Shivers

by Remmy Duchene

  “Carter…” Ciro’s voice broke through his worried haze.

  Carter didn’t lift his head. He simply closed his eyes tighter, wanting it to be a sweet dream of peace and forever. A hand brushed his shoulder and he sighed. “Ciro.”

  Lips skimmed the side of his head then over his cornrows to his forehead. Slowly they moved down his nose to his lips. A warm tongue played about Carter’s mouth, licking and sucking at it gently. He opened his eyes and jerked back, only to have his gaze lock with Ciro’s.

  “Ciro?” Carter reached a hand out slowly. He watched his fingers shake slightly as the tips brushed Ciro’s flesh. Heat from Ciro’s body burned his fingers causing him to yank his hand back. “Stop haunting me—please.”

  “I am not a figment of your imagination, Carter,” Ciro said. “Can you not feel the heat of my body? Look into my eyes—tell me I am not real.”

  “You can’t be real…they took you away. You promised to come back but…”

  “I would never break a promise to you, Carter. Never. Shall I remind you?”

  Ciro reached in and unbuttoned Carter’s shirt. Carter caught his hand and looked into the eyes of the man he’d come to love. He allowed his gaze to roam Ciro’s face, down over his nose, his full lips to his strong chin. Leaning inward, Carter closed his eyes. When their lips met, he sighed, lifting a hand to the back of Ciro’s head and sucking the Shiver’s tongue into his mouth. He kissed Ciro as if it would be the last time, shoving his tongue deep and reveling in the heat that passed between them. When he felt as if he’d die from pleasure, Carter pulled back and pushed air out his mouth. White smoke left his mouth and he arched an eyebrow.

  “You make me hot,” Ciro confessed huskily. “You make me burn with passion for you. Please let me touch you—I want to remind you that you are the one for me.”

  With a small smile, Carter let Ciro ease him back into the sofa and climb astride him, ripping his clothes from his body. He watched, trembling in anticipation, while Ciro tossed the pieces of what used to be his clothes aside. When he was through, Ciro bent forward and pressed his open mouth to Carter’s neck.

  “Shit,” Carter managed, dragging his nails down Ciro’s clothed back. “More.”

  Carter arched, moaning for Ciro, pressing his lover closer to him. His heart leaped each time Ciro’s tongue flowed over his skin. He knew for sure he would lose his mind and he didn’t care. All he needed was for Ciro to touch him, taste him. Licking his lips, Carter watched Ciro’s head move lower and lower until Ciro engulfed him within the hot wetness of his lover’s mouth. Gladly, he sunk his fingers into Ciro’s hair and pushed his hips upward. He slid into Ciro’s throat and groaned with pleasure. “Ciro— Damn! Ciro…”

  The sensations magnified when Ciro inserted a finger into him. He scratched at Ciro’s shoulder, pulling Ciro up his body until their lips met. “I need you—in me.”

  “Are you sure, Carter? After everything that’s happened…”

  “I am so sure…”

  Ciro stripped quickly, discarding his clothes to land anywhere. Carter pushed to all fours, bracing his chest against the back of the sofa. He looked at Ciro over his shoulder. The Shiver was busy dressing himself in a lubricated condom.

  “Come on,” Carter insisted. “Hurry.”

  Ciro laughed and pressed a kiss to Carter’s left butt cheek before aiming for his opening. He inserted the head of his dick, gripped both Carter’s shoulders and pulled. The motion impaled Carter, hard and fast. A growl erupted through the room, vibrating off the walls before dying. Closing his eyes, Carter held still for a moment, reveling in the sensation of a real man penetrating him.

  Slowly, he moved, pulling Ciro almost all the way off him, only to drive backwards taking Ciro’s large member deeply.

