Land of the Brave: Forbidden Spice (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Jools Louise

  “Just who is we, Corporal Connolly?” Ryan asked dryly, looking at his soldiers one by one, and receiving embarrassed looks in return. Ryan took in the sly glances between certain soldiers and particular male and female members of the tribe.

  “Er, sir, all of us, sir,” Connolly said, flushing bright red.

  “Really,” Ryan retorted, putting a wealth of meaning in the one word.

  “What are you?” Ryan asked Jacy, staring at him curiously, unafraid but wanting to know.

  Jacy crawled into his lap, cuddling into him and resting his head under Ryan’s chin. Without thinking Ryan stroked his back, inhaling the earthy scent of the man’s skin and felt the hard warmth of his body next to his. Ryan had a secret that he’d never dared to share with anyone else before. He enjoyed the male form as much as he did the female form. He’d had clandestine relations over the years, quick fumbles in the dark when it came to men, and equally quick encounters with women in some pretty seedy places. So far nobody had come close to making him feel the way he did right then, to three complete strangers. They seemed to call to him on a primitive level. Ryan was Irish in heritage, and had been brought up on stories of different magical species. He’d heard legends of a race of people who had animal totems living within them, capable of transforming into their creature when threatened. He wondered if he had been chosen, and why. He was a soldier, a supposed enemy of these people. And yet, here he was, surrounded by three mates, and he just knew, deep within him, that it was no lie. He trusted his instincts implicitly, and knew what he must do.

  “Which is your leader?” he asked.

  “I am,” one of the males who had helped Mary said, staring at Ryan, head tilted to one side as though assessing him.

  “He is to help us,” a female said softly, the soldiers letting her through as she walked to Chatan. By now, Ryan knew that they weren’t even pretending to be guarding anyone, and had split up to stand next to those who may just be their mates. It was bizarre. “Chatan, I had a vision, just now. I know these men are good, and will bring us luck in our journey. They can be trusted.”

  The man, Chatan, stood up, holding his infant son in his arms. The other males stayed with Mary as Chatan walked to where Ryan still sat, cuddling Jacy closer.

  “Jacy has never before approached another person as he has with you,” Chatan said softly, looking at the younger man with a smile. “Our old chief favored him, and treated him well, but Bimisi and his cousin, our enemies, abused him horribly when the chief died and they began their rein of evil. Petunia and Pavati have both been abused by Bimisi, and do not trust lightly. Pavati would never have approached you, but she knows you are her mate, although it will take time to earn her trust. Petunia appears taken with you.”

  Ryan looked at Petunia and reached for her, stroking her soft cheek gently. She came willingly, snuggling into his side. He felt his heart clench with gladness, her warmth soothing him. He looked up at Pavati, asking a silent question, and she stared back mistrustfully.

  “I would not harm you,” he said softly. “I was a farmer over in Ireland, and then headed west seeking my fortune after illness killed my wife and son. I found the army instead, enlisting in a senseless war against people who are defending their right to live.” He reached out, inviting her to take his hand. “I did not fire on you. I did not shoot your people. I have never shot anyone who did not attack us first. I have friends on the coast, among the Nez Perce who live there. They are fishermen, and would help you make your way north.”

  “I have heard of them,” Chatan said, interrupting in his quiet way. “Are you going to help us?”

  Ryan still looked at Pavati, who looked fearful and yet had moved closer to within a few inches. She refused to take his hand, eyeing it as though it was a venomous snake to be treated warily.

  “Are they really my mates?” Ryan asked, reading the answer in Pavati’s dark gaze.

  “We saw you shift,” the corporal interjected suddenly. “You were men, and then wolves, and then men again.” He grinned suddenly, looking about ten years old, his eyes sparkling with delight. “It was awesome. Please tell me how you did it.”

  Chatan shot an amused look at him. “Then you know we are shifters. For some reason, the spirits have sent you to us. Flo here has seen that you are meant to be here, with us, to join our people.” His amusement faded and he looked hard at both Ryan and the corporal. “My tribe is precious to me. They are not objects to be toyed with. If you leave, you must never be allowed to speak of us.”

