by Pelaam
“I don’t know. Maybe if I get away from here, I can control the beast better. I’m sorry, Del. I never meant for you to be in danger.”
“I believe you.” Del enveloped Neil in his arms. For a moment, the other man sat rigidly, then he relaxed into the embrace.
“I don’t deserve your love, Del. I’m a monster.”
“No, you’re not,” Del said vehemently, and shook Neil. “I don’t feel anything dark around you like I do with Vidar. You are a good man under a curse that perhaps we can break. When we get away from here.”
“It’s not worth trying till first light, too dangerous. The men are likely to be out in the forest, hunting. Thankfully he doesn’t know you’ve been told about the curse. The men should go about their normal jobs in the morning. If nothing else, I’ll make sure you get away.”
“Together.” Del shook Neil again. “I’m not just going to turn my back on you.”
“We’ll see,” Neil said.
It was as much as Neil was willing to concede, and Del instinctively knew it. “Let’s not spend the night arguing,” he said. He drew Neil into a kiss. He patiently licked at Neil’s lips until they opened with a whimper, and Del thrust his tongue into his lover’s mouth. He is my lover. He is. And I’m not letting him sacrifice himself for me.
Chapter Four
Del spent the night wrapped around Neil. When morning came, Neil peered out from the shack.
“The men are working,” he said. “Let’s check out the snow mobiles.”
They hurried over, but a quick check revealed that they had all been immobilised. Neil cursed roundly.
“Maybe if the men are working we can get away on foot,” Del whispered.
“Hello, boys.”
Vidar’s voice made Del jump. He turned to see the logger smirking at them.
“Sorry, but the snow mobiles are out of action for a couple of days. Make yourself at home here, Del. You won’t be going back to town today. Neil, leave him be for a while. He’ll be safe. I promise. I need to speak to you. Go to the kitchen, Del. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
For a moment Del thought Neil was going to defy the other man. Vidar’s face darkened, and his human form flickered. For a moment Del saw a big, bulky, gray form, and Vidar’s eyes glowed red. Del’s heart thudded rapidly as adrenaline surged through his veins. Then Neil’s shoulders drooped, and he nodded.
“Fine. Del, wait for me in the kitchen, okay? Please?”
Del wanted to say that it was far from okay. Instead he gave a curt nod. “Don’t be long.”
The day dragged on for Del. Neil kept having to go and speak to Vidar, and refused to discuss anything with him regarding what was happening. By the time afternoon came round, Del’s anger had reached boiling point.
“What’s. Going. On?” Del’s fear and worry boiled over into anger that although unjustified against Neil, had no other outlet.
His lover’s face remained impassive, but his eyes reflected the agony Neil felt, and Del gave a soft cry of grief, and pulled the other man into a hug. “Please, Neil. Tell me. What’s going on?”
Neil’s sigh seemed to come from the depths of his soul. He eased back a little, and looked up into Del’s eyes. “He’s made me an offer. He won’t kill you. You won’t be this year’s sacrifice, if I finally eat human flesh and give myself to him.”
“No!” Del shouted his denial, and clutched tightly to Neil. That‘s unthinkable. “You can’t. Do you honestly think you can trust him, believe him?”
“I have to protect you. Any way I can. I—I love you, Del.”
Del froze. Of all the things Neil might have said to him, this was the one Del desired above all. But not like this. Not like this.
He slid his arms around Neil’s back, and drew him into a tight embrace. Neil’s body was shaking. There was only one thing to do. He kissed Neil with every ounce of the love and passion he felt. He only broke the kiss when he needed to breathe or he’d pass out.
“I love you, too. I knew it after that first night. That’s why I came here. I could have gone back to my room, got my bags and hightailed it out of here. But I’m not leaving without you.”
“Even though I’m wendingo, too?”
The anguish in Neil‘s eyes was almost more than Del could bear.
“I’m not letting you sacrifice yourself. No matter what Vidar says, he can’t be trusted. He’s embraced the evil, it’s part and parcel of what he is now. He’s not going to let me walk away.”
Neil held his face in his hands, and then looked up at Del. “I know. I know I can’t trust him. But I thought—I thought if I could keep him occupied for a few hours, you could escape.”
