“Not at the same time,” the other male chuckled, looking the picture of calm. Worth folded his arms. “But absolutely. Why not get to know us both?” He winked at Claire, looking so relaxed and sure of himself. Leukos was normally like that but he felt awkward in this setting. He was out of practice. Out of his depth. Frustration ate at him.
Claire paused, looking unsure. “Just seems a little weird to swap.” She shrugged. “That’s all.”
“Not for Ferals, we— Let’s not worry about that just yet.” Worth smiled. “Surely each of you must have some idea who you would like to date?”
Claire looked like she wanted to say something. Leukos leaned forward in anticipation.
Amy’s eyes lit up and she sucked in a big breath, making Claire pull back. “I was hoping you would say that. Claire over here says she doesn’t mind who she dates, whereas…” she swayed her body and clutched her hands together, “I’d like to get to know you better.” She looked directly at him. “If you don’t mind, Worth?” She glanced at Worth before looking back at him, a look of expectation on her face. “I want to pick you, Leukos.” She fluttered her lashes. They were very long and very fluttery. His heart sank in disappointment.
The male held up his hands. “Of course I don’t mind.”
“Looks like it’s you and me.” Worth took Claire’s hand and Leukos felt himself bristle.
“You’re fine with that, aren’t you, Leuk?” Amy looked up at him.
“Absolutely.” He nodded. Amy seemed like a kind female. She was very pretty. What the hell was wrong with him?
“How is this going to work?” Claire asked. “We’re here for the weekend and then…?” She made a face. “I know the vampires have a program where human women can apply to date them. It’s all designed to get them mates. You just said that you are ultimately hoping to find mates.”
“Let’s get to know one another over the weekend, and then…” Worth still held her hand. “We’ll see after that. No pressure.”
“I’m very interested in getting to know you better.” Amy winked at him. For once, a human female who came on strong…and he was the one getting ready to run away.
No, that wasn’t true. He had lost his juvenile plumage years ago and needed to act like it. Leukos nodded once. He released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding when Worth let go of Claire’s hand.
Claire nodded. “Okay then.”
“Hopefully you’re hungry?” the male asked her.
Claire smiled. “Very! We ended up missing breakfast so that we could head here.”
Worth frowned. “Oh…that won’t do. Let’s get you ladies something to eat. Unless, of course, you’d like some time to freshen up first? The bathrooms are stocked with toiletries.”
“I’m hungry. I would prefer to eat now,” Claire said. “Would you like to freshen up first, Amy?”
Amy widened her eyes. “No, I could eat my weight in food at this point. I might be tempted to eat a horse.”
Worth chuckled. “Good thing we have plenty of food. I can order you some horse steak. We didn’t think humans would…”
“Ew!” Amy made a face. “You eat horse?”
“You were joking?” Worth smiled sheepishly.
“Of course I was. Where I come from, we don’t eat horses. We ride them.”
“Sounds interesting.” Worth was still smiling. “You’ll have to tell me about it at some point.”
“Maybe we could eat together?” Leukos suggested. “As a group, and then have our official dates this evening.”
Date.
Shifters didn’t date. It was a human concept. One they needed to embrace if they wanted to take humans as mates.
“I’m eager to get to know you better, Leuk. So, I’d like to suggest we start dating right away.” Amy gripped his arm.
He thought he saw Claire glance up at the ceiling for a moment. There was a strange look on her face. He wasn’t sure what to make of the expression.
“Right,” Worth said, “we organized picnic baskets. More than one, so separate dates will work.”
“Sounds nice.” Claire beamed. “The whole picnic idea is great.”
“It was actually Leuk’s idea.” The male smirked, looking like he found the whole thing hilarious.
Leukos gave the male a scathing look. Amy still clutched his arm like she was worried he would disappear if she let go. “Let’s head out then,” he mumbled, trying hard not to feel disappointed. He couldn’t help it, though. The female he wanted was about to go on a date with Worth. Not only that, she found the concept of having a date with him too – of swapping – weird. It didn’t seem like she was open to the prospect. At this rate, it didn’t look like he was going to get a chance with her.
Worth glanced over his shoulder at Leukos. He had his hand at the small of Claire’s back. He grinned.
Bastard!
Leukos grit his teeth so hard he thought he heard a molar crack.
“See you later,” Worth chimed.
Leukos eye-balled the feathers off of him. “Sure,” he finally barked. His tone was harsh, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
Chapter 6
Worth spread out the blanket on a grassy patch under a tree. Claire could hear the ducks playing in the water, but they were a little too far away to actually see the lake itself.
“You sure this is okay?” Worth asked, stepping back to observe his handiwork.
“It’s great.”
He raised a brow. “You’re happy to sit on the blanket or should I fetch some cha—”
“I’m fine.” She sat down.
Worth sat next to her, giving her plenty of space. He opened the wicker basket between them and began unpacking the food items.
“So, this whole ‘dating for the weekend’ thing,” Claire looked his way, “I know you want mates, but why? I had heard something mentioned but I thought I would check with you.”
“We don’t have females.”
