Bound by the Mark of Lies (BL)

Gabriel's smirk deepened, and without breaking eye contact, he slid his fingers into the waistband of Damian's trousers.

The movement was unhurried and intentional, the kind of pace that tested patience for sport. He eased the fabric over Damian's hips, letting it fall just enough for the air between them to shift, for heat to escape in a slow, intoxicating wave.

And then, without any other pause, he freed him.

Damian exhaled sharply, the sound caught halfway between relief and warning. His head tipped back almost immediately, golden eyes closing as if even one more second of watching would push him past the line he'd sworn not to cross.

Because if he kept looking at Gabriel kneeling there, at the curve of his mouth, at the unrepentant satisfaction in his eyes, he would have Gabriel under him and in the bed before either of them remembered how to stop.

His hands flexed once, the faint tremor in them belying the control he was holding by sheer will alone. "Gabriel…" It was a low growl now, rougher than before, the sound of a man whose restraint was a fraying rope.

Gabriel tilted his head, studying him with open, dangerous amusement. "Still restrained?"

Damian's throat worked, his jaw tight. "By seconds."

Gabriel's smile was slow and wicked. "Then I'd better use them well."

His hand moved with patience, fingers closing around him in a measured, deliberate grip, as though they had all the time in the world and not a single threat of urgency.

It was a lie, of course.

Because the room was thick with Damian's pheromones now, a rich, consuming tide that rolled over Gabriel's senses and straight into the marrow of his bones. His own body reacted without asking his permission, breath shortening, pulse quickening, the faint, electric ache coiling low in his belly in answer to that familiar, commanding scent.

But Gabriel didn't let it show. He kept his gaze steady, his expression maddeningly composed, his thumb brushing in slow arcs that made Damian's breath catch against his will.

"Gabriel…" Damian's voice had deepened further, rough edges dragging over the syllables like they were fraying at the seams.

Gabriel smirked faintly, the corner of his mouth lifting. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in a hurry."

"I am." Damian's eyes opened just enough to pin him with a molten stare. "And so are you."

Gabriel ignored the second truth, his hand continuing its slow, thorough exploration. He was close enough to feel the heat radiating off Damian's skin, close enough for the bond between them to hum like a live wire, pulling, tightening, promising what would come next.

Gabriel's smirk deepened as if he'd made some private decision, one Damian wouldn't know until it was too late to stop.

He leaned forward, unhurried, letting the warmth of his breath fan over the heated skin of the cock before his mouth closed around the head, slowly, with the same infuriating patience that had already unraveled half of Damian's restraint.

Damian's exhale came sharp through his nose, head tipping back as if the ceiling might anchor him. His fingers flexed once at his sides before one hand rose, almost involuntarily, to the back of Gabriel's neck.

The touch was firm, possessive, his thumb settling at the hinge of Gabriel's jaw while the rest of his hand cupped the nape. The golden signet ring caught the low light, a brief gleam against Gabriel's skin as if marking him all over again.

Gabriel didn't falter. If anything, he slowed further, drawing out every reaction, every subtle shift in Damian's breath. The bond thrummed harder, spilling with heat and want until it was all Gabriel could taste, until even the faint air between them seemed steeped in Damian's need.

Damian's grip tightened fractionally, holding, the tremor in his fingers betraying exactly how close he was to giving up restraint entirely.

Damian's breath grew uneven, each inhale sharper than the last, until the thread of restraint holding him together finally snapped.

The sound he made was low, almost a snarl, his fingers tightening at Gabriel's nape as his body gave in, hot, shuddering release spilling into the heat of his mate's mouth.

Gabriel took it, his gaze lifting just enough to catch the way Damian's golden eyes lit from within, shimmering like molten metal under pressure.

For one beat, Damian just looked at him, looked at him like the rest of the world didn't exist, like every wall, every rule, and every measured ounce of control had been burned to ash.

Then he moved.

Gabriel barely had time to straighten before Damian hauled him upward, one hand braced firm against his back, the other still at his nape. The motion was fluid, and in the next breath Gabriel's bare feet left the carpet as Damian's mouth found his in a kiss that was all heat and teeth and possession.

They reached the bed in seconds, Damian's body pinning him down with a force that was both calculated and desperate. Gabriel's laugh, warm, breathless, edged with triumph, slipped between them, and Damian ignored it entirely, his focus absolute.

His mouth moved against Gabriel's jaw, down the column of his throat, chasing the bond mark with an intensity that made the air thick with pheromones, dense, heady, and so saturated with want it was almost tangible.

Each breath Damian took seemed to pull more of Gabriel's scent into him, feeding the relentless drive coiled low in his body.

When he spoke, his voice was rough, scraped raw by the weight of his rut and the fact that he was no longer fighting it.

"You're mine," he said, a reminder, a truth braided into the air between them.

"Every breath, every sound, every time."

Gabriel's fingers slid into his hair, nails grazing scalp in a way that made Damian's eyes flash molten. "Then take it," he murmured, deliberately taunting. "If you can."

Damian's answering growl was low, vibrating through Gabriel's chest as his lips brushed the mark again, this time biting down just enough to make Gabriel's breath catch.