The Pridelands 1: Darren’s Surprise

by Jade Buchanan

  “Why do you have hair here?” Durai ran the back of one fuzzy hand along the inside of his thigh, close but not quite touching his balls. Whimpering, Darren let his legs fall wide open, wordlessly pleading with Durai.

  “You are built very different from me. Are these sensitive?” Finally, he was touching Darren’s sac with those furred knuckles.

  “Fuck, stop talking and touch me,” he panted.

  Durai chuckled, a darkly erotic sound. “As you wish.”

  He took hold of Darren’s shaft in a firm grip, holding it for a moment before releasing it to slide his fingers up and down.

  “You have no barbs.”

  “Barbs?”

  “You’ll understand later, trust me.” He squeezed again, getting a firm grip at the base of Darren’s dick, pulling up until he reached the head.

  “Oh, God. Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

  Darren couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this explosive. Definitely had been awhile. It was like he was a teenager again, insane with need at even the slightest arousing image. Like a picture of a man in a pair of briefs.

  Durai snarled. “I don’t like any other men intruding where I’ve staked my claim. You’ll think of me.”

  Darren blinked, confused for a moment. Before he could surface from his erotic haze, Durai took all thought away from him again by palming his balls with his free hand. He squeezed, rolling them around.

  “Please…”

  “Soon, Darren. Soon, you’ll get what you need. Yes, like that, move for me, show me how much you like it.”

  Darren rocked his hips, fucking into Durai’s grip. Whimpering, he raised one hand and bit into the flesh, desperate to stifle the noise. He was dimly aware that there were still others in the cabin.

  “Yes, Darren, move. I like it when you dance.” Durai nuzzled Darren’s chest, his breath hot through the fabric. He grunted, releasing Darren’s testes to shred his shirt, letting the pieces of cotton land on and around Darren. He returned to his chest, running the edge of his canines against Darren’s nipple. Swiping out with his rough tongue, he abraded the sensitive skin.

  Darren cried out, unable to silence himself. Durai was forced to grab him around the back when Darren arched, tossing his head. He was probably dangerously close to falling off the bunk bed, but as long as Durai kept touching him, Darren didn’t give a shit.

  Durai trailed his tongue along Darren’s stomach, nipping the skin beside his belly button. He dipped into the hole, flicking in and out in a crude imitation of a sex act.

  Darren bucked wildly, so close.

  “Almost there, Darren. Give it to me. Give me your passion.”

  Durai’s sweet breath blew across the head of his cock, right before Durai angled his head and swallowed Darren whole.

  He couldn’t hold back. Tensing, locking his knees, Darren came, crying out in broken syllables.

  “D-Dur, oh, ai. Plea… Du… gah!”

  Durai swallowed, accepting everything, milking his shaft with the convulsive motions of his throat.

  Flopping back, he narrowly missed hitting his head against the wall. Durai was still suckling him, using that prehensile tongue to caress the base of his shaft. Darren fisted his hands in his thick mane, pulling the hair.

  “Good?”

  “I think I died. I, huh, must ha-have died. Oh, God,” he panted.

  Chuckling, Durai swiped his tongue along Darren’s sac, probably tasting the salty tang from his sweat.

  He half heartedly swatted at Durai, convinced the man must be a machine. Darren couldn’t feel his toes. “I think my toes fell off. Do you mind checking for me?”

  A hand cradled his left foot. Suddenly, his big toe was engulfed in a wet, heated cavern. Durai sucked strongly, teasing Darren with a hint of fang.

  Releasing the toe with a pop, Durai nuzzled the arch of his foot. “It appears that all the toes are still intact. Would you like me to conduct a more thorough investigation?”

  “Oh, wow. Uh --”

  “You’ll have to do it later, Durai. Darren’s breakfast is getting cold.” Lev’s voice sounded loud and clear from the main level.

