Page 7 of The Stars of the Pack

Except why would he even want it to end? He could stay here in this sticky, ethereal ecstasy forever. There was no time or place, even as the network of trees and animals and elements still surrounded them, there was only the now. This moment, his body under Josh’s capable hands and mouth worshipping him, his adoration a blanket no snow could penetrate.

“I love you so fucking much.”

The words seemed strange, like a joke compared to thefeeling, but Ray smiled dopily up at him anyway.

“Show me,” he asked, both a request and permission.

And then Josh stopped holding back.

***

HE’D COME ALL OVERhimself getting tongue fucked, and then Josh had licked him clean—teasing them both.

“Tell me what you want,” he’d whispered into Ray’s ear.

But Ray had shook his head. “You know.” He’d got his eyes open with some effort, seeing Josh’s hesitation and he’d waited for him to let go too; tolisten. Not just to the trees but to the bond between them, not just to Ray’s words but to his heart.

“You want me to?” Josh had said, as if not quite daring to hope. But Ray had waited again, he was fully open, to Josh and the world at large—he had no shame or fear left, he was who he was, and his desire deserved to be honoured as much as anything in him.

“You want me to fuck you,” Josh said at last, voice growing steadier, hands tightening on Ray’s hips and Ray got to watch the joy spread over his face as he understood it was true. Like Ray, Josh hadn’t truly known before, even after how long they’d been lovers.

He smiled, and only then, confirmed it, “I do.” He dug his heels into the back of Josh’s own legs. “I want you to fuck me until I can’t think of anything but you.”

Josh let out a sound, half growl and half groan and he was bending over and taking Ray’s mouth like an invading army, biting at his lips as much as licking. And Ray got his hands in his hair and pulled at him hard, wanting him closer and closer. He could be patient, but he was also just human.

Maybe Josh could sense his need, or maybe it was Josh who was desperate—he hadn’t come yet—because Ray felt one of his hands back between his buttocks. He sighed, clenching around Josh’s fingers like someone clinging to the edge of a cliff. It wasn’t quite right, he needed... But then Josh’s mouth was gone with a mumbled apology and he was curling up behind Ray, getting them both on their sides and Ray felt Josh’s jeans as they were dragged down against the bare back of his own legs.

And then Josh’s cock was a hard line of fire against the small of his back and like it was the key to unlocking him fully, Ray’s head fell back onto Josh’s shoulder even as his mate started pushing the head of his dick inside. Josh’s right hand was trapped under Ray, carefully helping him bear the weight of his belly, so it was his left that landed on his hip and pulled him back into the penetration, slick and sweet and endless, like his body had given up on barring the way completely.

Ray had been an omega for over six years, but he’d never known true surrender until that moment. He let go of everything, his muscles and his fears and his shields. He was absolutely open to receive and all he got was love, and even the frantic desire was just that—love, the need to be close and the bravery to let others close in turn. Because Josh was just as open as he was, his role just another piece of the same system—he was giving as much as he was receiving.

There could be no other way.

***

LAYING IN HIS ARMS, somehow protected from the chilly air by his own body’s ability to produce heat—or maybe the cold was his friend now too and wouldn’t bother him. They’d rolled off their coats halfway through the fucking, and he’d shot all over the pristine snow. They’d got right back on top of them as soon as the shock had worn off, but it had given Ray a clue.

“I think they want me to have the babies here.”

Josh was nuzzling at his collarbone, he couldn’t seem to stop touching Ray. “In this spot?”

“Yeah, I...” He didn’t think it mattered much where in the land he did it, but maybe the big oak wanted centre stage and Ray didn’t mind too much—if he was going to have a voyeur, an ancient and deeply powerful tree wasn’t too shabby. “I think maybe it wasn’t enough to bring the placenta back afterwards like I did with Cali. Or, like, not as powerful.” That was it, he knew, like he’d translated successfully from a foreign language. He’d always been jealous of Sergi and Iesu for being bilingual, now he suddenly appreciated the possible difficulties. “I think... It’s like the land is always creating, always putting energy into growing things, but so are we. Only we... we break, or we change stuff that nature has already made, like with the wood we used for the house. So it doesn’t... It counts, but not as much. But sex and birth...” And death, in its own way, the body going back to where it’d come from, from matter to energy once more. “They are pure creation, and doing it here in the wild... it’s... it’s giving back. It doesn’t cost us anything, we’d do it anyway, just like the trees would grow fruit, but it helps...” He swallowed, turning his face to rub his cheek against Josh’s sweaty hair. Goddess, he never wanted to stop touching him.

“The connection,” Josh said, solemn. Certain.

Ray realised he’d lost the thread of what he was saying. “Yes, exactly.” He was grinning, a little high still from the sex or the touch or the magic forest promising him everything.

“We can get a tent or something,” Josh suggested. “You want to get back in?”

“Mmm...” Ray said, but he was already pulling on his arm. He was pretty sure he could keep the cold at bay if Josh just came close again. “In a bit.”

***

THERE WOULD BE A LOTof explaining to do, possibly teaching. He wasn’t sure about the adults, but the kids could definitely learn to talk to the trees, even if they weren’t on the same level as he and Josh, they had the advantage of having been born on the land.

But for now, he had to sort out Christmas.

He knocked.

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