Hour of the Lion

by Cherise Sinclair

  "Not yet. Up you go, lass," Calum said. He lifted her up, so she straddled Alec on hands and knees, butt in the air and yay too far from his cock. She ground her teeth together. Dammit, she needed more, or she‘d burst with her need.

  Alec stroked his hands down her body, over her hips, then cupped her ass. To her shock, as he pulled her cheeks apart, something cold trickled down between them.

  Lube. She stiffened. They‘d both teased her there, slowly increasing from one to two or three fingers. But if he had lube… Her head came up. "Wait… No. No, Calum."

  "You can do this, little cat," Calum said. His finger slid into her back hole, pushing ruthlessly past the puckered ring as Alec‘s hands anchored her. The finger moved slowly in and out, igniting nerves. Confusing her. Her instincts screamed for a cock in her vagina, not something…there. This wasn‘t right. "Calum," she whined. "No."

  "Good girl," Calum murmured and pulled out only to add another finger. Two fingers, stretching her, nothing unfamiliar. She looked down. Alec was watching her intently. He gave her a smile of encouragement. When Calum withdrew, she took a breath.

  More lube chilled her skin, making her jerk, even before Calum pressed the head of his shaft against her anus. Slick, but it still hurt as it pushed in. So big. Stretching and burning, and she shivered as he entered, so very slowly.

  Too big. Not quite pain—she knew how to handle pain. This was more…primal. Having Calum take her was far more dominating than anything before, as if he‘d removed the last bit of control from her. He‘d left her nothing private, had made everything open to him. He has all the control; I have none. Somehow the realization was more erotic than anything she‘d ever felt before.

  She felt Calum‘s hands stroked her back, petting her. "Breathe, cariad. Take all of me." He pushed deeper.

  Her head bowed, as the discomfort grew. Her fingernails dug into Alec‘s shoulders, and she moaned, her mind filled with confusion, need, and pain.

  Finally, she felt his groin press against her buttocks. He was in. "Are you all right, little cat?" Calum asked softly. His hands replaced Alec‘s on her hips. He moved in and out of her ever so slowly, his gentleness at odds with his implacable grip on her hips.

  Totally unsure, she nodded anyway, feeling…taken. Vulnerable. Terrified—and excited—

  by what they‘d do next. Her bottom burned, overwhelming any other sensation, and a tremor ran up her spine, knowing Calum was deep inside that dark place.

  As she trembled, Alec moved his hands, holding her face between them gently. His dark green gaze was filled with heat, yet so caring that tears pricked her eyes.

  "Brawd," Calum said, "why don‘t you give her something else to think about before you start?"

  Alec smiled. "Good plan." The fingers of one hand tangled in her hair, holding her face close to his. His free hand moved between them, right to her pussy. One finger swirled in her wetness, then up to her clit, teasing the hood, the top, until the nub engorged, overcoming any other sensation.

  Her hips tried to tilt forward, but she was secured in place by Calum‘s shaft deep inside her, by his restraining hands. She shook as her need built up inside. Her insides tightened, wanting to be fucked, but there was a cock in her ass, so foreign and wrong. "Oh, God, I can‘t take this."

  Calum deep baritone held amusement. "You will, cariad. For us."

  Alec‘s finger circled her entrance. "You‘re nice and wet for me, Vixen," he murmured, and her eyes widened as his erection nudged at the entrance to her vagina.

  "No." She was already too full. She tried to push away, but Calum was immovable behind her. In her. Her legs still straddled Alec‘s hips, holding her pussy open. Calum‘s hard hands tightened on her hips, securing her completely—and sending another wave of heat through her.

  Alec pushed in, just an inch, and she gasped at the unbearable tightness. As the head slid in farther, the burning nerves from Calum‘s penetration joined with the ones sparking from Alec‘s slow slide. Everything down there throbbed and burned.

  Alec worked in slowly against her resisting flesh, not stopping, never stopping.

  She groaned. The stretch of her anus, the overwhelming sensations from being taken by two cocks, the hard hands holding her for their pleasure. It was too much. Every nerve seemed to be shooting off in different directions.

  "Easy, little cat," Calum murmured. "Take a breath."

