Pendant of Fortune (54 page)

“
Hm.”

“
Do you still want to go back to the farm?”

There was a pause. Streak rested his muzzle on Volle’s shoulder. After a moment he said, “Well, fox, right now it’s hard to imagine being separated from you.”

Volle giggled softly, squeezing Streak’s shaft with his rear. “I’m serious.”

“
Yip! I know.” He sighed. “I couldn’t talk you into coming back to the farm, could I?”

“
I can’t. I have to look after my son.”

“
And you have other things to do, I know.” Streak nuzzled his cheek ruff. “I just worry that I’d be a distraction. Or worse, you know, a burden.”

“
Don’t be silly.” Volle kissed his nose.

“
I’m not. I really don’t want anything to happen to you because you’re worrying about me. Like…like it almost did here.”

“
It won’t.” Privately, he was recalling Tish’s words. He knew Streak would be a complication, but he felt certain that he could handle it. “Just tell me if anyone tries to frame you for murder again, okay?”

He’d meant it to be funny, but Streak didn’t laugh, and as soon as the words were out, Volle regretted saying them. “I mean,” he added lamely, “just trust me. And I’ll tell you more. We should be able to talk about things.”

“
You’re right, I know you’re right.” The wolf sighed again. “I know you’re smarter than I am and you can figure things out better. I should just trust you.”

“
I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Volle said. “You still have time to decide. But you are part of our family now. Sort of a second father to this cub. So you have some responsibilities.” He made sure Streak could see his grin.

The wolf grinned back, and wriggled his shaft inside Volle, making the fox squirm. “Right now I’d say you’re more like a second mommy to the cub, my dear fox.”

Volle yelped and tried to pull back, and then yelped again as his knot slid out of Ilyana. Her legs dropped to the floor, making a loud thump, but she just turned over, draping one paw over her sticky groin. Volle and Streak watched her for a moment, and then Streak drew a paw along Volle’s shaft. “Mm. You did good work here today,” he said, teasing the tip.

“
Hey!” Volle squirmed and grinned. “I’m still sensitive.”

“
So I see.” The wolf clasped his shaft in a paw. “And still rather hard, I notice.”

“
Streak, don’t,” Volle moaned. “I’ll be sore.”

The wolf stopped, his fingers having brushed the small scar on Volle’s shaft. “Sore…oh, I’m sorry. Does this still hurt?”

“
No, I mean…twice in an hour? My poor—yowp!” He yelped as Streak rubbed the other side of his tip.

“
Oh, you’ll be fine, fox. I feel bad for having made you wait so long. And this time,” he whispered, “I get you all to myself.” Slowly, he slid his paw up and down Volle’s shaft, pulling the fox back until he was kneeling again.

“
I…I mean it…ohhh…” Volle’s protests died away as the wolf’s paw caressed him up and down, bringing back the arousal he’d felt. He noticed that Streak’s knot wasn’t shrinking; the wolf was still tied to him as tightly as when he’d first come.

“
I mean it, too.” Streak kissed his neck and shoulders, his paw rubbing up and down Volle’s slick shaft in a firm rhythm.

Volle gave up and just leaned back, placing a paw on the wolf’s knee, tightening his rump and loosening it, feeling the warm presence of the wolf around him and pressed up inside him, locked to him. The passion rose in him gradually this time, not surging; a warmth building in his groin that spread outwards to his belly, his chest, his legs, his toes, until all of him was suffused with it. Ilyana’s scent had faded and now Streak’s was all around him, mingled with his, strong male musk arousing him.

He tried to lift himself up and down off Streak’s thick wolfhood, but the wolf stopped him with his other paw and said, “I’m all right. Just let me do this.” And Volle subsided without complaint, his knot already growing again as the wolf’s skilled and familiar fingers danced up and down it.

The leathery paw pads took their time, pressed against the skin, and Volle closed his eyes, feeling the wash of each stroke go through him. It was warm and personal, and he couldn’t help thinking, as his tail and feet began to twitch, that it was much more filled with love than the previous act had been.

His muzzle sought Streak’s and found it, clumsily exchanging licks when they couldn’t kiss. He was panting again, and shivering, but it took a lot of paw strokes to bring his orgasm around a second time.

Fortunately, Streak was patient.

Volle tried to keep his yelps quiet, moaning and pressing back against Streak as he came again, dripping onto the wolf’s paw. He pulled on Streak’s knot, sending more shivers through himself, and after several throaty moans, he collapsed back against the wolf. Streak licked him tenderly and hugged him, and Volle nuzzled back, panting.

“
I am going to be sore,” he said, but he was smiling. “It was worth it, though.”

“
I could have waited until tonight, but…” Streak teased Volle’s dripping shaft again.

“
Ow! Definitely no more, okay?”

The wolf giggled and kissed his shoulder. “Well, all right. I need to clean off this paw of mine, though.” He brought it to his muzzle and licked it until the fur was shiny and damp.

Volle watched through half-lidded eyes, and stroked the wolf’s fur where he could reach it. “I guess we don’t have time to stop at the resort for a bath.”

“
Probably not,” Streak agreed. “We should clean up at the mansion and get to bed early. Important day tomorrow.”

Volle nodded, and wriggled his rear. It felt looser, and when he pulled gently, Streak’s knot slid out of him. Streak gasped and panted, his shaft bobbing between his legs as it came free. Volle stepped over Ilyana and turned back to the wolf, cupping his wolfhood in his paw, his fingers slipping along the slick surface.

