Tiger Winter - 22. Training

“Hey, Silas.” There was a silence down the other end of the line, and Emmett sighed. “It’s Emmett Garrick.”

“Emm! Sorry bro, I didn’t expect to hear from you. What’s up?”

Emmett smiled to himself. He had no illusions that though he and Silas were good friends, neither would hear from the other unless one of them needed something.

“How do you train a dog to pull in harness?”

The question sparked a dozen more from Silas, and Emmett almost ended up shouting in order to quiet his friend so he could get a word in edgeways. Emmett tucked himself onto the sofa with Pitanê snuggled up half in his lap and nuzzling at his free hand, and explained the dogs sudden appearance in his life. Silas was delighted to hear they had rescued a husky puppy, and even more thrilled that he and Jian were now officially and completely together.

“I knew he’d be the one,” Silas’s voice was smug down the line. “You couldn’t tell that little tiger ‘no’ if your life depended on it.” Emmett rolled his eyes despite the fact the statement was almost literally true. “Your brother must be pleased.”

“Sort of an understatement,” Emmett admitted. Skyping home to his brother had been necessary after the text which Emmett had sent, receiving the response of a full page of exclamation marks and the instruction in bold capitals: CALL ME. Rye had been full of questions, more even than Silas was about the dog, and Emmett had to frown at his little brother when Rye had wanted to know everything that had happened between them. Emmett sometimes wondered if it was his fault his brother had grown up with so few boundaries regarding personal information. As a cub, Emmett had never kept anything from little Ryley, not when he was asked. He had needed to squash all of Rye’s impertinent questions and inappropriate assumptions. It was all for nothing though when Jian had wandered past the laptop behind him, fresh from the shower and dressed only in a towel: Emmett’s conversation had been very effectively hijacked and he had left his little brother and his boyfriend sharing facts about him that wouldn’t be considered polite in mixed company.

“So why do you want to train him in harness?” Silas asked.

“Isn’t that kind of a pointless question?” Emmett frowned, “he’s a husky: it’s what they do.

“Well sure, but a lot of people don’t bother. You’re not planning on assembling a dog team are you Emmett? I know you’ve always wanted to go north, but…”

If they had been in the room together, Emmett would have knuckled his friend in the shoulder.

“Fuck off Silas,” Emmett laughed. “I figure one husky is enough to pull a little sled or a wheeled rig with only Jian on, right? I mean he doesn’t weigh more than an hundred and fifty pounds.”

“Well sure,” Emmett could imagine Silas’s well informed nodding, “if he’s part Siberian like you say, then he’ll be plenty strong enough to pull Jian around. Best to start training him young then.”

“OK. So how?”

Emmett put down the phone and smiled at Pitanê’s expectant face.

“We’ve got work to do bud.”

Training a new sled dog, especially without any sled dogs to help the puppy along, was apparently a long and laborious task. Not only did Pitanê need to be taught to pull in harness instead of walking softly at heel, Emmett and Jian would also have to teach him the commands for left and right, and how to stop when asked. By the time Jian walked back in through the front door, Emmett and the husky were focused entirely upon each other and the little bag of tiny treats in Emmett’s hand.

“Haw!” Emmett barked, and the dog dived to the left, paws slapping down on the floor in a very deliberate gesture. Emmett clicked his tongue and threw a treat to the dog, who snapped it out of –mid-air and then returned to his starting position with a wag of his thick furred white tail.

“What are you guys doing?” Jian put down his knapsack and leant against the wall to untie his boots. Three weeks into his internship, he came home from work exhausted and smiling. He didn’t work every day, but each day he seemed stronger, more confident: not that Emmett had ever thought of his mate as shy before, and Emmett was only too happy to juggle their joint schedules to make sure someone was always able to be with Pitanê.

“Training,” Emmett replied, and Pitanê barked, “thought we’d get a head start. Here, you try.”

“So ‘gee’ is right and ‘haw’ is left?” Jian asked, fingering the meaty treat between two fingers whilst being scrutinized by his husky. “And that’ll work even when he’s running?”

“So Silas says,” Emmett shrugged, “that man generally knows what he’s on about.”

