by Jools Louise
“Get some breakfast, then I’ll take you up to the ranch,” he said, then went to go tell his own mates what was happening.
Chapter Three:
Bridges
Jay was exhausted as he entered the inn through the side entrance that led to the private living quarters. He made a quick visit to the bathroom, then the kitchen to grab a snack, then headed to the master bedroom to find his mates.
It was late, after midnight, and his attempts to track down Lash’s siblings had uncovered even more leads to others separated from family members who lived at the ranch. Sage was turning into a place of reunification, of hope, and people he’d never seen before were making pilgrimages to the ranch and town to try to find loved ones.
Jay raked a hand across his face, untying his long hair from its leather tie and using his fingernails to scrape his scalp, massaging his aching head, trying to rid himself of the tension that had been there since he’d first seen Ethan Horton that morning.
He eyed the bed, seeing the sleeping forms of his lovers, and decided to take a quick shower before joining them. He was so tired he was having trouble focusing, undressing and stalking wearily into the bathroom, then letting the warm spray soothe his tiredness away.
He braced himself with both hands against the tiled wall, not moving for several minutes as he processed the events of the long day, trying to find a solution to a problem that was never-ending.
“Are you okay?” Alfie asked from behind, and Jay turned his head, smiling slightly at the small shifter. How did he answer that? He wasn’t sure “okay” was something he was going to feel for a long time. Sick, world-weary, angry, and frustrated. “Okay”? Not even close. Rather than answering with words, Jay shook his head slowly, then turned under the spray again, closing his eyes.
* * * *
Alfie heard Jay come in, glancing at the clock and seeing the lateness of the hour, past midnight. He heard his lover undress quietly, then the sound of the shower. He slid out of bed, trying not to wake Mason, who grunted and hugged the pillow, but didn’t open his eyes. Alfie smiled at the man. The guy loved his nap time.
Creeping into the bathroom, Alfie’s gaze slid hungrily over the wet, tanned planes of Jay’s gorgeous body. Each muscle was lean and tautly defined, tension in every luscious curve. Alfie saw the exhaustion on the man’s face, the utter weariness, and wanted nothing more than to erase the tension.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He saw his lover’s brief, mirthless smile, then the shake of his head.
Alfie stepped into the stall, naked, his hands stroking over Jay’s sleek flesh, wrapping his arms around the bigger man, offering whatever comfort he could. He felt Jay sigh, felt a slight relaxation in his tense muscles, and kissed the curve of his shoulder.
“Did you find anything out?” Alfie asked, pressing a second soft kiss in the center of Jay’s spine, lapping at the water trickling down the deep crevice.
Jay sighed again, turning his head slightly and leaning into Alfie’s touch. “I’ve sent word, quietly, about who we’re looking for,” he replied. Alfie tongued more slick skin, meandering his way to the top of Jay’s spine, inhaling the clean scent. Alfie felt the muscles in Jay’s perfect ass clench, heard the low moan, and smiled to himself. He knew one way to erase tension, replacing it with a different type.
“Why quietly? I take it you didn’t use the shifter network?” Alfie asked, interested in Jay’s progress.
“Pace and I agreed, as did others at the ranch, that perhaps advertising the wolverines’ whereabouts would not be the wisest thing right now. People may be angry that we’re helping someone who essentially worked for the cult. I know how people around here have been reacting to their presence, people who are mostly well-balanced individuals. I can just imagine how someone with a grudge or who’s lost loved ones to the cult might want to find a target, any target, and wreak vengeance.”
“Those boys don’t exactly make it easy for themselves,” Alfie said, shaking his head slightly. He’d only met the wolverines briefly, but their attitude was aggressive and they pushed people away who were trying to help them. He’d heard what Jay had been told by Aiden that morning, about the wolverines being tortured, about their childhood and their family’s dynamic. He felt sad for the quartet.
“Those boys need someone to love them, make them see they’re worthy of being loved,” Jay replied, then hissed when Alfie’s tongue worked its way between the taut mounds of his ass, slick fingers parting the globes to expose his anus. “Fuck, that feels good,” he growled, his head falling forward again.
