Series of Death, Draft 02, CH 44 (Patreon)

Programming sexual appetites in Stalker 2.0 was giving Marlot a headache. Eating from another box that had been left at his doorstep wasn’t helping. The food was good; good enough he considered devoting time, once all this was over, to learning to bake. He wouldn’t make whatever that had been, with the multiple folded meats and greens they were wrapped around, and that sweet and sour sauce. Getting the meat that tender and looking like that was too much work, but to mix flavors, the way the dishes did, that he could manage with a little training.

And that was the problem. He looked at the empty meal box from Ataran, this time. Gorrek was spoiling him, and his program couldn’t account for it. How was he supposed to program this into it? Was it a hunting technique? Was it fattening his prey? Was it a method of seduction? Gorrek said it was to prove he was a good provider, but he wasn’t the one doing the hunting; or paying for the meal. If anything, this was about getting Marlot to eventually provide for him. He massaged his temple. If this wasn’t going to blow up his program, it might give him an aneurysm.

He eyed the box again. While the meat was good, the quantities left something to be desired. Still, it was stretching his food until he was ready for another hunt. He went to the cooler and pulled a small slice and looked for spices while it heated.

He knew it was fruitless; he didn’t have spices. He didn’t bake, so he had no need for them; but looking for the non-existent spices meant he didn’t have to think about the situation. While he ate, leaning against the counter, warm plate in hand, he considered his other problem and how it related to the lion.

Al’garinam’s mode of killing seemed to be catching his prey alone and by surprise. He couldn’t assume it always took place in the prey’s house, only that it was the most likely place, since every body was found there and, as far as he’d been about to find out, showed no indications they’d been moved. But without a blood trail, how likely was anyone to demonstrate it had been moved?

He considered hacking his way through every RI’s system. Trembor had made it clear there was no hope of changing his mind. So why was he still determine to do this the right way? To prove Trembor wrong? Revenge? He massaged his temple again and washed the plate.

Gorrek was never alone. When he wasn’t at work, the lion was with one male or another, if not more than one. Al’garinam might strike while Gorrek traveled to one of the males, but that seemed risky to Marlot. There was when he was surrounded by strangers, on the prowl for another male to add to his pride, which included him at the moment, Marlot reminded himself.

The advantage of being stalked by the lion, he thought as he dried the plate, was that it meant Al’garinam was close by too, waiting for his opportunity. Marlot only had to find a way of turning the wind on the hare and capturing while keeping the lion alive.

The thought of Gorrek being grateful kept Marlot awake far too late in the night.

* * * * *

“Please don’t run,” Marlot told the young wolf as the door slammed into his face. All he’d done was show his Registered Investigator’s ID to the wolf. Hezer was a few years out of cubhood; he worked in a factory and liked to surround himself with females.

He also enjoyed stalking those females without their consent.

Marlot cursed and shouldered the door open, then took off after the wolf. The house was small, a starter model similar to Marlot’s; a hall cutting the structure into two, living room on one side, kitchen and eating area on the other. A bedroom on both sides, then a shower room and the door leading to the yard.

Hezer was already out of the yard and into the alley; that wolf was fast. Youth, Marlot told himself as he turned into the alley. Hezer was young. It had nothing to do with Marlot’s own age. Someone screamed ahead and Marlot hurried.

He froze.

Two houses further, a lion held the wolf by the arm and Marlot’s chest swell painfully. Trembor, he’d come back. Everything would be as it used to be they—Gorrek smiled at him.

“Food or work?” the lion asked as Marlot forced himself to approach, swallowing the pain.

“Work.” He grabbed the wolf, who tried to bolt the moment Gorrek let go of him, but Marlot wasn’t letting go. “Don’t you ever work?”

“Let go of me,” the young wolf said. “You can’t do this to me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You ran,” Marlot replied, dragging him around the house.

“Duh,” the wolf replied. “Have you looked at yourself? I don’t want to be eaten.”

Gorrek smiled as he looked Marlot over, then licked his lips.

“Don’t,” he told the lion as he opened his mouth. “I don’t have the time for you right now.” He glared at the wolf. “As for you. The only advantage I have over you is experience. All I did was show you my ID, and you bolted. That doesn’t proclaim your innocence. Neither do the six females I spoke with. You have a bad habit of forcing yourself on people who aren’t interested in you.”

