Page 15

Chapter Fifteen

Colbie

H e grabs both my ankles and tugs me closer, pushing my thighs apart as he leans in and licks a path up my thigh until he gets to my throbbing core. His hands slide under my ass and haul me up as he leans down and feasts on my dripping pussy. He sucks, licks, and circles my clit. I squeeze my eyes shut and throw my head back, gripping the sheets as my body is flooded with incredible pleasure. The ring in Liam’s tongue feels amazing as it slides over my clit, every wet flick driving my desire higher and higher.

“You taste like my best fantasy,” Liam mutters as he drags his tongue down to my entrance and thrusts it in, groaning as he makes love to my cunt with his mouth. He slides two fingers deep into my channel, scissoring them back and forth. “So tight. I need to stretch you so this doesn’t hurt.” He thrusts his fingers in and out, and my core starts to tighten as my body tingles, hovering on the edge of ecstasy. He pulls out and slides in a third, the pinch of pain adding to the pleasure, driving my achy cunt closer to orgasm.

“Oh my god, I’m going to come,” I tell him, thrashing my head back and forth, stunned at how quickly he could get me there. He pulls away and lowers my ass to the bed again, and I open my eyes, glaring at him for stopping. He chuckles and wipes his mouth against my thigh before pressing a kiss to the bite mark on my hip and prowling up my body.

“Why the hell did you stop?” I demand as he hovers over my body, his hands pressed into the bed on either side of my head. His black eyes glow with his emotions, and he looks down at me with intense want and need. Gone is the cocky asshole, and in his place is a vulnerable man I had no idea he could be.

“Because I want to look into your eyes the first time I make you scream my name.” My mouth drops open as his lips turn up in a smirk. I thought he was going to say something deep and meaningful, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

He reaches down and grasps his cock. My gaze follows his movements, and I lick my lips as I watch him slide his hand up and down his thick length, the ring in the end of his dick catching my eye. I can’t wait to feel that inside me. Leaning forward, he sweeps the tip through the wet mess he made of my pussy, and I whimper with anticipation. He continues to tease me, smirking at me the whole time, and my inner animal gets pissed off. I growl at him, baring my teeth, before hooking my legs around his hips and driving my heels into his ass. He shouts with surprise and grunts as his cock slides into my pussy.

Finally, he gets with the program and stops the torture, pulling out and driving forward again in long, rolling thrusts.

“God, you’re so tight. You’re everything I thought you’d be and more. My greatest pleasure,” he mutters as I feel the ring in his dick slide against my G-spot, spinning my orgasm even tighter.

“Yes, more,” I beg as my hands grip his biceps, my heels still digging into his ass. “Harder, faster,” I plead, and he doesn’t make me wait. He kicks up the pace, and a bead of sweat drips from his chin onto my chest. I release his arms and grab the back of his head, gripping that shock of white hair, then drag his mouth down to mine. We kiss, a clash of teeth and tongue, as he continues to pound his thick length into my rapidly tightening core.

“God, Liam,” I wail as he slides his hand between us and flicks my clit.

“Come for me, my queen,” he commands, and just like that, I shatter. Pleasure ignites my nerve endings, and my body caves to his demands. Like a lightning bolt to my soul, a hurricane of sensations washes through me. I arch my back and scream as he continues to pound into me. I feel his teeth on my neck as he bites down again, triggering another release.

Feels so fucking good. Can’t hold on any longer , echoes in my mind, and my eyes snap open in shock. Before I can mention hearing him inside my head, my creature’s energy forces its way forward, and I shout in pain as my mouth reshapes. Just as Liam groans, and I feel him fill my pussy with his cum, I bite down into the straining tendons of his neck, drawing blood. He shouts again and pulls back, thrusting two more times. More warm ropes of heat fill my core until I feel it drip down the inside of my leg. I lick at the wound on his neck, his blood salty and flavorsome against my tongue, feeling smug and satisfied before my jaw reforms into its normal shape. I focus on what I just did. There is now a large bite mark on his neck, allowing no one to mistake that this man is mated.

“My mate,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to each of my cheeks before resting his forehead against mine. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He looks down at the mark on my neck, running a finger over it, and I shiver at the sensation.

“No, it felt good,” I tell him, and he smirks before sliding off me and gathering me in his arms, pulling me closer.

“I like seeing my mark on your neck,” he tells me, and I roll my eyes.

