Special Rewards (The Coursodon Dimension Book 2)

by M. L. Ryan

  “That’s a shame; I really, really enjoyed it.”

  Alex leaned closer and whispered, “And I enjoyed your enjoyment. We will just have to take advantage of the perks of my world while we are here.” He gently traced the right side of my jaw with his finger, while at the same time directing his “gifts” to a particularly sensitive area just under my left ear, a spot that he knew drove me wild. I might have jumped him right then and there, but I noticed Tannis on her way back from the bathroom. With every bit of self-control at my disposal, I grumbled, “Later,” and pulled away from him. Grinning wickedly, he halted the mystical foreplay.

  “You know,” I said quietly, “That could be kind of creepy if you did that to some unsuspecting person.”

  “Indeed. That is why it is a crime to do it to anyone without consent. Otherwise, it is akin to an assault.”

  Tannis returned and as she reclaimed her seat, casually inquired, “Discussing Transcendental Arousal, are you? The way you two were carrying on this afternoon, I figured that’s what was going on.”

  Being the product of my mother’s puritanical upbringing and a recovering prude, I blushed. A full-on, sweat-inducing, make-me-squirm blush. Mortification complete, I buried my face in my hands.

  She waved off my discomfort with a flip of her hand. “Don’t be embarrassed, Hailey. TA is one of the best fringe benefits of being in Courso. Make the most of it while you can,” she advised with a knowing nod of her head.

  I wasn’t sure what was more awkward, Tannis realizing what Alex and I were discussing or the fact she, and probably everyone else at the Wjxsintiz, were treated to our sexual interlude in stereo surround sound. Wincing into the protective barrier of my palms, my distress was relieved only when Sebastian finished paying the tab and we got up to leave.

  The cool outside air smelled clean and fresh. I took in a deep breath, reveling in its purity. Turning to Alex, who had just joined me on the brick sidewalk, I was about to comment on the appeal of unpolluted air, when I noticed a new, ozone-like smell, descending upon us. Alarm flashed across Alex’s face, and I felt an intense, electrical current shoot between us. I wasn’t exactly certain what was happening, but I sensed it wasn’t anything good.

  The next series of events happened as if in slow motion. I saw a bright white, fiery bolt aimed directly at us, Alex shouted and dove towards me, an odd painful sensation, like my body was being turned inside out, followed by a weird feeling of weightlessness. The next thing of which I was aware, I was looking down from a distance at Alex, who was sprawled face-down on the sidewalk. Sebastian yelled something and ran out of the restaurant, crouching defensively over Alex’s prone form. Finally, Alex leapt up, pushed Sebastian out of the way and frantically screamed my name.

  I tried to call out to them, but I couldn’t form any words. What the fuck? Why can’t I talk? At least Alex seems okay. He was moving back and forth, still calling for me when a terrifying thought popped into my head. Maybe I’m dead. That’s why I feel so light. I don’t feel dead, I feel…transformed. Death is the ultimate transformation, I guess. Wouldn’t that be so like me? My life is finally looking up, and I’m collateral damage from the son-of-a-bitch trying to seek revenge on Alex.

  Grimly, I surveyed the scene below, searching for my body. All I saw were my clothes, tattered and haphazardly strewn about. Shit, I don’t even have a body left. Five or six Xyzok, who must have been surreptitiously guarding us while we partied — although not particularly effectively it seemed — surrounded Alex and Sebastian. Everyone was shouting in Courso, except Tannis. She was off to one side, sobbing, protected by another guard positioned in front of her and the building.

  I wanted to go over to Alex, who was now kneeling on the pavement clutching a piece of my shirt, horror and confusion etched across his face, and let him know I was okay. Or whatever I was. I concentrated on moving, and I felt my arms unfold from my body and extend out and up. This is odd, but at least I’m dropping down. The wind rushed across my face, but somehow, it didn’t feel exactly like my own skin. What do you expect, you moron, you don’t really have any skin anymore. I landed next to Alex, and was surprised when he turned and looked straight at me. Huh. I wonder if he can really see me, or if he just senses my presence? He continued to stare. Okay, I guess he can’t see me. I’ll have to try and communicate somehow. Mustering all my energy, I attempted to send a mental message. It’s me, Hailey. I’m sorry I’m dead, I repeated over and over in my head.

