Neko-laus 2 : Toy Tiger

I will try to update quicker. Cinder: A Blood Nation Novel is being edited for publication for spring 2011.

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Playing the invalid had some perks I didn’t mind exploiting. From the twinkle in Mags’s eye and the tent in his pants, my King Ass didn’t mind it as much as he carried on about me being stuck to his side like a leech. He had no problems prying me off him once we were back in the somewhat limited sanctity of his quarters. About the only place where weren’t sensors was the bathroom. Showers and baths have suddenly become very popular with us. I have to be the cleanest Neko on the ship. Hubba hubba.

I played the broken little kitty that needed constant attention by my papa King Tiger and when they sent him off on assignment, mama Tiger took over babying duties. Suddenly I was a write off which was what Mags wanted. Wendy still wasn’t getting any assignments so the realization that he was doing his own more subdued final walk as the Empire’s Tiger made him toss in his lot with us. While Mags off the ship, I worried. He was diligent about taking his meds but I was getting paranoid. Maybe the pills weren’t working right? Maybe the dosage was changed because when the Empire finally sent Mags off on his last mission, they wanted it to be his LAST mission.

Plunk. I glared across the table at Wendy then looked down at the game peace he bounced off my forehead.

“What the hell was that for?”

“You’re looking to damned involved.”

“I am?”

“You are.”

“Really?”

“What the hell are you thinking about?”

I unconsciously rubbed my knuckles up and down the centre of my ribcage.

“Don’t.”

“What now?”

“When you think of Arthur you touch that Mage Mark.”

“It’s not a Mage Mark.”

“Listen up Nicholas, if it moves like a dog, barks like a dog, bites like a dog then calling it a cat isn’t going to change the fact that it’s a dog.”

I knew what Wendy was trying to say. I can only play broken for so long and Wendy was so damned easy to riley up. Like Mags he had that air of entitlement about him that I just loved to prick. “What’s a dog? Arthur’s a dog?”

“I did not say Arthur was a dog...I said that calling your Mage Mark anything other than what it is isn’t going to change the fact that it is still a Mage Mark.”

“So why are you talking about dogs?”

“I’m not talking about dogs. I’m trying to make a point.” Wendy lunged across the table and caught me by a handful of shirt front. He dragged me to my feet pulling me close enough to almost make me fall on the small table. He hissed his frustration into my face. “I know you’re not this stupid, Nicholas.”

Flipping my head, I knocked my hair back out of my eyes for a moment and caught Wendy’s stare evenly. “I’m not. Mags knows it and so do you but they don’t.” I gestured with my chin towards the opened door of King Tiger’s quarters. “Push me away.”

I thought I was going to have to employ a little bit of acting but Wendy really shoved me hard. I staggered backwards and ended up flopping on the couch. “Tiger! You’re wanted in command central. Now!”

I caught Wendy’s look of surprise. Command Central had basically forsaken him. There had been no contact since my little stint in the hold and his poor attempt at seduction. “Acknowledged.” He straightened up.

“Clean this mess up.” He kicked the game board knocking all the pieces flying. His eyes flashed at me then he turned on his heel and left Mags’s quarters. Wendy could be just a big an ass as Mags at times but for the most part he wasn’t bad to pal around with once he got over his belief that he was second only to his gods the King Tiger corp. Having a “Latent” kick his ass physically wasn’t humiliating enough so when he tried to go all magical on me, I stripped his power from him then while he was shocked and weak kicked his ass some more while Mags watched. After that incident we all agreed that it was better off for all of us if the Mage Division thought Wendy and me were at odds over Mags and an old love affair back when they were cadets.

I picked up a black plastic game piece and whipped it at the back of his head. It would have given him a good smack but the guard blocked it. “Watch yourself.” He pointed a finger at me and waited until Wendy was out of the room then shut the door to the quarters behind them. Which meant I was locked in for my own protection.

Poor, poor little Neko.

I snorted and went to bed.

My dreams were strange more than scary. I stood in the lush green warmth of the forest of the Wild. The unique scent of the air told me that it was near the end of the rainy season. The ran the woods the way I did when I was younger almost like an animal. I made noise but not much. Around me the wild was alive, warm and loud. When it was like this, I loved the place. It was when others got in the mix it made me irritated and terrified. I heard a crash off to the right. I dived behind a tree then crept around in the deep cover toward the noise. The ground was damp and sucked at my hands and feet as I manoeuvred closer. There were more snapping and shuffling…and growling? I’d never a growl like that before. I parted the leafy foliage. What the hell? What was a tiger doing in the Wild?

