Asar knocked on Jay’s door and then thumped it so hard with his fist that the door gave in and opened voluntarily. For once, Jay wasn’t in bed but was sitting by the fire, his expression so remote Asar almost didn’t recognize him.
“What’s up?” Jay looked over at him.
“I wanted to warn you.”
“About what?” Jay asked.
Asar came in and shut the door behind him. “My mother will be returning to Neveks in the next day or so.”
“So what?”
“My suggestion is that you leave this place and go to your friends at Quoxor.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. “But you told me that no one could leave Neveks without the Queen Goddess’s approval. Is this a direct message from her?”
“No.” Asar folded his arms over his chest. “It is all my idea.”
“Do you think I would leave Rain to face your mother alone?”
“I have received assurances from my mother that she will not kill Rain.”
Jay stood and faced him. “There are many ways to take away a person’s will to live. I’m sure your mother is a woman of her word, but please allow me leave to doubt her sincerity in this matter.”
“What about yours?” Asar demanded.
“My what?”
“Your sincerity. Why exactly are you here, Jay?” Asar asked. “What power did you use to entrap Rain and bend her to your will?”
“Entrap Rain?” Unbelievably, Jay smiled. “Dude, you have no idea, do you?”
“You are not what you seem, human. Why not accept this opportunity to get away that I offer you?”
Jay angled his head to one side. “Why are you so anxious to get rid of me? Do you think Rain will suddenly fall into your arms and be just like her old self if I disappear? She is a different person, my friend. There is nothing either of us can do to change that—and thank the Gods for it.”
“I can protect Rain,” Asar said.
“From your own mother?” Jay half-smiled. “I suppose you might be the only person she would listen to. If you can protect Rain, what about me?”
“You don’t need protecting. You are the problem here. Why did you come to Neveks, Jay?”
“I told you. To make sure Rain was safe.”
“She is safe. I will make sure of that, so you can be on your way.”
“You want me to leave?” Jay asked.
Asar forced himself to nod. “You are a complication that I do not require in my life.”
“A complication?” Jay’s blue eyes flashed ice. “I’m a lot more than that, buddy.”
Asar met the glare head-on. “Oh, that’s right. I’m a conduit to my mother. Now why would that matter to you, Jay?” He looked for something in the other man’s expression, some discomfort, a flicker of shame, but there was nothing. His heart twisted. What had he expected from a machine? “You don’t give a damn about me or Rain, do you? All you want is a route to my mother.”
A second later, he was on his back on the floor with Jay on top of him, one hand wrapped around his throat in an unshakeable grip that tightened with every second.
“You’ll send me away?” Jay growled. “You’ll deny this fucking bond that neither of us want between us? You’re a goddammned coward.”
“I’m a realist. You’re faking this and you know it! Now get off me!”
“Faking this?” Jay leaned in and ground his mouth against Asar’s in a rough kiss that made Asar’s heart stutter before Jay lowered his head to bite his throat. “Read my fucking mind, Asar! Tell me that I’m not going to fuck you blind in the next five minutes whether you’re ready for me or not!”
Asar groaned as a flood of salacious images took over his mind, making his cock hard and his heart beat fast enough to burst.
“This is not helpful.”
Jay glared at him. “If you’re going to kick me out, then I’m going to have you at least once so you know what you’re missing, what you’re throwing away.”
He slid a hand between them, grabbed Asar’s already erect cock, and yanked on it hard before sliding down and settling his mouth over the crown, swallowing him whole.
Asar’s mind shattered into a thousand pieces as he desperately tried to push Jay away. He stiffened as Jay nipped the side of his cock and instead pushed his hips up in a desperate attempt to offer Jay more.
Jay was not kind. He was not merciful. He took Asar to the very edge of sanity, making him claw at the air and then at Jay, who refused to slow the pace even when Asar came in hot, juddering waves down his throat. Giving him no respite, he started to suck him again, and Asar’s cock responded until he was hard again.
What the hell was he doing? Jay sat back, gasping, and stared down at Asar before slowly wiping a shaking hand over his mouth. He tasted Asar’s come, blood, and sweat, and his own cock twitched. The red rage filling his mind slowly receded and he rolled away. If this was how Rain felt when she mated, he was amazed she could stay sane. God, he wanted to flip the male over, and fuck him blind…and then make Asar beg for more.
Jay fought for sanity, clinging onto the comforting background noise of his A.I., seeking the remoteness and lack of emotion he’d taken for granted for the last ten years. Asar didn’t deserve to be treated like this. No one did.
“I’m sorry.” Jay cleared his throat. “I was out of line.”
Asar rolled onto his side, and then up onto one elbow, one hand now cradling his cock and balls. He looked magnificent, his long hair around his shoulders, his kaleidoscope skin spiraling with colors like the spinning of the universe.
“Why are you stopping?”
