Briar on Bruins' Peak (Bruins' Peak Bears Book 7)

by Erin D. Andrews

  I felt something building way in the back of my skull. I let it come forward, let it build in momentum and strength until it was right behind my eyes and mouth. My lips parted, and the force came out as a sharp yell and my insides exploded through me and poured out into Clarice. She arched her back and let out a strange little cry, the soft lips of hers that held me pulsed around my cock, and she laughed just a little.

  “Oh, yes,” she collapsed down a bit, let her head hang and then slid forward and let me flop out of her. She turned and grabbed Tina, and the two of them kissed, while Clarice helped Tina reach her own climax. She pulled her friend’s hair and whispered something into her ear, while sliding her hand down past the waistband of Tina’s shorts. She bit Tina’s neck just a little, and Tina spasmed in her arms several times, her thighs quivering a little as she came.

  I just stood helplessly to the side, watching as the two girls enjoyed each other’s bodies and seemed to be in on some secret I could only hope to guess. It was as if I had never been female, never had a vagina or a clitoris of my own. It was silly, I knew, but it really was as if I had been born male. After my lovemaking with Clarice, I was not so certain I wanted to be Larissa again. Perhaps I could stay as I was and simply be Sólo, but I recalled that the decision was not mine, so I just put the thought out of my head.

  By the time I pulled my pants up, the two girls had moved into a corner for some privacy and continued petting and kissing one another. I stayed against the bars, sweaty and out of breath. I glanced up and looked down toward the other cages and noticed Black Feather’s hands were hanging just outside the bars of his cell. One of them waved to get my attention. I waved back. The waving hand turned palm up and extended up the middle finger. Then, both disappeared.

  ***

  It was the next day that the questioning began.

  “Alright, Sólo,” the guard, a red-headed woman with a dark blue ring on her thumb, informed me. “You’re coming with me. The rest of you just hang out, wait your turn.”

  The woman seemed friendly enough, but I silently reminded myself to keep my guard up. We sat in a small room behind a door I had not seen during my last visit to the prison. It was disguised to look just like the rock wall that hid it and only opened with her special jewelry.

  “Okay, Sólo,” she said, gesturing to the water in front of me, “just want to ask how all these strange things happened at the compound. A non-working fence, no one wearing their collars – what’s going on?”

  I shrugged. “I’m sure the others can tell you more than I can. Once the fence stopped working, I spent more and more time beyond the boundary.”

  She lifted her eyebrows and tilted her head at me. “That’s against the law, you know.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “I shouldn’t have done it, but I am not made for small spaces. I needed to get out to where I could move a little more freely.”

  She looked at my meager, two-page file. “We don’t have a lot on you.”

  I feigned a casual air once again. “Well, it’s rare anyone pays me much attention. I think I may be a little boring.”

  She crossed her arms and sat back, looking me up and down. “What about the collars? How did they end up as public art?”

  I spread my hands to show my helplessness. “What were we supposed to do? They didn’t work, they were hot and uncomfortable. My friend is a welder and felt like doing something useful with them, so he did. Everyone liked them much better as a statue, even the law enforcers.”

  A long silence passed while she considered my words. She put her chin on her steepled fingers and waited. I focused on the pretty colors her hair made with its red tint pulling in the bright, yellow lights. Just between the strands, I could make out a nice, golden hue that I found truly beautiful.

  “What are you looking at?”

  I smiled at the question and gestured toward her curls. “Your hair,” I told her. “It’s very pretty. It’s not often I get to see red hair.”

  To my surprise, the compliment seemed to soften her a bit. “You,” she said, blushing, “are a very handsome man.”

  “No.” I smiled at her and threw out a pick-up line I recalled from my younger days. “Only one person is allowed to be truly good-looking in this room, and you have claimed the title. There is nothing I can do except enjoy the view.” I gave her a wink.

  She burst out laughing and reached out to take my hand. I held hers as gently as I could, stroking her fingers. “I think,” she said, smiling and dipping her chin down a bit, “you might need another round of questioning. I’ll come find you tomorrow, and we’ll try again.”

  “Of course. Whatever you need.”

  She stood and moved over to me, then quickly straddled my lap and gave me a big kiss. As soon as she was done, she stood and straightened her clothes. “Just a little sample. To inspire you.”

  I couldn’t respond. My heart pounded harder than when Clarice had bent over to turn me on and was even wilder than it had been at that moment. Was this why my father had always been in such high spirits? Perhaps women had jumped into his lap at every opportunity as well. It would explain why my mother always had a sour expression on her face during the day.

  My redhead led me out and back to my cell. She didn’t bother cuffing me with anything. I couldn’t get anywhere without one of those magic rings, so there was no point. She slipped her hand into the enclave at the side of the cell, and the bars vanished. My cell mates stepped forward so she shoved me in quickly and then got the bars back into their place.

  “Nice try,” she scoffed. “These cells are the latest technology and can’t be broken out of in any way. So,” she shrugged and smiled a little, “enjoy your stay.” She gave me a little wink and turned to the next cell.

