Tabby jumped from the shooter and ran to the car to pick up the second cub. She rubbed her cheek against the top of his head and kissed the bridge of his nose.
“Get in. I’ll drive you while you guys hold them.” Deno held the shooter in place as it hovered a foot or so off the ground.
“Take care of Jonah.” Geno glanced at Reno. “Make sure you watch him. We’ll do the memory wipe on him once we see to the care of these three.”
Jonah met his gaze, his mouth open and eyes wide. “Memory wipe? You never said anything about anyone wiping my memory!”
“Would you have followed me if I’d told you? What did you expect to happen when you’ve been flapping your lips all over the damned state?” He glanced back at his eldest. “See to it that he doesn’t escape.”
“Yes, sir,” Reno said as he stepped up behind Jonah and grasped him by the arm. “He’ll be here waiting when you get back.”
Xeno and Tabitha climbed in holding the two cubs, and Geno followed, settling down on the seat that curved around the inside of the enlarged teacup. The spoon handle that acted as the steering device stood straight up as the cup sat in one position. Once everyone had settled down on the curving seat, Deno pushed the handle forward, and they took off like a shot.
It was probably a good thing the sun had nearly set. It would be difficult to see the huge teacup dancing over the desert floor on its way to his ship. The last thing they needed was to have to hunt down another idiot like Jonah.
In a car, they would have had to stay on the road. Using the shooter, they cut across the desert floor and headed straight to the mountains. The crazy teacup vehicle took a normally thirty-minute drive and turned it into less than fifteen minutes.
Darkness closed around them as they neared the base of the mountain. The red of the setting sun dimmed to maroons and purples until they were left in total darkness, with nothing left, but the bright lights mounted on the outside of the cup.
“Hurry. Something’s happening. Wynter’s temperature is rising. I can feel it.” Geno brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek. How high could her temperature go before it damaged her? Shifting her in his arms, he brought her head up, hoping the cool, night air would help keep her temperature down.
The cup spun around trees and charged around rocks as they flew up the incline. The longer Deno held the handle pressed forward, the faster the shooter hurtled through the dense trees and brush. Soon, the forest around them was nothing more than a blur.
Less than five minutes from the time they started their upward trek on the mountain, they arrived at the ship. The entryway, covered by a holographic blanket of trees and brush parted when he shouted the voice command to reveal it.
“Follow me.” Standing, Geno jumped from the shooter, barely noticing Wynter’s slight weight as he held her close to his chest. Her red face worried him as the heat radiated off her. He ran up the boarding platform and headed for the medical bay. “There are six med-beds. Pick one for each of the cubs and press the evaluation key.” He rested Wynter on the closest bed and waited for the computer to assess her condition.
“Medical evaluation commencing on three subjects.” The disembodied female voice of the computer did little to make him feel better. Nothing would until the female could sit up and take care of herself.
Transparent domes lowered over the three patients, the tubes sealed over them, and the computer regulated the environment within the small chambers, raising oxygen levels and dispensing fluids.
“Human female...correction, former human female, blood pressure two-hundred-fifty over one-hundred and thirty-five, the patient is hypertensive. Temperature is one-zero-eight Fahrenheit, forty-two point two Celcius. Both blood pressure and temperature are dangerously high for human physiology.” A few beeps followed the results. “Facilitating remedial therapy and restoring patients to full health.”
Tubes lit up over all three of the patients amid a loud whirring noise Geno recognized as the healing centers in the enclosures. Holographic monitors blinked, each of them showing the repair of their internal organs.
“Diagnostics complete. Three former humans, now healthy wolf shifters. Replacing discrepancies found in human and shifter DNA with viable Zolon shifter genetic material.”
“But they’re okay now, right?” He asked the sentient computer he designed to help him run his ship alone. He knew one day he would return to Zolon by himself. Having artificial intelligence smart enough to help him on the long journey was his only option. There was no way he would ask his sons to accompany him and watch him take his own life. Zolonian ritual or not, he refused to ask any of his children to bear witness to his death.
