THE DARKEST HOUR
\nWritten by J.C. Owens
\nAug.11, 2011<\/p>\n
Nathan paused, sniffing the night air.
\nHe was returning home from weeks spent aboard his boat, and now, in the thick mist that was rolling in from the ocean, as he walked the faint familiar trails to his small house atop the cliffs, he realized he was not alone.
\nHis first instinct was to flee back down the cliffside, but within moments his senses told him that more than one had invaded his sanctuary. At least two, maybe more. One was below him, between him and his beloved boat. The other was waiting within the small cottage, not even trying to hide his presence.
\nThe energy signature of that one made the hair on the back of Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck rise in terror.
\nPaden.
\nNathan froze, frantically wracking his brain for a way out. He had thought himself safe, that the chase would have ended years ago. A hundred years ago at least. Instead, it seemed Paden was patient in his hunt, letting his prey assume that he was free.
\nHe stared blindly into the mist, his heart pounding with dread.
\nMore signatures appearing, six at least. Two more down at the shore, four around the cottage.
\nPaden was ensuring he could not run, could not again escape as he had so long ago.
\nNathan drew a deep breath, fighting down his own fears. He was no fighter, knew he could not take three of his kind in a battle to return to his boat. He was effectively trapped, neatly, and with so little fuss.
\nHe wanted to scream with fury and terror both, but he was no boy now. He would not give the bastard the satisfaction of such a response.
\nHe closed his eyes, trying to accept the realization that there would be no escape of this. This time, he would have to give in to what he had fought against so desperately all these years ago.
\nA growl rose in his throat, a faint release of his frustration, but in the end, there was nowhere to go but forward.
\nThe cottage door was open, firelight within offering a cheery welcome that made Nathan grit his teeth.
\nHow dare the bastard invade his sanctum, his refuge.
\nRefuge no longer.
\nNow only a trap.
\nHe paused at the door, taking a deep breath. He could feel the guards nearby in the darkness, watching him, waiting for the slightest hint of flight. A pained smile twisted his lips.
\nFlight was no longer an option.
\nHe stepped within, closing the door softly in his wake. He would rather that all and sundry did not witness this meeting. His humiliation could be assumed, but not witnessed.
\nPaden stood by the fireplace, tall and immaculate as always, one arm on the mantle, his face lit by the flames, casting his high cheekbones into sharp relief. The firelight made his eyes appear even more golden, his hair a black cloak down over his shoulders, brushing his waist in thick profusion.
\nWhen he looked up at last, those eyes pinned Nathan with power, freezing him on the spot.
\nNathan did not attempt to fight the compulsion, even when Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fingers gestured and Nathan felt himself walk forward, helpless.
\nPaden watched his approach with no expression on that lean, cold face, his eyes glinting, his control over the situation absolute.
\nWhen Nathan stood so close that he could feel the other male\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s breath, only then did the compulsion cease.
\nNathan tried to control the trembling that seemed to have seized his limbs as he stared into the depths of those eyes, but this had gone beyond any hope of courage.
\nLong, fine fingers grasped his chin, tilted his face up, the touch making him shudder.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153So long, my little one. So very long you have made me wait. I should really punish you \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but you have given me a good chase, a long hunt. Your punishment will be for other things, which we will discuss at length, or perhaps I should hand you back to your family for a few days. I am sure they would be pleased to teach you the meaning of honor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nSo beautiful that voice, low and strong. Sin itself. It had always been what Nathan feared most. Even without the power of compulsion, that voice could persuade anyone to do anything at all. Even sacrifice themselves.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There was no honor in selling their son. They did not understand the word, and neither did you, since you were the one to pursue the matter, even after you learned I wanted no part of you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Nathan felt proud of the steadiness of his voice, even if it wavered ever so slightly at the end.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My dear boy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Paden smiled, a slight tilt of those generous lips, though not even a hint of humor glinted in those mesmerizing eyes. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am their prince. They were proud to give me anything I wished, knowing how it would advance their status, their standing. How could you deny your parents, your siblings, such a change in their fortunes?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThe mockery in the low tone made Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fists clench.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Choose one of them then. They would be eager for your attentions, submissive to your will.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Scorn rang in Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words.
\nPaden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dark eyebrow rose and he stepped closer, his other hand slowly tracing down Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face, his neck, fingers dipping into his shirt, playing with the first button, ever so slowly unfastening it.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But it is you I fancy. It was you I coveted when first I saw you at that gathering so long ago. It is you that will be my consort, as should have been back then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nNathan quivered with the need to resist.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You fear what must be, my love.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words were gentle enough, but they fell like acid upon Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mind.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am not your damned love!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he spat, trying to step back, freezing once more as a powerful arm wrapped around his waist, holding him in place. Those golden eyes pinned him effortlessly, still no hint of anger in their depths despite Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words.
