[The Shifters Committee 01.0] Time Shifters

by Rebecca Foxx

  When she awakened, she realized that she was bound and chained to a wall in a dank, dark, dungeon wherein the concept of sanitary had departed long ago. The stench of animal urine and feces made Laura a little sick to her stomach, but after seeing her friends’ legs blown off right in front of her, dead bodies were like a trip to the zoo for her.

  She had no conscious awareness of how long she had been there or how long she had been tied up in the dungeon. Her legs, her arms, her head, and her sexual organs felt engorged and abused and it was then when panic and fear shot through her body. She wasn’t fearful for herself, but rather if she would to have offspring, who the father may or may not be. Yet that too was the least of her problems.

  At the end of the year of 2077, there would be a blood moon that would destroy all of the shifters in a brutal and horrific manner.

  The only way destruction could be avoided is through the simple gesture of bonding with a pack and sleeping through the last 72 hours of the year and to not see sunlight during that time either.

  It sounded like an easy feat, but throughout the centuries, many a good werewolf had turned to dust during the blood moon because of carelessness.

  Neil was perfectly aware of what day it was and where he was. He was back behind the microphone as though nothing had happened and the calendar showed that it was November 3rd, 2077. He had to find her or they would both die.

  It had been a tough two weeks since Laura was reported missing and there was, of course, no trace of her. Most were certain that she had been kidnapped or she was murdered.

  After his shift, Neil ran down the stairs of his building and hopped into his sports car to drive to The Sanctuary and depart in the hopes of saving Laura and the rest of his pack.

  The Sanctuary was built deep within a mountain wherein it was too hot or too cold for the average human to traverse. For shifters, it became a hideout of sorts where packs could come together, and where Walkers to depart in secrecy for their missions.

  Neil drove his vehicle undetected into the pre-assigned brush pile that was little more than a hologram that was a portal to The Sanctuary. Neil parked and ran into the building and stopping in the lobby and being tempted to barge into the room that said, “The Committee” and destroy all of them, but he knew that it wouldn’t save her life.

  The time had come and he decided against taking action but rather went to one of his predetermined private rooms and began his meditation and clearing of his mind.

  He would calm, change shape, transport, and rescue Laura. He hoped that he would be there in time or that he would even find her still alive.

  He closed his eyes, took deep breaths and felt his body begin to respond to its commands to calm. Within a few short seconds, he was back in Rome and wearing the same robe and sandals as before. He was at the front of a door that led down into a cellar or dungeon; whichever it was the smell emanating from there caused him to put his hand over his mouth and nose.

  In the midst of the bile, he caught a trace of her scent which immediately inspired him to push forward no matter what would happen.

  He ripped the chains from the dungeon doors, threw them open and stepped down into the darkness.

  Chapter 4 – It All Came Down to This

  The dimly lit dungeon was illuminated by a few lanterns that had been strategically placed throughout the area in order to give the semblance of light. Neil didn’t need it, however. He had other plans.

  His transformation was a little painful; causing him to let out a mild growl, but one of the advantages of being a Walker was that the pain was reduced during transformation dramatically. His large, muscular frame was covered in a black, thick fur.

  He had a few areas on his chest that hinted at flecks of white, but the black was so dark that it overpowered any other color that may be present.

  His gold eyes shined, providing partial illumination to the hallways. He could smell her now even though there was something else in the air that he didn’t recognize.

  Laura could smell him and she struggled to change, she was just too exhausted to do anything of the sort.

  Whatever she had been given at the bath house that day was still traveling through her system and fogging her mind just enough for her to not be able to do what she was intended to. It infuriated her but her anger only served to tire her more.

  She could still smell something in the air that was familiar, refreshing, and more than welcome. She would have been aroused, but she was too tired for even that.

  Neil rounded a corner and found himself face-to-face with a white and brown wolf that was about half of his size. The wolf had scars across the nose, across his head and one of his eyes was almost completely shut.

  Both bristled at the sight of the other, the brown wolf slowly realizing that he would be far outmatched and his life just worth his disgusting job in the dungeon anyway. Wisely, he tucked tail, cowered, hung his head low, and slinked away without a sound.

  When Neil finally reached Laura, he was flabbergasted at how badly she looked. She had been in chains so long that they had begun to pierce her skin. Her eyes were dark and sunken in and her breathing was labored.

  She was still curvy, still a large, beautiful woman, but there were signs that she was obviously. Her eyes lit up when she saw him as though the mere sight of him would energize her with some secret power. She called his name in a weak, frail voice, the edges of her mouth cracked and peeling from a lack of water.

