Chapter Twelve
"And that one?"
Bruin laughed as Sergiy playfully waved his finger at half of the night sky. "Sergiy, I have no idea which one you're pointing at! But if you look west over there , just above those three mountain tips that look like a squiggle, there's two brighter stars. They make up Canis Minor."
"Which ones?"
"Here, let me," Bruin said, coming up behind Sergiy on the castle ramparts. Putting his hands on the lord's shoulders, he pivoted him a few degrees, then reached an arm over him, pointing. "There… and there. Canis Minor."
"I think I see it," he said. "So if that's Minor, does that mean there's a Major?"
Bruin looked, checking the position of other constellations and trying to remember the finer details of astronomy that he'd learned because of Lux.
"There is, but I don't see it. I think it's below the horizon right now. But that's fine, we have our own Canis Major right here!"
Turning around, Bruin smiled up at Russell. The wolf shifter looked down at him and Sergiy, then nodded. Taking in a deep breath to puff out his chest, he lifted his arms, flexing.
"Major indeed," Sergiy agreed. He reached a hand up, then hesitated.Russell leaned down further, though, and the warlord gave him a tremulous smile as he patted one of his biceps. "Sometimes I wish I could be Draco Major."
Russell shook his head, putting his arms down.
"You are plenty big," he said. "Would bench pressing me make you feel better?"
"You can do that?" Bruin asked, rubbing his arms briskly. He was still wearing the shorts and T-shirt from earlier in the day, but the temperature had dropped steadily as the night wore on; now that it was midnight, it was cold, but at least not below freezing.
"Pretty easily, if I put my hands in the right spots," Sergiy remarked, then turned to look Bruin up and down consideringly.
In the next moment, Bruin was whisked off of the ground and into Sergiy's arms. He was bounced a couple of times as Sergiy repositioned his grip, but before he could voice a clever comment over being swept off of his feet, Sergiy lifted him up over his head like an offering to the night sky.
"Hi," Russell told him, putting his face next to his. "Ser, he liked that."
"What do you mean, liked?"
"He is getting hard."
Feeling his cheeks warm, Bruin started wiggling, and Sergiy dropped him back into an arm cradle. To his dismay, he saw that the lord was staring at him with a slowly spreading grin.
"Oh, does the witch like it when his mate takes charge, hmm?"
"It's just a combination of things, that's all."
"He does," Russell said, reaching out to poke him in the chest, then looked at Sergiy. "Can I try?"
"Look, there's no need—"
Passing his over, Russell lifted Bruin out of Sergiy's arms, then began doing… bicep curls?
"This is humiliating," he complained, crossing his arms.
"You like it," Russell said definitively, then tossed him a couple of feet up into the air. After catching him, he was finally set back on the ground.
"I do, and I both love and hate that I do, and I'm already getting ideas." Bruin used the excuse of checking that none of his things had fallen out of his pockets to adjust his semi, then shivered as a gust of wind blew over the castle wall.
He saw Russell frown, then casually remove his kilt and put it around his shoulders. With a proud grin, he patted him on the head.
"But what about you?" he asked, and a quick glance at Sergiy told him that he wasn't the only one staring. "Although I guess you are furrier than I am."
Russell slipped his sandals off, and then exhaled heavily, his breath turning into a low growl as he shifted.
"Ah."
It was still dark, and only a few days past the new moon, so he couldn't see Russell's werewolf form too well, but he was at least as big as Yacob. Wordlessly, Russell turned Bruin back around so that he was looking over the western edge of the castle, pressed Sergiy up against him like pushing two dolls together, then wrapped his warm and furry arms around them.
" Much furrier," he growled, squeezing.
Bruin adjusted the kilt, holding it with both of his hands as he leaned back against said furry chest. After a moment, he felt Sergiy slide an arm around his waist. He sighed, giddy and horny and content.
The day hadn't started off badly. Sergiy finally asking him out had been a big plus, even if he'd been coerced by his brother and hadn't used the actual words, but after spending the rest of the day talking to Sergiy and Russell, some it made more sense.
Like, apparently the lord of the castle hadn't dated anyone in five years, just had the occasional random hook-up? Sergiy had been hesitant to admit it, but as they sat together on a park bench, Russell had growled every time he tried to prevaricate until, grumbling, he'd told the truth.
To Bruin, it seemed like the lord took his duties a bit too seriously. All of his focus was on his job as a warlord, but not allowing much time for himself.
Hmm. Perhaps, maybe, that was why Bruin had been chosen as a mate?
