14 Zero To Three (2/2)

Seal sits on the other side and starts rubbing circles on Talia's back as if she were a baby, ”Shush, you're here with us. We're your family now. We're not leaving you.”

Bass tips Talia's chin up, ”You do understand as the first cousin of your true-mate, I expect to get the privilege of mounting you myself eventually.”

Talia stops crying in order to register what Bass just said as Otter shouts angrily, ”Bass!” and both she and their mother slap him.

”What,” ask Bass. ”It's just my way of letting her know that I'm not leavin' her alone either… Because I'm waiting for my turn.” He gets slapped again by his sister and mother.

”Go sit over there,” Seal orders Bass and he obeys.

Talia looks at Cougar with a new concern on her mind and ask Cougar, ”How many males are going to expect a turn like Bass?”

Cougar looks at Bass and has one word for him, ”Asshole.”

”Aunt Tali, are you ok,” asks Minnow concerned.

”Oh children,” Talia now distracted by them, ”I'm so sorry. Yes, I'm ok.”

”Being a grownup must be really hard sometime,” is Beaver's observation.

Talia praises him, ”That's an excellent observation Beaver.”

Cougar is listening and waiting for Richy's vehicle to pull into the driveway and meets Richy at the front door when he arrives home from work.

”What's going on,” Richy asks suspicious as he slips off his shoes by the front door.

Cougar tells him, ”Me and you, we're gonna have a sit down together and talk.”

”Fine,” responds Richy as he steps into the kitchen, ”start talking.”

”Sit down please,” request Cougar and when Richy sits, Cougar begins, ”First, you are not allowed to get pissed off at or at least if you do get pissed off, you will stay away from Talia until you're calm and can go near her without punishing her.”

”Are you trying to tell me to stay away from my own mate,” asks Richy irritated.

”Our mate,” Cougar reminds Richy, ”she's our mate, Richy. And I want what's best for her same as you. She's already had one melt down today. And we don't need a repeat of last evening where you accidentally punish her for something that's not her fault and when she didn't do nothing wrong.”

Now Richy's worried, ”No of course not, but you say she had a meltdown.”

”Yeah,” confirms Cougar, ”we learned something this morning shortly after you left for work. And she's worried herself sick worrying about how you may react.”

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”Sick,” questions Richy with his dark brows furrowed.

”Yes,” confirms Cougar, ”headache, nausea and vomiting. Now what she needs from both of us, especially from you because you're her true-mate, her number one, is love and support. She feels guilty as it is even though she didn't do anything wrong, and she didn't do it on purpose. Least wise not consciously.”

”What the hell did she do after I left for work this morning,” Richy anxious not angry.

”It actually happened a couple of days ago while Fjord was here,” explains Cougar, ”and you were there when it happened.”

”She's not still upset about that hole in the wall is she,” asks Richy. ”I told her not to worry about that. I'll fix it.”

Cougar signals negative by slowly turning his head from side to side, ”It happened after that.”

”After that,” questions Richy trying to figure out what Cougar's referring to.

”Do you remember she put out that really delicious fuck me scent? Gave every man in the room the hard-on of his life,” Cougar reminds Richy.

”Stones, yes,” Richy smiles as his sudden erection caused by the memory alone makes him shift in his chair. ”That was A-mazing. It's still on my skin.”

”It's still on my skin too,” Cougar continues, ”and we're going to be wearing it for a while because it's a scent mark.”

”I didn't know females could scent mark males,” responds Richy surprised.

”Most females can't,” explains Cougar. ”Apparently it's a rare Amazon female ability. She marked us as her mates. My dad and Amazonia knew what she'd done. They discussed it later and had a powwow about it with Roar and Zenith. They didn't think they needed to tell us about it right away. My dad thought we had enough to deal with as it was. Yet Amazonia and Zenith ended up giving me a quick overview on it this morning.”

”Why? What happened,” ask Richy concerned.

”First you need to remember that Talia has no memory of this even though she's aware she did it now. Her memories for that day begin when she woke up beneath you. She doesn't remember what happened before that. The way I understand it, as Amazonia explained it, is that it is technically possible that all Amazon women and women descended from Amazons may possess this ability to scent mark her mates. Problem is it only happens when the female is under stress of danger.

So there's Talia laying there in your bed, basically unconscious, half healed from being shot with a wound that nearly killed her and would have killed a domestic person. She's weak from that & from not eating or drinking for three days. Then Fjord comes walking in while she's in this condition: half healed, dehydrated and three days without food. She's weak enough for Fjord to make off with her.

