by Lynn Hagen
“Drink it through the straw, but watch it,” Theo warned. “If you drink it too fast and the ice cream makes the root beer too cold, you’ll get brain freeze.”
“Brain freeze?” Nazaryth asked as he looked from Theo to the mug. “What the hell is brain freeze?” He wasn’t so sure he liked the sound of that.
Theo shook his head and he waved his hands in front of him.
“Trust me, you don’t want to find out. Now drink up.” Nazaryth sniffed at the mug first and then curled his lips around the straw, taking in a long draft. Damn, this was pretty fucking good.
He sucked on the straw hard, drinking the concoction down, and then slammed the mug on the counter when sharp pains shot through his head. He palmed his temples.
What the hell?
“I warned you,” Theo said as he grabbed the mug from the counter. “I warned you about brain freeze.”
“Is that what this is?” Nazaryth asked as he breathed through the shooting pain.
“You have to take it slow,” Theo said. “Now do you want to try it again?” He held the mug up to Nazaryth.
Hell no. “I’ll pass.”
“Your choice.” Theo finished off Nazaryth’s drink.
Nazaryth watched as his mate sucked at the straw, a low moan slipping past Nazaryth’s lips, imagining Theo’s lips wrapped around something else that was long and suckable. His cock got even harder.
His cock stayed in a perpetual state of readiness around his zaterio, but watching Theo’s throat muscles flex as he sucked the drink down, Nazaryth could feel the front of his jeans wetting with pre-cum.
Theo’s eyes dropped down to Nazaryth’s groin as his face flushed a pretty red. He released the straw and sat the mug down. “I–I’m going to get something to eat,” Theo stammered as he gave Nazaryth his back.
He wasn’t sure if that was a wise option. Now he was able to gaze at Theo’s ass, imagining all sorts of things he could do to it as he licked his dry lips, his heart beating faster. Nazaryth could smell a hint of arousal coming from his mate and see small echoing thoughts inside Theo’s head.
His mate was playing a scene in his head of them fucking!
Nazaryth was holding on by a single thread as he watched Theo’s thoughts play out. He saw what Theo wanted and what his zaterio liked.
It was becoming too much as Nazaryth forced himself to walk away. He had to get away from the man before he cracked and did something that Theo wouldn’t be too happy about.
Chapter Five
Theo stood at the counter, tossing some leftovers onto a plate, feeling relief as soon as Nazaryth left the kitchen. He was finally able to think clearly without the overwhelming presence of Nazaryth breathing down his neck.
He had witnessed the wet spot spreading on the front of Nazaryth’s jeans, and Theo had almost dropped to his knees in front of the large beast. As he shoved his plate into the microwave, Theo glanced toward the doorway. When he didn’t see anyone, he pressed the palm of his hand into his aching erection.
If he didn’t stay away from Nazaryth, Theo knew for a fact that he would give in to the temptation. There was something so powerful, so raw and undeniably desirable about Nazaryth that Theo found himself caving.
He tried to pull up an image of Dorian, of his lost beloved, of his dead mate. The only image that came to him was of Nazaryth taking him, fucking him until Theo’s throat was raw from screaming the man’s name.
“Damn you,” he muttered.
He growled as his fist hit the counter.
Dorian had been his mate.
Nazaryth was not his mate.
Theo was so damn confused.
He pulled the plate from the microwave, his hunger forgotten as he walked into the living room. “If I’m going to stay here, I’m going to need some things,” Theo said to Nazaryth as the beast sat at his desk, scanning through his laptop, acting as if Theo wasn’t standing right there.
“Done,” Nazaryth said without looking up at him. “Dog, Ruthless, go to Theo’s home and gather his things.”
“Wait,” Theo said as the two men hopped up. “They can’t just go into my home.”
Nazaryth closed his laptop, finally glancing up at Theo. “Isn’t that what you just asked?”
“No,” he replied. “I said that I needed to go get my things, not for you to send someone to get them.”
Nazaryth stood, his form looming over Theo as his face tightened.
Theo could tell the man was trying to control himself. “It is not safe for you to be out there. Not with the hounds still on the hunt for you. I will not risk my zaterio’s life.”
