Branded

by Ana J. Phoenix

  Asher whirled around to glare at Blind Guy. Was that a flicker of guilt on his face? It was gone too quick too tell. Blind Guy had something to do with this, though. Had to. But Asher still couldn’t shout at him. He could only grit his teeth and try to burn holes into Blind Guy’s unmoving form with his eyes.

  The strangers laughed as they passed by the house. To hell with them. Blind Guy was hiding something. Had been lying all this time. Asher balled his hands into fists, fighting for control over his body.

  “I know you're pissed,” Blind Guy whispered, then turned his head to the side. The little bitch was there. When had she come in?

  Asher opened his mouth to say that pissed didn't come close, but he still couldn't speak.

  “Can we settle this somewhere else though? There's still more of them around and…” Blind Guy trailed off. “Why am I even wasting my breath…” He ran a hand through his hair.

  Narrowing his eyes, Asher grabbed that hand and locked his fingers around Blind Guy’s wrist. He was getting an explanation, and he was getting it now. He grabbed the bastard's other hand, too, and pushed him back against the wall. They were standing so close Asher felt Blind Guy’s breath on his face. Blind Guy swallowed, but didn't say anything, expression stoic.

  Asher wanted to scream at him. Do something! Say something! Tell me what the fuck you're hiding!

  “Don’t worry,” Blind Guy said. “It’ll pass.”

  What would pass?

  Asher knew he should calm down, should at least try to, but he couldn’t. All the irrational anger he’d felt over the past days had suddenly found an outlet, and it was beyond Asher to reign it in anymore. His rage only grew fiercer with every second that passed without his body doing what he wanted.

  “We should—”

  “No!” Asher burst out. Oh! He could talk.

  It was that moment Blind Guy chose to push him off and run.

  Chapter 17 - Icy Heat

  Asher stared after Blind Guy. Fucking coward! Asher dashed out of the house and spotted Blind Guy running down the road, following the lavalight. Asher chased after them. No way was Blind Guy getting away. Asher was faster than him. They both knew it. Why Blind Guy even bothered running was beyond him.

  Asher was fast on Blind Guy’s heels as they raced past the first trees into the forest. Twigs whipped into his face, but his eyes never left Blind Guy's back. Just a few feet. If he reached out his arm, he could almost…! He pushed himself faster. Just a little…

  “Stop running, bastard!” He lunged at Blind Guy and tackled him to the ground, clinging to his back. Blind Guy groaned beneath him.

  “Get off me!” Blind Guy tried to roll over and throw him off, but Asher wasn't going to let go that easily.

  “Fuck you! You're not running.”

  Blind Guy's magic flared and it was all the warning Asher got before something burned his hands.

  “Shit!” He drew back. “You son of a—” As soon as he let go, Blind Guy rolled onto his back and got up. Asher scrambled to his feet as well. Closing in on Blind Guy again, he shoved him up against a tree before the other man could do or say anything.

  “Bet now you don't think trees are so damn great.” Asher’s eyes narrowed. How satisfying would it be to burn that tree and Blind Guy right down with it?

  “We can talk if you let me go.” Blind Guy grabbed Asher’s arms and tried to push him off. Asher wasn't having any of that.

  “No fucking way. You talk now.”

  Blind Guy let his right hand fall to his side. Giving up so soon? ”Don't make me burn you.”

  Asher huffed and tightened his grip on Blind Guy's shoulders. His hands still hurt, but that didn’t matter now. “You try that again and I transform.”

  Blind Guy exhaled. “This is stupid.”

  “You're stupid!”

  “I'm not telling you anything until you let go.”

  “Yeah? You just wanna run off again,” Asher said through gritted teeth.

  The sky darkened overhead and the air smelled like rain, but none of that mattered. Asher kept staring at Blind Guy’s face, cast into shadows by the gray light.

  “I didn't want this to happen, you know,” Blind Guy said slowly.

  “Want what to happen?” Asher’s fingers dug into Blind Guy's shirt.

  “This… I didn't ask for this. I didn't want to be bonded to you. I sure as hell didn't want this power over you. I only wanted to help!” With the last word, Blind Guy pushed Asher off and managed to break free.

