“Okay, what’s goin’ on here?” he asked, trying to control his temper. “Are Virgil and I the butt of some sort of private joke to you? Because it ain’t funny. I wanna know what has you all worked up, and I want to know now.”
“Don’t worry,” Adele said with a slight smirk. “If we’re right, you’re gonna figure it out soon enough.”
“Right about what?”
“Adele, c’mon,” Oscar said with a slight groan. “This ain’t fair to anyone.”
Gabriel was about to interrogate further, but then the house lights dimmed.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he said, not bothering to hide his frustration.
“Oh, I’m sure we will,” Narcisse said before bursting into another round of laughter.
“It really ain’t funny,” Armand said.
All of a sudden, Gabriel was captivated by the woman who stood up there, lit by a spotlight, looking more than a little terrified. Her long, dark hair was streaked with red, and her green eyes were illuminated by the glow above her. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and he didn’t want to take his eyes off of her for a single second. He knew he’d hate the moment the set ended, because she’d slip backstage, and he’d quite possibly never be able to gaze on her gorgeous face and body ever again.
As she began to play her first number, he could see her nervousness begin to ebb away, and she became even more beautiful as her muscles relaxed and her lips formed into a smile. Before the first song ended, he was already coming up with a list of ways to make contact with her after the show. No matter how much effort it took, he was not going to let her get away.
The more she played, the more entranced Gabriel became, especially once she relaxed enough to start dancing and jumping around the stage. His cock began to creep toward hardness, making his pants more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. He didn’t care, though. As badly as he wanted to touch her, just staring at her gorgeous body was good enough for now. Complete fulfillment could come later.
At one point, a few songs in, he realized Sophie had noticed them. In fact, he was certain that if the light allowed it, she’d be looking him right in the eyes. But this realization didn’t last long before a familiar yet unexpected energy surged through his body. His skin began to harden, and a tail began to grow just above the waistband of his jeans. His nose and mouth elongated into a snout, and his hair began to recede into his body.
Oh, God, no. Not here. Not now. Not after a year of having total control over my shift. This cannot be happening. This is not happening. I will not allow it.
But no matter how hard he clenched his muscles, no matter how clearly he pictured himself in human form, Gabriel couldn’t deny that his gator self was overtaking his body. Before he knew it, he was on the floor, crawling out of his clothes, and everyone in the venue was screaming and panicking. Everyone, that is, except for his six friends, who were trying to keep everyone calm and protect him from getting stepped on.
Turning his body around, he saw that Virgil was in the same shape. But before Gabriel could try to ask his friend what had happened, a jealous rage surged through his body. Virgil, it seemed, was experiencing the same thing, because all of a sudden, he opened his jaws and bellowed.
Gabriel was equal parts confused and angry. But his body and mind weren’t completely his own. He didn’t have the chance to try to think things through or figure out what was going on. Instead, he slapped his head against the hard concrete of the club floor. It was a territorial move and one he felt his body had made for him without his having any real desire to do so.
In response, Virgil bellowed again and then attacked with a whip of his tail. By that point, the venue was mostly clear. The security guards were yelling at his friends in an attempt to make them leave, but Adele was giving them some story about them being wildlife management experts specially trained to handle alligators.
Another swipe of Virgil’s tail distracted Gabriel from the rest of the conversation, and he launched back into the attack with full force, snapping, biting, and bellowing, trying to drive his friend off.
“Okay, enough’s enough,” he heard Armand say.
Gabriel didn’t know what that meant, but as he attempted to retaliate against one of Virgil’s blows, he found himself suddenly bound by Armand’s and Nelson’s arms.
Chapter Two
Armand gripped his hands around Gabriel’s jaws. Still caught off-guard by his sudden shift and completely freaked out, Gabriel didn’t stop thrashing. He kept trying to open his jaws to snap at Virgil, but Armand held fast.
“Chill out, man,” Armand commanded. “Just calm down.”
Gabriel, however, was not ready to settle down. He continued thrashing his tail and scratching his claws on the floor, desperate to get away. Virgil didn’t seem to be in much better shape, either. He could hear Xavier and Oscar trying to talk him down, as well as the scratching of claws on concrete.
Suddenly, Gabriel felt a strong pair of hands grip his tail.
“If you just relax, Armand and I can explain everything,” Nelson said. “There’s an answer to all of this, but there’s no point in trying to discuss it until we get you two back in human form and revive her. So if you want answers, you need to chill.”
Gabriel finally quit struggling.
“You sure you can be calm?” Armand asked.
Gabriel blinked twice.
“Okay, then. We’re lettin’ go of you now. But if you freak out again, we’re gonna take hold of you again. We need to be able to trust that you’re gonna stay in control of yourself.” Armand and Nelson stepped away, and Gabriel resisted the urge to start attacking again.
“Good,” Nelson said with a nod. “Now, I know this change hit you unexpectedly, and it’s the first time in a long time you’ve had that problem. I know you’re tense as hell, and that’ll make it harder for you to shift back. But just close your eyes, relax, and let it happen. Same way you always do.”
