The cocking of a gun ripped through the air. “Who’s up there?”
That old Mr. Almic was quite the jokester. Kranor wasn’t worried as he was sure he could sweet-talk his way out of this dilemma. While he didn’t like the odds of one wolf against one lion, he figured the guy would be too feeble to fight.
“Don’t shoot!” He held up his hands and stepped to the edge of the loft.
Mr. Almic shifted his gun upward.
Skelak
. It wasn’t Mr. Almic, but probably his son or someone who’d bought the place.
“Whatch you doing up there?”
“Mr. Almic used to let me play up here when I was a kid.”
“I did no such thing.”
Something wasn’t right. “I’m coming down.” He didn’t need the guy to come up to the loft and find Henla and Jude.
“I got my gun on you.”
If Kranor needed to shift, he’d rather do it on the ground. Wolves never did learn how to climb down ladders. Jumping fifteen feet to the ground wouldn’t have been fun either. “I mean no harm.” When he stepped on the dirt floor he turned around. “What happened to the old man who owned this place? He dead?”
He huffed. “That
old man
is me.”
Kranor ignored the rifle as he could shift and get out of the way faster than this guy could shoot, but the idea that this was Mr. Almic intrigued him.
“I’ve always been curious. Where did you get that gun?” The lions never used them. It wasn’t the Anterran way.
“Made it myself.”
He studied the guy. The man was wire thin and his skin was saggy and lined. He wasn’t good at judging age since the man was a lion, but he might only be in his late sixties.
The old man lowered his rifle. “That you, Kranor?”
The tension in his body let go. “You remember me?”
The old man chuckled but didn’t smile. “Hell, yeah. Spent half my days chasing you and those two other kids off my property more times than I could count. You had a little girl with you, too, sometimes.”
“Hi, Mr. Almic.”
Kranor groaned that Henla exposed herself, but he guessed the danger had passed.
The old man raised his gun but glanced back at him. “Who’s the other fellow?”
He wished he wouldn’t wave that old thing. “He’s my friend. I wanted to show him where I used to play. We meant no disrespect.” It had been hard to act subservient, but since Henla was around, he had little choice. A stray bullet might kill her.
Both Henla and Jude came down the ladder, their hair and clothes covered in hay. She turned around and the old man’s eyes widened. The skin on Almic’s arms bristled and his body tensed.
“She belongs to me and Jude.” He stood as straight as he could, daring the old man to do something.
“Looks like she’s well taken care of. I think you three should go now, but stay away from my barn and my horses.” The old gruffness had disappeared and had been replaced by something akin to fondness.
He remembered how he, Taryn, and Kellum used to ride his horses around the corral until Almic would race out with his handmade gun and shoo them away.
Kranor stepped closer and nodded to the rifle. “That gun even loaded, old man?”
He lowered it to the ground. “Don’t you
old man
me.” He shrugged. “I only made a few. Ran out of them years ago, but it gave you pause, didn’t it?”
“Acting like that could get you killed.” There might be some wolf who would attack because of the threat.
He waved a hand. “I knew you weren’t trouble.”
The man wasn’t a good liar. Kranor wrapped a possessive arm around Henla and led her to the back door. “Thanks for giving us back some good memories.”
All three stepped into the fresh air. While Mr. Almic remained in the barn, Kranor was sure the old man had his eye on him. As they passed a berry bush, he grabbed a handful.
“Run!” he shouted with more glee in his voice than he’d had in a long time.
He popped the fruit into his mouth and jogged alongside Henla. She was laughing so hard, he thought they might go faster if he carried her.
“Don’t come back, you hear?”
Kranor was convinced the old man loved the company. He thought about stopping and petting the horses, but he might have to leave that for another day. Only when they got to the forest did they stop.
Henla bent over to catch her breath. “I don’t remember when I’ve had such fun. Those were the days.”
He wished he could give her joy like that every day, but he knew his life wasn’t right for her.
Once they finished chatting about their reactions, they headed toward Dilback’s Ridge. The first part of the trail was relatively flat, and the sunlight streaming through the pine forest was beautiful.
After thirty minutes, the path steepened, but they kept their pace fast. The air cooled as they climbed higher, which added to their ability to keep going. He kept glancing back at Henla, but she was holding up well. She was a strong woman.
Jude stopped. “I think we should drink some water. We can eat when we reach the top.”
He liked that Jude, too, always looked out for her. Sometimes it was easy to get lost in the woods and not be aware of anything but the rich air and the freedom that it brought. He allowed himself to relax since they were so far from the underground. He doubted any lions patrolled this area, which added to the enjoyment.
She drank what Jude offered her and caught her breath. “It’s so pretty here. I’ve only been in the mountains a few times, and that’s when my family would go on vacation.”
He glanced around, trying to see the tall peaks from her point of view. “As you can imagine, the wolves don’t wander here often either.” His voice trailed off as he immersed himself in the expanse of the world.
She inhaled and slapped her thighs. “Okay. I’m ready.”
She probably could sense his excitement, though if she was thinking about the amazing sex he had planned, she probably was as eager as he to reach their destination. After they enjoyed the view from the top, he wanted to take her to a campsite he’d scoped out that was only big enough for them. It was nestled under tall pines but had a small opening where they could see the stars.
As soon as he caught sight of the break in the trees, he knew they were nearly to the top. His pace quickened, probably because his cock was itching to explore her delicious body. She wasn’t ready yet to take both of them, but after today, she would be. The only problem with coming back to see her was he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her.
