UnleashingtheAnimal

by J L Taft

  Reaching into his boxers, she pulled his hard shaft free and pushed his clothing down a little to get it out of the way. She had always wanted to do this and had never had the opportunity. But Shane was a man’s man and she knew he wouldn’t turn her down.

  He was bigger around than she expected and the skin was silky-smooth. Trailing her fingers over him gently, she glanced up at him as he groaned and placed his hands back on the wall for support.

  Blair watched in wonder as a drop of clear liquid leaked from the head as she learned the warm, velvety skin with her fingers.

  Angling her head for better access, her tongue darted out to catch the drop. His cock jumped with the touch and she smiled, licking him again.

  “God, woman! Stop with the teasing, you’re killing me,” Shane growled above her.

  Blair paused and he looked down at her, seeing the hesitation on her face. “Have you ever done this before, Blair?” he asked gently.

  She shook her head, afraid he would change his mind and walk away from her. He stood still for a moment, regarding her, and then asked, “Do you want me to teach you?”

  Since he was offering… “Yes, show me what you like.”

  He gave her a smirk and reached down to grab his cock in one hand. “Come closer and open wide.”

  She did as he said, her eyes glued to the tanned hand wrapped around his cock as he pulled on it gently. Carefully he slid it in her mouth an inch and then pulled it back out. “Swirl your tongue around the end.”

  Blair decided she liked the taste of him and began to slide her tongue up and down the length of him enthusiastically, going far enough to get his fingers.

  “I think you have that part down, put it back in your mouth.” His voice was getting rougher by the second.

  Her lips were wet and he went in easier than the first time, and once he was in a little she swirled her tongue around the end again.

  “Oh fuck,” he groaned and she smiled around her mouthful.

  He pushed in deeper and told her to wrap her hand around his. “You’re doing great, now move your mouth up and down on it. You can add some licking in if you want.”

  Removing his hand, he placed it back on the wall. Blair was able to suck him in deeper without his hand there to hold her back and she went as far as she could, which still wasn’t all of it.

  She got into a rhythm, moving up and down on him a couple times and then stopping to flick the tip with her tongue a little. He seemed to like it, moaning and bucking his hips in time with her.

  She got braver, her hand going up to his hip and then snaking back to trail her nails along his firm ass. He grunted when they sank a little deeper than she intended when he unexpectedly jerked his hips forward.

  Pulling her hand away, he grabbed it quickly and cupped it on his balls. She got the idea and he moved his hand away again, letting her do it on her own.

  Keeping her mouth going, it wasn’t long before his body was tensing and she felt a warm spurt of salty liquid in her mouth and Shane groaned loudly above her. Swallowing, she didn’t pull away and felt several more spurts until he pulled back.

  Taking a few steps back, he collapsed into the nearest kitchen chair.

  “Wow, are you sure you haven’t done that before?” he asked.

  Blair wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand and stood. “No, I haven’t.” She could guess his next question before he asked it.

  “And no, I’m not a virgin.”

  It was true but she didn’t want to tell him she had only fumbled around in the dark on two separate occasions. Both of which had left her feeling deflated. She had gotten more pleasure out of giving Shane a blowjob than both of them added up to be.

  He stood and righted his clothing, watching her as she stood awkwardly by the door.

  Crossing to her, he pulled her into his arms and against his chest. “Dinner again tomorrow night? So I can return the favor?” he questioned.

  She jerked her head back to look up at him. “Return the favor?”

  “Yep.” He grinned. His green eyes twinkled and she smiled back.

  “Okay,” she answered.

  “Okay,” he mimicked.

  Shane left after another scorching kiss, leaving her feeling restless, and the cabin was too quiet. Blair considered her actions. She had never just fallen into something like this before. He made it easy for her to let go. Maybe too easy.

  She refused to think about the absence of the usual rules she had always played by when it came to men. Rules that had been drilled into her from a young age. But Shane was just too tempting.

  Everything was different now and she knew she had made the right decision by moving out here. She felt like a new person, sexy and strong.

  She watched out the window for a few minutes before grabbing her jacket and taking off outside.

  Naughty thoughts of Shane chased her like the hounds of hell until she reached the trees and then everything quieted.

  The shadows were long and Blair knew it would be dark soon. But she couldn’t resist the pull of the trees and the hidden creatures singing good night. As she entered the woods she could smell everything—the damp leaves and decaying pine needles, the crispness of the air and the smell of the lake.

  Blair chalked it up to inhaling all the fresh air the last few days. Wandering slowly down the trail, she checked behind her frequently. She wasn’t too far from the cabin.

  Then she saw it—the lake through the trees. The last rays of the sun were filtering between the dying leaves and she abruptly left the trail to get a better look.

  The shore was farther away than she expected and it got dark fast in the woods. Stopping suddenly, she realized she had no idea where she was and how far from the path she had gone. Everything looked the same. Everything she could see, that is. The forest was quickly becoming an inky-black that was disorienting.

  But she could hear. Everything.