Amazonia believes her instincts caused her to scent mark us to ensure her own safety. To ensure that this unwanted male intruder and his two companions didn't make off with her. It reinforced her bond with you and me and formed a bond with a third.”

”A third,” repeats Richy with a bewildered shake of his head.

”Remember, Ford didn't come alone,” reminds Cougar. ”He had Eddy and Ebb with him. Amazonia thinks Talia was just making things fair, a guardian for a guardian and two other free males for the ones the intruder brought with him. Talia didn't know who they were, just that they came with Fjord.

Try to see it this way. You're a small wounded female and three males show up to cart you off and you're too weak to defend yourself properly. What do you do? You choose a few males you know, love and trust to defend you. In return for their protection, you give yourself to them as their mate.”

”Please don't tell me we have to share her with Bass,” says Richy not liking the information he's receiving. ”He's my cousin and I love him, but he can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.”

”Yeah I got a nice dose of that side of him today,” shares Cougar. ”So thankfully he's not our third. Yet he did make it clear to Talia today that as your cousin he is waiting for the privilege of mounting her himself. Which left Talia asking me how many males she is going to have to submit to like Bass. Luckily the kids distracted her and I didn't have to try to answer her. And gratefully, Bass wasn't standing with us when Talia marked us as her mates.”

”Wildcat,” recalls Richy. ”Your dad was standing with us. So what happened after I left for work?”

”Dad had decided not to tell us because he saw you were having trouble just accepting sharing Talia with me. He told Amazonia that he'ld wait a while, give you time to accept me first. He told Amazonia that he could ignore his instincts for now. Plus he knew Talia hadn't chosen him consciously that it was technically an accident. Talia's been like a daughter for him up until she scent marked us. It was strange to suddenly find himself aware of her in the same way we are, but he thought he could ignore it. So after you left this morning, he asked to take the plate I made up to Talia. He wanted to try to repair the damage he did with his mouth yesterday. But it does explain why he reacted the way he did to the news you asked Talia to marry you.”

”Explain how,” asks Richy.

”Because when a domesticated male marries a female, he's not planning to share her with anybody: not his brother, not his best friend, just simply nobody. So he essentially heard you're not ever going to share his own mate with him.”

Richy understands, ”Yeah, it makes sense now. Domesticated males are selfish and treat females more like property than mates. And I did originally expect to have a more domestic type of life with Talia. Especially after I mounted her that first time and found she was still a virgin. I like knowing I'm the first man to know her like that. And I liked the idea that I would be the only man to know her like that.”

”Sorry old friend,” Cougar apologizes.

”Nothing to be sorry for,” Richy shrugs, ”Sometimes it's better not to get what you wish for. It's been good to see you sober and happy again. I've missed my old friend. So, he took her some breakfast, is that where things went wrong?”

”Yeah,” confirms Cougar, ”I went down to the family room and a couple of minutes later we all heard a big thud over us. I told everyone I'ld check it out and be right back.

I was hit with the scent of my dad's arousal just before I stepped into the room. I was just as confused as Talia because he had never been aroused by Talia before. Except I guess when she put out that scent and marked us, but I was too busy thinking about my own hard-on to pay attention to anything else.

I stepped in and Talia was crouched at the side of the bed confused, scared and startled. Dad told her to come to him and she told him not without your permission. Then he reminded her that he didn't need your permission and that he didn't need to ask her either. I know my dad has never pulled rank on a female like that before. But Talia asked him why. And he told her without getting into detail about the scent she'd released, that he wanted her so badly it hurt. She wanted him to seek out someone else. He didn't tell her she'd marked him as hers and the other women weren't receptive to him anymore because of it. He just said he needed her and no other woman would do.

I didn't know what was going on. But when he ordered Talia to come to him, I called her to me and sent her out of the room so I could talk to him. I just thought he was letting his little head do his thinking for him. I've never seen him so frustrated before in my life. He's always been calm cool and collected. He's always had excellent self-control. But he ran out of there.

I went back down to the family room trying to figure out what the hell had happened and told them 'you're not going to believe this.' After I told them what just happened, Amazonia, Zenith and Roar explained the scent marking etcetera to me.”

”Anything else I need to know,” ask Richy.

