Like equals. Oscar was a self-admitted coward and went out of his way to avoid conflict. Demitrius was very quickly becoming someone he could see himself fighting tooth and nail for, though.
“Together it is.”
Chapter Four
“What else is on this to-do list of yours?”
Demitrius wrapped his arm around Oscar’s shoulders and tucked the smaller man next to his side. Their sunrise walks had become something of a routine, and even after two weeks, he looked forward to them every morning. Though their relationship had progressed to little more than hand holding and the occasional cheek kiss, Demitrius found he liked just spending time with Oscar.
“It’s not a big list. I’d like to make a snow angel, dance in the rain, and maybe learn how to paint.”
No, it wasn’t a big list at all, but Demitrius found it refreshing. Oscar didn’t want to travel the world, earn fortune and fame, or anything else extravagant. The innocence in his smile and the way his eyes lit up at the smallest things was addicting, and Demitrius often found himself devising ways to bring out the response in his mate.
It wasn’t his first guard detail, and he doubted it would be his last. Oscar was different, though. It wasn’t so much a job or an obligation as it was an ingrained need to keep him safe and happy at all costs. If someone had told him he’d feel so strongly for Oscar after such a short time, Demitrius would have laughed in their face.
“Are you ever going to kiss me or at least let me see you smile?”
It hadn’t happened right away, but in the last few days, Oscar had talked him into going without his sunglasses when they were alone. Demitrius still kept them close at all times in case they were interrupted, but Oscar made it easy for him to forget his odd appearance. This was a bit different, though.
The tendency to turn away or cover his mouth when he smiled or talked was something he’d done since puberty, and he barely realized he did it anymore. Under different circumstances, he would refuse and possibly even become agitated. Oscar deserved to know the real him, though. It was only fair for the shifter to understand what he was getting into before things went any further between them.
Stopping under a large tree near the pond, he knelt down in the grass to compensate for their vast difference in size and rested his hands on Oscar’s hips. “I want to show you, to tell you everything, but just remember that no matter what I look like, it doesn’t change who I am on the inside.”
Oscar rolled his eyes and tapped Demitrius on the tip of his nose. “You worry too much. I’ve already decided that I want to belong to you, so stop stalling.”
That was an odd way to phrase it, but Demitrius couldn’t refute how it made his heart flutter and warmed him right down to his soul. It was easy to say those kinds of things when life was uncomplicated, though. Unfortunately, Demitrius was about to complicate the hell out of their relationship.
Instead of smiling, he simply opened his mouth and tilted his head back on his shoulders, giving Oscar a perfect view of his sharp, pointed teeth with slightly elongated canines. Removing one hand from his mate’s hip, he pushed the hair back from his face, exposing the pointed tip of his right ear.
The reaction he received wasn’t at all what he expected. Rather than show fear or disgust, Oscar actually smiled at him as he traced the cartilage of Demitrius’s ear with his fingertips. Then Oscar caressed the side of his face as he leaned in and pressed their lips together lightly, lingering just long enough to get his pulse racing.
“Is that your big secret? Pointed ears and sharp teeth? You really thought I couldn’t handle that?”
Shifters didn’t have a half-and-half form. They were either humans or animals. Somewhere in Demitrius’s genetic makeup, there was an abnormality that prevented him from completely changing into either. Being an early bloomer, his first attempt at a full shift came at the age of twelve. He’d been stuck in this bizarre, and often frightening, body ever since, only growing larger with each passing year.
As he tried to explain all of it to his mate, Oscar just kept smiling and rubbing at his ears, which was incredibly distracting. Each gentle caress and every tug at his lobes sent shivers down his spine until it was all he could do to keep from groaning.
“You’re really not as scary as you think you are,” Oscar teased when Demitrius had finished speaking. “You’re just a big old pussycat, aren’t you?”
It probably should have pissed him off that Oscar was talking to him like he was a child, but Demitrius found it so damn hard to be mad at anything when the guy was around. Besides, Oscar wasn’t being condescending or mean. His mate was being playful, and no one ever felt comfortable enough to tease him. It was actually rather nice and allowed him feel included for once.
