Chapter Nine #2
“Stay there,” Grayson said.
Ryan turned his head on the pillow. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his face flushed. “Not sure I could move if I wanted to. Pretty sure my bones have dissolved.”
Grayson climbed off the bed and headed to the bathroom. The tile was cold under his feet. He grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet and ran it under warm water, testing the temperature against his wrist. Not too hot. Ryan’s skin would be sensitive right now.
When he returned to the bedroom, Ryan hadn’t moved. He lay sprawled on his stomach, his legs slightly parted, his breathing still uneven. The sight of him made something possessive curl through Grayson’s gut. His mate. Marked and claimed and his.
Grayson sat on the edge of the bed and pressed the warm cloth between Ryan’s legs. Ryan’s whole body jerked, a gasp escaping his throat.
“Cold,” Ryan said into the pillow.
“Warm,” Grayson corrected. He cleaned Ryan gently, wiping away the evidence of what they'd done. His mate's body was still relaxed, still open. The trust in that made Grayson’s lion purr with satisfaction.
Ryan made soft sounds as Grayson worked, little gasps and sighs that went straight to Grayson’s cock.
He ignored it. His mate needed care right now, not another round.
Grayson finished cleaning him and tossed the washcloth toward the bathroom.
It landed somewhere in the darkness. He’d deal with it later.
“Roll over,” Grayson said.
Ryan obeyed slowly, his movements uncoordinated. He ended up on his back, staring up at Grayson with glazed eyes. His cock lay soft against his stomach, spent. The bite mark on his shoulder was already darkening, a perfect impression of Grayson’s teeth.
Grayson’s hand moved to touch it. Ryan flinched at the contact then relaxed. The skin was hot under Grayson’s fingers, slightly raised. His mark. His claim. Everyone who saw it would know Ryan belonged to someone.
“You bit me,” Ryan said. His voice came out hoarse. “During. You bit my shoulder.”
“Yes.” Grayson traced the edge of the mark with his thumb. The shape of it was clear, each tooth visible. He hadn’t broken the skin, but he’d come close. The bruise would last for days.
“Is that a shifter thing?” Ryan’s hand came up to touch the mark, his fingers brushing against Grayson’s. “The biting? Does it mean something?”
“It means you’re mine.” The words came out rougher than Grayson intended. The lion was too close to the surface, still riding the high of finally completing the bond. “It’s a claim. So everyone knows.”
Ryan’s eyes went wide. “Everyone. As in other shifters? As in they’ll be able to look at me and know I’m your mate.”
“Yes.”
“That’s kind of hot.” Ryan’s laugh came out breathy. “In a possessive caveman sort of way. Should I be concerned about the possessive-caveman vibes?”
“No.” Grayson leaned down and kissed the mark gently. Ryan’s pulse jumped under his lips. “You liked it.”
“I mean I was kind of busy having the best orgasm of my life, so I wasn't really in a position to form opinions about the biting.” Ryan’s hand moved to Grayson’s hair, his fingers threading through the strands.
“But yeah. I liked it. I like that people will know I’m yours.
That’s probably weird. I’m probably weird. ”
“Not weird.” Grayson moved up the bed and pulled Ryan against him. His mate came easily, settling into the curve of Grayson’s body. The fit was perfect, like they'd been designed to slot together. Ryan’s head tucked under Grayson’s jaw, his breath warming the hollow of Grayson’s throat.
They lay like that for several minutes. Ryan’s breathing gradually evened out, his body going loose and pliant.
Grayson’s hand moved in slow circles on Ryan’s back, feeling the knobs of his vertebrae through his skin.
His mate was small against him, fragile.
The need to protect him, to keep him safe from everything that wanted to hurt him, burned through Grayson’s system like fire.
“I can feel you thinking,” Ryan said against his throat. “Your body just tensed up. What’s wrong?”
Grayson forced himself to relax. His mate was too perceptive, too good at reading him. “Nothing's wrong.”
“Liar.” Ryan pulled back enough to look at him. His eyes were clearer now, the post-orgasm haze fading. “You’re worried about something. The hyenas?”
“They’ll come back.” Grayson couldn’t lie to his mate. The bond wouldn’t allow it. “Tonight was just a test. They wanted to see what kind of resistance they'd face. Now they know.”
Ryan’s expression did something complicated. The satisfaction from moments ago faded, replaced by something harder. “They know you’re a lion. That you have a pride backing you up. Won't that make them back off?”
