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Finally, they were done. Lyda pushed the plate away, sat back. "Noah, kiss Gen."
He rose on his knees, sliding his arm around her waist. Gen barely had time to draw an anticipatory breath before his mouth was on hers. There was something to be said about restraining a man's natural assertiveness. It was like shaking a bottle of soda. He kissed her with a thoroughness that had to be unique, had to be for the two of them alone, her and Lyda.
He belongs to us, Gen thought fervently, staring into his eyes when he pulled back. She'd destroy anyone who tried to hurt him. Lyda would bury the body at her nursery. Use it for fertilizer.
"Missed a piece," Lyda said. He lifted his head, turned his attention to her. She had a piece of egg in her fingertips. He took it from her with such gentleness, it made Gen ache. His attention was fastened on his Mistress's face with a raptness that matched the intensity of Gen's kiss.
"We're going to Gatlinburg with you, Noah. Both of us."
From his startled expression, it was clear Lyda hadn't informed him that she was going, let alone Gen. But he rallied. "Yeah. I mean, yes Mistress."
Surprised, almost boyish pleasure crossed his face. Even Lyda wasn't immune to it, for her mouth firmed as if to hold back her own smile. She caressed his jaw. "Be still," she murmured, gripping his throat when he started to lean forward. Lyda kissed him, teasing his tongue with hers, holding that flesh and blood collar on his neck. It caused something between a moan and a growl from him, those brown eyes showing pinpoints of fire.
When Lyda drew back, she rose from the table. "Wait for me. No talking."
She disappeared down the hallway, going out the back door. Gen glanced at Noah, and was caught by his gaze. It was amazing how full silence could become. By the time Lyda came back, about five minutes later, she was literally lost in everything she saw in his eyes.
Lyda was carrying a book. Stepping out of the shoes she'd donned to go outside, she turned toward the stairs to the second level without stopping. "Follow me. Both of you."
Noah rose, offered Gen his hand. She laced his fingers with her own. She wanted to say so many things to him, but she kept letting her eyes do it. Lyda was right. Words didn't cover certain things. Lifting both her hands to his face, he pressed his mouth against them. Tears pricked her eyes. He nodded as if they'd actually spoken, and then led her in Lyda's wake.
When they reached the doorway of the bedroom, Lyda was standing by the bed. It was the first time Gen had noticed the cage had a two doors in it, the second fitting into the design so seamlessly it would be overlooked except when open, as now. A divider had been added to the cage, a barred insert that turned one cage into two aligned side by side, so Lyda could reach down and touch either of the occupants from the same side of the bed. A mattress had been added to the new compartment and Noah's mattress had been rotated to accommodate the adjustment. Now Gen knew what Noah had been doing those extra minutes alone upstairs.
"In you both go," Lyda said. "And no, it's not time to sleep. Not yet."
Something had changed when she retrieved the book. Though her face was impassive, Gen picked up a tense note in her voice. Noah seemed to as well, but he moved forward at Lyda's command, holding onto Gen's hand until the last moment, as if he knew she needed the reassurance. Gen watched him take his place beneath the bed, then lifted her gaze to Lyda's.
"I know it's not your thing," her Mistress said. Her expression softened slightly. "But for the next few minutes it is. You can leave the door open."
Gen thought it through. That very first night, Lyda had told her she could refuse anything, without repercussions or guilt. Even now, she was waiting on her, not in that impat
ient way to goad Gen's arousal with a Mistress's demand or threat. She was giving Gen time to determine if this was a hard limit.
Her gaze slid to Noah. He'd shifted to his side, had his head propped on his fist, and was studying her. As her eyes slid down his body, she noticed he had one foot threaded through the bars, into the cage she would be occupying. Intentional or not, the whimsical gesture, the light in his eyes as he saw her notice it, made her realize this was still within her control. She could leave the door open, right?
Noah had said there was a security to sleeping inside of cage. She supposed that depended on whether that cage rested beneath your Mistress's bed, a Mistress whom you trusted to hold your well-being above all other things. By showing that trust, she supposed a sub gave the Mistress a gift in return.
Taking a breath, Gen moved past Lyda. Giving her another quick glance, she knelt and slid into the cage.
The sheets were pale lavender, and the pillow smelled like that same herb, a pleasant, soothing scent. As Gen slid on to it, she slid down far enough her foot touched Noah's. He curled his toes over her arch, a quick caress. "It's okay," he murmured. "I wouldn't let anything hurt you. Neither would Lyda. You're safe with us."
So service-oriented he could be mistaken for a Dom. She saw the proof of it in the wholly reassuring touch and tone, his direct look.
"Who do you serve, Noah?"
Lyda could issue commands, purr like a siren, or cut like a whip with that voice. This was a new note, cold like an officer dressing down a soldier for an infraction that could have gotten him killed. It brought Noah's head up and his full attention upon her.
"You, Mistress," he said quietly. "I serve you."
"I don't believe you." Lyda opened the book, withdrew a folded piece of paper. "This was on the bedside table in the guest cottage."
Lyda opened it with a snap, showing a bold scrawl. "This was why you hadn't pulled off the bedding yet, wasn't it?"
Sleep on these sheets before you wash them. --Your Master
Gen stared at Noah. He'd dropped his gaze to the floor in front of the cage, looking anywhere but at either of them.
"Look at me," Lyda snapped. His head jerked up, though he looked like he'd rather be Perseus looking at Medusa. "You would have done it. Answer me, Noah."
