The walk back was peaceful, the two of them on either side of her, but their hands were in hers. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt so contented – but it was hard to not feel that way when Korran and Le’on were… well just them. They weren’t what she had expected, but she was infinitely grateful for that.
VII
Le’on
“Hey! Put me down! Put me down!”
Le’on looked up, his hands bloody from gutting and cleaning the Starkee he and Karron had caught that morning. He sat in the middle of their home, the fire pit already lit and heating up for the meat to set to cook. Where perhaps weeks ago, the string of words would have been cause of concern, the peal of laughter from Lyra’s lips made his lips quirk in a smile.
She was over Karron’s massive shoulder, her skin dripping wet. She had been bathing – Le’on could only imagine why – and it looked as though Karron had interrupted her. She had little more than a thin wrap of a fur blanket around her, and she was laughing as she playfully pounded on Karron’s chest.
He indeed put her down, plopping her beside Le’on before joining them on the floor. She shot him a look, which perhaps would have been annoyed had the flush of arousal not been on her cheeks and her mouth still wide in a smile.
It had been two months since Lyra had returned to them. They hadn’t properly mated her… not yet. But in their explorations of getting to know each other, letting her come to terms with her life’s new direction, and she learning about them… well. Certain things had happened, things that all three of them were more than eager to indulge in. Karron had obviously done so, or at least had started to do so. Le’on could scent a sweetness from between Lyra’s legs, a tempting one that had him wishing he didn’t need to finish preparing what would be food for the next week. He shot Karron a look, and the man merely grinned at him before he tugged Lyra to him by the ankle. She squealed, the fur blanket that had been around her body sliding off.
She was a beautiful thing to look at, Le’on would admit. If he had to share her, he was glad he at least was able to share her with Karron – he was the only other man he knew who’d appreciate every facet of her body in the same way that he did. He could tell, in the way Karron’s mouth moved over Lyra’s skin, kissing and suckling at flesh to redden it beneath his teeth. Of course, it was part in tease to him, too; Karron looked over at him with mischief in his eyes as he settled between her parted thighs, nuzzling into her skin.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to be doing right now, Le?” he asked, brow quirked. Le’on rolled his eyes and huffed.
“One of us has to be responsible and prepare food.”
Karron laughed, but didn’t further reply to him. Le’on turned his eyes back to the work in front of him, sliding a plasma-knife through the supple flesh of the Starkee. He didn’t need to look to know what was going on; he heard Lyra gasp, suddenly, and moan out Karron’s name. There was a slick slurp, the sound of tongue laving against the sweet folds of pleasure that he knew rested sweetly between Lyra’s thighs.
That was fine by him; Karron having his fill then simply meant he’d be able to have his own fill later. Of course, that was easier said than done – Lyra’s wailing moans became more and more harder to ignore as they went on, got higher, more needy and desperate.
Finally – and he wasn’t certain if it was the desire or the scent or the sounds specifically that tore him away, but he had to look over again.
His member jumped, already hard but twitched at the sight in front of him. Karron had his mouth pressed deeply against Lyra’s sex, and his fingers were obviously buried deep within her. Her back was arched beautifully off the floor, and her hips writhed against Karron’s mouth. How Le’on wished that it was his hair that her fingers gripped through, his name on her lips – but that could easily be remedied.
He stood, and went into the washroom to rid his hands of the gore that had accumulated on them. Lyra’s moans followed him, and he hurried, wanting nothing more than to join the two on the floor. Karron was still very much occupied between Lyra’s thighs, and she was very much absorbed in what he was doing to her.
Le’on wanted to remedy that. Just a little.
He settled on the floor, hand already palming himself through the leathers that he wore. He leaned down, taking her in a kiss that she returned almost hungrily. He loved the taste of her on his tongue, just as sweet as the first one that he had taken from her, and he tugged her lip between his teeth, drawing out a moan from her.
“Le’on… please…”
He growled against her, and let his hand fall to her breast. He rolled a taught nipple between his fingers, pinching and pulling. He enjoyed the way she pressed her chest into his hand, and kissed his way from her lips to her neck. It was tempting to bite her there… leave his mark on her and claim her, but they hadn’t talked about that in full yet, hadn’t discussed when they would do so… But for the moment, he let the thought linger, before moving his lips to her chest.
His mouth encompassed her breast, taking the flesh into his mouth as he tugged and played at her nipple, enjoying the hardness of it within his mouth. His eyes flicked up, and he watched her face as she reveled in the ecstasy of having the two of them going at her. Her full lips were parted, her eyes screwed shut. There was a deep red flush to her already dark skin.
Her passion was beautiful.
He continued like that, as Karron stayed at her pleasurable spot, and he saw Karron’s own hand between his legs, pumping furiously as he moaned against her. He thought, amusedly, at least he wasn’t the only one that was driven completely insane by the way Lyra reacted to them. It was one of the single most satisfactory things that he had ever experienced in his entire life. He had lain with women before – shared some with Karron. None had ever pulled quite the need that he had for Lyra out of him.
