by Lee Savino
“Oh no.” I dropped my skirts and backed away. “No, no, no.”
“You do not like your gift?” Leif caught me as I backed away, his arm banded under my breasts.
“I do not want to wear that thing,” I said.
The warriors did not give me a choice. Brokk knelt while Leif lifted me. My legs went through the holes, and the metal circle wrapped around my waist cinched tight. The piece running between my legs covered my sex. I could move easily and freely but could not touch my nether lips.
“How long must I wear this?” I asked.
“Until you learn not to touch. I ran to a village and woke the blacksmith. He spent all night crafting it to your measurements and smoothing the edges.”
The belt fit perfectly.
“You should be grateful,” Brokk told me. “This will keep you from touching. You will have control.”
My thanks felt heavy on my tongue. It seemed they were mocking me, dressing me like a fine lady, harnessing me like a slave.
“Would you rather the leather strips?”
“No.” I shuddered, remembering how they cut into my throbbing folds, binding and heightening my arousal at the same time.
“Come. There is something we wish to show you.”
IF ANY MAN or beast had been out on the green hills around the abandoned keep, they would’ve seen a strange sight—a young woman in the garment of a queen walking between two warriors almost twice as tall as she. Under the beautiful dress, the metal belt did not chafe, though I had to beg to be let out to relieve myself. By the time we reach our destination, my cheeks glowed bright red, and not from too much sun.
We crested a hill, and I gasped. A purple cape spread over the land, as far as the eye could see. Acres and acres of wildflowers.
“The bonnie heather,” Leif murmured. “On the rockiest soil, the goddess grew a carpet fit for a queen.”
Brokk rolled his eyes. “Come, Willow. Time to break in those boots.”
Leif held out his hand. “Let’s run.”
My heart thumped as I put my hand in his.
The redheaded warrior and I raced between the flower patches. Soon, we were laughing, skipping, dancing like crazy folk.
Brokk followed, and when I grew tired and went to sit with him, he pointed out the birds, the little rabbits, and mice who made their home in the fragrant heather. Leif dug in a pack and handed out dried meat, cheese, hard little apples. When I’d nibbled to his satisfaction, he let me have a little mead.
The day seemed endless, stretched out under a blue sky.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“Are you not enjoying yourself?” Leif countered. “Perhaps we need a new game.”
“All right,” I said slowly, not liking the mischievous look on his face.
“I think it’s time we gave you a chance to escape.”
“What?”
“Unless, of course, you’ll admit you don’t want to go.”
I glanced at Brokk, but he remained solemn, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Brokk, will you play with us?” Leif called to him.
“This doesn’t sound like a game.”
“Oh, it is. And there’s a bonnie prize for the winner.”
“Do you mean you will let me escape?” My heart beat hard. For some reason, I felt anxious at the thought of leaving the warriors. I should be relieved, but I was not, and that only troubled me more.
“Let you try to escape,” Leif corrected. “We will give you a head start, but don’t doubt that we will easily track you. Whoever catches you first, gets a kiss.”
“And if I win?”
“You will not. But if you manage to elude us until sundown, we will throw away the metal belt.”
Brokk snorted.
“Or”—Leif raised a finger—“you admit to us now that you no longer want to escape. We will remove the belt and reward you for telling the truth.”
I gnawed my lip.
“I didn’t think so.” Leif chuckled. He rose, and I scrambled to my feet. “I call this game ‘wolves and rabbit.’ You’re the rabbit, Willow.” He packed our lunch away and lifted the horn. “We will sit and drink the rest of this mead, and then we will be on the hunt.” His eyes glittered. “If I were you, I would run.”
My heart beat louder than my footfalls on the soft turf. I made for a stand of boulders, hoping they would hide me. Once I passed them, I changed course, heading down a ravine. A brook ran between the rocks. I paused for a moment. The water would wash away my scent, confuse them, but it would soak my new clothes.
