Her Sky Mates

by Lark Sterling

  Gripping his face in her hands, she pulled him up her body, reaching down and unbuttoning his pants. He kept his eyes on her, and she found herself entranced by his stare. Not only did it seem as if their bodies were molding together, but it felt as if he could see right into her mind. She didn't want to stop him either; it was intense and heightened the passion even more. She was so stuck in the deepness of his stare that she hadn't realized he had slipped his boxers off as well, his naked body lying down between her thighs. When she felt the strong solid-state of his cock, her legs automatically opened. Resting his elbows on either side of her head, he kissed her lips softly, his eyes still open, still staring deep into her soul.

  His hips shifted, and he slid down into her, forcing a moan to escape her lips. She pulled her knees up along his sides and began to rock her hips as he thrust deep inside of her. His head came down, and their lips skimmed across each other, their mouths hanging open, their breath deep and hard. As their body's collided, his hips rolling against hers, she could feel the intensity growing deeper and deeper in the pit of her stomach. Her hands came out to the sides, and she gripped down onto the comforter pushing the back of her head hard into the bed.

  As his hips moved faster, so did hers. Iris rolled against him over and over again, feeling his long shaft sink deep into her wetness. Her clit rubbed against his soft skin, and she moaned faster, keeping rhythm with his hips. He followed her voice, picking up the pace as her moans rang out. Her hands were white-knuckling the bed beneath them. He let out a long deep groan as he lifted from his elbows onto his hands. She raised her ass into the air and kept the pace until her head fell back and her chest thrust forward. Her entire body went stiff; her thighs open wide as she erupted in orgasm. He growled loudly, grabbing her waist and pounding into her over and over until, at last, while she still writhed in a flutter of ecstasy, he dove as deep as he could, cumming hard inside of her.

  She could feel his stiff body against her as his cock pulsated along with her humming pussy. The explosion was unlike anything she had experienced before, sending her spiraling through galaxies of pleasure, barely able to keep her thoughts earthbound. But as the pleasure began to subside, their bodies melted into each other, the air returning to their burning lungs. Without thinking, Frodi rolled to the side, pulling her up and into him, wrapping his arms around her, shielding her with his warm body.

  As if it were the hangover after the party, her body gave in to the exhaustion, and she fell asleep in his arms.

  The next morning seemed to move fast. By the time Iris woke from her deep sleep, Frodi had already left her room, dressed, and was out in the hall with the other two waiting on her. She wished they would've woken her up, but she knew that none of them wanted to. They wanted her to have every ounce of strength that she could muster. Knowing they were growing closer to the stone, the anticipation increased, and so did their urgency to get there. They took the time to eat breakfast at a small restaurant down the street and then headed into the forest. It was a long stretch of woods that led up to the base of the mountains and the deep caverns that surrounded them.

  Once far enough into the woods, they were able to take flight, and Iris opened up her mind to allow the guys inside. Glancing over, she saw Alo in his owl form, taking a moment to look at him genuinely. He was beautiful with fluffy white feathers, and a small streak of black that crisscrossed over his wings. "Tell me about yourself, Alo."

  Alo soared closer to Iris. "I was born on a small island off the coast and, when I was old enough, came inland. I'm assuming, since I'm an owl, I've always been a natural leader, a guide. We are very spiritual Shifters, and when we connect, we connect with the soul, not just with the body or the mind. Once I was on the mainland, I realized that I couldn't live as my Owl all the time, so I became a private detective. I was just good at solving puzzles, and it kept me out of Shifter politics. I had spent my life having visions and dreams of this mysterious girl, a higher calling, but never could find what I was being called to. Of course, not until I met you."

  Iris chuckled, about to respond when a branch flew through the air, nearly hitting her right in the head. Her Griffin body flipped upward, her wings going out to the sides and slowing her speed. Immediately Alo, Frodi, and Arsenio turned back, surrounding her. Out of nowhere, small woodland creatures began dive-bombing the four of them. First, they took out the smaller Shifters, Alo as his owl, and Frodi as his Raven. They couldn't hold up against the animals piling on top of them out of nowhere.

