“Well, shit,” his grandson said, staring at him as they entered the kitchen. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d wear jeans and a muscle shirt. All right Willow, what did you do with my Grandfather?” Lars asked.
She shrugged. “Who knows? They don’t talk, they just do,” she said, carrying a plate of ribs out the patio door where Ida was waiting for her.
Alton actually stopped moving forward when his woman turned those dark gray eyes on him. “Why does that woman has me quivering?” he grumbled.
Marsha laughed and patted his arm. “Not to worry, you are bonded now. Willow, so she won’t kill you, at least, but you might want to ease up just a mite.”
He nodded, but turned his attention on Marsha. “How are you? I don’t see any spots that I might have missed,” he said.
“No I’m fine and thank you for healing me,” Marsha jumped, when she heard the hiss come from their mate.
“Grandfather now is not the time to test Willow!” Gage said, and stepped in front of Maxim, staring at the leash.
“How is it possible your own grandson’s know my Willow better than her own men?” Ida snapped behind Gage. Power crackled around him and Maxim.
“You are quite right Ma’am, and we hope to rectify that starting tonight if she will allow it,” Alton glanced around Ida and frowned. Willow was not there. “Where is she?” he asked staring to panic.
“See, this is why she needs a damn leash,” Maxim growled, and moved to step around Ida, but didn’t get very far.
“You were told to watch yourselves. Both of you need to start thinking now.” Ida said and her granddaughter was shaking her head.
“No, grandma,” she hollered, right before his body shifted, but not into the wolf he enjoyed, but into a damn frog.
Ida lifted him and Maxim up and placed them in a 40 gallon fish tank with other frogs. To say he was furious was an understatement.
“Oh my, this is so going too well,” Tamara busted out laughing as another frog started to climb onto his back and started to hump him.
“Willow!” He bellowed, shaking the offensive creature off him, seeing that he wasn’t the only one having the same problem. Maxim was at the other end of the tank trying to get rid of another green thing off his back.
“What? What is wrong?” Willow came running into the room looking around. “Where are they?” she asked.
Laughter from everyone broke out, as Tamara pointed to the tank. “It seems your men are even drawing the attention of other frogs.” Tamara was laughing so hard tears were rolling down her face.
Dylan moved up to the tank, staring in giggling. “I can tell which one is Alton. That’s him over there in the corner,” Dylan glanced towards Maxim, and flinched. “That’s Maxim and he’s really, really mad.”
“Marsha, would you take Dylan and his puppy outside for me, while I deal with this, because it’s not going to pretty.” Willow pushed Dylan towards the door.
“But I want to watch the frogs. They’re playing tag again,” Dylan said and Alton would have laughed if it wasn’t happening to him as another frog tried to hop on his damn back again.
“Okay Grams, change them back?” Willow said, picking him up and then Maxim, placing them on the floor.
“I think they need more time in the tank,” she grumbled. “They hurt you.”
“Grams, there will be times we hurt each other, but we don’t mean to. It’s just going to take time, but we can’t have you or any others…” she glanced behind her at her mother and father, “turning my men into things.” Her lip curled up. “Even though it was funny to watch. You know, I think I’ll wait outside with Dylan when you change them,” she yelled and ran for the door as the witch waved her hand, changing them back.
Alton glared at the old woman, but bent down, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for protecting our heart,” he whispered and moved to follow Willow’s retreat.
Behind him he heard. “You are a sly one, I’ll give you that, but what my mate said goes for me also, thank you.” Maxim moved up to his side as Alton stepped out onto the porch watching Dylan play with his puppy, but he didn’t see Willow.
“Okay, now she gets a spanking,” Maxim snapped and pointed to the left where their woman was sitting next to Randle, patting the ten-foot gator and whispering to it.
He laughed. “She did pick a safe place to sit, didn’t she?” he asked, slowly moving towards her. Randle, as if sensing them, moved to the right, watching.
Alton stopped as Randle turned his full attention toward them. “Randle, these are my mates. Please don’t eat them. I know they smell like frogs, but they are not dinner.” Willow giggled and Maxim growled.
“Willow, that wasn’t funny. We’d like to sit next to you. Is it going to be a problem?” he asked.
“Move over, Randle, and watch your tail. I don’t need to go swimming tonight.” Willow pushed at the old thing.
“Maybe we’d be more comfortable over by the swing?” he asked.
She jumped up, laughing. “You are just a big baby, but really, you are going to have to get used to Randle, because he is part of my life, please.” She said, holding out her hand to him.
“You want me to pet that, him?” he asked his own voice squeaking.
***
She couldn’t believe it, Alton actually took her hand and allowed her to introduce him to Randle. Both, creature and man had stared at each other for a second before giving way to acceptance, but with Maxim it was a different story. Maybe the true animal in him did not like to bow down to any creature and they both ended up in the damn river wrestling.
“How did I not know this was going to happen?” Willow grumbled as Dylan and the others moved to their side, watching.
“Well it seems, Dylan, you are getting a wrestling show in after all,” Gage laughed watching his father. “The old buzzard still has the moves though,” he grumbled, taking a drink of his beer.
