by Myra Nour
Her eyes continued to hold his, seeking assurance.
“Do you want to hear more of our traditions?”
By his understanding look, he seemed to think she was on overload already. And she was.
She shook her head. “I feel so lost. I don’t know who or what I am. I’m not even human any longer.” What am I? That thought kept flickering through her mind, like a song that got stuck, revolving round and round, until you want to scream “stop!”
“Part of you is,” he said soothingly. “Whatever you shift into, you take a part of that essence into yourself.” His hand stroked her arms, his eyes never left her face, his expression kind and caring.
Her eyes teared. “I want to feel human again, Raynor.”
“How can I help?” He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek.
“I realize I barely know you…” She paused and dipped her eyes downward. “But the memory of that…other woman is so strong.” Staring into space for a few seconds, she brought her eyes back to his face and captured his golden ones. “Make love to me, human to human.”
Chapter Nine
His look was tender and a touch sad, as if he perceived her pain also. Leaning down, he placed feather soft kisses to her mouth, little nibbles that tickled and made heat swirl in her nipples. He was a wonderful kisser. Her insides felt mushy, as if heat concentrated there. Without thinking about morning breath, Briana opened her lips when his tongue nudged hers open. His mouth was sweet, tasting of exotic fruit. A shiver ran down her spine as his tongue stroked hers.
She pulled back and stared at him with wonder. “I hate to be crude, but how can your mouth taste so good in the morning?” She placed one hand in front of her mouth and breathed out. It too smelled like she’d just eaten fruit.
Smiling, he stroked her lower lip. “It is a wonderful byproduct of shifting. It seems to cleanse our system for at least a day afterwards.”
Interested, she said, “If you could bottle this, you’d be a zillionaire.”
“Hmmm.” He stopped above her mouth and she saw that his interest did not lay in discussions of such matters. His tongue flicked her lower lip, slowly caressed it until a shiver of anticipation hit her stomach.
Briana opened her mouth to his invasive tongue, overpowered by its strong movements for a while. But, taking the initiative, she soon had him moaning when her tongue stroked and suckled his.
Moving down her body in slow motion, he licked and kissed his way to her breasts. His hands were gentle, rubbing in circular patterns that excited her nipples into hard nubs before his head descended on them. She’d never been treated so tenderly, as if she were a fragile flower, which would break under harsh treatment. It was as if he’d read her mind. She needed a gentle touch to wipe out the savage lovemaking of the snakewoman that ran rampant through her mind.
“Oh, yes, that feels so nice,” she moaned.
He came back to her lips briefly and stared at her with his fiery amber eyes. His look made her clit twitch. “Do you wish something, my love?”
Arching her back and thrusting her breasts into his rigid chest, she said, “Only that you continue.”
Raynor swirled his hands around each breast, squeezing gently. He pushed each upward in his grip, lapped on one nipple, and then quickly moved to the other, giving it licks. He repeated his actions several times, until each nipple received many flicks of his warm tongue. A deep ache stretched between her breasts, and ended in her clit, which throbbed unmercifully. Groaning slightly, she gazed at his black hair spilling around her breasts, then leaned her head back onto the pillow, rubbing it back and forth as pleasure built within her. A string was connected between her aching nipples and the throbbing rhythm of her lower body.
“God, I love your breasts,” he muttered softly, staring up at her a second.
She looked at him. He continued to watch her face while he slurped one nub into his mouth. He sucked hard and then flicked her nipple rapidly.
“Oh.” Her head flopped back down and her hips moved restlessly.
Seeming to sense her heightened arousal, Raynor withdrew from her breasts, the cold hitting her wet nipples. Strangely, it didn’t lessen the searing heat in them. Adjusting the covers over them, so the frigid air would be kept at bay, he positioned himself over her.
Briana was ready. She wanted to be fucked. Moving her hips upward without thinking, she said, “I want you.”
With a skilled touch, he parted her and slowly penetrated her. She groaned; it felt so good, so right. His strokes were measured, at times miniscule, at others long and deep. Whichever way he moved, no matter the rhythm or strength, she ached for more, shoved her hips against him in greedy readiness.
Her pussy lips were swollen and she felt as if she wanted him all inside her. Not just his cock, but his whole body. It was an impossible thought, but she grabbed his butt and shoved him toward her, as if she really could fulfill such a desire. His hard flesh slid against her sensitive clit, torturing it deliciously and making it throb.
Suddenly, a dull pain in her stomach mixed with the immense pleasure; it was confusing for a few seconds. Once the grip of spasms hit her, Briana knew the snakewoman was about to take her place. “No!” Anger lit her voice, along with disappointment. She wanted Raynor. She wanted to experience all of him. That creature had already had the full measure of his wonderful lovemaking.
After she shifted, Briana stared from behind the snake eyes, seeing what she saw, sensing what the snakewoman did. It was not a strong feeling, but one as if she watched someone else from a distance. There was no help for it, she accepted her other self and settled down mentally to enjoy what she could of the sex act with the muscularly-built Raynor. One thing made her mood better. During the process of shifting, she saw glimpses of his face, watching her anxiously. Was that disappointment she’d seen on his face as well? She hoped so.