“I’m pretty happy with mine on yours too, but I’m not sure if there’s going to be enough room for all eight of you to mark me.”

He frowns. “I don’t know how mer or fairies mate, but I don’t think it’s through a bite. They should be able to tell you. As for Gem, he will mate you by marking you with his fire, so really you only need to worry about five bite marks, and that will make a pretty little necklace for our queen to wear.” He sounds smug as shit, and I guess I know how he feels. The mark on his neck is way bigger than I thought it would be, but we are possessive of him and will kill anyone who tries to touch our mates. It’s actually a big fuck you to Gianna, and I’m adult enough to admit it.

* * *

I ’m snuggled into Liam’s side, my mind lazy with an amazing after sex glow. His finger runs up and down my spine as we talk for a while, getting to know one another.

“What’s your favorite thing to make at the bakery?” he asks, his finger sliding down to trace the bite mark I have on my hip. It’s all healed now, and I shiver with a wave of need as he touches it.

“I really like the new marshmallows I just added to the menu.” I sigh, knowing I’ll never go back to the bakery. I haven’t told him what the goddess said to me about me being the last chosen human. I’m waiting until everyone is together to break that news to them.

“You feel disappointed and sad,” he says as he lifts a hand to his chest and presses down, like he can feel my sadness.

“Can you feel that?” I ask, pulling out of his arms and sitting up. His gaze drops to my breasts. “Hey, eyes up here.” I point to my own, and when he lifts his gaze, he’s smirking, and his eyes twinkle with laughter.

“Babe, you can’t blame a guy for being distracted by such a lovely sight.” I roll my eyes, and his smirk falls away as he sits up, turning serious. “Yeah, I can feel your sadness. If you concentrate, you can probably tell how I’m feeling as well.”

I turn my attention inward, and I feel my animal inside me. While I’m in human form, they all seem to feel the same, unlike when I was in my bear form and it stood out against the others. Next to the shifter magic is a feeling of complete and utter contentment and love. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Sure, I know Granny and Grampy love me, and they’ve always shown me how they feel, but this is something different. It’s pure acceptance in its rawest form, and it feels amazing.

“Wow,” I sigh, but then I frown. “Will I be able to feel all of you? That could become overwhelming.”

“To start with, you might.” He reaches out and rubs my thigh, his calluses scratching slightly. “But soon you won’t even notice, and only extreme emotions will filter through.”

“I’m not worried. It’s nice,” I tell him, grabbing his hand from my thigh and giving it a squeeze.

“Why do you feel so sad?” he asks, sounding worried. “I thought you wanted this.” He gestures between the two of us with the hand I’m not holding.

“Oh, I do,” I assure him quickly, “but I’m going to miss my bakery.”

He gathers me in his arms and drags me down to the bed, and I feel his relief. “I’m sure once we get settled into our new roles, you will be able to go back there from time to time, and have you seen the kitchen in the palace? I swear it’s a chef’s dream.”

“I don’t want to step on any toes by asking if I can use it,” I explain, and he scoffs, the breath of air lifting a strand of hair that tickles my face.

“You’re the queen, they can’t tell you no.” His tone leaves no room for argument, so I’ll accept it for now.

Liam suddenly grows tense, tightening his hold on me, and a rumble comes from his chest. “What do you want?” he asks loudly, and when I turn my head, my eyes widen, and my heartbeat increases at the sight of the dripping wet white tiger who is stalking into the room. He pauses when he sees the two of us wrapped around one another.

He shakes his body, and drops of water fill the air around him, then he starts running.

“No, not on the bed!” Liam shouts, releasing me and jolting upright. He holds his hands out to stop the tiger, but it’s too late. He takes a running leap and flies through the air, landing on the end of the bed, and stares down at me.

“Fucking hell, Gryff. Now you’ve soaked the sheets and are getting cat hair all over them, you asshole,” Liam grumbles with disgust as the cat sits down on his haunches and then lowers even further, still staring at me as he rests his head on his paws. He doesn’t even blink as he stares at me with those deep, ocean blue eyes that stand out against his white fur.

“Hi.” I tentatively reach out, remembering how cuddly this cat was when I was in the stables the other night. I should feel self-conscious, since I’m naked and have Liam’s cum still dripping down my inner thigh, but I don’t. His gaze is hot and heavy, and there isn’t one glimmer of disgust or aggression in his eyes.

He must think I’m taking too long to touch him, because he shuffles forward and butts his head against my hand, chuffing when I scratch behind his ear.

