The Bringer of Wrath

by A. E. Via

  Alek waited for the demigod to say something else, but he was again met with a long bout of silence. Then without another word, Wrath cleared the link.

  When Alek blinked, wondering what’d happened, he glanced up and saw Bell was standing before him as naked and beautiful as he pleased. “Oh my…” Alek feasted on Bell’s long, slender frame, greedily taking in every amount of gorgeous skin he could see. His mate was perfect, but he was sure that was what all lovers said about their partners. Bell knelt at Alek’s feet, his long, inky mane falling over one shoulder as he leaned down and dragged Alek’s shorts down his legs. When there was nothing in Bell’s way, he placed his mouth on his ankle and started from there. Alek had to stop himself from jerking as Bell teased him with his mouth, his tongue darting out, and flicking at erogenous zones Alek didn’t know he had. Like on his calf, behind the bend of his knee, and on his inner thighs. Bell’s sexy puffs of laughter against his full sac was making him want to flip him onto his back and take over.

  “I can smell your delicious flavor, right here.” Bell spread Alek’s thighs wide, pressed his nose into his groin, and inhaled deeply. “Your blood is so rich and full of your seed here. I can have them both, at the same time,” Bell groaned.

  Alek almost catapulted off the rugs when Bell ran the tip of one sharp fang over his wrinkled sac, causing his dick to leak at the thought of being drained from there. “Holy-fucking-hell. Shit, baby. Yes, do it.” Alek’s hips moved, humping the air as Bell adjusted his weight so he could hold him down. The alpha in him wasn’t minding this at all. With one hand, he scooped Bell’s hair to the side so he had an unobstructed view, and held him firmly behind his neck. He didn’t force Bell down, wanting him to go at his own pace, wanting him to work hard to please him.

  Alek took his other hand and pressed his dick to his stomach; not sure how hard he was going to shoot off when Bell finally pierced him. If he stroked himself even once right now, he knew he’d be empty in seconds. He couldn’t believe the moans coming from his mouth were his own. The moment Bell started to manipulate his sac with his tongue, laving and loving his sensitive balls with as much reverence as when he was feeding from Alek’s throat, he knew he was done.

  “Oh my… Goddamnit, Bell. Ugh.” Alek realized he couldn’t form an intelligible thought. “Oh, Bell… that’s… fuck.” Alek spread his legs wider than he thought he could, not caring how whorish he looked. His entire body was reacting to the force of blood rushing to his dick, causing his balls to throb. The longer Bell’s mouth lingered in that vicinity and the more Alek became aware of his mate’s hunger, the more abundantly his blood flowed. Building and building. “Take it… please.”

  “You’re ready now,” Bell whispered as he clamped one strong arm around Alek’s thigh and held his sac up with the other hand as he came in from underneath, piercing him just above his taint, one goddamn fang at a time. When all four were strategically inside his engorged balls, Bell sucked in a single, shallow pull and the sensation of an orgasm the size of a tsunami flooded him. Alek’s spine locked and he tried to pump his hips, needing to fuck something as his dick surged in his hand. He craned his head down, watching a small dribble of come form on the tip of his near purple cockhead as the rest of his semen was erotically extracted in a whole new way. Alek’s eyes rolled so far back in his head he saw another dimension. He wasn’t sure how much elixir Bell had to expend to make that bite painless and so pleasurable, but Alek’s scream of ecstasy gave him some idea. Bell simultaneously drank and sucked on his sac, driving Alek wild. The more blood his mate drained from his nuts the faster it rushed right back to the same source for more until he couldn’t take another second.

  “Enough, enough!” he blasted through their link, feeling Bell return satisfied amusement. Alek was forced to wait until Bell slowly removed each long fang, keeping his dick at full mast. The second Bell flopped over onto his back, intoxicated from his feeding, Alek was on top of him, spreading Bell’s toned legs and wrapping them around his waist. Bell’s supple body was so willing and pliant that it made the alpha in Alek insatiable and greedy. He was going to take Bell as ravenously as he had before. He wasted no time positioning his aching dick at Bell’s entrance, again wondering how it all spiraled to this point so fast. Once more, he’d meant to stretch out their lovemaking, but Bell’s sexiness blew his mind and had his mate-lust consuming his rational thoughts.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” Bell muttered over and over, his thick, black lashes resting in damp spikes against his ivory cheeks. His body laid out for his mate’s taking. “Aleksei, yes.”

