Rex rose and moved behind Hunter, nudging the loose shirt up off his shoulders. Obligingly, Hunter pulled the garment over his head. He shifted the thick rope of his braid to the side.
“They look better today.” Rex gently ran his hands over the bony framework, noticing that Hunter’s skin pebbled with goosebumps. “Do they hurt?”
“Aye, a bit. Mostly they itch.” Tentatively, he stretched the wings out, shocking Rex with the breadth of the span. Folded, they were quite compact. Wings like this would easily carry a man his size.
“Humans are not like me.”
It wasn’t a question, but Rex answered anyway. “No, Hunter, humans are not like you.”
“What will they think of my wings?”
Rex sighed and turned away. “They won’t. You’ll have to keep them hidden.”
Pulling his shirt back over his head, Hunter turned on the wooden bench, facing Rex. “I know that you aren’t as you appear. Will you hide me the way you hide yourself?”
Rex went still as a stag in the forest, his heart beating fast.
“What do you mean, Hunter?”
Rex stood for a long moment, staring into fathomless blue eyes, and the depth of knowledge that he saw in the man frightened him. Nor did Hunter hesitate to meet his gaze. There was power there in the angel’s eyes.
“When I look in your direction, but not directly at you, I see…something. When it’s just the two of us, you relax a bit. When the humans come, I can no longer see it.”
Rex resisted the urge to press a hand over his pounding heart. His magic had been breached! Perhaps he’d grown lazy around Hunter, or perhaps the angel was simply more powerful at seeing through illusion. He took a deep breath, willing his racing heart to slow.
“No, Hunter, I’m not as you see me. Not much different, but it’s still not wise to show myself completely.”
“Are you a demon?”
That brought a slight smile to his face. “No, Hunter, I’m no demon. Demon-kind are of the fire. You are of the air. My kind are of the Earth.”
Hunter sat quietly, expectantly. Rex smiled and shook his head. It was time to give the angel a bit of his trust. “I’ll have to take off my clothing.” He started to pull his shirt away, then paused. “Be sure you don’t get too happy…” He trailed off, knowing that Hunter wouldn’t get the joke. As far as he could tell, the angel had no sexual awareness at all. Very little sense of humor, either.
Quickly, he slipped from his shirt, bending to unfasten the leather ties securing his boots. Once those were off, he slipped off his trousers and stood naked in front of his charge. Rex knew what Hunter saw then, a slender man of medium height, nearing his middle years. His graying hair was glossy, his body well-muscled.
“What are those marks on your skin?”
Rex glanced down at the tattoos. “Magic. These are what keep me hidden.” He dipped a finger into a cup of water and traced a pattern onto the skin of his chest. Gracefully, he painted invisible marks on his body. “This negates the charm.”
Hunter nodded, watching with interest.
Once he’d reversed the magic, Rex felt the frisson of change crawl across his skin. Once again he felt life flowing as it should. He closed his eyes, savoring the bliss of freedom, though it would be short-lived. Sighing, he looked over at Hunter, whose eyes had grown wide in shock. Rex reached up and ran a hand through curls that were now glossy and dark, spilling down past his shoulders. He pushed his hair back to display delicately pointed ears. Without thought, Rex spread his own wings. They weren’t feathered like Hunter’s, but velvety and marked like those of a great butterfly.
With a grin, he turned sideways, displaying his pride and joy.
“You have a tail!”
He burst out in laughter, partly at the shock in Hunter’s voice, partly at the sheer joy of revealing himself again. He might not glow with the otherworldly light that the angel was unable to suppress, but Rex was of a blessed race and he knew it showed. He laughed again as Hunter rose, circling him slowly, gently fingering his wings. He shivered at the touch of the angel’s hands upon the sensitive skin of his tail. He breathed deeply, willing his cock to remain still.
“This feels good?”
Rex allowed his sinuous tail to slip free of Hunter’s grasp. “Aye, it does, but not in the ordinary way.” Without thought, the tail wound safely around Rex’s thigh.
