by L. M. Brown
"You're right," Lyndon said. "But I do want more from you today. Come, since you've finished feeding, get on the bed and spread your legs."
"But…"
"Oh, stop whining," Lyndon snapped. "I'm not going to fuck you with my cock. Well, not this one."
Jax climbed onto the bed while Lyndon went to rummage through the drawers. He knew what he was searching for, and since Lyndon would find it soon enough anyway, he decided to direct him. "It's in the second drawer down."
"Good boy," Lyndon said as he produced the thick phallus. "Tell me, when was the last time you used this?"
Jax shrugged. "I don't remember."
"Liar. Tell me or I fuck your arse with it, rather than your cunt."
"Four days ago," Jax admitted.
"How?"
"In my vagina."
Lyndon nodded. "Excellent. Now spread your legs and I'll give it to you nice and hard."
Jax closed his eyes and did as Lyndon asked. His cock ached and he quivered in anticipation of being entered. Not for the first time, he wished his body didn't betray him whenever Lyndon asked something of him. He'd long since fallen out of love with Lyndon. Any affection he had once had for him had disappeared the day he had betrayed him. Yet, every time Lyndon wanted him, Jax found himself eager to obey. Submitting to Lyndon's demands aroused him, even though he knew he would regret it afterwards.
Lyndon drove the fake cock inside him, quicker and harder than Jax would have done, but Jax didn't mind. He pushed back against it with eager moans.
"That's it, Jax," Lyndon encouraged as he pulled it out, then shoved in again. "Such an eager little slut today, aren't you?"
Jax grabbed his cock and tugged it in time to Lyndon's thrusts. He cried out with pleasure as he clenched around the phallus. He needed more, so much more. The memory of Lyndon's cream filling him sent him over the edge and his cream splashed both of them.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Jax shouted. "Lyndon, please, fuck me, please, I need, oh fuck!"
The phallus vanished, and a moment later Lyndon's cock took its place.
Too far gone to protest, Jax took hold of Lyndon's arse and dragged him closer, rising to meet his thrusts. "Fuck me, fuck me," he cried.
Lyndon panted above him, and then the heat Jax craved filled him and he moaned long and low.
"Go take your herbs," Lyndon said a few minutes later, after he had recovered his breath.
Jax nodded and hurried through to his private bathroom where he kept the supply of herbs that were supposed to help prevent pregnancy. He had never had cause to test them before, and he hoped they worked as Lyndon said they were supposed to. What had he been thinking to allow Lyndon to enter him like that again? What if…?
No. He fumbled with the packet and poured the seeds into a glass of water. He drank the bitter liquid and then washed his mouth out with a couple more glasses of plain water.
He placed his hand over his stomach. Maybe he was worrying over nothing. Not every act of intercourse ended up with a pregnancy. Except for dual-gendered felines, it did more often than not. They were surprisingly fertile and Jax already knew that he was.
What would his Uncle Orin say if his disgraced nephew brought shame on the family a second time?
When Jax returned to the bedroom he expected to see it empty, but Lyndon was apparently in no hurry to leave. He appeared to be packing.
"What are you doing?" Jax asked.
"Packing your sexiest clothes," Lyndon replied. "We're taking a trip to the jungle."
"The jungle? Whatever for?"
It wasn't that Jax wouldn't be glad to get out of his prison for a while, but the jungle was halfway around the world. Unless his miserly uncle intended to part with some credits, it would take a month to get there.
"For a mating festival," Lyndon replied. "Your uncle received an invitation from one of the high nobles this morning. It seems the son and heir of the family is a lover of males and so they've issued an invitation for all dual-gendered felines of noble birth to come parade themselves before him, so he can choose a mate."
"And my uncle wants me to go?" Jax didn't think it sounded like his uncle.
"I wouldn't say he wants you to, but to refuse the invitation would be a great insult. So, we're going to put in an appearance. Let's just hope Ty—that's the heir—doesn't take a liking to you. After all, if you're his mate you'd be breeding constantly and our own arrangement would have to come to an end."
Jax had no idea what to think of this news. He didn't know who Ty was, but any possibility of escape from his prison, even for a little while, had to be good. Didn't it?
Chapter Two
Ty sat on his chair as each of the noble families approached him and his parents in turn. It was only the first day of the festival and he already wished it was over.
"May I introduce my son, Patch," the elderly feline said. "We're delighted to be here and are honoured by the invitation."
"And we're thrilled to have you here," Ty's mother said. "Patch does fit the criteria, yes?"
"Criteria?"
"I mean is he dual-gendered?" Demi clarified.
"Oh yes." The man nudged his son forward. "You can examine him if you like."
"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Ty said, even as his mother called for a chair with arms to be brought forward for Patch to use.
Ignoring Ty, Patch sat and swung his legs over the arms of the chair. He tugged up his kilt to reveal his privates, and confirm that he did indeed possess both the male and female genitals.
"Is he fertile?" Ty's mother asked.
Patch's father shrugged. "We have no reason to believe he isn't, but he's untouched, so we can't say for sure."
"A virgin?" Ty's mother smiled at him with approval. "I'm sure my son will be happy to relieve you of your virginity."