“You taste all musky and warm, sinfully delicious,” Alfie murmured, smiling wickedly as he went down on both knees, then licked delicately at the small, pink ring of muscles guarding forbidden treasure. “This little beauty seems to like being rimmed,” he said, feeling his fangs elongate. With a quick grin, he sank them into Jay’s left buttock, hearing his mate yelp, then the hot stench of arousal.
“Fuuuck!” Jay snarled. Alfie repeated his action, biting the right cheek as well. He lapped at the puncture wounds, his small hand reaching around to grip the slippery, silken cock that jutted from Jay’s groin.
“That’s the idea,” Alfie grinned, laughing, and then buried his face between the two luscious mounds in front of him and set to work driving his mate out of his ever-loving mind.
Babbling, Jay writhed and cursed and groaned as Alfie fucked his ass with his tongue, steadily pumping his cock simultaneously. Alfie felt powerful, sexy, and so fucking turned on that he could reduce his big, bad snow leopard to a whimpering mess. Biting down again, he sank two fingers deep into Jay’s chute, scissoring them, opening his lover for the finale. Standing, he released the man’s beautiful cock and parked his own at his lover’s loosened hole.
“Don’t forget to scream my name,” he whispered, then thrust forward, pushing his full length into Jay’s clenching hole in one stroke.
Jay roared, bucking his hips back against Alfie’s cock, driving the thick member even deeper inside his ass. Groaning, Alfie closed his eyes, draping himself over Jay’s back, savoring being inside his lover’s succulent heat.
“Scream again, baby,” Alfie demanded, then started moving, long strokes that nailed Jay’s gland each time, then short, shallow fucks that had Jay groaning loudly.
“Alfie!” Jay yelled, convulsing as he came, spraying hot cum over the tiles. Alfie moved faster, his hips pistoning like jackhammers, fucking his mate into the wall. With a roar that bounced off the walls, Alfie came hard, spurting deep inside his mate, then sinking his long fangs into Jay’s shoulder, collapsing as his legs trembled in the aftermath.
“My turn,” Mason growled from the doorway. Alfie gave a long moan as the big jaguar moved in behind him. They’d had sex earlier, so his hole was already loosened and welcomed Mason’s thick cock willingly. Arching his back, he felt his cock thickening again, despite his orgasm, felt Mason move with hard, fast strokes, fucking Alfie deeper into Jay’s ass. Jay moved in sync, grinding back against Alfie’s cock with each instroke, fucking himself as they gave themselves over to glorious passion.
Alfie screamed when Mason’s fangs bit deep, and his ass was anointed by thick, hot cum, Mason coming with a roar. Alfie spurted a second time, which triggered Jay’s additional orgasm as well, then he and Mason fell against Jay’s body, squishing him into the wall.
“Damn, that was a homecoming and a half,” Jay said with a sexy chuckle, wincing slightly as they all disengaged. “Thank you,” he said to Alfie, wrapping his arms around both men, and kissing them languidly.
Alfie and Mason began to cleanse their mate, shampooing his hair, then the rest of his sexy body before they all transferred to the bedroom and snuggled under the covers.
“What happened today?” Mason asked, lying spooned against Jay’s broad back, their legs intimately entwined, his plump cock along Jay’s crease, warm and snug. Alfie lay with his back against Jay’s front on the other side, his mates’ arms draped over him,
holding him close. They stroked each other with gentle touches and the occasional languid kiss, enjoying the afterglow of explosive three-way sex.
“The wolverines are so conditioned to behave a certain way, they can’t help but lash out when someone tries to help them,” Jay sighed wearily. “Ethan and I wanted to find out about their siblings, tried to talk to them about what happened to them, what the cult did to them. They’re so afraid to show weakness, they snarled and cursed both of us out. Ethan got upset, Cody threatened to disembowel them all, so we had to leave. Cassidy and Jane may be able to get them to relax. I guess the only thing we can give them is time to heal, on their own. They were given an isolated little cottage at the ranch, and they seem to be doing okay there, just so long as everybody keeps away from them.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Alfie said, yawning widely. “They’ve suffered as well, haven’t they? Not just from the cult, but from everyone else as well. Even their own family.” He frowned suddenly. “How did they react when you mentioned finding their family?”
