by RM Walker
“We’ve slept there before.” Josh caught her wrists and pulled her onto the floor between them. “But before that.”
“There’s the matter of dropping us into it with Jonas that needs addressing.” Jake’s eyes glinted wickedly in the firelight.
“I thought you were serious about the swear box. It’s for all of us, not just you two. If I swear, I have to pay up as well.” She smiled as sweetly as she could.
“Sneaky, very sneaky,” Jake said.
“Says the girl who never swears,” Josh added.
“I have sworn.”
“We mean more than a damn or hell. That’s not swearing.”
“It is if you ask a priest.” She stretched her legs out and shifted forward till she was facing them, wedged between their thighs.
“We’ll be your priests for you,” Jake suggested.
“We’ll hear your confession, give you penance for your sins.” Josh lifted his hand and brushed her hair away from her neck. “What penance would you like us to give you?”
“Hail Mary and Our Father?” she suggested, stroking her fingers across their shoulders.
“We don’t believe that would cover the extent of your sins. We’re talking the saving of your soul here. We need to get the penance right,” Josh said, his eyes on her lips.
“But my sins might not be that bad,” she whispered, tracing around their ears.
“We’ll be the judge of that.” Jake’s voice was low, sending shivers through her.
“So, tell us your confessions,” Josh encouraged.
“Well, it’s been forever since my last confession,” she whispered. “I’ve sworn recently, been jealous, angry, and lustful.”
“All normal things.” Jake walked his fingers around her shoulder and undid the top three buttons on the shirt she’d borrowed. “But let’s concentrate on one thing at a time.”
“When you say lustful, there are several layers of that sin, all requiring a different penance.” Josh stroked a finger down her nose.
“Well, there’s these twins, identical twins—”
“Ah, and are they attractive?” Jake interrupted her.
“Oh, very.” She continued to slide her fingertips around the shell of their ears. She knew they loved it, so did she.
“And your lustful thoughts were about them?” Josh whispered.
“Yeah.” A ripple of excitement made goose bumps rise on her arms.
“What did these lustful thoughts entail?” Jake slid his hand under the hem of her shirt, his fingertips barely touching her lower back.
“I don’t know if I can say.” She shivered as he grazed his fingers up her spine.
“Do you wish for absolution?” Josh inquired, trailing his fingers across her toes and up her legs slowly.
“I’m not sure.” She gasped as his fingers grazed over her hip and onto the bottom button of her shirt.
“Why not?” Jake’s lips were inches from her ear and his hot breath washing over her made her shiver.
“Because if I’m forgiven then I’m not supposed to think like that again.”
“That’s what our confessional is for. You confess, we give you penance, you sin again, come to us for confession, and we give you penance again. It’s a never-ending cycle because we’re all imperfect and we all sin.” Josh opened her buttons slowly.
“Do you have lustful thoughts?” Her breathing hitched as Jake licked the skin under her ear.
“We do. But our confession will have to wait, yours is more serious. You need to let us know what these thoughts are, so we can help you,” Josh replied. “One thought, one penance.”
“I’ve thought about being with you.”
“We need more details if we’re to save you.” Jake kissed her jawline.
“I’ve thought about touching you, kissing you, making out with you.” She worked her hands over their bare chests, tracing and stroking, knowing where they liked to be touched. “Is that enough for absolution?”
“No. That would only be half a confession.” Josh captured her lips with his. It was a sweet kiss that descended rapidly into a passionate dance of their tongues.
Jake caught a handful of her hair and tilted her head back, breaking contact with Josh. She gasped as Jake’s lips landed on her throat, nipping and nibbling at her skin.
She was breathing erratically as Jake began to work his way around the back of her neck, holding onto her hair still.
“Tell us another lustful thought.” Josh pushed her shirt open and kissed her exposed collar bone.
She arched, and her fingers ghosted around their belly buttons, making them groan.
“I’ve imagined how it will feel with you inside me.”
