by C. Sunrise
“No!” I cut her off and twist in my chair so I they’re both in my line of sight. “I can go my entire life without hearing what my arousal smells like, thank you very much.” They laugh as I look at them with disgust and embarrassment painted on my face. I huff and turn back around.
Here I thought my biggest concern was that my buttery soft but thin yoga pants I usually wear would one day betray my trust and reveal my secrets; Who makes pants that show off your butt sweat or worse, anyway? Now it turns out that my body has been betraying me all along.
“And, for your information, smelling my arousal means you’re smelling a specific combination of chemicals that are being excreted from my body to affect the behaviour of those around me,” I say with a straight face. “Which is exactly what pheromones are. Humans aren’t particularly attuned to all the possible chemical combinations because of our relatively low dependency on our sense of smell; however, it’s known that some animals due to their physiology can detect these chemical combinations. Therefore, you are smelling pheromones which is being translated by your brain as a sign of my arousal. Just to clarify things.”
Mic drop.
I suck in my cheeks to hold in my laughter, turning my eyes without moving my head to see Craze’s and Laze’s mouths agape and their eyebrows raised.
“BAM!” Craze shouts and claps her hands. “Intellectual prowess in action! We were just schooled Laze.”
“That was hot,” he drawls, imitating a certain blonde celebrity.
My laugh forces itself past my lips as I laugh with Craze and Laze. Craze snorts and we laugh harder, tears brimming our eyes. It feels good to laugh like this again.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Kace says and turn my head to see him stepping out of the pool house wearing nothing but a towel. A very low hanging towel showing off his deep v-lines. He’s followed by Blaze, also wearing a towel and flashing his sex lines.
Yum.
My brain immediately combines the image in front of me with the memories from last night and I nearly choke.
“Sie, are you okay? You’ve got a bit of drool there.” Craze laughs, pointing at her chin.
I slap her on the shoulder and glare at Laze as he points at the napkins on the table.
“Wait!” Craze shouts suddenly, startling everyone and making the boys stop dead in their tracks.
Kace glares at Blaze who bumped into him when they stopped walking. Blaze throws his hands up in surrender and takes a step back.
Craze picks up her phone and a remote from the table. Seconds later, the song Pony by Ginuwine blares from the outdoor speakers. We all smile and shake our heads.
“Now you may continue,” Craze shouts as she leans back in her seat, swiping her hands, pretending to toss money at the boys. “Shake it, boys!”
I can’t help but laugh again. The boys chuckle and strut their way towards us… and I internally explode.
“Holy shit,” I mumble observing the two men who are now standing a mere few feet in front of me their hands gripping the tops of their towels. Kace is looking at me with a big smile on his face, his eyes flickering. Blaze is standing there throwing, yes you guessed it, his signature wink at me. He blows me a kiss as they bend forward.
Dear diary... So, this is it. This is how I die. Heart failure due to over stimulation—sounds like a good way to go; at least I’ll die with a smile on my face.
Craze turns and grabs my hand.
“Just a heads up that the shift can be a bit…” She pauses, biting her lip as she thinks of the best way to describe it. “Terrifying… the first time you witness it. But I promise it isn’t hurting them, no matter how bad it sounds or looks.”
She squeezes my hand reassuringly as I nod and return my attention to the boys. They both nod at us and place their hands on the ground in front of them and drop to their knees.
My heart is racing. My brain can’t believe this is real—I’m about to see people turn into giant wolves or dogs or something like that!
Be cool, Whoopsie. Be cool.
Snap! Crack! Rip!
“Holy shit!” I blurt out, startled by the sounds coming from the two men in front of me.
Craze undersold how terrifying this would be. Not only the sounds of their entire physiology shifting, but the way their bodies are contorting. Twisting, writhing, stretching.
I’m intrigued by the impossibility of this—this should NOT be physically possible. It looks like they were hit by a train, rolled out onto a road, then got run over by a school bus, and then launched down a hundred-foot cliff.
