by Becca Van
“Ah.” Celeste gasped when the burning pinching pain returned, and this time it was worse than the last time. She concentrated on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth, and on trying to keep her muscles from tensing up.
Tarik gripped her arms and lifted her upper body from his chest. She clutched at his forearms and shivered and moaned as Hodge’s cock inched in and out of her ass. And then he was all the way inside of her. The pain receded and all she wanted to do was scream at her mates to move.
“Hold on tight, baby.”
Tarik’s words were the only warning she got before he and Hodge started to move. Hodge withdrew out of her ass to the tip of his cock, and as he surged back in Tarik withdrew from her cunt.
Celeste gasped and groaned as her insides lit up with sparks, goose bumps raced over her skin and pleasurable friction heated her ass and pussy.
In and out they glided, one after the other. First, her legs began to tremble and then her arms, until her whole body was quaking with and interminable burning hunger that was driving her to the brink of madness. Her heart was pounding in her chest, air was sawing in and out of her lungs, and she began to move.
She caught their rhythm quickly and began to rock her hips forward and back, up and down in time with their beat. The heat inside her body grew to flaming proportions causing the mating fervor coursing through her veins to intensify. The pressure built and the tension in her muscles increased, making them so hard, they felt as if they were about to rip through her skin. Her whole body was overly sensitized until she felt each individual strand of hair in in her head. Her toes curled under and began to tingle along with her fingers. The coil gathered tighter and tighter and she heard a low keening sound coming from her own mouth. Celeste tried to stop herself from making that weird, garbled, guttural noise, but it was impossible. There was no stopping the sounds she was making, just as there was no way to stop the inevitable culmination she was hurtling toward.
“Now Tarik.” Hodge groaned as he drove deeply into her ass.
Tarik caressed a hand over her belly and squeezed her clit between his finger and thumb.
That was all it took to send her flying toward the stars.
Celeste screamed as the rapture coalesced in her womb, pussy, and ass. She felt as if she was picked up and catapulted up into the stratosphere. Her internal muscles clamped down around the two cocks pistoning in and out of her contracting ass and cunt, only to release an instant later, and clench down again. She shook and shivered, quaked and quivered in paroxysms of ecstasy so intense it caused lightning to flash before her eyes, only to be replaced by darkness. A low buzzing set up in her ears and just as the palpitations began to wane, Tarik and Hodge thrust into her at the same time. And then they bit into the crook of her neck.
Her mouth gaped open on a silent scream as euphoria sent her spinning back up into space. White trails of light streaked passed as the stars flew by and she swore she was weightless and gravity ceased to exist. Once more darkness encroached on her vision as she floated in the weightlessness of ecstasy. She had no way of knowing which way was up or which way was down.
Just as the buzzing in her ears receded, Tarik shoved his cock deep into her cunt with a yell and froze. He ground his hips against hers and she moaned each time his cock pulsed and twitched as he filled her with his heated cum.
Hodge growled and grunted as he continued to pump his cock in and out of her ass, and then he shouted as he drove into her back entrance one last time. His cock jolted and jerked each time his cum spewed from the tip of his dick, filling her back hole with his essence.
Aftershocks quivered and quaked through her body and her strength finally gave out. She fell down onto Tarik’s chest panting heavily and blinking rapidly as she tried to clear the darkness from her eyes. At first, her vision was blurry, but after a few seconds, or maybe minutes, her vision cleared. She was lying over Tarik, her cheek resting on his chest, with Hodge’s chest pressing against her back.
Celeste blinked tears of happiness from her eyes. Her mates had claimed her again and this time their bond was stronger. She could feel everything they did. Her heart swelled to overflowing as the small amount of doubt that had been harbored in the organ after their earlier confrontation, fled. They loved her with their whole hearts and she loved them right back.
There was still much they had to learn about each other, but she was looking forward to every single minute being by Tarik’s and Hodge’s side. She wanted to do so much for the town of Savoonga and since she had the capital, which would benefit the town and the people in it, she hoped that her mates would let her improve the quality of life.
A small resort would be great for the community and somewhere for tourists to stay and spend their money. It would be economically profitable for every single person living in Savoonga. Marine wildlife was abundant along the island shores and would also be a wonderful draw.
“Are you all right, love?” Hodge asked, and then began licking her shoulder where he’d bitten her.
“Yes.” She sighed. “I love you, Hodge.
“I love you, too, mate.” Hodge leaned around her and kissed her softly and lovingly on the lips, before drawing back and pulling his cock from her ass, causing them both to groan. Hodge smoothed his hands down her back and patted her ass before heading to the bathroom.
Celeste gazed at Tarik. The ephemeral glow had dissipated from his green eyes, but there was so much love and emotion in his gaze, she was speechless for a moment. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist and his other hand was gliding up and down her side, causing her to shiver.
“I love you, Tarik.”
“I love you, too, baby.” Tarik rolled them both to their sides and then he kissed her with a reverence that brought tears to her eyes.
“I’m not like her.”
“No, you’re not. I’m sorry that I—”
Celeste pressed a finger over his lips and shook her head. “Don’t say anything, just hold me.”
