by Mary Quast
“I understand you arranged for this date to put me and what we had, could have had, out of your mind.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you still want to forget me?”
“No.” Her beautiful, flushed face lifted. “In my heart, I knew I could never forget you. You are a part of me.”
“Are you willing to pick up where we left off and continue our night?” He wanted her with unrelenting desire, yet held back.
“Do you mean from when we were kids, or an hour ago?” She clutched his nape.
“Both,” he said, drawing her closer until they were melded together. “I know what I want, so it’s up to you.”
“I want you.” The words caressed his lips until every ounce of blood in his body flowed directly to his cock.
She clung to him. His soul filled with love and, for the first time in his life, was blessed with the sensation of being whole. She kissed him with a hunger he matched until he had to fight the urge to throw her down and mount her like an animal. Despite the heat he felt, a sudden cooling developed when her kiss slowed to a stop and she tipped her face away.
Her grip loosened then dropped to his shoulders, and she frowned. Anger swept across her sweet face. Cautiously, he prepared for possible rejection once her questions started. He planned to be completely honest, and his animal settled and waited.
“Wait a minute. Why?” Her fists thumped his chest. “Why did you leave? Why did you never come see me? Why all the secrecy? I need to know.”
“You’re right, but I’m afraid my story may be longer than the one you shared, and I can’t give you the Reader’s Digest Condensed version.” He tried to lighten the heavy mood growing around them, but she remained focused on his answer. He took her by the hand and sat with her on the couch. “Do you recall the legends my uncle would tell?”
“Yes. That’s what I loved about Indian Dave.”
Dyami didn’t want to scare her. He needed to give her the truth in pieces. “What do you remember the most?”
“He captured our attention and fed our imaginations. Sometimes I believed the stories with all my being. My uncle said Indian Dave didn’t live on the reservation because he worked for the government and had been in the war or something.”
“Dave fought in Vietnam and due to his position, had top security clearance.” Fighting his nerves, Dyami kissed her knuckles. “But that wasn’t the only reason for his solitary life.”
“He said Indian Dave came from a magical line of Chippewa that could change into animals when they wanted to.” Amanda sounded unconvinced. “I think he referred to it as Indian Dave’s spirit animal.”
“So you remember spirit animals?”
“I wanted to believe people with animal spirits could really turn into those animals. Your uncle teased us, saying we both had eagles as our spirit animals because our hearts loved nature and we acted so free.”
“Well, Mandy Pandy, some folklore is true. Like the legends of men who can change into animals at will. I’m sure you remember the eagles at the lake.” Dyami waited for her nod. “Indian Dave and my grandfather were both shifters and could change into bald eagles whenever they wished.”
“You mean to tell me that they were the eagles at the lake?” She gave him a skeptical look.
“Yes. They were.” He couldn’t help but smile. “My grandfather still enjoys fishing there.”
“I remember your grandfather had pure white hair and Indian Dave had hair more like yours. They both had pale eyes. I always thought it odd for Native Americans to have such coloring.”
“My uncle looks like my grandfather now.”
Her gaze traveled over his face. “You had black hair and dark brown eyes.”
“Like the eagles, the white appears with maturity. The eye thing happened during the training period. I guess you could call it a form of puberty.” Dyami paused to let the information sink in. “Not everyone in a family can shift, but it is genetic. Even though my father can’t shift, I inherited the trait from him.”
“Am I getting this right? This is real?” Amanda said, as he stood. “You can change into a bird?”
“Yes. The ability came to me once I hit my teen years.” Pleased with her calm demeanor, words poured from him. “I wanted to tell you so badly, but I swore an oath to secrecy. My family sent me to live with my grandfather to learn how to control my gift. Then I had to be registered with a highly classified department of the government and do time in the military.”
“Wait a minute.” She shook her head. “The government knows about this?”
