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Giorgio knew he needed help – his issue was more about which of his packmates he should call. The fifteen minutes Enda had been in the bathroom had been the longest moments in his life. He thought about knocking on the door a dozen times, but his hound told him he needed to wait. Once again, Giorgio felt like his hound was siding with his mate’s animal spirit when his loyalty was usually something Giorgio could count on.

But the moment Enda came out with his rather shocking revelation, his hound was happy again, and Giorgio even got the impression of the bird spirit flitting around his head.

“I never lied to you,” Enda said, wiping more tears from his red-rimmed eyes, but Giorgio could feel they were more relief this time than anything else. “I have tried to shift so many times, and when we were laying on that bomb…my bird was trying soooo hard, he was frantic with it. We both thought for sure he could shift then, but nothing happened! I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but nothing happened.”

“Hey, hey.” Giorgio wiped a stray tear from his mate’s face. He carried Enda back to the couch, getting them both settled. “What do you know about phoenixes?”

“Apart from the fact my father wants to kill me?” Giorgio had to blink a few times himself, reacting to the deep sadness in Enda’s eyes. “No one I know has ever come across one before. It was my grandmother who told me. I got upset when I didn’t shift as a teenager, and she explained I wasn’t exactly like my mother, but she said I could never tell anyone.”

“Babe.” Giorgio swallowed hard. “Er…a phoenix is like a dragon. They never shift until they’ve claimed and been claimed by their mate.”

“We’re claimed! Does that mean I can shift now?” Enda tilted his head to one side. “I don’t feel any different, and neither does my bird, but then I haven’t tried since we met. Do you think I should try now?”

Giorgio felt his hound actually chuckling in his head. “We have claimed each other, yes. I wear the collar, you’ve bitten me, and… and… there’s more. We need to be double claimed.”

“What do you mean by double?” Enda looked around the room. “Do we have to claim someone else?”

“No! Sorry.” Giorgio quickly lowered his voice. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, but no, we definitely won’t be claiming someone else. What I mean by double claiming is that…” Damn he could barely get the words out. “You have to have your cock inside of me when you bite me.”

Enda’s eyes went impossibly wide, and Giorgio saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “You’re not talking about you giving me a blowjob, are you?” Enda quickly covered his mouth as a giggle escaped. “And, er…I don’t suppose we’re talking about me sticking my dick in your ear either? I don’t think I could do that and bite you all at the same time.”

His lips pressed together, Giorgio shook his head. “Nope, there’s only one place for your dick to go that will make this work.”

“Ah. I understand.” Enda patted his chest. “You’ve never done things that way before, have you? I can sense that through our bond. It’s okay. We don’t have to. Do you think if we try getting a message to my father somehow and tell him I can’t shift at all and never will, that he might leave me alone? We could even lie and say that I can’t even remember what happened the night my mother died. That might work, mightn’t it? He’s probably more scared of my phoenix than me.”

Enda would do that, too. Giorgio could hear his sincerity, and it was humbling, knowing Enda would give up his chance to ever let his bird spirit free just so Giorgio wouldn’t feel uncomfortable during a sexual act. Suck it up, he told himself fiercely. Lord Hades has been pregnant twice, and Cain got pregnant, too, and we all know how that happened.

“We’re not giving up on your phoenix.” Giorgio bent his head, kissing Enda’s hair. “How about we call room service, enjoy a meal, and then we’ll get an early night. See if we can make this thing happen. What do you think?”

“But you don’t want to do things that way,” Enda protested. “I would never force you to do something you didn’t want to do.”

“I’ve never let anyone else do something like that, but mates are special. I…I…” Giorgio couldn’t say he wanted to do it. That would be a lie. “We can at least give it a try. Who knows. I might like it?” And my hound might turn purple and start sporting yellow spots. But Giorgio kept that to himself and smiled at his worried mate. “What do you fancy for dinner?”

/~/~/~/~/

While Enda was enjoying his meal, Giorgio was running a self-help/motivational seminar through his head. At least, that’s what it sounded like to him.

Sex is as natural as breathing.

If Enda can give up his ass for me, then it’s only right I do the same for him at least once.

It’s not like his dick is going to be in there long.

That thought had Giorgio spiraling down a sidetrack trying to work out how long he’d had his dick inside of anyone’s ass at any one time. Enda was an exception. Giorgio knew he’d been quick that one time, but between the new claim and Enda’s passion and excitement – no guy could last long under those circumstances.

But what about with other people? Ten minutes…five minutes…two? No more than three minutes, surely, and three minutes wouldn’t be so bad. Giorgio was sure he could handle anything for two to three minutes, even someone trying to pull out his fingernails. He’d had that happen to him once, so Giorgio did know how painful that could be. Anal sex couldn’t be that bad or no one would do it.

