“You have been watching Nik and me? Then, surely you know the trouble we are in. Hermes is here somewhere looking for all of us,” I said panicked.
“I can manage Hermes, so long as your ‘Nik’ does not find him first. He will fight, but there will be nothing he can do without the help of the Gods, and Apollo helped his family enough centuries ago,” she said still looking me up and down.
“Well, we should find them. Let’s hurry, there may not be much time,” I pleaded.
“All is well. You are with me now,” she said smiling about herself. “They will come to us.”
She sniffed the air then waved her arms in an almost conjuring, come-hither fashion.
“Yes, between Nik’s love for you and my natural appeal to Hermes, I expect they will both be here any moment,” Aphrodite said with a smile.
She gesticulated again in my direction and my clothes became a reflective, shimmering white gown similar to her own golden garment. Then she took my hands and began to play and splash in the water as if we were girls on school break at a beach or pool.
As if under a spell I felt happy to play with her and enjoy the water. Just as I cupped water in my hands and released it over my head down my body, I looked around and Aphrodite was gone. I felt new eyes on me that made me somewhat uneasy.
Chapter 12
“I see you are ready for me, though there is a change in the air around you,” Hermes said appearing from the treeline surrounding the water. “Someone has had you first. No matter, this will still be fun and I shall still have the recompense I seek.”
Hermes appeared a golden blur as he ran across the last stretch of grass, he lifted just slightly to run atop the water toward me. I heard a familiar guttural growl and saw a bear, one I hoped was Nik, charging my way from the opposite direction. I stepped back into the waterfall as the two collided and clashed in a flurry of gold, fur, and cascading water.
“Aphrodite! Aphrodite!” I called, hoping the goddess would be true to her word and end this.
Instead, Hermes was using his agility and speed to attack Nik from a different angle with every moment. Nik launched a paw out and managed to slam Hermes into the water, but the nimble God only laughed. He stood, ready for their game to continue.
Nik stepped back to the waterfall to see if I was okay. As the water fell on his bear form, he seemed to morph again. I could see that he felt the shift as his shoulders tensed and he rounded his neck and head back and forth almost like a stretch.
“Nik, you are in a transition state,” I said, surprised. “Aphrodite did this.”
He looked at his hands, arms, and chest and saw that he had become a combination of the bear and manly states he had known. Hermes watched, smiling as though the fight might be more interesting now.
“This is the true state of my ancestors long ago. Something is changing the curse,” Nik said.
“No matter. I don’t care if it is paws or hands and feet. I will have retribution to bring forth to Zeus on Olympus,” Hermes cried out, lunging toward us.
Nik growled more fiercely than I had ever heard. As the two went to collide again they were interrupted by bubbling and singing rising from the water between them. As the bubbles climbed higher a shapely, womanly form began to present itself.
“What are you doing here?” Hermes said somewhat annoyed, yet flirtatiously.
Aphrodite had presented herself in all her glory. She glowed now more than before, more than in any of my dreams.
“I have come to declare that this dispute is settled. My ire has been quenched and it is due to this young lady, Vanessa,” she said with a smile.
She gave me a wink and blew a kiss.
“I am under the order of Zeus,” Hermes declared.
“Go see him yourself; your orders have changed,” she said simply.
Hermes bit his lip as if he weren’t sure what he felt towards Aphrodite at the moment. Then, with great speed, he ran climbing the very air until he was far from site.
Chapter 13
We stood in the water, Nik in his new “were” state, me in my gifted attire, and Aphrodite in all her glory. Nik kneeled before her. I felt I should, too, so I kneeled at his side.
“Thank you, but you can both feel free to stand. I feel like we are old friends,” Aphrodite laughed.
“Why did you spare me?” Nik asked.
“I didn’t,” Aphrodite said. “She did.”
“What? What did I do?” I asked.
Aphrodite took each of us by the hand and led us to the rocks I saw her sitting on when I first arrived. She sat us each down, then lounged on the higher rock above us.
“Dear Vanessa, you have no idea the power of loving body and soul. Neither did Polyphonte all those years ago. She defied me and ran, so I had to punish her,” she said.
Nik and I looked at each other and shifted, a little bit uncomfortable that she knew our activities and at dredging up his family’s history.
“The truest love comes from sharing yourself fully with someone. She refused to love in any form. Her punishment and the punishment bestowed on her family was about wanting to hold on to a selfish life and childish freedoms. My gift to the world is fully connecting and bonding with another. When this is fully realized, humans can live selflessly in the greatest love for another,” she explained.
“Then why have we all been living these torturous dual lives all these generations?” Nik asked, seeming more comfortable in his newest transformation.
“Because, Apollo’s blood runs through your veins as it did hers. By her own right she waged a war with me in refusing to experience what my role in her next phase of life was to be. Each of her descendants to follow also had their own agenda, seeking love on their own time. You, however, were the first to do differently. Despite the curse, we watched from Olympus as you didn’t just actively seek a mate. You sought a love to share in this great expression with you,” she said with a knowing smile.
