27. Cal
CHAPTER 27
CAL
I could’ve gotten drunk off the feelings Greg was sending through our bond. I didn’t want to tell him, but blocking him this morning had been extremely unpleasant. The bond had resisted, fighting me every minute. And I had, oddly, missed him. Missed his presence in my head, even though I’d only had him there full-time for a few hours.
But now the bond was open again, and I was getting sexual arousal galore. Greg’s eyes glowed silver with it. But behind that were strong feelings of something I thought was moving toward love. And a little bit of disbelief-slash-awe that I was happy to be with him.
Yeah, I could get drunk off those emotions.
I stood up from the table and quickly put the dishes in the sink. Greg brought the glasses, and we both washed our hands.
I took his clean hand in mine and dragged him toward the bedroom. Ms. Jackson was sacked out on the couch and didn’t twitch at us rushing past.
But the bedroom was where we’d left our phones .
And contrary to my assumption that people would wait until a decent hour to start trying to contact us, they’d already texted. And called.
The other DMs wanted an update, and Delphia wanted more than one sentence out of Greg about how he was feeling and his overall health.
Greg said, “Let’s just turn the phones off for a while.”
His phone beeped again. Then mine.
I sighed. “It’s tempting, but I’m not sure I’d be able to relax knowing your mom and everyone were waiting on us to respond.”
Greg nodded dejectedly and sank down on the edge of the bed. He picked up his phone, took a deep breath, and called his mother back.
After a brief discussion with her, we decided to set up a Zoom call so Greg and I only had to tell the story one time. We managed to push everyone off another hour so he and I could get cleaned up, but it wasn’t enough time for sex. Or at least not for the kind of sex I was planning to have.
But getting cleaned up required getting dressed. And my t-shirt and jeans from the night before were covered in Greg’s blood. Even if I ran them through his washing machine, it wouldn’t save them. And nothing of Greg’s would fit me.
I texted Steve, who for whatever Steve reason was awake at this ungodly hour, and he agreed to run by my apartment and grab some clothes.
He made it with ten minutes to spare. He handed over the clothes, but then he stood next to the couch, scratching Ms. Jackson behind the ears with an expectant expression on his face .
“Thanks for getting the clothes for me,” I repeated, holding the door open for him to leave.
Greg, who was sitting next to Ms. Jackson since we couldn’t be very far apart right now, said, “Yes, thanks. I don’t need my mother seeing my boyfriend’s naked chest.”
Steve didn’t move. “You didn’t tell me how you ruined yesterday’s clothes.”
I shook my head. “Our Zoom call is on that very topic, but you can’t stay for it. I promise I’ll give you and Felix the complete rundown over beers, okay?”
He pointed at me. “Tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest.”
“Yes, yes, fine.”
He left, and I put my clothes on right there in the living room. I laughed when I saw the t-shirt Steve had picked out. He’d always had great instincts. Greg was not as amused as I was at “Marked safe from vampires today”.
When we got on the Zoom call, the other Texas DMs were already there. Ric from the West Texas District, Shane from the Southeast Texas District, Ellis from the Northeast Texas District, and Caroline, Greg’s niece, from the Texas Panhandle District.
Caroline was just as attractive as Greg, and she had his coloring. She inspected me carefully and gave my t-shirt a thumbs up. I was looking forward to meeting her in person.
We were joined by Reno, the Seer who was the acting DM for the South Texas District, and of course Delphia, sitting in a row in front of her camera with Dominic and Edgar.
Greg and I told everyone what we remembered from last night. When we got to the end of our tale, with Greg stating he was healed from his injuries, the others congratulated us on our bonding before barraging us with questions.
But all of our answers were variations of We don’t know .
We don’t know where the vampires are going next.
We don’t know who the friendly vampire is or how he knows us.
We don’t know why the vampires have been targeting Wonders instead of humans.
We don’t know what Ms. Jackson is, and neither do they. This last one was reconfirmed by having Ms. Jackson get on the call in their tiger form. No one was happy with their lack of answers. After everyone had questioned them, they stayed on the call, sitting on the floor between Greg and my chairs and staring curiously at the screen.
Finally Delphia said, “We’ll have to stay on alert and keep reminding the Wonders not to go anywhere alone.”
