The Seven Mazes
Let the game begin! Drake Johnson, an incubus inexperienced in fighting, enters the Annual Grand
Tournament. Even though he fears his competition against the strong shape-shifters, he is focused
on going through the seven mazes. Drake meets Kai, a panther-shifter who is determined to not
lose sight of him.
Kai McCross, a panther-shifter, falls for the incubus at first sight. Drake doesn't believe him at
first, but their relationship evolves quickly. In order to keep Drake safe, he requests the help of a
small group of unique creatures within the game. Along the way, the other contestants notice the
couple and do what they can to stop Drake from being helped. But the incubus makes unexpected
developments.
Once the game ends, Kai makes quick arrangements for Drake to become his mate officially. In a
bizarre turn of events, the couple makes a mistake. A small surprise awaits them.
Ge nre :
Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Le ngth:
35,036 words
THE SEVEN MAZES
Amy E. Lambo
EROTIC ROMANCE
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove
THE SEVEN MAZES
Copyright © 2013 by Amy E. Lambo
First E-book Publication: November 2013
Cover design by Christine Kirchoff
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to
actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank
you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
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Amanda Hilton, Publisher
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the people who think Incubi are a nasty
species of demon that sexually harass humans in their sleep. Don’t
discriminate against the poor demons. All they want is to give you a
good, tight hug.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
About the Author
THE SEVEN MAZES
AMY E. LAMBO
Copyright © 2013
Chapter 1
“Can they do it?” the host, a basilisk-shifter, asked with a
microphone in his hand. The contestants focused their attention to him.
“Only the strongest and the smartest can go through a series of mazes and
win the first and second places. And, as proof of their abilities, they will
first have to face the centaur one-on-one. Now, the gatekeeper has been
waiting for the thirty participants. Do you want to know what they’re
going to win?”
Drake watched the audience clapping and whistling for them. They’d
started the competition by five in the morning, so it still felt like
nighttime. The other contestants roared in excitement, raising their fists
as if they were sure of their victory. Instead of joining their rallying cry,
he sighed and looked at the centaur ready to fight. For someone who had
never participated in such events, Drake couldn’t help but to feel an
uncomfortable tightness in his stomach. All he had were his brains for
difficult situations. Most of these studs could break him in half with one
hand.
“Well, you won’t know what you’ll win until you get there.” The host
laughed and continued. “Don’t worry, you will get some amazing things
along the way. Everyone, take a good look at our contestants and wish
them luck. You won’t be able to see them until they come through the
gate on the other side. Every entrance of each maze is a portal to a
different part or building in the world. Who knows how many days they
will take to get there.”
A screen appeared before the crowd and the profile of each
participant was displayed. The audience cheered for everyone but
Drake. He rolled his eyes and went to the centaur, tired of waiting for the
game to begin. “I have other things to do,” he muttered.
“Oh, we have a brave one,” a stud said, following Drake. “Did you
come here by yourself?”
“Don’t bother me. You’re just like the other muscle heads,” Drake
retorted. He couldn’t sense the stud, so this one had a high chance of
overpowering most of the participants. If not all of them. Even so, Drake
needed to focus on the first challenge. He stopped on his way, studying
the large centaur who frowned at him. “Hey, what can I do for you to let
me pass?”
The centaur raised a brow. “Come here, rookie,” he demanded, his
voice deep and intimidating.
Would that be a good idea? Drake looked away and back at him. He
walked closer to the beast, careful not to end up losing before entering
the first maze. “What is it?” he whispered.
“You can go,” he said. “Rookie, don’t stare at me like that or I’ll
change my mind. You can only go through because you’re a small,
adorable Incubus. I wouldn’t want to fight you.” The centaur leaned
down, his torso bending and the alluring muscles flexing. “And I have a
thing for Incubi, especially ones with short, black hair and green eyes.
Let’s just say that you’re part of my favorites. I can spot your kind with
one glance.”
Drake nodded. “Thanks, I guess.” He paced to the opening gate,
always glancing over his shoulder. Had he won over the centaur with
just his looks? Well, who cared? He chuckled as the gate closed. That
annoying stud was next, though. Drake sighed and went to hide in the
shadows. He needed to know how many men would enter the game. The
dark space between the gate and the dense woods of the maze were
perfect for him to crouch and conceal his presence.
Out of thirty, sixteen had made it. Not even some of the shifters who
seemed between the strongest could come through. But there had been a
problem. Where was the stud? Not that he wanted to have him around, of
course.
“Hi,” someone whispered, making Drake jump. “You’ve been here
all along. Aren’t you going to play the game?”
Drake rolled his eyes. “Have you been watching me?” he muttered
and Stud nodded, grinning. “Yes, I’m going to play. I’ve been waiting for
everyone else to go on ahead and do some hard work for me.”
“Hmm…That’s a smart move,” he said and reached out to Drake for
a handshake. “I’m Kai.”
Scoffing, Drake stood from his corner and went to the entrance of the
maze. “I’m not interested in knowing anyone here. All of you are
awaiting a chance to betray someone else so you can win the prize.” He
wouldn’t fall for the small talk. All he had to do was find ways to win
against sixteen strong opponents.
Now to the first challenge. Drake knew that he hadn’t mentally
prepared enough, but he wouldn’t give up. He noticed the sign under a
curved light post and approached it. “Labyrinth of the Red Roses?
Sounds scary,” he said sarcastically and entered the maze. As he got
closer to where the challenge had been taking place, moans became
louder. He scowled and looked over at Kai, who shrugged.
Both crouched close to the wall of dense bushes and quietly made
their way to the other end of the open space. A fountain with a statue of a
trophy overflowed with clear water in the center of the garden. It was
amazing how several park lights lit the large roses. Nighttime had been
perfect for someone trying to hide in the blind spots. As they reached
half of the path, Drake turned his eyes to the right. He stopped, making
Kai bump against him. “Get off of me,” he said, shoving Kai away from
his back. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the shifter staring into
the open space.
Against one of the walls, a shifter had his legs wrapped around
another man’s waist. Drake watched them fucking passionately, a red
cloud around them. Others would just masturbate and reject some of the
begging, hornier ones. The roses were definitely dangerous.
“I have to leave before someone in heat comes to me,” Drake said
mostly to himself and crawled to the exit. As an Incubus, he’d easily fall
for someone’s sweet words and could allow them to take him right then
and there. That had definitely been one of the most bizarre challenges.
And they’d only just started.
Drake and some others who were able to get through made a stop at a
small house. It looked more like a shed than a place with enough space
for all of them. The roof was flat and it only had one window. He went
inside, Kai still following him closely. “Why are you always after me?”
Kai grinned. “I’m just going to find a bed for myself,” he answered,
walking by Drake. “Does that mean you want me to take you to one of
these beds? We can do the same thing you saw the others doing out
there.”
“You wish,” Drake scoffed and went to choose one of the bunk beds.
Otherwise, he could have no choice but sleep on the one above Kai’s.
The chattering of the other contestants was bothersome. He’d been living
by himself since he was twenty years old. And three years of that had
made him uncomfortable to stay in a house cramped with other men.
“Wait,” Kai uttered and grabbed Drake’s forearm, making him stop.
Jolting, Drake leaned away from the shifter. “What is it?” he asked
as Kai got dangerously close to him.
“Do you have overlapped teeth, rookie?” The shifter rested his hand
on Drake’s cheek and moved his lip up with his thumb. “You do have
them, and both as canine teeth. It’s so adorable!” He hugged Drake to his
strong chest.
He widened his eyes. Kai was the first person who told him that his
overlapped teeth were cute. Everyone else would make fun of him.
Returning to reality, Drake shook himself and shoved Kai away. “Who
do you think you are to hug me like this?” he shouted and turned around.
He grunted at the sight of every bed taken except for the one above
Kai’s. He felt his cheeks heating and glanced sideways at the stud. Why
did his heart have to beat this quickly?
“Hey, can’t I find you adorable?” Kai said and approached him. “Do
you want help to get up there? You’re small and the bed is rather high
up.”
Clenching his hands, Drake stomped his foot on the wooden floor.
“Don’t tease me.” He reached up to the edge of the bed and tried to
climb it. Why were they made for tall people, anyway? As he was about
to make it, Kai put his hand on his ass and pushed him up the rest of the
way. “You bastard!” He sat on the bed and nearly kicked the shifter, who
stepped away.
“Fine, I won’t bother you. I only tried to help,” Kai said and went to
his own bed.
Sighing, Drake took the black box on his bed and opened it. He
grinned. A healing potion, a Nox light stone, and a box of bandages were
just what he needed. Taking this bed by accident had definitely paid off.
Three of the other contestants complained they’d gotten ping-pong balls
or frying pans. Drake’s box made him happy, but he knew that these
things possibly meant that the next challenge would be difficult. And he
would most likely need better clothing than his jeans and black shirt.
“We have to go. The door is open,” Kai told the others and jumped
from the bed. He looked determined. He must have gotten something
useful.
Drake looked away. He had no idea how to get down now. “Uh…”
He’d jump, but what if he got hurt? The worst in this competition were
petty injuries.
“Aw, come here,” Kai said and rested his hands on Drake’s sides,
then put him on the floor. “You could have asked me for help.”
“Who would want help from a muscle head?” Drake looked away,
shoving his things into one of the many backpacks available for them.
Since the first challenge had been quick, they had to move on to the next
one once the door opened by itself. The problem had been that he needed
someone to lead the way and do the hard work for him. Otherwise, he
could end up in a fight with another shifter or a creature.
Kai chuckled. He rested his arm around Drake’s shoulders, having to
lean down because of the Incubus’s height. “If you’re weak physically,
it’s only right that you would want to make use of my strength, right?”
Drake raised a brow as they approached the gate of the next maze.
“Back to School?” He read the title, disregarding what Kai had told him.
He peeked inside, but it was too dark to see.
“The hallways are just like in a school,” Kai said. “I can see with my
night vision. After all, I’m a panther-shifter.” He grinned and led Drake
into the maze. “Don’t worry, there’s light at the end of the hallway.”
This time, Drake regarded what Kai had told him. “How can you be
a panther if you have brown hair and eyes?” He wanted to slap himself
for sounding interested in Kai. He just expressed what went through his
mind. “Forget I asked that.”
“That’s because my mother was a human, so that makes me a
hybrid,” he answered. “Anything else you’d like to know about me?”
“Of course not,” Drake muttered. They turned to the left, the other
studs pacing by them. He couldn’t see, but he could hear them. “They
sure are in a hurry.”
Kai shrugged. “They’re after the one who doesn’t want to be
followed. I think that he’s an owl-shifter, so he can see perfectly in the
dark.” He held Drake’s hand. “I knew you were shaking. Are you afraid
of the dark?”
“No. Someone might attack me. I know some of them are out to get
the other contestants with their own hands,” he said. He didn’t let go of
Kai’s protecting hand. Even though he didn’t trust the shifter completely,
he could use him. After all, that was what Kai had told him to do.
As the school hallway became lit, Drake released his hand. “I can
tell you right now that I don’t attack the weak. It wouldn’t be fair,” the
shifter said.
“Thanks for the insult,” Drake muttered and took in his surroundings.
The hallways were similar to his old high school. It was still nighttime,
but he could see glimpses of sunrise from afar. He stopped and watched
Kai continue his way. “Wait.”
Kai turned around and tilted his head. “What’s the matter?”
“I have a bad feeling, and I always get away from them. We should
turn left here.”
The shifter looked from left to right. “I believe you. Let’s go that
way, then.” He smiled at Drake. “What do you think would happen if—”
All of a sudden, someone’s growl reverberated from afar. “Someone
fell.”
“I never know what will happen, but my instincts should be
followed.” Drake sighed. “I’m sure because I’m an Incubus,” he
mumbled. He shouldn’t have shared such information.
Kai stopped and stared at him. “Incubus?” Drake nodded and looked
away. “Do you need it frequently?”
“No,” Drake said immediately, “I’m not one of those who need sex
every day.” He held his head high and turned left again. “I know where
to go. If you want to tease me, stay behind. But if you don’t, you can
come with me.”
“I don’t find that funny,” Kai mumbled and patted Drake’s head.
“You know, we might not know each other well, but if you need
anything, I can help you.”
Drake gasped. “You’re such a player,” he shouted. “That’s what
everyone says when they try to get in my pants. I know exactly what you
want.”
“I’m not everyone,” Kai retorted. “Besides, you’re too small for me.
I bet my dick wouldn’t fit—” The Incubus punched his side, making him
humph.
He looked down. “I already know that I’m small, but you didn’t have
to say such a thing,” Drake mumbled. It had to happen again. When it
came to making fun of him, no one was the exception. Even his parents,
who were tall Incubi, didn’t like the fact that their child remained small
in adulthood. He wasn’t even too short. Drake had just gotten as tall as a
human, but most of the inhuman had height above average.
“You’re right. I apologize for telling you that,” Kai said. “Let’s just
get over this maze. For what I did, I’ll help you on this one, okay?”
Drake nodded and stopped again. At least Kai had regretted saying
it. He was the only one, too. “We’ve entered the challenge,” he said.
“We have to be careful from now on.”
“Okay. Stay behind me.” Kai walked ahead until they entered a
classroom.
Something grabbed Drake and immobilized him. “I just got here,” he
whined. Four small fur balls had wrapped around his limbs. “I’ll take
that help offer right about now.” He struggled, but they were too strong.
Some of the other contestants were trying to get away, as well.
Kai shifted into a large, black panther, and jumped over the creatures
that wanted to catch him. He ran toward Drake and clawed the fur ball
around his wrist. “Is this enough or do you need me to carry you out?”
“I’m fine now,” Drake muttered and slapped the remaining creatures,
freeing himself. “We have to leave before more of them come after us.”
He sprinted to the exit on the other side of the classroom. “Aren’t you
coming?”
Kai nodded and shoved the other contestants with his shoulder,
causing them to fall and the fur balls to scatter on the floor. “Just a few
of us making it this far in the competition would be too easy.”
“Don’t cry when they betray you afterward,” Drake said while he
waited for the shifter.
The panther leaped over Drake and shifted into his human form
again. “I already know they’re going to do that. And that’s exactly what I
want.”
“You’re crazy,” Drake muttered as they continued their way. “I
wonder what would happen if we couldn’t have gotten away from those
things.”
“They’d hurt us at some point.” Kai grinned. “You’re glad that I was
there for you, right?”
Shrugging, Drake looked away. “I guess so.” One moment Kai
seemed to have second intentions, and the other he didn’t care as much
about him. Unlike the others, Drake couldn’t sense any harm coming from
the shifter. He’d heard that in the previous year the strongest and the
smartest in the competition had become mates. And Kai seemed stronger
than the others by the way he had helped them.
Chapter 2
Drake slumped on his bed and put the backpack on the footrest. He
noticed that the amount of bunk beds matched the contestants who’d
gotten through the challenge. Taking a deep breath, he lay on the
comfortable mattress and looked at the ceiling. He hadn’t been in the
mood to open the black box. Drake had been so lucky the last time that he
expected something useless.
“Hey, feeling like giving up?” Kai asked, drawing Drake’s attention.
“Don’t bother me,” Drake said and turned on his side, his back
facing the shifter. “The challenges will become a lot more difficult from
now on, so let me rest while I can.” He couldn’t hear Kai leaving, so he
looked over his shoulder. “What do you want now?”
Kai sighed. “How about we have a conversation?” he said, “I just
feel like…talking with you.”
He stared at the shifter. “About what?” he asked, turning around, and
rested his head on the pillow. Kai leaned closer. Drake noticed how
tempting the other man’s features were. He hadn’t dared to look directly
at Kai for fear of falling for him. And Drake always fell in love easily.
Smiling widely, Kai rested his elbows on the Incubus’s bed. “Where
are you from?”
Drake raised a brow. “Personal questions already? Anyway, I’m
from Namine, not far from here. What about you?” he said and slid
closer to the wall to get away. He gulped and his heartbeat quickened
once Kai invited himself to take the small space on the bed. “It’s getting
cramped here.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Kai said, grinning. “So, moving on. I’m from
Claraly, in the opposite direction. That’s why I’ve never seen you
before. I haven’t traveled to that territory yet.”
He wondered what the shifter’s intentions were. Drake couldn’t
sense anything. Well, it’s what he got for having met a strong shape-
shifter. On top of that, he hadn’t witnessed Kai’s full power yet. “I
see…” he uttered, not knowing what else to say.
“You do have family, right?” Kai asked, leaning slightly closer to
Drake.
Drake felt a burning sensation in his stomach. Unfortunately, it was
pleasant. Their proximity had the opposite effect on him, though, since
they could become opponents in this game. He’d gotten himself in a trap
between Kai and the wall. Drake shook himself. “Y–Yes, I do. I have my
parents, grandmother, and great grandparents. I’m an only child,” he
finally answered.
“Lucky. I live with my younger sister. My parents…passed away in a
car accident a while ago. It’s a long story.” Kai chuckled slightly and
looked away. “Do you have a mate?”
Turning his eyes to Kai’s lips for a brief second, Drake shook his
head. “I’m always reluctant when it comes to dating someone, so I
always end up breaking up with them.” It hadn’t crossed his mind if he’d
been caught staring, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment.
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t want to reach that point when we have to become mates,”
Drake mumbled and took a deep breath. “Let’s just say that getting hurt
isn’t in my plans.” He knew he had been giving too much information to
the shifter, but talking with him seemed harmless. The way Kai looked at
him gave him a sense that the shifter wanted to kiss him, though. And that
made Drake want to distance himself. After all, they were in a
competition and would most likely not see each other again once it
ended.
Nodding, Kai rested his hand on the other man’s shoulder. “I’m sure
that you’ll meet a good mate soon,” he said with a goofy smile.
Drake couldn’t help but to chuckle. “That sounds good. I do want to
meet the one, but I have to stop pushing them away first.” He turned to
the ceiling and rested his hand on his abdomen. “Do you have someone?”
“No. I’d love to, though. I have so much love to give,” Kai said,
sighing. “I’ll let you rest. I’m tired as well. We didn’t have a chance to
rest in the airplane on the way here.”
He watched Kai jump off of the bed and realized he no longer
noticed the cramped space, just like Kai had told him. More importantly,
these mixed feelings were confusing. Had the shifter sent him signals or
had it all been his imagination? It couldn’t have been, since he hadn’t
sensed any pheromones coming from Kai. It felt as if his heart and body
were itching. And the cause of it all was that man.
* * * *
The front door opened. Drake opened his eyes and blinked. For a
moment, he had forgotten where he was. He rolled over and fell from the
bed. He widened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. Kai had caught him.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. As a result of this stunt, he had the shirtless
shifter gazing down at him. Clearing his throat, Drake managed to stand.
“It’s time to go.” He reached out to the black box and his backpack.
“Is this an invitation?” Kai asked, looking at Drake’s hip exposure.
“What are you talking about? Wake up!” Drake smacked the side of
the other man’s head and went to the exit. Their relationship had gotten
awkward enough. In the current circumstances, he couldn’t afford to get
attached to the enemy. For instance, if a challenge were to involve them
in a fight, he wouldn’t want to go up against someone whose strength he
couldn’t even sense. It would be ridiculous.
Kai put his shirt on and picked up his things. He looked at the clock
above the exit. “It’s ten o’clock. We skipped dinner, and we can’t stay to
eat something.” He regarded Drake. “Do you sense any danger coming
from outside?”
“Oh, taking advantage of me?” Drake said, raising a brow.
“Don’t give me that. You’re doing the same thing.” Kai threw his
backpack onto his shoulder and opened his black box. “What did you
get?”
Scrunching his nose, Drake opened it slowly. “I hoped for a
protecting outfit, but it’s far from that,” he said. He took out a package of
smoked Mindles. “You have no idea how I hate this species of fish. They
smell like rotten eggs.”
“I can have it if you don’t. As long as it’s edible, I’ll take it,” Kai
said and smiled when the Incubus handed them to him. “What else do you
have?”
He reached inside the box, his arm going all the way in. “Well, this
is heavy.” Drake struggled to pull out a sledgehammer. “You can have
this, too, if you don’t mind carrying it around.”
“You might as well have my box,” Kai said, chuckling, and switched
items.
Drake opened it and squinted. “How useful. A bottle of water, a pair
of socks, and a…box full of condoms.” He shook his head and shrugged,
throwing everything into his backpack. “These might be useful
sometime.”
Kai commented, “Yes, specially the condoms.”
He pretended he hadn’t just heard the shifter blurt out such a thing
and walked out of the house. He glanced from side to side. “Everyone
has already left.” Drake jogged to the entrance of the next maze. The old
sign had Forest Hunters carved on it. All sorts of feelings coursed
through him. “I can’t sense much danger, but I’m not sure. It’s strange.”
Having Kai around had begun to disorient him.
“We’ll have to go if we want to know,” Kai said and walked by him.
“I advise you to come with me. It's better if we stay together. That way
we have a good chance of getting the prize money. It would also be great
to get the trophy with the titles of the strongest or the smartest.”
“I sure hope so.” Drake followed the other man closely. Small light
posts were lined up on the sides of the dirt road. The walls were of
dense woods. The sounds of small animals, insects, and creaking
branches amidst the darkness brought the forest alive. And the fresh scent
of the night joined the earthy smell. All of that was thrown aside once he
looked up at Kai. The man hadn’t talked much since they left the house.
Drake wouldn’t ask anything, though.
Kai turned right in the maze and looked over his shoulder. “We
should quicken our pace or the others will always be a step ahead,” he
told Drake.
“You know, it’s not easy to walk like you if my legs are short
compared to yours,” Drake muttered, pacing after him. For all he cared,
he needed to remain close to Kai to stay away from danger. “And how
can you be this quick if you’re carrying such heavy gear?”
“I have years of hard work on my shoulders,” Kai said as the Incubus
paced in tow with him. “I can hear voices. We must be close to the core
of this maze. Good thing we didn’t run into any creatures.”
