by Cara Adams
“Shit!” moaned Evan.
“Dammit, Anastasia, you’re killing us here,” added Ion.
Without any warning they both began slamming into her, their strokes now hard and fierce. It was amazingly good. The entire evening had been wonderful. However, to feel them jackhammering inside her like this was better than anything else. But it was much too good to last more than a few brief minutes. The orgasm which had been coiled and waiting in her belly, exploded through her as if their cocks had been a couple of matches held to a stick of dynamite.
Her arms and legs started to shake, her spine tensed, and she ground her teeth together to stop herself from screaming as the biggest orgasm of her life blasted through her body, lighting every nerve ending with fire on its journey. Anastasia could feel them both pounding into her a couple more times, but her brain was gone, her mind oblivious to anything except the extreme pleasure pouring over her, washing through her, leaving her lying still like a rock on the sand after the tide had gone out.
Except no rock had ever felt this good. In her mind she giggled, but nothing came out. She was too satiated, too limp, to move as much as a finger or toe.
Above her, Evan groaned and cum filled her ass with a hot burst as he kissed the back of her neck and along her shoulders. She tried to say something but before she could formulate the words, her cunt was filled with Ion’s warm essence as well.
Anastasia unclenched her jaw but there were no words to express the carnal bliss filling her mind and heart right now.
“Thanks,” she whispered, without lifting her head up or opening her eyes.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. You’ve blown my mind,” said Evan.
“We three are undeniably good together. Now, it’s time to get cleaned up, and then we can take a nap,” said Ion.
The men untangled themselves from her, but Anastasia let her body rest where they put her. They could have a shower. She’d skip that part of the program and move straight into the nap. Unfortunately Ion didn’t seem to agree. He picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, dumping her in the shower with Evan.
“You wash her and I’ll put fresh linen on the bed,” he said.
Evan held her gently under the hot water. “You’ll feel better once you’re clean.”
“Maybe. I know I’ll feel better once I’m asleep.”
Evan laughed softly and soaped her back. It was really nice to be washed by him under the water, and soon she was ready to return the favor and wash him.
She even opened her eyes enough to look at the bathroom. It was tiny, a shower, toilet, and basin in the minimum of space. However, it was private whereas the bathrooms at the priests’ house were shared.
She stepped out of the shower and took a towel lying ready on the side of the sink. She hadn’t even noticed Ion get it out for her. “Is your room the same as this one?” she asked Evan.
“The east wing was renovated over quite a few years, but the rooms on each floor are similar. Originally, this floor was a kind of bunkroom the young men shared. The old family rooms were quite primitive and badly in need of renovation. In many of them the electricity had been added as a sort of temporary measure, and some of the rooms had hardly been upgraded in a hundred years. Yerik began by making the rooms on the ground floor into offices and common areas that everyone would share. Before that all the offices were tucked in unused rooms all over the castle, which was neither secure nor logical. Once the ground floor was done, and people had a place they could eat and relax, then the next level was done for the seniors, then the families, and so on.”
She nodded thoughtfully and left the bathroom as Evan got out of the shower. Ion went into the bathroom and she rubbed her hair dry, wishing she had her purse with her, to have a brush or comb to comb it before it dried tangled. She used her fingers as best she could then wondered whether she should get dressed, or climb into bed for that nap. Ion had made it up with fresh sheets and it did look inviting.
* * * *
Evan had never had a Dom who seemed to understand him as thoroughly as Ion did. Ion appeared to know without being told, and without any obvious effort, just exactly what Evan needed to feel included, appreciated, and stretched so that his punishments made the pleasure a dozen times better than ever before. Or maybe that was just because the pleasure was with Anastasia, who he was fast coming to think he couldn’t live without. But he wanted Ion as well. Ion understood him perfectly.
The only problem was that they had known each other for such a short time. Well, technically he’d known Ion since the man was born, as he was thirty years old to Evan’s thirty-two. And he’d known and worked with Anastasia for two full years and the summer before that, but there was a huge difference between boys playing together in the castle grounds, and a man working with a fellow chef in a kitchen, and deciding to move in together as mated partners for life. The sex was awe-inspiring, and the times they sat and talked together over a meal were fun and helpful. But Evan couldn’t help thinking that what they needed was a whole long day away from the castle together, unrestricted time out of the dungeon and nowhere near a bed, just to share and communicate and be people together. To see if there really was an underlying bond between them all.
That couldn’t happen until the castle closed for winter. Even then it’d mean Ion taking a day off work so they could go out on a weekday, as the castle still opened all weekend, and they’d all need to work then. It was a real shame they couldn’t move forward to learn more about each other now, instead of having to wait months. But he and Anastasia were needed in the kitchen. He’d left the kitchen recently for an afternoon, but he couldn’t possibly take an entire day off. Especially he and Anastasia couldn’t both be away on the same day. She was his sous-chef, the one he could rely on to ensure all the customers would be well fed and happy. Of course, Kady was trained too, but this was her first summer, and he couldn’t possibly expect her to know what to do if neither he nor Anastasia were there. It simply wasn’t workable.
