Faster and faster T took him, growls coming low, sliding down his spine. "Mmmmmmate."
"God, yes." He nodded, or tried to, fingers digging into the rug, his breath coming short and fast. He could feel each thrust in his balls, in his cock, his blood pounding in his veins.
He could feel T's cock swell, fill him, spread him wider as T bucked, slamming into him violently. He got his hand wrapped around his prick, and all it took was that touch, his hips pressing back even harder as he came.
Heat flooded him, right after, Torao's teeth sinking into his shoulder. He whimpered softly, panting and shivering, skin so sensitive. "T. Oh."
T released him, lapping gently at the sore spot on his shoulder, sending electricity through him. He shuddered, his cock throbbing with each lick. He reached back, stroking whatever skin he could reach. "Love you," he murmured.
"Lllove." T was purring, the sound satisfied. Happy.
He smiled and pet T some more. "Yeah."
He felt warm and sore in all the right places, T's body so good draped over him. T got heavier, cuddling in, purrs threatening to become soft snores.
He pushed back a little. "T? Let's get to the bed before we start napping, k?" The floor wasn't the softest place to rest, especially with T's weight on top of him.
"Bed." T rolled off, dragging him unashamedly to the bed and plopping him down.
He laughed and curled into T's warmth. "Yeah. Bed."
Man, his three weeks vacation was going to be up before he'd figured out what was the best way to keep T happy.
Somehow, curled up with T, the smell of their lovemaking still in the air, the warmth of T's body wrapped around him, he thought he'd figure it out.
Chapter Three
He was introducing T to the wonders of key lime pie--trying not to laugh too hard at the way T couldn't decide whether to make a face at the sour or “mmm” over the sweet. It wasn't easy though, T's nose wrinkling up.
He took another spoonful, licking the spoon clean. He loved that mix of sweet and tart himself. "More?" he asked, holding another spoonful out.
T nodded, leaned forward to lap the pie from the spoon. He chuckled and dipped his finger into the pie, licking it before dipping again and holding it out to T. But before T could wrap that tongue around his finger, the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?"
T tilted his head, sniffed, then one hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get it, T." He was wearing a bummy t-shirt and old sweats, but it was good enough to answer the door with.
T growled, dropping to the floor and tugging him away from the door, toward the bedroom as the knocking grew louder.
"T! What's the matter with you? The door's this way." He tugged his arm out of T's hold, frowning.
Torao shimmered, the tiger appearing suddenly, teeth bared, snarling at him.
He backed up fast, shocked--T'd never been aggressive with him. Ever. And really, he was hurt at this sudden change, he didn’t understand it. "I have to get the door," he said, backing up fast down the hall, eyes on T's teeth, his paws.
T disappeared without a sound, without a backward look, black and white pelt scrambling down the hall. Greyson started after him for a moment, totally confused as to what had just happened. The doorbell went again and he jumped, turning to go get it. Was that the first time T'd heard the bell? He couldn't remember it having gone before. Maybe it sounded like something bad from T's past.
He was still trying to figure it out when he opened the door.
"Good evening, sir." A man with slicked down hair and a trimmed beard stood at the door, flyers in hand. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for something I've lost and everyone here says that you are the one person in the neighborhood who might take in strays."
"Strays?" He let his frown deepen. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."
"I own a small menagerie and freak show--one of those little traveling things. One of the animals escaped and I'm trying to find him." The flyer was pushed into his hand, a black and white tiger on the front. "He appears to be quite tame, but he is a wild animal."
His heart started pounding, and he worked as hard as he could to keep the expression on his face the same. "This isn't some stray cat--this is a tiger."
God, how had T known?
No, don't think about T, this guy might see, might know. He fought the urge to turn and check to make sure T was out of sight, or to close the door behind him, keep the inside of the house hidden.
He shoved the flyer back at the guy. "I'm not stupid enough to go anywhere near a tiger."
"Are you sure? He's deceptively tame, used to people. He was bred in captivity, you know? He's almost like a son to me."
A son? This man thought... Greyson took a deep breath. Just play it cool. Don't hit him. If this guy guessed, if he knew and he brought the cops back. Shit, Greyson had no idea what kind of rights T had. He'd been born a tiger; he had no papers. Maybe if Greyson had time to figure something out, but off the top of his head, playing it as if he had no clue what this guy was talking about was the only thing to do.
"A tiger's still a tiger, man. I'm more of a dog person anyway."
"Well, here's my number. I'll be in town until I find him, or his body. Please, if you hear anything, give me a call."
"I will. I will. I hope he doesn't hurt anyone."
"For his sake, I do too."
"Okay. Well." He waved the flyer. "I'll call if I hear anything, man." He started to close the door.
He saw the flash of a gun, the man’s eyes staring into the house as if looking for the slightest hint. "You do that."
