by Marilynn Fae
"I love you, baby. You know that, right?" Darius says.
To his surprise, the little cat girl nods, ears perking up as she lets go of her tail. Her smile is beautiful, lighting up her entire face. "I love you too," she says, easy and swift, not needing to think about it at all.
Darius looks broken, like he doesn't know what to do with that.
Taking mercy on his emotionally constipated twin, he asks, "Do you know who I am, darling?"
She nods and murmurs. "Master Darius's twin brother."
"I'm Ethan," he says. "I was born tern minutes before him, so that makes me the older brother. It also means I'm automatically wiser than he'll ever be."
Darius scoffs and she manages a broken smile at his weak humor.
"Darius can be a little much sometimes," Ethan says carefully, giving his brother a warning glare when he looks like he's about to argue. "But you understand he didn't mean to hurt you, don't you?"
She looks deep in thought, and then nods carefully. "Master Darius?" she murmurs, soft and scared and Jesus, even Ethan wants to hold her and keep her safe.
It's terrifying that he understands why Darius is insistent on keeping her locked up here like Rapunzel in a high towel, away from everyone and everything capable of hurting her.
She looks conflicted for a second, and then she slips off the bed and climbs into his lap, curling her arms around his neck and nuzzling his neck like a nursing kitten. She's perfect. "I love you, Master Darius," she whispers against his skin and Ethan feels like he's intruding to something intimate.
He walks away, but not before hearing a gentle, "I love you too, baby."
Chapter Seven: Agreement
She falls asleep in his arms, so soft and sweet and trusting, even after he had mauled her neck and left so many bruises and cuts on her skin.
"Unless your saliva has antimicrobial properties, we're going to have to wash that," Ethan says, gesturing at the wound at the juncture where her neck meets her shoulder. She's such a dainty little thing. His teeth mark is almost on her entire neck and around her upper chest. It's barbaric. He shouldn't feel satisfaction from the thought that it would leave a scar, but he does.
Darius is more than a little upset with his twin but doesn't want her to be even more frightened than she is, so he lets his brother come near them with the medical kit he keeps underneath the counter in the bathroom. He thought he had left. "How did you know where the medical kit was?"
"Smelled it," Ethan says. "You should have told me you were so serious about her." It is as close as he can get to an apology from his twin.
Darius bares his teeth at him. "She's not yours to claim."
"Keeping her locked up like this reminds me of someone we're related to," Ethan says like he wants Darius to maul him.
"I am not our father."
Ethan looks like he's about to disagree but stops himself before he points out that what he's doing is exactly like their father. Instead, he says, "Keeping her locked up here like a prisoner is a bit much, though, isn't it?"
"And look what still happened," Darius says, refusing to let his brother turn this into his fault. "I know what people think of people like her. You meet her for the first time today and immediately you try to take advantage of her. I'm trying to shield her from that."
"Don't bullshit. You just want to keep her for yourself."
"If I wanted that, I could've done it years ago." He grimaces when he hears the words from his own lips and he holds her a little tighter. She makes a soft little mewling noise and shifts in his lap but doesn't seem to be waking up any time soon. She's a sweet thing, too innocent for her own good.
When he first saw her all those years ago, her 'family' treated her like a bargaining chip. They were only too eager to hand her to him when they lost, knowing that if he took her, their Pride would be safe. Werecat prides are outnumbered by Werewolf packs by the thousands. Being under the protection of a single Werewolf pack could be the difference between life and death. Her pride works with him now and stays close to the territory. They don't make any trouble, but it's clear they don't care about her either. No one had asked about her, checked up to make sure she's doing well under his face.
"Dad used to keep mom locked up all the time too," Ethan says carefully, knowing he's putting his nose where it doesn't belong, but needing to say it out loud regardless.
"She's different," Darius insists.
"How?"
"She doesn't know how dangerous the world can be for people like her."
