Page 5 of Abducting the Alien

“I said he’s drunk,” August said. “He’s going to sleep.”

Clay was led up some stairs and into a building that smelled warm and clean. He breathed the scents in greedily, committing them to memory as August hurried him through the house. But he never wanted to forget the first time he stepped into August’s home. His mate’s home.

And his private quarters, Clay could see now. August’s hands moved the wooly fabric from his face, then pulled it over his head entirely. His hands brushed against Clay’s horns again, drawing out a strange vocalization—a whiny, needy chirp as Clay leaned forward, tying to make contact with August.

It was hard to remember everything about the physiological changes that occurred with bonding. He’d learned about it so long ago and had spent much of his young adult life avoiding the thought entirely, afraid it might lead to accepting one of his parents’ mate prospects. But this feeling inside him now was impossible to ignore, needy and intense. Not only was his tail swelling, his slit pulsed as wetness gathered along the edges.

Maybe he could just tell August he’d like to mate. If the Earth movies he watched were any indication, Earthlings liked mating as much as anything else happening at a party, and Clay wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle this feeling without a guaranteed end.

“August?” Clay asked.

“What’s up?”

Before Clay could continue, someone burst through the door and jumped on August's back, wrapping an arm around his neck.

It was Jason. "We're gonna play Stump! You in?”

Something inside Clay turned dark and mealy. His hands curled into fists so tightly his claws bit into his palms, the scales on his forehead tightening and glittering. His teeth scraped together with a sharp, grating sound.

August turned just enough to put himself between Clay and the stranger’s line of sight. “Hey, I told you I gotta get this guy taken care of. We’ll watch from the roof.”

“You suck, dude,” Jason groaned.

August steered him into the hallway with a gentle shove and slipped back inside, shutting the door behind him.

“Sorry about that,” August said.

“Why did he do that?” Clay asked.

“Oh, he wants us to go play Stump. It’s a game. But I’d rather stay in here with you.”

“We can watch, if you want to keep your promise.”

August laughed. “Only if you want.”

Clay knew he needed to integrate himself into Earth culture as much as possible if he had any chance of convincing August to move back to Zengi with him. He had to show him their bond was a two-way street, and maybe party games were important to August. His friend Jason had spoken of nothing else since they got to the house.

So, despite his body’s desire to mate immediately, he nodded. “I do want. I want to learn.”

“Sweet,” August said.

They climbed onto the roof, settling on a spot with minimal slope. The tiles were made of a grippy material, keeping them in place. That, combined with August’s arm wrapped around his shoulder, Clay felt secure enough to relax some.

As they settled in and watched, August shifted so his feet were tucked under his body. Clay tried to sit the same way, but his tail got pinched under his leg because of the way it was tucked into his pants. It meant he sat leaning over slightly, using August’s thigh for balance. Every time parts of their bodies rubbed against each other, his tail rippled with swells of pleasure. He could barely breathe, his head clouded by the knowledge that he’d gone his whole life without feeling this.

Had he been denying himself just because he was angry with his parents?

But when he looked at August, big brown eyes crinkling at the edges as he cheered for someone whose big metal piece hit the small metal piece, he knew that wasn’t the case. August was the only one who could make him feel this way. August was his mate.

“So, the goal,” August said, “is to hit the nail with the hammer and drive it into the stump in one shot. You can get extra points if you do fancy throws, like that.” He was speaking quietly into Clay’s ear, laughing softly when one of the humans dropped the hammer on their foot.

The feeling of August’s breath against his skin was as soft as the flutters of a winged lunavai. His tail swelled again, so tight within the confines of his pants that it ached, wishing to be freed. His slit was dripping, slick pooling between his legs, so wet he worried his cock would slip out on a hunt for his mate.

Clay bit his lip so hard his tooth pierced the skin, and he hurried to wipe away the black fluid seeping from his wound.

“Whoa, what happened?” August asked, reaching out to wipe Clay’s mouth clean.

“I bit my lip.”