  Alek’s tip was soaked as he smeared the natural lubricant all over the sensitive nerves around Bell’s entrance before he plunged deep inside, causing Bell’s stormy eyes to shoot open.

  “Yes!” Bell hollered much louder, his body rigid as he savored the part of Alek that could give him exquisite pain, for even a second. “More.”

  Alek shook his head. Would they ever not be in a hurry? Maybe in a few years when the newness wore off. But, at his mate’s request, Alek held Bell behind his knees and pushed those hot legs back until they were almost behind his head and continually snapped his hips forward, until he got lost in the rhythm, until his mate’s moans of yearning were all he strove to hear. The fire made the room swelter and large drops of perspiration ran down his spine and over the swell of his ass. Alek could feel another wave of bliss rising to the surface as he gazed down at Bell’s serene expression. His canines dropped, his mate’s bared throat a temptation he’d never be able to resist.

  Alek’s thrust had moved them across the fur rugs—now slick with their sweat—towards the couch. He came up on his knees and set Bell on his lap, still thrusting with all he had. Bell’s moans were his undoing as he dropped his head back to the couch cushion and let it roll to the side. Alek felt his come shoot from him like he hadn’t orgasmed in months. He roared as the next release had him slamming deep inside and tugging Bell’s limp body to his mouth. He sank his canines into his mate bite, wrenching a keening cry from Bell just as he sprayed his come between their stomachs. Bell’s arms dangled at his sides, his legs gaped wide open, full of trust and love for his alpha.

  Alek sucked Bell’s blood down his throat, groaning at the citrusy-copper taste that rested on the back of his tongue. “Mmmmm. All mine.” Alek hoped his bite felt as good to Bell as his did to him. When he was satisfied, Alek let go and gently laid Bell down on the soft rugs. He curled around him from behind, draping one thigh over Bell’s hip. He cradled his head in the bend of his arm and went to work on his mark. He kissed it repeatedly, then ran his tongue over it, smiling when he felt Bell shudder then settle back against him. He continued to do that until he heard Bell’s breathing even out. The sun was just coming up but they had all day—all week—to bond.

  Bell wasn’t sure what time it was, but it felt as if it was approaching dawn. It was still dark outside, but the air was cool, the winter temperatures sending a brisk frigidity through the gaps in the cabin wall and between their hot bodies. As he continued to lie there, the room began to brighten and the early birds began their familiar chorus. While others took that sound for granted, Bell enjoyed it. It was so different from the call of an owl or a night hawk. He shifted on the comfortable king mattress in Alek’s bedroom, searching out more of that heat that’d been pressed along his back. He wanted it on the front. Not bothering to open his eyes, he settled into another spot, his head tucked under Alek’s chin and like always, that heavy thigh unconsciously came over his hip, locking him in place.

  Ahhh. Bell’s dick twitched valiantly, but there was no way he could come again. It’d only been a few hours. After two days of non-stop mating, Bell was kind of looking forward to Alek’s planned outing today. He was also running out of places to hide from his horny alpha in the small cabin. The moment Bell would get cleaned up and settled down with a book in front of the fire, Alek would pounce. He wasn’t complaining at all, just needed a moment to replenish his fluids.

>   “You’re up early,” Alek rumbled.

  His beloved’s rough, morning timbre made him smile… that was until his big hand wandered beneath the thick duvet and across Bell’s abs, inching closer and closer to his cock. Bell opened his eyes wide, needing to think of something to distract Alek from sex. He guessed he wasn’t as insatiable as his partner. “Yeah. Didn’t you say you wanted to go out today?”

  Alek’s bass-filled laugh had his dick betraying him, jerking and responding despite Bell’s exhaustion. “Yes, I did. But I didn’t say we’d start at the butt-crack of dawn. We have time for other things.” Alek accented his point by rolling his hips and shoving his hard dick into Bell’s leg.

