Zoe's Mates

by Izzy Szyn

  “I already know he’s cheating,” commented Zoe. “I was planning on breaking up with him tonight, but then we got called into work.”

  “He’s not going to be happy you’re ending things,” Cassidy said. “If you don’t leave here, he’s going to hurt you. Badly.”

  “How do you know?” Zoe asked.

  “I can’t say how I know, you’ll think that I’m a total freak,” Cassidy replied.

  “We’ll talk after our shift is over. You’re my best friend, there isn’t anything that you can tell me that will make me love you any less,” Zoe told her.

  “Zoe?” Brent said. “Come here.” Brent almost found it hard to breathe when she walked towards him, Gods and Goddesses, he loved this woman.

  “What do you want?” She stared up at him.

  “This,” he framed her face and kissed her. She immediately leaned into him and kissed him in return. Her hands going around his waist, he relished the feel of her hands sliding under the scrubs he wore. “I’ll see you after work. Be careful.”

  “Okay and you too,” Zoe kissed him one last time before leaving.

  THREE

  Zoe stepped in the shower at the station and sighed. She was exhausted. It had been a long two days. When not on a call, her mind was all over the place. Cassidy Morningside a witch?

  She’d met Cassidy shortly after starting college. They were both in the paramedic program at Saginaw State University. They instantly hit it off and had been friends ever since. After training they both made it their mission to not only work at the same station but eventually become each other’s partners.

  There was always something mysterious about Cassidy. When she went home on vacation she never said where home was. She wore her hair pulled back when on duty, but when off duty it was glorious dark red hair that hung to her waist. Her eyes were a gorgeous almond color, with skin the color of a deep sun tan.

  Zoe had always had a little girl crush on Cassidy. She’d often wondered what it would be like to kiss her, be fucked by her. Maybe, just maybe she might be lucky enough to find out.

  She thought about what Cassidy had said about Derek trying to kill her. She knew that he didn’t really love her, but kill her? Why? It didn’t make sense. But nothing she’d learned over the past few days made sense.

  She knew Derek didn’t like Cassidy either. It had always been a cause of disagreement between them. Derek objected to the fact that he knew that Cassidy was a lesbian. He kept asking Zoe if she’d tried to make a pass at her. Something she never really thought about until the last couple of days.

  After Liam and Brent had dropped her off at her parents’ house, she went to her computer and looked up the word pansexual. When she read the definition, her jaw dropped. Did they expect her to be with other women? Truth was she thought about it once in a while. What woman didn’t? She would be willing to try, for them, but what if she didn’t like it? Would they still expect her to be with women if she didn’t want it?

  If she was going to be with another woman, she wanted her first time to be with someone she knew. Not a stranger. She knew that Cassidy found her attractive. She’d said it often enough. Normally it was said in a joking way. But some part of Zoe knew that if Zoe told Cassidy yes, she’d be naked in minutes.

  Stepping out of the shower, she put on her clothes and went into the room she shared with Cassidy. Their beds had already been made, her stuff was packed. She looked around the station and thought about the possibility that she could possibly not be coming back. She loved working as a paramedic, but she loved them more.

  She knew without a doubt now that she belonged with Brent and Liam. The last few days proved that to her. She spent most nights thinking of nothing but them and what it would be like to be able to change into a wolf or something. She meant what she said, that she needed to end things with Derek, before moving on with them. It was the right thing to do.

  “You okay?” Cassidy asked her.

  “Yes and no,” Zoe sat on the bed for a minute. “You said that you were a witch? Does that mean you have powers?”

  “Yep,” grinned Cassidy. “I can pop in and out of places, it’s my favorite part of being a witch.”

  “How freaking cool,” Zoe said excitedly. “Can you do something? I don’t care what.”

  “You mean you’re not freaked out?” Cassidy looked at her.

  “I assume that if you’re from this place called Tempura and you know about Ravana that you know what Liam and Brent are?” Zoe asked.

  “Yeah, I know,” Cassidy admitted.

