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  STUDS

  Beverly Rae

  About Studs ~

  Fun and chaos are unleashed when a sister and brother supernatural duo wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Texas cowboy, his friends, and his ranch. With their ability to "push" emotions into humans, this sexy brother and sister are out to change the rules of love. Even if they have to get help from a meddling dirt faery.

  Matlantian Words and Meanings

  Critetes – money

  Chocolatiea – chocolate

  Coustis – coffee-colored Matlantian drink

  Doaga – Damn

  Ficillies – heeby-jeebies; creepy feeling

  Gliantias – prehistoric horses that were short and stocky.

  Haellus - hell

  Schlotwee – noodle

  Shat – shit

  Shuyes – a wild animal, much like coyotes, that inhabits the Matlantian moon.

  Terminology

  Breeding Chute – A small enclosure, usually made of metal, in which a female horse (mare) is led inside to prepare her for breeding. The male horse (stud) is led into the chute after her, placing him behind the mare for a live cover (breeding.)

  Breeding Shed – The barn where horses are prepared to be bred. This is a separate building from the other buildings or barns where the studs and mares are housed.

  Breeding Fee – The price agreed upon by the mare’s owner, paid to the stud’s owner, for the opportunity to breed the mare to a specific stud.

  Halter – A device of various materials including rope, leather or nylon, placed on the horse’s head to which a lead rope may be attached.

  Live Cover – The breeding process where a stud mounts the mare and mates with her.

  Mare – The female horse who will be bred to the stud and carry the foal (baby).

  Stud – The male horse used for breeding.

  Tack – The name describing different devices and equipment used in the caring of horses.

  Tack Room – The room or area used to store the tack.

  Teaser Horse – A stud horse who is used to get the mare ready for breeding. The teaser horse “teases” the mare, getting her sexually ready for the stud horse.

  Treaty – The agreement where a price is agreed upon for the purchase of a horse between two individuals and is not included in a public auction.

  Copyright © Beverly Rae (all rights reserved)

  Published by Rae Publishing

  E-book ISBN

  Revised 2017

  Cover by Cheeky Covers

  WARNING:

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people whether in ebook, print or any other format. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

  PLEASE NOTE: This work contains graphic sexual situations and language and is intended for readers 18 years and older.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or establishments, is solely coincidental.

  Dedication

  Thank you to my husband who is the basis for all my heroes.

  My inspiration for persevering when writing gets to be more of a pain than a pleasure is the best daughter a mom ever had. She makes me happy simply by walking into the room.

  A special “thank you” goes to my father, a cowboy and horseman, who assisted me with his vast knowledge of horse breeding. Every description of the breeding process, and of the horses and their anatomy is true. Some details have been limited to protect the readers’ sensibilities.

  A big “Thanks, y’all” for all the readers who have supported me by buying my work. My readers are the greatest!

  Introduction

  Long ago, before the age of the Greek or Roman gods, lived a race of super humans called Matlantians. As an evolved race, the Matlantians prided themselves on their logical and reasoned thinking, never giving into the fiery emotions boiling just beneath the surface of their stoic exteriors. On the rare times when they allowed their emotions to surface, the poor Earth-bound creatures under their care experienced the Matlantians’ volatile sentiments at ten-fold the passion level. Realizing the harm their extreme emotions could cause the primitive people, the Matlantians kept their feelings in check and spent their immortal lives helping the uncivilized, cave-dwelling creatures called Mankind, hoping to ignite the spark of intelligence lurking inside the primal humans.

  However, like the beings they cared for, a few Matlantians broke the rules. This is the story of two of those Matlantians.

  Chapter One

  Texas tornadoes are a common place occurrence. Texas earthquakes, however, rarely happen and when they do they’re so minimal they aren’t always noticeable without consulting a seismograph. However, the earthquake that shook the small town of Twin Creeks, located in the panhandle of the great cowboy state, was an exception.

  All three thousand, four-hundred and fifty-one residents of Twin Creeks stopped and stared as framed pictures jumped off their hooks and plaster fell from the ceilings. Dishes and jars of preserved fruit crashed on a dozen kitchen floors throughout the town as the frightened citizens ran from their businesses and homes. Stunned, they stood frozen in astonishment as a large crack snaked its path straight down the middle of Main Street separating Gloria’s Beauty Box on the north from the Boots ‘N Beer bar on the south.

  Picking up the fear from their mothers, babies cried and children sought shelter against their mothers’ legs. Men paused in their discussions of wheat prices and cattle auctions to gawk at the effects of what should never have happened in their quiet community. Yet, when the aftershocks faded and life seemed to return to its usual drone of familiarity, the hard-working, sensible people of Twin Creeks pulled up their boots and settled back into their daily routine.

  Little did they realize, however, that the real impact of the earthquake was happening underground and out of their sight.