“They are now healthy human-shifter hybrids. I have reshaped and rebuilt their organs to satisfy the needs of the individuals. The children will grow but will need recurring visits twice yearly to augment the human-wolf growth hormones their bodies cannot produce. Once fully grown, they should regulate any hormones and genes needed for mating and procreation. Assessment; a new human hybrid discovered. Adding new DNA strands to log.”
The med-tubes opened with a hiss and raised to the ceiling, leaving Wynter and her cubs sleeping on the raised platforms.
“Wow. That was something.” Tabitha stared up to where the tubes disappeared into the overhead. “Can the computer heal anything?”
“I can heal any known injury, virus, or genetic anomaly with the correct equipment.” A recorder dropped from the ceiling and stopped just over Wynter as she lay still as death on the table. “I can also detect when someone is feigning sleep.” A blunt needle ejected from the side of the platform and jabbed Wynter in the hip.
“Ow!” She jumped and rolled off the table with a frown, rubbing the side of her wide, but attractive posterior. “What the hell?”
Chapter Seven
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?” Wynter scowled down at the strange gurney she’d just vacated and the large, ten-inch-long needle that had just stabbed her in the ass. She danced around in a circle, trying to see if she was bleeding.
“That was an incentive for you to get up off the med-bed and acknowledge those who helped you.”
Wynter jumped at the strange, disembodied female voice. “Who said that?” She looked around the room and then noticed the two small cubs curled up on separate tables to her left. “What did you do to them?” She glared at Geno with narrowed eyes.
“I healed them.” A strange-looking camera dropped from the ceiling, then circled her head for a moment before moving sideways and hovering over the twins. “They were slowly dying from whatever had turned them into wolf-shifters.” The woman on the other end of the camera sniffed as though Wynter had insulted her. “If you’re going to continue to be so insulting, I can change you all right back to the way I found you.”
“No, you won’t!” The man she remembered as Geno scowled and barked up at the camera. “I swear to the gods if you do such a thing, I will tear you apart and sell you for scrap. He narrowed his eyes. “Computer or not, I think you will care if you cease to exist.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Try hurting these three and watch me.” He snarled up at the device. His eyes glowed gold, and a deep rumble began in his throat, before he growled, as though to demonstrate exactly how serious a threat it was. “You will stop intimidating her now!”
“She started it.”
“And I am finishing it.” He growled again until the device raised into the ceiling and disappeared.
Wynter limped over to the twins. Her rear still smarted, and she rubbed her hip as she walked.
“Why aren’t they waking up?” She dismissed the idea of a talking computer. Why these people had a robotic arm with needles wasn’t her chief concern at the moment. She’d think about that later. The boys were more important. She twisted her fingers together, wishing she knew what to do to care for them.
“Maybe they’re exhausted.” Tabby stepped up beside her and stared down at one of them.
“Pe
rhaps.” Reaching out, she stroked Nicky’s, or was it Noah’s head. How in the world was she ever going to tell them apart? They were just as identical as wolf cubs as they were as human children. “What am I going to tell them when they wake up?”
A tear slid down her cheek as strong hands settled on her shoulders and Geno—she’d recognize his scent anywhere—pulled her back against his bare chest.
God, it felt good to lean against someone again. Especially someone with a strong chest to rest her head against, or a wide shoulder to cry on. Geno had both, and it felt nice—too nice.
Warmth seeped through the cotton shirt she’d borrowed, and his scent grew stronger. Her heart stuttered as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand settling just below her breasts.
Her face burned with mortification when she realized that not only were her nipples hard and jutting against the thin cotton, but that the length of his hard cock had nestled between her butt cheeks. She felt it throb against her rear and clamped her lips together before she did something stupid, like moan.
