Awakenings (14 page)

Another amazing discovery broke through his joy. His tail had been replaced by a pair of legs. He registered other changes about his body, all of them very pleasurable.

Aurus seemed entranced with the same thing.

"You're so beautiful, love," Aurus whispered in Chrys's ear. "So very beautiful."

"Thank you," Chrys managed to say. "You're quite dashing yourself. Now shut up and touch me."

Aurus smiled and fondled Chrys's cock. "Your wish is my command."

Giving Chrys a heated look, the older mer guided him to wrap his newly acquired legs around Aurus's waist. Aurus had shifted into his legged form as well. The new position made Aurus's hard length prod against Chrys's backside.

Chrys ached to have Aurus inside him, but they couldn't rush it, lest they spoil the entire experience. Indeed, Aurus reached down and Chrys felt a finger penetrate his virgin channel.

Chrys buried his face in Aurus's neck, letting the other mer prepare him. It just felt so good, and Chrys found himself thrusting against the invading digit. When two other fingers joined the first, Chrys moaned and rubbed his body against Aurus's. He didn't know how much longer he could take the sensual torture.

Thankfully, Aurus soon deemed him ready. The three fingers left Chrys's channel and Aurus positioned himself at Chrys's hole. Ever so slowly, he pushed inside, spearing Chrys with his hot, hard shaft.

At first, Chrys tensed. The unfamiliar burn startled him and Aurus's dick proved much thicker than his fingers. His hesitation only lasted a few moments. Aurus and he were meant to be together. Their bodies fit as one, and Chrys didn't need to fear a thing.

He bore down on the hard cock, taking his lover's flesh inside him. Aurus's full length impaled him and Chrys let his instincts take over. He rode the other mer, reveling in the feeling of fullness, of being one with the man he loved.

They moved together in perfect synchrony, dancing to the rhythm of the oldest dance in all existence. Chrys was distantly aware of his own voice screaming, "Please! Harder! More!" A small part of him acknowledged the noise could draw dangerous creatures in their direction. The thought sobered him a bit and he found the presence of mind to bite down on Aurus's neck, muffling his cries against the other mer's skin.

His show of aggression turned Aurus on and his lover increased the speed and strength of his strokes. With each thrust, Aurus hit a spot inside Chrys that made the pleasure escalate even further.

His power burst out of him, wild and uncontrollable, and flowers of chrysocolla stone bloomed around them. They grew beautiful and strong, larger and larger as Chrys surrendered more and more to the ecstasy. When Chrys found his peak, the gem flowers blossomed around them, a beautiful new garden in a barren wasteland.

Chrys came and another cry of passion echoed inside him, washing over him like a waterfall. Aurus emptied his seed inside his passage, and the sensation of another man filling his body at the same time hit Chrys. When he collapsed in the older mer's arms, his nostrils were invaded by the scent of two other lovers. Jaden. Jaden and the dragon.

Chrys could no longer find the energy to doubt or be scared.
Jaden
was
his brother
and sharing sexual experiences should
'
ve been awkward at best
. Instead, it prolonged the pleasure,
drew
it out, making it so much better. He knew Aurus felt the same.
Chrys
could sense it in the other mer
'
s mind, body
,
and soul.

When the afterglow faded, Chrys silently cuddled in Aurus's embrace. He closed his eyes, too tired to understand the ramifications of the new discovery. He'd deal with it tomorrow. For now, he'd enjoy the moment of happiness while it lasted.

Chapter Seven

The next day

Jaden stared at the landscape beneath him, squinting to see if he could spot a black dot in the distance. There was no sign of Vaar anywhere. Clouds surrounded the cliffs and the forests below seemed to mock him.

Vaar had left in the morning before Jaden actually woke up. The night before, he'd told Jaden they needed more supplies and he'd be out for a little while. This proved to be unfortunate, because Jaden needed him most right now.

Jaden rubbed his hands across his arms, his teeth chattering. He felt colder than he should, even taking into account the low temperatures this high up. He bundled up in the rough fur, thankful for the heavy material. It helped very little, however. If anything, the sensation of chill intensified. It made no sense, and it unsettled him. He probably should've gone inside the cave, but something wouldn't let him leave.

