Fantasy Lynxed [Teeth, Nails and Tails] - Brynn Paulin

[raone453k]

Lynxed, also known as Teeth, Nails and Tails by Brynn Paulin is the 1st story in her Mounted in Alaska series.

It's one of my favorite erotic stories, but it's quite hard to find online. That's why I am posting it here for others to read. This is my first time posting here, so if this thread violates any rules, I urge the mods to contact me and I will remove it. Since this is a complete but big story, I will post entire chapters every week. So this thread shouldn't be incomplete. With that out of the way, let's get started........

[raone453k]

Lynxed - Teeth, Nails and Tails

 

By Brynn Paulin

 

[Book 1 in the Mounted in Alaska series]

 

 

Prologue

 

Orange fingers of flame reached toward the heavens as seven shadowy figures twisted and turned around it. A wordless, guttural chant rose from their throats as they ducked in and out of the flickering light, the perspiration on their naked bodies reflecting the fire’s glow. Mika Andu fought his body. The lynx inside him struggled to come forth, but he would not shift. Not yet. They’d all make the change in unison, sending their power and supplication to the gods. This was the mating dance, and he must do it right. The way of their people forbade them going to civilization to find mates; the women must come to them, and by that, all would know the unions were ordained. His growl threatened to rip free and disturb the chant. The old ways frustrated him. He wanted to search out his mate, not wait passively for her to come to him. It wasn’t his way. A glance over at Bar Ra, his friend with whom he’d share the woman, showed Bar struggled with the same.

His feline eyes glowed with the truth. Tonight, they would break tradition if need be and hunt for their destiny, their mate. Mika spun once more, feeling the heat from the flames bathe his body as he breathed in the pungent wood smoke. “Send her!” he cried out. “Great maker, bless us with mates!” The words echoed around him as the others took up the call, but Mika could no longer speak. His back bowed. His hands curled as he yowled. The cracking of his bones mingled with the sounds of the bonfire as his body re-formed. His skin stretched and reshaped along with his skeleton as he dropped forward and landed on paws, not hands. Whitish-beige fur erupted along his skin. The pain ended as quickly as his body took its new shape, yet he yowled into the night, speaking his fury and need in a language only he could understand. We’ll find her. At Bar’s telepathic words, Mika looked to his left and saw his friend had also shifted. They all had. Together, the seven lynx shifters continued their dance and called into the night, blending their feline voices with the human pleas that had gone before.

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Chapter One

 

Familiar excitement built in Summer Nash’s belly as the plane carried her across the Alaskan sky. In less than two hours, they’d land in the northwest Arctic territory of the state where she’d spend the next year documenting the daily life of the Inupiat people who lived in the town of Sisuaq Ablu. The small tribe she’d photograph still relied heavily on subsistence hunting and traditional ways. It had taken some doing and a lot of persuasion by Dr. Honeycutt, the anthropologist who’d been with the tribe for years now, but the tribal elders had acquiesced to letting Summer come in and film them. In return, she’d act as the doctor’s assistant. Glancing around the plane, she wondered what the other women would be doing in the settlement. The second passenger on the plane, Emmie Harris, had dropped off to sleep shortly after takeoff, precluding the opportunity to talk. She’d mentioned something about flying and sedatives, so Summer supposed the woman needed drugs to make it through a flight. The other woman on the plane, Kelsey Brooks, was the pilot, but from Summer’s understanding, she planned to stay with the Inupiat. Another person, who until now had been stationed there, would be flying the small plane back to southern Alaska. Knowing conversation was impossible since she wouldn’t be heard past the bulky headphones the pilot wore, Summer stared out the window once more. They’d flown over the northeast edge of Denali National Park a while ago, and now, she wasn’t quite sure where they were.

The cloud cover was thick, but she’d glimpsed the land below through occasional breaks. Though it was early fall, the Denali tundra was still lush and green and not at all the icy plains she’d expected. Even now, farther north, she saw bursts of green through openings in the low hanging cumulous blanket surrounding the plane. She suspected it was still cold on land. Frankly, she figured she’d be freezing her ass off once she reached the village. Layers, her colleagues had urged. Lots of layers. Not a problem. She’d lived in Northern Michigan. She knew how to adjust for weather. Suddenly, the plane lurched, tearing her from her thoughts. “Damn it!” Kelsey yelled as her hands flew over the flight instruments. Screeching alarms wailed around them, and Emmie jerked awake. Her eyes went wide as she looked desperately around, her fingers clutching the armrests of her seat. “What’s happening?” she demanded. “Hold on!” Kelsey yelled. Summer couldn’t do anything else. Her stomach fell as her heart thundered quadruple-time in her throat. Her eyes squeezed shut while the plane careened toward the ground. They were going to crash… Oh God! They were going to crash. No! She had too much left to do. They were going to crash! Panic closed her throat. She couldn’t breathe. Reaching out, she grabbed Emmie’s icy hand. Neither of them should be alone in this. She didn’t know what else to do. Kelsey was too busy to tell them anything. Summer opened her eyes in time to see a mass of green rushing for them. And she screamed. Then ducked. Tucking her head and wrapping her free arm tightly around her legs, she prayed to whoever was listening to get her out of this.

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* * * *

 

The roar of a plane’s engine cut through Bar’s consciousness. It was too close and getting closer. He and the other men, all still in lynx form, had ceased their dancing a while ago and now reclined in three groups around the dwindling fire. Worried, he leapt to his feet. From habit, he shifted back to human form and rushed for his jeans. He was already running when he heard the explosive impact. The force of it shook the earth, and Bar’s blood turned cold. Planes crashed in the mountainous wilderness from time to time, and few people survived. He’d never witnessed one of the accidents but had come across the wreckage once or twice. It was always ugly. As black smoke billowed in the distance, he prayed there were survivors and he’d get there in time—that they’d get there in time. The other men were fast on his heels. “This way,” Mika called, pointing toward some tall brush. Pushing through it, they saw the twisted remnants of a plane in the middle of an open stretch of field, its wing some distance away, having been sheared off by an outcropping of rock. A jagged gash in the side of the cabin showed at least two slumped-over passengers. A female pilot was bleeding in the cockpit. Her head lolled to the side, and red hair streamed over her bloodied shoulder. Bar’s feline enhanced hearing picked up her moan. At least one of the plane’s occupants had survived! “We’ll get her,” Xathan called as he and his partners, Zeb and Vastan, moved past the others on their way to the pilot. Xathan was one of the few men of their tribe to share with not one, but two other men. Whatever woman ended up with them would have to be a hardy, feisty sort. Bar and Mika moved to the cabin. The other pair of men, Aron and Kane, followed. “Do you think they survived?” Mika asked. “They had to have,” Kane injected before Bar could answer. “Look. Three women. Sent from the sky by the gods. Just what we begged for.” Bar wanted to scoff, especially since he and Mika had been prepared to go looking for their woman as soon as they were able, but the evidence here was immutable. Well, unless one called it coincidence, but if it were a coincidence, it was fortuitous timing indeed.

For a moment, Bar was torn as to which woman in the cabin to approach, but he was almost immediately drawn to the dark-haired girl on the far side. The one with the braids, Mika said into Bar’s head, confirming the choice. Bar crouched in front of her and lifted her chin. Blood streamed down the side of her face from where she must have slammed her head into the wall, but it didn’t detract from her flawless ivory skin. She had a pixie-like face with dainty features. He’d bet when she opened her eyes, they’d be as green as spring leaves. He smiled as she moaned and tried to move her head away. Alive, thank the gods. Carefully, he unfastened her seatbelt. He and Mika caught her as she fell forward. They cradled her between their bodies. She was so cold, probably in shock. They had to get her to shelter. Breathing deeply, Bar drew her essence into himself…and he knew. She was his mate. The gods had provided. As the connection clicked inside him, he lifted his gaze to Mika. Without a word, his friend nodded. Gently, Bar lifted a hand to her cheek and smoothed his thumb along the downy soft flesh. “We’ve got you,” he murmured. “We’re taking you home.”

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* * * *

 

Summer had been hit by a bus. It was the only explanation for the deep allover ache throbbing through her body. It hurt to breathe, and she was pretty sure it would hurt to open her eyes if she tried. Somewhere nearby, a fire crackled, and she smelled the pleasant scent of burning wood. At least, it wasn’t jet fuel. At that, her eyes flew open, and she jerked upright, immediately moaning at the pain that screamed through her. Breathing shallowly, she looked around her, trying not to move her head…much. Where was she? Instead of twisted metal, she was in a dim room. It wasn’t a hospital. She was in the middle of a wide bed. A thick, patchwork quilt covered her legs and pooled at her waist. Dear God! Her naked waist. Her first reaction was to cover her breasts, but her arms refused to move without great effort. “We thought you’d be more comfortable without bloody clothes twisting around you. No one took advantage of you.” A man moved into her line of vision and sat on the side of the bed. “You were in an accident. Do you remember what happened?” “Yes.” Plane crash. In the middle of nowhere. Right? “Where am I?” With difficulty, she managed to get her head to turn his direction. Luminous silvery-blue eyes met her gaze. She’d never seen anything like them. His calloused fingers skimmed lightly over her cheek, drawing her attention to his bronzed skin tone. A dark rain of hair fell past his shoulders and framed a sharp-featured face with high cheekbones and full lips. Definitely Native American descent. Gently, his thumb traced the indent below her eye and goose bumps lifted on her skin. The pleasant tingle momentarily superseded her pain as her entire focus centered on the man’s calloused fingertip as it touched her face. “I am Mika, and you’re in my home. My cluster companion, Bar, and I rescued you from the crash,” he replied, his voice washing dark, confusing pleasure over her senses. She stared at him, his wide shoulders and the pecs defined beneath his pale-blue tee making her mouth water. She swallowed to push away the ache to taste him, but the small movement only made her want him more. Her eyes dropped lower to his flat belly then to the clear bulge of his cock beneath the soft denim fabric that stretched over his groin as he sat. The ridge shifted, growing as she stared. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t the time to be attracted to anyone, let alone a stranger who had her naked in his bed. Still, her body reacted to him, and against all reason, warm cream flowed into her pussy to dampen her pulsing slit. Carefully, she reached for the blanket to draw it over herself before he noticed how hard her nipples were. Too late. His gaze dropped to her breasts. He swallowed. Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath through his nose, and when he released it, a faint smile curved his lips. “The others? Emmie? Kelsey?” she asked, trying to redirect his focus. “They survived. They are with their men.” “Thank goodness! Wait. What? Their…men?” “Here,” Mika said, ignoring her question as he reached for a mug that sat on a small table beside the bed. “Drink this. It will ease your pain and help you sleep. When you wake, we’ll discuss…things.” She knew she should argue, should insist on answers, should worry that she was naked, but debilitating pain had started to overtake her, and her head throbbed, blurring her thoughts. “I need to contact my family—” He slipped an arm beneath her shoulders, lifting her slightly. She wasn’t sure if her groan was from the pain or from her visceral response to his manly scent and the way his powerful forearm felt beneath her shoulders.

He pressed the cup to her lips before she could sort her reactions. “Drink. Now.” His tone brooked no argument, and another shock of arousal tightened Summer’s belly. What the hell? She’d never let anyone order her around, and now, she got hot from this guy doing it? The crash must have scrambled her senses, and she must have hit her head hard. It sure felt like it. Her silly body couldn’t decide if it was needy or broken. Gingerly, she took a sip from the steaming mug. The scent was pleasant, and the brew tasted like a mix of chamomile and mint.

“More,” he urged. His hand tightened on her shoulder as he held her up, and she imagined what it would be like if it were clasping her while they had sex. He seemed so…strong. Powerful and able to command her body as he fucked her. And again, with those thoughts! She had to get herself under control. Focusing on the mug, she drank more of the tea. When he was satisfied, she’d taken enough, he set aside the cup. She groaned as he eased her back onto the pillows then pulled away his arm. His heat had felt so good against her aching muscles. She wanted it wrapped around her—and more than that, she needed to wrap around him…and that cock that seemed larger now as she glanced at it. He bent over her, studying her face with his strange eyes and distracting her from his erection. “Your pain will fade soon,” he assured her. His firm fingers brushed over her brow as he continued to hold her gaze, his stare almost hypnotizing. Her awareness shifted uncomfortably as he seemed to peer inside her, seeing parts of her she’d never shared with anyone. Soon, as if commanded by his words, her cares seemed to float into the ether. Distantly, she protested the break in the intimate web he’d worked around them with just his intense blue-eyed stare, and she wondered what was in the concoction he’d given her. And what was it she’d been so worried about? She couldn’t…quite… It didn’t matter. She sighed as a pleasant haze surrounded her. “So beautiful,” Mika murmured, bending closer and pushing a stray hair from her face. “We knew your eyes would be green. What is your name, nuliaba abnaba?” “Summer,” she replied slowly. Her lids were growing heavy, and her tongue felt too thick to speak.

“Auraq,” he murmured. “Summer…” “Mmm…” She wanted to go to sleep and curl up with him. She supposed she really should be worried or afraid, but her fuzzy mind lost the idea long before she drummed up any fear. “Summer,” he repeated, drawing her attention from the floating sensation that had claimed her. “We are going to rub your body with sweet oil. It will ease your pain.” Pain? What pain? Through barely open eyes, she saw another man enter the room. His looks were similar to Mika’s, but his eyes were silvery-green. “He’s as pretty as you are,” she sighed. Mika grinned and looked over his shoulder. “Grandmother’s tea strikes again.” The other man lifted a brow. “I am pretty, but she must be hallucinating to think you are.” “He is,” Summer protested. Even through her hazy thoughts, she observed the shoulders that were as wide as Mika’s and the powerful muscles that strained from the sleeves of his T-shirt. His skin had the same coppery tone as Mika’s, and she realized errantly that she wanted to lick him. She swallowed. She definitely wanted to taste that hard chest where she could see the tiny buds of his small male nipples pressing against the cotton. Her fingers curled, itching to reach up and touch him but restrained by drugged lethargy and damn societal convention. He laughed and sat on the other side of the bed then leaned over her so she didn’t have to turn her head. “We’ll see if you think he’s pretty once you wake again and the tea has worn off.” “Good stuff,” she replied. She slowly rubbed the back of her hand across her face, realizing it didn’t hurt to move nearly as much as it had before.

