by Carol Lynne
With his throat full, Enapay began to move Gray’s hips, willing the man to fuck his mouth. Gray caught on quickly and soon was thrusting in and out of Enapay’s mouth. It was all Enapay could do to keep up with the silky fluid running down his throat.
“I’m gonna come,” Gray warned.
Enapay released one hand from Gray’s hip and wrapped it around the base of his lover’s erection before nodding. With the head and nearly two inches of Gray’s length still in his mouth, Enapay began sucking, willing the seed of his lover to erupt.
With a loud grunt, Gray’s fingers dug into Enapay’s shoulders as the first jet of cum filled Enapay’s mouth. He touched the tip of his tongue to the slit on Gray’s cockhead, begging for more.
With the taste of Gray’s seed, the relationship between the two of them was cemented in Enapay’s heart. He wasn’t sure if it was a trait common to shifters, but Enapay knew in that moment that Gray was meant to be his mate. He pushed thoughts of Takoda away, not wanting to spoil the feelings of love that began to overwhelm him.
When the last of Gray’s cum had found its way to Enapay’s stomach, Enapay pulled his lover down into his arms. “We’ve been blessed.”
“Huh?” Gray asked, his gaze still unfocused.
“Your seed is different from the other lovers I’ve been with,” Enapay tried to explain.
“Different? Like in a bad way?” Gray questioned.
Enapay shook his head. “Whatever else happens, I know Father Sky brought us together for a reason. I will no longer question his wisdom.”
Gray didn’t appear convinced. “What about Takoda?”
Enapay shrugged his shoulders. Although he knew Gray was his chosen mate, he couldn’t help wonder why Father Sky had drawn him to Takoda in the first place. “I don’t know. Hopefully things will become clearer once we’re all together again.”
Gray curled his body around Enapay’s. “Will you leave me if you discover Takoda should be your true mate?”
Enapay shook his head. “What has happened between us cannot be undone, nor do I wish it to be.”
Gray nodded and rested his head on Enapay’s shoulder.
Enapay wondered if Hakan could shed some light on the situation for him. He knew the human, Jack, was mated to Toby, the King of the Wolves. Maybe Father Sky had a similar human/shifter arrangement in mind for Enapay and Gray. But why?
Chapter Five
Takoda sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee. Even though he’d not had the strange dark brew before coming to Refuge, he’d quickly become accustomed to the taste.
He watched as Daniel prepared breakfast, uncertain of the foods he saw the man cooking. “What’s that?”
Daniel paused and turned to Takoda. “Sausage links. Have you had them before?”
Takoda shook his head. “I had some bacon at Gray’s. Is it the same?”
Daniel shook the sausage back and forth. “Kind of. They’re both from pigs, but they have a different flavor. Do you eat eggs?”
Takoda’s stomach growled. “I eat just about everything lately.”
“It’s good to see you’re feeling better. You’ll gain your weight back in no time.” Daniel turned back and placed the sausage in the pan.
Takoda still couldn’t figure out the King of the Coyotes. He knew he’d been hard on Daniel since they’d first met a few years earlier, but the man had never been anything but kind to him. He wondered if it was that trait Hakan had fallen in love with.
Although he didn’t think of himself as a happy person, Takoda did enjoy his life as a crow. He wondered about Daniel. “Are you happier in your man skin than when you are in your real form?”
Daniel turned a knob on the stove and took a sip of his coffee. “This is my real form. I was a man first. The same as you.”
Takoda shook his head. “I may have been a man first, but I was always meant to be a crow.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes and set his cup on the counter. “Can I speak honestly without you getting your feelings hurt?”
Takoda nodded. He braced himself for what was to come.
“I think you like being a crow because you don’t have to deal with the everyday emotions humans do.”
Takoda started to disagree but Daniel continued talking. “You didn’t feel this way when you were in your relationship with Hakan did you?”
“No, but that was a long time ago,” Takoda tried to defend himself.
