His mind rushed back to the day he’d first arrived at the nest. It felt like a lifetime ago and, at the same time, as if it were just yesterday.
A few extra elders had sat on the other side of the table then. Other things were different, too. Kane wasn’t the same man. How he felt about the guy holding his hand had changed beyond all recognition. The circle had completed itself. He was back where he started.
The amount of self-control it took to stand in front of the elders and neither throw a temper tantrum nor run and hide, was almost more than Kane could manage. It was only Everet’s grip on his hand that kept him there. It was only his desire to be good for his master that made him try his best to keep his chin up and his heart from leaping out of his chest.
Everet squeezed his fingers.
Kane turned his head and glanced up at him.
The smile Everet gave him was worth whatever effort Kane needed to expend in order to meet the raven’s expectations.
Finally, Hamilton finished shuffling his papers around. He glared up at them over his glasses.
“Last time you stood before us, you convinced the council of elders to grant you permission to undertake an experiment.” Distaste dipped off his every syllable. “The experiment is over.”
No! Kane tensed. He swayed forward, more than a little tempted to grab hold of Hamilton’s lapels and shake him until he changed his mind.
“It is the opinion of the elders that Kane has proven that he can maintain the level of conduct required of him in order to be accepted into the nest as a free avian.” Hamilton couldn’t have sounded less pleased with the pronouncement if he’d spoken his own death sentence. “From this moment Kane is a free avian, with all the rights and freedoms that entails. He does not belong to Everet and is no longer under any kind of supervision.”
Hamilton stood up, turned on his heel and strode out of the room. The door in the far wall slammed closed in his wake.
Kane stood perfectly still. He was quite sure the death sentence Hamilton had announced was his own rather than the eagle’s. A life without Everet was…
“Kane, I know you’re scared right now, but you’re not going to run away.” Everet turned so they faced each other. His hand tightened around Kane’s fingers as if to make sure of that. His other hand came to rest on Kane’s shoulder. “This isn’t where it ends.”
“Yes, it is,” Kane whispered. “Hamilton said…” He looked up at Everet and forced himself to meet his gaze. “Hamilton can really do that? He can just wipe away everything we’ve…?”
“Some things,” Everet corrected. “Not everything.”
Kane swallowed. “What do I have left?” By supreme force of will, he kept his voice level and the majority of his emotions in check.
“The experiment is over,” Everet said. “The elders interest in our relationship is over, too…if you want it to be.”
Kane frowned. What he wanted mattered?
Someone cleared their throat.
Kane jerked his attention away from Everet. He’d almost forgotten that Ori and Raynard still sat on the other side of the table.
He turned back to Everet. It didn’t matter who was there, he had to sort things out with Everet. If other people heard him, that couldn’t be helped.
He looked up into Everet’s eyes. “I love you.”
Kane mentally cursed. He hadn’t intended to just blurt it out that way, but the words had been right there in the front of his head and he hadn’t been able to stop them escaping—not even if they made him look like the biggest idiot alive.
“I love you, too,” Everet said, very calmly, as if that should have been obvious.
“As I was about to say,” Raynard cut in. “As far as the elders are concerned, there’s no reason why the two of you can’t enter into a properly ratified contract, if that’s what you both want?”
Everet didn’t even glance in his direction. As important as Raynard’s words felt, Kane couldn’t even look away from Everet for long enough to blink let alone peer across the room at the other man.
“Hamilton was right about one thing,” Everet said, his voice suddenly turning gruff. “I can’t speak for you anymore. You’re a free avian. You have a choice.” He paused for several seconds, as if to allow Kane to process that. Finally, he spoke again. “Do you want to belong to me?”
As confident as Everet sounded, something in his eyes hinted he wasn’t as at ease as he might wish he was. Everet was scared.
That couldn’t go on. Kane needed him too much for Everet to be scared by anything. He loved him too much to let him feel any sort of pain.
Kane had to fix this! “Yes,” he rushed out. “To everything.”
As easily as that, Everet’s expression cleared. He might not grin often, but when he did, it was certainly worth the wait. Kane beamed back at him, success and relief mixing in his veins and making him dizzy.
“I’ll arrange for someone to visit you tomorrow and draw up a contact that you both find suitable,” Raynard offered. “I suspect you’ve both had enough excitement for today.”
“Thank you, sir.” Everet turned toward Raynard as he spoke.
“Kane?” That was Ori’s voice. Kane turned toward him.
“Everet has asked us to make sure that the contract is binding, that there be no way for either of you to leave it, except for the most serious of possible reasons. It’s the kind of contract that’s intended to last for life. Is that what you want?”
Kane turned back to Everet. “You asked them?”
Everet nodded, just once.
