by Tara Rose
“It could have been any of them who got loose,” said Austin.
“But it wasn’t. It was him. The man who went after your sub because he’d realized who she was there with.”
Austin’s gaze was intense. “You didn’t kill her. He did. And she wouldn’t have been there at all if I hadn’t acted like a pretentious prick to begin with.” Austin sighed out loud and then turned his gaze toward Nadine. “That’s not what being a Dom is all about. I’m not like that anymore, and Galatyn was never like that. I’m telling you all this now, up front, because I want you to understand that. I want you to know that we didn’t ask you over here tonight to hurt you, or show you what big, strong, alpha leopards we are. Yes, we’re Doms, but there’s more to that than ordering around a sub or showing her off to prove you’re a male.”
“It’s okay,” said Galatyn. “Relax.”
He shot Galatyn an exasperated look. “I know. But I want Nadine to understand what this isn’t.” Austin clinked his glass against hers. “I want her to know that I think she’s the prettiest jaguar we’ve ever seen.”
She almost smiled at his words, but held it in check because of what he and Galatyn had just revealed. How horrible that they both still blamed themselves for a death that had happened under circumstances neither could have foreseen. The League of Exitium members had existed for centuries, perverting the Alpha Legend for their own dark uses. It was the ancient text by which most jaguar, leopard, and cougar shifters lived their lives, but whereas shape-shifters were dedicated to preserving their own kind, the League’s only purpose was destruction and ruin.
Galatyn shook his head, and then once he took a sip of wine, so did Nadine. Austin still hadn’t broken eye contact, and when he began to speak again, she turned her attention back toward him.
“This isn’t a pathetic attempt to seduce you. This isn’t to hurt your grandfather in any way, and it’s definitely not to hurt you.” She watched him swallow hard, and the air shifted slightly in the house. She could actually feel the weight of a hundred worries projecting from him. “I haven’t wanted to spend time with a girl in five years. Let me rephrase that. I haven’t wanted to spend time doing anything other than playing with a girl in five years. This is a big deal for me. I just wanted you to know that.”
Nadine swallowed against the sudden lump her in her throat as the image of them driving a four-hour round trip just to buy two lavender roses took shape in her mind.
“I don’t have a story like that,” said Galatyn. “I’ve never been that close to a woman. But I echo what Austin said. We’re not going to hurt you or disrespect your honor.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I truly don’t know what to say right now. I feel so…” So what? She had no idea. No. That wasn’t entirely true, either. She knew what she meant, but dare she voice it out loud? “I feel naïve and foolish, if you want to know the truth. I know next to nothing. I go to the dungeon and I walk around, pretending I understand everything I’m seeing, but I’ve never…” She took a deep breath, spurred on by the interested looks on their faces. “I’ve never done anything. I’ve never played and obviously I’m still a virgin.”
“Do you want that to change?” asked Galatyn, quietly. She wasn’t sure if he meant the play or the sex, and wasn’t about to ask. It hardly mattered. The answer to both was “yes.”
She nodded. “Yes, I do.” Nadine swiped at the sudden tears. What was wrong with her? She had no idea why she was crying. Galatyn and Austin both put their wine glasses on the counter and moved toward her at the same time. Galatyn reached her first and gathered her in his arms. Nadine had to bite back a moan at the arousal coursing though her body. She felt safer than she ever had, and she didn’t try to analyze it. She just absorbed it and welcomed it. Whatever the reason for what she’d just said, they’d obviously been the perfect words.
Chapter Four
When Galatyn kissed the top of her head, she smiled and took a couple of deep breaths. The urge to cry passed, and when he released the embrace, he cupped her face and kissed her on the lips. It was only a quick kiss, but it sent her pulse racing and left her wanting much, much more. He moved away and opened the oven door to take out the roasting pan, and Austin pulled her into a tight embrace.
His body felt strong and so warm, and the bulge in his jeans was unmistakable. Nadine’s mind raced with decadent images. Would this night end with sex? She sincerely hoped so. She wanted that, and she hadn’t realized how much until just now. When he released her, he brushed a finger across her face, and she was mesmerized at the depth of emotion in his beautiful eyes. The spell wasn’t broken until Galatyn asked for his help.
While they ate, the men asked her questions about her everyday life here in the village, and somehow through their picking out bits of information and asking her to expound on them, like the fact that she helped her uncle with the books and ordering booze for the bar, and that she was earning an online degree in business management, they made her routine life sound useful and exciting. Nadine took her existence for granted, but within half an hour, these two had her feeling like one of the most intelligent women they’d ever met.
“Is it that unusual to find a female shifter who works for a living and is interested in obtaining a college degree?”
Austin twirled his wine glass by the stem. “Well, yes, it is. Most of them have very traditional views. I’ve met a few who are pursuing a degree, but what they’re really waiting and looking for is their mate.”
“I don’t believe in that.”
“You don’t believe in what, exactly?”
Her face flushed, but it might have been the wine and the temperature in the house. It was warm in here, and she suspected that might be because they’d been cooking dinner for over two hours. “In the idea that each of us has a mate, and we’ll instantly know him or her on sight.”
