by D. R. Rosier
“For sleeping with your old alpha?”
She smiled, “I don’t think like a human remember? I was pleased to share you with my old alpha, I love her you know, and you’re a hell of a gift. It was just the once though, to celebrate the treaty. I know you want closer intimacy with Lilith and I, and not meaningless flings, which is why I thanked you. I also know you don’t share, and I’m more than happy being just yours as well.”
“She’s a hell of a woman, I hope we can end up friends, as well as allies, but maybe that’s naïve.”
Julia said, “Perhaps for the other shifters and vampires, they could ally with you but never be your friends, but cat shifters are different. I don’t think it’s a naïve idea. Mages are the most like humans, just with power. You need to be careful though, betrayal is a real possibility. Stick to being friends with those you have a pact with.”
Lilith said, “Good advice.”
I nodded, and used the earth magic to scribe in the next ward.
“I’ve been thinking, about the cat shifter birth ratio. One man for every six females? Do you think that’s because of the cat part? Like a lion’s pride has one or two males, and the rest females, is that why do you think?”
Julia nodded slowly, “That’s been suggested before, and is very likely. A pride is mostly female, and that seems to inform our own birth ratio.”
“So, here’s my next question. Do you think it’s necessary, or simply an old DNA imperative for no reason except that it’s there?”
Julia asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well, the males of your pride get to pick and choose anyone they want right? Excuse the pun, but they get the pick of the litter. So, would it cause problems if the ratio of male to female was more normal, or even slightly more like a two to three ratio, would it cause men to fight to the death over a particular female if there were too many around? In the wild the extra males get chased off, or killed. I know you’re part human, but I was curious.”
Julia asked, “I don’t know. Why?”
“Because it would be simple in the extreme, for me to artificially change the ratio, and ensure more males are born to mate with the unmatched females. It sounds good in theory, you’d all have a shot at a male mate of your own species, but the unintended consequences concern me. Not even just if violence would break out among you with more males, but the other shifters wouldn’t be very pleased, would they? Not that I give a fuck about those assholes.”
Julia looked shocked, and I pulled her into an embrace. She buried her face in my neck, and shook.
“Did I step on a taboo or something?”
Lilith said, “I think she’s just shocked by the implications of your idea. Another unintended consequence would be a huge increase in cat shifters, you’d more than sextuple the amount of births. All the ones who don’t get mate, or even those that mate with another species, don’t have kids.”
I frowned, and caressed Julia’s hair, and nuzzled the top of her head. No, it wouldn’t take me very long to grow to care for her at all, I think I already did, just a bit. How could I not? This amazing female had given herself to me, and swore to protect me and my heirs. Yes, she’s getting something out of it, but it was becoming more and more clear to me that she enjoyed and even wanted to serve me. Perhaps simply because I treated her like a whole person, instead of just a warm hole to get off in.
Fucking shifters make me sick, the other ones I mean.
“You would do that?” she asked, her heart in her throat.
“If the alpha agrees, and you find a couple to volunteer. I’d just have to set the spell before they make love. Pretty simple. But… there’re a lot of consequences I can’t see, I don’t know much about cat shifters, except you’re pretty damned amazing Julia.”
She giggled, and kissed my neck, then stepped away from me. Not far, just far enough to look up into my eyes.
“Do you think so?”
I just nodded, a little lost in her intense beautiful dark amber eyes. I wondered what she smelled in my scent, because she looked a little thunderstruck.
She bit her lip, “Do we have time for me to blow you right now?”
I laughed, “Anytime you want. But we are a little pressed for time, he could be here any minute, right?”
She nodded, and said breathlessly, “Later then, I want to take my time, and enjoy it.”
Damn, to call me spoiled would be an understatement. I got back to the wards.
Lilith asked, “I can see the normal protection wards, and trap wards with sleep on them, but what are those other ones.”
