PRIMAL MAGIC: SWAN'S LAKE

by Adrianna Dane

  It was as though all the pain she had suffered as a captive of the human prepared her to accept and know rapture when it was finally presented to her.

  Renn prepared her body with the special oils. Two fingers entered her anus and she gasped at the invasion. He was slow and careful as he prepared her to accept him. For the last two days after Reynaldo had left, when they lazed in the afternoons in her nest, Renn and Dion had aroused her to the edge of desire, preparing her slowly. She had been uncertain, but they had assured her of the pleasure she would receive when they came together as one.

  This was the morning. She turned her head to look out at the sky. Streaks of fiery red and molten gold were just beginning to bleed across the horizon.

  Then she felt Renn's hands at her hips as he lifted her from Reynaldo and Dion repositioned Reynaldo on his knees before Martine. This was the moment when they would cement the pairing with a pleasure beyond all others.

  Martine saw Dion pick up the bottle of oil. She heard Reynaldo gasp and knew Dion prepared him. She looked down to see his cock hard and glistening, proudly towering from his body. She dropped her hands to grasp him and positioned him at her entrance. He slid in with ease.

  She felt Renn behind her, felt the tip of his cock poised at her entrance and then slowly he entered her virgin hole. She gasped and clung to Reynaldo, pressing close, crushing her breasts to his chest.

  "My, God," he exclaimed as Dion pushed close and Martine knew he was buried inside Reynaldo's passage.

  So intimate a bond could never be broken. And then the rhythm. In and out. Reynaldo's cock brushed against her stiffened clit, shooting sharp flashes of pleasure throughout her body, driving her faster. All were in harmony, bodies brushing bodies, arms entwined, lips breathless, tongues touching.

  Nothing would separate them--not human, not shifter, not animal. Each in their way, one-of-a-kind, come together to create--

  She exploded just as the light of the new sun breached the entrance to the nest, cloaking them in red-gold firebursts. One orgasm of such intensity, her pussy grasping his cock, her womb accepting his seed into her fertile depths. She felt Renn's seed spurt into her colon, saw the look on Dion's face as he orgasmed.

  Her body opened to them all, accepted them as a part of herself, filling her in every single tiny crevice of her soul, her heart bursting with the love she had kept hidden for so long. As the sun embraced them in its warm aura, her heart exploded, drenching them all with such deep emotion, that nothing compared or would ever compare to this moment.

  When it was over and they shuddered back to the earth, they carefully separated and went to the pond, each washing the other, murmuring their love and devotion. Martine knew they had conceived Reynaldo's child this morning.

  Reynaldo had promised to banish the magician and the witch that very day. He wanted to bring his new family home. He wanted to bring their love into the light, just as they had already done with his soul. She had feared for his safety, but he assured her he would handle the confrontation. Their love gave him the strength he needed. The day would be long until he returned to them.

  Martine smiled as she straightened her nest. Dion and Renn had left to join the other swanshifters on the lake. She had wanted time alone and assured them she would join them shortly. She could not help worrying for Raynaldo's safety now even more than before.

  She could see the light inside him, the warmth that had been missing before. Satrius would see it as well and know its source. Reynaldo had not said in words that he loved them, but she could feel light spreading through him where there had been darkness before. Each morning it was harder and harder to let him return to that cold house alone. She and the other shifters could feel the evil growing, like thunder in the distance about to break directly overhead, bloated clouds, filled to breaking point, ready to drown them all. But this morning it was even worse.

  Arwen had called a meeting of the elder swans. Dion and Renn meant to discover from Arwen what the results of that meeting had been. She fluffed the bedding, then deciding it needed new greenery, she walked outside. Moving into the forest she began to gather fragrant, fallen boughs, those that still retained the sweet evergreen aroma of the forest.

  Except for the call of the robins and bluebirds among the trees, there was solitude and quiet in the forest. She smiled to herself as she thought of the passion-filled nights just past.

