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  He looked at Grio, blinked slowly in greeting, chin dipping. Grio vocalized, then lay down and offered his belly. He leaned down, nuzzling the soft, pale fur, the scent of another flooding him. Grio smelled amazing. Spicy and male. Sexy.

  He groomed for a long moment, cleaning the whiskers. Grio licked his paw and chirruped. He eased down, stretching, claws out, exposed. Grio set to grooming him, starting at his paws. He watched, his eyelids heavy, his heartbeat slowing.

  When Grio cleaned his face, it was with the gentlest, most respectful of licks. He rumbled softly, so pleased. He should explore, but the sun was warm right here and he was sleepy. So sleepy.

  Grio's grooming didn't help, instead it encouraged him to ease. The low rumbles said he would be safe.

  He let his eyes fall closed. Better.

  He felt the change in the air and Grio was in man form again, rumbling out words. "Don't forget this time, my prince."

  Don't forget. Don't forget. He chirruped softly, tail sliding on the floor.

  "You could always shift back now and talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking."

  Don't forget. His head tilted, and he tried to understand, tried to focus.

  "Remember how it feels to be a man. Look into my eyes and remember."

  Be a man. He purred deep in his chest, and tried to listen to the words. Be a man.

  "Come on, Phoenix. I know you're in there. Think about the kiss I gave you. You can't kiss like that as a tiger." Grio laughed. "You can't tell me off for doing it like that, either."

  He chuffed, the sound becoming laughter as his fur fell away.

  "Well done!" Grio looked pleased.

  And he was still naked. They both were.

  "Thank you. I think." Phoenix needed to think. How had this happened? His whole world view was turned upside down on its head.

  "Does that mean you believe it now?"

  "I don't understand it." That was for sure. It was kind of hard to deny something so...real, visceral.

  "But you don't think you're crazy anymore. Understanding will come."

  "I need some clothes. We're naked." He didn't like to have insanity discussions while naked.

  "It's a hazard of shifting. If you don't get naked first, you ruin your clothes. Luckily the organization has been doing this long enough they have that covered." Grio walked to the chest of drawers, offering him a fine view of the man's amazing ass.

  "Although..." Grio looked him up and down. "It's a shame to cover a great body like yours."

  "People don't turn into cats. How did this happen?" He was not going to acknowledge the look because he was already a little ramped up.

  "It's hereditary. People have, in fact, been turning into cats for millennia."

  "And my mom?" They'd all thought she was crazy, insane. She'd died knowing her son thought she had lost her mind.

  "I don't know if she was actually a shifter or if she just carried the gene. You're the royal family, though, Headquarters will know your family's history."

  "I'm not royal anything. I'm a foster kid." That was always the dream when you were really little, wasn't it? That your father was really a king and he'd come find you and whisk you away to make you a prince. He hadn't held onto that dream for very long.

  "The royal family have a distinctive hair color. Your hair color."

  "My hair?" He was royal because of his bright orange hair? "It...it won't dye."

  "God, why would you want to? It's stunning." Grio reached out, fingers sliding through it.

  Phoenix's eyes crossed, the touch surprisingly erotic. Grio's nostrils flared, a sound like a muffled moan coming from him.

  He'd never met someone he instantly wanted, someone he could simply hump. This man, though? Crazy, kidnapping, weird and fucking hot. And Phoenix wanted him like he'd never wanted anyone else.

  Leaning in toward him, Grio moved in for a kiss. Phoenix met the man halfway, one hand wrapping around the back of Grio's head. Mouth dropping onto his, Grio kissed him. It wasn't gentle or tentative. It was all male.

  He met Grio head on, the kiss going wild almost immediately. Big hands wrapped around his ass, pulling him up against Grio's solid body. His cock was hard as a diamond, and when their skin touched, he damn near shot.

  Grio growled into his mouth and deepened the kiss further. He rumbled back, rocking them together, slamming them together.

  Grio backed him up against the wall, humping against him. Their teeth clacked together, the tinge of blood in their kiss. Grio's hand moved back to his hair, fingers threading through it. The tug made his eyes cross, made his belly clench.

  Biting his lower lip, Grio drew more blood. He wrapped one leg around Grio, dragging them together.