As they walked into the open space, Drake looked at the large
torches surrounding the area. Were the light posts not enough? “Elves?”
he uttered. Wooden tables were set up for each contestant. The others
were already playing ping-pong, writing, and making various puzzles.
“Drake Johnson,” a male elf with long, bright-green hair called and
motioned him closer. The elf's pointy ears were blue on the tips, which
meant that it was a strong one.
Nodding, Drake approached the table. There was a cloth covering
something. He looked over at a female elf calling Kai. “McCross? Is he
some kind of crusader?” he mumbled and shrugged.
“Shall we start?” the elf said, reaching out to him. “You can call me
Thondir. Your challenge is to make a good cupcake. I’m a chef, and
that’s all I know best. You have to follow my lead, but there will be a
trap that you must notice in the recipe. If you lose, you'll have to wait
five minutes after every shifter is gone.”
Drake shook hands with the elf, smiling slightly. “I’m not that good at
baking, but I’ll try.” He glanced at Kai, who noticed him and made the
usual goofy smile. It seemed that the shifter had gotten back to his normal
mood. Drake waved at him before he regarded the elf on the other side
of the table.
“It’s easier than I thought. All I have to do is get the portions right,”
Drake said, Thondir nodding. But he needed to know where the elf had
put the trap. Drake had been searching for it, but he hadn’t found anything
different between the recipe and the elf’s explanation. All of a sudden,
something hit the side of his head, making him hiss. Drake looked to his
right and frowned at Kai’s laughing. He noticed the pen on the ground.
“You…” He narrowed his eyes, took a piece of leftover dough, and
threw it at Kai.
It hit Kai’s chest. He gasped. “I don’t have anything else to wear,” he
whined and grabbed the dough. He threw it back at Drake.
Before he could dodge, the sticky ball hit his shoulder. “Hey, watch
your strength. You almost dislocated my shoulder,” he shouted.
Both threw pens and dough back and forth, until the elves got tired of
it and snatched everything away from them. “It was fun while it lasted,”
Drake said, grinning. He looked away as Kai laughed wholeheartedly.
Had he no other choice but to become attached to the shifter?
“You passed,” both elves said.
Drake stared at his cupcake. Out of all the mess on the table, Kai
hadn’t destroyed his chocolate and strawberry cupcake. He regarded the
other man who had been patting his floured shirt. Drake’s thumping heart
reverberated to his ears and he felt his cheeks heating up. “Thanks,” he
mumbled and shook hands with the elf again. He pursed his lips while
wiping his hands with a small towel.
“My math test went great,” Kai said as he approached Drake.
“You’re lucky that you only had to make a cupcake.”
“A math challenge?” Drake asked. Kai nodded as he took a bite from
the sweet treat. “You’re not a muscle head, after all. Anyway, I need a
shower.” He went to the exit of the maze, the shifter accompanying him.
“Strange. This wasn’t supposed to be here.”
Kai narrowed his eyes. “The mazes are getting longer. I knew they
wouldn’t make this any easier for us,” he said. “But it’s only the
beginning, so we should run out of here. Your cupcake gave me a lot of
energy. Come here.” He leaned down and picked the Incubus up bridal-
style.
“Kai, what do you think you’re doing?” Drake held on to the shifter’s
broad shoulders. His heart pounded in his chest. It became clear that Kai
had been planning something. Whether it was with ulterior motives or
not, he didn’t know. But the way such an attractive stud had approached
him had certainly been unexpected. Oftentimes, people around Drake
would force him into a relationship, something he’d avoid at all costs.
Kai hadn’t done that so far, though. Could that just be his imagination?
“You said my name,” Kai nearly shouted, somewhat startling Drake.
“The way it comes out of your little mouth is so adorable.”
Drake gulped and glanced at his lips. “Why are you getting so close
to me?” he asked quietly and looked away. “I mean, you h–hold me and
do things.” Talking while having Kai’s full attention made him all the
more shy.
“Can’t I?” Kai said, his voice deep, and he tilted his head closer to
him. That goofy smile had gone away, replaced by a seductive grin.
Before Drake could speak, a couple of contestants ran by them. Their
sideways glances showed disapproval. “I don’t know. What do you
expect me to say?” he said faintly. He took a deep breath as Kai began to
run out of the maze. Drake liked how he barely bounced in the shifter’s
arms.
“Let’s see…” Kai paused and turned left, spotting the two
participants up ahead. “You can tell me whatever is going through your
mind right now. That would be interesting.”
Drake widened his eyes as they ran past the other two. It didn’t
appear as if Kai made an effort. Who was this man? “Wait, turn left
here,” he shouted as they were about to face an intersection. Luckily, Kai
made it without having to stop. “You think quickly.”
“Fortunately, I do,” Kai said as they got out of the maze. The small
house came in sight. This time the house was larger and a small garden
surrounded it. “So, can you talk to me about your thoughts?”
He rolled his eyes and looked up at Kai. “I don’t feel like saying
anything. Can’t you see that?” he whined. Moreover, he couldn’t even
think about his feelings. He’d rather run away. He didn’t want to know
whether he felt attracted to Kai or not.
The shifter put him down and they walked into the resting house.
“The showers are shared. Are you coming?” he asked Drake, smiling
innocently.
“O–Of course. I have to take a shower after doing all of those…
things.” Drake looked away. Awkward. “I’m going to get ready.” He
went to his bed and left his things on it. His gaze then went to Kai, who
had been staring at his ass. Drake wanted to hide away from that look. It
was embarrassing. “Do you mind?”
Shaking himself, Kai chuckled. “My eyes wouldn’t turn away,” he
said and placed his things on his bed as well. “I hope they got us a
change of clothes.”
“Yes,” Drake mumbled. As it was, he felt forced to keep Kai by his
side. But showering together? Growing up, his parents would always
find him a potential mate. Unfortunately, all of them were after the money
Drake’s parents had worked for over the years. None of them were
worthy of his time. He’d never been able to maintain someone to the
point of becoming mates.
Drake walked into the showers, a few participants already leaving.
“They did leave us something to wear after we shower,” he said once he
noticed the lockers with their names. As he peeled his shirt off, he froze.
Kai’s gaze was so intense, as if he undressed Drake in his mind. “Stop
looking at me like that,” he demanded, his horns growing in the heat of
the moment. What he’d been trying to hide had appeared without
intention. Morphing made him more sensitive than usual.
Kai widened his eyes. “Your horns are curved and pointing forward.
And they’re coming from the sides of your head instead of the top. That’s
a rare sight,” he said and paced toward the Incubus. “Can I touch them?”
“Touch…?” He trailed off, looking up at the shifter. “I don’t mind.”
Drake tried not to close his eyes as Kai wrapped his hands around his
horns. He shivered every time Kai touched him, conflicting emotions
always passing through his mind. “Why are you fascinated by them?” he
asked quietly.
“It’s a great way to do this,” Kai said and leaned slightly down,
holding the Incubus’s horns. He pressed a kiss to Drake’s lips.
Chapter 3
As their lips parted, Drake gaped at the shifter. On impulse, he
sucked in his bottom lip for a few moments. “Has this been your
intention?” he asked Kai. He had no idea what to think. His mind was
completely blank.
Kai gazed at him. “I noticed you when we were at the centaur’s gate.
I didn’t talk to you by chance. My goal was to get your attention,” he said
and rested his hand on Drake’s cheek. “Now, let’s take a shower.”
He stared at the shifter going to his locker and taking out a towel.
Why couldn’t Drake move? Had he gotten that surprised that he couldn’t
even lift his arm? Finally shaking himself, he went to his locker as well,
always glancing at Kai. They’d prepared Drake a change of clothes from
the luggage he left in the bus. Sighing, he went to one of the cubicles. He
undressed, dropping the clothes in a basket, and turned the hot water on.
The locker room became silent, save the sound of the water spray.
As Drake rinsed his shampooed hair, he heard a clank. He dried his face
with the towel and looked over his shoulder. He completely forgot the
other contestants could attempt to take him out of the competition. “Kai?”
he called, peeking over the cubicle’s door. Since he couldn’t sense the
shifter, it became more frightening to stay alone in the silent room.
“Hi,” the man whispered into Drake’s ear, making him jump.
Drake turned to look up at Kai. “You didn’t have to scare me. And
what are you doing here?” he said, his eyes drifting downward. The
strong chest, the perfect abdomen, and the legs of an athlete. Everything
about Kai enticed him. “P–Please put that away,” he demanded, staring
at the shifter’s hard shaft.
“It’s not that I want to rush things, but I can’t hold back any longer,”
Kai said, his eyes darkened with desire. “I went to get this from your
backpack.” He handed Drake a wrapped condom. “Can I make love to
you?”
Feeling his cheeks heating up and his heart pounding, Drake looked
into Kai’s dark eyes. “Aren’t you saying this in the moment just because
you want physical attraction?” he asked and the shifter shook his head
immediately. “What do you see in me?” Drake shifted his attention
elsewhere.
“Haven’t I given you enough hints? I already told you that you’re
adorable. Or do you want me to write a full report? I will if I have to,”
Kai said, grinning. He leaned closer to the Incubus.
“There’s no need,” Drake told him. What should he do? After all, as
an Incubus, it became difficult for him to resist. Everything got even
more complicated if that person happened to be Kai. “Didn’t you say
that…it wouldn’t fit?”
Kai chuckled. “I wasn’t serious. You know, you weren’t the only one
with your guard up,” he said, “But, after a while, I sensed that you
started to trust me.” He put his hand on Drake’s shoulder and slid it
downward. “Besides, your body is begging for it.”
Drake hadn’t realized that his cock had been at full attention, too.
Sighing, he held Kai’s wrist. “Wait, I have a question.” He looked away
and back at the shifter. “Do you want us to become a couple?”
Kai made that goofy smile of his again and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Is that enough of an answer?” He wrapped his hand around Drake’s
shaft and stroked it excruciatingly slowly. “Unless, you want me to
stop.”
Gulping, he gazed at Kai’s cock. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll never do
it again, understand?” he said firmly. For some reason, Drake couldn’t
see this as just sexual attraction. He felt that he could trust the shifter,
too. All of a sudden, a strong wave of pheromones emanated from Kai,
making Drake weak at the knees. Had Kai been waiting to share his
hidden feelings? His advances were obvious. And wherever the shifter
touched, his skin sizzled in desire.
As Kai slid his hand to the other man’s ass, he was stopped. “What’s
the matter? Did you change your mind?”
Drake shook his head. “I’m an Incubus, so I don’t need much…
preparation,” he mumbled, looking down. Even though he wanted to run
away and hide for his embarrassing words, he needed to speak. If he
remained quiet, he’d possibly pounce on Kai and show his wild side.
“How cute, your horns are out again,” Kai said, smiling as he slid the
condom on his shaft casually. “Well, if you say so…” He trailed off and
turned Drake.
He started to shake when Kai pinned him on the stall’s door. He
couldn’t believe how lewd he’d gotten. His whole body twitched in
expectation. After a few seconds of silence, Drake looked over his
shoulder. Why had the shifter been gazing at his ass again? “Hey,” he
uttered, catching Kai’s attention.
“Oh, yes,” Kai said, “I couldn’t look away. Just thinking of what I
can do to you, I can’t help myself. Wait, that sounds perverted. Let me
rephrase it.” He cleared his throat. “I froze just thinking of ways to love
you and your body.”
Drake couldn’t hold back any longer. He perked his ass to Kai’s
cock. “You don’t have to think about it.” He held the top of the door
when the shifter slid his hands down his sides. What big, warm hands.
Kai groped his ass, making him gasp and jolt.
Kai pressed the tip of his cock into the other man’s entrance. He
raised a brow. Drake stilled. “Are you okay?” He leaned forward and
rested his chin on the Incubus’s shoulder.
“Yes. I just realized what we’re about to do,” Drake answered. “And
you can continue.” He felt the large shaft entering him. His breathing
changed as he shook, so he rested his head against the door for balance.
Kai thrust his hips back and forth gradually faster. Alluring growls
came out of his throat. “Drake,” he moaned, lifting the Incubus off the
floor.
Widening his eyes, Drake gripped the door. Kai’s cock stuffed his
entrance, a mild pain rushing through him. He liked how he bounced up
and down, his mind clouded. Once the shifter tilted his hips so he could
stand straight, Drake jerked. Kai had reached his prostate. “Wait,” he
demanded. He felt too much, and didn’t want to come too soon. Kai kept
grinding his shaft in that sweet, hidden spot.
* * * *
“Found it,” Kai said and snapped his hips forward. He held Drake in
place as his cock got sucked in by his entrance. The way the Incubus’s
back arched and how he jolted whenever Kai thrust inside, nearly drove
him over the edge. He could sense Drake’s passion, but there had been a
slight hint of uncertainty as well.
Drake groaned, releasing his seed all over the door. He twitched and
moaned incoherent words as Kai continued to fuck him. His skin turned a
pale blue, a sign that he’d reached climax.
Leaning down, Kai pressed a kiss to the other man’s back. He turned
Drake around, managing to move his legs so Kai wouldn’t stop thrusting
into his entrance. Flushed cheeks. Mouth that fell open, showing the
adorable overlapped teeth. Bright-green eyes that had darkened in bliss.
He had already fallen in love with Drake.
The Incubus wrapped his arms around Kai’s neck, barely moving
while Kai shoved his shaft into his passageway. Their slapping sounds,
moans, and frantic breaths reverberated in the locker room. Drake leaned
forward and kissed the other man’s lips.
Kai widened his eyes for a brief second. He then shoved his tongue
between Drake’s lips and explored his needy mouth. That way, he could
sense the Incubus’s feelings in a raw state. It allowed him to feel the
pleasure that coursed throughout Drake’s body. Kai clenched his hands
on Drake’s ass, burying his cock, and came.
For a moment, Kai rationalized the position in their environment and
bit his bottom lip instead of making any sound. But it overpowered him
once Drake released again, causing him to break his lip open with his
teeth. He shouldn’t have tried to sense the other man’s deepest feelings,
especially if it involved an Incubus squeezing his cock.
Drake licked Kai’s bleeding lip and moaned. “It’s like a flame…”
He trailed off and rested his head on the shifter’s shoulder, losing his
consciousness.
He knew that Drake tasting his blood right after he climaxed could
affect him, but not this much. After all, their powers were unbalanced.
A couple of shifters were heard coming into the locker room. Kai
turned the water off. He then sat on the small bench and pulled his shaft
out. The other participants couldn’t know that a couple had become an
item in the competition. They could attack one to affect the other. Both
could be at risk of leaving the game.
“Man, is it me or does it smell like sex in here?” one of them asked.
“It does, but it appears that they already left,” the other said. “What a
missed chance to get rid of them. I already got my backpack, so let’s go.”
They weren’t the only ones forming alliances, after all. Kai sighed
when the door closed. It had been difficult to conceal both of their
presences. “Drake, let’s go before they notice that we’re missing.”
Drake opened his eyes and blinked. “It’s so cold,” he muttered and
sat straight. Once he realized their position, he stared at the shifter.
Kai grinned at Drake’s flushed cheeks. “You don’t have to be shy
about it.” He stood and put the other man on the floor. “Are you all
right?”
Nodding, Drake turned the water on. “Let me rinse before we go,” he
said. “The next challenge might have already started and we’re here.”
He turned his eyes downward, gazing at the steaming water running
down Drake’s body. “I should go and check,” he mumbled and stepped
out of the cubicle. His body started to react to the Incubus again. If Kai
so much as stopped to cuddle with him, they would go for another round.
They needed more time alone to indulge in each other.
Both walked into the shared bedroom in a clean change of clothing.
Kai hoped that none of the other participants noticed their relationship,
but Drake had a lazy expression. It was as if the Incubus had mated. “Can
you be less obvious?” he commented and helped Drake up to his bed.
“Of course,” he said, turning around.
Kai raised a brow as the other man tried to conceal his presence.
Taking a deep breath, he lay on his bed. But he wanted to stay next to
Drake. He wouldn’t lose sight of the Incubus once they finished the
game.
* * * *
Drake stood at the entrance of the next maze. “This won’t be easy,”
he said, feeling the negative waves that came from inside. The white
walls of the hallway were twisted to the point of being broken. There
were curved chairs, paintings, and chandeliers. The only things keeping
the red-tiled floor together were black carpets. And rows of old doors
were broken. This whole maze was a wicked spiral. “It’s as if we’re in
a horror movie.”
“I think the sign, Horror Land, reminds me of something,” Kai said.
“Still, we should go. We can’t wait for something to happen.” He led the
way, careful not to step on the floating tiles.
If there were ghosts, Drake would sprint back. He looked down at
his hands shaking. His heart thumped quickly in his chest and he flinched
once a door shut loudly. The constant creaking annoyed him, though. But
more importantly, he wanted to hold Kai’s hand.
As if he’d heard Drake’s thoughts, Kai took the other man’s hand.
“Don’t worry, I’m right here,” he said and came to a stop. “I can sense a
strong presence to the right.”
Drake frowned. “I can’t detect anything,” he said and smelled the air.
“Nothing at all.” If the shifter hadn’t been holding his hand, he’d have
run back to the resting house. “Is the hallway narrowing?” Drake didn’t
want to panic, but one more push would be enough.
Kai glanced at him. “That’s because it’s too strong for you. We can’t
go on like this.” He squeezed Drake’s hand as he led him to the left.
“The problem is—”
“What is it?” Drake asked immediately, staring at him. At that
moment, he didn’t like Kai’s serious expression. He wanted the goofy
smile back.
“There’s another strong one ahead, and it’s getting closer. We’re
cornered.” Kai growled under his breath. “They’re going to make us
fight for our spots. There’s no way half of us can go through this maze.”
The sound of something large breaking caused Drake’s horns to grow
out. He shook himself. He couldn’t remain afraid or he’d lose his first
real challenge. “Then, we have to show them what we’re capable of
doing to win.”
“Aw, you’re so brave,” Kai said and pressed a kiss to his lips. He
then pulled the sledgehammer from the side of his backpack. “This will
cause some damage.”
Drake was too stunned to listen. He hadn’t expected that kiss. Before
he could react, he noticed all of the other participants running toward
them. Roaring sounds came from the end of the hallway. “I change my
mind. We should go!”
“We can’t,” Kai shouted due to the loud noise and swung the
sledgehammer. It hit the wall next to them.
As the wall crumbled, a beast growled, making Drake close his ears.
Fur appeared as the dust settled. He stared at it. “Is that…a paw?” he
mumbled, not curious enough to approach it. He then looked upward.
They should have chosen to run.
A large rabbit had opened a space. There were no walls and it
seemed that this whole maze was destroyed. Even though the creature’s
eyes were blue and it had white fur, its teeth were sharp and ready to cut
through anything. The contestants continued to attack the rabbit’s head
and chest, but they looked like little cats trying to hurt an elephant. Just
one of the rabbit's paws was five times the size of a tall shifter.
Drake widened his eyes as the creature’s mouth opened. It aimed at
Kai, who had been pulling the sledgehammer from the mountain of
rubble. “Kai,” he called. Drake rushed to him and shoved him away. He
turned his eyes up. No escape. The rabbit’s throat was in sight. He
jumped so the teeth wouldn’t hurt him.
“No,” Kai snarled. He lifted his weapon and broke one of its teeth to
pieces. Too late. Drake was swallowed.
Shutting his eyes, Drake rolled down until he fell on a soft surface.
He opened his backpack and grabbed the Nox light stone he’d gotten
from the black box. “It has to work,” he said and patted it. Fortunately,
light formed in the core of the transparent sphere.
Drake took in his new environment as he walked aimlessly. Soft-
looking pink walls and floor surrounded him. As much as he knew Kai
had an undetectable strength, he couldn’t help but worry. He’d never
seen a monster this large. Truth be told, if something like this existed,
who knew what else lurked in these mazes.
Much to his dismay, Drake heard something shuffling, but he couldn’t
see it. And then more, as if this place was the home of small beings. If
so, he’d be in trouble. “Hello?” he uttered and turned around.
“Who are you?” something with a shrieking voice questioned and
approached Drake.
He stared down at a creature the size of a soccer ball. It seemed soft
with its long, black fur. But it had one large eye, and a mouth that
stretched from one side to the other. Its paws and tail were exactly like a
cat's. Basically, it was similar to an impossibly fat cat. Where did they
get these beasts from?
Drake shook himself. “I–I’m Drake. This rabbit swallowed me,” he
said. As he walked by it, the small beast got in his way. “You know, I
need to get out of here.” He widened his eyes once the ball of fur jumped
toward him, its fang-filled mouth wide open.
Chapter 4
Kai ran, dodging the rabbit’s paw headed his way. He left his
backpack in a corner of a destroyed wall and shifted. “We have to get
onto the beast’s back,” he told the others. “Attacking whenever we have
a chance hasn’t been working. We have to team up on this one.”
“I’ll do it,” the owl-shifter said. He grabbed the wrists of two other
shifters and flew with them. “Distract the rabbit until I return!”
Kai nodded and bolted in front of the creature. Drake needed
someone to help. He couldn’t leave the Incubus in there by himself. Kai
clenched his jaw. If he’d paid attention, Drake wouldn’t have had to
save him.
As he ran toward the rabbit’s stomach, he noticed something moving.
“Drake?” he called. Had the other man been trying to get out through the
beast’s abdomen? All of a sudden, Kai heard a scream from inside,
making him shiver. “I’m right here,” he shouted and clawed his way
through the fur.
The other contestants started to attack the rabbit from the top, making
it expose its stomach to reach them. “It’s a machine,” one of them
announced.
“I’m going to sue the administration of this game,” Kai commented as
he entered the thing. He looked from left to right, and noticed a light
stone. As he ran toward it, he sensed Drake’s weak presence. He took
the sphere and approached a pile of fur balls to get a closer look. “What
is this?” he asked himself. Had the Incubus been eaten?