  The thought of never seeing Carter again had done something to Ciro. It had broken him worse than he’d ever been, worse than having to kill his evil brothers. All he craved for the days he’d been away was to feel the warmth of Carter’s heart beat rapidly in love and pleasure against him. As he rode Carter, Ciro knew for certain he was in love—he was desperately and completely in love with the human man on him. Snaking a hand around Carter, Ciro grabbed one of Carter’s nipples. He twisted each time he shoved into his man and took great delight in the sounds Carter made.

  “I’m almost…” Carter panted.

  “Don’t hold back,” Ciro said, leaning in to kiss the back of Carter’s neck. “Let it go and come for me.”

  Carter trembled then stiffened. A smile crossed Ciro’s lips as he dug his hips harder, sinking deeper within Carter’s heated core. He pressed his eyes closed and tossed his head back just as Carter clenched around him, squeezing every blissful drop from Ciro. Panting, he slumped down with Carter heavily on top of him. He allowed his powers to lift Carter from the sofa.

  “Whoa,” Carter called out. “I’m still not used to levitation.”

  Ciro smiled weakly and made himself a little more comfortable on the sofa before lowering Carter on top of him. When Carter snuggled into Ciro’s body, it was the most content Ciro had felt in almost two hundred years.

  “Did you miss me, Carter?”

  “Yes. I spent almost every waking moment hoping to see you pop into my bedroom or my office. But you never did.”

  “I am sorry I was away so long. I was healed then had to put Aerios in a place where he would not cause any more trouble.”

  “He is human—can he remember being a Shiver?”

  “He will remember everything but will not have the power to do anything about it. It wouldn’t be a punishment if he could not remember. Aphrodite said I might as well have killed him because now he is in his own personal hell. He will now have to live and work as a human being—the very people he detested so greatly. I could think of no better punishment than that.”

  “I am glad you didn’t have to kill him. There’ve been too many deaths already, right?”

  Ciro went silent then, thinking of the moment he’s known the battle was over and Aerios had lost. He’d wanted to sink his blade down, taking his brother’s head. It would surely have given him great pleasure since Aerios had spent his life making Ciro’s miserable.

  “Why did he hate you so much anyway?”

  “He believed I was given his birthright.”

  “I don’t get it.” Carter shifted to look down into Ciro’s face.

  Ciro caressed Carter’s cheek and smiled. “It matters not.”

  “Yes—it does matter. Why would someone, even a Shiver, go so out of his way to hurt his own brother? I could never want to harm Kofi, ever. There’s just this love brothers are supposed to have for each other.”

  Ciro eased a hand behind his head and took a breath. “I was born first,” he explained. “The first from a cursed union. Since I was the first son, I received the brunt of the curse—the strongest powers. On this planet, they would call me the biggest freak, but my brother thought I did it on purpose to punish him.”

  “How does that even make sense?”

  “I know not.” Ciro feathered a kiss over Carter’s forehead. “But in his twisted mind, it made perfect sense. The thing was, he did not want me dead—he wanted me to suffer. If I had not done something, he would have come after Kofi and it would have killed me if he hurt you.”

  “Because Kofi meant something to me. He would hurt me so I would turn my back on you, knowing very well how devastated you would be?”

  Ciro nodded. “For all the heartache and all the trouble and the pain—I didn’t just want to hurt him. I wanted him dead. But I could not take the chance that you would change the way you looked at me.”

  “And how is that?”

  “With heat—with a kind of softness I have been lacking all my life. I cannot let you look at me as less of a man for you.”

  Carter kissed his nose. “I don’t think that could happen. I would understand.”

  When Carter rested against him again, Ciro sighed and asked, “Could you learn to
love me, Carter? Could you see me as the man you would want to spend the rest of your forever with?”

  Looking down at him again, Carter said, “But I can’t spend the rest of my forever with you.”

  “Why is that?”

  “You are immortal. I am human.”

  Ciro laughed. “Which means even after you die—I shall be by your side. After your death, the doors to Mount Olympus open and you can walk right in.”

  “You make it sound so easy. What if I end up spending my eternity with your other brother, down there?” Carter pointed.

  “Hades is my brother. All I have to do is ask.” The smile Carter gave him made his body light as the air. “So, could you love me?”