“No.” Grayson’s hand stilled on Ryan’s back. “It'll make them more careful. More vicious. Hyenas are scavengers but they’re not cowards. When they want something badly enough, they’ll take risks.”
“And they want the dogs that badly.” Ryan’s voice had gone flat. “Because the dogs are profitable. Because hurting them makes money.”
“Yes.”
Ryan was quiet for a long moment. His fingers traced patterns on Grayson’s ribs, the touch light and probably unconscious. Grayson could feel him thinking, processing. His mate's mind was always working, always trying to understand the world around him.
“What happens now?” Ryan asked finally. “Do I go back to work tomorrow? Pretend everything is normal? Or do I hide here until you've dealt with the hyenas?”
“You go to work.” Grayson’s hand resumed the slow circles on Ryan’s back. “We'll have people watching. If anything feels wrong, if anyone approaches you, you leave immediately and call me.”
“That’s a lot of trust you’re asking for.” Ryan’s gaze searched Grayson’s face. “Trusting that your people will keep me safe. Trusting that the hyenas won't just grab me in the parking lot. Trusting that this whole situation won't end with me dead in a ditch somewhere.”
The image Ryan painted made something violent rise in Grayson’s throat. His lion snarled at the thought of anyone touching his mate, of Ryan hurt or scared or worse. The need to lock Ryan in this room, to keep him here where nothing could reach him, pulled at Grayson’s consciousness.
“That won't happen,” Grayson said. The words came out harder than he meant them to. “I won't let it happen.”
“You can’t control everything.” Ryan’s hand moved to cup Grayson’s face, his thumb brushing along his jaw. “You’re powerful and scary and apparently you can turn into a lion, but you’re not invincible. The hyenas could get lucky. They could catch me when your people aren't watching. They could—”
Grayson kissed him. Cut off the spiral of fear with his mouth. Ryan made a sound of surprise that melted into something softer. His body relaxed against Grayson’s, the tension bleeding away. When Grayson pulled back, Ryan’s eyes were glazed again.
“You’re really good at the distraction thing,” Ryan said. His voice came out breathless. “Just kiss me until I stop thinking about horrible possibilities.”
“If it works.” Grayson’s thumb traced along Ryan’s lower lip. The skin there was swollen from kissing, darker than usual. His mate was marked inside and out now, claimed in every way that mattered.
Ryan’s tongue darted out to touch Grayson’s thumb. The wet heat of it made Grayson’s cock twitch with interest. His mate noticed, his eyes dropping down between them.
“Already?” Ryan’s laugh was soft. “We just finished. How are you already thinking about round two?”
“Shifter stamina.” Grayson rolled them until Ryan was on his back, Grayson’s weight pressing him into the mattress. “And you’re my mate. Being near you is enough.”
“That’s a lot of pressure.” Ryan’s legs fell open, making room for Grayson between them. “What if I can’t keep up? What if my human stamina is embarrassing compared to your shifter stamina?”
“Then I’ll take care of you until you’re ready again.” Grayson’s mouth found the mark on Ryan’s shoulder. The skin there was hot, slightly raised. Ryan’s pulse jumped under his tongue. “And again. And again.”
Ryan’s breath hitched. His hands moved to Grayson’s shoulders, fingers digging into the muscle there. “That sounds like a threat.”
“It’s a promise.” Grayson traced his tongue along the edge of the bite mark.
Ryan’s whole body arched up, a gasp tearing from his throat.
The reaction made satisfaction curl through Grayson’s gut.
His mate was sensitive there now, the mark connecting them in ways Ryan probably didn’t understand yet.
“Okay,” Ryan breathed. His head fell back against the pillow, exposing his throat. “I’m on board with this promise. Very on board. Enthusiastically on board.”
Grayson’s hand moved down Ryan’s body, mapping the dips and curves. His mate was still loose from before, still relaxed. The evidence of what they'd done was visible in the way Ryan’s body responded, in the sounds he made when Grayson’s fingers brushed between his legs.
“Too soon,” Ryan said. His voice wavered. “I need more time. I’m not a shifter with magical recovery powers.”
Grayson’s mouth moved to Ryan’s jaw, trailing kisses along the line of it. “Then I’ll make you ready.”
“That sounds ominous.” Ryan’s laugh came out shaky. “Also hot. Mostly hot. Why is everything you say hot?”
Grayson didn’t answer. He simply nuzzled Ryan, pleased in ways he couldn’t even name.