“I wonder if the mine’s still working,” Jack said.
Despite his initial worries, he wasn’t nervous without people around. Petrov had made the mistake of venturing alone late in the day, but the pale landscape ensured Jack would see any danger from miles away.
He didn’t want to move anywhere though, since Roux had cozied up to him so nicely in the sleigh. His warmth was the sweetest torture, and Jack was beginning to wonder whether Roux understood the extent to which his presence affected Jack? Even now, his mind kept serving him images of the two of them stopping the sleigh among the piles of snow and fucking under the furry covers for hours, instead of getting on with the job at hand.
There was something about Roux that made Jack tender inside, even more so than his infatuation with Calix had. He cared for Roux in ways that ran deeper. If Roux never wanted him sexually again, Jack would still desperately crave to remain friends, to be close. To become the kind of man Roux thought of with admiration.
When they arrived at the mine, there were hardly any people left on the surface, beyond a couple of guards who claimed most of the workers had taken leave because of a religious festival. Jack wasn’t sure if that was really the case, but he and Roux still investigated the scene, walking the edges of the deep hole created with ingenious technology. He wouldn’t call the industrial landscape attractive, but the gold mined here certainly would be turned into beautiful final product.
None of the guards knew any languages beyond their own, since hardly any foreigners lived in the area, but Jack managed to ask about the voices coming from below with a set of gestures. The guards confirmed that this was a real phenomenon, but when Roux and Jack used their Addisons around the mining area, the devices showed no activity. It was perplexing, but without means to communicate with anyone beyond their immediate surroundings and daylight slowly dwindling, they realized it was time to go back to town.
Jack was about to climb into the sleigh when something cold hit him on the back of the head. He pulled out the Gouger and turned in one swift move, ready to take on whatever Siberian monster wanted to eat him alive.
But it was only Roux, who winked at him, scooting with another snowball already in his hand.
No. He would have not.
But he absolutely had.
“Someone’s in a playful mood,” Jack said, grinning at Roux and pushing his gloved hand into the snow as well. He grabbed a fistful in preparation for battle.
The way Roux’s lips revealed his teeth in an honest smile made Jack grin in return. “It wasn’t me. Must have been the ghost,” he said and threw another snowball at Jack, dodging the one thrown his way.
Jack laughed and this time put more effort into aiming. The snowball knocked Roux’s hat off, and the chat was so surprised he fell down.
“Got you!” Jack fell to his knees and rubbed some of the frozen fluff into the top of Roux’s head.
Roux meowed wildly, but wasn’t fighting half as hard as he could have, instead gathering a pile of snow and pushing it under Jack’s scarf. “You will never get me alive!”
Jack chewed on his lip and captured Roux’s wrists, pinning him to the ground. “You sure about that, Mr. Chat-Bonnes?” he asked, staring straight at Roux. He would not look away.
Roux’s gaze became tender, and to Jack’s surprise, he arched off the ground and licked along Jack’s cheek with his nubbed tongue, sending a shiver of excitement all the way down Jack’s spine.
Jack’s brain froze, and Roux pushed Jack over, darting away with a laugh.
“You’re so easy to distract, Mr. Addison!”
But when Jack was about to get up, fresh snowflakes melted against his skin.
It was only then that he noticed that it had gotten darker not just due to the time, but also because of the thick clouds gathering above. It really was high time to go.
“You’ll answer for your crimes another time,” he said, wiping the snow from his clothes and climbing into the sleigh. He wouldn’t rub his face dry though, still reveling in the lick that awakened the memories of their night together in Transylvania.
Roux smiled, pushing the hat over his ears. He sat under the covers and awaited Jack as if it were his God-given right to have a servant drive the sleigh for him.
Hell, maybe it was, because Jack itched for an opportunity to impress him.
He buried himself in the furs and snapped the reins, prompting the horse to move. The landscape turned dramatic within minutes, and it was only by sheer luck that the horse seemed to know his way around, because with the swirling snow Jack could see barely anything.
