Into the Dark

A/N - Congratulations to Antaris, lady_jewel and Janx for guessing 'The Last Herald-Mage' (more specifically, Magic's Price) by Mercedes Lackey. If you've never read her books, go, now...well, read this chapter and then go. Amazing stuff. For you three, contact me on lady_divanora (at) yahoo . com to request your one-shots.

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Alex groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. What the hell had he done last night? He tried to think back, but nothing was coming to him. His normal routine didn't really change much on a daily basis, and it was rare for him to go out drinking Then he realized that he wasn't in his bed, and if the light breeze hitting him was any indication, he wasn't even in his apartment, or inside anywhere for that matter. Apprehensive of what he would see, he cracked open an eye. A huge field met his gaze, with no buildings in sight. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here. Alex sat up, and realized that his laptop bag and a bag of books were lying next to him. He groaned again and buried his head in his hands. The books – the bookstore – Jamie. He had finally gotten a date with someone who actually interested him, and he had unintentionally blown the poor guy off. He didn't even know where he was at this point. Or how he got there; which would be a valid concern as well.

He remembered walking home, but after that things went blank. Alex heard a familiar meow, and turned around the see Sascha walking up behind him. How the hell had she gotten here? The little tabby rubbed up against his back, and he reached back to scratch behind her ears. As ridiculous as it was, he was rather glad that she was here with him. It made him feel less alone, and a little less worried.

Perhaps he was dreaming? His dreams normally weren't this vivid, but he had no idea how he could have gotten out of the city, no less far enough that he couldn't even see the skyscrapers from here. Not that it mattered, it would be best to assume this was real; he would just need to find a road and a road sign, and he could get a taxi back to the city. It would be expensive, but there was no help for it. Then he could go to the bookstore and apologize profusely to Jamie. Of course, he would probably need to figure out what happened so he could have a reason for standing the other man up. He struggled to his feet, slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder, and picking up the bag of books and Sascha. Luckily she was still fairly small, and he tucked her in with his laptop. After squirming around a bit, she settled down and probably fell asleep. Lazy creature.

The field seemed endless, and after a short time he had stripped off his suit jacket and slung it over his bag. He was tempted to take the dress shirt off as well, but even though he hadn't seen another person since he woke up, he was still too self-conscious to strip down that much. The sun was just getting higher, though, so he figured he would have to give in and strip down even more eventually. Unless he reached the trees at the end of the field, but he figured he'd probably pass out before that happened. He was also famished; he hadn't had dinner the night before, and when he had woken up here there was obviously a distinct lack of anything resembling breakfast. His stomach grumbled in agreement, and he patted it sympathetically. With any luck, he'd get to a road soon, or at least some place where his cell worked. Just to check, he pulled it out again, but there was still no service. So much for the phone he bought having the most coverage, damn lying salesmen. Eventually, it got too hot, and stripped his shirt off as well; the sweat soaked garment joining his suit jacket tucked over his bag. With his luck, this is when he would run into someone else. At this point though, it would be worth the embarrassment just to be able to get home.

If it wasn't a dream, which Alex had pretty much given up on - because really, who sweated and felt hungry while they were dreaming – that meant it had been nearly a day since he had...been gone. While the first thing that went through his head was that he had inadvertently blown off the first man he had a date with in months, he had also realized that he had missed work as well. It would be his first real offense though, so he'd probably get a slap on the wrist, maybe written up, but hopefully he'd still have a job when he went back. He could kiss any possible promotions goodbye though; the timing was just too bad. After a short rest, he forced himself to get back to his feet and continue on. He wasn't going to get home just sitting around. Or who knows, given that he couldn't remember how he ended up here, maybe he could.