"Sergiy," he asked. "What does it mean to be a promised mate? What made you, or it, choose me?"
"It's not a well studied affair," he said, pulling him more flush against himself. Bruin lifted his arm out of the kilt and set it around the lord's shoulder, and he felt him freeze for a few seconds before relaxing. "Myths and rumors abound."
"I like the moon story," Russell said.
"Which is…"
"All shifters have a strong spiritual core," Sergiy said, shoving his free hand up Bruin's shirt and laying it against his chest. "It's what lets us change shape and heal quickly. As the legend goes, this core is tied to the moon, who birthed us after mating with the animals of the earth."
"Massive orgy," Russell added.
"What?You're joking!"
Sergiy chuckled. "Only a little. There are different ways to tell the story, depending upon where in the world you're from. Some say that animals saw humans and their speech, and prayed to the moon for many of the same gifts. Others, that representatives from each species sent a spirit up to the heavens, where they combined into one giant animus who married the moon. But yes, there's also one about the moon fucking ten thousand animal spirits, and then birthing shifter souls one year later."
"I love it, what a bad bitch," Bruin said, captivated by the idea despite the very distracting efforts of Sergiy's fingers on his torso, and Russell running a padded paw through his hair. "If the moon was willing to take on a ten thousand-person train, wow, good for her. But what does this have to do with being promised?"
"Shifters are children of the moon. She sees everything from her spot in the heavens, and like a kindly yet meddlesome mother, points out perfect matches to us through our instincts."
"Are they ever not perfect?"
Sergiy fell silent. After a couple of seconds, he heard Russell whine, then saw him lower his muzzle down and rub against the side of Sergiy's head.
"Alright, Russ, I get your meaning, and I'll try not to worry about it." Chest rubs resumed. "It's very rare, but not unheard of. There are any number of stories about the mates not initially recognizing it, Little Red and Big Bad among them, but Mother Moon is not infallible, which is another part of the myth. There's a whole shelf full of books in the library about it."
"Sounds like—" Bruin yawned, and he felt Russell stir behind him. "Sounds like something I should check out."
Russell patted him on the head.
"Bed time," the werewolf said.
Bruin made a complaining sound, but then the full day's events seemed to catch up to him all at once. Waking up around dawn was still something he was trying to get used to, and he was resorting to afternoon naps most days while he adjusted.
But he hadn't napped today. Just talking and walking, on top of the many-hours hike from yesterday. As if to remind him, he felt his right calf try to cramp, and a second later felt it as Russell began sniffing at his neck.
"Pain?"
"My legs and calves. We did all that walking yesterday, and I'm starting to feel it."
"Mm."
"Sore legs, then?"Sergiy seemed reluctant as they backed up from the parapet. "No magic to fix it?"
Bruin made to take off the kilt and give it back, but Russell simply put his large paws around his arms, forcing him to keep hold of it. "I might have been so focused on treating Rosemary that I failed to do it for myself."
"Stubborn," Russell said, poking him in the chest
"No."
"Yes."
"Don't argue with him," Sergiy said. "You can't win."
Russell simply wagged his tail.
Bruin rolled his eyes, hugged the kilt tighter around his shoulders, then began walking towards the nearby tower's entrance that would take them back to the central part of the castle.
It felt like the other two weren't immediately following, so after a few steps he turned around to see them playing a game of rock-paper-scissors. Sergiy's flat hand covered the giant paw of stone, and he gave the larger werewolf a commiserating pat. Then, with a triumphant stride, Sergiy marched directly towards him, stopping just a pace away. He bowed, spreading his arms out elegantly.
"May I carry you to your quarters, mate of mine?"
"What? Oh! Why yes, yes you may. Thank you, my lord." Bruin bowed back.
Sergiy did much the same as he'd done before, but more slowly and without the jarring bounce. Bruin laid his cheek up against Sergiy's muscular chest. As he pressed up against the soft, silken material of his shirt, he could feel the steady thumping of the lord's heart, and even imagined that it might be pumping a little faster.
Closing his eyes, he let the lord of the castle carry him the several flights downstairs.
He gave a start when the sound of his room's door being opened alerted him, and he popped his eyes open.
"You were dozing already?" Sergiy asked.
"Long day, I guess."
Instead of dropping him off at his entrance, Sergiy proceeded to carry him over to his bed, laying him down upon it. Bruin propped himself up on his elbows, looking up at the two men, studying them.
Russell looked like his normal impassive self as he took back his kilt and wrapped it around himself, but Bruin was coming to realize that the big man just emoted differently, sometimes. Compared to the last few days, he wasn't hunching his shoulders, nor did he have his hands held defensively in front of himself. Russell tilted his head, then bared his teeth in a smile.