  ****

  Far, far below the surface, at the very epicenter of the earthquake, a fissure raced toward the fiery core of the Earth. As it cut through the various layers of the earth’s composition, tiny splinters of the main crack shot sideways, knifing through soil and rock as centuries old earth bowed to the shockwave. The enormous crack continued onward, barely slowing in its underground descent until, at last, it encountered an object more formidable than granite or stone. Like a giant worm interrupted in its tunneling in the ground, the crack hit a wall of golden magic, shuddered, and then split in two to run along the top of the golden box, down its side and then on for another hundred feet. At last, the crack and the earthquake stopped.

  Riciseon Bleutonia, entrapped in the Golden Chamber of Silence, awakened and opened his eyes to the gauzy haze around him. Sucking in the mist, his body changed the yellow vapor, extracting the necessary ingredients from its molecular makeup to send a reviving rush of fresh air into his lungs.

  “I’m awake.” Although “awake” wasn’t the correct term since he’d never actually been asleep, he couldn’t find a better one. True, he hadn’t been fully conscious all these many years, but the Matlantians had kept his mind active with lesson after boring lesson on Matlantian laws and morality poured into his subconscious and captive brain. Unable to turn off the continuous sermons, he―and he assumed his sister, Charissa―h
ad received the same instruction. Both of them had endured the mental droning of the Elders’ words and images without any means of controlling the input. Talk about a captive audience!

  Yet something must have changed. Why else would he have awakened? Had a Matlantian offered to teach them?

  He could still hear the finality in the Council of Elders decree as they handed down the punishment on both he and Charissa.

  “Riciseon and Charissa of the House of Bleutonia, you will be placed in a Golden Chamber of Silence for all of Eternity. You will remain, locked away, until such time as another Matlantian offers to teach you the value of true emotion. Whether your time in isolation is one day or infinity matters not. It is the will of Matlantia and the judgment of the Council of Elders.”

  They had been punished for using the very powers that define them as race. How was that fair?

  How long had he been asleep? “I’m awake and ready to get out.” Knowing he sported the biggest grin ever, he gazed around him, searching for any sign of his impending release.

  Where are they? Again, he scanned the area around him and saw nothing in the rock and soil to give him hope. Am I supposed to break out on my own? But how?

  The yellow mist surrounding him held him suspended in the transparent chamber, keeping him a few agonizing inches from his sister, Charissa. Although able to move, he couldn’t force his hand through the mist to touch his sister.

  “Charissa!”

  He paused, waited for her to respond and, when she didn’t, tried again. “Charissa! Wake up!” Yet Charissa’s eyes remained closed; her body unmoving.

  “Something’s wrong.” Surely the elders wouldn’t free him and not his sister. Their punishment was supposed to be the same. Trying to find an answer to all the questions scorching through his mind, Riciseon looked up and noticed the fracture in the earth. Curious, he reached for the top of the chamber, hoping to break through the shimmering gold wall and touch the open tunnel above, but again the mist kept him from breaking out and obtaining his goal. “Hel-lo! Oh, Elders! You forgot to let me out. Let us out. Are you there?”

  He waited for the reply that never came. Were they leaving him trapped as a fully conscious being? Could this be a second phase of punishment? He’d even prefer the never-ending sermons to this boring nothingness. A tiny shiver zipped along his spine at the thought. Surely even the Council of Elders couldn’t be that cruel. Could they?

  Silence deafened his ears as he once again called to his sister. “Charissa, wake up. Something’s going on. I need your help.” Why didn’t she respond? He drew in a great gulp of mist, gathered his strength and used his best “I’m your superior brother” tactic to get his sister’s attention. “Charissa! I’m ordering you to wake up.”

  If nothing else would get through to his sister, a command most certainly would. Not that she’d awaken to obey him. Not his sister. Instead, she’d wake up and tell him to knock off trying to order her around. Fortunately for Riciseon, he knew his sister well.

  “Huh? Rici? Who do you think you’re ordering around?” Charissa stretched, pushing her arms through the mist like a swimmer through water. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes and lengthened her toned body, casting out the last tendrils of the council-induced hibernation.

  “Here, Charissa. To your left.” Riciseon marveled at his younger―by one minute and two seconds―twin sister and delighted in her beauty. Her sleek black hair, falling to the curve of her back, floated in the yellow mist to spread out like a glossy black fan, while her alabaster-hued skin appeared ethereal in the swirling clouds surrounding her. Her angular, yet softly feminine face, turned toward him as her slanted, intelligent eyes fixed onto him.

  “Are we free?”

  He scoffed and inclined his head, arching one brow in an “are you kidding me?” glance. “Does this look like we’re free?”

  Charissa twisted, swiveling her body so she faced her brother. “Don’t get sarcastic with me, Riciseon. First, you try giving me an order like I’m some kind of common dirt faery and then you want to throw attitude at me? I don’t think so.”

