by Sue Lyndon
Jaxon was right, and Wolfe nodded in acknowledgment of his twin’s infuriating wisdom. Wolfe tended to act without thinking sometimes, and now that they had a little slave who would soon become their mate, he needed to consider his actions more carefully going forward.
Damn Jaxon and his patience. How his brother had been alone with the beautiful girl for days and not claimed her on his own already was beyond Wolfe’s grasp, but he was glad Jaxon had waited in order that they could claim her together. What a heady experience that would be, when they joined with her at once and the mating bond sealed them to her for all time. He realized she wouldn’t feel the bond, but he was confident she would like them well enough. Life here in the abundant forest at the base of the mountain, with two Banded men as mates, couldn’t be worse than her life as a slave in a human village.
“I will be mindful of Ava’s needs, brother. I will hold off on the bunna root, for now. Well, probably.” He gave Jaxon a wry grin and waved him upstairs.
Jaxon grabbed a piece of berry pie their mother had made and headed up the steps. Wolfe fixed a large plate of food for Ava, including a bowl of vegetable soup—another item their mother had dropped off recently—and ascended the steps, anxious to finally be alone with Ava for the first time. She’d been a prominent feature in his dreams and she likely had no idea.
He opened the door quietly to find her standing at the water basin in the corner of her room, stripped down to her drawers and washing herself off. Her chemise and dress rested over the back of a nearby chair. She didn’t turn around, and though he knew he should make his presence known, he couldn’t help but watch as she caressed a wet soapy cloth over every inch of her body, then rinsed herself with a clean wet cloth. He was about to clear his throat when she untied the string that held her drawers on and let the underthings fall to her feet.
Wolfe’s cock went hard and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Goddess, she was lovely. Even more so in real life. His dreams had revealed but a glimmer of her beauty. He crept further into her room and set the tray of food on a table near her bed.
The slight noise startled her and she stopped running the soapy cloth over her buttocks and between her thighs and froze, peering over her shoulder and gasping when she laid eyes on him.
“Get out!” she shrieked, dropping the cloth in the basin with a splash. She crouched down and hurried to fix her drawers back in place, then lunged for her chemise and dress, donning them just as quickly. “I said get out!”
“Ava, that is no way to talk to one of your masters,” he said in a tone that was both firm and teasing.
Immediately, the fight left her face and she appeared nervous. She lowered her head, staring at her feet as she stood near the basin. “I am sorry, Master. I-I did not expect anyone to enter so soon, and I am tired and wanted to clean up before bed.”
He approached her and reached for her hair. How many times he’d dreamt of stroking her long golden waves, and now he could finally touch her in the waking life.
She took a shaky breath but didn’t pull away from him. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” He ran his fingers over her collarbone and delighted in the little shudders quaking through her body.
“Is it true that you dreamed of me and already knew my name? How is that possible?”
“Yes, little slave, it is true. I believe the Goddess sent me the dreams to prepare me for your arrival. It never occurred to me to claim a human as a mate, but the dreams made it clear that you are meant for me. For us. I can tell Jaxon is anxious to claim you too.”
She gulped hard and met his eyes. “Then why didn’t he claim me on the way here? He never once mentioned wanting to claim me, and made me feel as if I was only a slave. In fact, I didn’t even know the two of you didn’t already have a mate until I met your parents and witnessed their reaction to Jaxon bringing me home.”
“You met all my parents?”
“Your mother and your father of the light. Um, Luke, I believe. They were very nice. I liked them both, especially your mother. She gave Jaxon quite the scolding,” she said with a small laugh, her eyes lighting up the room.
At the abrupt sound of her stomach rumbling, Wolfe guided Ava over to the table and pushed a chair up to it, helping her to sit. “I imagine my parents, especially my mother, didn’t react well to Jaxon telling them he’d brought a slave home. I believe he withheld the truth about his intentions for you during your journey, as he wished to ensure I also wanted to claim you. But I do want to claim you, Ava,” he said, gathering her hair behind her head and reveling in the feel of her silky locks. “I want to claim you so badly I fear my cock will burst out of my trousers.”
At her startled gasp, he chided himself for his bluntness. Damn, he needed to emulate Jaxon’s patience if he was going to get anywhere with this little human. As Banded males, they were well within their rights to simply take Ava, but he wanted her panting breathlessly and begging them to claim her, not fearing them and pleading for them to stop.
He bent down and nuzzled his nose against her cheek, then placed a feather-soft kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger. “Please eat something, my sweet little slave, before it gets cold.”
“Yes, Master.” She flushed. “Um, should I still call you Master?”
He tipped her chin up. He wasn’t certain about Jaxon’s opinion on the matter, but he very much liked hearing that word on her lips. Master. “Yes, unless we tell you otherwise,” he said after careful consideration. “Jaxon too. Though you will soon be our mate, Ava, we will forever be your masters. A female claimed by a pair of Banded males remains under the authority of her mates.”
