Darin

by Catherine Lievens

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Mmm, nothing.” Ira pushed his body between Darin’s legs and settled on top of him.

  “Doesn’t look like nothing to me.”

  “Nothing much, then.”

  Ira kissed Darin. It started out soft, light, but Darin wanted more. He worried for a second that they would probably get caught, then quickly dismissed the thought. They wouldn’t be the first—or the last—couple in the house caught making out on the couch, and Darin would make sure they didn’t go further than that.

  “Clothes on,” he whispered in Ira’s mouth.

  Ira chuckled. “Oh, love. You don’t know what you just authorized me to do.”

  Darin didn’t even have the time to think about Ira had on his mind, because a hand slipped under his T-shirt and found his nipple with a surprisingly good aim. Ira rubbed against it with a nail and Darin whimpered.

  “Ira...”

  “All your clothes are still on.”

  Ira rolled Darin’s nipple between two fingers, then pulled on it. Nysys snuffled in his sleep and Darin held his breath, but Nysys didn’t say anything. It had to mean he was sleeping, because god knew he wouldn’t have had problems saying anything if he’d realized what Darin and Ira were up to.

  Ira slid his mouth down Darin’s jaw and neck. He stopped at Darin’s bite mark and sucked on it. Darin moaned a little more loudly than he was comfortable with, but he couldn’t help it, especially not when Ira nipped at the mark. It was still recent, so it was sensitive.

  Ira propped himself up with one hand and slid the other one away from Darin’s chest and down his stomach. Darin sucked his breath in when Ira’s fingers skimmed his bellybutton, but Ira didn’t stop there like Darin had thought he would.

  Instead Ira pushed his hand lower, between their bodies, and palmed Darin’s hard cock through his jeans. Darin whimpered and bit on his lower lip to avoid any other sound coming out.

  Ira rubbed his palm up and down Darin’s length and Darin’s legs opened wider almost on their own volition. He wrapped them around Ira’s waist, not caring about the fact that it made Ira’s movement between them more awkward. He rocked against Ira’s hand, using his hold on Ira.

  Ira chuckled and moved his hand away, but before Darin could protest, Ira pressed his weight against him. He was just as hard and Darin was and their cocks rubbed against each other, separated by maddening layers of fabric that added friction. It was enough to make Darin go mad, and he pulled Ira’s face down for a kiss.

  It was mostly panting against each other’s mouths and a few sloppy licks of tongue, but Ira never stopped moving. He rolled his hips and pressed down just as he bit into Darin’s neck again. There were no fangs this time, and Ira’s teeth didn’t penetrate, but it was enough to make Darin come.

  He tightened his legs around Ira and pressed his fist against his mouth to muffle any sounds that might come out of it. Ira laughed against Darin’s neck. Darin narrowed his eyes and pushed his hand around Ira’s body and in the back of his jeans. It took a bit of wriggling around while Ira went on laughing, but Darin managed to push a hand down and cup one of Ira’s ass cheeks.

  The laugher stopped when Darin rubbed the tip of his finger against Ira’s hole and Ira stiffened. Darin grinned in the dark, rocked upward, and pressed down with his finger. The tip slipped in and he stroked as he rubbed their pelvises together.

  Ira groaned and bit down on Darin’s neck again. He shuddered and his asshole tightened around Darin’s finger, enough to let Darin know his mate had just come in his jeans. He slowly slipped his finger out and pressed a kiss against Ira’s forehead. “Not so funny when it’s you who comes in your pants, huh?”

  Ira laughed breathlessly and started to kiss Darin, but Nysys’ voice made them freeze.

  “God, guys. I get you being all touchy-feely since you just mated, but that wasn’t touchy-feely at all. It was more gropey-grabby, and it was hawt. I think I might’ve come in my jeans, too.”

  Darin and Ira looked at each other with wide eyes. “Nysys?” Darin asked. “When did you wake up?”

  “Mmm,” Nysys hummed in a disturbingly sated voice. “I think it was when you became an octopus.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Darin could feel his face heat and he knew he was blushing spectacularly.

