When Noah’s breathing slowed and the aftershocks of his orgasm diminished, Laoch pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Are you okay?” Noah couldn’t speak, so he just nodded. He looked quite shaken.
“You’re sure? Do you want to continue?” Noah’s eyes got bigger. He realized they hadn’t even reached the main event yet. He nodded again, blushing furiously. Laoch chuckled. Embarrassment, excitement, anxiety, desire… they were all displayed clearly on Noah’s sweet face.
Laoch was more than ready. He was hard and in spite of his reservations about the wisdom of going this far, he couldn’t lie to himself about his craving to claim the young man as his own. He was ready to admit to himself that Noah had wormed his way into his heart, but he could never admit that to Noah.
“I want you on your hands and knees. It will be easier on you.”
Noah frowned. “But I want to see your face as we make love. That’s too impersonal,” he pouted. “I want to see your beautiful eyes as you take me. And… and I want to be able to kiss you.” He glanced away, embarrassed again at how corny and needy he sounded.
Laoch’s heart clenched. ‘Gods, this man will be the death of me.’ “All right, we’ll compromise. We’ll start you out on your hands and knees to ease you into it, then switch you to your back if it looks like you’re handling it well.
Noah smiled, then leaned forward and kissed Laoch before turning over and getting into position. Laoch knelt behind him. “Lay your head and chest on some pillows so you can reach back and open yourself to me. Relax and push out, and don’t forget to breathe. I’ll go slow to give you time to adjust to me. You’ll feel a little discomfort at first, but it will soon be replaced by pleasure. Tell me if you need me to slow down or stop.”
Noah pulled some pillows under his chest and head as he leaned down with his butt up in the air. He was embarrassed but what the hell, Laoch had already seen it all and he had asked for this. He ached to feel Laoch’s big cock inside him, laying claim to him.
He reached back and pulled his cheeks apart, exposing his slick hole to Laoch. “Push out,” Laoch said. A hand braced his hip and something hard and much bigger than three fingers pushed slowly at his entrance as Laoch guided his cock into position, pushing steadily until his crown popped through the tight ring of muscle.
Noah grunted, squeezing his eyes shut. Laoch stopped and rubbed a hand soothingly over Noah’s lower back, giving him time to adjust. “Relax and breathe,” he said. Soon he felt the stranglehold on his cock ease, and he rocked his hips, pushing further into Noah a little bit at a time until his balls were pressed up against Noah’s firm butt. He stopped again, waiting for a sign from Noah that he was ready.
Laoch spread some more ointment around Noah’s hole and on the inside of his cheeks. “You can let go and rest your arms now.” Noah stretched his arms up and shoved them under the pillows to keep them tucked tight under his chin. Laoch rocked his hips a little and Noah moaned. Laoch stopped again. “Does it hurt?”
“No, it feels so good. Do it again.”
Laoch started to roll his hips slowly, shallow at first then more as he got into a rhythm. He started to feel a little dizzy and stopped, swiping perspiration off his brow and squeezing his eyes closed.
“What’s wrong? Don’t stop now!” Noah blurted.
Laoch started again, leaning over Noah’s back and digging his fingers into Noah’s hips hard enough to leave bruises. He felt hot and his vision wavered as he thrust in and out of Noah, the phoenix tattoo on Noah’s back seeming to take on a life of its own as his muscles rippled. It shimmered, like heat radiating off a desert floor and the wings fluttered. Noah whined and moaned beneath him, but Laoch was on auto-pilot and his hips kept up a steady pace while his mind was detached. Blue and red flames rose around him, engulfing his body but not burning. Cold fire.
Abruptly, Laoch pulled out and flipped Noah onto his back, re-entering so quickly it was as if he’d never stopped. Noah cried out as Laoch pulled his hips up and lifted one leg higher to push even deeper into Noah’s channel. He thrust harder and deeper, the flames growing brighter and climbing higher, carrying Laoch’s silver hair up so that it flowed as if a part of the flames, taking on their color.
Noah stared at Laoch, frightened as the flames seemed to surround his body as well, but he felt no pain. Even the pummeling he was taking from Laoch gave him only pleasure, euphoria. But he was afraid. Laoch’s eyes had lost all color, the silver completely obliterating the violet and the pupils. They were glowing. Laoch was there physically, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Noah knew nothing about Fae mating rituals but somehow this didn’t seem to be normal. He was helpless to do anything but lay there and take it. “Laoch! Laoch!” No response. The flames were an inferno.
