I mean, it's not like I've never had sex. And some of our people, they marry and divorce, then marry again just like humans. Some of the elders, though...they believe that each of us is born with one perfect partner." He looked into Ryan's eyes. "The other half of our whole."
Ryan was quiet for a minute, just watching him. Finally, he said in a voice so soft Soren could barely hear him, "And do you believe in that?"
"No. At least, I didn't until I met you." He leaned in closer. "Now I know I was wrong."
"This mate thing ... what does it mean?"
"A lot of things." Soren took his hand. "For the rest of your life, you'll belong to only me. Amongst my people, we'll be considered as married, and you'll be afforded the same respect and privileges as any shifter in the pack." He brought his free hand up to Ryan's face. "If you agree to me mine, I'll spend the rest of my life making you glad you're my mate."
"And if I say no?"
Soren heart plummeted. He took his hands away and lowered his eyes.
"Then I promise to go away and never bother you again."
Warm fingers caressed his cheek. "Soren, look at me."
Soren forced himself to meet Ryan's gaze. "Yes?"
"Could we live here, do you think?" Ryan smiled. "I like your people and all, but I get the feeling there isn't a lot of privacy amongst your pack."
A warmth unlike anything he'd ever known crept into Soren's limbs. "Whatever you want."
"And if I decide to go back to work, will you support that decision? Because if you're going to be one of those husbands who thinks he can boss me around--"
Soren cut him off in mid sentence, pushing him back onto the bed and coming to lie on top of him.
"You can do whatever you want, wherever you want," he said in a husky whisper. "Just say you'll be mine."
Ryan laced his arms around Soren's neck. "I think I just did."
That simple admission was all it took to unlock the floodgates on Soren's strained emotions. He claimed Ryan's mouth in a searing kiss.
Ryan was with him all the way, his lips and tongue invading Soren's with equal possession. How long the kiss lasted, Soren couldn't say, but by the time he pulled back, he was breathless and harder than he'd ever been in his life.
"I want to be inside you," he said as he peppered kisses down Ryan's neck. "Please tell me you want that, too."
"God, yes." Ryan's head fell back, exposing more of his throat to Soren's attentions. "And when you're done, I want to flip you over and fuck you senseless."
Soren had always been a top--had never allowed any man to take him--but the thought of Ryan's cock buried deep in his ass made him so hot he felt like he might come without even touching himself. "Hell, yes."
The next five minutes were a tangle of arms and legs as they struggled to get rid of the fabric standing in their way. In the end Soren lost patience and ripped the clothes off both of them.
Ryan put on a sigh as the remains of his shirt drifted to the floor. "I always liked that shirt."
"I'll buy you ten just like it," Soren said as he climbed back onto the bed, back on top of Ryan. He pulled away just enough to give a thorough appraisal of Ryan's body. "Has anyone ever told you you're spectacular without your clothes?"
Instead of being pleased by the compliment, Ryan's face darkened, bringing Soren up short.
"What is it?"
"Remember before the attack, when I said there was something I needed to talk to you about?"
Soren nodded.
"Before my accident, there was this guy..." Ryan hesitated, seemingly gathering his courage. "His name was Pete, and the two of us...we were a couple."
Soren thought he understood where Ryan was going with this. "You're afraid I'm going to be jealous." He grinned. "Don't worry. It doesn't matter how many men you've had in your past as long as I'm the only one in your future."
"You will be, but it isn't that. Soren, Pete left me because of the accident. Said he didn't want to saddle himself with some useless cripple."
Soren was outraged. "Want me to hunt him down and eviscerate him for you?"
That earned him a tight smile. "No, but the thing is ... Pete's the last guy I was with, and that's been so long ... I just thought you should know."
Soren lowered his head, kissing Ryan quick. "In other words, be gentle with you."
"Yeah."
He stole another kiss, then shoved himself off Ryan. "I know just what you need." He moved away. "Get on your hands and knees."
Ryan balked. "Huh?"
Soren stroked a hand down the curve of Ryan's shoulder. "It's been a while for you. We need to get you ready."
Ryan complied, and a moment later Soren was given full view of his amazing ass. The temptation to dive in and get started was strong, but Soren wasn't going to take a chance on hurting him.
