Wulf, Tales of the Chosen

by Kayelle Allen

  "Yeah." Wulf lifted a hand and stroked it across Luc's hair, his fingers lingering near Luc's brow. "You'd better be good or I'll make you regret it."

  "I'm always good." Propping his head on one hand, Luc stroked Wulf's warm skin. "You're so sensual. I love touching you. Staring at you. You were made to be enjoyed, Wulf."

  His lover arched his neck, sighing. His languid submission made Luc's body pulse with the sensation of power. His balls tingled with a wonderful so-hot-I'm-going-to-shoot pleasure. The raw sex appeal of having this beautiful man in his bed sent Luc's mind reeling.

  A longtime dream come true being here with him.

  "I'll let you do anything you want to me later. I was an ass." Luc leaned down and kissed the nipple nearest to him, stroked the brown button with his tongue, teased it into rigidity. He drew Wulf closer and licked the other nipple, breathed on the wet skin to pebble it. "I want to make it up to you."

  Wulf gripped him by the hair and pulled his face up close to his own. "You'd damn well better, Sempervian. I expect major kissing up."

  "Would gifts be appropriate?"

  He lowered his gaze to Luc's mouth and then returned to his eyes. "You think you can afford what it would take to buy me off?"

  He traced a finger along Wulf's jaw line. "What would you like?"

  "How about the Fists?"

  Luc choked on a laugh. "The ruckball team?"

  "If you had something bigger you wanted to offer, go ahead."

  The little tease is serious! Luc caught what this request was--and the truth that lay behind it. Nothing he gave Wulf would make up for the way he had treated him. Luc sat up. "Wulf. Wulf, love. Sit up."

  His lover pushed himself back against the head of the bed and drew up his knees, wrapping arms around them. A muscle twitched in his jaw.

  "I infuriated you by the way I reacted and you don't want to forgive me. In fact, you want to kick my ass."

  Wulf dipped his head lower, a corner of his mouth twitching.

  Luc folded his legs and leaned forward, one hand braced against the pillows. "Maybe you'd feel better if you hit me."

  The brown-eyed gaze turned on him sharply. A flash of anger tightened into a squint.

  "I spanked you." Luc wet his lips. "Maybe you should hit me. I was senseless and heartless."

  The resounding slap across the face hit him so hard and fast it almost toppled him. Resisting the urge to touch his face, Luc turned back to Wulf and was struck again. The third blow brought the taste of blood to his mouth.

  Wulf shoved him backwards, pushing him off the bed. Luc clambered to his feet and staggered backward. He submitted to Wulf's fists as his lover pummeled him. No one could ever accuse Wulf Gabriel of hitting like a girl. He'd paid attention in class during all those years of martial arts. Luc felt the proof of it in every blow.

  He resisted nothing, allowing himself to be beaten. Wulf knocked him to the ground, made him get up, and then knocked him down again.

  "Get up, damn it!" Wulf stood over him. "Stand up and fight me, Sempervian. Defend yourself."

  "No." Luc stuck his tongue against a loose tooth. His jaw ached. He rose unsteadily on one knee, pushed himself to his feet, and faced Wulf. "Hit me again."

  "No!" Wulf shoved him away. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Think I'm going to give you the easy way out?" He set a hand in the middle of Luc's chest and shoved.

  He staggered, almost fell. His jaw hummed as his loose tooth reseated itself. Luc wished he could stop the healing, so Wulf could have proof of his suffering. No amount of blood could suffice to show the depth of his pain.

  "Why did you do that to me, Luc? Why did you have to make me hate you again? I wanted to love you, damn it. I wanted to open my heart to you and you tore it out of me." He pushed Luc so hard he hit the wall.

  Throwing out his hands, Luc braced them against it and stood there, accepting whatever punishment Wulf threw his way.

  "Damn you!" Wulf balled up his fists. "I forgave you for my father's death. I forgave you for living when my father died. But I can't forgive you for taking away my trust. I opened myself to you. I gave you everything and you just ... walked ... away." He pressed the heel of his fists against his eyes and rocked unsteadily.

  Luc reached out a hand to support him.

  Wulf yanked away from his touch and almost fell. He regained his balance and moved away, turning his back. "Damn you to hell, Sempervian. Damn you!"

