Bear Mountain Bride: Shifter Romance

by Sky Winters

  Now that she was going down this hallway though, she realized that she was unable to read any of the signs on the doors. His office had been easy to figure out, but that was because he was the man in charge. The Daskani had been picking up all kinds of people in their space travels, she was sure. And the general wanted to be respected by one and all of them. But these other random doors? Celeste had no idea which one was the bathroom and which was, say, Corporal Spaceman’s office…

  She hazarded a guess and turned the seahorse-shaped knob on the first door she saw. A loud growl greeted her, as well as the shiny, slimy skin of a black Daskani dragon creature.

  Well, now she knew one thing. The Daskani liked to sleep in their even more reptilian and amphibious forms. Now Celeste would not be afraid if she reached over in the night and felt Zephyr’s as-yet unknown and unseen dragon face.

  Actually, she would still be afraid. Who wouldn’t be afraid? But she would be more prepared, which did help.

  After backing out of that office room and reclosing the door, Celeste quickly tried a few more doors. Each one was yet another small room. All of the Daskani seemed to be in repose, and none of them had an Earth woman with them. She felt like Zephyr should have been very pleased with himself.

  That was before she turned around in the hallway and found that she was face to face with one of the guards. He narrowed his red-gold eyes at her. He was far from repose.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  A New Home

  “What are you doing out of your chamber, Earth girl?” the Daskani guard asked her.

  Celeste really had to pee, especially now that he had crept up on her like that. “Bathroom,” she blurted. “General Zephyr told me I could use the restroom out here. He said it was this way.”

  At the mention of Zephyr, the guard dropped his tough act. He realized that she was not just some Earthling; she was the general’s mate. That carried some amount of clout, she could see that now. “Oh, I see,” the guard said. “In that case, please allow me to stay out here while you use the necessary so no one disturbs you. Then I will escort you back to the general’s chamber. It is not safe for you to walk around alone. He should have known this…”

  She raised an eyebrow at him; sure that Zephyr would have come with her if it was really that dangerous. It was possible that the guard only thought it was dangerous for her because he himself was feeling lustful about an Earth girl roaming free and unattended. Zephyr had said that the other men needed to be slowly introduced to the women. “Whatever floats your boat,” she said to the guard before finding the correct door and stepping into the bathroom.

  Celeste relieved herself and then attempted to clean herself up in the odd half sink, half tub thing that the Daskani had going on. The bathroom was clearly not meant for women, as the toilets were more like large urinals. She was fortunate that they were big enough for her to daintily sit upon. The sink-tub allowed her to feel as though she was taking a quick bath, which was good after being intimate with Zephyr. She had become sweaty, among other things.

  As she stepped out of the bathroom, she felt pink and clean. She smiled at the guard, who had in fact patiently waited there for her. “Thank you,” she said. He marched with her back to General Zephyr’s quarters. She entered the room laughing and Zephyr looked up at her quizzically.

  “I just had a bathroom chaperone,” she told him. “You Daskani sure are paranoid.”

  “It’s like I told you,” he said. “We don’t trust ourselves around Earthen females. You are precious to us.” As he said this, he got up and walked over to her. Then she realized that there was another tray of food on his desk. This time it was piled high with mouth-watering meat.

  Zephyr wrapped his arms around her, giving her a hug that felt both awkward and surprisingly nice. She could tell that embracing people was not something that he did very often, and that made the gesture all the sweeter.

  They sat together at his desk, somehow turning it into a dining table with her on one side and him on the other as they ate the meat together. “You didn’t have to wait for me,” she said with a smile.

  He looked at her with raised eyebrows. “You do not like that? In our culture, it is polite.”

  Celeste shook her head a bit, but she kept smiling. “It’s polite in our culture, too, but you don’t have to wait for me. Especially not if you’re hungry. I am a big girl.”

  “You’re not very big,” he countered, and then he smiled a toothy smile at her.

  They ate the meat together and he was right. It was much nicer for her to be able to enjoy it without knowing which adorable creature the Daskani had killed to create this meal. It tasted unlike anything she had ever eaten on Earth. Most meat was scarce for the past few years. More was wrong than just infertility. Animals and plants were dying out, which was a sign to the humans that they very well could be next. That was why the Daskani’s help was so greatly needed and appreciated.

  Celeste wished that it could have felt less like the women had been sold into sex slavery, but she was glad that the dragon aliens were at least nice to them. Especially now that they weren’t in cages. She supposed that she had herself to thank for that. Perhaps it was a good thing that she was the general’s mate. She had some amount of power that the other women did not. Hence the way the guard had treated her upon realizing whose mate she was.

  “What is Daskan like?” she asked him as she ate, trying to imagine the kind of hot, mountainous utopia that could produce sexy dragon shifters and delicious, juicy meat. “How do you know that we won’t land there and all of us Earthlings won’t melt to death?”

  Zephyr sank his big fangs into what looked like a leg as he thought about her question. Something passed over his eyes as if his memories were being projected there. “I don’t believe that you will melt,” he said. “It is a rock surface, like your Earth. Not a gaseous surface.”

