by R. E. Butler
She looked up at Shy. “You never lived here?”
“Teck and I shared a bedroom in our parents’ home until we were sixteen. Then he moved down here.”
“You didn’t want to also have a place here?”
Shy didn’t answer for a long moment, and then he said, “I guess the truth is that I didn’t really want to face Teck when he was shutting me out of his life. It was easier to stay aboveground with our family than to admit that my twin and I were growing apart.”
“You think I’m selfish,” Teck said, looking at Kaya.
“No, of course not,” she said, shaking her head. “The dreams drove me crazy. So many years, never knowing when or even if I’d ever meet you two. I still don’t understand why you both didn’t have the dreams, but that’s in the past. The only thing I care about is that we’re home. I just want to make sure that things are okay between the two of you.”
Both her sexy mates smiled. “We’re good, sweetheart,” Shy said.
Teck nodded. “This is the first day of our new life together. The past can stay in the past.”
“I like that,” she said, linking her arms around their waists and pulling them to her. “And I like the tent. It’s intimate.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll start to fix it up, though. You can help if you’d like,” Teck said.
“I’d love to.”
Teck bent and kissed her cheek, and then he tilted her face and kissed her lips. Their hands were on her, touching and sliding and tugging on her clothes, and all thought fled from her mind except for how much she wanted to be with her mates.
Someone cleared his throat loudly from outside the tent, and all three of them froze, and then they laughed.
“Whatever you’re doing, put a lid on it for a bit. We need to talk to you,” Axe said.
Kaya righted her top, feeling the heat in her cheeks, as Teck called for his family to come inside.
“They have terrible timing,” Shy murmured.
“I heard that,” Axe said as he lifted the flap and stepped inside, followed by Elizabeth and Ash.
“We have great timing, since we caught you before you got too far,” Elizabeth said.
Ash held a stack of clothing in his hands, and he handed it to Shy. “Your grandfather wants to do the joining ceremony tonight. This will give the den a chance to welcome Kaya officially. Then you’ll have the night to yourselves, once you’re out of your shifts of course.”
“Shifts?” Kaya asked.
“The joining ceremony occurs first, and then the den eats a big meal. After the meal is finished, all the bears in the den will shift and they’ll walk by you. It’s a way for them to imprint your scent on their beasts,” Elizabeth said.
“Neat,” Kaya said. “I’ll get to see both of my mates in their shifts.”
“Right,” Axe said. “Afterward, the night if yours. You’ve both been given tomorrow off from your den duties. The supplies for your tent were delivered last night, so whenever you’re ready to expand we’ll get to work.”
“Dinner’s at six,” Elizabeth said.
After their parents left, Shy carried the stack of clothing to the bed and began to separate it. A small black tube slipped from between the clothing, and Kaya lifted it before it slid off the bed and onto the floor.
“Oh!” She looked at the tube of sex lube, and her cheeks heated.
Teck stepped behind her and slid his arms around her. “I was going to run out to the store and get something for us for tonight.” He kissed her cheek.
Shy smiled at her. “Don’t be embarrassed. Our people are pretty open about sex. There’s no voyeur stuff going on, but it’s a natural part of life, something to celebrate, not keep quiet about.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment and exhaled. “I guess they want us to have a good time and for a certain person to not be really sore tomorrow.”
Her mates laughed.
Teck took the tube from her and set it on a small table next to the bed. “For later,” he said. “Right now, let’s go on our tour, and then we’ll get ready for the ceremony.”
The tour took more than an hour, and she met many of the inhabitants of the underground city and explored with her mates. Even though she’d lived aboveground her entire life, she had no trouble envisioning spending the rest of her life with her mates underground. Shy picked blueberries for her from the fruit section of the garden, and she nibbled on them as they walked.
“Everyone in the den participates in some way,” Teck said. “Our first responsibility is to our family and then to the den.”
“You’re a warrior for the den, right?” she asked Teck.
“Right. I patrol our territory as part of my duties, and if our grandfather meets with other dens or shifter groups, I accompany him as part of his security. That’s only a portion of what I do, though. Since I’m part Wiccan, I help our den on the full moon with protection spells, and I also grow herbs in the garden for spells. Shaylee uses them in her healing.”
“That’s so cool. What do you do, Shy?”
“I cook, and I also can sew.”
“You’re being modest,” Teck chided. “He makes clothes, and the den loves what he does.”
“You do?” she asked.
His cheeks darkened in blush. “Yeah.”
“Aw. Would you make something for me?”
“Absolutely,” he said, his eyes lighting.
They reached their tent, and she ducked inside and said, “What will I do?”
“You said you liked soapmaking,” Shy said.
“I do.”
“That would be very much appreciated by the den, I’m certain. And you’re also going to be training with me and Teck to hone your new powers,” Shy said.
“And,” Teck said with a soft growl, “you’ve got two husbands who will keep you very, very busy.”
“I don’t think making love all the time qualifies as a job in the den,” she said.
“It would be wonderful if it did,” Teck said. “I’d put in for overtime.”
