Primal Chase

Jay Williams loved living in the mountains. He loved waking up to the scent of pine. He relished how his cabin floorboards creaked under his footsteps. Even the early-morning chill only soothed by building a fire was refreshing. Nothing compared to chopping wood by the glow of the sunrise.

Most of all, he treasured the isolation. He hadn't always lived alone. There was a time when he woke cradled in another man's arms. But that chapter of his life was over now. That man was gone, and he was never coming back.

Jay tried not to think about it. He tried to enjoy his independence.

There were no nosy neighbors, late-night partiers, or salesmen to knock on his door. Unfortunately, there was also no cell phone reception. Or an internet connection. When he spoke to people, it was after a lengthy drive into town.

So when his jeep broke down as he was driving home, he was pissed.

"No, no, no," he muttered. "Come on, baby. Don't do this to me."

His jeep wasn't known for its reliability, but he liked to think it harbored sentimentality for him after everything they'd been through together. Unfortunately, it was only enough for him to steer onto the shoulder before the stuttering engine died completely.

He sighed, turning the key in the ignition. Nothing. No lights, no attempt to start. With a sigh, he met his own eyes in the rearview mirror. They blinked back at him, more grey than blue in the moonlight.

"At least it's a warm night."

He popped the hood and climbed from the jeep, scratching the dark stubble on his jaw. His boots thudded against the pavement. He didn't have a working flashlight. The one in the front passenger seat was dead. That was how Murphy's Law worked, after all. It kicked you when you were down.

A breeze lifted the hair from his forehead. It crept beneath his cargo jacket and the hem of his shirt. He shivered. Goose bumps broke out over his skin, making his hair stand on end. Warm or not, the air seemed charged tonight with static electricity.

Suddenly, there was an explosion and a brilliant flash of light beyond the treeline.

Jay jumped in surprise, instinctively crouching behind the jeep. It was like someone had set off a firecracker. The only difference was how this light didn't fade after the initial flash.

It pulsed, glistening like the Northern Lights. Violet. Magenta. Emerald.

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. What the hell?

He remained crouched for some time before deciding to investigate. Rational explanations ranged from partying campers to disco hunters, to hikers having a rave. Whatever it was, perhaps it came with a satellite phone and the number for a tow truck.

He rose to his full height, decision made. His first order of business was to slam the hood and lock up the jeep. He could only hope no car barreled around the corner in his absence. The chances of being rear-ended were slim, but there was an uneasy feeling in his gut nevertheless.

Twigs snapped under his boots as he hiked into the forest. The light grew brighter with every step, as if calling to him. Deep down, he knew it wasn't an earthly light. It flowed too easily. Weaving between trees like voltaic waves, it was beauty unto itself. As he drew closer, it began to retreat.

"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there? I don't mean to scare you. I just need a phone, or a CB radio."

There was no answer. The only sounds were those of rustling branches overhead.

Frowning, he ventured closer. There was an enormous pile of burning coals ahead. They dimmed before his eyes, disintegrating to ash. He stepped behind a tree to shield himself from the heat. Even midday in the summertime was cooler.

Curiosity eventually overwhelmed his reason. He peered around the tree. His heart skipped a beat, and sweat broke out on his brow. The ashes were moving.

Phoenix.

Alien.

Demon.

Whatever emerged from the ashes had the physique of a Greek God. He wouldn't have been surprised to learn that it was sculpted by the finest artists of the Renaissance period. But by the simplest definition, overlooking the contours of muscle, what emerged from the ashes was a man. A naked, dirty man.

Jay exhaled, pulling back to hide in the shadows. Adrenaline thrummed through his veins. Of everything he'd expected to see, a man bathing in coals didn't even rank.

He'd seen enough. He was going to back away slowly and return to his jeep, lock the doors, and hope another car came along before-

He gasped when a hand landed on his shoulder, spinning him around. The naked man stood before him, heat radiating from his skin. Before Jay could react, the man grabbed his head and yanked him forward into a kiss.

He opened his mouth to protest, but the man took advantage by plunging his tongue inside. It explored, swirling and flicking in ways that made Jay's eyes flutter. The man refused to let him go when he tried to pull away. Breathing harshly through his nose was the only alternative to passing out.

