The Whorehouse Oracle (5 page)

Tyron sensed Khal wanted someone to
take away his loneliness. Tyron was more than willing to help—but
he wouldn’t push too soon.

He went back to gazing at the male’s
form. Khal’s skin was almost a shade of purple; it was so blue,
which spoke of a mix somewhere in his ancestry. Was that a trait in
all oracles? Was that where they got their ability of foresight
from? Tyron allowed his gaze to travel across Khal’s smooth skin
and down his trim body. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his lean,
lightly muscled form. Willowy, that was the best word Tyron could
think to describe the male.

“
What are you staring at?”
Khal asked suddenly, breaking the spell Tyron was under.

“
I wasn’t staring.” A lie.
Tyron felt bad as soon as he uttered it.

Khal rose and glared at Tyron. “I know
you think I’m below you for what I’ve done in that whorehouse, but
trust me, it was my only option if I wanted to live. I did what I
had to, and I won’t let you stand there and judge me for
it.”

Tyron frowned, completely thrown off
guard. “What are you talking about?”

“
I’ve seen the way you’ve
looked at me. Like you’d catch something from touching
me.”

Tyron was shocked the oracle thought
that way, especially when the exact opposite was true. After giving
Khal a brief smile, he stalked closer and stopped within inches of
the male. “If I didn’t want to touch you, would I do this?” Tyron
leaned in and kissed Khal gently.

The caress started simply, nothing
more than a tender grazing of their lips. But as soon as Tyron’s
skin touched Khal, a hunger set in like nothing he’d ever felt.
Tyron deepened the embrace and pulled the oracle into his arms,
slipping one hand behind Khal’s head to help give him a better
angle. Plundering the male’s mouth, Tyron felt frenzied, the desire
to push Khal to the bed and spread Khal wide open for his mouth,
his hands, and his cock was more than he’d anticipated.

Reality began to settle in and
reminded Tyron where they’d just taken Khal from. He couldn’t push
himself on Khal, not yet. Not until Khal had had time to let go of
his past.

With a struggle, Tyron pulled away
from Khal. He observed the male. Khal stood there, his swollen lips
still slightly parted, his eyes closed. When he finally opened his
eyes and looked up at Tyron, a hint of a smile crossed his
lips.

“
What was that
for?”

Tyron lifted one eyebrow. “You claimed
I didn’t want to touch you. So I proved you wrong. And you’re very,
very wrong, you know?”

Khal stepped back, his breathing still
not completely recovered. Tyron was glad to see he’d affected the
oracle since his heart still raced and his breathing was only now
slowing. And his cock was hard as stone, ready to claim what he
already sensed was his.

Khal crossed his arms over his chest
and glared up at Tyron. “Do you expect repayment for rescuing me?
Is that how this works?”

“
No,” Tyron frowned. “Your
body is yours to do with as you choose. I won’t force you into my
bed. Unless you want me to, of course.”

At that last bit, Khal’s face
reddened. “And why would I want you to force me into your
bed?”

Tyron took another step forward,
closing the gap Khal had made. Khal was now inches from the wall,
with nowhere to escape. Tyron shouldn’t make the male feel trapped,
but Tyron needed to be closer, to let the male know exactly how he
felt. “I think after your time in the whorehouse, you of anyone
would have a full understanding of how some prefer their sex. Some
like a slow, subtle lovemaking, while others want a quick, furious
fuck. And then there are even others, those with darker passions,
who want someone to tie them to the bed and have their wicked way
with them.”

Khal’s lips parted again and he sucked
in a gasp of air. A small pink tongue came out to wet his dry lips,
and Tyron wanted to chase that tongue back in with his own, but he
fought the need.

“
And in what way do you
prefer your sex, Tyron?”

Tyron smiled and looked to the side
for a moment, trying to calm his rising lust. He turned back to
Khal and licked his own dry lips. Khal’s gaze was riveted to the
movement, trailing along with the motion. When Khal finally looked
back up into Tyron’s eyes, he answered. “I like it dark. Very dark.
With a paddle or a flogger in hand, my triad brothers helping me
push my lover’s boundaries. Tell me, Khal, have you ever had two or
more lovers at once?”

