“It’s, okay, Lizzie. It’s just a bit complicated, that’s all.”
* * * *
They had just finished dressing when Kyle and Jake returned. Ben went downstairs to help them unload the supplies they had brought back from Blackfish.
“Did you get everything, Kyle?”
“I think so, little bro. Listen, can you bring the supplies inside? Me and Jake feel like shit.”
“You coming down with something?”
Kyle nodded. He looked deathly pale. “They say there’s some fucking virus going about. Whatever it is, both me and Jake have got it real bad.”
Ben had the sudden thought that all hell was about to break loose. “What about the illusion, Kyle? Can we keep it going if you and Jake get sick real bad?”
“I’m not sure, little bro.”
“Oh, fuck. I gotta bad feeling about this, Kyle.”
Chapter Ten
The insistent, repetitive noise from Lizzie’s alarm clock woke her from the erotic dream she was having. Her three cowboy lovers were all there enjoying her body at the same time.
She bludgeoned the alarm clock into silence, noting the time—six in the morning. Must get the boys their breakfast. They had a long day in the saddle ahead of them and would not return to the ranch before sundown.
As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she immediately became aware that something was not quite right. She closed her eyes and then opened them again. The beautiful wallpaper in her room appeared tattered and peeling. Its vibrant colors now looked pale and washed out.
Just how had that happened overnight?
She looked around her bedroom. Pictures had vanished, and bare boards had replaced the luxurious deep pile carpet.
This was surreal. Was she losing her mind? Yes, she must be going crazy. Icy fear controlled her thoughts. It would be impossible for all of this to happen while she slept.
Oh, my, God. Dear God, what is happening to me?
In panic, she ran to the landing. Once again, bare floorboards and peeling paint and wallpaper filled her vision. The beautiful carved oak banister decorating the elegant stairs had vanished. A rough, broken-down hand rail taking its place.
She pushed open a bedroom door and was surprised to find Kyle, Jake, and Ben all fast asleep in three dilapidated wooden beds. Shafts of daylight sliced through broken shutters.
“Wake up. Wake up. Something is wrong.” Her whole body trembled. Her voice dripped with panic.
Ben was the first to rouse himself. He rubbed his eyes and casually looked around the bare, empty room.
“The fabric of the illusion has broken down. We’re really fucked, now. You’ll have to tell her the truth, Kyle.”
She stood rooted to the spot in disbelief. “What are you talking about? What truth? How can you boys not notice what has happened to the ranch? Are you all blind?”
“Kyle and Jake have been real sick during the night, Lizzie. Their Sybar powers ain’t been strong enough to hold the illusion together.”
Feeling restless and agitated, she rounded on him. “Sybar powers? Illusions? Just what the fuck are you talking about, Ben?” She felt shell-shocked.
Kyle pulled himself into a sitting position. He looked like shit. “I’m sorry, Lizzie. This is not how it was meant to be, but with me and Jake sick, we were unable to stop it happening.” He stared at her. “Thing is, Lizzie. We are all Sybars.” He pointed to Ben and Jake. “And you, honey, are a Sybar woman.”
Disoriented by the whole surreal episode, she answered, “I’m a Sybar woman? You are Sybar Men? Are you shittin’ me?”
Kyle continued, “Our type are very rare. Only about one hundred Sybar women in the whole world.” He smiled at her then. “You are one very special lady, Lizzie. We can read each other’s thoughts. You must have noticed there is something special and unique between us.”
“Yes, but I didn’t know quite what it was. I just knew it was wonderful.”
“You see, Lizzie, a Sybar man is able to delve into a Sybar woman’s fantasies and produce an illusion so fantastic that she believes it to be real.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Simple, really. We find out your dreams and fantasies, and then make them come true.”
“Hold on. Hold on. What are you telling me, you bastards? Are you telling me that you have deceived me into thinking that this run-down hillbilly shack is a wonderful ranch?”
“We read your mind and produced exactly what you wanted to see. It is the purpose of Sybar men to create an irresistible nest to entice and keep the Sybar woman happy.” He looked sad then and averted his gaze from her. “Only, it ain’t real, Lizzie.”
