by Jools Louise
Then he smiled to himself, thinking about what Skull had said, and the wry wink the man had sent when David hadn’t been looking. At least they had one ally. Skull was pretty cool. Maybe when Murray was bigger, he’d get to be a deputy sheriff, too.
Chapter Ten
David cheered loudly, watching Sketch careen around the basketball hall, bouncing the ball and steering his wheelchair around his opponents. The game being played was the last event of the day, and the hall was packed. School was finished for the day, and he would ordinarily have been sitting beside his whole class. Unfortunately, three members were grounded until the next day and would only be let out for school and one event, then sent home. They’d had to choose the event, and had all wanted to watch the guided running, where Douglas was competing.
“He’s a natural at the whole escape-and-evade, and kick-ass thing,” Skull drawled, sipping on a huge cup of iced tea.
David grinned at his mate and nudged him gently with his shoulder. “Yeah, he’s enjoying the mayhem just a little much, given his leg injury and the possibility of more broken bones.”
“The man’s certifiably human,” Kaden cut in, laughing as they watched Sketch whoop for joy as he scored another basket. Sketch’s team was made up of two of John’s Special Forces buddies and two ex-marines who both had prosthetic legs courtesy of conflicts in Afghanistan. The five were having a whale of a time against their shifter counterparts, which included John, Joe, Mick, Rafe, and Murphy. The Two Spirit team was having to hustle to keep up since Sketch’s guys were in the lead. David just knew his lover would be milking the victory for days. Unless John decided he’d had enough of the teasing and ate him.
The final whistle blew, with raucous cheering and whistling from the stands. Sketch did a victory lap around the court, intent on winding his opponents up. David watched as John and Mick exchanged looks, and leapt from his seat to go and rescue Sketch before his mate ended up in trouble.
He needn’t have bothered. The referee, Archie, sent the pair of shifters a warning look and pointed for them to leave the hall, warning that they’d both be banned if they started anything.
“Archie, he’s being obnoxious,” John protested, pouting.
“John, you were even worse after you won in the wheelchair rugby event,” Archie shot back, not impressed. “Now scram so the next game can begin. If you want to share your feelings, go talk to Dr. Phil.”
“Leave my mate alone, John,” David called when John hesitated, eyeing Sketch with a look that boded of retaliation.
“Yeah, John,” Kaden drawled, standing, as well, looking tough and intimidating in a black muscle shirt and black jeans, his shaggy blond hair loose, rough stubble adorning his chin. “If you want a proper contest, against someone who is not physically impaired right now, pick on someone your own size.” He showed his fangs and snapped them tauntingly. “I do believe it’s you and I teamed up in a wrestling match later.”
“I’ll be there, kitty,” John retorted, rubbing his hands together. “It wouldn’t be a proper contest anyway, even if Sketch weren’t in a chair. He’s challenged anyway, given his puny weakling size.”
Sketch burst out laughing at that and flipped the Brit off. “Dude, once I’m fully signed off and declared fit for duty, I’ll take you on. And if you’re worried about size, my three mates have no problems in that department,” he added, gripping his crotch suggestively.
“Put that away, stud,” Mick said dryly. “Before someone mistakes it for a wiener and dies laughing.”
Even David laughed at that one. “Mick, sweetie, there’s certainly no confusion for me or my sexy mates,” he retorted. “If your prowess were anything like Sketch’s, you’d understand.”
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to meet Jamie’s laughing protest. Jamie was Mick’s mate, and a good friend. David grimaced, screwing up his nose at his gaffe. “Sorry, Jamie,” he said.
Jamie laughed and sent a loving look to his mate, who began to preen under the younger man’s approving gaze. “Trust me, David, Mick’s more than enough for me to handle,” he said with a grin. “I’m thinking that you having three mates all to yourself must mean you’re a little more of a handful.”
David lifted his fist, and the pair bumped knuckles with a laugh. “I had to go one better than Archie, who only managed to snare two mates,” he said, and heard his friend’s guffaw.