How could she feel this way? Had she ever really loved Ben? It didn’t feel as though she did if she could lust after this man who looked half her age so soon after his death.
Two years is a long time. It’s plenty of time to mourn the loss of a loved one. Don’t throw this gift away. Embrace it. Embrace him before it’s too late.
The voice in her head wasn’t hers. She didn’t know whose voice it was, but it would do well to mind its own damned business. Wynter squeezed her eyes closed and tried not to groan. Was she going crazy? Not only did she hear voices in her head, but she was also arguing with them. How in the world could she care for Nicky and Noah if she had lost her mind?
You are not crazy. You are as sane as any woman. You hear me because I have brought you two together. Geno needs you, just as surely as you need him.
That’s it. She really was going crazy. Wynter brought her hand to her mouth with a sob. What was she going to do? She couldn’t keep the boys. Not in her condition.
A soft whimper caught her attention, and she shifted her gaze back to the boys. They both stirred, their eyes blinking slowly open as they stared at each other, their little tails wagging.
They looked happy. Did they think being wolves was fun? She stared at the two and decided yes. They probably did think being wolves was something awesome. What little boy wouldn’t want to be able to shift his shape into an animal?
“Hi! My name is Tabby.” Tabitha knelt between them and smiled. “Can you two do me a favor and think about what you look like when you’re little boys?”
They looked at each other, some strange twin communication passing between them before they both looked at Tabby again.
“Come on, you two. You can change back into wolves anytime you want. All you have to do is think of being wolf cubs again. Right now, Wynter needs you to be little boys. She’s worried about you.” She looked at each of them in turn. “Now, think about how you look and how you feel when you’re little boys. What does it feel like to run and play? How fun is it when you get on a swing and swing higher and higher?”
Eyes closed, their bodies trembled, and the air shimmered around them as their bones stretched, and their muzzles shortened into cute little boy faces with plump rosy cheeks.
“Whoops!” Tabby bit her lip and turned away. “Next time, try to remember what it feels like to be little boys with clothes on, and your clothes will come back with you.”
Xeno grabbed what appeared to be two large uniform shirts and tossed them over the two boys. “Sorry about that, guys. I know they’re big but put them on for now, and I’ll go show you an awesome machine that will make clothes just for you.”
“Thank you.” They said in unison and then pulled the shirts over their heads.
“Why are you crying, Auntie Wynter?” They both ran to her and grabbed her hands. “We’re okay. See?”
Wynter felt Geno stiffen behind her as though surprised.
“Auntie Wynter?” Geno breathed the words against her ear.
Goosebumps erupted on her arms and legs. A fire began in her stomach and moved lower, into her groin. What was she thinking, standing there just letting him hold her against his hard body?
She should move. Yes. That was it. She should move away from Geno and tell him to stop touching her. So why didn’t she? Why did she still stand within his embrace while he pressed his hard cock into her backside and drove her crazy with needs she had no business having for any man?
“Please.” She finally managed to make her body obey her and stepped away from him. “If there’s some miracle clothing machine around here, can I get something else to wear, too?” She turned to Geno, her cheeks blazing. She pulled the shirt away from her breasts in an attempt to hide the fact that her nipples were probably hard enough to cut diamonds. “Thanks for the loan, but clothes that fit would be great.”
“Of course.” He bowed again, in that weird formal way that made her nervous. “Follow me, and we’ll see to getting you dressed more to your liking.”
Wynter liked wearing his shirt, there was no doubt about that, but she felt so exposed when the thin cotton showed every one of her too-generous curves. She also didn’t like the way the fine material tented when her nipples got hard. Clothes that fit, with real underwear, sounded perfect.
“Thank you.”
“You are quite welcome. In fact,” Geno paused and waved his arm toward a wall that suddenly slid open when he gestured with his hand. “Tabby can help you here, while we take the twins to another room.” He glanced at Tabby. “Dress her any way she sees fit. Make sure she has an entire wardrobe, and replicate a bag or two to pack her things in while you’re at it.”