A full grown tiger was chained down to the ground. All four paws were shackled with heavy chains that were anchored into the ground with metal pegs. A heavy muzzle clamped it’s jaws together and a heavy weight attached underneath it dragged it’s majestic head down to the forest floor. He just laid there still and silent. A heard growling but it was on the other side of the large tiger. I pushed my way out of the brush to see what the commotion was. A tiger cub was tethered close to the large tiger. A muzzle was locked on it’s face as well but unlike the other tiger this little guy fought it. His head shook back and forth as he tried to get free. The cub used it’s whole weight dancing left and right almost spinning in a complete circle as it fought it’s capture.

I walked up to the large one...it lifted his head towards me. A long jagged scar cut his face and a milky white eye stared out from it. I took a step backwards. I didn’t expect that on this huge beast. The cub spun around and tried to back out of the muzzle coming up short and hard as he ran out of chain. There was a sharp cry of pain that urged me into motion before I even had the chance to think about it. Seeing me the little cub began fighting harder, twisting and jumping but not doing anything other than hurting itself against its bonds. If I pulled the spike anchoring the cub to the spot it would still have the chain hanging behind him threatening to get caught somewhere else. I needed to cut the straps off his head.

My hand closed around the chain. The cub felt the change in pressure and went absolutely crazy. Not only was he thrashing but I could see the claws out and slashing the air. That would not be a good thing against my skin. I couldn’t be considered musical but I could hum. A sad but hauntingly familiar tune came to my throat and I softly began to hum as my hand steadied the taut chain. The cub stilled in its panicked motions. Slowly I walked toward the little beast. A low adolescent rumble came back to me warning me off. I kept my grip on the chain but stopped moving. The soft song between us filled the small glen. Once the cub stopped growling I began slowly advancing.

Eyes the color of the sky glared at me. I kept humming as I extended my free hand toward him. The little bastard suddenly went from pulling to rushing at me. I barely got my knife out of the sheath when the cub hit me full force with the added weight of the chain slamming into my chin. We went down hard in a tangle of limbs and forelegs. I bit back a groan of pain as the cub’s hind legs raked my chest. I cut the side of his face as I brought the blade down between his body and the leather holding him. I got raked a little deeper so this time I jerked cutting the cub free from its bondage. It used my chest as a spring board to get off me. I curled on my side holding a hand to by bloodied chest. The cub bounded and twisted until finally the muzzle was knocked off his head.

My chest burned...it burned like it was on fire. The cub whirled around and took a solid four paw stand as it’s tail whipped back and forth. It’s blue eyes stared at me accusingly as if I was the one who chained it there.

“I’m the one who set you free!” I could feel blood seeping through my fingers as I held my sliced chest together.

Rooooowwrrr.

Even though the tiger cub was not even half grown it growled with enough menace to get me moving. That just meant that the cub got moving too. I wasn’t going to get out of the cub’s way. I didn’t want to kill it after going through all the trouble of freeing it but I wasn’t going to let it kill me either. The cub leapt high. I jerked forward and rammed my head hard. Instinctively I lashed out with my fist and connected with something warm.

“What the fuck was that for?”

Huh? I brought a hand to my head and winced. “Mags?”

The lushness of the forest dream clung to me like a vine but the throbbing in my skull and the burning of the tattoo on my chest and the fact that my knuckles ached from slamming into something brought me back to the here and now. There was swearing coming from the foot of the bed then golden hair broke the visual plain. Mags was shirtless and his own tattoo was glowing which would explain the shirtless part but he was holding a hand over his left eye.

“You punched me in the eye.”

“I was sleeping.”

“Having a nightmare more than likely. You were thrashing around on the bed and I tried to wake you up.”

I laid my hand over my chest. “Tried to fuck me more than likely. What the hell did you hit me with?”

“You headbutt me first then punched me in the eye. Where the hell is Wendell? I told him to keep an eye on you.”

I squinted over at Mags. One blue eye stared back at me colored with emotional distress. Which was odd because it was the same color blue, never changing in hue but now...

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, what? You just gave me that damned pitying look I hate.”