  She laughed slightly. “I know. I was mostly kidding. I am a fan of hyperbole.”

  “It’s probably not even worth asking what that means,” he said with a grin. “But I think you will like Daskan. You will probably have to alter your attire for the climate. I do not think this thick fabric you were will be comfortable in our atmosphere. But this is an easy adjustment.”

  She looked at his uniform. Reaching across, she felt the fabric and made a face. “Your clothes are pretty weighty, too.”

  “They are for visiting other planets,” he pointed out. “I will change when we land on Daskan.”

  Ooh, I wonder how much skin his clothes will be showing…

  Celeste had mated with Zephyr. She had gotten the stressful part over with. And now that she had made love with him, she felt more comfortable around him. She knew that it was not the way that things normally were. Normally, boy met girl, boy kissed girl and they went on several dates. Sex did not enter the scene until later. But in times of crisis such as this, there was no time for normal courtships. She was glad enough to know now that he was physically striking. He was much gentler than his size and teeth made it seem.

  She was almost going to be sad to return to Earth once they had conceived a baby. Staying on Daskan with him was out of the question when bringing babies to Earth was the whole reason for their coupling.

  When it came time for them to sleep, Zephyr pressed a button on the wall and it opened, revealing a bed which he pulled fully out. It reminded Celeste of something she had seen in movies set in the 1960s and it amused her to think that the alien species was behind Earth in some of its technologies. It came down from the wall and then Zephyr went to a closet and brought out some blankets and a pillow. He fluffed everything up and made the bed for her. Celeste watched him, happy and flattered that he was taking care to make sure that she was comfortable. He was way more hospitable than she had anticipated, given where they had started.

  “Thank you,” she said to him appreciatively. “It is nice to know that there is a bed in here. Although… Where are you going to sleep?”

  Zephyr lo
oked around as if he had just realized this fact for himself. Then he shrugged. “I can make do with a chair.”

  She got onto the bed and crawled under the sheets. “Don’t be silly. You can sleep in here with me.”

  A lustful look passed over his eyes. “I thought about that, but I did not want to be too forward.”

  Chuckling, she lifted the blankets on the bed beside her and patted the mattress. “Get in. I’m your mate. If you want to fuck me again, that’s kind of your prerogative.”

  Celeste did not want to push her luck. She knew that she was fortunate that Zephyr had had sex with her already, but if they had sex again… Well, she would be twice as lucky, she supposed.

  Zephyr got into the bed beside her and spooned her, wrapping his muscular arms around her. He kissed her neck and her highest backbone. It jutted out in a way that made it perfectly kissable. She smiled and closed her eyes, loving the sensation of his lips lightly brushing against her skin. The urgency of his lust soon came to her attention when she felt his hardness against her butt.

  Her whole world was about to change, maybe even tomorrow. She wanted to enjoy this night and time with him as much as possible. She wanted him inside her again.

  Turning towards him, she breathed hotly against his chest. “Hey,” she said seductively. “Will you mate with me again? I can tell you want to.”

  His lips quirked into a smile and he grabbed her, moving her onto her back and then mounting her. He pushed her skirt up and slid her panties down. Then he pushed his sizeable cock into her opening. He did not thrust quickly at first, taking his time to enjoy the feel of her. Zephyr groaned, closing his eyes as he allowed his long penis to explore Celeste’s alien pussy. She was unlike anything he had ever known. She flattered herself, thinking about how she had taken his virginity – at least in terms of sleeping with an Earthen woman. His sexual prowess made it seem as though he certainly had had sex before. She did not want to think about with whom or what, however.

  “Ohh, that’s right,” Celeste said, licking her lips. “Let me feel every inch of you. Get me nice and pregnant.”

  Normally, such a thing would not be a turn-on, but the Daskani was so into the idea of impregnating her that the mere word pregnant made him quicken his pace, as though fucking her hard and fast was the answer. “Celeste,” he moaned. “Celeste… You are amazing.”

  He said her name with such a need, such a desire. As if he might die if he did not utter it. She had never found her name to be such an aphrodisiac before.

  They came together, feeling their pleasure and their desire for each other come in waves of electric sensation. Keeping their bodies entangled in each other, they fell asleep. Celeste was not sure if she loved this mysterious alien yet. After all, it would take more than amazing sex and kindness to sway her or make her feel fulfilled. She wanted to love the father of her baby. She hoped that Zephyr could be that man. It would certainly make things easier.

  The spaceship landed on the planet of Daskan in the early morning hours – or at least what felt like morning hours to Celeste. Time was difficult to clarify when whizzing through space. There was no sunrise or sunset. It further emphasized the Earthen belief that time was simply an illusion. When the ship landed on the ground again at last, Celeste was shaken awake. Zephyr slept beside her, seemingly unaffected by changes in altitude. He was so used to space travel at this point that nothing really fazed him.

  She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking him excitedly as if he had not seen the planet of his birth before.

  “Hmm? What is it?” he asked her. Blearily, he opened his eyes. “We’ve landed.”

  Celeste nodded. “Finally, I feel like kissing the ground!”

