Chapter 2
#2 of The Mating Season: A Life of Dreams
Chapter 2
Roan bit into the peach and juice squirted, watering in his mouth and glossing his lips. He smiled as he licked his lips and chewed, regarding Theo with mischievous green eyes. Theo was sitting across from Roan, watching him and suffering silently. They were in their new home in the sun village, sitting in silence, listening with content to the birds that twittered outside, basking in the gentle beams of sunlight that reached through the open windows.
The two of them had just finished decorating, and all around, the colorful walls were hug with shelves, from the ceiling dangled woven baskets of flowers, cooking utensils, pots and pans. It was a modest home with one floor and two bedrooms. There was no kitchen but a fire pit in the sitting room and a pantry where Theo planned to store wine.
". . . and we could get more flowers," Theo was saying, but he watched Roan licking his lips and cleared his throat. Under the table, he could feel all the blood rushing to his groin. No one could quite eat a peach the way Roan could. With lips and tongue he sucked and licked, and his moans of appreciation made Theo swallow hard.
"I know how you love flowers," Theo went on, trying to ignore what was happening under the table.
Roan turned the peach around and bit the other side. His green eyes glanced up at Theo, sparkling and mischievous: he knew exactly what he was doing. Roan was trying to get Theo hard, and it was working: he licked the last bits of peach flesh from the large seed with a suggestive twist of his tongue, then dropped the seed to the table and licked his sticky fingers - each one, slowly. His green eyes never left Theo's face.
Theo had been trying hard the last ten minutes to have a serious conversation about their upcoming wedding, but Roan pushed his long black mane back, the tight muscles of his neck and shoulders flexed, and Theo felt his cock slap the underside of the table. He rose with a jerk and Roan grinned as he came to him.
Theo pulled Roan to his feet and pushed him against the wall. His paws touched in a sudden frenzy, grabbing his backside, smoothing up the muscles of his toned body. He buried kisses in Roan's neck, and Roan tilted his head back and sighed, twisting and squirming with pleasure as his lover touched him.
"Why do you do this to me," Theo whispered breathlessly. "Here I am," he said between kisses, "trying to discuss . . . the ceremony . . . we will remember . . . for the rest of our lives . . ."
Roan caught Theo's lips to his in a kiss. "Theo," he said, pressing his forehead to his. He smiled into his eyes. "Make love to me!"
Theo smiled. Now that they finally had some privacy, they had been screwing nonstop. This evening would be number twelve. Number eleven was in the bath after lunch. Number ten, Theo bent Roan over a table. Number nine, Theo laid Roan on the deerskins beside the fire and slowly side-fucked him as he jerked him off --
"Hurry!" Roan whispered breathlessly. He kissed Theo's lips. "Put it inside!"
Theo felt his cock spurt a little: he loved it when Roan begged. He licked Roan's neck and nudged his hard cock against him as his paws continued their frenzied caresses. He wanted it as desperately as Roan and let his lover know with an intense kiss.
"Mmm . . . Oh, Roan baby . . ."
"Put it in!" Roan breathed, curling his fingers in Theo's dark mane. He showered Theo's face with kisses.
Since their arrival in the sun village, the two of them had been living in Zaldon's home, with Zaldon, Julyan, Enya, and Yuri. While the children remained underage, they were guests in Zaldon's home and were charged to act accordingly: no hanky panky. In the sun village, sex before marriage was frowned upon. The whole point of the mating season in the sun village was to find one's life partner, thus wolves who had life partners were not expected to take mating seasons.
Because the two of them were underage and unmarried, Roan and Theo had been given the guidelines they were expected to follow in Zaldon's house: Zaldon forbade the four teenagers to have sex. Yuri was expected to return to her apprenticeship with Zaldon at once, and Roan and Theo joined the patrol, rising every morning to protect the village until dusk. Enya, meanwhile, spent much time with Julyan's sister Ceara and learned to fish. Ceara was the mistress of the craft and taught Enya everything she knew, until the girl was bringing home scores of fish over her shoulder.
