Bear Flesh Delights

She was feeling decidedly hot, and just a little nervous because she’d never been faced with both men wanting her at the same time. She wasn’t even quite sure how that was going to work, but she was quite certain she was about to find out.

Joe stopped in a large patch of grass and turned to face Skylar and Amelia, his face all business now. “Well, first the formalities, then,” he said as he pulled a little flask from his shirt pocket.

“What is that?” asked Amelia nervously when she saw it.

“Blood from the Elder–namely my father,” he explained. “But before that, I need you to understand all of this, okay?”

“Sure,” she agreed, letting Skylar sit and pull her into his lap again.

“About two hundred years ago, my forefathers came out into these woods and discovered a people living here who had the special power to shift into animals,” he began. “Back then, they could change into anything they wished–as most of us still can–but they had begun to divide into specific clans. They possessed the ability to transform normal humans into shifters as well, and that’s how my ancestor was incorporated. Both he and his wife became shifters, and if two shifters mate, their offspring is always able to shift as well. My grandfather was one such offspring, and so was his brother.”

“But your grandfather was older?”

“By a few years, yes,” he nodded. “Anyway, women out here were scarce, so it wasn’t uncommon among the shifters to share them. My grandmother was wife to both of the brothers, and among them this was perfectly normal. Skylar and I are not brothers, but we live just as though we are. I made Skylar into a shifter when he was twelve and I was fourteen. We decided a couple years later to buy the cabin and make our home there. Before that, we lived on this island with the rest of our clan, but we had learned that Harper and his boys were terrorizing these people and we wanted to help. Our main job, other than the ones that pay our bills, is to help keep Moosehead Lake a safe place to live and prosper.”

“I see,” she nodded. “And Harper seems to be breaking the rules.”

“Very much so,” Skylar agreed.

“And you want me to stay, and be a wife to the two of you, is that it?” she clarified.

“Legally, you can only be married to one of us,” Joe explained. “Skylar and I agreed that because of the bloodlines, and the fact that I am his maker, that the distinction should belong to me, but we want to leave it up to you. If you choose us, whose name would you like to have?”

“I–” she began, and her voice was high and throaty. She cleared it. “I think that’s very sound reasoning as well,” she replied. “Your name, I mean.”

“Good,” he smiled. “You may have noticed that Skylar took you only after I’d had you first. There was a reason for that, Amelia. It’s part of the ceremony we’ll be doing here tonight. I had to be the first to make the magic happen, but from now on, baby, anything goes. And on this night, once you’ve taken the blood, you’ll mate us both.”

“Both?” she asked curiously.

“As the two clan members to whom you have given yourself, it is expected for you to do so, yes,” he nodded. “Once you’ve been with each of us, the bonding ceremony will be complete.”

Blushing, she asked, “Is it only through s*x that you transform?” She was remembering him saying he’d changed Skylar as a twelve year old boy, and the thought was embarrassing, but one she needed an answer to since she wanted to know just what sort of relationship to expect if she said yes.

Smirking in understanding, he said, “No, sweetheart, haven’t you ever heard of making blood brothers?”

“By cutting your hands and binding them together,” Skylar smirked, showing her his scar.

“Oh! Yes,” she said, her heart pounding at his husky tone. “I see.”

Joe smirked. “To make you a shifter only requires receiving the blood of a shifter, nothing more,” he explained. “The rest of the ceremony is all symbolic, but something which has become a very large part of our culture within the Bear Clan. We’ve brought you to this sacred place, here under the light of the blue moon, to pledge our devotion to each other. If you agree, then all three of us will add our blood here with that of the Elder, and then you will drink. It doesn’t take long for the effect to happen afterwards, and then we’ll–um–celebrate.”

“Is that what they call it these days?” Amelia smirked, and Skylar hugged her appreciatively.

“Do you need time to think about it?” Joe wanted to know.

“No,” Amelia answered softly. “I’ve had all the time I need.”

Joe’s eyes glowed with happiness as he pulled a bear claw from his other pocket and smiled. He uncapped the bottle, and used the claw to slit open his palm, letting his blood flow freely into the opening.

“Come here,” he said softly, holding the clean hand out to draw her gently from Skylar’s arms and hand the claw to him. Skylar used it as well, repeating Joe’s action with a rather jaded smile as he stared into Amelia’s eyes.

“Your turn, sweetheart,” said Joe in her ear. “Do you want to do it yourself?”

“I don’t think I could,” she admitted softly as she turned to hide her face against his chest.

“Do you want Skylar to do it?” he asked softly, and she shyly nodded. She felt rather than saw him take her hand and cut it, swift and clean. Opening her eyes, she watched as he held her hand over the bottle.

“So, is it just blood in there, or is it some kind of a drink or something?” she wanted to know.

“White wine,” Skylar told her. “The same as I gave you before.”

“That’s significant too, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Only as it pertains to us,” he said. “Call it a sentimental addition. It was the first drink we shared.”

Amelia blushed as she remembered, then let Skylar bring the drink to her lips. A slight fear froze her for a moment before she tilted her head back and drank.

“Drink all of it, babe,” Joe told her, and she did as she was told. “Then, we’ll take you to lie down in the cabin for about an hour. You’ll need that time to adjust.”

“Is it going to hurt?” she wanted to know, realizing belatedly that she probably should have asked him beforehand.

“It can,” Skylar told her.

“Yes, Skylar is the one who would know,” Joe said. “I was born as a shifter, and never had to transform. Come on, let’s get you into bed, okay?”