"So you're not going to let her out at all? That solves everything. Good job, Darius," Ethan rolls his eyes. "Get her wounds cleaned up. I'm leaving."
"Wait," Darius's blurts before he can help himself. "Wait," he sighs. "I'm trying," he insists. "I'm trying my best- I've been- I get her tutors," he says weakly. "And the other pack members come by and talk to her sometimes. She knows Alex and Maria, their children. Dominic and his mate comes by every Sunday and she has friends... online..." he says. His argument sounds weak even to himself. He's still isolating her, controlling her the same way their father used to control their mother.
Ethan sighs and gestures him forward.
He has to bite the inside of his mouth to keep himself from snarling at his brother when he reaches for her with a damp towel and begins wiping away the blood smeared on her shoulder.
"Take her outside with you," Ethan suggests. "We're trying to change things, remember? Make the world a better place for shifters? Shifters like her especially," he tilts his head in her direction. "You can't say you want change for everyone and then be the best example of what not to do. She deserves to live too."
"I know that," Darius growls. Of course he knows that. That's why he had been hiding her from Ethan all these years. He knows his twin would have no qualms giving him all the uncomfortable truths he's not ready to hear.
She comes awake as they finish cleaning her in the tub. He doesn't expect his brother to follow but doesn't want to start another argument by denying him either. At least he knows enough to keep his boxers on. She blinks awake blearily and smiles gently at his brother. "Darius?" she calls out, confused about being wet in a tub. When she hears him hum behind him, she kicks away from his twin. "Master Darius!" she cries, heartbeat going out of control.
"Shh... It's alright," he hums, holding his arms around her waits, keeping her flush against him. "He's here to make sure I don't hurt you," he explains, helping her cover her breast with an arm wrapped deliberately over them while her tail wraps around her hips, covering her pussy.
"I know you won't, Master Darius," she says, sweet and innocent, eyeing Ethan with obvious distrust and a little bit of irritation.
It's utterly adorable. "Sweet thing," he chuckles, kissing the back of her neck a little to the right of where his teeth marks are. To his surprise, he smells the scent of arousal coming from her.
Her breath catches in her throat. "Master Darius?" she whimpers.
"Would you stay?" he asks Ethan, not quite trusting himself not to hurt her, to go too far and knot her even though he's quite certain she's not yet ready. She's a slight thing, barely reaching his shoulders wit ha waist dainty enough that he can circle his fingers around his waist with his hands. The thought that he can do that makes his cock twitch and harden. She's so small and he loves it.
"To watch, or to participate?" Ethan asks, quirking a brow.
"What do you think, baby?" he asks, gripping her tail lightly and pushing it out of the way. The scent of her arousal is lovely and potent, going straight to his cock. He smells arousal coming from his twin and knows by the way her nostrils flare that she can scent it too.
"Aria?" Ethan asks.
"Um," she blushes, turning to look at him, wanting his permission and his input. She doesn't seem to mind Ethan touching her until she realized he's not him. Perhaps if he learns to share, if he allows his brother there, he could learn to share her, let her outside and have more freedom in her life.
"Well
, I suppose the ball is in your court, Darius," Ethan says. "Do you want to mate with her or not?"
Of course he does. He just doesn't want to share. He's about to tell him so when she twists her head and looks around at him, looking so hopeful that he couldn't bare to deny her anything. He resists the urge to snarl and claw at his brother. "Are you sure?" he asks, keeping his voice soft. "There's no need to rush into things. You can-" He can't even make himself finish the suggestion that she can take someone else as her mate. Someone who's not obsessed with her and sees nothing wrong with keeping her locked up.
She squirms and he's reminded of his hard cock pressing between her naked ass. "Yes, Master Darius," she murmurs, soft and ever so sweet.
Chapter Eight: Kisses
Ethan grins. It's almost too easy to manipulate them. "Come on, darling. Give me a kiss," he says, ignoring the way Darius is growling lowly at him to back off.