“Yes, it’s mandatory for shifters to serve. They sent me to be a Marine base in California because I could blend in with other bald eagles in the territory and not draw undue attention. I did aerial surveillance, a bit of border support in the south, and worked with the US Forest Service to help fight forest fires. I didn’t do anything really exciting, like those deployed overseas, but I’m proud to be a US Marine.”
She relaxed with a sigh and angled her head, signaling him to continue.
“My uncle says it’s the government’s way of keeping us under their control.” He shrugged. “I see how it guarantees us jobs, security, and safety. To most people, I work for the Department of Natural Recourses as a conservation officer. But, I actually work for a division of the DNR focused on capturing and prosecuting poachers. The undisclosed part of my job is how I catch the villains. I change into my animal form.”
“Wow. This is too much.” Amanda waved her arms in frustration and walked into the bedroom. “Was our date really put together by Madame Eve, or is it some kind of bad joke? Are you for real? How can I believe this?”
Dyami followed her. “1Night Stand is a real business, run by a gifted woman who I’ve never met. Our date is incredibly real.”
His gut clenched when Amanda put up an emotional wall and mentally drifted away. He wouldn’t lose her again and searched his mind for a way to prove himself.
“I need you to remember the tales my uncle told us and believe in them. I’m your old friend and a bona fide shifter who will never leave you again.” Determined to have her, he drew upon recollections. “One night, after the bonfire died, we sat on the dock and I gave you my heart.”
He proceeded to do the same movements he had that night long ago. Drawing her attention, he tapped the left side of his chest with a fist as if removing his heart, laid it in her hand, then closed her palm around it.
“Odayin,” she whispered and lifted her chin in recognition.
“Odayin is the word for heart. Even then, you figured it out. You had mine and always have.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “After our encounter on the beach, my family forbade me from seeking you out. I became afraid of hurting you, so I stayed away until I could control my spirit animal. When I finally went in search of you, I came up empty. By then you had moved on and your grandmother had passed, leaving no trace of Mandy. I gave up.”
“My name is Amanda Collins. You and my cousins were the only ones who called me Mandy.” Her shoulders dropped. “Summers at the cottage let me be the wild, carefree child I couldn’t be in the city.”
“I really did seek you out at… first.”
“Let me guess.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Like the legend, the elders erased your childhood memories of me until you matured. Well, I’m no maiden who turned to stone while waiting for her brave to come back and remember his love for her.”
He winced at her cold words and his heart filled with shame. “My grandfather and uncle got a shaman to make me forget everything until I saw you again. My powers were too strong for me. I could have killed you if my eagle dominated me.”
“Another story you say is true?” She rubbed her forehead. “I think my head is going to explode, but keep talking because I’m still listening.”
“All things I tell you are true. Everything is coming back to me as we speak.” Taking into account she wasn’t packing her bags or slamming doors as a good sign, he continued
reciting as more flashbacks occurred. “Please remember along with me. Think of the dreams we shared.”
He bared his soul to Amanda in order to save what they had, and continue as adults. Without her, he’d be half of a person.
“Something deep inside me is missing, I’ve never fallen in love. My loneliness consumed me so I went to 1Night Stand to help me find a mate, or at least a good woman who would accept me for what I am. I didn’t dream Madame Eve would find you. You are the lost piece of me.” When Amanda’s face softened at the confession, he asked, “Do you understand how the eagle is my spirit animal?”
“I have held onto every moment spent with you.” She nodded. “I believe it.”
“Good, so I must to be honest with you.” He placed her hand over his heart. “My animal spirit claims you as my mate. If you don’t want anything to do with me, I’ll understand, and you can walk away.” Please don’t, his spirit pleaded. We will surely die.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Amanda pulled away and sat on the bed, legs tucked under her, and tugged the robe she wore tightly around her body. “Tell me more.”
The rest of his story couldn’t be put into words. He dropped his own robe and knelt on the floor, facing away from her. Lowering his head, he folded his hands on his lap, exposing more than his naked backside. Her sharp gasp cut through his soul, and his spirit recoiled with dread.