“Indeed,” he replied. “This oil will help you feel even better,” Mika told her, pulling her attention back to him. “May Bar and I touch you?” God, yes. Summer stretched, knowing if she could just pull her muscles far enough, she’d start to feel normal again. “You can do whatever you want.” Bar chuckled. “We’ll save that permission for later, nuliaba abnaba.” He pulled the blanket off her then held out his hand, and Mika poured liquid into the palm from a small clay pitcher. She was lying naked before them on a bed, and she couldn’t drum up the sense to be concerned. Every part of her seemed warm. Feeling their gazes on her only made her belly tighten and a flame lick across her cunt. Her thighs tingled as heavy need rolled through her. Her clit pulsed; the throb almost painful. Worse, and more painful, was that she sensed the desire racking her body wouldn’t be fulfilled. Bar rubbed his hands together then, as she closed her eyes, focusing on fully relaxing and forgetting her need as Bar’s fingers splayed on the skin of her belly. He rubbed in circles, pressing hard enough she felt the heat and pressure seeping into her muscles. “Oh yes, please,” she begged as those palms worked upward to her ribcage. Mika’s hands joined Bar’s on her torso. Slowly, oh so slowly, the two men worked their way up to her breasts, the edge of their fingers rubbing against the base of the mounds, their caresses ebbing away before touching her the way she really wanted. Over and over, their hands moved up and down her body, igniting nerve endings that had long remained dormant. All the while, sleep beckoned while her arousal played tug-o-war with the drugs. Her hips shifted as her increased pleasure translated to a heavy tingle in her pussy. Deep down, she knew this shouldn’t stimulate her. She should be concerned that she was naked and being massaged by two strange men. Two, large, muscular, mouthwatering men. She couldn’t dredge up the energy to care that the situation was far from normal. They were making her feel good…so good. And she wanted their touch. Everywhere. She moaned low in her throat as their palms worked over her belly and ribs once more then kneaded the oil into the slopes of her breasts, never touching her taut areolas. All too soon, the men moved to her shoulders then down her arms.

A strange, numbing tingle emerged in their wake, countering the deep, unsettling need thundering through her veins and tightening the muscles in her belly. “Be calm, nuliaba abnaba,” Bar encouraged. He bent forward and pressed his lips to her temple. “The time for all our desires will come after you have rested.” His finger traced her bottom lip as she sucked in a gasping breath at the look of barely restrained lust in his eyes. Heated ferocity sparked with promises of what would come when he unleashed himself. She could almost picture him staring down at her with those determined eyes as he fucked her. She needed his cock driving into her and assuaging the ache inside. His lips curved into a small smile. “And so you see,” he murmured. “Yes,” she replied, moaning again when his mouth brushed hers. She parted her lips, but as quickly as he’d kissed her, he was gone and the two men moved to her legs. Mika poured a stream of warm oil over her thighs, the drizzle of the liquid far too sensual even to Summer’s hazy thoughts. Somehow, she’d become a being of pure sensation, caught in a fury of lust and pleasure. Any pain had long receded. So had her reasoning.

[raone453k]

* * * *

 

Mika glanced at Bar as their hands kneaded the supple flesh of her thighs. This is torture, he told his cluster mate. She wants us. I can smell it, and I’m aching for her. She might feel differently when she wakes, Bar countered. They both knew the medicine woman, called Grandmother by all in their town, concocted tea that had a potent effect, much like drinking far too much beer. Summer was seeing them both through a drunken haze. He wanted her without the inebriated filter. Her skin is like silk, Bar moaned into Mika’s thoughts. Not helping, Mika replied. Sometimes, Mika regretted the telepathic link he shared with his friend, but they’d had the connection since they were children, so he was accustomed to never truly being alone. Though their remote town, Caribou Run, was reachable only by plane and a thrice-a-year Cat-train—freight pulled by Caterpillar vehicles—Mika had plenty of opportunities for solitude. Still, no matter where Mika wandered, Bar’s thoughts could always reach him. Once they claimed Summer, her thoughts would reach them, too. He ached for that. For half of his thirty years, he’d longed for that female connection. And here she was, in his home, but still beyond his reach. His hand slipped to her warm inner thigh, and the burning heat of her forbidden flesh radiated to him. He glanced at the damp curls at her apex, wanted to part her labia and draw his tongue through the arousal he’d scented there. It would be tangy and sweet as he circled her pearled clit and drove her to climax. His fingers curled as he fought the urge to follow through with his thought. Quickly, he moved his palms closer to her knees before he gave into temptation and delved into her pussy.

Summer moaned as he moved from the lure of her sex, and he gritted his teeth, his cock jerking with his need. A glance at Bar revealed his cluster mate’s hardened jaw. His cheeks hollowed, a tense muscle ticking near his temple as he too fought himself. Not that Mika needed to look at his friend. As he opened his thoughts, he heard Bar’s mantra. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t… Inhaling deeply, Mika reminded himself of the same. Breathing was a mistake. Summer’s heated scent filled him again, a heavy fragrance that sank into his senses as a weight that would never be removed. The lynx inside him growled. It prowled forward and threatened to break free. “Stop!” Bar grabbed him by the back of the neck, and it was only then that Mika realized he’d bent over Summer. Mika’s mouth hovered mere inches above his mate’s pussy, ready to part and lick the tender flesh. Already, he tasted her elixir on his tongue as he breathed her in. “By the gods!” he exclaimed, pulling away and darting toward the door where he’d be safe from acting on his desires. He leaned against the doorframe and took in the tableau of Bar running his hands over Summer’s body. Her skin had started to flush, particularly the flesh from her rigid nipples up to her neck. Her thighs had parted, revealing her even darker flushed labia. Her pussy shone with her moisture, her springy curls glistening. He drew a hand over his aching cock. This mindless desire wouldn’t abate until he’d sunk into her. “How long?” he asked Bar. Bar had always been the voice of reason. When Mika wanted to rush into a situation, Bar had a checklist of things to consider first. If Mika wanted to be a daredevil, Bar stopped him before they both got hurt. And if Mika rushed forward and indulged in Summer, he’d hurt them all. “At least until she’s healed enough not to need Grandmother’s tea.” “Of course.” Yes, of course, they had to wait. Shame filled him at the knowledge his overwhelming desire had nearly caused him to act inappropriately toward their mate. Bar stood, a small pained but sympathetic smile on his face as he glanced at Mika. He obviously understood and was as close to the edge as his friend.

I think we’re done here, he told Mika. He pulled the quilt over Summer. She moaned and snuggled into the pillow. “I could use a run,” Mika said as they stepped into the hallway and closed the door. A long, long run would stretch and exhaust him. But he didn’t have time for that. Bar needed the same, and they couldn’t leave Summer for long. “Grandmother’s tea will knock her out for a couple hours. Race you to the rock and back,” Bar replied, pulling off his flannel shirt then the tee beneath it. There was no need for him to explain which rock. They’d been running to the same place an hour up the mountain since they’d hit full-on teen angst years ago. Eagerly, Mika stripped. Bar was at his heels as he whipped open the back door and shifted as he leapt down the stairs to the yard.

A flash of lightning-swift pain shocked through him as his bones cracked and reshaped while fur erupted across his body. Paws hit the hard earth. Turning his head, he witnesses a blur of motion as Bar stood naked in the doorway then jumped toward him, his body rapidly re-forming into that of a giant lynx. Thick beige-white fur covered his limbs and body. Large feline eyes turned toward Mika, and he twitched his black-tufted ears. Problem? Of course not. Turning, Mika dashed toward the summit of the nearest peak. Caribou Run was nestled in the foothills on the northern side of the Brooks mountain range, hidden from the world and accidental discovery by hikers. No one came here by mistake. That was good. They didn’t need to be as careful with their shifts or with being seen in animal form. The entire village was comprised of shifters and their mates, so secrecy was imperative. Some caution was always necessary, though, especially when venturing farther from home. Strangers didn’t expect to see lynx this far north in Alaska. Gods help them all if they attracted bands of scientists to “check it out.” His broad paws carried him swiftly over the waning vegetation near his home and into the patchy snow at the lower elevations of the peak. He heard Bar bounding across the ground behind him. His cluster mate slammed into him, and they tumbled together across a large stretch of snow. Bar pinned him, giving him a head butt then chuffling before he leapt to the side and tore away. Cheater, Mika called through their thought connection as he righted himself and followed. Lynx, not a cheetah, Bar returned. Had he been in human form, Mika would have snorted at the rote retort that had passed between them a zillion time before. Both men were competitive, and they both played to win. Anything went in their competitions as long as no one got hurt. He was thankful he wouldn’t have to fight Bar for their mate. Her pleasure would be foremost in their minds. Their mate… Immediately, his thoughts turned back to his desire. Gods, he wanted her. Stop it! Bar commanded. Mika would have scowled had he been able to as a lynx. Instead, he growled low in his throat. Aside from being reckless, he tended toward single-mindedness. He wanted Summer, and his world wouldn’t settle into the right pattern until he’d had her—but what if she rejected them? It was always a possibility, and they’d never forcibly mate with her. But once the three of them joined, he and Bar would never willingly let her go. She’s going to smell the desperation rolling off you, Bar commented drily. Need, Mika corrected, unwilling to call his feelings what they were. Truly, he could jump the air-taxi into Barrow or even Fairbanks and find a woman to slake his needs. Sex wasn’t the issue here. He was ready for his one, the female who’d complete their triad. The gods had sent her. Why shouldn’t he be anxious to mate?

Gods, he had to clear his head. His feline scream filled the autumn air before he leapt forward and raced toward Bar, who, judging by landmarks, had managed to gain nearly a quarter mile on him. Unacceptable. Mika’s powerful legs surged across the near-frozen earth, his claws digging into ice and damp, hard soil as he ran. He pounced on Bar as they reached the rendezvous point, shifting as he wrapped his arms around the other man. Sparks of electric energy tingled across Mika’s skin as Bar shifted, too. His limbs tangled with Mika’s as they rolled. Mika buried his nose in Bar’s neck, chuffling, and Bar’s arms tightened around him. They had a strange relationship—close, affectionate, but unlike many bonded shifters, they didn’t share sexual relations. They were as close as any mates could be, and they found comfort in one another, but they’d never fucked, and Mika doubted they ever would. He breathed in Bar’s essence, the scent pouring into his being and calming him. Bar nuzzled his face to the side of Mika’s, and Mika shuddered as his cluster mate’s drugging pheromones dulled the knife-edged tension inside him. They tumbled across the uneven ground, patches of ice biting into their skin as they wrestled like cubs, each endowing the other with a good dose of the biologic chemical that would calm them. Bar pressed his face to Mika’s shoulder, gently biting him as they clasped each other. Mika groaned, pleasure and a strange lethargy rolling over him as Bar exerted his power. They acted as equals, but Bar was the more dominant of their pairing. Mika shifted back to lynx form. He couldn’t help panting as the exertion of the magic, coupled with the run and wrestling, weighed down his body. Fighting the pain of the shift always took some of his strength, but thankfully, his body secreted some hormone to counteract the pain, and it was gone as quickly as it started.

“Ready to go, then?” Bar asked, rising and showing no concern for his nakedness. Mika rubbed against his thigh. His head tipped back to brush Bar’s hip until Bar reached down and buried his fingers in the fur between Mika’s ears. Mika rumbled his appreciation low in his throat. For a split second, the air sizzled with energy as the space where Bar had stood blurred as Bar changed—then a lynx, slightly larger than Mika, stood in Bar’s place. He started down the slope with Mika on his heels. They’d been gone long enough. It was time to go back if they hoped to be at the house when Summer awoke.

[Jayam Ramana]

very nice

[raone453k]

Chapter Two

 

Summer startled awake from the most sensual dream she’d ever experienced. Unlike the last time she’d roused, her body didn’t throb as if she might die. She still ached, but now, she felt as if she could move without crying from the pain. And that dream… Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she closed her eyes and again saw the two dark-haired men who’d filled her mind, their hands touching every part of her body before they brought her to climax over and over. Her eyes went wide. Wait a minute! Oh God… They’d been massaging her body when she’d fallen asleep, just like in her dream. Her brow furrowed as she did a mental check of her body. Achy, yes… But not in the places she’d feel sore if she’d had vigorous sex with two men. She frowned at her displeasure. What was wrong with her that the reality disappointed her? The dream had been so good; that was her problem. She certainly wanted to be awake and willing when she had sex with her two rescuers. Whoa! Back up that train, Summer! She didn’t even know them, and she was already planning to fuck them? She didn’t go around having sex with strange men, no matter how pretty they were. She didn’t go around having sex at all! Apparently, the crash had smacked the sense right out of her head. Rubbing her temple, she sat up. Perhaps, if she got moving, the illicit thoughts would be pushed from her mind. Not likely. As soon as she moved, the quilt slid down her body once more, the cotton catching on her aroused nipples. She caught her breath at the unintentional caress and lifted her hands to the taut peaks. She ran her fingers over the tips, rolling her hips as the motion amplified the heavy tension thrumming in her pelvis. Her palm skimmed over her belly to her pussy, and she slid her hand over it, finding her slippery folds. A soft groan slipped past her lips. Her teeth gritted. This was bad…so bad. Her body was strung out with the need to fuck. Almost of their own accord, her fingers circled her throbbing clit, and a low moan escaped her.