Fuck it all! I really don’t want to wait that long to get to know Ion and Anastasia in depth. And an hour over a meal at night simply isn’t enough time. Besides, we’re all tired by the end of the day. We deserve time together when we’re fresh.
Evan grinned when he saw Anastasia on the bed. She was curled into a ball, right in the center of the bed and already asleep. It must have taken her all of ninety seconds to doze off. He felt a surge of male pride that he and Ion had given her such a mammoth orgasm that she’d crashed so completely and so quickly. But it also meant they wouldn’t even have a half hour now just to lie in each other’s arms and talk. Get to know each other better.
By winter, who knew what might have happened with the situation with the Supreme Alpha of Europe? There was no guarantee at all that Europe would be a safe place for a wolf to wander around away from his pack. Even now he wasn’t completely sure he’d be able to get away from Lev and Sergei. Although likely they wouldn’t be expecting him to leave the kitchen at the height of tourist season, so in that respect taking a day off now would be smarter than waiting for the quiet time.
Unless the whole thing with Lev was all in his imagination. Perhaps he was making himself sound important when everyone could tell he knew nothing about European politics—or any kind of politics at all—and was simply the chef at the castle.
Ion came back into the bedroom. “What’s up, Evan? You’re looking very serious for a man who’s just fucked his woman.”
“Oh, I was just thinking I’d like the three of us to have a day away from the castle, just to relax together and spend time together alone, with no work, or dungeon, or bed at all. But of course, that’s impossible.”
“Why is it impossible?” The words were a little slurred, but it seemed Anastasia wasn’t asleep after all, although her brain wasn’t working too well right now.
“If you weren’t almost asleep you’d remember it’s the middle of the tourist season and I can’t leave the castle for a
n entire day. In particular, you and I can’t both be away from the kitchen for more than the briefest time.”
“I don’t really understand this. Explain it to me. If it was a day there was no banquet, and you had plenty of other staff there, why couldn’t everyone just do their job according to instructions you left? I mean, you put the day’s special dishes up on a chalkboard, right? So the other staff know what to make. All you’d need to do is tell them how many, right?” asked Ion.
“It’s more complicated than that. We never know how many tourists will arrive. Alex lets us know how many tourist busses are in the parking lot so that gives us an idea, as coachloads of people seldom bring a picnic with them, whereas families sometimes do. But I need to keep constantly monitoring how sales are going. Some days no one seems to want desserts. Other days there’s a rush on them,” Evan explained.
Anastasia wiggled a little. “Kady and I do that, too, though. We can see how fast items are disappearing. Often we already have another batch of apples baking, or pies warming up, before you tell us,” she said.
He nodded. That was true. Also, with the banquets, they’d become a lot more intentional about making at least one popular menu item last thing in the evening, before shutting the kitchen down. There was no reason why they couldn’t stay back the night before and make a couple of dishes, some of the very popular ones, just so there’d be something extra to offer customers if something else was running low. A lot of the tourists just wanted to experience “genuine” medieval food and would usually choose the day’s specials. Far fewer of them had come specifically to try a custard pie or some other treat, and those few people could generally be served with what was already available in the huge, walk-in refrigerator.
“I think it’s a good idea for the three of us to have a day out together. Surely if you have a few days to plan it, you could be sure there’d be enough extra already made that Kady and the rest of your team could cope. Not on a weekend or even a Friday, but in the middle of the week,” said Ion.
“We can easily have extra werewolf stew and pottage available. That’s just a matter of making a weekend-sized batch on a weekday. There’s no extra thought involved in that.” Evan was thinking hard. Maybe it was doable after all. Pies would keep perfectly well in the refrigerator for more than twenty-four hours, and if the day’s special was apple, which was always their best seller, they could have just a smaller number of custard pies and perhaps a few strawberry ones as well for those who didn’t want to go with the most obvious choice. Baked apples and honeyed pears were very easy to make. Kady could do them almost in her sleep.
“If it was not just midweek, but also the day after a banquet, we could make extra roast lamb, and extra warm salad for the banquet. Both of those would be still tasty the next day and give customers not wanting pottage or werewolf stew an extra choice.”
“See, it’s all organized. Can I go to sleep now?” Anastasia lay down flat and went still.
Had she done it again? Gone to sleep just like that? Evan stared at her, but her breathing was light and easy. He looked at Ion whose face was creased in a grin.
“I never knew anyone could fall asleep like that,” he whispered.
“Yes. I wouldn’t mind that kind of a skill myself.”
Together they pulled the bedding up and settled one on each side of her. Evan snuggled against her back but she didn’t move. Just as he was falling asleep he remembered that they’d have to avoid Lev and Sergei, in case the men were watching them as well as watching Magnus and Kiril. They’d also need to think of somewhere to go other than the local town, where too many people might know them as workers from the castle.
Oh well, they could talk about that later. The real bridge had been crossed. He now believed he could take a day off, as long as they planned it properly. That was a real bonus. He wanted so much to learn more about these two people.
