Page 12

Chapter Twelve

Micah

I hadn’t expected to fit in with this group of shifters. I’m almost double their age, and they are a well-known bunch due to the fact that the prince is in the group. I’ve worked with them before, but we’ve never been close, yet they welcomed me like I’ve always been part of the team. There’s no posturing like there often is with a bunch of males, and I can’t say I hate the dynamic. I’m still blown away by the fact that I now wear a bond mark.

I probably don’t participate in the conversation while we’re eating as much as I should, but I can’t take my eyes off the queen, my mate. She’s gorgeous. Watch Team One grills her for all of her favorite foods, colors, and things to do, and I’m surprised to learn she owns a bakery in the neutral zone. Although I haven’t been there, it’s a popular place where a lot of the military teams eat. They always rave about the delicious treats they can get there. This past week, they’ve been bringing back coffee with floating marshmallow animals, which have been a big hit.

Throughout the whole meal, she’s open and bubbly and nothing like I expected a new royal to be like. I just hope and pray that doesn’t change with all her responsibilities. The absolute delight on her face when she found out I was a mer left me speechless. It’s gotten better, but for a long time, learning I was a mer was met with derision and scorn. She was actually excited, and to learn that she is an aquatic creature as well has me bristling with anticipation to swim with her this afternoon.

I’m not really sure what I have to offer her. I have no inner animal to shift into to defend her. My warrior skills are excellent, and in the water, not many can best me, but I still doubt what I can bring to the team. Mer are looked down on by a high percentage of the influential shifters, and me being Colbie’s mate could be detrimental to her rule.

Watch Team One explained she’s only shifted once, and that it’s our job to get her used to it over the next few days. They also told me that I am not the only new member of their team. Apparently, they’ve always known there are six of them, but the final member had been missing. When the magic activated today and I almost drowned on dry land, two more were added to their group—me and another unknown.

General Bryson ordered for me to join Watch Team One, saying he will inform my old team of the switch. He assured me I will retain my title as captain, but that my responsibilities now lie in keeping the queen safe. That’s not all it entails though. No, this woman is my mate, and not only do I want her to feel safe, but I also want her to feel the same kind of unconditional acceptance that she showed me. Unlike an animal shifter, there’s nothing inside me pushing to be near her, but I feel it all the same—the pull to my mate and urge to hold her close and never let her go, amongst other more carnal desires, which will have to wait for now. We have a job to do, and making sure she has a handle on her new abilities is at the top of the list, as well as retrieving this other shifter.

It didn’t surprise me when they explained the reasons they think he stayed away. More mer than I can put into words feel the same way, but my cousin Elliot and I could see that it was not productive to continue to shun the rest of shifter society. It builds animosity and hate, and a civil war between species won’t do any of us any good, especially with the rise in feral shifters. We don’t need to be fighting a war on two fronts. The two of us joined the shifter military in hopes that we could attempt to foster better relationships.

King Lucas has made every effort to reintegrate the mers, fairies, and equines into shifter society, but he has forever been rebuked. Hopefully with the new queen, we can usher in a change that is so desperately needed. When Colbie said she invited mer and fairy representation to the council, it renewed my hope in our cause. I can only pray that the mer council doesn’t reject her offer, but I know my people are stubborn. Hopefully seeing her with a mer mate will be the chance we need, especially one whose father is head of the mer council. I will send my own missive to my father, asking for him to consider the offer. I just hope whoever he selects to interview aligns with the same ideals of fostering better relations.

“Come on. I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to get my eyes on Colbie’s gorgeous creature again.” Brodie, who is a bit of a clown, stands up and stretches before grinning at us. “Let’s shift and run there.” His grin drops, and he frowns at me. “Right, you can’t shift on land.”

“Neither can Colbie if she’s a water creature,” I point out a little slowly. Maybe he’s taken one too many hits to the head.

“Colbie’s animal is as comfortable on land as she is in the water,” Hunter replies, also getting to his feet. “But I don’t think she should shift so close to the palace. We’re trying to keep her creature under wraps for now, so she has a card up her sleeve on challenge day, but I’ll shift, and Micah and Colbie can fly with Gem and me to the waterfall.”

What kind of animal is she that is at home both in the water and land? I rack my brain, trying to think of one, but come up with nothing.

“How about we make this interesting then? First one there gets to have the queen in their bed tonight.” Liam stands up and is already walking toward the exit.

My eyes widen, and Colbie’s mouth drops open in shock as Brodie and Gryffin jump to their feet and hurry after him, stripping off their shirts as they go. Gem huffs and rolls his eyes.

“Well, the palace staff are in for a treat with Watch Team One half naked in the halls. Rumors will be flying within minutes.”

“Not going to join them?” Hunter asks with a gleam in his eye as he reaches out and tugs Colbie to her feet, dragging her along behind him.

“What the fuck?” she splutters, struggling to keep up with him as he all but drags her through the palace.

“One thing you need to know about us is that although we love each other fiercely and are loyal to one another beyond anything, we’re competitive as fuck,” Hunter explains as Gem and I hurry after them.

