STORY EXCERPT

“I’m sorry they haven’t found a match for you yet. You’ve been here longer than anyone else. At least I think so.”

A match for what? Did he need an organ? Did someone else need an organ? It was confusing and frustrating. He wanted answers. Cornelius seemed like a trustworthy guy. Maybe Tanner should shift so he could try to get answers. Nope. For a second there he’d forgotten about the cameras. Carelessness like that could get him killed.

Cornelius frowned as he opened a container and stuck the chopsticks in. He pulled out a piece of sweet and sour pork. Fury’s stomach grumbled. Cornelius shoved it through the wire, and Fury took it as delicately as possible. His muzzle wrinkled as he grabbed the meat with the shorter teeth between the four huge canines.

It wasn’t much more than a treat. The food wouldn’t make a meal for a cat as large as he was. It was the thought that counted. And Tanner and his jaguar were enjoying the new flavors. Last time Cornelius had brought barbequed ribs and steak fries.

“You know, when you get out of here, I have a place you can live until you get back on your feet. It’s gotta be confusing to have gone feral and try to come back from it. I’ll be living there, too. I’m finally moving out of the house I share with my stepdad. He’s always said I have to live with him.” Thin shoulders lifted. “I don’t know why. The guy acts like he hates my guts. And I’m almost thirty. I’ve always been a chickenshit, but I’m finally doing it. Moving out. Bob has said that he’ll burn my house down. I don’t know if he’s serious or not, but I’m tired of worrying about it. I’ve told the police chief. Jonas said they’ll make sure to keep a regular patrol out that way.” Cornelius fed a few more pieces of pork to Fury as he spoke. “Bob would sell it if he could, but it’s my house, not his, and I have a lawyer that manages that stuff for me.”

Cornelius took a deep breath and then sighed. It was a defeated sound. “I hate it when he’s drunk and gets mad. It never ends well for me. I got two black eyes the last time.” He shrugged again. “Anyway, back to the house. It’s small. Just one floor, but there are three bedrooms. One’s mine, one was my mom and dad’s, and there’s one you can use. Well, the attic could probably be finished. It would be a great place for kids to play. But you don’t have kids. Wow, I keep getting sidetracked. There’s a pretty garden. My mom planted most of it. I’ve added some things over the years when I could afford it. The job here pays a lot better than the ones I’ve had in the past, but I put as much as I can in a savings account. I only dip into my inheritance when it’s absolutely necessary. I put a new metal roof on the house last year. I try to keep everything nice. Like my mom would have done.”

Cornelius didn’t say what had happened to his mother, so Tanner assumed the woman had died. There was a deeply sad note to the man’s voice, and Tanner found himself wanting to comfort the gentle human.

“Your file says you like dogs. There’s a big yard with a fence around it. You could have a dog if you wanted. I don’t mind if you have one, as long as you don’t let it damage the house or the flowerbeds.”

Another piece of meat came through the gap in the heavy wire panel. His dinner companion had taken a piece of the pork and was chewing as he fed Fury. The guy didn’t seem to mind sharing the sticks with an animal. They ate for several minutes, finishing off two containers of food. Cornelius had gone for a stainless-steel bowl, which he dumped the sticky rice in, along with the remainder of the sweet and sour pork, before pushing it through the gap created for it.

“Uh, Tanner, what if I got you out of here?” Tanner had been lost in thought as he watched the different expressions cross Cornelius’ face. “Could you be like my, uh, bodyguard?” There was a pause, and then the human chuckled. “I always expect you to answer.” He sobered. “I’m kind of scared to move out to the house. I lived there with my mom before she married my asshole stepdad. I was little then. About eight. It was a long time ago. We were really happy there, together, just the two of us. I think she believed I needed a man in my life after my dad died. I don’t have too many memories of him. I was only four when he died while fighting in the eastern war.”

Tanner mulled over everything Cornelius said. There had been several wars during the past century. After quiet periods, when diplomats were trying to work on permanent peace, another war would break out.

Tanner shook off the dark thoughts as Cornelius continued speaking. “Anyway, it’s spooky out there when it’s dark. It would be nice if you could stay with me at least until I get used to living out there again. Of course, you need to have shifted back to human by then, too. But back to Bob. When he’s being a dick, I don’t want him in my life. He makes me give him money. He says it’s to cover my share of expenses, but I don’t understand why I have to pay so much.”

Fury growled. Cornelius stopped and stared. Then his eyes narrowed. “You understood me, didn’t you?”

ADULT EXCERPT

Cornelius wriggled around under Tanner, rubbing their dicks together, before wrapping his legs around Tanner’s waist. “I really want to suck your dick.”

“Not a problem. I’ve thought about how your mouth would feel around it a million times.”

“So, you’ve been having perv thoughts about me?”

“Yes. Now, about that blow job…” Tanner was so strong he rolled them easily so that Cornelius suddenly found himself on top. He raised up on his knees and scooted back, his breath catching in his throat as his dick slid along Tanner’s before gliding down over hairy balls to muscular, bulging thighs. “Do you know how incredibly sexy you are? Everything you do turns me on. I don’t think I can last long to enjoy more than a sample.”

Cornelius stared into the man’s eyes. His gaze was filled with love and lust, two things Cornelius would hopefully enjoy for the rest of his life, a thought that made him ask, “Will you still find me desirable when I’m old and wrinkly?”

Tanner grinned. “That’s something I will never leave you in doubt about. We’ll take turns chasing each other around the house.”

That was good enough for him. Cornelius winked before he slid his fingers around the base of Tanner’s thick cock and leaned over it, opening his mouth as he did so. There was no more time to waste. They both wanted to experience as much as possible now that they’d decided to skip waiting for the vows. There would be a wedding in a few days, something Tanner was giving Cornelius because he was human. But tonight, Cornelius and Tanner would become mates, bonded forever, when Tanner sank his fangs into Cornelius’ shoulder.

The thought didn’t even scare him as it might have before getting to know Tanner and falling in love. Now it was everything and not to be feared.

A low, growling moan escaped Tanner as Cornelius’ lips closed around the wide, spongy head of the shifter’s dick. Tanner’s long fingers raked through his hair. “That’s it, suck the head. Lick the hole.” Cornelius was only too happy to follow Tanner’s husky order. The tip of his tongue traced the ring, probing where it pierced through the head of the man’s dick. “Fuck. That’s hot. I want to ram my dick down your throat and fuck your mouth.”

The gold ring slid down the center of his tongue and hit the roof of his mouth. He would have to be careful that he didn’t choke. Or chip a tooth. He snickered as best as he could with a mouthful of flesh and inhaled through his nose. Tanner’s heady male musk was amazing, and Cornelius committed it to memory as he released a breath and then inhaled a second time.

Cornelius concentrated on not embarrassing himself as he relaxed the muscles in his throat and angled his neck and head to be able to accommodate Tanner’s shaft. The adorned head pushed beyond the danger zone, causing him to sag in relief when he didn’t gag. Tanner groaned, muttered some strange oath to an unknown deity, and slid his fingers into Cornelius’ hair.