All over the field are creatures dressed in kilts.
My gaze sweeps over everyone, my eyes landing on Bodin, Ren, Shinsu, Viggo, Killian, Silas, Bash, Aurelius, Pierre, Beryl, and even more familiar faces—all of them wearing the vibrant red Stewart tartan with its intersecting green, white, and yellow lines.
This is my clan.
I blink a couple of times to clear the mist in my eyes and swallow against the knot in my throat, then turn to Audrey. “When? How?”
She wipes at my cheek. “We wanted to find a way to honor the old and celebrate the new. Everyone was keen really quickly and they were all fitted months ago.”
Bodin spots me and charges up the hill, wrapping me in a giant hug.
“How did you keep this a secret?” I ask him.
“Bribery, if I’m honest,” Bodin replies, keeping a hand on my shoulder. “Tilly said if I managed to not let it slip, then we’ll do something we’ve not done since before she was pregnant. That was enough motivation for me. Apparently all the partners received similar incentives.”
“That’ll do it,” I remark.
“Go have fun,” Audrey says as she pulls me down for a quick kiss.
As Audrey walks over to join the other partners sitting on picnic blankets next to the field, she cups her hands around her mouth and shouts, “We’re all hoping for strong gusts today. I told all the kilt wearers it’s traditional not to wear underwear and they promised they wouldn’t.”
Behind her, the group starts blowing air toward us, pretending they’re the wind while the lads cup their hands in front of them.
I’ve never worn undergarments so I didn’t think this would be a problem, though I can’t say I’m particularly interested in seeing everyone’s cocks flying around.
But if it amuses Audrey, then that’s okay. As long as she remembers whose cock belongs to her.
Eventually, almost the entire community gathers around the demarcated area and the first ever Stewart Games commences.
For the log toss and hammer throw events, it’s each creature for themselves while a rowdy crowd cheers us on from the sidelines.
As the afternoon sun beats down on us, we sweat and grunt, shout and growl while we hurl the heavy objects across the field, much to the spectators’ delight.
Between sets, we visit our partners, who take it upon themselves to motivate us by whispering the filthy rewards we can expect later in our ears.
Audrey reapplies my sunscreen and quietly reminds me of our plans for after the festival, which instead of helping me concentrate, manages to completely distract me from my objectives.
Maisie, forgetting the strength of our hearing, mentions a very explicit fantasy to Ren, and while we’re still recovering from the shock of her offer, he goes on to win the log toss event.
Bodin manages to throw the hammer the farthest and Tilly jumps up and he scoops her into his arms. Luckily the twins are with Calla or else we’d have to find a minder for them while Bodin and Tilly disappear behind a boulder.
Once everyone’s refreshed, we prepare for the main strength contest. The tug-of-war battle between different teams.
Bodin, Ren, Shinsu, and I formed a group pretty early on and named our team Starry Strength. Audrey and Maisie suggested some alternative names that were wildly inappropriate for a family-friendly festival, so we vetoed all of them and stuck to ours.
Our team’s able to win our first battles and we advance to the finals where we go up against another strong group consisting completely of out-of-towners.
“Go, Shinsu!” Nori cheers, standing with Audrey, Tilly, and Maisie.
Maisie looks at the three women around her, and at their nods, gestures toward them. “Okay, Starry Strength. You heard what I offered Ren. If you guys win, each of you can expect the same from your partners tonight.”
Ren’s eyes widen and Shinsu’s grin is slow while his scales flash excitedly all over his body. Bodin gives Tilly a thorough once-over and I simply raise my brows at Audrey, who shrugs back at me.
Starry Strength takes first place and the pride of our town.
As the rest of the festival continues, the competitors take a small break to clean up and rest, while Shinsu and Nori get ready for today’s main event.
Audrey and I head back to the castle where I drag her into the shower with me.