  “After they told me that their kind existed, I started to wonder about the other stuff,” confessed Zoe. “Can I ride your broom one day? Or is there only room for one? And you still haven’t shown me any magic.”

  “Zoe Whitaker, I love you,” Cassidy started to laugh.

  “Good I love you too,” Zoe said. “So, does that mean when I go to Ravana, I’ll get to see you occasionally? If you’re from another place, why are you here?”

  “Yes, we can see each other if you’d like,” Cassidy replied. “It’s a requirement to live in this dimension for a period of five years. Some end up staying longer, or not going back. The only reason I stayed after school was you.”

  “Me?” squeaked Zoe.

  “I couldn’t shake the sense that something bad was going to happen to you,” explained Cassidy. “Brent and Liam coming here has shifted my vision. If you stay here, you could be hurt or worse.”

  “You think Derek is going to try and kill me?” Zoe asked.

  “Yes,” Cassidy answered. “With you going to Ravana, I can go back home.”

  “Is Tempura like Ravana?”

  “As Brent and Liam probably have told you, Ravana is pansexual, but Tempurians are not.”

  “You’re lesbians?” asked Zoe.

  “Yes, for the most part. There are some women that want both men and women, or hetero sex relationships,” explained Cassidy.

  “The guys mentioned that there are seven dimensions?” asked Zoe.

  “Yep,” confirmed Cassidy. “They are all near each of the continents.”

  “Wow,” Zoe whispered.

  “There’s one called Landia, it’s located between Australia and New Zealand. They are a sub/dominant society.”

  “What about the others?” she asked. “I know that I’m asking a lot of questions, feel free to tell me to stop.”

  “I’m frankly relieved that you know,” admitted Cassidy. “It was really hard to keep it a secret.”

  “Brent and Liam explained about the whole Noah’s Ark thing. To be honest I never bought the whole one boat thing,” admitted Zoe.

  “You’re right,” confirmed Cassidy. “Noah, his brother James and Pantheon who’s the Goddess of Wiccans and the heads of the different religions were also on those ships. They were charged with recreating Earth, once the rains had stopped.”

  “You mean the James of the King James bible fame?” asked Zoe.

  “Yeah the guy who wrote his version of what happened. There were other books written, but those were destroyed. The people on his ship were some of the worse people on the planet. He ignored that women and men were to rule this dimension equally. Instead he lied. Said because of what happened with the apple in the Garden of Eden, that women were to be punished.”

  “Oh wow,” Zoe commented. “Which is dumb, it was just the usual men’s aversion to the word no.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Cassidy. “Zoe? You know that going to Ravana there is a strong possibility that you’re going to be with women and men?”

  “Yeah, I’ve done a lot of thinking about it,” Zoe replied. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

  “Me?”

  Zoe told her. “I don’t want my first time to be with a strange woman that I don’t know.”

  “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  “Maybe,” admitted Zoe. “Would you object?”

  “No,” Cassidy replied. “I'd be honored.
”

  “Really?” Zoe got excited.

  “I've wanted you for a long time,” Cassidy told her. “You have to be mated to Liam and Brent first.”

  “I’m sure that they won’t mind,” said Zoe. “Will you take me to the hospital? I want to talk to Derek.”

  “Can I record it on video?” asked Cassidy. “Please?”

  “No,” laughed Zoe. “But you can watch if it will make you feel better.”

  “Party pooper,” pouted Cassidy. “If it gets too ugly, I might change him into a frog.”

  “Why punish frogs?” asked Zoe, getting into the car. “What did they do wrong?”

  “You do have a point,” agreed Cassidy. “What about a mosquito?”

  “That’s better,” replied Zoe.

  Zoe’s stomach dropped when Cassidy parked in front of the hospital. This was it. She was going to end things with Derek Barnes. She was more nervous about his reaction. She had a feeling he wouldn’t be taking the news very well.

  “Go,” Cassidy urged her. “You’ll feel better.”

  “You’re right,” sighed Zoe, getting out of the car.