  “What power?”

  A drop of water landed on Asher’s face and made him look up. More and more drops came falling down. Just what he needed. They were going to be soaked in minutes. Whatever. Asher focused back on Blind Guy.

  “Talk!”

  “Let's get out of the rain first.”

  “Fuck the rain.” Asher crossed his arms in front of his chest and placed his hands over the scales on his arms.

  “C'mon…” Blind Guy stepped away from the tree.

  Asher grabbed his shoulder, turned him around and tackled him to the softening ground.

  “I'm not waiting any longer.” He sat on Blind Guy's waist, hands on his shoulder blades, eyes staring at his face. Rain pounded down on him, dropped from his hair onto Blind Guy. Asher shivered as the cold seeped into his scales, but he wasn’t going to let that distract him.

  Feeling out of control of his body had been worse than a bit of rain could ever be.

  Beneath him, Blind Guy raised his right hand. “See that?”

  Asher looked at it. The tattoo on Blind Guy’s palm looked like the one on his own back.

  “What about it?”

  “I touch you with this hand, I can order you to do anything and everything I want.”

  Asher stared at Blind Guy in silence. Anything and everything was a lot to process. He was still trying to when Blind Guy moved to shove him off. Asher let himself fall onto his back. The ground felt wet and muddy beneath him. He looked up at the sky, squinting against the rain. He looked at Blind Guy, who was getting up. Anything and everything. It made sense. It made him ball his hands into fists.

  He jumped back to his feet. Blind Guy was walking deeper into the forest. Asher ran after him and tugged on his arm. As soon as Blind Guy turned, Asher punched him. Watched his face tilt to the side with the impact. Asher let his hand fall to his side and exhaled. Stared at Blind Guy. He didn’t know what to say or do now.

  Maybe Blind Guy didn’t either. He pressed his mouth into a thin line, turned around and walked away. Asher watched him go, then looked at his fist, unclenched it.

  “You’re not gonna say anything?”

  Blind Guy walked on. “C’mon,” he said then. “We need firewood. And some sort of roof.”

  Asher swallowed. “Fine.”

  Neither of them said anything again until they found a cave.

  They were both completely drenched by the time they found a cave in which they could take shelter from the rain. Even though the water didn't bother Asher as much just then, he was glad to get out of the downpour. If Blind Guy was happy, he didn't show it. He sat in the cave, looking as though he'd walked through half a year of rain and not half an hour of it.

  Asher went about moving the wood they had gathered in a pile that would be easy to burn down and waited for Blind Guy to ignite it. Blind Guy was trying, but burning wet wood was a bitch. Asher could feel Blind Guy’s magic levels fluctuate over the link. Like invisible threads that tugged at the edge of his awareness. Something that shouldn’t be there.

  Asher sat down on the rough ground. “You should have told me.” If he’d known what was going on with his body, he wouldn’t have freaked as much.

  “I didn’t think it would matter.”

  “You didn’t think this would matter?” Asher looked at the other man in disbelief.

  “I wasn’t going to use my power. It was an accident.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, really.” The wood finally caugh
t fire. Blind Guy took off his drenched shirt. Asher watched. He couldn’t help it. Droplets of water dripped down Blind Guy’s hair and trickled down his tanned skin. It was tempting to jump him, pin him to the ground, and lick those droplets up with his tongue.

  Asher sighed, and ripped his eyes away to look at the fire instead. He shouldn’t want to jump someone who had this kind of power over him.

  “Can we undo this?” Asher asked.

  “It’s irreversible”

  Asher took a deep breath.

  “I understand that you’re frustrated,” Blind Guy said.

  “Do you really? Because you’re not the one on a leash.” Or the one stuck with an impossible attraction to someone who just would not respond in kind.

  “No. I'm the one who had to decide what to do while you were dying right in front of me. And I’m getting tired of you acting like I made the wrong choice. I did not.”

  “Why did you want to save me?”

  Blind Guy opened his mouth, but he didn’t speak for several seconds. Then, ”Do you really have to ask?”

