Love Never-Ending

by Anny Cook

  “I can unequivocally state that Dai and I certainly enjoyed it.” Merlyn snapped up one of the silky strips that they used to restrain her for their bed play, wrapping it around her wrists before tying it securely to the low rail at the head of the bed. “Hmmm. Now I think I want to fuck your breasts. We haven’t done that in a long time.”

  He straddled her rib cage, stroking his cock between her soft breasts. “I want you to suck me while I fuck you,” he commanded as he slowly dribbled a few drops of quoltania-scented oil on his cock. “Dai is going to fuck your pussy.”

  “So are you going to talk or fuck?” she moaned.

  Immediately, Dai moved up in the bed and settled on his knees. He arranged her legs over his shoulders, positioned his kzusha at her pussy and entered with a fierce thrust.

  “Yes!” she shouted. “Harder!”

  Merlyn snorted and laughed. “Jade, sweetheart, do you have the mistaken impression that you’re in charge?”

  Behind him, Dai grunted as he slowly withdrew his kzusha before plunging back in her warm, wet sheath. “Isn’t she?”

  “Hell no!” Merlyn cradled her breasts in his large hands, holding them so that his cock was cuddled in the soft curves as he began to shunt back and forth, pausing each time as he reached Jade’s mouth so that she could suck the head of his cock.

  Dai leaned forward and bit Merlyn’s hard biceps. “I think she has us exactly where she wants us. She’s lying flat in the bed and we’re doing all the work!”

  “You bit me!”

  “Yep. Stop talking and start fucking.” Closing his eyes, Dai rocked back and forth, luxuriating in the tight clasp of Jade’s pussy, in the melding of sex scents from Merlyn and Jade and himself, savoring the jumble of mental impressions they shared as they pleasured each other.

  When Jade sucked and licked Merlyn’s cock, Dai shared the incredible sensations with them, just as he also shared the slick grasp of her breasts as Merlyn slid to and fro. Willingly, he opened his mind so that they might see the joy that he received from being with them.

  “Squeeze his kzusha with your pussy!” Merlyn gasped. “Damn, that feels good.”

  “Shall we switch places?” Dai suggested.

  “No! I want both of you to fuck me!” Jade cried out.

  Merlyn leaned forward and loosened the restraint. They quickly rearranged themselves until Dai was on the bottom with his kzusha once more snugly held in Jade’s pussy as she sprawled on top of him, nibbling on his ears.

  Merlyn had immediately declared that he wanted to fuck her ass, pointing out that he was already well oiled, so he was kneeling behind Jade, slowly sliding his cock into her narrow passage, reveling in the feast of perceptions bombarding them. Who did what wasn’t as important as the fact that they were all together, joined mind and body in pleasure and desire.

  Dai was so caught up in the heat of that last afternoon encounter that he didn’t hear the pounding on the door until Arano shouted his name. “Dai! Are you in there?”

  “I am here!” he called out angrily.

  “Mama and Papa are home!”

  “Wonderful! Perhaps you will allow me to finish my nap, then!”

  Arano had a notion that Dai was engaged in something a little more personal than napping. As his own plans would go more smoothly if Dai was distracted, he quickly went to complete them, happy to leave Dai in peace.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bishop discovers a hard truth

  Leaving Trav to his afternoon nap, Bishop walked down to the river and found a bench to sit on while he contemplated what Dai had explained. It all seemed too wild to him. Schelas and locking and schalzina—it had to be some kind of joke. How could a woman die just because her mate wasn’t around to fuck her? Dai had to be kidding.

  It sounded like a good excuse to have a lot of sex. Bishop snorted. Trust his brother to find a valley where sex was the primary goal in life. As for having a zillion babies…well, if that’s what they wanted, let them but that wasn’t for him. No babies. No little rugrats running around irritating the shit out of him. Fuck that. Merlyn had enough kids for both of them with some left over.

