Mating Two Bears [Yamato 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Read online

  Her scent had already mingled with theirs, and come morning, everyone in the Black Bear Clan would know the fiery, passionate, and beautiful woman belonged to him and Sora. Setting his eyes on Emi for the first time, Dai immediately knew what the former noblewoman needed was a firm and loving hand.

  She’d been so stiff and so tense the first time they found her, but he’d always known she was all fire inside. When Emi didn’t fight him or Sora much and simply yielded to her fate, he knew a part of her must’ve longed to be outside of the palace she’d been caged in all her life. Emi was the kind of woman who needed to be free, and they were happy to give her the freedom she didn’t know she was seeking.

  He could sense Sora tentatively creeping past Emi to sink into the little cramped space on his side.

  “Sora?” Dai whispered, not wanting to wake Emi. “She’s magnificent, isn’t she?”

  “And she’s ours.” Fierce possession colored Sora’s words, surprising Dai.

  Sora’s old mate, a female bitch who used and disposed of all her male mates after she was sick of them, had left his heart in pieces. After Kimi, it took Dai years to have the other man open up to anyone again, so he understood Sora’s fears.

  “I’m fucking frightened out of my wits, Dai.” Sora sounded confused, angry. “What this woman just made me feel, the way she completely opened and exposed herself to us. It’s…”

  “Incredible,” Dai finished, drawing the other man to him. He stroked the lean muscles of Sora’s arm until he exhaled and the tension began to ease out of him.

  Dai drew out his lover’s cock, and began to pump and stroke it. In moments, it thickened, and was heavy and leaking in his hands. He could feel Sora’s breath hitch. He withdrew his fingers, smiling at his frustrated cry. Dai pressed him down on the futon so he lay flat on his back, and made his way between the other man’s legs.

  “Dai, what are you doing? You’re going to wake her,” Sora whispered furiously.

  That didn’t stop Sora from muffling his moans either. Dai was always pleased by Sora’s submission to him. Parting the other man’s legs with relish, Dai teasingly slid his finger from Sora’s tormented cock down to his tight and puckered slit.

  “I’m easing all the tension out of you, Sora. If you wake Emi, I will put you over my knee.” The other man whimpered.

  Dai only smirked. The bear inside him was smug as he was. Their two inner beasts rubbed at each other in familiarity, licking, caressing and joining. Dai lowered himself, using his tongue to tease at Sora’s slit. His lover buckled above him, but he easily held his legs apart. He teased and tormented the little puckered flesh, thrusting his tongue in, amused by the sounds Sora was vainly trying to contain above him. Dai’s own cock felt heavy between his legs, demanding some attention.

  “Dai, please. Please!” Sora hissed, his fingers sinking into his hair.

  Dai ignored him. He slid one finger into Sora’s slit, making the other man bite in another cry. His mouth fastened on Sora’s erect and lovely cock. Keeping his finger in Sora’s ass, Dai began to deep throat his lover.

  He applied more suction, immensely enjoying the lean body beneath him squirming and Sora’s fingers tugging at his hair. Inserting a second finger inside Sora’s ass, Dai began to fuck him furiously as Sora’s cock hit the back of his throat. Heat rammed into his belly and right into his cock. Sora always looked so delectable when he was trapped in the throes of his own passion.

  “Dai, please. I c–can’t help myself anymore.”

  Dai drew out his fingers and drove them deep again. It was enough for Sora to explode. The taste of Sora’s salty cum hit the back of his throat, and Dai took all of it in, not spilling a drop.

  “Fuck, Dai,” Sora panted as Dai collapsed beside him.

  He felt the other man recovering from his orgasm, returning the favor by switching positions. When Dai turned his head to check on Emi, he froze when he caught sight of her ebony eyes.

  The first thing he noticed was how huge her eyes were, and they weren’t sleepy or shocked. They were bright with excitement. Dai let out a breath. He thought she winked at him, before his attention returned back to his lover.