Streak grinned at him, still panting. “I’m not up for more. And we don’t have time anyway.”

“
I know.” Volle squeezed him and he gave a soft yelp. “I just wanted to tease you back a bit.”

“
Oh, well, if you must.” The wolf closed his eyes and panted.

Volle slid his paw slowly up the still-stiff length and then let it drop. Like his own shaft, Streak’s was starting to slip back into his sheath. He pulled his pants up carefully around it. “All right,” he said. “Can you help me get Ilyana back to bed?”

It was difficult in the small room; they had to be careful they didn’t bang their heads as they carried the sleeping vixen across the room and set her on the bed. He placed one paw gently on her lower abdomen and smoothed the fur down, still damp from their mating. He nodded to Streak, and they walked quietly down the stairs.

The old weasel was waiting for them, looking uneasy. Volle thought he would ask her to look in on Ilyana in a bit, but as soon as he approached her, she pointed to the door.

“
You go now. Take her too.”

“
We can’t take her. She’s asleep. Why…?”

Her voice was growing stronger and more angry. “I run a nice house. Not a brothel. And both of you…it is wrong. You all go.”

“
She’s asleep!” Streak said.

The old weasel considered this. “Fine. You leave now. She leave tonight.”

“
She doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Volle was half-worried, half-exasperated. “She’s in season, she can’t help being like this.”

“
I don’t care about season. She invited you. And you come yesterday and nothing happen.”

“
That was different. I—”

“
You go now,” she repeated firmly. “She go tonight.”

“
All right.” Volle sighed. “Tell her to come to the mansion when she leaves.”

The weasel nodded, and glared at them until they left.

“
I thought she would have told her,” Streak said ambiguously as they walked down the stairs slowly.

“
Ilyana?”

“
Yeah. Wouldn’t she have known she was coming into season?”

Volle nodded. “I don’t know. Maybe she thought we wouldn’t be that loud. Or…” Or maybe the old weasel was shocked that Streak was participating. He kept that thought to himself. “Or she thought…that we’d take her somewhere else.”

“
Like Dewanne did.”

“
Right,” Volle growled as they reached the carriage and climbed inside quickly, not wanting to give Forrin a chance to sniff them.

“
Sorry,” Streak said, and then, because the driver was waiting, he reached out the window and tapped the board. “Mansion, please.”

“
It’s all right,” Volle said. “I’m still angry about it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mention it. You’re right.”

“
Maybe,” Streak said, “she just didn’t think to mention it.”

Volle smiled, leaning back in the seat. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll have to make sure she can stay at the mansion, or the castle. I don’t know what else to do. If she stays at the mansion, she’ll have to stay in our suite. Nothing else is big enough.”

“
That house wasn’t particularly big.”

“
No, true.” Volle shrugged. “She could stay with Tish and Tika, too. I just feel bad for getting her in trouble.”

Streak put a paw on his knee. “It’s not your fault. You gave her a cub, and that’s what she wanted more than anything else.”

Volle thought about that, and slowly his muzzle curved into a smile.

That evening’s dinner was a quieter affair, with fewer people. Volle and Streak, having found a water bath, felt clean and fluffy and had scented themselves with vanilla, leading Helfer to ask what kind of day they’d had that they had to bathe in the middle of it. Volle skirted the question, though he answered it indirectly when he asked Helfer if Ilyana could stay at the mansion. Helfer grinned and replied as Volle had thought he would: he offered a low-ceilinged room, or said she would have to share Volle and Streak’s suite.

“
She can stay in our suite tonight,” Streak said.

“
I’ll ask Tish and Tika if she can stay with them tomorrow.” Volle patted Streak. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

Streak waited until Helfer was occupied with his dinner and then said, softly, “After this afternoon?”

Volle grinned. “I just wanted to make sure.”

Ilyana didn’t arrive until later that night, and when she did, she was rather distraught. Volle, Streak, and Forrin were in the guest quarters when she was shown in, and they saw her clutching her bag to her as a weasel servant held the door. She looked around nervously, then saw Volle and dropped the bag. She looked as though she wanted to run, but kept some measure of dignity in walking quickly to him.

She threw her arms around him when she reached him. “Volle,” she said, “Martika, she said I had to leave. I’m sorry, I didn’t know what…I thought they knew about being in season.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have had you come up here.”

“
No, it’s okay. It’s done. Thank you for offering me a place to stay. I…” She looked around. “Is there another room?”

“
Just the bedroom.”

“
You can sleep there,” Streak said gallantly. “I’ll stay on the couch.”

She turned to him and smiled, slowly, as if just recognizing him. “You were there too, this afternoon,” she said softly, and then turned to Volle. “Wasn’t he?”

Volle folded his ears back, unable to read her expression. “He’s better than blackberry mead,” he said by way of explanation.

“
I see.” She nodded, and turned back to Streak. “No, I couldn’t take your bed. You’ve done so much for me. For us.”

Streak flattened his ears, but in gratified embarrassment. Volle still wasn’t sure about her tone, but he nuzzled Ilyana and was happy to see the action bring a hesitant smile to her muzzle. “We only have the one couch, but Helfer said there’s a room with a bed, if you don’t mind a low ceiling.”

“
I can sleep on the floor, my Lady,” Forrin said. “I’ve done it before. I’m used to it. There’s a rug.”

“
No, I couldn’t.” But her protest was less forceful than it had been.

“
I insist.” He bowed. “It is the least I can do for my Lord’s wife.”

“
If you’re sure…”

“
I am.”