“And what about your three beautiful black stallions? Do you even own any horses?”
“Yep, sure do, Lizzie, but they ain’t no stallions. Just three half-dead nags. Likely to be turned into glue before the fall.”
“And the beautiful Range Rover, in my favorite color?” she asked resignedly.
“A beat-up Chevy pickup worth about a hundred bucks tops.”
Anger spilled from her then, and she started to cry. “I gave up my life to be with you three. I thought I had found Utopia, but you have all just lied to me.” She turned and looked about her. “Just look at this shithole. Do you really think I’m going to stay here a minute longer?” Her voice became very quiet, almost a whisper. “Why did you all trick me into coming here in the first place? You’ve all used me.”
She watched them all avert their gaze, knowing full well that she told the truth.
Jake spoke then. “We need you, Lizzie, to continue the Sybar line. We needed a Sybar woman. And they ain’t easy to find. It’s your destiny to be with us.”
“Like hell it is,” she screamed at them all.
“Lizzie, since you’ve been here, we’ve all grown to love you.”
“You all have a strange way of showing it.” She dragged a hand through her hair in irritation. “How do I know that you’re all not just an illusion yourselves? Just how bad do you all think I’d feel if you all turned out to be ninety-eight pound weaklings, or a bunch of fat guys with body odor?”
Ben piped up then. “No need to worry yourself on that score, ma’am. We can provide illusions for animals and inanimate objects, like the house, car, and horses, but we can’t change our own appearance.” He laughed out loud. “What you see is what you get with us. Three horny cowboys, who sure do adore you.”
She still loved them all, despite the lies and deceptions, but she couldn’t let them get away with this. “I’ll pack my bags.”
“Kyle, you’ll have to tell her about the legacy. Tell her we can make this all real. Real and permanent. No more illusions except for mind-blowing sex.” Jake’s voice sounded urgent, until he collapsed back on the bed in fits of coughing.
Kyle stretched out and gently caressed her hand. His eyes delving into her soul. “We had a legacy left us by an uncle. We may have jumped the gun a little by producing the illusion, but we can make this all real for you, as soon as we get out hands on the money. None of us boys want you to leave, Lizzie. You’re a Sybar, just as we are. We need and love you just as you need and love us. Just give us forty-eight hours, ‘til we are all back on our feet again, and then we can talk this through calmly.”
“Don’t lie to me again, Kyle.” She wasn’t convinced, but the look that all three of them gave her left her in no doubt that they all loved and adored her.
“Okay, forty-eight hours only, but you won’t get me to change my mind.” Watching Kyle and Jake suffering with a high temperature, sore throat, and hacking cough brought out the maternal instinct in her.
“I’ll look after you both until you recover, and then I’m going to leave. Do you understand, Kyle?”
His sad eyes stared back at her. “Yes, Lizzie.”
“And you, Jake?”
“Yes, Lizzie, but we all want you to stay. You know that?”
* * * *
Lizzie spent the next two days attending to their needs. She love
d them all, despite the sorcery and lies.
As time went by, their strength and vigor started to return. Both Kyle and Jake left their sick beds. She was secretly pleased at their newfound sense of wellbeing and purpose.
She noticed that the fabric of the illusion had started to reappear. The ranch house was returning to its former glory. Carpets magically materialized. Pale colors started to become vibrant once more. She wanted to feel her heart fill with happiness again, but instead all she felt was sadness, and disappointment. She had left her rundown apartment in California to make a better life for herself, and she thought she had found it with her three cowboy lovers. Instead, all that was left was smoke and mirrors. Just a sham. She felt deceived. The crazy thing was, that for all their magic tricks and deception, she just loved them all, and she knew they loved her, too.
When she’d looked out of the window an hour ago, the dented and rusting Chevy pickup had stood on the drive, but now the gleaming new Range Rover had taken its place and in her favorite color, too. The fabric of the illusion was once more complete.
* * * *
Kyle came up behind her and lovingly circled his arms around her waist, putting his head close to hers, he breathed in deeply. She knew he would try to convince her to stay.
