Serim tenses at the reminder and Jerath holds her tighter against him. “If they don’t complete the ritual by the next full moon….” Her breath hitches and Jerath strokes his thumb up and down Serim’s arm. “They will lose the ability to shift. Forever.”
Jerath can tell by the look on Meren’s face that he doesn’t seem to grasp how awful that will be for them.
“They would be the first ones in the history of our village,” Jerath explains. “With no tattoo, there is no way to find a mate, so they will never have a family of their own. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
Meren finally gets it and he lays his hand on Serim’s knee. “Is that why you’re so desperate to see my father? You need to get them back home before the next full moon?”
“Yes,” she whispers. “We’re hoping he’ll help us, like your village did before.”
“The hunters in my village are expert trackers. But even if my father agrees to help, the raiders who took your people have a huge head start and there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to find them.” He squeezes Serim’s knee before he lets go and sits back.
“We know that, Meren.” Jerath rubs a hand over his eyes, feeling the events of the day catching up with him. The sun has set while they’ve been talking, and he feels tiredness start to settle into his bones. “But we have nowhere else to turn.”
Meren entwines his fingers with Jerath’s, and Jerath struggles not to look as surprised as he feels. Meren’s hand is warm and strong and Jerath grips it like a lifeline.
“I’ll do my best to convince my father to help you.” Meren strokes the back of Jerath’s hand and looks very much as though he wants to lean in and give Jerath a kiss, but he just sighs and looks away.
“I think I’m going to go to bed.” Serim ducks out from under Jerath’s arm and gets to her feet. Jerath goes to follow her, but Serim smiles softly and shakes her head. She looks between Jerath and Meren and gives Jerath a wink. “Why don’t you stay here? I’d like some time alone, if that’s okay?”
Jerath knows what she’s trying to do, but he’s worried about her. He gets up anyway, giving her a fierce hug, and she laughs against his shoulder.
“I’m okay, really, Jerath.” She whispers it into his chest so only he can hear. “But I wouldn’t mind some time to myself, and by the looks of things, Meren would like some alone time with you.” She tilts her head back and looks him in the eyes. “I won’t be too upset if I get the bed all to myself tonight.”
Judging from the muffled laughter behind him, Serim wasn’t being as quiet as she thought she was, and Jerath groans as he leans down and kisses her forehead.
“Sorry.” She giggles and Jerath knows that it was totally intentional on her part.
“Good night, Serim.” He sits back down and narrows his eyes at her, but she just shrugs as though she doesn’t know what he’s mad at.
She says good night to Meren and Torek and walks over to her tent.
“Well.” Torek stands and rubs his hands together. “As much as I’d like to sit here and force you two to make polite conversation for the next hour or so, I have things to prepare for our journey home tomorrow.” He grins at Jerath as he turns to leave. “Make sure he doesn’t keep you up too late, we have to be awake early in the morning.”
Jerath can’t help but blush at that, and Torek laughs loudly as he makes his way over to join the rest of the men by the fire. He watches Torek laugh and joke with the others for a moment or two before looking over at Meren.
Meren is staring at him, and Jerath can’t decipher the look on his face. “Everything okay?” he asks when Meren doesn’t say anything. “You’re very quiet.”
Meren swallows and licks his lips. “Would you like to spend the night with me, Jerath?”
Oh.
Jerath fidgets, his hands twisting together as he lets the question sink in. He wants to. Meren is everything he likes. He’s tall and strong, but not overly big—Jerath has never been a fan of huge muscles—but Jerath still hesitates. He doesn’t know whether it’s his lack of experience or something else, but the silence is stretching out between them and quickly becoming uncomfortable.
“Jerath?” Meren’s hand settles on Jerath’s leg. It’s high enough to make Jerath shiver, a lick of heat traveling straight to his groin. “We don’t have to do anything.” Jerath knows he must look confused because Meren laughs and squeezes his thigh. “I want to, believe me. I really do. But I… I just want you in my bed. We have two more nights before we get to my village and who knows what will happen then.”
Meren slides his hand farther up Jerath’s leg, his thumb rubbing just shy of Jerath’s groin. “Please.”