“Fucking needy cat,” Liam grumbles, but when I look at him, although he’s frowning, his eyes are smiling like he’s trying to stop himself from laughing. The cat’s tongue darts out, and then he scoots even closer to me, his head just about in my naked lap, but before I can push him, his tongue darts out, and he catches our combined release, which he eagerly licks up before moving toward my pussy. My eyes widen with panic, and I push his head away, but a hand comes out and smacks him on the nose.

“Bad kitty. Your tongue will strip Colbie’s pussy, and then no one will be playing with it,” Liam scolds the tiger who snarls at him, but he sinks back onto his haunches.

There’s a pulse of magic in the air, and the tiger’s body contorts and shifts into a very naked Gryffin. He grins at me like a naughty child, but his eyes sparkle with heat and desire. He’s still lying on his stomach, but my hand is now threaded through his black streaked silver hair. I go to pull my hand away, and he reaches out to stop me.

“Don’t stop, it feels nice,” he tells me, closing his eyes and leaning into my touch. I continue to run my hand through his wet hair, being careful not to catch it in any knots.

“What are you doing here?” Liam asks, leaning back, comfortable with his nudity.

“You’ve been gone for hours, and it’s getting late. Although Colbie shifted into two new forms today, she needs to work on her primary form as well,” he tells us without opening his eyes. I’m pretty sure if Liam invited him, he would climb into bed with us and remain here for the rest of the night, but unfortunately, too many people are relying on us at the moment. Maybe one day we can return to the cave and have some fun, when I don’t have so many issues waiting for me to deal with.

I give him one more scratch behind the ear before stretching my arms and arching my body. I’m so comfortable and relaxed, I’m reluctant to leave, but duty calls. When I open my eyes again, both men are staring at my naked body.

“You guys have a little drool here,” I tease, swinging my legs to the side and looking around, but then I remember I have no clothes. Well, fuck.

“How about we head back to the pool, and you can try shifting into your tiger form for the swim back to the other side?” Liam suggests, nodding at Gryffin who quickly bounces up off the bed. Holy shit. These men have incredible bodies. Gryff isn’t as bulky as Brodie, Hunter, or Liam, but he still has a body made for sin, all sinewy muscles and silky smooth skin. My eyes drop lower, and holy shit, it must be a shifter thing to have a huge cock. It’s at least nine inches and rapidly hardening. He looks down at it and shrugs unapologetically.

“You’re my mate, and you’re naked. I wouldn’t expect any other result anytime soon,” he tells me. “I can’t wait to see your tiger, cookie. Do you need me to go first and show you?” He tilts his head to the side in a very feline movement, and I appreciate the fact that he ignored my blatant ogling of his body.

“Yeah, okay, show me your cat again and tell him to keep his tongue to himself.” Gryffin’s smile drops in disappointment, and I quickly add, “For now.”

He smiles, and I watch as his body contorts once more, fur sprouting over his skin as his body elongates and shifts.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” I ask Liam, and he shrugs.

“Not really. We’ve been doing it for as long as we can remember. The mythical shifters say it’s agony the first few times they shift, but they adjust quickly and it becomes second nature. Yours doesn’t hurt, does it?” he points out, and I wave a hand as Gryffin completes his shift, and his cat prowls around my legs, bumping into them. I’m almost knocked off balance. I grab for his back to steady myself, and he chuffs like he’s laughing.

“No, but it doesn’t feel like that looks. One moment, I’m me, and the next, I’m something else.”

“Yes, your shift does look very different from ours. It’s like the magic explodes out of you, reforming your body at the same time. I wonder why that is…”

“Probably because the goddess just had to add one more thing for me to worry about,” I grumble, and there’s a tinkling of laughter that echoes around the cavern. Liam looks around, fully alert for any danger, while Gryffin plants himself in front of me and doesn’t move, a low growl coming from his chest.

“It’s okay, the goddess is fucking with me, ignore her,” I assure them, running my hands over his thick tiger fur. He really is gorgeous, white with black stripes and black tipped ears that are freaking adorable as he flicks them back and forth, searching for the source of the laughter.

“Not sure you should be talking about the goddess like that,” Liam says as he approaches me and tugs me back into his arms, giving me a kiss. “I don’t want to leave, but I know we have to. Promise me we’ll come back again.”

I melt into his arms, and Gryffin’s tiger paws at my leg, missing my delicate skin with his claws.

