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Anticipation made his feet fly through the forest without tripping. "I can't wait to see Dar's face when I get back earlier than expected." Tao thought as he raced towards his lover's lair. "These past few weeks apart have been awful. I enjoyed being with Caro and her new family. The new baby is adorable. I'm so glad that she found someone. Xinca is starting to resemble its old self. Life is good fro the Eirons." Tao's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he saw a boot lying in the path. There were signs of a scuffle and he could make out the print of Dar's boots. "I wonder what happened here? This isn't a Terron boot. I don't see any blood. This is strange." He took the boot with him.
Tao continued along the path until he saw signs of another struggle. This time he found the other boot and a lace-up vest. The tracks in the path were unusual. It looked like someone fell down and was scrambling on their rear-end to get away. This was getting weird. Dar's prints were here also. Odd. He took the other boot and the vest with him.
The path was taking Tao closer to their camp. Again he found more clothes on th e trail. A pair of breeches and a necklace. Tao found what looked to be the imprint of Dar falling back on his staff and carrier. "that had to hurt." Tao thought as he picked up the breeches and necklace. "What is going on?" He hurried to their camp. As he got closer, he could hear strange sounds coming from the camp.
He couldn't believe his eyes. There they were! Skin to skin, thigh to thigh, chest to chest, his hands holding hers over her head, his back a golden ripple of glistening muscles, his taunt flanks pushing and withdrawing, her heels digging into the loamy soil, keeping pace with his rough thrusts. NO! His mind screamed. It can't be. It just can't be. Not his Dar. Not with a woman.
Anger flooded his mind and body. How to stop this. What to do? His eyes frantically flew from side to side looking for something, anything to stop what was happening before him. His eyes fell on the knife in Dar's boot. Without hesitation, he slipped from the lacings and held it high. He couldn't bring himself to plunge it into the broad back, golden muscles glistening with sweat. He threw the knife down and reached for Dar's staff. Grasping the weapon with both hands, he swung it at Dar's side. Hoping to stop this travesty. AS he swung the staff, Dar's head jerked up at the sound and the staff connected with his head. Dar fell unto the woman's body. The woman reacted by reaching over Dar's body atop her own and swinging her sword towards Tao. "Terrin, Hold!" Dar's faint voice stopping the arc of the sword was all that saved Tao's life.
"It's Tao. Don't hurt him." Dar slowly moved off the woman's body. Holding his head in his hands, Dar groaned and sat down next to the woman. He placed a hand on her thigh and said, "Please let me talk to him. He doesn't understand what is happening to me. You do. Please."
"All right Dar." Terrin said "But if he tries to hurt you again...." "I know." Dar;;s voice was getting weaker with each word he spoke.
"Why don't you lie back and let me look at your head." Gentle hands pushed Dar back down on the blankets. Dar groaned and Tao blanched. "What had he done? Hurting the man he loved. What was wrong with him?"
Dar's eyes closed as Terrin cleaned the bloody knot on the side of his head. When she was finished, Dar didn't wake up. He slept, his chest rising softly with each breath, the sweat from his exertion slowly drying in the faint breeze. The cool air making his nipples pucker invitingly. Terrin gently grazed her hand over them as she looked over at Tao.
Terrin covered Dar's body with a blanket and gracefully rose from their bed and stalked over to Tao.
She was stunning in her anger. Her body flushed and glistening from the rough bout of lovemaking that had been rudely interrupted. She strode over to Tao who was staring at her with his mouth open.
"Close your mouth fool before something flies in. What are you staring at?"
Tao had to swallow a few times before he could answer her. "Y...Y..You have nothing on, woman!"
"What did you expect? I would be making love with my clothes on?" Was the sarcastic reply.
"You were making love to my mate!" Tao screamed, all the anger and frustration roiling inside of him making unaware of whom he was yelling at as Terrin stood in front of him with her sword in hand. He turned to go to Dar.
The woman reached out with her sword before Tao could get near Dar. "Stay away from him or I will have to hurt you." That threat was enough to halt Tao in his tracks.
Dar's eyes slowly opened. As he tried to sit up, Terrin placed her hands on his wide shoulders to keep him down. Dar struggled with her. The woman won him over by straddling his hips with her own. "Lay still Dar." She said. "It's alright. The fight's over." Dar lay back down with a sigh. "What happened?" He asked.
"What's the last thing you remember?" The woman countered. She glanced at Tao's face to see his rection to Dar's answer.
"We were making love and that's all I remember." Was the reply.
Terrin rolled off Dar's body and went towards the pile of her clothes that Tao had dropped when he entered the clearing.
Tao's face was beet red and his anger made him blurt out, "Why Dar, Why? Why were you making love to this woman? Isn't our love enough for you? What did I do to deserve this? I walk into our clearing and find you making love to a woman! Why?"