The sound startled her, and she jerked her hand away. She needed to fuck, but she couldn’t do this here! She didn’t know these people, and God forbid they heard her and thought she was in pain. She could just see it: her arched on the bed, her hand working between her thighs, as they stood in the doorway and watched her pleasure herself. But hey, maybe she’d get what she wanted… She rolled her eyes at the errant thought and reluctantly pulled her hand from her pussy. She swung her legs to the edge of the bed. Quickly, she scanned the room for her shirt and pants but didn’t see them. Well, crap. Naked and aroused with no clothes in sight. Peachy. Pulling the quilt from the bed, she wrapped it around herself. The room gave Spartan a run for its money. There wasn’t even a closet or wardrobe. The bed and a small rustic table that appeared to be made of sticks were the only furnishings. The window was covered by adjustable wood slats but had no curtains. The cold wood floor beneath her bare feet didn’t feature so much as a throw rug. Her stomach growled and pulled her from her perusal, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since last night. She hated having any food just before she flew, and judging from today’s events, that was a pretty good idea. The hollowness in the pit of her stomach had her wondering if the flight had really been today. How long had she been unconscious? That would be one of her first questions. She cracked open the door while holding the blanket tightly around her. Save for the loud tick of a clock, there wasn’t a sound coming from anywhere in the house. Where was she? As she strained to hear, she detected no traffic sounds outside and nothing concrete to tell her where she was. With some relief, she heard the yells of children playing somewhere in the distance, as well as a dog barking. Then out of nowhere, the drone of a plane overhead and getting closer. A corner of her mind recalled that plenty of small villages in Alaska were accessed only by air-taxi. In fact, the place she’d been headed was one of those. Could this be similar? The middle of nowhere? At least, she wasn’t wandering the Alaskan wilderness. Or dead. Opening the door farther, she stepped from the room into a large living area. It seemed to be a living room, dining room and kitchen wrapped into one big space. An enormous wood-burning stove stood in the center, and she saw from the glow through the grate that it was heating. Facing it, a couch and two oversized chairs formed a conversation area, but no one was seated there. As she glanced around and peeked into the three open doors off the communal space, she found two bedrooms and a generous bathroom/laundry combo, but no people. Just as she was processing that she was truly alone, the slider door to the living room opened and two naked men stepped inside the house. She blinked at that, and her body immediately went soft, returning to the state she’d been in when she’d woken. The two froze, staring at her. Finally, the slightly shorter of the men smiled. “We didn’t think you’d be awake,” he said. Mika. That one was Mika, and the other one was Bar. Silently, she congratulated herself for pulling their names from the mental fog that had accompanied her earlier waking. “How are you feeling?” Bar asked. “Better than before,” she replied. To her surprise, neither man rushed for his clothing. “Do you need more tea?” Bar offered. “It will ease any pain.” “No,” she said hastily. She needed to keep her senses around her. “It’s nothing major. I feel fine.” Except that her arousal grew with each second, they stood in the doorway naked. Dream or not, she remembered how it had felt in her head, how she’d fantasized what her body would feel when they both fucked her. She couldn’t stop her rapid breathing as her need took over. “Auraq, Summer…nuliaba abnaba, are you alright?” Mika asked, his brows drawn together. “Her body senses us,” Bar said. “It needs us.” Summer shook her head at his quiet words. They were intended for Mika only, but she heard them. Understanding his meaning was a whole other thing, even if it was true. Beneath the blanket, her body shook with the tension tightening in her belly. Flames of desire licked at her pussy, spreading into her abdomen and thighs. She wanted these two more than she’d ever wanted any man. And it didn’t make sense. “I do…” she whispered, meeting the two sets of lust-darkened eyes zeroing in on her. Nerveless fingers released the quilt, and she let it drop to pool around her feet. The chill of the room bit at her over-heated flesh, but she barely noticed it. Goose bumps unrelated to the temperature lifted on her skin as her awareness heightened and blood rushed through her. Mika and Bar came around the couch, their cocks filling as they stared at her naked body. And she stared at theirs, her eyes immediately drawn to twin six-packs, sculpted bellies and the jut of their hipbones that she and her friends affectionately called “the curve”—by God, the “curve” on these two caused a quiver in her clit as she visually traced the sharp lines to their groins. Their generous shafts sent a shiver of anticipation through her, as she eyed the engorged lengths with their faintly purpled glans. Momentarily, she considered dropping to her knees to take them into her mouth. A drop of pre-cum beaded at Mika’s tip, and she wanted to taste it. She took a step forward before she thought better of it.

Normally, she’d be self-conscious standing before two strangers this way, but it was as if she’d dropped into a naughty fairytale world. Anything could go here. And later, she’d hop onto the air-taxi back to reality and leave Neverland. She could do whatever she wanted with these men, and no one in the real world would know. They wouldn’t be hurting anyone. “Do you know what you’re asking?” Bar wondered as he drew his fingers down her arm. She nodded. “I want… I-I want you to fuck me. I’m not out of my mind, but I’m not usually like this either. And before you say it, I’m not just grateful that you saved me. I don’t know why, but…” She ran her eyes over their hard, muscled bodies. Wide shoulders, slim hips, powerful thighs…large cocks. They’d feel so good inside her pussy and her ass. “Well, I know why. I’ve just never wanted someone— two someones—so bad.” Mika took a deep breath. “Is that arousal for us, baby?” She blinked. “You can smell that?” “It’s the sweetest scent I’ve ever encountered. I want to taste it.” Summer gasped, her breath shuddering as her insides jerked at his words. She wanted to feel his tongue on her. “I…” She nodded. “Yes,” she managed. Immediately, he dropped to his knees before her. His parted lips pressed to her belly then made a trail from her navel to the edge of her curls, his tongue flicking out to taste her along the way. His hands smoothed along her thighs, his thumbs teasing the inner curves and making her shiver. Her fingers sank into his tousled dark hair, the strands like silk against her skin. Those strands brushed her legs as he moved. Bar stepped behind her as Mika eased her legs farther apart. He spread her pussy, exposing her inner labia, while Bar’s large, calloused hands splayed on her hips, steadying her. He pulled her to lean on his wide chest as Mika pressed his mouth to her slick folds. An immediate response exploded through her, and her knees buckled, but Bar held her up. Summer closed her eyes and moaned as Mika’s tongue dragged along her slit, flicking around her opening before dipping inside her. Arousal knotted in her belly, drawing tighter with each pass of Mika’s tongue and each graze of Bar’s hands. She shook as Mika found her clit and sucked the nub into his mouth. His fingers traced her seam. He explored without delving inside, which forced her need higher. She had to feel him inside her. Her hips rocked into him, needing to feel him fucking her, even if it was only with his fingers. She was so long past caring about the situation or propriety. She just wanted these two men fiercely. Her demand was sidetracked before she could verbalize it as Bar’s hand skimmed upward to her breast. He molded the mound, kneading it gently as he brought his lips to her ear. He pulled at the tip, twisting until she moaned. “You’re so beautiful, nuliaba abnaba.” She didn’t know the language he spoke, but the lilt of his words sent a delighted shiver through her. She could listen to him speak in that deep rolling voice all night long, whether he spoke English or whatever that other language was. His firm lips pressed to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, finding her pulse point and sucking at the spot.

She didn’t know what to do, whether to pull Mika to her or to reach around and wrap her arm behind Bar’s neck. In the end, she decided to do both. Bar balanced her so she was able to curl her fingers in Mika’s hair and pull him closer to her pussy without fear of falling. She anchored herself to Bar with an arm thrown up around him. It was so strange, touching two men while they both loved her, feeling surrounded by them. She’d never done anything like this. She’d been with other men, but never two men at once. These two seemed to touch her all over, to fill her vision and every breath she took. Their musky, manly scent permeated the air as they ran their splayed hands over her body and curled around her.

As Mika licked her steadily, she felt another wave of arousal seeping into her folds. Mika growled, sucking harder at her clit. He pushed a long finger deep inside her pussy, and Summer’s legs buckled. Bar held her steady when she would have fallen. His corded arm banded around her belly, further arousing her with the illusion of being their prisoner. His fingers kept up their play on her distended nipple, tugging and rolling in time with Mika’s strokes along her throbbing slit. If only they’d just fuck her. Suddenly, Bar pinched the peak he’d been tormenting and bit down on her shoulder. “Oh my God!” she cried as waves of lava eddied through her, reaction after reaction surging from her core to her extremities. She felt weak with it, yet energized for more. Bar pinched her nipple again, giving a small twist to stoke her mini-climax. She shook, her breasts heaving. She couldn’t take much more of the teasing. She could only imagine what would happen when they were inside her. “I think we should move to the bed,” Bar offered. Mika pulled his face from her pussy and looked up at them, his chin damp with her juices. “Definitely.” His blue eyes held her gaze as his tongue ran along his lower lip and he dragged the back of his hand over his mouth to wipe away her excess arousal. There was something so sensual about the look in his eyes as he gazed at her, something hypnotizing about the slow movement of his hand. She couldn’t say what—satisfaction, perhaps. His stare was almost feral, as if he were waiting to pounce on her if she tried to get away. She was tempted to run, just to see what he’d do. She caught her breath imagining it. Being pinned beneath them. Perhaps being tied. Before she could initiate her wild fantasy, Bar scooped her into his strong arms and cradled her against his hard, carved chest. As if she weighed nothing, he carried her into one of the empty rooms she’d spied earlier. Unlike where she’d woken, it wasn’t Spartan, and she could tell this space belong to one of the men. Books were piled on a heavy end table, and clothes were draped over an oversized chair in one corner. While the bed was made, it wasn’t particularly neat.

She had no chance to notice anything else as Bar placed her on the bed and leaned over her. Her lips parted immediately to give him entrance as Mika’s clever mouth returned to her pussy. The man was insidious in his need to devour her, but she had no complaints as his tongue flicked and his teeth scraped at her sensitive labia and clit. “Have you ever had two men, nuliaba abnaba?” Bar asked as he claimed her lips. She shook her head. He grinned before he lowered his head again. Slowly, he nipped and licked her mouth, teasing her then momentarily deepening the kiss, but never letting her settle into it. Reaching up, she grabbed the back of his head and held him still as she pressed her lips to his and sucked his tongue into her mouth. She moaned into him as Mika sank two wide fingers into her and began to fuck her with them again. Restlessly, she pushed her thighs farther apart for him and shifted her hips, wanting more, wanting harder drives…even more, wanting his cock buried in her pussy, shafting to the hilt. She drew in a shocked breath at the thought and drew away from Bar’s mouth. Never missing a beat, he kissed his way down her neck to her breast. Those talented lips pulled an aroused nipple into his mouth. His tongue lashed around her crinkled areola. She bowed into him, deciding he was definitely a breast man. He couldn’t seem to get enough as he devoured one then the other. “Bar,” she cried, her arms wrapping around his head. Gently, he pulled them away and pressed her wrists to the pillows. With his body dominating her upper half and Mika taking over the lower, it seemed as if she were being touched everywhere. Controlled by them. Claimed. Bar’s teeth scraped across her nipple, bringing her right to the edge of the mind-blowing release that had been simmering inside her since they’d rubbed her body with oil earlier. Her need had only grown while she’d slept, until she’d woken on the knife edge of control. Just a bit in either direction and she fall into oblivion. As if following unspoken commands, Bar sucked her nipple hard while he pinched the other peak. At exactly the same time, Mika grabbed her clit with his teeth and drove two fingers deep inside her. Summer screamed, arching beneath the heavy bodies holding her to the mattress. Colors spun before her eyes as the long-sought after orgasm exploded through her body. Afterward, she lay there panting as she became fully aware of her surroundings once more. When she opened her eyes, Bar and Mika were leaning over her, smiling. She reached up to touch their faces, almost bemused by what was happening but unwilling to over-think it. She was giving into the fantasy and indulging in something most women only secretly imagined. “Are you okay?” Mika asked. “None of your soreness has returned?” Bar clarified. “We can wait, if you are feeling unwell.” Wait? God, no! Mika groaned, and Bar gave him an admonishing look, with raised brow. “Yes, we can wait,” Mika said after a moment. “You’re lucky to be alive. If you ache at all, please let us give you medicine. Then you should rest.” “I’m fine,” she told them quickly. “Don’t stop,” she begged. She did ache some, but not enough to stop this encounter. She slipped her hand behind Mika’s head and pulled him down to her for a kiss. She moaned as her tangy flavor filled her senses. How could her own taste turn her on so much? Because it was on him. She was tasting it on him, and it made her pulse for more of him, more of them.

“Fuck me,” she murmured against his lips. She needed that more than any medicine. “I want you inside me.” Mika growled, and his grin was feral when he looked down at her. “Both of us? We do things together. We fuck together.” She glanced over at Bar, biting her lip. She nodded. She didn’t know exactly what “both” would entail, but saying no to either of them just seemed…wrong. She desired them both. Equally. Mika scooted to lie beside her then he pulled her atop him with Bar’s help. Obviously, they were both determined to be careful with her. She wanted hard and fast then the same thing again, but she understood the wisdom in their thinking. She’d survived a plane crash today. Logically, she should be resting, not fucking. But, hey! She was in a bed, right? “Stay still, and let us do the work,” Bar said as he moved behind her. His lips skated along her spine, and she shivered as he found the spot on her neck that sent goose bumps along her body again. And Mika felt so good pressed beneath her. His hard, warm physique stoked the need inside her. She smiled. Who was she kidding? Everything about both the men aroused her. Her legs curled around Mika’s hips, and she raised herself above his engorged cock. She needed him inside her. She knew he’d stretch her wide, testing her limits. She paused as Bar reached around her to the table then tossed a packet onto Mika’s chest. Oh, yeah, right. Condom. Behind her, she heard foil rip and knew Bar was girding himself. She sat back on Mika’s thighs and snatched the condom off his chest then, feeling momentarily puckish, she traced a swirl between his pecs with the corner. “Auraq,” he moaned in that foreign language she loved. “Pivsaamik! Please!”