Suddenly, several things happened at once. Laoch threw his head back and screamed as he and Noah climaxed together and the flames burst in a great fireball, snuffing out as Laoch collapsed, the only sound the crackling of the campfire and the rush of the waterfall.
Noah lay dazed, his heart pounded, and his chest heaved, struggling to draw air into his lungs. Spots danced before his eyes and he had no strength to move. He stared up at the ceiling of the cave, his arms splayed out to the side. As his vision cleared and feeling came back into his body, he realized Laoch’s body was draped across his, pinning him down, his left arm trapped and numb.
“Laoch! Laoch!” He felt for Laoch’s pulse in his neck. He was alive, but Noah couldn’t rouse him. He glanced down what he could see of his body and Laoch’s, expecting to see burns but he saw only pristine skin. No pain, no burns. ‘What the fuck was that? Was I hallucinating?’ “Laoch, wake up dammit!” Noah couldn’t roll him over, so he started squirming around until he finally managed to get out from under Laoch. It didn’t help that Laoch was still inside Noah.
He snatched up his shirt and pants, pulling them on quickly, his first thought was to run to Wolf for help, but he hesitated. The buildings were on lockdown after dark and he didn’t have the alarm code. He’d have to wake up one of the residents. Kneeling next to Laoch, he covered him with a blanket, brushing his hair back from his face. His breathing seemed to be good and his pulse was strong. Whatever had happened, he didn’t seem to be in distress. He checked Laoch’s eyes and they were normal.
Laoch had planned an early wake-up to prepare for Cillian’s appearance. They all did. It would not do for any of them to be sleep deprived. Since it seemed Laoch was merely passed out from exertion, he made the decision to let him rest. He lay down next to Laoch and pulled the blankets up over them both, resting an arm on Laoch’s back as he settled on his side.
Hours later, Noah woke when he felt Laoch shifting under the blankets. He opened heavy eyelids to see Laoch pushing himself up with one arm as he shoved the hair out of his face. His hair hung down his chest in a disheveled mess and he looked about in confusion. Still naked, the blankets pooled around his hips, he looked like a primitive god. Noah couldn’t help a sharp inhale and lust spiked through him, stirring his cock to full attention.
Laoch’s head snapped around, locking onto Noah with a frightening intensity and he grabbed the front of Noah’s shirt, ripping it open to expose his chest. There, on Noah’s left pectoral, a silver double-phoenix tattoo in a Celtic circle glittered in the low light from the campfire.
Laoch scrambled back as Noah pushed up into a sitting position. “No! That’s impossible! There’s only ever one! It can’t be!” A warm breath of air caressed Laoch’s cheek, and heat pulsed over his heart.
“What the fuck Laoch?! Have you lost your mind?” Noah was fingering the torn edges of his shirt. He looked down and saw the markings but couldn’t really make them out very well from his angle. Glancing back up at Laoch, he saw a shocked face staring back. Laoch was flat on his ass, mouth open and hyperventilating. He looked like he was about to pass out.
Noah lunged at him and grasped the sides of his head, staring into his eyes. “Breath! Listen to me Laoch
! Take slow breaths, do as I do!” He set a rhythm, keeping Laoch focused on his eyes, till Laoch synced up with him and his breathing finally normalized, at least as much as a man freaking out about the impossible happening was capable of.
Several emotions flitted across Laoch’s face: confusion, fright, resignation, guilt. He looked down and pulled his hair back over his left shoulder. There it was… the faded, ugly old mate-mark had been replaced by a glittering double-phoenix tattoo, just like Noah’s.
Noah reached out and touched the markings reverently. “Whoa,” he whispered. At his touch, Laoch bit his lip and shivered, his cock going from flaccid to hard instantly. Noah’s eyebrows shot up and Laoch blushed in embarrassment. “What the… ?”
Laoch’s hand darted out and touched Noah’s mark, and he moaned and curled in on himself as his cock, which had finally softened, sprung back up, slapping against his belly. “I think it’s best if we keep our hands to ourselves for the time being or we’ll be too exhausted to fight,” he said.