We all nodded. Greg cleared his throat and said, “Cal is going to reach out to Mr. Cruz, the Build Barn General Manager who helped us last night. We need to make sure he’s not having a mental breakdown and/or posting shit on the internet. But, Mom, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and he doesn’t like his job.”
Dominic sat up in his chair. “He’s a General Manager, you said?”
Greg and I nodded. I said, “He was in the Army for twenty years and he’s been managing the Build Barn for a few years since then. He seemed all about operations and people management.”
Dominic and Delphia exchanged a look. He said, “Ask him if he’s interested, and we’ll set up an interview. ”
“Will do.”
Delphia said, “Okay, everybody, thanks for attending this call on short notice. Greg, get some rest. Everyone else, stay in touch and alert us if anything out of the ordinary happens.”
Before she could end the call, Ms. Jackson reared up on their hind legs and put their front paws on the table on either side of Greg’s laptop.
A loud rumble—not quite a purr, not quite a growl—emanated from their chest.
Greg and I both leaned to the side to give them room.
“What’s the matter, Ms. Jackson?” I asked.
They lifted one huge paw and carefully tapped it on the laptop screen. It fell flat to the table despite their care.
I leaned around Ms. Jackson to reposition the screen.
Greg asked, “You want to talk to one of them?”
In the small Zoom image of the three of us, I saw No sparkle on Ms. Jackson’s chest.
Then they spelled out, G-O .
My eyebrows climbed even higher. “You want to go somewhere?”
They made a huffing noise and spelled, T-W-O .
“You want to go to two places?”
They huffed and the Ouija board sparkled all over. Everyone had already learned that meant they didn’t know the answer. Then they lifted their paw and tapped the screen again, more gently this time.
Greg looked up at them. “Are you saying you want to visit two of the people on this call? ”
Yes sparkled. Ms. Jackson’s expression said we were idiots for not figuring that out earlier.
Shrugging, I said, “Okay.” I’d gotten pretty good at twenty questions. “Is one of them Ric?” I pointed to him on the screen.
No flashed.
“Reno?” His image was to the right of Ric’s.
No .
“Ellis?”
Yes flashed. Ellis appeared stunned.
“Okay, and maybe Shane?”
Yes .
Shane said, “Uh, you’re absolutely welcome to come see me and Ellis. But, why?”
Ms. Jackson’s entire board flashed.
Shane nodded. “Okay. Uh, maybe Ellis and I should come pick you up together? Then we can try to figure out what you need from us.”
Yes flashed on Ms. Jackson’s board.
Ellis nodded hesitantly. “Shane and I will work out our travel and let Cal and Greg know.”
I thought of something. “Hey, that reminds me. I was talking to Greg about why Wonders who travel don’t get connected to the DM of the District they’re traveling in as well as their home District. Has anyone tried that?”
No one had .
Greg said, “Then when the two of you come to pick up Ms. Jackson, I’ll ask some of the Wonders who travel regularly if they’d mind being test subjects to try to connect to one or both of you.”
We all agreed that would be worthwhile, then we were finally able to end the call.
Ms. Jackson, their future trip arranged, had retired to the couch and was licking their front paw in a satisfied manner.
I went over to sit next to them, and I put my arm across their back. “I understand if you feel you need to go, but Greg and I will miss having you here.”
They flicked an ear at me then leaned over and plopped their very heavy head on my lap for scratches.
Greg put his laptop in his office before coming out and hovering uncertainly next to the couch. I got a mix of impatience and lust through the bond.
I smirked at him. “What’s up?”
He glared at me. “You know very well what’s up. This is up.” He pointed at his dick, which was indeed trying to fight its way out of his jeans.
I stroked Ms. Jackson’s head and pretended to ponder the situation. “I guess I should help you out with that.”
He put his hands on his hips and deadpanned, “If you would be so kind, I’ll make it worth your while.”
I stroked Ms. Jackson’s fur one last time. “Sorry,” I told them. “Greg and I have to make sure our bond sticks permanently.”
Could natural tigers roll their eyes like that?
Ms. Jackson allowed me to get up off the couch, and I stalked behind Greg all the way to the bedroom .
