NecessaryDecision

by A. D. Christopher

  Gable let out a purr of pleasure and wiggled his haunches, ensuring Kylar’s inability to fight the bliss flooding through his veins. He would teach Varek who was calling the shots and show the slave how dangerous it could be to take liberties with a free-born, but not now. Not when his entire being was consumed with the need to fuck and be fucked, to give in and see this unexpected ride through to its mind-blowing conclusion.

  He started to move, driving into Gable with shallow thrusts, quickly growing accustomed to the way each shift of his hips caused the cock inside his ass to slide in and out, to the feel of Varek’s sharp claws teasing at his shoulders, pricking into his fur with just the perfect amount of pressure. His cock pumped faster, the pressure in his balls growing nearly unbearable, his anus slowly relaxing, until there was nothing but pleasure.

  Bright, burning pleasure that flared unbelievably hotter when Varek picked up the rhythm of his thrusts, driving into his ass at the same moment that Kylar shoved into Gable’s. Faster and faster, deeper and deeper, until Gable tensed and screamed his pleasure into the rapidly cooling air.

  Kylar smelled the sticky evidence of Gable’s release mixing with the damp earth beneath him, and the salty sweetness of it was enough to send him over. It was as if his entire body exploded at once, every furred inch of him coming as hard as he ever had in any form, his cock pulsing and his ass tightening around Varek’s hard length.

  Fuck, so fucking good. Varek’s mental sigh whispered through his mind seconds before the other panther came, his hips jerking forward, filling Kylar to the brim one last time as he spent his seed. The heat splashed against Kylar’s insides, touching things inside of him that had never been touched.

  For the first time, he understood what it must be like for the submissives he pleasured, how good it could be to let go and be a vessel for another’s bliss.

  You two are amazing together. Gable trembled beneath the combined weight of both Kylar and Varek, but Kylar could tell that he was loving every minute of being pinned to the earth, completely vulnerable to both of the men he loved.

  Gable loved Varek. He really did. As much as he loved Kylar, maybe…more.

  The realization made a growl rumble in Kylar’s throat. Jealousy and anger banished the last of the pleasure he’d felt at Varek’s release. He reared back, knocking the larger cat from his back. He spun and crouched low, ready to pounce on Varek and rip him apart for the sin of being loved by the only man Kylar had ever let himself really care for. The past few weeks with Gable had been the best of his life, revolutionizing everything he’d ever believed about love.

  And now Varek had come to take that away.

  Kylar leapt forward, claws bared, expecting Varek to meet his attack, to bare his claws and fight with the feral intensity Kylar had seen on the battlefield so many times. Instead, the other man shifted, fur blurring into flesh, transforming from cat to man faster than any were Kylar had ever seen. The sight of all that vulnerable human skin lying on the sandy ground made Kylar twist in the air and pull in his claws, managing to avoid severely injuring Varek by only the slightest of margins.

  The closeness of the moment made his own shift number among his fastest. In seconds, he was lying—naked and panting for breath—on the ground beside Varek. Varek, who reached out and took his hand, who sighed as he squeezed Kylar’s fingers. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…but I couldn’t wait. I’ve wanted to be with you, with both of you, so badly. I’ve been…alone.”

  The words made Kylar pause, made him leave his hand in Varek’s when he would have pulled away. He knew what it was like to be alone. He hadn’t even realized how horribly isolated he’d been until Gable and his perfect, loving smile had come into his life. Gable was impossible not to love. How could he blame Varek for feeling what he felt himself, for wanting to come in from the cold and be welcomed by Gable and his new lover?

  But could he really let things go at this? Could one show of vulnerability make up for the fact that Varek had so thoroughly dominated him?

  “I’ll do anything it takes to make this right,” Varek said, propping himself up on one arm, the look in his eyes making it clear he meant his words.

  “I have a couple ideas, if you two would be interested in hearing them,” the newly shifted Gable said, a playful note in his voice that made Kylar’s mouth twitch on one side. He sat up, not surprised to find Gable only a few feet away, brown eyes sparkling, one hand fisted around his cock, stroking himself into another impressive erection. “It involves Varek sucking my cock while Kylar takes his turn playing cowboy. Any takers on that?”

