Coaxing His Skittish Lynx

by Charlie Richards

  Even while the blood flowed to his face, heating his face in what he knew was a fierce flush, Roland felt hope surge through him. “Yeah?” he murmured. “You think so?”

  “Totally,” Cornelius replied, sounding completely confident.

  “But, babe, you have semen in your ejaculate,” Einan pointed out.

  Cornelius rolled his eyes and snorted. “So. What about Sapian and Missy? Sapian went through molt.”

  Roland didn’t know who they were but Einan seemed to, for understanding crossed his expression. “Right,” Einan drew the word out as he focused on Roland. He explained, “Sapian is a gargoyle mated to the human woman, Missy.” Smirking, he pointed out, “Women don’t have semen and they obviously can’t fuck their mate.”

  Not following, Roland drew his brows together. “So how does it work, then?”

  “A gargoyle mated with a female would go down on her just like we’d go down on our mates,” Einan said with a shrug. “Women produce fluids during sex. There’s no semen involved, so it’s not nearly instantaneous like with a male, but it does happen. Eventually, the gargoyle consumes enough of her fluid to initiate the molt.”

  As Einan had spoken, Roland felt his face getting hotter and hotter. He wrapped his arms around his torso and mumbled, “Um, okay.”

  Leroy slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t think on it too much.”

  Fortunately—or not—Roland didn’t get a chance to dwell on it. A knock at the door sounded, followed by Maelgwn calling, “Roland? It’s Maelgwn. Do you have a moment?”

  Before any of them could speak, Einan held up his hand, asking for silence. Striding to the couch, he grabbed the throw blanket off of the back and wrapped it around his mate, hiding his stomach. Next, he motioned for the pair to follow them. In the bedroom, he crossed to the bed and scooped the frozen form of Tobias into his arms. “Leroy, open the balcony door. Roland, get in bed and act sick.”

  Without question, Roland obeyed. Einan carefully maneuvered out the door and into the morning air. Too busy settling the covers over him, he didn’t catch what Einan said to Leroy, but when he strode back into the room, he offered Roland a wink then headed to the front and the door where Maelgwn called again.

  Roland strained his ears and heard Leroy greet Maelgwn and the men with him, who were introduced as a number of detectives. With his shifter hearing, Roland was able to hear Leroy caution the men to be quiet as Roland was sick and Leroy was there caring for him.

  Knowing his mate was safe—hell, there was no way Einan would allow anything to happen to his second—Roland pretended to be sick.

  Chapter Nine

  Tobias woke from roost slowly, as he did every evening. Except, something felt off, different. Memories came to him in a rush. He’d claimed Roland. His mate had claimed him. Except, Tobias hadn’t gone through molt.

  Jerking to a sitting position, Tobias glanced around frantically. He recognized the upper parapet. “How the hell—”

  “Welcome back,” Einan greeted. “Roland has been a bit worried.” Einan grinned and tossed something at him.

  Tobias frowned, catching it on reflex. Holding it up, he realized it was his loincloth. “I should have gone through molt. What happened? How’d I end up here?”

  “When you didn’t enter molt, Roland called down to the doc’s office looking for Perseus. Since Perseus was roosting, too, he got Nurse Leroy,” Einan explained. “Leroy contacted me, so me and Cornelius headed to Roland’s suite with the nurse. After hearing you and Roland’s unique circumstances, we were able to come up with an explanation and put your mate’s mind at ease.”

  They did? “How?”

  Einan snickered. “Your mate has no semen. It’ll take longer to initiate the molt. Be patient.”

  “Damn, I didn’t think of that,” Tobias grumbled, running a clawed hand over his face.

  “Just suck him off a few times,” Einan told him. Then, smacking him on the arm, he added, “And explain male pregnancy to him. I had Cornelius with me and we kinda shocked the shit out of him.”

  Roland. Pregnancy. Sex. Shit!

  “I fucked him and didn’t take precautions,” Tobias muttered.

  Einan pushed to his feet and held out his hand. Tobias took it and—a bit dazed—allowed the enforcer to pull him to his feet. “Don’t worry about it,” Einan told him, using his free hand to pat his shoulder. “Perseus fed him cinnamon toast before letting him leave his office last night. You’re covered.” He smirked and pointed down at his groin. “In that area anyway. Just make certain you keep feeding him that or something equivalent.”

