Part I here

Adam Stone’s gaze missed nothing. Just then he leant on the second upright post supporting the porch and studied the bustle in the compound. Every now and then he sniffed the air as if to catch a scent of something. Maybe I should release the beast tonight and see what I can turn up, he mused.

Then he heard his named called and turned to see Sundance trotting over to Adam way across the yard. At the last minute the Navajo realised his mistake and affectionately slapped the younger twin on the arm. Adam grinned. How could that old fool mistake John for him? After all it was just a haircut and in any case, John was still wearing those faux-cowboy outfits of his. Then he remembered a childhood of mix-ups and pranks. Only their mother could always recognise them, even when Garrick was fooled.

“Hey bro,” John grinned as he approached, “Second time this morning,” he said, “Sundance thought I was you.” The younger twin laughed to himself.

“So I saw,” Adam grinned back, “Just like when we were kids,” he laughed and then to change the subject added, “How did your date go?”

John frowned. “Interesting, very interesting…” he stopped and gave his older twin a significant look only he could have read.

Adam straightened up and nodded towards the barn. “Let’s talk,” he said in a low voice.

John looked around before nodding. “Let’s,” he agreed.

The barn smelt of wet hay and musty leather.  If anyone had been hiding they would have sensed them, but that didn’t stop Adam making a sweep while John scanned the yard and peeked through a couple of gaps between the planks.

“What’s on your mind?” Adam said t last.

Sure now that they couldn’t be overheard John filled him in about Coleridge and Stacy’s connection to them.

“How do you know the lawyer isn’t spinning you a line?” Adam asked thoughtfully. His mind raced through angles.

“Nah, she didn’t know the journalist until she hit town,” John said dismissively.

“Love is blind,” Adam accused mockingly.

“I never said I loved her,” John protested, but he sounded like a teen and he was blushing.

“Sure looks like it,” the older twin teased.

“I don’t know…” the younger man grimaced.

“Do you mind if I have a crack at her?” Adam asked casually. “I mean if you don’t love her?”

John set his mouth into a tight line. For a long second he felt an unaccountable urge to fight his brother just as they had as boys. The silence that followed hung like winter molasses and the two men squared up.

“If she thinks I am you…” Adam let the suggestion hang.

“Deceive her you mean?” John’s fists balled up, a move not missed by his brother.

“You’re right, I would never let get that far, not without letting her know first.” They both knew what ‘that far’ meant. “But maybe if she got see what a bastard I really am first-hand you would stand a better chance?”

John relaxed. He didn’t buy that, but it occurred to him if she was really inextricably drawn to his brother then this would prove it one way or the other. “You promise to play nice?”

“I think she is a ringer, I am not promising anything. I have no interest in this woman, except to protect our family,” Adam all but snarled.

“What if you are wrong?” John spat.

“If you really believe that…” Then let me try. The words left unsaid.

“And if you are right?” John’s voice almost cracked. He was as taught a bow string again, “You won’t…”

“I won’t harm her,” Adam promised, “Not without the go ahead from Dad anyway. We could just run her out of town; her and that prying journalist friend of hers.”

John sighed. He felt sick. Coleridge was bad news. A strange she-wolf was bad news, and usually lawyers and reporters were bad news. Adam might be right; this was getting to be all too much of a coincidence.

“Listen I am not going to let a woman come between us,” Adam said, “I mean if you say no then it won’t happen. I will find another way.”

John considered: if Adam only got to know her… “Alright, I’ll set up a date,” he sighed heavily, “and you can keep it.” He didn’t know what was worse, his betrayal of Alice or his brother of his feelings.

Adam felt no triumph and now stood with his head back looking up at the hidden sky above the barn roof. “Shit,” he said.

*

Alice had been pondering what Stacy had told her. Put together with everything else it was beginning to sit uneasily with her. What had she said about Garrick being older than he looked, and Jared Stone serving in WW2? None of that had made any sense, any more than books about vampires. Stacy was funny and kind of cute, but from any logical standpoint she was some kind of New Age flake. It was good to put people in boxes, defining them made them easy to deal with.

