by Kate Hill
“It usually is,” Sophia said, “but Zach and I don’t use it. As long as you have permission, it’s okay to hold a Horseman’s body.”
“You better give me permission, dear,” Loretta said a bit nervously. “Because I’m already upset and we haven’t even left the ground.”
“Don’t be afraid,” Zach told her. “I’m easy to ride and I move slow. We Highlanders aren’t known for speed. Put your arms around me and hold tight.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Mel snorted. “It would take a deep sea octopus to hurt the likes of him! Just hang on, Loretta, and do what he tells you!”
Zach felt Sophia’s mother’s arms wrap around his waist. He drew a deep breath. For such a little woman she sure had a death grip. Sophia stepped away and Zach walked forward then broke into a trot. Loretta handled herself well in the saddle, and he guessed she had plenty of experience on true-horses. He galloped across the field and spread his wings, ascending.
“Whew,” Loretta called. “Damn, this is fun! Mel doesn’t know what he’s missing!”
Zach resisted the urge to laugh as he circled the fields, his legs churning and wings beating. He dipped low and he felt one of Loretta’s arms loosen as she waved to her husband and daughter who craned their necks to watch the flight.
When they landed, Loretta dismounted, grinning. “Thank you, Zach! I can see why my daughter loves flying so much!”
Zach turned to Mel. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to try, Sir?”
Mel drew a deep breath and stepped forward. “I’ll be damned if my wife can be called braver than me.”
Zach was about to kneel, but Mel approached and mounted with surprising ease. Sophia had said her father loved true-horses and was a great rider. By the way he sat in the saddle, Zach could tell she hadn’t exaggerated.
“If you don’t mind, boy, I’d rather hold on like this.” Mel placed his hands firmly on Zach’s shoulders.
“That’s fine,” Zach said, breaking into a canter almost immediately. He galloped a short way and took off again.
Mel sat tensely at first, then loosened up as Zach soared smoothly across the sky.
“This isn’t so bad after all,” Mel grunted. “Think we could go a little higher?”
“Of course.”
Zach’s wings pounded the air as they rose. His speed increased when he sensed his rider had lost some of his initial apprehension. The flight felt wonderful after being cooped inside for most of the afternoon. Zach rose higher and galloped across the sky, his body warming.
When he landed, Mel slapped his shoulder and laughed. “You know, I don’t think Loretta and I will take the rig after all. Does that offer of a ride to the wedding still stand?”
“Most definitely. I think you might like to go with my friend, Terra, though. He’s a Fighting Carrier and—”
“Terra the racer?” Mel’s expression brightened. “Sophia told us she knows him. I’ve won plenty of money betting on him at the fairs. Well, I never thought I’d be on his back.”
“Just make sure you hang on tight.” Zach winked.
A short time later, he and Sophia were on their way home.
Sophia hugged his waist and rested her cheek against his back as he coasted on the breeze. “Thank you for letting my parents ride you. I know how you feel about toting humans on your back and—”
“It was my pleasure. I only ask you one favor in return.”
“What?”
“Don’t ever make me drink out of a teacup again.”
* * * * *
The evening before their wedding, Zach and Sophia cuddled in a pile of hay in the barn. Wrapped in a blanket against the autumn chill, Sophia snuggled close to Zach’s warm body and glanced at the pages of the book resting on his knee.
Since discovering he couldn’t read or write, she’d offered to teach him how. Zach had absorbed the lessons and caught on quickly. Pride warmed her as she listened to his deep yet soft voice read from the book of legends written a hundred years ago by a famous Horseman scholar. They’d borrowed the book from Moor who loved reading and had possessed a vast library before his cottage had been destroyed in a storm. He’d since been rebuilding his collection as well as his cottage.
In the house, Sophia’s parents slept soundly. They’d arrived that morning, after Zach and Terra had flown them in. Her father hadn’t been able to brag enough about the amazing flight Terra had given. The Fighting Carrier’s speed and style had left him more greatly impressed than Sophia had ever thought to see her cynical father.