“I’m going to hold you for the rest of our lives, baby.”
“Good.”
Hodge came back out of the bathroom and after wiping her ass and pussy clean with a warm, damp cloth, he flung it aside and climbed into bed, spooning her from behind.
“I love being here in between both of my mates.”
Hodge kissed her shoulder. “That’s good, love, because we aren’t ever going to let you go.”
“I don’t want you to. I feel so safe and warm.” Celeste tensed when she remembered she hadn’t told Tarik and Hodge about the text.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Tarik asked.
“He sent me a text this morning.”
Hodge shifted behind her until he was sitting with his back resting against the headboard. Celeste rolled to her back when Tarik drew away and sat up, too. She was about to sit up, as well, but her mates each took hold of an arm each and helped her up.
“Are you talking about the stalker?” Hodge asked angrily.
She nodded.
Tarik slid out of bed and stood frowning down at her with his hands on his hips. “Where’s your phone?”
“On the dresser.” Celeste pointed.
Tarik snatched her phone up, swiped his finger over the screen and brought up the message. “Motherfucking bastard, asswipe prick.”
Hodge stood and walked over to Tarik. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Tarik and Hodge slowly turned to face her.
“Why the hell didn’t you show us the text this morning?” Tarik yelled.
Celeste’s reply was just as loud. “Because I didn’t want anything upsetting your parents, sister, or the other members of your…stealth.”
“That’s no excuse, love.” Hodge walked over to her and cupped her face between his hands.
“What was the real reason?”
“I’m scared,” Celeste whispered. “I’m scared that he’s here and someone is going to get hurt.” A sob escaped her mouth and the tears she’d be
en trying to keep at bay formed and spilled down her cheeks.
Tarik sighed, skirted around her and hugged her from behind. “Don’t you know that we’ll keep you safe? Do you trust us so little?”
“This has nothing to do with trust. I don’t even know what this asshole is capable of. He broke into my hotel room while I was on a shoot in Hawaii. If he can get into a secured room, what else can he do? For all we know, he’s got a gun, or maybe he’s a trained retired soldier. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Tammy or Jenny. I couldn’t survive if something happened to either of you.” The tears flowed faster and no matter how hard she tried to stop crying she just couldn’t seem to help herself. All those months of looking over her shoulder—of wondering if this was the day he would make his move, the lack of sleep, the stress—all compounded together and made her feel as if she was having a major meltdown.
“Celeste, stop. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
She shook her head and gasped in a deep breath only to release it on another sob.
Hodge wiped her cheeks, but the action was futile since more tears rolled down her cheeks. Tarik scooped her up into his arms, carried her toward the bed, and sat with her on his lap. She buried her face in his chest, inhaled, and hiccupped. Tarik held her in his warm, comforting embrace, made shushing sounds and ran his hand up and down her back. The mattress dipped when Hodge sat next to them and stroked a hand over her head.
When the tears abated, she sniffed and wiped her face with the back of her hands before lifting her gaze to first Tarik and then Hodge. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally cry.”
“Don’t apologize, baby. You had way too much stress bottled up inside you. We could feel your turmoil now that the bond has strengthened, but we were waiting for you to talk to us.” Tarik kissed her on the forehead.
“You have to stop keeping your worries to yourself, love.” Hodge linked their fingers together, lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. “It’s not good to keep things festering.”
Celeste took a ragged breath. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t purposefully do that, but I’m so used to being on my own and dealing with my own problems, it’s become a habit.”
“We’ll help you break it, baby. From now on you’re going to have to get used to us asking questions. Now that we can feel your emotions, if you’re upset or sad or whatever, we’ll be asking.” Tarik hugged her against his chest.
“And we won’t stop until we know what’s bothering you.” Hodge kissed her lightly on the lips.
“Okay,” Celeste answered. She just hoped that she could learn to open up to her two mates more, because she was worried if she didn’t, she would be dooming their relationship to fail.
Chapter Eighteen
Brendan slowed the trail bike and signaled for Wayne, one of his crew to do the same. It had taken longer than he’d expected to traverse the rocky, marshy landscape from Gambell toward Savoonga and there were still a few miles to go, but he didn’t want to risk the sound of the dirt bikes being heard before he could scope the layout of the small town. He had a backpack filled with everything he’d need to camp out but hoped he would spot Celeste before the day was over. Even though the temperature was at its peak with the sun midpoint in the sky, he was feeling cold to the bone. Riding the trail bike had the breeze cutting through his clothes and though he was wearing a fleeced-lined jacket and gloves, it hadn’t seemed to help much. Even his inner animal was shivering.
Brendan got off the bike and laid it on its side. He gestured for Wayne to do the same and then he took the lead toward the other coastal town. Hopefully, the exercise would have him warmed up in no time and when he’d found the perfect position to reconnoiter, they could eat the lunch he’d ordered the captain of his boat to prepare.
There weren’t many hiding places around the town and since the terrain of Savoonga was fairly flat, Brendan decided to send Wayne in to check things out. He’d already told the other man to use the adage of being a tourist while he walked among the locals.
