by Lilly Wilder
I nodded. Arkan had a choice. Himself or the many shapeshifters that depended on each other for survival. He wasn’t about to choose me, something that was going to get in his way. I guess we only had a matter of time before I would be paired with a breeder and we would be forbidden for each other. Squeezing his hand, I spoke up. “I really understand.” I hoped he also understood that until I was chosen as a breeder, I was fair game. And there wasn’t a thing going to stop me from being with him until that day came.
-13-
The rest of the evening was uneventful. After Arkan finished telling his story, we took a short walk around the property. Arkan showed us where the pool, library, gym, and health clinic were. These shapeshifters really knew how to pack a whole bunch into cabins. It was quite comical really. After our walk, we departed to our rooms.
“At nine o’clock the first phase of the tryouts will begin. Make sure you get proper rest and get a good breakfast in before then. All of the trainers will meet you at nine. Good luck. After you all start, I’ll swing by to see how it went.”
I waved goodbye and stumbled in to kiss his cheek, but he backed away and swiveled off.
“You really need to stay away from him. Why are you set on breaking the rules?”
“Because rules are meant to be broken.” I gave her a shove and ran up the stairs.
She pumped her legs and arms to try and catch me, but I caught her by surprise.
“I can’t believe you let my chubby ass beat you.” I huffed and puffed into our room.
“I can’t believe they let us room together. Imagine if we were in with strangers. Ick.”
I laughed heartily. We were strangers until a couple of days ago. And until we’d had sex.
Vivica looked wounded. “Why are you laughing.”
“Come here and I’ll make it up to you.” She crawled towards me on the bed. I tugged at her dress and panties. “I really want to cum so I can get a good night’s sleep.” We made love quietly and business like. It was a race to the finish line more than anything. It usually took me a long time to get to that point with someone. Where I was more focused on my own orgasm than providing a service and a performance. She was right. I was very glad she was in my room. After we both came, I lazily pulled the covers over both of us. Vivica was already snoring. I turned over on my side and began watching waves crash in from the sea to the shore. It was my version of counting sheep. The last thing I remember before dozing off was that Arkan’s little girl was lost. What a terrible, painful moment to reveal and incredibly intimate. Why had he told us that story, especially if he didn’t even know if we were going to be the shapeshifters chosen. How his heart must still be broken. And that thought both saddened and comforted me. Because if he could get his heart broken, he could love.
…
“Cat.”
Vivica’s sleep-filled voice filled my ears.
“Cat. Wake up.”
I really hated being woken up. Alarm clocks and schedules were bullshit. “I’m awake. Now stop talking.” My head throbbed and my mouth was dry. How could I be hungover when I hadn’t had anything to drink? What time did we end up sleeping last night? “What time is it?”
“Time for us to get ready and go downstairs. We don’t want to be late for the first day of tryouts. I think we’ve already used up all of our chances.”
That was the truth. I sat up. My head was spinning. I don’t remember any dreams, but they must have been weird. Perhaps I woke up frequently in the night and don’t remember? Maybe I could rustle up enough supplies here to make something that would help me get a good sleep tomorrow night.
“Do I have enough time to shower?” A thin film of sweat covered my entire body. The inside of my mouth felt like sandpaper. Squinting against the morning light filtering in through the cracks in the blinds, I tried to look around for the clock that Vivica was quoting. Where was that damn thing?
“A quick one. I’ve already showered.” I looked over at Vivica. She wasn’t beside me like I’d assumed. She was sitting on the bed, faced away from me, wrapped in a cream-colored towel. Her hair was twisted up in a navy chenille-looking cloth. That was a nifty touch. A towel that stays on your head. Where in the hell did that come from? Hopefully they were standard issue to the room. I want one. She turned back towards me with a look of annoyance on her face. We’d ended the night naked, twisted together, with decent orgasms. How could she possibly be annoyed with me already?