“Gee!”

To Emmett’s surprise, Pitanê turned away from the young man, and then turned and paced to the right. Jian threw the treat over his head, and the husky licked it off the floor. With the little tiger standing behind him, it was all too easy to imagine the lines that would make up the dog traces and link them together. Pitanê might have responded happily for Emmett, but with Jian there, he sudden knew exactly what he had to do. Emmett wondered if training him was going to take nearly as long as Silas had predicted.

They no longer locked Pitanê in his crate, because the dog had learnt how to get out if he wanted to, but his bed was still in it and he preferred to sleep there. Jian told him to stay and shut the door, leaving the dog with his chew toys, enough blankets and cushions to be happy wherever he lay down and a good supply of clean fresh water. Every night without fail, he stayed there until one of them went to fetch him, let him out into the back garden before returning to bed. For the last hour of every sleep, Pitanê joined them, his tail wagging faintly even while he slept. Emmett sometimes wondered how he had lived his life both before the dog, and before Jian, because it was hard to remember.

It was especially hard to think of anything else as Jian stripped off his clothes and stretched, balancing on tiptoes with his arms over his head. Emmett caressed him with his mind, and Jian’s orange eyes flashed over his shoulder as he turned with a smile. Jian paced towards him across the room, and Emmett reached out, wrapped a strong arm around his narrow waist and pulled him down into the bed. He nuzzled the boy’s silken hair, and played the pads of his fingers across Jian’s darker tiger stripes.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Jian took his hand and kissed his knuckles, “I love you.”

“I know.”

“But I like to say it,” Jian smiled happily, “you look thoughtful, Xue. What’s up?”

“Sometimes I wonder about us,” Emmett sank back into the bed, and Jian followed him with a slight frown. “Oh, not like that,” Emmett poked the wrinkled skin between Jian’s brows, “but I just realised when you were in the shower: we don’t really know much about each other.”

“We know all of the important things,” Jian replied confidently, “don’t we?”

“I love you.” Emmett smiled, “and you’re the most talented, beautiful, strong, sexy, aggravating, and wonderful tiger in the whole world.” His statement had Jian blushing softly, a rumbling purr starting in his chest. “But I don’t even know when your birthday is.”

Jian collapsed into a fit of giggles, and Emmett only got his attention by trapping both the boy’s skinny wrists in one hand and using the other to grab his arse in a very deliberate manner.

“Shouldn’t you ask a boy when his birthday is before you sodomize him?” Jian panted. Emmett huffed at him, and slid his fingers further into the hot clutches of Jian’s body. “Ooh! Never mind…”

Emmett brought his boyfriend off in a fantastically erotic and very fast manner that left Jian boneless and sweaty in his arms, and the tiger purred softly as they re-joined their conversation.

“So when is your birthday?”

“Not until the end of April, practically in the summer.” Jian smiled, “the twenty sixth. I’ll be twenty three. When’s yours?”

“I had it actually,” Emmett laughed when the little tiger gaped at him, “It was just before you got here. Fifteenth of September; slap bang in the middle.”

“Oh,” Jian seemed disappointed, “that means I don’t get to buy you a present for ages.”

“And with what money are you going to buy me something?” Emmett sighed, “I don’t care about things babe. I have enough things. I got you, and that’s the best present.”

“Nope,” Jian hopped up, already full of energy. Emmett wondered where it all came from, because there was no way he could be that bouncy ten minutes after an orgasm. “The best presents are either puppies, or the awesome hoodie you got me.”

“That was a good present. You practically lived in it the entire time we were in Moosonee.”

“Well I didn’t realise quite how fucking cold it was up north. It’s not colder than that in the artic is it?”

Emmett laughed at his mate and hugged him hard.

“Yes, tiger; it’s colder than this in the arctic. Even I need to use my seal skin parka and all the correct under layers.”

“Well not if you went in your fur. Would you want to?”

“More than almost anything.” Emmett smiled softly. It was the first time they had had this conversation when they were awake and not surrounded by the mixed dreamland of their fantasies. “For a polar bear, it’s just… I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Well then, let’s go.”

