“Hang on,” he turned back to Tier. “Do you think that they’re really OK with me being, um, a heart-singer? Like, do they know?”
“When I spoke with the Elders, we agreed that it wasn’t a necessary skill for a role you were so clearly suited for. I think that our people are excited that you will be the Guide and bring balance to the tribe. They know that there is no one better for the job, and I suspect that quite a few of them already knew that you were the best person to balance me. The Elders certainly weren’t surprised.” He snorted.
“As for your identity,” Tier continued, “I think that may take some time to explain. When you’re ready, of course. I will support you. Unless you want to tell them now?”
Ro considered for a moment. “I think I’ll tell people in person. And maybe not right away.” Today was already more than enough. “But, um, can I try something?” Their confidence in him was building his own.
“Of course.”
Ro concentrated all of his thoughts, feeling the base of his throat burn. It was nothing like the steady warmth that should fill his chest, but maybe it would work.
He thought a single word. Tribe. He infused it with all of his feelings of connection and pride and care. Then he projected it out to the crowd, as far as he could reach.
When he finished, he was exhausted. But he loved seeing people’s reactions. Some blinked, confused for a moment and then slowly smiling when they realized what had happened. Others grinned at him. The heart-singers who were scattered around the courtyard sent him pulses of respect and affection in return, warming his chest.
He could tell that only the nearest people were affected. Those standing on their porches or lingering between houses were too far away. They were already turning to each other, spreading the news and murmuring in surprise.
Tier looped an arm around him, stepping a bit behind him to whisper directly into his ear. “I’m so proud of you. Now let me take you home so I can show you just how proud I am.”
Ro couldn’t agree more.
“Well done,” came a voice from behind them.
Ro blew out a breath. They had to get inside somewhere. And after this he was hiding for a week.
“Hello, grandfather,” they both greeted the Guide respectfully.
His eyes twinkled. “I won’t keep you long, but I wanted you to know that I’m looking forward to your training. Let me know when you would like to begin.”
Rohahen just stood there, stunned. Especially after his little display, the knowledge that Askuwheteau believed in him meant everything.
“He’ll let you know,” Tier answered for him.
Ro nodded. “Thank you, Grandfather” he managed. The past week was catching up with him.
Tier took his hand, lacing their fingers together. He hadn’t expected the normally reserved Chief to make such public displays of intimacy, but apparently there were a lot of things the two of them had been holding back from each other.
Tier drew him toward his home, waving quickly at anyone who passed and accepting congratulations, but not lingering.
The moment Tier closed his door, he pushed Rohahen’s back against it and leaned into him, pulling him down into a kiss. Despite their difference in height, Ro still felt comfortably trapped in the best way.
“That was spectacular. How are you doing, love?”
“Overwhelmed. And tired. Or not tired, but… drained maybe? Let’s stay here tonight and maybe never leave the house again.”
“I never expected you to be shy,” Tier said fondly.
“Really? Because I feel shy around you all the time.”
“Still?”
Ro nodded. “Uh huh.” Nearly every word out of his mouth made him blush. Even if it made him horny at the same time.
“Well, I think it’s charming. I just didn’t think you were shy around people other than me.”
“Only when I’m the center of attention. Otherwise I like people.”
“Spoken like a true heart-singer.”
“You really think that?” He might have to ask this a lot of times. He’d barely even acknowledged it to himself, and he didn’t think that everyone else would accept it as easily as Tier seemed to.
“I think I should have figured it out fifteen years ago. It was always there, and it’s a big part of why I love you.”
Ro collapsed back against the door, letting Tier hold him up. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
Tier drew his head down, kissing him gently. “I know. You told me last night. I could feel it, actually. It was magical.”
“I’ve been working on that,” Ro admitted. “But I think today wore me out.”
Tier drew him over to the couch. “You do it wonderfully. Maybe with more practice it won’t be so exhausting. My strength-sharing took time to build and control, and I bet you haven’t used your gift much.”
Ro sank into the soft cushions. Tier drew Ro’s legs up over his lap, wrapping one arm around his back. It was nice being cuddled like that, feeling small and held despite their difference in size. Tier pressed a kiss to his forehead. “My sweet heart-singer. If Declan helped you figure this out, I want to thank him. He sounds like a good friend.”
Ro nuzzled into his neck. He wasn’t tired, exactly, but it was nice to rest together like this. “He is. He acts silly, but he has a lot of wisdom.”
“You know,” Tier mused, “perhaps I should thank Declan for something else, too. He practically gift-wrapped you for me. Your gift from the Hummingbird might have been your heart-singing. But his gift to me was you.” Tier gave him a loud kiss on the cheek.
Ro rolled his eyes because it was so cheesy, but he was pleased, too. “Declan would love that.” Declan had been right about a lot of things. And he liked being a gift.
When Tier spoke again, he sounded a bit more hesitant. “You were teasing, right? With him?”