“Hey, they liked it! They’re saying that because I wouldn’t stay with them.”

“I don’t care about that, you can explain yourself to vice after you’ve paid the tax for that female you left to rot.”

“I didn’t mean for her to die!”

“And you can explain that to the processing agent.” Marlot smirked. “I’m sure they are going to be oh so lenient with you.”

“I like how assertive you are,” the lion said, smiling.

“It’s my job,” Marlot replied, ears folding back in annoyance against his will. “And you should be off doing yours instead of bothering me.”

“And am I bothering you?” Gorrek asked innocently.

Marlot glared at the lion. “Thank you for catching him. Now, I need to take him to the processing center so I can move on to writing my reports.”

“I’ll see you tonight then.”

Marlot froze. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve fed you for the last few days, I think it’s only fair you return the favor.” Gorrek canted an ear. “Don’t you think?”

“You know,” the young wolf said, “if you two want privacy, I’ll be happy to wait in the house.”

“You’re staying right here.”

As an answer, the wolf pulled and almost slipped out of Marlot’s grasp. “Fine,” he snapped at the lion, pulling the wolf back hard. “My place.” He dragged the wolf with him, feeling Gorrek’s eyes on him the entire way to his car.

The young wolf picked when Marlot reached in his jacket to tense for another bolt, but Marlot glared at him. “You try to run and you aren’t going to have to worry bout being processed or about vice, because I’m going to be serving you to the lion.”

The young wolf swallowed and settled down.

* * * * *

Marlot unlocked his house as he felt the presence behind him. He cursed silently; he didn’t want to deal with the lion. Not now, not ever. He tensed as a hand squeezed his shoulder.

“Hard day?” Gorrek asked.

Marlot sighed. “Just a lot of reports to file. Anytime a case crossed over to enforcer jurisdiction, the number of reports multiple.” He pushed the door open. “Come in,” he said, remaining to the side of the door.

“You don’t sound particularly enthusiastic to have me here.”

“You’re pushier than I like,” Marlot snapped.

“Right.” The lion sounded amused. “You’re used to a different kind of male.” Gorrek pushed Marlot into his own house. “When I see someone I want, I’m not afraid to go after him.”

Marlot stifled the sigh and tried to get his brain in gear. The lion was here and he wouldn’t get rid of him. He should use the opportunity to learn more about him, maybe scratch details that would help him get Stalker 2.0 to stop crashing anytime he tried to get it to predict the lion’s movements. Better yet, maybe Al’garinam would show up to kill the lion here and Marlot could fix all his problems at once.

He hung his jacket and headed for the kitchen. He pulled the two largest slabs of meat he had left and placed them in the heater.

“Cozy,” Gorrek commented, looking around.

“I’m not in your productivity bracket. This is all I can afford.” He would have upgraded, if Trembor hadn’t walked out on him for no reason. Something the two of them—he focused on looking for anything to make the meat tastier.

“It’s nice,” The lion said in his ear. “Intimate.” Marlot startled and glared at Gorrek, who smiled in return. “I like intimate.”

“I thought you liked crowded,” Marlot snapped. The lion tilted an ear and Marlot rolled his eyes. “How many males in that pride of yours? Thirteen?”

“Nineteen,” Gorrek answered without hesitation, and Marlot tried to determine if he knew the number that well, or had just made it up to unsettle him. And where was he hiding the other six? Marlot had been sure he’d found every male the lion was involved with. Did Gorrek count Marlot as one of those nineteen?

Marlot crossed his arms over his chest, forcing the lion to take a step back. “And how goes it work, this pride of yours? Every male knows about the others? They all share you and themselves? They’ve all approved the sharing?”

“Most know,” Gorrek answered with no trace of the discomfort Marlot had been looking for. He rested on the edge of the table. “Those who are more comfortable believing I love only them…” he smiled. “Well, who am I to shatter their illusions? I still fully satisfy them.” His smile softened. “We don’t have to talk about the others if you want this to be about only you and me.”