  "Gonna be in so much trouble for this." Grio dived back in for another kiss, grinding against him.

  Trouble. He turned into a tiger. A royal fucking tiger. What was trouble?

  It didn't matter anyway, Grio's kisses were making him ache, making him want to crawl into the man. Every touch made him gasp, made him twist and meet Grio halfway. He couldn't remember ever being so hard.

  His hips rolled, his head falling back, banging against the wall. One of Grio's big hands cradled his head from the wall, but not his ass, which slammed against it again and again. His body shuddered, shaking with pleasure, with pressure. Grio's other hand wrapped around his cock, both their cocks, pressing them together.

  "Yes." He snarled the word, nodded. "Harder."

  Grio tightened his hold, jacking their pricks. Phoenix nodded and focused on fucking Grio's lips, stealing his breath.

  Needy moans filled his mouth. That was it. Just like that. Come on.

  Grio's thumbnail caught his slit. Fuck. He arched, shooting hard, marking Grio with his scent. Roaring, Grio came as well, more come splashing up over their cocks. They rocked for a minute, their spunk mingling.

  Grio's kiss became lazy, sensuous. Leaning back hard against the wall, Phoenix encouraged Grio's weight. A low hum vibrated against his lips, Grio's hand letting go of their cocks in favor of grabbing his ass.

  Insane. Delicious. Wild.

  "I have to go to class. I have to work." He wanted to fuck.

  "Call in sick."

  "Maybe once." He could, but... Part of his brain was screaming about logic and sense. The rest of him was having a purr and voting for more orgasms.

  "Uh-huh." Grabbing his ass with both hands, Grio pulled him up hard against all those lovely muscles and walked them toward the bed.

  "Strong." He arched up, rubbed against Grio's chest, playful and horny.

  "All the better to manhandle you into bed."

  They tumbled into the bed together, bouncing, both laughing.

  "We've lost our minds, man. We're strangers locked into a weird house and we think we're tigers."

  "We know we're tigers," Grio insisted, rolling over him and taking his mouth.

  Fuck it--kissing was better than thinking. And Grio was damn good at it, put his whole body into it.

  They rubbed together, skin and fur and muscles moving in concert.

  "Want to feel you inside me," growled Grio.

  Something inside him rumbled happily, and just like that he rolled Grio over, spread himself over the broad back. His teeth sank into Grio's shoulder, dug in. Grio bucked back up into him, calling out to him.

  The world sharpened and he held on, hand pushing Grio's thighs apart. They spread for him. Grio's head dropping low.

  "Mine." The word tore from him, and he meant it. How could he mean it? How could he mean it so fiercely?

  "Yours." Grio said back, ass pushing toward him demandingly.

  "Yes." He bit down again, pushing his fingers into Grio's lips.

  Sucking right away, Grio pulled hard on his fingers. Yes. Yes. His eyes crossed, a deep growl bubbling up inside him.

  Grio's teeth scraped his fingertips. He grabbed hold of Grio's nape with his teeth and tugged his fingers away, burying them in that sweet, tight ass. Everything in him wa
s going on pure instinct, humanity shoved aside. Grio's body squeezed his fingers, tight around him.

  He didn't waste much time on preparation. Grio wanted him and he needed in. Now.

  Groaning when he pulled his fingers out of that tight ass, Grio pushed back toward him, wagging his ass enticingly. That was all the encouragement he needed. Phoenix surged forward, burying himself in a single, strong stroke. Grio roared, body rippling around his cock, fluttering.

  Grio's fingers opened and closed on the sheets, low sounds coming from him. Vocalizing softly in low sounds, Phoenix moved his hips in sure, steady punches, driving into the perfect sheath. Grio pushed back to meet his thrusts, grunting as he punched in.

  Over and over, their bodies met, slamming together, skin slapping. They moved faster, Grio clamping down as he pulled out, making the hot body drag all along his skin.

  "Yes..." he hissed, fingers sliding down to twist with Grio's. Grio's grip was strong, holding him as surely as that ass gripped his cock.

  Their thrusts slowed, became deeper, harder, the bed groaning beneath them.

  "Phoenix..." His name sounded like a plea.

