by Cara Adams
Panthers almost never wore wedding rings for fear of them catching their toes on something when they ran, but it seemed a clit was something very different indeed. Just as well. She didn’t want to have to remember to take it out every time she transformed, although maybe she would remove it if she was ever planning to run through high grass.
There was no grass at all tonight. Well, there was, but it was hidden under ten inches of hard-packed snow, perfect for running on.
Verity loved the freedom of running. The wind was freezing, but her body was warm as she raced through the trees with the other panther women, heading for the frozen river. All her senses were much more alive. Scents were sharper, sounds were more distinct, even with all the snow. In fact, the white everywhere seemed to make the world brighter, the contrast between light and dark so much crisper.
The river had frozen solid. It was only a narrow trickle, often only inches deep in summer, but pleasant to sit beside in warm weather and good to drink from after running on a hot day. The water was always sparkling clear and clean. Right now it was solid ice with a thin layer of snow over it, rather like a racetrack, Verity thought as they stretched their bodies out and went full speed for likely a quarter mile along it.
Autumn slowed down as they rounded a bend, then they all slowed to a stop. Part of the bank had collapsed, and the river had formed a natural lake. A very small lake, admittedly, but one that might become bigger and deeper when the snow melted. They all padded around it, trying to estimate the extent of the blockage. Verity wondered whether the men would want to dig out the soil that had fallen in. She rather hoped they’d leave it as a lake. It would be fun to be able to swim here in summer. Although perhaps it would flood come spring. That might not be so good. However, the land sloped down to the river, so maybe…
Verity wondered if Ramona would transform to speak to them, but although they walked around looking at everything and checking it all, no one transformed. Just as well. It was fucking cold even standing still in panther form. Standing still naked would be unwise, and Ramona was always smart.
Ramona gave a high yip and turned, and they all began running back to the main building. Verity smiled on the inside. They’d had their own little adventure and discovered something the men had missed. All power to the women!
* * * *
All the talk in the barn tonight was about the blockage on the tiny river. A few people wondered if there were beavers around. Most decided it had simply been part of the riverbank collapsing. Some of the men were disappointed it was the women who’d discovered the lake first. Other men were busy trying to convince JB that the sauna should be moved now and placed beside the river.
Ezra himself just sat back and listened. He thought it was great the women had seen the lake first. He liked the idea that Verity had been one of the first to make the discovery. As a human, there was no way he was going walking through the wild land until it was a sunny, warm day. His idea of a walk did not involve ice and snow. In fact, one of the first things he was planning to buy for their new house was a snow blower. He had no ambition to spend his mornings shoveling snow off the driveway!
But sitting in the sauna with Noah and Verity then jumping into the lake to cool off had definite potential. Rolling in the snowbank had been fun. Taking a quick swim in an icy river might be good as long as he could jump right back into the sauna to warm up again. Being whipped with green branches was an even better plan. He’d never remembered to ask one of the panthers if birch trees grew here. Ezra stood up and moved around to where Frank was leaning against the wall.
“Hey, Frank. Do birch trees grow here?” he asked.
“Say what?”
“Birch trees. You know. You’re supposed to beat your skin with birch branches after a sauna to improve your circulation. Do birch trees grow here?”
“The river birch is native to Ohio. We’ve got some of them. I’m not so sure about any paper birches. I can’t recall any.” Frank looked straight into Ezra’s face. “Larry may have to ration the use of birch branches though. With so many people here keen practitioners of BDSM sex, the poor trees may not be able to keep up with the demand for birch floggers.”
Ezra laughed. “Good point. We may need to share.”
Larry and Omar stepped up onto the stage.
“Okay, people. We’ve been talking about the lake and have chosen to do nothing until after spring thaw. That will be time enough to see if there’s flooding, or if the dam is a beaver’s home, and to decide if we should move the sauna,” said Larry.
“Meanwhile, we don’t want everyone wearing a path through the land to look at it. Galen will go tomorrow and take some photographs for everyone to view. That’ll help us understand the exact size and, if there is any flooding, where the waters might stretch,” added Omar.
“Fine by me. It’s way too cold out there to go hiking,” said Ezra.
“I agree. The older I get the smarter I get, and my brain says, ‘Stay warm,’” added Frank.
Ezra gazed over at Larry and Omar. They were good leaders and worked well together, the business manager of Carnal Connections and the Alpha of the panther pack. They were both far more than just intelligent. They were good with people and with administration. Often a person had administrative skills or people skills. Yet both Omar and Larry seemed to be the type of rare person with abilities in both areas, which meant the community was wisely managed and the people were well looked after. Ezra mentally patted himself on the back for finding and joining this community. Life here was mighty fine. And soon he’d be mated to Verity, and then he’d have everything he’d ever wanted.
* * * *
It had happened weeks ago, but with their mating so close Noah’s thoughts kept returning to Verity’s safety. Verity finding the mouse in the concrete base of their new home had scared Noah more than he cared to admit. Although he’d not said anything to anyone, he’d almost panicked at the thought that some evil person, a rogue panther perhaps, had put a bomb in the base of his house so that they could blow up his family whenever they wanted to. He’d already ordered the best possible security system, which would cover the walls, windows, doors, and even the roof of the house, but he knew there was no way he could ever totally protect his family. As a Dom this worry was driving him insane.