  He heard shouts in the distance. Across the river, Arturo was putting his students through their paces. Bishop watched the young men move smoothly from one graceful pose to the next. Each night while he was out exploring with Hawke and the others, they had practiced the moves. Once when he asked what use the Grimahr Dance was in fighting, Jonas and Mali had danced against Hawke as a demonstration. It was clear even to Bishop’s untrained eyes that Jonas and Mali were far outclassed by Hawke.

  Bored and irritated, Bishop decided to walk along the river path toward the river meadow. When he reached the meadow, he found a small stone house facing the dark cold waters of Shadow Lake. Tyger had mentioned using it as a bonding cottage when he and Llyon swore their covenant bond. Looking around at the empty landscape, Bishop had to admit that it was probably the most private, isolated place he had ever seen.

  As he turned to go back to Lost Market, he heard soft laughter on the wind. It took him a moment to pinpoint the location but once he did he was unaccountably shocked to the soles of his sandals.

  Samara’s parents were sprawled naked on a blanket in the grass. As he watched, Rebaccah playfully rolled Ham onto his back and climbed atop him, eagerly taking his cock inside her before she threw her head back and moaned in delight.

  Feeling both embarrassed and aroused by watching, Bishop sat on the steps at the stone house. His cock grew hard as he peered at Rebaccah enthusiastically riding Ham’s cock while Ham tugged her nipples and squeezed her bobbing breasts. She murmured something and then leaned forward so he could suck and lick her nipples. Her long hair spilled over her shoulders in a golden curtain of privacy. Bishop took the opportunity to stand up and stiffly walk away toward Lost Market.

  When he reached a long stony finger of the cliff that ran along the river, he stopped on the other side long enough to shove the irritating fabric of his sharda out of the way, releasing his painful insistent erection. Why did he keep looking? Pissed off with himself, he took his cock in his hand as he leaned against the cliff wall. He thought not of Rebaccah and Hamilton but their daughter, Samara, as he stroked his cock. Memories of her smiling face, the silky wet heat of her bare pussy, the way her nipples tightened like hard berries assaulted him from all sides until at last he came, spilling his hot seed over his fist.

  Eventually his heart quit pounding and he found a spot where he could crouch on the riverbank and clean up. Feeling foolish and angry, he stood up and looked back the way he had come but no one had witnessed his loss of control. He walked to the village, trying to put the images of Ham and Rebaccah out of his mind. How did you face someone you’d seen having sex?

  When he reached the Llewellyn domes he searched out Merlyn and Jade. He found them sitting in the warm sun on a tiny patio outside their bedroom. “Come join us,” Merlyn urged as he got up to fetch another chair. “We’re sorry we had to be gone just as you arrived.”

  Shaking his head, Bish replied, “Dai explained it the best he could. I find the entire process very strange but I’m trying to keep an open mind. I guess you’re both okay now.” What else was he going to say? If he said what he really thought—well, this was one asylum where the inmates were in charge. “I’m just glad that you’re home. I have so many questions that I don’t know where to start.”

  Merlyn yawned widely. “I’m sorry, Bish. We’re still catching up on our sleep. Dai told us he explained about schalzah and schalzina. Somehow, though, I don’t think you want to know about that, do you?”

  “No,” he replied baldly. “I want to know what happened when you were abducted. What happened?” He looked from Merlyn to Jade, baffled but certain they were reluctant to speak.

  Jade reached for Merlyn’s hand. “You might as well tell him, darling.” She tenderly kissed his hand before tightly clasping it in her own.

  Refusing to look Bish in the face, Merlyn
looked out over the back stone wall enclosing his yard. “When we were abducted from the reception, at first we thought it was some kind of sick joke. It was our wedding! They put us in the limo and drove off. After a couple minutes we decided that it wasn’t a joke and we started asking questions. All they would say was that we had a job to do.”

  “Who was it? Dad worked day and night and he never found even one shred of evidence to point to where you were! Not even one little hint!” Bishop ruffled his short hair. “The whole department worked around the clock…the FBI was called in, the television stations all ran your pictures…”

  Merlyn squeezed Jade’s hand and just shook his head.

  “It would have been a miracle if they had found anything,” she said softly, kissing Merlyn’s hand again for comfort.

  “Well? Who was it? And how did you end up here?”

