Most people wanted to experience fantasies involving themselves, but sex demons were less picky. After all, they thrived on all sex and lust whether they were participating or just sitting back watching the show. The question now was; which option had Solomon chosen for this feeding?
The longer Solomon fed, the more I felt like I was on the outside looking in. Was I really a part of this or just an unwelcome addition that his fox insisted on being here? Was it me he saw when his hips thrust forward grinding his erection against her back, when his arm came around pulling her closer? Or were they sharing some mutual fantasy that I wasn’t even a part of? What was she seeing behind her closed eyelids as he fed his lust back into her?
When she started massaging her breasts, the fox growled inside me and I had to agree. How was this any better than watching him have sex with her? I’d always known he fed and had sex, usually in public, but I’d been careful not to actually watch him doing either. Now I realized that seeing this would have changed everything. I never would have been able to sit back and let all those other women have him if I’d had to see this up close and personal night after night.
As my sire, Solomon had always been able to enter my mind but I’d never had access to his before. Earlier when he told me he was leaving his mind open to me, I hadn’t thought I’d ever take him up on the offer. Now, I had to know what they were seeing. Was he fucking her six ways to Sunday in their shared fantasy? I wasn’t sure I could live with that knowledge if he was, but I still had to know.
When I slipped into his mind, I found myself pinned to a wall, with Solomon frantically thrusting between my legs. His fangs were buried in my neck and he was sucking with strong pulls of his mouth. The desire I felt from the pheromones went from one to a million in a split second and I cried out as the mother of all orgasms crashed over me. Solomon lifted his head and roared with my blood dripping from his fangs as he pounded into me, multiplying the spasms that already shook my body. My fingers clawed at his back and I tried to hold on through the maelstrom of sensations until finally, he thrust deep and hard, giving himself over to the storm as another wave of ecstasy pulled me under.
Solomon fell to his knees, breathing hard with me still wrapped around him and rested his forehead on the wall behind me. Through the haze of afterglow, I noticed we were in The Catacombs back at Myths and Legends. The club was empty except for Simone who was perched on a barstool watching every move we made with rapt attention. For a second, I was angry because this should have been private, but then I realized I couldn’t have it both ways. Either I wanted him to fantasize about me while he drank from other women, or I had to accept him fantasizing about them.
The fantasy faded and we were all left lying on the soft grass, panting and twitching with the residual spasms from our orgasms. When the near convulsions finally stopped Solomon crawled over and collapsed beside me.
Moments later Simone appeared above us dangling a pair of strappy heels from her fingers. “If either of you ever needs to feed again, feel free to call me - especially if it’s before your bond is complete.” A tremor ran through her body and her eyes rolled back for a second. “I’ve fed off a lot of couples during the mating frenzy, but it’s never felt like that before.” Another smaller tremor made her shiver then she walked away shaking her head.
After a while I asked, “Do you think it will always be like that when one of us needs to feed?”
“I sincerely hope so,” Solomon replied, laughing as he dodged my hand flying out to smack him.
I turned on my side to face him. “Try to be serious for a minute. Yes it felt amazing, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. I’m not sure I can do that again knowing our donor will be watching everything we do. You might be used to having an audience but I’m not.”
“I knew you’d feel that way. That’s why I made sure Simone didn’t see anything that went on between us in that fantasy.”
“How is that possible? I saw her there watching us from the barstool.”
He rolled towards me and tucked my hair behind my ear. To anyone else my hair was short and curly with barrettes holding it away from my face, but Solomon could always see and feel my real hair beneath the spell when he wanted to. “That was something your mind interjected into the fantasy, probably because you were so worried about her being here with us. Simone had her own fantasy with a wolf shifter from security that she has the hots for.”
“I forgot you could project more than one vision at a time. How do you do that while you’re feeding though - especially with the pheromones too?”
He shrugged his shoulder. “To be good at magic you have to be able to multitask. I’ve been training since birth to divide my attention between multiple spells at the same time. Once I became a nightshifter, I applied that same training to the mind control. However, since I actually wanted to enjoy my fantasy I kept things simple. Simone essentially saw and felt the same things we did only with her and the wolf taking our places.”
I felt a slight pressure on my mind and suddenly there was snow falling from the moonlit sky. “Now look that way,” he instructed, pointing behind me. I turned around to find daisies drifting down from a bright, sunny sky.
Laughing, I turned back to face him. “Okay, I get it, similar but not quite the same. Can you teach me to do that for when it’s my turn to feed?”
He shook his head and the pressure vanished from my mind at the same time that the snow stopped falling. “I’ve tried to teach people before, but I think it’s a sorcerer thing. Somehow, our brains just work a little differently. When it’s time for you to feed, I’ll take care of your donor’s fantasy. I don’t want anyone else having sex with you, not even if it’s only in their heads.”
I snorted. “How do you think my male donors are going to feel about that?”
“I’m sure we’ll find someone willing to go along with our plan, but I can tell you now that it won’t be that fire demon.”
“Well duh,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “I think that goes without saying, just like I’m sure you realize Rachel will never be an acceptable choice for you.”
