by R. E. Butler
They fixed sandwiches, poured drinks, and sat at the table.
“What’s the next step?” Dom asked.
“Well, since I don’t have any pictures of my previous creations, I have to make a few things so I can get photos to put on the site. And of course I need to set up a new email address and website.”
“I’ll help with the website,” Dom said.
“That would be awesome.”
“We need to get you a new phone number and set it up on the pride’s plan,” Henry said.
She smiled at them, put down her sandwich, and took their hands. “I can’t thank you enough for everything. I thought getting kicked out of the nest and being scarred were the worst things I would deal with, but then I was thrown another wrench with losing my business stuff. But you made me whole. I had a problem and you stepped up without hesitation. I can’t even tell you how much that means to me. There just aren’t strong enough words.”
“You’re very welcome. It’s what mates are for,” Dom said as he brought her hand to his lips.
Henry nodded. “We’re a family now. Whatever brought us to this place was worth it because we have each other.”
She leaned over and kissed Henry, then Dom. She gave his hand a little squeeze, and it made his cat purr to see her eyes glittering with happiness and a smile on her face.
“I have an idea,” she said.
“Oh?” Dom asked. “A sexy one?”
She giggled. “No, but save that thought for later. I was thinking I’d like to try shifting again. You said I need to practice.”
“How about after our date?” Henry asked.
She clapped excitedly. “Yay! Will you shift, too? I’d love to see my big cats.”
“You bet,” Dom said.
Turning their attention back to their sandwiches, they talked about shifting, sewing, and what it really meant to be a family.
Chapter 9
Female Pride, Canada
Honor paced the length of the bedroom and chewed on her thumbnail. She was going batshit crazy, and she couldn’t talk to anyone about it. Ever since she’d kissed those two males in Ashland, her whole world had been torn apart at the seams. It wasn’t bad enough that she’d lost four pride members to dragon fire, but she’d also apparently lost her damn mind.
Ever since that night in Ashland, she hadn’t felt right. It was as if something deep inside her had changed, and she didn’t think she’d ever be the same. After she’d left the two males in the woods and reunited with Gretchen and Julia, they’d driven as fast as they could back to the pride home in Canada. But something had been awakened in Honor, and although she didn’t know how she knew, she was certain it was because of Holden and Jackson Whitman.
Jackson had tackled Honor in the woods and she’d kissed him. As a female who prided herself on always being in control, she’d been utterly lost to the desire and her pushy lioness. With her fangs out, she’d nicked him, and that first bit of blood had done something to her mind and her feelings. Then she’d kissed Holden and bit his lip. On purpose. She had no idea what possessed her to do it, but it had been an impulse she hadn’t been able to ignore.
A massive headache had sent her the ground, and she’d entirely freaked out and ran straight for Gretchen and Julia, who’d hauled ass away from there. She’d been relieved to be back home at first, but whatever happened between her and the males in the woods had changed her on a level she couldn’t even begin to describe. She was suddenly aware of memories of her childhood. Of her father and their home.
Of females clawing her upper arms and seeming to change her on a cellular level, until she hated the male who had raised her and wanted nothing to do with him.
And the child she left behind in King.
Her eyes stung with tears, as they did whenever she thought of the little girl she’d left in the bassinet in the hospital. She hadn’t cared for the male who she’d made the child with; she was just doing her part to ensure the purity and continuity of the mountain lions. As soon as she’d been released, she’d walked away. She’d never even held her.
Those were the thoughts that plagued her now.
What happened to that little girl? Was her father still alive?
She heard footsteps in the hall and wiped at the tears that had run down her cheeks, schooling her features to a blank calmness that the females were used to. The females knew something was different about her, which was why they kept her inside. She was free to roam the house, but they’d taken her cell and password-protected the only computer.
They didn’t trust her anymore.
She’d been their leader and now was a virtual prisoner, wrestling with feelings she didn’t understand for two males, and mourning the loss of her childhood to whatever the females had done to her with their claws.
There was a soft knock at the door and Julia opened it. “Dinner’s ready. Are you coming to eat?”
“Yes,” she said, sweeping past the other woman and out into the hall toward the dining room. As she did every time she moved through the house, she looked for a vulnerability. A window that hadn’t been locked. A cell phone left unattended.
She knew she’d eventually get out of the house, making her way back to Ashland and the two males who plagued her dreams. And then she’d go to King and find her father and her daughter.
She had a lifetime of regrets, and she wanted to make things right. The only way to do that was to leave the females behind, and somehow, someday, she’d do that.
No matter the cost.
* * *
Ehrin’s heart pounded as she stepped out of the boarding house, walking through the screened porch and down into the yard. She could hear the hum of conversation in the kitchen, but she tuned the sounds out and concentrated on the task at hand.
Shifting.
Not the surprised sort of shifting she’d done in the school on Friday night, but an intentional one. Henry and Dom flanked her, stopping when she did in the center of the yard.
She wrung her hands together. “What was your first shift like?”
Dom’s brows rose. “You already shifted once before.”
“Not on purpose.”