Zach had given Loretta a slow, pleasant flight and she’d enjoyed every moment. Though Zach had work to do, now that he’d begun to prepare for farming, he joined them for lunch and they all had a wonderful dinner at Moor and Susana’s new home. Moor’s nephew, Silas, had joined them as well. The boy had also been a slave in the mines and Zach had done his best to look out for him during that terrible time. The youth was a fine puller in his own right and enjoyed talking with Zach about the competitions.
After leaving their dinner hosts and returning to Zach and Sophia’s home, her parents decided on an early night. Zach and Sophia slipped into the barn for a few hours of privacy.
“I can’t believe we’ll really be married tomorrow.” Sophia smiled at him when he paused in reading.
“It is a dream come true.” He kissed her forehead then her lips. Placing the book aside, he rolled so his body half covered hers.
Sophia slipped her arms around his neck, hugging him close. “And I’m glad my parents will be coming to your next competition in Gray Rock.”
“Yes, I think it’ll do your father good to watch.”
Sophia chuckled. Though Zach wouldn’t admit it, Mel’s insistence that he was still too inexperienced to be named among the world’s greatest pullers annoyed him. She knew her father often said things simply to goad, particularly if he liked a person as she knew he liked Zach. Still, she agreed her father should see his power firsthand. Watching him practice or work the farm was nothing compared to the stunning force he displayed in competition. Just thinking about it made her tingle from head to toe.
“Let’s not talk about my father right now.” Her hand slipped between them and grasped the sizeable bulge in his trousers.
A groan of desire rumbled in his chest. He slid down the trousers and kicked them aside. Edging his way down her body, he raised her billowy nightgown and slipped beneath. Sophia giggled and moaned with pleasure as he began lapping her clit. His large, warm hands grasped her hips, holding them steady as his skilled tongue ran along one side of her clit then the other. One finger penetrated her pussy, gently exploring.
“Oh, Zach!” she panted, stroking her breasts through the nightgown as he continued his erotic ministrations.
While he lapped and sucked her swollen nub, his hands slipped down her hips and caressed her inner thighs. Panting, she reached for him, her fingers gripping his shoulders that were half covered by her nightgown.
“It feels so good, Zach. Oh, don’t stop! Don’t—”
Zach had no intention of stopping. He continued licking and sucking her clit, then he moved to her cunt and swirled his tongue inside it. It felt so good that Sophia forgot about everything except the sensations washing over her body. His tongue explored her soft folds of flesh, teasing her until she lay breathless in the hay.
His lips and tongue returned to her clit. This time he sucked and caressed the swollen bud until she exploded. A magnificent orgasm washed over her. Sophia’s heart pounded and her chest heaved. She stroked her breasts as she rode the waves of pleasure.
“Zach, oh, Zach,” she murmured.
With a groan of desire, he slid up her body and kissed her, sliding his cock deep inside her. Still tingling in the aftermath of her orgasm, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, ready for more. The feeling of him buried deep in her cunt excited her so much. His thickness filled her and rubbed her in all the right places.
Slowly he withdr
ew his cock to the tip, then thrust inside her. He began moving in a steady rhythm that drove her wild.
“Yes, oh. I love it when you take me. I’m yours, Zach. Yours.” She clung to him, her fingers gripping his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his. Her heels drove into his calves and her hips bucked.
“You’re in a wild mood tonight, love,” he purred, his deep voice rumbling in his chest.
“I can’t help it. Being with you excites me so much. We’re going to have such a wonderful life together, Zach.”
Her words seemed to spur him on. Thrusting faster, he supported most of his weight on his forearms. He gazed at her, captivating her even when she longed to closer her eyes to more fully enjoy the sensations.
Finally unable to stand it any longer, she squeezed her eyes shut and arched her head back. Her internal muscles squeezed around his cock.