  We all stayed still and silent until she was back behind the rock wall and couldn’t hear us. Once the rocks slid shut, everyone descended on me.

  “What was that? Why was she winking at you?”

  “What did she ask?”

  “What do they want to know?”

  I answered each question as well as I could, but I quickly changed the subject. “She wants us to be lovers,” I explained. “I think I have a plan that can get us out of these cells.”

  “Can you get us off the mountain?” Tina asked, grabbing my arm.

  I smiled. “Why should we leave?” I asked her. “I say we take over the palace.”

  Her eyes widened and sparkled a little as they always did when she was in the mood to make a little trouble. “Well,” she said, slipping an arm around my back, “what do you need to make that happen?”

  We all huddled together, and I started explaining different aspects of the palace security to them and how I had attacked during my last jailbreak. Soon, they were all nodding and smiling.

  If we stuck together, we could do it. We could make the palace ours and send the government workers far from there to fend for themselves as we had done for so long. One by one, they broke off to perform different tasks that I gave them. Clarice sashayed away from me with a little hair toss. She may have felt a little jealous, but I didn’t have time to explain the lack of emotion involved in my male, sexual exploits. She would just have to get over it.

  By the time my saucy redhead had emerged, we had finished our assorted tasks and were all stretching out for the night. We had a big day ahead.

  Chapter Nine

  Seduction

  It didn’t happen right away. I had to wait for my new lady. I was nervous, so I exercised the way I had seen my father do it for so many years. He would push his body up and down like a flat plank of wood on levers until he couldn’t stand it anymore, then rise up into a sitting position from reclining on the floor, often with a twist. I did my best to remember and, to my surprise, my cell mates joined me.

  “You don’t have to do this,” I told them, but they just ignored me. Tina gave me a little kick.

  “You’re not wandering the desert anymore,”
she said. “You’re part of a team now.”

  Hearing her sentiments made me sit up and twist a little harder and faster. I loved Tina so much.

  Long after our second meal had finished, she appeared. My redhead had changed into a stern, woman’s suit with a sharp-shouldered jacket and a tight, short skirt. I made sure to give her a not-so-secret glance from under my eyebrows as she walked up to release me.

  “Alright, Sólo,” she said angrily, “we’re going to try this again. And this time,” she stepped as close to me as she could so that her breath hit my face, “you’re going to do as you’re told.”

  She grabbed my wrist and yanked me out. I played along and stumbled out even though I outweighed her by about one hundred pounds. It took all my effort not to smile. She was devoted to her new role of mean jailer, but I was struggling with my part as chastised prisoner. I was already looking forward to the next part of my big plan.

  The bars of my cell materialized behind us, and my cell mates barely gave them another look. Just like we’d practiced.

  We made it to the secret room, and the rock slid back with its usual rumble. Inside, there was still the same table and chairs, but suddenly it all looked very different. The whole place felt extremely volatile and dangerous. If I made any missteps, it would be.

  The redheaded guard took a seat and crossed her long legs and then folded her arms. “I think you might have contraband hidden somewhere on you.”

  I instantly started to sweat. How did she know? Then I realized, this was the game.

  “Perhaps. I certainly wouldn’t tell you, my horrible, cruel jailer.”

  “No,” she said, adjusting her weight in her seat, “you wouldn’t. You prisoners just cannot be trusted.” She jabbed the air with her chin and lowered her eyes to my waist. “Strip.”

  I pulled up my worn out, white shirt slowly, letting her enjoy the sight of my sculpted abdominal muscles as I went. The sweaty shirt dropped to the floor, and I unbuttoned my fly. The pants I had on slid down slowly on their own, but I made sure they really took their time as I bent over far too much to get them off. My shoes had been taken from me the first day, so I was already barefoot. When I stood, I rolled up slowly and let her take in the view.

  She shook her head with a “Tsk, tsk, tsk. What have you brought into my prison?”

  She stood and walked over to me, turned me around and grabbed my cock with one hand. “This looks like it could easily be used as a deadly weapon.”

  “Only on a woman as beautiful as yourself.” I tried to turn around, but she held me to my original position.

  “Stay like that,” she ordered. “I don’t want any romance.”

  No romance. Sure. I waited as she undressed behind me and then bent over the table. “Get over here. Do it. No small talk and no foreplay.” She looked over her shoulder at me with a glare. “Just do it hard. That’s how I like it.”

  I turned around to see her pale form ready and waiting. Her legs were much skinnier than the shifters I knew. It must have been a specifically human trait. She had a very small butt as well, and it made me think of my juicy, round butt that I had sported with so much pride as a female.

  Even in my male form, I still had prominent cheeks that I felt very good about. I moved closer to her and put my hands on her hips.

  “You’re being too gentle,” she said over her shoulder. “Be rougher.”

  I had no idea what she meant, but then I thought of my last night with Black Feather. That had not been a night of gentle love-making, but rather a round of wrestling that included penetration. I put that memory at the forefront of my mind and tried again.

  With an open palm, I gave one of her tiny butt cheeks a nice slap. She moaned, so I gave her a few more, changing sides a few times. “Yeah,” she groaned, “that’s what I want.”

