He pushed at my hip, encouraging me onto my back, and I went willingly, spreading my legs to give him more room. When I lifted the blankets to look at him, his cheeks were flushed andhis eyes were shut, almost as though he were enjoying this as much as I was.
He attempted to bob his head and take more of me, but I was much larger than he was, and he ended up gagging himself. The feel of his throat constricting around me was divine, but I didn't want him hurting himself. I cupped his chin, trying to draw his focus, but he batted me away, his face full of determination as he sucked me down again.
“Ah! Finn… Go easy. You do not?—”
Another loud groan escaped me as he suckled on the tip. I could barely think straight, much less give him direction, but he’d said he wanted to learn more. I promised I would teach him. “Do not take so much that it hurts you,” I panted out. “Use your hand on the rest.Ungh.Yes… Yes! Like that!”
He used not one but both hands on my length to cover what his mouth could not. His grip was tight enough to border on painful, but with the suction of his mouth and his eager tongue swirling around the head of my cock, it was perfect. I wouldn’t last much longer. His eager enthusiasm balanced out his inexperience until my thighs shook with the effort of holding back my thrusts. I knew he wanted to bring me to completion with his mouth, but desperation overtook me. I hauled him off my cock by his arms, rolling him underneath me on his stomach.
His startled sound didn’t deter me. Lifting his tunic out of the way to expose his ass, I pulled the cheeks apart and guided my erection between them, rolling my hips once. The noise Finn made was both surprised and aroused, his moan breathy and loud. Using his saliva on my cock as lubrication, I rode the swell of his ass, the head of my cock bumping intermittently against his hole. It was a terrible tease—I wouldn’t take him like that until after the ceremony—but he seemed to like it. His delighted moans were high-pitched and needy, his fingers digging into the bedding as he pleaded for more. His grasp of the clan languagedisappeared, his mind too clouded with lust to translate his pleas, but I understood him well enough.
A grunt punched through me with every thrust, a telltale tingle signaling my imminent release. I needed Finn to get there first, so I hauled him to his hands and knees, reaching beneath him to stroke his cock. It took only two pumps of my fist to set him off with a wail. His sounds, combined with the way his body contorted with pleasure and the fluttering of his hole teasing me were enough to bring me off as well, a low growl in my throat. My release spent across his ass, the image dragging out the pleasure as I imagined it dripping from inside him instead of off him. Tonight. After the ceremony. I would show him everything.
When I collapsed, I was careful to rest my weight on my forearms, my body covering his enough to make him feel safe and loved without crushing him. He lay quiet, panting beneath me, and I couldn’t resist pressing kisses to every inch of him I could reach.
Humming a happy sound, his eyes fluttered open, and he looked over his shoulder at me.
“I love you.”
He murmured the sentence in his language, so I didn’t understand the meaning of the words, but when I tipped my head in question, he blushed and hid his face in the bedding. I was prepared to tickle and tease until he told me what he’d said, but footsteps approached my tent, and Verus called out a moment later.
“My brother. Orthorr calls for you. He says to bring your bondmate with you.”
His voice was unusually solemn. Finn heard it too and stiffened, unease wiping away the bliss on his face. I did not know what Orthorr wanted from us, but I didn’t think it would be good.
Instead of calling back to answer him, I pushed off the bed, covering Finn before poking my head out of my tent. Tension pulled at Verus’s face, and when he saw me, he looked apologetic.
“What is it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t speak the tongues of the town. You know this. Just… you need to come. Now.”
Nodding once to acknowledge him, I ducked back inside to find Finn trembling as he tried to wipe himself clean and dress. Verus’s tone was frightening him. Kneeling in front of him, I cupped his cheeks, leveling him with a look.
“Whatever it is, we will face it together. You are safe, my Finn. I promise.”
Latching onto my arm, he choked on a sob, nodding. I helped him clean up and get dressed since his fingers shook too much to do it himself. Pulling on my own clothing, I found myself wondering what else could go wrong. In the limited time he’d been here, Finn had been attacked by a tribute as well as a shadowstalker. He’d been hurt by my own brother and had to fight to protect our home. It was as though forces were working against us. Perhaps I would need to bring him to a shaman for a cleansing ritual. I didn't really believe in the effectiveness of it, but my mother did. Her clan had one, too, so I knew where to go.
We joined Verus outside, and he fell into step beside me, his expression determined. Whatever we faced, Finn and I would not face it alone. One by one, more clan members joined in a show of force as we marched to the village center, where more stood in a half circle around Orthorr and three men I didn’t recognize.
Finn’s spine snapped straight, and his footsteps slowed. “George?”
The crowds had parted enough to allow us through, but the man didn’t hear him at first. He was in discussion with one ofhis companions, his expression dark. For a moment, I worried he was a past lover coming to claim my bondmate. He admitted to being untouched, but he also said such things weren’t allowed in his town. It could have been that they’d just not found the opportunity to be alone.
When Finn stepped forward, my hand tightened on his, drawing him back. I couldn’t stomach losing him. I’d fight the man if I had to.
“Who is that?”
“My brother.”
I never thoughtI’d see anyone from my family again after my father had me thrown out. George hadn’t even been there when it happened. He was the eldest, he lived in another town, and he only ever came home for important matters. It had been an age since I’d seen him last.
“George?” I called again, louder this time. “What… What are you doing here?”
Spinning to face me, his eyes trailed over me, narrowed and suspicious. “Good. You’re unharmed. I told them if you weren’t, the contract we held would be void.”
That was surprisingly thoughtful. I didn't think any of my brothers cared about my wellbeing. But it didn't answer my question.
“What are you doing here, George? How did you even know where I was?” This wasn’t the only clan that was part of the treaty accepting tributes. It was a matter of luck that I ended up here with Rath.