* * * *
She couldn’t believe she was going to be able to spend the night outside and actually feel safe. Of late, Taryn and Kellum were too busy to take her, and her younger brother, Rickter, was involved with his friends and going to school. It was a shame that he acted as though he had no interest in spending much time with her. Someday he’d realize that family always came first.
The path finally leveled out, and from the blue sky above they were at the top of the ridge.
Kranor took hold of her hand. “The best view is through here.”
Excitement sizzled through her. She could view the mountains from the plains, but to actually be on top looking out would be wonderful.
They parted a tree branch and stepped out onto a rock face. The glorious vista took her breath away. Anterra was vast and yet she’d never explored it much.
“Have you ever been down there?” She nodded to the plains below.
Kranor nodded. “There’s nothing there.”
“How do you know?” She always wondered if maybe the birds could shift or other small animals but she wasn’t able to detect them.
His eyes twinkled. “My senses are finely tuned, my little one.”
She laughed, clearly having gotten his alpha gene on guard. “I’m just saying there could be animals we aren’t even aware who can shift.”
He glanced at Jude. They exchanged thoughts but she wasn’t privy to the conversation. She could just tell they’d spoken.
“You do know that it’s rude to talk in front of someone.” She wasn’t mad, but it did kind of bother her, especially if they happened to be in the throes of lovemaking and one was licking her pussy and the other teasing her nipples. They had to be communicating because they always knew when to stop and when to start again.
“Would you like to hear what we said?” Kranor’s lips curled up at the ends and dimpled his cheeks.
“Yes.”
“Jude wondered when we were going to the campground so we could eat.”
“Eat what?” She knew she was basically begging them to feast on her, but teasing them came so naturally.
“I think you know.”
Damn
. He was reading her mind.
Jude leaned over. “If you’ve had your fill of the view, perhaps we can take this to a more comfortable spot and you can have your fill of us.”
Now they were really communicating. “I’d like that.”
Kranor grinned. “This way, my love.”
My love?
That was just an expression, but he’d put the emphasis on the
L
word, causing her hopes to rise. She knew they’d never live in lion territory and she wasn’t eager to live the lonely life with them.
Stop thinking about the future and enjoy the present.
The campsite was less than a five-minute walk. They followed a narrow path between wild berry bushes to get to the site. They took off their backpacks and unzipped them.
Jude pulled out three bags. “Lunch.”
“I’m glad you brought something. I was worried you’d have to go hunting.” That would have taken time and delayed their lovemaking.
“I read your mind.”
He probably could tell by her face what she wanted. “Can I help?”
Kranor pulled out a rather large but thin sheet and spread it on the ground that was already padded with pine needles. “Get comfortable.” He winked.
The air temperature and slight breeze was perfect. To add to the atmosphere, she slipped off her top and took off her shoes. She lifted her hips to slip off her skirt when Jude rushed over.
“Wait. If I see your pussy, I won’t be able to concentrate.”
She laughed at his exaggeration, though she had to admit thinking about sucking on their cocks made her forget about food, too.
As she leaned back to watch her men prepare the picnic, she detected a small stream gurgling in the background though she didn’t see it. She watched Jude set out the meal and Kranor prepare their lean-to, which she suspected would be used only if it rained, and noted how well they worked in tandem. Where one was a bit hotheaded, the other seemed to accept his friend’s quirks and balanced them so well.
She truly had to force away the knowledge that their time together might end.
“Ready to eat?” Jude held out a plate of fruit, sliced meat, and a chunk of bread slathered in butter.
“Looks divine.”
“Not as divine as you, but I know you need to keep up your strength in order to survive the very long night of lovemaking.”
She giggled. “Did I agree somewhere that I want to make love to you two handsome men?”
Once Kranor finished with their shelter, he strode over and planted his hands on his hips and widened his legs. It looked like he was fighting to keep the smile off his face. “You will do what we say, woman.”
She burst out laughing. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Oh, yeah?” In a mere second he was next to her, but Jude held him back.
“She needs to eat.”
Kranor dropped back on his haunches. “Fine, but hurry. My cock’s been hard for four days.”
That was the exact time they’d been separated. She stuffed the berries into her mouth and chewed. She glanced around. “Water?”
Both men jumped up at once, but Kranor returned quickly without the water. Apparently, he planned on keeping her company while Jude refilled the water bottles.
Jude returned moments later. “Here you go.”
For the next few minutes, all three ate in silence. The meal was tangy and dripping with goodness, but her body couldn’t settle down. All she wanted was to get her hands on them.
She finished first. “I’m done.”
The two men stuffed the rest of their meal in their mouths, chewed, then washed the food down with the water.
She expected one of them to lean over and kiss her or maybe slowly trail his fingers over her tits, but instead they both stood.
“We need the blanket.”
Now she was confused, but there was no need to worry yet. They had said they planned on spending the night here. She crawled off the blanket, picked up the remnants of the meal and set everything aside. Jude grabbed the blanket and carried it over to where Kranor had put up the lean-to.
“What are you doing?”
Jude smiled. “Just wait there. We have a surprise for you.”
She loved surprises. They were probably creating a romantic environment. They couldn’t have brought candles, because if one fell over, it might catch the forest on fire. A rock pounded something into the ground. She could see their backs push up the sticks but couldn’t envision their plan.