by P. S. Power
"Anyway, the question..." She didn't stop moving her hand, but pulled back a tiny bit so she could speak properly. "I don't use any birth control. I pretty much can't get any diseases, since they go away when I shift, so it isn't a problem. If I get preggers, well, then good. It's hard for Shifters to have kids in general, and even harder for some of us. Bats are rare, because of that. So we have sex all the time, with nearly everyone we can, and if one of them takes, we're pretty happy about it. Why?"
He groaned a bit, and thrust a little, which got her to speed up slightly.
"Oh, it's just that I was worrying about Steve earlier. Having all that sex, because of course he's going to. I don't know what kind of birth control he's been using. We need to look into that before he starts doing all those groupies."
Instead of being insulted, she just bent over, and pushed him back against the wall. Her mouth found him, and she didn't speak for a long time. Not until they changed positions, twice, and she was holding herself against him, her hands on the wall.
"Ah... Yeeees."
As she finished, he did too, even though he had control of that part of things now. That Lucy had before was a bit too much to think about, so he didn't.
His girlfriend didn't push him off though, starting to move again a bit later, since he was still hard.
"Anyway, if I get pregnant, I'll find a husband. Probably another Bat, if I can. A Shifter for certain. Bats are just more understanding about having lots of lovers, is all. Maybe a Rabbit? They aren't too bad that way, but a lot of them are Shifter Supremacists. I can't stand that kind of person. Plus, that would mean my kid had a fifty-fifty chance of being one of them."
Ty stopped for a second, until she mewed a bit and started to move herself, wanting to go on.
"Oh, sorry. Um... If you got pregnant by a Human, but married a Rabbit, there would be a chance that the kid would be a Rabbit? I'm not a scientist, but is that right?"
That got a laugh.
"It looks like it's time for the birds and the bees, Shifter style. After I come again."
Because, clearly, there were priorities in life.
Chapter eighteen
When Calley was happy with the moment, which took a while, since she kind of figured out that Ty didn't have to stop if he didn't want to, she let them get out of the shower. At least she waited for them to both be dressed before starting in on the facts of life.
"All right. So, for the beginning stuff, Shifters have sex, and kids, like Humans do. Smaller Shifters have some problems having kids though, so I should mention that. It's why I try not to get with really large men. You know, no seven footers or anything? I wouldn't live through a ten pound baby. Not without a c-section and a good hospital." She was getting into sweats, the bottoms and a black t-shirt anyway. Tyler was wearing jeans and a similar shirt, but in purple. It had a sigil on the front, but he didn't know what it was. A fist in a circle, with a cross connected at the bottom, whatever that meant. It wasn't his shirt. One of Ginger's he thought, but it fit him, and had been in his drawer, so it might have been a gift or something.
It was cool enough, so he wore it. Calley went on, settling on the bed.
"So, you have a little one, which is easier for some of us than others. Wolf Shifters pop out kids nearly like Humans, and snakes almost don't have kids. The rest of us are somewhere between the first and the last. That's one part of it, but we have the other side too. Shifting is a magical process. We have two forms, but that isn't genetic. It's about early bonding."
He was actually paying attention so nodded for her to keep going, even though she'd stopped for a moment. Probably so he could say something, if he wanted.
"You know, so you identify with one parent more than the other when you are a kid, and they turn into a Bat, so you do, too. Which, as you'd guess means that if I got pregnant, by anyone, and then, I don't know, shacked up with Ang, there would be a fifty percent chance that the child would end up being a Dragon. Or, if I died and other people had to raise him or her, they would end up being like at least one of them." She shifted a bit, and put both legs under her, sitting up, but on the bed. The blankets wrinkled under her a bit. "If a kid is wild, a Shifter without a parent, they still have a second form. The bonding will happen. So if their Human family or whatever kind of person was raising them, had dogs, or cats, then they'd probably become one of those as their second form. If there is nothing around at the right time, then they might identify as something else. A story or picture."