Lyra came to her completion, crying out with a strangled gasp as her body shook. Le’on kept her nipple in his mouth, working the other one with his fingers. His free hand had made its way in his pants by the time Karron had strummed her up enough to spill over his lips, he squeezed and stroked at himself as Lyra rode her waves of pleasure.
“I want you…”
Her sigh was so soft, so needy. It made him groan himself, and he looked up at Karron. The other grinned at him a bit, his smile wet with the evidence of her enjoyment. They didn’t need to say a thing to each other, and switched places at the head and end of Lyra’s pretty, taught body. Karron had her flipped over, on her hands and knees. Le’on barely paid attention, knowing what Karron was after – he saw out of the corner of his eyes how eagerly Lyra took him in her mouth – and honed in on what he wanted.
His fingers splayed over her back, nails dragging over a little to welt her skin. She arched against them, and he took himself in his other hand, stroking a little as he guided himself to her entrance. Karron had done a good job at opening her up. There was little tension as the head of him nudged against her wet opening, and his eyes rolled as he was able to slip in without too much fuss.
Encased in her warmth, he groaned. There was nothing better than the feeling of her around him, tight and slick about his length. He loved the way that made her groan, muffled against the intrusion of Karron within her mouth, and that sweet little clench of her inner walls, as if she were gripping him to keep him buried within her. In response, the hand at her back went to her hair, slipping through the thick strands to hold on as his other hand went to her hip, holding her.
The pace was hard, that he and Karron set. The air was filled with the sounds of wet, slapping skin, groans and grunts of pleasure and the whines of Lyra between them. Their pleasure went around and ‘round, as if it filled the space just as much as the sounds and scents of it, too.
He slid in and out of her, enjoying the grip of her body on him. It was a sweet ecstasy that had his head tossed back, nails digging into Lyra’s hips. When he finally came, it was deep inside her body, flooding her insides and gushing out and around h
is full, hard length. He heard the guttural growls of Karron ahead of him as he did the same, and the following tightness of Lyra around him let him know he had brought her over the edge with them, as well.
Not wanting to be done, though, he kept rocking his hips, remaining inside of her. Never before had he wanted to mate so badly… the desire burned deep in his veins, that need to claim and keep her as his and Karron’s.
Soon, he thought though. Soon.
VIII
Lyra
“The both of them care for you, deeply.”
Lyra looked to her left, her head tilted. She was out with Tarron, walking about the village. Le’on and Karron were leading a hunting expedition, and Tarron had offered to keep her company while they did, if she was interested. He had easily become her best friend, in the time that she had lived among the Ammarok – a few months, though it hardly felt like much more time than that had passed.
He was older, a little stooped. He had left his glory days, but wasn’t bitter about it, enjoying the ease of his elderly years. Lyra enjoyed his company, and enjoyed his stories. Though lately, his favorite stories had often had love themes, and they often went back to this – him talking to her about Karron and Le’on.
Her face reddened a little, but she turned her attention away from him. She knew how they felt about her. It was something that was hard to ignore, in all honesty. Their touches over the months had gone from longing, passionate, lustful ones, to more tender, loving ones. The way they looked at her – both of them, because even lusty, rough Karron had gotten soft with her as of late – made her heart warm within her chest.
“What’s mating like?” she asked suddenly. It was a subject that had been brought up before, though more in passing, rather than in great detail. She hadn’t asked for much information on it, aside from knowing that it would claim her properly as Karron and Le’on’s. Like a marriage, as she had come to understand before. The actual mechanics of it, however, was something that she hadn’t breeched before. In a way, the idea scared her a little, despite being intriguing. Mainly for the fact that it was apparently supposed to happen between her, Karron, and Le’on.
“Hm.” Tarron seemed to think on it hard, before smiling and looking down at her. “Which part? The act, or the emotions?”
The question threw her for a loop, and she was silent for a moment. Which one seemed the safest to ask about, at the moment? She felt like it was the one that implied least there was actually something going on between the three of them.
“The act itself.”
“Well,” Tarron started. “Copulating is clearly a part of it. You have to be mid-act for it to work… Bodies blended together, so to speak. It’s important – a melding of the body as a symbol of the melding of the soul that happens when you mate. For such a thing, marks need to be exchanged. Ammarok bite at the neck, enough to leave an impression of the teeth and scent within the skin.”
“Scent within the skin?” she asked, puzzled. “How… does that work?”
“For humans, not particularly well – but that’s only because your sense of scent isn’t quite as up to par as those of the Ammarok. You, for example, likely wouldn’t be able to notice the difference in scent even though there’d be a visible scar from the mark. Others would, though.”
Interesting. “I see… What about the emotional side to everything? What… what is that about?”
