How Not to Date a Skunk

by Stephanie Burke

  She sprung up and backed against the wall. “Stupid,” she hissed at herself, as he realized she had literally backed herself in a corner.

  He tossed his hair back and grinned at her. She smiled back, right before she lashed out at him, her bare foot slamming out to connect with his left knee.

  His eyes widened in shock before he dropped, crying out once in agony and clutching at his knee with both hands. She was sure she felt his patella slip out of joint and was never more glad that she’d taken self-defense classes in her youth.

  With him down, she didn’t stop to debate what to do next. She delivered one final kick to his head, shouting, “Bastard!” before she turned and ran from the room.

  “Keys, keys, keys,” she muttered to herself, racing into her living room, then remembered she’d left them on the hall table.

  She spun on her bare feet and was racing toward the front door when it slid open. She could not stop her cry of fright before she realized that it was Chaska walking inside.

  “What?” His gaze darted around the room, his nostrils flaring.

  With a low growl, he pushed her behind him. With narrowed eyes and his chest heaving in anger, he raced into the townhouse and skidded to a halt just inside the living room. There, standing in the doorway to the bedroom, was her attacker.

  “What are you doing here?” Chaska growled, his hair bristling like an angry cat’s.

  “She is not fit!” the younger warrior began, but an open-handed slap of disdain connected with the side of his face, knocking him into the side of the doorway, halting any other words he might have said.

  He pressed a hand to his face, glowering as he rose to his full height. Then, in a blink of an eye, there was a tearing sound as his clothes fell from his body. His form blurred and faded and, quicker than she could blink, there stood a large skunk in her house.

  “Really?” Chaska drawled, then there was another wet, tearing sound, and his clothes fell around him in tatters. Faster than the other skunk could move, Chaska shifted into his secondary form and was on the other skunk, claws tearing, teeth biting, his tail swaying as he tore at his victim.

  Fur flew around the room as Bilana stood there in awe. There were two giant skunks battling in her living room. Part of her wanted to run screaming from this diabolical display, leaving behind her clothing and everything that had to do with these strange people. But another part of her wanted nothing more than to grab a video camera and film this win. For her lover was winning.

  The larger skunk easily dominated the younger, his jaws gripping the other skunk’s neck and biting down hard. The younger tried to rear up, to spin around, to do anything to get the elder off of him, but Chaska was having none of that. He dug his claws in until he drew blood, his teeth tearing out tufts of hair. He climbed on the younger warrior’s back and set his back feet firmly on the ground.

  And then the humping began.

  At this point, Bilana was torn between laughter and tears as her lover mounted the younger male and forced him to the ground. There was no penetration as far as she

  could see, but he clearly was showing the younger who was Alpha… and it wasn’t the upstart.

  Chaska was growling angrily as he planted his back feet and whipped his tail around, striking the younger in the nose as he held him flat on the floor on his belly. He repeated this again and again, his front claw tearing into the younger warrior’s shoulders as he asserted his dominance.

  Finally, with a pitiful whimper, the younger lay still beneath the elder’s weight and anger.

  Growling still, Chaska got a better grip on the other skunk’s neck and gave him a powerful shake, making his head bob from side to side. And the younger did nothing, just lay there and took it.

  Finally, when he was apparently sure that the younger would not make a move, Chaska climbed off of his back and, in a flash, shifted back into human form.

  “How dare you?” He growled as he walked around the prone body to face the shamed younger, reaching out with human fingers and jerking his head forward. “How dare you come here and harm my mate?”

  It was odd to see the well-built, naked form of her lover right in the face of a huge skunk, giving him hell.

  “You have no right to do this, Wiago! You have no right to come here and assert yourself and make decisions about my life. You scared my mate, damn you. You saw her naked!”

  Chaska delivered a stunning blow to the side of Wiago’s head that had the large animal listing to the side.

