FAUN’S LEAP
Alex’s eyes looked off, past his computer screen. The alerts and messages tried their best to grab his attention, but he was lost in thought, thinking back to his remarkable night. He could practically still smell the musk of his lover’s body after their passionate fuck, exhausted, sweaty, and magical.
Eddie was unlike anyone else he’d ever met. He could see it in his eyes and the way his body connected with him. There was something there. Something special. His hand wanted to reach for his phone to text him, see how he was, contact him in someway. But Eddie had no phone, no email, no way to connect with him. Alex had never wished more that he had a landline that he could call and hear his voice.
The clock on the wall kept on its slow creep, bringing him closer to quitting time and being able to get back to his home. To Eddie. He wondered what he’d do with his day, hoping he would stay. Alex knew the world wasn’t safe for him, scared of what it didn’t understand and what was new and unusual. And Eddie… well… he’s one of a kind.
Seeing Eddie transform was unlike anything he’d ever seen. The way his body took on a different shape, furred and muscled, with his wild, animal face, glowing eyes, and pointed ears. Not only that, the look of fear in the young man’s eyes was powerful and unmistakable. He seemed to know what was coming because he’d seen it happen to him before. Alex’s heart melted and opened up, wanting nothing more than to protect him from that knowledge and keep him from ever having to be afraid again.
That’s over, Alex thought to himself. Eddie would never need to be afraid again. Now that he’d found his way into Alex’s life, he was going to make sure he was safe. He looked at the clock again. Only a couple minutes had passed, but it felt like hours. He needed to return to him.
When five o’clock finally came around, Alex left in a hurry. He barely said goodnight to his co-workers as he rushed out the door, feeling his heart race with an excitement and energy he’d never felt before.
He could barely hold his keys in his hand steady enough to open the lock to his apartment door. Once he felt the final click in the handle, he rushed in, eager to see his furry friend again. And, if he was completely honest, he was desperate to fuck him again!
He threw his keys on a counter, dropped his coat and bag, and went right for his bedroom. His eyes were wide and excited, looking around. His bed was still messy from the morning and his laptop was on the end of the bed, but off. But no Eddie. He went into the kitchen, thinking maybe he was making something to eat. But no Eddie. He looked into his bathroom with the open door. No Eddie.
Alex felt his stomach sink. He was confused. He played the morning back in his mind. It was so perfect. Eddie seemed so happy. Why would he leave? He didn’t have a key to get back or a way to get in touch with him. He wouldn’t have a way to come back. Did I scare him? Was it too much?
He felt foolish. What was I thinking? Of course this was too much. We’d just met! Alex was definitely feeling strong feelings, despite it not even having been 24 hours since they met. He sat on his bed, feeling defeated and embarrassed. It was then that he saw his roommate walk by his door.
“Caleb! Did you see a guy here when this morning?”
“Yeah! It was crazy! Did Damien call you?”
“Damien. …Our landlord? Wait, where’s Eddie?”
Caleb looked confused. His brow furrowed as he started to put it together. “Eddie? You knew him? I’m sorry, he seemed shady and strange, you weren’t here, I wasn’t sure what to do so I called our landlord. I thought we’d been broken into!”
Alex felt a rush of anger around his neck. His face felt hot and he wanted to attack Caleb. He paused for a second and tried to think clearly. Of course Caleb had no idea who this was. He didn’t make a habit of having guys stay the night, let alone stay in their place unattended. He’d deal with Caleb later, but he had to find Eddie.
Pulling out his phone, he looked through his contacts, scrolling through for Damien’s number. Caleb was going on and on about how freaked out he was and how Alex should have told him, but Alex focused on his phone, texting his landlord:
“Damien… Caleb told me about this morning. Where’s Eddie?”
His phone screen stayed still for a long period. Alex’s forehead began to sweat, knowing that with each passing minute, Eddie could be anywhere on the street, alone and cold, hungry and scared. The idea of him being back in an alley at the mercy of the city made him sick to his stomach.
Suddenly, the screen glowed bright with a new message from Damien:
“I took care of it. Don’t worry.”