Taking a deep breath, Kai took one of them off carefully. It had been
biting on a thigh and left a mark. “You’re not machines,” he said. He half
expected these things hadn’t hurt Drake. So far in the competition, they
hadn’t fought any enemy seriously.
The ball of fur turned its large, yellow eye to the shifter. “We’re not,
but it’s our job. You’re too strong for us, so please don’t…hurt us,” the
small animal said.
Sighing, Kai threw it over his shoulder and reached into the pile. He
grabbed Drake’s upper arm and pulled him up, the creatures jumping
away. “I shouldn’t be turned on by this.” Kai gazed at the Incubus’s
shredded clothes and bite marks all over his body. He took off his shirt
and covered the unconscious man with it. “You, bring his backpack,” he
told one of the fur-balls.
“We are Balfurs,” one of them whined. “We have a name. And why
should we help you in any way?” It flinched when Kai frowned at him.
“Okay, but we’re all going. We’re a team.”
“Balfurs is the same as fur-balls,” he said. Shrugging, Kai went to
the exit. The machine had stopped moving. Its back seemed to have had
the main circuit. He couldn't know, since the challenges were never
aired to the public. Otherwise, every contestant would be ready for them.
“My backpack is by that wall. Bring it as well,” he demanded, looking
down at Drake’s closed eyes.
The owl-shifter landed in front of Kai. “Did you help him while we
were fighting the rabbit?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. You also formed an alliance with someone, so don’t
look at me like that,” Kai told the other man and walked by him.
“Balfurs, don’t fall behind.”
One of them whined. “Do we have to do this?” It then scowled at the
owl-shifter. “What are you looking at?” The shifter looked away.
Kai walked into the resting house and laid Drake on his bed. He
stared at the Incubus’s lower back. Drake had a long tail. Kai held it,
gazing at the blue color that got darker as it reached its tip. Fortunately, it
hadn’t been bitten. Drake moaned. “Are you awake?” Kai asked in
worry and noticed that the other man had gotten hard.
“Don’t touch it,” Drake said, yanking his tail away. “It’s sensitive
and I can’t make it go away until my energy returns. I’m so tired.” He
managed to pull the covers and slid under them.
“Can we go now?” a Balfur asked and jumped onto the bed.
Drake jolted. “Why are they here?” he shouted and grabbed the ball
of fur.
Before Drake hurt it, Kai held his wrist. “There’s no need for that,”
he said, “You should rest. For now, the Balfurs aren’t going to leave.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ll wake you up to take
a shower before we have to go, but you need to recover. We have no
idea what awaits us in the next challenge.”
The Incubus rolled his eyes and released the Balfur. “Fine. And think
twice before you bring enemies here. The others have been looking
down on us. It will be your fault if they form a team to get rid of us.”
“Not if the enemies are on our side,” Kai said and grinned when
Drake stared at him. “Goodnight.” He lay beside the other man and
pulled him to his chest. “The rest of you can take the bed above this
one.”
One of the creatures jumped onto it and got under the sheets. “Hey,
this is softer than that machine. It’s warm in here,” it said.
Kai nodded and said, “Make yourselves comfortable, but don’t
hesitate in waking me up if something happens.” He could hear the other
contestants whispering to each other. Either way, he wouldn’t let any of
them touch Drake. It’d become obvious that they had acknowledged their
relationship. Kai looked at the Incubus’s sleeping face, smiling. When
had he gone this deep to keep Drake by his side? Taking a deep breath,
he tried to sleep for a few hours.
“Big guy,” a Balfur called, jumping on Kai’s hip. “It’s time to wake
up. We’re hungry. If you don’t, we’ll bite you and—” it was cut off once
the shifter gripped his mouth shut.
Kai sat up and yawned. “Don’t be so noisy. Drake needs to rest for
as long as he can. Oh, you and your friends will come with us,” he said.
He put it down and regarded the Incubus. “How much do your bites
affect him?”
“We just drained his energy,” it answered. “We had a great night’s
sleep, so we want to return the favor. Since there’s nothing else for us to
do, we talked and decided that we’re going to help. If you want to take
this Incubus with you, you’ll need us to look after him.”
Kai nodded. “That’s true. I’m not used to fighting for two,” he
muttered. “You must want something in return, right?”
The Balfur nodded and closed its eye for a brief second. “If
something were to happen to any of us, we’d like you to not leave us
behind,” it said firmly and Kai nodded. “We’re willing to help Drake if
we can come into this house to rest as well.”
“That won’t be a problem. Anything else?” Kai said. If he had a
helping hand, he could take care of those enemies. Not that Drake was
weak, but he needed to make sure that he wouldn’t end up hurt. If the
other participants hadn’t been around to help with the rabbit, they’d be
disqualified.
“Yes.” The Balfur paused and looked away. “Is there any way that
you can leave the sledgehammer here? It’s so heavy! I had to carry that
stupid thing.”
Kai chuckled. “I can take my own backpack. All you have to do is
assist Drake. And don’t tell him that or he’ll get angry,” he said. “Now,
you can help yourselves in the kitchen. But don’t get in the way of the
other shifters or they’ll knock you out. Bring me a washbowl and a small
towel so I can wash him.”
“Great,” it whispered and bolted to the kitchen with the rest of the
group.
Before Drake woke up, Kai wanted to take care of him. Two Balfurs
brought what he’d asked. “You can walk on two paws. I wonder what
else you can do.”
“Even though Drake is strong—it doesn’t compare to you—we
defeated him. We’ll put on a show when the right time comes,” it told the
shifter, grinning. “We’re going to have something to eat now. While
we’re at it, we will prepare breakfast for you two. After all, we’re here
to help now.”
Kai smiled and petted their heads. “Thanks. And make sure that none
of the contestants come here until I say so. I don’t want them to see how
close Drake and I are.” He watched them nodding and walking away
with wide smiles. Kai peeled Drake’s shirt off. The marks were gone.
He started to wash his body, careful not to bother him.
Drake moaned and opened his eyes. “Kai?” he called. “Why do I feel
so wet?”
Kai snorted. “You’re wet because I’m washing you. How are you?”
he said. “There’s breakfast and clean clothes here for you. You must be
hungry.” The Incubus looked disoriented.
“Of course I am. I haven’t eaten in two days,” he complained and sat
up. He looked away, blushing. “Thanks for helping me this much. I must
be…a burden.” Kai leaned closer to him and pressed a kiss to his lips,
taking Drake by surprise.
Kai took a deep breath. “I enjoy protecting you, so don’t call
yourself that. Come on, let’s get ready for the next challenge.” He held
the Incubus’s hand. “The Balfurs will accompany us.”
“Are they trustworthy?” Drake asked, raising a brow. The shifter
nodded, smiling. “If you think so, then I don’t mind.”
Both dressed and ate breakfast. “This looks like our last meal,” Kai
said, “Only a great restaurant would make these kinds of dishes.”
“Yes, this is delicious,” Drake replied. “My parents eat like this
every day, but…Well, they don’t like me that much, so I have to cook for
myself. After all, I live alone back in Namine. It’s a town away from
where the humans live.”
Kai nodded. “You know, if I had my parents, I would do anything to
solve our issues. Don’t you think that it’s a waste of time to be angry
with your parents? What if they just…disappeared? Would you miss
them?” He knew he had a problem with people who had parents and
didn’t appreciate them. But in this case the parents were the ones who
hadn’t been appreciating their son.
Drake turned his eyes down. “I would, but they don’t want to talk to
me. How can someone despise another for their height? I didn’t ask to
stop growing to the height of a human,” he said. “That’s why I came here.
I wanted to prove to my parents that it doesn’t matter.”
“Then, tell you what. When we finish this game, let’s go talk to your
parents. They will be happy to know that you won this competition,” Kai
told him, smiling widely. He tilted his head when Drake shook his head.
“What’s the matter?”
Drake looked at the shifter. “I’m not doing this for them anymore.
That is what I thought. I don’t want to run away because I have to prove
to myself that I can do this. And to you, too,” he said quietly.
“To me?” he asked the Incubus, who nodded shyly. “That’s so
adorable.” Kai held Drake’s hand, squeezing it slightly. “The door is
opening.” But he wanted to stay a while longer.
“We have to go, then. Let’s open our boxes.” Drake stood, his cheeks
flushed. He regarded the Balfurs. “Shall we head to the next maze?”
Kai chuckled as the creatures skipped to the exit, looking
determined. “Drake, you must be tired, so they’ll carry your backpack.”
“I’ll be able to save energy that way,” he said and glanced over his
shoulder at Kai. “Do you think this maze will be worse? I have a feeling
that something will to happen to you.” He opened the black box and
peeked inside. The Incubus widened his eyes. “I got a protecting jacket!”
Looking away and back at his boyfriend, Kai shrugged. “If that’s so,
you’ll come for me, right? Ah, that’s great.” He took the lid from his box.
“I have a hat, a scarf, and an umbrella. These things don’t make much
sense, but I’ll keep them.”
Drake nodded as he watched Kai fill his backpack. “Of course I’d
help you. You shouldn’t even ask that,” he said, making his way to the
exit. “We should go. The others have already gone ahead as usual.”
“But that’s the plan,” Kai told him, chuckling. He rested his arm on
Drake’s shoulders as they approached the sign of the next maze. Two tall
pillars were on each side of the rusty gate. “This doesn’t look good.
There’s sand on the ground.”
Sighing, Drake pointed at the sign. “The title, Hot Desert, says
everything,” he told Kai. “And right ahead we have a puzzle to solve.”
Kai paced to the table on the sand. Sunlight shone over them. He
squinted and reached into his backpack. “It’s as if they gave this to us on
purpose,” he said. He handed the hat to Drake and the umbrella to the
Balfurs. Since all he had left was the scarf, he wrapped it loosely around
the top and sides of his head. The place looked exactly like a desert.
Blue sky and hot sand were all they could see ahead.
Drake put the hat on. “We have to solve the puzzle in turns,” he said
as he checked the rules written on a cardboard. “And there’s a twenty-
second interval between each attempt.”
“I’ll go first, then.” Kai studied the puzzle. Unfortunately, it didn’t
consist of solving a math problem. Matches were laid scattered on the
table beside a paper, which had the shape of a star. “Balfurs, if
something happens to me, stay with Drake,” he demanded.
“Don’t worry,” one of them said, taking his turn holding the heavy
umbrella.
Scratching the back of his neck, Kai whined. “I have no idea how to
solve this one. That’s it. I need inspiration.” He pulled Drake by the arm
and kissed him. The Incubus moaned when their teeth bumped lightly
against each other. “I’ll give it a try.”
“Be careful. There might be a trap if you don’t get it right,” Drake
told him.
Nodding, Kai focused on the challenge. He made the shape of the
star, but one matchstick had no place in the shape. All of a sudden, he no
longer felt the ground. He turned as he fell and stared at Drake and the
Balfurs panicking.
He landed on a mountain of sand on his feet and humphed. “There’s
no way to go back up through here,” Kai muttered. He reached into his
backpack and took out a light stone. The moment he lit it, a tall, male
beast appeared. Kai widened his eyes. The thing’s grin was filled with
sharp teeth. But it looked handsome with the green and yellow lizard
print across its face and all over his body. The beast had spikes from the
back of the head, down its back, until it reached a large lizard tail.
However, its feet were like a lizard's, while the normal hands only had
claws.
“How cute. Are you fascinated by me? I can also wear clothing.”
The beast growled under his breath. It rested a finger under Kai’s chin
and moved it up. “I want to take you to my cave and make love to you.”
Kai gulped, leaning back until he touched the rough wall. He glanced
at the creature’s green shirt and loose jeans. “You can’t because…I’m a
top. And I have a boyfriend,” he said, averting his eyes from the beast’s
strong body and penetrating yellow eyes. He could sense that Drake
hadn’t moved from his spot. Had the Incubus solved the puzzle?
“It’s nothing that we can’t change. I’ll make you feel so good you’ll
get addicted,” it teased. Grinning, the creature caressed Kai’s cheek, its
other hand sliding down his chest. “We both know you want it.”
Blinking in disbelief, Kai stopped moving. The membranes between
its fingers felt strange on his skin. He’d been seduced, though. He
couldn’t speak. The creature pressed several kisses to his neck and
groped his ass. The long, connected fingers curved and Kai was lifted
off the ground.
All of a sudden, Drake yelled. He fell on Kai, and loud thuds
sounded as the Balfurs followed. The Incubus sat on Kai’s abdomen. “I
got it right, but I didn’t want to face the desert,” Drake said, massaging
his aching shoulder.
Kai shook himself and moved the fur balls away. He noticed Drake
staring at the lizard that had seduced him. “Don’t fall for his words,” he
told his lover. If it wasn’t for Drake, he wouldn’t have gotten away from
the creature.
“Don’t worry,” the beast told Kai. “I only have my eyes on you. Two
shifters fell and have been wandering about, but you’re the only one I
want.” He helped them up and raised a brow at the Balfurs. “If I
remember correctly, this is not your area.”
The Balfur with a blue eye said, “We’re helping. They give us food
and shelter in return.”
Once the tall beast shifted his attention to Kai, he shook his head.
“Don’t get any ideas. I don’t want someone like you with us. Besides,
there’s not enough food for everyone.”
“I can take care of myself,” it replied. “My name is Kamui. Even
though you’re not even near the end of this game, I’m a Type B. The
Balfurs are a D, which is below me. They might be able to assist you,
but not as much as I can.” He looked down at the small creatures’ frowns
and at Drake. “Are you this shifter’s mate?”
Drake stared at him. “N–No, we’re not actual mates,” he mumbled,
his cheeks flushing.
Chapter 5
“You’ve already had sex, but you’re not mates,” Kamui commented,
smirking. “Then, I still have a chance to get…What’s your name?” He
regarded Kai. “We should talk while we go to the surface. It’s not safe to
stay here.”
He followed the tall lizard. “I’m Kai, and this is Drake, my
boyfriend,” he said loud and clear. Speaking of names, referring to the
Balfurs had been difficult, so he had to name them. “Fur balls, each of
you will be called after the color of your eye. It’s easier this way.”
“We haven’t thought about that before,” Red said, chuckling.
Kai noticed that Drake had been glancing at the lizard. He leaned
closer to Drake so he could whisper. “Why are you looking at him?”
“His back is strange, but not in a bad way,” the Incubus said. “Do
you have any idea why he’d want to have someone who looks nothing
like his species?” Kai patted his back. “Technically, we’re not of the
same species as well. Looking like humans only makes us slightly
different,” he told him. “Is this jealousy coming from you?” To some
extent, he wanted his boyfriend to show such a selfish side. At last,
Drake could express his feelings for him. But he knew how Drake’s
stubbornness could get in the way.
“As long as you tell me that you don’t feel anything for him, I won’t
feel that way,” he said, holding Kai’s hand.
Smiling, he pressed a kiss to Drake’s cheek. His lover referred to
other creatures as he or she. How endearing. They earned whistles from
the Balfurs, and Kamui looked over his shoulder. Kai released the
Incubus’s hand. Even though he didn’t want to return the lizard’s
feelings, he wouldn’t hurt him on purpose.
The first rays of sun appeared through a fissure. They walked out of
the cave and squinted. The Balfurs opened the umbrella while Kamui
flattened his large tail over his head.
Drake shuddered. “A challenge ahead of us. We can’t leave this
maze yet,” he said. He looked up to the open sky. “There’s not much
danger in the air, though.”
Kai’s gazed turned to Drake. The Incubus could sense his
environment again. Kai rested the back of his hand against Drake’s
cheek. “Are you getting too hot? We should look for a shade.”
“The challenge is at the entrance of a cave, so don’t worry, Kai,”
Kamui told him. He led the small procession to an awaiting group of
desert goblins.
Kai’s attention focused on the goblins’ long noses then their green
skin. “What’s the challenge?” he asked, glancing at Drake scrunching his
nose at their putrid smell. He’d ask the administration where they had
hired these beasts from, but the organization kept it a secret.
* * * *
“Each contestant must face their fears,” the leader of the goblins
said, his otherwise white teeth covered in dark-green mucus. “I can see
that out of the two of you, Drake has been escaping. I mean, how many
times will it take for the shifter to protect you? The rumor amongst us is
that you should have lost in the third maze.”
Frowning, Drake looked away. He wouldn’t let such words affect
him. The only ones he wanted to prove his abilities to had been himself
and Kai. “Let’s start the challenge. I want to leave soon.”
“Then, I’ll take you,” the leader said. He motioned the Incubus closer
and looked up at him. “You won’t have the shifter’s help this time.”
“Kai McCross,” another goblin called.
Drake watched Kai walking away while Kamui and the Balfurs
stepped aside. He took a deep breath. There was no room for failure. If
he lost, Kai’s efforts to help him could become meaningless. It could be
days—if not weeks—for a possibility to see his lover again.
The goblin rested his callused hand on Drake’s abdomen. “You will
feel energy emerging from here. It will spread throughout your body,” he
said. “Now, close your eyes for three seconds.”
Drake did as instructed. The hot weather turned cooler. He froze at
the sight of his parents. Drake watched his younger self sleeping in his
mother’s arms, his father beside her. Their smiles were so honest and
filled with love. Once he blinked, the scenario changed.
“Drake, I can’t believe you haven’t grown an inch. It’s just like your
great-grandfather,” Delia, his mother, said with a disapproving look. She
took Drake’s measurements again. “We wanted you to grow tall and
strong, but it’s the opposite. Having good grades in school won’t help
you in a fight.”
“But I’m not weak,” Drake said in unison with his teenage self.
She snorted and lightly slapped his cheek. Her look turned into a
stern one again. “It’s not enough,” Delia shouted. “Marcus, our son is the
same height as a year ago!” She stood straight, looking down on Drake.
“I should have another child and see if he or she becomes better than
you.”
Drake and his other self froze, staring at her. In the end, he didn’t
have a sibling. Delia could no longer give birth. He turned his eyes
down and up to another scenario. He knew what came next.
“It’s because you’re so abnormal that I can’t have another child.”
Delia growled, baring her fangs at the twenty-year-old Drake. “Get out
of our house. You’re making the air toxic!”
“Don’t say that, Delia. He’s our son. Isn’t he smart? And he cares for
others. That should be enough,” Marcus told her, resting his hand on
Drake’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, son, she’s just stressed at the moment.”
Delia shook her head and sat on the couch with a thud. “It’s not,” she
said quietly, sliding her hand through her long, black hair. “Can’t you see
that this is not what I want? Years have been passing by and my dream of
having a strong son is vanishing. And don’t act kind to him when you
share the same opinion.”
Drake put his hand over his mouth, trying to stop the annoying tears
from overflowing. His other self stood there, expressionless as he
looked at Delia. He knew he’d been falling apart from within at that
moment. Drake recalled that, shortly after, he’d moved out of the house.
Only his father had said his good-byes. His mother had left the house.
She’d been most likely happy.
All of a sudden, he saw Kai seated in the darkness. The Nox light
stone got weaker by the moment. “Are you all right?” he uttered,
approaching the shifter. No response. “What’s the matter?” He leaned
down so he could take a closer look at him.
“Drake, I tried to help you…but it was too strong for me,” Kai said.
He fell backward. Scratches, bruises, and deep wounds covered the skin
under his shredded clothes.
Widening his eyes, Drake let his mouth fall open. “Is this the future?”
he asked. Kai closed his eyes. Further ahead, he noticed the Balfurs and
Kamui were laid on the dark floor, seemingly lifeless. He’d been a
failure and brought the others down with him. “I don’t want this.” He got
on his knees and rested his forehead on Kai’s chest. Growling under his
breath, he clenched his hands. It’d been all because of him.
“Drake,” Kai shouted, hugging the Incubus to his chest.
He felt his lover’s strong, warm torso against him. “You should stay
away from me,” Drake told him. He realized that his eyes felt puffy and
warm. He’d been crying.
“This is overkill,” Kai scolded the goblin. “Why did you do that to
him?”
“He needs tough love. From what I’ve seen in his past, he has never
released his power. He fears it’s not enough,” the goblin said. He
regarded Drake. “If you don’t want to see that in reality, do something
about it.”
Drake closed his eyes for a brief second and said, “I understand.” He
looked up at Kai, who had a concerned expression. He needed the goofy
smile back from his lover. This time, it was up to him to make the effort.
“This challenge doesn’t involve an evaluation, so you can go before
any enemies appear,” the goblin advised. “We’ll see each other later.
Don’t lose until then.”
Staring at him, Drake nodded. “I won’t lose.” He walked out of the
cave with Kai and the others. Perhaps he needed such an image in his
mind so he could face reality. He’d dodged many losses, but that luck
could run out at any moment. After all, the farther they went, the harder
the mazes got.
“Let’s all get some rest,” Kai said and opened the door of the resting
house. “Everyone else has already left. It seems that we have this place
for ourselves.” He caressed the Incubus’s cheek, grinning.
Drake rolled his eyes and pointed over to the Balfurs and Kamui.
“We’re not alone. Anyway, even though they continued to the next maze,
I’d rather recover first.” He picked up his bag and left it in a corner.
“Thanks for carrying it, Blue,” he said, making his way to lie in bed.
“And you’re coming with me.” He dragged Kai along, glancing at
Kamui.
Both lay in bed. “You can take any bunk bed. There’s no one else
here but us,” the shifter told them and turned to Drake. “It has been a long
day.” He leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his lover’s lips.
Hiding under the covers, Drake felt his cheeks heating up. He heard
the Balfurs taking the bed above them, and Kamui went to the one beside
them. Sighing, Drake closed his eyes, drowning in Kai’s comfortable
warmth.
A moan awoke Drake. He blinked and moved his head from under
the sheets. “What are you doing?” he asked faintly, staring at Kamui
kissing Kai’s neck. He knew that they shouldn’t have brought the lizard
along.
“Drake?” Kai mumbled. He shook himself once he realized that
Kamui had been the one touching him.