Tyler had to think for a second, and then nodded.
"Which is where things like Dragon's come from? Or, I don't know, Griffins? I've never heard of that one."
That got a quirky smile however.
"Ah, the great origin debate. Trust me, never bring that up at a party, or there will be a fight. The fact is, no one knows. It could be that Dragons once walked the Earth, or did in some other land. Some think that Shifters aren't from here anyway. The Human world. There are a lot of us here, but in different places there are others that are clearly like we are. Different realities? Part of my job is finding those groups, if I can. Listening to others from far away, in order to see if they have stories of groups that change shape from their world."
He just nodded, and tried to remember that one. Don't ask about where different Shifter types came from. It would, he decided, make the book he was going to write about everyone. A chapter for each made sense to him. Even at that it was going to be a pretty big thing.
"Okay. Got it. So, when you get pregnant, you're going to run off on me? Sigh. Well, it could be worse. At least I get to have you around today. Also, we should go out soon. Just you and I. See a movie, or listen to a bad singer in a little coffee bar in town or whatever."
She just seemed happy about that, and beamed at him.
"Sounds good. Tomorrow?"
"Um, no, but we have a thing, in the morning, if you have time. Ginger too. At Keeley's. Brunch."
That got a shudder, since it was kind of clear that Calley Hale was not the biggest fan of The Mistress of Souls.
"I know. Well, we can do that other thing, if we both survive? Demons... I know far too many of them to make me happy. Zack is bad enough, but that Technician is a freak. Have you ever noticed that? I offered to have sex with her, and she said no." There was a sad head shake then, but a disarming grin after that. "Just kidding. I'm not nearly that shallow. So if you're listening Miss Technician, ma'am, it was just a joke. I'm just kidding. Honest." She smiled, but looked around when she did it, like the girl might be hiding behind the drapes of the room, listening to her.
Ty got that one.
"They read your entire life when they touch you. If you notice, they'll always try to pat, grab, shake hands, hug or whatever, first thing? That's when they do it. They get everything. Your entire being, so it's a big deal. I guess you could not let them touch you? If you can tell who they are, that is. I'm both impressed and getting pissed off about all the shape shifting. I blame Keeley for that. Ugh." He'd told everyone about the Allison rape thing, because that was only fair.
Calley nodded at the words.
"There is that. You know, before I met Zack I'd never met even a single Greater Demon in my life? Not that I knew of. Now you can't hardly turn around without bumping into one. Well, you know."
He did. It had been his entire life that kind of thing had been happening.
Which he could do nothing at all about. It really came down to one factor for him.
"Well, you can't pick your family. You know, that reminds me, Ginger wanted me to meet her Human parents at some point. I should go set that up. If she still wants that. I mean, I've done my part, facing Lenore. Several times even. But, it's the lot I have to face in life. I suppose you'll want me to go to the family barbeque too?" He was kidding, but she smiled and jiggled a little, because she did that kind of thing.
"Oh, definitely. Ginger too. My family won't care about me bringing weirdoes like you two in. I mean, Ginger is all right,
being in the same line of work I am, but you? What do you do, sing in a band? Sell your blood for rent money... Tsk." Her face stayed serious for a while too, like it was an actual thing.
Which it kind of was, he realized.
"Yeah, part time at a bookstore and some volunteer work with a new agency isn't that big of a deal, is it? Then, I'm eighteen, what do they want? I do have a new thing in the works. A drug rehab thing, with Keeley. She's going to take them as slaves, and I'll be undoing it after they get clean and programmed not to want drugs." He paused, and then held up his right hand. "Oh, that isn't a joke. I can do that now. It's because..." Tyler was about to say it was due to being dead, but Calley hit him first.
Not hard, and she was being playful, but there was a scared quality to it too.
"Don't say things like that. You'll make the Demons mad at you."
He shrugged.