  Darren bolted upright, smacking into the hairy man in front of him. “Kill me now. Seriously, just kill me.” He buried his head in Durai’s chest, trying to hide his crimson cheeks. The blood was flowing strongly. He just knew it would be obvious he was blushing.

  “I’d rather kill Lev.” Durai raised Darren’s chin, scowling. “This abode is not large enough for all of us.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Well, it is a small structure, and --”

  “Uh, I didn’t mean literally tell me about it. It’s just a saying here. Oh, never mind. We should get dressed.”

  “I believe you are the only one who is not dressed.”

  Darren widened his eyes, a sudden realization striking him. “You didn’t…”

  “No, I didn’t, but we have time later for anything we may wish to do. Do not frown so, Darren. Your pleasure is my pleasure.”

  “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure I had more fun there at the end.”

  “Are you so certain of that?” Durai lifted a brow, smirking.

  “Right, uh, dressed. We should… clothes.”

  Snorting, Durai grabbed him around the hips, effortlessly lifting him off the bunk and setting Darren on the ground.

  Grabbing a pair of jeans lying on the floor beside the rug, Darren put an extra wiggle in his movement.

  Swat. The hard press of Durai’s hand smarted, and his cock gave a half-hearted attempt to fill again. Darren inhaled sharply.

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  Grinning, he slid the jeans up his legs, watching Durai the whole time. Durai’s gaze was glued to his limbs, studying the flesh that was slowly covered by blue denim. Darren pulled the tee over his head, choosing to go bare-chested rather than find another clean shirt. Hell, he was still overdressed compared to everyone else anyway. It wasn’t as if they would look at him funny.

  Grabbing his glasses from the dresser and sending one last wishful glance at the bed, Darren started down the stairs, followed closely by Durai.

  “Soo, the self-professed dog person has just become a cat lover.” Aaron snickered, coming around the corner to watch them enter the main room. He’d been in the kitchen area.

  “What’s a dog?” Lev sounded confused. He came up behind his mate, putting both arms around Aaron and pulling him into his chest.

  “It’s an animal, most humans keep them as pets, uh, companions. I think you’ve figured out by now that the cats around here don’t exactly stand up on two legs and talk to us. Well, dogs are like that too. They hang around with us, but we can’t verbally communicate with them the way we can with each other.”

  “Yeah, and cats and dogs have the reputation of hating each other. There’s even a saying about it, fighting like cats and dogs. It means you don’t get along with someone.” Darren cursed his fair skin, hoping the blush would recede sometime today.

  Durai was staring at him. “And you prefer dogs?”

  “No, I don’t really like to keep pets around. I have a hard enough time remembering to feed myself. But I love animals, any kind, really. Even cats.”

  “That’s probably a good thing.”

  “Aaron, you can’t talk, so shut it.”

  “I’m just saying that if you’re going to be mated to a Leo, you should probably like cats.”

  Darren tensed. “Who said anything about being mated?”

  Chapter Six

  “So, are you ever going to tell me about this mate business?”

  Durai paused, studying the forest around him before answering. Darren was currently guiding him around the area surrounding the cabin. It had been Durai’s plan to familiarize himself with the territory. He knew his pride had already scouted the area and were familiar with any threats by this time, but it wasn’t the same as Durai actually doing it himself. He would never ask his pride to do something he w
ouldn’t do himself, and besides, he wanted some time alone with Darren without the possibility of being interrupted.

  “What would you like to know?”

  “Well, when Aaron took me upstairs, he mentioned something about Lev and him, about how they knew they were mates because they shared dreams. He said he can talk to Lev in his mind.”

  “Yes, that is the way the mate bond has shown itself with Aaron and Lev.”

  Darren stopped walking, turning to lean against a tree. He gestured for Durai to stand in front of him. Durai obliged him, placing both hands behind his back.

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You mean that not all mates know each other the same way?”

  “There are not many who are gifted with the mate bond. Normally it is a sign of leadership. To be given this connection is an honor that many men wait their lifetimes to achieve. Once, the pride leaders themselves were decided based on whether they received the bond or not. It is still customary to give a pride to anyone who is bonded and who proves he is strong enough to pass the rituals.