Austin’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “I’m not sure I do, either, to be honest. At least, not the part that says we can only have one mate for all eternity.”
“I’ve never believed it,” said Galatyn. “And, as you can imagine, ours is not a popular opinion among leopards.”
“Oh, it’s not popular among jaguars, either. Uncle Joaquin’s wife died giving birth to Kirsten. I asked him once whether he’d ever thought of taking another mate, and he fixed me with a cold stare and said, ‘My mate is dead.’ I never asked him again. The very idea of what I’d suggested was repulsive to him.”
The corners of Austin’s mouth turned up. “I have to say this. Forgive me. Obviously Kirsten doesn’t share her father’s beliefs, then.”
Nadine laughed. “No forgiveness necessary. I sometimes wonder how they both produced a daughter like Kirsten. From what everyone has told me about my aunt, she was as dour and old-fashioned as my uncle.”
“Maybe Kirsten is hurting inside?” asked Galatyn. “It couldn't have been easy being raised by her father, with no mother around to talk to about girl things.”
Nadine nodded. Her heart gave a little lurch at how Galatyn had picked up on that. Most men she’d met wouldn’t have realized such a thing could affect a girl for life. “I suppose that could be true. When my mother was still around she spent enough time with us, but it’s not like she was a warm, caring person or did the girl-talk thing with either of us.” Nadine stopped and bit her lip. The urge to cry was strong again, and she didn’t want to do that.
Galatyn covered her hand, and she drew strength from his warmth. “At the party, you said she left. How old were you when that happened?”
“Fourteen. My powers emerged a bit later than usual.”
“Do you know where she is now?”
She shook her head. “She left in the middle of the night. I found the note the next morning when I got up for school. All it said was that she couldn’t handle living with shifters anymore, and she had no clue how to raise a shifter daughter, so she was leaving. It didn’t say where she was going, and we’ve never heard from her.”
“Did you ever try to find her?” asked Austin, gently.
Nadine nodded. “For close to four years. The reason I became so comfortable using a computer was because I realized how easy it was to search for someone online. But she must have changed her name because she’s totally off the grid as Annie Richardson or Annie Norton, her maiden name.”
Austin and Galatyn exchanged a quick glance, and before either of them spoke again, Nadine pulled her hand away from Galatyn’s and held up both of hers. “No. Don’t do it. Please. If she wanted to be found she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide. She wouldn’t have left her fourteen-year-old daughter simply because she was what she was born to be. If she hated us so much, why did she marry my father in the first place?”
“I don’t know,” said Austin.
“You talk about Kirsten being raised without a mother, but what you don’t understand is that I might as well have been, too. She was never there for me, and when I really needed her, she left.”
“I’m sorry,” said Galatyn, taking her hand again. “I can’t imagine what that was like.”
Austin took her other one. “We will honor your wishes. We won’t search for her. I promise.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t want this evening to turn into a “poor-poor-pitiful Nadine” event, and she felt like she’d said too much already. So she pulled her hands away again and rose to stack the dishes. “I’ll clean up.”
“You don’t have to do that,” said Galatyn.
“I don’t mind.” She didn’t really expect two men to start rinsing off dishes but that’s exactly what they did. Nadine wasn’t used to seeing that. Even in his own bar, Uncle Joaquin didn’t wash glasses or do much in the way of cleaning up unless it got really busy, and Nadine or Kirsten couldn’t keep up. Working side-by-side with Galatyn and Austin felt so normal that Nadine pushed the memories of her mother back into the deep, dark hole where she kept them under lock and key most of the time.
Who were these leopards that they’d been able to break that lock in one night and loosen her lips in such a way? She had an urge to tell them every single memory she possessed, and that was so unlike her, that she wondered whether they’d cast a spell on her. But whatever the reason, this was the most enjoyable evening she’d had in a very long time.
And they’d opened up to her, too. That meant they trusted her. She wouldn’t forget that, no matter how this night turned out. “I can’t thank you both enough for dinner. It was fabulous. Where did you learn to cook like that?”
“Our paternal grandparents own a catering business,” said Galatyn.
That was so unexpected, she put down the glass she’d been washing and glanced at Galatyn. “Really? So they make the food themselves, then?”
“Yep. We all helped while growing up, and my two sisters still live at home and work for them now.” He frowned slightly. “Simon and Celestine were supposed to eventually take over the business from them.”
“I’m sorry. This seems to be my night for bringing up painful subjects.”
He shook his head before she’d finished speaking. “Please don’t apologize. Again, you couldn’t have known that. And you have some painful memories of your own to deal with, at any rate.”
“Everyone does. That’s part of life.”
Once the dishwasher was loaded, Nadine felt self-conscious for the first time since coming into this house. Dinner was over. Should she change into her club wear here, or wait until they went next door? Did they still want to take her next door?
Austin glanced at the clock on the stove. “Are you ready to go play?”
She nodded. She’d been ready since they’d asked her last night at the party.
“Do you want to change your clothes here?”
If she did, she could take her time and make sure everything looked just right, without knowing that someone else might be waiting to use the room she was in. “Here, please.”
