STORY EXCERPT

Toby came into the kitchen and went to give each of his mates a good morning kiss before pulling out a chair and taking his seat. Before his butt even hit the chair he was reaching for a piece of toast, snagging it from Tyler’s hand. He grinned unapologetically at his big mate and reached for a knife.

“So, are we going to carve some pumpkins?” Toby asked, spreading some peanut butter on his toast. Breakfast with both of his mates was one of the most peaceful times of the day. He loved it. Sitting at the table, asking to please pass the salt, it felt like they were a real family. A family Toby had never had before. 

“Pumpkins?” Ty looked startled.

“Yeah, pumpkins, you know, for Halloween? It’s just a few days away.”

“Oh, wow, already?” The big tiger-shifter had a slightly panicked look.

“What, you don’t like Halloween?” Jason asked, smiling slightly. It was good to see his powerful mate smiling, Toby thought. Jay-Jay didn’t do it nearly enough. 

“Um, no, actually I don’t. The whole dressing up, scaring, grossing other people out, it gives me the creeps!” Tyler shuddered. Toby felt his eyes trying to bulge out of his head and he swallowed quickly.

“You’re afraid of Halloween!” he exclaimed. Ty looked really uncomfortable. Was the big shifter blushing?

“Well, maybe I am just a bit. When I was a kid, my siblings thought it was a good idea to scare me half to death on Halloween. I have hated this time of year ever since. It’s creepy! Did you notice how there always seems to be an owl hooting in the dark or a black cat following you everywhere and watching you with those strange glowing eyes? Like a witch’s familiar or a demon or something else foreboding!” Tyler looked flustered, but he stuck to his convictions.

“Um, Ty, do you even realize how wrong what you’re saying is? Where should I start...” Toby said, holding back a laugh. “First of all, you’re a tiger-shifter! You shouldn’t be scared of cat eyes, you’ve got them, too. Second, did you forget we’ve got a witch and a demon in our pack? Morton is actually pretty cool if a bit nerdy and Doug might be scary if he wants, but I wouldn’t call either of them foreboding.”

“I don’t care. I hate Halloween!” Tyler pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked more like a petulant child than a strong, muscular shifter.

“But you don’t hate pumpkins, do you?” Toby decided to turn on his charm. He wanted to carve some pumpkins, damn it! “Cause I was really looking forward to carving them, seeing how it’s our first Halloween as a family. I’ve never done it before, you know?” He gave Ty his sad, puppy eyes, begging for understanding. The tiger’s resolve crumbled under the power of Toby’s eyes and he huffed.

“Fine! But just pumpkin carving. No scary decorations or costumes and definitely no giving away sweets. It only makes kids’ teeth rot!” Tyler grumbled. Toby nodded before sharing a look with Jason. They were going to show their big shifter that Halloween could be fun!

* * * *

It was Wednesday and Toby was going to school. Even though he loved working with Jason helping the animals, he had discovered that learning was something he enjoyed, as well. The school was adults only and Toby had met quite a few interesting people there, some of whom he could even call friends. Some were his age, some were older, but they were all rather nice. The teachers were mostly kind, too. Some of them were a bit quirky, but Toby didn’t mind. He had a few quirks of his own after all. 

Right now, he was standing on the front porch with his mates. They were going through their goodbye kiss ritual. They had introduced it shortly after getting together and would go through it every time one of them left the house for any amount of time. Toby rather liked it. It made him feel special and loved. 

Ty gave Jason one last peck on the lips and walked his two mates to the street. Jason was leaving for work, too and would walk Toby to the bus stop. The big shifter stopped suddenly, pulling at Toby’s hand and stopping him, as well.

“Did you see that?” the tiger asked, his voice filled with urgency. “The black cat, did you see it?”

Toby looked in the direction where Ty was staring but saw nothing unusual. There was no cat, black or otherwise.

“Um, no. Sorry, love, I didn’t see it. Are you sure it was there?” he answered and looked at Jason. Toby’s other mate shook his head. He hasn’t seen it either.

“Of course I’m sure. It was a huge black cat, and it was staring right at me!”

“Maybe it was a neighbor’s cat passing by?” Toby suggested.

“No, it wasn’t! I know all the neighborhood cats. I marked my territory so they would keep away. They know better than to come close like that!” Tyler blurted out, and Toby was suddenly speechless. Jason saved him from having to ask.

“Are you saying you peed all over our property to keep some housecats at bay, love?” Jason’s voice shook with held-back laughter. Tyler had the decency to look embarrassed.

“Hey, I couldn’t have some pets coming and going through our property at all times, spreading fleas and what-have-you.”

“Right, so you peed all over it to warn them away, instead.” Jason burst into laughter.

ADULT EXCERPT

Toby straddled Jason, their half-hard cocks rubbing together as they kissed. Words were unnecessary as Toby lifted up and reached to the bedside table for lube. Jason grinned and snatched the bottle from his mate’s hand. He opened the cap with a quiet sound and poured some of the gel on his fingers. Looking into Toby’s eyes, pupils overblown with desire, he reached behind his mate to find that tight, hot entrance. Toby hissed when Jason’s finger dipped into his channel, then sunk down on it. Reaching up with his free hand Jason grabbed the back of Toby’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was almost too much, to kiss the man and finger-fuck him at the same time. Jason felt uncoordinated, his fingers stopping their movement of their own volition so that he had to consciously make them move again. 