Jerath’s indecision slips away with every stroke of Meren’s thumb. He feels his body react; his heart rate picks up and his cock starts to fill, half-hard already. “Yes.” It comes out as barely more than a whisper, but it’s enough.
Meren leans forward and brushes his lips against Jerath’s in a kiss that’s far too chaste for Jerath’s liking, but Meren is up on his feet before Jerath can protest or try to deepen it. He offers Jerath a hand up, and when their fingers meet the heat of his touch seeps through Jerath’s skin and warms him deep inside.
“Come on.” Meren smiles and leads Jerath to a smallish tent on the outskirts of the camp.
It’s not as comfortable inside as the one Meren gave up for Jerath and Serim; there’s just a bed of furs and blankets in the corner, but that’s all they really need. Meren stops in the middle of the tent and turns to face him. Jerath’s heart pounds as Meren steps closer, his hands coming up to cup Jerath’s cheeks.
This is different from earlier by the stream. They could have been discovered any moment there, but here, in the privacy of Meren’s tent, they won’t be disturbed and they can take as much time as they like. Jerath swallows down his nerves and shuts his eyes as Meren’s mouth closes over his.
It’s a soft kiss, unhurried and lazy, and Jerath relaxes into it with a sigh. Meren shuffles a little closer until the hard length of his body is flush against Jerath’s, and Jerath feels every solid inch of him. He walks Jerath backward toward the makeshift bed as his fingers trail down Jerath’s back and slip underneath the bottom of his shirt.
Meren breaks the kiss and pulls back. “Let’s go to bed.”
Jerath can see fairly well in the dark since he gained the ability to shift—not as well as in his feline form, but better than when he was human. He takes in Meren’s face, eyes dark and heavy lidded, lips slightly swollen. Meren’s breathing is faster than normal and Jerath smiles because he did that. He feels the burst of confidence in his chest and steps back to tug off his shirt. Meren stares at him hungrily, reaching for his own shirt, and pretty soon they’re both standing there naked.
A gust of wind lifts the tent flap, and they both shiver as the cold air swirls over and around their exposed skins. It breaks the tension between them and they laugh, scrambling to get underneath the furs before it happens again.
“Fuck, that was cold!” Meren pulls the fur up to his chin and shivers again.
Jerath instinctively wraps an arm around Meren’s shoulders and draws him in. He pulls him tight against his side, like he’s done so many times with Serim, only registering what he’s done when he feels Meren’s hard length against his hip. Jerath stills, not knowing what to do next. But Meren obviously does and he slides a hand over Jerath’s stomach and kisses the side of his neck.
Meren moves his hand lower and strokes teasing patterns over Jerath’s sensitive skin, and Jerath moans. He watches intently as Meren licks at his chest, tonguing his nipples until they ache.
Jerath bites his lip as Meren pushes the furs aside and moves down his body. He feels the sharp sting of Meren’s teeth as they nip at the taut skin of Jerath’s hip, followed by the wet heat of his tongue as he licks over the mark afterward. Jerath writhes under Meren’s touch. It’s too much and not enough all at the same time, and he moans loudly when Meren’s warm breath
washes over his cock.
Jerath has only ever done this once, with Serim, and then he was half out of his mind with sex berries. He wants to feel Meren’s mouth on him so badly and he pushes his hips up, needing more.
Meren laughs softly at Jerath’s frustrated sigh. “Are you always this impatient?” His tongue dips agonizingly close to the head of Jerath’s cock, and Jerath answers without thinking.
“It’s just… I’ve never done this… with a man.”
Meren tenses and looks up at him with a curious expression. Jerath shifts his hips and tries to coax Meren’s head back down, but Meren shuffles back up the bed until he’s lying alongside Jerath again. Jerath stares at the top of the tent and wishes he’d kept his mouth shut.
“Jerath?” Meren takes hold of Jerath’s chin and forces his head up so their eyes meet. “I don’t understand. I thought you preferred men?”