  I pulled her hips back with a sharp jerk, then pushed her a bit more forward on the table. There was no reason to do either, but it helped fulfill her fantasy. I slid my hand between her legs and felt how wet she was, and the sensation went through my whole body. She had cast her spell on me, and I could only obey. My hips pushed forward, and I entered her with one long, forceful motion.

  “Harder!”

  I slammed myself into her, and she began to laugh like a madwoman. I didn’t know why, but it made me want her more and want to obey her more. The moment took over, and I felt some movement in my mouth. The ring I had hidden in my cheek had slipped back toward my throat. I coughed it up onto my tongue but it slipped out. I caught it before it hit the table and kept it in my hand.

  Still pumping into her, I leaned over and put my hand on the table next to hers, the ring hidden underneath. I hoped and prayed this would work. One of my knees went up on the table, and she moaned her approval so I kept going. She stopped me with a hand. “Let’s get up here,” she said between gasps and motioned toward the table.

  I helped her up and then kneeled behind her. Then, it happened; she reached out and grabbed my hand with hers, and I felt it. The ring I needed was right there on her thumb.

  Making sure not to look, I gently slid the ring off of her finger. While she had her eyes closed, I put it under my hand and slid out the second and left it on the table as if it had fallen there. The real ring went into my cheek where the fake one had been. Then, I focused my efforts on the task at hand and pumped into her with such force that she nearly fell forward several times.

  “Let’s move to a chair,” she whispered, and we got off the table. From the top of it, the fake ring sat and watched us as we moved into one of the hard, metal seats. I sat, and she climbed onto my lap and rode me with a vicious, angry rhythm. “Don’t you dare come before me,” she whispered into my ear. “I tell you when we finish.”

  Again, I was powerless. She both repelled me and enchanted me with each statement she made. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once. Somehow, just knowing how angry she would be if I didn’t do as I was told was enough to help me maintain myself and stay hard for her. She worked herself up and down faster and faster, grunting and panting as she went. After several minutes, she was sweating hard. She threw her head back and let out a loud, triumphant cry.

  “Yes! Oh, yes! Oh, that’s what I like.” She went limp against me for a moment, laughed her madwoman laugh again, and then patted my cheek. “Okay, you can come now.”

  With her permission, I had a huge, explosive orgasm that came up from my toes and ripped through me. I pumped into her and then collapsed myself. She looked into my eyes and gave me a kiss, then something happened.

  I didn’t feel it at first, but I saw my reflection in her eyes. There, in my reflection, I saw my face morphing into something else. My redhead moved back with a pale, slack face.

  “What...what are you...What is this?” She grabbed her clothes and held them in front of her. Her new, false ring clattered to the floor and she quickly picked it up.

  My change happened fast. Before too long, I was female Larissa again and stark naked in the room with my jailer who had counted on – needed, in fact – for me to be male. I held up my hands in a show of trust.

  “This is just something my body does sometimes. Please, don’t be scared–”

  “You are all a bunch of freaks!” She shoved her ring on and quickly stepped into her skirt and angrily buttoned up her blouse. “I cannot believe this is happening. I just needed one little thrill, just something to get me through another night with my husband, and this is what I get!” She threw her jacket down and tried to collect herself, but she was boiling over with rage. “I’m a good person,” she informed me. I nodded, hands still in the air.

  “Get dressed. You’re going back to your cell.” I quickly moved to get my pants and shirt, but they felt odd on top of my curves. The pants barely went over my ample butt, and the shirt was sleeveless and let the sides of my breasts show. My guard didn’t care, she just slipped her ring on and went to open the door.

  ‘This is it. This is
my moment,’ I thought. However, my moment didn’t come. The door just opened the way it always did, and my heart jumped up into my throat.

  I had mixed up the rings.

  She turned to me with a look of disgust and jerked her head at the door. “Well, come on. Don’t just stand there, freak. We need to get you back in your cage.”

  I couldn’t move. I just stood silently, looked at her, looked at the door, then before I could think about it another moment, I flung my head to the side and spat the fake ring out at her face.

  “Gah!” She put her hands up, and I leapt, shifted mid-air and, using my giant fossa paws, I tackled her to the ground. She slammed into the doorframe with a hard smack and then went limp. Maybe she was dead, I didn’t know. I just knew I had to work fast.

  With my teeth, I scraped her ring from her thumb and then ran out with it at top speed to the cell where Tina was waiting. I threw it with a quick head jerk, but to my horror, the second ring flew out at her as well. One bounced into a grate on the floor while the other hit the wall behind her. She looked at me with open-mouthed shock; what had happened?

  “Move!” I ran down to the other end of the hallway where I could hear guards coming in through the door. No alarms were going off yet, and I could only pray they wouldn’t. The footsteps came down, and I crouched in the shadow just below the stairs and reminded myself that this was the moment to be patient, not to pounce. I hunched into a ball and listened as the steps descended.

  “There is no way we can take in any more shifters. We’re at capacity.”

  “You think Bachmann cares? If he finds another one, he’ll insist we lock it up. Even if it’s a baby.”