Since speaking was too hard with the wind blowing into their faces, he enjoyed Roux’s arm loosely entwined with his, and envisioned a world in which they couldn’t find their way back. They would have had to return to the haunted mine for shelter and have to use one another’s bodily warmth for comfort. Roux would undress and then one thing would lead to another, since friction also meant heat.
“Jack! There’s someone ahead!” Roux yelled over the howling wind, pointing to a lone figure in the snow.
Jack pulled on the reins, making the horse slow down and then come to a halt. The shadow form was barely visible from afar, but when it moved closer to the lantern attached to the front of the sleigh, Jack saw the pretty face of a young man with damp red hair sticking to his cheeks. He was dressed in a smooth, cinnamon-hued fur that dragged over the snow at the bottom, but despite the adverse weather, the stranger didn’t seem lost or worried.
He said a word in Russian, touching the side of the sleigh with an ungloved hand. The poor thing had to be freezing!
“We don’t speak Russian,” Jack said, but the youth offered him a brilliant smile.
“Well, hello!” he said as if he hadn’t spent a day away from New York City.
Roux’s grip on Jack’s arm became tense. “What are you doing out here? Who are you? Do you want to come with us? We’re headed to Krasnoyarsk.”
Jack didn’t know if it was the light playing tricks on him, but the stranger had the most amazing golden eyes. “No, thank you so much for your kindness. In fact, I saw your sleigh and wanted to invite the two of you to my home. You’re still far away from safety and a snowstorm is coming.” The redhead smiled and put his hand on Jack’s.
His touch sent a wave of heat through Jack, even though his hands were bare and should’ve felt frozen. Was his body naturally hot? Was this also why he wasn’t blowing out vapor?
“Your house?”
The youth smiled. “I’m Adam. I work here, and my house is just beyond this hill,” he said, gesturing into the white landscape that no longer had any features Jack could recognize. “You are both very welcome,” he added, reaching out to grab Roux’s hand too.
Roux recoiled and shook his head. “If you’re fine, we’ll be on our way.”
Adam looked up into Jack’s eyes. “I would hate for you to miss such an opportunity. I long for a chance to show my hospitality to fellow travellers, and I have a large, warm bed by the fire.”
Roux got up and hissed at the pretty temptation wrapped in a ginger package. “Are you trying to seduce my friend in the middle of a snowstorm? What is wrong with you? Can’t you see he’s not interested?”
Wasn’t he? Was this what was going on here? Surely not. Why would a handsome young man venture out into the storm in hope of stopping a passing traveller? It made no sense.
“I mean... we are far away from town, and we might get lost in this weather,” Jack said, when the stranger squeezed his hand, his touch making it hard to say no.
“My bed is big enough for the two of you,” Adam said with a playful smile, and his slightly pinched features became vulpine. But sexy.
“Jack! You cannot be seriously considering this?”
Jack bit his lip, focused on the sexual adventure presented to him on a silver platter. Why would he not consider it? Was he supposed to stay celibate just because Roux couldn’t make up his mind whether he wanted them to
be lovers or not? Maybe this was a good time to finally push for answers.
“Why wouldn’t I? You were the one to tell me we can work together and nothing else,” he said in a tone more biting than he’d intended.
He hated to see the hurt in Roux’s eyes, but it was too late to take back his words. In a matter of seconds, Roux’s expression hardened. “Do it then! Who am I to stand in the way of your fun?”
Jack exhaled. “Roux, come on. Let’s go. I’m sure we’ll have a nice evening in good company,” he said, rubbing the stranger's arm.
Adam nodded with a smile. “I have delicious food waiting on the table, and more friends for you to spend time with.”
Jack didn’t know how he felt about Roux going off with Adam’s ‘other friends’, but Roux spoke before Jack could ponder it any further.
“I don’t want to go anywhere other than back for Krasnoyarsk!” Roux’s voice was getting that hissing undertone which came with his anger. “We’re not a couple, I have no reason to keep you. Go on, no hard feelings.” He gave the fakest smile Jack had ever seen, but it only caused more frustration.