* * *
Kaya stepped into a pair of white hide trousers. They were soft and supple. Shy said they were made from rare white albino deer that the den hunted in Canada. He straightened and fixed the closure on the trousers, and then he threaded a beaded belt through the loops at the waistband.
“I made the belt,” he said.
She looked down at it. It was covered with an intricate pattern of black, red, and white seed beads. “It’s beautiful.”
“Our father, Ash, is a craftsman for the den, too. He taught me how to work the leather and choose the right patterns for the beads. I’ve sold belts like these to other bear dens, too.”
“When did you make the belt?” she asked, knowing he hadn’t had the time to do something so detailed in the few hours they’d been in the den.
He tightened the belt and rubbed his thumb around her navel for a moment before answering. “I made this belt a year ago. I didn’t know what the future would bring, but I knew that the female I mated would participate in the joining ceremony and need a belt for the trousers. I didn’t know she would be you, but it was my desire to have the belt ready for whenever I did meet her.”
Her eyes stung, and she rose onto her toes and kissed him. “I’m glad I’m her.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
Teck helped her put on a matching vest that was covered with polished beads and metal signets. Shy tightened it against her body with the leather ties on the front, which bunched up her breasts like ripe melons as he pulled the soft material tight around her.
“Can you breathe, lilenta?” Teck teased.
“It’s just a little tight.”
“Sorry,” Shy said. “If it’s too loose, it will gap, and then Teck will have to kill every unmated male in the den for seeing your sweet breasts.”
She smirked at her warrior mate. “You’d kill for an accidental peek?”
“You’re ours,” he said.
“I know
. But you’re ridiculous.”
He smiled. “Just for you.”
She brushed her hair, and then Shy braided it into two long braids, fixing feathered ties on the ends. He pushed a pair of wooden combs in her hair, and then braided his own. He and Teck were dressed in tan-colored hide trousers that had fringe running up the outside seam of the legs. Their upper bodies were bare, save for stamped leather bands that encircled both their upper arms. Symbols in their native language emblazoned the leather.
Teck took her hand and kissed it. “The outfit you’re wearing is special. Our people believe in upholding traditions, and the joining ceremony is one of our most valued. Tonight you’re starting the first chapter of your new life as a den bride and the mate of two bears. The clothing is made from hide that is naturally white to symbolize purity. The deer gave their lives so that you could start yours. Our people always give thanks to the animals who provide for us.”
Shy joined them, taking her other hand. “The two braids mean that you’ve tied yourself to us in marriage. The feathers on the ends are to give your heart wings. The combs belonged to our great-great-great-grandmother. They remind us about our past as we look toward the future. And the beads on the vest and belt represent the earth and trees, where life springs new.”
They both removed the dark metal rings from their fingers and pushed them onto the ring fingers of both her hands.
“We told you that the rings were meant for our mate, and we’ve had them since we came of age,” Teck said. “I knew when I made the ring that it would be for you, lilenta.”
She kissed them both, feeling happy tears sting her eyes again. Teck held open the flap over the door, and Shy led her out. They were greeted by applause and cheering from the den, who had gathered to watch them make their first official appearance as mates. The crowd parted for them as they held hands and walked together to the grand hall, which the den used for ceremonies. The great hall was a long, hide-covered tent with a curved roof.
Once inside, Teck and Shy led her to a raised platform at the back of the hall, on which sat a long table with carved wooden chairs. Adriel and Filene stood behind the center chairs. Kaya sat between Teck and Shy, and Elizabeth and her mates sat next to them, with Kaya’s new aunts and uncles on the other side of Adriel and Filene.
After everyone was seated except Adriel, he lifted a goblet, and the den quieted, following his direction and lifting their own goblets. Teck and Shy lifted one goblet in front of her, holding it together.
Adriel said, “It fills me with great joy to know that my grandsons have found their truemate. Kaya is beautiful and powerful, a wonderful addition to my family and our den.”
He lifted his goblet a little higher, and Shy whispered, “Take a drink, sweetheart.”
They brought the cup to her lips, and she took a drink of sweet, red wine.
Adriel said, “We drink to the hope of the future.”
Then Teck took a drink as Adriel said, “We drink to remember our past.”
Shy took a drink, draining the cup as Adriel said, “We drink to the love in our hearts.”
Shy put the empty goblet upside down on the table, and the den cheered as they emptied their cups and turned them upside down.
“They’re upside down to keep evil spirits from lingering around us to drink the wine or trying to stay permanently,” Shy whispered.
Kaya cast her gaze around, wondering if there were any evils spirits in the air that she couldn’t see. Then she decided that there was too much joy in the den for anything evil to come around.
“I’m so happy,” she said. “I feel like I’ve finally come home.”
“It wouldn’t be home without you,” Teck said, kissing her cheek.
Chapter 10
Shy smelled the heated cauldron before he saw his dads carrying it to the front of the table. He and Teck stood and headed down to the cauldron, joining their fathers and grandfather for the next part of the ceremony.