Sergiy, now. He was still bouncing back between openness and seclusion, even with an afternoon and evening spent talking things over. Maybe his lord was actually an earth element as well? Bruin would have guessed fire.
Bruin sighed. "I guess this is goodnight, then."
Despite him saying so, though, neither of the other two moved towards the door.
"Mm," Russell said, then looked at Sergiy.
After working his mouth for a moment, Sergiy crossed his arms. "Do your legs hurt?"
"Not really?"
The quick answer seemed to derail him. "Oh. I was going to say… but nevermind. Yes. Goodnight."
Apparently flustered, Sergiy turned around and made like he was going to leave, but then Russell touched him on the shoulder, stopping him. After sharing a look, Sergiy turned back around, red in face.
"Bruin, do you want a leg massage? That's what I'm actually trying to say."
He gasped. "Oh! That makes so much more sense. I'm not going to say no. But shouldn't it be the other way around? Me, pampering you?"
"Perhaps later. For now… hmm."
While Sergiy continued to stare at his legs, Russell gently nudged him out of the way. The big man pointed at Bruin, pointed to the bed, then made a single circling motion.
"You're asking me to flip over? Sure."
As Bruin moved more into the middle of his bed and rolled over onto his belly, he was glad he'd taken the opportunity to rinse off after their day in Town when he'd put away his shopping.
The bed shifted as Russell went around to one side, and Sergiy sat on the other. He was about to lift his head up when he felt their hands pressing into his calves. He drew in a sharp breath.
"Tight," Russell observed.
"Yeah, I'm not used to walking that much at once, especially with the elevation changes. But give me time. I guess I can start working out, or something."
"The gym in the west wing is always open," Sergiy said. "There's bikes and treadmills collecting dust. Some of the staff use them, but most of us shifters just run the anchors for our cardio."
Bruin buried his face into the bed and groaned. Yuck. But maybe he could get Rosemary to do it with him. The once a week anchor walk might not be enough exercise, not if the walks were only going to get harder. Overnight trips? Just how far away were some of these? Or maybe they were buried up in the mountains. He'd have to talk to Lux about making sure that they all knew warming charms.
"If you need a personal trainer," Sergiy continued, "I could help you out myself. We've also got a couple of fitness experts on staff."
"Maybe," Bruin said. "Which in all honestly means yes, but I'll drag my feet for a while—ow!"
He flinched, as Sergiy pressed into his calf a bit too hard for his sore muscle to take.
"Sorry. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it just pinched there for a second."
"Gently," Russell said. "Like this, see? You are strong, Ser, and remember, Bruin is a little witch, not a big shifter. Gently ."
He heard Sergiy chuckle at that, and the pressure decreased. It was probably a bit too gentle, now, more of a rub than a massage, but it still felt nice.
"Feet," he heard Russell say, and then they were picking up his legs.
"Ah, they might be a little dirty."
"Can't be that bad," Sergiy said. "You'd said you'd showered after we got back. What is it with you and being barefoot, though? Not judging, just asking."
"I like feeling the ground beneath me. It's stable. Supporting. It makes me feel like I'm home, wherever I am."
"That sounds wonderful." Sergiy paused. "Eh. Back in a second."
Bruin turned his head, seeing Sergiy go into his bathroom. He grabbed his shower towel off of the rack, ran one end of it under the sink, then made a hasty return.
"Sorry," he said as he washed his feet. "But I think you stepped in some kind of grime on the ramparts, and it's a little sticky."
Bruin fought off embarrassment while his feet were washed and then dried. Afterwards, the two spent another few minutes rubbing his heels and his arches.
"Hamstrings," Russell said.
Bruin felt Sergiy put a hand on the back of his knee, but no massaging was taking place. After a few seconds, he felt someone tug twice at the waistband of his shorts.
"Bruin," Sergiy said in a quiet tone. "I think Russ is trying to say that your shorts are in the way."
As sleepy as he'd gotten from laying down with four warm hands on him, Sergiy's tone and his suggestion shocked him awake.
"They're cargo shorts, yeah,almost knee length," he babbled."Of course I'll need to take them off."
Lifting his hips up, Bruin reached down with one hand, undoing the button and then the zipper. He was working on sliding them off of his hips when they were briskly tugged down to his knees. He gasped as the waistband slid down his sensitive cock head, then laid back down as they were pulled the rest of the way off. After considering for a second, he removed his shirt, too, tossing it off of the bed and leaving him in just his boxers.
