The Otter's Tale

by Charlie Richards

  Jerome began sliding to the right, intending to slip from the bed.

  Aziel growled and tightened his arm. “You don’t have to go anywhere.”

  Turning back to his mate, Jerome grinned at Aziel. “Actually, I was gonna piss.”

  “Oh.” Aziel’s brows furrowed as he nodded. He slowly loosened his arm. “Are your jeans on that side of the bed? Where’d they end up?”

  For a second, Jerome almost responded with, “I’ll find them when I get out,” but he just managed to stay his tongue.

  Right. Human mate. Modesty.

  Then Jerome noticed Perseus had paused near the bed and was bending down to pick something up. A second later, the doc held out his jeans. A smirk curved the pale green gargoyle’s lips.

  “Thanks.”

  Jerome took the offered item of clothing. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, keeping the blanket over his lap. Sliding the jeans up his legs, then carefully leaned up and maneuvered them up to cover his butt.

  Once acceptably covered, Jerome rose. He buttoned and zipped, then turned and leaned over the bed, pressing a kiss to Aziel’s lips. “Be right back,” he whispered.

  Just before he closed the door behind him, he heard Aziel ask, “So, doc, do you have any crutches for me? Or how about some plastic to cover these stitches so I can take a shower?”

  Jerome didn’t wait to hear Perseus’s response. He figured he’d know the answers soon enough. Instead, he made quick work of pissing, washing up, and finding a new toothbrush so he could clean his teeth.

  Once Jerome had finished cleaning up, he returned to the bedroom. He found that Perseus had left, but Maelgwn and Einan had returned. Glancing between them, Jerome saw Maelgwn smile at him, and tension he hadn’t realized he still carried eased from him.

  “Congratulations, Jerome. Aziel.” Maelgwn leaned against the wall, peering at them. “Welcome to the clutch. I think I’d like you both to slip out and enjoy a quiet evening by the pond while I handle the first meeting with our visitors.” He offered a feral smile. “You know. Make certain they know that bigotry will not be tolerated in my territory.” He growled softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Plus, they need to know that just because we are not shifters, they cannot throw their weight around.”

  Einan scoffed. “You just didn’t like the message you received from that asshole who said they’d landed.”

  “No, I most certainly did not,” the chieftain confirmed, a growl in his voice. “Damn shifter enforcer thought he could order me around.”

  “Aww, fuck,” Jerome whispered. “Which enforcer?”

  “Enforcer Charon,” Einan told him. His eyes narrowed. “Said he spoke on behalf of Alpha Saburo. Why?”

  Jerome scowled. “That doesn’t make sense,” he mused softly. “He’s always been the tolerant one.”

  “Jerome, talk to us,” Maelgwn ordered. “What are you referring to?”

  Evidently, demanding things wasn’t restricted to just shifter alphas. Jerome understood, however. Strangers were entering the chieftain’s territory. He’d want to know everything he could beforehand.

  “My pod has three enforcers. Charon, Ryland, and Scanlon,” Jerome quickly explained, remembering that the plane had landed and they were short on time. “Ryland and Scanlon would ignore it or laugh about it if they saw other otters attacking me or harassing me. Charon would actually put a stop to it. He was the understanding one. I don’t know why he’d say something derogatory.” Scowling, Jerome stared at the bed. “Why would he intentionally be rude to another alpha?”

  “To put our backs up,” Einan instantly replied. “To alarm us.”

  “It’s forewarning,” Maelgwn added.

  Jerome settled on the side of the bed and grabbed Aziel’s hand, intending to thread their fingers together. He suddenly needed the soothing touch of his mate. Evidently, that wasn’t good enough for Aziel, for the huge man grabbed him and pulled him close to his side.

  “I don’t understand,” Jerome admitted.

  Maelgwn hummed gruffly as he exchanged a look with Einan. “You said yourself that Enforcer Charon has always been fair and understanding, right?”

  Realizing the chieftain expected an answer, Jerome nodded.

  “Then something must not be on the up and up.” Einan growled softly before adding, “Charon obviously knows this, but probably can’t say anything directly.”

  Nodding, Maelgwn pointed out, “He’d either be going against his alpha, which would tear apart his loyalty. Or he might not be alone, in which case he couldn’t openly issue a warning.”