“I need to know where he is. Please tell me what you did with him.”
The screen was still again. Alex wanted to throw his phone, scream, run through the streets, looking for Eddie. Instead, he got another message:
“Meet me at Faun’s Leap.”
What the fuck is this, he thought. He’d never really spent much time with Damien. They’d only interacted when he moved in and one other time when he fixed something in the kitchen. Still, he’d never known Damien to be evasive or mysterious. If he’d called the cops, he would have just said it. And if he simply kicked him out, he would have said it.
Alex’s face went pale when he thought about another possibility. What if Damien found out what Eddie was? What if he decided to use him or exploit him for his own purposes? The idea made Alex furious. He needed to get to the bottom of it and he knew this clandestine meeting would not be easy.
Alex put on his jacket, took a few deep breaths, and grabbed his keys. Faun’s Leap was a the tall part of a public park, climbing up to a tall cliff that overlooked the entire city. People often went there to make out, take sunset photos, and fly their drones over the runners and dog walkers. It was a strange place to meet someone, both public and private.
Alex was about to leave when he thought about the possibility of a fight. Not wanting to lose out, he went back into his room, pulled open the drawer to his side table, and pulled out a switchblade. He’d had it for years, mostly as a joke. But as he’d moved to the city, he knew he might need it for protection. He’d never though he’d need to use it, but the moment had come that he had something to fight for.
Alex stared out over the city, surrounded by a thick wall of trees and nature. He’d been there maybe once or twice before, but had never really been forced to stand and linger. It was actually very beautiful, a quiet and secluded.
It was a place he would have liked to bring Eddie, letting him feel tall and strong standing over the entire world. But now, it seemed tainted, upset by Eddie’s disappearance and Damien’s involvement. He waited, his stomach churning with tension and unease.
After a long while, he heard the crunching of earth and the snapping of twigs in the distance behind him. He turned to see Damien approaching, coming up the trail to meet him at the top of the cliff. He watched as he approached, studying his body and his movement, imagining what a fight between them might look like.
Damien was an older man, but incredibly handsome. He had a square, chiselled jaw, striking salt and pepper hair, and dimples on either side of his pressed mouth. Were the situation different, Alex could have imagined a sexy rendezvous between the two of them. Instead, he gripped his knife, closed up in his pocket, ready to pull it out.
“Where’s Eddie?”
Damien continued to step closer. “Alex, I’m sorry for the mysteriousness, but you have to let it go. Eddie’s safe and where he belongs. Don’t go looking for him.”
“Excuse me? What the fuck does that mean?” Alex pulled out his knife, not necessarily to lunge, but just to threaten.
“Tell me where he is. Now!”
“You don’t want to do that, son. Leave it alone.” Alex could hardly breathe he was so angry. Not only was it clear that Damien knew where he was, but was going to keep him from seeing him again. That idea seemed so painful and inconceivable, he lost all sense. He lunged forward, ready now to actually attack.
Damien, however, stood still. He didn’t flinch or retreat. He didn’t even seem scared. As Alex moved closer, he simply raised a hand. And with a small gesture of his wrist, as if he were flicking away a fly, something strange and unpredictable happened.
Alex froze. His body lost all control. He stood standing, holding the knife, completely motionless as if his body had been locked in stone. His eyes seemed to be the only thing he could move. He looked around, trying to make sense of it. He told his muscles to move, but they seemed to have a new master.
Damien reached his hand out, pointing it toward Alex’s knife. And like a pull from some magnet, Alex felt his hand move. He could tell Damien was doing it, but how? What was this? How did he have this power? What was he? His hand raised up, bringing the knife closer and closer to his face. He tried to fight it, but this force was too strong. As it came up closer to him, he felt his heart race, unsure of what would happen. He looked to Damien, who still had the steely expression he’d had when he first approached. Unphased, unbothered, just focused.
Alex watched as the knife turned and pressed against his neck. It was terrifying. The feeling he’d hoped to instill on Damien was now his, and of his own doing. The sharp blade held against his throat as he sweat and breathed fast. What was he going to do? A lump came into his throat, an acidic feeling of dread that he tried to swallow down. In doing so, the blade nicked his skin, causing a drop of blood to break free.
