The Brothers Menage Read online

  “What’s all the ruckus going on in here?” he said. “Tomorrow comes early in the woods. How many times have I told you two boys that?”

  “Sorry, Pa,” Jacob said. “He’s having another one of his night terrors. I tried to keep him quiet.”

  “Is that so?” He pushed the door wide and stepped in, his bulky figure blocking all the light for a moment. “Come on, son, let’s get you tucked in.”

  The Huntsman slipped his arm around Cliff’s shoulders and guided him toward the bed.

  “Pa, I’m almost twenty-one years old. You don’t have to tuck me into bed anymore.”

  “You’ll never be too old,” Pa said. “Never, as long as I shall live.”

  “Now don’t talk that way. You’re not going anywhere.”

  “’Tis true, but you two have your whole lives ahead of you. You don’t want to waste them out here in the woods with this old man. Now, climb up.”

  Jacob knew exactly what he was doing because he’d repeat the actions below, on him, in a moment. Stooped, Pa pulled the blankets over Jacob’s body, and ruffled his hair.

  “It’s the anniversary of when the great gods of the woods brought my two boys to me. No wonder the dreams are coming fast and furious this night,” the Huntsman said. “Don’t you two fret. You’re safe. You’ll always have a home with me. But I also think you’re ready to venture into the wild.”

  “We have everything we need here,” Jacob said. Pa sat on the edge of his bed and repeated the movements from above. “Why would we ever leave?”

  “Your wealth is worth nothing in these woods,” the Huntsman said. “You need to find your own way, your own happiness, and, maybe, someday, a woman.”

  “A woman!” Cliff exclaimed. “Now I think you might be losing it. You don’t have a woman. Why do we need one?”

  The man who’d raised them stood, paced across the room, and returned, leaning against a wooden support beam. The shadows in the room highlighted the etching of years on his weathered face. He looked tired, as well.

  “In some ways, I feel like I’ve done you two lads a disservice, keeping you out here all this time.”

  “And out of harm’s way,” Cliff said. “How many times have you said it was for our own good? That someone wanted to hurt us?”

  “’Tis the truth, but it was also selfish of me.” He rubbed a palm over his beard. “Now, just because I’ve lived here, alone, without the comfort of a woman, doesn’t mean I believe you two should make the same choice. Fore, I have loved.”

  “What?” Jacob had never imagined their father’d had a companion. “How come you never said anything?”

  He shrugged half-heartedly. “Some things are too hard to speak about.” His voice took on a wistful quality, as if he was seeing something else in his mind’s eye. “Clarice and I grew up together. She had the finest straight red hair. It shone like a winter berry, no matter the season.”

  Heart pounding, Jacob waited for him to continue. There had to be more to the story.

  “What happened to her?” Cliff finally asked.

  Jacob resisted the urge to reach above and sock him one. Give the man some time!

  With a shake of his head, Pa displaced the magic of the tale that had taken hold. “Some beauty is too fragile to survive in this world,” he said. “That’s a story for another day. For now, just know you don’t need to choose to be alone. I’m sure that when the time comes, there will be someone special for both of you.”

  Once he’d planted the idea, it was hard to ignore.

  “I did the best I could by you two, but in some ways I don’t think that was enough.” Pa settled into his well-loved wooden chair by the fireplace. “Years ago, I found you wandering out in these very same woods. I think it’s time you know the true story.”

  True? Did that mean some aspect of the tale he’d told them was false? Part of Jacob really wanted to hear what he had to say, and another part of him wanted to duck his head under the covers and shield his ears. He acted brave, but some fears were hard to face. Knowing would change everything, and, once they heard the truth, they’d never be able to go back.

  “We’ll talk tomorrow evening, after the day’s chores. The night holds many secrets and doesn’t like to give them up,” Pa said. “You both need to rest now.”