“Laugh it up, guys, laugh it up,” Archie shot back, but he was grinning. “Don’t forget, we’ll just see who’s got it tomorrow, when we get into the saddle. It’s the first cross-country event. I hope you’ve been practicing.”
David smirked at his friend. “I’ll try not to beat you too badly,” he said. “But you’ll still be eating my dust.”
“Bring it on, loser,” Archie called back.
David laughed and filtered out of the hall with Kaden and Skull, waving to Archie. “Oh, he’s going down,” he said, shaking his head.
* * * *
Kaden yawned, stretching tiredly as he entered the cottage that was beginning to feel a lot like home. He spied his lovers, sharing the long brown leather couch in the living room, watching a movie from the Star Wars franchise.
“Hey, Kaden.” David smiled, sitting at one end of the couch with his legs stretched comfortably over Skull’s and Sketch’s. Skull was massaging David’s feet, and Sketch had his arm around Skull, feeding the wolverine shifter popcorn. Actually, Sketch was throwing popcorn up in the air and Skull was catching it with his mouth.
“Hey, guys,” Kaden greeted, and leaned down to kiss David warmly. “Hmmm, this is a nice surprise. I figured you’d all be in bed right now.”
“What took you so long?” Skull asked, leaning in to join the kiss. He tasted of butter and salt and his own unique spice. “We thought you’d be back hours ago.”
“Yeah, so did I,” Kaden said with a sigh, and perched on the arm of the couch, dragging his fingers through his hair. “I needed to talk to Ryder, Cracker, and Sherman about our friend Clancy.”
“How are the young hyenas doing?” David asked with concern, hooking his arm around Kaden’s neck and nuzzling his lips gently. Kaden sighed, enjoying the attention, sinking into the warmth of his mate’s loving.
“They’re about how you’d expect, given their own kin just tried to kill them both,” Kaden said grimly. He lost his thought process as David swept his tongue along the crease of his lips, then sucked on Kaden’s tongue hungrily. Swiftly, Kaden dragged off his T-shirt and slid his jeans off. He stood there naked, flexing a little under his mates’ admiring gazes.
David was eyeing his thick cock avidly, and under the man’s intent blue gaze, Kaden went from semi-plump to fully aroused in about three seconds flat. He raised one knee, holding David’s gaze, and tapped the spongy head of his dick against his lover’s open mouth. David opened wider invitingly, and Kaden slid home. Both of them moaned with delight, and Kaden had to fight for control as his beautiful lover swept his warm, wet tongue inside his piss slit, scooping up the little beads of precum that oozed to the surface. Skull growled low, kneeling now and straddling David’s thighs. He held David’s head as Kaden began to shallowly fuck his mate’s face.
“Here, let’s tag-team,” Skull said huskily. He stripped off quickly and presented his dick.
David laughed a little as the two fought for supremacy, and ended up with cum smeared over his cheeks, humming with pleasure as he sucked first Kaden, then Skull off. Once the lovers got a rhythm going, they kissed over David’s head, mashing mouths together as they took turns at David’s hungry mouth.
“Move up a little, beauty,” Sketch told Skull, maneuvering Skull up David’s body until the younger man was draped over the arm of the sofa, his head between Kaden’s legs as his two lovers fucked down into his mouth. Kaden watched as Sketch lifted David’s butt a little, then began stretching his lover’s hole with two thick fingers. David moaned helplessly, causing little tremors along Kaden’s dick. He held on, not wanting to come to
o soon, but gave it up as his balls drew up. He exploded all over David’s face. Roaring out his pleasure, Kaden trembled as he moved back, giving Skull more room as the wolverine shifter hopped off the couch and took Kaden’s position, slamming his cock fervently between David’s swollen lips.
“Lie flat,” Kaden murmured to Sketch, dragging the man up for a kiss as the big human slid home, deep inside David’s quivering chute. Moving in behind Sketch, he slapped the man’s gorgeous ass gently, then repeated the move over and over until Sketch was moaning fluidly and shoving his hips back for more smacks, his cast-covered leg touching the floor and his knee propping him up as he fucked David with slow, steady thrusts.