The trouble was Coleridge seemed to be the same kind of flake and he had a small army at his back. What was more, he seemed to be buying some of Stacy Dane’s bullshit. Either the lunatics were taking over the asylum or…

Alice didn’t allow her thoughts to go there. Instead she ran an eye along the clothes rail and picked out a nice body-hugging floral number. Men liked her in it and she licked her lips in anticipation, anticipation of what? John was just a good friend; this wasn’t that kind of date. It could be, a little devil whispered. Alice felt the heat rise. In a trice she discarded the idea of the dress and opted for denims.

The make-up was another matter. No girl skimped on make-up, not when she was about to go on parade. War paint her mother had called it. The thoughts of war brought her back to Coleridge and his army and other darker things.

*

Adam thought he looked like he was about to cut lumber, not to go on a date. Seriously, his brother had to smarten up. No wonder Alice preferred him to his younger twin. Anyway, at least he looked the part, he had even fooled the guard on the gate. The only thing was; how was he going to fool a smart girl like Alice for long? He had none of John’s easy charm and he had to admit he had the sense of humour of a slap to the face.

John had arranged to meet at the diner as usual and Adam would have preferred the Shack as it was darker. As he approached he remembered high school and the tricks they pulled on teachers. He smiled and was still smiling as he walked through the door.

The room didn’t tense up like it normally did and one or two people even nodded at him. He was about to scowl when he remembered that he was John and not Adam tonight. So this was what it was to be liked, he thought.

He looked over at Alice and steeled himself. He needn’t have worried. The lawyer’s face lit up when she saw him; no one had ever been so pleased to see him as this. Jesus Christ you stupid idiot, he cursed his brother, she likes you. He almost frowned. It was just like a woman to deceive a man, he thought. She pretended to John she liked him and to him she had nothing but scorn. For a long second he was confused. Did she prefer John? Why did that bother him?

Alice was still smiling when he hit the table. “Hey, your second favourite hick has arrived,” Adam said, trying to sound like John. “Why don’t we skip this joint and hit the Shack?”

Alice stood and gave him a peck on the cheek. She smelled amazing and Adam pulled away. When their eyes met Adam thought his deception was blown but Alice was still smiling.

“You know all the best places,” Alice teased and picked up her purse.

“What can I say?” Adam made an expansive gesture like his brother used when he was kidding around. This was beginning to be fun.

“Vodka tonic?” Alice said smoothly.

“Step this way,” Adam said as he made an ostentatious bow.

*

The date went well, so well that it took a while for Adam to bring the subject on to Stacy.

“That girl is seriously weird,” Alice agreed, “And those friends of hers…”

“Friends?” Adam said sharply.

“You’re right, not friends really. I don’t even think she likes them much. They are more like journo contacts… only…” Alice frowned.

“Only what?” Adam remembered to smile, but inside the beast was roused.

“Look I don’t… I only came to town to get those stupid signatures for the probate, not to pry into your family. I… I think Stacy is kind of obsessed or something. If I had known about Coleridge and…” Alice took another slug of vodka.

Adam put his drink and went raw Adam. He had long since forgotten his distrust of Alice, he was sure now John was right. He even liked her, but she knew something. He let his eyes rest on hers.

Alice avoided his gaze and took another sip of her drink. “I used Stacy to snoop around your ranch. That day I was caught, remember.”

“She was there?” Adam growled, he was pure Adam now.

Alice nodded. The personality changed didn’t pass her by, but she kind of liked it. Maybe John and Adam were more alike than she thought.  “Sorry,” Alice said meekly, “I didn’t know about Coleridge or all that crazy stuff Stacy had been spouting… well I did, but I didn’t know it was any more than just stories.”

“What did she say?” Adam pressed her. He reached out and took her drink from her hand and put it down for her.

She was too drunk for the move to bother her and the take-charge action even thrilled her.

“I don’t know, I don’t even get it… some stuff about your father being some kind of immortal, like some kind of vampire, only she said it wasn’t that. You have an uncle or something, with the same name as your brother?” Alice wanted to drop the subject and get back to the date.

“No,” Adam was annoyed at this random aside. He didn’t have an uncle called Jared, but his senses were on fire now.

Alice was still babbling. “Anyway, the stuff about some grandfather of yours really being Garrick Stone and another relative of yours serving in the war… but who looks like your brother… it is all bat shit crazy. But that’s not the crazy thing…”

“No?” Adam tried to remember he was supposed to be John.