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
She twisted towards me and I caught a glance of her leg smeared with lotion. I wanted to make an impression, but I certainly wasn’t going to go through the hassle of lotioning up my legs. If some man doesn’t want to fuck me because my hair isn’t shaved or my legs aren’t lotioned, shapeshifter or not, he could go fuck himself. Literally. “I’m going. I’ll be quick. I promise.” I thought to lean in and give her a quick peck on the lips, but I thought better of it. The last thing I wanted to do was to irritate her more. I hopped out of bed and headed back to the bathroom. Three large fluffy towels were stacked on the basin. The bathroom was damp, Vivica’s shower had turned the entire room into a swamp. Puddles of water littered the floor, the bathroom mirror was coated in condensation, and the air was jungle thick. Was she showering in boiling water? I leaned into the shower and turned the faucet on. Tepid water drizzled out of the showerhead with a groan. Ugh. The showers in the bathhouse were consistently steamy. Don’t tell me the ones in our room are cold? I ran my hand underneath of the stream. It was a few degrees warmer. Maybe it just takes a few minutes to warm up. Scanning the room for a dry area, I examined the toilet in the corner. I guess I could sit on the toilet seat. My butt plopped down with a plastic crunch. Cringing I lifted my bottom up to examine the toilet seat for damage. Nothing made me feel more like an elephant than cheap toilet seats. Twiddling my thumbs, I focused on the water stream. After a minute or so, steam began to rise from the water. I hopped in. The hot water hit me like a tonic. This was exactly what I needed. I grabbed the bar of soap from the in-laid shelf and began lathering it up. It’s probably only enough time for an essentials shower. I quickly lathered up my armpits, groin, butt, and feet. Once I covered all of those areas, I felt more comfortable to divert attention to the rest of me. Quickly, I rinsed my hands free of soap residue and switched to shampoo. Carefully scrubbing my scalp, I made sure to pay attention to the roots. A quick rinse and I was ready for conditioner. I extended my hand to the shelf to grab the bottle, but there were only two. Shampoo and shower gel. The toiletries were definitely stocked by a man with short hair. My hair was going to be the talk of the tryouts. My frizz was barely controlled by copious amounts of daily conditioner. Without conditioner my hair was going to look like cotton candy. Well it can’t be helped, I guess. I was just going to have to go and hope for the best. Maybe I will just put my hair into a ponytail. Although I always felt like wearing my hair up makes me look like a bowling ball. I rinsed off and then stepped out of the shower. Water dripped from my body all over the floor. Quickly, I grabbed the towels and wrapped one around my head. Next, I dried each part with the stiff towel. The material was cheap and not very absorbent. Since we were essentially camping, I guess I couldn’t be surprised that we weren’t living in the lap of luxury. But I mean, didn’t breeders have some sort of status around here? Even though I was essentially a nomad, I had better towels. Maybe shapeshifters were less sensual than witches. We had quite a bit of enthusiasm for the sensory organs.
When I exited the bathroom, Vivica was bent over the mirror applying lipstick. My stomach stirred. She hadn’t worn a shred of makeup since we’d arrived. Was she concerned about how she would appear to the warriors? The lipstick she was applying was bright red. Although it looked great on her, it changed her appearance from sunny and carefree to high maintenance. I’m not sure if, in a cabin out here in the woods, that was a realistic expectation to set.
“That looks nice.” I smiled, hopi
ng her icy exterior would melt.
“Thanks,” she said flatly, not even looking up from the mirror.
Well, I guess I was just going to have to wait until she told me what I did wrong. Women. So, I was going to have to get to moving on getting dressed. The dress I wore yesterday lay on a crumpled pile on the floor of the room. The bag that I sent ahead was nowhere in sight.
“Where did they put the stuff, we had sent ahead?”
Vivica motioned to the wardrobe that lined the far side of the room. Her face was as blank as a peeled potato. I went over to the towering, painted, white case and opened it up.