"I will." He shut the door and turned the lock as quietly as he could, fingers trembling. Shit. Shit. He waited though, to hear the man going down the steps.
The house felt ungodly still, almost echoing with the silence.
He prayed that Torao stayed wherever he was, just stayed out of sight or sound until the guy at the door was well and truly gone. He thought he heard steps moving away and he tiptoed over to the window in the front room, peeking out to make sure the guy was really gone.
There was a white van, sitting across the street, a dark shape inside just sitting. Watching.
He swallowed and stepped back. Damn it. He had to find T. Had to make sure his mate stayed hidden, stayed safe.
He padded quickly back down the hall, in the direction he'd seen T go. "T?" he hissed. "Where are you, Torao?"
Nothing.
Not a breath.
Not a growl.
Nothing.
Oh, God, he hoped T hadn't run.
He went to the back door, only half relieved to find it closed. It wasn't locked from the inside and T could have shifted long enough to deal with the doorknob.
Okay, okay. Think.
Where would T go?
He went back to check T's room, but it was empty. Just in case he checked the closet, but he wasn't surprised to find it T-free. A human would hide in a closet, but so often T's instincts were more animal than human and he was pretty sure that scared and worried and angry as T had been, he wasn't thinking like a human at all.
So where would a tiger go?
He thought back to the nature programs he'd dvr'd that T would watch over and over again.
Higher ground.
Shit, the roof. There was an access ladder on the back wall.
He opened the door quietly, trying to look casual as he went over to the table and chairs--he had to make sure the back of the place wasn't being watched before he went up. It seemed clear.
The trees were tall enough that it hid him and he climbed up, staying close to the bricks and then as low to the shingles as he could. He could just see Torao, curled into a tight ball behind the chimney.
Oh, God. He felt so bad. He should have paid more attention, should have made sure he knew why T was behaving erratically. But should haves weren't going to get T down off the roof unseen though.
"T," he hissed, fingers drumming quietly on the shingles, trying to get his tiger's attention.
A low growl sounded, T's teeth flashing, eyes fastened on him.
"Sh." He put his finger in front of his lips. T had to be quiet; they both had to be quiet. He waved T to come to him, but hunched so T would get the idea he had to stay low.
T moved slowly, inching toward him, nostrils flaring.
"Change," he hissed. T would be lower to the roof as a man. Not to mention the ladder would prove to be a real problem for a tiger.
The tiger snorted, staring at him. Great. Time to get in stubborn mode.
"We have to go inside," he whispered. "It's not safe out here. Someone could see you and tell him."
Torao crept closer, claws digging into the roof as he moved.
He reached out, fingers just reaching T's nose, stroking it softly. "I'm not going to hurt you, T. You know that. Mates, yeah?"
T sniffed him, licked his fingers over and over.
"T? Please? We need to get inside. It's too open up here. Please. You need to change; you need to come down with me."
He was getting used to the change. The sudden scared naked guy in his arms? Not so much.
Greyson held on tight, keeping them as low as possible. "It's okay. It's okay, T. I told him you weren't here, that I hadn't seen you. But we have to go in now, okay? It's too open up here." Please, they had to get inside, lock all the doors and stay away from the windows. Once he knew T was safe, he'd try to figure out what the hell they were going to do.
"Is the Keeper gone?" T moved, crawling down the ladder with that amazing agility.
He wasn't sure what T's reaction would be to know that the man was still in a car outside the front of the house, so he didn't say anything, just followed T down and urged him into the house. They could discuss it once they were inside.
T stayed low to the floor, moving like the cat, slinking and staying away from the windows. Although he hated seeing T so worried and upset, that was a good thing he was being so careful, and Greyson locked the door, pulling all the curtains in the kitchen closed.
"Let me check the street and then we can talk." He was still whispering, still tiptoeing around as he went back to peek out the front window again.
The van was there, the man in the front seat talking on a cell phone.
It crossed his mind that maybe he should call the police. Tell them there was a strange van outside, lurking. But if the guy spilled about T and the cops wanted to come in and check for themselves...
He backed away, finding T in the hall, curled in a ball well out of the way of any windows.
"Let's go to your room," he suggested, going in first and pulling the shades.
Torao curled on the bed, staring at him. "We go now?"
"He's outside in a car. We can't go anywhere. I'm not even sure where we'd go."
"When dark. We go. To the trees."
"It doesn't get dark enough, T. There's street lights and stuff." How come the circus man wouldn't go? What had he done to give them away? Greyson thought he'd been so clever. He'd been thinking earlier they couldn't stay in the city, that it just didn't suit T. This only proved it.
Torao sighed softly, nodded to him, and hopped off the bed, moving to hug him tight. The embrace felt like a goodbye. He held on tight, refusing to believe that's what this was. He'd figure it out. T needed him. And he needed T.