“Yes, and Hunter and I have a distinct advantage in that we can fly,” Gem gloats. “They need all the head start they can get.”

“Is my bed going to be a regular incentive?” Colbie asks, sounding exasperated. “I don’t want you fighting with each other.”

“Relax, darling,” Gem coos. “When we come to your bed, there will be no fighting, only complete cooperation and focus on your pleasure, but anything else is fair game.”

“I’m not a toy to be fought over.” She sounds annoyed, and I feel the urge to soothe her, but before I can say anything, we arrive outside of the palace, and Hunter strips.

Colbie’s expression becomes heated as she takes in all of him in his naked glory. I’m not into guys, but even I can admire his toned body. Like me, Watch Team One has honed their bodies to be lethal weapons, and you can see it in all the rippling muscles on display.

“We know, but there’s nothing like a little incentive to get the blood flowing. Fancy a ride?” He smirks, and nobody misses the dragon’s suggestive tone, but Colbie just huffs and waves a hand.

“Well, go on then. They already have a head start.”

She and I watch as Gem also removes his clothes. The men, although similar in height, couldn’t be more different. Hunter is large and brawny, his build similar to mine, but Gem is more streamlined, like a runner or a swimmer, but neither of them have an inch of fat. They are pure muscle. We watch as they shift. Unlike mine, which is only a slight change, both of them change completely.

Hunter’s body twists and grows, morphing until he towers over both of us. His deep, eggplant purple dragon stretches his wings and shakes his body similarly to what I’ve seen a wolf do. He lowers his head, which is bigger than us, and smoke drifts out of his nostrils as he blinks large eyes with elongated pupils.

Gem’s transformation is very different. He shrinks slightly, and flames cover his whole body as he turns from human to bird and hovers in the air. The phoenix shrieks loudly before pulsing his wings and shooting off into the sky like a flaming rocket. Hunter’s dragon nudges Colbie, and she offers me a hand. “Come on, we don’t want them to beat us.”

She drags me over and tries to scramble up the side of the dragon, but she’s just too small, so I wrap my hands around her waist and give her a boost before leaping up after her. We’re barely seated before his wings expand, and with a leap and pulse of his wings, we’re airborne. Colbie tips to the side, and I grasp her, hauling her up against me and holding her tightly while I grip one of his dragon’s spikes.

“Whoa, thank you. I almost slipped,” she shouts over the rush of wind as I tuck her in close, making sure she’s secure. She wriggles back into me, and I feel her warmth seeping through the thin cotton of my shirt. Her rounded bottom presses against my groin, sending a wave of desire through my veins. Her scent of frosting and cake batter tickles my nose, and I can’t stop the possessive rumble that leaves my mouth as I lean in to get a larger dose. Her hair whips around as I tuck my nose into her neck, unable to stop my tongue from darting out to see if her skin tastes as good as she smells.

“Did you just lick me?” she asks, turning to gawk at me incredulously.

My cheeks heat with intense embarrassment, but I shrug and smile. “You know what they say. I licked it, so it’s mine.” I don’t wait for her response before I lean in and kiss her. I know she’s new to this shifter dynamic, but as a whole, if we see something we want, we take it, and she’s my mate, so there’s even less of a reason to wait. Her lips are soft as she gasps, but her body melts into mine as she returns my kiss with enthusiasm.

Before it can get too out of control, the bastard dragon dives, and Colbie shrieks and grabs for his spikes to stop herself from falling. We plunge down, but as we rapidly approach the ground, he spreads his wings, and our descent slows before we touch down with a shaking thud. Colbie glances around, and there’s no sign of the rest of the team.

She fist bumps the air. “Looks like we won. I guess that means I get you and Hunter in my bed tonight.” She smacks another kiss on my lips and slides down off the dragon, leaving me speechless.

You should be saying, ‘Thank you, Hunter. I’m so glad that I was able to share in this victory with you ,’ a voice rumbles in my brain, the tone amused. Now would you please get down so I can shift ?

I jump in surprise and stare at the dragon in shock. His long neck is arched, and he’s staring at me.

You’re in the bond group now, so you get the added bonus of mind speak — not that it’s much of a bonus when Liam is bitching or Brodie rambles about some ridiculous topic.

Can you hear me? I ask, projecting my thoughts at him, and his large head nods in acknowledgment.

Huh, that sure is handy. I slide off Hunter, and he shifts, leaving him completely naked. He looks down at himself and winces. “Whoops, probably should have thought about that.”

Colbie stares at him unabashedly, but before either of us can reply, another scream signals the phoenix’s approach. He arrives in a ball of flame and hovers in the air in front of Colbie. Distracted from the naked dragon, she studies the flaming bird with intense interest. I can practically see him preening at her attention as she circles him. He’s large, probably twice the size of the biggest bird of prey.

She reaches out to touch him, but Hunter grabs her wrist, stopping her. “Wait, we don’t know if his flames will burn you or not. Let’s not test it out just yet.” She drops her hand in disappointment, and the bird shimmers, morphing into his naked human form.

