by Kim Fox
“There is nothing that I would change about you,” Karl said, inching closer to her. “I’d throw every one of your clothes into the fire but your body is just fucking perfect. You’re amazing, and beautiful, and sexy as hell.”
Layla’s heart began speeding up at their words. It was pounding in her chest.
She looked down at her almost empty wine glass and grinned. She was a bit too tipsy and she always lost her verbal filter when she was too tipsy. “When Camilla was asking me those questions, I was hoping that she would ask me what my favorite shape was.”
Karl tilted his head, looking confused.
“It’s a triangle,” she said, downing the rest of her wine in one gulp. “Or triad as I like to call it.”
Karl shifted his chair in front of her. “You know about triads?” he asked.
Layla licked her lips and shook her head. “No, but I’d like to learn.” She smiled at Slate as he leaned in. “Would you boys like to teach me?”
Karl reached down and took her foot in his strong hands as Slate stood up and walked around to her back. Karl slid off her flip flop and began rubbing the arch of her foot with his strong fingers. She moaned as Karl worked and Slate stepped forward, sliding his powerful hands onto her shoulders. She closed her eyes and moaned as Karl massaged her feet and Slate massaged her back and shoulders. Oh, good. I’ve stumbled into heaven.
There were so many strong hands on her at once. It was only a massage but it felt so erotic.
“You want to know about the triad?” Karl asked with a raspy voice. “We can tell you all about it.”
Slate ran his fingertips down her back and her body erupted in warm shivers. Holy Crappucino these guys know how to use their hands.
“How about you show me all about it?” she said rolling her head forward as Slate rubbed her neck with his strong, skilled hands.
Karl glanced up at Slate with a pleading look on his handsome face as he slid his fingers between Layla’s toes. His honey colored eyes were glazed and shining, looking hotter than ever.
The wine, action packed day, late hour, and the magical hands relaxing her, were all starting to hit her big time. Her eyes were drooping closed and as much as she tried to keep them open, she couldn’t.
Don’t you dare fall asleep on me! Twins for fucks sake, Layla. Twins!
Layla fought to keep her eyes open but they weren’t cooperating. The hands all over her were relaxing her too much and all of that wine was flowing through her veins. Before she knew it, her chin was drooped onto her chest and her eyes were closed, drifting off to a dreamland that was occupied by more twins.
She drifted in and out of sleep with quick flashes of reality popping in and out between short spurts of darkness. Strong, muscular arms cradling her. Warm skin. Whispering. The smell of smoke. A door opening. Soft bed. Pillow. Blankets. Kiss on her cheek. Kiss on her forehead. Safe. Comfy. Darkness.
She woke up a few hours later with a dry mouth. The bathroom was too far. It was only a few steps away but it might as well have been separated by a desert.
I’m in love. One of her twins had left a big glass of water on the nightstand. She sat up in bed with a wine headache and chugged the whole glass. They had also left a bottle of Advil there too. Thoughtful boys.
She popped two and laid back in the comfy bed. She wondered if this was Karl’s cabin or Slate’s. But it didn’t matter. She liked them both equally.
She curled back up in the bed, pulling the soft sheets up to her neck. There was a sexy, rugged scent on the sheets and it made her think of the twins. She began fantasizing about both of them, wondering what it would feel like to make love to two men at the same time.
She drifted back to sleep with a smile on her lips.
Karl trapped Slate the next morning, holding the only coffee pot out of his reach. “Answer me,” Karl said.
Slate just sighed, holding his empty mug like Oliver Twist holding his empty bowl. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “It was nice. I’ll admit it.”
Karl took a breath of relief and handed his brother the coffee pot. So it wasn’t just him. It had felt so natural with the three of them last night and he was thrilled to know that Slate had felt it too. Maybe he would accept the triad after all.
“It felt natural, right?” Karl asked as Slate poured the coffee. “Because that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re made to complete the triad.”
Karl could feel it last night; his and Slate’s bears were perfectly in sync as they had their hands all over Layla. They still hadn’t bonded to her yet but Karl could sense that she was the one. And if Karl and his bear had been feeling it, Slate must have been too.
“Tell me you felt it,” Karl pressed when Slate didn’t answer. “Our bears were on the same page. I could feel it.”
Slate just sighed. “Can I have my fucking coffee before you start badgering me?” He huffed out a breath as he turned and walked away.
“Slate!” Karl called out.
He turned with an annoyed look on his face. “What?”
Karl grinned. “You forgot to put sugar in.”
Slate laughed. “I hate you,” he said as he walked over with a smile.
Karl poured the sugar into his mug and mixed it for him with a spoon. “I hate you too, brother.”
Thorn walked over with Scrappy at his side. The pup was getting bigger, filling out into those big paws of his. “Good morning, boys,” he said. “Any big plans for work today?”
Royal appeared out of nowhere. “I have a big mountain of shit for them to shovel,” he said with a big grin.
Slate put his palm up. “I don’t want to hear about what goes on in your personal bathroom, Royal.”
Royal laughed. “Cow shit, you idiot. And it’s got your name on it.”
“I thought that we’d help Tyler with the horses,” Karl said. “He’s going to need a hand settling them in.”