They were Mates.
***
Torao shifted in the night, wearing the clothes Grey-Son gave him. The Keeper left in the metal Car and it was time to go to the trees.
Grey-Son smelled scared, worried. His instinct was to go, follow the Keeper and kill him, protect his mate. He wasn't sure how he'd follow the metal Car; they all smelled the same outside, but he would try.
Somehow.
Grey-Son groaned and moved on the bed, hand reaching out, looking for him on the bed. Torao whimpered softly, heart hurting. Mate. His own Mate.
The dark eyes blinked open, looking black in the darkness of the night. "T?" Grey-Son half sat, eyes finding him. "Torao? What's going on?"
He purred low, trying to soothe. He didn't know the words to say it, the way to make Grey-Son know.
"Come back to bed," Grey-Son told him, arms opening to him. His Mate wanted him close.
"I go eat the Keeper. No more scare for the mate." He cuddled in, rubbing and scenting Grey-Son.
"What?" Grey-Son's arms went tight around him. "Oh, no. No, T. You can't do that. If you do that the police will come after you--you'll be killed!" The Mans had so many rules. So many things you weren't allowed to do.
"No scare the mate. Bad Keeper." He licked and nuzzled.
"Yes, T. Very bad Keeper. He scared me because of what he could do to you, T. He could take you away or hurt you. I don't want that." Grey-Son pushed into his touches. "He's a very bad man, but if you eat him, you are the one who will be punished. They'll put you in a cage, T. Maybe even shoot you."
"No cage. No more." He would die first. He would. "No cage."
"Then you have to forget about the Keeper. As soon as he's gone we'll take the car and go out of the city. Find someplace safe." Grey-Son's hands stroked him, petted him. "I don't want to see you hurt, T. You deserve a good life."
He didn't understand. It was so hard, being Man. So hard. He whimpered, pushing into the touch.
"I love you, Torao. And I won't let you get killed. I won't."
Grey-Son's arms were so tight around him, holding him close, petting him over and over. "I won't let you die or be hurt or caged. Mates take care of each other, right?"
"Yes. No scared for the mate. Good for the mate." He knew that.
Grey-Son cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes. "You are good for me, T. You make me happy. And I want you to be happy. I'm scared that won't happen. So you need to listen to me, to trust that I'll take care of you."
Listen. He could listen. His ears were good. He nodded, licked.
"Good. Good." Grey-Son's tongue licked his, then Grey-Son licked his lips. "We should check and see if the van is still out there, see if it's safe to leave the house. Leave the city."
"Van?" Grey-Son knew so many words.
"The white car that the keeper was sitting in across the street. You can stay here if you want; I'll go and see if he's still there." The soft petting started up again, Grey-Son's hands soothing on his skin.
"Not here. The Car goes away."
"How do you know that? And how did you know that it was him at the door in the first place?"
"Smell." He nuzzled in, scented Grey-Son again. "Grey-Son smells like Mate. Keeper smells like Keeper. Torao smells like tiger."
"Oh." Grey-Son beamed at him for a moment and then rubbed their cheeks together. "Now Torao smells like Grey-Son's mate."
Yes! He chuffed and nodded, purring loud. Yes. Just so.
Grey-Son laughed softly and pressed close to him, rubbing their cheeks again, arms wrapping around him.
"We should go then. Let me pack a back and we'll get in the car and leave the city. Do it now in case he comes back."
"Leave? You leave, too?" He wanted that clear. He and Grey-Son were mates. If he was not going to eat the Keeper, they should go together.
Grey-Son nodded. "We'll pack some clothes and see if we can find a store with camping supplies tomorrow. I have two more weeks before I have to go back to work."
Torao nodded, not completely sure what Grey-Son meant, but pleased with the happiness in those eyes.
Grey-Son pulled him closed and kissed him hard. "Everything's going to be all right, Torao."
"All rrrrrrrright." He purred, nodding. "Go, Grey-Son. We should go now."
"Yeah. I know." Grey-Son nodded and went to the other bedroom, tugging a big bag from his closet and filling it with clothes.
He wandered over, watching. Mans and their things. It was... different.
"Do you want to bring anything, T? Maybe one of the blankets from your bed? Oh, and can you get me
my pillow, please?"
"Blankets." He pounced on the bed and started throwing pillows.
"Just one, T. You don't use any so we don't--" Grey-Son broke off as one of the pillows hit him full in the face. Then Grey-Son took the pillow and hit him over the head with it.
He laughed, batting at the feathers as they poured over him.
"Oh, I love that sound, T. I'm going to fix it so I hear it more often." Grey-Son grabbed one of the pillows that wasn’t empty of feathers, and then hurried away and came back a moment later with a blanket from his nest, pushing them into the big bag.
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