“Stop calling me that!” he shouted in anger. He wasn’t sure where that erupted from, but the thought of being held a prisoner was pissing him off. “Now let me go get my things if you insist on keeping me here.” He knew he was being unreasonable. After all, Nazaryth was only trying to keep him safe, but confusion and conflicting feelings toward the beast had him lashing out in anger.
He didn’t know what to think anymore. “Just forget it,” he grumbled as he walked down the hallway toward Nazaryth’s bedroom.
“Fine,” Nazaryth said from behind him. “We’ll take the other way out.” He stormed past Theo, entering the bedroom.
Theo followed, curious.
He saw Nazaryth cross the room, waving his hand in front of a bookcase. Theo gaped as the bookcase slid aside, revealing a second way out.
“Just how many escape routes do you have in this place?” Theo asked as he took a step closer, peering up into the passageway.
“Enough to ensure we’re not trapped in here,” Nazaryth replied.
“We better get going, but I’m warning you now. The hangar isn’t safe, so we can’t use any vehicles. We have to fly.” Theo shook his head as he took a step back. “I did tell you about my enormous fear of heights, right?”
Nazaryth gave one quick nod. “It’s the only option we have right now. So are we going to gather your things or not?”
“And what are we supposed to do, strap my belongings to our backs?” Theo asked in a snarky tone.
Nazaryth’s hands quickly waved at the bookcase, and Theo watched as it slammed back into place, a dark veil falling over the beast’s face. “Then I guess our trip will have to wait.” Feeling anger and desire building inside of him, Theo wanted Nazaryth, wanted him in the worst possible way. Hot, moist heat hung in the air as Nazaryth walked closer, his whiskey-dark eyes set on Theo.
He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. Nazaryth was enveloped in some sort of dark, supreme power that crackled around him as his skin started taking on that funky red coloring. Theo felt as though the beast had sucked all of the air out of the room.
Nazaryth’s voice seemed to wash over Theo as he spoke. “If you don’t want me to take you, I suggest you go back to the living room.” Theo wasn’t sure if Nazaryth’s reference to take you was leaving this place or being claimed. He didn’t move. His feet stayed rooted to the floor. A part of Theo wanted to run from the room, run from the beast that was consuming him with his eyes.
But a larger part of Theo wanted to prove a point.
If he had sex with Nazaryth, and nothing happened, then that would prove that they weren’t mates.
There was also the fact that Theo was hornier than hell. But he was sticking to his first reasoning as to why he was about to beg the man to fuck him.
Theo pulled his shirt off angrily and tossed it aside. He could see Nazaryth’s nostrils flare as his lips thinned, sexual hunger springing into the man’s dark eyes.
Before the bravery fled him, Theo reached down and untied his boots, kicking them aside, his eyes never leaving Nazaryth’s.
“What are you doing, Theo?” The words were ground out.
“You’re tempting the beast.”
“No,” Theo replied as he tossed the second boot aside. “I’m proving a point.”
“And what point are you proving?” Nazaryth asked as his fangs slid from their sheaths.<
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Theo licked his dry lips at the sight, panting lightly. His bravery was slowly slipping from him as Nazaryth’s powerful frame loomed over him. “I–I’m proving that we’re not mates.”
“No,” Nazaryth said as he took a step back. “I won’t have you like this.”
Theo’s hand stilled on the snap of his jeans as he tilted his head to the side. “Have me like what?”
“Angry, disbelieving. If you refuse me anytime during the claiming, the bond will not form.”
Theo smiled as his fingers popped the snap open. “Then I’ll make sure I don’t refuse you.” He couldn’t deny that he wanted Nazaryth more than he had wanted any man since Dorian. Not since then had he desired someone so desperately.
His fingers slowly peeled the zipper down as he bit his bottom lip, giving Nazaryth a shy grin. Nazaryth’s eyes were glued to Theo’s fingers, hope and desire swimming in his dark eyes.
“Are you still telling me no?” Theo asked as he slid his fingers into the waistband of his pants.
Nazaryth shook his head. “If you’re sure you won’t refuse me anytime during the claiming,” he said heatedly. “I won’t have you telling me no and breaking the bond.” Nazaryth’s right arm lifted, his fist slamming into his left shoulder. “I am the commander of the winged beasts. I am given one zaterio to walk through life with. The gods made sure I would know you as soon as I found you. There is no doubt in my mind that you, Theo, are my mate. And unless you go into the claiming with this knowledge, then it will never work.” Theo’s smile faltered as his hand stilled.
