The fleeting touch of Dylan's mouth was purified from his system by Jared's subtle kiss. "Come with me," he said to Tyler, grabbing his hand. Together they walked to Jared's cottage. Roughly, he was pushed in. The door closed behind Jared turning the key. "Light some candles."
Sulking, Tyler took a box of matches. He looked around the sparsely furnished room. Just like in his own cottage there were candles in the wall. In the light he could make out a narrow sofa that also served as a bed, with a coffee table on a rattan rug. Against the wall stood a small square table with two chairs and a chest of drawers.
Jared walked to the radio that was on the table. "Rico? With Jared," he said briefly. "I found Tyler. I'll keep him here with me. Check if Dylan is in his cottage." "Okay," Tyler heard through the radio. "Keep your door locked and your windows closed."
"Okay," Jared confirmed. "Over and close."
During this confusing conversation for Tyler, Jared hadn't taken his eyes away from him. "You picked the perfect night for your date. Didn't you notice how busy it was in the bar?"
Tyler ignored the cutting mock shrugging his shoulders.
"Our people came back early with stories about Coyotes and that there was a big pack on the way here. The farmers were there to gather a hunting group. Now being out alone and without light equals suicide," he said sternly.
"Didn't Dylan know this?" responded Tyler, startled.
"Under normal circumstances I would say yes," Jared said. "But you distracted him, putting your safety and his own in serious danger."
"But why do I have to stay here?" protested Tyler. "Can't you or anyone else take me to my cottage?"
"An hour ago I might have risked it, but now it's too dangerous. Most likely the hunt has already begun."
"I'll take this flashlight," he said, snatching a lamp from the chest of drawers. "I'll be fine." He walked to the door where Jared forcefully stopped him.
"Idiot! Of course I'm not going to let you go. Didn't you hear what I said? It's life-threatening outside."
Jared pulled the flashlight out of his hands.
"That's my risk to take," Tyler said angrily. He fought to get it back.
"Would you like to go back to your boyfriend so bad?" Jared grunted as he got to the ground. Struggling, they rolled across the floor.
"I would have preferred to go with him than be here with you," Tyler said viciously.
Jared pinned his hands next to his head and restrained him between his thighs. "It seems you've forgotten what we discussed a few weeks ago, Tyler," he said, looking right into his eyes.
"I haven't forgotten anything," Tyler snapped at him. "Why do you think I'm so keen to get away from you?"
"Say it!" demanded Jared with his head hanging right above Tyler's.
"No," he stubbornly refused trying to throw Jared.
"Say it!" His lips were teasingly all over Tyler's upper lip. He smelled Jared's spiced breath. The position of Jared's hips changed and he put light pressure. A moan escaped his lips.
"You know as well as I do," Jared said slowly spinning with his buttocks. His black eyes slid over Tyler's face that responded to his movements. "Your body remembers my touch and the pleasure I've given you," he said whispering in Tyler's ear.
"You're mean," said Tyler, who bent his neck so that Jared's lips had better access.
Jared smiled superiorly hanging just an inch above Tyler's mouth. His tongue slid seductively past Tyler's lips. In response, he came up a little bit and Jared withdrew. The agonizing featherlight enticements of Jared who immediately withdrew as he responded served their purpose. Tyler couldn't hold it anymore. "I'm yours!" he moaned, defeated.
"Yes you are," Jared growled, and he rewarded Tyler with a passionate kiss.
Now that the passion was ignited, the need to keep Tyler pinned to the ground disappeared. His hands were freed and immediately they flew over Jared's back. The moment Tyler pulled him close to him, Jared broke free from his embrace. Desperation shot through him. The vulnerability was clearly readable in his eyes when Jared stood up and pulled him along. Black eyes full of promises slipped greedily past his blushing face.
"Untie my buttons." With a slow smile that made Tyler's heart thump harder, Jared watched as quivering fingers followed his lead. After completing his task, he paused for a moment. Unsure about what Jared would allow him, he bit his lower lip unsure. "Keep going." The slightly panting commandment sent shivers through his body. Tyler put his hands under the warm cotton and enjoyed the skin contact, removing the garment.
Blue eyes full of shuddering longing slid over the half-naked body in front of him. He ripped his own shirt over his head and threw it at Jared. This one caught it with ease, kept the shirt under his nose and inhaled enjoyingly.