Ro laughed, nestling closer to get more of Tier’s fingers through his hair. “Yeah, that was Declan’s idea to get your attention.”
Tier caressed the back of his neck and then gave it a little squeeze. “It worked.”
The End
Thank you!
Endless gratitude to the beta readers and sensitivity readers who caught developmental gaps, typos, and continuity errors, and helped me to accurately represent indigenous cultures. Amber, Brandyn, Courtney, Francesca, Mallory, Michelle, Mildred, and Sarah, you guys are amazing!
As always, thank you to my partner for supporting me while I’m glued to the computer for many more hours than I say I will be, pretty much every day. =)
About the Author
Reese Morrison lives in Philadelphia with their partner, two precocious children, and intermittent housemates, guests, and homeless, queer teens. Their hobbies are volunteering on too many boards, planting gardens that they forget to water half-way through the summer, making up songs for their kids, and putting off writing their dissertation.
Reese and their partner both identify as genderqueer and are part of a vibrant community of queer and trans folks. They started writing because they were dissatisfied with the lack of trans and genderqueer characters in what they were reading and finally decided to do something about it. Many, but not all, of their books are kinky (for a whole range of kinks...) and they feel that it's important to represent a range of backgrounds, dis/abilities, gender presentations/ identities, and body types in their writing.
You can hang out with Reese Morrison on Facebook in Reese’s Rebels or visit their website.
Thank you to everyone who leaves a review—these mean a lot to authors! If you’d like to receive free digital copies of Reese’s books in return for an honest review, you can sign up for Reese’s ARC team on their website.
Books by Reese Morrison
Hummingbird Tales
Humminbird and Kraken
Geir
Geir lives alone in the woods for a reason. And he likes it that way.
Until Declan lands on his doorstep, with a bubbly pers
onality, shimmery lipstick, and dreams of adventure. Surely he can let him stay for a few days without giving in to temptation.
Or letting him discover that he’s a kraken shifter.
Only Declan has other ideas. Because Declan loves his tentacles. And he believes that Geir can be the Daddy that he needs.
Declan
Declan might be a teeny little bit impulsive. Alright, a lot impulsive. But he’s still allowed to believe in love at first sight, right? Geir is practically perfect, with his stern scowl, sexy secret, and possessive doting. When Declan settles in and makes friends with the neighboring shifter tribe, it feels like he might have found a home.
Of course, it isn’t that easy.
Strangers lurk in the area, harassing Declan for information about his shifter friends. Geir inexplicably disappears for hours every day. Declan’s only clues seem to lie in Native American legends, as he tries to unravel Geir’s past and their future together.
When danger threatens their small community, Declan’s loyalty is put to the test. And Geir must decide who he trusts, who he cares about, and who he is.
Hummingbird and Kraken is an expansion of the short story My Kraken. It has non-mpreg shifters, a happy-go-lucky boy, a grumpy old kraken, bad guys on the loose, plenty of tentacles, and a HEA.
Find Hummingbird and Kraken on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here
Love Language
Love Language
A younger Dom. A grieving sub. Two men whose kinks don't match (or so they think) connecting in ASL.
Marco and Greg would both rather be anywhere than a kink club on Valentine’s Day. Marco doesn’t have the patience to speech-read in a hearing crowd. And Greg is still mourning his Sir who passed away three years ago.
But when Greg steps in to explain something in ASL, Marco can’t stop thinking about the light he sees in those sad eyes. Strong, older, fluent in sign language, and sweetly submissive, Greg is exactly Marco’s type. Even if Greg isn’t ready for another relationship yet, Marco isn’t ready to let him go.
Greg thought that he would never want to date someone again. But as painful as it is to admit, he’s starting to feel like it might be time. Marco is like no one he’s never met. Small, twink-ish, over a decade younger, and a Daddy, he isn’t at all what Greg imagined in a Dom. Yet he’s undeniably attracted to his care and control, even after Marco reveals that he’s transgender. Slipping into ASL, the language of his childhood, Greg wonders if he might have a second chance at love.
This book contains hurt/comfort themes, predicament bondage, Shibari, wax, and CNC role play, just to get started... and a HEA ending.
Find Love Language on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
Love Lessons
“Come here,” Dustin repeated, his dark eyes serious.
Landon put his hands on his hips and stood his ground. “Make me.”
He knew he was acting like a petulant teenager, but this was Dustin. And with Dustin, he felt safe.
Please, he thought, please, please make me.
Landon doesn’t need anyone. So he’s confident that when he offers to train a nervous, sexy Dom, nothing will come of it.
But Dustin has some things to teach him, too. Because Dustin uses sign language and asks him questions that no one else bothers to ask. Because Dustin wants him, no matter how he presents his gender. Because when Landon rebels, Dustin’s there to keep him in line. And when Dustin makes him obey, it feels real.
Real enough to call Dustin his Daddy.
But these are just lessons, right?
