by Cara Adams
Ryder thought likely they’d mostly be eating the fruits and vegetables and possibly sandwiches, but they had enough gas to cook a couple of hot meals, as well as to heat up coffee and soup. If the power went out they’d need hot food, as well as blankets, to stay warm and healthy.
It had been fifteen years since the previous hurricane, and he remembered the community’s efforts to dry out wood from fallen trees so they could make fires and cook something hot. Although for him, as a teenage boy, being out of school for a few weeks was his primary memory of the time. He had an idea that now, as an adult, clearing up after a hurricane would be a lot more work and a whole lot less fun.
Piper must have been thinking similar thoughts because she asked, “What happened last time? Tell me about it.”
Ryder gazed at her worried face. “No one was killed on the island. The caves protected everyone, although some of the houses were damaged.”
She nodded thoughtfully, and he guessed she was quite smart enough to decide that just because no one was hurt last time didn’t mean no one would be hurt this time.
“What else? How long did it last? Was there much damage to the island?”
“The older kids stayed home from school for a couple of weeks to help with the cleanup. A lot of trees came down in the storm and had to be chopped up. We had some amazing bonfires on the beach with the wood that winter,” he said.
“The younger kids were only allowed do the boring jobs. And we still had half days of school.” Eliot put his poor, maltreated-youngest-kid tone on.
But Ryder watched Piper, and she was grinning. He knew she didn’t buy Eliot’s sob story any more than he did.
“Uh-huh. I suppose they ate all the roasted marshmallows at the bonfire and didn’t even save you one, as well.”
Ryder laughed. Damn she was fun.
“And that was after I walked ten miles through the snow to buy them,” Eliot added, joining in the game.
“In bare feet,” Ryder explained.
By now they were all laughing, and Zac came downstairs to see what was going on. “You people are making so much noise I can hear you even above the storm.”
Instantly Ryder felt bad. “Do you need some help up there?”
“No I’m all done. I just need Piper to bring her luggage down here for safe keeping.”
“But the shower is upstairs. I’d have to go up there to get changed anyway so why not leave my clothing where it is?”
“We don’t expect there to be any trouble, but if there is, that level is the one that will be damaged if the roof comes off or anything,” Ryder said.
“If your things are all down here with you, not only can you change clothes, but you won’t have to worry about them blowing away in the wind,” Zac added.
She gave them all a piercing look before following Zac back up the stairs. Her cottage was nowhere near the coast so there was no danger of an extra high tide flooding it, but the roof might be damaged. That was what had happened to several houses last time. At least none of the island houses, apart from the big house itself, had windows. That meant there’d be no glass flying around to cause more damage or let the rain in, Ryder thought.
The cottages had originally been built without windows for the protection of the islanders. Ryder, Zac, and Eliot, along with most of the people in the island, were panther shape-shifters. Their ancestors had purchased the island to be the pack’s home so they could escape from persecution.
Humans didn’t always understand that shape-shifters were just regular people who happened to be able to transform. They weren’t bad, just different. But the only way for them to be safe was to be alone where they could transform and run whenever they wanted to in safety. The island was the perfect place, but even so, the houses had been designed with security as their priority. Each cottage was built over a cave so there was a safe place to hide if people did come hunting them. And right now, a nice, cozy cave was the perfect place to wait out the hurricane.
Ryder and his brothers had the perfect dungeon scene all planned out to fill in some of the time while they waited out the weather. He’d hoped to follow it with their first sex, but he wasn’t so sure about that part of the program now. But maybe, if everything went well, it would still be a possibility.
* * * *
Zac had taken Piper rock climbing and knew she was a brave person. She hadn’t been enamored of the idea at the start, but she’d been willing to try. He’d watched her come to enjoy the challenge of learning where to place her hands and feet and how to check each foothold and handhold before trusting her weight on them. She’d deserved the extreme satisfaction of reaching the top and knowing it was all her own work.
Zac knew she’d adjust to a hurricane as well. She wouldn’t be sitting in a corner crying, or huddled under a blanket in the fetal position sucking her thumb. She’d be fine.
He waited patiently as she took out her suitcase and started throwing her things into it. Because the guests had been brought from the Carolina mainland by helicopter, they hadn’t been permitted to bring much luggage. There wasn’t a hell of a lot of spare space in a chopper when there was a pilot and four passengers. She had lingerie in a drawer, outerwear in the closet, and beauty items in the bathroom. She dumped them all casually in her luggage, sat on it to make the zip close, and held a coat and a pair of boots in her other hand as she said, “Done.”
“Awesome packing skills,” he said, taking the suitcase from her.
“It works.”
Clearly it did. He just hoped her tubes of face cream and stuff hadn’t exploded all over her clothing when she’d sat on the case, that was all.
Downstairs, he put her things at the foot of the bed, hard against the wall where he hoped no one would trip over them. The dungeon in this cottage wasn’t small, but it suddenly had a hell of a lot more stuff in it than before. The bed alone took up a huge chunk of what had previously been empty real estate, and then there were all the backpacks and bags they’d brought with enough food and beverages for the four of them for three days. Hopefully they wouldn’t be here anywhere near that long, but it was much better to plan for the worst than to be sitting here as hungry as hell in a few days time. He didn’t want anything to tempt them to leave the safety of the cave until the hurricane was past.