“I think Coleridge believes all this shit too. He only came to town because Stacy called him. They have a file on your father and you for all I know,” Alice was beginning to sober up and notice Adam. How could she ever have thought she liked his brother? She wished she had worn that dress now. “Let’s get another drink.”

“Maybe, but I think maybe I had better get you back to your motel,” Adam said gently. How could he have been so blind? Stacy was the problem, not Alice, Stacy and more to the point, this acquaintance of hers, Coleridge.

Alice smiled and leaned in close. “If you think so,” she purred. Oh you slut, chided herself.

*

“You want to come in?” Alice asked as they reached the door of her cabin.

“Yes,” Adam told her, “But I am not going to.”

“Is this about your brother?” Alice said gently. She was sober now and really beginning to wish she had worn the dress. She closed in so that he could feel her breath on his face.

“My brother?” Adam said quizzically before remembering. “Oh that… I think I had…” he sighed. “I have something to tell you.”

“Come in and tell me,” Alice said firmly and gestured to the door. In her mind she was a liberated woman with both feet in the 21^st century.

Adam and John weren’t that much older than her, but their parents and their tribe belonged to a different age. If it hadn’t been for John, Adam would have taken anything on offer and forgotten about it. He almost believed that too.

“Okay,” he agreed. After all, nothing was going to happen.

As she turned to open the door his gaze took in the curves of her fulsome bottom contained by taught denim. Adam had had his pick of women but Alice Eden was from another league. His brother certainly had better taste in women than he did in clothes.

“I might have some whisky or something,” Alice said easily, her even teeth disarmed him with their smile.

For once in his life Adam was beginning to feel out of his depth.

“John, John what’s wrong?” the smiled vanished from Alice’s face to be replaced with real concern.

“You’re innocent of all this aren’t you?” Adam sighed.

“Of all what? John what is it?”

“I’m not John.” Adam folded his arms and slouched against the door post just inside the now closed door to wait for Alice to digest what he had just said.

Alice frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I’m Adam,” Adam said, he had never regretted anything more.

Alice made a panting sound and pointed at him. “But…” Then she saw him for the first time and sat down hard on the bed behind her. “Of course, you idiot,” she closed her eyes and muttered to herself.

“I am sorry, and for what it is worth, it wasn’t John’s idea,” Adam explained.

“No, I bet it wasn’t,” Alice let out a slow breath.

“I had to know, about you, about Miss Dane and this Coleridge and his hunters,” Adam told her.

“But that is all…” Alice took another deep breath. This was crazy. Her next words could have been sane. She could have asked him to leave. She could pack her bags and run for it. For a long second she even saw that. But that would mean accepting something she was not ready to believe and maybe never would be. So instead she fell back on the present and some justified but unfelt outrage. “You, y-you lied to me, you would have… what just to get into my panties… you bastard…”

Adam frowned. He hated a woman who swore, especially this woman who was too good for it. “I did, but I don’t appreciate your tone or your language. I am sorry, but you know I tried to leave. I had no intention of… anyway, what about you? You have lied and have been sneaking around with our enemies; even spying on us. You only made friends with my brother to get to my father.”

Alice coloured up, it was true, all except the last part.

“Bastard, you and your brother,” Alice spat.

“John, God help me, likes you. He only agreed to my scheme so that you would clear yourself,” Adam growled.

“Oh and have I?” Alice screamed.

Adam blinked and then looked her in the eye. “As a matter of fact… yes. I am sorry I ever doubted you and… I am sorry I deceived you.” He had rarely apologised to anyone and he was now as surprised as Alice.

“Oh.” Alice opened her mouth to say more and found that she couldn’t. So instead she just said a rather unconvincing, “Bastard.”

“Don’t say that,” Adam winced.

“Bastard,” Alice said again. She was wearing her best bitchy smile, but it didn’t fit.

“I said, don’t speak like that.” Adam found his true commanding self and let her see it.

Alice stood up and took a step towards him. Punching him on the chest she spoke again, “bastard,” she hissed.

Adam regarded her with a hot steel gaze. “I warned you once before that I would spank you. Call me that again and I will do it.”

