by Cara Adams
Slowly Verity walked around the concrete pad that would soon be her house. A little sprinkling of snow lay over it, but as she walked her boot prints showed up clear and crisp, the gray of the concrete visible where she’d trodden. Except there. Verity turned and looked. One small patch seemed strange, almost yellowish rather than gray.
Verity kicked at the snow, but it didn’t clear, so she bent down and used her gloved hand to brush the snow aside. The concrete wasn’t smooth there. She’d been here before. How could she have not noticed that?
“Come and look here. This’s weird,” she called.
“What’s weird?” asked Ezra, turning to face her.
“This is.” She waved at the bumpy piece of concrete.
The two men walked across to her and Noah ran his hand over the patch of floor as she’d done. Then he kneeled down and got out his pocket knife and chipped a little at the edges.
“That’s concrete, Noah. The only thing that’ll happen is you’ll snap the blade off your knife,” said Ezra.
“Why haven’t we ever noticed it before?” asked Verity. She really didn’t understand. They’d been able to walk on the concrete for a while now and she would have imagined that they’d covered every inch of it planning their new home.
“It’s not visible unless you hunker right down and touch it,” said Ezra.
Verity was going to argue that the color was slightly different then decided not to. What was the point? They’d seen it now and still had no idea what it was. She couldn’t believe that this one tiny area had never been smoothed properly all along. The change had to be more recent.
Noah took a picture of it on his phone and sent the picture to JB. Within seconds JB had texted back. Don’t touch. I’m on my way.
“You’ve upset his professional pride,” she chided Noah.
“Likely it’s nothing after all,” added Ezra.
“I don’t know. It’s giving me a bad feeling.”
Verity started walking over the area again, kicking the snow off the concrete, looking for any other strange places. Ezra joined her. “Do you think it’s something wrong? That someone’s been tampering with our house?” he asked her.
“I don’t know what to think. Sam’s a nut case and Drew and Charlie are smart enough to not get caught. And don’t forget there’re two others whose names I don’t even know.”
“You may not know their names, but David will,” said Noah, stepping up behind them, his cell phone out again.
“Hi, David. I—”
“You’re on your way here with JB? Okay, I’ll talk to you then.”
“I hope we’re not upsetting everyone needlessly,” worried Ezra, staring all around them.
Suddenly Verity felt both cold and scared. “What if someone has attacked our house? What if it’s not safe here?”
“Of course it’s safe.” But she wondered if Ezra was trying to convince her, or himself, or both of them.
Verity was really pleased to see Omar’s big white truck pull into their driveway. Then she almost laughed. It looked like all the men who’d been working on building the sauna had piled into the truck to come with JB and David. No wonder they’d arrived in Omar’s truck. It was the biggest one in the community.
Bill and Josh grabbed brooms from the back of the truck and started sweeping the snow off the concrete pad. David and JB marched across to where Noah was standing and crouched down, looking at the lumpy patch. JB took a cold chisel and a hammer off his belt and delicately chipped around the edge of it.
Ezra went over to where Bill and Josh had been sweeping, staring at the clean concrete. Verity guessed he was looking to see if there were any other bumps or strange things.
Verity pulled a big breath into her lungs. She couldn’t live being frightened all the time. Drew and Charlie might never be caught. They were smart. They might even have gone straight by now, as David had done. Or maybe not, but they were clever enough to avoid doing anything that would get them arrested or caught anyway. She was twenty-one. Her future was ahead of her and she couldn’t live it always looking over her shoulder, wondering if she was being watched or tracked. All she could do was live as she wanted to. Be sensible but not fearful. Cautious but not cowardly. She needed to get a grip on herself and stop fussing.
Verity straightened her body, pushed her shoulders back, and looked around her with fresh eyes. This place was beautiful. It would be her home. She would get a security system and she would take precautions. But she wasn’t going to be afraid of things that might never happen. She wasn’t going to exist. She was going to live.
JB gave a loud crack of laughter and everyone rushed over to where he was crouched on the concrete, hammer and chisel still in his hands. The body of a tiny mouse was revealed in the chipped-open concrete.
“Poor little guy. Likely he got his feet caught in the wet cement and couldn’t get out again,” said David. David lifted the mouse out of the hole and took him across to the trees, placing him on the ground there. Meanwhile JB went across to the truck and came back with some filler, which he mixed directly into the dent in the concrete, and smoothed it over.
The men scanned the concrete pad carefully, but it was perfectly smooth and untouched everywhere else.
“I’m sorry to have worried you needlessly,” apologized Noah.
“Much better to be too careful than not careful enough,” replied JB.
“David, what are the names of the other two rogue panthers? We know about Jim and Drew and Charlie, but there were two others still with you toward the end, weren’t there?” asked Noah.
“Oh yeah. Tom and Jonno. But I don’t know where they went off to. Likely home, I guess. They were from Indiana, just over the border. Not even a day’s drive. Besides, they were human, not panther anyway,” David said.
“Thanks.” Noah nodded.
Verity wondered what he was thinking. Did the two rogues living just over the border mean they’d be more likely to go home and stay there? Or did it mean they could return at any time they felt like it? But what for? There was nothing here for them now. Sam’s hatred of his children was not their battle and there was no quick money to be made here.