Jay turned away from the alluring sight. He’d lost his temper when Asar had suggested he meant nothing to him. He hadn’t done that for years. Between Rain and the Neveks male, he was truly screwed. He had no right to be angry because Asar was correct. He had come to Neveks with an ulterior motive.
He just hadn’t expected to find the only two people on the planet he wanted to fuck and protect for the rest of his life.
Wearily, he shoved a hand through his short hair. “As I said, I was out of line.”
“So you’ll leave?”
“I can’t do that, Asar.” Jay hesitated. “I’ve made promises I can’t break.” If the other male searched his mind, he’d hopefully realize that Jay was speaking the truth. “I can’t leave Rain, and I don’t want to go.”
“But you planned to bind me to you more closely. I heard you plotting with Rain.” Asar slowly got to his feet; the silk that had been wrapped around his waist fell to the ground in a sensuous rush, leaving him naked.
Jay closed his eyes against the luscious sight, and leaned back against the wall. “Yeah.”
“Then why aren’t you finishing what you started?”
“Because…” Jay set his jaw and forced himself to meet Asar’s suspicious stare. “I’m a fool. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, Asar. I swear it on my mother’s grave.”
“The mother you tried to kill after your government removed your soul?” Asar hunkered down in front of him, and Jay tensed.
“Who told you that?”
“My mother.”
Jay held his gaze. “After I was… enhanced, I was on leave. One night I got drunk and smashed up a local bar. The police brought me home, and I was still fucking furious. I pushed her out of the way when she opened the door.”
“I didn’t realize my own strength.” He grimaced. “She fell and broke her collarbone. I didn’t know she had severe osteoporosis. She never really recovered.” He made himself look up. “I have to live with that for the rest of my life.”
Even as he explained, his mind was spinning like trapped vermin. How the hell had the Queen Goddess gotten hold of that piece of information? That file was supposed to be buried so deep in his military records that even a planetary excavator couldn’t find it. A wave of cold dread enveloped him. If the Queen knew about that, she probably knew about the plan to extract information from her willingly or not. Maybe he should leave…but how could he do that if Rain remained? And she would stay. She wanted her own vengeance. He knew that in his soul.
Jay forced himself to concentrate on the man in front of him. From his shocked reaction it seemed that Asar had no prior knowledge of what the Queen had found out. Perhaps there was a way to salvage something. If he could take Rain to safety at Quoxor, he could come back and face the Queen Goddess alone.
He bowed his head. “Thank you for your warning. If Rain will leave with me, I will go.”
Asar’s smile was pained. “We both know that she will not leave.”
“Then I’m sorry, but you’re going to be stuck with me as well.”
There was a hint of pity in Asar’s gaze that made Jay tense. “Maybe you should ask her about that first. She might prefer it if you leave.”
“Why? What have you done?” Jay asked slowly.
“I warned you both.” Asar shrugged. “She now has the same information that you do.”
“About my past?”
Asar nodded as Jay got to his feet. “You are not the only one who feels as if their loyalty is being put to the test.”
“I get that. You aren’t in a great position, are you?”
Asar grimaced. “My mother is my Queen and the Goddess on earth. How can I disobey her?” He thumped his chest. “But my heart is at war with my head. The thought of Rain—or of you—dying at her hands appalls me.”
Jay cupped the other man’s rigid jaw. “I’m sorry for turning up and fucking with your life.”
Asar moved his head until his lips brushed against Jay’s palm. “The fucking I can take. The disruption of everything I once held true is…more difficult, but maybe I have been wrong. Maybe I too need to reassess my relationships.”
He bit gently down on Jay’s thumb. “Your mouth on my cock, your hands on me…” He shuddered. “I want that more than I want to breathe.” He hesitated. “Will you stay and fuck me just once before you go and seek out Rain, and perhaps change everything forever?”
“Won’t that just make things worse?” Jay murmured.
“Worse than imagining what I might have had for the rest of my life?” Asar asked.
“But what if your mother orders you to kill me?”
Asar’s desperate laugh was laced with need. “I could not do that to you now, let alone after you have fucked me.” He wrapped one arm around Jay’s hips, bringing their bodies into alignment. “Please.”
Jay stepped back so that he could see up into Asar’s face. “If we do this, you must know something important. I do it because I want you, not because I want you on my side. But if your mother tries to kill Rain, I will defend her against anyone, including you, with my life.”
“I understand.” Asar slowly nodded his head and gestured toward his bed. “Our time together is for us.”
Asar sat on the side of his bed and waited to see what Jay would do next. The struggle was evident on the other male’s face. If Jay walked away from him now, Asar would regret it for the rest of his life.
Without speaking, Jay came toward him, tearing off his shirt to reveal his muscled torso and the scars of a true warrior. He stepped out of his pants and was as naked at Asar, his cock already hard and wet.
“The colors on your skin,” Asar said. “They do not move.”
“My tattoos?” Jay glanced down at his bicep. “They are black and blue, and stay very boring.”