Slowly, Hunter circled back around to the front, closely examining Rex’s face. “Your appearance… It’s the same, but different. You’re young, but old. Your eyes glow brightly, and the color of your skin… It hasn’t changed, and yet it has.”
Rex grinned and reached for his trousers.
“I tone down my coloring to blend better with the humans. I also give the illusion of age so they don’t name me a witch and burn me at the stake.” He slid onto the high stool. “I can recover from most injuries, but I doubt I’d survive burning.”
“Are you of the Fair Race? A Sidhe?”
“Not very fair, am I?”
“There are other meanings of that word.” Hunter moved away, sitting on the table, well away from the food he’d been cutting. “It’s said that your kind are guardians. You tend the Earth itself. You’re the color of the forest.”
That was true enough. To the casual glance, Rex’s hair was deep brown, but in the light, color could be seen shimmering in its depths—burgundy and rust and other forest hues. The patterns on his wings were of iridescent green and gold, etched out in deep red and ocher. His very skin was a light, golden-brown hue.
Rex could feel the damp patterns drying on his skin, and knew that within moments, the illusion would once again take hold. He gave a roguish smile, feeling loss even as he shifted to his more mundane appearance.
“Can you fly?” Hunter tilted his head, studying Rex’s wings.
“My wings aren’t as powerful as yours. But yes, I can fly.”
“Do all members of your race have a tail?”
“Nae. No. There are many of us, the Fae and fairy, brownies and pixies and boogles. Some do, some don’t.” He gently pulled his now-invisible wings to his body and dragged the shirt over his head. Bending down, he stomped into his boots and tied them up. When he straightened, Hunter stood just feet away, watching.
“You’re very wondrous. Truly magical.”
Rex chuckled at the irony of the angel marveling at his mundane appearance. “To answer your earlier question, I’ll be doing a few things to hide those wings of yours. You’ll have to learn to keep them close to your body, no matter what. Then I’ll design a charm to hide them and the other features that set you apart.”
Hunter glanced down at his body, and looked back at Rex in question.
“You glow, angel-man. Even without the wings, no person would believe you were of this Earth. Eventually you’ll learn to use your own powers, but for now, this will do.”
Rex turned to the table and began loading the cut food into the stew pot. “We’ll need to get this over the fire, then you help me with a liniment. Old Billie Turner is on his way up the hill yonder. He’ll be needing an ointment for sore joints.”
“I can stay this time?”
“Aye, Hunter, I don’t see any harm in it. It’s time you meet some of the neighbors.”
Hunter joined him, and together they quietly worked, while Rex hummed a jaunty tune under his breath.
Chapter Three
“Rex.”
Hunter lay flat on his back, looking down at his body in fear. “Rex!”
“Whaaa…”
“I think something’s wrong.”
Across the room, Rex rolled off his pallet in the bed niche, dark hair tousled and his face heavy with sleep. The air was chill, and morning’s light had just begun to creep into the room. He hated to wake Rex so early, but fear made his heart race. Hunter lay perfectly still, afraid, lest he disturb the beastie that had taken up residence on his belly.
“What’s the matter, Hunter?” Rex asked gently.<
br />
Concern showed on his face, and immediately, Hunter felt relief. He wasn’t alone. He sucked in a deep breath then let it out. Fear was a new and rather unwelcome sensation. He didn’t like it.
“Something’s wrong with my man part.” He pulled the blanket away to reveal the swollen, distended organ. It ached with a sensation he was unable to put a name to. Veins bulged under the skin, throbbing with every beat of his heart. It had grown to several times its normal size, and now lay on his lower belly, the taut head nearly flush with his navel.
“That’s it?”
Rex was looking at him in amazement. Laughter had taken the place of concern in his eyes. But he didn’t laugh. That was a small mercy. “It’s not paining you now, is it?”
Hunter shook his head. “But…”
“That’s just your morning wood, Hunter. Leave it alone and it’ll get back to normal.”
But it wasn’t getting back to normal, and he’d lain abed for nearly an hour, tormented by the pulsing member.
