Scent Memories

Halloween Howl Free Story from Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 2

THERE was something rather pleasant about graveyards, Caleb thought as he sat down and leaned against a headstone. It wasn’t so much the paranormal, being-awerewolf thing as much as it was that the dead were quiet, both peaceful and nonjudgmental. Additionally, his walk here from the boarding school where he taught English was one of the few occasions he got any time to himself, guaranteed to be undisturbed. Even alone in his rooms, one never knew when all hell would break loose with the students; put together roughly two hundred shape-shifters, vampires, fairies, and other magical teenagers, and it was noteworthy when they went a week without a disaster. Furthermore, this particular village cemetery didn’t house anyone Caleb had known personally, which was nice. He’d spent an inordinate amount of time in graveyards, burying his parents while he was young, and then so many pack-mates and friends during the viral outbreak—no, outbreaks. Those cemeteries weren’t relaxing at all, mass graves and memorial pillars with dozens upon dozens of names etched on them. But this graveyard was an old one, almost like a park, a park full of history. It brought to mind the more pleasant memories of his youth, and his friends. Picnics in the apple orchards, lazy days by the lake, and during the full moon, a wolf and panther playing hide-and-go-seek amongst the headstones. Those were more scent-memories and a sense of play than anything concrete, though.

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 3 Caleb stretched out, leaning his head against stone worked far more intricately than its years would suggest – permanent engraving spells kept the lettering fresh, unlike in regular human cemeteries. He let his mind wander; this was the one place he could let his guard down so close to the full moon. The smells and sights and sounds and memories aroused all of his senses, arousing other things in turn. The school was ripe with teenage pheromones, and while he certainly didn’t regard any of his students with inappropriate lust, the miasma of sexual frustration they emitted set his nerves on edge every month. He gave a quick look around, considering the probability of being caught for a moment, before sliding his hands inside his loose trousers. His eyes slowly closed. Caleb teased his fingertips along his lengthening prick, pressing back into the headstone, hoping the long-dead selkie whose bones rested in the ground underneath him wouldn’t mind. He shifted into a more comfortable position, one hand setting a slow, indulgent rhythm on his cock while the other scratched at his nipples through the rough cloth of his shirt, wandered down his belly, and settled between his legs, cupping his bollocks in a familiar grip. Aided by the surroundings, his mind wandered back to his own school days, thinking on early lusts. The smell of crisp autumn leaves shifted his memories to more melancholic passions and unrequited desires… particularly his longstanding flirtation and teasing with his best friend, Nate… Nate, with whom he’d never gotten involved because even as a teenager he’d known his friend was romantically bad news. Sexy as sin, though, and oh-so-tempting, with the

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 4 way Nate would prance around their shared dorm room in various states of undress… that long, lean body, shaggy black hair that felt softer than silk, smooth fresh skin, and an ass that had made Caleb’s blood pound even at the age of twelve. Smelling Nate in the bed beside him on the nights before the full moon had been the most delicious torture for Caleb. It had just figured that once Nate had learned how to let himself shift, he was a damn cat, agile and graceful and eternally teasing Caleb’s gawky teen wolf…. It was impossible for Caleb to think of Nate without eventually thinking of Sebastian, too, his other adolescent crush and the secret he’d guarded almost closer than his lycanthropy in the outside world. Werewolves and vampires held an uneasy truce, a result of their decimated numbers after the series of outbreaks during the last century. Still, the idea of becoming romantically involved—even homosexually, with no chance of procreation—was all but forbidden. Yet something about the scent of one of the plants growing nearby in the graveyard brought to mind a startlingly clear image of the only person Caleb had ever known who often smelled of henbane. His nose twitched, the scent growing stronger as he focused on it. He’d always been intrigued by Sebastian when they were teenagers, his aloof mystery and air of volatile danger, the inherently sexy vampire allure. That fascination had of course been tempered by Caleb’s blind fury when Sebastian had refused to help with a possible antidote for the plague, without explaining that the very strict Guild of Vampires wouldn’t let him. But now over a decade had passed; they were adults, the disease was gone, the Guild forced to modernize some of its policies, and fate had somehow led

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 5 them both back to this small village and the Laveau Academy of Magic. Sebastian seemed more relaxed, although just as acerbic and far too intelligent to be content as a high school chemistry teacher for long. Although the two men hadn’t had much of a chance to reconnect yet, Sebastian’s overlying bitter fury at the injustice of life seemed to have mellowed, and all of the intrigue that had once attracted Caleb as a teenager was back. Over the last month since school had started, Caleb found his nocturnal fantasies centering on his old schoolmate, a man who’d been wandering in and out of his life for so many years, aggravating and enticing with his sharp wit and dark eyes. Caleb licked his lips, scenting the herbs that smelled so much like Sebastian’s concoctions, and fumbled to open his clothing further. The kiss of evening air was shocking on the heated flesh of his cock. He took a moment to enjoy the contrast before wrapping his fist tightly and starting a rapid stroke. The flash of pleasure made him moan aloud, and the wind stirred leaves nearby, rustling with restlessness. In his mind’s eye, he saw Sebastian. Not cold and imperious and unapproachable, but naked and flushed and aroused. A body leaner and firmer than his teenaged body had been, and far more darkly tempting, with the stringy muscles of a man rather than of a youth. Caleb imagined sparse black hairs on Sebastian’s chest and legs and a gorgeously red cock, standing at attention and leaking moisture just for him. This seductive Sebastian in his fantasy was no meek flower waiting for the wolf to lay claim. No; Caleb pictured

