Vassa, Jurian and I were having drinks together in the hours after dinner. We were at her small private dining table, discussing the day's events and what was to come, with an ease that I've grown rather fond of. It feels now like a part of me had been asleep for the decades before I entered their company.

Autumn has arrived in the mortal lands. It made me feel even more alive, to breathe in the cool air and see the red, orange and yellow of the tree leaves. There's also a certain smell to it that I find impossible to describe.

"As of tonight, the South-Western merchants from the mainland are on our side." Vassa raised her glass of locally brewed beer, smile broad. Jurian and I mirrored her.

"And we've unified about half of the human territories at this point," added Jurian.

"Hopefully these alliances will be enough," I said.

"Will you be celebrating our victory with one of the many thankful ladies here at court, General Jurian?" teased Vassa.

He laughed. "You know very well I got that out of my system a while ago."

We've come a long way, I realized. Laughing now at the symptoms of our pain. We had cried enough for ourselves. And though we'll all still need the occasional shoulder to cry on, I'm sure, it feels like we're coming out the other side. Back when we first arrived in Vassa's castle, we each were filled with varying degrees of grief and horror, mingled with hope and determination for the future. However, Jurian may have been coping by seeking the company of women, but he was also celebrating having a body at all.

"Why? If you weren't married I would think you were jealous," he teased back.

"Yes, I am married. Which is why I have to live vicariously through you, pretty boy!" The three of us laughed hard at that.

"Oh, please Vassa. You're madly in love and getting regular sex. What are you complaining about?" I asked, mouth quirking up.

"You got me there."

But she won't be able to stay with us much longer. We bargained for her to have a little more time, with gold from her household. But that time is almost up. Which is why we would be heading North soon, to meet with the Fae Lords and Lady. To request their help in our plans, yes. But also attempt gaining Vassa's freedom.

"And you, Lucien," she said more seriously, gently. "Are you waiting for your mate to come around? Or can you, you know, see other people?"

"That's up to me I suppose, since she's made it so clear that she wants nothing to do with me," I replied. "She won't even talk to me when we're in the same room. I won't torture her by waiting around. I think she would actually be relieved if I moved on. Move on how, though, I have no idea. Except to keep doing what I'm doing now, helping in this growing war however I can."

"That sounds like a good move to me," she replied.

"I can introduce you to some of those courtier ladies if you like," Jurian replied half-teasing.

"I'll let you know," I replied in a way that said I was definitely not interested. Not necessarily because they're human, but because it would feel shallow. "Some combination of being as emotionally healed as I've become, and being taunted with a mate I couldn't even begin to get to know, has left me wanting more," I admitted. A half formed memory of Jurian's free smile entered my mind in that moment. I looked at him now, and his expression was kind, yet uncommonly unreadable. Why? I quickly brushed the thought away.

"Then I hope you find it," Vassa said.

Jurian nodded his agreement.

Jurian and I were walking to our rooms side-by-side along the hallway, which was opened up to the outside, spirits high. "Have a good night", I said to Jurian as we neared his door. My room was further along the hallway. Just then he tripped, heading right into me. I absorbed his weight easily with my chest, and put my arm around him to steady him. Did he have more to drink than I thought? Maybe he was just tired – our days were quite full after all. As he began straightening up, I adjusted my grip, putting one hand on each of this shoulders.

"Thanks", he said, fully standing but not stepping away.

I didn't move either. Feeling his warmth on my hands felt too good. He's one of the best friends I've ever had, but in these past few months of planning, and training, and laughing, and healing, my feelings toward him have slowly been shifting. And I've had a really hard time getting a reading from him on whether a romantic relationship was even possible with him, since I'm male. I know very well that humans have rather repressed feelings on the subject. But then again, he's not a typical human.

He then said teasingly, "If you wanted to get your arms around me, you should have just asked."

Innocent joke? I didn't know. In my frustration, I stepped closer to him with an air of bravado that I didn't feel. I put my hand along his cheek, looked him in the eye, and slowly swiped my thumb down the line of his jaw as I said, "What if I do, Jurian."

