Maximus plucked a ripe peach and handed it to Posy. She wished Earth’s Africa was as lush with life. No one would ever go hungry on this planet. Bushes of strawberries and raspberries dotted the hills.
“Does all this food stay in season all year?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I can’t imagine what you must think of my planet.”
“How can I not think your planet is wonderful? It gave me you.”
He wiped juice from her lips before kissing her. Posy felt a tug under her arms as she was lifted into the air. Maximus roared. She hung suspended from a tree by an anaconda. Two black eyes gazed into hers.
“Interesting.” The word was hissed as the tongue flicked out.
Posy balled a fist and smashed it. She was released and landed in Maximus’s arms. The snake shifted and clutched his nose.
“That wasn’t nice.” The words were muffled.
“You dragged me into a tree. What did you expect, a kiss?”
“I thought you…”
“Were your mate,” she finished. “I’m not.”
“I noticed.”
“No one is supposed to be out here,” Maximus said.
The man dropped to land on his feet. He was bald, big, and annoyed. “I didn’t know. Now I do, and I’ll make sure others stay away. Your mate is mean.”
“How old is he? Two?” Posy snarled as he walked away.
“You’re not mean.” Maximus chuckled. “You really should come with a warning sign.”
“I hope everyone heeds his warning.”
“No worries. The snake shifters get the message out fast. I can just hear them hissing: ‘watch out for the flower chick, she’s got a mean right cross’.”
“Posies were my mother’s favorite.”
“Posy is my favorite.”
He shifted and scooped her up onto his back where he bounded in easy leaps up the side of a cliff. Small caves dotted the cliff, and Maximus climbed into one. The area was spacious and dry. A small circle of rocks held the blackened wood once used for fire. He set Posy on her feet and took off returning shortly with soft bulrushes and other vegetation for a bed. Next he brought fish, smaller than the sturgeon but large enough to be satisfying. After starting a fire and draping the food over a stick to cook they settled onto the bed.
“Will I be hunted forever?” Posy was feeling a little overwhelmed.
My hand hurts, stupid snake.
“No. Word among shifters is fast.”
“You don’t have electronics.”
“We don’t need any. Animals can converse over large areas faster than Twitter. Ours is more like tweeters—birds.”
“Tweety Bird. I can visualize a bunch of yellow birds talking to a puddy tat.”
“In the meantime we have the rest of our lives to be happy. All you need is to be covered in my scent. I think I can arrange that.”
Maximus ran his hand down her arm to her hip. She loved the way he gazed into her eyes. Who knew one fateful night she would meet her mate outside a bar? Her mighty shifter had turned out to be mighty incredible.
The End
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