  In a few seconds, Alex’s expression changed from completely befuddled to something closer to merely baffled. “Hailey?” he said, so quietly I could barely hear him speak.

  Yes, I’m here!

  I noticed it had become very quiet, and everyone else was focused on the place near Alex where I stood. Tentatively, Alex reached his hand toward me. I expected his fingers to pass right through, and was surprised when I felt his touch on my shoulder. I was also surprised when he didn’t look nearly as shocked as I was that my newly deceased essence had an actual form.

  How can I be touched when he can’t see me? I glanced over to where Alex’s hand rested, to see if I could see me. Even in the darkness, rusty brown feathers were visible under his fingers. I dipped my head and saw more feathers where my chest should be. With cautious trepidation, I stretched my arms away from my body. Except instead of arms, I had really big-ass wings. What the fuck? I’ve had some weird stuff happen to me, but what kind of after-life experience is this? No ghostly apparition or angelic device of flight. Nope, I had actual wings. And a tail, I realized when I rotated my head and twisted my body to look behind myself.

  Alex rose to his feet and angled his arm away from his torso. Without thinking, I pushed off from the ground, flapped my wings and flew onto his extended forearm. His expression was unreadable; I could tell if he was relieved, astonished or repelled. Maybe a little of each, I surmised. Behind him, I heard someone gasp, “Yterixa!”

  Sebastian stepped closer and looked me up and down. “I knew when I transferred some of my magic, she would be extraordinary,” he beamed. “Our Hailey is a form-bender.”

  ~18~

  “I’ve never seen a Yterixa before,” Tannis marveled as she stepped closer and gingerly touched my feathers. “Alexander, do you think she understands us?”

  “One way to find out. Hailey, if you can hear us, nod your head.”

  Alex, Tannis and Sebastian let out a relieved whoop when I bobbed my head up and down. Tannis clutched her chest, her voice quavering. “Thank goodness the transformation didn’t damage her brain.”

  “It’s extremely rare for Yterixa to lose their mind after the first conversion,” Sebastian chided. “Besides, Hailey has a strong will.”

  Brain damage? You’re worried about brain damage? I’m a fucking bird!

  Alex threw back his head and laughed. “She also hasn’t lost her unique sense of humor. In addition to being able to form-bend, she is also quite adept at projecting her thoughts.”

  “Really?” Sebastian leaned closer and narrowed his eyes. “Under normal circumstances, that would be an added bonus indeed. With Hailey, however, I suspect her thoughts are as caustic as her verbalizations.” Having apparently received my newest projected missive, he raised an eyebrow and added with a scowl, “In your current form, my dear, acceding to that request would be illegal in any dimension. While my sexual proclivities have never been entirely bound by either constitutional decree or social norms, I draw the line at bestiality.”

  I let out a loud, raspy “irrr” and flapped my wings in response. I’m going to have to work on filtering what I throw out there if I’m going through life as a bird. It’s one thing to have snarky thoughts, it’s another if everyone can hear them, I lamented.

  “You won’t be permanently avian,” Alex assured me. “You may need a little help reforming now, I think, but with practice, you should be able to change back and forth at will.”

  That was a relief. I’ve always been fascinated with birds, but I wasn�
�t all that thrilled with being one forever. Besides, I had some qualms about the whole flying thing. I couldn’t even climb a ladder without my fear of heights kicking in.

  Can you try to make me human soon? I really have to pee and I’m not looking forward to doing so while perched on your arm in front of everyone.

  “She did have a lot of wine,” Tannis acknowledged.

  Alex crouched down and I hopped onto the ground. He stood up, towering above my much smaller frame. I felt energy engulf me, followed by an uncomfortable, inside-out sensation. Then, coldness. And there I was, sitting on the pavement, back in my human self. And, ironically, naked as a jaybird.