“I already know about them, I don’t see how you could convince me I’m the only one.”

Gorrek licked his lips. “But you’re willing to let me try?”

“No.” How had this become about Marlot being interested? He wasn’t. “I’m just trying to understand you. How that whole thing works. From what I saw, some of the males can’t even stand each other when you’re not around.”

Gorrek looked up, then nodded. “You mean Ormoul and Narian.” He smiled. He waggled his eyebrows. “The ocelot in the hallway.”

“Did he become number nineteen?”

The lion smiled enigmatically. “It was the first time meeting each other. I’d mentioned I was involved with others and both were curious about what that meant, so I decided to introduce them. It didn’t go as well as I’d hope, but they will get comfortable with the situation. They both love me after all, they’ll make it work.”

“And that’s what you expect of me too, I take it?” He turned to take plates out of the cupboard. “Get to know all of them? Get comfortable with them?” He snorted. “Let me guess, you’re going to expect me to have sex with all of them too?”

The lion’s scent reached Marlot before the body; desire, heat, lust. The musk of it was so thick breathing was difficult. “Have you been loved by more than one male?” the lion whispered in his ear, arms wrapping around him, pulling him against the chest, deeper into those scents. “Have you ever been loved to the point you don’t think you can stand it anymore, and then received more?” The muzzle moved down, pressed against Marlot’s neck, breathed in deeply, the arms tightening, possessing him.

Marlot swallowed, he needed to tell the lion to back off. He wasn’t interested. He didn’t want any of this. He wanted to be held, touched, bit. He wanted those hands to move further down so they would—

The heater dinged and Marlot shook himself. “Meat’s ready,” he said, voice cracking slightly.

Gorrek breathed him in deeply again. “Most definitely.”

Marlot realized his hand was still up, almost grasping the plates, so he took them down. The motion broke the contact between them and Marlot couldn’t believe what he’d thought, what he’d wanted the lion to do.

“Take a seat, this won’t be long.” He took a few seconds to breathe in air that wasn’t saturated with the lion’s musk. It would be hours before the air circulation system removed all trace of it from the kitchen, and Marlot wondered if he should shut it down.

It felt good to be wanted.

He plated the meat and placed one before the lion, who eyed the plain slab suspiciously.

“I expected something a little more,” he hesitated, “sophisticated?”

“I never claimed to have sophisticated tastes,” Marlot replied, smiling, feeling slightly better for putting the lion off. “You’re the one who made that assumption. This is the extent of my baking skill.”

“Well, a base can be built upon,” Gorrek said, starting on the meat.

Marlot chuckled, cutting into his. “It’s not much of a base. Any lower and I’d be serving it right out of the cooler.”

The lion shuddered. “Meat needs to be warm.”

Marlot watched him eat, surprised at the lack of protest.

Gorrek raised an eyebrow, nodding to the plate. “Just because I prefer my meat flavored with sauced and spices, it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate what’s offered.”

Marlot nodded and returned to eating, trying to chase the image of the two of them, gorging themselves on a fresh kill, then him licking the blood off the lion, being thorough in his cleaning, then being fed—

“If I’d agree to this.” Marlot couldn’t believe he’d gone there. It had been something he and Trembor shared, it had been theirs. But Trembor wasn’t here, wouldn’t be here anymore. Trembor didn’t want him anymore, and Gorrek did.

“If,” Marlot reiterated to counter the lion’s grin. “What would you expect from me?”

“To enjoy my company, to share pleasures with me.”

“The others?” Marlot asked between bites, trying to make the question casual.

“If what you want is for this to be only you and me, I’d be happy to prove I can make you believe there’s no one else involved.”

Marlot rubbed his temple. This wasn’t about a relationship, real or imaginary, he told himself, forced himself to remember when part of him pointed out it would mean not being alone anymore. If he got to know the others, he might even get along with them.

Was having sex with other males so wrong? Lions weren’t the only ones with multiple partners. And they didn’t have, shouldn’t be driven by their instinct. They could act against them when they told him something that led to misery. Yes, wolves mated to one person, but Trembor was the one who’d walked out. Why did Marlot’s instinct want to keep him alone? But was what was it the lion actually offered him? He might brag nice and hard about being able to convince him there was no one else, but in the end, he’d just be number twenty.