Gabriel wanted to demand answers right then and there, but lacking vocal cords, he had no choice but to obey his friend. He closed his eyes and willed his body to relax. Then he pictured his skin returning to its regular tanned smoothness and visualized his teeth shortening. Gradually, he felt his muscles and limbs begin to lengthen, felt himself grow to full height, felt his claws retract into fingernails. He opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, then bent down and hurried to pull his clothes back on. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Virgil, fully human again, zipping up his jeans and then pulling on his T-shirt.
“So what the hell just happened?” Gabriel asked, trying to keep his cool. He wanted answers, but he knew his friends didn’t deserve to be snapped at.
Nelson chuckled. “Just be glad that we were here. Otherwise, things could’ve gotten complicated. You remember what happened to us last month?”
Gabriel raised his eyebrows. “You sayin’ that we got hit by the matin’ instinct? That she’s our mate?”
Xavier nodded. “The one and only.”
“Is that why we felt the need to check out her set, even though we’d never heard of her before?” Virgil asked.
“I imagine so. Congratulations, you’ve found your mate.”
“What do we do now?”
Now it was Oscar’s turn to laugh. “I imagine the first order of business is to wake her up.”
* * * *
The first thing Sophie felt as she regained consciousness was the sting of the guitar string wound on her cheek, as well as a dull ache forming behind her forehead. As she became more aware of her surroundings, her heart began to race as she observed a group of strangers crouched down and staring at her. She started shaking, trying to ignore the pain building in her head as she collected her thoughts. Two of the people in the circle were the gorgeous men she’d seen turn into alligators, but even that didn’t put her at ease. Sexy as they were, Sophie was too frightened and confused to feel aroused. She jumped up and tried to push through t
he tight circle they had formed around her, but she couldn’t break free.
“Excuse me. I’m not well. I really need to pack up my gear and get out of here.”
One of the women chuckled. “Are you sure that’s what you want? Or would you prefer to get some answers about what you just witnessed?”
Sophie felt the blood drain from her face. “Answers? You mean I wasn’t hallucinating?”
The other woman shook her head. “You definitely weren’t.”
“And you’re sure I’m not hallucinating now?”
“I promise.”
Another strange man came through the door.
“Virgil, Gabriel, you’re gonna have to shift again so we can sneak you two out without things looking even more suspicious.”
The two men from the audience looked up at him and groaned.
“Come on, man, really?” one of them said.
“Look, it’s bad enough that two humans just transformed to gators in the middle of the club. That’s the most public shift that’s happened in decades, and it’s why I insisted we not come to the show in the first place.”
“Then how would they have found their mate?” the first woman asked. “Could we have counted on her running into them boating around the bayou? Would she have gone on a swamp tour like Narcisse? It wouldn’t have been right for us to keep them from meeting each other.”
Mate? Shift? What the hell is going on here?
“Excuse me,” Sophie said, this time forcing her way through the people surrounding her. “I really do need to be off. Thanks for looking after me when I fainted. I really appreciate your help. But I should get home.”
“Please don’t go,” the second woman said, grabbing her arm. “It’s really important that we have a chance to talk to you.”
For a moment, Sophie felt creeped out, but then she looked at the two men she’d been staring at from the stage. Something in the back of her mind commanded her to stay. As much as the rest of her wanted to flee, she found she couldn’t resist.
“Okay. So are we going to do this here or what?”
“Definitely not,” one of the other men said. “It ain’t safe here. But the security guards think Virgil and Gabriel here are actual gators. Guess they didn’t see the shift, thank goodness. Hopefully not too many other people noticed, either. Anyway, we managed to get ’em to back off, but we gotta leave with them in gator form to keep the illusion up.”
Virgil and Gabriel sighed and closed their eyes. Although she’d seen them change once before, Sophie was still shocked to see them transform from chiseled, dark, smooth-skinned men to rough, menacing alligators right before her very eyes. She began to feel woozy again, and spots started appearing in her vision.
“Grab her!” she heard a voice call, and suddenly she was being supported by two well-muscled men. It felt good to have people to lean on, but as Sophie’s mind cleared, she realized she wished she was being held by the two who were currently reptiles.
“I’m okay,” she said as her leg muscles started to feel strong again. When the men released her, she managed to stand steady on her feet.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” the blond man said. “We’re not gonna walk out the front door, ’cause that’s gonna just incite more chaos and attention. Instead, we’re gonna go out the back. One of the guards is back there, so he’ll see us and know we’ve cleared the area. Nelson and I will take Gabriel. Xavier and Oscar will take Virgil.”
Sophie could swear she saw the two gators roll their eyes.
“I know, I know,” the blond man continued. “This ain’t an ideal situation. But we’re doin’ the best we can. Anyway, we’re gonna carry you out and then make like we’re headin’ toward the police station on Royal Street. Once they’re outta sight, we’re gonna duck around the corner, and the two of you are gonna shift back. Then we’re gonna head to Café du Monde, get ourselves some beignets, and have a nice little chat about what just happened here.”
The four human men picked up the two gators and started hauling them toward the back door. The two women picked up the gators’ clothes, which had been abandoned on the floor, and crammed the T-shirts, jeans, and shoes into their tote bags.