Through her strange eyes, she watched while her lover transformed, changing into a sexy vampire. His appearance turned the snakewoman on even more, and silently Briana had to admit he exuded an allure she reacted to as well. His stroking rhythm halted only during the change; his emerging vampire form took up the moves with just as much expertise. The interior walls of her unique sex grabbed his penis with vigor, making him groan aloud. The snakewoman worked the muscles like a masseur in a massage parlor, kneading, rubbing up and down, bunching those muscles so that his cock was pulled and pushed around in constant motion.
He panted. “Briana,” he paused when she hissed upon hearing that name. “My snake goddess, if you insist on giving me such attention each time, I’ll never attain my famed thirty minute limit.”
“Then don’t,” she said with a wicked twist of her full lips. With that, she increased her tempo, making him groan even more. His organ increased in size slightly; he was close to climaxing.
What he didn’t know was that her actions of inner stimulation worked on her as well. She was not made as the other; her center of excitement was located in those very muscles she used on him.
She was slick around his cock, and the slapping, slurping noises made her grind her lower torso against him harder. She liked that sound. It made her want to bite, slash and tear at his muscular body in order to gain further sensation. But she restrained her primitive self, satisfied with pushing savagely onto his engorged cock, impaling herself deeper with each thrust. Her breathing was erratic pants. “Fuck me, hard,” she screamed.
He plowed into her with fierce plunges and exploded inside her. Now she groaned, her head pitching backward when her slit convulsed around him.
They settled cozily into each other’s arms, and drifted off to sleep again.
* * * * *
When Briana opened her eyes, she was very warm; her eyes traveled upward, saw his arms encircling her. The remembrance of their lovemaking rushed into her conscious mind and she warmed even further; then a chill hit her when the snakewoman memory emerged too. Would she never be rid of that awful creature?
“
Good morning.”
His deep voice thrummed against her temple. It was a strange, yet reassuring sensation.
Raynor stuck one arm outside the cover. “It’s warmed up a bit, but I need to start the fire.” She watched in admiration when he jumped swiftly to their clothes pile and redressed, shivering the whole time. It took him some minutes of fumbling to figure out the double layer of hose and the strange fastenings; he was cursing beneath his breath by the time he finished.
It took him much less time to restart the tinder than it had yesterday, but by the time the coals caught, he was shivering like someone with the flu. Bounding across the room, he plunged beneath the covers. Briana felt obligated to warm him up, placing her arms about him and rubbing his muscular biceps under the blankets.
After he stopped shivering, he said, “Thank you.” He smiled and asked quietly, “Are you feeling better?”
Her eyes dipped in embarrassment, and then came bravely back up to meet his golden eyes. “Somewhat.” Not wanting him to think she had mediocre feelings about their lovemaking, she added, “Thank you, too.”
Thoughts flitted through her mind, some wondrous, some downright confusing. Their lovemaking was spectacular, the best she’d ever had, more powerful than she ever could have dreamed possible. But why did they have to be shapeshifters? Why these particular forms? Oh, if only they were both normal humans.
She asked, “Raynor, why did you change into a werewolf back home and a vampire in this time? Why did I shift into her?”
He settled her head onto his chest. “Each shifter appears to be born with a gene that is stronger in certain shapeshifting areas; mine was as a werewolf.” He waved at the curtained bed. “In this era, I shift into whatever influences me the most. In this case a spooky castle evoked memories in my genes of vampires.”
“Sounds very mystical.”
“In many ways, mysticism is a function of the process—magic is part of our society. For example, the time portal runs on machinery hidden behind the walls and on solar power. But, the cave opening is invisible to humans, kept this way by a magic shield the elders conjure up.”
“The elders?”
He laughed, the sound tickling her ear pleasantly. “Three very old shifters, who guard the cave and portal through their magic.”
She sat up, propped on an elbow and looked at him, curiosity lancing through her. “How old?”
Blowing out a breath, he said, “I think they’re all close to a thousand.”
“What!” Unbelievable! She purposely put sarcasm into her next words. “Then, that means I’ll live to be a Methuselah too?”
“No,” he coughed, acting like he was trying to hide a laugh. “We live a long time, usually about two hundred years, but only shifters such as the elders live an extremely long time.”
Her lips drew into a sneer. “Do I dare ask what kind of shifters they are?”
“No harm in knowing.”
His smiling countenance made her sarcasm seem belittling, to him as well as to herself.
“Bhaskar is a dragon, Chao is a centaur, and Gorna is a unicorn.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she collected herself. “What about the vampires—are they the same as what humans think they are?”
“You mean things like, do you have to stake them to kill them?” At her nod, he said, “No, shifters, in whatever form can be killed just like humans. But we are much stronger and faster, so it’s more difficult.”
“No fear of crosses and staying out of the sunlight?”
“Nope. Those are all legends that sprang up.” He grinned at her. “You noticed I had an image in the mirror?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.”
She stayed quiet a few minutes, listening to his calm breathing, wondering how she could go on in such a crazy world. What she once knew as reality, was no more; what she thought were myths and legends, were fact.