  The remaining Xyzok that hadn’t run off to pursue our assailants as well as the few random bystanders that had gathered were nice enough to avert their eyes. Contrary to how I would normally feel lying unclothed in public, humiliation was the last thing on my mind. All these people had just witnessed me transform from a bird to a woman, and besides, I was massively sick to my stomach. Being unclothed was the least of my worries.

  Alex chivalrously stripped off his jacket and draped it over me. Lifting me gently to my feet, he scanned me quickly before wrapping me in a fierce hug. “Are you alright?” he implored.

  I supposed I was mostly okay, except for some weakness and the overwhelming urge to hurl. Not wanting to add to Alex’s obvious angst, I croaked out, “Compared to thinking I was dead, I’m fine.”

  I tried to make my point by taking a few steps, but I stumbled. Fortunately, Alex quickly swept up my legs and cradled me in his arms. “Let’s get her out of here,” he announced, and began carrying me toward the marqizobaz. Closing my eyes, I clung to his neck so tightly any human would have complained. I was happy he didn’t because at that moment, I was thankful for the close contact. Sebastian and Tannis went in front, and three Xyzok surrounded us on the trip back to the Inn.

  I must have fallen asleep, because I had no recollection of the trip, and Alex was tucking me into the beautiful blue bed. He smoothed a stray curl from my face and whispered, “Rest, carisa. I’ll be right here if you need me.” I was too exhausted and nauseated to respond, but I managed to nod.

  The next thing I knew, I awoke to voices in the hallway. I must have slept through the night as sunlight streamed through the gauzy drapes on the French doors. I sat up and scanned the room; no Alex. Cautiously, I swung my legs off the edge of the bed and stood. So far so good, I thought, pleased that the after-effects of becoming a bird had diminished almost completely. The roiling stomach and weakness were gone, but as I walked to the bathroom, each step was an agonizing reminder of how desperately I still needed to pee.

  Once my bladder was emptied, I felt more or less human again. Splashing cool water on my face, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror above the sink. My hair was a frizzy mess, but aside from that, I looked the same as always. No stray feathers anywhere that I could see. As long as I was already naked, I decided to take a nice long shower. I washed my hair and let the warm water sluice over my skin until the spray turned too chilly for comfort. After drying myself with a large, fluffy towel, I combed through my hair and meticulously slathered myself with lotion provided by the Inn. Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered, particularly with the relatively humid climate in Wjxsintiz. Not that it was all that damp, but compared to what I was used to in the desert, it seemed quite dewy. Honestly, I think I was just grateful to have skin to moisturize.

  I got dressed and poked my head out into the hallway. Alex and Sebastian had their backs turned, and were engaged in conversation apparently so engrossing, neither noticed me.

  As I eavesdropped, I heard Alex remark, “If nothing else, it gave me a new level of appreciation for what it’s like to be female.”

  Sebastian nodded in agreement. “Indeed. I experienced it only second hand, but I cannot fathom how they tolerate PMS.”

  “At least Hailey is relatively even-keeled to begin with. Try going through it in the body of a temperamental maniac like Angelica.” Then, they both became quiet and stared blankly into space.

  I had to laugh. That must be the extent of the male bonding encounter. It was amazing that they felt comfortable enough to discuss what it was like to inhabit a female body at all, much less have insight into the complexities of female physiology. I used the lull to step out into the hallway and announce my presence.

  “Hey, you two.”

  Alex whipped around, breaking into a huge smile when he saw me. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”

  “Happy to be me,” I insisted. “And hungry.”

  “I’m sure you are, my dear,” Sebastian agreed. “Form-bending is quite an energy-intensive process. We haven’t had breakfast yet either. What would you like?” His question elicited a mental picture of tearing into a nice plump squirrel. Raw.

  I shook off the disturbing vision and answered with the first normal thing that came to mind, “Eggs, over hard with toast. And coffee, please.” Sebastian got Alex’s order and took off to get us all breakfast.

  Alex took my hand and guided me into our room. “You must have many questions about last night.”

