When he awoke, it could have been minutes or hours later. He was alone on the shore with no sign of either Tarr or the tiger. Hemight have thought he’d dreamed the whole thing, except for the saliva still pooled on the back of his neck and dripping down his shoulders. He sat up quickly and looked around the little clearing before getting warily to his feet. He made his way unsteadily back to the lean-to and fell down beside the still smoldering fire. A part of his mind registered that it was still burning, and he poked at it and added some wood from the pile. If the fire had gone out, that would have been all he needed at this point.
He finished off the water, thinking the tiger had probably made the decision to find its own water by now, and went wearily back to the river’s edge to fill the tin again and set it to boil. He was so damn hungry, he decided to go hunt on his own and not wait any longer for Tarr. He had no idea how long he’d stay in his beast, and Larsson needed food before he became too weak to find any. He was on his way to the edge of the forest when he heard a shout behind him. Coming around the bend in the river was Tarr, gloriously naked, and dragging an animal behind him that looked a little like a large gafin.
When he’d hunted in the field with the Alliance army, they’d called animals like these elk, saying they had similar animalsback on their home planet, but the gafin weren’t nearly as large, and didn’t have such heavy bodies, though they had the long
horns or antlers like the elk. Larssonhad no idea how they’d come to be here on this moon, but the gafin ranged in forest and forest-edge habitats in Lycanus, and had been brought over to Lycanus 3 by early settlers. They fed on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark, and were generally harmless creatures, but as Tarr got closer with this one, Larsson could see long, curved teeth coming out of its mouth. Its snout was long and curved downward as well. Maybe some cousin of the gafins then.
“I got us something to eat,” Tarr said with a huge grin, and Larsson ran to meet him, trying to convince his wolf not to jump his gorgeous naked body. Even dirty and bloodstained, Tarr’s body was magnificent, the exotic stripes on his body outlandish, yet undeniably alluring.
Together they pulled the animal into their small camp. While Larsson stoked up the fire, Tarrpulled on the pants he’d apparently discarded before shifting and cheerfully set in skinning the animal with his knife. He cut off a huge chunk of meat and handed it over to Larsson, who put it down in the coals right away to cook a little. He was almost hungry enough to eat it raw, but he restrained himself and put it in the hot fire.
Tarr continued to cut the animal up and Larsson went back to the trees and broke off some long branches to stick in the sand. He strung up more of the gauze strips as a drying line and hung the meat over it in strips, as Tarr stuck more chunks of meat in the coals to cook. By the time they finished, some of the meat was ready and Larsson squatted down beside Tarr to eat. The meat was greasy and had a slightly gamey taste, but considering how hungry he was, it tasted delicious and they both ate until the grease was running down their chins.
“It’s good to see you feeling better,” Larsson said between mouthfuls. “Are you completely healed?”
Tarr stood up, looking up and down his body. “Yes, and needing a bath, I think. ” He looked down at himself, even bloodier now that he’d butchered the gafin-like creature. “I think I’ll take a dip in the river. ”
Larsson shook his head. “We don’t know what kind of wildlife might be in there. ”
Tarr looked at the blue water and the slow current and shrugged. “I’ll take my chances. I found a place downriver that’s not too deep. Come on. The sun will be setting soon, and this heat is awful. Wecan cool off and clean up at the same time. ”
He got up then and walked back in the directionhe’d come in dragging the gafin. Larsson followed him doubtfully. Hewasn’t really afraid of anything that might be lurking in the water. Hedidn’t want to see Tarr take off his clothes again, though. He might not be able to restrain himself this time. Still, he was finding it harder to let him out of his sight, so he trailed along behind him, keeping his distance.
Just as the river took a turn around the cliff face, Tarr disappeared around the bend and as Larsson increased his pace to keep up with him, he saw the place he was talking about. Here the water was much more shallow, mostly gravel and sand bars and the waters around them were almost calm. Larsson watched while Tarr waded out into the cool water, and sat down near a sand bar, so that the water came half way up his chest. “Come on, Larsson. Enjoy yourself for once and don’t worry about every little thing. ”
“Somebody has to,” he muttered, but he sat down on the bank and started taking off his boots. Tarr had started floating on his back, his golden skin shimmering a little in the bright sunlight. Larsson stopped watching him, since he didn’t want to embarrass himself with a huge erection—something else for Tarr to tease him about, and he had enough ammunition as it was.
He turned his back and took off his clothes, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Tarr wasn’t watching. He was angry at himself for acting like a prissy virgin—he’d been naked around other men for years, both when he was in the Academy, and even with his cousins when they traveled together. Casual nudity in such close quarters was inevitable and commonplace. No one thought much about it one way or the other. But with Tarr, right from the first time he saw him, it was different. Tarr was his mate, no matter how much he wished otherwise, and being around him was hard enough as it was. Being around him when they were both naked was almost more than he could stand.