  “Each couple who receives the bond, changes it in some way. The bond adapts to suit them, to become what they need it to be.”

  “So, Aaron and Lev needed the bond to let them talk to each other?”

  “In a way, yes. The bond for them allows them to speak in each other’s minds. It is a talent that not many share.”

  “What else could happen?”

  Durai stroked his chin, thinking about his brethren. “I know that Laithe and Rowan share the ability to see from each other’s eyes. It came in handy when she was being attacked by a rival pride leader once. Laithe was able to see the man and what was happening in the clearing and alert the rest of us. She might have died if she did not possess the ability to warn her mate.

  “It is rumored that Haytham, the Appaliunas, has a unique ability with his mate. He can sense her emotions, and she can sense his. But it is told their bond is strong enough to encompass the people who are closest to them. Ariel is mated, not just to Haytham, but to his brothers as well. And his personal guard, who is a Pardus. When they are together, Haytham and Ariel are able to connect to the rest of the men, sharing every feeling and emotion.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible.”

  “I am not entirely certain of the extent of their abilities. They do not normally talk about it, but Haytham mentioned it to me once, briefly, when I became a leader myself.”

  Darren was tapping his foot, digging the toes of his shoes into the grass at their feet. Durai waited, sure that Darren would ask the one question that he’d been contemplating since Aaron’s comment that morning.

  “Umm, Aaron kind of made it sound like we, uh, you and I…”

  “Yes?”

  “That youandIweremated,” he said in a rush, the words barely comprehensible.

  “Yes, he did make it sound like that.”

  “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  “Are you trying to piss me off? Cause you’re getting darn close.”

  Chuckling, Durai waited for Darren to raise his head.

  Finally, Darren huffed, lifting his chin to glare at Durai, clearly challenging him to answer his question.

  “I knew the moment I saw you that we would be mated. I dreamt of you, before we landed here.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, Darren. I believe you dreamt as well. But you received something else. I suspected it, but I didn’t know for sure until this morning how our bond would shape.”

  Durai tilted his head, studying his mate. He swung his tail lazily, back and forth.

  “What did you suspect?”

  “You received more than the dreams. The dreams alone would not have allowed you to create the images within the cabin. Those are too detailed, too exact. I believe the bond is allowing us access to each other’s memories. You saw Felid the way I’ve seen it before. The ship on the wall of the cabin is my ship, the Azarnaz. She was gifted to me when I became a pride leader. She is now my responsibility. You should not have seen her through the dreams, but you knew enough to draw an exact replica. It was almost uncanny how close in detail you were.”

  Darren’s eyes were wide with shock, his mouth opened and closed several times. “How can you be sure that’s from memories and not some other freaky thing?”

  Sniffing, Durai curled his lip, disgust welling up inside of him. “I will only ask this once, and I am not entirely comfortable doing so. When you were younger, you fantasized about a man? Wearing a small piece of clothing around his…” he gestured to his own cock, unable to say the words when it was about a man Darren had been attracted to.

  “Oh, why can’t you just kill me?” The words were muffled. Darren had raised his hands, burying his face in them. He sighed, lifting his head enough so Durai could see his eyes. His mouth was still covered but the words were clear. “Yeah, I liked him, then. Not now, I mean, I’m over it. How did you know about that?”

  “Earlier, you must have thought about him, because I was suddenly beset with a clear image of you lying back on a bed, stroking yourself while holding an image of the man. You didn’t look as you do now, you were thinner, younger. Your face had not grown into its potential.”

  “I don’t understand any of this. God, it’s all happening so fast, Durai. Isn’t it happening fast? I’m sorry, I just don’t know what this means.”

  “It does not have to mean anything yet. I will not rush you. I have seen the ill effects of such a move before. In my youth, I knew a man who rushed his mate. She did not take kindly to the hurried attempts. It was very bad for them for a number of years before they were able to come to some kind of compromise.”

