Unleashed

by Tiffany Roberts

  Snow crunched as Balir hastily piled it in the entrance to block out the wind.

  “Her clothes are wet,” Vortok said.

  “Then we must remove them,” Aduun replied. His beast bristled again; the thought of the female it wanted to claim being held, naked, against the body of another male was too much for it to accept.

  It is for her. There is no choice.

  Vortok shifted her body carefully as Aduun peeled off the damp cloth and leather, revealing unblemished skin that was paler than her arms and legs. Too pale. He smoothed the fur — no, she calls it hair — out of her face after Vortok settled her down again. Her lips had taken on a blue tinge, and her skin, normally a warm, healthy tan, had lost most of its color.

  He turned to spread her wet clothing along the side of the shelter. It wouldn’t dry, not without a fire, but she didn’t have time for them to scour the snow for fuel.

  When he turned back to Nina, his eyes roamed over her body, catching on the small patch of hair covering her mound. It was that hair that had sent his beast into a frenzy the first time he’d seen it; now, it heated his blood and made him want as he never had before. When she’d bathed, he’d been helpless but to appreciate her body — her lithe legs, her lean, toned muscles, and her soft, round breasts. She was daintier than the females of his kind, and yet somehow more alluring.

  “Aduun,” Balir said sharply.

  Aduun turned his head and snarled, baring his teeth and raising his quills. Balir wore a hard expression, and his lack of verbal response forced realization into Aduun’s mind.

  This wasn’t the time for fighting or lusting after Nina. It wasn’t the time to make claims, wasn’t the time to face rivals, wasn’t the time for hesitation.

  Aduun turned back to Nina and lay down facing her. He slid forward and pressed himself against her body, chest-to-chest, ignoring Vortok’s huge arm around her waist. She needed warmth, and that was something all three of them could offer.

  Balir joined them as well, lowering himself over Nina’s legs, becoming a living blanket draped over the top of their cluster.

  “This more than anything must prove to you that she is not a piece in Kelsharn’s game,” Balir said.

  “He does not care about the pieces in his games,” Aduun replied.

  “Why would she willingly die?” Vortok grated.

  “Kelsharn cares little about will, either, apart from his own.” Aduun drew in a deep breath, taking in their combined scents. It was familiar, soothing, and oddly right. “But I do not believe she is his, willingly or otherwise.”

  “That may be the first bit of sense you have spoken since we were released,” Balir muttered.

  Vortok grunted. “Of course she isn’t his. She’s ours.”

  “Ours,” Balir echoed.

  Aduun opened his mouth to offer his agreement, but he could not force out the words.

  Mine, his beast insisted.

  He placed his hand on Nina’s neck. Her pulse was still faint, but a hint of warmth had returned to her skin.

  “I do not care for this,” Balir said, holding a hand to his own chest. “I can feel how weak she has become within myself.”

  “How could this creature survive Sonhadra?” Vortok asked, brushing his nose over her hair.

  “Because hoomins are more than they appear,” Aduun replied. “This one is, anyway. Her strength lies inside of her, heart and mind.”

  The noise from outside, already dulled thanks to the snow Balir had packed in the shelter’s opening, faded from Aduun’s awareness. All that remained was the slow thumping of their hearts and the gentle rasp of their breathing. The air heated rapidly, and the chill eased from Nina’s skin.

  “We should have found a way to send her back,” Vortok said.

  Balir shifted, turning his attention to the big valo. “What do you mean?”

  “She doesn’t deserve to suffer all this. We should have figured out how to get her back up through the hole in the ceiling. Back to where she belongs.”

  “It would not have worked,” Balir said. “The inclines of those openings are too steep. Even we would find ourselves unable to climb them.”

  “If I can climb trees and cliffs, we could’ve found a way to get her out,” Vortok rumbled, his brow falling low.

  “Enough,” Aduun said. “I agree, Vortok. We should at least have tried, but we did not. I didn’t trust her enough to even consider attempting it. She does not deserve to face trials that were devised as our punishment.”