  Bell licked his lips as he felt his hunger spiking. Oh hell. Alek would jump on him the second he sensed Bell’s hunger. “Sure. But you know what they say out here in the wilderness about day plans.” Bell slowly extracted himself from Alek’s clutches.

  “No. What’s that?” Alek narrowed his eyes, watching as Bell inched off the bed.

  “That… that.” Bell rolled his eyes. “You know the saying. It’s an American thing.”

  Alek propped his elbow on the bed and rested his head in his hand. He didn’t appear to be letting Bell off the hook. “Nope… can’t say that I do.”

  Bell reached into his bag and retrieved his grooming kit. He started brushing as if his life depended on it, focusing on his reflection in the mirror on top of Alek’s dresser, rather than on those probing blue eyes. Bell started to mumble. “Um. Early to rise… late to… work. You’ve got to get up fast, or… the early bird will get your worm… and…”

  Alek laughed a bit louder. “Sorry you’re trailing off. I didn’t catch the last part of that popular westernized saying that we all know.”

  “Shut up,” Bell grumbled.

  Alek got up and crowded his back. “If you didn’t want to make love… all you had to do was say so.”

  Well damn. Now he felt bad at Alek’s disappointed tone. The thought that he’d hurt him had Bell dropping his brush and spinning to face him. “No. That’s not it at all…”

  Alek crossed his arms over his chest, quirking one thick brow at him, calling Bell on the bullshit.

  Dropping the act, he sighed, “Well, maybe I was a bit… drained.”

  “Too much, huh?” Alek murmured.

  “No. I promise.” Bell shook his head, hating that he’d put doubt in Alek’s mind. “Being with you is amazing, you know that. I can’t fake those things.”

  Alek wrapped his arms around Bell’s waist and rested their foreheads together. “I know I’ve been sexing the hell out of you, but if you’d gone without getting any for years, you’d be greedy too.”

  “I have.” Bell stroked Alek’s scratchy cheek. He suddenly wanted to fill his mate up with all the sex he could. They were going to have to learn to coexist forever, which meant Alek would have to learn when Bell needed privacy and vice-versa. Just because they were fated, that didn’t mean they were doing twenty-four hours a day of each other.

  “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you a small break today.” Alek pushed his dick against Bell’s hip. “A very small break.”

  “Trust me.” Bell kissed Alek passionately. “I don’t need any more than that.”

  After a PG-rated feeding, Bell was all dressed in a set of ‘outdoorsy clothes’, complete with hiking boots and a utility vest. He stepped out of the bedroom feeling like an absolute wanker. Alek was standing with his back to him, tinkering with some kind of plastic tool box on the kitchen island. His mate made those ripped jeans and large, dusty boots look hot. Bell looked like he was wearing a wannabe trail guide costume. And just what were all those stupid pockets on his vest? His mate’s sharp bark of laughter had him whipping his head up, glaring daggers at him.

  “Just what’s so bloody funny, Aleksei?”

  Alek turned all the way around. “Um, nothing. You look… great.” He laughed even louder.

  “You can’t even say that with a straight face,” Bell grumbled, yanking the absurd wide-brimmed, safari cap off his head and tossing it across the room.

  “Much better without the hat. I like it when you braid your hair.” Alek walked around the sectional, to where Bell stood brooding against the wall. He looked him up and down, flipping open several flaps on his vest. “So, which one of my siblings did this to you?”

  Bell gritted his teeth. “Mac said I’d need this stuff. I told him I could borrow something of Taleb’s since we looked about the same size, but he contended you wouldn’t want me smelling like any of your brothers, so he made a quick run. And this is what he came back with.”

  “Okay. Let’s see what we got going on here.” Alek tried his best to hide his amusement, but it wasn’t working as he continued to laugh when he discovered certain items. Alek frowned when he removed a four-by-four-inch notepad from an inside pocket. “Mac thought you’d need an outdoor journal.”

  Bell snatched that out of Alek’s hand and tucked it neatly back in its place. “Actually. I might want that.”

  Alek smiled adoringly. “Okay then. But, I’m positive you can lose the mini flashlight, the compass, the multi-tool knife, the flint starter—”

  Bell swiped that out of Alek’s hand, enlightenment shining in his eyes. “Is that what that is? I thought it was like a chime, or a bell I ring if I get lost.”