Thorn narrowed his eyes as he looked from twin to twin. “Fine. But I want you two working on something soon.”
Karl’s eyes darted to Slate’s cabin as the front door opened and Layla walked out, looking a little hung over but still as beautiful as ever. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail showing the smooth curve of her neck. Karl had a hard time focusing on anything as she smiled at Camilla who was lounging by the fire. He swallowed hard as she approached, getting hypnotized by the rhythm of her hips.
“Good morning, Layla,” Thorn said as she arrived. “Did you sleep well?”
“A little too well,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “Three or four bottles of wine usually have that effect on me.”
“Welcome to The Clawed Ranch,” Royal said with a laugh. “Where no one leaves sober.”
“Hey, Layla!” Stetson called out from behind the oven. “How do you like your eggs?”
She glanced at Karl and Slate. “Fertilized,” she whispered under her breath, giggling to herself.
Royal laughed. “You know that we can all hear you, right?”
She stepped back, turning a crimson red. “I keep forgetting that part.”
The horses arrived just in time to save her any more embarrassment. All heads turned to the gravel road as the trucks arrived carrying the new members of the Clawed Squad. Tyler and Thorn rushed over to meet the drivers.
Karl stepped towards Layla taking a deep breath of her sweet scent. She smelled like a rose. A rose doused in alcohol maybe but it still got his heart pumping.
Slate handed her a coffee and she smiled. “Sorry I fell asleep last night,” she said, still looking embarrassed. “Just as things were starting to get interesting.”
“It will get interesting again later,” Slate said with a wink.
She smiled shyly as she took a sip of her coffee. “Can we go see the horses?” she asked, watching the trucks as they drove up to the stables.
Camilla joined the three of them as they walked. “Camilla bought all of these horses for us,” Karl said. “And she paid for the stables to be built.”
> Camilla waved him off. “It was my pleasure. But I get first pick! I always wanted a horse.”
Thorn and Tyler were unloading the horses when they arrived. Royal, Stetson, and Kylee quickly caught up.
“This is quite the life you guys have up here,” Layla said, looking around the ranch. “Horses, mountains, cattle. Not one office or fax machine in sight. It really is pretty perfect.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you want,” Karl said.
“As long as you want,” Slate repeated, emphasizing the long.
“Thanks, guys,” she said, grinning as she walked away from them into the stables. “I just might take you up on that.”
Slate and Karl looked at each other with wide smiles. Karl raised his hand for a high five but Slate left him hanging, shaking his head as he followed her inside.
Karl sighed and walked in after them.
Layla walked up to Tyler’s still face and waved her hand in front of his glowing eyes. “Hellooooo,” she said. “Are you in there?”
His eyes faded back to normal and he grinned as he looked down at her. “Can I help you?”
“Were you taking over the horses?” Layla asked.
“Channeling them?” Tyler replied. “No. I was just feeling their energies. I’m trying to find the one that I can connect with the best.”
“Feeling their energies?” Layla asked. She had so much to learn.
Tyler nodded. “I can release my mind into the energy field around us and see the energy patterns of every animal. When I channel an animal, I just slip into their energy pattern and then I can override it.”
“Could you see my energy?” she asked. Is that a stupid question?
“I could,” he said with a nod. “You have beautiful energy. Very pure. Very clean.”
She smiled and began to flush at the weird compliment. “What about those two?” she asked, motioning to Karl and Slate with her head. “Are they pure evil?” It was a joke but Tyler’s face became serious.
“Those two have the exact same energy patterns,” he said. “They’re perfectly synchronized.”
“You can see all that?” she asked. “What does it look like?”
He took a deep breath and bit his lip as he tried to explain it. “It’s like watching pure forms of light,” he said. “But only infinitely more beautiful.”
“Oh, right,” she said with a laugh. “I know exactly what you’re talking about.”
Tyler chuckled. “There’s one more thing,” he whispered. “Your energy pattern is syncing up with theirs. I’ve seen that before. I think you’ll be their mate.”
Her eyes popped open so much that she was worried they were going to fly across the room. “Like mate, mate?”
Tyler nodded. “Like mate, mate. It’s natural for shifter twins to take on the same mate. When a shifter bonds with their mate their energy fields join forever. That’s what creates the intensity of the bond. You become one energy field. You won’t be able to see it, but I can. You’ll just feel it as love, trust, dedication, and devotion.”
“So why both of them?” Layla asked, trying to keep up.
“Same energy pattern,” he said. “The three of you will link together. And you’ll complete the-”
“Triad,” she interrupted, finishing his sentence for him.
“Exactly,” he said with a nod. “Just remember. If any of the members resists the triad for too long, it will disrupt the energy pattern of the three. And then none of you will ever experience that magical bond.”
This was all a little too heavy to deal with before breakfast. Threesomes and bonds and energy fields.
“I hope that I didn’t tell you too much,” he said with a comforting smile. “When it all works out it will be the most wonderful thing that you’ve ever experienced.”
All of those muscles and soft lips…of course it will be.
“Thanks, Tyler,” she said, holding her elbow. “So, have you picked out a horse?”
