Chapter 26 #2
So Ezra spent the next several minutes sharing with Saemund and Raum exactly what happened in the hangar after they left, including Hecate’s arrival and Her help.
Saemund appeared rather sanguine about the whole situation, but Raum was staring, wide-eyed, and he feared he might have put Raum off wanting a relationship with him. He hoped that wasn’t the case.
“Please don’t tell MERS about Hecate,” Ezra urged them both.
“I can’t stress how bad of an idea that is right now.
I trust Grendel and the sergeants not to do something to me, but it’s their superiors I worry about.
I don’t trust a government authority not to try and grab me for testing or some crazy shit.
And I especially don’t want any US government agencies finding out, either. ”
Saemund reached out across the island and touched Ezra’s hand where it lay on the island counter.
His touch was warm, gentle, and brief. He hummed thoughtfully, then pulled away.
“You carry a divine blessing. I’ve not seen a mortal carry the blessing of a deity in centuries.
It’s subtle and hard to see, but there are traces I can recognize. ”
“Do you think other people will be able to tell?” Ezra asked, worried. He feared what people would do or how they would react if they knew he was blessed by Hecate and carried the gift of Her power.
“Only if they’ve seen a divine blessing before will someone notice the signs,” Saemund reassured him, shaking his head.
“Hecate was subtle. You’re no saint or paladin burdened by a blessing so bright it shines to mortal eyes.
I think you’re safe to go about your normal routine.
Just don’t tell people if you don’t want it getting out. ”
“I have no plan on sharing it with anyone other than the two of you, and maybe my mentor,” Ezra breathed out. “The fewer who know, the safer I am.”
“And on that note, I’m going to leave the two of you alone,” Saemund offered with a wry twist of his lips. “I have a son and daughter-in-law to visit.” He turned to Raum. “Call your mother sometime today before you go to bed. That’ll save you from a scolding tomorrow.”
“Will do,” Raum said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Goodbye,” Saemund said to them both, and within the blink of an eye, Saemund was gone.
There wasn’t even a puff of smoke or a ripple in the ambient magical fields. Not a sign that Saemund had teleported aside from his absence.
“That’s so cool,” Ezra sighed out, suddenly quite tired. He was drained mentally and emotionally, and physically ready for a nap. He needed some quiet time.
He was afraid to look at Raum, though. Afraid of what Raum felt. Maybe the incident with Morana and Hecate was enough to scare Raum away from Ezra or maybe his career was too much for the professor.
Raum shifted and slid an arm around Ezra’s shoulders, pulling him closer to his side. “I’m not going anywhere,” Raum said into his ear before pressing a kiss to Ezra’s temple.
Ezra forgot about Raum’s empathy. He turned his head enough to catch Raum’s lips in a soft, brief kiss. “You’re not?”
“I want you, and nothing you said or did today has made me want you less,” Raum said with all the seriousness of a vow.
“I still live several thousand miles away,” Ezra reminded Raum, and himself.
That was a big hurdle to a relationship.
Ezra was comfortable financially, but he could not afford the amount of international flights needed to maintain a healthy relationship.
Maybe Raum was willing to travel, too, to help share the load.
“This is going to be an expensive relationship if we choose to do this.”
“Come with me,” Raum said instead of addressing Ezra’s statement. He slid off his stool and tugged Ezra after him.
They walked into the main room of the apartment and Raum led him to a door beside the hallway that led deeper into the apartment.
They walked past the couch where Lilith lay curled up in a ball, fast asleep.
Raum opened the door, and Ezra looked straight into Raum’s office.
The same office that was at the university.
The underhill.
Raum gently tugged him inside and Raum shut the door. Raum took their joined hands and placed Ezra’s palm on the inside of the door, holding it firmly in place.
“Think of your place,” Raum instructed. “How the afternoon light comes through the windows, the smell of the kitchen, how the furniture is arranged in the living room. Familiar sounds from the street outside, or perhaps neighbors above or below you. The path you take when you come inside, where you place your keys and your wallet, your phone. Where does Lilith like to sleep, her favorite spots? Think of your home: the sounds, smells, temperature, the way it feels to walk through the front door and be home.”