\nSo cursedly controlled.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have humored your fears, let you run wild all these years. I had hoped that you would come to your senses. Perhaps that was a mistake, perhaps I should have just taken you then, even if unwilling. You would have found there was nothing at all to protest against. You would have settled with time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nHe leaned closer, breath whispering over Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face, sweet breath, crisp with some scent of mint. Nathan closed his eyes, trying to deny the shiver that rippled up his spine, the desire that rose within him as it had so long ago.
\nIt was that desire that had terrified him then, as it did now.
\nPaden would take everything he was and possess it utterly. There would be no room for self, for freedom of will.
\nThe strength of the prince would crush all Nathan was.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Give in, my sweet one. There is no other way.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A hot tongue swept over Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck, Paden drawing a deep breath as he scented Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skin.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153All you need do is say yes to our union, give me permission for the initial marking. I will not take you into the viper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nest, my court, without everyone knowing who you belong to.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nNathan shuddered, finding his hands coming up in mute protest to press against Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chest, trying to gain some space, some thought. His fingers curled into the black silk shirt and he was unable to determine if he was rejecting the other or holding him desperately. Paden had always brought out the very worst in him.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are shaking.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The whisper caressed his ear, making Nathan turn his head in unconscious surrender, offering his neck without thought.
\nPaden laughed softly, no malice in the sound, only triumph.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Say yes, my little one. No more fear, no more running. Give yourself to me and all will be fine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nNathan stared blindly at the fire. He was so tired, so alone. What Paden offered suddenly seemed a haven. If his mind was taken from him, his will, would that be so bad, or would it be a release at last, an end to the misery he had endured for all his life?
\nHis kind could not die \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but this might be the closest thing.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he breathed, so very softly, hopelessly.
\nPaden drew him closer, satisfaction making his energy flare until it made Nathan flinch.
\nFingers returned to hold his jaw steady and he felt the prick of lethal fangs against his skin. There was the briefest moment that time seemed to stand still, both of them poised on the edge, and then Nathan cried out as he was pierced. He would have pulled away, virginal fear driving him from the intimate contact, but Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hold was unbreakable now, his superior strength very evident in that moment.
\nNathan moaned, the pain melting into a rush of pleasure that seemed to surge from the bite into every part of his body, making him arch into Paden, blindly clutching at him in a parody of lovers.
\nPaden moaned, gently sucking, before he drew Nathan down to the floor, laying him beneath him without ever breaking his intimate attachment.
\nNathan writhed, barely feeling his clothing being removed with smooth efficiency. The warmth of the fire wafted over his bare skin and he flung his head back, almost breaking free of the teeth that were so firmly entrenched within his neck.
\nPaden made a soothing sound in his throat, then slowly withdrew his fangs, licking his lips. Nathan could not help but look at him, feeling a surge of need and want as he watched that tongue clean the blood from that generous mouth.
\nPaden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes slowly became totally crimson, his face thinning into something more primal, the truth of their kind.
\nHe smeared his fingers through the blood that dripped from Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck, then his hand disappeared from sight, touching the entrance to Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body firmly.
\nNathan bucked, eyes wide, but Paden leaned down and took his lips with a force that made Nathan whimper, a sound he could never recall making before. His mouth was suddenly not his own, but Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, that hot tongue possessing every bit with dominant assurance.
\nHe scarcely felt the blood slicked finger that slid within his untried body. It was only as a second joined the first that it came to his attention and he tried to arch away from the uncomfortable sensations.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sssh,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Paden pulled back, let him breathe again, soothed, that voice working against Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fears with gentle efficiency. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Only this first time will there be pain, my love, and then, for all the ages, nothing but pleasure will my body give you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nNathan felt tears start to his eyes, the words appealing to the loneliest depths of his being. The prince sounded so \u00e2\u20ac\u201c caring \u00e2\u20ac\u201c such truth in his tone. Could it be that there was something more to this bonding than simple lust? Could it be that all these years, Paden had wanted him for something quite different than simply to own him, possess him like a toy?
\nPerhaps when he had stated that they were mates, he had meant something quite different than Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s terror had painted.
\nHis revelations kept him quiescent under that large powerful body, held him in place even when he felt those fingers retreat and the press of something much larger, much hotter.
\nPaden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shaft stretched his entrance to the point of pain, then over, before suddenly slipping within Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body. He arched, keening, his channel clenching against the intruder, its muscles struggling to eject the large phallus that violated it.
\nPaden whispered softly, words Nathan could not truly distinguish over his own discomfort, then large hands gently guided his legs around the other male\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s waist.
\nPaden leaned closer, licking gently over the bite mark and Nathan cried out, eyes rolling back in astonished wonder at the pure, undiluted pleasure that radiated from so simple a touch.
\nHis body relaxed and Paden took full advantage, surging forward with long strokes, then withdrawing briefly before pressing ever further into Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body.
\nNathan felt so full, so possessed \u00e2\u20ac\u201c so wanted \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in a way he could never have imagined.
\nIt was hard to remember why he had fought this for so long. This did not feel like he was being extinguished, owned \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it felt like he could fly.