  “Told you. It was hot. Want to go at it again? I can be quiet and fake sleep.”

  Darin groaned and Ira started laughing again.

  * * * *

  They waited with Nysys until Morin arrived. He looked worried when he walked in, but one look at his mate sleeping on the couch was enough to make him visibly relax. “Did he give you problems?” he asked to Darin.

  Darin shook his head, and Ira wondered if they should tell Morin about what had happened earlier. His jeans were stiff and uncomfortable, reminding him exactly what he and Darin had been up to, and he would’ve bet everything he owned that it would be the first thing Nysys would tell his mate about when he woke up.

  Still, Ira didn’t know Morin, so he kept his mouth shut and listened to Darin explain what had happened. Ira took the opportunity to examine the man whose father had had him captured and locked away for almost two years of his life.

  He didn’t know what he’d expected, but Morin was... normal. He wore a well-fitted suit and his hair was neatly combed. His tie was askew, which made him even cuter, especially with the concern for his mate shining in his eyes. All in all, he didn’t look like the man Ira had imagined, and it was a good thing. He didn’t think he’d be able to get over the fact that one of Darin’s friends was mated with Glass’ son if Morin hadn’t looked normal.

  “He’s fine. We made him drink some water, and he woke up a little while ago,” Darin said, his cheeks flushing. “He didn’t sound as drunk then, and he fell asleep again.”

  Morin’s shoulders sagged and he ran a hand in his hair, ruining his neat hairstyle. “Great. I... thank you. I know I should’ve been here, but I couldn’t.”

  “We get it.”

  “I’m not sure I do,” Ira said. Morin looked at him with a frown on his face and Darin gave Ira what Ira thought was a be careful what you say or no sex for a week look. He raised his hands, hoping it made the fact that he wasn’t trying to be hurtful obvious. “I just mean that Nysys looked lonely, and from the little he said, he’s been feeling that way a lot.”

  Morin sat next to Nysys’ feet and raised them. He placed them in his lap and Nysys didn’t even stir. Morin kept his hands on them, cupping them as though he needed to somehow touch his mate. “He never told me he was lonely. I’d have made sure to take days off if I’d known.”

  “You know how he is,” Darin said. “He’d never tell you about it because he knows you’d try to take time off, and he doesn’t think he’s important enough for you to. He doesn’t want to take you away from your work.”

  “But I want to be taken away. I’m just trying to do this as fast as possible, and I’m almost there. Most of the labs are closed and are being either repurposed or destroyed. Newcombie is dealing with what remains of the board, but after what happened to the member that freed that creature, they’re tamer and aren’t giving him too many problems.”

  “Take one day off,” Ira suggested. “Just one. Spend it with Nysys, only the two of you. Then go back to work.”

  Morin cocked his head. “And who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around, but I’d like to thank the man giving me good advice.”

  Ira leaned forward, grimacing at the way his stiff briefs rubbed on his cock. He held his hand out and Morin shook it. “Ira Johnson. I’m Darin’s mate.”

  “Morin Glass.” He let go of Ira’s hand but stared at him. “Either you already knew who I was, or you never had to deal with the company.”

  “First one, I’m afraid. I lost almost two years of my life to the company.”

  Morin sighed and leaned back in the couch. Nysys snuffled and Morin
patted his feet until he quieted, then looked back at Ira. “I’d say I’m sorry, because I am, but I don’t think it’d help much. Can I do anything else?”

  “Nope.”

  “Do you need money? To help rebuilding your life?”

  Ira looked at Darin and took his hand. Darin smiled up at him. “No, I don’t need anything. I already have anything I need, and I’m well off anyway.”

  “Right.” Morin put his hand in the inside of his suit jacket and took a business card. He handed it to Ira and shrugged. “Just in case.”

  Ira pocketed the card and rose from the couch, wincing at the pull in his pants. “It was a pleasure knowing you, but we need to go.”

  “Oh, of course.” Morin pushed Nysys’ feet up and got up, too. “I’ll carry Nysys to his room.”