Jay paused, thinking, then frowned himself. “They seemed fearful, almost,” he said. “It was a strange reaction, really. I thought the reason they did what they did for the cult was because the cult threatened their family?”
“Maybe there’s a little more to it than that,” Alfie suggested, then snuggled back into Jay’s warm embrace, yawning again. “Perhaps I might have an idea how to find out,” he said, closing his eyes. “Can we talk about it tomorrow, though? I need to get up early.”
Within seconds he was asleep.
* * * *
Jay smiled to himself as he felt Alfie sink into slumber, pressing a soft kiss to the younger man’s soft cheek and purring slightly. “I love you, baby,” he whispered, inhaling the familiar fragrance of his mate’s skin.
“I’m feeling left out,” Mason grumbled, which had Jay chuckling and turning slightly to grab the big shifter and bring him closer for a hot, toe-curler of a kiss.
“I love you too, ya big baby,” Jay chuckled softly, hearing his lover panting slightly as he released him.
“I know,” Mason replied smugly, nipping Jay’s lower lip, then licking the wound to soothe the sting.
Jay sighed, kissing Mason again, sinking into his lover’s mouth, savoring the spicy taste. He couldn’t get enough of his two sexy mates who were never out of his thoughts. All day he’d craved coming home to them, wanting their loving embrace that made him feel warm and safe. He almost laughed at that. He was a big guy, had been independent for a long time, and could take care of himself better than most. But it was the strangest feeling, that when he was with these two beautiful men, he felt safe and secure, like nothing could hurt him.
“I love you so much,” Jay repeated, purring when he felt Mason’s fingers stroke his chest. Both his lovers were tactile creatures, loving to touch and caress each other.
“I love you, too, baby,” Mason replied, cuddling closer, nuzzling into Jay’s shoulder. “Now get to sleep. Early start tomorrow.” He yawned widely, then again, then his breathing evened out and he fell asleep.
Jay gave a low chuckle, but his mind was too active to sleep right then. He gave the conundrum of the wolverine shifters a little more thought, mulling over their reaction to his questions about their family. He had the uneasy feeling he’d opened a can of hornets that was going to come back and bite everyone in the ass. And he had no clue how to prevent that happening. He would speak to his brother tomorrow. John may have an idea. He seemed to look at the world differently than everyone else, that was for sure. His skewed logic may just hold some answers.
Yawning himself, glad he’d come up with a plan, Jay eventually closed his eyes, surrounded by his lovers, then followed them into slumber.
* * * *
Douglas and his brother were manning the bakery counter the next morning, with the younger sibling showing Ethan the ropes. The younger man was a fast learner and was up to speed with the bakery side of things, leaving John clear to ease up a little. The place had been open a little over two and a half months now and was still busy as ever. Scotty had started a couple of weeks ago, his experience a blessing, since he’d worked in a few restaurants and had some serious skills as a baker, creating new delicacies that were introduced to the general population daily. He was busy cooking up a storm for the lunchtime crowd. They mostly did burgers, quiches, and salads, and he was grilling chicken breasts to put in the barbecue chicken salad with couscous, plus strips of beef for a teriyaki beef salad. Pulled pork was already in a tureen being kept warm, marinated in spicy Cajun seasoning for wraps, salads, or sandwiches.
Jay sat with his brother John, who was enjoying a pot of his favorite tea, a slice of freshly baked apple pie, and looking relaxed and happy. It was nearly lunchtime, with a lull in the flow of customers coming through the door, so John took the opportunity to sit down, having been working hard since before dawn. Kevin and Kieran manned their usual spots, the coffee machine and till, with Ethan plating up orders and assisting cooking hot breakfast rolls and preparing the lunch menu.