  Iris would’ve thought it was humorous except they began knocking branches from the trees right above her and Arsenio. No matter how quick she was, she couldn’t dodge them all and ended up turning over on her back and putting up her claws, catching a large limb that sent her skyrocketing toward the ground. She took out several other branches on her fall, with Arsenio racing to get below her.

  "What's going on?" Frodi asked. "There's no way these creatures are Shifters; there are too many of them."

  Alo ruffled his feathers and looked around. "No, but they seem possessed by something."

  As Iris climbed to her feet, the ground began to shake and emerging from both her right and her left, Minotaur's appeared. The red in their eyes was beaming brightly, and they dug their hooves into the dirt, letting Iris and the guys know they were ready for a fight. Both Alo and Frodi took to the sky, taking out as many of the smaller creatures as they possibly could. Whatever was controlling them, whether it be the Minotaur or another force, it was compelling them to hurl themselves like cannons at Iris.

  Meanwhile, on the ground, both Iris and Arsenio faced off with the Minotaur. They charged almost immediately, and Iris didn't take the time to think. She went in one direction while Arsenio went another, colliding with the beasts and crashing down to the ground. The Minotaur's bodies were strong, and their arms wrapped nearly around Iris' Griffin body. She used her beak to slash at them, forcing their hold to release.

  As the Minotaur balked at her, she flapped her wings backward, bringing her talons up and slashing it across the chest. The Minotaur's eyes went bright red, and he struck her in the chest, knocking her to the ground and following after as she rolled through the dirt. Before she could get her footing, the Minotaur had risen, ready to stop her. She put up her wings, but before the Minotaur's hooves could come down, Arsenio flew across her, grabbing it by the neck and ripping its throat out.

  She thought for just a moment they were going to be okay, two against one wasn't as bad. But as the shifting Minotaur, hit the ground, two more took its place. They circled Arsenio and Iris as the other two fought off the smaller animals above them. Iris wasn't going to go down like that, and she could feel a burst of energy moving through her. It swirled through her veins, up her arms, and around her chest. She felt stronger and mightier than she ever had before. Without a word to Arsenio, she blasted off, getting straight up in the air and hovering. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter as she watched the guys fighting off repeated attacks. As her wings slapped, blasts of energy reverberated out of them, knocking everything down in its path.

  Just before the energy hit one of the Minotaur, it reared back and knocked Alo out of the air, sending him bouncing across the ground and sliding to the bottom of the tree. This enraged her, an anger she had never felt before. She leaned her head back and cawed loudly, the sound echoing through the forest. It exited her throat like an explosion, the pressure, and the tone destroying trees as if there were bombs inside of them. The Minotaur's eyes went wide as they watched, but before they could take off, they too found their end at the Griffin's voice.

  Slowly she floated back down to the ground, her eyes returning to their normal color. She turned in a circle, shocked at the sheer carnage that she had just created. To her surprise, Frodi was hovering right in front of her, while Alo and Arsenio were at each side. She wasn't sure how she had done it, as when the anger hit her, Iris felt as if she had no control over her own body, but somehow, she had managed to spare their liv
es. It was apparent, Alo, Arsenio, and Frodi were far more important than she had initially anticipated.

  Chapter Ten

  Everyone managed to escape the attack with minimal injury, and no one spoke of what happened. It was powerful and all-consuming to Iris, and she needed the time to think about what had happened. They soared along the canopy keeping their eyes open, the men surrounding Iris as she flew in the middle. She tried to keep her focus on her surroundings, but she couldn't believe the immense power that came from her. As they reached the edge of the wood line, they landed and looked out over the caverns.

  "I think that we should wait here, recharge for a bit before we walk into the trail that leads to the town. There are a lot of Shifters there, but there are also humans we have to be careful of," Frodi instructed.