  After rolling his eyes, Tobias secured his loincloth around him. He couldn’t remember a time he’d entered roost without it…maybe back when he was still a hatchling. “No kidding. I’d like a little time to get to know my mate before throwing a hatchling into the mix.” Heading down the parapet’s stairs, he called over his shoulder, “How’s Cornelius doing, by the way? He’s close to due, right?”

  Grunting his confirmation, Einan told him, “Perseus thinks within the week.” He scoffed. “Damn. Me! A father. Just…damn!”

  Tobias laughed. “Better you than me, bud.”

  “Don’t want kids?”

  Upon reaching the bottom of the narrow stairway, Tobias pulled the door open and stepped through, then waited for the enforcer. “Maybe someday,” he admitted. “Right now, I just want to make my mate happy and healthy.”

  “A good goal, to be sure,” Einan agreed, gripping his shoulder and squeezing lightly. His expression turned serious as he told him, “You’re fucking heavy in stone form. I had to carry you from Roland’s bed and fly you up to the parapet. Otherwise, you’d have been discovered by the detectives. They wanted to talk to Roland since he was a new arrival.”

  Tobias growled low in his throat. “Damn it. That’s why we rushed the fucking mating. I’d wanted to be there for him!” Then, remembering how he’d found Roland the evening before, hard and needing, he added, “Well, one of the reasons. Is he okay?”

  Not bothering to wait for a response, Tobias strode swiftly down the hallway. It took every bit of self-control Tobias had to keep from jogging through the place. As it was, he figured it’d have been faster to fly to Roland’s balcony and let himself in that way.

  Oh well.

  Einan fell into step beside him as he answered, “Don’t worry. He’s fine. Leroy told our guests he was sick, so all Roland had to do was huddle in bed, answer a few questions, and act sick. It didn’t take long for the detectives to move on.”

  “Good,” Tobias responded. Still, he wanted, needed to see for himself.

  Finally, Tobias knocked on his mate’s door. Again, the thought that he needed to move his lover into his own suite entered his mind. He even bet that now his lover would be amenable.

  “Who is it?” Roland asked.

  Tobias smiled at the sound of Roland’s soft voice. Hearing his mate speak went straight to his balls. His cock thickened in his loincloth even as relief filled Tobias since it meant Roland was indeed safe. “It’s me and Einan.”

  The door was yanked open and Roland stared up at him.

  Seeing Roland wore only baggy, gray sweats, Tobias drank in the miles of pale, smooth skin. While Roland’s ribs still protruded a bit, as did his hip bones, Tobias had never found another sexier. He stepped forward and buried one clawed hand into Roland’s shaggy, black hair, using the hold to tilt his lover’s head back.

  Tobias peered into Roland’s deep green eyes as he wrapped his other arm around his mate’s waist and pulled him flush against him. Reveling in the way Roland came willingly, Tobias almost lost himself in his mate’s expressive green eyes. He saw concern, relief, and even affection. Someday, he hoped to see love, because he knew he was well on his way to falling hard for his little lynx.

  Patience.

  Backing up his mate a bit, Tobias pressed the small shifter into the wall. He lowered his head and rested his f
orehead against his mate’s as he murmured, “Hey. You okay?”

  Roland nodded, his face moving against Tobias’ own. “Better now,” he replied, offering a shy smile.

  After what they’d done the evening before, Tobias thought that look the sexiest fucking thing he’d seen in over a century. “Good.” Tobias licked across the seam of Roland’s mouth, tasting traces of orange juice, bacon grease, and his mate. “Mmm, you taste good.”

  Snickering, Roland replied, “Glad you think so.”

  Tobias appreciated that his mate felt comfortable enough to tease, telling him the man grew more comfortable with him. Palming his mate’s ass, he lifted Roland higher against him. He pressed the shifter’s back against the wall, then released his jaw and used his now free hand to encourage his lover to wrap his legs around his waist, aligning their groins.

  Finally, he gave in to the desire that never seemed to be far away when around Roland. He pressed his cock against his lover’s, pleased to find his mate’s dick at least half-hard. Capturing his shifter’s mouth, he swept his tongue in deep, the flavors he’d tasted earlier exploding across his sensitive taste-buds.