Ezra closed his eyes and did as Raum said, thinking of every detail of his home, from the mess he left his bed in, to the dishes in the dishwasher, and the way the light from the streetlamp outside would cut through the evening gloom in his living room.
There was a brief shiver in the magic of the world, and then nothing. Ezra opened his eyes, and Raum let go of his hand and grabbed the doorknob, opening the door.
He was shocked to see his living room. Even expecting it, he was still shocked down to his toes.
Ezra gaped as he walked across the threshold and into the main room of his apartment, which served as both living and dining room, the kitchen separated by a bar and island seating off to the right.
The walls were a bright white with wood trim, and the early evening light ran across the floor and lit up the space.
There was an hour’s difference between Edmonton and San Francisco, just enough to have the light be at noticeably different angles.
Raum followed him into the apartment, leaving the office door open.
Ezra spun to see that the office door now sat in the wall that separated the living room from the bathroom, and he walked just far enough down the hall to see into the bathroom, which was intact.
He walked back to the main room and squinted at Raum, who chuckled.
“It takes some getting used to,” Raum admitted, hands in his pockets. He looked around, smiling when he spotted cat toys on the floor, a blanket askew on the couch, and an empty mug on a side table. “I figured showing you was easier than telling you.”
“That distance isn’t an obstacle and that we have no excuse not to try this relationship thing? Yeah, showing me helped a lot,” Ezra agreed. He went to Raum, and put his hands on Raum’s hips, looking up at him. “Can we do this?”
Raum put a hand on Ezra’s face, cupping his jaw, and he leaned down and kissed Ezra, slow and sweet.
He pulled back after a moment, Ezra humming in delight.
“Ezra, will you please date me? I had this epic speech planned, but I figure we’re both too tired right now.
I really like you, I don’t want this to end, and I want to get to know you better. ”
Ezra didn’t have to think about it. “I will absolutely date you. Please and thank you.”
Raum burst out laughing, and Ezra chuckled, going eagerly when Raum tugged him into a hug. He buried his face in Raum’s shoulder and held on tightly.
Raum
They managed to return to Edmonton and Raum’s apartment, peeled off their clothes, and then collapsed in Raum’s bed.
Raum was exhausted—Ezra was doing better, but they both elected to take a nap, and Ezra lay on Raum’s chest, breathing slow and deep, fast asleep.
Lilith had woken and come into the bedroom with them, and she was passed out beside her human, under the blankets, a tiny lump just visible by Ezra’s hip.
Raum didn’t care what time of the evening it was, or that going to bed so early would mess up his sleep schedule—they slept for several hours, and Raum woke around midnight feeling much improved.
His stomach growled, wanting something more substantial than the sandwich from earlier, but Ezra was still asleep, snuggled in tight and close, clinging to Raum as if afraid he would disappear in the night.
He refused to wake Ezra by getting out of bed.
Ezra was a cuddler, and Raum loved it.
A chirp came from his nightstand, and he carefully reached over and grabbed his phone, checking the notifications. He winced, realizing he forgot to call his mother. There was a rather pointed text from Freya telling him to check in as soon as possible.
Not wanting his mother to worry, he sent a text back, telling her he was fine and that he would call in the morning, along with an apology for not calling before he fell asleep.
Thankfully her reply was quick, meaning she was still awake, and she he told him to get some more rest. Freya was not a helicopter mom, but he figured a divine possession attempt and nearly getting buried in a magical blizzard would test even his mother’s boundless patience and nerves.
Raum put his phone back on the nightstand, and Ezra stirred on his chest. A soft groan, and Ezra stretched a bit, blinking sleepy eyes and cracking a huge yawn.
“Hey, go back to sleep,” Raum said softly, kissing Ezra’s forehead.
“What time is it?” Ezra mumbled, barely coherent.
“Just after midnight,” Raum said, brushing hair back from Ezra’s eyes, running his fingers down the side of Ezra’s face and then his shoulder, loving the slight shiver he felt go through the other man.
“Hmmm, do that again,” Ezra moaned, wiggling closer, despite being practically welded to Raum’s side.