Jay gripped his biceps, fiery to the touch, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer. An electric jolt shot straight to his dick. He began to harden as the nerves were gently stimulated. Christ, it felt fantastic. Almost like phantom fingertips tickling his shaft and thumbing the head. Strange and unexpected, yes, but his knees threatened to buckle from the pleasure it gave him.

He flushed, heat spreading over his face and chest. While he wasn't the instigator here, he didn't want to give this man the wrong impression. That wouldn't end well for either of them. He was experiencing a natural response to unnatural stimuli. That was all.

He tried to pull away again, putting real effort into it this time. Instead of releasing him, the man thrust his tongue even farther into Jay's mouth, licking the back of his throat. He jerked in surprise, ninety percent certain that human tongues couldn't do that. His hips brushed against the man's naked thigh in the process. The friction made him groan.

Sweat trickled between his shoulder blades, over his back and below his waistline. His cock twitched when it trailed down the crease of his ass. He grunted into the kiss as his legs began to tremble. There were infinite ways he could imagine putting a long tongue to good use.

He pressed his hips forward, grinding, caught up in the ecstasy flooding through him. It wasn't merely affecting him physically, but mentally as well. His brain tingled. His chest swelled, heaving with something more than earth-scented air. It was like contact with this man somehow made him complete. The more contact they shared, the better he felt.

Logical whispers deep within his mind spoke of how wrong this was. He was kissing a naked stranger, if something akin to mouth sex could truly be called kissing. With every lick and prod, his balls tightened, drawing up. He just needed one more forward grind, one more stroke-

The man broke away from his lips as abruptly as he'd crushed them.

Jay would have fallen, if not for the arm that snaked around his waist. He stared at the man's lips, bitten pink and shiny. His own tongue darted out to taste lingering traces of musk. God, that was good. He needed more. He leaned forward to close the distance between them again.

But the man released him and stepped back.

Slightly put out, Jay shivered, his heart pounding rapidly. Whatever daze he'd fallen into faded away. He remained rock hard and aching, but he was distracted by the questions running through his mind. After untangling one from the others, he opened his mouth to speak.

"What the hell was that?"

"My apologies," the man said. "I needed to feel you. Taste you. I needed to know."

"Know what? If I can survive without air? You could have asked. The answer is no."

The man smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He looked a little sad. "Introductions are in order. My name is Skyler. I'm here to breed with you."

Jay blanched. "Excuse me?"

"Breed. Copulate. Mate."

"No, yeah, I got that." Jay ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. He must have crashed his car. Slammed his head against the steering wheel. It was the only explanation. Either that, or this guy was clinically insane. In either case, it might be best to play along.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Skyler, but I'm a man. Men don't breed with men. So, if mating for the sake of reproduction is what you're looking for, I'm not the one."

Skyler seemed to find him amusing. "I don't seek to conceive a child. I seek to conceive an entity of a non-corporeal nature. Many entities, in fact. Those that only stem from euphoria. The euphoria experienced during orgasm."

"Right." Hard though he was, his upstairs brain was rapidly catching up. This man was a psycho. A sex maniac

who happened to bathe in ashes and lure strangers into the forest.

Jay began to back away.

Skyler matched his every step.

Though he found it unnerving, he tried to keep his expression passive. "Well, that sounds like quite a mission, and I wish you the best of luck with it. I'm just going to go. I have friends expecting me. It was nice meeting you, but-"

"There is no one expecting you."

His stomach dropped. "What?"

"You are Jay Williams. You live alone and prefer to keep it that way. You have no close friends or sexual relationships, though you do enjoy pleasuring yourself on occasion. Under different circumstances, you would ravish me in a heartbeat. And the only reason you are here is because your jeep inexplicably stopped."

Shit.

Jay grasped half of that. Then he was done listening. He turned and began to run.

Did Skyler have a fantastic body? Perhaps. Was Skyler out of his damn mind? Hell, yes.

Jay wasn't about to bend over for him. He wasn't that kind of guy. He'd slept with three men. Ever. And two of those had been as a teenager.

There was a reason he lived alone. While he wasn't ready to confront that reason, it originated from letting someone penetrate the wall he'd built around himself.

And sex gave a whole new meaning to the word penetrate.