“I do, but….” Jerath sighs again and closes his eyes. “But my village is not as accepting as yours and there’s not a lot of options open for someone like me. The opportunities for any type of sex are limited.” Meren’s hand returns to its place on Jerath’s stomach and strokes soothing circles over his skin. “I haven’t done much more than kissing… and hands. Apart from with Serim, during my Choosing.
Jerath wonders if he’s said too much, if Meren will be put off by his inexperience, and he feels his earlier confidence fading fast.
“Hey.” Meren leans in and kisses him. He licks into Jerath’s mouth, and it’s wet and dirty and not at all what Jerath was expecting. “I’m going to show you what it’s like with a man, Jerath.” He kisses along Jerath’s jaw and down across his throat. “I’m going to show you everything.”
Jerath cries out when Meren’s lips finally wrap around his cock. His fingers fist in the furs beneath them, and Meren sucks him deep into his throat over and over and it feels so good. Meren’s tongue slides up the underside of Jerath’s length. He laps at the precome leaking out at the tip and Jerath whimpers, his hips lifting clear off the bed.
Jerath’s orgasm starts to build low in his belly. It curls up and around his spine and as Meren takes him deep into his throat again, Jerath is vaguely aware of his claws extending. The ripple of power flows through him as his jaguar stirs just below the surface. When Meren swallows around him, Jerath sinks his claws into the fur and growls out his release.
Jerath’s heavy breathing fills the air around them and he lies back on the furs and grins. He can’t help it, and when Meren finishes licking him clean he crawls back up Jerath’s body, looking rather smug.
“Fuck.” Jerath pulls Meren in for a kiss. He can taste himself in Meren’s mouth, and it makes him feel dirty in the best of ways. He chases the flavor with his tongue and Meren moans, rutting against Jerath’s hip and smearing wetness over the skin there. Meren is hard and Jerath wants to touch him, to feel the weight of him in his hand.
“Can I?” Jerath asks. He starts to slide a hand between them but Meren grabs his wrist.
The sting of rejection hits him hard and Jerath starts to pull away, but Meren just smiles and shakes his head.
“No, Jerath. It’s not that I don’t want you to, but look….” He lifts Jerath’s hand and shows him his fingers—with all five claws still extended and glinting sharply in the dark. “I’d just rather you got rid of these first.”
Jerath immediately licks over his teeth to check for elongated fangs, but they’re smooth and normal sized. He doubts Meren would’ve kissed him so hard if they’d still been there. He looks at his hands, unsure as to why his claws are still out. He concentrates on willing them away, but his heart is still pounding from his orgasm and he can’t seem to get them to retract. He looks up helplessly at Meren. “I can’t do it… I… sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Meren smirks wickedly before kneeling and straddling Jerath’s hips. “You can watch, this time.”
Meren takes hold of his cock and starts to stroke up and down its length. His long fingers wrap around it in a tight fist, and Jerath’s eyes track the movement of Meren’s hand as it slides back and forth. It’s one of the hottest things Jerath has ever seen—Meren staring down at him and biting his lip while he brings himself off. Jerath inhales deeply and draws Meren’s scent into his lungs. It’s a heady mix of sweat and sex and man, and Jerath wants it to soak into his skin and drown in it. He can feel his animal instincts flaring up, the urge to mark and be marked flowing thickly through his body.
Meren’s breath catches, his rhythm stuttering to a stop as his whole body tenses. Jerath is powerless to stop the low growl that rumbles out of his chest as Meren throws his head back and comes, thick and wet, over Jerath’s stomach.
Jerath barely gives Meren time to finish before he’s flipping him over and pressing their bodies together. He keeps his hands away from Meren’s skin; his claws are still out and dangerous, and Jerath buries them in the deep furs again. Meren’s release is all over both of them now, and Jerath shuffles down until he can lick at the mess on Meren’s stomach.
He’s not fully aware of what he’s doing. The sudden need to taste, to claim, pushes him on and Jerath just lets it happen. He doesn’t know if this is normal or not; he and Serim haven’t talked about sex since his Choosing, but he’s definitely going to ask her about this later. For now, though, he concentrates on getting every last trace of it with his tongue.
