The Shark Who Rode a Seahorse (4 page)

Byron grinned down at him, his black eyes sparkling with lust and an emotion Skylar didn’t dare identify. The shark made no move to take off the rest of his clothing and instead lowered his body over Skylar. His mouth zeroed in on Skylar’s nipples, and Skylar released another moan-pop. It was so good. Unlike for most fish, nipples could be an erogenous zone for seahorses, and it certainly seemed to be so in Skylar’s case. The little nubs felt connected to Skylar’s cock, and every pull of Byron’s skilled mouth made Skylar approach climax more and more.

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He was a bit startled, but pleasantly so, when a sharp fang scratched at the sensitive flesh. The bite of pain combined with the pure pleasure, and Skylar arched against the shark, all apprehension forgotten.

Byron chuckled, and he abandoned Skylar’s nipples. His tongue traveled down Skylar’s chest and over his abdomen until he reached Skylar’s naked prick. His dry fingers rubbed at Skylar’s hole, testing the resistance of the guardian muscles.

For a few moments, as his shark’s breath tickled the head of his prick, Skylar experienced a moment of panic. He remembered the night before, Rick’s nauseating touch and the way the werewolf had been ready to breech him. But then, Byron squeezed his hip, and his voice reached Skylar’s ears. “Slowly, sweetheart. Breathe. Come on.

Breathe with me.”

It was a command, just like before, and Skylar obeyed. As he listened to Byron’s certain voice, the tension drained out of him. He looked down toward Byron, and relief combined with arousal at the sight of Byron between his legs. God, this was what he’d wanted for so long. How could he now be afraid of it?

His cock, which had lost interest during his flashback, went rock hard again. Byron must have realized it, because once more, he focused on Skylar’s pleasure. His mouth lowered over Skylar’s prick and slowly, just like in the case of the kiss, he took Skylar deep, swallowing him down.

The volcanic heat that enveloped him might have taken Skylar by surprise, except his own body felt unbearably hot with desire and passion. His hips moved convulsively as he couldn’t help wanting to thrust inside Byron’s mouth. Byron took his cock all the way into his throat, seemingly having no problem at all deep-throating him.

When Byron’s thick finger slipped into his virgin hole, the burn of the dry invasion was too much for Skylar to withstand. He’d touched himself there before, of course, but it had felt nothing like this.

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Crying out Byron’s name, Skylar exploded, sending his seed down the shark’s throat. Byron swallowed his offering down without a problem. As Skylar soared over his climax, Byron licked him clean, dragging on the pleasure.

Skylar didn’t know how long he floated in his afterglow, but when he at last came down from the high, he realized that he hadn’t done anything to make Byron come.

He tried to get up, but Byron pushed him back down. The shark flipped him on his belly, and Skylar half thought Byron would fuck him now. Instead, Byron started massaging his still-sore buttocks, soothing away the pain with his touch. He even flicked his tongue over Skylar’s skin, but while the caress awoke renewed arousal inside Skylar, it held none of the urgency from before.

Seahorses dealt with physical pain easier than other species, so the lingering hurt quickly diminished. He waited to see what Byron would do, but to his surprise, Byron lifted his head and lay down next to Skylar. He pulled Skylar close and caressed his hair, making no move to pleasure himself.

“Byron?” Skylar said hesitantly, not comprehending.

“Shhh,” Byron silenced him. “Just get some rest. It’s very early.”

Two thoughts passed through Skylar’s mind at the same time. The first was that he hadn’t even thought about the time while with Byron.

Indeed, a brief gaze out the window told him it was dark still.

However, the darkness seemed to echo inside his heart when he realized that this must have been just a pity fuck.

As if guessing his thoughts, Byron squeezed him tight. “Don’t even think about it. Whatever’s passing through your mind now, it’s all wrong.” Byron took Skylar’s hand and kissed it. “In a few days, once we’re back in LA, we’ll talk about this more. Now obey, and get some sleep.”

More than the words, Byron’s touch reassured Skylar. He didn’t know what would happen when he awoke, but with Byron by his side, he wasn’t afraid.