  “Her pain claws at me,” Balir said, “but…this brought her to us. Selfish as it may be, I do not regret bringing her along. She belongs with us.” He stroked her leg with a palm, running it between her knee and her hip.

  Aduun clenched his teeth; his instinct was to bite the hand touching what was his. As a distraction, he laid his head down and faced Nina, studying her features. The serenity that normally overcame her face while she slept was not present now; this was no relaxing slumber. For a moment, he wondered if she was hearing the voices calling for help, if she’d been drawn into that black place once again.

  He brushed his thumb along her jaw, wrestling the conflicting natures within him. Vortok and Balir were more than friends; they were his brothers, his family, though they did not share blood. They’d been close since they were small — for more than a thousand years, if Nina was correct about how much time had passed. He didn’t want to be jealous of them, didn’t want to struggle with a constant urge to battle them away, to assert dominance.

  He didn’t want to give in to the desire to take Nina and leave so he could have her as his own.

  “What was done was done,” Aduun said, repeating the words Nina had spoken in their shared dream. “We are here now, and there is no going back.”

  “And once again, Kelsharn has us trapped,” Balir said. “This weather is more than I can bear; my body cannot tolerate it, now that it has been changed. And it is only worse for Nina…”

  “All of this is worse for her,” Vortok said. “Even if her mother was changed to give her the power she has, it was not the same as Kelsharn did to us. She’s even more vulnerable than we were as men. She’s soft. Breakable.”

  “She is tougher than we realize,” Aduun said. “Tougher, I think, than she realizes. And we will do all we can to keep her safe.”

  Vortok snorted. “Good work we’ve done of it so far.”

  Anger sparked in Aduun’s gut — not at Vortok’s tone, but at the truth of his sentiment. Their bodies and senses were enhanced beyond anything they could’ve imagined, far surpassing any natural creature, but they’d done a poor job of protecting Nina up until now. That failure hit Aduun hard. He’d already let so many people down, had led them from one mistake into another. Could he bear it if Nina became another person to suffer for his inadequacies?

  “So we will try harder, Vortok. What more can I say?” Aduun struggled to draw in that growing rage. Their tempers had woken her on more than one occasion, and he didn’t want to disturb her slumber…though part of him knew that she would not easily be roused in her current condition. “This is our situation. We must deal with it as we are able. When our efforts are no longer enough, we will die. She will die.”

  “I will not allow that to happen,” Vortok growled, shifting.

  “Do you think I will?”

  Balir hissed sharply, calling their attention to him. “None of us will let her die,” he rasped, “and your arguing will accomplish nothing apart from disturbing her.”

  Aduun clamped his mouth shut, jaw muscles bulging. He inhaled deeply and focused on Nina. On her scent, on the feel of her skin against him, on her slowly strengthening heartbeat.

  “She’s said that we are still the men we were before the change,” Balir continued, “and I believe in her ability to see such things. Kelsharn has not changed who we are, only what we are. We cannot allow ourselves to succumb to his will. We cannot become what he wanted us to be.”

  The valos lapsed into silence.
Aduun stared at Nina’s face as Balir’s words echoed in his mind. If Aduun was the same man, the rest of them were fools to trust his leadership. If he was the same man, they were doomed to fail, just as they had in the past.

  But…if he was the same man, he could trust. He could accept his tribe as they were, he could master his beast. Even if he would eventually fail, he would fail as himself. He would fight for what he believed in, fight to protect the people he cared about, until he had nothing left to give.

  “The storm didn’t look as though it will ease anytime soon,” Vortok said after a long while.

  “Knowing Kelsharn, it will not ease at all,” Balir said.

  Aduun turned his hand and brushed the backs of his fingers over Nina’s cheek. “Then we will use this place as our camp and provision ourselves as possible to prepare for what we may face.”

  Chapter Ten

  Light stones, arranged in alcoves along the walls, cast a soft yellow glow over the bathhouse. Their light played upon the clear, rippling water and illuminated the steam rising from its surface.

