Unwilling Ch. 03

Turning around Jared scooped up Darwin from the floor, hushed him soothingly when he made a low, pained sound and snuck out of their hiding spot and to the car. Sure enough, the car wasn't locked, and even the key was still in the ignition. It was the dumbest luck Jared had ever had, and he didn't think twice about grabbing it by the horns.

He put Darwin on the back seats, opened the front passenger door and scooted behind the wheel, just as the clueless doctor knocked on the last hotel room door, far, far away from his car. He only realized the whole scheme when he heard the engine of his car roar to life, and saw his emergency ambulance dash out of the parking area with screeching tires.

Jared left the hotel and headed back into the city. When they passed through a short stretch of acres and wilderness right next to the city limits, Jared left the road to turn into one of the dirt roads, drove for thirty minutes further into the countryside and finally found an empty hunting cabin beside the road. Jared broke the lock on the door and carried Darwin inside to lay him on the small camp bed he found. Then he drove the car another good twenty miles further, left it there and jogged back to the cabin, carrying the big first aid kit he had found in the car.

Exhausted and even more tired than before he barred the door, walked over to Darwin's sleeping form, and collapsed to his knees. They finally were in a safe place.

The only thing left to do for Jared was taking care of the injuries he could fix, so he summoned the last bits of energy to rummage through the first aid kit. He found a bottle of medical morphine and syringes, and injected Darwin with a dosage that would have been deadly for a mere human, and even enough to drug a hurt werewolf into submission. Every injury he'd treat would be just as much torture as when Darwin had gotten them, and Jared hated the thought of hurting him too much to do without anesthesia.

Just as he started working on the last injuries - the broken fingers -, Darwin began to move, although in a sluggish and weak way.

Those beautiful ice-blue eyes opened and moved aimlessly over the ceiling, the walls and finally Jared, but there was no recognition in them. He didn't even seem to register Jared's presence, much less his own pain when he tried to sit up.

"If they'd told me morphine would make you trip like this, I'd have waited," Jared said to get Darwin's attention, and grinned. It was bloody relieving to see that much life in the boy, even though he still seemed pretty out of it. Instead of reacting to the words Darwin started to move his fingers, which were all but puree-ed, and even though he didn't seem to feel actual pain, his body started wavering a bit.

Jared got the first plaster bandage ready and tried again. "Do you remember where you are?" he asked, and grabbed Darwin's left arm to tend to his fingers.

Finally there was an answer, although none that made sense. "It is very bright here. I don't like the roses," Darwin mumbled sluggishly, and tried to curl the fingers Jared had just encased with plaster.

Jared nearly cursed with frustration when the wet plaster bent a bit. "Stop moving around, you're making it worse!" He quickly picked up more of the coated bandages and finished the other fingers, including the rest of Darwin's Hand just to be sure.

And just when Jared thought he finally had Darwin's cooperation that insufferable guy started moving his right hand. "I said stop moving, damn it," Jared cursed, and grabbed his wrist.

"I love you," Darwin whispered. Then he collapsed again.

Jared blinked five times. "Wait, what?"

~*Darwin*~

He lay in a bed of roses. No, not a bed of roses, but a bed with white satin sheets, covered with uncountable numbers of rose petals. The air was mild, if a bit cool, and the soft breeze stroked his body every so often, making the hairs on his arms and chest stand up where they met the wind. The room was so very white, he felt blinded by it, but it didn't matter. He sat up, brushed a few of the beautiful petals from his abs and thighs, and looked around confusedly. There was nothing else in this snow white room, only the bed, the bright red petals, and himself.

His fingers felt numb, so he balled them into fists a few times, and the world began to swim and wobble. His vision blurred, just like on a broken camera, but when he sat still for a few heartbeats, it stopped and everything came into focus again. Then the contrasts grew more and more intense, the piercing white started hurting in his eyes, and the red splotches on the bed sheets turned darker and darker, burning themselves into his vision.

"If they'd told me morphine would make you trip like this, I'd have waited."

The voice came out of nowhere, dull and amphoric, but somehow Darwin recognized it. He knew the owner of the voice, he just couldn't quite pinpoint who it was. Although it made Darwin's heart race with some unknown emotion, in the place he was, that strange feeling made no sense. There was no reason to feel something like panic, or joy, right? And if there was, he would have been told by. . .