He smells anxiety on her when he kisses her, keeping it soft and gentle, licking the seam between her lips until she shyly opens up for him and then licking deeper inside. He doesn't go much further than that though, turning her jaw and angling her head to Darius can kiss her too.
She squirms and moans, her anxiousness melting away when she's kissing her Master Darius. He smirks at the way his brother's rumbling growls melt into purrs, arms circling around her to pull her closer. His dick is throbbing in his boxers, jabbing into her belly when Darius kisses her.
When they pull apart, they both look a little shell-shocked. It's almost nauseatingly sweet. He supposes he's responsible for them taking the next step too. After all, if it weren't for him, they would probably still be circling around one another, both too uncertain and shy to do anything.
"Let's take this to the bedroom, shall we?" he suggests, keeping his gaze on her. Her tongue darts out to dampen her bottom lip.
"Okay," she says softly.
Darius lifts her up and carries her into the bedroom. The mattress dips as they both sink into it and he hears the shift in her breathing, nervousness and uncertainty making the sweet virgin whimper. Ethan leans from where he's standing by the bed and draws her into a kiss, more forcefully this time, gripping the back of her head to take away her option of pulling away. His other hand moves between her legs and swipes up her pussy lips, stopping at her engorged clit. She jerks and gives a high-pitched whimper that sounds like music to his ears.
"Master-" she whimpers, and then realizes her mistake and frowns. "Ethan?"
He leans in and licks up her cheek, turning his face to tug her earlobe with his teeth. A full-body shudder goes through her. "I want you, pet," he says.
"Oh," she whimpers and he slides a finger into her tight heat. She undulates her hips. "Oh- oh-" she gasps.
It's lovely. He doesn't know how his brother managed to keep his hands to himself for so long. Maybe it has to do with her age, her innocence. Maybe his brother's a saint. Maybe Darius doesn't know how to fuck. He smirks and lets out a low groan when she reaches for him blindly, palms pressing against his chest. He knows he wouldn't have that kind of self control.
"Do you know how to suck cock, darling?" Ethan asks.
Her eyes widen and Darius looks like he's prepared to rip him apart with his claws for being so crude. "I um- I don't- I can learn," she whispers.
"That's the spirit," he says, ignoring Darius as he tugs his cock free.
She hesitates only for a second, smart little kitty, and then she's on her hands and feet, fluffy tail lifting up and swaying prettily as she eyes his cock, like she's considering pouncing on it. She licks her lips and tilts her head from side to side, blinking at his cock like she had never seen one up close before. And then her mouth circles around his cock, tentative and unskilled, but lovely all the same. Her cat ears are perked up and he can't help but reach for it, rubbing the soft, so soft tip.
"That's it, pet," he grins. "That's perfect," he groans, loving the warmth surrounding his hard dick, the soft suction of her mouth and the curious swipes of her tongue. He juts his pelvis forward and she chokes on his cock for a second before Darius snarls for him to be gentler so he rolls his eyes and pulls back, letting her catch her breath. She doesn't seem too upset about choking on his cock.
He combs his fingers over her hair again and again, rubbing her ears a little before shifting his attention to the way her lips are closed over his cock, wet heat surrounding his length.
Chapter Nine: Knot
Aria licks the cock in her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head and then licking down the sides. Wet precum beads at the tip and she tastes the explosion of salt on her tongue with a soft moan that makes the werewolf stutter and groan. She can smell potent arousal from both men, their grips on her body tight, but not so firm that she can't shimmy out from between them if she wants to. Not that she wants to do that, of course.
She loves her Master Darius and he's touching her now, his hand on her soft to the point of reverence, like he can't quite trust himself to hold onto her.
She wonders what he sees when he looks at her.
Ethan rubs her ears at the base and she keens. It feels good when he does that.
"Like that, darling?" he asks and she peers up at him through her long lashes, smiling a little bit when he does that again.