“And with the hurt of that break-up still fresh in your mind and heart, you took to the sky.” Daniel shrugged. “All I’m saying is, if you really wanted to, you could get used to living as a man. I know life was hard for you, it was hard for all of us, but things are different now.”
Takoda turned his attention back to his coffee cup. He knew there was no sense in denying what Daniel said. Life was much easier as a crow. When Father Sky had guilted him into leaving Hakan, he hurt more than he thought possible.
Although the devastation of losing Hakan continued to haunt him, Takoda thought he’d done a good job of getting on with his life. He knew his heart wouldn’t handle another broken relationship, so he didn’t indulge. Loving Enapay wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d fought his feelings for years before finally falling for his best friend.
“Are you pouting?” Daniel asked, setting a plate of food in front of him.
“No. I’m thinking. That was the entire point of your speech, wasn’t it?” Takoda answered. He knew it came out snide, but he could only be civil for a short time to the man who’d finally won Hakan’s heart.
Daniel sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Breakfast is on the table!” Daniel yelled toward the ceiling.
Takoda knew he should apologize to Daniel, but he hated it. He hated himself even more for still holding a grudge against the man. It wasn’t Daniel’s fault he’d been the chosen one to bridge the earth and sky. He heard Hakan and Ryker laughing before they even came into the room. Takoda braced himself. It was never easy being around Hakan, even more so now that his old lover appeared so fucking happy with his life and men.
“Morning,” Ryker greeted Takoda as he stopped to give Daniel a quick kiss.
“Morning,” Takoda replied.
Hakan came into the room and immediately headed for the coffee pot. “How’re you feeling, Takoda?”
“Physically? Good. The best yet.”
“Good.” Hakan took a seat at the table. He threaded his fingers together and apparently said a quick prayer before looking down at his breakfast. “Looks good, baby.”
Daniel gazed at Hakan with so much love in his eyes it made Takoda uncomfortable. After spending time with the three men, there was absolutely no doubt in Takoda’s mind they all loved each other. His thoughts drifted to Enapay and the things Daniel had said. Was he pushing Enapay away merely because he wanted to live as a crow, or was he also protecting his heart by making it impossible for the two of them to be together?
* * * *
By the time Gray unlocked the door to his hotel room, he was completely drained and out of sorts. The men in custody continued to claim they possessed shifter abilities, yet not one of them would demonstrate that special trait.
As much as he hated to do it, he’d have to beg Enapay to go with him in the morning. His only hope of proving the men weren’t what they claimed to be was another shifter.
When he walked into the room, Enapay was exactly where Gray knew he would be, in a chair in front of the window. It was obvious by the expanse of bronzed skin showing above the chair, his lover had opted not to put the shirt Hakan loaned him back on.
Gray set his briefcase down as Enapay glanced over his shoulder.
“How’d it go?” Enapay asked, holding out his hand.
Gray pulled off his suit coat and tie before joining Enapay in front of the wall of glass. “Not good.”
He took Enapay’s hand and rounded the chair. “Fuck,” Gray gasped as he realized Enapay was completely nude.
Enapay gr
inned. “It’s the way I’m most comfortable.”
Gray held up his free hand as he was guided to straddle Enapay’s lap. “Don’t let me stop you.”
With his knees on either side of Enapay’s hips, he leaned forward and kissed the lips he’d thought about for the last six hours. With the first swipe of Enapay’s tongue, Gray began to feel better. His mood slowly perked up as Enapay continued to lavish him with licks and kisses.
“I missed you,” Enapay said, nipping Gray’s lower lip.
Gray scooted closer, rubbing his cock against the hard ridge of Enapay’s erection. “I missed you, too. I wish you’d have been with me. I could’ve used your help.”
Enapay’s entire body stiffened. “Was someone mean to you?”
Gray smoothed Enapay’s long black hair out of his face to trail over the back of the chair. “Not mean exactly. Nobody threatened me or anything. It was just an overall feeling of distrust, even by the government officials I was trying to help.”
