by Lilly Wilder
“Embarrassing. Me too. I’m really sorry.”
“Let’s get some food in us so we know what’s going on here. I’m sure we’re breaking a thousand rules here, and I would rather not get kicked out before we’ve had our shot to prove ourselves.”
“You’re right.”
Vivica’s smile was stiff, almost as if it was forced. Poor girl must not have a lot of experience. She probably won’t last a week. I kissed her forehead and squeezed her butt. “I can’t wait until tonight. You’re going to come at least four times tonight.” She grabbed my face and pulled my lips to hers. I did my best to keep my mouth closed. I really did not want anyone to experience this breath. “Go get dressed. At least we know now that we can shower in our rooms. We’ll have lots of privacy tonight.”
“Why do you think they sent us to the public shower last night? Maybe the rooms weren’t ready?” Vivica began chewing on the ends of her hair. Gross.
“Maybe. But, shouldn’t they have known we were coming?” I mean, they were the ones that invited us here, not the other way around.
“Nothing in this place makes sense. Just go with it.”
One night of a witch going down on her and she was a certified hippie. How funny. I hadn’t been with another girl in a long time, so I was a bit nervous about how my skills would apply. I was glad to know that they were universally appreciated. She flipped the blanket off of her and ran her hand over her breasts, stomach, and down in between her legs. Vivica’s breasts bounced with her movement. Her taut ab muscles shifted as she started playing with her clit. “Are you sure we don’t have time before breakfast?” She shot me a pleading look.
“A joint shower would save some time, wouldn’t it?”
“I’ll be quick I promise.” Her wetness shined in the early morning sun. This girl was going to be trouble. I reached over and pinched her nipple until it hardened between my fingers. She was going to experience something new this morning. Was there enough room in the shower to sit on her face? I guess there was only one way to find out. I sprung out of bed and walked around to her side. Grabbing her arm, I pulled her to her feet. “We’ve got to hurry. One orgasm and we’re out of here.” She crossed her fingers and pushed her hair out of her face.
“I promise, I’ll be a good girl. I just need your mouth on me. Now.”
“You think you’re ready to take this up a notch?” She licked her perfect lips and giggled nervously.
“I’m ready.” Good girl. I think I just found my secret weapon to making sure that I was chosen as a breeder. What man could resist seeing me ravage the other breeders? I knew that timing was key. I’d have to keep this a secret, until the right time. Maybe I wouldn’t need it. But I wouldn’t hesitate to use it. I just hoped that Vivica would be okay with everyone knowing how close she and I were getting. It was too early to tell her. I’m not even sure she’d be up for group action. I kept forgetting that humans usually forced monogamy and commitment like it was a saving grace or something. She might not be interested in sharing. I watched as she bent over to turn on the hot water. Her ass was heart shaped. One single dimple decorated her right butt cheek. How could anyone expect me to be loyal with a delicious and willing treat like this available? Especially one so fresh, new, and pliable. I was going to be able to train her to please me. Vivica stepped over the ledge of the tub and stepped under the spray. She filled her mouth with water and rinsed and spit. She giggled and shrugged.
“Get on your knees.” Vivica kneeled and peered up at me with her doe like eyes. “Start gently. Circle my clit with the tip of your tongue, gradually increase pressure and add your fingers when I tell you.” She nodded and took a deep breath. “It’s just you and me, okay? You don’t have to feel shy or nervous. You’re beautiful and perfect. Don’t overthink it. Your body knows what to do. You’re just exploring me, seeing my reaction and leaning into it. Enjoy it.” I stepped into the tub and put my foot up on the ledge, spreading my legs open to her. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and before I could tell her what to do, she grabbed my thigh with one hand and my ankle with the other. It might have been her first time, but it only took her a few minutes to bring my whole body into contractions of pleasure. “Trouble,” I whispered as I grabbed the back of her head.
“Am I doing it right?” She pulled back, my wetness coating her mouth and chin.