Behind me, an eerie howl rose from the hills. The hunt had begun.
I raced to the stream and followed it. The water soon soaked my garments and weighted me down, but I kept running. The bushes grew larger here. I could hide. I made the mistake of glancing behind me and caught sight of a muscled figure following me. The warriors must have stripped before starting the hunt. They flowed down the side of the hill, coming faster than I believed possible. Their forms seemed taller, misshapen somehow. I caught a flash of fur as if they were between the forms of man and wolf.
I couldn’t outrun them. I threw myself under a prickly bush and hoped for the best.
The crunch of footsteps came closer.
I darted up, flushed from my hiding place like a desperate bird. One of them growled behind me, and I ran smack into the other.
“Got you, little Willow,” Brokk breathed in my ear.
I screamed, kicking and fighting as he bore me to the ground. Leif had laid a pelt down to cushion my body, but I still struggled. Brokk turned me to my back, roughly, and I calmed somewhat, seeing their handsome faces. They now looked like men, but I’d never forget the sight of them hunting me down in the shape of a wolfish monster.
“You wet your lovely boots,” Leif said.
“No matter,” Brokk rasped. “Take them off.”
They stripped me quickly but with care.
“What now?” I was trembling, frightened and excited at the same time.
“You lost, sweetheart. You owe us a kiss.”
I nodded and moved towards Brokk. He caught my hair in his fist. With a firm but gentle grip, he guided my head down. “Not on my mouth, sweet lass. On my cock.”
I unlaced his breeches. Humming with pleasure, I took him down to the root, my tongue lapping the underside.
“Odin’s staff,” Brokk cursed. I grinned to myself.
“Good lass.” Leif chuckled.
Brokk did his best to hold off, while I did everything I could think of to tempt him. My small hands grasped his giant thighs, holding him captive as my mouth worked over him.
In the end, he spurted so much seed, some dribbled out of my mouth. He wiped it up with his thumb and fed it to me.
“Well done,” Leif said.
Brokk kissed my forehead. I glowed with pride.
“Now.” Leif tugged a lock of my hair. “It is my turn to kiss you.”
I turned on my knees, but Leif eased me down, my back on the pelt, my head in Brokk’s lap.
“I need this belt off,” Leif muttered. Brokk helped him lift me and slide it off. I gasped as the cool air hit my wet nethers.
“She’s a bit cold,” Brokk observed, toying with one of my pointed nipples.
Leif draped my dress over me and dove under it, between my legs.
“What—” I cried out as he kissed the inside of my thigh. His lips worked up towards my pulsing cunny. My legs strained to close, but he held them down. I panted, ready to climax by the time his mouth reached its destination. Brokk restrained me as I writhed, helpless under Leif’s lashing tongue. My heels dug into the ground, back and belly tightening with pleasure. I moaned his name as I came. Once I relaxed, he emerged, wiping his mouth.
“Good game, lass. Shall we play again?”
WE PLAYED “wolves and rabbit” for the rest of the afternoon. I never got to be a wolf. The stakes grew higher, and, after a time, they made me play naked. As soon as I got awa
y from one, the other would catch me, grope me, and kiss my mouth until I gasped.
Once, I refused to run.
“Spank her and put her back in the belt,” Leif suggested, and Brokk tipped me over his knees, turning my bottom red before locking me up. Then he tied my arms around my back and made me march to where Leif waited with the pack.
“We should bind your legs, too,” Leif laughed. “So you have to hop, like a real rabbit.”
“No.” Brokk ran his hand over my bare flesh. “She might hurt herself.”
They had me kneel and fed me their cocks again then had me eat more meat and apples. I sat first on Leif’s, and then Brokk’s lap. For all Brokk’s concern, his fingers were merciless, running up and down from my hips to my breasts, tugging my nipples, kissing my neck, and nuzzling me with his stubble-roughened face.
“Please,” I said when Brokk fondled the slippery flesh around the metal belt.