Gray leaned against Enapay’s chest, resting his head on his lover’s shoulder. “Ignorance is the main culprit. They just don’t understand shifters. I tried to explain it to them, but they shook their heads in disbelief. I became so infuriated that I told them I’d give them one more day of my time before I returned to Refuge.”
“And the men who poisoned my people?” Enapay asked as he rubbed his hands up and down Gray’s back.
“They still claim to be shifters, but I still disagree. They’re mimicking animals and birds while in their human form. We both know that isn’t the case for real shifters. I tried everything I could think of to convince them to shift, but I got nothing.”
“You want me to go with you to see if I can tell what they are,” Enapay realized.
“Yes. We have to get to the bottom of this thing before the public starts blaming the shifters for their own misfortunes.” Gray felt Enapay’s hand roam to his ass. It didn’t matter just then that Enapay hadn’t answered him in regards to going with him. The press of his lover’s fingers to his hole, even through the thin fabric of his pants, was exquisite.
Gray pushed against Enapay’s touch and began kissing the bronzed skin of the man’s neck. He reached between them and unfastened his slacks. “More.”
With a deep reverberating groan, Enapay began to push Gray’s pants down. “Want you.”
Gray nodded as he slid off Enapay’s lap and removed his shoes and clothing. “Lube?”
Enapay reached deep into the space between the low arm of the chair and the cushion and produced the gifted bottle of lube.
Gray’s eyebrow quirked up. “You planned this?”
Enapay shook his head. “I got horny earlier just thinking about you. I…uh…”
Gray smiled. He loved that Enapay jacked off while thinking about him. “I don’t care how many times you take yourself in hand as long as you leave some for me.”
Enapay chuckled. “No threat of that not happening.”
Gray resumed his position on Enapay’s lap, lifting his ass enough to give Enapay room to play. “I’m all yours.”
“Really?” Enapay asked, slicking his fingers.
“Yeah, really.” A momentary image of Takoda flashed through Gray’s mind, but he pushed it away when he felt the first touch of his lover’s hand against his hole. Gray felt goose bumps rise on his arms and legs as Enapay rimmed the sensitive puckered flesh. He sighed as the pad of one finger added pressure to the tight muscle until it pushed inside.
“Been a long time?” Enapay asked.
Gray nodded, and Enapay began sawing the long digit in and out of his body. As good as the blowjob was earlier, it truly was foreplay compared with the feel of Enapay inside of him. He wanted more. He needed Enapay’s cock.
“Need you,” he groaned.
“Not yet. One more.” Enapay slid another finger inside Gray. “Don’t want to hurt you.”
Gray’s body wanted to scream in protest, but his heart melted at the thoughtful gesture. He fought hard not to wrap his hand around his cock. Wait. It was already apparent Enapay was a lover like no other he’d ever had.
Of course, bars and backrooms weren’t the place to find meaningful connections. The few actual boyfriends he’d had over the years hadn’t lasted long. Gray’s obsession with his work had always been a problem. Combine that with the fact he’d simply never found someone he wanted to spend more than a few hours with at a time, and his love life had suffered.
Enapay rubbed across his prostate, sending Gray’s body into spasms that threatened to push him over the edge.
“Please,” Gray pleaded. Had he ever begged before?
Enapay ran his tongue up the side of Gray’s face as he removed his fingers and applied lube to his cock. “I like this stuff.”
Gray chuckled. He knew Enapay’s days of spit and bear fat were over. “I had a feeling you would.”
Enapay placed his hands on Gray’s hips and lifted him to hover above the thick lubed cock. “You do it.”
Gray reached behind his back, found the slippery erection and positioned it to his hole. He slowly lowered himself, pushing the first two inches inside. He was forced to stop and take a breath, not from pain but an overwhelming pleasure that threatened to envelop his entire soul.
“Are you hurt?” Enapay asked, his hands still holding Gray up.
Gray shook his head. He gazed into Enapay’s eyes and whispered, “This was meant to be.”
Understanding dawned in Enapay’s expression. “Yes. Father Sky must be pleased.”