  Growling low in his throat, Tobias rocked his hips, rutting against his mate in a firm, slow rhythm. He thrust his tongue around his mate’s mouth in a parody of what he wanted to do with his dick and his mate’s ass. Need to feel his lover’s chute clamped around him again heated his blood.

  Tobias felt Roland’s arms tighten around his neck, his fingers digging into the tendons of his neck and one shoulder blade. His mate’s heels pressed into his ass. Roland’s dick thickened, filling and hardening against his own.

  “Well, I guess this is our cue to leave.”

  Pulling his lips from Roland’s, Tobias panted harshly as he looked over his shoulder at a grinning Cornelius. The shifter stood wrapped in Einan’s arms. Both men smirked at them.

  Tobias hadn’t even been aware that Cornelius was in the room, but why Einan had walked the entire way with him finally made sense. It also bespoke of how distracting his mate was to him. He’d have to learn to be more careful.

  Right then, though, Tobias wanted them gone. “Thank you for taking care of my mate when I could not.” He tried to keep the growl out of his voice, but knew he didn’t quite succeed.

  Einan lifted one brow ridge while Cornelius snickered. “Our pleasure,” Cornelius replied. “We’ll catch up with you both later.” He pointed at Roland and winked. “Don’t forget your toast.”

  Roland’s face flushed, turning a slight pink color as he mumbled, “I won’t.”

  Taking Cornelius’ hand, Einan led his mate from the room.

  As soon as the door clicked closed, Tobias reached over and flipped the lock in place. He returned his hand to Roland’s ass while focusing on his mate’s face. “I apologize for not telling you about gargoyles and the pregnancy thing. I didn’t expect anything to happen this quickly, but that’s no excuse.”

  Roland offered an understanding smile, although his face still held a rosy hue. “Only one person has to remember. Fortunately, the doc did it for you.”

  “I’ll be sure to thank him,” Tobias stated. “Not that I would be averse to making a baby with you, I’d like more time with just you first.”

  Actually smirking, Roland teased, “That’s because you’re not the one who has to carry the egg.” Then, he sobered. “I admit the idea of going through what Cornelius is about to kinda freaks me out.”

  “Understandable,” Tobias replied. Hell, it freaked him out and he’d grown up with the idea. Lowering his head, he pecked a quick kiss to his mate’s lips. “So, as much as I want to get back to what we were doing, I’d like a chance to get to know you, too. Have you eaten?”

  Roland nodded, nibbling his bottom lip. “I didn’t know if you would be by as soon as you woke or get some work done first.”

  Tobias hated that he’d put that doubt into his mate. Grimacing, he slowly lowered Roland to the floor, then led him over to the roaring fireplace. Sitting on the throw rug, he leaned against the sofa and encouraged his lover to settle on his lap. “I apologize I did that,” Tobias murmured. Cupping Roland’s jaw, he smiled down at his man and said, “I won’t make that mistake again. I’d like to move you into my suite, so I can see you first thing every day. Then, when I finally do go through molt, we can curl up together. I’m sure we have plenty of things to share with each other.”

  “I’d like that,” Roland replied, the smile lighting his eyes and face. “You think we have plenty of things to discuss?”

  “Sure we do,” Tobias instantly responded, grinning his own pleasure at having his mate agree. “For example, I was one hundred and fifty seven when I left my birth clutch. I was a late baby, and my parents had passed over a century before that,” he explained. He smiled at the memory of his parents. They’d been so in love. Tobias hoped to have that kind of connection with Roland someday. Continuing, he explained, “Most of the other gargoyles in the clutch weren’t mated, so when the chieftain decided to move our clutch to Canada, there wasn’t much resistance. He wanted the longer evenings,” Tobias added with a shrug. After almost two centuries, he rarely even thought about his old clutch.

  “I’d met Maelgwn years before when our clutches traded information and we considered each other friends. He’d just taken over this clutch at that time and still had a fair bit of unrest when he heard my clutch was moving. Maelgwn approached me about becoming his second. I liked the idea of gaining rank, plus I trusted and respected him as a leader. So, I came here, and here I’ve stayed.”

