by Cara Adams
Seb stood very close to Aria, forcing her to tilt her head back to look at his face. “We thought we might pass the time by playing a game. A dungeon game. Would you like that?”
She didn’t have to answer. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes sparkled. He was almost certain her nipples hardened as well. They were obvious beneath the shirt she wore. “First, you need to undress.”
She rested one hand almost casually over his cock. He was so hard, his dick so full from that gentle touch, he knew if she did anything more he was likely to explode. He held himself perfectly still and waited for her to speak, or move her hand. What she did it was to unbuckle his belt. “Aren’t you going to get undressed as well?”
He stepped back, brushing her hands away from his jeans. “Wait and see. Undress, slave,” he said as firmly as he could manage, with his dick straining to escape from captivity.
She gave him a huge pout before turning her back and stripping out of her clothes.
As soon as she was naked he led her upstairs to the dungeon. He opened the door just an inch. “Your costume is to our left.” Then he pushed her through the door and locked it again. They’d left the light on a dimmer switch, so she’d be able to see, but not nearly as well as they, with their sharper panther senses, would see.
He and Cayden had argued for quite a while as to how long to leave her alone. First, she’d find the costume and get dressed. That wouldn’t take long. She’d looked at the book, maybe even read it, so she’d work out what the story was about fairly quickly as well. But then they wanted to build up her tension, wondering about what would happen next. That was the hardest part to gauge.
Ten minutes, he thought, definitely no longer than that.
By the time he returned to the lower cave, Cayden was already dressed in his gladiator outfit, and Leo was in his panther form prowling around the room and swishing his tail. He stripped and transformed as fast as he could, not wanting to make his brothers wait. He longed for Aria to know their secret so that they could talk to her about mating and what it involved. He knew both his brothers had said they wanted a little more time to learn about Aria, and she absolutely needed to know more about them, but laying all the facts on the table, having no secrets from her, was vitally important to him.
Of course, that wouldn’t make it any easier for him not to bite her. However, it was a very important step in the process and knowing it would happen very soon soothed his anxiety.
Well, that is he hoped the fuck it was about to happen. He really didn’t expect her to scream and have hysterics when she saw them, but he didn’t know that.
Yes. Yes he did. He did know it. She might be surprised. She might even briefly be frightened like she was with the knife play. But she’d very quickly remember they would never genuinely hurt her. It would be all right. He knew that as well as he knew his own name.
Ah, fuck! Who was he trying to convince here? He didn’t know jack shit about anything. He just hoped she’d be okay with this game.
* * * *
Leo followed Seb and Cayden up the stairs. He was so nervous his knees were shaking, and he had to keep his mouth shut tightly or even in his panther form his teeth might chatter. He wasn’t sure if that was possible or not, but it’d be just his rotten luck they would.
With all his heart he hoped Aria would adjust quickly to the news that they were panther shape-shifters. But he couldn’t forget the stories his grandparents had told him, stories they’d heard from their own grandparents, of panthers chased out of their homes, panthers hunted down, vilified, and persecuted, even when they’d done nothing wrong and lived completely law-abiding lives. But simply terrorized and rejected because they weren’t completely human. That was why their ancestors had bought this island and moved here originally. So they’d be free to shift, free to run, free to live in peace.
If only there were enough panther women for them to mate. But there weren’t. One woman for every two or three men simply wasn’t enough for every man to find a mate. At least he didn’t have the terrible burden of finding a mate on his own. Only with the support of both his brothers was this venture possible. And now they were about to risk everything to tell Aria they loved her, wanted her, and by the way, were four-legged and furry as well.
Fuck! This could go so very wrong.
Cayden opened the door silently and slid through the gap into the dungeon, leaving the door cracked an inch. That would be enough for Seb to nose it open a little wider and the two of them to enter. He would close the door by using his hip to push it shut. The lock would work automatically.
Timing was vital here. They had to enter while Cayden had Aria’s complete attention so they were a surprise for Aria. Leo needed to see her reaction to them. That first glance would tell him a lot. Of course, it might break his heart if she shuddered in fear, but until they knew her feelings they couldn’t move on to explaining to her why they wanted her to stay with them.
Leo pricked up his ears. Cayden was telling Aria what a wicked person she was and how the crowd demanded she be fed to the lions. That was their cue. Seb nosed the door open a little more and slid inside silently, and Leo followed right behind him, nudging the door closed and hoping the lock didn’t make a loud noise. As soon as it clicked he padded silently away from the door to the corner of the dungeon, but Aria must have noticed the movement because she turned her head and stared at him her mouth hanging open like in a cartoon.
The good news was she wasn’t screeching her head off. The bad news was he couldn’t tell how she felt.
Cayden cracked the biggest, thickest bullwhip they owned against the stone floor. “Lions! Attack!”
This was the bit Leo didn’t like, but it had to be done. He curled his lips back, showing all his teeth, and growled in as menacing way as he could.