He picks up her hand and presses a kiss to the back of it. “I can’t wait to feel your hands all over me, but Hunter is right. Until we know if you have your own phoenix form and are immune to my flames, we shouldn’t tempt fate. Phoenix fire can do a lot of damage. Our bond group is immune, just like they are to Hunter’s fire, but until the mating bond between us is sealed, let’s not risk anything.”

“Immune to your flames? And what did you mean about her having her own phoenix form? I thought you said she was an aquatic shifter,” I ask, but my ears perk up as the sound of pounding paws reaches the clearing.

A white tiger, a black and gray wolf, and a large white polar bear barrel into the clearing, and all three of them crowd around the queen, snarling and snapping at one another as they try to scent mark her, rubbing their heads and bodies over every inch of her they can reach. She giggles and runs her fingers through their fur, cooing at them as each one vies for their mate’s attention.

“What were you talking about?” I ask again, dragging their attention back to what Gem said.

“The queen is a multi shifter. We’ve seen three of her forms, but Sable, the general’s mate and head archivist, suggested that maybe she would be able to shift into all six—sorry, I guess eight now, and once we get a handle on the ones we know of to push her to try,” Gem explains as the big white tiger comes over and nudges him. His hands go into his fur as the tiger licks a wet stripe up his naked leg. Gem winces and pushes him away. “Jesus, your tongue can flay flesh, Gryff. I don’t want it quite that close to my delicate bits. At least not in that form.” He puts his hands over his dangling cock, protecting it, and I snort with amusement before focusing on what the phoenix just told me, a buzz of excitement filling my veins.

“She might be able to shift into a mer form?”

“That would be awesome!” Colbie exclaims as the other three shift. The two of us are now surrounded by naked shifters, and it’s like she doesn’t quite know where to look. I don’t care. Being comfortable naked is a part of being a shifter, and we learn at a young age not to ogle one another when we are, but the poor girl looks like a deer in headlights, and the scent of her desire thickens and fills the clearing.

“See something you like?” Liam asks, winking at her, which seems to have the desired effect of distracting her.

She huffs and rolls her eyes. “Meh, you know I’ve probably seen better.” We can all tell it’s a lie.

“Pfft, we know that’s not true. Humans only wish they could be as handsome and dashing as shifters.” Brodie laughs. “But developing a poker face should be a priority. We can’t have the queen ogling every naked person she comes upon,” he teases.

“Stop teasing the woman,” Gryff scolds his friends and heads over to a large tree not far from the edge of the pool. There, hidden amongst the gnarled roots, is a trunk. He pulls it open and drags out some fabric before tossing each of our bond mates a pair of shorts. “Cover up. We don’t want Colbie’s creature being tempted by all that dangling flesh.”

Brodie blanches and quickly pulls on his shorts, and the other four follow suit. I return to the subject at hand.

“Multi shifting is quite uncommon. In fact, I don’t think I know of another dual shifter.”

“That’s because our mate is special.” Gem smiles gently at the girl and takes a step toward her, clasping his hands at his sides like he’s restraining himself from reaching for her. “I can’t believe you’re our mate. We’ve waited so long for you.”

She shifts uncomfortably and doesn’t look like she knows how to respond.

“Easy, Gem. Give her time to adjust. Unlike us, who have known for almost ten years now, she’s had this all dumped on her. We need to give her a little bit of patience and understanding,” Hunter cautions, and Colbie smiles at him gratefully. Gem’s smile dips for a moment, but Colbie doesn’t miss his disappointment.

She reaches for his hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’m not saying I don’t want this or you, just give me time. Humans have dating rituals and a whole courting process before they decide to make things official. Maybe it would be easier if we all had destined mates. It would certainly save a lot of heart break. Just give me time to adjust. I’m not going to reject you, I promise. There’s this ball of want in me that is screaming at me to throw myself at you, but my brain still has some catching up to do. We’ll get there,” she promises, looking at each one of us in turn.

Her words seem to ease some of his disappointment and settle them all slightly. My life just changed in an instant, and although I’m thrilled to have a mate, my mind is reeling at the change. It’s nice to have some company, and maybe I can be the support she needs, since I’m experiencing some life-changing moments as well.

“How about you show me this mysterious creature? We can work on getting your shift to happen smoothly and help you feel comfortable in a different skin,” I suggest, and she nods at me gratefully.

“Sounds good. So how does it work?”

I gesture to the other guys. “One of them will be able to explain it better. My change isn’t as drastic as an animal’s. Once I hit the water, it just kind of happens. I don’t have to think about it at all.”

“Hmm, really? I guess there’s no time like the present to see if the queen has a mer form.” Before anyone can react, Liam tosses Colbie over his shoulder and strides to the water.

“What the fuck? Put me down!” she yells and bangs on his back with her fists, but they seem to do nothing. He just gives her a sharp slap on the bottom, which has her gasping.

“Settle, Your Majesty. This won’t hurt a bit,” he promises before tossing her into the water. There’s a moment of silence before she screams.

“You fucking bastard!” The rest of the words are lost as she plummets into the icy cold water.

“Aw, dude, you’ve fucked up now. Even if you had won the race, there’s no way you’re going near her bed anytime soon,” Brodie says as we rush to the side and watch to see what happens.