by Marie Harte
“Easy, Anson. Just let yourself go. Take what I freely offer, and you’ll break the curse even now weakening within me.”
Liam kissed him, a full meeting of lips and tongue that made it impossible to remain still under the hard body rocking against him. Anson groaned and met him thrust for thrust, taken with the urge to spread his legs and wait for the intrusion he couldn’t deny.
Breaking from his mouth, Liam moaned his name and ran kisses down his cheek to his chin, his throat and lower. He sucked hard on Anson’s nipples, biting and licking away the small spots of blood.
Anson hissed and gripped Liam’s head, his fingers accidentally brushing the pointed tips of Liam’s ears. Enthralled with the foreign shape, he lingered there, especially when he noticed Liam’s reaction—Liam panted and surged harder against him. The suction of his lips brought Anson arching off the bed in ecstasy, his need to fuck overwhelming.
Liam rasped, “I’m hurting with the need to shove myself hard inside you. So deep, my golden wolf. You’re all mine.”
Anson groaned with denial. He didn’t belong to Liam, but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting the connection. His hole puckered at thoughts of Liam’s thick cock wedging deep. The burn of penetration, followed by the bliss of deep belonging.
“You’re my gift, Anson. My own wolf.” Liam nipped his ear and sucked the sting out of the tender lobe. “Come on, I dare you. Bring my wolf out to play.”
Barely able to think past the desire flooding his body, Anson widened his legs and thrust up into Liam’s belly. Liam’s tightly muscled stomach had no give, perfect for the rough friction his cock demanded.
Liam trailed his mouth to Anson’s neck, his teeth scraping with teasing licks. Then he bit hard, the way a wolf did to mark another.
Anson wanted to protest, but glorious sensations burned through his body, alighting between his legs.
“My venom will help us along.” Liam licked the bite, and Anson yelled as his balls tightened and his seed burst from his body, slicking their bellies as Liam continued to rock over him. “Very responsive, pet. And so powerful. Still hard? Good.”
Anson moaned, his relief a small one as the desire inside him built once more.
“I can’t wait any longer,” Liam breathed. He quickly sat up and straddled Anson, using Anson’s cum to lube himself. He ran his large fingers over himself, accentuating the girth and length he intended to shove into Anson.
“Do it,” Anson growled, needing it. He’d deal with this ‘mine’ nonsense later, when he could think past the urge to come again.
Liam shifted, and his hair brushed over his pointed ear. His eyes shone an unearthly green, wolf-green and shifter-bright. But it was the clear love shining in them that froze Anson in place.
“Yes.” Liam positioned himself to claim his prize. He tilted Anson’s hips and guided himself to Anson’s hole, then pushed inside.
Liam didn’t let up. He moved slowly, through Anson’s initial resistance, letting Anson adjust, until the whole of him rested inside Anson’s throbbing ass.
“Stretching me,” Anson managed, arching up and crying out as Liam slid deeper.
“I’m inside you all the way.” Liam groaned. “Damn, Anson. You’re mine now.”
An echo of power showered over them both as Banathmae repeated the vow in their minds. Then the Wolf in the Forest teased them with an earthy breeze in a room where there shouldn’t have been one.
Liam pulled out with excruciating slowness, exacerbating Anson’s notion of his size when he pushed back in. Anson hissed in discomfort even as his rectum softened, showing him so much pleasure. By the Wolf, Liam felt so sexy, so good inside him.
“That’s it. Watch me.” Liam grunted as he continued to thrust, fucking Anson with a steel cock and an iron will that wouldn’t tolerate anything but Anson’s submission.
That Anson intended fully to surrender shocked him as much as it pleased his lover. A werewolf, a descendant of Lycos himself, Anson had few equals when it came to power. But he sensed Liam could match him. The wolf part of Liam fit with Anson’s animal self, yet it was the sexual demon, Liam’s other half, which drew such strength from Anson’s energy.
“Demon wolf.” He clutched Liam’s waist and held on.
“Yes, mate. Yes,” Liam hissed as he continued to pump, thrusting harder and faster, stirring Anson’s own hungers anew. “I’m going to come. Inside you. Marking you as mine.”