This was what Everet really wanted. Kane’s mind reeled with the knowledge. Everet hadn’t been landed with him. He hadn’t stepped in to rescue him from the cage. He hadn’t taken him on at the spur of the moment. Everet had planned this. He wanted him.
“Kane?” Ori prompted gently.
“Yes.” Kane nodded rapidly, as he glanced toward the swan. “That’s what I want.”
Ori smiled. His fingers twitched and Kane noticed that Ori had hooked them into the band of leather he wore around his neck, the way he’d seen him do so many times in the silver room.
“You’ve got the same kind of contract, haven’t you?” he asked.
Ori nodded. His grip on his collar tightened. He didn’t need words to explain what they’d chosen to commemorate their understanding.
Kane tugged on Everet’s hand. “I want a collar.”
Raynard chuckled. “So there is still a bit of the magpie left in him.”
Kane ignored him. So did Everet. The raven’s attention remained all on him.
“I’ll get you one,” Everet promised.
Raynard and Ori walked around the table. Hands were shaken. Raynard babbled on about something, and no doubt Everet listened to him very politely, but Kane’s mind was all on the prospect of getting the collar he wanted. Lifting one hand, he touched his neck, working out exactly where it would lay against his skin.
Yes, he’d have a collar—but not a boring black leather one like the swan wore…
Finally, Everet turned and walked toward the door. Apparently, there’d been enough talking. They were free to go. Kane was more than happy to leave, his hand still held within the raven’s slightly larger hand.
The heavy wood had barely closed behind them before Everet turned to him.
“Yes.”
Kane looked warily up at him “Yes?” he asked.
“Yes, you can have a silver collar,” Everet said. Lifting his left hand, he traced a fingertip along the same line Kane had followed around the front of his throat. “And it will glitter and sparkle beautifully. I promise.”
“You made me another promise yesterday,” Kane reminded him with a grin.
“I did?”
Kane nodded very seriously.
Everet’s eyes narrowed. “And what was it?”
“You said that, after we went to the meeting with the elders, we could go back to the silver room and get laid.”
“Did I?” Everet asked, far more relaxed now, his tone of voice completely off.
Kane shook his head sadly. “You’re a good master. But you’re a really bad liar.”
Everet blinked, doing his best to look innocent and uncomprehending.
Kane pushed his free hand against the raven’s chest. “Don’t tease! You know what I’m talking about.”
Everet hadn’t even swayed when Kane pushed him, but his hand automatically came up to rest on Kane’s back, keeping him steady and safe as naturally as any other man might breathe.
Kane leaned forward, rose up on his toes and whispered into Everet’s ear. “If you want me to get down on my knees, right here in front of everyone in the corridor and, very loudly, beg you to do everything you’ve ever done to me in the silver room all over again, in precise and graphic terms, I’m more than happy to do that.”
“Still trying to blackmail me, after all this time?” Everet asked. If he attempted to fake a stern tone of voice, he failed spectacularly. He was clearly as high on life and love as Kane felt.
“Nope. I’m just trying to hurry you the hell up. I want my daily dose of silver. And my daily dose of you, too.”
Everet laughed, looped his arm around Kane’s shoulders and turned them both toward the silver room. “Only one dose of me a day?”
Kane frowned. “My morning dose,” he corrected. “Which is very different to the afternoon dose, or the evening dose, or the happen to catch you in the shower dose, or the—”
“I get the idea,” Everet cut in, with another chuckle.
Kane grinned. Making Everet laugh felt good. Wearing a piece of silver Everet had given him around his neck would feel brilliant, too.
As they turned a corner, Kane slid his arm around the other man’s waist in return. For once, it didn’t even occur to him to try to pick his lover’s pocket, not even when this perfect opportunity presented itself to him.
He didn’t need to bother with that kind of stuff anymore. There was no need for him to think about stealing a damn thing. Not when he already had the life, the lover, and everything else he’d ever truly wanted.
About the Author
Kim Dare is a twenty-nine year old, full time writer from Wales (UK). First published in 2008, she has since released close to eighty BDSM erotic romance titles.
While most of Kim’s stories follow male/male relationships, she also writes about characters that enjoy male/female, female/male (female dominant), female/female and all kinds of ménage relationships. Kim’s titles have included contemporary stories, fairy-tale re-tellings, vampires, time travelers, werewolves and werelions—not to mention the occasional wereduck.
Regardless of the gender of her characters or the different genres they inhabit, from short stories to full-length novels, there are three things Kim always wants to give her characters—kink, love and a happy ending.
Kim loves to talk to her readers and can be found at http://kimdare.com.
Also Available from
Resplendence Publishing
Duck!
by Kim Dare
Raised among humans, Ori Jones only discovered he was an avian shifter six months ago. Unable to complete a full shift until he reaches his avian maturity, he still can’t be sure of his exact species.