Their mom moved over a seat and slipped an arm around Kaya. This portion of the ceremony would be performed in their native language, and their mom would translate for Kaya, the way that their grandmother had translated for her during her own joining ceremony.
His dads set the cauldron on an iron stand in front of the raised platform. The bottom of the cauldron glowed red hot, and the scent of heated metal filled the air. A wooden handled poker stuck out of the top of the cauldron.
Their grandfather spoke loudly in their native language, addressing Shy and Teck together.
Do you swear to protect your mate to your last fighting breath?
He and Teck answered together in the word that meant yes.
Do you promise to hold her heart carefully forever?
Yes.
Do you promise to love her above all others to the best of your abilities?
Yes.
What is the name of your beloved mate?
Shy looked at Kaya, meeting her curious gaze with his own. He and Teck spoke her name at the same time.
“Kaya.”
Adriel pulled the poker from the cauldron. The end – the symbol of Kaya’s name – was glowing bright red.
Continuing in their native tongue, Adriel said, “Take this brand in silence to prove yourself worthy of your mate.”
Then he pressed the brand over Teck’s heart and held it there. The brand sizzled against his flesh, but Teck didn’t even flinch as the brand was melted into his skin. Adriel set the brand in the cauldron for a few moments to reheat it, and then he settled it over Shy’s heart, pressing it deeply into his skin.
Shy had never felt anything so painful in all his life. The pain radiated from the brand, and it took every ounce of power he had to not make a single sound of pain. Adriel pulled away the brand and dropped it into the cauldron, and a cheer rose up from the den.
Kaya raced to them, tears shining in her eyes, clutching the dark green aloe leaves that their mother had given her to tend them. He and Teck moved her outside quickly and hugged her, and she was careful not to touch the branded marks.
She cracked one of the leaves, scooped out the thick gel, and applied it to their brands. “What does this mean?”
“It’s the symbol for your name,” Teck said. The brand was an oval that was open on one side next to a sideways figure eight.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Did it hurt?”
“You’re worth it,” Shy said. “And it completes our claiming. You’re wearing our marks on your neck, and we’re wearing your name over our hearts.”
“You’re well and truly stuck with us forever, lilenta,” Teck said.
“I couldn’t be happier.”
When the aloe had soothed some of the pain and Kaya had fussed over them for several minutes, they headed back into the tent to eat with the den. Shy left his brother and mate at the long table and went to fix plates for them from the enormous meal the den had put together to celebrate their joining. There was every kind of meat and side dish, with a separate table covered with desserts. Shy filled two plates and carried them back to the table, placing one in front of his mate and giving the other to Teck.
She smiled, and he loved to see it. So sweet and full of love. They hadn’t known each other long, but he was already thoroughly enchanted with her. A low hum of conversation flowed from the den as they ate. During the meal, Adriel told Kaya about the den and their history.
“Do the Centaurs have any special customs like we do for hunting on the full moon?” Teck asked.
“No. We had celebrations for marriages and births, but nothing like the whole group going hunting once a month.”
“The mates who can’t shift stay behind in the den during the full moon,” Filene said, “and some of the males stay as guards.”
“I can’t go hunting with you?” Kaya asked.
“We usually hunt in our shifts, but I think we can work something out so you can participate,” Teck said.
“Good. I’d like be part of the hunt and watch yo
u. I bet you’re both amazing hunters.”
When the meal was over, the den gathered in the center of their underground city to perform the final part of the joining ceremony. Teck and Shy stood on either side of Kaya as Adriel addressed the den.
“To mark the final part of the mating bond between Kaya, Teck, and Shy, the den will shift as one and pledge their allegiance to their union.”
Kaya bit her lip and smiled up at them. “I finally get to see both of you in your shifts.”
“Just remember to stand still and hold out your hands, palms down,” Teck said. “The den will walk by you on either side, and brush along your hands. We’ll be the last ones, and then we’ll lead you to our tent and stay there until we’re able to shift into our human forms in a couple of hours.”
“And then?” she whispered, her eyes darkening.
“Then we’ll chase the moon from the sky with the sound of our pleasure,” Shy said.
She sighed and bit her lip again, the subtle scent of her arousal filling the air.
They stripped, and she carefully folded their trousers and set them on the ground, along with their shoes and arm bands. After a final kiss, Shy stepped back and reached for his shift. In moments, he was in his bear form and shaking himself out. Teck shifted next to him – their bears were almost identical. Kaya dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around their necks.
“Just beautiful,” she said. “You’re so sexy as males, but you’re beautiful bears. I hope our children can shift. They’d be so lucky to look like you.”
Shy chuffed and pressed his nose to her throat. She giggled and rubbed his ear.
Adriel grunted behind them, and he and Teck lumbered away from their mate to the back of the crowd of bears. Along the outside of the sea of bears were the children who were too young to shift and the mates who couldn’t shift, including their mother and their aunts.
Kaya rose to her feet and held out her hands, palms down. She smiled and the den began to move, splitting into two lines as they walked by her and rubbed her scent along their backs. It felt like forever before he and Teck reached her, and they rubbed against her and then beckoned her to follow them. She picked up their things and joined them.