The sun was starting to set and Alex was no closer to finding a road or anything manmade. His phone refused to cooperate, and after spending the day in roam finally died completely. Sighing, he slipped it back in the bag. Now he would have to figure out where he was and find a phone. He was also getting nervous; he had never really enjoyed camping as a boy; and that was with the 'comforts' of a tent and fire and food. Now he was stuck out here with a dead phone, a useless laptop, and a kitten. He sat down and leaned against a tree. At the least he had made the woods, so he didn't feel quite so exposed. Realistically, Alex realized that one night spent outside wouldn't kill him, it just wouldn't be pleasant. As he settled down as comfortably as he could, Sascha crawled out of his bag and curled up in his lap. He absentmindedly pet her while wondering how he was going to get out of this predicament.
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Alex woke up the next morning, sprawled out on his stomach with the kitten nestled on his neck. Shifting her so that he could sit up, he realized that he had been woken up by the sound of something moving through the forest. It was most likely just a deer, or something else harmless, but Alex couldn't help but worry about if it was a mountain lion, or a wolf, or another predator. His entire bearing probably screamed 'prey'. Calming himself down, he realized it wasn't any of those things because it was clearly walking on two feet. Another person! Hopefully they had a phone and weren't a crazy serial killer like in the movies. Making a decision not to watch any scary movies after this, he carefully got to his feet, trying to make as little noise as possible. With any luck, he could figure out if the person was more likely to help him or slit his throat. The footsteps stopped though, and then he could hear the other coming closer. He cursed under his breath. Apparently he hadn't been quiet enough, and now all he could do was pray that whoever was there was normal - or at the least not violent. He fell silent, however, when they entered the small clearing.

What had entered wasn't human, although there were a few similarities. It actually looked like someone had combined a human and a cat; his (it was lacking any definitive female features, although Alex realized he couldn't really make assumptions at this point) triangular ears sat higher than a humans, and ended in black furred tufts that blended into his long black hair. The eyes were larger than a human's; with slit pupils. They were an amazing emerald green; he couldn't help noticing, and held a definite intelligent gleam in them. His face narrowed down, with a small, delicate nose and mouth. The male was tall and lithe, and held the same inherent grace that all felines seemed to have. Alex was tempted to ask if he always landed on his feet. Which, when he noticed gave him another shock. His feet were uncovered, and were clearly paws. His hands were similar, but looked like an elongated paw, with the thumb set much farther back than a human's. Without being able to look closer, Alex couldn't tell for certain, but he expected that the other probably had retractable claws as there were no fingernails at all.

His mouth continued to move but nothing came out. The newcomer tilted his head, and said something, but not in any language Alex had ever heard. The affect it had on him was unexpected however; he shivered at the sensual sound; it was husky and sounded like the purring voice one of his exes had loved to use on him. His reaction didn't go unnoticed, unfortunately, and he could see the other's pupils dilate, and the mouth tilt up in a smile. Knowing it was a bad idea, he took a step back. The cat-man's ears went back, and if he didn't know better, he'd think the other looked hurt at his motion. He took a step towards Alex, and said something else in that voice, clearly a question this time. Alex shook his head.

"I'm sorry; I have no idea what you're saying. Do you think I hit my head and this is all some hallucination? Maybe I'm sitting in the hospital now on life support or something. Morphine! That's it; I've heard that people hallucinate on morphine, that's probably what's happened."

The cat-man looked confused at his outburst; then took another few steps forward, talking in a low voice. Alex couldn't understand the words, but he recognized the tone of voice. It was the same voice he used on Sascha or his niece.

"Hey now, don't baby talk me! Damn hallucination. Okay, let's think logically. I'm hallucinating a sexy cat man person; that's got to have some deeper meaning. I'll be sure to ask a shrink or research it or something as soon as I wake up. The sexy part makes sense; it has been a while since I had a boyfriend. The cat part...doesn't make nearly as much sense. Maybe because the last thing I saw before I collapsed or whatever was Sascha? But I really would like to wake up now. I have a date tonight, you know." Alex was completely aware he was insane to be talking to his hallucination, and that he was babbling, but it was better than nothing, and at least he couldn't be said to be talking to himself.

With a start, Alex realized that the cat man was laughing at him. He scowled, but at least the other had stopped moving closer. The other's proximity was making his body react in ways he'd prefer to ignore. Once the other one had his laughter under control, he pointed to himself. "Murrranthen."

He blinked – was that the other's name? Strange, his hallucination was naming itself. Shouldn't he be able to name it himself? But he supposed it couldn't hurt to play along. He pointed to himself. "Alex"

The smile that his name prompted was impossible to ignore, and he found himself smiling back. Even if the sharp teeth he could see were a bit disturbing. Muranthen stalked – there really wasn't another word for it – towards him, and he found himself backed against the tree he had slept under.

Face to face with the cat man, Alex realized just how much taller the other was. He barely came up to the other's chin. He ran a finger down Alex' cheek; and the smaller man couldn't help the shiver that went through him. It felt odd; the digit was shorter than a human's, and without the fingernail just didn't feel the same. He could feel just the slightest edge of the claw at his chin as his head was tilted up, and he couldn't stop the breathy moan. Alex found himself staring into bright green eyes, the pupils so dilated that they appeared nearly round, and Muranthen said something else. He continued to hold eye contact, and repeated what he had said; or at least it sounded like the same thing. His frowned, wishing there was a better way for them to communicate. The cat man appeared to want the same thing, because he let out what had to be a sigh. The taller man leant even further forward, lips brushing against Alex's, and repeated what he had said again. It dawned on Alex that the other was asking permission.