Now both couples had homes and were awaiting their joint wedding ceremony, which would take place at the end of that week. They had lived with Zaldon for a year and all of them were now seventeen, living in modest dwellings not far from Zaldon's extravagant two-story home.
As Theo kissed and touched Roan in a frenzy, Roan looked around the room through hooded eyes and smiled. He loved their home. It was small and cozy and bursting with baskets of flowers. Roan had wanted to paint the walls multitudes of color, and Theo had happily obliged. One wall was orange as an orange, another opposite was avocado green, and still another was banana yellow.
Roan wrapped his leg around Theo's hip and trembled under his hungry kisses. Theo had always been a passionate lover, touching and kissing nonstop, insistent with his tongue, skilled with his fingers. How many times were they caught locked in an embrace because Roan could not contain himself for the pleasure? The last time they were caught, they'd been behind the bench in Zaldon's garden. While living with the great white wizard, the garden had been their favorite place to sneak for sex. Julyan caught them once when he was coming to care for the garden, and they were eternally grateful when he smiled and never said a word about it.
Roan tilted his head back against the wall, pushing out his chest as Theo kissed his neck. His lashes fluttered and he choked when Theo suddenly filled him. They rocked against the wall together, panting and moaning, manes falling in their eyes. With his leg still wrapped around Theo, Roan's tight and toned body twisted, and Theo's paw smoothed over his hard angles, gripped his hip tight and squeezed. He hunched his back, kissed Roan's chest, and punched his cock up deeper still. Roan's fingers tightened in Theo's back, and he sighed.
"Oh . . . Theo."
Theo smiled to see Roan so weak with pleasure. He braced an unsteady paw against the wall and planted careful kisses on Roan's face and neck, thinking all the while that he was too damn pretty to be real. Roan looked a great deal like his father and grandfather: he was a black wolf, with bright green eyes, a long mane, and a handsome face with a jaw that could stand out hard when he was angry. But unlike Kel and Kilyan, Roan's beauty had a sort of softness. There was a real gentleness about Roan that just wasn't in Kel and Kilyan. Where Kel and Kilyan were brooding and cynical, Roan was dreamy and optimistic. Where Kel and Kilyan were stern and barking, Roan was soft-spoken and shy. Theo knew that Roan hated being a warrior and had never had any interest in it. He once confessed that he was terrified of ever one day having to kill. Theo asked him what he'd do with his life if he wasn't a warrior. He remembered that Roan smiled and said, "I would fill the world with beauty."
"Azure . . ." Theo breathed, panting as they rocked. He cupped the back of Roan's head and kissed him.
"Azure?" Roan repeated when their lips parted.
Theo's dark smirking eyes glanced at the wall behind Roan. "We're fucking against the azure blue you wanted."
Roan glanced over his shoulder and laughed lightly. They had spent an entire day in the sun village's market, looking for azure blue paint. Weary after the long hunt, Roan had wanted to give up, but Theo insisted that they keep searching: he wanted to make sure Roan had everything he desired. Right down to the last strawberry at breakfast.
"If my back is blue," Roan said breathlessly, "I'll kill you."
Theo laughed. The paint was not still wet, of course. Still, Roan was very self-conscious about his fur. He hated to get anything in it and was very fussy about keeping clean. He loved to smooth his mane with mane oils, and sometimes late at night, Theo would find himself brushing Roan's glossy mane beside the fire and smiling as he breathed in his scent.
"Ah . . . Roan baby . . ."
"Oh, Theo . . . I'm coming . . ." Roan grimaced.
Theo glanced down: Roan's hard cock was dripping against his belly.
"Put your other thigh," Theo whispered between kisses, "on my hip . . ."
"But . . ."
Theo laughed. "I'm strong enough . . . I won't drop you, I promise." He smiled warm into Roan's eyes and thought he saw something in them melt. He saw love. And he saw trust. And in that moment, Roan looked so sweet and so young and so . . . beautiful. He wanted to capture that moment forever: Roan in his arms.
Roan hugged Theo's neck and carefully lifted his other leg onto his hip. He choked as Theo's cock plunged deeper, then Theo grabbed his backside in fistfuls and humped him slow and deep against the wall. His muscular thighs trembled as he slowly moved his hips to get in. He smiled at Roan and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Roan nibbled Theo's lip gently, then gasped as he came. He shivered happily when Theo kissed his neck and came after him.
