Chapter Fifteen
Ever since parting from the raven prince, after that last heartbreaking moment they'd spent together, Caspian had looked out on the forest at the back of the garden many times every day. He'd rarely seen a raven. Sometimes he glimpsed one in the woods but only for a fleeting moment.
Crossing the backyard, Caspian aimed for a place only a few feet beyond the lawn, convinced Bran would be there. The exact location in the woods where he'd last seen Bran was visible from the house. His departing message assured Caspian when he looked; he'd find Bran right there, waiting for him where they'd parted. It seemed so long ago.
As soon as he stepped under the cooling canopy of the trees, two raven's came into view. He hadn't seen a few minutes earlier, not even as he crossed the lawn. They sat on a branch overhanging the spot, and as Caspian drew near, one flew swiftly away. The remaining bird watched Caspian's approach intently.
It flapped its wings and flew down to the ground.
Caspian could tell at once the bird wasn't Bran.
The raven jerked its head and twisted its neck a number of times before stopping as still as stone. Before Caspian's eyes, the bird grew and transformed. It's black features receded, and were replaced by pale skin.
Having seen some strange things over the past few months, Caspian expected the change. Nevertheless, it still shocked him. It looked surprising, painful, and extreme. He wanted to avert his eyes, but transfixed, he couldn't stop watching.
In a matter of seconds, there stood an undeniably beautiful and very naked man in place of the black bird. Only then did Caspian recognize him as the same creature who'd previously transformed in Dr. Kilpatrick's house. Despite being sent to guard him, last time, Caspian recalled this raven was not altogether friendly.
The man said nothing but crossed his arms.
Caspian had witnessed the deference which all the subjects showed towards Bran. However, he sensed a stark contrast in the attitude toward himself. He wasn't sure whether it was indifference or disdain.
After the silence stretched out too long for Caspian's comfort, he said, “Hello, I'd like to see Bran.”
“Our Prince will be here very soon.” The damn Raven-man didn't even make eye contact.
“Do you have a problem?” asked Caspian, annoyed.
“I do not. I am loyal to our noble royalty, and I have no problem undertaking the prince's orders, which were to wait here for you.” The man glared at Caspian as he spoke.
Impulsively Caspian responded instantly. “You said you are loyal, are there some who are not loyal?” And regretted his haste, he should've thought his question through.
The raven-man stared into the space above Caspian's head for an unnerving moment. “All of the congress are behind our royal family, but we face troubling times. There are some who question our leaders' judgments on many things, not just one.”
“Am I one of those things?”
The raven fixed a cold stare on Caspian. “An unbreakable bond entwines your souls, we all know that.”
The answer was too vague, Caspian crossed his arms and huffed. “And what else is on your mind, exactly?”
“It is not for me to question why the prince chose to mate with a man.” The raven spat out the last two words.
From anyone else, it may have sounded homophobic, but Caspian suspected the creature referred to the significant difference between their species.
The raven looked around at the surrounding forest before focusing on Caspian. “Many of our kind would have made suitable partners to mate with royalty. Our kind understands the great honor the prince has bestowed upon you. Whereas you insult him like this.” The raven cast out his hand indicating Dr. Kilpatrick's house on the horizon.
It dawned on Caspian that his behavior may have been open to misinterpretation by the ravens. “I certainly meant no disrespect to you, your Prince, or your people. I had commitments I had to attend to here.” He wondered about saying more. If he was to live with Bran as part of the royal family, Caspian thought he ought to win over the Prince's subjects. However, he owed this man no explanation and wanted to sort things out with Bran first.
At that moment, looking incredibly majestic for a naked man, Bran stepped out of the shadows putting an end to the conversation.
Without a word, he nodded to the ill-disposed raven. As quickly as he'd transformed into a man, the subject returned to his corvid form and flew away. They watched him disappear into the forest flying in the same direction as the previous bird.
If possible, with his smile and sparkling eyes, Bran looked even more handsome than Caspian remembered and within a matter of seconds they were touching. Bran wrapped his arms around Caspian, who in turn placed a hand on the Prince's face as if to check he was real. They gazed at each other and Caspian saw immense love in the prince's eyes.
