Rohahen shook his head with a pained laugh. “No, not that.”
Rohahen huddled up with his knees to his chest. That wasn’t how strength-sharers behaved. Rohahen had never acted much like a strength-sharer which was, honestly, one of the reasons Tier was so attracted to him. He had a sense of where this was going now, but he still didn’t want to make assumptions.
“Rohahen,” he said gently, “will you tell me?”
Rohahen looked around the clearing. The trees, the brush, the grass under his fingers. Anywhere but at Tier. Finally, he spoke, so faintly that Tier would have missed it if not for his shifter hearing. “I think I’m not a strength-sharer.”
“You want to be a heart-singer,” he breathed out. It wasn’t just Tier’s twisted desires, but what Rohahen wanted, too. He still didn’t quite understand it, but this was better than anything he’d expected.
Rohahen looked up at him nervously. Even with his head tucked to his knees, he was a large man. But he seemed so vulnerable now.
Tier rested one hand on Rohahen’s knee, a spark racing through him at even that light touch. “Is that right? Do you want to be a heart-singer?”
Rohahen still looked concerned. “I don’t think I want to be a heart-singer. I think I just am a heart-singer.”
The idea of somehow transmuting a gift was completely foreign, like the world had been shaken and put back together differently. But maybe those gifts weren’t what made someone a heart-singer or strength-sharer, anyway. “So, you’re a heart-singer,” he said, liking how it felt on his tongue. Rohahen was his heart-singer.
He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do differently, though. Rohahen seemed to be waiting for something more. “Should I… or do I say that… um…” He couldn’t quite figure out a question.
Rohahen shrugged, still curled in a timid ball. “I have no idea.”
“Do you want to… talk to someone? Like one of the shamans, or a doctor, or maybe a therapist or…”
Rohahen gave him a glare. “I’m not sick.” He breathed out. “Sorry. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of that. And I probably will talk with someone eventually.”
“OK, alright. What do you want to do then?” He considered. “Or who do you want to be? I’m not sure how to ask that question.”
Thinking of Rohahen as a heart-singer would probably come slowly to some members of the tribe, but he hadn’t been the only one who noticed it. It seemed obvious, really, once he knew it was a possibility. If other people didn’t understand at first, they would get there.
Rohahen’s voice came out small. “I’d like to… I’d like to be able to do the things that a heart-singer would do. You know, have people come to me for advice, take care of people who need it.”
“You already do that,” he said immediately. “You’re already the heart of the tribe.” Rohahen couldn’t chant the heart, but he soothed and encouraged so well with his voice and body language. The whole tribe came to him. This was the argument that he’d made to the Council of Elders, that Rohahen already served the tribe by keeping the peace and being everyone’s emotional support.
Tier relied on him because he was thoughtful and creative, able to mediate and lead with calm words, insightful critiques, and honest praise. Like the best Guides, he was savvy to people’s moods and able to handle complex situations that Tier didn’t often have the patience for. He knew that together they would balance the tribe.
He’d gone over all of the possibilities with the Elders earlier. This wasn’t one that they’d spoken of much, since it was so unusual, but he hadn’t been the only one to think of it.
He pulled Rohahen’s large hands into his own. “I have a career suggestion for you.”
Rohahen gave him a wary look.
“Guide.” It was a marriage proposal, an affirmation of his identity, and an invitation to take his rightful place in the tribe.
Rohahen drew in a sharp breath then launched into his arms. Tier was unprepared for the movement and the two of them tumbled over. Tier landed on the bottom, but as soon as he was stable, he kicked a leg out to flip them over, cradling Rohahen’s head as they rolled.
“You really want me?” Rohahen asked.
Tier kissed his cheeks, which were dripping tears again. “Of course. You’re my balance. My heart-singer. My Ro.”
Ro nuzzled up into his shoulder, somehow feeling sweet and small despite the fact that his chest had almost twice the breadth of Tier’s. He whispered in Tier’s ear, sounding awed. “That’s the first time you’ve called me that.”