Again, the warriors released the belt and laid me down on the springy heather.
“You will not touch yourself. Only we may touch,” Brokk told me, and explored each curve and crevice until I writhed and shivered with pleasure.
A smile crossed his stone face when he brought a glistening hand to his mouth and licked his fingers clean.
“My turn.” Leif put his mouth between my legs. My hands dug into his hair until Brokk pried them free and held my wrists down.
Pleasure blossomed, crested, broke. My cries rang out over the heather.
Once Leif finished licking me clean, they tied the belt back in place.
“Your taste is pleasing to me.” Leif wiped his mouth. “Now that we know your scent, you can never run from us. We will track you as easily as a hare over deep snow.”
Body humming with pleasure, I did not protest. I no longer wanted to escape these warriors.
“What will it be like being your mate?” I asked.
“Our minds will link. You’ll connect with us through the bond.” He touched my forehead. “You will hear us speak to you here. You’ll never be able to hide your feelings from us. The three of us will be closer than any other persons on earth. We will share you, forever.”
At this, Brokk rose and walked away.
Leif frowned. “Let us return.”
BROKK
You should not leave us like that, Leif lectured in my head. She thinks you do not want her.
I have not yet decided if I do, brother. I spat the final word.
Leif stayed silent so long, I wished he’d speak and distract me from my painful thoughts.
It was so long ago, he said. I thought you had forgiven me.
I stepped into the forest near the keep to watch Leif and Willow return. She acted nothing like the woman I had loved back in the north lands. She’d never been touched by any other man.
And never will be, Leif said, but we will share her equally.
She likes you better.
You are not handsome when you sulk. Try smiling. Leif slammed the bond shut.
He took Willow down to the lakeshore while I chopped wood. They stripped naked, and their delighted shouts followed the sound of splashing. Her laughter wafted up to the keep. I threw my axe down. Willow, laughing. A few days, and Leif had wooed her, as he intended. Perhaps, tonight, he would lie with her and mark her as his mate. My heart ached as I thought about it. It would be better if he and I had not bonded. Then he could claim her for himself, and they could be happy.
Magic rippled through me at the jealous, desolate thought. The beast, clawing to the surface, ready to fight for what it wanted. It would not allow me to relinquish my mate. It wanted her just as much as Leif did.
I left. Traveling at Berserker speed, I reached the craggy heights well before dusk. The day was clear and fine, and I could see for leagues and leagues. A fog lined the southern horizon, but it was still a long way off.
In the high places, I sometimes found it easier to link to the pack. I reached out, traipsing over the cold stones to find the best place to reach them.
After climbing a tall, slender finger of rock, I caught a familiar echo.
Svein?
Leif? Where are you?
I sent him a picture of the rocky cliffs and the ruined keep where we’d made camp. What of you and Dagg? Are you home?
We are hiding. The Grey Men…escaped them… The Alphas ordered…protect the women… Corpse King’ s magic…blocking the pack bonds…
His voice wavered in and out, but I heard enough.
I am glad you and Dagg are safe. We also met some Grey Men. I did not add how Leif nearly lost control when he called on the Berserker rage and destroyed them. The Corpse King’s magic swept through the village and turned the men into his undead servants. That is why there were so many, so quickly.
Too many to fight…avoid them. The Alphas consult the witch to find a spell...the mage grows stronger…
We are safe, for now. We took the woman Willow, and we will keep her safe. Svein?
Yes?
I couldn’t keep a smile off my face. Have you found your mate?
This time, his message came through clearly. Yes. She is with us now. He sounded proud and tender at the same time. She was frightened, at first, but is very brave. And you?
We have a woman. I fought to keep glee out of my voice. Leif thinks she is the one for us. And so did I, I realized. Otherwise, it would not bother me so much to leave or feel I must compete with Leif for her affection.
What of Rolf and Thorbjorn? I asked.
We have not heard from them. Like us, they may have traveled far to keep their mate safe, or they may be lost. The Alphas don’t know.