“I heard, they mostly all died quite a few years ago.” She couldn’t remember the exact number of years. “That’s awful. Did you lose someone?”
“Both my brothers’ mates. A couple of cousins and an aunt. Not to mention friends as well.”
“Oh no!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s awful.”
“It’s something we have to live with. Thankfully a cure has been found for the sickness that caused their deaths.”
“Too little too late.”
“It’s not too late for our species. Two of our kind have successfully mated with humans. Vicky had a clutch of young. The babies are thriving.”
“A clutch.” It wasn’t what it sounded like. Or was it?
“Eggs.” Worth explained. “Our females lay eggs.”
“Oh!” Hectic! They really were quite different from humans. Claire found it interesting. “How many eggs are in a clutch?” The word ‘clutch’ alluded to more than one.
“Three. They hatch soon after birth. The chicks look like perfectly formed human babies, only quite a bit smaller.”
“Wow, so they hatch out of an egg but look human?” She felt her eyes widen.
“Yep.” Worth confirmed. “The reason we’re trying to date is because we need to meet human females who are open to the possibility of being with shifters…with our kind. It is why the whole shifter lottery was set up in the first place.” He cocked his head.
“That makes sense.” She could feel that her eyes were wide. Her mind raced just thinking about what they were talking about. “I guess you can’t just come out and advertise it.”
“No, the vampires went that route, but we are an unknown species and prefer to stay that way. We will continue running the lottery, picking females who may be interested, from the pool of winners. There will be no pressure to stay.” He held up a hand. “So, please don’t be afraid in any way. We will not force anything on you.”
Funny! She probably should be a little afraid. Alone with a big guy. A stranger…and in the
middle of nowhere. She wasn’t, though. “I noticed. You let Stilettos go easily enough.”
“Stilettos?” He frowned. “I’m not sure I follow you.”
“Pauline. The one in the white dress who wanted to leave until she heard you guys were loaded.”
“Loaded?” He frowned even more. “I’m sorry, we haven’t spent enough time around humans yet. Every time I think I have it down, there’s another word or saying I don’t understand.”
Claire found herself chuckling. Worth was sweet. Really good-looking and so sweet. She should be attracted to him, but she wasn’t. “Pauline wears high heels on her feet.”
“Oh, those spiked shoes.”
She laughed. “Yeah, those. We call them stilettos…hence my calling her that. There’s nothing wrong with wearing heels, it’s just we were told not to and so I found it funny that she did. Not just a low pair but serious…spikes.” She decided to use his word. “And ‘loaded’ means that you have money. Pauline very quickly changed her mind about leaving once she heard you had some.” Claire shook her head. “She’s the kind of woman who gives the rest of us a bad name. She was also proof you guys aren’t desperate.”
A look of resolve crossed his face. “Shifters mate for life, so we are picky about who we choose. The feeling should be mutual. We want kind females. Females with honor and integrity.” He opened a package containing sliced ham. “We want females in our lives again, but we are not desperate.”
She was beginning to like these griffin shifters more and more. They weren’t as feral as she had first thought. They didn’t really live up to that name, at least, not all of the time.
Worth opened another package. It contained strawberries. Then a larger one with lovely fresh bread inside.
“Not everyone is as clear-cut as Pauline. People can come across as being wonderful, charming, sweet, kind, when it isn’t true at all.” She helped him by taking out some plates and setting them down.
Worth gestured to one of them. “You should help yourself,” he said as he opened another package of sliced cheese.
Claire nodded as she unpacked some crisp, white napkins and picked up a plate.
He did the same. “We are aware. We were warned by our shifter friends. The Feral have a lot to learn, but we will get there. The only way to really—”
There was a loud crash and crunch. A tree branch fell to the ground, landing only feet away from her. Claire screamed. A griffin had landed in the clearing. He screeched, his beak wide. His eyes focused on her. Her screams grew louder and she scrambled backward, unable to take her eyes off the creature.
Worth jumped to his feet around the same time. She watched as his clothing split off of his body. Her mind unable to comprehend why they would do that. Then she realized. He was shifting. His muscles roped and bulged. His tail grew from nothing.
The creature screeched again as he fell onto Worth, lashing out with claws and a razor-sharp beak. Claire couldn’t take her eyes off the scene. She forced herself to move further away, even though her limbs felt frozen.
There was a loud thudding noise as the creature hit Worth, who went flying backwards. Worth was now fully in his animal form. He fell onto his back with a hard thud, his wings sprawled in the dirt, his head crashing against a nearby tree.
“No!” she yelled as she watched in horror. Orrick. It was him. The same one from earlier. He attacked Worth, sharp claws raking into flesh that tore like ribbons.
Blood.
There was so much blood.
Claire screamed. Then it was over, almost as quickly as it had begun. Worth lay there. A crumpled heap of feathers and fur. A bleeding mess. There was no movement. She could breathe a little easier when she noticed that his chest was still moving.
The creature turned his head and focused those yellow eyes on hers. It was probably her imagination, but his irises seemed to narrow. He cocked his head strangely. Like he was scrutinizing her.