”Eventually my dad won't be able to ignore his need for Talia. That he could become a danger to himself and others, suicidal. Roar hopes you won't take long in accepting that you'll be sharing Talia with not only me but my dad too. He doesn't want to lose my dad. I don't want to lose my dad…

It's weird. I never thought I would be sharing Talia with my own dad. Ain't no sense in trying to wrap my brain around it. It is what it is and I just need to accept it… Stones, you're my best friend so nothing unusual about that. But I'm going to be sharing Talia with my dad too. Never heard of that one before.”

”So Talia's aware of what happened now,” asks Richy.

”Yeah,” confirms Cougar joylessly, ”I told you she had a meltdown today. Zenith explained it to her, gave her the basics real quick and gentle. But finding out she's suddenly gone zero to three mates in barely a month was overwhelming for her. But she doesn't know my dad could become dangerous and suicidal yet if they don't consummate and seal themselves as mates sooner rather than later.

Amazonia said Dad has a really strong mind, heart and will. She thinks he may be able to hold out at least six months, maybe even a whole year. But she didn't see Dad this morning, I did and I'm scared for him.”

”Come on,” Richy wants Cougar with him because he may have more questions, ”I need to get out of this uniform.”

Just before he enters his master bedroom, the scent Wildcat left behind hits Richy's nose. ”Wow, I've never smelled such a desperate need before. He confused and scared Tali real good.”

”The loud thud we heard above us in the family room was Tali fallin' off the bed when she rolled away from Dad,” shares Cougar.

”You don't smell that desperate for her,” Richy tells Cougar as he grabs a pair of jeans.

”Amazonia and Zenith both think being part domesticated is saving you and me from feeling the full effect of Talia's scent mark,” shares Cougar. ”It kind of makes sense. I'm half domestic and you're three quarters. But what did you need to do right after she released that scent.”

”I needed to fuck her,” admits Richy. ”I needed to fuck her right there and then. I needed to show Fjord she was mine.”

”So did I,” admits Cougar, ”But I knew I couldn't. I knew you'ld fight me if I tried. I knew I had to wait for you to be ready and I've got to do my best to be a good boy until my divorce is final. But it didn't stop me from begging for just a dry-fuck the other day. But she won't do anything you haven't given her permission to do. She needs you to tell her when it's going to be ok to be with me and for you to give her permission to be with Dad before he shows up and exercises his right to mate with her without your permission. Because if he takes her without your permission, it'll break her heart and her heart is scarred enough.

I can't even imagine how hard this is for my dad. He's a hundred percent free, absolutely zero domestic blood. He's feeling the full effect of Talia's scent mark.”

Richy pats Cougar's shoulder companionably and they head outside through the sliding glass doors. Richy inhales deeply through his nose and all the scents of the day fill his nostrils. Bass and Cougar did the lawn. Cougar used the push mower to get those up close tight places while Bass rode the riding mower. But the smell of fresh cut grass didn't completely destroy the scents people left behind. Talia's fear and confusion, Wildcat's intense overwhelming frustrated desire for Talia cut by a sudden horror just before he ran off is still there along with the genuine concern of everyone else as they came outside to check on Talia and Wildcat. Amazonia didn't go near Talia after she came outside. The scent of her concern for her father's wellbeing follows in the direction he ran. Something good happened that offered the rest a pleasant momentary distraction.

Richy's cousins' children are playing on the jungle gym. There doesn't seem to be quite enough children without Howl and Talon. Bass is sitting at the top of the jungle gym drinking a beer. Otter climbs off her seat on the jungle gym and approaches Richy and Cougar.

As Otter smells Richy she informs him, ”I just wanted to make sure you weren't angry. The last thing she needs is your anger. She's fragile, Richy. Not physically, but emotionally she's fragile. She doesn't truly know how to be around people. She's just gone through the motions when it's been required of her.”

”Why do you suddenly smell guilty,” Richy asks Cougar.

”Because I'm one of the people that left her to suffer,” admits Cougar. ”Not once in over a decade even though I thought of her every day did I make a phone call to say 'hey' and asks her how she was doin'. I didn't stop by Devonshire Tower to try to catch her at work, didn't try to catch her at the estate or with our tribe. I just kept telling myself she was fine, that she was better off without me because I always seemed to get her in trouble… I won't ignore my heart when it comes to Talia anymore Richy. I won't leave her to suffer alone again.”

Richy puts his hands on his hips and informs Cougar, ”The day your divorce is final. That's what I'll tell her regarding you. Until then, be a good boy. No actual intercourse until the day your divorce is final.”