Now that he'd accepted he belonged with the dragon, his mind had cleared. The haze of lust had vanished and Jaden could see things he hadn't originally been able to focus on.

He realized, in many ways, he'd been rash to accept the dragon so easily. At the same time, he trusted Vaar. The way Vaar had touched him, held him, taken him the night before couldn't hide any deception. In time, they would get to know each other more deeply and intimately.

Giving up on his past life wouldn't be as easy. His twin would come for him, Jaden knew it. Chrys loved him, even if not the way Jaden wanted.

He'd realized just how far Vaar had flown them, the implications of the knowledge finally clicking in place. If Chrys and Aurus did come after them, they'd have to pass through many dangers. Jaden couldn't let that happen.

He
'
d been so lost in his own confusion and dilemmas
,
he
'
d let his brother down. But he
wouldn
'
t
lose hope yet. Aurus was a skilled warrior. He
'
d protect Chrys. Vaar would come back
soon
and Jaden would ask him to go after the other mer. He could find his twin through their innate bond, which seemed to have strengthened.
Just a little while, just a little while.
Sea Mother,
why did Vaar take
so long?

After what seemed like an eternity, Jaden finally spotted the much-desired black dot. It grew larger and larger, and Jaden's heart beat faster at the sight of the magnificent dragon. The beast sped up its approach and Jaden took a few steps back from the cliff ledge, giving his lover space.

Powerful wings brought Vaar closer and closer until, at last, he reached the mountain. Jaden suppressed his enthusiasm and anxiety and watched his dragon land and shift. He needed to keep a cool head if he wanted to help Chrys.

Vaar made his way to Jaden's side, a worried frown marring the handsome features of his face. "Jaden, what are you doing outside?" he asked. "It's dangerous for you to be here when you're alone."

Jaden felt the slight reprimand in the words. He understood Vaar's concern, but this had been too important for him to lay back and relax in the cavern. "I'm sorry," he replied. "It couldn't wait."

Vaar nodded. "I could feel your anxiety. Tell me. What is it?"

Jaden wished he knew. In fact, he had a sneaking suspicion he did, indeed, know, but it didn't help him much. He couldn't explain it. He couldn't even fully acknowledge it. He felt weird, as if his body itched to be someplace else.

"Jaden, what's wrong?"

"Chrys and Aurus… they're in danger. We have to go after them."

Vaar looked surprised. "How do you know this?"

"I'm not sure. I suspected they'd come after me, but I didn't realize how much danger they'd be in until now. Sea Mother, I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid," Vaar soothed him. "The fault is mine. I didn't think of this before. We'll leave at once."

Jaden could barely believe his ears. "Really?"

"Of course. But first, you have to bundle up better. Your lips are turning blue."

Jaden doubted very much that any clothing could help him at this point. "It's not the cold here," he whispered. "Something's going on with Chrys and I'm feeling it the way he is."

Vaar opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. Without another word, he shifted into dragon form. A large, black paw grabbed Jaden, and with a jolt, his body was invaded with heat.

"Which way, treasure?" the dragon rumbled.

"Toward Atlantis," Jaden replied quietly. He sensed his twin somewhere east of their current position.

Vaar launched himself into the air once again. Jaden hoped they'd reach Chrys and Aurus in time. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the two mer.

* * * *

Aurus was tired and hungry. They'd run into a current of cold water that chilled them to the bone, effectively draining their energy and eliminating their chances of catching new food. Now, with their supplies low and no medical items to help them, the situation looked very glum.

Knowing Chrys would have less resistance to the low temperature, he insisted the young mer use both cloaks. Chrys had reluctantly agreed, but the result meant they both froze their asses off. The flimsy material did very little to protect Chrys anyway.

Chrys's movements had grown sluggish, slow. If every inch of Aurus felt heavy and sore, Chrys would be even more affected by the chill.

