Amy Sumida - Light as a Feather (Book 14 in The Godhunter Series)

by Unknown

  “This is one of those times that I envy human mothers,” Sam sighed. “Zariel shouldn't even be walking yet, much less running after her daddy on a hunt.”

  “You have to take the good with the bad, I guess,” I patted Sam's shoulder and Zariel laughed right on cue.

  “Alright, be good for Daddy,” Sam handed the baby over to Fallon. “I'll meet you all at Trevor's cabin later.”

  “See you there, honey,” Fallon kissed Sam's cheek and we headed down to the first floor with Zariel.

  Trevor had been thoroughly enjoying the private retreat that I'd made for him deep in the mountains which bordered Intare territory but I think he'd finally reached the point where he wanted to share the replica Froekn cabin with the Intare. So he'd invited us all over for a barbecue after the hunt.

  The meat would be fresh and it would be a great way to include Trevor in something that was usually reserved for lions only. Also, Torrent, Artemis, and Samantha would get to join in as well and since this would be Zariel's first hunt, it worked out perfect to have Sam waiting at the end of it.

  We'd be hunting in a straight(more or less) path across the grasslands and then would just keep going into the mountains when we were done. Trevor promised to have everything ready to go by the time we got there and since Sam, Torr, and Artie were going with him, he'd have plenty of help in the preparations.

  The Intare were all waiting outside the palace, in the clearing across the moat from the covered veranda. Okay, it wasn't really a moat, more of an offshoot from the pool, but it still looked like a moat and the veranda acted like a drawbridge in a permanently down position. It was my modern version of a castle and I loved it. The Intare loved it too though that might have a little to do with them all getting their own personal game/entertainment systems in their rooms.

  “Intare, present!” Fallon called out sharply and the lions snapped to attention. Zariel giggled and I clapped with approval.

  Were five month old babies supposed to be so animated? I didn't really know since all the babies I'd been around lately weren't of the human variety but her awareness of others and interaction with them didn't seem normal to me. Of course she wasn't normal but it was easy to forget that when she was in her human form.

  “Looking good, guys,” I nodded. “Are we all ready to roar?”

  “Yes, Tima!” They all shouted.

  “Excellent,” I edged to the pool area, where I'd be changing. “Let's get our lions on!” I ducked behind the waterfall that flowed into our pool and quickly pulled off the simple sheath I'd been wearing.

  Before I could change though, two warm hands slid around my belly and startled me. I jerked around to find Kirill smiling down at me. His deep blue eyes were lightened by the sunlight, practically glowing like magic jewels. His long, black hair was hanging down around his naked body and tendrils of it blew against me in the soft breeze. My own hair tangled with his and we stayed like that a moment, tangling into each other and terribly happy about it.

  “I zought ve could change together,” he said softly.

  He always ran beside me when we did these Pride hunts. Just me and him at the head of the Intare. I liked that, being a part of the Pride and yet being alone with him. This was definitely our thing, something I didn't share with my other men, and I wasn't surprised that Kirill wanted to be there from the beginning.

  “Of course we can change together,” I said as his mouth covered mine. The kiss threatened to become too much for the moment so I pulled back, even though I didn't want to, and Kirill growled a little as he released me.

  Damn but I love a man who growls.

  I smiled and he nodded, then we shifted together. A roll of shivers on my skin, it woke all of my senses and even my magic. If laughter was touch, that's how shifting would feel. A sort of tickling, playful feeling that made you lean into it instead of jerk away. Magic could make you an addict easily.

  Fur crept over our skin along with that wonderful feeling and my body thickened, muscles lengthening and growing. Power zipped through my limbs as they altered, becoming something new. Something I was never meant to be and yet something that felt so natural now. I let out a roar and the Intare roared back. All but the black lion standing proudly before me.

  The ebony of his fur shone white at the tips, turned into its opposite by the strength of the sun. Funny how light could change one color into something entirely different. His eyes didn't change though, they were still that amazing blue, made even striking by all the dark fur surrounding them. He padded forward and nudged his head into mine.

