by Lacey Thorn
Erika had been stunned to see herself that way. She never looked in the mirror. She didn’t care for her appearance. She wore what her mother told her to but spent most of her time in the forest. That day she had been shocked to realize just how much her body had truly changed. Her breasts were full and firm with rosy pink nipples. Her hips had spread, giving her a lush full look to match her breasts. Her brown hair, released from its braid, hung to her hips in thick waves as it dried. Her green eyes grew ever bigger as her mother told her that she would need to begin learning things in preparation for her claiming in four years.
That night her fathers had grounded her to the house and grounds around it. She was no longer to be allowed to run in the forest by herself. She heard them talking to her mother later and had been shocked to hear them say that Galen was right. They had let her run too wild for too long and now she had to be disciplined. It was all Galen’s fault. Galen was the one trying to keep her away from her beloved trees. She had hated him since that day. In fact she had refused to speak to either him or Arik since then unless she had been forced to by her parents.
Now she was to belong to them. She didn’t think so. She would allow just about anyone else to claim her before letting either of them touch her. She had been lucky to sneak away this morning. It had been hard in the last four years but she had managed to sneak away often enough to soothe her soul, with a little help from her mother, of course. She felt completely at peace among the trees. She had a birthmark on her right buttock in the shape of a tree. Besides, she was more than able to take care of herself. Her powers had begun developing when she was thirteen. She could make the earth tremble, make the trees bend and shake. She could move rocks and small boulders with a flick of her hand. She had the power of the earth hidden deep inside her and she could feel it growing stronger every day. She would need no warrior to protect her.
With one last glance to where Galen and Arik practiced with the other warriors she turned and headed deeper into the forest. She could feel the earth calling to her, a whisper in the trees drawing her deeper to where the pond awaited. She would take a cool and refreshing dip in the water there. She could already feel it lapping at her naked flesh. Yes, she had learned her lesson well from Galen and Arik. Now she stripped her clothes from her body before stepping into the pond. She would allow for a few minutes when she was done for her skin to dry before redressing. Then no one was the wiser to her swims. The pond was the closest thing to heaven she had ever felt. The feel of all that water lapping at her body, licking at her nipples, teasing between her thighs was sheer heaven. She had even less use for a warrior than she thought. Smiling in anticipation of what awaited her, she never even noticed the shadows that followed her.
Chapter Two
Galen caught the movement out of the corner of his eyes and felt his anger mount when he realized what—or more accurately, who—it was. The minx was defying them yet again. Oh, he knew that she snuck away often in the last few years but he or his brother had always been somewhere nearby or at least close enough to hear her if she yelled for help. She had been promised to them since he had rescued her when she was ten. Her fathers had offered her to him then and he had accepted on behalf of himself and his brother. He had thought she would grow to be a beauty and he had been right. She was all that and more with her long brown hair and her big green eyes. Her breasts were lush and full and her hips were made for a warrior. He and his brother had helped to watch over her since the day of her rescue.
Then Arik had come upon her in the pond when she was seventeen. She had been soaking wet and her clinging clothes had revealed all of her body’s delights for anyone who came upon her. Galen had been grateful that Arik was the one to find her as another warrior may not have controlled himself as well. Arik though had held on to his control by the skin of his teeth and brought her to her parents’ home. When Arik had explained to Galen that she had run to him with her body revealed in her wet clothing Galen had saw red. He had ripped the blanket from her shoulders and saw for himself the fullness of her breasts, the lushness of her hips, the glimpse of curls on her woman’s mound. Lust had lit a fire in his body that left his cock swelling huge inside his pants. His brother had suffered the same.
Erika’s mother had appeared then and, seeing the display before her, had rushed her daughter into the house and away from the eyes of too many warriors. Galen had been furious and laid down the law then. If Erika was not properly chaperoned and watched then she would be removed to the protection of the Savari household until she reached her twenty-first year and was claimable. As they were from a different caste that would mean that not only would she suffer removal from her parents’ home but from their part of the village as well. Her fathers had agreed and Erika was restricted to the house and immediate area around it for the last four years. And she had been cold to Galen and Arik ever since. She refused to speak to them unless one of her fathers or her mother made her. She no longer sought out Arik for comfort or just to talk, a fact that damn near broke his brother’s heart. She was punishing them for what she saw as interference.
So he had waited anxiously for the time when he would be able to take her in hand himself. That day was finally here. She had belonged to him and Arik for almost eleven years and now with three days ‘til her twenty-first year, she was finally within his grasp. Although they could not make her lie with them before then they could seduce her into wanting them, into allowing them to consummate their claim. If she invited them between her thighs then they could take her. And once they had mated with her she was completely theirs from that day on. He had waited long enough. Today he and Arik would claim her.
He felt his brother’s eyes on him and turned to look at Arik. Arik had seen Erika too. He saw that Arik had reached the same decision that he had. Nodding at each other, they both moved away from the practice field and headed toward the trees. They would find her and make her theirs today. The time had come for them to make her aware that she belonged to them and only them. Today she would know what it was to be mated to a Savari warrior.
