Firebird-Part Twenty-Three
Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA Chase
Part Twenty-Three:
Rue kissed Vlatko back with all the pent up emotion he had inside. He hated talking about his mother and how she threw him away on the street. It made him revert to that five-year-old, feeling as if he was worthless. Surviving the first year on his own had been hard, but he learned valuable lessons and figured out just how tough he was.
Vlatko sipped from his mouth as if drinking the finest Tharanon wine. Rue moved, straddling Vlatko’s large thighs. They both moaned as their leather covered cocks rubbed against each other. He rocked, building the friction and heat. He didn’t want to take it slow. He needed Vlatko to take him hard and fast.
“Now.” Rue shot to his feet and ripped the buttons open on his pants. Tugging them down, he managed to get them off without falling over.
Vlatko didn’t say anything, just got naked. He seemed to understand how Rue was feeling. Vlatko stood, gesturing to Rue. Rue knelt on the couch, pressing his chest to the back of the furniture and offering his ass to the large man.
“Vlatko, I want you now,” Rue demanded when Valtko hesitated.
“I don’t want to hurt you, babe. We need some lube.” A rough hand caressed his ass.
Rue trembled. He didn’t want to wait. The pain didn’t scare him. He’d felt it before. He needed to have Vlatko buried deep in him. Shaking his head, he reached back, trying to grip Vlatko’s cock. “You won’t. I want you in me now. Don’t be gentle.”
The hot breath of Vlatko’s sigh warmed the nape of Rue’s neck. Thick fingers teased Rue’s hole, stroking the sensitive ring of muscles. He whimpered and arched his back, trying to get Vlatko to push those fingers in.
“Hush.”
Two digits slid in and he groaned, leaning his forehead down to rest on the cushions. There was some pain, but he breathed and relaxed his body. Soon Vlatko’s tips brushed over Rue’s gland.
“Shit.” Pleasure shot through him, overwhelming the pain.
Vlatko worked that spot for a few minutes until Rue was rocking back, fucking himself on Vlatko’s fingers. The big man murmured things into Rue’s ears, but the thief was slowly becoming lost in passion and lust. It was a shock when Vlatko pulled out, leaving Rue feeling empty.
“No,” he protested, his body begging for more.
“Don’t worry, darling. I’ll take care of you.”
He heard Vlatko spit and figured he was covering that wide cock with his own saliva to try and ease its way into Rue. For all that the man might have been a cold blooded killer, he did seem to take care of Rue, even when Rue didn’t want him to.
“Ready?”
The flared head of Vlatko’s cock rested at Rue’s opening. Rue nodded and pushed back as Vlatko rocked forward. The pain was almost too much to bear. He cried out and Vlatko stopped.
“I knew I should have gotten the lube. Just a second. I’m going to pull out and get it.”
“No.” Rue gritted his teeth and clenched his inner muscles. “Just keep going. It’ll be all right.”
“I’m hurting you.” A kiss brushed over the sweaty skin between Rue’s shoulder blades. “You’re the one person I’d never hurt in this entire fucking universe.”
He shook his head. “I’ve been hurt before.”
“Not by me.” Vlatko’s hands rested on Rue’s hips as he started to ease out.
“I need this to hurt, Vlatko. This time it needs to be me making the decision. Whenever it’s hurt before, it’s been because I’ve had no control over what was happening to me. By allowing you to do this to me, I’m take power.”
“So you’re exorcising some demon with me?”
Rue didn’t think Vlatko was angry. The man sounded more thoughtful than upset.
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
Vlatko slammed back in and Rue screamed. In seconds the pain was taken over by pleasure as Vlatko worked his cock’s head over Rue’s gland. He knew he would have bruises on his hips from where Vlatko’s fingers bit into his flesh. His balls tightened and pleasure pooled at the base of his spine. It wouldn’t be long now.
“Vlatko, I’m…”
One of those hard hands peeled off from his hips and fisted his cock in an almost painful grip. Two strokes in rhythm with Vlatko’s thrusts. Rue’s climax exploded through him. His vision darkened. He heard Vlatko grunt and cum filled his inner channel.
