Creations 2: Creation's Control (12 page)

“Watching you spew is almost as good as tasting your cum.” Ryen flushed. “You too.” He squirmed, a moment of discomfort pinging their plane of joy. “You called me ‘baby’.”

Drekk laughed. “And you liked it. I could feel how hot that made you. Oh man, you’re blushing like a woman.”

“Fuck you.”

“Anytime, lover.”

Ryen swore at him again, but there was little heat in it. He linked his hands behind his head and lay in their shared bliss.

Moments of contented silence turned to hours. Drekk ignored his need to talk to Rafe and enjoyed this quiet time with Ryen. With his mate.

“You look pretty damned happy with yourself,” Ryen growled softly. “But let me tell you, that’s not going to happen again.”

Drekk froze. “What?”

“Next time we wake up, I’m on top. I’m still half-hard wondering how you’re going to feel around me. If it’s half as good as I seem to feel around you, we’re going to spend a lot of time in this bed.”

Drekk relaxed. “Fine with me.”

“Really?” Ryen turned on his side. “I thought you were all about the dominance thing.”

“I mean we’ll spend a lot of time in this bed.” He wasn’t yet ready to give himself to Ryen and surrender his all. Not until he knew his control wouldn’t waver. Since the Ebrellion fiasco Drekk felt off, not quite himself.

“Oh.” Was that disappointment in Ryen’s voice? “That’ll work too.”

“So you don’t want to escape any longer?” Drekk asked in a light voice.

“Nah. I gave that up when you came back all bruised and bloody. Face it, Drekk, you need me.”

“I do?”
Hell yes, I do.

“Yep. You need me to take care of you. You’ve been on your own so long you’ve forgotten how to need anyone. The next mission, you’re not going solo.” Ryen’s voice roughened. “When you came back last time, some asshole was with you. An Ebrellion, I’d guess. I would have pounded him but he vanished before I could grab him.” Ryen paused, and Drekk met the question in his eyes. “He told me to take care of you.”

“Huh?”

“Why would he do that?”

“I have no idea.” Drekk groaned as he leaned up. “All the blood’s rushed from my head.”

“No kidding.” Ryen sat up as well. “You have a big cock.” He winced. “Going to take some getting used to.”

“Good.”

“Right. But that still doesn’t answer the question of why an Ebrellion would help you.”

“I don’t think they’re all bad.” Drekk recounted to Ryen all that he’d witnessed during his battle with the Ebrellions. “I’d say there were two factions. The ones that had captured the women and the ones that fought against them. I was out of it when I grabbed onto Olla. I remember jumping into the temporal stream when a hand grabbed me.” He frowned. How had he managed to get himself and Olla back here?

“I think we should talk to Rafe about it. I’ve been waiting for the Ebrellion to show again, but he hasn’t.”

“What?”

“He came through once. Why not come through again? Oh, and I didn’t tell Rafe about the guy.”

“Why not?”

“Didn’t seem right to. Oh hell, I can’t explain it. I wanted to talk to you about it first,” Ryen growled.

Drekk leaned over and kissed him. “Have I told you how sexy you are when you’re pissed off?”

“Then you must be in perpetual heat since I’m always angry.”

“Exactly.” Drekk grinned.

Ryen laughed, surprising them both. “
Drun
. So what say we clean up and get out of here? I don’t know about you, but I can’t handle being locked up.” He waited.

Drekk nodded. “I think we’ve fixed your uncontrollable rages.”

“Oh yeah.” Ryen sucked in a breath when Drekk grabbed his cock. “But we should probably make sure I’m good. Maybe you should suck me off in the shower.” Drekk raised a brow, amused, and released Ryen. “Or maybe you should suck me?”

“As my master commands.”

“Dick.”

“Asshole,” Ryen retorted. He stood and pulled Drekk to his feet. “And speaking of assholes...when are you gonna lick mine?”

“Ryen, keep talking like that and we’ll never get out of here,” Drekk said, aroused again. Normally quick to recover, around Ryen he felt perpetually horny.

Ryen knelt and kissed the inside of his thigh. “I like the way you think.” Ryen licked his lips and took Drekk’s heavy shaft in his mouth. Everything else paled next to Ryen’s tongue and the
wainu
stealing Drekk’s weakening resistance.

Several hours later, Ryen inhaled a deep breath, overjoyed to feel the sun on his face.

Though Tekar wasn’t nearly as pretty as the eastern section of Mardu, its aggressive and lawless citizens made Ryen feel at home.