“Oh, Sophia. You’re so soft, so wet. I love how it feels inside you.”
“Yes, Zach. Yes.”
His motions quickened even more so that all she could do was cling to him and enjoy the most wonderful ride of her life. His body warmed hers. Gripping his powerful back, she panted, her body straining for climax.
“Sophia, this feels too good. I can’t—”
“It’s all right, Zach. Come for me. I’m right here with you,” she panted, knowing that only a few more of his long, fast strokes would be enough to hurl her over the edge of desire.
His ragged breath echoed in her ear, the sound of it thrilling her almost as much as his cock driving in and out of her quivering, aching cunt. Tiny ripples of desire coursed down her spine and she felt him trembling a bit as well. When the climax arrived, Sophia knew it was going to be one of the best she had ever experienced.
“Sophia!” Mel shouted. His voice grew louder as he neared the barn. “Sophia, where do you keep the extra blankets?”
Zach rolled off of Sophia who clamped her legs together, her heart pounding and her body on the verge of shattering. Why did her father have to interrupt them at that particular moment? Zach leapt to his feet so quickly he struck his head on an overhanging beam.
“Aw, hell!” he muttered, rubbing the top of his head.
“Sophia? What are you two doing in the barn at this time of night?” Mel continued.
Sophia picked up the book and pretended to read while Zach grabbed a pitchfork and leaned towards a pile of hay.
“Your trousers!” Sophia whispered, pointing at his dangling balls and thick cock. While Horsemen rarely wore clothing around one another, when in the presence of humans, they generally conformed and at least donned trousers. Zach was probably one of the most modest Horsemen she knew. His face actually reddened as he began picking through the hay for his discarded clothes.
“There’s not time! Change form!”
“Not like this!” Zach pointed to his rock-hard cock.
“Just do it!”
Zach switched from two legs to four. The ground shuddered as Mel opened the barn doors.
“What the hell was that?” Mel snapped. “Earthquake? I’ll get your mother—”
“No, Pa, it was just Zach changing form. When Horsemen switch shape they expel extra energy and it usually is enough to shake the ground. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Oh.” Mel stared at Zach who stood, one front leg crossed over the other, the hoof tapping nervously. Mel’s eyes narrowed. “There’s something different about you, boy. I just can’t place…”
Mel’s voice trailed off and his eyes widened. Sophia followed his gaze to Zach’s beast-half. She gulped. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to change form while in his aroused state. No true-horse had ever looked like this! Never in her life had she seen anything quite so—
Mel raised his eyes to heaven and shook his head while Zach forced a sheepish smile. “Did you want something, Sir?”
“Where do you keep the extra blankets? Your mother says she’s cold.”
“In the trunk under the window.”
Mel nodded and headed for the door. Before exiting, he glanced over his shoulder at Zach, shaking his head in disbelief.
As soon as the door closed behind her father, Sophia broke into uncontrollable laughter.
“Not funny, Sophia!”
“I’m sorry, Zach.” She managed to control herself for five full seconds.
Zach bent, sweeping her into his arms. “Vixen!”
“I thought I knew everything about Horsemen!” she chuckled.
“Stop it!”
“I can’t!”
“I love you.” He could no longer keep the grin from his face.
“I know you do.”
Zach changed to Huform. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sophia kissed him as they headed back to the house.
* * * * *
The following day, Sophia, Zach and her parents awoke early and traveled to the village square where the Chieftain would perform the ceremony.
Inez and Susana waited to help Sophia dress. Terra and Moor assisted Zach. When they met moments before the wedding, she could scarcely keep her eyes from him. Dressed in new brown trousers and a shirt of billowy brown silk with a neckline embroidered with gold, he was the handsomest man she’d ever seen. She’d made the shirt for him as well as the white tunic-style dress she wore. The dress’s long, pointed sleeves were embroidered with tiny purple flowers. The clothes had taken months to create, but she’d begun working on them almost as soon as their shared dreams began. Even then she’d been certain they belonged together.