Seb was snarling at her but neither of them approached her yet. They’d both agreed they needed to give her a minute to adjust before they moved forward. It was one thing to play a scene and frighten her. It was another thing altogether to give the woman a heart attack.
She needed that minute to make the connection that Cayden was there and he really wouldn’t permit the animals to harm her.
Aria reached up to her hair, unplaited her braid, and began braiding it again. For a moment Leo didn’t understand why she would do that. Her hair wasn’t messy and lions weren’t going to complain if it was. Then he understood that it was her way of centering herself and thinking.
Sure enough she said, “Nice try, Cayden, but these aren’t lions.”
“Best be careful, slave. They’re hungry and you’re a mighty delicious-looking lunch.”
She reached up to her hair again and then stopped herself and crossed her arms. “Hello, Kitty,” she said softly, staring at him.
For some reason all Leo could think of was the children’s Hello Kitty toys and he wanted to giggle. Instead, he forced himself to growl. He needed to tell her he was no cute little kitty but a fierce wild animal.
She looked right into his eyes and then said, “For fuck’s sake. You’re lucky I’m not a nervy type. Seb and Leo those are absolutely amazing costumes, but I’d recognize your eyes anywhere.”
She turned to Cayden. “You must have had those costumes put aside already. I suppose you’ve used them before. They clearly aren’t lions. What story were they bought for? They’re really lifelike.”
Seb growled and snarled, showing his teeth. His fangs were down, of course, and Leo hoped he wouldn’t do anything stupid like bite her. He decided to be a distraction and ran across the room, leaping up onto the counter and looking down at Aria.
Seb must have thought he was trying to show Aria he really had four legs because Seb copied him, running across the room, leaping onto the spanking bench, then bunching his muscles and almost flying up onto the counter. It was something they’d all done many times before, but it definitely illustrated they had four legs and the agility of panthers. It wasn’t something they’d dare try in human
form.
Aria was watching them closely, her forehead lined with a frown and her eyes narrowed with the intensity of her gaze. She turned to Cayden. “They are Leo and Seb. They are. Those eyes give them away. Leo always looks a little worried, and Seb as if he’s about to play a joke on someone. If this is a joke I’m not laughing right now.”
“It’s not a joke. It’s what you think it is,” Cayden said gently.
“It has to be a costume. People don’t turn into panthers.”
“Use your eyes, Aria. You know what you’re seeing. Seeing is believing.”
“I see it but I don’t believe it.” Aria’s voice was grumpy and argumentative, but her gaze rested on him thoughtfully. Leo stretched his body out like any cat might do, making himself look twice as long as he really was, and then looked at her and licked his lips.
She turned to inspect Seb and he stood quite still staring back at her. Aria walked over to the spanking bench and sat on it. “Okay, shape-shift or transform or whatever it is you do and tell me what’s going on here. You boys have got some explaining to do. This is no fantasy or BDSM scene I’ve ever heard of.”
Cayden unlocked the door and stood holding it open. “We can play the scene some other time. Let’s get dressed and then we can talk in comfort.”
Leo jumped down off the counter and walked beside Aria, brushing against her bare leg. She was dressed in the skimpiest possible approximation of a toga, which covered her from her nipples to her crotch and not much else. He liked the way it looked on her, but Cayden was right. If they were comfortable, they could talk through the issue much more thoroughly, and if she was to be their mate, that conversation had to happen. Now was likely the best time for that. Even if the hurricane didn’t come they’d still be stuck here until the all-clear was given anyway.
* * * *
Aria hadn’t been aware of feeling cold, but she was more than ready to climb back into her jeans and long-sleeved shirt. Likely it was the shock of learning people were animals. Or animals were people. Or…what were they? Men or panthers? Both. They’re both.
It was almost a relief to admit that to herself. Aria stopped lacing her athletic shoes and thought for a moment. Nothing had actually changed. Seb was still Seb and Leo was still Leo. That was how she’d recognized them, because they were still themselves.
“Cayden are you a panther, too?” she asked.
He was buckling his jeans as she spoke. “Yes, I am.”
“Show me.”
“I look the same as my brothers.
“I want to see. Can’t you please show me?”
He undressed quickly, shimmered, and was a black panther. He did indeed look like his brothers but he was different as well. They looked big, black, and dangerous, but he had more of an aura of power about him. He was still the one in charge, even if he was an animal and they were men.
“Thank you. You’re different, you know. Like them but still yourself.”
“Is it really so easy to tell which of us is which?” Leo asked.
“Oh yes. I’d need to see you all close up. If you were running through a field a long way from me I wouldn’t necessarily know, although I might be able to pick Cayden. But when I see your faces it’s quite easy to recognize you.”
She sat cross-legged on a pile of blankets, pushing a pillow behind her back so she didn’t have to lean against the cold rock wall. Somehow she knew this was going to take a while to explain and she was going to have a hell of a lot of questions.
“Shape-shifters have always been persecuted. That’s why our distant ancestors left Europe and came to America, and it’s why our more recent ancestors bought this island. So we could grow up in peace and safety,” said Cayden.
