The Choosing (22 page)

Jerath slides a finger inside him. It’s warm and tight and Jerath growls at the feeling. He slowly works it in and out, watching Meren the whole time. He adds more, slicking Meren open with slow, easy thrusts, and the noises Meren makes have Jerath aching to get inside him properly. Jerath curls his fingers, and Meren pushes back against his hand, cursing loudly.

“Fuck! Jerath… I’m ready… do it now.”

Jerath stills and swallows thickly, willing himself to calm down. He pulls his fingers out and smears more of the oil over his erection before guiding it into position. Jerath hesitates for just a moment. He looks up and meets Meren’s eyes as though to ask,
Are you sure?

Meren bites his bottom lip, eyes half lidded and dark with need, and nods.

Jerath pushes forward, slowly easing his way in until he’s buried deep inside. He has to stop. Has to take several long, shuddering breaths because it’s intense and overwhelming and the magic is surging through his body. He daren’t put his hands on Meren. His claws are fully out now, so he places them either side of Meren’s head.

“Okay?” Jerath bites back the urge to just thrust as hard as he can.

“Yes…
fuck
, yes.”

Jerath slowly pulls out and slides back in. It’s a teasingly slow pace, and Meren lets out a frustrated moan before he wraps his legs around Jerath’s back and urges him to go faster. Jerath leans down and kisses him, while his teeth are still human, and starts to pick up the pace.

He draws his hips back and fucks into Meren hard, over and over, and Jerath feels it building between them. Meren gasps. He’s staring at Jerath’s eyes, and Jerath can well imagine what they look like—glowing and animalistic.

Jerath feels a twinge in his jaw and he licks over his teeth to find they’re fully lengthened and painfully sharp. He needs to bite Meren, but he’s not sure how it works with Meren not being a shifter. Usually shifter mates bite each other to cement the bond. But Meren doesn’t have fangs, so Jerath improvises.

He moves so he’s balanced on one arm and brings the other to his mouth. He bites into his wrist, letting his fangs pierce his skin just enough to let the blood flow, then offers it to Meren. “You need… to drink.” He gets the words out between thrusts and can feel his orgasm building fast. “Do it…
now
.”

Meren grabs Jerath’s wrist and brings it to his mouth. He draws the blood onto his tongue, then swallows it down, and the pain shoots straight to Jerath’s groin. He lets out a low, rumbling growl.

“Enough.”

Meren pulls back, licking the blood from around his mouth, and Jerath leans down to kiss him. He runs his tongue over Meren’s lips, capturing the last traces of blood, and moans. He can feel it now, his body is alive with magic and it pulses through his veins with a white heat. It surrounds them both. He can almost see it in the air as he thrusts into Meren again and again, and then it shatters inside him. He buries his head in the crook of Meren’s neck and bites. His sharp fangs sink into the soft flesh and he comes, drinking down the warm blood as his release pulses out of him.

Meren cries out Jerath’s name, along with a string of curses as he follows soon after. His body trembles with the aftershocks as Jerath carefully extracts his teeth and collapses on top of him. The steady pulse of magic wraps around them like a soft, warm blanket, and Jerath feels whole, for the first time in his life.

The bond is complete.

“I
WAS
talking to my father earlier.” Meren turns to face Jerath and entwines their fingers.

“What about?”

“My people and your village mostly, and the northern lands.” Meren smiles and leans in for a quick kiss. “He was telling me some very interesting stories. I’m not sure how much truth there is to them, but apparently these stories have been passed down through generations.”

Jerath props himself up on his elbow and grins. “Tell me.” He wants to learn all he can about Meren and his people, especially if it involves his own village too. He’s getting tired and they really need to get some sleep before tomorrow, but he’s far too curious to go to sleep now.

“Well, according to legend, my people originally lived in the forests of Arradil as well.”

“Really?” Jerath interrupts, unable to help himself. “I’ve never heard that before.”

“Yes. Apparently, they used to hunt in the forest and pray to the Goddess. They only killed what they needed: meat to survive, and fur to keep warm. But after one particularly harsh winter, food was scarce and the wildcats of the forest became so few that the Goddess sought the hunters out.”

“What happened then?”

“She asked them to leave the forest and head south to Kalesaan, to make a new home where the wild animals were still plentiful. In exchange for this she promised to gift them with exceptional hunting skills and to allow them to still worship her and perform their rituals, even when they were no longer in her forest.”

Jerath shifts closer and wraps his arm around Meren’s waist. “Maybe that’s why you can feel the bond so strongly. If we both worship the Goddess of the forest, then maybe she blesses this union after all.”

“It’s just a story, Jerath.” Meren looks a little skeptical, but Jerath is almost certain there’s an element of truth to the tale.

“You can sense my feelings though, can’t you?”

“I think so. Let me….” Meren closes his eyes and Jerath concentrates hard. He lets his gaze roam over Meren’s body, lingers over his firm, well-defined stomach and chest. The heat of arousal stirs low in Jerath’s belly. He imagines all the things he wants to do with Meren and lets the feeling build and build until Meren’s breath catches and his eyes snap open.

“Yes.” He looks at Jerath. His eyes are dark and full of want, and Jerath doesn’t have time to answer before he’s roughly pulled in for a kiss. Meren rolls him over, pinning him to the furs beneath. “I can feel you, Jerath.” His eyes are bright, full of wonder, and Jerath smiles up at him.

He reaches up and cups Meren’s face. “I can feel you too.” It’s like a comforting warmth in his chest at the moment, full of excitement. Jerath knows Meren’s happy, can sense it, and it’s so much better than he ever imagined. “As much I would love to explore this all night with you.” He sinks his hands into Meren’s hair and kisses him again, before turning serious. “We need to sleep. Tomorrow—”

“Don’t.” Meren kisses him again, then shakes his head. “Just sleep.”