  Ryan met the man’s eyes, seeing the stark warning. Chatan would not hesitate to kill them all if they brought harm to his people. Ryan nodded, accepting that as the truth, accepting that he would deserve death if he hurt anyone here. He remembered the persecution by the British soldiers against his own people, on their own land, and felt a kinship with these people who defended their homes so valiantly. It was an impossible task, and he found a new resolve to make sure that they all got to safety.

  “I believe what I’ve seen,” he replied, offering his hand to Chatan in friendship. “I believe what I feel, as well. My men here have all come from hardship, and have been shunned by people all their lives. This little troop was not expected to survive the winter, sent out to chase you by a man who sits snugly in his office, safe and warm while young men perish. I would rather follow you, with my mates, than continue living a lie. I had intended to resign my commission anyway. I suppose I’ll just have to resign it sooner.” He grinned suddenly. “I’ll send them a letter, once we reach a suitable town.”

  “We won’t be going near any town,” Chatan said dryly, amused.

  Ryan laughed. “I know.” Chatan grinned back, and they shook hands. “Then I suppose this will be just another sad winter’s tale for the history books. How a brave band of young soldiers went out into the depths of the wilderness, only to perish in the ice and snow.”

  “You must be hungry,” Pavati suddenly said, and flushed slightly when he swung his startled gaze to her. He nodded carefully, and watched in wonder as she strode away, busying herself with setting up camp again, and ordering his soldiers to gather wood and start building temporary shelters.

  “We will camp here,” Chatan said. “Mary will need to rest for a day or two, and nobody else knows we are here.”

  Ryan shook his head. “No, just us. Little Otter only told us, I’m sure. She had a different story for our commander, but she was a little more specific with us. It was as though she was playing some coquettish little game,” he said in disgust. He noted that her body had been carried away. He ordered two of his men to bury her in the trees. The scent of her decaying flesh would bring bears down if they weren’t careful.

  “Still, we will stay for a day or two, and then continue our journey,” Chatan said, turning away. “There is one more thing. You will need to convert,” he added, baring his fangs. Ryan blinked glancing at Jacy and Petunia, and then over to where Pavati was pretending not to be intently listening to their conversation. She looked away quickly when he caught her staring.

  “To a wolf shifter?” Ryan asked in surprise.

  Chatan nodded, tilting his head as he waited for an answer. Ryan nodded, shrugging. “What do I do?”

  “I’ll let Jacy do the honors,” Chatan said, and smiled when the young brave looked up. “You have the medicine in you, Jacy,” he said. “It is strong in you. When I converted you, I was amazed at how powerful you are. The spirits have given you a great gift.”

  Jacy looked at him in awe, and then at Ryan. “I can convert you?” he asked hesitantly.

  Ryan stroked his cheek gently, then tilted his mate’s face up. Their lips met for the first time, and he felt a rush of heat flow through him at the taste of Jacy on his tongue. Swiping along the crease of Jacy’s mouth, he moaned when his mate opened for him willingly, and dove inside, devouring him hungrily. He felt a gentle nip on his lower lip and the tentative glide of Jacy’s tongue. Biting his own lip, he mashed their lips together, blend
ing their blood as they kissed. Jacy tasted like heaven, warm and spicy and addictive as honey.

  A gentle touch on his cheek had him opening his eyes, and he saw Petunia’s beautiful face. He turned his head, kissing her gently, not wanting to frighten her. She opened for him beautifully, and sighed blissfully. Jacy closed in, and soon all three were sharing a hot lip lock that curled Ryan’s toes and had his cock throbbing urgently. Jacy straddled his lap, his ass rubbing against Ryan’s hard cock as he stroked Ryan’s chest, clutching at his shirt as the trio kissed.

  Ryan felt, rather than heard, a presence beside him, and released his mates’ lips to stare up at Pavati, who stood wringing her hands together. He reached out, not touching her, but offering an invitation, urging her with his eyes to join them. She looked back, her eyes suddenly speaking volumes, desire and fear and yearning blending together in a swirl of emotion. She knelt suddenly, gathering her courage finally, but didn’t go any further.

  “Beautiful, Pavati,” Ryan murmured, and dared to touch her cheek, feather light, not wanting to startle her into flight again. “I feel your pain, and your courage,” he said.