He waded out in the water while Tarr was still floating and came over to sit down in the water near him. He was covered from the waist up, so he was surprised when Tarr glanced over at him and startled violently, almost sinking himself. He sat up, spitting out river water and pointed at a mark on Larsson’s chest.
“What. The hells. Is that?”
Larsson looked down at himself in confusion. “Oh, this bruise? That’s where your men hit me with the disruptor. Made a bruise—I thought it might. ”
Tarr looked stunned. He stood up and walked slowly toward Larsson in all his naked glory, kneeling in front of him and touching the dark blackish-purple bruise with the tips of his fingers. “I’m so sorry, baby. I told them not to hurt you. I told them! Thoseidiots!” His face had turned an angry, mottled red and his eyes were blazing. “If I get my hands on them again…”
“It’s all right,” Larsson said, trying to turn away, but Tarr grabbed his arm and pulled him up so that he was sitting on Tarr’s lap. His legs had nowhere to go but around his waist, bringing their wet bodies together. The feel ofTarr’s naked, wet skin, not to mention his stiff cock against Larsson’s ass made his wolf leap within him. He tried to push Tarr away, but he held him in a firm grip, bending his head to lick at the bruise gently, before raising his head and plunging that tongue into Larsson’s mouth, holding his hand at the napeof Larsson’s neckso he couldn’t get away.
After struggling for only a moment or two, Larsson found he no longer had the strength to move away. Tarr pulled back and looked down at him. He growled deep in his throat and bent again to brush his lips over the bruise with exquisite tenderness, before he moved over to each one of Larsson’s nipples. His tongue flicked out and traced over the areoles, causing Larsson to arch against him. “I’m so sorry, my little warrior. I should have known you’d fight them. ”
Tarr’s words whispered over his flesh, and he shuddered at the sensation, unable to stop the small whimper that came from deep inside him. “Let me make it up to you, darling,” he whispered and one of his hands trailed down Larsson’s back and stroked gently at his entrance.
“No,” Larsson gasped and tried to pull away, but Tarr held him tightly. Larsson was shocked to find how much greater was his strength. “No, Tarr, please. ”
Tarr held him by his biceps and gazed down into his eyes. “No? Don’t be frightened of me, darling. Iwould never force you, but I think…” he nibbled gently at Larsson’s ear. “I think you want this as much as I do. ”
It was hard to deny the truth of that statement when Larsson’s cock was stiff with need and rubbing against Tarr’s stomach. Tarrran his hand down Larsson’s back again and massaged his lower back gently, his fingers dipping down to skim across his crease. Larsson’s body twisted into him with needs of its own and he fell down onto his chest, burying his face in the little nook between his shoulder and his neck. He needed to be close to his mate—he wanted it more than anything,and he’d waited so long to claim him.
But what if Tarr meant to claim him? The thought caused unease to wash over him and he stiffened as Tarr’s fingers found his entrance again. One of his fingers slid deep inside him then, breaching his body so intimately it made him squirm. He cried out to protest when the finger suddenly slid over something inside him. Sensation overwhelmed him and he cried out again, but with surprise and pleasure this time and pushed his ass back on Tarr’s finger, seeking it again. He buried his face deeper in Tarr’s neck, embarrassed by how needy he felt, but when Tarr stroked over the spot again, Larsson almost screamed with pleasure.
He’d never bottomed before, not for anyone, and he suddenly wondered what he’d been missing all this time. He still yearned to bury himself deep in Tarr’s body, but this was a fine substitute. He flushed all over with pleasure and only squirmed harder when Tarr eased another finger deep inside. Hisbody was on fire with need and he couldn’t get enough of this feeling that was part pain and part pleasure.
Larsson almost cried out when the fingers were pulled away until Tarr shifted him slightly on his lap and he felt the hardness pressing insistently against his hole. He stiffened again and Tarr looked down at him with one raised brow, as if asking whether to continue. He tried to speak, to protest the intrusion, but hecouldn’t. He wanted this too much. Instead he ducked his head again and kissed the side of Tarr’s neck, holding tightly to his shoulders.
He’d braced himself for pain, for an overwhelming breach of his most intimate place, but as the head of Tarr’s cock pressed gently but insistently into him, there was only a feeling of discomfort and fullness, no real pain. Tarr’s kisses were making him weak, and he moaned as the thick, hot flesh throbbed at his entrance. Clenching his fingers on Tarr’s shoulders, he looked up to tell him he’d changed his mind. This wasn’t what he liked, wasn’t what he wanted. But the look on Tarr’s face stopped his protests.
The expression on his face was fierce and possessive. His lips were drawn back in a feral grin and his eyes were hard with urgent need. There was nothing of withdrawal or surrender in his face, and Larsson knew he was lost. His protests died on his lips as Tarr took him with a hungry need, whispering to him, murmuring something he couldn’t understand. He wrapped a hand around Larsson’s cock as he pulled him down hard on his cock and the muscles at his entrance gave way to his need. He soon set up a wild rhythm that drove Larsson out of his mind.