  Alek stood staring at him for a long time before he cracked up with more rambunctious laughter. Instead of getting ticked-off, Bell let his mate enjoy ridiculing him. So, it looked like he had a lot to learn about nature, but he was sure there’d be plenty he’d have to teach Alek as well.

  “What are we doing today anyway, hiking?”

  “A small hike… but we’re going fishing. I have a pond-fishing boat at the base of the lake.”

  Bell’s mouth dropped open.

  “We’re gonna backpack down the mountain. It’ll take a few hours, at a leisurely pace, to Greeley Ponds. I’m hoping to catch me a bass with a mouth as large as yours is right now, or maybe a trout. Then I’m gonna come home and cook ’em up.” Alek brushed past Bell as he continued to stand there slack-jawed. “Fun stuff, huh? Wolf has been looking forward to this.”

  Bell wanted to scream abort but he couldn’t. One, he really wanted to see Wolf in his element, he hadn’t had much interaction with the protective beast that was more in tune with Bell’s feelings than he was. And two, this was a huge part of his mate and what he did to unwind. He was sure Alek would be beside himself with excitement when he learned that Bell’s idea of relaxation was curling up with a six-hundred-page book. He was a literature enthusiast, loving almost anything set during the late fifteen-hundreds through the Shakespearean era. At home, he had a library full of material to keep his mind occupied for hours. Maybe he’d prepare for his valuable possessions to be brought over soon, to his new home.

  Securing the few items Alek had left in his vest, Bell gave himself a quick pep talk. You can do this. It’s for Wolf and Alek. It’s one day. Fish can’t be all that gross… right?

  “Ready?” Alek stood by the front door, their gear all set for their adventure.

  Bell nervously dug his fangs into his bottom lip, noting Alek still wore a hint of humor on his face. Bell knew he was getting a kick out of this. However, he’d show Alek that he had a mate who relished any challenge.

  Maybe if Bell had given him some this morning instead of weaseling out of the bed, he would’ve taken pity on him while they were on the strenuous trail… but NOT! “How ya doing back there, babe?” Alek yelled from several feet ahead, navigating the freezing, hilly terrain with ease.

  “G-good, fine,” Bell called back, his words catching as Alek heard him stumble over another set of roots. He sounded like a moose trudging about noisily, scaring away everything in his path. Alek snickered. Bell’s first time wearing Timberlands had to be a huge difference from the Gucci loafers or the midnight-black Armani silver-tipped boots.

  Alek was glad he was in front
and Bell couldn’t see his huge smile. Bell’s fumbles and muttered curses were hilarious. And no, he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse, because no one was going to feel sorry for him when he was forced to read that monstrosity Bell had placed on his nightstand for tomorrow. What the fuck? He didn’t want to sit through eight hundred pages of a book entitled Blood and Beauty. He could care less about the Borgias.

  But, they had an understanding. Neither of them was going to change who they were and what made them, them. Bell was a simple vampire who was used to the finer things in life but wasn’t a pompous bastard. He had a hidden love for nature, always had. And he liked to enjoy the more artsy, cultural activities, which apparently meant hours on end of reading medieval or Victorian novels with background music that had no lyrics playing on his surround sound. Alek, however, was a complex individual, and there was a lot Bell was going to have to compromise on in order to satisfy all three of his mates. Mutual respect would be the only way they’d have a happy partnership.

  So, Alek had planned a date of what he enjoyed—a day of being outdoors, hunting and catching his dinner, and running with Wolf. The best parts of his life would now include his mate. And Bell had tomorrow, Friday. Alek believed they were being driven an hour to the Stone Mountain Arts Center to listen to an orchestra that he couldn’t remember the name of, play selections of another long title he couldn’t recall, except that it had Beethoven in it. And then come back to the cabin to—oddly, the theme from Jaws played in his mind before it spat out the word—read.

  Then Saturday they were required back at work. Bonded, rested and ready to get to business, Wick had said.

  Bell cleared his throat, “Are we almost there yet?”

  Alek’s cheeks were starting to ache from all the smiling. “Just a biiiiiit more.”