* * * * *
Erika untied the green veils from behind her back and slipped them over her head. She dropped her skirt to rest on top of her sandals and headed naked toward the pond. She walked out until the water lapped at her hips and then dove under. She loved the feel of the water on her bare skin. She swam for a few minutes and then relaxed and floated atop the pond’s surface. The water lapped at her skin like the tongues of greedy lovers. She loved it here. The pond was surrounded on three sides by trees and where she had entered there was a clearing filled with flowers and grass. She took a deep breath and flipped over to swim toward the shore. She couldn’t stay long today. She was watched more and more closely as the day of her birthday drew nearer. She was sure that Galen had something to do with it.
She walked from the water and pulled her braided hair over her shoulder, squeezing the water from it. The braid designated that she was as yet unclaimable. On the day that marked her twenty-first summer her hair would be left unbound with only the sides pulled back from her face with a yellow sash. The sash would remain until she was claimed at which time her hair would never be bound again. She pushed it back behind her shoulders and stretched her arms high above her head. She heard a deep groan and jerked around, looking into the trees beside the lake. Arik stepped out from the edge of the trees and began walking toward her across the clearing. Erika gasped at the lust in his eyes. She couldn’t help but notice the thick bulge in his pants that seemed to be growing ever bigger. She backed away from him, aiming for the spot where she had left her clothing, and hit a solid wall of muscle. She knew exactly who was behind her without looking. It was Galen.
Before she had a chance to struggle Galen had her turned and pressed firmly against his bare chest. The feel of his chest hair against her nipples made her gasp in surprise. Her nipples, already hard, become tighter with each rub against his flesh. It felt so good that she lay against him perfectly doci
le for a moment. Galen took advantage of that moment and, bending to her, touched his mouth to hers and thrust his tongue between her open lips. He licked into her mouth, learning its contours and tasting her unique flavor of mint and woman. He felt the tentative stroke of Erika’s tongue against his and groaned and pulled her more firmly against him.
Erika couldn’t believe the feelings rushing through her body. Her breasts felt swollen and tender against Galen’s chest. She couldn’t believe that he had his tongue in her mouth. He had fisted one hand in her hair and turned her head to deepen the kiss. She moaned. She could feel him hard against her belly just shy of where her own body was aching and couldn’t seem to stop from rubbing against him wantonly, doing all she could to alleviate that ache.
She felt hands on her hips and felt the firm pressure of another hard body against her back. She knew it was Arik. She felt his cock against the small of her back so hard and thick. She felt his hands reach around between her and Galen to cup her breasts. He palmed and lifted them before feathering his fingers up and over her engorged nipples. Arik took both nipples between his fingers and began pinching and tugging them. Erika pulled away from Galen’s kiss and cried out at the sensations this action caused to course through her body.
She knew what they were doing to her. Her body was awake with desire and need. She had to remember who they were, the Savari brothers, and the danger they represented to her. If they could persuade her to mate with them then she would belong to them and only them from this day forth. She would be stuck with them for the rest of her life. She would never know the freedom of the forest while under their care. They would see to it that she had little time to herself. She would be removed from her own caste and placed in the care and company of their caste. The mere thought filled her with fear. She was of the earth more so than any other member of that caste and the Savari were of the healing caste. Their women worked with the sick and the animals of all the different castes. She would be way out of her element there.
She turned to look at Arik. He had always been the easier one to talk to, the one that she could turn to for help or comfort. “Please…” Erika whimpered but she could see that he would be of no help to her this time.
“You have nothing to fear, my heart,” Arik replied. “We only seek to bring you pleasure. Let us show you the joys of being with a chosen mate.”
“But I have not chosen any mate,” Erika tried to insist but neither man seemed to be listening.
Arik bent his mouth down to where her head rested against his shoulder and kissed her softly. He nibbled on her bottom lip and then let his tongue soothe the slight wound. He continued to massage her nipples and breasts. Fire shot a path from her breasts down her stomach to intensify the fire in her woman’s place. She gasped as she felt the first swipe of Galen’s tongue along the lips of her sex. Arik took full possession of her mouth then, thrusting his tongue in and out of her mouth.
Galen had dropped to his knees before her. The folds of her sex glistened with her juices and he could smell the sweet musky scent of her. He couldn’t stop himself from licking those plump lips and tasting her. The first taste made him shudder. She was hot and sweet and he had to have more. He lifted one of her legs and placed her foot on his shoulder, opening her more fully to him. He lapped eagerly at her sex before spreading her sweet lips with his fingers and licking into her core. He lapped gently at her sweet spot, watching until her clit grew big with need. He latched on and began to suck her flesh as he worked a finger into her tight sheath. He groaned at the tight clasp of her muscles around his finger. She would need to be stretched well before she could handle his warrior cock.
