Chapter 13.2
Our reflections rippled in the clear water when we reached the river’s edge. There was a certain hesitation in his expression that sent a pang through my chest when he looked at his reflection on the crystal surface. I could see his disgust at his appearance in the reflection. I knew it would take time for him to come to terms with his new body, and I had to give him that time, but I didn’t have to stop admiring his appearance.
He was stunning, even if he couldn’t see it yet. I found myself more than once admiring what he looked like. I squeezed his hand reassuringly, offering him some semblance of comfort as he looked at himself. The gesture brought his eyes back to me, and I got one of his smiles that made me want to lean forward and devour him—the honest one that reached those mesmerizing blue eyes that reminded me of the crystals from my world.
“Here, sit down and rest for a while before you bathe. I can get our water and get Dune cleaned up.” I gestured to the medium-sized rock by the water’s edge before tugging him over to it. I laid the blanket on the ground so he had a place to relax if he wanted to.
Dune made his way over, and I rubbed my hand down his face as Artemis sat down and looked out over the giant lake that had formed because of the dam just a few miles down the road.
I unhitched the water drums and set them down near our things. Once free of them, Dune ran full force into the water. The water splashed around his dark brown and tan body before he dunked his head under and started to swim. I heard Artemis chuckle behind me as he watched Dune play in the water. His large head was under its surface before he came up, spluttering and shaking the water from his eyes, pawing at what would no doubt be a rock.
I stripped off my boots and set them aside before taking my clothes off and tossing them onto the sand at my feet. I bent down to rummage in the basket for the soap and salt. I heard Artemis inhale before he cleared his throat. When I stood up, his cheeks were flushed, but he wasn’t looking at me.
I knew I had a great ass, even with my docked tail. It wagged just a little. I liked him looking at me.
I moved into the water. The cool liquid lapped against my bare skin. It felt amazing against the heat of the day. I whistled for Dune to come back to me.
“Dune,” I called his name this time, and Dune’s head came up, water cascading down his scales. A rock was clamped tightly between his teeth. “Put that down and come here.” Dune didn’t drop the rock he had been fishing for but came over to me to get scrubbed clean. I needed to clean off the dead scales that still covered him in patches where his scales had started to shed.
I poured the salt on the soap and started scrubbing his scales clean. I hadn’t been at it long when I heard the rustle of fabric. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Artemis pulling his shirt off over his head. I turned back around to finish with Dune, not wanting to get caught ogling him. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, but I snuck another look over my shoulder at Artemis to ensure he was okay when the sound of water calmed. He was on his knees washing his dirty hair. His head bent over, dirty suds splashed into the water, and then he dunked his head to rinse.
Water soaked the bandages he had left on his arms, which was fine because it would make it easier to peel them away from his skin if they were wet.
His wet hair clung to his face when he resurfaced, water droplets beading on his eyelashes. The sight made my heart flutter with an almost painful intensity. I willed myself to look away and focus on scrubbing Dune, but my gaze kept flickering back to him.
There was something deeply intimate about sharing this moment with Artemis: the quiet lapping of the water, the cool touch of the breeze, and the muted colors of daylight reflecting off his skin.
I finished with Dune, and he began to swim again, rock clamped between his jaws. Dune loved the water. I watched him for a few minutes as he started looking for another rock to dig out of the river. Then, I occupied myself with cleaning my body.
I rushed through cleaning myself and turned to Artemis. His body was visibly trembling. I approached him with concern, and his face flushed pink.
“Artemis.” He concentrated on what he was doing. I waded through the water towards him. He didn’t look up, his entire focus on trying to peel the bandages from his arms, but he was struggling to get ahold of the edge with his claws.
“You need help with that?” I asked, coming to a halt a few feet away. The water was almost waist-deep, and the rocks were slippery. Artemis jumped like he might fall, and I took his arm, holding him upright.
“I…” he started, then stopped abruptly, his words seemingly caught in his throat. He glanced up at me, his blue eyes wide. His face was hesitant, but the way he was panting told me just how much this was exhausting him.
“Here, let me.” I held out the soap. When he took it, I started working on the gauze wrapped around his forearms. I kept my eyes down to avoid making him uncomfortable and unwound the bandages. They slid free, and I threw them into the sand.
