TanglingWithHisTiger

by VictoriaVallo

Byron barely managed to stop himself from giving his first mate a withering look. “I don’t need a nursemaid.”

  “You know that’s not what I was suggesting. We shouldn’t underestimate the brother.”

  “I know, but he did stop following us.”

  “Maybe Eric said something to him.”

  Byron doubted that, but he didn’t want to tell Christian too much about his conversation with Eric. His long-time friend had already started teasing him about his keen interest in Eric. “Maybe.”

  “Is Eric worth it?” Christian asked.

  Byron licked his lower lip as his mind returned to that kiss. “Yes. My bear has been so restless I’ve had to shift every night.”

  Christian laughed. “I know. The ship always shakes when you pace in your other form.”

  “I don’t want to leave port more frustrated than when I arrived.” He rose and slid his coat on. “I’m going to find him.” He pocketed the paper after glancing at the address. “With any luck, he’s having dinner now.”

  “I still think I should go with you.”

  “Well, I don’t. Stay with the ship.”

  Christian hesitated, but then he finally nodded. “Aye, sir.” He stepped aside and let Byron pass.

  Byron kept an eye out as he moved through the streets toward the quiet district where Eric lived. The houses here were small but nice enough. Byron had a fine estate in the mountains on the main island of Edo, where the bulk of the artisans of Arizia lived, but he didn’t spend much time there outside of the winter months.

  When he spotted the right house, he stopped and watched for a minute. Someone was moving around inside and putting items into a large canvas bag on the table. The curtains prevented him from seeing who it was, but that didn’t stop him from crossing the street and knocking on the door. It seemed far more likely it was Eric, yet Byron still kept his hand on the knife at his belt.

  The door jerked open, and Byron backed up a step when he saw that the man standing on the other side of it was Samuel, not Eric. He carried himself differently, a definite hint of arrogance to his countenance and stance, and he had a small scar on his cheek, which Byron hadn’t been able to see that first day. And he had his hand on his own weapon, looking ready to draw the sword at any moment.

  “Captain Gregg. What a nice surprise.” Samuel narrowed his eyes and grinned in a way that made Byron even more wary.

  “Is it? The way you followed me three days ago perhaps you shouldn’t be surprised at all.”

  “Yes, I regretted not being able to wait for you, but other business drew me away.”

  “And what did you want from me?”

  Samuel leaned on the doorframe and looked down a moment. “Maybe it was the same thing my brother wants from you, though he’s too prudish to admit it,” he said quietly. When he looked up, he smirked. “He made it clear I was to leave you alone. Threatened to cut me off.”

  “Cut you off?” Byron had been trying to see what was in the bag on the table, but all he could see clearly was some kind of silver handle.

  “Yes. I haven’t had what you might call gainful employment lately, and my dear brother’s far too soft hearted to deny me. Until now.”

  Byron toyed with the handle of his knife. “I don’t believe you wanted to fuck me. I think that’s what you wished for me to think.” He backed up. “I’m here to see Eric, not you, so why don’t we conclude our business.”

  “You’d be better off with me, not that milksop.”

  “As I said, I don’t believe that’s what you want from me.”

  Samuel frowned. “Then perhaps you should be on your way.”

  As Samuel tried to slam the door, Byron threw his hand up and stopped the door from closing, happy to find he was stronger than the other man. He nodded to the table and the bag. “I don’t think those things belong to you.”

  Samuel let go of the door suddenly, and Byron barely caught himself. But then Samuel grabbed his arm and hurled him across the room. He drew his sword, and Byron reached for his knife.

  Samuel said, “I was going to give up because my brother was watching me, but there’s quite a price on your head. Dead or alive.”

  They circled each other, blades in hand. “Ah, so that’s what the gleam in your eyes was. Greed. How much? Who set the price?”

  “Lots of pirates want you dead. It’s what you get for betraying your own kind.”

  “I am not a pirate!” Byron declared.

  Samuel laughed. “Indeed you aren’t. You’re no better than a lapdog to the vanes.”