I laughed and pushed her face back into me. “I lied. You need to do that again.” It was another hour before we made it to breakfast. My limbs were weak, but my brain was clearer than it had been in weeks. The flush on my face would be unmistakable but I really didn’t care who saw. Vivica was addicting and we were going to be breeders together. I could feel it.
-6-
We walked through the door to the dining room hand in hand. I hoped there would be some shapeshifters at breakfast, but there were only women spread across ten low tables. On one side of the room sat several high counters spread with food. Everyone turned to look at us when we walked into the door. I waved and several girls waved back, a few others stared at us blankly, and one sneered. Kara, the receptionist from last night, stood and hurried over.
“You’re late.” She hissed.
“Sorry, we slept in. We had a really tiring night.” Vivica elbowed me. I turned towards her. “What? We did, didn’t we?” Her cheeks turned scarlet. Kara raised her eyebrow.
“You’re going to need to learn to be punctual if you want to stay here. First you were late and missed the night orientation, then you took so long last night in the shower, we had to skip orientation. Now, you are late to breakfast. This is not a good start ladies. As soon as you finish eating and your medical, report to the public showers. We’ll start our orientation. You can catch up with the other ladies afterwards. I can’t guarantee this won’t affect your scores.”
“Scores?” Where were we, school? Vivica furrowed her brow.
“Becoming a breeder is not subjective. We evaluate you on a variety of different categories, skills, and criterion. There is nothing personal or emotional about our decisions. We simply want the best.”
“So, we are supposed to be judged on the scores without even knowing what the categories are?” Vivica snapped.
“If you all had been on time last night, you would have learned what they were with everyone else. Now, you’re behind and I’ll be taking extra time out of my schedule to get you up to speed.”
Wasn’t that her job? I don’t understand why someone that is a receptionist in a bathroom lobby would be able to train us on how we are going to get judged for a breeding role? “Isn’t there one of the shapeshifter warriors that can take us through training? I mean, since they are the ones that are going to be deciding who gets the spots?”
“The judges are anonymous. We are all about fairness here. And I was one of the supporters of the motion to support our shapeshifters’ non-clan breeders.” I looked her up and down. About forty and petite. I wondered how many people underestimated her.
“I’ve done my fair share of breeding let me tell you. But those days are behind me.”
“I thought you said last night that one of the shapeshifters would train us.”
“Yes, but not one of the judges. And they are all busy at the moment.”
I had a lot of questions. Maybe it was best if I waited until later.
“The doctors will come to collect you from breakfast. Don’t make them wait.” She turned on her heel and marched out the door.
“Well, she’s fun.” Vivica giggled nervously.
“Don’t worry about her. We’ll be fine.” I hoped. She seemed pretty serious. The last thing I wanted was to get kicked out because I couldn’t get my ass out of bed on time. I was going to have to tell Vivica to cool it for a bit until we were able to prove ourselves a bit more.
“Let’s get something to eat.” Vivica charged towards the food.
My stomach grumbled. I was starving. When I reached the food table, I stopped
short. “What the fuck is this?” Various forms of fruit and vegetables were displayed. Boiled eggs sat in a pot covered in water. Some type of porridge with nuts steamed in a pot. A few containers of plain yogurt gathered condensation at the edge of a table.
“What’s wrong? It looks awesome! They have everything!”
“You actually like this rabbit food? I’m freaking hungry! Where are the pancakes?”
“Oh please. We’re trying to make babies. Don’t tell me you expected cinnamon buns and Spanish omelets.”
I’m not even sure what I did expect. But maybe I expected this to be more like a hotel. Or a fancy spa. Weren’t we supposed to be getting pampered as life givers?
“We’re not breeders yet. This is supposed to be like boot camp.”
“Ugh. I guess you’re right.” I stabbed at some fruit and grabbed a boiled egg. I picked up the yogurt and eyed the label. “Premium Goat’s Milk”. Great. I guess around here, I was the cow. We found a seat and munched for a few minutes in silence. Swallowing the tasteless egg and yogurt was torture. At least the fruit was ripe. A long-legged redhead with absolutely enormous breasts came over and sat down next to us.