“What’s that you want?” she teased as she continued her path to the fine trail of hair that ran from the shallow indent of his navel to his groin where his cock bobbed against her pussy. His fingers closed around her wrist in an iron-like grip, his silvery-blue eyes seeming to glow in the room’s subdued lighting. “Akkupak!” Bar moved closer behind her. His legs straddled hers on either side of Mika and his body was flush to her back. His cock pressed against her ass as he leaned to her ear. “Now, he says. Mika wants you now. No more teasing.” His large hands closed around hers, and he guided her in opening the package. Sliding his fingers to her wrists and covering Mika’s on one side, he brought her hands to Mika’s cock, and the three of them rolled the condom into place. Bar didn’t pause as his hands went to her waist. She let him move her, sinking into the erotic pleasure of these men taking control. As Mika’s tip pressed to her slick opening, she caught her breath. He was wide, but not so much so that she feared it. He’d feel so…big, fiery hot, steely…good. Bar held her there, hovering at the precipice of pleasure when she would have slammed forward to take Mika’s solid length inside her. She could barely breathe through the anticipation, her entire focus centered on the glans pushing between her labia. “Please,” she moaned when Mika didn’t move beyond that spot, even as her cream seeped around him. She tried to force her pussy down his shaft. Bar was having none of it. One arm slid beneath her belly, keeping her still while he reached the other toward Mika. Through a haze, she watched Mika grab a bottle from the table and squirt a bit of gel on Bar’s fingers. Immediately, Bar moved his hand to Summer’s ass. As his cool fingers circled her anus and slowly probed the small opening, she understood. They meant to take her at once. Together.

She shuddered as two thick fingers pushed inside her ass. Mika’s cock jerked at the same time, thudding against her clit. It bobbed as Bar pushed his digits in and out of her until she was a burning mass of need. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she rocked. The sensation of being between them was so good. With Bar’s drives behind her and Mika’s shaft sawing over the sensitive nub of her clit, a new orgasm twisted in her belly. Her breathing echoed in her ears, competing with the thundering rush of blood through her body. When Bar’s hands suddenly clamped onto her waist, she was so deep into the moment that she hardly noticed the change—and then she did. Summer’s eyes, which had fallen to half-mast, went wide as both cocks lined up at her openings. “Nuliaba abnaba,” the men murmured together as they pressed forward. They moved slowly. Mika somehow seemed to sense Bar’s pace as he made the more difficult entrance. Pain seared through her as Bar’s wide tip pierced her anus and breached her rectum. In her pussy, Mika aligned to him. She breathed heavily, tears in her eyes as her body adjusted. Both men waited, and she stared down at Mika, her gaze silently telling him this was what she wanted. Her hands clamped on his shoulders as she held herself over him. “More,” she pleaded as her body softened, opening to them. “Give me all of you. Please!” She tipped back her head, and her lids squeezed shut again as the men pushed farther inside her. “Please… Oh yes…” She was so full with the two cocks lodged deep within her passages. So full and it was so good. Every inch of their rigid shafts abraded her inner walls as the men claimed her, and it was every bit as perfect as she’d imagined in her darkest secret fantasies. “Nuliaba abnaba,” they both intoned again as they reached their hilts. “Yes,” she replied, not knowing what they said but guessing yes was the correct response. At her word, the men began an alternating pistoning, fucking her hard while the world seemed to shake around them.

She gripped Mika’s shoulders as her world shifted, everything before this moment fading as they drove into her. Mine! Mine! Ours! Finally! “Yes,” Summer groaned, so immersed, it seemed their words echoed in her head. She felt the men inside her, infiltrating her awareness. Their sensations, their joy at fucking her, their arousal…somehow, it all looped and twined with her consciousness. It was as if the three of them were joined energy, so united she experienced their feelings as they took her. The overwhelming emotions combined with her own pleasure, shoving her over the edge. Then, as if her release was the catalyst to an explosion, Mika erupted, followed a split-second later by Bar. Colors flew before her eyes as she soared into the abyss, her release, her ecstasy coalescing with the men’s, braiding together so tightly, she couldn’t tell where she ended and they began. The energy went on and on while she jerked and screamed, her voice a hoarse yowl of dark, unmitigated pleasure. Each time she thought the tail of her orgasm approached, one of the men would jolt and she’d ascend to another higher plane. Bar and Mika were with her the whole way, the extension of their climaxes unimaginable but so good as the three experienced it as one. When her world went black, her body unable to take more, she felt them there with her, too.

[Mampi]

good one

[raone453k]

Chapter Three

 

“Nuliaba abnaba, are you okay?” Okay? That’s an understatement. Bar chuckled. “It was good for us, too.” Summer’s eyes popped open, and she stared up at him. God, she must be way far gone if she’d spoken aloud without meaning to. “I’m good,” she said, her throat scratchy—probably from all her screaming, she supposed. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she remembered her out-of-control orgasms. “Maybe, I could use some water,” she ventured, suddenly uncomfortable with the way Bar stroked her face and looked down at her, concern and knowing in his gaze. She glanced over at Mika to find the same expression on his face. Geez, guys, it was just sex, she thought. Mika frowned, and she supposed he could read her thoughts on her countenance. His eyes darkened, and he shifted to the side. “I’ll get you some tea.” “No!” she exclaimed. She needed to keep her senses about her. “No medicine.” “Just regular tea with a bit of honey,” he assured her then added as she struggled to sit up, “And perhaps a couple aspirin.” “Okay,” she conceded. Bar moved to sit beside her, and they both reclined against the headboard. He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the steady thump of his heart beneath her cheek. She curled into his warmth and let his strong presence surround her. He seemed to be the calm force in the sexy duo, but she still sensed an undercurrent of malcontent. Something was off here, but she didn’t know what. It had been spectacular sex. What was the problem? “Just relax,” he said, his calm, deep voice lulling her. “Everything will be perfect in time.” That seemed a peculiar statement, but she left it alone as she closed her eyes and waited for Mika to return.

[raone453k]

* * * *

 

Bar stroked Summer’s hair, knowing he and Mika had made a huge misstep. As much as their mate had wanted them, claiming her had been too soon, and there would be consequences. Hopefully, it would be nothing they couldn’t quickly work through. Her thoughts were quite vociferous and her beliefs clear. To her, this had been an enjoyable encounter, but just that. A one-time fling in the middle of desolate wilderness. It was unlikely she’d take the mating well. Regardless, she’d said the words, and now, she was fully and truly his and Mika’s. They would not be able to read her thoughts if the mating had not been ordained and if she hadn’t been destined for them. Unfortunately, what was understood to his people was not easily accepted by outsiders. He sensed a fight coming, but even so, they had to tell Summer of the union as soon as possible. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he told her, slipping away from her then arranging her on his pillows. He drew the comforter over her before he headed into the bathroom to dispose of his condom and clean up. Minutes later, he joined Mika in the kitchen. His cluster mate stood at the stove, the teapot in his hand and the burner cold. Mika turned desolate eyes to him. “We fucked up,” he said quietly.

“Yeah.” Bar scrubbed a hand over his face. “Forget the tea. She’s asleep.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his bare chest. He and Mika were accustomed to being naked around one another, so neither man thought to grab clothes before they talked. “We need to figure out what to do,” Mika continued. “In a few days, she’ll want to leave unless the mate bond is strong enough. We can live separate, but I don’t think I can bear it if…” He didn’t finish, but Bar knew. Even if thousands of miles separated them, they’d sometimes hear Summer’s thoughts—especially if she didn’t learn to shield them. They’d feel what she felt, particularly at high emotional times such as if she attempted sex with another man. A knot formed in Bar’s gut, just thinking of the specter of another lover who wasn’t her mate. “Don’t,” Mika sighed, his usual jocular demeanor long gone. “You brought it up.” “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I want to picture it in the same detail you are in your head.” He pushed a hand through his already askew hair and padded to the slider to stare up at the mountain that rose behind their home. They both knew a run was out of the question, though they needed it again. Generally, sex would wear them out, but the agitation caused by Summer’s thoughts had stoked their adrenaline, keeping them fully alert and wired. “Maybe, we should go talk to Grandmother,” Bar suggested. The medicine woman lived close to their home. They’d be close enough to return here as soon as they sensed Summer rousing. With a nod, Mika went for the clothes he’d dropped in the living room earlier. Bar did the same.

The bite of coming winter was in the air when they stepped outside minutes later and headed for the medicine woman’s home. To Bar and Mika’s surprise, Aron and Kane, two of the other shifters who’d rescued a woman, were leaving Grandmother’s. They paused as Bar and Mika approached. Aron gave a self-depreciating yet amused grin. “You, as well?” he asked. “At least, we’re not alone in our haste.” “You’ve claimed your woman?” Bar asked, some relief filling him. He and Mika weren’t the only ones who’d rushed forward. “Yes,” Kane grumbled. “But she thinks it was just because she’s convenient. She’s rather hard on herself and won’t believe we truly want her.” “Xathan, Zeb and Vastan are faring no better,” Aron offered. “Their mate claims she will never belong to any man, let alone a group of men. Rather fiery, I hear. She threw a mug at Xathan’s head—and got him, too.” Bar couldn’t help his smile at the image. Xathan was the future leader of their clan. Bar couldn’t imagine he’d docilely take having pottery whipped at him. Even more, Bar was somewhat relieved to find he and Mika weren’t alone in their dilemma. “Be well and good luck,” he told his two friends as they moved away to head to their home. “To you, too. I think we all need it,” Aron replied. Kane nodded. “I hope the gods have a plan other than laughing at us.” Bar couldn’t help chuckling, and Mika jabbed him with an elbow, jerking his head toward the house. When had Mr. Congeniality gotten so grumpy? Bar sighed. He didn’t like Mika being this way. Hopefully, they could get things back to normal quickly—normal with their mate.

The entry to Grandmother’s house was well-lit as they went inside without knocking. There was a bell to summon the medicine woman if she wasn’t in the communal area, but rapping on the door for entry wasn’t required. “I’ll tell you the same as I told the others,” she called from the back, not bothering to ask who it was or look into the receiving area. “Figure it out yourself. You’re all a bunch of hot-headed boys. The lot of you are more recklessly headstrong than any shifters before you.” “Grandmother,” Bar pleaded. She stepped into the room, using her apron to wipe the outside of a jar containing questionable red goo. “No medicine or magic. You have to figure it out yourselves. The gods have answered your prayers—what do you want? A giftwrapped package with a bow? Figure it out like the adults you are.” “But—” “Now git!” she ordered, interrupting Mika. She huffed. “I can’t believe the seven of you. Whine, whine, whine like toddlers!” Bar pursed his lips and scowled, but he refrained from saying a word. Grandmother was in a mood, to be sure. He certainly didn’t want to be turned into a ptarmigan, and he’d heard she was fully capable of that if she were vexed. And since his people tended to eat ptarmigan when in lynx form, that could mean his untimely death—which could, on second thought, solve his problem. Grandmother stared at him with hands on her hips and a brow raised. “Really?” she asked, reminding him that she could read the thoughts of all their people. “You believe that would be a viable solution? You are a dunderhead, aren’t you?”

“No, Grandmother,” he muttered. “Hmph,” was her only reply then without a goodbye or any dismissal, she went back to her inner sanctum and slammed the door behind her. Mika shoved him. “Nice work, genius.” “Excuse me?” Bar glowered at him, bristling as he loomed and reminded Mika who the dominant was in their group. Rather than back down, Mika rolled his eyes and stomped from the house. He didn’t pause as he marched down the street toward his parents’ home. And Bar knew from his cluster mate’s demeanor he wouldn’t be welcome. He stood scowling in the street; his arms crossed. His parents had passed away years ago, so he couldn’t go there, and his brother was out, flying the air-taxi. Bar huffed. He didn’t want to go home either. Not yet. He eyed the bar down the street. He’d taken one step that direction when an irate voice stopped him. “Bar Ra! I told you to go home!” He looked up to find Grandmother in her doorway, her face dire as if she really might change him into an arctic bird. He blew out a breath through his nose and turned on his heel to march home—only he knew he was stomping, just like the child she’d accused him of being.

[raone453k]

* * * *

 

“Summer, wake up.” She grumbled and turned her face into the pillows. She didn’t want to wake up—even the sheets smelled like Bar, and she wanted more of him. “Wake up, anyway. We need to talk.” Had she spoken aloud again? Turning over, she looked up at Bar. He sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed. Mika was nowhere in sight. “No, you didn’t speak out loud,” Bar said. “That’s what we need to talk about.” “You can read my mind?” she asked, horrified. No, no, he couldn’t. He was just reading her body language. Yes, I can, she heard in her thoughts, the voice sounding disturbingly close to Bar’s. And you can read mine. You are our mate—mine and Mika’s. Only our mate can read our thoughts. “Impossible!” she exclaimed, scrambling from the bed and yanking a blanket with her. An involuntary groan escaped her as pain clamped over her body again. It wasn’t as bad as before, but she still ached. Refusing to show weakness, she moved as far away as she could. She edged toward the doorway. Calmly, Bar rose and blocked her path. He leaned on the doorjamb and watched her. “We need to talk.” “No freaking way. You’re crazy.” “And you should have some of Grandmother’s tea to ease your pain.” “I’m not in pain,” she lied. “And even if I was, you’re not giving me that stuff again. You drugged me so I’d want you. And now, I’m hallucinating or something.” “Or something,” he echoed with a small smile. “Don’t you laugh at me!” she bellowed. She reached for the lamp, and he envisioned her whipping it at him as Xathan’s mate had done to him. “Throw that lamp, and you’ll regret it,” he said darkly, crossing his arms. “You’ll find yourself tied to the bed while I make you listen.” “I’ll scream,” she rebutted.

“I’ll gag you.” Summer paused, and he sniffed, taking in her arousal at the notion of his control over her. You smell good, nuliaba abnaba, he told her. I can tell you want me again. The smell of your need is unmistakable. “Fuck,” she muttered. “Stay out of my head, you pervert.” “I don’t need to be in your head to pick up that scent.” “You can’t smell…” She trailed off before finally finishing her thought. “…that.” “Yes, I can. There are many things you don’t know about me and Mika.” Things he couldn’t tell her right now and that he needed to shield her from seeing in his head. The mating and telepathy were already too much for her to grapple with. Still, he wanted her to know all of it. Deep down, he knew the situation might be irreparable if he told her about them being shifters too soon. “Where are my clothes?” she asked suddenly as they heard a plane overhead. His brother was returning from his daily runs. “In the dryer. Your other things haven’t yet been brought from the wreck. We’ve sent people to salvage what they can.” His eyes narrowed on her again. “Do not think you will get a ride out of here. That was the last flight of the day.” “I just want to get dressed,” she said, though he clearly heard a frustrated tirade of swear words in her head. He fought a smile, illogically enjoying the open door into his mate’s mind. All too soon, she’d learn to shield her thoughts—that was, if she stayed here and actively used the telepathy. He stepped aside. “Be my guest.”