He regarded her for a moment, his brow quirked. “Well… it’s rather simple, in honesty. Technically anyone can be marked, in a way. But mating goes deeper and it’s that emotional connection that really lasts. It’s when you trust the other, or others, implicitly. You’re making a commitment to be theirs in every way for the rest of your life. You’ll share your lives together, make children together. When the other returns to the earth, in your heart and body you will still be faithful to them, until the great cycle that makes up all of life decides that it’s your turn to return to the earth, as well.”
She swallowed. So… it was like marriage, though it felt like there was a heavier weight to it, as though there was more than just great sex and leaving marks. There was a question, though, that weighed heavily on her mind. Was she ready for that, with Korran and Le’on? She didn’t think she was. That was… more than what she felt yet. She liked them both – liked them a lot. But like wasn’t that kind of deep, life-long commitment.
There was a frown on her face, when Torran placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked over at him, a bit worried about what was playing up on her expression. He merely smiled at her, in a reassuring sort of way, and it set her at ease – at least a little.
“You don’t have to decide now,” he told her. “You don’t even have to decide a week from now, or months, or a year. They’re merely chosen you. You know their intentions. You’re free to accept or decline in any capacity – just know you’re always welcome here.”
*****
“Can I talk to you two?”
She stood in the doorway of their room, looking in on them. They had already laid down for the evening, Le’on reading, and Korran playing with his hair. They looked up when she called to them, returning from her day out with Tarron. They smiled at her, almost in unison; it made her wonder if she was doing the right thing, having this conversation. If she would say the wrong thing and hurt them.
“Certainly. Come here.” Karron patted the bed, and she sat down at the edge. She took her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it there for a while before she spoke.
“This mating business,” she said. “What happens… if it never happens? Because I like you. I like the both of you. I like living here, I like learning everything that I have. It’s freeing here, ironically. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like myself as much anywhere as I ever have here. But I know why the two of you kept me. I know what your intentions are. But I’m human, and things are different for me. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be ready for what you want from me – but I also don’t want to pretend like there’s nothing there between us, either. I think that would be unfair. I just… don’t know what… you think about all of this?”
The both of them seemed surprised by the string of words – hell, she was too. She had intended on bringing all of this up in a calm, precise manner – but the word flood just poured from her and she couldn’t stop herself once the dam had been knocked down. There was a silence that worried her, though, and as they exchanged a look her heart sank down deep into her stomach.
It was Korran, surprisingly, that spoke first.
“Why would we have an issue with that?”
“Well –” She stopped, chewing on her lip again. “Well, it’s what you want, isn’t it? To be mated. Tarron explained it to me, and it’s a nice idea, but it’s a lot of commitment… a lot of emotion… and I love being around you two so much and I care about you but I –”
“You don’t want to rush into something and regret it.”
“Right.”
Karron and Le’on exchanged another look, something deep. Karron gestured to her, taking her in his arms when she scooted close to him. Lyra ended up situated between the two of them, her back to Karron’s chest as she faced Le’on. It reminded her of their first intimate night together – but there was a distinct lack of sexual tension and unfortunately for her, the kind of tension that was present was far from enjoyable. A reprieve came, though, when Le’on reached out to caress her cheek.
“I don’t want to mate you unless you want to be mated,” he said finally. “I want you… I will want you, but the thing I want more than that is for you to want me. If you don’t in that way, now, on the future, I will be happy just having had you in my life.” He glanced back to Karron. “We both will.”
“I’m in no rush,” Karron spoke up. “It’s tempting, more than I think you realize to mark you and claim you. Forcing a mate is never a good idea… for a number of reasons. But we would never force this on you – especially not like that. We want you to be happy.”
Lyr
a was quiet for a moment, taking that all in. It was a shock – it shouldn’t have been, but it was. She had expected hurt… perhaps a frustration or anger. She should have known better though, known that that wasn’t how they would act. After all, they hadn’t thus far, why would they start? And the thing was, she didn’t even need to ask whether or not they actually meant it – she could hear it in their voices when they answered her question that their responses were genuine.
She didn’t know what to say, so instead of saying anything, she wrapped her arms around Le’on, with Karron pressing against her from behind. They were warm, encompassing. Safe. That’s how she felt in the moment, despite the turbulent feelings.
When had life gotten like this for her? She had never been in such a situation before. It was particularly perplexing, and left her head reeling from the newness of it all. She didn’t know whether she was relieved or not, to be honest. Was she to find comfort in knowing that the two of them would still care for her even if she couldn’t care for them nearly as deeply as they did for her, or was that supposed to make her feel guilty, because she honestly wasn’t sure if she was going to end up feeling that depth of caring for them.
And to think. All she had intended to do when she left the sanctity of the Compound was to go exploring…
IX
Lyra
Weeks had past, and things had begun to settle. Though it worried her, from time to time, her place with the Ammarok, she didn’t let her conflicted feelings about Le’on and Karron weigh upon her as she had before. They settled into a routine, a calm sort of ease that was comfortable for her, and left her feeling less like she needed to be on her edge and more like she was just… able to exist with them.
It was six months in, living with the Ammarok, that things started to change.
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