  Rici smiled as her words answered his unspoken question about her health. Same old Charissa. Sassy and twice as mouthy as any other Matlantian woman ever brought into existence. “Please, sister dear, I know you well enough not to try commanding you to do anything. Which is precisely why I knew you’d wake up when I did.”

  She blinked at him, taking in the truth of his words, and sent him a frosty glare. “Oh, so you think you’re so smart, huh? Then how do you suppose we get out of this prison?”

  “I believe if we both put our minds to it, we can force ourselves out of the chamber. Since the rock and ground encasing the chamber have been fractured, thus reducing the pressure from which the chamber draws its power, I’m hoping we can use our combined strength to wedge a way out of this trap.” Rici shoved his fist upward, harder than he’d done before, and reached the edge of the golden chamber. “See? I can almost go through the chamber’s wall by myself. But with both of us trying…”

  Charissa followed his movement with intense scrutiny. “No doubt. Then let’s get on with it. This place gives me the ficillies.” She made a face to emphasize her disgust.

  “Just one thought.” Riciseon didn’t want her taking part in his plan if she didn’t know all the possible outcomes. “This might be a test, you know.”

  “A test?”

  “Yes. The Elders may have caused the fracture, weakening the chamber, to give us an opportunity to escape. They might be testing us by placing this bait, this temptation in front of us.”

  “And? So? If they did, then they’re expecting us to escape. Maybe it’s their way of seeing if we’re worthy of freedom.”

  He could sense her impatience growing as he heard the exasperation in her tone. But he wouldn’t rush this. “I guess your idea is possible. But not probable. If it’s a test and we fail, we could receive a longer sentence.”

  “Are you saying we should stay put? Not get out? Stay here until someone finally shows up? Since when have you started playing by the rules?”

  “I’m only saying we need to proceed cautiously. If this is a test, then we need to determine the correct answer before we make a mistake. Do they want us to break free? Or do they want us to remain where we are, waiting for the Matlantian who will serve as our mentor? They’re a tricky bunch of ancients, you know.”

  Charissa’s mouth fell open as she considered what he’d said. Yet he was unprepared for where her thoughts led her. “Riciseon. What if there’s more?”

  “More?” What other choices could the Elders have planned?”

  Charissa lowered her voice as she glanced furtively around her. “What if we choose incorrectly and something worse happens? What if we escape and thus receive an even harsher punishment? Not simply longer; harder.”

  Could Charissa be right? He’d never considered a harsher possibility. “I don’t think so, Charissa.” He reconsidered his decision and came to the same conclusion. “No. They wouldn’t tempt us into doing something wrong with the intention of handing out an even worse punishment. The Elders are a tough group, but they’re a fair bunch, too.”

  He could see his words visibly relax his sister even as a stab of doubt entered his mind and he pushed it away. No, he knew the members of the council well. Or at least well enough.

  “You know, maybe this is exactly what it seems like it is.”

  Riciseon jerked his thoughts back to his sister’s words. “And that is?”

  Charissa pursed her lips; a clear indication of the conviction behind her words. “An opportunity nature has thrust into our hands. An opportunity we should make the most of. Why not take this at face value?”

  Was she right? Could it be that simple? Riciseon studied the gap of the fissure as far as he could. “So you’re saying an earthquake is an earthquake and nothing more?”

  “Yes, Rici. That’s what I’m saying.”

  “And if you’r
e wrong? If they’re watching and we fail the test?”

  His beautiful, defiant sister threw back her mane of hair, lifted her chin and flared her nostrils. “Then even if we fail, at least we’ll have tried.”

  He had to hand it to her. She had a way of boiling any situation down to the bare bones. “True enough. I’d rather spend a few more centuries locked inside this misty tomb than to sit here too afraid to take a chance. We’ve grown older, stronger, and wiser while we languished in this prison, dear sister. Let’s use those assets to their fullest.”

  “Stronger and wiser, yes. But older? Speak for yourself, Rici. I’m still young and beautiful.”

  “Of course you are. You’re more beautiful now than you were when they threw you in the chamber.”

  “I am, aren’t I?” Charissa laughed and raised a fist to her chest. “So? On the count of three we push upward with everything we have in us, agreed?”

  “Agreed. One. Two.”

  Charissa’s voice joined with his, invigorating him with added power. “Three!”

  Riciseon thrust his fist skyward in the same instant his sister’s fist shot upward, striking the translucent golden shield forming the Chamber of Silence. The walls around them shuddered with the collision, making the mist ripple like waves in an amber pool. Yet the chamber walls held firm.

  Raw disappointment, more emotion than he’d experienced in all his lifetime, crushed into Riciseon as he stared at the solid, unmoving barrier. Charissa’s disbelief echoed his own and they remained unmoving for several minutes, trying to absorb their defeat.