  “This way, you’re on edge, already ready for some kind of problem,” Aziel mused. “So that’s why you want us out of the way. So you can figure out what to do.”

  “So glad I’m not a high-ranking otter,” Jerome mused softly, resting his head against Aziel’s shoulder. He inhaled deeply, enjoying his human’s musky scent. “I wouldn’t want to make those kinds of decision.”

  “You and me both,” Aziel agreed. He kissed the top of Jerome’s head. “And you shouldn’t breathe too deep there, hon. I stink.”

  Jerome growled softly, grinning up at Aziel. “Yeah, you do. I love it.”

  Aziel barked a laugh. “Well, all right then. Still, I don’t want to reek while on our walk.” He pointed at supplies on the nightstand. “Will you help me wrap my bandage, then go get us a picnic dinner. I can’t be the only one who’s starving.”

  As if on cue, Jerome’s stomach rumbled. He laughed and nodded, easing away to grab the stuff.

  “I’ll tell Roman or Sumak or whoever is in the kitchens that you need a basket,” Einan stated, heading from the room. Glancing over his shoulder, he added, “Just stop at the big window in the dining hall, Jerome.”

  Jerome nodded. “Thanks.”

  “I’m also going to assign a tag,” Maelgwn claimed.

  “A tag?” Aziel asked the question.

  Maelgwn nodded as he pushed away from the wall. “Yeah, a tag. Someone to watch over you.” He smirked and winked. “Keep that in mind if you decide to fool around out there.” Sobering, Maelgwn added, “And you should probably take a few friends. Just in case.”

  There was a sobering thought... that his pod-members—former pod-members—couldn’t even be trusted in a strange paranormal’s territory.

  “Good idea,” Aziel confirmed. He pressed a kiss to Jerome’s temple, then murmured, “Hand me my shorts, hon. I know you don’t mind flashing your ass, being a shifter and all, but I don’t know if I’m ever going to be quite that free.”

  The thought of others seeing Aziel’s ass had a growl rumbling from Jerome. Shocked at himself, he felt his face heat. He peered at Chieftain Maelgwn, hoping he hadn’t just insulted his new alpha—uh, chieftain.

  That’ll take some getting used to.

  Chieftain Maelgwn actually appeared amused. The big man shook his head as he smiled at him. “You’ll get better at controlling the possessiveness,” he told him, obviously not in the least upset. “We all go through it when mating.”

  Then the huge gargoyle headed from the room.

  Jerome refocused on getting the plastic taped in place over a patiently waiting Aziel.

  Chapter Ten

  Having used crutches once before, Aziel had no trouble hobbling down the path. He’d enjoyed his shower, although he wished he’d had the guts to ask Jerome to join him. They’d been short on time, however, so perhaps another time.

  “You’re really good on those,” Jerome commented from where he strolled beside him. He carried both a picnic basket and a blanket, as he’d refused to allow Aziel to help at all. “Have you had broken bones before?”

  Aziel nodded. “Yeah. Once. A broken leg when I was thirteen.” He grinned, remembering. “Fell off my bike when trying to do some stupid ramp trick.”

  “A, uh... what?”

  Seeing Jerome’s blatant confusion, Aziel shrugged a little awkwardly as he conti
nued to move. “I’ll have to put on a movie or show or something that has guys doing tricks on bicycles some time.” His stomach growled, reminding him of what they were supposed to be doing. “Uh, turn left down that path.”

  “See any plants you need me to snag?” Jerome asked as he turned down the way Aziel had indicated.

  Aziel shook his head. “No. After we’re done eating, we’ll take a walk deeper into the woods. There’s a couple I need that I think are on the far side of the pond. It’s why I was out here the other day.”

  “I’m sorry I interrupted your work.”

  Snorting, Aziel shook his head. “Are you kidding? I’m not.”

  At that, Jerome peered over his shoulder at him, giving him a beaming smile.

  Aziel’s stomach flip-flopped, butterflies churning. His body warmed as his blood flowed south. The way his body responded to Jerome totally blew him away. He’d never experienced anything like it.

  And Jerome is mine. I’ll never have to let him go.