"Mm."
Focusing on his breathing, he felt the two shifters resume, working their way slowly up the back of his legs.
Russell and Sergiy had both stopped talking, focused on the task. The backs of his thighs weren't nearly as sore as his calves had been, so there were no sudden sharp pains, just pleasurable pressure.
Then, there were fingers brushing up against the bottom of his boxers, and a few breaths later, sliding up under them, grazing against the lower edge of his butt. Then they pulled back.
A second later, he felt a couple of tugs on his boxers.
"The glutes gets a workout walking up hills," Sergiy said neutrally. "We could work on them, if you want."
For answer, Bruin lifted his hips up again. His boxers were pulled halfway off, caught on his erection which he was quick to free, and then he heard them being tossed off the bed.
The two were no longer quite so silent. Russell seemed to be making a steady, low growl as he worked, and Sergiy was audibly breathing through his mouth.
It felt wonderful. Sergiy seemed to be using his palms more, while Russell worked his way around the edge of his hip, using thick thumbs to actually press at parts that he hadn't even realized were sore. As he was gently rocked back and forth from their efforts, he couldn't help himself from thrusting into the bed every few seconds.
Russell pulled at his knee, spreading his legs so that he could get to his inner thigh, and fingers brushed up against his exposed balls. Someone palmed his buttocks, sliding fingers up and down his crack, and he lifted his hips, pressing back into the hand. It was Sergiy, he realized. Russell's hands could be felt settled warmly on his back and leg.
This time when Russell spoke, it was a question. "Thighs?"
The room seemed to spin as Bruin opened his eyes and lifted his head. Carefully, he got to his hands and knees and rolled over in place, breathing heavily as he laid back down, his cock hard and obvious.
He heard Russell murmur approvingly, and then the two proceeded to knead his legs.
Russell, at least, made an effort to do a genuine massage, but Sergiy movements were a bit more erratic, the backs of his knuckles 'accidentally' nudging his dick constantly as he focused on his inner thigh.
Bruin reached out, laying hands on each of his masseurs' legs. Russell's kilt was hiked up enough that he could run his hand up the outside of his bare, hairy leg, but his tent was too far away to grab.
Not so for Sergiy. The warlord pivoted in place, kneeling himself down closer to Bruin's chest, bringing his prominent bulge in reach. As Bruin gripped it through the soft cloth of his pants, he heard Sergiy make the most wonderfully low, hissing sound.
Bruin focused on Sergiy, tracing fingers across the outline of the confined cock, then squeezing the base and then the head, finding out if there were any special buttons his lord had.
Russell's efforts stopped, and Bruin looked at his face. Was that a bit of impish humor he noticed? The big man reached out and circled a finger above his manhood, close but not touching it, even drawing his hand back when Bruin thrust his hips up.
"Tree trunk?"
Bruin tried to answer, but then Sergiy suddenly snarled, lowering his head down to give Bruin a fierce kiss, forceful and impatient. Bruin closed his grip around his lord's bulge, stroking it as best as he could within its confines as Sergiy wrapped an arm around his shoulders, lifting him up just enough to turn his head.
With his mouth and his mind entirely occupied, it took Burin a few seconds to realize he'd never answered Russell's question, and the werewolf remained at his side, his two large, warm hands resting on his thighs.
Determinedly, Bruin grabbed one of Russell's handsto put on his leaking cock, and the big man readily complied.
"Mmm, fuck…"
Bruin felt like he had a pretty decent cock. It was nowhere near porn levels of nice, but it had some girth and a nice shape. Regardless, it still largely disappeared within Russell's gentle grasp.
Bruin whimpered, leaning back.
"Enjoying yourself, mate?" Sergiy murmured, kissing the side of his face, then his sensitive neck. At one point he opened his mouth wide, putting his teeth on him, not painful, just enough that he could feel his lord's claiming intent.
"This feels unfair," he stuttered. "Why am I the only one naked?"
"We like seeing you naked and at our mercy. Yes?"
Russell ran a thumb over Bruin's head, spreading his precum before tugging on his foreskin.
"Yes. I like naked Bruin."
Then Russell moved to a two handed grip, one hand stroking the upper part of his shaft, the other one wrapped around the base and fondling his balls, and Bruin only had enough presence of mind to try to slide his hand down the front of Sergiy's trousers. It throbbed, warm and hard.
Sergiy shifted position again on the bed so he could prop Bruin up with one strong arm, and with the other hand he deftly undid the front laces on his pants, giving Bruin enough leeway to slide his cock out and start stroking it.
