by Erin R Flynn
Which was still seriously weird to even think of.
“Do you guys have a gas generator?” Callum asked, glancing around. “I hear that hum.”
“Something like that,” Jaxon muttered. “Oath time.”
“Wait, why do we have to get naked?” I asked again as the five hot guys started stripping. “I get it when they make you strip to come into a settlement to check for bites or scratches, but this is just weird.”
“Please tell me they didn’t make guys check you out because then I will have to kill someone,” Darius seethed.
“No, women did,” I told him. Technically that was true, but a lot of the management guys of the survivor camps or settlements found watching from a distance or through windows as the women were checked out to be a perk.
“They are baring all they are to you,” Jaxon explained. “They are now and forever yours, in all ways, every way. There is no part of them that they will ever hide or keep from their princess they have given their oath to.”
“And I have to get naked for that?”
“No, you undress when you accept their oath as a sign of belief in them. You will not even allow clothes on and trust them fully as your shield as you embrace them,” Darius told me.
“Wait, I thought no sex,” I hissed.
“I mean a hug,” he chuckled. “You hug them, take all they are into your arms, and let them be your protection before all else.” He shrugged. “Lots do have sex though. I mean, they will serve you however you want. Many princesses take their knights to their bed as well as their nobles.”
I didn’t know what to say to that one, so I didn’t, Jaxon taking pity on me and waving Vance forward.
He knelt before me, and it was hard not to check him out or, you know, focus on his groin, and thumped his fisted hand over his heart.
“I, Vance of clan Begley, do swear upon all I am as a man and leopard to protect my princess, Inez of unknown house. I will give my oath to no other, as none are as worthy as she. May Aether strike me dead if I ever think to betray her, and grant me the courage and strength to always protect my princess so that she may lead and protect us all. I humbly beg that you find me worthy to serve you, Princess.”
Jaxon waved the next forward, and he said the same, of the same clan even. They all were so I didn’t know if they were related or like, got the same clan name like a coven? Darius had said any nobles take the house name of their princess like a marriage. Did that work the same for shifters?
“And I say what now?” I asked when they were done, realizing it was my turn.
“Whatever you want, as you’re princess, but you have to undress,” Darius murmured, already squatting down to take off my boots. I wished it was a bit darker and seven men weren’t watching me intently when he peeled my pants and panties off. I cleared my throat and quickly took off my shirt and bra.
“Um, thanks, I accept,” I muttered, groaning against my hand as I tried to hide how bad I was flushing. “Now I’m going to have to turn in my princess card too, right?”
“No, I like you’re not some prissy bitch,” Vance said gently as he slid his arms around me. I hugged him back, missing that he stood and moved to me. “Thank you for accepting me.”
“Thanks for choosing me over death.” Yeah, that was stupid to say, but at least he chuckled.
He slid around behind me, still hugging me until Callum moved up and they sort of traded off, like if one wasn’t there to block me from danger, the other would be. Which was sort of cool in symbolism.
“The fangs are seriously sexy,” Callum murmured. “And your skin is so soft.”
Yeah, I got he was interested already since we were naked and he was hard. Oh boy.
“Thank you for giving us a chance for something better,” Asher whispered, kissing my hair when he hugged me.
Wolfe went next. “Don’t be scared. We won’t ever hurt you.”
“But we will snuggle whenever you want, or you know, more,” Wilson teased me when he went.
“Shift for your princess and let your animals know her, as they are now hers as well,” Darius ordered, sounding very formal and a bit scary like he wasn’t fucking around.
I gasped as the five did, seamlessly transforming into huge ass wild cats. I gave a soft squeal of excitement and terror as they came closer. Each one sniffed and then licked my hand, waiting until I petted them too before the next one did the same.
I glanced at Darius as if to ask what came next.
He moved over to me as he yanked off his shirt and lifted me up, angling his head for me. “Feed, Inez. Take all I offer and what you want from me.”
“How do I know when to stop?” I worried, never wanting to hurt him.
“You’ll feel full just like when we’ve fed you,” he promised.
“That’s not an answer of when I should stop because I could hurt you,” I argued. “Promise me you’ll never let me hurt you or take too much.”
“I swear it, My Princess,” he murmured, sounding happy and a bit emotional. “Bite me, Inez.”
I did, wanting his blood and to try out my fangs. They sliced right through his skin like nothing, but then I was sucking the bite just like when they bit themselves for me. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected. I mean, I knew teeth didn’t have like tiny straws in them. I sucked him down, and the bite didn’t close before I was full this time.
“Because it’s your bite to feed and my body would never argue with you,” he explained, understanding my unasked question somehow. Or for all I knew, I said as much. “Lick it and it will heal.”
I did, moaning deeply as I licked up every tasty drop, not caring if every person in the state saw me naked as long as I got to enjoy his blood.
“Now you can see how special your princess truly is,” Darius said. I realized we were already moving, and then he set me on my feet by the semi and batteries. “Let out the charge. That was better, right?”
I nodded, already itching. “Yeah, I didn’t feel so out of my head. I mean, the fire and need was like flaming, but it wasn’t like that slurred drunk or drugged manic feeling.”