Screw it – this was Alex's hallucination, and if he wanted to get laid by his cat man hallucination, there was no one to stop him. He nodded, and Muranthen wasted no time claiming his lips. Alex moaned into the kiss, and the other quickly deepened it. It was by far the best kiss he had ever gotten, and how pathetic did that make him? There was no time to waste on those thoughts however, as Muranthen was grinding up against him in a very suggestive way, and Alex arched up to meet him. They broke apart for a moment, and the he noticed the ears were tilted back as the other contemplated his pants. Finally, with an aggravated snarl, he went to claw them up. "Whoa whoa whoa, hallucination or not, I need my pants." Alex pulled the belt loose and quickly pushed down his pants. While he was stripping himself, Muranthen was divesting himself of the strange wrap/pants that the other was wearing. Alex supposed it made sense – with a tail you could hardly wear normal pants and belts.

Alex found himself pushed back to the ground, the other straddling him. He melted into the next kiss, arching up against the other, wanting some friction against his aching erection. It was not like him to act so wanton, but he could hardly help it, and was in no mood to try to control his body's strange reactions. A few minutes later – or hours, he really had no sense of time at this point – he felt Muranthen's hand reach down between his thighs, which he spread eagerly. The nail-less finger had another benefits; preparation was less painful than he had ever had to deal with. Or maybe it was just because none of this was real. He found himself wishing it was, because it felt so amazing. Much better even than the first few times with Nate. Before long he was pushing down on three fingers, begging incoherently for more. It didn't matter than Muranthen couldn't understand the words; he was sure the other could understand the meaning behind them. The cat man had been talking a good deal of the time; Alex wished he knew what the other was saying. It was probably the typical dirty talk most guys liked spouting to their partners, but in the taller man's sexy, purring voice, he really couldn't care less about what the words actually meant.

Finally, after Alex was a moaning mess on the forest floor, the fingers withdrew. He panted, unable to do anything else. Muranthen had kept him from release, and he thought he was going to go insane if he didn't get to come soon. It was a pleasant torture though; he knew from experience that delaying an orgasm only made it that much better when he finally came. Out of curiosity, he looked down between them, wanted to see if the other's cock was as different as the rest of him. He had read somewhere that cat's had spikes on their penises, and that was something – hallucination or not – that wasn't going to go over well with him. To his relief, it looked normal, and he leaned back and spread his legs as much as he could, arching himself up, letting the other know he was more than ready. Muranthen leaned down and took his mouth in another deep kiss, as he slowly eased into the smaller man. Alex's moan was lost in the other's mouth. There was a slight burn, but nothing he couldn't handle, and as he felt the taller man settle fully into him, the pain had already turned to pleasure. They stayed like that for a minute, and then with a growl, the cat man pulled nearly all the way out before plunging back in. Alex dug his nails into his shoulders and arched up off the ground, meeting the other's thrusts. He could feel the claws from Muranthen's hands digging into his hips, but the bit of pain only accentuated the pleasure flowing through him. He tossed his head back and moaned as he was lost in the rhythm of sex, and given how long he had been held on the edge, he knew he wouldn't last much longer. A few more well aimed thrusts to his prostrate, and he was clenching down and coming so hard he was seeing stars. He fell back to the ground, completely limp. Alex could feel Muranthen releasing, but before he could worry about not having protection, the cat man had clamped down on his neck and bit him hard enough to draw blood.

He screamed and tried to push the other off him, sobering from his orgasm instantly. Why did he have to be so desperate that he let some stranger he couldn't even understand fuck him? A stranger that wasn't even human! The teeth in his neck withdrew, and with a full body shudder, the other collapsed on top of him. After the random bout of violence, Alex was surprised to see that Muranthen was actually nuzzling into his chest. It also looked like he wasn't about to move any time soon. Not necessarily pleasant as he could feel the other's cock still inside him, and the other's cum cooling inside and dripping down his thighs. But the cat man was far too heavy for him to move and Alex was pathetically out of shape. He let his head fall back as he groaned. He would really like this hallucination to be over with now. Mind-blowing sex was all well and good, but now was the awkward after sex moment, and he wouldn't mind escaping back to the real world. He heard the bushes rustle, and noticed Sascha trot back into the clearing, a mouse dangling from her mouth.