His hand smoothed down my hip and thigh then back up again. I still had my jeans on but it felt incredibly good to have his hands on my body after all these months. Sex was a line we’d never crossed before now, but I missed having him to cuddle with at night.
“I can smell him on you Renee and its driving the fox out of his mind. If it hadn’t been for Doyle and Rook one of us would be dead right now.”
Propping myself up on my arm beside him I asked, “Why did they get involved? I thought it was against shapeshifter laws to interfere when there’s a challenge involving a mate.”
“They were worried about me fighting the fire demon while I was still weak from the storm. If I had been at full strength, they would have stayed out of it. If our mating had been public knowledge, they wouldn’t have interfered either, but I don’t have to challenge him to save face since no one who saw you making out with him on the dance floor knew we’re mated. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let him get away with putting his hands on my mate. It just means I could let it go until after I fed.”
He wasn’t angry exactly; it was more like his fox was riding him to protect what was his. I never would have understood that before I suddenly woke up one morning with a fox sharing my soul.
I sighed looking away from him. “I’m sorry for what I did tonight. I knew I was only making things worse, but Dimitri was there for me when I was hurt and confused.”
“I know his type Renee; he’s never going to give you up. He won’t even let our mating stand in his way and you know what that means.”
Yes, I knew exactly what that meant. Shapeshifters didn’t screw around when it came to their mates. Once our mating was announced Solomon would have to meet any challenge to his place as my mate or he would be seen as weak in the eyes of his clansmen. And weak clan leaders did not stay in power very long at all.
“Hey,” Solomon said, gently brushi
ng the side of my face until I met his bright gold eyes. “Let’s go for a run.”
My brows drew together. “A run? Since when do you run?”
He gave me his patient smile. “I haven’t seen your fox yet, and it’s been a while since I’ve let mine out to run.”
“Oh...” I felt my lips curl at the corners. “That actually sounds like fun. My fox wants me to let her out more but I’m always afraid some farmer is going to shoot me.”
Laughing he said, “That’s always a very real possibility in the human world, but we’ll be fine here. Come on, let’s go explore the forest.”
Not waiting for a response he leapt to his feet and removed his jacket, dropping it to the side where it disappeared before hitting the ground. His arms went up and he stripped off his T-shirt and pulled it over his head.
Oh my...
He was built like a swimmer, strong arms and shoulders, a trim waist and washboard abs. For just a second I let myself imagine what it would feel like to smooth my hands over all those sculpted muscles. Then I tried to distract myself because I wasn’t sure I was ready to take the next step in this relationship. “Um... Solomon.”
He paused reaching for his belt and raised an eyebrow expectantly.
“Why did you cover up your mating marks? I mean, I understand why you wore the jacket to the banquet, but why did you leave it on when you went to the club? From what I’ve seen since the curse ended, newly mated shifters do not like to hide their mating marks - especially not those of you who were born shifters.”
Toeing off his shoes he said, “I thought you might not be ready to go public with our mating yet, and seeing you in that long-sleeved sweater, I’d guess I was right.” He went for his belt again, then his button and the zipper followed.
Licking my lips I said, “Um Solomon, we’ve never seen each other naked before. I mean, I know you didn’t have any clothes on in that dream, but I couldn’t see most of your body, and I’ve always worn at least my bra and panties around you.”
Solomon grinned. “We’re shapeshifters Renee. Either we get undressed before we shift or our clothes disintegrate with the change.”
“Yes, but you were born a shapeshifter, some of us are still getting used to the idea.”
He paused in his undressing again with his hands at his waistband, his pants completely undone. “Do you want me to stop Renee?”
My eyes roamed over his luscious body and slowly my head shook from side to side. He chuckled and slid his pants down his muscular legs then kicked them aside where they too disappeared. If he’d been wearing any underwear they must have been discarded along with his pants. He stood up then, tall and straight and oh so tempting.
Oh my...
My heart sped and there didn’t seem to be enough air. Then with a shimmering light, Solomon disappeared and his fox stood before me shaking out his fur. I had a moment of disappointment but I understood why he changed so abruptly. Part of me had wanted to jump on him and sate this ever-growing fire burning inside of me, but another part had been on the verge of a panic attack. Solomon would have seen my reaction and changed to protect me. It was those kinds of selfless acts that had always made me love him all the more.
Shaking myself, I took a closer look at the fox before me. I’d never seen Solomon in this form before since he’d still been cursed when I left Myths and Legends. He was much bigger than I would have thought, but then I shouldn’t have been surprised knowing that shapeshifters in their animal forms are usually at least five times larger than their counterparts in the wild.
Before I thought about what I was doing, my hands were running through the fur along his back. It was so soft and thick, and such a brilliant color - simply calling it reddish brown would never do it justice. A thin strip of black fur ran down his spine to his wide bushy tail. There was a splash of white on his neck and chest, around his mouth and on the tip of his tail. Another bit of white covered his right front paw while the other three looked like they’d been dipped in black paint.
Sitting back on my heels I breathed, “You’re beautiful Solomon.”
