by R. E. Butler
Dante lounged next to her, stroking her hair back while Cairo lay between her legs and played his fingers across her heated flesh. Mason could still taste her on his tongue, and he savored the decadent flavor of her: sweetly honeyed woman. He slipped from her side to get a bottle of water from the fridge for her. She smiled gratefully as he settled back next to her and she drank half down without stopping.
He put the bottle on the nightstand and watched as she wiggled herself out from under the three of them and leaned against the mound of pillows at the top of the bed. All of them remained silent as she toyed with the fringe of a blanket, her body tensing slightly. Her eyes were bright when she lifted them, unshed tears pooling in the pretty chocolate depths. They spilled over as she said the three words that they’d been longing to hear... “I love you.”
Dante pulled her into his arms with a happy growl and he and Cairo crowded them, trading kisses and returning her sweet, honest words of love. He’d known that the weekend had changed things for her, and there were times during the week that he was certain she had stopped herself from saying it. Her old fears and doubts had prevented a lot of happiness for her, and he was glad to be part of the reason she was gradually healing.
“I wanted to tell you before, but I thought you’d think it was too soon,” she admitted, lowering her eyes again.
Dante tipped her chin up. “Your feelings for us are right on time, sweetheart. You never have to censor yourself or worry over what we’re going to think.”
“Good.” She moved out of his lap and knelt in front of them. “I want to become your clanmate. I’m ready to be yours forever, and to have you be mine.”
Overwhelmed by her words, he felt his eyes sting with tears. Damn it, he hated having such a tender heart, but he couldn’t help it with her. She was so strong underneath the broken bits of her heart. She’d just needed time to heal.
Dante met his and Cairo’s eyes silently and then said to Alyssa, “Next Saturday night, then. We’ll need time to get things ready, and we’ll have to make arrangements to close the gym for the weekend as well.”
Excitement glittered in her eyes as she leaned forward and grabbed a handful of Mason’s hair and planted a kiss on his mouth that was a cross between bliss and possession. She was one happy girl.
Later, when Alyssa was tucked into bed and sound asleep, the three men gathered in the office and discussed the ceremony and joining. Dante first contacted their parents and shared the news, which was met with cheers from their three fathers and mother.
It felt like ages since they’d been to see their parents. Their parents — hell, their whole extended family of uncles and cousins — were a tight-knit group. They would welcome Alyssa with open arms and shower her with the sort of family affection she’d missed her whole life. It was just one more reason that he was glad she was theirs.
When they joined Alyssa’s sleeping form in bed, he looked at Cairo. “Tomorrow’s the fight.”
“I know, Mase. We’ve been watching for signs that he’s got eyes on us, and we haven’t seen any evidence. When I don’t show up, we’ll have drawn a line in the sand with him and we’ll see what happens.” Cairo settled against Alyssa’s back. When they stretched out on the bed, she had rolled right over into Mason, and he stroked her hand that was lying on his chest.
“I don’t like just waiting for him to make a move,” Mason said quietly, worry skating through him.
“Neither do we, Mase. All we can do is be vigilant, and keep Lys safe at all times,” Dante said from where he lay on the other side of Cairo.
He looked down at his sleeping sweetheart, and vowed to do just that.
Chapter 13
When the night of the fight came and went and they heard nothing from Grady, Alyssa began to relax. She hadn’t thought Grady would back down, but maybe they were right all along and he was just trying to test them to see if they would push back when he pushed. They remained vigilant but cautiously optimistic, and she chose to follow their lead.
Saturday night came both fast and slow in that weird way that something you look forward to can. In just a few hours, Alyssa would be making love to her three boys for the first time, and this would secure her as their mate through a sacred ceremony similar to the mating ceremony that wolves performed. They’d already discussed her taking their last name, marrying Dante on paper to make things legal, because he was the oldest. She was happy to be getting rid of the Morgan last name and taking theirs. Alyssa Stone...it had a nice ring to it.
During the day, each man had disappeared for a couple hours at a time while she stayed in the house unpacking the things that they had brought over from her apartment. Mason had shared how he had paid for a large chunk of the rent on the apartment so she could afford to stay there, and she was humbled once more at just how much they really cared.
Since it wasn’t quite time to den-in for the winter, she unpacked her clothing in the enormous walk-in closet in the master bedroom. It had been Dante’s room, and now it belonged to all of them. As she hung up a long-sleeved top on one section of an empty rod, she looked at the mixture of clothing already in there. Mason’s laid-back, casual shirts and jeans. Cairo’s sports t-shirts and track pants. Dante’s trendy slacks and dress shirts. They were so different, but they came together as easily as if they were cut from the same cloth. She was the bonding agent for them, and as much as she couldn’t believe it was real, she was the center of their world now and forever. Once she let down the last walls of her old fears and embraced them, they wrapped her up in their strength and love and gave her a future worth looking forward to.