“Of course we can come back. You’ll sleep in my bed tonight?” I ask him, suddenly not so sure of what the protocol is, but I know I’m reluctant to let him out of my sight.

Liam beams at me. “You couldn’t keep me away. I’m sure your bed is probably big enough for all of us, right?” I think about my room, and although the bed is big, I’m not sure it will fit me and eight mates, but it’s definitely big enough for Liam, Hunter, and Micah, who won the earlier bet.

“Maybe not eight of us, but it’s fine for tonight,” I assure him before turning my attention to Gryffin, who is looking at me with round, pleading eyes.

I bend down and whisper in his ear. “You’ll get your turn soon,” I promise him, and it seems to do the trick. He spins and bounds off playfully, and Liam puts his hands on his hips and nods at me.

“Your turn.”

I’m slightly distracted by his beautiful body, but I shake my head and turn my attention to the task at hand. I find the deep well of magic inside me and picture Gryffin’s tiger in my mind. There’s a flash, and I squeeze my eyes shut. When I open them again, I’m bigger and furry and on four paws. My tail twitches behind me as I take my first careful step. A roar echoes around the cavern, and a flash of white comes barreling toward me.

“Fuck!” Liam shouts and quickly moves out of the way as Gryffin pounces on me, taking me to the ground where he pins me with his giant front paws and starts grooming me with his tongue. Long licks sweep across my nose and ears as he rumbles his happiness.

My butt twitches, and my tail flicks as my tiger considers wrestling him, but after a couple of strokes of his tongue, she settles down, happily enjoying the care her mate is showing her. What a freaking pushover. Though it could be worse, she could take a chunk out of him, and then I’d be stuck fucking Gryffin for the next however many hours. I can’t say I’m not tempted to give her a nudge, but I know we don’t have time. Damn my morals.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Liam grumbles and pushes Gryffin’s tiger, but he doesn’t move. “Jesus, dude, what the fuck have you been eating? You weigh a ton. Get off our mate. She needs to practice shifting.”

Gryffin gives me one more lick and releases me, prowling back and forth and nudging me with his head impatiently. I gingerly get to my feet, unsure of myself, but it all comes naturally. Just like being a polar bear in the water, being a tiger on dry land feels right. I take a step, testing myself, and when I don’t stumble, I take another. Gryffin stands next to me, his body brushing against mine like he’s going to catch me if I stumble. The two of us follow Liam back down the tunnel to the waterfall. Liam shifts into his bear and gives us both an affectionate headbutt before flinging himself into the water and disappearing. We pause at the edge of the pool, but when Gryffin just leaps in and starts paddling, we follow him, trusting the two of them will keep us safe.

My tiger swims just as well as my bear did. The giant, saucer-sized paws move through the water, propelling us forward. We close our eyes and lay our ears flat as we go under the rushing wall of water, but when we come out the other side, we blink owlishly at the bright light, shake our head, and keep going.

“Finally,” Brodie calls from the edge of the pool. Micah, Gem, Brodie, and Hunter are all seated under a tree, but at the sight of us, they stand up and come over.

“Nice, a tiger form too. That makes all but my dragon and Gem’s phoenix, but we will have to try them another day. I don’t think flying in the dark for the first time is the smartest idea, and we only have another hour of daylight.” Hunter looks up at the sky, and when I follow his gaze, I see the sun has dipped below the tree line. “We probably have enough time for you to change to the hydra and get a feel for it.”

I start to swim toward the edge, but Gem puts his hand up. “Why don’t you change in the water? The hydra is amphibious, so it should be just as at home in there as on land. Probably more so because its body is so large.”

Liam and Gryffin climb out and shift, and Brodie tosses them both a pair of shorts. My tiger licks her lips at the sight of their asses. She wouldn’t mind giving Gryffin a matching mate mark to Liam’s, but I manage to convince her to wait.

“Wow, you mated.” Brodie points at the silvery healed mark just before Liam covers it with his shorts, then to the one on his neck, whistling with wide eyes. “She really marked you up. There’s no mistaking that in the least. Congratulations, man, I’m so happy for you. How does your bear feel?” He grabs Liam and hugs him, and Liam beams at him with pride.