"We should . . . save something for our wedding night . . ." laughed Theo breathlessly.
Roan's reply was to smile and nuzzle his nose against Theo's. Theo kissed him under the eye and he laughed.
With Roan still hugging him, Theo carried his lover to the barren fire pit and set him on his feet. They sat together on the deerskins spread there. Roan put his head on Theo's shoulder, and Theo put his arm around him.
"Just think of it, Theo," Roan whispered. "This is our home! I never thought I could be this happy. The paint is perfect. I'm so glad we kept looking for it."
"Is there anything else you want? Julyan said he'd make cake for the wedding. Real cake. Like at royal weddings."
"Really? That sounds wonderful!" Roan stared off happily a moment, not seeing it when Theo smiled at him fondly. "I can't wait to see Mom tomorrow. Everyone's coming early, did I tell you? They want to spend the week here. Mom's going to bring the baby. And Wynn too, of course. Granddad and Grandmom will come the day after, probably. They'll be delayed because Grandmom wants to make sure the sheep are taken care of."
"And Loryn is coming. With Kira."
"Yes . . ." Roan looked at Theo with warm green eyes. "Loryn has to come. He's the reason we're together." He closed his paw over Theo's and they smiled at each other.
"And Zane. He's your best male."
Roan snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's still up for debate."
"Don't tell me you two argued again."
"No, no . . ." Roan said lightly, looking away. "It's just . . . if he cracks any tail chaser jokes, I'll have to hit him. Not on my special day, dammit!"
Theo laughed and hugged Roan tighter in his arm. "He'll behave, I promise."
"No, he won't. I know my brother. He'll get drunk and give an embarrassing toast - then fall asleep with his face in someone's tits."
Theo grinned broadly. "Tits? Oh, I've been a bad, bad influence on you, lover."
Roan shrugged and laughed. "It's true. He'll get wasted and make an ass of himself. But Zane's grandfather is coming," he added hopefully, "and his mother will be there. Ohana and Lynny will keep him in line." He sighed dismally. "Or try."
"And Keeno's family. You invited our favorite arrow wolves, didn't you?" Theo said playfully.
"They're naturally on Enya's list, but she put me in charge of sending out her cockamamie invitations," Roan said, waving an exasperated paw, "so I did."
"I hope we have enough seating. We reserved the great balcony - the one on the west side of the village. The other was taken."
Roan moaned.
"I know, baby," Theo said, squeezing him in his arm again. "The one on the east has the better view, but any view is a good view when you're around."
"Oh, Theo . . ." Roan looked at him fondly, then kissed him on the cheek. He rested his head on his shoulder again and sighed. "Still . . . I wanted the damn view."
Theo laughed. "Enya broke her neck trying to reserve the other balcony for us. Be sure to grovel next time you see her."
"The rings!" Roan said, suddenly lifting his head. His green eyes popped.
"Take a breath," Theo said playfully and rubbed Roan's back. "Relax, babe. I'm picking them up tomorrow."
Roan slumped, relieved. He was very excited when he learned they could have rings. Exchanging rings as tokens of love was a sun wolf custom - and one of Roan's favorites. Sun wolves presented their spouses a piece of gold jewelry every year, symbolizing the idea that their love grew as did the amount of jewelry. Wolves in the sun village who wore many rings were considered very loved by their spouses - and if they were single, they were considered very vain.
"After I see your folks at Zaldon's," Theo went on, "I'll go and get the rings."
"I can't wait until we're wearing them," Roan whispered happily and smoothed his paw over Theo's.
Theo smiled, happy to see Roan so glowing and excited. But there was something sad about Theo's smile as well. Anytime Roan talked about his family, Theo looked that way, and Roan could only suspect he was thinking about his own family.
Roan frowned with concern and rubbed his paw down Theo's thigh to his knee. "But there was something else you wanted to tell me. You've been trying to all afternoon --"
"But you were so busy eating peaches." He rubbed Roan's arm and kissed his head. "Sexily eating peaches."