“Just be cool,” the first woman whispered into Sophie’s ear. “This will all make sense soon, I promise.”
Sophie held her breath as they walked out the back door. The nervous-looking security guard nodded at them. “We sure do appreciate you getting these animals under control. I’ll be in touch next week about following up with a security report.”
“Of course,” the first woman said. “We’ll be happy to assist with that in any way we can.”
Sophie didn’t breathe again until they rounded the corner into an alley and the two gators were set down. After checking around the corner, the blond man turned to them.
“Coast is clear. Go ahead and shift.”
Realizing they’d be naked when they returned to human form, Sophie turned away out of a sense of propriety. As curious as she was to see what they looked like naked, she didn’t even know which man was Gabriel and which man was Virgil. She should at least have their identities figured out before she saw them naked.
Yet she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek out of the corner of her eye as they assumed human form. She tried not to gasp as she caught glimpses of chiseled six-packs, toned biceps, strong legs, and amazing cocks. She could only imagine how glorious they’d look when fully hard.
One of the men caught her staring at them and winked. Sophie quickly turned her face away, feeling a blush rise up on her cheeks.
“Okay, let’s go,” the blond man said.
After being caught staring, Sophie was too embarrassed to look at either of the two gator men. She kept her gaze straight ahead as they walked through the French Quarter.
When they entered Café du Monde, Sophie began to relax a bit. The smell of beignets and coffee overwhelmed her senses, making her temporarily forget her confusion and anxiety. The group pushed three tables together in a quiet corner and pulled chairs around it, and one of the gator men ordered beignets and coffee for everyone.
“Guess introductions are in order,” the blond man said. “We know you’re Sophie Deco, but you’re probably wonderin’ who the rest of us are. I’m Armand, and this is Narcisse, Nelson, Xavier, Adele, and Oscar. And these two guys who are the source of all our trouble are Gabriel and Virgil.”
“Sorry we ruined your show,” Gabriel said. “I really don’t know what happened. I wish I could explain it.”
“Fortunately, the rest of us can,” Adele said. “Sophie here is your mate.”
“Um, what do you mean I’m their mate?”
Virgil sighed. “In case you haven’t figured it out, we’re gator shifters.”
Sophie cracked a small smile. “Yeah, I kind of noticed that. Not that I’m not entirely sure this whole afternoon isn’t a dream.”
“Understandable,” Narcisse said. “Now, just so we’re sure you’re clear, you’re the only full human at this table. All of us are alligator shape-shifters.”
Sophie wanted to let her jaw drop, but just then a waitress came to the table with a tray full of steaming beignets and café au lait. She maintained her composure while the waitress served everyone and then immediately put one of the warm pastries in her mouth, savoring the way the powdered sugar coated her lips. She glanced over at Gabriel and Virgil, whose mouths were also covered in white powder. She wanted to kiss the sugar right off of them, a realization that only made her confused about the sudden sense of attraction she felt.
After taking a swallow of her coffee, Sophie tried to sort things out. “I’m sorry I’m just parroting back what you told me, but you’re alligator shape-shifters.”
“That’s correct,” Virgil said. “Some of our ancestors got cursed ’bout a hundred years ago for improper use of voodoo magic. The voodoo queen who cursed us made it our lot in life to pass between human and gator form. As a result, we live out in the swamps. As you might ha
ve guessed, it ain’t good if we shift in public. Still, we do come into the city for special occasions.”
“Okay. I mean, I guess that makes sense. That is, if I can accept that shape-shifters exist, which I’m still not sure I do, then it’s not implausible that it’s the result of a century-old curse. But I’m not sure what it means that I’m their mate?”
“We’ve learned throughout generations that offspring are the strongest when they’re produced between a gator and a human,” Oscar said. “The children are even stronger when they’re the combination of two gators with one human.”
Now, Sophie did let her jaw drop. “So what you’re saying is that fate has decided that I’m supposed to mate with two half-gators to help contribute to strengthening the shape-shifter population?”
Everyone at the table nodded. Sophie gulped down the rest of her coffee to give herself a chance to think.
“And how do you know I’m their mate?” she asked. She couldn’t really deny that shape-shifters existed, not when she’d seen it with her own eyes. But she wasn’t about to accept being anybody’s mate without proof. Nor was she going to let herself believe the sudden stirrings in her body constituted good evidence.
“It’s easy,” Nelson said. “That’s why they turned into gators when they watched you play.”
* * * *
“Wait a second,” Virgil said, running his hand through his dark hair. “You’re tellin’ us that the first time you see your mate, you shift?”
The other gators at the table nodded.
“Well why the hell didn’t someone tell us that before?”
“You know that we keep the mating ritual a secret,” Xavier said.
“I also seem to remember that got Narcisse, Armand, and Nelson in a sticky situation,” Gabriel shot back, his gold-flecked eyes flashing with indignation. “You’d think maybe they’d start cluin’ us into things before somethin’ bad happens again.”
Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Flood [The Shifters of Alligator Bend 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2