“Wait a moment, Nik?” I asked, looking to him, confused.
“I dated those women you read about. I wanted to fully experience love, but I knew they were not the one. I met you, and I knew you were someone I wanted to spend every season with,” he said looking me in the eyes.
“So you were a virgin as well?” I asked surprised.
“He was,” Aphrodite smiled. “You two balanced Polyphonte’s debt in ways I couldn’t have expected. You both waited for love and even with the curse you both willingly shared every level of yourself with each other. Your secrets, fears, bodies. Now, with my blessing you may share a normal life, or whatever life you choose.”
With that, Aphrodite sat upright and blew us each a kiss. She vanished leaving only a golden haze.
Chapter 14
We hugged and rested for a few moments enjoying our success and freedom.
“I wonder what she meant by ‘any life we choose,’” Nik said.
“I think I might know,” I said.
I stood and walked over to the fall. I dipped my fingers in, and the water that ran down turned a glistening gold.
“I think this waterfall has the power to change the curse,” I said. “She has been appearing to me in dreams since all this started. In the first, she transformed me to a bear. In the second I transformed you into a man.”
“Is that what you want?” Nik asked.
I thought for a moment.
“I just want you to be yourself,” I said.
He was still in his blended form. I smiled at him and caressed his furred cheek.
“I love you in any form and would gladly join you as such just to be close to you,” I said.
Nik thought a moment. He touched the water and the same golden effect happened.
“Vanessa, I think Aphrodite has granted that wish,” he said.
At once I understood. I took his hand and we stood under the waterfall together. We each watched as the other morphed human, beast, and in between, still holding hands.
As we left the water, we
were in our human forms. Nik held me in his arms and kissed me tightly. When he pulled back he released a strong growl of joy that shook the very mountain. I echoed his joy with a ground-shaking growl of my own.
THE END
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Loving the Lion
For Kassie, life seemed to be going at a stagnant pace. She didn’t really have much going for her so far, and the only thing she could really look forward to was the next day off she would have from Gene’s Diner. It was the only place in town that wasn’t some crappy fast-food joint. Gene’s diner was the place everyone went to, and that’s where she worked for the past three years of her life.
“Can I get a refill?” a customer asked as he pushed his coffee towards Kassie.
“Sure, sir. Give me just a second,” she replied. She didn’t really know much about the guy, other than the fact that he was a trucker who would frequent this place every so often. He usually went out of his way to be nice, so Kassie didn't mind waiting on him.
“Hey, I want my food!” someone said rudely. Sure enough, it was that family of four who were always so demanding when they came in. They frequented this place every Sunday after church. The diner was a nightmare during this time, but the tips were better than usual. She hated these really busy kinds of shifts, but would often volunteer to work them anyway.
Kassie fulfilled the orders that the customers barked at her all while mentally swearing and yearning for 5pm when she got off. She could already feel the excitement coursing through her body. She would get to go home, sit her butt down on the couch, sip some wine, and maybe even watch some reality TV.
Of course, she wouldn’t mind introducing some more exciting plans into her stagnant, single life. She hoped that one day, she would finally get to meet someone she could connect with. She didn’t know when that day would come, but she was always keeping her eyes out. Unfortunately, the diner usually only brought in the worst of people.
However, a few hours later, there was the familiar ring of the bell. It was nearly 4:30, which meant that it was probably going to be her last customer of the day. She assumed it was just another frequenter, but was taken aback when her and the new customer made eye contact.
He was an attractive man with blue eyes, and a built body. His once shaven head was beginning to grow back, but she recognized that cut. He was clearly in the military. The diner did get military guys now and again, but Kassie had never seen this one before. She twirled her brown hair while she tried to figure out how to speak to him. He seemed so much different than the customers she was used to dealing with, full of vibrant life and energy. His eyes met hers, and immediately, she squeaked:
“Sorry, let me get you seated,” she said nervously with an overly high-pitched voice.
“It’s fine. I’m OK with waiting,” he said.
“No. I should’ve been a bit more on the ball than that,” Kassie explained.
“Really, you’re fine. Trust me. I know you're busy,” he said.
His voice was deep and soothing, and immediately Kassie could feel her face becoming red. She had to try to not her nervous flutters get the best of her.
“Well let me get you started. What would you like?” she asked him.
“A black coffee would be great. By the way, what’s your name? I figure I should get to know the people I’ll be seeing in town,” he said.
“Kassie. And you?” she asked.
“Brandon. I’m ex-military, Army to be exact. I just moved into the area” he said.
“Nice to meet you.” Kassie chirped. “I thought you may have been in the army, but I didn't want to assume things,” she admitted.
“So how long have you been here?” he asked her.
“About three years. Been trying to get myself together. It’s been hard though, a lot has gone on,” she told him. A few years ago her mother and father passed on, leaving her with a substantial debt. She finished school, but her degree didn’t matter here, and she yearned to get out and start a new life somewhere else.
“Yeah. I had my own share of drama as well in the past that I’m looking to bury,” Brandon said.