“I did?”

“Nicky.”

“In my dream, you were a tiger cub.”

“You were punching me in the eye in your dream?”

“I rescued you and you were shredding my chest with your claws. I should have stabbed you.”

Mags stilled. “You rescued me?”

“It was just a stupid dream. Hey...you’re back.” I knew it was a little to late but it was a greeting.

“What a little bruising between lovers?” Mags sat heavily on the bed then lowered his hand. “Is it going to bruise?”

I winced a bit. It wasn’t going to bruise, it was bruising and swelling. “Sorry. I was sleeping.”
I touched my tattoo and found it slightly tingling. “Uh, why was this burning?” I pointed to the cat and crown.

“I haven’t seen you in a week and I come back finding you nestled all soft and sexy in my bed. I was just accepting the invitation.”

I frowned. “So you lit me up without my consent?”

“You set me on fire first. I’m still burning, Nicky so if you aren’t going to let me into bed, I’m going to have to take care of business in the shower.”

“How fucking romantic.” I snorted back at him.

“How’s this...you’re cute, bend over.”

I stilled and stared back at him wide eyed. An eyebrow arched so imperiously over that blue tiger cub eye telling me that he knew that I shocked and that he was amused by it. Ah ha. So you think you know me, toy tiger. I allowed a sly smile quirk one side of my lips then turned over onto my hands and knees. I saw Mags’s Adam’s apple gulp as I looked over my shoulder through the strands of my hair.

“Like this?”

Mags looked like I kicked him in the face.

I rolled over to my side and arched in a full body stretch my hands reaching up for the headboard. “Maybe like this?”

Uhgh. Mags dropped on me driving me deeply into the mattress. He laid his entire weight on my hips then caught my head in his hands. Kissing was amazing. We had it down now. Mags zigged, I zagged and we both got the right around of tongue passing back and forth in our mouths. He was hard as a rock and twice as subtle.

“I can’t do anything if you don’t get off me.”

“I don’t want you to do anything...” Mags nipped my jaw line with teeth then licked his way to my ear. I shuddered as he hit a sensitive spot just behind my ear. He knew my best parts now quite intimately. Behind my ear. The hallow of my neck. Nipples suckled and laved to the point of pain. His hands slipped up under my tank and stroked the skin of my ribs and stomach. His finger tips slid down passed the waistband of my pants and cupped the top of my ass.

“...Maggie...” The heat of my tattoo flared hot then dropped down to a warmth as Mags pressed his cheek against the spot under my shirt. I speared one hand into his golden hair. It was longer.

“I want to taste you, Neko. I want to make you purr.”

“You sweet talker. You already said bend over.” I felt the breath of his chuckle on my stomach as he raised the hem and began lapping around my belly button. My muscles contracted as he stabbed the tip of his tongue there.

“Open your legs.” I did more than that when he finally pulled his hands off my ass and set about working the buttons free. I thought he was going to jerk my pants off instead his hand closed around me and pulled me free. Mag flickered his tongue over the head. I didn’t know I had a switch that turned off my spine located in the head of my cock. My one hand stayed locked on Mags’s hair as he licked, lapped and suckled me.

“ARTHUR!”

Whatthehell? I opened my eyes just in time to see Wendy come walking into the bedroom. Mags slurped off me turning with an annoyed expression on his face ready to tear a strip off of our unwanted vistor.

“Grant?” Mags grabbed his shirt and tossed it over my impressive lap. “What the hell happened?”

Now that I was fighting to think with my bigger head, Wendy looked like hell.

“I got my discharge papers after this last mission.”

“Shit, Grant. Where are they sending you?”

“Not just me, but my Latent.”

“You don’t have an Latent.”

“I do now. Neko-laus.”

“No fucking way.” I snarled at him.

“I have to agree with Nicky on that, Grant.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re coming too.” Wendy came fully into the bedroom and sat heavily on the end of the bed. “They’re sending us all out to die in a useless battle.”

“Where is this useless battle?”

Wendy pointed at me. “Where you got him from. They have been trying to capture other Latents out in the Wild but they have been getting their ass kicked in a very public manner.”

Mags wiped his mouth. “And when is this supposed to happen?”

The lights within the quarters turned crimson. I forgot all about my erection and my burning mage mark. I sat up alarmed.

Wendy shook his head. “Now.”

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