And flying…
Changing into crows…soaring through the
sky.
Did he hate it?
He thought he did. But maybe it was the
unpredictability that he hated. Wasn't it? Not able to control it.
Turning when he was upset, when he and Charlie made love, when he
was angry…
Emotion ruled that madness.
It didn't take long for him and Charlie to
realize that.
And Charlie…he bit the poor man. So his lover
was inflicted too. Inflicted? Infected? What did he give
Charlie?
Roman opened his eyes and looked at his
hands. Clean fingernails, manicured. He gazed down at his body.
Black chest hair, narrowing to a treasure trail and his groomed
pubic bush, jet black.
Roman forced himself to keep functioning,
shampooing his hair and scrubbing up. Charlie had made dinner. He
had to be normal. He had to keep calm.
Shutting the water after he rinsed, Roman
stood still, thinking. Something had brought this back to him.
Why?
And how would he rid himself of this curse
again? Could he find the witch who had done this? After two
years?
Roman looked up. Charlie was standing in the
steamy room, worry written all over him.
Charlie stared at his man.
Roman, dripping wet, gazed back.
There was something different. Not only did
Charlie see it, he…smelled it. His own senses were changing, and
that was not good. The hairs rose on Charlie's arms. He tried to
shake the spell of Roman's luminous green eyes and handed him a
towel.
Roman took it, stepping out of the tub and
rubbing it over his hair.
Charlie's gaze lowered down Roman's amazing
physique. A man, thirty-one, and in his prime. Fit and spectacular.
Yes, dinner was waiting, Butch was in the kitchen, hungry, trying
to be patient.
Charlie touched Roman's nipple, pinching
it.
The act made Roman stop drying himself with
the towel.
One thing being a wolf did to both he and
Roman. It made them animals in the bedroom as well.
Not that they had become passive in the last
two years. The sex was always good…but…
Not as good as it was when…
With one finger Charlie ran down the muscular
line dividing Roman's abdomen to his treasure trail.
Roman dropped the towel and his arms fell
limp at his sides.
Seeing the wolf in Roman's eyes, Charlie
couldn't help but tingle and become hungry for him. As he massaged
Roman's soft cock, feeling it harden, Charlie leaned for a
kiss.
At first it was just the press of their
mouths together, then Roman showed Charlie just how dominant he
could be.
Roman lunged at Charlie, slamming Charlie
against the bathroom door, and opened his mouth for hot kisses.
Hearing the growling coming from Roman's
chest, Charlie began taking off his clothing, craving them rubbing
against each other, needing penetration and release.
Roman backed off long enough to wait for
Charlie to get naked, then began forcing Charlie to the floor of
the bathroom.
Lips locked, they kissed and held onto each
other, Charlie was overwhelmed by a sensation that he had not felt
in years. Wolf-lust. A hunger for Roman's body and scent that was
so powerful he would kill for it.
Pinned to the bath mat, Charlie spread his
legs in submission and Roman whimpered as he chewed Charlie's neck
and shoulder.
"Take it, ya bastard!" Charlie shivered under
this powerful ATF agent and reached between them to get at Roman's
cock.
Roman knelt upright and glanced at the sink
vanity. He grabbed lotion and used it as lubrication, since their
lubricating gel was in their nightstand drawer.
Charlie would have been happy with saliva he
was so horny. Roman pushed his finger inside Charlie and Charlie
closed his eyes and grabbed his own cock, feeling it rock hard and
pulsating.
Once Roman had placed the head of his cock on
target, he braced himself, an arm on either side of Charlie's body,
and pushed in.
Charlie raised his hips up to meet the thrust
and they both let out a low howl, in harmony.
"Oh fuck!" Roman amped up the rhythm, his
muscular arms tensing.
Under him Charlie jerked himself off, coated
in sweat and inhaling the scent of sex off his lover. The
pheromones filled Charlie's acute senses and he came, throwing his
head back and growling.
"Charlie! Oh, fuck, yeah." Roman hammered
into him and came, showing his teeth in a sensual snarl.
Once they both had climaxed, panting loudly,
they met eyes.
Charlie could see Roman's green eyes dilate
and glow. It was closing in on both of them. The
transformation.
A knock came at the bathroom door. "You guys
eatin' dinner? It's getting burnt, Charlie!"
