by Kira Stone
Suddenly, what the water creature had said sunk into Gavin’s twisted perception of reality. “You’re Baen, the one having trouble with fish egg production?”
“Producing eggs? No. No problems there, my friend. My girls are working hard for me. The trouble is with keeping their eggs healthy until they can be harvested. The water is getting polluted by someone’s foul bird droppings.” He twisted his blue head skyward.
Gavin gazed up at the big bird man. “And that someone would be…”
A flutter of wings brought the winged man within a conversational distance above the large boulder Gavin had taken shelter against. “Airk, Environmental Engineer for Rookery Cove, at your service.” He kept fanning his wings in a light movement, hovering inches above rather than resting upon the gritty surface. Oddly, his hair was a light brown that matched his skin far better than his fine feathers.
A bird and a fish. Oh boy.
He nodded his head in acknowledgement of the introduction since it was impossible to shake hands with a figment of his imagination. “I’m Gavin McNye, Wetlands Specialist and Temporary Nut Job.”
“Nut Job?” Baen and Airk exchanged confused glances.
“Means I’m insane. Crazy. The temporary bit is wishful hoping on my part. It may be that they’ll keep me drugged the entire time I’m on this huge chunk of rock, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic.” A sudden frightening thought occurred to him, and he nearly panicked. He grabbed onto the watery arm in front of him, noting that it felt like muscle wrapped inside a very wet sponge. “I am still in the Atlantic, right?”
Slowly, Baen nodded.
“Okay, good.” He closed his eyes for a minute, trying to get his heart rate back to something approaching normal. “I can’t say that I’ll be much use to anyone in this state though. Wasn’t signing the confidentiality waiver enough?”
Airk gazed down at Gavin, and Gavin found it hard not to preen under the attention. The winged man exuded a smell like none Gavin had encountered before. It was… heavenly. Olfactory ambrosia. And the slight wind Airk created by fanning his wings ensured that he continued to get heady lungfuls of it.
“For the love of all things aquatic, would you please stand downwind?” Baen sneezed, spraying large water droplets everywhere. “You smell like Okibi.”
Okibi. Didn’t sound like any plant or animal Gavin was familiar with. Not surprising, though. He was beginning to understand that RC Island was full of surprises.
Or his drug-induced version of it was, at any rate.
“What is Okibi?” Gavin asked them.
“Okibi is a who, not what. She’s a phoenix, and our chief security specialist,” Airk explained. The way he said her name, a mixture of affection and frustration, made it clear that their relationship went beyond strictly business.
Figures, Gavin thought. He would have a girlfriend. Even in his dreams he couldn’t meet a single, attractive gay man. Creature. Whatever.
What he did find interesting was that a feminine perfume -- one worn by a mythological creature that by all rights should smell like burnt feathers, a smell Gavin detested -- would arouse him so much. He’d never had sex with a woman, never been inclined to. So why was he getting all hot and bothered just from her scent?
“She also manufactures one of Aphrodisiacs’ hottest selling products, a perfume based on her pheromones. Kind of like a love potion, except the only magic involved is done in her lab. Bird brain here smells like he must have taken a bath in the stuff.”
“It was an accident,” Airk muttered. “She was… annoyed, and I didn’t get out of her way fast enough. I’ll never get the hang of women.”
“Then it’s a good thing for them that you prefer boys. Going to be torture for us though, since we have to put up with your stinky ass all day.”
“Like you’re never a walking erection anyway.”
Though Gavin was amused by the by-play, their conversation did answer one important question. “Then you did drug me!”
“Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs doesn’t drug their guests,” Airk told him.
“Sorry, but you’ve got a few too many feathers to be entirely human, and Mr. Wet Sponge over there moves in ways that would mystify Einstein. Since those two things aren’t possible in the real world, I’ve deduced that I’m hallucinating. Unintentionally, of course.” The drug was a good one though. Gavin felt mostly like himself, except for the way his vision continued to play tricks on him. And his morning woody which was currently imitating a giant redwood. That he couldn’t attribute entirely to the drug or the perfume.