Erika cried out at the feel of Galen licking and sucking on the flesh between her thighs. She felt a coil deep in her womb twisting tighter and tighter inside her. Arik continued to manipulate her nipples, pinching and squeezing the tips almost in an exact rhythm with Galen’s tongue. She clutched at Galen’s head, desperate in her need for something, something! She turned her head and bit down on the muscle where Arik’s throat and shoulder met, trying to stop the tumbled words from escaping her lips. She was begging, screaming for a release that she demanded, feared and dreaded all in equal parts. Finally the coil snapped and she felt pleasure so intense that it was almost pain, that it stole the very breath from her lungs and left her panting. She felt her juices pouring from her only to be lapped up by Galen’s tongue. Her nipples swelled further and stabbed at Arik who held them in a tight pinch that brought just the edge of pain.
Both men groaned as they felt Erika shake and shudder with her release, reveling in the gift she had given them. With that release she had accepted with her body their right to her.
Gently they lowered her to the grass. When she came back to herself they were lying one on either side of her, stroking her and soothing her with kisses to her shoulders and neck. As sanity returned she realized exactly what she had allowed to happen. She had put up no protest to stop them. She had allowed them full access to her body and they had pleasured her well. She had allowed them to bring her to orgasm and by doing so had given them her permission and blessing to claim her by Warrior Law. The only thing that could save her now would be to somehow keep them from fully consummating their suit. She had already proven to herself and to them that she had no control over her body when they touched her. If they decided to mention this to her fathers she would be given to them with no contest. Everyone knew that once a woman was brought to pleasure by a warrior she would belong to them. Sometimes there were instances where this did not occur but those women were not her and Erika knew well that her fathers would love nothing more than to see her joined with the Savari warriors.
She looked at the warmth in Arik’s eyes as he began to stroke the side of her breast. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. When he lifted away again she looked over to her other side where Galen had begun to stroke his fingers in lazy circles on her stomach. His eyes were dark with passion and lust and determination. She felt fear trickle down her spine. He would never let her walk away from him now. How the hell was she going to get out of this?
“Are you ready to submit to us, Erika? Are you ready to admit that you belong to Arik and me?” Galen pressed his hard-on against her naked hip. “Because you do now. From the moment you allowed us to touch your body, to taste your sweet pussy, you sealed your fate. I will never let you go now.”
“Nor I.” Arik bent to lick her nipple. “You have always been meant for us. Now you will belong to us for all time.”
She watched as they both reached for the laces that held their pants together and caught her breath. What did she do now? If she did not stop this there would be no means of turning back. With the final act of consummation they would own her in ways that she wasn’t even clear about. She knew they were good men who would never hurt her physically, but emotionally she would be devastated. She was not sure what they would think of her powers and if she was mated with them there would be no way of hiding those powers from them.
Digging her hands deep into the earth on either side of where she lay, she summoned all the power that she dared and set about making things difficult.
Chapter Three
Erika lay in bed that night with a thousand thoughts floating through her head. She still couldn’t believe that she had caused the earth to shake so fiercely. It had felt as if the very earth itself would open up at any moment and swallow them whole. The trees had shaken as if manipulated by some unseen hand. Waves had crashed all around the pond, pounding against the land around it. Arik and Galen had immediately jumped to their feet, pulling her with them. Galen had thrown her over his shoulder and Arik had grabbed her clothes. They had run as fast as they could to the safety of her home in the village.
Erika had been mortified when Galen had set her down naked on the steps of her own home right in front of her fathers and some of the other warriors from their village. At the intense look of lust in the other warriors’ eyes Arik and Galen h
ad hid her behind their big bodies and given her back her clothes with orders to “cover yourself”. She fumed as she dressed, listening to the words spoken between her fathers and the Savari brothers.
“You have breached her?”
“Not yet,” Galen admitted. “But we have given her a woman’s pleasure.”
“Yes, your face still glistens with her joy.” Her fathers laughed with the other warriors and Galen and Arik couldn’t stop from grinning. “Why did you not finish?”
“We were interrupted,” Arik explained.
“Did you spot other warriors? Is there danger near?”
At this Erika had shoved her way through Arik and Galen and headed toward the door to her home. Galen stopped her with a firm grasp on her wrist.
“Not yet, little one, we have not finished,” Galen whispered as he pulled her back to his side. “There were no other warriors that we saw,” he said in answer to her fathers’ questions.
“It was the very earth itself. It trembled so violently that it seemed that it would open up and swallow us all. We worried for her safety and for that of the villagers. Did you not feel it here?”
“No, we felt nothing unusual.” One of her fathers answered at the same time that they heard a gasp from the doorway behind them.
Erika’s mother stood there. Erin quickly stepped through and went to her daughter’s side. “I have been looking for you. I have need of your assistance.” The look she sent Erika emphasized the importance of not arguing with her mother.
Erika tried to step toward her mother, tugging at the wrist held by Galen, but he would not release her. “I must go now. My mother has need of me. Please release me.”