Even a glimpse of Skyler's dick had revealed him too well-endowed for someone with so little experience. It didn't matter how much Jay was fingered first - he shuddered with desire at the thought - he'd never be ready for something that big to fill him.

He cursed as a low branch whipped at his face. His steps were unsteady, made difficult by his arousal. It was stubbornly persistent. Trapped in the confines of his jeans, it throbbed, insisting he turn around. But his pride refused. If he had to ignore his primal desires to survive an encounter with some nut job, he would.

Without warning, the forest floor dropped out from under him. There was no time to slow before he was tumbling down a steep embankment, slamming against logs and crashing through brush. Pain radiated through his bones. His legs flailed for a foothold, but he was falling too quickly.

He grunted whenever his ribs absorbed the impact. The breath was stolen from him as he rolled to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Face down in decaying leaves, he was too stunned to move. He could only listen to rocks sliding down the embankment after him. Loosened earth showered ferns like rain.

Everything hurt. The throbbing between his thighs shifted to include his head and ribs. Scratches on his hands and face burned, but he was too busy trying to breathe to care.

He heard Skyler reach the crest of the embankment and pause. The mood had changed considerably. There was

a difference between a game of cat and mouse, and an honest-to-God injury. While Jay had been too panicked to accurately gauge the danger he was in before, there was no longer any doubt. He was hurt. And he'd been caught.

Bushes rustled nearby. Skyler had reached the bottom of the embankment. He knelt beside Jay, resting a hand on his shoulder. Even the light touch made him jerk. He tried to get up and run, but a sharp pain in his side made him face-plant instead. He couldn't run if he wanted to.

"Shhh," Skyler soothed him, caressing his cheekbone. "I know you're in pain. Tell me where it hurts."

Jay might have obeyed, if he could unclench his jaw. Labored breaths escaped through his teeth.

Skyler gripped his shoulder and hip, gently turning him onto his back. Jay went rigid when a fresh wave of pain washed over him. His erection was softening. There was something about being unable to breathe that reordered his body's priorities.

Skyler's hard-on was also wilting fast. At least he didn't get off on other people's pain.

Jay lifted his gaze to Skyler's face. He saw confusion there. Even a little hurt.

"Why did you run?" Skyler asked. "I offered you euphoria. Rhapsody. Elation beyond your wildest imaginings. And you ran. Injured yourself." He parted the flaps of Jay's jacket, leaning so moonlight encircled his head like a halo.

Jay was mesmerized, blinking heavily. He felt fingertips graze his lower abdomen as they slipped beneath the hem of his shirt. When his shirt was pushed up, cold air made his nipples harden. He shuddered as Skyler studied his chest. From the frown on his face, he didn't like what he saw. One of his hands reached out. Heat radiated from his skin.

"Don't-" Jay choked out, shifting a bit. "Don't touch me."

Skyler looked surprised. "I must touch you to heal you, Jay. How are you to create entities if you're in pain?"

"You're too hot. You'll burn me."

Skyler's eyes darkened. "Only in the best way, I assure you. You'll soon come to understand."

He rested his hand on Jay's ribs, his touch light. A soft glow emanated around it. It seemed to melt into Jay's skin, expanding over his chest and abdomen. The feeling was like pins and needles at first. It became a healing massage, regenerating his nerves without causing him pain. He shivered when it sank beneath his skin, penetrating his body, warming him through and through.

Any pain he'd felt vanished, leaving him almost numb. The only remaining feeling was that of a deep stretch. It made him very tired. The only place Skyler's touch didn't heal was his head. The ache there hadn't disappeared.

As if reading his thoughts, Skyler explained, "I apologize if your head hurts. The human brain is much too complex to renew without the risk of complications. The electrical impulses are fragile. I won't risk damaging them. They're too important in the creation of entities."

Jay blinked, hearing Skyler's words, but unable to process them. His vision blurred to shades divided by light. It was his first clue that something wasn't right. The pounding in his head was relentless, dragging him under. It was similar to being dragged under water while staring up at the clouds in the sky. They blurred more and more . . .

Pressure across his shoulders roused him enough to realize that Skyler was lifting him to an upright position. His jacket was stripped away, and his shirt pulled over his head. There wasn't a stitch of clothing above his waist to separate his skin from the night air.