Going back to work on Monday had been an exercise in dealing with stress. Her wolf’s hackles had been raised all day, her senses on high alert. She couldn’t help but start at every sound, jump at the scratch of the front door as it swung open. The worry faded, as Mason installed upgraded security around the gym, and stayed close by her for the first few days. And then Thursday arrived and the day wore into evening until it was time for Dante to take the deposit to the bank. To her surprise, Mason and Cairo both walked in before Dante left, locking the door as he departed. Although she protested their return to the gym, she was relieved they were there for her. And later that night, back in the den, all worrisome thoughts disappeared in a hot rush of pleasure as they took turns making her insides melt.
“Baby?” Dante startled her from her thoughts.
She smiled at him as she hung up a pair of slacks and he held out a stack of dark fabric. “Take a shower, sweetheart, and dress only in these things. Use the soap that Mason put on the counter, it’s special. Use it in your hair, too. When you’re dressed, come downstairs and out onto the back porch. We’ll be waiting.”
She took the clothes from him, noticing he was wearing dark pants with no shirt or shoes, and black leather gloves on both hands. He disappeared quickly, and she turned off the light in the closet and went into the bathroom.
When the water was hot, she stepped into the glass-enclosed shower and sniffed at the soap. It was greenish-white and smelled very faintly like rosemary. She washed her hair and body and dried off, rubbing at her hair with a towel until it was damp. She dried it completely with a hair dryer from under the sink and turned to the pile of fabric.
The pile consisted of three pieces of black clothing: a corset, a skirt, and a cloak. The corset was stretchy and laced up the front with a black ribbon. When it was on, she stepped into the skirt made of the same material and skimmed it up her legs. It was short, barely covering her cheeks, but comfortable. She fixed the cloak at her throat, lifted the hood up and smoothed the material so it slipped forward over her shoulders and pooled on the floor.
Hyena ceremonial clothing is a lot like goth club clothing.
Excitement and nerves mixed together as she walked down the winding staircase to the first floor, through the dark kitchen, and out through the French doors that opened onto the back porch. The cool evening air made her skin prickle, but she was focused
on her boys, who were standing on the grass at the bottom of the porch. They wore cloaks as well, their gloved hands clasped in front of them, shirtless and barefoot in only dark slacks.
She stood on the porch and looked down at them, meeting each of their gazes in the dim light flickering from torches planted in the yard, which led to a circle where a small fire glowed.
Dante, in the middle, extended his right hand to her. “Do you come tonight, Alyssa Hannah Morgan, to join to this clan as their treasured bride and mate, of your own free will? Answer carefully, knowing this bond cannot be broken, carried even into the afterlife.”
Her voice was as clear as she hoped it would be. “I do.”
She took his hand and stepped down off the porch, walking with them through the torch-lit path until they reached the circle and the fire. The fire came from a small square brick that burned brightly on a raised iron plate standing waist high. Dante stopped her a foot back from the fire and moved across from her. Cairo was on her right and Mason on her left. They slid their hoods off and she did the same. The crackling of flames was the only thing she could hear over the beating of her heart; the world around them had gone reverently silent.
Dante pulled a small bowl from the ground and handed it to Cairo, who held it with both hands, close to the fire. Dante lifted a sprig from the ground and held it a few inches from the flames as his eyes met hers.
“Rosemary is sacred to the hyenas. The legend of our people says that when the first hyena clan found their mate, they draped her in rosemary so she would remember the strength of their love. It preserves, the way a clan’s love for their mate lasts throughout all eternity.”
There was a pause. She saw Mason lift a knife and cut off one of his curly locks and hand it to Dante, who wrapped the length around the rosemary. Mason turned the handle of the knife towards her, and she knew without any words being spoken that a lock of her hair was required, too. Without reservation, she grasped a narrow section and cut off a few inches from the underside of her hair, handing the knife and lock to Mason.
Dante wrapped her hair around the rosemary and dipped the end into the flames. It sparked immediately, tongues of fire licking upwards. He placed it in the bowl that Cairo held and they began to chant in what sounded like ancient Greek.
Dante stepped around with his brothers and she turned to face them. The flames in the bowl had gone out. Dante smoothed the edges of the cloak over her shoulders and untied the corset slowly, his dark eyes holding hers. He folded the corset and tucked it into his pocket. He took off his right glove and dipped his fingers into the bowl that Cairo held.
With a stroke of his ash-covered fingers across her chest, just over where her heart pounded in excitement, Dante said with a low voice, “I, Dante Marcellus Stone, do hereby vow myself to you, Alyssa Hannah, for the remainder of my days on this Earth and for the remainder of time in the afterlife. I vow to cherish, honor and protect you for all eternity.”
He stepped back and slid the glove on, taking the bowl from Cairo, who stepped up to her, and following in Dante’s example, stroked ash across her chest and vowed to love her forever. The light scent of rosemary tingled in her nose as Mason took Cairo’s place. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and although he was calm, he was struggling and that made her own eyes sting. When Mason finished the vows, Dante took the bowl and dumped the contents on the brick. They watched the flames devour the last bits of rosemary. A small domed lid was placed over the plate, extinguishing the fire.