“Like I have a choice,” she muttered as she edged past him, pressing as close to the opposite side of the doorjamb as she could. Feeling difficult, he yanked his blanket from around her as she passed. Summer gasped then ducked into the bathroom/laundry. She slammed the door behind her. He shook his head as the lock turned. She’d actually taken the telepathy news better than he’d expected. Perhaps pissing her off was the key. She might need to be good and irate for the next bit of news he’d have to share. Since it was almost dinner, he moved into the kitchen to fix them something to eat. Summer hadn’t eaten anything in over thirty hours, maybe more depending on when she’d eaten before the flight. She needed some nourishment. Off-hand, he wondered if she even knew that much time had passed since the wreck. She’d been out for so long; he and Mika had insisted Grandmother come over to check on her—twice. He pulled caribou meat from the refrigerator and placed it on the counter to make steaks. Opening the freezer, he removed frozen vegetables to go with it. They’d gotten rolls from the bakery earlier today. Living here was a whole different life than being in the contiguous United States, as Summer would soon learn. It was even different from living in the more populated portions of Alaska. They caught their own meat and had vegetables and some fruit shipped in twice a year. They rarely had fresh unless they flew into the city. It was too expensive to have produce flown in regularly, and the town was too far north for hearty crops, so they dealt with mostly frozen and canned foods. Bar and Mika stocked their huge chest freezer twice a year and only moved things to the fridge as needed. Except meat. They were excellent hunters and would provide well for Summer.

The shower came on, and he heard her moving around in the bathroom. She was fuming, but he tried to stay out of her head. Even though he was curious, he figured he didn’t really want to know her thoughts about him. At the moment, they probably weren’t very complimentary. He turned on the broiler as Mika returned to the house. His cluster mate didn’t speak for a long while, but he seemed calmer as they silently worked together to make the meal. “My parents said we need to tell her,” he finally grumbled. “I explained about the telepathy and the mating,” Bar answered, shoving the meat beneath the flames. “But not the shifting?” “No.” “We need to tell her the rest. How’d she take the other news?” Bar blew a harsh breath through his nose. “Not very good.” Mika sighed and stirred the vegetables he was cooking. “That doesn’t bode well.” “No, it doesn’t.” Without expanding, Bar picked up the rolls and butter then took them to the table. There wasn’t much more for them to say. Neither of them really knew what to do. He grabbed dishes and set the table for three, feeling some relief and satisfaction that there would finally be three at their table, even if one of their trio was a bit out of sorts right now. His hearing focused on the bathroom as he realized the water had stopped. After a moment, he heard the dryer open and shut. Seeming irate still, Summer muttered to herself while she dressed. Feeding her was a good idea. In his experience, people who were hungry tended to be cranky and unreasonable. She might listen and understand once she wasn’t starving. Besides, he didn’t know what else to do. He was accustomed to being in charge, with a clear grasp of every situation, but Summer flummoxed him. “It’s okay.” Mika laughed quietly, thumping him on the shoulder. “You’ll get your footing again soon.”

“I was thinking loudly?” “She might have even heard you.” Bar doubted that. He had a shield firmly in place when it came to her. He didn’t want her learning about the lynx before he was ready. Going back to the oven, he flipped the meat before it burned. As he straightened, Summer left the bathroom, dressed in the clothes she’d worn on the plane and with a towel wrapped around her head. She paused, staring at the two of them much like a caribou who’d picked up a hunter’s scent. And he sensed that, like a caribou, she was about to run. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” he said quickly. “You need to eat. It’s been over a day since the crash, and you haven’t had anything but tea.” Indecision crossed her features, and he knew she wanted to run for the bedroom and lock the door against them. Her stomach growled, and she sighed. “I am hungry,” she conceded. “Eating with you doesn’t mean something special like I’m marrying you or something? I know that was once a tradition with some Native American tribes.” “No, it’s just eating,” Bar answered. As far as his people were concerned, he, Mika and Summer were already fully joined. But by the gods, now wasn’t the time to explain that. “Okay,” she said reluctantly. She crossed to the dining area where Mika held out her chair. “Good choice, nuliaba abnaba,” he said, dropping a quick kiss on her shoulder as she sat. He pushed in her seat before she protested. “What does that mean?” she demanded. “What does what mean?” Mika hedged as he pulled down a bottle of wine. He brought it and glasses to the table while Bar removed the steaks from the broiler. “Nuliaba abnaba,” Summer practically growled, getting the pronunciation close to perfect. “Mate,” Bar said when he sensed Mika about to hedge again. More specifically, it meant “my wife”, but again, he figured he shouldn’t go there yet. “Stop calling me that,” she demanded. “I’m not your mate.” “But you are,” he replied calmly, putting meat on her plate. Mika gave her vegetables then Bar offered her bread. Her hand shook as she ignored the food and reached for the wine Mika had placed before her while Bar had talked to her. “I’m not,” she insisted then took a gulp of the amber liquid. “This is all a big mistake. I don’t care if you can read my thoughts and think I’m your cavewoman or something. I’m not! Look…I’m just not.” She took another big swallow. “Nuliaba abnaba—” Bar stopped when she glared at him. “Summer, you should eat. The wine will go straight to your head if you don’t.” “Oh, and we wouldn’t want that,” she muttered but took a bite of her roll. She picked up her steak knife, and Bar tensed. Across from him, Mika also cut his steak, but Bar sensed he too was uneasy with Summer having a sharp instrument in her hand. “Relax,” she said. “I’m not going to freak out and stab you.” She looked at Bar. No, I’ll be stone-cold sane when I do that. She blinked at him, and he sensed she was rather pleased with herself, happy that she’d been able to communicate that statement so easily. He hadn’t a doubt she’d master shielding rather quickly. More so, her thoughts made it quite clear she was purposely giving him a hard time. Summer was an “if you can’t beat them, harass them” type, and she intended to give him hell. Not that she planned to settle into being his mate. She had every intention of fighting that. “Stop digging around in my head,” she complained. She swung her gaze to Mika, and Bar realized his cluster mate had been doing the same.

“A girl can’t eat in peace around here.” “Tell us about yourself,” Mika asked. “You don’t know everything already?” “No. We can only hear your immediate thoughts—when they’re loud enough.” Bar offered her a second roll, which she took. After ripping it open, she spread butter on it. “I’m a photographer,” she said. “Well, a photojournalist mostly. I don’t do portraits or anything. I was heading north to document life in one of the remote fishing villages for the next year. There’s an anthropologist who’s been up there a while who was bringing me on as his assistant.” “How would you assist?” Bar asked. “Are you an anthropologist, too?” She shook her head. “Just one class in college. Mostly, I would be there to carry things when he needed it, to write down the stuff he needed written down and type up his notes.” “Exciting stuff,” Mika said between bites.

“Not really. The photos are the exciting part. Capturing life in an indigenous village isn’t an opportunity many photojournalists get. So, if I have to fetch and carry for the doctor, oh well.” “How does your family feel about that?” Bar wondered. She lifted a shoulder. “My mother passed away when I was little, and I don’t have any siblings. My dad’s off climbing a mountain in Tibet or something. He doesn’t care what I do as long as it doesn’t call him home.” Mika glanced at Bar then put down his fork and lifted a brow at Summer. “He’s a daredevil?” “No. A writer. He writes about extreme adventures. He does all kinds of crazy things then sells books about them.” “Like you?” Bar asked. “No!” She blinked then smiled. “I guess. Maybe. In a way. But my work’s not dangerous though.” “Depends on your point of view. You just fell from the sky in a plane,” he countered. “People fly all the time,” she argued. “Whatever you say.” He picked up his fork and took a bite of food. Mika grinned at him, silently laughing. “What other things have you taken pictures of?” Mika pushed. She was almost finished eating, and they wanted to keep her talking. Bar spooned more vegetables onto her plate as she looked at Mika. “I’ve photographed people in various countries, including the United States. You’d be surprised the interesting subcultures you can find just about everywhere. I’ve done a lot of outdoors work where I have to do survival things, too—hiking, backpacking and living off the land. Stuff like that.” She swung her gaze to Bar. “Are you fattening me up for the kill or something? You keep giving me more food.” 

[raone453k]

Chapter Four

 

Despite her ire with the situation, Summer found she enjoyed the company and banter with the two men. When Mika burst out laughing at her question, she couldn’t help but smile. That didn’t preclude the fact they were both bat-shit crazy, but the conversation was almost normal. She pushed her plate away after she’d finished her steak. It wasn’t beef or pork or even like any venison she’d ever had. She was almost afraid to ask what it was, so she didn’t because it had been delicious and she didn’t want to ruin the meal for herself. Thinking, she took a sip of her wine. Too bad she wasn’t staying. “You can stay,” Mika offered. “Stay out of my head,” she demanded. Criminy, how could she think anything private? “I’m going to start thinking girl things if you don’t stop. I’m sure there are some things you don’t want to know.” “Okay, okay!” Mika laughed. Bar chuckled and had a gulp of his wine. “Tell me about this place. How far am I from civilization or the crash site?” Bar shifted back in his seat, looking vaguely distrustful as he studied her. “Our town is called Caribou Run. It’s about thirty miles from where you went down. We’re in the North Slope Borough, which is seated in Barrow.” “We’re not far from Barrow then?” Good to know! “It’s two-hundred-fifty miles northwest of here.” “Oh.” Well, crap. “Mostly, the only way in or out of here is flying,” Mika said. He stood and took her hand, pulling her from her chair. Summer wasn’t sure she wanted to go, but his touch sent electricity tingling along her skin. Smoothly, he pulled her into his arms. He pulled the towel from her hair—she’d completely forgotten about until he moved it—and draped it over the back of the chair.

His fingers pushed through her damp hair before he pulled her flush to him. She bit back a moan as her budded nipples rubbed against his hard chest. Her clothing suddenly seemed too tight, and she wanted to feel him, both of them, skin-to-skin again. “Pretty much, we’re isolated in the middle of nowhere,” he said, kissing along her jaw and down to the hollow of her neck. Her pulse beat wildly beneath his lips. Slowly, his open mouth moved back to her ear. “It’s just you and a couple mountain men,” he whispered harshly. A shudder jerked her clit, and her mouth went dry. Maybe, it was the wine that made her soften to him, but she found herself leaning into his body. Or maybe, she just wanted him, she acknowledged, as the tension in her belly wound tighter. “Mountain men?” she echoed. If that wasn’t a fantasy, she didn’t know what was. She really didn’t mind the idea of being at the mercy of two mountain men. Temporarily. Suddenly, the arousal she’d experienced when Bar had threatened to tie her up returned with a vengeance. She’d never really been bound during sex, but she’d always wanted to try it. She hadn’t known how to ask for it. All her partners had been so tame compared to Mika and Bar. A growl echoed in her ear as Mika nuzzled aside her collar and lightly bit her shoulder. “We like tie-up games,” he confessed. “And fucking until we’re all too exhausted to move.” Dear lord…yes… She practically panted at the idea. Heat prickled up her back as her body readied for them. She wanted their hands all over her again while she was restrained, at their complete mercy and helpless to anything they desired. Having an “in” into their heads and emotions instilled a trust she normally wouldn’t give a man she’d known only a few hours. Mika and Bar had no nefarious plans for her. Well, none detrimental to her physical wellbeing, anyway. The muscles in her ass twitched as she wondered if spanking might be part of their “tie-up” games. Bar’s chair scraped back as he came to his feet, and she suspected he just might have read her thoughts again. She glanced over at him and was consumed by the lust flickering in his green eyes. Tomorrow, she might fly out of here, but tonight, she was theirs. “I just happen to have some rope in my room,” Bar murmured, the quiet words ominous with dark promise. Her core jolted again as she imagined all the possibilities. As if she hadn’t been wet enough, her pussy clenched, and a new burst of arousal flooded the swollen folds. “Mmm, good,” Mika said to his friend.

His eyes were equally lustful as he turned them on her and clasped her wrists behind her back in his iron-like fists. “Bar feels you should always have a good piece of rope handy.” “Why do I think I’m about to be ravished?” she laughed. Her tension and anticipation made the sound thin and breathy. “Maybe, you are. Feeling okay?” he asked. She nodded. Actually, she felt a bit fuzzy from the wine. Fuzzy but in control of her senses. She acknowledged that she knew exactly what she was doing. There would be no recriminations in the morning—not from being drunk, anyway. She bit her lip, feeling the effects of the alcohol in her pelvis. Her clit seemed to swell as heavy warmth flowed into her slit. She wasn’t sure when she’d ever been so ready for sex. Even earlier, she hadn’t felt like this. Her body seemed to throb, absolutely vibrating with arousal Mika’s hands tightened. With her wrists behind her as they were, her breasts were thrust forward. Her bra seemed too small and too rough against her stiff nipples. As if sensing her dilemma, Mika caught her hands in one large fist and brought his other around to unbutton her shirt. He’d only unfastened half the buttons when he grasped the front of her bra and yanked it down. Her breasts spilled over the top. “You’re ours,” he growled. “Tonight, you will do exactly as we say.” His mouth fastened on her nipple, and he sucked hard until she twisted mindlessly in his grasp. And you’ll like it, he assured her. His mouth moved to the other peak, and he gave it similar treatment, drawing roughly until she was gasping. A taut line of sensation pulled between his damp, hot mouth and her pussy, making her shake as he sucked. Moisture rushed into her folds and prepared her for the treatment he promised. “Ready,” Bar called from the doorway of his bedroom. “Bring the woman.” She glanced over at him with heavy-lidded eyes. The woman? she echoed. Play along, baby, Bar returned. She almost snorted. How could he not sense how stimulated she was or how much the entire scenario enflamed her? Striding to her, he pulled her from Mika’s arms and kissed her hard, stabbing his tongue into her mouth. She moaned, melting to his chest, as he explored between her lips. Suddenly, he straightened then forcefully tugged her into the bedroom. Playing along, she dragged her feet. “Please, don’t,” she begged, but even to her own ears, the words sounded insincere. “Don’t stop?” Bar asked as he stopped beside the bed. Her gaze drifted over him, her tongue dampening her bottom lip as she stared at his carved, naked torso. He was already erect and had rolled on a condom before coming out to get her. His brow lifted when she didn’t answer, and it took her a moment to remember his question. By then, he was reaching for her shirt. Quickly, the two men removed her clothes.