“It don’t have to be a Range Rover, honey. It can be anything you want. A Porsche, or a maybe a Ferrari. Your wish is my command. I can make it happen.”
She sighed. “But it’s not real, Kyle.”
“Reality is overrated, Lizzie. Please don’t leave, because if you do, your reality will be a sad, lonely existence in a one-room apartment in California. That ain’t no life for a woman like you. You’re a Sybar and need to be with your own kind.”
“I know you’re right, and I love being here with all of you boys, but I’m a proud woman, and I refuse to live in an illusion. I want to live in a beautiful reality, which you boys can’t provide.” She looked at him, a tear rolling down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb.
“Listen, Lizzie, darlin’. In two months time we’ll receive a check for five million dollars from Uncle Cody’s estate. Uncle Cody was an oil man through and through as was Pops. He was one real successful dude, but sadly, him and Pops fell out over an oil deal, back in the seventies when they were both young men. I remember seeing Uncle Cody as a little kid, but after a while Pops stopped us seeing him.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I guess Uncle Cody must have had a soft spot for us boys, leaving us that money. I remember him as a great guy, a high flyer just like Pops. It’s a shame they were never on speaking terms again. About five years ago, us three boys fell out with Pops, too. He wanted us to join his successful oil company. Dexter Oils. Me, Ben, and Jake wanted to stay as cowboys running this ranch. That’s what we’re best at. Pops ain’t spoke to none of us since we turned him down. Pretty fucking sure he’s cut us out of his will, too. I guess Uncle Cody wanted to put one over on his brother.” He pulled a letter from his jean pocket. “This is from our attorney explaining that we get the money in just two months time.”
She took the letter from his grasp and read it. “How do I know this is real, and not just another one of your illusions?”
He touched her face. “Trust me, Lizzie, please.”
“I love you, Kyle, and I really want to, but—” He kissed her passionately then. “We need just three things in this life, Lizzie. Our inheritance.” He kissed her cheek gently. “Good health. You’ll make sure we have that, and lots of sex with a certain Sybar woman.”
She laughed. “You’re kidding about the third part…right?”
“Nope. Our Sybar powers of illusion are greatly enhanced when we connect both physically and emotionally with a Sybar woman. One we all love and respect.” He lovingly cupped her head in his hands. “You know we all have a meeting of both mind and body, a connection together.” He caressed his thumb over her bottom lip. “You know how fucking great the sex was with all three of us?”
“But sex isn’t everything, Kyle. As a woman, I need trust, too.” She touched his face. “I need to know that what I experience with you three boys is real. Not some sort of magician’s trick.”
Kyle held her close. She knew he was trying to convince her otherwise. But she had to stay strong. She couldn’t be weak.
“The love is real, Lizzie. We all love you. We all love you deeply.” He looked so sincere, she had to turn away.
She put her head back. Closed her eyes, and then screamed out loud in frustration. “Oh—I don’t know what to believe anymore. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.” Overwhelmed by raw emotion, she started to sob uncontrollably. “I love all three of you so bad it hurts, but—”
“Lizzie.” He tried to comfort her. “Please.”
Using every last ounce of her courage, she pushed him away. “I’m going back to California, Kyle. I can’t go on like this.”
A pained expression showed on his face, but she wouldn’t give in.
“Jake and Ben will be real pissed if I let you go, Lizzie.”
With her mind made up, a calm acceptance washed over her. “I’m catching the afternoon Greyhound out of Brown Bear. I want you to drive me there.” She started to cry again, big teardrops flowed freely down her cheeks. Wiping them jerkily away with the back of her hand, she continued, “No need to tell Ben and Jake. It’s best if they just find me gone when they get back.”
“Don’t you think that’s unfair, honey? They love you, too. They adore you.”
“I don’t want to hurt any of you, but what you boys did was deceitful.”
“Change your mind, Lizzie, please.”
“No.”
They drove in silence. The battered Chevy pickup grumbling and creaking as its worn-out suspension bucked and pitched on the poor road surface. She’d insisted that he use it.