"Not without a contract in place," Patch's father said.
"Oh of course," Demi replied. "I was merely paying your son a compliment. He is most handsome and his solid black markings such a rarity."
Ty wondered whether his mother had already made her mind up as to who she would choose for him. Thankfully, he had a little time to decide for himself before she took over. He caught sight of Cal, helping to bring in the food for the non-feline guests. While there was no possibility of Ty choosing a mate from the other species, anyone of noble blood in the area had been sent an invitation.
Bored and uncomfortable, a situation not helped by the monthly pains in his abdomen, Ty barely glanced at the next few guests who were paraded before him.
It wasn't until a male who was small, even by feline standards, approached with a man who said he was his Uncle Orin, that Ty took any notice of the proceedings.
"And where are Jax's parents?" Ty's mother asked.
"They were lost in a spacecraft collision when Jax was just a youngster. I've raised him and his siblings as my own since then. He's led a very sheltered life and not spent much time in society."
"How magnanimous of you to take on the children of another."
Ty smothered a snort of annoyance and focused on Jax. Unlike the other felines who had arrived, Jax hadn't looked at him once. In fact, he hadn't looked up from his paws the entire time.
"And he's dual-gendered?" Demi asked, already gesturing to the seat where each of the others had displayed themselves for her examination.
"Go spread your legs, Jax," Orin said. "Don't keep these nice folks waiting all day."
Jax scurried over to the chair and got into position.
Ty had taken little notice of the others, but Jax had his undivided attention. It was because of this he realised something that appeared to have escaped the notice of his mother.
Jax wasn't a virgin. Each of the others had declared their virginity, though Ty had his doubts about at least one of them. Jax, despite his allegedly sheltered life, had been spreading his legs for someone, and recently enough for Ty to tell, just by glancing at his sore and stretched vagina. He was surprised no one else had picked u
p on it, though maybe they had and were just too polite to say. After all, it wasn't as if Ty had any intention of mentioning it.
Jax lowered his kilt and returned to his former position beside his uncle.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Ty said, startling his mother.
Jax raised his head and met Ty's eyes. The bright blue gaze took Ty by surprise. Felines had varied eye colours. Ty's were amber and Cal's were green. Jax's eyes were the pure blue of one of the rarest of lineages. Ty's heart rate increased, and for the first time in his life, he imagined himself with someone other than Cal.
Jax nodded and mumbled something too quiet for Ty to hear. Then he and Orin moved away to allow the next guest to approach.
Ty waved over one of the servants and made arrangements for Jax to be seated next to him at the concert later that evening. He intended to get to know the feline who was a study in contradictions.
*****
Cal startled at the sharp sting of jealousy that tore through his chest when he saw how Ty looked at the pure white feline who had just been presented to him. He had never seen Ty look at anyone like that before, and certainly not him.
He ignored the small voice in his head that reminded him of how he continually kept Ty at a distance, and how things might have been different if he had ever given him the slightest encouragement. He had even gone so far as to express his delight at the idea of a mating festival when Ty had told him of his mother's plans.
"Interesting development," Rags whispered in his ear.
Cal shrugged. "Well, he has to pick one of them, or let his mother choose for him. I wouldn't have thought that one would be his type, though."
Rags chuckled. "His name is Jax. I was assigned to show them to their guest rooms. He's very timid. If Ty wants a mate who'll turn a blind eye if he takes another lover, I'd say he's chosen well."
"You think Ty would betray his mate in such a way?" Cal couldn't imagine Ty ever doing something so dishonourable.
"Many felines in arranged matings stray once their bloodline is secured."
Cal supposed Rags was right, but it still didn't sit right with him. He pushed the thought from his mind and finished pouring the flavoured water that would be handed out for the official toast to open the festival.
As soon as his job was done, Cal escaped outside to the gardens, where he found he wasn't alone in his desire to seek respite from the crowd in the main hall.
Jax and a feline Cal didn't recognise, had slipped behind one of the hedgerows, apparently without realising there was a discreet door to the servants' entrance behind them.
Cal couldn't move in any direction without being seen. His only options were to return to the hall, which was the last thing he wanted to do, or wait until the two lovers had finished.
Orin had told Ty and his parents that his nephew was untouched. Cal wondered whether he was aware of how wrong he was.
"That's it Jax, take it all," the other feline urged as he pumped his hips.
Jax moaned in pleasure as he came and Cal found himself relieved that at least he had stumbled across them while they were finishing rather than starting.
Jax seemed to recover first and he sat up and re-tied his kilt. "We shouldn't have done that."
The other feline laughed. "Why ever not? You know you want my cock and while we're here at the festival there's no risk."
Jax glared at his lover. "No risk? Damn it, Lyndon, what if I get pregnant?"
Lyndon waved away his concerns with a sneer Cal found offensive on Jax's behalf. "So what? No one will know it was me. For as long as we're here, your uncle will just assume his slut of a nephew has been spreading his legs for any feline who asks. Just remember not to open them for Ty. The last thing we need is for you to be mated to that arrogant noble. Just put on a good enough show of encouragement to satisfy your uncle and then we'll go home and things will get back to normal. If your uncle's pleased, I might even be able to persuade him to allow you some more freedoms, perhaps even a visit to see… well, let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Jax hung his head as Lyndon rose and dressed, before walking away without a backward glance.