“You’re so beautiful,” Zach said, taking her hand before they approached the Chieftain who awaited them by the enormous hearth taking up one wall. “I have no words—”
“You don’t need any,” she whispered, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it. He returned the gesture as they walked across the room.
The ceremony was brief. With Sophia’s parents, Inez, Terra, Moor and Susana standing by as witnesses, the Chieftain proclaimed them husband and wife. Within moments, they were all seated at the long table eating a delicious meal.
Afterward, Mel and Loretta said they were leaving. Terra and Moor had volunteered to fly them home.
“But you just got here!” Sophia said.
“It’s your wedding night.” Loretta hugged her daughter. “You don’t want us around.”
Mel cleared his throat loudly and offered Zach his hand. “Take good care of my daughter.”
“You have my word on that,” Zach said.
“And you…” Mel said gruffly before tugging Sophia into his arms and kissing her cheek. “You seem to have a good man there. Be happy.”
“He is and I am happy, Pa.”
“See you next week at the fair,” Mel said. “I’m looking forward to watching you compete, boy.”
“I’m looking forward to having both of you there.” Zach glanced at Mel and Loretta.
“You won’t be disappointed,” Inez said.
“He’s quite an amazing puller,” said Susana, a small, pale-haired woman who appeared especially fragile next to her tall, well-muscled husband.
Moor placed a protective arm around Susana and kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to meet Terra at the tack house so we can change form. We’ll see you at the Running Way in a few minutes?” He turned to Mel and Loretta.
“Yes, thank you.” Mel’s eyes brightened. “I’m getting to like this flying. You Carriers sure can eat up miles.”
“You won’t go too fast, though, will you?” Loretta cast Moor a worried look.
“Don’t worry,” the Carrier told her. “I can travel fast when I need to, but I’m not in Terra’s speed league. We’ll have a pleasant journey and go slow enough to see the sights.”
“Moor is an excellent flyer,” Susana said proudly. “Before him, I was terrified of flying, but he got me over that.”
“Rather quickly, if I remember.” Moor smiled at her, his eyes glistening with amusement.
Susana blushed, and Sophia knew she must have been
imagining the erotic rides Horsemen shared only with their lovers. The thought of the rides Zach had given her made her shiver with desire.
Loretta stood on tiptoe and kissed Zach’s cheek. “I always wanted a son. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you.” Zach’s lips flicked upward in a smile. Sophia could tell he was pleased. She felt wonderful that the man she loved got along with her family.
“Before I go, I want to talk to you, boy.” Mel motioned for Zach to follow him outside.
Sophia and her mother finished their goodbyes and waited for Terra and Moor to switch from Huform.
Several moments later, they waved as Mel and Loretta flew off with the help of their Horsemen hosts.
“What did my father say to you?” Sophia asked.
“He told me to be gentle with you.”
Sophia burst out laughing. “I think your Horseman physique scared him the other night.”
“Didn’t seem to scare you any.” He winked.
“Umm.” She ran her fingertips across his hair-matted chest visible beneath the open ties of his shirt. “That’s because when we make love you’re in Huform.”
“It’s the only way we can make love to women.”
“Now I know why.”
“Speaking of making love, it is our wedding day.”
“Then we should go celebrate.”
“Would you like me to carry you home, or would you prefer to walk?”
“What do you think?” She tossed him a coquettish look.
In the tack house, Zach changed form and Sophia mounted him, bareback, his clothes slung across her lap. He left the village at a canter, and as soon as they were in the open fields, he increased to a gallop, his mighty muscles bunching and his long, powerful legs swallowing the ground. Sophia rose on his withers, wrapped her arms around his chest, and pressed her cheek and breasts to his man-back. His long hair mingled with hers. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of soaring though they hadn’t yet left the ground. Her palms splayed across his chest, her fingers kneading the hard muscles beneath a mat of hair quickly dampening with sweat.