"So that's where you were. I could have used you here as a distraction you know." Sascha, of course, ignored him and settled down to eat. Muranthen raised his head and blinked at the cat. He looked at the cat, and then back at Alex, saying, or probably asking something. Of course, Alex had no idea what the question was, so he just shrugged as best he could with a man nearly a foot taller than him lying on top of him. Muranthen looked back up at Sascha, and started purring. Typical spoiled brat that she was, she finished her meal before wandering over to investigate. She purred, and butted her head against Muranthen's. Put out, Alex just grumbled to himself. "That's just great; my cat understands my new lover better than I do. I'm so glad this isn't real."

His muttering brought the cat man's attention back to him, and he leaned down to kiss Alex again. Against his better judgement, Alex couldn't help kissing back. He felt the other man start moving again inside him and he groaned at the sensation. Muranthen didn't waste any time before starting to thrust, and even though Alex had felt completely sated just moments before, he found himself with another erection soon enough.

His second orgasm was nearly as good as the first, but now he was even more sticky and sweaty, and even if he couldn't figure out how to get home, he did want to get clean, or at least eat something. Alex tried once again to get the other man off, but with no success. Enough was enough though, and Alex starting struggling in earnest. Good sex or not, he wanted, needed to get off this ground. Muranthen's ears were back, and he was doing his best to hold Alex down, murmuring soothing sounding words. Alex wasn't having any of it though, and continued to struggle. He finally made some leeway, but when he went to pull away, he felt a sharp pain in his ass. The other man was still hard, even after two orgasms! Hissing at the pain, he stopped moving completely. Looking up, all he could think was that Muranthen looked embarrassed.

"What the fuck is going on? Let me go. Seriously, enough is enough; get out of me, please?"

He was nearly begging at the end, but he couldn't care less. He was disturbed and not a little bit scared. Muranthen just shook his head, and held up three fingers. Okay, Alex could do sign language. He pointed to Muranthen and then himself. "We..." he pushed his hips down to simulate sex, drawing a hiss from the other man "need to fuck..." he held up three fingers like Muranthen had, "three times?"

The gist of his question must have gotten to the other, and he nodded. Alex groaned, but figured that it wasn't all that bad. Just because he doubted he would be able to walk after another bout of sex, if it was as intense as the last two. He felt fingers on his cheek, and he looked up. The man looked sad, and apologetic, and Alex found himself feeling guilty for making the other feel bad. He had no idea why, but he had the feeling Muranthen didn't have a choice in the three times deal. Sighing, he shifted his hips, wanting to be able to move again. He looked up at the gorgeous creature above him, watching the dark eyelashes flutter closed as he moved. Amazed that he was causing that sort of reaction, he raised his hips against. Surprisingly, the cat man growled, grabbed his hands above his head, and thrust roughly. Alex groaned, his overly sensitive body reacting almost immediately to the rough treatment. Apparently encouraged, Muranthen set a brutal pace, quickly sending them back over the edge together.

Panting, it took a minute for Alex to realize that the other man had released his hands and was easing his way out of his abused ass. Groaning, he struggled to sit, but couldn't get too far. Muranthen shifted, moving around him to hold him up. Alex was glad for the support, even if he was embarrassed that he needed it. But, he reasoned to himself, it had been amazing sex, and he still wasn't certain if this was real or not, so it didn't really matter anyway. No harm had been done; it had just hurt a bit while he was actively trying to get away.

Still, the other wasn't going to trick him into sex on the ground again anytime soon. If, and that was a big if, they fucked again it would be on a nice comfortable bed where he wouldn't mind being trapped for several hours. Because looking at the sun, it had been. It was well after noon. It was with that thought that Alex realized it had been nearly two days now since he ate a decent meal, and as if his stomach heard him, it let out its own growl. Muranthen looked at him, and then at his stomach, and asked something. It was fairly obvious what the cat man was asking, so he hesitantly nodded. Shifting a bit so that Alex was still supported, he reached for the abandoned clothing. He pulled out a package and handed Alex a bar of some sort. Figuring it was a protein bar of some sort, he bit into it, and was pleasantly surprised to find it actually tasted good. He devoured it in short order, and was happy when Muranthen handed him another. He could both hear and feel the other man purring and it was surprisingly relaxing. He found himself drifting off to sleep, and when he tried to keep himself awake, Muranthen just murmured something quietly and stroked his hair. It was all too much, and he finally lost the battle to stay awake.