“You’re not worthy of Kai,” Kamui said, “It’s like that goblin said.
You’re a burden. A Type D shouldn’t be mated with an S, which is
almost the top rank.” He folded his arms, looking down on the Incubus.
Kai opened his mouth to talk, but Drake crawled over him. “Who
said that I’m a D or whatever you think of me?” he shouted. Kamui
snorted. It was as if that moment when Delia had mocked him repeated
itself. Drake jumped out of bed.
“What are you going to do? Making a menacing frown at me doesn’t
work,” Kamui said, his smirk not wavering.
Drake growled, his horns and tail growing out. “Don’t underestimate
me,” he told the lizard, gripping the back of his neck, and yanking him
down. “Kai is mine. Do not touch him again!” He was fed up with others
always telling him that his efforts were never enough.
Kamui widened his eyes. “What is this?” he uttered, his expression
turning to surprise. “Amazing how a Type D can go all the way to an A
over a simple argument. Fascinating.” He slid the tip of his scaly finger
along Drake’s horn, gazing at the Incubus’s sharp fangs. “You’re a late
bloomer.”
Scoffing, Drake released him. That compliment had gone over his
head, but he wouldn’t show it. “All I have to say is that I’m giving you a
warning. If you still want to get your hands on Kai, you should leave.”
“How adorable,” Kai said. He held Drake’s tail, pulling him closer.
“Come back to bed. I want to make love to you.”
Drake gulped and looked over his shoulder. “This is not the time…”
he was cut off once Kai stroked his sensitive tail. His legs gave out.
“Stop teasing me.” He moaned and clenched his hands. “Don’t look at
me,” he told Kamui, but the lizard wouldn’t move.
Kai wrapped his arms around the Incubus’s torso and scooped him
onto the bed. “You’re an Incubus, so you must be up for a round of hot
sex whenever you can, right?” he said, sliding his hand around Drake’s
hip, and groped his crotch from behind. “I can feel it.” Kai nibbled
Drake’s shoulder, all the while pinching the Incubus’s covered nipple.
He then pressed his chest against Drake’s back, making him arch so
Kamui could see him perfectly.
Turning around, Drake shook his head. “You’ll see what happens to
you if you stop touching my tail,” he whined. Without a second to lose,
Kai slid his hips between Drake’s thighs. He closed his eyes as the
shifter pressed several kisses to his neck, cheeks, and lips.
“You’re in the mood now,” Kai whispered into his ear, yanking his
lover’s pants off. “You can rest as much as you want after this.” He took
out a condom from his pocket, as if he’d prepared for the occasion.
Drake opened his eyes to Kai peeling his shirt off. “Wait, Kamui is
watching,” he said. But he couldn’t push Kai away. He wanted the shifter
to take him right then and there. Just the sight of these muscles flexing
right in front of him drove him insane in desire. In the current
circumstances, he couldn’t bring himself to care if anyone watched them.
Kai nuzzled Drake’s neck. “Your musky scent is so…torturing. Yes,
that’s the right word,” he said faintly. From the looks of it, his mind was
far gone into lust. He could only see who he clearly wanted to make love
to.
“Look who’s talking,” Drake said, resting his hand on the shifter’s
cheek. He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to Kai’s lips.
Kamui stared at Kai stuffing the Incubus’s entrance with his cock. “I
can’t look away,” he mumbled.
Kai stroked his cock in and out swiftly. Drake looked up into the
shifter’s eyes. The bed began to creak, causing the Balfurs to protest. But
the room soon became quiet. Only the sounds coming from their
lovemaking reverberated within the walls of the rest house. Drake
wrapped his hands around Kai’s wrists. He needed leverage so he could
meet with the shifter’s thrusts. He wanted to feel more.
With a tilt of his hips, Kai brushed his shaft against Drake’s prostate.
He watched the Incubus groan and arch against him. “If you keep making
these sounds, this will turn from loving to fucking,” he said, snapping his
cock into Drake’s entrance.
Drake’s mouth fell open. He could feel Kai thrusting deeper and in
shorter strokes. He loved the way the shifter’s big hands held his thighs
to curve his back up. Without thinking, Drake spread his legs further
apart. Once he realized that Kamui had been watching the whole time, he
used his tail to cover his cock. However, that made him want to switch
his wild side on. He wanted to show Kamui that Kai was his.
“You’re so good. Your blue skin tone is beautiful,” Kai managed to
say. He squeezed Drake’s thighs and pulled him closer, burying his cock
into his entrance. “It’s all the way in now.”
Swallowing drily, Drake opened and closed his eyes slowly. Kai
hadn’t gotten this deep in there the first time. If the shifter’s cock was any
larger, he wouldn’t be able to take it. Kai’s hips began to slap against his
ass. Every time the shifter thrust forward, he’d pull Drake toward him.
All he could do was moan at how passionately Kai made love to him.
Kai leaned down and shoved his tongue into his lover’s mouth. He
explored it thoroughly, but stopped mostly on its sensitive top. He slid
his hands back and forth on Drake’s sides. And, when he moved away,
he looked between them. Drake had been stroking his shaft with his tail.
Drake protested when Kai unwrapped his tail. But he wanted to
come. As payback, he surrounded the shifter’s waist with his legs,
making him stop moving. “You had no right to interrupt my flow,” he
complained playfully. “What are you going to do now to make it up to
me, huh?”
Raising a brow, Kai tilted the ends of his lips up. “I could because,
otherwise, you’d come too soon. We couldn’t enjoy our moment before,
so now I want to do that.” He started to slide his cock in and out slowly.
“Do you see what I mean?” he asked. Drake moaned and nodded. Kai
then pulled halfway out and shoved his shaft back in. “It’s good, but it’s
not the same.”
“Yes,” Drake mumbled. As an Incubus, he liked it quick and rough,
but he knew what Kai wanted to show him. It was clearly all about how
much they loved each other. From the past ruined relationships he’d had,
he hadn’t understood the great significance behind mating.
Kai drew the other man’s attention by nibbling his chin. “You’re
obviously thinking of something else while I’m loving you. That hurts,”
he whined. Before Drake could speak, Kai began to pound his shaft into
his entrance.
Drake curled his toes and tried to close his legs as he released onto
his chest and abdomen. A growl escaped his throat until it became
hoarse. He squeezed Kai’s cock, causing it to burst within the thin
protection. A jolt of electricity coursed throughout his body. And he
loved the feeling. He gazed at the shifter shuddering, his mouth fallen
open without uttering a single sound. What else could he ask for? Kai
was the one for him.
Kai fell limp between the Incubus’s spread legs. “I don’t want to pull
out,” he said and gave Drake a lazy kiss to the lips.
Panting, Drake returned the affection.”I was thinking about you, Kai.”
He then looked to his left at Kamui standing in the middle of the room.
“Anything you’d like to say?” he asked the lizard. Would this push
Kamui away from Kai?
“I change my mind,” Kamui said. “I like you more than Kai now.”
Chapter 6
Drake slapped his sweaty forehead. “I can’t believe this,” he
muttered. He crawled away from Kai and hid under the covers. His mind
had been so clouded that it took him some time to acknowledge what
he’d done. They’d made love in front of Kamui. And the Balfurs had
heard everything.
“Don’t be so shy,” Kai said, joining him. “After a good night’s sleep,
you’ll feel refreshed.” He hugged Drake to his chest.
“Don’t let him touch you again,” Drake told Kai as the shifter got out
of bed to take care of the condom. Good thing his lover hadn’t undressed
completely. More importantly, he could barely move his body compared
to Kai. And the next challenge had already started.
Kamui sat on the edge of the bed, startling Drake. “You know, I can’t
take out of my head the image and the sounds you made just moments
ago,” he said. “Would you mind doing that again for me this time?”
“Of course not,” he said, moving away from the lizard. “I need to
sleep now.” Drake yawned and sighed. He tried to ignore Kamui, who
left him alone. The commotion of the day took a toll on Drake, so he fell
asleep in brief seconds.
“Drake, it’s time,” Kai called as he shook the Incubus. “You’ve slept
for five hours, but we have to go now. If we’re lucky, we’ll catch up
with the other participants.”
Whining, Drake stretched his body. “Not now. The bed is so warm,”
he told Kai and turned under the sheets. Every now and then, he’d want
to leave the competition. It became tiresome and unrealistic far too often.
His will to win nearly faded whenever he would arrive to the resting
houses.
“We don’t have time to waste,” Kamui added. He reached under the
covers and groped Drake’s ass. He laughed at how the man sat up and
pinned himself on the wall. “You look very much awake now. If you
want to win the prize, you have to be ready on time, not when the other
contestants are far gone.”
The lizard had been getting too confident. Drake frowned up at him.
“Touch me again and we’ll leave you behind,” he said. “Kai, say
something instead of just staring.” Why didn’t the shifter react? Drake
widened his eyes as Kai shrugged and handed him a change of clothes.
Had his lover gotten in that early morning bad mood again?
“Does that mean that I can continue?” Kamui asked. He slumped his
shoulders once Drake scowled at him again.
Ready to go, Drake motioned the Balfurs to the exit. He opened his
black box on the way. “Let’s see…I got a pair of blue shoes.” Raising a
brow, he discarded his own and put the new ones on. He felt lighter and
ready to run a marathon without getting too tired. “I’ll leave these on.”
He threw the other pair into his backpack. As he walked, he passed by
Kamui and the Balfurs. He’d gotten quicker with his new shoes. These
would bring him advantage in the game. “Phantom City,” he read. The
sign for the following maze was falling apart.
“There’s our transportation,” Kai said as he pointed at two horses.
“The problem is that we’re in a city. They’re going to be loud, which
will alert anyone close-by.” He looked up at the large buildings. Only
darkness could be seen through the windows. The sky was blue.
Drake ran over to the brown horse and jumped onto its broad back.
“Horses are the best,” he said mostly to himself as he petted the animal’s
long neck. Growing up, he’d often go horseback riding with his parents.
Of course, this was before he had left their house.
Since the Incubus had space behind him, the Balfurs and Kamui
climbed onto his horse. “We’re not participating in the game, so we
don’t have transportation,” Red said, holding on to the lizard’s spiked
back.
“You’re too close, lizard. There’s no need for you to have your arms
around me,” Drake complained. He looked over at Kai guiding the other
horse along the empty street. Didn’t he feel jealous? Kamui’s crotch
nearly touched Drake, but Kai wouldn’t do anything. “Kai,” he called.
The shifter looked over his shoulder. “We should hurry,” he told
them, ignoring the frown his lover gave him. “We have to get to the
others.”
Had this all been about carrying on with the game? Or did Kai intend
to see him fend for himself? “I don’t understand him sometimes,” Drake
mumbled. He reached behind him, grabbed Green, and put him between
them. This way Kamui wouldn’t touch him as much. “Don’t move,” he
warned, making the horse stop. “I sense danger ahead.”
“Wait here,” Kai said. He led the horse toward the street ahead.
Drake widened his eyes. Kai vanished. Not good. He rushed in the
same direction, the Balfurs holding on to whatever they could. They
came to a stop at an intersection. “This is not the same place,” he said.
Drake turned the horse around and galloped back. As if the world spun,
they were back in the intersection.
“I can hear another horse. And it’s not Kai’s,” Kamui said. “We
should hide.”
“Where?” Drake almost shouted, taking in his surroundings. Every
street looked the same. There were no doors. “I have an idea. Conceal
your presence.” He made the horse walk forward and stopped around a
corner. He then jumped off and peeked to the road they’d been in.
A large centaur trotted in their direction, glancing from left to right.
An armor covered his strong torso. He didn’t wear a helmet or carry a
weapon, though. Even so, the centaur didn’t look frightened to show off
his strength.
“What should we do?” Red whispered to Drake.
“I should be the one to do something,” he said. “If I entered this game
alone to begin with, I have to deserve my position here.” Drake picked
his backpack up. “Still, I’m not ignorant to the point of risking myself. If
needed, come help me.”
They nodded. “I joined for a reason. At the first sign of an
impossible win, we’ll join you. That’s a Type S,” Kamui said.
Drake looked ahead not to lose sight of his enemy. “Thanks. But
don’t think you’ll get away with touching—” He was cut off once the
lizard leaned down and slapped his ass. “You’ll regret this later.”
Focusing, Drake threw his backpack onto his shoulders. He paced after
the centaur. “Are you looking for me?”
The centaur turned his dark eyes to the Incubus. “You must be Drake
Johnson. And yes, I was looking for you. I’m Marcus, your opponent. It’s
time for a one-on-one fight,” he said. “This will be easier than I
thought.”
Clenching his jaw, Drake looked away and back at him. He closed
his eyes for a brief moment. As he inhaled, he grew out his horns and
tail. And, for extra power, his fangs, enhancing his skin into blue.
“You will lose this time,” the beast mocked. He galloped after
Drake.
Good thing he had the shoes on. Drake jumped over the centaur. But
Marcus grabbed his tail, and threw him at a building. Drake managed to
land with his feet against the wall. This fight wouldn’t become any
easier if it carried on like this. The tug on his tail had hurt more than he’d
expected. “How did you get here?” he questioned the beast, leaping in
his direction.
“What do you mean?” Marcus swung his fist to Drake’s abdomen.
The Incubus dodged it and landed safely on the sidewalk across the
street.
Drake grinned. “How much are you being paid to be here? I’m sure
they went to pick you up somewhere,” he said, leaning his backpack on a
wall. It could become a target to stop him. “You can tell me the story of
your little life.” Marcus needed some distraction from the fight.
“It has nothing to do with you.” The beast growled. “Now, stop
jumping and fight. You know that you’re no match for me.”
It seemed that the centaur didn’t want to get distracted. It was time to
experiment another strategy. Fighting with force hadn’t been an option.
Drake leaped onto Marcus’s back and locked the centaur’s robust arms
from behind. “I have no choice but to tame you, then,” he said irritably.
“Who do you think you are to say that?” The centaur galloped and
kicked. But Drake wouldn’t let go, as if they were glued to each other.
Drake noticed how the centaur became gradually tired. Once they
came to a stop, Drake smacked his head. “See this as defeat. I don’t take
pleasure in hurting others,” he told him. Marcus didn’t emanate a killing
intent. It was better to save energy for the following mazes.
“If so, you won’t last long in this game,” Marcus said, panting.
“What makes you think I’m not going to attack you from behind? I won’t
be tired forever.” He sat on the sidewalk, his front and hind legs spread
open.
Scoffing, Drake wrapped his arms around the centaur’s neck. As
usual, he showed a false sense of confidence. Whether the others would
believe him or not, depended on how well he could act. “Admit that this
so-called fight only lasted a couple of minutes. You’ve lost. If you
behave, I won’t tell anyone how long it took me to bring you down.”
“Just this once,” Marcus muttered, “The next time we see each other,
I want to have a rematch.”
“Okay,” Drake agreed and paced to his backpack. “I have to go now.
The other contestants must be in the next maze by now.”
Marcus stood slowly. “They’re not. Three of them have lost in the
next challenge. The rest are waiting. They won’t continue until everyone
is disqualified in this phase, or carries on.” He sighed when Drake tilted
his head. “Get ready for a horse race between you and them. I’ll erase
the illusion that’s keeping you in this intersection.”
Drake raised a brow. “Well, that’s kind on your part. But I wonder
why you’re giving up this easily.” More importantly, he’d like to know if
Kai was all right. Had the shifter been concerned for him, as well?
“Let’s just say that I’m not a sore loser. And I know that you have
friends in standby,” Marcus said. With a snap of his fingers, the streets
changed. The frantic sound of horses galloping reverberated around
them.
“I’ll be on my way, then,” Drake said, running back to his horse.
Kamui held his hand out to the Incubus. “I’ll help you up.” He
widened his eyes slightly when Drake took his hand and climbed onto
the horse. “You know, you shouldn’t be nice to me. I might make a move
on you.”
“Don’t push your luck.” Muttering, Drake took the reins. He yelled,
making the horse storm along the street. As he shifted back, he waved at
Marcus, who rolled his eyes. “I can sense the other participants.
Fortunately, there’s no danger. Can any of you sense Kai?”
“He has hidden his presence,” Kamui answered. “Maybe he doesn’t
want to show them how strong he is. After all, they might team up to get
him disqualified.” He rested his chin on Drake’s head. “That doesn’t
mean that he intended to look for you. Moreover, he might have changed
his mind and doesn’t want to help you anymore. He’s at the next
challenge while you’re still here.”
Drake turned his eyes up, looking at the lizard grinning at him upside
down. “Don’t provoke me,” he said and regarded the group of horses
and studs ahead. “There he is. We’re going to have a conversation about
his behavior.”
The horse stopped close to Kai, who had been waiting for the next
race. The Balfurs and Kamui jumped off. “Hey, Drake defeated a centaur
on his own,” Brown said, bouncing in excitement.
Drake dismounted and walked over to his lover. “We need to talk,”
he demanded. He watched Kai climb down his horse and approaching
him. “What’s wrong with you today, Kai?” It wasn’t that he’d gotten
upset. The shifter hadn’t been himself, and he wanted to know the reason.
Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “What do you mean by that?
I’m happy that you won against the centaur, if that’s what you want me to
say,” he mumbled, his eyes averted from the other man.
“It’s your weird morning mood. I mean, Kamui did those things to me
and you didn’t get angry,” Drake said. “And you ran off in the previous
challenge.” He looked down. “If you’re here, are you planning to…leave
me behind and complete the game on your own?” He knew full well that
he couldn’t make Kai stay with him. But he didn’t want to part with his
lover. His heart hurt at the thought.
Pursing his lips, Kai rested his hand on Drake’s shoulder. “Can you
be more specific?”
Drake looked up at him. The shifter had an expression of expectancy.
“Oh, I understand now.” After all they’d done, he hadn’t declared his
feelings. “I want to stay with you, and I l–like you,” he said quietly. “Is
this why you left me behind?”
Kai put his hand on the Incubus's cheek, brushing his thumb over the
flushed area. “You needed to know that you’re stronger than you think.
So, I stepped aside. Besides, the fights against the centaurs were
individual.” As he leaned down to kiss his lover, he stopped.
Drake got the message. He quickly looked over his shoulder. A stud
lifted his baseball bat and swung it at Drake’s head. Even though he was
able to move away in time, Kamui got a hold of the bat.
“You’re messing with the wrong person,” Kamui warned and broke
the bat in half with his hand. He glared at the shifter who stared up at him
in surprise.
“It has started,” Drake said, watching the stud leaving. “I have the
help of a strong competitor and a group of enemies. It’s obvious that they
don’t want see me with such advantage.” In the current circumstances, he
couldn’t retaliate. He had to wait for that man’s disqualification for an
attempt at another participant’s life.
Kai tightened his embrace on the Incubus. “I won’t let anyone else
get this close to you,” he said. “The weaker shifters have lost. From now
on, you won’t be able to sense the ones who are here. You’ll have to rely
on me and Kamui.”
Drake nodded against Kai’s chest, closing his eyes for a few
moments. He felt safe in these strong arms, and the warmth soothed him.
He pulled away. “I’d like to know what you think, as well. Do you want
us to continue this relationship after the game? We live far apart.”
“I know,” Kai said firmly. “That doesn’t mean we won’t see each
other again. Don’t worry now. Let me be the one to think of that. And you
know that I really like you, so I won’t give up.” He pecked Drake’s lips.
“Focus on the challenges ahead. You’re just in time for your race.”
Drake nodded, hiding a smile. “Thanks for everything. Don’t think
that I’m with you just because you’ve been helping me,” he mumbled.
Kai chuckled and patted his head.
“Players,” the mermaid called from the water tank. “The next teams
to race will be Josh and Mao against Kai and Drake. For the ones who
don’t know, I’m Luna, your hostess for this challenge.” She pointed at
them, her blue eyes narrowed. “It’s only a race. Like I said earlier, no
fighting between the teams or you’ll be disqualified.” She submerged
and pointed at the starting line.
Drake gazed at her long, green hair and turquoise fishtail. It didn’t
matter that she only had a pink bikini top covering her breasts. What a
beautiful creature. Shaking himself, he regarded Kai, who’d been
observing him. “It’s not what you think.” Drake chuckled slightly.
“I expected you to say something like that,” Kai muttered. “Look only
at me with such eyes, understand?”
“But I can’t look at you with fascination,” he retorted. “I see you in a
way that you already know.” Drake poked the shifter’s chest. “Let’s start
this race. We have to win.” He felt confident that Kai and him were a
good team. Otherwise, someone could try to attack him again.
Chapter 7
“I have to go alone this time,” Drake told Kamui and the Balfurs.
Kai gazed at his lover. The Incubus didn’t look anxious or afraid this
time. Their short separation had paid off. For some reason, watching
Drake with such courage made him want to pounce on him. But Kai knew
that it wasn’t the time or place to do such a thing.
“Hey,” Drake called, snapping the shifter out of his clouded mind.
“Are you ready?”
Nodding, Kai climbed onto the horse and went to the starting line.
“The other team will most likely try to do something to us when no one’s
watching. Be careful at all times. Call me if you need help.” He patted
Drake’s shoulder and smiled when the Incubus nodded determinedly.
“Red team, Kai and Drake,” Luna announced. “Blue team, Mao and
Josh. You have to follow the yellow arrows. Once you complete the
roundabout at the end, return by following the same arrows. There will
be traps, so pay attention to yourselves and the horses.” She rested her
elbows on the edge of the water tank and leaned forward. “Any
questions, gentlemen?”
Drake raised his hand. “How do you know if any of us might take a
shortcut?”
Luna giggled and sighed. “Just try and you’ll see what happens.” The
mermaid roared, her mouth filled with sharp teeth. She shifted back and
cleared her throat.
Kai shivered. He wouldn’t want to fight this woman. Being a Type
SS didn’t mean he’d engage in a balanced fight with her. She scared
anyone. “Drake, do you sense any danger? I know you can’t detect them,
though.”