He couldn't remember, and it didn't matter.

He licked his lips, only to find them already wet with a thick, tasteless fluid that had turned sticky on the edges. He wanted to ask why everything was so damn bright, but he just didn't seem to be able to grasp his own thoughts, and put them into words.

It was the strangest feeling.

"Do you remember where you are?"

That voice again. It made him shiver with anticipation, but somehow it pulled words out of his spinning mind.

"It is very bright here. I don't like the roses," Darwin mumbled, because it was the first thing that came to his mind. He couldn't have stopped his blabbering if his life depended on it, but there was no reason to even try.

Something tugged at his left arm, but when he turned his head he didn't see anything.

"Stop moving around, you're making it worse." That voice again. Darwin realized he liked that voice, because it filled this strange place with giddy feelings and happiness. The fingers on his left hand became stiff, so he tried his right arm again.

The world wavered again. "I said stop moving, damn it!" said the voice again, and Darwin smiled happily.

"I love you," he said, and sighed. Then everything went away once more.

~*~

The world was back to normal when Darwin woke up again. This particular 'normal' included throbbing pain throughout his whole body, but it was a healthy, stable experience, filled with the scent of sunshine and wood, and it was warm and cozy. He still couldn't use his right eye, but this time it didn't hurt in that alarming way it had before, it just... hurt.

His hands felt heavy and he couldn't move his fingers, but that also was somehow calming. A bandage enclosed his stomach and back, another one went around his upper left thigh, and a blanket covered his body, giving warmth.

Another source of warmth was the massive body right next to him. Darwin could feel a broad back touching his elbow, and it sent him into a state of panic that hadn't been there before. Gasping for air he tried to sit up, but all he accomplished was rousing that other body from sleep and into full alarm.

"What's wrong? Do you hurt?" a voice rasped, drowsy but attentive, and the body moved until Jared's face came into view.

Jared, of all people.

Darwin tried to back away, to get some kind of distance between him and that way too attractive bastard, but the wall was right at his back and the pain stopped him from getting up. "Where am I? What are you doing here?" A short pause, then he barked angrily, "And why the fuck are you naked!"

The answer was an irritatingly slow grin, but at least Jared rolled off the small camp bed they both had occupied, and grabbed his ripped trousers. "We're in a hunting cabin somewhere east of Banes." He put on the trousers, stood up, and walked through the tiny room to a shelf filled with what seemed to be canned goods. Then he declared, "I saved you, that's why I'm here." Grabbing a can of peaches and a can opener he turned and showed a dazzling smile, answering the last non-question. "I was naked to give you more skin contact. You were shivering."

For a few seconds Darwin was speechless and just watched Jared as the bigger male cranked open the can. Only when Jared walked back to the bed Darwin woke from his trance and turned his eyes away.

"You saved my life. Thank you."

The camp bed creaked when Jared settled his weight onto the edge. He peeled the can lid open. "Don't mention it. You must be hungry. Here." A shiny slice of peach hovered into Darwin's line of sight, held up by two fingers. Somehow it made him angry.

"I can eat without your help, damn it!" he protested, and lifted his arms, only to find himself confronted with plaster cast and ultimately useless fingers. The peach wobbled a bit, then sunk down to touch his lips.

"Stop being a fairy and eat," Jared scolded, and stuffed Darwin's opening mouth with the peach slice before he could protest any more. The food felt so unbelievably good going down, he didn't even try to speak until the can was empty. When he finally felt full, he was drowsy and tired and had a hard time not falling asleep on the spot.

"Why didn't Harry come?" he mumbled as his eyelids drooped more and more.

"Because that guy would have killed him, right after finishing you off," Jared said. The words haunted Darwin into the darkness of sleep.

~*Jared*~

The fever came a few hours after Darwin had fallen asleep again. It had been expected, since werewolves heated up like standalone radiators when healing, and Darwin had suffered innumerable injuries. It would take his body days—if not weeks—to heal completely, and even though the injuries themselves had not killed the submissive wolf, the fever seemed to be trying to correct that error.

When Darwin's temperature climbed over 102 °F in the afternoon of the following day, Jared finally had to admit that wet rags and cold sponge baths weren't going to quite cut it. Grabbing his own phone he went through Darwin's clothing to hunt for his phone, then walked outside to get better reception and dialed Harry's number from his own cell.