I could have sworn he smiled then he stepped forward and nudged my arm with his nose. I was still a little uncomfortable with being able to turn into an animal but Solomon made it seem so natural that I didn’t even hesitate to make the change. I did however, skip the part where I undressed in front of him and let my clothes disappear along with my human skin. When I stood on four feet, Solomon rubbed his side against mine then came back around and nipped at my ear before taking off into the forest. I gave chase of course and for the first time I let the fox have complete control.
The fox made everything seem so simple. Solomon was here and he was our mate; that was enough for her. The two foxes ran through the forest chasing each other and playing with a wild abandon that I’d never experienced in my human life, not even when I was a child.
From the time I was born, my parents pushed me to be the best - at everything. I never had a free moment between endless lessons from private instructors. Dance, art, singing, swimming, even my general studies were taught at home. If you could name it, I’d probably tried to learn it. Don’t get me wrong, I thrived as I filled my head with knowledge and trained my body to do ever more difficult tasks, all without ever feeling like my parents were driving me too hard. My life was hectic at times, but I knew my parents loved me and they were always there to support me.
Then one day it all came to an end.
I was seventeen when I lost my parents in an accident caused by a drunk driver. With nowhere else to go, I accepted an invitation to live with my aunt in California. Too bad, she only made the offer so she could get her hands on the money from my parents’ life insurance policies. By the time I turned eighteen most of the money was gone and I was ready to move out even if it meant I had to live on the streets. That was when I met Arthur, who took me in and eventually introduced me to Solomon.
Now I was running through the forest on four legs with Solomon trying to catch a rabbit. If my human brain had been working at all, I would have been horrified, but the fox thought hunting live prey was exhilarating. Just when I was about to pounce, the rabbit changed directions and my jaws snapped closed about an inch away from its fluffy little tail. Unfortunately, for the rabbit, his change in direction put him within striking distance of Solomon’s more experienced teeth. The rabbit’s life ended and Solomon let me eat while he went to catch something for himself.
When our bellies were full and our bodies were spent, we curled up together in a patch of long grass and I fell fast asleep with my nose buried in the soft fur of Solomon’s neck.
Chapter Ten
~ Renee ~
I awoke alone under a moonlit sky in a sea of gently swaying grass. Lifting my nose in the air, I took a whiff and caught Solomon’s scent on the cool breeze. Following the tantalizing aroma, I soon found myself at the edge of a shimmering pool of water. Flourishing greenery and a steep rock face bordered the small lake. A wide stream of water cascaded over the cliff, churning the water below into frothy foam that floated out over much of the otherwise crystal clear water.
Seeing no sign of Solomon, I climbed to the top of a large rock cluster and cast my gaze out over the water. Still not seeing him, I was about to give up and try something else when he broke through the surface of the water and sucked in a deep breath. Forgetting for a moment that I was still a fox, I tried to call out to him but what came out of my mouth was a cross between a bark and a scream. I’d never heard anything like it and wasn’t sure I ever wanted to again.
Solomon’s head snapped up and he smiled when he spotted me. “Come on down and join me, the water feels great.”
Cocking my head to the side, I tried to determine if the water was deep enough for diving. Knowing my thoughts as he often did, Solomon called, “Don’t worry, the water goes down at least thirty feet. I jumped off that rock myself.”
Having never attempted swimming in my fox form, I decided it was time to b
e human again. I moved back far enough that Solomon couldn’t see me to make the change. Once I was on two feet again, I took a running leap, dove off the edge and executed two complete rotations before entering the water head first with barely a splash. The water was colder than I expected and I came up sputtering, “The water feels great? Are you insane?”
Solomon swam over but stopped short of touching me. “Do you want me to warm you up?”
My teeth were chattering and the offer was tempting but with the mating frenzy bearing down on us and that sexy grin he was giving me I thought it best to decline. “No thanks, I’m sure I’ll warm up if I just keep moving.”
“Suite yourself.” His grin widened and the exchange reminded me of the many times he’d flirted with me over the years. Maybe I hadn’t been fair to Solomon the other night. It was true he hadn’t pursued me the way he had other women but he had flirted and he’d given me plenty of opportunities to explore a relationship with him. It wasn’t his fault I’d always turned him down flat.
His voice pulled me from my thoughts. “You know, I’ve always loved watching you dive.”
“Yeah, too bad diving isn’t one of the events at the tournament. I might actually have a chance at winning that.”
“For someone who’s been sword fighting for less than thirty years, you do very well.”
I scoffed. “I came in nineteenth last year, and that was the best I’ve ever done.”
“Nineteenth out of several hundred,” Solomon reminded me, “and most of the other participants have been wielding swords for hundreds of years. With your natural talent for sword fighting, first place will be yours before you know it. I’d even be willing to bet you make it into the top ten this year.”
“To take first place I’d have to beat you and Katerina and I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”
“Have a little faith in yourself Renee. Not only do I believe you have the skill to beat us both, I think anyone can have a lucky day. Maybe this year the stars will shine down upon you and light up your path to victory.”
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