Bar positioned her on her knees in the middle of the mattress then bent her forward with her ass in the air—perfect for spanking, if only they’d do that. Her wrists were bound together above her head then fastened to the headboard. Mika moved her knees apart while keeping her rear pushed upward then each man tied rope around her ankles and secured the ends to opposite bedposts. She twisted to glance over her shoulder at Bar. “It appears you had more than one piece of rope.” This position exposed her, while being tied left her vulnerable to anything they wanted to do. Yet she wasn’t afraid. Being able to see into their heads calmed any would-be nerves. They wanted to do wicked things to her body, but she found none of the activities objectionable. As moisture dripped down the inside of one of her thighs, she anticipated and welcomed any wicked thing they thought up. But she had a feeling Bar had very specific sex games in mind. Green fire burned in his eyes as he surveyed her bound body, his cock bobbing slightly as he breathed heavily. “Head down,” he ordered and smacked her ass. A shiver shot up her spine.

Good lord! It was just as good as she’d imagined. After a quick burst of pain, tingles of pleasure danced across her skin. What had she gotten herself into? She hadn’t seen this. She yanked at her wrists, but the ropes were too tight for her to move. Biting her lip, she pressed her forehead into the mattress. The problem was the smack didn’t scare her. It aroused her too much, and that was what terrified her. Herself. She couldn’t admit how much she liked this. Heat pressed to her right side, and Mika lay down beside her. “You can admit it to us,” he said, kissing the side of her face. “Everything between us is for pleasure—whatever it is. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Some people like rough sex. We do.” His lips caressed her ear. “Do you like it, baby? Do you want more?” More? Her fingers curled into the blanket beneath her as she remembered the instant sting on her flesh. “Yes,” she whispered. “Do it again. Please!” Immediately, Bar complied. His palm repeatedly landed on her rear until she moaned from the flashes of pain that prickled into heat that spread down to her pussy and up her back. She rocked, pleasure slamming into her pussy with each blow. Her thoughts grew hazy as she sank into the attention then suddenly his cock was there, pulling her back to the moment and filling her to the hilt as he gripped her hips and held her still. “Ours,” Bar growled. Like a sudden storm, he surged into action, pummeling into her while the tender walls of her sex rippled around his wide cock. “All ours!” “Do you like how he possesses you?” Mika whispered in her ear, his fingers trailing along her spine. “He’s mounting you, fucking you into submission. Look how your hips work for him…” “I can’t,” she whispered, lost in his words and the body claiming her. She only knew she couldn’t get enough of the cock buried so deep inside her. Bar’s thumbs brushed her burning ass, and she shook from the light sensation over the abused flesh. “You want him. You’re giving yourself to him. Your arousal drips from his cock.” Mika reached beneath her and circled his fingers on her clit. “You’re so wet for his ownership.”

Every syllable pushed her higher, closer to release. Here she was, tied up, enjoying having her ass spanked and being fucked by a near stranger. And she loved it. She loved it so much! With two fingers, Mika painted her arousal onto her undulating belly, showing her just how wet she was before he went back for more. “Taste,” he said as he brought his fingers to her mouth. “Oh God,” she gasped before sucking her cream from the digits he pushed between her lips. A heady sensation rolled through her, and she screamed around Mika’s hand as she clamped onto Bar’s plunging cock. She couldn’t help her motion as her hips slammed backward to meet him drive for drive. She needed more, deeper, harder. Then suddenly, Bar was gone—long before she’d had her fill. From the corner of her awareness, she heard foil rip then she felt Mika move behind her. Bar adjusted the bindings on her wrists then moved carefully between her and the headboard. He pulled her so she was up on her elbows and his balls rested on her hands.

He skimmed off his condom then drew her head to his cock. Greedily, she took the tip between her lips, savoring the feel of his hard width against her tongue. He hadn’t come yet, and she tasted his pre-ejaculate seeping from the head. Quickly, she lapped it away, lashing her tongue over his glans and seeking more. She circled the smooth tip of his shaft before pressing just beneath it. Glancing up at him as she worked, she saw his eyes close and his lips part. His fingers buried in her hair and pulled slightly as he urged her on. She moaned around him, the sound deepening as Mika sank into her and filled the space Bar had just fucked so hard. Her pussy quivered around him as her swollen passage tried to accommodate the new cock. Mika didn’t pause to let her adjust. He took long, deep drives in and out of her clasping walls, forcing apart the tender tissues.

“Suck,” Bar ordered when she paused to focus on Mika. All her senses were overwhelmed by these two. She could barely focus on both tasks, all her attention drifting to one or the other. Then her brain let go as Bar guided her down his shaft, and fucking two men didn’t seem so hard after all. She was theirs, and she didn’t need to think; she just needed to feel and receive and taste as much of them as she could. She took Bar deeper into her mouth, turning her hands and fondling his balls as her tongue explored the fat vein running the underside of his shaft. A hiss of breath escaped him as she tugged at his sac. His hands knotted hard in her hair, and she sucked in a breath at the sharp pleasure-pain as he tugged then pushed. Mika groaned as her pussy tightened around his cock. “Oh yeah, do that again,” he breathed. Obediently, she pushed her mouth down Bar’s shaft, earning another hair tug and giving Mika more friction. Mika leaned over her back, his teeth nipping at her shoulder. She shuddered at the sensation of being covered. Frantically, her mouth worked Bar’s cock. She was on the edge, and she wanted him to come with her and Mika when they tumbled over into oblivion. She needed to taste Bar’s cum. “Yes,” Bar cried, letting go of her and pressing his palms into the mattress for support. He fucked upward into her mouth, matching Mika’s pace.

[raone453k]

His cock hit the back of her mouth and she struggled to take him deeper. Her eyes rolled back in her head as wild sensation tumbled through her. Her pulse throbbed. Her skin throbbed. Her whole body throbbed. Reaching out with her thoughts, she connected with the men and lost herself in all the impressions bombarding her. Hers…? Theirs…? She felt them all as their beings had once more coalesced into one. Mika’s hands bit into her hips, and she heard a yowl as he poured himself into her at the same time Bar exploded into her throat. She swallowed frantically, trying to capture all the tart release. Mika made a strangled sound, and she felt him vibrating behind her, jerking. His fingers dug into her hips, biting into her ass where Bar had spanked her. She moaned and tried to pull away from Bar and look back at Mika. Suddenly, Mika yanked free of her and dashed from the room. “Keep. Doing. That,” Bar demanded, keeping her from turning. His hand on the top of her head kept her in place, and she rolled her eyes upward to see his contorted countenance. Diligently, she licked away the rest of cum that had spilled from him when the three of them had climaxed together. Mika? she asked, still concerned. Had she done something wrong? He’s okay, Bar replied. Sometimes, he gets overwhelmed. Nothing to worry about. Slowly, he pulled free of her. As she looked up at him, she saw his concerned stare at the door and knew Bar wasn’t telling her everything. In silence, he climbed from the bed and released the ropes around her ankles then unbound her wrists. Summer moved to curl up. “No, stretch out,” he said. “Your muscles will be tight after that session. Let me help you.” Feeling more vulnerable than when she’d been tied, she moved to lie on her back. Something was up, and she wasn’t sure what. She glanced at the doorway again. “Are you sure I didn’t do something wrong?” “You were perfect.” Bar smiled and drew the backs of two curled fingers along her cheek. “We couldn’t ask for a better mate, nuliaba abnaba.” “Don’t…” she started, and he pressed his fingertips to her lips.

“What is…is,” he told her. “It’s not for any of us to fight. The gods have ordained it.” As if that said everything, he moved to her legs and began massaging the tight muscles while carefully avoiding her bruises. Summer pushed up on her elbows. “That’s maybe one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard—and I’ve heard a lot of crazy crap.” “Believing in something you can’t explain isn’t crazy, baby.” “Hell, yeah, it is.” “Relax,” he admonished as her vehemence tensed her legs. His thumbs pushed into her thigh muscles, and she groaned, dropping back her head. “How can I relax? I’m at the mercy of two men who apparently belong to some weird sex cult.” He laughed. “Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it’s a cult.” With his long fingers splayed wide on her belly, he pushed her to her back then he climbed over her and blanketed her with his powerful body. His firm hands banded her wrists while he stared down at her. “There is more here than you’re acknowledging. How is it that you came to us just as we prayed for our woman to arrive? That you were not killed in the crash? That you can communicate with us through your thoughts?” “Coincidence. Coincidence. And…” She lifted a shoulder and sighed. “I don’t know. Hallucinogenic drugs?” “The gods,” Bar argued. He kissed the tip of her nose then brushed his lips over hers. With a content hum, she parted for him, welcoming his tongue inside her mouth. Her legs bent around his hips to cradle his body, and she rocked her pussy into his partially erect penis, savoring the sensation of being close to him.

Deep down, she knew she shouldn’t be making love with him, not that she dared think about that. She didn’t want Bar or Mika hearing her muddled thoughts. But, yes, far inside her, she knew something was off here. Her connection with the men was way too perfect. Mika cleared his throat as he returned to the room, and she smiled at him, reaching out an arm while Bar kissed her shoulder. With a sheepish grin, Mika sat on the edge of the bed. “Sorry about that.” He lifted the mug he’d brought in with him. “I made you some tea.” She noticed he didn’t explain what had happened. She wanted to ask him about it, but didn’t. She didn’t know him well enough to delve into whatever hang-ups he might have. Which was laughable considering she was fucking these two any way they wanted. Bar rolled to her side, and she sat up, but she didn’t reach for the mug Mika offered. “I don’t want the tea.” Mika made a face. “You’ve had a rough time of it, baby,” he chided. “And we’ve probably pushed you too hard too soon—” “I’m fine,” she interrupted, thinking they’d pushed her just perfectly. Her body hummed with the sated pleasure—to hell with the small aches. She liked the slight sting still gripping her ass and the well-pounded twinge in her pussy. She could do that all again, she decided around a yawn. Bar stroked her hair. “It won’t knock you out. It’ll just help you sleep and further heal your body. You were going to sleep anyway.” “You’re safe with us, and we’ll be right here,” Mika enjoined. “I know I’m safe with you,” she snapped. Her eyes narrowed because she knew they wouldn’t let up. “What’s in it? I don’t do drugs, and I’m not about to start now.” “Just herbs,” Mika answered. “All legal ones.

If you want, I can have Grandmother explain what they are.” Summer sighed. She didn’t want to disturb their grandma. “It’s only eight o’clock. Last time I went to bed that early, I was in second grade.” Bar twined his fingers with hers then kissed her knuckles. “When was the last time you were in a plane crash?” “Good point,” she conceded reluctantly, a tingle running up her arm. “The better you feel, the more adventurous we can be in bed,” Mika offered. More adventurous than they’d already been? That was a selling angle. “Another good point,” she again agreed. “It’s the last dose,” Bar explained. “No one needs more than three. You’ve had two. You remember the last time you took it, and the other was when you were somewhat comatose.” “No more after today?” “Nope,” they both replied. “After this, you’ll be completely healed,” Bar went on. “Fine. Give me the damn cup.” Much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was achy. If this was the miracle, non-narcotic cure, she’d take it. Mika handed the tea to her then kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you in the morning, nuliaba abnaba.” She grabbed his fingers, keeping him from leaving. “You’re not sleeping in here?”

He glanced at Bar then back to her. “Of course, I will, if you want.” “I do. I want you both here.” She couldn’t say why, but she needed the feel of them on either side of her.” “Then we’ll be here,” Bar promised. Satisfied, Summer drank the tea then snuggled into the pillows, warm striations of tingling sensation spreading through her body.

Bar looked at Mika when they were alone in the living room, Summer’s soft snores coming from his bedroom. “What the hell happened in there?” “I don’t know. All of a sudden, my lynx wanted out. That very second. I held him back—mostly. I just had to get out of there before something bad happened, and I actually did shift. That’s never happened to me. Scared the hell outta me, too.” Even now, Mika felt the lynx pacing inside him. It wanted Summer to know him. To touch him, too, and feel his feline presence. Mika had been horrified when he’d felt that magic start shimmering through him. “We have to tell her soon,” Bar said, heading into the kitchen to clean up from dinner. Mika followed him. “Why?” His cluster mate slid him a disbelieving glance. Okay, true, just a few hours ago, Mika had been the one to insist they tell her. “Because she’s our mate, and she needs to know,” Bar said. “Obviously, it’s dangerous to hide it from her. It seems our animals will force the revelation.” Mika sighed, knowing Bar was right, but not wanting to face the consequences. He’d sooner square off with a bear than do something that would cause him to lose the woman the gods had sent them. Lying to her, even by omission, would probably drive her away. “In the morning,” he sighed. Whatever Bar would have said was cut off by the ringing of their satellite phone. Mika went to answer it then hung-up minutes later. “We have to fly into Fairbanks in the morning for an emergency staff meeting.” Both he and Bar worked as securities and commodities traders, each servicing a wide base of clients for their home company, CazSource, based out of Fairbanks.
While they could normally telecommute via satellite internet, occasionally they were called into the main office. “They’re yanking everyone in.” Bar shook his head, glancing toward his bedroom. “The timing sucks.” “Yeah.” But Mika was glad he’d have a few extra hours before the big lynx reveal. “I’ll run over to my brother’s and get him to file an early flight plan to Fairbanks,” Bar said. “He’ll have to rearrange the rest of his schedule or go out really early for us. Did they say how long the meeting would be? We’ll probably have to stay overnight.” Mika shook his head. “I don’t like leaving her here alone that long.” “What choice do we have? We can’t support her if we don’t have jobs.” Right. So why did Mika have a nasty, sinking feeling in his gut? He didn’t want to take off for Fairbanks before everything was settled with their mate. Too much was still off. We’ll work it out. Don’t worry, Bar said, clasping Mika’s shoulder. Mika leaned into him and nudged Bar’s neck while Bar rubbed his face along Mika’s hair. But no amount of pheromones and comfort would alleviate the troubled feeling roiling in Mika’s middle. When they parted a few minutes later, Mika headed to his room to make sure his suit was ready for tomorrow and to pack a small bag. He wanted to get that out of the way ASAP, because he intended to spend the rest of the night with Summer in his arms.

