Chapter Ten
Waiting was an exercise in endurance for Cade, if there’d ever been one. He’d spent a little time catching up with his friends and falling head over heels for the tiny girl Vrishti had given birth to. Deva was already a precocious toddler, testing her legs and her parents’ patience and parroting their every word as they held conversations around her. To think that when he’d arrived, she was only on the verge of even being born.
Once he left the new family to some private time, he wandered the lodge feeling anxious and out of sorts, a mood that wasn’t aided one bit by the impatient wind spirit who shared his body. He tormented the kitchen staff, rummaging for snacks, then wandered into the interior gardens seeking whatever peace could be found. He paused at the water’s edge and stood looking at his reflection, frowning. It didn’t look like him…
“We need a plan,” Zephyrus said, startling Cade. Not only was the face looking back not his, but its lips had moved, and Cade knew he hadn’t spoken.
“Zeph … That you?” he asked, tilting his head this way and that, then winking each eye. The face in the pool reflected his movements, but was a very different-looking fellow, one with close-cropped, dark gray hair and a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard. Handsome fuck. Almost as handsome as Cade himself.
The face smirked. “You’re as cocky as Dion in more ways than one. Yes, it’s me.”
Cade settled onto his knees and tapped the pool with his finger. The reflection rippled, but the features only looked wobbly for a moment before returning to the clear, calm reflection of the smiling, mischievous Zephyrus.
“Don’t suppose you have a plan, do you? I can match the man in stature, but who knows what he’s got up his ass where power’s concerned?”
“We may not be able to outmatch his power, but Numa is a dragon … With my wind, we can drive her fire magic hotter, which feeds more to us. You’re no Miteradoro like those two Rainsong boys who have Gaia’s power in their pocket. Can you hang onto some dragon juice without feeding it straight to the goddess?”
Cade slipped a hand between his legs, hefting his balls through the fabric of his trousers. “Can give it a shot. These boys haven’t had much action in ages. I stayed away from the human women back in Black Mountain. Didn’t want to risk one getting attached. It ain’t easy for the girls to have a taste without wanting more, if you catch my drift. And the ursa females don’t want a sad old single bear like me.”
The Wind’s voice grew suggestive. “Are you game for a little … experimentation? It won’t be quite the same as fire magic, but I can pull some of my power into you and see how you manage.” His eyes sparked with the subtle challenge and his lips tugged to one side.
Cade narrowed his eyes, but smiled back. “I’m game for whatever you care to throw at me.”
“Good, then strip.”
Cade grunted in amusement. “Is that how it is? How ‘bout I show you mine and you show me yours?”
A low chuckle sounded inside his head. “You want to see mine, you pretty much have no choice but to show me yours. Until this is over and Gaia’s willing to grant me living flesh of my own again, this reflection’s one of the only ways we get to see each other.”
“About that … Why don’t you have a body of your own? Not that I mind sharing the wealth Gaia gave me, but all the ursa shamans have a system that’s been passed down since the dawn of time to make sure they have a body ready for them. Seems like the turul might have overlooked something.”
For the first time, Zephyrus failed to meet Cade’s gaze. His cheek twitched and he lifted his hand to rub at his beard. “It’s our choice. My brothers and I like the freedom of the open sky, and wingless bodies only weigh us down to the Earth.”
“I can get on board with that,” Cade said with a grin as he tore his shirt over his head and untied the string of his borrowed trousers, letting them drop to his ankles. “Free as the wind is my personal motto, in case you were wondering.” He gave Zephyrus a wink and stood close to the water, looking down at the now naked reflection.
It was strange not seeing his own thick thighs and bulky, muscular torso. But despite the distortion of perspective from the angle of the water, the man he saw was impressive. Zephyrus was as tall as Cade, with arms and shoulders easily as wide and thick, but from the waist down he was more slender, with a slim torso made of angular planes of muscles hardened over centuries and long, toned legs.
“You ain’t a runner like me, are you?” he commented.
Zephyrus glanced down and laughed. “No, but I do fly.” He stretched out his arms, flexing his shoulders. “Birds of prey are usually happy to let the spirit of a Wind possess them. I spend much of my free time soaring inside the body of a falcon.”
“That’d be the life.”
“I can make you feel like you’re flying,” Zephyrus said, his expression growing more serious, his voice gruff. The tone wasn’t lost on Cade, and it struck an odd chord inside him … one he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
He cleared his throat, his heart pounding. “Somehow I didn’t think we’d have that kind of partnership. Didn’t think I’d ever have that kind of partnership again. I don’t do halfway, you should know. This … chance we have with Numa is likely the last chance I’ll ever have for a mate.”