  “Neil,” she wept, “please help me.”

  Neil was enraged at what he was witnessing and he ran to her and in an instant, he had transformed back to his human form. His muscles glistened in the faint light of the dungeon and it made her eyes light up ever so slightly.

  He reached for the chains and ripped them out of the wall and then removed the cuffs around her wrists. He gently kissed each of her wounds and began to pick her up to carry her out of there, a door across the muddy hallway opened.

  It was Camille.

  “Mmmmm,” she hissed, “I wondered what you looked like naked and it’s too bad I have to see you in such dire circumstances.”

  There was an unnecessary confidence about her and in the tone of her voice. Her bright blue eyes got brighter and colder and in a blink of an eye, she was transformed into a large, pure white wolf with intoxicating eyes.

  Neil followed her lead and transformed. They faced each other eye-to-eye as she too was a large and clearly dangerous beast.

  Camille was the first to attack and it was exactly what Neil had expected. His move to the side sent her reeling across the dingy unlocked cell and crashing into a wall.

  She changed back to her human form; her thin but tall body seemed to float across the room toward the now human Neil.

  She had underestimated his strength and speed, believing that her age and wisdom would allow her to best him. He was far superior in every way.

  The sound of Camille’s neck snapping carried throughout the dungeon and more than likely had traveled out into the street.

  He picked up his Laura and carried her toward the entrance where he had changed before. There, he sat her down gently and put on his robe. He took her hands and he kneeled in front of her as though he was praying but when he opened his eyes, they were home.

  His bedroom was expansive and meticulously clean. Laura had mustered the strength to get up off of the bed and walk toward the shower without saying a word and once there, stripped naked and turned on the water for a shower.

  She stepped in and the water pouring over her felt like drops of heaven to her and with each stroke of the bar soap against her skin, she felt stronger and her body beginning to heal itself.

  By the time he joined her in the shower, she was almost completely healed and she was ravenous. She had initially feared that the sexual activity she may have been subjected to would result in pregnancy, and she was relieved to feel and sense that it was just not the case.

  Her senses fully returning to her, she felt him pre
ssing against her white, soft flesh.

  He was fully erect and she had a very distinct feeling that he knew what to do with it.

  He didn’t disappoint.

  Neil spun her around to face him, his wet black hair hanging down and tickling her face. He reached down and kissed her softly and it became more aggressive with each pass of his tongue.

  He started to pick her up so she could straddle him but she tried to stop him, conscious of the fact that she wasn’t a frail little flower. He merely gave her a teasing smile and lifted her up and down on his throbbing, erect cock.

  Her eyes rolled back in her head, the hair on her head stood on end, and she felt a stirring deep within her soul. By the look in his eyes, he too was feeling the same.

  Her wet, full breasts slid up and down on his muscular chest that had begun to heave. She was squeezing and tugging on him from inside of herself and he was launched into a new and erotically satisfying place.

  She could feel his stomach muscles begin to contract as the first wave of orgasms flowed over the two of them. He filled her and she took him in with tears streaming down her cheek. She looked up at his face and saw that he too was moved by their connection.

  They kissed passionately in the shower and then went to bed together. She rested within the curves of his arms, her head on his chest as he felt the smooth, supple skin that covered her delightfully full body.

  Their lives would never be the same but together; the responsibilities of being a Walker in the time after the blood moon was a test they both passed.

  Together, they cared for those who lost family, and they advised The Committee as to how to ensure the population wasn’t completely obliterated.

  For the first time in history, Walkers outnumbered the rest of the shifters.

  Chapter 5 – The Committee Reprisal

  After the fright that was produced by the Blood Moon incident, The Committee had once again made a decision that Walkers would have to be dealt with quickly and completely.

  They believed that though Laura Grey and Neil Rhoades were viewed as heroes to much of the shifter community, they needed to be silenced. There was only one problem:

  Laura had announced that she was “with child.”

  Two members of The Committee’s Emergency Shifter Elimination Team (ESET) that, of course, never existed had been assigned to take care of the problem of Neil and Laura but it was against protocol to harm a shifter and her mate while pregnant.

  Julie Redcorn and Matt Blackstock were two of the best in the supposedly non-existent history of ESET. When assigned a target, they always hit their mark and as a team, they were horrifying but as two people trying to function in society, they were quite normal and unfortunately attracted to each other.

  The rules were the rules and they dictated that there would be no fraternization whatsoever allowed and would result in reassignment or termination of responsibilities.

  They had successfully fought the temptation until that one quiet evening on surveillance patrol. It was a convergence of elements that created the perfect storm for their romance to bud, but they would be risking their careers and their lives.