Just before he let the darkness take him, he reached back and stroked a trembling hand over Vlatko’s side. “Thank you.” Rue had an odd sense of security falling asleep in the arms of a killer.
The Fountain
Went and saw The Fountain last night. It was a visually stunning movie. The scenery was gorgeous. The plot on the other hand was convoluted and confusing. It kept jumping from three different time periods. C liked it. Of course, he enjoyed Solaris as well. I’m not a huge art film fan, so I thought it was okay. Unlike Solaris, I did get a grasp on what the director was trying to do with the movie. Solaris just plain confused me…lol.Got two short stories I’m working on right now. One is a shifter story that’ll go into an anthology with three others. We’re planning on submitting it to Aspen Mountain Press. This group I’m part of…ManLoveRomance….has decided to do at least four different anthologies as a sort of Thank you for AMP letting us put a gift basket together and give it away at their table during RT. We have cops, hustlers, vamps and shifters. It should be fun.
My other short story is a spy story. I have to admit I was inspired by Casino Royale. Though mine won’t have a lot of chasing bad guys and things like that. It’s going to be more about two spies recovering from their injuries and getting to know each other. 🙂
Don’t worry. I’m still working on Tony’s story. I’m not going to forget about him.
Hope everyone has a great Sunday. I have to clean, but I’m also going to be writing away on my works-in-progress.
Firebird-Part Twenty-Two
Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA ChasePart Twenty-Two-
After cleaning up, Vlatko and Rue cuddled on the couch in the underground chamber. Rue sat on Vlatko’s lap with those thin arms wrapped around his shoulders.
“So how old are you?” The thief’s question was soft.
“I’m thirty.” Vlatko ran his hand up and down Rue’s leg. The motion soothed the big man.
“When did you sign up to serve the I.U.M.?” The tone of Rue’s voice suggested that the man thought anyone who joined was crazy.
Vlatko shook his head. “I never signed on. Not really. I was created in an I.U.M. lab.”
Rue pushed away, his eyes registering a flare of unease. “You’re a clone?”
Vlatko shook his head again. “No. The scientists implanted a fertilized egg into one of their female breeders. They took me away from her right after she gave birth to me. I’ve never seen her.”
“That’s awful,” Rue murmured, running a hand over Vlatko’s chest.
“Why?” Vlatko frowned. “Is there something special about her?”
“She gave birth to you. I think that makes her damn special.” A bright smile graced Rue’s face.
“It wasn’t as if she was given a choice, Rue. The I.U.M.’s breeding stock is taken from the planets under their umbrella of power. Most are kidnapped and forced into carrying the fertilized eggs. Given the choice, she’d probably have cut me out of her woman and killed me. I was an alien creature living off her body.” Vlatko threaded his fingers through Rue’s blond curls.
“No mother should feel that way about her child.”
Vlatko could hear doubt and pain in Rue’s statement. “What about your mother?”
Rue stiffened and tried to climb off Vlatko’s lap. He encircled the thief’s waist with one arm, holding him to his body. He lifted that pointed chin and forced Rue to look at him.
“You should know by now that I’ll never judge you, not even by your own actions. Whatever happened to you when you were young was not your fault. Even though I’m motherless, I know that she should have protected you.” He pressed a soothing kiss over Rue’s trembling lips.
Rue nodded. “I’d still like to get up.”
Vlatko studied him for a moment and then let go. The thief stood up, staring down at the floor for a second before he started pacing. Vlatko leaned back. He understood that this was going to be hard for Rue. He doubted the man talked about his past very often. He wondered why Rue would choose to tell him. Giving his head a mental shake, Vlatko decided it didn’t matter. Sometimes a person just had to trust someone.
“My mom named me. She always told me she rued the day she ever slept with my father. She might have said that from the moment I was born, I don’t know, but I do know that when I was five, she dumped me on the street and told me she was done taking care of me.” Rue’s hands shook and as Vlatko watched, the thief wrapped his arms tight around his waist as if holding in emotions Rue didn’t want to escape.
