Misenchanted Shifter (5 page)

She staggered back and took a seat on the bed as he left her. Her cheeks were hot from the embarrassment of him taking in her scent, but her heart was tripping wildly.

One day in the Crossroads and she had found her mate and he was willing to take his time.

She looked to the pillows and shivered. Sleep was not on the agenda, but she would try anyway. Eileen pried off her shoes and put them next to the bed, slipped off her slip and removed her bra. Her panties went into the hamper, and she put her dress on a hangar. She had to remove her makeup and take the pins from her hair before she could lie down. Hopefully, her body would stop replaying the sensation of his fingers between her thighs, curling upward and pressing her labia before stroking her clit. She had been wet, aching and open, and he had gone to his room.

The only comfort she had was that he probably had his hand wrapped around his cock that very moment.

She shuddered as that image began to form in her mind. His shoulders were wide, his chest solid with muscle and his waist was narrow. From what she had registered of his butt, it was as solid as the rest of him. His ass would flex while he stroked the length of his shaft and his face would tense when he got close to release.

Eileen caught herself rubbing her breasts and decided a cold shower was just the thing to get her to bed. She was tired enough to sleep, but she could still smell Harris on her neck and hands. A good scrub was in order. She needed rest or she would pass out on their picnic. Now, what was she going to wear?

The next morning, she was dressed in smartly tight capris and a fitted buttoned-down shirt. She wore boat shoes and had her hair up in a ponytail. It was as put together as she was going to get. It was too difficult to hike through the woods and meadows in heels.

She skipped down the stairs and smiled at Teebie. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Eileen. Muffins and bacon?”

“Do you have scrambled eggs?”

Teebie smiled and raised a hand. A platter of eggs appeared on her palm. “Yes, yes, I do.”

Eileen went into the dining room and took a seat, placing her napkin across her thighs with the ease of long practice. She poured coffee and mixed in her cream and sugar before working on assembling her breakfast. The scrambled eggs smelled heavenly and she loaded her plate. The bacon was next with the muffins perching precariously on the edge of her plate.

“You can fill up more than once, Eileen.” Teebie sat and poured some coffee for herself.

“I know, but that article in that book was right. I do eat more than someone my size should. I burn it off in the shifts, or it could be my constant exposure to fey magic. All I know is my meals are large and regular.”

“You each slept in your own room. Well done, Eileen.”

Eileen was honest. “That was his doing, not mine. I would have jumped him in an instant. Getting a man who doesn’t flinch at my touch into bed isn’t an obsession, it’s a goal.”

Teebie grinned. “Good for him. You deserve a proper courtship.”

Harris came into the dining room. “I certainly think so. She deserves far more than I can offer her, but I will do my best.”

Eileen tilted her cheek toward him as he came in for a quick kiss, but her mouth was busy with bacon.

He sighed after the kiss and took his seat. “I see you are eating again, so I will table a proper kiss until you are done.”

She smiled at him with food-puffed cheeks.

Teebie was snickering quietly, and she kept everything topped up as another couple joined them and then another. Apparently, it was a full house the previous night.

Eileen pressed her knee to Harris’s and she continued the contact while the others tried to involve them in conversation. Eileen had the excuse of always having food in her mouth.

Teebie filled in most of the answers as to who she was and how long she had been in the Crossroads.

Harris also pitched in while Eileen stuffed her face.

When the plate was clean and more bacon had been applied orally, she sat back and sipped at her coffee. “That feels better.”

One of the young women who looked very familiar asked her, “What was your last name again, Eileen?”

“Heller. I am Eileen Heller. Why?”

“My cousin’s family had a girl named Eileen. She was their daughter and disappeared when she was seven. The odd thing was that the pack never looked for her.”

Eileen looked at her young cousin and smiled. “Yes, that’s me.”

The girl suddenly went from curious to shocked. “I never thought to see you in person. I wish I could talk to your family and ask them what they would like to say.”