“I have missed you, Bran. I spoke to you in my dream, but I don't know whether you heard me.”
“Before I saved you from your nightmare, I heard you my hatchling. I came for you as soon as you spoke in that dreamscape, but we were not in the same dimension, and it took time for me to reach you.”
“I wanted to tell you that I love you, I feel what we have between us, and I want to give us a chance.” Up next to the man he loved Caspian experienced an overwhelming longing to get even closer. Touching, smelling the scent of the man, and hearing his voice all captured and held Caspian's attention, while he longed for more, to get closer and to taste him.
“Are you now ready to come to my world?” Bran asked. The heat of his voice teased across Caspian's face.
Resolutely, Caspian stepped back and shook his head. He took hold of Bran's hands and squeezed. “I want to come home with you very soon, but not right away.”
A little of the joy seemed to slip from Bran's features.
“I've commitments here, things to sort out before I leave. Please come back to the house where we can talk.” Caspian let go of one of Bran's hands so that he could lead him across the yard.
They walked toward the back of the house. Nudity had started to feel natural in Bran's company. In Caspian's world, bringing a naked man across the backyard and into Dr. Kilpatrick's house still felt weird.
“There are important matters I must attend to in my realm, hatchling. I can only stay here a short time. If I didn't have great responsibility for others, I would stay with you in any world you chose.”
“I'm starting to understand that.” Caspian opened the back door and led his prince into the kitchen. "I have so many questions.”
“I doubt I can answer all of your questions at once, but ask, and I will try.”
As they stood in the kitchen, Caspian wondered what to do next with his naked and extremely desirable guest. Seeing Bran after their time apart stirred a great need within him.
Caspian wanted to talk but, honestly, instinct dragged him in other directions.
In Dr. Kilpatrick's house, entertaining naked strangers downstairs didn't feel natural. “When we first met, in my dream, you came to me wearing clothes. How come?”
“I dress when it suits my purpose. It is customary to wear clothes in many of the other worlds. I undress, also when it suits my needs.” Bran grinned, his black eyes sparkled mischievously. “I knew you'd like me like that. You liked watching me undress, didn't you, hatchling.”
Caspian didn't need much of a reminder of the things he liked in that regard. He gulped as he felt his temperature rise and his blood run south. Bran had taken control and served Caspian his greatest fantasies. His gaze dropped, and as it did so, it fixed upon the prince's stiffening member.
Nudity allowed for no modesty and Caspian wasn't complaining because he liked what he saw.
“If you are not joining me at the palace today, may we discuss things further in your room?” The thick voice with the musical accent further acted as an aphrodisiac.
“Yes.” He turned toward the stairs. Mention of the palace brought the other ravens into Caspian's mind and one of his many nagging concerns. “We'll go up to my room. And will you tell me about the ravens you've sent to guard me? Why do they dislike me?”
Taking hold of Caspian's arm to stop him from walking away, Bran's expression looked serious. “They will accept you and respect you. It is our custom.” He looked away and shrugged. “Some of them argued that the soul of a man from this realm couldn't bond with one of ours. They respect the bond but question my judgment for allowing it to happen. However, I had no choice. Your soul called to mine, it still calls to mine, and you confirmed with words that you wanted us to be forever.”
“Don't they know you had no choice?”
“Yes. The congress knows that fated souls have no choice. Some are using the fact of our union to scheme and plot. They are nurturing murmurs of dissent for ulterior political motives. They wish for our people to play a different and more confrontational role in things going on outside of our Kingdom and beyond the veil.”
“What will happen? Could there be a revolution?” Caspian asked with alarm. His mind filled with images of revolutionaries shouting, “off with their heads,” and scaffolds for hangings, and ancient guillotines.
Bran laughed. “We are far from that. We will find a way to strengthen the support for the monarchy within the Kingdom. Do not fear, hatchling. You will help win them; you'll win the hearts of everyone.” He voice was tender. Bran touched a finger to Caspian's chin. "To your room?"
“Yes. This way.” Caspian led the way to the stairs. He'd felt the close bond between them and cherished the companionship in the little time they'd spent together. It was more than sex, he was sure, although at that precise moment his brain felt fogged with physical desire.