“Even if we fail—which we won’t, by the way—it doesn’t need to be the end for you. Don’t forget I’m inside your head, Cade. I can see what you lost, what it meant to you. What he meant to you. If we can be that to each other, I think it can give us the advantage we need.”
Cade tamped down the tightening burn of that old pain. A lover lost, one of countless who had fallen victim to the very enemy his kind were in the final throes of battle with at this very moment. But they’d only been portal guardians, not high-ranking enough for any widespread mourning among the ursa. He had borne the grief in his solitary fashion for so long he’d simply grown used to not having someone to help shoulder that burden.
Through clenched teeth, Cade said, “It ain’t that fucking easy.”
“Then don’t decide now. But do consider the offer and at least let me show you what I can do to improve our odds. The more your desires sync with mine, the better off we’ll be.”
Forcing himself to take a breath, Cade nodded. His gaze drifted down to the hardening cock between the other man’s thighs, the sight causing his own groin to heat and tighten. “Let’s just get one thing straight: I’ll bottom for you this once, but if we stay together, your ass is mine.”
Zephyrus laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze slid away, then back, and he eyed Cade’s erection. “We might have to work up to that,” he said, pointing between Cade’s thighs. “If I get a new body, it’ll be a virgin.”
“Well, ain’t that half the fun? The working up to it? Tell me what to do.”
“Get into the water and float on your back.”
Cade waded in until the cool water covered his hot erection, then dipped beneath the surface to wet himself thoroughly. When he came back up, he stretched out, spreading his arms wide and staring up into the shimmering blue sky above where the barrier of the temporal bubble blocked them from the outside world.
“Close your eyes,” Zephyrus said, his voice a near whisper rasping inside Cade’s head. It tickled erotically at the base of his skull, once again reminding him of the intimacy he’d shared with only one other man. He closed his eyes, wishing his heartbeat would slow down.
Wind rustled the trees and plants around him, warm air rushing across his exposed skin. He remained floating, his hair drifting out around his head, waiting for whatever it was Zephyrus had in mind.
“Relax and open your mind to me, Arcadius.”
Cade inhaled slowly, letting his mind drift the way it did when he ran, his strong legs carrying his huge bear form to whatever destination he chose. During those runs, he was wild and free, much the way he was on the motorcycle he rode in the human town he had lived in outside the Sanctuary portal.
A cool gust washed over his skin, making his hard cock tingle and his nipples stiffen. Then a whooshing sound filled his ears and the world spun and tilted. For a second, he expected to find himself face down in the water, but breathing was still easy and he relaxed.
“Open your eyes,” Zephyrus said.
Cade did as he was told. When his lids fluttered open, he was greeted with a view of the Earth such as he had never seen before. Instead of a blue sky high above the Rainsong gardens half-blocked by tall trees, he saw nothing but open sky with the horizon far ahead. Wind ripped through his hair and across his skin, chilly but crisp and invigorating. He turned his head and spotted mountain ranges in beautiful shades of dark blue-green, softened by the moisture-dense haze he’d grown accustomed to in the Blue Ridge Mountains he’d come to think of as home.
“We ain’t really flying, are we?”
“Yes and no. This is in your head. Your body is still floating in the pool, but you can experience it as though it were real. Look at me.”
The voice that had previously only reverberated inside his skull seemed to come from a distinct direction now. He turned to see a huge bald eagle, its golden eyes sharply focused on him. The big bird blinked and let out an ear-splitting screech, then banked and dove toward a mountaintop. Cade laughed and followed, his body twisting instinctively as though he’d always known how to fly. He didn’t have wings, though, which helped remind him this was only a waking dream of a sort, though it definitely felt real enough.
He followed the eagle down through the valley, skimming across the tops of the trees until the forest opened up to a huge, sun-drenched rock face that overlooked more of the mountainous vistas. The eagle landed, and by the time Cade caught up to him, Zephyrus stood naked on the rock in the bird’s place.
Simply knowing what they were about to do had him aroused beyond rational thought. It didn’t matter that this was all in his head; when Zephyrus stepped close and looked into his eyes, his entire body ached to close the distance. It had been decades since he’d felt the touch of a lover, and this man may only be a spirit, but if he could camp out inside Cade’s mind and still want him, that counted for something.
“I need you as much as you need me,” Zephyrus said. “And I don’t intend to abuse this partnership. Do you understand how important this is to me?”
“You love her,” Cade said. “That part was crystal clear when she walked into the room. I can’t say I feel the same yet, but I see why you do.”