He wore an outfit similar to Drekk’s. Rak-hide trousers, a short netter’s jacket over a linen shirt and weapons belt. He also wore a new pair of glasses Drekk had found for him.

No visor, but a dark eye-camouflage that allowed him to see while masking his unique eyes.

Feeling the Melan pistol and Easfran dagger at his side added to his security, though not nearly as much as having Drekk by him.

Casting another side-glance at the male walking next to him, Ryen wondered how his life had changed so drastically in just a few short weeks. Since his rescue from Blue Rim, he’d fought to retain his sanity. Protecting Anin had helped, but he’d had no time to see to his needs or let down his guard. Then they’d been recaptured, and his Handler had been beyond pissed in meting out justice.

Erin’s rescue had been right on time. Had she not shown up, Ryen feared he might have killed every living, breathing body in the damned lab and died while doing it. Instead, Drekk had hauled his ass out of the building and blown Blue Rim to pieces.

Another mark in Drekk’s favour. Ryen smiled.

“Hell. You’re smiling again. Your sister’s going to think I drugged you.”

“Your cum has that effect.” He laughed at Drekk’s discomfort.

“It’s not supposed to have that effect. You’re in better health, no doubt. And you’ve put on some muscle in the short time you’ve been with me.”

“Easy, buddy. I was just kidding.” Was it just him, or did Drekk look guilty? “Okay, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Look, don’t read anything nefarious into this.”

“’Nefarious?’ Must be something pretty bad if you’re pulling out the big words.” Ryen joked but he felt anxious. He didn’t want his incredible happiness to end. Yet a part of him insisted it wasn’t real, that Drekk was too good to be true.

Drekk remained silent and Ryen stopped them on the street. “Drekk?”

“It happened that first night on the pier, when you fought the barbarians.”

“We fought too, as I remember.” Just the start of a budding sexual relationship. Ryen recalled his confused attraction. “If I’d known that would have led to stellar sex, I’d have—fuck it. What are you hanging your head about? What did you do?”

“I didn’t realise I was ‘hanging my head’.”

“I know you.” And he did. As understanding dawned, Ryen relaxed. Whatever Drekk had done might annoy him, but it wouldn’t be the worst that had ever happened to him. For all that Drekk aggravated and bossed him around, he’d always done it with the intention to help, not hurt.

“Yeah, well. That night you pissed me off. I took you down and made you drink some
sarfa
, to put you out.”

“
Sarfa
? That shit increases arousal.” The little bastard. “What did you do to me?”

“If you weren’t such a stubborn
drun
, I wouldn’t have had to do anything. You weren’t healing right and you wouldn’t let me help you.”

“So that’s why I woke up feeling so much better. What did you do, bleed on me?” He narrowed his gaze. “You fucked me. In the ass?”

“No. I, ah, I fed you my semen.”

Ryen blinked. “You made me suck you off while drugged?” Had anyone else admitted to this, Ryen would have pounded him into next week. Yet the enormous weight of conscience that sat so heavily on Drekk’s shoulders forced Ryen to consider that the circumstances must not be what they seemed. Even stranger than this news, an odd sense of respect for Drekk grew; Ryen had never considered him so devious.

“I’m not a rapist,” Drekk growled. “We pleasured each other. You wanted me before I’d drugged you. The
sarfa
was to ensure that you took everything I gave you. Swallowing my seed healed you from the inside out.”

“Too bad I didn’t remember it.” Ryen inwardly smiled at the guilt on Drekk’s face. His scar whitened, as it normally did when the male was annoyed with something. “You know, you can make what you did right.”

“What I did was right,” Drekk insisted. “I healed you, didn’t I?”

“How would you feel if the same were done to you? ‘For your own good.’” Drekk flushed. “I’d be fucking pissed. What the hell do you want from me? I helped heal you, you giant ass.”

“You owe me.”

“What?”

“Some payback.” Ryen shrugged, concealing his excitement at the prospect. “You took a night from me. You owe me one in return.”

“A night?”

“Yeah, a night where you’re completely mine.”

“Sure, whatever.” Drekk seemed relieved Ryen wasn’t more angry.

“Seal the deal.”

Drekk swore at him in several languages.

“Once you seal the deal, no welching. It’s against Mardu custom, yes?” And legally binding, as Drekk well knew.

“You are such a controlling asshole. Fine.” Drekk put out his hand and they shook. “I owe you one night. The deal’s sealed.”