“Not really. But that can change,” he answered. “I can only sense the
danger about half a minute in advance.” Drake gripped the reins. “I have
to admit that I’m nervous. There’s no way for me to sense if they have ill
intentions.”
“Just stay close to me until we finish this,” Kai told him. He also
wanted to see what his lover could do. Unfortunately, he’d missed
Drake’s encounter with the centaur. The Incubus didn’t look hurt. It must
have been something that he’d done to make the beast give up. Unlike
Drake, Kai had just hit the back of his opponent’s head with his
sledgehammer. It’d been an easy knockout.
“Now, on your mark,” Luna started. “Get ready. Go,” the mermaid
shouted and the players raced down the street.
Drake grinned at Kai. “I’m light compared to you, so my horse is
carrying a feather,” he said confidently.
“Great advantage,” Kai said. “Just be sure that you don’t go flying if
something happens to you.” He chuckled at Drake’s stare. “Let’s focus
on the challenge at hand.” Even though Kai needed to wait, he wanted to
take the Incubus home. He’d been certain that Drake could become his
mate.
The teams rounded a corner to another street. Once they were out of
sight from the others, one of the shifters got closer to Drake. “Where do
you think you’re going?” Kai growled, glaring at the other man. He got
between them. “You’ll be disqualified if you harm someone.” Drake
couldn’t get hurt. If he did, it’d become difficult for them to carry on to
the other mazes.
“I don’t care,” the other shifter shouted. “This little bastard has been
getting away with your help. For the sake of everyone, I’ll get rid of him
myself.” He slowed down his horse and bolted to the other side, next to
Drake. “This time you’re leaving, even if I have to go, too. There’s
always next year for me.”
Drake reached behind him and picked something up. It was nothing.
“I knew this would happen, so I brought a friend.” He threw an invisible
thing at the shifter.
Kai stared at the other man being hit on the face. Black appeared, his
teeth around the shifter’s head. “What a handy power.” Kai grinned when
Black jumped back to his place and vanished. This way, it couldn’t be
seen as an interference in the race. The shifter’s horse panicked and ran
somewhere else. It triggered a trap. A carrot popped out of a trashcan on
the sidewalk, making the horse stop for a treat.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t bring any of them,” Drake said. He pointed
forward and Kai followed him. “Let’s just hope that I won’t have to do
that again. They might hurt Black.”
“Stay close to me as much as you can,” Kai told the Incubus as they
rounded another corner. The roundabout came in sight. “The other guy
isn’t very far. We should sprint as soon as we make our way back.” He
glanced at Drake nodding. The adrenalin of teaming up with his lover
and winning began to kick in. He felt as if they could finish the whole
game together. Just trying to reach their goal due to Drake’s struggles
was no longer in sight.
After the roundabout, they caught up with the other shifter. Drake
took cover beside Kai. “I sense that he’s going to harm one of us. Pay
attention to his feet,” he told Kai.
He smiled briefly to not alarm Drake. Kai took a deep breath as they
ran by the shifter. Nothing could happen until they could see the finish
line. All of a sudden, the other man’s foot shifted into a paw with three
sharp claws. Kai frowned. The owl-shifter aimed at his horse.
Before the horse got hurt, Kai leaned down and grabbed the other
shifter’s ankle. “I’m going to guess that you want to be disqualified,” he
said, smirking at him. “There’s no way for you to take us down by
yourself.”
The owl-shifter scoffed, averting his large eyes. “What you’re doing
should be against the rules. Since when can contestants have the help of
enemies? It doesn’t make any sense.” He tried to release his foot, but Kai
wouldn’t let go. “I won’t do anything. You can stop now!”
“You only say that because we’re reaching the finish line,” Drake
retorted.
Kai sighed. “Why don’t you team up with someone, as well? We’re
not the only ones doing this. Of course, no one else has enemies as allies,
but let’s not go there,” he said sarcastically. He released the other man’s
ankle. “And remember that you’re up against the others, too.” He pointed
at the finishing line, the Balfurs pouncing and calling out to them.
The owl-shifter slumped his shoulders. “You know, you’re making
me want to give up. I analyzed the situation earlier, and I know that I
can’t win against you. I’m not strong enough.”
“Have more confidence in yourself. Face the challenge head-on
instead of giving up,” Kai told him. He yelled, the horse sprinting along
the street. Drake passed by him easily, which had been expected. Kai
gazed at the Incubus crossing the line, his expression of victory
contagious.
“The winner is Drake Johnson. In second place is Kai McCross, and
in third here comes Mao,” Luna announced. “Josh is far behind in fourth
place. What a slow idiot.” She laughed at Josh’s dejected look from the
end of the street.
Kai came down from his horse and took the backpack Red handed to
him. “Thanks,” he said, watching Drake walk over to the water tank. “I
wonder what his prize is going to be.”
Drake ran back to his group. “Do you want to see what I got?” he
asked with his hands behind him.
“Yes,” the Balfurs said in unison.
Drake displayed a small bottle with a turquoise liquid inside. “Now,
do you want to know what it does?” he asked and the others nodded. “It
allows me to reach my full potential one time. She said that I can take
this whenever I feel like I can’t win a fight. But the problem is that a few
other participants have won the same.”
“Then, choose the right moment to use it,” Kai told him. “Let’s return
to the resting house.” He held Drake’s hand and led him away from the
racing area. “While you were with the centaur, three contestants were
disqualified. They thought no one would notice that they were carrying
their weapons.” He shook his head. “No one should bring others down to
make it to the top.”
Drake chuckled. “Nice words. Anyway, I want to sleep for a few
hours before we go to the next maze. I feel mentally tired right now,” he
said, looking down at their joined hands.
Kamui paced beside the Incubus and got a hold of his other hand.
“This feels really nice.” He laughed, waving their hands back and forth.
Drake yanked his away, making him whine. “It’s just holding. I’m not
doing anything wrong.”
“Actually, you are,” Kai said, pulling Drake to his chest. “He’s mine.
If you want him, imagine that you have him.” He felt pleasant shivers
once the Incubus wrapped his arm around him. Kai could act composed,
but whenever Drake touched him, his heart raced and he became
nervous. He couldn’t wait for the time when they had the chance to go
home and become mates. Doing so while in the game didn’t sound like a
good idea.
The lizard frowned at him. “Fine, I’ll do it,” he said firmly. Kamui
wrapped his arms around himself and kissed the air. “My Drake, you’re
adorable and soft to the touch. Let’s go back to my cave and mate until
we can’t stand.”
Drake raised a brow. “Keep that to your thoughts, will you?” he
muttered.
Without any setbacks, the small procession arrived to the resting
house. “This one is larger,” Kai said as he looked at the building. It
seemed that the further they went, the more luxurious the houses got. If he
recalled correctly, the first one resembled a shed more than a house.
This one even had large pillars beside the entrance. The pathway of
white rocks to the front door was surrounded by flowers on each side. It
was like a home. “The competition is getting smaller by each challenge.
Only eight remain,” Kai said.
“And the strongest,” Drake added. “The game will be over soon,
since there are so few of us.” He went to his bed and threw his backpack
onto it.
Kai did the same. The others could steal something useful from them,
so they had to keep their things close-by. He lay in bed with Drake. “As
usual, I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go,” he said, hugging the
Incubus. He glanced at the black box on the feet of the bed. Hopefully, it
wouldn’t be something useless. Kai closed his eyes and tried to get some
sleep while Kamui and the fur balls kept them company.
The door opened and someone walked in. Kai opened his eyes, his
presence always concealed. He quickly looked over his shoulder.
“Kamui, where did you go?” he asked, sitting up slowly so he wouldn’t
awake Drake.
“I might be a lizard, but I also need to drink water,” he answered.
“I’m the one keeping watch at the moment while the Balfurs are sleeping.
And everyone is too tired to attack you.” Kamui took a deep breath. “I
have to say that I’m glad to be part of your team. It’s good that you
haven’t invited anyone else.”
Kai nodded. “You were the only ones so far who I felt were
trustworthy. I need someone to protect Drake. Unfortunately, I’m not
used to keeping others under my care. My parents passed away in a car
accident a while ago.” He pursed his lips and rested his head in his
hands. “I had offered them a ride to the airport, since they were going on
vacation. But they didn’t want to bother me. It was as if they knew what
would happen.” If he’d known better, he could have been there for his
parents. Just the thought of it made him want to forget everything.
Kamui sat on the edge of the bed and sipped his glass of water. “I
see…It won’t happen this time, so don’t worry. You’re not alone now. I
won’t ask any more about your past, but think of the present,” he said,
smiling briefly. “You have Drake. He loves you. It shows all over his
face. And he’s adorable, really hot, and has a way to charm anyone. He
just hasn’t noticed that yet.”
As long as Drake stayed by his side, he felt that he could do anything.
Kai gazed down at the Incubus. “We’ve only said that we like each
other, not love. But I love him. I just want to make sure that we will stay
together when the game is over.” He slid his hand through Drake’s soft
hair.
Kamui grinned. “Why don’t you tell him, then? Are you afraid that
he’ll reject you? Or do you think that he sees this as a brief
relationship?” He leaned over the shifter and rested the back of his hand
on Drake’s cheek, caressing it. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but he’s
running a fever. He must be good at hiding it.”
“What?” Kai stared at the lizard and back at the Incubus. He checked
Drake’s temperature from his forehead. “He’s been acting as if nothing is
wrong with him,” he said. Unfortunately, he didn’t know if Incubi were
highly affected by colds.
The front door opened, a sign that everyone had to go to the next
challenge. “We should wake him up and tell him. He can’t push himself
or he might get worse,” Kamui said. “We have to protect him until he
recovers.”
Nodding, Kai shook Drake lightly, who whined and turned around.
“You have a fever,” he said immediately. Kai didn’t know what to think
or do. Their chances of winning the game seemed to have been fading.
“I’m sick?” Drake shouted, sitting up. “I do feel sick, but it can’t be
right now. It must have been the change from the desert to the city.” He
looked up at Kai in worry. “What am I going to do?”
Kamui smiled. “We’ll take care of you, okay? After all, it’s why I’m
here.”
“That’s not the problem,” Drake replied, frowning at him. “What if
all of you get hurt because of me?” He put his hands on his head and
sighed. “I should leave before that happens.”
Kai shook his head and pulled Drake into a tight hug. “Don’t say that.
We’re going to continue and you’ll recover when we get to the next
stop.” He leaned away and pressed a kiss to the Incubus’s lips. “I might
as well say this now, in case we get in trouble. Drake, I…” Kai closed
his eyes for brief seconds. “I love you,” he said faintly.
Drake widened his eyes. “Me? R–Really? I mean, I love you…too.”
He bent his legs and buried his face between his covered knees.
He didn’t know what kind of reaction Drake was showing him.
“What are you feeling at this moment?” Kai asked, resting his hand on
the other man’s back. Much to his dismay, he realized that Drake had the
possibility of not being ready to commit to their relationship.
“To be honest, I’m happy,” Drake mumbled. “I have a feeling that
we’re going to stay together for a long time. Are you ready for that?”
Taking a deep breath, he leaned on the shifter. “I’ve never felt like this
before, so I hope it’s the same for you.”
Kai smiled. “I’m ready. We belong to each other now.” It was as if a
weight lifted from his shoulders. At this point, he could prepare for the
perfect time for them to become mates.
“This is really sweet, but Drake, you’re still sick,” Kamui said. “We
should get going if we want to surpass the other contestants.” He stood
and grabbed Green. “Wake the others up. We’re going to have breakfast
before we leave.”
Green yawned and pounced on the bed. “It’s time,” she mumbled, her
large eye opening and closing slowly.
Kai rolled his eyes and said, “Quicker, you lazy fur ball. Drake has a
cold.”
Green gaped at what she’d heard. “Guys, Drake is sick,” she
shouted, making the other participants wake up this time. Kamui closed
her mouth with both hands, but everyone had listened.
“How unfortunate,” the owl-shifter said, jumping from his bed.
“Shouldn’t he go home to get some rest?”
Kai got up and shielded his lover. “Are you testing your boundaries?
If you are, just go on ahead to the next challenge by yourself and leave
him alone,” he said. “Once we’re out of here, it doesn’t matter if any of
us is sick. We’ll still win.”
“I don’t care if I win or lose,” someone said, walking toward them.
“My purpose from now on is to get rid of cheaters like you.” Josh
smirked at Drake before he continued. “And you’ll be the first one to
go.” He lifted his baseball bat from behind him. “This time I won’t leave
until I’m done.”
Kamui approached him. “I understand that my warning wasn’t
enough, but are you sure that you want to fight the both of us? I can’t be
disqualified if I’m not participating in the game.”
“You’re outnumbered,” Josh said firmly and regarded the small
audience surrounding them. “Anyone wants to join me? We can take them
down easily.”
Mao sighed. “It’s obvious that we want them out of the game, but we
should do it fairly,” he said. “I don’t want to be disqualified. And Kai
was the one who helped most of us a few mazes ago.”
Kai glanced over his shoulder at Drake’s hopeless expression. It
seemed that the Incubus didn’t want to be brave this time. Most likely, he
knew that he’d get in the way. All of a sudden, Kai picked up a sweet
scent in the air. He turned his eyes toward the door. The sound of
someone strolling and whistling became gradually louder. If everyone
had been in the dormitory, who could it be?
Chapter 8
Kai stared at a man walking into the room. The man waved at
everyone and pulled a red lollipop from his mouth. He wore a black suit
with a red tie, which didn’t fit his character in the slightest. His wavy
locks of blond hair and nearly clear-blue eyes complimented his
handsome face, though. His posture was that of a royal individual. It was
clear that he didn't wear such clothing in his day-to-day life. But for
some reason, Kai couldn’t sense him. “Who are you?” he asked faintly.
At that moment, if they were to fight each other, Kai would lose.
“I’m Skylar, some guy who’s part of the organization,” he said.
Sighing, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pointed his lollipop at
Josh. “You’ve been disturbing the game, therefore, you’re coming with
me.”
Josh glared at him. “What about them? They’re teaming up and
bringing enemies here. That should be against the rules. I’m not going
anywhere.” He growled. Snarling, he swung his bat at Skylar.
Rolling his eyes, Skylar grabbed the bat and threw it out the window,
Josh still holding it. “I hate it when idiots behave as if they’re brave.”
He then regarded Kai and Drake. “Now, about the two of you making a
group…”
Kai felt his lover clutching his wrist. “Relax,” he told Drake. He
wouldn’t want his fever to get any higher. In addition, he’d like to know
if their chances of winning were going to vanish. “Yes?” he uttered once
he noticed that Skylar wouldn’t take his eyes off of Drake.
“Oh, yes. Where was I?” Skylar chuckled. “I’m the one who makes
the rules, and I’ve never encountered participants who got enemies on
their side. So, keep going. I can’t change any rules right now.” He
approached the Incubus. “You have a cold, right?”
Drake nodded and looked away. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason in particular,” Skylar said. “You know, you’re lucky. It’s
not everyone who has such a loyal…You’re not mates, but why are your
scents are all over each other?” He tilted his head. “Having second
thoughts?”
“No,” Kai said immediately. “We want to take our time.” He didn’t
like that this guy only looked at Drake. But he wouldn’t do anything
unnecessary.
Skylar nodded, sucking on his lollipop before he took it back out.
“That sounds good. Anyway, you must be worried that your Incubus is
sick,” he said. “Fortunately, you won’t have that idiot try to disqualify
you again. And in case someone tries that again, I’ll be the first one to
know.” He leaned down to Drake’s height. “You don’t look like
someone who belongs here.”
“I know,” Drake mumbled, always averting his eyes from the other
man.
“Would you like to know why my name’s Skylar?” He smiled at the
Incubus, who nodded hesitantly. “My parents thought that it would be
nice, since I’m an angel. The problem is that I haven't been a normal
angel for a while now.”
Kai stared at him. Being in the presence of an angel had been close
to impossible for anyone. To think that one would come to them was
more than surprising. He widened his eyes even more if possible once
Skylar grew his wings out. Why were they pitch-black? Moreover, why
did he want to talk about himself to Drake?
“Don’t think that I’m a fallen angel or any of that nonsense fairytale,”
Skylar said firmly. “This happened a year ago. Someone poisoned me. I
got really sick, and when I came to, my wings were black.” He shrugged.
“It didn’t affect how strong I am, though.”
Drake gazed at Skylar’s wings. “Don’t they look more…unique now?
If it’s of any consolation, I like them black,” he said quietly.
“That’s so adorable,” the angel said and caressed Drake’s cheek.
“Unfortunately, I’m going to be your last enemy, so you should get ready.
I won’t go easy on any of you.” He pulled away. “I have to go now.” He
shoved the lollipop back into his mouth and left the resting house.
“That was intense,” Mao mumbled. “I’m going to get ready to leave.”
Kai watched everyone else making their way to the kitchen. He
shifted his attention to his lover. “Drake, are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. That guy doesn’t look intimidating, but I have no idea
what he’s capable of.” Drake reached out to the bed above him and took
the black box. He opened it slowly. “No luck. I got a frying pan and a
package of napkins. Oh, I’m sick, so these will be useful,” he said with a
nasal voice.
“I’m going to prepare breakfast with the Balfurs. You two wait
here,” Kamui told the couple before he walked out of the room, the fur
balls after him.
Kai sat on his bed with a thud. “Let’s see what I got.” He opened his
box. “Just great. I can add a box of ping-pong balls and a bucket to my
collection of useless things.” Were they going to join everything they got
and make a Ping-Pong tournament? Sighing, Kai pulled Drake onto his
lap. “I feel like going home and taking you with me right now.”
“Sometimes…I also feel like giving up,” the Incubus said, burying
his face on Kai’s neck. “But wouldn’t you regret it later? I think more of
what if I don’t finish what I started? We have a chance to win, but what
would happen if we gave up?” He stretched up and pressed a kiss to
Kai’s cheek. “Remember, the odds are not against us.”
Smiling, Kai hugged his lover to his chest. It was as if heat filled his
chest and he had mental fuzziness. He’d fallen for Drake all over again
by how supportive he was. But he needed to face reality first. They were
still in the game. Drake being sick could slow them down, but Kai
wouldn’t leave him behind. Moreover, they were in the most difficult
part of the competition. And what if Drake could no longer detect
danger?
* * * *
Drake massaged his temples with his thumb and middle finger. What
a headache. He hated being sick and didn’t like the fact that he’d been a
burden on his group. He looked up at the sign of the next maze. “Candy
Town sounds scary in this game.”
“There’s nothing to worry about as long as you’re safe,” Kai said
and crouched in front of him. “Hop on, my lady.”
“You’re going to carry me on your back, madame?” Drake shrugged
and got onto the shifter’s broad back. He needed to save as much energy
as he could. Just in case, he grew his tail out. It could be useful if Kamui
tried to grope him. Drake closed his eyes to get some rest.
Kamui whined. “Let me do it just this once. I want to feel it,” he
begged as he carried Kai’s heavy backpack. He flinched once the shifter
stopped. “Does this mean I can touch him?”
“One time and that’s it. It’s your payment for helping us and risking
getting hurt for him,” Kai muttered.
Drake shot his eyes open. “Wait, don’t I have a say in this? He can’t
—” He was cut off when Kamui squeezed his ass with both hands. Drake
arched against Kai, and slapped the lizard with his tail. But Kamui
wouldn’t stop. “That’s enough. Get away from me,” he demanded.
“Drake, I’m going to risk my life for you,” Kamui whispered to his
ear. “If I get hurt, won’t you feel awful for not giving me anything in
return? Besides, Kai is fine with this.” He pressed his whole torso
against the Incubus, moving his hands to his crotch.
“T–This is going too far,” Drake shouted and opened his eyes. He
panted, his forehead sweating profusely. It had all been a dream. “What
a nightmare,” he said. He let his head fall on Kai’s shoulder. Drake
opened and closed his eyes tiredly. The scenery seemed out of a cartoon.
The sky had clouds of cotton candy, the river was of apple juice by the
smell, and the road made of gum. Kai’s feet were halfway buried in it.
To resemble a town, there were small houses made of square-shaped
cookies. And more candy.
Kai looked over his shoulder and said, “We’ve almost reached the
core of the maze. Kamui has gone ahead to check for enemies. If he
warns me, I’ll leave you here with the fur-balls and take care of the
problem.” He patted the Incubus’s ass. “We’re taking all the measures to
keep you safe, okay?”
Drake nodded. He couldn’t hear Kai’s voice properly, though. Had
he been getting worse? He could barely keep his arms around the
shifter’s neck. All of a sudden, they came to a stop. “Kai?”
“Kamui is calling me. There’s an enemy ahead. Fur-balls, look after
him until I return,” Kai said and sat the Incubus beside a large gummy
bear. “I’ll be right back.” He pressed a kiss to Drake’s lips and bolted
through the spacious pathway.
Drake tried to keep his eyes open. The river made a relaxing sound
on the other side, orange gummy fish jumping against the stream. He
looked at Red gazing at him in concern. “Don’t look at me like that,” he
said quietly. He felt cold, but his clothes stuck to his skin by how sweaty
he’d gotten. “My back hurts.”
“I’ll try to help,” Brown said as he leaned the Incubus away from the
gummy bear and massaged his back. “Is this better?”
“Yes, much better,” Drake mumbled. He noticed a familiar pair of
expensive-looking shoes. He looked up. “By any chance, is it time for
our fight, Skylar?”
The angel shook his head. “I just came here to check up on you,” he
said, kneeling in front of Drake. He grinned as the Balfurs shielded the
Incubus. “There’s no point in getting in my way, so step aside.” But they
wouldn’t do it. “Are you sure that you want to face me?”
“Balfurs, stand behind me,” Drake told them. He regarded the other
man. “Why would you care about me?” Skylar could intimidate anyone.
The careless way he carried himself still proved it. Drake needed Kai
and Kamui by his side as quickly as possible.