“My bear is the most settled he’s been in years,” he replies, rubbing his chest. “I feel… peaceful, and so fucking lucky.” He looks at me with hearts in his eyes, and my tiger wants to preen at his attention, but instead, I think about becoming the hydra. I can’t really picture it in my mind, but I pay attention to the biggest presence inside my well of magic and allow it to take over. Again, there’s a flash of light, and I close my eyes, but when I open them, my vision is distorted and multifocal, and it’s disorienting. I look down on the guys despite still being in the pool, and they all stare up at me with awe. My hydra body is huge and towers over them.

“Holy shit, a hydra. That’s incredible,” Micah mutters as he steps closer.

“Didn’t she only have six heads before?” Hunter asks, frowning at me, and Brodie nods.

“Yeah, she did. Now she has eight.”

“Well, she has eight mates now too. I think maybe it correlates,” Gem suggests, waving a hand at me. “Have a swim and then try to climb out. You need to get a feel for how that body moves. I’m not sure how helpful it will be in an enclosed environment. It would destroy most buildings, like Hunter’s dragon.”

I take his advice and swim around the pool. Thankfully it’s deep and wide so I can get used to the feeling of using this form in the water, but it’s still weird. All the heads seem to act independently of one another, and unlike my other forms, I am pushed right to the back of my consciousness, all eight minds taking over completely. I’m just along for the ride.

We finally emerge from the depths, lumbering up onto land to test our coordination. I find if I try to take over, there’s a lot of stumbling, and it’s kind of a disaster when we fall into a large tree, knocking it down, but if I let them do what they wish, it’s a lot more successful.

“Holy shit, she’s a fucking beautiful disaster,” Micah says after I untangle myself from the destroyed tree.

“Colbie.” Hunter approaches me, and one of my heads ducks down to nuzzle his chest. He startles and gapes at it for a moment before reaching up and scratching us between our eyebrow ridges. That head rumbles with pleasure, and all the other heads duck down to try and home in on the affection. “I can shift my dragon’s size at will to allow for smaller spaces. Why don’t you imagine yourself smaller? Hopefully you have the same kind of magic,” he suggests, chuckling as he tries to give each head a scratch.

Obviously my hydra understands what he is suggesting, because I feel a tingle of magic, and I’m suddenly much closer to the ground and everything seems bigger. Hunter smiles at us.

“Good girl,” he praises as the others approach.

“Huh, she’s about the size of a horse now. That was a good idea, Hunter,” Gryffin says as the others join us. Each of the heads turn their attention to one of the guys, all trying to grab some affection. They willingly give them the love they crave, and soon, all eight of them are purring weirdly.

“Come on, we have just enough time to get back to the palace before dark. Do you want to run back like this, Colbie? Or do you want Hunter to give you a lift again? You must be exhausted. Shifting takes a lot out of you when you aren’t used to it,” Micah asks. “There’s a shirt in the box I can grab for you so you won’t be naked if you want to shift back.”

A trill of acceptance comes from one of the heads. Micah moves to the chest, pulling out the item of clothing as I feel another rush of magic, and I’m on two feet again. I stumble, but Liam jumps forward, wrapping his arm around my waist to steady me.

“Easy,” he cautions. “It’s disorienting the first couple of times.” I’m suddenly aware I’m naked in front of all of them, but Micah is quick to hand Liam the shirt, and he helps me into it. It must belong to a male, because it’s so long it just about sits at my knees.

“How are you feeling?” Gem asks, a frown of concern marring his brow.

I take stock of my body, and a wave of exhaustion washes over me.

“Tired and hungry,” I tell him, and he nods.

“That’s normal. Come on, let’s get you something to eat, and hopefully there are no events planned for the night and we don’t get ambushed by the council at dinner.”

“She’s the queen, so even if they are, she can tell everyone to fuck off,” Brodie says, crossing his arms, and then a smile lights his face. “Double or nothing. First person back to the palace gets to spend the next two nights in Colbie’s bed.” He turns and starts running, and I watch in awe as he shifts on the fly. One moment he’s a man, and the next, he’s a black and gray wolf who quickly disappears into the forest. The guys exchange a glance, and Liam and Gryffin do the same thing, their tiger and bear following quickly after Brodie.

Gem rolls his eyes, but in a flash of fire, he shoots into the air.

“Cheating assholes,” Hunter grumbles before stepping back and shifting. All of them have completely shredded the shorts they were wearing, and Micah and I gather the bits up, tossing them into the chest by the large tree. We scramble up Hunter’s side and onto his back, and with a flap of his wings, we are airborne.