* * * *
Anastasia was very surprised to see her oldest brother, Dominik, waiting for her when she left the kitchens a couple of days later. “Dom? Is everything all right at home? Why didn’t you text me?”
“For a start, you aren’t supposed to carry cell phones when there’s tourists around, and secondly I didn’t want you calling me back and people hearing what I said. There’s no problem at home, but Stefan, Uwe, and I are doing a bit of work for the castle Alpha. I just didn’t want you to be all shocked if you saw us, and screeching at us in public.”
“I don’t screech.” Anastasia tilted her head back to stare directly into her brother’s eyes. All four of them had their mother’s gray eyes, but his were clear right now, not holding any pain or worry that she could tell.
“So what are you doing? Some of the building work in the west tower?”
“Maybe. Just whatever we’re asked each day.”
Anastasia knew her brother and knew that might be true but it certainly wasn’t the full story. She thought for a moment then understood. “You’re providing backup for Magnus and Kiril.”
“For a girl and a human, you’re actually pretty smart.”
She grinned. Her brothers had been teasing her since the day she was born. They wouldn’t cramp her style at all. “That’s good. Evan and Ion and I are planning to take a day off soon, and I know Evan’s been worrying about Kiril and Magnus while he won’t be in the kitchen. Well, mostly he’s been worrying about the food, but about them more than the other staff.”
“Yeah, about that. I was wondering if one of us could be useful in the kitchen. We all know how to peel vegetables, stir soup, and wash dishes. Mom made sure of that.”
He was better than that. Although she and her mother had done most of the cooking from the time she was old enough to help, all her brothers were useful in a kitchen and Uwe had a very light hand when it came to pastry. His pies were every bit as good as hers.
“Kiril and Magnus do all the cleaning up work, and some of the basic food preparation, but perhaps Uwe could join us. If we showed him our pie recipes and how we do the crust he could certainly help with them. I’ll have to ask Evan, but that could be useful indeed.”
“Yeah. Uwe being human could actually be an advantage. Maybe Lev would be less likely to be wary around him. Okay, I’ll talk to Evan. Has he left the kitchen yet?”
“Probably not. We just finished an inventory so likely he’s still sending orders to our supplier.”
“Take care, little one.” Dominik turned to go toward the kitchen and Anastasia crossed the inner courtyard into the priests’ house. She was smiling. He’d always called her little one. In fact all three of them, while incredibly bossy and protective, had always been endlessly patient with the small human who wanted to join in their games. The mountainside had been their playground and they’d run wild and free whenever they weren’t in school. Her brothers had boosted her up high enough to climb trees, shown her their favorite cave, and had brushed her off and smoothed her hair before letting their mother see her on their return. When it came to siblings, she’d gotten a mighty good deal with hers.
And now they were here to protect Kiril and Magnus. Or maybe just to watch Lev and Sergei and check they weren’t up to anything that would cause trouble. She hadn’t had time to think what the Alpha might have done with their message, but it seemed as though he’d taken a few precautions which was good. Dom, Stefan, and Uwe were more than capable of looking after themselves. They’d be fine.
She was already thinking about which pies she’d teach Uwe to bake first as she walked into the priests’ house.
* * * *
It was all very well for Ion to agree with Evan that a day for the three of them doing normal dating things was a great idea, but actually coming up with what specifically they’d do was a hell of a lot harder. They’d already been to a movie and he was convinced a second trip to the movies just wouldn’t have the same meaning and impact as their first one. Even taking two chefs out for a meal was fraught with the potential for disaster, and that without the likelihood tha
t one or both of them would interrogate the waitstaff about the ingredients and method of cooking used on every item on their plates.
Add to that the need to get away from this area where they might be known and recognized—yet still not put too much traveling into their day as they only had this one day—the entire project was a recipe for disaster. He caught himself running his hands through his hair and forced himself to stop. Ion pulled his chair a little closer to his desk and pulled up Google Maps for the area around where they lived. He looked at traveling no more than ninety minutes one way, then slowly scrolled this way and that, stopping when he came to a large lake. There was a reservoir on the lake, and he knew there’d be some pretty scenery there. He clicked on Google Images and then on the tourist information for the area. There were some good walks. There was plenty to be seen in an hour’s walk and it’d be pleasant to be outside, walking, after sitting in the car on the road trip. Next he checked the town at the lake for meal options, and finally he sat back in his chair, stretched his back and smiled.
Done. He could work out the rest later, but that would be a full day, different from their usual days inside, with some variety and plenty of time alone to talk and learn about each other. Now all he needed to know was which day would work for Evan and Anastasia. In the meantime, he would read up on the walking trails and the restaurants and fill in the fine detail of their day out. He glanced at the time on his computer. Midnight. Okay, not tonight. He had to be at work as usual by eight tomorrow. But soon.
* * * *
“I hope you didn’t mind having to get up early on your day off,” said Ion as Evan joined him in the outer courtyard just before seven.
“Quite the opposite. I woke up at five thirty as usual and lay back down, but was so excited at the idea of having a day off work that I didn’t go back to sleep. It’s like I was a boy again with a day off school.”