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* * * *

Daylight arrived before Byron could rest. He wasn’t particularly surprised, nor did he mind all that much. He never slept much in the first place, and he liked watching over Skylar to make sure no harm came to the seahorse.

But once he fell asleep, Skylar didn’t stir again, and even as he took in Skylar’s beautiful face, Byron found his mind drifting to his predicament. As much as he told himself he could stay away from Skylar, the truth was that the seahorse had become a drug to him. He loved the sweet popping sounds Skylar made during climax, a seahorse noise, yet somewhat still unique and special. The way Skylar’s blond hair framed his face made him look like an angel, Byron’s angel. And especially now that Byron had gotten a taste of his passion, he didn’t think he could go back to being a distant protector.

Besides, that hadn’t worked out very well in the first place. Byron hated to admit it, but he’d failed Skylar. He’d pushed the seahorse away, and for that reason, Skylar had ended up in harm’s way.

Byron knew he could not take advantage of Skylar’s vulnerability for his own benefit. Even if he wanted to claim Skylar as his own, it could only happen once Skylar began to get over his trauma and could make an informed decision. As it was, Skylar now clung to him as a natural progression, and that didn’t necessarily mean the seahorse would later be inclined to follow through with a deeper relationship.

These thoughts, and so much more, tortured Byron until the sun finally peeked through the curtains. In his arms, Skylar began to move slightly.

His eyes cracked open, and he smiled lazily at Byron. “What time is it?”

“Around eight o’clock,” Byron replied. He didn’t even have to check the clock on the wall to know.

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“Oh, we should probably get washed up and dressed for breakfast, huh?”

Skylar didn’t sound very enthusiastic about the prospect, and Byron couldn’t blame him. He nodded, knowing that they did, indeed, have to face the world.

“You should probably head to your own room to change,” Skylar added.

Byron wasn’t very pleased about the suggestion. It would imply leaving Skylar alone, and he didn’t think the seahorse was ready for that yet. “Maybe I should stay until you changed, and we could drop by my room after that.”

Skylar shook his head. “No, no.” He laughed self-deprecatingly.

“I admit I’m not very happy with being alone, but I’m not going to get over this by clinging to you every step of the way.”

Byron acknowledged his lover’s words with a brief nod. “Very well. If that’s what you wish.” He pressed a brief peck to Skylar’s forehead. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” he said as he got up.

He put on his shoes again and grabbed his still-damp shirt, then left the room. Every step he took away from Skylar seemed to hurt physically. He sped up, thankful that he’d been given a room that was reasonably close to Skylar’s. He suspected Garth had a hand in those arrangements. The lynx never tired of trying to convince Byron that he should pursue a relationship with Skylar.

As if the thought had summoned Garth from thin air, the lynx appeared at the other side of the corridor. Even if he’d have preferred to duck directly into his room, Byron resigned himself to wasting some valuable time on his friend.

“Hi,” Garth greeted him. “How’s Skylar?”

“Recovering,” Byron replied. “I’m getting changed and going back to his room.”

“I’m so sorry about last night. I told Rick to stay put and take a break from drinking. I never expected him to attack Skylar.”

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Byron couldn’t blame his friend for what had happened. It was Rick Carver’s fault, and Byron planned to make sure the werewolf paid. Still, he bristled, the mere mentioning of the werewolf’s name drawing out the predator in him. “If I’d had my way, that man would be dead, and you know it.”

“I’m aware of that and so is the elder. He said he wanted to talk about it with you.” Garth grimaced. “Rick claims he can’t remember anything that happened last night. Some werewolves seem to believe him, and they’ve asked for a lighter sentence.”

“You can tell them this, Garth. If I see his ass in LA, there won’t be anything left from him to even identify. Got that?” He headed toward his room and stopped when he remembered one more thing.

“Oh, and once the Pierces hear of this, there’s going to be hell to pay, whether I kill him or not.”

“I know.” Garth sounded tired. “God, I can’t believe this happened, and when things were going so well.” He sighed. “At any rate, the most important thing is Skylar now. Please, take care of him, Byron.”