Verity shrugged. She wasn’t going to worry. She was going to be sensible but not fearful. Her life was in front of her and she was going to live it to the fullest.
However, there were still a lot of unresolved questions about what her life would look like once she was mated to the men. It wasn’t just about a house. It was all about being included in their lives. Soon they needed to sit down and talk properly. She wanted everything laid out clearly so that they both treated her as a truly equal partner in their lives.
Chapter Four
The following weekend the entire community helped assemble the new sauna. Ezra had been wondering all week where it would be placed. One group wanted it down by the tiny river so anyone who wanted to could jump into the ice-cold water after their sauna. But most of the non-shape-shifters preferred having it closer to the buildings so they could easily get back to their homes and shower and change before they were chilled to the bone.
Finally Larry had said, “No one wants to wait a month for concrete to cure and the sauna is self-contained. So set it up at the end of the road on the gravel there. There’s a nice snowbank right there from where we’ve plowed the road for everyone to roll in afterward to cool down. At the end of winter we can choose where to move it.”
Ezra had nodded. Larry’s decisions were almost always extremely wise. He weighed all the sides to an argument and chose an answer that benefitted the community as a whole, not just one of the groups such as the humans rather than the shape-shifters or the panthers rather than the wolves. He’s a good man, Larry, and an able business manager.
The women got to use it first, then finally it was the men’s turn.
By the time Ezra arrived there was a pile of shoes outside the door. He remembered his instructions, checked his towel was wrapped tightly around his waist, then
opened the door the merest fraction and squeezed inside as quickly as he could, trying to keep the heat in.
Galen moved along the bench, leaving space for Ezra to wiggle in between him and the wall. “Oh God, it’s hot,” gasped Ezra.
“No it’s not. You let all the heat out when you arrived. Wait ’til it warms up properly again,” a voice called out. In the dimness Ezra wasn’t sure who spoke. Frank, an older panther, maybe.
It was strange sitting on the bottom bench, his back to most of the other men, listening to their easy banter and the many jokes in the dim light of the electric stove. It reminded him of the few Boy Scout camps and the campfires he’d shared with his friends as a teenager. Except they’d always been in summer, not winter. He half expected someone to start singing “Kumbaya” any minute.
“All right. Everyone out. Time to cool off in the snow,” said a loud voice from the topmost bench. Bodies pushed at him and he followed Galen outside. It didn’t feel cold at all outside, even when someone tackled his legs and sent him flying headlong into the snowbank. Soon they were roughhousing and jumping into the snow, rolling around, making snow angels, and laughing even louder than before.
This time it was Josh who yelled out, “Last one back inside is a rotten egg.”
“What? Are we all six years old again?” Ezra asked.
But Jeff, one of the humans, and Galen pushed him back toward the sauna and he found himself barreling his way through the door, eager not to be last.
Twice more they baked themselves in the sauna then rolled in the snow, until finally Frank said, “That’s enough for today. Make sure you don’t dehydrate. When you get home drink plenty of water. Not just a glass of water, a lot of water. And no alcohol. Water.”
Ezra nodded. That made sense. They’d been sweating and just rolling in snow may have cooled them down, but it hadn’t replenished their hydration levels at all. During a swim in the river their skin would have absorbed a little bit of the water, if the sauna had been placed there. Not that he was keen to swim in an icy river. No one had hit him with birch branches, either. He must remember to talk to Noah about that for when he, Noah, and Verity came here together though. The sauna had lots of potential for future games they could all play together.
* * * *
Verity insisted she was fully healed, and she sure looked healed to him, but the six weeks wasn’t quite over yet and there was no way Noah was going to risk her getting an infection this close to their mating. Or ever at all, come to think of it. So he laid out the latex gloves, the strawberry-flavored condoms, and a small pile of latex dental dams alongside a vibrating butt plug, nipple clamps, his favorite paddle, and several ropes.
Verity arrived in the dungeon first, quietly opening then closing the door, going to a chair by the wall, and removing her clothes. Since she’d only had to come from her room on the second floor she was wearing jeans and a sweater, no outdoor clothes, but he guessed Ezra would either have a coat on or would be carrying it, having removed it when he entered the building.
Winter was a nuisance in that way. What with coats and boots, scarves, hats, and gloves, there were altogether far too many clothes to make having good sex either easy or convenient.
Noah could hardly wait until they had their own house. Already he was building a file of notes about scenes they could play in the various rooms of their home.
Verity was naked and standing in the middle of the dungeon when Ezra arrived, but he was carrying his outer clothes so soon joined her there. Tonight was going to be about Ezra. Noah had planned a scene based on him for tonight and was looking forward to the effect it would have on both his subs.
He’d become aware he was not treating his subs equally. They were of equal importance in this relationship. It wasn’t just about pleasuring Verity, even though pleasuring her invariably gave both him and Ezra release, too. Tonight was going to focus on giving Ezra all the punishment and release he could handle.
“Ezra. Go and stand with your back to the St. Andrew’s Cross. Verity, you may watch,” he ordered.