  “I thought you didn’t live here.”

  Morin leaned down and took Nysys in his arms. Nysys said a few muffled words and pressed his face against Morin’s chest. Ira saw him relax and snuggle deeper, as if he knew the man carrying him was his mate.

  “I have an apartment in New York, actually, but Nysys spends so much time here that Dominic let him keep the room he occupied before meeting me.”

  Ira could hear people talking downstairs and the sound of metal hitting ceramic, but as hungry as he was, he needed to clean up before going to eat. They stopped in front of Darin’s room and Darin waved at Morin. “Go put him to bed and let us know if you need something.”

  Morin smiled. “Thanks for taking care of him.”

  “And for the little show,” Nysys added in a sleepy voice. “I enjoyed it a lot.”

  Darin went cherry red and Ira laughed. He wasn’t all that bothered by the fact that Nysys had heard them. He couldn’t have seen them, at least not very well—the room was dark and they hadn’t taken any clothes off. Besides, Nysys had taken it well, so Ira didn’t see what the problem was.

  Morin arched a brow and kissed Nysys’ forehead. “What do you mean?”

  Nysys straightened and Morin set him on his feet. He kept an arm around Nysys’ waist, just in case, and it proved to be a good idea when Nysys staggered. He held on to Morin’s arm and beamed at his mate. “They had a little hot encounter while they thought I was sleeping.” He licked his lips. “In fact, I think they put me in the mood for more. Wanna go poke me with your love rod, honey?”

  Morin groaned. “Honey? I told you I hate pet names.”

  Nysys laughed. “And that’s what you noticed in the sentence?”

  “I would’ve been more offended by the love rod part,” Ira said.

  Morin smirked at him. “I bet. So you gave Nysys a little show, huh?”

  “Oooh, I didn’t think you’d take it so well,” Nysys said, running a palm over Morin’s chest. “I think we need to go now, and we’ll need to talk about watching porn together if you like to watch as much as I enjoyed listening to these two.”

  “Aaand now I’ve heard and seen enough,” Darin declared. “He didn’t see anything, just so you know. We didn’t take any clothes off, and it was dark.”

  “You don’t need to take clothes off to have sex,” Nysys said, waggling his eyebrows.

  “I’m done. Go sleep, or play with Morin’s love rod, I don’t care. See you tomorrow. Or not. Depends how long it takes me to get over the shame.” Darin opened the door to his room and pulled Ira inside.

  “Nothing to be ashamed of, from what I heard!” Nysys yelled just as Darin closed the door.

  Ira laughed, and gosh, he was pretty sure he hadn’t laughed so much since before he’d been captured. He pulled Darin into his arms and kissed him. Darin squeaked in surprise, but he gave in and relaxed against Ira’s chest.

  They kissed until Darin started to squirm. “I really need to go shower. I’m afraid my underwear will be permanently stuck to my dick if I don’t.”

  Ira reached down and cupped Darin’s cock. “We can’t have that.”

  “Definitely not, and you’re not making things easier. Hands off, Ira.”

  Ira squeezed. “You sure?”

  “At least until we’re in the shower.”

  Chapter Four

  Darin never looked away from the car window. He’d never been to Gillham and he didn’t think he’d come back anytime soon, so he wanted to see everything he could see. Not that there’d been much but trees until now, but still.

  It was very different from what he was used to. The pack members didn’t live in the same house, or even close to each other. Darin had seen several houses scattered around as they passed and the space between them baffled him. How would they defend themselves if they were attacked? The houses were in walking distance from each other, sure—if you were a professional walker or something.

  The road they were on stopped in front of a house. Darin could see a few other, smaller roads that opened on the clearing the house was in, but the one they were on clearly was the main road. “Are we here?”

  “Yes. This is Kameron’s house.”

  “So did you live here before moving in with me?”

  “No. I lived in a smaller house with Yanis. It’s not far from here. But I need to talk to Kameron before we go get my things.”