  Chapter Five

  Emi woke to the tantalizing smell of cooked fish and freshly made rice. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her the last time she ate was eons ago. She threw the blanket off her, eager to see where the heavenly smell was coming from, but a pair of muscled and tanned limbs was flung carelessly across her nude body.

  Naked? Why am I naked?

  Emi closed her half-opened mouth. Both Dai and Sora’s bodies were draped possessively over her. Affection flooded her. Had these two gorgeous males really claimed her the night before?

  Emi reached out to trace the line of Dai’s strong jaw. There was a faint scar there, which she kissed gently, careful not to wake him. She laid a similar kiss on Sora’s cheek. Had it really been only yesterday she was lost, wailing about being kidnapped by bandits?

  Emi wasn’t sure if it was the shifter mate bonds that made her feel like this, but a part of her knew it wasn’t just logic magic and the supernatural could explain.

  She didn’t believe in the fairy tale stories of lovebirds instantly falling in love and having their “happily ever after,” but her raw attraction to the men had been real enough.

  Besides, Emi had enough of being frightened of her own emotions. She meant what she said to Dai and Sora the night before. Finally free from her father’s leash and sphere of influence, she was her own woman capable of making her own decisions.

  She wormed her way stealthily from the men and hastily put on her kimono. While Emi was loath to leave them, even for a while, her stomach demanded some attention. She padded out of the sleeping quarters and found her way to the kitchen.

  “Good morning, mortal child.” The warm greeting came from a beautiful and slender woman in her fourth or fifth decade.

  Her long black hair was bound into a simple knot. She had sun-kissed skin, and dressed in a rough but pretty sky-blue kimono made of cotton. There was uncanny shrewdness in her black eyes, and a certain predatory grace to her movements.

  Emi guessed she was a shape-changer, too, if what Dai and Sora said was true and their entire village was made up of bear shifters.

  “Good morning,” Emi greeted uncertainly. “I’m sorry to intrude in your kitchen.”

  She wasn’t sure who this woman was, but she remembered her manners. Besides, didn’t Dai and Sora rudely just bring her here during the dead of the night without introducing her to the other occupants of the house?

  Emi grew embarrassed by the thought, but the woman eliminated all sense of awkwardness by emerging from behind the solid stone kitchen counter and embracing her into a tight hug.

  “You must be the human female my son had been blabbing about.”

  “Son?” Emi studied the woman more closely, and it occurred to her she bore the same features as Dai.

  “Aye, he rudely barges into my house yesterday, claiming he and Sora found their woman. Without another word, he rides without any other explanation.”

  “Ah. I’m sorry.” Emi wasn’t sure what else to say, so she introduced herself. “I’m Emi.”

  The woman waved her off.

  “You don’t have to apologize to me, Emi. I don’t know what to do with him. Dai has always been a brainless, savage, and reckless fool, while his good-for-nothing spineless mate is a snake. What good is a male mate, when he isn’t able to give my son any children?”

  “Excuse me?” The last person Emi wanted to antagonize was Dai’s mother, but she couldn’t help herself. “Dai isn’t brainless or reckless, and I hardly think Sora is spineless. Both of them risked their lives to save me, a strange woman they’ve never met before. Shouldn’t you examine yourself, before judging others?”

  Gods of Yamato, her mouth always got the better of her, but did the woman expect her to stand there, while she hurled abuses at her men? The woman’s eyes narrowed and Emi was sure her ski
n began to blur into the outline of claws. The air around them felt uncommonly hot.

  “You dare say those words to me, mortal child?” Dai’s mother seemed taller than before, and when she spoke, Emi spied razor-sharp canines.

  Shoving her fear back, Emi raised her chin up. It was the only way to deal with predators, and it had been the same when she stared down the hunting hawk a suitor had given her years ago.

  She hoped her voice remained even. “My lady, you may be some powerful, long-lived, and supernatural creature, but I should think you should know your son better. Besides, I think testing and baiting me is rather childish.”

  Emi expected those sharp teeth to close on her at any second, but Dai’s mother only began to laugh. Claws and teeth retracted, and Emi was facing a woman again.