“Oh, like it’s that simple!” Emmett kissed his mate, running his fingers through the boy’s hair. Jian purred against him, and then pulled away, leaning up on his forearms, his whole body balanced over Emmett’s own like a very small extra warm blanket.

“Don’t you try and distract me with kisses Xue. If you’ve always wanted to go, then we’ll go. It can’t be that hard to travel to the North Pole. You already have loads of gear, and you’re a polar bear. We have a husky to pull a sled: seems do-able.”

“The North Pole can’t be reached in a weekend, Jian. And I don’t think that you should take time off work right now.”

“Stop being sensible,” Jian kissed him hard, his tongue invading Emmett’s mouth and knocking all his senses off balance for a moment. Emmett could feel the vision in his head, outline in gold, of a big white bear running over the snow alongside a single sled with one dog on the traces. In the image, Jian was on the short skis he had used back in Moosonee, kite-skiing across the snow and ice towards the Pole. Emmett couldn’t help but smile. “If you’ve always wanted to go, then we will go. There’s no reason not to. Maybe this year, maybe in a few years: but we will go.” Jian’s tone brooked no argument. “If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.”

“Great Spirits, but I’m a lucky guy,” Emmett kissed Jian’s lips softly, and smiled at his lover. “I must have done something really good to deserve you.”

“Well you do give excellent head,” Jian admitted.

Emmett had no choice but to respond in the suggested manner; something he did with great enjoyment.

Jian dragged himself out of bed to have a quick shower, and lying in their bed, Emmett reflected on how lucky he was. Not everyone would agree with him, because from the outside it might seem to most people as though Emmett and his checking account were being taken advantage of by a very pretty beach bum, bored for the winter, but Emmett knew better. He was lucky, and he knew it. Jian wanted to go north with him, even though the little tiger was not only not designed for snow, but also had no idea what real true cold was actually like. While Jian’s vision was slightly skewed, because there was no way one dog could carry everything they would need, unless Emmett spent all of his time in his fur, it was a lovely idea. Emmett wondered how best he could work on it becoming true.

But the revelation that his tiger had a birthday coming up made Emmett especially thoughtful as he listened to the sounds of Jian showering. The temptation to go and join the boy was immense, and Emmett knew that if his lover even said a word, he would have to slip across the hallway and sneak into the hot water with him. Jian always looked good under the sparkling water, and would look even better in the sunlight. Emmett looked at the blank space on the wall where Jian’s ocean-blue and neon-green surfboard used to rest, and smiled. He knew exactly what he would get the young man for his birthday.

*

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Emmett arched an eyebrow, looking sideways at his boyfriend. Jian sighed in a slightly melodramatic manner.

“You realise that is the second time today you have asked me that?”

Emmett sighed. True enough, the first time he had asked the question, he had been gripped by a legitimate fear that two weeks into Pitanê’s sled dog training was too soon to hitch him to the three wheeled scooter Emmett had purchased online and see how he went. The dog had taken well to the training, and was able to line-out well (which Emmett had learnt from Silas during one exasperated phone call as being able to stand in the harness and keep the line behind him taut regardless of whether or not you were standing near him, or walking towards or away), confidently turn left and right at the correct calls, and was able to remember to turn back into a normal well-behaved dog when the lead was put onto his collar. Jian had been so excited when the box with the scooter in arrived that he had taken the instructions and both he and Pitanê had spent most of the morning on the living room floor with a screwdriver and a set of hex keys, trying to match slots A and B with pieces X and Y. Finally finished, the scooter was a three wheeled affair with strengthened and padded handle bars, a swivel clip mounted low on the front spar for attaching the harness, and two textured steel foot plates about shoulder width apart. It also had brakes, which Silas had told them very specifically they were not to use.

“Why not?”

“Do you want your dearly beloved to get pinned to the asphalt and tenderised like steak? I thought not.”