Vlatko longed to get up, pull that slender body to his and just hold Rue tight. “She was a bitch, Rue. She should never have been allowed to have children.”
Rue shrugged. “You’re right, but I was five, Vlatko. What kind of monster throws a five-year-old out on the street to live? I’m lucky I managed to survive the first hour, much less a day. I learned how to steal well enough to feed myself. As I got older, I figured out other ways to support myself.” A blush tinged Rue’s cheeks.
Vlatko could imagine what other things Rue did to make money. With someone as pretty as Rue, the thief would find it easy to sell himself. A single tear rolled from those amber eyes and Vlatko stood, moving to catch the drop on his fingertip.
“Why are you crying?” He snuggled Rue’s shivering body tight to his. “Surviving is nothing to be ashamed of. We all do things we know we’ll be ashamed of later, but if it comes down to living or dying, there really is no choice.”
Rue’s eyes flared a deep orange and then he crushed his lips to Vlatko’s. It was an apology and a thank-you all in one. When they were both gasping for breath, Rue pulled back.
“By the time I was sixteen, I was pulling off big jobs and making good money, so I stopped doing everything else, focusing on stealing. I’m good at what I do.”
It wasn’t arrogance or false pride. Vlatko knew Rue was the best, just as Vlatko had been the best killer the I.U.M had ever created. He swept Rue into his arms and carried him back to the couch.
Rue traced the outline of Vlatko’s lips. “I’m glad the I.U.M. tagged me for this job. No matter how it ends, my life will never be the same again.”
Vlatko smiled down at Rue and a wave of feeling rushed through him. He didn’t know what to call it, but Vlatko knew that the man in his arms had come to mean the entire world to him. He cradled Rue’s face in his hands and kissed him.
Happy Thanksgiving
I know today is Thursday and you’re probably stopping by to read the next installment of Firebird. I’m sorry, but it’s been postponed a day. I promise a new one for you tomorrow.
Today is a day to give thanks for the wonderful things in our lives. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you who come to visit my blog every day. It’s because of you that I’m achieved any sort of success. I’m grateful for your support, whether it’s vocal or not. Just knowing you’re out there keeps me motivated.
I hope that no matter where you are today or whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, you take a little time out to think about your life and find even one thing to be thankful for. 🙂
Have a great day and I promise the next installment will be up tomorrow.
Firebird- Part Twenty-One
Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA Chase
Part Twenty-One-
“I’ll save you.”
Rue bit his tongue. What the hell was he thinking? He’d never thought about doing anything for anyone else. For twenty years of his life, the only one he looked after was himself. There was something about the man in his arms. Vlatko made Rue happy in a way no one else had in a long time.
“Why?” Vlatko’s hands pressed his.
“Why would I want to help save you?” Rue slid his hands down, stroking a slow path over the zipper on Vlatko’s pants.
“Yeah.” Vlatko chuckled. “And don’t tell me it’s because you love my cock. I’m sure you can get fucked anywhere in the universe, you don’t need to save my ass.”
“Ah, but what an ass it is. I know many a man who’d kill for a ride on your cock, but that’s not why I’m willing to help you out.” Rue shrugged. “To be honest, I can’t give you a good answer as why I’m willing to put my ass on the line and find a cure for you.”
Vlatko turned in his arms and cupped his chin. He gazed up into that dark face, searching for any sort of clue that Vlatko might care a little for him. Vlatko’s eyes shone with acceptance and fondness. Rue figured it was the first time anyone knew the truth of what he did for a living and didn’t scorn or judge him. Of course, Vlatko didn’t have any room to judge him.
Rue slipped his hand around the back of Vlatko’s head, tangling his fingers in the braids. Brushing a kiss over Vlatko’s cheek, he moved closer to the warm large body. He held his lips an inch away from Vlatko’s and said, “You see me.”