  "Mmm..." His words were gone, dissolved into needy growls.

  He moved, changing his angle, and Grio clamped down tight on him, roaring. His own roar tore from him and things got intense. They drove together, biting and growling and rolling on the mattress.

  In the end, he wrapped his teeth around Grio's nape, biting hard enough to break the skin. Grio roared again, squeezing him as Grio came, the scent of spunk filling his nose. That drew his own climax, his spine feeling like it was going to snap as he shot deep inside Grio.

  He collapsed onto Grio, who held his weight without complaint, slowly lowering them to the bed. The whispers of worry tried to make themselves known again, but the scent of Grio was almost enough to quell them.

  As if Grio knew, he squeezed, body rippling around Phoenix's cock.

  "Napping time," murmured Grio.

  "Napping." He growled softly, nuzzling the dark red hair. He loved the scent of Grio, it fascinated him.

  Grio reached back, big hand wrapping around his hip and keeping him right there.

  His cock slipped free and suddenly he was heavy, boneless, and he dragged his rough tongue over his mate's shoulder. Grio shifted beneath him, fur stunning, covering pure muscle. Making a low noise, Grio rested.

  Phoenix moved around until he found a sunbeam from the skylights, then let his eyes close. Nap. Nap. Nap.

  At this moment, nothing else mattered.

  Chapter 3

  Grio woke as his tiger, still curled up in bed, with Phoenix wrapped possessively around him. It felt so good, so right. He was in so fucking much trouble, though. Not only was he with another male, that other male was a royal. Headquarters was going to plotz. Groaning, he let himself shift back to his human form.

  Damn, Phoenix really was a beautiful tiger. He reached out, scratching the big head, right between the ears. One eye cracked open, stared at him, then Phoenix chuffed softly.

  Grinning, Grio continued petting and scratching. "You're a magnificent tiger."

  The big head pushed into his belly, nuzzling him, scenting him. He'd never met a human that took to his true form so totally, so completely.

  This whole thing might have started with Phoenix thinking he was insane, but Phoenix's tiger knew exactly who he was.

  Leaning over, Grio kissed Phoenix's nose. "Beautiful beast."

  A soft fuzzy cheek brushed his, a warm caress. One of the royal family, in bed, loving on him. It was almost unbelievable.

  Groaning, he dug his fingers into Phoenix's fur.

  "I'm going to have to call in, report. We're going to have to make a plan." Grio knew Headquarters was going to have all sorts of ideas about what they wanted to do with Phoenix. Someone from the royal line was a big damn deal.

  Phoenix snorted and started grooming him. Whoa. Tiger breath.

  "One of us needs to shift, babe." He wasn't adverse to it being him, but the details weren't going to just disappear because he wanted them to.

  Slowly, reluctantly, Phoenix the man appeared, heavy in his arms. He kissed the top of Phoenix's head, the bright red hair soft against his lips.

  "You're as beautiful a tiger as you are a man," Grio told Phoenix.

  "I still don't know what to do, really."

  "That's why I needed to do this with you privately instead of in the middle of the quad at the university. I'll teach you how to control the change, so you don't suddenly become a tiger in public."

  "Yeah, that would suck. So, what, I figure it out, I go home, everything's cool?"

  Grio wished he could say yes to that. "Headquarters is going to want to talk to you. We didn't know there were any royals still alive." Honestly, he didn't want to tell them. He didn't want to have to give Phoenix up.

  "Headquarters? Like government?"

  "It's an organization of tigers whose mission is to locate, educate and keep safe new tigers. One of the founding members is wealthy."

  Shrugging, Phoenix seemed relatively unconcerned. "So we won't tell them. I don't intend to eat anyone."

  "Except they sent me to find you. They're going to want a report." They knew he was out here with the new tiger.

  "Tell them they were wrong."

  Yes, but it was important--vital--that they have someone with Phoenix's genetics. The humans didn't need another professor. Even Grio could see that.

  "But they weren't. We need... Your line has to continue, Phoenix. I'm not saying you have to father children, but a donation of some sperm..." He definitely didn't want to let Phoenix find a wife and have children the traditional way. Just the thought made his hackles rise.