Kaden shoved two saliva-coated fingers into Sketch’s ass, then scissored them swiftly. He spied the lube, smeared a dollop onto his dick, and paid special attention to Sketch’s crease. Thrusting in and out with his fingers, Kaden nailed Sketch’s prostate with each hit, and Sketch was soon babbling, his thrusts erratic and jerky.
“Such a scorching ass,” Kaden said approvingly, slapping Sketch’s butt cheeks once more, and then replaced his fingers with his cock and drove in with one hard punch. Sketch wailed, his head thrown back in a glorious display of passionate supplication, his face contorted into a tapestry of need. “I want you to feel this for days,” Kaden said with a snarl. He powered up, giving no quarter as he took his mate the way he’d wanted to since they’d met. Sketch keened, arching his back, wedged deep inside David but not moving, lost in Kaden’s hard, powerful thrusts.
David cried out, the noise muffled by Skull’s cock. Kaden heard Skull’s deep-throated groan, and the smell of spunk intensified as he lost his load. Leaning forward, Kaden hooked his arm around Skull’s neck and dragged him forward for a smooch, still powering into Sketch’s succulent hole. He felt a hand reach between his legs, then his balls were squeezed gently, and he looked down into Sketch’s lust-filled brown eyes. His fangs elongated as he snarled, and he lurched forward, releasing thick ropes of his seed into Sketch’s clenching chute, claiming his lover once more, cementing their bond. Sketch bucked beneath him, shoving his dick deeper into David, and the pair both came hard, writhing in ecstasy as they climaxed. Panting, Kaden shuddered as his cock softened, and he withdrew carefully, enjoying the sight of Sketch’s swollen, cum-filled hole oozing as it overflowed. He admired the deep wounds in Sketch’s shoulder, as well, evidence of their connection.
Kaden groaned as his cock began to fill again. He gripped Sketch’s shoulder firmly, then held him in place as he slid back inside his lover’s warm, moist chute and thrust slowly, eyes closed as he savored the addictive sensations that surrounded him. Sketch moaned, lifting up slightly, and moved in sync, pushing back against Kaden with each in-stroke and sinking inside David as he reversed.
Skull moved behind Kaden, lubing up as he closed in, smacked Kaden’s ass sharply, once, and then, with no other foreplay, thrust deep into Kaden. Crying out at the burning heat that ripped up his spine, Kaden gave a loud, deep roar, announcing his pleasure to the world. Skull pinched his nipples brutally, and Kaden choked out a groan, then found a new rhythm when his mate took over as power top, fucking all three of his mates as he headed the daisy chain.
The quartet spent several minutes lost in their carnal aerobics. Then they lost it again before collapsing in a sated, spunked-out heap and cuddling drowsily.
“So glad we waited up,” David said with a laugh, his entire body trembling in the afterglow, his skin hot and moist, his ass well fucked. “Remind me to do this more often.”
Kaden murmured softly, then kissed Sketch luxuriously and slid from the man’s warm chute again. He slapped Sketch’s ass as he padded toward the bathroom. “Last one there gets critter duty tomorrow,” he shouted. He laughed as he heard the scrambling of two of his competitive mates trying to get out of babysitting an entire class of fuzz butts while David competed in the first of the equine events, the four-mile cross-country trials.
* * * *
David kept his body aligned to the big Appaloosa stallion’s as it thundered over the grassy track toward the next obstacle. He had no idea of his time, but he was happy to have this, just him and the horse, as they followed the winding and gently sloping four-mile course through Two Spirit Ranch’s woods. The day was wet and a little windy, and in the trees it was dark, the sun obscured behind thick, gunmetal-gray clouds and the canopy of leaves above. The track was approximately six feet wide and wound through the trees in a wide arch, circling through acres of varying terrain, with jumps set up intermittently.
As he neared the first jump, he saw a small group of familiar shifters, in furry form, dancing around excitedly. He slowed and came to a halt just before the jump, eyeing the five miscreants with a stern eye.
“Where’s Skull?” he asked, feeling the stallion jump a little when Murray ran up, almost under the horse’s hooves, startling the poor horse.
Murray shifted and grinned up at David. “We lost him,” he said. “We changed our minds about watching the running and decided to watch the horses instead.”