Chapter Six
Ava finished the meal and turned to find Wolfe seated on the bed, his gaze hot on her. She suddenly remembered that not too long ago, he’d seen her standing naked by the washing basin as she cleaned herself. Shame pulsed through her, and she reminded herself that he’d entered without knocking, in an effort to feel less embarrassed over being caught in such a private act.
Even when she’d bathed in the stream in the woods, Jaxon hadn’t watched her. He’d turned around and ordered her to hand him her clothes, because she obviously wouldn’t run away while completely naked.
“Thank you for the meal, Wolfe—I mean, Master. Thank you, Master.”
His stare turned predatory, and she shivered in place, wondering what he intended to do next. She tore her gaze from his, feeling uncertain. Should she resist his advances? She hardly knew him, but part of her trusted him. He was Jaxon’s brother, and she trusted Jaxon, even though his failure to inform her of his plans to claim her as his mate still had her reeling.
Her breath left her in a quick exhale. She was free now. Sort of free, anyway. She would never have to endure life in a miserable human village again.
The curtains in front of the huge window were pulled back, revealing a starry night and a crescent moon. Though the window was closed, the increasing sound of nighttime bugs entered the room, and in the distance, she spotted fireflies dancing in the darkness. It was a beautiful sight, and she rose and walked to the window. In the village, bright torches lined the perimeter of the community each night to ward off the beasts of the forest, and the glow of the torches had made it difficult to glimpse the night sky in all its natural beauty.
“Do you like it here?” Wolfe asked, coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, threading his fingers through hers and squeezing her hands.
“Yes, Master. It’s wonderful. I used to dream of escaping the village I lived in, dream of running off to the forest and certain freedom, but the stories about the beasts always scared me into staying put. Now that I’m out here, in the forest, I wish I had been brave enough to leave sooner.”
“The forest is no place for a female, Ava. Even during the daytime. You must remain in the clearing our homestead was built upon, though you may walk the path to my parents’ house, for it is safe. We’ve lined the woods surrounding both hous
es and the path connecting them with safestones.”
“Those are the glimmering stones Jaxon always placed around our campsite?”
“Yes. Our family used to mine the stones, before the cave they came from was buried in a landslide, many years ago.”
She was quiet for a long while, simply enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her. His masculine scent, similar to Jaxon’s but slightly woodsier, left her wanting to turn around and press her face to his chest and inhale deeply.
“Jaxon told me he had to punish you for trying to run off.” He rearranged her into one arm and with his free hand, gave her bottom a squeeze. “Is your bottom still sore from your spanking, little slave?”
She had to hold her breath for a moment in order to repress the moan building in her throat. His hand on her ass, and the mention of her spanking, made her pulse skitter and sent waves of heat to her loins. She pressed her thighs tight together and hoped he didn’t suspect her arousal. What was wrong with her, that the mere mention of punishment had her aching and longing to be claimed, even though she wasn’t entirely sure what being claimed entailed?
Wolfe turned her in his arms and placed a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to gaze up at him. He was as tall as his brother, and just as handsome, though his features were, of course, much darker. He had midnight black eyes and equally dark hair that rested above his shoulders. His hair was thicker than Jaxon’s, and her fingers tingled with the urge to run her hands through it, but she held off on touching him, because she wasn’t certain if she needed permission.
She didn’t want to incur either brother’s displeasure. Even though the thought of a spanking might incite her desires, actually receiving one had been quite painful and had brought her to tears.
“Ava, do you like us?”
“I… yes,” she admitted. It was the truth. “I confess I am drawn to you and Jaxon. Very much so, but I am still a bit nervous. I don’t know what is meant to happen between us. I-I do-don’t know wh-what to do,” she stammered in her increasing trepidation. Would it hurt as much as the village ladies always said during their morning gossip sessions by the well?
“You needn’t be afraid, my little slave. I will guide you and teach you, and Jaxon will do the same. Now come, your education is about to begin.”
He steered her to the bed and stared longingly into her eyes, his fingertips grazing her cheek as he brushed her hair behind her ears. His dark eyes mesmerized her.
When he leaned down, she parted her lips in anticipation of their first kiss. He claimed her mouth softly at first, brushing his lips across hers, before his tongue delved inside to tangle with hers. She gave a breathy moan and tried to return his kiss, though in truth, she felt a bit clumsy about it.
He growled and clutched her face in his hands, deepening the kiss. Sparks of desire ignited between them, and she imagined the fireflies she’d seen outside were now in the bedroom, dancing around them in a majestic display of blinking lights. Because the kiss felt like magic.
When she had imagined her first kiss with a man, she hadn’t known it would affect every part of her body. Her head buzzed and an odd warmth squeezed in her chest. Between her thighs, she was aching more than ever before, longing for him to slip a hand up her dress and stroke through her gathering wetness.
Withdrawing from her, he said, “I can smell your arousal, Ava. You’re wet and ready for your master, even though I won’t be fucking your tight little cunny tonight.”
His crass words should’ve outraged her, but they didn’t. She peered at him, eager for all he had to teach her. Eager for the time Jaxon would join them and she would officially become their mate.