He nodded, and I moved my hand to the port, letting the charge out before doing the same to the other batteries Jaxon had ready for me. The mattress was already out and ready as well, and the second I saw it, the fire roared inside of me. I turned and pulled Jaxon’s head down, kissing him with all I had.
“We’re going to feel and be aggressive since you accepted their oath and not ours yet,” Jaxon warned.
“Like how?” I muttered, worried I’d hurt them.
He bit his finger to bleed, and then I felt it move across my stomach. I glanced down and realized he’d spelled out “Mine” in his blood. I watched in awe as my skin absorbed the blood and set that area he touched even more on fire, tingling and winding me up.
“Sounds about right,” Darius agreed. “We’re going to make our princess scream, and then I’m going to fuck you, Inez. Do you want me to fuck you again?”
I nodded, knowing they would still be gentle with me too and it wasn’t an act that they wanted to take care of me just to be jerks in bed. I saw how much they wanted this also. “Only if you fuck me extra hard.”
Darius groaned and whisked me over to the mattress. I blinked, and they were lying on either side of me, naked and excited. Darius kissed me while Jaxon sucked on my nipple and spread my legs. They took turns between doing that while one teased my clit and the other had fingers inside of me until I climaxed, crying out in pleasure.
But they weren’t nearly done with me. I begged them for more, touching their dicks as they took care of me. After several orgasms and my body was more than ready, Darius growled and moved us so I was on all fours.
“She’s your princess too, but she lets me have her,” he hissed before pushing in me. I moaned, fisting the bedding and mattress as I angled my hips up to get more, mewling when he started thrusting deeply in me.
“Shit, a cat is certainly her spirit animal,” one of the
leopards said, letting me know they were back in human form and watching. I couldn’t tell them apart yet, and I was too focused on Darius.
“Give him lots of cream, sexy bite,” Vance urged, the one who had been calling me that.
“Open your eyes and see how much they want you, Inez,” Jaxon murmured from next to us. “Know your court wants to worship you as you deserve.”
I did as he wanted, feeling sexy when they all had heated looks focused at me. I whimpered when Darius hit that right spot, lowering my shoulders down to get more, begging him for more.
“Always. I will always give you more, Inez,” he grunted, moving faster and deeper until the smacking of skin was so loud and quick it almost sounded fake like sound effects.
I finished, and Darius pulled me up on my knees, looping my arms around his neck. Jaxon moved closer but didn’t obstruct the view of the leopards. He sliced his palm on his fang and rubbed his blood on my nipples, sending me into crazyland, and then he rubbed my clit and between my legs. I flew apart, my body going insane as they took me to all the heights as Darius finished as well.
I slumped against him, my whole body just a pile of mush.
“It just gets better and better,” he panted against my neck. “I want you again and again and desperately, Inez.”
“Need a moment,” I admitted, gasping for air as I wanted to purr at how good I felt. I turned my head and locked gazes with Jaxon. “And Jaxon hasn’t finished yet.”
“I had lots of fun already,” he promised.
“Yeah, so did we,” one of the leopards chuckled.
I glanced over and frowned when they all looked pretty sated. “Huh?”
“You’re powerful enough that your pleasure echoes in those sworn to you, sexy bite,” Vance explained. “You’ve heard of a dry orgasm?” He waited until I nodded. “Yeah, we had those when you climaxed. Just being near you while you had sex was better than the last several lays I’ve had.”
Darius snorted. “You’d die if you felt inside her then.” He chuckled when I flushed. “I love making you blush. Would you do it again if I tell them how sweet you taste or I’m the only one who’s had you?”
“Jerk,” I grumbled, covering my face and trying to hide in embarrassment now that the hormones cooled. He gently pulled out of me, and Jaxon used the wipes we’d found on me, giving me a look like he planned on getting me dirty again.
“You need to eat,” he worried when my stomach grumbled. “What does my gorgeous princess want to fill her?”
“You guys do it too much,” I grumbled, hiding under the sleeping bag. “I’m seriously going to be sunburned from all the blushing or get dizzy and faint.”
“Don’t faint,” he chuckled, pulling the cover down and kissing me. “That tray of steak and onions has been cooking from one of the freezer packets we put together. I’ll throw on the potatoes and we can eat soon.”
“Thanks, nummy,” I murmured, giving him a quick kiss when he meant to move away. “Am I dessert?”
“Yes, always, always, yes,” he growled, kissing my neck hard enough it would probably leave a mark. He helped me up and slid on my robe, hugging me as he tied it around me. “And remember our deal?”
I nodded but grabbed his hand when he moved away, leaning into him and kissing his chest. “I do, but I made it thinking we could have—Darius could do something else and we could have some alone time.” I wrapped his arms around me. “I want—Darius and I had sweet our first time and it was perfect. I want that with you too. Can we?”
“Yes, of course we can,” he murmured, holding me to him tightly as he kissed me with everything he was feeling, his need echoing mine for him. “Tomorrow, we’ll make them handle something and get all the sweet alone time you want, My Princess.” He nibbled on my lower lip, pulling on it until I gasped. “And then I will make you mine. It will be so good you will need me with you always.”