“Leave me alone,” she managed to push out. “Go away!”
He made a screeching noise. Much softer than before. He was definitely saying something.
“Just go away!” she tried again.
Her panic doubled when he got off Worth and turned to her. There was blood on his claws, dripping down his arms. His tail swished in an agitated fashion.
“You’re making things worse for yourself. Leave now or—”
He moved quickly, grabbing her and launching into the air. Her stomach lurched and she nearly passed out. Her eyes definitely rolled back. She made a weird noise, trying hard not to puke.
This wasn’t happening.
Why had she agreed to come here?
They seemed to fly for ages. So far off the ground it was terrifying. Her heart pounded. Her mind raced. She squeezed her eyes shut. Despite her extreme discomfort, Claire found herself praying they didn’t descend. She didn’t want to face Orrick. What was he going to do with her? Would he hurt her?
It didn’t take long for him to swoop down, making her stomach lurch all over again. They stopped suddenly, his great paws hitting the earth. She gagged at the suddenness of the whole thing. That would explain some of her discomfort and nausea. He was holding her upside down.
The creature flipped her back the right way around. Making her gag again. He placed her on her feet, letting her go. Claire staggered on legs that felt weak. The world seemed to tip. Her vision became blurred. She landed on her ass…hard. Thankfully the ground was soft, or she might have hurt herself. Her mouth was open as she pulled in air, trying to stop the dizziness and nausea.
There was a cracking noise and she realized he had shifted back. A huge, angry-looking guy stood over her. He was naked. Of course he was, he had just been in his animal form. Like before.
Claire swallowed hard, her hands trembled, so she clasped them together. “Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered.
“I won’t.” His voice was hard and yet it had a singsong quality. She wasn’t sure how that was possible. He was half-bird, so it made some sort of sense.
She exhaled a shuddering breath. Good! He wasn’t going to hurt her. Was he to be believed?
“You are my female now. I will protect and nurture you,” he announced.
“Um…no…I’m not yours. You need to take me back…Orrick.”
He smiled. Good god, but it made him look crazy. Like the elevator didn’t quite go all the way to the top. Like the light might be on but nobody was home. “You remember my name.”
“Of course I do. You scared me half to death before.” Claire carefully got up, hoping her legs would support her.
“I will hunt you some food and make you a nest.” He scanned the tops of a group of nearby trees. “It won’t take long.” He winked at her, even that had a sinister quality. “See…a human gesture. I am learning. Worth talks utter nonsense.” He spat. “I know what I am doing.” He spoke more to himself.
“Great.” She forced a smile. Maybe if she was nice to him, he would let her go.
“You stay right here while I make our nest.” Another wink. “Then I will show it to you, and you will let me mount you.” He grinned.
“Mount?” She tried not to sound panicked and failed hard.
“Yes…” He nodded. “You have been mounted before, haven’t you?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Mounting would be necessary in order to mate you and to get you with clutch.”
“Stop right there. There will be no mounting.” She took a step back, holding up both her hands.
“I will learn quickly how to satisfy a female. I promise you that much. It would not take long to get it right.” He palmed his massive member. “I have a big prick. Human females enjoy a male with a bigger size, or so I have heard. I will provide for you and our young.”
Oh crap, his penis looked semi-erect. “No!” she half-yelled, trying hard to stay calm and to keep from running away. That might spark some hunting instinct. She needed to keep a cool head.
“I don’t understand.” He frowned.
“What about, love…feelings? We can’t just start a family like that.” She clicked her fingers, hoping she would get through to him. “I would need time to get to know you.”
“Love?” He frowned some more. Then he smiled. “Love will develop. You will want for nothing. I will care for you.”
“So you keep saying, but I would need more. I would need to feel something for you.”
“I will make you cream many times…” He looked sheepish. “I am a quick learner. I can be clumsy,” he held out his massive hands, “but I will be gentle with you, human. Maybe I should mount you first and then build our nest.” He looked deep in thought. “I could prove it to you.”
“No!” She shook her head vehemently.
“It would be best.” He took a step towards her, those massive hands outstretched to grab her.
“Build a nest first. I insist. I want to see it.” She was shitting herself but trying to stay calm. “We will take it from there.”
He didn’t look too sure, even took another step towards her.
“I doubt you could get it right.” She looked up at the tall trees. “A real nest. A real, honest-to-god nest. One that we could actually live in. Nope!” She folded her arms. “I can’t let you near me until I see it for myself.”
His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “Of course I can build one. I could do it with one hand tied behind my back. It would take longer but I could do it.”
She widened her eyes, trying to make it look like she didn’t buy it. “Oh really?”
“I can do it and in less than an hour.” There was frustration etched in his voice.
“You’ll have to show me, and it had better be good.” Claire was trying to buy time. It was a dangerous game but a gamble she had to take. She half expected him to get angry. To pounce on her or something, but he didn’t.
Orrick nodded once. “You need to stay here. Do not make me angry, female. You need to do as I say, or I won’t be able to keep you safe. Wandering off would not be a wise thing to do.”
Hate Awakened: Book 3: The Feral Page 4