“Don’t hurt him, Randle. Willow will never hear the end of it,” Ida yelled from the other side.
She peaked up at Alton who stood beside her. “Are you mad?” she asked.
“At this?” he shook his head. “No, it was expected, but you, little kitty, have a bad temper on you and you can’t go running off, no?” he asked, running his finger down her cheek.
Her mother snorted. “She always did and I’d usually find her sitting outside thinking after her outburst.” Laurann winked at her daughter. “Willow is a fighter, you know this. She’ll just take time to think things through when she walks away. She actually hates to see anyone fighting. Oh, and her IUD dissolved when she mated.” Her mother informed them.
“What?” She screamed, distracting both Maxim and Randle as they turned towards her intending to protect her. Randle’s tail knocked Maxim back into the water and next to one not-too- friendly croc that had been watching. “No!” Willow went to help Maxim, but Alton held onto her as Randle met the new threat, helping Maxim battle.
“Where the hell did that croc come from? I swear, if the humans don’t stop picking up babies and bringing them where they don’t belong, I’m going to start feeding them to my animals,” Ida snapped, moving towards the water.
Alton went to stop her, but Willow shook her head. “No watch,” Willow said.
As soon as her feet stepped into the water, the creatures in the water turned to her and waited. “You come here now!” she pointed her old staff at the croc.
Maxim frowned, wiping the blood from his cheek, but released the beast he had a hold of and moved to get out of the water. Alton reached out and helped him up onto the bank, but everyone’s attention was now on Ida as she weaved her magic.
“Now, I know you don’t belong in this neck of the woods, but you do not come in and attack my guests understood?” she told the creature, running her hand over the top of the man eater. “Yes, I know I’m different, but you also know I can make some mean shoes with your hide so don’t piss me off.” Ida tapped her cane on the croc’s h
ead and he turned over, showing his belly.
“Fucking assholes!” Willow growled and tried to move to help, but Maxim shook his head. “No Little Kitty, Ida has this under control.”
As if right on clue, Ida reached over and pulled the knife out of the beast, placing her hand over the bloody wound. “I know it hurts, but here in a second you’ll be all right. I think we’ll call you Blue. Now, I don’t want you to go wrestling with others for a day so the rest of this could heal right. Oh, and I’ll find the man who this belongs to, not to worry,” Ida said, moving her hand away from where the hole had been. “There, now off with you. I think there is a nice big fat snake down there you can munch on.”
Willow shivered and glanced to see Alton looking at her. “What, I don’t like snakes or spiders.”
Alton leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Come, let’s go sit and talk. Dylan, don’t get to close…”
“No!” Willow yanked out of Alton’s hold and ran for the water’s edge, but she didn’t have to as the croc flipped over snatching the creature up before it could reach her son.
“I think we need to move away from the water now.” she scooped Dylan up in her arms, shaking.
“I have to agree with you on this one. I didn’t even see that thing in the water,” Ida looked back down at the croc and even Randle seemed to appreciate the new comer. “It looks like I have a new guest in my little swamp,” Ida sighed and Willow, Marsha and Laurann laughed.
“You wouldn’t have it any other way Grams.” Marsha wrapped her arm around Ida’s. “What you need to do is start looking for a man. You can’t be out here alone forever. Grandpa wouldn’t want that.”
“Don’t worry about me, child. I’ll find the right man when the time is right, but I do believe you have an admirer we haven’t even been introduced to. Willow?” Ida asked, nodding to where Storm, Bane and Langut stood.
Willow took another look at the man that had been assigned to her sister. “Wow he’s huge,” she glanced over at Tamara who met her gaze smiling.
“Knock it off you two,” Lars grumbled. “You don’t need to be thinking how big his thing is.”
Alton stopped as did Maxim staring down at her. “Really?”
“What? I can still wonder. I mean, come on, the man is a giant. What are you, eight foot tall?” Willow asked and he laughed.
“Seven, four,” he smirked, looking at Storm, which did not faze her sister at all.
“Yeah, big pain in my fat ass,” Storm grumbled.
Langut was fast, picking up Storm and holding her up so his nose touched hers. “Your ass is not fat, and don’t let me hear you say that again, understood little girl?” he growled.
Storm didn’t say a word for a second, shocked, but boy when that wore off, she swung with a right hook, hitting him square in the jaw.
He released her and she landed on her feet. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” she snapped.
Willow shook her head. “Ida, Marsha may I introduce our sister Storm, our brother Bane and Langut. He’s kind of her bodyguard sent by my great…”
“If you even say it, I’ll allow Maxim to take you out in the woods and beat you,” her grandfather, Vaulau stepped out of thin air, brining Aibell, Agares and Shald with him. But that wasn’t all.
Twenty of the men the same size as Langut surrounded their little place. “Well damn,” Ida said, moving around in a full circle. “Now I’ve seen it all. Am I looking at real Viking warriors?” Ida asked, almost drooling.
Laurann burst out laughing as Willow and Marsha shook their heads. Even Shald had a smile on her face, but it was her grandfather that snorted. “Yes, some of the men roamed your Earth waters back then. I heard you were having a cook-out and we’ve never been to one, so I hope you don’t mind? I thought we should speak before your other set of grandparents get here.”
