His massive thighs were rock hard when she took one hand to run up and down his leg. Maximus laughed when she tickled his ankle. With slow deliberation she trailed her fingers up to his ass making him wiggle.
As he hardened she stood, wanting his thrusting inside of her, so she turned and bent over. She grinned as he chuckled. Posy screamed when she was grabbed by furry paws. Maximus had sworn he would never take her in animal form.
He wasn’t. A giant sloth tossed her over a shoulder and swung from vines to the ground. She heard Maximus roar and watched as he shifted while he leapt from the great height to crash down onto the ground, followed by Andro. She was pulled to the chest of the huge sloth.
“Merit, release my mate.” Maximus roared the words, and Posy slapped her hands over her ears.
Merit shrugged and changed into his human form. He looked the same as he had on Earth, and when he spoke his words were clear and deep.
“The little female isn’t mine. This one must be.”
“We already mated.”
Posy glared at Merit, balled a fist and swung, slamming into his jaw. He let her go and stumbled back.
“Bloody hell, will everyone kindly stop kidnapping me? It’s pissing me off.”
Maximus stayed in saber form while Andro shifted, and the three males were scowling at each other.
“What’s going on?”
Tac came and stood between Posy and Merit. All business, he took in the blood on Merit’s face. “Who hit you? Maximus or Andro? You know there is to be no fighting.”
“I hit him,” Posy shouted. “He’s lucky his family jewels are intact. He grabbed me from up there.” She pointed and almost swooned for the first time really noting the distance. She flopped onto her ass.
Tac crossed his arms over his chest. “Damn it, Merit. Stealing a mate is a huge offence. And scaring a female is reprehensible. Get your shit together. You can tell they mated. I can, so you can.”
“Her scent is too strong not to notice,” Merit whined.
Posy gnashed her teeth together. “So help me if one more person tells me I stink I’ll go ape shit.” She then cast a glance to the gorilla in the tree overhead. “No offence.”
“Maximus, you can shift. There is no one who will harm your mate,” Tac said.
“I’m kinda naked.”
Posy shrieked, realizing the same. “I’m naked.”
Maximus sprang forward, and with a paw scooped her up and lunged back up into the tree house. Posy grabbed a sheet the moment he released her and wrapped it around her shoulders. She strode to the open window and gazed out. Vast beauty flowed in rainbows before her. Lavender, brilliant pinks, deep purple, and stunning ebony accented multitudes of greens and yellows. Vines hung from everywhere, dripping in color. She then gazed at the shifters wondering who else was going to try to take off with her.
“Welcome to your new home,” Maximus said.
She relaxed into the warmth of his broad naked back as he pressed against her. He wrapped his arms around her. They watched massive birds floating on gusts of wind. Her hair and the sheet ruffled in the breeze their long wings made.
“Are they shifters?”
“Yes,” Maximus said. “Many are the size of great cats. When I was a child I envied the falcon shifters. On your world the bird of prey is so much smaller. Here as you can see they are as tall as I am. At one time they were warriors. They protected our skies. There were other species who came here, but we destroyed them or so history goes. They weren’t a nice race. They traveled in vessels.”
“What did they want?”
“Females and children. Their planet wasn’t dying. Their people were. A great illness overcame many. I guess they hoped to repopulate. They came to steal and died trying. Our moonbeams won’t allow a shifter to steal a mate. They must belong together. Kidnapping is reprehensible to my kind, and the beams won’t allow that to occur. I meant what I said, the beams wouldn’t have allowed you through unless you were meant for a shifter. All the women brought here are meant to be here. The aliens couldn’t travel the beams, and the ships have long since stopped coming here.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Well before my great-grandfather was born. You don’t have to worry.”
“Is it safe to explore your planet or will I be grabbed again?”
“I’ll take you to a place where it’s quiet. The planet is twice Earth’s size with a population of around a million.”