”What about Wildcat,” asks Otter concerned. ”He's suffering terribly. Cougar told you what will happen if he goes too long before coming together with her fully as mates, didn't he? Wildcat will go mad?”

Richy sighs as he admits, ”Yes he told me.”

”So,” Otter insists, ”She needs your permission to be with Wildcat. What are you going to tell her regarding Wildcat?”

Richy shifts his weight irritated as he answers, ”What needs to be said.”

”What does that mean,” demands Otter. And when he answers her with silence she demands, ”Mist… What does that mean?”

Richy pushes the fingers of one hand through his hair, ”It means what I said. I'll tell her what needs to be said… Listen, I'm doing the best that I can here. I'm coping with the situation as best I can. I've finally found the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with and I'm madly in love with her. Except there's a catch, I'm going to have to share her with not one other man but two other men.”

”Stop whining like a selfish baby,” Otter tells Richy. ”You don't hear Cougar pitching a bitch and one of the men he has to share her with is his own father. He's going to have half-brothers and sisters that will be half-brothers and sisters to their own nieces and nephews. It's not like you have to share her with Fjord. He's chief while you have no rank in our tribe. He may not be able to take her from you. But that doesn't mean he couldn't decide to show up here and mount her any time he likes. You live in tribe territory and you have no rank. You're a ghost.

Technically, you can't refuse him if he decides to stop taking no for an answer from Talia. But Wildcat has enough rank to refuse him. Fjord can try to claim insult, but what can he do about it if Wildcat refuses to be generous with his mate. Water Tribe is the weakest of all tribes here in Wild Mountain Territory. He can't make war on anybody even if he wanted to. Water is a little dog surrounded by big dogs. So we have to play nice.”

”Fjord isn't the only chief interested in Talia,” shares Cougar. ”The former chief of Dragon Tribe, Scale, started inquiring about her for his son Mantis, who's the current chief. Black Bear explained his plans for Talia at that time and Scale understood and accepted it. But last I heard Mantis still wants her. He asked Roar for an arranged mating. Except Roar told him if he really wanted Talia, he'ld have to win her heart. He wouldn't force her into anything.”

”Which means,” Otter points out to Richy, ”that you need Wildcat. Here in Wild Mountain Territory you and Cougar are both males without rank. You're both ghost. You float in and out of wild life. You can't protect her by yourselves. Wildcat has rank and respect. The only way it could be better is if he were a chief. You need him so every chief with a slight interest and whim doesn't just walk in here and fuck her right in front of you.”

Richy didn't like being smacked in the face with those facts. But Otter is right. She's had firsthand experience on being taken advantage of by chiefs. He's quiet for a few moments then asks, ”Please, where is she?”

”Mother's with her in that really dark shady spot,” answers Otter. ”She's had a bad day. And Bass hasn't helped. He didn't get to nail anybody before they left and he's been ogling her all day.”

Richy knows the exact spot Otter described. As he walks past the jungle gym he points at Bass and warns him. ”Don't make me kick your ass.”

Bass takes a couple of quick gulps of his beer and hollers at Richy, ”Selfish domestic pig!”

Richy pauses to tell Bass, ”I'm gonna let that slide because I smell you've had a few too many of those.”

Richy continues to the dark shady spot where he finds his aunt doing her best to keep Talia calm. Talia smells ill. Cougar was right. She's worried herself sick, literally.

Seal gets up from sitting with Talia as Talia assumes an extremely submissive position before Richy on the blanket she's laying on with Seal.

Seal informs Richy, ”She's been terrified that you're going to be angry with her.”

”It's ok,” Richy assures his aunt, ”I'm not angry. I may kick Bass's ass before the day is done. He called me a selfish domestic pig.”

”She's a beautiful woman and he's currently drunk and as always horny.” Seal sighs, ”I'll leave you with your mate.”

”So why aren't you rushing in there to help out with your mate,” Bass asks Cougar.

”Making Talia feel better has always come easy to me. Richy needs to learn how to be there for her too. I don't want him to feel like I have an advantage with her that he doesn't. It could develop into resentment over time and we're all going to be together a long time,” answers Cougar.

Richy looks down at Talia on her hands and knees, her face lowered to the ground. He can smell her tears as he gets down on his knees before her. Her nose is all stuffed up from crying and keeping her from smelling that he's not angry. He can't blame her for expecting him to be angry. She hadn't done a damn thing wrong yesterday when he over reacted.