Anson couldn’t look away. “Let it out. Let me see your wolf.”
Liam yelled as he came, shuddering with real force as his seed bathed Anson from the inside out. Anson saw a hint of the wild thing trapped inside his lover. A large, black wolf snapping desperately at the frail wards still holding him back. So close, yet Liam needed more.
And suddenly, Anson knew how to break the spell.
“Fuck. I’m so close. I need you so much.” Liam clawed at the sheets on either side of Anson.
Not need it, as in needing his wolf back. Liam said, “I need you.” Anson heard the difference. And against all odds, against all sense, he needed Liam just as much. Anson would do whatever it took to free Liam’s wolf from the cages binding him.
He waited for Liam to pull out before he made his move. Still slick from their spent passion, Anson used their joined cum to make his cock wet. Then he rolled Liam over and muscled him onto his belly. Moving too fast for Liam to rebel, he yanked him to his hands and knees.
“Anson, wha—”
“Let’s free you, once and for all.” Anson wasn’t gentle—he instinctively knew Liam didn’t want him to be.
He pulled Liam’s ass cheeks apart and shoved himself balls-deep inside…heaven.
Liam swore, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he backed into Anson’s pounding thrusts, meeting him jolt for jolt.
Anson had never felt anything so right. Liam’s ass wasn’t supple but had a man’s toughness, so firm and masculine. The warmth, the tightness around him and the scent of Liam so aroused made him lose his fucking mind.
“Nobody owns you but me,” Anson roared as he took Liam hard enough to do a normal person some damage. But Liam was athmae and wolf, and that wolf was tired of his cage.
Anson felt Liam begin to shift and joined him, magically changing form from man to wolf while continuing to fuck. Anson couldn’t stop. He had to come inside Liam, to seal them tight.
It was with great pleasure when he did so, relieving that burning ache deep inside him. He knotted, giving Liam enough of himself to break the curse’s hold.
Anson had always been a big wolf, but he’d met his match in Liam. The gold of his fur brushed Liam’s black pelt, and the mixture of light and dark looked to him like the perfect balance between souls—lovers, he hastily corrected—so hot for each other they could barely breathe.
When Anson finished, he withdrew, changed back to a man’s form, and lay down next to Liam, who remained as wolf.
Liam smiled at him, a genuine grin as he panted and woofed. He licked Anson’s chest and cheek and nipped his fingers playfully. Unlike Anson’s, all his canines looked sharper than normal. And there, in the glowing green of his eyes, a spark of red flashed in his pupils.
His enthusiasm was contagious. Anson wanted to run and play with him, but exhaustion overwhelmed him. He opened his mouth to suggest a romp in the outlying woods and yawned. When he tried to rise from the bed, he didn’t have the energy to do more than slur a question. “Liam?”
Quickly shifting back into the form of a man, Liam looked at him and breathed out a sigh. “You expended a lot of energy to heal me, pup.”
Instead of the annoyance Anson expected to feel being called pup once more, he registered Liam’s loving tone. Somehow, pup and pet sounded like endearments. He wanted to argue, just for the sake of arguing, but his eyes closed.
“Sleep, Anson. You’re safe.”
Anson wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn he felt lips on his mouth and the added whisper of, “You’re loved,” before he fe
ll asleep.
Liam stroked his lover’s chest and stared, thoroughly besotted with the much younger wolf. Fire and fur! He really is my mate.
Only Liam’s equal could have turned the tables on him so completely. Damn him if he hadn’t just been thoroughly fucked—a centuries-old demon schooled by a much younger werewolf. Love, lust, whatever he wanted to call it, he knew he’d never felt this way about anyone. It wasn’t magic, not the relief of his curse, or his sexual attraction for the powerful werewolf. It was something else.
Not sure what to make of his emotions other than to simply accept the truth of them and worry later, he pressed a kiss over Anson’s heart. His golden wolf smiled in his slumber.
“Rest now, love.” Saying it while Anson slept was so much easier than he expected it would be once the stubborn male woke. Anson knew only the traditional concept of male-to-female sexual relationships. But the golden wolf hadn’t overly protested Liam’s touch. That was something, at least. And he’d had no problem fucking me. Liam grinned.