  She listened, cocking her head, and heard the mice scurrying in the leaves, an owl hooting way off in the distance, squirrels bouncing from branch to branch. It was surreal and it didn’t feel normal.

  The darkness was all around her and she became frightened.

  Suddenly a searing pain started in her hand, radiating up through her arm and into her shoulder. Clutching her arm to her chest, she briefly wondered if she was having a heart attack.

  But then it came again in her other arm and this time the burning pain took her to her knees. Confusion clouded her thought process and she didn’t understand what was happening.

  The agony increased, spreading into her back and lower. Slowly it took over her whole body until she could do nothing but curl into a ball on the damp forest floor.

  Shane had been out in the forest patrolling his land and thinking about Blair when he heard the whimper of another predator in his woods. Lifting his head and sniffing the air, he knew it was close by.

  Then he felt something he had been waiting for for a long time. There was another Shifter here. A woman. His mate? God, he hoped so, he was tired of waiting. But something was wrong. He knew the only way to know if she was his true mate was if they were both fully in their animal forms.

  Silently Shane crept over branches and between bushes. His paws made no sound in the blanket of leaves on the forest floor. Pausing, he sniffed again. There was a storm approaching. The sky was heavy with the coming rains and the air was charged with electricity.

  He circled the area where he thought the creature was hiding twice, closing the distance between them cautiously. After all, she was another predator and he didn’t know how well she could control her other half. Some didn’t even try.

  He felt his hackles rise, his natural need to dominate her making the jet-black hair on his neck and back stand straight up, increasing his already large size.

  His night vision was excellent and he could see the shape of something low to the ground just ahead. Breathing deep, he paused. He could smell…Blair.

  Damn it! What was she
doing out here in the middle of the night?

  He glanced around him but couldn’t see her. She could be in danger with another predator in his woods. It would be better for him to get to the other Shifter before his neighbor stumbled across it.

  Protectiveness motivating him, he took off at a dead run. His big body was silent as he closed the distance, hoping to catch her by surprise. But the closer he got to the creature the stronger he could smell Blair. He shook his head to clear it but still the smell of flowery soap remained, confusing him.

  It felt as if it took forever to reach whatever was lying still on the forest floor but in reality it only took seconds. When he reached it, he stood in shock.

  It was her.Blair was curled in the fetal position on the ground. She was so still he worried she had somehow hurt herself badly but he couldn’t smell any blood.

  Gently he nudged her with his nose and she groaned weakly. Her amber eyes opened briefly, unseeing and dilated, before closing again.

  Blair was the other Shifter?

  Thunder rumbled overhead. The storm was fast approaching. They couldn’t stay here. He nudged her again and when that got no response he licked her face several times.

  She rolled from the ball she was curled in and onto her back. Shane pulled back in surprise. He could see her bones changing shape under her skin. This couldn’t be happening. She was too old to be going through her first change.

  Lightning split the sky above and he knew he was out of time. Padding a few feet away, he let the change take him. It had taken him years to learn to control his inner wolf, to switch back and forth on a whim.

  Clenching his fists, he waited on his knees for it to complete, the wolf howling in resentment as the man reemerged. Swiftly the long howl changed to the low grumble of a man’s voice.

  Going back to Blair, he scooped her limp body into his arms and began the trek back to his cabin. It was closer.

  Before he took five steps, lightning crashed again and the skies opened up. The heavy clouds released a curtain of cold, wet rain and he picked up the pace. His naked body shivered in the wet, chilly air. If he was right he needed to get Blair to his cabin quickly, before the next phase started. The phase where she could hurt herself.

  Chapter Five

  Shane only took the time to throw on a pair of jeans when they finally got inside. Blair was starting to thrash and it had taken all his strength to keep her in his arms on the walk home.

  He put her on his bed, jerking the blankets back. The sturdy wooden posts would hold her. Stripping her out of her wet jeans and shirt, he paused at the sight of her pale, flawless body. Her breasts were larger than he originally thought. Her dark, dusty-pink nipples were visible through the pale pink lace of her bra. Her hips flared gently and he jerked his head away as thoughts of being buried between her long legs flashed in his mind.

  Quickly he moved to gather up four ties to hold her. He hoped it would work. He hadn’t worn them in years.

  He remembered what it had been like when he had his first change years ago. He had been alone and had torn his body to hell. He still bore the scars. Which he was sure she had noticed. But they were a part of him now.

  He wasn’t going to let her mark up that beautiful body if he could help it. She was thrashing and groaning already, her hair a wild tangle on his pillows. As she jerked her head back and forth he saw a blonde streak of hair that started at the base of her neck. It was strange. He had never seen hair like hers before.

  He had to move faster. Her body was starting to gain in strength.

  He wasn’t sure if she could hear him or not but he started talking to her. “Blair? Blair? Can you hear me?” Nothing.

  “Blair, I’m going to tie your arms and legs down so you don’t hurt yourself.” He did her legs first with no problems but when he got to her arms she fought him like a wildcat, hissing and scratching at him, her eyes unseeing.

