Bird of a Nest - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

"Nel'os, my love, heart of my hearts, please stop hiding like a child," Tai'ray called with a touch of bemusement to his words. Hiding wasn't the exact words, Nel'os was still visible to the eye. The fact he was in a corner behind a makeshift wall of pillows was far more concerning. "No one is going to drag you down there. The last thing Cai'ress needs is a conflict when he wakes up."
White wings ruffled, some of the feathers coming loose. The moulting season was upon them, and Nel'os' summer coat was beginning to grow in. White feathers would start to take on a more bluish hue for Nel'os, mixed in with a silver layer. Navat and the court would be awash with colour as the plainer winter colours faded into brighter ones. Some people had dramatic colour changes, others not too much. Dyn'ad's grew a layer of bright red feathers during this time, lining the normal black fades. Tai'ray's feathers would remain the same, as was the will of the link.
"I'm not hiding," Nel'os muttered, burying his face in a pillow.
Tai'ray exhaled and clambered over the wall to collapse on Nel'os. Smirking as Nel'os complained and letting his weight pin the man down. Nel'os whined and eventually the two settled with Tai'ray resting on Nel'os chest, kneels either side of Nel'os' thigh in the perfect position to tease. Tai'ray kissed Nel'os, hard. Tears ran down Nel'os face and he kissed back, talons tangling in Tai'ray hair. Tai'ray lifted his own hands and removed Nel'os' hands, pinning them above the man's head as he kissed him again, pressing closer.
Teeth scraped together, the two bodies grinded together in a familiar dance. They knew this. Tai'ray release Nel'os hands and lifted Nel'os tunic, kissing his chest. He searched out well known sensitive parts and teasing the man as he gasped and moaned. Tai'ray let his talons dig in and scratch, his teeth scraped over the smooth skin too.
"Please," Nel'os begged, hips trying to buck up but Tai'ray had them pinned down.
"So needy. We noticed you haven't been playing with the others," Tai'ray chuckled, a little touch of something darker in his voice. "Time to play, my love." It had the desired effect.
For the next hour or so, Tai'ray took care of his mate. When they finished they were both sated bonelessly laying over each other covered with scratches, bites and other unmentioned things. Nel'os was curled into Tai'ray armpit, wings fluttering slightly as he recovered. Tai'ray found his hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing Nel'os's knuckles.
"We are going to have to talk about this, Nel,"
The answering groan was telling. Tai'ray felt Nel'os's muscles tense but he didn't move from him. He buried his face against Tai'ray's ribs. Tai'ray waited patiently, Nel'os leg slung over his and pressing tight. Dyn'ad was in the bond, pulsing love steadily like a warm heartbeat against there minds. There was bemusement at how desperate their play at been, a promise to remind them how much he loved them soon too. For tonight, however, he would remain with Ryraso and Cai'ress. The two waiting for the man to wake from the drugs.
"I love you,"
"I love you too," Tai'ray tightened his arms around Nel'os, trying to make it sink into the man's bones. "I love you, I love Dyn'ad and I love Ryraso. I love Aw'endo and I would say I love Eyeri. I rather fond of Fetmar. I'm fond of Ang'as, I don't want him in our nest, but I am fond of him. I'm sorry  I couldn't fall for Cai'ress."
"I love Ang'as but not as a bondmate. I wish Gar'kin had admitted his feelings before he got a nest first. Ang'as won't go for him. Kol'bur has made his feelings clear," Nel'os shifted slightly, making himself more comfortable, his wings spreading out wide behind him. "How can I love Cai'ress again? Accident or not, he almost killed RYraso. Worse yet, I left him to die. How could he love me?" Tears rolled from Nel'os' eyes. "How do you forgive someone for doing that to you? Yet, the idea of sending him away feels too wrong."
"We can't send him away until his therapy is over," Tai'ra\y murmured. "No one can doubt your intentions, Nel'os. You found them with Cai'ress stabbing our love. You saved Ryraso from a threat. You didn't abandon him by choice.  Neither did you listen to his begs for safety and send him to hell anyway."
Nel'os rested for a moment, lips against Tai'ray collar bone. "We both fucked up," he exhaled shoulders slumping.
"We did," Tai'ray nodded, rubbing Nel'os lower back, under where his wings were. "All we can do now, he protect him as he heals. When that is done..." Tai'ray shrugged. "If he wishes to stay, he stays. If he wishes to go, we find him somewhere safe. No more Nel'os. No more lovers. You can play within reason, but no new potentials."
Nel'os closed his eyes and closed in acceptance. More acceptance than Tai'ray or Dyn'ad had expected. The truth was his heart was rather raw at the moment. The idea of looking for someone new with the mess they were in was laughable at best. "The formers invited me to join in a group session to help Ang'as feel better. I didn't feel up to it. Zaro is most likely going to get dragged into one once he has a contract set up with that set of guards. The fact he's Klosan weirdly explains why he's more open to sex than a lot of humans."
Tai'ray sat up , rolling Nel'os off his chest and looked at him. "Zaro is from Klosa?" he demanded, sounding incredulous.
"You didn't know yet?"
"No!" Tai'ray shook his head, feeling one puzzle disappear. Tai'ray hadn't spent much time with the young man, the others often hanging out with him as Tai'ray was dealing with court matters. He had known Nel'os had moved him in with the former consorts. No one had mentioned he was from Klosa. "No wonder he was tugging on the link. He's k'nairi kin. Which means, we have to kidnap his brother. That's going to be fun," Tai'ray rubbed his temples. Tiew was sure to fight any attempt to remove him from the war.