How can that not be painful? How are they still alive?
I keep watching; the shock subsides and now I’m full of curiosity as their beasts take over, replacing their human bodies. Fur is pushing out from their skin. Large noses protrude from their face and teeth push out as their lips curl into a snarl. I’ve seen how babies react to teething, and I’m surprised that all they are doing is snarling right now.
Next, ears form on the top of their heads. I lean over and see tails popping out behind them—the sight of this makes me giggle like a schoolgirl and wonder where they hide those things.
Their skeletal system has taken on the appearance of their beasts, and their hands and feet have turned into enormous paws.
Within seconds, luxurious coats of fur cover their bodies. Kace has a beautiful black and white coloured coat and Blaze’s is grey and white. Their light blue eyes are a beautiful contrast to their coats. Some features and colourings remind me of wolves and others of Northern breeds of dogs, like huskies and malamutes. You can tell they are relatives—aside from Kace having darker fur, their features are almost identical, and they… are… huge!
I feel tiny sitting in this seat as they both tower over me. My natural survival instincts are telling me to be terrified, but I’m captivated by their beauty. They both shake their fur almost in slow motion, like they’re in a cheesy dog shampoo commercial.
“Pfft, show-offs,” Laze mutters from behind us and both beasts smirk.
Why am I not surprised that even in beast form these two still smirk?
Kace walks towards me with his head lowered, showing his submission to me. Blaze follows him but suddenly plops down onto his rump, bringing one of his hind legs up to scratch behind his ear. His eyes close, and he grunts as he finds the itch. I can’t help but giggle.
“Uh, Sie, you -” Craze says but stops mid-sentence when Kace shakes his head at her.
My leg warms from Kace’s breath as he places his head on my lap. I bring my hands up, pausing with them in the air above his head.
“Uh, do you guys like to be stroked?” I ask, turning my head towards Craze.
“I like to be stroked,” Laze replies immediately, and laughter fills the back yard.
“Pet. I mean pet, as in petting. I’m surrounded by perverts.” I groan and shake my head.
“Yes, we love being pet and stroked,” Craze winks at me and continues. “Touch is a big deal to our beasts.” She pretends to melt in her chair for emphasis. “Our beasts are very much like the animals you are used to in that when we want to be touched, we really want to be touched.”
I nod and turn to face Kace again. I bite my lip and plunge my fingers into the fur on his head. It’s silky smooth and I can’t stop running my fingers through it. Kace’s eyes flutter shut and he lets out a soft growl.
Blaze jumps to his feet and wags his tail as he looks towards me. He runs over and pushes his nose between Kace’s nose and my leg, flicking Kace’s nose off me. Kace turns and snarls and then sticks his nose under Blaze’s and flicks it off my lap. Blaze drops his chest down with his rump in the air and tail wagging—like a dog when they’re playing. I’m in awe watching these magnificent creatures play like common dogs.
“So, do they like to play fetch like dogs too?” I ask Craze, wondering why of all the questions I could ask that was the one my brain spat out.
Kace and Blaze face me, tilting their heads, while C
raze and Laze laugh.
“That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard,” Laze says. “Let’s get a stick and find out.” Craze and I cover our mouths as we snicker, while Kace and Blaze both growl at Laze.
“No, bad boys,” I say to the beasts in front of me, while shaking my finger at them.
They look at each other and roll their eyes. Their mixture of human and animal behaviours amuses me.
They nod at each other before Blaze walks over to the grass and lays down. Kace walks over and picks up his towel with his teeth and heads into the pool house.
“That’s our cue,” Craze says as she turns off the music and stands up. She sees my confusion and explains that Blaze wants to go for a run, so she and Laze are going to get ready and go with him. She said she’ll grab some clothes for me first though, so I don’t have to look like I “just raided a donation bin.”