Damien stepped forward slowly. He reached out his hand and moved the knife away, taking its place with his own grip. The older man lifted Damien up, breaking him free of frozen state. Alex felt his feet come off the ground, stunned by his landlord’s strength and power.
Damien didn’t seem angry, but was stern and forceful. He pressed his trapped prey against a nearby tree, holding him tightly.
“As I said,” continued Damien, “Eddie’s safe and where he belongs. Don’t go looking for him.”
Alex looked into Damien’s gray eyes, terrified and angry. But, to his surprise, there was something else strange happening to his body. He felt his cock stretch in his pants, pressing against his underwear as it became inexplicably hard. He didn’t know why, but he became suddenly turned on. The thoughts twisted him up, fogging up his mind, confusing him.
Damien, who seemed strangely aware, looked down and grabbed his crotch. With the boy’s neck in one hand and his unexpected erection in the other, he seemed to have complete control over him.
There was a pause where they stood in silence, neither sure of what to say or do next. Damien, seeing that Alex had gotten the message he needed to get, lowered Alex to the ground, let him go, and turned to leave.
Alex leaned against the tree, catching his breath and trying to make sense of what was happening. He was as Damien walked away, wanting to pounce on him, but knowing he was no match for him.
Just before he was out of sight, Alex felt his chance to see again was Eddie slipping away as well. He tried his best to muster up some courage. He didn’t know what to do next, but thought that maybe Damien would lead him to where Eddie was… or at least give him a clue as to where he might be.
So he followed him. He didn’t know exactly where Damien lived. He knew there was an address on his lease agreement, but he was sure this was not where Eddie was being kept. With the older man–or maybe monster–in his sight, he followed him patiently and diligently throughout the city.
Eventually, they ended up at an apartment complex. Nothing out of the ordinary, a pretty common building with a common front. It was doubtful anyone was being kept hidden here, but he had to try something. He followed him inside, slipping through the door before it could lock in front of him. But once Damien headed into the elevator, he knew he couldn’t hide anymore. Just before the door closed on him, Alex rushed up and pushed himself inside.
His heart raced. What was he thinking? He was now alone with Damien in the elevator. No witnesses, no open space, and no way to fight him off he finishes what he started with the knife. The two stood, facing each other in silence as the elevator began to rise.
Damien looked up and down at Alex. He could see the determination in his face. It was pretty exceptional, he thought. Full of fear, full of terror, but facing it against all odds. Damien raised his hand again, but Alex stayed still, staring down his landlord in the tiny moving cell. Damien, instead, pressed the “stop” button on the elevator. Here it is, Alex thought. We’re going to fight.
Instead, Alex watched as two horns emerged from Damien’s forehead, poking out of his flesh and pointing up to the ceiling. They weren’t exceptionally long, but they were clearly a dense, thick bone. Something about them made Damien seem a whole foot taller, stronger, and more powerful. And inexplicably, the boy felt himself aroused. He felt a sudden desperation to feel this man inside him. Alex wasn’t sure what he was, but thought immediately that he was dealing with some kind of devil.
He felt a mortal fear take over his body as he fell to the ground and cowered.
Instead, Damien hit the “stop” button again, releasing the elevator to continue its rise. Soon the door chimed and opened. Damien took Alex by the collar of his shirt and dragging him terrified down the hallway toward an apartment at the end. Damien took out his keys and opened the door, still holding Alex in his clutch.
He brought the terrified man inside and threw him down on the bed of his room. Alex didn’t know what to think, but once again, he felt the force through his body turning him on. Why did he keep getting aroused? Especially whenever Damien seemed to display such superhuman power? Damien seemed to pounce on him, lifting off his clothes, stripping the boy of every shred of clothing.
All Alex could do was comply, allowing this horned monster to do what he wanted with him. And deep down, he felt an excitement. He wanted to be taken. He wanted to be his. He couldn’t explain it or even defend it. He wanted Eddie and missed him and knew he had to find him. But he knew just as strongly that he needed Damien–whoever or whatever he was–to fuck him hard…