"Lube?"
Ryan half turned. "Bedside drawer."
Soren grabbed the tube and came back to the bed. "What about condoms?"
"Do we need them?"
"No, but I'll use one if it makes you feel better."
Ryan shook his head. "I want to feel you, and only you."
Exactly what Soren wanted to hear. He climbed in behind Ryan, his hands on Ryan's back. With one finger, he traced the arc of Ryan's spine.
Ryan shivered. "Feels good."
"If you like that, you're gonna love this." And before Ryan had a chance to protest, Soren spread his cheeks and started tonguing his hole.
Ryan's moan was raw, ragged, and the hottest thing Soren had ever heard. "Jesus."
Spurred on by the sounds coming from Ryan's throat, Soren made his tongue into a point and continued rimming him even as his hands were busy opening the lube. Soren spread the slick liquid onto his fingers, then brought his hand up to the place he was working with his tongue. Without breaking stride, Soren worked one finger inside Ryan's tight opening.
Ryan bucked against his hand. "More."
Soren was only too happy to give him what he wanted. He added a second finger, delighting in Ryan's husky plea.
"Fuck me now. Don't make me wait."
Soren glanced down at Ryan's cock, which was red, hard, and throbbing, much like his own. As Soren pulled away enough to slather his erection was the lube, he prayed Ryan was ready, because he couldn't wait another second. Lining himself up, Soren slid inside with one smooth stroke.
Ryan took every inch without so much as a whimper.
Soren allowed himself a brief moment to enjoy the heat of Ryan's fist-tight channel before he rocked his hips.
"God, yes." Ryan fell down onto his elbows, his head lolling to the side. "Just like that."
From there, Soren lost it. His mind and body melded into a series of thrusts and retreats. During one particularly enthusiastic shove, Soren grabbed hold of Ryan's cock and started pumping him in rhythm with his movements.
It was too much for Ryan. He let out something between a groan and a scream, then filled Soren's hand full of his seed.
The wet heat on his hand was just what Soren had been waiting for. Without another word he pushed all the way in and followed Ryan over the edge.
***
Ryan stood under the shower spray, the hot water going a long way toward easing the pleasantly sore places all over his body.
Pleasantly sore? You aren't complaining are you?
Ryan laughed. Not on your life, but you'd better get in here if you're after a hot shower.
"I'm after a lot of things," Soren said as he opened the glass door and stepped into the shower stall. "Believe it or not, hot water isn't even at the top of the list."
"Don't even think about it." Ryan swatted Soren's hand away from his ass. "Three times in one night is my absolute limit."
"Hey, you did me twice and I'm not complaining." Soren grabbed the soap from the dish and started washing Ryan's back. "I was a virgin, even."
"In some ways, maybe." Ryan leaned against the wall as Soren's fingers worked the stiffness from his muscles. "You keep that up and I'm going to get hard again."
"Much as I like that plan, I'm afraid it isn't going to happen." Soren moved under the spray and started washing himself. "We've been summoned before the pack council."
Ryan didn't like the sound of that. "What gives?"
Soren moved aside so Ryan could rinse himself off. "Last night the hunter said he'd sent someone after my family, remember?"
As if he could ever forget. "I assume this has something to do with how Jacques and the others escaped."
"Yes." Soren stepped out of the shower, then grabbed a towel from the rack and dried himself. "The three of them would probably be dead right now if my sister hadn't had a premonition that something bad was going to happen."
Ryan turned the water off and reached for his own towel before stepping out onto the bath mat beside Soren. "Your sister is clairvoyant?"
"Not exactly." Soren reached for the clothes he'd hung on the back of the bathroom door. "It's more like Delia gets a dark sense that something evil is com
ing her way. Last night she got the feeling that someone was after her, so she grabbed Mother and Jacques, and the three of them fled." Soren slipped into his jeans. "They made it out minutes before the house caught fire."
"Damn. I'm sorry, Soren."
"So am I, but it was just a building." Soren pulled his shirt over his head, then came back over to wrap his arms around Ryan's waist. "When I think about what almost happened to them-- and what could've happened to you--I realize just how much I stand to lose."
Shifting Again Page 9