  Even after having bonded with Jerome, Aziel couldn’t understand his possessive response. He’d never experienced anything like it. In fact, he hadn’t even realized he’d had that kind of response in him.

  Just as a small clearing appeared before them, voices Aziel recognized sounded behind him. He paused and peered over his shoulder. When Aaden, Andre, and Tian appeared, he called a greeting.

  Aziel returned his focus to Jerome and saw that he’d already spread the blanket. After hobbling over, he settled onto the thick fabric. He placed his crutches aside, then focused on Jerome, who was unpacking a picnic basket.

  Needing contact with the man—which was also a new desire for him—Aziel didn’t bother to resist his urge. He grabbed Jerome around the waist and tugged. Ignoring his lover’s surprised cry, Aziel spread his legs and tucked his man’s back to his chest, wrapping him up from behind.

  Ignoring the joshing from his buddies, Aziel dipped his head and placed a number of sucking kisses to his man’s neck.

  Dinner was, of course, amazing.

  Tian’s mate, Roman, ran the clutch’s kitchens like a well-oiled machine. He was also a hell of a chef. Between his tasty creations, plus the favorite dishes from a couple other gargoyles who worked under Roman, everything was always wonderful.

  With Jerome leaning against his chest and his stomach full, Aziel couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so content. Once his leg healed, everything would be perfect. He knew it wouldn’t be long, however... especially with increased healing.

  “So, you going to show us your otter, man?” Andre asked, grinning. “I bet it’s sweet.”

  “It is sweet,” Aziel confirmed. He rubbed his nose along Jerome’s neck. “You can swim for a bit if you want. I’m going to be here for at least twenty digesting.”

  Jerome peered at him over his shoulder, his grin huge. “Thanks. Sitting here next to all this water—” He paused and shivered in obvious excitement. “Been too long.”

  Aziel felt his eyes widen. “Damn, have you not been swimming since the day we met?”

  Shaking his head, Jerome’s cheeks took on a pinkish hue. “I, uh, didn’t want to be too far from you in case you, uh, needed anything.”

  Cupping Jerome’s jaw, Aziel lightly sipped a few kisses from his lover’s lips. When he lifted his head, he enjoyed the sight of Jerome’s parted lips and slightly-glazed expression. It was a damn good look on the man.

  “Go play,” Aziel urged before pressing one more peck to his lips. “I’ll be waiting right here.”

  Jerome blinked, then grinned. He eased forward and up, climbing to his feet. After glancing around, he whipped his t-shirt over his head, then held it out to Aziel.

  “Hold that up, and I’ll strip my pants and then shift behind it.”

  While Aziel thought the t-shirt was a little small to make a true partition, he was pleased that Jerome was attempting to be modest. He took the t-shirt and held it up, pressing one end to his torso to make the make-shift divider just a bit wider. It also gave the added benefit of allowing Aziel to see Jerome as he stripped down.

  “God, you’re fucking sexy,” Aziel mumbled, staring at his man’s firm, lightly-tanned ass.

  I really want in that ass.

  Aziel felt his prick thicken at his thoughts. He couldn’t figure out how that was possible, considering the three fantastic orgasms he’d had earlier that day. Something about Jerome, however, seemed to flip all his switches.

  Jerome shoved off his shoes and jeans, then frowned at him. “Behave,” he mumbled. “I can’t do anything about that right now.”

  Realizing Jerome knew of his randy state, Aziel felt his eyes widen. He suddenly remembered the whole heightened shifter senses thing. His lover could smell his arousal.

  Oh, that could actually come in handy in other situations.

  Hearing a couple of the guys start teasing him about staring, Aziel cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he murmured. Sweeping his heated gaze over Jerome, he added, “Later.”

  Yep. Definitely later.

  Jerome growled softly, his honey-brown eyes full of heat. “Hell, yeah.”

  Then, Jerome began to shift. He lowered to a crouch as his skin rippled as his insides began to change and rearrange. The sound of snapping bones, popping tendons, and cracking muscles filled the clearing. Jerome’s head reshaped, forming a snout and growing whiskers.

  It didn’t seem to take too long before a massive, five foot plus otter sprawled before Aziel. He tossed the shirt aside in favor of touching his lover’s animal form. Reaching out, he hovered his hand over Jerome’s medium brown fur.