His hunger grew to an unsustainable height. Desperate, he wondered how far Jared would let him go tonight. "You claim me as yours," he gasped at Jared's chest, pulling a trail from nipple to nipple. The soft curls tickled his lips.
"Yes," said Jared, who struggled with clenched fists for his self-control. "You're mine!" he growled.
Tyler's hands kneaded in Jared's pectoral muscles and his hips sanded against an agitated lower body. "Say it," he demanded panting.
"You're mine," stressed Jared, who grabbed his head and kissed him tightly. "Prove it," Tyler gasped as soon as he got the chance.
A fiery storm ignited in Jared. The last remnant of his once strong wall pulverized with a kiss that took both their breath away. His hands slipped to Tyler's waistband and let a pair of fingers slide under it. Heat rose.
Tyler threw his head back and rolled his hips towards the touch. Breathlessly, he watched Jared's lithe fingers push down his jeans. The buckle of his belt rang when the pants fell to the ground. With two knees between his legs, Jared pushed him onto the narrow bed. Tyler's legs clamped around Jared's hips. Their bodies rubbed off excitingly along each other.
Jared tilted to the left and let his right hand slide down. Tyler clawed into Jared's back muscles as he was massaged over the fabric of his underpants. The contact was extremely erotic and their courtship went on a new and unknown level as Jared's mouth slid down kissing and replaced his hand. Loudly groaning, Tyler watched Jared tease him through the damp cotton with his fingers, tongue and mouth. That other hunger, a deep need to feel Jared in himself, craved fulfillment.
He rubbed unequivocally with his crotch against the hot mouth on his underpants. Eager boy," Jared murmured. He got up to kiss him extensively. "Are you ready for the rest?"
Tyler's eyes grew big on the unexpected question that made his heart beat nonsensically fast. Black eyes full of unfulfilled lust read the undisputed surrender of Tyler's body, which bent towards him expectantly. "Please," he begged without embarrassment as soon as he found his voice.
"Jared?" suddenly cracked over the radio. "There has been a serious attack on the Diaz farm. A true massacre. We have to go there now."
"Jared?", Rico exclaimed. The sound of the radio echoed the sound outside. There was banging on the door. The two lovers burst apart. They hurriedly put on their clothes. Jared opened the door after a last, unfortunate look at Tyler.
"What happened, Rico?" he asked the man stepping out so that some fresh air came in.
"The coyotes were driven in the wrong direction by the manhunt. They caused a massacre under the chickens. The pigs, horses and cows have been severely wounded. They called in our help. Fleur is already coordinating. We are now in the process of gathering the men."
Under the eye of a nervous Rico, they collected their belongings and went with him. There were too many people around to talk to each other. On the other hand, this might have been a good thing because they had to focus on other things.
As soon as Jared arrived, he took charge. Everyone listened to him and followed his instructions. Based on the reports, three teams were sent to the farm. Tyler and the other assistants had been instructed to put together a bag for each of the two doctors on a team. He worked with the included checklist and prepared a third bag just in case.
The three teams were composed as follows; a veterinarian, a veterinarian in training, an assistant and a driver. Tyler was paired with Fleur and Niccolo. He'd worked with the man before. Both of them were very capable in the field.
"We're heading out," Jared said. From the first knock on the door until now, only twenty minutes had passed.
The driver was a local man Jaoco Gomez. In the camp he did a lot of things and today he was the man to have next to you. Familiar with the bad roads he knew exactly every pit in the road to the Diaz farm and Tyler was grateful to him for that. The swinging cars in front of him were visibly not in such good hands.
"Have you ever experienced anything like this before?" asked Tyler, sitting in the back next to Fleur. Niccolo shook no, but Fleur nodded. "Yes, but not before an attack by such a large group. The damage will be enormous. Lots of open flesh wounds and vicious frayed bites."
"You're going to have to prepare," she said, looking at Tyler. "The people here have a different connection to their animals and we have to respect that." She squeezed his hand. "Promise me you won't interfere with them, Tyler. We're here to treat the animals on the farm. Abandoned or injured coyotes are not our responsibility."
He nodded. He probably saw a little pale because she gave him a bottle of water.
Well before they reached the farm, Tyler saw the extent of the damage. It was still dark outside but the men of the manhunt had flashlights and lanterns. The first car stopped.
"You drive on, I'll take inventory here," Jared said.
The rest drove on to the farm. According to the reports, the largest group of coyotes had already been pulled away, yet the place was brightly lit and many men with weapons were hunting.