He turned to face me, pulling at his t-shirt. I ditched mine and quickly kicked off my jeans. I herded him gently toward the bed, pausing only to get rid of my underwear. He froze, one arm free of his shirt and one still inside.
“Damn,” he said, gawking at my dick. He licked his lips. Through our bond I could feel his anticipation.
I went over to help him finish getting the shirt over his head. His eyes tracked my progress, noting every bounce as I moved.
I stopped in front of him and extracted the hem of his shirt from his fingers, then I pulled it over his head. He blinked, turning red as he met my eyes.
“Sorry. I was just a little startled. I’d thought you were big, but damn.”
I kissed him softly. “If you’re not up for this right now, we can?—”
“No! I’m up for it.” He pointed at his own dick, which was now trying to escape the waistband of his boxers. “Remember? Very up for it.”
Everything I was getting through our bond confirmed what he was saying. Greg was ready to jump my bones.
“Okay.” I tried to decide how to proceed. I wasn’t sure if he was completely healed from last night, and I didn’t want him to overexert himself.
Greg patted my chest and said, “I’m fine. I’ll tell you if I’m not.”
I ran a hand over my face and beard. “Yeah, sorry.”
He looked at me with those unnaturally bright silvery eyes. “We’re just two adults, about to have sex. Nothing unusual to see here. ”
I scoffed. “Except your eyes are glowing.” But I put my arms around him and stepped in for a kiss.
We hadn’t kissed properly since the bond had taken hold. I’d thought kissing while we were connected was amazing, but this was stupendous. I could feel what Greg was feeling. Completely.
He liked my beard, and the heat of my mouth. And holy shit did he like my furry belly against his smoother one. And the hair on my chest against his nipples... fuck.
I slid a hand between us and tweaked one of his nipples. Greg cried out, and so did I. It was like a boomerang. He felt a bolt of lightning go straight to his balls, and the same thing happened to me.
“Fuck,” I said, breaking away to pant against Greg’s neck. Somehow one of his legs had wrapped around my thigh, and one of my hands was inside his boxers, cupping his ass cheek. The front of his underwear was soaked, both of us leaking onto the fabric.
“Bed.” Greg unhooked his leg and nudged me back toward the mattress. “I don’t think I can last very long with all of that feedback.”
“No shit. It’s fucking intense.” I sat on the edge of the bed and watched Greg strip out of his damp boxers. His dick slapped against his belly, leaving a large wet spot. He was cut and thick. I licked my lips. “Come here,” I said, reaching for his hips. I needed to taste him.
“Nuh uh.” He skipped back out of reach. “If you blow me, I’ll come. And I want you inside me.”
We both pictured what that would be like, and the competing images in our brains made our dicks jerk in unison .
“Fuck.” I bent over, trying not to come. “Where’s your lube? And can we go bare? I’m on PrEP.”
“Same. And definitely. I don’t want to miss any of this sensation.” Greg clamped his fingers around the base of his dick as he hurried over to the nightstand. Sweat gleamed on his back. He had the most perfect ass I’d ever seen.
I averted my gaze and sucked air in through my teeth. I just had to hold out a little longer. My balls were ready to explode, they were so tight.
Greg stood in front of me, holding out the lube. “I don’t think I can do this without coming.”
I flinched away and held up my hands to ward him off. “And you think I can? Shit, Greg, I’m not sure I can touch you at all without coming.”
We stared at each other, trying to figure out a way around this conundrum.
“Maybe we need to invest in some cock cages,” I suggested.
Greg’s eyes practically bulged they went so wide. “How am I supposed to get soft enough to get this into a cock cage?” he demanded, waving at his purpled dick. The only feeling I was getting through our bond was a pulsing arousal.
I was in a similar state.
He stretched his hand out to me again, trying to get me to take the lube. “You’re younger than I am, so you’ll have a shorter refractory period.”
Well, shit. “Okay, but for the record, I object to having to come without you.” I took the lube without touching Greg’s fingers. Then I paused. “You know, given the feedback loop we’ve been experiencing, I’m not sure either of us will be able to blow without the other one following along. ”
“Fuck.” He grabbed his hair with both hands and pulled. “Just do your best to stave it off.”
I scooted back to the other side of the bed so Greg could get on the mattress. He laid down on his back and pulled his knees to his chest. I could already smell his precome.