Noah forced himself to sit down and think through the issue logically. The two humans from the rogue panther pack—what were their names again? Tim? No, Tom, and Jonno—hadn’t been seen for months. Since it was midwinter now and they’d previously had neither jobs nor money, logic suggested they’d either gotten their act together and were now hard-working, upright citizens or else had returned to their homes and families. Either way, realistically, they were unlikely to be a worry to him. Jim was safe in jail for the time being as was Sam. Although Sam had already caused them grief from jail. Hmm. Likely he should look into how much longer their sentences had to run and when they’d be out to bother his family again.
Drew and Charlie were a completely different sort of worry. They’d been smart enough to stay out of trouble. Although someone—Ramona maybe? Or Serena?—had caught sight of Drew in the parking lot at DNK Technology. But then again, that was months ago now. Still, the jury was out on those two men. They may indeed be still around and plotting evil. Damn it!
So, step one was to find out when Jim and Sam would be out of jail. Step two was to ask Omar for any news on Drew and Charlie.
He picked up his phone and punched the numbers for Omar’s cell phone.
“Omar.”
“Hi, Omar, this’s Noah. You know our house is almost ready and the mating’s next weekend?”
“Yes. Congratulations. We’re all looking forward to the celebrations.”
“Yeah, well, I was wondering if you knew when Jim and Sam are getting out of jail. I want to be sure Verity’s safe.”
“JB’s assured me the most advanced security system’s going to be installed in your house, and we’re only a few minutes away f
rom you, but I agree life would be easier if the rogue panther threat would just disappear for good. Sam’s no worry to any of us. The judge flipped out when he found out about the Facebook hacking. Sam’s now banned from any electronics at all. There’s not even an electric toothbrush in his cell. Also, he won’t be getting out as soon as he thought. The judge extended his sentence after that little outburst. Jim’s still tucked away for a while, too. It’ll be summer before he’s out.”
“Thank you. That’s all good to know. Have you heard anything about Drew and Charlie?”
“Donald Thomas, the CEO at DNK Technology, is convinced they’re after his company secrets. You can rest easy knowing his staff is on the lookout for them. Actually, he was the one who got Sam’s jail term extended, too. For the time being, all’s good on the rogue panther front,” ended Omar. Noah could hear the satisfaction in his voice.
He wasn’t totally reassured, but likely he was just being overly anxious about the entire situation. And they still might be able to mind read each other after they mated. That would solve all his worries. He hoped.
Chapter Six
Today was her mating. Verity was so excited. She’d been the one who’d postponed the ceremony, and she still had some niggling worries, but she assumed that was normal. After all, in shape-shifter matings there was no divorce. Once the vows were said, the knot was tied for good.
She did love both Noah and Ezra and knew they loved her. In fact, they’d been far nicer and more generous to her than she’d been to them. She was also very happy with the sex. When Noah punished her it just made her hotter and more eager than ever. Plus his idea to get her hood pierced had been absolutely brilliant. She would never ever have thought about such a thing, but the little barbell constantly tormented her, driving her insane with the need to be fucked. Sometimes at work she was almost desperate for relief, but by forcing herself to hold off, the nights with her men were more amazing than ever. She could absolutely swear that her orgasms had gotten bigger and better since she was pierced, and they’d been above average, way, way above average, even before that.
Verity smiled at herself in the mirror. Choosing what to wear had been hard. Leticia had chosen a long white gown, but white didn’t seem right for Verity. Leticia had been a virgin, so white was appropriate for her. Verity was no longer a virgin, and besides, she preferred bright colors. She’d been tempted to wear the screaming-pink minidress she’d bought for her twenty-first birthday. It was her absolute favorite color and looked good on her, but a mating demanded a new dress.
Finally Serena had gotten tired of her talking around and around in circles and had dragged her to the biggest women’s clothing store in town. There they’d tried on almost every dress in her size before finally agreeing on a floor-length, lime-green silk A-line dress that hugged her breasts and hips before flowing out to the floor and swishing when she walked.
The color was a bit last year, but it looked good against her light brown skin and with her reddish-brown hair, so she’d bought it. Now she twirled in front of the mirror, trying to see her body from every angle.
Serena leaned against the closet door and pointed to her bed, a mattress sitting directly on the rug. “I thought Larry was going to make you buy a new bed?”
“Ezra and Noah have paid for it but suggested Larry not bring it into the room until after I move out. I’m guessing they didn’t want to risk breaking the new one as well.”
Serena snorted then laughed. “I guess that means you’re looking forward to sleeping in a real bed tonight.”
Verity turned to her sister and teased, “Who said anything about sleeping?”
They both laughed, and Verity felt so happy. She was about to be mated to the most wonderful, loving men ever. She had a sister who cared for her and who understood her. She was surrounded by a kind, accepting community. Life didn’t get much better than this.
“I love you, Serena. I’ll always love you,” she said, hugging her sister.
“Hey, don’t crease the dress. I’m not ironing it again. It took forever!”