  The others agreed, and they changed back into their humans. She knelt beside her heavy leather satchel and pulled out clothes, handing them to each of the guys. As she dressed, Iris knew she needed to talk to them, but wasn't sure why she was so nervous about it. It was evident that they had seen what had happened, and they had expected it to occur, but for some reason, she feared that they would be afraid of her.

  As if Frodi were inside her mind, he turned and put his hand on her shoulder. “We’re here to talk about anything. We’re here because you are growing stronger. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Alo came hopping up, buttoning and zipping his pants. “Hell no. That was crazy. That was probably the most awesome display of magic I’ve ever seen. You went from kicking butt as your Griffin to kicking butt as your super magical Griffin aura. I can’t even explain to you what it was like.”

  Arsenio stumbled forward, trying to pull the shirt over his head but quickly realized that he had Frodi's, and Frodi had his. Iris chuckled, looking at him, standing there with the tiny shirt wrapped around the upper part of his chest. He grinned abashedly and pulled it off, him and Frodi synchronizing their toss to each other.

  As Arsenio pulled the much better fitting shirt over his head, he gave Iris a thumbs up. "I could feel your energy flowing through me; it was intense, but good, a strength that I didn't think I would ever feel from anyone. You're growing stronger, and that's supposed to happen. You're the High Alpha."

  Iris grinned, shaking her head. "You guys, are awesome."

  She stood looking at them for a second, out over the caverns, and then back up at the canopy of the trees. She smirked, pulling her clothes back off. Frodi furrowed his brow. "What are you doing?"

  As she kicked her pants off, Iris gave him an enormous grin. "Since we have some time to kill, I figured maybe we could go for a little stress-relieving flight just around the area."

  The guys looked back and forth at each other and smiled, pulling their clothes off as fast as they could. As soon as they were naked, they leaped into the air, shifting into their animals and taking flight. Iris soared through the canopy, feeling the wind on her cheeks, ruffling through her feathers, bringing life back to her. From the moment she'd entered the Griffin sanctuary, Iris had been in a mode of seriousness. She knew they needed to let loose.

  However, as she tilted her body to the left, sending her Griffin back around toward the cavern, her eyes went gray. She could feel a burning in her chest even stronger than the one that she had initially experienced standing on the bridge. Her Griffin went spiraling down into the forest as her mind cascaded into her vision. She could see the stone, surrounded by dark and ominous shadows. She couldn't see her body, just the stone. All around her voices echoed about, and she got the intuitive feeling that they belonged to the Bats.

  One of the voices sounded fearful, his tone wavering as he spoke. The other was strong and commanding, speaking with a roll of leadership and experience. The voices became louder, and Iris could finally understand what they were saying. The shaking voice was almost high-pitched. "But what if she comes?"

  The deep and ominous voice spoke loudly, reverberating through Iris’ head. “Then we do what we said we would do. We kill her.”

  The shrill voice shuttered. "Yes, Hellforth, as you wish."

  Iris gasped, hearing that name spoken. She began to whisper to herself over and over again. "No. It can't be. It just can't be."

  Everything went dark, and suddenly she found her body once again. Iris could feel her eyes clenched tightly, and her fists balled. Slowly she opened one eye and then the other, finding herself in the arms of Arsenio who had caught her before she had hit the ground. Somehow, without even knowing, she had turned back into her human form, and the guys had followed suit. Her fingers gently rubbed down her leg, feeling the satin of her robes that the guys had pulled from her bags and draped over her body. They were all dressed, and she was slightly confused as to how long she had been unconscious.

  In her vision, it only felt like a moment. "Was I out for long?"

  Arsenio glanced up at Frodi, whose eyes shifted over to Alo. He cleared his throat and walked toward her. "At least an hour, if not more. What did you see? It was obvious from your reactions that you weren't happy."