To my surprise, his amusement faded quickly from his face. He closed his eyes, and his breath stuttered at my touch. What might have been a one-up in a teasing game designed to make him uncomfortable, as uncomfortable as he made me, became something that was not a game at all. I admired the expression on his face that I my touch had elicited. I smelled his arousal, which sent my heart pounding and fire searing through my body. And when he opened his eyes again, all we could do was look at each other with surprise, my hand still on his face. Then we were each searching for something – an honesty and openness that I think we each found in the other.

Jurian broke away then, just barely. He looked to his left and right to see up and down the empty hallway. He then grabbed one of my hands with both of his, and gently pulled me toward his room. An invitation. A cool breeze kissed my heated skin. I let him pull me as he walked backwards to his door, still looking at me. He turned the knob behind his back, and we went through.

When the door closed behind us, he put his hands on my chest and pushed me up against the door slowly. Then he asked, a little breathless, "Are you teasing me?"

"No." I said. "Well, maybe in the beginning. But I didn't think you'd…" I struggled to finish.

"Like it?" he supplied, amused. "You're ever the mischievous one, aren't you?" he said endearingly. "It's part of what I like about you." He stepped closer to me, until there was just a sliver of space between us, and slid his hands up from my chest, along the slides of neck. I closed my eyes and let out a low moan. His hands kept going, to the sides of my face, and into my hair. I opened my eyes as he moved closer to me still. He was flush against me, and I moved my hands around him to his back. My heartbeat was racing, and so was his. I looked down, as he tilted his head up. Until our mouths were so close together that I could feel his breath on my lips. We stayed that way. I was savoring the closeness of him, and feeling the agonizing and ever increasing need to kiss him. Then he moved in, and his lips were on mine. I kissed him back, with the months of longing that I felt for him. And maybe with the decades since I kissed someone that I actually cared about.

We kissed like that for a long time. Our hand roaming. I learned what his hair felt like between my fingers. What his biceps felt like as I gripped his arm. Then I pushed my tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. His mouth eagerly opened in response, and our tongues were gliding against each other, around each other. I moaned deep in my throat, and Jurian smiled against my mouth. He pulled away then, delight in him eyes.

I smiled, then in reference to what he said he liked about me earlier, I said, "You waste no time when there's something you want. And that's part of what I like about you."

He gave me a wolfish grin, and untied my tunic, opening it to reveal my bare chest and stomach. "That's not entirely accurate in this case." he said, as he ran his hand along my abdomen. "You've been driving me absolutely wild all summer, especially with our post-training bathing in the river. You weren't used to the heat of the season if you remember, and were very slow to bother putting on any clothes when you were done. I would steal glances at you, though I tried not to. I just didn't think you were into men, or males. You never let on. Though I haven't either have I?"

"So we were both being careful with the idea of romance, for the sake of our friendship. It shows how much we value it... I have been with a few males, but I didn't know whether you had human sensibilities where that was concerned." Jurian began stroking my still exposed stomach and chest, as if in answer. "I've had a few good dreams involving that river, by the way."

"Maybe we'll recreate them some time." Jurian replied with a smile. Then, "I've been with one man. We hit it off right away when we were training to be soldiers, well before the first war started. We hid it though, due to those "human sensibilities" you referred to. Then as war neared, we decided to end it for fear of being caught, and because were about to be sent to different parts of the island from each other. From then on, I ignored that part of myself. But, in the many, many, many years since, I've come to see that there are different ways to live, and think about life. And I really don't give a shit about people who force their way onto everyone else."

"So here we are."

"Here we are."