Richy lifts her face and she starts to apologize. ”I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, I'm so sorry.”

”Shush now, shush, I'm not mad. Look at me,” request Richy as he wipes tears from her face. He repeats softly, ”I'm not mad.”

Talia blinks as she looks at him through her wet lashes, ”But I screwed up really big… Huge, big, big, big, fucked up big.”

Richy smiles as he tells her, ”It was an accident. I was there and technically you weren't even conscious when it happened. And if Fjord hadn't showed up uninvited, it wouldn't have happened. It's his fault, not yours.”

Talia looks confused as she tries to smell him, ”I don't understand. You don't know what I did, do you?”

”Cougar told me,” answers Richy, ”you scent marked me, Cougar and Wildcat as your mates and inadvertently sealed Cougar and Wildcat to you as your mates along with reinforcing my bond with you as your mate.”

Talia's bottom lip trembles, ”I can't fix it. I'm sorry. I can't fix it. I know you don't want to share me and I never wanted to be shared. I understand if you're angry. I really fucked up.”

”I'm not angry, and sometimes getting what you want is a bad thing. You know, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. And sometimes getting something you thought you didn't want is a good thing.”

”You're not going to punish me,” asks Talia.

”No,” answers Richy. ”Now I need you to forgive me for that. I didn't mean to punish you. That was my own insecurity raising its ugly head with a roar. I never should have touched you while I was angry and upset. I'm sorry.”

”So what do you want me to do? I can't fix it. What do I do,” Talia eyes looking up at him, her true-mate, needing his guidance.

Richy tells her, ”Cougar needs to be a good boy until his divorce is final. The day his divorce is final, he has full privileges with you that he should have had as your mate a long time ago.”

”What about Wildcat,” ask Talia. ”What do you want me to do about Wildcat?”

Richy tells her plainly, ”Wildcat is your mate, same as me. There's no reason for you to deny him so don't.”

”But last night you said you need our first baby to be yours,” reminds Talia. ”If I don't deny him, it may not happen that way.”

Richy shrugs, ”I still get to be your husband.” He kisses her engagement ring hand, ”And if the first one's not mine biologically, maybe the next one will be… Just, when Wildcat comes to you again, don't deny him. He needs you to accept him.”

Talia nods her head sadly, ”Ok.”

”What's wrong,” asks Richy.

”I want to have your baby,” she tells him as she pulls him over her as she lays back. ”I want yours,” she tells him as she undoes his jeans. ”Please, give me your baby.”

Richy finds himself pushing his way inside her. And even though she's more than wet enough, fitting himself inside her is still a challenge. Her channel is short and tight and he feels as if she's squeezing him. It's an excruciatingly sweet sensation. Her body is kind of a miracle because after he finds himself hitting the end of her while not even half of him is all in yet, he keeps pumping and pushing and somehow she manages to take all of him.

Richy has always satisfied the women he's mounted. But there's a joy that comes with satisfying Talia he never felt before her. It's in her moans and sighs and in the way her body reacts to his. The way she's instantly wet for him pleases him. Her orgasms begin small and quick. And when her purr kicks in and her channel begins to vibrate around his cock, it nearly sends him over the edge. But he knows she has more to give him as the intensity of her orgasms increases. The increase in their intensity adds to the excruciatingly sweet squeezing sensation and creates a sucking sensation that drives him wild. He didn't receive his first blow job until after he started college. And being an overly endowed man, he received one less than occasionally. It usually only happened when a domestic female wanted to challenge herself to see if she could deep throat him. If someone had told him it was possible for a woman to suck his cock with her pussy back then, he wouldn't have believed it. Yet that is exactly what's happening when Talia's mini-orgasms become macro-orgasms. And as he finally pushes her completely over the edge, she takes him with her, sucking and squeezing his seed from him.

As Richy is giving Talia a slow deep kiss, they hear Cougar's voice say, ”Stones.” They look up to see Cougar and Bass both standing their messaging their crotches.

”The kids heard Talia cry out,” Cougar informs them. ”They were afraid you were hurting her. We tried to explain to them that if you were hurting her she would be hollerin' like 'no stop' or help, not 'yes, yes, harder.' But they wanted us to make sure Talia was alright.”

Talia makes a face that Cougar thinks is the cutest annoyed squished little face ever as she says, ”Well obviously I'm fine.” And she tries for some modesty by pulling the tube top back over her breasts and crossing her legs since Richy has rolled out from between them onto his back.