At the top of the stairs, Bran took the lead, boldly striding into Caspian's room and laying back on the bed. “I love you, Caspian, with all my heart and soul. So powerfully you will not find love like it in this world because humans can't bond as we have.”
Dumbstruck, Caspian stood at the threshold to the room and admired his regal lover.
With his head on the pillow, Bran lay back, his hands either side of his head. His long cock, fully erect now, sat atop the dark treasure trail. He looked available and wanton, his legs spread wide as if inviting Caspian to get between them.
In no hurry to break the spell by moving closer, Caspian enjoyed the view while he absentmindedly palmed his own erection through his pants.
“I will always be faithful to you and you alone. I told you it was forever.” As he spoke the words Caspian wanted to hear, Bran moved one hand and placed his fingertips on his dick. He moved them gently up, tracing the ridge from balls to head. “I understand your fears; I heard your concerns.” A bead of precum leaked from the head. Bran whipped his fingers through it and then moved it around the glans.
Caspian's breathing quickened.
“Caspian. I want you as my equal, in every way. I want to teach you things. Show you things. I want to share everything with you. Everything.”
Caspian guessed that meant showing and teaching things in Bran's world.
“Please, my love, join me." With his other hand, he patted the bed beside him. "And talk to me. We're from different cultures. I want to know what’s going on in your head, and what’s expected of me. Tell me your desires, hatchling.”
We're from different cultures. I want to know what’s going on in your head, and what’s expected of me.
Recognizing his own words, Caspian took slow steps toward the bed, stripping off his clothes as he moved. “You said you'll be faithful? What about joining debauched ceremonies?”
Bran's focus shifted from Caspian's face to the bulge in his pants. “I know you liked that, my love. Anything you like, I can give you time and time again, but I will always be true to you.”
Caspian felt sure he blushed at Bran's accurate assessment.
“Would you like to do that again, my love?”
“Yes,” Caspian's reply came as breathy whisper. Free from his clothes, he moved on to the bed beside Bran. “It felt amazing.” He couldn't find the words to say why. Group sex, exhibitionism, watching, his desires weren't a logical conscious thing.
Caspian reveled in the experience of being own, taken and possessed. He'd been taken, satisfied and filled by Bran in front of others, which only heightened the arousal at the time.
At that moment, through his body language, Bran hinted he might like some role reversal.
Caspian couldn't envisage himself adopting masterful, dominant behavior in the bedroom, and he felt certain he didn't have dirty-talk as part of his language abilities. But he wasn't averse to trying new positions and other things.
“Tell me what you want?” Bran badgered.
“In the bedroom, right now, I like everything we've done and would be happy with the same,” Caspian admitted. He'd never confessed his submissive urges to anyone before, and it seemed too embarrassing. But in Bran, he felt he'd found someone he could trust. Someone who'd love and respect him even so.
“What else?” Bran asked in that buttery, warm voice.
“In our lives, I want to be an equal. And that means doing for you things that you like too.” Caspian wrapped his body around his prince seeking as much skin to skin contact as possible, from their feet upward.
Bran continued to touch himself with one hand, but the other stroked the side of Caspian's face. "You will always please me."
Caspian bit his bottom lip. Their strong connection as eternal lovers and soulmates was telling him something, but he had to check out the accuracy of his instincts. “Do you want me to enter you?” he asked.
Bran's eyes squeezed tightly shut. “I would like to take care of you and experience you in every way.”
Caspian smiled at the awkward phrasing. “Do you mean, you want me to fuck you?”
Bran's eyes shot open. He sighed. “Yes.”
“You want me to fuck you hard and fill you with my cum?” Caspian discovered he could attempt a little dirty talk, after all.
“Yes, my love. I want it very much.”
Enjoying himself, and Bran's reactions, Caspian sat up and moved between Bran's legs. “First I want to taste you. I want to eat you out until you're ready to come.”
Bran smiled. A low rumbling, “Please,” left his lips.
“I'm going to lick you, get you so wet and turned on, and then fuck you hard.” And Caspian ducked his head down to start delivering on his promise.