  Darin looked at Yanis in the rearview mirror. The lion shifter was already opening the door and sliding from the back seat, and Darin knew he wanted to be quick to be able to go back to Adan as soon as possible.

  Ira and Darin exited the car while Yanis strode to the front door. He opened it without knocking and Darin hurried to follow him inside. He looked briefly around the house, but Ira came behind him and gently pushed him toward the hallway. “I know you want to look around, but Yanis...”

  “I know. He wants to go back to Adan. I get it. We can come back to visit sometime.”

  “That’d be great.”

  Darin went the direction Yanis had disappeared and followed the voices he could hear. They led him to an open door, and when he peeked inside, he saw it was an office.

  Kameron was sitting behind the desk, with Dominic sitting on the other side of it. Yanis was standing close to Dominic, gesturing. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier.”

  “I already knew, Yanis. Not only are Dominic and I on the council together, but we’re also friends. He told me as soon as he found out about it, and I understand you had better things to do than calling me. Don’t fret.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t even think of calling, what with Adan’s situation,” Dominic added.

  “Yeah, okay.” Yanis looked back at Darin and Ira. “I’m going to go pack my things, okay?”

  Ira nodded while Kameron said, “Of course. Let me know if I can do anything for you or Adan. The pack will always be your home if you need it.”

  Yanis’ smile was small, but it was there. It was the first time Darin had seen him smile since he’d met him, so that was good. Yanis left the room and Ira went to sit in the one free chair in front of the desk. Darin stood behind him, keeping out of reach when Ira tried to pull him forward, probably into his lap.

  Dominic chuckled. “All right, so you’re here to talk to Kameron, huh?”

  “Yes,” Ira answered. “I know I already talked to you, and I called Kameron, but I didn’t want to disappear without saying anything.”

  “What are you doing here anyway?” Darin asked Dominic.

  Dominic sighed. “We were talking about the situations the pack and the pride are in.”

  “I know about the hunters, but what’s happening to the pack?”

  “It’s not happening only to the pack, although it’s true we’re the main target,” Kameron said. “One of our old pack members went and created a second council. Most of the alphas who didn’t want to be a part of ours flocked to Tom’s, because Tom wants to do the opposite of what we’re doing.”

  Darin grimaced. “Let me guess. More traditions, more violence. They liked the old ways because they were the ones in control, and they’re not happy someone else
is now. I also bet they’re angry as fuck because you and Dominic both have male mates.”

  “Exactly. They want the power to go back to the alphas and to be able to decide who has to be punished and how. They want to be able to get rid of gays and interracial couples, and they want to be able to decide how they do that.”

  “Torture and death, then. They want to get back to how shifters were a year ago, before the council.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why is the pack a target?” Ira asked.

  The alphas exchanged a glance and Dominic shrugged. “You know what I think about telling people stuff.”

  Kameron smirked. “Yup. Tell everyone everything.”

  “And let them form their own opinions.”

  Kameron nodded and looked back at Ira. “Tom was a prominent member of this pack when the old alpha was still here. He didn’t take the change well, and he kidnapped Zach. He sold him to the company, and you know what happened after that.”

  “Craig.”

  “Yes.”

  Ira briefly turned to look at Darin. “I could stay. I know I’m not an enforcer or even part of the pack’s security, but I could help. You know what I can do. I could be useful.”

  Dominic leaned back in his chair. “What you can do?”

  Darin pressed his hand on Ira’s shoulder. “He won’t react badly. He’s not that kind of alpha.”

  Ira nodded and Darin knew he’d shifted his face by the look on Dominic’s face. Dominic didn’t look afraid, just curious, and Darin was glad he’d been right. “How did you learn to do that?”

  “I’ve always been able to do it to some extent, but I perfected it in the lab I was locked in—I had a lot of free time. They did experiments and everything, but since I’m pretty rare they mostly left me alone. They weren’t able to find an Atheris that wasn’t somehow related to me, so they couldn’t even use me like they tried to use Jago.”

  “Do you think you could teach it?”

  “I think so, but why? Who would want to learn something like this?”

  “I know it’s not generally seen as something good, but—”