  Nina stood on the deep end of the pool, swaying with the easy motions of the water, which reached nearly to her chin. The welcoming heat enveloping her reduced the numbing cold that had consumed her in the valley to little more than a faint memory.

  She sighed. She was home.

  The gentle lapping of water against the sides of the pool echoed in the chamber; she’d spent much of her time here in the past with her head leaned on the edge of the pool, body floating, listening to these soothing sounds. Now, the noise only reminded her of her loneliness. Though she’d lived a happy life with her parents, her self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world had always cast a shadow on that happiness. She used to savor solitude and the silence it brought. That peace of mind had meant so much to her. But after having a taste of what it could be like to have other people close to her, she wanted more. She wanted them — her valos.

  “Nina?”

  Startled by the sound of Balir’s voice resonating in the chamber, Nina turned.

  Balir and Vortok stood near the wide steps at the shallow end of the pool, water lapping around their legs. Faces slackened with awe, they swung their gazes around simultaneously, studying their surroundings.

  They were valos here, just as she knew them in the real world — fur, horns, scales, and plates of bone — with one difference; Balir’s eyes were the stormy blue-gray he’d had in the first dream, clear and focused, seeing.

  Nina dragged her gaze over the valos’ bodies, taking in their size, their strength, their primal sensuality. Her body reacted, growing warmer than the water around her as tingles skittered over her skin.

  “What is this place?” Balir asked.

  “This…is my home. Bahmet,” Nina replied. “We’re in the bathhouse.”

  “Is this real?” Vortok’s voice was low and uncertain.

  “This is a real place, but we’re not actually there. This is a dream. My dream.”

  “The walls look like they are of his design…” Balir said.

  Nina inwardly cringed. She didn’t want to tell them, didn’t want to spoil this moment, but she refused to lie to them. “Because they are. This was his city, but it now belongs to Orishok and Quinn. And me.”

  “What of—” Balir snapped his mouth shut before he finished. She knew he’d nearly asked about Kelsharn, but he shook his head. “He is gone. We three are here now. This…this is our place.”

  Nina smiled. “It is. And Aduun? He’s not sleeping?”

  “He went to hunt and forage.” Vortok stepped forward. The sound of the water moving around his legs was muted. “It is warm here. Comfortable. And you…” His gaze dipped.

  Balir drifted closer, stopping beside Vortok, his eyes just as intent upon her if not more so.

  Her smile stretched into a playful grin as she moved toward them. Each step brought her into shallower water, slowly revealing her breasts, followed by her navel until the water lapped just beneath her backside. Here, within this dream world, she could revel in her nudity, could revel in the way the valos’ eyes devoured every inch of her, darkening with desire.

  Vortok and Balir moved closer as if compelled by an irresistible force. She didn’t shy away from them; she felt empowered.

  “And me?” When only a couple of feet of distance separated them, Nina pressed a hand to each of their chests. Her fingers curled briefly against fur and scales before she flattened her palms over their heartstones. Their hearts beat in time with hers, sending gentle pulses outward through the shimmering water.

  “Beautiful,” Vortok rasped.

  “You are beautiful,” Balir said with equal awe.

  “Would you…like to touch me?” she asked.

  Even though this was a dream, she longed to have their hands on her body, to feel their touch, their caress. She longed simply to feel.

  She’d grown up seeing the little displays of affection between Quinn and Orishok — the loving brush of fingers over a cheek, a gentle clasping touch of hands, kisses that were short and sweet or long and passionate and everywhere in between. Nina wanted to know those things for herself. She wanted to experience that physical connection between lovers.

  She wanted more.

  Vortok was the first to reach for her, but he stilled before making contact. He scowled down at his large hand. “Why are we not as we once were, like the last time?”