"Bruin," Russell said after a heated minute. "Can I suck on your cock?"
Bruin pulled back from Sergiy and let out an unsteady breath. Sergiy took one of Bruin's hands in his, linking fingers as he moved down to kiss at his jawline.
"Full truth, Russell? If you do, I'll probably cum immediately. You two have been pushing all my buttons all day, and it's getting hard to hold back."
Russell looked down at his groin, licked his lips, then looked back up at him with a furrowed brow.
"You need to give Russ clear guidance," Sergiy said. "If you want to give him a choice, just say what you want."
"I want you two to enjoy yourselves, too."
"We are," Sergiy growled, then abruptly pushed Bruin flat on the bed.
Bruin had a moment to appreciate his lord's body as he knelt above him. Sergiy's skin was flushed, causing his crisscrossing scars to stand out in sharp relief. He had virtually no body hair, so either the lord shaved everything, or perhaps it had something to do with him being a drake shifter. And he had a hard cock that was as veiny as his bulging muscles, with balls drawn up tightly against his body.
Sergiy practically fell upon him, grabbing both of Bruin's wrists and lifting them above his head, holding them down with one hand. Leaning down, Ser put his face right up against Bruin's, using his free hand to tap one of his tusks.
"So hurry up and tell Russ yes, so I can see my mate cum."
Bruin had to lick his suddenly dry lips before he could speak. "Russell? You heard the lord. Yes."
Peering down past his cock, held upright in Russell's large hand, he saw the werewolf give him a kind of dopey grin before he took him in his mouth.
It happened too fast. No sooner did he feel Russell's lips sliding up and down his shaft then he was twisting on the bed, hands clutching each other uselessly as he bucked his hips.He grunted, low, loud, and repeatedly, soon muffled by a forceful kiss from Sergiy.
When the stars faded, he saw Sergiy grinning down at him triumphantly. Looking down, Russell was licking at his head, using a hand to tease out the rest of his cum.
Once he caught his breath, he tried to sit up, but Sergiy maintained his pin. Even with leverage, Bruin couldn't dislodge him.
"That's a good witch," he said, giving him a quick kiss before finally letting him sit up. "I expect at least that much when it's my turn."
"We don't have to be done," Bruin complained, looking back and forth between Sergiy's exposed cock, and the damp spot on Russell's kilt.
"Sleepy Bruin," Russell said, reaching over to pat him on the head.
Bruin's protests were interrupted by a yawn.
"We'll have our fun another day," Sergiy promised. Bruin saw him look down, then give himself a couple of strokes before pulling his pants back up over his cock. "Another day soon ."
Bruin reached out a hand for that bulge, and Sergiy intercepted his wrist. With a teasing grin, he allowed him to touch with his fingertips, but not to grab.
Bruin pouted, jutting out his tusks. "My lord, you're so selfish."
"Another day," he said again, giving him a last kiss before getting up off of the bed.
Russell climbed on top of Bruin, apparently wanting a kiss for himself. Bruin grabbed his face in both of his hands, gently guiding him down. Easy, slow, and languid kisses. After a moment, Russell moved into a crouch, and Bruin felt his own cock brush up against a hairy ass. Russell's eyes were squinched shut with delight from a wide smile, and then he carefully made his way to stand beside Sergiy.
"Hey, just so I'm clear, if you two want to fuck, that'd be cool with me. Maybe even here, if that's not too personal?"
"No, that's okay,"Sergiy said. Bruin saw Russell raise an arm up hesitantly to put around his shoulder, and at first Sergiy stiffened, but then seemed to relax, leaning into Russell's much larger frame. "I think that the two of us have some things we need to work out, first."
The two turned to go, and Bruin called out. "Wait, can I at least see you two naked? That's only fair, right?"
Russell crossed his arms, and he and Sergiy both shook their heads.
"Why, so you can jerk off later? No, I don't think so." Sergiy tilted his head, his voice gaining the rough, sibilant aspect of his weredrake self. "I think my mate shouldn't cum again without us being there. I want you pent up."
Holy Mother Earth, that shouldn't be as hot as it was. "Only drawback is that I'm liable to cum straight away just from you touching me."
"Sounds like a problem we should work on. Extensively. Goodnight, Bruin."
"Goodnight, little witch."
"Sure. Goodnight, you two."
As soon as he heard his door shut, Bruin laid his head down and laughed.
Fuck. Not a bad end to a day, and it seemed like things might actually work out after all.
Hopefully.