Even better, of course, would be if the stupid thing blew itself out or turned away again, as it had done before. One of the other men had described the hurricane as “drunk” from the way it lurched all over the ocean, and its path did look like that of someone who’d had way too much to drink and couldn’t walk straight. But there was nothing he could do about the weather. Hurricane Nathan was making his presence felt, and Zac was simply going to outwait him in the cave in safety, hopefully getting to know Piper much better while they waited together.
He saw the huge empty water container they’d brought with them had been filled and wondered when Ryder or Eliot had done that. He’d been upstairs most of the time. Maybe it had happened in the brief time he’d been outside trying to get a good look at the roof. They’d put tarpaulins and boat hawsers over their house’s roof but had nothing left to protect this roof. However, the guest cottages had all been renovated before they started the Caves of Correction business, so hopefully the building was in good condition. The people working on the property would have checked the structure carefully at the time.
The island’s resort venture had only started a year or so ago, after they’d seen how erotic romance and BDSM were becoming a more mainstream industry. Panthers were naturally dominant, and the entire island was riddled with caves. All the cottages were built over caves, as was the big house, the original structure where the Alpha lived and all the offices were, along with some seniors and older single people.
Added to that was the problem that shape-shifters worldwide tended to breed far more males than females, which left their young men struggling to find mates. Fortunately ménages were legal under shape-shifter law, as were interspecies marr
iages.
So with ready-made dungeons, and plenty of Doms, plus a need for mates for the men, the idea was born.
Priority was given to young, single women guests, but this was a business, and when there were vacancies other people were accepted as well, although the contract was many pages long and highly detailed. Potential clients had to list their fears, as well as their desires, allergies, and more usual concerns. Their tastes for BDSM were very carefully assessed indeed.
Zac and his brothers had used Piper’s contract to plan the scene they hoped to enact with her tonight. Because this was their first time as hosts, they’d been cautious about how they approached the client. That was why they’d spent two days showing her around the island, one-on-one, hoping she’d be relaxed in their presence now and accepting of them.
Ryder caught his gaze, and Zac knew his brother had been waiting for them to reappear so he could start the evening’s program. That was a good idea. The wind and rain were quite noisy, so starting the BDSM scene sooner rather than later would be good. If the weather got really loud, talking over it would become difficult, so it was better to get the talking done now.
“Are you ready to play a BDSM scene, Piper?” Ryder asked.
“Yes, Sir.” She nodded vigorously even though she answered formally.
“Explain the traffic-light system to me,” Zac ordered.
She looked at him and answered quite seriously. “If you ask me how I feel, I say green if I’m enjoying the punishment. I say orange if it’s all right, but I don’t think I want much more or not much more of what is currently happening. Or if you’re approaching one of my hard limits. I can say red at any time and that will completely stop the scene.”
“That is correct,” he said.
“Undress now, sub,” Eliot ordered.
She stripped out of her clothing very quickly, leaving it in a tangle on the floor, and then stared from one of them to the other, waiting for her next instruction. Because the bed took up so much floor space, a few things they’d thought of doing wouldn’t work, but the equipment was all there, and mostly they’d planned to use it anyway.
He took a length of rope out of his backpack and walked to the center of the dungeon scanning the ceiling. The eyebolts weren’t all that easy to see because they’d been painted black to match the roof. But he located them easily and waved to Eliot. Zac crouched down, Eliot scrambled up his back and stood on his shoulders, and then Zac stood up again very carefully. When he was balanced properly he handed the rope to Eliot, who threaded it through the eyebolts and let it hang before sliding off his back.
Zac was facing away from Piper but wished he’d been able to see her face. It was an old family trick, dating back from when Eliot had been considerably smaller and lighter than him, but it meant they hadn’t needed a ladder to do whatever they wanted. Many were the times they’d wrapped a rope around a tree branch and climbed up into trees high above the ground. By pulling the rope up after themselves no one could follow them. Of course, it was useful right now, too. They’d been carrying quite enough gear without bringing a ladder as well.
Ryder stood with them. “Come, slave.”
Piper joined them, and they tied her wrists to the rope, shortening it until she could barely stand on her flat feet.
Eliot returned with her T-shirt, which he doubled over and tied around her head. They all knew it wasn’t a proper blackout blindfold, but it would make it much more difficult for her to tell what was happening around her.
“What color are you, slave?” he asked.
“Green.”
Her voice was breathy but he thought it was from happiness and excitement rather than fear. There was no wobble in her tone at all.
Ryder took a whip out of the rack of toys and cracked it through the air, and then repeated his actions, the second time slamming it onto the tile floor. The noise was very loud, but even down here the storm was quite loud, as well. Zac had an uneasy feeling that Nathan was going to pass right over the island and be a category three hurricane. Damn him.
Zac and Eliot stood back as Ryder stroked the whip gently over Piper’s skin, letting her feel the forked end on her flesh, and the weight behind the heavy toy. When Ryder did whip her, he did it across her ass, leaving thick red lines.
