Homestead Harem 2, page 9
With no time to think, I kicked Lara in the stomach as hard as I could, sending her flying backwards into the river. The rushing current took her immediately, pulling her under the water and carrying her away.
I blinked. That worked—for now.
Behind me, Lara’s two cronies were facing off against Ellen and Alexis. In the shadow of the large tree trunk Charlotte had been tied to, Sophia and Charlotte tended to Jordan, who was losing blood from her neck.
“Ellen—crowbar!” I demanded.
The rabbit-girl’s reflexes were quick as ever, and she hardly had to look behind her before tossing me the weapon as I sprinted on the scene. I grabbed it as I ran at the cat-girl, who was stalking towards a downed Alexis. Rearing the bar back like a homerun hitter, I struck the cat-girl in the face so hard I saw teeth flying, her orange hair splaying out around her like a burst of flame as she hit the ground. Immediately, she began rolling around in agony, clutching her head in pain.
One moment later, owl-girl was on my back again. Before I could slam her into another tree, someone ripped her off of me—Ellen, who seemed fed up with her typical evasion moves and was out for blood. Turning around and grabbing the owl-girl from Ellen’s grip, I threw her on the ground, fed up with this fight, and punched her in the face over and over again—until her wide eyes were swollen shut, her round, moon-like face sprouting deep purple bruises.
I got so lost in the loud rush of adrenaline in my ears, the visceral anger flowing directly from my chest to my fists, that I didn’t notice Lara had crawled out of the river.
Charlotte’s scream pierced my heart as I noticed, too late, the feral, dripping wolf-girl sprinting from the riverbank towards the mother of my child. Even at a super-human sprint, I wouldn’t get to her first—I couldn’t save her, couldn’t get there fast enough—
It was Sophia who tackled Lara to the ground before she could get to Charlotte. I watched in awe as the squirrel-girl, if not a little awkwardly, rolled on the ground with her former family member, struggling for dominance in the dirt.
I caught up with Charlotte then, instinctively wrapping my arms around her before trying to help Sophia—but Charlotte stopped me, holding me at her side. Letting Sophia finish what she started. I complied, staying close enough to step in if necessary.
Lara must have been exhausted from the fight and her near-drowning—or Sophia was a lot stronger than I expected—because the squirrel-girl managed to gain the advantage, pinning Lara to the ground and slapping her across the face. Clearly, Sophia had never been in combat—for the scene looked more like two teenage girls fighting over a boy than a life-or-death battle. But still, she was holding her own.
Lara reached up at Sophia’s face, trying to claw at her, but Sophia kept slapping—screaming, “Just! Leave! Them! Alone!”
As soon as Sophia started screaming, it was like something in her broke—and the words just kept pouring out as she dominated the now-exhausted Lara, pinning her down and yelling in her face.
“All they want to do is live peacefully out here, and you and Maven just have to ruin it! You! Ruin! Everything! You take and you kill and you slaughter and you steal and you never consider who you’re hurting! How dare you try to attack an innocent pregnant woman! How dare you! I never want to see you again!”
With that, Sophia stepped off the shocked and injured Lara, staring down at her with hatred on her tanned face, her small squirrel ears perked up with anger. Her chestnut tail was bushier than ever, large and angry behind her.
“I mean it!” she shouted, her shrieking making all of us jump. “Leave!”
Lara blinked up at Sophia like she didn’t recognize her. And then, the craziest thing happened. She listened.
“C’mon,” she grunted, to which the owl and cat-girl limped towards their leader and away from us.
“Go tell Maven I’m done with her lies,” Sophia added, tears streaming down her face as she watched them go. She trembled slightly, her bushy tail shaking behind her. “Tell her Jonas is twice the leader she’ll ever be!”
At that, Lara turned around for a moment to shoot Sophia a deathly look.
“Keep walkin’, Fido!” Alexis shouted after them.
I winced, but the mutant girls turned and kept limping away. Leave it to Alexis to almost accidentally start round two.