Their lips melded together in a soft kiss. Tongues stroked and teased while mouths slid against each other. Teeth nibbled. Rue wrapped his other hand around Vlatko’s waist and held on. Vlatko’s hands cupped his ass, lifting him up so their groins fit perfectly together. His leg twined around Vlatko’s muscled thigh to get even closer.
Vlatko’s hand pushed between them, fumbling with the buttons on Rue’s pants. The cool air rushed over his freed cock and he moaned. Warmth encompassed his flesh as Vlatko managed to undo his own zipper and pulled their cocks together. Groaning, Rue allowed his head to drop forward, resting on Vlatko’s broad shoulder.
His sensitive cock rubbed over the calluses on Vlatko’s palm as he pumped his hips. Vlatko grunted, pushing harder against him. Pleasure raced down Rue’s spine to pool at the base. His balls tightened. His climax would be quick this time. Another stroke and this time Vlatko swiped his thumb over the flared head of Rue’s cock, teasing the weeping slit.
“Oh shit,” Rue cried out as his cum shot from him, coating Vlatko’s hand and their stomachs.
Another grunt and more wet warmth bathed their skin. Rue wrapped his arms tight around Vlatko’s shoulders. He found himself crushed in Vlatko’s embrace with gentle lips worshipping his mouth. He had the oddest urge to say words he’d never said to anyone before. Rue barely stopped from blurting it out. There was no way he could feel that way about this stranger he’d just met. He didn’t believe in love at first sight. He understood lust. It was an emotion that burned bright and fierce, but didn’t last long. Love didn’t exist as far as Rue could tell.
“Let’s go get cleaned up and have supper.” Vlatko swept him up in his arms. “Then we’ll talk. Who knows? You just might come up with a solution that no one for fifty years has been able to figure out.”
Rue snuggled into that strong warm embrace, silently praying to any god that might be listening. He wanted to find the solution to Vlatko’s death sentence. He didn’t want this unique man to die.
The firebird screeched behind them. Rue caught the predator’s gaze and it nodded its flaming head at him.
Black Panther
Some of you might remember this little scene I wrote for the Liquid Silver blog.
I thought I’d repost it here for others to read who didn’t get a chance to read it. I hope everyone had a great weekend. 🙂
Black Panther copyright (c)2006 TA Chase
The snap of a twig woke me up from my trance and I found that I had wandered away from the clearing. I could still hear my brothers and sisters chanting around the large bonfire. If we survived the night of the dark moon, we would become warriors in our village.
James Bond
Happy Saturday, everyone. I have to go to work for most of the day with hundreds of kids. I’m thrilled, but hopefully the day will go by quick.C and I went to see Casino Royale last night. Good movie, though the pacing sort of slowed down after the first half of the movie. I’ve only seen one other Bond movie, so I can’t judge how good Daniel Craig is as the famous secret agent, but I do know I find him attractive. I think it’s the same thing I find attractive about Viggo Mortenson. They’re not pretty boys. They’re rugged with rough edges. They come across as the type of men who really wouldn’t worry about getting hurt in a fight. 🙂
Haven’t gotten around to typing in Tony’s story, but I’m planning on doing that starting tomorrow.
I hope everyone has a great Saturday.
Firebird-Part Twenty
Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA Chase
Part Twenty-
Vlatko sat under the firebird’s tree, gazing up through the leaves to the sky. Rue had fallen asleep shortly after their shower together. Vlatko was restless and didn’t want to wait around, so he went for a walk. There were times when he hated not being able to sleep.
He was puzzled. Rue seemed to believe he’d be angry with him for seducing Stargazer and if Vlatko were a different person, he would be. But he couldn’t shake the feeling it would be like being angry at a fish for swimming. Rue did what he had to do to survive and Vlatko couldn’t argue with that. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
He hated thinking about life and emotions. He was a hired killer for fuck’s sake. What did he care about emotions? He didn’t need feelings to do his job. It wasn’t like he and the thief were committed partners. They had great sex between them. Did he want more than sex? He stared down at his hand. His fingers trembled and he could feel a hint of weakness in the muscles. Shaking his head, he knew he didn’t have time for a relationship.