Roan grinned. "I grew those peaches, you know -- not Julyan!" he said proudly. "And they are perfect. Firm, plump, blushing peaches --"
"Stop it. I'll get hard again."
Roan laughed. They both knew he had spent the last year learning to garden with Julyan. Males in the summer village did not learn to garden anymore than females were allowed to learn to hunt. In the sun village, however, anyone could learn any skill they wished. So while Enya was out learning to fish, Roan was learning to nurture life.
Roan smoothed his paw up Theo's thigh again. "What is it, Theo?"
"It's my parents."
A long silence fell between them. Theo didn't speak of his parents often. After Sade disowned Theo, they moved to the sun village and lived with Zaldon for a year, and during that entire year, Theo mentioned Sade maybe . . . twice. But Theo's mother wrote him regularly, and Zaldon even teleported her to the village to see him. Roan had been surprised when Amrosa hugged him - and even more surprised when she kissed him on the cheek and asked him to please look after her son.
"He likes his meat medium rare," Amrosa said, sniffling with tears, "and he hates berries in his oatmeal. If you forget those two things," she teased, "he's likely to leave you and come home to Mommy!"
Roan remembered laughing and promising to remember all of Theo's little quirks.
"What about your parents, sweetie?" Roan said after a pause. He knew Amrosa wanted to come to their wedding, but Sade would not allow her to. Sade hadn't even allowed her to visit the sun village: Zaldon had to bring her in secret.
"Dad changed his mind," Theo said in amazement.
Roan stared up at him.
"I know," Theo said, laughing weakly. He pushed his mane back from his face and stared at the opposite wall, still amazed.
Roan watched Theo and smiled. Theo was so handsome. He was a dark gray wolf with intense black eyes, eyes that were slanted prettily and lips that were always smirking. Roan's eyes raked over the hard muscles of Theo's chest and belly, and he found his mind drifting momentarily to the azure blue wall and their christening of it.
"Well, isn't that good news?" Roan said, smiling. He knew Theo had wanted to make up with his father for the longest time. Now was his chance.
When Roan said as much, Theo shrugged and dropped his paw from his mane. "I guess so," he said, glancing happily at Roan. "When my dad said he had no son . . . you know what that did to me."
Roan nodded, peering sympathetically up into Theo's face. In the last year, Theo had grown even taller than Roan. He had always been taller than Roan, but now he was impressively so. Roan's lashes fluttered to think that Theo was also bigger and stronger, for he had thrown himself into his warrior training with a grim zeal. Roan knew it was because of Sade: Theo had spent the last year doing everything he could to avoid thinking of Sade.
In the silence that followed, Theo held Roan in his arm and slowly plunged his fingers through his fur. Peace and content washed over them as they became aware of the fading of light and birdsong. Dusk swept purple across the sky. Out in the streets, wolves were walking home or going to patrol. Roan had patrol that night. He sighed sadly: he didn't want to go.
"I should start dinner," Theo said eventually. "You've got patrol soon."
"What if I don't go?"
Theo looked at him curiously. ". . . you're serious," he said, lifting his brows to see the bitter look on Roan's face. "And you've been thinking about this."
"Yes . . ." Roan admitted, lowering his lashes.
Theo frowned and touched his chin. "Since Yuri and Enya were almost stoned . . . the battle on the cliff."
"Yes," Roan repeated. He was never the same after that day. Before that dismal day, he had never seen bloodshed, battle, or the resulting carnage. But seeing all those wolves torn to pieces by Yuri's magic . . . it was something that stayed with him for a year. And he didn't think it was going to leave.
"I saw Keeno killing," Roan whispered, though he had told Theo these things before, "with a cold viciousness I'd never thought he was capable of. Grandpa too. And when Zaldon got hurt . . . and then Zane." Roan shook his head, hardly noticing when Theo frowned sympathetically and stroked his mane. "Seeing them hurt like that, I'd never been so scared in my life. And I realized that . . . if that is what it means to be a warrior . . . then I don't want to."
"You speak to Kel about this?"