The only light for them now was from the torches that made up the circle. One by one, those were extinguished by Mason and Cairo before they joined Dante and Alyssa. With a voice like steel, Dante said, “What we’ve vowed this day, no creature can undo. You are ours forever, Alyssa, mas karda enai liro. Our heart is complete.”
Their faces tilted up to the night sky and their howls pierced the silence, a combination of commitment to her and warning to others. Her wolf growled in agreement, panting in her mind for her new mates, and when they dropped their heads and the silence returned to surround them in a rush, she jumped into Dante’s arms and kissed him.
He chuckled in his throat but didn’t stop her kiss, walking forward and carrying her back towards the house. He only paused in their kiss long enough to step onto the porch before sliding his tongue back into her mouth and squeezing her tightly.
As they descended the stairs, she broke the kiss long enough to nip his bottom lip with her teeth. “Mine.”
The corner of his mouth lifted roguishly as he dug his fingertips into her thighs. “There won’t ever be anyone else for us, baby. It’s just you.”
When they stepped down into the den, after Mason and Cairo had cleaned things up and locked up the house, Alyssa was amazed at the transformation. All the furniture had been pushed back against the walls and panels of dark fabric hung from the ceiling, obscuring everything. It looked very much like a real den. The open area left by the fabric was a large circle, about ten feet around. Although there were no lights inside the open area, illumination came from lights hidden behind the fabric, which lit the whole area with a warm amber glow.
“This is our den,” Dante said softly, undoing the clasp of the cloak and tossing it behind her. Three other cloaks followed hers to the floor. “In this place, there is only us, only our clan and our love. It’s here that we will finish our clanning ritual by sharing blood and marking you and then making love together.”
Large hands slid the skirt down her legs and she knew they were Cairo’s. She stepped out of the garment and watched as Dante dropped his slacks and then tossed them away. She shivered as the reality of the situation settled onto her. She was soon going to be mated to these three wonderful men!
Dante walked backwards slowly, holding her hands in his as he led her into the center of the open area. A thick, black fur was stretched out on the floor and he stopped just at the edge of it.
“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Dante asked as Mason and Cairo joined him in front of her.
“Yes.” She smiled, her whole body trembling as all three of them drew her onto the rug. They settled on their knees, the three of them in front of her, and they began to take off the gloves from their left hands. As the leather was stripped away, they revealed a band tattooed around their ring fingers. They held their hands out to her, and she touched all three tattoos, tracing the identical designs.
The top and bottom was a simple lock and key design, underscored by a narrow, straight line. In the center of that were symbols she didn’t recognize, that encompassed the whole finger like a ring.
“What does it mean?” she asked.
Cairo said, “It’s a declaration that you are our mate; your name and our vow to you. Our kind does it instead of traditional wedding bands.”
Happy tears welled in her eyes. The gloves on their right hands came off and they showed her another tattooed band on their ring fingers. This one, also done completely in black ink, had only two narrow lines top and bottom, with symbols filling in the center. Dante explained that it was their clan ring, a vow to each other that they would do everything in their power to keep her and their future children safe. For them, their mate and off-spring were more important than their own lives. The clan was everything. She was everything to them.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she stared at the permanent symbols of their love for her and each other, and their future children. Mason stroked the tear from her cheek with his thumb, a sweetly sincere smile on his handsome face.
The air in the open area shifted, warming as if lit from an unknown source. She could feel their arousal on the air, three separate but similar dark, wild scents. They moved her around gently, until she was leaning against Dante’s chest with Mason on her right side and Cairo between her spread legs. Dante’s erection was hot against her back, but she quickly forgot about how uncomfortable he must be. Cairo’s warm mouth kissed up the inside of her leg as Mason tilted her face so he could kiss her mouth. Dante began
to nuzzle under her ear and cup her breasts. Sensations overwhelmed her. The sensual lash of Cairo’s tongue as he licked up her pussy. The firm pressure from Dante’s fingers on her nipples as he pinched and tugged until they were tight, hot peaks. Mason’s lush mouth pressed against hers, his tongue claiming every inch of her mouth.
Cairo slipped a thick finger inside her body and sucked her clit into his mouth, lashing his tongue against the captured nub. His finger wiggled inside her, easily finding the place to send her into orbit. They’d learned her body so quickly, almost desperate for her to know pleasure every time they were together. And tonight was no different. Mason ate her panting moans until she felt dizzy from lack of oxygen. He let her mouth go free, only to latch onto her neck and nibble and suck with the same fervor as Dante attacked her other side. Stomach tightening with pleasure, she closed her eyes and dug her fingers into Mason and Dante’s arms, as if she were afraid she would float away from the ground in the throes of her passion. Even though her eyes were closed, they still rolled back in her head as her climax thundered down on her in a hot wave of pleasure that made her body tighten and her toes curl. She cried out wordlessly as Cairo fingered her harder and rolled her to another blistering climax. She was dimly aware of three low growls seconds before they sank their fangs into her body.