  “That’s your opinion.” Byron lunged for Samuel, but the man moved just in time.

  “It’s your father’s opinion, too.”

  Byron faltered a bit, though he recovered seconds later. “So it’s him, is it? I might’ve known.”

  Samuel lashed out, missing Byron by a mere inch. Byron managed to trip him and knock his sword away, but then Samuel jumped on him and wrestled the knife from his hand. Byron lay underneath the man, perfectly still and with his own knife pressed to his throat. If he could just shift his leg a bit, though, he might be able to buck the man off. But the knife touching his neck was a bit of a problem.

  Wyld, I could use some help here! He didn’t make a habit of praying to any of the gods, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

  Samuel smiled down at him. “Maybe I’ll fuck you before I kill you. I’ve always preferred my brother’s toys to my own.”

  Movement caught Byron’s eye, and then he watched as Eric hit Samuel over the head with a cast iron pot. Samuel slumped over, the blade of the knife slipping a bit and cutting the side of Byron’s neck. He looked at up Eric, who seemed completely stunned. His hands shook, and he soon dropped the pot.

  “What is going on here?” Eric asked.

  A god answered my prayer in the best possible way. Byron got to his feet and took the shaking man in his arms. “You just saved my life, little one.” He captured the man’s mouth in a kiss before he could say anything else.

  * * * *

  Eric’s head spun as Byron kissed him. He’d done his best to avoid the man for three days, but now it seemed it had all been for nothing. He let the larger man kiss him, too stunned to fight or pull away. This kiss was even more needful than their first one had been, and Eric soon returned the embrace. That only seemed to make Byron’s passion grow, and Eric soon had to break away when stars danced behind his eyelids. He struggled for breath when they parted, and he managed to nod toward his brother. “What happened? What are you doing here?”

  Byron said, “I came to find you, but your brother was here.” He dumped out the bag on the table, and they both watched a silver tea service and other family heirlooms scatter across the wooden surface. “Robbing you blind, it seems.”

  “We fought a couple of days ago. I told him to leave you alone. Threatened to stop helping him out of every mess he gets himself into.” Eric’s body had melted against Byron’s, and he tried to pull back, though Byron held him tight and wouldn’t even give him an inch of breathing room. “He said some pirates have a bounty on your head. Is that true?”

  “I’m sure it is.” He stroked Eric’s face and traced his jawline. “I was raised by Captain Jack Drake.” He paused a moment. “He might’ve been my father, but who’s to say.”

  “Really?” Eric couldn’t help but stare at that news. Drake had been the most notorious pirate for as long as Eric could remember. “No wonder you’re so good at hunting the scum.”

  “Exactly. Samuel said it’s my supposed father who has the biggest price on my head.”

  Eric wiggled, trying to get away. “I never know with Samuel. He believes tall tales, at times. But I could see why Drake would have a vendetta against you.”

  Byron tightened his grip even more, his voice low when he asked, “Why did you tell him to leave me alone?”

  “Why? To protect you, of course.” He knew he had to get out of Byron’s arms before the man completely addled his senses. “Let me go. Please.�
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  “You could’ve come to warn me. My ship’s easy enough to find.”

  Eric pulled out of Byron’s arms finally. “You’re leaving tomorrow. Vane Harold told me.”

  “Yes. Why would that matter?”

  “You would’ve been safe soon enough, plus I’m sure you can take care of yourself.” Trying more than he ever had before to make a lie sound like the truth, he said, “I told you I’m not interested. Coming to see you would’ve given you the wrong impression.”

  “You seemed very interested a few moments ago.”

  “I was scared. In shock. Any port in a storm.”

  Byron laughed loudly. “Any port in a storm, huh? If you say so. You seemed ready to dock for a good long time.”

  Eric couldn’t help scowling. “I’m not lying.”

  Byron crossed his arms and pushed his breath out in a huff. “Fine. Have it your way.” He knelt and lifted Samuel up, throwing the man over his shoulder. “At least come and be my witness when I turn him in for attempted murder. And robbery.”