  She was not looking forward to talking to Derek at all. He always treated her like she was an airhead, and when she’d say something he’d just about pat her on the head. Hearing giggling, she turned her head and her mouth dropped.

  Derek’s pants were down around his ankles and he had some girl pressed against the tree. That had to be painful on the boobs, was her first thought. “Dr. Barnes you better hurry up and cum, my break is almost over,” the girl urged Derek.

  Zoe just stood there with her arms folded and waited. Wow, he certainly had a lot of stamina she thought. With her it was you blink and missed it. Finally, she heard a groan, which usually signaled he was almost finished.

  Sure enough, he stepped away from Ms. Tree Hugger and pulled his pants up. When he turned around he froze.

  “Busted,” Zoe said.

  “Zoe, I can explain. I was helping her,” Derek lied.

  “With what? Get tree bark burn? I wonder if that is even a thing?” wondered Zoe. “This is going to be a lot easier than I thought. We’re through.”

  “Zoe wait,” Derek grabbed her arm. “Don’t do this. It didn’t mean anything.”

  “Everyone told me that you were cheating. But I thought I’d give you the benefit of the doubt. Shows what a dumbass I was. But I’m not anymore.”

  “He wouldn’t have to fool around if you weren’t so uptight.”

  “You’re Natalie, aren’t you? Well Natalie I hope you used a condom. Don’t know what kind of diseases you might end up with,” said Zoe.

  “He said he didn’t like them,” confessed Natalie. “He said that the thought of sex grossed you out.”

  “Is that what he told you?” Zoe rolled her eyes. “He used to tell me that anything beyond the standard missionary position was for women who are sluts. He said that the future mother of his children had to be respectable, in all aspects of her life.”

  “Really?” Natalie looked at Derek. “Is that what I am to you? A slut?”

  “From what I’ve heard, I’m sure you’re not the only one he’s been with,” said Zoe. “I wonder if that makes Derek a man-slut?”

  “Look Zoe, let’s go somewhere we can talk,” Derek told her. “Natalie didn’t mean anything.”

  “Poor Natalie,” sympathized Zoe. “But then maybe I should thank her.”

  “Thank me? How?” asked Natalie.

  “For making this a lot easier than I thought it would be,” answered Zoe. “See, I’ve come to realize that I can’t spend the rest of my life with him. Why anyone would is beyond me, but he isn’t my problem anymore. Every word he has ever spoken to me is a lie. Don’t ever, ever call me again.”

  “Are you forgetting that we have an engagement party in a couple weeks?”

  “No, but you did or you didn’t care,” Zoe replied. “We’ll make it easy. You contact your side, I’ll contact my side and bam, no issue.”

  “I suggest you think this through,” Derek said. “It’s obvious you’re emotionally unstable at the moment. I know once you think about it, that you’ll forgive me and go ahead with the wedding.”

  “Do I look stupid to you?” Zoe asked him. “Natalie? Do I look emotionally unstable?”

  “No, you look like you’re pissed off. Derek why not let her go? We can be together like you said you always wanted.” Natalie said to him.

  “Do you honestly think that if he married you that he would stay true to you? Once a cheater always a cheater,” Zoe asked her. “I’ve heard from several sources that you’re not the only one. Apparently, there are some in other places.”

  “Who’s been telling you these things?” It was then that he saw Cassidy in the car watching everything. “I see. You’re aware that Cassidy only told you those things because she wanted me and I told her no,” Derek lied.

  He really was an awful liar. Wonder why she never noticed it before? “Cassidy wanted you? Really? Are you going to be getting a sex change or something?”

  “That’s a good one,” laughed Natalie. “Even I can tell, that she’d sooner seduce me than you.”

  “Very true,” agreed Zoe. “I’m going home. Natalie, I’d advise you to make sure you haven’t any diseases.”

  “Zoe, think about this before you do something that you’ll regret,” Derek said to her. “I come from the most powerful family in Saratoga Falls. See if you’ll be able to work again. You’re father’s medical license is also up for renewal. Wouldn’t want it to be declined, would you?”