As our enemies disappeared into the thick, fluorescent green foliage, we all looked to Sophia, who was wiping angry tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice rasping. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Badassery,” Alexis said. “That’s what came over you!”
“Agreed,” Jordan added. She was leaning against the tree trunk and clutching a wad of bloodied fabric to the wound on her neck, looking even paler than usual.
“Let’s get you to the infirmary,” I said firmly, scooping the bat-girl into my arms at once.
“It’s just a minor flesh wound,” Jordan insisted, even as she rested her head woozily on my chest.
“Sure, sweetie,” I said, picking up my pace.
As we all made our way back to the farm, Charlotte took her place at my side, and we exchanged one of our silent conversations. I made sure she was truly alright, she assured me that she was, and that I should focus on Jordan for the time being. I apologized for ever letting her out of my sight, for putting her in danger. She shook her head as if to say: you have nothing to be sorry for.
“Did I do good?” Jordan suddenly mustered the strength to ask, her eyes fluttering. Alexis ran ahead to the aux barn to prep the medical supplies in the musty clinic.
“You were brilliant,” I assured.
Jordan’s small, heart-shaped mouth settled into a weak smile.
“I like Sophia,” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
I looked up at the squirrel-girl walking ahead of us with Ellen, still trembling from the fight, her chestnut hair shining in the afternoon sunlight. I couldn’t imagine how difficult a position she was in—and how much strength it must have taken for her to stand up to Lara like that. To protect us over her former family, again and again.
“Me too,” I replied. “Me too.”
Chapter
Thirteen
“She’s gonna be fine,” Alexis assured me, dabbing antiseptic into Jordan’s wound while the bat-girl winced. “That Lara’s got a mean bite though.”
“A mean everything,” Charlotte agreed. “I can’t believe they tricked me into believing there was a baby out there. Honestly—who does that?”
She had her arm wrapped around Jordan, both of them sitting on the makeshift hospital bed in the auxiliary barn. Ever the mother to all the girls, she’d long ago become the resident hand-holder for anyone on the farm receiving medical care.
“Psychopaths,” Alexis answered. “Psychopaths do that. But really, Charlotte—a baby? Alone in the woods? C’mon.”
“I have pregnancy brain!” Charlotte countered, her olive skin turning pink. “I’m sorry, I hear a helpless creature and I go dumb!”
“No one’s blaming you,” I assured, patting her on the hand and shooting Alexis a look.
“Sorry,” Alexis said. “You’re right. We see a lot of babies crawling around alone in the woods.”
Jordan bit down her smile while Charlotte shot the fox-girl a lethal, I’ll kill you with my bare hands despite being massively pregnant look.
“You’re in trouble now, Lex,” Jordan teased.
“Just sit still while I extract this werewolf venom,” Alexis deadpanned, going back to her work.
I opened my mouth to speak, but, suddenly, a muffled shout echoed from the direction of the house.
Charlotte and I immediately shared a silent conversation.
“We’re okay,” she assured. “Go.”
I nodded, satisfied that my girls were safe enough.
“Lock the door behind me,” I reminded them as I set off to the house.
Unsure if I could handle another round of combat just yet, I scanned the lawn as I walked up the small slope towards the house, looking for danger. But all seemed calm as I approached the front door, Benny guarding the front with the sawed-off shotgun.
“Hi, Jonas,” he said eagerly. “How was your mission?”
“Very lucrative,” I replied. I wanted to blow past him—but I stopped, gave him a good up-and-down. “You holding down the fort over here?”
“Yes, sir,” he replied eagerly, his naked ears poking up through his scruffy hair as he straightened his shoulders back like a good soldier.
“Good,” I said, mussing his hair as I walked past him into the house.
I wasn’t sure what to expect—the shout I’d heard hadn’t been violent, but it did make me uneasy. So when I walked into the living room to find Ellen lecturing all thirty-two members of the farm while everyone sat around with their heads down in shame, I had no idea what to think.