[sri7869]

Good story

[raone453k]

Chapter Five

 

Summer woke slowly and stretched, enjoying the lack of pain in her well rested body. Whatever was in Bar and Mika’s grandmother’s tea, they should market to the rest of the world. They’d make a killing on the stuff. At the thought of the two men, she opened her eyes and looked around for the pair who’d taken such good care of her yesterday—and given her unspeakable pleasure, too. The room was empty, and she frowned, sitting up and finding herself naked and alone once more. “This is getting to be a habit,” she muttered. “Naked and alone. Nice.” A rudimentary survey of the house revealed the men were gone again. This time, however, she found a note on the counter. Got called into the home office. Will be staying the night in Fairbanks and will see you tomorrow morning. Stay out of trouble! Bar and Mika. Her brows drew together as a spout of anger shot through her. They were in Fairbanks, in civilization, and they hadn’t woken her to take her with them. She was pretty sure Emmie and Kelsey would have wanted to go as well. They all needed to get back to the real world so they could resume their journeys to the next chapters of their lives. It was becoming infinitely clear Mika and Bar had no intention of helping her do that. Fine. She’d been on her own and fending for herself since she was a teenager and her dad had decided she was old enough to take care of herself when he went on his expeditions. She’d do it again now. Scrabbling around, she found her underwear and jeans. Though she wasn’t thrilled to be slipping on clothes she’d already worn, she reasoned she’d only worn them for a few hours yesterday before Bar and Mika had removed them again. Fishing around in Bar’s drawers, she found a thermal shirt and a T-shirt.

After pulling them both on, she looked in his closet and found a hoodie. All Bar’s clothes were too big on her, but she figured she didn’t have much choice. This was Alaska in the fall and she wanted to be warm. Finding her shoes was a bigger challenge, but she finally found them under the edge of the bed where she’d first slept. So what to do? Once her spate of activity wound down, she stood in the middle of the living room and realized she didn’t have a plan. Well, if what she’d been told was true, her only exit was via air-taxi. That meant she needed to go to the airport. That proved easier said than done, she soon discovered. Stepping from Mika and Bar’s house, she felt as if she’d been dropped into a different world. There was no flashy architecture in Caribou Run. There were no tall buildings, or even two-story structures, and few vehicles—and all of those were old model years. Offhand, she wondered why anyone would need a car in a place this size anyway. The no-frills houses, with squat roofs and painted, wood-panel walls, seemed scattered haphazardly along the wide street. Her brows drew together. Calling it a street was probably an overstatement. It seemed more of a well-trodden, unpaved path. However, that road, rustic as it was, made it easy for her to get to the tiny Caribou Run airport. The tower, maybe two or three stories, rose above the other structures in town, guiding her way. She headed for it, hoping to arrange a flight. She didn’t have her purse, which she assumed was on the plane somewhere in the wilderness, but if they gave her access to a computer, she could charge the flight manually since she had her number memorized. A man who looked vaguely like Bar and Mika stepped through the tall, chain linked gate from the runway area when she approached, and she waved her hand to get his attention before he disappeared anywhere. “Hey there,” he said with a smile that caused a pang in her middle because it reminded her of the men she was leaving. “You must be Summer. How are you?”

“Good… How did you…?” She shook her head. “Never mind. When’s the next air-taxi, and who do I have to see to arrange a flight? I’ll need a ticket—maybe, three.” She’d have to find Kelsey and Emmie and see if they were in good enough shape to fly. She was sure they’d want to be on their way, as well. “A flight?” His brows drew together. “You can’t get a flight.” “Why not? They run several times a day, don’t they? I have money,” she argued. “No, doll. Bar would kill me if I flew you out of here. Then Mika would kill me again. No can do, sweetness. Don’t worry. They’ll be back in the morning.” She let out a low growl of frustration. “Let’s forget for a minute that you called me doll—or sweetness, for that matter. Why exactly can’t you take me? Bar and Mika don’t have a say over whether I go somewhere or not. You people can’t detain me against my will.” The sex had been good, but she couldn’t sidetrack everything for two men, even if they were deep into fantasy fulfillment. Her plan had been one night, always only one night. Diligently, she pushed aside thoughts of them. He tilted his head and obviously bit back a smile. “Well, you happen to be on tribal land here. And our rules are the rules. You’re Bar and Mika’s mate, and that means you stay until they let you go.” “Of all the—” “And I’m Bar’s my brother, doll, so I’m definitely not pissing him off.”

“You can’t do this!” “Well, actually—” “Is there someone else I can talk to here? A manager for the airport or something?” “Mika’s mother books the flights and files the flight plans. You wanna talk to her?” The man’s smirk told her she wouldn’t get much further with the other woman. Summer rubbed her hand over her face and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said as calmly as she could. “Let’s be reasonable. I am an American citizen on American soil who’d like to fly to another part of America. I am not anyone’s wife, girlfriend or mate. I’m just a photographer who needs to get back to her life. My family and friends will be worried about me. They’ll come looking for me.” She hoped the subtle threat of others would sway him. Instead, he shook his head. “No one ever just finds Caribou Run, doll. Besides, your plane went down a ways from here. We’re not exactly on the radar.” “I can’t believe this,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. “This is…is…kidnapping! You’re actually going to nonchalantly stand there and tell me I can’t leave Caribou Run? I can’t believe you people. No,” she revised, lifting a finger. “I can’t believe you.” It wasn’t fair to group all the people of this town into the same crowd. “Are you always so…volatile?” She narrowed her eyes at him, unwilling to tell him she was generally good tempered—when she wasn’t being unfairly detained. “Where’s the security officer station? This place has one, right?” “Of course, sweetness. We’re not heathens.” She snorted but didn’t interrupt as he pointed. “It’s about a mile and a half that way, in the middle of town. Our crime rate is really low so Buck is only in on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and a half day every other Friday. But today’s Monday.” His grin looked far from contrite. “Of course,” she ground out. “And if there’s a problem on Monday?” “There are never problems on Monday.

Buck would kick someone’s ass for calling him in on his day off.” “Well, that’s nice, but I am having an emergency.” “Now, doll,” he said, clearly having fun at her expense, “wanting to leave isn’t actually an emergency.” “You’re impossible,” she muttered and turned to walk away. “It was nice to meet you,” he called after her. “I’m Fillion, by the way.” If she were staying, if he were truly her family, she might have acknowledged him, but she wasn’t and he wasn’t, so she kept walking. Her mind whirled as she trekked back to the house. She would have gone to the security officer, but that seemed a fruitless idea. In lieu of that, she’d like to track down Kelsey and Emmie, but short of knocking on every door, she had little hope of finding them. Too bad, because she was sure, with their heads together, they could come up with a solution. A few doors from Mika and Bar’s, she spied a green-painted building with the name “Mollie’s Store and Post Office” painted on a handmade sign. Maybe, someone at the post office would know where she could find the other women. A bell tinkled as she entered the windowless store, and she looked around, wondering what it would be like to actually live in this town with Mika and Bar, without a Wal-Mart or even a decent-sized grocery store nearby. Here, meager shelves lined the four walls with a single double-sided rack down the center of the room.

“Hey, hon, how can I help you?” a cheerful voice called from the front of the store. Her back half-turned to Summer, the woman sorted envelopes into mail slots behind the counter—that slab of wood and register apparently enough to constitute security. Summer pasted on a smile. She didn’t want to alienate another person from Caribou Run—though in retrospect, Fillion hadn’t been offended. “I’m looking for my two friends who were brought to town with me.” “Hi there!” the woman effused, turning fully and setting down the pile of mail she’d held. She stretched out her hand. “I’m Mollie Ra. Welcome! You’re going to love it here.” “Hi, Mollie. I’m Summer. Summer Nash. Do you know my friends? Kelsey and Emmie?” “’Fraid not. I heard there were three of you who came in, thank the gods. You’re the first to visit my store, though.” “But do you know who they’re staying with and where I might find them?” The shopkeeper’s smile dimmed by a few kilowatts. She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I was in Barrow all weekend and just came home this morning with the daily mail run. I heard one of them is staying with my brother-in-law Bar and his clus—his friend Mika.” “That’s me.” Summer sighed, before changing tactics. “Um, do you have a phone?” Perhaps she could call for help. Mollie shook her head. “Sorry. Too expensive.” “Okay. Well, thanks.” Obviously, the store owner wouldn’t help, especially if she was part of Bar’s family. Was everyone around here related? So far, Summer was three for three.

A flicker of an idea lit in her brain, accompanied by a male voice—Bar’s— ordering her Don’t do it! “Before I go…” Summer started, looking around with a lost expression. “I’m trying to get my bearings? Everything’s been so confusing. Do you have a map of the area?” Mollie started to shake her head. “Or tell me,” Summer quickly added. “What’s the nearest town? I have no idea where I’m at.” “Oh, that would be Alatna. It’s about thirty miles east of here, but Barrow’s the nearest city. It’s—” “Two-hundred-fifty miles. Yeah…they told me that. But it’s hard to figure out where I’m at from that, you know?” Summer’s thoughts whirled. Thirty miles? That wasn’t so bad. She’d done fifteen miles a day when she’d hiked the Appalachian Trail last year as part of a photo project. Yeah, she was walking out of here. She was fit and accustomed to wilderness survival. Who better to save the three of them? Summer smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate your help today.” Heading out of the store, she glanced at her watch and found it was only a little after nine, though it felt much later. In this part of September, the sun was up for about twelve hours here. If she got in gear, she could get in a good ten hours of hiking before dusk.

[raone453k]

* * * *

 

It took Summer almost an hour to find a warm parka, hat, gloves and a backpack at the house, then stow a few days’ worth of provisions. All the while, a pervading sadness clawed at her. She had to go, but her body kept begging her not to. It wanted to fuck Mika and Bar one—or twelve hundred—more times. And it was so tempting to fall into that. Their strong arms around her had filled her with a sensation of protection and belonging she hadn’t had since before her mother had died and her father had shut her out of his emotions. But she couldn’t fall prey to sentiment. Fending for herself, taking care of herself had gotten her far. If there was anyone she could rely on, it was herself. Deep down, she knew Kelsey and Emmie needed her to be strong and find help. Her desire for the men who insisted she was their mate didn’t matter. It was mere chemical reaction and nothing more. Forcing steel into her spine, she surveyed her gear. Walking out of here might border on foolhardy, but she didn’t feel as if she had a choice. What worried her most were the freezing overnight temperatures. But that just meant she had to be prepared. At least, there was no snow. Her jaw set, she stuffed extra clothes in a plastic rucksack, wishing she had extra jeans. After stowing the bag in the backpack, along with the food, a canteen and matches, she attached the thick sleeping bag she’d also found on the shelf— but not before stuffing an extra blanket in the roll.

It would still be cold, but that would help. She almost cheered when she found a small tarp in the storage area off the kitchen. A windbreak. Perfect. Summer… She startled to hear Mika’s voice in her head. Steeling herself, she stepped out the back of the house with her gear in place and her winter clothing somewhat disguising her identity—she hoped. She knew full well she had to skirt the town to get to the east. Summer, please. Don’t do this. It’s too dangerous. Wait until we get home. There was a pause before Mika added, We’ll talk. Right. She believed that. They’d woo her right back into their bed. She only hoped their voices would fade from her head with time and a whole lot of distance. Summer, damn it! No! Bar swore, and she ignored him. Her head started to throb as a strange feline howling set up inside it.

Fillion wasn’t answering his damn phone. Bar turned off the screen of his cell and cursed his brother. The one time they needed him in communication, he’d left his phone off. Bar had tried Mollie, Buck and, finally, Orvie next door. No one had answered. It’d been over an hour since he and Mika had realized Summer’s plans, but they couldn’t raise anyone to help them. They desperately needed someone in Caribou Run to stop her before she went too far. “Call your mom,” he told Mika, who’d been pacing back and forth in the empty conference room while Bar had tried to reach Fillion. His cluster mate’s hair stood on end from continually driving his fingers through it. Bar dropped a hand on Mika’s shoulder. “If she’s still at the airport, maybe she can catch my brother before he takes off for Barrow. Try her again.” She’d been one of the first ones they’d tried when they’d first been unable to reach Fillion. “Sure.” Dark circles shadowed the skin beneath Mika’s eyes, and Bar knew his friend was exhausted. He’d been mentally calling out to Summer this whole time, but she’d managed to somehow tune him out. Or she was remarkably good at ignoring her mates. Nuliaba abnaba, Bar pleaded while Mika was on the phone. You’re hurting Mika. You’re hurting me. Do you want that? I’m sorry, came her quiet reply then silence again. Even across the miles separating them, he felt her pain. She didn’t really want to go. She just thought it was her only option, what she was supposed to do. Just stay. Talk to us about this. I can’t…

He was so focused on her, he startled when his phone rang. “Bro, what’s up?” Fillion asked jovially. “I’ve gotta tell you that mate of yours… Real firecracker. Almost took my head off—” “She left.” “What?” “She left. On foot.” “Gods,” Fillion breathed. They all knew the rigors and dangers of the land around Caribou Run. Even seasoned hunters from their village had been injured by the treacherous terrain and unexpected precipices. “I’ll go after her—” “No, come and get us.” “But—” “The quickest way to track her is as lynx. You won’t be able to communicate with her, and you know seeing a giant wild cat will probably terrify her. She’s still recovering from the crash. I’m sure that will slow her down.” “What about your meeting?” Fillion persisted. “It’s done. They’re cutting back, but Mika and I are safe for now. It doesn’t matter, not with our mate in danger. Come and get us. We can follow her scent and her thoughts, and you’d be hunting blind. If we have to, we can keep her warm once the sun sets. She…she needs to know what we are anyway.” “And now, when she’s running is a good time for that?” his brother asked in disbelief, not pointing out that as a shifter, his scent-tracking abilities were top notch. “Just come get us.” Bar snapped. He shut off his phone and refocused on Summer as he gave Mika a sharp nod to let him know Fillion was on his way.