The assassins the I.U.M. created didn’t live long. Their expectations out of life weren’t much. To do their job. Have a little fun along the way. They didn’t even expect to make friends. And when the end came, they wanted to be alone.
Vlatko had known on his last job that his time was running out. That’s why he deserted and came to this planet. He wanted to find a way to reverse the damage done to him. So far he’d failed and if he didn’t figure out the formula, the I.U.M. wouldn’t need to worry about the information he had. He’d be dead.
Rue crashed through the brush and dropped to his knees in front of Vlatko. “I’m sorry.”
Vlatko frowned. “Sorry for what?”
“For what I did with Stargazer. I shouldn’t have.” Rue hung his head.
Vlatko reached out and tilted the slender man’s chin so he could see those amber eyes. “You did what you needed to do to accomplish your goal. Would it make you feel better if I told you I was angry and hurt by what you did?”
Rue shook his head and gave a little grin. “Maybe if you could do it with more conviction, I’d actually believe you.” The thief leaned forward, kissing him. “For what it’s worth, I’ve never apologized to anyone for what I do.”
“I accept your apology for what it’s worth.” Vlatko embraced Rue, pulling the man on to his lap.
Rue snuggled close and rested his head on Vlatko’s shoulder. “Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be hard at work, typing away at your computer?”
“I needed some fresh air.” Vlatko shrugged. “I’m beginning to think it doesn’t matter how much work I do with my formulas, I won’t find an answer in the numbers.”
“What answer are you looking for? Maybe you just need a fresh perspective.”
Vlatko wondered if Rue was fishing for information to send to the I.U.M. A cramp in his arm told him it didn’t matter. He was closer to the end than he thought. “The liquid body armor is a good concept, at least on paper. But once injected into a human body, it begins to break down. Along the way, it contaminates its host and the cells collapse. The one thing the I.U.M. did to help save my life is eating me alive from the inside.”
Rue pushed back with a horrified look on his face. “That’s fucked up. What about your ability to heal? Doesn’t that counter-act the destruction of your cells?”
“Up to a certain point, it does, but after a while, the rate of destabilization overwhelms the rate of healing and it’s only a matter of time before the host is destroyed.”
Rue cradled Vlatko’s face in his hands. “But you’re the host. You’re dying. How can you sound so calm?”
“If I was calm about it, I wouldn’t have deserted. I wouldn’t be on this god-forsaken planet, doing research on something I can’t even begin to understand. There are a hundred other things I can accept, Rue, but my death isn’t one of them.” Vlatko set the thief away from him and rose to his feet.
He walked a few feet away and glared up at the firebird who was screeching from her nest. The bird never attacked him and he had to wonder if it was because the animal knew he was already dead. A pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist. Rue’s lips brushed his ear.
“I’ll save you.”
Chatting tonight and a new Review
Hey everyone, I’ll be chatting tonight at a party called ManLove Gang Bang. (awesome title, huh?) here’s the link if any of you would like to show up: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/literarynymphschat/ The party starts at 7 and goes until 11. A whole bunch of m/m authors will be there….including yours truly. Sean Michael, Laura Baumbach, Ally Blue, Jules Jones, Jet Mykles (just to name a few) Please stop by. I’m sure there’ll be prizes handed out as well.
And I got another review for Here Be Dragons. This one is from Isbelle at Romance Review Today Erotic. As soon as I find out the review’s been posted, I’ll put the live link up for you all, but it was a great review and she’s given me the perfect little snippet to use. 🙂 Here’s a little of what Isabelle has to say:
“HERE BE DRAGONS runs the gamut from pure poignancy to whimsical weirdness…one can only hope this is just the beginning of an interesting and very unusual series.”
Thank you, Isabelle. I love ‘runs the gamut from pure poignancy to whimsical weirdness’. I think that describes the book perfectly. 🙂 Did some more work on Tony’s story. I’m actually going to start typing it in to see exactly where I’m at word count wise.
I hope your Wednesday goes well and I’d be thrilled if any of you could make it to the chat tonight.