\nHis hands rose to grip Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulders, feeling the sleek muscles shift through the silk as his lover began to thrust, deeper and harder with each movement. Nathan could feel Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heartbeat within him, the heat and power of that shaft joining them in a dance as old as time itself, as ancient and primal as their people.
\nThe fear faded away utterly and Nathan stared up into those red eyes, utterly transfixed at the deep emotion there, the stark need, the feral possessiveness emphasized by bared fangs. The energy Paden was exuding did not feel like mere lust, it felt like something deeper, something \u00e2\u20ac\u201c complete. Nathan could not formulate his thoughts enough to name that something, only that he seemed as deeply affected as Paden himself. Instead of destroying him, this felt right and good as though this were all he had ever needed to become himself, to move beyond his pathetic fears and pain and become who he had always been meant to be.
\nThe how and the why of it scarcely mattered; there was only Paden.
\nNathan wrapped his legs around his lover, feeling those lean hips flex with each thrust. The fact that Paden had never undressed, merely opening his pants, brought a whole new sensation to the act, emphasizing the impatience and dominance of the older male and making Nathan feel utterly desired and needed in a fashion he had never experienced before.
\nPaden truly wanted him; the energy that flared between them, twisting and melding into one force could not be hidden nor falsified. It was the truth of their kind, a silent conversation that clearly exposed their emotions to each other.
\nNathan wrapped his arms around his love\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck, dragging him down for a mind numbing kiss.
\nPaden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rhythm never faltered, his eyes never leaving Nathan, his power flaring so that it became hard to breathe in the small room, the air stifling in its intensity.
\nNathan caught his breath as Paden shifted, his angle changing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a silent scream contorted Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mouth, his eyes wide and wild.
\nPaden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s smile was all predator as he dipped his head, sank his fangs back into the mark upon Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck.
\nThis time Nathan did scream; an undulating wail of pure pleasure almost more than his mind could cope with.
\nThe newborn link to his prince slammed open completely and Nathan felt a oneness, a joy, knowledge that he would never be alone again, never without a love he had not believed possible.
\nThat he had tried to avoid this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c his own foolishness stunned him. Such a waste of time, time that could have been spent with Paden. Tears rose to his eyes and he clutched harder at the powerful body that blanketed him.
\nPaden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head rose slowly, his tongue bathing the wounds, before those amazing eyes softened and he kissed Nathan ever so gently, endless love in the gesture.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The past is just that, my love. Leave it be. Come with me now, mark me, make me yours so that all will know we are unbreakable, bound for all of eternity.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nNathan shuddered at the thought, not with fear but with blinding need. He tilted his hips, taking Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shaft deeper within him, making his mate moan with the feeling.
\nPaden gave the smallest smile, a mere tilting of those generous lips, but his eyes said it all.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 He slowly offered his neck, proud even in submission. No one else would ever be given such an opening, only Nathan.
\nNathan felt warmth rise to overwhelm him; that his prince would give him such trust, for among their kind, such a thing was not treated lightly. Trust at all was a rare and precious thing.
\nSinking his fingers into that beautiful thick hair, Nathan licked the skin that was presented so willingly, groaning at the taste.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I love you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he whispered, almost laughing with the uncontained joy that wanted to find voice.
\nHis fangs sank deep and blood spurted over his tongue, the taste, hot and sweet sweeping over his senses in a manner that he could not control, nor could he wish to.
\nEnergy sparked and swirled around them, power melded and honed into something greater than them both.
\nNathan could endure it no longer. Regretfully, he withdrew his bite, struggling to keep his eyes fixed upon Paden as pleasure overwhelmed him utterly, making his body arch helplessly, hot seed spattering over his belly and chest, coating Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s silk shirt in ribbons of white. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nathan, my love, my little one,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Paden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice broke, hoarse, and he shuddered, eyes rolling back into his head for long moments as he reached his own peak, pleasure intertwining with Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so that for soaring moments, they were one entity.
\nThey came down slowly, the link between them throbbing and pulsing as it learned its place, as it settled into something new and bright and clean.
\nTheir hearts slowed, their minds could finally think once more.
\nPaden reluctantly withdrew, both of them feeling a sense of loss at the intimacy that had brought them together so completely.
\nNathan wrapped arms around his lover and drew him close, their mouths meeting in the softest of kisses, a gentleness rare in their kind.
\nPaden stroked back Nathan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hair. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he whispered, the red of his eyes flaring brighter for long moments. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mine. My consort. You will return with me and rule at my side.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yours,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d agreed Nathan contentedly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As you are mine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nWith the wave of a long fingered hand, the fire extinguished and blessed darkness enfolded them both\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE DARKEST HOUR Written by J.C. Owens Aug.11, 2011 Nathan paused, sniffing the night air. He was returning home from weeks spent aboard his boat, and now, in the thick mist that was rolling in from the ocean, as he walked the faint familiar trails to his small house atop the cliffs, he realized he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":70,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-164","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/164\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/70"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcowensauthor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}