I smirked, “My own creation. Mind spells, anyone with rape in mind will find themselves… impotent in this house. They’ll literally be unable to get a hard on. If they get violent after that, they take a nap via the sleep spell. Of course, if they’re feeling violent before they even get in the house, the physical wards will stop them at the door.”
Julia frowned, “That’s a nice thought, but sometimes our pheromones can really set off a shifter male. On purpose I mean, sometimes it’s fun to incite, and to be taken.”
I nodded, “Yeah, you’ve done that to me already, I get that. Those kind of bedroom games won’t be affected. Overcome by passion, and rape, aren’t even close to the same thing or intention, the latter is about power, punishment, and demeaning the target, the former is… not.”
In the human world, they were both probably rape, but here where the cat shifters actually incited those types of passions on purpose, it was a big difference.
Julia shook her head, and went over to sit by Lilith. Did I do something wrong? She didn’t seem agitated, just thoughtful.
That’s when I learned that Lilith could not only read my mind, she could also send me mind speech. It was like she was talking inside my head.
“She’s falling for you Andrew, think about all your doing for her and her old pride. You just keep pulling out thoughtful miracles, plus your generous in bed and more concerned about her pleasure than yours. She’s not used to any of that, especially not used to being treated like a lady, or having pride in herself. You care about her, and those she loves, even if just in the way you care about anyone in general.”
More than that, at least like a friend, and that would grow no doubt, how could it not?
I looked at Lilith, Julia wasn’t the only one either. I’d long past forgiven her for what she’d done. Outside of the Katia debacle, I felt like this was the life I was supposed to have from the beginning. It felt right to me in a way nothing else had before. I was still uncomfortable with the casual sex, mostly because I’d enjoyed it thoroughly and shamelessly, Gina was incredible, but I also knew it probably wouldn’t come up much. Dealing with cat shifters was just… a unique experience.
This time Lilith just winked at me, she was hard to read. Could she care as deeply for me as I probably would for her? I wasn’t sure, her body was probably capable of love, she had all the same hormones and other chemicals as anyone had, but she was also ancient, eternal, and quite possibly a little jaded. Time would tell I supposed, for both of us.
It took me about fifteen more minutes to finish the wards, and power them.
“We’re all set, you’ll have to take me here about once a week to recharge them, sooner if there’s a major battle, the physical wards will take more magic. Plus, it will give you a chance to visit, and for me to get to know my new allies better. Maybe we should make a thing of it.”
Julia nodded in happy agreement, and said, “Lunch? I’m surprised they didn’t get here yet…”
Lilith narrowed her eyes, it’d been at least two hours since we’d arrived here, maybe longer, and I felt her form a spell with no words and release it. I didn’t know she could do that. Angel, dumbass.
Lilith winked at me again, and then said to Julia, “I couldn’t scry you. I think we found another of your abilities, probably the last one. Some ancient vampires do have the ability to cloak themselves. In short, unless one of the cat shifters betray
us, he won’t figure out we’re here until he shows up.”
“Well, let’s go eat, and see about sending him an invite…”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gina smirked, “He’ll be here in twenty minutes, he’d already planned to stop here at lunch. Will he really not be able to get in?”
I’d a tight hold on my emotions, I’d heard him bellow at her to get ready for him. I didn’t even want to know what that meant, except that it couldn’t be good. Her face and body was flawless, but I knew that didn’t mean shit, shifters could heal horrific damage in just hours, and about anything just short of death within a day.
I replied, “Not at first, given enough time and effort the ward can be broken through. Assuming of course, he comes here meaning harm.”
Gina looked thoughtful, “Let’s eat then, and wait for him outside. I’ll give the challenge there. If he gets too frustrated about the ward he might not even listen.”