  Luc sank to the floor and tilted his head back against the wall. "I wish I was human enough to go there for you, Wulf. If I have a soul, it's in torment right now over what I did to you. You have every right to hate me."

  Wulf turned and lost his footing, falling to his knees before him. "Luc, I wanted you so bad. I wanted to love you. I wanted you."

  "Marriage scared me. A man who knows he can't die, who can take a bullet in the heart and live--scared off by one request. I had to face my demons." He wiped at his eyes. "I called Pietas."

  Wulf recoiled as if he'd been struck. "You--you called..." Wulf clutched his throat. "Why?"

  "To ask permission to join with you. To bring you back as my Chosen. To marry you."

  Wulf sat on the floor, naked, facing him in stony-faced silence in the dim light. "No."

  "No? No to what?"

  "I can't marry you, Luc."

  Those words froze his heart--he tightened a hand over his chest. "Wulf..."

  "It's not because I don't love you." Wulf stroked fingertips down Luc's face. "I do. I love you with all my heart. But I'll die and you'll be alone again."

  "Wulf, don't!" He grabbed his hands. "I won't listen to that kind of talk."

  Wulf set his brow against Luc's. "Let me tell you what's in my heart."

  "Wulf, please. Please, don't."

  "Shh." He lifted a hand and cupped Luc's cheek. "I love you. I'll be yours as long as you'll have me. But it was a moment of foolishness to ask you for marriage. I will be your Chosen. I'll love you as long as I live. I'll be yours as long as you let me walk beside you. But I'll never marry you."

  Hot tears splashed Luc's cheeks. With Wulf so close to him, he couldn't tell whose they were. Luc pulled him closer. "Wulf..."

  "While you were gone, I realized something about myself. I've been waiting for you to act on my behalf. For you to save me. To rescue me from my situation. I've been waiting for you to be the hero."

  "Oh, Wulf." He took Wulf's hands in his and brought them to his mouth. He placed kisses against his fingers and laid his cheek in Wulf's palms. "I'd like nothing better than to always be your hero."

  Wulf kissed Luc's other cheek, then drew away from him, and dragged both hands through his hair, pulling it back from his face. "I've been waiting for others to save me all my life. I'm not going to wait anymore. It's my life. I need to be my own hero."

  Scrubbing away tears, Luc rested against the wall, pressing his back flat against it. "You've never needed me, Wulf. You might be a born-to-it submissive, but that doesn't mean you can't stand on your own. You have to decide what you want." He rubbed his eyes, and groaned when his eyes stung and burned. "Damn it."

  Wulf made a soft gasp. "You tore your lenses."

  "I've had them on non-stop." He closed his eyes. "I'm amazed they didn't fail while we were in the vault. I don't know how I'd have explained these eyes to Senthys."

  Wulf stood and held down a hand. "Come on. Let's get you out of those so you'll be more comfortable."

  Luc reached up and let Wulf assist him. In the bathroom, he turned on the light and leaned against the sink. Swelling marred the left side of his lower lip. He touched it with his tongue. The tooth had already resettled itself.

  "Do you have more lenses with you?" Wulf opened drawers and rummaged through them.

  "Over there. In my shaving kit."

  "Here." Wulf put the kit within reach and met his gaze in the mirror, his face a mask.

  "I'd like to leave these contacts off if you think you could stand it."

  A smile softe
ned Wulf's features. "Stand it? You're such a clown, Luc. I could stare at you all day. Your eyes are beautiful."

  He snorted. Even set against his dark skin, most people noticed his black eyes, but with the lenses cracked and splitting... He removed the protective lenses and the room went dark.

  WULF COVERED HIS mouth in awe of Luc's true eyes. Nothing in the Chosen Chronicles mentioned anything about them. Each Chosen kept his or her Sempervian's secrets, yes, but not from each other. Except in the case of Cyken Tomarus, it seemed. Few wrote anything about him on a personal level.

  "Wulf?"

  "I'm here, Luc." He came up beside him. "For a moment, I forgot you couldn't see me. I wish you didn't have to hide your eyes. They're amazing."

  Without their covering, they glowed with brilliant, radiant white light, enough to illuminate the room.

  "Does it hurt?"

  "The light?" Luc made a noncommittal shrug. "When I'm around people who have intense personal drive, they burn."