  “Mortal child, you are a fearless one.” The woman grabbed her by her shoulders, and placed a gentle kiss on both her cheeks. “I heartily approve.”

  The shoji door to the kitchen was hastily slammed open. Dai’s worried face peeked in, and he let out a sigh of relief at what he saw. Emi let out an indignant huff. Was the clumsy warrior expecting his mother had eaten her?

  “Megumi, kindly defer from scaring off our mate, especially since we just found her,” came Sora’s chiding voice.

  Emi felt him walking protectively by her shoulder. He was about to kiss her, but she pressed two fingers against his lips.

  “Mmm,” he protested.

  “Not in front of Dai’s mother,” Emi chided, appalled by his behavior. Sora only looked sheepishly at her.

  “Oh, I don’t think your mate is easily scared, snake,” Megumi pointed out.

  Emi didn’t miss the affection in her voice.

  Ah hah, so she really was testing me! I don’t blame her. I’m going to be giving her son and his mate children, after all.

  She had always wanted children. The thought of spending her days caring for them and watching them grow up was the only consolation she looked forward to when she found out she was engaged to a prince. The last thing she expected was bearing the children of two gorgeous bear-shifting bandits.

  Dai and Sora called children “cubs,” though, and it unsettled her a little. Did they mean she was going to birth bear cubs? The thought was a little alien to her, but she didn’t mind seeing adorable little boys who resembled their fathers and could turn into black little fur balls.

  “Emi, you should learn to shrug off your demureness. In the clan, affection between mates is openly encouraged.” Dai tipped her head and kissed her.

  Desire hit her twice as hard. Dai mashed his lips against her. She could feel Sora’s hand tracing the curve of her spine, and Dai’s hands trailing down her waist. A hand placed aside her long hair to expose the back of her neck, and another pair of lips kissed and sucked at the tender flesh. Dai’s persistent lips muffled her groan.

  Emi’s entire body hummed. She didn’t think she’d ever get sick of their touches.

  Despite Dai’s words, though, she certainly didn’t want to be acting so lewdly in front of his mother. At this rate, though, she had a feeling she wouldn’t resist much. She was already imagining her men laying and spreading her on the kitchen counter. The feel of the cool stone beneath her naked flesh would contrast sharply against their large, callused, and rough hands.

  Her body ached to feel their hands on her again, even though it had only been hours since they made love.

  Then her stomach grumbled again. Loudly. Too surprised, Dai let go of her. Emi was about to grab hold of his kimono and demand he continued what he was doing, but Megumi pushed the two men away.

  “By the Gods, Emi. When was the last time you’ve eaten?” she demanded.

  “I… can’t recall,” Emi confessed.

  She knew her face was flushed with embarrassment, but Megumi didn’t seem to care. Dai’s mother only fussed and pushed her to eat. Her protests died the instant she spotted the stacks of freshly roasted fish and the rice balls on the counter.

  “Boys, this isn’t the best way to treat your mate,” Megumi was saying.

  While it was fun watching the slender woman give the two men a lecture, Emi was too famished to pay attention. She took the plates and puttered out into the dining room. There were simple cushions on the floor around a well-used hearth with a cooking pot slung on it.

  Emi sat and began to eat.

  Used to the elaborate and rich-tasting meals prepared for her in the palace, the taste of the simple fare stunned her. It tasted like heaven on her lips.

  “I didn’t realize she was starving,” Dai was saying.

  Emi looked up to see a guilty expression crossed his face. She shook her head, munching on her rice ball. Dai took the cushion to the right, and seemed to take pleasure in watching her eat.

  “Are you three going to join me, or is this breakfast all for me?”

  “Don’t be greedy, Emi,” Sora teasingly said.

  He sat on her left, and took her half-eaten fish with his chopsticks.

  “Eat as much as you want, daughter-in-law.” Megumi gently nudged Dai aside and sat beside her. Megumi made a disapproving sound and eyed her body. “Don’t they ever feed you, wherever you’re from?”

  “I lost track of time when I woke from my enchanted sleep.” Emi urged herself to slow down, but the bear shifters didn’t seem to care for manners.