“Did you want me to do some asking around?” John questioned, sipping his tea, his expression serious as he looked at his brother. They’d been discussing Jay’s wolverine dilemma.
Jay gave a shrug, frowning. “I don’t really know what to do,” he replied in a low voice, not wanting to upset Ethan. The poor man had been through enough already. “Alfie asked me how the wolverines reacted when we mentioned their brothers and sisters, and when I think about it, their fear was far more than just that of putting someone in danger. They actually seemed scared of their own siblings. I don’t know how to explain it.” He slumped in his seat, feeling dejected. Feeling like he’d made things worse.
John leaned forward, his vivid green eyes searching Jay’s. “I did some checking anyway, after I heard what Aiden said the other day,” he said in a low voice, keeping an eye on Ethan behind the counter. He obviously felt the same way as Jay did about upsetting the man. “Lash, Charm, Slug, and Rage’s parents did abandon them when they were young. From what my source tells me, their other children are not gay—but our quartet most definitely are. Within their society there are very strict rules of conduct, and children are betrothed to others before they even know what the word means. Families make alliances through their children. Apparently, our four favorite wolverines shunned the rules, hence they were disowned by their families when the four came out as gay—or at least were outed. Guess who outed them?” John’s eyes were dark with anger, his fangs visible as he snarled the last question.
“By any chance their siblings?” Jay asked, snaring himself when John nodded.
“Their idea of sibling rivalry is a little more like hunger games—last one breathing, wins. They have a lot to lose, pride and status and money—a lot of money.” John paused, looking like he was trying to control his temper. “I heard that our wolverines were delivered back to the cult by their own family. That right before they were sent to that last place, they tried to contact their family, tried to get them to help them escape. The cult took their siblings as well, as collateral, but released them for some reason—then took Lash’s gang to the tunnel. Lash and his lovers remained loyal, not knowing their family weren’t in danger, not realizing they’d been betrayed again.”
“What will happen if their family catches up with them?” Ethan suddenly interrupted, standing beside them, moving so quietly the two brothers jumped in surprise. Ethan smiled slightly at the reaction, looking smug that he’d managed to startle the two big shifters.
“Armageddon,” John said succinctly, then leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest looking every inch the warrior he was. “Lash reached out to his family, once they were freed from the tunnel. He found out his siblings were released a while ago, about the time Lash was sent to that hellhole under the town.” He looked up at Ethan grimly. “They were sold out by their own family, to be tortured and left to die because they thought it would prote
ct their kin. I don’t think their family expected them to survive, but from what I understand, our wolverine friends were set to inherit a great deal of money from their family’s estate, held for them in trust by grandparents who didn’t care about their orientation. Their siblings will not be happy our friends are still alive,” John finished.
“And I may just have fucked them over, just like everyone else in their lives,” Jay said bitterly, groaning in dismay.
“No, brother, you haven’t,” John said. He jerked his chin to the doorway where Jane and Cassidy stood, the wolverines there as well, shuffling their feet and looking uncomfortable as hell.
“So, now you know our deepest, darkest secrets,” Lash said angrily. “I suppose you’ll be kicking us to the side, so we don’t taint your precious town.” He looked fierce and deadly, his amber eyes sharp as lasers.
Jay studied the young man, feeling his heart ache as he saw the emaciated state of the four who stood there. “Let me get you some breakfast,” he said, dragging a spare table over and some extra chairs and inviting everyone to sit down as he went to the counter to order food.
He saw the surprise in the young man’s eyes, the exchange of glances between the four lovers, then they moved forward slowly, as though expecting to be thrown out at any time.
“Hey,” John greeted, smiling slightly. “Breakfast is on the house this morning,” he said. “Nobody will be kicking you anywhere,” he added sincerely. “This town has already been tainted by evil, so that won’t cut it. Just say the word, though, and we’ll be happy to kick your family’s ass for you. No charge.” He smiled in his wicked, shit-eating way.