The scales on his arm didn’t look too bad. The red irritation of the remaining skin looked better as well. The black- green color was brighter. A healthy sheen coated the new scales as they grew in.
My fingers gently traced the damaged patches on his arms, feeling the still-raw edges against the pads of my fingers. His hissed intake of breath indicated discomfort, but he made no move to pull away. He only watched me with eyes that held more questions than there were stars in the night sky. “Sorry,” I whispered to him as I moved his arm slightly to see them from a different angle.
“It’s weird… seeing my body like this.” Artemis’s voice was barely above a whisper. He looked over the scales that covered his hands and up his arms.
I didn’t know what to say, so I kept quiet. I hated how much he seemed to fear what he had become. The changes were alluring. I found myself staring at his body more than once, following his movements, wanting to run my hands down his flesh. I hadn’t seen anyone so attractive in a long time. Pushing those thoughts aside, I inspected his wounds. He did seem to be healing very well. His missing spines had scabbed over nicely. I tried to keep my gaze neutral.
I moved behind him, still keeping my hands on his body to hold him up as I inspected his back. “I’m still sorry about this.” My fingers trailed over where I had removed his spines, making him shudder.
“I’m not.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I haven’t been able to sleep on my back in months. It’s kind of nice, but I can feel them growing back. They itch.” His hand returned, trying to rub one of the lower missing spines with his fingers.
I pushed his hand away and placed my own on a knot in his shoulder. I applied pressure with my fingers, slowly working out the tension. A low, throaty moan escaped from him, sending shivers down my spine, and it was the sexiest sound I had ever heard. It was a sound that made me feel powerful and desirable. My throat clicked as I swallowed. The intimacy of our bodies and the pleasure of his response overwhelmed me.
“Here, let me,” I offered again, reaching for the soap. He surrendered it to me with a weak nod, the skin of his neck blushing beautifully from his embarrassment. I liked seeing how I affected him on his skin. Something primal inside me noticed that he liked what I was doing to him.
His muscles were taut with stress and were probably very sore from healing. I couldn’t be sure. When I pressed harder, the hiss that escaped his lips made me pause.
“Please, don’t stop,” his voice was slightly breathy. I shut my eyes, trying to take deep, calming breaths to keep control of my body. I leaned down a little and took a deep breath through my nose as I continued, trying to take in his pheromones to smell what he was feeling and ensure I wasn’t hurting him in any way. The soft scent of his enjoyment eased something in me.
The breeze blew against my back. My silvery hair fluttered over his shoulder, laying across his skin. He chuckled and lifted a hand to play with the strands between his fingers.
“Sorry,” I muttered, brushing it back. “I should have pulled it back.”
“It’s okay. I love your hair. It’s such an amazing color.” Artemis turned his face to look at me briefly, bringing our mouths just centimeters apart. His eyes went to my lips for just a second. His cheeks flushed, and he turned his face back away from me. I could have taken his mouth just then, given in to all I wanted to do to him. I had been trying to keep my attraction for the man pushed down, but the feel of his skin under my hands while he was completely naked was testing my control.
He cleared his throat before continuing. “I um…” he stopped for a second, breathing. “I was blond till I got sick, and all my hair fell out. It grew back to this.” He raised a hand, pushing some of his now dark black hair out of his face.
“This color suits you. I like it,” I replied. “Here, lean up a little bit. I want to clean your back.” I was almost a head taller than him. It was hard not to notice how well he fit against my body. His head fit right under my chin, making me feel very protective of the smaller man. My body liked how well he fit against me.
Placing an arm around him, I laid my hand on the center of his chest and pushed gently at his body so he could lean into me, his back against my chest. I began to scrub gently at his shoulders, kneading the muscles as I did to his back to try to work out some of the tension. The soapy suds coated his skin. He sighed in relief. His arms fell to his sides as I worked.
I traced my fingertips down the defined lines of his chest, lingering over each rippled muscle before moving back up, my fingers brushing over one of his nipples. He arched back into me, eliciting a soft moan.
“Sorry,” As I whispered in his ear, I noticed the goosebumps on his skin. I brushed my fingers over him gently. “I didn’t realize you were sensitive.” I avoided touching his other nipple, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.
