Chapter 497: Can you help me?

There were advantages to your post-apocalyptic, bonded mutant wolf being ambiguously intelligent. Mason told Streak to feed the fire so he didn’t have to get up.

“Really?” he said as the wolf pouted. “I hunted. And got the wood. Yes I know you

would

have. Wait you

did

, and you didn’t share your sea monster. Yes I know you guarded the girl. Would you just please...”

Streak picked up a log—which was increasingly,

terrifyingly

small in his jaw—and plopped it on the fire.

“You’d think I asked you to build a house,” Mason mumbled. “You know the bigger you get the more attitude you have. No I don’t care if you’re the leader of a pack. You’re part of

my

pack. You’re like a sub pack. Yes there’s such a thing.”

Mason fought the grin as Streak rolled over and yawned, mind drifting instantly. He might have worried about it if he wasn’t superhuman, because he could feel Streak’s supercharged instinct to test for leadership. No doubt it was hard to get filled with fantasy power but still not be in charge.

He also felt the love and friendship, and the small and probably healthy dose of fear. But still, he knew Streak had a pack to get back to, and that he should use the Stag and maybe the new bear more. He just liked being with his friend.

“Is it morning?”

Demi blinked and shifted against Mason’s side, but he kept his arm around her, the warm hides pulled up to her chin.

“Not yet. Go back to sleep.”

Demi seemed like she would, but eventually sat up and yawned, looking a lot better than she had a few hours before. Her hair was still wild and he fought the urge to smooth it or touch her at all. She noticed his eyes and did it herself.

“I must look like a crazy person.”

“You’re in good company,” he said, and she smiled. “In fact I looked more like this big grump before I found you.” He gave Streak a few hard, affectionate pats, and the wolf grunted. “Shifted back mostly because it’s a bit…much.” He laughed. “I guess I didn’t want to scare the shit out of you.”

“I saw you do it in the arena,” she said with a shrug. “When you chewed on that rogue guy. Then with that, uh, Jeong. And with…Blake.”

Mason blinked, though he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that she watched his fights. He was suddenly a bit embarrassed and curious what the fight with Blake had been like from someone else’s perspective.

Mostly he remembered getting his brain smashed with an invisible brick before Blake choked himself to death. Definitely a top three shitty moments in the apocalypse. Right next to getting buried alive. And swallowed by a giant worm. Or maybe it was drinking Gaia’s poison…or possibly when he technically died because of orc snake poison…

OK there was a lot of competition.

“Are you and your brother still…fighting? I thought maybe at first it was like…a show? But not after that.”

Mason took a breath and went to answer, but he honestly had no idea. He’d forgiven Blake for what he did in their duel, and blamed the system as much as anything.

But things were more complicated now. His whole life he’d accepted whatever happened from Blake’s wild schemes. They were brothers and it was Mason’s job to keep him safe. That’s just how it was.

But he had other people to protect now. People he loved, people he’d taken responsibility for. And as much as it hurt him to think, he’d begun to realize that might sometimes mean protecting

them

from

him

.

“We’re not fighting,” he said. “We’ve just got…different priorities.”

Demi looked between his eyes and nodded.

“Family’s tough.” She sighed. “Mine from the reserve was…is…” she shrugged and he smiled to let her know he understood, “let’s call them…a mixed bag. Some were amazing, like my grandfather, who taught me so much and had this…never-ending patience I can’t even begin to understand.”

Her smile was so genuine and sad it broke Mason’s heart, but he just listened.

“I had cousins who were drunks and pretty much good for nothing except making everyone insane since they were twelve. Then there was my dad. He tried but we’re talking a man who wore Italian loafers to a hike because they were ‘comfortable’. When I got a little older it was just holidays. Not that Mom made it any easier.”

Demi met Mason’s eyes again and cringed. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I. Did I mention I haven’t seen anyone except in the Neutral Zone for months?

“I don’t mind. Feels like I don’t do much talking anymore. If my life was a movie it’d be somewhere between an action flick and a…” he was about to say ‘porno’ before he caught himself and a wave of heat hit his face.

“What?” Demi blinked and

sniffed

him before she burst out laughing.

“Stop sniff-reading me. God damn mind readers everywhere.” He was legitimately embarrassed and shifted away as Demi kept laughing, pulling at his arm.