  Chapter Two

  Sunlight cut through the morning haze. Since before dawn, Jacob had lain awake, waiting for the appropriate time to get up and start the day. After Cliff’s rant about the woman-doe, he’d said he’d be staying in and refused to return to the forest to hunt. Not that Jacob didn’t believe his brother saw something. But what? Add his brother’s experience to the nightmares of the previous night, and he was more than freaked out.

  He felt under his pillow for the daily treasure. Not for the first time, he wondered if the magic would stop if he were ever split from Cliff. They’d come onto the magic together and woke every morn the same way.

  “There it is.” His hand closed around a cold metallic sphere. He pulled out a golden egg and held it up. Just as beautiful and perfect as every day. Without a thought to what the riches could be used for, he shoved the treasure into a burlap sack in the pantry. Whenever it filled, their father took it and stashed it. The older he got, the more he wondered its worth.

  By the wan lighting seeping through the windows, he dressed. After gearing up, he slung his rifle over his shoulder, gave a final look to the sleeping household, and left. This moment, in the early morning light, was one of his favorites. It was as if the forest continued to sleep, and he was alone in the world. As a twin, it was a feeling he didn’t often have.

  The air smelled like the morning dew—nature in its freshest, most virgin state.

  “Help me. Please, help me.” A soft female cry drew him deeper into the forest, near where they’d set up a few traps. “Help me!”

  The sky darkened, and the air grew thick. Jacob stepped carefully. He didn’t want to stumble into one of his own traps. What would he find as the owner of the voice? The space between trees narrowed, and thick branches, heavy with foliage, slapped him in the face. He pushed through, following the weakened cries.

  Finally, he entered a small glen and saw what had been trapped. A snow-white rabbit struggled in an ugly trap.

  “Please let me go,” she begged. “I will grant you one wish.”

  He shook his head. His brother’s fantastical stories must be leaving an impression. A woman shifting into a deer, and now a talking rabbit? There was no way he had discovered a talking bunny. All his years in the forest, collecting their meals, and never had he heard such a tale.

  “Who are you? And what do you want?” He spoke harshly. “You must be a figment of my imagination.”

  “No, kind sir, I am not,” the prettiest little bunny he’d ever come upon said. “Please. It hurts so.”

  At her admission, he glanced at her trapped foot, and, for the first time, noticed the crimson marring her exquisite white fur. He blanched, feeling all the blood flee his face.

  “Just hold still and I’ll help,” he directed. “The more you fight, the worse it will be.”

  As gently as possible, he settled on the forest floor, wondering again if this happenstance had anything to do with his brother’s encounter. Jacob placed his hand on either side of the sharpened wood contraption.

  “When I give the word, you try to free your paw, err, foot, whatever it is,” he said.

  “I will, kind sir.”

  “You might not be thinking that in a few minutes. I have no doubt this will hurt.” He gritted his teeth, about to open the trap. “Ready, and go.” Giving a firm tug, he pulled it apart.

  With a weak cry, she escaped the wooden jaws. Now he understood a little better how his brother had felt the previous day. It was one thing to hunt, and quite another to communicate with the potential victim. Even if, as in his case, it was a bouncing rabbit.

  “Now that I’ve freed you, you said I’d have a wish, eh?” he asked. Not that an a
nimal could grant wishes. It wasn’t like she’d been freed from a magic lamp.

  “Oh yes.” She leaned forward on her front two paws and kicked out the injured leg. “For your good deed, you definitely deserve a reward. What is it you would like?”

  He didn’t want for money, or for love. While others might seek far-off adventures, Jacob was content being close to home. Their father always warned of the potential danger outside the forest, and, tonight, he might tell them more of that.

  “I want to know how this magic works,” he said. “What is your secret? I’ve known many a four-legged creature in my lifetime, and never have I ever had such a detailed conversation with one.”

  “If you insist. Stand back, please.”

  Before his eyes, she transformed, stretching to reveal smooth, long legs, a shapely body, and a wild mane of white-blonde hair. His brain stuttered to comprehend what he was seeing. How was it possible?

