Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Perrin strode through the house. He didn’t want to seem as though he were rushing, only as if he had somewhere to be. And that place was behind the screen in Oliver’s room. As much as he wanted to drop to his knees in the drawing room, there was no way he’d be able to hold back the stretch. His finger bones had already lengthened.

There was an ache in his jaw.

He lost control of his eyes, always the first thing to go, as soon as he’d seen Oliver.

It was lust and the gnawing hunger in his belly caused by the healing wound in his calf. And it was a terrible combination. What he should do was head toward the freshly stocked kitchen and help himself to a leg of lamb or something to tide himself over until the shifter returned from his hunt.

Until it was dark.

He was sure the staff had been briefed about Oliver and himself. But it was one thing to be aware of a ghoul on the property and another to come face-to-face with one in its feeding state. Which was why he needed the screen between him and Oliver.

And why he liked glory holes when hooking up with humans. It meant if his eyes changed or his skin stretched, they never saw, so they never reeled back in horror.

He jogged up the stairs, swung open the bedroom door, and scanned the room to check it was empty of servants. He stripped off his shirt and tossed it on the bed, kicked off his shoes, and shucked his pants and socks as he walked to the screen, only then removing his underwear, freeing his aching dick, and giving into the need to stretch.

His fingers lengthened, and his nails became claws. Spines erupted from each vertebra and pushed through his skin. His stomach growled, a hard knot of tension that could only be relieved by eating.

He dropped to his knees, dick bouncing with expectation.

Footsteps running up the stairs made him smile… Either Oliver hadn’t waited the five minutes, or he’d sprinted through the damn house. The younger man shut the bedroom door with enough force to rattle the window and turned the lock.

He listened as Oliver drew in a breath before taking another step.

“Are you in here?”

For an answer, Perrin slid the opening in the center panel across with one claw.

“Oh.” Oliver padded closer.

Oliver smelled like lust and smoke. He wanted to lick every inch of him and make him squirm with need. His fingers curled with anticipation as saliva filled his mouth.

He might have been lying when he said chicken hearts were his favorite snack. But that was the polite answer.

“Did you make this?” There was a note of wonder in his voice as he traced the edge of the hole with one finger .

“I repaired it.” His voice was raspier in this form. “One panel was destroyed, so I repurposed it.” This way, when it was set up, the two panels with the art were more visible, while the center one was plain black. He placed his palm over the hole, expecting Oliver to peek through. “If you’re walking in, you don’t look through the hole.”

“What do I do?”

“Unzip.”

“And then what? Stick my dick through and expect the other person to suck?”

Perrin gave a low laugh. “Trust me, they are waiting for a dick to suck. Sometimes they’ll offer their ass.”

“Do you?”

“No.” But he had fucked whatever was offered.

Oliver took a couple of steps to the side.

“Do not come around the screen.” He wouldn’t be able to pull everything back into place fast enough.

“I’m not scared of what you look like.”

That was easy for Oliver to say when he hadn’t seen him. “It’s about etiquette. This is anonymous…some people like the thrill, others need it that way.”

“You need it…do you…stretch when you have sex?”

“Mostly no, but I’m hungry and need to feed, and like you, lust makes things worse.” He fisted his length and stroked, needing less talking and more sucking.

Oliver’s fingers touched Perrin’s palm. “This seems kind of impersonal.”

“It is.”

“I can’t kiss you. Or touch you.”

“You get all touched out.” Perrin had thought it the perfect solution to both their problems.

“Yes…but I like the option. Now you’re there, and I’m here. And it feels kind of weird to expect you to?— ”

“I want to, or I wouldn’t be here waiting for my favorite snack.”

Oliver snorted. “And if I was behind the screen?”

“Then my dick would already be in the hole.”

“You’re blocking it.” Oliver tickled his palm.

Perrin pulled his hand away, but leaned in close so they were eye to eye as Oliver had done the same.

Oliver grinned. “Tricky.”

“So are you.” He smiled, glad he’d guessed Oliver’s next move correctly.

“Does your vision change along with your eyes?”

“Do you want a biology theory lesson on eyes or a practical on sex?” They were still staring at each other, making this the weirdest experience he’d ever had at a hole in a wall.

“Can I have both?”

“Not at the same time because I’d like my mouth to be full. Unless you’ve changed your mind?” He gripped the base of his dick, hoping that wasn’t the case because he needed the release.

“I haven’t changed my mind…I just don’t know how I feel about it.”

“You’re not going to know until you try.” But he remembered the way his stomach had bounced full of nerves the first time he’d stepped in and kneeled and waited. The thrill of the unknown, the need scouring through his veins. At least this place was quiet and clean, and no one was going to interrupt them. Nor was there anyone else waiting.

“Okay… But then we’re going to switch.”

That was not part of the plan. “What?”

“You can stay behind the screen, but I want to suck you.”

Perrin gave the head of his cock a squeeze, sure that Oliver was trying to kill him. “You want to check out my dick.”

“I do.”

He didn’t need to see Oliver’s face to hear the grin on his lips.