“It’s a mate-mark isn’t it?!” Noah sat down hard. “How? I don’t understand. I thought you said every Fae got only one fated-mate in a lifetime. Are we mated but not fated? ‘Shit! Now I’m rhyming!’ He ran his fingers anxiously through his hair. “What does this mean?”
Laoch stared back at Noah guiltily. This was a conversation for another time, but he owed it to Noah to be honest and allay his obvious apprehension. He never would have fucked Noah if he’d had any inkling they could form a mate bond. Such a thing was unheard of. He was an ardent scholar of Fae history and he’d never come across any records of secondary bonding’s occurring. Regardless, he’d been bonded once so he knew all the signs. This, however improbable, was a legitimate fated bond.
For Laoch, this was a good thing, a great thing actually. His health and strength were restored, and he realized his feelings for Noah were validated, or the bond never would have occurred. The downside was that this was even more dangerous to Noah with Cillian still alive, and worst of all Noah hadn’t had a chance to choose the bonding. Sure he loved Laoch, the bond was evidence of that, and he had said so several times, but would he have chosen to be bonded to Laoch for life if he had a choice? And what if he lost the duel with Cillian?
The anxiety and fear Noah was projecting through their link rolled through Laoch like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm both of them if Laoch didn’t do something. Noah was not Fae and he was newly bonded, so he had no control whatsoever over what was happening. Laoch scooted closer to Noah and, keeping eye contact, placed his palm over Noah’s mark, projecting calm, positive emotions through their new link.
After a few minutes, Noah calmed visibly and smiled. “Better?” Laoch asked.
“Noah laughed. “Yeah! That was amazing! You were able to do that because we’re mated?”
“Yes. We can feel each other’s emotions now and project support and strength to one another.” Laoch looked uncomfortable and he pulled the blanket around him, hiding his nudity.
Noah could feel something was off with Laoch. “What’s wrong? Are you not happy about being mated to me? You look like someone kicked your unicorn and why the sudden shyness after we’ve sucked each other off for a week?”
“We need to have a serious discussion and it’s going to be difficult to do it with you staring at my penis the whole time.”
“But it’s a really nice penis and I like looking at it… a lot,” he snickered.
“Noah!!” Taking a calming breath, Laoch said “Do you understand the ramifications of being a fated mate. There are pros and cons, the most serious of which is the effect it will have on you if Cillian kills me today… if anybody kills me… ever. I… I…” he swallowed around the lump forming in his throat. “I’m happy that I was able to bond with you. I never imagined such a thing was possible. It’s not supposed to be, but I never asked you if this was what you wanted, and it can’t be undone.”
“Stop! Laoch, you need to learn to loosen up a little… okay a lot. But Babe… can I call you babe now? Babe, I’m over the moon about this. I told you I love you and I want to spend forever with you. We both thought it was impossible before, but if you had asked I would have given you a resounding ‘yes’ and damn the consequences. We can discuss all that later, after you kick Cillian’s ass. We’re going to be together for a long, long time.”
He leaned forward and kissed Laoch tenderly on the lips and Laoch wound his fingers around Noah’s nape, pulling him forward, deepening the kiss, opening to Noah as desire and love flowed freely through their link. Noah murmured against Laoch’s lips as the kiss ended. “Do you think Aidan would approve of this? I mean… I don’t expect to replace him in your heart. He was supposed to be your ‘forever’ after all.”
“I think Aidan would wholeheartedly approve of this. He told me to live and find love again, but I couldn’t move on yet. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow had a hand in this. Why do you think my mate-mark has transformed to have two phoenix’s?” He kissed Noah again, dragging him back down onto the bed.
Chapter 21
Tiger met Laoch early that morning near the waterfall It was pre-dawn, light enough to see as they warmed up, stretching and spinning their swords about to limber their sword arms and wrists. “I brought you a change of clothes… your clothes. I thought you would want to face Cillian dressed as a Fae royal, not in hand-me-downs looking like a tacky Ranger.” Tiger laughed. He was a ‘tacky’ Ranger and proud of his uniform.