  “Don’t lie. I can smell it on you.” Chaska again reached for Wiago’s head and gripped a handful of fur, lifting him so that he could stare deep into Wiago’s eyes.

  “Change.”

  Bilana didn’t know how she knew, but she could almost feel the compelling force of her lover’s nature as he forced the change on the younger warrior. One moment he

  was holding a fistful of fur and bad attitude — the next second he was holding a seriously pissed off young man by a hank of white hair.

  Although there had been some minor bloodshed and fur flying, when the younger was human again, all the visible wounds seemed to have disappeared.

  In spite of herself, Bilana was fascinated.

  “You come into the abode of my mate, stare at her bare body, attack her, and expect nothing to happen to you? What is your game, Wiago?”

  “No game,” the young one spat, glaring but still not putting up a fight.

  And that answer got him shaken to within an inch of his life.

  “You will tell me now!” Chaska roared, throwing the young one to the floor hard enough that his body bounced before he settled down on his stomach, glaring up at his — his alpha. Yeah, if there ever was a dominant skunk, an alpha skunk, Chaska was it.

  “I — I —” He turned his glare to Bilana, only to receive a sharp slap across the face.

  “You will not look at my mate, Wiago. You will look only at me.”

  Sullenly, the younger warrior stared up at Chaska for a moment, then he spat out, “She is not of the people.”

  “And?”

  “And?” He almost screamed the word. “And? And you would disgrace us all —”

  “Watch your words, Wiago.” Chaska snarled, a growl in his voice. Bilana could swear she could see his long, white hair bristle like it did when he was in skunk form.

  “She is not one of us.”

  “And who is to determine what lies in her spirit?”

  “How can she be one of us? She has no blood. She is not one of The People.”

  “Yet she was able to come into our sacred areas, to witness our ceremonies, was able to be my mate in all ways, Wiago. Now you tell me — how it is an abomination that I be with her?”

  Silence.

  “Is it because her skin is more brown than red?”

  Silence again.

  “Or is it because you want her for yourself?”

  “I do not want her!”

  Chaska inhaled deeply and grinned. “You may not want to want her, but your desire is plain enough for me to scent.”

  A flush of red spread over Wiago’s naked body, but he remained stubbornly silent.

  “You want what you cannot have, Wiago. You wanted to best me in the dance, and I have to tell you that will not happen until I am an old, old man.”

  Bilana couldn’t help it, try as she might, but the very sight of her lover dominating this young upstart, and watching him submit to his alpha, was a turn on.

  Yes, her lover was an alpha skunk if ever there was such a thing. It called to something dark and dangerous within her, something that reveled in the fact that he had taken on this younger opponent and put him flat on the ground despite his defiance.

  She must have made some sort of noise, or Chaska picked up on her scent, because he turned to stare at her for a moment, and then a wicked grin spread across his face, a grin that showed his elongated fangs and a bit of deviltry that she found irresistible.

  He stared at her for a moment, just
long enough to make her insides quiver, before he turned his attention back to the younger warrior. “You don’t know what you want, Wiago.” He snarled, bending low and staring deep into the young man’s eyes.

  “Even this heat is not your own. You are picking that up from me, probably from breathing in my pheromones, but this is not your heat. This is not your time. You act out of hormones and young brashness. You will never best me, and you will never lay a hand on my mate. Now, remember this. Nothing I possess, protect, or own will ever fall into your hands. You are only still alive because of my good graces and my lack of desire to draw blood before my bonded. And now you will take your disgraced person from these premises and you will forget that you ever saw my mate in disarray. The

  embarrassment you face here is nothing compared to what the elders will do to you.

  And if you dare return to this place while she is in residence, I will remove your left eye. If you see her walking down a street, you will cross the road to get away from her.

  And if I ever scent you near her, I will make it so that you never come into your true heat. Am I understood, boy?”