He stood and stretched, more than ready to run on all fours. Gods, it had been so long. He didn’t bother to dress and opened his door to find Malem standing guard outside, sharpening his blade with demon bone, the toughest stuff on the planet.
Malem glanced at him and smiled with a genuine pleasure Liam hadn’t seen on his face in some time. “By Banathmae’s Balls, you’ve been blessed. I can see the wolf shining in your eyes.”
“Yes. I’m finally back.” Liam vibrated with joy. “I’m going for a run. Need to stretch out my legs, but I don’t want to leave Anson alone.”
“I’ll watch over him while you go.”
Liam studied Malem with curiosity. “You know he’s mine, and you’re not at all surprised about this, are you?”
Malem’s left brow rose, dark against his now pale skin. “Now, Liam, why would you say that?”
“I don’t think I want to know.” Liam paused, recognizing the scent of his mate on Malem’s hands.
“I gave him ease earlier,” Malem murmured, following Liam’s gaze to his long, graceful fingers. “Your wolf was hurting. Banathmae rode him hard and left him hungry.”
“Thank you.” Liam took his guard’s hand and kissed the center of his palm, pleased when the stalwart giant shivered. “You’ll be richly rewarded later.”
Malem frowned. “That wasn’t why I did it.”
“I know. Watch after my wolf. And behave yourself. He spent a lot of energy to help me, and he’s earned a rest.”
Malem’s lips twitched. Then he did the oddest thing. He tilted his head in the semblance of a bow. “As you order, so shall it be done.”
“Hell, you’re starting to scare me.” Liam wasn’t sure what to make of Malem’s sudden deference, but he could no longer deny his wolf. Deciding to deal with the male later, he allowed his inner wolf the freedom he deserved and shimmered onto four feet.
Scents sharpened. The feel of the cold stone under his paws made him want to dance. And he licked Malem when the guard leaned down to pet him.
“Just don’t make me play tug of war with you and we’ll get along.” Malem gripped his fur with reassurance then let him go. “I’ll watch your precious mate, my prince.”
With another unexpected bow, Malem left Liam in the hall, then closed the door behind him, sealing the protection wards while he guarded Anson.
Liam trusted no one more than his mother and Malem, and he knew Anson would be in good hands. To his surprise, a part of him didn’t like knowing Anson’s seed lingered on Malem’s skin. The scent didn’t belong there, not yet. Though he knew Malem had done Anson a service, the wolf in him hated the thought of sharing his mate.
The wolf might reject the idea, but the incubus half of Liam wanted nothing more than an all-out orgy surrounding Anson with pleasure. He knew he had to find a way to blend both halves of himself together again. It had been so long since he’d felt his wolf this strong that he was a bit stymied at how to balance the two.
He smelled a fresh kill and followed his nose through the halls. Along the way, he passed many of his brethren, who paused whatever they were doing to cheer their newly healed prince.
Liam strutted with arrogance, knowing he made a handsome wolf. His father would have been so proud.
With mixed emotions, he sought his mother and found her in her favorite place—in the kitchen directing the many cooks in preparation for the next bulk of celebratory feast.
When she spied him, she clasped a hand to her heart. “Blessed Wolf, you look just like your father, Liam. So handsome.” She knelt, and he rushed into her arms, awaiting her hug with trembling joy. “Go on and run. I know you want to.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “I’m so pleased you found your future, finally.”
She meant Anson—he understood. He woofed once and left her, nimbly racing out the back door, past cheering athmae into the forest. The scent of earth and wilderness and life overjoyed him, and he sang to the Wolf in the Forest and Banathmae as he hunted game for the first time in a century, the way he’d been born to.
First a rabbit, then a small squirrel. He crunched through bone and licked at tender flesh, enjoying the pleasure of his animal magic. His senses had been muted for so long, stifling him from being the athmae prince he’d been meant to be. The leadership mantle he could now fully assume.
All because of Anson.