They settle themselves under the covers. Meren wraps himself around Jerath’s back and holds him close. It’s not long before Jerath hears soft snores as Meren drifts off to sleep, and he can let his worries surface without fear of Meren sensing them. Tomorrow will be tough to get through. They don’t know for certain how many men will be waiting for them, or even if all the prisoners are still alive. Jerath’s animal stirs, restless at the thought, and he knows the shifters will be hard to restrain if any of them have been injured.

Meren sighs in his sleep, nudging Jerath out of his dark thoughts, and he wonders if Meren’s subconscious has picked up on his feelings. He takes a deep breath, tries to banish it all from his mind, and closes his eyes.

The morning comes all too soon.

“J
ERATH
.”

Jerath drifts awake as he hears the tent rustle. Someone enters and whispers his name again.

“Jerath.”

He opens his eyes and blinks a few times until he focuses on Serim’s face peering down at him.

“Hey.” She keeps her voice low, so as not to wake Meren. “Everyone’s awake. It’s time to get ready, Jerath.” She doesn’t bat an eye at Meren being in his bed. Her face lacks the usual teasing smile she’d normally have for him.

He nods and she quietly backs out of the tent.

Meren’s lying on his back with one arm above his head, and he looks so peaceful Jerath doesn’t want to wake him. But he has to.

“Meren.” Jerath leans over and kisses him softly. “Wake up.” Jerath shakes his shoulder a little and Meren opens his eyes, smiling up at Jerath until he realizes why they’re awake.

“Fuck.” Meren scrubs a hand over his eyes and sighs. “
Fuck.
”

He sits up and the fur blankets slip down to his waist. Jerath whines softly and reaches out so he can run his fingers along Meren’s exposed skin. He wants nothing more than to pull him back down and stay there forever.

“I know.” Meren gives him a soft smile and takes hold of his hand. “I
know
, Jerath.”

They don’t say anything else, and the silence hangs heavy between them as Jerath watches Meren get dressed. There’s no need for Jerath to do the same. He’ll be in his animal form from the moment they leave the village. Meren sits to pull on his boots, and Jerath feels a wave of fear and worry wash over him. He can’t be sure if it’s from him or Meren, but he draws Meren to him and hugs him tight. “Be careful.”

Meren nods against his shoulder. “You too.”

They stay like that far longer than they’ve got time for, until Meren eventually moves away and stands up. “I need to go back to my tent. My bow is there.”

“See you out by the fire.”

Jerath watches him go and his heart already aches. He refuses to think about how bad it will be if they have to part for good. He closes his eyes and lets his jaguar take over.

N
EARLY
everyone is gathered by the fire when Jerath pads over on near-silent feet. There’s no sign of Meren or Torek yet, but he spots Serim’s panther and Mahli’s lynx with the other shifters and stalks over to join them. They must make for a strange sight—this many big cats standing together in the middle of a village. The hunters are clearly used to them by now; apart from the odd curious glance, no one pays them much attention. They can’t do anything other than wait at this point, since they’re unable to communicate, but they did all their talking yesterday. Each of them knows exactly what they have to do.

Jerath reaches Mahli first and nuzzles at her. She turns and licks at his neck, greeting him with a rumbling growl. Serim sidles up next to him and knocks him gently with her shoulder. It’s still dark out and her blue eyes glow brightly, but Jerath sees the fear and nerves hiding in their depths. He whines and she dips her head and rubs at his chest. Jerath sends up a silent prayer for the Goddess to watch over all of them. They’re going to try to rescue more of her children today, so surely she’ll keep them safe.

Malek arrives, flanked by Meren and Torek, and calls for everyone’s attention. They break off into their assigned groups, and Jerath gives one last look to his friends before padding over to join Meren.

He walks up alongside him and Meren rests his hand on top of Jerath’s head. He strokes from his ears down the length of his back in long, firm strokes, and Jerath calms a little under his touch.

“That’s better,” Meren whispers, and Jerath nudges against his thigh. He flicks Meren with his tail and gives a satisfied huff at the small smile it produces.

Malek reminds them all once again of the dangers, warns of underestimating the raiders, and prays that the Goddess will see them safely home. Jerath hopes that she’s heard all their prayers as they silently set off into the darkness.

I
T
TAKES
them longer than Jerath would like to reach the outskirts of the raiders’ village. The shifters have no trouble seeing in the dark, but Meren and his people don’t have the added bonus of cat’s eyes. The sun is just about to rise; a red-and-golden glow barely tints the horizon when Malek raises his hand to call them all to a halt. He gestures for them to take their positions, and each group splits off in varying directions.

They’re far enough away from the village boundaries that they won’t be heard, but everyone moves with stealth and Jerath is amazed at how little noise they make. The plan is to circle the village and come at the raiders from all sides, but they have no real idea how big it is. Malek’s hope is that they have enough people to cover the perimeter, and as Jerath follows Meren along the south side of the village, he thinks they may just be in luck.

He can see the groups left and right of them. They’re a fair distance away, but they’re in sight nevertheless. Malek’s instructions were clear: wait for the first rays of the sun to break through and then attack. When the prisoners are found, the shifter with that group will roar out a warning to let the other groups know. When they’ve all been freed, the shifter will roar again, and at that point everyone is to retreat and meet up at the designated spot a few miles away from the village.

It sounded so simple when they talked it through last night. But now, as they wait for the sun to rise, it feels anything but. There are so many things that can go wrong, so many ways for this to fail, and panic flares in Jerath’s chest.

“Hey.” Meren crouches down next to him and lays a calming hand on his shoulder. He ruffles the fur on the back of Jerath’s neck, running his fingers through it over and over. “We go in, we find them, we get out. Easy.”