“You mean you didn’t know that RC Island is a haven for beings the rest of the world considers mythical or magical?” Baen laughed, his whole body vibrating with mirth.
“He’s human, a mainlander. Course the Home Office wouldn’t tell him anything about us.”
“No wonder you gaped at me like a stunned sunfish when I first appeared.”
“I caught that bit of drama,” Airk growled. “It’s a wonder the man didn’t turn right around and head back to where he came from.”
“Oh, and your fancy bit of flying had nothing to do with showing off,” Baen countered.
“Doesn’t matter,” Gavin interjected loudly, speaking over them. “We’re all here now, in body if not fully in mind. The question is where to go from here.”
Chapter 2 -- Wounds Old And New
“I’m not letting that bird brain bring his diseased feathers anywhere near my fishery!” Baen shouted immediately.
“Like your water spout is free of contaminants,” Airk countered.
“That’s enough, guys. You’re both going with me.” There was no way to avoid it. Each would continue to suspect the other of some misdeed until the truth came out. They would all see the evidence with their own eyes so there could be no question of foul play on his part. “The question is where to go first.”
“The aviary,” Baen said quickly. “One stop is all it’ll take to see the truth.”
“I’ve nothing to hide,” Airk shot back. “You must, though, if you’re so anxious to keep him out of your seaweed beds.”
“He can get in my beds any time he wants!” Baen slung an arm around Gavin’s shoulders.
Airk flew over to face them and leaned in, that tantalizing scent hitting Gavin’s libido with enough force to make him come on the spot. Only a supreme effort on his part kept him from creaming his shorts. “He’s not here to be your sexy toy, Baen. He’s got better things to do with his time.”
“Oh, and I suppose you haven’t imagined him nesting down with you, eh?”
The thought was dizzying. And arousing. Gavin could easily imagine his legs wrapped around Airk’s trim waist. Now that he could see the water man’s full figure, he wasn’t so bad either. For a non-human.
Non-human. Oh, man. Was he really considering having sex with these creatures? Perhaps the drugs had affected more than just his visual receptors…
“Guys? I think the first issue we face is whether or not I’m in any condition to help. There’s no point in going through the inspections if I’m mentally impaired.”
Baen cocked his head. “Why? Did you hit your head or something?”
At the same time, Airk suggested, “Maybe we better take you to Health Services for a checkup. I’m not sure what effects prolonged exposure to Okibi’s scent will do to you.”
Aside from a few bumps and bruises which were unavoidable in his job, Gavin felt fine. And horny. Very, very horny. “I’m not worried about my head so much as the gray matter inside it. This is an impossible conversation that shouldn’t be happening. You can’t be a talking sponge,” he said, pointing to Baen. Then he turned to Airk and added, “And human males I’ve known don’t generally carry around their own set of wings.”
Baen gave him a quick, reassuring squeeze. “All that means is that you haven’t been traveling in the right circles. We’re as real as you are.”
A cold wind blew down from the north. Airk turned to catch th
e current in a way that wouldn’t blow him out to sea. Gavin shivered, feeling cold and wet and hungry. Very, very hungry. And not just for food.
“How much longer are you going to stink like the spitfire?” Baen demanded of Airk.
Gavin thought the birdman actually blushed as he answered, “Damned if I know. This stuff has more staying power than skunk spunk.”
“It’s powerful, all right. Look at what you’re doing to our guest!”
Gavin followed Baen’s gaze to his crotch where his thick erection was now tightly outlined against the wet fabric.
“Forgive his bad manners,” Airk said, even though he was staring just as hard. “He doesn’t get out much.”
“Oh, and you’re the party king?” Baen retorted.
“At least I don’t go around drawing attention to a guy’s dick without permission.”
Baen’s own penis started to fill -- with what, Gavin couldn’t say. He had a thoughtful look on his marble smooth skin. “Does our interest in your body make you uncomfortable?”