Nazaryth was so adamant, so sure about his claim that even more doubt crept into his mind about what he had had with Dorian. This couldn’t be a ruse. Not with the vehemence in Nazaryth’s eyes. The man wholeheartedly believed his claim.
Theo nodded. “I believe.”
He slid his pants down, kicking them aside.
Nazaryth growled as he leapt.
Nazaryth closed his eyes as he held his zaterio in his arms. He prayed to the gods that Theo did believe and that he wouldn’t refuse.
His wings spanned out, curling around their bodies, cocooning Theo in his arms.
He inhaled his mate’s scent, the beast inside of him growling low, in a dark, deep secret place that told Nazaryth the claiming had begun.
His arms slid down Theo’s back until his hand rested at Theo’s waist.
The warmth of his zaterio’s flesh was intoxicating.
“Has it begun?” Theo asked nervously.
“Yes,” Nazaryth answered as his lips grazed softly over Theo’s neck, skimming along his throat. Nazaryth didn’t protest when Theo pushed his shirt up, trying to remove the fabric. Nazaryth lifted his arms, allowing his chosen one to undress him.
His fingers ran over Theo’s cheek as the man dropped to his knees, pulling at Nazaryth’s pants. Once his clothes were gone, Nazaryth pulled Theo back into his arms. The heat of their naked flesh finally touching unhindered sent fire through every part of his body.
His cock swelled against Theo’s sinewy abdomen, prodding the man’s flesh as Nazaryth tilted his zaterio’s head back, capturing his lips.
The world around Nazaryth faded as he surrendered to Theo completely. His doubts and reservations were gone, replaced by contentment and peace.
His zaterio was in his arms, and Nazaryth never planned on letting Theo go.
Theo pulled away, looking up at Nazaryth with those liquid-amber eyes that had the ability to make Nazaryth’s heart stop. They had grown darker with desire as his pink tongue slid across his bottom lip.
“How does a winged beast claim his mate?”
“With the core of his being,” Nazaryth replied as his hands smoothed down Theo’s skin until they cupped his flared cheeks.
Theo’s head fell back as his eyes began to close, a moan rumbling from his lips, showing Nazaryth how well Theo would respond to his touch when he took him.
“You are a beautiful creature,” he said as his knuckles ghosted over Theo’s throat. Dipping his head, Nazaryth ran his tongue over Theo’s lips and then slid his tongue into the warm heat of Theo’s mouth.
Theo’s arms reached up and snaked around Nazaryth’s neck as he opened wider. Nazaryth was desperate to make sure Theo was pleasured in every possible way. He pulled Theo harder to his chest, his zaterio instinctively wrapping his legs around Nazaryth’s waist.
The feel of Theo’s ass resting on his cock had Nazaryth growing impossibly harder.
“Take me to bed,” Theo shamelessly begged as he pulled his kiss-swollen lips away from Nazaryth.
“Anything my zaterio wants.”
Nazaryth, with his wings still wrapped around Theo, walked them to the large bed in the center of the room. He rolled onto the bed, keeping Theo secure against him as Nazaryth ran the tips of his fangs over Theo’s throat.
“You want to bite me,” Theo stated.
“I do,” Nazaryth agreed.
A growl ripped from him when Theo tilted his head back, willingly giving Nazaryth the precious gift of his blood. He reined in his instincts to pin Theo down and drink until sated. Theo was giving himself freely. There was no need.
“Take it,” Theo said as he swallowed. “Drink from me.” Nazaryth licked a path with his tongue from Theo’s collarbone to his jaw, teasing his zaterio’s skin. “In time.” This was not something he cared to rush. This was their mating. Nazaryth would take his time and explore Theo, giving him the ultimate pleasure.
Their breath mingled as Nazaryth stole a few light kisses before trailing down Theo’s shadowed jaw. The rasp of Theo’s whiskers scraped Nazaryth’s lips before his tongue continued down Theo’s smooth neck, his fingers ghosting over Theo’s shoulders, the pads feeling Theo’s flesh raise in goose bumps.