  "Oh God, you —"

  He leaned forward, his arm wrapping around her hip. He set his hand on her pussy. She jerked as he unerringly found her clit, exposed completely with Alec‘s cock inside her, holding her folds open. His slick finger rubbed firmly on one side of the engorged ball of nerves, and then the other until her head started to spin.

  She wiggled, trying for more, for less. Alec fondled her dangling breasts, teasing her nipples, rolling them between his fingers until heat streamed down through her. When she clenched around two—two—cocks, it felt so different, so strange, hurting, and yet contorted the appalling pleasure into an overwhelming sensation. Too much fullness inside, her clit being stroked, her nipples pinched. Her hands fisted as everything in her blazed upward and even the slight pain turned to pleasure.

  "Now, Alec," Calum growled, and he moved for the first time, pulling his cock almost out of her ass. Emptiness. Then as he slid back in, he drew her toward him…and off of Alec‘s cock.

  Different fullness, new emptiness.

  Alec‘s hands tightened on her hips and yanked her down onto him—and Calum slid out.

  They controlled her, moving her back and forth between them, their thrusts growing in force even as she shook, the pleasure too much to bear, to process. The climax rolled toward her like an Abrams tank, crushing her mind under the massive wave of sensation.

  "Oh God, oh fuck, ohhhhhh." She heard herself, and it didn‘t matter as everything around her dissolved. Her world blew apart, brutal unstoppable pleasure shaking her like a rag doll. A minute later, Calum drove in hard for his release, and she could actually feel his hot seed fill her.

  Then Alec yanked her down onto his cock, and he growled as he jerked inside her, sending more waves of pleasure to shake her.

  She was panting and sobbing. Her trembling arms gave out and her shoulders dropped onto Alec‘s chest. His hands closed on her waist. "Roll, brawd."

  Calum anchored himself in her, and tipped them all over onto their sides. They kept her sandwiched between them, both still deep inside. Softening, but serving as another anchor in their possession.

  Alec kissed her lips, using his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Shhh, baby, shhh."

  With her back to his chest, Calum held her firmly, and his arms around her felt as if he kept her from shattering. He was crooning into her hair, a quiet rumble of pleasure and soothing.

  She never felt so vulnerable, so shaken… So cherished.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  The heady aroma of coffee wafted through the cabin as Vic blinked awake. Morning, huh?

  The night had ended.

  God, the way last night‘s events were hazed over, she felt as if she‘d gotten drunk.

  They‘d eventually left the little room in the tavern and gone downstairs. She‘d seen Heather in the hallway of the tavern. Her friend had waved and laughed when Alec and Calum had pulled Vic down into the cave. The men had stripped her naked and dragged her out into the freezing night, as she spit curses at them.

  But then... She sighed. In cougar form, they‘d played in the last of the moonlight, chased each other through the mountains and valleys, tussled in the snow, and run together—Calum on the right of her, Alec on the left. The world had been beautiful...magical.

  Now morning had arrived. Magic all gone. Back to reality. She poked her nose out of her warm cocoon of blankets and considered the chill in the room. Maybe she‘d give it another hour.

  Surely one of the guys would put a bigger log on?

  "She‘s awake." Alec‘s voice.

  "Do you suppose she
will join us sometime today before the sun goes down?" Calum‘s dry tone.

  Hell, that was known as peer pressure. And it worked, dammit. She flung the quilts back, shivering as the cold air touched her nice warm body.

  The guys sat at the little table wearing only their jeans. God, would she ever get tired of looking at them? Alec‘s broad chest had a light golden furring over his thick pectorals. Calum‘s silky chest hair contoured his sleek muscles. Her fingers tingled with the need to touch—until she saw the red scratches across their chests. Bite marks on their shoulders. Had she done that?

  Flushing, she rolled over and buried her head. Various aches roused with her movement. Her leg muscles complained that she‘d run all the way up a damned mountain. Her breasts felt tender and swollen, and every private part down below was extremely sensitive. Her asshole held a lingering burn as if reminding her of how Calum had taken her.