  “Courage?” she asked, frowning.

  “It took courage to come over,” he replied, smiling. “Do you feel the same as I do? That we are connected somehow? I felt it the second that I saw you, and looked into your beautiful eyes.”

  She gave a low whimper and grasped his hand in hers, resting atop his as he stroked her cheek. “I am not pure, or beautiful,” she said brokenly. “Bimisi…”

  “Neither am I,” he replied softly. “Back in Ireland I was hurt most terribly by men of the cloth, who were supposed to protect me when my ma died of the pox. I was broken, but now I feel whole again.”

  She stared at him, then launched herself, trembling against him as she fell into his arms. Petunia gathered her friend close, and Ryan held them all against him, his three mates. What a day it had been. He’d felt the pull of something magical when he’d first spied this little tribe. Then, when Little Otter had urged him to shoot them all, he had felt something stay his hand, and he had watched the tribe shift easily from wolf to human and back again. He had felt wonder and amazement and envy all at once, that these magical people possessed such a gift. Now he knew what the pull meant. It was a gift to him, a precious gift after all he had lost.

  He found Pavati’s lips with his, and kissed her tenderly, soft caresses that soon had them moaning in delight. A moment later, all four were kissing passionately, sharing their individual flavors as they bonded. Ryan felt a strange power begin to emerge inside him, and he knew that he was already converted. The gentle nip from Jacy, the sharing of their blood, must have started a chain reaction. Already his senses were more intense, more sensitive. He was ready to mate with his lovers, ready to claim them for his own.

  “We must stop for now,” he panted, easing back from their seduction. “We will finish this later, in a more private place.”

  He looked up and saw the smiles and thumbs up from his troops, and the rest of the tribe. Blushing, he smiled, as well, and prayed he could claim his mates soon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Petunia sighed blissfully, smiling as her lips met Pavati’s at long last. She and her best friend had shared everything since birth. From cribs to toys to puberty, every aspect was a dual pleasure when her friend was around. And now they even shared mates.

  She heard a low moan and looked down, seeing Jacy’s beautiful and familiar face, now contorted in the joy of making love. He lay on his back, allowing her full control to find her pleasure, his hands lightly gripping her hips, and making slow forays over her belly and breasts, exploring every inch that he could touch. She rode him with all the skill of the accomplished horsewoman that she was, her pussy undulating up and down on his thick, hard manhood. Her thighs gripped his waist, and she balanced herself with one hand on his chest, occasionally tweaking his little brown nipples, just to hear him moan and buck beneath her.

  Beside her, riding her own sexy steed was Pavati. Both women had endured far too much brutality at the hands of Bimisi and his cousin. The now-dead warriors used their sex as a weapon to subjugate and punish. This was the first time the either woman had been able to find their own rhythm, to control how their bodies moved. It was liberating. Captain Ryan DuBarry, formerly of some obscure military battalion, was now a full-fledged wolf shifter, as they all were, and he was pure alpha, bowing to Chatan’s leadership, and serving their leader willingly, sharing the role of beta with Etu.

  Petunia watched as the two males moved closer, sharing a hot kiss and a smile. Their pack was an unusual one, with mates finding different pairings. Chatan and his three brothers had claimed Mary. Etu, his beta, and his two brothers Iye and Wakiza had mated to Flo. Two former slaves, Harmony and Raven, were bonded to Bly, Etu’s sister. A young blonde named Hannah, a former captive of a band of brutal buffalo hunters, shared her love with two young braves, Paco and Onawa, cousins.

  “Petunia, how did we get so lucky?” Pavati asked softly, her lips grazing Petunia’s cheek. Petunia sighed and turned her head, swiping along the seam of Pavati’s tantalizing mouth. They kissed again, mouths opening wide, savoring the textures and flavors within.