They faced off and saluted one another. Their swords flew and rang as they struck and blocked. The continuous strikes landed so quickly it set up a tone that stretched into one long note. It would have drawn attention if not for the roar of the falls and the insulation of the surrounding trees. Tiger finally yielded, sweating and gasping for breath.
“Some warm-up! Are you sure you weren’t really trying to kill me?! No, of course not. What am I saying? If you’d wanted to, I’d be dead. You’re not even breathing hard! How is that possible?”
Laoch chuckled and followed Tiger over to the fallen tree everyone used as a seat and they straddled the trunk facing each other. Tiger wiped his blade, sheathing it, then patted at his sweaty face, taking in Laoch’s appearance. His eyes narrowed. “Something’s changed. You’re practically glowing,” he said suspiciously.
Grinning, Laoch pulled his shirt aside, revealing the new mate-mark. It glittered like diamonds in the sun that had just risen over the treetops. Tiger lurched and his hand darted forward, almost touching until he remembered what Laoch had said about it being an intimate act.
“No way! How? How…” He studied the design, eyes flicking between Laoch’s eyes and the mark. “It’s different! I mean, not just renewed but the design is… there’s a second phoenix!”
Laoch covered back up. “I have no clue. Well, obviously I know how a mate-mark comes into being but how all this is even possible I don’t know.”
Tiger’s hand flew to his mouth. “You fucked Noah, didn’t you!? Does he have a matching mark? Where is he anyway, you lecherous old man!?”
“I’m only one hundred and ninety-two… and he’s still asleep. I’m afraid I kept him up until the wee hours of the morning.” Laoch couldn’t help the smug grin on his face.
Tiger glared at his cousin. “Do I need to give you the ‘don’t hurt my friend or else’ speech? Do you lure all the young guys in with a line like ‘No, I couldn’t possibly bond with you the first time’? I should have expected something like this to happen after I caught him sucking your dick.”
Laoch stuck his nose up in the air. “Like you’re so pure. I thought you were just a shy innocent young thing, but you really are a sex addict, aren’t you? How many nights did I have to listen to you and your horny husband having make-up sex whenever you knocked him on his arse? Is he a pain slut?”
Tiger sucked in a harsh breath and blushed. “Hey, don’t change the subject here. We’re not talking about my sex life.”
“Well we’r
e not discussing mine either,” Laoch snapped.
They sat quietly for a few minutes, staring each other down. “Seriously, is Noah okay with all this?”
Laoch dropped his eyes. “Yes, he is. It took us very much by surprise, but obviously we were both pleased with the outcome or we would not have bonded.”
Tiger nodded slightly in agreement. “So, I assume you’re no longer dying? No wonder you beat me without even trying. You really will be able to defeat Cillian then, won’t you?”
“Yes, I believe so, but this stays between the three of us for now. I’ll be better able to lure him to me if he thinks I’m still weak. I’ll put on a show of being incapacitated, so you must not worry that he’s getting the better of me or let on to anyone that I’m faking. Don’t let anyone interfere. This must be between Cillian and myself.”
They stood and Tiger hugged Laoch, tears welling in his eyes. “I’m so happy for you Laoch.” He stepped back, swiping at his eyes. “You’ve endured so much and still made time to look after me. I just want to thank you and wish you and Noah all the best. You deserve it.”
Laoch smiled, nodding at Tiger and started changing into his court clothes.
“I have a confession to make,” Tiger said. “When we were trying to locate you guys, I went through Aidan’s sketch book looking for clues. Did you know he drew a picture of you and me together?”
“No… really? I’ve never gone through that thing. That drawing of the phoenix was the last thing he did. It was too painful to look through his things after the funeral. His room hasn’t even been touched.” He sat down to pull his boots on.
“When we get back, we’re going to go through it together,” Tiger said. “There’s some amazing stuff in there.” He clapped Laoch on his shoulders. “Now, let’s go kill a bastard.”
The team gathered in the compound to say their goodbyes to Lucius. If all went well, they would be returning directly to Aurora and if they lost, Liam’s people would clean up all evidence that there had ever been a battle between Fae and humans there. Tristan had arranged for more of his guardsmen to arrive and hide in another area of the forest the previous night, enough to outnumber Cillian’s men. He also had a surprise for them that should resolve the issue of Cillian and his men escaping or using their abilities to kill the humans.
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