I took one look at his hole. Not only did Greg trim his pubes, which was only polite, but he also waxed his fucking crack. Holy shit, that was hot. My balls tightened, and my cock throbbed.
“Fuck!” I twisted away, clamping my fingers around my dick again.
“Okay, okay,” I chanted. “I can do this. Hang on.” I shut my eyes and visualized the equipment list on my barbarian’s character sheet from my last D&D game. After a moment I felt back in control.
I tentatively let go of my dick, but I kept my fingers hovering around it for a second to make sure I was out of danger. Relieved, I quickly poured the lube onto my fingers, but when I tossed the tube to the side, I preemptively gripped my dick again before turning back around.
I opened my eyes just wide enough to see where Greg was, then I slammed them shut again. The image was seared on my brain, but somehow the picture wasn’t as triggering as the real thing. Except the joke was on me when I reached out and used the back of my hand to trail down Greg’s thigh to his ass. Not being able to see made the places where we touched feel electrified, and that sensation ricocheted through our bond.
Greg’s entire body twitched, and he muttered, “Fuck,” when I reached his hole .
I ran my lubed fingers over his opening. The nerve endings sang through Greg’s body, and we both gasped.
Greg arched his ass toward me. “Just do it,” he gritted out. His balls were drawn up against his body.
Fuck it, prep would have to be fast. I gave up trying not to look and watched avidly as I slid one finger into him. We shivered at the sensation, and I sent an image of what I was seeing to Greg.
This was torture. I badly wanted to loosen the hold I had on my dick and stroke myself off.
He relaxed his muscles and said, “Two more. Now.” His eyes, glowing silver, were trained on what he could see of my hand as I thrust into his hole.
I didn’t ask him if he was sure. I could feel it. I eased two more fingers in, then pushed and pulled to make sure he was loose enough.
“I’m fine,” he barked. “Give me your cock, now!”
“Stop yelling!” I glared at him. “You said you hadn’t bottomed in a long time! Excuse me for trying to make sure you aren’t in pain.”
He bared his teeth. “I’m in pain now because you won’t give me your cock!”
“Fine!” I jerked my hand out of his ass without trying to be gentle.
I didn’t miss his grimace, and I winced at the twinge that came through our bond. Still he hissed, “Do it! Put it the fuck in!”
Rolling my eyes would’ve taken too much time. I used the remaining lube on my hand to slick up my dick, then I positioned myself at Greg’s hole .
“Now, dammit!” He let go of his legs and wrapped them around my waist.
Gritting my teeth and glaring into Greg’s eyes, I released my fingers from their vise around my dick and pressed inside.
I wasn’t prepared to experience not only how my dick felt with Greg’s body surrounding and stroking it but also how Greg felt, with my dick brushing over his prostate and filling him.
I hadn’t completed the first thrust before we both came.
My balls emptied into Greg as his dick pulsed between our bodies. I cried out as our orgasms careened through both of us. We shuddered and throbbed for what seemed like minutes, though it was probably only seconds.
I collapsed onto Greg, and he held me close, wrapping his arms and legs around my back.
“Fucking hell,” I gasped into his neck.
“No shit.”
Through our bond I could tell Greg was feeling content, relaxed, satisfied, and... proud of himself?
I lifted my head. “Are you feeling smug because of how fast I came?”
He opened his eyes and grinned at me. “Well, I wasn’t, but only because I hadn’t thought of it. So now I am.”
I tickled him just below his ribcage, and he shouted, scrabbling at my arm to get me to stop.
“Hey! Some of us are trying to sleep here!” The guy next door pounded on the wall, and we froze.
Greg’s eyes narrowed, and he took in a breath to yell back, but I grabbed both of his wrists and pinned him to the mattress.
“Don’t waste your energy.”
I went in for a kiss but he pretended to try to bite my nose.
“No you don’t,” I said. “Tell me why you were so smug a minute ago.”
He huffed and practically pouted. “No. The moment is gone.” He glared up at the wall.
I got a kiss in that time. “Tell me.”
He let out an aggrieved sigh. “Fine. I was thinking I was proud to be the only person compatible with you, which meant I got the best mate of anyone. No one else’s mate will even come close.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you happy now?”
I laughed and kissed him again. “I really am.”