Kace comes out of the pool house as Craze hands me the clothes. I smile seeing him in his human form again. I don’t know which I prefer, human Kace or beast Kace. Both make me feel things I’ve never felt before.
“Kitten,” he says as he sits beside me and puts his hand on mine. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I reply, placing my other hand on his and squeezing. “It was quite… uh… shocking watching your body contort like that. But it was also beautiful and amazing. I couldn’t stop staring.”
He chuckles.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m guessing you have lots of questions. How about we go for a walk and talk?”
“I’d like that. Just give me a second to change first.” I nod towards the pool house.
I go to the pool house to change, catching a naked Craze and Laze shifting beside the pool house. I pause and watch them, finding the process just as interesting, yet less traumatising, the second time around. Their beasts are smaller than Kace’s and Blaze’s but still abnormally large and intimidating. Their coats are black and white with hints of red in Blaze’s fur and tan in Laze’s; a beautiful mixture of colours also found in Northern breeds of dogs. Craze winks at me before turning to join Laze and Blaze. They all run off into the forest, disappearing within seconds.
I’m surprised and happy to see that Craze brought me a pair of jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt. She even brought a hair tie. I dress, throw my hair into a ponytail, and join Kace outside.
“Ready?” He bends his arm, presenting me with his elbow.
“Yup.” I link my arm around his and off we go.
We walk in silence through the yard to a trail that runs along the water. It’s not an awkward silence—even after all this time apart and recent events, we can still enjoy each other’s company without saying a word.
I stop and pick up a rock, skipping it across the lake. One, two, three, four, five skips.
“Beat that,” I say as I turn to Kace with a gleam in my eye.
He smirks and picks up a rock. He bites his lip and sidearms the rock into the lake.
“Shit,” he mutters after only four skips. “That was a warm-up.”
“Best of three?” I suggest as I pick up another flat rock. He nods in agreement. “What are we playing for?” We both hum as we think about it.
“If I win, you have to be my date for Halloween and I get to make the plans,” he proposes.
“And when I win,” I say while raising an eyebrow before an evil grin forms on my face. “I make the plans for Halloween and I get to pick the costumes, but Blaze is your date.”
Kace’s face twists as if I offered him a cow patty for lunch. I giggle at his response.
“So, do we have a deal?” I ask, extending my hand. He nods and we shake on it, sealing the terms of our agreement.
He steps back and watches as I toss the rock, getting seven skips this time. I see him smirk out of the corner of my eye.
“Beat that,” I say as I pump my finger guns in the air and then blow on them one at a time.
He tosses a rock in the air twice and winks before positioning himself in front of the water.
I have a bad feeling about this.
My eyes squeeze almost shut as I glare holes into the back of his head.
Twelve. Twelve damn skips. How is that even possible? The bastard played me. This means war.
I say nothing as I walk up and search for another rock.
“I told you the first one was just a warm-up,” He says behind me. I can feel his self-satisfied smirk from here. “Tie game, you better make this one count.”
I will shove that smirk so far up his…
I take a deep breath and hold it for a second before letting it back out. He’s trying to throw me off—psychological warfare.
Your mind games will not work on this cowgirl.
I find the perfect rock and curl my finger around it, rubbing my thumb across the top a few times for good luck. I wind up and toss the rock, almost spinning myself around.
Bloop. It twists in mid-air and sinks straight down into the water. I scrunch my face in disappointment as I hear Kace’s muffled laughter behind me. To say I have a competitive streak would be an understatement.
“I’m looking forward to our date,” he says as he picks up another rock and casually tosses it into the water.
I plot his murder as his rock skips ten times. He didn’t even try, and he still beat my best attempt. I got played hard.
“You played me,” I say, placing my hands on my hips and glaring at him accusingly.
“I never said I was bad at skipping rocks,” he points out. “Not my fault you assumed you were better than me.”
“Ahhhh!” I shout as I chase him around the rocky shore. He zigs and zags, avoiding my grasp several times. “You’re dead when I catch you.”