So with the strict direction not to use the brakes that came attached to the scooter until after Pitanê had already stopped, Emmett set up the scooter and attached the traces to it with a carabineer. Pitanê barked when he saw the scooter sitting in the middle of their quiet residential street, the snow cleared after the most recent snowfall, and Jian jumped up and down excitedly while the dog danced on his front feet, wagging his tail erratically. Jian had walked the husky to the traces and clipped his new, stronger, and better padded harness onto it. Instantly the husky had stood with the line taut, so much so the scooter had rolled forwards and they had begun a weird game of chase and catch. Eventually Emmett had stood with one hand firmly on the centre pivot of the handle so the scooter stopped moving and Jian had mounted up and taken the grips.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“It’ll be fine,” Jian grinned, “ready Pita?”

The dog barked happily.

“Alright then. Xue, let go.” Jian grinned and kissed him quickly. “Mush!”

Three runs up the driveway later, Jian was bleeding from a skinned elbow, and Pitanê was looking at the scooter like it was a threat.

“Admit it; you should have worn a helmet.” Emmett said.

Jian, freshly showered, dressed, and with part of his left forearm covered up with a gauze pad and medical tape, snuggled onto the sofa next to Emmett, his laptop screen glowing faintly before being placed on Emmett’s lap. The polar bear angled it slightly away from himself as their reflected images showed up in the bottom corner of the screen.

“I’ll admit it wasn’t a smart idea to try a turn that sharp at that high a speed,” Jian responded, “but no musher wears a helmet, Xue.”

Emmet was about to make a comment about snow and asphalt being of vastly different densities, but he was distracted by Jian’s calling up of his international video call list.

“It’s ten o’clock at night, Tiger. They won’t be up…”

“There’s a thirteen hour time different babe,” Jian kissed his shoulder, “it’s already tomorrow morning over there. Mom can tell us the future.” Emmett frowned at him. “Kidding! Will you relax please? If you remember I had to meet your family all together, in person, at Christmas time.”

“But you weren’t-” Emmett stopped himself; he hated to be reminded of the time he had spent ignoring his feelings for Jian, and he doubted the little tiger liked to remember them much either. “Sorry.”

“It’s just my mom Emmett. I’ve told her all about you, she wants to meet you.”

Emmett took a deep breath.

“OK.”

Emmett didn’t understand the first three minutes of the conversation, because Jian spoke rapidly in his native language and Emmett had about as much chance translating it as he did understanding the molecular composition of the Higgs Boson. It did however give him time to relax into the position of being on camera half way across the world with his arm around the man he loved. Jian’s mother was a handsome, strong looking woman, despite her tiny frame. She shared her son’s exotic eyes, though hers were darker ochre struck through with sparks of fire. She glanced at Emmett often, and the polar bear got the feeling he was being talked about.

“Mom,” Jian switched to English with a very deliberate clearing of the throat, “this is my boyfriend Emmett. Babe, I’d like you to meet Fúdòng-Mòli, my mother.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs Kiang.” Emmett smiled, but he knew he’d made a mistake as soon as he spoke, because Fúdòng-Mòli glanced at her son and her mouth went thin.

“Thank you; but I am not a ‘Kiang’, that’s just Jian’s little discrepancy. We are Kam people now,” she smiled again, “but you can call me Floating-Jasmine; it will be easier for you.” Emmett nodded slightly to show he understood. “Now tell me Emmett, what is it you do?”

Never in his entire life had Emmett had to meet the parents of a man he was seeing with intention. There had been the odd moment back home before dates, or just after them, but generally he hadn’t been in proximity to the parents of any of his lovers as a student, and certainly not as an adult. But he smiled, tried to talk about his job in a manner that would allow Floating-Jasmine to understand the complexity of what he did without making her confused and answered each question she asked as politely as he could. Explaining that he was a polar bear garnered him a generous smile and the distinct feeling of approval. After that Emmett stuck with his species-shifter status as the main theme of the conversation, which worked great until Floating-Jasmine looked between the two of them and asked:

“And why is he only your boyfriend?”

“Mǔqīn!” Jian looked shocked, “please don’t.”

“Well if he claims to love you as he does,” she stared hard at Emmett, who gulped, “and he is your mate, then why are you not yet married?”

“We can get married?” Jian arched an eyebrow and glanced at Emmett.