"The smell of all that blood could attract any stragglers," Niccolo said upon seeing Tyler's frown.
Jaoco interpreted for them and soon they set up a priority list. The horses were looked at first. This beautiful breed with its slender legs and sensitive belly was vulnerable to low predators. Tyler saw the impact of a simple bite and threw up. The animal had died, but the sight of the viciously ripped belly was just as much a reality.
"I get it, Tyler, but I need you. Stay with me," Fleur said understanding, but direct. He went out of his way to look at the situation as clinically as possible, but he saw the grief of the Diaz family. Benito, his wife and their five children, the smallest of whom have a baby, were completely distraught.
With regularity, shots rang out. Tyler could hear the difference between a shot in the air and the shots that didn't miss, usually followed by the stopping anxious cries. Once they had seen and stabilized all the horses that had to be treated, the real work began.
"I have it under control here," Fleur said. "Tyler, you go with Niccolo to the next stable. See if they need help there. If there's anything, I'll send for you. And Tyler?"
"Yes?"
"You did a good job with the bags and with the rest. You are an asset to this team." She smiled at him and then returned to work.
In the other barn, the team had already started treatment. Where necessary, he jumped in.
It also became clear to Tyler where the shots came from. Any animal that had serious injuries such as a broken leg or a serious abdominal wound was led out and shot. There was also a foal in line and the young animal was limping anxiously. "What's wrong with that foal?" he asked Dylan.
Without looking up, he said: "A tendon was bitten in his hind leg."
"But that's fixable, right?" said Tyler. "We can do that in the clinic. Where's Jared?"
As a man on a mission, he went looking for Jared. He scoured the grounds and started running. "Jared?" he called out loudly. Men looked up, but no one responded. The line behind him got shorter. "Jared?" he shouted now.
"Tyler?" Jared was standing with a group of armed men.
"You have to come," he said, pulling him by the arm. "They're about to shoot a foal that we can save. Which you can save."
"What's wrong with it?" asked Jared.
"A tendon has been bitten through, nothing else. Come with me!" Incomprehension spread across his face because Jared didn't make any attempt to follow him. "Don't you understand me? We can save this foal!" he shouted loudly.
"Tyler?" began Jared in a soft tone. "No," he shook his head. "It's a foal with a life ahead of him. This doesn't have to end like this. We can help him." He could feel the tears burning in his eyes. "You can buy it for me. Please, Jared," he begged.
He heard the fearful gasp of the young animal behind him. Jared pulled him in his arms and covered his ears and face. The shot sounded in the night and the sound shocked through his body. "I'm sorry, Tyler," Jared whispered his ear. He cradled him in his arms. "I'm so sorry."
Without letting go of him, Jared spoke to the men who stood with them. They all patted him, not one, on the shoulder. "Everyone thinks you're brave because you stood up for the animal."
Tyler wasn't sure if he could put his arms around Jared with so many witnesses, so he simply leaned into Jared's arms. "I don't know why. It didn't make a difference. His fate was sealed" he muttered sadly.
"Yes, but people here appreciate the lives of their animals as if it were their own. So your compassion for the fate of a simple foal, means much to them."
Jared took him to the farm. "I'll introduce you to the family."
Tyler protested. "No. How can I show my sorrow to them? This is their livelihood."
The family was close when they approached. "Ola," Jared greeted them.
In Spanish, he spoke to them. Tyler knew it was about him because they were all looking at him. The gratitude in their eyes was more than he could handle. Silent tears flowed down his cheeks. "Could you say I sympathize with their loss?" he asked Jared.
This one put an arm around him and pulled him next to him. "Of course," Jared said, adding deed at word.
Everyone was quiet on the way back. Now that the sun was up they could see the carcasses in the vast fields.
The remaining team turned the clinic for hours while the rest went to evaluate. Emotionally exhausted, Tyler listened to the stories and admired their professionalism. Although he could clearly see that all had been struck by what they had found, everyone had executed their job to the best of their ability.
That was exactly what Jared praised at the end of the meeting. "You all did a great job. The Diaz family is very grateful for the help. With the animals we've been able to save, they hope to make it through the winter. We'll keep an extra eye on them. Thank you for your attention." He followed with: "Get some rest. Eat something. We'll meet again at three o'clock."
For a moment Tyler lingered to see what Jared would do, but it soon became clear to him that no attention was paid to him at all. The group disintegrated into junior doctors, junior doctors and assistants. Only Tyler went his own way.
