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“Mate.”

The word left Ray in a barely audible growl as he focused on the slender figure on the other end of the space cleared for dancing. Dozens of humans and fairies twirled and waltzed and ground against each other in the illegally blocked off intersection, but his attention narrowed immediately to one in the crowd.

Color were indistinct and varied. Rainbow-hued party lights reflected fairy glitter better than any mirror ball. The dark sky and blinking streetlights meant the New Year’s Eve celebration and the glow of a city’s worth of fairies in one place was nearly blinding to werewolf eyes.

But Ray had other senses.

The moon was waning, which meant he had no excuses for his  behavior, except that it was nearing midnight, and the air itched with the magic, and he had followed glittering/warm/mate all the way across town.

Only to find this.

He watched the naked or nearly bodies around him for a moment, then disregarded them although the sweat and sugar and alcohol scents were enough to make him flush. Mingled with the odors of dancing and fun was the slick scent of sex—usually present in a fairy gathering, although different tonight.

Different, because he’d been led here, to this semi-illegal party, to this bright happy place of innocent celebration, by salty/honey/mate/mate/yes.

Cal was dancing on the other side of the street, by himself, hands all over himself, on his nipples, down over his ribs to his sides. Someone, perhaps Cal, had thrown human glitter on him, solid glinting pieces of silver and gold, and it made the purple and green of his usual colors seem brighter.

Or maybe that was Cal. Ray’s wicked, wicked mate, teasing him from across the way. He could spot Ray anywhere, he claimed, “My Ray Ray shines like the sun.” And maybe it was true. Lots of fairies were looking at Ray now. It could have been for his size, or the gleam of his wolf eyes, or the constant hungry growl he didn’t want to hold back, but he didn’t think so.

But they could smell of desire for him all they pleased, Ray was not for them. He was for the little show off across the street, who turned around to glance at Ray over one naked, sparkling shoulder.

Ray stepped forward. Little fairies darted from his path before turning to watch his progress. Humans gaped in open shock. Distantly, he was aware that he was in his suit, looking like the cop he was, and that someone somewhere was shouting about the time. But whistling bottle rockets and premature fireworks didn’t even make him wince as he continued slowly toward Cal.

Callalily. No longer dancing, waiting with his back turned to his predator mate, breathing fast and excited, shivering with anticipation.

Someone was counting down, and Ray couldn’t have cared less, except to think it was midnight, and Cal had led him here, at this moment, for a reason.

And he probably didn’t intend it to end with a simple kiss.

“Callalily.” Ray watched the shudder race through Cal’s body at the harsh way Ray said his name, and gentled his voice before he said it again. “Callalily.” He wanted to lick the trails of sweat from Cal’s back, glitter be damned. He wanted to touch.

Cal turned to face him, already smelling of yes. “It’s midnight, Ray,” he said softly, instead of hello, and threw himself at Ray in the same moment Ray picked him up and pressed him into the nearest wall. Cal moaned into the kiss, loud and shaky, as though they’d been apart for longer than a mere eight hours. He was naked and too-warm and sticky with glitter.

Ray bit at his pretty bottom lip, and then his smooth neck, focusing on Cal and sweat and skin, and not the painful cacophony of the clock striking twelve and the city losing its mind. Fairies were groaning around them, turned on while watching them. Their musky, floral scents were good, but nothing near what Cal smelled like with Ray growling into his throat and bruising him and grinding against him without shame.

Cal could get off like this, and Ray wanted it. This was their new year kiss; Cal’s sweet whines for more and Ray giving it to him. Greedy, starving kisses to bared shoulders. Pulling Cal tight against him and panting into his soft mouth as he begged for Ray to fuck him right there, Cal growing louder when Ray wouldn’t, but then crying out in pleasure when Ray growled and promised later. “Later. In our bed. All you want. I promise.” Sugary come on Ray’s hand and wrist and Cal’s eyes wide and bright on him as he licked it clean. Cal laughing at Ray’s frustration before tripping forward to plant a kiss on Ray’s tie.

“Your own fault for not fucking me here,” he complained, in a suspiciously pleased tone. “I would, you know. For the new year. And because Raymond,” he elaborated in a slurred, happy voice, and let Ray pick him up. He sighed as he tangled his arms and legs around Ray, and giggled when Ray sniffed and licked at the bruises he’d left.

Their fairy audience was still there, although some were already starting to wander off in search of their own midnight kisses, or whatever.

Ray held Cal where he was another moment, close to him, half-hidden from the street and the lights and the too much noise, and Cal began to pet his hair, soothingly, and without a single dog joke. “Mate,” Cal said back, surprising Ray as he’d been about to nose behind his ear. “Now take me home and fuck me.”

“I’m not getting glitter in the bed,” Ray huffed at him, and swatted his ass lightly as he began to walk them toward where he’d parked the car.

Cal briefly writhed against him, as if wanting to remind Ray that he was hard, and Cal was willing to take care of that for him, wherever he might want. Ray had to stop and close his eyes and breathe, but then Cal went still.

Sometimes the practical human side won over the fairy side.

“In the shower, then,” he decided, and hummed as Ray resumed walking. “Wasn’t this much better than watching the ball drop on TV?”