  After that first night, Reynaldo was unable to stay away. He'd returned to them, but knew he brought danger with each caress. They had soothed his fears, clasping him close to their breasts, letting him know he was no longer alone.

  There was not much time to speak of simple matters, the urgent need to pair him to them being of utmost importance. She placed a hand over her abdomen. This morning she knew Belinda had failed. Reynaldo's seed implanted within Martine's womb had found fertile purchase, an egg eager to be mated, and heat radiated outward--the warmth of a new life.

  But how were they to rid themselves of the magician and the witch, as well as the witch's familiar mongrel always at her side? They had to discover a way to protect Reynaldo and rid themselves of the evil.

  "You think you have won, don't you?"

  Martine dropped the bundle of bedding and whirled around. "Belinda," she gasped. The witch had never ventured down to the lake before. She knows.

  It had been a risk that morning, keeping Reynaldo with them. And the pairing had been of such intensity there was no way Reynaldo could have hidden it from the witch and the magician.

  Martine lifted her head and stared hard at the witch, refusing to give ground to her. The cur accompanying her growled, his black eyes glittering.

  She was weaponless and in danger. Her duty was to protect the child. To stand and fight the witch and her familiar now could endanger the child's life. She spread her arms, preparing to shift and to take immediate flight. She threw her head back and screamed to the winds.

  It was then she felt the searing pain in her chest. She staggered back, looked down and saw the blood. With hazy vision she stared at Belinda, who held a dagger in her hand, Martine's life's blood dripping from its angry blade.

  "When you are dead, he will turn back to me. I am the only one who can save his precious land. I will own him, then I will kill him the same as I have you, and his power will be mine as well."

  Martine dropped to her knees, pressing her hands to the wound, her blood pulsing and shrouding her fingers in crimson. Spatters dropped onto the pristine feathers of her cloak, but she felt the palpable shade of death begin to descend and a deep sadness consumed her.

  She felt something hard shoved against her chest, throwing her to the ground. And then her cloak was ripped from her body.

  She gasped and clawed at the air, trying to retrieve the cloak. With what was left of her strength she turned and looked up at Belinda who had slung the cloak over her own shoulders. She twirled around, then glared down at the fallen swanshifter, her eyes filled with triumph.

  "Will this make him want me more? If there is any magic within its fabric, it now belongs to me. We shall see. One thing he will know is that my power is far greater than yours. You have taken the fertile seed that belonged to me and for this alone you shall pay with your life."

  Martine's head dropped back to the ground and her eyes closed. All was lost and there was nothing she could do.

  "Reynaldo," she sobbed in regret. How could destiny have allowed her to come so far, just to fail? The taste in her mouth was bitter.

  Chapter 7

  * * *

  Over the last few days Reynaldo had felt himself growing stronger and stronger. He knew he was now prepared to face Satrius and Belinda. They would leave and the house would be filled with light and warmth, not the sunless shadows of consuming lust that had been brought by the magician and his protégé.

  He had thought they would help his people and the land, but he knew now that with each passing day any fertility that remained had slowly been drained, and they were the
cause. It was as though blinders had been lifted from his eyes, and for once he saw clearly what had occurred.

  For so many years he had lost his way, unable to find purpose. The sludge of depression had grown dense until, sunk into such a deep well of despair, he had been a prime target for Satrius. But no more. Martine, Dion and Renn had offered him something far more powerful. The healing warmth of their acceptance, love, and the white magic of the swanshifters.

  He felt life pulsing inside him, pleasure and energy and the joy of looking forward to the rising sun of another day. As he walked across the dead lawn toward the house, hope had sprung in his heart when he saw a new flower blooming in the midst of the dry earth. That alone told him what he needed to know. It was the swans who would return life to his land, not the magician and the witch whore. It was not lust that instilled life, but love.

  Suddenly, he felt a shaft of pain drive through his chest, sending him to his knees. Urgency swamped through him. Something wasn't right and he had to drive out the corruption as quickly as possible before he lost everything good that had come into his life.