“I’m Ava. I’m one of two elves here.” Her ears were a dead giveaway.
“Where is the other elf, one of two, Ava?” Vivica smirked.
“You tell me. I haven’t been able to find her. I’m told her name is Amara.” She kicked her leg over her other leg and jiggled her foot. Her hair was voluminous and shiny, and her eyes were bright and seeking. Her button nose had a sprinkling of freckles on it. She was quite cute. Her breasts definitely elevated her up quite a bit. I could imagine that the shapeshifters were going to go crazy for her figure. I hoped I was going to be able to get in on that action. What was wrong with me? I was starting to feel like a dieter in a chocolate shop. When was the last time I was around this many people at once? It was almost dizzying. She put her hand on my knee.
“Where are you from?” She leaned in enough so I could smell her perfume. It smelled like freshly mown grass.
“I’m from around.” Where was I from? We never stayed in one place more than a few weeks.
“Well that’s informative.” Ava smiled, but her eyes were stormy. I wondered how many people had ever told her no in her life.
“I’m not the sharing type.” Did I mind Ava or anyone else, knowing that I didn’t have a traditional home growing up? Of course not. But, I would be damned if I was going to give her a win in this power game she thought she had going on. Ava put on a strained smile and turned towards Vivica.
“Well, what about you sweetheart?” Sweetheart fell from her lips like sugar. This chick was good. Vivica lapped up the attention.
“I’m from a little town a few hours south of Derry forests. Really rural. More cows than people sort of deal. It’s a charming place. I kind of miss it.” Her face turned cloudy and her mouth turned down at the corners. I was going to have my work cut out for me trying to erase that look from her face. My heart might be coated in steel, but it was all marshmallow on the inside.
“Farm girl, huh?” Ava leaned in and twirled her hair. What did she want from us? Her sentiments were warm, and her body language was spot on, but I didn’t trust her. She was an elf after all and this was a competition.
“Total farm girl. Before I came here, I was milking cows and helping my father plow the fields. It’s a very simple life. I wanted more. You know everyone around me knows everyone else. There isn’t anything new or exciting around for miles.” Why hadn’t she told me that was the reason she joined? I didn’t like how much information Ava was getting. She wasn’t trying very hard and Vivica was spilling her guts. I needed to divert attention away from her and quickly, before she revealed more weakness than she already had.
“I was born in the city.” Vivica’s eyes popped. I’d told her about my nomadic childhood, so this was in direct contradiction to what I had said before. I could only hope she wouldn’t correct me in front of Ava or get upset. Please catch on Vivica. “I grew up in a slum of sorts. We never had enough to eat. There were rats and cockroaches everywhere. Sometimes I can still hear the scratching.”
Ava wrinkled her nose. “That sounds terrible. It must have been really traumatic for you.”
“Totally. I was also in an abusive relationship. Any type of submissive and dominant dynamic sends me into a panic. I really hope that there isn’t anything of that here. As soon as one of those shapeshifters expects me to obey, I’m toast.” I could see the wheels turning in Vivica’s mind. She tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips.
“Don’t forget your history of Goblin fever. You had that at least three times, right?” Vivica chimed in. You clever fox. I could kiss you right here in front of everyone.
“Oh yeah, that was the worst. No sanitation in the cities. I caught Goblin fever every winter when I was in primary school. My leg will never be the same.” I rubbed my knee and winced.
Ava smiled. “Well, you’re okay now. That’s all that matters.”
I leaned in really close to Ava and put my hand over my mouth as if I was whispering a secret in her ear. “Well, actually one of my legs is shorter than the other. I limp a bit, but just don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to get kicked out of the competition before it gets started, okay?”
“Cross my heart.” Ava motioned the crossing of her heart with her fingers. “We’re all friends here, aren’t we?”
She smiled so broadly that it appeared as if her teeth sharpened. Almost as if she could taste the juiciness of the knowledge I’d just imparted. Now I was sure, she was fishing for advantages to exploit. Now that we’d given her some, she was going to go away.
