Wild Magic Two: The Dark of the Sun- a M/M shifter fantasy romance

4- What the Cat Dragged In

*****I know it's short :( I'm working on that—  it's kind of a bad habit of mine, these damn short chapters. But I'm more aware of it, so hopefully I can lengthen the dang things :):) *****

CAIN—

I spent the rest of the day all but hiding behind Nibley, who was the only man who seemed to sympathize with my need to keep myself away from the Emperor. I helped him inventory the armory, and we spent the day in silence except for a few muttered words during lunch. Which was exactly why I liked Nibley so much—  the man knew how to stay quiet.

Knowing the Emperor would be in the keep banquet hall, I made my way to Dasan and Nibley's cottage, only a few miles outside the keep, to spend the night among the only two men who knew almost each and every dark secret of my past.

Dasan greeted me at the door with a quiet smile before stepping out of the doorway so I could enter past him.

"Nibs, we got a visitor," Dasan called, ducking back into the small, one-bedroom cottage. It was warm, Nibley cooking over the open hearth fire. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Nibley looked up and laughed aloud as I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"You know, it's still not funny no matter how many times you say it," I grumbled as I took a seat at their small table. I watched as Dasan moved up behind Nibley, setting a gentle kiss to the other man's neck before pulling away and turning back to me.

"Tea?" he asked. I nodded, and before long I was warm, relaxed, and bloated with the dinner Nibley had all but shoved down my throat. As I stared into the softly glowing hearthfire, listening to Nibley and Dasan discuss the upcoming wedding, I wondered how much longer I would allow myself to stay in this place that was so dangerous for my vows. For the safety of my heart and soul.

That night, I dreamt of Kile for the first time in months. I dreamt of our first time together, the passion I had felt from him, the way he made my entire body sing, and my heart feel as if it would jump out of my throat at any moment. How he made me feel cherished, respected, loved.

And then, as they inevitably did, my dreams turned to those last moments with him, his blade sinking into my flesh, rather than the touch of the lover I had been expecting. He had spread my legs, his eyes meeting mine seductively, and I had thought... For the first time in our years-long relationship, I had thought he was going to put his mouth on my prick.

Oh gods, how wrong I had been.

The blood flowed around me, hot, silky, sticky. And then he was gone, and I could breathe.

I took in deep, agonized breaths, staring around me, trying to gather my wits, and froze completely at the sight that met my eyes.

The Emperor lay with his head resting back against a cougar almost twice his size. The beast purred so loudly, I could hear it even from the distance I was. But the moment it opened its eyes and glanced up at me, meeting my gaze with a feral gleam in the haunting depths of its eyes, I knew it was the beast in my soul.

It was me.