  Petunia sighed again, sinking into the kiss. Her pussy was full, Ryan’s cock long and thick and beautifully warm. Moving up and down, she impaled herself over and over, using her own body weight to force him deeper. She was so hot, tingling all over, the throbbing between her thighs insistent and making her ride harder. Nipping at Pavati’s succulent lips, she bounced lightly, and heard Ryan’s low groan. He cupped her breasts in both hands, pinching her nipples and rubbed them gently with his thumbs. His hands were a little rough, and felt wonderful against her smooth skin, sliding over her as he explored her secrets. She felt him touch her clit and whimpered at the exquisite sensation. He rubbed it firmly, sending shivers of delight through every nerve ending. Lifting her up slightly, he took control for the first time as he made a little room and then began surging up and down, fucking her steadily. Each thrust drove deep into her.

  Pavati gave a low groan, gripping Petunia’s hand firmly. Petunia saw Jacy move in time with Ryan, mimicking their mate as he thrust up into Pavati’s willing sheath. Smiling, the women shared another scorching kiss and came apart at the same time, convulsing in rapture when their pleasure overflowed, and sent them over the edge together.

  Ryan lunged up, grabbing Petunia around the waist as his cock exploded within her. She felt it expand and lock into place, wrenching a second orgasm from her. Her lips left Pavati’s and her head lolled back, her long hair falling in a sleek waterfall down her back. Ryan bit deep into her shoulder, claiming her as the mating barb was engaged. She came a third time, panting hard now, eyes closed as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over her. She moaned, whimpered, and then fell against her lover, clutching at his dark blond hair as his lips kissed the claiming mark. Exhausted, she remained fused to him, her heart singing at being claimed by him. He was everything she could want. Strong and fearless, and loving and tender, all at once. She heard Pavati reach her pleasure, heard Jacy’s low groan as he found his, and then felt the mating bond click into place. Jacy’s next moan was muffled, his fangs embedded in Pavati’s neck, her body lying flat against his as she was claimed finally.

  Petunia cuddled against her lover, easing back to smile at him, and saw the love in his gaze. His lips were wet, and stained with her blood, and she leaned down, kissing him tenderly. He stroked her back, cupping her butt and squeezing lightly, rocking her back and forth as they kissed.

  “I love you,” she whispered against his lips. “This was perfect.”

  “I love you, too, Petunia,” he murmured in return. “Thank you for trusting me not to hurt you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him against her breast, feeling the graze of his chin stubble against her sensitive skin.

  Lying back down, Ryan pulled her with him until she was sprawled wantonly across him
. Jacy turned slightly and stroked her hair gently, and she kissed his hand. Cupping her head, he leaned closer, and kissed her languidly. “I love you, sweet Petunia,” he whispered, sucking on her tongue. “I’m so glad we found our mate. I thought we would never find this much happiness.”

  Pavati snuggled against Jacy’s chest, the two men sliding even closer together as their limbs entangled, the quartet enjoying the aftermath with lazy kisses and soft caresses. She smiled at Petunia, looking sated and content, drifting her fingers over Petunia’s nipple gently. Petunia invited Pavati closer, their lips meeting hungrily, joined by their sexy mates until they were panting with need again. Lifting off Ryan’s hardening cock, Petunia switched partners, and giggled when Pavati pinched her butt teasingly as they both sank onto their mates again.

  Jacy rolled, placing Petunia beneath him, kissing her hungrily as he began to slide in and out of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him right back, her heels digging into his backside. His cock surged, and he began to move faster. She cried out in pleasure, loving this side of him, loving his dominance as he took her. She bit his lip, sucking on the wound hard, mashing her mouth to his as their passion ignited, searing them both with sultry fire. She arched her back, shoving her hips forward with every hard thrust of his cock as he rammed into her over and over. His lips found her shoulder and he bit deep, claiming her as his cock erupted and he splashed his thick seed deep, still moving with powerful strokes. The locking mechanism engaged and he scratched her with the barb, his kisses passionate and uncontrolled as she came apart beneath him, coming over and over. Moaning, pleading, begging for mercy as her entire body shuddered through the inferno, and then they both collapsed in exhaustion, still joined, and fell into blissful slumber.

  * * * *

  Ryan rolled onto his side, turning Pavati so that she spooned with her back against him, his cock spearing deep into her succulent, moist pussy from behind. He draped her slim leg over his hip and made love to her tenderly, peppering kisses across her neck and shoulders, loving her tiny sounds of pleasure. Jacy fucked Petunia hard, and they watched as their mates contorted, finding their release before collapsing into sated sleep.