Cereus 02 - Opening by Sean Michael

Author:Sean Michael [Michael, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

Rian woke up, sore and aching, exhausted and raw, but somehow weirdly settled. He shifted up, bent down

into a downward dog and stretched. What a night.

A low, bass rumble came from beside him, Gilead

shifting. "Rian?"

An answering sound bubbled up inside him. "Mate."

"Mmmhmm. Okay?" Gilead reached for him.

"Sore." He pushed into Gilead's arms, snuggled close.

"You had a busy night." Gilead was warm, fuzzy, and

rumbly.

"Mmmhmm. Your fault." He groaned softly, as

happy as he could remember being.

"Absolutely." He could feel the pride in Gilead, right

through their skin.

Rian found himself nuzzling into Gilead's chest,

surrounding himself with his mate's scent. How silly

was this? He needed to--- something. Check in at work.

Do yoga.

A rattle up at the surface made him growl, deep in his

chest. What was that? Who was that?

Gilead rose and put Rian behind him. There was no

growling coming from his mate, just a soft sigh.

He rumbled low. No. No, his mate. His den. No. He

shifted easily, padding toward the entrance.

He vibrated, nose twitching as he headed around

Gilead, headed up to drive the intruder off. Their home.

128

No one was allowed to invade where he and Gilead slept

and lived.

He scrambled up, slipping out of the den and making

noise, drawing the intruder away. Gilead shouted, but he

ignored it. No one was going to hurt his mate. No one.

Feet followed him and he moved faster, tail up, giving

the Other a target to chase. If he could lead it away from

his den, he could circle back and Gilead could kill it.

A sharp bark sounded, the noise familiar, and he

slipped behind a copse of trees, curious. Another wolf

ran by, then stopped, sniffing for him.

Go away.

The wolf's ears swiveled, the heavy nose working,

tasting the air. His head tilted. Go away, stranger. This

was their home. Theirs.

The wolf gave a sharp bark, and it was somehow

familiar. Who was that? He growled softly. They didn't

let strangers this close.

Rian heard the padding of paws on the dirt, and he

knew that sound. That was Gilead.

He stepped out, making himself as big as he could to

protect his mate. The Other stepped close, nose working,

soft chuffing come from his throat. His head swiveled,

swung around. He knew that scent. He knew it.

Rian knew those eyes, too. Van. He stepped forward,

chirruping, pleased. His friend!

Van came to him, rubbing noses, vocalizing for him.

His friend was so proud of him. He could feel it. He

buried his nose in Van's ruff, welcoming, then he called

for Gilead.

When he turned, Gilead stood behind him, just out of

the big clearing, watching them. Those pretty eyes took

in everything, then Gilead came to lick Rian's muzzle.

He woofed happily, tongue lolling. Mate. His own

mate.

129

Mine. Not his.

Rian lapped at Gilead's muzzle, in total agreement.

Van was dear, but Gilead was the world.

Van barked at him, turning back toward the resort,

away from his den. Rian didn't even watch his old friend

go.

Gilead nuzzled him, the move gentle and sweet. So

good, love.

He leaned hard, basking in the praise, in the welcome

scent of his mate. He couldn't believe this was his life.

Gilead started moving him, heading them back home,

their bodies brushing together, slow and easy. His tail

lifted and wagged, his breath slowing from the chase.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.