Bass falls to his knees near their feet holding his crotch and begs, ”Please, Mist, please, you've got to let me fuck her. I've been dying to fuck her ever since she put out that scent while Fjord was here.”

”Hell no,” Cougar tells Bass. ”You are not gonna get to start fucking her before I do.”

”Shit,” says Bass as he massages his crotch with both hands. ”Then, then… just let me finger fuck her while I jack off.”

”Mother Earth,” exclaims Talia rolling her eyes.

Cougar shrugs. He doesn't see any harm in Bass's request to masturbate while he finger fucks Talia. Richy sighs and Talia knows his answer to Bass. Richy's not happy, but he knows how persistent Bass can be.

”Shit,” says Talia softly as she leans back on her elbow.

Richy tells Bass firmly, ”This is not permission to pester Talia. You can smell just as well as I can that she's just not attracted to you. So don't drag it out.”

Talia rolls her eyes and sighs as Bass opens his shorts and pulls out his erection. He's not nearly as big as Richy and a bit smaller than Cougar too which sets Talia to wondering about Cougar's rating system.

Bass reaches for Talia's top and she glares hard at him. Bass responds with ”Aw come on, you've got great breasts.”

Talia's not happy as she says, ”Fine, whatever.”

Bass pulls down the tube top. His erection slides against Talia's outer thigh. He takes a shaky breath as he takes a breast in each hand.

”You've got full Ds,” states Bass. Then he sucks one into his mouth and humps his erection against her outer thigh as he suckles at her breast.

Talia is naturally top heavy for a free or domesticated female. The average free female is a full B. But boob-jobs mean you won't find many domestic women who's breasts are naturally a full B or larger.

Talia decides to just ignore Bass as he uncrosses her legs and pushes them apart. He begins to stroke himself as he slides a finger inside her.

Talia looks at Cougar and reminds him, ”Last night you said Richy and Roar have 'triple X size cocks…'” She licks her lips because she's thirsty. ”So you've got a rating system for cocks?”

Cougar nods, ”Yeah, it's based off an ancient rating system for movies: G, general audiences, would be a really small penis; PG-13, still small; PG, about medium size; NC-17, medium-large; R, definitely large; X, extra-large and Triple X, super-sized cock.”

”How would you rate yourself,” asks Talia.

Cougar bobbles his head as he thinks for a moment, ”About an X.”

”What about me,” ask Bass.

Cougar looks at Richy and the two men have a silent consensus. Then Cougar answers, ”About an R.”

”Will you just hurry up,” Talia tells Bass annoyed.

”You're no fun,” Bass complains.

”I don't want to be fun for you,” Talia informs Bass.

Bass narrows his eyes at Talia. Then without warning, he latches on to her clit with his mouth and sucks strongly.

Talia gasp surprised, ”…Shit.” She grabs a handful of Bass's thick dark hair in an attempt to gain some control of Bass's actions. With her body not cooled down from sex with Richy yet, she's hit hard with an explosive orgasm that bows her back. Her eyes turn black, then white as her claws poke holes in the blanket beneath her. She begins to convulse.

Richy grabs Bass by the back of the neck and jerks him away from Talia, ”That's enough… You're finished.”

”Yes I am,” responds Bass referring to his own ejaculation with a smile. But his smile fades as he watches Cougar scoop a still convulsing Talia up.

”Come on, baby,” requests Cougar as he strokes Talia's hair back from her forehead, ”breathe…”

The convulsion slows to a stop and Talia takes three fitful gasps. Her breathing starts to regulate but her white eyes remain unfocused.

”Talia can you hear me,” asks Richy.

There's barely a perceptible nod of Talia's head. She hears him.

”What's wrong with you,” Richy asks Bass angry, ”You taking lessons from Fjord?”

”He's drunk,” Cougar tells Richy, ”People make bad decisions when they're drunk.”

”She was ignoring me and being a bitch,” says Bass.

Richy slaps Bass hard, ”Don't you ever presume you can punish my mate. And from now on, if she doesn't want to be touched by you, you don't get to touch her. So don't you pester her or me about it ever again. And don't call me and asks me to stop and grab beer on my way home from work. I'm not ever bringing alcoholic beverages home again.”

Talia's white eyes are now focused. Bass's attempt to penalize her hasn't left her overly upset. She's now sitting up with all her weight against Cougar's chest as he holds her protectively. Her stare is detached as she finally says, ”I don't want to have any more sexual contact of any kind with any more men that don't love me or respect me.”