“Oh wow.” All of my clothes had been unpacked and hung up. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be that impressed considering I only own about ten outfits, but still. My two pairs of shoes were nestled underneath. I have another pair of sandals and a pair of boots. I probably won’t be needing those. I opened one of my drawers to find my underwear folded up into little balls. Who in the hell folds underwear? Two pajama sets were folded neatly next to the underwear. I guess whoever did this didn’t want to use up another drawer, considering I only had a few pairs of underwear. All of the other drawers were empty. I grabbed a dress off the rack. It was either pressed or ironed. A floral scent wafted down from the place where I removed it. Had they also washed everything? Considering the care that they took with my clothes, it was a bit odd they didn’t have conditioner in the bathroom. I knew I should have brought some. Where were my bras? I knew I sent two ahead. I checked the drawers again, but there wasn’t so much as a speck of dust in any of them. Oh well, the old one will do. I went to grab it from wherever I threw it when I removed it last night. I pulled up the comforter and tossed it on the floor.
“Hey!” Vivica snarled. Her face was stormy and her eyes blazed.
“Um…I’m just looking for my bra.”
“Well, you don’t have to make such a mess.” She twirled around and went back to painting her face.
“Do we have a problem?” What in the world could she be mad at? We’d fucked and then slept and somehow in between I’d done something to offend her?
“Why would we have a problem?” She turned around to face me. Her mascara had smeared across her cheek. Her eyelashes looked like angry spiders.
I sat down on the bed. “I really have no idea. Everything was fine when we went to sleep.”
Vivica inhaled sharply. “Oh, it was? Well, then I guess that explains it.”
What in the hell was this woman on? I dug through the pillowcases to find my bra. I spotted it stuck halfway between the bed and the wall. Reaching out to grab the lace, I stretched as far as I could. Aha. Snagged it. I stood up pulled up my dress. Turning my bra around backwards, I began to fiddle with the closures. Snap, snap, snap. Wiggling it back around and putting each arm through the hole, I stared at her. It’s not easy to be huffy while putting on a bra for large chests, but I managed. “I didn’t do anything. Oh, except make you cum a whole bunch of times.”
“What happened afterwards?”
Afterwards? We went to sleep. “You mean while I was asleep?”
“Before you fell asleep.”
There was something in between us fucking and sleeping? “Did I not cuddle you properly or something. I’m not much of a cuddler, especially while I sleep. It makes me too hot.”
“You called me Maya!”
I what? “No, I didn’t!”
She threw her mascara down on the ground. The pink top bounced a few times and rolled away. Black goop spilled out onto the carpet. Whoever is going to clean our room is going to hate us. Tears sprung to her eyes. “You said it clear as day. Good night Maya. And then you rolled over and fell asleep.”
Ah fuck. “Are you seriously going to get angry at me for this? I’ve been lying next to Maya at night for years. It’s a force of habit, that’s all. It’s not like I thought you were her.”
“You think I’m jealous? Ugh. I feel bad for her. The poor woman’s sitting at home waiting for you. And you’re here having the time of your life.”
“You think this is fun? All we’ve done so far is trek through the woods, have a foursome, and listen to a sob story about tribal history. I don’t know if you see what we’re doing, but it isn’t just fun. We’re performing a selfless duty. Giving our bodies to a cause.”
“You’re so full of shit. That isn’t why you came here. You came here so you could run away from your relationship and your life and have an excuse to cheat. That way you won’t have to deal with whatever mess you’ve got going on inside there.”
Vivica was close to me now and stabbing me in the chest with her pointer finger. Spittle flew from her mouth and her face and neck were beet red. Was all this venom she was spewing about me? Did she really feel this way? I asked the Goddess and she answered. That man appeared right after I communed with the Goddess. It had nothing to do with me. Coincidences like that do not happen. It had to be connected. This is my destiny.
“And you’re throwing yourself at Arkan. That poor man’s been through enough. The last thing he needs is some young witch breaking his heart.” Well that was probably true. My attraction and desire to please Arkan was out of character. I couldn’t explain that. But, I mean becoming a breeder meant I was by definition going to be taking a whole lot of dick soon. And besides where did she get off acting all high and mighty?