  "You mean, like the empress?"

  "Oh hell, yes. She almost sets me on fire. I have no idea why, but people with her personality, the strong, dominating types make my eyes feel like they're ablaze. I use drops sometimes but it doesn't help much. The heat is inside me." He reached for Wulf.

  "Here." He moved to within Luc's grasp. "Want to lie down?"

  Luc linked his arm with Wulf's as they returned to the bedroom.

  Wulf guided him into bed and crawled in beside him. He put himself in Luc's arms and rested his head against the man's shoulder. "Are there other Sempervians with eyes like yours?"

  "None recorded. No one knows why mine are different."

  "What makes them glow?"

  "No idea."

  Wulf tilted back his head, resting a hand on Luc's furry chest. The soft hair sprung up between his fingers as he caressed it. "Maybe it's kind of like a firefly."

  He played with Wulf's hair. "Fireflies glow in spurts. If you could see my eyes all the time, they'd always be glowing."

  "When you're physically satisfied, then you can see I can make you see again."

  Luc chuckled, shaking his head. "It's not as easy as it sounds. You're talking about hours of lovemaking. Intense lovemaking."

  Wulf chewed his lower lip, considering. "More than we've done before?"

  The man stroked Wulf's arm as he held him. "I'm afraid so."

  "I almost kept up with you before. If we were careful, I could do more."

  "No. I don't want to risk hurting you."

  "Come on, Sempervian." Wulf leaned up on one elbow. "Live a little. Let's see how far I can take you."

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Kelthian orbit, C-1, Luc's private vessel

  Sumertsag 29, mid-morning

  Snuggled into the plush bed, Luc lifted a hand, found Wulf's face, and caressed it. "You have nothing to prove to me, Wulf. You don't have to do this."

  "Bullshit." Warm lips pressed into his palm. "Give me a chance to gaze into your true eyes."

  "I wish I could see your eyes right now." He lowered his hand. "I don't want you to think you have to make up to me about this."

  "Oh, shut up." Wulf stretched out alongside him. "You think I don't know that? I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

  "First things first. How much sleep have you had?"

  No answer, then, "About six, maybe six and a half hours. But I also had a heart to heart with Fee and soaked in the tub for almost an hour. I feel rested."

  "Good. Then we'll order some food before we begin."

  "You're hungry?" He could hear Wulf's pout.

  "Sempervians are always hungry." Luc tugged on his hair. "Call McDoth. Dial one."

  When the android came online, Luc sat up. "Deliver a few trays of those 'special foods' we brought on board, will you? How many bottles of champagne are on hand?"

  "We have several of each size."

  "I want a Nebuchadnezzar. Make that two. Bring up some wine, and that beer I brought on board."

  Beside him, Wulf sputtered a laugh.

  McDoth accepted the order without comment. "Right away, sir."

  "Disconnect." Luc stretched until his muscles felt the burn.

  "What are you planning with all that booze?" Wulf's doubt rang in every syllable. "You could get way beyond drunk. Hell with that much, you could get comatose."

  "I can't get drunk at all, but we'll use most of it for playtime."

  Silence hung in the air, followed by low laughter. "Oh stars. I don't want to know."

  "Second thoughts, Wulf?" He rested his back against the cool leather headboard.

  The sounds of movement and the shifting of the bed told him Wulf had moved to sit beside him. "If I want to stop at some point, are you going to force me to continue?"

  "Of course not."

  Wulf slid his hand into Luc's. Its coolness spoke of nerves, a fine tremble underscoring its depth. "Then I'm not afraid."

  "I will not disappoint you, beautiful one. While we're waiting, let's rest." He scooted down into the bed. "Snuggle with me."

  Wulf curled against him. "You're a cuddler?"

  "Guilty." He curled his fingers in Wulf's hair, savoring the clean scent of it. "How could I not want to be close to you every single moment?"

  "I've had lovers who didn't."

  He kissed Wulf's brow. "Whatever failing others had with you, share with me. I want to fulfill you, my love. I never want to be guilty of taking without giving. I want to love you so well that you'll forget my own wrongs. I want to take away any pain I've caused and give you pleasure tenfold in its place."

  Wulf kissed his fingertips. "You're mushy in bed."

  "Kiss me."

