Nischal [leopard spots 9] (21 page)

“Paul—” Preston began, but Paul shushed him.

“Listen to me, brother. I haven’t been alone for any real amount of time since I was kidnapped. I don’t know how to be alone, I don’t know who or what’s left of me. I don’t know anything, except that I’m scared, and angry, and I want to scream and cry and curse and—” He stopped. “I need help. I won’t put you through what happened to me, I don’t want to dirty you with the telling of it—”

“You wouldn’t,” Preston snapped, regretting his harsh tone, but he was angry. “That you think you’re dirty is just wrong. You’re not. You’re still you, Paul, and what was forced on you doesn’t make you the dirty one, it makes those who did it to you the filthy ones. They’ll never be clean. Never.”

“I won’t either, and even if you tell me otherwise, it won’t change what’s broken in here.” He tapped his head. “Or here.” Then his chest. “I don’t want to see Mom or Dad. I don’t want them knowing anything about me. I need—I’m so angry, so fucking angry and I hate, I hate them for treating us like shit, for making me feel worthless and unlovable and I hate that I went out looking for guys to fuck who’d prove their point. I just can’t do this. I don’t know how to let this go.”

“You only just got rescued,” Preston pointed out. “You haven’t had time to adjust to anything, to process anything. Don’t make any rash decisions.”

“I’m not.” Paul rubbed at his nose with his forearm. “Agent De la Garza actually suggested I might need some help and she gave me a list of facilities to look over in case I decided to go that route.” He sighed. “I need to be able to deal with this. There might be a trial, if they catch any of the other men I told them about.”

“You told her about the shifters?” Preston asked.

“No, she’d have thought I was crazy. I just said men, because I didn’t want to be forced into a padded room.” He chuckled dryly. “Yeah, and now I’m going to go into one willingly.”

Icy tendrils of fear traced down Preston’s spine. “These shifters that got away, they have human slaves, too?”

“Yeah, they do. Mostly all guys, but there were a few women slaves, too.”

“And they know who you are,” Preston pointed out. “They’ll know their friend was busted, killed by the FBI. Somehow it’ll get out, and they’ll know you’re a threat to them.”

Paul stilled as he stared at Preston. Then he looked away. “Another reason to get some distance between us, then.”

“No! That wasn’t what I meant—”

“I know it wasn’t,” Paul said, sounding exhausted. “I know. You want me to stay with you and the shifters—sorry, Nischal and Sabin. You want to protect me. There are more of the wolf shifters with slaves than there are of you and your friends. Lover and friend. You know what I mean. Y’all wouldn’t survive an attack from the brutal fuckers I’ve seen.”

“And humans at a…a what? Psychiatric care facility? Is that where you’d go?” Paul shrugged and Preston went on. “You think humans can withstand an attack by shifters?”

“I’m pretty sure the FBI will arrange guards for me.” Paul hugged him, suddenly, fiercely. “It’s right for me to do this. It’s right for
me.
”

“I’m afraid for you.”
On so many levels.
Preston closed his eyes.

“Me too,” Paul admitted. “Me too.”

Preston wanted to argue more, but he couldn’t separate his own selfish desire to have his brother close by with the fear for Paul’s safety. Maybe he needed to trust Paul to do what was best for himself.

He just hoped neither of them would regret it.

“You tell me where you want to go, and I’ll do everything to help you get there.”

Epilogu
e

Three months later

“Have you heard from Paul today?”

Preston glanced over his shoulder at Sabby. “Yeah, he says he’s doing good. He sounds better. Are you going for a run?”

“Yeah, I am.” Sabby waved and took off towards the tree line. The national forest they were in was pretty, and big enough that Nisch and Sabby could run and stretch their legs.

In the three months Paul had been at the private facility their parents had insisted on paying for it. So far the treatment really did seem to have helped Paul. He’d pitched a fit about the folks paying at first, but he said he had a great therapist who had convinced him to work through his anger instead of letting it eat him up—and that same therapist got him to agree that letting the ’rents foot the ten thousand dollars a month bill for Paul’s treatment was good for Paul and his parents both.

Preston had begun calling his parents once a month after that awkward meeting at the hotel in Santa Fe. Telling them that Paul had left before they could see him—and before he could see them—had not been enjoyable. Their mother had begun crying, and, in between sobs, asking for forgiveness. Their dad had remained stoic for all of ten seconds, then he’d asked for forgiveness as well.

