Page 29 of Green Ravens (Ravens #2)

Chief Aiken Oakley

Valor

The elevator doors slid open and Valor didn’t take his eyes off Zorion as the guards flanked them and led them in opposite directions.

The sight of Zorion’s strong back retreating clawed at Valor. His instincts screamed for him to lash out and rip the guards to shreds. But he forced the rage down and walked patiently into his own living quarters.

The moment the door closed, the silence bore down on him. He went to his terrace and took a deep breath, needing the scent of the outdoors to settle him.

An hour later, he got into the shower. And like last time, he traced the random scars on his chest and abdomen, wondering where they came from.

Valor stared at his naked body in the mirror, wanting to get familiar with who he was now and stop obsessing over who he used to be.

His eyes were golden and his skin was olive-toned as if he’d lived on an island or someplace tropical.

Jo had said his name was Oakley, and he was a hero in the Navy.

Valor didn’t know if a semblance of Oakley was still inside him, waiting to return. If he was, would Zorion like him better than Valor?

What these assholes had done to him was a huge mindfuck. He hoped Jo’s plan was coming together because even he didn’t know how much more of this place he could take.

Dinner arrived—large chunks of beef and lamb smothered in garlic-buttered mushrooms and wild rice. The food was rich, and he was ravenous, but he ate mechanically.

His mind was on Zorion.

As the sky grew darker, Valor marveled at his vision as he watched the chirping birds and even spiders that’d found a home in his elevated refuge.

Then he heard it—the faintest whisper.

“Valor.”

Valor stormed barefoot through his living room and foyer, then slammed his door behind him.

Before he could knock on Zorion’s brand-new door, he opened it, standing there in a pair of loose athletic shorts and no shirt.

“Did you hear me?” Zorion asked with his head cocked slightly.

Valor could only nod, his mouth dry as he stared at Zorion’s toned chest and the defined ridges of his abdomen.

Zorion’s eyes widened a fraction of a second before his gaze lowered to Valor’s waist.

His cock took instant notice of the heat in Zorion’s leer, of his skin that looked warm and sun-kissed as if he spent his days sunbathing when he wasn’t training or taking tests.

They slammed into each other.

The embrace was air-restricting, the overwhelming feelings somewhat confusing.

Zorion’s breath was soft and velvety against his neck. His heart beat strong and steady with his.

He smelled so good, as if his body wash was made from the clean breath of the forest and infused with honeysuckle.

Valor had been restless the entire day, and he’d been furious as he watched the challenging simulations they’d put Zorion through helplessly from the corner.

But now, his soul was at peace.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“I’ll always come when you call,” Valor murmured.

He traced Zorion’s rough jawline, lingering near the pulse point on his throat.

“I wonder how long I’ve known you,” Valor whispered. “If there’s always been so much fire in your eyes…and were they always such a beautiful shade of green?”

Zorion sighed. “We must’ve known each other for years. Otherwise, why would this feel so good if we weren’t close?”

Valor squeezed him tighter. “Let’s not question it…not right now.”

He took Zorion’s hand and led him to the terrace…not the bedroom. Valor laid Zorion down on the lush grass and settled close beside him. As if on instinct, Zorion laid his head on his chest.

They were silent for a long time, allowing the chirping of nocturnal insects to serenade them.

Crickets and fireflies scurried close to them. The stars burned brightly, and the moon shone down on them like an appreciative witness to their bonding.

“What did they bring you for dinner tonight?”

Zorion hummed. “Fish…again. And fish this morning.”

“You like fish, huh?”

“I suppose so. Everything I do and eat, I wonder if I’ve always liked it. I even wonder what I may have been allergic to. Who knows how much they’ve altered inside us.”

Valor nuzzled Zorion’s forehead, rubbing his bristled cheek along his temple. He did it until Zorion exhaled and relaxed deeper into his side.

It felt so good to comfort him. Valor’s eyelashes fluttered and his eyes almost rolled back in his head.

“You suddenly smell good,” Zorion whispered. “Stronger.”

Valor smirked. “So do you.”

“What do I smell like?”

There was a hint of desire in Zorion’s smooth voice.

“You smell like freedom, like the outdoors.”

Valor liked how Zorion shifted closer.

After a long pause, Zorion asked, “What’s taking Jo so long?”

“This place has tighter security than the damn White House. It’s gonna take a little time to break us both out of here because I’m not leaving without you.”

“Where will we go?”

“You will go where I lead. Yes?”

Zorion didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Zorion ran his hands down Valor’s torso, sparking a surge of erotic energy to his groin.

A soft purr moved in his chest like satisfaction made into sound.

Zorion shifted until his pelvis pressed against Valor’s thigh. His cock was hard, his hand heavy on his hip, and his breath hot on his cheek.

Valor stretched his neck to the side for more. Zorion’s touch didn’t just bring intense pleasure. It was more the electrifying emotions he felt at Zorion’s desire to please him.

“Valor,” Zorion moaned.

He rolled them until he was on top of Zorion, smothering him with all his weight and pressing him into the thick grass.