Finally, Jerath sits back on his knees and wipes his mouth. His own skin is still sticky and he idly rubs it in with his fingers. His claws have finally gone back in, and Jerath lets out a deep, contented sigh and looks up to find Meren staring at him with wide eyes.
Oh.
Jerath might not be sure whether that was normal behavior for shifters, but from the look on Meren’s face, it’s probably not normal behavior for humans. He swallows and struggles to find something to say.
“Sorry?” he offers, wondering just when his inexperience is going to stop ruining everything. “I guess that’s not normal. I… I don’t….”
“Jerath.” Meren reaches up and tugs him back down until Jerath is lying on top of him again and then kisses him. It’s soft and gentle, and Jerath feels the tension bleed away with each sweep of Meren’s tongue. “It’s okay to lose control.” Meren runs his hands up Jerath’s back and Jerath resists purring at the touch, but only just. “I like it.”
“Really?” Jerath pulls back and looks Meren in the eye. “Even with the licking and the… um… rest of it?”
Meren grins up at him. “Especially the licking.”
Jerath laughs and feels lighter and happier than he has in a long time. But almost straightaway he feels a sudden, sharp stab of guilt. He shouldn’t be able to feel like this with everything that’s happened to his village.
“Hey?” Meren’s soft voice draws him out of his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”
Jerath sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. Images of Mahli, his mother, and the men that were taken flit through his mind. “I shouldn’t be this happy when my people are still in danger.”
Meren takes him firmly by the shoulders and Jerath’s eyes fly open. “It’s okay to find a little comfort, Jerath. You and Serim are doing all you can to help your village, there’s no cause to feel guilty.” He kisses Jerath once, a chaste brush of lips, and then pulls him down onto his chest. “Tomorrow, we start the journey back to my home. I promised you that I’d do everything I could to convince my father to help you. And I meant it.”
“Thank you.” Jerath pulls the covers up, settles against him, and closes his eyes again. He’s asleep within moments with the warmth of Meren’s arms wrapped tightly around him.
Chapter 9
JERATH wakes early again the next morning. Meren is still fast asleep beside him, and since Jerath can’t hear anything outside the tent, he assumes the rest of the camp is still asleep too. He listens hard, trying to pick out Serim’s heartbeat from all the others. It takes him a few minutes, but eventually he narrows down the familiar thump, slightly fas
ter and louder than all the rest. She’s awake and prowling around. Jerath is almost certain she’s in her animal form and he itches to join her.
He tries to slip out from underneath the furs without disturbing Meren, but as soon as he replaces the covers, Meren’s eyes flutter open and he strains to see Jerath in the dim light.
“Where are you going?” Meren’s voice sounds thick with sleep and Jerath smiles. He reaches out and rubs his thumb across Meren’s bottom lip.
“To run with Serim. I need to burn off some energy.” He flexes his shoulders and hands as if to emphasize the point, and Meren manages a lazy, sleepy grin.
“I could help you burn off some energy.” He looks Jerath over from head to toe, his eyes suddenly dark and wide awake. “Much more fun than running.”
Jerath laughs and is sorely tempted to climb back under the furs, but he needs to talk to Serim before they do anything like that again. “As appealing as that sounds, I need to see Serim.”
“Okay.” Meren just smiles, and Jerath gets the feeling Meren knows exactly why Jerath wants to see her. “Be careful.”
Jerath nods, letting his mind delve deep inside for his animal form, and feels the now-familiar feeling wash over him. He stretches out his back and his legs, swishes his tail about and shakes his head. It’s still new and exciting to be able to do this, to feel the raw power that bunches in his muscles and hums through his veins.
Meren stretches out his hand from under the fur covers, and Jerath saunters over and rubs against it. He licks between Meren’s fingers, tickling at his skin, and Meren laughs, snatching his hand back and wiping it on the fur.
“Ugh, Jerath. That’s disgusting.” Meren grins, so Jerath figures he doesn’t really mean it.
He moves a little closer and takes Meren by surprise with a long lick along the side of Meren’s neck. Jerath nuzzles up against him and rubs his scent all over Meren’s skin, grumbling with satisfaction as their combined smell fills the air.
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