  She threw back the blankets of their bed and stood up.

  Zephyr stretched and got up, joining her by the window of their cabin. He was less enthusiastic about being back on Daskan, mainly because he was an explorer. When he was on the ground, he was not sure what to do with himself.

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on her neck, causing Celeste to giggle. “I’m looking forward to going home with you,” she said. “I was beginning to feel like a space prostitute or something.”

  That made him raise his eyebrows at her, which just made her laugh harder.

  Together, they dressed – he put on his general’s uniform again, and she put on her little dress – and then they made their way from the ship. Celeste was pleased to see that the other Daskani had listened to her order and had freed the women from their cages. Now, everyone was paired up and seemingly happy. Well, as happy as they could be considering they’d been given no choice in the matter.

  Celeste did not have long to rejoice about being on solid ground. She realized quickly that the ground on Daskan was mushier than the one on Earth, and she was not sure that kissing it was a good idea. Not long after they got off their ship, a bizarre-looking shuttle came to escort the General and his new mate to his home. It was orange-yellow like the taxi cabs back home, but it was flat and driverless. It floated in midair, with small engines under it that emitted a glowing light blue gas.

  “How does that work?” she asked Zephyr.

  Without saying anything, just smirking faintly at her, he put his hands on her waist and carefully lifted her onto it. It was not high up off the ground, but Celeste was not a fan of heights when they were wobbly, and this certainly was. She grimaced back at him as he joined her on the space taxi thing, making it wobble and bob even more with his added weight.

  “Like most things, it is a robot,” he answered. “It will take us back to our home… Your new home.” He smiled at that, as if he had only just realized that Celeste was his mate and he was going to have her forever. At least, he thought that was the plan.

  She looked at him uneasily and, reaching over, told hold of one of his muscular, indigo arms as the small, flat shuttle whizzed them away from their space ship and towards places unknown.

  The home at which the taxi shuttle dropped off Zephyr and Celeste was not unlike a mansion back on Earth which, she was surprised to discover, disappointed her. She had not often dreamed of her time spent away on an alien planet, but in the dreams she had had about it, she had always been kept locked away in some sort of hovel or something. She did not imagine that the Daskani might live a civilized life, especially considering the way they had treated their guests aboard their ships. She wondered if this was only because she was chosen by the General.

  Deftly, Zephyr leapt from the taxi and then reached up to grab a strong but gentle hold of her as well. He brought her down and held her in his arms and she forgot all about her disappointment. He held her like a princess. She was his princess, and he was her brave and kind space General. She amazed herself with how much she cared about him now, after railing against the very idea of mating with a Daskani for so long.

  He carried Celeste into his mansion. It was built into the side of a jagged stone cliff. The whole planet was rocky and spongey, almost like it was made of one giant bog. The froglike appearance of the males was beginning to make sense. She did not see any other beings when they came off the ship, and she wondered if the reason the Daskani had answered Earth’s call was because they were a planet in need of females.

  “You have a beautiful home,” she complimented as he carried her inside and brought her straight to a sprawling bedroom that was more like a ballroom with a bed. Unlike the chromatic space ship they had been on, Zephyr’s home was white and bright, with a lot of windows that looked out on an expanse of water. An ocean perhaps? “Really, your whole planet is beautiful. The people of Earth should all just move here. You seem to be doing much better for yourselves.”

  Zephyr smiled and placed her gently onto the bed, the only real piece of furniture in his bedroom. The windows were open, allowing a gentle breeze to blow into the room. The bedsheets were like the curtains, white and opaque. Looking up at him, Celeste wondered at how this brawny beast had managed to keep his home so immaculate.<
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  “This is – what do you Earthlings call it? - my bridal suite,” he informed her, leaning over her so he could kiss her and touch her breasts through her dress with his fingertips. “Daskani do not all have a home like this. It is given to those who have a mate for life.”

  Celeste opened her eyes wide. What was he talking about? Mate for life?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Cerulean Savior

  Celeste stayed there on the bed and let Zephyr continue to kiss and fondle her, but she was practically frozen in place. “What did you mean, mate for life?” she asked him nervously. “I’m supposed to get pregnant and then bring my child home to Earth, to help the population problem… I cannot stay with you.”

  Zephyr stopped necking her and leaned back a bit so that he could look into her eyes and face and see that she was sincere in her statement. “But… I thought you were my mate.”

  She felt so bad for him. “It’s not that I want to leave you when this is all over. But I have a duty to my people.”

  It worried her now, that he might not want to have sex with her anymore. Why did I have to open my big mouth? she thought. I just wanted to be honest with him…

  “What if you can fulfill your duty to your people and still stay with me?” Zephyr asked thoughtfully. “What if I said that I would follow you wherever you go, even if I should have to live on Earth for the rest of my days?”

  She looked deeply into his green eyes. “You would leave this palace for me? Earth is nothing like this place.”

  He shrugged and moved in closer to her once more, gently taking her by the arm and pulling her into him so he could kiss her more easily. “There is no one like you in the whole of the galaxy,” he said in a soft tone before kissing her deeply and passionately.