You’re doing this for Enda, Giorgio told himself firmly. As soon as the double claim is made, I can take him to the wastelands so he can shift without anyone seeing him and…and… Giorgio couldn’t think that far ahead. Not with what was to come. We’ve just got to get over this bit first.

It was in that frame of mind that Giorgio escorted Enda into the bedroom, as soon as Enda had finished the hot chocolate he’d asked for. If Enda was nervous, Giorgio wouldn’t know anything about it. He had enough nerves for both of them.

“Right,” he said, standing by the door as Enda went and sat on the bed. “I thought the best way to do this was we’ll get naked, and then I can prep myself with magic, which will make things easier for both of us. As far as positions go, I factored in that you need to bite me again, so, I think we’ll do it the same as when I claimed you, but this time I’ll straddle your legs and have your cock inside me that way.

“When you’re ready to bite, I can bend down and then you can reach my neck with your teeth, while your cock is still inside. That way, we should both orgasm thanks to the bite, and that will be a double claim, right? So did you want to take your own clothes off, or I can zap them if you like.”

Enda folded his arms across his chest, making no move to do anything, including taking his clothes off. “This must’ve been what Consort Ali meant when he said that hellhounds weren’t good with dating techniques.”

Consort Ali? Dating techniques? Where did that come from? “What do you mean?” Now he’d decided to do the deed, Giorgio just wanted to get it done.

“You’re standing there, looking as if you’re one move away from pissing your pants, dictating how things are going to go. But you forgot two fundamental facts when you were planning this all out when you should’ve been eating.”

“I didn’t forget anything, did I?” Giorgio was sure he had all the bases covered. And what did Enda mean about him pissing his pants? He never did that, even if he was drunk, which was never.

“Well, for a start, if you think I am just going to stick my dick in you without any foreplay or efforts to help you relax, then you must have a really bad opinion of me. That’s a horrible thing to do to anybody. And second, and this follows on from point one, nothing you’ve said or done since we came into this room is arousing to me. As far as I’m aware, I can hardly stick a soft dick up your ass without an act of god. But hey, you know one of them, maybe you can call him and get some advice. As for me, I’m going to relax in a bath and try and forget my mate basically insulted my character.”

“Wait, please,” Giorgio added quickly as Enda stood up. “I didn’t mean to insult you, honest I didn’t. I just…I was thinking about the best way to do this over dinner so that we can…” he trailed off, the words “get it over and done with as soon as possible” left unsaid. He didn’t think that would help his cause.

But clearly, the thought leaked through their bond. “You just want to get it over and done with,” Enda said flatly. “If you can’t be assed to give me the chance to show you the same level of care and affection you showed me when you claimed me, instead of planning our sex like a freaking secret-service operation to be executed as quickly and efficiently as possible…” He shook his head. “That’s a hard no from me. I care for you too much to treat you like that, even if you don’t think that I do.”

Giorgio could only watch as Enda walked, with a ramrod straight back, into the bathroom, gently closing the door. Moments later, he heard the bath water running.

You certainly fucked that up.

Giorgio hated that his hound was right, but he wasn’t sure where he fucked up. I thought he’d be so keen, Giorgio protested. Surely, he’s desperate to shift for the first time in his life. It would’ve only taken five minutes. We could’ve been one and done and in the Underworld by now – his bird spirit free to be who he was born to be.

It might have helped if you didn’t look like you were facing a firing squad while you were outlining your plan.

Giorgio frowned. You can’t see my face, so how would you know my expression?

I could see your reflection in the mirror.

Glancing sideways, Giorgio could see his face. His hound was right again. All right, smart ass, but what am I meant to do now? Enda thinks I hate him. I was only doing this for him. I would never have done it for anyone else.

Yeah, I can’t understand what Enda was thinking, either. That sacrificial lamb aspect you’ve got going on is really sexy. You looked like a martyr being led to the funeral pyre. I bet he got horny just staring at your face and that was without all the instructions you were giving like you were organizing a military event. I’m surprised he could keep it in his pants. He should’ve just thrown you to the floor and plowed your ass until you couldn’t remember your name and to hell with the bed and all your instructions.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Giorgio could feel his cheeks heating. That doesn’t help me know what to do now. I don’t like thinking Enda doesn’t like me. Straining his ears, he could hear the water had stopped running and then a soft splash as Enda got into the bath.

Maybe you should go and get in the bath with him. Show him the affection he clearly feels he’s missing. And stop overthinking things. It really doesn’t do you any good.

Giorgio wasn’t sure about the overthinking side of things, but getting in the bath with a naked, warm Enda and showing him affection wasn’t a hardship at all. He quickly tugged his shirt over his head and shoved his pants down his thighs.