  Zoe saw red. How dare he threaten her? “You’re an asshole.” She said before kicking him in the groin. She smiled to herself as he crumbled to the ground holding his front. “Don’t you ever threaten me or my family again.” She said to him before going to the car.

  “Oh my god,” Cassidy said when Zoe got in the car. “He’s still lying on the ground.”

  “Yeah, I’m surprised my knee was able to find his dick,” Zoe replied.

  “Hey he’s coming. He looks pissed,” Cassidy started to put her car out of park.

  “Wait,” Zoe looked at her. “Kiss me”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, kiss me.” Zoe leaned over and kissed Cassidy lightly. Mmm, not bad.

  “Zoe you’re crazy but never let it be said I refused,” Cassidy said against her lips and kissed her.

  Zoe’s hand went to Cassidy’s shoulder. Their tongues brushing against each other. Damn, her lips tasted good. “Is he still there?”

  “Yeah, he’s watching with disbelief,” Cassidy said in her ear.

  Looking out the window, Zoe laughed at the dumb look on his face. “Let’s go home.” She said to Cassidy.

  “Zoe?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I hope the guys let me be the one to initiate you,” Cassidy. “I want nothing more than to break your lesbian cherry.”

  “If I have it my way, my lesbian cherry is yours,” Zoe told her.

  FOUR

  A few days later, Zoe glanced into the rearview window, yep, she was still being followed. That car had been following her ever since she’d broken up with Derek. Parking in front of her parents’ house, she watched them stop across the street. She refused to admit, that it was starting to freak her out.

  She needed Liam and Brent, but she hadn’t heard from them in days. Where were they? Weren’t mates supposed to always be around? Did they change their minds? Or were they hurt somewhere?

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, what’s wrong?” Sandra asked.

  “I think someone is following me,” she said.

  “Maybe we should call the cops?” suggested Sandra.

  “What good what would it do?” she asked. “Everyone in this town thinks that I’m crazy for breaking up with Derek.

  “Those busybodies can kiss our asses,” stated Sandra. “My daughter has the right to choose who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Derek i
s just showing how big of an ass he really is. Although the rumors about you and Cassidy have me laughing. As if I’d care that the two of you were sleeping together.”

  Zoe really had the coolest parents. “Thanks Mom.” After the breakup, rumors circulated that Zoe went on a psychotic episode. That she’d accused Derek of having an affair, when she was having an affair with Cassidy.

  Her captain was under constant pressure to suspend them, despite Cassidy’s and Zoe’s denials that they were having an affair. They both felt there was no need to tell him, that if things went the way they were supposed to, the rumors would soon be true.

  Zoe made the decision then to quit, which made her feel stupid the next day because she hadn’t heard from her so-called mates. “No word from Liam and Brent?” her mother asked.

  “No,” Zoe sat in the chair, reaching for the bag of chips that was sitting on the table and watched television with her mom. Her mother always had either the game show channel on or was watching one of those women cable channels with movies of women being in danger.

  She needed them. Her body had been running hot and cold ever since she’d been with them. She needed to feel them inside her again. Their fangs piercing her skin. She was thinking of going upstairs to take a cold shower when her father walked in.

  “Hi Dad.”

  “Hi Zoe.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

  “They refused to renew my license,” David sighed, sitting next to her mom.

  “That son of a bitch,” yelled Zoe.

  “Who?” David asked.

  “Derek said that if I broke up with him that he’d make it hard for you to get your license renewed. I’ll go talk to him,” Zoe said.

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Her father said. “If they denied me because you broke up with Derek, then they can shove it up their asses. My daughter has the right to decide who she wants to be with. I’m glad you broke up with him I’ve never understood why the Barnes kept pushing him on you, when you spent most of your time with Liam.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he waved her off. “Derek is an arrogant ass, even worse than his father. Now what are you going to do about Liam and Brent? Your mother told me some of what’s been going on with them. Are they really shifters?”