  “Sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.” Varek laughed softly as he moved onto all fours, crawling the few feet to where Gable knelt and eagerly taking the smaller man’s cock between his lips. He moaned as he sucked the thick, swollen length into his mouth, pulling it deeper and deeper.

  Chapter Three

  Kylar watched Gable’s head fall back, his beautiful face peaceful and alive with feeling. The way he lost himself in sensuous pleasure fascinated Kylar, had fascinated him from that very first night in the slave quarters. Since that night it had become something of a challenge for Kylar to summon that expression to his lover’s face. It was such a thrill to watch the other man’s features transform from animated with laughter—as Gable’s features so often were—to soft and almost sleepy as he gave himself over to sensation. Watching that could never grow old.

  But he wasn’t the one causing the response this time. This wasn’t a challenge he was winning. His mouth wasn’t the one wrapped around that glorious cock. His tongue wasn’t the one swirling up and down its length, playing over its head, dipping into the tiny opening at the tip.

  This wasn’t like the other nights when he’d made Gable moan and sigh beneath the stars. Varek was doing it. Varek’s round ass rose to the sky as he began working Gable’s shaft a little harder and faster. Between his thighs Kylar saw the softer shadow of Varek’s heavy sac and the length of his cock—by the Gods what an incredible cock he had!—lengthen and thicken.

  They’d done this before, these two men. They probably did this every night. For all Kylar knew, Gable had gone straight from him to Varek without bathing first, so they could both smell Kylar on Gable’s body as they made love in their cramped slave beds.

  They were lovers. They were in love.

  Gable’s fingers, those talented fingers, moved against Varek’s bald head, smoothing back and forth as Varek’s movements sped up again. Kylar’s body tightened. His own cock practically vibrated when he looked away from Gable’s hand to Varek’s ass, moving slightly as if shifted by the gentle breeze. Waving at him. Inviting him. Tantalizing him.

  The first time he’d sunk his cock into Gable’s ass he’d thought nothing could ever feel so good again. It wasn’t just the delicious heat, the smoothness of those tight walls squeezing him, that hard tight anal ring clamping him in place.

  It was the incredible sensation of dominance. He’d had another man, another were-panther, completely in his control. Crying out, arching his back, spreading his legs. Gable had been completely in his control.

  Yes, Gable was a slave. Varek was a slave, they both were. But there was a difference between sexual dominance and the sort of dominance the Pride-born had over all Unfree as a matter of course. That was a dominance of spirit, a dominance born from superior numbers and tradition and from the normal behavior of were-panthers. The Orion Pride had defeated those men and therefore were dominant, period.

  But plunging his cock into Gable’s ass, digging his fingers into Gable’s hips, watching Gable’s head drop and rise as he cried out and the muscles in his back flex as he bucked against Kylar’s hips, begging for more…that was a different kind of dominance. It wasn’t animal and it wasn’t related to the Pride. It was a singular dominance, a silent acknowledgment that he, Kylar, was Gable’s master.

  How much more exciting would it be to dominate Varek, that enormous man? To watch those incredibly powerful shoulder
s move with Kylar’s every thrust?

  His cock burned just thinking of it. His ass, still tingling from their earlier play, clenched. To have that kind of power over a warrior as strong and immense as Varek would be incredible.

  And there that ass was, practically in his face. He could reach out and touch it. He could grab his now-hard cock and plunge it in, and Varek would cry out when he did. That cry would vibrate against Gabel’s erection. The three of them could—

  No. That was the problem.

  The three of them. It wouldn’t be the three of them. Varek and Gable were in love with each other. He, Kylar, was in love with Gable. If someone had told him he’d be out of his mind with love for a slave two weeks ago, Kylar would have called them a liar and laughed them out of the room. But no matter how unlikely, it was true. He was in love, filled up with need and longing for Gable, amazing, loving, playful Gable. But Kylar heard the tenderness in Gable’s voice as he sighed Varek’s name into the cool night air. Gable might care for Kylar, but he cared for his slave lover more.