“But for the last few generations all shape-shifters worldwide have birthed far more boys than girls, making it very difficult for males to find their mate,” Seb said.
“Fortunately ménage marriages and interspecies marriages are both legal and encouraged under shape-shifter law.” Leo gave her a big grin.
Aria listened intently as they told her about their island and their heritage. It all sounded like a wild fantasy, far more unreal than the ones they’d played out in the dungeon, except that shape-shifters were clearly real and sitting on the bedding beside her. If one of her friends had told her the story she’d have wondered how much alcohol they’d drunk or if they’d indulged in some party drug, but she knew none of that had happened to her. So shape-shifters, men who were animals were real, and not just panthers but wolves as well apparently.
“We’ve risked our lives telling you our story but we’ve done it for a reason. We’re all very attracted to you. We want you to think about staying here, living on the island with us, being our mate.”
Seb was holding her hands, putting his heart into his eyes and his words, and she couldn’t brush him off. Telling her their secret might be dangerous, but if she tried to tell anyone likely they’d think she was crazy. However, the men had entrusted her with the truth and she needed to appreciate their honesty and faith in her.
“I didn’t come here thinking of finding a romance or a partner. Three partners. I genuinely wanted to learn about BDSM to see if I might like it.”
“Now you have a lifetime to learn about it with three excellent teachers,” Seb said.
He was grinning, but she didn’t think he was joking.
“It’s a lot more complicated than that, though. What does it feel like to be a panther?” That didn’t sound right. They’d always been panthers, or she supposed they had, so it would feel normal, but she didn’t quite know how to express her thoughts.
“Being a shape-shifter comes from a gene inherited from one or more parents, just like any other gene. Biting you won’t make you a panther or anything else,” said Cayden.
“Start by ignoring anything you’ve heard in B movies,” added Leo.
“I want to bite you, though. We bite when we mate and it’ll enhance your orgasm,” Seb added.
Aria waved her hand in the air. “One at a time. Please, start from the beginning. Give me Shape-Shifting one-oh-one.”
The men talked and Aria listened. It all sounded quite reasonable and logical and she couldn’t help being drawn into their amazing world. The time she’d spent with them had given her an appreciation for them as people. Now she was seeing another side of them. They were good men, genuinely caring, and the red-hot sex was a bonus. Not that she’d have rejected a man because he wasn’t good in bed, but having men who were good in bed was better.
They talked for a long time, taking her step by step through their lives until she felt she knew absolutely everything about them. She was intrigued, fascinated, and starting to wonder if she was really in love with them. Until now, they’d been her hosts, her mentors, her guides, and the men who punished her and gave her orgasms. Right now though, she didn’t know whether it was just this time together or if she really was falling in love with them.
“Several times you’ve mentioned me staying here, living here as your mate. I understand about the sex and marriage part of the deal, but what else would be involved.” Aria had to speak loudly. Even though they were four levels below the ground, the hurricane must be getting closer because she could no longer ignore the noise outside.
“You wouldn’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. If you want to work, there is a range of jobs you could do either part-time or full-time. Or you could set up your own business if you wanted to.”
“Working with the tourists you mean? Like the lady who made my meals? Or cleaning the cottages when guests leave?”
“Yes. But actually there is one area of the island where we have Internet. Quite a few people have online businesses and work from the offices there,” Cayden said.
She was surprised to hear that, but it made sense in a way. If they’d told the guests about it they’d be standing in the office all day checking Facebook, she supposed. “That’s something else I’d need to think about. I’m not wedde
d to my job, or my apartment, or even to my car. But coming here really would be burning my bridges and leaving everything behind.”
“You can have as long as you need to think things through. But please, tell us you aren’t rejecting us.” That was Leo looking nervous and worried again.
“Of course I’m not rejecting you. No woman could fail to be honored by three men wanting to mate her.”
The noise of the hurricane was getting louder. They were almost yelling now.
Cayden leaned over. “Maybe we should go down another level where it’s not so noisy.”
Aria jumped up. She would be happy to do that. Talking was about all they could do at the moment, and she wasn’t eager to sit and do nothing for maybe hours while the hurricane passed overhead.
The men picked up backpacks and added sweaters, flashlights, water, and other things to them, so she pulled on her sweater. Cayden unlocked a steel door she’d assumed was another closet and switched on a light, and they walked through. This pathway was just rock, not a true floor. Wow, they really were in the cave system.
Of course, they told me there were more caves under their house. I just hadn’t bothered to think where they might be.
Chapter Eight
Cayden wished he could go outside and check the progress of the hurricane, but even going up to the ground level of the house would not be smart. The fact that they could hear the hurricane way down here indicated it was powerful, maybe even category three, and there was no way he planned to endanger anyone’s life, not even his own. So all they could do was wait it out.
Right here they were perfectly safe, but lower down in the caves would be better because they could talk and move around. Exploring the caves might be enjoyable for Aria and help pass the time. There was no way of knowing how long fucking Nathan would take to go away.