Eliot took the lightest paddle and with no warning he paddled her thighs. Then he teased her with the handle and the edge of the toy, and gave her one hard spank on her ass.
Now it was Zac’s turn. He had a choice of the cane or the flogger. Originally he’d decided to use the cane and then changed his mind to the flogger. Having watched his brothers in action, he took both, trailing the flogger’s strands across her body before flicking them lightly over her breasts and her cunt. He trailed them over her shoulders as he walked behind her, smelling her arousal clearly on the slightly damp air of the cave.
Once he was behind her, he caned her ass five times in quick succession before flicking the flogger up between her legs so it stung her cunt again.
“What color are you slave?” Ryder asked.
“Green.”
This time her tone was more determined, and less breathy, but her arousal spoke louder than her words anyway.
Ryder took lube and a butt plug still in its packaging out of their luggage. They’d enjoyed themselves shopping for toys they thought they might use on their client. A woman who they hoped might even be a potential mate for them. Of course, it was impossible to tell yet, but there were no red flags any of them had seen. She was friendly and kind, easy to get along with, and tonight, she was learning about BDSM. Everything was progressing smoothly for them to learn more about each other.
Ryder knelt behind her and began opening her ass for the butt plug. Zac stood in front of her.
“Part of BDSM is the slave learning to trust her Masters. She must be willing to put her life in their control. Her Masters will only ever do what will bring her pleasure, but sometimes the pleasure is much greater if the slave has to wait not knowing what it might be.”
“People put too much reliance on their vision. We have other senses. We can hear. Listen for the rustle of fabric, the quiet movement of feet, the lid being taken off a tube of lubricant,” Eliot said.
“Smell. I can smell your arousal. Use your nose. What can you smell? Can you smell the dampness of the storm? Can you smell the lube Ryder is using on your ass, opening it up so his big, fat dick can slam in there later?” Zac asked.
Zac didn’t know whether she could smell anything much. After all his panther senses were much sharper than his human ones, and her nose was hidden under her T-shirt blindfold as well. But he saw her shiver when he mentioned Ryder fucking her ass and knew she was anticipating that, so his technique had worked. She was now thinking about being fucked in the ass, looking forward to it, wanting it. And that desire would heighten anything else they did in the next few minutes.
Eliot bent down, put his fingers in her cunt, and then pushed the T-shirt up an inch so he could put his fingers at her lips. “Taste. Taste your own arousal on my fingers. Go on, suck your juices off my fingers as if you were sucking tiny cocks. Savor your own essence, get to know it. Soon it’ll be my cum you’re tasting and swallowing. My cock will be in your mouth, not my fingers, and my seed will be pouring down your throat hot and fast.”
Ryder had several fingers in her ass now. “Touch. My touch on your ass, opening it for my cock. My hands on your skin, arousing you ever higher. The skin is the most informative organ in the body because there’s so much of it and every inch is teaching you things, giving you information. Learn our touch. Learn to know which of us is which. Learn who is touching you where.”
Zac and Eliot stood closer to her now, teasing and touching her all over. Zac slid his fingernails down her side and then pinched her nipple. He licked several fingers and trailed them over her belly before drawing circles around her breast. He scraped his fingernails around her belly button and watched her shiver at his touch.
But it wasn’t just him. Both his brothers were teasing her as well, using all their skills to arouse her as high and hard as they could. Ryder pressed the butt plug into her ass while they were touching her everywhere, and Zac licked his lips as her entire body shook with lust.
She was more than ready to be fucked, but they would make her wait a little longer. Her climax would be even better when she finally experienced it if she was made to wait and want it long enough. Her desire would die down a little, but once they began touching her again it would start from a higher plain and rise even higher the next time. When she finally orgasmed Zac wanted it to be outstanding, her best one ever, and they had no knowledge of how good that needed to be. All they could do was ensure the one they gave her tonight was spectacular, their absolutely best efforts.
“Would you like to come, slave?” Ryder asked.
“Yes, Master.”
“I don’t think so. I think you can wait a while longer.” Zac spoke in his firmest voice, wanting her to experience the disappointment of not receiving immediate gratification.
Chapter Two
Goddamn them to fucking hell. I want to come now!
This is what I’m supposed to be learning, though, isn’t it—letting the Doms make the decisions. Trusting them and relying on them?
But damn, it was difficult. Piper’s body was screaming for the release that was so close and that she knew would be so goddamn good. Forcing herself to breathe deeply and mentally step back from the edge was every bit as difficult as not telling her manager at work, Milo, what she thought of him faking the paperwork.
But just as she hadn’t lost her temper at work, so, too, Piper made herself relax and wait here in the dungeon. It was only as she intentionally unlocked her muscles that she noticed how incredibly loud the storm had gotten. Here in the cave, the floor above her ought to have deadened the sound somewhat. Instead, the rain drummed on the roof as if it were an inch above her head, not two stories away. She could hear the wind whipping around the house as well, although the solid rock of the cave walls meant the room wasn’t shaking as her apartment back home would have done.