Maximus changed into a pair of shorts and handed Posy the same as well as a small shirt. The material was hemp. The shorts slipped on, but Velcro strips were on either side. The idea made sense. If Maximus shifted the material wouldn’t rip, it would slide apart. That way a shifter wouldn’t be forever making new clothes. As Posy gazed around she could see the curtains were of the same material. The furniture was wood, some also covered with hemp.
“I thought your body could absorb the material. That’s what you said about Earth.”
“Earth is different. The molecules in the moonbeam change the clothes for us. The clothes you tossed over the edge that were mine will be salvaged for another shifter.”
“That’s kinda cool.”
The walkway along the trees stretched as far as the eye could see leading to other distant homes. Long vines of multiple colors hung in sheets. She heard children laughing and gasped when one young adult leaped and swan dived from one hundred feet into the air. A massive falcon swooped low beside the teen. Before Posy could scream for someone to save the girl she shifted into a petite version of the hawk and skimmed over the ground.
“A new shifter. The girl has come of age. I bet her parents are proud,” Maximus said.
“I bet her mother needs new underwear.” I would.
“Her father was beside her. He would never let her be injured. Look on the ground. You can see the other shifters who were there in case as well. Our children know when it’s their time. They get a certain feeling.”
Maximus stopped dead when a low growl rumbled. Barefoot and dressed only in shorts he was scary as heck, but Posy chuckled.
“Relax, Mighty Mouse, it’s my belly rumbling. I’m starved.”
“Maybe we could keep the mouse thing to ourselves.”
“Sure, as long as you feed me.”
The trail veered off as they descended to the ground. The warm, soft soil under her feet slipped between her toes. Maximus took her hand and led her to a large body of water. He grinned, slipped off his pants and shifted. Huge paws leapt to a large boulder in the water where he scanned beneath the surface. Claws unsheathed, he pounced and dragged a sturgeon to the shore.
The sturgeon put up a good fight, and the pair rolled around until the fish stilled from exhaustion. Maximus dispatched it as mercifully as he could. Remaining in shifter form he used a long sharp claw to slit the belly, and Posy was delighted when she scooped a handful of roe.
“I haven’t had this in so long.” She licked her palm and fingers and scooped more. “Can we build a small fire so we can cook the fish?”
Maximus shifted, and as Posy continued to eat the roe he gathered rocks and sticks and got a fire going. Casting a glance around, he scooped up a piece of driftwood and filled it with roe to hand to Posy as she sucked her fingers. He sheared off a large slab of fish and shifted back apologizing but telling Posy his shifter was famished. Maximus dove face first into the remainder of fish eggs. She marveled as he polished off the sturgeon, head, tail, and all, including bones then went after another. When finished he rolled onto his back, feet in the air, groaning. Her mate was adorable.
“You must be the biggest kitten I ever saw,” Posy said and chuckled.
“Kitten is the nickname reserved for our first daughter.”
“All right, but she may just be called Kitten Junior.”
“Cute.”
“What’s cute is the way you talk when you shift. You’re all growly and stuff.”
“Is this better?”
Posy almos
t choked when he imitated the chipmunk voice and did a good job. When she stopped laughing she had a thought.
“Was it coincidence you caught a male and female sturgeon?”
“No, I can scent sex. When you become pregnant I’ll know the sex of the baby by the time it’s six months.”
Posy couldn’t resist the sleepy looking cat. She moved from the fire to scratch his white belly. Maximus wiggled, and his balls on display rolled.
“You’re hung like a horse.”
If cats could grin he did. “I have a horse shifter friend. He’s hung like a horse.”
Maximus rolled over and licked her cheek with his raspy tongue.
“Ew.”
“Come on and let me walk some of this fish off. I need to stay in shifter form for a little while until I digest. Otherwise I might explode.”
“Again, ew.”