Without an ounce of pain, Gray lowered himself on Enapay’s lap. His lover’s entire length fit perfectly inside him. Gray felt as though someone had taken the blinders from his eyes. Everything was incredibly clear to him. The reason he’d made the decision to join the shifters at Refuge. The undeniable draw he felt toward Enapay had been designed before he’d even arrived.
“I’m your mate,” Gray realized verbally. He shook his head as he began sliding up and down on Enapay’s erection. Why had he been chosen? What purpose could Father Sky possibly see for him?
A vision of him and Enapay making love to Takoda clouded his mind. It was more than a thought. Premonition? He felt he was being bombarded with flashes of the future. He remembered his head tipping backward, and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor with Enapay on top of him.
Gray opened his eyes. “I saw things.”
Enapay nodded but continued to thrust in and out of Gray’s hole. “As did I.”
Gray bit his bottom lip at the exquisite bump and grind of Enapay’s hips as he hammered into Gray at lightning speed. His body couldn’t get enough, and Gray hitched his legs higher around Enapay’s torso, opening himself even further.
Enapay cried his name as his body shook with the force of his release. With the first jet of seed, Gray’s visions returned. Flying. He was soaring over Refuge with Enapay and Takoda beside him.
Enapay had been right. It was an indescribable feeling. One he’d hold within himself for the rest of his life. He thanked Father Sky for the gift so graciously given as he gave up control. His climax was like none other before. Each pearled strand of cum that shot from his body felt more like a promise than a simple orgasm.
He pulled Enapay down into a kiss, pushing his tongue deep into his mate’s mouth. Gray’s hands grabbed on to the man he loved, trying to find his rock in the storm of visions that assaulted him once again.
Gray was unsure of how much time had elapsed when he opened his eyes to find Enapay cleaning him with a warm cloth. “Takoda,” he whispered.
Enapay nodded, but said nothing for several moments. “You are meant for great things.”
Gray shook his head. In his visions, he stood in front of crowds of people from all over the world, Enapay by his side, Takoda overhead. “We’re meant for great things.”
“Together we will educate humans on shifters.”
The cell phone in Gray’s coat pocket began to ring, threatening to interrupt their epi
phanies.
“Ignore it,” Enapay growled.
Gray didn’t have a problem with that until the room phone began to ring. Shit. “It must be important.”
“And so is this,” Enapay countered.
“Yes.” Gray pulled Enapay down for another kiss. To know he was chosen for two men was overwhelming. What if he wasn’t successful in convincing the people of the world they were under no threat from the shifters?
A knock on the door surprised them both.
“Dr. Whitmore? There’s an urgent message for you from Hakan,” someone yelled through the door.
Gray released his hold on Enapay, sliding his legs to the thick carpet below. He knew it had to be a life or death matter if Hakan contacted the front desk. Gray could only think of one thing. “Takoda.”
Enapay jumped to his feet and headed for the door as Gray struggled to get his pants on.
“You’re not dressed,” he called to Enapay.
Enapay shrugged and opened the door, evidently unconcerned with his nudity. The man’s eyes went wide as he held out a slip of paper. Needless to say, the man didn’t stick around for a tip. Enapay shut the door and carried the paper to Gray.
“What does it say?” Enapay asked.
Gray was momentarily surprised Enapay hadn’t read the message for himself until he realized his lover probably couldn’t read. “It’s just Hakan’s phone number with the word urgent underlined.
He reached for his suit coat and pulled out his phone, hitting speed dial.
“Gray,” Hakan answered. “Something’s wrong with Takoda.”
“Why, what’s going on?” Gray asked.
“He was fine earlier but he collapsed after his follow-up appointment at the clinic. Sam doesn’t know what’s wrong, but Takoda’s temperature is sky high and he’s delirious. They have him strapped down with a damn tube down his throat to help him breathe, but Sam isn’t sure he’ll make it.”
“Tell Ryker to call the pilot. We’ll be home as fast as we can.” Gray started to close the phone but stopped and put it back to his ear. “Hakan?”
“Yeah.”