  I pressed into him a second before walking around the rock wall and over to the waiting pride. Another roar greeted me and in the dying echoes of that roar came a smaller one, higher in pitch and far less powerful than the others but nonetheless determined to be heard.

  Zariel.

  She stood at the head of the pride, right in front of her father, and her little smooth head was held rigid in excitement. She was practically vibrating with the need to get moving. Fallon was gonna have his hands full when she got bigger.

  I walked over to her and picked her up by the scruff of her neck with my teeth, depositing her on Fallon's back while simultaneously showing her who was in charge of this pride. I didn't want her getting too big for her britches. She may be a lioness but there was only one lioness goddess in the Intare. She gave a little yelp but then dug her claws into Fallon's hide and held on tight as we headed out.

  Kirill and I ran to the front of the massive group but only a portion of the Intare would be going with us. Fallon and Darius would actually be splitting off with their own groups. It was just easier to hunt in smaller units. Each unit was assigned a certain number of animals to bring down and they were not to exceed it. This way we could be sure to take only those animals we needed and yet were still able to get our beasts the exercise they desired. Plus, hunting with over seventy lions was just ridiculous. The prey could see you coming a mile away.

  We started off together though, with me and Kirill taking the lead. My muscles warmed nicely as we began to run, stretching out as if they'd been cramped inside me for too long. Beneath my paws, the land came to life and I could feel the magic thrumming in the earth. It was in this form that I felt closest to my territory and my other magics seemed to respectfully take a back seat to the lioness when I let her out. Like a bit of professional courtesy, my beasts always gave way to the one who was in full form.

  More than that changed when I became a lioness though. My senses altered, my vision gaining depth and width, while my tongue longed for the flavor of raw meat. My nose picked up nuances that I could never perceive in human form, even with my goddess enhanced abilities, and my ears were able to hear the faintest of sounds easily. Then there were my emotions.

  Love changed in lioness form. It had taken awhile for me to notice it since most of the time I spent as a lioness was filled with excitement but I finally figured it out. When I became her, there was no guilt or shame, no preconceived ideas of who I should be or what kind of relationship I should have with a man I loved. Love was just accepted as yet another thing to revel in.

  So as I ran beside Kirill, I loved him with a wild freedom that I could only experience there, in that body. I shifted my path closer to his and my body slid against him. He huffed, his head angling down to brush against mine. A simple move but it expressed so much between lions. It said Yes, you're mine and I'm yours. It said, We need nothing but each other to be happy, and it said, If someone tries to take this from us, we will defend it with teeth and claws. That's what being lions in love meant and what loving as a lioness was like.

  We led our group off and as we did, Kirill gave me another nudge. This one was a gruff hit, he wanted me to see something. I looked over and saw Zariel riding atop her father's head, her own head thrown back as she roared happily. I was about to turn away to do some happy roaring of my own, when I saw her leap from Fallon's head to the ground and go tearing off into the tall grass. Fallon gav
e an angry growl and chased after her. I huffed, laughing in my lion way, and left Fallon to deal with her.

  Then I caught the scent of something delicious, my nose thrumming with the aroma of musk and fear. If you'd have asked me five years ago if I could kill my own meat, I'd have told you no way. I'd have admitted to being one of those women who were really lucky they lived in America, where someone else did the dirty work for you and all you had to do was buy the pieces of meat you wanted. I'd have sworn that I'd turn vegetarian before I killed my own food.

  Becoming a shapeshifter changed all that. Animals don't think about killing like we do. To hunt, to kill, is a part of life and there's no sympathy for the prey that's brought down. There's no cruelty either though. No guilt, no squeamishness, and no horror. You don't hunt for fun and you don't torture your prey. You simply take their life to sustain your own and you do it as quickly as possible. Or you might go hungry.

