by Shannon West
****
Camron turned around and practically jumped off Travis’ front porch, in his rush to get away. He turned his truck around in the driveway and squealed tires, driving faster than necessary. What the fuck was that about--giving Travis his card and telling him to call him if he needed anything? He didn’t even much like the little shit, so he didn’t know why he’d ever want to help him. As far as Camron was concerned, Travis was a fuck-up who had never had to take responsibility for anything. Yeah, he was a good-looking young guy. Really good-looking, almost pretty, but what the hell? Why was he thinking about that? Why was he even thinking about the boy at all?
Determinedly, he thought about Jenny and how he’d made love to her the night before. She’d wrapped those soft long legs around his waist, and he’d made sweet love to her for half the night. He needed to get some more of that just as soon as the dark moon was over for the month. Yeah, he needed to keep Jenny in mind and stop thinking about that little punk--with his soft, shiny hair and the green eyes that seemed to glow at him. And those thick black eyelashes that were like a doll’s, too damn pretty to be on a man.
Camron had felt this attraction earlier when he’d come to tow Travis’ car, but wasn’t sure what the feeling was until he had brought the keys back to Travis. When the door opened and Travis stood there in nothing but a pair of thin sweat pants and a bad case of bedhead, Camron’s mouth went dry. He looked so damned warm and sleepy and sweet. His bare feet looked cold and he wanted to make him go put on some socks or shoes or something. He stared into those damn big green eyes of his and tried not to think about how hot that body was. And those lush lips of his…
He hadn’t been able to speak, at first, because he so puzzled by his own reaction to another man. He had never felt this kind of attraction to any man before, and didn’t want to now. Damn it, he’d wanted to kiss Travis. Wanted it so bad it made his teeth ache. He wanted even now to go back there and knock on the door and when he opened up, pull the boy into his arms and kiss the shit out of him, make him whimper into his mouth and beg him to stop.
But he wouldn’t stop. He’d walk him backward into that house and lay him down. Take his pants off him and swallow him whole. He’d lick him and suck him until he had him crying and begging for mercy, but he wouldn’t show him any. He’d suck him down until he came--until he couldn’t stop coming and then he’d lick up every drop. He’d suck on him until he spread his legs and opened up for him like a ripe peach, and then he’d show him who he belonged to. Camron’s cock would push into that dark, velvety heat until he buried himself up to his balls.
He hoped Travis would squirm and try to get away, but it would be useless, because he would be impaled on Camron’s cock, and he’d never get away. He’d wrap his arms around him and stroke his dick until he had him talking in tongues. Hell yeah, Travis was his. His mate.
The sudden knowledge stunned him so badly he had to pull over on the side of the road and sit there until he stopped shaking. Shit, this was the mating call. Damn it! Nothing else could be so strong, so compelling! This kind of thing wasn’t part of his plan, had never been a part of his plan! He’d been with boys occasionally before when he was younger, but he was only experimenting since most of the clan males seemed to like males as well as females. Not him though. He’d tried it and decided he was much more attracted to girls. They were soft and sweet-smelling and most of the time, they’d do whatever he asked. He wanted kids and a sweet little wife waiting on him at home with a hot meal. Maybe it was old-fashioned, but that’s what he’d decided he wanted a long time ago.
Still, Camron had always been a realist, and he’d always been practical. If this truly was the mating urge, and he was pretty sure it was, then there was no getting around it. All his well-made plans were so much smoke and mirrors now. He wasn’t going to get his little blond wife and his two point five kids and his safe little life.
Camron’s father died when Camron was in high school and his mother had needed his help to keep the family business going, since he was the oldest child. They had struggled, but as soon as he graduated, he was able to take over full time and things were going well for them now. Yet, it had been hard on him—he could acknowledge that now. He’d gone to bed terrified almost every night for that first year, worrying about supporting his family. He couldn’t stand the idea of his little brothers and sisters going hungry or not having nice clothes to wear, so he worked himself half to death to be able to provide for them.