Blue wandered over and shifted also, looking decidedly unrepentant at evading his babysitters once again. David preempted their excuses and pointed at each little critter in turn. The sixth gang member appeared from the bushes, dragging up his pants. Moe grinned at him sheepishly, and David looked to the heavens, asking for guidance. “Walk,” he ordered, pointing ahead. “We’ll complete the course together, where I can see you.”
The children hesitated, eyeing each other as though contemplating a rebellion. David dismounted and took hold of the reins, then clicked his fingers imperatively. The kids scrambled, shifting and moving forward in their feline forms. He helped them around the obstacle. He knew there was a trail that cut through the woods farther on, leading back to the start line. David gave up on finishing the course and resigned himself to a disqualification. Instead, he decided to turn the walk into a biology lesson, a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get to compete. He’d been looking forward to this event. He loved riding and didn’t get nearly enough time to indulge himself.
“We’re tired,” Candy whined after about a kilometer. Sighing, David lifted her into the saddle, then urged her to cling onto the pommel carefully. They continued walking, and before too long, the rest of the escape artists had clambered aboard the horse, as well, enjoying their elevation as they chattered and giggled in excitement.
“David, are we nearly there yet?” Murray asked for about the hundredth time.
“No,” David replied, losing patience slightly. “We’ve only walked about a mile.”
“I’m hungry,” Blue wailed, pouting.
“Then maybe you should have stayed with Skull and had lunch with the others. This might teach you to stay where you’re supposed to be,” David responded, more sharply than he’d intended, silencing all six children instantly.
“You’re mad at us, aren’t you?” Moe asked after a long pause.
David shot him a look, biting back a grin at the sight of the six little ones perched atop the big horse, four naked as jaybirds since they kept shifting back and forth. “I’m disappointed that you ignored me yet again and decided to make your own rules,” David said, frowning slightly. “You know the reason we grounded you all, and you made a promise that you would listen in the future. You could have been hurt if a rider hadn’t seen you, or if you’d spooked one of the horses and a rider got injured.”
“We just wanted to see you ride,” Murray said plaintively.
“The point is that you all agreed on your punishment,” David replied quietly. “You made a promise, and you broke your promise. Again. You disrespected Skull by not telling him where you were going, and he’s probably worried sick now, in case you’ve been hurt.” He pinned Murray with a hard glance. “Remember what happened at the swimming complex?”
Murray flushed at that and ducked his head, looking remorseful for the first time. Before he could reply, they had approached the first water j
ump, around a bend in the trail, which had a small group of people around it. David gritted his teeth, recognizing them as students from the college he had attended when seeking to complete his master’s degree in education. What the hell were they doing here? They had no good reason to be at the tournament, since they were dismissive of all things shifter. He had quit the course after their nasty, bigoted behavior because he was a shifter and gay. He loved teaching and had no desire to remain at a college that appeared to not care that students such as these were allowed to bully others. The children, sensing a problem, shifted to their furry forms and kept silent, thankfully.
He had no choice but to approach the group, and made to go around them, following a narrow trail that skirted the shallow band of water, preceded by a six-foot gate and two smaller jumps.
“Well, if it isn’t our little butt-loving gay boy,” one of the students sneered. “What is this? A school for perverts and freaks?” He eyed the children, now in shifter form, who sat nervously now on the horse.
David ignored the man, rolling his eyes at the pathetically predictable spiel. Didn’t the guy have any better vocabulary? He guessed all that running around with meth heads must have affected his brain cells. Although, from what David remembered, he hadn’t had too many to begin with. Straight Ds in most of his subjects. Not exactly an academic. Clearly, he wasn’t brain of America.
The group of eight students surrounded David, menacing and malicious, calling him names and closing in as he tried to push through. He dropped the reins, praying the horse didn’t spook. He didn’t want the children to be hurt.
“This is Two Spirit land, moron,” David said, glaring fiercely at the lead idiot, Colin, who had thinning blond hair, a burgeoning beer belly, and an ugly expression on his face. “The only freaks and perverts here appear to be you eight dickwads.”