  Durai took Darren’s hand, tugging him forward. Without releasing his mate, he started to walk, anxious to move again.

  “I know what you mean. My mom split when I was a kid. I remember her, but I don’t think Aaron does. I don’t even know why she left, but my dad and her just couldn’t get along. They didn’t fight or anything, they just wanted different things. They’d tried staying together after I was born, but when Aaron came along, I think my mom knew that she couldn’t handle it anymore.

  “I know some people just aren’t meant to be together. And others probably need to work really hard to stay together. I’m not saying I want an easy relationship without any challenges, but I don’t want to be indifferent. I think I’d die if I was in that kind of couple.”

  Durai squeezed his hand. “That will not happen, I swear to you. We will make this work. It may take time, but I am committed to discovering what can be between us.”

  “Wait, you aren’t going to get down on bended knee and profess your undying love to me or anything?” Darren smiled, showing he was at least half-teasing with his words.

  Shrugging, he thought about it. He didn’t want to gloss over Darren’s statement. It was an honest question and it deserved a straight-forward answer.

  “I have been forced to re-evaluate my life on many different occasions. When I became a pride leader, I swore to myself that I would concern myself with the interests of my entire pride. You have met them all, and in time you will get to know them as well. They are mine, my people. My family. I cannot ever make a rash decision without considering how it will affect them. It doesn’t mean I don’t care for you. I need you in my life. Without you, I do not know if it would be bearable. Now that I have felt you, connected with you, I think I would be senseless, as if one of my limbs had been removed if you were to leave.

  “I don’t like to rush things. I did once, I acted without thought to the consequences, and I ended up with a scar and the knowledge that life is fragile. The other man did not survive. I learned a lesson that day. Sometimes you cannot let your emotions guide you. There are worse things out there that can blind you if you aren’t careful.”

  “You had no choice, Durai. He gave you no choice. Not when he attacked first.” Darren’s voice was off, his eyes unfocused when Durai turned to watch him. “Wow, I under
stand what you mean now. It was so clear, I could see it happening. That was your memory?”

  Durai nodded, enfolding Darren in his arms. The other man rested against his chest like he’d been made to fit there.

  “Did you bring me out here for a reason, or are we just going to talk all day?”

  He smiled, nuzzling Darren’s forehead, pressing a kiss to the hairless skin. It would take some getting used to. The lack of fur. He wanted to see Darren naked, completely bare to the elements and Durai’s gaze. He wanted nothing to come between them.

  Darren stepped back, a knowing smile gracing his lips. He quirked one of the red tufts of hair above his eyes. Durai raised a hand, smoothing his forefinger against that tuft of hair.

  “You have fur in the strangest places. You would expect your body to be either completely furred, or completely fur-free, but it is neither. Almost as if the gods could not decide what skin to give you.”

  “You know, in the interest of discovery, you should probably check out every area of my body that has hair on it. You may learn a few things. Completely scientific research, of course. I’d be your willing subject. Further human-Felidae interactions, of course. Maybe build the relationships between our people.”

  “Purely research driven?”

  “Exactly. You know, I like the way you think.” Darren grinned, rocking back and forth in his arms.

  Durai held him, bringing their lips together again. He loved the way his human tasted. Different, less intense than the Leos he’d been with in the past, but it was so much more appealing. There was a hint of vanil in his taste, a plant on Felid that was sought after by many of his people for its pleasing flavor. It was rare, found only in the mountain passes, and it only bloomed during periods of drought.

  He brought them both to the ground, keeping them together, not allowing even a miniscule of air between himself and his mate. He straddled the human, rubbing his aching shaft against the vee of Darren’s legs. There were two pieces of cloth between them but they didn’t lessen the relief at being so close to the other man. He needed to be inside him. He could almost see them together, in the back of his mind. After this morning, he even knew what Darren’s face would look like as he cried out for Durai to shaft him harder, deeper, faster.