Austin waved a hand toward the foyer. “This way. You can use one of the spare bedrooms upstairs.”
She grabbed her bag on the way up the stairs, and wished her damn legs would stop shaking. There was no reason to feel so nervous. It was only a play date. Hadn’t they implied that at dinner when they’d assured her that they weren’t out to hurt her? They’d also said they wouldn’t compromise her honor, or something along those lines. Surely that had been a roundabout way of saying they had no intention of taking her virginity, hadn’t it?
“Come downstairs when you’re finished.”
“Thank you.” She watched them each open a door to rooms that were bathed in soft light. Just before they closed them, the smell of leather and vanilla wafted out into the hallway. Nadine breathed it in for a few seconds, letting the familiar scents calm her. The dungeon always smelled like that, in addition to sweat and coconut oil. She would be among friends and neighbors tonight. Everything would be all right, and she’d have a wonderful time.
She dressed quickly then removed her earrings. She never wore them in the dungeon because someone had once told her that any jewelry other than a collar or ring a Dom or Master had given her was considered intrusive. She had no idea if that was true or not, but she wasn’t taking any chances tonight. Besides, these were rather large earrings and she didn’t want to get them caught on anything.
Nadine stood in front of the mirror over the dresser and turned sideways, then tried to glance over her shoulder to see what she looked like from behind. This was it. No turning back now. Was this really going to happen? A thrill ran through her at the sound of both men talking in the hallway as they made their way downstairs. It was time to join them. With her pulse racing, she grabbed her bag and made her way toward the stairs.
* * * *
There were a few people already in the Jargonian house, including Stephen, Micah, and Valerie. The rest of them were people that Nadine knew, but only as passing acquaintances. She’d seen all of them here before, but tonight she was more anxious than she’d ever been. Did it show? Austin and Galatyn led her toward Micah, Stephen, and Valerie, and while the men made small talk, Valerie apologized to Nadine for rushing out of the house next door earlier.
“You don’t owe me an apology. I know you probably needed to get home to them. It’s all right.”
“How was dinner? It smelled divine.”
“It was. They’re good cooks.”
Valerie gave her a thoughtful look. “Are you all right? You look like you’re ready to jump out of your skin.”
She cut her gaze toward the men, but they were deep in conversation. “I’m really nervous. I’ve never actually played before.”
Valerie surprised her by giving her a quick hug. “It’ll be fine. Stephen and Micah trust them both, so you have nothing to worry about.”
Nadine wanted to ask a hundred questions, but Stephen and Micah moved in front of Valerie and held out their arms. She took them, one on each side, and Nadine watched the three of them head for the basement stairs. She caught the combined scents of Austin and Galatyn just before they moved on either side of her and held out their arms in identical gestures. Nadine laughed nervously as she took their arms.
Both men looked so incredibly sexy in their leather pants and open vests that she could barely breathe as it was. How was she going to get though this evening? They descended the stairs behind everyone else, and just before they reached the bottom, Austin leaned close to her left ear and whispered, “Relax.”
She smiled and nodded. “Okay. Um, is there something I should call you both tonight?”
“Do you want to call us by a title?” asked Galatyn.
She had assumed they’d want her to, not that she’d be given a choice in the matter. “I would feel more…” More what? Comfortable? No, that wasn’t exactly right. “I’d feel like I belonged here if I did.”
They both stopped moving. “You belong here as much as anyone does.” She glanced up into Galatyn’s handsome face, and suddenly it hit her where she was and with whom. She wasn’t a
schoolgirl any longer. She was a woman, and these two leopards were about to help her indulge in fantasies that she’d had for years.
“Thank you.”
“But since it would make you feel more comfortable, call us both ‘Sir’ while we’re in the dungeon tonight.”
“All right. I will do that, Sir.”
She smiled as a rush of endorphins flooded her body. Sir. She was a sub to both of them, at least for the next couple of hours. This was finally real in a way it had never been before. She wanted to please them both and do everything right. She didn’t want them to regret being with her tonight.
As Nadine stared into Galatyn’s eyes, she made a decision. If this night progressed to sex, she’d welcome it. She’d take that leap, and jump feetfirst into the mystery and beauty of physical intimacy with a man. With two men, actually.
She didn’t care what might happen next week, or next month. She only wanted this night, with its promise of play and the possibility of losing her virginity to these two leopards. She trusted them. She was drawn to them. And it didn’t matter that she understand or define the how or why of that. What mattered was that she trust her instincts, as she always had, and just go with it.
Chapter Five
Nadine curled her hands tighter around Austin and Galatyn’s arms as they crossed the threshold into the dungeon. The familiar scents of leather, coconut, and vanilla made her feel grounded. She’d been here before. She could do this. She glanced around, looking for Valerie. She was already half naked, and Micah was tying her with soft-looking rope to a St. Andrews cross against one wall.
She glanced at Austin and Galatyn in turn, wondering if they were going to take the lead or expected her to, but didn’t have to wait long to find out. Austin leaned close to her ear again, and this time his presence and warm breath caused her clit to throb. “Do you want to walk around or try something right away?”