Nel'os smiled softly. "We have four months before we return to the front. That's plenty of time to plan. We could ask Samki for some help. I'm sure he'll want Tiew out of the war just as much as Loror. His spies are bound to have some creative ways to kidnap someone."
"Because Samki would help me," Tai'ray said through gritted teeth. It was partly his own fault. Samki was one of his rivals for Loror's ear. Only Samki was more successful than most because he was arguably more useful to Loror than Tai'ray. Samki was the spymaster, the ones who found information and planted it as needed. They clashed as much as they agreed with each other. Problem was Tai'ray had gone berserker on him once or twice and Samki, quite rightly, did not like him for it.
"Your relationship is not as bad as you think it is," Nel'os chuckled. "He is fond of Dyn'ad and has been courting for favours from you for a while now. You have just been too blind to see when he's being nice."
"He wants to send one of his brats here,"
"Not to spy," Nel'os pointed out, rolling away to fetch a washcloth. Parts of him were starting to feel itchy. "If we had a girl around the soldiers, we'd be looking to send her somewhere safe too. Ravn has also been getting bad attention."
"Children should not be in the war," Tai'ray exhaled but followed after Nel'os, kissing his shoulder as he grabbed his own cloth to clean down with. "If he asked, we would put them up. Instead, Samki plays games to make us owe him. I don't appreciate it. There are enough enemies to worry about without him blurring which one he is."
Nel'os smiled but it faded as Dyn'ad whispered to them. Cai'ress was awake.
---x---
"Seriously?" Ryraso asked as he felt something press against his backside. "We are waiting for him to wake up and you're horny?"
"I have two mates fucking, I'm not entirely unaffected," Dyn'ad snorted, holding Ryraso in place on his lap. It was so tempting to rub against Ryraso and have some fun with his love. "Just ignore it." He kissed the back of Ryraso's neck. If they were anywhere else he would have teased about helping but here, even in a private room, was not the place. Cai'ress did not need to wake up to them molesting each other.
"Of course there are," Ryraso rolled his eyes but didn't move of Dyn'ad's legs. Dyn'ad would have defended him but he heard the fondness under the exasperation in the words. Ryraso wasn't angry. He understood Nel'os and Tai'ray very well. Well enough to know that if Nel'os was upset, Tai'ray would do what he could in his power to cheer him up and sometimes that involved bending him over. Or letting Nel'os bounce like a bunny on him. Dyn'ad would happily go for either right now, Ryraso slapping his side as Dyn'ad started bouncing slightly as the need grew.
Dyn'ad tightened his grip around Ryraso and kissed him. Ryraso went with it but pulled away before Dyn'ad could go further. "If you're that desperate, go join them," he teased.
"Can't," Dyn'ad muttered into Ryraso shoulder. There was embarrassment in his words and more from just the fact he was turned on at the moment.  "They are safe and healthy. Tai'ray is strong and in charge at the moment. You and Cai'ress are not." Another kiss was pressed to Ryraso. "Need to guard you." It a quiet mutterance that spoke volumes. Dyn'ad had been courting Cai'ress as well. A pseudo-mate was hurt badly and about to wake up. Combined with a current one worried and distressed in his arms. Dyn'ad couldn't leave them unless someone forced him out.
"This is head bullshit, isn't it?" Ryraso sighed. He should have guessed.  "And I am strong enough to protect myself."
"Not as strong as Tai'ray."
Apology in Dyn'ad's tone or not, Ryraso grimaced. That was very true but it was hard to be as strong as someone who was the strongest of their race. That wasn't a problem he had thought of yet. A minor downside to Dyn'ad being the head. In general, heads trusted the second strongest member of the nest to be the one to defend if the nest was split up for any reason. That role went firmly to Tai'ray which left Nel'os and now Ryraso expected to have a guard during dangerous times.
"Downsides to being mates with a k'nairi," Ryraso signed, leaning over to kiss Dyn'ad lips so he knew it wasn't a serious complaint. Right now, he appreciated that one of the Royals was brave enough to wait with him. "Reckon we could sneak Cai'ress into my room while he's still unable to walk now Nel'os is calming down?"
"We can try," Dyn'ad chuckled, before blinking. "He won't be able to walk?"
"Dyn, my dear. He had his legs regrown and his wings cut off. Even without the legs bit, he'd have to relearn to walk. His centre of weight had changed now," Ryraso reminded, eyes looking over the man's slender back. It was unnerving how slight the man looked without his wings. He was slender before but now he looked breakable.
"As long as his official room is the concubine wing, we can do it," Dyn'ad promised. "No one can complain about you keeping him close while he's learning to walk again. The consort wing is one of the safest places in the palace. The formers all have jobs to do at the moment that doesn't give them time to be a live-in nurse." He paused and tilted his head. "Does Zaro have any medic training?"
"Not beyond first responder training. Pol'ar may know someone who would make a good nurse."
There was movement. They quietened, Ryraso slipping from Dyn'ad lap to kneel at the bedside. Yellow eyes opened at meet his, drugged induced grogginess taking a moment to register who he was. Cai'ress pushed himself up, Ryraso saying nothing as the man twisted, looking over his shoulder to see no wings.
"It wasn't a dream then," Cai'ress breathed, his voice hoarse from lack of use and the screaming he had done hours prior. His hands clenched. Ryraso reached forward and touched his shoulder. Cai'ress looked back at him and then back at Dyn'ad. He didn't scream this time. This time he sobbed.