Sloane

by D. A. Stafford

  She blew out a shaky breath, trying to gather her courage to tell the rest of the story as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “For my first competition, I did very well. My instructor was extremely impressed. I took third place overall for my age group.” She laughed without humor. “My parents put on a good show for everyone else, but when we got into the limo to leave, my parents told me they’d never been so embarrassed in their whole lives. Third place was for losers. They were on the phone with my instructor and let her know that I wasn’t interested in horses anymore and to sell my horse because I wasn’t coming back. I begged and pleaded with them to let me continue my lessons and swore that I would get better. Brad told me this world doesn’t give second chances and neither did he. If I continued my blubbering, he’d send my horse to a rendering plant instead of letting my instructor sell it. I quickly shut up because I knew he’d do it just to prove a point.”

  Shrugging, she continued, “Who knows? As sadistic as Brad was, he may have sent it there anyways. I just choose to believe he sold her for some of his money back.”

  She could tell she shocked the men, because they were both silent. They placed a kiss to her shoulders and each murmured, “I’m sorry” and “that’s not right” to her.

  “It’s just one of the many times my parents were cruel to me. Their money and status clouded their judgement, I guess.”

  “Is that why you don’t want to be with us?” Lyon asked in horror.

  Continuing to stroke the sleeping kaythal’s fur, she sighed. “To be honest . . . a little.”

  Lian pulled away from her and perched his head on his hand to look at her. “You have to know we’d never do such horrible things to you.”

  Teary eyed, she said, “I know you and Lyon would never do that to me, but . . .” She sighed. “Your parents, mainly your mother, seem to treat me in the same manner as my parents did. Let’s face facts, she’s not wild about me. I don’t want to be the wedge in between you and your parents, but I also won’t be treated like a second-class citizen.”

  “Give her time, ayah. She’s trying to come to terms with losing her only children. It’s upsetting to her, just like it was upsetting for you to let Moloky, Zee, and Dea go today. It’s unfamiliar territory, therefore scary for her.”

  “She doesn’t hate me?”

  Lian replied, “Of course not.”

  It made her feel a little better, knowing she still might have a chance with their parents. Just as she had the thought, the kaythal perked its head up and its ears tilted, listening for something. She, too, strained to listen for whatever the animal heard. To her surprise, the kaythal popped up on all fours and turned toward the door on alert. She again strained to listen for any sounds, and what she heard was a faint moan. She threw back the covers and bolted from the bed to try to find the source of the noise.

  She went down the hall toward the moaning. The moan became more and more urgent until she heard a blood-curdling scream. She burst through the door to find Coyak sitting straight up in bed, trying to calm himself. She rushed to his side and pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. Shhhh,” she cooed as she stroked his back.

  Lian and Lyon were in the doorway, trying to see if there was any threat they needed to eliminate, but found her holding Coyak. The other boys in the room were wide awake over Coyak’s scream. She picked the boy up and whispered to the others, “Go back to sleep. Everything is fine. He just had a bad dream.” The boys settled back down, and she made her way past Lian and Lyon in the doorway and headed back to her room, cradling a crying Coyak.

  Chapter 17

  When Sloane arrived at their room, she placed Coyak on the bed and told him to crawl under the covers. He complied with her directive and she followed to get into bed with him. Lian and Lyon followed suit as well. Lian laid down across from her and Lyon was behind her with his bare chest plastered to her back, encasing her and Coyak in the middle of their makeshift bed.

  “What seems to be the issue?” Lyon asked in a no-nonsense tone.

  Sloane reached back and playfully swatted his hip, letting him know he needed to be a little more sensitive. “What Lyon meant to say is: do you want to talk about it?”

  Coyak hiccupped, trying to stop his crying, and shook his head no.

  “Whatever it is, it can’t hurt you. It might help to talk about it. We’re here to protect you. We won’t let anything happen to you,” she reassured him.

  “My mother,” is all he managed to say before he started crying in earnest again.