  “Loving you wasn’t hard, Ciro. But we just have to see where things go from here. I cannot make promises like this now.”

  “As long as you smile like that at me all the time—all is right with my world.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Carter Olabasu walked into the house and closed the door behind him. “Kofi!” he called, kicking off his shoes and dumping his jacket by the door. He walked through the foyer. “Kofi?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  Carter walked in, dropped Kofi’s mail on the counter then made a beeline for the fridge. With the door open, he stuck his head in to find a bottle of juice. For a second he debating grabbing something else but gave up, closed the fridge and climbed to a stool wringing the cap from the bottle. After a long drink, Carter placed his drink on the counter.

  “So? How are things with Ciro?” Kofi asked.

  “They’re fine—he asked me if I could learn to love him.”

  “I hope you said yes. I mean, the guy’s brothers are pains in the ass, to say the least, but he can protect you and he has family and friends who seem to do anything just because he asks them to.”

  “Of course. The truth is—I think I already love him. It’s just that I’d already freaked you out with the gay thing, then the Shiver thing. I feel like I need to give you time to get used to all of it before I spring another to the pile, you know?”

  Kofi laughed. “Don’t use me as your excuse.” He reached for one of the letters. “I am all right with you being gay. The Shiver thing is a tad strange, but I know it’s real—just like I know what you’re feeling for this Shiver is real. Don’t just go with your heart. Use your head on this one too then find the happy medium. I will be happy with it if you’re happy. But super being or not, if he hurts you…”

  Carter met Kofi’s stare and smiled. “I know.”

  After reading the letter, Kofi made a face and crumpled it into a ball. Carter arched an eyebrow.

  “What’s in the letter?”

  “They’re trying to give me another credit card on top of the two I already have. If so many things didn’t require a credit card, I wouldn’t have any in the first damn place. Who needs that stress?”

  Carter laughed.

  “Well, little brother,” Kofi said, peeling himself off the stool. “What does one feed a Shiver?”

  “Regular food. Don’t be so worried about it. If you cook it, he shall eat.”

  Carter helped his brother prepare dinner. They finally came up for air two hours later when the table was set and ready for Ciro. Carter’s nerves kicked in then. Kofi must have sensed it, for he poured Carter a glass of wine.

  “Thanks.” Carter took a sip. “I know you wanted to talk to me and with all the drama happening around I just haven’t had a chance to sit down with you.”

  “It’s okay,” Kofi replied. “There’s been some stuff going through my head lately that I think I’m going crazy. And now, it has nothing to do with your super man.”

  Carter smiled. “Okay, we have a little time before Ciro gets here. Talk to me.”

  “You know how Osaki was my guard for a while? Well I find myself thinking about him—dreams really, and I don’t know what it means.”

  “It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Carter explained. “You were stressed. You were going through something no one should have to go through. I had some nightmares myself about being forced to disappear and you couldn’t find me.”

  Kofi shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. They are different. They are…”

  The doorbell rang. Carter watch as his brother jerked around at the sound.

  “It’s just the doorbell, Kof.”

  “I’m a sodding mess, you know that?”

  “No, you’re just paranoid.”

  Kofi chuckled. “I’m paranoid, but you’re just nuts.”

  “Bite me.” Carter smirked. “I’m going to get the door.”

  “Not my job, but the man outside—well, I can say he would love to.”

  “You fruit!”

  When he opened the door, he couldn’t help the urge he had to take Ciro into his arms. He was dressed in all black, except for a black and red necklace. When he turned to look at Carter, the wind picked up and blew his hair from his face. Carter gave in to temptation and stepped out and into his lover’s arms. Without a word, he tangled his hands around Ciro’s neck and took his lips. He didn’t pull back until he felt the need to breath.

  “You look so damn good,” Carter confessed. “But we have to behave.”

  “Your brother—I know.”

  “And you used the door.” Carter laughed taking Ciro’s hand and leading him into the house.