"I don't care what they feel? Also, they won't get mad about it. The worst I could do to them would be to remove a slave. That might piss them off in the moment, but it won't hurt them. The only one that would be really put out by it would be Keeley, and she kind of doesn't care. She could just re-do it again, if she wanted. This just means that if they want to drop a slave without killing them, the easiest thing to do is come to me. I doubt it will be a big deal, to tell the truth. I can't take slaves. It's... Different."
She stopped, and made a slightly confused face.
"But... That kind of thing... Are you a Demon too?"
He grinned.
"Nope. Just a dead Human, connected to one. Keeley suggested calling myself a Necromancer. Not that I raise the dead. I could, but... Not really. Meat puppets aren't that useful, day to day." Looking down, he realized that he'd basically been that for sixteen years. Then he'd become a real meat puppet, and learned to pull his own strings. "So, to answer the big question, no, I'm just really, really cool. Also, my point was I kind of have a real job, too. Or will, if anything comes of it. I get paid. Twenty percent of what we make."
He should have asked for more, but there was a Demon involved, and trying to get a better position when he didn't know what exactly he was supposed to do was hard.
It also didn't seem to please Calley all that much.
"Is that wise? What if she..." Then the girl stopped, and shook her head. "If you aren't kidding, then everyone is going to want to be your friend, aren't they? Half the fear of Greater Demons is being taken as a slave against your will. It used to be that some groups were pretty safe. Until The Mistress of Souls came around. Like, some Vampires used to be totally safe, I think. Other groups too. Then she came and just took everyone, like it was nothing. If she makes me a slave, you'll get me free, right?"
That one got a somber nod.
"Yep. Not that she'd do that to you. That would be pushing Zack around, I think. They have a lot of things to keep in mind when they do things, I imagine."
She stood up, and waved at the door.
"Everyone else wants to talk about this too. Except Steve. He has no clue it's going on. Are we hiding that from him? I... Who's going to be in on this? It's huge. I... Really, I should report this to Jahn. Ginger needs to get with her people on it. What kind of price are you charging for this? Is there a registry? You know for people that want to get in with you now, for protection?"
He let himself rise, pushing his body around in a way that looked pretty close to normal, and spoke as they walked along the hallway to the stairs.
"It isn't a secret. As for the rest of it, I can't actually go up against Greater Demons all the time for people. So we need to work that part out, so I don't have to battle them all. Thanks." He didn't laugh, but as they got into the living room, Ginger laughed a bit.
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Even with that, it would be a good thing. Can you show us? I mean, if we can get someone that's a slave, and who it won't be a problem if they're freed?" She didn't even twitch in Steve's direction, he noticed. No one in the place did. Even Scotty just shook his head.
"I'll sign up now. How much do you want for it? A million or two? Do I need to pay first? I can get that around, in a few weeks." He got up, like he was going to go and start that right then.
"First, you all get that for free, if it ever happens. Just like I'm sure I get all the fresh blood I can drink, right Rebekah?"
"Always, of course." She grinned at him, since she knew The Mistress of Souls personally. Was on good terms with her, too. It probably wouldn't be an issue, but if it was, it could just be needed, since Keeley wasn't going to want to hurt her or anything. She made her too much money for that.
Steve made a face and then shook his head.
"Can you get my sister free? I think... I think that Keeley took her years ago. Me too. I didn't love the guitar when I was a kid. Then one day I started playing, until my fingers bled. I practice constantly too, even now. I hate it. I mean, I don't hate, hate it. I don't want to quit the band, but I kind of don't want to play chords for hours every day? It's sort of obvious, isn't it?"
Tyler looked over and then tilted his head.
"I don't know about your sister. I can do you. We should get with Keeley though first and make certain she's all right with it. I sort of need her as an ally right now. So... Yeah. I'll call though, and see if there's screaming about it?"