Byron nodded and opened the door to his room. In swift, efficient motions, he found another custom-made suit and pulled it on, ruminating over his conversation with Garth as he did so. If the elder werewolf didn’t choose an adequate punishment for Skylar’s attacker, Byron would have to intervene. However, Skylar wouldn’t be very happy if something Byron did caused an inter-species war. Christ, what a clusterfuck.

He moved as quickly as he could and, in minutes, he was out of his room and heading back toward Skylar’s. Once at Skylar’s door, he knocked lightly.

“Yes?” Skylar’s voice came from inside.

“It’s me,” Byron said. “Can I—?”

The door opened before he could finish the phrase. A half-naked Skylar appeared in the doorway, looking wild-eyed and disheveled.

He grabbed Byron’s wrist and pulled. Byron went with Skylar’s
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wishes and allowed his lover to drag him into the room. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?” he asked as soon as the door closed behind him.

“I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Skylar paced in front of him. “I can’t focus. I can’t find anything.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Byron cursed to himself. “I’m sorry. I never should have left you so soon.”

Skylar turned pleading eyes toward him. “Byron, why is it like this? He… He didn’t even hurt me that bad. Why am I so afraid?”

If there was something Byron understood, it was fear. Oftentimes, it didn’t matter if pain had been inflicted or not. Terror was a psychological phenomenon, and Skylar’s terror would not easily vanish from his mind. Some people dealt with it better, others worse.

Because he knew this, it was even more unforgivable that he’d allowed his lover to be on his own so soon after his ordeal.

“It’s normal,” he said. “Come here.”

He made his words an order, but without pressing too hard.

Predictably, the security of his authority made Skylar relax. The seahorse approached him and his shy gaze met Byron’s. “Deep breaths, sweetheart,” Byron said. “Count with me. One.”

“One,” Skylar repeated.

“Two.”

Skylar’s eyes never left Byron’s face as he said, “Two.”

“Three, four, five.”

Skylar spoke every number after Byron and with each word, more and more tension drained out of him. At last, Byron pressed a brief kiss to Skylar’s lips. “Better?”

“Yes, thank you.” Skylar sighed. “You must think I’m a big coward.”

“Not at all, sweetheart. You must understand something. Fear is a relative thing. Everyone is afraid. Courage just means the way you handle those fears.”

Skylar smiled sadly. “I bet you’re not afraid of anything.”

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“Of course I am. We fear the things we cannot control.” Byron cupped Skylar’s cheek, half unable to believe he was even saying these things. “I might have absolute rule over one part of my life, but another is very uncertain.”

Skylar bit his lip. “Not uncertain,” he finally said.

“Just…complicated.”

Clearly, they were thinking about the same thing, and Byron hugged Skylar tight once again. He knew things were complicated, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t untangle them. “Go on. Go change.

They’re waiting for us at breakfast.”

With Byron there, it didn’t take long for Skylar to find his clothing. Byron prudently looked away while his lover pulled his clothes on. It was both for his own benefit, and Skylar’s. Seeing Skylar’s nude body would definitely make him want to repeat the episode from the night before, and now was not the time.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Skylar finally said.

Byron turned to his lover and was once again struck by Skylar’s beauty. It seemed surreal, like the sun’s rays shining over the ocean’s surface at dawn, too amazing for it to actually belong in such a filthy world.

Byron extended his hand, and Skylar took it. Wordlessly, they walked out of the room. As soon as they left their little sanctuary, Skylar began to tense. Byron wrapped his arm around Skylar’s waist and pulled him closer as they walked.

They reached the dining room and found most of the household and guests gathered there. Byron immediately regretted bring Skylar to breakfast, but by some miracle, most of the people didn’t seem to know about the attack on Skylar. They greeted the seahorse normally, complimented him on the party. Some inquired on Skylar’s disappearing act from the night before, which made Byron want to wring their necks.

However, Skylar took it all in stride. In spite of the fear he’d shown while in private with Byron, he now seemed completely calm.

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Byron knew it was a mask, but he felt very proud of Skylar nonetheless.

It helped that Skylar’s friends were also there. Carson, Shiloh, Daniel, and Nicolas made it their business to steer conversation away from Skylar and onto more generic matters. Byron made a mental note to thank them later. His way of pushing aside unwanted attention would have been much more violent.