“You mean Ro? Is that OK? I’ve heard other people say it.”
Ro giggled, a sweet sound that he hadn’t heard before and now wanted to hear all the time. How much had he missed out on by keeping their relationship so formal before? He wanted to learn everything about him, as soon as possible and for the rest of their lives.
“Yeah, I like it.”
“Good. My Ro.” He licked and nibbled down Ro’s corded neck, noting how he hummed with the kisses and let out beautiful gasping whimpers with each bite.
Experimentally, he bit him harder along his collar bone. Ro cried out and pressed up into him, his breaths ragged. He soothed the spot with his tongue.
“Tier,” his mate whimpered.
Hearing his name in Ro’s desperate voice was better than anything he could have dreamed. He nuzzled up to his neck, nipping his ear and then licking along the shell. “You like that? When I’m a little rough with you?”
Ro nodded, his rough cheek brushing against his own.
“Good,” he murmured, heart swelling. “I’ll have to thank Declan later for the tip.”
Ro giggled again, even though he was covering his face. “I’ll kill him. He said he didn’t say anything.”
“He heavily, heavily implied what he didn’t say,” Tier chuckled. “I was paying attention.”
Ro rolled his eyes, looking giddy.
“And I always pay attention to anything that involves you,” Tier added. “Which is why I’ll have to thank Declan later for helping me know what you need.” He dragged his beard along Ro’s lightly haired chest, knowing that the scratchy bristles would sting. He couldn’t get enough of these firm muscles with just the perfect layer of softness over them. Just enough to sink his teeth into.
He bit Ro’s pec hard, reveling in the way that it made Ro thrust and scream and shake his head helplessly. Ro dug his fingers tighter into his back, pulling him even closer. It had to hurt, especially when he didn’t ease the pressure, but not once did the larger man try to push him away.
“Is that good?” He licked the spot, wondering if he would be able to see a bruise later on Rohahen’s alluring mahogany skin. He pressed into the spot with his chin.
Ro let out a deep moan. Maybe it wouldn’t be visible, but Tier would know it was there.
“Mine,” he whispered. He loved having Ro’s thick bulk and bulging muscles underneath him, completely pliant and ready for whatever he wanted to do. He wanted, desperately, to fuck him. But of course they didn’t have any lube and he didn’t want their first time doing something so intimate to be on the rough ground.
For now, he just wanted Ro to feel good and know how much he was wanted. After Ro came, he figured he could see how Ro felt about blowjobs. He liked the idea of Ro on his knees for him. But that would have to wait.
He sat up, keeping their cocks nestled together with his knees pressed to the ground. Even with his longer legs he could barely span Ro’s thighs. “You’re gorgeous,” he said, running his hands down that meaty chest and belly that he’d wanted to touch for so long.
Ro’s face showed shy surprise in the thin light of the moon. He would have to tell him more often. Every day.
He circled Ro’s nipples with his fingers, then gave them a sharp tug. Ro arched up, while his fingers scrambled for purchase in the grass beneath him. He looked desperate, his body trembling.
“You’re beautiful,” Tier told him. “So beautiful for me.”
Ro’s bashful smile made his heart ache.
He leaned forward, licking one small nub to soothe it while he pinched and twisted the other one. The sounds that came out of Ro’s mouth were like music. He switched sides, giving the first nipple relief while he tormented the second. Ro’s breaths were rapid, his little thrusts below him getting faster.
Tier sat up again, rocking back on Ro’s erection. He tangled his fingers in Ro’s curly chest hair and pulled, rewarded by his thrashing. “Do you think you could come from this?”
Ro drew in gasping breaths, then nodded.
“Let me know if it’s too much, OK?”
“OK,” Ro panted. “It won’t be, though. You can, um, go harder.”
Tier leaned forward to give Ro a sweet kiss, just a brush of their lips together. He didn’t understand how permission to give pain could make him feel so intensely protective, but they worked together somehow. “I’ll take care of you, Ro.”