Preston had been blown away. It hadn’t all been rainbows and unicorns with his folks since then, but they were trying, and so was Preston. He might even let them meet Nischal someday.
Or not.
Neither he nor Nisch was in a big rush for that. They were going to take their time and see if Preston’s folks had really experienced a change of heart, or if it was temporary guilt that would pass.

“Sabby got a head start on me, the little punk.”

Preston turned around fully to lean against the car and ogle Nisch properly. “He did. If you hadn’t gone off after that poor little bunny rabbit, you’d have been here for a proper race.”

Nisch almost looked remorseful there for a second, then he tipped his chin up. “I’m a hunter. Well, my leopard is. He wanted rabbit, so we had—”

“A cute, cuddly little bunny rabbit that probably had a family depending on her or him. Now that whole family will starve.”

There was no ‘almost’ to it. Nisch was gawking and had a hand over his mouth. “What have I done?” he muttered around his fingers. Then the ass ruined it by snickering. “Oh yeah. I ate a bunny.”

“Heartless,” Preston informed him. “You are heartless.”

Nisch shook his head and lowered his hand. “Am not. I love you.”

The world tilted and swayed around Preston. “What?”

Nisch came closer and framed Preston’s face with his hands. “I love you. I even wrote it out for you. I made you a card. It’s in the glove box.”

“You love me,” Preston mumbled. “You love me and you made me a card.”

“And I can show you, too.” Nisch slanted his mouth over Preston’s and brushed their lips together. Preston closed his eyes and shivered. “Perfect,” Nisch said a moment before he licked Preston’s lips. “Open for me.”

Preston did, and Nisch rewarded him with a kiss that threatened to melt Preston’s bones. He clung to Nisch and tried to get closer to him. They were pressed body to body, but it wasn’t enough. It never was. Preston hitched a leg up and soon Nisch helped him to get both legs wrapped around Nisch’s hips.

Nisch pressed him up against the car. He bent Preston back and plundered his mouth, owning every bit of it. Preston gave it gladly as he moaned for his mate.

When Nisch raised his head up, Preston gasped for air. As soon as he had it, he released it again in a rush. “I love you too. I do.”

“I know,” Nisch told him. “I see it when you look at me. I hear it when you speak to me. I taste it when I kiss you. I smell it when you yearn for me. And I’m telling you because you’ve told me so many times, in so many ways, without using the words. I wanted to give them to you first, which is why I said them, why I wrote them.”

“The most precious gifts,” Preston murmured. “Thank you.”

Nisch responded to that with another kiss, then he put his long hands to good use, stripping Preston of his shirt. Nisch ran his hands all over Preston’s chest, warming the skin from the early evening chill. He knew just how to rub Preston so that he was begging for more by the time Nisch began playing with his nipples.

“Please, God, Nisch,” Preston whined, arching his back when Nisch pinched his tits harder. Preston tried to get some friction on his cock, but his feet were just barely on the ground, and he was bent backwards over the side of the hood. He couldn’t wiggle for shit.

“I have you where I want you,” Nisch playfully growled. “Well, almost.” He bent and bit Preston’s right nipple, hard.

“Fuck!” Preston squeezed his thighs together and prayed for enough control to hold on until Nisch was fucking him. He didn’t want to come until then.

“Patience,” Nisch teased, but he leaned up and flipped Preston over onto his belly without breaking a sweat. “Now, just let me get your pants down, and I’ll make us both happy men. Or you’ll make us both happy men, I’m not a glory whore.”

“I am,” Preston joked, “I’ll take all the credit.”

Nisch popped him on the butt. “Ego, sweetie.”

“I do have one,” Preston admitted, then Nisch had his pants unfastened. “Oh yeah, strip me.”

Nisch smacked his butt again. “You’re going to be stripped all right.”

Preston tried to wiggle again, but Nisch had him pinned against the hood. He was about to get fucked rough and fast. God, he couldn’t wait.

Nisch shoved Preston’s pants down, then yanked them off one leg, taking Preston’s flip-flop with it. He immediately ran his fingers down Preston’s crease and found his hole. “Still wet from earlier.”