“Sure,” the polar bear wondered exactly where the conversation was heading, “Ontario was the first province in North America to legalise same-sex marriage.” He desperately hoped the conversation would end there.

“It does not seem serious,” Floating-Jasmine announced, and then abruptly switched back into Chinese.

Emmett didn’t understand what they were saying, but Jian’s natural scent got more mixed up with hints of frustration, anger and sadness as the conversation went on. When Emmett heard her mention Yéyé, Jian’s body went rigid in his arms. The argument was not a happy one, and Emmett tried not the think of the upset and anger he had heard through Huan-Yu’s bedroom door all those months ago. But sadness ascended all language barriers.

“It was nice to meet you Emmett,” Fúdòng-Mòli said carefully, “goodbye Jian.” She shut off the call with a finality that was not lost on the big man.

Emmett said nothing as he closed the lid of the laptop and placed it on the coffee table. Jian sniffed, dragged his knuckles over his eyes, and then buried his face in Emmett chest, crying silently, punctuated only by big intakes of air. Emmett didn’t so much care about his shirt front getting ruined, but after a full minute of Jian’s heaving sobs he took the little tiger by the shoulders and peeled him away to look at him properly. Jian wiped his red-rimmed eyes and sniffed.

“Jian?” Emmett used his mate’s name carefully, “what-?” But he didn’t need to finish the rest of the sentence.

“Oh, Xue! I don’t think I’m ever going home again.” Jian looked utterly crushed, but he reached out to touch Emmett’s newly shorn pale hair. “Please…?”

Emmett nodded, stepped off the sofa, and stripped as fast as he could before he shut his eyes and changed shape. Instantly the tiger cuddled against his fluffy chest, and Emmett held him tight and rolled onto his back, using the sofa as a head rest. Emmett wondered what had been said in the conversation he had not been able to understand, what message from Jian’s grandfather had been passed on that made him so distressed: and in the same thought he decided it didn’t matter. Jian was upset, and it was his job to make him happy again in whatever way he could. The little tiger had said he wouldn’t be able to go home again, and with what Emmett knew about the generally backward attitude to gay relationships in the country he wasn’t surprised, but it saddened him to think that though Floating-Jasmine had approved of their relationship and wanted to see them confirm it, it could be Yéyé had issues with the fact that his grandson had found a male mate. Jian did not understand enough bear for Emmett to actually ask the question, but Jian always seemed to know what he was thinking.

“Mom told Yéyé and the family about you after the letter I sent her,” Jian half smiled, “she is happy for me, in her own way. After all, she found her mate in my father, though I have never understood why.”

“Wrooam,” Emmett grunted; he didn’t like the fact Jian put down his father all the time. Though there hadn’t been a reported positive reaction from him, there hadn’t been a negative one either.

“Yéyé said,” Jian sniffed, “that I was no longer part of the Kiang family; I wasn’t serious and respectful, and good boys came home when they were told to! Dammit!” Jian’s tone changed, anger rising through his sadness, “Mom said it wasn’t about the job. He didn’t want me defecting like Huan-Yu did: ‘abandoning the family’ they called it. He knows that a polar bear with a good academic job isn’t going to move to China: so now he doesn’t want me back.”

“Huurnt.” Emmett nuzzled his lover’s hair softly. The bitterness in Jian’s voice was not something he had ever heard before, and he didn’t like it: whether or not Jian ended up seeing his family again, Emmett didn’t want him to resent everything that had happened before hand.

“I think he’d always hoped that when I found a mate, it would be a woman; and someone who was Chinese. There’s still a lot of discrimination in China, and it’s not easy to make it in the business world being openly gay.” Jian sighed heavily, “Mom says he doesn’t want to see me, or know about you, or anything.”

“Haarm rooam wrooal?”

“About the job? Yeah, she was pleased: dad won’t be, it’s not business or banking or something else ridiculously dull. Yéyé will hate it I’m sure.” Jian shook himself down, vibrating from ears to toes with a little frown. “I’m done; I don’t need this to be happy. I have you,” he kissed the bear’s muzzle gently, “take me to bed.”