  Yes, yes he did. Because in Asher’s experience, people did not act selflessly just because. If they did something for you, they wanted something from you. But Blind Guy seemed oblivious to that fact.

  Asher didn’t know how to explain it to him, so he simply said, “I’ve almost died once before. Because my dad didn’t care enough to remember my allergies.” They always told you that you could count on family when you could count on no one else. But that was all lies, too.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Asher shrugged, and then inched closer to the fire.

  “I’d do it again,” Blind Guy said.

  “What?”

  “Save you.”

  Asher felt himself smile. Silly Blind Guy. “You don’t even like me.”

  “I never said that.”

  “You said you had to like someone to fuck them. That’s why we couldn’t have sex.” Although he wanted it so, so much. He shouldn’t be thinking about sex again, but his eyes were drawn to Blind Guy and his naked upper body and the long hair that spilled over his shoulders.

  “That’s different.”

  “How?” Asher would never understand Blind Guy’s logic.

  Blind Guy remained quiet for several seconds, then he said, “Come here.”

  “No way. Last time you said that you left me horny.”

  “I promise I won’t do that again.”

  “Really?” Asher dared to hope. He went over to where Blind Guy was sitting and lowered himself to the ground again. “Do you want to—”

  Blind Guy drew him closer and kissed him before Asher could finish that sentence. Asher’s mind needed a second to catch up with the action, but his body reacted instantly. His eyes fell shut, his heart beat faster, and his cock stirred to life in his pants. When Blind Guy’s mouth left his, he rested his forehead against Blind Guy’s, grabbed his hands in his own before he could be pushed off again.

  “You’re not scared I’ll accidentally give you an order again?” Blind Guy asked.

  “So long as you keep it to things like ‘suck my dick,’ I’m fine.”

  Blind Guy chuckled, but Asher knew the man was just as turned on as he was. This time, he could feel it through their link. It was like he was wearing a second, slightly warmer skin on top of his own, and it was tingling with emotions—with desire.

  “I know you want me,” Asher said. Maybe this was why Blind Guy cared so much. Because he secretly did want Asher. For some reason, Asher didn’t want that to be the explanation, but he didn’t let himself linger on the thought.

  “Right now I want you to lie on your back.”

  That sounded simple enough. Asher lay back. It wasn’t the most comfortable position to be in, but he’d had worse. And as Blind Guy climbed over him, he really didn’t care so much. He tugged on Blind Guy’s hair to pull him down and kiss him again. Tongue on tongue now. Asher tilted his head to give Blind Guy better access to his mouth. There was something about Blind Guy that made Asher just want to kiss him. Maybe because he was so damn good at it. When Blind Guy’s lips brushed his, his pulse sped up in an unnatural way. And when Blind Guy’s palm pressed against his groin, he found himself squirming for friction, needing more contact, and fewer clothes.

  Blind Guy stopped for a moment. “Are you sure we should be doing this with you being wounded and all?”

  Asher looked at him. He actually seemed conflicted about this. Asher almost laughed. “You’re really too damn nice.”

  “Oh, am I?”

  “Definitely.” Asher stopped Blind Guy from saying any more by giving him another kiss. Heat flowed through his veins and when he reopened his eyes, flames burnt on the ground around him. “Fuck, that’s hot.”

  “Me or the fire?”

  The flames parted where Blind Guy put his hand on the floor.

  “Both,” Asher said, eyes fixed on the flames.

  Blind Guy caught his lips in another kiss that made Asher think he was going to go crazy if nothing happened soon. Throwing his hands around Blind Guy’s neck, he pressed his body up against the other man’s as their tongues moved together.

  Blind Guy didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. Instead, he laid his hand on Asher’s right shoulder and let his fingers slide down from there like he had all the time in the world. His hand was warm, maybe something to do with his fire magic.

  “What are you doing?” Asher asked when Blind Guy reached his scales and got even slower.

  “I’ve always wondered what these feel like.”

  “Do your exploring when I'm not horny and—” Asher stopped himself. Nails scraped over the section where scales met skin and his breath hitched in his throat at the tingling sensation. Blind Guy smirked.

  “Interesting.”