“You are sexy,” I teased him, smiling when he chuckled. I never knew what to say, and I loved that they didn’t read into it and knew I was trying. “Feed me.”
He burst out laughing. “You did it this time so don’t blame me. It’s not my fault I want to feed your pussy with my cock and it’s leaking for you.”
I smacked his chest until he grabbed my wrists and then scooped me up. I laughed as he passed me to Darius and he carried me over to the leopards who were sitting on outdoor furniture from wherever, as I didn’t remember seeing it when we’d pulled up.
“We need to talk seriously, as you cannot take her into that base or near those asshole humans,” Vance declared, his tone implying he wasn’t fucking around.
I believed that, but well, I had to. I was so going to get shot or worse. I glanced at Darius, wondering what to say, and he nodded to go ahead. I lost track of all thought as his hand slid along my thigh as I sat on his lap. “Darius, I can’t think when you do that.”
“Can I tease you one more moment before we have to get serious?” he murmured, smiling when I nodded. “I want to suck your gorgeous nipples and show them you’ll let me.”
I swallowed loudly and moved the robe apart, sliding my arms out of the top so I was naked from the waist up for all of them. Need was really riding him to say that, and I would do whatever he needed as he always did for me. I looked at the leopards and sucked it up.
“I’m Darius’s. I gave him my virginity, he’s the only man who’s fucked me, and I let him do to me whatever he wants. I’m his princess in that way.”
“Thank you, Inez,” he rasped, kissing my neck before licking each nipple, making me mewl at the attention and how good it felt. He covered me back up and gave me the sweetest, softest kiss. I think it was saying that for people when I wouldn’t take his oath yet and basically marry us.
Yeah, I needed more than like a week for that.
“Let me know when you’re ready to declare that for me too,” Jaxon murmured as he brought me a bottle of water. “You have no idea what that does to a noble who’s found his princess.”
Apparently not.
“A cat has to be her spirit animal,” Wilson said. “She’s sitting there purring basically.”
“Do you mean that more than when humans say that?” I asked, remembering one of them having said that earlier. “Like when they’re drawn to an animal?”
“They get it from us,” Jaxon explained, gesturing between us and the shifters. “My mother’s spirit animal is the wolf. She gets along well with wolf shifters and they’re drawn to her. It’s a way of forming bonds and alliances in an unforgiving world. Not every princess has a spirit animal, but there are nobles that have them too.”
“Which is powerful for a princess to have in her court,” Darius added. “My mother didn’t have one, but my father did and several of her nobles as well. It’s another layer.”
“What was your dad’s?” I asked gently.
“Owl.”
“A rare one,” Vance complimented. “We’re sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. I haven’t found any other Katz who survived.”
“We haven’t found any Begleys either,” he said sadly. “We were on vacation when all the chaos started, and by the time we could make it home, New York City was just gone.” He looked at me. “You?”
I sighed and told them the truth about not remembering anything before I’d woken up on my eighteenth birthday. I told them about the atlas and the blood, all the things I’d found and buried, getting sick if I skipped any, how I was a huge beacon for the corrupted, and then let out a heavy sigh when I saw they were just blinking at me. Yeah, that was a big pill to swallow.
“Wow, just wow,” Wilson muttered. “Okay, I have so many questions and parts I might need you to slow down on.”
“You forgot being on the run for years from Clarence and those shit nobles,” Jaxon added. “And the ghosts.” He frowned. “I’ve never heard of a princess having that power and a spirit animal.”
“How does a princess find out if she has one?” I asked, more
just because I was curious than I wanted to add something else to my plate.
“You won’t know until you’re around more shifters. My sister said she thought her spirit animal was a wolf too, but she just liked the wolves we know and animals. It was once she was around some hawk shifters she felt the pull and knew.” He shrugged. “A lot of it is a feeling. They can tell you too if they feel drawn to your side unlike other princesses they’ve met.”
“And a bloodline doesn’t only have one as then it pulled different groups into a coven,” Darius added. “An ancestor of mine’s spirit animal was a wolf and that made us friendly with wolves, but then the next was ferret shifter so that added friends and layers.”
“How many types of shifters are there?”
“Lots,” he answered, scrubbing his hand over his head. “I hope still lots.”
“It’s not safe for her to be on that base,” Vance worried. “The guys in charge aren’t all that together in the head. They were never meant to be—things got fucked up when it all went to shit and like everyone in the chain of command died. There’s a lot of plays at the few remaining bases and outposts, and it’s all slow going and conspiracy shit because there’s no way to communicate.”
“You give them that way and the ultimate get in the fucking apocalypse,” Callum said firmly. “You could get grids back up, rearm weapons, and everything they’re trying to do as if there’s anything left to fucking fight against besides surviving.”
“I have to,” I whispered. “It’s not like I have random sparks come out or flash a sign. I only have to let it out when I have their blood. I hid it for years.”
They started discussing options and ideas, and I tried to interject, but they just kept going.
That turned into bickering and some arguing, which I tried to interrupt, but no one seemed to hear me.
Finally after about ten minutes of being ignored and they’d reached shouting level, I moved to the middle of them and dropped my robe. They instantly went quiet.