Khal shivered. “N-no. For safety
reasons, Kazru did not allow mass couplings.”

Tyron smirked, glad they would have
something new to share with Khal. And from the reactions Tyron was
witnessing, he was fairly certain Khal liked the idea of sharing
their bed. “It’s not something for everyone. Multiple partners are
only for a special breed of male. Partners for Kannomite warriors
are only the elite.”

“
And w-why is that?” Khal
asked, breathless.

Tyron lifted his hand to Khal’s mouth,
rubbing his thumb over Khal’s lower lip. The oracle drew Khal’s
thumb into his mouth and sucked on it a moment. Tyron’s whole body
jerked, his cock stiffening painfully. When the oracle let it go
with a pop, he smiled up at Tyron, a playful glint to his
eye.

“
Kannomites are large
males. Most shifters are small, slender, like you. We are warriors,
bred to tower over other shifters, our bodies honed as weapons. We
tend to be rough on our lovers, who’re expected to take us on
together. Given our size and power, three males taking on a mate
can be an overwhelming experience.
Everything
on our bodies is
bigger,
everything
.”

Khal snorted. “Size isn’t
everything.”

Tyron stepped in another half-step,
pressing his rock hard cock against Khal’s lower belly. Khal’s eyes
grew larger and his lips opened wider.

“
Don’t worry. We know how
to pleasure our males. And then some.”

“
Your males? You don’t
want a shifter in female form?”

Tyron frowned. “We want no false
faces, only the one you were born with, Khal.”

“
I’ve never …” Khal
swallowed with difficulty. He placed his palms on Tyron’s chest and
his demeanor changed slightly. He gave a feeble push. “I thought
you said I didn’t have to pay for my rescue?”

“
You’ve never what,
Khal?”

Khal’s gaze darted around. “I was
always in female form in the whorehouse. I’ve never been taken as a
male.”

Tyron shuddered, need escalating to a
level he couldn’t control. Khal had never been taken as a male.
Another thing they’d share with him that would be theirs alone. But
he needed to calm himself. He could see apprehension in Khal’s
gaze. Tyron let out a shuddered breath and stepped back, trying to
control the fevered need flowing through his veins. “Of course. I
only answered your questions to make sure we understood one
another.”

Khal nodded slightly. “You want
me.”

“
I do.”

“
But only if I want you,
as well,” Khal asked.

“
Only if you want me as
well. I will never force you to do anything you don’t want to do,
Khal. Trust me on that. And I want you to trust me. So, I won’t
touch you again until you ask me to,” Tyron answered.

“
And if I never ask you
to?”

Tyron hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“Your body is your own. As I said. If I’m not meant to touch you
again, then I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll survive. Considering the
experience you just endured, I will give you the time and space you
need.”

Khal relaxed slightly at those words.
“I appreciate your courtesy.”

Tyron turned to leave. “Rest up,
little one, we head to the base and our rebel leader. My cousin
will want to talk to you soon after we arrive, I’m
sure.”

“
Thank y—” Before Khal
could finish the words, he groaned, pain in the tone.

Tyron spun to see what was wrong and
saw Khal dropping to the floor. He reached out and drew the male
into his embrace. Khal grasped Tyron’s arms forcefully and held on
tight. When Khal opened his eyes, they were filled with white
light.

Khal’s legs seemed to go out from
under him, the words pouring from his lips as if he didn’t even
know he spoke them. They were toneless, unmeasured. Tyron held the
male aloft, trying to take in all he heard. “The memory thief is
held against his will, the Xakarrians are guarding him close. He is
a shifter, one of our own. You’ll need to save him if you want to
win this war.”

“
The king …”

Tyron tensed. This could be exactly
what they needed. “Yes? The king?”

“
The king holds the
key.”

Tyron frowned, more confused than
ever. “What does that mean? Holds what key? To us winning the war?
What?”