  Unfortunately, these instincts must be appeased or they will sour and curdle until they explode. That's when you get rampaging shapeshifters who need to be taken down. Ironically, it's not the beast within them that causes this rabid behavior but the human will trying to impose itself on the beast. It's far better to accept the instincts and work with them instead of against them.

  And so I had become a hunter. Ironic isn't it, that I, the Godhunter, had never considered myself one before? This was an entirely different kind of hunting though, one I'd never thought to do, much less enjoy. Yet there I was, enjoying the chase, and I'd enjoy the kill too. Blood was definitely something I'd developed a taste for and as much as a part of me cringed in denial, another larger part of me roared with the voices of three different wild things. A lion, a wolf, and a dragon.

  Wanna know where the wild things are? I can show you and we don't even need a boat to get there. I get to wear the crown though.

  When we did finally make a kill and my teeth sank into the animal I'd been tracking, all three of my beasts knew satisfaction. All three licked the blood from my lips and savored the taste. Because to do less would be to dishonor the animal who had just given its life for mine and that was something no true hunter would ever condone.

  A couple of the Intare in our group changed back to human so they could field dress the animal and carry it to the cabin for us. The rest of us spent some time meticulously cleaning our fur and claws before setting out to follow them. You think that's a bit OCD? Actually, it's just not a good idea to go around smelling like food.

  When we headed out over the last bit of land that remained between us and the mountains where Trevor's cabin was located, Kirill nudged me to the side and held me back while the others went ahead. I could feel the tension in his body, his muscles vibrating with excitement, and I knew immediately what this about.

  It's not that the kill brings out lust, though there is enjoyment in acquiring meat for the family. It's not about that kind of thrill at all. It's the chase. It's feeling your body pushed to its limits as you pursued something. It's being a lion, being fully alive in that animal moment and feeling the connection to nature as you can never do in human form.

  Something about all that makes the blood race in ways that need more of an outlet than bringing down the prey. Killing is not satisfaction for such a wild, life-affirming energy. No, there is a much better path to satisfying the exhilaration of the chase.

  So I knew exactly where he was leading me and what he had in mind when we reached the little waterfall with its hidden cave. I knew and the knowledge thrilled me more than the scent of blood on the breeze. I sped up, taking the lead, and he let out a rumbling sound that I knew was laughter. Then he overtook me and roared, accepting the challenge. The race was on.

  When we finally reached the waterfall, we were both panting and even more excited than we'd been when we'd started out. He circled me, brushing hot fur against my sweat-dampened hide, and our magic blended, sparkling together as we shifted in such close proximity.

  We ended up rolling on the grass together, lips connected as soon as our bodies reformed, and hands sliding over heated skin with a wild anxiousness that seemed to forget our past. In this moment, we were new to each other, relearning the pathways of our bodies and every spot that would bring pleasure.

  There was a lingering memory right after the shift. A space of time where I felt confused and unsure as to whether I was a woman or an animal. We seemed to be locked in that space together, a moment frozen, our passion pushing back the humanity that threatened to reclaim us. I gloried in it, welcoming the freedom to explore the savage ecstasy of my lioness with my human body.

  Kirill felt it too. I knew the moment I pulled back and got a good look into his sapphire eyes. The lion was still there, staring back at me. He growled, mouth descending again, hands almost clawing at me, and I growled back. My lioness seemed to be right beneath the surface of my skin, rolling in the sensations Kirill was giving us. Love exploded inside me, bursting with the release of thousands of butterflies, and I forgot everything but Kirill.

  His dark hair falling around us, the musk rolling off his skin, the curves of his bicep under my fingers. Beautiful, so beautiful, every dip and plane was relearned till I could picture him with my eyes tightly shut. But I didn't want to shut my eyes. The lioness knew no shame and with her so close to the surface, I didn't either. We wanted to see everything, experience every part of our Ganza the way he was meant to be experienced. And we wanted to love him.