Their foreheads dropped to her shoulders, their breathing increased as she teased the line of hair running from their belly buttons into the top of their pj’s. She dipped her fingers inside and a bolt of lust shot through her at how turned on they were. She loved touching them, knowing it was her who brought them to this state.
“Bloody hell.” Josh’s voice was strangled as she stroked them from base to the tip.
She wanted, needed to give them this. She wanted to give them everything, and she wanted to take everything from them.
Jake palmed her bare breast, making her cry out. Josh copied him, and she had to dig deep to concentrate on stroking them and not the delicious feelings they were creating by tugging on her nipples. She knew they were close and pleasure coursed through her as they stiffened and peaked. Lips found her neck as they collapsed into a panting, groaning, shuddering heap.
“You completely slayed us.” Josh spoke as they pulled back, grabbed some tissues and cleaned her hands, before throwing them into the fire.
“Am I forgiven now?” She pulled the shirt together, but Josh caught her wrist.
“You still need penance to be forgiven,” Jake answered.
“More penance? Was that not enough to save my soul?” She grinned, but the intense look in their eyes made her mouth go dry.
“Not even close,” Jake said as he pushed her to lie down.
“No talking,” Josh whispered, settling next to her on his knees.
“My penance is no talking?” She tried to joke, but her voice cracked at the end.
They walked their fingers up her legs slowly, and she couldn’t stop the moan that left her lips.
“Shh, no noise at all,” Josh whispered, placing a hand over her mouth gently.
Jake opened her shirt, cupping her bare breast and she arched into him. He licked her nipple, sending sparks shooting through her. Wound tight from touching them, she was close to the edge already. And each touch, stroke, and lick from Jake had her writhing, unable to keep quiet. Josh lifted his hand and swallowed her moans as he kissed her. He thrust his hand into her hair, tilted her head back, and worked his way down her throat. She cried out as he inched his way over her breast, and he brought his hand to her mouth again.
They shifted around until they were lying beside her. Their hands wandered over her bare skin as they nuzzled and kissed her breasts. Josh lifted his head, caught her gaze, and she licked his palm. His pupils constricted so she licked him again just as Jake tugged on her nipple with his teeth and she lost her mind. Josh didn’t look away from her as he stroked his fingers over her belly and under the waistband of her borrowed boxers. She cried out as he sank his finger deep inside her. She bucked her hips upwards and groaned as Jake’s fingers worked under her boxers, knowing exactly where to touch her. They stroked, teased and explored her, and she was unable to keep still under the fire they painted with their fingers. Josh lifted his hand from her mouth, his lips closing over hers as they gave her the pressure she needed to shatter around them. He drank down her cries as they worked her through the aftershocks until she went limp under them.
They slid their hands free, kissing up her neck to her ears.
You’re forgiven,” they whispered at the same time. “On the condition you sin again as quickly as you can.”
“Condition accepted,” she breathed, tugging them close to her.
Under a blood moon
“Matt, for fuck’s sake, keep still!” Nate’s muffled roar came from inside the main section of the tent.
“I am still,” Matt yelled. “It’s you that’s moving, you fucking fairy.”
Nate’s roar had Lily bending at the waist, a hand over her mouth as she struggled to laugh silently.
“Yeah, laugh, why don’t you,” Josh snapped, holding the line tight as Jake hammered in a tent peg. “You could help.”
“I was, but Nate told me to shove off.”
“You were making it harder.” Nate’s voice came wafting out from where he was struggling to hold the centre pole upwards as Matt fixed the left side and the twins did the right side.
“I can’t help being shorter than you,” she pointed out through her laughter.
“Oi! Short arse, get over there and help Matt,” Jake shouted at her.
“I take great offence at being referred to as short arse,” she said, moving towards where Matt was struggling to hold the line taut.
“Yeah? Well, hammer this peg in while you’re being offended.” Matt indicated the mallet on the floor with his head.
She picked it up and waited. He was straining to keep the tension while attaching it to the line.
“When I tell you to, hammer it in,” he panted.