“Well, ladies. It’s been a pleasure. I’m going to get going. I want to eat a bit more before we have our doctor’s appointments. Don’t want the doctor to think I’m too frail to breed.” Ava smiled and stood up. With a wave, she sauntered off to another table, presumably to pull the same stunt. Vivica leaned into me and grabbed my thigh.
“How did you know?” Her face was filled with concern and worry.
“She’s an elf. That put me automatically on guard. It isn’t that they are evil. Charm is one of their strengths. In this type of situation, where we are all in a competition, everyone is going to exploit their strengths. Hers is to charm the pants off of all her enemies. She uses smarts instead of strength.”
“I’m so glad I have you here,” and she needed me, no question.
“I’m glad I’m here too. You just have to be more careful. I’m surprised they even invited humans to participate. This is quite the cutthroat competition.”
“How am I supposed to exploit my strengths when I have none? I’m hopeless.”
“That’s not true. Even humans have strength. You proved it just now. Without me telling you what was happening, you were able to figure it out. Humans have more developed empathy than a lot of other species. Use it to your advantage. Also, most people want their children to be able to move around freely in the world. Humans have the largest territory in the world and there’s no one hunting humans. Well, except for vampires.”
“That’s true. You’ve made me feel so much better.” Vivica reached over and placed a dry peck on my cheek. My face burned. I looked around to see if anyone saw.
“Relax. Even if someone did see, that was a friendly kiss. Humans do it all the time.”
“Maybe you’re going to teach me a thing or two about humans.” There was something to be said for leaving things to fate and not always calculating your next move. She seemed so light and happy. Where was the baggage that weighed us all down?
“I think that’s true.” Just then the doors burst open. A large broad man in simple clothing entered. His beard was overgrown and he looked quite unkempt.
“Breakfast is over. It’s time for your medical examinations,” and just like that, our tryouts had begun.
-7-
We followed the large ma
n from the breakfast hall to another cabin.
“Humans to the right. All others come over here to the left.”
Half a dozen ladies left the crowd and stood on the right. They smiled and played with their clothes nervously.
“You all are going in first.” I flashed Vivica a thumbs up. Would she be okay on her own? What type of questions were they going to ask? For some reason I felt nervous for her. The humans herded into the open doors. Once the doors closed shut, the man held up a small basket.
“There’s an extra step for the rest of you. Before you enter, you will need to drink this potion fully. It will get rid of any magic or deception spells that you’ve cast. Your true forms will be revealed within five minutes of consumption. For those of you that don’t want others to know what you actually look like, I suggest you drink the potion and hustle into the examination room. The doctors will be waiting.” Groans and murmured protests echoed throughout the crowd. The man shrugged and pointed towards the woods. “If you don’t like it, you can leave now. Fair is fair. We don’t want anyone to have any additional advantages. Like we said, we take this vetting process very seriously. The shapeshifters want to know what they are getting without all of the fluff.”
I’d never been much for beautifying spells. They were exhausting to keep up and the magic was very shallow. I wondered how many of the faces that surrounded me would be unrecognizable in a few minutes.
“One by one. There you go.” We began to form a line and slowly filter up the stairs. Each woman grabbed a potion, uncapped the lid, and swallowed its contents. After peering into their open mouths, the man waved in woman after woman. I counted the number of women ahead of me. There were fifteen or so. Could this small cabin hold enough doctors to check us all? I remembered the bathrooms. They must use shapeshifting magic on these cabins, as well as the entire surrounding forests. Who was maintaining all of this? How did they have enough energy to keep it up all the time? They really must be desperate for more manpower. The population would need to be a certain amount to sustain it. The line continued to move forward. I guess there was enough room. I now stood several women behind the man handing out the potions. Could they be using disrobing magic? My magic was tied to the elements and the earth. If I stayed as a breeder, would they let me learn from them? Finally, it was my turn. I took the small potion and uncapped it. Tossing it back, I wrapped my lips around the tiny opening. A salty fizz poured down my throat. Hmm. Not half bad.