“I’m sorry.” She tried to get a hold of herself. “I don’t…I mean I’m not reading your mind. Anyway

you

can smell

me

. So it’s only fair. I just got…flashes. Images. Um, quite a few.”

Mason found himself characteristically lost for words. Demi fought off the laughter and took a breath, wiping at her eyes.

“Well at least now I know Baron Mason, the Wolf of the West, can look like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.”

“I’m not exactly proud,” Mason said, because it was true. “I feel like a selfish asshole sometimes. I’d like to blame the ‘system’ but it’s definitely my fault, too. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I’ve…never really talked about it. Not like this. Except maybe with Haley.”

Demi raised a brow and Mason took a breath.

“She’s my…”

Oh to hell with it

, he thought. “She’s my wife. One of two—the other is,” he shook his head because it sounded so stupid, “an elven princess. But I have another elven concubine, technically.” He thought it best to leave out the whole sleeping with his mother in law thing. “I also live with…three girlfriends. I didn’t plan it or anything it just…happened.”

Demi’s eyes were definitely wider. But he figured the best way to nip this thing in the bud was just to put his cards on the table and scare her off. No reasonable woman was going to hear about all that and say ‘cool, can you fit me in on Tuesdays?’. She whistled and looked at the fire like she was processing all that, and Mason shrugged.

“Yeah. It’s complicated. There’s so many more women than men with all the dead players. I made some rules in Nassau but it’s already all fucked up and blurred. Even now we’ve got a ton of women without men. A bunch of elves. And there’s fucking…sex creatures out there. Nymphs and great tree avatars and maybe fairies. And sex titles. Did I mention sex titles? It’s ridiculous.”

Demi was laughing again, covering her mouth when Mason turned and glared.

“Oh you poor thing,” she said, rubbing his arm. “It must be so

hard

. Is there anything I can do?”

“Alright.” He swatted her hand and rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding, but all I hear is the double entendres.”

“Oh my. Such fancy words from a Conan look-alike.”

“Private tutors.” Mason grinned. “And double entendre isn’t that fancy, I mean it’s pretty commonly used…”

Demi leaned forward and kissed him, soft lips pressing against his as a wave of very…accepting scent and lust seemed to be filling the world around him.

He was honestly confused, hardly kissing her back even as she started teasing with her tongue.

“Uh. Demi…I don’t know what part of that sounded like ‘so this is a good idea’, because honestly I’m not sure…”

“You’re perfect,” she said, which didn’t help with the confusion. She licked her lips and sighed. “I like you, Mason. You’re honest and sweet in a very…Texan guy sort of way. And I’m not looking for any kind of…entanglement. I’m a player and I have this…clicky thing. OK I imagine you know about it. It’s like sci-fi birth control. All I need is…”

More scent washed over him, this time with ‘image flashes’ just like she’d described, with Demi in various states of undress, rolling around in her lean-to doing everything she could not to touch herself. Her eyes were half closed and she was looking him up and down like a slab of beef.

“I just need…release.” She was a bit pink now but not backing down, moving up to her knees as she pushed against him. “Can you…help me? Even if it…doesn’t mean anything more?”

Mason just about slapped a hand to his face. He knew by now he was absolute shit at ‘casual sex’. That if he did what Demi was asking he would fail spectacularly. That he’d be possessive and uncool and not at all ‘modern’ or whatever the hell you were supposed to call it.

Demi was sniffing him and touching him and practically pouting as she kissed his cheek and lips.

“Please,” she whispered. “I know it’s not that…simple. But I don’t care. I want you now. I can’t go another night. I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever you like.”

Mason imagined some version of himself that let her down easy. That said he just had to get her home and there’d be other men, that she’d waited this long she could go a few more days. But he didn’t

want

to.

She was beautiful and against him. And just the curiosity of what the hell their nature magic was going to start doing while they took each other was enough to get his libido going…

She grinned like she could tell. Like she knew she was going to get what she wanted, and she was still kissing his face and neck and her eager hands were moving all over him.

Mason was already hard. Whatever pathetic shreds of resistance he had were already crumbling, and he held back the sigh as his hands moved down Demi’s lean back like they had their own mind before grabbing her ass.

“I always was a sucker for a woman in need,” he said, unsummoning Streak to get that out of the way, then lifted Demi onto his lap.