Instantly the heat and sensation of the
change, slowed and vanished.
Roman pulled out, hanging his head and
staring at Charlie's body.
"Hang on, Butch. Jus' you hang on."
"What on earth you two doin' in there? If
y'all come out wolves, I swear, I'll get the gun."
Roman didn't answer, slowly standing and
reaching for Charlie. Once Charlie was on his feet they met gazes.
Roman said, "It's back."
"I know." Charlie had no idea what to make of
the sudden onset of the 'curse' once more.
Roman used a wet washcloth to scrub up. "I
say I hate it but the sex is unreal."
Charlie chuckled, washing up as well, and
looking at himself in the mirror over the sink. He caught his own
blue eyes, stopping short. Yes. He could see the animal once again
inside him.
Why?
"What did ya do, Roman?" Charlie began
dressing. "What did ya do at work to bring this back?"
Roman shook his head. "Nothing. I can't think
of one fucking thing."
"You two havin' sex?" Butch asked through the
door.
Charlie waited for Roman's nod, and opened
the door. "Go start eatin'. We'll be right there."
Butch took a look at Roman's naked chest, the
towel wrapped around Roman's hips, and then walked off.
Charlie glanced back at Roman and kissed him.
"I'll serve us up some food."
"Great. I'm as hungry as a wolf." Roman
winked and entered their bedroom to get dressed.
"That ain't funny!" Charlie yelled after him,
then shook his head. Maybe it was.
~
Roman slipped on a pair of worn out jeans and
a T-shirt. He brushed his hair and headed to the kitchen. He could
hear Charlie and Butch talking clearly even from the far side of
the house. All his senses had sharpened. He remembered the
experience well, and had strong mixed emotions about it
resurfacing. He and Charlie had tried to maintain a normal life.
Butch was a loyal friend, and always eager for sex, but he and
Charlie didn't have three-way intercourse. They played around with
Butch, but Roman wasn't interested in a strong sexual bond with
Butch Crowell. Not after the mess in Heber. Charlie tried to
convince Roman that Butch had changed, matured from a loud-mouthed
self-absorbed nineteen year old, to a level headed twenty-one year
old. Butch had been a strong ally to him and Charlie in their time
of need. But sharing Charlie, loving as a trio? Roman still was
undecided on that option.
The two men stopped talking when Roman
approached the dining room table. The scent of chili permeated
everything.
"Why, Roman?" Butch asked, joining him at the
table as Charlie placed bowls of food in front of them. "I can't
take y'all doin' that again. I can't. The animals go mad, and I
can't be worried about findin' you two naked and freezin' yer balls
off up the mountains."
"Butch," Charlie admonished as he sat beside
Roman in their dining area. It was separated from the kitchen by a
bar counter, with high stools on one side. The house was one level,
a three bedroom ranch with several outbuildings: a barn, a shed,
and a detached two car garage. "Don't start on the man."
"Start? Me?" Butch took a chunk of the
cornbread which was sliced up in large squares. "I'm not the one
who's gonna howl at the moon tonight."
Roman felt the hair stand on his neck and
snarled at Butch.
"Uh oh." Butch ate the cornbread and shut
up.
Charlie reached for Roman's wrist. "Calm
down, buddy. 'K?"
"If y'all are goin' to get all hairy on me, I
should head over to Vernon's ranch tomorrow and not wait for
Christmas."
"Go." Roman sniffed his food and then ate it,
liking the flavor of the meat.
"Calm down." Charlie appeared miffed. "Will
you two jus' stop? I swear, I cannot handle this again. I am not
dealin' with y'all at it when there's horses to be tended, and
winter is hittin' us hard…"
"Sorry." Butch lowered his head and kept
eating.
Roman forced himself to relax and sipped the
whiskey that was poured for him. The liquor tasted sour and very
strong. Roman recoiled from it and caught Charlie and Butch
staring.
"What?" Charlie asked, wiping his mouth with
a paper napkin. "Somethin' wrong?"
Seeing Butch's curious stare, Roman threw the
booze down and winced at the taste, usually liking it. Not tonight.
He continued eating the meat to kill the flavor.
"Anyway…" Butch rolled his eyes and said,
"So, I'll call Vernon in the mornin' and see when they want us up
there. You got Christmas off, Roman?"