  As Chaska spoke, Wiago seemed to curl in on himself, diminishing under the wrath of his alpha. And with Chaska’s final words, all bravado fled. He was nothing more than a shaking, naked boy on the ground before the might of his alpha, and he knew it.

  “Understand?” The word was roared with such force that Bilana herself found it hard not to turn tail and run. But this was so very exciting, and her lover was so very naked and powerful…

  “Yes, Chaska.” Bilana almost missed the young one’s words as she temporarily lost herself in lusting after her lover’s body. But as he spoke, her eyes turned once again to the drama unfolding around her.

  “Then you will rise up, make your apologies and leave. The elders will be waiting for you.”

  “But — but…” the young warrior stammered. “I — I am naked —”

  “And it didn’t bother you to attack her when she was naked. Don’t bother lying, because your scent tells me everything I need to know.”

  Wiago’s head hit the floor with a thump, then Chaska snapped at him again. “I said now!”

  The young one moved so fast it was almost like the blur when he transformed.

  But instead of turning into a huge skunk, he rose to his feet and, hunched over, moved before Bilana.

  “I — I —” He looked over his shoulder at Chaska, who only crossed his arms, standing tall, naked, and proud as he shot Wiago a wicked glare.

  “I humbly — I humbly apologize,” Wiago managed in a rush. Suddenly all Bilana’s fear of this kid, because yes, he was powerful and big, but he was only a kid, fled.

  Bilana crossed her arms and stared down at him until he began to squirm, until his head dropped so low she was amazed he could still meet her eyes, until his cock tried to crawl up into his body, dragging his balls along behind it for safety.

  And then she smirked.

  “And if I do not accept his apology?” she asked, speaking over his head and turning her gaze to her lover.

  “Then I will have to beat him until he is pitiful enough for you to take mercy on him.”

  Bilana snorted. “Believe me, the way I am feeling right now, mate, it would be no hardship for me to watch. What do you do in real life, anyway?” she asked suddenly.

  “Not like this isn’t real life, but every day can’t be turning into a skunk and kicking young, stupid ass.”

  “I am Le Nez.” He grinned. “A perfumer, a nose.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” She chuckled.

  “I travel the world looking for exotic fragrances to blend into my creations. Some are for health and well-being, others are for enjoyment, and others are to enhance sensuality.”

  “Mmm.” She purred, almost forgetting the squirming kid before her.

  “Yeah.” He chuckled, inhaling in her direction. “I got a chemistry degree and a botany master’s and everything.”

  “Ohh, an educated man.”

  “Damn right.” He chuckled. “And they pay me a hellishly large sum of money to do what comes naturally.”

  “So you are very independent. I like that.”

  “I thought you would.” He paused. “So… are Native studies the scope of your interest? I know I could show you some places in Senegal that would make your mind explode with the beauty. And the tribes in the Congo…”

  “Um,” Wiago interjected, looking from one to the other with confusion on his face. “Apology?”

  “Mind explode?” She moved around the kid almost as if he was only an afterthought and moved closer to her mate. “You can explode my mind?”

  “Yeah,” he breathed, scenting her again as he uncrossed his arms and let them drift to his side, standing unthreateningly before her. “Sunsets in Japan, sunrises in India, the beauty of the desert at dusk, the majesty of the mountains of Tibet at dawn…”

  “Hey?” Now that the danger seemed to have past for Wiago, he was beginning to rebound in a youthful, exuberant, and all too annoying way, to Bilana’s thinking.

  “Apologizing?”

  “Then you will stand there until she is ready to accept!” Chaska suddenly zeroed in on the young one and roared, and Wiago curled up into a standing ball of misery once more. “If she makes you stand there naked and ashamed for an hour, you will do so until she is ready to accept your apology! And don’t think I can’t scent where she knocked you on your ass, boy. Her aggression is that much more powerful than yours.”

  “God.” Bilana shuddered as his words rushed over her. There it was again, that dark place that just reacted in a wet gush between her legs when he got assertive. “I like that.”