"Tao, please don't yell at me. Just don't start now. I'll explain this to you later. Please just be quiet and let my head clear." This last bit was delivered with a small smile towards the Eiron. "I'm just going to let this pounding stop before I answer your questions."
The woman looked at Tao and said, "Where are you herbs, fool?" He rudely gestured towards his packs at the edge of the clearing. "Go and get them" Tao was getting tired of how this Terrin bossed him around. "Who does she think she is anyway?" Tao thought as he reached his packs. "How does she know Dar and what's this about her knowing what he's going through and I don't?" He found what he needed and returned to Dar's side.
"Can I trust you not to hurt him?" She asked.
Dar opened his eyes and looked at the two of them. He started to laugh softly and the both looked and him and said, "What are you laughing at?" Neither of them pleased with his laughter.
Dar's reply was, "The two of you. You look like tigers fighting over a meal. All bristly and spitting at each other. Tao won't hurt me. What a question."
"Oh really" Said Terrin. "And just who do you think gave you that knot on your head? Hmm?"
Dar pondered that question. He looked at Tao who hung his head and therefore gave Dar his answer. "Tao, you did this?" Was Dar's shocked reply. "Why?" *****
"What do you think Dar? I come into our clearing and find you making love to a , a, a woman! I was worried that something had happened to you. I saw signs of a struggle on the trail and...." He broke off as he saw the expressions on Dar's and Terrin's faces. Terrin's eyebrows were almost in her hairline with a smirk on her face. Dar was grinning and when he saw Tao's face, he stopped.
Dar's velvet voice reached over to Tao. "Listen to me Tao." Tao turned away from the BeastMaster. Dar reached over and lovingly turned Tao's face towards him. "You must listen to me. What Terrin and I were doing has nothing to do with the love I feel for you. Only for you. Terrin offered herself to help me. She has helped me many times before."
Tao interrupted with "Helped you with what?"
Terrin was silent. Her presence ignored by the men. One desperately trying to have the other understand.
"While you were in Xinca, seasons changed in the animal world. It's mating season. You can't imagine the feelings, sounds, wants, desires, urges and needs that have been assaulting me. I think that they may be driving me insane. I know that they're driving me insane. I can think of nothing else except mating. Ruh has found a mate. He is so close to me that his feelings and urges overflow into me. I can hardly stand it. This time is the worse it has ever been. Terrin has been through the mating season with me before. She understands what I need and helps me through it."
Tao struggled with what he had just learned. His thoughts were going everywhere. What to ask first? With pain filled eyes, Tao just blurted the first thing that came to mind. "What happened on the trail?"
Dar sheepishly hung his head. Terrin began to laugh. "Well Dar, do you want to tell him or shall I?"
Dar sighed and started with .."Well, I was watching the trail for you Tao when I saw someone coming. Sharak 'showed' me that it was Terrin. Well, since I felt so blasted randy, I thought that I would hunt her. She went past me and I jumped her. We fought a bit and that's what you read in the trail."
"And the second scuffle I saw in the trail was..."
Dar smiled and said, "Terrin knocked me on my butt and was ready to pound me for what I'd done earlier." Terrin gave a soft snort at that explanation.
"And when I found the rest of Terrin's clothes..."
"She realized what was happening with me and offered herself to help me. That's when you must have showed up. I'm sorry Tao that you had to find us like that. I'd been waiting so long for you to come home and the urges were making me insane. I knew that I couldn't hold out until you got here. I was afraid that if you suddenly showed up, I would seriously hurt you. I've never felt so totally out of control of myself. I didn't want to hurt you. Terrin can handle the roughness. I think that's why I went after her. The uncontrolled rage is gone. I think that I can handle the urges now. I need you to understand that I just couldn't hurt you. Please forgive me. I'm sorry."
Tao reached over and took Dar's face in his hands. "Dar, I love you. Only you. I'm sorry that I hit you. Well, not all that sorry. Terrin had what is mine. I don't like to share you with anyone Dar. Not for any reason. You are mine. Only mine. Remember that. I understand that you needed to do this to protect me." Suddenly there was a look of mischief on Tao's face. "Now, why don't you show me just how bad your "urges" are and I will take good care of you and them. " He leaned forward and kissed the blonde warrior to show him just how much he had forgiven him. Tao pressed Dar back unto the blankets and covered Dar's body with his own to hold him there.
Dar smiled at the possessive look on Tao's face. "You are too good to me Tao." A long kiss healed the breech between the lovers.
As they were so engrossed in each other, neither noticed that Terrin had gathered her things and walked away, whispering, "live well and be happy friends" and slipped into the forest.
It was a long time before either man came to their senses. "Dar, where's Terrin?" ask a sated Tao.
Dar glanced around and said, "She must have left. She was never good at 'good byes'."
"Dar, where did you meet her? I thought that she was going to kill me. I couldn't believe it when you said "Hold" and her sword stopped. She really is magnificent."
Dar laughed and asked Tao if all he wanted to do was talk about Terrin or if he wanted to.
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