  But he was still stronger than her and held her still so he could secure her arms. This part of the change only lasted a few hours or so but it felt like forever. Her body was simply preparing for the animal she would become.

  He also had no idea how long she had been in the woods. But he hadn’t left her house more than three or four hours ago. It could be a long night.

  Blair’s thrashing and writhing on the bed didn’t take long to reach a climax. Shane felt her pain as he watched her body contort and saw the bones move under her skin. He was surprised she wasn’t screaming but he couldn’t remember if he had the energy to do so either. One thing was for sure, this woman was a lot stronger than she looked.

  He sat next to the bed, waiting for her to calm so he could release her.

  His voice seemed to soothe her so he told her about his travels across the country and the odd jobs he had worked. All the while his mind tried to piece it together. Because there was no doubt in his mind now, she was a Shifter.

  But she had to be in her late twenties and all the Shifters he had crossed paths with had gone into the change in their late teens. What had happened to make her so late?

  He wondered what her animal form would be. Before he could stop the thought he hoped she was a wolf like him. There were all sorts of Shifters and there was no way to know until the first full moon after the bone changing.

  Gradually she quieted and then she slept. He watched as Blair’s body eased back to normal. Her bones had regrown to accommodate whatever it was she would become. But now that made her unpredictable. She could shift at any moment. If she didn’t understand what was happening to her then she would be a danger to him and herself.

  He left her tied for the moment, even though he didn’t like it. It was safer. He covered her with a sheet but couldn’t resist a quick peek down at her skin before he couldn’t see it anymore.

  She was beautiful and whatever was inside her was resting for the moment.

  Brushing her hair back from her face and then fingering the strange blonde streak, he carefully sat next to her on the bed.

  Blair awoke suddenly, her eyes popping open and slowly focusing on Shane’s face above her. Everything swam for a second and then righted itself.

  He was running his fingers across her brow and she liked the soothing feeling. She relaxed into the mattress and let him trail his fingers down her face and then over her bare shoulder.

  Wait…her bare shoulder?

  Jerking away, she tried to remember what happened. Where were her clothes? She was covered with a thin sheet but she only had her bra and panties on. But she couldn’t evade his fingers and as she tried to move away again she realized she was tied spread-eagle on a bed.

  “What the hell is going on?” she yelled at him while pulling on her arm restraints.

  “Calm down, Blair. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Then why in blue blazes am I tied up?” Her voice was shrill and panicky even to her own ears.

  “I’m sorry, Blair, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said again, slow and firm. “Just try to relax and tell me what you remember.” His voice never changed pitch, staying calm and soothing.

  “I remember going for a walk.” She pulled again at her restraints. Had she gotten herself mixed up with a psychopath? “Please Shane, let me go.”

  She hated the tears in her voice but she couldn’t hold them back. She was confused and she couldn’t move. The more she wiggled to get free the lower the sheet fell.

  “I can’t, Blair. Not until you understand.”

  “Understand what, Shane?” She struggled again against her bonds.

  “Stop fighting. I’m not going to hurt you. Listen to what I have to say and then I’ll release you.”

  “Okay.” She was willing to do anything to get him to release her.

  He sat next to her on the bed and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to slap him, but he had the upper hand at the moment and she couldn’t even if she wanted to. But the anger dried her tears.

  She was so warm that she suddenly didn’t care if the sheet
fell off her. Even that thin layer was too much.

  “Why am I tied up, Shane? I don’t understand.”

  Standing suddenly, he pulled his tight t-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. Blair stared at him in shock as the light from the bedside lamp shined across his back. It was covered in thin white scars. They were four wide and, in some places, with a smaller fifth line. The first thing that popped into her head was that they looked like nail marks.

  Blair momentarily forgot about the ties holding her to the bed as he turned to let her get a better view. His sexy body was crisscrossed with scars. All along his back, sides and hips. The lines disappeared down under his jeans.

  “Where did you get those?” she asked quietly.

  “I got them when I started my change. I was a lot younger than you and didn’t have anyone with me.”

  “What change?” She was more confused by the second.

  “I’m not sure where to begin, Blair. Have you ever heard of a Shifter?”

  “A Shifter? No, I don’t think so.” It was strange to be having such an obviously serious conversation while she was tied to his bed.

  “There are people in this world who have the ability to change their physical forms, most of us changing into animals. A few of us a little more sinister than that.” He paused and then went on when she remained shocked and silent. “We live in secret, some of us never knowing others exist.”

  Suddenly what he was saying sunk into her muddled brain. He was talking as if these creatures were real and she struggled to get free again.

  “Let me go Shane, this is unreal. You can’t expect me to believe that you are one of these Shifters. It’s ridiculous and what does that have to do with me anyway?”

  He ran a hand down over his face. “It’s not ridiculous, Blair. It’s the truth.”

  He seemed to really believe what he was saying and she wondered again if he was mentally unstable. And she thought she had issues.