“And the snakewoman?”
“Her…” He paused. “I’m not sure, I’ve never run across her kind before.” He stroked her arm softly. “She smells ancient, perhaps she is like the elders.”
His voice had a reverent tone, which frightened her more than the fact she changed into that thing. Just what was this snakewoman? Suddenly, Briana didn’t want to delve further into that question. She switched tactics completely. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“What?” Raynor’s tone conveyed his momentary confusion, then he said, “Sure, let me run get the food pack.”
He did run, bouncing back under the covers and then digging out fragrant bread. “There’s some kind of meat here, if you want it.” He glanced up at her and dropped it back when she shook her head no.
Briana took a large hunk of the bread. It was delicious. He handed her the water flask to wash it down with.
Staring at the pack in his lap, he remarked, “We’re going to have to get more rations. We’re running low.”
“But, you found me. Can’t we just jump back through the portal?”
His amber eyes captured hers. “I’m afraid not, there’s only one way we can go back. We must jump together, and be bonded as a couple.”
“What are you talking about?” Her voice was shrill.
“The portal is kind of like a vast wheel—time cycles through it continuously. We have no power to pull up a certain time period like our ancestors did…that knowledge has been lost.” Poor Briana. Would she ever fully understand her Reeshon heritage? Would she ever accept it without cringing or questioning?
“Sounds like more of your mumbo-jumbo to me. I went through just fine when I didn’t know what it was, and you came after me.”
“Look, Briana…” He pointed at her, then at his chest. “In order for us to catch the elders’ attention so they know which exact time frame we’re in, we have to be in tune with one another and mentally reach out to them.” He sighed inwardly, just a tad frustrated with her stubborn stance. His earlier, kinder thought was gone, replaced by his own inability to make her understand or accept their roles.
“Okay, okay!” She threw her hands into the air. “What if I do accept this voo doo crap? How do we ‘bond’?”
He smiled. “We have to make love until we stay fully in human form—that is the sign that we are mentally bonded.”
Her lips drew down into a sour expression. “You know, it sounds as if the males of your race concocted this whole thing.”
Sighing, he said, “Think what you want, but do you want to really be stuck in the fourteenth century the rest of your life?” He was becoming more frustrated with her, but then a stab of guilt shot through him. He really couldn’t blame Briana. Latching onto the logical choice for blame, he silently cursed her parents for not teaching her about the Reeshon or her abilities as a shifter.
“No way!” She sat straight up, disregarding the fact that the covers slipped down, exposing her enticing breasts. She was clearly too agitated to care. “How long does this bonding process take?”
He frowned. “I don’t know…days, weeks.” If she kept resisting the knowledge as she did, it could easily be months before they bonded. She would have to accept herself, him and their shapeshifter forms, in order to “tune in” with him, and he with her.
He’d try to explain again. “When we made love this morning, we both started out human, but we lost control.”
“So, we have to practice, practice, practice, until we get it perfect?” Her tone was snide.
He nodded. He couldn’t stop the flash of uncertainty from showing on his face. He didn’t want to add to her agitation by letting her know there was so much more. There were many steps between where they were and fucking while staying in human form. Practice of a different sort. He just hoped Briana would have the patience to work with him.
Briana was pissed. None of this was her fault, but oh yes, she was the one who was going to have to pay. Screw a stranger until her brain exploded or something.
Thoroughly disgusted, she threw the covers back and ran to the brazier. Sorting throu
gh her clothes quickly, she yanked a piece up, fumbling as badly as Raynor had earlier with the strange trappings. Puzzlement washed her face. “Where’s the underwear?” she snapped.
“Don’t know, maybe the portal screwed up.”
Glowering at him, she pounded a spot of dirt clinging to the dress. Briana wasn’t too keen on running around with a bare bottom, especially in this cold, but she had no choice for now. Dressing quickly, she turned only when she was through, knowing she was blushing from head to toe. “Didn’t you say we needed supplies?” She didn’t even try to keep the coldness from her voice. Let him think what he wanted.
After he strolled over to warm up at the brazier, she turned her back. “Can you please lace this dress up?” Her words were polite, but her tone was snide. She was so sick of having to ask his help every time she got dressed. Picking up the headdress, she shook its wrinkles out. “Do I have to wear this? It’s very uncomfortable.” This time, her voice was laced with sheer frustration.
Completely ignoring her curt voice and sarcasm, he plucked a piece of his tunic. “Look what I’m wearing. Besides,” he pointed to her head, “I don’t believe women wore short hair in this period. Better keep it covered.”
She sighed, attached the irritating thing to her head and stared into the coals. There were lots of things she didn’t like so far about this century—no modern conveniences, no TV, no Starbucks to run in and grab a quick cup of fragrant coffee, no microwave to warm dinner up—her list could go on endlessly.
The fact she had to get help every time she dressed, just made her hate it more. She couldn’t wait to get out of this primitive place. She sighed. If it meant screwing Raynor at every turn, she guessed there could be worse ways to find her way back home again. With a wry smile to herself, Briana wished her solution was a simple click of her heels like Dorothy.