Raum smiled and he repeated the gesture, running his fingers along Ezra’s shoulder, his smooth skin soft and supple, warm to the touch. Ezra all but purred, arching into the touches, a small smile on his lips, eyes heavy-lidded and nearly closed in pleasure.
Ezra glowed to his empathy, full of want and desire, arousal coursing through his aura and body.
Lilith, a smart kitty and clearly very wise, climbed out from under the blankets and escaped the bed with a disgruntled merp, leaving the bedroom.
Raum chuckled, and took the moment to gently roll them so Ezra lay on his back, pushing the blankets down and exposing the smooth and lean lines of Ezra’s body.
Ezra was beautiful. Not just his aura, which was full of crimson and burgundy streaks laced with gold, but also his body.
Ezra was already hard, cock flushed a deep pink and curling up toward his belly, precum beading at the tip.
Raum was just as hard, and he ached to feel Ezra tight around him again, hot and clenching.
Raum reached out and took Ezra’s cock in hand, lightly stroking the hot length in his palm, making Ezra arch into his touch.
“Come here,” Ezra ordered, tugging at his shoulders and pulling Raum down between his legs. “Fuck me, please.”
Raum took Ezra’s mouth in a deep kiss, thoroughly laying claim, and Ezra yielded beautifully, arching his hips up into Raum, brushing their cocks together, and Raum slid a hand between them, grabbing both their cocks and stroking them together.
Ezra whined deep in his throat and clung to Raum’s shoulders.
Lean legs went around his hips and held him in place, and Raum sent his hand lower, behind Ezra’s tight balls, and sought out the tightly furled muscle, stroking a fingertip over it.
Ezra gasped and squirmed, trying to push up into the touch.
“Please fuck me,” Ezra begged, lips wet and bruised from their kisses. His aura flashed a riot of colors, the depth of his need obvious and nearly painful in its yearning.
“Anything you want.” Raum’s resolve to take things slowly snapped, and he lurched across the bed to the nightstand, digging out the lube and returning to Ezra.
He knelt between Ezra’s legs and squeezed a large dollop of lube onto his fingers. He tossed aside the lube and applied a generous amount to Ezra’s hole, making Ezra gasp and arch up into the touch.
“More, please.”
“Don’t worry, I have you.”
Raum breached Ezra with a finger, the lube letting it glide inside in one smooth motion, and Ezra grabbed his knees and pulled his legs back, opening himself completely to Raum’s gaze and touch.
Raum added another finger, watching with his empathy as Ezra absorbed the sting and the burn, and knowing exactly when Ezra was ready, tension cresting, close to snapping and rolling over them both.
Raum withdrew his fingers and applied the lube to his cock. Ezra eagerly grabbed at him, pulling him down, and Raum nestled between Ezra’s thighs, lining up his cock and finding his target. He pressed inside, slowly, careful, not wanting to hurt Ezra.
Ezra chased the burn of entry and thrust upward, impaling himself on Raum, both of them gasping. Ezra was tight and hot, clenching and releasing, greedy and so very perfect. Raum was as deep as he could go, and he held still, battling the urge to plunder, waiting until Ezra was ready.
He sensed the moment Ezra wanted him to move, and he pulled back just an inch before pushing back in, rocking them slowly.
“You are perfect,” Raum breathed out, kissing Ezra before focusing on his lover’s pleasure, determined to make Ezra come apart in his arms.
He adjusted his aim until Ezra lit up like a rainbow of ecstasy, hitting his prostate. Ezra cried out and clung to Raum, and Raum increased his pace, making sure to hit Ezra’s pleasure spot over and over, making him tremble and sob.
Ezra was tight and hot, utterly perfect, and Raum held onto his control by the thinnest of margins, determined to make Ezra fly apart before following him in release.
It didn’t take long—Ezra came with a scream, spine bowed, head thrown back, and cum splattered across their bellies.
He clenched tightly on Raum’s cock, making him thrust harder, deeper, chasing his own orgasm, and he found it a few thrusts later, burying himself as deep as possible inside Ezra’s hot body.
He came hard, groaning, and he gathered Ezra to him and held on tight.
Ezra was shivering and gasping, his aura flooded by pleasure and release, and Raum let himself sink into Ezra, enjoying the connection.