“Don’t worry,” Oscar assured him, bending closer so he could whisper in Demitrius’s ear. “Your secret is safe with me. I’ll never tell a soul.”
Completely forgetting himself, Demitrius wrapped both arms around Oscar’s waist and pulled the smaller man down to the grass. His movements were controlled so as not to injure his mate, but he hadn’t considered how terrifying it probably was for Oscar to have a man twice his size pinning him to the ground.
As usual, Oscar surprised him, however, laughing right from his belly as he reached up to slink his arms around Demitrius’s neck. “Are you ever going to tell me what kind of kitty you are?”
“A caracal. A lot of people refer to the species as the—”
“Egyptian lynx.” Oscar lifted both eyebrows and wiggled them. “I have been known to read from time to time.”
“Here I thought you were a nice guy. You’re kind of a pain in the ass, though.”
For the first time in nearly fourteen years, Demitrius realized he was grinning openly. His sunglasses were lying discarded on the ground beside them, and even his hair was tucked behind both ears. Not a single part of him was hidden, and Oscar wasn’t flinching away from him or curling his nose in distaste.
“You really are gorgeous, Demitrius. Never in a million years would I have thought that someone like you would want me. The guy who signed my contract was…” Oscar trailed off, his bright green eyes rounded until they looked in danger of popping out of his head, and his lips pressed together into a tight, white line.
So, it would seem that Demitrius wasn’t the only who had been keeping secrets. His briefing had been fairly vague when Stavion had asked him to keep an eye on the new Moonlighters. Oscar and his friends had been found in a cave in Missouri. They were on the run from someone who wanted to hurt them. It was possible that whoever this person was could be searching for them at that very moment. That was really all he’d been told.
“Tell me, sweetheart.” Holding himself up on one hand, Demitrius used the other to brush the curls back from Oscar’s sweet face. “You know all of my secrets now. I think I can handle yours.”
Oscar curled his fingers around Demitrius’s wrist and nuzzled his cheek against his palm. “This is nice. I love the way you smell.”
“Stop trying to distract me, brat.”
“A second ago, you said I was a sweetheart. Now, I’m a brat? You really should get your story straight.”
With a silent sigh, Demitrius pushed away from his mate and rolled to his side, pulling the little shifter with him. Oscar fit perfectly against his chest, and the sweet smile on his lips made Demitrius feel like a king. “We don’t have to talk about it now.” He placed a soft kiss to Oscar’s forehead and pulled him a little closer. “We should be getting back to the house.”
“Are you mad?”
“No, baby, I’m not mad. When you trust me, you’ll tell me. I can wait.”
Oscar pushed at his chest, leaning back so he could look up into Demitrius’s eyes. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’m embarrassed,” he admitted.
“Whatever happened to you wasn’t your fault. You have no reason to be embarrassed, baby.”
“Intellectually, I guess I know that. However, it doesn’t c
hange anything. I can’t change what they’ve made me.”
“And what would that be?” Another question occurred to Demitrius before he even had an answer for the first one. “What type of shifter are you?”
“A hedgehog.”
“Really?” Demitrius hadn’t meant it as an insult. He was honestly just surprised, because he’d never met a hedgehog shifter before. The way Oscar’s face fell was unacceptable, however.
Slipping a finger under his mate’s chin, Demitrius lifted his head and pecked him on the lips. “I bet you are adorable.”
Oscar shrugged halfheartedly. “I guess. It’s not exactly intimidating.”
“Who on earth do you need to intimidate?” Stretching his right arm out to the side, Demitrius made a fist and curled it toward his shoulder to make his bicep bulge. “With me attached to your hip, who in their right mind would even think about breathing in your direction?”
His antics did the trick, and Oscar chuckled under his breath—even if he rolled his eyes as he did it. “Fine, you win. I’m adorable.”