  “Can I touch you?” Aziel asked, figuring permission was a good thing to get.

  Jerome responded by tipping his head and rubbing his face along the inside of Aziel’s arm. He chuckled, moving his arm so he could use his palm to rub the otter’s head. The skin, smoother and warmer than he thought it’d be, slid across his palm.

  “Hey, hon.” Aziel had never really thought of himself as an endearment kind of guy, but with Jerome, it just felt right. “You’re stunning.”

  “Holy shit, dude,” Andre murmured, stopping to stand next to him. “You are the biggest fucking otter I have ever seen.”

  Jerome actually appeared to preen at that comment, sitting up straighter and chittering softly.

  Aziel chuckled at his antics. “He’s a giant otter,” he told his buddies, who had all crowded around. They’d talked about it on their way down to the pond. “His kind are from the Amazon and can easily reach up to five feet. You’re a bit bigger than that, aren’t you, hon?”

  Chittering, the squeaky sound one of obvious pleasure, Jerome rubbed up against Aziel’s torso. He next crawled closer to Aziel’s buddies and allowed the men to pet his furred hide. When Andre scratched under his chin, Jerome vocalized softly, expressing his pleasure.

  After a few minutes, Jerome must have decided he’d had enough. He returned to Aziel, rubbed against him once more, then headed to the pond’s edge. Lowering to his belly, he slipped into the water. With a small splash, Jerome dove under the water and out of sight.

  For several minutes, the four men just stopped and stared out at the lake. They saw Jerome surface here and there before diving back beneath the water. The sight of his lover playing caused a happy smile to curve his lips and an odd sort of contentment to fill him.

  Aziel had never felt anything like it, but he sure enjoyed it. Huh. Is this what love feels like? He’d never really considered the matter.

  Maybe I’ll have to ask Aaron what he felt like that convinced him to marry his wife.

  “You know, Mitch is beside himself,” Andre commented, knocking his elbow against Aziel’s, gaining his attention. “He had to cancel that date for you and Mindy, which means Candace is upset with him.”

  Resting his forearms on his upturned knees, Aziel glanced around at his friends. They all nodded. Aziel scoffed and shook his head.

 
; “I didn’t even remember that,” Aziel admitted. Seeing the amused smirks on his friends’ faced, he shrugged. “Mindy stopped me outside the dorm and came on to me like a bitch in heat.” He cringed as he recalled the altercation. “While out hiking around the pond, before the accident, I’d been trying to come up with a tactful way to tell Mitch hell no to the date.”

  Aaden and Andre chuckled. Tian nodded, his expression sage. “She’s definitely not your type,” the ex-cop told him. “She’s a hussy, and part of that sorority group that makes bets on how many popular guys they’ve seduced.”

  Aziel noticed he wasn’t the only one who gaped at the man. “What?”

  “What the hell is that?” Andre asked incredulously.

  “And how to you know?” Aaden added.

  Tian smirked as he settled cross-legged on the blanket. The other guys plopped down onto the blanket as well. Once everyone appeared comfortable, Tian glanced around at them all. He shook his head, then explained.

  “When I was still undercover, I looked into all the sororities,” Tian told them. “Each of them have their own gimmicks, but the Beta This—” He must have noticed Andre’s confusion, for he added, “—that’s the sorority Candace and Mindy are part of, they have this hotness chart. The most popular guys are all listed, along with the girls’ names.” He grimaced, and his cheeks took on a slightly pink hue. “The girl who seduces the most hot guys over the course of a semester is crowned queen bitch.” He pointed at them all. “Part of the deal is that the girls have to get the guy to call for a second date, which she will then, of course, turn down. When I did my research, we were all on there.”

  “Uh, why?” Andre asked, his brows furrowed.

  Tian shrugged. “We’re first string football, and we’re all good looking guys.” He didn’t sound boastful but said the comment as a matter of fact. “Of course we’d be on the list.”

  Aziel chuckled. “I think he meant why would the girls agree to that?” He saw Andre nod, so he answered his own question. “And I’d say it takes a certain type of girl to even want to be in that kind of sorority. Probably stereotyping, but, that’d be my guess.”