“By offering us both to her, we will by necessity become hers. When it’s done, what we have doesn’t need to continue. We can be her mates without a relationship of our own, but I don’t want to discount the potential for more. If we can be true partners to start with, we’ll be better off for it. I’m sure you understand that as well as anyone could. I just want to make it clear that I am not using you.”
Cade shrugged. “Even if you were, I’d intended to enjoy it and see where it takes me. I’ve been alone too long to pass up a chance like this.”
“I’m serious,” Zephyrus said, closing the distance so their faces were barely an inch apart. He gripped the back of Cade’s head with one hand and squeezed. “This partnership was a surprising opportunity for both of us, not just to win Numa, but to find each other. I need you to be sure it is what you want, not only because it happens to be the thing offered and you have nothing to lose by taking, but because you actually want it. You want her. And me.”
Cade swallowed, his eyes burning from an unexpected surge of emotion he couldn’t quite place. He remembered the wistful sense of longing he’d had after seeing Numa’s sister, Aurum, and her mates together. He’d wondered what it would be like to be marked by a dragon, claimed as the mate of a creature so beautiful.
Numa was every bit as beautiful as her golden sister, though she had darker hair and fairer skin. She was somehow both more delicate and stronger at the same time, with a kind of quiet grace that reminded him of trees swaying in the breeze, or ripples across the surface of a lake. She fascinated him in a way no ursa female ever had, and he couldn’t deny a draw to her unlike any he’d felt for a woman before.
As for Zephyrus, the wind spirit’s desire was already in his head, and that alone made Cade’s blood hot to know the other man. Whether something deeper came of it, he wouldn’t know unless he tested their connection. He feared wanting more if that wasn’t meant to be, but Zeph’s speech managed to shatter that illusion. If Cade was indeed the risk-taker he claimed to be, he could let himself want more and not be afraid to own that desire.
Cade let out a soft chuckle and reached up to cup the back of Zephyrus’s head in return. “Call me a greedy bastard, but I fucking want it all. Every last bit.” He spoke the last syllable with lips brushing against Zeph’s, the other man tensing against him. But when Cade closed his mouth over his, the spirit groaned into the kiss and sank into Cade’s embrace.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed this feeling until he was wrapped inside it once again—to be held by a lover, with the promise of something even more lasting than he could have ever imagined. If they did this right, they could have her too, but they would have each other regardless.
Zeph tangled his fingers in Cade’s hair, his warm body flush against Cade’s chest, their hips pressed together and erections hotly resting side by side. He hated for it to end after so long without, but they had little enough time as it was. Cade finally pulled away, breathing heavily and resting his forehead against Zeph’s.
“Tell me what to do.”
Zephyrus nodded. He reluctantly stepped back, then slid around Cade to stand at his back, hands resting on his shoulders.
“Keep your eyes on the mountains,” Zephyrus said. “Listen to the wind and follow my lead. When I give you my power, focus on holding onto it, and if you must release it, try to give it back to me, though the earth will try to take it from you. Numa will need us to prove we can build enough power without spending it too soon. I don’t have the capacity to see what a dragon sees, but you…” He slipped his hand down Cade’s belly and between his thighs to cup his balls. “You have your own built-in meter, if you know how to sense it.”
Cade relished the sensation of the warm hand gently hefting his testicles. His cock pulsed in response, but he wasn’t confident in his ability to hang onto that power for long.
“You said yourself, I’m no Miteradoro. Gaia didn’t choose me.”
“The sky chooses you, Cade. Just … humor me.”
Zeph pressed a kiss to Cade’s shoulder and gave his balls a gentle squeeze, then released him. “On your hands and knees,” he said, pressing down lightly on his shoulders.
Cade lowered himself to the warm stone and glanced over his shoulder to see the other man follow. “Just getting right down to business, are we?”
Zeph chuckled, his blue eyes flashing with mirth. “You are a magnificent creature, I hope you realize. You honor me by allowing this. Just remember, when I release my magic, you hold onto it. Don’t let Gaia have a fucking drop.”
“And I take it you’re planning to release said magic in my ass?”
Zeph’s gaze darkened and he gave Cade’s ass a playful squeeze. “My spend is only part of it. You know this. The power will flow through your veins and will want to flow into the earth, but you won’t let it. You’ll hold it here.”
Again, he cupped Cade’s balls, but this time he stroked gently, brushing his knuckles along the underside of Cade’s cock, then sliding his fingertips back down his length, past his sack, and farther along the root to his perineum.
Cade’s body heated with each successive touch, his cock growing harder until he worried he didn’t have the staying power he once had in his youth. Hold on, you can do this.