“It’s not fair.” Skylar pouted. “While everyone else is out there,
you’re here because you’re sick. Even though I’m your opponent, we
don’t have to fight yet.” He grabbed Drake’s wrist and pulled him onto
his shoulder. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Drake’s heart pounded in his chest. “Where are you taking me?” He
shook his head before the Balfurs attacked the angel. Panting, Drake put
his hands on Skylar’s back, trying to get away. What a horrible time for a
cold, especially if Kai couldn’t sense Skylar. “My back is killing me,”
Drake whined. He punched the other man’s back weakly. “Please, let me
go. I can’t…” He trailed off, feeling dizzy.
“You’ll be fine,” Skylar said. “You should be grateful that I like to
play fair.”
Drake looked to the side. They were approaching the area where Kai
and Kamui had been fighting a gummy spider the size of a small building.
“Kai,” he called tiredly. Was Skylar going to attack them?
“Drake?” Kai said in disbelief. He managed to dodge the spider’s
leg and bolted toward his lover.
“Hey, I came here to help. You left your boyfriend back there,”
Skylar said, putting the Incubus down. He raised his hands once Kai
wrapped his arms around Drake and dragged him away. “Relax. Now,
let’s get to business. You’ll fall way behind if you stay here. Everyone
else is at the challenge. After that it’s the last one, so I advise that you
don’t waste time.”
Drake held on to Kai’s shirt. He stared at Skylar spreading his black
wings. The angel formed a ball of fire in his hand and threw it at the
spider. The creature began to melt all over the ground. “We’re no match
for him,” Drake said. The more he got to know Skylar, the less he
wanted to be around him. As it was, he had one day to rest before the
last battle. What should he do?
Skylar closed his wings and walked back to the group that had been
dumbfounded by him. “I want my reward,” he said, smiling widely at the
Incubus.
“Thank you for helping, but what do you want from me? I have
nothing to give you,” Drake said, frowning at him. This reminded him of
that nightmare with Kamui. However, as long as they weren’t attacked,
they’d be fine.
The angel chuckled and leaned down to the other man’s height. “Just
a kiss on the cheek is enough. That is, if your boyfriend is okay with
that,” he said. He seemed too excited.
Drake looked away and back at him. This was a great chance. If he
gave the angel the kiss, he could recover a lot more quickly. How could
he forget that he could drain his enemies’ energy? “Don’t try anything
strange,” he mumbled. He tilted his head. As he was about to do it,
Skylar turned to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. The others gasped.
Not wasting a second, Drake drained as much energy from Skylar as he
possibly could.
In a brief moment, Skylar flapped his wings, getting away from the
Incubus. “That’s smart of you,” he said out of breath. He landed on the
ground and retracted his wings. “Sucking my energy is certainly
unexpected coming from you. I thought you wouldn’t dare do such a
thing.”
“I had to,” Drake said. “Besides, you have enough for everyone in
this competition.” He gripped Kai’s arm. “I’m sorry if this is the only
way to drain energy.”
Kai shook his head. “It’s all right. You’ve gotten stronger. And it
wasn’t your fault,” he mumbled. “I’m still jealous, though.”
The angel smirked. “If this helps you recover, I won’t disqualify you
right here,” he told the Incubus. “I don’t like it when people take
advantage of me. But I’ve taken a liking to you, so you’re free to go.” He
waved and flew away.
“You can stop shaking now,” Kai told his lover and hugged him to
his chest. “We have to get to the challenge. The next time an enemy
appears, we can’t stop.” He pulled Drake onto his back.
Wrapping his arms around Kai’s neck, Drake looked down at the
Balfurs. “Don’t worry. There was nothing you could do, but what you’ve
been doing is appreciated,” he told them. Kamui seemed the most upset.
He looked so disappointed.
“Up ahead,” Kai said. “Wait, I can only see one contestant.” He
carried Drake into the open space. “We’re a lot more unlucky than I
thought. Our opponents are the ones who took the first three places last
year.” The shifter put Drake down. “How are you feeling?”
“If I use what the mermaid gave me, I think that I’ll be able to fight,”
he said, but Kai shook his head.
“You can only use it once. And we have to defeat Skylar, who is
much stronger than them and us,” Kai said stiffly. “I’ll try to take care of
it myself.”
Drake grabbed the shifter’s wrist. “There’s no way you can take
down two of them by yourself. The other participant from this year might
attack you as well. I can’t just let you go like this. I’m going with you.”
He didn’t want that vision to come true. Kai couldn’t end up in that
horrible state.
“Stay here. If I need anything, I’ll call you. But please wait here,”
Kai told him and pressed a kiss to his lips. He then took his backpack
from the Balfurs and shifted into his panther form. “Do not come after
me. You might ruin this for us.”
Gulping, Drake nodded. “Be careful.” Kai became serious about the
game. After all, only three of them were left. He looked up at Kamui,
who patted his head then followed the shifter. “Balfurs, we must hide.”
He led them behind a large lollipop and leaned on it. “Can any of you
change shapes?”
“I can,” Yellow volunteered, approaching the Incubus. “What do you
need me to do?”
“Can you support me?” Drake asked. “I need something to keep me
up.” He watched Yellow morphing into a chair. “Won’t I put weight on
you?”
Yellow chuckled. “I’m stronger than I look,” she said. The Incubus
sat on her and rested his elbow on her arm. “Are you okay?”
Drake nodded. “I’m dizzy, that’s all.” Even though draining some of
Skylar’s energy had given him strength, he still felt sick. It hadn’t been
enough. He glanced over at Kamui and Kai fighting. They could only
defend themselves. They wouldn’t get anywhere like that. Drake needed
to think of ways to help. He opened his backpack and searched for
something useful. He had a pair of socks. “Hmm…I think that this will
work.”
Chapter 9
They were in trouble. Kai had been thrown into a mountain of pink
sugar after a blow to the back of his head. And he didn’t come out.
Kamui did his best to keep two enemies from getting to the shifter. “I
have to take a risk,” Drake told himself. He took the sock with a rock
inside and stood. The least he could do was give use to his special
shoes. Drake threw it and kicked it in one of the opponent’s direction.
The Balfurs pounced in celebration once it hit an enemy’s shoulder.
Distracted, the shifter looked their way, but they hid behind the lollipop.
Drake got another sock ready. It was his last one. Taking a deep breath,
he turned to throw it. He widened his eyes. The shifter was right next to
him.
“I sense you no matter how far you are. What you threw had your
sick scent all over it,” the shifter said. He wrapped his large hand
around the Incubus’s neck and lifted him up. The Balfurs jumped on him,
but he easily got rid of them with one hand.
Drake tried to breathe. The rock fell from his hand as he lost his
conscious. Once again, he’d done nothing to help. And Kai had told him
not to interfere, but he had to since his lover had been in danger. More
than ever before, his back hurt. The pain became so unbearable that tears
surfaced in his eyes. What was happening to him?
The shifter smirked. “You’re not so tough now, are you?” He then
tilted his head toward the fight. “Your friend over there is getting the
beating of his life.”
Struggling, Drake turned his eyes to the open space. Kamui fell on
the ground, the other shifter playing with his fists on the lizard’s face.
Adding to this mixture of horrible happenings, the Balfurs were all
unconscious. Drake wanted to tell the shifter to let him go, but he
couldn’t speak. He managed to grip the other man’s wrist. That vision
couldn’t become reality. He wouldn’t allow it.
Drake’s back tensed and curved. Had something been growing from
his shoulder blades? He let his mouth fall open. He gripped the shifter’s
wrist so tightly that he was finally released. Drake fell on his hands and
knees, groaning with a hoarse voice. He couldn’t help but cough deeply
while trying to fill his lungs with oxygen.
“Drake,” Kamui shouted. He got a hold of the enemy’s fist and threw
him against a lollipop, making him faint. He’d stalled enough. Wobbling,
he tried to rush over to the Incubus. The shifter next to Drake snarled in
pain. Kamui stopped behind Drake, staring at two dark-blue, leathery
things tearing through his shirt. “Wings,” Kamui uttered. The lizard put
his foot in the middle of Drake’s back and helped release them with both
hands.
Drake jolted and growled, but quickly felt relief afterward. “Thank
you,” he said, panting, and got up. He was exhausted. He wanted to lay
on something comfortable and sleep for days. “Please, find Kai. He
might be hurt.” He watched Kamui run toward the sugar mountain. Drake
looked at the shifter who had been staring at him. “What?”
“Your…wings. They’re huge,” the man said, glancing from side to
side at each of them.
“Oh, I almost forgot about that,” Drake said and managed to move
one of the wings forward. He stared at it then its claws at the end of each
row of bones. How come he’d never seen an Incubus with wings? Why
did he look so evil? He didn’t like or want them. “What the hell is this?”
The shifter walked backward slowly. “It’s been centuries since
Incubi were seen with wings, especially looking like yours,” he said, his
expression filled with fear. “You must be the heir.”
“The what? Whose heir?” Drake questioned him, but the other man
took off. On the one hand, Drake was happy that he didn’t have to fight.
On the other, the look on the shifter’s face made his heart sink. He
couldn’t use them. Moreover, he had no clue how to flap the wings. He
feared himself.
Kamui returned and pointed over his shoulder. “Kai is on his feet.
He was just recovering from…” He trailed off once he noticed the
Incubus’s spread wings.
Drake averted his eyes from him. “Don’t react like that,” he
demanded. “I know how big they are.” All of a sudden, the lizard jumped
away, making him flinch. Kamui also seemed afraid of him. In brief
moments, the Balfurs joined him. “Is something wrong with me?” The
term outcast haunted his thoughts. And that angered him. Much to his
surprise, they got even farther away from him.
“Relax,” Kamui told him. “You’re emanating a killing aura. Stop
before our instincts kick in and we attack to stop you.” Step-by-step, he
approached Drake. “See? Just control your emotions and everything will
be fine.”
The lizard’s smile didn’t ease him one bit. “I need Kai. Call him
here,” he said. Drake sighed, realizing that they were still in the middle
of a challenge. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve as he made
his way to the fight. Kamui followed him from afar. Drake had no idea
what had been wrong with him since the beginning of the challenge. It
was all so confusing and tiring.
The battle stopped abruptly when Drake got closer to them. The two
enemies and the third contestant fled without a word. “Kai,” he begged
by the way his lover looked at him. “Don’t be scared of me, too. I’m not
going to hurt you.” All he wanted to do was rip the wings off of his back.
“Stop,” Kamui shouted, startling the Incubus. “I told you to keep your
emotions in check. At this rate, you’ll turn all of us against you. We don’t
want to see you as a threat.”
“Let me in,” Kai said, drawing Drake’s attention immediately.
Drake looked down. “Okay,” he mumbled and sat on the floor.
Happy thoughts. Yes, he had Kai and apparently had won the challenge
without moving a muscle. He also had a great group he’d been a part of.
“That’s better,” Kai said calmly. He hugged Drake to his chest.
“You’ve gotten rather sensitive now.”
“That guy…said that I’m the heir. What does that mean?” he asked
Kai. Drake melted in his lover’s arms. He felt safer and warmer.
Couldn’t he stay like this and appear back in his home? No. He couldn’t
give up. They’d come this far.
Kai took a deep breath. “It’s an old story,” he started. “About four
centuries ago, a subspecies of Incubus didn’t have wings. According to
each social class at the time, there were the Incubi whose powers were
basic. They had horns and fangs. The next class had both of those, a tail,
and they could change their skin color.” He checked their surroundings,
in case there were any enemies. “So, the higher class were the ones who,
on top of all that, had wings. Unfortunately, they were eradicated by the
first and second classes.”
Drake frowned, making Kai lean away. “Why is that?”
“Don’t get angry,” the shifter reminded him. “As the story goes, the
lower classes were afraid. The higher class was far more powerful, and
the ones who ruled. The people went against them when they announced
that they needed to expand their high class.” He sighed. “The higher
class didn’t care. A small, unknown number of them were able to
survive. This group learned how to shift and blended in the crowd. But
they’re not considered shifters.”
Kamui managed to get closer to them and added, “I heard that these
Incubi got separated and mated with the lower classes. A top rank child
was rarely born, which made things worse. That class became nearly
extinct.” He patted Drake’s head. “You don’t know this most likely
because your kind has been trying to bury this story. Those were some
rough times.”
“I’m one of them,” Drake uttered. “If they find out, will they try to
kill me?”
Kai shook his head. “Even though you’re still a top rank Incubus, the
matings between the classes made your kind overall powerful. As you
know, you’re not the only one who can have a complete human form,” he
answered. “You’ll be fine. We should do what we can to get to the next
resting house. It’s the last one and the other participant is ahead of us.
We’ll try to teach you how to use your wings along the way.”
He nodded and pressed a kiss to Kai’s cheek. “Thanks,” Drake said
quietly and stood. “Let’s…” His nose itched and he sneezed. He whined.
“I’m still sick. Let’s go now.”
Kamui pushed the Incubus onto Kai. “Come on, we don’t have a
minute to waste,” he told them. He had to distract Drake. One of the
man’s wings had cut a large lollipop in half.
“Kai, carry me on your back,” Drake cried, climbing Kai, his arms
and one leg around the shifter. He felt lazy and moody. Kai chuckled and
propped him up. Heat filled his body. Touching Kai began to affect him.
“Hey, I want…”
Kai glanced over his shoulder. “Do you want something?”
“Yes, I need s–sex,” he whispered and rested his forehead on the
back of Kai’s head. “I really want it right now. I know that we’re in a
hurry, but I can’t help it.”
Kamui raised a brow when the other two stopped. “Do you sense
something?” he asked and glanced at the Balfurs searching the area.
“No. Drake needs a break. And he can’t wait,” Kai said, grinning.
Taking the hint, the lizard gathered the Balfurs and led them away from
the couple. “We need to hurry, so we have to make this quick.” He put
the Incubus down.
Drake pursed his lips. “I don’t mean to be this annoying, but I’m
about to burst,” he said quietly.
“Leave it to me,” Kai assured and leaned the other man on a lollipop.
“If you’re almost there, this will only take a couple of minutes.”
He watched the shifter unzipping his fly and pulling out his hard
cock. Jolts of pleasure coursed through his body once Kai brushed his
tongue on the tip. The way Kai looked up at him with those enticing, dark
eyes almost made him come. But he wanted the moment to last before
they had to leave.
Kai kissed the tip of his lover’s cock then slid his tongue to the base.
He then came back up and engulfed the shaft into his mouth as much as he
could. Once used to it, the shifter bobbed his head back and forth. He
moaned when Drake slid his hands through his hair. “Don’t take too long,
love,” Kai said teasingly.
Drake smiled weakly at the affection. After all, Kai’s sucking
distracted him. “Maybe your mouth is not good enough,” he shot back,
grinning. The shifter squeezed his cock, making him groan in pleasure.
Kai stood. “We’ll see about that,” he whispered into Drake’s ear. He
began to stroke the Incubus’s shaft vigorously, and slid his other hand
into his pants from behind.
“Oh, fuck, Kai,” Drake protested as the shifter pushed a dry finger
into his entrance. He quickly adjusted and pushed back against it so it
would thrust deeper. Kai got back on his knees and surrounded his cock
with his mouth. Drake leaned forward, supporting his weight with his
hands on Kai’s shoulders. Once that finger reached his prostate, he came
in the shifter’s mouth, moaning. His wings stretched out and flapped,
sending Kai rolling away from him while he was pressed against the
lollipop. He meant to apologize, but his releasing cock distracted him
completely.
Far away, Kai got up. He looked over at his lover moaning on the
ground, so he bolted in his direction. “Drake, was it a bad idea?” he
asked in concern.
Drake shook his head. He put away his spent shaft and zipped his fly.
“A great idea instead. I feel so much better…” He trailed off and closed
his eyes.
He woke up with a headache. “Oh, no,” Drake muttered. He was
sticky by how much he’d been sweating. He opened his eyes. Darkness
everywhere. Whining in pain, he sat up, and his wings opened. He’d
been sleeping wrapped in them.
“Are you okay?” Kai asked, gazing at him. “We needed a quick
solution, so we gave you a cold shower and improvised a sauna with
your wings. If we’re lucky, your fever has gone down.”
Drake stopped for a brief moment. “Wait, what do you mean by we?
Who else gave me a cold shower?” Not that he minded the shower he
hadn’t felt, but someone else had seen him naked?
Kamui raised his hand, grinning. “It was fun. That’s all I have to
say,” he told the other man and pointed at his crotch.
Gasping, Drake shifted his attention to Kai. “Did he do something
while I was sleeping? Did you leave me alone with him?” he questioned
him in disbelief. He didn’t have time to be happy that he was no longer
sick. The lizard could have touched him.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t leave you alone in the showers,” Kai assured.
“He did try to jerk it off while I washed your dick, though. But you can’t
blame him, right? You’re hot even when you don’t want to be.”
Drake looked away. “Sweet words aren’t enough,” he muttered. “I
can’t believe you didn’t ask the Balfurs to help instead.” It wasn’t that
the fur-balls, as Kai called them, couldn’t get aroused with anything. But
Kamui resembled a human or a shifter.
Kamui chuckled. “Believe me, they wanted to do worse. They didn’t
look innocent when they were hornier than both of us combined.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I can beat all of you,” Kai retorted, and
Kamui laughed. “Anyway, let’s check your temperature.” He rested his
hand on the Incubus’s forehead. “You’re back to normal. As long as
we’re careful, you won’t get sick again before the last battle.”
Drake nodded. “Let’s hope so,” he added. Even though he had no
control over his wings, his strength had skyrocketed. Little had he known
that this game would bring out the best in him. Sure he’d been afraid of
where the game led them, but he was thankful for the most part. He could
help Kai and stand as an equal. “Did you sleep?”
“Since your wings are too big, I couldn’t hug you, but I managed to
rest,” Kai said, Kamui nodding.
He had come a long way. Drake’s encounter with Kai changed his
whole life. What he expected from a life drowned in melancholy,
flourished into wholehearted happiness. He didn’t desire anything more.
Moreover, it had been surreal and he didn’t want to wake up.
“Are you ready?” Kai asked, yanking Drake back to reality. “Skylar
must be waiting. The other participant has already left, but I think he
won’t be able to win on his own.” He stood and opened his box.
Drake took his and opened it. “Damn it. I got a pair of gloves and
sunglasses,” he whined. Just in case, he put the gloves on. Nothing. This
box was useless. “Kai, anything useful before I start to panic?” Despite
his newfound power, he had no clue how to control himself. One misstep
and Skylar would throw them out of the game with his fists. At least the
prize money would come in handy for his college fees.
“We’re out of luck. Another Nox light stone and a chocolate bar,”
Kai replied. He got caught by surprise when the Incubus stole the
chocolate.
“Can you believe that I haven’t eaten a chocolate in over a month?”
he mumbled, staring at the bar. It had his favorites, raisins and nuts.
“Please…give it to me,” he begged, sending the cutest gaze he could
come up with to his lover.
Kai smiled. “Only if you kiss me right here,” he said, pointing at his
lips. Drake kissed him tenderly but quickly shied away.
Drake’s heart pounded, his hands clenching the bar and breaking it to
pieces. “I–I didn’t measure my strength again.” Drake knew that it was
just a chocolate, but it made him think that he had a future with Kai.
Unlike the others, the shifter had been doing so much for him. Too much
for that matter. None of his previous boyfriends would save him from
monsters, let alone bring him this far. They would run away and leave
him behind.
Chapter 10
“I don’t feel like going,” Drake protested as he looked at the entrance
of the maze. “How can Last Stop be a good sign? And I know the
answer. It’s not!” He slid his hand through his hair. “I don’t want to go in
there.” He couldn’t see anything from here.
Red jumped onto his head. “Don’t panic. We’re all here,” he said.
He turned his eye on as if it was a flashlight. “This is our last chance.”
Drake took a deep breath before he made his way inside. He needed
to always remind himself that he had friends to help him, that they
wouldn’t leave him to fend for himself. After all they’d gone through
together, fear was a feeling to be pushed aside. Drake had to think
rationally.
As the group walked through a hallway, their surroundings became
clear. It was as if they were in a hotel. The vases, the paintings, the red
carpet, and the windows that portrayed a beautiful day. Were they even
in the game? “I sense a huge amount of people,” Drake said, coming to a
stop. “I sense danger up ahead, too, but we have no other way around
this.” He walked toward the two doors in front of them, Red jumping off
of his head.
Drake opened the door and looked to the right. An arena. The first
thing he noticed were the shape-shifters’ battle depicted all over the
ceiling. The crowd became silent once they saw Drake. That’s right, he
was completely different from when he came in. Gasps and chattering
replaced the cheering. The third participant was nowhere to be found.
“Finally, here are the remaining two,” the host announced. He
motioned them to the center of the arena. “Hey, wait a second. In-game
creatures cannot enter. But you’re invited to watch.”
Drake sighed. “This is bad,” he said. The closer he got to the center,
the more he felt the danger. Kai looked serious. The shifter had his
backpack close to him, his hand clenched on it. Drake had to be the one
beside Kai on the podium.
“Now, let’s call Skylar to meet our guests,” the host said and the
audience roared in excitement.
Drake heard doors open and looked to the right of the arena. Skylar
approached them, his hands in his pockets, as if he could win with his
arms behind his back. The angel waved, smiling. Drake greeted him on
impulse and quickly regretted doing so. That man was their target.
“I see a premature development,” Skylar said, studying the Incubus’s
wings. “You don’t know what to do, so this will be easy.” He went over
to Kai and patted his shoulder. “Prepare to lose.”
Looking down, Drake clenched his hands. He didn’t have time to
improve and control his power. If they couldn’t do it, he would give up.
He wouldn’t risk getting Kai hurt for the sake of winning.
“Ready…Go!” The host shifted into a Basilisk and left the battlefield
swiftly.