There was so much that she wanted to say. She desperately wanted to tell him how much she loved him. Loved all of them. She took a deep breath.
Be strong Lizzie. It’s better this way.
The bus depot at Brown Bear came into view, and her heart sank further. A cold numbness washed over her. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life?
Kyle brought the battered pickup to a halt. “Lizzie, I—”
She put a finger to his lips before replacing it with the most meaningful kiss possible. A kiss full of desire, love, and everything good in the world.
“Lizzie.”
She pulled away from him, opened the door, and walked away. She didn’t look back.
Chapter Eleven
Kyle parked the battered pickup truck outside the ranch house. Ben and Jake were waiting for him.
“What’s going on, Kyle? Me and Ben can tell that you’re blocking our Sybar connections.”
“Nothing.” Kyle tried to push past his two younger brothers. He didn’t need a showdown right now. Not when he was hurting so much inside. He hadn’t realized how much he cared for Lizzie, and he just wanted to be on his own. Jake and Ben blocked his way.
“Something’s wrong, Kyle. Something’s not right.” He felt a stabbing pain as Jake poked a finger angrily into his chest.
His brother Jake’s Sybar powers were almost fully developed, and he could not hide everything from him. In just a few weeks time, Jake would turn twenty-five and would have to go through ‘Shraika’.
Kyle looked down at his brother’s booted feet blocking his way.
“Are you boys gonna let me through, or am I gonna have to take you apart with my bare hands?” Anger had started to burn within him, and he would lash out if push came to shove.
“Where’s Lizzie, Kyle?” Ben looked like he was going to back Jake up on this one. That was all he needed. His two brothers wanting to rip his fucking head from his shoulders. He decided to come clean.
“Lizzie’s gone. Fucked off, back to California.”
“Tell me you’re joking, Kyle.” There was menace in Jake’s voice, and he could see his hands clenched into fists.
“No
pe. I took her to Brown Bear, to pick up the Greyhound back to Los Angeles.”
Ben looked horrified. “And you just let her go? You cunt. The most wonderful Sybar woman in the whole world, and you just let her go?”
Kyle put his hand on Ben’s shoulder, in an effort to explain. “I had to let her go, little bro. She couldn’t handle the deception.” He could see that Ben was close to tears. “Ain’t nothing I could do about it.”
Without warning, Kyle doubled up in pain, as Jake smashed a mighty fist into his face, followed almost immediately by a booted foot slamming between his legs courtesy of Ben.
Creased in two, he heard Jake’s accusing voice. “You fucking cunt, Kyle. You let this happen. If you’d let us know, we could have stopped her leaving. Me and Ben should tear you apart.”
Kyle pulled himself upright from the kneeling position he found himself in. He wiped fresh blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “Time to face reality, boys. Lizzie’s her own woman. We can’t stop her from leaving. You’re really making me pissed now. We don’t own her whatever you think, and we can’t make her stay if she’s unhappy. We fucked up big time. I take most of the responsibility because I’m the eldest. I knew we should have waited until Uncle Cody’s legacy had come through, but I thought we’d all be able to maintain the Sybar illusion until then. I was wrong.”
“But you just let her go, Kyle. Now we’ll never see her again, and me and Jake ain’t fucking happy about that.”
Kyle placed a hand on his heart. “Whatever you boys do to me, you can’t make me feel worse than I already do. A part of me is missing. I love her, and I’m going to get her back. Only this time it will be the right way. So you two are either with me or against me, because it ain’t over, yet. We all need her.”
* * * *
Lizzie sighed as she ate a sandwich in her motel room. It had been almost three months since she had left Kyle, Jake and Ben at the ranch, and she missed them all terribly. She knew that they missed her, too. They were still allowing her to access their thoughts and emotions. They wanted her back, desperately.
She’d taken a job as a supermarket cashier as soon as she had returned to California. She was now living out of a suitcase, in a seedy motel, just outside of Long Beach. The money from her poorly paid job meant that there was little or nothing left to live on.
Her Arizona Cowboy Brothers [Sexual Meltdown 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7