“Says the human that ran away from home to breed with shape shifters. You’re the weakest link in here. How do you explain that? You’re putting your life at risk to be here. Those shape shifter babies are going to tear you apart. If their daddies don’t get to it first.” I stepped forward with enough authority to cause her to retreat. She shrank back a bit.
“We’re all putting our lives at risk here. That’s the whole point. We’re doing something brave.”
Her lower lip began to quiver. Brave? Was all of this because she was afraid? I put my hand on her shoulder. She brushed it off with her hand. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her before she could stop me. Vivica struggled for a few seconds, but I just grabbed tighter. After a few seconds, she melted into my embrace.
“I’m being a twat, aren’t I?”
“A little but it’s okay. Probably shouldn’t have called you by my live-in girlfriends name right after your tongue was in my mouth.”
“My tongue was in worse places.” We both burst into giggles.
“What’s really bothering you?” Not that I needed any more emotional baggage.
“I’m nervous about today. All of the tryouts really. I really mean it when I say I can’t go back to my old life. Only two days here and I already feel more like myself than I ever have. Like, I was wearing a mask all this time and I never even realized it. Born into the wrong era, or location, or something.”
“What, they don’t have lovers where you’re from?”
Vivica chuckled. “Everything is really under cover there. There is only one right path. One man. One woman. Marriage. Babies. Repeat. There’s no other way.”
I’d heard that human clans could be quite judgmental, but I always thought it was overblown by outsiders.
“Well, you’re here now.” Great. Super helpful. State the obvious.
“I know, that’s the thing. I’m here now. But one wrong move and they could send me home. Back to where I came from. And this life will be gone forever. I don’t think I’ll survive.”
Holy moly. “You are putting way too much pressure on yourself and this tryout. Chill the fuck out. Even if you do get cut, do you think shapeshifters are the only ones on the planet that live this way? I’m going right back out of here and pulling some witches together for some shower time baby, don’t you worry.” Vivica smiled weakly.
“Seriously babe. There’s a whole wide world out there. Maybe being human’s not for you, but this planet’s stuffed with plenty of amorous species.” I patted her on the back. “Now, let’s get your fine butt down to breakfast before we both miss tryouts a
nd get automatically disqualified.”
“Okay. Let me just check my makeup.”
“You look great. Just need to fix some…” I motioned to her cheek.
She turned back into the mirror and wiped her face. Vivica might be terrified, but I was tingling with anticipation. Our orientation had been a dream of mine for some time. I could only imagine what was in store for us next. Once she was finished, she grabbed my arm and pulled.
“I’m starving, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.” I wasn’t actually. But I figured I should store up my strength for whatever tryouts would entail. And I sure was right.
-14-
We were almost finished with breakfast when a group of men burst through the doors of the cafeteria. The cacophonic buzz that was the result of eighty or so women all eating, chatting, and laughing, along with silverware clanking and the sounds floating from inside the kitchen, all screeched to a halt. Silence crashed through the room like a wave. I recognized a few of the men from the soccer field, but there was an additional few that I couldn’t remember. Blink and Dart were nowhere to be found. Whew. I let go of my breath in one whoosh. I didn’t even realize I was holding it. The tallest one of the group stepped forward and spoke.
“Hello. I’m Rakan. I’m going to be leading one of the tryout groups today, along with these lovely two gentlemen.”
He pointed at two of the other men that I couldn’t see very well from my position. I scooted back and forth in my chair trying to get a better view of them all, but we were way in the back of the crowd. Vivica placed her hand on my arm and squeezed.
“In order to keep things as fair as possible, we’re going to assign you into four tryout groups. There are twelve of us and each group will have three leaders. You will have two groups today and two groups tomorrow. Please remain seated and remember your numbers.” He began to count to four and point to each woman. “One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four…” One by one, each woman in the cafeteria received her fated first tryout.