“It’s huge and so detailed.” A long moment passed and, when her fingers touched the markings, his skin quivered and grew hot. “A little gory, but beautiful all the same.”
She traced the outline of the tattooed wings. Closing his eyes, he pictured what she saw. Black tendons from his shoulder blades gave way to feathers of various sizes used for flight. The inked wings arched up to his shoulders and down past his butt, to rest on his hips. His spirit animal calmed with her touch and hummed with pleasure.
“It looks like it moves when I touch the image. Who did it?”
“An artist didn’t do that.” He swallowed his anxiety. “It appeared over a year’s time as my transformation happened. I’d wake in the morning and more could be seen. Sometimes my bed sheets and back were bloodied. It hurt like hell at the time, but once done, I could summon my powers.”
“Is it really moving?”
“Yes.” Dyami forced the wings not to jut out and scare her to death. “The feathers are part of me and simply responding to you. They’ve never done that before.”
Every contact from the pads of her fingers touching the ink woke the same sensitivity to temperature as when he flew in bird form. The cool air contrasted greatly with the heat radiating from their bodies. His animal spirit barely contained its desire, while his nerve endings exploded from her inspection. Primal sexual force raced. Blood rushed to his cock. He moaned and rolled his head.
She stopped moving. “Am I hurting you?”
“Hell, no,” he croaked. “Touching them in this form or the other is very sensual.”
“So, this feels good?” Her voice was filled with hesitancy.
“Fuck, yeah! It is as good as what we’ve been doing all night, niwiiw.” He groaned. “If you don’t stop soon, I’m going to embarrass myself.”
“Really?” Moving closer, she dropped her robe. “So your spirit animal thinks I’m your mate, and you just called me your wife. Do you still love me, Little Otter?”
“I never stopped, Mandy Pandy. No woman compares to you.” He turned his head and smiled at her nakedness “How about you?”
“Ditto.” Her breath caressed his cheek. “What do we do now? What does your spirit animal want?”
“In the wild, eagles will choose a mate, and the last thing they do before they are bonded for life is fly high, lock talons, then free fall toward earth. They let go of each other a few feet above the ground. It’s a test of their faith and trust in each other. Those who don’t let go in time, perish.”
“The eagle sky dance.” Her eyes widened with recognition of the bonding ritual. “Your spirit wants us to do that? But how? I can’t change into a bird.”
“I can do a half-morphosis. That is, I will be the man you see, but with my full eagle wings.” His heart leapt at her willingness to consider the dance together. “I can carry you and we will do it together.”
“Have you done this before?” Amanda raised an eyebrow, teasing him.
“Never! Only you, ikwe, there could never be another.” He took a deep breath in preparation for the final instruction. “You have to trust me to land on my feet, rather than head first in the ground. You must to do it of your own free will, or it won’t work.”
“If we do the eagle dance, what will it really mean?” She traced the tendons between his shoulders. The wings buried beneath shuddered for release.
“That we are a bonded pair, just like true eagles. You’ll never be able to date another man. You will be mine, forever.” His wings pushed against his skin. Mine, his spirit cried. Curling his hands into fists, Dyami wrangled for control.
“Okay.” She reached out for his hand.
“Okay?” His spirit fought to get out. “Don’t you want to think about it?”
“I’m done thinking. I’ve wanted you forever, and I know that won’t ever change. First, I want to see you shift into an eagle.” She encouraged him to stand. “You won’t try to eat me, will you?”
“No.” He hugged her tightly. “I will only do that as a man.”
She giggled and gave him a playful shove. To settle his hunger for a few moments, he kissed her. Magic passed over his lips and across his tongue. Holding her became a teaser for heaven. With reluctance, he stepped away.
“Are you sure you want to see me change?”
“Yes. I want to see everything.” She licked her lips and smiled without any shadow of doubt.