It took a while for Harry to answer, but eight persistent rings later he finally picked up. "Hello?" Harry mumbled with a soggy voice that told stories of tears and sleepless nights. Very melodramatic, Jared thought to himself, but he didn't let his impatience be heard.

"It's me, Jared. I found Darwin, but he's hurt," Jared said without thinking. When he heard Harry hyperventilate on the other end of the line, he instantly wanted to kick himself. Way to go breaking that news!

"Where are you? Where is he? Can I talk to him?" Harry's sudden spurt of fear was audible enough to make Jared clench his teeth in jealousy. How dare that little Texan twink have feelings for his heartthrob, damn him! But the last few days had been a good learning experience for Jared, and he managed to swallow his anger enough to keep it out of his words, if not his voice.

"No you can't. He's got healing fever, and it's getting worse, so I need you to do something for me. Are you listening?" he barked into the phone. Harry shut up instantly, but Jared could hear the soft crunching of the phone's plastic casing being squeezed tightly.

"What do you need?" Harry finally hissed, barely able to control his agitation.

"I need Ibuprofen, as concentrated as you can get it. Some clothes from my room, something for Darwin too. And some light food. Can you manage that?" Jared knew he was being curt with the only person able to help him and Darwin, but try as he might, he couldn't keep the demanding note out of his voice. It was like some newly evolved instinct to command instead of ask, and he just couldn't control it.

The phone crunched again, then Harry finally answered. "Yes. Send me the coordinates. It'll take me an hour to get the stuff together, but I'll hurry."

Jared could hear thousand questions in Harry's voice, but fortunately he didn't ask anything else. He just hung up with a short "See you," and got into gear.

~*~

Ninety minutes later Darwin started to twitch and mumble in his feverish sleep. It brought Jared to his side in a split second, even though he couldn't do anything except change the wet cloth on Darwin's head. The injured werewolf was still burning up with waves of crippling fever, but he opened his eyes and blinked confusedly at Jared.

"What's going on?" Darwin croaked, disoriented and exhausted. The sheets and the pillow were soaked through with sweat, but Jared hadn't been able to coax Darwin to drink more than a few meager sips. Seeing his chance he now jumped to the opportunity.

Grabbing a water bottle Jared scooted closer, grabbed for Darwin and gently pulled him onto his lap. "You have healing fever. Don't worry, I've already sent for drugs. Here, drink something," he purred calmingly and unscrewed the bottle top.

Darwin on the other hand didn't seem to think of thirst as a priority and tried shoving Jared's arm away. "No, don't call my father. He'll tell Carl! It's all your fault, everything..."

Suddenly he seemed too exhausted to keep rambling, and Jared tried again to offer some water. This time Darwin actually drank greedily and seemed to calm down a little, or maybe he was just too tired to keep struggling.

Darwin's feverishly hot back rested against Jared's naked chest. It felt strangely good to hold the injured submissive, even though sweat started to rub off onto Jared's skin, leaving itchy spots he couldn't scratch if he wanted to keep Darwin where he was. But there was something else, something Jared didn't want to feel because it was more than inappropriate—arousal. Deep, heavy, sensual arousal, fueled by the smell of Darwin's body.

Jared felt his cock swell and press snugly against Darwin's back, where it responded to his body heat with a happy pulse. For a few moments he thought about moving his crotch away from his nearly unconscious charge, but as soon as he started the careful maneuver Darwin whimpered softly and scooted back with instinctual need for body contact. It was the sweetest of tortures not to be able to stop the richness of Darwin's smell from seeping into his mind, but also not to be able to put a hand to himself and end the throbbing erection he was now sporting.

And to add to Jared's inner turmoil, an unknown calmness and satisfaction suddenly overwhelmed him, soothing his nervous thoughts and his restlessness, pushing away the need to relieve his lust that instant. A good dose of morphine couldn't have gotten him this calm this fast, but even though it baffled Jared for a few seconds, he came to accept it gratefully.

So this was what having a submissive calm you down felt like.

With a slow grin Jared ruffled Darwin's sweaty hair, pulled him closer carefully, and let the calm overwhelm him, promising to himself to be up and about as soon as he heard Harry arrive. But until then, why not enjoy peace, just once?