  "There's a tiger sperm bank?" One eyebrow lifted to the ceiling.

  "When your species is dying, there sure as hell is." Or he'd bet some version of one.

  "I...I don't. I don't know what to say about that."

  "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." Grio cupped Phoenix's cheek.

  "I have to grade papers and I have the next chapter of my dissertation due. Somehow this doesn't jive with the whole...other thing."

  "Most of us go about our regular lives. My regular life just happens to be working for Headquarters." It was what he was good at.

  Phoenix nodded, sighed. "So, honestly, what happens next? I obviously can't do what I want."

  "Sure you can. All you need to do is spend a couple days with me, learning to be a tiger. Then you go back to your life. With, I imagine, the odd meeting with Headquarters to discuss...uh, your legacy."

  "Right. Okay. I assume it's not like full moon, watch out for silver bullets?" Phoenix was agitated, beginning to pace, completely unaware of his nudity. He was rather stunning, in fact.

  "No, we've got nothing to do with the moon. And regular bullets will kill us just as dead as silver bullets." There was a lot of shit you could blame on werewolf movies.

  "Well, then, what else? I'm queer, so no worries about getting someone pregnant with a mutant. Can you catch it?"

  "Mutant..." Grio chuckled, then shook his head. "No, it's not catching. You have to be born with it. That's part of why we're dying out. You can't just make new tigers."

  "Well, that's handy, I suppose."

  "And not handy. We wouldn't be dying out. But yeah, I guess it limits our risk of exposure." Honestly, he didn't want to be talking about this. He wanted Phoenix to bed him again. And he wasn't even a bottom.

  Phoenix nodded and continued walking a hole in the floor.

  "What are you thinking?" Grio asked.

  "That this is a ridiculous situation. That I have to figure this out. That I can't believe we're talking when we could be fucking."

  Grio's nostrils flared. "Well, you're a smart man, I bet we can do the quick version. Later."

  "I am. This is insane. I don't just fall in bed with strangers." Those eyes fastened on him.

  "And I don't bottom for anybody." That didn't mean
he didn't want to rollover and present his ass, beg Phoenix to fuck him again.

  "No? I do. I like pitching and catching. I liked pitching to you a lot."

  "I liked catching for you. I want to fucking do it again." It didn't seem to matter that he didn't bottom. Something about Phoenix made him need it. "We've got this great big bed."

  "We do and I'm assuming we're running out of time to use it." Phoenix began to stalk him.

  Grio moved backward, heading for the bed and making Phoenix give chase at the same time. The tiger lived right under Phoenix's skin, those bright eyes lit from within. Continuing to move backward, Grio jumped onto the bed. Phoenix's lips were open, soft chuffs escaping him.

  Grio managed to trip over a pillow, going down hard. With amazing reflexes, Phoenix jumped, caught him before he fell, mouth dropping over his. Fuck, that was hot.

  Grio opened up, letting Phoenix in. A heavy curtain of hair fell over him, brushing his face. Groaning into the kiss, he pushed his fingers into Phoenix's hair. The scent of them together was pure, heady, delicious. Hell, it was an addiction.

  Phoenix lowered them to the bed and he took the man's weight gladly. Their bodies fit and he moaned as they came together, rocking easily. There was something about Phoenix that made him want, more than he ever had. Something that affected him deep in his bones.

  Wrapping one of his legs around Phoenix's, he held them together. They rocked into each other, nice and slow, Phoenix obviously not in any hurry now that they were actually touching.

  Grio tugged lightly on the hair in his hand, tilting Phoenix's head so the kiss went deeper. He felt the little throb of Phoenix's cock, bobbing against his thigh. It drew his hand and he reached for it, wrapped it in his fingers.

  "Mmm." Phoenix rubbed their cheeks together. He let Phoenix scent him, wanting to smell like his prince.

  Low rumbling sounds filled the air, Phoenix calling to him, tugging at his heart. Mate. Mate.

  Oh, fuck.

  Grio called back.

  Phoenix nodded, rubbing their cheeks. "Mate."

  No. No, they couldn't. He wasn't royal blood. He shook his head, but the rest of his body pushed closer. Headquarters was going to kill him and cut him into filets.