  Her heart sank into her stomach. All the children were so well rounded that it never crossed her mind that Arenians would abuse their children, but it could be an unfortunate circumstance to any unwanted child.

  Lian touched Coyak’s arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “It’s all right, little one. She can’t hurt you now. Like fara said, we won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Lyon joined in cooing. “You’re safe, little one.”

  “Mother was mean to me,” Coyak spit out and looked to Lian and Lyon for confirmation that it was all right to talk about a female like this.

  Lyon’s deep-timbre voice encouraged Coyak to continue. “Go ahead.”

  “She’d hit me when she thought I wasn’t good. But I promise, fara, I was always good. I’m afraid one day you’ll think I’m bad, too.”

  She kissed the top of his head. “I would never hit you, Coyak, no matter how bad you thought you were. Neither would Lian and Lyon. In my eyes, you’re perfect. Was that what your dream was about?”

  “Mostly. She used to hit me a lot. She also wouldn’t feed me. I was always so hungry. In real life, she’d lock me in a closet for days and not feed me,” he whimpered. In between sniffling and swiping at his tears, he said, “One time she had me in the closet for a very long time. When she finally let me out, I could barely walk to the table where she had a fancy dinner set just for me. I was so hungry, fara . . . so hungry. I just started eating anything I could put in my mouth because I didn’t know if she was going to put me back in the closet or not. She was on the other side of the table, looking at me eat everything and smiling. I ate everything on my plate and drank all the water in my glass. Once I had finished, she told me that she had the meal made specially for me. She then told me I had just eaten my pet itol.”

  Not only did she gasp, but the men did as well. “When I find her, I’ll make her pay, Coyak. I swear, if it’s the last thing I do, she’ll pay. No child should have to endure things like that.” Sloane fumed.

  Just then, the kaythal who she’d forgotten about jumped up on the bed again. “Kaythal,” Coyak said, amazed. The animal pawed its way up the bed, with not a care in the world, and laid down in between herself and Coyak. He petted the animal and it purred its contentment. “Can we keep him?” Coyak asked with excitement.

  Not knowing if people kept these things as pets, she looked to Lian for confirmation. He nodded and said, “How about we let it be the orphanage’s kaythal? That way, all the children can enjoy him.”

  “That’s a good idea. Some of the others would love to see him, too. For tonight, can I take him back to my room?” he finished with pleading eyes.

  “Of course. I’ll carry him to your room. Come, little one,” Lian coaxed as he picked up the kaythal.

  Coyak gave her a quick hug and exited with Lian toward his room. Lian closed the door behind him, leaving her and Lyon still in bed together. Sloane was heartbroken over Coyak’s confession. Lyon, still holding her, kissed her shoulder. “Although it’s sad and infuriating, there’s nothing we can do. We don’t even know who his family is and probably will never know. The kaythal is a great distraction not just for Coyak, but for all the children.”

  “I know you’re right about not being able to do anything, but I’m telling you, Lyon, if I ever find that woman, she and I are going to exchange more than words.”

  “I know that, fara. Calm yourself. You’re so angry right now, you won’t be able to go b
ack to sleep.”

  “I am mad. Why would anyone do that to a child?”

  “Sloane, I’m not going to speculate as to why someone would be so cruel to an innocent. What I’m going to do is build on today. These children deserve love and attention and that is what Lian and I are going to give them.” He turned her head, so she was looking into his love filled eyes. “And so are you.”

  Sloane thought her heart just melted a little more for these men. She brought Lyon’s hand up to her lips and kissed his knuckles. He, in turn, kissed her shoulder again and began trailing kisses down to her neck, all the while trailing his hand down to her hip and back up to the underside of her breasts, teasing her as he kept kissing and nipping her shoulder and neck.

  It finally dawned on her that Lian wasn’t with them. “Is this allowed?”

  “Allowed?” he asked.

  “Me, being with just you?”

  “Of course, fara. We’ll take you together and separately. It’s perfectly fine.”