“Your body wants to fuck. It’s hard like that so you can enter a lassie’s quim.”
“Breeding, you mean?” Feeling slightly reassured, Hunter rose on his elbows, looking down the length of his body. There seemed to be no change.
“Your cock’s hungry for a female. That’s all.”
“Will this happen every morning?” Hunter could hear the dismay in his own voice. And oddly, Rex’s presence seemed to aggravate the condition. A droplet of clear fluid emerged from the slit.
“Aye, most mornings. Other times as well, without warning. And if you don’t have a lassie to tend to it, you can take care of it yourself.”
Though he turned away, Hunter saw a devilish light gleaming in Rex’s eyes… He recognized it as humor. He didn’t quite know how to combat Rex’s sense of the ridiculous, so he set his irritation aside for the moment.
“How?”
Rex had retrieved his shirt from the foot of his bed and pulled it over his head, leaving his long legs bare.
“Just touch yourself, Hunter.”
“Touch?” Tentatively, he reached down and ran a finger lightly over the rigid shaft of his cock. It felt even tighter.
“That makes it worse.”
“It’s supposed to. No… Don’t do that… Take a good grasp… It won’t break.” Rex returned to his side and knelt, his long shirt hanging to the floor. “That’s it. Hold it…and stroke.”
Hunter felt a strangled groan bubble to his lips. The pressure, the friction was glorious! He stroked again, and warmth radiated from his body. Unconsciously, his free hand drifted over to clasp Rex’s thigh. His eyes fell closed for a long, breathless moment. When he opened them again, Rex was staring into his face, an indescribable expression on his own.
“Here…” Rex laid his hand over Hunter’s, guiding him into a steady rhythm. “Relax, Hunter. It’s not going to hurt you.”
Obeying his instructions, Hunter lay back, liking the feel of Rex’s hand over his, the taut muscle of the man’s thigh in his grasp.
“Take your other hand, and use it to tug on your sac… Like this.” Rex pried Hunter’s hand away and guided it to his stones.
Hunter rolled his head to the side, eyes half open, drinking in every sensation dancing through his body. He’d given control over to Rex. Though the other man was not touching his skin, he guided Hunter’s touch in a wicked dance. An unbearable tension spread up his back, deep in his ass and through his belly. Hunter bucked against the sensation, feeling a culmination of some sort seizing his body. He moaned. The faster his hands stroked his flesh, the more intense the sensation grew.
“That’s it. Now try this…”
Rex’s hand guided his own up over the head of his shaft. He’d grown wet and slick. When his cockhead bumped into his own palm, he nearly howled with pleasure.
“Let go! Stop fighting it!” Rex grasped the root of Hunter’s shaft, pumping with a quick, light hand.
Hunter moaned in bewildered ecstasy. Spasms that centered in his pelvis radiated out from his groin, wracking him with pleasure. He felt the hot spurt of fluid leave his cock, felt ropes of it spatter on his skin.
And it went on and on, drawing hoarse cries from his throat. Ruthlessly, Rex forced him to pump his cock, wringing every drop, every spasm from his exhausted body. His heart slammed in his chest and his lungs pumped desperately for air.
Under their joined hands, Hunter could feel his flesh growing soft and flaccid. The hand on his cock opened, fingers spread wide, briefly caressing his tender stones.
Though he didn’t open his eyes, he knew that Rex was affected by what had happened. He felt the quick caress of breath on his face and knew that if he looked up, Rex’s face would be hovering near his own, lips close to his… The Sidhe took a deep, shuddering breath and let loose his grip over Hunter’s fist. Hunter looked to see Rex’s pale face moving back from his. He moved away, rising stiffly. He’d gone white, yet flags of color were on his cheeks.
“Was that normal?” Hunter watched Rex’s back as he donned his pants and sat down on the bench to pull on his boots.