  Matt and Julie had kept Laura and Neil under surveillance for weeks after the blood moon knowing full well a female while pregnant has heightened abilities within all of the senses.

  One wrong move and they would not only be discovered, but bring great shame upon The Committee and for that, they would be eliminated.

  Julie had actually grown fond of Laura as she watched her making preparations for her babies; seeing the way she smiled and radiated happiness made Julie wonder when it would be too late for her to breed.

  She had always loved children, but her career had taken her to new and very dangerous circumstances where her very existence had to be denied. It didn’t mean that the time wouldn’t come when she could request a transfer for familial reasons and start a family; her body sturdy and some could argue “made for breeding.” She was thick, but decidedly feminine.

  Julie had always listened to and followed the commands of The Committee because she firmly believed that it was a result of their work that allowed the race to continue. The decisions they had to make in the past had ensured the growth and expansion of the wolf shifter race globally.

  Their decisions have been difficult to swallow and sometimes quite brutal but she believed in them and her trust was absolute.

  Matt had been around ESET for many years before Julie’s arrival. He had seen the best and the worst for the shifter community and he doubted some of the decisions make by The Committee over the years because his view of murdering the innocent was that it came with cosmic consequences. He had never killed an innocent nor would he.

  Matt had seen a growth in the number of Walkers included on the surveillance or elimination target list and he had begun to wonder whether or not The Committee was up to more sketchy behavior.

  When they assigned him Julie as a partner, he was pretty sure that it was as a result of his attitude that he didn’t need one. The Committee thought he needed a babysitter who was sold out on the programs they pushed.

  Matt toed the company line, but he had begun to feel thing for his partner that was not allowable and contrary to his nature. He was an avowed bachelor but after a long day with Julie, he would dream of the possibility of family and peace and the house with the white picket fence.

  For a man of his stature and of his reputation, his having thoughts of romantic interludes were contrary to the very fiber of his being.

  Julie seemed to bring that out of him.

  Tensions were high and while they watched the Walkers, The Committee watched them.

  Chapter 6 – The Connection

  They had taken a break and drove down the block to one of the seemingly countless chain coffee shops where they ordered coffee and sat at one of the outdoor tables.

  The sun was shining, but the wind had a bit of a nip in it; making the warmth of the coffee welcoming and soothing.

  They sat across from each other, Matt trying desperately to conceal his gazing at Julie. Her black hair shimmered in the sunlight, the brown of her eyes were just a shade or two darker than her mocha-colored skin, and when she smiled, Matt felt weak.

  She was a busty woman which made her the target for harassment during her time at the Academy, but she held her own quite well and the aggregate result was winning the hearts and minds of her fellow ESET members.

  Her curvy body had become increasingly enticing to Matt; her round, pronounced backside was mouth-watering to him and he could only imaging just how soft and delicious her skin might taste.

  He was discreet with his stares and up to that point; she hadn’t appeared to notice any kind of reaction from her whatsoever. He tried to mask his scent; the pheromones that oozed from his pores and he was getting more proficient, but it was a talent that Julie had mastered long before.

  They sat silently watching each other and the perimeter for any sign of their targets heading their way and they were confident that they wouldn’t see either Neil or Laura that day.

  Saturdays were usually the days when they spent their time in the house, staying out of the view of the public and of course, supporters of The Committee. Julie and Matt took the opportunity to savor their coffee and to explore each other with their eyes.

  Julie could tell that he wanted her and regardless of how hard he tried to mask his scent, Julie’s senses were much more advanced than his even though he was senior.

  She was born with natural talent that heightened her senses constantly and it allowed her to pick up on little things that other shifters might miss. She could smell him admiring her even at that moment and to say that it had an affect on her loins would be an understatement. It was so intense that she feared no amount of masking would adequately keep her scent from him.

  Suddenly, his eyes flashed and his nose began to twitch. He was catching wind of something and she knew that her charade was over.

  “Did
you smell that?” His question had a sense of urgency to it, and he continued.

  “That’s one of our targets; I think they are on the move.”

  They tossed their almost empty coffee cups into the trash and walked together to the end of the block and stopped at the street corner to see if he was right.

  Sure enough, about a block and a half away they saw Laura and Neil out walking, Laura’s tummy had just begun to show and Julie couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for them as they had no idea how close to termination they had come.

  Laura and Neil were oblivious to their watchers. They were out for a nice, quiet walk in the sunshine and nothing else mattered. Since becoming pregnant, Laura had relaxed considerably and Neil had turned out to be a much more attentive, doting partner than Laura could ever imagine.