This was clearly a fit of jealousy, and what kind of right did Roux have to that when he’d been the one to reject Jack over and over?
“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jack said and left the sleigh, his fingers already entwined with the stranger’s.
Roux stared at him as if he’d been stabbed and still couldn’t believe it had happened. “I won’t be waiting around when I go out again tomorrow, so make sure you’re at the inn in the morning.” Without waiting for an answer, he took the reins and urged the horse forward so fast Jack tripped on his way off the sleigh.
Oh well. Adam’s arms were there to stop him from falling.
Chapter 3
The tall building emerged from the snow like an oasis in the desert. It didn’t look like the castles Jack had seen in Europe, but it was one nevertheless. It reminded Jack of a Japanese pagoda. How did a structure like this end up deep in Siberia? Then again, who was Jack to question people’s design choices?
“That’s... when you told me you owned a house, this wasn’t quite what I imagined,” Jack said, pulling the coat closer around him as the two of them approached the giant structure, the only landmark in miles of snow-covered taiga.
Adam grinned and reached out for a red rope, which moved a bell somewhere inside, making it chime. “You expected me to be a pauper? Oh, no, no, no, only the best for my guests.”
The door opened, and for a second Jack stood there, staring at a young man so similar to Adam, Jack considered that they could be twins—redheaded, pale, with thin smiley lips and golden eyes.
“Welcome,” the man said, making a broad, inviting gesture.
It was so warm inside air vaporized when it escaped, and the man wore only a very long banyan of sorts, with images of flowers embroidered into the fabric.
“Um, hello? Jack said, squeezing the other stranger’s warm hand. He flinched when Adam pulled off his fur coat, but he wanted to be a polite guest, so he soon removed his boots too and followed the two men down the corridor where a herby scent perfumed the air. Laughter carried over his head, but whether it came from the floor above or one of the rooms adjacent to the dark hallway—he didn’t know.
What he did know however, was that this large home in the middle of the tundra was so well heated he was starting to sweat.
Two pairs of footsteps approached them from ahead. The tap of bare soles against a wooden floor was impossible to miss, even though ignoring socks at this time of the year was somewhat strange.
"A guest! A guest!"
Two voices were like an echo, and when the men revealed themselves as more ginger beauties with features just like Adam’s, Jack became increasingly bewildered. These two men were as identical as drops of water, their hair, long and glossy, reached far below their shoulders, and their eyes glinted like gold coins.
“Wow. Your mother must have had a tough time handling so many babies at once,” Jack said, squeezing the hands of the newcomers, who herded him farther inside, all excited smiles and soft touches. Was the house even big enough to have a straight corridor of such length? Maybe it only appeared smaller from the outside, because he couldn’t spot an end to the hallway.
Adam grinned, and Jack was baffled to see that he too had changed into the Eastern-style outfit, though he couldn’t tell when that could have happened. Embroidered with elaborate designs and dark red like blood, it got Jack to stare, but he was distracted when one of Adam’s brothers moved a section of the wall. Made of paper on a wooden frame, it was more of a divider, but Jack was enchanted when it revealed food piled on a long, yet exceptionally low table.
Everything Jack could have desired, and more, lay in piles. From steaming steaks to a pie that looked just like the one Jack’s grandmother used to make. He stumbled inside with his mouth watering already. How did all this get here? To a castle in the Siberian tundra?
Two more pairs of golden eyes glanced at Jack from behind the feast, and the smiles of the kneeling men widened at the sight of him. They all wore the far-East style garments, and everything was so unusual yet fit so well together, Jack was starting to think he was dreaming.
“Welcome!” they said in unison. They too were like Adam’s twins.
“W-what is this?” Jack uttered to Adam, who urged him inside.
“Eat up. We’ve been waiting for a man like you for so long.”
“A man like me?” Jack asked, confused even as Adam ushered him to the table and helped him kneel next to the food. “Another American, you mean?”