"What-" he slurred, head lolling back. "What are you doing?"

Skyler cradled his head and shoulders. "Close your eyes. Rest, Jay. I only want to look you over for injuries I might have missed. It's important."

But there was something in Skyler's tone to suggest otherwise. A dark thread, laced with anticipation, and something more frightening: determination.

He began to shake as he was cradled closer. An arm reached under his legs to carry him. Hopefully to the road, where a car would stop and then drive them to the hospital. He could use a doctor right now. He should probably stay awake for the journey, in case they weren't headed for the road . . .

But as he was carried, the rocking motion began to lull him to sleep. Or ease him into unconsciousness. He was too dazed to pinpoint such a nuance.

His head fell against Skyler's chest, soaking up the warmth. A muscle flexed against his cheek and he felt the weight of a stare peering down at him. The rumbling chuckle that followed was almost enough to wake him.

Almost.

*

Jay returned to awareness slowly. There was an insistent pressure on his dick. A warm, kneading pressure that was somehow muffled and suppressed. He groaned, shifting his hips slightly.

It was then he felt the bed of earth beneath him. Something cushioned his head, for which he was grateful, but it didn't make the throbbing any more bearable. His head and shaft throbbed at the same time. One with pain, the other with pleasure. They grew more intense in a battle to drown one another out, breaking through his peaceful oblivion.

He cracked open his eyes. The overhang of a shallow cavern curved overhead. It didn't provide enough shade against the moon-rays, which suddenly seemed too bright. He clenched his eyes shut and turned his head.

"Jay?" Skyler asked, voice low. "Are you awake?"

There was a tugging at his waist. He heard leather being stripped from a buckle. Clinking brass.

Skyler was undoing his belt.

At the moment, that was fine with him. They had a war to wage against the pounding in his head. Nausea welled up in his gut when the pain became too much. If a questionable hooker had offered to blow him to chase away the pain, he would have accepted. But he didn't have a hooker. He had Skyler.

His teeth chattered. A whimper left his lips before he could silence it.

"I know, Jaybird. I know. I'm going to make you feel better."

Warmth blossomed in his chest. Jaybird. He'd forgotten the nickname until now. How had he forgotten? His former lover had called him Jaybird whenever they were in bed. Right up until the morning of the accident, and-

The throbbing in his head increased with a vengeance. His legs jostled as Skyler stripped him of his boots, jeans, and boxers. He felt a vague sense of embarrassment from being nude in front of a stranger. Doctors and nurses were one thing, but Skyler was no more a medical professional than he was a human. Humans didn't emit healing light from their hands.

"Oh, my God," Skyler breathed. "Look at you. You're amazing."

Jay opened his eyes again. He was a little confused as to why they weren't heading for the hospital. Too disoriented to be afraid. Just . . . curious. Despite the feelings coursing through him, he felt disassociated from reality. As if he were observing his life, instead of living it. None of this could be happening.

Skyler crawled to his side with all the grace of a predator. Heat from his skin warmed the air. He eyed the expanse of Jay's chest, gaze lingering on his nipples and abs. Slowly, almost as if unaware, his hands reached out to touch. Instead of healing, they caressed Jay's skin, mapping the plains and valleys of his chest.

The touch was so warm and soothing that it lulled him into a hypnotic state. He was neither asleep, nor fully awake. Only staring up at Skyler with hooded eyes, lost in the soporific effect of another man's touch. It was something he hadn't felt - hadn't allowed himself to feel - in a long time.

Hushed words fell from Skyler's lips. They were little more than a string of syllables, like the chant of an ancient healer. The whispers overlapped as his touch grew firmer, massaging, kneading Jay's chest and arms. He paid special attention to Jay's nipples, stroking the buds with his thumbs and stimulating the area around them.

Jay felt his cock twitch in response. The touch sparked a path of fire down his spine. There was something jarring about being stroked in an area normally so private, now so vulnerable. He hardened until it hurt. The breeze teased him, blowing only enough to keep him on edge.

Skyler moved his hands over Jay's lower abdomen. Over the muscles that tensed whenever he came. It was too much, and not enough. His breaths quickened, eyes fluttering closed. He clenched in anticipation, straining toward Skyler's fingertips. But they avoided touching his shaft, skating around it to stroke down his inner thighs.