“Uh…” What was he supposed to say? Yes, he liked having their attention on him even though his brain insisted on feeding him data that his mind couldn’t process into something normal. They were intelligent and friendly creatures, if not quite human. He’d lived most of his adult life in the untamed places so he didn’t mind frank sexual discussion either. It was a refreshing change from the carefully couched predatory phrases one found in the cities. But did he actually want to encourage them?
“Why do you assume every guy you meet will find you irresistible?” Airk asked, glowering like a seriously pissed off wind sprite.
“Same reason you landed on the one spot where Gavin could get a good look up your leather skirt if he had the inclination. Eternal hope.”
This time Gavin was blushing. He’d tried hard not to go there, but as Baen mentioned it, his eyes slid up Airk’s slim legs to the juncture of his thighs. His balls were low, covered by a dusting of golden down. His cock hung low too, fully erect but angling south rather than north. Lord, did everyone here have a constant woody?
“Damn the phoenix anyway,” Airk muttered. He didn’t move or try to cover himself.
Gavin didn’t think he was supposed to hear the comment, but apparently his hearing wasn’t a bit impaired. He decided it was time to put things back on a more business-like ground before he attempted to do something that was anatomically impossible with imaginary hunks. “Why don’t we go back to my camp, have breakfast, and decide where to go next?”
Without waiting for a response, Gavin started walking. Airk hovered over him, his wings continuing to beat against the air, sending that mind numbing, body hardening odor his way. It made his head spin, and he stumbled against the jagged edge of the shoreline boulders, cutting a large gash in his thigh just above the knee.
Immediately, Airk was on him. “Are you okay? Let me see.”
Large hands roughened by years of hard, physical labor gently stroked his leg. The bird man made a sound in the back of his throat that mimicked a morning dove’s reassuring coo.
“How bad is it?” Baen shouted from the water’s edge. “Want me to summon help?”
“Just a cut. A deep one -- may need stitches -- but no broken bones. I can handle it.” Airk’s voice softened and he turned his probing gaze toward Gavin. “If you trust me.”
It stung like a bitch. Spraying saltwater on an open wound was not his idea of a good time. However, he knew the injury wasn’t life threatening. “Once we get back to my camp, I’ll slap some duct tape on it. It’ll be just fine.”
“Duct tape?”
“You know, the silver stuff that’s a handyman’s best friend.” How could anyone live in the twenty-first century and not know about duct tape?
Airk’s brow wrinkled in concern. “I think what I have in mind will work better. First, we need to get you away from the water. Are you afraid of heights?”
“You can’t take him to the preserve. Who knows what diseases he might catch there,” Baen protested.
Gavin could see Airk’s chest expand with a double lungful of air to retort, so he stepped in to cut off another heated exchange. “Take me back to my camp, please. Or would that leave Baen behind as well?”
“I’ll get there, my friend. Don’t worry. Just don’t let him carry you off to the dung heap he calls a cottage.”
“Do you know where my camp is?” Gavin asked Baen, even though Airk was doing a good job of distracting him by rearranging pouches on his leather belt. The way that man’s chest rippled was pure poetry in motion.
“Yeah. I swam up the little tributary this morning to speak with a friend and caught sight of you with your pecker out. You do seem to love to show that thing off.” And with a teasing grin, Baen melted into the waves around him, disappearing from sight.
“Damn. I’m one behind. I don’t suppose you’d care to even up the score,” Airk teased, his sky gray eyes alight with warm amusement.
“Maybe later.” It was becoming more and more of a certainty. He was going to have to do something about his raging hard-on. Even the pain of the cut hadn’t doused his lust. Why do it alone if he didn’t have to? “Let’s get my leg fixed up first though, okay?”
“Right. Sorry. I got distracted.” He bent over Gavin again. One arm went around his back, the other went under his knees. “Put your arms around my neck. You don’t have to hold on too tight. I won’t let you go.”
The tender note in Airk’s voice brought a lump to Gavin’s throat. He couldn’t reply, even if he knew what to say. He merely looped his arms over Airk’s bulky shoulders and hung on.