"Chrys," he called out, knowing he needed to keep Chrys focused somehow. "Do you know anything at all about the dragon?"

Aurus had asked the same question many times, only to be snapped at by the younger mer. If something could rile Chrys up and draw him out of the haze, inquiring about the dragon should do it.

Aurus held his breath when Chrys didn't immediately answer. In fact, he showed no sign of having heard Aurus. "Chrys?" Aurus prodded, unable to keep a tremor out of his voice.

Chrys continued to swim by his side, his blue tail sending ripples of the cold water toward Aurus. Aurus started to get significantly alarmed but then Chrys spoke at last, "I let him down," he said.

"What?" Aurus asked. "What do you mean? Who did you let down?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out who Chrys referred to, but Aurus needed to keep Chrys talking and swimming if they ever wanted to get out of this current in one piece.

"Jaden," Chrys clarified. "I let him down. In my heart, I knew something wasn't right, but still I pushed him away."

Even if the entire point of the conversation had been to get Chrys to speak, Aurus hated the pain in the young mer's words. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered. "You couldn't have known what would happen."

Chrys let out a choked sob. "I didn't know a lot of things. I was too busy being excited about the party to see his sorrow, his loneliness. If I hadn't disappointed him, he would have never gone to the Forbidden Zone in the first place."

"You never explained why he went there," Aurus said hesitantly. Perhaps it would do Chrys good to let the pain out, share the load with someone.

"To be honest, I never quite figured it out," Chrys replied. "I realized he was going somewhere but he refused to tell me, and I couldn't follow him. Remember, we were being watched by those bandits."

Aurus nodded. Chrys had eventually explained that the bandits they'd found unconscious had kept the twins prisoner for the past weeks, forcing them to steal in order to survive. He'd also told Aurus that the band leader, Jasper, had attempted to force himself on Chrys, but backed off upon realizing who they were.

"I only found out he was going to the Forbidden Zone the day of the party," Chrys continued. "I went after him and met him there. He told me the beast in the shadows didn't want to hurt us. I could feel the same thing but I didn't know what it meant. And even then, I didn't care enough to ask."

Chrys's agitation grew with every word. "Every time, I told myself that after the ball, I'd talk things out with Jaden. We'd fix the rift, be like we once were. I never did."

"Why?" Aurus asked. He had a feeling therein lay the key to Jaden's disappearance. Jaden and Chrys had always been inseparable as children. The fact that they'd become distant to each other, especially in such difficult circumstances, was odd, indeed.

"I-I… don't know," Chrys stammered. He sounded honest, if very hurt. Aurus had always been able to read the twins well. He suspected Chrys knew and, perhaps, wanted to forget.

A loud, screech-like roar interrupted the conversation and sent shivers down their spines. With the reverberations of the sound came a wave of deadly chill. It shocked Aurus they could even feel an increase in chill in such cold waters, but they did, nevertheless.

Chrys gave Aurus a wide-eyed look, sorrow temporarily shrouded by fear. "What is that?"

The monstrous sound echoed again and Aurus suppressed a wince. Perhaps it was better that Chrys didn't yet realize what creature approached them. Panicking wouldn't help either of them.

Since they'd left friendly waters behind, they needed to be on their guard. The possibility of running into a dangerous predator increased with each passing moment. The cool water helped, to the extent that few truly fearsome killers of the deep enjoyed low temperatures. However, Aurus hadn't expected having the misfortune of meeting the worst one of all.

The saurion—or great sea-serpent—was a rare creature, all but extinct now in the waters of the Windswept Sea. Few were those who'd seen it, and fewer still had survived the sight. Aurus had never met one, but during his studies he'd been instructed in its abilities and weaknesses, or lack of thereof. The saurion had impenetrable scales and its eyes could hypnotize its prey. Whenever it was around, the water turned frigid in reaction to the chemicals in the body of the great beast. Only one creature could defeat the saurion; the dragon.

Aurus would very much like it if the beast they pursued made an appearance now. They could find Jaden and get out of their predicament, all at the same time. Naturally, things didn't happen like that in real life.