She hadn't liked Ethan at first. He tricked her and pretend to be Master Darius. His touch is kind now, though. His palm is warm on her cheek and he knows where to rub her ears to make her feel good.
She feels Master Darius's fingers trailing from her spine to the end of the tail, circling around it to spread the cleft of her ass, pushing the puckered hole a little before moving further down. She flinches when he touches her hole and her heartbeat races.
"Is this okay, love?" he asks, his voice rasping.
She pulls back and nods eagerly. "Yes, Master Darius," she says.
Ethan stokes her cheek, and then curls his fingers around the back of her head and pulls her down to his dick. She latches back on it eagerly, creating a suction in her mouth as her tongue swipes up and down his slit, licking the salty precum beading at the tip. She likes the distraction, likes it even though it fills her mouth too much and she can feel the corners of her mouth stretch to accommodate the thick width of his cock. She tries to circle her fingers around the base, but she can't fill circle it all the way around.
"That's it, darling. Move your hand up and down like this," Ethan murmurs, holding her gently by her wrist and guiding her to move her hand up and down. His other hand is still curled warmly around the back of her neck.
"Don't be too rough with her," Darius warns, his rumbling voice warm against her naked back.
"I'm not too rough with her," Ethan argues, sounding a little impatient, but also gruff and aroused.
Behind her, she feels Master Darius sliding his finger inside of her, just one at first, and then a second finger pushing in to join the first, deep enough to crook it and send jolt after jolt of pleasure through her spine. She jerks and whines, taking the cock deeper into her mouth. One finger turns to two and then a third, pumping steadily as he stretches her virgin hole while she keens around Ethan's dick. She can feel the friction of his fingers moving in and out of her, stretching her out carefully, making sure that her hole is ready for his two fingers before introducing a third. It's perfect and terrible. She feels like she's being pulled apart at the seams, like he's going to break her. She worries that he would put a fourth finger inside of her.
She doesn't think she can take it. She's already at her limit. Pleasure and pain courses through her body, making her tremble and her body clench around his fingers.
"Do you think she's ready?" Ethan asks, pulling her down to take more of his cock inside her mouth. She feel the head of his hard length on the back of her neck and her eyes water at the sudden, choking sensation.
"Shh... It's alright, my love. It's alright," Darius rumbles, pinching her nipple to make her cry out and distract her from the way Ethan's cock is throbbing in her mouth.
/>
It feels so good. She pretends it's Master Darius's cock she's sucking and whines when she feels his fingers pull out. The emptiness feels more terrible than the stretch and she wants his fingers back inside of her, wants- wants-
"Oh!" she cries, her voice wrecked as she pulls back and her back arches. "Oh, Master Darius!"
He's sliding his cock inside of her, one hand curled around her hip and the other around her breast, massaging her soft mounds as he enters her. "That's it, darling. Relax for me," he says.
"O- okay, Master Darius," she whimpers.
"Now, it's cruel to tease, darling," Ethan says, guiding her back to his cock.
She hesitates for only a second before he loses patience and he yanks her back down. She moans when Master Darius penetrates deeper into her hole, pushing the head of his cock in her tight pussy, thrusting and then pulling back, repeating it with deeper thrusts every time to make sure her walls are stretched before attempting to go deeper.
Her walls clench and she doesn't know if she's ready to take it. Every time she's certain that she can't take more of his cock inside of her body, certain that he's done and there's no more room, he thrusts even deeper, fills her up even more. She feels something spill into her mouth, wet and thick and then Ethan is pulling out and coming on her face, thick globs of cum sliding down her cheek and catching on the corner of her mouth. Her tongue darts out to scoop it up without thinking and Ethan growls too, pleased and satisfied, sinking on the edge of the bed to catch his breathe.
There's only Master Darius left now- Master Darius who's holding her by her hips and penetrating into her virgin hole from behind, shallow thrusts that goes deeper with every forward jerk.