Chapter Twenty
Orion could see his mate was on the brink of coming apart. Within the space of a week, he had learned so much about what he craved, what he could take, and how much he was willing to give. And right at that moment, Nix was on the edge.
Orion didn't vary from his slow, steady pace of thrusts, even while Nix murmured sweet pleas and flexed his wrists that were pinned above his head by Orion's hand.
He gripped Nix's hip with his free hand to steady them, then let go, stroking soothing circles across his skin.
"Harder, faster, please," Nix begged.
Orion kept up the same, easy-going pace he'd started with, smiling as Nix sighed in frustration and tensed his body around him, trying to get more friction, more pressure, more of Orion. Once they'd had a taste of one another, they hadn't been able to get enough. Orion was glad Leona wasn't there, given the woman could easily have walked in on them having sex a few dozen times over the course of their time there.
"Orion," Nix pleaded, his breath hitching. He let go of Nix's hip, stretching his arm up to rub his thumb across his mate's soft lips.
He released him, freeing his arms and Nix, sitting up, reached for him. He seemed to think twice about it, using his body to lever himself away from Orion, Orion slipping from inside him, before rolling over on to his hands and knees.
Orion chuckled. Nix sure knew how to get what he wanted.
"Fine, I get the message," Orion grumbled, climbing onto the bed to kneel behind Nix before pushing back inside him in one sharp thrust. It changed the angle and he sank deeper, watching as Nix's hands clenched the bed sheets tightly.
This time, he set a punishing pace, each snap of his hips shoving Nix forward.
"Yes," Nix cried, reaching a hand between his own legs. Orion was quick to brush it away, taking him in hand and stroking in time with his thrusts, hard and fast. Nix, already on edge, came first, with a soft cry, his upper body sinking down onto the bed. Orion kept thrusting, chasing his own release, and followed a few seconds later with a groan, stilling within his mate.
He patted Nix's hip gently as he pulled out. He had tested him right to the limit. Laying down, he pulled Nix to lie against him, satisfied when Nix threw an arm across his chest and beamed at him.
"I thought you were never going to get there," he complained but there was no trace of ire in his tone. Orion brushed a lock of damp hair from Nix's forehead. "I always get there. Just, sometimes, I like to see you work for it."
Nix felt like all he'd done for the past week was eat, sleep, and have sex. Not that he was complaining. Every morning he woke next to Orion, every night he went to bed by his side. They talked, argued, joked, did everything he imagined a normal couple would do.
And Orion had this habit of urging him, usually when they were in the throes of passion, to take energy from him. At first, he'd balked. His mate couldn't want him to suck the energy from him like he was some leech or vampire. He'd offered it before, but only because Nix had been close to death. He wasn't now. And yet Orion was gently insistent about it. Which meant Nix now had more magical energy than ever before. Enough that he'd been able to change into a bird again, and fly around above the house, Orion watching from below.
Orion had shown him maps too, talked to him in detail about the layout of the mountain terrain, their village, where the coyotes were. Nix wasn't sure what the point was, March knew every detail that Nix passed on. As much as Nix wanted to keep him out, he felt the man's unwanted presence from time to time.
It was early one morning, just after dawn, when Orion sat up next to him before climbing out of bed and pacing to the window. His head cocked to the side, listening intently.
"Orion?" he asked.
His mate held up a hand and Nix stayed silent.
"We have some visitors," the Alpha said after a few minutes, turning back towards him. "I'm going to have to ask something of you, something difficult."
"Anything," he replied.
Orion went to his wardrobe, opening it, and pulling out some things which he carried over and laid out on the bed next to Nix.
"I'm going to cover your eyes with this scarf, and your ears with these," he held out two pieces of cloth, "held in place by these headphones. I'll need you to stay up here and not come downstairs."
There could only be one reason for this. Precautions against March.
Nix couldn't help the flutter of fear in his chest. He didn't like the idea of being in the dark, of being unable to see or hear.
"It won't be for long," Orion reassured him, catching his hand and squeezing gently. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"I understand," he said, sitting cross-legged on the bed, and staying still as Orion got to work. Orion wrapped the dark scarf across his eyes and wound it twice around his head, tying it in a knot behind him. "How's that?" he asked. "Not too tight?"
"It's okay," Nix replied. "What if I need you?"
"I won't be far. Call and I'll come to you. You remember how to get to the bathroom, right?"
"Second door on the left," he said.
"Good, I'll bring some food up later. Just try to relax and rest. We have a long journey ahead of us."
He placed the first cloth over Nix's ear, muffling the sounds around him. He secured the headphones over his head to keep that one in place before fitting the second. Nix could still hear Orion's voice, but it was distant and muffled. Were Orion any further away, he'd hear next to nothing. His mate took his hand in both of his, kissing his knuckles before squeezing gently.
"I'm okay," he said, squeezing back. A moment later, Orion was gone, his weight disappearing from the bed. It was only half a lie. Being in the dark like that reminded him of the box and a few tears escaped his eyes.
And Orion was back, an arm around him, holding him close. The material was pulled gently from one ear and his mate's soft voice whispered to him. "If this is too much, just say the word, and I'll work something else out."
"No, I'm okay, I can do this." He could, he would. For Orion. For his family.
He gently detached Orion's hand and settled the ear piece back on his ear, plunging him into echoing silence again.