“No fucking way! Do you hear me, Neil? I’m not leaving without you. I’m not entirely helpless. I’m a shifter. I’m stronger than just a human. If we need to, I can fight alongside you, and I will.” He pulled Neil tight against his chest. “We either find a way to get away from here together, or we face Vidar together.”
“The pack will stand with him. We won’t just be taking on Vidar in a fight.”
“Do we have to fight?” Del felt a spark of hope as an idea took root. “He thinks I’m trapped here. I can’t outrun the wendingos, and the snow mobiles are immobilised so I can’t use them. But neither can the others. So they’re on foot, too. On land I’d slow you down, but what about the river? Isn’t there some kind of boat we could steal? Surely a wendingo can’t keep up with a boat.”
“We don’t swim,” Neil said, his voice thoughtful. “And there is a boat. Kind of a large speedboat, a cabin cruiser. If we could get that out of the boathouse, and out into the middle of the river, there’s no way Vidar or the others could touch us. The river eventually leads directly into the city harbour. He won’t risk open exposure. Del, you’re a genius.”
This time Neil kissed him, and Del’s heart soared.
“We’d be free, but I’d still be wendingo. Can you live with that?” Neil asked.
“Your body might change, and you may be forced to eat raw flesh, but you’re repulsed by the idea of eating human flesh. That hasn’t changed in the last year. Vidar knows the only way to make you eat it is to force you. By using me. I don’t care what your other form looks like. You have a pure heart and a clean soul. I love the real you.”
A noise made both men turn, and Neil immediately pushed Del behind him, protecting Del with his own body.
“So this is where you two are.” Vidar drawled the words as he came into view.
Bastard! “What do you want?” Del asked as he peered around Neil’s shoulder.
“If you can drag yourself away from pretty-boy here, Neil, we have a special delivery I want you to take care of. It’s going to be the main event at our dinner celebration.”
“Why me? Why not one of your men?”
“Because I want you to do it. Leave pretty boy here if you want, but get the delivery in the freezer. Now.”
Vidar’s voice changed as he spoke, and became deeper, harsher, and more guttural. For a moment, the human façade seemed to waiver, and Del thought he caught a glimpse of something grey and monstrous. Although still human-like in body, Vidar’s head lost its human shape and became topped with long horns. He glowered after Vidar’s retreating back.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” he whispered. “But I’m coming with you.”
“No, Del. Stay here. Please. I don’t want you to see whatever it is.”
“I’m not leaving you. Let’s go.” Del hoped he sounded more confident than he felt. His nervousness and anxiety rose as they approached the coffin-sized box.
“A couple of the men went out into town earlier,” Neil said quietly. “This is what they’ve brought back.”
Del shivered, the bad feeling was growing as he approached the box. His heart thudded painfully against his chest, and his breaths came in shallow gasps.
“Go back, Del, please.”
Neil’s voice was hoarse, and Del wanted to go back. He wanted to run, but
instead he continued forward. He opened the box. A cry of grief tore from his soul, and he turned aside, vomiting uncontrollably.
He heard the lid of the box slam shut, and Neil dragged it quickly away from him, before kneeling beside him, and rubbing his back. Del fought to get his pain and sorrow under control. “Lauren. They killed Lauren.”
Neil wrapped him in a tight embrace, and Del sobbed. “They killed her because she was the one who tried to warn me. This is Vidar’s way of teaching me a lesson. The bastard killed her. They’re going to-to— Oh, God no.”
“I’m sorry, Del. I’m so, so sorry, love.”
Del’s body felt numb, but his heart was torn in two. Lauren had tried, in her own way, to stand up to Vidar. I won’t let your death be in vain. He’s not having you. Or me. And he is most certainly not keeping Neil here.
“Not your fault,” Del said. He rubbed against Neil, needing the contact.
“Yes, it is. I should have kept away from you. I knew I was endangering you, and I still gave in.”
There was a bitter, self-loathing tone to Neil’s voice, and Del clung tighter to the man he loved. “I would have come after you. I wanted you every bit as much as you wanted me. I believe in Fate. I believe we were meant to meet, meant to be. That’s why I came to the logging site. Don’t blame yourself and don’t try and push me away.” Del stood, a little shakily, and wiped his face.