  It would be the two of them, Varek and Gable. And he, Kylar, would be the third wheel, the one who served whenever one of the other two were bored and wanted variety.

  They didn’t love him. They never would.

  He was surprised to find that one hand had risen into the air, reaching for Varek’s ass, and that his other hand had slid down his stomach, almost touching the head of his throbbing erection. God, how he wanted to finish both movements. It would feel so good. It would feel tremendous.

  But it wouldn’t last. If he fucked Varek now the way he wanted to, it would be giving in. It would mean letting them treat him as a mascot, a sex toy. An extra appendage to their primary—their dominant—relationship.

  Kylar Grossman would never be a third wheel, and he would never submit to being less important in the eyes of his lover. He simply couldn’t. Everything in him, every bit of warrior strength and pride in his blood rebelled against the very idea.

  He sat back on his heels. Gable stopped stroking Varek’s cock and looked up, his wide eyes meeting Kylar’s.

  “Join us,” he said. The urgency in his voice was so tempting, but was it because of Kylar or simply because he was getting near the edge of release? “Kylar, join us. Varek is ready for you. He’s waiting for you. Come and be with us.”

  Varek groaned. His ass moved again as he shifted his knees farther apart. It was like being offered heaven.

  But at what cost? Was heaven worth betraying himself and everything he wanted? Betraying his pride and sense of place and becoming the sex toy of a pair of Unfree? Not even a pair of Pride-born men, men of his own class and status, but two mere slaves. Two of the defeated, who spent their lives serving the Pride-born men who had defeated them.

  Kylar was a man. An adult, not a boy. He knew there would always be willing men. Hell, he could get up, walk back to the Unfree cabins and take the ass of any man there. This wasn’t exactly the only chance he’d ever have, and part of being a man was being able to exert control and overcome base desires for the good of his heart and soul.

  Knees shaking a little, he stood up just as Varek slid his hand around to cup his own left buttock and pulled, opening himself up further. A lesser man would have given in at that moment.

  Kylar was not a lesser man. He was a Pride-born warrior, a son of Orion.

  He kept reminding himself of that as he shifted and ran away, his sensitive were-panther ears hearing Varek and Gable calling his name from an ever-increasing distance.

  Gable could feel his heart breaking, robbing him of his bodily pleasure. His cock grew even limper between his legs. They had failed. Kylar didn’t want them, at least not both of them together. Gable had seen it in his lover’s eyes, his unwillingness to open his mind to the idea that he could truly be a part of what he and Varek had. It was too soon. Gable had known they should wait.

  Still, he couldn’t be angry with Varek. He knew why his first love had done what he’d done.

  “It’s my fault. I’m sorry,” Varek said. He sat back on his heels, his own cock sagging between his legs. It seemed neither of them found abandonment a turn-on.

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Yes, it is.” Varek sat up a little straighter, his brow furrowing before he rolled back onto his toes and sprung to his feet. “I’ll go to him. I’ll find some way to—”

  “I think I should go.” Gable rose, laying a gentle hand on Varek’s thick arm. “I’ll talk to him. I think he might listen to me.”

  “But not to me.” Varek’s brows furrowed even deeper, until Gable wanted to reach up and smooth the worry from his love’s face. “He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” A grin teased at Gable’s lips, the memory of how Kylar had relished being claimed bringing some hope back into his heart. “I heard him cry out when you penetrated him. I know the way he sounds when he’s enjoying himself. He loved it, he loved the way you made him feel. He’s just not ready to admit that he loved it. Kylar’s a very proud man.”

  Varek reached up, stilling the hand Gable stroked across his arm. “When you talk about him… When you say his name…”

  “It makes you jealous?”

  “It makes me jealous. And…afraid.”

  “You don’t ever have to be afraid.” Gable stood on tiptoe, claiming Varek’s lips for a long, slow kiss that had them both breathless by the time he pulled away. “But neither does he. I love him. It’s not just about finding a Pride-born mate to get me out of the slave quarters…It’s about more than that now.”