Steve looked down and nodded. The fact that everyone had told him not to mention it to the guy was interesting. Even Keeley had tried to hide it from him, but she had to know that he'd picked that part up. The sister was news to him. She was the band's PR person, but other than that Ty knew nothing about the woman. Hally.
Walking to the phone, everyone else looked at him like he was insane, but he dialed it anyway.
"Hello?" It was Keeley, so he just spoke.
"Steve asked me to free him. His sister, too. I'll cover that for free, so, do I have to fight for them or not?" He looked at the room, wondering what the real answer would be, but he was just asking her, not really saying he would fight.
Keeley snorted at him.
"We really need to work on your protocol. Fast too. First, when you address a Greater Demon, you need to use their use name first."
He actually knew that. Someone had told him that before.
"Mistress of Souls. So nice to talk to you. So, the slave thing?"
She laughed a bit.
"Clerk. All right. Steve, not Hally. She isn't a slave. Will you accept Steve as payment for the others I want done?"
"I can check the sister, and if she is enslaved remove it?"
"Sure. I'll bring her to the party you didn't invite me to on Friday?"
"What? You had to know that you were coming. Always, unless we hammer religious symbols all over the place. You know, to ward you off? Good then. We can do that. So I own Steve now? Kinky... Too bad he's in the Band, so no sex. Sorry Steve. Oh, wait... You've been doing Rebekah, so that rule has changed, hasn't it?" He broke the slave line instantly, while he spoke, which got a slow gasp from the other side of the walk-around phone.
"That's impressive. So, see you tomorrow? Brunch?"
"We'll be there. See you then." He nearly said love you at the end, which was weird, since he didn't and wasn't used to saying that kind of thing on the phone all the time like some guys did with their wives and girlfriends.
Instead he hung up.
"There. Steve, you're free. Keeley said that your sister isn't a slave, but will bring her by, next Friday, so that I can make sure that isn't a lie."
He nodded, and then stood up.
"How do I tell that I'm not a slave?"
Tyler could tell, but didn't know how anyone else could. It was Rebekah who actually helped him out that way. Her face serious, and her hands up in front of her, ready to fight the guy.
"Easy. Keeley is a smelly cunt that has had more cock in her than most dock whores have had by their fiftieth year on the streets." Then she waited, like she expected an outburst or attack. It didn't come.
Steve just laughed.
Rebekah sighed and nodded.
"So what? If you were still her slave you would have gotten angry with me for that. Slaves love their masters on a level that is hard to believe. They can hate them, fear them, live in constant terror of them, but if you seem to threaten them too much, and they haven't ordered the slave not to defend them, there will be a fight. If you can laugh at that, and you mean it? Then you aren't a slave now."
Steve didn't seem totally convinced, but he just became quiet while everyone else kind of accepted the idea. That was pretty clear, since they started trying to divvy up his time to free the nameless masses of enslaved people that would be coming forth.
That got him to laugh after a bit.
"Guys, it's what, a few thousand people, tops? Even if there are tens of thousands that are worried about it, it's a pretty small group." That made a lot of sense to him, but everyone else was acting like he was Jesus come again. Calley started to pace, being too excited to sit at all, and then ran off to get her phone. Ginger did the same after a bit, but managed to seem a little more calm about it.
As she hit the button to send on the small silver phone she gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry? I really do need to report this. On the good side I can call Lenore, and she can take credit for you. You know, how she dragged you up from the gutters of Vancouver Washington, to the heady heights of Sparks, Nevada. Or at least mention that I'm dating you, which gives the Vampires an in. If she wants to know what you want for it, what do we say?"
That was a good thing to ask.
"That they act sensibly and not get me killed?" That sounded fair, to him. Rebekah and Scotty both laughed, the Vampire woman covering her mouth.
"Oooh. Say that. Say that! We need to get their reaction on tape. A speaker phone or something. I bet the silence will be deafening as they try to guess what that really means." Then she let go, and doubled over with laughter. It really wasn't that funny, but the others started to go as well, except Steve, who was quiet.