Camron had eventually built himself a house on his family’s land, close enough to his mother’s house that he could watch after her and his younger siblings, but still far enough away to give himself a little privacy. It was a small place, just two bedrooms, but it was big enough for him. He had always planned to add on to it after he married and had children of his own. His life seemed so hectic and hard at times that he wanted peace and quiet when he got home. Surely that wasn’t too much to ask.
He had worked hard and had finally reached the point where he could begin working on his life plan. He had given it a lot of thought, and had figured that it would probably be best to marry a girl a lot like Jenny, a sweet, uncomplicated girl who had old fashioned values like his own. No clan women for sure. Too ornery, and though he liked a little fire, he wasn’t fond of the brimstone that came with it. All he needed to do was choose a sweet, little human female and settle down.
It seemed, however, that there would be no female mates in his future—human or otherwise. No, he was going to get a wild, beautiful boy that would no doubt make his life a living hell. Another damn clan male—a mating that was as rare as it was always volatile, because there could only be one dominant male in the pairing.
One of them would have to be in charge, and that was just the nature of his kind. Camron knew that was going to be him, but how in the hell would he convince Travis? The boy was spoiled and lazy and young, but he was still a clan male, and as alpha as any of their kind. It would be a fight—a struggle that he would ultimately win, but a real battle nonetheless. It would be a delicate balance, trying to be the dominant male and not cause his mate to fear and resent him. He sighed and took a deep, steadying breath. He needed to see Travis one more time to be absolutely sure. This still could be some kind of mistake, unlikely, but possible.
He passed a hand over his face and pulled back out on the road. Tonight was the first night of the dark moon and he’d have to contend with the shifting for the next three days, so he needed to go home and rest for a while. Maybe after the dark moon, he could see Travis again and see if this—whatever it was—was still there. Surely there was no hurry, despite the unreasoning urge to turn his truck around and go back to claim his mate.
All the way home, and even after he arrived and tried to rest, Travis kept popping into his mind. Lying down to rest, he willed his mind to go completely blank and finally went to sleep, but he had no control over his dreams and to his embarrassment, Travis was the major star in them. There were several hot—make that pornographic— scenarios that played out in his subconscious state, making his sleep fitful, until he finally awoke feeling more tired than when he lay down.
It was getting dark outside and almost time for the shift. Since he lived out in the country, he usually just went through the shift in his yard, running into the nearby woods when it was completed. He walked outside and looked up at the night sky. The moon was dark, and the stars looked close enough to touch with his hand. That was his last purely human thought for a while because he felt it starting--his bones breaking and repositioning themselves, and the wildness taking over his mind.
****
The night was like a living thing that wrapped its arms around him and caressed his body with soft fingers. Camron felt free of his burdens, of all the problems that weighed on his mind day in and day out, as he ran under the stars, night’s breath in his nostrils. He was running toward something--he knew that instinctively, but he wasn’t sure what. There was a scent in the wind, tantalizing h
im, beckoning to him, and he ran to catch it.
Then ahead of him he caught of glimpse of his quarry, a beautiful big cougar, its tawny coat vivid in the moonlight, stalking some small animal through the underbrush. He snarled, baring his teeth, and his quarry turned with a fierce growl and gave up its prey to confront him.
Camron circled around his new prey, looking for a weakness, something he could exploit for his own purposes. The other cat was doing the same, its ears laid back on its head, its lips drawn back in a feral snarl.
When Camron saw his prey shift its eyes to the side, checking for a clear exit from the little copse of trees they were in, he knew he’d found the vulnerability he’d been waiting for. He leaped forward, taking the other cat to the ground on its back, its hind feet scratching wildly at his belly as he stood over it, his teeth sunk down in the other cat’s throat. He didn’t bite down all the way, simply held the cat in place until finally it stopped struggling and became quiescent beneath him, whining and mewling. Camron’s cat gave one more threatening growl and allowed the other one to get up, though he backed it slowly toward the edge of the clearing.