Alice slapped him hard across the face. “You retro-retard,” she said with half an attempt at scorn. She felt a little ashamed at using the r-word and wondered from what twisted cave in her mind it had sprung from.

“I think I should go,” Adam replied with heroic self-control.

“Coward,” she said and went to slap him again.

This time he caught her arm and held it in a vice.

“Bastard,” she challenged him.

His face softened and he tilted his head in her direction as if to say ‘really.’

They fixed eyes on one another for several long seconds. Then hefting her as if she had no more substance than a paper doll he swept her up and swung around to sit in the bed. As he did so she fell face down and helpless across his lap as he had intended.

“What the…?” Alice gasped, “You wouldn’t dare.” Then she winced, hardly believing she had said that.

Adam laughed. “It seems we have gone from Shakespearian farce to movie cliché,” he said.

“Let me go,” Alice protested.

“Eventually,” Adam agreed, “But first you have to learn a couple of things. For one, the thing about clichés is that they are usually drawn from real life. For another, you will learn that when I say a thing, I do it.” His hand cupped her cotton-clad bottom and seemed to regard its weight and warmth.

“A-adam, Adam,” she protested.

The spank was sharp and sudden and made a satisfying crack as it landed. Alice emitted an equally satisfying squeal.

“Bastard,” she growled angrily, the burning impact of his paw singing in her bottom like nothing before.

Adam sighed. “You know, it is the custom in our family that a spanking really should only be administered to the bare bottom. I was going to spare you that but…”

“Adam, you wouldn’t dare, I mean it…” Alice spluttered and then yelped as he spanked her again.

“You mean it do you? What you are going to learn, young lady, is that I mean it,” he warned her.

Alice felt a blood surge… well just about everywhere and actually gulped.

Hooking a thumb into the waist band of her denims he applied slow firm pressure until the button popped and the zip burst open to allow her pants to be drawn down over her upturned bottom. Unfortunately for Alice her panties came with it and both slid down her firm tanned thighs with ease.

“Oh my God,” Alice gasped. This wasn’t happening.

Alice was not the only one shocked by the sudden exposure of her bare bottom. Adam felt his stomach tightening, along with something else. For one second they both held their breath. He studied her taught well-defined curves as one might look upon art or even a glimpse of the Goddess and the he remembered his business with her.

Swinging back his arm he let it fall in a wide swing to clap the hard flat palm of his hand smartly across both her bottom cheeks.

“J-Adam,” she shrieked.

“Jadam? Who is he?” Adam chuckled and spanked her again much harder. “What’s my name?”

“Adam,” she growled through gritted teeth,

“Adam, that’s right, you are dealing with me now and you aren’t going to forget it any time soon young lady,” he scolded her.

“Bastard,” she spat.

“My you are a defiant one aren’t you?” Adam chuckled.

“Defiant, sassy, uppity,” she snarled, “Isn’t that what you mean you fucking dinosaur?”

Adam was genuinely shocked. No woman in the pack would ever use such language. Once Garrick had done blistering their hind end, Augusta would scrub their tongues raw and then add some back at the other end for good measure.

Holding his temper Adam let his displeasure show and for a long minute he spanked Alice with a will and at speed.

“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” Alice raged breathlessly, bucking helplessly in his firm grasp as she twisted her bottom every which way to avoid the onslaught.

“Still gracing us with that mouth of yours,” Adam barked and repeated the volley, this time swinging low under her curves where she sat.

“You,” she hissed, “Bas…” she caught herself in time.

“Beginning to learn,” he chuckled and added a third burst of spanking.

“You bastard,” she yelled in true angry defiance.

Adam shook his head and grinned. He truly admired her strength and courage now. Most pack brats he had spanked would have been sobbing their apologies and making promises by now. For an outsider she was one tough girl.

“I can’t let that pass,” he said with a tone of genuine regret.

He slowed the spanking now, letting firm stinging sweeps with his hand fall sharply so that she felt and lived each swat. This time she grunted and gasped as his hand and fingers found every curve and crevice.

Throughout Alice squirmed and beat at his legs in futility, tears pricking at her eyes and threatening to cascade down her fire-red face: a rich colour dull next to the tomato crimson of her bare bottom. I won’t cry, I won’t, she prayed more than promised herself.