Because he didn't feel like moping in his cottage and thinking about everything that had happened that night, he looked up Jaoco. The man who did everything in the camp was busy preparing for lunch. "Can I help?" asked Tyler.
"Please," said the man.
Happy with the distractions, he cut vegetables, rolled meatballs and peeled potatoes. The meal soup smelled good and was combined with homemade bread.
By lunchtime, he was actually hungry. With taste he ate his meal and with more perspective could look back on everything that had occurred that morning. At the second meeting, a few details emerged that had been forgotten at first. However, it became clear that the protocols that had been used worked well. Fleur praised Tyler for packing the extra bag. "It came in handy."
"In all of the chaos, we would almost forget," Fleur said. "But Jared, Tyler and myself leave tomorrow. Starting at eight o'clock there is a large fire with drinks and music in the courtyard."
That was received with cheers. After today, everyone would need some innocent entertainment.
Tyler did his best to stay away from Jared, but it soon became apparent that he could save himself the trouble. Jared didn't show up until at the party, where he seemed stuck to his beautiful fiancée's hip. Over the shoulder of Fleur, who had comfortably nestled against his chest, he peered at Tyler with a searing look.
Unable to play the game because Fleur would certainly intercept his looks, he kept his eyes on the ground. His body was trembling at the memory of Jared's caresses. He was such an idiot! Again, he fallen for the moves of Jared. He detested himself about the ease jared had seduced him with.
"Hey, Tyler." Dylan sat next to him. "I heard the story of Niccolo, about that foal?" He bumped Tyler with his shoulder. "Brave of you."
Despondently, Tyler shook his head. "At home, the foal would be treatable. Like many of the other animals. It's different here. The reality was just as much."
"Hey, is it okay that I'm sitting here next to you? Jared throws me deadly looks," Dylan wobbled nervously back and forth.
Tyler took a sip of his beer. "Jared shouldn't whine," he bit curtly. Tyler moved closer to Dylan. He took his left arm and pulled it over his shoulder so he lay comfortably against Dylan's chest and neck. "Ignore him. I do."
They stayed together all night. The guitar music and vocals were infectious and there was plenty of dancing. During a slow song, Dylan pulled Tyler up and took him in his arms. "Dance with me," he said.
Tyler looked at him wavering. "Really?"
"Come on."
Uncomfortably, Tyler let Dylan guide him.
Near his ear, he heard whisper: "Do you still want to kiss another man?"
Tyler swallowed. Wasn't everything even more confusing than before? What if he got answers like this? "Okay."
Dylan raised Tyler's chin with a finger. He left the initiative to his partner. His lips were soft and cautious. Slowly, they insisted a little more. Tyler tried to respond, but it was in vain. Careful not to hurt feelings, he withdrew. They were still moving to the music.
"No, it's not going to work," Dylan said sadly. "Did you find your answer?"
Tyler left his head alone wistfully on Dylan's chest. "I'm afraid so." He sighed. "Dylan? Is it too much to ask that you hold me now?"
Dylan shook his head. "No, Tyler. That's fine."
At the end of the party, Dylan brought Tyler to his cottage and said goodbye. Now that Tyler was closing the door behind him, he didn't realize how tired he was. Looking at his watch and counting on his fingers, he came to the conclusion that he had been up for almost forty hours. He had just changed for the night when there was a knock on the door.
"Tyler? Open up. I want to talk to you."
Unseen for Jared, he blew out annoyed. This was a conversation he could miss as a toothache. "It's late, Jared and I'm exhausted. Go away."
"Let me in. Or do you have company?" insisted his late visitor.
"Don't be so retarded and leave me alone," Tyler said briefly. "I'll get Jaoco, who has a spare key of all the cottages," Jared angrily threatened.
"You do that," he responded with a carelessness he didn't feel. "Tell him to take Fleur with him so you can explain what you need to discuss with me."
Jared cursed. "Don't think you don't have to take responsibility." With one last ferocious fist on the door, he left.
Tyler was shaking on his bed. However, it was not fear that moved his body. Every fiber in his body craved Jared. After his failed test with Dylan, this had become painfully clear to him. He was Jared's, and there was no denying this. 'The point was, no matter how many times Jared made him say he was his, this wasn't true the other way around', Tyler thought sadly. With his arms put around his pained body, he fell asleep.