“Aye, Hunter. That was a normal, healthy reaction for your first time.” He stood and reached for the heavy tunic he wore when he tended animals in the morning. Spring had crossed into summer and the days were much warmer now. “I think we’ll need to look into introducing you to a lassie soon. I’m sure Betsy Brown will be willing to take you in hand.” He shot a grin in Hunter’s direction and waggled a brow. “You get yourself cleaned up and start the fire. I soaked the oats for porridge last night.”
He left the cottage whistling a careless, happy melody. Hunter sat up in the bedding, looking down at the shining, milky fluid on his skin. His cock was normal once again, soft and small. The knowledge came to him quickly—this was the seed of his body and was to be shared with a female. But somehow, he knew this wasn’t always the case.
Rex might have acted casual about what had just happened, but Hunter knew otherwise. Something very intimate had taken place between them and Rex was running from it. He regretted what he’d shared with Hunter.
Something stung Hunter’s eyes in counterpoint to the ache in his chest.
He felt two hitherto unknown sensations. The first was humiliation, and the second was anger.
Somehow, that latter sensation was the easier to grasp and hold.
* * * *
Rex made it to the small whitewashed barn before coming to a halt. In truth, walking was a slightly uncomfortable proposition considering the sizable erection he was carrying. He paused by the pump at the ancient stone water trough and turned to look back up at his cottage.
What had he done?
There was no doubt in his mind that Hunter was innocent of carnal matters. No matter what he might have done to get himself expelled from Heaven, Hunter had no knowledge of sex, and it hadn’t been Rex’s role to enlighten him that way. That should have come in time, and Hunter should have made the decision regarding his first sexual encounter.
But Rex had taken that choice away from the angel. The moment he’d wakened to Hunter’s hushed, frightened voice, his heart had twisted in fear. It had been many decades, but Rex still remembered the story of Anahita, the Fallen that his uncle Dyffyd had taken charge of.
She’d been fragile, that had been clear from the start, but when she’d broken, it had been sudden and tragic. Unlike some of the other Fallen, she’d struck at herself rather than others, falling into silent madness. But Hunter hadn’t been breaking. He’d been maturing. His sexual arousal was normal, and once he’d gotten past the humor of the situation, Rex had been struck by the male beauty of Hunter’s naked form. His cock had been thick and proud, aroused to the point where it had taken little effort to push him into spending.
Rex had been sadly vulnerable to the temptation before him. His only redemption was that he had only assisted the angel. He didn’t follow his own carnal inclinations. His mouth had watered with the need to taste, to kiss, to embrace
the man’s rigid shaft. His hands still itched to roam that golden body. The urge to cover him, to make love had been very nearly irresistible.
What would it feel like to be tangled in that silken hair? To be clasped by those powerful hands as their cocks thrust and dueled?
Rex shivered at the image in his mind. He’d managed to pass through five moon cycles since the angel had arrived, and each time had grown more difficult to bear. Alone on his croft the full moon was uncomfortable, but not torturous. Sometimes he sought out women in the nearby villages, visiting them under the light of the full moon. He never spent in their bodies, lest he leave them with a halfling child.
Hunter’s presence made the full moon a very difficult time for Rex.
He needed to expose Hunter to other people, to women who would welcome him into their bodies. He’d been terribly irresponsible to not introduce the angel to the humans who would be his peers for the remainder of his existence.
The fact that they lived an hour’s walk from the nearest village was irrelevant. Rex should not have exposed him to a form of sex that was little understood or tolerated by the majority of humans. Though sodomy was no longer a death sentence, it still wouldn’t go easy if they indulged and were caught by humans. He wasn’t sure what would be worse—being exposed as a deviant or as a non-human.
With a frustrated sigh, he primed the pump, once the frigid water began to flow, he splashed his face and head. By all rights, Rex should simply plunge himself into the trough and douse the lingering arousal. Instead, he mentally reviewed his finances and his needs. Was it too soon to plan a visit to Edinburgh?
Again he looked at his cottage. When his clan had been forced to scatter, he’d resented the seers who had dispatched him to the south, to settle on an abandoned croft in the middle of nowhere. Rex craved the forests of his people, the wild mountaintops and howling winds of the North Sea.
Falling Page 2