  “It was Dad, Bish. Dad had us abducted because he was crazy wild to find this place.” After Merlyn’s flat statement there was a long silence.

  Despite Bishop’s vociferous protests, Merlyn and Jade answered every question, every objection and denial. Finally convinced that Bishop believed them, Merlyn fell silent for a moment. Then looking at Bishop, he added, “Dad’s still looking, you know. When we searched Dancer’s clothes, we found a tiny electronic device. Ham’s pretty sure that it’s some kind of transmitter. He destroyed it but there may be others.”

  “You think he was following Dancer to find this place? That all that rot about the Waterloo Group going after him was just to get him to find the valley?” Bish just stared at them. “What about Trav and me? And why is it so important?”

  “We don’t know. You didn’t seem to have too many hiding places on you but Trav seems to have brought quite a pile of stuff with him. We’ll have to go through his things carefully. As for why? Dad said something about an old journal he inherited from Great-Uncle Cage. I think he thinks there’s a treasure here.”

  “Huh. What about the Taylors? You know that Morgana is Dancer and Trav’s aunt, right?”

  “Pretty sure. She’s their dad’s sister.” Bishop’s brow wrinkled in concentration. “It was in all the papers last year when they were murdered. All about how tragedy continues to strike the family.”

  “Nate and Morgana went down to Rebaccah’s Promise right before Dancer arrived. They probably don’t even know that they’re here,” Jade whispered softly.

  “If Dad knows, that would be two points against the Devereauxs.” Merlyn stared at Bishop angrily. “They’re in more danger than we even imagined.”

  Jade smiled sadly. “Not much of a reunion, is it?”

  “Better than a poke in the eye with a stick,” he pointed out morosely.

  Falcon appeared in the patio doorway. “Dancer and Eppie are here. Dai says you should come as Trav and Wrenna have news to share.”

  “At last! I hope they decided to bond!” Merlyn declared with satisfaction.

  “When did that happen? I just left Trav a little while ago.”

  Jade laughed with quiet happiness. “It doesn’t take long. Let’s go see what they have to say. It will be good to see Dancer and Eppie too.”

  Bishop followed them down the long hall to the living room, wishing he could take time for a shower. Besides, they would no doubt spend all their time talking about bonding shit and babies. He was way past the point when he found any of it interesting.

  By the time they arrived in the living room, Arano was serving cookies and fresh steaming tea. A few minutes later, Traveller appeared on Wrenna’s arm, moving slowly but surely to a deep chair cushioned with pillows and blankets. Once he was seated, he made the announcement they had all been waiting for. “Wrenna and I will be bonding as soon as I’m well enough.”

  Enthusiastic good wishes followed by more teasing led Traveller to suddenly remember the instruments that they had brought to the valley. “Play! Bish! Did you give Dancer his violin and guitar?”

  “Nope! I completely forgot about them. Hold on, Dance!”

  Immediately Bishop went to fetch the violin and guitar, relieved to have a reason to escape the living room. Perhaps he shouldn’t feel resentment but Dancer and Trav were his friends until they came to the valley. Now it seemed that their interests were completely taken up with their mates.

  He carried the battered guitar and violin cases to the living room, intending to slip out as soon as possible. But he failed to foresee the lure of curiosity on his nieces and nephews. Soon he was hemmed in on all sides as they listened enthralled as first Dancer and then Jade played the violin.

  Abruptly the serene atmosphere was marred when violent thunder shook the windows. Merlyn and Dai left the room in a rush with Bishop following on their heels. He had no idea what their tearing hurry was but his inquiring mind wanted to know so he trailed behind them as they ran down the path that led toward the bonding circle where he and Trav had entered the valley. Thunder boomed overhead as lightning flashed all around, lending a surreal camera flash effect to the woods.

  When they arrived at the bonding circle, Llyon and Tyger were waiting outside the great stone sentinels. Bishop peeked over the men’s heads to the altar stone. Arano stood naked in the center of the huge flat stone, sheltering a small naked blond woman. A heated argument between Dai and Arano followed. Then Arano and the woman sat down. She faced Arano with her legs around his waist while the storm continued to rage overhead. Shocked, Bishop watched Arano slash their palms and join their hands while the woman mounted him. Surely they weren’t going to fuck while everyone watched?