  “Yes—I figured after that little pop in thing I did before, and with all the other stuff your brother has had to digest over the last little while, he’d need some time to get accustomed.”

  Carter kissed him again then led him into the dining room. He watched as the two men hugged before leaving the room to grab a bottle of wine and the wine glasses. When he returned, it was to laughter from his brother.

  He shook his head. “What did you two do?”

  “What makes you think we did something?” Kofi grinned.

  “Because I know you both.”

  Ciro laughed. “Don’t worry, we weren’t plotting your demise or anything.

  Carter poured them each a glass of wine and they sat around the table for dinner. It was strange to be sitting with Kofi and a lover. Kofi genuinely seemed interested in getting to know Ciro, and that did Carter’s heart good.

  “What do you call this?” Ciro asked, jabbing his fork into the bowl.

  “That’s Fufu,” Carter explained. “You’re supposed to eat it with your hand. Here, let me show you.”

  Scooping some Fufu into his plate, Carter shared some greens over it, mixed it with his fingers before lifting some to Ciro’s mouth. Ciro hesitated only a moment before wrapping his lips around the tips of Carter’s fingers. Carter had to fight to bite back a moan and the urge to crawl over the seats and tackle Ciro as the tongue flowed over his finger. Instead, he wiped his hands in this napkin and looked to see what Ciro thought.

  “That is actually really good.” Ciro chewed.

  “Well, duh. I made it,” Kofi said, sticking some food into his mouth.

  Carter laughed. “The ego on this one is amazing.”

  * * * *

  With dinner over and the dishes in the dishwasher, it was a bit strange when Carter excused himself to make a phone call to one of his architects, leaving Ciro alone with Kofi. He couldn’t understand it, since it was so late. But he accepted a kiss to his forehead and Carter left them. Silently, Ciro sat on the balcony with Kofi as they sipped beers.

  “How strange is this for you?” Ciro questioned.

  “Can you read minds?” Kofi asked.

  “I am not that kind of god,” Ciro admitted. “And even if I could—I wouldn’t just go digging around in your head. Human beings are different that way. They do not want someone knowing what they are thinking.”

  “You got that right…”

  An awkward silence ensued.

  “Ciro, as a brother, I think I have to say this,” Kofi said, shifting in his seat. “Carter is the only family I have left. He, as strange as this mig
ht sound, is the love of my life. When the world wants me dead, when everything is falling apart, I have Carter. When all my friends decide they’re tired of being there and I’m alone—I have Carter. And I know that no matter what, he loves me more than life itself. I’m saying all that to say this—god or not, Shiver or not, you hurt him and I will find some way to make you pay. Do you understand?”

  The raw emotion in Kofi’s voice spoke volumes, even though deep down Ciro wondered how Kofi, a human, was going to make him pay. Shaking his head, Ciro took a breath. “That is the relationship brothers are supposed to have. But in response to your statement… I do not intend to harm your brother. And anyone who wishes to try will have to deal with me. There is a certain way he looks at me and that just makes everything better. He stares at me and I fight to be the kind of person—or rather Shiver—he can look up to because I fear that tenderness he shows me may vanish. You and I have something in common, Kofi. Carter is the love of both our lives.”

  Kofi nodded and took a drink from his bottle.

  “But honestly, Kofi. I have waited over three hundred years for this man. I am not about to screw it up. Just the thought of not waking up with Carter there beside me scares me more than Zeus.”

  “Well, that is what makes humans the way we are. We love like no other.”

  Ciro laughed and held his bottle up in a cheer for Kofi, who touched his bottle against Ciro’s. “Cheers to that,” Ciro said.

  “What are you two going to do about kids?” Kofi wanted to know. “Do you want children?”

  “Carter and I have not discussed that yet. But if he wants children, then we will have some.”

  “It is not that easy—would you tell them about what you are?”

  Ciro nodded. “When they were old enough, Carter and I would have to discuss it first and decide. But that is not something we could keep from them forever.”