He let out a disappointed noise when I didn’t touch the other. “I didn’t used to be,” he told me, his breath catching in his throat. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and my pulse quickened.
“Am I hurting you?” My voice trembled, my fingers tracing the outline of his jaw. The thrill of turning him on made my body tingle with excitement.
He exhaled sharply, his breath warm against my skin. His head shook from side to side, and when his deep blue eyes met mine, I could see the inner turmoil reflected in them. “It’s just… strange,” he murmured, his voice slightly higher than usual. My heightened senses picked up on a faint hint of desire coming from him. I struggled to keep myself in check. I clenched my jaw and bit down on my tongue, trying to suppress the urge to sink my teeth into his shoulder in response.
“Strange?” I echoed, my voice soft as I fought with my own body. I needed him to tell me he didn’t want this. I had to fight the urge to pull him closer and offer more than a simple cleaning. I tried to still my hands, but I couldn’t seem to tear them from his body. I counted it as a win and made it to his arms. I held on to his forearms so that my hands stopped wandering over him.
“Yeah,” he murmured, his eyes flicking away from mine to stare at the now-starlit sky above us. “I’ve never felt like this before. Vulnerable but… safe,” he whispered the last word. “Like I’m meant to be right here. In your arms.”
“You feel safe with me?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said with some hesitation as if he was searching for the right words. His gaze returned to mine, eyes a little wide, pupils dilated. “Safer than I have felt in a long time.”
I swallowed hard, feeling my dead heart flutter within me at his confession. The words were both thrilling and terrifying. My nature was not one of protection. How long had it been since someone had been with me and felt safe?
“It… feels good.” It was a confession that hung heavily in the air between us. I froze, surprised by his vulnerability. “Please, don’t stop.” He raised both hands to my wrists, trying to urge me on.
“Okay,” I murmured as I eased my grip on him, my thumb sweeping soothing circles against the tops of his shoulders. I had to swallow to keep the arousal from showing through my voice because even if it didn’t affect him, my hands on his skin were affecting me. I willed my cock to go down. I was half-hard from just touching him.
Artemis’s fingers twitched around my forearm, their pointed tips sending a shiver up my spine. He nodded without opening his eyes, the lashes casting dark shadows on his cheekbones. He looked more fragile than I had ever seen him.
He needed someone to care for him, and I could be that person. I would fulfill all of his needs. First, I would get him clean. Then, I would take care of the lust. The smell was making my mind hazy. When his hips pushed back into me, I reached down with a hand to still him.
“Easy,” I murmured against the shell of his ear, my voice a low rumble. “Let me take care of you. I’ve got you.”
My heartbeat echoed louder in my ears as I tried to soothe and reassure him, but he could only manage a low hum in response. His body was pressed against me, warm and trembling slightly, and I found myself instinctively pulling him closer.
His trembling didn’t subside. One of his hands fell to my leg, gripping my thigh under the water. I bit my lip hard to keep myself from moaning, loving the feel of his hand on my skin. His tail twined around my leg under the water, the spikes barely brushing my flesh.
“I’m sorry,” he gasped, trying to steady his breathing. He reached down, trying to capture the prehensile appendage. Grabbing his wrist, I pulled it away. I liked that his body wanted to wrap around me.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for. Now, stay still so you don’t slip.”
A sigh escaped him, one of relief or resignation—maybe both. His fingers uncurled from their tight grip on my arm, briefly brushing down on my hand before retreating to cover my forearm. My threads burned brighter under his soft touch. My skin tingled everywhere he lit up. A shiver ran down my body.
His heart was beating frantically against his ribs. Before I pulled my hands back to continue my exploration of his flesh, all honest thoughts of cleaning him were tossed away. All I wanted was to feel the rest of him. I lightly ran my hand further as I soaped up his pert ass and the backs of his thighs. He felt terrific under my fingers. My cock took notice, stiffening despite the cold water lapping at our legs.
“Oh fuck,” he moaned, his chin dropping to his chest, jaw clenched tight as he started to hyperventilate. The moans coming from him made my cock twitch with interest. I wanted him to moan like that while he was wrapped around me.