“—because she’s not from here, you want to shame her? Make her feel unwelcome?” Ellen was saying, standing before everyone with her hands on her curvy hips, her blond rabbit ears erect in anger on her head. “You think this has been easy for her? She was beaten and jailed in her community for sticking up for us. The only reason we even know Maven and her crew are coming after us is Sophia risking everything to escape and warn us. I’m ashamed of you. I’m ashamed of all of you.”
The only sounds in the room were the creaks of the old couches as girls shifted awkwardly in their seats. I saw a few of the younger girls shedding silent, shameful tears.
“What happened here?” I asked.
Everyone looked up—most noticing me lingering on the edge of the scene for the first time.
Ellen pursed her lips.
“I came in the house to find the girls telling Sophia to go back to where she came from. Telling her it’s her fault we’re under attack.”
My breath deflated my chest like an empty balloon. I’d figured as much.
I got why it might happen—people in this new world had to think defensively. It was easy to get killed if you didn’t harbor a healthy amount of skepticism and fear towards strangers. The girls on the farm hadn’t gotten to know Sophia like we had, after all. But I wouldn’t tolerate making her feel unwelcome.
“I’m sure Ellen has already said all that needs to be said,” I declared, too tired to rant about the importance of cultivating a safe and welcoming space blah blah blah etcetera etcetera etcetera at the moment. “The lockdown is over, for now. And, thanks to Sophia, Charlotte is safe. So I want the animals fed and watered, the eggs collected, the horses taken out.”
Everyone in the living room began to stand up, still shame-faced from Ellen’s lecture. Polly and a few other mutant-girls hung back, cleaning up an abandoned game of Monopoly from the living room floor.
“I know we’re all scared right now,” I added. Everyone stopped moving to listen. “It ain’t fun to hide out from an attacker we can’t see, to wait for a battle we know is coming. I know it. And I’m proud of all of you for staying calm while we figure this out.”
My being nice seemed to make half the girls feel even worse. It was a tactic my mother used to use—call me good and honest and well-behaved until I admitted I’d snuck out the night before and she smiled, having known it all along.
“We’re a family,” I declared then, more of a threat than a reassurance. “Let’s act like it. You hear?”
All the girls (plus Leaf and Kyle) nodded shamefully as they left the living room. When the house had cleared, only Ellen and I remained.
“You shouldn’t have gone so easy on them,” Ellen declared, crossing her arms over her ample chest. “I walked in here to find Sophia running upstairs crying.”
I exhaled, this day officially taking me to capacity. Pulling the incensed Ellen into my chest, I inhaled the top of her blond head, smelling her familiar vanilla scent.
“I’m serious,” she added, although her voice was losing its edge. “It was unacceptable.”
“Mmhmm,” I breathed, kissing her head. I pulled her back, pushing a lock of her hair out of her face. “I know, and that’s why it’s good you set ’em straight. But we all got ten pounds on our backs right now, darlin. No sense making it eleven.”
She rolled her blue eyes at me, trying not to smile.
“Don’t soften me up with that country charm,” she teased. “You know how much I hate it.”
“You hate it?” I questioned, leaning down to kiss her neck. She shuddered as I did, her mouth parting slightly. “You hate when I’m a Southern gentleman?”
“Mm,” was all she responded as I kissed up her neck, nipping at her earlobe gently.
I pulled away then, and her eyes popped open in annoyance. We both noticed her nipples were erect through her thin white t-shirt.
“We should probably go check on Sophia,” I exhaled, pulling us both back to cold, hard reality.
She sighed.
“You’re probably right.”
I followed Ellen’s wide, swinging hips up the stairs (was I crazy or was she swinging them more than usual?), all the way to Sophia’s closet/room. The squirrel-girl was face down on her makeshift bed, sniffling away tears.
“Oh, darlin’,” I said, sitting down next to her and touching her back. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just scared and confused. Ellen set ’em straight.”
Sophia lifted her face from her pillow, blinking up at us sadly.
“What if they’re right?” she whimpered. “What if it’s all my fault?”
She collapsed into my chest then, and I wrapped my arms around her. She smelled like hazelnut and sun-soaked afternoons.