Bad idea. Bad, bad idea, Gavin realized as he breathed in that crazy scent undiluted by distance or fresh ocean air. But he had no time to adjust his position, nor did he really want to, as Airk launched them into the air with a huge flap of his wings.
The ground sped away at a dizzying rate, so Gavin didn’t watch for long before burying his face in Airk’s neck. He closed his eyes and enjoyed being carried by the strong man who cradled him with a great deal of consideration. Muscles rippled across his torso with each beat of his enormous wings. Wind rushed over them, but Gavin hardly noticed. His brain simply couldn’t keep up with all the things flying -- flying -- in the arms of this man forced him to believe. So he gave up trying to make sense of it all, and let the pain, lust and wonder he was feeling swim freely through his system.
In no time at all, they were back on the ground. They didn’t so much land as drift down, until Airk could lay Gavin upon the vibrant green grass next to his campsite. Warm hands ran reassuringly over his back. “You can let go now. If you want,” Airk said in a low, husky voice.
With a guilty jolt, Gavin let go of Airk’s neck, and reclined on the gentle slope. He knew he should get up and dig the duct tape out of his pack. It was gonna hurt like hell though, so he remained still for a few more seconds to work up the internal fortitude necessary for the trip.
Airk dropped down on his stomach beside him, and used one elegant wing to keep the sun off Gavin’s face. “As soon as that lazy water slug shows up, I’ll fly over to my rehab center. The stuff I use on the animals should work for you.” He spoke softly, looking at the ground inches in front of his face rather than turning to look at Gavin.
“Is that how you think of me? As an animal?”
Airk’s head jerked up. “Isn’t that how you see us?”
Thoughtfully, Gavin stroked the outer curve of the wing above him, running his fingers over the area where gray blended to black. “Yes. But then, that’s how I think of humans too. You’ve just adapted to your environment in different ways.” Non-human ways. Impossible ways. But it didn’t seem polite to point the rest of that out.
“You’re a strange one, Gavin McNye.”
The silence stretched between them, but Gavin couldn’t look away. How would those thin lips feel against his? Strong and gentle, just like a man? Time to find out…
Gavin rolled to his side. His
hand trailed toward Airk’s neck, sliding up the corded muscle to cup the back of his head. His light brown hair felt like corn silk. He spent a few more heart-pounding seconds letting the strands sift through his fingers. Watching Airk’s eyes widen with wonder and then narrow with lust. Watching the tip of his pink tongue wet his lips.
Finally, Gavin asked, “Kiss me?”
“It’s just Okibi’s hormones,” Airk protested. “You wouldn’t ask otherwise.”
“It’s not just the hormones,” Gavin assured him, then waited with heart-pounding anticipation to see what he’d do.
With a low groan, Airk met him halfway and Gavin got his first taste of Rookery Cove lovin’. Salty, of course. And incredibly sweet. Hot breath fanned over his face before those wonderful lips pressed against his again, the velvet caress of Airk’s tongue petitioning for entrance. Gavin opened his mouth and let him in.
This was the part Gavin loved best. Deep, oral contact. He loved the simple intimacy of it. Kissing was his way of reaching the decision point. No or go. If the kiss held enough promise, he’d go all the way. If it lacked whatever he was looking for, the moment would go no further.
Airk’s kiss was green lights all the way, baby! Unfortunately, his partner’s sexual traffic light seemed to be glowing amber.
Airk pulled back slightly. “The sea slug approaches.”
“Why do you keep calling him that?”
“We tried dating once. Well, not so much dating as…”
“Fucking each other’s brains out?” Gavin supplied. Made sense they would have tried it at some point, since gays had to be in the minority on this island as they were in every other corner of nature.
“Yeah.”
He grew quiet. Gavin realized that meant he should drop the subject, but it occurred to him that he might have been brought to Rookery Cove for no good reason. If this “contamination” turned out to be revenge due to a lover’s spat, he was going to be pissed. “So things didn’t work out?”
Airk frowned. “He calls me bird brain because he said I had my injured birds on my mind more than him.”