  Eric hesitated. “It’s not an easy thing to do. Testify against family.”

  “That’s old-fashioned nonsense.”

  “Maybe to you. My family name means a lot to me.”

  Byron shifted Samuel’s weight a bit. “Then get out of my way.”

  Eric watched Byron go, then surveyed the room. Samuel had broken the lock on their mother’s hope chest and scattered her things everywhere. It even looked as if he had stepped on her wedding dress and torn some of her letters. Seeing his keepsakes of her scattered about so carelessly sent a jolt of anger through Eric. He ran out and caught up with Byron.

  “Wait, I’ll come! But let me get the wheelbarrow and some rope. You can’t carry him all that way, and he may wake soon.”

  Byron smiled, obviously very pleased by Eric’s change of heart. “I could do it. To impress you, if nothing else.”

  Eric didn’t respond, turning away to get the rope and wheelbarrow. When Eric returned from the back of the house, Byron dropped Samuel into the bucket, and Eric tied his hands and feet together. When he was done, Eric drew out his handkerchief and handed it to Byron. “Here. You’re bleeding.”

  Byron touched the spot and then took the handkerchief, lifting it to his nose before pressing it to his neck. “Thank you.”

  Eric could feel everyone in the neighborhood watching them, and he grabbed the wheelbarrow’s handles and started down the street. “You’re welcome.”

  “What are you? Your scent’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.”

  “I’m a tiger shifter. My family came from the mountains between Mera and Arun.”

  “Ah. I’m a bear.”

  Eric looked up, taking in Byron’s massive frame. “No wonder you’re so strong.”

  “But it’s more than just your shifter blood. Your scent intoxicates me.”

  “Does it?” Eric asked quietly. Being close to the other man had the same effect on him, but he’d been trying very hard not to think about it.

  “Yes. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. I came into port with no other thought than to get laid, yet I couldn’t even look at another after you. I’ve been pacing at night, thinking of you.”

  Then we’re even. I’ve spent three nights stroking my cock until I was exhausted, thinking about you tying me down the way you said you would. He cleared his throat. “That’s not my fault.”

  “No, but I still don’t understand why you deny me. It’s not as if I could get you pregnant and leave you to raise my bastard alone.” He laughed.

  “That’s not funny. In villages like this one, there are lots of women struggling to provide for the bastards of men like you.”

  Byron sobered. “True enough, and I apologize. My father certainly wasn’t around the day I was born. But I’m still waiting for a real answer. You can’t say you aren’t attracted to me.”

  “Sex means something to some people.”

  “It means a lot to me. Whether I sleep with someone once or a dozen times, it means something.”

  “We’re different. I don’t fuck men or women I hardly know.”

  “You could’ve spent the last three days getting to know me.”

  They stopped outside the Hall of Vanes. “If I agree to come back to your ship after this, can we stop having this conversation in public?”

  Byron laughed. “Yes. It’s a deal.”

  Eric nodded. “But I’m not promising anything. I’ll spend time with you. That’s all.”

  “That’s all I want.”

  That’s not all you want, and we both know it. Eric carted his brother through the large double doors at the side of the great hall, embarrassed yet ready to finally wash his hands of his brother.

  Chapter Two

  Byron wanted nothing more than to take Eric to his cabin and tie him to the bedposts. Never let him go. But as they stood on the deck of the Arabella watching the sun begin to set, he felt an unfamiliar sense of contentment wash over him and replace the restlessness he’d been feeling for so long. Eric’s black hair looked almost blue in the changing light, and Byron found himself fascinated by the little orange flecks in the irises of his black eyes. But it was his expression that was the most beautiful to Byron.

  “You like sunsets?” Byron asked.

  “Yes. Every day, my mother would stop whatever she was doing, no matter the season, and watch the sun set.”

  “She’s passed away?”

  “Yes. Three years ago. On my birthday, unfortunately.”

  “I’m sorry.” He hesitated a few moments before asking, “How old are you? You seem young to be so high in Harold’s esteem.”

  “I’m twenty-six, but I do my job well. That’s all I can tell you.”