He’d be waiting on pins for his crewman to return. There were a few ditches on the east side of town that he could hide in, but getting there without being spotted would be a challenge. Hopefully, the locals would be so astonished to see Wayne walking in on foot, Brendan would have time to get to his hidey-hole.
Once off the bikes, Brendan headed for the path along the airport toward the northeast side of Savoonga. Wayne had walked with him for about a mile and then he’d headed toward the shoreline. Brendan just hoped that the cluster of houses kept him obscured from sight. When Wayne was close to the center of town he would walk down the main street and hopefully all eyes would be on him.
Brendan ran his gloved hands together in excited anticipation. He was close to Celestial and soon he hoped to have her in his arms and his bed. She might fight him at first but he was looking forward to taming the stunning beauty. Once she’d had him a few times, she would never want to leave again.
He broke into a run and headed for the ditch on the outskirt of town. All he needed now was the signal from his crewman. Brendan caught his breath as he hunkered down in the ditch and checked the walkie-talkie. Two clicks were the pre-arranged signal that Wayne had spotted Celestial. Once nightfall fell, Wayne would meet up with him and then he’d make his plans. All he needed was to know where his woman was staying. Once he had that information he hoped he could sneak into town at the dead of night and carry her out. He patted his pants pocket and smiled for the first time since he’d realized that Celestial had given him the slip. Once he’d broken into her room and injected her with the drug, she would be his forever more.
* * * *
Tarik eased Celeste down onto the mattress and after tucking her in and nodded toward the doorway. Hodge rose and followed him out to the kitchen.
“Do you want me to notify the rest of the stealth about the situation?” Hodge asked, as he grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured himself a coffee from the ever-present pot on the warmer.
“No. I’ll do it in person.”
“It would be faster to do it telepathically,” Hodge said.
Tarik nodded. “It would but I don’t want Mom and Tammy hearing. You know how they are. They’d be so angry on Celeste’s behalf, they’d end up inadvertently putting themselves in danger.”
Hodge sighed. “I still think they should be made aware. Forewarned is forearmed and all of that.”
Tarik rubbed the back of his neck. “Tammy and Mom are likely to let their tempters get the better of them. Tammy’s impetuous. She’d probably go out searching for the bastard on her own.”
“Yeah, okay. We keep quiet.”
“I’ll be back in a while. Keep our mate safe.”
“You know I will,” Hodge replied.
Tarik headed out and decided to stop at the general store first. Hopper or Phelan would be working the counter and if only one of them was in the store, the other would relay the information via their private telepathic link. He wasn’t surprised to find Phelan behind the counter since Hopper had taken the morning shift. Phelan glanced his way but then turned his attention back to his customer. The elderly American woman smiled at Hopper as she took her change and then made for the door. She paused when she glanced Tarik’s way. “Bad spirit will not win.” She disappeared out the door leaving Tarik with his mouth gaping open.
There weren’t many plain old humans left living in Savoonga but the ones who resided in the isolated town were all natives to the land. They were a simple people, happy living from the land and sea, but there were so few of them left. He often wondered what would happen to them if he and his stealth had thought about setting up a tourist enterprise that would boost the economy. Would the natives resent having other people walking all over the place? Or would they be pleased by making more money and not having to worry about living hand to mouth? Some of the people lived in tin sheds and though he and the rest of the stealth had made sure they were all right, especi
ally through the harsh death-defying winters, he knew they wouldn’t take charity. His mom was a wonder, though. During the winter month’s she always made sure to cook too much food and would send one or both of his dads to pass the food out. Tarik had a feeling that the people were wise to his mother, but they always accepted the excuse of not wanting the food to spoil and having to throw it away.
“What’s up?” Phelan asked.
Tarik pushed his introspection aside. “Is Hopper about?”
“I’m here,” Hopper said as he came in from out back.
“We have a problem.” Tarik explained about Celeste’s stalker and the texts.
“Do you think this fucker is bluffing?” Phelan scowled.
“No.”
“So, you think he’s already on the island?” Hopper asked.
“Yes.”
“That means he had to have flown into Gambell.” Phelan rubbed his stubbled chin.
“He could have come by boat,” Hopper suggested.
“Damn.” Tarik rubbed the tension ache at the back of his neck.
“What?” Phelan frowned.
“I didn’t even think about a boat. Most people would have taken a plane.”
“We’re not talking about most people,” Hopper said. “Do you want us out searching for this prick?”
Tarik shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do until he makes a move.”
“Who says?” Hopper growled.
“The law.”
“We don’t have any law on the island,” Phelan said. “Who’s to know?”
“We will.” Tarik glanced toward the window and then back to his friends. “We have to keep things above the law. The last thing we need is to be sued or this bastard getting away because we fucked up.”
“It’ll still be his word against ours.” Hopper leaned his elbows on the counter. “Being ripped apart by a sabear wouldn’t garner any charges.”
“As much as I agree, we can’t make any snap decisions. We’ll have to wait and see what goes down, if anything. Spread the word to your customers to be on the lookout and ask anyone who has a digital camera to carry it. If this bastard gets away and decides to sue us, I want to make sure we have everything on him to put him behind bars for a very long time.”