“Wait, right now?” Drake shouted at the host. Before he could react,
Skylar grabbed his wing and threw him into the air. Shaking in fear, he
looked down at the angel laughing. They were in trouble.
Skylar appeared before Kai and punched his abdomen, sending him
flying into a wall. “Fly like your boyfriend,” he told Drake, spreading
his arms. The Incubus fell in his arms with a thud. “Why don’t you flap
your wings?”
Drake widened his eyes. “I can’t,” he said quietly. Kai was out cold,
a fine line of blood running down the corner of his lips. “Stop,” he told
the Balfurs once he saw them coming. They nodded and bolted in the
opposite direction.
“It’s so kind of you that you don’t want to see them hurt. I hope you
understand that you won’t win,” he whispered. Skylar got a hold of
Drake’s wing again and threw him up, the crowd following him with
their surprised eyes.
“Wait,” Drake growled as he watched from above the angel pacing
toward Kai. Kamui got in the way, but Skylar kicked him aside. “Stop!”
Drake tried to move his wings. Anything would be fine, but nothing
happened, and Skylar was getting closer to Kai. Finally, he began to fall
in the other man’s direction. Drake dived in, not sure if he would hurt
himself, but he didn’t care.
Sighing, Skylar looked up. He raised his hand, as if he intended to
throw the Incubus back up. But Drake kicked his hand and fell on him.
Both rolled over and hit the side of the arena. “Don’t…touch him,” he
told the angel. Suddenly, the audience cheered, startling him. Drake got
up and rushed to Kai’s side.
“Be…” Kai tried to speak once he noticed the Incubus.
“What? Are you hurt?” Drake knelt in front of the shifter, trying to
help him up.
Kai pushed him away weakly. “Behind…you.”
Before Drake could look over his shoulder, something hit the back of
his head. “Kai,” he called quietly as his vision blurred. He’d failed.
* * * *
Pain pulsed through his head. Kai could barely move. Drake had
been hit by Skylar and had fallen unconscious. Kai put his hands on the
ground and managed to stand, leaning on the wall. He needed to
accelerate his regeneration, but he couldn’t watch what the angel could
do to his lover.
“Oh, trying to act tough?” Skylar commented, snorting. He strolled
over to Kai and rested his hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to
throw you against a wall again? You’ve been getting in my way for a
while now. And I’m beginning to lose my patience with you.” He snarled
and shoved Kai’s shoulder, making it dislocate.
Crying out, Kai took a few steps back. He grabbed his shoulder and
quickly put it back in place. In the current circumstances, dealing with an
angered angel could end up in someone getting seriously hurt. But he
couldn’t protect Drake. This phase of the game didn’t compare to the
others. What could he do? As it was, he might as well give up and take
his lover home with him.
Skylar dusted his wings. “It’s time to end this. You’re not ready to
face me one-on-one yet,” he said. He wrapped his hand around the
Incubus’s neck and lifted him up. “This will be enough to disqualify
you.”
“No,” Kai growled as he watched the angel aiming his fist at Drake’s
face. He stared at Skylar swinging his fist, but nothing happened.
Drake’s wings blocked it. But how? Everything had been so confusing
ever since his lover became something else. Not that he loved him any
less, but it had all developed so quickly.
Raising a brow, Skylar tilted his head. “I see…So that’s how it is,”
he said faintly and laughed. “This little Incubus isn’t strong at all. The
top rank Incubi are just possessed. They’re cursed. Every scientist will
love this.” He yanked Drake higher, as if he held a trophy. “Who wants
this Incubus?” he asked the crowd. They cheered and whistled. “Here
you go. He’s free of charge!” The angel threw him toward the audience.
Snarling, Kai bolted after his lover in his shifted form. “Drake, wake
up.” He growled. If they got Drake, he could disappear and be
kidnapped. After all, he had been labeled a rare being.
Before he reached anyone, Drake flapped his wings. No, the wings
did so as if they had freewill. The Incubus was still unconscious.
Finally, Drake opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before he
realized that his wings had lost control. He began to fall in Kai’s
direction. “Get out of the way,” he shouted.
Kai shook his head and shifted. He put one foot back so they
wouldn’t clash. Drake landed in his arms safely. Even though Kai felt
relieved, they hadn’t defeated Skylar yet. He held the Incubus close to
him and got away from the angel.
“No. We have to fight,” Drake told him, struggling to get away. “Kai,
we can’t just run away like this!” By how upset he’d gotten, the shifter
released him and stepped away.
The way Drake emanated his anger had frightened Kai for brief
seconds. “Okay, do whatever you want. If you get disqualified, it’s your
problem,” he said, trying not to frown, so he looked away. He didn’t like
how his lover shifted that negative energy to him, as if he’d hit him just
to win the game. Silence settled. He looked at Drake staring at him.
“I’m sorry,” Drake mumbled. “I still can’t keep my emotions in
check. But we’ll talk later. I have an idea.” He approached Kai and
pecked his cheek. “Do you remember what the mermaid gave me?”
Kai gasped. “Yes. If that helps you control your power, we’ll win,”
he said and glanced over his shoulder. Skylar had a brow raised, looking
at them with suspicion. If he hadn’t attacked them yet he must have been
recovering from a hit. Or the angel wanted to see what they’d come up
with. “I’ll distract him while you go to your backpack. It’s at the other
end of the arena, to your left.”
“You’ll get hurt,” Drake retorted.
“I can’t face him directly, but I can take the defense position,” Kai
said. “If you worry about me, you’ll get distracted. We should think
rationally if we want to win this.” He smiled when Drake nodded.
“Now…go!”
Both bolted in opposite directions. Kai shifted into a panther on the
way and snarled, catching Skylar’s attention. He swung his claws toward
the angel, who dodged them easily. Skylar kicked his side, causing Kai
to humph and cough. Panting and in pain, he looked at Drake, who drank
the concoction in one go. Kai widened his eyes once the Incubus’s wings
stretched out, his horns and tail growing larger. He could control
himself.
Drake turned around, glaring at the angel. He flapped his wings and
charged after Skylar. At the first chance, he grabbed the angel’s
shoulders, and threw him against the closest wall. Instead of hitting it,
Skylar crashed with his back, piercing a deep hole. The audience
gasped, but it quickly turned into cheering.
“Did I kill him?” Drake widened his eyes. There was no movement.
He flew closer to the hole, squinting his eyes. Dust and rubble filled the
air.
“He’s still alive, but he’s knocked out,” the host announced, sliding
toward the center of the arena in his Basilisk form. “It was clearly two
against one, so it’s only right that I start the countdown. He has to get up
within ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight…”
Kai shifted his attention as the host counted. If Skylar had been
knocked out, Kai would most likely nearly die from that hit. He walked
over to Drake. “How are you feeling?” he asked in concern.
“I’m fine. But I can feel the effect of that liquid wearing off already.
If I lost the chance to do that to him, we’d still be in disadvantage. I
didn’t mean to hurt him this much, though,” he said, his attention on the
hole.
“And the time is up,” the basilisk said. “Now, which one of the two
will win? Will it be Drake or Kai?” The crowd began to shout Drake’s
name in unison and clapping.
Kai was taken by surprise. “Do we have to fight against each other?”
The basilisk nodded and made his way out of the arena again. Kai
looked at Drake. “I–It can’t be. There’s supposed to be two spots.”
“The two of you are fighting for the strongest position. The third
participant in this game was the smartest throughout the competition. But
Skylar defeated him before you got here,” the host told them as the doors
closed.
“Only if one of us was the wisest we had the choice of not fighting,”
Drake said as he watched a couple of owl shifters carrying Skylar out of
the arena. “What should we do?” He turned his eyes up to Kai.
Shrugging, Kai hugged him to his chest. “I have a feeling that they
won’t let us leave until one of us loses.” He tightened his embrace. “You
should hit my head or something. We don’t have to get hurt.”
Drake shook his head quickly. “Do you really think I’m able to hurt
you? I can’t—” He was cut off when the shifter pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Even if I try, nothing will happen to you. At the moment, I’m not
strong enough to do such a thing,” Kai said, caressing Drake’s cheek. “I
want to take you home as soon as possible, love. Give me your best
punch.” He chuckled to put Drake a bit more at ease.
* * * *
Drake gazed at Kai’s smile. “Promise me again that…we’ll stay
together after this,” he said quietly. Without hesitation, the shifter
nodded. Taking a deep breath, Drake took a step back. He lifted his fist.
If he hesitated or closed his eyes, there would be a high chance that he
could hurt Kai instead. “Don’t look,” he said and the other man looked
down.
It was as if everything happened in slow motion. Drake’s fist
connected with Kai’s temple, sending him a few feet away. “I can’t
believe I just did that,” he said mostly to himself, sliding his hand
through his hair. The audience had been so quiet as they watched them.
The host returned to the arena, counting down. Kai seemed to remain
unconscious for a while. Drake went to pick him up from the dry dirt.
Once the basilisk finished counting and announced the winner, Kamui
and the Balfurs hurried toward them.
“I’ll look after him,” Kamui offered and the Incubus allowed him to
carry Kai. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”
“Wait, are we never going to see you again?” Red asked Drake as he
followed them.
Drake stopped. “I’m not sure,” he mumbled. “For now, let’s wait for
Kai to wake up.” With the tension raised, he didn’t know what to do.
He’d made friends and found a lover, but could he keep all of them as
such?
As the small procession made their way to the waiting room, they
noticed a couple coming their way. Drake let his mouth fall open.
“Father and…Mother?” he said faintly. Marcus looked happy, but Delia
didn’t even glance at him.
Marcus paced toward his son and hugged him tightly. “We heard you
entered the competition,” he said. He moved away to look at Drake’s
wings. “I’m sorry if we suppressed you from reaching your full potential.
We should have supported you. And to think that you’re one of the top-
ranking Incubi…” He sighed, patting Drake’s head. “I brought your
mother. She needed to see how far you’ve come, to be proud of you like
I’ve always been. And I know I wished for a stronger son, but I still love
you just as much, son. Now look at you.”
Drake glanced at Delia. “Thank you for coming here,” he told
Marcus. His mother had hurt him so much he didn’t know if he should
talk to her or not. Whenever he remembered her words, he felt like
crying. Not being enough had been the last thing he wanted to hear from
his mother.
“I really…” Delia paused and regarded her son. “I’m sorry,” she
said almost inaudibly. She slumped her shoulders when Drake looked
away. “I was so obsessed with an ideal son that I didn’t think for a
second about your feelings.” Delia noticed Kamui and the Balfurs
frowning at her.
“Drake happened to talk in his sleep when he felt down,” Kamui
said.
She pursed her lips. “Drake—I mean, son, when you left our house I
realized what I had done,” she continued. “But I couldn’t bring myself to
tell you anything. It would be too shameful.” Delia smiled slightly and
stepped closer to him, her hands clenched close to her chest. “I thought,
since you won, you’d find in yourself the will to forgive me.”
Drake chuckled so he wouldn’t do the opposite. “It’s not that easy.
Let’s just say that you messed me up. Just knowing you were close-by
made me feel empty and sick. For years I felt as if I was nothing to
anyone, as if I didn’t matter,” he said. “But I found great friends who I
met in the game. And someone who loves me.”
“That would be me,” Kai said from Kamui’s shoulder, raising his
hand. The lizard put him down. “It’s not a great pleasure to meet you,
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. But from what I heard, you’re appreciating your
son more.” He shook hands with them. “It’s good that both of you are
here. I can say now that I want your son to become my mate officially.
That is, if you don’t mind.”
Chapter 11
Drake’s parents stared at Kai. “Have I seen you before?” Marcus
asked him.
“Kai McCross,” Delia answered for the shifter. “He was on the
news a couple of months ago. This man is the strongest among the
panther-shifters, even though they are solitary beings. And he joined this
game because there was nothing else to help him get stronger.”
Drake rarely watched the news, so he was more surprised than
everyone else. “I had no idea,” he said, looking up at the shifter. There
were many things he didn’t know about Kai, but he loved him just as
much.
“Excuse me. It’s time to announce the winners,” a young woman said
and motioned them after her.
“We’ll talk more after this,” Delia told her son.
He nodded and watched his parents heading in the opposite
direction. “Let’s go. Unfortunately, this is not over yet,” he said. Drake
led the small group along the hallway. Even though he’d been happy to
win, he didn’t expect this much. Most likely, it would hit him when he
returned home. It was as if all that had been happening turned out as a
dream of some sort.
As they entered the arena again, the audience cheered. Drake
widened his eyes once he noticed every enemy and participant were
here. The leader of the goblins walked up to him. A wide smile revealed
his dirty teeth almost hidden under the goblin’s large, pointy nose. “Hi,”
he greeted him. The smell of rotten milk and eggs coming from the goblin
wasn’t pleasant, so Drake took a polite step back.
“I had a feeling you would make it this far,” the goblin said.
“Showing you that daydream was the best thing to do to push you in the
right direction.” He rested his callused hand on Drake’s chest. “I know
that we barely know each other, but I’m proud of you.”
Drake smiled. “Thank you.” He leaned back when the goblin got
closer. “What is it?”
“You know,” the goblin started, “I wanted to tell you this, but I didn’t
want to stop you.” He got on his tiptoes and pulled Drake by the sleeve.
“Do you mind if I…grope your butt cheeks?” When he moved away, he
realized Kai had been standing next to him. “I just want to touch it.”
Drake sighed. “Fine. But don’t get used to it,” he said, turning
around. After all, the goblin had helped him. He felt a pair of hands on
him and shivered at how boldly they groped him. “That’s enough, Mr.
Goblin.” Drake turned back around. The goblin grabbed his crotch,
making him wince. “Hey! What are you doing?” As he walked
backward, the beast pounced on him, making both of them fall. “Kai,
help me,” he shouted.
Growling, Kai got a hold of the goblin’s shoulders and pulled, but he
wouldn’t move. “You horny bastard. I hate it when goblins are in heat.
They will even hump your leg if they want to,” he muttered.
“Don’t touch me,” Drake whined, but the beast opened his mouth and
slid his long tongue on his neck. Drake cringed at the smell and the
feeling of slime on his skin. Snapping, he shoved the goblin, making him
fly into the air. The audience gasped at how high the beast had gotten.
Drake got up and dusted his clothes.
“Help,” the leader of the goblins shouted once he came to his senses.
Fortunately, he landed in the Incubus’s arms. “Oh, thank you.” He took a
deep breath.
Shrugging, Drake put him down. “Can we go now?” he asked. The
leader of the goblins seemed to have been so proud that he wanted to
touch him.
“Not until you get your prize,” the host said. He handed a golden
trophy to the Incubus, a credit card with the prize money, and turned to a
camera. “I thank everyone who joined us. The contestants will have their
wounds and bruises taken care of. Expect an autograph session from our
top two and Skylar in one hour.”
Drake slapped his forehead, sighing. “I want to go already,” he
whined. They'd finally finished the game. He could pay for his college
fees. More importantly, he'd proven everyone that he could do it, which
had been his main goal. And he had the title of the strongest this year on
top of that.
* * * *
Drake leaned on Kai once they reached the exit. For some reason,
he’d signed more autographs than the others. “What now?” He looked up
at the shifter.
“I still want to take you to see my sister. And to spend more time
with you, of course,” Kai said, and rested his arm on Drake’s shoulders.
“Do you want to come along?”
Drake looked at his parents, who nodded. “Yes. You shouldn’t even
ask,” he answered, laughing. All of a sudden, his wings, horns and tail
retracted. A wave of exhaustion washed over him and he felt tired and
lazy. Unfortunately, he began to sense Kai’s pheromones. It was as if Kai
wanted to claim him as his mate right then and there.
“I have a car waiting,” Kai whispered into his ear, caressing his
lover’s cheek.
Kamui stepped in front of them. “Is this the time to say our good-
byes?” he muttered, glancing between Drake and Kai.
“No, lizard,” Drake said, “Let’s share our cell phone numbers so we
can keep in touch.” He didn’t want to let go of Kai, though.
Once the exchange was made, Kai opened the backseat car door for
Drake. “Thanks,” Drake said, his cheeks heating up. They had a driver.
How fancy. He sat with a thud and sighed. “I could sleep for two days in
a row if I could.”
Kai got inside and closed the door. The man on the wheel drove off,
both waving at the others. “What do you suggest we do?” Kai asked,
leaning closer to the Incubus.
“Do you have any suggestions?” Drake asked, closing the distance
between them. “We shouldn’t do anything here, though. That guy is
watching.” He glanced sideways at the driver. Those dark eyes looking
at them from the rear-view mirror quickly turned away.
Chuckling, Kai pressed a kiss to Drake’s neck. “Don’t worry, he’s
just admiring your sexiness.” He slid his hand under the Incubus’s shirt.
The driver kept watching, though, glancing at him while looking at
the road. Drake tried not to get distracted as Kai moved lower, but he
couldn’t resist once the shifter unzipped his fly. “What are you doing?”
he asked quietly as Kai pulled out his cock. The other man didn’t
answer. Instead, Kai surrounded the shaft with his lips, and sucked it
vigorously. “Kai,” he whined. Drake looked up to catch the driver’s eyes
on him.
For even more distraction, Kai wrapped his hand around Drake’s
cock and moved it in time with his mouth. The Incubus groaned in the
car. Both the driver and the shifter looked at Drake.
He wanted to tell them not to stare, but his mind had gotten too
clouded to form coherent words. Drake let his head fall back and closed
his eyes. Was Kai preparing him for what he’d been planning to do?
More importantly, he loved the way the shifter swirled his tongue on his
shaft. He grinned at Kai. “Are you addicted now? This is the second
time.”
Kai stopped so he could answer. “Besides wanting to pleasure you,
I’m also doing this so I don’t make love to you right here. The game is
over, so it’s becoming difficult for me to hold back.” He got back to
sucking his lover’s shaft.
Drake gripped Kai’s hair and came in his mouth. He bit his bottom
lip so he wouldn’t make any more embarrassing sounds in the quiet car.
Panting, he tried to move the shifter’s head away, but he was too weak.
Kai licked his lover’s cock clean. “This will delay the fact that I
need to pounce on you,” he said teasingly. He pulled Drake onto his lap.
Drake smiled as the shifter cuddled with him. He looked outside and
noticed that the car slowed down close to a large house. “Is this your
home?” he asked louder than he’d expected. Once Kai nodded, Drake
moved from the shifter’s lap and got out of the car.
The door opened and a young woman came running toward them.
“Brother,” she called.
What a beautiful girl. Her long hair was as dark as Kai’s, her eyes
dark-brown, as well. And as he’d expected, he was shorter than her.
Drake waved when she smiled at him.
“I missed you, Char,” Kai said, hugging his sister to his chest. He
seemed as if he shouldn’t have left her in the first place.
“Me, too, Kai. We’ve never been this long without seeing each
other,” she said quietly, wiping her teary eyes. The woman then regarded
Drake. “Is this your friend?”
Kai nodded. “Drake, this is Charlotte, my younger sister. Char,
Drake is my…mate. Well, at least I hope we become mates,” he said.
“He’s an Incubus, and the one who won the game today.”
“I see…” Charlotte trailed off, shaking hands with Drake. She
looked disappointed. “Brother, I thought you’d mate another panther-
shifter. No offense to you, Drake.” Sighing, she looked away and back at
Drake. “I heard in the news that you discovered you’re a top rank
Incubus. Are you aware that you can have both sexes, if you so want to?
If you’re not careful you might…” Charlotte paused for a few moments.
“I mean, you can get pregnant if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Drake stared at her. He’d never heard such a thing. Wait, he did
years ago. The Incubi were known to have limitless powers. They could
adapt to the environment surrounding them. So, if they decided to breed
more top rank Incubi, they found a way to change themselves. Drake felt
very much like a man, though.
“Drake?” Kai called, his head tilted. The other man shook himself.
“Don’t worry, okay? I would certainly know if you were to turn into a
woman.”
Charlotte shook her head. “It’s only internally,” she said. “You’d
have to go through a caesarian section. As a nurse, I’ve delivered a baby
from an Incubus once. What was odd to me was that the gestation period
only lasted six months. And the baby boy was the size of my hand, which
is small as it is. He was as healthy as any baby, too.”
“I think it’s almost the same as the seahorse-shifters. The males as
the ones who give birth,” Kai added. He held Drake’s hand when the
other man began to panic. “We haven’t mated yet, love. I used
protection, remember?”
Drake nodded quickly, his eyes widened. “Yes. I’m just being
paranoid.” He laughed so he wouldn’t cry instead. What if they would
mate the wrong way and he’d end up pregnant? His heart pounded in his
chest, his hands becoming uncomfortably sweaty. “Maybe we shouldn’t
mate at all. We’re fine like this.” Drake sensed Kai’s hurt and looked
down. “I’m joking,” he mumbled.
Kai hugged his lover tightly. “We’ll be fine,” he assured. “Char, do
you know how it can happen?”
She shrugged. “It’s rare, so there are no certainties,” she answered.
“It can be through the couple’s will to have a child, or the wrong mating
ritual. The Incubus I assisted at the time told me he’d only wanted a baby
with his partner. There are many rumors.”
Drake nodded. “At least I have the choice of not wanting to have
kids. After all, I am a man.” He wrapped his arms around Kai. “We met
days ago. I’m sure we can be mates, but involving a child at this point is
not a good option.”
“I understand,” Kai said. “Let’s go inside.” He led his sister and
Drake into the large house. “We lived here with our parents. Now we
have this big place to ourselves.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Drake mumbled. He walked inside and took
in his surroundings. It was cozy how the wooden poles on the corners of
the hallway led to the wooden ceiling. The pictures on the walls
revealed Kai’s parents. Only the older-looking man in the photos had
green eyes. They looked so happy.
Charlotte took her jacket. “I have to go now. Duty calls,” she said.
“I’ll be back in many hours.”
Drake waved, smiling. He looked at Kai closing the door. “I feel like
celebrating,” he said. The shifter looked over his shoulder. “Can you
show me what your bedroom looks like?”