“Bastard,” she groaned through clenched teeth.

“What was that?” he asked with some amusement.

“Bastard,” she croaked again.

He shook his head in wonder and upped both the tempo and the weight of the spanks.

Alice grunted and her face contorted as eyes started in her head.

“Ahhhhjeeez,” she wailed.

“No its Adam,” he teased and slowed the spanking pace again so that she could appreciate his efforts on her behalf.

She made three short sniffing sounds now and her shoulders began to shake.

“Adam please,” she spluttered and then she was crying openly.

“No more foul mouth and insults?” he asked, spanking her hard and fast again.

Alice frantically shook her head, careless now of the tears rolling down her face.

“No, no I’m sorry,” she wailed, “Please.”

“’Sorry,’ well that’s a start,” he said in a stern voice.

“Start?” she gasped.

“Oh yeah,” he told her and continued to spank.

“No, no, no, noooo,” Alice wailed and began to bawl like every late-teener Adam had ever spanked, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Five minutes later Alice was a sobbing mess and lay across his lap hugging his thighs for comfort. No man had so thoroughly bested her before and she hadn’t the strength for animosity. She felt as if she had been purged in fire until every shred of her anger had boiled over and poured out of her.

“I think I have made my point. Now when was the last time you found yourself in the corner?” Adam said in a firm voice as he encouraged her stand.

Alice forgot about the intimate triangle of hair revealed in front and just gaped at him.

“The corner?” her jaw dropped.

“That one will do,” he pointed to where bare cream walls met next to the bathroom door.

“You aren’t serious,” she said breathlessly, both hands clamped to the molten curves of her bottom as she hopped from one foot to the other.

“Do you still have an attitude problem with me?” he asked her seriously.

Alice’s eyes flashed and for a second she wanted to defy him again. “You wouldn’t… I couldn’t take any more,” she wailed.

Adam shrugged and let John’s borrowed denim jacket slip from his shoulders and drop to the floor. Then slowly he began to unbutton the cuff of his lumber shirt and roll up his sleeve.

“The corner,” she swallowed, “That one,” she pointed and scurried to where he had previously indicated.

“Good girl,” he chuckled.

“God it hurts,” she sniffed, “And how long do I have to stand here?”

“Take a guess,” he laughed, “And Miss Eden, hands on head like a good girl.”

Alice rolled her eyes and obeyed as her face flamed red. He was giving her no wriggle room to preserve any dignity or pride. Bastard, she thought, but there was no vehemence to it now and her head spun in confusion. She couldn’t say she hadn’t been warned and try as she might she the crazy feelings she had harboured before were stronger than ever.

Adam ran his eyes over the red hot bare bottom and cursed the iron rod crushed up in his pants. His honour hung by a thread and he steeled himself.

“I guess I’ll be leaving you now,” he said.

“Leaving?” she blurted and half swung around her elbows like wings to her head.

“You had a date with Adam not me and anyway if I stay here I might just remember how many times you called me a bastard and spank you again,” he growled.

Alice turned back to face the wall her breathing rapid. The paintwork had no answers for her.

“I’ll take that chance, don’t go,” she whispered.

“I promised…” he began, but he hadn’t, not exactly. His throat was tight and the wolf stirred within him. “I’ll think about it for a little while, but you stay there,” he added with a laugh.

“Enjoying the view?” she replied with mock scorn.

“Oh yeah,” he growled.

Alice swallowed and wished she could rub her bottom again, but at least there was water now to counter the fire; and very close to, she thought shamelessly. Her fear and arousal ran as one like beasts through a forest.

“Are you really going to spank me again?” her voice was thick but incredibly the tiny terror there seemed tinged with hope.

Adam dropped onto the bed and regarded her red sore bare bottom. It was begging for another spanking.

“If you ask me to stay one more time you can count on it and I promise you, you won’t sit down for a week,” Adam told her, he sounded angry and was already moving towards the door.

He knew he should go. This was going to get complicated, but he had never wanted a woman so much.

“Oh Christ,” she whispered to herself and her heart almost leapt from her chest. She was falling down the rabbit hole or into the jaws of… “Stay,” she whispered a little louder.

To be continued…