He stroked down his chest, caressing the curves of his belly. Then he repeated the motion, digging in with his fingernails. Ro twisted up against him, but his hands remained at his sides, gripping Tier’s knees. He hadn’t even told him to put them there.
It was a small gesture, but one that confirmed for Tier that this was the right thing for both of them. “Good.” He nipped Ro’s lip, eliciting another moan. “Keep your hands right where they are. I’ll let you know when you can come.”
The shiver that shook through Ro at those words was something he would always remember.
Tier moved forward just a bit, letting Ro’s cock nestle in the valley of his ass. He didn’t want to do anything more than that, but it was a delicious tease for both of them. Each time Ro thrust helplessly upward, his cock skimmed over Tier’s hole and nudged his balls. Sparks shot through his veins, and he knew he would have to be careful not to come.
Judging by the noises Ro was producing, he loved the sensation even more. Tier made it his mission to draw more of those desperate, beautiful sounds out of him. He played with Ro’s stunning body, matching each slow caress with a sharp pinch or a lingering bite.
Ro was frantic beneath him, his fingers digging harder into Tier’s thighs with each nip and twist. “Tier, I’m close…. I’m… Tier…”
“Not yet,” Tier told him harshly. Ro was still speaking too clearly, still thinking too much. “When I tell you.”
He bit one nipple hard while he pinched the other. Ro arced beneath him, but then started thrusting up with a steady, rapid rhythm, using Tier’s crack to get himself off.
“Be still,” Tier commanded. He’d loved Ro’s movements before, but he wanted to draw this out.
Ro whimpered as he tried to comply. Heavy breaths shook his chest and tiny movements still rocked through him.
“That’s right. So good for me.” He slid down a little way, trapping Ro’s legs between his thighs and revealing his throbbing cock. “Put your hands behind your back.” Ro complied easily and Tier’s breath caught. “Look at you. You’re magnificent like this.”
He leaned down and licked along the bottom of his cock, then circled the top. He slid his tongue under the foreskin, causing Ro to suck in his breath, then release a long moan. He gave the thin, tender flesh a sharp nip, and the moan turned into a yowl.
“You bit me!” Ro accused.
Tier licked his own palm, then stroked Ro’s cock languidly, up and down. It was huge and heavy, larger than Tier’s, like everything else about Ro’s body. Having control over it made Tier feel even more powerful and protective. “I did. Did you like it?”
“Maybe,” Ro allowed.
“Shall we try it again, then?”
Ro held up his hands in automatic defense.
“Is that a no?”
“Uh… I don’t know.”
“Hands behind your back.”
Tier followed his hands with his mouth, licking everywhere and getting Ro nice and wet without committing to sucking. When Ro was lost again, he sunk his teeth into that delicate skin again.
“Tier, Tier, Tier…” Ro chanted. But his hands were still hidden, his cock hard.
Ro circled the head again, then bit the other side.
Ro was tossing his head from side to side, trying to get away and thrust closer at the same time. Tier traced lazy paths, refusing to set up a rhythm. He bit harshly into Ro’s thick thighs and then soothed with his tongue. He pinched the slippery skin along his shaft and then rewarded him with a smooth caress. He sucked him into his mouth, then drew back with a scrape of teeth.
At last, Ro lost even the ability to form words, moaning and whimpering without meaning. This was what he’d been waiting for.
“Now, Ro, come now.” He took Ro’s tip into his mouth to suck, clawed into his thigh, and gave one nipple a sharp twist.
Ro screamed as the thick, bitter liquid shot from his cock. Tier let it dribble from his mouth. He wanted it all over both of them. He wanted to be able to smell Ro in his pores.
The moment he was done, Ro reached up and dragged Tier down on top of him, holding him close while shivers racked his body.
Tier ground his painfully hard cock against Ro’s softening one, extending Ro’s pleasure and then continuing past it to where he knew it must be uncomfortable. Ro just clung tighter, wrapping his thick, heavy legs around Tier’s back.
Tier was aching to come, but giving Ro what he needed came first. He kissed over Ro’s face, whispering in his ear. “So beautiful, sweetheart. My lovely heart-singer.”