~*Darwin*~

Darwin awoke to a mixture of incredibly hot moisture on his entire body, and the ruthless glare of the sun coming through the window of the other side of the hut. He felt sweaty, thirsty, tired and weak, and the pains in his body were still there. The hurt he was feeling actually meant he was still alive, so that at least was a good thing, but the other inconveniences of his awakening were pretty unpleasant.

Something silky smooth but hard pressed into his back at an awkward angle, but Darwin didn't think much of it—at least until he moved, and a low grunt made him aware of the other person lying in the bed... right beneath him.

Jared. Always Jared.

Sitting up that quick was definitely not a good idea, but much to Darwin's surprise it didn't make his bones crunch or cause him to black out. The pain did flare like an angry dog rudely awakened, but it proved to be way less intense than the last time he had tried such a stunt. Obviously his body had already healed quite a bit, which on the other hand meant he had been unconscious for an immeasurably long time.

His movement also woke up Jared, who lay on the cot like a lazy, sun-kissed tiger. Within a second Darwin took in the broad, muscular chest, the light fleece of blond hairs trailing down from his navel to the waistband of his ripped jeans, the obvious signs of sweat and the pinkish traces where their bodies had been in close contact throughout the night. It was a sight to behold, but even as Darwin felt his pupils dilate with sheer lust he got angry.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" he bellowed harshly, and jumped up from the cot. There was a bit of vertigo and quite some tottering, but he managed to stay on his feet. His humiliation would have been complete if he had fallen down face forward, only to be rescued once again by the infuriating Alpha.

Jared didn't seem to hear the upset notes in Darwin's voice and just smiled lazily. "Me? I didn't do anything. You went all submissive on me. How was I supposed to defend myself against that?" he replied and scratched his belly lazily.

Darwin's eyes unthinkingly followed the fingers on their path through the golden trickle of hair leading further down, and he wrinkled his nose. The wolf in him tried to scent Jared greedily, and was rewarded with a big whiff of musk that went straight to his dick, morphing his insides into jelly. It made thinking clearly nearly impossible.

A few seconds ticked by in silence, then Darwin swallowed a huge puddle of saliva that had collected beneath his tongue, and growled: "I didn't do anything, how could I? I was unconscious as you well know!"

He meant the words to sound stern and repriving, but they came out lame and insecure, like the bark of a surprised Pekingese.

"That you were. But when I tried to get off the cot you practically clung to me and wouldn't let me go, and then there was this strange calm that made me want to stay and just relax. I fell asleep from it, and I wouldn't do that under normal circumstances, so don't tell me you didn't do anything," Jared replied dryly and turned his gaze away. Suddenly he didn't seem to be comfortable lying on the cot anymore, because he got up in a fluid motion and walked to the shabby door to pull it open.

A fresh breeze of much cooler air wafted into the small hut, bringing relief to both of them. Darwin would have liked to go out into the cool, sunny morning, but he would have had to pass Jared in close proximity, and somehow he didn't want to do that so soon. His words made Darwin even queasier than before. He knew pretty well what Jared was talking about but didn't want to accept it so easily.

"I didn't submit to you," he hissed, trying to fight down the fearful tone in his voice. The thought of giving up control to someone as dangerous as Jared nearly made him panic. He couldn't lose control. He mustn't!

"I didn't say you did," was Jared's still dry answer, but at least he turned around to face Darwin, leaning against the door frame as the morning breeze blew by. A few rays of sunlight caught in his blond hair and made it all shiny and sparkly, giving his head an aura. 'Like a fucking angel,' Darwin thought gloomily and crossed his casted arms as firmly as possible. It was hard not to fidget under those curious, intense eyes, but Darwin had a lot of practice.

"That's good, because I didn't!" Darwin snapped angrily, then added, "and I won't. Never!"

The words were out before Darwin could stop himself, and once said he couldn't take them back, even though they sounded childish as hell. Something about Jared made him moody and bitchy and confused as hell, but even as Jared played him like a fiddle he couldn't just drop his year-old camouflage and stop playing a dominant. His instincts screamed and begged for him to just let it go and take what he knew he wanted, needed, but every time he got the chance to do just that he backed out like a wimp.