  Iris took a long deep breath and nodded to Arsenio to set her down on her feet. She took her robes and wrap them around her body, walking over to a fallen tree and taking a seat. The guys took a knee in front of her and waited for her to speak. "Many, many years ago, the Bat Shifter Alpha found himself in a position to grab power from the Shifter world. He led a Battalion against the High Alpha King, my great grandfather. It was a bloody battle, and from what I was told, many innocent people died. During this Battle, my great grandfather, Balthazar, killed Hellforth with a sword through the heart. Unfortunately, during that fight, my great grandfather sustained injuries he couldn't come back from. It was one of the few stories that my mother told me about my family, my Griffin family."

  Frodi nodded. "I know that story well. There are anthologies upon anthologies telling the tale of Balthazar. Your grandfather was a powerful and respected man. But what I don't understand is what does all of this have to do with your vision?"

  Iris' brow furrowed, and her eyes shifted off into the woods. A chill ran up her spine, and she crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head. Her voice started as a whisper, growing stronger as she felt the power and energy from her guys surround her. "He has returned… Hellforth has returned."

  Chapter Eleven

  Right Staff Caverns, a modern, medium-sized town that lay at the base of the Right Staff Mountains brimmed with people. When Iris and the guys arrived, it was just beginning to become nightfall, and after the Battle, the vision, and the long trek they took to get there, they were wired instead of tired. Iris' mind was going crazy, unable to understand what was happening entirely. She hadn't heard the name Hellforth in a very long time. His name was one that had invoked fear in her as a child, having listened to stories told about his wrath.

  Her mother, Omera, had told the story of her great-grandfather's battle against Hellforth, but the real fear came from those stories told by elders in the castle. He ravaged communities, killed thousands, and had a particular dislike for the Griffin community. Every spring, the Griffin Shifters gathered together in remembrance of one such event where he unleashed his wrath on the Griffin.

  Omera had taken Iris to the Griffin sanctuary for the event. To her, as a child, it looked like a celebration. People dressed in giant costumes, paraded in the streets, and there were lanterns and candles lit throughout the cave. But as the night fell and she began to hear the stories, the dark history behind it shivered her to the bone. Hellforth and a brigade of his Bat Shifter soldiers had marched into a Griffin encampment, catching them in one of the most sacred times of their day, meditation and prayer to the universe. It had been an unwritten rule that during those times, Shifters across the different sigils would put aside all anger and fighting that they had brought to the Griffin to allow them their twenty minutes of peace a day.

  On that particular spring day, though, Hellforth had no care for the rituals of the Shifters. He ravag
ed the town, pulling the Griffin, men, women, and children from their homes and sanctuaries. He lined them in the streets and spoke of a larger purpose, a world without Griffin. He then set in motion a succession of actions that were proposed to send a message to the Shifters of the world, actions that would forever change the history of the Griffin. He maimed the Griffin, still in their human bodies, making them incapable of shifting. He then tied each of them to a stake and lit the entirety of the town on fire. An elder spoke of the event, saying that late at night, they could still feel the warmth from that place, even see the flickering of the shadows from the fire across the land.

  “Iris?” Frodi’s voice shook Iris from her thoughts.

  “Sorry,” she replied, taking in a deep breath. “My mind was lost for a moment. What were you saying?”

  Frodi handed her the keys to her room. "I'm going to go do some research on Hellforth. I want to make sure that I have the ins and outs of everything there is to know about this man. I want to know whether he had magical beings working with him outside the realm of Shifters. There's a chance that they knew you might have a vision of them, and they made you see what they wanted you to see. If not, and Hellforth has returned, I want to know what we can do to defeat him."

  Iris nodded her head. “Thank you. I appreciate it. And I’m sorry guys, that last vision took a lot out of me.”

  Alo shook his head, leaning in and hugging her tightly. "There's no reason to be sorry. Visions themselves take a toll on our souls, and one's filled with darkness are hard to come out of. Arsenio is going to go with you to your room, to make sure you don't need anything and stand watch. I'm going into town to see if I can learn more about the happenings on the peaks. We're as close as we're going to get before it turns into rocky territory and unclaimed land. If anyone has come through to the mountains, they'll be sure to know about it."