  “Oh . . . okay,” she whispered as she absorbed the pleasure he was giving her. She could feel his hard, thick member nestled close to her backside, so she urged on his ever-so-slight thrusts by reaching back and grasping his muscular ass through his sleeping pants.

  He groaned his satisfaction. “I must have you, Sloane.” And with that, his hand made its way down her body and under her sleep pants and underwear to her waiting core.

  Lyon was teasing and testing her readiness. She really didn’t care what he did to her as long as he helped soothe the fire building in her pussy. The naughty thought brought a fresh wave of lust to her core.

  He stopped his exploration and frantically started pulling down her sleep pants and underwear. She helped him by kicking them off her legs. He didn’t bother taking his pants off, just lowered them enough to release his cock. He took his cock in hand, found her entrance, and entered her waiting sheath.

  They both managed to growl out “Yes,” with the intrusion.

  His thrusts were long and slow. His cock dragged its way across the most delicious spots inside of her. As he continued his thrusts, he whispered in her ear, “You are mine!” He emphasized each word with a hard thrust.

  She knew what Lyon meant, and he was right. In this moment, she was his. She’d do anything for him. He must have known it to be true, because he brought his hand down across her ass, with a loud smack.

  The sting brought a new, heightened level to their lovemaking. She’d always enjoyed a man’s domination. Light spanking, being tied up, and being submissive in the bedroom, which was the only place she loved giving up control.

  She’d even tried a BDSM club in Portland, but it just wasn’t her scene. She always liked a bite of pain, but not whips and canes to her back, thighs, and ass. Some of the women in the club had scars lacing their backs like trophies. She was open minded and would never judge anyone for their level of kink, but knew that wasn’t for her.

  The thought of the club quickly fled as Lyon brought his hand down across the same place on her ass. This time, he massaged the sting. “You like that,” he murmured into her ear.

  It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact, so she kept quiet. He knew by her scent that she liked what he was doing. “Your tight pussy clenches my cock like a fist when I spank you. You’re so wet, fara. You’ll suck my cock as soon as I give you your first orgasm.”

  He moved his hand from her ass cheek to her clit and began circling the nub. He alternated the speed of his thrusts in time with his fingers. He was driving her wild. It took no time at all to reach her climax.

  He withdrew and rolled her to her back, kissing his way up her body. He also dragged his cock, wet with her juices, up her body. She could feel him, but she was so drunk on the orgasm he’d given her, she kept her eyes closed. For a moment, he straddled her chest and took himself in hand, pumping his long length several times. “Look at me,” he rasped.

  She could do nothing but obey his command. Her eyes opened and were drawn to his impressive length. She licked her lips in preparation for his entry. “Please, Lyon, give it to me.”

  He smiled a predatory smile. “I’ll give it to you, but in the manner I see fit.”

  She didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but his tone was nothing to argue with. He grabbed her hands and tucked them down by her sides, essentially pinning her in place. He moved up her body just a little more, so his cock was level with her lips. She stuck her tongue out to lick the underside of his cock. When she did, she tasted her own arousal mixed with his scent. In this position, she was completely at his mercy. He was in control and all she had to do was submissively comply.

  The thought shot another pang of lust straight to her pussy, bringing a fresh wave of wetness to her nether region. At this point, having no shame, she begged to suck on his glorious cock. “Please, Lyon, let me suck you. I need you inside my mouth . . . please.”

  “Oh, my sweet fara, it would give me great satisfaction to do just that.” He fisted his cock and tapped the head on her cheek. “Open for me.”

  She was on cloud nine. She opened her mouth as he traced her lips with the head of his manhood. Inserting just the head, he hissed his pleasure. “Goddess, you’re so beautiful and so pliant. Your mouth feels so good.” He started fucking her mouth in earnest, touching the back of her throat. She was under his complete control and surrendered to his dominance.

  Just when she thought this couldn’t get any better, out of nowhere, Lian parted her legs and started licking her already-moist slit. Since Lyon had her upper body and hands pinned to the bed and Lian had her legs spread with his wide shoulders, all she could do was feel the sensations of two men pleasing her.