And the woman they took?
Her name is Sage.
I felt as if someone had struck me. Sage was Willow’s closest friend. I wanted to deliver good news to Willow.
Thank you for the news, I told Dagg. Can you reach the Alphas? Tell them we are well?
Yes. Their orders are for all of us to make our way to the mountain, but do not engage the Grey Men. Stay safe. Keep together and, whatever you do, watch over your mate.
We will. At all costs. May the moon smile on you.
When I cut off the link from my fellow Berserker, my head throbbed with pain. My beast surged to the fore, giving me strength. I pushed it back, unwilling to risk letting it loose. Staying away from the pack this long was dangerous. Without the Alphas’ stabilizing strength, Leif and I must rely on one another.
I had been wrong, I realized, as I loped down the mountain. Willow belonged to me and Leif. I needed to woo her as he did, so she would laugh and smile with me.
Of course, I didn’t have that skill. When I tried and failed, would she turn from me and find solace in Leif’s arms?
The thought struck me like a dagger. I gritted my teeth.
As I left the mountain, I walked right into a thick mist at the foot of the high rocks. The fog I’d seen creeping up from the south had moved faster than I expected.
Brokk. Brother. Where are you?
Coming. I picked up my pace to outrun the mist.
A full moon rose above my head. I should’ve been excited to claim my woman with my warrior brother.
Instead, I felt only dread.
LEIF
Willow sat by the fire, a flush on her pretty cheeks from a long day in the sun. She wore a small pink rose tucked behind her ear—a gift from me. We spent every moment together, and it would be the best day of my life, bar one detail. Brokk was not there.
My head ached from our separation. I sensed he climbed high where the air grew thin and used much of his energy and reserves to reach out to the Alphas.
He came running, trying to outdistance the strange mist sweeping over the ground. I open the bond and lent him strength.
Come quickly, Brokk. We need you. I’ve managed to keep the beast at bay, but I will need to claim Willow soon. We both will. Why were you gone so long?
You seemed to be enjoying the day well enough without me.
&nb
sp; Brother, how many times do I need to tell you? Together, we are stronger.
Silence. I took a deep breath and continued. In the past century, we have come together to share many things. But I do not forget the woman who tore us apart.
You betrayed me.
I have asked forgiveness. I have tried to atone. I am your brother and fellow warrior. I will always stand by your side.
Brokk’s answer was grudging. We are warriors, comrades in arms.
What about Willow? You know as well as I we must both claim her. Our hold on the beast is too weak. She can heal us. You leave, and it is not fair to Willow.
No, it is not fair to her.
Let her be the bond between us. I sent him an image of our woman, curled up near me, the fine green gown drawing out the color of her eyes. Her rosy cheeks, pale skin, and wealth of dark hair. Add to that her courage, her smiles, and her scent, and she became irresistible.
For once, I did not need a silver tongue or my charm. She could convince my warrior brother to fulfill his destiny, in a way I could not.
Brokk finally answered. If I agree, then you must promise this: we will share her equally or not at all.
I cannot slice her down the middle with my sword.
No. But you will claim her one way, and I another.
I expected him to cut off our connection, and when he did, I went to the wall and waited until his shadow moved over the grass. His control remained strong. He’d outrun the fog and stopped to make a kill. I’d hoped he’d eat with us, he and I feeding Willow bits of choice meat, proving to her we could provide for her. But since he had fed, I left Willow and met him before he stepped into the circle of the fire.
“Brokk, when you say we will both claim her—”
He produced a carved wooden plug, shaped like a bulb, with a narrow stem flaring out again. Another item he’d commissioned at the village, no doubt.
“Willow,” he called. She startled and rose to her feet, a trace of eagerness in her step when he beckoned to her. Brokk planted his hand on the center of my chest and pushed me out of the way. I growled and staggered back. My beast rose up fighting, and I took a moment to compose myself, leaning against the wall in the shadows.