Ellen sat down on her other side, rubbing the squirrel-girl’s bare thigh gently.
“That dog just don’t hunt, girl,” I assured. “How could it be your fault when you’re the one protecting us from all this?”
“But…” Sophia sniffled, “I saw how Maven reacted when I told her how happy you were on this farm. Maybe…maybe I just made her mad. Maybe telling her how good it seemed just made her want to take you down more.”
“If we’re getting punished for honesty now, Ellen and I will be the first to go,” I replied, squeezing Sophia into me more tightly. “Actually, scratch that. Alexis is on the chopping block first.”
Sophia laughed a little at that.
“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Ellen assured. “You’ve been through so much, Soph. But you’re a member of our family now. And we’ll always protect you.”
“That’s right,” I agreed, placing one gentle finger below her chin. “You’re one of us now, girlie. You proved that today.”
Sophia blinked her hazel eyes up at me, the moisture disappearing from them. Then she looked at Ellen, who was still gently rubbing her thigh.
“Thank you,” she said. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
I kissed Sophia’s forehead gently, and she closed her eyes, relaxing into me while Ellen stroked her leg. We stayed like that for a while, breathing quietly while we all recovered from the craziness of the day.
“That feels good,” Sophia said softly, referring to Ellen’s gentle hand on her thigh.
Ellen caught my eye briefly, and we both seemed to be thinking the same thing. Sophia was cute, and kind, and had gone the extra mile for our little group. Could she be more than just another member of our farm?
Stroking Sophia’s face gently with my thumb, I kissed her forehead once, twice, three times. A soft hum escaped the squirrel-girl’s lips, and I felt her face go warm as I moved slowly down to her nose and her cheeks.
Lifting her chin up, it was clear she wanted to be kissed. I hovered my mouth a centimeter from hers for a moment, feeling the desperate longing emanating from her lips.
And then I kissed her.
Sophia’s mouth was soft and gentle, her kisses exploratory, as if no man had ever touched her before. I doubted any had—and it was clear she had been waiting a long time for this, as she instantly molded her body to mine, wrapping her arms around my neck and humming soft moans into my mouth.
“Whoa there,” I teased, pushing her thick chestnut hair out of her face as she smiled sheepishly at me. “Lie back, good girl. Let Ellen and I take care of you.”
Sophia did as she was told instantly, her chest heaving up and down with sudden excitement as she lay obediently on the bed. Ellen pulled Sophia’s small tank top over her head, revealing perfectly round, tanned breasts with dark, pointed nipples. I took one between my fingers, playing with it gently while Sophia squirmed in anticipation.
“I think these nipples need to be sucked,” I said, to which Ellen nodded in agreement.
Ellen’s blond hair curtained down across Sophia’s bare stomach as she sucked a dark nipple into her mouth, making the squirrel-girl whimper quietly. Meanwhile, I was pulling her shorts down, revealing the perfect V of her tanned body meeting her thighs.
“Spread your legs,” I breathed, to which Sophia instantly complied.
Her entrance was tight and gleaming, a sheath begging for a sword to fill it. But I wanted to savor it—savor my first time fucking Sophia, for I suddenly realized there might be many, many more times after this.
Pushing two of my fingers into Ellen’s mouth, I felt myself growing hard as the rabbit-girl sucked me, getting my fingers wet before I slid them gently into Sophia’s hole. She was indeed virginally tight—and I felt her whole body clench around my fingers in excitement and shock as I gently massaged inside her.
“Ooo,” she moaned, seeming to surprise herself. “Jonas, that…that feels so good.”
Sitting on the bed next to her like I was her father reading her a story at night, I began to slowly pump my fingers in and out of Sophia, turning myself on by watching her face twist with the shock of a newfound feeling.
Ellen, always knowing exactly where she was needed, knelt down on the ground before me, pulling my cock from my jeans as she had done many times before and sliding it into her perfect mouth. I placed my other hand on the back of Ellen’s head, looking down at her blue eyes as she stared up at me with intense adoration.