“I’ll take care of her,” Neil said, and indicated the box.
“I’ll come with you.” Del took a deep breath. “I’m not letting them have her. No more than I’m letting Vidar have you.”
Instead of putting Lauren’s body in the freezer, Del and Neil dug a shallow grave. It was the best they could do. It had to be enough until they could get help up there to find her. Once they’d patted down the snow, he and Neil went to the shack to keep away from the rest of the men.
Del snuggled into Neil’s tight embrace. Tomorrow, at daybreak. That’s when we need to make our escape
****
At dawn Neil led the way to the river, and into the boathouse. Del grimaced, but got to work quickly. They had to get the cruiser from its moorings, out into the mini harbour, and through the narrow gap in the jetty to be out on the wide, fast-flowing river.
They unhooked the cruiser and pulled in tandem. Del was glad Neil had strength from his wendingo nature. The boat was a good size cruiser, and he wasn’t sure they’d have managed with just the two of them otherwise.
As soon as the cruiser was out of the boathouse, Neil went to the wheel, and Del sat nervously at the back of the boat. He watched Neil check everything, nod, and then switch on the engine. As soon as the boat roared into life, shrill, eerie howls rose from the logging site.
Del stared as grey forms came running. A couple were still on four legs, but the front runners were already on two. Their bodies were emaciated and gray-furred. They ran hunched forward, their arms long and dangling. Neil turned the boat and headed towards the gap in the jetty that then led through to the open river. Another scream sliced into Del’s ear, much closer, and he looked around anxiously. All but one of the wendingos had stopped. Their fear of the water is too great.
But one left the rest and ran across logs, and onto the jetty toward the gap they had to pass through. Vidar. It must be. And he’s going to try and jump aboard.
Del glanced frantically at Neil. He was focussed only on getting the boat away and through the narrow gap and out onto the river. He couldn't see Vidar in his wendingo form, racing to catch them.
Del shuddered as he stared at the beast. Its legs looked like a deer's hind legs, but elongated. The body was emaciated, as though the creature hadn't eaten for weeks. Del saw its ribs clearly. Antlers topped its head, but no deer had the maw of long, sharp teeth that the wendingo had. Its eerie red eyes fixed on Del, and it howled, a bone-chilling sound, that cut into Del's soul.
"Neil, watch out!"
His warning came too late. The wendingo leapt, and its momentum, plus the proximity of the jetty, allowed it to jump aboard. Del shuddered as Neil transformed, the colour of his fur more brown than Vidar’s, and the two beasts grappled immediately. They crashed through the windscreen and out onto the front of the boat.
As the wendingos fought, Del hurried to the boat's wheel, and steered it out into the middle of the river. An ear-splitting shriek made him turn. Neil's shoulder poured with blood, and gore dripped from the other wendingo's teeth.
"Neil! No!" Del screamed, and watched helplessly as his lover was forced over the edge of the boat. He switched off the engine, but saw nothing. There was only one thing to do. He stripped off his clothes, and dove into the freezing depths.
He’d told Neil he was a shifter, and as he hit the water, Del took on his other form. His body became sleek and he swam deeper. As a dolphin, he clearly identified Neil, but his lover's struggles were weakening. Del clicked loudly, and swam towards Neil. His sounds were intended mostly for communication. Other dolphins might be in the area, and would come at his call for help. He didn't care that his adversary was demonic rather than a simple sea predator. He powered forward.
He struck Vidar in his side, and drove the wendingo away from his beloved mate. Pain down his flank alerted him to the wendingo's claws, but Del didn't care. He circled the creature. Vidar was clearly unable to move with any of the speed or agility Del had seen him possess on land. Bubbles escaped both Vidar and Neil’s mouths, but the wendingos couldn’t breathe under water.
Del’s clicks were loud, and triumphant. This was his world, and he had the edge. Del rammed the wendingo again, this time from behind, and drove it deeper into the frozen water. Vidar’s movements slowed further, and became sluggish, uncoordinated, and erratic.