“Mmm,” Demitrius purred. “Yes, you are.” Sliding his fingers from Oscar’s chin, he cupped his hand tenderly around his mate’s cheek, holding him delicately as if he was made of the finest crystal and would shatter just as easily.
“Did you know that your eyes sparkle when you smile?” Oscar arched his neck, bringing his mouth closer to Demitrius’s. “You really don’t see yourself clearly.”
Demitrius knew exactly what he looked like, and he’d seen firsthand hand how others viewed him. Perhaps it was because of the mating bond that Oscar saw him differently, but Demitrius could live with that. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that his mate’s opinion was the only one that mattered, but Oscar’s approval made it a little easier to endure the stares and whispers.
Careful of his sharp teeth, he dipped his head the last inch, pillowing his lips against Oscar’s in a tentative kiss. It had been a very long time since anyone had been willing to venture that close to his mouth, and he half expected Oscar to shy away. So, when the arms around his neck tightened, dragging him closer, and a sweet little moan filled his ears, Demitrius was momentarily struck immobile.
Once his brain caught up with what the rest of his body already knew, it was game over, though. Rolling on top of his mate, he pinned Oscar to the dewy grass and slanted their mouths together. There was no struggle for dominance or power. Demitrius was in charge. End of story. Oscar seemed more than agreeable to give him that control, though, and let him lead them where they needed to go.
His small body trembled, and gasping moans poured from his lips, but when Demitrius pulled away to make sure he was okay, Oscar’s only response was to jerk him back into the kiss. Their tongues slid together, twining and caressing in a slippery dance that mimicked things to come. As hard as his dick was and as much as he ached to claim Oscar right there by the pond, Demitrius wouldn’t allow their first time together to be anything but perfect.
“Time to go home, baby.”
“Don’t want to,” Oscar panted, chasing his lips and trying to pull him closer again.
Demitrius chuckled, holding his mate easily at bay. “The shifters and weres will be waking up soon. Let’s find us a bit of privacy.”
Nodding dazedly, Oscar mouthed his agreement, but he still wouldn’t release his hold on Demitrius’s neck. The sheer joy of knowing that his mate wanted him without reservation had him grinning from ear to ear. Grabbing his sunglasses off the ground, Demitrius shoved them on, looped one arm around Oscar’s waist, and rose easily with the man clutched to his chest.
Immediately, Oscar’s legs went around his waist, and he hitched himself up higher, still trying to capture Demitrius’s lips with his own. “Hold still.”
The little imp was seriously testing his self-control, but with his long strides, Demitrius was almost to the main house. Since Stavion had been kind enough to grant the lower levels to the shifters, they didn’t even have to venture around to the front doors but could enter Oscar’s room directly through the door of his private patio.
“Do you remember your key code?”
“Huh?” Oscar stared at him blankly for a moment before shaking his head quickly like a dog flinging off water. “Oh, yeah, I remember. Four, two, nine, eight, four.”
It was Demitrius’s turn to be dazed. The numbers were the same as his birthday, right down to the year. He couldn’t believe Oscar would think the date of his birth would be something important enough to remember. Hell, he hadn’t even been allowed to celebrate his birthday after he’d turned twelve. His parents had acted like the day was cursed, and he’d often been left alone and ignored completely until he’d left at seventeen.
He’d been on his own ever since, living on the edges of society. His family was embarrassed of him, he didn’t have any friends, and strangers shunned him. Hiding out in the mountains or scarcely populated wooded areas had served him well for a while, but he would forever be grateful that Stavion had talked him into staying at Haven. Without that little push, he probably never would have met Oscar.
It wasn’t the time to reminisce on his old life, though. Demitrius wasn’t going to let the past intrude on this moment. This time was for him and Oscar, and with any luck, he’d be moving forward to make new, happier memories. Yeah, his life had sucked, but he didn’t feel sorry for himself. The way Demitrius saw it, a man without scars was a man who had never lived.
He hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud until Oscar arched up and kissed the underside of his jaw with a smile. “We’ve all got scars, Demitrius. Some are just more visible than others.”