Eileen shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I send them holiday cards every year and my address hasn’t changed in twenty years. They know where I am if they needed me. They haven’t, so I am tired of waiting.”

The woman wouldn’t give it up. “I heard they traded you to the elves when you were a child.”

“Oh, like in the old days of the fairies stealing babies? No. They wanted a certain outcome from the fey magic, and when it didn’t happen, the pack leader ordered them home without me. I was left behind like ugly luggage.”

The woman was shocked. “They couldn’t have. It is against pack principle.”

“It was under the orders of the alpha. I was born a coyote who turned into a badger in front of witnesses. I had to be removed from the pack. I was dangerous.”

She blinked. “I didn’t know.”

“Now you do. They tried to use binding magic on me to make me back into a coyote. It was never in the cards.”

The young woman nodded and clung to her new mate.

“Congratulations to all who have made matches at the Crossroads. Tell your friends or those who seem to live forever as a single.” She smiled and looked to Harris. He was done with his breakfast so she got up and he stood up with her.

Teebie ran off and returned with a huge wicker basket.

Harris took it with a polite
thank you
and they were off for a day with nature and snacks.

Eileen waved at Teebie and took Harris’s arm as they left the Open Heart and walked down the steps toward the centre of town.

Harris was wearing a tightly fitting tee shirt that strained as he carried the basket. His jeans were snug and well worn at the same time, so they hugged him faithfully. She was going to have to do some research into what he looked like naked, but they were shifters in the open. It was going to happen sooner rather than later.

They walked past the pond and rivers that she had been informed of. Deep in the forest, he walked with purpose into a wide meadow with a creek running through it. It was silent in the area with the exception of the sound of water over rocks.

There was a pile of stone near the mouth of the creek, and he led her there, setting the basket down in the shade, opening it up and removing the blanket that Teebie had tucked on top.

He flipped the blanket out. Harris knelt on the edge and smiled. “Care to join me?”

She laughed and kicked off her shoes before stepping onto the blanket and kneeling next to him. “Good morning, Harris.”

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. They tangled tongues and heated things up before parting by mutual consent.

“I don’t know about you, but I am in the mood for a shift.”

She smiled. “Go ahead. I will be down here trying to reclaim some lost sleep.”

He grinned at that.

She lay back and enjoyed the morning sun. It was nice just to feel the moment for once. She stretched her legs out and crossed her ankles, turning her face toward the light.

When Eileen heard rustling next to her, she opened one eye a slit and watched as Harris peeled his shirt off, showing the heavily muscled chest that she had suspected and fantasized over.

As he reached for his shoes, he glanced at her and paused. “Are you peeking?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“Fair enough.”

He removed his shoes and socks before standing up and unzipping his jeans. In an unmistakeable taunt, he turned toward her as he peeled his jeans down. The boxer briefs ruined her view but not the silhouette.

It was hard not to turn and stare as he removed the last bit of fabric between her and his skin, but she gave him narrow-eyed looks as his cock was free, erect and bouncing slightly as he turned to fold his clothes.

She closed her eyes to lock in the image for future reference.

“I will be off for a run through the woods. Join me if you like.”

She smiled as he stood up and looked down at her.

“I am fine for a while. My other forms are unpredictable. I have no idea how your beast would respond to the one that showed up.”

He shrugged, and she watched as he went from a large man to being a larger elk. He lowered his head toward her, and she stroked his silky nose. The rack of horns was huge, but he was careful to keep them away from her.

When he had nuzzled at her a little, he lifted his head and bounded off into the woods.

There was an unfettered joy in his movements, and Eileen smiled and resumed sunning herself.

It was an idyllic moment for her until she was interrupted.

“Well, this is a pretty sight.”

She opened her eyes and stared at the shadow above her. “I am previously occupied. Go away.”

“I can smell a deer nearby, but he has left you alone, lovely, and that makes you fair game.”