  Quickly changing his clothing, Reynaldo strode along the hallway and down the staircase to the dining room where he knew he would find Satrius and Belinda. He wanted this finished and he wanted them gone.

  Before he reached the door of the dining room, Belinda walked out the door with her mangy mutt trailing her. He slowed his steps and waited for her to reach him. It was only as she came closer that a tremor of terror passed over him.

  She preened and twirled before him.

  "Do you like it, Reynaldo?" She wore a mantle of swan feathers. As she came closer he saw the ruby spatters of blood clinging to it. There was only one way she could have gotten it. She reached up to touch his face and he jerked away. How could he not have seen what she was?

  He grabbed her arm. "Where did you get it?" He dragged her close.

  "Where do you think?" She hissed in his ear. He could hear Wolfred growl from behind her. He ignored the implied threat. The mantle of their magic no longer held sway over him. It had been destroyed by the magic of the swans.

  "It was a gift." She leaned up close to his ear. "From a dying bird. She has no more use for it."

  She wouldn't dare. But an ache steadily growing inside him, a sense of dread, and he knew she would have attempted exactly that. The pain in his chest. He should not have hesitated, not for an instant. He should have known it meant ill for his swan lovers.

  He ripped the downy mantle from her shoulders, whirled around, and raced out the door. He had to get to Martine.

  He ran out of the house, down the steps, and toward the woods, clutching the feathers close as though it was an amulet of protection. He had scented the spray of red, and the predator in him could smell the blood, recognized the scent as Martine's. He paused as he heard a sound. God, no, it couldn't be. It was the poignant music of the swan song. A death knell he refused to accept.

  He knew too much blood clung to the cloak, yet he could not acknowledge what it told him. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. He knew there were magical powers within its fabric and if she were hurt, she would need all the help she could get.

  As he looked down, he was horrified at what he saw. His eyes tracked the path to the edge of the lake where she lay, flanked by Dion and Renn, who were bent over her. The lake was covered with swans, all trumpeting the song of farewell.

  He would not believe she was dead. He should have banished Satrius and Belinda days ago.

  He raced to them and dropped to his knees.

  Dion and Renn looked up at him, anguish in their eyes as tears poured down their beautiful faces. Gently, he covered her with the mantle of white.

  ::It is too late. Her hold on life is slowly slipping away. We cannot help her.::

  Reynaldo glared at Renn and then out to the lake. "Help her," he screamed at them. "You must. She is our only hope. If she dies, we are all lost."

  He leaned down and embraced her. "Live, Martine. Do not desert us. We will not survive without you. Live."

  Her blood was everywhere--on the ground, on him, on her pure white swan feathers. Her skin was almost translucent, as though she were but a ghost about to vanish.

  He looked up at Dion, frantic with despair. "Help her," he gasped.

  As he watched, Dion turned to the lake. As one, the swans moved toward the land where they knelt. Dion turned back to Reynaldo.

  ::Release her and step back, Reynaldo.::

  "I cannot. I will not let her go." He clutched her tighter to his breast.

  ::You have asked for our help, now you must move away and let us do what we must.::

  Reluctantly, he lay her gently on the ground and pushed away.

  Ten of the swans encircled her, joining Dion and Renn. Each reached out one powerful wing until Martine was covered with a white cloak comprised of many. There was silence in the air, a waiting, dense energy. The swans shifted into their human forms and lifted Martine, then walked toward the water.

  "Wait. Where are you taking her? She is not dead," he denied fervently.

  They did not pause. As the water reached their shoulders, more swans came to them, and the humans shifted back into their swan forms, including Dion and Renn. And then they were gone into the flock, disappearing from view, as they all moved toward the center of the lake.

  Reynaldo raced toward the water, until he was knee deep. He did not have the ability to shift into fowl--his nature was that of the cat. In anguish, he was forced to wait.