There were only seven cat shifters in the huge house, including Gina and the two we’d seen on the porch coming in, and then the three of us. The table would sit at least twenty, just short of three times as many, and I was pretty sure some of the chairs were missing. The gaps between them seemed a little too big. The table could easily accommodate four more chairs, or even six would just make it a bit cozy. It made me wonder how many there should be right now, but I didn’t want to ask upsetting questions. Maybe I’d ask Julia about it when we got home, but regardless, it seemed like the mansion could easily support almost three times as many.
There were more cat shifters in Seattle of course, elsewhere, there were no males in this house, the pride’s mated couples were in smaller houses on the large property, raising their children away from the grim realities here. As crude as it felt to think it, these ladies were the extras, and the unclaimed. It was rather boggling to me, but then I wasn’t a shifter. I couldn’t fix my new world to my own moral concepts from my old one, that would be wrong. This was how it was supposed to work, except for the last ten years of rape I mean. I didn’t have the right to impose my will, but maybe I could make a few changes that the shifters wanted. It’s why I set up the wards, and offered my services for the birth ratio under the treaty.
It wouldn’t change a whole lot. That wasn’t my intention, but it would at least stop the rape and abuse that ran rampant through this shifter community. Julia had told me that part of things was not typical at all in other cities. Just… Joseph. That bastard needed killing, so things could get back to what they used to be. From what I understood, obviously so, was that the cat shifter women needed the single men in the other packs to visit and help them out sexually, but it should be by mutual consent and without violence, not this horrible situation.
We sat down and dug into our meals. The other six shifters present were introduced to me by Gina as we ate. Catherine and Sharon were the redheaded twins I’d noticed on the way in, Tammy was the petite light blonde, and Jenny was the tall willowy brunette. Cindy and Dana were the two from the porch. The former was curvy as sin and had a rather adorable heart shaped face with light brown hair and hazel eyes, and Dana was petite but still plenty curvy, with jet black hair and bright green eyes. I hoped I’d be able to keep track of who was who, I was sure I’d get to know all of them in my weekly visits, and I don’t mean in the biblical way. I was seriously going to try and avoid that, although in Gina’s case, it might be far too late.
I explained the wards as best I could, and avoided talking about my other idea to shift the ratio of births. Julia would talk to Gina in private about it when she got a chance, and let the alpha consider it and get back to me on it.
Tammy frowned, “What if they avoid us after this, I mean…” she blushed.
Gina shook her head, “I doubt it, all the good ones that aren’t sadistic enough to get into Joseph’s good graces, to get approved for visiting us, will be queued outside the door by tonight.”
Tammy replied, “I hope so, I’ll be glad to see the bastard gone, but I just couldn’t help but worry what might come next.”
We didn’t have a whole lot of time before Joseph was supposed to be here, and we all ate quickly and headed outside.
It was a bright sunny day in late May, and I took a look around. When I first got here most of my focus had been on the house, and the two large cats sunbathing on the porch. The air was crisp, clean, and there was a light breeze that was a good counterpoint to the warm sun. The mansion was in a large acreage of fields and trees, a lot of it left to grow wildly except for close to the house. The grounds had its own long twisting road, which gave the cat shifters plenty of privacy from any prying human eyes.
Behind the house, maybe a quarter mile away, was a very large forest tree line, which I could only assume was one of the many state parks around Seattle. I think I preferred to live in the city, I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy living in this place, but it would be a hell of a place to visit often, and quite relaxing. It was also just about perfect for a shifter pride, I was sure they loved it just fine. I imagined the other shifter packs spread out around Seattle had similar setups.
Except maybe the water shifters, maybe they lived on house boats?
Lilith, Julia, and I sat on one of the benches on the porch as we heard a car coming, we thought it would be better to be unseen until Gina delivered her challenge, and Joseph accepted. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, he might scent us if the wind blows just right, or wrong as the case may be.
I was a bit surprised, when he pulled up in a park ranger SUV. The man was huge when he got out. I wasn’t a slouch that way at six foot two, with an athletic build, but this guy was even taller, at least six foot five, and had a build that would give a professional linebacker bad dreams. He was bulky, but it was all muscle. He had short dark brown hair, and brown eyes. He also had a scowl on his face.