The jungle foliage was intense, filled with more colors than Posy had ever seen. Food was in abundance. Coconuts, bananas, peaches, avocadoes. She noted the pineapple, and Maximus pulled one from the ground and using a razor claw stripped the sides exposing the sweetly dripping fruit for her to eat.
Vegetables of all sorts caught her attention. She pulled a potato from the ground and noted the sunflowers.
“I can make French fries. Look tomatoes for ketchup. Does sugar cane grow here?”
“Sure. You can experiment all you want. Shifters here prefer everything raw the way it grows. But I am kinda fond of fries and ketchup.”
“I guess gravy is out of the question.”
Maximus wrinkled his nose. “What do you think?”
“Just asking.”
They strolled for over an hour as Posy caught sight of one display of intense beauty after another. There was a little pond surrounded in sand. The clear water was too tempting to resist, and Posy stripped and dove in. As she treaded water Maximus shifted into his human form and swam to her. He pulled her under, and she surfaced gasping while he laughed. She splashed him and tried to swim away, but a large arm gripped her waist and soon her chest was pressed to his.
His cock lay firm against her flesh, searing her. After a glance at their surroundings she knew they were alone. His hands each grabbed an ass cheek. She pulled up her legs to wrap around his waist, and he impaled her.
Chapter Eight
She was beautiful wet. Posy’s long, dark hair was a breath away from hitting her ass. Her sleek insides were hot and welcoming. Maximus was a large man, and yet she took all of him. Beautiful eyes gazed at him in a trusting fashion. Maximus had known they would connect once on his planet, but to become one so quickly was bliss he’d never known.
The sensuous sounds she made slipped past her full rosy lips. Her breasts were squished to his chest. The rock under his feet was slippery when he pumped harder, but his toes hung on for all they were worth. This little fish wasn’t going anywhere. The waves their bodies made splashed at their chins. Posy rested her cheek high against his throat and closed her eyes.
With annoyance Maximus saw the small fish gather in schools, and they began to surround them. Harmless creatures, but curious. They were only fish after all, not shifters. With one hand he tried to shoo away the fish, which scattered only to regroup and surround them. He’d never known his planet to be so crowded. Then again they were in the fish pond. The fish hadn’t come onto dry land.
“Maximus, we’re surrounded.”
“I noticed.”
“That better be your finger tickling my ass cheek.”
It wasn’t.
Keeping her impaled, Maximus moved them towards the shore with the fish following. He walked them to dry land where they collapsed in a heap on the sand. A summer storm opened the skies to drench them while Maximus shielded her. Posy turned her head to watch the jungle suffer the assault, and she smiled up at him.
“Your eyes flickered yellow,” she said.
“It’s all right. I won’t—and also can’t—shift during sex. But I do love a good storm. The foliage roars.”
“Can you roar?”
“You better believe it.”
Maximus threw back his head and roared, making the ground shudder. Posy chuckled, but he felt her goosebumps. Her insides were warm and wet, and he pulled from her. For a moment he simply stared down at her. The rain was running in rivulets over his body to drip to the ground. He could lose himself in her dark eyes. His inner shifter was in tune to every sound within a mile.
She whispered his name, and he plunged into her heat. Her body shuddered as her back arched. Melon tits slapped against his chest, and he grinned knowing he’d never look at that particular fruit the same way again. He thrust one last time roaring again with his release. They lay together for a moment until the rain was impossible to ignore. Posy sneezed, and he knew it was time to take her home. Posy held up her now sodden garments. He liked her better naked. Maximus shifted and scooped her over his back. With a giant leap he was off racing through the jungle while the rain saturated his fur.
“Woman, you have some grip.” He might be bald in spots soon.
“It comes in handy when I’m kinda sorta scared to death. You may not fly through the air but you do on land.”
Her shrill voice made him slow, a little. He bounded up the wooden path high into the trees. It took mere moments to reach home. When tucked inside he dropped Posy onto the bed, shifted, and fell on top of her.