“You poured half the damn bottle of lube in my ass,” Preston groused. He’d leaked that and cum for an hour after.

“Because I wanted to be able to do this out here.” And without any more warning than that, Nisch parted Preston’s ass cheeks and pushed his fat cock into Preston’s hole.

Preston yelped in delight at the penetration. God, he loved having Nisch take him until he couldn’t bear to sit down. They fucked often and well, both happy bottoming or topping. It was all good, but sometimes, when Nisch went all bossy on him like this, Preston thought he might never want to top again.

Nisch drove his cock in to the root, then he backed it up a little bit and shoved in even harder. Preston scrabbled for something to hold onto and settled for the hood by the windshield and where it opened. He gripped it tight, although he couldn’t get more than the tips of a few fingers in the opening. It was enough for then as Nisch began fucking him like a beast.

Preston could feel it, too, the surge of Nisch’s leopard in him, demanding he take and take and make Preston his. Preston was
so
his.

Nisch snarled and canted his hips. The change brought his cockhead into contact with Preston’s gland every time Nisch thrust in.

“Fuck,” Preston dragged out. His cock was pressed against the cooling metal of the car, and his balls were getting a little too much pressure every time Nisch shoved in, but it was all still good, still just the right mix of raunchy and tender, pain and pleasure.

Then Nisch pulled him back and Preston cried out in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be yanked halfway off the hood. He ended up with his feet on the ground, his arms extended, palms flat on the side of the car, ass tipped up as he eagerly took Nisch’s cock into his ass repeatedly.

Nisch alternated holding him at the hip and shoulder, or leaning over him and winding those long arms of his around Preston’s torso.

Preston shivered, because he felt the tension rising inside him, just as he felt it rising inside Nisch.

“So close,” he got out, his head spinning.

“Not yet,” Nisch said. He withdrew from Preston’s ass and Preston whimpered in protest. “Come down here.”

Nisch laid Preston out on the soft grass. The ground was cool, but Preston was soon pinned between it and the furnace-like heat of Nisch’s body. Nisch kissed him then sat up. He pulled Preston’s ass up onto his lap then sank his cock into Preston’s hole again. Preston howled as his gland was treated to another caress. Nisch grabbed both of Preston’s ankles and began hammering his ass. He used that grip on Preston’s ankles to tip his ass up more.

“Pres,” Nisch panted. He tipped his head down, his thick white-streaked black hair falling down around his handsome face. “Fuck—”

Preston had to bend a bit, but he got a hand on his dick. He stroked it quickly, the need to come urgent. He thumbed his slit, and fiery pleasure shot to his balls and ass. “Nisch!”

Nisch sped up his thrusts and let go of Preston’s ankles. Instead he dropped down and bit his favourite spot.

Preston shouted and jizz spurted from his cock like he hadn’t come in years. He came and came while Nisch fucked him.

Then Nisch dug in deep and writhed against him, like he was trying to bury his cock so far into Preston it’d never come out. Preston felt the hot jets of Nisch’s spunk warming his inner walls.

Preston would have been content to lie there all night. He was pleasantly achy and Nisch was nice and warm. Nisch was also breathing like he’d run a marathon. He’d put his all into fucking Preston.

“I’d give you two a seven.”

“What the fuck?” Preston rasped while Nisch raised his head and growled.

“Oh, shut up. There’s always room for improvement.”

Preston got his head up enough to see a naked older lady watching them. He yelped and tried to cover up their naked bits, but he didn’t have enough hands. “Stop looking at us!” he yelled, panicked and embarrassed.

Nischal rumbled unhappily, his irritation coming through loud and clear to Preston. Then he stilled and his attitude turned into one very close to elation.

“Shifter. Snow leopard!”

Nisch’s excitement was almost contagious…except for that whole ‘seven’ thing. Preston still wasn’t thrilled about being naked in front of the woman staring at them. The idea that she had watched them fuck was just creepy, but Nisch wasn’t freaking out about it. He supposed shifters saw each other naked a lot, and were maybe even more open when it came to sex. Humans really could be prudes. Nisch hummed in agreement.

Still, it was a struggle for Preston to ignore his discomfort with the situation. Then something else pricked at his recent memory and he scowled. “That was at least a nine,” Preston argued.

“Nine?” Nisch parroted. “What the hell? When is it never not a ten?”