“Perfect. Remember Drekk, I’ve always been a controlling asshole. It’s in my nature. Submitting to you in bed is something else entirely.”
Something I can’t live without.

Drekk gave him one of those looks he still couldn’t figure out. A glance filled with emotion that spoke so much without a word between them. They continued walking down the road in companionable silence.

“We’re here,” Drekk said and turned to Ryen before they entered Rafe’s—Cheltam’s—dwelling. “I haven’t mentioned this before, but I want you to know I’ll keep what we shared private. It’s up to you if you choose to take our association public. You know I have no qualms about doing so.”

Ryen started, not having thought about that. He’d been so consumed with happiness and lust he hadn’t thought about how others might see him and his lover. To some, like his deceased Handler, same-sex relationships were evil, impure. He narrowed his gaze. Then again, Drekk hadn’t said ‘relationship’.

“Association?”

Drekk shrugged. “Call it what you will. I know what we shared.”
But do you really? Hell, for that matter, do I?
Ryen had just learned how to live in peace.

He had yet to truly test himself around others. Now that he understood sex with Drekk could heal him, not just physically, but emotionally, should he try to experiment with other males?

Was it truly a gender issue, or was it that special something only Drekk possessed?

“Ryen?” Drekk waited, a frown on his rough, sensual mouth.

“Let’s go,
associate
. I want to talk to my sister.” Drekk muttered under his breath and opened the door. He didn’t seem pleased with Ryen, and his annoyance gave Ryen the boost he’d been needing. So Drekk knew what they’d shared, hmm? Then maybe he wouldn’t mind explaining to Ryen what that meant, in detail...

Rafe of Mardu smiled at his wife and winked. When the woman was on a tear, she could set him off with just one kiss of that carnal mouth. He loved the sparkle in her magnificent eyes.

“Glad to be seeing your brother again?”

She twined her arms around Rafe’s neck and kissed him solidly on the mouth.

Squirming over his erection, she deliberately teased. “I’m so happy, Rafe. I’m going to show you how happy after they leave.” She whispered what she planned on doing and his forehead beaded with sweat.

He lifted her off him and glowered at her smirk. “Do you really want me to sport a hard-on when Drekk’s coming? He’s got a thing for me, you know.” Erin rolled her eyes and fixed herself and Rafe a drink. “We
all
do, darling. In fact, just yesterday Mearla at the club was telling me how much all the ladies miss you. You have quite a reputation downtown.”

Rafe inwardly groaned. “That was all before I met you, honey. You know I’d never look anywhere else but at you.” She released a dose of pheromone into the room that had him ready to blow. “Shit. Cut it out,” he breathed, willing his erection away. That a Xema warrior should be so lacking in control around his woman... Her wicked grin made him laugh. “I love you so much, baby. Just wait until we’re alone again.” Drekk’s signal at the doorway distracted him.

“I’ll get it,” Erin offered. She wore sturdy trousers and a bland, sleeveless shirt. Still, the woman had been created to appeal to every male in the System. She could wear a sack and men would be panting after her.

“Fine, but no kisses or hugs.” He loved Drekk like a brother, but Rafe didn’t like anyone around his mate.

“Not even Ryen?”

“
Only
Ryen.”

Erin left him and returned minutes later between Drekk and her almost unrecognisable brother. In the few days since Rafe had last seen the male, Ryen’s demeanour had done a one-eighty. Though he still possessed that hulking frame and dangerous mien, his stance seemed normal, not as aggressive and battle ready as he normally was. Damned if he wasn’t
smiling
.

“Drekk.” Rafe stood to take his friend’s arm. “You’re looking much better.” A glance at Ryen showed Rafe had misjudged him.
Just as feral as he used to be.

“Ryen.” Drekk disengaged from Rafe. “Why don’t you give your sister a hug? She won’t bite,” he said with humour and pushed Ryen forward. At his touch, Ryen seemed to shake free from his tension.

Erin and Ryen shared a hug and Erin led him to the chairs at the back of the room. She forced him to sit and began blathering about Anin and the latest news about Eyran science.

Drekk sat across from Rafe’s desk without being asked and graciously took the drink Rafe handed him. “So how goes the Ebrellion kidnapping?” Rafe sat, wondering about the strange feelings in the air. By no means empathic, his kind, the Xema, possessed psychic gifts that enabled them to better size up and deal with potential opponents. Drekk continued to release pulses of energy in odd bursts—typical for the large male—while Ryen emitted bursts of stress that cautioned Rafe to be wary.