“Man or beast, you’re heavy,” she said and groaned.
“You’re beautiful.”
She traced a finger down his wet cheek. “So are you. In both forms.”
He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “Do you want to join the others outside and dance naked in the rain?”
“What?”
With a grin he yanked her to her feet. From their high view they could see down where humans and shifters spun wildly in the rain, naked. Posy giggled, and Maximus laughed. The gorillas were hilarious.
“I think I’ll sit this one out.”
Maximus was okay with that. He guided her back to the bed, then went to close all the drapes. The rain brought a certain chill to the air, and they cuddled together under a warm blanket. Within moments he caught the scent of another shifter. Maximus lunged to his feet and faced off with the giant polar bear who entered his home. The bear jumped back but sniffed the air.
“You’re a long way from home,” Maximus said.
“I caught my mate’s scent in the air,” the bear replied. “Now I’m confused. This female is and isn’t my mate.”
“This female is definitely not your mate. She’s mine.”
“Will this never end?” Posy tossed the blanket over her head.
“Your mate is a vessel for any shifter. This hasn’t occurred in a long time.”
“Tac is getting the word out to our shifters. You need to get the word out to yours. My mate can’t be continuously hunted on our planet.”
“Agreed. A shame though. I’m in need of a mate. Yours is a beauty.”
“Thank you.” Posy’s words were muffled, and she stayed buried.
The bear ambled out, and Maximus remained in shifter form. Half the planet at least wanted a coveted female human mate. He curled up beside Posy and wrapped his paws around her. It was time for a cat nap. As he drifted off he heard Posy’s small sigh.
“Aw, you can purr, how adorable.”
He hadn’t been called adorable in a long time. He could handle cute. At least she hadn’t called his mouse form “smoochable”. How embarrassing.
****
Posy rode on Maximus’s back. They were deep in the jungle on a honeymoon of sorts. Tac suggested the couple leave until the mate issue was settled. It would be a few months before the planet could connect with Earth and other shifters would be chosen to seek their mates. In a week or so Posy would have too much of her mate’s scent to be ignored, and all would know she belonged to him. The craziness of the planet would settle for her, as the shifters just needed a bit more time to adjust.
“The beam chooses them. Those who want mates go to the beam and the ones who make it through know a mate is there on the other side.”
“But some didn’t find mates.”
“No. I’m guessing it was because you are viable with every shifter the beam was confused. All it knew was it was your time for a mate.”
“So there’s a lot of ticked off shifters because of me.”
“Not because of you. They are confused. Some will be wary.”
“I feel bad.”
“Don’t. It’s not your fault.”
“So how long are we banished for?”
“We’re not banished. We’re on vacation.”
“I think Tac blames me for the children’s sugar high.”
Maximus burst out laughing. “Yeah, that ketchup was something else. The gorilla twins were so hyper they kept running into each other.”
“Well now we know sugar and shifter don’t mix.”
The fiasco of children running in crazy patterns for most of an afternoon had sparked some heated debate over cooked foods. Who knew a few fries and ketchup would cause a disaster? One look at cocoa beans made Posy cringe. Hot cocoa was out of the question. How was she to survive her next period?
“All this wonderful food. Oh the trifles I could have made. Apple crisps, peach cobblers, ice cream. Gone, all gone for the sake of nutso children.”
“You can make that for you.”
“How?” she drawled. “You have laws that there is to be no fire in the treetops or homes. Granted that is a good law considering everything is made of wood. But on the ground where everyone can see what I’m doing and smell what I’m cooking is no good. I didn’t force food on those munchkins. They lined up for it.”
“You can try out here.”
“And risk elephants showing up for a tea party? No thanks.”
They were able to cover a great deal of land, and in no time Maximus had taken her to a quiet place. Posy slipped from his back and watched him shift. He took her hand, and together they walked through the beauty of the land.
Her Mighty Shifter Page 6