"Grandpa?" Roan shook his head slowly. "He wouldn't understand. Grandpa has been a warrior all his life and knows nothing else. If I told him I wanted to sell flowers in the market until I was old and shriveled, he'd give me one of those looks."
Theo didn't need to ask what look. Whenever Kel's loved ones did something he didn't approve of - and that he could not stop - he would get a look as if he was restraining himself from lecturing. When Roan and Theo decided to paint their bedroom turquoise . . . he got the look.
The family had been to visit several times over the last year. Keeno and Zalia came to see Enya, while Kilyan, Lea, and Ohana came for Roan, often bringing along Wynn, Inden, and Zane. The family was able to visit in large groups because Zaldon had finally learned to open a portal. Such a feat usually took years to learn, but Zaldon accelerated the process by using a staff to focus his magical energy - a special staff gifted to him by his teacher, the sorceress Fedesda.
"Sell your flowers, babe," Theo said and kissed Roan on the head. He dropped his head on Roan's as he held him. "After the wedding, when we're settled in. Don't tell Kel at the wedding. Wait til he goes home . . . then tell him in a letter."
Roan laughed. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"I'd be pretty useless if you thought of everything on your own."
Roan looked at him happily and cocked an eyebrow. "I can think of a few uses for you."
Theo kissed Roan softly on the lips. "You too. Roan . . . are you going to suck me on our wedding night?"
Roan bit his lip. It wasn't often that Roan gave Theo head. He had always been shy and self-conscious about it. He did not believe he was very good at it and was terrified of not being able to pleasure his lover as skillfully and effectively as he pleasured him. Theo almost laughed to think that the only time Roan had gotten up the nerve was when he was in a magic-induced coma a year ago.
"I wanna be awake this time when you blow me," Theo added, smiling.
Roan blushed a little. "Theo . . ."
"Anything you do with your lips and tongue will feel good," Theo said soothingly. "I promise. If you eat me the way you ate that peach . . . I'll be good to go."
Roan laughed boyishly. "I love you, Theo," he said helplessly.
Theo's heart skipped a beat. He kissed Roan playfully under the eye and smiled when he laughed again. "And I love you, babe."
Though he was no Julyan, Theo was a decent cook. They had supper together around the fire, smiling and talking quietly of the wedding and their new life. In their cozy little house, the firelight cast everything in a warm glow. They soon found that words turned to whispers, whispers turned to kisses, and instead of feeding themselves, they were feeding each other.
As Roan was preparing for patrol that night, Theo helped him smear on his war paint, placed the necklace with his name around his throat, and fetched his spear for him while he tied his mane back in a tail. Roan smiled and took his spear and they pecked on the lips.
"Come back at first light," Theo said. "Not a moment after."
Roan smiled and nodded, knowing that Theo hated it any time they had separate patrols: tomorrow, Theo would be heading out for morning patrol even as Roan was coming home.
"And if Bole flirts with you again, I'll kill him," Theo added.
Roan laughed lightly, but Theo looked irate. Until they were living in the sun village together, Roan had never before realized how jealous Theo could be. It was not so much that he was possessive, but he was certainly overprotective. They both knew that Roan did not put all of his heart into being a warrior, and this caused Theo to worry after him almost nonstop.
"I'll take care of Bole," Roan assured his lover and smoothed a soothing paw over his chest. He cupped his cheek. "You just worry about having breakfast ready for me in the morning!"
The irritation smoothed from Theo's handsome face and he laughed. "Alright, babe. Be safe . . . please."
"I will, sweetie," Roan promised. "I will."
Theo touched his face a moment. "Can you blame me?" he whispered. "You're the most important thing in the world. You are the world."
Roan smiled into his eyes. "I'll come back as soon as they cut me loose! Goodnight, Theo. Get some sleep."
Theo's eyes remained worried a moment, but he smiled. "Goodnight, Roan."
Roan smiled at him and went out the curtain.
Outside, night had fallen, and white stars winked in the inky black sky. Wolves had already lit the stone basins in the streets, and all along the row, the windows of houses were lit by fire. The streets, however, were empty when Roan started up them with his spear. He got one block before several wolves stepped out of the shadows and jumped him.