Ezra did so. With his back to it he couldn’t put his feet through the holes, but Noah needed to be able to work on his cock and nipples, so his feet would have to stay on the floor.
Quickly Noah cuffed Ezra’s hands to the tops of the X frame and used one of the lengths of rope to tie his knees to the lower part of the cross. With Ezra’s feet still on the stone floor of the dungeon Noah wouldn’t be able to rotate the cross, but it would keep Ezra secure, so he could manage with it like this. Noah fetched the nipple clamps and said to Verity, “Attach the nipple clips to his nipples.”
Verity stared at him for a few seconds then came forward eagerly to do his bidding. She elongated Ezra’s nipples, pulling on them until they were fully engorged, then tightened the little clamps around each one.
“Move back.”
Verity bowed her head and stepped to the side.
Noah picked up another rope and tied it around Ezra’s hips, along the join where his leg and body met, up through the crack of his ass, and along the other leg and trunk line. Now Ezra’s cock was bouncing free, but the rest of his genital area was surrounded by rope. That should give him something to think about.
Noah untied the rope around Ezra’s knees, uncuffed his hands, and said, “Turn around.”
When Ezra turned Noah said, “Put your feet through the holes.”
Now Noah cuffed his hands again, higher this time and tighter, pulling him against the St. Andrew’s Cross and making him secure.
Noah walked around to the other side of the double-sided cross and said, “Come here, Verity.”
She moved quickly, evidently very ready for her turn.
She was shorter than Ezra and had to stand on the step, but he soon had her cuffed hand and foot to the cross.
Noah walked back to the bench and collected his paddle, swishing it through the air in case they hadn’t noticed it sitting ready to use. He paddled Ezra’s ass, right cheek, left cheek, hard then harder, half a dozen times before walking around to the other side of the cross and spanking Verity. From Verity’s side of the cross he could see Noah’s engorged cock, and when he was behind her he could see the damp, glistening moisture on her inner thighs. The spanking had been successful. Both his subs were aroused.
Noah replaced the paddle, put on a pair of gloves, and collected the lube. Now he concentrated on opening Verity’s ass, twisting his fingers inside her, stretching and softening her tissues. Her moans were soft but heartfelt and more cream dripped from her cunt. Good. Quickly he lubed the vibrating butt plug and pushed it inside her.
He removed his gloves and tossed them in the trash before picking up his paddle and moving behind Noah again. This time he worked hard to do the unexpected. A harsh slap to a butt cheek followed by one to the left shoulder. A lighter whack to the right thigh and one to the left. Not until he could see Ezra clenching his muscles tightly did Noah stop. He knew Ezra was on the edge of coming and had no intention of giving him release as yet.
Noah flicked the remote control on the vibrating butt plug and hid a smile at Verity’s gasp. Good. She hadn’t been expecting that.
He took the lock off the cross and turned it a quarter turn. They weren’t upside down, but they were hanging sideways. It should be enough to put them off-balance, have them wondering what would happen next. He gave the butt plug another buzz, but Verity must have been able to see his hands because she made no sound this time. He’d have to be smarter next time. In fact…
Noah walked over to his backpack and rummaged around in it, coming back with two hoods. Quickly he walked across the room then dropped one hood over Ezra’s head, tying it onto him, and the other over Verity’s, tying hers, too. That should make them think. When one sense was taken away, the subs were forced to rely on their other senses. They would be listening much more carefully, using their skin to pick up any breeze made by his movement, tensing to notice anything he did. Now was the perfect time to misdirect
them.
Noah flicked the switch on the butt plug again, just to keep Verity alert, then silently removed his shoes and socks. He took hold of his paddle and moved it through the air, knowing their straining senses would hear the tiny sound it made.
He stood at arm’s reach from the cross and, moving in tiny increments, touched the wheel and gave it another quarter turn. The moment they were upside down he paddled Noah’s ass then Verity’s then turned them a third quarter.
Noah took a pinwheel out of his backpack and a length of silk. Carefully he dragged the silk over Ezra’s skin, across his neck below the hood then over his shoulders and across his waist above the ropes. Without stopping the slow, sinuous movements of the fabric, he used his other hand to roll the pinwheel down Ezra’s spine. Noah’s aim was to heighten the contrasts, the sweet and sensuous with the harsh but arousing.
He then repeated his actions on Verity. Where Ezra had remained completely silent, Verity’s breathing became harsh. He dropped to his knees so he could look at her cunt. It was deep pink. She was very aroused indeed. He’d intended to hit the vibrating butt plug again but didn’t want her to come so left the switch alone for now. Instead he ran the pinwheel up one of Ezra’s arms. Ezra’s skin twitched. Good. He hadn’t been expecting that.
Noah moved the cross to the upright position and locked it then uncuffed Verity and led her across the dungeon to the spanking bench, cuffing her hands to the hooks on the floor so she was bent over it.
Standing behind Ezra, he asked very softly, so Verity would have to strain hard to hear them, “Would you like to fuck her now?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Ezra’s voice was hoarse and needy.
Noah uncuffed him and handed him a condom, saying, “Put that on.”