“That’s exactly why I’m not letting you catch me,” he says and laughs, narrowly escaping me again. “I need to survive until at least after our date.”
He runs into the water, thinking I won’t follow him because I’m wearing jeans.
Silly boy.
I lunge forward, tackling him into the cold water. The look on his face is priceless. That, combined with asserting my dominance, has made me a happy woman.
“You’re insane,” he says, and we laugh as we sit up in the water.
I glance over and glimpse my reflection in the water.
“What the fuck?!” I exclaim as I bring my hands up to my face.
“Kitten, look at me,” Kace whispers as he pulls my arm, making me face him. “Breathe. I need you to breathe.” He grasps my face with his hands, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs.
Tears build up in my eyes and he pulls me into his chest. “Let’s get out of the water and talk,” he suggests, and I nod, a jolt of pleasure running through my body as my cheek grazes his chest.
He stands and helps me up, then wraps his arm around my waist and guides me towards the shore. I have so many emotions and thoughts coursing through me right now that I can’t even speak. I hate being weak. That is what I am right now, weak.
“I will help you with this, Kitten,” he says in a deep soothing voice as we continue walking down the trail. “My house is down this trail. We’ll start a nice, warm fire and figure this out together.”
I sigh and nod. I’m glad I’m not alone right now because I don’t trust my ability to handle any challenges, I was just starting to feel more in control but I’m not. I have done nothing to deal with my issues; I’ve been avoiding them, and now they’re back with a vengeance. Avoiding my problems is why I’m weak. This has to end now.
NINETEEN
Kace keeps his hand around my waist as we walk down the trail. As cute as this gesture is, it’s also awkward. I’m above average height for a female, but short compared to Kace and our steps aren’t in sync, so we end up repeatedly bumping into each other—making me chuckle.
The trail eventually opens up to a beautiful log house on the lake. There’s a small bridge-style walkway leading to the front of the house. We pause on the walkway and lean against the rails to admire
the view—his hand glued to my side.
Wow, talk about a house with a million-dollar view!
The water is pristine. It’s so clear you can see the bottom of the lake, which is probably close to fifteen feet deep at some points along the bridge. There are a few places in Western Canada with waters like this, and it usually means a chilly swim in these areas. Good thing I already got my dose of cold swimming in today. Beyond the lake sits a large mountain. Kace sees my interest in the mountain and offers to take me out on the many trails around and up the mountain sometime. I nod excitedly and we continue our walk to the house.
Once on the front porch, Kace lets go of my waist and walks to the door, punching a code into the door lock. As soon as his hand leaves my body, a surge of emotions bombards me. Everything I fought back during the walk floods to the surface.
“Home sweet home,” Kace says as he swings the door open. He turns and smiles at me, but his face drops as he sees the tears streaming down my cheeks. “Kitten, what happened? Are you okay?” He rushes over to me.
“I don’t know,” I reply between sobs. “I just feel so emotional. I think I’m losing my mind.”
He grabs both of my hands, pulling me closer to him, and I immediately feel better.
How can something as simple as his touch have such a huge effect on me? Craze wasn’t kidding about the power of touch.
“Let’s get you inside and warmed up,” he says as he places his forehead on mine. I nod and we turn and walk into his house hand-in-hand.
“Bathroom is the first door on the right just past the stairs,” he says as I stand there gawking at his beautiful log house. “If you want to go dry yourself off, I can bring you down some dry clothes to change into.”
“Yes, please,” I moan, excited at the thought of getting out of these wet clothes. I guess jeans don’t make the best fall swim wear—who knew?
I walk into the bathroom and strip away the cold, wet clothes and place them in the laundry hamper. I shake my head as I catch my reflection in the mirror, disappointed that my hair has turned platinum blonde again. Grabbing a towel from the rack, I quickly dry my hair as much as possible, cursing at it under my breath.