Turning back to face the horizon as instructed, he listened to the wind whispering an incoherent rhythm into his ears. Somehow it helped him focus, kept him centered while Zephyrus continued to erotically torture him from behind.
The other man had a thumb pressed to Cade’s ass and was rubbing in tight circles. Cade instinctively relaxed—he was no stranger to the pleasure of being well-fucked by another man; it’d just been a really long time. Then the warmth of a breath gusted over that spot and a hot tongue tickled around his opening. He groaned and dug his nails into the stone.
“You don’t need to be gentle,” he said. “I can take you.”
“I wasn’t …” Zephyrus paused and laughed. “I have no doubt you can take me. I was just enjoying myself, but you’re right, we shouldn’t waste time. Hold on.”
Zephyrus gripped both of Cade’s ass cheeks, spreading him apart. When the hot tip of his cock brushed Cade’s opening, Cade took a deep breath and let himself relax, his body and mind both giving in to the surrender required to make the experience as good as he knew it could be.
Zephyrus pushed into him so slowly Cade thought he’d go crazy with the need for more.
“Fuck, you might have to coach me on how to take a cock so easily,” Zeph said. “I intend to repay the favor when this is done, but you make it look effortless.”
Cade shot an irritated glance over his shoulder. “Just fuck me, will you?”
“Your wish is my command.” Zephyrus plunged in hard enough that they both uttered curses from the pleasure. Then he began thrusting in a relentless, even rhythm, each stroke sending pleasure coursing through Cade’s entire body, to the top of his head, the tips of his toes, and the throbbing, swollen head of his cock.
Cade’s body thrummed with his quickly rising need. He lowered his head and pushed back into Zephyrus’s hips, aching to be filled deep every time the other man slid out. The pleasure became almost too great to contain and he grunted, worried he would lose it.
“Eyes open, hear the wind,” Zephyrus said, pressing a cool hand at the base of Cade’s spine.
The trees rustled around them, and Cade forced himself to focus on the sounds and the sight of these mountains he loved until the pleasure became part of the background. His ecstasy merged with the scenery, and his growing affection for his new partner became part of his love for his home. Gaia, but he wanted to come, and knew that if he did it would be the most mind-blowing orgasm he’d had in ages. But that wasn’t what this was about, so he held onto the feeling the way he held onto his memories of spring and cold winter nights and reached between his thighs, past his own aching cock, and cupped Zephyrus’s balls in his big hand, cradling them while the other man rammed his cock into him.
Within a few moments, Zephyrus began to grunt louder, his thrusts growing harder and more violent, his hips smacking against Cade’s ass with each plunge into him. Cade reveled in the sensations he had missed for so long—the fingers digging into his hips and the feeling of his lover’s orgasm building by increments.
Then Zephyrus rocked into him hard one last time and held him tight, letting out a melodious cry to the heavens as his cock pulsed and hot semen shot into Cade’s ass.
This was it. Cade bowed his head and braced himself for the magic that tore through him like a hurricane so hard he nearly came himself. The power raced through his veins just as Zeph had said, reaching for his extremities and seeking a way out and into the earth beneath him. Cade tensed, using all his focus to redirect that power. It was an offense to Gaia to deprive her of it, but under the circumstances, he thought it only fair.
The energy burned inside him at his palms at the soles of his feet, but soon it changed direction and followed his whims. When Zephyrus pulled out of him, he was left empty in one sense, but so much fuller in another. His balls felt like hot lead weights between his thighs, and he sat back on his haunches and looked down.
“You did well,” Zephyrus said, moving to kneel in front of Cade. “How do you feel?”
He reached down and gently held his tender sack. They felt no bigger, despite the sensation of being filled to bursting.
“Like I’m about to explode.”
“But you kept hold of the power. It gets easier each time. Let’s ease some of that pressure and then try again. Next time, I’ll give you more.”
Cade’s eyes widened. “You’ve got more to give? How?”
“Believe it or not, I held back. That was only about half what I’m capable of. Numa is going to have far more, if we do this right. I want us to be able to take as much as she can give us without spending our own. The fact that you didn’t come is good.”
“Yeah, well, I can manage that for only so long. It’s been a while for me, so this ain’t exactly easy.”
“It’ll be easy by the time we’re in her chamber. Now lie back and let me take care of you, then we’ll go again.”
Cade let out a sigh as he reclined against the smooth, warm rock. He kept his gaze fixed into the cloudless blue sky, but when Zeph wrapped his warm mouth around his cock, he let himself get lost in the pleasure.