He chuckled lightly and took her hands, kissing her fingertips. “When I was old enough to shift, Mom and I were still in danger from being found by her former clan, so we had to stay inside. When I felt like I might shift for the first time, she moved all the furniture out of the way in the family room and told me to not fight the change but embrace it. I was worried it would hurt, or that I wouldn’t be able to come back to human when I was ready, but my fears were quickly eased. It was odd and uncomfortable to shift, but it didn’t hurt. And once I was in my cat form, I knew I could become human whenever I wanted. The cat wasn’t trying to dominate and take over, it was becoming a part of me. An extension of who I am.”
She smiled at him. “That’s really sweet.”
“I know you were scared when you were shifting for the first time, but your bird just wants to be part of you.”
She looked at Henry. “What was your first shift like?”
“Well, picture this situation exactly, except about a dozen other mountain lions trying to look like they’re not waiting for you to shift.”
“You had to shift in front of the pride?”
“They were just being supportive, but yeah, when I was ready, Dad took me outside with my uncles and cousins and some of the other pride males. Alek and Ethan both shifted in front of me, so I knew what it would be like, but there’s not a good way to explain how it feels to turn into an animal. I didn’t shift right away and I got self-conscious, so Dad shooed everyone away. Then he told me he’d be waiting for me in the woods, whether I shifted or not, and he shifted and disappeared. I didn’t want to let him down, and I guess my cat didn’t either, because I shifted after that and ran into the woods after him.”
“I guess I’m glad it’s just the three of us,” she said.
The floodlights turned on suddenly, il
luminating the backyard as the screen door banged open. Treasure walked out with Brian and Kevin.
“Hey!” Treasure said. “Can I take a pic of you for your InstaPixChat? It’ll be cool to have your shift on there. I bet you’ll get a ton of likes.”
“Insta-what-now?” Ehrin asked.
Treasure blinked slowly. “InstaPixChat. Or IPC.”
“No one calls it IPC,” Brian said with an indulgent smile.
“Not true. I do.”
“She’s got you there,” Kevin said.
“Okay,” Ehrin said, “but I don’t have that app.”
“It’s fun! You can be my friend and we’ll share pics.”
“Can’t we just text each other pictures?” she asked.
Treasure lifted her head and stared at Ehrin as if she’d sprouted horns. “Oh gosh, no. That’s an awful idea.”
“Why?” Dom asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide his amusement.
“It just is,” Treasure said. “Give me your phone and I’ll set it up for you.”
Ehrin tugged the phone from her back pocket. “Just don’t take any pics of me naked.”
“Um, ew,” Treasure said, wrinkling her nose.
“Thanks,” Ehrin said, flatly.
After answering questions from Treasure on username and password, the account was set up and Treasure snapped a photo of Ehrin for her profile, then took a photo of her, Dom, and Henry.
“I’m tagging this with newestpridemember, mates4life, and relationshipgold,” Treasure said.
“It’s goals,” Kevin said.
“What is?” Treasure asked.
“The phrase is relationship ‘goals,’ not gold.”
“What if I meant that I think their relationship is golden?” she countered.
Brian arched a brow. “Did you?”
There was a significant pause, and then her shoulders slumped. “No.”
“It’s okay. Gold sounds good, too,” Ehrin said.
Treasure smiled. “Thanks. We’re going back into the house until you’re ready. Someone can holler for us and we’ll come out to take pics.”
“Thanks, Treasure,” Ehrin said.
When the yard was empty again save for the three of them, Ehrin looked at her mates. “That was actually a good tension breaker. I don’t feel so nervous now.”
“That’s good,” Dom said. “Whenever you’re ready, we’re here for you.”
She nodded and toed off her shoes, then bent and tugged her socks off, tucking them into her shoes. The grass was still warm from the afternoon sunshine, and she wiggled her toes and listened to her bird’s excited trilling in her mind.
Henry and Dom took her clothes from her as she stripped. She was still a little scared to shift, but it wasn’t a crippling fear. She was more afraid of not being able to shift again, but she could feel her bird urging her to let go. Pushing the fearful thoughts aside, she looked up at the sky and let herself go into her shift.
At first, nothing happened. She closed her eyes and focused on her hawk, and then she started to shift. A sweet warmth spread through her as she embraced the bird and changed forms, flapping her wings and lifting into the air once she’d transformed completely. Dom and Henry cheered, clapping and whistling, and if she could have smiled with her beak, she would have. Instead, she cawed to them and swooped down to land on Dom’s shoulder. She nudged the back of his head with her wing before she settled on him.
“Arr,” he said with a chuckle.
Henry called out, “Treasure, you guys can come out now.” Then he ran his knuckle down Ehrin’s chest, smoothing her feathers. “You’re the prettiest hawk ever.”
She preened at the compliment.
“Aw,” Treasure said as she came out with Brian and Kevin. “You’re so cute.”
“Mom would say you look ‘adorbs,’ because she still thinks it’s cool to say that,” Brian said.
Treasure started taking pictures, the click of the app signaling to Ehrin that she was going to have a lot of them to go through. Treasure encouraged her to take flight, and she did, diving and turning as she got used to the feel of the wind under her wings and the freedom that came with being a bird. It was no wonder her people prized their shifts so much – it was amazing.