He squirmed under my touch, his cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment. I shifted my grip on his tail, applying pressure to keep him still. I could feel his body trembling against mine as I gently traced circles along his tail.
“Breathe,” I reminded him, my voice a low growl against his ear. I worked the soap into the base of his tail, positive my fingers were rubbing an erogenous zone, though I was mindful not to touch the sensitive spikes. He took a sharp breath in response, then let it out slowly, matching my rhythm once more as I rubbed my hand back and forth. I had always relied on the ability to scent pheromones of my partner to make sure they liked what I was doing to them, and I knew what I was doing was driving him crazy.
“Stay still for me. I don’t want you to fall.” I leaned down and licked the side of his throat before running my soapy hand down the length of his tail, feeling how muscular it was before I trailed it back up.
He whimpered as his tail twitched again in my grip, his body tensing under the sensation. “Shhh.” I ran my hand soothingly down his back and his tail again. I could feel every sinewy muscle under the skin beneath my fingers as they worked the soap into a lather. “Be good for me,” I whispered to him.
His body stilled, following my orders, but he couldn’t suppress the low moan that escaped his lips. My fingers moved back up his tail, feeling the rough scales covering the heated muscle. My breath hitched when I felt his tail slowly wrap around my wrist, squeezing gently.
His head leaned back onto my shoulder, breathless pants escaping him.
I guided my soapy hand back up the length of his tail and over his firm ass, massaging gently. His breath hitched as my fingers traced the line of his backbone, teasing along his skin. The tension in him was palpable, a strained wire ready to snap.
“I can taste you in the air. It’s driving me wild,” I whispered against his shoulder, letting my nose run across his throat. “Easy, boy, I’m almost done,” I whispered against the salty skin of his shoulder, my lips tracing a path down his neck. His muscles trembled under my touch, and I gently nipped at his skin with my teeth. As I inhaled his musky scent, I could feel desire building within me. “You’re doing so well.” I was unable to control myself when he let out another low moan, and I couldn’t resist taking a deeper breath, inhaling the scent of his arousal. Unable to resist any longer, my lips parted, and I bit down on his flesh, my teeth sinking in deep, marking him as I panted against his neck, my hands holding him still as I savored the sweet explosion of taste that burst on my tongue. His sharp intake of breath and the strangled cry that escaped his lips only served to ignite my lust further. I could feel him squirming under my grip, but I held him tightly, not wanting to let go. The iron taste of his blood mingled with the salt of his skin.
I pulled away from him, my teeth releasing their grip on his skin, leaving bite marks that were a stark contrast to the paleness of his skin, before soothing the mark with my tongue as I felt my arousal growing harder against his back.
When his body shuddered against me again, I gripped his hip harder, holding him still as I maneuvered to cradle him. His tail swung between my legs, hitting my thighs in a rhythmic pattern. His breath stuttered against me. His head fell back onto my shoulder. I peered down at his body to see his dick hard and leaking, even as he tried to hide it with a hand.
The claws of his fingers nicked his thigh, and the sight of his blood running down his legs made me growl against him, baring my teeth in anger. He was not allowed to harm himself. I grabbed his wrist roughly, jerking his arm back to stop him from hurting himself further.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled through gritted teeth, his hips rutting forward, his dick needing attention. I could tell he made a great effort to control himself. I saw the blush of embarrassment and lust painting his face with a feverish intensity. It stirred something profound within me, a primal desire that was as intoxicating as it was terrifying. Artemis turned his head away from me, trying to hide even as I held him secure against my body. “I couldn’t stop it.”
I reached up and grabbed his jaw, turning him back to me. I needed his mouth. I couldn’t wait a second longer. I slammed my lips to his.
He was soft and pliant against me, eagerly kissing me back. I wanted to taste him, but when I slid my tongue against him, he didn’t open for me. My hand slid down to his throat, gently adding pressure. “Open your fucking mouth, Artemis,” I commanded before I bit down on his lip. He gasped and allowed me to plunge my tongue between his lips.
I moaned into that perfect mouth when his tongue wrapped around mine. The feel of his textured tongue sliding against mine made me fist his hair and tilt his head back, giving me more access to him.