  “I heard about the nine-tailed fox. It seems your missing prince has managed to claim the ancient spirit’s heart.”

  Emi blinked with surprise. At least Prince Mori was safe. She didn’t like her former fiancé, but she didn’t wish him ill. “I hope he’s happy.”

  “You sound like you mean that,” Sora observed.

  “I do. Besides, if the nine-tailed fox hadn’t found me, you two wouldn’t find me either.”

  Dai snorted. “True enough.”

  “Do you think you’re ready to walk about the village and meet some of the members of the Black Bear Clan?” Megumi asked.

  “Mother, let her breathe,” Dai pointed out.

  “I’m ready.” Emi looked Dai and then Sora in the eye. “I’m not going to cower and hide in your house until one of you gets me with child. If this is going to be my new world, I intend to be a part of it. Well, until you both get sick of me.”

  Megumi made what suspiciously sounded like an approving rumble.

  “No one is going to throw you out, Emi. These boys are fools if they do. Everyone can see what a fine mate you’ll become. Not many human females have the same steel as you do.”

  Was she too forward? Looking at Dai and Sora’s intent faces told her she wasn’t. There was appreciation there, even pride. Color rose to Emi’s cheeks. She cleared her throat and pretended not to be affected.

  * * * *

  During the next few weeks, Dai and Sora made sure Emi was comfortable with the ways of their clan and the Black Bear Clan was comfortable with her. Dai wanted to make sure every bear shifter there knew Emi was his and Sora’s woman, and she was there to stay, whether they liked it or not.

  He’d been worried at the start, and didn’t want to leave her alone, but he had his duties to attend to. Because their clan was dwindling, each member did their own share of work. The men of the village took turns hunting game, patrolling the village, and protecting Bear Valley from enemy shifter clans.

  The women of the clan oversaw the harvest of crops and managed their household, but they were also equally skilled in weaponry, either in the dagger or the curved long sword.

  Unlike the treatment of the wolf kin with their mortal females, the human females weren’t captive breeders for the men of the Black Bear Clan. Over the centuries, they had proven to be capable and valuable companions for the men, and made their peace with the female bear shifters.

  Children and the continuity of the clan might take precedence over petty disputes, but it didn’t mean catfights were unavoidable.

  Chapter Six

  “Dai, stop worrying. I can perfectly take care of myself,”
Emi finally told him.

  They were seated on the comfy wooden floor of the clan hall, eating porridge. While winter was soon upon them, the hall was warm from the burning hearth at the center, a much larger hearth from the one they had at home.

  There were other clan members and couples spread across the hall. The clan leaders always made it a point to have gatherings at least once or twice a week.

  “She’s right, you know. You should stop hovering over her like some protective mother hen,” Sora said on Emi’s right.

  He sat as he usually did, with one knee up. A half-eaten fish bone dangled from the corner of his mouth.

  Emi gave him a severe frown. She reached out to pluck the fish from his mouth, but Sora only grabbed her wrist and began to stroke her soft skin with his thumb. A smile tugged at the corner of Sora’s lips. Whatever words she was about to say died on her lips.

  “You always distract me when I’m about to say something about your manners,” Emi pointed out, making Sora chuckle.

  Sora placed the fish down, and raised her wrist to his lips. Spots of color appeared on her cheeks.

  “Do you think I’m still being an ill-mannered rogue, Dai?” Sora asked.

  He folded the sleeve of her kimono and began kissing his way up her arm, making her laugh.

  Dai could taste the change in the air, and smell her excitement. He leaned in close to her neck to inhale her intoxicating scent. “I think it’s established our Emi likes ill-mannered rogues.”

  “My two bears like to presume much.”

  Dai could feel her arm curling over his. He closed his eyes, inhaling the lovely scent of her. Knowing they’d imprinted their scent on her and knowing every bear in the hall knew she was theirs made his possessive animalistic instincts come to the surface.

  When he opened his eyes, Dai had a fine view of Sora kissing Emi’s cheek.

  “Alright. I get it. I’m being too overprotective,” Dai finally said.