Khal slumped, his forehead hitting
Tyron’s chest. When he lifted his head a few moments later, the
white light was gone and Khal’s brilliant blue eyes were looking up
at him.

“
What was that? Is that
how you normally get your visions?”

Khal shook his head. “No, it’s not. My
powers have been wonky here lately, after Kazru smashed my
mirror.”

“
Your mirror?”

“
I would gaze into it and
see the visions there. Since he smashed it, no other mirror has
worked. The visions have come rushing at me, so fast I could see
nothing.”

“
But you just told me your
vision,” Tyron said.

“
I know, I remember.
That’s never happened before. Everything suddenly slowed down and
made sense.” Khal stepped out of Tyron’s embrace and looked dazed.
He rubbed his arms and glanced around the room before focusing on
Tyron again. “Everything made sense when you touched
me.”

When I touched you?
Tyron was at a loss. “What difference did I
make?”

Khal swallowed. “I don’t know the
answer to that. What I do know is that’s the first time I’ve felt
in control for the last week.” Khal stepped forward, laying a palm
in the middle of Tyron’s chest. “It seems your touch is
healing.”

Tyron lifted a hand to Khal’s face and
caressed his cheek. “You can have all that you want,
Oracle.”

Khal smiled and leaned it to graze his
lips over Tyron’s lower one. Tyron parted his slightly, in hopes
the male would be tempted to taste some more. But he’d just
promised the oracle he wouldn’t touch him again without permission.
He’d already broken his vow.

“
You know I only touched
you to prevent your fall,” Tyron whispered.

Khal nodded. “I know,” he whispered.
“I like your touch. You make me feel good.”

Tyron groaned. He leaned into the
playful kisses Khal was dropping and soon took command of the
male’s mouth. Khal melted into Tyron, and his body felt so right
against Tyron’s.

The door slid open and one of his
brothers cleared his throat.

Tyron sighed, angered over the
interruption. “What is it, Smythe?”

“
We’re being followed,”
Smythe announced.

Tyron rubbed his thumb over Khal’s
lips. “Later, we’ll finish this.”

Chapter Five

Smythe smiled down at Khal as they
walked down the hall to the bridge.

“
What are you staring at?”
Khal asked him after a moment.

“
A very sexy male,” Smythe
answered.

Khal’s face filled with heat at the
compliment, but he wouldn’t be caught up in the flattery. Just
because Tyron had proved his worth didn’t mean the other two
automatically earned a pass. “Do you think me easy because I come
from a whorehouse?”

A frown replaced the smile
on Smythe’s face. “Kazru took advantage of you. There’s
nothing
easy
about that. What you had to do to survive doesn’t define you.
But it also doesn’t negate how attracted I am to you or the need I
see on your face.”

Khal was struck by the words and
couldn’t quite decipher the emotion in Smythe’s gaze. He didn’t
have long to observe it. They arrived in the bridge seconds after.
Khal followed the two large males onto the bridge. Confines were
tight. There was barely enough room for the triad, so Khal hovered
against the rear wall. No way was he going to miss his first
venture into the stars. He wanted to see the universe floating
around him.

Loud rings clanged around them, the
tinny sound bouncing off the metal walls. Tyron flipped a few
switches as he dropped into his seat and the din soon ended. Khal’s
gaze was drawn to the male and he watched everything Tyron did. His
strong hands moved confidently and Khal suddenly realized those
same hands had moved just as confidently across his skin. That
self-assured manner was intoxicating, especially compared to the
oft-times uncomfortable males he’d experienced at
Kazru’s.

No, Tyron would know exactly what he
was doing, know exactly what he wanted. A tremor ran down Khal’s
spine as he contemplated a night spent in Tyron’s bed. Khal’s heart
still beat rapidly, and his skin craved touch. His cock was hard
and heavy between his legs, but there was a niggle of doubt
whispering behind all the need. Was he wanted for himself, or
because of what he could give them? After months of being under
Kazru’s protection, he’d learned to trust no one. His gut told him
he could trust these males, especially Tyron. With his gift still
not in control, he didn’t know if he could trust
himself.