Love Lessons has a nervous new Dom, a confident and genderfluid sub who offers to train him, age play with a middle, a bit of angst, and plenty of sign language. This book is the second in the Love Language series, but it can be read alone.
Find Love Lessons on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
Love Limits
Ash wants a Daddy. Zhong wants Ash.
But Zhong knows he can't give Ash what they need. He's asexual, and when he looks for someone special, it should be someone who will be satisfied with what he can offer. Right?
As Zhong grows closer to the flirty sub, he learns more about himself. Maybe he can be the Daddy that Ash needs. And maybe he can have the family that he never expected to have.
Maybe his love doesn’t have to have limits.
Love Limits contains a caring asexual Daddy, a flirty genderqueer sub, polyamory, puppy play, and a HEA for everyone. This is the third book in the Love Language series, and it should be read as a companion to Love Lessons.
Love Limits will be available in Fall 2020.
Whirlwind
Each book in this series encompasses a single whirlwind moment, usually around a single day, in which two (or sometimes three!) characters connect in a special way. The series features many transgender, genderqueer, and gender-bending characters who are looking for love--and some kink! These books are best enjoyed in order as the characters heavily overlap.
Waiting for You
Taylor would give anything to have his best friend, Julio, look at him the way he looks at his revolving door of hook-ups. But Taylor knows that he's too big, too fat, and too plain to ever appeal. It doesn't help that his secret desires for lace, makeup, and submission don't match his outsides at all. But he can't keep pining for Julio forever, so he makes one last effort to move on.
When Julio finds Taylor's Grindr profile, he's can't believe how lucky he is. Not only do their kinks align perfect, but he might have a chance to finally show Taylor what he means to him. He quickly creates his own Grindr profile to get Taylor's attention. What could possibly go wrong?
This is the first book in the Whirlwind series. It contains some light bondage, spanking, and a HEA.
Find Waiting for You on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
Here for You
Eric's always avoided dating. It's just too hard to find someone who's interesting to hang out with, willing to put up with his reserved nature, and shares his kinks.
But when he sees a new sub, Micah, walking across the club floor, something's different. Micah is both vulnerable and strong, walking proudly with his crutch and blurting out his transgender status. With Eric's help, he asks for what he wants.
And what Micah wants is a group scene. Fortunately, Master Eric has four good friends...
This is the second book in the Whirlwind series. It contains a group scene, spanking, and an HFN ending.
Find Here for You on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
Game for You
Ben and Parker have been circling each other for years in a frenzy of insane dares and sexual innuendo. But as two Doms, they know they could never get together.
Enter sassy, gorgeous Dakota, a perfect mix of masculine and feminine and a perfect challenge for the two men to claim. But while Dakota is submissive, they have their own ideas about how the evening is going to go and a plan to make it happen. Can they bring Ben and Parker together... with them in the middle?
This is the third book in the Whirlwind series. It contains whipping, edging, a Dom who doesn't usually bottom, an erotic game of darts, and an even sexier bet.
Find Game for You on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
Music to My Ears
In a world is full of music celebrating straight relationships, the Music to My Ears series imagines stories behind popular songs when a pronoun change gives them a whole new meaning. These books are connected by a theme, rather than characters, and they may be read in any order.
Jesse’s Girl
When Julia meets her perfect boyfriend over a couple of guitar riffs at her summer job, she holds herself back from lighting up every time he plays her signature song and makes her smile. Because no matter how she feels inside, Jesse will only ever see her as an awkward, gangly boy named Jude. Being best friends and bandmates will have to be enough, because she knows it's all she'll ever get.
Jesse just can't figure it out. Jude is his best friend. His perfect ma
tch. He might not be attracted to him, but he can't imagine a future without Jude in it. So when Jude takes off after graduation within a word, he's devastated.
Their friendship has always come easily, but it might not withstand Julia's homophobic father or Jesse discovering the truth. There's no way Julia could ever become... Jesse's girl.
Find Jesse’s Girl on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
Traditions
The Traditions series follows the Jewish calendar in making old traditions new and bringing romance to life. The series features many transgender, genderqueer, and gender-bending characters, as well as BDSM elements. As the series is united by a theme rather than characters, the books may be read in any order.
His for Hanukkah
Most people like vacations. And Christmas. But lonely, Jewish, and in serious need of a Daddy, Adam isn't looking forward to the "holiday season."
Tate's been dreaming about Adam for a long time, but when he tried to pick him up, it seemed to scare him away. When he discovers that Adam's simply been too shy, he sets out to win him over. They agree to eight nights together: a chance for Tate to seduce, pamper, and delight his boy.
But will it be enough for Tate to keep him after the holiday's over?
His for Hanukkah contains a Daddy/boy dynamic, chastity, spankings, cuddles, and a HEA.
Find His for Hanukkah on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited here.
The Hummingbird's Gift (Hummingbird Tales Book 2) Page 9