“I was looking at tents online the other day. You can get these pod looking things that interconnect and make base camps.” She knelt by the peg, the damp grass soaked through her jeans in seconds.
“They’re too big, we’d need two pitches,” Matt huffed. He hooked the line around the peg. “Okay, go for it. One or two solid whacks should do it.”
Lily put the mallet on the peg, lifted it and smacked it down.
“Put a bit of welly into it.” Matt struggled to keep the line taut.
“I am.” She hit it again, but it still didn’t go into the ground.
“Hit it. Don’t tickle it,” Matt snapped.
“I’m trying.” She gave it a healthy whack and it sank just a bit. She kept going till she was sweating, and the peg was secure.
“My god, anyone would think you were hammering it into concrete.” Matt let go of the line and sighed when it stayed taut.
“It felt like concrete.” Lily got up and brushed her knees off. “I’ve got wet knees now.”
“You want to try hammering it in when the ground is hard in summer time then.” Matt kissed the end of her nose and went around the tent. “One more line and it should be good. Nate, how’re you doing?”
“It’s steady,” he hollered.
Lily followed Matt and as soon as he had it taut she banged on the tent peg. It took a few hits, but eventually it was sunk deep in the ground.
“We’re done,” Matt said as Nate came out from the inside, flushed and sweating.
“It’s bloody hot in there,” he grumbled, wiping his forehead.
“I’ll get the stuff,” Lily called as she headed to the Land Rover parked by their pitch. She opened the boot and took out a bundle of rolled up sleeping bags. They soon joined her, and it wasn’t long before everything was brought into the tent and set up. They divided the tent into two sleeping areas. One for the twins, Matt, and Nate, and one for Lily. The main area held the things they’d brought for cooking and an area they could play card games in. Lily was excited, and she spent a while going between the areas, zipping and unzipping the dividers, windows, anything that had a zip.
When she went into their sleeping area, she frowned. They had two double airbeds squashed together and covered with blankets, sleeping bags, and their pillows. She had the same, a double airbed, sleeping bag and a blanket, but theirs looked more like an inviting nest. She crawled into the middle and settled herself into a ball.
“Wrong room,” Nate said and flopped next to her, sending her bouncing on the bed.
“Nope. I’ve decided I’m sleeping in here and you can all bunk on my bed.”
“Is that so?” he drawled.
“What’s that?” Josh came in with Jake and Matt behind him.
“Lily has decided she’s going to sleep here and we’re relegated to her bed.”
Matt zipped up the front opening and pegged it down. “Okay, if she wants. Let’s grab our stuff and move it around.”
The mattress moved as the twins got on beside her. “I was thinking more of you leaving this nice little nest for me too.”
“Oh, were you?” Matt zipped the second flap and came in.
“Stay here with us,” Nate offered.
“I do want to get some sleep,” she replied as Matt collapsed on the bed.
“We’d let you sleep.” Nate poked her side with his finger. “We’re not going to jump your bones when we’re all in here.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“Your snoring kept her awake last night.” Josh crawled off and went out.
“We kept you awake?” Matt moved to let Jake follow his twin.
“You were like freight trains. But it wasn’t just you two, they were just as bad.”
“Traitor,” Jake shouted.
“You were asleep when we got up,” Nate pointed out.
“Exhaustion.”
“Well, we don’t want that to happen tonight,” Matt said in mock sympathy. He crawled next to her. “Do we, Nate?”
“The shop is open.” Josh looked in. “Let’s close up and have a wander around before we get some tea.”
“Yeah, we’ll show you where the loos and showers are. There’s a laundry point there, and an entertainment area.” Jake leant on Josh’s shoulder.
“We’re going to do the bond, don’t forget,” Matt reminded them.
“We’re good for any time past midnight and up to three. It’s extra special this year; a blood moon is when the veil is thinnest, and for it to be the same night as Samhain is rare. It’s like the Dom Perignon of magic tonight,” Nate told her, rolling onto his stomach to look at her.
