Wonderland Ch. 03

Damien sniggered and earned a soft punch in the shoulder from Connor.

"Perhaps," Quincy told the boy, patting his knee motherly. She gave a knowing look to Connor and he dropped the subject of mating, knowing that everyone understood the implications anyhow.

"So what do we do know?" Seth asked the group. "Do we wait or do we confront him?"

"If we surprise him, he might attack us, especially if he thinks we're going to endanger the girl," Damien said quietly. "Unless we approach him peacefully, I don't see any other way to do it."

Connor stood up and turned the boar over on the spit, smiling a little as his plan formulated.

"Or we can make him come to us," he told them, turning the meat carefully. "He'll be hunting soon, and he will smell this boar."

"Do we stay in these human forms or in our natural shapes when he comes?" Ursula asked him, her voice echoing in all their heads.

"When he arrives we will return to our usual forms," Connor said quietly, turning his back to the meat to address them again face to face. "But for now, we stay human."

The others nodded in agreement before turning back to their usual afternoon pastimes. Ursula and Quincy went walking towards the abandoned lake, gossiping already about the human girl Tempest. Elijah and Seth went to the hiking trails, probably to play tricks on the humans as they passed by. Connor watched the Drul crawl into his tent, the sounds of him readying his bed for a nap greeting his sensitive ears.

With a smile he changed out of his human clothes and into his Gargoyle form. He lowered his body to his knees and slid on his belly into the small opening of Damien's tent, rendering the Drul speechless.

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"C-Connor," he stammered as the Gargoyle rose above him on silvery-white muscled arms that rippled with strength. His black hair tumbled forward into the planes of his face and Damien fought against tucking the strands back. "The others will be back within an hour," Damien sighed, his spine arching as Connor cupped the Drul's erection through his jeans.

"Then let's use our time wisely," he grumbled lowly into Damien's ear, pushing away the flaxen strands from his lover's face with his knuckles.

"Don't argue with me, Day. I'm not in the mood."

Damien laughed breathlessly as he ran his hands up Connor's muscled frame. "Seeing the Ancient and his human girl get you all fired up?" he teased.

Connor responded with an impatient rumble and Damien undid the bindings of his jeans, refusing to lose another pair to Connor's talons.

"I want you in your natural form," Connor grumbled into the Drul's ear, smiling down at the astonished expression Damien gave him. "I'm comfortable enough to make love to you in mine," he countered.

Damien released the heavy magic with a sigh, relief rippling through him as his adopted human male persona converted into that of his natural form.

His pale skin became the color of the forest floor in autumn, mottled in appearance and as soft as spun silk. He smelled of the deep earth, heady and organic, like fallen leaves and the wild, the very scent that had drawn Connor to him in the first place. When his eyes opened, they were deep amber, like the setting sun. The earth beneath the two shifted at the presence of Damien's earth magic, his excitement and arousal springing up small shoots of grass and sending the birds in the forests on a tweeting frenzy.

"Chill," Connor chuckled as he lowered his dark head to claim Damien in a kiss. "Or you'll have the humans rutting in time with us at this rate," he murmured when he broke it.

Damien smiled impishly up at him, his softer nude form pressing against Connor's unyielding one.

"Maybe our Ancient will have a better chance getting some?" he teased.

Connor smirked wryly, rolling his eyes. "Less talking. More mating."

Damien inhaled sharply at the term, turning his head when Connor moved to kiss him again. "What did you say?" he breathed in shock, his amber eyes widening as Connor's magic began to weave with his own.

"Haven't you figured it out, you silly leaf-blower? You're all mine," Connor murmured. "You were mine the moment I saw you."

Damien shuddered under Connor's kiss, his magic soaring as it sought to entwine with the Gargoyle's, to have a bond so deep it required blood. He could ignore the jab at his earth magic, it was superfluous compared to what Connor was mentioning. Mates. Partners. His.

"What's taken you so long?" Damien protested with a whine once he was free of Connor's demanding mouth.

Connor smiled tenderly, the hungry look in his eyes abating slightly. "I thought I was protecting you," he whispered. "But it was just making me miserable. I hurt you because I refused to take you as mine. I want to redeem that fuck up. Right now."

Damien giggled. "You have such a way with words, Connor," he joked, his laugh turning into a gasp when Connor palmed his steel. "But you always were a man of action!" he groaned, wiggling impatiently beneath the Gargoyle and lifting up his chin for another kiss.

"Tell me you love me," Damien murmured when they broke their heated kiss to breathe.

Connor's dark eyes lit up with fire that sent heat shimmering all the way down Damien's spine. "I love you, Damien. My mate."

Damien released the last reluctant holds of his magic and was almost instantly bound to Connor. Connor grumbled with the acceptance of his mate and sought to claim what was rightfully his, despite the unnaturalness of it, despite what the Elders would say. He would not be denied his Drul any longer. He hadn't the patience for it.

When Damien and Connor climaxed in unison, the magic that exploded through the air set off car alarms, sprinkler systems, and had dogs across the city howling to the sky.

Miles away, in the kitchen of Tempest's home and within the arms of his uninformed life-mate, the magic flowing through Talon's veins returned the call.

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I have a word pronunciation key for some of the words throughout the story:

Tze'hoc = zee-hawk

Aar'an = air-en

As always, comments/votes/and feedback are appreciated!