“Didn’t I tell you to get ready bitch!”
He sounded far too angry, and I realized then, as I watched him, that I didn’t think he was sane. I mean, not by human standards at least. He looked… enraged, that she hadn’t gotten ready for him, whatever the fuck that meant.
Gina said, “I challenge you for head alpha Joseph, I’ve had enough of your shit. I’m also declaring Julia as my champion.”
Julia stood up, and so did Lilith and I.
Joseph’s eyes narrowed, and he sniffed the air carefully. He looked, not afraid, but very paranoid.
“That bitch is marked for death, a fugitive, and she isn’t pack. Her scent isn’t even right, she stinks like one of the leeches. She can’t fight for you.”
Gina said, “I have a treaty with the warlock, and she belongs to him now. She can fight for me.”
He shook his head in disbelief and screamed, “No! You’re a traitorous bitch, you broke faith and law by not calling me as soon as she showed up. There will be no challenge. I will be back with others, and teach all you bitches a lesson you’ll never forget. When I’m done, your house will be ashes, and you’ll whore yourselves out of tents, all except for you Gina, you’ll be executed, slowly, right alongside that bitch Julia.”
Well, so much for the plan. He was obviously deeply disturbed, and paranoid. The idea Gina was a traitor was also bullshit, not by true pack law anyway, instead of his twisted dictator version. He moved back to his car, walking backwards.
Julia growled under her breath, and rushed him. I didn’t even see it happen, she moved so fast. Joseph went flying back about fifty feet and landed on his ass, I heard a loud crack that could only have been his sternum. It wasn’t the plan, but it was better than watching him drive away.
All the cat shifters save Gina ran back into the dubious protection of the house.
Julia rushed him again, but he roared and kicked out, sending her flying back toward the house to land on her ass. She was alive, barely, but her chest was caved in. I knew one on one she’d have kicked his ass easily, so he must be pulling magic from the packs. Exactly what we’d hoped to avoid. I immediately healed her, a
dded to her own fast vampire healing ability she was up on her feet in moments.
I turned to help, it wasn’t a true challenge so I should be able to interfere and use magic, especially since he was also cheating by pulling energy from all the other alphas, except maybe Gina. Seemed fair to me.
Problem was, he didn’t stay to continue the fight. While I’d healed Julia, he’d healed with all that extra shifter magic, and was already in his car racing down the driveway backwards. He was already too far away for balefire, that didn’t work farther than fifty feet or so since it was a constant stream of infernal fire from my body. I also knew by the time I tried to cast a fireball spell, or one of the other offensive spells I knew, he’d be around the bend and out of reach, so I didn’t bother.
Gina said, “Fuck, this is bad.”
“We didn’t count on him throwing shifter tradition and law out the window like that, is he insane, or are all bears like that.”
Gina snorted, “He’s always been a beer short of a six pack, but today he was worse than usual.”
Julia frowned, “He did seem rather nutty. Think it was because of me escaping his sadistic ass?”
Gina patted Julia’s arm, “Not your fault, I ordered you to live, remember?” she winked at me, her gaze looked down at my crotch, and then said sultrily to Julia, “You even brought me back a tasty snack.”
I was pretty sure she was joking to diffuse the tension, mostly.
Julia snickered, “Okay, fine, not my fault. What do we do now? He’s going to come back with his bears, and a shitload of wolves, not to mention snakes.”
At least we didn’t have to worry about the water shifters, unless they came in human form that is.
“Fortify the house even more. I can add deadlier wards pointed outwards, or more sleep and paralyze wards. We all hunker down inside.”
Gina said, “Sleep? The less we’re forced to kill the better, our only true enemy is Joseph, and perhaps the wolf alpha, Carmine. The rest follow out of fear. I can’t judge them for that, we’ve been spreading our legs out of fear for ten years to survive.”