He led her into the living room and looked around to make sure he wouldn’t break anything. For dramatic effect, he chose to shift slowly. Raising his arms over his head, he repeated an ancient chant in his mind and closed his eyes.
Chapter Six
A gust of wind spiraled around Dyami, then a mystical haze surrounded him until he disappeared. A loud screech echoed in the room and a broad set of wings waved the haze away. They stretched, at least seven feet from tip to tip, on the most magnificent bird Amanda had ever seen. It flexed sharp yellow talons, scratching the wood floor before hopping onto the arm of the couch next to her. Chocolate brown feathers covered a barrel chest and body and the head gleamed white. Pale yellow eyes watched her. She reached out to touch its powerful beak and he gave her a gentle nip.
She squeaked and pulled her hand out of reach. He bobbed and the great Bald Eagle chirped softly, a strange, diminutive sound from such a large animal. The small voice coming from a big, powerful body made him out to be the Mike Tyson of the animal world.
“Are you laughing at me?” She reached out to stroke his head and back.
Dyami’s feathers, like cool silk against her palm, moved with her. Standing majestically, he never took his eyes off her. The pride and confidence of the bird reflected the man. He shifted on his feet and opened his wings long enough to show off his bounteous plumage. Spreading her fingers wide, she combed through the splendor.
“You really did give me one of your feathers when we were young. I’ve cherished the piece of you in my life and in my soul. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you. My Little Otter from Coldwater Lake grew into a magnificent man and much more. Dyami, you make my heart sing, and my body yearns for your touch. I know what you are, and I love you.”
He chirped and hopped off the couch. She approached and placed a kiss on the top of his white head. Again, a gust of air and haze appeared from nowhere then a naked angel stood in front of her, eagle wings jutting from his back, just shy of touching the ceiling and dragging on the floor. Dyami held out his arms and she stepped into his embrace, kissing him with all the love in her heart.
“I love you, too,” he whispered against her lips.
Dark-f
eathered wings enveloped her. Completely awestruck by the beauty and power of this man, she opened her heart to the happiness, comfort, and love flooding through her. Dyami nibbled on her ear and heat radiated from the shroud around her. She grazed her fingers along the marginal, covert feathers. His hard cock dug into her belly, and he released a strangled moan. The thought of making him come from her touch only excited her more.
“Once we are a bonded pair,” he said, folding his wings behind him, “You’ll be able to communicate with me when I’m in avian form. Even if I’m flying many miles away from you, our minds will be linked. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“More than anything. Let’s get this over with so I can make love to you.”
“I certainly won’t argue with that logic.” Spinning her around, he pushed her toward the bedroom with a quick slap on her ass.
Her only instructions were to get dressed, but skip the coat; he promised to keep her warm. While he found his clothes, he explained his ability to protect them from the elements for short periods of time. Wearing only jeans loose around his hips, he waited for her. Taking her hand, he led her onto the porch. He had to duck going through the doorframe to prevent his wings from hitting it.
The snowfall had stopped and a quiet night greeted them. Drifts formed a mountainous landscape under the dark sky, blanketing the earth. Facing him, Amanda slipped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her tightly to his chest.
“Wrap your legs around my waist and hang on.” He cupped her butt to prevent her from sliding.
“Am I holding too tight?” She shuddered with nerves.
“Never.” He nuzzled her cheek. “Have faith, niwiiw, and be calm. There is no fear; our hearts are true.”
His wings beat a thunderous, drumming sound. Her feet left the ground, and she clung tighter to him. Refusing to be afraid with him, she took a deep, cleansing breath and relaxed. An air stream traveled over their bodies as they gained altitude. His warmth magically sheltered her, preventing the cold from being a nuisance on their special night. The Pocono Mountains reached out to them as they flew by snow-covered playgrounds. Thick fir trees danced below them. With twists and turns, Dyami and Amanda soared, enjoying the beauty of the resort lights glowing on the snow. Then the lights grew fainter.