  That was an understatement. There were so many, I wasn’t completely certain what all of them were. I decided to start with the most obvious. “What the hell happened? I turned into a bird,” I exclaimed a little louder than I intended. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I continued. “I thought you said the Courso can’t transform themselves, they can only alter appearance.”

  “For the vast majority, that is true. However, a very small percentage of Courso are able to change into something else, usually another living creature,” he explained. “They are called Yterixa; form-benders.”

  “How small a percentage are we talking here?”

  He paused momentarily, considering the numbers. “Maybe one-in-a-hundred-thousand, I would guess. It’s difficult to say for certain, some are…hesitant to reveal themselves. In the past, Yterixa were looked upon as second-class citizens. Even now, there are still some narrow-minded Coursodon who continue to believe it is unnatural.” When I frowned at this revelation, he quickly added, “But most Courso do not share these prejudices. I, for one, have always longed for the ability.”

  “You get transcendental arousal, and you feel slighted you don’t get feathers and wings?”

  “Actually, I hoped to bend into a lion or tiger,” he admitted. “Sebastian and I both tried for years to develop the talent, to no avail. Now that you’ve done it using his magic, he plans to redouble his efforts.”

  “I suppose it’s a good thing he wasn’t successful. Then we’d have to call him Sebeastian.”

  Alex groaned at my attempt at word play. “Be that as it may, you possess an extraordinary ability.”

  “So, you’re not grossed-out?”

  “Hardly. You were magnificent.” Gently taking my face in his hands, Alex pressed his lips to mine. The kiss wasn’t passionate, but it swept away my lingering doubts that my form-bending altered his feelings in any way. “Any more questions?”

  Comforted that Alex wasn’t planning to dump me, I mentally ticked off a litany of things to which I wanted answers: Will I be able to transform back home? Is a bird the only form I can take? Why did I do it last night? I also considered the whole thought projection thing, and wondered if it was only possible when I was a bird. As I had the night before, I concentrated on sending my need-to-know list to Alex.

  He tilted his head as if trying to hear something. “It’s not coming through clearly at all, but you are capable of projecting something in your human form.”

  Wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead, I panted, “But it’s a lot harder. Yesterday I wasn’t aware of expending any energy to get you to hear me. Today I feel like I just finished one of Sebastian’s workouts.”

  “Interesting. It may not be a function of your form, though. You were transmitting much more information than last night. In any case, I don’t have answers to your other questions. But I plan to get
in touch with someone who is an expert on form-bending. He or she should be more informative.”

  There was one more piece of information I wanted clarified. “Alex, I know I was a bird, but what exactly did I look like?”

  “Some sort of hawk. Big. Brown.” He thought for a moment and added, “You looked a lot like those hawks in Tucson that hang around the house and squawk a lot.”

  Maris and Ferris? I turned into a Harris’s Hawk?

  There was a short tap on the door; Sebastian was back. “The food will be up in a few minutes. Did I miss anything interesting while I was gone?”

  “I can transmit thoughts when I’m me, but not as easily as when I’m feathery.”

  Sebastian snorted. “You are still you whichever form you take, my dear.”

  “Sorry, but it may take some time to get used to this new development,” I conceded. “It was tough enough wrapping my head around the existence of another dimension and having rudimentary magical abilities. This is a whole level of magnitude weirder.”

  Sebastian actually looked sorry that he had scolded me. “I apologize for being so intractable. I must say, all-in-all, you are taking this rather well.”

  He was correct about my current relatively calm demeanor. I wasn’t nearly as freaked about this as one might expect. It was as if all the weird things that had happened to me during my life prepared me for the ultra-oddness of the last few months. Maybe abnormal was my destiny, and I was now hitting my stride. Rather than share this epiphany of self-awareness, however, I opted for a more typically smart-ass retort.

  “Which ‘this’ are you referring to? Being able to turn into a bird, or almost being killed twice in the same week?”

  “Take your pick, my dear. Although, technically the snake probably would not have killed you.”

  “Speaking of which,” Alex interrupted, “Whoever is responsible for these attacks on me is growing bolder and I will not risk your safety. You should return home and I will remain here to help identify the culprit. That way, you will no longer be in danger if another attempt is made.”