  A moment later, his question was answered—yes, they were. The stones surrounding the circle lit up, blinding the onlookers. Then rain poured down on the observers though the inner circle remained dry. Bishop noticed that Llyon and Tyger were gone, though he had no idea when they left. Merlyn left, heading back to the village, leaving Bishop to keep company with Dai.

  When Bishop began to shiver with cold, Dai led the way to the cave next to the circle where he lit a fire while Bishop waited impatiently for an explanation. “What now?”

  Dai shrugged. “They are in schalzina. We wait until they are ready to go back to Silence’s dome. Then once they are safely home, we will be free to go home ourselves.”

  “How long do we have to wait?”

  “However long it takes. Remember I explained this to you and Trav this morning.”

  Bishop sneezed. “I thought you were kidding. This is crazy!”

  “No. This is the way it is in the valley.”

  Bish moved closer to the fire. “We should have brought a blanket.”

  “Well then, it appears I have arrived just in time!” Wolfe declared as he appeared in the cavern opening carrying blankets and a small pack. “Blankets as requested. And some hot tea to warm you up.”

  Bishop gladly wrapped one of the blankets around him and hunched down next to the fire. Dai removed a carefully wrapped mug from the pack and filled it with tea from a blue jug. He handed it to Bishop and then poured his own.

  “You’re packed and ready to go?” he asked Wolfe.

  “Of course. I’ll leave in the morning as soon as I do Llyon’s patient rounds.” Wolfe crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at Dai. “Everyone is well at home. But this storm will likely mean more pregnancies in the valley. Are you sure you want me to go up to Rebaccah’s Promise now?”

  “The sooner you complete your training, the sooner we will have another full healer in the valley.” Dai shot him a steady look. “By your own reasoning, we will need your skills as soon as possible.”

  “Then I will leave tomorrow as planned. If you have everything you need, I’ll go back home.”

  Bishop took a cautious sip of his tea. “Thank you for bringing the blankets, Wolfe.”

  With a casual wave of his hand, Wolfe was gone, leaving Dai and Bishop alone to wait until Arano and Silence were ready to move to Silence’s dome.

  “Why were you yelling at Arano?”

  Dai didn’t an
swer for a while. Finally he admitted, “Silence was hurt very badly by the last man she was with. He died the day that Dancer and Eppie bonded. I thought that Arano was doing something that would hurt Silence but I was wrong.” He shot Bishop a vaguely embarrassed smile. “Fathers are sometimes overprotective. Arano knows me well. He planned the pledging so that I would be forced to give my blessing.”

  “Does it always storm like this when there’s a bonding?”

  “No. There were no bonding storms for the last two hundred years—and then Dancer came to the valley. Their bonding storm—his and Eppie’s—was the first storm in living memory. This storm was more violent I think because Arano also claimed birth-rite. Bonding is normally private though a healer and a male relative of the woman usually serve as witnesses that the rituals are all observed. But birth-rite requires them to witness the consummation.”

  “And what is the difference?”

  “He claimed a baby for her at their consummation.”

  Bish flinched back in stunned amazement. “They’re pregnant?”

  “Uh-hmm. His claim was granted.” Abruptly, Dai grinned. “I am to be a grandfather again.”

  “More babies.” Bish hunched his shoulders in his damp blanket and morosely contemplated the prospect of more rugrats in the valley. Damn, he had to find a way home before he succumbed to the seductive culture in Mystic Valley.

  “I am going down to my retreat,” Dai announced abruptly.

  “Oh, yeah? That the one called Dai’s Retreat?”

  Dai nodded. “I think you should come with me. I’m taking Tyger and Arturo. No women. No babies,” he said with a sly grin.

  “What do you do there?”

  “Whatever I want to do.”

  Bishop shot him a knowing look. “You’re tired of the kids and babies too. Yeah, I’ll come. Maybe I can get some sleep.”