  Roland grinned. “So, no family drama, just…you got a better job offer?”

  “Exactly,” Tobias responded, even knowing Roland teased. He winked. “What about you? You said your parents were mates but they didn’t get along? How about siblings. You mentioned brothers and sisters. How many of them? Do you plan to find them?”

  Laughing, Roland cuddled against him, rubbing his head against Tobias’ neck where he’d bit him. “Wow, full of questions.”

  Tobias shrugged, then pecked a kiss to his mate’s temple. “I want to know everything about you.”

  “We’ll get there,” Roland assured quietly. “For now, let’s just say, Vane and Matthew explained fated mates and my parents were not that. People in my pride mate for best gene matches,” he added, curling his lip and shaking his head. “I have three sisters, all older, and one brother, younger, and I’d like to find them.” Pausing, his brows furrowed as he softy told him, “I don’t know if I actually want to talk to them. I mean…it’s been twenty-five years. Why’d they never find me?”

  Hating the despondency suddenly filling Roland’s scent and tone, Tobias growled. “I’m sorry you went through what you did,” he rumbled. “If I could take back your kidnapping and still keep you, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

  Roland nodded, meeting his gaze.

  Tobias stared into his mate’s green eyes. His heart felt as though it skipped a beat when he saw the emotions swirling in their depths. Roland hid nothing from him, not his belief in Tobias’ words, his relief that Tobias felt that way, or his growing affection for him.

  Adjusting his position, Roland straddled Tobias’ lap and cupped his jaw. “I know,” he whispered. “I wouldn’t take it back either.” Roland feathered his thumbs across Tobias’ lips, sending a shiver down Tobias’ spine. “This is so much better,” Roland continued. He leaned forward and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to just Tobias’ bottom lip. “I like the idea of fated mates. I like having you care for me. I like how it feels when I’m wrapped up in your arms.”

  Tobias’ blood pounded faster and faster in his veins the more Roland admitted. Damn, how did I get so lucky? Deciding that they’d done enough talking Tobias tightened his arms where they were wrapped around Roland, flushing their bodies together. “Enough talking,” Tobias stated gruffly, his voice deepening with his rising desire. “Let’s get back to what we were doing when I first w
alked in. I believe we have some more bonding to do.”

  “Okay,” Roland whispered breathlessly.

  “Good,” Tobias rumbled. Still holding his lover tight, he rolled to his feet and strode toward the bedroom. The way they rubbed with each step reminded him of the fantasy Roland had admitted to him. Grinning, he closed the door behind him, then leaned against it. “I seem to remember you saying you wanted to ride my cock while I walked around, didn’t you?” He saw Roland’s eyes widen, so he lowered his voice to a throaty purr and offered, “Fancy a moonlit walk in the garden?”

  Roland’s jaw sagged open, expressing his shock clearly. The dilating of his eyes betrayed how much his mate liked the idea.

  Winking, Tobias lowered his lover to the floor, then made quick work of removing his loincloth. He held out his hand, silently asking.

  A breathy chuckle escaped Roland as he reached out and took Tobias’ hand, peering shyly through his lashes at him. Grinning, his heart thumping with anticipation, Tobias asked, “What happened to the lube, Ro?”

  Roland tugged lightly on his hand and Tobias allowed his mate to lead him to the bed. After glancing back over his shoulder at him, still smiling and blushing, Roland reached under his pillow and pulled out the tube.

  Tobias urged his mate to lie on the bed with his legs hanging off. He gently gripped one of Roland’s calves and placed it on the edge of the bed. Giving his mate a wicked smile, Tobias reached down and, using a claw, sliced open the crotch of the sweatpants, opening his groin to Tobias’ gaze. “So you don’t get cold,” he purred, winking at Roland’s shocked expression. Once again focusing on his mate’s groin, Tobias carefully maneuvered Roland’s semi-hard cock out of the gaping hole. He gently petted the base then skimmed his claws lightly over the soft skin of his empty sack.

  Roland’s breathing hitched, drawing Tobias’ attention back to his lover’s face. His sexy shifter rested back on his elbows. With his face and chest flushed, he panted breaths between parted lips.

  “Beautiful, sexy, amazing. Love how you respond to my touch,” Tobias crooned.