Gifts of Fate [Kindred of Arkadia 7] (Siren Publishing Classic) (5 page)

Smiling, he yelled back, “Go ahead, what’s another ten pounds!”

“Fuck you! And for that I’m taking all of them.” Felix smiled until he heard the front door close and his

friend was gone.

“You were right!” Claybourne blurted out.

“Huh? About what?” Felix asked, wanting clarification.

“All of it. You’re right, we should be enjoying our first Christmas together. You’re right, you don’t have

a presence in our home, that’s my fault. Every time you bought something, it would seem out of place, you

were considerate of my feelings and got rid of it. I had no idea that’s what I was doing. It wasn’t because

you aren’t special to me.” Claybourne dropped to his knees, crying.

“I never even realized that it was your first Christmas being free, of course you’d want to celebrate. But

once again it was all about me. I freaked out that things were different. There were needles on the floor.

The lights weren’t symmetrical on the tree. The snowman on the left side of the fireplace has a button

missing. I turned into the one person I hate most in the world.” Claybourne pounded his fists into his

thighs. Felix jumped off of the counter and dropped onto the floor beside his mate, grabbing both hands.

“I should have thought about what these changes would do. I just thought that it would be okay since it

was Christmas and who doesn’t like Christmas?”

“Stop it! Stop making excuses for me. You are always compromising, always being selfless and putting

what you want aside for my own asinine ways.”

“You’re my mate, of course I’ll compromise. It just hurt the way you came at me like that,” Felix

admitted softly.

“We never celebrated Christmas when I was a child. Christmas meant mother would be busy with

dinner parties and father would open a new bottle of whiskey. The house was never decorated. The one

time I tried to put up a tree like my friends had, that is what my father yelled, ‘Take it down, it’s tacky and

gaudy!’ After I left home, I didn’t know how to celebrate. It was just me, so I never started.” Claybourne

looked up and Felix could see the stark terror in his eyes at the thought of becoming like his father.

“Come with me.” Felix stood and pulled his mate up. He walked him back into the family room.

He sat Claybourne on the sofa. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed the dustpan and foxtail. He quickly

swept up the loose plastic needles and threw them away. Next he grabbed a black Sharpie from the utility

drawer and drew a button on the snow man. He stood in front of his mate.

“Okay, what needs to be changed with the lights?” he asked. Claybourne looked at him for a second like

he had lost his mind. Felix rolled his hand in front of him.

“Come on.”

“The branch on the right, there is a light strand that dips down lower than on the left.”

Felix turned and eyed the tree before he saw what his mate was talking about. He adjusted the light

strand and stood back.

“What else?”

“I hate purple bulbs. Purple is just not a Christmas color.”

Felix easily plucked off the handful of purple bulbs.

“Now, tell me what you like.”

“I like that the tree’s lights are white. It seems to make it glow. The color ones are never organized

evenly. I like the smell of cinnamon. I love our stockings. I saw them when I came back out here for the

phone to call Sebastian. You really scared the hell out of me.” Claybourne looked up at him. This time the

fear he saw there reached all the way to his mate’s soul.

“I’m sorry about blocking the door. It was childish of me,” Felix said, walking over to stand in front of

his mate. Claybourne pulled him close by the hips and buried his face in his stomach.

“I thought that you were pregnant, that you had been too afraid to tell me. When you didn’t answer I

thought you were losing the baby, possibly dying, and it was all my fault. That I had killed the only person I

have ever loved.” Claybourne’s fingers dug into his back.

“You love me?” Felix couldn’t stop the question from flying out. Claybourne looked up at him,

shocked.

“What have I done? Oh God, what have I done that you don’t even think I love you anymore?”

Claybourne released Felix and buried his face in his hands.

“It wasn’t all you. I was so afraid that I wasn’t good enough for you, that I haven’t been speaking up

when something bothered me and it all turned to self-doubt, and then I doubted you.” Felix dropped to his

knees and pulled his mate’s hands away from his face, taking them into his own. Claybourne looked at

Felix and pulled both of his hands free to cup his face. The raw emotion he saw in his mate’s eyes made

him ashamed for ever doubting that the man before him felt anything but love for him.

“I love you so much that it hurts. I look at you and I physically ache. I never dreamed I could love

someone so much. Sometimes I wake up early so that I can watch you sleep. I’m tormented by the desire to

wake you up and make love to you, but find it hard to wake you since you look so peaceful and perfect in

your sleep. Every day you make me laugh and smile. I’m scared some days that I will lose you because I

have nothing to offer you. How can someone like me bring you the same happiness and joy that you bring

to me?” His mate’s words were his undoing.

Sobbing uncontrollably, Felix did the only thing he could think of in that moment. He leaned forward

and took possession of his mate’s lips. Claybourne’s responding passion set his skin on fire. He felt as if his

mate wasn’t inside him soon his prick would explode. Claybourne flipped the solid wood coffee table out

of the way with one hand and lay Felix down on the rug gently. His desperation fueled a level of urgency

that neither one of them could deny. Felix felt his dick harden to the point of pain at his mate’s aggression.

His hips were jerked up when Claybourne roughly pulled the towel from his body. Claybourne stared

down at his leaking cock and his eyes shifted to his tiger’s sky-blue color.

“Lube?” Claybourne asked, his voice deeper than he had ever heard it. Felix could see his mate’s cock

bulging from behind his slacks.

“Under the sofa.”

Claybourne’s hand disappeared under the sofa for a second and returned with a small tube of lube. He

doused two fingers and gently eased them into Felix’s puckered opening. Felix hissed in pleasure.

“God, please fuck me,” Felix begged. Claybourne shook his head.

“I want to make love to you.” Felix grinned up at his mate.

“Let’s compromise, make fuck to me.” Claybourne laughed, and Felix felt his heart soar.