  Wiago could probably tell too, because he paled at Chaska’s bellow, then tentatively sniffed the air around her before he flushed bright red. “Oh, God,” he gasped, and clamped his hands over his bare crotch where it looked like his cock was trying to make an appearance once more.

  “I can tell.” Chaska purred. “Your arousal spiked when I mentioned sunrises and again when I castigated the boy.”

  “Beauty and power.” She purred. “Oh, yeah. I like.”

  “Chaska.” Wiago whimpered, looking like he was ready to bolt.

  “If I get rid of the kid, will you fuck me standing?” Bilana whimpered, moving close enough to feel the heat wafting off his body.

  “Indubitably.”

  “Apology accepted,” she called without turning around. “Get out.”

  “Chaska?” Wiago dared to ask. “Clothing?”

  “Get the fuck out!” Chaska finally roared, while Bilana began to laugh. She had gotten close enough to trail her fingers over his chest, tugging at his nipples while she licked her lips and stared up at him with desire-filled eyes she made no effort to hide.

  “You had no problems getting naked to transform. And I’ll bet you’ll have no trouble getting to your truck. Now get the fuck out!”

  The door slammed behind Wiago, and Bilana leapt into Chaska’s arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. “Fuck me hard,” she moaned, burying her face in his neck, breathing in his unique scent, and feeling it send electric fire flowing through her stomach and right down to her pussy. “Now!”

  It was a command he was only too happy to obey.

  She didn’t even register being slammed against the wall as his body pressed hard into hers. Her pussy was already wet and ready and the feel of him riding high between her thighs? Delicious.

  The power in his arm was enough to thrill her, and to feel those muscles bunch as he lifted her higher and positioned his hard cock…

  “Glorious!”

  His chuckle made her aware she had spoken out loud. Before she could open her mouth to say something suitably wicked, she felt the press of his cock against her opening, and all thought went out the window as he slammed in deep.

  God, he was just as filling as before, and she moaned, her legs wrapping even tighter around h
is hips. She buried her head against his neck, biting at his skin as her eyes squeezed shut. This pleasure was intense.

  And then he was lifting her, and slamming her back down on his fat cock again and again, faster and faster. It was going to be a wild one, she realized as she tightened her inner walls around his thrusting cock and groaned as a new set of nerves was stimulated. In this position, his cock ran along her clit before slamming deep inside her, sending tendrils of fire flowing through her body. She was being carried away, and all she could do was hold on for dear life!

  His hair flowed down their bodies, caressing her hot skin, tangling around her nipples and filling her small world with the rich, sweet scent of him. She could feel his ass checks clench and release, and he relentlessly pounded inside of her. The sounds he was making — the growls, the groans, the moans. They were so animalistic and so arousing she thought she could come from the sounds alone.

  And then he was shifting her higher, his mouth latching onto a nipple, biting, sucking, pulling, and it was enough to send her flying.

  “Chaska! Fuck, Chaska!” She was screaming as her legs tightened, her toes pointed, her ass clenched and her orgasm pounded its way through her.

  He never stopped moving, driving her climax higher, keeping her muscles clenching around him as he crooned his enjoyment, extending her fever pitch of excitement until she exploded again.

  Then he chanted her name, pounding out his own orgasm as his body tightened around her, holding her close as he came apart at the seams and was reborn in her arms.

  Weakly, his knees gave way, and they both slid to the floor, only the wall at her back holding them upright, him sliding out before he fully deflated. She ran limp fingers through his hair, pulling it away from his face so she could bite at his lips until he became aware enough to turn those bites into kisses.

  “Bed?” she managed to ask, her head still in the clouds as afterglow overtook her.

  “Yeah,” he answered, but they were both too weak to move.

  “So… mates?” she asked again, giggling for some unknown reason — maybe it was fear release and happiness? But she was giggling and she couldn’t stop.