Tier felt his throat warm as Ro sent a message to him. It was a single word, just his name. Tier. But the ecstasy and adoration that clung to it reached down to his toes. It felt completely different from the emotions broadcast by most heart-singers, a separate thought from Ro that he was invited to share rather than an outside emotion that took over his own.
It was all the more precious because of that. The feeling only intensified, as Ro held a new word in its place. Want. It felt like a hundred hands gripping and stroking his body, like a soft, tight mouth suckling his dick. He’d only dreamed that Ro might feel this way about him, and now he could feel it deep in his bones.
Tier was already so close, and that was all it took to push him over the edge. He came, thrusting against Ro’s sticky, soft cock, which somehow made it even better. He arched back his head, overpowered by their shared ecstasy, then bit into Ro’s muscular shoulder.
The word Ro projected changed with that bite, but the feelings continued to grow. Pleasure washed through him, singing through his muscles and bones.
The word was love.
Chapter 6
Rohahen
Rohahen woke up to the sun streaming in his windows. He could tell by the angle of the light that it was much later than he usually rose, and it took him a moment to remember why he’d slept so late.
When he did, he was almost afraid to roll over. Had it all been a dream? Or worse, what if every beautiful moment had actually happened, but Tier’s interested melted away again in the morning?
Inch by nervous inch, he rolled his bulky body over until he caught sight of a bronzed arm, a scruffy chin, long strands of black hair shot through with sexy glints of silver.
Tier was in his bed.
Tier had called him beautiful and gorgeous last night.
Tier had teased him and bit him and given him the most earth-shattering orgasm of his life. His nipples and a few places on his ribs and thighs were still sore, and it was heavenly.
Even more importantly, though, Tier had accepted him as a heart-singer and invited him to be the next Guide to the tribe.
Ro hugged himself. He was so happy that he almost couldn’t breathe.
He watched Tier as he slept.
He looked tranquil. Almost young. The tension that usually tightened his face and shoulders was gone. Ro loved seeing him that way.
Part of him wanted to wake him up, or at least snuggle up against him. But a bigger part wanted to take away his worries and see him
relaxed and rested all the time.
And maybe he was still a tiny bit worried about what things would be like in the light of day. Last night was a lot more intimate and committed than just grooming his ears had been. In a single night, they’d gone from sharing snacks and conversations to being effectively.
Well, if Tier got awkward again, Ro decided, he would just talk right around it until he was comfortable again. Or maybe woo him further with food.
At the thought, Ro’s stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten much for the past few days because he’d been so upset, and before that he’d been in a coma. Now that he knew Tier was his, his appetite came roaring back.
He smiled at the idea of making breakfast in bed for “his man.” Declan would get a kick out of that.
Moving slowly to avoid waking Tier, he lifted a loose strand of his hair to his lips, gave it a tender kiss, and let it drop back to the pillow.
Then he pulled on a pair of pajama pants, gently closed the bedroom door, and wandered into the kitchen. Recipes and choices bubbled through his head. He wanted this meal to be perfect, to express everything that he hoped for and everything that Tier meant to him.
He started with a traditional recipe of roasted corn pancakes with fresh blueberries. Tier loved those at gatherings, and so Rohahen always ordered extra grain from the tribe in New York that made it.
He would make omelets, too, he decided. They were nourishing food, full of proteins and vitamins. Plus, he had grown all of it himself.
He liked that idea. Customs and strength. Even if Tier didn’t think of it as anything more than tasty.
While he was flipping pancakes, he chopped fresh vegetables from the farm and stepped outside for a moment to pick some oregano from the plant in front of his house.
He waved at his father, who was sitting on his porch next door, but quickly stepped back inside. He loved his family, but he didn’t want to broadcast his new situation just yet.
Not that it was probably a secret at all. Tier had taken a little while to figure things out, but he hadn’t been subtle about any of it. Anyone who hadn’t seen his display at the gathering would have doubtless heard about it by now.
The Hummingbird's Gift (Hummingbird Tales Book 2) Page 6