“Anything you want, my mate.”

Soon Claybourne was plunging three fingers in and out of his opening.

“Please.”

Claybourne leaned forward and made sure Felix was looking up at him before he gently kissed his lips.

Seconds later he thrust his hips forward, driving his thick cock deep inside his mate and hitting Felix’s

sweet spot. With gentle lips Claybourne teased and made love to Felix’s lips and neck, while his hips and

cock dominated him from the waist down.

“You are a damn genius and I love you.” Felix tightened his grip in Claybourne’s hair, pulling the man

down for a searing kiss. When Claybourne savagely pounded into him again he pulled back to scream his

satisfaction.

“I will always try to give you what you need. Sometimes you just have to tell me what it is,” Claybourne

said, his eyes full of love.

Claybourne alternated between driving his cock as deep as he could and pounding into his mate in short

bursts. Felix could feel his own dick slap against his stomach, leaving streaks of pre-cum smeared across

his body.

“I can do that.” Felix gasped as Claybourne reached between them to fist his cock.

“Close,” Felix whispered, and Claybourne began to thrust over and over again, pushing Felix’s body

across the carpet. His mate’s dick was relentless as it stretched his body over and over again with its

demanding pace. When his gentle kiss became a claiming bite, Felix cried out his release. Claybourne lifted

his head from Felix’s shoulder and roared, filling his mate with his cum.

Refusing to let his lover go Felix wrapped his arms and legs around Claybourne until he was forced to

lie on his side so that they could stay connected.

As their breathing returned to normal, Felix pulled back and looked at his lover as Claybourne eased

from his body.

“You thought I was pregnant?” he asked. Claybourne flushed and nodded.

“You want a baby?”

“Someday. I wouldn’t mind a small version of you racing around.” Claybourne smiled.

“We better have a small version of you, I don’t think you could handle two of me.” Felix laughed.

“I don’t even deserve you, much less two of you.” Claybourne kissed down Felix’s neck.

“For that awesome statement, I won’t return your Christmas present,” Felix teased. Claybourne propped

himself up on one elbow, his hand against his head. His entire face was transformed into an eager, boy-like

expression. Felix felt his heart melting.

“What did you get me?” he asked. Felix blushed.

“You’ll laugh.”

“I won’t, tell me. Please.”

“I got you a new Dyson that picks up animal hair, since I’ve been shifting more in the house.” Felix

watched his mate’s face for disappointment. Claybourne sat up excitedly.

“The Dyson DC39? The one with the HEPA bagless system?”

“Yup.” Felix grinned. It looked like he knew his mate better than he realized.

“That’s way better than what I got you.” Claybourne frowned. Felix sat up, curious.

“What did you get me?”

“Oh. A car.” Claybourne’s eyebrows furrowed together. “But don’t worry, we’ll go out shopping to get

you something fun. How about we get some things for the house that you pick out?”

“You got me a car?”

“I know, boring. You can’t play around with it, I’m sorry.” Felix wrapped his arms around his mate’s

neck.

“You got me a freaking car!” Felix demanded.

Claybourne nodded.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Where is it? What is it? When can I drive it?” he asked, practically

vibrating.

“I parked it in the garage out back. I got you the GL Class Mercedes SUV. I wanted you to be safe.”

Felix squealed and launched himself toward the back door. Claybourne caught him around the waist,

laughing.

“You’re naked and it’s snowing.”

“I wanna play with my car!” Felix whined.

“Later, Trouble. How about I make us some homemade apple pie? We can listen to Christmas carols.”

Claybourne pressed their bodies together.

“Can I dance naked to ‘Good King Wenceslas’?” Felix demanded, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Whatever makes you happy, baby.” Claybourne swayed them from side to side.

“Best. Christmas. Ever!” Felix said, snuggling close to his mate.

Felix knew that they would have ups and downs, but he also knew he would never again doubt the love

of the man in his arms. He would never doubt this gift ever again.

Chapter 4

Damian

Dec 22nd
Morning

“Everyone is at the diner avoiding you,” Damian said crossly as he watched his best friend pick at

imaginary lint.

“That’s a mean thing to say,” Rian argued.

“It’s true! You’re driving everyone out of the house, including Sebastian who could give birth any day

now.”

“I need everything to be perfect.”

Damian’s eyes went to the stockings hanging on the fireplace mantel. The names written in childish

handwriting seemed out of place with the elaborate decorations.

“Rian, no matter what, our families aren’t coming back. When are you going to accept that?”

“Never!” Rian turned his back to his friend.

“I’m heading to the diner to be with my friends and grab lunch. I hope you take this time alone, in your

perfect world, to think about what matters most.” Damian slammed the door behind him when he walked

out.

* * * *

Rian collapsed to the floor and stared at the room before him. It was perfect. From the drapes to the

table runner. If it was so perfect why did it feel so wrong? It was quiet. It had been a long time since the

house was this quiet. Back when Liam’s father ran the pride it was a common occurrence, but not recently.

Not his with his misfits living here. He didn’t like it growing up and he didn’t like it now.

He got up and looked around the room. He couldn’t put his finger on what was missing. He had made

sure that the napkin rings matched the candelabra. The punch bowl sparkled. The lights in the chandelier

dimmed. The tree was a work of art, each bulb perfectly spaced apart.

Throwing up his arms in frustration he went to sit down on the sofa and remembered last minute he had

just vacuumed it. In his effort to preserve his slip cover he missed the sofa and hit the floor. He looked up

and grinned only to realize he was alone. There was no one there to razz him. He finally figured out what

was missing. His friends.

He jumped to his feet and grabbed his coat. You could have the most beautifully decorated house in the

world, but that is all it would remain. A house. What made it a home was friends and family and that’s what