  Lian bit the inside of her thigh, heightening her lust. With Lyon’s dick in her mouth, she hummed her satisfaction of what both men were doing to her. The familiar build to climax curled inside her, delicious and tantalizing.

  Without warning or permission, Lian had her legs spread eagle and thrust himself into her in one fluid motion, claiming her body as Lyon was doing. With Lyon’s cock in her mouth, her cry of pleasure was muffled, but still audible.

  Lian’s thrusts were frantic and urgent, like he couldn’t get enough of her. “You’re exquisite, ayah. Your pussy was made for me,” Lian rasped as he stroked her clit. They were using her body in the best ways. Taking what they wanted—no, needed from her.

  She was under their spell, submitting to them completely. All she could do was look up at Lyon as he fed her his cock. His eyes burned into hers, as his cock continued to advance and retreat from her wanting mouth.

  “Watching you take me into your mouth is more than I can take. This is the only concession I’ll give you, love. Where do you want my seed?” He pulled completely out of her mouth, waiting for her answer.

  “My mouth,” she moaned, before lifting her head to latch onto his engorged cock.

  “Yes,” he hissed. “Lian, get her there.”

  “On it, brother,” was the response before Lian continued his brutal assault on her pussy, thumbing her clit as he did.

  All she could do was moan as they coaxed the mother of all climaxes out of her. As she started over the wall, she began to see stars.

  As soon as she found her moment, Lyon and Lian both stopped their thrusts and unloaded their seed inside of her. She felt used in a good way. She’d given them what they needed, and they gave her the same with fervor.

  The men retreated from her body and curled up on either side of her, kissing and caressing her as she fell asleep in their arms.

  Chapter 18

  As the night was fading to a new day, Sloane slowly woke from a sated sleep. The amazing night they’d shared was still fresh in her mind. She was on the bed, securely in between her two men. She was amazed she didn’t even need to open her eyes to know Lyon was on her right and Lian in the same position on her left. But she turned her head toward Lyon and opened her eyes slowly. What she found was Lyon laying on his side, staring a
t her with love in his eyes. She turned her head back to find Lian smiling and staring at her, too. “Good morning, ayah,” Lian said before kissing her on the forehead.

  “Good morning,” she said as she smiled back at him. He looked at her expectantly. She didn’t know what prompted the look, so she looked back to Lyon to find he had the same expectant eyes. It finally dawned on her that Lian had called her ayah. “Does that mean. . .?” She smiled and started looking down at her uncovered arms to try to find their mark.

  With a serious tone, Lyon said, “Sloane, look at me. We need to talk.”

  She immediately stopped looking for the mark and looked to Lyon. “What’s wrong?”

  He smiled and gingerly kissed the tip of her nose. “Lian and I need to know something before we go forward. We need to know that no matter what, we are yours, because in our hearts and minds, we know you’re ours.”

  She reached over and kissed each of them on the lips. “I think from the moment I saw you two in the healing bay, I hoped you would be mine. More so, I hoped you would want me even though I couldn’t have children. It’s taken me a while to figure it out, but you’ll never belong to another female, because you two are mine.”

  At first, Lian and Lyon both sported huge, prideful smiles, but their smiles soon faded. “We love you, too, ayah. You’re perfect to us,” Lian said with a sigh.

  Sloane didn’t like the way he and Lyon were acting. “Again, I’m going to ask, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

  “Lian and I have conversed several times on this matter, and we only have theories.”

  “Theories? Theories on what?”

  “What Lyon is trying to say is that our marks may or may not replicate on you.”

  Shocked at their confession, she asked, “What? Why?”

  “It’s only a theory, but because your uterus and ovaries have been removed, our marks may not replicate. On Arenia, the mark is for procreation purposes only. So, in theory, your body may feel there’s no need for the mark. Again, it’s only a theory. We just want to prepare you, just in case our marks aren’t on you.”