  “I asked him about you when you were talking with the others. He thinks a lot of you.”

  Eric chewed his lower lip. “Was he curious about why you were asking?”

  Byron had enjoyed a lengthy talk with Harold regarding Eric, but he wasn’t about to reveal all quite yet. “I told him I’m thoroughly enchanted by you and want to steal you away from him.” That was actually true, but he didn’t think Eric would completely believe him.

  Eric’s eyes widened, but then he laughed.

  “What’s so funny, little one?” Byron asked, completely lost. He’d expected skepticism, not laughter.

  “You actually said you were thoroughly enchanted? I can’t believe that.”

  “Believe it,” Byron said as he drew Eric to him. “I’ve seriously considered offering up a prayer to Vena. To thank her for even one taste of you.” He smiled. “And to beg her to make you mine. Wyld already answered my prayer once. I asked him for help, and then you appeared. Wielding an iron pot.”

  “You’re just trying to seduce me,” Eric said, though he didn’t sound remotely convinced.

  “Yes, I’m trying to seduce you. Haven’t you been paying attention since the moment we met?” Byron took Eric by the chin and kissed him softly. He wanted to devour Eric, but he thought a gentler approach was needed. At least until he got the man to his bed. Then he’d find out what Eric truly desired.

  And give it to him.

  Eric soon returned his light kisses, and Byron took a chance and said, “I’d like to find the man who hurt you and give him a damn fine thrashing.”

  Eric drew back. “Don’t pretend to know me. I’m not nursing a broken heart or moping over someone else.”

  Eric’s defensive tone told Byron that last statement probably wasn’t true, but he decided not to press on that at the moment. “I’m not pretending to know you. What I do know is that something about me frightens you.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Then come below with me.”

  Eric pulled away completely. “I should go.”

  His jaw set, Byron said, “Fine. Run away.” He turned on his heels and headed for his cabin. “But you can’t deny your desires forever. You’ll see.”

  Byron
didn’t even wait for a reply, and he didn’t look back either. He knew that if he saw even a tiny bit of pain on Eric’s face that he’d take every word back and make a fool of himself. He’d be damned if he’d stand on the deck of his own ship begging a man to come to his bed. After storming past several of his men, he slammed his door once he was in his cabin and drew both of his boots off, throwing them against the far wall. He poured himself a large drink and downed it in one gulp. His bear roared within him, wanting to claim Eric. He stripped his waistcoat and shirt off, then unlaced his breeches. His own hand would have to do for another night. His fingers moved over the length, just as a noise caught his attention.

  His door opened slowly, and Eric stepped inside, his gaze cast downward. When he looked up, his eyes widened at the sight of Byron. “I’m sorry,” Eric said gently.

  “Are you?” Byron stroked up and down his length slowly as he crossed the room.

  “Yes. I hurt your feelings.”

  “And I hurt yours, little one.” He put one finger under Eric’s chin. “Forgive me?”

  Eric nodded, his gaze wandering over Byron’s body. “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll forgive you.” He walked around Eric and stopped behind him. Then he pressed his lips to Eric’s ear and added, “After your punishment.”

  Eric shuddered as Byron pushed the door closed. Byron watched him, studying the tension in his body, the anticipation that seemed to be building.

  “Get on your knees,” Byron whispered.

  Eric did so right away, resting his hands on his thighs. Byron moved in front of him and stroked his cock inches from Eric’s mouth. “Tell me to stop if I go too far,” Byron said, running his thumb over Eric’s lips.

  Eric gave the slightest of nods, but Byron had a feeling the man wouldn’t tell him to stop no matter what he did. He rubbed the head of his cock over Eric’s lips and then slid a couple of inches into his mouth. Gripping the back of Eric’s head, he guided his cock in and out of his mouth. Eric sucked eagerly and welcomed Byron’s guidance. When Eric looked up, Byron thrust deep, going down Eric’s throat. Eric gagged a bit, but then he moaned. Byron knew he couldn’t hold on much longer, not after fantasizing about this moment for three days.