  Love. Had I mentioned how different it is in lion form? I don't think I even grasped it fully after changing back to human but there, in the in-between, I knew. I felt and understood. Oh how we hold ourselves back as humans. How we deny to open certain parts of ourselves, even when we think we are. I had always thought love between me and my men was as open, giving, and trusting as it could be. I thought I held nothing back, that I gave them everything of myself, as I thought they'd given me.

  We'd all been so wrong.

  Until you release your ties to your mind, to everything programmed into it by simply being a human, you cannot understand what truly giving yourself to another is. I don't think I can even describe it so that you could grasp it, a human mind just doesn't get it, but I'll try and maybe you can glimpse a fraction of what I felt there with Kirill.

  Nothing intruded on us. We were in a separate world of our own creation The only thing we sought was more of each other, without shame or restraint. Passion led us and love urged it to even greater heights. Without human thoughts holding us back, love became a place of pure refuge and freeing ecstasy. You can say sex doesn't embarrass you and you'll probably think you mean it. I had thought so myself until that moment.

  Then I realized how many little things I thought about when I made love with someone. Insecurities that would arise or preferences that made themselves known. Ironically, there was a large part of me that still believed love should be between two people only. So when I was with more than one lover, that part of me cringed away from all of us. And that was just my biggest issue.

  There was always just a little fear involved in the act. Fear of rejection or repulsion. Fear of displeasing or being displeased. Embarrassment in my body. Clothing started out as a necessity for us humans but it's turned into a mask. A way of hiding ourselves and subconsciously telling ourselves that we have something that needs to be hidden. So when we do reveal ourselves to our lovers, that part of our brain can't help but send out little shameful sensations.

  We think we're trusting our lover when we get naked with them. We feel like sex is also an act of honesty. Think about that for a moment. Why would revealing our body to someone else be honesty? We are what we are but we've learned that differences are ugly and we try our best to cover them or make them appear what they're not. We wear padded bras, corsets, heels, and flattering clothing to make our body appear more shapely but this is sort of a lie isn't it? So when the bras and corsets come off, we all feel a little embarrassed over our deception.

  Sex has terms like kink a
nd naughty associated with it. People's desires can seem twisted to us. Strange. We judge others by what brings them pleasure and so we also leave ourselves open to be judged. So much baggage to take into bed with each other. Such a heavy burden to bear that even when you think you've let it go, you've probably only pulled a few heavy things out of your suitcase.

  It wasn't all thoughts of Oh please don't look at my belly or Did I remember to shave? either but also thoughts of I wish he would do that again or Does he like it when I do this? Normal thoughts our minds just can't turn off. When people love each other, they want to please each other and they want to be pleased in return. We make love to each other with certain expectations in place and we're sorely upset when those expectations are not met.

  When animals love there's nothing like that. There are no judgments or thoughts of being judged. No embarrassment or even trust. Trust wasn't needed there, would not even be considered. There were no thoughts of revealing myself and hoping I was what he wanted. No words cluttered my mind at all. There was only feeling, a chasm of emotion that we fell into, clawing at ecstasy all the way down. There were no whispered endearments No considering hesitation. He was love for me and I for him. I gave him everything because there were no reasons for me to hold back and he gave everything to me in return.

  So simple and yet so unattainable until that very moment. We reached that pinnacle together, eyes locked firmly and then lips, as we devoured our cries with kisses.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I have no idea how long I spent with Kirill in our secret spot but it was long enough that eyebrows were raised when we finally came sauntering up to the cabin in our lion forms. Kirill gave a great roar and everyone immediately went back to whatever they'd been doing.

  We went into a bedroom to change and emerged holding hands and smiling. I guess that and the roar was enough of an answer for everyone because no questions were asked. Trevor kissed me hello with a knowing look but even he said nothing. I got the feeling he'd be claiming his own private time with me soon enough. It had been awhile since he'd done his whole scent marking thing and he kind of needed it at least once a month to keep his wolf satisfied.