  “Shut up.” Asher pulled Blind Guy into another kiss, trying to urge him on. Blind Guy wrapped his free hand around his left arm, gripping firmly around his scales. Blind Guy's fingertips turned scalding hot, and heat rushed through Asher’s body, tore through his thoughts with an unknown force that left nothing but an insane craving to have that man who was holding him down. “Fuck me,” was all he got out when he had enough breath in him to form words again.

  Blind Guy sat down on his hips. “Eventually,” he said. Asher didn’t like playing games like that, but Blind Guy licked a wet trail down his neck and he did like that. And he loved the way Blind Guy sucked at the juncture of his neck and desire coursed through his body. He closed his eyes, trying to keep himself still. That hot mouth would feel so good on his cock. Thumbs rubbed over his nipples and he tugged roughly on Blind Guy's hair in an attempt to alleviate the building pressure. Desire welled up inside him as Blind Guy traced the contours of his body down to his hips, to his groin, where he’d stopped last time. The icy cave ground beneath his back was ineffectual against the heat that took hold of his body.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, Blind Guy freed Asher of his pants, like he was unwrapping a present. Asher watched him at first, then his eyes trailed to the flames. So hot. So pretty. Damn. He arched his neck against the cool stone.He wouldn't have changed a thing. Except maybe for the speed at which Blind Guy undid his pants.

  Once Asher was completely naked, Blind Guy let his fingers trail over the outlines of his cock and balls. Then he withdrew. Asher would have complained, if Blind Guy hadn’t immediately started to take off his own pants. Asher’s gaze stuck to the outline of Blind Guy’s hardened cock, visible against the fabric of his underwear, straining to be set free. Asher licked his lips at the sight as arousal pulsed through him. Finally Blind Guy pulled the last piece of clothing down.

  “Not bad,” Asher said under his breath. The fire elf was a sight to behold, standing against the flames of the campfire. He was beautiful, all of him really, but Asher's gaze still came back to his cock. Fuck, the wait had been worth it.

  “You're not bad either.” Blind Guy smiled, and Asher wanted to devour him.

  “C
ome back here.” Asher leaned up to pull Blind Guy back down to the ground with him and place a hungry kiss onto those perfect lips. His arms wrapped around Blind Guy's neck as the other man's warm body pressed against his. Sparks of need rushed through Asher as their erections rubbed together. He moaned into the kiss. His fingernails scratched over Blind Guy’s back. Impatience was flowing through his veins. And he knew it wasn’t just him. He felt the lust that pulsed through Blind Guy as if his body radiated it. He couldn't breathe without taking it in. His fingers dug into Blind Guy's back as his own desire heightened until he didn't know which was which anymore.

  Blind Guy’s hands went south and Asher let his eyes close as his fingers ghosted over his thighs and his cock twitched in anticipation. Asher groaned. Blind Guy’s hands didn’t go where he wanted, needed, them to go. His body was strung tight with desire and Blind Guy wouldn't satisfy it.

  “Fucking tease,” Asher rasped. He reached down between them and engulfed Blind Guy's pulsing cock in his hand, the skin hard and hot against his fingertips. He stroked once, twice from the root to the tip. Blind Guy's moan in his ear was all the motivation he needed to go on. He wanted that cock inside him and he would get it. His hand strayed to his balls, cupping them and fondling them with his thumb, drawing low sounds from Blind Guy.

  “Wanna do me?” Asher said, “Go on.” His fingers traced back to Blind Guy's cock, lightly running up the underside. You want me, you know you do.

  Blind Guy didn't respond, but he moved, finally, and Asher didn't care that he had nothing to say. Fingertips trailed over his aching cock, studying it, making Asher squirm with the need for him to just stroke him, pump him, give him some sort of friction, of relief.

  “Damn it, Blind Guy.”

  “That’s not my name.”

  “I don't care.” Asher dug his nails into Blind Guy's skin, knots tightening in his stomach. Suddenly heat flared up on his arm, burning the area where skin connected with scales, and Asher yelped. Pleasure and pain spiraled through his body, mixed, and became something he couldn't identify. He cursed, his thoughts jumbled. And then it happened again, sent him to the brink of insanity and left him hanging.