  She reclined on the blanket of leaves, nude. “Am I everything you hoped I’d be?”

  “I, uh, had no idea.” The appropriate words failed to come to him. Were there any appropriate words?

  She moved to cross one ankle over the other and winced. “Ouch. That stings.”

  “Let me try to make that feel better.” He dropped to his knees, slipped his canteen from his belt, and poured some cool water over his handkerchief. He dotted the liquid over her ankle, carefully wiping away the blood.

  “Oh, that feels good.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “Your touch.”

  Something about the way she said “touch,” her mouth curving into an O around the words, made his base urges rear. She was like one of those mythical creatures his father told stories about: a siren. Without song, though, she lured him in.

  He wanted her, and be damned if she didn’t want him, too. He’d stored it all up, this yearning for something else, someone else, over these past few years, and, finally, he’d met her. The woman he was destined to be with. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the spell, but it held true. It sounded crazy, but fate had brought them together.

  Without thinking, he moved the material in his hand higher, trailing the curvature of her calf, over her knee, and to her upper thigh. Without further urging, she reclined, opening her legs and granting him access.

  No hair marked the area between her legs. She was beautiful, with perfect pink nether lips. From her pale skin, she wasn’t used to being out in such a harsh environment for so long. What had he been thinking?

  “Don’t stop now,” she urged. “I want you to touch me, kiss me.”

  Like prey drawn into the tasty treat of a trap, he settled next to her. She turned on her side, facing him, and trailed her unhurt foot over his pant leg. The contrast of her natural state to his dressed one stood out.

  Hands shaking, he slipped an arm underneath the curve of her waist and, staring into her eyes, leaned in for his first kiss. As soft as the first fresh snow of the season, their lips brushed—one against the other—so light if it stopped there, he’d question if it ever happened. His breath caught in his throat, and they took a gulp of air in unison.

  “Shut your eyes,” she coaxed. “Let it happen.”

  Harder, he pressed his lips against hers, and she opened to him. He breached her mouth with his tongue, seeking hers. She tasted sweet, like his favorite apple pie with a hint of cinnamon, fresh from the oven. How could that be? The tension in his body pulled taut. All his muscles felt like he exerted his body, except for his mouth, which melded to hers. He sought more. A bigger bite. Jacob placed his hand between her thighs, inching toward her core.

  Firm thighs closed upon his hand, trapping him in. Feeling the pressure, he opened his eyes, surveying the woman in his arms. She smiled.

  “Maybe we should learn a little bit about each other before going further,” she said. “What’s your name?”

  Reality crashed through his fantasy. What am I doing? Only minutes before, he’d been chasing her as an animal, and now he was rolling on the forest floor with her. He pushed away with more forced than intended, landing on his ass. Is this what Cliff experienced yesterday? But he said the woman had red hair. Her laughter followed him.

  Gracefully, she stood and shook out her injured foot. The corners of her eyes turned down, and her smile faltered.

  You can’t catch love with your hands.

  Not with your rifle, or

  with your bow and arrow, or

  with your trap or snare.

  Love is the trophy.

  Catch me if you can.

  After the final line, she morphed into the rabbit and dashed into the underbrush. Jacob’s heart pounded. He didn’t dare attempt pursuit, knowing she’d evade him. Instead, he gathered his belongings and what was left of his dignity and returned home to face his brother. Was there more than one woman in the forest? Together, they’d uncover the mystery and perhaps capture the prize.

  ***

  “She was a rabbit!”

  “She was a deer!”

  Could there possibly be two women who were able to shape shift into forest creatures?

  The brothers bantered back and forth until one argument slid into the other.

  “Just stop, already.” Their father stood between the two men, his arms outstretched, looking from one to the other. “In all my years with you two, I’ve never seen you act like this, and what? Over a woman?”

  “She’s more than that,” Cliff said. “If you saw her, you’d understand. It’s like nature took all the fire and robust red flowers in the forest and infused it within her soul. She burned so bright….”