  Then the rest of her memories of the night returned with horrifying clarity. First she‘d bedded Calum, and…she‘d actually let Daniel drag her upstairs. Had wanted him, at least for a while. And the guy named Zeb… Fucking-A. She‘d acted like some nympho with a broken on/off switch, and she wasn‘t sure whether she should feel guilty about going upstairs with Daniel and Zeb—or saying no to them. Hell.

  How could Calum or Alec think she cared after she‘d enthusiastically flirted with those other men? Although Zeb had told Alec that nothing happened, but why would Alec believe him?

  Could she tell them she‘d never realized there was a difference between fucking and making love? And, didn‘t that sound lame? But true. Because it wasn‘t just the physical stuff. Sex with Alec and Calum touched everything: her emotions, her spirit, her mind. Yeah, like they were the whole orchestra after listening to just the piano, changing a sweet melody to something rich and immense. But damned if she could explain that.

  With a sigh, she knotted a blanket around her and rose to her feet. Unable to face them yet, she held her hands out to the fire.

  "Victoria?" Calum‘s deep voice.

  She shook her head without turning.

  "Told you she‘d be embarrassed." Alec‘s footsteps padded toward her—and when had she become able to tell his gait from Calum‘s?

  "Vixen?" He set his hands on her shoulders, and when she didn‘t answer, pulled her back against his bare chest. "You thinking about last night?"

  Okay, she was braver than this. She wasn‘t a little girl unable to fess up to her actions. She‘d done the deed—deeds—and now it was time to pay the piper. She stared into the fire and confessed, "I almost went to bed with Daniel. And Zeb."

  When he heard the guilt in Victoria‘s voice, Calum closed his eyes. His littermate had been right. She was more than embarrassed; she felt she‘d done something wrong. He crossed the room. A glance at Alec, and his brother turned her from the fire to face Calum.

  Her lower lip trembled, but her gaze was level, and he could only marvel at her courage.

  He‘d never loved her more.

  "I went upstairs with Daniel and with Zeb too. Nothing happened, but…I wanted it to. At first." She looked away and back at him. "You two didn‘t...go with anyone else. But I did."

  "Didn‘t Heather talk with you yesterday?" Alec asked, one hand stroking up and down her arm.

  She nodded.

  Calum frowned. Heather had promised she‘d go over everything. He could have explained, or Alec, but they‘d decided a female friend would be more believable than the two men who wanted her so badly. What would she have thought when they said, Go to bed with anyone you want, especially us two—that"s what shifters do. Really. "Heather told you what happens during a Gathering?"

  "Uh-huh." She bit her lip. "But you two didn‘t—"

  He dared to move closer and stroke her cheek. "When a female comes into heat, the need to join with a male can‘t be controlled, cariad. Your instincts are to mate, and to whatever males are the best. Or who appeal to you most. To limit yourself to one—or even two—is impossible unless you‘re lifemated."

  When a frown appeared on her forehead, relief eased the tightness in his gut. She was thinking, not reacting.

  "But you two—" she started to repeat.

  He glanced at Alec, and his silver-tongued, cowardly brother jerked his chin for Calum to continue. "Indeed, we did not join with anyone else." He let a wry smile appear. "Males do not come into heat. The scent of a female‘s arousal is all we need. But as the years go on, the desire to mate with every interested female begins to flag. Alec and I are no longer cubs, and we are very much in love with you. Last night, you were the only one we could see."

  The glimmer of tears in her eyes was shocking. Terrifying. What had he said wrong?

  "I…care about you too. And Alec. But I still went upstairs with—"

  Alec picked her up in his arms and sank down into the blankets. "You‘re not hearing him.

  Shut up and listen, Vixen."

  She stiffened, her gaze meeting Alec‘s eyes, and then she sighed. "You‘re right. Okay."

  Calum sat beside them. He pressed a kiss to her wrist, felt the tiny pulse throbbing away.

  "For our race to continue, a woman needs to mate with many, Victoria. And we recognize that.

  We honor that. The Gatherings are not only biological, they‘re traditional."

  "I really didn‘t do anything wrong?" She bit her lip.

  She looked so like a little girl for a moment that Calum had a flash of how appealing her children would be.

  "And," she continued, "neither of you are mad at me? Or at Daniel, or—"

  Alec gave a short laugh. "What‘s there to get mad at? You can‘t fight biology, Vixen."