Firebird-Part Nineteen
Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA Chase
Part Nineteen-
One week later—
Rue stood in the middle of the fourth storage room. The lock had been an example of simplicity. He’d been picking locks of that caliber since he was ten. The instant he’d seen the four locks, he knew he wasn’t going to find the files in them. Vlatko was too smart a man to trust in the secrecy of the underground chamber, so the killer wouldn’t leave anything he really thought was valuable.
With a frustrated sigh, he put all the supply boxes back where he’d found them. Rue shut the door, locking it before he made his way down the hall to the main living room. The fifth locked door drew his attention. He hadn’t found a way to unlock it yet, but he still had two more weeks to figure it out.
“Vlatko must trust you an awful lot.”
The voice coming from down the hall made Rue jump. He turned to see Stargazer smiling at him.
“I think he trusts his safeguards more than me.” Rue saw the interest flare in the pale man’s eyes and an idea rushed through his head. “Vlatko is out with a hunting party. Would you like a drink?”
He turned and sauntered to the main living room. He made sure that with each step, his hips swayed, drawing Stargazer’s eyes. He would use the lust Vlatko’s partner felt for him to get information.
“Made yourself at home, I see.” Stargazer moved up behind Rue and brushed a hand over his ass.
Rue pushed back, just enough to encourage the man. He reached up to pull a bottle and some glasses out of the cupboard. He poured them shots of whiskey and began the seduction.
***
The water ran over Rue’s aching body. He braced his hands against the wall and he let his head hang down. He banged his fist against the tiles.
“What a fucking waste of time.”
Rue grabbed the soap and started to scrub the sweat off his skin. He should have known Vlatko wouldn’t have told Stargazer anything. The man didn’t even know what he was delivering to Vlatko.
“Did Stargazer tell you anything?”
Rue whirled to see Vlatko leaning against the door frame, arms folded and a quizzical look on his face.
“No.” Rue frowned. “I was an idiot to think you’d be stupid enough to tell him anything.”
“Ah, maybe, but you’ve made his year.” A smile appeared and Vlatko began to strip slowly.
Rue turned to face the man. “You’re okay with what I did?”
Shrugging, Vlatko stepped out of his pants and joined Rue in the shower. “I’m not surprised that you did it. Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. If I was as pretty as you, I’d use what the gods gave me.”
“You’re not pretty. You’re fucking gorgeous.” Rue wrapped his hand around the back of Vlatko’s head and brought the man’s mouth down to his.
Rue nibbled along Vlatko’s bottom lip. His hand tangled in dark hair covering the big man’s head. The bells and beads at the ends of Vlatko’s braids chimed as they hit together. Vlatko’s hands cupped his ass and squeezed.
Rue grimaced and pulled back a little. Vlatko stroked his rough palms over Rue’s sore muscles and gave a chuckle.
“Stargazer is a little rough.”
“You could have warned me.” Rue pinched Vlatko’s ass to give him a taste of pain.
“Now how was I supposed to know that you’d actually seduce the man?” Vlatko licked a drop of water off of Rue’s shoulder.
“Hey when I put my mind to it, I can seduce anyone.” Rue leaned back enough to allow Vlatko more skin to lick.
“Oh, I don’t doubt your ability. I just thought I’d scared Stargazer enough for him to leave you alone. You’re a prize worth risking his life for, I guess.” Vlatko flicked Rue’s nipple with the tip of his tongue.
“You’re not going to kill him.” Rue groaned as heat rushed through him.
“Mmm…” Vlatko didn’t answer him.
“Fuck.” Rue arched, thrusting his cock through Vlatko’s rough palm as the man stroked him.
Vlatko left Rue’s right nipple alone for a second to shoot him a grin. “That’s what I’m planning on doing to you.”
Rue’s eyes rolled and he shivered. His ass was sore from the pounding Stargazer gave him. His cock jerked as he imagined how much pain and pleasure he was going to get when he rode Vlatko’s thick pole.
“I can’t wait.”