But it would mean he’d be close to the lion, very close, and that Al’garinam wouldn’t be able to get to him. Or at least that when he tried, Marlot would be there to catch him. And Trembor… why was he so insistent on doing this for that lion?

He reached for another bite and his plate was empty. Looking up, Gorrek was watching him, his plate also empty. How long since the lion had finished eating?

“Sorry,” Marlot grumbled, his burning ears folding back. “I didn’t mean to go silent.”

“It’s alright. I guess that it’s a significant decision for you.”

It shouldn’t be, Marlot told himself, taking the plates and placing them in the sink. He was free to enjoy whoever wanted him. Trembor wasn’t his concern anymore.

The arms wrapped themselves around him as he turned the water on. The lion pressed into his back. “It’s okay, there’s no hurry. We can take this at whatever speed makes you comfortable.”

The musk wrapped itself around Marlot again and told him how badly the lion wanted him, wanted this. How noble was he to fight that and let Marlot decide? If Marlot wanted something that badly would he resist? Even when Trembor told him to leave; when the lion had—

The nibbling on his neck sent his brain tumbling into pleasure, into his body’s sense, the scents of lust and desires, the hand on his stomach, the erection slowly grinding against his rear.

He was allowed to enjoy himself. He deserved to be touched, to have the tail strap undone so he could feel the heat of the erection directly. He wanted this. He wanted to be touched, to be needed, he wanted golden fur around him, to feel Trembor’s claws through his chest fur.

“Stop!” he cried out without meaning to.

Fuck! Why couldn’t Trembor stay out of his life? He’d walked away, abandoned him. The lion whispered something in his ear, grinding against him, the erection pushing his ass cheeks apart. “Stop,” Marlot repeated, conscious of the decision he made this time. He couldn’t do this while Trembor kept intruding. What if they were in the middle of the sex and he froze up?

The erection pressed further and Marlot shook the lion off. “I said stop, I’m not ready.” He grabbed his pants and turned to face the lion.

Irritation crossed Gorrek’s face, then was brought under control. His pants were around his ankles, his erection was slick, engorged.

“I’m sorry,” Gorrek said, hurrying to grab his pants and pull them up to cover himself. “I am so sorry. You smelled so… and you are so…” He looked away. “I really am sorry for getting carried away, for not hearing…”

“It’s okay, I…” Now it was Marlot who looked awake. How could he do this to the lion? He’d been nothing but understanding of the mess Marlot was. Sure, he was a little pushy, but as he’d said, he went after what he wanted. Marlot should shove Trembor into the deeper space of his mind and forget about him. Give himself over to this lion. This lion who so very clearly desired him.

“I’m just not ready,” he admitted, ears burning.

Gorrek nodded, and the silence stretched. Marlot tried to fill it with something, anything. Reach for him, he told himself. Silence was more bearable when it was intimate, not this chasm he’s stupidly created. That Trembor had created.

“I guess I should get going,” Gorrek said into the uncomfortable silence. “I have work in the morning.”

“Work?” Marlot swallowed, “or stalking me?”

The lion leveled his gaze on Marlot, eyes shining with emotions, with desires. “I think.” He smiled. “I think the stalking’s done.” Gorrek reached and cupped Marlot’s cheek before the fear overwhelmed the wolf and made him say something worse. He didn’t want the lion to stop wanting him. “I think now it’s time for me to be patient and wait for you to come to me.” He rubbed his muzzle against the side of Marlot’s head, then left the kitchen.

Call out to him, he cursed himself. Tell him to come back, if you let him walk away, you’re going to lose him. Tell him to take you, to do anything he wants to you. Do not let him leave again.

The door closed as Marlot turned and slammed his fist on the countertop.

“Fuck you, Trembor.” He slammed it again. “Fuck you for doing this to me, for abandoning me and then not letting me go. I hate you, do you hear me, I hate you!”

He crumbled against the cabinets, wanting his lion to hold him. Wanting to fix what had happened so golden fur would be wrapped around him, make him feel safe.

He didn’t want to be alone anymore, but he only wanted one lion to fill the void he felt. A golden one.

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