  “I know.”

  “You are my first. I will always love you, but I’ll always love him too. Once I start loving someone like this…”

  “You can’t turn it off. I know…it’s one of the things I love most about you.” Varek cupped Gable’s cheek in his strong hand, his gentleness as amazing as always. He was so strong, but capable of such tenderness, such openness. As soon as Kylar realized what an extraordinary man Varek was, he’d have to love him. Gable wouldn’t settle for anything less. He pulled himself up to his full height, steeling himself as he would before any battle. Varek saw him straighten and smiled. “Go to him then.”

  “I will.” Gable stepped back, but paused when the shimmering of the waterfall caught his eye. It wasn’t full dark yet, but it would be soon and Varek loved swimming in the dark. Perhaps a swim would help soothe him. “Why don’t you stay here and enjoy the water? I’ll come back and join you after I talk to Kylar.”

  Varek nodded. “All right. Good luck, I’ll see you soon.”

  “You will.” And maybe I won’t be alone, Gable silently added, praying that Kylar would let him in and listen to what he had to say.

  * * * * *

  Kylar’s legs still shook beneath him as he wandered through the woods, back in human form, wanting the chill wind against his bare skin and not his fur. It didn’t cool the fire in his blood though. Now that he’d left them, walked away, he had a hard time understanding why.

  Well, no. He knew why. The problem was that—the farther he walked away, the more undesirable loneliness became. And the more undesirable loneliness became, the more he began to see this situation from Varek’s and Gable’s points of view.

  He knew the two of them enjoyed having other men in their bed. Most warrior-mates did. Varek and Gable weren’t allowed to mate—being Unfree slaves—but surely their relationship wasn’t so different from the Pride-approved matings. In those relationships, everyone understood that inviting another man to your bed didn’t mean anything beyond having a bit of fun. It was wonderful to have your mate in bed with you. But to add another man, another cock to play with and suck, another ass to bury your own cock inside…it was just triple the fun.

  He knew Gable and Varek occasionally asked a third man to their bed.

  But as far as Kylar knew, they’d never invited any man back for a second visit. And neither of them had taken a lover on the side. Gable and Varek di
dn’t play alone.

  So what did it mean, that Gable had become Kylar’s…well, his lover? The man he loved, the man he wanted. And Varek had become the man he was curious about, and the other man he wanted.

  And Varek obviously wanted him.

  Was it just possible that they wanted to be a permanent threesome? He never would have thought such a thing was possible in the strict mating rules of the Orion Pride, but ever since Kerrick and Caleb had been allowed to bring a female into their bed, to claim her as mate to both of them, things had changed. No one had tried to initiate another three-person mating just yet—it had only been three weeks since the first announcement—but Kylar knew it would happen eventually. There was a definite sense in the Pride that attitudes about unconventional matings were shifting.

  But did he want to be part of such a mating? And did he want to be part of it knowing that he might not ever be as important to them as they were to each other?

  No. No, as much as he wanted to he couldn’t. It felt like a heavy weight on his shoulders, the longing for them both. To be surrounded by their hard hot bodies, to have a cock in his mouth and another in his ass, to kiss them, stroke them and to be stroked. It would feel amazing. It would feel like truly belonging to a family for the first time in his life.

  Talk to them, you fool. Quit sulking like a damn boy! He stopped, took a deep breath.

  Maybe he should just ask them what they wanted from him, what they hoped the future would hold. Yes, it would hurt like hell if they said they were only looking for a little fun, or simply thought it would be exciting to have a third playmate of a more regular nature. But it would be a disappointment he could handle. At least then he would know, and could make the choice to give in to those luscious lips and tempting cocks if he wanted to.

  But if he gave in, could he ever trust that—

  A shout interrupted his thoughts, but not a scared shout or a battle cry. This was a whoop of joy. Someone was celebrating. When he turned in the direction it had come from, he realized immediately who it was.