A family. She would become part of their family soon, and she now realized she would do whatever possible to hasten the moment they took her as their mate. She blinked against the burn of emotion in her eyes. She’d been so busy dreaming about her freedom, because she didn’t think she could have what she’d really wanted in her wildest, most secret dreams—a place to belong.
“If you wish to claim me tonight, you can, Master. I will do whatever you say.” It was probably best they claim her soon, in case they were to change their minds, or in case a Banded female caught their attention. Yes, she had to hurry.
Wolfe’s gaze darkened further, and a shiver went up her spine. She got the sense that what he was about to ask of her would push her limits.
“Whatever I say?”
“Yes, Master. Anything. I wish to please you.”
His nostrils flared and he held her out by her shoulders, looking her up and down, as if considering her offer. “Well, little slave, my brother and I plan to claim you at once, rather than one at a time. Jaxon will thrust his cock into your cunny, while I will pound my cock into your ass. The moment we fill you with our seed, you will be bound to us forever, our sweet mate.”
Oh, dear Goddess, he had to be joking. Her breath left her in a rush.
She couldn’t fathom taking two cocks at the same time. Of course, she’d never actually seen a man’s cock, but from the gossip at the well, she knew they resembled a stallion’s cock. Given that Banded men were larger than human males, she supposed the size of their manhood would be in proportion to their bodies, and she shuddered with a mixture of fear and desire.
“Tell me, Ava, are you still willing to do whatever I ask of you tonight?”
She lifted her chin, not wanting him to sense her hesitation. “Yes, Master. Anything.”
The promise of belonging left her feeling braver than the times she’d stared across the field of daisies, thinking tonight, tonight will be the night I finally run away. Tonight is the night I’ll finally be brave.
A few days ago, if someone had told her she would find her place in the world with a pair of Banded brothers, she wouldn’t have believed them. But now as she stared into Wolfe’s handsomely dark gaze, it didn’t seem like the most outlandish thing that could happen, and though she was still nervous about managing two cocks at once, she would at least try to please the brothers in the hope that they would soon claim her as their mate.
Then she would have all that she’d wanted but had always seemed out of reach—a place to call home and a family of her very own.
* * *
Wolfe moved away from Ava and gave her a pointed look. “Strip naked and stand in the middle of the room. I will return shortly.” He spun on his heel and exited her room, clicking the door shut behind him.
Her capitulation was so sudden that alarm bells were almost going off in his head, but he wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity to begin training her tight little asshole. The sooner they claimed her, the better. Once she was their mate in truth, if any danger came upon her, both Wolfe and Jaxon would sense it at once. They might also sense extra things about her too, depending on the particular magic of each of their mating bonds with Ava. He’d heard of some Banded males being able to sense their female’s thoughts, feelings, location, and more. He couldn’t wait to see how the mating bond manifested itself.
He hurried to the kitchen and carved a small butt plug from bunna root. The root was typically added to stews, it was flexible but firm, perfect for fashioning into a makeshift cock at a moment’s notice. He finished carving it with a knife, even adding the curve of a bulbous cockhead at the tip. The only difference between the bunna root carving and a cock was that the base was left larger, in order to allow the shaft to be seated in her bottom fully but not get lost.
Once finished, Wolfe climbed the steps two at a time and strode to Ava’s room, his entire body thrumming with desire. He entered to find her naked and standing in the center of the room, per his instructions. Such a good girl. His breath caught at the sight of her luscious curves. Though petite, her hips flared out nicely and her heart-shaped bottom complemented her lovely figure.
She peered curiously at the item he held in his hands, then bit her lip as her eyes widened. Surely, she must have figured out it bore a stark resemblance to a cock.
�
�Don’t worry, my sweet little slave, I made this on the small side, so that it doesn’t hurt this first time.”
“Is that going in my… my cunny?” she asked in a low whisper, as if embarrassed. An adorable blush stained her cheeks and she fidgeted in place, twisting her hands together as she continued staring at the bunna root.
“No, Ava. It’s going in your bottom hole, to help train you to eventually accept my cock there.”
Her eyes grew wider and she backed up, holding her hands out. “Master, I’ve never had anything, um, in there, before.”
He felt a smile tug at his lips but kept his mouth in a firm line, not wishing for her to think he found humor in her inexperience. “I would imagine you haven’t, Ava. Which is why we are starting out small and going slow.”
She lowered her hands to her sides and didn’t back up as he approached her, the plug still in his hand. Since it was small, he would be able to steal the moisture from her cunny as lube, but when he used a larger plug, and finally, his cock, he would be sure to use an ample amount of lubrication derived from the hensha plants in their garden. He opened his mouth to explain this to her, but then clamped his lips shut, deciding she didn’t need to know these details yet. He would go slow and reassure her during every step, to keep her from becoming frightened or experiencing too much discomfort.
“I want you to show me what a good girl you can be, Ava, and go bend over the bed, with your legs spread wide. I realize you are nervous, but I promise, you will find this experience most pleasurable.”
“Does Jaxon know you’re doing this?” she blurted, looking uncertain. She glanced at the bed but didn’t move from her spot.