...Magpie stiffened, and James wondered if the man had realized what happened a few minutes ago. But what Magpie said next made him laugh.

“Fuck. Shouldn’t we be running for our lives instead of cuddling naked in bed?”

James’ laugh was more a bark. It seldom got any use. “They saw me go down and figure I’m dead by now. Don’t see you as a threat, so they won’t come to check. They’re too confident in their own abilities.”

Magpie rose up on an elbow and glared at him. “Not a threat? Don’t they fucking know who I am? I’ve got a bloody reputation.”

“Beyond the wall. Here, there’s a new set of rules. You’re an NF, cannon fodder, and they don’t fear you.”

“Yet they shot you.” Magpie’s hand grazed the tender skin where the wound had been. “Why?”

“I play by my own rules, which makes me unpredictable. I have no weaknesses. I don’t care for any one. They all fear me.”

Having his own set of rules kept James alive. As an outsider, the other perceived him as someone better left alone.

“How did Tilda fuck us? Why were you working for Valpraiso? What the fuck is the uprising? Why the bloody hell aren’t you dead?” Magpie’s voice rose in volume until he shouted the last question.

James’ throat hurt. He’d talked more in the last several hours than he had in the past few years. “Rest. We’ll talk later.”

He cupped the back of Magpie’s head and pushed to encourage the man to lie back down.

“No. Talk now. What the fuck did I do to you? I’m not a goddamn healer, James. Shit. I can barely bring myself to touch people.”

James knew if he didn’t do something, Magpie would keep badgering him. He didn’t want to talk because he didn’t have any answers. So he did the one thing he’d been thinking about since meeting the man three years ago. He kissed him.

Their lips crashed together since James expected Magpie to protest and used more force than he needed. He tasted metal. Lifting the other man’s head an inch or so, he realized Magpie’s bottom lip was bleeding. Far more gently this time, he sucked the injured flesh into his mouth and bathed it with his tongue. A soft burst of air bathed his face as Magpie sighed.

He fused their mouths together, while encouraging the slender man to cover his body. His legs spread, allowing Magpie to fit between them. Their groans combined when their cocks rubbed against each other. It had been a long time since he’d touched any man like that. He cupped Magpie’s ass with his free hand and rocked the man’s pelvis on his, creating friction for them.

Keeping his fangs sheathed, he nibbled on Magpie’s plump lips. Their tongues dueled with teasing strokes and rough thrusts. He slid his fingers down the crease of Magpie’s ass and tapped lightly at the man’s hole. A shiver racked the man’s body. He figured Magpie liked that, so he did it again.

“More,” Magpie whispered against his lips.

James pulled his other hand away from the dark hair he’d entwined it in and placed his fingers at Magpie’s mouth. Sucking them in, the slender man began to lick them, making sure they got good and wet. James kept their bodies rocking against each other, their pre-cum leaving wet trails over their stomachs. He didn’t want Magpie to start thinking.

After pulling away his fingers, he slid them down the man’s crease, pressing them against the puckered opening, slipping in just the tips. Magpie’s back arched and he moaned. James kept his fingers still, letting Magpie decided when to take them in farther. He couldn’t stop the groan when Magpie pushed back and his fingers went as deep as they could go. He rubbed his knuckles over Magpie’s gland and the man cried out.

While Magpie rode his fingers, he tasted the slender throat bared above him. Salt burst over his tongue. God, he’d forgotten how much he loved that taste, almost as much as the taste of cum. He scissored his fingers, stretching and making sure Magpie would be loose enough to accept his cock. He wasn’t going to stop without fucking the man and, by the way Magpie was groaning, he didn’t think Magpie would put a halt to their lovemaking.

He spit in his hand and slicked up his cock. Magpie’s movements were getting jerky. He could tell climax was close, but he wanted to be inside that tight ass when it happened.

“No,” Magpie protested when James pulled his fingers out of him.

He lined up the head of his cock with Magpie’s hole. “Push back,” he demanded.

Magpie hissed as the cock’s head breeched his opening, but he bore down. James didn’t move. He’d let Magpie take him in before he started thrusting. Soon he was buried balls deep in the man’s ass, and they both groaned.

“Move,” Magpie begged.