Pure love overwhelmed him as he became a part of the natural world once more. He couldn’t wait to run through the trees with Anson at his side. Now he just had to figure out a way to convince Anson to stay and to defeat an evil that hadn’t been beaten in two thousand years. For some inexplicable reason, he thought convincing Anson to stay might be the harder of the two.
* * * *
Anson woke to find Malem and Liam talking quietly in a corner of the room. He felt refreshed, glad the draining of his energy had been replenished by a heavy sleep. As he lay there, he watched Liam interact with Malem, now skin-dark with white hair. Night must have fallen. Yet Liam remained pale with those bright-green wolf eyes and black hair that just hours ago had been thick fur.
A shiver of desire hit him hard, and he wondered if the magic that had brought him here and helped him to cure Liam had rebounded to make him feel so attached to the athmae prince. Anson had never felt drawn to the male wolves at home. Then again, his attachment to the female wolves was nonexistent. Mostly they satisfied his sexual urges, but he’d never wanted to take any of them to mate. Even after that ceremony his uncle had forced him to endure, he hadn’t wanted any of the available wolves around him the way he wanted Liam.
And what about Malem? The large athmae had taken him in hand and eased him. Anson had needed the sexual release, but thinking about it made him hot all over again. It had to be the demons. The athmae were carnal creatures used to drawing out sexual energy from the beings they visited. He had a feeling the longer he stayed here, the more he’d be lured into such dark desires. To Anson’s bemusement, the thought didn’t bother him at all, until he comprehended the untenable position he’d be put in with his pack if he continued to avoid reality.
I’m screwed if I don’t get out of here soon. Uncle Mike has to be wondering where I am. Has Fenris returned yet? Has my idiot brother gone and found himself mated to one of the she-wolves in the clan?
Anson wanted nothing but happiness for his twin. He could only hope Fenris found his place without doing too much damage. Unlike Anson, the more easygoing of the two, Fenris didn’t do anything he didn’t want to do. He’d probably make a fine alpha.
“Anson?”
He glanced up to see Liam approaching. Malem left and closed the door behind him.
Anson sat up, once again aroused in the presence of the alluring male who now smelled like home. A flicker of longing filled him, but he couldn’t tell if it was for Liam or for his clan.
Liam’s smile faded. “Do you feel all right?”
“Yeah.” Anson coughed to clear his throat, bunching the sheets around hi
m to hide evidence of his arousal.
Liam’s lips quirked, but he said nothing about Anson’s current state. “I was out running, Anson. For the first time in a hundred years, I felt the earth under my paws and tasted pine and cedar on the wind. It’s a gift you’ve given me, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Liam’s eyes filled, and Anson understood how hard it must have been to have his wolf suppressed for so long. “I’m glad I could help.” His dick ached at remembrances of how he’d helped. Surging inside Liam’s tight ass had been perfection, no two ways about it.
“I want to show you how much you mean to me.” Liam moved closer, and the wolf inside him peered out at Anson with hungry eyes.
Anson blinked. “That’s not necessary.” The notion to ask Liam to return him to the Great Forest couldn’t penetrate the fog of lust building inside him.
“No, Anson. Let me thank you properly.” A spark of mischief lit Liam’s eyes before he yanked the bed sheet off Anson’s lap. “Now that’s a prize worth fighting for.”
Anson flushed. Especially when he felt himself stiffening more in anticipation of Liam’s touch. “I— It’s early. I just woke up.”
“Mmm hmm.” Liam crawled on the bed, the loose cut of his shirt and trousers clinging to every hard part of him. His long black hair hid his expression but not his intent as the demon wolf gripped Anson’s thighs and dragged him down onto the bed to lie beneath him.
In a breathless voice, Anson asked, “Liam?”
Liam answered the way Anson secretly hoped he might. Spreading Anson’s thighs wide, Liam lowered his face to Anson’s cock and took the whole shaft in his mouth. The scrape of his fangs only made the intensity richer, and Anson couldn’t help jerking with pleasure.
When Liam pulled away too soon, Anson groaned in protest.
“Don’t worry. I’m right here.” Liam licked his sac before turning to sink sharp teeth into Anson’s thigh.