Though it was difficult, he tried to see through Summer’s eyes, to see where she was. She was heading east, that much he knew. But how far would she be before they could get to her? The flight between Caribou Run and Fairbanks was three hours round trip. The only thing that calmed him was the advantage of his and Mika’s shifter abilities. He didn’t like her out there alone, but he knew this was the best choice. They would find her then there would be hell to pay…and somewhere in there, they’d convince her, she truly belonged with them.

[sri7869]

Good update

[raone453k]

Chapter Six

 

Summer started regretting her decision a few hours into her hike. Right about the time the snow had started to fly. In preparation for her job with the Inupiat tribe at Sisuaq Ablu, she’d read enough about Northern Alaska to know this wasn’t a freak fall storm. It snowed up here, and it snowed a lot. Within a couple hours, it could go from a mild autumn day to the depths of winter. Just like now. She’d been walking for five hours. At first, the activity had warmed her, and she’d been ready to shuck a few layers. Now, she hunched into her borrowed, too big parka determined to keep going even though her legs were beginning to feel like denim-covered ice blocks. The trail was rough, but she estimated she was close to a third of the way to Alatna. She only prayed it was big enough that she didn’t go blowing past it and miss it completely. Or that her sense of direction and the compass in her watch were still spot on enough that the fierce winds wouldn’t blow her off course. She frowned, mentally berating herself. Truth be told, this was probably one of the most stupid-assed things she’d ever done.

Hindsight was great, and right now, hers was telling her she’d made a massive mistake. She’d gotten her head in flight mode, objecting to being held against her will, and she’d run even though going anywhere on foot around here was foolhardy. What had been so bad back there? She’d wanted to study a native tribe’s day-to-day existence while doing a photo pictorial, and she would have had ample opportunity to do that in Caribou Run. Most of the people she’d seen there appeared to be of Inupiat descent. She closed her eyes against the sting of tears. She couldn’t blame them on the biting wind. Her heart hurt from her regret. Even more, it ached from leaving Mika and Bar. In just the short time the three of them had been together, the men had grown on her and burrowed into her psyche—telepathic connection aside. But perhaps that had contributed to the quick bond between them. She knew their thoughts and felt their emotions.

Looking behind her, she saw nothing but icy wilderness though she almost wished she’d see the gray shape of Caribou Run in the distance. But there was only rock, brush, smattering trees and more snow than she’d ever wanted to see. It swirled in great billows, lifted and carried by the wind. The flakes blew sideways around her, pelting her face and blinding her. This wasn’t a mere storm. She’d been dumb enough to go running out into a blizzard. Nice move, genius, she thought. She had to find some sort of shelter and maybe, figure out a way to start a fire. Hunched forward and fighting the wind that threatened to blow her backward with each slow step, she struggled forward. She’d seen a group of large rocks up ahead. Maybe, she could get respite from the elements there and use her tarp to create a wind-block and a makeshift shelter. Summer. Yes, she answered Bar automatically, almost desperate for his voice right now. I’m so cold, she thought as she shuddered. I mean, I’m so sorry… We know, baby, Mika returned. But don’t think you’re not in trouble. Bar! Mika admonished. She didn’t care what the penalty was, as long as she was out of this freezing storm. Ice mixed with the snow now, and she knew her parka would soon be sodden with it. Summer, Mika went on. Don’t be afraid. I-I can’t help it. This weather… I didn’t expect… She’d never see them again. Or her father. Or her friends. She’d never be warm again. Oh God— Baby, Bar cut in sharply, demanding attention. Focus. We’re going to find you, and you’ll be fine. I promise. His vow sank through her, a warm shaft of hope.

She clutched at it, needing the assurance. Though he was still in Fairbanks, she could almost feel him—both of them—near her. Their presence wrapped around her, but when she tried to move in the direction of that impression of them, she realized she’d fallen to her knees. A drift came halfway up her thighs, and she considered curling up and letting it cover her completely. Surely, it would be warm under the blanket of white. She’d wait right here until tomorrow when they came back… Summer! Don’t you do that! Mika growled at her. Get up! Get up now and start walking. Walk as fast as you can. Every bone inside her hurt. The cold had seeped so deep inside her, she was sure she heard her joints creak as the frozen cartilage rubbed. She stumbled as she made it to her numb feet. Snow caked her gloves. The impact as she clapped her hands to knock off the crust of ice jolted painfully up her arms. I think I’d like some of your grandmother’s tea now, she told them. Silence met her statement. She was either alone in her thoughts, she’d imagined the men speaking to her or they were far from amused. Whatever. Now that she was up, she started trudging again, and the movement helped a little. Baby? It was Mika again. I thought you were gone.

No, we’re here with you. We won’t ever leave you, Bar added, and the irony didn’t escape her. They wouldn’t leave her the way she’d left them. Right. Points for the guys. Now, look to your left, he continued, cutting through her mental babbling. Don’t be afraid. They won’t hurt you. That didn’t settle well with her, but she turned her head and almost fell as she stumbled backward. Two huge lynxes stared, unblinking, up at her. Their fur blew in the stiff wind, yet the gusts didn’t sway their rock-solid stances. Follow them, Mika said. His words were straight forward, yet she heard his amusement and relief. They’ll lead you to safety, he added. No freaking way. One of the cats let loose a feline scream, loping through the drifts that parted them. It circled behind her and butted its head into her rear. She stumbled toward the other cat. It tilted its head then turned and slowly walked into the haze created by the storm’s billows. The other lynx smacked the top of its head into her again to get her moving, and when her steps stuttered forward in reaction, it caught her sleeve in its huge mouth and dragged her forward. Nuliaba abnaba, you are the most difficult woman, Bar complained. Difficult? How did the men even know how she’d reacted? She tugged at her arm, and the lynx holding her growled low in its throat. Peachy. Kidnapped by two men then held captive by a pair of wildcats. Don’t whine, baby, Mika told her. We told you we’d take care of you. Take care of me? I’m being dragged off to these things’ lair. What would they do to her there? Did lynx prefer live kill? She had no idea. In truth, she knew very little about this breed of cats other than she’d thought they were smaller than this pair.

What worried her most was that they were leading her north, and if she managed to escape them, she didn’t know if she’d be able to find her way to Alatna. The lynx holding her growled again. Alatna, Mika scoffed. Baby, you should ask some questions before you take off on adventures. Alatna’s population is all of thirty-seven. Of course, Allakaket is nearby, but you would have had to cross a river. You’re going back to Caribou Run, Bar informed her. Frankly, anywhere with heat sounded like a good deal to her right now. The lynxes are taking me back there? Neither man answered. She trudged in silence, ready to fall with each step. Her clothes had absorbed the sleet and felt as if they weighed a million pounds. Her body seemed so numb she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to work her fingers to take off the clothing. Suddenly, a structure loomed in front of them, and Summer cried out in relief—if her tiny gasp could be considered a cry, because that was the only sound that would come from her burning lungs. The place appeared deserted, and she hoped she’d be able to get in. There’s no lock, one of the men told her. Her thoughts were fuzzy, and she wasn’t sure anymore who was speaking. She leaned against the shack’s wall, her eyes closed as she breathed heavily and rested her head on the wood. The lynx closest to her butted her again, and she nearly fell, only staying upright as she braced her hand on the rough siding. Summer, you have to walk.

She didn’t want to, yet with the animal pushing her with its head, she shuffled forward to where the other cat waited. Open the door, nuliaba abnaba. Blinking, she tried to focus on the entrance before her. A rope latch held it shut. With nerveless fingers, she fumbled fruitlessly with the closure then batted at it when her frustration grew. Tears pricked her eyes, and her chest heaved as silent sobs racked her body. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t do this simple task. Focus, Summer, one of her men urged. Focus and get inside then we’ll take over. She leaned on the door and tried to summon strength from Bar and Mika’s words. I’m so sorry, she thought. She could be at their home, warm in bed or maybe staying inside with a hot mug while watching the snow and enjoying the sight of the flakes painting the land. Not here… Her eyes closed again as the sharp pins of ice stabbed at her skin. Both cats let out feline roars, one of them grabbing her arm and shaking hard. Summer, damn it! Bar bellowed as her senses cleared slightly. She looked down at the silvery-green eyes staring up at her. So strange… Now, Summer! With the last of her strength, she reached for the rope and managed to get her hand loosely wrapped around it. Lifting sharply with a clumsy jerk, she released the latch then fell into the wood door then onto the floor as the plank swung away. The lynx rushed past her, leaping over her body as she lay panting on the rough flooring. One of the animals grabbed her jacket and hauled her the rest of the way inside while the other used his body to push the door shut. A gold glow exploded before her eyes then her men stood there, naked and leaning over her. “Pretty,” she muttered, then darkness claimed her.

[raone453k]

* * * *

 

Working quickly, Mika and Bar rushed around the old shack. A wood stove sat in the corner, and whoever had been here last had left a pile of logs near it. Mika ignored the bite of cold on his skin as he shoved logs and kindling inside the burner then grabbed matches from the Ziploc someone had put them in to protect them against getting damp. These places were left out here for hikers or travelers like themselves who might get caught in the elements. Everyone left behind something for the next occupants to use. After several attempts, he got the wood to catch. Meager heat began to fill the small space while the storm continued screaming outside. As soon as the blizzard had blown in, they’d known there would be trouble. The snow blanketing the ground had played havoc with following Summer’s scent. Though she’d only managed ten miles from town, it had taken them twice as long to find her as it should have. He turned to find Bar wrestling the backpack from Summer’s limp body. If they’d taken any longer to find her, she would have frozen to death.

As he helped get her gear and clothes off her, the blue tinge of her skin and lips sent fear spiking into his chest. What if they were too late? “Don’t think like that,” Bar admonished as he left them and went to the plastic covered mattress a few feet away. It was held off the ground by an iron frame with plastic bins beneath it. Inside were blankets and cedar blocks. Mika’s heightened senses confirmed these were clean. Whoever had been here last must have visited in summer and washed the linens in the nearby stream before departing. He sent blessings to the person as he divested Summer of her coats and Bar made up the bed. Summer’s jeans were stiff as he pulled them down her legs, and her skin was icy beneath them. Once he got off her socks, he briskly rubbed her feet. “The bed’s ready,” Bar told him as he returned and helped take off the last of her garments. Together, they lifted her and brought her to the cot, each climbing in beside her and warming her from either side. Carefully, Mika drew her hands up between her chest and his, massaging her fingers to warm her. Bar scrubbed his palms up and down her arms. Her breath puffed unevenly on Mika’s pecs, still so cold, but at least she was breathing. “Don’t ever do this again,” he whispered into her hair. She didn’t respond, so he just held her, never so worried in his life as he was right then. Revealing he was a shifter would be easy compared to this.

“Where are we? And how did you get here?” Mika blinked up at Summer as she leaned up on her arm between him and Bar. The cot was narrow, affording little room to maneuver. Daylight flooded through a small window near the door, and he realized he’d drifted off sometime in the night. Probably around the time the wind had stopped howling, and the storm had passed. The pink had returned to Summer’s skin. For the first time since yesterday morning, he looked at her naked rose-tipped breasts and felt his cock filling. This one aroused him as no other woman had or ever would. “Stop that!” she exclaimed, though if she’d felt his response to her or read his thoughts, he didn’t know.

“I can’t help wanting you. You’re my woman and the most beautiful female in existence.” She made a small, disgusted sound in her throat. “Right. How did you get here?” “Walked. Ran.” “Mostly ran,” Bar growled into the back of her neck, letting them know he was awake. His hand flattened on Summer’s belly, pulling her to him. The look in his eyes when he glanced at Mika told that he planned to pull rank as the group’s alpha. Mika understood. Through all of this, while Mika had walked the edge of panic, Bar had been strong and guided his two mates to safety. They’d probably still be in the cold if Bar hadn’t kept it together. Mika gave a slight nod, acknowledging Bar’s claim. But first, they had to show her the truth, and depending on her reaction, neither of them might end up with her. Mika sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Summer beside him, glad the fire had been fed overnight and the shack was warm. Bar curled behind them both, almost like a wall of safety at their backs. As alpha, he’d always be strongest and their protector. Mika had no doubt as to who’d stoked the fire and even hung Summer’s clothes on a small makeshift rack near the stove. He laced his fingers with Summer’s. “There’s something we need to tell you. Something that goes with the telepathy and the mating.” She licked her bottom lip then bit her teeth into it, but she didn’t interrupt him or argue the mate point. Her thoughts were strangely silent as she stared at their hands. Since she was always thinking something, he knew she’d figured out how to shield her thoughts yesterday while they’d been yelling at her to come back. The mattress creaked as he moved closer to her.

“Nuliaba abnaba, what are you thinking?” She didn’t answer. Verbally, anyway. Suddenly, a fuzzy picture of Bar’s lynx filled his mind, and he caught his breath. “I know, crazy, right?” she whispered. “But I can’t help remembering how you knew exactly what was going on the whole time. And it’s only my clothes by the fire and there’s no sign of yours. It’s impossible, but…” Bar suddenly climbed off the bed and stood before them, a few feet away. His green eyes holding her gaze, he shifted in a bright flash of light and an electric wave of magical energy that washed over the two on the bed. “Holy crap,” Summer murmured softly. “Holy freaking crap.”