Riding a bear across the snow and ice was one thing, but Jian didn’t want to let him go, and with Pitanê leading the way up the stairs, Emmett lumbered upwards with the young man balanced over his shoulder, cuddling his fur. Emmett stood filling up the doorway to Pitanê’s room while Jian put the dog to bed, and he huffed happily when the husky rubbed and nuzzled against the underside of his jaw and ruff with a joyful noise and a wag of his fuzzy tail. After that Emmett sat by their bed and watched as Jian began to pull himself out of his clothes. Once the little tiger’s shirt was off over his head, Emmett turned, paced to the wardrobe, and with careful teeth pulled out the tiger stripped hoodie by one sleeve.

“Are we going out?” Jian frowned and looked carefully at Emmett deep brown eyes, “you want me to wear it?”

“Huurnt.”

“OK.” Jian arched an eyebrow as he pulled the hoodie on over his bare torso, when his fingers touched the zip, Emmett growled softly. “Just like this? Alright,” he grinned as he worked out what Emmett was up to, “what next Xue-bear?”

“Wrooam,” Emmett nosed at his crotch. Jian smiled slyly, and unbuttoned the fly of his jeans, and then dragged the zipper down by tiny fragments. The white bear licked his muzzle appreciatively, and the tension in the room hiked up a notch.

“Oh, Xue…” Jian purred as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of his jeans, easing them off over his hips in a deliberately seductive manner. “You’re a kinky bastard at heart, aren’t you?”

Emmett didn’t reply, but as the young tiger stepped out of his clothes, leaving him clad in just the open stripped hoodie and a pair of skimpily cut and tight fitted cotton boxer shorts, he could feel his body responding to the sight of Jian’s. The orange fabric of his crotch was stretched, the shape of his erection well defined against his hip and abdomen. Jian put his hands into the front pockets of his hoodie, ears up over his head with his soft hair falling in his eyes. He looked like every wet dream Emmett had ever had: literally.

The bear stepped forwards and exhaled gently against Jian’s taut abdomen, making the boy’s muscles jump and twitch in a rather interesting manner. Jian wove his fingers into the polar bears head fur, stroking his little ears, and Emmett breathed against him again, and lowered his head to press the tip of his muzzle against Jian hot crotch. The tiger mewled softly and Emmett smiled to himself. Jian had wanted him, in the snow and woods back home, and now Emmett had decided the boy needed the distraction, the reassurance, and the knowledge that regardless of what he did and what shape he was, Emmett loved and adored him. The polar bear continued his nuzzling until Jian’s knees trembled, and then used his big wedge shaped head to knock the boy off his feet and onto to soft mattress.

“Xue?” Jian asked softly as he reached out and plucked at the black piped waistband of his underwear. Emmett nodded, his ears forward as the boy leant up on his elbows, his whole chest taut and rippled with his hard musculature. Jian eased the thin material down over his crotch, and his erection slapped back against his skin, leaving a shiny wetness Emmett found irresistible. He leant forwards and licked the spot, tasting the salty exotic sweetness of Jian against his tongue. When the tiger shivered again, Emmett huffed on his exposed flushed skin, and then lapped gently at the head of his hard cock.

“Ohh!” Jian nearly jumped off the bed in shock, but Emmett reached up and placed an enormous paw on his chest, pinning him down. “Xue-bear… ahhh!”

Emmett returned to his licking patterns, snuffling and nuzzling at his lover’s crotch as he licked the boy’s erect length. Jian panted, his chest heaving under Emmett’s paw, and the polar bear redoubled his efforts, surrounding Jian with the heat and friction of his tongue. When Jian’s whole body was quivering for release, Emmett stopped and sat back with a happy flick of one ear.