Theo’s fingers grabbed Nazaryth’s hair, curling into the strands and tugging as he whimpered. Nazaryth trailed his lips over Theo’s chest, barely touching flesh, just taking in the overwhelming scent, pulling it into his lungs where it soaked into his very being.
Nazaryth pressed his hands into the mattress, keeping his weight off of Theo as his tongue snaked out, circling around the brownish-pink nipple. His tongue flicked over the tight peak, feeling the nub grow tighter as the cool air touched the wet skin.
“Please,” Theo begged, his voice raspy and raw.
Nazaryth closed his teeth over the peak, rolling it around before he kissed the moist flesh and then moved to the other. His beast was at the surface, his fangs razor-sharp as he nicked Theo’s flesh over his heart and then ran the tip of his tongue over the nectar.
Sweat broke out on Nazaryth’s body as his limbs shook. Taking his time, savoring his zaterio’s body, took every ounce of self-control he possessed. He may be the one with the wings, but Theo was the true angel. His body was giving, soft, and tasted like the food of gods.
He closed his lips over Theo’s side, laying small, light kisses over his heated flesh as Nazaryth worked his way down the smooth and firm body. Theo shuddered under him, his hips grinding into Nazaryth’s.
As he took Theo’s hot, thick cock into his mouth, his wings shot out, fluttering and fanning, the mating dust falling on them like fresh, new snow. It was light, as light as fine dust, but it was a part of the ritual that would bind them for all eternity.
“Y–You have wings,” Theo stuttered and groaned as Nazaryth’s tongue ran the length of his engorged cock. Theo declaring that he could see Nazaryth’s wings only proved that the man was truly his zaterio.
Nazaryth swallowed Theo’s cock and then pulled back, his hands landing on Theo’s thighs, spreading them apart as he gazed down at the man’s beautiful body. He ran his tongue up one thigh and then down the other, leaving behind a trail of moisture before he straightened.
Running his fingers over the pre-cum that was leaking from his body, Nazaryth used it as lubricant, his fingers circling Theo’s hole, and then he sank two fingers deep.
“Nazaryth,” Theo groaned as his head rolled back,
his eyelids fluttering.
Nazaryth leaned forward, sucking the flesh at Theo’s throat into his mouth as his tongue laved over the soft skin. The heady combination of Theo’s scented arousal and the smell of his blood drove Nazaryth’s beast to the brink.
He needed desperately to taste Theo, to drink from him. Nazaryth couldn’t hold out any longer as his fangs ached to sink into Theo’s soft flesh.
In one fluid motion, Nazaryth removed his fingers, bit into Theo’s jugular, and thrust his cock deep into the man’s body.
“Uh,” Theo grunted loudly as Nazaryth took him, drank from him, and fell to his zaterio’s desires all at the same time. An erotic possession took over as Nazaryth circled his arms around Theo’s body, holding him close as he slid his cock in and out of Theo’s tight channel. It felt like a tight fist was wrapped around his shaft as Nazaryth pulled in mouthfuls of Theo’s sweet-tasting blood.
As he pulled his fangs free and licked the wound, he saw his creation, along with Theo’s birth. Their two lives raced alongside each other at the speed of light as they played out until they crashed and intertwined, forever binding them together.
Theo gasped as he reared his head back. His amber eyes had shifted into a wolf’s eyes as his canines dropped. “My mate,” he said in shock.
“Yes,” Nazaryth said with joy as he rolled, placing Theo atop him, his wings wrapping around them to create a private veil as Nazaryth thrust his hips, driving his cock deep into Theo’s ass.
Theo gazed down at him, breathing harshly through his nose, the skin between his eyes wrinkled and the bottom of his eyes pushed upward until Theo’s eyes were almost closed. The possessive expression on Theo’s face could not only be seen, but felt. His nostrils flared as his lips thinned, and the white around his amber eyes was colored bloodshot as moisture built, threatening to spill.
Theo fell forward, sinking his canines into Nazaryth’s shoulder, claiming him. Nazaryth shouted as his release exploded, bathing his mate’s silky channel, completing the claiming as Theo’s cum erupted between them.
“Mine,” Nazaryth growled possessively as he cupped Theo’s face.