Maybe that was true and maybe it wasn’t, but Demitrius wasn’t going to waste time debating it. He’d met plenty of men and women who’d been born to privilege and weren’t shy about flaunting their good fortune. Exactly what burdens did they bear? Oh, he imagined it must be horrible to have everything in life handed over in a silver bowl with a pretty blue ribbon.
“You’re making that face,” Oscar chastised. “The face that says you’re thinking hard about something that’s not very pleasant.”
How the hell did Oscar do that? Sure, they’d spent almost every waking moment together in the last two weeks, but that didn’t seem like a long enough time for the guy to be able to read him so easily. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was a bit unnerving, especially to someone like Demitrius who’d strived for more than half of his life to be invisible.
When they reached the private entrance to Oscar’s room, Demitrius decided to ponder the enigma that was Oscar later. Punching in the numbers on the keypad, he waited impatiently for the steel plates to slide back from the doors to admit him entrance.
He couldn’t wait until the cabins were finished. While he understood the need for the plates to protect the vampires of the coven during the daylight, it did make coming and going rather inconvenient. It was no wonder that most of the residents of the mansion—even the shifters—had taken to a nocturnal existence.
“Hurry,” Oscar breathed against the side of his neck as he licked and nibbled at the sensitive flesh.
No matter how much he wanted his mate, Demitrius wouldn’t be rushed. “Relax, sweetheart. I’m going to take very good care of you.”
Chapter Five
Electricity raced up and down his spine in tingling currents that chased each other on an endless loop. His body burned, heating him from the inside out until his skin felt like it would melt off his muscles. His senses dimmed, cocooning him in a quiet hush as though everything else in the world had suddenly faded away into nonexistence.
The only thing Oscar could see was Demitrius. The rays of sunlight spilling into the room shone through his long, raven locks, giving them an inky hue that stole the breath from his lungs. When Demitrius set him on his feet and pulled his shirt off to reveal his naked torso, Oscar didn’t think he’d ever be able to breathe again.
Sun-kissed, evenly bronzed skin stretched tight across the most pow
erfully sculpted muscles he’d ever seen. Oscar’s fingers twitched involuntarily as he fought against the desire to reach out and trace the eight tightly packed bricks that made up Demitrius’s abs. The man was completely and deliciously smooth, utterly hairless other than the gorgeous strands that flowed down over his broad shoulders.
For the last four years, Oscar had been trained in the subtle art of foreplay and taught several different ways to bring a man to orgasm without even removing his own clothes. He knew how to read his Master’s signals, when to be submissive, and how to take the lead if that was what was required of him.
Every technical aspect of a sexual relationship had been programmed into him through a series of intense training sessions. Hell, they’d even forced him to take classes in human anatomy, massage therapy, and acupuncture. He’d been subjected to every kink and fetish known to man and knew exactly how to play his part to the hilt.
Applying those learned techniques in his current situation made him feel ashamed and unworthy of Demitrius’s affections. The Trainers in The Hive had taught him how to fuck like a porn star, be it down and dirty or slow and sensual. Nothing in his sexual repertoire included the how-tos of lovemaking, though.
Demitrius’s pupils contracted into slits, and a feral growl rumbled through his massive chest. “Do you like this shirt?”
Oscar shook his head numbly, unable to take his gaze away from the heated light in his mate’s eyes. He didn’t even remember what shirt he was wearing, nor did he know why it mattered what he thought of it. His answer came swiftly, though, when Demitrius took hold of the collar with both hands and ripped the fabric right down the center of Oscar’s chest.
His gasp of surprise caught in his throat, and his cock jerked inside his jeans, pounding against his zipper at the raw, masculine display of strength. His body quivered in anticipation, nervous but eager for that first skin-to-skin touch.
“You like that, don’t you?” Demitrius’s voice was low, gravelly, and full of a barely restrained desire that made Oscar shudder violently with his own arousal.
Let the Rain Come Down [The Moonlight Breed 6] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 4