“Yes, sir.” Tabby smiled and followed Wynter farther into the room. The door slid closed with a hiss, and they were alone.
“Is he always like that?”
“Like what?” Tabby turned to the door with a frown before facing Wynter again. “You mean so intense?” She shrugged. “I guess. I haven’t known him for very long. Deno and I just got together a few months ago, and well...” She blushed. “We’ve been spending most of our time alone.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Wynter grimaced and turned to look at a machine on the wall with dozens of blinking lights. “Is this the machine he was talking about?”
“Yes.” Tabby moved closer and looked her up and down. “I think you’re about my size.” She tapped her chin. “An eighteen, right?”
“Sometimes, I’m a twenty.” Wynter’s face still burned. She hated telling anyone her size. It was embarrassing.
“Don’t be embarrassed. And don’t deny it,” Tabby said with a smile. “I can recognize the signs. We’re both girls here.” She turned to the machine and started touching the screen in different places. It almost looked as though she were using a rhythm, but Wynter wasn’t sure. “So, do you think Geno’s cute? I do, but then Deno looks just like him, so I guess I would. They all really have white-blond hair like Reno and Ceno, but they’ve decided to mix it up a bit with the glamor spell that Topper gave them that hides how they really look so they can live on Earth without being discovered.”
“What?” Wynter stopped reaching for the gorgeous, emerald-green blouse that had just appeared behind a glass door like magic and stared at her. “How did this blouse just appear behind the glass?”
“They’re aliens, and this is alien tech.” Tabby raised her brows. “You’re on their ship. Didn’t you know?”
“Aliens? You’re kidding me.” Wynter leaned back against the wall, bent at the waist, and held her hands to her head. “What do you mean they have a spell that hides how they appear? How do they look without the glamor, then?”
Visions of the gray aliens she’d seen on the UFO specials on TV danced through her head. She held her hand over her stomach that had suddenly felt as though she’d gone up in an elevator at mach three.
“They are exactly the way they appear. They’re just as buff and twice as handsom
e if you ask me. Only they’re a medium blue, with darker blue stripes. They're just as hot. Maybe hotter, if you think about it, ” Tabby said matter of fact, her head tilted. “ How many other men on Earth would like us just the way we are?”
“I don’t follow.” Wynter frowned as she fisted her hands in Geno’s shirt. She’d been about to remove it when Tabby dropped that last little bit of information.
“They like big girls. You know. They think we’re perfect just as we are. One of the other girls told me they’re afraid they’ll break the skinny chicks. Not that there’s anything wrong with being skinny.” She grinned. “Though, I’m sure that if a thin girl ended up being a mate to one of them, they would love her just as much.”
“They’re chubby chasers?” Isn’t that what Ben had called himself when they’d gotten married? Not once while they were dating, had he asked her to lose weight, though he had asked her to bleach her hair to a honey blonde, even though she’d always liked her auburn hair. Her hair had been the one thing she’d always liked about herself.
“I don’t know that they would call themselves that.” Tabby concentrated on letting her fingers dance over the control panel and then stopped to pull an armload of clothes from behind the glass door before she started up again. “They think women are sent to them by their goddess. They love all women. Truth be told, I think they kind of revere us to some extent.”
“You’re kidding me.” Wynter took the clothes from Tabby and started folding them as they talked. Why wasn’t she more shocked about having met aliens? She should probably be screaming something like, No way, that’s impossible.
“Nope. Not a bit.” Tabby looked at her again with a quizzical eye. “I can’t tell what size you are up top with that baggy shirt hanging off you the way it does. Do you mind telling me so I can replicate you a few bras?”
“Oh, uh, sure.” Wynter glanced toward the doorway, making sure they were alone before she lowered her voice to a near whisper. “I’m a forty double D.”
Wooing Wynter Page 5