The scent of wildflowers and damp soil filled his nostrils as Zorion wrapped his strong legs around his waist.

“Why do you feel so fuckin’ good?” Zorion writhed until their hardened cocks aligned.

“Shit.” Valor gripped Zorion’s hips, taking over his movements, making him grind into him harder.

Zorion stared up at him as if trying to conjure a memory of the two of them.

He kept one hand on Zorion’s hip and used the other to clutch the back of his neck. His hold was possessive, but he didn’t want to completely dominate Zorion.

“Do you wanna kiss me?” he asked breathlessly.

Zorion raised his head and brushed his lips along his.

The kiss was gentle as he slid his hand up until he cupped Zorion’s cheek. The rumbling in his chest grew louder.

The kiss deepened, unhurried and warm, as Valor savored the closeness.

Zorion turned them and straddled his hips. He intertwined their fingers and pinned Valor’s arms over his head.

Valor grunted, bucking his hips, his moans of bliss floating on the breeze.

Valor chuckled into Zorion’s mouth. “You like the feel of restraining me.”

Zorion smiled against his cheek. “Maybe a little.”

“I don’t mind,” Valor confessed, biting and sucking Zorion’s throat passionately, careful not to leave marks.

He found his lips again, and they moved against each other, sexy and steady, each suck and lick full of tenderness.

Zorion slid his hand down Valor’s body until he palmed his dick. Valor thrust upward, needing more, gritting his teeth at the craving and yearning that were so strong it made his muscles tense.

“I want this, Val,” Zorion moaned.

“You can have whatever you want of me.”

Valor’s heart soared at how the nickname just rolled right off Zorion’s tongue. He swallowed hard as Zorion squirmed down his body like a snake until his mouth hovered over his dick.

Yes, yes, fuck, yes.

Zorion gazed up at him as he tugged Valor’s sweats to his shins.

He stared into the depths of those beautiful eyes and time seemed to blur.

Images danced across his vision like a distant dream.

Valor could see flashes of Zorion’s face, the edges of the picture distorted and faint. But it was him, and they were in a wooded area where there was a lot of water.

Valor dropped his head back when wet heat wrapped around the head of his cock.

Instead of grasping for parts of his past, he cupped Zorion’s scarred cheek and stayed in the present.

Zorion bobbed up and down on his length like a pro. He must’ve been a gay man before the Ravens stole his identity—and was using muscle memory—because he was too fucking good at this.

Valor’s balls tightened and his ab muscles contracted. He was about to come embarrassingly fast.

Zorion added his hands. One under his sac, close to his hole, and the other jerking him in time with his sucking.

“Goddammit,” Valor growled.

That blunt finger just breached him before he came with a furious groan, his hips jerking.

Zorion took his girth and all of his load, the pleasure so intense it made Valor’s ears ring.

Zorion didn’t release him, and seconds later, Valor shot again when Zorion groaned so loud around his cock it made his balls vibrate.

Realizing Zorion had come just from sucking him off took the intensity of their connection even higher.

After Zorion caught his breath, he climbed up Valor’s body and pulled him into a hard, enthusiastic kiss, letting him taste himself on his tongue. They clutched each other as if someone were trying to pry them apart.

He knew Zorion was thinking the same thing as him.

“I won’t let them implement phase three. I won’t let them take away what you feel for me,” Valor swore.

“Please.”

He held on to Zorion until he felt safe, until the stars grew brighter and they drifted off to sleep.

The broad-winged black raptor no longer haunted his dreams. Valor still saw him, but now it soared in the sky as Valor raced through a vegetation- and orchid-filled jungle.

A piercing screech shattered his calm, and Valor snapped his eyes open.

The rising sun painted the sky in beautiful oranges and pinks, and he could hear the faint sounds of traffic forty stories below.

A massive brown hawk sat perched on the terrace’s railing. Its wings spread wide and flapping wildly, its unblinking golden eyes boring into Zorion’s.

Zorion bolted upright. “Val…I don’t…I think—”

“What is it?” Valor got to his feet.

“I think it’s a warning.”

The hawk screeched louder before diving toward them. Zorion had to duck before the creature flew into him. It pumped its powerful wings and soared into the sky, leaving rushing air in its wake.

“Go, hurry,” Zorion urged. “Someone must be coming.”

Valor pulled his pants all the way up while hurrying toward the door. He didn’t look back as he took off down the hall at a full sprint. He heard the ding of the elevator a second after he closed and bolted his door.

He heard five pairs of boots coming toward him before there were three hard knocks on his door.

Valor waited a few seconds, then opened it with a bland stare, forcing himself not to scowl.

“Be ready in fifteen. You’re training today,” Cipher said, then turned away.

He listened to them march toward the other end of the hall, do the same thing, and relay the same message.

Valor went to his terrace and saw the hawk soaring high above Zorion’s side of the building.

Something cold rippled under his skin and a low growl escaped his chest.

They can lock the doors, but not the sky.

That would be their escape.