For a moment, as she circled above her mates, she thought about her parents and how much they’d wanted her to be able to shift so she could be normal. Her ability to shift so she could have a good mate was all they’d cared about. She’d found her shift, but it had come at the cost of losing her nest. But she had found a new family and a place in the pride, and that was worth her exile and the barely visible scars on her cheek.
Treasure and her mates turned away while Henry and Dom stripped and shifted. Ehrin perched on a nearby picnic table to watch. She’d only ever seen bird shifters change forms, and she didn’t want to miss a second of her mates turning into cats. They changed so effortlessly, going from sexy males to beautiful big cats in a matter of seconds. Henry’s fur was a tawny gold, and his muzzle looked like it had been dipped in white paint. He stretched and flicked his tail, giving her a happy yowl. Dom’s fur was pure white, and his eyes were the brightest blue she’d ever seen, as if they were lit from within.
She hopped down and they padded over to her, snuffling her and running their noses over her wings. She rubbed her beak against their cheeks and trilled happily.
“Oh my gosh,” Treasure said as she went to one knee and took several pictures. “This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Brian said, “It’s kind of like us.”
“What?” Kevin asked.
“A bird and two cats, except our bird is really large compared to what we’ll be like when we shift.”
“And I’m also a dragon, not a bird,” Treasure said.
“I said it was like us, not identical,” Brian said.
“Plus, no offense,” Treasure said to the shifted trio, “but we’re going to be a lot fiercer-looking than you three.”
“It’s hard to beat a kickass dragon,” Kevin said.
Dom snorted, and Ehrin chuckled inwardly.
“I’m tagging all your pictures,” Treasure said. “I’ll leave your phone on the picnic table for when you’re finished.”
Ehrin hopped onto Henry’s back, perching on his shoulders. She cawed at the trio behind them and they waved, the camera app still clicking as Treasure took more photos. Dom motioned with his head toward the woods, and Ehrin cawed in agreement, taking flight. Her mates followed below her, weaving among the trees. She didn’t know where they were going, but she was just thankful to have wings to take her anywhere.
She swooped down and landed on a fallen tree, stretching her wings and letting out a piercing cry that echoed around her. Dom and Henry joined her, Henry rubbing his cheek on the log and snuffling at her as Dom batted at Henry’s tail. They suddenly pounced on each other, rolling this way and that, their purrs filling the air. As quickly as they had started playing, they stopped and Dom hopped up on the tree next to her, his claws digging into the trunk for support.
She didn’t know how long they’d been out, but she’d had a wonderful time flying. They returned to the backyard and shifted. That time, instead of being in the air and nearly breaking her neck when she changed suddenly, she was on the ground and in control.
Henry handed Ehrin her clothes and tugged on his jeans while Dom dressed.
“That was so cool,” she said.
“You look like a pro flyer,” Dom said.
She smiled brightly. “It was easier this time. And shifting back, too.”
“Practice makes perfect,” Henry said.
She tucked her phone into her pocket and picked up her shoes and socks, deciding to walk into the house barefoot. “I could go for some ice cream.”
“I put your favorite on the shopping list,” Henry said.
“Rocky road?”
“You bet. And I also added mini marshmallows and chocolate syrup, too.”
“You’re the
best!” she said, giving him a kiss.
Dom cleared his throat noisily.
“You’re the best, too.” She grasped his shirt, pulling him to her. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have the two most amazing males by my side.”
“You’re not the only one who’s lucky,” Dom said. “We all are.”
“I kind of want to skip the ice cream,” she said as they walked into the house.
“We’ll take it upstairs,” Henry suggested.
“And eat it fast,” she said.
“That’s the only thing we’ll eat fast,” Dom whispered in her ear. He rested his hand on her hip and gave it a squeeze, which sent chills racing down her spine.
She loved his sexy promises. There was never a dull moment when she was with Dom and Henry. She had two sweet males to share her life with, and she was looking forward to what the future would bring.
Chapter 10
Dom woke the next morning to the sound of the closet door sliding open. He opened his eyes and Henry smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry.”
“No worries.” Dom grabbed his phone from the nightstand and checked the time. It was after seven. “I thought you weren’t working until tonight?”
“Eryx texted early this morning and asked me to switch.”
“Well, have fun.”
He snorted. “At least I’ll be home for dinner. I wasn’t looking forward to being gone overnight.”
Dom touched the space next to him and it was cold. “Where’s Ehrin?”
“Shower. She said she wanted to get started making something so she could put it on the website.”
He sat up and rolled his neck. “I’ll get the basic site up today and she can tweak it as she likes. I have a project to finish for a client, too.”
“Sounds like a busy day. See you at dinner.”
“Be safe,” Dom said.
Henry left, shutting the door quietly. Dom left his phone on the nightstand and got out of bed, walking to the door and opening it slowly to peek out. The hallway was empty, so he hustled across to the bathroom door and twisted the knob. It wasn’t locked, so he opened it slowly and knocked a few times.