The other cat—the cat that belonged to him now—was making a purring sound deep in its throat, and couldn’t meet his eyes. Slowly, it turned its back on him, and its front paws fell to the ground, presenting itself to him. Camron’s cat leaped on top of it, staking its claim once and for all, its teeth clamping down on the other cat’s neck as it yowled and cried out beneath him.
Afterward, he allowed the cat to get to its feet, nipping occasionally at its flanks to keep it in line and make sure it stayed close to him. They hunted together through the night and when Camron felt dawn coming on, he lay down beside the other cat protectively and waited for the sun.
****
On the morning following the third and last night of the dark of the moon, Hawke came in the back door of the house just after dawn, looking exhausted. Jace, who was already up and making coffee, turned and smiled at him. Hawke came directly to embrace him, his skin still cool and smelling like the outdoors. The by-now familiar wild smell was still on him too, and Jace buried his face in his neck, glad to have him safely back home.
Jace never slept well when Hawke wasn’t there, and particularly not on the nights of the dark moon. It was so strange to him that he’d slept alone for most of his life with no problem, never even liked being close to someone else when he slept. Since he’d met Hawke, however, he couldn’t seem to sleep without being all tangled up with him, and usually woke up to find one each of Hawke’s big arms and legs thrown over him possessively.
“You look really tired,” Jace said, pulling away to peer up at him. “Do you want something to eat or would you rather just go to bed?”
“Food first, but just something quick,” he said, pulling away to grab a pack of muffins out of the cabinet. He tore into the package, crammed a couple into his mouth and then went over to the milk jug on the sink to tip it back. He was always ravenous after the shift. In amused amazement Jace watched him down almost half the container of milk before he lowered it to the counter and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Now maybe I can sleep.”
Hawke gave Jace a smoldering glance. “You coming with me?”
Jace laughed. “Hell, no. You know as well as I do that you won’t get any rest if I come to bed with you.”
Hawke struck an unconscious pose in the doorway. He was wearing only his jeans, and he leaned a shoulder against the door frame. He looked big and lean and muscular and sexy as hell. “What are you saying? Afraid you can’t keep your hands off me?”
“Mm, maybe, but I think that it might be the other way around. You know how you are.”
“Oh, and how am I?” Hawke asked softly.
Jace just shook his head and laughed, picking up his coffee cup. “You need rest now more than you need me.”
“Yeah? Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
Jace just shook his head and walked toward the sofa to drink his coffee. He made it about three steps before Hawke’s arms closed around him, pulling him in tight to his body, while one big hand reached down between them to cup and massage his dick and balls. Jace felt himself weakening and groaned, stepping out of the embrace.
“Damn it, Hawke, I’m just trying to take care of you.”
“That’s all I’m trying to get you to do…take care of me.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it. You’re always worn out after one of these nights and you look it, so why don’t you go rest? I’ll be here when you get up. I might even come in there in a while and take a nap with you. I don’t sleep well when you’re not here.”
“Okay, I’m going, but I’d like to wake up in a few hours with you in that bed with me.”
“Yeah, I know what you want to wake up to. Now, go.”
Jace watched Hawke walk to the bedroom before he settled down in front of the television with his coffee to watch the morning news. He tried to concentrate on what the announcer was saying, but kept picturing Hawke in those damn tight jeans. He put his cup down with a sigh, got up and walked toward the bedroom.
****
Hawke woke up several hours later, spooned around Jace. Hawke’s already burgeoning cock was pushing against the crease of Jace’s round, firm ass, while his hand held Jace’s cock, occasionally stroking up and down, feeling it swell in his hand.
Hawke heard a low groan as he felt Jace began to move in rhythm with his stroke.
“Mm. S’nice, baby,” Jace murmured, turning blindly toward him and lifting his mouth for a kiss.
That was all the encouragement Hawke needed. He threw back the covers and turned Jace on his back, reaching for the lube on the bedside table. Jace smiled up at him and raised his legs, opening himself for Hawke.