  "She is dead, Reynaldo, you must return to us."

  He whirled around at hearing Satrius behind him. He was flanked by Belinda and Wolfred.

  "She is not dead. And even if it were so, I would never give you what you want. I want you gone. You are banished from my land forever. Never return."

  Satrius laughed, his eyes glittered. "It is too late, Reynaldo. Your magic is nothing compared to ours. You cannot win."

  Reynaldo saw a haze of red--the blood of Martine. He screamed in rage, shifting quickly into the form of a panther as he vaulted toward Satrius. He sprang into the air and dove for his throat, meaning to tear him asunder, so filled with sorrow and anger as he had never been before.

  As he launched himself at Satrius, connected with his flesh, suddenly Satrius was gone, as though he had never been. Reynaldo dropped to the ground. He heard the growl behind him and pivoted around to face the wolf, ready for his attack. Wolfred was no match for the burning anger of Reynaldo. Reynaldo sprang forward and anchored his teeth into Wolfred's throat. Wolfred's lifeblood filled Reynaldo's mouth.

  He struggled briefly and then was dead, Reynaldo's fangs still buried in his tender throat.

  "Damn you!" he heard Belinda scream from behind. He released the corpse of the beast and, turning, shifted back into his human form.

  "It is over, Belinda. Leave while you still can."

  "You fool. I am the one with the magic. I created the image of Satrius to lure you, to seduce you, to bring you under my power, and it worked." He saw her anger, her eyes ruby fire. He should have known, should have realized the cloak of illusion she had tried to imprison him with.

  "You. Why have you done this?"

  She lifted her head in haughty defiance. "I needed you to succeed with my plans of power. I learned all I could from Satrius, the great and powerful magician, then I destroyed him and absorbed what little he had left. I needed more. You were the one to give me what I wanted. Your seed is potent--none other would do. But then she came and spoiled everything."

  "Get out, Belinda, while you still have your life." He nodded toward the lake. "They will fight your corrupt magic, even if I should die."

  "I never wanted you dead. At least not for some time. I wanted the child you gave to her."

  "You would never have healed my land. Any child I sired with you would have been a demon of the worst sort, like its mother."

  He saw her slowly smile. "Now you understand."

  "G
et out. It's over."

  "It is not over," she hissed. "One day the swan magic will desert this place. And then you will be vulnerable to me." She drew herself up. "I can wait. I am patient. One day you will pay for what you have cost me this day. This I swear to you."

  He felt the swirling shadows descend around him. The sky turned onyx dark, filled with smoke, blinding him for a moment. Long spears of lightning struck the ground all around him and then Belinda was gone, with only the lingering traces of smoke remaining.

  He whirled back around and ran to the edge of the lake. He didn't care about Belinda or Satrius. His future might already be gone. Belinda might have already taken any chance of happiness he could have found. Even if that were so, he refused to give in to the evil of her magic. If there was one thing he had learned from Martine, it was to take what happiness and love he could and use it well. To live in the light.

  And then he saw it. The sun, brighter than ever before, shone down in a defined aura of rays focused on one spot. His heart burst as he saw one lone swan rise from beneath the surface of the water and soar into the sky. This time when the swans sang it was not of sadness, but of joy.

  He sank to his knees and tears rained down his face in thankfulness. Swan magic had triumphed and the aura of evil lying over his land was finally destroyed.

  He smelled smoke and turned in the direction of the house. It was engulfed with bright orange flame. He heard the echo of Belinda's parting sinister laughter.

  It didn't matter. They would rebuild from the ashes. Something far better than the empty structure the flames of Belinda's anger now consumed.

  Chapter 8

  * * *

  Reynaldo sauntered down to the water's edge, shifted back to his human form, and waited. Three swans broke away from the others and swam toward where he stood. As he watched Martine, Dion, and Renn shifted to their human forms. Dion and Renn both protectively escorted Martine to the shore where Reynaldo reached out to take her hand and guide her the rest of the way.