It was like this with his mates every time. Their passion was all-consuming, the kisses turning Jason into a bumbling, awkward mess. Toby helped, rising and lowering himself on Jason’s hand whenever its movement faltered. Jason barely noticed when one finger turned into two, then three, so used he was to preparing his mate, the motions nearly instinctive. 

“Gods, yes,” Toby hissed withdrawing from the kiss and looking at Jason. “I’m ready, lover. I want your cock, now!” 

Jason couldn’t help but chuckle. “Bossy, bossy mate.” But it wasn’t an admonishment, more like praise. Toby knew that, and he grinned as he lifted off Jason’s fingers and reached for the discarded lube bottle. He then coated his whole hand in the liquid and reached to grab Jason’s dick with it. They were both fully hard now, their members standing proud. This time, it was Jason who hissed as Toby’s cool, lube-slicked fingers wrapped around his hard dick. Toby gave it a few strokes, circling his thumb around the flared head. But Toby wasn’t the most patient man when it came to sex, and he was soon lowering himself onto Jason’s cock, settling for a ride.

Jason grabbed onto Toby’s hips as the man started riding him slowly, searching for a rhythm. The slow moves were an exquisite torture and unimaginable pleasure at the same time. Toby clutched onto Jason’s shoulders to steady himself as his hips sped up the motion. Their gazes met and locked, the connection between them flooding with unspoken emotions. 

“I love you, Toby.” The words tore from deep within his soul without Jason’s conscious decision. Toby’s eyes sparkled and he smiled.

“I love you, too, Jay-Jay,” the younger man said breathlessly. It was too much for Jason. He moved one hand under Toby’s buttocks, his other arm snaking around the man’s waist. With one swift move, he flipped them so that he was on top. Pulling Toby to the edge of the bed, he stood on the floor in front of it. He grabbed Toby’s ankles and pulled them up and over his shoulders. Toby went along with it. Jason let his hands trail up Toby’s legs to his knees and then thighs. He stroked the younger man’s hips before moving his hands to the taut abdomen and up Toby’s chest. 

Toby folded his arms under his head and arched into Jason’s touch. Jason looked up and saw the little smile playing on his mate’s lips. The little minx was enjoying himself. Jason smiled back before pinching Toby’s nipples hard, eliciting a yelp and a playful glare from his mate. Toby pouted and Jason grinned, giving that first shallow thrust. At this angle, he had the greatest chance to hit Toby’s prostate every time. Judging by the man’s strangled groan, Jason did just that. Suddenly, Jay couldn’t wait any longer and he started thrusting furiously, Toby moaning in earnest at the sensations it caused him. Jason closed his eyes, concentrating on the wonderful feelings of his dick being surrounded by the tight heat of Toby’s body.

“Damn, that’s a sight to come back home to.” Tyler’s voice sounded from the bedroom door and Jason’s eyes popped open, but he didn’t look back, too consumed with what he was doing. Tyler didn’t wait for an invitation. Jason could hear the rustling of clothes as his big, tiger mate undressed and came to join them. Jason barely had time to notice Tyler’s arm as it snatched the bottle of lube from the bed before two slicked fingers delved into his crack, seeking his hole. Jason moaned as those talented fingers pushed right in, causing a slight burn. Tyler didn’t waste time in stretching him, quickly adding another finger. The next thing he felt was the head of Ty’s dick pushing against his opening and popping past the ring of muscle. Jason moaned, and he heard Ty groan. They stilled for a moment, his tiger giving Jason time to adjust. 

“Gods, yes, that’s it.” Tyler leaned forward and sucked a bruise on the side of Jason’s neck. His fingers dug into Jason’s hips and Jason relaxed into the grip. That seemed to be a signal for his shifter mate and he started thrusting, taking over. The hard pounding drove Jason deep into Toby’s channel as Tyler fucked him in turn. Jason closed his eyes again, the dual sensation of fucking and being fucked nearly too much. He concentrated on his other senses. Hearing Tyler’s growls as he drove his fat cock deep into Jason’s hole. The hitch in Toby’s breath as Jason’s dick hit his prostate with every forceful thrust. The gentle nipping and sucking sensation of Tyler’s hot mouth on his shoulder. The heat of Toby’s ass squeezing his cock in a vise-like grip. Far too soon it all got to be too much. Jason felt his orgasm approaching like a tidal wave and was, in the next second, swept by it. His moves halted as his cock erupted with seed and he nearly fell on Toby. It was only Ty’s hold on him that prevented it. Tyler’s own thrusts increased in speed and force as one of the tiger’s hands snaked around Jason and grasped Toby’s cock. Tyler stroked their other mate with quick, jerky moves. Just as Jason felt Tyler’s hot cum fill his channel Toby’s dick shot spurts of seed, coating Jason’s chest. In seconds, they were all spent and fell on the bed, Jason withdrawing from Toby as Tyler did from him. 

“God, I love you both so much,” Tyler mumbled.