Abandoning his nemesis, Del swam up, leaping from the water as he took in air, and then descended again. Vidar was trying to swim upwards, but his body lacked buoyancy or the necessary skill. Del slammed into him a third time. He pushed the beast deeper into cold, inky blackness. The creature didn’t resist.
He swam away and looked at it. He didn’t trust Vidar, and wanted to ensure the wendingo wasn’t trying to trap him in some way. His clicks grew louder as the wendingo's eyes lost their eerie redness, and the body lost its monstrous shape, changing back into Vidar’s human form. Satisfaction washed over Del, but then he remembered Neil.
His clicks became frantic as he saw his lover, also human once more, floating, he appeared lifeless in the water. Del swam over, and shifted into back into human shape to pull Neil back up to the surface. It took precious minutes to drag Neil aboard. He couldn't find a pulse, and shook his head in disbelief.
"I am not losing you now." He shook Neil’s unresponsive body. "Do you hear me? Don't you die. Don't you dare die.” He performed CPR just as he'd been taught. As he sealed his lips over Neil's, he tried to project the love he felt for him. Easing back, he pressed down rapidly over Neil's chest again. As he started a third time, Neil coughed up water, and began to breath.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Del chanted the words as he rolled Neil onto his side to help drain away the water. As Neil gasped, he started to shake. While Del tolerated the cold, Neil would quickly freeze.
He carefully pulled Neil to his feet, and helped him below deck to the small bedroom. He piled every blanket he found on the bed, stripped Neil, and dried him as best he could with the top blanket. Finally, he wrapped his body around Neil's, trying to warm his lover.
Del whispered his love, and kissed Neil's shoulder and neck. The wound from the wendingo had partially healed already, but as Neil's body warmed, blood oozed free. Reluctantly Del left their cocoon and fetched the first aid kit. As he fixed a pad in place, Neil's eyes flickered open.
"Del?"
"I'm here, love." Del whispered. He crawled under the covers and took Neil in his arms. "It's over. Vidar's dead."
Chapter Five
"Dead. How?" Neil managed to speak despite his teeth chattering. Del wondered if he beloved might also
be suffering from shock. He cuddled as close as he could.
"Drowned. I need you to rest and get warm. You were freezing." Del rubbed at Neil’s skin, trying to warm his lover.
"Freezing? I don't normally feel the cold. Why is my shoulder sore?"
"You were bitten by Vidar. Don't you remember?"
"Not really," Neil said, his shivers finally ceasing. "Just that it was dark and cold. I couldn't beat him. I was losing consciousness."
"I told you I was a shifter," Del whispered. "I'm a dolphin. My family came from this region before we relocated south.”
"You think that’s why we felt such a strong connection?" Neil looked over his shoulder at Del. He shuffled in Del’s arms to face him.
"I think we felt a strong connection because we were meant to be together. I love you, Neil."
"I love you. Make love with me, Del.”
Del shook his head. “You’re hurt, and I don’t have anything.”
“Please, Del. I ache for you. That time we made love, I had to fight the beast. I wanted you to take me, but I couldn’t chance that I’d lose control, or that you’d see me as I really was. I wanted to feel you. Please, Del?”
Del couldn’t deny him. Del leaned close, and kissed Neil. It felt so right to have Neil in his arms. Neil opened his mouth, and Del slid his tongue along his lover's agile muscle. He reached down to fondle Neil’s thickening cock.
Neil moaned, and arched his hips into the touch. Del trailed his hand lower, and cupped Neil's balls. He rubbed his finger over Neil’s entrance, but despite Neil spreading his legs wider, and canting his pelvis to give Del easy access, there was no way Del intended to try and take him dry.
Instead, he grasped Neil's cock again. He stroked hard and fast, watching his lover for any sign of distress or pain. Del kissed and nipped Neil’s nipples, rubbing his face in the lush fur that covered Neil’s chest.
Neil came quickly over Del’s hand. As he lay spent and gasping, Del used his lover’s semen to slick his own fingers and push inside Neil’s tight heat. Both men groaned, and Del’s cock dripped pre-ejaculate as he continued his hasty preparations. Finally he slicked his length.