Asar licked his lips as Jay moved to stand between his spread thighs. Jay gently pushed him back onto the bed before straddling him. He braced himself, but Jay did nothing but slide his hands over Asar’s torso, pausing to pinch his nipples and test the strength of his upper arms. Their cocks were aligned and rubbed against each other with every move Jay made.
Asar moaned deep in his throat. Jay leaned in to kiss him, wrapping one capable hand around both their cocks and gripping them hard. Pre-come spilled out, making Jay’s job easier and slicker.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” Jay murmured. “I could watch your skin all night.”
“I’d rather you fucked me,” Asar said. “This interlude will not last long.”
A wave of sadness crossed Jay’s face. “Yeah. I know. This is just for us before I go face the wrath of Rain.” He nipped Asar’s shoulder. “Stop being so practical.”
“I—” Asar gasped as Jay shifted his grip and slid his fingers lower to tangle with Asar’s balls and stroke his taint. “That is good. That is—” He arched his back, offering more as Jay’s slick finger rimmed the hole of his ass. “Gods…”
Jay urged him backward until his head was on the pillow and his feet planted squarely on the mattress, his thighs spread as wide as they would go. Asar felt exposed, his need, his huge erection blatantly obvious, but he didn’t care. He wanted Jay to take everything, and there was no shame in that.
Jay held Asar’s balls and cock in one cupped hand, fondling him while he used the fingers of his other hand to play with Asar’s ass.
“Lube?” Jay asked.
“In the drawer.” Asar gestured to his right.
“You’ve done this before?” Jay asked as he found the glass pot and unscrewed the lid.
“Only with myself,” Asar admitted.
“Yeah?” Jay came down for a quick savage kiss. “I’d like to see that.”
Asar almost climaxed at the very thought of being watched.
“You’ve been with women, though?”
“Not since Rain.”
Jay went still and stared down at him. “That’s surprising.”
Asar shrugged. “After she left there was no one who tempted me.”
“Until now.”
“Yes.” Asar held his breath as Jay’s lubed finger eased inside him. “That is…good.”
“Mmm…” Jay moved position and knelt between Asar’s thighs. “Let’s make it better.” He took Asar’s cock in his mouth and thrust his finger deep, making Asar groan aloud. It was heaven. It was hell. He didn’t know what to do with himself, whether to shake and moan, or come, or…
“Don’t come until I tell you to.”
Jay’s telepathic command entered his mind, and he clung to the order, forcing his body to accept what was being done to him and just enjoy it. Just when he thought he could endure no more, Jay released his cock and sat back.
“Get on your knees and put both hands on the headboard.”
Asar awkwardly complied, aware that a single brush of the covers on his stimulated cock might mean disaster. He faced the wall and then bowed his head, his long hair trailing onto the bed as Jay pushed his thighs farther apart, making his back arch, offering himself to his conqueror.
Jay bit his shoulder, and Asar shuddered. “Please.”
“You want me?”
“Gods, yes.”
“Then have all of me.”
Asar bit his lip, drawing blood as Jay thrust forward with his cock and took his ass. He breathed out hard, accepting the thick length inside him.
“That’s better.” Jay gathered Asar’s hair in one fist like the reins of a beast, jerking his head back. “I don’t have time to be gentle with you. I don’t want to be. If this is our only chance I want you to remember me. I want your ass still sore when you have to face your goddam mother. I want my come in you.”
Asar just moaned. Jay eased his hips back, and then shoved his whole cock deep, making the other male shudder as he took the brunt of the thrust. He did it again and again, root-to-tip, taking Asar into a rough, frenzied place of need Jay had never experienced with another man before.
Their minds joined, sharing the experience in a new way that was so powerful and intimate that Jay almost recoiled from the raw beauty of Asar’s need.
“I need…to…come. Let me come,” Asar begged.
“Not yet.”
Jay thrust harder, his motions becoming ragged as his own need to climax fought his desire to stay exactly where he was forever. He reached around to grab Asar’s hot, wet cock and yanked on him hard. With a shuddering groan, Jay let go, filling Asar with his come as their minds fused together in an unbreakable bond. This male was no traitor. He was far more honorable than Jay would ever be. Asar climaxed, and his hot seed was forced through the grip of Jay’s fingers.
Jay set his teeth on Asar’s throat, scraping the exposed flesh, feeling the other man shudder beneath him. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay locked both physically and telepathically to the other male forever. Whatever happened next, he would not regret this meeting of minds and regaining the ability to feel.
With one last, lingering kiss, he moved away. “I wish you well, Asar.”
His companion turned onto his side and looked back at him, the remnants of passion receding behind his royal dignity.
“And I you, Jay.”
Jay gathered his clothes but didn’t attempt to put them on. He’d walk back to his room and bathe in the temple pools before setting out to speak to Rain. Asar wasn’t aware of it yet, but if Rain truly chose to fight him, Jay might not survive to meet Asar’s mother after all…