Cal glared after him for a moment. When he turned his attention back to Jax he recoiled at the expression of utter hatred on the feline's face.
What in the world was that all about?
*****
Once all the dual-gendered felines had been presented, Ty hoped to slip away to his rooms. Unfortunately, his mother had other ideas.
"Come, you have to mingle," she urged as she steered him past one of the more cocky felines who had been presented to him.
Ty glanced around the room, wondering where Jax had disappeared to. Orin was talking to some of the other guests, but there was no sign of the white-furred male who had caught his eye. He couldn't see Cal either, though he could’ve been anywhere between the hall and the kitchens.
Putting both of them from his mind, he tried to concentrate on the guest in front of him. Thankfully, his mother had taken control of the conversation and there was little he needed to do besides nod and fake interest as she grovelled to the avian prince.
"And how are you enjoying Furyne, Your Highness?" she asked. "I hear you've chosen to settle here."
"Please, call me Halor," the hawk avian replied. "And we're enjoying it very much. Kit, my feline mate, is enjoying being close to his mother."
"Is he here?" Demi asked as she looked around the room.
"He's in our room, taking a nap with the youngsters."
"Of course, you've all had a long journey to be with us here. And how many are there in your mate's first litter?"
"Just two," Halor replied, "which is more than enough to keep the three of us busy. Ah, here's Logan, let me introduce you."
Ty stepped aside as Logan eased past him, his hands full with a bowl of seeds, which he passed to Halor, and a plate of vegetables for himself. Ty had never seen a human before and he tried hard not to stare too blatantly in case he insulted their guest.
"This is Logan, my human mate, and the father of our boys."
Logan shifted his plate from one hand to the other and stuck one of them out towards him.
Ty cocked his head to one side, wondering what the reason for such behaviour was.
"Sorry, habit," Logan said as he took back his hand. "We humans have this weird custom where we shake hands when we meet someone new. I keep forgetting that it appears to be unique to my people."
Halor chuckled and drew Logan to his side, kissing him briefly on the lips. "I like your weird customs."
Logan grinned. "I'm glad to hear it, because I have plenty of them that you still don't know about. Anyway, I just checked in on Kit and the boys. They're all fast asleep."
"Good." Halor turned to Demi and Ty. "The boys are teething at the moment, so we all try to get some sleep whenever we can."
Ty's mother nodded. "I remember those nights very well. So, are your youngsters both males or is one or both dual-gendered?"
"Mother!" Ty glared at her. "You can't just ask something like that. It's rude."
Logan smiled at him. "It's fine. Believe me, I've asked a lot of questions that are no doubt very rude as I've tried to figure out what it means to be dual-gendered. What was it I learned the other day? Oh yes, the feline terms for how to refer to youngsters who are dual-gendered."
"What do you mean?" Ty asked.
"The universal translation implant seems to have an issue when there are too many human words for it to pick from. Our language databanks included historic terms, many of which are obsolete, as well as the current terminology. It kept giving me different ones and eventually I gave up and asked what the feline terms were specifically."
Ty had heard reports of similar issues with the translation implant from other species who had visited Furyne. The implant was a work in progress. "So humans also have those who are dual-gendered?"
"Not in the same sense that felines are. It's different for my people."
&n
bsp; "Different how?" Ty's mother asked, echoing his own question. Ty found it fascinating to hear from the viewpoint of another species who had dual-genders.
"Well, there are many humans who are intersex, which is the term we use for those who have biological differences that mean they don't fit exactly into the definitions of male or female. Those differences can be a whole variety of things, including being born with both male and female sex organs."
"Then you do have dual-gendered humans?" Ty's mother asked.
Logan shook his head. "Not in the sense that you mean. In the rare instances that intersex means a human has been born with both the male and female sex organs, they're not both fully functioning. There are other species back on Earth—that's my birth planet—that do have those, but not humans. My sister is a medic and she monitored Kit during his pregnancy. She tells me that Kit is a true hermaphrodite, which is a term which used to be incorrectly used for humans who are intersex, sometimes as an insult or a slur. The term fell into disuse as humans learned to accept others no matter their differences. Later, as we learned more about genetics, the word was used once more, this time in the correct manner, though never in relation to humans."
Halor smiled. "You can see now just why the universal translator might be having a few issues with the language of humans. They also have numerous languages, which just makes the whole thing even more complicated."
Logan grinned. "What can I say? We're a complicated species."
"And how do humans refer to those who are intersex?" Ty asked.
"Once they're adults, most of humans simply use the terms they are comfortable with, the one that reflects the gender they feel to be."
"And the children who are born with both genders?"
"Years ago, it used to be the decision of the parents as to how they referred to their child. Later, more and more parents chose to raise their children as gender neutral regardless of whether the child was born male, female, or dual-gendered. Those parents would use they, rather than he or she, but the translator didn't seem to associate that term with the feline equivalent, perhaps because it is used more widely by my people."