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 6 them wrestling, rolling naked together, falling off the bed to the floor as they grappled for dominance, testing the strength in each other and relishing the struggle. Because it was his fantasy, Caleb won easily, and Sebastian’s submission was graceful, even grateful as he was penetrated. Blissful heat surrounded Caleb’s length as he fucked Sebastian in a frenzy, both of them out of control, wild and untamed and full of power. His cock pulsed as he jerked it hard, climax coating his hand and dotting his clothes with sticky fluid as pleasure roared through him. He groaned aloud, letting the ripples of pleasure pass through him, milking every last drop. Breath still ragged, Caleb smiled in contentment and opened his eyes. And promptly banged his head on the tombstone with a loud crack that he assumed was his skull and not the rock. Sebastian stood there watching, trademark smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. Caleb tucked himself away, taking a deep breath as he attempted to not be embarrassed by Sebastian’s voyeurism. Along with the scent of henbane and maple leaves, of stone and earth, he could also smell something else, a scent as spicy and as fragrant as blood. He grinned. ―So. You like to watch, Sebastian?‖ A single black eyebrow quirked. ―I had no idea I’d be treated to such a revolting carnal display on one of my regular ingredients collections. You’re disgusting, jerking off in a graveyard.‖

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 7 Caleb laughed. ―Please, you can’t lie to me this close to the moon. I can smell your arousal from here.‖ Sebastian glanced at Caleb’s semen-covered fingers with a significant look. He shrugged and wiped them on the side of the headstone and then licked them with a delicate tongue, watching as Sebastian inadvertently shivered. Caleb was certain he caught the sound of a stifled moan. Stealthily, Caleb’s fingers crept toward his power amulet, and he murmured a charm that dematerialized Sebastian’s clothes. With a move faster than even the vampire’s eyes could track, Caleb lunged forward and tackled him, sending them both to the ground with Caleb straddling his legs. He boldly met Sebastian’s eyes, challenging, offering, and teasing all at the same time. He licked his lips and moved to bend over Sebastian’s cock, which jerked satisfyingly in response. He must have enjoyed the show, indeed. Caleb toyed with him for a moment, hovering, warm breath washing over rosy flesh, then quickly engulfed it in the hot wet cavern of his mouth. The real thing was a million times better than his imagination had ever been. Sebastian’s hands clenched, and Caleb could hear his paramour’s heart pounding, already so close to orgasm. He worked his tongue against the crown with firm strokes, slurping with messy abandon, reveling in the scent and taste of the vampire losing control. With a deep groan, Sebastian thrust his hips against Caleb’s restraining hands and came down Caleb’s throat.

Scent Memories | Alix Bekins 8 Both men lay together, entwined, as they caught their breath. Sebastian struggled a bit as if to get away, but Caleb held him pinned, his inner wolf pleased with himself and his show of dominance. Sebastian glared. ―Do graveyards turn you on then?‖ Caleb shrugged as best he could from his position atop Sebastian. ―Their scent reminds me of you.‖ ―Dead things.‖ ―No,‖ Caleb disagreed. ―Henbane and leaves. Solitude. And peace.‖ Sebastian looked away. ―I’m not a peaceful man, Caleb.‖ Caleb wiggled upward until they were face to face. ―I am well aware of that. But you’re a survivor. There’s time enough for peace when we’re dead.‖ Eyes locked, Caleb leaned forward, pleased when Sebastian raised his head to bring their lips together with surprising sweetness.

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Alix Bekins lives in the coastal mountains of Northern California with her partner and their dog. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember in a variety of genres, including fiction, erotica, poetry, and nonfiction and has even managed to get some of it published from time to time. Sexuality is the cornerstone of her life and work and always has been, through two degrees and several life plans. Her work and writing focus on the themes of self-discovery and coming out, with a healthy dose of kink on the side. Alix is pretty sure she’s the only person in the world who wears a plastic Viking helmet as a thinking cap when she battles writer’s block. She always wins. Visit her blog at http://alix_bekins.livejournal.com.

Scent Memories ©Copyright Alix Bekins, 2011 Published by Dreamspinner Press 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Art by Anne Cain [email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America October 2011 eBook Edition