  Wulf turned a bit and rose half over him to press his mouth against Luc's. They kissed, nibbled, and tasted one another's mouths until the doorbell rang.

  Luc motioned Wulf to stay in bed. He rose, pulled on a robe from the closet, and walked to the door as if he were sighted. He knew the number of steps from any point to another in every room. If only he could navigate to Wulf's heart with such ease. He opened the door.

  "McDoth. Come in." The airflow of a hovercart cooled his shins as the android entered with it. Luc shut the door behind him.

  "Do you want this anywhere special, sir?"

  "The table will do." He returned to the bed and sat on the edge.

  The precise clink and clatter of dishes being placed on a hard surface rose. McDoth would lay out everything in a specific order so Luc could find whatever he needed.

  Luc sat on the bed. Wulf slid over and went to his knees behind Luc, wrapping his arms around him from the back. Wulf's warmth, the heat of his rod along Luc's spine, the closeness, all served to titillate and energize.

  "Master, what's with all the plates? There must be twenty different things."

  "Aphrodisiacs."

  "Looks like food to me."

  "It is food." He turned his head to one side. "Each one was chosen for specific properties. I'm going to stuff you full of the most exotic, erotic, and libido-enhancing food money can buy."

  "Ooh." Nibbling on Luc's ear, Wulf spoke in hushed tones. "I like the idea, but is that all you're going to stuff me with?"

  He couldn't help but chuckle. "Behave yourself for two minutes and I'll show you."

  "All right, but I'm counting the seconds." Wulf lay back down and curled himself around Luc.

  "I'm worth the wait." The poke in his side made him grunt.

  "You'd better be." Wulf brought Luc's hand to his mouth and sucked his middle finger into it. Wulf swirled his tongue around that finger like it was a cock, teasing, tasting...

  Luc tightened his thighs, his shaft twitching.

  Wulf let go of his finger. The bed jiggled as he sat up. "Why is McDoth taking the big bottles of champagne into the bathroom? Don't tell me he's... Is he...?"

  A soft "pop" preceded the hollow sound of trickling liquid as it poured.

  Wulf swore under his breath. "He's pouring it into the tub?"

/>   "Yes."

  "We're going to bathe in champagne?"

  "As you said, 'live a little.' You'll love what it does for your skin."

  "Are you serious? Isn't that expensive?" Wulf curled up beside him. "What am I saying? You could buy a planet. It's not what I expected. You're amazing, you know that?"

  What a cross between youth and man Wulf has turned out to be. Nothing like his classy, elegant image on Imperinet. Thank goodness. We can't both be stuffed shirts.

  Luc crossed to one of the built-in dressers, opened a drawer, and returned with a small wooden box. He sat down on the bed. "Over my knee, please."

  "Are you spanking me?"

  "I'm fitting you with a butt plug." He patted his lap. "Now, please."

  Wulf's cheeks flushed pink. "After McDoth leaves."

  "There's nothing about us McDoth doesn't already know. Obey me, Wulf."

  He hesitated, chewing his lip, but finally moved into position.

  Luc opened the box, chose a medium-sized plug, and drizzled it with lubricant. "Hold still, love." He spread Wulf's cheeks. Gently, he inserted the plug.

  Wulf squirmed.

  "Too tight?"

  He flexed his cheeks. "No. It's okay."

  Luc kept him from rising. "We'll use a bigger one, then. I want to stretch you so you'll last longer later."

  A whimper rose.

  "Hold still." Luc chose a plug two sizes larger, and lubricated it. Slowly, he withdrew the first plug, and set the second at Wulf's entrance. "This should be tighter."

  When he inserted it, his lover grunted, and spread his legs a bit wider.

  Luc rubbed Wulf's cheeks. "Does it sting?"

  "No, Master, but I can feel every inch of it."

  "We've been having sex, so you've stretched some already. You can take the largest."

  His head came up. "Luc..."

  "Easy, love. I'm not going to hurt you. You'll thank me for preparing you. Believe me." He carefully withdrew the plug and set it aside.

  The widest part of third plug was wider than three of Luc's fingers, with a narrow neck. He lubricated it, and set the narrow tip at Wulf's entrance. "We'll do this a little at a time. It's not long, but it's wide."

  Wulf sucked in a breath, and then panted. When the entire length was inserted, he hung his head. "I feel full."