He nodded, finishing his food and picking up
the plate to lick.
Charlie grabbed the dish and slapped it back
to the table. "Jus' ask for more. Don't do that."
"Huh?" Roman tasted the sauce off his lips.
"Don't do what?"
"Oh, crap," Butch said, shaking his head.
"Yer lickin' the plate like a hound again, Roman!"
Roman blinked in surprise and stood from the
table, stumbling back, nearly knocking over his chair. "No. This is
not happening again. No!"
"Calm the fuck down!" Charlie jumped to his
feet.
Roman began trembling, feeling the forces
inside him trying to get out and knowing how hard the battle was to
contain it. He staggered to the living room, standing before the
hearth.
"Roman?" Charlie asked.
"I'm fine." He reached for the dry cut logs
and crouched before the fireplace to light a fire, distracting
himself. Behind him he could hear the other two still eating, being
silent.
Roman set a few logs on the grate and crushed
newspaper under it. He reached for the stick matches and struck
one, lighting it. Seeing the flame, Roman grew afraid and threw it
into the hearth. He stepped back and stared at the match as it
caught the newspaper, quickly burning the paper and catching the
dry wood on fire.
As the flames grew, Roman backed up, feeling
dread at the sight and confused by his reaction. He hit a wall with
his back and closed his eyes.
~
Charlie knew exactly what was happening. He
blew out a sigh of frustration. Standing, leaving his empty plate,
Charlie crossed the room to Roman and touched his shoulder. There
was sauce on Roman's chin. With his thumb, Charlie wiped it off.
"It's back. What are we goin' to do?"
Roman, appearing teary-eyed said, "I don't
know."
Charlie urged Roman into his arms, holding
him, feeling his heart beat. He kissed Roman's neck and whispered
into his ear, "Maybe it's jus' the full moon. It'll be gone by
mornin'."
Roman leaned back so they could see eye to
eye. "I don't think so."
Charlie felt his skin prickle. "Why? What
happened? Roman, ya hafta' tell me."
Roman glanced back to see where Butch was. He
was placing dishes into the dishwasher, tidying up the kitchen.
With his attention back on Charlie, Roman said, "Things have been
happening."
Tightness formed in Charlie's gut but he
didn't express his fear.
Lowering his voice, Roman continued, "I've
been seeing dogs…wolfs…" It appeared Roman was struggling to reveal
what he knew. "…I mean, they just appear. Tonight. On my way home,
right out of the parking lot of the office building a large dog
darted out in front of my car."
"So?" Charlie hoped there was no
significance.
"It's not the first time this has happened.
Always at night. And now, it's begun to invade my dreams. More than
usual."
Hearing Butch start the dishwasher and seeing
him wiping the counters, Charlie gazed back at Roman. "It could be
nothin'."
"Nothing?" Roman smirked. "I changed.
Charlie, I barely made it home."
"But…" Charlie did not want to believe this
could be happening again.
"But?" Roman tried to smile but failed.
"How…how do we deal with this? Do you still
have the names of the…" Charlie noticed Butch staring at them from
the kitchen.
"The? The witch? The cult? Yeah, probably in
a file at the office. Christ, I can't believe we may have to go
through that cleansing ritual again. And who knows where the hell
those people are." As if he felt Butch's stare, Roman spun around
to look at him.
Butch said, "Do I need to sleep with my
shotgun?"
Charlie broke his and Roman's embrace and
approached Butch. "We don't kill people. Don't get crazy on
me."
"Me? I'm not the one who gets on all fours
and howls."
Charlie sensed Roman tense up. "I can't take
you two. I really can't." Charlie headed to his bedroom, dropping
down on the bed and rubbing his face in agony. They had too much
work to do. Tending the animals, making a living…working hard. They
simply did not have time to deal with this again.
He stared at the ceiling and inhaled deeply.
If they just remain calm, things will be okay.
~
Roman stood perfectly still.
"Don't you look at me that way." Butch wagged
his finger at Roman.
Roman didn't flinch, feeling boiling heat
from the roaring hearth fire.
Butch glared at him in frustration. He
grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and said, "Tell Charlie I'm
clearin' the snow. Anythin's better than this shit." He put his hat
on his head and left the house, slamming the door behind him.