When Hawke had slathered the lube on Jace’s hole and his own cock, he pushed in one finger, gently probing upward for Jace’s sweet spot. When he found it, he gave it a soft rub, and when Jace arched up into his hand, he slipped in another finger. He saw that Jace’s eyes were tightly closed, but he was definitely not asleep. He was making his little noises that Hawke loved so much, and Hawke leaned down to kiss him, sliding his tongue into Jace’s hot mouth.
Hawke heard another deep groan and Jace pulled back enough to whisper against Hawke’s mouth, “Fuck me, now, Hawke--don’t want to wait.”
Hawke slid his swollen cock into Jace’s hole, thrusting upward while stroking Jace’s shaft in the same, slow rhythm. He made sure he moved to brush across Jace’s prostate, and Jace gasped once, stiffening as his orgasm overtook him.
“Oh,” he cried out softly. He was out of breath and shuddering with the aftershocks as he looked up in distress. “I-I came…” He broke off and looked up at Hawke miserably. Still lodged deep inside him, Hawke smiled and kissed Jace’s lips. He gave a little push of his hips.
“That was the general idea,” he whispered. He trailed kisses down the side of his throat, allowing him to catch his breath before he took up the rhythm again, pushing deeper and deeper into his velvet heat.
Soon his own orgasm swept him away and they clung to each other like survivors of a storm. They lay intertwined in each other’s arms for a few minutes, their hearts thumping together wildly before Hawke rolled off Jace with a groan and got up to head to the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later with a wet washcloth to clean Jace.
He rolled Jace over and popped his ass. “Well, I’m starving now. Get up and let’s get something to eat.”
“Philistine,” Jace muttered, as he rolled wearily out of bed. “You think only of your stomach.”
“Now I believe I just proved I do think of one other thing.” He waggled his eyebrows at Jace, eliciting the laugh he was looking for and pulled Jace into the kitchen, still naked, just the way he liked him. He’d long been of the opinion that clothes were highly overrated when it came to Jace.
After making and eating a huge breakfast of toast, sausage and eggs, Hawke leaned back
in his chair. “I’ve got to go to the office and check on things this afternoon. Everything seems to be quiet, but you never know. I’ll be home early if nothing’s going on.”
“Okay, no problem. I need to go over some paperwork from the community college anyway. It’s registration, so I’ll be gone part of the afternoon.”
“That works for me because Spencer wanted me to meet him for lunch. He said he wanted to talk to me about something.”
“What do you think he wants to talk about?”
“I don’t know, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s about that crazy-ass little brother of his.”
Jace laughed. “I like Travis.”
“I like Travis, too, but he’s wild as a buck. I’m afraid he’s drinking way too much too.”
“You sound like some old man, all straight-laced and prudish, and I, for one, happen to know that you are neither of those things.”
Hawke laughed. “Well, you’d be in a position to know.” He got to his feet and stretched before leaning over to kiss Jace on the mouth, a long, lingering kiss that had him rethinking his idea to leave. “Oh hell,” he groaned. “I’ve got to go. I’ll try to be home by six and then we can explore how non-prudish I can be. Oh, and if you play your cards right, I’ll even bring supper home from the diner.”
Jace smiled. “Just tell me which one she fixes for you. One of these days Marie’s going to lace yours with a little cyanide.”
Hawke frowned. “Don’t I know it? If I ever come up missing, be sure to give Marie’s freezer a look. I might just wind up as one of her daily specials.”
****
Camron woke up just after noon on the day following his last shift, with the idea that he didn’t need to wait any longer to put his plan into action. The dark moon had finally come to an end and the plan couldn’t be put off any longer. He’d tie up all his loose ends today and be ready to go get Travis the next morning. Once Camron made up his mind about something, he always liked to act on it as soon as he could, and he liked seeing his plans put into effect. He’d forged this one during these last three days of the dark moon, and it was time to make it happen.