“Blood moon?” She screwed her nose up. “Why does everything have to be wrapped around blood?”
“Because blood is life. But it’s called a blood moon because it’s got an orange glow. It’s also called a hunter’s moon,” he explained.
“Magic is in the blood,” Matt added. “But other things can be used as well.”
“Like Jonas? With his hair?” she asked.
“Yeah. But the three strongest ones are blood, seed, and spit.”
“Come on, enough lazing around.” Josh came in from outside.
“I’ll have you know I was hard at work hammering in tent pegs,” Lily informed him.
“Two, you did two.” Matt got up and pulled her to her feet.
“I couldn’t reach to hold it up inside.”
“She can’t help being diminutive,” Jake said.
“It is annoying,” she agreed.
“You’re just fine,” Josh said, pulling her back to his chest. “Your head fits under my chin. I like it. A perfect, Lily shaped, chin rest.”
She laughed and stepped forward to put her trainers on. “Do we need candles for tonight?”
“No, we have all we need,” Nate said. “Come on, before rain calls off play.”
Lily went out, looking at the lead coloured sky. She hoped it held off long enough to bond at Dozmary Pool.
“IT’LL BE A MUD BATH,” Matt grumbled.
He closed the flap over as a streak of lightning lit the sky, followed by a crash of thunder; the storm was above them.
“It won’t matter. We still have the full moon as witness. It would’ve been nice to do it there, that’s all,” Nate said.
“Would it make it stronger?” Lily was wrapped in blankets, hugging her knees, only her face showing. Nate kept the tent warm, but she was tired, and the blanket was comforting.
“No. We don’t think so,” Josh replied.
“We won’t blow away. I put a little glue on each peg befor
e it rained.” Matt sat between Nate and Lily, closing the circle they were sitting in.
“Good thinking,” Josh said, shuffling a pack of cards in his hands.
“Glue?” Lily asked.
“Yeah, magic,” Matt explained.
She yawned. “What’s the time?”
“It’s one-thirty,” Nate answered her. “Last chance, Lily. Are you sure you want this?”
“Yes. I am.” She nodded, holding his gaze. She was never more sure in her life.
“You’re going to have to un-cocoon.” Jake nudged her shoulder.
“I can’t.” She crossed her eyes at him. “My metamorphosis isn’t yet complete.”
“What will you turn into?” Nate asked.
“A beautiful butterfly. And I’ll be able to flitter and flutter all around you because I can fly, and you can’t.”
“Yeah, well, looks like we’re going to have to see this transformation another day, maggot.” A smirk tugged Nate’s lips.
“Caterpillar.” She unwrapped herself and let the blanket fall behind her. “I’m a caterpillar, not a maggot.”
“No, you’re a maggot, all right,” Matt said and leant sideways to kiss her temple. “But you’re our maggot.”
“Right. Here we go.” Josh drew a small, bone handled, sharp knife from a bag on his lap.
“Athame?” She remembered the name.
“No, this is a scalpellum,” Josh replied. “Athames are used for hedge magic, cutting herbs, etc. Scalpellum is a ritual knife we keep for this sort of thing only.”
“It’s going to hurt,” Nate said. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“I’ll be able to heal it after, but it’ll scar,” Matt said.
“It needs to scar, it’s a physical sign of the bonding.” Jake took the knife from Josh.
Josh brought out a small bowl and set it into the centre of the circle. “Ready?”
Nerves made her hands shake as she lifted her palms out, copying the others.
“I’ll cut you last, Lily, so it won’t be too long for you,” Nate said, taking the knife and using fire to sterilise it. He turned to Matt and drew the blade over his palm gently. A line of blood welled up, dripping into the bowl Josh had moved under his hand. Nate took his other palm and repeated the process. He moved to Josh next and her stomach fluttered. The hair stood up on the back of her neck and sweat beaded on her forehead. She wasn’t a cry-baby, but neither was she looking forward to the pain headed her way.