  Nina took his hand in hers, tracing his broad fingers with her fingertips. “Because this is how I see you. How I know you. It doesn’t matter to me what you look like on the outside.” She smiled up at him and brought his hand to her chest. It was huge compared to her, and roughly calloused, but her nipple pearled immediately beneath his palm. “I want you as you are.”

  Vortok caressed her breast, his eyes intent upon the soft mound, and soon lifted his free hand to show her other breast equal attention. He treated her delicately, his touch ever-gentle, as though he were afraid he might break her. Jolts of sensation swept through her with each of his strokes, feeding a growing, desirous fire within her core.

  Balir moved behind her, his long fingers curling over her shoulders to sweep down her back and stop at the curves of her hips. He lowered his mouth to the side of her neck.

  “Does this mean you have made your choice?” he asked before pressing his lips to her sensitive skin, grazing it with his fangs.

  Nina inhaled sharply. The sound was quickly followed by a moan as she titled her head, allowing him more access. Liquid heat flooded her sex, and the ache between her legs intensified.

  Have I made my choice?

  She found it difficult to think, to reason, when all she could focus on was the feel of their hands — and Balir’s mouth — on her skin.

  When he raised his head, Nina turned her face toward him and captured his mouth with her own. He drew back with wide, startled eyes that dipped to her lips before meeting her gaze again. She smiled, and then his mouth was back on hers. Sliding one hand along Vortok’s arm, she lifted the other to cradle Balir’s jaw. She pressed her lips more firmly against his, and he leaned into the kiss; they nipped at each other, caressed, consumed, sharing in the experience of the first real kiss either had ever had.

  Their mouths parted. Balir appeared dazed as Nina turned her face toward Vortok, whose hands had stilled. His lust-filled eyes were on her lips.

  She reached up, slipped her fingers in his mane, and tugged his head down. He came willingly. She pressed her mouth to his without hesitation, delighting in the cool touch of his tusks against her cheeks, and flicked her tongue over the seam of his lips.

  “Nina,” he groaned, his open mouth to allow her entry.

  She tentatively explored the depths of his mouth, learning the feel and taste of him, and he did the same to her in turn. He cupped her face with his hands, hands so big that they could crush her if he willed it, but Nina trusted him. He would never harm her; he’d protect her with everything in him.

 
Another set of hands cupped her breasts from behind, stroking and tweaking her nipples while firmly kneading the soft flesh around them. Balir pressed his body flush against her back, his heat blanketing her as his hardened shaft pulsed against the cleft of her backside. His mouth once more trailed over her neck and shoulder.

  Panting, Nina pulled her lips away from Vortok’s and met his gaze. Her body thrummed, ablaze with sensitivity, Balir’s every, tiny touch amplified tenfold. She’d never felt this way before; it was wonderful and torturous. She wanted, she craved, she needed more, consumed with all the desperation of someone who’d never had a taste of this before, aching in places she’d never fully been aware of.

  Did they feel the same way?

  She wanted to touch and explore them as much as she wanted them to continue touching her.

  Keeping her eyes locked with Vortok’s, Nina released his mane and ran her hands over his chest, tracing a slow path down his abdomen. His muscles rippled, tensing; anticipation and need gleamed in his eyes. She found his fur intriguing rather than off-putting. It was both soft and coarse, and she imagined it brushing over her sensitive skin as she moved against him like Balir was moving against her back.

  Nina closed her eyes as her desire built with every caress of Balir’s hands on her breasts, with every rasp of his scales against her skin, with ever brush and nip of his mouth on her neck. He pulled his pelvis back, and when he thrust it forward, his hard length slipped through the small gap between her thighs, gliding along the wet folds of her sex.

  —so soft, so hot, so wet, her scent, need to mate, to taste, to—

  She gasped as an electric current swept through her. Arching her back, she tilted her pelvis, silently begging for more. Balir readily complied. Cupping her breasts, he pumped his hips, sliding his slick cock back and forth across her sex, slapping her backside with the front of his scale-covered thighs. Pleasure unfurled within her, sending ever-stronger jolts through her each time his shaft brushed her clit.