Willow growled, releasing Dylan before she sat down on the swing, but was picked up by Maxim and placed on his lap. “You’re not happy to meet family?” Maxim asked as everyone settled down in front of the fire pit, which her father started with a wave of his hand.
“You know damn well I don’t want to see them, no offense grandmother. But what they have started is wrong. What if we don’t want this responsibility? Then there is the fact these things are going to be destroying what we love. This is our home.”
“So you would make this planet your home?” Vaulau titled his head to the side. “It could be done, but the humans here would have to be informed of the others and certain boundaries would have to be made. You don’t want other species destroying what you like. As for the Tarrs, Shald’s parents couldn’t have stopped that, even though they should have held off with the announcement.”
She stiffened as a small growl escaped. “What announcement? What else did they do?”
“Willow,” her father dropped his voice.
“What? I finally have a chance to have a normal life and what happens? My world turns upside down. All this could be destroyed by those things coming here.”
“She does have a point,” Laurann snarled. “The thought of all this gone,” Tears filled her mother’s eyes. “This is home.”
Vaulau studied everyone. “We will speak with…” Vaulau stood and growled looking towards the river. “Well, it seems we don’t have to wait.”
Everyone stood and watched as another 25 blue gel-like warriors spanned out around their little place, which was all of a sudden feeling very cramped. But what drew her eye was the couple that seemed to glide towards them.
“Ida, to the left?” Willow said and at once she waved her hands and the hunter that had been looking for the croc he had stabbed turned into a frog.
“Dessert for Blue. That little snake didn’t fill him up,” Ida said, and as if on cue, the croc moved up staring at the strange things before gulping down the small frog.
“Interesting. I do believe I like your friend, granddaughter. She has no whims about her,” The blue man said, stopping before her. “You are a fierce one, and your men are a perfect match for you, but this one.” He turned to Alton. “He is the alpha, as he should be, but there is something missing.”
“There is nothing missing in my man,” Willow growled. “He’s perfect for me.”
“I just said he was, but… Now I know.” He waved his hand and Alton growled, bones breaking as he pushed Willow away from him.
“What did you do to him?” Willow cried and tried to move to him, but she was stuck where she was.
Baal growled trying to move, even Vaulau was furious but could do nothing, as Alton moved away from her screaming as if in pain. “Alton,” she whispered, tears rolled down her face as she watched him fall to ground.
“Well, this wasn’t supposed to happen,” the blue monster said.
“Watch your mouth granddaughter. I have no problem spanking you myself.” The man said, turning his swirling eyes on her.
Chapter Twelve
Alton could hear her crying, and it was tearing him apart, but right now he could do nothing as extreme pain ripped through him. Even Ral, the warrior in him, wasn’t free from the curse the blue man had put upon him.
“Not a curse, just awaking what was already in you. Long ago before your species started to mate with others, your race was a powerful one. Almost more so than my own, but for some reason the dominant warrior inside your people seemed to curl up and sleep. I didn’t realize it would be so painful, and for that I am truly sorry, but hasn’t there always been a part of you that seemed to be missing?” The blue man circled around him. “I am called, Treust, and my wife Zuka. We are known as the Xam.”
A bright light exploded in his head, as he lay face up looking at the now night sky. The pain slowly eased, but he was different. How, he had no idea.
“Wow,” Willow whispered next to him. “Now, talk about making a woman feel small and dainty, Jeez.” She leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Are you okay?”
He lifted his hand up to wipe away her
tears and stared at his hand. It was twice the size it had been. “The pain has stopped.” Alton sat up and things spun for a few seconds, before he realized he even had strange clothes on.
“They are warrior’s clothes. Your partner inside you has also changed. You are truly one now. This Ral was part of you,” Treust said as Vaulau held out his hand for him.
“Do the others?” Vaulau asked.”
Treust turned and looked around. “His grandson yes, the others no. Even though they have a warrior inside them, they weren’t born with it as this race is. Her son, yes, but he will grow with the boy. He’s already awake and will soon join with him when he hits puberty. Now for the Grandson.”
Alton turned and was about to say something when Lars went down hard. Tamara growled and glared at her grandfather. She was about to say something when Gage covered her mouth with his hand.
Now he knew how Willow felt watching his son going through the same conversion. “Shit,” he muttered, thinking of his son, Trevor.
The swirling eyes turned toward him as his son appeared next to him. “What? How did you?” he got out right before he dropped to the ground. The pain was too much.
“Every time you come into contact with one of your fellow men, they too will go through the same thing. You will need every advantage to face the Tarrs.”
“We wouldn’t have to face these things if you hadn’t opened your…” Willow’s mouth was covered with some kind of tape.
“Release her now,” Baal snapped. “You come here to meet family. You not only put her man through pain, but you do this. This is not a way to grow close to your grandchildren.”
“They need to learn respect. I couldn’t have stopped the Tarrs advancement no matter what I announced.” Treust looked down at the small hand that touched his arm. He nodded. “Speak,” he said.
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