Artemis groaned, his body twitching in response to my touch. His hands, previously resting by his sides, rose to clutch at my neck, claws slightly scratching at my skin.
When I finally broke away from him, he was panting hard. His eyes were lit with fire as they roamed over my face. “You’re fucking perfect.” I smiled down at him, allowing him to see the truth of my words in my features.
I let out a low hum of appreciation as I looked down at his body, the sound resonating in my chest and vibrating against his back. “Don’t you dare apologize for this.” I snaked my hand down, grabbed the base of his dick, and gave it a hard squeeze. Artemis cried out. My hips rutted against his back as I held his dick in the cage of my hand. He tightened his hold on my forearm. “Do you know how fucking hot it is that you’re hard for me? How much I want to bury myself in your body right now?”
Letting him go carefully, I lifted his clawed hand to my mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles sprinkled with drops of blood. He tensed at the contact, but I didn’t pull away, still holding him by his dick as I delicately licked his blood from his fingers. I moaned at the taste. He was going to be my end. I just knew it.
He watched me through wide eyes, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. His blush deepened, but he didn’t pull away like before. Instead, there was a spark of something behind those blue eyes—desire? Curiosity?—that had me leaning in for more. He wanted this just as much as I did.
“Brir,” he stammered, his pupils dilating with want. His arousal was so thick now I could taste it. The tugging at the primal part of me almost took him to his knees so I could force him open. It was a heady sensation I had not allowed myself to feel for what seemed like eons.
“Shh,” I hushed him gently, a low purr vibrating against his spine. He shuddered in my hold, the tension seeping from his body as I continued to soothe his hand with the ghost of my lips. His claws twitched slightly under my ministrations, his breath hitching in his chest. “Let me take care of you.”
I leaned closer, pressing my nose to the back of his neck. His scent filled my senses, driving me wild. I rocked my hips, rubbing my cock against his back, loving the friction of his skin against me. It was intoxicating and overwhelming in the best way.
“Do not hurt yourself trying to hide something perfectly normal,” I scolded him. He nodded, and I smiled. “I want you fucking hard for me.” I let go of his hand and brought mine back to his dick, giving it a soft pull.
I felt his breath hitch. His tail twitched in response, telling me more than his words ever would. It brushed against my thigh with a spark of new-found pleasure. He nodded, then his head fell against my chest. I slowly moved my hand up and down his dick, loving the feel of his silky skin against my palm as I brushed my thumb over his head, feeling the wet tip.
“Does that feel good?” I asked, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. I felt him nod against me, a low moan escaping from his throat as I continued to play with him. “Do you want me to make you cum?”
With each passing minute, I could sense him relaxing further into me. The stiffness in his limbs melted away under my touch until he was just a puddle of pleasure in my arms.
“Yes. fuck yes,” he whined. “I’m so hard it hurts.” His tail wrapped around one of my legs as if he needed to ensure I couldn’t leave. His eyes pleaded for my help as he bit down on his plump lip, a tantalizing taste I couldn’t wait to savor. “I’m not used to my body reacting like this,” he gasped as his hips bucked uncontrollably. His desperation only fueled my desire to take every inch of him in my mouth and make him mine.
“This is a good thing,” I countered. His eyes met mine, shining with a desperate need he was too afraid to voice. “Your new body shows what you need even when your mouth does not.”
“But it feels… I feel…” he stammered, struggling to find the right words. His eyes darted away from mine as he bit back a groan.
“Do you want me to stop?” I asked. For a moment, I hated myself for asking, but his comfort came first. I let go of his dick so that he could think.
“No,” Artemis cried out when my hand went away. His hips rutted forward for more friction. “I want you to touch me.”
His breathing hitched as his eyes locked onto mine, their clear depth filled with a desperate need for contact. My heart pounded at his plea, my claws curling against his hip. He was so beautiful, so vulnerable.
“Good, because I need to touch you.” I breathed, my voice husky with desire as I slid my hand back to his throbbing hardness, the flesh hot and slick against my palm. His gasp of relief was all the confirmation I needed, and I slowly began to work him again, my touch firm but careful. His body shuddered under the renewed pleasure, a low moan escaping from his throat.