She used her senses and picked up the smell of wolf. “Your senses are a little skewed. You can just be on your way.”

He crouched next to her and loomed in. “I think I like it here. My name is Andrew. What is yours?”

A bellow was heard in the woods and a crashing noise followed. The bull elk came out of the woods with his rack down and ready for battle.

Andrew got to his feet and backed away from her as Harris stepped toward him with a very threatening display.

“See? Not a deer.” She remained on the ground in a casual pose.

“Apologies. I will be on my way.”

“Just remember, at the Crossroads, predator and prey are harder to determine. There is a reason we don’t find mates among our own kind. We need something else.”

Andrew took on a submissive posture and slunk off the way he must have come.

Eileen looked up at the still hostile Harris. “Nice one.”

He lowered his rack and lifted his head shortly.

“Oh. Harris, you aren’t really designed to be ridden.”

He snorted and let out a short trumpet of sound.

“Fine, but if I fall off, you are rubbing my butt.”

He shook his head and walked over to the rocks shielding their picnic basket.

Grumbling, Eileen got to her feet and walked up on the rocks, climbing high enough to get on his back, and the moment her skin touched his, he shifted again.

The antlers widened, thickened and took on a shape that crossed the wide rack of the elk with the thicker antlers of a moose. A wide hand of bone was at either end of the nine-foot span, and she realised she was suddenly much further from the ground.

She settled on his back, and he took a few steps forward, walking around their little glade with decorum and careful paces. If he turned his head, he was in danger of knocking her off with the wide rack.

Eileen reached for the base of his horns, and once she had a grip, he started to move with speed. She was fine with him running across the grass, but when he aimed for an opening in the forest, she clenched her eyes shut and hung on.

The air changed into the cool green scent of the forest, but he didn’t get hung up on the trees. She opened her eyes with a squint and watched the trees pull out of their path. With amazement, she was on an extinct elk, riding through a forest that moved out of his way. The green blur was hard to focus on, but the feeling was exhilarating.

After half an hour or so, he returned to the meadow and slowed down. He returned to the rocks, and when she dismounted, he returned to his human form, helping her down from the rocks with a grin.

“All right, you have seen me. It is time to show me what you have been holding back.”

Eileen walked to the blanket and put her fingers to her buttons. “Fair is fair.”

It was time to see what animal was willing to come out and play.

Undressing for an audience wasn’t something she had considered as a means of arousing herself, but she guessed that there was a bit of exhibitionist in her.

She removed her shirt and folded it with precision then peeled off her capris, folding them as well. Avoiding Harris’s gaze was her biggest concern as she unsnapped her bra, slipped it off her shoulders and then finally skimmed out of her panties. She stepped off the blanket and onto the grass, calling her beast of the day.

When it started, she giggled silently. This was a form she had taken twice in her life, and it never failed to impress.

The transformation completed and she turned to him, stamping her hooves.

His mouth was open in shock as he walked toward her. “I never imagined that you could…I have never seen. You are a Pegasus?”

She nodded her head and pawed at the ground. Her mane flew as she shook her head, and before he could touch her, she dodged him and circled to get a good run at the open spaces. Her wings scooped at the air with every hoof beat, and when she finally launched, her hooves lifted and skimmed the treeline as she flapped frantically for altitude.

When she was above the Crossroads, she looked at the telltale intersection of the only two streets. She could see ponds, a small park, a lake, meadows and plenty of forest. Curious, Eileen flew near to the edge of everything, and her skin felt her magic waking and crawling along her skin. There was enough magic there to make an entire world, but instead, it hid the Crossroads from all detection.

She banked and followed the edge of the barrier until she could see Harris down on the picnic blanket watching her approach. Her legs began to move in a galloping motion before she landed, and when she touched down, her wings gradually slowed her until she was inches from the far end of the treeline.

She breathed heavily and returned to the blanket, her wings folded against her back.