  "You really aren‘t," she said wonderingly. "Okay. Well, okay." She tipped her head back to kiss Alec and bestowed one on Calum.

  "I very much needed that," Calum murmured. "I was quite worried there."

  "Me, too." Victoria took a deep breath. "Where I come from, what I did—well."

  "You wanted the other men—and then you didn‘t. That shows you‘ve formed an attachment.

  To us." Calum nodded at Alec. His brother set Victoria gently onto the blankets, and went to rummage in the small pack he‘d carried up the mountain.

  Finding it hard to think, Calum continued. "Some people set up households. Much like human marriages."

  "Heather told me. And that sometimes there were more than just one man, one woman." She stared at her hands. "I was glad, since I… I…"

  Calum‘s heart gave a massive thud. "Since?"

  She scowled at the floor, then at him, her hands fisting. "How can this be so fucking hard to say?" Her mouth firmed and her chin came up and she looked like Joan of Arc heading for the fires. "Okay. Listen up—I love you. And Alec. Both of you."

  She pressed her hand over her chest, wheezing a little.

  It took all Calum‘s control not to just grab her right then. Alec, finally, returned—the slow bastard—and handed Calum a lifemating bracelet, keeping one for himself. They knelt together, shoulder to shoulder, as they‘d spent their life. The rightness of it made Calum‘s throat tighten.

  Victoria‘s eyes had widened. "What—"

  Alec cleared his throat, his eyes suspiciously shiny. "Vicki. We love you—both of us love you. And—"

  Calum opened his hand, showed her the thin bracelet of tiny silvery discs held together with interlaced strands of special elastic. "Will you be our lifemate?"

  Oh. My. God. Vic wrapped her arms around herself, unable to speak. The brothers knelt in front of her, Alec like a golden god, Calum a dark lord, both powerfully masculine. The most courageous, honorable men she‘d ever known. Honest. Caring. And they want me.

  She‘d never thought she‘d find a family outside of the military. But…they wanted her.

  Alec‘s eyes had no laughter in them, just…need. He needed her and Calum… His gaze was steady, controlled, but she could see—when had she learned to read him so well?—could see he needed her too. And loved her.
They wanted her in their lives. Even as her throat tightened, tingling fireworks were going off in her chest. Yes, yes, yes.

  No. Think, Sergeant. Could she accept? Really? But the idea of saying no was intolerable, and her answer escaped before she talked herself out of it. "Oh, yes. Yes, yes. Fucking-A, yes."

  Alec grinned at Calum. "I think that means she accepts." He grabbed the knot on her blanket, yanking her forward to kiss her, oh, so sweetly. "I love you, Vixen," he whispered.

  And then Calum pulled her toward him. He framed her face with his hands, seemed about to say something, and kissed her instead. Tender and yet with that unconscious demand that she offer all of herself. He raised his head and traced her wet lips with one finger, then said, "Give me your hand."

  She put her fingers in his, and when he slid the bracelet onto her left arm and pressed a kiss to her wrist, her eyes blurred with tears.

  "My turn." Alec cupped her face, using his thumbs to wipe away the wetness. He took her hand and slid his bracelet onto the same wrist. "I‘ve wanted to do this for so long," he muttered, making her laugh before she kissed him.

  "Now you." Alec handed her two larger bracelets.

  Her eyes widened. "I get to tag you as mine?" Damn right. When they offered their left hands, she slid one on each man, admired the glinting discs against the dark and golden skin.

  "Hey. What happens when we trawsfur?"

  Alec‘s smile was almost lethal. "We‘ll show you. In a bit." Grinning, he hauled her out of the blankets. "Why don‘t you have something to eat? Calum and I need to chop up some firewood before we leave."

  Leave huh? She sighed. Reality always came too soon. After she took care of necessities, washed up, and dressed, she found that they‘d left a pot of soup simmering on the fire. Coffee.

  Soup. Not a bad breakfast.

  As the men came back in, stomping snow off their boots, she blinked at the view through the open door. The last rays of the sun showed in the west. "I slept all day?"

  Calum joined her at the table, nuzzling her neck. "We thought you‘d never wake up. How do you feel?"