Adam sighed and slid his hands over Jack’s shoulders as his… friends (?), brothers? sat around the table. “An open-minded man.”
Jack looked around, not sure what their meaning was, but the fact that all the gazes glinted his way as if he were a prized stallion that had just won a race had his body heating up. He started eating as soon as Adam filled his plate with the food, and while the flavors were recognizable and pleasant, they also felt quite mild, watered-down almost, but he wanted to be a good guest and complimented the meal.
“How did you all get here? What’s your business so far away from home?” he asked when one of the young men shifted closer, and the robe slid down his shoulder, revealing an undergarment of red fur. If that was what they all wore beneath their outer clothes, the lack of pants and bare feet made a bit more sense.
Something furry tickled Jack’s nape when one of the men inched even closer. “We’ve been banished, so we had to come all the way here.” He pouted, running his fingers over Jack’s knee.
“Banished? Like... from the state?” he asked, suddenly conscious of how vastly he was outnumbered. Was this a gang of outlaws who’d left behind the Western plains and made their way here to escape the noose?
“From our home.” The smallest of the men said, hypnotizing Jack with his golden eyes.
“We miss the warmth of a man,” Adam whispered and kissed Jack’s neck from behind.
They weren’t vampires, were they?
Jack laughed, weirded out, no matter how exciting this was. “There’s six of you. Might be a bit too much for just me to handle.”
Adam laughed, and when he pulled Jack back, pillows appeared under them as if out of nowhere. “Oh, you’ll do just fine. As long as… you really are open-minded.” He smiled and pulled open the banyan revealing the fur outfit underneath.
Jack did a double take.
It wasn’t an outfit--the guy’s skin was covered with silky fur. He looked from Adam to his friends, noticing a fat red tail trailing from under one of the robes to swipe the floor. It was so lush, so thick and shiny Jack felt the urge to bury his face in it, but Adam and another of his brothers helped him up and led him away from the table.
Jack had barely eaten anything yet felt so sated from the couple of bites he’d had, as if he’d been dining like a king for an entire week. Just a second ago, he’d been worried about something. What h
ad that been? His mind was too hazy to think straight.
“We have all the time in the world.” Adam let out a high-pitched giggle, and when he hugged Jack from behind, his fur pressed against Jack’s skin.
When did Jack undress? Did it matter?
What mattered was that there were three more pretty boys waiting for him on a bed of pillows and red furs. He didn’t remember how he’d gotten there, but when the young men pulled on his hands, he fell into the sheets, overwhelmed by the sensation of the soft, warm pelt tickling his thighs as Adam moved between his legs, pretty face smiling when his eyes zeroed in on Jack’s stiff cock.
There was something Jack was forgetting, somewhere beyond the thin walls that somehow conserved heat.
But he couldn’t remember, his mind hazy as if he’d gotten inebriated without drinking.
The ginger fur triggered his memory, but when all nine of the foxy creatures touched him in their nest of pillows, he had a hard time remembering. Thick fox tails rolled around him like fluffy snakes, tongues licking up his neck from both sides.
Maybe he’d died and gone to heaven? The creatures had white bellies, but the fur on their backs was coarser. They smelled of pine and something sweet he couldn’t grasp, but it didn’t matter when one of them licked down Jack’s stomach.
He let out a low groan, pulling one of the identical faces closer and drowning in the pleasure of not knowing and not remembering. Nine pairs of eyes glinted in the dusky light of the bedroom, and as hands with deceptively sharp nails caressed him all over, he started to drown in the sheets until one of the boys stretched along Jack’s body so exquisitely he finally felt like moving.
Rolling on top of the beautiful man, Jack pushed his thighs open and moaned when the long tail caressed his knee. He laughed when one of the gloriously furry creatures sucked on his toe, but the one under Jack sniffed him with a frown.
A scowl twisted Jack’s face. He had been out and about all day. Maybe they should have started... whatever this was—with a hot bath in a tub for ten, which those wealthy young men surely owned.
Jack Addison vs. a Whole World of Hot Trouble - The Complete Series Page 25