Kai grinned. “I’ll show you the way, then.” He took Drake’s hand
and led him upstairs. “All of a sudden, I feel energized. Don’t you?”
“I could run a marathon,” he replied. Drake looked down at their
entwined hands. He couldn’t imagine himself with anyone else. Only Kai
could make his heart beat so quickly and take his mind away from
everything else. “Kai,” he started and the shifter looked at him. “I love
you.”
Kai opened the door of his bedroom. “I love you, too.” He pecked
Drake’s lips. “Will you be my mate?”
Drake’s cheeks heated up. The shifter gazed at him with such desire.
“Yes,” he mumbled. Kai closed the door and began to take his clothes
off. “Right now?”
“We can leave it for later,” Kai answered, stopping.
“N–No. I was just checking.” Drake undressed, watching Kai. He
then went to the bed and lay on it with the shifter. It didn’t concern him
that both would mate, but more the fact that he could be a father by
accident. Moreover, Drake wasn’t sure whether they could prepare for
such an accident.
Kai pounced on Drake, his smile reassuring. “You won’t regret your
decision of choosing me as your mate,” he said. He crawled backward,
roaming his hands all over the Incubus.
Drake shuddered when Kai held his shaft and sucked on it
continuously. He took the pillow behind him and bit down on it. Kai’s
mouth had gotten too eager. Spreading his legs further, Drake threw his
head back. His mouth felt dry and sweat trickled down his neck. A
sneaky, wet finger made its way through his entrance. “You don’t need
—” he was cut off once Kai reached his prostate, making him groan.
Kai looked up at Drake’s chest moving unevenly. The pleasant
moans that came from under the pillow reverberated in the room. Kai
then teased the tip of the cock with his tongue, causing Drake to arch
against him and to raise his hips from the bed.
He gripped the bedspread as he released his seed all over Kai’s
hand. His body shook, jolts of heat coursing throughout his body.
Panting, Drake fell limp on the bed. It’d been a while since he felt this
type of connection. He didn’t want to lose it. They were going to become
mates. He opened his eyes halfway to see the shifter on top of him.
Kai nibbled the Incubus’s chin. “Tell me if you want to stop, Drake.”
Drake gazed at Kai moving the back of his knees onto his forearms,
his legs bent further. Kai pressed a kiss to his lips, sliding his cock into
his lover’s entrance. Drake had finally gotten a mate. It didn’t feel rushed
or a decision made on impulse. Deep inside, he knew they were meant to
be mates.
Kai’s mouth fell open as he started to move his hips back and forth.
He looked between them. Drake was hard again. His shaft filled his mate
to the brim. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” Drake managed to answer and turned his face away. “And
don’t look at me like that.” Kai pulled out and came back in, reaching his
prostate easily. Drake stiffened momentarily. The thrusts were the same
over and over again. He closed his eyes, his body rocking on the
creaking bed. His mind clouded. “Kai…More,” he begged, moving his
hips in time with the shifter.
He slid his hands to Drake’s hips and thrust a lot more quickly, the
Incubus’s bent legs hitting his sides each time. Kai pressed a kiss to his
sweaty neck and bit his collarbone lightly. Moving away, he watched
Drake biting his bottom lip, his skin color changing.
Drake squeezed his mate’s shaft and sucked it in. He didn’t want it to
end so soon. Kai’s body emanated such an enticing scent. It was as if Kai
knew what he wanted and began to fuck him. He’d laugh at how the
headboard hit the wall each time, but he was too busy enjoying it to
think. Drake wrapped his arms around Kai’s neck and pulled him into a
kiss.
“Kai,” Drake moaned. The shifter gave a particularly hard thrust,
causing Drake to groan in pleasure. The large shaft slid in and out of his
entrance deeper, slapping sounds joining the rest of the sensual noises. It
was as if they were in another world. And he wanted to stay here for as
long as he could.
Kai put his hands on Drake’s flushed cheeks and kissed him, his hips
never stopping. He slid his hand along the sweat-coated abdomen under
him. He held the Incubus’s cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts. A
moan, among many incoherent pleas, escaped from Drake’s throat.
Drake arched against Kai, his shaft twitching and releasing for the
second time. Hot fluid smeared onto their abdomens.
“I really love you,” Kai uttered as his cock was clamped down
tightly, causing him to come immediately. His feet shoved into the
bedspread and his body stiffened as he thrust his shaft as deep as he
could. Drake squirmed and moaned under him.
Panting, Drake let his arms fall from Kai’s neck, his body limp. He
closed his eyes as the man on top of him kissed his cheeks, neck and
shoulders. “That was…good,” Drake admitted and looked away shyly.
“I agree,” Kay said, chuckling briefly. He took a deep breath, sliding
his hands down the other man’s sides. Kai didn’t pull out. Instead, he
started to move his hips back and forth again. “We have time now. Can
we do it again?”
Drake tilted his head on the pillow. “I’m an Incubus, remember?
Even two more times is fine,” he said. He’d not only won the game, but
also found a mate and new friends. When he thought he would never be
happy, everything fell into place. It was as if his puzzle was complete.
Kai turned his mate on his side and lifted his leg. He leaned forward,
bending Drake’s leg further. “Are you comfortable?” When the Incubus
nodded, Kai held his hand and pulled him closer, sliding his cock into
his entrance.
Even though they didn’t take a break, Drake couldn’t resist Kai. He
clutched the pillow under his head as the shifter thrust into him harder,
his breathing excited close to his ear. Unfortunately, he’d gotten too
tired. He wanted Kai, but he also needed to rest. “I’m about to pass out,”
he tried to say.
“Please wait for two minutes, love,” Kai whispered and began to
pound into his lover’s entrance. He rested his hand on Drake’s arched
back while stroking the Incubus’s shaft with the other. “This is going to
end soon.”
Drake clenched his jaw. He approached his orgasm in record time.
Kai could do anything he wanted when he set his mind to it. And
pleasuring Drake had been one of them. He looked sideways at Kai. The
shifter looked painfully aroused for lack of a better term. It was as if he
wanted to take his time, but please Drake all at once.
Kai stiffened, stopping his flow of breathing for a few moments. He
moaned, coming hard, Drake following right after. Kai took a deep
breath, his arms about to give out. “I think that I felt something tear in
there. I should have…switched condoms for the second round. It’s what
we get for not being able to make love calmly like the humans.”
Panting and shaking in bliss, Drake looked up at his mate. Had he
heard it right? “What do you mean? The condom broke?” he asked
tiredly, slightly disoriented.
“Yes, but you only have kids if we really want to, right?” Kai
mumbled. He pursed his lips when Drake fainted.
Chapter 12
Three weeks later
“I think I ate something bad. I feel sick,” Drake said, his hand on his
abdomen.
Kai shifted his attention from the television and looked at his mate.
“Do you have a tummy ache?” he said with a baby-like voice. “Maybe
you’re going to have a baby, love.”
Drake stared at him. “It’s six-thirty in the evening and it’s Saturday,
but we can still go. We have to make sure.” That statement took the smile
off of the shifter’s face. “Come on,” he said, holding Kai’s hand, and
pulling him away from the couch. He’d been feeling strange ever since
they mated. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to talk to a doctor.
Both got in Kai’s car and drove off to the shape-shifter hospital. The
silence had been comfortable. They couldn’t just assume whether or not
Drake had gotten pregnant on that day. He did want to jump out the car
and not know the answer, though. His leg wouldn’t stop bouncing
uneasily while his fingers played on his lap.
Kai parked the car close to the hospital, and both went inside.
“Everything will be all right,” he told Drake, smiling.
Drake wanted the goofy smile, not this one. “I hope so,” he mumbled.
Even though he didn’t want to think about it, he couldn’t help but feel as
if he would have a baby someday. But as a man, it didn’t relate to him. It
was more surreal than anything.
“Excuse me,” Kai called the receptionist. “We would like to see a
doctor. My mate might be pregnant and we would like to have a
checkup.”
She nodded. “Please fill out this form and I’ll call a consultations
doctor,” the woman said, handing them a paper and a pen.
“You didn’t have to say that I might have a baby, you idiot,” Drake
whispered to his mate, who wrote their information in the form. Why did
Kai have a strange grin? He also thought they weren’t ready for a child,
right? Drake pursed his lips, wanting to leave more than ever.
Kai returned the form. “Thank you,” the receptionist said and typed
something on the computer. “You’re in luck. One of the doctor’s
consultations ended early.” She leaned over the counter and pointed to
the right. “You can go through this hallway and turn left at the end. The
doctor’s office is door number five.”
“Thank you,” Drake said, following Kai. “What if I am?” He slid his
hand into the shifter’s, not able to stop shaking. “Are we there yet? I
don’t want to go.”
“Relax, okay? You’re starting to not make any sense.” Kai caressed
his cheek and pressed a kiss to his lips. He then opened a door. “May we
come in?”
The doctor stood. “Yes, of course,” he said. “I got a message that we
have an Incubus who might be pregnant. Oh, that must be you, since your
skin is already changing colors.” He chuckled at Drake, walking around
his desk. “Don’t be so nervous, young man. Now, lay on this bed so I can
do my work.”
Drake nodded and lay on it hesitantly. “If I’m going to have a baby,
please don’t congratulate me. I’m not ready to have children, especially
if I’m the one giving birth,” he muttered. In the current circumstances, he
couldn’t plan to leave college. He needed to finish it first. They were on
their summer vacation ever since the game had ended. But it wouldn’t
last six months, the gestation time of a baby for him.
Kai glanced at the name tag pinned on the man’s smock. “Doctor
Martin, how are you going to examine him?” he asked, Drake’s grip on
his hand tightening.
“A couple of minutes will be enough. This is a shape-shifter
hospital, so it’s easy for me to sense if he’s pregnant,” the doctor
answered. He put on a pair of gloves, his eyes locked on Drake’s
abdomen. He moved the shirt away and rested his hands on it.
Drake watched the other man’s hands pressing gently. He glanced at
Kai’s concerned expression. He brought the shifter’s hand closer and
pecked it. Perhaps he’d thought wrong when Kai seemed so composed
and relaxed about the whole thing.
The examination soon ended and Dr. Martin took his gloves off.
“Let’s sit, gentlemen,” he said and went to his desk.
Drake got off of the hospital bed. He pulled a chair and sat in front of
the desk, Kai doing the same. “What are the results, doctor?” he asked in
expectation.
“Allow me to explain first,” Dr. Martin started. “What you did three
weeks ago was the mating custom to have children, as well as to become
mates. I’m going to assume that both of you had sex several times in a
row. And you most likely thought that it wouldn’t be so bad to have a
baby.” He looked at Drake’s frozen expression. “There’s also the option
that one of you desires to have a baby. As I see it, your mate wished to
have a baby for the both of you.”
Drake looked up at Kai slowly. “What did I tell you?” he asked
between clenched teeth. “I’m a man. I don’t want to give birth!”
“Only male seahorse-shifters and top rank Incubi can have children,”
the doctor continued. “The proper mating ritual most beings prepare for,
is the ejaculation for five continuous minutes. It can go through condoms,
so anyone who is prepared won’t make a mistake. Unless they don’t
know much about it, like the Incubi. But a panther-shifter should.” He
moved his hand so he could distract Drake from attacking his mate. “Mr.
Johnson, since these accidents have been happening often with seahorse-
shifters, we developed a drink that can reverse the process. Until five
weeks of your gestation, it won’t affect the fetus.”
Kai gasped. “W–Wait, I have something to say,” he shouted. He
regarded Drake. “Can we keep the baby? I’m sure we can make it work
between us.”
“Are you serious?” Drake frowned at him. “I told you I’m not ready.
Don’t you care if I want to keep the child or not? We can’t. And don’t
look at me like that, you idiot. Your kitty cat eyes won’t work this time.”
“I’ll take care of both of you until you finish college. Please?” Kai
insisted. “I’ll take full responsibility. Drake, we can have a family. The
baby is already growing.” He rested his hands on Drake’s cheeks.
“Remember what Charlotte said? He or she will be the size of her hand,
so you will barely notice.”
Dr. Martin nodded. “I can tell you now that it’s going to be a girl.
But the final decision is from the one who’s going to have the baby,” he
added.
Drake looked down, weighing the odds. Kai had a good job as an
entrepreneur while he had one last year in college. “Who would take
care of the baby when I’m in school and you’re working?” he asked
quietly, gazing at his covered abdomen.
“I’ll work from home,” Kai offered. “After all, the company is mine.
I can stay home if I want.” He leaned closer to his mate. “Please, Drake,
I’ll do anything. I really want to have a family with you.”
Drake felt a pleasant sting in his chest. Kai knew how to make him
give in with his words. But his fear was to leave the baby alone while he
went to school, not that Kai wouldn’t be a good parent. Would they be
all right? He didn’t know and couldn’t sense it. “Okay. But don’t
complain afterward. We won’t be able turn back later,” he told the
shifter.
“Yes,” Kai shouted in victory and hugged Drake to his chest. “I love
you so much.”
Drake rolled his eyes. “You’re just saying that because you got what
you wanted,” he muttered. “I’m hungry, so let’s go home.” He called
Kai’s house his home, since he’d been spending most of his time there.
With the baby due, he should move from his apartment, too. He sensed
the shifter’s pheromones calling him. “Not that kind of hunger.”
Kai shrugged. “Thank you, Dr. Martin. We’ll be coming back for
checkups.” He stood and held Drake’s hand.
“The pleasure is all mine. Come back in two weeks to know the
baby’s development. Take care,” Dr. Martin said, walking them to the
door.
Once the couple stepped out of the office, Charlotte and a group of
people awaited them. “I heard that you’re pregnant,” she shouted at
Drake, her arms all over the place.
Kai raised a brow. “You hear a lot of things all the time,” he
commented. He regarded the group behind his sister. “Who are you?”
Drake frowned as they made their way toward him. “Are you the
Incubus who won the Annual Grand Tournament and is going to give
birth soon?” a reporter asked and pointed the microphone at his mouth.
“It has nothing to do with you. And why do you want to know?” Kai
retorted, stepping in front of his mate.
The reporters ignored him. Instead, they drowned Drake with
questions simultaneously. He wanted to keep his cool so he wouldn’t be
seen as a wild creature, but him being pregnant didn’t help. “Get out of
my way.” Drake snarled, his wings stretching out, frightening the
reporters. “Damn it, now I ruined a good shirt.” He grabbed Kai’s wrist
and led him to the exit of the hospital. Unfortunately, the group followed
him. “In three weeks, okay? Now, get lost,” he demanded. “I can’t
believe this.”
“It’s not normal for a guy to have a child, so it’s news,” Kai said.
“That receptionist might have spread the word while we were talking to
the doctor.” They got in the car and Kai drove back home.
The problem continued once they noticed two cars parked in front of
the house. “What now?” Drake whined as he got out. Then he realized
who had been waiting for them.
Kamui ran toward them. “I missed you,” he said, hugging the Incubus
to his chest. “I saw in the news that you’re pregnant. Who would’ve
thought my crush is already settling down?”
The Balfurs pounced in celebration. “You’re famous now,” Blue
said, smiling widely.
“I don’t want to be, though,” Drake muttered. All of a sudden, he felt
a strong presence. Although not threatening, it was familiar. He moved
away from Kamui. Drake widened his eyes, staring as Skylar
approached them. “What are you doing here?”
“I want to congratulate you,” Skylar said, his hands behind him. He
wore a long coat that fitted his frame perfectly. Underneath he had a
white shirt and black slacks. And Skylar's blond hair was elegantly
combed back to show his face. As always, his shoes looked too
expensive to be on the dry dirt. “I have something for you.” He handed
Drake a black box.
Pursing his lips, Drake opened it carefully. Inside, a wrapped fabric
filled the box. He took it out and tore the plastic. “What the…” He
trailed off, frowning at lingerie. His surprise turned to a suspicions look
at the angel. “I’m a manly guy, you airhead.” He threw the panties and
the corset at Skylar.
“Wait, who said that you’ll be feminine if you wear this? I just want
to see you in it before you get a lump on your—” Skylar chocked when
the Incubus closed his hand around his neck.
“I’m moody right now, so don’t bother me,” Drake told him. “The
game has ended. There’s no need for you to be here. And I don’t want to
know how you got here.” He released the angel and went to the house,
Kai following him closely. He waited for the shifter to open the door
before he went in. His friends came in, but he stopped Skylar. “If I
remember correctly, you’re not part of my circle of friends.”
Skylar rested his hands on the other man’s shoulders. “I won’t ask
you again to wear lingerie for me. Can I stay and look at your pretty
face?” Drake nodded faintly, making him smile like an idiot.
“Don’t push you luck,” Drake warned as he went to the kitchen. “I’m
going to make dinner. Is anyone hungry?” The group reacted with
excitement and babbled about how much they wanted to taste Drake’s
cooking.
* * * *
Five months later
“I can’t believe you got me into this,” Drake muttered. He frowned at
the doctor parting the smock to get to his abdomen. A sudden pain hit his
stomach and he gritted his teeth. “Now I know how women feel,” he
complained.
“No, you have no idea what it’s like for a woman to give birth,”
Charlotte retorted as she put on her face mask. “Women here yell with
all the air in their lungs. Their abdomens get a lot larger because of the
baby. You only have a lump and you’re going to get a c-section. On top
of all that, you’re going to sleep through it, coward. Consider yourself
lucky.”
Drake shrugged. “It still hurts,” he mumbled.
“Say goodnight,” Dr. Martin told him.
Taking a deep breath, Drake pulled Kai down by the hand. “Are you
aware that you’re going to become a father in a few minutes?” he asked
and the shifter nodded, gazing at him. “Good. My parents and the others
are waiting outside. Tell them that everything will be fine. And don’t say
anything to the press. They’re so annoying.” Drake pressed a kiss to his
mate’s lips. “I love you.”
Kai sighed in contentment. “I love you, too,” he whispered. “I’ll
come back as soon as the gory part is over.”
Drake watched the shifter leaving, never looking away from him.
That was until Kai bumped into the door and almost tripped. What a
goofy man. Drake chuckled as Kai waved and closed the door carefully.
“I don’t want to be asleep,” he told Charlotte and the doctor.
Dr. Martin nodded. “I will only numb the area of the abdomen where
the baby girl has to come out from, then. It won’t affect her. You’re a
shifter, so it won’t leave a scar, either,” he said.
Moments later, Drake gulped and looked away. The doctor had taken
a scalpel and begun the worst part. It hadn’t taken long for Drake to
accept the fact that he was going to give birth to a girl. Moreover, he’d
come to terms that he wanted a child. He would raise Olivia unlike he’d
been brought up by his parents.
Squealing cries filled the room. When Drake realized what had
happened, Charlotte carried the baby to the incubator and cleaned her.
“H–How is she?” he asked quietly. The room went silent. Charlotte
returned and laid Olivia in his arms. She took off her face mask and
moved the soft, pink blanket away from the newborn’s tiny face.
“She’s healthy and lively just like you,” she said. Even though
Charlotte smiled, tears surfaced in her eyes. “I’m your aunt Char, Olivia.
I’m going to give the good news to your father.” She paced out of the
room.
Drake gazed at his daughter, who had stopped crying. “She’s so
small and adorable.” He felt the doctor healing his abdomen and looked
up at him. “You did a great job.”
Dr. Martin caressed the baby’s head. “I’m sure you’ll be a great
father. Both of you will,” he said while Kai walked into the room. “Your
daughter wants to say hi.”
Kai stood beside his mate, gazing at Olivia opening her eyes. “She
has your green eyes, Drake,” he said. Charlotte punched his arm. “I
know, I have picked her up,” he added.
Drake handed Olivia to Kai as carefully as he could. “She has a face
like yours. I bet she’s going to have your silly smile, too.” He felt even
happier. His lover looked as if he was about to cry in happiness.
The door opened and everyone else came in. “I want to see her
first,” Marcus said, pulling Delia along. They stared at Olivia. “When
she grows up—”
“She’s going to be whoever she wants to become. Olivia is perfect
just like this,” Delia continued. “I’m a proud mother and grandmother.”
She hugged her husband, tears streaming down her cheeks as she
watched Kai holding the baby lovingly.
Drake finally got Olivia back into his arms. Although small, her grip
on his finger was strong. “What do you think, Balfurs?”
“I’m going to teach her everything I know,” Red told him from the
top of the tower of fur balls. The others nodded in agreement, making all
them fall on each other.
“I’m the third father,” Kamui said, his tail wagging like a canine.
“Can I hold her?”
Kai rolled his eyes. “For the ones who don’t know, they might think
we had a threesome,” he muttered. “Don’t drop her, lizard.”
Drake raised his brows to his forehead. Kamui had a perfect way of
holding the baby. More importantly, his issues with his parents had been
sorted and taken care of. His friends were still around to support him.
He had good grades in his last year of college. And he could take a few
days off to look after Olivia due to his strange fame. But most of all, he
had his mate and daughter by his side.
“Look, she’s smiling,” Kai said, showing Olivia to his mate. He
leaned close to Drake and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Oh, I know you’re
happy, but don’t start crying or I won’t be able to hold back, too, love.”
“Who’s the manly guy now?” Skylar commented, grinning. Drake
shoved him away with his tail.
THE END
AMYLAMBO.WEBS.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy was born in Portugal in 1990. As a child, she read books and
comics instead of playing with dolls. Years later, in 2009, she met a
wonderful writer from a distant country who showed her the path of
writing. Her love of writing led her to learn advanced English in order
to publish her stories. Her goal was to take the readers away from reality
and tour the worlds in her imagination. Her drive comes from the readers
who motivate her to do her best while having fun. Amy Lambo has a
passion for writing M/M romance while listening to classic or pop-rock
Japanese music. And reading yaoi manga, watching anime, and sports
are her hobbies.
For all titles by Amy E. Lambo, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/amy-e-lambo
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Document Outline
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- About the Author
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