  Jacob shook his head. “Imagine winter’s first big storm, and pure virgin snow blanketing the meadow. It’s crisp and clean and fragile. That’s who I saw today. Who I touched.” He brought his fingers up to his lips, trying to grasp the sensation of her against him.

  “I get it,” Pa said. “She’s special. So special, it’s worth breaking you two apart?”

  He threw his hands up and collapsed into his oversized chair. “Go at it. If you hurt each other over this woman or womenfolk out there, then what’s to happen to her? If this song she recites is true, you’re going to have to come up with another means to capture her heart.”

  Silence filled the cabin, and the two men squared off visually.

  “What do you think?” Jacob asked. “Is it the same woman, or are we dealing with two magical creatures?”

  Cliff rubbed the stubble on his chin. “What are the odds there would be two of them? But how can I see a deer, and you see a rabbit?”

  “Maybe, as a shifter, she can appear how she wants, and she approached us in the form we’d most want. Or we just happened to come across her at that moment,” Jacob replied.

  The anger filling his body dissipated, and Cliff’s stance loosened from the stress that ate at his soul. His brother was not his enemy. Likewise, he wasn’t his rival.

  “Tomorrow, I think we should go into the forest together and see if we can find her.”

  “What do you make of the song she sings? We can’t trap her by ordinary means.”

  “True, but maybe that’s alone, separately. What about together? I say we make a plan so she won’t be able to escape both of us.”

  As the words left his mouth, Cliff already doubted them. Maybe, this time, he should listen to his brother’s advice and approach the mysterious creature in a different manner. Something told him, though, that time was running out. Surely, something magical was upon them, and that was partially the reason for the encounter. Otherwise, they would have come across her previously. They’d spent their entire lives within the woods, hunting, and they were more than familiar with the territory. Likewise, their father knew the lay of the land.

  “Sounds like you two have come to a truce,” Father said. “Good, before I made you hug it out. It’s been a long time since I had to resort to that punishment, but you’re never too old.”

  The brothers groaned in unison. “Noooo. Not that.”

&nb
sp; “Now, in order to go forward, we must talk about the past,” Pa said. “Get comfortable. It’s not going to be easy.”

  Darkness from outside seeped into the cottage and their souls as Pa’s voice grew, becoming their entire world. In their room, Cliff took a seat beside Jacob. His brother’s familiar presence offered a continued source of comfort. Since Cliff suffered from haunting memories, this story would affect him more.

  “As I said last night, ’tis true I came upon the two of you. But what I didn’t share is that I spoke to your father, your real one, and he told me the reasons he left you—”

  “After all these years,” Cliff interrupted. “But why tell us now?”

  “You’ll know the reasons soon enough. I’ve waited all this time to tell you. Let me do the telling.”

  He weaved a tale of an overcast morning and a hunt for food. Right when he was thinking about turning back for the day, he’d come across two crying boys with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, a bedroll, and a small backpack.

  “‘Are you lads lost?’ I asked.

  “‘No-no-no, sir,’ the dark-haired child answered.”

  “That must have been me,” Jacob said.

  “Imagine figuring that out,” Cliff muttered.

  “Do you want me to continue on, or do you already know this one?” the Huntsman asked.

  “Please go on,” Cliff said, encouraging him.

  “I couldn’t imagine how two small boys could make it all the way out in the woods without any supervision and still not consider themselves lost,” he explained. “A few minutes later, a man approached. The dark-haired child threw his arms around the man. ‘Dad, I thought you’d left us.’”

  “And he did,” Jacob tensed his body as if to move, but Cliff placed his hand on his arm. “Please stay, for me.”

  With a nod and a firm set of his jaw, he settled down. “Go on.”

  “The man detailed how he was hiding the two of you from greater harm. You see, he was a poor blacksmith whose wife had died in childbirth. His brother was a rich craftsman who always wanted more and more money. One day he came across a special bird who laid golden eggs, and—”