Still laughing, she stepped back then said seriously, “I can’t believe how lucky we were when the pack moved here to Carnal Connections. We’ve both found so much happiness here.”
Serena nodded. “I reckon Mom’s looking down on us smiling today.”
Verity felt a tear gather in the corner of her eye. They’d been so little when their mother had died. Only five years old. She could hardly remember her really, but she knew they’d been loved and she knew her mom would be happy for them both.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Serena checked the time on her cell phone. “Yes. We’ve made them wait almost ten minutes, that’s likely long enough.”
Verity walked down the stairs carefully. She almost never wore floor-length dresses and had to consciously remind herself to nudge the fabric forward with each step. Falling down the stairs on her wedding day would not be the kind of memory she was planning to make today.
Serena held the door open for her and an icy breeze blew inside.
“Fuck that’s cold!”
“So hurry up then,” replied Serena.
Verity walked briskly across the parking lot to the barn, holding her dress high off the ground, not wanting slush to stain the hem of it. Once they arrived on the porch of the barn she put her dress down again, wiggling until she felt happy with it even though her skin was now covered in goose bumps. Then she nodded and Serena opened the door for her. She stepped into the barn to be greeted by a blast of deliciously warm air and the sound of many voices talking. It looked like the entire community was here, one of the reasons why Noah had chosen to hold their mating on a Saturday. She could see friends from her work, too, people who’d been invited to her twenty-first birthday party, and some people she knew were Noah and Ezra’s business colleagues and friends. There must have been one hundred fifty people in the barn, all here for her special day. These were the people who knew about their lifestyle and accepted it. They still kept it hidden from the average person they met, and of course most of the humans from outside the community didn’t know some people here were shape-shifters. BDSM and ménages was enough for them to deal with.
Verity steadied herself, smiled at her twin, her closest friend, then walked through the crowd to the small stage.
As she walked all the noise stopped, and Noah and Ezra turned to watch her. Both were dressed in black tuxedos with white shirts and white ties. She fixed her gaze on their beloved faces, Noah’s dark eyes pools of lust, Ezra holding his body so stiff she knew he was trying to hide his erection. That was good, because she was damp with her love for them, too.
As she climbed the two steps up onto the stage, Noah took her right hand and Ezra her left, then they turned to face the people, their friends, their family, their community.
“I, Noah Quinn, promise to care for and protect you, Verity Griffin and Ezra Anderson, respecting your needs and desires as your Dom and your life partner.”
“I, Verity Griffin, promise to love and serve you all my life, Noah Quinn and Ezra Anderson, and to obey you, Noah, as my Dom.”
“I, Ezra Anderson, promise to love and serve you all my life, Verity Griffin, and to obey and respect you, Noah Quinn, as my Dom.”
Noah kissed Verity then shook Ezra’s hand. Then Ezra kissed Verity. The crowd roared its approval and half a dozen men began walking among the people, offering glasses of champagne. Alcohol was seldom used at the community, as both Doms and subs needed to have clear minds to make decisions about their sex play, but on special occasions champagne was always served. Just one glass for the happy triad though. Everyone knew what they’d be doing later on tonight. Verity smothered a giggle as she took her glass.
“Happiness always,” said Larry, holding his glass high.
“Happiness always,” repeated the people. Verity clinked her glass against those of her new mates then took a sip. Cold, sweet, bubbly, delicious. But nowhere near as delicious
as what would be happening later. For a brief moment Verity wondered what Noah had planned for them to do. Jubilee had driven off a mountaintop on a dirt bike and floated down to the ground with a parachute on her mating day. Serena and her mates had fucked in an ice cave. Then she shrugged. She trusted Noah. She knew he’d have planned something she’d like.
Verity wandered around the barn, one or the other of her new mates constantly touching her shoulder, her arm, her back as she accepted everyone’s congratulations and good wishes.
Wolves Kurt and Raegan set up a couple of long tables, and humans Jill, Lucy, and Jubilee brought out platters of finger foods, tiny spring rolls, miniature quiches, hot dogs wrapped in pastry, and slivers of ham, tomato, onions, and cheese on sticks.
Music was playing in the background and the noise level was rising. Some people were dancing, but most were still talking.
When their wedding cake was brought out, the room erupted into clapping and cheering. It was a towering mountain of profiteroles. Noah whispered in Verity’s ear, “Don’t worry. Diane did a head count and there’s more than enough for everyone.” Verity grinned at him. How like Diane the accountant to do the math. But moreover she trusted Noah to have planned everything to perfection.
There was another half hour or more of talking and dancing, coffee was served, and finally Omar clapped to attract everyone’s attention. “Time to move outside, people,” he said.
Curiously Verity made her way through the crowd. Were they about to leave already? She’d thought there was going to be some BDSM-type entertainment first.
In the parking lot an old man was leaning against an equally old, faded blue pickup. Now she was really confused.
Noah nodded and he pulled some cages out of his truck. Pete, Josh, and Serena yelled out, “Happy mating, Verity, Noah, and Ezra!” and the old man opened the cages. Dozens of pure-white doves floated up into the air. They circled over the crowd for three or four minutes before flying away.