And we were kissing again. We somehow stumbled over to the couch, Jurian on top of me. I pulled his shirt over his head, and touched every inch of his newly exposed skin. Felt his scars. Looked at his still-tan skin from the hours spent in the sun. His broad chest and shoulders. He lowered until he was flush against me. I could feel the heat of his bare chest on mine. He licked sensuously up the side of my neck as I tipped my head back. At the same moment, a huge fire came roaring to life in the fireplace. My magical gift needing someplace to go. Jurian jumped and looked over to the fireplace. I looked too, and saw that though barely contained, the fire would stay safely in the fireplace. The rage of it lessened, until it looked more like a natural fire.

Finally, Jurian looked to me. "That was you."

"Sorry." I said.

His expression was full of wicked excitement. "Don't be." he said. And kissed me more urgently than before.

I ground against him subtly, both of us straining against our clothing, and he groaned loudly against my mouth. He ground back more firmly, and I was momentarily stunned by the intensity of my want for him. Then I bit his neck, barely restraining from breaking his skin.

He yelled out, "Fuck!"

And I paused, an apology on the tip of my tongue.

But he said, "Don't stop." And he was moving against me again, this time grabbing my ass.

So I, a little more softly this time, bit and sucked at his neck. Lifted my leg higher so he could grab me more fully. When I was done, his face was flushed.

Then Jurian was untying my pants and freeing me for him to see. He spent a long time looking at me, and I liked the feel of his attention on me so completely. "You're amazing." he told me.

I pushed him back so that we were both standing on our knees on the couch. I unbuckled his pants, and unbuttoned them. I sat back with my legs in front of me, one knee up, and an elbow resting on the back of the couch. I took my time looking at him, just as he had done with me. "And you're gorgeous," I said. When he looked like he was about ready to pounce on me, I stood up before he could.

I then walked over to his bed, dropping loose clothing as I went. Fist my tunic, already only hanging by one shoulder. Then I toed off my shoes. I could hear Jurian's ragged breath as he watched, and then him taking off his boots. Then finally my pants were off. And heard the sound of his drop a moment later. I turned around, and he tackled me to the bed, which sent us both laughing in the excitement. I could feel all of him against me, and the laughter died, to be replace with an anticipation that I felt deep within myself. That I have rarely in my long life felt so strongly. I put my arms around his neck. And when he moved against me, my whole being was thrumming. I kissed him hard, and bit his lip. He ran a hand down my side, then over with a heavy hand as he raised himself off of me slightly, wrapping his hand around my hardness, at the base. I groaned, and moved against his hand. He smiled, and began to stroke, up and down. My head was swimming. Suddenly, his mouth was around me, his tongue moving, his head of loose brown curls bobbing. He took his time.

"Fuck me," I told him.

He stopped what he was doing and looked into my eyes. I saw pure desire there. A second later he was rummaging around in a drawer in his nightstand. Soon, his mouth was around me again and I closed my eyes. His slickened finger entering me, his mouth still moving. I bent a knee, to give him better access. His finger moved slowly, gentle and searching. When it felt like he was close to what he was looking for, I moved myself, and gasped in pleasure. He laughed around my cock, sending tingles through me, and rubbed that spot in me again. After some time, and using a second finger, when it felt like I was ready, he positioned himself at my entrance. "Are you ready?" he asked.

I said, "Almost." Then sat up, and kissed him thoroughly. When I was done, I laid back down, as deliberately enticing as I could, and said "Now I'm ready."

The rest was a heady haze of pleasure. He thrust into me, and it wasn't long until my legs were wrapped around him. I bit his neck again, this time piercing his skin, making him bellow as he came. He railed into me, hitting that spot with every thrust inside me, all while stroking my cock. The need built and built in me, until I came too. Ecstasy pulsed through me, and Jurian kept thrusting while pushing down on my cock. The pulses continued, then slowed, then stopped.

He pulled out of me then, and kissed me. When we were done, his head now laid on my chest, he asked me, "So, the cunning fox snared me in his trap. What does that make me, I wonder?"

The fog slowly lifting from my mind, I laughed. "You're far from being a helpless rabbit, I can tell you that."

Looking at me, he smiled wide, "Back in the hallway, I tripped on purpose."

I have him an answering grin, "You're definitely a wolf."