Just as she finished her sentence a horse came trotting over. She lowered her head and nuzzled her nose into Tyler’s massive chest. “We chose each other,” he said. “Isn’t that right, Savannah?”
The horse let out a low, contented sigh. The two of them already looked like old friends and Layla couldn’t help but feel like she was intruding. “Thanks, Tyler,” she whispered as she stepped away.
Tyler nodded. “Take her,” he said, pointing to a brown horse in the corner. “I’ve seen both of your energy patterns. You two will get along just fine.”
She thanked him again and then went over to see the horse. She was short like her, and already sniffing the bags of oats, just like she would be doing if she were a horse.
“Hey, horsey,” Layla said and the horse let out a low friendly knicker. She raised her head and pricked her ears in Layla’s direction.
“Made a new friend?” Karl asked as he walked over with Slate. “What’s her name?”
“I don’t know,” Layla said, looking around for a worker. “Maybe we can ask someone.”
“You get to name her,” Slate said. “Pick something.”
Layla bit her lip as she thought about it. “I’m going to name her Beautiful because that’s what she is.”
Beautiful neighed at the sound of her name. “She likes it!” Layla said with a squeal of delight.
“Want to test ride her?” Slate asked.
I want to test ride you two.
Layla grinned. “Let’s do it!”
seven
“Come on, Beautiful,” Layla whispered to her horse as she trotted a little too fast. “Don’t embarrass me in front of my boys and make me rename you Bitch.”
The horse slowed down to an easy trot that Layla could handle but she still gripped onto the saddle with white knuckles. Layla was always clumsy and not very sporty and putting a horse under her made it that much worse.
“You okay back there?” Karl asked, turning around with an easy smile. The twins were ahead, looking like naturals on their horses.
“Great,” she said. “I just hope this thing has airbags.”
Karl chuckled as he turned back, looking at the slow-moving river beside them. They had been exploring the ranch for the past hour, following the curving river’s edge through the spectacular forest. The insects were buzzing and the birds calling overhead. It was a beautiful afternoon and Layla was loving it, even though she was ready for a break.
It was the first time that Slate and Karl had been up this way but they still rode like old pros, easily steering around rocks and under trees, looking like they rode this path every day. Layla, on the other hand, had eaten three spiderwebs, almost slipped off the saddle half a dozen times, and her ass was already raw.
The trees began to thin out and Layla smiled as they walked into a beautiful clearing in the forest. There were colorful wildflowers everywhere, giving the place a magical feel.
“Look at that,” Slate said, pointing ahead. “It looks like an old barn.”
They jumped off their horses and Layla sighed contently as she slid off of hers. “I love you Beautiful, but my ass is killing me right now.”
Layla followed the boys to the barn. Karl opened the large heavy double doors and walked inside. Sunlight was coming in through the slats in the roof lighting up the uneven hardwood floors.
“It’s gorgeous in here,” she said, ignoring the slight smell of rotting wood as she looked around. It was built decades ago before the big box stores flooded the market with crap, back when local talented craftsmen were still around to make custom made iron hinges and handles, wooden carvings, and other little details that made the place so unique.
Layla walked in and could see it immediately. “This would make a beautiful spot for a wedding. Imagine. The bride and groom up here,” she said, pointing to the raised platform in the back of the barn. “The flowers outside, dinner under a tent by the river. A nice acoustic band, candles, ribbons.” Her wedding coordinator instincts were coming back to her. “I wo
uld love to get married here.”
Karl nodded to Slate. “Business development?”
Slate grinned. “I like it. We can spruce it up and start hosting weddings here.”
Karl was looking around, looking like the wheels in his brain were turning. “We’re not too far from the road. I can hear the cars in the distance down there. We can bring the guests in by horse carriage. I think it would work.”
“Imagine in the fall,” Layla said. “The red and yellow leaves. It would be gorgeous.” She clasped her hands together as she pictured herself walking down the aisle in a wedding dress. But who would be her groom?
“This could work,” Slate said, getting excited. “I want to go check out the back.”
He disappeared out the door and Layla turned to Karl with a big smile. “Great idea,” he said, raising his hand for a high five.
She slapped his hand and he held onto her, pulling her in close. Her smile vanished as she held in a breath while her heart pounded. Without a word, he grabbed her by the waist and crushed his body to hers.
“Karl,” she whispered right before he moved his strong hands over the back of her neck and kissed her passionately on the lips. She moaned into his mouth as their tongues caressed and their bodies pressed closer.
She was still breathless when he pulled away, feeling her body tremble as he smiled warmly at her.
“Karl, what about your-”
Slate walked back into the barn. “It’s in pretty good condition,” he said, looking around at the roof, oblivious to the sensual kiss that just occurred between her and his twin.
Layla felt guilty. It was an amazing kiss and it was exactly what she had been waiting for but it felt incomplete for some reason.
Karl looked even more guilty than her. “I’m going to go check on the horses,” he said, walking out of the barn with a lowered gaze.
Slate turned to her with a grin on his devilish lips. “So you’re not just gorgeous,” he said, walking over. “You’re smart too.”
“A smart ass, maybe,” she said, “but smart is a stretch.”