“Xue?” Jian sat up slightly, confused. If not for the little lines of worry on his forehead, he was picture perfect to Emmett, with his skin flushed, his cock throbbing and wet, his legs parted and his orange eyes shining out from behind his hair. His nakedness was highlighted by the hoodie that he still wore, the fabric drooping from one shoulder and leaving him looking vulnerable and exposed. Emmett wuffed happily, and Jian’s expression changed ever so slightly as he seemed to read his lover’s mind. “Oh, Xue…”

Jian lay back, supported on his elbows, able to look down the length of his own body at the bear that stood before him. Jian spread his knees, parting his quivering thighs to reveal the soft tender flesh of his taint, and Emmett blew softly, his warm breath making Jian’s skin contract. He boy moaned enticingly, and Emmett nosed underneath the tight sac of his scrotum and pressed his cold wet nose against the tiger’s sensitive flesh.

“Xue!”

“Roaam,” Emmett breathed. Just as Jian began to relax, he smiled and then pressed his tongue intimately against his lover.

“OHH!” Jian nearly jumped out of his skin, “ahh! Unnngh…” his half syllables dissolved into a series of mewls and indecipherable purrs as Emmett stroked his soft skin. The polar bear was deeply pleased when Jian’s knees spread wider and the boy found the confidence to put a command into his voice when he spoke. “More.”

Emmett lapped at him, using his thick dark tongue to discover the boy’s hidden depths, invading his warm body and exploiting his weaknesses. Jian might have had the control of the situation, but the boy was a wriggling mass of raw nerve endings and spiralling emotion, and his orgasm went off like depth charge when he came. He panted for a long time, his come splattered chest heaving to draw breath, and Emmett sat back on his haunches and grinned in self-satisfaction. The little tiger was beautiful, erotically sexy, and his orange eyes glowed with love. Emmett was jolted out of reality as Jian sent him an image of the tiger on his knees, worshipping the body of the bear. By the time Emmett blinked, he was back in his skin, standing by the edge of the bed, his senses filled with the golden glow of his lover.

“Oh, Tiger…”

“Touch yourself.” Jian might have appeared to have been wiped out on the bed, drawing lazy patterns in his own seed, but his voice was rigid as an iron bar. Emmett felt the new command snap right through all of his decision making ability and wrench his freedom of choice away with both hands. Emmett wrapped one hand around his aching erection and jacked himself without breaking Jian’s piercing orange gaze. The young man licked his lips in delightful anticipation and grinned. “More.”

Emmett grunted as his speed increased, tightening his grip to a level which bordered on painful as he masturbated for his lover’s voyeuristic pleasure. Jian licked his lips, and Emmett’s eyes followed the trail of wetness as the boy touched sticky fingers against his tongue, and he felt his heartbeat becoming irregular as he neared the edge of his orgasm. Jian sat up, shifted and knelt on the edge of the mattress, then curled his fingers to beckon Emmett forward.

“You’re beautiful,” the tiger told him, running his fingers down Emmett’s heaving abdomen towards the thin line of pale hairs which lead towards his crotch, “it’s so sexy when you do that.”

Emmett gasped, unable to find his voice in order to do anything more than groan in pleasure: he fought to breath, ecstasy building inside his body like a coiled spring. One look in the tiger’s burning eyes, and Emmet could tell the boy knew exactly what effect he was having on his mate. Jian teased at the tip of Emmett’s cock, then reached down and fondled him gently, causing yet more pleasure to ripple through Emmett’s nerve ending until he could barely stand. Even so, he continued his jerking motion, bound by Jian’s will.

“Come for me,” the boy commanded, and with a drawn out groan, Emmett felt the flood gates release, and he shot his orgasm over his mate. Jian purred and placed his tongue against the tip of Emmett’s erection, and the vision of his seed on the tiger’s pink tongue burnt into Emmett’s brain. Jian moved aside just as all the tension left the polar bear’s body, and he slumped forwards onto the mattress. “Thank you,” Jian purred, his narrow chest rumbling, “c’mon big guy, you can’t sleep upside down.”

“Ungggh…” Emmett groaned.

“I love you too.”

By stages Jian managed to turn Emmett onto his side, grabbed the pillow from the head of the bed and tucked one under his shoulder as he dragged the sheet across their bodies. Emmett found his arm, flexed his fingers, and then pulled the boy against his chest with a sigh.

“Sleep.”

Jian giggled.

“Oh Xue…”

“Best Tiger,” the polar bear murmured against his hair, “mine.”

And then he blacked out.