“Well I hope that you’re able to do that. If you ever feel like you need to talk with someone, I’m all ears,” she said to him.
“Thank you Kassie. It might be hard for you to understand it, but maybe I’ll explain eventually,” he said.
“That’s fine. Let me get your order in though,” she told him.
The two of them continued to talk after she put his order in. The diner had started to thin out, and the other waitresses were able to take care of any of the remainder of the customers. Kassie could see that this guy was definitely a strong and kind soul. They talked a bit about where he was from, a city she had never heard of but seemed interesting nonetheless. He apparently joined the army when he was 18 and left at 23. He got out due to a personal issue and had mixed feelings on whether he missed it or not. Kassie felt like she met a kindred spirit, and she ended up staying an hour past her shift to talk to him. Brandon felt the same way, but also couldn't help it as his primal instinct guided his eyes to her large breasts and thick hips.
As they parted ways, Brandon turned around and noticed Kassie's round ass. He was a military gentleman who didn't usually look rudely at women, but Kassie's ass looked so big and succulent that he couldn't help but stare.
He left her a tip, way more than she normally got. Written at the bottom of the check was a message. As Kassie read it out loud, she immediately blushed.
“I would love to get to know you better. Here’s my number 778-985-1243.”
*****
Kassie looked at the number on the receipt, wondering what she should do. It had been a while since a man asked her out, especially one as handsome as Brandon. She decided she would call later, when it didn’t seem so overwhelming.
She went home, and sipped on some wine while turning her TV to a random cooking show. She watched it absentmindedly, trying to figure out if she should call him or not. This was the first time in a while she had been courted like this. It was a small down, and the pickings were scarce. She didn’t want to come off as too forward, but he did offer her his number, so it wasn’t like she was stalking him or anything.
A couple of days passed, and Kassie was still working to build up the courage to call. He didn’t come back to the diner yet and that made her a bit uneasy. Her friend and coworker Bianca looked at her, shaking her head.
“You know, ogling that piece of paper won’t make him magically come out and talk to you. I don’t think that receipt is a spell to summon him either,” Bianca said.
“No, but I’m worried about how this will go. This is the first time I’ve ever been given a number by some guy I’ve just met. I don’t want to seem desperate,” she told her.
“Honey, hanging on to this will only make you feel worse. Trust me, I’ve been there before. I used to be married, and I remember that when I first got courted and it was terrifying. But you have to go through with it. Hiding in the corner isn't the way to get what you want out of life.” Bianca said.
Kassie nodded. She knew that Bianca had a point. She took it upon herself to call him after her shift, hoping that she didn’t seem too desperate. Of course, the entire night she was fumbling around, distracted by her thoughts. She tried to save face because she didn’t want to miss out on tips, but it was difficult. It was definitely not an easy feat to keep herself composed while she mulled over how the conversation would pan out.
When her shift ended, Kassie practically raced out the
door. She went to her car, dialing his number and holding the phone in earnest trying to breathe evenly. She needed to stay calm. This was just a guy, not the end of the world. After three rings, he spoke.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Hey there. It’s Kassie. From the diner,” she stated.
There was a pause, and then he spoke once again.
“Oh hey there Kassie! Wow, I’m shocked I finally got to speak with you again. How you been?” he asked.
“Good,” she chirped, an octave higher than how she normally sounded.
“That’s good. I’ve been all right. Sorry I haven’t made it out to the diner. I’ve been really busy,” he told her.
“That’s fine. It’s not the end of the world, it happens,” she told him.
“Well, I’m glad you’re not worried. Anyways, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out. I have this place out by the lake, and there are some cool trails out there. I think it would be a fun thing for the both of us to do” he said.
Kassie thought about it. This would be the first time in a while that she would get to go out on a date with a guy. She hadn't met too many ex-military guys, and the fact that this one was so stringent about wanting to hang out made her heart flutter.
“Sure, that’s fine. Are you off Friday?” she asked him. It was one of her rare nights where she wasn’t working.
“Sure am. Let’s hang out then. I’ll text you the address,” he said.
“Great,” Kassie chirped.
They hung up, and Kassie finally breathed again. It had been so long since she talked to a man on this level. She pondered why she took so long to call in the first place. That didn't matter, though, she was going to hang out with him and she was beyond excited!
The next couple of days were like a blur to Kassie, most of them spent slaving away at the diner and thinking about Friday. When it came, Kassie, spent the entire day trying to figure out what to wear. She finally settled upon a black pair of skinny jeans and a blue shirt that accentuated her coke-bottle figure. The black jeans were tight, showing off her shapely ass which jiggled slightly with every step. The shirt was low enough to show just a hint of her shapely beasts, but not too low to be considered slutty. She did her hair and dotted her face with makeup before she headed out. Kassie was trying to relax, but the fact was that she could barely contain her excitement.
AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN FICTION: BWWM ROMANCE: Billionaire Baby Daddy (Billionaire Secret Baby Pregnancy Romance) (Multicultural & Interracial Romance Short Stories) Page 57